The Model Edit | Fashion, Beauty and Style

The Ham Yard Experience

The Ham Yard Hotel, Soho London, Hotel, luxury hotel, Firmdale Group

When most of you weren’t looking, I went with some friends for a Birthday ( not mine, you’ll know when!) at this gorgeous Hotel, situated on approx 1/2 acre of Soho’s land. Redolent of this district’s steamy, slightly edgy past, the fabulous Firmdale Group have capitalised on this slightly naughty and sumptuous area and gone all modern decadent by creating The Ham Yard. It’s truly a treat at any point in any  24 hour period. All of whatever ‘ it ‘ is, goes on here. Feather filled six feet deep sofas, everywhere. Colourful puffy cushions, Books, Art, Food, and such pleasure flinging Cocktails of both types, alcohol and people  to assail the part of your brain that assimilates, fabulousness. This excitingly modern Hotel is a  fabulous silky mix of chic and glamour. It’s not exclusive but you’ll need to switch your sensory receptors to go, as you won’t want to miss a thing here.

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Top Coat

Zara, Grey Wool Coat, winter coat

As I mentioned in my last post, my route march around London during Half Term has left me with ideas and opinions for outfits, the components of which may well be already dangling around in your Wardrobe, e.g., jeans if you’re not a dungaree wearer, silky blouses, ankle boots and possibly even the omnipresent Grey Duster/ Trench Coat or my particular favourite, a Nursery to Nobu, Classic Navy Blue Coat both of whom are making cameo appearances in just about every fashion outlet and Catwalk this season. Did they ever really leave? Which is why I’m betting that some of you will be foraging in your closet’s for  a reunion with clobber that you already own. There are many permutations and prices to consider. I was impressed with a few takes on this item, in particular, simply because they are pretty classical examples and won’t wrestle the rest of your outfit for superiority. The first one is to be found in Zara and is featured in the above shot. It’s a very gorgeous Granite Grey and is very sophisticated if you will, but equally happy to be edgy if coordinated with more subversive items of clothing, if you won’t.

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Winding It Up

dungarees, skinny scarf, pussy bow, Prada glasses, Rolex Yachtmaster Mans Watch, long sleeved white T Shirt, bracelets.

As I scrutinised the high and mighty Streets of London last week, I came to some fashion conclusions. I am not going to trammel them all out at once as, guess what? there are many. The first item that gets me up on my Winter trend soapbox, is the Skinny Scarf, which is as usual a multi use purchase, whilst having singular price tag at the checkout. Hooray for me and my, unbeknownst to everyone ( especially to my parent’s and Mr V), penchant for fashion frugality. Thats not to say I won’t pile over the dosh for an style investment when push comes Glove etc, etc. But I do know a prime requisite when I see one, enter the must have fashion accessory of the moment, the Skinny Scarf.  I’m wearing one from  Zara. 

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Helloween

halloween, bunny ears, red lipstick, vampires

It’s a status that avoids many pitfalls and irritations, like mascara, eyebrow taming, concealer and crows feet. I shall be adopting it as my signature look.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Entrenched in Coats

Uniqlo, Ines de la Fressange, trenchcoat, raincoat, winter coat, detachable lining, black, double breasted

 

Carrying on with my Winter Coat reveals, I give you this have it all, yet look so bloody casual, Uniqlo Trench Coat, thanks to my old Model mate, Ines de La Fressange and her collaboration with Uniqlo. It’s magnificent in it’s versatility and I promise you that it’s very fine heritage owes more than a passing ‘merci’ to Yohji Yamamoto circa Mark Ascoli, and to Jil Sander circa herself in the early days. I would have put a shot of me revelling in it’s fabulousness but I’ve ordered the wrong size and I don’t want to look weird in it. It is my favourite type of clothing because it does more than it says on the hanger.

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Intro Kiko

make up, Kiko make up shop, blue lipgloss, lipgloss

 

This is a little tiny blog to give directions for you to beat a path to a very trendy ( yes, make up does whizz in and out of trends), make up outlet that I have been enjoying privately, on your behalves. It absolutely does what it says on it’s packaging. My daughters and I, seem to be hosting it’s Flagship store in Dorset, given the amount of  Kiko products lounging around our bathrooms. The make up and skincare brand Kiko  emanates from Milan and is quite a regular on the high street in Paris, and now it’s time for us to light up our lips and enhance our cheekbones with their  very funky colours and beautifully researched creams, without needing a passport. The Flagship Store is at 20 paces from Topshop, just around the corner, on Regent street. 

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Borderline Boring

Book, reading, Amy Poehler,

I really want to spread the joy by writing about a book that I’m utterly passionate about. I want to have the feeling of falling in love with, the prose, a character inhabiting a book’s pages, the ethos, concept and insight or to be really committed to turning each page so much so that I want to force you all to love the book as much as I do. I wouldn’t hold back because, I’d want to tell you all so that you don’t miss out. None of these yearnings am I feeling about Michela Wrong’s book, Borderlines. My disclaimer is, just because you saw me reading it, doesn’t mean that I like it. Kindly someone in our book Club took a punt and suggested this for our current read. As with all of us, we don’t write the books, so no stones thrown at the purveyor. I feel as though I’ve taken one for the team. ‘ I’ve read it, so you don’t have to’, sort of thing. But I do want to keep you in the loop with my life, therefore a little component called reading is fairly important and I wish I could rant and rage in depth about just how much I disliked Borderlines by Michela Wrong (don’t…). A good rant would be exciting and maybe controversial even, but it’s not even worth our time. Apologies to anyone who may feel that it’s their seminal read. Just ain’t mine. Moving on in order to alleviate the dreary, I turn a 180 and shall spread the joy garnered from Amy Poehler’s book Yes Please. It isn’t the answer to all our prayers but it is an answer to some of our uncertainties. It’s not a ‘self help’ but it’s a ‘help yourself ‘ read. I have laughed, been incredulous, been critical and actually been a little enlightened. Not about her famous life, so much as her un-famous life. She is totally real and reveals some painful mistakes and some previously unspoken, but quietly suspected advice on sex, which I admire and may employ. Amy Poehler referenced some girl giggles that we all have waving at us from our school days and which we must remember, we don’t need to be in a school uniform to experience. I love this woman, all her facets. She’s a flawed friend…like all of us.

This is a book that slips down a treat and it filled me up with a happy confidence that it’s all ok.

Bonjour Uniqlo

panther print coat, leopard print coat, fake fur, faux fur, MiuMiu Sunglasses,long red curly hair, white Chelsea boots

 

This little missive, my friends is the ultimate in altruism. I am here in all my fake fur fabulousness, loitering in my own back garden… last Autumn. Which is all the proof you need to follow me down the garden path, into the high street, and beyond. Carine Roitfeld, formerly of French Vogue, and now Global Fashion Director of Harpers Bazaar, sixty and sexy, has turned her fantastic style into a tangible collection available from Uniqlo, one of my go to High Street Brands.

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Ungaro and I

Emanuel Ungaro, fashion show, Vanessa Voegele-Downing,sunglasses, turquoise blue, paparazzi,

 

Mostly I am seen to be wandering the chiller aisle in the supermarket, standing on the edge of a sports pitch cheering my daughters on, or cleaning out the chickens, looking like this. It’s casual and puts people at ease when they see me approaching…

Thank you Mr Ungaro for ever thinking that I could pull this off.

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