A wonderful wedding in Camden

What a perfect day yesterday was.   The happiest ever!  The bride wore vintage and looked amazing (she is a top Brazilian model so that goes without saying) and the groom was handsome as ever.  Beautiful in every way and two people so in love.

Wedding Fever

So excited about today!! Not only have I got a day off (amazing lie in) but it's my childhood friend Steve's wedding today in Camden!  Finally have my outfit sorted so I'm a happy girl, lets hope the weather holds out!!  I had the loveliest personalised wedding card made for them and it was such good value for money bearing in mind normal cards are so expensive these days.  

I've been off line for a number of months, have felt quite deflated and shattered keeping the blog up to date but I'm raring to go again ;-)  Especially when I see that so many of you have been reading :-)

Monthly Competition

This month I'm giving away five copies of my favourite Fabric CDs all handpicked for different reasons.  I believe the Fabric collection is a collectors item especially as I get the impression that they may stop producing the CDs going forward due to everything going digital.   I LOVE my Fabric collection for many reasons, the cool artwork, the rawness and because they are all completely across the board of all dance music genres.

Fabric 4: Vibrant house music with a few vocals thrown in - absolutely timeless 

Fabric 31: Groovy and sleek - this gets played at many an after party back at mine

Fabric 34: Techno that's warm but a bit out there  - a personal favourite as it's the first present my boyfriend bought me

Fabric 37: House/Techno - I play this a lot in my car and always gets me ready to party!  Plus Steve Bug can do no wrong in my eyes - amazing

Fabric 43: Good honest funk with an 80's twist - I think my CD is completely ruined actually as this has been so overplayed at ours - perfect for summer BBQs and day time parties 

I'm making the competitions a bit easier for you all, so no excuses not to enter.  Just click on the link below.  Winner gets announced 23rd April.

Good luck xx

Click here to enter!

Monsoon

I spotted this dress in Monsoon today.   In my opinion high street dress of the year so far.   Beautiful!

Click to enlarge

                                                                  Monsoon - £110

Competition Winner

Congratulations to Beth Adams from Leeds who won the yearly Elle Subscription...enjoy.

Tomorrow I will be posting a new competition which I'm really excited about...............

Night from me x

Weekend with the girls

Whilst Mark was in Miami for the week I took full advantage of getting so much done, mainly cleaning!  My friends Beck and Jen came down on the Friday night and we went out and had a very merry evening -such good fun.  It was so nice us all getting ready together at mine before hand and I did Beck and Jen's make up which they were really pleased with. Then my other friends Kate and SJ came down on Saturday afternoon, back into the village for more drinking and eating.   Perfect weekend with amazing friends.

California Dreaming.......

Counting the days now until I go to the States.   I don't think I've had a proper two week break from work in years (as in relaxation holidays - let's face it Ibiza doesn't count and a quick few days here and there don't do the trick).   So I fly to LA on 3rd June and then back again on the 18th.  So much to plan for.  I'll be staying with Mark and his brother and wife but we're hoping to get a quick trip in to Vegas and I would love to drive up to Santa Barbara for a couple of days and visit the vineyards - it puts a smile on my face just thinking about it.  Loads of our mates will be out there the same time so extra fun for us all!!!  Really looking forward to Gina and Owen's wedding in Beverly Hills, they are such a lovely couple and the sunset ceremony will be so special.

Speaking of Gina I am loving her new track, I spoke with her the other day about it, it's not quite yet finished - I can't wait to hear the end result.    You can see her and hear it here.......great work :-)

I couldn't resist

So I have had my eye on this amazing dress in Hugo Boss for weeks now and I finally took the plunge and purchased it.   The plan is to wear it for a couple of weddings I'm attending this year, the first of which will be in Beverly Hills in June, a girl has got to look good for that right?   At least, hopefully no one else will be wearing the same and I do feel it's a timeless classical piece.  So excited about wearing it.

Back again....

I'm back after a couple of weeks off from blogging!

I felt like I needed a bit of a break because I haven't had a spare minute to myself.  I'm sure all you working women out there agree with me that sometimes you just need to go a bit more easy on yourself!

Everything has been pretty hectic for me from working lots of late nights and catching up with lots of friends but lots to report on and a few ideas to share with you

Thanks for reading and following :-)

On repeat today....

I know this track is old now but still love it......

Also here is Katy B performing with Magnetic Man - BBC Live Lounge, incredible 

Saved in Miami

2 days to go........

Check out the trailer, and if you're in Miami, make sure you go and have fun!

New sunglasses

You might have seen my previous post about the House of Harlow sunglasses I was desperate for....!!

They are now in my possession, very happy :-)

If you are in the UK you can purchase them online from the Sunglasses Shop - £90

http://www.sunglasses-shop.co.uk/house-of-harlow.asp

Yves Saint Laurent - Wish List

Palais suede and metallic leather slingbacks 

£565 (Exclusive to Net a Porter)

COMPETITION REMINDER

Don't forget to enter my monthly competition - end date 23rd March.

This month I'm giving away a yearly subscription to Elle Magazine.  For your chance to win just drop me an email entitled "Elle Competition" and you will automatically be entered.

Good Luck

claireantonia@me.com

I left my soul in Ibiza (a long time ago....)

Date a girl who reads

"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. 

She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has 

a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve. 

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread 

book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one 

who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick 

sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They 

can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow. 

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a 

peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of 

engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you 

a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the 

book. 

Buy her another cup of coffee. 

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter 

of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s 

just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be 

Alice. 

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for 

anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, 

Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand 

that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to 

make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does. 

She has to give it a shot somehow. 

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words 

are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world. 

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. 

Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write 

a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to 

have a villain or two. 

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that 

people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries. 

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a 

book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for 

a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in 

the book are real, because for a while, they always are. 

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next 

time she’s sick. Over Skype. 

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over 

your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and 

even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, 

maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will 

recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots. 

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the 

most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and 

half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds 

beyond it, date a girl who reads. 

Or better yet, date a girl who writes." 

Olivia Rubin Collection for Dune - Launch Night

I had a fabulous evening last night.   

Dune kindly invited me to an exclusive evening with designer Olivia Rubin on top on their South Molton Street shop.   I wasn't too sure what the evening was going to entail and I certainly did not expect to be given the opportunity to speak with Olivia herself.  My friend Jen came with me, we were in a bit of a rush at first as we had only just finished work so were pretty flustered by the time we got there and certainly arrived fashionably late - an hour late in fact - not cool at all.  As we flew up South Compton Street I spotted the Dune shop and peered in wondering how on earth we were supposed to make our way upstairs when I spotted to the side of the shop a young woman in a doorway with a clipboard.  Our names were on the list and we were greeted with a welcoming smile.  

Up the stairs we went and were ushered into a fairly large white open space which I can only describe as every girl's idea of heaven...shoes, cupcakes, pink champagne, pumping music, shoes, photographers, sandwiches, goody bags, shoes, bird cages, friendly faces, strawberry bonbons and yes more shoes.  

Here in front of us was Olivia Rubin's hugely anticipated collection she has designed for Dune consisting of 12 shoes and 3 bags.  This is the first time that Dune has collaborated with a designer and the first shoe range that Olivia has designed which makes it all the more exciting.  The collection is a mixture of wedges, flats, platforms and sophisticated stilettos, each shoe having been named after the great artists, naturally (Dune were keen for Olivia to continue with this idea following on from her Spring 2010 clothing collection).  So how did Olivia come up with the range?  Firstly she headed back to her archive for inspiration and decided on three different prints she felt were strong, bold and eye catching.  First up is the black and white monochrome (my personal favourite), then we have the 70's retro print with poppy bright colours (Olivia's favourite platform shoe "Or Warhol" is from this range) and lastly the more mellow colours consisting of pastel wedges.

Olivia worked closely with the designers from Dune ensuring there was "something for everyone".  Something for everyone there certainly is, keeping bang on trend with the 70's vibe for spring/summer the wedges are a must with a pair of flared jeans and a bohemian top.  Turning to the evening "Or Hirst" are a must (see picture below).

Dune were the perfect hosts, ensuring our glasses were topped up all night and encouraging us to have a polaroid taken with our favourite shoes.  Rachael, the newly appointed Head of PR and Marketing could not have been more welcoming and obliged when I asked for a quick interview for my inspirational women thread.   Olivia was equally as pleasant and down to earth, who I also managed to interview- more to come on both of those later.

A big thanks to Dune for the surprise goody bag consisting of a voucher, nail varnish, creams and kerastase hair products to name a few.  

The Olivia Rubin Dune collection is available now online and in selected stores (prices range from £65-£110)...be quick...!

www.dune.co.uk

Hugo Boss

Spotted these gorgeous shoes in Hugo Boss earlier this week - they caught my eye and so did the price tag!

I must have these for summer :-)

Brenta - £319.00

Japan - Spare a thought

My heart goes out to Japan at this terrible time.

I've been consumed by all the events and sadly we decided today that we have no choice but to cancel our trip.  We were due to leave in a couple of weeks for our trip of a lifetime that I have spent the last year planning - to the point I even have a huge map on my kitchen wall pinpointing our route.  I've spent the last few days trying to convince myself that everything will be sorted and that we will be safe out there, I just didn't want to let go of it and there have been a few tears.  We now feel we have no option but to postpone until next year, friends and family will be worried for us and things are not looking good because of the radiation issue.

I've felt so torn - in one sense thinking its best to give this great country peace and respect and stay away at a time like this yet on the other hand feeling I would be letting people down because they need us to visit and spend our money.   I had arranged a stay with the Buddhist Monks in two separate temples in Kyoto for five days, the first to study Zen Buddhism which was to focus on meditation and self reflection and the second to stay within the temple lodgings.  I now have to email these kind people to explain I won't be coming - I feel terrible.  My mum said that she was sure they would be okay and that they would have enough on their plate at the moment, which is very true.  However I will be making a donation to both temples and explain that I hope to be with them next year.

We were due to finish our trip in Tokyo and I was even hoping to spend a couple of days doing some voluntary work of some kind but the way it's looking at the moment we might not even be allowed to fly there.

I shouldn't complain because in the grand scheme of things my three week holiday is completely irrelevant so I'm sending positive thoughts to the people of Japan and I look forward to the day I do finally make it there to embrace a culture that is so interesting, respectful and historical.

Big love to Japan
x

Irina Werning

Cool link to make you smile (or if you're as sensitive as me - bring a tear to your eye!!!)

Statement

"I love old photos.  I admit being a nosey photographer.  As soon as I step into someone else's house, I start sniffing for them.  Most of us are fascinated by their retro look but to me, it's imagining how people would feel and look like if they were to reenact them today....A few months ago, I decided to actually do this.  So, with my camera, I started inviting people to go back to their future.

2010 Ongoing Project - by the way, this project made me realise I'm a bit obsessive......"

http://irinawerning.com/back-to-the-fut/back-to-the-future/

Gift and Home Website

Another great website for gift ideas - Dot Com Gift Shop


www.dotcomgiftshop.com


Here are some of my favourite items

Hot Water Bottle - £9.95

Set of two tea towels - £7.95

Heart egg frying pan - £4.95

LWD - Spend or Save

Lara, Fit and Flare Dress - Reiss - £169

Double Cloth Fit and Flare Dress - ASOS - £50

Olivia Rubin

I was very chuffed today when I logged on to find I have been invited to an event with designer Olivia Rubin.  Olivia will share her experience about her recent LFW show.  At just 28 she has achieved so much and you never know I may even be able to sneak in a quick five minute interview (I will certainly try).  It sounds like such a fabulous event, I will keep you all posted obviously but cannot reveal anything until after the event unfortunately.

One of her most famous pieces is the dress Cheryl Cole wore below