East-Side

Antony Gormley

From a show I saw at the Hayward in 2007: Blind Light

Booker Prize 2009

A good guide to the short-list here

(via the guardian)

EC

Completely gratuitous! Photographed by Hedi Slimane

(via The Cut)

Black Lips

Backstage at Kate Sylvester, NZ Fashion Week A/W 2010
(via frockwriter)

It's OK To Cry

Hanky embroidered with the Dow Jones from 2004-2009

(via Chic Report)

Jill

I've just finished reading Jill, by Philip Larkin. It's set at Oxford University during the second world war, from the perspective of a crushingly socially-awkward boy on a scholarship, who shares a room with the big-man-on-campus.

I bought it because I've always liked Larkin's poetry, and because the blurb on the back said that it "is now regarded by many critics as a classic of its kind." I really enjoyed it. It's very readable, and there's a quietness about it, as well as a sense of something ominous looming just outside the frame. The characters are very finely drawn, and the language emotive, as you would expect from such a wonderful poet. He wrote it when he was 21.

Cherie

East Enders

Sunday market day around Brick Lane and Old Spitalfields,
East London

Dust Storm

Amazing images of the dust storm in Sydney this week

(via Sydney Morning Herald)

Simple and Stunning

(image via squaremeal)

This is one of the best restaurants I've been to in London so far. I've been twice now, because the food is stunning and it's just an all-round enjoyable experience. Beautiful, delicate flavours, lovely ambience, charming staff, and a great place for an intimate dinner and a good chat. It's on Blenheim Street, just off Oxford Street near Bond Street, and is Michelin-starred.

The reviews (see the website) are pretty stellar as well.

Ristorante Semplice

Buckingham Palace

I had a mega tourist day last weekend. We went to Buckingham Palace, and toured the State Rooms which are open to the public during the summer. We also went to the Queen's Gallery (which houses her private collection of art), and to the Royal mews to see the horses and carriages. It was such a good day! The State rooms are amazing. You go in through the Ambassadors Entrance, and through all the sitting rooms, ballroom, dining rooms, and reception rooms. Absolutely stunning. Everything you look at is gold, or edged in gold, but it's very regal.

When you exit the palace, you come out at the back, and walk out through the gardens. You would never know that you're in central London: see the pictures above.

Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace

Feel It All Around

Listen here

(via strictly bangers)

Prada

(images via fashionologie)

London Trivia

Here's a bit of London trivia. The Duke of Westminster had a relationship with Coco Chanel, and that's why the lamp-posts in Westminster have her double-Cs, as well as his W.

Anglesea Arms

I love this pub, in South Kensington.

We went on a sunday night for dinner, in the restaurant at the back. There were around 8 of us, and we had a table which was perfectly nestled into an alcove. The food was delicious (pints of prawns! yum!), and the atmosphere really lovely. They have antique convex mirrors, and dark wood and leather furniture. The bar was full, and people were hanging out in the front courtyard and out on the street - one of my favourite things about London pubs. It has white walls and lots of hanging flower baskets.

No pictures I'm afraid, but have a look at the web-site.

Listings

This is a handy guide to what's on in contemporary art at all the London galleries:

London Gallery Guide

(image - Roger Hiorns: Seizure 2008, from Turner Prize 2008, via London Gallery Guide)

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

Turner and the Masters is a fantastic and fascinating show at the Tate Britain, about the masters who inspired Turner. The works by artists such as Poussin, Canaletto, Rubens, Rembrandt and Titian are hung side by side with paintings by Turner, showing how he attempted to match or improve upon the skill and technique of those artists. I never appreciated how ambitious he was until seeing this show. He was so determined to fix his place amongst the great masters. Sometimes I think he was successful, and his work hangs beautifully against his inspiration, but other times, I think he would have been better sticking to his strengths. Either way, a fabulous show; well worth a look.

Listening To

Loving the new Moby album. Listen here.

First To Arrive

At Marios Schwab, LFW Spring 2010

(via The Cut)

Cate Blanket

Dress by Romance Was Born

(via news.com.au)

Hermes x Liberty

Liberty and Hermes have released a limited edition range of silk scarves. The (poor quality) photo above shows them displayed in the store, and below an individual scarf.

(Bottom image via LOVE blog)

Whitechapel

Yesterday I went to the Whitechapel Gallery, which has recently been reopened after a refurbishment. It was first opened in 1909, to bring art to the east end of London. It was the first and only gallery in Britain to show Picasso's Guernica, and there is a room dedicated to that show, demonstrating the effort it took to bring the artwork to the gallery, and why it was important. There is also a room, next to the reading room, devoted to Jewish artists of the c.1920s. They were futurists, and used to meet in the Whitechapel reading room.

(images via Whitechapel Gallery)

Word Jumble

This is coooool -- The Visual Dictionary

Click and have a look.

Johnny Castle

Tribal

Rodarte, Spring 2010

(via Refinery29)

On a blistering hot day...

... there was nowhere better to be than on a sun-lounger at La Martinez, Cannes.

Beautiful

Donna Karan, Spring 2010

(via style.com)

Electric

I went to the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill for the first time on the weekend. We had dinner and drinks in the brasserie, and saw the September Issue afterwards. The Electric is fantastic. As my friend said, once you've been there you'll never want to see a movie anywhere else. Booking is essential. It's in a beautiful room, with comfy leather couches, and you can order cheese and wine, nibbles etc. There are also 2-person lounges at the very back of the cinema, for snuggling.

The movie was great too. I think Grace Coddington is fabulous - she's such a natural which is exceptional given that fashion can tend to be a little contrived, and she's a romantic, which shows in her styling (loved the 20s shoot, and shook my head madly when certain images were cut). There were some very amusing moments in the film (Andre Leon Talley, head to toe in Louis Vuitton, playing tennis... hilarious).

Peel-back cover

By Karl Lagerfeld, of his current muse, Baptiste Giabiconi

(image via fabsugar)

Romance

From Out of Africa

(image via google)