A Ball Of A Day

So this weekend I indulged my passion for fashion and headed to the V&A to see their ballgowns exhibition - a celebration of British designers from the fifties to the present day.

I'm ashamed to say that the last exhibition I went to at the V&A was the Grace Kelly exhibit two years ago! Despite this I do regularly attend the evening lectures, words can't describe the excitement about seeing photographer Rankin on Tuesday, but as soon as I heard about the ballgowns exhibition I knew I had to go. 

My usual fashionably late line was tested to its limits, five months late to be precise, but I eventually made it. 

With excitement and sticky hands, owing to an unexpected coca cola incident outside, I entered the glamorous world of dresses that I can only dream of wearing let alone owning.  

From exquisite royal beaded dresses to voluptuous velvet, you couldn't fail to be impressed by the outfits on display. I drooled over Alexander McQueen's feather dress, worshipped anything and everything Stella McCartney, but was left less than impressed by a foil dress. It reminded me of one too many failed fancy dress outfits! 

It was clear to see the changing landscape of British evening wear over the last 60 years and how society influenced design. I'm not sure I'd want the full collection, but there were some other outfits that I spotted on the fashion floor that I wouldn't say no to keeping!

Fact of the day: In the 18th century dressmakers made fashion dolls to spread the word about the latest fashion styles!

Can I get all these dresses to go?

Perfect for a dip in the sea

My new work outfit

Clubbing just got glamorous

Wrap up warm this Winter

Living in a Lederhosen Paradise

So this weekend I donned some particularly fetching lederhosen and embraced a cultural favourite... Oktoberfest, but in September.

I, along with a motley crew headed not to Germany, but instead to Kennington where our bavarian buddies had pitched a tent in the park to share their love of beer with us.

Now I never turn down an opportunity to get in fancy dress and I don't do things by halves. A mash up of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and a milk maid went down well with the masses although once or twice I was mistaken for a barmaid!

It was quite possibly the most surreal experience of my life. People dancing on tables dressed to the nines in traditional gear, a german version of the Killers hit Mr Brightside  played by the band and endless rows of beer. Now all I need to do is book a flight to Germany to experience the real version.

Lovely Lederhosen

Specs Appeal

So this weekend I found myself in the basement of the Book Club armed with a pair of sunglasses and what can only be described as the best collection of bits, bobs and beads in the world!

What I hear you cry were you doing? Well it just happens to be London Fashion Week and the Book Club decided to get in to the fashion spirit by encouraging people to decorate plain boring sunglasses!

Now I do love a bit of craft and as you'll see below I went a little crazy decorating my sunglasses. There wasn't a theme left untouched! French, art deco, a pinch of Gatsby and what appears to be some curtains!

Now all I need to do is pitch them in to Chanel or YSL for their next collection!.Look out Vogue there's a new contender in the sunglasses world. Or maybe not!

Looking Spexy

The Olympic Legacy in Action

It feels like a lifetime since Team GB celebrated a tremendous medal haul of 65 medals at the Olympics and 120 medals at the Paralympics.

Now the summer of sport is over, thoughts have turned to the legacy of the games and how we can inspire future Olympians and Paralympians or even just get Brits into sport!

 

Like many I was gripped by Olympic fever and from day one spent every available minute watching the games on the TV or on my mobile. I loved the drama in the athletics stadium, the speed in the velodrome and the energy of the triathletes. However, the sport that caught my attention was archery and I knew straight that I wanted to have a go.

So, at the weekend I trekked down to Bermondsey, not Sherwood Forest, for an archery taster session to find out if I had any natural talent.

While we gradually melted in the boiling hot gym, our tutor John took us through the basics of how to use a bow and arrow, the rules of archery and confirmed that at no point would we be firing at apples placed on top of someone’s head. After 30mins of do’s and don’ts we were let loose to test our aim and accuracy and in my case, Olympian potential!

What started as a bit of fun soon turned competitive when John upped the stakes and told us that we would now be taking on everyone in the class to find the best archer! I'm not going to lie, but at this point my competitive side kicked in and I was determined to beat everyone.

After several good shots, bad shots and shots that appeared on the wrong target board, the results were collated by a non-biased judge and I was announced as the girl with the highest score - beaten by only one guy.

96 out of 120 isn't a bad score for a beginner, but maybe with a bit more practise I may end up on the plane to Rio in 2016. The next question is do I stick with archery or try something else? Maybe I should try judo or rowing just to make sure I’m not missing out on an opportunity to win gold.

Is it Robin, is it Legolas no it's me!

 Five Facts about Archery:

• Archery dates back as far as 10,000 years ago

• Archery was reintroduced to the Olympics in 1972 after a 52 year absence

• In Olympic competition the distance between the target board and the archer is 70m (the arrow can travel up to 200mph)

• The target board is otherwise known as the ‘Boss’

• Hollywood Actress Geena Davis took part in trials to compete for the US team in the 2000 Olympics