Friday, August 24, 2012

What's New in Men's Tailoring?

I've been spending the last week as an Editorial Assistant on The Financial Times's supplement How To Spend It mostly sub-editing and fact-checking new pieces of copy. One of the articles I worked on was about men's shirts, and it was really interesting - there is some really cool stuff out there!

As a female, I don't spend an awful lot of time thinking about men's clothing (unless it's arguing with my boyfriend over his tirelessly standard uniform of dark jeans and a jumper) so I decided to do a bit of research into tailoring, but not your standard boxy white shirt and navy tie - tailoring, dare I say it, with a twist.


Now I'm not going to lie, this stuff doesn't come cheap. This post is not for the bargain tailoring buyer or the vanilla dresser, but if you're looking for something a bit different but still completely wearable for the office - look no further.
From £630, Available from the Angelo Galasso store on Hans St, London
Angelo Galasso is a brand I've been introduced to in the past week but that I feel I should have been aware of before. In 1990 he launched his Polso Orologio Shirt (pictured) with signature exposed cuff which consists of an internally lined shirt cuff with a cut away panel to reveal the wearer's wrist watch. It was designed for the former Fiat's President, Gianni Agnelli, who had an allergy dictating that he wear his watch on top of his cuff.


Technicolor trousers optional
Shirt available from Issey Miyake MEN on Conduit St, London
Issey Miyake always designs brilliant, cutting-edge menswear but this time I'm drawn to a decidedly subtler garment. His plain white shirt with asymmetrical button-up front is genius. Worn folded back with a tie like in the show, this is the kind of shirt that looks equally good on the catwalk or under a Hugo Boss suit for the 9-5.

£1085, Hostem.co.uk
I was vaguely aware of Rick Owens before but more for his slouchy, men's casual wear rather than his tailoring. This blazer is again, fairly classic in silhouette and function but is a fun alternative to the standard central two-button fastening.

£320, MrPorter.com
At first glance, these Dolce & Gabanna trousers look like any other pair of smart trousers but with closer inspection, they have a slightly gathered waste and "paper bag" style crotch. I think you'd have to have a pretty specific style and body-type to carry them off but I just think they'd look great with some mahogany brogues and a pair of braces.

£245, MrPorter.com
Last in the apparel department is this white shirt from Valentino. Although classic in shape, it has very subtle, fabric covered studs on the  collars which add a little bit more interest to the eye.

Photo c/o HeartofLight.com
$120, NikolaiRose.com

This last piece is for the more budget-friendly but no less style-conscious suit-wearer. This sweet tie bar by American brand Nikolai Rose can add a little extra detail to your existing wardrobe rather than forking out for new clothes.

I'm flying to Spain on Monday for my final two weeks abroad during this summer holiday and plan to spend most of my time in a horizontal position by my pool and not staring at a computer screen - I'll be doing plenty of that when uni commences again in October. So forgive me if I'm a little absent.

Friday, August 17, 2012

French Onion Soup



Recently we've become a bit bored by our usual meal choices. We're also trying to eat much healthier (minimal bread, no fried food, less sweets) and sometimes find it difficult to cook something satisfying.

Whilst brainstorming we came up with onion soup and browsing recipes found that it was actually really simple (not to mention cheap) to make.

We used this recipe but substituted the sherry for white wine and Worcestershire sauce.

Instead of the suggested melted cheese option, we made an olive oil and fresh garlic toasted bread to go with it which paired perfectly. Warm, super tasty and much, much better than any soup you can buy.

I had worried that it might taste a bit "stock-y" when using an Oxo cube to make the stock but I was pleased to find it didn't at all.


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Millionaire's Shortbread



This is one of my favourite sweet treats as it combines my love affair with caramel, chocolate and crumbly biscuit.

I made a batch of my own a couple of weeks ago for a picnic in Hyde Park with a friend and they went down a storm.

I don't think I've made shortbread from scratch before this so I was a little nervous as to how it would turn out but luckily it was fine - the perfect crumbly consistency.

I used a recipe similar to this but skipped the white chocolate on top (I figured they were sweet enough already). I also find that I tend to cut slightly smaller squares than the recipe suggests it yields but it just means they last a little bit longer.

Raw shortbread

Caramel



Saturday, August 11, 2012

Mexicana



A couple of days ago, a very good friend of mine travelled to Mexico to study for a year. Although it's sad she's gone, it might give me a great excuse to travel to South America next year.

But in the mean time, in spirit of her new home, we decided to have a Mexican feast in the form of fajitas for dinner.

We simply fried chicken, red pepper and onion with a pre-bought seasoning mix, heated corn wraps and cut fresh avocado and parcelled it altogether with creme fraiche.


Friday, August 3, 2012

Italy Photo Album

Long time no speak!

It's been a while since I've logged on and I have to admit my bad blogging habits regarding not finishing my extensive Italy review. Fear not - I've got some exciting projects coming up in the next few months, some of them involving me writing about our trip. So eventually they will all be available to read but possibly not just on my blog...

Meanwhile, I can show you some of our holiday snaps. So without further adieu...

The beautifully clear sea at Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast

The view towards Positano
Topshop dress, Ray-Ban sunglasses


Our first gelato experience!


Ice cream dream

Liquorice and mint gelato in Naples


View of the Duomo from our roof terrace in Naples

The Duomo up close



White chocolate gelato - the best we had all month, and we ate ALOT of gelato

Ruins in the ancient town of Pompeii

Zara t-shirt and shorts, Converse trainers, Ray-Ban sunglasses

The colosseum in Rome






Altare della Patria - home of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
H&M t-shirt and skirt, Next sandals, Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses


Piazza Navona

The Pantheon


One of my favourite photos from the trip at the Trevi Fountain
St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City

Swiss Guards inside St. Peter's

The inside of the spectacular dome in St. Peter's


Tomb of St. Peter


St. Peter's Square

Inside the Vatican Museums

Awesome road sign in Florence

The amazing, marble-clad Duomo in Florence



Delicious sweets

The Leaning Tower of Pisa




A sunset in Levanto on the Cinque Terre



Milan architecture

Reiss t-shirt, H&M skirt, Next sandals, leather clutch from a shop in Florence


Our apartment block - amazing right?

The Duomo in Milan

A sunset on Lake Garda



Posing in Venice
New Look dress, Zara t-shirt, Next sandals, cross-body bag from TK Maxx

The isle of Murano from Venice
Zara dress, River Island sandals, Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses

The Grand Canal in Venice

Venetian glass makers


St. Mark's Cathedral, Venice

St Mark's Square

A photo from the Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal

Painted marzipan fruit