the musings of ondo lady

The Musings of Ondo Lady Has Moved Home

2011-07-18T00:00:00.000+01:00

It was four years ago when I started my blogging journey and a lot has changed since then. I started out without a clear plan on what I was going to write about but I made a pact that I would write at least once a week. Back then in 2007 the blogging environment was very different from what it is now; there was no real blogging community, no events, awards show and certainly no Twitter in fact Facebook had not really kicked off then. I did really feel that I was writing posts and no-one was reading then but I loved writing so it was not a big deal to keep doing it. Fast forward to 2011 and boy have things changed; bloggers are now hotter than potatoes and they get VIP treatment such as front row tickets to fashion shows, interviews in the media and freebies galore. Some people even blog full time and make a decent living out of it and others have taken it to a new level and nab themselves an agent who brokers their deals. There are loads of fantastic blogging conferences around the world and numerous blog awards events. Even the platforms that we can blog on have increased with Tumblr, On Sugar and Posterous making their debut over the last few years to join Blogger, WordPress and Type Pad. However as blogging becomes more relevant to society more bloggers are growing their brand which often calls for hosting their own content at their own domain name. I have decided to join this group and as of today I have packed up and closed shop at Blogger and moved over to my own home in . Please join me at OndoLady.com for all the best in global pop culture. I will see you on the other side. For those of you who have kindly subscribed to my blog please adjust your settings and resubscribe and also update your blogrolls.

Dirty Sexy Things

2011-07-04T15:27:00.000+01:00

Perou is one of the world's celebrated photographers who has flown round the world shooting famous, rich and beautiful people. His new project is an exhibition of photographs with eight diverse models which he will launch later in the year but first of all he needs to find the models. He has a criteria in mind such as the bombshell model, the kooky quirky model, beefcake guy, Russian beauty, diva goddess and a strange looking guy. The first thing he does is hold a casting X Factor style where all the hopefuls turn up. Some of the entries have a bit of experience and some are complete novices. Charlotte, 22 is a stunning redhead who resembles Twiggy, she has been working in the industry for two years and has specialised in lingerie. Jessye B, 19 is an African Caribbean model who has done mainstream campaigns such as TK Maxx, ASOS and Vue Cinema. She is described as funky modern and street. Ocean, 24 is the urbanite who is very quirky looking, she has worked for Vogue and walked in one of Kate Moss's shows. Jesse, 19 been described as a young and preppy Jude Law. He has worked for French Connection, Lacoste and Jack Willis. He spends his spare time in an indie band called Lux. Ariella, 21 is the commercial blonde bombshell who is a bit of a veteran, she has been working since she was 14 in Milan and has done several runway shows. Jay, 21 been modelling for two years and has an edgy and urban look but he is recovering from an eating disorder and still fragile. However this has not detered him from landing campaigns with Pure London, Kurt Geiger and Puma. Lord Rob, 28 been modelling for nine years, he is a sports junkie and has a muscular frame which limits his modelling assignments. He is an underwear model and has been in campaigns for Next and Kent & Curwen as well as gracing the cover of Men's Fitness. BB aka Black Beauty, 24 is a professional dancer who wants to model full time - mean while he performs with the likes of Alexandra Burke, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.

Their first assignment is London Fashion Week where they have to go for castings to be selected for fashion shows. Dirty Sexy Things is intriging because you get to find out about the models; their personal lives and their hopes and dreams. Unlike most modelling shows the models are not lumped together in a house instead we see them living in their natural environment. It is interesting seeing the models down at Somerset House which is the HQ for London Fashion Week (LFW). Seeing them milling in and out of castings and go sees. It is also very interesting to see LFW from a male perspective, as the event is very female dominated with only one day out six dedicated to men's fashion this makes it ultra competitive for the male models. Also it is fascinating to hear what a few female models think of LFW - Charlotte breaks it down for us - basically it is badly paid with models taking £50 to £150 per show. So much for not getting out of bed for less than $10,000 a day, Linda Evangelista eat your heart out. This is not a bad documentary because it shows the highlights and lows of working in the model industry. Some of the close up of private parts is unnecessary but if that is your thing then you are in for a treat.

Dirty Sexy Things is aired on Mondays at 10.00pm on E4.

Page One: Inside The New York Times

2011-06-18T16:44:00.004+01:00

I will be honest I was expecting this film to be like The September Issue which I suppose was rather unfair as we are talking about a very glamorous industry while the newspaper business is very dry. The fact that this documentary has grabbed the attention of all the media folks speak volumes. Yesterday Gawker even hosted a screening for its staff which took place on their roof garden. Page One is a fly on the wall documentary that follows the staff on The New York Times for a whole year and watches them not just battle to find breaking stories but also struggling to keep their head above water during harsh economic times. The New York Times which has always been revered by hacks from huge media outlets such as NBC who would consult the paper every morning before starting work. Well you don't win 100 Pulitzer Prizes (more than any other news organisation) for nothing. Nowadays the paper has been served with a double whammy; the likes of Monster.com homing in on job ads and directories like Craigslist and Gumtree taking over the classified ads, combine that with upstarts such as Gawker and The Huffington Post offering an alternative viewpoint. The much loved New York Times is on pretty shaky ground having to make redundancies in order to avoid going the same way as several major newspaper around the country.

The film focuses on key staff such as Brian Stelter, a media reporter who ran a popular blog called TVnewser which got him headhunted by the publication, Tim Arrango who is a media specialist and roving reporter, Bruce Headlam who is the media editor and last but not least media columnist, David Carr who is the rock and roll guy. There has been a lot of buzz about David Carr due to his rather wild past and there is no doubt that he is the Grace Coddington of the film. Filmmakers Andrew Rossi and Kate Novack gained access to the paper where they followed the media desk working on stories and lobbying top editors to have a presence on page one. The timing couldn't have been better because hot topics such as the Pentagon papers, troops in Iraq and Wikileaks broke during this time as well as ironically the launch of the iPad. It was also pretty smart of the producers to concentrate on the media desk considering that The New York Times is being usurped by new media itself. One thing that Page One did leave me with is a reminder of what real gritty journalism is, something that has been forgotten in the midst of fast food news. While viewing the offices of the publication one thing that struck me was the long and rich history that it and every other newspaper in the world has and that is one advantage that it holds against digital publishers.

I felt like I had been taken back to the 80s where men dominated news - there were hardly any women featured in the film. But what struck me is how idealist a lot of the reporters are and how passionate they were to see justice served. Extreme efforts are taken to fact checking, recording interviews, meeting up with sources and going through swamps of data to in order to nail the details. To be honest Page One was not my cup of tea and at times I found the film pretty boring; it was like watching a court case unfold where the lawyers go through every minute detail. I guess I have been spoilt with the glossy documentaries that focus on the big moments and skip over the nuts and bolts. There were some riveting moments such as David Carr on the panel at a seminar at SXSW and brilliantly defending himself after being attacked by the founder of The Daily Kos. Also Carr's prickly meeting with the founders of VICE is mildly entertaining. Page One may be a hard watch but it shows a more realistic picture of what it is like to work on a daily newspaper.

I watched Page One at a screening from the Open City London Film Festival which took place last week.

Page One is out on release now in the US and hits the UK in September.

Check out the website for Page One.

Think Like a Man

2011-06-17T12:30:00.001+01:00

Think Like a Man is based on the book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man which is written by Steve Harvey. I read this book last year after it was recommended to me by a friend and I can quite cheerfully say that it is total pants. I find Steve Harvey's tone very patronising and as a lot of people say it is written for the lowest denominator. My main gripe with Act Like a Lady is that not only does it not tell you anything new but it steals bits from Why Men Marry Bitches by Sherry Argov, He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo and The Rules by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider and re-packages the ideas into an urban version. Not clever at all. After I read the book I did hear that Will Packer had bought the rights to and was turning it into a film. It all went quiet until a few weeks back when the casting was announced; Michael Ealy and Taraji P Henson will play the couple in the film whose relationship is on the rocks with funny man, Kevin Hart as their counsellor. Rumour has it that Taraji's character will be a feisty high powered advertising executive with her eye on reaching the top while Michael's character is a laid back dreamer who aspires to work as a culinary chef. Well this should be interesting, Michael Ealy and Taraji P Henson are both known for their roles in quality films and are both stellar actors. Will Packer is a great producer but does not have a track record in making a film about the complexity of relationships. Yes he touched on it in Stomp da Yard and Takers but the love affair always played second fiddle to the main story line. Also I hear that Steve Harvey is down as producer - God help us all because if he has anything to do with it we may have another passion project in our faces. Still I really do like Michael and Taraji so maybe the film will be a great one.

Think Like a Man starts production this summer but no release date has been set yet.

More Magazine's Facebook Issue

2011-06-15T06:00:00.018+01:00

I love to see magazines taking on revolutionary ideas so when I came across a tweet by Nik Thakkar from KARLISMYUNKLE about more! magazine's special Facebook issue I had to check it out. Apparently more! have the largest number of Facebook fans than any UK women's magazine so in order to maximise this they came up with a genius idea of creating a special issue generated by Facebook. more! staff liaised with their fans on Facebook to get ideas for news, features and interviews. They asked them who they would like to be featured inside the magazine and on the cover and they also invited five Superfans to come into the office and help out with headlines, pictures and other elements that involved putting the publication together. So who were more! reader's top choice for the front cover? Well none other than Lily Allen who is the lady of the moment, what with getting married over the weekend and announcing her pregnancy. Good to know that more! readers like to keep things relevant. Well done to more! for coming up with such a novel idea. I swear I have not looked at the magazine for years and only became aware that it was still going a while ago. That will certainly beat Position of the Fortnight.

Have a look at the more! magazine website.

You can check out more!'s Facebook page.

more! 's Facebook issue out in the shops now.

Check out the video below which has an interview with more! editor, Channy Horton.

Made in Chelsea

2011-06-14T17:29:00.002+01:00

People laugh at this show but I actually like it. Ok the story lines are lame and the plummy accents can get monotonous but you gotta admit that Made in Chelsea makes very glam viewing. Living the Chelsea set lifestyle which consists of designer shopping, dining out at expensive restaurants as well as jetting away to exotic holidays is pure lifestyle envy. Made in Chelsea launched onto our TV screens in May and apart from coverage in a few newspapers and an extended piece in Grazia there has been little said about it. Inevitable comparisons were made with The Only Way is Essex aka TOWIE but apart from the fact that both shows focus on a specific location they are miles apart. Made in Chelsea is frankly a blatant rip off of The Hills and I love it. We even have our very own Lauren Conrad in the shape of wannabe pop star, Caggie Dunlop who has the same love triangle that Lauren had in The OC. She is still harbouring a crush on her childhood sweetheart, Club PR mogul, Spencer Matthews who still feels the same about her but unfortunately he is very loved up with girlfriend, Funda Onal who is a model, actress, whatever.. Then there is Millie Mackintosh who is Caggie's best friend who is on the dating scene trying to find Mr Perfect. Till then her job as a make up artist keeps her very busy.

In the middle of all this drama is Francesca Hull aka Cheska who is the Carrie Bradshaw of the pack. She writes a column in Matchbox Magazine called Girl About Town which covers the lives of the Chelsea set. She is joined at the hip with Rosie Fortescue who works at an art gallery by day and by nighr runs a fashion blog called At Fashion Forte with Amber Atherton who runs her own online jewellery boutique called MyFlashTrash and is launching a brand consultancy. Ollie Lock is a party boy who runs glam night club, Whisky Mist but has dumped his pop diva, girlfriend Gabriella Ellis after finding out that he is bisexual. He spends most of his time crying on the shoulder of his best friend, Alexandra Felstead aka Binky who works for an investment company while dreaming about an idyllic life in the country. Francis Boule is the most poised of the set, decked out in Thomas Pink shirts, designer suits and matching cuff links his day job is mining diamonds. His best friend is Frederik Ferrier who is a part time model and music and language student. Then there is Hugo Taylor, Spencer's best friend who is also a PR maven and the go to guy who has the inside info on all the hip places. I find watching this show very seductive with the overhead shots of London, flash glimpses of cute boutiques on leafy streets and cosy shots of the cast huddle in cafe bars. It really does reflect what the capital is like for those who are young, gorgeous and living off their trust funds. Glam people leading glam lives - not a bad life if you can get it eh?

Made in Chelsea is aired on Mondays on E4 at 10pm.

Kim Kardashian Perfume Launch

2011-06-09T17:25:00.005+01:00

I used to scoff at the Kardashians as I saw them as pretty ladies who only got famous due to Kim's allegedly leaked sex tape. I mist be getting soft because over the last year or so they have grown on me and I now find myself tuning into their many reality shows. I have to admire their hustle because the Kardashian empire consists of TV shows, (Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim take New York and Khloe and Lamar) boutique stores with D-A-S-H in Miami, LA and New York, book deals with Kardashian Konfidential and now they have branched into perfume. Keeping Up with the Kardashians has been a huge hit making the Kardashians millions in the process. It is no surprise that Kim has picked up Entrepreneur at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards this week but really it is Mum, Kris Jenner who is the brains behind the brands. She may pimp out her kids to make a fast buck but she there is no doubting that she is a very canny business woman. Even little sister. Kendall has got in on the money making; she is the face of Forever 21 and is set to star in her own reality show called LA Prep.

I attended the launch of Kim Kardashian's self titled perfume yesterday at the ever so lush Dorchester along with the rest of magazine lovies and beauty bloggers. As you can imagine it was complete opulence all the way, the suite was decked out in light pink and we were served Hors d'oeurve with pink champagne. Earlier that day Kim had launched the perfume at Debenhams where she caused quite a stir. Talking to a few beauty bloggers it was quite overwhelming to see the impact the Kardashians have had on young women and indeed on pop culture. She may have the face of an angel and body of a jezebel but young women are able to relate to Kim Kardashian and her self made fortune and A list lifestyle makes her aspirational. So no surprise that Sas & Company jumped at the chance of working with her. We do not need a reminder of how popular celebrity perfumes are and Kim's fan base is huge. She is also savvy enough to tap into element of social media to interact with her fans. For instance when she was working on the perfume she obtained her fans' input by asking them to tell her what their favourite scents were. She then worked closely with top perfumer, Claude Dir of Givaudan to create the modern fragrance. The whole idea was to create something pretty and feminine.

The perfume bottle is very classic, it is round shaped and in a sexy deep purple. The colour actually reminds me of the one Stella McCartney uses for her perfume. I am fussy about my perfumes and like them light, refreshing and sweet so this perfume ticks all the boxes. It really has a glamorous and pretty smell which makes you feel very feminine. It contains mandarin, honeysuckle and orange blossom mixed with pink jasmine, tuberose, sensual spices and lush gardens. What is so cool is that the perfume comes in a spray which is packaged into a light pink chrome bottle.

The perfumes are prices at 22.95 for 30 ml, 29.95 for 50ml and 39.95 for 100ml.

Kim Kardashian is available to buy from Debenhams now and will be available to buy from other stores in July.

Malin+Goetz Tobacco Candle

2011-06-06T06:00:00.001+01:00

I do love a candle. Ever since I bought my home over five years ago I have been entranced by candles; whether it is the vanilla ones from IKEA or the cherry ones from Wilkinson for the coffee ones from the now defunct The Pier, their delicious smells are welcome in my house. Of course I would love to aspire to the lush candles from Jo Malone or Diptyque on a regular basis but at £38 I am not quite there yet. I came across Malin+Goetz when Pure Public Relations announced their press preview on Twitter. The lovely, Deborah invited me down to their offices for a one to one preview of their new collections and this is where I came across the candles. I was generously given the tobacco one (which has just launched with the geranium leaf) to take home and try and I was pretty impressed. They say you get what you pay for and you can really tell the difference from a cheaper candle to a more expensive brand. Not only does it last a lot longer but the smell is much more aromatic and leaves a much longer lasting trace. The tobacco one has a really sweet nutmeg smell that is perfect for evenings when you just want to relax. The Malin+Goetz candles are a really great gift for someone special (or yourself) as they come in a really cute box that is stylishly designed and is presented in an eco friendly glass tumbler.. There are also eight difference fragrances such as cannabis, dark rum, mojito, neroli, vetiver and otto. Each candle burns for around 60 hours which should give you more than enough time to savour the scent. For better effects you should burn the tobacco and geranium leaf candles together in order to obtain that unique healing ambiance of relaxation and sensory balance. In my opinion this is a candle that any self respecting guy can have in their home without being ridiculed. Malin+Goetz is owned by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz who are based in New York; aside from candles they do ranges in shampoo, cleansers, moisturizers, deodorants, lip balms and perfume,

The candles costs £37 each and are available to buy from Liberty of London and Space NK.

Check out the Malin+Goetz website.

Face of Fabulous

2011-06-05T14:11:00.001+01:00

As a well known magazine junkie I am often amazed by the quality of the free publications available with newspapers. YOU that comes with The Mail on Sunday, Style that comes with The Sunday Times and Stella that comes with The Sunday Telegraph. All of those magazines are stylish, well written and have the right balance of entertainment and factual news. When the News of the World launched Fabulous magazine a few years ago I was intrigued to see what they would come up with and I was pleasantly surprised. The magazine was very glamorous, glossy and full of news and features about celebrities, fashion and beauty. I have not seen the magazine for a while but you could have knocked me down with a feather when I received an invitation to attend a blogger launch event for Fabulous. It took place at their headquarters at News International which is the home for The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times and of course the News of the World. As soon as Wendi from Wendi B Writes and I arrived we were greeted with champagne served on trays, cupcakes and lots of savoury snacks. There were also different sections where you could get your make up done, a wardrobe section for you to try out the latest style in clothes and shoes and to top that off you could have a photo shoot to show off your new look. Dotted around the room were blown up placards of previous covers of Fabulous which demonstrated how much the magazine has changed over the years. Fabulous has lost its wholesome feel and is now slick, sleek with a slight edgy feel to it. Previous cover stars have been Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Cheryl Cole, The Saturdays, and Lacey Turner aka Stacey Slater from EastEnders. It is no surprise to hear that they took the award for Supplement of the Year at the British Press Awards. The staff from Fabulous were in attendance as well as editor, Rachel Richardson and it was great mingling with other bloggers Yinka from Vex in the City, Reena from Fashion Daydreams, Frankie from Swell Vintage, Louise from Get Lippie and Michelle from Beauty and the Blog.

The whole point of the event was to celebrate the launch of Face of Fabulous which is a new competition to find a cover star for Fabulous. The winner of the competition will nab a global modelling contract with Next Model Management and will appear on the cover of the publication. What is so unique about this competition is that it will be hosted on Facebook. Readers will be able to upload their pictures and the public will be able to vote for the final ten model. The winner will be picked by Fabulous editor, Rachel, Fabulous fashion director, Tracey Lee Sayer and Next Model Management's Head of New Faces, Ross Young.

The deadline for the competition is 23rd June and you can enter here.

You can check out the Fabulous website here.

Ranting and Raving

2011-06-04T12:47:00.001+01:00

Christiana Mbakwe is a lady who is not afraid to speak her mind which is evident from her opinionated posts on her blog, Christiana Rants as well as her ever so entertaining tweets. She has been blogging since 2008 and covers topics such as friendship, relationships, politics, self esteem and careers. However it was her epic blog post Growing up African which has really caught the attention of Twittersphere where she discusses the perils of growing up in a Nigerian household and all the quirks that come with it. When she is not blogging, Christiana she is working on her other baby The Tip Online which is an online lifestyle magazine that covers fashion, beauty and celebrity news. Her day job is as a social media manager so it seems that social networking is a huge part of her life. I caught up with her to find out about blogging and ranting.

What made you start blogging?
My cousin from LA was over in London for the summer and we'd spent much of our time together debating and me winding everyone up with my opinions. He challenged me one evening to chronicle my thoughts and start a blog. So I did. It was a bet that spiraled out of control, initially it was just for my family and friends, but after a few months it began to expand.

Describe the concept behind Christiana Rants?
Essentially it's a blog built on discussing ideas, challenging concepts and gaining something from going through that process. My mantra is 'Engage. Entertain. Educate', I try to keep the posts as intellectually rigorous as possible, but still quite light. It's a difficult tightrope to walk, but I don't want a lowest common denominator blog. I figured if my blog is filled with stupidity, I'll constantly have to engage with stupid people. So I deliberately position my blog in a manner that forces myself and my readers to wear their thinking caps when they read it. I started blogging at 21, now I'm 24, so my readers are following me on a journey and in many ways we're on a journey together.

Over the last few years bloggers have really made their mark in blogsphere, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
I think the rise of the blogger has been a predominately western thing, as it's occurred in regions where there is mass internet access . In our cultural space it's pretty much the norm to see bloggers begin to penetrate the media and to a degree exert influence in the media and beyond. Though this influence is often overstated it's an interesting phenomena. My feeling is that there won't be much boundary pushing from bloggers in the West. However assuming that there's is economic growth in the developing world and internet access begins to spread south of the equator, I suspect the real innovation and boundary pushing will come from the bloggers that come from the developing world. Their addition to the blogsphere will make it more pluralistic and interesting.

How do you get your inspiration for your posts?
Honestly? My (overly) complicated love/dating life. LOL! And the love lives of my friends. On a serious note I find inspiration in a variety of places. I read obsessively and like hearing what people have to say and analysing why they behave in the manner they do. I try and find inspiration wherever I can.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
I'm probably reading, writing or playing my piano. If not that spending time with my family and friends.I spend a lot of time looking at shoes on the internet.

Describe a typical day in the life of Christiana.
I work as the social media manager of an international humanitarian relief organisation so from 9 to 5, they have my time. I'll get home and then work on The Tip Online whether it's organising features, shoots, interviews or general research. If it's not The Tip, then I'm editing or writing a piece for Christiana Rants or whatever writing project I'm involved in at that time.

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
I've always preferred books!

Name five blogs that you read religiously.
I only check three blogs religiously. Leftsetz Letter, The Awl and Karla's Closet. Any others I dip in and out.

How do you see your blog evolving over the next two years?
I can't predict the trajectory of its evolution. However I hope whatever the blog is and whatever space I'm operating in there will be a significant improvement in my quality of writing and a lot of progression.

You can read Christiana's blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter.

Goodbye to International Chick Lit Month

2011-05-31T23:00:00.001+01:00

Well that was the month that was, the first ever International Chick Lit Month took place in May. Celebrated avidly by Chick Lit is Not Dead, Chick Lit Club and Novelicious, I decided to mark the occasion as well. The event saw interviews with the wonderful ladies from Chick Lit is Not Dead, I asked some of my favourite bloggers to tell me about their favourite Chick Lit title, I also caught up with publicist, Hannah Hargrave who told me what it was like to promote Chick Lit books and I also got the chance to interview one of my favourite authors, Lisa Jewell who talked about her new book, The Making of Us. I have had a blast and learnt lots about the genre and this event had made me appreciate it more. It is really great to know that so many people love Chick Lit books. Roll on next year.

If you missed out on the event them just click here to read all the past International Chick Lit Month blog posts here.

Fire in Babylon

2011-05-31T13:35:00.003+01:00

I have never been a real fan of cricket, when I was growing up it was all about athletics, gymnastics and figure skating. In fact my only direct exposure to the sport was a few years ago when I attended a hospitality event in Manchester with a bunch of cricket stars such as Sir Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose and Henry Olonga. It was a great day and I sort of got an idea of how massive cricket really is. I heard about Fire of Babylon a few weeks ago by chance through an email from a mate and the promo copy gave me an insight into what it was about. Fire in Babylon captures the spirit of the West Indian cricket team and how their performances united countries from the West Indies and inspired them during traumatic times. The documentary features cricket super stars such as Viv Richards, Joel Garner, Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding and Colin Croft who made up what is now regarded as one of the best West Indies team the world has ever seen. Armed with lots of talent, determination and a hell of a load of pride, this team brought the world to its knees and a nation to its feet. This amazing team played during the era of the mid 70s and early 80s and experienced daunting times such as playing to an aggressive and racially abusive Australian team and audience. As well as a condescending and superior English team and public who deemed the West Indian players to be nothing more than clowns.

The gallant West Indian players rose to the occasion and gave both teams thrashings that they would never forget and as a result not only earned them the respect of the Australian and English players but their friendship as well. Ian Botham and Viv Richards went on to become great friends and many of the Australian players are still mates with that West Indian team. On top of this they were playing during the turbulent era of apartheid in South Africa; race riots in England and civil unrest in the Caribbean. They sure as hell kicked ass and turned cricket into a power sport. I loved watching this film because it really showed a beautiful side of cricket and I am a sucker for a good sport documentary and this one really lived up to the hype. I have always been fascinated by the run and jump that the players adopted when they approach the batsmen and this is shown in great detail with slow motion and still footage. The cinematography which is mostly taken from the 70s and 80s is magically remastered and set to an electric soundtrack which I just need to get my pretty hands on. The West Indian cricket team are interviewed and shared their experiences with us. Seriously, the 90 minutes went bit too quick and it left me wanting more. Stevan Riley does a thumping job and really conveys the feeling and deep emotion of that era. I am so getting this on DVD when it is released next week.

Check out the fabulous Fire in Babylon website.

Fire in Babylon is released on DVD on 6th June and you can get it from there outlets.

Check out a clip from the premiere in London with interviews from some of the cricket team and crew.

The I'mPOSSIBLE Conversation

2011-05-30T06:00:00.001+01:00

Michelle and Barack Obamas took the country by storm last week during another trip to the UK and they set off to France leaving us all longing for more. However it was their first visit in 2009 that made us all fall in love with them particularly Michelle who won the hearts of women around the world when she uttered those words that it is cool to be smart. Michelle O telling women to embrace their smartness was a real moment and taught us that we needed to claim our power. As well as sport stars, singers and actresses we need to start worshipping women who have done well in the workplace. Enter The I'mPOSSIBLE Conversation which is a series of intimate events which bring British women of colour together to share their experiences. Imagine Inside the Actor's Studio meshed with Oprah's Legend Luncheon and you get the gist. The event will be hosted by actress, Tameka Empson who plays Kim Fox in EastEnders and she will be chairing a fantastic panel that consists of critic and author, Bonnie Greer, journalist, Charlene White, comedienne and playwright, Angie LeMar, journalist and author, Precious Williams and ex Channel 4 daytime time commissioner, Angela Ferreira.

Sponsors on board are Mizani which is L'Oreal's global premium range for afro hair and B.Hive where the event is taking place. Set up by PR guru, Lynne Franks, B.Hive is an innovative workspace for women entrepreneurs to run their businesses and meet like minded women. "The I'mPOSSIBLE Conversation is a groundbreaking event for the UK and women of colour as it puts their stories, unabridged into the public domain in a way that's empowering and inspiring," says Simone Bresi-Ando who founded I'mPOSSIBLE in 2009. I am really looking forward to this event because not only is the B.Hive a gorgeous venue that I have been meaning to explore, it will be amazing to be in the presence of such amazing women and hear what they have to say. I expect the event to be sensational.

The I'mPOSSIBLE Conversation takes place on Wednesday 15th June at 6.15pm at B.Hive, 26-27 Southampton St, WC2E 7RS. Tickets are £25.

In the Editor's Chair - Cynthia Lawrence-John

2011-05-28T17:10:00.001+01:00

I do love conceptual magazines although they can be a little out there, they are very beautiful and inspirational. Enter Volt magazine which is a biannual publication that is a creative hybrid that shows off the work by from some of the directional fashion talent from all over the world. Volt covers British fashion, beauty and talent the work of photographers, stylists and artists. It was launched in 2007 in the midst of a very glamorous party in London and this was followed by a launch in Berlin a year later. Volt's online editor is Cynthia Lawrence-John who is a top stylist who was has worked with Sugababes, the Ting Tings, Kanye West, VV Brown, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. She took five minutes out of her busy schedule to tell me all about the publication.

How did you get into magazines?
I have worked in the magazine world since I was about 24, when I graduated with a photography degree from LCP (London College of Printing). My first job in a magazine publishing company was at Natmags/ Hearst publishing, as a Picture Editor which taught me a tremendous amount, much of which I still use today. I was also the Fashion Director of Sleaze magazine. Volt magazine was the original idea of Rui Faria, who is the editor-in-chief and also a beauty photographer. My initial job was fashion director but now I also work on the marketing side.

Describe the concept of Volt magazine and the idea behind the name.
Volt magazine is a biannual and is published as a Spring/Summer edition and an Autumn/Winter edition. The concept is for each image to stand up in its own right, as a beautiful image. It is unbound and over sized so that the magazine does not have the same format and constraints as traditional print magazines. Volt magazine aims to 'slow down' the viewing process...the large unbound format forces the viewer to actually 'LOOK' at the pages and content, as opposed to 'skim' the content. In each issue we like to commission well-established photographers and image-makers, as well as upcoming talent. We also like to feature well established brands alongside new design talent.

The design is very slick and very modern, how did you decide on the art design of the publication?
The art direction of Volt magazine has been a very organic process. Volt is not about following trends in design or a grid. Each story is designed with the concept of the story in mind, however the design does not take over from the story. In terms of the style of photography, it varies from issue to issue. I love photography, which has a cinematic feel and also documentary/reportage. Rui loves full on glamour fashion. I guess Volt is really a combination of the two. I love models that are ‘real’, with an inspiring personality. I love fashion and clothes, but it is important to me, particularly in my work that the models own ‘person’ comes across even if they are playing a character in a story.

Who is behind Volt magazine?
Volt is a surprisingly small team; Rui Faria came up with the original concept, he is a beauty photographer as well as running a photography agency called Areia. I am the fashion director, as well as working on the marketing and special projects alongside Rui. Jason Leung is the menswear fashion editor, Linda Ohstrom is our incredibly talented and wonderful beauty editor, Katie Baron is our features editor and on the design side is Angelo Pandelidis. Voltcafe, the online sister title to Volt magazine is very important, Anna Bang is the features editors on Voltcafe. We also have a team of amazing interns and students who are absolutely vital to the magazine.

Describe a day in the life of Cynthia Lawrence-John.
A day in my life is very varied! Which is why I love what I do. Aside from working as fashion director on Volt and Voltcafe, I am also a freelance stylist. One day I may be prepping for a fashion editorial, the next day researching photographers and new talent for upcoming issues of Volt or Voltcafe. The next day I may be doing a fitting for a music video or film, the next consulting for a brand, my days are never the same and I do not get bored, which is very important to me. I do not like to feel in a rut whether it be a creative rut or a career rut. I like to feel I am always learning something new.

Which blogs do you check out regularly?
To be honest, I must confess I don’t really check blogs on a regular basis. Maybe I should as there are some great ones. I do look at Lulu Kennedy’s blog and Sharmadean Reid as I find them both very inspiring and I like their take on life. I love The Sartorialist but when I do have time to read, I am more likely to pick up a book than to check blogs maybe I am just old fashioned?

What magazines do you read?
I love I-D, Fantastic Man, Twin, Another and Another Man, Teen Vogue, L’official and BUTT, although I do read others but I don’t want to go on.

What tips do you have for anyone who wants to become a magazine editor?
For anybody who wants to become an editor on a magazine I guess the main thing is to have a voracious appetite for all facets of the magazine world. I never studied fashion, my background is more in the theoretical side of image making and fashion, as opposed to the practical side of things. But I enjoy both equally. I always want to keep learning and it is important to me to continue evolving. I learn as much from the young interns who come into magazine as they do from me. In any field always be open and ready to learn and take on board new ideas.

Issue 9 of Volt magazine is out now.

Check out the Volt website here.

You can follow Cynthia on Twitter.

International Chick Lit Month: Why I Hate Bridget Jones

2011-05-26T06:00:00.004+01:00

The most famous Chick Lit of all time and the one that really set it all off. Bridget Jones's Diary is named by The Guardian as one of the ten novels that defined the 20th century. The now iconic book written by Helen Fielding was inspired by her very popular single girl about town column in The Independent. Not too dissimilar from Candace Bushnell who also kicked off her career at the same time, where she penned her own column for The New York Observer. Well I never got round to reading Bridget Jones but I did watch the film when it was released back in 2001 (my god that was ten years ago) and how appropriate was that film to my life and state of mind back then. Bridget Jones, played by Renee Zellweger is a curvy, nice middle class girl who works for a publishing company. Work is an interesting word as Bridget seems to spend most of her time dreamy over Daniel Cleaver played by Hugh Grant who she believes is her Mr Right and obsessing over her weight. She keeps a diary that monitors every pound she has lost and or put on and also how many glasses of wine she has consumed. She meets Mark Darcy played by Colin Firth at her parent's Christmas Party and despite encouragement by both their parents, the two fail to hit it off. Mark thinks Bridget is a ditzy bimbo and Bridget writes Mark off as a stuck up snob. After spending New Year's Eve alone she decides to turn her life around by losing weight, drinking less wine and finding herself a nice man. I totally loved this film when I first saw it but now I can barely watch it without cringing. I really feel that Bridget Jones gives single women and chick flicks a bad name with her constant scatty and needy ways.

Below I have listed he things I dislike about Bridget Jones's Diary:

It reinforces the stereotype that women need a man in order to complete them and if they never find the one then they are destined for a life of loneliness and will eventually turn into a psycho.
This notion that we all need a man to complete us is frankly patronising and out of sync. More and more of us live alone and also lead content lives without a man and children while managing not to have an emotional breakdown.

That the Brits are upper class twats who say fuck, bollocks and bugger a lot.
Seriously? Who talks like that? Britain comprises of England, Scotland and Wales, three countries that have very different accents and that is not taking into consideration all the different regional dialects. To portray Brits as people who only talk like they have tomatoes in their mouths is just ridiculous.

That single women are ditzy airheads who make bad decisions and cannot cook and live in domestic chaos.
This never fails to annoy me. Most single females are not all airheads who can barely find their way out of a paper bag, we are strong, independent women who juggle careers, family, friends and a mortgage - and we cook too.

That Hugh Grant needs to be in every Brit movie in order for it to be a success.
There was a time back in the day when Hugh Grant was a serious actor but that all changed when Four Weddings and a Funeral became a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It is amazing what success does to a man, since then Hugh had elevated his then girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley to celebrity life, hooked up with a prostitute and is now the figurehead for Brit romcoms. Someone send him his pension book.

That modern women smoke like chimney pots and drink like fishes.
Strangely enough some of us actually value our bodies and apart from the odd drink here and there we like to look after it. This does not include drinking more booze than your body weight and smoking like a fish wife.

Overall Bridget Jones's Diary leaves a lot to desire and really sets women back a few decades.I pray that they do not make another movie.

International Chick Lit Month: Promoting Chick Lit

2011-05-24T06:00:00.003+01:00

Working for a book publishers is a dream for a huge book lover like me; imagine being surrounded by gorgeous titles all day. Brings me out in trembles as I write. A good few years ago I read Bestseller by Olivia Goldsmith which gave me a real indicator about how the publishing industry works and how crucial the departments such as sales, editorial, marketing and PR are to the success of a title. Because She Can by Bridie Clark also provided us with a pop cultural view of the book industry and how they analyse trends in order to shift books. I was introduced to the Sphere clan at the launch of From Notting Hill with Love Actually and I was struck by how much passion they had for the books they were working on. I caught up with Hannah Hargrave, the acting publicity manager at Little, Brown Book Group (which owns Sphere) and she gave me the lowdown on the publicity department and what exactly goes on in there.

Describe your role at Sphere.
As Acting Publicity Manager at Little, Brown Book Group – looking after the Sphere list primarily – I work in an incredibly busy publicity department. Everyday I handle a huge number of media enquiries, with requests for review copies, interviews and features with our many authors coming in from the national and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, TV and radio stations. I plan and carry out publicity campaigns for around four new titles a month, and this involves writing press releases, sending out review copies to all the literary editors and key reviewers, and pitching to journalists in order to persuade them to feature our authors. I also need to stay in constant contact with my authors and keep them updated on any news of coverage, as well as manage their interview and events schedules, which can involve promotional book signings and festival appearances across the country. With so many amazing authors on our list it can get very hectic!

How do you define Chick Lit?
Chick lit is often dismissed as being formulaic, sentimental froth – the desperate single woman seeking a Mr Darcy figure has her happy ending, all bound together with a pastel pink cover! However, the genre is as strong and as vibrant as ever, with an incredible range of themes, characters, dilemmas, humour and romance. Books published today need to offer readers more than the usual girl-meets-boy story, and our key authors, including Jenny Colgan, Fiona Walker and Dorothy Koomson – to name but a few – write books that are genuinely funny, compelling, gripping, emotional and intelligent. And I think that good chick lit is defined in the same way.

Name a few of your favourite Chick Lit books.
I have a very long list, but it would definitely include The Imperfect Girlfriend by Lucy-Anne Holmes, Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding (classic!), Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson and I am currently loving Victoria Fox’s Hollywood Sinners (although technically this is more of a bonkbuster!).

What sort of tactics do you use to promote a Chick Lit novel?
It does depend on the book I’m working on, but I’m always willing to give anything and everything a go, and authors always have lots of good ideas themselves. At the moment I am fully embracing digital strategies – using Twitter, Facebook, blogs and websites to create as much buzz as possible. I’ve also sent out treats with review copies (cakes and chocolate always go down well!), created themed parties with costumes and props, and wrapped books in luxury paper and ribbon to make them look and feel extra special. If it will give us an extra national review – and more sales – it’s always worth a try.

Tell me about your most recent campaign.
At the moment I’m working on a debut publishing in June – Laura’s Handmade Life by Amanda Addison - an irresistible cross between Slummy Mummy and Kirstie Allsopp's Homemade Home, with all the chaotic humour of family life combined with everything crafty - sewing, patchwork, knitting. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and there has already been a lot of interest from the women’s magazines. The editor, Caroline Hogg, who acquired the book, is a huge fan of crafts and she organised people in the office to get together and make some adorable flower brooches: They are all unique and hand-sewn, and will be sent out with a copy of the book to all the literary editors and reviewers across the national press, which will hopefully make it stand out from all the others they receive for that month. Amanda Addison is a graduate of the Chelsea School of Art, so I’ve been putting her forward for interviews and features as well. We will also be launching an incredible competition to win a sewing machine and some other crafty goodies. Caroline has created a Blue Peter style ‘how to make a book bag’ video, and we’re hoping that all those people who love sewing and making things will join in and send us pictures of their own creations! Again, websites and blogs are incredibly important to this campaign, and I’ve been contacting quite a few who are keen to review the book or run competitions - and help us with ours. Amanda will also be popping into local shops to sign copies.

How much input do the authors have in promoting their book?
Authors are essential to the publicity campaign. Early on we brainstorm ideas for features and news hooks, and I make sure they are happy to take part in interviews or events with bookshops, festivals and libraries. We also encourage authors to set up websites and Twitter feeds so that they can engage with their fans on a daily basis. I check press releases with authors, and make sure that any useful contacts they have in the media, or famous friends, get sent a copy too.

How would you say social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and blogging have played a part in marketing the genre?
Social networking sites are vital in generating word of mouth excitement and getting your message straight to the fans. I always make sure that every book and author I work with has an online presence, and bloggers who review books are becoming increasingly powerful. Whereas a magazine will have one slot a week for a book review, websites can run limitless amounts of reviews and comments from fans. Increasingly chick lit readers are using these sites to determine which book they buy next, and I need to make sure that Sphere books are in all the right places.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter.

International Chick Lit Month: Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell

2011-05-20T06:00:00.001+01:00

Despite the catastrophe that was Sex and the City 2 I still have an ongoing love affair with the TV series. Nothing can keep me away from that lovely pink boxset as I relive many memories of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte painting the city of NYC bright red. Despite what many short sighted people may think S&TC was not just about sex, it was about a deep friendship between four women. We saw how they bonded over the years and shared their lives with each other each and accepting one another's flaws without question. It was really quite beautiful to watch. I always wondered how Carrie and co met but strangely it was never discussed in the show. The second movie did give us an insight into this which to be honest was the only highlight but they did not go into much detail. This precious information is laid out to The Carrie Diaries which is a series of books written by Candace Bushnell who penned the book, Sex and the City. The series introduces us to Carrie as a teen when she is making her way through her last year at school, experimenting with boys, fashion, make up and her ideology. One thing she is not experimenting with is her dream to be a writer and she puts this into fruition by enrolling on a writing course in NYC. Summer and the City is the second book in the series which takes off where the first book left off with Carrie being mugged in New York as she arrives from her home town of Connecticut. With no money or clothes and no family or friends in the Big Apple she calls the cousin of her close friend - a Samantha Jones. Samantha takes her in for the night and of course takes her out to a party and from there on sort of acts as her guide around New York. Samantha is only a few years older than Carrie but with her own apartment, sexy clothes and a job in PR she is worlds apart. A few days later Carrie's luck takes a change for the better when she gets a call from a young lady saying she has found her bag. They arrange to meet so Carrie can collect it.- enter Miranda Hobbs. It is kind of delightful seeing Carrie meet the women who will turn out to be the most important people in her life, you feel like you are on a personal journey with her. We don't get to meet Charlotte in this book but she is spotted in Summer and the City so I guess she will make her appearance in the next title. This book may be written for teenagers but adults will enjoy it just as much.

Summer and the City is available to buy now.

International Chick Lit Month: My Favourite Chick Lit by Keysha Davis

2011-05-18T06:00:00.002+01:00

Welcome to the My Favourite Chick Lit series where a few of my favourite writers and bloggers tell me about their best loved Chick Lit book is and why it is so important to them. This week I am featuring the lovely Keysha Davis, the editor of Black Hair and also the owner of The Cocoa Diaries which covers the UK entertainment scene.

When I discovered I was pregnant with my first child in late 2004, overnight I transformed from a career focused, go-getter, into a neurotic, baby obsessed mama to be. I’d immerse myself in book after book that would document in painstaking detail all the physical, emotional and psychological changes that I’d no doubt encounter on the journey to motherhood. It didn‘t stop there. Every evening I would arrive home and virtually fling myself on the sofa, packet of Jacobs crackers in hand (that’s all I could eat for four months) getting lost in episode after episode of pregnancy reality TV shows (this was before the days of One Born Every Minute). So in other words - I was pretty prepared. Right? The survey says (cue Family Fortunes buzzer) *Uh uh*. Fast forward nine months later and the baby arrives (yay). But after the adrenaline and euphoria wears off, I find myself spinning in a maelstrom of endless feeds, leaky nipples, irrational thoughts, sleep deprivation, chronic insecurity, and just a general laundry list of feelings that weren’t listed in those BLADDY BOOKS!

On one particular lonesome trip with me and my bubby to Bromley I stumbled across a book in Waterstones. “Amy Crane is in crisis. Six months after giving birth, she’s still struggling with the transition from independent thirty something to muffin-middle mum. She can‘t remember the last time she had a wax. Or an orgasm” Wow, there’s my life on the back of a paperback, I thought to myself. Needless to say I quickly grabbed a copy, made my way to the cash point and that was it. Over the next five days or so I could be found within the pages of The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy by Polly Williams. Everything I needed to understand and fully process my experience of becoming a mum could be found in the pages of my new companion. Like me, Amy was struggling to navigate in her new role as primary caregiver. A professional in her early 30’s, up until this point Amy hadn’t really had to deal with much responsibility. Not only was she overwhelmed by the enormity of her new role, but there was also the insecurities she felt trying to live up the ‘yummy mummy’ description that has become the burden of the modern day mother, fuelled by unobtainable images of post natal celebrities in weekly glossies.

So Amy, trying to resurrect some semblance of her former life, starts hanging around with a woman named Alice who fits the yummy mummy prototype to a tee. With a healthy bank account, a hot hubby, a fancy pad and a cavalier attitude towards motherhood, Alice takes Amy under her wing and gives her an insight into what motherhood could be like if she were to up the ante on the fabulousity stakes. Amy attempts to do so to comical consequences. From replacing her drab Primark wardrobe with designer garb, joining a Pilates class and becoming enamoured by the charms of her instructor, to getting botox much to her husband’s dismay - Amy is relentless in her pursuit of ‘hot mama-hood’ and things become rather complicated in the process. Like all good chick lit books, the tone of The Rise & Fall of a Yummy Mummy is down to earth, light-hearted with a solid moral fable for you to ponder on. Polly Williams is a wonderful writer. I really like her short, snappy sentences, comedic timing and her ability to talk about the modern malaise of contemporary women without portraying us as martyrs and victims. I truly wish I had discovered this book before becoming a mum. If you’re currently up the duff, I’d strongly urge you to do away with the pregnancy manuals and make amazon your friend.

You can read Keysha's blog here and follow her on Twitter.

International Chick Lit Month: Jenny Lopez Has a Bad Week by Lindsey Kelk

2011-05-15T06:00:00.007+01:00

Over the last year or so Lindsey Kelk has found her way into my heart and become one of my favorite authors. Her fantastic I Heart series has really caught the imagination of Chick Lit lovers all round the world with her protagonist, Angela Clark who moves to New York to start a brand new life. Oh how we have lived vicariously through her life as she lands a plum job on a magazine, nabs a herself a cute hipster boyfriend and travels to exciting cities such as LA and Paris to cover stories. Lindsey has been a very busy lady not only is she working on a new I Heart book she has also written a stand alone title called The Single Girls To-Do List which is released in June and she has also found time to write a spin off of the I Heart series. Jenny Lopez Has a Bad Week is a short digital download which follows Angela's best friend as she struggles to restart her life after moving back to NYC from LA. A native New Yorker, Jenny's dream came true when she landed a cool gig as a stylist in La La Land and where she rubs shoulders with starlets. Also she had Angela for company so the two would explore LA night life and get into all sorts of mischief. However Jenny's luck ran out when she found out that her flat mate was a high class hooker and it was time to head back east.

So she is back in the Big Apple but at her lowest ebb with no job, flat mate or boyfriend so she sets out to rectify this and fast. Pretty soon she has sorted out a viewing with a potential flat mate and has booked two dates with exciting prospects. It looks like the job situation has been sorted when her mate Erin hooks her up with a job to babysit a supermodel. Piece of cake she thinks after all one thing she is good at is is dealing with people, except she finds out that the supermodel is a real handful. It looks like Jenny is going to have a really bad week. We always take the lead protagonist in a book to our hearts but it is often the supporting characters that often steal the show and with the I Heart series, Jenny Lopez with her sassy wit stole the show. After all it was she who got Angela back on her feet when she first landed in NYC and looking fabulous in her designer and vintage outfits. So it is only right that Jenny should get her own spin off book where we get to know the little minx much better. It has been a while since I last read an I Heart title so it was really great to catch up with Jenny and Angela, after all they do lead the most fabulous lives. In a nutshell Jenny Has a Bad Week was short but very very sweet.

Jenny Has a Bad Week is available for FREE on Kindle from amazon for those in the UK till 23rd May so hurry and download your copy. After that it is £1.99. You can also get it at iBookstore, right now it is FREE but I am not sure how long for. Readers outside of the UK can download the Kindle version from amazon here.

International Chick Lit Month: Something Borrowed

2011-05-14T11:18:00.001+01:00

There is a famous saying called look at your friends and you see yourselves, in other words we are drawn to people who are just like us. But what about the other flip of the coin where opposites attract? Attractive and vivacious girl is best buddies with a dowdy and demure girl who let's her friend shine and take all the attention. How many times have we seen that scenario? Something Borrowed delves into this situation in the film adaptation of the best-selling book by Emily Giffin. Rachel played by Gennifer Goodwin is thoughtful. caring and generous yet she has always played second fiddle to her best friend, Darcy played by Kate Hudson. Darcy is drop dead gorgeous and has the sort of charisma that draws people in yet her manipulative ways means that she won't stop till she gets what she wants even if it is at the expense of others. When Darcy hooks up with Dex played by Colin Egglesfield who is Rachel's hot friend from law school, Rachel does nothing despite the fact that she really likes Dex and when Dex goes on to propose to Darcy, Rachel is still waiting on the sidelines like a spare tool. Then one drunken night after Rachel's 30th birthday party the unthinkable happens, she does the dirty on Darcy and sleeps with Dex. The morning after both best friend and groom are mortified but decide to keep it a secret. Next thing we know they are having a torrid affair while trying to keep up pretences with Darcy. However, Rachel decides that she needs more from the relationship and gives Dex and untimation to come clean with Darcy or call it off with her.

I have read the book of this film and it is not your run of the mill chick lit. A lot of the characters are very complex and there are a lot of grey areas that are covered. While Darcy is portrayed as a self obsorbed ditzy bimbo in the film, the book presents a more calculated character. The medium of film does not allow us to show the intricacies that are involved with female friendships especially long term ones. Women interact with each other very differently with men and to an extent a female can be like a relationship. It has its highs and lows and there are times when both parties involved can detest each other and this is all without getting into the competitiveness and rivalry that can cloud things. The casting was a bit off; in the book Darcy is a sultry brunette so the last person I would have picked to play her is Kate Hudson and Dex is described as being drop dead gorgeous so I would have expected someone like Ryan Reynolds or Bradley Cooper as opposed to Colin (who) Egglesfield. Still I heard that Emily Giffin is pleased with the result and thinks the casting was spot on so I suppose she is the real expert as it is her baby. Something Borrowed was an enjoyable film but it left me feeling very underwhelmed. There were some nice touches in the film such as a cameo by Emily Giffin sitting in the park reading the sequel, Something Blue which focuses on Darcy's side of the story. Also watch out for the short scene right at the end where we what looks like a potential trailer for Something Blue.

Something Borrowed is out in cinemas now.

I actually got introduced to Something Borrowed at the Yoruba Girl Dancing book club which I am part of and you can read what we all thought about it here.

International Chick Lit Month: Is Chick Lit Simply the Romance Novel?

2011-05-13T06:00:00.000+01:00

Shade Lapite is a writer who runs Just Before Bed which is a fantastic book blog so I was delighted when she offered to write a guest post for me. The post is a light hearted look at the comparisons between Chick Lit and romance novels.

It’s not hard to spot the Chick Lit section in a bookshop. The pastel-coloured, cartoon-illustrated cover has become as ubiquitous as the perma-tan hero - big hands, big pecs, big…everything was once reserved for romances. The story lines are becoming pretty standard too. Housewives being abandoned by their husbands and falling for handsome farmers, (The Sweetest Thing by Cathy Woodman) career women being passed over for promotion then falling for the snobs who stole their coveted job (Unlike a Virgin by Lucy Anne Holmes) and organised girl Fridays forced to babysit out of control rock-star comedians then falling for their charges (Lizzy Harrison Loses Control by Pippa Wright). There’s an awful lot of falling in fact they sound curiously like the romance novel circa 1970 with a sense of humour. While the 21st century Chick Lit novel showers us with unfulfilled women toiling in underpaid job (nannies, secretaries, assistants) leaning on family and friends until a man provides that happy ending, the romance genre has done some serious growing up. The scowling, cynical hero is still wealthy and strong jawed but tends to refrain from taking his woman against her will. The women are still achingly beautiful and innocent but they’re not sitting around waiting for an invite to the nearest aisle. Instead they're strong-willed careerists, occasionally even contemptuous of the whole love thing.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this; when a pudgy, beer-swilling, nicotine-addicted Bridget Jones stumbled on to the literary scene she was supposed to usher in a richer more varied representation of womanhood. And for a while she did; from Melissa Bank’s, Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, to the feisty heroines of Candace Bushell’s Sex and the City. Along with the ditsy Bridgets, Chick Lit encompassed capable women at the top of their game, navigating life and love, friendship and family. You see, there was variety. Now the parameters of the genre seem to be narrowing. Yes the books are still well written, hilarious, moving but the underlying message is consistently - singledom sucks and life’s pointless without a steady man. We already have the romance, and it’s doing pretty well. so it would be a shame if we landed ourselves with an imitation genre. So let’s stop treating singledom like a disease, occasionally ditch the pastel-coloured cover and get back to embracing the full potential of women.

You can read Shade's blog here and you can follow her on Twitter.

International Chick Lit Month: Interview with Lisa Jewell

2011-05-12T06:00:00.003+01:00

I have always been a fan of Lisa Jewell's books and along with Sophie Kinsella, Robyn Sisman, Matt Dunn and Jane Fallon, Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite Chick Lit authors. She has been writing books since 1999 when her first novel, Ralph"s Party became the bestselling debut of the year. Since then her other novels, Thirtysomething, One-Hit Wonder, Vince & Joy, Friend of the Family, 31 Dream Street, The Truth About Melody Browne and After the Party (the sequel to Ralph's Party) have hit the Sunday Times bestsellers list. Her new book, The Making of Us is about Daniel who is dying at a hospice and is thinking about his legacy which consists of four kids that he fathered from four different women. They are strangers to him and each other but all share a common bond which is difficult challenges in their lives. However slowly they begin to find their way into each other's lives. I caught up with Lisa to find out about her new book and what she really thinks about Chick Lit.

Describe the concept of your new book, The Making of Us.
The book is about three strangers, all in their twenties, all living completely disparate lives, unexpectedly find each other when it transpires they share an anonymous donor father. I wanted the book to have the feel of one those gripping ITV three night drama mini-series (possibly starring Suranne Jones ;)) where all the loose threads slowly come together.

What do you think of the term Chick Lit? Is it something you find offensive of quite cute?
I find the term neither offensive, nor cute. I mostly find it annoying. I have been answering this question for twelve years now but the issue never seems to die. There are probably people out there who would enjoy my books but don't buy them because they are put off by the chicklit tag. Equally, there are probably people out there who buy my books precisely BECAUSE they are classed as Chick Lit, so maybe the numbers balance themselves out.

Tell us what your favourite Chick Lit books are.
I loved Jemima J by Jane Green and Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes, but probably the best Chick Lit book I ever read was One Day by David Nicholls.

What sort of projects are you working on currently?
I am writing my 10th book. Wow. Hard to believe. After books about neglected children, dead babies, failing marriages and sperm donors, I wanted to see what it would be like to go back to basics and write a good, old-fashioned love story, so that is what I am doing. I think I may be a bit rusty though – I am 175 pages in and my couple have only just said hello to each other.

Quite a few Chick Lit books have been made into films, if you could have a Lisa Jewel book turned into a movie which one would it be?
Well, as I type there are people trying to get 31 Dream Street made into a movie. They have the finances in place, which is half the battle, so hopefully it might come to something. But if I was to choose one, I think maybe Vince & Joy, which is my favourite of all my books.

The Making of Us is available to buy now.

Check out Lisa Jewell's website and you can join her Facebook Fan Page.

International Chick Lit Month: My Favourite Chick Lit by Wendi Bekoe

2011-05-11T06:00:00.006+01:00

Welcome to the My Favourite Chick Lit series where a few of my favourite writers and bloggers tell me about their best loved Chick Lit book is and why it is so important to them. This week I am featuring the lovely Wendi Bekoe, a journalist who run a great blog called Wendi B Writes which covers her musings, political and social issues.

Thus far, my absolute favourite chick-lit books are the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. I was introduced to them by one of my close friends, and slowly each book consumed all of us in our group. The stories centre around Becky Bloomwood and follow her through her life as an uncontrollable spendaholic. There are six books in total called The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic Abroad, Shopaholic Ties The Knot, Shopaholic & Sister Shopaholic & Baby and Mini Shopaholic which I am yet to read. The way in which Sophie Kinsella has written the books has had me hooked, because she's simply hilarious and not corny with it. Becky thinks almost exactly the way I do in many parts, to the point that at times it made me say to myself "I thought I was the only one who thought that way!" The stories are like a little bit of a fantasy for me, because Becky is pretty much a normal girl living a normal life, except she manages to accidentally land a dream job in New York (something I'd love for myself), she manages to land the guy unexpectedly (something I'd love for myself), she gets married (something I'd... well you get the gist!). Although things like that are generally considered fantasies, to me they are realistic/possible fantasies, and I think that is why I enjoy Chick Lit. They take you to places that, if you're a girly-girl, you've already been dreaming about.

You can check out Wendi's blog here and you can follow her on Twitter.

International Chick Lit Month: Retro Review - Waiting to Exhale

2011-05-08T06:00:00.006+01:00

For many people Bridget Jones was the first Chick Flick movie but as far as I am concerned it was Waiting to Exhale that put the genre on the map. Based on the best-selling book by Terry McMillan, this movie set the world alight when it was released in 1996. I was in the cinema watching with my bestie the first night it was released and you could feel a real frenzy in the air. Waiting to Exhale is the story of four African American friends called Bernadette Harris played by Angela Bassett, Savannah Jackson played by Whitney Houston, Robin Stokes played by Lela Rochon and Gloria Matthews played by Loretta Devine who are at different stages of their lives. Bernadette's perfect life is turned upside down when her husband of ten years ups and leaves her and their two kids for his secretary and she is forced to go to court to fight for what is rightfully hers. Savannah has it all, great looks, independence, fabulous job and apartment but the only thing that is missing is the right guy. Robin is a high powered executive who is blessed with stunning looks and a smart brain yet lacks serious judgement when it comes to picking guys. Gloria runs her own successful salon and spends the rest of her time keeping an eye on her teenage son and has more or less given up on the idea of finding romance.

To me Waiting to Exhale set a precedence in the way women related to each other in films and TV - we had independent and sassy women who juggled careers, family, love lives and friends and who also spoke frankly to each other about their desires. It was a trend that was later emulated in Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle, Soul Food and Girlfriends. That film was really ahead of its time and when I watch it now it still has a really fresh feel to it. All the issues that are covered are relevant today and the dialogue is as sharp as ever. Also it is one of a few films where the adaptation is just as good as the book. The first person narrative in the film worked amazingly well and gave us a real insight into the four women's personalities. Waiting to Exhale has it all, humour, love and friendship all wrapped up in a fantastic package. Much to my delight a sequel to the book was released last year which is rumoured to be turned into a film hopefully with the original cast. I can't wait.

International Chick Lit Month: Destiny by Louise Bagshawe

2011-05-06T06:00:00.002+01:00

I used to be a real Louise Bagshawe fan back in the day and I still love her earlier books such as Career Girls, The Movie Set, Tall Poppies, Monday's Child and Tuesday's Child. She really was one of the first authors to bring blockbusters into the 21st century and was quite rightly dubbed the new Jackie Collins. I stopped following her books when they dropped off the boil around the time when she was making political moves (cough cough) because they seemed to lack the spark that made me fall in love with them. However, it looks like Louise is back in the game with her new book, Destiny. The novel is about orphan, Katie Fox who is born into riches and rags but is gifted with great looks and an abundance of ambition. Katie is determined to make it in life and one way of doing that is to marry media mogul, Marcus Baker who is big player on the scene. Sophisticated, powerful and wealthy he is just the kind of guy to make Katie's dreams come true. Pretty soon she has the life she always dreamed of; wearing designer clothes and fabulous jewellery and attending glittery events with her uber rich and glam friends with all the time in the world to lunch and shop. However her lifestyle begins to lose its shine and Katie decides she wants more out of life such as a career of her own and a man she actually loves. Alas she soon finds that leaving her marriage is not as easy as she thinks and she finds herself with a fight on her hands to keep her independence and reputation.

Destiny by Louise Bagshawe is available to buy from today on amazon.

You can check out Louse Bagshawe's website.

International Chick Lit Month: My Favourite Chick Lit by Yasmin Selena Butt

2011-05-04T06:00:00.003+01:00

One of the interesting things about Chick Lit is the sense of community that has grown over the last few years. As well as multiple websites and blogs there are hundreds of forums and Facebook Fan Pages that focus solely on the love of these books. Where people from all walks of life can come together to discuss and share their love of the genre. I asked a few of my favourite writers and bloggers to tell me what their best loved Chick Lit book is and why it is so important to them. I will be running this series over the next few weeks and today I will be kicking off with the lovely, Yasmin Selena Butt. Yasmin is a marketing and communications specialist who has just finished her first book which is due out later this year.

Chapatti or Chips? by Nisha Minhas

When I was asked to pen a few hundred words about a chick-lit aka contemporary romantic title I realised that the writer that had really defined the genre for me on a personal level was Nisha Minhas. For some inexplicable reason she hasn’t published a new novel in at least four years, but her fiercely funny, sexy, romantic books really startled and captivated me because I’d never come across a British Asian writer like her before. In the noughties, she wasn’t writing sombre novels about the days of the Raj, colonial times or misty-eyed vistas of India, she was writing about young Asian women sneaking off to get their leg over with a strapping English hunk of a man, while trading witticisms and barbed insults. Her heroines were savvy, smart and sometimes conflicted but there wasn’t a demure, downcast head in sight. Minhas redefined the stereotype of young Asian women in British chick-lit. In fact she put them on the map. I never saw other writers such as Jane Green or Wendy Holden featuring them in their stories even though England is as we all know a racial melting pot. Minhas’s novels are not rocket science, the narratives are in fact actually quite formulaic. Rich, English jack the lad falls in love with spirited, beautiful Asian lass, there are romantic and cultural obstacles in the way, yet you know they’ll be overcome while fighting, bickering and kissing, then our duo will run off into the bawdy future together.

My personal favourite is probably the tongue in cheek titled Chapatti or Chips?. A little tale about Naina and Dave. The memory is sweet because it was my first and so refreshing to come across a feisty Asian character. At last I rejoiced! A story were an Asian girl gets to have a snog and a shag. He’s a commitment-phobe, she’s got an arranged marriage pending to a perfectly nice Indian boy and they can’t keep away from each other. You want to knock their heads together and you know there’ll be a happy ending but you still enjoy the ride. Minhas’s last offering Tall, Dark and Handsome, came in for a lot of criticism from her own readers, particularly for her apparently ill-judged swipes at Islam. I’ve not read it, so cannot judge, but it might potentially explain her radio silence as a writer. Whatever the reason behind the lack of output in the last few years, I’d be interested to see what plotlines are brewing away in that head of hers and to discover whether she’s capable of writing a new plotline rather than a modern day Carry On variation of an inter-racial romance. Minhas is clearly bright and able and has a wicked sense of humour and sometimes as in The Marriage Market, she is capable of tackling more serious issues such as familial abduction. And whatever anyone says about chick lit and her role in it, the girl firmly planted the flag for Asian writers everywhere, including myself, who wanted to write a modern, romantic East meets West story without feeling the guilt and for that she deserves some credit.

You can follow Yasmin on Facebook.

International Chick Lit Month: Chick Lit is Still in Vogue

2011-05-01T06:00:00.001+01:00

I came across Chick Lit Is Not Dead last year while browsing on the world wide web and as I am a firm lover of the genre I immediately added it to my bookmarks. The blog was set up by best friends Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke and celebrates Chick Lit in many ways. Liz and Lisa's distinct point of view have won them plenty of fans who follow them regularly. Chick Lit is Not Dead covers book reviews, interviews with chick lit authors and also cover topical issues such as the whether Royal Wedding is a relevant to current times. Their famous 'Do's and Don't"s is where authors gives us an insight into their psyches and the very popular 'Ask Liz and Lisa' special is where the duo dish out advice on various issues. I caught up with Liz and Lisa who took time out to tell me about their blog and Chick Lit books.

What made you start blogging?
We'd been best friends for over twenty years when we released our first novel, I'll Have What She's Having in January 2009 (being re-released as an e-book this summer) and started our popular blog Chick Lit is not Dead as a way to gain more exposure. We had no freakin' clue what we were doing. Now, two years later, with several authors being featured per week, regular original blog posts written by us and giveaways galore, we'd like to believe we know slightly more about what we're doing. However we still have a lot to learn.

Describe the concept behind Chick Lit is Not Dead.
While querying our first manuscript we kept hearing, we really like this book but...Chick Lit is Dead. But we felt in our Chick Lit loving heart of hearts that there was a still a market for all types of fiction that appeal to women. Yes, the original stiletto wearing, Prada clad heroine's time may have been over, but that kind of character doesn't have to define Chick Lit forever. To us, Chick Lit describes books that women want to read, whether it's a gripping memoir or Jennifer Weiner's latest novel. Our site supports and celebrates all good books.

Over the last year bloggers have really made their mark in Chick Lit coverage, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
It seems like publishers and authors are really beginning to embrace the power of a book blog tour. We think that bloggers will continue to grow in their influence- especially as eReaders become more popular and people turn to the Internet for book reviews.

You have a huge following, do you ever get stressed about maintaining such a high standard?
We feel really thankful that people have responded so well to Chick Lit is Not Dead. We're constantly amazed at how incredibly awesome our followers are. And yes, we definitely stress about keeping things fresh and there may have even been a girlfight here or there about what direction to head next. But at the end of the day, we just like to have fun with it and enjoy the ride. We're releasing our second novel, The D Word, this Summer and we hope that will give us lots of new things to write about.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
Liz: I love to spend time with my husband and two children and have a "day job" in pharmaceutical sales.
Lisa: I am building my resume as a freelance writer and juggling being a new mom to my baby girl. We spend a fair amount of time just trying to get each other on the phone for a live conversation. Damn you time zones! (Liz is in California, and Lisa in Chicago...)

Describe a typical day in the life of Liz and Lisa.
Liz: Scrambling to get out of the house, scrambling to get home, beg the children to go to bed, write, write, write and attempt to squeeze at least one trashy reality show in. Repeat.
Lisa: Hauls her post-baby booty out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to get a work out in before the baby wakes. Juggles writing and feeding and changing diapers all day. If lucky, I squeeze in an episode of a bad reality TV show. Repeat.

Where do you source your stories from?
We don't usually report on anything that actually need to be sourced. We prefer to shove our own uneducated opinions down people's throats instead! =)

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
Us Weekly, People, Entertainment Weekly, Shape, Self, Writer's Digest, Vogue, Fitness and Fit Pregnancy. (Beginning to think we have too many magazine subscriptions!)

Name five blogs that you read religiously.
Ivy League Insecurities, Ask Allison, BooksSparks PR, Manic Mommy and Whispering Writer. (Oh and Perez Hilton too)

You can read Liz and Lisa's blog here

You can follow them on Twitter and you can join their Facebook Fan Page.

Welcome to International Chick Lit Month

2011-04-30T06:00:00.026+01:00

Chick Lit is defined as a type of post-feminist or second-wave feminism that went beyond female-as-victim to include fiction that covered the breadth of female experiences, including love, courtship and gender.

Wikipedia

May not only marks the end of Spring but the start of the first ever International Chick Lit Month which is a celebration of Chick Lit. A website has been set up specifically to mark the event which will consist of guests posts by authors, tips on how to write that novel and get it published and authors choosing their favourite Chick Lit books. Organised by Chicklit Club, Chick Lit is Not Dead and Novelicious it looks like May will be one hell of a month. Chick Lit often gets a bad rap from what I class as cultural snobs or those who are too short sighted to see that it is far more than fluffy pink covers. To me Chick Lit is a genre that embraces modern femininity; it covers issues that young women face such as challenges in the workplace, friendship, personal growth, family drama as well as romances. The term really came to fruition in 1988 as college slang for a course called female literary tradition and in 1995 it was used in an anthology called Chick Lit; Postfeminist Fiction. In a nutshell Chick Lit are books that features a female protagonist whose womanhood is heavily themitzed in the plot. Titles such as Bridget Jones's Diary, Sex and the City and The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing helped to establish the term and push it into the mainstream which got the publishing industry on board and behind the genre. However, the original Chick Lit author was Jane Austen who penned Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and of course Emma which which have been adapted into TV shows as well as films. Nowadays Chick Lit has really grown up and been divided into sub genres such as Mommy Lit, Career Lit, Chick Noir, Expose Lit and Lad Lit. Over the month I will be doing a Chick Lit special which will feature a whole treat of reviews and stories on the genre. There will be a review of Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin which has been made into a film and I will be comparing both book and film. I will be asking fellow bloggers to talk about their favorite Chick Lits and there will be a review of Lindsey Kelk's digital short story, Jenny Lopez Has Had a Bad Week. So join me as we celebrate this fabulous month.

To kick off the month I am giving away four Sweet Valley High t-shirts, all you need to do is email me at ondolady@gmail.com telling me what your favorite Chick Lit book is - please put International Chick Lit Month in the subject field. The deadline is 31st May.

Company Magazine The Reader Issue...Starring You!

2011-04-16T11:35:00.000+01:00

Over the last couple of years Company magazine has gone from strength to strength. It is no longer that beige magazine that jostled for position on the shelf racks alongside Cosmopolitan and Glamour. After launching the magnificent High Street Edit last year to much aplomb, Company is now up there with the heavyweights pulling punches. I came across the May issue of Company yesterday while doing my weekly shop at Sainsburys and it immediately caught my eye not just for the fresh design but for the special Reader Issue. Company launched the idea of a model free issue three years ago as a way of featuring women with realistic body shapes. They have joined forces with River Island to create the Company Casting Call where 12 readers where chosen out of thousands to model in the publication wearing clothes from River Island. Two were even chosen for the cover with the winner featured inside in a cover spread. T4 presenter, Jameela Jamil writes a fabulous first person story encouraging young women to embrace their differences as she recounts on her painful childhood when she was bullied. This was a really inspiring piece that will resonate with lots of young girls out there, it certainly did with me. There is a feature on three women who are holding down several jobs in order to survive the economic climate and I am not just talking about domestic jobs either. For instance one lady is working as a teacher, singer, songwriter and journalist. Talk about keeping busy.

The Reader Issue also contains an intriguing piece on the how your birth order can effect your relationship. Also a quirky story featuring three guys discussing their girlfriend"s wardrobe and telling us what they think of it. Of course there are the odd celebrity interviews with Gossip Girl's, Leighton Meester, a short Q&A with Katy B, an intimate interview with Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lopez is featured discussing beauty. My favourite piece is the interiors section where handbag designer, Hannah Griffiths show us round her like retro-kitsch flat which is simply to die for. Overall, Company The Reader Issue is a very sweet deal and it is really lovely to see readers being featured in stylish but yet genuine way. Next month is all about festivals as in which ones to go to, which artists to see and more importantly what the hell to wear. Now I am not a festivals person but must admit that the issue sounds appealing. With their new mobile site and their app for iPads, Company is certainly on fire.

Company: The Reader Issue...Starring You! is available to buy in the shops now.

Sweet Valley High Confidential

2011-04-14T18:34:00.001+01:00

Growing up as a teen in the 80s, Sweet Valley High was my ultimate favourite book series. I was hungry for stories about teens whether they were realistic or aspirational so it was like a dream come true when the launch of the series was announced 1983. The saga of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield and their glam friends gave me many hours of entertainment. Sweet Valley High ran for twenty years in which the twins hardly aged.and there were even spin-off series about the twins when they were in High School and also when they were at college. I was not alone with my love affair with the Wakefield twins judging by the sales of the books and since the pending arrival of Sweet Valley Confidential was announced hundreds of fellow bloggers have come out to declare their love. The premise of the series is that Elizabeth was the kind and caring twin who is in a steady relationship with basketball high school star, Todd Wilkins. Elizabeth was a gifted writer and her side kick was the geeky Enid Rollins. Jessica on the other was selfish, manipulative and kind of shallow. She was head cheerleader and her interests consist of flirting, socialising and gossiping. Her inner circle comprised of the snooty Lila Fowler and catty Cara Walker. Despite their huge different personalities both twins did love each other dearly and were very close to their family unit of Alice and Ned who is Mama and Papa Wakefield and older brother Steven. Life in Sweet Valley has been very quiet since 2003 so I was really surprised to hear that Francine Pascal had written another title about the twins in their 20s. The release of the book last month is the US sent Twitter into meltdown and Francine was all over the net giving interview after interview. I decided that I needed to get my hands on a copy to see what my favourite blonde and blue/green eyed twins are up to.

Sweet Valley Confidential starts off in New York with Elizabeth coming back to her empty apartment after a long day at work. The phone rings and it is a voicemail from Jessica begging her to speak to her. Elizabeth ignores it. It becomes apparent that something is very wrong and all is not well with the twins. It turns out that Todd has left Elizabeth for Jessica - yes Jessica - betraying her sister in the most awful way. Elizabeth fled to NYC to escape the humiliation and lick her wounds. Jessica and Todd are living together in Sweet Valley and planning their wedding while Elizabeth plans her revenge. Also Elizabeth is no longer best friends with Enid Rollins in fact her bestie is Bruce Patman who she actually could not stand in school. As Elizabeth carves out a name for herself in NYC she finds it hard to let go of the pain and anger that she is harbouring against her twin and ex boyfriend so she hatches up a plan to make them pay. So I guess you all want to know one thing - was this book as good as I expected it be? Hell yes! Time may have moved on for us and Elizabeth and Jessica but Francine Pascal"s ability to tell a good story has not, Sweet Valley Confidential had me gripped from beginning to the end.

I love the way they have taken the book into the 21st century with splattering of pop culture with mentions of Blackberrys, Britney Spears and Facebook. Ok some of it was a tad clumsy but the effect was great. Moreover we get to see more character development with Elizabeth and Jessica; while the original series was very black and white with Elizabeth being the good twin and Jessica being the bad one, this new book shows the good and bad traits in both. We witness Elizabeth being bad and devious and also learn that Jessica has a heart and can be very selfless. I have read a few blog reviews and a lot of people have been dissing the book because of its massive inaccuracies in the characters names and events. I will admit that I did not even notice these things but I guess it shows how long ago it was since I read the book, either that or I am getting really old. I really did enjoy this book and I can describe it as meeting an old school friend and catching up on the good old days despite the fact that both of your lives have moved on. Now I cannot wait to see the movie. Roll on 2012 and the Diablo Cody effect.

Check out a couple of wicked videos about the Sweet Valley High phenomenon. The first one is the trailer for the new book and the second one is about the cultural impact of the series.

Sweet Valley Confidential is available to buy on amazon.

Retro TV: Dawson"s Creek

2011-04-10T13:46:00.000+01:00

I do love my teen programmes; The OC, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and 90210 but no show defined the teen genre more than Dawson's Creek. The show was sort of based on the life of its creator, Kevin Williamson who created the Scream series and The Vampire Diaries. Williamson who was at the time Hollywood's wunderkid was approached to create a teen TV series after studio bosses read his witty script for Scream and Williamson described his efforts as Some Kind of Wonderful meets My So-Called Life meets Pump up the Volume meets James at 15 meets Little House in the Prairie. Dawson's Creek revolves around Dawson Leery played by James Van Der Beek, an aspiring film-maker who more or less had the perfect life; doting parents, great best friends and an idyllic life in a seaside town called Capeside. Dawson is an eternal optimist who firmly believes in that little thing called love and is a passionate Steven Spielberg fan. His close friends consist of gal pal, Joey Potter played by Katie Holmes, who he has spent practically every memorable moment with since his whole life. Their blissful friendship hits a rocky path when they start to drift apart and move into adulthood. Dawson's guy pal is Pacey Witter played by Joshua Jackson who is about as different from Dawson as you can get. Pacey is irresponsible, outspoken, restless, reckless and very funny and he is a chronic underachiever who uses his sarcasm to disguise his unhappy childhood. Then there is also newcomer, Jen Lindley played by Michelle Williams who has moved to the town from New York who strikes up a friendship with Dawson which leads to conflict with Joey. Later on in the series the four friends are joined by brother and sister, Jack and Andie McPhee played by Kerr Smith and Meredith Monroe.

There was no doubt that the relationship between Joey and Dawson was very special; you know the type where she would sneak into his room by climbing up a ladder and they would watch movies all night on his bed? The two of them were soul mates who would go on to become lovers and then greatest friends. Dawson's Creek covered a lot of heavyweight issues such as teenage sex, abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality all mixed up with teen angst. The show ran for six series during the period of 1998 and 2003 and is credited as defining a generation. What made the show stand out was the impressive dialogue they would use to converse in. It was rather akin to Shakespeare with long prose and expressive verbs. When I first started watching the show it took me a while to get into it but once I did boy was I hooked. Dawson's Creek really had a lovely charm about it especially the childhood friendships, rites of passage and comprehensive dialogue. It may not have been as glamorous as Gossip Girl or as cool as The OC but it held a sense of warmth that the other shows lacked. You really felt that you knew Dawson and co and really lived through their trials and tribulations. Dawson's Creek ended in 2003 with a special length episode and even though a lot of time has passed since then I now watch the lives of the actors from the series with interest and fondness. James Van Der Beek has gone on to act in films and TV shows and he is now a father and on his second marriage, Katie Holmes is now Mrs Tom Cruise and as well as having a very stylish little daughter she has herself a very stellar acting career, Michelle Williams also has a daughter by the late Heath Ledger and is now one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood and Joshua Jackson has done a fair bit of acting himself and is now happily dating Diane Kruger.

The show is now being repeated on Sony TV on Wednesday at 7pm.

Bill Cunningham New York

2011-04-06T15:17:00.005+01:00

Forget The Satorialist, Face Hunter. Tommy Ton and Garance Dore - 80 year old Bill Cunningham aka The Bill is the original street style photographer. Since he has been shooting fashionistas from the late 70s he has earned the respect of the heavy hitters in New York. Bill started his career as a writer on The Chicago Tribune and began taking pictures of well dressed people on the streets of New York. He got his big break when he took a chance picture of Greta Garbo which was published in The Times in 1978 and went on to become a regular series. This was a huge first because usually images of famous people needed permission before they could be run. Since then Bill has gone on to take countless photographs of celebrities, socialites and fashion personalties in Manhattan, in a career that has amassed around 40 to 50 years. He has entertained the public with his columns in The Times Style section, One the Street and Evening Hours. Some say that he has the history of the last 50 years of New York right in the palm of his hands. More remarkable is that the fact that a lot of his images have never been published.

A few months ago I came across a few blog posts about Bill Cunningham which got my attention and it was only after a while that I realised that a film had been made about him. Bill Cunningham, New York documents the life of the much celebrated photographer and the impact he has made on pop culture. It shows an artist at work and how he is much more than a creator of images but really an anthropological historian. After all this is a man who is revered by the likes of Anna Wintour who made the inoccuous comment, "We all get dressed up for Bill." We get to see the real man behind the lens as well as his humble lifestyle which consists of a simple apartment and him dashing around Manhattan on his precious bike. The documentary is directed by Richard Press who has written and directed many award winning short films. He decided to make the film due to the fascination he had about Bill as a person and how he chose to live his life. The film was released in the US on 16 March and has picked up many awards but there is no news about a UK release date.

For more information about the film, check out the website.

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl

2011-04-04T15:38:00.003+01:00

I've got to admit at school I felt very much like a square peg in a round hole. While all my female classmates were fussing over clothes, make up and boys I was more interested in books and IT. I was also very shy and socially awkward which made school a bit of a chore. Still the good thing about this is that I blossomed in my late 20s and early 30s and now I am the kick ass diva that you all know and love. Looking back I realise that I was not alone and around the globe there were lots of quirky Black girls and guys who did not fit the status quo. So I was very intrigued where I came across a series called The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. The web series is the tale of Issa Rae who is making her way through life, work and love. Isaa is a quirky character who we get to see muddling through the awkward moments in her life and dealing with the insecure, stupid and angry thoughts that go on in her head. We also see her getting into mishaps while driving her car and also dealing with annoying colleagues at work. Issa is an actress and film-maker who came up with the idea two years ago as an outlet to share her own awkward moments after realising that these moments were not just unique to her but universal.
Face it we don't see many of these characters on the screen and with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Kanye West waving the flag for Geek Chic hopefully they will become more mainstream.

Check out the trailer above and the first episode below.

You can watch The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl here.

Social Media World Forum

2011-04-03T14:17:00.002+01:00

Social media marketing to me is what direct marketing was in the 90s. A new medium comes into the foray and everyone jumps on it because it is new and sexy. Social Media consists of elements such as Facebook. Twitter, LinkedIn. Flickr. FourSquare, MySpace and Quora. Over the last year or so it has been taken seriously and more and more companies are using it as part of their marketing mix because it allows them to interact with their customers and get their messages out there. To meet this growing trend various events have been put on around the world to inform people on how to use the tools. In February there was Social Media Week which took place at various venues around London where I picked up quite a few tips. So I was pretty excited about the Social Media World Forum which took place last week at Olympia. The conference is produced by events company, Sixdegrees who put on the event in cities such as New York, Cape Town, Singapore and Dubai with the aim of engaging, debating and understanding the latest issues in social media marketing. The two days consisted of presentations and workshops with key speakers from huge hitting brands such as Facebook, ecademy, Klout, Microsoft and CNN and they explored issues such as trends in social media, integrating social media into marketing, monitoring and measuring, media and PR, applying social media marketing to B2B and social shopping. Entrance to the event was free but there was a charge to attend each session but there was a Social Media Hub where was free for all where visitors could listen to companies talk about topics such as online privacy and security, social media monitoring and the impact of SEO. There was also an exhibition where a lot of companies were flogging there monetizing and measuring tools, recruitment consultants and social media agencies.

I attended the first day and I found it to be very insightful from a social media perspective and the amount of techie companies exhibiting various tools gave me an idea of where the market is going. After a quick wander round the exhibition I had loaded myself down with an abundance of information. The event had a really nice vibe about it that had the sense that something new and exciting was about to take off. Also the talks in the Social Media Hub were very thought provoking; some were better than others but overall the quality was good. Social Media World Forum was indeed a very slick event that embraced the coming of age of the genre. Five things I learnt from the Social Media World Forum are below:

1. Location sites are going to be a real force over the coming years with the tie-ins to companies and incentives.

2. Your online reach will be invaluable in order to get the attention of advertisers hence the success of companies such as Klout and Reputation Online.

3. Listening to what people are saying about your or your client"s brand will be easier to do with the amount of tools that are now available on the market.

4. Facebook and Google will fight it out to rule the world and only the strongest will remain standing.

5. No-one really know what they are doing as the genre is so new so everyone is faking it.

You can get more information about the Social Media World Forum here.

The Big Fashion Wardrobe

2011-04-01T16:27:00.004+01:00

Like most ladies I have always yearned for one of those huge walk-in wardrobes that holds all your clothes, shoes and bags. Rather like the one that lucky Carrie Bradshaw had in her bachalorette apartment and the lush one that Big built her in the first movie. Well those clever people at Westfield London have come up with a genius idea to host a vibrant room that contains a massive walk in wardrobe smack in The Atrium. Brands like DKNY Jeans, Firetrap, French Connection, Jaeger, L.K. Bennett, House of Fraser, NW3, Reiss, River Island and Ted Baker are displaying their wares while welcoming their customers to a unique experience. All the stores are offering exclusive discounts and some wonderful prizes are up for grabs. The concept of The Big Fashion Wardrobe is that fashionistas can experience every stage of looking fabulous from being in an opulence wardrobe full of clothes and accessories to getting a fabulous new hairdo and a fantastic makeover. After that customers will be able to show off their new look in a photo shoot. Added to that there will also be fashion blogging writing workshops hosted by a few popular bloggers which took place in the swish blogging suite. If that is not enough the day will be topped off with a fashion show. I popped down to Westfield yesterday to have a look at the event and I was very impressed, the organisers have really gone all out to make it a really seductive event for shoppers. This is where Westfield stands out ahead of all the other shopping centres such as Bluewater, Lakeside and The Trafford Centre. The theme here was glamorous opulence, whether you were delving into the rails of designer brands like DKNY Jeans or high street stores such as French Connection you were privy to the same euphoric experience that shopping for that special outfit can give you. Westfield London does it again!

The Big Fashion Wardrobe takes place at Westfield London till Sunday 3rd April. You can check out the website here.

PS: While I was impressed with The Big Fashion Wardrobe I cannot say the same with the PR team. I sent an email asking for a press release to be sent to me so I could cover the event but heard nothing back. I did not even get a reply to the tweet I sent, so much for engaging with customers. Anyway despite being ignored by the PR company I decided to take myself off to the event myself and I am glad I did.

PPS: I would like to add that after my outburst I received a lovely email from Propellernet who do the PR for Westfield apologising for the breakdown in communication and inviting me down to the event. Sadly I was unable to attend but I do appreciate them reaching out to me and trying to make amends.

Welcome to my World

2011-04-01T08:30:00.000+01:00

Juggling full time studies and a blog while growing a media empire can be quite a struggle but Wande Alugo manages it smoothly. Her blog, Wande's World is the go to place for anyone who is interested in hair, make up, skincare and fashion. On here you can find reviews on products, events and the lowdown on the new make up looks. Wande has been blogging for a good few years and describes herself as the big sister who hands out valuable advice on how to look hot for any occasion. When she is not blogging, Wande hosts a lifestyle show on YouTube that covers topical issues such as beauty, fashion and random rambles. The show is also named Wande"s World and slots into her master plan on building her own brand on different platforms. Wande describes herself as a techno geek and admits to being married to her Blackberry. She took five minutes out with me to discuss the beauty of blogging.

What made you start blogging?
Funnily enough when I started I had no idea about the beauty blogging community, I constantly used to read up on news on beauty information sites etc. However when I would constantly get messages, phone calls, texts and the works about make up questions, and how to do this and that, so I started writing about makeup, and doing occasional You Tube videos.

Describe the concept behind Wande's World.
I’m often told I live in my own world - which is true - so I decided to base my blog around things I love, and before you know it my blog was a beauty blog and slowly embracing my fashion sense too. The concept behind Wande’s World is that literally anything I love or have experienced goes on my blog, simple as can be.

Over the last year beauty bloggers have really made their mark in blogsphere, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
I know right! I actually based on dissertation on the impact of beauty bloggers, which was amazing to see the perception of bloggers. It will continue to grow and beauty brands will listen to us more, and magazines will not be as important as it is today or used to be. Hey don't shoot the messenger, it's what I found from my dissertation lol. Evidently, brands are taking more consideration now, I mean where's the MAC/Rodarte collection? Not what I wanted but I’m just saying.

How do you get your inspiration for your posts?
Inspiration can come from anything, from problems I face to problems friends face, or simply just nature. I once did an eye shadow tutorial of the sunset, simply because it is so beautiful.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
I’m currently a final year student (its over in two months, so cant wait) so working on Uni work, or working on some sort of marketing or PR project as I freelance every now and then. Another part is socialising, which I adore doing.

Describe a typical day in the life of Wande.
Wake, read the bible on my iPhone, or meditate on something I read. Check and respond to emails, check Facebook, check Twitter, check You Tube, check blogs that have been updated. On Uni days obviously I go to lectures, which is normally followed by some blogging event. Then off home to work on uni work of some sort. Check Twitter, and check and reply emails again. That's the cycle till I go to bed at crazy o’clock.

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
Vogue, Grazia and Elle

Name five blogs that you read religiously.
Mouldy Fruit, London Beauty Queen, Dulce Candy, Lipglossipping and Beauty Fulfilled. Goodness that was hard. I read hundreds on blogs though.

How do you see your blog evolving over the next two years?
Hmmm I haven't really planned but I hope to do more personalised posts and be more reader inspired.

You can read Wande's blog.

Follow her on Twiter.

Essex Fashion Week

2011-03-27T15:40:00.005+01:00

Some people thought it was a made up event but I can assure you that Essex Fashion Week was indeed real. The event was founded last year by twins, Adam and Simon Ryan and the idea was to make some noise about Essex and show that the county is much more than fake bakes, white stilettos, vajazzles and nail extensions. Essex Fashion Week kicked off last Thursday and yours truly took a trip down to Fairlop to check out Essex's fashionistas. The name Essex Fashion Week was rather optimistic as it only took place over three days. Thursday was press day, Friday was for student's to display their wares and Saturday was the main day were all the celebrities were in tow. Taking place in a spacious marquee, there were a smattering of celebrities such as Jo Wood and a few stars from The Only Way is Essex aka TOWIE, until yesterday I had never seen the show so I did not recognise the TOWIE stars. I am aware that Essex Fashion Week was incorporated into the show as a few members of the cast took part in it. For such a low brow event it certainly notched up quite a few decent sponsors such as New Look as headline sponsor and Funky Mojoes and I hear that Janice Dickinson came on board as host on Saturday.

New Look were up first with their collection of denim shorts, waistcoats and lycra jerseys for women and bermuda shorts and tshirts that were perfect for the Essex man to show off their pecs on the beach at Ibiza or Barbados. Then there was One Off One You which is the label of Adam and Simon Ryan where we saw blazers accented with colours and worn over bare chests. Cherie"s Boutique was a delightful mix of flowing dresses that would be certain to impress at a cocktail party. Idol is a new fresh label from New Look which has a vintage feel and they showed off their jumpsuits, boyfriend blazers and printed tshirts. Sweet Boy designed by Jay Lloyd Samuel who is a footballer and it is a cute kids wear which comprises of over sized blazars, shorts and sweatshirts. Believing is a boutique in Buckhurst which contains funky directional wares such as a jackets with pointy shoulder pads, sequined dresses and distressed harem pants. Then we saw A Pot of Marmite which was certainly memorable with ruffled bikinis and provocatively cut out swimsuits - lets say the phrase "You either love it or hate it" was appropriate.

What did I think of the event? Well I applauded the flamboyance and glitz that the event exuded - one thing about Essex is that they do not do things by half and the country certainly has the wow factor. As I mentioned the event took place in a marquee with Fairlop Waters as a backdrop and as well as a champagne reception there was a free bar and a chocolate mountain together with a fruit one. There was a goody bag on each seat which contained a lovely beaded bracelet and matching necklace from 1 and a cute scarf as well as a copy of Celebrity & Style Now magazine. The organisation was a bit mishap with a few technical difficulties with the music and I was quite surprised to hear that Thursday was actually a trial run. You would think that they would invite the press down after all the kinks had been ironed out. Still overall Essex Fashion Week was an enjoyable day and a great way to celebrate all that is fabulous about the county. Now all I want to know is when there is going to be a Kent Fashion Week.

Thanks to Sassi PR for inviting me.

Video Girl

2011-03-26T11:15:00.000Z

When I came across this trailer on Shadow and Act my first reaction was whoopee, the lovely Meagan Good has found some work. Meagan has been in front of the camera since she was a young girl but made her calling in Biker Boyz and Stomping the Yard. Her actual breakthrough was in Eve's Bayou where she played Cisely Batiste, Eve's older sister. in the much acclaimed film. Since then Meagan's career more ore less went off the boil, a few months ago I came across an insightful comment on Twitter stating that all the leading roles seem to be going to Halle Berry, Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson and that Meagan was finding it hard to live with this company. Well it looks like Ms Good has taken her career into her own hands and has started her own production company called Freedom Bridge Entertainment with fellow acting friends. Their second project Video Girl is about the contentious world of music videos. Meagan plays Lori Walker, a small town girl with big dreams who heads for the bright lights of LA to make it as a video star. Her rise to the top is rapid and soon she is the IT girl in hip hop videos and earning an insane amount of money. Fame calls and she finds herself in demand by producers and the media, however the trappings of fame are only round the corner and Lori finds her life spiralling out of control.

As soon as I saw the trailer I immediately thought of Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans, an explosive expose that documents her life as a leading video girl. Between 2000 to 2002 Karrine was the go to girl for music videos and at her helm she made $2,500 a day. She starred in videos by Jay Z, R Kelly and LL Cool J and also had a bit part in the film, A Man Apart starring Vin Diesel. I remember when the book was released in 2005 because it caused a huge sensation and was covered in the entertainment press such as Vibe and Touch magazine. I only got round to ordering it late last year and it really lived up to my expectations, in fact it exceeded them. Karrine's stories about her experiences as a video girl are salacious, gossipy, scandalous and absolutely hilarious. The tales that stood out to me were:

Damon Dash falling over drunk by the pool on the morning of a video shoot. LOL. No wonder Jay Z distanced himself.
Her relationship with Shaquille O'Neal that was fueled by sex and cash.
Her one night stand with P Diddy that resulted in him dogging her and bad mouthing her to Xzibit (shameless man).
Her love affair with Ray J.
Her destructive relationship with Bobby Brown.
Also the hardcore rapper who whimpered like a baby every time they had sex. LOL

I am not sure whether Meagan and co have used the book as a source but judging by the trailer there are certainly huge similarities. A lot of stories have been told about video dancers hence the documentary, Hip Hop Honeys that was on BBC and the reality series of the same name that aired on BET. It seems that Hip Hop honeys are still big news.

Video Girl will be released on 29th April at selected cinemas in the US.

Ask the Expert - Ondo Lady featured on CMyPassion

2011-03-25T11:29:00.005Z

I don't do many interviews so when Denise asked me if I would like to be featured on her blog. CMyPassion, my answer was hell yeah! CMyPassion was created in 2007 by Denise Kodia so she could keep in touch with the music scene in London. The blog covers all the stuff that Denise loves such as magazines and music and it is a mixture of news, interviews and reviews. More recently, Denise has introduced a section called, Ask the Expert where she will feature a blogger, journalist, fashionista or creative and discuss how they got into the industry. So I was rather chuffed when she decided to feature me as her first guest. A talented journalist, Denise was editor of Nang magazine and worked at Pride magazine and she is making mad moves.

Check my interview and feel free to leave a comment or two.

Check out an interview that I did with Denise Kodia a while back.

Chelsea Girl is Back in Town

2011-03-23T14:41:00.003Z

The main message from The Look Show which took place in February was that the 70s were going to dominate the Spring and Summer season. This is even more resonated by the re-launch of Chelsea Girl which is something of a fashion icon. For those of you who are old enough (side eye) Chelsea Girl was the stomping ground of many a trendy lass during the 60s, 70s and 80s who badly needed her fashion fix. The store was the first UK boutique store and stood out from its counterparts such as Topshop and Tammy Girl because of the boho and quirky feel the shops held. The mantra was affordable clothing that was on trend but also fun and exciting. In 1988 we said goodbye to Chelsea Girl as River Island took its place and made their stamp on the High Street amongst the likes of Miss Selfridge, Warehouse and Topshop.

So kudos to River Island who are bringing the brand back with a blast starting with a pop-up shop in Selfridges. Fans both old and new will be able to get their hands on the capsule collection which comprises of 40 pieces for the Spring and Summer. The new range is designed by National College of Art & Design student, Lucy Moller who joined the River Island team after winning an internship and Brand Director, Farida Kaikobad who worked on Chelsea Girl in the 80s. Lucy used old pieces from Chelsea Girl that she found in the archive, ebay and in her mother's attic. Well you cannot get anymore vintage than that can you? Fashion enthusiasts can look forward to mini skirts, shorts, crop t-shirts, wide leg trousers and printed maxi dresses in florals, geometric-inflected prints and wispy fabrics. The clothing line is being pitched as the younger sister of River Island which I think is kind of cool as we all that teens are huge influencers in fashion. Look at Madonna and daughter Lourdes's fashion range, Material Girl which seems to be doing well not to mention teen stars such as Selena Gomez, Emma Roberts, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Momsen whose style is often copied by teen girls.

The Chelsea Girl pop-up shop will be open in Selfridges from Thursday 24th March to Thursday 31st March,.

The collection will be available to purchase from selected River Island stores next week and is also available to buy online here.

Styling by Arieta Mujay and image by Nick Haddows.

The Ticklemouse Show

2011-03-20T14:42:00.001Z

Make up artist, blogger and all round good guy, Thomas Walker aka Thom Ticklemouse has launched his own TV show called The Ticklemouse Show. It is a three part series which will cover all the things that Thomas is passionate about. The first episode sees Thom interviewing fashionistas at Somerset House during London Fashion Week and asking them about the shows they saw and more importantly whet they are wearing. The show is hosted by Street Talk UK TV and is part of their roster of shows that cover urban culture and art.

You can watch The Ticklemouse Show here.

Check out the My Space interview that I did with Thomas last year.

Anuvahood

2011-03-19T11:35:00.008Z

Ok I will be honest, initially the title of this film did not appeal to me at all and I had immediately placed it into the category of Kidulthood and Adulthood with no intention of seeing it ever. Then a good blogger mate gave me the lowdown and explained that Anuvahood is actually a moment in time - it is the UK version of Friday and the first 'urban' comedy to be released in the mainstream cinema. It even had a decent PR budget (rather unheard of with urban films) with director, Adam Deacon appearing in a double spread interview in the Evening Standard and appearances on BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio 1Xtra and on top of that a celebrity clad premiere at Leicester Square. I decided that as a pop cultural commentator that I owed it to myself and my lovely readers to see this film and report back with my findings. I will point out that I had read no reviews and I had received no press releases so I went in with very little information on the film. All I knew was that it was a send up of young urban culture.

I was going to say lets start with the plot but one of the fundamental issues with Anuvahood is that there is no plot. So I will give you a summary as to what happens Kenneth aka K played by Adam Deacon is a young wasteman who suffers from delusions of grandeur, he seems to be under the impression that he is a hot shot but the sad reality is that he works at a supermarket and lives with his mum on a council estate. After an argument with his boss he quits his job on a whim to concentrate on his music. His possee of friends consist of TJ played by Jazzie Zonzolo, a squealing pansie, Lesoi played by Michael Vu is a PSP fanatic who gets dragged into his friend's escapades and Bookie played by Femi Oyeniran is the so-called sensible one out of the team (but considering they are all buffons that would not have taken much effort) then there is newcomer, Enrique played by Ollie Barbieri, a naive Spaniard who is staying with family friends for a few months. The friends divide their time between hanging out on their estate talking pure nonsense and being terrorised by the local gangster, Tyrone played by Richie Campbell. Things come to a head when K starts selling weed on Tyrone's patch who immediately retaliates by teaching K and co a lesson and steals Lesoi's PSP and TJ's trainers. This leads for the group to fall out with K and turn their back on him. Determined to make amends K breaks Tyrone's flat to retrieve his belongings and also sets up Tyrone so his ghetto baby mother catches him cheating with a blonde bimbo. Outraged by this treachery Tyrone seeks out K to teach him a lesson or two.

Ok where shall I start? This film was cringing on so many levels. I was expecting a comedy film about youngsters in London to be - well funny but this was just painful. There is no sense of narrative and the film is just peppared with slang terms such as 'blud' 'ya get me' 'badman MC' 'on a bigger ting' and 'my size' and not a lot more besides. We are presented with tomfoolery and buffoons you just want to slap the hell out of. The character of Enrique seemed to serve no purpose, despite being given a big intro into the film he just faded into the background. Also the violence in the film seemed really excessive for a what is supposed to be a comedy. I will stress again that I am aware that this is supposed to be a parody of urban culture but I find it insulting and downright lazy. Making fun of working class kids living on a council estate who aspire to get into music and are involved in gangs and drugs. Yawn - shoot me now. It was just so unoriginal, predictable and dull and just the sort of 'safe' film that the UK film heavyweights would back in order to guarantee their return on investment. This takes me back to 1998 when Babymother was released and everyone hated that - well this is just the same. It is 2011 and this is the best we can come up with as a representation of youth culture? What a waste of talent!

On a positive note props to Revolver Entertainment on delivering a fantastic marketing campaign. Regardless of its many flaws, they created a buzz about the film and got everyone talking about it. I also applaud the way they tapped into urban magazines such as RWD and Flavour and got them to run ads and interviews to promote the film. I also have to admit that the website is very impressive and relevant to what young people are into hence the Anuvahood apps and presence on Facebook and Twitter. Brilliant marketing campaign, shame about the film.

Check out other brilliant reviews of the film below:

Obsessed with Film

On the Box

Movie Vortex

Mad News

Little White Lies

Makeda Wilson

The Lala Report

Anuvahood is out at all cinemas now.

Links a la Mode: Tech - 15th March 2011

2011-03-18T09:02:00.002Z

These days fashion and technology and pretty synonmous especially the increasing amount of tech porn that is on the market. I am talking iPads, iPhones, Blackberrys, Flip cameras and sexy netbooks. So I was pretty impressed when the Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB) launched a tech version of Links a la Mode that features the best posts on fashion and technology written by members of IFB. I was even more chuffed to hear that I had made the cut with my blog post on the blogging tools that I use. You can check out the tech posts below:

Relatively Chic: Gettin’ Techy: Google Webmaster Tools

Monica: Fashion Techno Frenzy – The Story Of The Love Affair Between Fashion And Technology.

TINEEY: How I Blogged My Way Through Fashion Week With ONLY An iPhone.

Miss Viki: Fashion Blogs Go Mobile.

Ondo Lady: My Blogging Tools: A List of Equipment I Use To Blog

Previously Owned: ORGANIZATION: Mail decluttering and such… a tutorial.

a la Modest: Retroactivity: Turning Back Technology.

Divas and Dorks: Fashions Top Designers Choose The Apple iPad!

If you're a fashion blogger, we'd love for you to join our community join IFB

Female Role Models

2011-03-14T13:58:00.000Z

Over the last few weeks I have had some heated discussions about the concept of female role models. Everyone has an opinion on what a good female role model is and of course we all have our different critierias. This topic really got me thinking when International Women's Day hit last Tuesday and The Guardian published a pull out in the G2 section listing the top 100 female role models. The list included a lot of great and wonderful women - some of the people I liked were on there but a few were not. So it got me thinking about what made a good female role model so I suggest the topic as a guest blog post for Wendi from Wendi B Writes and you can read it here.

Feel free to go over and have a read, tell me what you think of my little list of female role models and tell me who your own role models are.

Image taken from The Guardian.

The Goal Trilogy

2011-03-14T06:00:00.002Z

I am partial to a bit of footie, I got into it after the euphoria of Euro 96 and I have been hooked ever since. Whether it's the Premiership, battle for the FA Cup, Champions League or the golden heights of the European Championships or the World Cup. Goal!: The Dream Begins was released in 2005 to a lot of publicity mostly due to the appearances of David Beckham, Raul, Zinedine Zidane and Alan Shearer. The story goes like this; poor boy who is crazy about football moves with family from Mexico to Los Angeles and gets spotted by a talent scout. He scores a trial at Newcastle and after a successful stint is given a contract. Meanwhile he meets and falls in love with a gorgeous nurse. Santiago Munez played by Kuno Becker is the lead in the film and his girlfriend, Roz is played by Anna Friel. Goal! 2: Living the Dream takes off with Santiago now the star of Newcastle Utd with every team in the world keeping their eye on him. Despite his rock star status at Tyneside he cannot say no Real Madrid when they come knocking. On the personal front he has never been happier, he and Roz are all loved up and engaged to be married. Santiago is an immediate hit at Real Madrid and his style of play fits right in with the likes of Beckham, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo and Carlos. However the fame gets to Santiago's head as he starts to indulge in the good time which begins to effect his performance on and off the pitch. His relationship with Roz is on the rocks and he is in hot water with the team. Then a face from the past comes back to haunt him. Goal! 3: Taking on the World has a very different focus, for a start it is not just about Santiago but also focuses on the lives of two English players, Charlie played by Leo Gregory and Liam played by J.J. Feild as well as their savvy agent, Nick played by Nick Moran. Charlie and Liam have made the squad for the English team and are on their way to Germany to bring back the cup. Charlie is an optimistic lad with a soft heart who has fallen for Sophia who is a famous actress while Charlie is a hard partying and hard drinking guy who is coming to terms with the fact that he has a young daughter from a past girlfriend.

Goal is played out on the domestic stage, Goal 2 is set on the European stage and Goal 3 is on the highest platform of all - the World Cup. The films really do give you a real idea of what it is like to be a world class footballer and the trappings that go with it. Fame, adulation, fancy cars and designer clothes and on the flipside the media intrusion, the pressure of having to perform week in week out at such a high level. The remarkable thing about the Goal trilogy is the way it merges fact with fiction; all the football events that take place are real and of course real football players are feature but in addition to the fictional character of Santiago and Gavin Harrison. The matches are magnificent and played out on a really large scale with close up to shots all to a thumping soundtrack. The directors did themselves a great service by getting FIFA on board which allowed them access to the top class footballers. The contrast between the fantasy glam world celeb football land is contrasted with the cutting British humour. Rather Rocky(esq) in its feel, the Goal trilogy really is an enjoyable trilogy which will please both men and women. Guys will love the football action and ladies will like the love story.

Check out the trailer of Goal: The Dream Begins below.

My Blogging Tools

2011-03-09T11:06:00.001Z

I came across this cute post on Mademoiselle Robot where she talks about the items she uses for blogging and I thought I would do one myself and I managed to rope Wendi from Wendi B Writes and Uche from Lets Go Deeper into doing one as well.

Apple Macbook
This is poignant because I wrote my first ever blog post on here. I love it because I can crank out posts in bed and on the sofa and I can also amend images too. It is quite heavy to take around so I might think about getting a netbook or an iPad.

Fuji camera
I bought this around five years ago when I realised I needed a digital camera to take images with and it has certainly served me well. The images are clear and I have several options that allows me to amend the pictures. I can even film stuff which is great as I have started doing vlogs. The DSLR lens makes it difficult to take a bad picture.

Vauxhall Scout notebook
I got this as a freebie from London Fashion week and it really suits me. I always carry a notepad around with me to jot down ideas when I got the odd brain wave; I am not really fond of tiny notepads (not enough space for all my bright ideas) and the A4 notepads are a bit too big to carry around so this A5 size is perfect and the patterned hardback cover gives it a really lovely feel.

Blackberry Torch
I had the Bold 9700 but upgraded to the Torch a month ago and so far I am impressed. First of all the larger screen gives me an accurate indicator of how much copy I have written in the notes section unlike the Bold which had a tiny screen. The browser is really cool and is pretty fast so I can check out websites and blogs. However it is the camera that pulls the punches; the images are super quality and almost rival my camera.

HP TouchSmart
Occasionally I use my desktop to blog which is nice because of the extra large screen and the inbuilt speakers which allows me to blast out my music.

Additional equipment that would make my life a lot more easier are the iPad, Flip Camcorder and a Netbook. I welcome sponsors with open arms.

Check out the blogging tools that Wendi B and Uche use.

What blogging tools do you use?

Retro TV: My So-Called Life

2011-03-07T06:00:00.001Z

Angela Chase played by Claire Danes is an ordinary girl who lives in an ordinary town and attends an ordinary high school. Sounds like a pretty boring story right yet My So-Called Life was one of the most popular teen shows of its time. It aired over here in the UK in the mid 90s and I accidentally came across it while I was on holiday from university and I immediately grew to love it. Facing a teen-life crisis, 15 year old Angela dyes her hair red and dumps her childhood friend, Sharon Cherski played by Devon Odessa for wild child, Rayanne Graff played by A.J Langer and Rickie Vasquez played Wilson Cruz who is coming to grips with his homosexuality. She also has a huge crush on gorgeous but dim, Jordan Catalano played by Jared Leto. Her life goes from being mundane to something of a mini roller coaster with Angela, Rayanne and Rickie getting into scrapes after scrapes, some of them fun and some dangerous. My So-Called Life set the precedence for thought provoking teen dramas that spoke to its audience rather than at them. The series was created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz who had brought us ThirtySomething, and boy it was beautifully told. The display of teen angst was brilliantly portrayed in the show and a lot of teens around the world related to Angela and her pals. It tackled issues such as child abuse, homophobia, teenage alcoholism, homeslessness, adultery, school violence, censorship and drug use.

Angela's insightful narrative really depicted the way today's teenagers thought and how minor issues such as being popular, getting a guy to like you and who is taking you to the prom were such a big deal. It also showed a young lady trying to find her identity and place in life. Prior to this my exposure to American teen life had been the cheesy aspect of cheerleaders, school presidents and jocks or the opposite with the class nerd or social misfit. My So-Called Life was the first show to deal with a regular teen who was questioning life and it paved the way for other teen dramas such as Dawson's Creek. The OC and One Tree Hill. No surprise that it was nominated for four Emmy Awards and took a Golden Globe with Claire Danes winning the Best Actress in a TV Series. It also came 33 on Entertainment Weekly's New Classics TV list of shows from 1983 and 2008 and in 2007 was listed as one of Time magazine's 100 Best TV Shows of All Time. Sadly the show only ran for one season due to many factors such as Claire Danes going onto other projects and low ratings but My So-Called Life will always live in our memories plus there is always the DVD box set.

Check out this fan page for the show.

My So-Called Life is available to purchase from amazon.

Have a peep at the trailer for the series below.

Country Strong

2011-03-05T12:52:00.000Z

I read a really interesting post yesterday on Bangs and a Bun about the downfall of Britney Spears and how she is a product of the flawed star system. At the dizzy heights of her career Ms Spears was the biggest pop artist in the world, however seven albums, numerous No 1 singles, hundreds of magazine covers. two divorces. two kids and one nervous breakdown later and she is struggling to get back to her best. The fact is that the music scene has moved on without her and the stage is now occupied by likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Rihanna. Like it or not the star system is brutal - you are either hot or you are not. It is a system that was created by Hollywood at the beginning of the 1900s as a way of promoting and exploiting movie stars. The emphasis was placed on image rather than acting abilities and studio bosses, PRs and agents worked together to create a persona. Although it officially declined in the 1960s the strategy is still used worldwide in the entertainment industry today and to much success.

Nowhere is the star system more relevant than in Country Strong in which Gwyneth Paltrow plays country music superstar, Kelly Canter who has had problems with alcohol addiction and has been rocked by scandal. After a stint in rehab she is back on the road headlining a major US tour, however it becomes apparent that Kelly's demons have not completely disappeared and she suffers meltdown after meltdown. To add to her woes there is a pretender to her throne in the form of Chiles Stanton played by Leighton Meester who is a new talent that has burst onto the scene. Chiles is young, beautiful, fresh and unlike Kelly can hold her nerves on stage. Kelly's self destructiveness is not just confined to the stage it also runs through her personal life which is complicated with her relationships with her lover, Beau played by Garrant Hedlund and her husband James played by Tim McCraw. Country Strong sort of loses its way throughout the film but what it does do is demonstrate how brutal fame can be to a young woman. The parallels between Gwyneth and Leigton's characters are interesting; one washed out and the other up and coming, one a feisty brunette and the other a fragile blonde. I thought it was also a nice touch that both actresses can sing a bit too. Overall Country Strong is not a bad film but I would put it down as more of a TV film, I just did not feel that it had enough of the wow factor to be on the big screen. You know how some films could do with editing? Well Country Strong actually needed an extra half hour to be added to the beginning so we could get to know the characters especially the lead role. The hasty beginning does not give us a real sense of Kelly and her convictions - what exactly caused her to have a breakdown anyway and why is her relationship with her husband dead? Country Strong misses a trick by not allowing us to invest emotionally in the characters, so all the dramatic events that unfold are to no avail because despite the dramatic ending I really did not feel the impact.

Country Strong is released in the UK on 25th March.

Check out the featurette below.

Gotham Diaries by Tonya Lewis Lee and Crystal McCrary Anthony

2011-03-03T06:00:00.001Z

When I interviewed author and journalist, Tia Williams a few years ago she mentioned that one thing that niggled her was that the Black middle and upper class were not portrayed in the media. I had to admit that she had a point - TV. films and books are surrounded with images of working class Blacks, single mothers and men in jail while images of high brow African Americans remain unseen. So when a fellow blogger mentioned a book called Gotham Diaries I had to check it out on Amazon. The book is about the upper elite of Manhattan who lead very privileged lives; characters such as Tandy Brooks who is a respected socialite is admired for her refined beauty and class. Manny Marks an ambitious social climber from Alabama who is bidding his time as a real estate broker, praying that he makes that one deal which will allow him to join the upper ranks. Gorgeous, Lauren Thomas is married to billionaire, Ed Thomas and lives the life of luxury but her husband's wandering eye marrs her perfect life. Together Tandy and Lauren enjoy the traps of wealth and position - with Manny riding at their coat tails - while their peers look on in admiration. However, when Tandy's husband dies suddenly her fortune takes a turn for the worse and she is forced to start selling her possessions. Tandy has worked too damm hard to give up her lifestyle and status and comes up with a cunning plan in order to get her life back on track. Unfortunately this involves ripping off Lauren and roping in Manny.

I got into this book as soon as I finished the first page. It is totally compelling and seductive to read - the style is not too different from Snapped by Tracy Brown which reviewed a few weeks back as both books possess the bling factor. Gotham Diaries portrays the haves and the trying so hard to haves; the life of Lauren who has it all, Tandy who had it and lost and Manny who is trying to get it. I also love the minor characters such as the oh so fabulous NBA player, Daryl and his delectable wife whose newly acquired millions have granted them a place in the social elite pile. After reading this book I only realised that one of the authors is Tonya Lewis Lee aka Spike Lee's wife. The other author is Crystal McCrary Anthony, former wife of NBA star Greg Anthony so if anyone knows what it is like to mix and mingle with the upper crust of African American society then it is more these two women. Interestingly enough both Tonya and Crystal are lawyers turned writers and TV producers. It makes sense now though as it is evidence that both women are taking us into their own worlds thus taking upon the best writing advice - write about what you know. Gotham Diaries is wickedly written and takes cattiness to a new level. You will really dislike all the characters but at the same time be really intrigued by them. The book was actually released back in 2006 and I am shocked that I am only hearing about it now. I really hope someone makes it into a TV series or movie one day because these are stories that need to be told.

Gotham Diaries is available to buy on Amazon.

My Space - Uche Chukwu from Lets Go Deeper

2011-03-02T11:18:00.002Z

If there is a topical issue then you can bet that Uche Chukwu has an opinion on it. Lets Go Deeper is an outlet for the views, opinions and passions of Uche whether it be on relationships, politics, race, education or sport - it is all there on Lets Go Deeper. He started blogging in 2008 and since then has amassed an array of followers. An IT specialist when he is not blogging, Uche is working on various projects that involve writing as well as IT. He took five minutes out to tell me where he writes his blog.

Describe the concept of your blog.
I'm still trying to work that out. I keep shifting it and moulding it in different directions, trying to find the right fit. It started out as my travel blog. I lived in Rio de Janeiro for a while and friends kept asking me to blog my life there but I just kept sending epic emails. When I moved to live in New York, I finally got around to it and that's where it all came from. The reaction back home was very encouraging. After the world economic meltdown in 2008 grounded me in London, I found myself back here needing some way to express myself. This is - it's not about any one specific topic and it has no defined agenda. I know this is a problem because sometimes I look at the homepage and think "what are you about?" But my readers seem to like it because it gets a lot of site visits, has a high re-visit rate and my new visitors average about 60% monthly. I'm ready to open it up to guest bloggers now and will shortly start to look for writers who would like to contribute a regular "column" I know what I want to achieve with it but still unclear as to exactly how to do it. I want it to be a news and opinion blog carrying alternative news, or alternative comment on mainstream news. I want to start posting more irreverent observational pieces like Gawker and deliver a humorous spin on the news agenda. I liked Not The Nine O'clock News, Drop The Dead Donkey and the stuff Charlie Brooker does. I guess that's the spin I want to get to, eventually. Will it work? I can but try.

Where do you scribe?
Mainly in my flat now that it's winter with short days and cold evenings. In the summer I take my laptop everywhere and I am very much a coffee shop groupie, sort of going from here to there. As long as they have free Wi-Fi, great coffee and good apple crumble, it's worth considering. When in my flat, I usually write in my spare room which is set up as my office, but if there's good stuff on the TV I'll go and camp in there with my laptop instead.

Why that place?
I need to work at a desk with an office-like feel. I've always been this way. When I was at school the most important thing in my room was always my desk, I didn't have or want a TV in there. When I moved out of home, the first thing I bought was a desk. Always white, always facing the wall and away from the door. I have no idea what that says about me psychologically, but that's how I work best when at home. But in a work environment, Feng Shui kicks in and I have to be facing the door. If somebody can explain that, I'd be very much obliged. In terms of the coffee shop place, well I love the transient nature of coffee shops and the hum of the machines. Along with the aroma of ground arabica beans and my penchant for people voyeurism, coffee shops give me the best combination of social isolation I need to get work done.

What is on your desk at the moment?
My leather-bound journal which I got as a Christmas present from my girlfriend. That's my favourite possession in the world right now. There's also an electronic recorder and digital camera which I carry around everywhere on the off chance of an interview and picture (I always use them too), a pair of Chinese iron balls I've had for about 15 years. They help me relax. Ever since I saw Laurence Fishburne using them to manage his tension in that scene from Boyz n the Hood when Trey goes out with the boys to avenge on Ricky's murderer I wanted a pair. Mine have been around the world with me. I also have a copy of Arise magazine on my desk. I'm not a magazine person, I lost interest in magazines somewhere in my early twenties. I used to read Touch, Source, Vibe, GQ and then I just stopped. I don't think there is any magazine I can really relate to, and as I'm a technology specialist by trade I have been getting my news through aggregated RSS feeds for over 10 years. Until I discovered Arise on New Years Eve in Shoreditch. Then the day after New Year's day I hunted for it all over South London until I found it. I love this magazine. This is how a magazine should be. Oh, and there's an unread copy of The Observer from about 3 weeks ago. I have no idea why I still occasionally buy Sunday papers when I end up reading all the articles on my smartphone. Force of habit I suppose.

What form of inspiration do you have on the wall?
I have a noticeboard in front of me which I've had for over five years with photo cuttings, concert tickets and other memorabilia. I change the items rarely but when I do it's usually quite a sweeping change. It contains photos of some of the best memories in my life and some of the most important people in my life. It really should have more, it used to in fact, but I take bits off to use elsewhere and never replace them. So it has more gaps than it should. I'm now inspired to revisit it and work on getting it back to full content. I'll schedule that for May, or something. Yeah.

Do you keep a tidy office or are you a messy worker?
Usually tidy. I'm a fastidiously tidy person. However, when I'm exceptionally stressed or have just come back from a trip my workspace can suffer and become messy for weeks. I used to be an organised chaotic work space type and my old manager used to try to force me to tidy my desk. She used to invent these "tidy our desks Fridays" which the whole office had to abide by just so I would have to tow the line. I never did, she always ended up tidying it for me. I miss her. But I've improved and now keep a tidy ship. I'm not one for that sinking feeling.

Check out Uche's blog.

You can follow him on Twitter.

Roller Disco Queen

2011-03-01T13:04:00.002Z

I was one of the many people cheering when Navaz Batiwalla came out as Disneyrollergirl last month. This was timed perfectly as her new website launched a few weeks later. Navaz has been blogging since 2007 and is now regarded as a revered fashion blogger but then the number of followers on her blog. Twitter and Facebook speak for themselves. Disneyrollergirl has been acknowledged by various media outlets such as FT.com and i-D for her services to blogging. She was also featured in The Independent and Grazia recently and The Times has listed her as one of 40 bloggers who really count. Disneyrollergirl covers everything fashion related from shopping, style, catwalk shows, store openings and inside tips. When she is not blogging Navaz works as a freelance fashion editor and consultant for various brands.

What made you start blogging?
In 2007 I was working on a magazine and just liked the idea of having a more personal outlet to share all the extra stuff I was getting to see. As a fashion 'insider' I had a lot of access to behind the scenes that I
thought it would be interesting to share and comment on.

Describe the concept behind Disneyrollergirl.
It's my personal outlet where I can share my opinions and observations of all the fashiony goings-on in my life.

Over the last year bloggers have really made an impact at fashion shows and in the media, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
I think it's about continuing to have a personal take on things that your audience can relate to. Whether that's personal style, opinions or even fashion reviews, you need to have a unique point of view. Bloggers tend to be keen to try new things, new technologies, so I see them as taking the lead in terms of fashion media. They can be more experimental too as generally they are one-man-bands so can make fast decisions on trying new initiatives with their publications.

You have a huge following, do you ever get stressed about maintaining such a high standard?
No, I did go through that phase but now I just do what I can when I can.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
I do a combination of fashion writing, styling, consultancy and illustration.

Describe a typical day in the life of Navaz Batiwalla.
Wake up, check emails in bed, get up, have a coffee meeting or showroom appointment, do some window-shopping-slash-research, do some writing, answer emails, work on blog, go for drinks/dinner, check emails/Facebook/Twitter. Or I might spend a whole day researching articles or a whole day prepping for a shoot - showroom appointments, model castings, photographer meetings, unpacking clothes.

Where do you source your stories from?
I get a lot of information from Twitter so that's where I get most of my news stories or simply from talking to other industry people and listening like a hawk! Or I go through my archives for old shoots, photos etc because that means I have a good mix of current material and older, more personally-relevant stuff.

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
Fantastic Man, Harpers Bazaar (UK), Vogue, Elle, Red, Teen Vogue, Grazia, Pop, Lula, Self Service and Arena Homme Plus.

Name five blogs that you read religiously.
Jacky Blue, Style Bubble, Business of Fashion, Fred Butler Style and Into The Gloss.

How do you see your blog evolving over the next two years?
Ooh I couldn't plan that far ahead! I want to have a wider variety of content and do some video content but I haven't decided exactly how. I don't think you should plan too much, it's nice to allow for spontaneity.

You can read Navaz;s blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter.

Goodbye to Fashioning February

2011-02-28T18:19:00.009Z

Well that was the fashion month that was and boy was it one hell of a month. I had a really fabulous time doing Fashioning February, I had the pleasure of featuring Sasha Wilkes Liberty London Girl as Blogger of the Month and Jennine Jacobs from The Coveted about the Evolving Influence IFB Conference. This season I had the pleasure of seeing more shows than I have ever done before and despite my weary arms and feet, it was well worth it. I also bumped into a few blogger mates such as Nneoma from TwentyTenEightyFour, Muireann from Bangs and a Bun, Archna from Punchbowl Blog, Navaz from Disney Roller Girl, Keysha from The Cocoa Diaries and Marian Kihogo and met some lovely new ones such as Christine from Very Nice Threads, Omoyemi from Style House Files and Hannah from Bow Dream Nation.

Following suit from a few fashion bloggers, here are my numbers for London Fashion Week.

Shows attended: 15
Glasses of champagne: 4
Cups of tea in the BFC Press Lounge: 5
Blackberry photos taken: 74 (this surprises me - I had no idea I took that many)
Camera photos taken: 101
Celebrities spotted: 8
Interviews taken: 2
Visits to MAC lounge: 1
Bloggers met and greeted: 12

Well that's all folks, I hope you enjoyed Fashioning February and I will see you same time next year.

You can check out all the posts from the Fashioning February series here.

Fashioning February: Kiki Kamanu

2011-02-28T17:12:00.000Z

Interview with Kiki Kamanu at Fashion Mavericks.
I was gutted to miss Kiki Kamanu's catwalk show at Fashion Mavericks which consisted of bling jacket dresses robes, high waisted dresses and glitzy shirts all made in bright and vivid colours. It went down a storm and was one of the strongest collections of the event especially the goody bags which were handbags and slouch bags made out of Ankara material. Kiki describes her collection as unconventional and eclectic and her designs have been featured on various runways in Africa and featured in international magazines and TV. What makes her collection so special is the blend of different styles, textures and fabrics from around the world which she meshes so seamlessly together. Think of Italian leathers mixed with Thai and Indian silks with elements of Dutch wax prints and embroidery by West African artisans. Kiki who has lived in Nigeria, USA and France gave up her job as a corporate event planner to set up her label when she found that her itch to stitch would not go away. I was fortunate enough to go backstage and take a peek at Kiki's amazing collection and I also got to interview her about her collection and inspirations.

Check out the Armcandy Bag below made out of Ankara material. Look how cool they.

Check out Kiki's website.

Fashioning February: Goody Bags Galore

2011-02-27T11:50:00.001Z

No decent fashionista leaves a fashion show without a goody bag. These are mainly placed in the front row (sometimes second and third depending on how well off the designer is) for the creme a la creme such as top editors, buyers, celebs and certain bloggers. The idea of the goody bag or swag as they are now being referred to, is so you buy into the brand and give it a favourable review. They come in the form of fancy designed cardboard bags or recycled cloth ones and they can contain anything from perfume, tshirts, gift cards, make up to bottles of water. The quality of the bag really depends on how rich or generous the designer is feeling at the time or whether they have been able to find a company to sponsor them. Some bags can often be more style than substance with nothing more than a bottle of water and a mere magazine inside. However due to the recession it is no surprise that goody bags lack the lustre that they used to have in more buoyant times. Some designers do try their best though; during my adventures at London Fashion Week I managed to collect several goody bags and this is what was in them.

The Look Show
Bottle of Water
Look magazine
H&M magazine
H&M leopard clutch
New Look chiffon scarf
LMS Spotlights active cell regeneration
Marks and Spencer sunglasses
Monsoon jewellery
Rimini eyelashes
Label M sea salt spray
Natio rose water camomile skin toner
Kleenex tissues
Urban Decay eye pencil
Nails Inc nail polish
Next just pink lip balm
John Galliano perfume sample
Natio facial cleanser
L'Occitane hand cream
Natio moisturiser

MAC
Press releases and look books
Notepad
Lipcreme
Skin Base
Eye Creme

Jazzkatz
Vauxhall Fashion Scout notepad
Bottle of Vitamin Water
Label M fizz control serum
Label M mesh styling

Jaeger London
Bazaar magazine
Bottle of water
Bar of chocolate
Label M split end sealer compact

Paul Smith
Optimistic perfume
Paul Smith notepad

Bunmi Koko
Cupcake by Louise
2 cans of Red Bull
2 packs of Ferrero Rocher chocolates
2 packs of Borders cookies
2 packs of No7 colour eye palette
Sanctuary shower gel
Cargo concealer and foundation
Pen
Cargo mascara

All in all not bad at all and much appreciated.

Check out this hilarious video about goody bags at New Zealand Fashion Week.

Fashioning February: Enya Patricia

2011-02-25T11:09:00.002Z

Enya Patricia from ondolady on Vimeo.
Every good lady needs a clutch for those occasions when you are out on the town. Right now I am enjoying a love renaissance with fur - ok faux fur, I mean I don't want a bucket of blood thrown over me like poor Samantha did in Sex and the City: The Movie. At London Fashion Week I kept seeing fur everywhere as jackets, gillets and satchels and they looked really cool in a luxurious way. So when I came across a faux fur clutch at Enya Patricia's stall during the exhibition of Fashion Mavericks I was taken by it. Enya Patricia is a brand owned by Enya Patricia Mooney who started designing in her spare time while she was studying Child Psychology. She also showed her lovely collection at Fashion Mavericks which was feminine with a dash of sexy, we saw elegant dresses draped with leather or fur accents. I grabbed Enya for an interview so she could tell me more about her classy collection.

You can check out Enya Patricia's website.

Fashioning February: McQueen and I

2011-02-24T12:00:00.001Z

His designs were beautiful, brutal and bold. Dubbed 'enfant terrible' by the snooty fash pack, Alexander McQueen was never too feet away from controversy. However, love him or hate him no-one could deny that Alexander McQueen was indeed a true fashion genius. After all this is the man who brought bumsters into our lives and set his fashion shows in lunatic asylums, displayed car robots and put Kate Moss in a hologram. Alexander McQueen tragically took his life this time last year and it is only fitting that a documentary paying tribute to him and his legacy should be aired in the midst of Fashion Week. You cannot talk about McQueen without mentioning the late Isabella Blow, the eccentric stylist who committed suicide herself in 2007. McQueen and I is a retrospective look at McQueen and his relationship with Blow who made a massive impact on his life from the day he showed his graduate collection from Central Saint Martins, which Blow immediately snapped up. Since then she became his personal champion by guiding and nurturing his talents as well as her muse. The two passionate characters had a very tempestuous friendship which often went hot and cold.

The programme features key people in Alexander's life such as his ex-partner, family, close friends, models and journalists. We see his brother and close friend take us to his former stomping grounds in the gritty East End of London. Models such as Jodie Kidd talk about what he was like to work with and former tutors from Central Saint Martins recount his huge talent. The programme also delves into McQueen's career at Givenchy and after a faltering start he helped to shape the brand and give it the kudos it deserved. This led to his image evolving and with him getting out of his scruffy shirts and jeans and starting to wear designer suits. Isabella's husband also shares his thoughts on his late wife with us and gives us an insight into her personality. We also learn more about her childhood and her motivations for the need for glamour. McQueen and I contains some very interesting footage of Alexander and Isabella together and we get an insight into the deterioration of their relationship.

McQueen and I is aired on Friday 25th February at 9pm on More4.

Fashioning February: In the Editor's Chair - Erin Ralph

2011-02-24T06:00:00.011Z

I came across Bullett when I interviewed Chuck Holliday and as soon as he handed me the hip publication I knew that I had to feature it on my blog. Bullett is the baby of brother and sister duo, Erin and Nick Ralph who launched the publication last September (10/10/10 to be precise) to a lot of anticipation. Not many indie magazines get slots on Access Hollywood, MTV and NY Daily News prior to their launch but this new kid on the scene managed just that. Bullett covers everything that is cool in films, music, art, fashion, travel, beauty and design plus it has a retro feel to it and manages to be slick yet cool at the same time. The premiere issue has a flip layout cover for both sexes - Cindy Crawford for the ladies and Mark Ruffalo for the guys. However, Bullett is much more than a magazine, it is a multimedia brand with videos, digital and mobile content on offer. Erin Ralph took time out to tell me about the concept behind Bullett.

How did you get into journalism?
When I was around 12 I started freelance writing articles on celebrity fashion and anything “up & coming”. I’ve always loved researching and finding new things and developed a bit of an eye for it- the pay was just a bonus. I started getting consultation and job offers, they didn’t know how young I was. When I was around 14 the Internet was becoming popular so I decided to start my own online magazine called LuxuryFashion.com. I ran LuxuryFashion for 11 years and also started several other media/communications companies with my brother Nick in this time.

Describe the concept of Bullett and the idea behind the name.
The magazine is a quarterly print style, arts and culture guide that transcends demographics, appealing to a diverse international unisex audience. The aim is to unify, inspire and uplift through our content. We like to celebrate and collaborate with true talent/artists/visionaries in their respected industries. Mainstream doesn’t seem to have a filter these days, we seek substance. To us Bullett can be interpreted a few ways. It’s fast moving, pierces through many barriers. Moving with precise aim, steady direction, as I wrote about in my editor's note for this issue. When we were gchatting brainstorming quick and cool names, Nick liked Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, which was the epitome of "cool". It’s a strong word. I thought the word could look pretty like ballet, so it has that balance. I also like the idea that it is usually associated with things that are not so great. We then spin it, making it beautiful and as a source of inspiration and intelligence.

The design is very stylish, how did you decide on the art design of the publication?
Thank you. We didn’t want to overload it. We wanted simplicity and space for readers to also think about what they’re seeing and reading; a bit of imagination space. In the design, we wanted something classic and beautiful, yet strong and powerful. Fortunately we have an incredibly gifted art director who not only shares the same vision, but comes in with some unique artistic elements of his own.

Who is behind Bullett?
After Nick and I sat down and wrote out a strategy, operational and business plan, we sat down a group of creative individuals/friends and asked them to become part of it. Nick became publisher and secured us international distribution and newsstand placement by the first issue and developed the marketing team. James was onboard from our last project. Sah, our Creative Director, understood the depth of our mission right away as did Johnny, who brought in Sah and Idi (Idil). Idi became our Chairwoman after raising funding and is Executive Editor in day-to-day. We work as a team, a family. It's nice.

How many members of staff work on the publication?
33-ish including freelancers/contributors. It grows depending on what projects we're working on. Having a strong core team is important.

Describe a day in the life of Erin Ralph.
Each day fluctuates and there is usually a lot of life in one day! The basics are making sure everything is flowing at Bullett on the production floor and that there is a nice synergy between the creative and business side. I stay involved in all aspects from reading every pitch we get to developing concepts to strategizing transmedia development (how we take the feature from a print article through video, interactive, short film, etc) to marketing opportunities and all elements of the business and publishing side. Then there is prepping for the next steps, which include launching Bullett TV (an online network of original shows, films, videos) and Bullett Creative, a branding extension. Then there is the strategy session time which includes research and development in the further future of Bullett and solutions to issues when we run into them. There are, of course, the social elements to my job that require going out. We've also started to do gatherings at the Bullett Loft after production hours. Personally, I also like to walk around and see as much as possible for inspiration- New York is filled with this. It’s important to take that time. I try to balance all of this with family, friends, being social and taking care of myself. It's a lot of focus.

What was Bullett's involvement in New York Fashion Week?
We just had our first event at Loft hosted by Jessica White. It went very well. We had a live artist, a nice bar, art work of Jessica and she screened a very touching personal video that introduced her charity, Angel Wings Foundation. In this time Cynthia Rowley's publicist called me to ask us to co-host her after-party, which is turning into a much bigger collaboration. Should be a nice event!

Which blogs do you check out regularly?
I like a nice range of topics from fashion to art to film making, music to psychology and lots of different news sources. Then to stay in the loop WWD News, TED, Refinery29, National Geographic, Fashion Gone Rogue, Cool Hunting, T magazine, and there are endless others. I am a chronic Googler and come across new ones on a daily basis in my searches.

What magazines do you read?
For fashion and art I read a lot of internationals. I also like Vanity Fair for the articles, Elle has a commercial value, Rolling Stone, V is cool, the new W is interesting but thin. Sometimes I just like to go so a nice magazine shop and see what grabs me.

What tips do you have for anyone who wants to become a magazine editor?
Develop a thirst for knowledge! I love learning about new things, finding unique elements in things and thinking broader which is how you get a more well-rounded eye for things. Stay informed - visit a variety of sites, know what’s going on in other countries. Study trends but don’t get stuck in them. When it comes to the process, you’re basically editing a lot of options and curating the project like an art instillation. It’s good to think about the overall message you want to send in what you’re doing, whether it be a fashion story or a written feature, and then edit accordingly.

Check out Bullett.

You can follow Bullett on Twitter.

Fashioning February: London Fashion Week February 2011

2011-02-23T13:00:00.004Z

I wasn't planning on doing a round-up post for London Fashion Week AW11, I was just going to post reviews of certain shows and events but as I have had such a crazy few days I decided it would a shame not to tell you about it. LFW 2011 was definitely the best I have ever experienced, from the moment I went to pick up my press pass in the congested registration area of the British Fashion Council (BFC) tent it was go, go, go.

Friday
First of all it was the obligatory pop in to the press room to pick up press packs and do some people watching. I forgot that it was BYOL aka Bring Your Own Laptop and the room was packed with journos and bloggers tapping out their copy. I rushed over to Holborn for The Look Show (review over here) where I bumped into fellow bloggers Archna from PunchBowl Blog, Nneoma from twentyteneightyfour and Muireann from Bangs and a Bun.

Sunday
I planned to spend the day hopping between Fashion Mavericks at Strand Palace Hotel and the BFC tent but before that I had more important matters to attend to, such as getting my make up done at the MAC booth. After that it was the Jasper Conran show which offered us a monochrome feel with sleek A line dresses and skirts with jersey tops and blazers. I made my way to Vauxhall Fashion Scout to see Jazzkatze where I saw loads of floaty, chiffon material in the form of blouses, shorts and cutesy dresses. What I loved most about this collection were the hair which were lovely up dos with a string tied round sections of it. Then it was onto Fashion Mavericks where I saw up and coming designers such as Enya Patricia (interview with her coming up shortly) and Hamra Alam. There were both great but I was gutted that I missed Kiki Kamanu because she had some brilliant designs including handbags made out of Ankara cloth. Watch out for an interview coming out with her very soon. I managed to catch the Jaeger London show which was a special event for Vodafone VIP customers. It was hosted by T4's Jameela Jamil and displayed what the line does best; smart structured tailoring but this collection had splashes of vibrant colours interjected amongst the muted ones. Then it was off to my final show A La Mode at Charing Cross Hotel. The event had been running since Friday so Sunday was the last day. I was treated to collections by Lunar Skye which was a selection of wedding dresses, Omar Mansoor which comprised of some glorious evening dresses, Zed Eye which was more directional with fantastic mix of different fabrics and Eveae West by Egypt which were a treat of short sweet dresses.

Monday
I was going to take this day off to rest but an impending interview and more scintillating shows lured me out of my house. At Somerset House I headed to the screening room to catch the short film by Fred Butler Style and was taken away by the wonderful cinematography. After that I headed off to see Todd Lynn in the BFC tent where I saw some really lovely fur stoles in the collection. This was the first collection I had seen that contained both men and women's wear and he did it very well. There were a lot of muted colours here with a couple of bright red outfits, cool knitwear as well as biker jackets. Then it was back to Fashion Mavericks where I saw designers Susana Bettencourt, Sarahi House of Fashion and the end of Fabryan. Then we popped across the road to The Savoy to see Paul Smith; the lavish surroundings of the venue was perfect for what is regarded as one of the country's finest brands. Tinie Tempah may have kicked off the black thick rimmed glasses trend but Paul Smith was definitely legitimising it when he sent his models (male and female) down the catwalk rocking the preppy come Englishman/lady look. From the understated style of Paul Smith to the flamboyance of Bunmi Koko who showed at Vauxhall Fashion Scout later that evening. All I can say is wow! Out of the shows that I have seen that was the one that blew me away in terms of creativity, vibrancy and the use of colour. Bunmi Koko is one to watch for the future. My last stop was Samantha Cole London which was just upstairs and this was a dark slightly Gothic collection of dresses made in leather, velvet and jersey. This was a really dramatic and powerful collection which was exacerbated by the fact that the show took place in two different rooms with the models flowing from one room to another.

Although LFW is scheduled over six days I am afraid I only lasted three. I know it sounds like a cliche but rushing round to fashion shows is such hard work darling!.

Fashioning February: My Space - Lisa Ventham from The Little Musings of LV

2011-02-23T06:00:00.001Z

The Little Musings of LV reads like a cross between the lives of Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones but with a concoction of humour and irony. Dating, pop culture, retro film reviews and the odd musings makes Lisa Ventham's blog very interesting reading. She has been blogging since 2009 and describes herself as a lady who works in the strange world of PR who works in the city and lives by the sea. I caught up with her to find out where she writes her blog.

Describe the concept of your blog.
I started it as I wanted a place to share anecdotes of the funny things I stumble across in the world of PR but then it just became more personal and more of an outlet for tales of my life and that of my friends.

Where do you scribe?
Always at my desk at home.

Why that place?
I can't be disciplined to write anywhere but at a desk.

What is on your desk at the moment?
Phone, bottle of water and a few beauty products.

What form of inspiration do you have on the wall.
I use an amazing book marking site for inspiration. its called weheartit.com I am addicted to it.

Do you keep a tidy office or are you a messy worker?
Mostly tidy but I always have magazines or beauty products scattered.

You can read Lisa's blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter.

Fashioning February: The Look Show

2011-02-22T13:00:00.002Z

For the third season I attended The Look Show last Friday. There was a change of venue, instead of the lavish Saatchi Gallery on Kings Road it was held at Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square. I guess this made sense as it is only throw stone away from the Fashion HQ of Somerset House. The event is organised by Look magazine and the idea is to celebrate the best of the UK's fantastic High Street and to also show the trends that will be hitting our streets next season. So unlike the major designers who are showcasing looks for this Autumn and Winter, this event will show us looks for the pending Spring and Summer. In previous years I have enjoyed myself at The Look Show so I was really looking forward to this event. Before the show there was the usual champagne reception with nibbles as well as various stands offering beauty treatments and other activities. There were also a splattering of celebs such as Keisha Buchanan (stood right next to her thinking to myself that she looked familiar till I saw her picture in 'The Daily Fail', Lucie Jones from X Factor, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and IT Girl, Olivia Palermo. We were treated to a performance by Jay Z's protege, teen sensation, Alexis Jordan. Now onto the clothes - I hope you like the 70s as much as I do because this summer the High Street will be full of it. I warn you, you won't be able to move due to Saturday Night Fever and Studio 54. Shops such as French Connection, River Island and Mango are working their inner Bianca Jagger and Fleetwood Mac by using bold colours like bright orange, sunshine yellow, pillar box red, electric blue and bright purple.

These are the key pieces that will dominate the stores:

Jumpsuits
I love jumpsuits - they provide the perfect combination between glamour and comfort. Dorothy Perkins made a statement with their range of bold jumpsuits, French Connection had some classic black ones and New Look had palazzo halterneck jumpsuits that were divine.

Shorts
Start getting those thighs into shape because shorts are going nowhere. Next had brilliant white shorts on display as well as some fab short dungarees and French Connection are unleashing some seriously sexy tailored white shorts to go with a tuxedo blazer.

Maxi dresses
You could not move last summer without seeing a maxi dress and it looks like the summer of 2011 will be the same. Monsoon had really gorgeous maxis and there were floral maxi dresses from French Connection but Warehouse really out did themselves with their offer of really feminine maxi dresses.

Hats
Get one! A large floppy one - not only do they save your life when you are having a bad hair day, they also look fabulous.

Also corsages are back in a big way, no longer regarded as a hideous item reserved only for prom nights, corsages add a lovely touch to a large hat or a dress. Overall the girly girly look is still in and this was exercised very well by French Connection with their Parisian chic and 70s Riviera feel.

For more information about The Look Show check out the website where you can not only see clips from the show but you can also purchase the items.

In the top picture is Olivia Palermo and editor of Look magazine, Ali Hall.

Fashioning February: Behind the Scenes at Joburg Fashion Week

2011-02-22T10:00:00.003Z

Fashion Week is not just about New York, London, Milan and Paris, while the glam squads are ferreting from country to country other cities around the world are getting their fashion freak on. Joburg Fashion Week (JHBFW) wrapped up over the weekend after four days of showing fresh, funky and hip outfits by designers. Dali Tembo is on the panel of the AFI (the body behind JHBFW) and works closely with the powers that be to make sure that the event displays the best talent that is on offer.

I was invited by the AFI (the organizer’s of the Audi Joburg Fashion Week, Africa Fashion Week & Cape Town Fashion Week) in November last year to be on their panel of experts for 2011. In recent years, the organization has gone to great lengths to streamline the way in which they choose and evaluate designers on show. In essence, my role was created to aid in this streamlining process by providing recommendations regarding which designers should show for JHBFW. The panel consists of experts from many different areas of fashion and my contribution really stems from my work as a brand strategist and trend analyst for the past six years. It’s been an honour to be considered, and recognized in this way given the behind the scenes contributions I've been involved with over the last few years. The nature of my consulting work required that I was flying between three cities during JHBFW. As a result, I was only able to attend two days of the event. During that time, I dedicated about 10 hours to the designer’s shows and I must say it was well worth every minute of it. The vibe backstage was hectic. Especially for what was my favorite show - designer Suzanne Heyns. It felt more like the behind the scenes of the production of ER. than it did a fashion show. But out of that chaos came some exceptional exhibitions of style and innovation.

To keep up with Dali's projects you can follow him on Twitter.

Fashioning February: Gemma Goes Behind the Scenes at Fashion East

2011-02-21T06:00:00.004Z

Despite the many rewards, it can be very isolating working from home - daunting even so I have the radio on to keep me company. Talk radio can be a bit dry and I find non stop music a bit of a headache but Radio 1Xtra offers a mixture of music and light conversation covering topical issues. I started listening to Gemma Cairney when she co-hosted a morning show with Trevor Nelson on BBC Radio 1Xtra. Gemma who is a stylist by trade and a graduate of the BRITS school provided a lot of witty banter alongside her mate and mentor. So when the bosses of Radio 1Xtra had a bit of a reshuffle late last year, it was no surprise that Gemma landed her own show. The Gemma Cairney Show is now in its eighth week and offers a mixture of music, entertainment and gossip with a girlie slant. Gemma also taps into elements of pop culture by exploring trends such as fashion, blogs, music and films. Her past guests have been designer, Fred Butler, blogger, Laetitia Wajnapel from Mademoiselle Robot and Victoria White who edits Company magazine.

Gemma will be covering London Fashion Week in a big way; tomorrow she will be backstage at the Fashion East show watching them prepare for their much anticipated show. She will be the Topshow venue in East London getting stuck in the middle of things; observing hair being teased, lipstick being applied, models rushing about, stylists and make up artists frantically working hard and the designer trying to keep it all together. Fashion East is the cutting edge of London Fashion Week as it showcases pioneering new talent who are at the stage of their careers. The initiative receives funding from Topshop, TOPMAN and the London Development Agency. You will be able to experience the Fashion East show from the ears and eyes of Gemma. A few years ago there was a dearth of women radio presenters who really spoke to women but I am glad to see that this has been addressed with Sherry Dixon on Bang 103.8 and the ladies at Colourful radio.

Tune into the Gemma Cairney show tomorrow at 1pm on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Fashioning February: Industrie

2011-02-20T06:00:00.007Z

I heard about this magazine last year and I have been dying to get my mitts on it ever since. Industrie is a magazine that covers the culture of fashion and the personalities that run it and when the launch issue dropped last May with Anna Winour on the cover, all the fashion blogs and websites went into overdrive. The publication is the first of its kind and is published twice a year. The editors-in-chief and publishers are Erik Tortensson And Jens Grede of Saturday Group, which is one of the world"s leading marketing and entertainment groups who have offices in London, Paris and LA. Tortensson and Grede created Industries because they saw a gap in the market for a fashion magazine aimed at people who work in the industry. So after putting their heads together they came up with Industrie which is an ultra glossy beauty of a magazine. I managed to nab a copy of the second issue in the BFC press room at Somerset House (home for London Fashion Week) on Friday and spent Saturday morning reading it.

Industrie is divided into two sections; The New Creative Establishment and The Power Brokers. The New Creative Establishment is a list of people who have the biggest creative clout and those who have inspired others. Designers, editors, online entrepreneurs, fashion schools and stylists are all celebrated. There are in-depth features with the power brokers in the fashion business such as former designer, Miguel Androver who was the brains behind the I Heart New York shirt, Ivan Bart who runs IMG Models, Didier Grumbach who heads the board of Paris Fashion Week and iconic art director, Fabien Baron. There is also an 18 page special on Kate and Laura Mulleavy who own the Rodarte label. The feature on Marc Jacobs is quite something; for a start it is printed on glossy paper as opposed to matt like the other pages and Marc is styled by Katie Brand from Pop magazine and LOVE fame. Industrie ends with a great thought piece about the future of independent superbrands and whether young talent is being snapped up by the big houses instead of setting the world alight with their own labels.

Industrie Magazine Issue 2 from Saturday on Vimeo.
As you would expect from such a flamboyant industry, the magazine is large in every way. For a start it is huge in size - A3 to be exact and it is full of chic black and white pics and printed on matt paper. The front cover is very provoking as it features a certain Marc Jacobs dressed up as a woman. Industrie is a powerful magazine and one that takes fashion seriously but without over intellectualising everything. It features people and tackles topics that are relevant in fashion today and it is just what fashionistas deserve. You can have a look at second issue of Industrie on the video above.

Fashioning February: I Heart the 30s

2011-02-18T14:13:00.005Z

Welcome to the I Heart series where a fashionista talks about their favourite decade in relation to style and pop cultural influences. This week we have Sophie Eggleton who is a freelance fashion and music writer as well as a blogger. She is deeply in love with the 30's and tells us why.

Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s my overriding style memories (and catalogue of cringey photographs) aren’t exactly of the chic variety - Lyrca cycling shorts, bomber (with the fetching orange lining) and puffa jackets, ice-cream hued shell suits and the grungey over sized checked shirts/washed out jean combo championed nonchalantly by Nirvana and TV show My So Called Life... I’m a mongrel in terms of personal style.. a tomboy who attempts, and fantasizes, about amping up the polish to ooze movie-star elegance. With these leanings there was an obvious style era to make further comment on...in part also persuaded by my infatuation with the green goddess gown (otherwise known as the perfect dress) worn by Keira Knightley in Atonement.

For many the 1930’s conjures images of the aforementioned optimum glamour, showcased perfectly by movie starlet Jean Harlow and re-imagined by the costumes adorned by Gwen Stefani in 2004’s The Aviator. As a reaction to the need for resourcefulness brought on by WW1, society reveled in a new opportunity to indulge and express excess .The Art Deco movement also encouraged opulence albeit with a certain amount of functionality. It’s basis of geometric shapes often informed tailoring styles, in particular the lapels. There were also obvious parallels with the structure and detail on women's shoes of the time. But as a regular trouser/loafer wearer its the character portrayed by Cate Blanchett in The Aviator who is the primary reason for picking 1930’s as my chosen decade....a women who wore what felt right to her, a fashion innovator...Katherine Hepburn. Her affect on the female wardrobe is unrivaled, happily defying social convention and unfazed by the scandalous label that followed. She consistently embraced her unique personality with stubborn independence - unlike many actresses of the era who would eradicate any sense of individuality in an attempt to embody the sex symbol image of the day. Apparently the first to female to wear trousers at her University, relentless in her unwilling to conform it has also been reported that once during filming a production assistant was instructed to remove her jeans from her dressing room (at that time only farmers or movie characters wore them). The bosses hoped it would push her into donning a skirt, however Katherine rebelled opting to sashay around in her undergarments until the jeans were given back! Incidentally Katherine (alongside Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor) was also one of the actresses Director Sam Goldwin had paid Coco Chanel one million dollars to create garments for in 1931. By this time Chanel's now iconic No.5 scent had already been launched with her name was renowned amongst those who could afford her.

Dancing also owned a major part of this decade in part due to the work of Director/Choreographer Busby Berkely and the legendary duo, the light of foot Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. While moving to the sounds of the big band ladies hair was still worn relatively short and set in soft waves, but the boyish shapes of the 1920’s flapper dresses had given way, the female shape embraced again with a bias cut a way of moulding the fluid materials against the body. Whether or not this was mirrored by their character, men appeared gentlemanly and suave, black or midnight blue double breasted tuxedos being the norm. However this era also saw the white jacket emerge ( a look which brought swoon-worthy Harrison Ford to my notice in 1930s shanghai scene in Indiana Jones at the Temple of Doom). While we touch on men's fashion I must once again return to Atonement (yes I am obsessed) where James McAvoy looked equally resplendent in his tux and bow tie as he did garden ready( brooding with sexual tension) in a dusky blue shirt with sleeves rolled up . I’m in full support of bands such as Hurts and Friendly Fires who in recent years have marvelously showcased the powerful simplicity of the humble shirt.... sorry I digress... I, alongside many of the glossies most featured fashion icons who have intentionally or not taken inspiration from Katherine, donning masculine pieces or giving an androgynous edge to their looks, will continue to enjoy the concept of unisex dressing. I will also continue to witness every female singer/ red carpet walker at one time or another attempt to emulate one of the 1930’s silver screen heroines.. with their accompanying sex appeal. In the meantime I will have to wait patiently in my slacks, brogues and boyfriend blazer and hope for a suitably glamorous occasion to wear my own version of the screen siren perfect dress.....

Fashioning February: Behind the Scenes at London Fashion Week

2011-02-17T13:00:00.001Z

New York Fashion Week comes to an end today and after seven days full of fun, frolics and fashion, tomorrow the fashion pack descend upon England for London Fashion Week. Over the next five days we expect to see collection after collection being displayed at Somerset House and various trendy venues around the capital. However, behind every show is a team of stylists, PRs, hairdressers and make up artists who make sure everything looks uber perfect. Thomas Walker is a make up artist who will be working hard backstage making the models look absolutely flawless.

I have been a freelance make up artist for two years however I have worked in the industry for 10 years now. This year I will be keying the make up for the Thomas Tait show which I look forward to working on every season because Thomas like myself is a perfectionist, so we always create something wonderful. I adore working with him. This year I am working on other top secret projects. Even though I'm only working on the one show this season a lot of time is spent prepping, researching looks; the side to my job I love. Along with the other top secret project I'm working on I'd say life over the Fashion Week period will be pretty hectic. I adore the backstage vibe, some find it stressful however I love it. Everybody is just working towards creating art at the end of the day so we all just wanna get our work down. I am an extremely calm person so it takes a lot for me to get stressed I love it. I always look forward to Ashish, Vivienne Westwood and of course Thomas Tait. However all the shows are great as they create trends that I can incorporate into my work.

To keep up with Thomas's movement during London Fashion Week follow him on Twitter

Fashioning February: Face Hunter Takes Manhattan

2011-02-17T06:00:00.001Z

I was blown away by the video that Scott Schuman aka The Satorialist made for Intel last month where he talks about what inspires him to do his blog. So I was really excited when I came across a post on LDN Fashion about a project that Yvan Rodic aka Face Hunter is working on with NOWNESS. It consists of a sense of videos set in each of the fashion capitals - New York, London, Milan and Paris. NOWNESS is owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and part of their digital remit is to create inspiring videos about fashion, art, film. music, design, travel and sport. With his voyeuristic yet open approach, Face Hunter fits right in with the mix and the trailer for the films is very captivating to watch.

Yvan does make some very interesting comments about the nature of street style fashion.

Lately I have observed that in London and New York I am started to meet people who are fed up of being photographed all the time. But that is still a small figure compared to those who are dying to be famous for a few minutes. Nowadays if you observe the younger people who are born with the internet they consider themselves like a mini brand and having a Facebook page is like a personal advert campaign to them and any opportunity to be photographed on a street style blog gives them more visibility to get more followers and more people to know them.

He also compares Fashion Week to speed dating because of the apt of making a connection with the special person in order to create a beautiful picture. It was only this time last year that Face Hunter released his self titled book which contained the best looks from his website along with his witty observations. The book went down a storm with fashionistas everywhere who rushed to add it their collection to go with the book by The Satorialist.

The Face Hunter series launched on Tuesday and you can watch the rest of the documentaries when they air on NOWNESS.

Fashioning February: The Model Agency

2011-02-16T16:07:00.002Z

I have always wondered what it was like to work in a model agency. I have always know that it is not as glamorous as it looks, in fact juggling the lives of several models who are dotted around the world while meeting client's needs must be bloody hard work. However, I am sure it is very fulfilling to see the young people whose lives you have managed go on to become successful models. The Model Agency hits our screens next week and this seven part documentary takes us into the lives of the founders, scouts, bookers and the models. Premier Model Management are the big boys in the modelling industry, for a start they have managed the careers of Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista which is nothing to sniff at. The agency was founded by brother and sister duo, Carole White and Chris Owen in 1981 and they head a small team of very passionate and vibrant staff. We are introduced to senior booker, Paul. junior booker, Jamie, commercial booker, John, director of scouting, Anthony and Sadaf, booker for the mens division. Then there is Annie who is head of New Faces who works with Sissy who is Carole's daughter.

The series shows the Premier staff tackle their most busiest time of the year - the September Show season - which means one thing, New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. We see them negotiating payment rates, pitching models. sorting out catwalk shows, shoots and castings, liaising with photographers, designers, foreign agents, scouts, model's parents along with the general running of the office. Then there is the crucial aspect of hunting for new models in the crucial bid to find that new face. The series also delves into the lives of the models and follows them as they rush frantically from castings to catwalk shows. I found The Model Agency completely fascinating: the huge pressure that the staff work under while dealing with the models and making sure that they emotionally and physically able to work really absorbed me. The bookers are basically parents to the models and sort out everything from their travel and accommodation as well as their personal lives. As Annie comments in the first episode, the models tell their booker stuff they do not tell their parents. We are also shown the volatile nature of the industry where an awful lot is at stake and with models earning anything between £5,000 to £15,000 a day it is no surprise to see people getting heated under the collar. The programme also displays the affection that the team at the agency have for each other and despite working in such a high pressure environment, they are still a small family unit.

The Model Agency is aired on Wednesday 23rd February at 10.00pm on Channel 4.

Fashioning February: My Space - Gemma Cartwright from Big Girls Browse

2011-02-16T06:00:00.001Z

Gemma Cartwright is a busy bee, while she is running style blog, Big Girls Browse she is also the editor of Latest in Beauty and contributes to Domestic Sluttery and Dorkadore. Add that to running her own self-named blog and you have a very busy lady. Gemma is one of the pioneers of blogging and founded Catwalk Queen back in 2002 before anyone really knew what blogging (the site was bought by Shiny Media in 2005) was so I am really excited to feature her on the site. She took time out to tell me where she writes her pretty cool blog.

Describe the concept of your blog.
Big Girls Browse is essentially about proving you don't have to be a certain size to enjoy wearing nice clothes. I'm curvy, but not drastically overweight, but the fashion industry often makes me feel 'big', and that's where the idea came from originally. I think we put too much emphasis on a number on a label, when really it's about what suits a certain person and makes them feel good. I try to cover a bit of everything, some high street, some boutique stuff, a fair amount of plus size and a lot of reviews.

Where do you scribe?
Usually from the comfort of the sofa, with some kind of trashy TV blaring in the background.

Why that place?
I edit a website for a living as well so I spend all day at a desk staring at a computer screen. When I get home, I don't really want to go to another desk and do the same, so I blog from somewhere a bit comfier.

What is on your sofa at the moment?
A couple of remote controls, an X-box controller, copies of InStyle and Elle, and a bottle of nail polish.

What form of inspiration do you have on the wall?
It's a rented flat so I'm not really supposed to put stuff on the walls, That's where Tumblr comes in, I store my inspiration digitally instead. Usually it's clothes I like, photoshoots I love and lots and lots of pictures of old movies. I love anything from the 30s through to the 60s.

Do you keep a tidy office or are you a messy worker?
I'm incredibly messy and though I've tried to change that, it never works. I just have too much stuff. The living room isn't too bad but that's only because the box room in the flat has become my 'dressing room' and is loaded with clothes, cosmetics and anything else I choose to hoard.

Will you be attending London Fashion Week?
Not this year. I've been in the past, but now my day job is in beauty writing rather than fashion, so it's not so relevant to me. Instead, I'll enjoy all the amazing coverage from the bloggers who are going and thank my lucky stars that I still get to see all the amazing clothes without having to suffer the achy feet and 14 hour days.

Check out Gemma's blog.

You can follow her on Twitter.

Mills and Boon Brings the Romance to Selfridges

2011-02-15T06:00:00.003Z

I was a total book geek when I was growing up, I was described by my teacher as always having my nose in a book. During my childhood I consumed books by Enid Blyton, Judy Blume, Rosa Guy and when I hit my teens I yearned for something a bit more mature. This was before Sweet Dreams and Sweet Valley High came into my life and I needed something to fill the gap, so enter Mills and Boon. This series of books were later mocked by many and deemed sexist but they really set the precedence for modern romantic fiction and what is now called Chick Lit. Mills and Boon are a phenomenon; they have been going since 1908, 130 million titles are sold worldwide each year and in the UK a Mills and Boon book is bought every four seconds. Now you have to admit that is an astounding fact.

So when a press release hit my in-box a few weeks ago informing me about the launch of a Mills and Boon pop-up shop in Selfridges I knew I had to be there. Dubbed The Together Shop, it is hosted in the Wonder Room Concept Store and features old and new Mills and Boons books, vintage artwork as well as cute gifts. The ideology behind the project are two things; to celebrate the launch of RIVA which is a new imprint by Mills and Boon and to to pay homage to Valentine's Day. Fans can purchase titles from the rare first edition from the 1930s along with the new books. The pop-up store launched last week and what better way to kick off than to get your romantic writer in residence, Heidi Rice to host a series of workshops on romantic writing. She has published four books and she was happy to share her tips on how to write the perfect romance book. I was fortunate to attend one of the sessions and they were very informative and engaging, she talked about her experience in getting published, the painful editing process, where she gets her ideas from and the formula required to write a Mills and Boon book.

The Together Shop at the Wonder Room Concept Store is open till Friday 18th February.

Check out Heidi's website.

Check out a fabulous blog post that Yoruba Girl Dancing wrote about her love for Mills and Boon.

Fashioning February: I'll Tumblr For Ya

2011-02-13T14:49:00.001Z

New York Fashion Week kicked off last Thursday in its usual fine style and while the world"s fashionistas were tottering around the Big Apple, 24 bloggers were were flown to New York City courtesy of Tumblr where they will be treated to nine days of endless fashion shows, lunches, dinners, cocktails and meetings with various designers. Nice work if you can get it eh? It seems that since its inception four years ago Tumblr has developed a love affair with fashion and vice versa. In 2005 if you were a blogger unless you had your own URL chances you were on Blogger, WordPress or TypePad. Over the last years a few more blogging platforms have come into the domain such as OnSugar, Posterous and Xanga but it is Tumblr that has got everyone buzzing. The platform came to prominence when outraged employees from Newsweek used it to fight back against the closure of the paper. When the well respected publication announced plans to merge with The Daily Beast, employees of Newsweek created a Tumblr page stating Save Newsweek.com, this gained immense interest from the media and public and caused Tina Brown the owner of The Daily Beast to announce that Newsweek was here to stay.

Described as a digital dump, Tumblr has become not only popular with teenagers but also with fashion brands. The creativity of fashion companies means that they are not short of vibrant images so that makes it an ideal space. No surprise that more and more fashion PR and marketing directors are including Tumblr into their digital marketing mix to run alongside Facebook and Twitter. Designers such as Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta and Alexander McQueen have all created hip blogs on Tumblr. Along with personal style bloggers who have launched a secondary blog to go with their more text heavy one and fashion industry people such as Oliver Zahn who is editor of Purple Fashion and photographer, Terry Richardson. More importantly huge fashion bibles such as Vogue and Elle have launched Tumblrs. While Twitter is adored by those who have a way with words, Tumblr is for those who are visually stimulated. However, what makes the platform stand out is the reblogging function (similar to retweeting) which gives the brands more impetus. Rich Tong, fashion director from Tumblr demonstrated the company's relevancy by his presence at New York Fashion Week where he took part in panels such as Fashion and Beauty Blog Conference aka FABB hosted by Lucky magazine and the IFB Evolving Influence conference. It looks like Tumblr is now the new fashion accessory.

Fashioning February: I Heart the 90s

2011-02-11T06:00:00.002Z

Welcome to the I Heart series where a fashionista talks about their favourite decade in relation to style and pop cultural influences. This week we have Reah Brown from The Musings of a Brixton Girl which covers fashion, music and TV. She is in love with the 90s and tells us why.

As a young woman in her early twenties realistically I am limited to the number of decades of which I can reference. With that said, the 90's influence on fashion and its cultural significance immediately had superiority over some of the arguably fleeting trends of the 2000’s. However; after re-evaluating a few fashion trends of the 00s, I thought ‘why not give the era the credit is deserves?’ In terms of fashion and music of the 00’s, Pharrell Williams and the Skateboard P generation along with Louis Vuitton don, Kanye West are arguably the most influential fashion figures of the decade. Pharrell Williams' affiliation with A Bathing Ape (hip Japanese clothing label) founder, Nigo not only lead to the establishment of their collaborative fashion labels, Billionaires Boys Club and Ice Cream but it solidified Pharrell’s dominance in fashion and music trend of that era. The whole idea of partnering avante garde luxury labels such as a Hermes HAC man bag, New Era cap with a pair of Air Force One' s was a reflection of his fascination with Japan and its street wear which in turn gave birth to a kind of “Kool Kid” generation.

Although Kanye West didn’t pioneer the high class and sophisticated rapper, (see Slick Rick or Big Daddy Kane) he definitely carried the torch and elevated it to new heights. Only Yeezy could rub shoulders with the fashion hierarchy whilst also staying true to his hip hop fashion roots. Collaborating with both Nike and Louis Vuitton on footwear, he successfully played both sides of the coin very well. Both his shoes would sell out and become instant classics commanding almost triple resale, bringing sophisticated ‘swagger’ to a wider audience. What brings these two together is their love for something unique and a bit left field which they found in the land of the rising sun and which has also filtered into their music. Can you name one artist that hasn’t collaborated with Pharrell or Kanye? I rest my case.

Fashioning February: My Space - Anne Marie Boyhan from WhatSheWears.ie

2011-02-09T06:00:00.003Z

I first met Anne Marie Boyhan at a HP TouchSmart Bloggers event last summer and I decided that I had to nab her for the My Space section. WhatSheWears.ie cover the latest news in fashion and style from what celebrities are wearing to fashion shows and the latest trends. Based in Dublin, Anne Marie combines blogging with her part time job as a writer for MSN and a consultant for various brands. She started blogging in 2009 and WhatSheWears.ie is now one of the biggest blogs in Ireland which is exemplified in the fact that it has been shortlisted for several awards such as the Irish Blog Awards, Irish Web Awards and Eircom Spiders. I caught up with her to find out where she blogs.

Describe the concept of your blog.
WhatSheWears.ie started out as a celebrity style and fashion blogazine but I now also cover beauty trends, stylish city features and shoot behind the scenes videos of fashion and beauty events. Every week there's a competition and a weekly newsletter too.

Where do you scribe?

At home in my living room, which is also my office. In Dublin, Ireland.

Why that place?
I work on WhatSheWears.ie three days a week from my home and due to the size of my apartment; my office is my living room and vice versa, with a Nespresso coffee machine close at hand. Some days I am home based mostly writing and updating the site and others I am attending fashion events in Dublin, viewing collections and sometimes meeting with publicists. I set up the site in February 2009 and for the first year I just wrote and developed the site. WhatSheWears.ie has now developed into a part time business and I also write for and run MSN Ireland's fashion channel. Two days a week I consult in online communications helping brands embrace the internet, so you could say that I wear two hats as the brands I work with are not fashion or beauty related.

What is on your desk at the moment?

My PC, a printer, files, a bunch of magazines, my iPhone, my diary, product samples, my video camera and a cup of peppermint tea.

Do you keep a tidy office or are you a messy worker?

My desk is messy but I try to keep the rest of the room tidy.

Will you be attending fashion week and if so in what capacity?

I'd love to! Please fix it for me to go this year.

Check out Anne Marie's blog.

Follow her on Twitter.

Fashioning February: The Glossy Reality

2011-02-08T06:00:00.001Z

I don't know about you but I was rather upset when The City ended as it meant that my weekly fix of the lives of glam media girls was over. Who was not riveted by the arguments between Olivia and Erin at US Elle magazine? Despite all the drama that went on in the show, Elle's appearance in the spin off to The Hills rewarded them with hours of free publicity. Having a presence on TV, preferably a fashion related reality show is an essential marketing tool and something that magazine publishers are now considering as part of their marketing mix. Remember the Elle and Project Runway partnership which eventually became Marie Claire and Project Runway after Nina Garcia ousting from Elle and eventual appointment to Marie Claire. Ironically both publications got in on the action by launching their own reality shows; in 2009 we saw Stylista where a group of fashionistas competed for a job at Elle and the next year the staff of Marie Claire along with three wannabees starred in Running in Heels. However before that we had the now defunct Jane trying out potential writers in The Fashionista Diaries before they folded and Cosmo Girl stepped in to save the day. In actual fact the reality show and magazine hybrid only kicked off with The Hills when a certain Lauren Conrad landed an internship at Teen Vogue to go along with her new life in LA. So no surprise then to hear that Teen Vogue are in the midst of making their own reality show about life at the magazine. With Erin Kaplan now on board at the publication after bidding US Elle goodbye and working alongside the media friendly, Amy Astley it certainly would make superb viewing. To top it off the show will be directed by non other than R.J. Cutler who made the ever so successful film, The September Issue which is about the life of Anna. Wintour who really needs no introduction.

It really is amazing the way magazines have thrown open their doors to the cameras but what are the reasons for this? A reality show is all about extending the brand and broadening the magazine audience - basically exposure and product placement. A show about a magazine will feature close ups of the brand logo, computer screens displaying their website and more importantly we get to see the journalists at work discussing ideas and implementing them. This definitely gets the audience interested, I remember when US Marie Claire did a fashion shoot on three savvy business women which involved them traveling through New York in a caravan, it got me really intrigued that when the publication hit the stands I bought the issue and I never had anytime for US Marie Claire. Add that to an insight into the writer's personal lives and you have a very dynamic situation. The fact is television is an extremely powerful medium. Look at Elle - they have had cameras in their offices since 2004 with Project Runway. Stylista and the The City. Also the huge success of The Devil Wear Prada meant that every editor of a glossy magazine were inundated with offers of a reality show. With magazine sales declining rapidly due to the digital revolution it looks like magazines might be relying on TV to save them. Who would have thought it eh?