Where woodland creatures meet fashion

Unlike my fellow bloggerati friends, I had not been able to make my way to the Wolf and Badger opening I was invited to a while back based on the stupidity of being a dress (and therefore summer) obsessed fashionista who will not acknowledge that summer is over until my garden turns into a pool of frosted brown leaves and my legs turn blue. As a result I found myself in close proximity with my bed and cursed the dress between sneezes and sobs.

Anywhoo, today I have finally managed to find myself an afternoon where I had errands to run in the claustrophobic vicinity of Bond Street, allowing me to catch five flies with one trip, two of which were located within the halls of yellow. I was extremely curious as to what Wolf and Badger was truly about as I had mainly been shown images of people who attended ranging from rich ladies full of botox to my gorgeous friends - informative stuff, but not really anything that gave me a proper insight to the shop itself. I had also been a grateful subject of Wolf and Badger's twittention (portmanteau: twitter attention) including sending me get better cheer up images and tweets and #ff me as a favourite blogger. It is probably quite an understatement to say that being interesting to the brains behind a project and concept I truly identify myself with and would love to be involved in with my own designs is beyond flattering.

Most of the Portmanteau's readers are writers in one form or another, so I am going to have to explain this differently. Do you ever read a post and think "This is brilliant" but also "Damn, this is so good I wish I had written this"? Well, that's how I felt about, for instance, the white coat as you may witness and admire in the images below.



"ENVY" is surely applicable here, although probably not in the consumerist sense Selfridges is most likely trying to imply.


With pop - up shops popping up a plenty, as the name implies, the London fashion scene has been witness to a lovely dose of quirky experimentation that allows the commercialism of brands to be surpassed a little to allow for alternative return on investments. I am therefore a big fan of pop up shops and believe that the true creative spirit behind a conglomerate or commercial designer house comes through.

Although I love attending events and meeting and snapping fashionistas, fashionistos and PR's in their element, it was quite soothing to be able to have a look at the much celebrated place on its own. No muss, no fuss, no claustrophobia. And no queues to play with the interactive installation where your blowing is what impacts how much the swallows on the screen overhead would be blown across the screen.

I conclude with the stating of the fact that if you thought Wolf and Badger was awesome, quirky and cool, I think we've seen nothing yet and will be looking forward to everything they get involved with. I may not be signing up to Louis Vuitton or Benetton press releases, but I will be signing up to theirs. That's how awesome they are.

Jaeger Pop Up Shop on Carnaby Street

A few weeks ago I was invited to take part in a styling competition to embody the "spirit" of Jaeger's quirky, stylish and young-elegant pop up shop on Carnaby street filled with illustrations enhancing the experience of the clothes themselves. However, as the lovely Amy discovered upon a quick call on my phone, I was too ill to leave the bed and am sad to say I didn't get to participate. However, I was well and up enough to come and witness the announcement of the winner of the competition as well as having followed the gradual increase of likes and comments on the Jaeger facebook page.

Personally my favourite looks - images taken from Jaeger facebook page
ANNE LOOK - STYLE NOIR

There were two competitions, essentially - one, which was decided by the public or those with the most readers / followers / friends as well as best skill to market and distribute such information through the arrears of Social Media, as such competitions work, and one based solely on the decision of the curator of Jaeger's pop up shop, a dashingly arrogant (in a good way) and tall James Bondesque figure, a mix of Clive Owen and Daniel Craig who reminded me of someone else in fashion I had met resulting in a mildly embarrassing situation where I talked to him about something he couldn't possibly have known.

More of my favourite looks - images taken from Jaeger facebook page
STYLE CARTEL - THE DASH EMPIRE

The boutique was packed with London fashion bloggerati - it was so warm, that many ended up squatting outside the boutique. Must have been quite a sight seeing fashionistas sitting upon Longchamp bags on the floor. I know this because several tourists snapped the scene up and bemused of the antics of London life in the square central mile of fashion. Cupcakes were served and even apple and pear juice! Finally something I can drink - I usually have to nibble on chocolate which appears from my bag only to disappear in a flash into my mouth where it's silently indulged until it makes its way to work its druggy wonders all the while not offending any hosts with non-vegetarian fish 'n chip or mini burgers on lovely wholemeal bred. Plenty of popping corks were to be heard, a sound that lightens up the bloggerati's face possibly to almost the same level as a gorgeous velvet jumpsuits or deeply purple, perfectly mixed cape that I encountered and broke off a tiny piece of my heart for to leave behind.

We are winners and we get to stand next to Clive Owen/ Daniel Craig. MAKE LEMONADE and MY NEW BEST FRIENDS


"Where is Miss Jacqueline?" There's also Mr Thom TickleMouse tickling his own nose in his amazing hat

Always puts a smile on my face, Emily from Fashion Foie Gras and me snapping each other (picture of me taken from her blog x)


Hangin' outside - check out my Yorkshire Pearl bracelet and the designer leashing Miss Butters with Emma from London a la Mode


Organizers, Models, Fish 'n Chips PR's and Photographers


"Lira, I think we found you something!" whispers Kristin of the Clothes Whisperer (loudly). Oh, and my heart was broken, I had to leave the pieces behind


Kristin rocking the sheer blouse look to perfection and an impressive display of thin curvyness. Reminds me of the girl drawn to an extreme all over the walls of the boutique. Quite a remarkable resemblance.


Charlotte from Style Cartel always working, and Emma decked in Yorkshire Pearl


Are you swooning over Freak De Luxe's legs? Uh, yeah me neither.


I wish I could sit with grace like that... Amy's lips looking as luscious as her dress, what a gorgeous picture of two gorgeous blondes


"Aww isn't she the cutest?" "Yeah I am!" - "Pose for me, ladies!"


Jaeger display and drawings of thin curvy girls I was referring to earlier. And cheeky cats, of course.

A picture of dive Lira Leirner the Portmanteau take bu the official photographer of the evening and from the Jaeger facebook page