There was barely a catwalk that went untrodden by Cara Delevingne this London Fashion Week. Her rise from snub-nosed ingenue to model of the moment has been whirlwind. Last season she was big news. This season she was THE news.
Show reports went in on her opening, or closing. Newspapers and websites were replete with stories about her off-stage antics. As one Cara’d-out friend put it, ‘Cara goofs around! Cara eats burgers! Cara has friends! Cara breathes!’.

But for me, who thinks she does a good job of looking and being unique among the pale-faced, skinny Eastern Europeans everywhere else, it really highlights the lack of any other standout models.

In the nineties we had the supers, in the noughties we still had Kate. Now there’s really just Cara.

Jordan Dunn is beautiful, but doesn’t generate the buzz that Cara manages.

Karlie Kloss – so incredibly magnetic in stills – walked the Burberry show, but still didn’t bring it like Cara, with her cheeky smile and beetle brows.

So where are all the one-offs? Answers (with pics please!) on a postcard.

Hidden away in Chelsea Cloisters this members only bar’s entrance is through an old fashioned apartment with Disney wallpaper. To gain entrance you have to ring a buzzer before the bartender decides on whether you are worthy enough to be let in (fortunately ff didn’t have a problem with that – phew).

Pre NYE probably isn’t the best time to visit, the bar was super quiet which probably isn’t that unusual for a SUNDAY  day of rest after all, still it meant we could have the bartenders undivided attention and a good old post Chrimbo catch up with friends over delicious cocktails in a quirky ‘speakeasy style bar’.

cocktails

round 2

menu

The few people that were in, appeared to be regulars who know the place well enough to sit at the bar with wigs and props picked out of the fancy dress up box set aside in a corner near the door (ooh we make a mental note of novelty festive photo opps).

night cap

Barts is the sort of eccentric bar we’d love to revisit as ff have a feeling that a Sunday night isn’t the same as any other night of the week when the real kook’s and fun-times are unleashed by the Chelsea crowd!

the damage…

East watch out! West is after your ‘cool’ crown and it might just take it…

Barts, Chelsea Cloisters  87 Sloane Avenue, London, SW3 3DW
www.barts-london.com

Brompton Bar & Grill is the baby of Chef Francois O’Neill and replaces the space where Brasserie St Quentin used to be. It reminds us of a Brooklyn eatery we went to in NYC, relaxed and welcoming the décor is simple and chic with quirky touches in the form of eclectic paintings.

We sit down and order ourselves some prosec as we browse the menu, inhaling the bread and butter brought to our table.  After much ‘umming and ahhing’ and discussions with our waiter over what to eat ff start with the potted shrimp and sourdough toast and raw tuna with chilli, ginger and coriander. The potted shrimp is good but a little too much after a few bites, the raw tuna however is perfect.  

Potted shrimp

raw tuna

For the mains, we decide on meaty options: the rib-eye steak (always a winner with us) and the braised Elwy Valley lamb shank with spiced aubergine & chickpea stew, salsa verde. Both are deliciously tender and scrummy and the chips and spinach sides are tasty accompaniments.

rib-eye with chips and peppercorn sauce

lamb shank

Too full after our dins, ff skip the dessert and opt for dessert wine instead to give us our sweet fix.

Whilst the clientele for this modern European/British cuisine is older, ff had a lovely post shop experience that was relaxed and easy with food that was comforting and simple.

A meal for two with drinks, water and service costs about £90. 243 Brompton Road. Tel: 020 7589 8005. Tube: South Kensington

The shopping list:
Two bags of holly, pilfered from local church yard
One wire coat hanger (a genuine wire wreath circle would be better, but as this was an effort at a thrifty Christmas decoration, I used the hanger. Not ideal as there is not much for the wire to grip onto and the holly slides around).
One pack glitter pine cones, £3.99, B&Q. Half to three quarters of a pack used.
Plant wire, £2.99, hardware stores

I’d seen the idea on a design blog and loved it – and making decorations at Christmas always makes me feel so much more festive than buying it (don’t get me wrong, I love to buy shit too of course).
My theory is that precious time + effort = maximum enjoyment of result (and a bit of that festive smugness that old Allsopp feeds off all year round).

When I started out on this mini project I didn’t anticipate it would cost over 50 quid, take eight journey to almost 20 different shops looking for mini trees (shocked to find the last place I looked – Tesco – was the place); price comparison on baby baubles; hunting for LED lights that were golden not blue-ish… but the way I see it, next year I’ll only have to buy the green stuff.

Whaddya think? Next post: Homemade holly wreath.

Merry Christmas!

THE BREAKDOWN
Trees: £3 each, Tesco
Planter: £18 (bit pricey, but it’s surprisingly difficult to find an indoor window box), local florist
Moss, £2, florist
Mud, £3.29, Homebase
Lights: £4.99 from Robert Dyas (make sure to get ‘soft white’ otherwise they will look blueish and dreary.
Baubles: £3, 50% off @ Urban Outfitters. Paperchase do similar @ £4.

We always knew Romeo Beckham was destined for a career in modelling, we just didn’t think it would start so soon.

The sartorially inclined mini-me was hand-picked by Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey to be the face of Burberry’s SS13 campaign – not bad for a ten-year-old.

Vic & Dave’s offspring looks adorable  in a trench and suit – but the ad kind of leaves us wondering who the two hanger-ons on the right are… talk about stealing the show.

Mr Bailey said: ‘This season’s campaign lights up with the infectious energy of an amazing young cast of old and new Burberry family.

‘We had such fun shooting the campaign and I think that comes through in the images, which really reflect the upbeat spirit of the collection.’

We expect big things from Beckham junior…Watch this space.

You can also make a celebratory statement with a pair of super cool limited edition Nike Pro Oslo Glow Printed Women’s Tights.

We can think of nothing more motivating than a cute outfit but in case you need more, the leggings combine hi-tech performance features with a Scandinavian-inspired digital print.

Or you could skip the workout and wear them to lunch with a chunky knit instead…

Just do it, yaaar.

Wear paired with a smart tailored coat…

…Or working out

Stockist: Nike Town London / nikestore.com

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There is only one shoe that guarantees a compliment every time we step out in them…

Not Louboutins, not Choos…. but Bionda Castanas – the go-to stems ensured to get you noticed.

Actually, BC’s are not so much heels as stand-alone works of art that can make you forget to match them to actual clothes.

Trust us, we do not lie.

If you have doubts, just check out the British label’s stunning new SS13 campaign, shot by Aaron Tilley.

The collection features woven raffia trims, hand-appliquéd silk flowers and scalloped edges in shades of coral, crisp apple green, cornflower blue, and sundrenched red, tempered by summer neutrals.

Shapes will satisfy your wardrobe’s every desire – from girly flat sandals and boyish flat buckle brogues, to mules, platforms, wedges and sexy summer ankle boots.

Oh we want them all, all, all.

The latest collection has been described as ‘like opening a box of perfect pastel macaroons or biting into a fresh fruit salad, capturing everything that’s delicious about summer.’

If only we could remember what that feels like!

Thankfully we have the shoes to cheer us up on the coldest day of the year.

Shoes always cheer us up.

biondacastana.com