Fashion . Editorial #1

Time seams to slip by so quickly, it feels like yesterday when I first arrived in London to delve into the art of Fashion Styling at the London College of Style. I really can't complain about anything in this land of opportunities, I have been having such an amazing time (maybe just the weather, I should complain about that).

As far as fashion is concerned, my first fashion editorial shoot was a hell of an experience, to say the least.  The main theme was English Eccentrics, yes I know! If the fact that this was my first shoot was not already challenging enough, having to leave up to the creative british posh standards made it even harder. However, nothing that a deep research and a creative mood-board can't solve, right?

At the end of the day I do believe I did a pretty good job, and the photos speak for themselves. To be honest, this was a successful team work. I would never have done it without the amazing people that supported and encouraged me throughout the entire process. Thanks guys!

And now, behind the scenes photos!

Easy . Quick . Healthy

Life is all about making choices; what you eat, what you see, what you say... And today I chose to have a healthy lunch. Preparing a quick, easy and healthy meal might look as a hard task, but I can assure you that with the right ingredients on hand it all becomes fairly easy.

The ingredients you will need are:

• 1 Whole Wheat Pita Bread
• Low-Fat Hummus
• 1/4 Avocado
• 2 Small Radish Sliced
• Some Slices of Cucumber

FYI - Avocado is clearly my latest obsession! Enjoy

Looking on the Bright Side

Last Sunday, 5th of May, I was spoiled again! I got the chance to go and enjoy the "Light Show" exhibition for free at the Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre.

I have to be honest here and say that I didn't really know what to expect from it. Although I am a firm believer that art may come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, interpreting light seemed quite odd.

Bringing together sculptures and installations that use artificial light in order to transform space and to influence and alter perception, this exhibition aims to be more than just visional. In fact, according to the artists vision is the least reliable of our senses. What we really see or think we see is not always how things are, right?

After all, I have to say that so much light together made me think twice about the role of artificial light nowadays. Some may take it for granted, while others barely have access to it.

However, when it comes to appreciate light as a form of art and really take some kind of interpretation and meaning from it, lets just say that I will be looking on the bright side of it!

David Bowie . V&A

"I don't know where I am going from here, but I promise it won't be boring."

David Bowie

Some might say that the David Bowie exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum has been completely sold out for a couple of months, and some might be right!

However, being a student at the London College of Style can become a great advantage when it comes to arts, music and culture. The amazing LCS team was able to pull some strings and get tickets for their fashion styling students. 

Needless to say that being a fashion student makes me really keen on creative and dynamic exhibitions, where I can feed my imagination and get inspired by everything I see. This particular one was no different, showcasing for the first time more than 300 objects, brought together to celebrate the singer's 50-year career.

Sponsored by Gucci, the exhibition featured 60 stage costumes of the great performer that sold more than 140 million albums and that claims himself has a 3-dimensional artist - "I'm not content just writing songs!" - David Bowie.

It quickly becomes clear how can a character off stage remain on stage! Inspiring so many others artists around the world with his free spirit and quirky attitude, and somehow inspiring me.

 

Fashion . Music . Fun

What?    Off Beat live featuring the Shoreditch Fashion Show 

Where?  Hoxton Docks, London

When?   Saturday, 27th of April 2013

Last saturday, I went a little bit further east, leaving behind central London. I had the pleasure to attend the 2013 Shoreditch Fashion Show at Hoxton Docks. 

It was definitely an amazing combination of pop-ups, live music, fashion and art! The designers creations were really unique and quirky, too good to be true.

The Fashion Show was produced by the Vivid Fashion Group, and showcased for the first time cutting edge and unique designs from Britain's best young and emerging designers from the world's top fashion colleges. We also had the pleasure to listen to Deaf Havana, Life in Film, The Thirst, amongst others.

And now I will leave you with some photos of the event...

[At the end, Me with two members of the band: This devastated Fan]

New Trends - New Season

You know as they say, new trends come with new seasons. The weather is finally getting a little bit warmer here in London and it looks like Spring. We have already seen the fashion shows, and as always the designers left us with a wide range of options. However, the time came for us to pick the best Spring/Summer 2013 Trends and to add some new pieces to our closet!

Crop Crop Crop

[Primark, Asos, Topshop, Zara]

Short and classy is the new way to go. We saw this on the runways, from Alexander McQueen to Chanel. Thinking short on the top or on the bottom is definitely in.

Flower Power 

[Zara, Bangkok Market]

The truth is that flowers are no longer only for hippies. Embrace the flower patterns and the vibrant colors, because they will make you pop this spring and summer.

Monochrome

[Primark, Asos, Zara]

If you think black&white is boring, then think again please! The monochrome is here to stay, simple and classy is always the way to go.  The minimalist trend was all over the runways from Marc Jacobs to Gucci.

Neon

[Zara, H&M, Miss Selfridge]

Adding a lot of color to our closet is a must during spring and summer. The vibrant neon is still in and Proenza Schouler made it very clear.

Oriental

The Geisha times are back! And if you enter a Zara store this season you might think you have just traveled to Asia. This trend was all over the runways, Prada, Etro, Hermes, you name and it's there. Unfortunately I don't have any Asian inspired items on my closet yet, so I leave you with some Zara.




I'm only featuring my favorite trends for this season, but if you are interested on the whole package go and read the trends dictionary here.

Oh No! More Chocolate AGAIN

This Friday and after a long walk on Oxford Street I became inspired to bake something again. However, this time I baked something completely different, that I had never done before.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

I decided to add this Chocolate Cookies recipe to my baking repertoire. I have to say that I can't really follow a recipe until the end, so I had to give my own twist to this existing recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 200gr of salted butter softened
• 100gr of brown sugar
• 200gr of caster sugar
• 1 cold egg
• 75gr of cocoa powder
• 275gr of self-raising flour
• 2tbsp of instant coffee
• 1 bar of lindt excellence intense orange dark chocolate
• 1 bar of 74% plain dark chocolate 
•  shredded almonds for decoration

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 200º C
2. Combine flour and chocolate powder in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside
3. In a bowl cream the softened butter and the 2 types of sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy
4. Add the cold egg to the previous mixture and whisk
5. Sift the dry ingredients and mix until just combined 
6. Add the 2tbsp of instant coffee (it boots the chocolate flavor)
7. Throw in the chocolate bars broken down into squares
8. Line two trays with baking paper
9. Scoop the mixture into 12 hand-full size balls, placing them far apart on the tray
10. Add the shredded almonds on top
11. Pop in the preheated oven for 10 minutes ONLY
12. Leave them to cool for around 30 minutes and enjoy!

The final Result...

As far as baked cookies are concerned, it doesn't get much better than homemade chocolate cookies --- gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside! This ones are amazing to eat as a pudding or with a cup of tea as a snack.  Make sure to take them out of the oven after 10 minutes, they will look uncooked but don't worry it will all be perfect after 30 minutes.

These are without a doubt my new favorite desert!