"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin.
That, or a kick-ass red lipstick...."
The Beyoootiful Gwyneth Paltrow
Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations
Now that our neighbours have been met, our bunting has come down and my tiara has been taken off (admittedly, under duress...) we have time to reflect on how utterly AMAZING the Diamond Jubilee celebrations were. As thousands of people, up and down the country, celebrated the Queen's 60 years on the throne, I felt so privileged and excited to have been in London to witness this truly remarkable anniversary and to enjoy the excited patriotic revellery I was met with all over town.
Britain really does know how to throw one helluva party!
Below are some of my favourite Diamond Jubilee moments...
Above: Sunday's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, which saw the Queen travelling on the Royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, in a 1000 boat flotilla on the River Thames.
Above: God Save McQueen!
(L) Kate's Sunday McQueen worn with a James Lock & Co hat by Sylvia Fletcher
(R) Kate's Monday McQueen worn with Jane Taylor Millinery's Beaded Cocktail Hat
Both accessorised with her faithful L.K.Bennett Sledge heels available here.
Above: War Horse's Joey saluting the Queen from the National Theatre's Olivier flytower.
I loved how excited she was to see this. To buy tickets to see War Horse click here.
Above: Pocket Rocket Kylie Minogue in her Pearly Queen outfit on Monday at the Jubilee Concert held at Buckingham Palace. The musical extravaganza was organised by Take That's Gary Barlow and we saw, amongst others, Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Sir Tom Jones all perform for the Queen.
Above: Prince Charles having just thanked the Queen (whom he brilliantly called "Mummy" to great applause) for her services to Great Britain and "for inspiring us with your selfless duty and service and for making us proud to be British."
Above: Monday night's incredible Jubilee Concert fireworks which were followed by the Queen lighting the National Beacon to honour her 60 year reign.
Above and Below: Tuesday's pomp and pageantry.
After a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral and a lunch reception at Mansion House, the Royal Family travelled towards Buckingham Palace.
Below: Whilst the Royal Family waved to the enormous crowds all dressed in red, white and blue, from the balcony of Buckingham Palace we saw an RAF flypast of nine Red Arrows and rifle salutes marking the end of the celebrations.
Below: Addressing the country the Queen said, "the events that I have attended to mark my Diamond Jubilee have been a humbling experience... I hope that memories of all this year’s happy events will brighten our lives for many years to come."
Below: Lastly... HOW completely wonderful is this?!
Emma Bridgewater Celebrating The Jubilee
Looking for a memento of this weekend’s Jubilee celebrations? Emma Bridgewater is offering a 15% discount off her gorgeous and decorative Jubilee range. Co-owners, Matthew Rice and Emma Bridgewater will be selling an estimated 200,000 Diamond Jubilee items and it is easy to see why. All handcrafted in Britain, colourful and jolly, these every day items can be treasured for years to come.
Matthew Rice said: “Emma and I are both fiercely patriotic and have created commemorative ware for every Royal occasion for the past 25 years. However, we have never seen demand such as that which we’re experiencing for our Jubilee range."
Right: The Marylebone High Street shop window.
Below: My favourite pieces from the range...
Above Clockwise: Tea Caddy £10.00, Egg Cup £9.95, Teatowel £10.00, 1/2 Pint Mug £24.95, Bisuit Tin £13.00, Diamond Jubilee Crown Jar £100.00
Below: Some other Jubilee goodies which have caught my eye this week…
This limited-edition Marmite, Ma’amite, is available at all Sainsbury's supermarkets across the country.
Love it or hate it? Love it.
World Exclusive Jeroboam 3 litre bottle of Pimms
RRP. £150 at Selfridges.
Pimms o'clock. Bound to get any party started! Only 150 of these commemorative three litre Pimm's bottles have been made.
Jubilee Corgi Ankle Socks
RRP. £3.50 at Topshop.
Adorable! I bought these. Couldn't resist.
Above: Prêt-à-Portea – The Royal Collection. A Royal Treat! Available until June 9th, biscuits, fancies and choux buns have been transformed to resemble the most memorable hats worn by the Royal Family - including Princess Beatrice's, now infamous, Philip Tracey facinator (a delicious praline profiterole!)
£36.50 pp or £46.50 including a glass of Laurent Perrier Champagne at The Berkeley.
Have a WONDERFUL Jubileeeeee....
Tephi and Jane Taylor Millinery
On Tuesday I was invited to an evening of cocktails and canapés for the friends and family of Tephi designer Chessie Grievson and milliner Jane Taylor. Tephi’s romantic and ethereal dresses were perfectly complimented by Jane Taylor Millinery's delicate array of bespoke, bridal and ready to wear hats and headpieces. This was a one-stop-shop for all upcoming summer events (Ascot, Henley...) weddings and parties.
Above (L-R): Annabel Shepherd, Chessie Grievson and Jane Taylor
Being a complete magpie, I was immediately drawn to Jane Taylor Millinery’s sparkly and theatrical Crystal Collection – all extremely decadent and Great Gatsby! I also pounced upon the gorgeous and much anticipated Summer Dress - the result of a collaboration between Tephi and London's hottest conservationsist, Sophia Rogge. A percentage from each of these pretty silk dresses, with their unique sand dollar print, will go to Corals for Conservation and can be purchased here. This is THE dress of the summer.
For all enquiries please contact Annabelle at Greene and Sheppard.
David Beckham for Elle UK
Never has there been a more hotly anticipated edition of Elle Magazine in the history of… well, Elle Magazine. To celebrate the start of the Olympic Games at the end of July, David Beckham graces the cover of Elle UK - the magazine’s first ever solo male coverstar.
Elle editor-in-chief Lorraine Candy said, "This is a first for us on the newsstand and I believe he is loved by men and women alike… It will be a collector's issue." Enjoy. Sigh.
The July 2012 edition of Elle UK is available from today and the behind scenes footage from the shoot can be seen here.
My London Style - Presenter Izzy Lawrence
Presenter, DJ and one of Britain’s most prestigious bloggers, Izzy Lawrence is set to sky rocket this year. If you haven’t already heard of this Bath born, Oxford educated, London based STUNNER yet, you soon will. Believe me.
When Izzy Lawrence's personal blog came to the attention of the Grammy’s social media team in 2011, she was asked to be the official Fashion & Lifestyle Blogger for their awards. 30 million page views and several red carpet frocks later, Izzy was soon regularly blogging for LA radio station KCRW, presenting for Spotify and working as the official BRIT Awards blogger. Her engaging presenting style and husky voice led Jonathan Ross to approach her to co-host his French Film Channel, Cinemoi, at the Cannes and BFI Film Festivals, whilst her video blogs were picked up by Hello, Grazia Daily and Nylon Magazine, leading to her becoming an Official Youtube partner. And no, we’re so not done yet...
Izzy also runs her own monthly charity music night at Camden’s Hawley Arms Apocalystick Acoustic (which Laura Marling, Squeeze, Jack Savoretti and the late, great Amy Winehouse have all played at). She combines this with regular DJ residencies at several London hotspots whilst playing sets at London Fashion Week, in Val d’Isere during the winters and in Ibiza and popular festivals throughout the summers. All of this in heels.
Amazingly, Izzy found the time to share with The London Chatter some of her stylish tips and advice... This girl doesn’t sleep.
My Style In 3 Little Words – Rock'n'Roll.
This Season Every Gal Needs – Apple green nail varnish - or maybe that is just me?! I saw a video with Santi White from Santigold wearing it and have been rocking it ever since.
My British Fashion Icon – Isabella Blow. Certain people have the charisma to pull off those sorts of accessories and she had bags of it. Also, Isabella had the ability to spot and nurture talented young designers including Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy.
My Favourite Highstreet Store – All Saints - I love their maxi dresses and leather jackets.
My Favourite Boutique – Cochinechine, or Wolf and Badger on Dover Street which showcases young designers. The concept of young designers renting space and customers buying from new talent is a clever entrepreneurial model. There is a pop up Wolf and Badger in Selfridges now as well.
My Favourite British Designer – Alice Temperley is definitely up there. I wore Temperley London for the Cannes red carpet last year and I'm pretty sure that Brad Pitt winked at me (or maybe that was in my mind...)
At Gunpoint; Bags OR Shoes – Shoes please!
My First Fashionista Memory – Trying on my grandmother's dresses and dancing around in her shoes - excellent training for the future!
My Saturday Night Outfit – If I am DJing then definitely a dress (my favourites are from Paul & Joe and Liz Black) worn with a leather jacket to dress it down.
My Sunday Brunch Outfit – My bright yellow Converse trainers with jeans and a T-shirt. I need to be comfy for brunch.
OMG I Can’t Believe I Wore – Dungarees. They should be banned. Banned.
Forget My Last Meal, My Last Outfit Would Be – An amazing Alexander McQueen dress. Or, the gorgeous Tom Ford dress and necklace that I tried on during a recent trip to LA. It is rare that I dance in a changing room out of excitement.
My Style Tip – I love the quote from Coco Chanel, "In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." I take from this that you should follow your instincts - they are unique and the trends don't matter.
The next Apocalypstick will on June 8th at The Hawley Arms pub in Camden with music from Nimmo & The Gauntlettes, Tallulah Rendal and from Sissi.
To the Moon and Back
Honestly Healthy Book Launch
Yesterday evening I sipped coconut water mojitos in the sunshine at the launch of Honestly Healthy duo Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson's new cook book 'Honestly Healthy: Eat with your body in mind, the alkaline way.' The book gives you all the information you could need on how to live a healthy, balanced, vegetarian and alkaline life with over one hundred recipes to try out. It can be purchased on Amazon.
Clockwise L-R: Savannah Miller, baby Bali and author Natasha Corrett, The Honestly Healthy cook book, music, Sienna Miller and Natasha Corrett, Kelly Eastwood with presenters Izzy Lawrence and Zoe Hardman, Zafar Rushdie and Shirley Leigh-Wood Oakes.
HAWT: Cheryl Cole in Victoria Beckham
Hawt = A late 1940's and early 1950's acronym for "Having A Wonderful Time."
Now the word is used on the internet as slang for something reeeeally hot.
Last night Cheryl Cole attended the film premiere of ‘What To Expect When You’re Expecting,’ at the London BFI IMAX cinema, wearing a floor length Victoria Beckham SS’12 dress.
With rose gold jewellery by Garrard and an elegant satin Sergio Rossi clutch, Cheryl effortlessly channelled two of this season’s "major" (to quote VB!) trends – sports-luxe and pretty, feminine pleats.
The singer looked stunning in the two-tone, drop waisted dress – the perfect red carpet outfit to celebrate her first movie cameo and this year’s first day of sunshine in the capital.
Below: Cheryl Cole with the film's star, Cameron Diaz.
The trailer for 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' can be seen Here.
Trend: Studs
"Tell me about it, Stud..." (Sandy, Grease.)
The Highstreet is currently filled with studs… albeit of the appliqué variety. Inspired by the Versace SS’12 runway collection (above) where every model was adorned with more than just a sprinkling of golden studs lining their slinky silhouettes, the trend for an edgier, more rebellious, look is now easily available without the hefty Donatella price tag.
I would recommend heading straight to Zara to release your inner fierce… With subtle studded embellishment on many (if not most) of their latest items, this is easily made an accessible and current look for everyone to ROCK. Here are my Zara favourties:
Left: Shirt with Studded Collar
RRP. £39.99
I would wear this shirt with all the buttons done up, with jeans and a navy jumper - Slightly preppy but with an edge.
Left: Studded Silk Shirt
£59.99
This pretty, floral silk shirt has studded shoulders - I love this contrast and it would look great tucked into denim shorts this Summer. On the wish list.
Left: Studded Denim Pop Fabric Studio Shorts
RRP. £39.99
Perfect for the Summer and can be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.
Left: Studded Ankle Strap Sandles
RRP. £29.99
For those a little more cautious of this trend - literally, dip your toe in and ease your way up!
Left: Blouse with Gold Stud Buttons
RRP. £22.99
Also available in pink, green and orange - I think this is perfect to throw over your bikini on holiday - Buy oversized and tuck the front into shorts.