There I was, looking to file away a whole load of shots and trying to pick out a really nice few for you, when this photo of a shirt stopped me dead in my tracks. And then I thought, well it’s Friday afternoon and who wants to read an essay on a shirt G before the weekend (and you all know how I tend to write essays if you’ll let me). So instead here are some pictures and a few words about a beautifully styled shirt cuff on the French model Suzie Bird.

Yes, I know, she’s a model, yes I know it’s not fair, yes I know her shirt is turned up in that clever fashion way that only seems to work in fashion shoots, I know, I KNOW…

But for one brief moment this shirt looked as uncooperative backstage at the Paul Smith Spring Summer 2012 show as my shirt sleeves do normally and then just a few moments later…

…and look with just a few simple twists and turns and it came alive. Paul Smith has made several of his shirts this season with a double (button) cuff and turn-uppable cuffs which can be turned into what I like to expertly call “the French way” (as in you see it on the streets of Paris a lot – a simple shirt sleeve turned up in this way). This Paul Smith shirt here is the one with the double cuff for turning up.

I’ve been practicing the effortless sleeve turn up myself recently and find that adding a little starch when ironing the cuffs helps the turn up stay a little longer (did I just hear a groan?) OK.. I’ve got so much more to say about these photos I feel like I’m going to explode but don’t worry I promised I’d keep it short and I think if I say one more word I’ll somehow ruin these pictures.

The results of tons of writing and typing will inevitably make its way onto the blog as posts but in the meantime I’ve been sluggishly slow as I seem to have disappeared down a writing rabbit hole. I ambitiously thought I was going to be able to crank out words on three different writing projects simultaneously and keep myself in check until my fingers said NOPE NO MORE G! SORT IT OUT!

As several people ask me about beauty related things via emails here or via tweets I can finally offer up a beauty fix suitable for everyone. A little while ago a (very patient) nail artist turned me onto some new nail rescue things and always a sucker for a beautiful natural buff (no shine) nude nail, I went straight out and renewed my nail kit. I’m excited telling you about this because after weeks of typing my nails are shot and I really did rescue them by following her tips (and just in time too as I’ve still bags more typing ahead). I’ve gone crazy over my new cuticle pusher with its rubber hoof to gently push back cuticles and buff and clean my nails. I know at this point you’re probably thinking “Well…erm…G…it’s only a little cuticle pusher!” I know but somehow this tiny little thing costing a few pounds has worked wonders on buffing my overworked nails and pushing peeping cuticles back.

Next I added a set of steel pliers to my kit to tackle unsightly cuticles (there’s always the odd thing to neaten up after a few day’s scribbling).

My aim of having sheeny shiny in-yer-face spotless nails with more of a natural buff then a synthetic shine is courtesy of this little block of white magic. It shall forever be a part of every fashion-nut’s kit because a few strokes and it has such an impact on the surface of the nail. I can’t say for years that I wasn’t the tiniest bit jealous when I’d go to Paris and every girl I crushed on seemed to have that magically buffed nail. I’m calmer now though when I have to share space with perfect types and don’t have to conceal my overworked fingers (paint, ink, the odd naughty cuticle…). Nope a few strokes with this crystal file and then a buff with this buffer across the nail makes me think that I could actually fit in in Paris….

… and a careful buff across the tips make me think that maybe I could actually fit in enough to live there.

I’ll refrain myself now from gushing any further except to say that here are the tools (minus the metal pliers which somehow look a little barbaric up close) which have given me sheeny shiny buffed nails which I don’t mind looking at when I type (yes I sometimes do look down). That said, is there any beauty feeling as good as having sorted out a cuticle (or ten) when busy little fingers get mushed up handwriting and typing? I’ll leave that as a question, as maybe you’ve way better ones than my simple nails above.

Let me tell you about my secret love… FRECKLES! I love them. From Julianne Moore to Eddie Redmayne who explained in the Telegraph recently that he’d take extra time to slather on sun screen each day before filming Birdsong. See, “when the sun ambushes the skin, freckles are the skin’s first defense mechanism” my dermatologist tells me wagging his finger as I come face to face with him. I’m pale as a ghost so he insists I slap on the factor 20 every single day. But I’ve always loved my few (um, hundred) freckles dotted about my arms, and on my nose. And despite the fact that my freckles might be at odds with my derm’s advice to blanket bomb myself with factor 20 daily because I’m so fair, I do like cute freckles that peep out at the slightest sign of a sun ray – as in the ones that make people go “Wow! Stop! Those are so cute? Are they real? Really? You wouldn’t lie to me would you?” When I saw this girl (in the picture above) backstage at Simone Rocha’s Autumn/Winter 2012 show I immediately said “Wow! Stop! …. etc.” The expert positioning of each little dot made me think that they were real, but Nuh uh! The galaxy of freckles ranged from fakes being ladled on to accenturate real freckles as in this picture above…

…to a medium scattering of fakes in this second girl here…

…to a subtle dusting on this girl in the picture above, as if the sun had just sceretly ambushed her for a few seconds. This type of scattering is currently what my own freckle resemble most.

From far away all the fake freckles were hardly noticeable at all.

While up close even thought they were confined to the nose and cheeks, nothing on the rest of the face called attention and said “Hey look fake freckles here”. The beauty team prepped the skin with M∙A∙C Prep + Prime Skin Brightening Serum to prepare the skin and then added a layer of Studio Moisture Cream to fully hydrate and refresh. A little M∙A∙C Select Moisturecover concealer lightly applied covered any little imperfections.

Then M∙A∙C Pro Basic Chromaline in red was lightly buffed into skin to effect a flush (like when you exercise). It’s a product that I’ve added to my spring/summer make-up kit (yay for a change in the temperature) and intend to try it out even more over the coming weeks. M∙A∙C Pro Basic Chromaline is a gel/cream liner which comes in a pot and isn’t the easiest to find so I’ve found a MAC substitute that works as well accessible to everyone. M∙A∙C Cream Colour base in Shell patted on gently adds a little natural colour to the cheeks. There’s also a shade called Fabulush which has become my little secret recently to pulling my pasty face from ghost land. Try it out yourself and you’ll see how it makes cheeks and freckles pop a little more. Just to say that these Cream Colour Bases aren’t really suitable for eyes or lips (they have been known to irritate a little) and no I didn’t go overboard and end up looking Scarecrow Aunt Sally (well maybe just the once).

All of these products are a great solution for me for the coming months because I’ve always had a problem creating natural make-up to compliment my freckles. M∙A∙C will be laughing their heads off if they ever see this post because even Mr. Goddess knows Le Problem avec Gisèle is that as her nose freckles disappear each winter (just like Gisèle’s twelve freckles in this book he bought me after only knowing me for twelve weeks and witness my sadness and then my joy the moment some new feckless started to appear). Yup he knew early on that I love freckles. Oh well, either way, M∙A∙C wins and I’m going to be visiting them more often now and asking even more nonsensical questions like – “Err what do I do to look naturally tanned in July, even though I’m pale as a ghost and err… how can I make my legs look less blue and lips look more lush?”

By the way this Lip Conditioner SPF 15 was used on all the girls above and gives super healthy and hydrated lips. Oh and the little pencils used to create and enhance a wash of fake freckles on everyone were the M∙A∙C Eye Brow Pencils in the Stud and Strut colours which I have and also in the Lingering shade which I don’t (yet). So with this little lot Le Problem Avec Gisèle will be well and truly solved. When my freckles start to fade I’ll just dot them in.

For those who read this other blog post here and asked me about the khaki eyes at John Rocha’s A/W2012 show, then this is for you. If you pop in here regularly then you’ll know that I’m a bit of a mole at the fashion weeks when it comes to all things cosmetics and beauty and can be found wandering about mumbling and repeating things to myself backstage until I find a blank space in my notebook on which to jot things. My mumbling and scribblings are a combination of respect – how do make-up artists constantly throw up such new and fascinating ideas? – as well as my learning process – if I repeat a thing a few times and then jot it down maybe it’ll help me get my brain around the beauty speak so I can try and translate it? And when it came to understanding Danielle Winkworth’s khaki eye make-up above I mumbled and scribbled a lot backstage because it was something of a fun epiphany. You mean I can……

Mix my colours up on a paper plate, with a brush, or my fingers, like at a birthday party? Any colour I want?

Any colour? Including this green on the eyes?

And the I can mix these other greens into it?

Yes it all looked pretty tame and easy at first, but then I thought of vampires for some reason when I saw the brows being finished in little strokes with a brown pencil and didn’t feel silly for long because….

The inspiration for the eyes was Lord Byron and vampires and the little round green colour palettes being passed around backstage were a hushed secret until I was eventually told that they were theatre eye make-up colours from a palette made by a very, very old German theatre make-up company called Kryolan. The colours were also mixed on hands to get the correct shade of khaki for the eyes.

And the lips? The trick here is to brush on some foundation to take the natural lip colour down instantly and then a touch of lilac from the same 24 colour Kryolan palette gives a vampire wash to the lips.

And just when I think I’ve learnt enough to be able to mix up a batch and play responsibly with Kryolan’s vampire colours and order the 24 colour palette which has these greens I realise that they also do fluorescing ultraviolet colours which glow in the dark. They were used on Coldplay’s Charlie Brown film on fifty dancers. Watching how they glow in the dark in the second half of this Coldplay film just throws up all sorts of summer festival possibilities.

I am not usually the sort to trumpet things as life changing. I do try my damnedest to be normal. Don’t get me wrong, I would easily classify my ‘puter as a close friend – since receiving a MacBook Air for Christmas from Mr. Goddess, I seem to lose days now developing my love (with technology) – but as relationships go, my MacBook Air would still be about number four on my list of things to save in a house fire or flood (presuming all adults could make it out safely). First I’d chase my cat about and get her out quickly, then I’d rescue my diaries and notebooks, then my Mason Pearson hair brush and then my laptop. That’s the order I’m sure of it. Old school things before my technology. I know, I know, putting a mere bunch of bristles and plastic before something Apple made… I feel guilty just typing it, but since my Mason Pearson hair brush came into my life seven years ago and its quality has changed little in all this time, I think it deserves the spot on my list. Plus I’m sure you can guess from my photos that I love things that look beautiful and a bit worn.

So how could I not love my Mason Pearson hair brush? My hair grows so fast, tangles up when I sleep and generally a swift run through with this little paddle-shaped piece of plastic with its orange rubber pneumatic pad studded with Indian boar bristles and nylon bristles saves me from looking a bit crazy. Yes, basically if the model I own didn’t have the word “Popular” blazoned across it by Mason Pearson I know that I’d come terrifyingly close to becoming one of those girls who names her things (it usually starts with the car). I’m not a creature of habit except to choose where I write or have tea daily but this hair brush I believe has earned its name and place in my heart because it is indeed very popular in my routine. I like good vibes and special touches to my day and twice a day this brush provides them.

Each Mason Pearson hair brush takes over six weeks to hand make in London (they’ve been hand making these brushes in London for over 105 years) and models comes in different bristle types. Here’s a picture above of a hair expert backstage at one of the fashion weeks with a boar bristle Mason Pearson. In all models when you look closely, the bristles come in two lengths– the longer bristles push through the hair and when they reach the scalp they stimulate the oil glands to produce natural oils (the pneumatic orange pad also helps with this as it moves to the contours of the scalp). The shorter bristles then draw that natural oil along each hair nourishing it naturally. For anyone a bit iffy about boar bristles (vegetarians, religious reasons) each model also comes in bristles fashioned from nylon only. See the range here .

Also I think I should mention that seven years ago when I ordered my Mason Pearson hair brush there was a shortage in many stores so I ordered mail order from Mason Pearson themselves. It took six weeks for my brush to arrive but I can say hand on heart that it was worth waiting for because they didn’t fall into any of the following categories…

1. The Pushy Wushy people – Mason Pearson is a manufacturing company who supplies wholesalers who in turn supply bricks and mortar shops so they don’t court publicity and will keep the most famous Hollywood name waiting the required six weeks (the same as the rest of us) if they place an order via mail order. For us mere mortals mail order should really be the last resort as the brushes are easily found in most good department stores these days. The long mail order waiting time is simply down to capacity. Mason Pearson is already stretched with worldwide orders which have to be filled so they actually prefer you to find a brush you like in a store rather than push one on you.

2. The Chatty Watty people – I also found Mason Pearson didn’t treat me like an idiot, you know what I mean? The type of conversation where the person chats relentlessly at you on the phone without paying a blind bit of difference to my questions when you might ask. No, the be honest my hairbrush has lasted seven years because a lovely lady on the phone at Mason Pearson instructed me to familiarise myself with their maintenance guide online. And I’m not the only one. Backstage at the fashion weeks I captured several pros on camera following the same tips as me: sliding a tail comb in sideways beneath the bristles will lift out gathered hair (on any brush) and the tail of a tail comb loosens hair in the rows between bristles. And I spotted some hair experts even carrying a large darning needle in their kits to gently lift stubborn little hairs out that nestle tightly at the root of the bristles. Once old hair is removed, I dampen my brush in cool water and then with a toothbrush which I lather in some plain soap I gently wash the orange pad between the rows of bristles to lift accumulated hair oil. I then rinse in cool water and leave to dry away from heat. Heat by the way is the enemy of a Mason Pearson, whether it’s hot water which can distort nylon bristles, or the heat from an airing cupboard which can swell boar bristles and make them spread and dry crooked. Also I’ve witnessed many using a hairdryer in conjunction with a nylon bristled Mason Pearson and it usually ends in tiny tears (the scent and sight of shriveled nylon will stay with you. Trust me).

Yup I like to babble a million questions at hair experts about their tools and techniques when they’re doing hair, but more than once I’ve experienced my questions falling on deaf dears while being held captive in their hair chairs. Has this ever happened to you? In fact, on one occasion, I presumed the person cutting my hair was actually meditating. Anyway when I saw her silently reach for the Elnette and then proceed to spay it onto her Mason Pearson brush before she brushed my hair I said nothing. Nuh Uh Mrs. Hair-girl! A build up of spray on your MP will cause the orange rubber pad on the brush to crack to resemble the surface of the moon (but I said nothing but I’m telling you now. So shhhhh!)

And finally, I don’t have to suffer as much these days with being held captive by meditating hair cutters as I’ve found a hair person who is both a hair genius and also rather hip and lovely (I’ll unveil his hairiness later when I’ve more space and shots). Meanwhile if you’re tempted to treat yourself to a Mason Pearson hair brush soon, please try to see and feel the brush in person rather then buying it on the internet. There are lots of counterfeits floating about so it’s best to examine it up close. Oh and you can tell if a Mason Pearson hair brush is real or not instantly by shining a flash light through the dark plastic… like a perfect glass of Guinness, once light is shone through it a real Mason Pearson will appear light burgundy to an glowing red. XXXX

As half the creative world migrated to Austin for SXSW last week, it seems the other half descended on Dublin last weekend for OFFSET . I love Dublin and spend nearly half my time here. So for anyone visiting for St. Patrick’s Day just like you, I’ve just arrived here this morning after an exhausting trip, I’ve dropped my luggage off and I immediately fancy a good coffee. Just to say, coffee officially saves my life a few times a day and deserves its own post, no, a series of posts, no, really, for those of you who are wondering what sort of Richter scale I use to measure my degree of good coffee, well it’s got to have won awards. So here’s my little guide to good coffee and everything else I can think of that’s great about Dublin:

The Coffee
I’ve partied all night, fallen asleep diagonally and woken with an infomercial on, fully dressed, but I don’t stress, because I’m in Dublin. The code is 10 times more relaxed than in London or New York. The coffee though is just as intense when brewed by three-time Irish Barista Champion, Colin Harmon. A man with a mission to “keep amazing coffee to Dublin” Colin turned down many invitations to open coffee bars in Europe in favor of Dublin. He sources and serves single origin roasted coffee beans from Has Bean and approaches coffee making with a pedantic passion. The permanent line here says it all.
3FE, 32/34 Lower Grand Canal, Dublin 2
Open 8:00 – 17:00 Monday-Friday/11:00 – 17:00 Saturday and Sunday
3FE, 54 Middle Abbey St, Twisted Pepper Building, Dublin 1
Open 10:00-19:00 Monday-Saturday/12:00 – 18:00 Sunday

The Guinness
I’ve just come out of a great meeting. I hope for your sake that you never see me like this, sweaty, a dumb winner’s smile and the rosiest cheeks you ever did see. No more description necessary. If I were in Paris I’d climb the Eiffel Tower, New York? The Empire State Building, but I’m Irish so I head for the tallest building serving Guinness which is The Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse – (located 46 metres off the ground), – it’s the highest bar in Dublin. Downstairs is the headquarters where Guinness is brewed and if you don’t have the time to pop down, here are a few things you’ll need to know. Both here and abroad over ten million glasses of Guinness are now enjoyed around the world every day. Made from barley, hops, yeast and water that flows from the Wicklow Mountains, it’s 
poured at an angle of 45 degrees and takes 119.5 seconds for the perfect pint to settle. When held up to the light, it’s a deep burgundy colour and not black. Oh and its quality control is dependent on the opinion of visitors, so you must be honest with your barman. Loads of feedback is crucial.
Personally I think the best Guinness (and cheese toasties) are served at Grogans where artists, poets writers and Dublin’s young talent converge on this city centre joy. It’s everything a pub should be and more. Grogans, 15 South William Street.

Psssssst! The Long Hall, 51 Great George’s St, Dublin 2 (Tel: +353 1 4751590) also serves a great Guinness. Shhhhhh! Did I just tell you that? Hope it’s not too packed now.

The Art
I have a meeting with a client about a photo-shoot (where I’m meant to come up with the concept), same red face as above + this time more perspiration because I’ve no ideas. Where do I go? I go and sit and look at The Francis Bacon Studio. He was one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, died in 1992, and the contents of his studio at 7 Reece Mews, South Kensington, London along with his long-held art secrets were moved here. The laborious way in which he worked, the process is extremely inspiring. His whole studio right down to the last scrap of paper is here including corduroy trousers, socks, cashmere sweaters cut into pieces which he used to soak up paint from his studio door. To see all this up close is really thought provoking. A must see!
The Francis Bacon Studio, Dublin City Gallery, The Huge lane, Charelement House, Parnell, Square North, Dublin 1 (Tel: +353 1 222 5550)

The Wildlife
Same as above, I have a meeting with a client, but because it’s Dublin it might (read is) probably raining so I use the weather as an excuse to step indoors and visit my favourite friends at the Natural Museum of Ireland. You could say I’m pulling a wild half hour, hanging out with my friends to help put things into perspective. As soon as I arrive I take a good look around at the crowd. Everyone is so beautiful, but there’s this coolitude attitude that feels pretty different from most gatherings because well they’re very laid back, they’re taxidermy. (No worries, sleep soundly everyone, I’m not naming any names…) I visit this gallery of animals from Ireland and overseas displayed from a total collection of about 2 million scientific specimens and appreciate its vast hugeness. These guys make me instantly feel small and insignificant and childlike and that’s always a great way to spark ideas. No?
The National History Museum of Ireland , Merrion Square, (Tel: 01 6777444).

The First Edition Book
If I’ve got a birthday/wedding/bar mitzvah to attend as a writer I’m taxed with finding an appropriate gift. I used to fail miserably at this until I started truffle hunting in my favourite bookshops. The digital era hasn’t stopped my deep love for a printed publication, and I find that readers are both charmed and elated to get their hands on a first edition book that will sit proudly on their shelves. A first edition Joyce, Yeats or other rare title from Cathach Books is the most wonderful gift. Alternatively, for those books I end up reading a million times until the book spines bend out of shape I buy vintage at the The Winding Stair bookstore.
Cathach Books, 10 Duke Street (off Grafton Street), Dublin 2 (Tel: +353 1 671 8676)
The Winding Stair, 40, Ormond Quay 
Dublin 1 
Ireland (tel: +353 1 8727320)

The Sandwich
One of my favourite lunchtime spots, Juniors Deli and Café, starts the day with a huge pile of sandwiches. Worringly, they also start the day with ‘Riders on the Storm’ by the Doors, but you can’t have it all. Their BLT is an excellent update on an old classic with crisp bacon, rocket instead of lettuce (it is 2012 after all), and it’s served between one of the nicest crusty rolls. So good in fact, you’ll probably also want to try their Hero or one of their many other great sandwiches or lunch specials. Dinner here with friends is also quite cosy.
Juniors Deli and Café, 2 Bath Avenue, Dublin 4. (Tel: 01 664 3648)

The Steak
I strangely LOVE the smell of cooking steak… don’t hate me!) and the steak smell at Bear is both good girl food (the feather steak) and boy food (the rump). I also love the smell of warm toast and so it makes extra sense that I would also love their spreads with toast (it’s currently one of my favourite treats there). Plus another plus is that I can finally tell you more about South William Street now, where Joe Macken has opened this great little Bear place. It’s worth taking a walk down South William Street just to soak up the continental feel. If you follow me on Twitter, then you’ll see that I love sharing good food with friends. What are we eating? Where are we eating? Who’s cooked it and how? What’s going into my food? What visceral joy am I going to get out of a meal? All fundamental questions, that are answered well at Bear. Great food in an uber-hip environment, but beware this place doesn’t take reservations, so rock in and join the line. Bear, 34-35 South William Street, Dublin 2

The Food Hall/Wine cellar
It’s been a while since I’ve been addicted to something but on trips to New York I will always be a Dean & Deluca regular if only for a salad swiftly followed by a bar of Mast Brothers chocolate. Apart from the gourmet level of chocolatedom I can feel like “wow look how cool that candy wrapper looks!!!” and everything’s alright with the world (for just a moment). Undoubtedly many frogs have turned into princes under the beautiful packaging and the shelves of Fallon & Byrne are proof of this. The ground floor houses a comprehensive fool hall while upstairs the dining room is one of the finest in the city, no stuffy nonsense and good food. They do a good Tom Collins and the sea bream is light enough to leave room for the divine chocolate truffle torte. On the ground floor they serve a great range of salads, soups and sandwiches through until late evening. My tip is to choose a sandwich, on the ground floor and then take it downstairs to the comfy couch in the wine cellar in the basement and order a relaxing glass of wine. Fallon & Byrne, 11-17 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 (Tel +353 1 472 1000)

The Fashion
I have to point out that my recent history with Indigo & Cloth is a dangerous one. In the past whenever I’ve needed to find “the magic piece” for my boyfriend or a travel article for such and such magazine I’ve ended up splurging on one or more of their things. Another gem on South William Street, the boutique carries a comprehensive range of menswear from names such as S.N.S Herning, Our legacy, Oliver Spencer, One Nine Zero Six, Norse Projects as well as a smaller range of brands for women and covetable hard to find acessoreis and magazines It’s where you’ll find titles like It’s Nice That and Thread magazine and the best bespoke wool blankets (each one is unique and fashioned from leftover threads in the process of making Irish tweed). Not surprisingly business has been brisk for Indigo & Cloth owner Garrett Pitcher. Yes Dublin is not short of new stores but it’s also not short of clued in shoppers who appreciate Indigo and Cloth’s selection. Indigo and Cloth, Basement 27,
South William Street,
Dublin 2 (tel: +353 1 6706403)

On that, I’ll let you go, but remind me to talk to you about the average level of fashion cool in Dublin, OK? I think it’s worth its own post. In the meantime if you’ve tried any of the aforementioned let me know how you got on.

AND… This is just a handful of great places: see Dublin’s pretty darn cool. I love it.

With special thanks to The Estate of Francis Bacon for images taken by Perry Ogden of The Francis Bacon’s Studio from the Collection at The Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane.
Copyright: Estate of Francis Bacon/DACS

AND HAVE A SUPER HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S WEEKEND!!! XXX

Whilst looking through thousands of shots and twirling my hair and thinking about a fresh twist, I happened upon this… it’s from John Rocha and reminds me of a surfer girl who’s emerged from the sea and has wrapped herself in drifting seaweed, kind of perfect for this weekend as it’s warm enough for surfing. I love everything about this picture so I thought I’d give this hair look a try at home. That’s right, I’ve been twisting and wasting a huge portion of the afternoon trying to make my hair behave like this. Here’s the kit and the skills used…

The look was created by Samantha Hillerby (she’s well known in fashion circles for transforming a host of heads including Adele’s hair on that famous October 2011 vogue cover. Remember that?). Anyway her tricks for this look are first using L’Oreal – Professional Tecni. Art Volume Lift Root Lift Spray-Mousse which when applied to the root give volume where needed. The nozzle of this mousse can is small so you don’t get that attack of the killer blob of mousse when you press the top and another secret with it is to use a low setting on your hair dryer (blasting the hair too high can make it all a bit too voluminous). Next spritz Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray (3 or 4 spritzes is enough) and twist the hair into random rope-like sections, then holding the the twisted ends. gently dry each twisted piece. When you release them, it looks as if you’ve just emerged form the surf. Then a tiny amount of L’Oreal Professionnel Techie. art A. Head Clay warmed between the palms of your hands gives a very matt beach hair finish. this product is also good for calming flyaway hair without giving it that shine that distinctive shine that Frizzease gives to frizz. And of course the kit contains L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray and a Mason Pearson brush. I’m sort of semi-loving the smell that goes along with this suffer’s mussed up hair and having tried it this afternoon would suggest having a good Kerestase shampoo on standby to clean off the build-up of product after experimentation. (Trust me it takes two washes). Oh and of course I have a long love affair with my Maison Pearson brush, it takes a little care to keep it looking nice (like a little pet) but it’s my secret weapon for healthy hair so I don’t mind caring for it too much. I’ll introduce it to you tomorrow, it has served me well over time and kind of deserves a little post all its own.

In the past few weeks I’ve had interview requests from people who want to ask me questions specifically geared towards the difference between my traditional book writing and my blogging. I know exactly what they expect me to say because of the difference between the type of printed books that I write (handmade, years of research, traditionally published as hardbacks and then paperbacks as opposed to my online writing which could easily be stitched together as an ebook and sold online). The most recent interviewer opened her questions with “So what’s the secret to your success?” (An alien idea, that, but impossible to squash politely so I just went quiet with sheer embarrassment and pointed at a crow stealing a sandwich out the window). Then I bumbled on about not really doing anything unusual except trying to write well. I think it’s just in my DNA to want to be a better writer. Or as my granny puts it, “You were born a scribbler”.

With that bit of the interview whackery thankfully out of the way the interviewer moved onto the question of ebooks and writing on digital platforms (the question she really wanted to ask in the first place). She was looking to investigate the difference between “real” books and was hoping that I would say that “blogging and one click download ebooks from Amazon.com onto my Kindle App on my Mac or iPhone were the future of publishing.” My optician would freak (I’ve started to squint quite a lot recently from screen glare) but let me be honest, realistic and frank, I don’t see publishing that way at all so I mumbled something along the lines of “Charlotte Bronte said: “Better to try all things and to find all empty, than to try nothing and leave your life a blank.” I said this because if you agree to an interview you have to say something, and it usually sounds better if it’s something at least half-decent. Also I didn’t want to be pressured into saying that ebooks are going to take over the world because I really don’t see it like this.

A while ago I tapped out this post about my ten favorite books. It’s a baseline, the list that I would pack for a desert island trip. And if you’re wondering whether I’d pay extra and lug a suitcase full of printed titles to an island like in Castaway Tom Hanks style then the answer most definitely would be YES! The truth is, I love nothing more than the pleasure of a physical book. My house is lined with them. Actually as I look, there are even rows precariously leaning against by dressing table begging to be read. I spend a lot of money on hardbacks for keepsies and if I find a great book through my kindle App AND love it, I’ll buy the hardback or paperback just to have. See I support both book forms and like to own a book if it’s really great. I suppose without getting all deep about this, quite simply the pleasure of flicking through a physical book, savoring the words, studying the colours of the images and the beautiful cover art can’t be equalled YET by ebooks. That said, if you’re just talking about the simple practicality of reading plain text and fiction then after a bit of practice, I’ve found a certain way to prop up my Macbook Air or iPad like a physical book on a neat cushion so that it kind of feels like I’m reading a physical book while I sip a cup of tea. No Kindle yet then? No, not yet, I use the Kindle App.

Fact.. whether it’s physical book or ebook good writing is good writing and beautiful sentence structure regardless of the medium can sometimes leave me with feelings of great despair and good old-fashioned must-try-harder thoughts. Such feelings I think serve as a constant reminder as to how much I still have to learn and keeps my feet firmly planted on terra firma. When I feel that a writer has swept me gently into his/her world then I know I am in the presence of greatness and frankly I don’t care which type of package this experience comes in (digital or traditional). But if pressed hard I will admit that the book publishing landscape is changing rapidly as will in no time be a twin of the music industry but I also feel that there are enough of us who will always want the smell of libraries, the sound of real pages and a shelf of unforgettable book covers. Question is.. are there enough of us? Hope so!

Happy Word Book Day! XXX

What sort of a writer would I be if I didn’t post something this week about film? Watching John Rocha’s Autumn/Winter 2012 show tucked out of the way backstage this swirling marabou skirt made me think back to last year’s Oscars when Natalie Portman won for best actress for her turn as a disturbed ballerina in Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan”, I was double happy at this result as I could a) relive my days at ballet class and b) drool over the beautiful swan costumes in the film. Sofia Coppola’s film “Marie Antoinette” and Tom Ford’s movie “A Single Man” give me the same enjoyment. And even though watching and dissecting a film with fashion credentials is enjoyable, I think I’ll leave the real film critiquing to the far more competent Lauren Laverne’s BBC6 Friday Film Club or The Observer’s rather brilliant Mark Kermode.

If you want to be heard – whisper

I’d like to make one final point about this year’s Oscars before I forget… I agree the film “The Artist” is a little thing of great beauty and joy (both in film and in fashion) and that its success through nostalgia is a sort of measure of a universal mood at the moment… a longing for a more refined and simpler time but I cannot express how much I deeply love the success story of another movie “The Help”. Thankfully the good forces in film deserve a pat on the back for making it. If you haven’t heard about the writer Kathryn Stockett’s own story then it goes something like this… In 2009 Kathryn Stockett finally published her novel “The Help” after spending five years writing it. The book (her first) about African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s very nearly didn’t get published at all. Kathryn had sent it out to find representation and had 60 rejections before literary agent Susan Ramer agreed to take her on. I wonder how did Kathryn feel when she read this piece in The New York Times? Shortly after this piece appeared her book took off and spent over 100 weeks on the New york Times bestseller list, has been published in 35 countries and has sold over 5 million copies. USA Today called it “a sleeper hit” – a book, film, single, game or TV show which grows in popularity over time as people promote it through word of mouth. Like BBC4′s “The Killing” or the BBC’s “Great Expectations” and these little joys were spread like a secret whisper passed among friends and I was reminded of all of this goodness by John Rocha (the humblest of London’s design geniuses) in this moment above backstage.

The counterpoint to the loud blasts of colour this season predicting next autumns trends at fashion weeks everywhere was Hong Kong born John Rocha’s whisper of muted black at London Fashion Week. Murmurings of sweet nothings backstage “quiet”, “soft”, and deeply textured with hours of handwork to help accentuate the movement of the material and honour the female form. Watching John Rocha at work, I regressed to when I was tiny and my mum used to dress me for ballet class and even if ballet wasn’t your thing, I’m sure you’ve all had a moment when you remember a mum or aunt or sister correct your skirt, tighten your belt, tie your plaits and make you feel instantly perfect. Just for a split second.

Each model got the full John Rocha treatment and it took hours of preparation backstage to get the hair and make-up for the John Rocha look just right. It’s at moments like this, staring down the lens at such perfection that I realize how much longer it would take me to actually make myself look remotely this good. (Of which much more later.)

Both “Black Swan” costume designer Amy Westcott and anyone who has had to labour over a handmade piece will appreciate the time and all together different level of talent required to hand crochet this dress above. It took 50 hours to make this one crocheted piece.

Luckily John Rocha was on hand for a brief moment to highlight the skill and time taken to hand manipulate fine wool to create this. The fact that a lot of his collection is entirely handmade and available to order from his atelier elevates his brand to couture level in my humble opinion.

Incidentally thanks to the lovely John Rocha team for allowing me to observe the collection backstage up close and for letting me gain first hand knowledge of the amount of work that goes into spiderweb crochet….. and then on to yet more elaborately-crafted texture in this ballooning taffeta gold dress.

So how to continue reviewing this collection without using an excess of superlatives. I’ll try to keep the count low but it wasn’t an easy task not to get completely swept away in the moment when you’re faced with this staring down your lens…

It goes without saying that this collection is strong on detail. Very strong.

And apart from designing hotels, glassware, buildings and diffusion lines, John Rocha has his own store, a five-storey building on Dover Street in Mayfair two doors next to Japanese label Comme des Garcons Dover Street Market – one of London’s most influential shopping locations in Europe. And at this point along, although I don’t want to appear all ‘fashion comment-y’ I guess my idea of a browse is going to be a little different considering the amount of images I have swirling about in my nut. However my affection grows instantly for a designer and a collection when I can identify wearability and clever use of accessories and this wonderful shaggy Mongolian lambskin pulled in just so with a belt worn OVER a skirt might just coax me into wearing a) belts and b) a skirt again (and I never wear skirts).

Coats, well that’s an entirely different matter. I have many and my coat love will continue and documentation of what I like to do while wrapped up in one will never cease. Where John Rocha further excels is when he introduces interesting textures and proportions quite sparingly into his daywear. And there’s the perfect use of a belt again, the clean lines roughed with a Mongolian lambskin bag and boots.

Here’s a closer look at those beauties.

The slightly high positioning of the belt is not only good for holding things together but changes the proportion on this coat.

Or this huge belt which is not only for wrapping but an accessory to be shown off.

Or positioning your buckle slightly off centre while simultanously cinching in a billowing top.

The way the belt in tucked up and almost hidden is a clever way to modernize evening wear. It makes layering on top like this less… Thickening?

Rocha has his business in London but returns to his family in Dublin and took several references from his native Hong Kong and Irish painter Sean Scully’s textured abstract canvases for this collection. Ballooning taffeta jackets were balanced with either light or heavy skirts, black on black, the marabou skirt here reticent of the surface of one of Scully’s textured oils.

Or in the case of this particular silk dress it’s quite easy to see John Rocha’s nod to artist Sean Scully’s famous striped canvases.

Off the catwalk and leaving Somerset House immediately after the show there was more cool layering of John Rocha black on black by John Rocha himself and his wife, muse and business partner Odette. Actually it’s all in the way she chooses perfect proportions, the coat sitting against her body at the perfect places. And love her Simone Rocha red shoes.

Far more seasoned fashion editors than I (International Herald Tribune fashion editor Suzy Menkes and fashion’s single most influential critic) says that John Rocha’s collections are “A lesson in master craftsmanship”. Judging by this year’s red carpet disasters at the Oscars (actresses afraid to take risks and few embracing black) can we just dwell on Suzy Menkes words for a moment and consider the detail in this skirt above again and imagine an Oscar winner in it next year please?……..

And so how is London Fashion Week going? Yeah, I think you might have guessed that it’s been SUPER BUSY here the past few days. That said, today it’s also pretty nippy so I thought it might be cool to have a quick chat with model Suzie Bird before she dashed off to Paris a few hours ago to ask her how she stays fashionably warm while running from show to show.

Answer: She cleverly layers. But it’s done with such French beauty. A
Paul & Joe Sister blouse with it’s sweet cat print and a touch of coffee is a perfect play on color. Pretty much the idea is to choose a print to elevate your wool sweater and wool coat. All you gotta do is make sure that it has a substantially coloured bow or ribbon that you can tie and let casually fall out over your wool jumper. Suzie’s jumper is from COS and her bag is from Balenciaga, a bag with darker coffee colours which gives this whole look that perfect touch of coffee luxury… I love it.

And then I asked about he coat and was thrilled to hear that it’s vintage as are her boots. At first it surprised me as both her coat and boots look so modern against what’s going on in fashion shape-wise right now, but then I loved the idea of how now you can shop and create this look quite affordably and end up owning something which is a total one-off in your closet. Double.. Woo! Woo!

And now I want these boots more than anything at fashion week. How do I always keep doing this? Okay, I gotta get going… I have to run to Meadham Kirchhoff, meanwhile I’ll be working out a new vintage shopping plan… and how to find a good coffee.

Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow with more! Big hugs!