Sass & Bide returned to London Fashion Week after a year’s hiatus with an explosion of intricate seed beading, fluro dipped shells, contrast binds and flickers of diamante & metal form a rich tapestry of geometric detailing
The LOVESHADY collection explores an ethereal union of gender; a romantic journey where every masculine notion finds counterbalance & softness in femininity. Silhouettes are sharp & honest and contrast the soft flow of ethereal silks, while a monochromatic palette finds fever in hot hues & metallic accents.
This season’s VIP front row included;
Mosshart/ Twiggy / Poppy Delevigne / Kelly Rowland / Lara Bohinc / Miquita Oliver / Dionne Bromfield/ Leah Wood / Quentin Jones / Peaches Geldof / Jazzy de Lisser / Sara Brajovic / Tom Hooper / Willia Keswick / Portia Freeman / Francesca Versace / Jess Mills / Shingai Shoniwa/ Jasmine Guinness/ Lliana Bird
There are three words that always get me excited: “London Fashion Week”. In fact, the only thing that makes me more excited is Handpicked media’s London Fashion Week opening party. I went along to see New Look’s new range at the One Aldwych Hotel. After getting lost and being flustered when I arrived, the amazing Debbie from Handpicked (and blogger of the excellent Life Edit) handed me a glass of wine and I had a great chat with her. I also was happy to bump into the lovely Jessica from Look What I Got and Handpicked Head Honcho Krista.
New Look has always done fun and fabulous fashion, but in recent years New Look has really upped its game. The quality of the clothing is good and so are the designs. They are also collaborating with lots of cool people like Giles Deacon, and have even teamed up with Kelly Brook to design a great range of underwear. The bra Kelly was wearing a few days before was part of the range that we saw. For those dying to know Kelly is a 32E.
The new collection is just really fab. They also have amazing jewelery and shoes. I will definitely be popping into New Look again soon. I really liked the creepers below.
New Looks jewelery range was a big hit. We were all fawning over it. Some of it is quite bling but not tacky. We were told to help ourselves to some New Look knickers which lead to a lot of amusement when we were walking about with underwear in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. On the tube on the way home I got a drink from my bag and the knickers fell out and landed on the floor of a crowded tube. Which was a little embarrassing.
I had my nails done, drank wine, met amazing people and ate canapes. Ah, that’s the life. If only every day was a fashion week day.
Intimately showcased in the upper decks of an Islington theatre bar, The Inappropriateness of Love delves into the complexities of the emotion, capturing each character’s hope and struggle to love and be loved.
Performed by Paradigm, a new London fringe repertory company, and written/directed by Sarah Pitard, the dark comedy explores the entangled relationships between six characters, linked together by the affable yet somewhat nerdy, Scooter.
The plot is driven by Scooter’s compulsion to attend his old university friend’s wedding with a ‘plus one’, rather than face the embarrassment and reality of his impending loneliness.
As the story unfolds, the audience is invited to share Scooter’s experience of risk-taking and rejection when it comes to his therapist Jessica, the stilted relationship with his elderly mother and his ignorance of best friend Zoey’s feelings towards him.
In other serious scenes dealing with divorce, cheating and break-ups, the play is given a slight comedic uplift through outspoken, tarty receptionist Stephanie who’s dating senior manager, Darren (therapist Jessica’s ex-husband).
The audience warms to her character, perhaps because of her evident vulnerability and the one-night stand scene with Scooter also provides an awkward, yet funny combination.
In the same way Pitard wrote ‘there’s a little bit of me in all the characters’, I too was reminded of those first pangs of love for a professional figure, a doomed office romance and the tumultuous period with an older, divorced lover.
The Inapproriateness of Love exposes the vulnerability of the heart through thoroughly convincing acting and scenes.
For it’s premier performance this week, it’s well worth seeing at the Hen and Chickens Theatre till 29th September 2012.
The Paralympics has come and gone with a bang. Leaving Londoners a little bereft as the London Games 2012 draws to a close. It has been an exciting time to live in London. Great Britain got a total of 120 medals. 34 of those were gold. Personally I loved the guy in the paralympics advert who, after listing all of the injuries he had acquired, which included broken ribs and fingers, ended the conversation with “nothing serious”.
A peak audience of 3.2 million viewers were watched Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage when David Weir won his second gold of the 2012 Games in the T54 1500m. The Paralympic Games 2012 Tonight programme, from 7.30pm through to 10.30pm was watched by an average of 2.5 million viewers, 11 percent share of the audience.
The early evening coverage of the swimming from the aquatics centre peaked with 1.8 million viewers – averaging 1.6 million viewers, 10 percent share, between 5.25pm and 7.00pm.
Afternoon coverage peaked with 1.4 million viewers – averaging 824k viewers, 11 percent share, between 1.00pm and 5.25pm.
The Paralympics coverage helped Channel 4 record an all-day share of 9.4 percent – up +35% on the 12 month average for Tuesdays.
Seven weeks after Channel 4 launched the critically acclaimed ‘Meet The Superhumans’ Paralympic trail, its sound track had taken the UK music charts by storm and forged an unexpected collaboration between hip hop legends, Public Enemy, and leading British Parlympians.
Channel 4 launched its biggest ever marketing campaign in mid-July to promote coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics with ‘Meet the Superhumans’, a 90 second long film, set to the track, ‘Harder Than You Think’ by, Public Enemy and showcasing the abilities of some of the leading UK Paralympians as they prepared for the Games.
In the weeks that followed the video went viral and ‘Harder Than You Think’, first released in 2007 and never having appeared before appeared in the Top 200, suddenly entered the UK Top 40; currently at number four on The Official UK Singles Chart and number one on the Indie Singles Top 20 Chart. ‘Harder Than You Think’ is now Public Enemy’s highest charting single to date in the UK.
Now swimmer Ellie Simmonds, wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft, blind footballer Dave Clarke and cyclist Jody Cundy are among a host of leading British Paralympians featured in a newly cut video by Public Enemy in tribute to the London 2012 Paralympics.
The video, titled ‘Harder Than You Think – UK Paralympics Version’, blends the herculean efforts of the Paralympians preparing for the Games – filmed by Channel 4 – with the original gritty street locations and hip hop sounds synonymous with Public Enemy.
Public Enemy’s Chuck D says: “These athletes are about self-empowerment and determination. Doing what they do….is harder than ya think.”
James Walker Channel 4’s Head of Marketing says: “Public Enemy are one of the greatest hip hop acts of all time. It’s a fantastic testament to the impact of the Paralympics that we have been able to introduce new fans to their music.”
A peak audience of 7.7 million viewers watched last night’s Channel 4 coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games closing ceremony. The full closing ceremony programme from 7.00pm to 11.10pm was watched by 5.9 million viewers, 26 percent share of the television audience.
Coverage of the final day of the Paralympic Games made Channel 4 the most watched television channel across the whole day – with a total share of 16.4 percent; versus 15.9 percent share for BBC ONE and 13.4 percent share for ITV1. Channel 4 was also the most watched channel in terms of 16-34s and ABC1s.
The closing ceremony was the second most-watched moment from Channel 4’s coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games, after the opening ceremony which peaked with 11.2 million and Jonnie Peacock’s 100m T44 win on Thursday which attracted a peak audience of 6.3 million viewers – the biggest UK audience for live Paralympic sport ever. On the same ‘thriller Thursday’ David Weir’s T54 800m gold was watched by a peak audience of 5.5 million and Hannah Cockroft’s 200m T34 win attracted a peak audience of 4.1 million. Alan Oliveira’s victory over Oscar Pistorius in the 200m T44 on Sunday was watched by a peak audience of 4.4 million viewers.
Across the Paralympics as a whole, Channel 4’s coverage reached 39.9 million people – over 69 percent of the UK population. This compares to a reach of 20.5 millon for the BBC’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s Chief Creative Officer said: “Last night’s closing ceremony was a suitably spectacular end to a fantastic London 2012 Paralympic Games and I’m thrilled that, over the course of the last eleven days, Channel 4’s coverage has engaged more people than ever before in disabled sport.”
Channel 4 released new research from BDRC Continental and YouGov over the weekend which showed that two in three viewers feel more positive towards disabled people as a result of watching coverage of the Paralympic Games.
Headlines from the research include:
Two thirds of viewers (65%) feel the coverage of the Paralympics has had a favourable impact on their perceptions towards people with disabilities.1
More than four in five Adults (82%) agreed disabled athletes are as talented as able-bodied athletes, rising to 91% among those who had watched Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics.2
Almost two thirds of Adults (64%) agreed that the Paralympics is as good as the Olympics, rising to 79% among those who had watched Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics. 2
Two thirds of viewers (68%) felt the coverage of the Paralympics has had a favourable impact on their perceptions to disabled sport. 1
Around two in three viewers (69%) said this is the first time they have ever made an effort to watch the Paralympics, while half (50%) said this is the first Paralympics they have ever watched. 67% said they watched more than they expected to.1
Since 2010, as part of Channel 4’s pledge to bring Paralympic sport to a mainstream audience and add authenticity, knowledge and experience to its programming, the broadcaster has invested over £600,000 in identifying, training and developing ten new disabled presenters and reporters who have played major roles in the channel’s coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games. 80% of viewers enjoyed the fact that there were disabled presenters on screen in Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics and almost three quarters of the audience (74%) agreed that they enjoyed the matter of fact discussions about disability.
Building on this, Channel 4 has committed a further £250,000 across the next two years, to both support and develop the existing disabled presenters across a range of television genres and to continue to identify new opportunities for disabled talent on-screen.
To celebrate National Curry Week this October (8th – 14th), British Onions have partnered with Indian street food entrepreneur, Vinod Patel of Chula Fused Foods, to devise some mouth-watering Indian recipes using the best homegrown ingredients, ensuring the highest quality.
Onions are a vital ingredient to adding distinctive flavour to any curry, sauce or Indian side dish, and these quick and easy recipes show off this essential vegetable at its best. Whether you’re an experienced chef or a beginner in the kitchen you’ll be able to impress your family and friends with these delicious recipes and celebrate an Indian summer!
Chula Fused Foods is Vinod Patel’s reinvention of the Burrito, through which he has taken the beloved Mexican concept and added an Indian fusion twist. Travelling from San Francisco to London, via Bangalore, Vinod immersed himself in all types of food, from dining at high end restaurants to trying out pop-up cafes on the roadside and was drawn to the creative side of creating high quality food for those on the go. His menu is a combination of slow-cooked meats and bean curries, roasted tomato chutneys, Gujarati yoghurt dips and crunchy salads, or as he says, a balanced lunch that will give you energy using less fat and salt than the norm. His first street food stall launched in June 2011 and he hasn’t looked back since. To discover more about Chula Fused Foods and to find your nearest market visit www.chulafusedfoods.com
Lamb Curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
Prep: 20 min
Cooking 50 min
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp green cardamom powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 kg lean lamb, diced
2 British onions, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
2 bay leaves
400ml boiling water
2 tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
Juice of half a lime
1 tsp garam masala
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large non stick pan and add the ginger paste, garlic paste, cloves, cinnamon,
cardamom, turmeric, salt, chilli powder and cumin.
2. Cook for one minute then add the cubed lamb and onions, tossing well to coat evenly in the
spices.
Cook over a high heat for 5 minutes to seal the meat then add the boiling water. Bring to the boil,
then reduce the heat, cover the pan loosely and simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Add the sliced tomatoes, lime juice and garam masala, then stir well and cook for a further 5
minutes.
Onion Bhajis with Roasted Tomato Chutney
Serves 7
Bhaji Ingredients
3 large British onions cut into medium half rings
1 cup chickpea flour, also know as gram flour
1 tblsp coriander powder
½ tsp caraway seeds (ajwain)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1-4 Green chillies, depending on how spicy you want it
1 tblsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tblsp cumin seeds
1 inch of ginger, chopped finely
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
Method
1) In a large bowl mix together the onions, chickpea flour, coriander powder, caraway seeds,
turmeric powder, green chillies, chopped coriander, cumin seeds, ginger, salt, red chilli
powder
2) Add sufficient water to form a moldable paste, and mix well.
3) Heat some oil in a non-stick wok, then make small dumplings of the mixture and deep fry
until golden brown.
Chutney Ingredients
2 medium tomatoes, roasted evenly until slightly black
3/4 tsp of salt or to taste
1 green chili
1/4 of a red British onion, diced
3 strands of coriander, finely chopped
1/4 lime squeezed
Method
1) Wash the tomatoes and place on a baking tray lined with foil. Grill the tomatoes on a high
setting, so that all the outside edges are slightly black.
2) Pulse all the other ingredients except the coriander and onion together in a blender.
3) Add the coriander and red onion and mix well. Serve alongside onion bhajis.
Onion & Potato Curry
Serves 5
Ingredients
4 medium potatoes, diced into small to medium cubes
2 medium British onions diced into medium cubes
3 tblsps sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp salt, add more to taste
1 tblsp heaped coriander powder
Method
1) Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan, then add the mustard seeds, cooking until warm
2) Add the potatoes and onions, then cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes.
3) Add the turmeric, red chili powder, salt, and coriander powder then cook for 5 – 10 minutes
on a low to medium heat with the lid on.
4) Remove the lid and stir, then put the lid back on and repeat the process for up to 30 minutes
I’ve had a frantic week replying to emails and finishing a writing project. But I still had three windows of opportunity to sort out another London overheard. Found myself in Hungerford in Oxford mid- week at a fancy gastro pub. And caught this brief gem from a couple sat watching a traditional looking house barge mooring by the side of a canal. Man to wife pleasantly “Look at that Miriam that’s the kind of life I could get used to” Miriam in a bored tone “I don’t think so you actually have to work quite hard to run one of those things. You are completely useless and workshy and you know it” Ouch! But here’s this week’s stolen moment from a bar at a gig in Central London:
Two Goth looking girls: Girl one “I couldn’t believe it really it’s not like I’m on Facebook that much” Girl two “So he cut you off just like that” Girl one “Yeah I know and I really liked him” Girl two “What made him turn so funny then?” Girl one “Well he saw me updating my status when we were doing it at his mum’s house” Girl two giggling “No” Girl one proudly “Well he was going at it like he does and I figured he was busy and they’ve got that wireless Infinity broadband you know the really fast one. So I replied to a couple of messages” Girl two “What while he was..” Girl one “Hm I mean it was good but sometimes I don’t feel that involved. He used to just shove away for ages and think it was good for me. But I didn’t mind that much. He was sweet really the little noises he’d make” Girl two “So what’d he say?” Girl one “Ah you know the usual it’s not you it’s me but I noticed that he changed his status that night. I mean how insensitive. I’m glad he’s gone cos I really I don’t need that kind of negative energy in my life to be honest” Girl two “So you’re with TZ now right” Girl one “Yeah he’s not that bright but he’s loyal and he’s got a car. Oh yeah and he’s got really nice legs and his bum is like really firm” They then started talking about the bands……..
I must just say at this point in case you think I just make this stuff up. I often record bits with my phone (especially in cafes) and I now carry a small pad and pen everywhere as well of course as my trusty Samsung. So although it might be not exactly the words they are very very very close. Trust me I don’t have this kind of imagination.
Thursday 6th September, 3.45pm V&A Museum What does it take to create something of note?
That is what Frost went to find out. Arts & culture commentator Peter Aspden and award-winning historian Bettany Hughes were a great match together. The bounced off each other perfectly. Peter noted iconic moments in history – Elvis Presley singing Hound-dog to an actual hound dog, Michael Jackson – and Bettany, just back from a trip to Albania funded by Lord Rothschild, certainly knows her stuff. Things I found out from her during the debate: it took 18 years to build the pyramids and they were made not by slaves as is popularly thought, but by citizens of Egypt for the gods.
While Peter said we should not be beholden to the past, Bettany said: “we live with the past, it is in everything we think and do”.
It was a lively debate with lots of good questions being asked. Chivas Brothers hosted the event at the beautiful Victoria & Albert museum. Chivas Brothers certainly know about good things taking time. Their whiskey takes 20 odd years to make. I saw one bottle which was thirty years old. They started making whiskey in the 1800s. They are now in the top 3 whiskey makers in the world.
The debate also raised the point that one of the reasons a 21-year-old whiskey is such a luxury is that the moment you drink it 21-years is gone.
If whiskey does not have an age statement then it is three years old, as whiskey has to be at least three years old.
Other things I learnt:
“Did you know that most of us only live for 800 months?” A.C Grayling.
Netflix rolled out the red carpet for an evening of Bollywood Style and Movies in central London this week – celebrating the great range of Bollywood movies available on the service, and Frost Magazine went along to have some fun. Indian actress Preeya Kalidas and rising UK film star Adam Deacon were amongst the guests to enjoy cocktails and watch preview clips from upcoming Bollywood movies.
We had delicious cocktails and I got a make up lesson from legendary make up artist Ruby Hammer. My favourite cocktail was the Ginger Dahling.
Netflix is the world’s leading internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows and features everything from blockbusters, classic movies to TV series and children’s programming. It also features a range of great world cinema, including a great selection of of Bollywood movies to instantly watch on the service, including the below titles:
Delhi Belly
Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Mohabbatein
Main Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara
Silsila
Aaja Nachle
Hum Tum
Chakde!
Dhoom & Dhoom 2
Dil to Pagal Hai
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
The night was hosted by Nihal who also entertained the crowd of Bollywood gliterratti, the fashion pack and media with a DJ set of Bollywood fusion music. Beauty and style press were also treated to a make up master class from Ruby Hammer – showcasing some of the most iconic looks from Bollywood’s history whilst food and drink drawing inspiration from Bollywood was served throughout the evening. Konnie Huq and Asian music producer Rishi Rich were also on hand to enjoy the style sessions and to sip Chai Collins and Ginger Dahling cocktails at the exposure Gallery, W1.
