Class of 2008

According to super blog, Catwalk Queen, Brit model, Daisy Lowe is all set to become the next Lauren Conrad in the UK version of The Hills. You may recall that MTV did a call out a few months ago for various UK girls to audition for the ever popular show in a bid to find the glam girl about town. They obviously did not look very far as it seems that London It girl, Daisy Lowe has landed the gig. Still I suppose it is better than the pretentious Peaches Geldof mooching about on screen. Ms Lowe is no stranger to show business, her mother is Pearl Lowe, a singer/songwriter and fashion designer - apparently but she is more famous for salacious stories regarding her friendship with Sadie Frost. Daisy's step father is Danny Goffey from Supergrass and her biological dad is Gavin Rossdale from Bush. With singer and style goddess, Gwen Stefani as her step mum it really does not take much to see why MTV producers would want her for role in The Hills. Oh yeah and the rumor that she is dating hot producer, Mark Ronson must help a bit too. However, it will all depend on whether Daisy can get time off from her spot on Class of 2008, a reality show produced by the BBC about the trials and tribulations of a group of friends who are trying to make it big in their field.

Narrated by MTV presenter, Flash Louis, the 30 minute show takes place around cool hot spots in North London where we see the party of six flex their talents. Flash is hoping to become a superstar DJ and a musician. Will Cameron has an on/off relationships with Daisy (although if the Ronson rumours are correct we can assume it is off), and despite his forays into modelling ie a massive Burberry campaign and stints of prancing the catwalks in Milan, he has his heart set on becoming a rock star with his band, Blondelle. Portia Freeman, recently featured in the ES magazine and splashed all over the tabloids getting ever so close to Pete Doherty, has been touted as the new Kate Moss. Kesh is a superstar on MySpace and is also a funky fashion designer who plans to launch a stunning debut at London Fashion Week. Daryl is a model turned actor who bids to become the next James Bond. At the heart of this clique is the delectable Daisy who holds the group together.

I really thought I was going to hate this programme with it's 'so cool we hurt' characters but I enjoyed it very much. The show may be about Flash and his mates but Daisy steals all the limelight. Aside from her family drama I really do not know much about the chick but she oozes charisma. She epitomises post modern Brit chick and I am sure this will hold her in good stead while she sets out to conquer NYC. I am not really feeling a UK equivalent of The Hills, the beauty of the programme is that we are watching all these glam creatures leading glam lives in wonderful weather. London tends to be more cool than glam and we certainly do not have great weather. Lydia Prior sums it up perfectly in her article in soapnet.com here.

Native Hop

Last week my work colleague introduced me to this gorgeous little eatry in Streatham, South London. Native Hop is an ever so cute cafe/shop that sells 'homemade food' fresh from their native kitchen. Serving dishes such as rice and spicy veg stew (which I sampled), paninis, salads, a mouth watering selection of fruit cakes and beverages like smoothies, juices and herbal tea, Native Hop may be tiny but it shows that natural healthy food does not have to be bland. What sets the venue apart is the cosiness but coolness of the decor which has a store downstairs as well as a bijou eating spot with a small round table and seat. Just the place for you to chill out with a mate for a leisurely afternoon tea. Great food and drink complete with a cool decor, I think it would be safe to say that Native Hop is one of South London's secrets. So the next time you are in Streatham, make sure you hop in. 

You can find the Native Hop on 241 Streatham High Road, London SW16 6EN.

Picture taken by 7GODS website

Eve

I am really liking the new revamped Eve magazine. To be honest, I was never a fan of the old look and lumped it in with Easy Living, Good House Keeping and all the other frumpy mags. The publication was launched in 2001 by BBC Worldwide who went on to sell the title to the mighty Haymarket. However, Eve struggled to make it's mark amongst the likes of Red, Cosmopolitan and Glamour and co. So what does a glossy mag do when they are going through a rocky patch? Go on have a guess. Yep that is right, they have a relaunch; new editor, new look, fresh content as well as a new size to boot. Newbie editor, Nic McCarthy has injected a breath of fresh air into the publication with profiles on dynamic business women, features on relationships as well as gorgeous fashion spreads. The hardcore readership of 30-plus women also have the choice of a travel size or a larger one. Let me tell you; it is good! 

Check out their cool website here. 

Graduate Fashion Week 08

Our new bumbling Mayor, Boris Johnson has vowed to get rid of the bendy buses that were introduced by his predecessor, Ken Livingstone and bring back the old double decker Routemaster. Along with many, it took me a while to warm to the new bendy buses and I was very sad to see the Routemaster get phased out. Bold, bright, retro and highly fashionable, the Routemaster epitomises London in full effect. So how befitting is it that the ingenious lot from University of Westminster have hired a bus to show off their final year student's work at Graduate Fashion Week (GFW). While other Universities stuck to exhibition stands and tables, this establishment that boasts Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Bailey as former students stood out from amongst the trainee fashionistas. The bus is not just popular with me because it has also been turned into a restaurant aka bustaurant in Shoredicth. Rootmaster is a quirky eatery that serves tasty dishes and scrumpy snacks.

Now back to Graduate Fashion Week which is now in its 17th year. This magnanimous event was launched to celebrate the creme a la creme of the graduate fashion talent in the country. The event is on par of London Fashion Week (although not as snooty) and attracts scouts from the corner of the globe who are in search of the next Stella McCartney and Julien Macdonald. I took a trip down to Earls Court over the weekend to check out GFW 2008 and I was not disappointed. As usual it was mecca of creativity and talent which left me feeling very inspired and excited.