Mad for Madhu

My life is go go go a times and there is nothing better than a great pair of boots that you can wear all day long with comfort.

During the last season of Fashion Days Nuremberg I was introduced to the Madhu Boot.  I had to admit, it was the comfiest shoe I had ever worn down the runway.  The models and entertainers at the event were taken by the all wool boot that came in an array of colours.

Arriving in the post last week, all the way from Germany, was my very own pair of pink Madhu boots;  I could not wipe the smile off my face.  Living in London and always having to rug up in the cold I am so happy to add these boots to my wardrobe.  They will be a go to pair during the winter months as I run from meetings, to castings, to the office and anywhere the day takes me, even the airport and the countless flights I find myself on.

A big thank you to the team at Fashion Days Nuremberg and Madhu Designs - my feet are in love.

I heart quotes and Madhu offers a little extra on their designs

Madhu Designs

Comfort for the next flight - Madhu designs

Reminiscing Rhodes

The last 4 days for me have been spent discovering paradise in the Greek Island of Rhodes.  Landing late on Tuesday evening with a friend we were reunited with a fellow traveller and 3 girls made their way to the town center. Thankfully our taxi driver was a pro tetris player as he managed to maneuver our 4 large luggage pieces into the small boot of his taxi.

Checking into the Rhodes Plaza Hotel we were exhausted from a day of traveling, we ordered room service and a bottle of Rosé and spent the night in gossiping and giggling.

Day one on the Island and the weather was not what we expected.  With clouds ruining our plans to get a tan we decided a day of shopping would be a better fit.  To begin the day we indulged in a salon visit.  Not having booked and appointment we entered the Sotiris Vasilas Hair Art Studio and asked if they could fit 3 girls in for styling.  The team accommodated us and was absolutely fantastic.  3 hours later left the salon feeling fresh and with a new lease on life…nothing beats a salon day when you have spent the previous day travelling. Confident in curls we made our way to the shops. 

Little did we know that most local stores are closed on a Wednesday to we had to stick to the mainstream stores. Hitting H&M, Tally Weijl and Sephora, we took a break and had frappes at Grand Caffe that was, in my opinion, by far the best café we went to on our trip.  Rejuvenated we made our way across the street to Zara where we had 10 minutes until closing, needless to say we still made a good dent in the wallet.  Loaded up with countless bags we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for an evening out.

A couple of hours later and a number of outfit changes we were ready to hit the town.  In our travels during the day we had passed a cocktail bar/café that was near the hotel, Mauro, we made our way there to begin our evening. 

Two martinis and a cheese platter later we asked the locals where there was a club that played Greek music and would be open on a Wednesday night.  The collaborative answer was a club in the old town called Soho. Finishing the last sip of our martini’s we made our way via taxi to the old town and to the club Soho, one thing the locals forgot to mention was the club did not get busy until midnight and it was 10:30pm when we entered.

Never to be brought down by and empty room my friends and I found a table and began to dance the night way. As advised by midnight the crowd started to arrive and by 3am our heels were sore and it was bedtime.

Waking at 11am we had to check out of our hotel as we were changing locations to the old town.  A rush to pack we called a taxi, however this time the driver was not a tetris master, loaded up in all areas of the car, bags under us and on top of us, literally,we were taken to the Avalon Boutique Hotel.  Set in the center of Old Town, we had not anticipated that in low season everything would be closed.  The stores were deserted with their rollerdoors down; the city was a shadow of life as we wandered around.  We stumbled across a quaint little café in the square; selling traditional Greek food, gyros, we had to stop.  Indulging in gyros and desserts we enjoyed sitting back in the sunshine and soaking up some rays in the old town.

Making our way back to the hotel we took a wrong turn (or two) and got a little lost, but on our adventure we came across some of the most picturesque views of the old town.  This day was definitely about the journey and not the destination.

Still exhausted form the night before we made a collective decision that this evening would be relaxing and we had the hotel call a spa for us to book massages and pedicures.  Indulging in relaxation we entered a state of bliss before heading out for dinner.  Dining at George & Marias, in the new town, we were served delightful home cooked meals including falafels, souvlaki and tzatziki that were all delicious.

After an amazing few days with friends in Greece it was time for me to get back to reality, jealous that my friends would be remaining in Rhodes for 2 more days.  Making my way to Rhodes airport I boarded a flight to Athens and from Athens made my way home to London.

Definitely a trip that will remain in my memory forever, countless laughs and endless smiles.

Old Town Square where we stopped for Gyros

Pure bliss as we cruised around Rhodes

Pretty as a picture - Rhodes Old Town, Greece

All curly after my visit Sotiris Vasilas Hair Art Studio

I found my Romeo in Rhodes

Hyper in Hyde Park

It's not every day you get to let your hair down and be a kid again.

Today I had the pleasure of attending Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, London. An annual event of fun, frost and festivities to mark the Christmas season.

As my friends and I made our way through the crowd we were saddened that the ice rink had been sold out, however we did not let this soil out plans. We grabbed our ride tokens and made a bee line to the Wilde Maus, a roller-coaster with some punch. Locked in we take off at at turn one we know this is going to be scary. Holding on and screaming with every jolt...I felt like I was 7 again!

As we made our way around the park, the air was filled with the happiness and spirit of Christmas, a singing santa at the entrance, the carols around the park, roasted turkey and candy canes at every corner.

Five wild rides later, some crepes, hot chocolate and a million giggles the sun had gone down and with a chill in the air that even muddled wine could not shake it was time to weave our way back through Hyde Park and back to the comfort of our hotel in South Kensington.

A day to remember, memories that will last a lifetime.

Happy Holidays to all my friends near and far!

Entrance to Winter Wonderland

Mulled Wine

Wilde Mause - best ride of the day!

Wilde Maus, the first dip...

Some of the best ride tokens I have seen.

It ain't Christmas without the Turkey!!!

Meeting a Miss

The world of pageants and beauty queens is one that I have only seen from backstage until my recent trip to Germany.

I was invited to attend the MissIntercontinental 2012 crowning in Aachen, Germany on November 23, 2012.

A relaxing flight from London Heathrow to Dusseldorf I met friends at the airport who had just flown in fromIstanbul.  Together the three of us made our way from Dusseldorf airport to the Art Hotel Superior in Aachen.  One hour drive from Dusseldorf…thankfully the beautiful Madelina (Miss Lebanon 2011 in the Miss Intercontinental pageant) and I got chatting away and the time flew by.

As always when I get together with friends there was a need for shopping…the day of the event we went into the maintown.  From shoes to jackets to jewellery and even a cheeky ice-cream we did it all. We even managed to make a salon appointment for 6:15pm to have our hair to be styled for the event.

The day was getting on and we were hungry from all the shopping.  Another friend had landed in Germany that morning and met us in town for a spot of sushi before the show.   Before we knew it 5pm had snuck up on us, it was time to get back to the hotel and begin getting ready.

Hailing a cab in Aachen turned out to be a bigger challenge than thought, the restaurant called a cab for us and we were officially running late.  It was 5:45pm when we made it back to the room, our intention…to shower, get dressed, apply make-up and get in a cab by 6:15 to get to the salon (yes we were going to be late!).

Nothing like a challenge an hour before an event…6:45pm and we had missed our salon appointment, I set up the bathroom in my hotel suite and began styling myself before Miss Lebanon 2011 came bouncing in and needing help with her hair. 7:20pm and we were ready…talk about a rush, we had 40 minutes to get to the venue, find our seats and enjoy the show.

7:55pm we land on the red carpet leading up the entranceway at the Eurogress Aachen. Snapped by photographers we made our way to the table set for the Fashion Days crew and not a second later the light dimmed and the show began.

Streamed via live Satellight the 41^st Miss Intercontinental Pageant was filled with talented, articulate girls but only one could take the crown…A big CONGRATULATIONS to Miss Venezuela, Daniela Chalbaud, 21 years of age.  She received the crown “Spirit of Holy Water” from last years winner Jessica Hartman of USA.

Check out the full results and top 15 atthe official results page of Miss Intercontinental.

Miss Intercontinental 2012 - Daniela Chalbaud, Venezuela

Tickets in to - VIP of course :)

The top 5 - LtoR Thailand, England, Venezuela, Porto Rico
and South Africa (image courtesy of Missosology)

A Walker through Wonderland

Over the weekend I had a couple of friends from overseas in town and we made our way to Somerset House for a viewing of Tim Walker Storyteller, an exhibition of the works of this remarkable photographer.

As you enter the exhibition you are instantly taken into the imaginative mind of Tim Walker. The oversized props used in his shoots were feature pieces in each room you entered; from the plane used in the March 2009 shoot for Vogue UK featuring Lily Donaldson to the living doll in the January 2012 shoot for Vogue Italia featuring Lindsey Wixson.

Photographs were hung from walls detailing quotes from the great mind himself.

"Sometimes when you are taking a picture an extraordinary sense of luck and chance takes over and propels you to make pictures that you couldn't in your wildest dreams have imagined. This is the magic of photography."

Centre pieces on display were housed in wooden boxes complementing the soft colour pellet of the works.

The extravagant scale and visually appealing nature of Tim Walker's works makes the exhibition a must see. Entry is free and the exhibition is running until 27 January 2013.

Harpers Bazaar 2009

Time Walker Exhibition - Somerset House 2012

Time Walker Exhibition - Somerset House 2012

Vogue 2009

Time Walker Exhibition - Somerset House 2012

Vivienne Westwood portrait - 2009

Vogue 2012

Time Walker Exhibition - Somerset House 2012

Kiev, Kerch and Kaleidoscope Views

Last week I flew in to Kiev, Ukraine for a meeting. As I had never been to Ukraine before I was quite excited and I had no idea what to expect.  

As I made my way to the Fairmont Grand Hotel I was rugged up to the max as winter was settling in. 

When business was done, I was invited to celebrate a dear friends anniversary in Kerch.  A plane ride to Simferopol and a 3 hour car ride later we were in the most divine setting alongside the back sea. Thank fully the weather was a little more adaptable in Kerch.

After a few days discussing business and a wild celebration, I had the opportunity to view the beautiful city.  As we made our way through the town square and up to the Great Mithridates Staircase, the ancient architecture was breathtaking.  The stone calved griffins, the arched stone detailing, with each of the 428 steps you saw a little more detail of history.

Once we reached the top the view was phenomenal.  I could not help but think of a painter and the joy they would get sitting on top of Mount Mithridat and putting the final strokes on a detailed oil painting.

The streets of Kerch have so much history behind them and to anyone who has the time, I highly recommend a visit.  I personally want to come back in Summer to lay by the beach and swim in the back sea...time to plan the work schedule for summer.

Here are a few quick snap shots I took whilst exploring this wonderful city.

View from the top of Mount Mithridat

The Griffin statue in the town centre.

Obelisk of Glory on the Mount Mithridat built in 1944

Local School housed in historical building

Kerch city

The streets of Kerch

Make it POP

Art has had many tendencies over the years, one of which emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain - it was that of Pop Art.

Posing a challenge to the fine art traditions that preceded it, pop art became not so much about the content of the works but the attitudes that developed and embraced it.

Pop art often takes imagery from popular culture such as advertising and news as its subject matter.

One of the most well know artist of the pop art world was Andy Warhol. Warhol in his days understood shopping and the allure of celebrity. Together these obsessions drove the economy post World War 2. During this time Warhol captured an authentic American aesthetic through packaging products and people in his works.  Warhol exploited his own ideas and his own creative talent to make money and enjoy his, and help others have their, "15 minutes of fame" - an expression he widely used and coined.

Warhol understood colour influences and their effects based on historical findings of Goethe.  According to Goethe, what we see of an object depends upon the object, the lighting and what we believe it to be - our perception of what it is.  For example, red makes you hungry, this is why McDonalds uses the colour in their advertising as apposed to blue which is a calming colour and would not entice one to eat.

Complimenting his use of colour Warhol focused on graphics works as he believed it to exhibit more than normal significance in a rapidly changing world with the development of technologies.

Andy Warhol died on February 22, 1987 but his art lives on.

Marilyn Monroe - Andy Warhol piece from 1967

Mickey Mouse - Andy Warhol piece from 1981

Dom Perignon tribute to Andy Warhol 2002

Money Sign - Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

The Secret's Out...

Year after year I await the Angels.

I am talking about the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Angels that is.  The night of glitz and glamour that sees the likes of Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima and a more recent addition Karlie Kloss rock the runway in the latest VS collections.

On November 7, 2012 New York City was overrun by angels.  The show included performances by Rihanna and Justin Bieber with the show not set to air on CBS until December 4 here is a snippet of some of my favourite images to emerge from the show.

The Angels - Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012, NYC.

Candice Swanepoel on runway at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012

Miranda Kerr in a Swarovski clad ensemble 

Jessica Hart hits the runway as Justin Bieber performs on Stage.

Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima

Rihanna performs at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012

Miranda Kerr - Backstage Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

*images from nydailynews.com

Cable Guy

There are moments in fashion when I am enviable of menswear and this winter marks another one for the books.

Year after year I watch winter trends embark on the streets with a sea of scarves and a parade of parkas; but this year it is the cable knit that has caught my eye. A feature that is not new to the fashion industry but, as with most trends in fashion, it has recycled again with a new found masculinity.

My initial capture was during the Gucci 2012 collection that saw the cable knit transcend in a combination of rich colours and neutral tones.

As the mornings grow colder and the evenings darker London is adorned with men trading the simple pullover for a cable knit for extra warmth - and who am I to complain.

A simple addition for a stylish outcome - I love when fashion is effortless (and not to mention practical).

Patric Dempsey in Hermes Cable Knit

Gucci Heavy Cable Knit Sweater 2012

Zara Aran Cardigan - Detail