Like a Prayer

(Pictures: 'Karma Sutra' dress; 'Hail Mary' dress; 'Dark Habit' cape and 'Amen' mini; 'Power of Glove' body suit and 'Tiers on my Pillow' skirt)

Antipodium's tagline on their facebook fan page is 'Tongue in chic fashion for the modern girl about town'. I of course am a big fan of 'tongue in chic' (see 'Glamping' post) so this idea appeals to me hugely. Each collection is based around different themes, but the same savage, slightly grungy urban glamour is a constant. Last summer I was very lucky as I received a present of the 'Karma Sutra' dress from the 'Tarot' collection (see above); when I wear it I channel my inner Bianca Jagger (who loved hooded dresses and who made glamour into an art form).

The latest collection is entitled 'Brides of Christ' and features lots of feather-light leathers, and a predominantly black and red colour scheme for a luxe, neo-gothic feel. It also plays wonderfully on the Madonna-whore dichotomy (see for example the 'Power of Glove' bodysuit and 'Hail Mary' dress pictured above). If I was a religious person then I would get down on my knees and offer up my prayers and worship at this most stylish altar.

Superchic: Heimstone

If I had to pick one designer to dress me this summer, it would be Alix Petit, the creative director of French label Heimstone. Heimstone was created in 2007 but suprisingly has remained fairly under the radar. The Spring/Summer 2010 collection is a wonderful mix of pretty dresses in rich earthy tones worn with wooden accessories: perfect for channelling your inner woodland nymph. The clothes are deliberately oversized and worn insouciantly throughout the campaign as though the gamine model (Lolita Jacobs) has smuggled them out of her cool older sister's wardrobe. The overall feel of the collection is extremely free-spirited: these are outfits to have adventures in.

www.heimstone.com/collection

Vintage Eyewear

These vintage black architectural design sunglasses are by Cazal and they are available from RetroSun. Usually I am strictly a Rayban's girl but these are super cool. I would wear them in the city or driving along the Amalfi coast in a convertible Alfa Romeo.

Freckle Monster

As a child I grew up absolutely hating my freckles. I will never forget being absolutely devastated when the boy I fancied when I was 15 nicknamed me 'the freckle monster'. Teenage boys can be so cruel! My hope was that one day they would all merge into one giant freckle and I would look as though I had been blessed with the olive skin I had always wanted so much and that all my school friends seemed to have and take for granted. 'Freckles add character' my mother used to say, invoking a parent's favourite euphemism for anything their children detest! I did not want 'character'; I wanted conventional beauty in the form of an all-over caramel tan. My dilemma was such that I had a fringe cut to cover the dreaded freckles on my forehead and even considered having them removed cosmetically.

Thankfully however, I have learned to love these freckles of mine. I have just come back from a week in the sun, which brought out the freckles on my nose, cheeks and shoulders, and it looks like I have given hundreds of tiny kisses by the sun. The best thing is that unlike a tan, freckles can not be faked. As usual, mother you were right, my freckles are now a part of my character and I can't imagine life without them. Someone said once that 'A girl without freckles is like a night without stars'. I think it is one of my new favourite quotes!

Mini Trend Forecast

Whilst flicking through August Vogue, I noticed in a few of the Autumn/Winter ad campaigns a potential new mini-trend: long chain necklaces with a single oversized, navel-grazing charm, almost like a medallion. The reason this caught my eye was because it marks a change from the recent proliferation of more delicate chains featuring 3 or 4 mini charms.

In the YSL campaign, the pendant features a bold silhouette of a single, glamorous, hat-clad woman on a long thick chain. In the Paul & Joe advertisement, the focal point is a super-size silver owl with jewelled eyes and body.

Such statement pieces are fantastic as they are dramatic, eye-catching, and can be added to any outfit. If wearing a simple black dress, for instance, such an accessory would add a interesting and quirky finish; and if wearing something more casual (such as Paul & Joe's knitted jumpsuit and aviator style jacket), the effect is instant glamour, which at the same time perfectly compliments a relaxed aesthetic. The best thing about trends such as these is not having to spend a fortune; I am excited about the prospect of trawling some vintage shops to find interesting pieces.

My advice is this: bigger is undoubtedly better!

Object of Desire

I absolutely adore this tweed jacket from Moschino with little pearl-clasp purse pockets. I spotted it when browsing the pre-fall collection in the Moschino store on Conduit Street yesterday and fell in love. The antique gold and pearl buttons; gold trim and dusky rose colour go quite perfectly together. I had not originally envisaged it as a skirt suit as I had only seen the jacket in store; but the irony of this idea of a modern day Lady Penelope suits the general playfulness of Moschino's aesthetic perfectly - now all that's missing is the matching pink Rolls Royce and 'Parker' with a glass of Pernod on hand.

Carnival Crazy Colour

This weekend was a carnival crazy one in London. Firstly, on Friday, I attended the World Cup Carnival in Shepherds Bush for the Brazil v Netherlands quarter final. The atmosphere was beyond electric with the entire match punctuated by a soundtrack of samba music and steel drums and all you could see were the the bright crayola green and yellow shades of the nation's football strip. After the match, even though the team lost, the sulking was minimal (English fans could learn a thing or two from this mentality!) and everyone carried on the party dancing samba to a live band, spinning and and jumping and turning and stamping until dizzy and too hot and exhuasted to carry on. Ole, indeed!

Yesterday I headed up to Regent Street for lunch, completely unaware of the fact that it was the Gay Pride March (I have had no idea what has been going on at all lately, as I have not been in the country for the past 10 days). Again the visual theme for the day was colour, but this time, there was a veritable kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes of every colour under the sun. Despite the fact I had had no idea about the parade I had luckily been clutching my sailor's hat when I set out that day, and it inadvertantly turned out to be an ideal accessory and I saw several other sailors and even a pirate. My favourite costumes however were those which involved so many colours, patterns and textures that even Joseph would have regarded his technicolour dreamcoat as a rather too conservative choice.