They say there are fairies in Kensington Gardens

I love Kensington Gardens. Out of the billion parks around London, this one is my absolute favorite. Could be it's proximity to the Serpentine, could be the amazing foliage, could be that the cutest dogs I've seen yet in London were here, but I think the main reason I love it so much is that it hides a window to Neverland. For those of you unfamiliar with the legend of Peter Pan (and I say legend, not myth), there are supposedly fairies who live in Kensington Gardens, and every time a child wanders off and gets lost there, the fairies find them and take them to Neverland (thus the name, the Lost Boys). In 1912, J.M. Barrie (playwright and author of Peter Pan) erected a statue of the child icon in the park as a beautiful monument to the souls and imaginations of children.

As a child, Peter Pan was my absolute hero. I read every bit of literature on him that I could find. Sequel? Read it. Prequel? Read it. Ancient myths? Read it. He's even mentioned in The Wind and the Willows, believe it or not. Then my junior year of high school I starred as Peter Pan in the school musical - I got to fly and fight pirates and throw pixie dust all over the place...it was AMAZING. As a freshman in college I got to meet the director and producer of the modern Peter Pan movie adaption, (P. J. Hogan and Jocelyn Moorhouse respectively) and chat with them a few times about their inspirations (I even got to see an old book full of research clippings and scribbles that P.J. used to put together the movie!) So with all of this history behind Peter and I, I was incredibly moved by his statue in the park. It all started here in London. Incredible.

(Kensington Gardens)

(I kind of think these flowers look like fairies, don't you?)

(Me as Peter Pan in high school. Such and unforgettable amazing role!)

I wrote a column about my experience in Kensington Gardens. To read it, follow this link: https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZVSXqfrG_HhZGZnd3Juc21fMTFkYm01M2Rkdg&hl=en

Moonlight and Michael Jackson

Through my work with Modus Dowal Walker, I was lucky enough to witness a press event Paul & Joe put on for the beauty editors of London about two weeks ago. The event showcased the brand's A/W Claire de Lune collection (aka moonlight) with the help of international make-up artist, Craig Ryan-French. I can't divulge much, but I can say that what I saw was fabulous! Perfect shades of eyeshadow, delicious smudgy liner, and lipstick with...an adorable surprise! Definitely worth checking out.

The event was held at Pineapple Dance Studios (a multiple story building near Leicester Square filled with the sweating precursors of this century's greatest movers) and included a "thrilling" lesson in Michael Jackson style dance (the connection was moonlight/moonwalk...bit of a stretch but still really cute) with a super hot and talented dance instructor. Suffice it to say, everyone had an amazing and slightly embarrassing time.

(That's me in the middle next to our instructor...of course. Photo courtesy of Modus PR)

I walked away with an extra gift bag of glorious makeup samples and dance gear (going directly to my dancer sister, Rebecca, as soon as I'm back in the States!). Love this job. Now if only I can get my hands on some Liz Earle...apparently she launched a hair care line last week and I'm DYING to get my hands on some of that product!

(My bags of goodies! Which reminds me, there should be a gift bag from last month's Young Hollywood Awards waiting for me when I get home...in August)

Grandest of the past, brightest of the future

After an adventure filled Saturday night (that included packing 5 people into a bicycle taxi and consequently pushing it up a hill at 3AM with the members of a recently signed, next-big-thing British/American band) that ended in a stumble home in the wee hours of the morning, I was ready to up the classiness quotient for my Sunday entertainment. Thus, I embarked on a day trip out to Windsor Castle, a major tourist attraction yes, but for very good reason!

The Castle is almost a millennium old, dating back to the days of William the Conqueror and over the centuries it has been adapted by the royal family to suit whatever purpose they saw fit. Today it still functions as a venue for parties, meetings, and general essential matters of state. Walking through the vast banquet halls and gilded waiting rooms drowned in fantastic works of art was heart swellingly inspiring. New life goal: go to a party (I'd say host, but that would be REALLY pushing it) at Windsor Castle.

They wouldn't let anyone take pictures inside the castle (otherwise I would have posted a pic of one of my longtime favorites, Da Vinci's Head of the Madonna - gave me chills to see the real thing!) but as you can see, the outside gives a pretty good impression of how grand the inside must be.

(more castle...)

(What was once the castle's moat is now a garden.)

(St. George's Cathedral)

(Cool sky above St. George's Cathedral)

(St. George defeating the dragon! Def one of my favorite medieval heroes. After Robin Hood, of course.)

(Wide-view. Note the plane overhead. Planes fly over Windsor several times an hour which adds and interesting element to the ancient buildings.)

(This was just a really cool wall. Something about the pattern and colors makes me want to turn it into a crazy structured, double breasted jacket or something...)

Across the Thames from the village surrounding the castle is the small town of Eton, home to the most prestigious public boys school in the world: Eton College. The school played such a prominent role in my childhood storytime memories (umm Captain Hook went to Eton before he became a pirate, duh!) that I had to head over and snoop around for a bit.

(The Thames between Windsor and Eton. It was SUCH a hot day, everyone was swimming and lying out in the parks along the banks)

(The dome thing? Yeah, that's their library...)

(Eton-ness)
(Eton dorms. Sooooo pretty!)

(In true British fairytale manner, I spotted a courtyard past a wrought iron gate, followed it past gravestones and a church to a secret garden and an opening to a wide field the students used for sports. Felt a little bit like Chronicles of Narnia.)

After exploring Eton, I spotted an adorable cafe by the bridge (called the Theater of Chocolate - they offer lots of different kinds of hot chocolate) and sat down for a perfect cup of afternoon tea. With a book in hand, I read about the history of Dior and Ferragamo with Windsor castle and the grandest figures of the past on one hand and Eton College and the brightest minds of the future on the other. I sipped my tea with what I hoped was true British poise and precision, combined with a divinely American (and perhaps a little French) audacity to enjoy the afternoon delights on my own.

In mourning of a good vest...or waistcoat, depending on what country you're in

As a designer, I get really attached to everything I make; each piece is like a new friend and the more adventures I take it on, the more I love it. Well, my gray LCS vest is now gone. Lost at a hostel in Madrid. Or perhaps in some Canadian girl's bag by accident. Still, the chances of my finding my beloved compadre are slim to none, and thus I have composed this tribute:

(These shots were taken by Patrick Dawn in early 2009 for a very unprofessional lookbook that never happened. The vest was one of the first LCS pieces I ever made, so it wasn't done that well and I could probably make a better one now but still...oh and I lost the shorts in this picture in Madrid too and even though they were my favorite pair of shorts, I've been wearing them since 8th grade so it's time for a new pair anyway.)

(Totally unembarrasing 19th birthday pictures...thanks, Maddy)

(Looking insanely fierce on model Laura Via at my show in December 2009. This girl is amazing. BOOK HER.)

I know the vest went with my on my summer road trip and to Italy and all over, but unfortunately, I'm not as good at whipping a camera out as I should be...sad day...

(I really hope no freemasons will see this and take offense...)

Elephant Parade

For the past few months, there have been elephants appearing around nearly every corner in London! As part of London's biggest outdoor art event on record, these elephants, each decorated by high profile artists and fashion designers, are meant to raise awareness for the quickly vanishing Asian elephant. I've been running into these often beautiful and sometimes quite strange creations all over the city and they're all being auctioned off this weekend, so I thought it only appropriate to dedicate a blog entry to a few of my favorites.

Today I went down to the Chelsea Royal Hospital where all of the elephants were gathered for the weekend. Such a cool exhibit and I wasn't the only one who thought so - the place was packed!

(By Meno Baars - kinda feels Balenciaga to me...)

(Bobby elephant by Thammakit Thamboon)

(By Phoebe Dickenson - reminds me of an impressionist painting, I really like this one!)

(Uncredited elephant - ahhhh I love it! I want to know who did this one!!)

(By Jeff Rowland. Definitely a favorite. It's romantic even though the people are actually on an elephant's rear end. Now that is talent.)

(By Nartkanok Laoamata - the bark texture is so creative - there was this group of adorable little old ladies that just couldn't get enough of it!)
(By Michael Howells. I like the colors of rust a lot. I could probably do an entire collection just inspired by rust...)
(Elephant in progress)
(By Angela Conner - I'd seen this grass idea used on step and repeats before (in particular a Louis Vuitton party) and really liked the idea, but I never thought I'd see it on a pachyderm!)

(Me and the elephant - wearing an LCS slip, vintage belt and Forever21 butterfly necklace)

For more information about the cause and how you can help, visit: http://www.elephantparadelondon.org/index.html or www.elephantfamily.org

Here are some earlier pics I took of the elephants out and about in London:

(Elephants in Green. It looks like they're marching on to Buckingham Palace!)

(By Gary Hodges, Green Park)

(Martin Aveling, Green Park)

(Julia Rogers, Green Park)

(Ashwan, Green Park)