Category: Photography
Why do you Write?
An apology and a confession: I find it hard to respond to Blog Awards, not because I don’t believe in them or feel the honour but because the choosing and linking to 15 plus Blogs is such a long process. But I was tagged by the talented Laura at Buckle Button Zip for a Blog hop that focus’s on the process of writing. I loved the post she wrote and I was intrigued to write my own answers. It helps it’s a two-man handover..
The Hop has a series of questions:
1. What am I working on? I write for my Blog, another Blog and provide the media content for a shoe company. My days already start pretty early (5.50 am on a heavy day) and finish pretty late (11?) with work and life squeezed between being a full time mum so I find it hard to add any more. Could I write anything more? It’s a question I’ve asked myself..I wrote, a long time ago now, 17 chapters based of stories from my Grandmother and have 3 volumes of poetry (!)..there are always ideas bubbling. Maybe one day – but for now I value the discipline of writing at least one post every day.
How does my writing differ? There’s a little (read big) spark in my heart that wants to prove that you can have intelligent writing about fashion. I have a horror of superficiality, hate dumbing down and believe in the beauty of language. I can’t spell for toffee, my grammar is non-existent but I love the rhythm of words and the pictures they make.
Why do I write what I do? I’m in a lucky position where I can be a stay at home mum, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need my own identity – something to claim as just me and writing does that. I don’t think I could do it every day if I didn’t love it – the freedom, the escapism, the ability to skip over water and broken glass. it’s both an indulgence and a drug. I’m a butterfly choosing the bits I love and avoiding what I don’t want to tread in..but always underlined with discipline.
How does my writing process work? I read a lot and try to digest it. My notebooks are everything – they tip me into another world and stop creative fatigue. I write ideas, thoughts, groups of words in longhand. Sometimes they don’t even relate to what I’m writing about but they’re all stored away. Often I’ll wonder and wander and read something wrong, my own handwriting or the written word..’I began to lose myself in consecutive nights out’..except I see it as ‘constructive nights out’ but I like it – it’s the balance to losing oneself, so I write it down. And with a mistake, I walk back to reality.
I want to thank Laura, it was an absolute pleasure to have the baton passed on from a true wordsmith. And now I have to hand the honour over and with only two spots, this wasn’t easy. I’ve chosen two long-term favourite people/writers that hold a special place in my heart:
Laura Lynn: Because writing for her is as natural as breathing.
Jackie Mallon: Because she knows exactly how to get to the beating heart of the matter and take you along for the ever-changing ride.
Laters, Kate x
Done x
Baby it’s getting hot outside…but at least the patio is finished!
I LOVED doing the cobblestones – we incorporated stones we’d collected over the years from our holidays. I’d originally intended to polish them up – I’ve always fancied a proper stone polisher ever since I first saw them in the Science Museum as a child. But all these years later, I still haven’t got round to buying one..maybe underneath I’m concerned my house would be over run with hundreds shiny stones! It plays into my great love of Natural Art and the skill of embracing forms beyond – I remember years ago seeing a large, flat plate filled with a spiral of perfectly matching round stones in graduated shades of grey..I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
The magic really happens when they’re wet.
(Just a little side-note: The deadline for the Espadrille Competition is coming up – I’ve already have some amazing entries! But if you want to join the fun…time is starting to run out..)
So for the first time in many years I’ll actually be able to watch the Chelsea Flower Show (it’s just down the road) without feeling pangs of guilt. Now if only I could persuade the dog from digging up all the flowers……….
Laters, Kate x
Weekend Wanderings..
On Saturday Fairy, Bella and I headed to Shoreditch to the Jumble and Pearls vintage and more sale at the Book Club. (A fab cafe in it’s own right with loads going on…and it’s own table tennis table..)
Shoreditch is an eclectic, buzzing, creative, urban area with stories and something different round every corner. Looking with eyes wide open is a must.
(I was thinking of you, Su..loved the retro letters..)
Opposite the light shop was this fairytale-like Reclamation Yard…we were immediately sidetracked (it doesn’t take much..). Set in an old church it was like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia…..
I didn’t think so much space existed in central London…
In my dreams this old French haberdashery unit is pride of place in my kitchen holding bowls and plates..and anything else..
We were at Jumble and Pearl to see my wonderful cousin Nathalie (her story here) and see her new merchandise for Sam Says Enjoy Life.
(My sister swears by these bibs and is always being asked where she got them from)
I also had Bella’s portrait drawn by the lovely Jenny Robins.
I’ve always fancied having a wall of framed ‘street art’ portraits of the kids, drawn across the years, seen with different eyes and marking their growth into adults.
Jenny has said she’ll help, so this is the first one…I like to think the finished collection will be like an Installation in it’s own right..
We headed home, very happy with my purchase from Nathalie – one of her new up-cycled denim bags, perfect to hold in style the daily detritus I manage to accumulate and lug around.
I particularly like the pockets..that little bit of embroidery is heaven.
Laters, Kate x
Charlie’s Story..
Today is Charlie’s fifth birthday and running underneath his uncontained excitement and joy are my own feelings of relief and wonder. His birth represents the end of a close on ten year hard fought for battle to complete our little family.
It took us a long, long road to have our Bella (over 6 years, 7 miscarriages and after all that, she was an IVF baby) But when she arrived we were finally given the mantle ‘parents’. To have a second child would be the final icing – if there was any possibility I wanted her to have a companion, someone to spread and share the love, to be there with her when we became old, someone to love her like we did. 
When she reached 18 months nothing had happened pregnancy-wise (we had hoped her birth might kick things into gear again..I was sure I stopped falling pregnant because of the psychological kick-back of the losses) so we made plans and turned to IVF again. I still remember feeling like a fraudulent leper walking into the Infertility Clinic holding hands with my toddler. I desperately wanted to hang a sign around her neck saying ‘IVF baby – honestly, I’ve earnt her’.
The Gods were smiling – despite a small number of eggs yet again, all were good quality and the treatment worked first time. Much to our astonishment and delight I was pregnant with twins. We were ecstatic. Except it wasn’t meant to be. Despite being on the magic cocktail of drugs that gave us Bella (Heparin, aspirin and steroids) when we went for our next scan, there were no heartbeats. I’ll never forget the the nurse saying ‘This is so rare. It really shouldn’t happen to both, they’re in separate sacs.’ I had to go into hospital for a D&C. I remember they wanted me to take my wedding ring off. I refused saying they were taking enough and just to cover it with surgical tape.
I was so utterly devastated. It was one of the lowest points I can ever remember. You’d think we’d be used to it, but coming after Bella, it was such a body blow… IVF takes such time and emotional commitment – the whole process is so fraught with dangers and knock backs that it seems as if you’ve been pregnant for months rather than weeks. We really thought we’d cracked the miscarriage problem and had prayed we’d never, ever have to face the trauma of it ever again.
Holding a glass of ouzo the day of the mirror
The following month we headed to Greece to get away from everything and have a holiday. And then something truly incredible happened: I fell pregnant naturally – and literally knew straight away. But how could I? I gave myself a strong talking to in the bathroom mirror – stop grasping at straws, don’t ruin the holiday for the others, stop dreaming, your cycle’s up the creek, move on – Whenever I’d been pregnant (Sooooo many times before) I’d feel sick after one sip of alcohol..but look, I could still drink ouzo… The first weekend after we got back to the UK we travelled to see the in-laws. I was handed a glass of white wine…and I knew it was true.
(Photo by the wonderful Alexandra Joseph)
It was such a bitter sweet time…I hadn’t fallen naturally pregnant in over five years…the joy of hope..the trauma of fearing the worst again. I went back on the drugs as soon as I could..and then it was a matter of waiting. All I can say is that to reach 12 weeks the seconds ticked by like hours..
(Photo by Alexandra Joseph)
But Charlie was meant to be – though he didn’t make it easy..I had notches on my umbilical cord so I remained on daily heparin injections until my 30th week – I looked like a regular abuser. Then I got pre-eclampsia so he was finally delivered 2 weeks early by C-Section at what seemed a tiny five and a half pounds..but he was with us, he was alive – he was an absolute little miracle.
And now to see us as a family together, you’d never know..you’d just think..my….they’re lucky…
(Photo by Alexandra Joseph)
And we are.
Laters, Kate x
JPG Forever! x
Last week Julie (from Vintageattitude) and I met up with hopes aloft to see the John Paul Gaultier Exhibition at the Barbican in London. We walked in, immediately drawn to a collection of iconic Bretons – the stripe so representative of Gaultier, when Julie grabbed my arm…Did you see that? She whispered..I’m sure that mannequin just winked at me….
We were laughing and totally entranced….As we appraoched each mannequin they came to life and spoke to us….so very clever and such a witty touch – a bit like the man himself.
Who was in on the Act to just welcome us. That accent…..sigh.
The whole exhibition felt very intimate – possibly helped by the tube strike – but everything was open and accessible. Human.
Inspiration for espadrille competition?
Around every corner was another legendary memory – from Madonna’s underwear as outerwear tour clothes to championing skirts for men. And you began to realise how many fashion ideas this man has creatively planted over his long, long career- digital printing on the Can-can Dress aka Mary Katrantzou (which has to be the most perfect wedding dress ever. White and demur for the service…outrageous for the first dance!)
Upside down Eiffel Towers’ for heels on shoes aka Charlotte Olympia (yes, the tights had Eiffel towers too..)- Punk, Eurotrash and the first example of a skort I’ve ever seen. And worn by a man…it went on and on..
This was ingenious..a tulle skirt with the waistband being the very top of a pair of white jeans.
Despite additions such a camo, bullets and desert boots..all the outfits for women were always very feminine.
And even with sequins, furs and skirts..the men’s outfits always remained masculine.
Throughout the mannequins were like celestial beings beamed down from planet Gaultier, each one with their own unique, witty outlook on life. There’s no-one here, right? I exist because I speak. I don’t want to be here, but I can be who I want to be, I am because I am, I am a dream – They were more than sentences on repeat. They were a persona. Just like the Exhibition itself….
Laters, Kate x
Go Ape! x
We’ve been soaking up the joys of Hampshire spending a delightful Easter with relatives, eating and drinking far too much with lovely people we haven’t seen for a long time which is what life should be about. On the last day we dragged ourselves away from the festivities to meet up with good friends to ‘Go Ape’ in the New Forest trees…
Aged between 4 and 7 our kids were impressively fearless…
Tackling high-wire tracks with gusto that had many adults swaying with pure terror..
The end reward was a huge zip line..(Charlie was NOT convinced it was a wise idea the first time round – he was persuaded by the staff to give it a go..loved it – and went back for more!)
Sometimes you only realise how high they all were when you see the little things down below..
(Photo by Filip)
(This photo by Filip)
Serious fun for all the family!
Except with every Yin there’s alway a Yan…like returning home to the joys of sorting the holiday laundry and getting everything ready for back-to-school ..this is what my Barometer of Life looks like today…
Pay back…
Laters, Kate x
Jamie Beck & Ralph Lauren x
These pictures were taken by the photographer Jamie Beck backstage at the Ralph Lauren Show.
There’s a serenity and calm to them away from the glare of front of house. Simple passions and gentle grace.
Where the details of the clothes can sing, the glass pane of the runway removed.
The rehearsal more telling than the stage production, capturing moments before the masks come down.
A designer bag now so effortless, approachable and lust-worthy..
(All photos from Jamie Beck’s Anne Street Studio Blog)
It helps that Jamie Beck always adds a sense of timelessness to her work, majestically catching the quality and movement of material she skilfully opens up the arteries to the pitfalls of desire…
I fall.
Laters, Kate x
Jackie? Are you there??! x
Leaving on our adventure..not sure how Bella managed to take this pic, but I love the way the shadow looks like a man with a big nose…
Charlie is our fashionisto today..he’s insisted on wearing his top back-to-front..
To match his blue nail varnish (Yep, a fashion statement rather than hyperthermia..)
First part of the journey is by train. The kids are tickled pink by the window of this platform cafe…made on purpose or did someone get bored?!
Fuel stop at Brockley (re-named broccoli by Bella..)
They’re not impressed by my blue egg brunch, but honestly it’s Delicious!
There’s a serendipitous magazine on the table….reminding us we’re here on a mission from New York (Click for the NY link and the complete story!)..we have to find Jackie’s book ‘Silk for the Feed Dog’ before anyone else does..she’s literally sent it from across the Atlantic..
Except – so near yet so far..there’s no effing internet on my phone so now we don’t have a map. Tip to self: Always carry a paper back-up…and we’re on a deadline for the magic to happen..
We jump on a bus..it’s the scenic route but at least I can remember the way from Lewisham (we’re travelling two sides of a very large triangle)..the question is..will we make it in time??
There it is!! London’s smallest library…
Is it there? Are we too late?
YES!! SUCCESSSSSSSSSSSS!
All the way from New York!! Utterly totes amazing!!! So thrilled it’s there and there is such a things as magic in the world..
And the kids are thrilled to swap and find books of their own too..
Time to go home for a nice cup of tea and a good read..except I have two children to entertain…
but hey!..they have books too! Result!
Laters, a very happy, Kate x
(Quick link back to the NY part of the story!)
Introducing the kids to Anarchy..
On Saturday we headed into Trafalgar Square to witness the Flash Mob International Pillow Fight. Even the street performers were prepared…
It was a rather delicious event..the Police weren’t happy. Boris had done his best to call the whole thing off…but to take action against a pillow fight? It would be like aligning with Putin…
Have I shrunk?
The power is strong with this one..
Charlie telling Darth Vadar he loves him..
We then headed up to Oxford Street and couldn’t help notice the speed of the Jeremy Scott rip-offs…
Our destination?….a Victorian men’s toilet..
Now converted into a supercool cafe called ‘The Attendant’ complete with table-urinals and handwarmers.
At the exit was a writing wall..
So Bella added Graffiti to the days lessons of life…
Laters, Kate x
The Fableists x
(Bella wearing Baseball shirt £20)
The driving force behind The Fableist’s children’s label has nothing to do with fashion, it has nothing to do with faddy designs or even seasonal clothes. The name comes from the amalgamation of two words – ‘fables’ – for the telling of stories and most importantly, where each piece of clothing comes from, and ‘activist’ – what it’s going to take to change this industry around. The simple focus of the brand is the wish to do the best for our children and that this should never involve child labour or harmful chemicals.
(Charlie wearing Recycle tee £16)
But that doesn’t mean the fashion doesn’t exist..
Look through the Collection and you’ll find their Chore coat..utilitarian to a seam – can be worn by either boys or girls..timeless, versatile and a wardrobe staple winter or summer.
(Bella wearing Charlie’s Breton tee! £20)
Or their Smock Dress? A tom-boys delight..a dress that isn’t girly based on a vintage dress found in a Parisienne flea market. How perfect?
(Charlie wearing Brain tee £16)
Every element has been thought of and thought through, from the biodegradable PVC packaging to passports and labels made from re-cycled paper and rhino poo. Certainly had my scamps laughing!
At the heart of so much fashion today is a grotty portrait of a dusty, broken world where profit comes before anything else.
What a joy then to discover a Company that is prepared to buck the trend.
The Fableists are chicken soup for children clothes – rich, deep and soulful. They recognise that our future is the little people..and their future needs a planet.
Cool clothes and a good heart?
It’s a rare combination that deserves our support.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 