Amy, Amy, Amy,

This afternoon the life of Amy Winehouse came to end while at her home in North London.
The cause of her death at time of writing is still unexplained.
Although, there is little need for explanation as to why the passing of Amy Winehouse is a huge and saddening loss. Her vintage vocal style fused with modern day lyrics made Amy a refreshing and unique artist in a world heaving with manufactured over styled pop.
Her fashion image was a frank as her no-holds barred writing style. Just doing her thing, even if she did in the end become a caricature of her own image. But, to the fans and fashionistas on the street, Amy reminded us back in 2007 that a flick of retro liquid eyeliner and a bit of a sixties bouffed pony tail or half-up half down hairstyle could look cool and modern again. It also renewed our interest in silhouettes and styles of fifties and sixties. Waspish waists with bundles of cleavage and wiggly hips became Amy's signature style that had the fashion world appreciating and emulating in the Back To Black era.
An untimely death at aged just 27. Amy now joins the list of music legends who also lost their lives at this young age. Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones and the Jims -  Hendrix and Morrison, all famously lead a  rock and roll lifestyle which sadly lead to a rock and roll death.
R.I.P. Amy Jade Winehouse.

Amy Winehouse - Amy, Amy, Amy

Trunk Treats

Whats the best thing about summer holidays?  Relaxing time away from home? Guaranteed sunshine? Decent food and wine? or how about a little Trunk Treat?
Everybody needs a Trunk Treat just like they need a rest from day-to-day drudgery at least once a year.


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Snakeskin belt by Aspinal of London

 A Trunk Treat is a little gift or surprise that you secretly hide in the suitcase and present once arrived at your destination. Oh, but I hear your groans...like we need another excuse to go gift-shopping for our holiday companions when we already have enough expenses  what with the annual round of Hatches, Matches and Dispatches already draining our pockets each year. This I do understand, although these gifts need not be anything too extravagant or pricey..more of a sentimental or suitable gesture. Trunk Treating started in my household with little treats thrown in the Hello Kitty rucksack for my daughter and then I moved on to myself. With enough summer clothes and shoes to fill a warehouse, I never feel the need to splurge on a holiday capsule wardrobe, although I am always longing for something new to bust out abroad, as a reminder of why and where it was bought for. This summer I feeling a whip-thin snakeskin belt would be perfect for wrapping around a one-piece swimsuit to get 'The Lanvin Look' whilst glamming it up poolside. Or a totally indulgent sun care product like Institut Esthederm's Adaptasun. Or possibly a new fragrance or candle for evocative memories of summer sunshine. Or a good book? Helmut Newton's Photofile by Thames and Hudson is a perfect quick read with lots of gorgeous and inspiring photographs to browse.

Go With The Glow



http://www.trevarnoskincare.co.uk/



There is an urban myth that usually surfaces at this time of year. The one where folk believe that they can only look glowing and healthy if they have a bronzed and tanned complexion. As a 'sun-shunner' I am always looking for ways to 'glow with it' regardless of skin colour. In the long term, I believe staying out of the sun will have positive effects on the skin and a tan is just an excuse. One of my many personal pep-up philosophies is 'Stay out of the sun - for best results in the long run'

My advice for getting a good glow is very simple - Preparation and Protection ....

So lets talk about this....

Preparation. In the morning, gently cleanse the skin with a mild creamy cleanser. Try Trevarno's Rose & Jojoba Cleanser. (N.B. this preparation is also useful as a quick get-in-from-work wipe over to take away the dirt build up of the day) Twice a week follow this step with a mild facial scrub followed with a spritz of rosewater. Boots Botantics range includes a good rosewater for just a few pounds. Then splurge on good skin creams and oils.

Protection. Follow on from the rosewater spritzing with a high factor sun cream. I swear by La Roche Posay Anthelios 50 plus melt in cream. Its is also available in a tinted version for those who love a little base colour or have darker skin tones. Follow with a drop of facial oil, massage in to really get that glow. The best ones aren't cheap but they are very effective and you only need use a drop or two to get a healthy complexion. Try Natura Bisse's Rosa Mosqueta Oil or Rodin's Luxury Facial Oil.

Follow with your usual make-up routine and then girls, you're good to glow!

Luxurious and lush. Rodin Olio Lusso

Happy Glampers, Happy Campers

These days festival goers are split into two camps (literally!) Campers and Glampers.
Campers are the year-in, year-out visitors who go there to lose their minds in music and their jumpers in mud. Glampers will be planning their festival capsule wardrobes weeks before the event.

Campers will sleep in a two man tent that takes two seconds to set up. Glampers are helicoptered in and shown to their Winnebago by a groomed butler. Yet, everybody has a good time regardless if they are downing cider or sipping champagne. So which camp do you fall into? Here are a few fashion suggestions for Campers and Glampers alike.



Glampers may be able to escape the masses but not the mud. Marc by Marc Jacobs Biker Wellies are a  perfect but practical style statement.

For the Campers - A Topshop Snakeprint pack-a-poncho will keep them dry if their flimsy tent gets blown away, nicked or they just can't remember where they left it!



Night And Day...Day And Night

Zara Kimono Jacket





It's Sunday morning and I am writing this blog post in my pyjamas. So far today, I have already walked to the shop to buy breakfast and the papers in said outfit without a jot of self-consciousness that I'm dressed my bed clothes. Why? Because this season fashion is blurring the lines between night and day wear. Garments that are traditionally considered as sleep/loungewear are being worn out and about in the public eye and not just in the boudoir. And its not just the high-end fashion labels that are pushing these ideals, it's happening on the High Street too. At Zara and Mint Velvet, the printed pyjama pant has been a popular choice for many customers. Loungey, relaxed and still smart cool. Whats not to love? Personally I am still eyeing up Zara's selction of short silk kimonos and wondering if they will look cool worn as a jacket over a vest, shorts teamed with a wicked pair of heels, and a serious 'this is not my bed jacket' attitude for an upcoming party. I may well take the risk and invest since I have longed for a little silk kimono to wear over a bikini beach or poolside too. And if that doesn't work out then I can always wear it as it's intended while doing my hair and make-up sat at my dressing table with thoughts of 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. 

Ayten Gasson bed jacket. Acceptable for both lunching and lounging.









Costume Drama





Bikini by Eres from the Cache Cache collection S/S 11

Being as I am bigger on the bust and smaller on the botty, swimwear brands that only sell bikins as sets have over the years caused me somewhat of a 'Costume Drama' . The frustration I endured while trying on luxury beachwear at a Pucci Boutique in Florence one year was both a comedy and a tragedy. Laughing at myself in the fitting room mirror in a 'Porn Fit' bra top that partnered  my correct knicker size and at the bra which fitted nicely with bottoms that could have housed an extra strength incontinence pad plus my bum and still would have been baggy.  The tragedy is of course that as Pucci (and many others) still insist on selling bikinis as a size set and not by bust and hip size, I will never have the opportunity to own such a chic piece of swimwear. The last time I owned a bikini that came as a size set I would have been twelve years old. As grown women we don't buy our underwear in this way, so why as adults should we have to buy our swimwear like a pre-teen? The only way I managed to blag myself a Missoni bikini was because I swapped the sizes in the fitting room (shh - don't tell) but those wise buggers at Pucci had the bra and bottom kimbled waist length together so no changing room swapping could occur. (Another Florentine comedy trying to get to get into the blooming thing!) But thank the lord for the French! Swimwear and lingerie label Eres will happily sell you a correctly fitting matching bikini top and the right size pants. Possibly as they are a well established brand of underwear they understand that most women won't fit a typical dress size when it comes to buying a bikini. Eres doesn't come cheap but it sure looks chic. My philosophy over the years is that if you are only going to wear two teeny tiny pieces of clothing then make sure they're good ones. My three year old baby pink Eres halter bikini is still wearing well and has certainly stunned them from Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads. 
http://www.eresparis.com/