Best Of London - Celina Teague

Below: The Hive

At artist Celina Teague’s last exhibition I overheard one man reveal, "I feel like I’m on acid in the 60’s again…!" Celina’s mesmerising paintings are vibrant, dramatic and seriously hallucinatory – they affront you with their boldness, unsettle you with their absurdity and completely delight you with their passion and colour.

A graduate in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, Celina also trained at the Universidad de Bellas Artes in Oaxaca, Mexico and has lived in Berlin and Shanghai.
Although still hugely inspired by these countries and their cultures - and always itching to explore the world and its beauty further - it is London where Celina now lives, loves and paints.

Whilst preparing for her second solo show, ‘My Bunny is all Teeth and Other Stories’ which opens next week, Celina shares with us some of her London Favourites….

My transport – Bicycle

My Cocktail – A Bloody Mary at Shoreditch House.

My Date Night – Worryingly at the moment it seems to be Westfield’s! A Snog (frozen yoghurt) and the cinema with my husband Dom.

My Sunday Brunch – In Hyde Park. A stop off at Crussh to pick up a smoothie, then a walk (via Speaker's Corner) to the restaurant on the Serpentine. Alternatively, Saf on the Curtain Road in Shoreditch has the best food in London – and its vegan.

My Boutique – The recenty closed Hoxton Boutique was amazing for original designs and jewellery – luckily, their online boutique will be available in November.

My High Street Store – Waterstones. I always arrange to meet friends outside it - how late they are directly corresponds with the amount of cash left in my bank account.

London’s Best Kept Secret – Speaker's Corner, hardly a secret but this is my favourite place in London - it attracts some of the most weird and wonderful characters. People heckle and boo and throw out insults but it's all done in good humour. Last year my friend Marthe Sophie and I organized a group show there.

My London Icon – Having watched ‘Hugh's Fish Fight’ it is currently Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He's very charming, very persistent and won't take no for an answer.

Above: The Rape of the Honey Bee

‘My Bunny is all Teeth and Other Stories’ at the Roa Gallery, 4th - 9th October.

Crazy Stupid Love

Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei & Kevin Bacon - LOVE.
Ryan Gosling - SUPER LOVE.

Crazy Stupid Love released in the UK today.

Best Of London - Chris O'Dowd

31 year old Irish actor Chris O’Dowd is used to playing affable nerds and the sweetest of slackers, becoming well known for his role as the hapless Roy in The IT Crowd and for playing Simon in 2009’s ‘The Boat That Rocked.’ This summer however, Chris was catapulted into the ‘Leading-Man-Eye-Candy’ category when he played Officer Rhodes in the whopper blockbuster hit ‘Bridesmaids’ - eclipsing seasoned screen hottie Jon Hamm by a mile.

Taking some time out from being swamped with marriage proposals (to say the least) via Twitter from swooning women all around the world, Chris shares with us some of his London favourites;

My Pint – A pint and a whiskey in the Toucan in Soho with my best mate, Jamie.

My Date Night – With my beautiful lady friend, Dawn, at a French place called La Brasseriein South Kensington.

My Sunday Brunch – We host a roast at our place in Bermondsey for a big bunch of our mates 2/3 times a month.

My Building – I love the Art Deco Tesco headquarters on the M40 on the way to Pinewood.

My London Shop – I love the stuff A.Sauvage makes. Sweet, classic suits with an African twist.

My London Extravagance – High tea at The Dorchester. Nothing quite like it.

London's Best Kept Secret – I really like L'Entrecote just off Marylebone High Street.

My London Icon (Past or Present) – Richard Harris. I loved that he spent his final years livin' it large in The Savoy...

Below: A recent picture on set of 'The Sapphires' in Australia. Set in 1968, four young, talented Australian Aboriginal girls learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group entertain the US troops in Vietnam.

Below: With Meghan Fox and Jason Segal on the set of the Judd Apatow's new film, 'This is Forty' which follows Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd‘s 'Knocked Up' characters. Chris says, “it’s an in-depth look at relationships, marriage and parenting in this kind of post-boomer generation."

Follow Chris (or tweet marriage proposals) @bigboyler

Best Of London - Kelly Hoppen

Kelly Hoppen; MBE, Interior designer extraordinaire and the undisputed Queen of Taupe.

When not designing celebrities homes (or the interiors of their private jets... yachts...) or busy writing her 8th design book, Kelly also runs her own design school, has her own collection of home accessories, designs ranges of organic clothing for Earth Couture, has a super successful QVC range, oh – and has a new TV show helping five families create stylish interiors in their own homes starting next month.

Phew! This is one busy lady.

Surely Kelly, based in West London, has no time left to go out and about and enjoy London?! Wrong. This lady is nothing if not a serious multi-tasker!

Kelly shares with us some of her London favourites;

My Transport – Black Cab or I drive my Jaguar.

My Cocktail – A Caipirinha with agave at E&O - they have the best barman.

My Date Night – With my man - Big A, at J.Sheekey – Love, love, love! 

My Sunday Brunch – At Raoul's in Notting Hill Gate – Great food and happy, Spanish staff. 

My Boutique – The Cross, its small and full of unusual one offs.

My High Street Store – All Saints, I love their t-shirt clothes. 

London’s Best Kept Secret – The Idle Hour in Barnes; its cute, has great food and is tucked away. 

My London Icon (Past or Present) – Vidal Sassoon. A good friend, he is an extraordinary man and pioneer in his field – he was also so inspired by architecture – his new film is a must!

www.kellyhoppenretail.com

'Super Interiors with Kelly Hoppen' starts on Sept 21st at 8pm on Channel 5.

X Factor Fashion

Its back! The 8th series of X Factor launched this weekend and 12.6 million of us tuned in to boo and to cheer this year’s hearty concoction of desperate, deluded bellowers and genuinely talented songbirds.

They have a brand new, super shiny line up of judges… and Louis (who I’m sure will still be telling contestants they “have the full package” on X Factor 2070, having outlived us all.)

But what of the newbie’s? Handsome, stubbly, no-nonsense Gary Barlow, will surely have become the nation’s biggest crush overnight, but as with every X-Factor series, it’s really all about the gals...

Kelly Rowland is awesome.

With 15 years experience in the industry, a flirtatious Southern drawl and a swaggersome, super slick style (outfits for the audition stages have included this figure hugging Versace dress and lots... and lots… of bare midriff (hey, if we could, we would!) She’s also promised to wear more Brit designers for the live shows – Top contenders include Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, McQueen and Bass & Brooks.

I also love that her responses always include the liberal scattering of words such as ‘boo,’ and ‘mama’ – terms of endearment I feel, having obviously tried them out immediately, only Kelly Rowland can pull off.

N-Dubz feisty singer Tulisa totally held her own on the panel and also won the audience’s sympathy when a gobby auditionee verbally attacked her.

After seeing the above promo shots of her looking all a bit too reminiscent of Our Cheryl (tight Hervé Leger and glossy biiiiiiiig hair) Tulisa’s outfits for the auditions have been a relief - I especially loved her DKNY jumpsuit covered in little lips (available at Selfridges) which along with red lips and a retro hairstyle, she is definitely set to make her own fashion stamp on the proceedings.

The best audition of the night? 16 year old Janet Deviln (watch audition here.) A little bit Ellie Goulding, a little bit cupcake – this shy, ethereal girl from Northern Ireland was adorable and definitely one to watch.

A Big Apple Bite

With one day in Manhattan to spend after the festival before my return to London, after a flutter in the shops, I made sure to visit my three favourite Big Apple destinations with my sister and Jack;

1. Cafe Angelique on Bleeker Street

Founded in 2002, this little café brings a touch of Europe to New York and is one of the most relaxing and calm places to stop for coffee or lunch in the city. The menu is delicious (I had the chicken, mango and goats cheese salad) and the pastries, croissants and stuffed cupcakes (I know, who knew? Wow!) are just too tempting to ignore. The welcoming and friendly staff swirl adorable hearts on the tops of their frothy coffees (try saying that 5 times in a row…) and when my refreshing slushy iced mint lemonade arrived, served in a small carafe, my sister immediately grabbed it before I could – who could blame her?

2. The High Line - New York's 'Park In The Sky'

1.5 miles long, built 30 feet in the air in the 1930’s this structure supported the freight trains which transported meat and baking supplies from the (now very trendy) Meatpacking District in West Chelsea into the city. As no trains had run on the High Line since 1980 the structure was due to be demolished until the Friends of the Highline (including Diane Von Furstenberg and Edward Norton) formed a coalition with the City of New York in 1999 to preserve it and create an elevated public park in its place.

The High Line opened in June 2009 and every time I visit New York I love to take a stroll over the old sleepers above the city and its crazy hustle and bustle, and take a breather amongst all the lush flowers, grasses and trees that grew wild during its dormancy - this time I went at sunset - magical.

3. La Esquina - Between Kenmare & Lafayette

Hidden below the neon lit, corner taco deli, beyond the toothless, dismissive doorman, through the small door stating ‘Employees Only,’ through the kitchens, you will eventually arrive at a dungeon like, speak easyish, Mexican restaurant.

This place is great and I try to visit each time I go to NYC. Wrought iron gates, waxy candelabras, colourful Mexican tiling, great music, great food… And a selection of over 100 types of tequila… Another Margarita anyone?? Yesh Pleash…

I can sleep on the plane tomorrow…

Escape to New York

Watching the news on television last Sunday night and witnessing from afar the worse riots Britain has seen in over thirty years, I was quite relieved I had chosen that particular weekend to escape to New York. Literally. I went to the Escape To New York festival on the Shinnecock Reservation on the east end of Long Island.

Organised by Freddie Fellowes (modeled on his Cambridgeshire Secret Garden Party) and entrepreneur Rocco Gardner, New Yorkers and British aliens alike, all travelled the ninety miles outside Manhattan for a weekend of frivolous festival fun.

When I think of festivals in the UK I envisage wellies, mud and fancy dress; It is practically a prerequisite of the Secret Garden Party to attend looking as weird and wonderful as possible and my disheveled friends returning from Glastonbury this year looked like they hadn’t slept or showered in 4 days (they hadn’t.)

E2NY was NOT this kind of festival.

Attracting a much more style savvy and well groomed crowd, with a chic ‘glamping’ area consisting of rows of crisp white teepees and safari style tents, hot showers in porter-bathrooms, and delicious catering by The Fat Radish, I stealthy buried my silver latex leggings and pink wig at the bottom of my bag – Thank God I had just had a pedicure…

Aside from the usual festival staples (multi-coloured wayfarers, floral hair accessories, denim shorts, pixi boots) there was a definite nod to our Native American hosts (feathers in girl’s hair, moccasins on their feet) and an elegant trend also appeared; short shorts with long sleeved tops and bikini tops with flowing maxi skirts – a more demure way of keeping/looking cool.

Various clothes and accessory stalls were scattered around the reservation but ultimately there were three that stood out as the most popular, unique and exciting;

1. The StyleLiner

The glamorous Joey Wolfer drives all over the world in her 20 foot refurbished potato-chip truck – a veritable treasure trove filled with limited edition clothing and extraordinary accessories available to the flocks of fashionistas at private parties, social events and festivals. Starting successful ventures is in her blood (her great-great grandfather started Marks and Spencer) and I foresee the StyleLiner becoming extremely successful... After all, this is not just any StyleLiner… This is Joey Wolfer’s StyleLiner… (Sorry, I couldn’t resist…)

2. The Monocle Order

A new online member’s club for sunglasses founded by Alex Van Klaveren and Zoe Nightingale. Once you buy a pair of full priced sunglasses you will become a life-time member to the club, receive a steel membership card and be entitled to buy all subsequent pairs for half price (up to twelve per year.) The stylish sunglasses are selected from all over the world and include ranges from Karen Walker, Lotho, Cassius, Waiting For The Sun and May Fourteenth. Join up now whilst membership is still free.

3. Roarke

Designer Mignonne Gavigan and former Bergdorf Goodman buyer, Laetitia Stanfield’s exquisite collection bib necklaces, headbands and bracelets are all stop and stare striking. Each piece created is hand beaded in India and crafted from sequins. beads and costume gems, with a chiffon backing. I adored the headbands, although their bib necklaces were sensational – serious statement pieces.

As for the festival’s music?

For me, the standout acts were Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros (I wanna be in their gang!!) who’s song ‘Home’ was a serious crowd pleaser, and exciting newcomer Gary Clark Jr. - a twenty-seven year old blues guitarist reminiscent of the late Jimi Hendrix, he had the crowd blown away, worshipping him.

I look forward to escaping back to New York again next year.

Butterfly, Flutterby, Butterfly By

Beautifully delicate with bright, fairy like wings, seeing the year’s first butterfly brings a smile to most people’s faces. We are immediately filled with the excitement and hope that, similarly to this vibrant creature, newly emerged from its dark cocoon, we too will imminently be throwing off our snug duvets, tossing aside our UGG boots and surfacing into the warm light of summer (bless our British optimism and wishful thinking...)

When I went to The Butterfly House at the Natural History Museum I was faced with 100’s of bright and beautiful tropical butterflies from all over the world, many species of which are currently under threat from climate and habitat change. I was all a'flutter (and a'fluster... Wow... Butterflies like it hot and humid...) and soon found myself standing statue still, arms stretched out, in the desperate hope of looking like the perfect butterfly landing strip… It was at this particular moment my boyfriend disappeared across the pavilion, making sure he did not also look deranged by mere association.

There are tables to see the butterflies feeding with their straw like mouths, a hatchery window for visitors to see pupae growing, eventually emerging into butterflies (this cycle can take up to 137 days so there’s no guarantee you will see anything more exciting than eggs and larvae) and best of all – the mirror on your way out (to check if you are harboring any mischievous escapees) unintentionally elongates and slims you beyond all recognition, leaving you feeling like Giselle… Now that IS wishful thinking!

The Butterfly House is open until 11th September 2011

Sexual Nature - The National History Museum

Bird's Do It, Bee's Do It...

If ever I find myself at a loss for words (admittedly, not regularly) I often pepper awkward silences with an array of animal facts memorized over the years – everyone loves an animal fact, no??

Giraffe can’t cough.
Hippopotamus milk is bright pink.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Yes – Conversational Gold people!!

So imagine my joy when I saw The Natural History Museum (previously seen in my mind as the home of dinosaurs and swarming herds of children armed with colds and clipboards) were showing an exhibition entitled ‘Sexual Nature’ – a whole area dedicated to the most awesome, and thoroughly racy, animal facts around.

With low lighting, seedy lounge room music and the frequent cries of Isabella Rossellini begging various species of wildlife to seduce her (her fabulous, award winning ‘Green Porn’ shorts are shown throughout) you undertake a giggly, multi-sensory exploration of the weird and wonderful world of the sexual and reproductive behaviour of hundreds of animals and insects.

I am thrilled that any future awkward dinner party moments look set to be resolved with a more risqué myriad of animal knowledge (“Do you know snakes have two penises and an octopus's testicles are located in its head? Please pass the gravy...”) but I would however, strongly recommend veering away from the ‘sniff me’ boxes containing the mating scents of wild stags and jaguars.. More than likely similar to Ron Burgandy’s fragrance of choice, the infamous, ‘Sex Panther’ ("60% of the time it works every time!”) a handy packet of Tic Tacs later, I was still wincing.

Exhibiting until the last Friday of October 2011.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

"Every Night In My Dreams...."

I have been obsessed with the story of the Titanic for as long as I can remember (and not just since Leonardo played Jack Dawson and Celine belted out ‘My Heart Will Go On...’ although perhaps this may have exacerbated it somewhat…)

I went to London’s O2 arena to see ‘Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition’ where more than 300 artifacts rescued from the shipwreck’s debris were laid out for me to peruse (including parts of the ship itself, crockery and personal belongings such as top hats and perfume bottles.) Historically accurate room recreations are also showcased.

You are given a White Line boarding card at the start of your Titanic journey with the name of a real passenger and a few other details on it. This makes the tragedy even more real and distressing for you, when at the end you search for ‘your’ name on the passenger lists of survivors and victims (alas, ‘I’ – little Hanora Heggerty, from County Cork, did not make it.)

There is also a chance to pose in front of a green screen where a photographer will superimpose your image onto the bottom of the Titanic’s sweeping main staircase – obviously I forced Jack (Yes!! A real life Jack!!) to do this with me.

You have the opportunity to read many compelling testimonials from survivors and poignant stories about those who did not, and an opportunity to touch a real piece of the ship.

Despite the walls being a little text heavy and the constant, eventually mind numbing, fiddle music playing throughout the exhibition, the show is both informative and moving.

On until Sept 1st.