Ooh Hallyu!

Style Sharing is a fashions exhibition exploring the symbiotic relationship between Korean and British styles. Showcasing the work of Korean designers inspired by British life, it highlights the differences between classic ‘Britishness’ and what is known as ‘Hallyu’ a Korean term for South Korean culture’s popularity in the West.

I went along to the exhibition launch last night at the Korean Cultural Society. Curated by my dear friend and creative talent, Tory Turk, it was a very stylish affair. She commissioned British filmmaker Eion Glaister to produce film shorts to accompany each designer’s individual exhibits. Graduates from London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins provided the garments. Style Sharing is on until 4^th March – make sure you catch it!

Style Sharing, Korean Cultural Society, 1-3 Strand, London WC2N 5JR

“Fashion is not fashion without legs”

Slip on a great pair of tights and you’ll transform your outfit and your mood at the same time. Jonathan Aston tights have been around since the mid sixties and are known for working with fabulous designers such as Mark Fast.

Jonathan Aston is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary with another amazing collaboration. British design legends Celia Birtwell and Zandra Rhodes have both designed collections for the hosiery specialists. I ran along to my favourite traditional restaurant Kettner’s to find out more. The hosiery designs from both designers are fantastic; they perfectly capture the prints and colours each woman is famous for.

Celia Birtwell said: “Jonathan Aston burst onto the scene at the same time as Ossie and myself started working together so it was a pleasure to be asked to celebrate Jonathan Aston’s 50^th Anniversary.”

It was very exciting to meet the inspirational Zandra Rhodes, who said she had really enjoyed working on the collaboration. She has been a design hero of mine for a while, and it was really exciting to be taken through the tights installation by the designer herself. Zandra said:

“Fashion is not fashion without legs! The collection uses all my very special classic textiles and patterns – from peacock feathers and wiggles to chains with safety pins from my iconic punk collection of the 70’s.”

www.jonathanaston.com

Zandra with a leggy model! It's important to coordinate

Celia Birtwell's collection moodboard

And the collection itself

A piece by Zandra Rhodes

Loved these peacock tights!

And socks

And this

I met my hero!

Florabellio

After a long day at work, is there anything lovelier than a full-size Diptyque Baies candle glowing at the side of a toe-tingling, red hot bath? No way. But their new perfume is noteworthy nonetheless. To me, Florabellio is a gorgeous, airy, fresh-smelling eau de toilette that reminds me of the joys of spring. The bottle is the sort of show-off that means you’d put it at the front of your ‘fragrance library’ (just me?). I’ll stop rambling on now, because when it comes to perfume, I know what I like and I like what I know, so I’ll leave it to the experts and their rather stunning press pack to explain it in a far more eloquent way. I feel like this validates the necessity for print in an otherwise digital world – the sort of thing I’ll keep forever (or until space makes hoarding impossible).

www.diptyqueparis.co.uk

How very ‘Gibson’

When I was younger, my looks closely represented my favourite actresses at the time. I had a Teri Hatcher bob (remember the New Adventures of Superman?) at the tender age of twelve. Another favourite was Dana Scully off the X-Files, played by Gillian Anderson. That blow dry, that subtle taupe eye-shadow. It was all so wonderful. Gillian has recently re-emerged as my favourite for her sassy, work-appropriate-sexy office looks in BBC's ‘the Fall’. There are two ways of achieving her character, Superintendent Stella Gibson’s look; the expensive, luxurious, authentic way and the almost criminally cheap way (please don’t arrest me, Superintendent).

The dream silk shirt by Equipment at Net a Porter, a rather whopping £230

The reality silk shirt (on sale!) by Zara, a bang tidy £10