AN INSTAGRAM OTHER HALF

This video made me laugh out loud. A proper, audible laugh too. Not just a silent heave of the shoulders.

I myself don't have an Instagram husband...yet...but I have been known to use the self timer. Or my long suffering mum.

 It is crazy how unbelievably accurate this is.

That line, "We used to eat our food...now we just take pictures of it." 

So spot on it's unreal.

I am definitely guilty of Instagramming the most mundane rubbish (see multiple photos of my feet and also my breakfast) but I am getting better. And I know that my best and most memorable evenings are never immortalised in a photo. I'm too busy enjoying myself.

CHRISTMAS LIFE LESSONS

Christmas is a'coming and as I was rushing out of the door this morning to do some last minute shopping, I accidentally stopped to trawl the internet and found this hilariously eye-opening article on ManRepeller.

It examines the tradition that is the annual watching of Love Actually. But alongside this it gives the ultimate tips in how to handle the Christmas party/dating season.

I for one will never look at this film in the same way.

And I'll be keeping an eye on those Christmas party lurkers...

Three hours later, my trawling is complete and now I'm off. Oxford Street in all its revolting packed glory calls.

Pic FashionMeNow

WEIWEI

I'm not going to lie. Getting up in the dark is never an enjoyable experience. And getting up when it's dark, cold and rainy is just the pits.

But when an invitation lands in your inbox to see the most talked about exhibition of the year at the Royal Academy at 8am, before the eager masses are even allowed to enter the building, an early morning suddenly doesn't seem so bad.

Ai Weiwei is the man behind the exhibition and what a man he is.

Having grown up in one of China's notorious labour camps, he has been imprisoned, beaten, harassed and lives in a constant state of surveillance. 

From these horrific circumstances however, he creates beautifully powerful pieces of art that leave you feeling insignificant and empowered in one thought.

It was utterly mesmerising. Truly one of the best shows I've ever seen.

"The art always wins. Anything can happen to me but the art will always stay."

AI WEIWEI

Pic @ivrashton on Instagram

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

“People come in here with a need but they leave with a want,” smiles Marla Collins-Soana, buyer at Retro Clothing, Notting Hill. Sandwiched in-between a garish tourist shop and an unassuming art shop, Retro Clothing is not immediately eye catching as you wander past, involuntarily herded along by throngs of people pushing their way along Portobello Road.

Step inside and you understand why people liken un-cave like places to Aladdin’s Cave. Rows upon rows of previously loved clothing line the walls. A glass cabinet runs along the length of the store, filled with glittering pairs of shoes, their labels twinkling under the lights.

I couldn’t resist, and nor could most of the people, mainly women, in there. I wanted what I couldn’t have, what other people were holding and what I’d seen in magazines. As I clasped an exclusive sweatshirt in my hand, glaring at anyone who dared come close, I eagerly showed my friends.

“That’s so nice,” they both mumbled. “But, it’s just a jumper. Isn’t it?”

WEAVER OF FAIRYTALES

Fashion's prince channeling arguably literature's most famous. 

Oh, and there's Cate Blanchett thrown in the mix too.

Fashion's prince is of course Tim Walker, a weaver of fairytales and a genius in every sense of the word. 

NORMALITY CAN BE EXTRAORDINARY

I wonder what it feels like to be genuinely extraordinary. The kind that makes people stop and stare, the kind of extraordinary that justifies the definition in the dictionary: very unusual, remarkable.

 I simply wonder for I am quite normal, just like the woman who gave me my Time Out magazine this morning is (or at least seemed), just like my housemate eating his lunch next to me is. We conform to a standard, that which is usual, typical and expected of us: that which is normal.

 But we have been given a means to change the way the world sees us: social media. It has become a powerful weapon of choice for many self-made modern-day celebrities. Many would say it is not a power-giving weapon however but that it is, or will be, our downfall. Alice, a self-confessed social media avoider, pointed out: “If you’re on social media, you don’t have to meet people. You just have to stand out.” It is a way for people to capture their world, filtering it if they like but always documenting, supposedly, every single aspect of it.
 

WOMEN OF THE HOUR

This girl. It just doesn't get much better.

And I can't believe I never got into Girls! Crazy.

Having recently stumbled across Lenny Letter, Lena Dunham's new newsletter, I can now say I am a total fan girl and addict of her words. She just gets life.

Her sentiments are heartfelt and funny, comforting but harsh. Her life has not been all plain sailing and she is not about to hide that fact. 

MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ

On a rainy October morning I found myself, umbrella clasped firmly in hand, queuing outside the ornate gates of the Saatchi Gallery, awaiting my turn to finally view the Mademoiselle Privé exhibition.

I'd left it rather late and so, as the exhibition was entering its final weekend I marched myself down there to see what all the fuss was about (never one to miss out on a hype).

I stepped through the incredible columned stone doorway of the Saatchi Gallery and gone was the overcrowded, wet dog-smelling tube and the inevitable irritation it produces. 

In its place were a faint smell of flowers wafting from somewhere near head height and exquisitely dressed French people greeting me at the desk.

After hurriedly downloading the app, of course I hadn't been organised enough to do it before, my Chanel experience began. 

I had of course read many reviews before going, some positive, some overwhelmingly negative but I wanted to make up my own mind on arguably one of the most awaited exhibitions since Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty.

HI FROM PARIS

This is just something I spotted on Instagram a while back.

Garance just gets it so darn right.

Now her blog is, well I think at least, the best in the business.

Her easy breezy chatty snippets are interwoven with more serious writing and of course beautiful pictures of beautiful people.

And so much of what she says resonates with what I'm thinking at that precise moment.

How does she do it?!

ENDLESS OPPORTUNITY

Wouldn't it be amazing to go to New York? I wonder when I'll be able to afford an Hermés handbag? Just two of the questions buzzing round my head as I pieced together the collage you see before you.

Insightful, I know.

If you are looking for an explanation behind the chosen torn pages that make up the collage, you are not going to get one. I have no idea what made me put Julian Assange's well-lit but slightly wrinkled portrait next to a how-to-make your own Hermés bag out of paper.

And that, really, is the beauty behind the experiment.

REVIEW: MACBETH

MACBETH

Director: JustinKurzel

Actors: MichaelFassbender, Marion Cotillard, Sean Harris

Rating: 15

Running Time: 113 minutes

Verdict: *****

          “Instruments of darkness tell us truths,” breathes Banquo at the start of Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth, a declaration that Kurzel demonstrates right from the start of his epic film. It opens in darkness, in total silence, and, as the mist creeps across the barren landscape, hooded figures dressed all in black materialise on the screen.

                Kurzel is innovative in his opening. The first image is not one of the bloodthirsty battles and murders that Macbeth is so famed for. Rather it is of an angelic, blue-tinged little boy, wrapped in a shroud and lying on a funeral pyre. The grieving parents, assumed to be Macbeth and his wife, clasp each other as they bid goodbye to their son, the father laying coins over the little boy’s eyes.

LET ME TAKE A SELFIE

The selfie.

A phenomenon that is as ridiculous as it is addictive.

I mean how many times a day do you either see someone else adopting this pose, or indeed find yourself in it??

It's a crazy thing really. To think that everyone wants to see a photo of your smiling, often pouting face. Of groups of grinning girls, laughing at an imaginary joke. At couples doing some serious PDA-ing.

When did that become acceptable? No wait, even cool?

NICOLE

Meet Nicole Huisman.

She's awesome. I know you're going to like her.

NY BABY

So whilst I hide inside the house away from the torrential downpour that seems never ending in England, these lovely ladies are dressing in their best and stalking the streets of New York.

Safe to say I have been incessantly checking my Instagram and Snapchat for updates from the shows and the streets. And neither have disappointed.

FREEDOM

This photo was taken a few weeks ago now, on my favourite beach in my favourite place in the whole entire world.

I have been so unbelievably lucky this summer to have travelled to some of the most fantastic places right across the globe, from America to Menorca to France and back. And I wouldn't have changed that for the world.

But what about good old England?

AnOTHER DAKOTA

Now, I wasn't a fan of Fifty Shades of Grey...but Dakota Johnson...she's another story.

Effortlessly gorgeous, stylish and with the coolest hair in the bizz, Johnson positively sizzles in this latest editorial for AnOther Magazine.

GLOSSIER

The news that made my Sunday...Glossier is finally available to buy in the UK!!! (as of Wednesday on Net-a-Porter)

Glossier is the beauty baby of Emily Weiss, founder of Into The Gloss and all round beauty guru. Oh and the kind of girl you wouldn't mind having a cup of tea with...or maybe make that a mojito.

CITY OF ANGELS

So I realise that it is now September, month of changes, back to school and impending winter months.

But I've finally got round to the last instalment in my American road-trip diary: Los Angeles, the City of Angels.

ISABEL

The one and only Isabel.

Other than me of course.

But if one day I could ever be as effortlessly chic & elegant as Ms Marant, I'd be pretty darn happy to share the same name.

24 Hours in the Life of Isabel Marant

SANTA BARBARA

So from beach to beach we travelled. But Santa Barbara definitely trumped Carmel.

I can't explain it but there was just a feel about the city that was just so idyllic, so overflowing with creative amazing-ness.

It wasn't too big and intimidating like San Francisco was slightly but it just the perfect size for a few days of exploring. We stayed in an awesome hotel with a rooftop pool that was within biking distance of the beach, an absolute dream on the hot evenings when all you wanted and needed was a quick swim in the sea.

BEACHSIDE

A beaut few days were spent in Carmel on the coast of America.

It was truly beautiful and we had a lush few days maxing relaxing and nursing our hiking blisters in the freezing cold sea.

JAEGER

Just a brief interlude from the onslaught of holiday snaps to share the most beautiful campaign shot I've seen in a while.

I love this snap. Everything about it. The symmetry, her cheekbones, the beginnings of a cheeky grin.

It's practically perfect in every way.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

 Next we ventured into the woods, into Yosemite National Park to be exact, to stay in a little log cabin for a few days in the wilderness.

Safe to say I think this was the highlight of the trip.

Humungous, looming trees that were millions of years old; wildlife in all shapes and sizes from an entire bear family to a teeny, tiny squirrel; and not to mention the most breathtaking views I've ever seen.

A GOLDEN RETREAT

As promised the first of the five different places we visited in America: San Francisco.

Flying into the city was breathtaking as we had totally blue skies and the brightest light. The weirdest thing about the weather in the city (which made getting dressed a nightmare!) was that you woke up to a totally foggy, actually quite cold morning and by lunchtime the sky was clear blue and there was no need for the jumper and jacket that you then spent the rest of the day carrying around!

So many amazing sights to see. Safe to say we hardly slept owing both to the jet lag and Dad's plans to see as much as possible in the few days we had.

And see we did. From the classic open bus tour around the city, to an incredible cruise to Alcatraz prison, San Francisco is fascinating. Alcatraz was so amazing. Totally eerie, chilling place when you think about who was kept there. We went round in total silence as there still seemed to be some essence of what had happened there, especially when you stood in the cells, seeing what the prisoners saw and imagining what their life must have been like.

A highlight was sneaking in a trip to a ball game which was epic. I can now officially say that I understand the rules of baseball, up to a point. And stopped by the Golden Gate Bridge to snap a few piccys.

I think that there is a whole lot more to the city than I managed to see. Because we only had a limited time we kind of stuck to the classic touristy things. But from driving around the city there were so many little areas and cafes and museums that we didn't get to see.

I'm not sure if it's a city that I'd want to spend a huge amount of time in (the constant wind would drive me insane!) but there's definitely more to be explored. 

Still, as my first experience of an American city, it certainly was an eye opener.

Oh and there's no pictures that could do them justice...but the breakfasts...just, wow, just completely

U N B E L I E V A B L E.

Breakfast wise, if you get the chance, head to Lori's Diner or Sears Fine Food (where you should have the french toast - words can't describe).

Pics shot on Sony x55, iPhone6 & Fujifilm Instax Mini8

WEST COAST BABY

So America, weren't you an absolute treat!

I've just got back from two and a bit weeks travelling down the West Coast of America with my family. Living out of our suitcases, packed into a people carrier, having the time of our lives.

We started in San Francisco then headed out to Yosemite before cruising down the coastal road from Carmel to Santa Barbara and finally ending up in Los Angeles.

It was the most incredible trip, just breathtaking at every turn.

I wasn't sure what to expect from America really. I'd heard all the stereotypes and read a lot about it but when I got there, it surprised me. I completely fell in love!

From the huge sky rise blocks in San Francisco, the blissful stillness of Yosemite and the dolphins on Carmel Beach to biking down the beach in Santa Barbara and finally making it to the City of Angels, there's too much to tell so instead I'll show you.

Stay tuned for a collection of snaps from each of the places I visited. Or if you suffer from holiday envy, come back next week. I promise I will have finished gloating by then.

Ph. shot with Sony x55

ALMOST THE WEEKEND #15

It may be almost the weekend...but it's also almost my holiday!!

Tomorrow is the day that we are heading to the West Coast of America.

Bags are packed, camera cards have been wiped, playlists are updated and we are ready to roll.

If you'd like to feel like you're on holiday even if you're not, blast this tune as loud as you can.

I know I will be.

Catch on the flipside England.

Easy Love - SIGALA

Pic from *WEST COAST REPRESENT* on Pinterest

BON VOYAGE

Although I love England when the sun shines, there's nothing better than the feeling of excited anticipation that surfaces before foreign travels.

My family are all growing up and doing their own thing but we still love nothing more than all escaping together, somewhere we've never been before, to discover all things new and amazing.

And next week we are off to the West Coast of America and I couldn't be more excited. I've stocked up on polaroid film, have (finally) got my digital camera fixed and am busy trying to decide what to pack and where to go and what to eat and see and visit.

But in actual fact, I'd rather know nothing. 

There's nothing like getting lost in a new place. That's how you end up truly exploring a country.

So what do you say?!

Let's get lost together.

Bikini: COS

Notebooks: Smythson

Trainers: Adidas Gazelle

Camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

Sunnies: Toyshades

Scrub: FrankBody Coffee Scrub

Clutch & Card Holder: You'reSoVain

"How to be Parisian, Wherever You Are"

Pic shot with Sony a100

IT AIN'T WHAT YOU'RE EATING

Stumbled across this poem on the amazing Man Repeller blog the other day and it just rang so true of my summer, in which nearly all my socialising revolves around food.

There's nothing better than getting everyone together and devouring dish after dish of home cooked food and Pinterest-inspired cocktails.

So thank you to the Man Repeller's Writer's Club for a poem that perfectly encapsulates my summer.

The best meal I ever had
wasn’t a meal
it was a Bloody Mary
every morning the summer of 2013, to be exact.
A mason jar full of vodka and heart-friendly polyphenols
with my best friend in the heart of our college town;
High July in Alabama and as at home as anyone can ever be.
I had a crush on every bartender in the restaurant.

The best meal I ever had
was spaghetti
sprinkled with inexplicable bits of bone
under a metal awning on a hillside in Greece.(It was the best meal ever
because my grandfather,
with crinkly, mischievous eyes,
told my brother he ordered him beef
and later revealed it to be lamb genitalia.)

The best meal I ever had
was a bowl of ramen in Paris
with a new friend, in a city I had run to
to soothe the wound of being a post-grad.
The broth was mainly butter, bad for your heart but good for your soul.
We both woke at 4 a.m. with a stranded-in-the-desert thirst,
and yet, every Sunday, a text: “Ramen?”

The best meal I ever had
was the morning after New Year's Eve
back in our hometown during our first year of college
at our favorite high school restaurant.
We began 2011 in giddy, morning-drunk laughter
because under my bootcut gray sweatpants I was wearing the only shoes I had:
glittering, black, pointy-toed stilettos.

The best meal I ever had
has happened many times.
It happens whenever my dad lowers his crab cages
into the murky Severn river
and we drink cheap beer and get Old Bay in our eyes
and I marvel at his picking skills, and feel grateful that he taught me.

You see, I could rhapsodize for days
about burrata, mille-feuille and tender medallions of ostrich,
crunchy golden beets, smoked bacon with caramelized bourbon sauce
and really anything in the sandwich family.

But ambience is nothing without conversation
and appetizers fall flat without affection
and after 23 years of loving food,
there’s one thing I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt:
It ain’t what you’re eating,
it’s who you’re eating it with.

Pic via *GARDENS* on Pinterest

ESCAPE

Such a gorgeous shoot...of course what the rest of my Greece photos look like...behind the scenes and all that.

And with England pulling out all the stops on the weather front this shoot seemed like the perfect inspiration on a beaut Sunday evening.

Porter Magazine Summer Escape 2015

Model: Andreea Diaconu

Photographer: Cass Bird

Stylist: Kate Young

Via StuddedHearts