Hot on the Highstreet Week 67

I have been reminded recently how important friendship is, which is why I dedicate this hot on the highstreet to all my lovely pals. Friendship bracelets have recently stormed back into fashion as the most in-demand accessory. Dana Levy has trumped everyone else with her stunning, brightly coloured woven bracelets adorned with diamante details.

Vogue featured her collection recently and I’ve seen her stuff elsewhere too, she's hailed as a ‘designer to watch’. London-born and Jerusalem-trained, Dana started out making yoga mats, eye masks and silk evening bags, decorated with charms before expanding to jewellery. All her work uses the same amulets and talismans and incorporates beautiful semi-precious stones and glass beads.

The Friendship bracelets are handmade to order and completely unique. I adore the exotic colour combinations, and am amazed that, unlike most thread bracelets, these have a clasp, which enables you to take them on and off easily and so preserve them better. They complement any outfit, and would look particularly good on a post-summer tanned wrist. Priced at £72, these bracelets are available on the Dana Levy website here, as well as at Liberty in London.

So to all my friends, I wish I could buy each of you one of these bracelets.

Beauty and the Beast in Barnsley

A weekend out of town can be very soothing for a manic Londoner like me, so when I was invited to go up north to see a friend starring in Beauty and the Beast at the Barnsley Lamproom Theatre, I grabbed the opportunity. Five of us squeezed in the tiniest of cars, buzzing up the motorway to the beat of latest fave band Everything Everything.

We arrived in good time, 5.25 for a 7.15 start, and wanting to find a suitable bouquet for our performing friend, we went to suss out Barnsley’s best flower boutiques. Turns out there are none, and any shops we did find were shut. I kind woman directed us to Morrisons, where we spent a good twenty minutes picking out the least tacky bunch.

Battling with the ferocious wind, we walked through the town to the theatre. After stopping for a quick platter of snacks, we took our seats. We all studied music together at university so it felt familiar sitting waiting to watch a friend sing. The lights dimmed and a musky smoke began laboriously puffing across the stage.

Hannah came on, auburn hair glowing and dressed in a sweet blue dress, not dissimilar to a John Lewis school uniform, the prettiest Belle in Barnsley. I felt instantly at ease watching her effortlessly perform the familiar Disney melodies but with a renewed charm to the character that far surpassed the animation. To our left a single red rose sat, brooding in its own melancholy. Gradually as the night went on the petals fell, with perfectly ridiculous comic timing much to the audience’s delight. The chorus pranced about, everyone just seemed pleased to be taking part. It wasn’t just Hannah we were there to watch, this production was quite a family affair... her enviously sophisticated mum as the wardrobe and her hunky cousin as the handsome villain, Gaston. Clearly theatrical talent is something this family don’t lack!

A buffet greeted the hungry cast members and guests, exhausted from the day’s events we all left to drive back to Hannah’s house, our gorgeous accommodation for the night. After some much needed gossip we retired to bed, dreaming of talking clocks and dancing candlesticks.

The Blues Kitchen in Camden

I have always wanted to visit the Blues Kitchen in Camden, so when the time came to organise my 23^rd birthday drinks I decided this would be the venue for the celebration. I’ve had enough of trendy Shoreditch and Clapham and thought it was time to promote the nightlife of North London. Before our designated table was ready we met up at the fun and quirky Proud Galleries just down the road, at the end of a fairylit path. Proud was packed full of arty enthusiasts dancing the night away, I love the vibe in there and am looking forward to returning to hopefully see a band in action, and try out the cute stables-cum-private seating area.

The Blues Kitchen is known best as a vibrant music venue, but also has great food and a wonderful selection of whiskies and bourbons. I am yet to try the dinner menu but have heard the burgers and salads are fresh and yummy. In the flurry of the evening I forgot to try one of their famous cocktails, which are apparently ‘the very best out there’.

Weekly events such as ‘Roll & Tumble’ and ‘The Sunday Blues Jam’ entertain the crowds playing upbeat classics. The band usually starts around 10.30 and this is when it gets super busy. Thank God we managed to skip the queue of shivering girls and went straight in. Inside it was packed, we were literally barely able to move. The service was quite disappointing, and our reserved area was occupied by an oblivious group of rowdy punters leaving us all rather stranded in the busy bar crowd. Eventually we were seated and the party could commence.

The theme was lashes and tashes, a bit of an experiment; much to my surprise most of my friends rose to the challenge, donning beautiful long lashes or dashing moustaches – one dedicated friend even grew his very own tash for the occasion! Everyone looked fabulous. I wore my very special top and bottom lashes, glittering and sparkly all night, though you can’t really see the true glory of them in the photos above.

After much chatting and sipping of drinks, we struggled out onto the dance floor at the back of the venue to boogie to the band. Great music, and an amazing atmosphere, it was clear that everyone was having a ball. It was soon time to go, heels came off (I amazingly wore them for the whole night!) and we jumped in a taxi home. Brilliant venue, wonderful outfits, and the best friends a girl could wish for.

L & F London: Vintage Clothes Launch

I feel very proud of my friends, who all seem to be making their mark on the world in creative and unique ways. Last weekend I went along to the launch party of L&F London, a bright new company selling finely picked vintage and second-hand clothes, at insanely low prices.

L & F stands quite simply for Lizzie & Florrie, the names of my two friends who have recently brought their whimsical fashion idea to life. It’s a plan I’m sure many have considered; I for one regularly take my unwanted clothes to the retro shops that litter the Notting Hill area, unfortunately only receiving a fraction of the amount I paid for them but definitely getting a sense of satisfaction from the transaction... the point is, very few people have the stamina, motivation and flair to put the idea into motion. The realisation of L&F turned out to be quite spectacular on Saturday afternoon, I was wholeheartedly impressed.

Located at Florrie’s house in Fulham, the collection of vintage clothes and accessories filled an entire room. Immaculately set up, the colourful array was extremely tempting. Being a bit of a shopaholic myself, I had disciplined myself to resist, but this good behaviour lasted a mere two minutes. Once I’d slurped down the last of my hot spiced cider (yes they were offering drinks and handmade canapés too), I went to look through the rails. I picked up about eight items before heading to the makeshift changing room. After an hour of umm-ing and ahh-ing I decided on five items: leather boots £8, butterfly patterned shorts £15, flowery dress £16, Spotty shirt £12.50, and corduroy cropped trousers £20. All of which now have special places in my wardrobe, in fact I’m wearing the spotty shirt as I write this, and can honestly tell you I have had at least two compliments on it already today.

There is definitely an extraordinary quality to these clothes – Lizzie and Florrie have a keen interest in the history behind the garments, rather than just appreciating their prettiness, and this ethic can be seen on their own blog. The walls of the studio were covered in pictures of their models – stunning, but approachable; I felt guided by them to pick clothes that might look good on girls who are not lucky enough to have never-ending limbs. It seems a novel idea – vintage clothing that can actually flatter your figure! Each piece had a personalised touch too – a cute ‘Picked By L & F London’ label, lovingly sewn on by hand.

The L&F sale was accompanied by beautiful foodie treats from entrepreneurial chef, Georgia Doherty, who is talented both in the kitchen and on the design side of things; her presentation is rivalled by no-one. I bought some Christmas presents, and a few chocolate snacks to munch on the way home.

Lovely to see so many old friends and encounter L & F London for the first time. Visit their blog here.