Musical Moment - Lana Del Rey ('Born To Die')

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The release of Lana Del Rey’s haunting debut single Video Games last October proved a huge hit with the fash pack; Both Christopher Kane and Emilio de la Morena both used the song in their London Fashion Week shows last Autumn, Antonio Berardi, Moschino and Prabal Gurung have all recently dressed her, and she also performed at Mulberry's SS’12 presentation in New York.

It comes as no surprise then that the blonde beauty, with those lips, has now also been signed to Next Model Management – another big year ahead for Miss LDR.

"Come take a walk on the wild side

Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain

You like your girls insane..."


Lana Del Rey's 'Born To Die' will be released on January 23rd

Musical Moment - Doris Troy ('Just One Look')

Doris Troy was an American R&B singer discovered whilst working as an usherette at Harlem's Apollo theatre by James Brown.

Co-writing and recording ‘Just One Look’ in 1963, Doris was nicknamed ‘Mama Soul’ by her British fans and soon settled in London where she was signed by The Beatles to their Apple Records label. Frequently appearing at Soho’s Ronnie Scott's Club in the 1970’s, Doris was often backed in her live shows by a fledgling Elton John (still known then as Reg Dwight!) on piano.

Despite certain successes, Doris Troy was forever grateful for the royalties that continuously trickled in from 'Just One Look' and before she passed away in 2004 she reflected, "When I recorded that song in a little basement studio in New York, I asked God to keep that song alive forever… And you know, he answers prayers...”

"Just one look, that's all it took..."

Musical Moment - SoKo ('I'll Kill Her')

I love this song by SoKo - featured in a 2007 Stella McCartney fashion show – her frank, unapologetic threats to the blonde girl who is now dating the man she has imagined, in psychotic depth, to be ‘the one,’ are issued with the most perfectly distant, ‘I don’t give a damn’ attitude, that only a French girl can pull off.
http://www.myspace.com/mysoko

"I would have met your friends, we would have had a drink or two
They would have liked me, coz sometimes i'm funny..."

Dynamo - Magician Impossible (and INCREDIBLE!)

Never ask your boyfriend what to wear to a party. I made this mistake last year when attending Jack’s friend’s wedding in Long Island. He had lost the invitation but told me it was a black tie event and I dressed accordingly; a sweeping, long sleeved, jewel pink Issa London dress. Apart from myself, and the bride, every other woman at this wedding was wearing black. That was one helluva long night.

So I cannot believe I made the same ridiculously naïve mistake before attending the WTA Tour Pre-Wimbledon Party, hosted by Holly Branson, at The Roof Gardens in Kensington. Running late from meetings, with little time to research the event, I asked Jack, who had attended this party before, the dress code. I was told it was “very casual, Babe.”

Turning up in skinny BDG black jeans and a Broad Anglais long sleeved top (from Staring At Stars) I was instantly surrounded by shimmering and glistening cocktail dresses and towering Nicholas Kirkwood heels everywhere I looked (which was not very far considering I was in flats by Pretty Ballerinas and was eye level with most other girl’s hips.) With the WTA and the British Fashion Council partnering together, this occasion was anything but casual… Babe. My heart sunk and Jack ran for his life (not for the hills, to the bar.)

After squeezing past many of the stilettos and sequins (Maria Sharapova in Alexander McQueen, you are SO NOT helping matters) my manhunt for Jack was halted by bumping into someone equally as casual and equally as short, Bradford magician, Dynamo. Knowing there is power in numbers, he instantly, however unwittingly and momentarily, became my NBF in the room.

After witnessing him tapping Sam Branson on the back three times, and his girlfriend, the beautiful Isabella Calthorpe, with her eyes tightly shut, convinced that it was her back being tapped, Dynamo soon had the rapidly growing crowd around him, both mesmorised and dumbfounded. But this was just a teaser - his new television series, ‘Dynamo: Magician Impossible’ is ridonkulous. Already with a fan base including Chris Martin and Will Smith, the first episode has him levitating Matrix-stylie, throwing mobile phones into empty beer bottles and walking on the River Thames... ON the River Thames!!

After watching an episode of Dynamo's magic with me, my Father decided he must be from another planet… And I tend to think this could be the only reasonable explanation.