Winter Warmer


Staff parties, work load fatigue and increasingly baltic weather. Ladies and gentlemen, the Christmas flu season is truly upon us. 

A lemsip or nurofen might be a good bet to rid yourselves of the soul destroying symptoms that are plaguing you, but since it's the holidays the festive boozing is unavoidable. Luckily I managed to get my flu out of the way back in October, but nonetheless, here's my recipe for the perfect winter warmer, the spiced hot toddy.

Ingredients
(In a large wine glass)
2 x 25ml Jameson
Squeeze of a slice of orange
Another slide of orange, garnished with cloves in the rind
1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or to taste)
1 tsp of honey (Manuka is the best if you can afford it)
Fill the rest of your glass with boiling water (make sure you pour the water over a large spoon to cool the water before it hits the glass. You don't want the boiling water to cause the glass to crack and causing you to burn yourself!)

The (Not So Great) British Bake Off

What do you get when you mix wine, Jameson, cider, end of the semester exhaustion with baking? The result in my case, some pretty pathetic buns.

To avoid insulting my friends, I must make you aware right now that I'm only speaking about my own baking abilities.

When you have grand Pinterest ideas for these buns, and extremely poor baking capabilities, I wish I had told myself to not get my hopes up. If I needed to sum up my talent, it would be how I needed to enquire about the difference between butter and margarine. For real ... 

Three pals possessing minimal skills with myself carrying the torch for the most utterly useless of the trio. It's worth noting that all three of us participating in this baking challenge are far from professional. So much so, that we tossed the idea of doing anything from scratch, and don't you dare judge us. Give me your finest Morrison's home brand cupcake kit, x3. Honestly, what could go wrong? Well, as it turns out, a lot. The finished product clearly speaks for itself.

It baffles me how completely hopeless I'am at this craft, when I'm actually a decent cook. Surely, it's the same tricks of the trade? I'm trying not to dwell on this, but for fuck sake, can someone please explain?

These buns are part of an in-class bake off, and I've currently a batch of redeeming (pre-made mix) brownie blissfully cooking away. Nonetheless, when your creation resembles the same shape as the continent of Australia and are certainly inedible, what chance do these meagre mini-cakes have?











From top to bottom, Lily's, Mine and Annabel's



That's not your ego talking, it's your T-shirt

Garments that make tacky statements are so unnecessary - Let your sense of style do the talking instead.

Is it just me or is there just something so catastrophically cringeworthy about someone wearing “I’m not unique, I’m limited edition” across their front? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m yet to find a likeminded fashion conscious person who disagrees. 

At a busy traffic light crossing in North London I saw this T-shirt come towards me. It was a slow motion moment. Car crash television at it’s finest. I shouldn’t have looked and recoiled, but I couldn't help it. With those capital letters and bold font, it was basically yelling at me.

As youths we are told to be kind and not judge others on first appearances, but how can the same rule apply to these look at me, look at me garments. Surely, these t-shirts are created on the idea of preconceived judgement? 

Asos
Mr Swipe Me Right, honestly, do you think you are God’s gift to the distinguished dating app or are you that insecure you need to put your uncouth babble on a piece of cotton?

Unfortunately, it gets worse. There’s currently a video circulating Facebook of a little girl addressing the issue of sexism in children’s clothing. She points out that girls’ t-shirts are labelled “pretty”, whilst the boys say “adventurer”. Alas, most high street retailers are guilty of this gender stereotyping. I know it’s pretty petty to be offended by a simple piece of fast-fashion, but when the kids aren’t down with it, when is enough, enough?

Magically last season Maria Grazia Chiuri led the Parisian catwalk show with a “WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS” tee in homage to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk. Dior have thankfully provided some small redemption in this repugnant fad, hallelujah.

Dior
Without getting into the complicated semiotics of it all, they say that clothing is a non verbal communication method. In layman’s, your wardrobe choice is a symbol. So get creative and express yourself through your sense of style, not tacky narcissistic t-shirt statements. 


After all, it’s easier for you to wrap up in a winter jacket, then get wrapped up in what ever nonsense your ghastly t-shirt says.


CRIMBO GIRLS NIGHT OUT




As part of our Writing and Reporting module, we had to create a two minute video based around "festive fashion".

With this in mind, we wanted to keep it light-hearted and true to us.
So Jägerbombs and kebabs.

Filming, styling and photography by Annabel Grainger, Ammaarah Khan, Lorianna Bland and myself.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

"We should try that place sometime" is something I'm sure everyone has said at least once, however, with Melange, I genuinely meant it. The fact that I've lived across the road from the restaurant since March 2015, it's a bit ridiculous that I only got around to trying it on Monday.

However, patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait, because my afternoon experience was far from disappointing.

The Italian/French restaurant's contemporary Crouch End exterior matches it's industrial - vintage stylish interior. Old wooden wine boxes, rustic looking olive oil containers and a projector screen playing classic Charlie Chaplin set the tone. At this stage, I already had my phone out and have begun taking pictures. If I was this excited by some cushions and table wear, you can probably imagine what I was like to check out the grub.

The simplified and hearty lunch menu featured fish, meat and vegetarian options, which all ran for a reasonable 2 or 3 courses for £12.95 or £14.95 whilst all the cocktails were Prosecco based at 6.95. These cocktails are of sizeable proportion - It's worth mentioning that my raspberry Bellini lasted me the whole meal.

As I waited for the food to arrive, I took a look at the other customers. The restaurant had a mixture of guests. A lady sat in the corner with a coffee and a newspaper, whilst a group of women laughed over a bottle of wine. It's easy to see why the website calls it "a relaxed neighbourhood vibe"

Whilst my other half tucked into a juicy looking steak and crispy thin fries, I opted for the creamy truffle, mortadella, Grana Padana and ricotta cheese filled pastas in a white wine sauce. I should probably tell you that I was so excited by the food being put on my table, I dug straight in and forgot to get a picture to share. I also done the exact same thing when we shared the lemon tart and chocolate mousse. I suppose you'll just have to go check it out for yourself ...

I've passed by the restaurant many times in the evening, and the atmosphere inside has always looked pleasant. Dimmed lighting, fragrant smells, and a packed out restaurant seems to me it might be worth checking out for the dinner service.

I don't really have an excuse since I live across the road. Probably won't leave it another year and a half again though.








Popping Off

Whilst traditionally a seasonal fad, or a way for a starter business to get their brand known, why is it that well know shops like Liberty are temporarily taking to the high street? The answer is consumers are bored, and are looking for new immersive shopping experiences.

Pop-ups are officially an "in" thing.

Whilst I don't own a product based brand, the concept is still interesting.

On Tuesday evening, in an Autumn Hampstead Village, guests gathered together to discuss what queries they had on pop-ups. The idea of this Q&A was for the panel involved to share everything they had learned on their own respective journeys.

The "How To Open A Pop Up Shop" event was hosted by A Luxe Story, a new lifestyle pop-up supports independent designers, and in association with Let's Talk Fashion Business. Whilst pop-ups are a good way to regenerate the high street following the recession, A Luxe Story believes in the root idea of pop-ups. The London market may be dominated by pop-up rental space giants Appear Here, but tonight it was all about looking out for the little guy, networking and helping small business to evolve.

Designers Monika Karasinska-Obloj, Deola CharlesSonia Padam and London Fashion Agency Director Rosie gave top tips and critical do's and don'ts of how to run a successful pop-up.

The speakers gave extensive information on landlords and rental, budgets, branding, marketing, social media, knowing your customer, negotiating and getting things for free. Further advice and knowledge was also given on using local press to the best of your advantage and working alongside other brands that fit your style, ethos and values. Everyone left with satisfiable answers to their queries.

Chapter 1 of A Luxe Story runs on Rosslyn Hill until October 9th.

Follow them on Instagram for Chapter 2 ...






















I MUST BE THE REASON FOR YOUR ERECTION

David Ferreira showcased his Spring/Summer 17 collection at the Freemasons' Hall on Tuesday evening.

Wrapping up Fashion Week the Portuguese born designer's show captured a huge audience. Made in Chelsea stars, previous XFactor celebs, Instagram famous bloggers and fashion curious crowds, gathered in Covent Garden at one of the finest art deco buildings in Britain, to see what was in store from the award winning University of Westminster alumni.

Hosted by Fashion Scout, the "I MUST BE THE REASON FOR YOUR ERECTION" collection was inspired by a journey about sexual desires and urges, with the designer believing that the defining tone of it being drawn from Eric Berkowitz's, Sex & Punishment 4000 Years of Judging Desire.

Ferreira told Kabult Magazine, "It's about the idea of breaking free from stereotypes and the norms that are forced upon us in many aspects of our lives."

The garments featured techniques and fabrics of organza, chiffon, leather, satin, sequins, feathers, ruffles, corsetry, lace and mesh, which culminated in a fusion of traditional and modern structure. Ferreira's experimentation with colour was divided into three categories - White, brights and black. These colour stories were used as a theme. The white's included a relaxed design hosting a innocent exterior of hidden desire. The bright's which displayed pinks, blues, golds and orange were used to expressed a woman's desire to embrace all her urges. Finally, the edgy black garments which gave prominence to a woman wanting to fit in.

The entire show consisted of strong silhouettes, accented by their hair. Provided by Toni & Guy, the inspiration came from women in parliament with a futuristic finish which makes for a powerful collection.




















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