Two Wounded Birds - All We Wanna Do

Whilst working with my lovely friend Miss Modha at the Reebok lounge last week i had the chance to catch up with one of my favourite new discovers Two Wounded Birds! Loving this upbeat summery tune, its got all the vibes of seaside but without too much of the Californian twang (although you can tell they toured with the Drums!) Their forthcoming single is set for release on 18th April trough Moshi Moshi and expect to see them at festivals across the country....watch this space. http://www.twowoundedbirds.com/

Bertie Beautiful!

After a long and stressful day, meeting various people, magazines and interviews i was a bit drawn and tired and debated wether or not i could make it out. I also had another four-nights-in-a-row week and was starting to miss eating dinner! But a fan of the Bertie brand and a few emails with some fellow lovlies i knew would be going down, i was up dressed, dinnerless, but none the less ready to go! And how glad was I!!!

The moment you walk into the Bertie store - wether full of fellow bloggers scrambling at the shoes and free popcorn, or just everyday shoppers, you can smell the quality! Greated by the lovely girls from Bertie there was an impressive array of beautiful shoes to feast your eyes on, alongside lots of popcorn and packs of haribo!!(my dinner)

The collection showcased an impressive but wearable collection of leather wedges, strappy sandals in shapes that were comfy with an innovative edge. People were going crazy for the chunky Prespa wedges (picked up by my good friend Bumpkin Betty) and the quirky brogues (my second choice and ones i am going back for next week!) but i was all over the 70's inspired brown weave courts. Yes that is them in the picture above...and no i am not trying to be a secret blogger - im just vain and trying to maintain some of the little dignity i have left!

Said shoes escorted me on the following night to the Faun Launch Party and then for lunch at the Reebok Lounge on Friday and then pulled out all the stops on saturday with crimped hair and a cream, wide leg jumpsuit! They saw and heard many things and my feet are still alive! Great heels, great quality and hopefully will have lots more great tales and outfits to tell...

Huge congrats to the Bertie staff (they dealt with the manic bloggers and endless shoe requests amazingly!) and a big thank you to the team for a great evening and my beautiful pair of shoes!!

Check out more of their collection here.... http://www.bertieshoes.com/

Alice Gold - Runaway Love (Andy Weatherall Remix)

I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Alice Gold the other day (and see some of her beautiful vintage buys...very jealous!). I have been a fan of ALice for a few months and its so nice to see this girl get the recognition she deserves. Chic, stylish charm, in both looks and music, is delicataly shaken with a brassy rock n roll groove. Words you may not think fit together but Alice is bringing us a charm in her music that is catchy pop, rough and ready with a 70's hippy wash.

Her first commercial release 'Runaway' is out on April 18th on Fiction Records, preceeding a very hotly anticipated album 'Seven Rainbows' coming in July. Love this video - visually summing up why you cant not love this girl.

www.alicegold.com

Stylish step in the right direction

DUNE. If i think of Dune store i think of late 90's early 00's. Then the giants Topshop, ASOS, New Look, Office and more ploughed into the market to offer fashionable and affordable (New Look being the big winner!) stylish shoes that had quality without the price tag. DUNE seemed to take a back seat...but my opinions and memories of this shoe store chain are changing. Last week i popped along to meet the lovely and very talented Olivia Rubin at the launch for her new hotly anticipated collaboration with Dune. Checking out the collection and in general the whole presentation of the evening (pink fizz and cocktails were yum) i was falling in love and seeing a new side to the store i had not frequented for a few years. Quality hiller heels, fun flats and bags were adorned with some signature prints courtesy of Olivia. Favourite had to be the Cream swirled wedges 'Matisse'- a 70's siren, with a touch of girly cheek = summer statement. For the pop colour trend and a bit more Bowie than delicate Bardot it had to be the 'Warhol'. Modelled by Olivia herself. Yes there were a few that didnt appeal, but then thats down to personal taste. If prints and patterns arn't nessecarily your thing then still check out the latest editions instore. Prices between £45 and £100, with most sitting around £70. A good price for a well drawn killer heel with trend and class. I hear there are many more things in store for Dune so watch this space....!

www.dune.co.uk for more collections and shoe delights....

The History of Lewis's 5th Floor

Ive known about this exhibition coming for a while and im so excited a) to be out for a second night in a row (working from home is not fun!) and b) the exhibition is finally here!! From the amazing talent of photographer Steven King, tonight the Orange Dot Gallery opens its doors to celebrate its latest exhibition - The History of Lewis's 5th Floor.

SO what's it all about - in short if you like fashion and photography, stories and a telling of time...you'll love it! Lewis's Department store was an iconic building in Liverpool, trading for over 150 years. In 1980 the 5th Floor of this grade 2 listed building stopped trading, but as Stephen discovered many of its original features and displays were still intact. Imagine - a iconic hub of hustle, bustle and style....frozen and empty. but full of history and stories lurking in its walls.

Inspired by this lost level, like a moment in history stopped in it tracks and frozen, King embarked on a project to document this forgotten floor. A series of photographers featuring images of the store and over 38 members of staff - past and present, i can't wait to see the whole thing together in the beautifull space that is the Orange Dot Gallery.....will twitter update galore (unless i get to drunk and forget!)

Captured in Time - The History of Lewis's 5th Floor

18th March - 23rd April

Orange Dot Gallery, London

www.orangedotgallery.co.uk

TOS Kitchen

Yum Yum Yum. Having always been a East girl, I am slowly starting to fall more and more in love with the North of London having discovered some great restaurants (HOMA and plenty of turkish delights) Charity shops(Marie Curie Highbury Corner) and quirky little galleries...oh and my x lives there and a girl has needs! haha.

Now its getting a lovely little concept in the form of the TOS Kitchen. On Monday 4th April The Other Side Magazine will be hosting its very first pop-up restaurants, the first of many new concepts, events and ideas to come from this London culture mag, this looks like it could be a winner! Taking over Nyborgs Cafe for one night only, Sicilian chef Salvo Trincali (who has his own restaurant in Trapani, Sicily) will be creating a fabulous 4 course meal all for only a donation of £19 each. There will be two sittings 7pm-8.45pm and 9pm till close.

Wether a special occasion, fancy trying something new or impressing someone on a date make sure you book your place asap as tickets are very limited. Oh and i forgot the best part it BYOB!!! For more information or to book directly check out the site

http://www.theothersidemag.co.uk/

Dent May and his Ukulele

The sun is shining and spring is finally in the air so what better way to have started my day by discovering and falling in love (i blame the spring feeling, im falling in love a lot at the moment) with the beautifully quicky Dent May and his fantastic Ukulele. I actually use to play the ukulele myself, days spent in Devon with my family as a child playing old folk tunes and drinking robinsons squash ( yes i have lived many personalities!). Well and truly evoking a sense of traditonal folk music and modern listening, Dent May, with his signature style has well and truly touched my heart. Not from Devon, no, but hailing from Mississippi, an equally picturesque folk music drenched location, his tunes mix easy listening melodies, healing lyrics with the delicate twangs of his famous Ukulele to make them wholly his own.

He is coming to the UK and is playing at Hoxton Bar and Kicthen (im sure his geeky honest and alternative looks will pull the crowds in East London) on 12th May.

http://www.dentmay.com/

Profile : Valerie Chiang

I do seem to have a little thing for profiling young new talent, but its hard to not be fascinated by some of their sheer dedication and insight teens have. Profiled here is 18 year old Valerie Chiang from North Carolina who's beautiful washed photo's that document, invite and provoke imaginations and stories. Using photography as a method of escapism....a common theme ive noticed of late in young photograhers i know (seriously is life getting that bad!??), Valerie seems to extend beyond that to capture a feeling reminiscent of those expressed by William Blake. Somewhere lost between innocence and youth and maturity. Although too many to choose from my favourite has to be the ones above, all for different reason i won't bore you with!

But i am no art expert, so i guess in hindsight what i love is her work...story or no story there is a mood and a feeling i love and i hope you do too! She has already worked for Blanket Magazine, Blip Magazine and Urband Outfitters....Good Luck Valerie and thankyou for your lovely email....i expect to see more soon i hope!

Valerie Chiang Website

EastEnd Thrifting...

AYOKA

Lets face it London's East side is awash with a hub of vintage stores and thrify basement, and whilst im not complaining it was lovely to come across a new little find providing both vintage and second hand items but all in the name of charity! After a dissapointing trip to Lama's Pyjamas on Roman Road (normally a favourite of mine if im in need of a cheap random purchase, but on this occasion i left very empty handed) I pottered round to the Gallery Cafe(another great vegan/vegetarian Bethnal Green haunt) and passed by a delightful window display of a store that previously a bit of a mess!

Formerly known as Ikosi, the place underwent a little makeover in July 2010 to become what it is now known as Ayoka. A new charity boutique style shop, i won't lie, you will find alot of your typical charity shop tack and primark dresses! But thanks to a with fun bunch of fashion conscious volunteers working the floor there is also great collection of vintage gems and unusual labels pulled out from the depths of endless black binliners. Channelling a 70's chic look at the moment, for a measely £14 i picked up a almost new deep red blazer from jigsaw and a lighterweight cream blazer from paris, along with a beautiful dark green shirt dress for £4 (more hippy chic than workwear chic) and a gorgeous green sheer scarf for £1!

Raising money for African Women's Welfare Association, it dosn't just stop at the clothes....with more instore gigs, events and shop shenanigans planned for the future! Next to York Hall, moments from Victoria Park and Bethnal Green station, take a peek if you get the chance!

AYOKA FACEBOOK

Birds Eye Viewing....

Maybe it is just down to talent, or maybe its down to females trying to make it in what was always such a strongly male dominated industry for so long. Either way you want to look at it female directors are definitley not getting the credit they deserve. However over the past few years things have been slowly changing thanks to the likes of Sofia Coppola (her beautifully shot, straight and honest story telling movies include Lost in Translation, Somwhere and Marie Antoinetter) Kathyrn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) Andrea Arnold (Fishtank) and many other exciting talented females who have been pushing boundaries to show the world that its not just men who can make gritty, intense and award worthy films.

Its that time again for the Birds Eye Film Festival. If you havn't heard of this basic breakdown, im sure you probably have already grasped but its a festival dedicated to the work of female directors. Whilst there is the argument that why don't we have male centred festivals, maybe the industry for females is in need of a little extra platform....and Birds Eye is working perfectly. From the 8th -17th March BEV takes over the BFI, ICA and other cinema venues in London expect feature films, short flicks, slient film with live commisions, fashion in film and most exciting for me a look at women's place in horror - Bloody Women: From Gothic to Horror.

Favourite top picks and ones to watch out for include London Premiere of Golden Globe winning In A Better World , 'quarterlife crisis comedy' Tiny Furniture by Lena Dunham (trailor above!), Night Catches Us, Kathryn Bigelow's classic vampire flick Near Dark and featuring the beautiful Michelle Williams (who nailed a hot look at the Oscars this year) Meek's Cutoff.

I could ramble all day about everything they have going so i won't bore you and go check it out for yourself! http://www.birds-eye-view.co.uk/

NEW ART WE HEART

Set up by two lovely northern lasses, Ballad Of magazine showcases some of the best emerging talent around and offers and online and offline platform to showcase their work. Produced bi- monthly the girls work with a host of amazing talent both in the production and pages of the magazine...i was lucky enough to be styled up by the lovely Be, their latest Ballad Of recruit.

AND NOW its time for the girls to host one of their get up, get dancing, get arty and drunken BALLAD OF Presents parties.....Check out their diary page and you will know what i mean when i say these girls and guys know how to party and feeling the post LFW blues, Ballard Of are here to lift your spirits whilst showcasing some amazing talent and most importantly get you dancing!

Taking place at Jaguar Shoes on Friday 4th March, music, live art (you can take home!) and of course Ballard Of cocktails will be on form from 7.30pm and will continue until the wee hours of the morning. I will be heading down there early doors so if your wondering who i am - look out the the girl dancing on not-suitable-for-dancing-on furniture or slumped somewhere in a corner with a gin and glass of wine in my hand (don't judge this is my first night out after recovering from a 2 week flu!!)

See you there...and remember rsvp is essential!

Find out more about the magazine here www.balladof.co.uk and drop them a line if you would like to be involved or submit your work! Join the Facebook event here

Pick up your copy a the magazine from selfridges, harrods, rough trade, tate modern and loads of london and UK boutiques and newsagents