Introducing Jazz Vocalist Irene Serra From –isq Posted by Unknown |

You gotta love an east London warehouse rooftop shoot...

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Tea For Two With East London's Joe's Tea Company Posted by Unknown |

I've been waiting for a new teapot and cups to arrive to try out a delicious box of Chocca-Roo-Brew sent to me by east London's Joe's Tea Company...

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East London Love: Chatsworth Market Clapton E5 Posted by Unknown |

Finally I popped down to Lower Clapton's Sunday market on Chatsworth Road to take some snaps. The first weekend with part of the road closed to cars, the now weekly market (it re-opened in 2010 after closure in 1990; in its 1930s heyday apparently it was home to 200 stalls) has gone from strength to strength. Two blocks of quality foods (including a very popular German Sausage stand), bric-a-brac, second-hand clothes & books and some small independent labels. Pictured below are two labels that really stood out to me – Alpaca Sol with handmade gorgeous scarves sourced by the owner direct from a family business in Bolivia and Mini Magpie, children's clothes made from old jumpers, so cute I had to buy a pair of woollen trews for the cookie (cue first baby outfit post! And brilliant playsuit DIY how-to here!) And then to top it all off we saw these two guys drawing quite a crowd jamming away on Korg keyboard and drums – Pat Dam Smyth. Really made my day.

Alpaca Sol // Mini Magpie 

A Visit To East London Jewellery Boutique Comfort Station Posted by Unknown |

I just wanted to show you a few photos I took the other day when I popped into jewellery boutique Comfort Station to pick up some necklaces, earrings and rings – you'll have seen some of the pieces in recent outfit posts. London-born founder and designer Amy Anderson studied Fine Art and originally started the brand as a Portobello market stall to fund her art practice. Her pieces quickly gained a local loyal following as well as international buyers and Comfort Station premiered at London Fashion Week in 2003. The beautiful little shop – just off Brick Lane – is exquisitely styled in the brand's signature 'dark romanticism' with antique books, taxidermy, glass cabinets, pianola rolls and Amy's gorgeous designs; all of which are manufactured in the UK, hand-crafted in the in-house studio and each part of a themed collection such as cosmology, etymology, the phonetic alphabet and geographical destinations. If you're in the neighbourhood, get along there and take a peek for yourself.

www.comfortstation.co.uk // Twitter // Facebook

East London Love: Unpackaged Moves to Hackney Posted by Unknown |

The brilliant Unpackaged has moved and last night celebrated its new Hackney premises. Founded in 2006 as a market stall, the super environmentally-friendly store sells its products unpackaged and is now also a bar and restaurant. To shop, bring whatever containers you like – jars, tupperware, old takeaway boxes, brown paper bags, plastic bags – and restock on groceries, cleaning products and toiletries (see the shop's product list here).

beunpackaged.com // Arthaus, 197 Richmond Road, E8 3NJ // Twitter // Facebook

East London Love: Shoreditch EatMeUp Christmas Festival - Thurs/Fri/Sat This Week! Posted by Unknown |

It looks like there'll be some really interesting independent fashion labels at this week's Shoreditch Christmas EatMeUp festival. The main focus is street food – street vendors Street Kitchen, Tongue n' Cheek and Bhangra Burger among others – but quite a smattering of other bits and pieces too. Worth checking out handmade jewellery by Demise of Diamonds (Mary Portas was spotted snapping up earrings from their Roman Road market stall), new fashion label Extragged, 1 in a 100 who print t-shirts with limited edition artist prints, vintage inspired lingerie by east London designer Miss Crofton, eccentric leather accessories by CGrand London plus tasty chutneys by Rubies in the Rubble. And for an extra layer of excitement – dance for a drink, sing for your supper, that kind of thing – check out the associated promotions app HitMeUp. (NB: The fashion brands will be mainly Friday & Saturday.)

www.hitmeup.co/eatmeup

Where: Red Market, 288-299 Old Street, London, EC1V 9DP 
When: Thursday-Saturday 6-8 December. Open daily, 11am - 11pm 

This Vintage Necklace by London Label Cinderela B Posted by Unknown |

Nothing like the onslaught of Christmas parties to justify some full-on statement bling. Spitalfields jewellery designer Cinderela B (the label, founded by Rachel Jackson, started out as a stall at Spitalfields market in 2006 and now, with a team of young fashion graduates, sells from New York to Tokyo) has a beautiful line in reworked vintage handmade pieces, just like the Electra necklace above, which means you'll also be getting something a little more one-off. Tis' the season to pile it on. 

cinderelab.com / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest 

Interview: Jewellery Designer Rachel Boston Posted by Unknown |

stylonylon interviews rachel boston

Jewellery designer Rachel Boston's new collection 'The Protector' has been featured in Vogue.com, Dazed & Confused and i-D. A 2011 Central St Martin's graduate, Rachel makes her jewellery out of casts of beetles and scorpion stings. Her studio is based in east London.

Could you describe your favourite piece of jewellery and tell us why it is so special to you?
My favourite of my own designs is the gold scorpion sting necklace, I love wearing it because it has a lot of movement which makes the stings look like they're alive. My most sentimental piece though is a name necklace saying ELVIS my parents had made for me based on a necklace I had when I was 8. I've been a huge Elvis fan ever since I bought my first CD which was a greatest hits collection so it was just a really special gift and I'll treasure it forever.

Why do you think animals and insects re-invented as jewellery is so popular at the moment? What does it mean for you and this collection?
I wrote my dissertation when I was at Central Saint Martins on Insects' Impact on Western Culture – which is profound! Insects in adornment goes from the Magdalenian era – where ornaments in the shape of beetles were found constructed from anthracite – to Bottega Veneta's beetle inspired accessories last year. Beetles have always had a huge cultural impact and I think they've been such a strong influence in my work because of that, their history with mysticism and religions as well as their forms – which fascinates me. They're the most successful animals to have evolved for 230 million years, their diversity of shapes and colours never fails to amaze me and recreating them into wearable and beautiful jewellery is a fascinating process involving me collecting real beetles and scorpions and casting them into metal.

Have you been shopping for your autumn wardrobe? 
I love autumn fashion, it's by far my favourite time of year to dress for as I love leather gloves and winter coats. I think my Acne brown leather jacket (Ed's note – similar here) is my favourite autumnal purchase – although it's getting a little bit cold to wear it I'm trying to persevere. Otherwise I tend to buy alot of vintage or thrift so I've been searching for a good cable knit jumper all month.

What key pieces of clothing and accessories can't you live without?
I couldn't live without my Cole Haan Air Nike Chelsea boots, they're the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned so I'd feel lost without them. I also couldn't live without my jewellery collection, of course, as I wear at least one piece from it every day.

What is on you shopping wishlist right now?
I'm a big fan of nuji.com where you can make your dream shopping list online; you can view my list at nuji.com/Rachelboston and see everything my greedy clothes-obsessed heart desires.

rachelboston.co.uk / Facebook / Twitter

1. Elvis – Greatest Hits 2. Cole Haan Chelsea boots 3. Monki Else bag (nuji) 4. Nebula 3 iPhone case (nuji) 5. Carven linen & silk-blend skirt (nuji) 6. My Theresa Valentino gloves (nuji) 7. Monki Hildur bag (nuji) 8. Aubin & Willis wool sweater (nuji) 9. Karen Walker Perfect Day sunglasses (nuji)

Restaurant Favourite: Railroad Posted by Unknown |

1. We visited one of our favourite Hackney restaurants at the weekend, Railroad on Morning Lane. It's small, very cosy and serves up the most delicious dishes – each course offers three options; they really do meat so well, slow-cooked lamb and rare steaks, always a veggie dish too. We arrived at half seven when it was still quiet, but it quickly filled up. 2. Chicken livers with garlic and sage on toast to start, yummy. For the mains, shoulder of lamb and Onglet steak (forgot to photograph, too busy wolfing). 3. I like the tables for two by the windows the best. 4. The Cru Virunga chocolate cake was rich, moist and not too sweet, served with creme fraiche. Fresh mint tea on the side.

railroadhackney.co.uk

Bombay Cafe Dishoom Opens in Shoreditch Posted by Unknown |

I haven't been to the Covent Garden Dishoom but I sure wanna try out the newly opened branch on Boundary Street in Shoreditch. Based on Bombay's Irani cafes – opened by Persian immigrants;  during the 60s there were nearly 400, now less than 30 remain – the menu also comprises dishes inspired by Bombay street grills and south of Bombay. Open all day serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in the courtyard, bar, bakery, cafe and kitchen dining room. Sounds and looks like fun. Can't wait to check it. Also there appears to be 50% off until the 18 Oct – see below. Find out more on their Facebook here.

O-Food: Nordic Pop-Up Fish & Vegetarian Sandwich Bar In Shoreditch Posted by Unknown |

I always longed to be the kind of girl who could survive on a croissant and coffee a day – all inspired by Jean Rhys's short stories detailing the waifishly chic existence of beautiful lost girls in Paris – but the reality is what you really need is a good sandwich, and one that is as healthy as it is filling. And while London is full of sandwich shops, how many cite sourdough and Russian rye as their bread options? And how many focus on offering just vegetarian and fish fillings? Replenishable fish that is locally sourced from low-impact fisheries in Kent i.e. not the over-fished Big Five (haddock, prawns, tuna, cod and salmon) and vegetables from British farms. Opened in August on Rivington Street in Shoreditch, the O-food pop-up had a proper launch last week (which I missed due to being a totally disorganised first-time mum) so this week O-food kindly sent some sandwiches my way. Well, I wolfed down the smoked mackerel & horse radish O'Macky sandwich in a matter of minutes, as did my hubby with The Hook, made from a hake & coley fish patty, sweetheart cabbage and capers. Lip smackingly delicious. Finished up with a super healthy mushroom, gherkin and beetroot salad and voila, sated and satisfied.

O-food, 54 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3QN. 8am-4pm. Until September 23. 

Suicide Blonde Digitally Printed Leather Accessories Posted by Unknown |

Heart Of A Fool card holder  

Love discovering cool brands doing something slightly different and with a sustainable edge to boot. Designed by Hackney-based designer Estelle Lordonne (she lives and works off Mare Street), the pieces are handmade by local leather manufacturers in small quantities with a focus on sourcing sustainable and carbon neutral materials – Suicide Blonde is one of the hand-picked labels that works with the London College of Fashion Centre for Sustainable Fashion on finding the best sustainable methods for crafting design. Just check out these amazing designs incorporating gothic themes and early cinematographic imagery – the images are digitally printed with a process that is similar to skin tattooing, not the easiest of techniques as it involves printing onto the leather before it is treated. Suicide Blonde has also designed a collection to accompany the Fashion & Textiles Museum's 'POP! Design Culture Fashion' exhibition which runs until Oct 27. The collection is available in The Shop@ FTM and you can also purchase direct from suicide-blonde.co.uk.

Heart Of A Fool coin purse

To Each Its Own coin purse

To Each Its Own laptop bag

Children of the Nite shopper

South Place Hotel Opens in East London Posted by Unknown |

The first luxury hotel from restaurant group D&D (formerly Conran Restaurants) opens this week just minutes from Liverpool Street station in the City. The gorgeous interiors are by Conran + Partners, there are bespoke artworks in each of the 80 rooms and the lobby is home to a sculpture by Royal College of Art MA graduate Zemer Peled, winner of South Place's annual art competition. There's a secret garden atrium bar on the first floor and on the ground floor '3 South Place', a diner-by day/late-night bar with DJs (food served until 10.30pm) and a team that includes Glasgow DJ/mixologist Teamy Teamy and former Shoreditch House cocktail bar manager Nathan Dixon-Jones. I can't wait to pop down and see it for myself.

www.southplacehotel.com

Images: South Place Hotel

Love Flowers: Oriole & Thistle and Wild At Heart Posted by Unknown |

Flowers by Nikki Tibbles Wild At Heart  

I've been the lucky recipient of some of the most wonderful flowers recently. A lavish bouquet of garden roses from Nikki Tibbles Wild At Heart (the florist at Liberty's) and a beautifully fresh and wild posy of freesias, veronicas, lisianthus and larkspur from Hackney's own boutique florist and small art gallery Oriole & Thistle run by Elaine Waldron. Just perfect for the most romantic of occasions – including weddings! Love flowers and love photographing them.

White freesia bouquet by Oriole & Thistle

Garden rose bouquet by Nikki Tibble Wild At Heart

White freesia bouquet by Oriole & Thistle

Sunday afternoons in the park by the river Posted by Unknown |

Blissful Sunday afternoons. Love a park far removed from the frantic dervish of many of London's better known green spaces. This one is sleepy and next to a canal full of houseboats. Springfield Park. Keep it on the quiet. The building on the bottom right is one we pass to get to the park and used to house old aviation company De Havilland – they started out making 1920s two seater planes like the wonderfully named Gipsy and Tiger Moth.

House of Hackney's Clothing Collection Posted by Unknown |

Source: shop.bazaart.me via Julia Rebaudo on Pinterest

Love that House of Hackney has extended their gorgeous interiors prints to a capsule collection of clothing. There's something super delightful about the idea of matching your dress, skirt and cardigan to your lampshade, cushions and wallpaper. And yes, I've been playing around on Bazaart again...