An Evening at Shinola, Soho

Having recently been introduced to Shinola (See 'HELLO THERE: Shinola') I was thrilled to be asked to host my own shopping evening with them, the last ‘hurrah’ at their Newburgh Street store before upgrading to a bigger venue around the corner on Foubert’s Place in Soho.  

The evening was a really fun opportunity for me to share the beautiful craftsmanship and brand ethos of Shinola, renowned for helping Detroit to get its groove back, with lots of my friends and followers. 

The city of Detroit, once blighted with unemployment and plummeting population after hitting bankruptcy a few years ago, is now enjoying regeneration and is home to the Shinola factory where their timeless, aesthetically ‘All American’, products are assembled.  

From 6-9pm the shop was buzzing with people hanging out, Christmas shopping, and perusing all the Detroit built products, including watches, artisanal bicycles and leather goods, with everyone leaving with their own embossed Shinola journal and a bottle of their famous Shinola Cola.

Above (Clockwise) L-R:  With Lauren Paton and Charlotte Cowen, Emma Watkins, and Miguel Arquero. 

I can’t tell you how many people over the last month have commented on my Shinola Medium Leather Shinola Shopper Tote handbag (RRP. £550.00) and new Shinola watch, The Gomelsky (RRP. £470.00), I’m a total convert and can’t wait to watch this brand evolve and see what styles 2016 has in store for us…

'Christmas A Little Different' with Crew Clothing Company

It’s beginning to look a lot like… Yup!  CHRISTMAS!  Today I walked past my first Christmas tree and I can already taste the mince pies and mulled wine.  However, unlike most of you, who can leisurely enjoy such festive, warm treats, regularly ice skate across the season and settle down with a box of Quality Street surrounded by twinkly lights and baubles… I spend each Christmas with my family back home, in the baking hot sunshine, without a pine needle or snowflake in sight, in Kenya!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining – you’d be surprised how easy it is to enjoy the big day whilst bobbing around the Indian Ocean, Pimms in hand, with pressies under the palm tree… But there is something magical about a British Christmas I know, and I therefore always try and cram in lots of fun, traditional Christamassy things in before I jet off each year, sun cream and good book in hand...  

Each year, my best friend Lauren and I like to spend a chilly morning hunkered down with some choccies, croissants and champagne, watching classic Christmas movies together in a pair of cosy pyjamas. After having popped out first thing to get supplies (above, wearing my Hazelwood Jumper) Lauren arrived and we jumped into our gorgeous, matching Pyjama Sets and beyond delicious Cashmere Socks from Crew Clothing Company, who are currently celebrating, ‘Christmas A Little Different.’  Well, I certainly do that! 

Crew Clothing Company's accessible and timeless classic clothes are perfect for wrapping up to brace the cold, or chilling out by the fire over the festive season, so they were an obvious choice for our morning spent in hibernation-mode watching ‘Meet Me in St.Louis’ and ‘Home Alone,’ (Kevvvvinnnnnnnnnnn!!”) 

Actually getting out of our beyond soft pyjamas and socks, and having to start our Saturday afternoon took some real persuasion… I’m not ashamed to admit it, I was on countdown to get back into them by nightfall!

I’m so happy and grateful that once again I got to experience some festive British Christmas cheer with my bestie before signing off on 2015 and heading back to Africa.

Crew Clothing Company are hosting a series of Christmas Picnics which you can attend.

See HERE for more info.

Photography:  Ella Sadika

Created in collaboration with Crew Clothing Company.

#NoMakeUp Selfies for Cancer Research UK

Over £8 MILLION has been raised for Cancer Research UK in the last SIX days during a campaign that’s seen women flooding our social media pages with their bare-faced ‘selfies’ and donating just £3.00 via their phone.  The trend grew totally organically by each woman nominating several friends to follow her lead.  On Day 5 of my bed-bound ‘Spring Fever’ I was nominated by FOUR of my girlfriends on facebook (flowers will do next time girls… jus’saying!) but as it's all in the name of charideeeeeee…  

Cancer Research UK have said that the generous donations would allow the charity to carry out 10 clinical trials that it did not have money to fully fund last week.  Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "We have been overwhelmed by the support people have been showing us through the #nomakeupselfie trend… It has been an exciting week, and we would just like to thank everyone again for their support."

Above:  What’s also great to see is just how beyooootiful all my friends look without their slap… Truly gorgeous inside and out ladies!  To donate £3.00 please text BEAT to 70099.

Vogue's Fashion Night Out, London 06/09/12

Fashion’s Night Out was initially created by Vogue and the Council of Fashion Designers of America as a way of encouraging fashionistas to hit the shops as the economic downfall kicked in. For real fashion lovers this day has become like Christmas… Well, if the North Pole were Bond Street, stockings were made by Mulberry and Santa was Alexa Chung...

Now on it’s 4th year, this global phenomenon (with events also taking place in Manhattan, Milan, Atlanta, etc) saw London’s biggest luxury stores throw open their doors after hours, inviting us all in to celebrate and shop with a glass of bubbly.  The whole evening felt like a stylish carnival, with live music blaring, show stopping outfits and fashion-friendly food from a Missoni ice-cream van, a Dak’s popcorn stall and a Hotel Chocolat pop up (apparently fashionistas and models will eat junk food – if its designer.)

I began my evening in Covent Garden where I visited the newly launched Ruby Ralph Lauren shop on King Street, the first to open in Europe.  The shop has such a fun and vibrant energy to it that I immediately got into the spirit of the night, having my pictures taken (below) holding their skull and crossbones tote and listening to great music spun by the gorgeous DJ Izzy Lawrence (above) wearing head to toe Rugby Ralph Lauren.

Next stop was the jam packed, unusually pedestrianised, Bond Street to visit Joseph where a dapper, suited and booted Henry Holland (below, in House of Holland) headed up a fashion Bingo competition.  The prizes were incredible and the cocktails were a plenty.

The epicentre of this most stylish of street parties was undeniably at Mulberry, where Vogue’s Alex Shulman and Mulberry’s Emma Hill held the official Fashion’s Night Out soirée. With goody bags, prizes, live music and a healthy dose of celebrites and designers (including Matthew Williamson, Roland Mouret, Laura Bailey and Daisy Lowe) queues to get in the shop were lengthy… to put it mildly!  Below (L-R): Joseph's Alex Eagle and her ah-mah-zing Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, and with my girlfriends Jessica, Emma and Lauren.

The official Vogue's 2012 Fashion's Night Out cotton T’shirt (top, worn by Edie Campbell) designed by London-based designer Jonathan Saunders in collaboration with The Gap, sold out at the Condé Nast Worldwide store in less than an hour.  The limited edition piece is now only available for you to own if you subscribe to Vogue (£19.99 for 10 issues) here.

The 48th Notting Hill Carnival

My favourite day to attend The Notting Hill Carnival each year is on the Sunday, traditionally known as Children’s Day.  I find the atmosphere on this day always more relaxed… That is, if you could ever find thousands of feathered, sparkly, face-painted children, a multitude of banging steal drums, and around one million revelers attending Europe’s biggest annual street party, at all relaxing... 
Whilst weaving my way through the streets (crocodile style!) with my friends, I saw this boy (below & top) balanced perfectly on a Pay and Display metre, dancing to the resounding sound of reggae music being blasted out from a nearby soundsystem. Super impressive!