Celebrity & Style Mag: 2016-06-12

Saturday, 18 June 2016

The Spirit of Adventure

BARBOUR waxed coat

BARBOUR shirt dress

BARBOUR hat

CHANEL brougues

Something a bit different today, as I am taking you on a little country trip in the spirit of adventure with Barbour. The British heritage brand that I’ve worked with throughout my blog, has launched a collection especially for this season, containing everything that you need to prepare yourself for a festival summer, available at Country Attire. All you UK based readers knows that this does not always mean being able to stroll around in a cropped crocket top, but rather being prepared and kitted out, not letting the typical English weather be an obstacle.

My festival approach will be relaxed this year, I feel that’s the only sane option, after all, it’s your holiday so act like it. I might not go as far as pulling on the wellies, although there is a pair or two in the collection. Comfortable pieces that you can actually dance in and a little bit of a heel sounds about right. The British take on festivals might not be as flower-heavy and sand-based as the legendary Coachella, so trust me on the fact that a waxed jacket will be your best bet, for now and the summers to come.

In collaboration with Barbour

Photos by Heidi Hagelstam

Shopping the Net-a-Porter Summer Sale: Cash, Cheque & Credit!

For spring summer, the Net-a-Porter sales are giving us all a chance to grab some incredible fashion bargains, and, well, I thought it might be a good idea to save you all some time and just go ahead and limit that massive offering to a few key pieces that will fit nicely into any wardrobe and will last for more than just one season - a true sales event investment. So, I've just spent the last three hours scanning through over 187 pages of items on Net-a-Porter to compile this listing. I won't say you should thank me, as I know you'll probably hate me after seeing your American Express bill next month. Enjoy... there's something for everyone, buying on cash, cheque or credit.

Best under £100

Best under £250

Best under £500

It was nearly a decade ago that I had my first Huevos Rancheros. I was sitting in Los Angeles and my boyfriend, at the time, had ordered Huevos and saw a rather puzzled look come his way when the order was placed. You see, I come from the land of sweet breakfasts. Give me pancakes, french toast or bread with jam any day of the week. Sure, you can pair these things with bacon, sausage or eggs, but the sweet stuff rules the day. The idea of eating something that could be mistaken for lunch or dinner, during appropriate breakfast hours, seems like the most foreign concept to me. And so, Huevos Rancheros seems a most ridiculous option for a breakfast order. And here's where I once again have to admit that I am a complete fool when it comes to first impressions, including first impressions when it comes to food choices.

When the Huevos Rancheros arrived in front of my boyfriend, on that fateful day in Los Angeles, he insisted I try a bite. So, with minor hesitation, I allowed the man of my dreams, at that moment, to romantically feed me a bit of Huevos Rancheros. He could have been asking me to try steel wool at that point and I would have said yes. Yet, surprisingly, that one single bite of Huevos Rancheros changed the following decade for me. I fell in love, with the food I mean.

On the off chance you don't know what Huevos Rancheros is, let me give you a brief education. It translates from spanish to literally mean "rancher's eggs," as this was a dish that was traditionally served on farms in Mexican as a mid-morning pick-me-up. Each chef seems to have his own version of the now famous dish, but it is usually made up of a refried beans, mexican style rice, avocados, salsa and eggs, all served on a fried corn tortilla. I've tried the good, the bad and the ugly (but also good), when it comes to this dish. The best I've ever had was in Los Angeles - no surprise. The worst I've ever sampled was in a small diner in Switzerland- should have known.

But, today, I bring a bit of a gift to Londoners. Two weekends ago I went and sat at The Salusbury Food Store in Queen's Park. Mr. FFG used to live around that part of the world and he thought I'd enjoy a brekkie and a walk around the park in the neighborhood. So off we went and down we sat, ready for some light fare before heading off into a sunny setting for the afternoon. The menu came and I laid my eyes on Huevos Rancheros. The Mr. claimed it was wonderful. I remained skeptical, yet placed the order. Ladies and gents, the plate arrived, the first forkful was tried and tested, and I declared in the moment, "this is the best Huevos Rancheros in London." Needless to say, Mr. FFG felt victorious. And I felt quite happy to have found my own slice of LA in London, as weird as that sounds. The Salusbury's Huevos Rancheros are the perfect combination of all ingredients. The tortilla is the perfect crispiness to capture the runny egg, smooth beans and melted cheese. The hotness of the spiced tomatoes mixes splendidly with the smooth and creamy avocado. And the first bite could be a moment for the Guinness Book of World Records.

If you're feeling homesick for great Huevos, get thee to The Salusbury this weekend for brunch!

The Salusbury Pub & Dining Room
50-52 Salusbury Road
Queen's Park
London
NW6 6NN

Nearest Tube: Queen's Park

Style Update: The colourblock bib dress

I never order anything from the USA. I'm starting with that because the dress you are looking at here, the Eloquii short bib dress, was my very first "cave-in" moment. I saw it and I had to have it, and I couldn't chance it selling out before I was home in the States. So, I put in an order, attempting to guess at what size I would be, and it seems the gods of fashion were shining down on it. It turned up a week later and fit like a glove - a glove that just so happened to fit perfectly with my Clare Vivier & Other Stories bum bag (fanny pack for my American readers). I do love when things just fall into place, and into my closet.

Photos by Terence Webb.

FFG Eats: Pizza Pilgrims in Covent Garden

Here's something you may or may not expect to read from me. My last meal on this earth would look like this - pizza, a burger and a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Not all together in one dish, as that would be disgusting, but rather as appetizer, main course and dessert. Hey, I'm dying at this point, right? So calories really don't count. Ah ha! I mention this so that you will know that when I say I'm a serious pizza lover, you'll understand just how much I mean when I make that statement. I say it with passion, passion for pizza. When I lived in Florence, Italy for a year, I ate a pizza nearly every day, all 365 days. Yeah, it's oh so wrong and mostly to blame for this pesky cellulite that just won't budge, but I wouldn't take any of it back. All these memories of fabulous, authentic, Italian pizza came flooding back to me as I sat down to try Pizza Pilgrims in Covent Garden last week. I was transported and led to have indecent thoughts of making pizza a daily mainstay in my diet. I dreamt of making excuses for having to eat at Pizza Pilgrims, for health reasons. I have an iron deficiency and, well, I need a lot of tomatoes and cheese for a lack of calcium as well. It's the only cure.

Sadly, life doesn't work like that. If you have a vitamin deficiency, no doctor I know of is going to send you to Pizza Pilgrims. But you know what, I'm PhDing it up and saying that Pizza Pilgrims is the cure. It's the cure for the mundane. It's the cure for those who lack motivation while seeking out a decent meal in the, sometimes, rather boring corridor of Covent Garden. Pass by Pret, carry on past Carluccio's and step into a pilgrimage for great pizza. Let Pizza Pilgrims seduce you with their rather simple decor. Laugh as you look at cardboard cut outs of Elvis and James Dean eating pizza pies. Then cry when you take your first bite out of Italy. Yes, eating at Pizza Pilgrims will make you think you are sitting in Napoli, enjoying your first slice of a local margarita. Don't worry, you'll be brought back to London as the car horns outside blow and sirens wail. But, for that brief moment in time, when cheese and tomato melt in your mouth, you'll be taken away from it all. And that, dear reader, makes all the difference in whether or not a restaurant is to be recommended. Yes, Pizza Pilgrims is a place I'd say is worth the trek to get there, as I'm sure most of you don't live in Covent Garden.

Service is made with a smile, pizzas arrive piping hot and ready for consumption and the atmosphere is neither intimidating nor conducive to long hours in situ. This isn't fast food, but it also isn't sophisticated dining. It's come in, enjoy and be on your merry way. Come to think of it, that's the way more restaurants should be.

Pizza Pilgrims... go. That's all.

Pizza Pilgrims
23 Garrick Street
London WC2E

Closest Tube: Leicester Square

Fashion Foie Gras was a guest of Pizza Pilgrims.

Graduate Fashion Week: Nottingham Trent University

Olivia Barclay

Latasha Hammond

Beth Needham

Chloe Jackson

Laura Tollervey

Charlotte Rollings & Morta Rapalyte

Kendall Baker

Beth Needham & Josephine Bulmer

Charlotte Yates & Lianyi Chen

This week, after a few amazing Finnish fashion filled days, I flew back to London, just in time to see some of UK’s freshest talent present their collection on Graduate Fashion week. I got to be a guest of Nottingham Trent University again and was blown away to say it lightly. What an amazing amount of talent this University breeds, that was also proven by three students that headed into the finals, of which Chloe Jackson and knitwear designer Kendall Baker was awarded for their refined hard work and imagination.

I was personally mesmerised by Olivia Barclay and her innovative use of layers and exploration of silhouettes, where the balance of masculine and feminine came together in a harmony that I could easily see on myself. Laura Tollervey was another favorite that played with volume and layering in a very ready-to-wear manner. I was especially smitten by her material combinations. Yet another designer worth mentioning was Morta Rapalyte and her bold take on pale hues: a perfect presentation of how to balance hard and soft when it comes to materials. I could go on and on about these young talents, but I am sure we will hear more from these graduates very soon.

In collaboration with Nottingham Trent University

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Fortnum & Mason magic: Afternoon Tea and Alice in Wonderland

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea and Alice at Wonderland

Afternoon Tea in London is an institution. It is one of the few things in this city that both tourists and locals love, and with good reason. Nowhere in the world will you find a more beautiful setup for such an event. Nowadays, however, there is a very short list of special locations in London that are held on a pedestal when it comes to serving this late day delight. One such location is the cherished Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. It shouldn't come as any surprise that afternoon tea at Fortnum's is a special treat. Downstairs they sell some of the finest tea available and in such varieties that people from all over the world come to Fortnum's specifically to fill their tea chests.

How I have managed to live in London for 14 years and not step into this tea salon is beyond me. But here we are and those are the facts. Well, until last weekend at least. For the first time, I sat down to afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason in London and I had not one, but two handsome gentleman by my side. It should be mentioned that one of these handsome gentleman was four years old. I note that, specifically, because I was so incredibly surprised by how accommodating Fortnum & Mason were for afternoon tea for a child. We had originally thought that the whole thing may be a bit grown up for such a youngster. We couldn't have been more wrong. He was offered his own menu, a glass of juice with our champagne and hot chocolate while we had our tea. This was a well oiled kid pleasing machine. Oh, and Mr. Maxwell, even took a few pics for FFG while enjoying the special moment.

Now, moving along to the adults enjoying tea. We started our afternoon with a glass of bubbly from the champagne trolley. I mean you can't say no to champagne on wheels. Am I right or am I right? From there, we chose both a savoury and a sweet tea to share. This is a game changer and I highly recommend everyone take this course of action. You get the best of all worlds and if you love something, never fear... everything is "refillable." Yup, this is endless eats. Although that all sounds so Western Sizzler and this is the height of sophistication here in London. So, no, we did not order seconds.

After tea, and with very full bellies, we made our way downstairs to peruse the windows. Fortnum & Mason's windows are legendary and this season we were not left disappointed. Oh, and once again we had a hit for kids. The windows were all Alice in Wonderland themed, in honour of the new release of the movie.

All in, I'd say this was an experience to remember and recommend. And please, if you have children, consider this your next best thing since the opening of your local playground.

To make reservations, visit the Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea information page. Book in advance, so as not to be left disappointed!