Hola Malaga!

Why didn’t I discover you sooner, Malaga?

This is a ‘hit and run’ post folks! Let’s just say, not many words needed!  Enjoy…

Playa de la Malagueta

A typical ‘local’s’ breakfast, at Café Central

Anywhere where they take their coffee this seriously, is so my kind of place!

Love it!

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga.  The Picasso Foundation’s exhibition doors.

Churros de Chocolate

Ok, so this freaked me out a little.  Not a hint of clear plastic in sight! But I think I figured out how they did it.  Can you?

A fish stall in the local food market

A Sangria and Tinto de Limon toast to capture the moment!

Lunch at the fish bar in the food market.  Fresh off the boat. Literally.

This was very yummy!  I just followed the crowd to this bar!

The architecture was something else!

A tiny hint of heaven on earth!

I wonder if you can ride this?

My new favourite bag spotted in Old Town Marbella

Puerto Banus

The Donkey Taxis in Mijas, a beautiful little village near Malaga.  Can I just say that donkeys are the most undervalued animals! LOVE them!

My kind of street art!

What an entrance

Beautiful lights at a shop in Malaga

Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga

And this is how I felt after my stay in Malaga!

(Carmen en Malaga, by Mercedes Lasarte – 2011)

TE QUIERO MALAGA! Thank you for the ‘it’ memories!

All photographs via ME

The Sartorialist: A Meeting

So you all know how much I love The Sartorialist, right?  (In case you don’t, this will explain it).  Well, on an autumn day in mid-September, I happened to be browsing ‘the’ blog and found out that Scott Schuman, its founder, was doing a book signing for his new book CLOSER, at Harrods, that same evening.

After a quick change of plans (I was originally on my way to the opening of a certain artist’s exhibition, but I decided to go to it, post ‘a meeting’), I got in the queue alongside London’s well-dressed of the style/blog scene.  I chatted with some very interesting people, before finally meeting the man behind the lense himself, along with his ‘lady’,  Garance Dore, the recently-hired VOGUE Paris columnist.

Both were very warm and gracious and I was surprised that after my introduction, he in fact did remember my submitted comments which had triggered a re-post of one of his entries in response to them.

The very handsome Mr. Schuman

Funky London blogger in the queue

Spotted waiting by Harrrods’ Door 9 entrance, with CLOSER in hand

Schuman and Dore, signing away

And…the wait was worth it

The one-and-only Harrods, where it all took place

I love full-circle moments.  And by meeting the man himself and going from The Sartorialist: A Dialogue to The Sartorialist: A Meeting, this one felt like a very ‘it’ one.

All photographs via Me

Spotted: IT Style ~ no. 5

“The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it.”

(Diana Vreeland)

 

The ‘day look’ at church

Name: Maral Zarrinmehr

Location:  At The Dorchester, in London’s Park Lane (W1), for a family wedding.

Story: Has been living in London for about 10 years.  Currently studying for a master’s degree at SOAS (University of London), and has previously studied at the University of Westminster and College of Law.

Wearing: Dress (BCBG), clutch (Topshop), shoes (‘no idea’), jewellery (jade and diamond earrings – custom made in Iran by Shadan Namazi, ring on right hand – Topshop, ring on left hand – from Iran), ‘intelligence’ (born with it).

Style Inspiration: ‘Bohemian Chic’

All images via Me

IT Squared

The ‘it’ IT List 

Savouring ‘one’ macaroon at  Pierre Herme.  Sorry Laduree, I do love you, but when it comes to macaroons, these simply are the best!

Olympic fever in London 2012.  Whatever your team, take note from these guys!

All images via Me.

SPOTTED: IT Style ~ no. 4 (Jubilee Edition)

“The young need discipline and a full bookcase” (Vivienne Westwood)

Name: The Army Cadets Force

Location: St. Leonard’s Terrace, off The King’s Road – (near the National Army Museum)

Story: A slightly longer version than normal!

I was driving on The King’s Road and I spotted the cadets walking on the other side of the road, in the opposite direction.  I quickly did a U-turn (risking getting a ticket, as one cannot hide from the cameras driving in London!) and looked out for them in the busy Jubilee-weekend crowds.  I eventually spotted them walking down a side street (the ‘look’ was not hard to miss!) and luckily managed to figure out the tricky one-way system. I pulled up just past them as they were approaching around the bend.  I reversed my car back around the corner, put my hazard lights on, called out to them, and brought the whole troop back for these photos.  They said they were in London for the annual Trooping the Colour.  Traffic warden was approaching and I had to dash, going our seperate ways.  No more information was gathered. It all happened in what felt like two nanoseconds.

Wearing: National Pride

Style Inspiration: ‘Serve your country’

So young and sweet, yet so mature and committed all at the same time.   If all the youth were as disciplined as these, the future would be more promising! Ms. Westwood, you should be proud!

All Photographs taken via Me.

Do Come In To Spend The Queen

First impressions count.  And British retail got it perfectly right when designing their shop displays in honour of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Not only was ‘window shopping’ made even more  fun and exciting, but it also made it more enticing to spend the pound sterling and purchase a piece of  ‘a moment in time’.  After all, a Diamond Jubilee tea towel from Cath Kidston comes around only once every 60 years!

So enjoy some of the great window displays, as seen on and around The King’s Road and Sloane Square, for what was a very ‘it’ shopping experience.

 The fabulous L.K. Bennett, who started out with her first shoe shop in Wimbledon Village.  Kate Middleton made this shoe of Bennett’s very popular when she wore it with several outfits during the week of her wedding.

The Best of British at Space NK. I can spend hours here just browsing!

Jack Wills.  The British answer to Abercrombie & Fitch.

Probably the nicest JIGSAW location in London, at The Duke of York Square.  As we happen to be talking ‘Kate’, this was the company she worked for prior to becoming The Duchess of Cambridge. Love the clothes at Jigsaw.

With her first shop in London’s Notting Hill in 1993, Cath Kidston MBE, has made her signature  nostalgic floral patterns as iconic as the Burberry plaid.  I happen to LOVE her toiletry bags and take mine everywhere with me!

Famous for her candles, fragrances and more, the Jo Malone scent is uforgettable. Loving the hot pink  Union Jack bunting at this Sloane Street location.

The White Company, for all things ‘white’ in luxurious bathroom and bedroom linens. Would not expect anything less than a white display!

Even the Union Jack gets Orla Kiely‘s signature stem design!  Love this Irish, London-based designer.

All Photographs via Me

The Sartorialist: A Dialogue

Something interesting happened in the blogosphere with yours truly, and I thought I would take a moment from my ‘no-blogging-this-diamond-jubilee long weekend’, to report on it.  Here it goes:

It all started with some comments I submitted to The Sartorialist regarding this particular photograph of a skateboarder.

For those of you who have not heard about  The Sartorialist (no excuses, it’s on my IT  Blogs list!), it’s the avant-garde style blog that was started by Scott Schuman in 2005.  Whether you are a design blogger, fashion student, photographer in the making, or simply a life lover, The Sartorialist should be on top of your daily blogs list.  Out of the gazillion blogs out there, he has nailed it like no other.

With loyal followers in the ‘too many to mention’ and the fashion world at his fingertips (the ‘who’s who’ of the industry checks out his daily photos for inspiration, not to mention bestowing upon him last night’s CFDA accolade), The Sartotialist is in a league of his own. 

Knowing all this, I was incredibly surprised and flattered when he took the time to re-post and interpret ‘that’ photograph in response to my very own comments! I thoroughly enjoyed reading his response, and while we may have different points of view, I was excited at the dialogue it created between myself and a blogger I greatly admire, as well as many of his followers.

You can view the entry here to read my paraphrased comments (my original comments were not published), The Sartorialist’s response, my new comment (written whilst half asleep!), and of course, to see the photograph that started it all.

Although I can write a Ph.D. thesis to clarify my original comments (insert wink here)and respond to some of the assumptions made via some readers (and another one here), reading many of the comments makes one thing clear; no matter what we each see in the photograph, its most beautiful aspect is the interpretation it leaves open to us all.

And that kind of a dialogue is an ‘it’ thing.

SPOTTED: IT Style ~ no. 3

“Fashion is architecture:  it is a matter of proportions.”  (Coco Chanel)

Name: Felipe Hecherm

Location: RAFFLES night club (present: the Prince of Brunei in the VIP area)

Story: Born in Mexico City.  Has been in London for 7 months and is studying Urbanism at the Architectural Association School of Architecture.

Wearing: Head to toe H & M and a Gin and Tonic.

Style Inspiration: ‘Buy what you like’

All Photographs via Me

LOVE IT

I love tea.

The glass teapot

Tea anyone?

Persian Rose Petal Tea (or chai as it’s called – pronounced cha-ee) to Indian Chai  (my grandmother used to make it for me  from her days living in India), relaxing Camomile Tea to healthy Green Tea, fresh Mint Tea and dates to detoxing Nettle Tea, English Breakfast Tea to Earl Grey Tea.  This tea to that tea.  Well, you get the idea.  In fact, I once thought about having a blog about ‘tea’ called…(stay tuned!)

Shall we?

A colourful treat

In particular, I love drinking it when it is pretty to look at.  Half the experience is in the eyes.  That is why I love the glass teapot.

Too steamy!

It is a simple, sensible and modern design.  It’s perfectly pleasing on the eyes, especially for drinking herbal teas (imagine the beauty of a Jasmine flower blooming in the hot water).  And it makes an ordinary experience feel like an extraordinary one.  The glass teapot, very ‘it’ indeed. Oh, and I just LOVE IT.

You can get yours here or here.

All photographs via Me

Spotted: IT Style ~ no. 2

 “The world said to conform. The world said to settle for less. The world said compromise and no one will know … so I made my own world!” (Bijan)

Shopping on the Kings Road

Name: A.A.

Location: Outside the Marks and Spencer in Chelsea (85 Kings Road)

Story: Born in Iran. Has been living in London for the past 12 years, and is working as a freelance makeup artist.

Wearing: Blazer (PINKO), jeans (Miss Sixty), boots and belt (All Saints), bag (Chanel), engagement ring (from Iran)

Style Inspiration:  ‘I always vary what I wear and like to change things up, but in one word: glamorous’.

The famous All Saints of Spitafields

Stunning eyes

All photographs via Me