Jenny Packham Fall 2011

The Jenny Packham show has a special place in my heart as for many years I tried to fill the man void on Valentine’s Day with fashion!  Unfortunately, much like my love life, a Valentine’s Day fashion show always alluded me.  Seriously I would have a packed schedule the day before and/or after but never a single Valentine’s day invite.  This year the tides turned and found both a show and a Valentine to share the day with!

I first discovered the Brit designer’s stunning dresses on the racks of Harrod’s as my friend told me that she was hopeful of Kate Middleton choosing Jenny Packham to be her wedding dress designer.  I found myself soon in awe and wonderment of all the sparkly and fanciful creations.  Yes, I have magpie syndrome and any sparkly thing catches my eye.  Fortunately Ms Packham does the job right and her creations are not only sparkly but they are also sexy and classy in the same breath.

For Fall 2011, It was all about Glitter & Gold!  Gold Lamé, gold shingle-like sequins and gold tone panné velvet hit the runway for strong impact.  The other strong message was nude.  Nude tones were also a strong message. Both nude and black with the addition of gunmetal and crystal spider web beading looked fresh. I especially loved how it looked in the form of leggings that created a disco leg effect on the runway.  Lengths of dresses varied between tunics, micro-minis and maxi lengths. Sheerness was also important in the collection and definitely added to the sexy factor as did the masterfully draped plunging cowl necks. Some of the cowl necklines had an almost architecturally engineered quality to them that made them look very modern again.

Unfortunately due to a personal loss, Ms Packham wasn’t able to attend the show or greet us during the runway finale.

If you haven’t heard of Jenny Packham before expect to hear her name again in the near future.  Gorgeous.

Travel Diary: London Day 2

Day 2 started early and after only 6 hours of sleep, I was wide awake and ready to go.  After sleeping in a plane, to sleep in a bed felt so sweet, but with plenty to see I didn’t want to waste time.

I started the day grabbing a Pasty, which is sort of like the British equivalent of a Jamaican Beef Patty.  Hot potato, onion and beef in a warm flakey pastry shell.  Satisfying, affordable and easy to take on the go.  Pasty stands are at every major train station I’ve seen thus far.

 

After checking out a Sunday morning service, I headed towards the South Kensington area to try a crepe that my friend informs me is better than Paris.  I’ve never been to Paris, but I have to say that I’m not sure that I can imagine a better crepe. I split with my friend and tried both a sweet and savory version.

I passed some delightful street scenes as I headed towards the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) to catch the Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes exhibit.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from an exhibit about a dance company, but it was something I was told would definitely be influencing designers in upcoming seasons.

While photography was forbidden, here are a few images from the V&A website of what I saw. It was interesting to note that amongst the contributors to costume and set design over the years were greats in their respective fields like Picasso and Yves Saint Laurent.  I learned that it was a dance company that influenced and was influenced by art, music and fashion in it’s own time.

After the exhibit, I didn’t have time to see much else in the V&A because I wanted to have a look at luxe, traditional British retailer Harrod’s before dinner.I have a bit of a weakness for great window displays but could only snap a few scenes as I was afraid my camera was losing batteries.  The window’s in Harrod’s this year were inspired by Peter Pan.  My favorite scene was the one of models floating in clouds above a peaceful London night.

It was also my first time seeing all the food dedicated areas of Harrod’s.  It seemed like endless rooms dedicated to Chocolate, Seafood, Candy, Jams & cookies alongside areas for eating various prepared foods like sushi.  I must go back later on in this trip to check out French macaron shop La Duree.

I finished the night off in Angel (apparently a hip area with lots of resto & bars) for some ultra affordable cuisine at Le Mercury.  Le Mercury had a very cozy, casual feel that would be perfect for dates. The range of options was fairly broad and the portion sizes were quite generous.  I didn’t realize it was a French restaurant until after dinner, otherwise I might not have ordered my very Brit menu selections but it was Sunday and Sunday Roast called me.  I also had wine poached pear with blue cheese and walnuts in Balsamic and finished with some Banoffee pie. By the time I finished dinner I was done for the day.