londonstyle
I was lucky enough to be invited. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom from the notorious former fashion editor of US Vogue.
'If it feels right it feels right. If it feels wrong it feels wrong.’
Simply put, but the former editor had the perfect anecdote to illustrate her point.
In the 70s Coddington flew to China to shoot a story - but realised upon arrival her vision was not going to work out.
‘
We had taken all of these clothes that we thought looked Asian and they were very over the top,' she explained.
The team realised once they arrived the Chinese were wearing still wearing the Mao uniform.
Looking at the garments they had brought, Coddington promptly threw them all out.
'It felt all wrong, it felt rude. It was a real pallet cleanser.'
Coddington, who is known for forming close relationships with models, seemed disinterested in the celebrity models today.
In 2003 Coddington created the Alice in Wonderland shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz, starring model Natalia Vodinova. It's the story she is most proud of - but it might never have been if Anna Wintour had her way.
Of her inspiration the lauded image creator said: 'I have no real education at all. You can see a beautiful Matisse (painting) or you can see and stranger on the subway.
'It's when you mix them together that it become interesting and it makes it yours.'
One of her last sentiments was the inspiring message that even people who are at the very top of their game were once upon a time still learning the ropes.
'I thought I knew everything until I was on my first shoot and realised that when I was in charge I knew nothing.'
She also admitted to smoking 'a couple of joints' in her youth, but whether this has aided her creative process or not is unclear and is not advised by Brunch & Brains.
TAKEAWAYS FROM GRACE CODDINGTON AT VOGUE 100 FESTIVAL
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By jauretsi from USA - ---, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22316128
Five wise messages from Grace Coddington, former fashion editor of US Vogue
On Saturday Grace Coddington appeared at the Vogue 100 Festival 2016 at the National Geological Society to talk.I was lucky enough to be invited. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom from the notorious former fashion editor of US Vogue.
1) Trust your instincts
'If it feels right it feels right. If it feels wrong it feels wrong.’
Simply put, but the former editor had the perfect anecdote to illustrate her point.
In the 70s Coddington flew to China to shoot a story - but realised upon arrival her vision was not going to work out.
‘
We had taken all of these clothes that we thought looked Asian and they were very over the top,' she explained.
The team realised once they arrived the Chinese were wearing still wearing the Mao uniform.
Looking at the garments they had brought, Coddington promptly threw them all out.
'It felt all wrong, it felt rude. It was a real pallet cleanser.'
2) Be eager
Coddington, who is known for forming close relationships with models, seemed disinterested in the celebrity models today.
‘I’ve worked with Kendall. I didn’t fall in love with her,’
she said.
‘It’s much better when the girls are hungrier, and by
hungrier I don’t mean anorexic, I mean eager. When they are eager, that’s when
you have a relationship.’
It seems that hunger for success is what will get you a mentor like Coddington. Who wouldn't want that?
3) Hatred is part of the creative process
In 2003 Coddington created the Alice in Wonderland shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz, starring model Natalia Vodinova. It's the story she is most proud of - but it might never have been if Anna Wintour had her way.
Coddington devised the idea to do an Alice in Wonderland
themed shoot after she claimed she ‘hated’ Wintour’s original idea.
Anna came to me and said “I want to do to a Mary Poppins
shoot, it will be Christmas, it will be great” and I thought, I hate Mary
Poppins”.
‘I hate Mary Poppins, I think she is stupid,’ Coddington
said.
‘But it made me think of another idea because I hated it so
much.’
4) Don't be a snob
Of her inspiration the lauded image creator said: 'I have no real education at all. You can see a beautiful Matisse (painting) or you can see and stranger on the subway.
'It's when you mix them together that it become interesting and it makes it yours.'
5) The experts were once novices
One of her last sentiments was the inspiring message that even people who are at the very top of their game were once upon a time still learning the ropes.
'I thought I knew everything until I was on my first shoot and realised that when I was in charge I knew nothing.'
She also admitted to smoking 'a couple of joints' in her youth, but whether this has aided her creative process or not is unclear and is not advised by Brunch & Brains.
londonstyle
MARGARET HOWELL SAMPLE SALE
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Yesterday I dipped deep into my salary to spend it up at the Margaret Howell sample sale.
You can't argue with £600 worth of high quality British design for a fraction of the price.
And, you can never have too many pairs of perfectly fitting, high-waisted black trousers.
art
THE GUGGENHEIM BILBAO
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I despise New Year's Eve. The reminiscing, the resolutions, the Auld Lang Syne - all that sentimental rubbish.
Since I hate this holiday so much I made a vow to always do something special for it. It's reverse psychology or something.
This year I visited Bilbao - a town in the Basque region, for those who don't know - for the first time.
Whilst there I visited the Guggenheim. As a rookie art fanatic this place blew me away. The building alone was stunning.
You know that women who believed she was in love with the Eiffel Tower and the Berlin Wall? I think I *almost* got that at the Gug.
style
1) Catch some rays in Dubhlinn Garden in the shadows of the colourful Dublin Castle and see the Garda Siochana Memorial Garden - a monument to policemen and women who have lost their lives in the service of the state.
2) Visit Dublin's Natural History Museum, which has three floors with a huge variety of persevered specimens from nature, big and small. Comes highly recommended to taxidermy fans.
3) If you're a fan of the revered wit, writer and poet Oscar Wilde, I earnestly advise you to visit his house in Merrion Square and his statue in Merrion Park opposite.
4) Put on a silly plastic viking hat (you know the real ones never had horns?) and take a Viking Tour. Sitting in a bright yellow "duck" - an amphibious vehicle built in Boston during the Second World War, you will be guided through the city before gliding on the water for a different view of Dublin. Unfortunately due to EU environmental laws the original ducks will not be in use for very much longer. (Warning: site-seers on the Viking Tour have a tenancy to roar at unsuspecting members of the public. If you're on the pavement stay vigilant.)
5) You'll be hard pressed to find no where with live music on any night of the week. The Cobblestone, 77 North King Street, is renowned for it's traditional Irish music and a good pint of Guinness.
TRAVEL: 5 THINGS TO DO IN DUBLIN
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Dublin, Ireland's capital city, is a small but beautiful city with stunning architecture mixing the medieval Gothic-style Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedral with Brutalist architecture of the 21st century.
The city's rich heritage stems from the Viking times. The vikings were the first people to settle in Dublin, laying the foundations for the city that stands today.
5 things to do in Dublin
2) Visit Dublin's Natural History Museum, which has three floors with a huge variety of persevered specimens from nature, big and small. Comes highly recommended to taxidermy fans.
3) If you're a fan of the revered wit, writer and poet Oscar Wilde, I earnestly advise you to visit his house in Merrion Square and his statue in Merrion Park opposite.
4) Put on a silly plastic viking hat (you know the real ones never had horns?) and take a Viking Tour. Sitting in a bright yellow "duck" - an amphibious vehicle built in Boston during the Second World War, you will be guided through the city before gliding on the water for a different view of Dublin. Unfortunately due to EU environmental laws the original ducks will not be in use for very much longer. (Warning: site-seers on the Viking Tour have a tenancy to roar at unsuspecting members of the public. If you're on the pavement stay vigilant.)
5) You'll be hard pressed to find no where with live music on any night of the week. The Cobblestone, 77 North King Street, is renowned for it's traditional Irish music and a good pint of Guinness.
music
Girlpool is pared-down pop produced by Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker, who started the project aged 17 and 18 years old. The album deals with themes of uncertainty, nostalgia, and change which makes sense as it was written shortly after Tividad and Tucker's relocation from their home town's of Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
Dissecting the unique heart-break of losing childhood friends in track Emily the pair sing:
"In our parents' houses having seances, incense burning like our age,
I'm still here, remember me"
Using only an electric and base guitar, the album has a kitsch appeal - sounding just like the bands you and your friend tried to create as teens, but better.
Opening track Ideal World is perfect angsty, indie-pop with it's rapid pace and the duo's catchy harmonies.
"I thought I found myself today, no one's noticed things are okay.
I took a walk down the street, found nothing beneath my feet."
This LP seems at once both childish and knowing. Musically it is simple, employing minimal chords and notes and basic technique. The stripped down nature of the record makes it feel intimate, like reading a teenager's diary. There is a simplicity and honesty to this debut which makes for riveting listening over multiple plays.
Despite the sparsity of notes and chords, and the use of only two instruments, the album has diversity as the duo harness the power of their vocals. They sing in union, singing in rounds, in harmony or in total unison, but always together.
This lends track Dear Nora an eerie quality, while the title track is innocent and hopeful as Tividad and Tucker end the song in rousing rounds, singing "I just miss how it felt standing next to you, wearing matching dresses before the world was big."
Girlpool is a must listen if you liked Kimya Dawson and The Moldy Peaches
NEW MUSIC FIND: GIRLPOOL
0 commentsGirlpool is pared-down pop produced by Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker, who started the project aged 17 and 18 years old. The album deals with themes of uncertainty, nostalgia, and change which makes sense as it was written shortly after Tividad and Tucker's relocation from their home town's of Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
Dissecting the unique heart-break of losing childhood friends in track Emily the pair sing:
"In our parents' houses having seances, incense burning like our age,
I'm still here, remember me"
Using only an electric and base guitar, the album has a kitsch appeal - sounding just like the bands you and your friend tried to create as teens, but better.
Opening track Ideal World is perfect angsty, indie-pop with it's rapid pace and the duo's catchy harmonies.
"I thought I found myself today, no one's noticed things are okay.
I took a walk down the street, found nothing beneath my feet."
This LP seems at once both childish and knowing. Musically it is simple, employing minimal chords and notes and basic technique. The stripped down nature of the record makes it feel intimate, like reading a teenager's diary. There is a simplicity and honesty to this debut which makes for riveting listening over multiple plays.
Despite the sparsity of notes and chords, and the use of only two instruments, the album has diversity as the duo harness the power of their vocals. They sing in union, singing in rounds, in harmony or in total unison, but always together.
This lends track Dear Nora an eerie quality, while the title track is innocent and hopeful as Tividad and Tucker end the song in rousing rounds, singing "I just miss how it felt standing next to you, wearing matching dresses before the world was big."
Girlpool is a must listen if you liked Kimya Dawson and The Moldy Peaches
bruncheating outlondon
REVIEW: REFORM SOCIAL & GRILL, MARYLEBONE
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The Posh Ploughman's Platter
A brand new brunch right in the heart of Marylebone mixes hearty fare with refinery to create a relaxed and comfortable dining experience.
A brand new brunch right in the heart of Marylebone mixes
hearty fare with refinery to create a relaxed and comfortable dining
experience. I went along to try it out.
The Reform Social & Grill is a hidden sanctuary, just a
few minutes away from the hellish thoroughfare of Oxford Street.
The restaurant and bar at the Mandeville Hotel takes its queues from the heritage
from the area and is inspired by traditional gentlemen’s clubs. In its efforts
to embody the “quintessentially British” the menu encapsulates everything
English.
The three course meal, which will cost you £30 a head,
begins with a ploughman’s platter, which was loaded with delicious treats.
Favourites included the battered pickled onion rings, the mouth-wateringly
gelatinous ham hock pressing and the piece de resistance, a hay baked wheel of
Tunsworth cheese with sourdough for dipping. This platter was so filling that
it was a squeeze to fit in the main (although we managed – it was so hard to
resist).
Next up was roast pork belly, which was served with very
nice cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and parsnips, and a Yorkshire pudding
drizzled with gravy.
Roast pork belly
When it seemed impossible to be sated further a tower of
deserts was presented. All the British favourites appeared including an
amazingly rich sticky toffee pudding (thankfully minus the sultanas – who likes
those anyway?) with clotted cream ice cream and a pineapple upside down cake
with tropical coconut ice cream. There was an inventive take on the classic
apple crumble, a whole baked apple was stuffed with a sweet filling and topped
with biscuit.
From top: apple crumble, sticky toffee pudding, Bakewell tart
We were also treated to a cocktail masterclass. Social has
created a new cocktail for every month of the year, designed to treat whatever
malady comes with the month. It may be self-medication, but that doesn’t mean
it can’t be glamorous – or delicious. We learnt to make February’s cocktail, a
twist on the old fashioned designed to cure lonely hearts. Incorporating
marmalade jam, I’m not I would recommend this drink as a long-term solution to
heartbreak. Short-term, however, I think it would be absolutely adequate.
The Mandeville Hotel is located in the heart Marylebone, so
if the weather is fine you can digest your mammoth brunch while strolling
around the grounds of London’s most famous parks, Hyde Park and Regents Park.
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