Wednesday 21 September 2011

NYFW: my pick

3.1 Phillip Lim

Rarely do I get as excited about a collection as I have with Phillip Lim SS12. It's simplistic, chic, pastel perfection and all I want to be wearing next summer (if I can wait that long)! I love how Lim's palette of pastels is punctuated by bold black pieces and the occasional pop of bright colour in the accessories. The collection reminds me of those sherbert flying saucers I used to eat as a kid with a different colour on the front and back. The grown up version.


Band of Outsiders

Whilst there's nothing ground-breaking or unique about Scott Sternberg's collection, I like the overall aesthetic and I'd wear most of it in a heartbeat. Monochrome is always appealing to me because of the simplicity, and because a lot of the collection is made up of separates, mixing and matching is made all that much easier.


Rodarte


A mixture of The King and I costumes and Van Gough paintings shouldn't really work. Yet Rodarte's SS12 collection seems to combine the two ideas to beautiful effect. I adore love with the topaz blue that featured throughout and the rusty gold it was paired with. And don't get me started on the crossover tops with those shoulders- fabulous!






Wednesday 14 September 2011

Banoffee Cupcakes

I thought it was about time that I dipped back into my favourite baking recipe book, Cake Days by Hummingbird Bakery and so today I tried my hand at their banoffee cupcake recipe.

Rather stupidly I didn't thoroughly check the recipe before I began and assumed that the topping would be a variation of their usual yummy frosting. However, the topping is in fact a homemade caramel custard mixed with whipped cream which is completely delicious but a little time consuming. (Don't get me wrong, it's utterly worth it but I was restricted with time!) I'd never made custard from scratch before so I wasn't at all confident but it's much easier than I thought.

Here is the finished product! I have to say I'm rather proud.



The recipe makes around 16 but I halved it because there are only two of us in the house this week and my cake intake is far too high!

You can find the recipe in Cake Days which can be bought here. Happy baking!

x

London: Round 1

You may have seen from my tweets that I spent a couple of days in London this week. I had an interview to intern for the British Fashion Council at London Fashion Weekend and I got it!

When I heard that I'd been offered an interview I was mainly just excited to be going to the BFC offices in Somerset House and I was every bit as excited when I got there! The elevator doors opened and I walked out into a long corridor lined with huge prints of shows on the walls (it's such a blur that the only one I truly remember is one of Lara Stone). During the interview I tried so hard to focus and not get distracted by people rushing around- as LFW starts this week it was completely manic. Obviously I impressed them somehow and was offered a position later that day! Fingers crossed that my time there next week is just as amazing as yesterday was.

After much debating, this is what I wore:


I really wanted to keep my look simple and classic- it pretty much sums up my personal style whilst looking smart but with a bit of a twist.

After my interview I had a whole day free to enjoy the city, so headed straight over to Selfridges to see what Monki had to offer (see my Swedophilia post). The selection in store isn't very big and truth be told I was a little disappointed, but that didn't stop me wandering around the rest of the store and purchasing a treat for myself (must learn some self-control).

In the afternoon I found myself at the V&A for the Power of Making exhibition. In the mad panic of packing, I forgot my camera so I only took a few photos with my iPhone, but here are some of my favourite things from the exhibition which is well worth a visit!


I was far too distracted to make a note of who created the beauties in the photos above. Who knew you could do such things with needles?! Incredible.


We all recognise and love these famous Armadillo shoes by the late, great Alexander McQueen. I remember watching the show these were featured in streamed live from Paris (SS10 if I remember correctly) and even then I don't think I quite grasped the beauty, height and angle of these! Seeing them in person was a real treat.

After my cultural experience I headed over to the Shoreditch Pizza East for a quick bite with a friend. Seems like Henry Holland had a similar idea as he was also there with some pals looking quite relaxed considering he's showing at LFW next week!

And that was that for this week's London visit. I'm back next week for my interning and hopefully more fun tales.



(Just to make you all jealous, I'm enjoying a red velvet cupcake that I picked up from the Old Brompton Road Hummingbird Bakery in bed right now)


x

Wednesday 7 September 2011

AW11 fantasy shopping list

A girl can dream...




Alexander Wang Zoro angular-frame acetate sunglasses 
Alexander Wang Kristen multi-strap suede shoulder bag
Burberry London wool-blend double-breasted coat
Acne Evans asymmetric crepe dress
Acne romantic wool-felt A-line skirt
Acne twisted wool-knit sweater
Valentino Plisse lace dress
Gucci coated cotton-blend biker jacket
Miu Miu glitter and suede peep-toe ankle boots




All available at net-a-porter
(except for those phenomenal Miu Miu boots which are sold out EVERYWHERE!)





Sixies Dreamgirl

I love a good themed editorial and Harper's Bazaar's latest offering featuring Alexa Chung in various sixties-inspired looks is divine.






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