DADDY COOL
“Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter” showing at Chelsea Space, curated by Paul Gorman is a case of “about time too.” Street style, be it Hells Angels, Mods, Rockers, Teds, punks…the clobber on the backs of London’s style makers,music makers and law breakers wouldn’t be the same without Lloyd Johnson’s contribution. The definitive leather jacket is fabulously represented here, the recreated shop-front, immaculately styled mannequins, collages to pore over…drink it in: London’s street culture, pop culture…and Jerry Lee Lewis, Liza Minelli, FRED ASTAIRE, it’s all here.
My Johnsons story: ‘cos everyone’s got one to tell…I had a 1930s starfish print dress which I hacked fairly obscenely too short and would wear with fishnet tights and Johnsons biker boots, purchased nervously in the Kensington Market outlet. The whole experience; the nerves pre, the thrill post-purchase and the swagger as I strode about town like Wendy James (in my tiny mind!) is unforgettable.
Brilliant crowd and I couldn’t resist grabbing Jeff Dexter – one of the best dressed men I know – for a quick snap.
Catch this wonderful exhibition while you can.
Madame says: LESBIAN CHIC
Or should that read “Switcheroo” Chic? The Parisian drag kings of the 1960s in this fantastic article on Queer Music Heritage flagged up by Superduck show how a suit should be worn, hair coiffed…
Realness. Pure and simple.
Madame says: TRADITIONAL
It’s now a New Year’s tradition to go to Stevie’s for mince pies in early January. And I hope I don’t bruise any egos when I say that they are THE BEST of all and worth the wait…home made pastry, mincemeat AND marzipan. I rest my case.
Eddie’s Absolutely Fabulous Christmas special BodyMap costume was lolling waiting to be whisked off to Bath Costume Museum and a bit of ferocious tidying had unearthed some fabulous treasure…
Stevie on the South Bank in Graham Smith’s book, We Can Be Heroes looking such a babe/baby and this bizarre BodyMap fanzine from Hyper Hyper days with a pull-out snakes and ladders of ‘the ups and downs of BodyMap’ (of which there were many!)- all the drawings and xeroxing hand done by Stevie…
I ate so much I could hardly fit behind the steering wheel on the way home…but it didn’t stop me from eating my banana and walnut cake care package for breakfast this morning…oh yes.
Just noticed Mucky’s dog hair getting in on the pictures!
Madame says: CHEESY POTATO
Pure and simple. Comfort food of kings. January fodder and good with anything.
Madame says: JEDXMAS
My enduring memory of New Years Eve will be dance routines with lots of hand claps by the JED crew as the boys and their cousin Eliza refer to themselves and a feral-verging-on-anarchy screamfest for much of the night. This was a mellow moment when they decided to bring it down for a few seconds before cranking up the music channel once again….
Madame says: PROPER FESTIVE
I can’t recommend Dennis Severs House highly enough for resuscitating a waning Christmasyness. We crept around by candlelight with cloves, mincemeat, mulling spices and pomander aromas wafting through the creaky floors as we wandered in silence ever higher and colder up the stairs to peer at the living quarters of this eccentric timepiece frozen in time.
It’s worth reading the ‘story’ on the website of Severs’ intention as he constructed these ten magical rooms…what’s wonderful is that there’s a sense of fun and mischief at work here; the arrangement of artefacts isn’t museum-y and the lived-in-feel is utterly authentic – people live here to keep it ‘alive’ with human warmth.
As Sarah, James, John and I stood in the festive parlour whispering over mulled wine and mince pies at the end of our tour, the fire crackling in the hearth,I finally had festive vibes…slightly crushed by the glare of the “Tunes” motel’s striplighting rudely forcing me back into the 21st Century on our exit.
Bit late to recommend…but definitely try to go next year!
Madame says: FINE MORNING DINING
Nahid surprised me with a belated Birthday breakfast at the Savoy! Uhhh, I went for the banana/maple pancakes and Nahid was characteristically healthful with full Japanese brekka!
Nahid is always fabulously glossy and immaculate – her dress and bag accessorised perfectly with the leopard print carpet for god’s sake! – and for someone who works so dog-hard I always marvel at the glow exuding from her being!
The lesson here: if you are doing what you love it loves you back.
Copious amounts of great coffee; we were yakking for so long they had to move us for an impending lunch reservation for more coffee and endlessly replenished tiny mince pies…
Whatever else might have been rattling my cage was given the elbow in this beautiful deco bubble…tea next time I think…
Madame says: AGE-APPROPRIATE?
It’s perhaps significant that with my 46th fast approaching I get asked to appear in a photo-shoot….
Of an old Victorian lady. Who was so scared. That. It killed her.
Oh, the GLAMOUR!
Having said that…it was so much fun! David Newton and Etienne Gilfillen took the pictures together, I styled it in something approximating Victorian garb with lacy, beady bits and bobs I’ve got at home and we had a HI.LARIOUS time…
Still, it’s not Playboy is it?
Madame says: OBSESSIVE? MOI?
Just finished another quilt…and started another..which could make me a little obsessive depending on how you look at it!
And this one wasn’t for a commission, which makes it available if anyone’s interested. Just letting my fingertips have a little breather before I go again – and I wonder why I haven’t had time to buy any Christmas presents yet…but I can’t stop!
Madame says: GARETH PUGH FOR MAC
The teeny tiny lady in the image at the top is me DJing at the Gareth Pugh/MAC party on Thursday night – thanks Rebecca!
Almost everyone was wearing black in homage to Gareth, the champagne flutes were also black with a perky red slice of strawberry – so I was pleased I accented my black with a bit of BodyMap red…
The make up is really gorgeous, even down to the packaging, Princess Julia was werking the lashes to incredible effect and the whole space was bathed in a cold, lilac light with water rippling effects all over the concrete floor – a perfect setting. Ruth Hobgen’s film of the make up colleciion (with music by Matthew Stone – he perfomed all the voices too, fyi) is great, above – they dimmed the lights for an enormous projection of it which was stunning.
As we were leaving, we did our own impromptu press shoot, throwing shapes (literally – a square!) and I was relieved I didn’t succumb to the Joiners carnage seeing as I was on the school run in the morning…tempted but iron-willed, that’s me….