Food - a fashionable guilty Pleasure

Now anyone that knows me well knows that any chance to talk about food is time well spent in my books. I like eating it. Simple. But I got thinking about Britain's fascination with food. Things are changing. 

Vogue are talking about it. Celebs are tweeting about it. Young professionals are quitting the city to re-invent it. Food is now cool. And the prettier the better. We can see it in the rise in popularity of the local bakery. No longer is the humble sausage roll our favourite baked snack. The cupcake is the fad sweeping the streets and lips of Primrose hill and Burberry HQ employees alike ( and I can vouch for Baileys' buns being exceptionally tasty...i'm talking about his cakes you filthy lot!)

Hummingbird, Primrose, Peyton and Byrne and Sweet things  are just some of the bakeries making a name for themselves in the world of sponge and butter icing.

And the funny thing is, the fashion pack aren't ashamed to sample a box or three in the office. Somehow these little bundles of sweetness are a not so much a guilty pleasure than their savoury counterparts. Well, you wouldn't see a delivery of saveloy and chips landing on the doorstep of Vogue HQ?

One woman, Shikhita Singh not only gave up her city job to set up her cupcake business but now runs successful baking classes from her home in London. Her wedding cupcakes are iced to perfection. Now I just need someone to marry me and I can have an excuse to order 300 of them...

Here are some of the best images for your delectation...

Going for Gold[in]

Geez Louise. She's done it again. Louise Goldin has made for a very empty bank account come February.

Keep my Visa away from Topshop on the 5th as Goldin's first footwear collection is unveiled. The three piece range of courts [by the recent winner of the British Fashion Council 's  Fashion Forward talent support scheme], are adorned with metal studs and opulent diamanté gems in SS10 favourite dusty pastel shades as well as classic black. The juxtaposition of glamour and punk works most brilliantly. Perfectly timed to be worn to AW10s round of shows wouldn't you say?! 

I should like a black pair for my birthday please. That gives you three days to queue up. [NB birthday 8th Feb, shoe size 5/38] 

Thanks!

FADDISM: Giddyup

Fashion's fascination for the Cowgirl appears to have surfaced for SS10. D&G and Pucci have championed the look in a big way, and 'double denim' (the biggest 90's taboo we forced our dads to steer clear off) has made a resurgence thanks to the likes of Chloe, Ralph Lauren and Mulberry. Even Chanel brought a touch of prairie to their shows production.

However Punitive Shoes have taken 'down on the ranch' to a whole new level. With these 'Rancho' boots there's no need for a horse and lasso. 

Make sure you saddle up though - these are guna be a real ankle killer. Yeehaa

FADDISM: Designer Disney

First Stella now Tempest. Collaborating with Disney seems to the latest fad among the fashion pack of late. 

William Tempest is taking on the task of designing a dress for the star of Disney's latest magical animated comedy, The Princess And The Frog, inspired by the actress's character Princess Tiana. 

Stella's Disney inspiration has come from the ever referenced adaptation of Lewis Caroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' and includes a range of kitsch bracelets and necklaces (in her signature colour palette naturally) featuring wonderland iconography; playing cards, rabbits and mad hatter hats. The collection has been created ahead of the release of Tim Burton's release of a 3D adaptation of 'Alice in Wonderland'. 

Stella's limited edition collaboration will be on sale from Feb. Here's hoping her loyal clientèle buy into this look. Can't see a queue of kids waiting round the block to spend their pocket money. Unless of course pocket money's gone up 300%....

Twitter Tights...

What better way to give your Tweets some attention than these fabulously conceited 'Follow Me' twitter tights. Nicknamed 'Stalkings', next time you're itching for followers just show the world a bit of leg. Pretentious and promiscuous. Hmm...

Burberry gets Wired...again

 After the success of the live streaming of their High Summer '10 prorsum womenswear, Burberry will tomorrow live stream their AW10 Menswear collection:

http://live.burberry.com/

or

GQ.com

 Trust me... It'll be worth it.

'Chugg' - the collaboration

Yes Jimmy Choo are teaming up with Aussie footwear phenomenom Ugg.

Having rejected Uggs in favour of style and originality (woah backlash) I conjured a similar image in my mind as French style website Jalou Gallery ...

I've heard its not going to be as drastic as above. But sorry, I won't be queuing at 5am to grab these limited distribution Chuggs.

Wintour Blues. Until...

Finally received 'The September Issue' DVD this morning. Thanks Benj.

The delightfully intrusive look at the making of US Vogue's biggest issue through the eyes of fashion fractious editor-in-chief Anna Wintour certainly did nothing to dispel any thought that a soft nougat centre was nowhere in her genetic make up. The Brit ex-pat with the impeccably blowdryed bob walks the viewer through the build up to the deadline of the September Issue where she (and her team) in no way exercise descretion for the benefit of the film crew. 

//*Highlight: Anna's long suffering Creative Director Grace Coddington. What a woman. What a head of hair. This woman is golden and as she reminds the viewer 'started at US Vogue the same day as Anna twenty years ago'. Yep - she saw her from the beginning and won't take an ounce of the hype. She's also a fantastic stylist. I've always loved the Welsh.

I won't spoil the rest. There's plenty of websites for that. Worth a watch if you love fashion. Stay clear if you are apprehensively pursuing a career in editorial. 

//*Worth a quick read: 

http://www.vogue.com/voguedaily/2009/08/grace-coddington/

Chanel will rub off on you...literally

Do you remember the time you were tiding your room and stumbled across a five year old bracelet you forgot you had, then a floral hairpiece, then a sequin one followed by several strings of beads in hideous shades of fluoro pink, and before you know it you're wearing them all, together, and looking like Miss Hannigan on a particularly bad day? Perhaps this isn't you but on one occasion a few months ago this was me, all pyjamas and beads, accompanied by a massive tattoo of a rose with what resembled a reptile, intertwined together and transferred up my left arm. I couldn't help myself. It must have been in my room for years.

But apparently now I could be quite on the money...

 

Well if Karl says its ok it must be yes? Judging by the already mounting waiting list at Selfridges we may yet see the return of the transfer tattoo (albeit minus the serpent and replaced by a Chanel logo) adorning the bodies of wealthy Parisian women and Press girls alike. I wait with baited breath...

TwentyTen: New Year...New Blog //*

So the noughties passed without the collapse of the millenium bug and I'm still here, tapping away on my well thumbed laptop (which displays none of the technological marvels of the passed decade) and... a brand new blog. The old one had more than a pungent wiff of academia. Enough of that.