Harlequin

I wish I could find more things with this type of harlequin diamond pattern.

Dress - Gap, Bag - Sostrene Grene, Shoes - Vans, Shades - Ray-Ban

Overalls

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas A. Edison

Overalls - Topshop, T-shirt - Gap

Where next?

It's time to start organising next year's holidays. Back to the States again I think. But where?

The good things

"My mother got her sense of what was 'good' from her own mother. She loved to shop and patronised only the nicest stores, even though there was very little extra spending money for a family of five living on a policeman's salary. While my grandfather might be wearing a second hand camel hair coat, his two sons were dressed in Belgian linen suits and his daughter never wore a hand-me-down. 

In the thirties, Grandma Neylon's idea of a pleasant day off from her household duties was to take Mom to Marshall Field, which filled a twenty storey granite building covering a whole city block in downtown Chicago. Once inside this elegant store, Grandma would charge a half pound of fancy mixed nuts freshly scooped into a box and still warm. Then, pecans and cashews in hand, she and my mother would munch their way from department to department, admiring all the nicest merchandise. 

Her taste refined by all those hours of browsing, my grandmother scrimped and saved- and, sometimes, lived beyond her means- so she could buy sterling flatware (one piece at a time), Dresden compotes, oriental rugs, a nine foot mahogany dining table and other 'good things'. Things that would last beyond her lifetime, things she and her husband could leave to their two sons and daughter."

Alligators, Old Mink and New Money- Alison Houtte

Flow Festival 2013

We spent one day at Flow Festival this year, our first ever visit but the tenth time this festival has taken place. Flow Festival is quite under the radar in the UK (though that may change as Outpost Media has been appointed for next year). We only heard about it through trying to find a place to see Kraftwerk 3D after their shows at the Tate Modern sold out earlier in the year. I feel like we discovered a hidden treasure. Even though we were only there for one day, Flow turned out to be festival gold. Not too crowded, great line up, lots of arty activities in case you get tired of music and great food.

As we were daytrippers, our Flow experience was pretty compact. We stuck with our ‘priority’ acts – Public Enemy and Kraftwerk – and ddin’t see a lot else except Grimes, who played some new stuff which sounded very 90s/ St Etienne (in the best possible way). However, the line-up across the whole weekend was fantastic, with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, My Bloody Valentine and The Knife’s Shaking The Habitual Show.

The Kraftwerk show was everything we wanted. We danced a lot. The 3D was actually quite impressive. At one point the guy in front of me ducked as a huge satellite flew out of the screen to impale him.

Importantly, Flow also has great merch. I was a big fan of this peach and blue tote bag, but there was also a specially designed line from R/H.

The visual identity of Flow is better than any festival I've been to, with really lickable graphics and colours everywhere and hardly any sponsor branding to make things look ugly. Even, Nokia, the main sponsor, just put the word 'Lumia' a couple of places (see my photo of their bar below) rather than throw their logo in.

The Flow branding was done by Finnish design agency Tsto and their site has some beautiful case studies that are well worth a look.

Views from Flow Festival

This is Flow by Cocoa from FLOW FESTIVAL on Vimeo.

Read Drowned in Sound's great review of Flow Festival here.

Helsinki outfit

So, I was in the harbour and I met this turtle...

Breton - Cos, Scarf - Cos, Skirt - AA, Bag - Decathlon, Shoes - Vans

 

Le Smoking

"The handsome youth on the highstool glanced mockingly at me... I went over to the bar and taking a seat near the young man, I ordered a whisky. While I drank it I saw his profile... It was Hermine, barely disguised by the makeup of her hair and a little paint. The stylish collar gave an unfammiliar look to the pallor of her intelligent face, the wide black sleeves of her dress coat and the white cuffs mader her hands look curiously small and the long black trousers gave a curious elegance to her feet in their black and white silk socks... As she was dressed as a boy, I could not dance with her nor allow myself any tender advances and she seemed distant and neutral in her male mask... Throughout, she kept up the part of a young man, smoking cigarettes and talking with a spirited ease that often had a little mockery in it. We sat and talked and drank champagne. How well and thoroughly I thought I knew Hermine and yet what a completely new revealation of herself she opened up to me that night!"

Der Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse

Feng shui in action

Who says maxi-dresses are flattering?! The best thing about these photos is the mirror image of me and Stuart inside. Spooky.

 

 Dress - Mango, Bag - And Other Stories, Shoes - Vans

Visiting Marimekko in Helsinki

Marimekko has always been one of my big design crushes. So I got very excited when I managed to snatch a visit to their flagship store in Helsinki last weekend. My credit card hurts.

Some of the classic patterns at Marimekko are so bold and simple, it is hard to believe that the company got started as early as 1951. Marimekko was actually set up purely to showcase the prints of the textile company Printex, set up by Viljo and Armi Ratia. Armi decided that the key to success was to make textiles in designs that were entirely different to the depressing post war florals already on the market . She hired Maija Isola to dream up the patterns. The problem was that while Printex's designs got attention, no one knew how to use them. Enter Marimekko.

Printex went bust by 1953, but Marimekko soldiered on through the hard times; the company could only afford to buy it's own sewing machines in 1955. After wowing exporters at the World's Fair in Brussels in 1958, the company got an international big break when Jackie Kennedy bought seven Marimekko dresses at the D/R store in Cape Cod.

[Marimekko facts from Scandinavian Design by Charlotte Fiell]

Hong Kong recommendations

In early 2012, I made a very impulsive decision to follow some friends of friends on their trip to the Far East, booked some tickets, failed to follow any of my plans for saving money and went back to my normal life for ten months.

Then, suddenly, in November 2012, I was in Asia for the first time, after the longest flight of my life (which I spent most of having to listen to a girl from Melbourne talk about the benefits of onesies when travelling).

Hong Kong is very different to anywhere I'd ever been before but to anyone who has done any serious travelling it is probably the most tourist friendly city in Asia. I was lucky enough to be with a Cantonese speaking friend who knew what he was doing.

Here are my top recommendations:

Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum at the IFC Mall


This place was simply amazing. Basically a cheap mall cafe that serves Michelin star dim sum. Definitely order double pork buns, they are special. For a great review and handy guide on how to get served, see this great post from Eatori.

Tsui Wah Restaurant/Diner - Long Kwai Fong



This is one of a big chain of very affordable diners that do a mind-numbing range of food. This branch is conveniently located by the ex-pat party district, Long Kwai Fong. It stays open all night and has the kind of Lynchian shabby diner decor that you best appreciate at 4am.

Mido Cafe, Kowloon


This cafe has been in countless films and has a very Wong Kar-Wai feel. Again, this place has another great 60s interior and ok crunchy noodles. Stop by as you go the Night Market.

Ozone Bar, ICC Building


This is a pretty trendy bar (it is in the HK Ritz after all) but worth a visit for the cocktails, the view and to say that you have been.

Curly fringe

Curly fringes. This is the hair style that just happens to me and yet never manages to look right. I think I've angered my hair with too many years of straighteners and blow drying. Maybe I should shave it all off and start again.

Curly fringe inspiration:







The amazing hair of Object Log


...and Nicole from Fashion Forestry.

Annie Clark from St Vincent (and queen of my heart)


Mine needs work!

Borough Wines, Deal

Borough Wines' shop in Deal started out operating a sort of Body Shop-esque refill system where you could buy a bottle and come in and refill it with your favourite wine for mere pence. The people of Deal seemed more intent on just getting to the wine, so most days people just use it as a bar and sup from the basic but quality wine list while listening to Borough Wines' resident musician, who looks like a local fourteen year old music student, play jazz guitar.

Borough Wines is not only proud wine supplier to the good people of Deal, but also comes from my neighbour, Borough Market. So they get a double tick in my book. Mmm. White rioja.

 

 
Side note - I admire the person who does Borough Wines design for turning Font Squirrel and justified text into an art form.