Peaches and Nectarines

I know I said no more me posts. But I thought I'd post this picture of me and Sir fatdog, and incidentally showcase my favourite shade of nail varnish.

Passion Fruit, Orly. It's a sort of fluorescent nectarine pink and totally pops against any skin colour except pale.

Buy it here on Beautybay.

An explanation and some fashion

I have Law exams in two weeks, so I will be leaving my house only in case of emergencies e.g. running dangerously low on Kinder Buenos. Ergo, my readers can take a well deserved break from 'moi' posts and lust over the drama on the catwalks. I first saw photos from the Zuhair Murad show in my friend Kama's mobile uploads on facebook as she got to see the collection first hand in Paris and the images were simply incredible. Ironically, the professional pics do not convey the magic of the collection as well, but still give you an idea of how breathtaking it is.  

Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Spring 2012

"Here Lies the Bones" Stolen Girlfriends Club A/W 2012 campaign

A pretty cool campaign by the Stolen girlfriends club. I love the semi-amateur grungy feel of the whole thing. The photos almost look like they've been uploaded by some impossibly leggy teenager onto Tumblr and gone viral & this is perfectly in keeping with the sort of photo quality that's hot now, not the super saccarine glossy cover but something a bit more gritty, raw, but still sexy.

Photographers Valerie Phillips and Corrine Day.

The Cold Snap

There's a chill in the air and when I left the house this morning the leaves on the ground were crackling under my feet. Wrapping up warm is essential and by the time I'd walked Plato to Park Lane to meet his girlfriend it felt like my fingers might snap from the frost. So if your planning a trip to London, consider yourself warned; it can get bonecrushingly chilly.

Cape- Zara

Jeans- Siwy

Boots- Chanel

Bag- Chanel

Top- Topshop

Scarf- Marc Jacobs

24 Hours in Frankfurt

One of my closest friends, Diana had a birthday extravaganza this weekend in her hometown of Frankfurt. 100 of her nearest and dearest flew in from around the world to celebrate her 25th birthday and I was amongst them. The Hilton Frankfurt played host to the festivities. Here are some photo highlights of my 24 hours.


I landed in the afternoon and eschewed my hairdressers appointment in favour of taking in the sights of the rainy financial district. There wasn't much to look at, but I did find a lovely little tea shop where I went crazy buying 12 different types of fragrant exotic teas. On return to my room, I poured myself a glass (of rooibos) and began the ritualistic party preparations. I bought three dresses with me (an Issa, a Doly and a Herve) and after much deliberation ended up wearing two of them.


The party was lovely. It was filled with warm toasts to the birthday girl, quite a few moments when the amount of LOVE in the room bought a tear to my eye, absolutely mad dancing, mouthwatering Russian Napolean(cake) and more beautiful women than you could shake a stick at (ahem). In fact everyone seemed to have left their inhibitions at the door and it was a case of Saturday-night-fever on the dance floor. We've all had that moment when suddenly it feels like you're on Strictly Come Dancing and out comes the foxtrot, followed by the loud (and in my case dissonant) singing to Russian party classics. Diana, I know you're reading this, so thank you for the unforgettable 24 hours and I hope you had as good a time as your guests! 

FRANKFURT

Grey Skies

High and Mighty

RACE TO GET READY

Dilemma?!

THE PARTY

The Birthday girl and one of her guests

Sugar Bomb

Gold 

Hand Illustrated Card

The other day I received a lovely card from my friend. I went to the huge card department at Harrods, but somehow nothing tickled my fancy. The novelty cards, the naughty cards, the 'stylish' cards.. everything was sort of naff and unappealing. So in true Blue Peter fashion I decided to make my own.





What you will need


1. Thick quality card in your colour of choice (Rymans)
2. Black fabric pen or permanent marker.
3. Scissors
4. A little Imagination  


When illustrating your card, think about the message you want to convey- for example my illustration is totally appropriate for this particular friendship.


Valentines day is around the corner, so why not do this for your guy/gal. But it can't be any stranger, because then it's just plain weird, so pick someone you know sufficiently well. And remember, you don't need to be an artist, these sorts of cards are super cool because they are imperfect. The more amateur, the better.

Private Preview of the 'Fly to Baku' Exhibition with Leyla Aliyeva and Phillips de Pury

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the private preview of the 'Fly to Baku' Exhibition in London, which showcased the talents of 21 modern Azeri artists. A range of different media where represented from fine arts to graphic design and photography.

The exhibition was organised by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Simon de Pury of Phillips de Pury. Hervé Mikaeloff was the curator for the event.

Although I do not have an artistic background, I adored the art that was being exhibited.  Leyla Aliyeva's beautifully ornate graphic illustrations reminiscent of intricate oriental tapestries infused with modern technicolor. Melik Aghamalov's skulls, pomegranates and seashells. Aida Mahmudova's captivating  installation melding physical reality with poignant flashes of the subconscious and photography evocative of flashes of remembrance.  Niyaz Najafov's touching ghoulish caricatures were impossible not to love. Tora Aghabayova's sardonic socialist realism also stole my heart.

Apart from the Art, the event was organised to the most amazing standard. It took place in London's Howick Place and the space was absolutely bursting with artists, fine art aficionados and beautiful people.

Here are some photos from the event, I did not remember the names of all the artists, but if anyone has them, please correct me.

Related Posts

Meat, Art and Couture at Imitate Modern
Leyla Aliyeva, Sensational in Herve Leger

Beautiful Leyla Aliyeva with her work

With Nikki Jamal, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. She was so lovely and gracious when I met her.

Acrylic on Canvas by Altay Sadiqzadeh. Mesmerising colourful multidimensional abstracts

Mixed Media by Leyla Aliyeva 

Leyla Aliyeva's work

Mixed media on paper by Leyla Aliyeva - I am in love with the blue peacock drawing. It is indescribably beautiful, especially up close

Tora Aghabayova - There's something about this piece. Wow.

Sunday Roast at the Art's Club

Sunday is my favourite day of the week (closely followed by Wednesday). According to firmly enshrined family tradition we congregate around the dining table and eat whatever yumminess my mother and I have rustled up. However, this is more than gluttonous overindulgence, although that much is true. It is rather an opportunity for the syrupy, sentimental, well stereotyped (and dare I say cheesy)family time we see on the screen and all try to emulate.

Today our family lunch took place at the Art's club and the food was the best I have eaten in months and the banoffee pie alone has justified my membership. Everything was cooked to perfection, fresh, bursting with flavour. Even the deserts were made onsite that morning. Although I've had dinner at the Art's before, I was not that impressed, lunch however is a totally different ball game. Not sure whether it's worth describing the simple yet perfect palate of flavours. I think I will let the photos do the talking or let you put it to the taste test.

Now that I've consumed enough calories to propel the Challenger space mission, I'm off to the library. For the next 6 hours I shall be burning them off doing mental legal gymnastics and drafting shareholder agreements. Toodles.

Related Posts

The Arts Club 

Roast Lamb

I like it rare 

Roast potatoes

Banoffee Pie

St Honore

Sparkly chocolate