The one with all the apologies

It is the 20th anniversary of FRIENDS, and it feels like it's been 20 years since I last posted. So, my apologies for being a) useless b) easily kept busy and c) completely boring.

All I can do is promise not to leave you all on your own for so long again (although I have been writing this and then abandoning multiple times over the last week. I am a terrible and inconsistent liar.)

Having missed many key milestones in the sartorial calendar (Fashion Week, mark one, two, three AND four), I seem to have missed the figurative boat.

However, this may play to your liking, as you are all probably sick to the back teeth of watching the re-runs of catwalk shows, backstage shots, and editor's key looks. You may, even now, be spending your lunch hour mindlessly scrolling through Tommy Ton's street style snaps, without really taking in what you have been watching.

So now I beg you to forgive whilst I try not to forget to type, type, and type once again.

This is where I normally say goodbye and sign off, but I think it is more fitting to sign off with a hello.

GT-C

Parisian perfection

I have often admired the French woman's prerogative of laid back, easy elegance. For a maximalist, materialist Brit like me, peeling back the layers and ridding my wardrobe of the non-classic pieces doesn't come easy, and so makes their style (and mind-set) even more desirable.

Whilst I'm not ready to trade in the make-up and hair products for a bare face and blow-dry, I am ready to learn a few sartorial tricks from the oft-quoted Parisians. So, farewell paillettes and bon voyage towering heels, and hello to sweet ballet pumps, classic trench coats and Le Smoking de Saint Laurent...

Photo credits; all via vogueandcoffee on Pinterest

London's secret and not-so-secret Hot Spots

To eat...

Galvin at Windows is the Michelin restaurant atop the Hilton on Park Lane, Mayfair. Great food, incredible service, and a guaranteed memorable meal. I'm a fussy eater, so this nomination truly is high praise, indeed. TIP: Don't be afraid to request the best seat in the house, and the Cornish lamb Is. To. Die. For.

White chocolate mousse, poached Yorkshire rhubarb,
ginger & rhubarb sorbet dessert

To sleep...

Our suite at The Waldorf Hilton in Aldwych offered peace, relaxation from the hustle and bustle, and the BEST mattress I have ever had the pleasure to sleep on. It sent me into a deep and dreamless sleep within 35 seconds. My boyfriend was not impressed at its sedatory effectiveness but, has since, called them to ask where we can get one for ourselves.

To drink...

"Eat, drink, be merry and party hard" is the mantra of Clapham's Adventure Bar, where the menu is to be found on the inside of a Tom Cruise- adorned video box (remember that thing called the video tape?) and the Basil Grande doesn't disappoint. A good time to be had by all (evident by the photo of the empty cocktail glass). Hit Tip: Book a table or get there super early as seating is very limited. Sign up to their mailing list to get discounts and deals that will take you nicely into Happy Hour.

To do...

Go people watching at Piccadilly then wonder along to the best cinnamon bun outlet in Soho... the Nordic Bakery, 14 Golden Square. Although you will probably have to walk along to Liberty's to burn a few extra calories afterwards. Pity.

Photo credits: Goody Two- Choos, Nordic Bakery

Times are a-changing

It's been a little while since my last post, for which I am feeling terribly guilty. The truth is, I am in the middle of a shift: in life, job, house and geography (not to mention emotionally, mentally...). Devon is being switched for London, family for boyfriend and housemates, and bijoux boutique for Matches. Nobody said life had a rhyme or reason!

Time to swap this...

You may now call me the Matches girl, as I enter the world of real luxury fashion, where I will be working alongside names like Max Mara, Givenchy, Valentino... it's a tough life, no?

...and this...

So, on to the next chapter of my life. I'm glad you're coming with me for the new adventure!

... for this.

Love, GT-C xx

Photo credit: Goody Two-Choos

The joy and whim of hats

What is it about wearing a hat that boosts your ego, makes you feel great, and makes you stand taller? Is it the fact that it makes you stand out, or the connotations of real elegance and the need to show off the oldest, and most delightful, erogenous zone- the neck?

It seems the bigger the hat, the better we feel. The wider the brim, the more mysterious and alluring we appear.

Perhaps the joy we gain from wearing a hat comes from it's year-round appeal: come rain or shine, an accessory that is placed atop your head will prepare you for the day ahead.

Yesterday I met the man who first supplied the milliner Philip Treacy with his luscious materials, and has continued to do so ever since. In our conversation, he told me that their business relationship grew out of Mr Treacy's search to find the perfect white tissue paper to add to his creations. It seems that what we place on our heads, whether for decorative purposes or practical, there will always be someone at the root of production who gives a damn about the difference between pure white and off-white. It surely goes to show, then, that hats are, always have been, and always will be important.

Only recently have I, myself, started wearing hats. Never before did I consider myself a 'hat person', that infamous fashionista that wouldn't dream of leaving the house without finishing the polished look with a hat of some sort. Yet, here I stand, the conforming creature that only ever reserved hat appearances for weddings, now breaking free into a new territory of the chapeau type. Now, as far as I'm concerned, every day is Ascot.

Here are some looks to get us all in the headspace of the haute hat-wearer.

 

 

 

 

Photo credits: Goody Two-Choos, Purple, Rex, Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Brigitte Bardot, Harper's Bazaar

Nailed it!

My week in nails... (as you can tell by all the bright colours, I've been very excited for Springtime sunshine!)

Nails Inc 'Notting Hill Carnival'

OPI 'Sweet Heart'

OPI 'Miami Beet'; Rings (Top to Bottom) vintage, Saint Laurent

OPI 'Hot & Spicy'; Rings vintage

MAC 'In the Limelight'



No7 'Poolside Blue'; Rings by Freedom at Topshop

Photo credit: Goody Two-Choos

Gilt set - go!

I love anything that glitters, glimmers and shimmers. It's true, and I am willing to bet that somewhere in there I am part magpie.

Here's why...

Lanvin

My favourite flats are, without a shadow of a doubt, the best way to inject some gold into the everyday menial tasks. They are well worn- and well loved.

I love black, and wear dark colours all year round. So, to brighten me up and to add a dash of gold dust to the sea of black, navy and grey, I will throw on something like this jacket here (a new addition to my wardrobe). The boyfriend shape stops it being to 'showbiz' and brings it into the sphere of insouciantly cool. There are a pair of matching gold shorts that I purchased also, and you will be seeing them shortly in my summer edits!

Carvela

 Yes, more shoes, but then this is written from a shoe addict's point of view... #PerfectPartyShoesEverInventedForThePartMagpiePartLiberaceShoeGirl

So you weren't a huge fan of glitter? Well, you are now. Case closed.

Photo credits: Goody Two-Choos