Modalu Handbags

I am fortunate enough to have a few fancy bags in my handbag arsenal; Miu Miu, Mulberry and Chanel all enjoy representation in my bag box. The one I use most, however, has a far more modest price point (around the £200 mark). It's a rugged brown number by Modalu. I have had it for a couple of years now, but while the pink satin lining of the Miu Miu is looking a bit ratty, the Modalu wonder is aging gracefully to say the least. I know you're only really supposed to wear brown or tab tassels in summer but I use it all winter too. I thought my black Mulberry shoulder bag would have seen far more action than it has this season. But I stray from the main point of this article; Modalu's new season bags! I want the floral one right now, the silver one for parties and the colour blocked one for events which require fashion authority (er, that'll be all of them then).

Modalu.com

Rhythm Launch - Burberry Brit

Burberry Brit’s latest Men’s fragrance, Rhythm, launched last Wednesday. Held at Shoreditch’s coolest venue, Village Underground, it was as if the coolest kids in the capital had been rounded up to have some drinks and watch White Lies perform. Pixie Geldof was there, with her model/musician boyfriend George Barnett and handsome bearded band boys and their messy haired model girlfriends partied until the wee hours. Burberry had flown lucky competition winners in from all around the world – we were chatting to a lovely young chap from Michigan who had won a Burberry Facebook competition. They were staying at the Sanderson and had been having an understandably fabulous time.  The boyfriends did well out of this one, as we were given a bottle of Rhythm to take away with us. It smells warm (that’ll be the cardamom) and fresh (basil verveina).

burberry.com 

Ponds and Pearls

“That’s pearltastic!” Exclaimed my friend as our eyes devoured a breathtaking satin ball gown, completely encrusted in diamonds and pearls. 

We went to the V&A last week to celebrate the beginning of party season with Ponds Institute skincare. We sipped pink champagne, munched canapés and went on to marvel at the stunning ‘Pearls’ exhibition (on until January 19th). 

Before we explored the exhibition, Caroline Neville, President of CEW (UK) shared some of her stories about pearls; about the luminous, simple beauty of debutantes wearing them. She was interviewed by presenter Laura Whitmore who looked fab in her on-trend Three Floor frock. 

I have to say, I was quite disappointed to find out that pearls are not, in fact, formed from a grain of sand, but instead from…fish poo. Glamorous? No. Interesting? Yes. I learned so much about pearls whilst admiring their astounding beauty. The exhibition is definitely worth seeing. 

“When it comes to pearls, size is not everything”, murmured my friend Gemma knowledgeably as we encountered a pearl necklace of epic proportions. We preferred the delicate beauty of a multi-stranded piece with minuscule beads of pearly perfection. 

In a world often blinded with overloaded scientific promises, it’s nice to go back to something simple that really works! There’s a reason why Ponds has been so popular for so many years. Laura Whitmore rates their ‘trusty cult classic’ Cold Cream Cleanser (RRP £4.07) and I’m a fan of the Ponds lightweight Eye Contour Cream (RRP £7.99) which is great for travelling as it comes in a tube rather than a clunky tub. 

www.pondsinstitute.co.uk  

Innocent Inspires - Creativity

On October 1st October, I went along to the ‘Innocent Gallery’ in Shoreditch Studios to learn all about Creativity.

The final event in the brand’s inspiring series of talks hosted some very inspirational people. It was introduced by Innocent’s Head of Creative who shared some interesting ideas and showed us alternative names for ‘Innocent’ which included ‘Love Apple’, ‘Bambino’ and ‘Hula Hula’.

First up was some unique ‘Flutebox’ entertainment from Nathan Lee. It’s hard to describe how amazing this was; certainly a first for my eyes.

Next writer and performer John-Paul Flintoff shared his thoughts on creativity and played some improvisation games. He told us that when it comes to creativity, it can be more powerful to be obvious rather than creative and that sometimes ‘creativity needs restriction’.

I was so excited to see that Benjamin Zephaniah was on the list of speakers. He came to my school in Brussels and inspired me as a child and, I was happy to find, did the same thing now, at least 17 years later! These were some of my favourite quotes:

“I love words, I love playing with words. I love words because we all have them.”
“(words are) the most democratic art form.”
“Every day you will say a sentence you will never say again. Poetry reminds you.”
“Every story should have a beginning, a muddle and an end” (this was one of Benjamin’s favourite quotes).

Kate Moross was fabulous; articulate and straightforward. She stressed the importance of communication, simplicity, speed and…watching more TV! My favourite quote from Kate was “Make your problem better and you will have a better solution.”

Although nervous about public speaking (I would have been too!) Rob Da Bank was the reason many people attended. The Radio 1 DJ and founder of Bestival shared some gems in an interview format.

Learn more about Innocent Inspires and watch all the videos here.

Dan, Innocent Head of Creative 

How Innocent could have looked!

Fluteboxing

John-Paul Flintoff

Benjamin Zephaniah

Innocent hats

Kate Moross

Rob Da Bank

That Lionel Richie head

Benjamin Zephaniah fields a toughie!

Trader Vic’s Re-launch

I escaped the drudgery of the week and headed to a tropical paradise on Thursday night. Home of the Mai Tai cocktail, Trader Vic’s has been a celebrity favourite for a while now and so it was no surprise to find the famous out in force at the venue’s re-launch party. I spotted The Voice’s Nate James (charming chap) Cheska Hull and Louise Thompson from Made in Chelsea. Amber Atherton was on the decks. 

The party had a fabulous Mad Men/Tiki theme and the cocktails were suitably fruity and exotic too. A fabulous night and Trader Vic’s is back on my party radar again!

Trader Vic’s 
London Hilton on Park Lane
London, W1K 1BE
(Nearest tube: Hyde Park Corner)

On the way to the party

Yum

Aloha!

The girls

Loved this dress

Cheska and Louise

Louise Thompson