"See, this is why we're doing black cabs from now on" - Mr. Darkwah to Hanna-May on transport ; "How many Orgazmas have you had tonight?"

Ah, a night riddled with memorable quotes only means one thing - I've been out with my fashion family and we've had a ball! Friday night and I'm sure by now everyone knows where I'd be tearing it up (as they say) but prior to my partying at my favourite club (for those that are new to La Clique, it's Bond Club on Kingly street) I was at the launch for Orgazma an energy drink/aphrodisiac to be sold in the UK. The night started off well and, as I'm sure you've gathered from my excited tone, ended even better! 

The launch for Orgazma was held at Privee, Knightsbridge and much like the name of the product, the setting was intimate and enticing with low lights and Orgazmas all over the room, calling us to them. I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, if it's an energy drink, it'll probably just be Red Bull in a 'souped up' can but it isn't! The taste, due to one of the main ingredients (taurine) can be thought of as Red Bull-like at first taste but leaves no bitter aftertaste and is nowhere near as sweet (so no worries, one sip won't leave you feeling as though you've eaten a whole candy store!)

The packaging of the drink was appealing also, as colour-wise you could tell that it was competing with energy-drinks already on the market such as Red Bull as they bear the same colour scheme. However, Orgazma has found a way to appeal to women more directly as in the red section, there is a rose on the packaging - giving a sensual feeling to what otherwise would be seen as a 'butch' product. I do feel, however, that the colour scheme, though a clear indicator of their competition and the design could have been more different and brought something new to the table as curiosity often leads people to purchase more than when they have a vague idea of what the product is (the instant assumption that it tastes like Red Bull).

The event was lovely (orgasmic, even) and live performer Dario provided a 'wedding singer' touch to the event singing everything from Ricky Martin to Elvis! For me, what really made the night was the kindness of the event's host Patrick Ribbsaeter. He definitely knew how to keep everyone happy and made the night a pleasant one!

Thank you Patrick, for an orgasmic night!

The second part of the night was played out at Bond Club (my spot) with Camille, Charles, Kareem and new friend, Hanna-May of BloodSweat&Fashion Magazine. I have said this before and I will say it again - Bond KNOWS how to do client service (I chose client as customer sounds a little cheap, don't you agree?) We got to the club and were seen in by Mrs Gliss who saw that our night at Bond started well and ran smoothly. 

Already on a high from earlier on in the night (I'm sure my Orgazmas had something to do with it!), I was ready to party hard and I tell you - I danced! The DJ knew exactly what he was doing and kept us wanting more - guessing where the music would take us next! It's as if he read my mind when he played Sean Paul's Temperature and when he played Run The World (Girls) by Beyonce, I don't know what everyone else was doing but I was definitely in a world of my own!

If you've read my posts on nights at Bond and still haven't gone, what are you waiting for? They are very welcoming and pleasant - get down there!

It was a pleasure meeting Patrick Ribbsaeter, Hanna-May and Mrs Gliss! I hope to see you all soon!

Great nights are made by the people we're with! 

Ciao Belissimi!

X

Shoot with LaceMagazine, Thursday 28/07/2011

"We were walking around with a pink suitcase pitching the magazine to stores!" - Jay Mitchell on the beginnings of 1883 Magazine

It's 10:32am and I'm panicking about time as I'm on my way to 1883 Magazine to meet the team for a feature on La Clique. All I can think of is how unprofessional I'm going to look arriving flustered and with only a skeleton of what I hope to achieve from the interview. 20 minutes later and I'm sitting on a couch in 1883 Magazine's studio and loving the energy in the room!

As soon as I entered, I was greeted by my friend Lewis (who I met at the Forever 21 Launch party) and I found that the warmth given off by him and Maria on the night was a standard feature throughout the team at 1883. All my worries about the interview and my direction for the post you are reading now, had vanished. Instead, I found myself trying to think up more questions so that I could stay in their company for longer! I started off speaking to Creative director of 1883, Jay Mitchell about the idea behind the magazine and I cannot stress just how relaxed the interview was. I didn't have to think but I assure you, my hand was burning after a while as there was so much to say about the magazine!

"We decided to name the magazine 1883 because that was the year of Coco Chanel's birth," Jay explained to me "and she started doing different things in fashion. Putting women in trousers and so on. A real breath of fresh air to the fashion industry and that's what we stand for so we ran with it!" Jay went on to explain that 1883 Magazine was started with the idea of showcasing fresh new talent primarily in fashion but then expanded and covered all areas of the media and arts. "It's interesting to see the people we've worked with grow. We have very good relationships with them and it's amazing because after a month or so, you'll hear their name somewhere and think to yourself, I remember working with them!"

You wouldn't think it when you see 1883's impeccable layout, read their beautifully written articles and marvel at their editorials but the magazine was thought up only last May and launched in October of last year! "We honestly didn't expect it to take off the way it has! I mean, we started with 2000 copies and walked around with them in a pink suitcase pitching it to different stores and now we're nationwide and as of last week, in the States! 

Looking at the team, I could tell that everyone truly loved what they were doing and, as with any job, if you love it, you'll do it very well! "We honestly couldn't work without them!" I'm told that a lot of the team is made up of interns but unlike other magazines and firms where the interns are merely tea-runners and admin workers, 1883's interns are all given titles and with titles WORK! From fashion assistants, assistant editors and marketing managers, the whole team is enthusiastic and one can tell that they truly love what they are doing! 

"There's so much in the pipeline for us!" I'm told by Emma, one half of the marketing team! "We've got competitions, collaborations and so much more! It's really exciting!" I can't imagine what 1883 Magazine will go on to do as they already seem to be setting a firm foundation in the industry! I felt so privileged as just before I wrapped things up, I got to take a look at who would be featured on the next cover of 1883! (This would be a good time to shock you all and say that it's going to be me but sadly, it's not - in due time, though, we'll see…)

Thanks so much to 1883 Magazine for accommodating me and being the warmest team I've met on fashion to date! I have no doubt that soon enough I will be seeing 1883 in Tokyo and Hong Kong when I holiday there! Until then though, all my readers who do not have access to the hard copies of the magazine, read it online, take part in competitions and stay in the loop! Big things are ahead for this magazine! www.1883magazine.com is just as beautifully laid-out as the magazine itself and is very addictive! (I would know, I stayed up almost al night reading the different articles and looking at the different shoots featured.)

Look out for the next issue of 1883! I know I will be!

Have a great week and remember, The Clique is only a click away!

Ciao Belissimi!

X

"It's crazy! I love his work! It's everything a woman should be - fierce, sensual, sexual and powerful!" - Nuno Miguel on The Clique's new obsession - Hayden Williams!

There are a few things that will always make us at BienvenueALaClique go gaga. For one, Lady GaGa, Rollerboy Louboutins, London Fashion Week and an interesting art exhibition at an obscure venue. Right now, there's only one person who has this power over us - Hayden Williams! 

After Rihanna changed her twitter picture to one of his illustrations, the fashion world took notice of the bright young thing. We looked into this and found that Williams is much more than a one-hit-wonder (or should we say sketch in this case?). His sketches embody the raw sexuality oozed by femme fatales of all ages from Jessica Rabbit to Bo Derek and Elizabeth Taylor whilst remaining as classy as a vintage Chanel purse! 

When asked if he saw himself going forth to launch a collection, Williams replied "It's something that I'm working towards but I'm also letting things take their natural course. Nothing happens overnight!" His blog (www.haydenwilliamsillustrations.tumblr.com) has become "the one to watch" amongst his new-found admirers and, we're sure, noted names in the fashion industry. With more than a thousand followers on his tumblr and an explosion of Facebook friend requests Williams is definitely hot stuff and after celebrating his 20th birthday on July 22nd, we're sure he's going to be quite the sought after figure! 

Congratulations to you, Hayden and we look forward to seeing you at London Fashion Week, and some day, seeing your work on the runway!

Love life, be "Vogue", and remember, The Clique is only a click away!

Ciao Belissimi!

X

"If there's one thing Bond will NEVER fail me at, it's music!" - Mr. Darkwah

It's a Thursday night and there's an electricity in the air. The night bears a similar feel to a Friday night and everywhere you look, there are people rushing off somewhere. Girls dressed to kill in sky-high heels and guys looking like something out of a Jack Wills editorial shoot. Though they are rushing, there's a casual feeling to their movement. Laughing as they go along and as I make my way down to Kingly Street, ready to party with the young and in-vogue I see where they're all heading. Bond.

One would think that a student night means a lot of rowdy boys and scantily clad girls cramming themselves into and tearing down a venue as they "party" (I use inverted commas as this, to me, sounds more like an apocalypse!) Well, I needn't have worried because in the fashion of the club, the people attending were well-mannered and well-groomed! 

I have never felt so welcomed to a venue as I did when I arrived at Bond. I was seen in with little fuss and shown to my table but something took me by surprise when I entered. There wasn't that heat generated by hundreds of people dancing and talking. Matter of fact, there weren't many people at all! At 11:30pm the last time I was at Bond, the place was full to the brim and there were still people trying to get inside! This, I feel was no fault of the venue but more the fault of the students. I understand the idea of being "fashionably late" but these students took it unfashionably too far!

Nevertheless, the music was great and the people who were in the venue were very pleasant with students from Birmingham coming down as they were told by their friends that this was the place to be! I cannot stress just how amazing the DJ was! Playing songs that went from the hit "This is how we do it" to a favourite of my guilty pleasures, Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl"!

Despite the slow start, the night kicked off at around 12:45am with people flooding in and instantly filling the dancefloor! The mixes were great and the DJ merged songs that I thought would have been like chalk and cheese with the greatest of ease! Enough about what I thought though, the students loved it too! Not only because they were out with their friends who had gone off to different universities but because of the beautiful space in which they were in. A space that can only be described as Bond.

Congratulations to Bond on a successful night and shame on the students who decided to be (un)cool and arrive at 2:00am!

I hope to see many more successful nights from my new favourite hang-out!

Enjoy your weekend!

Ciao Belissimi!

X

"We are GETTING on that carousel!" - Mr. Darkwah

Glitz, glam, fashionistas and 'nistos united on Wednesday night to welcome Forever 21 to London! With a California beach theme, there was little left to be desired throughout the night. The event was held on New Oxford Street in the Old Sorting Office and the venue saw tipis, beach diving instalments and even a carousel to provide amusements for all guests. The drinks and burgers were served from the tipis and though I felt that this was a very nice touch, reminiscent of late-night beach parties, I did feel that it would have been more appropriate for the waiters to have walked around and served the burgers and drinks as it was quite a challenge to refresh oneself.


A good friend of mine told me that we are all children until the age of 35 or so but I'll have you know that those above that age who attended were children too! The ambiance was very relaxed and laid back with drinks flowing and much socializing, I could not have wished to have been anywhere else. The music, provided by Bip Ling and DJ Alex Wild was great and took us right through the decades from the 80's right the way down to what's hot now! I have not danced as hard as I did last night in a LONG time! Bravissimo to Bip and Alex Wild!


I'm sure you're wondering why my opening quote was "We are GETTING on that carousel!" Well, let me explain. It stems from another "Vogue" set of people I met last night. Lewis Taylor and his beautiful friends Maria and Grace Rose of 1883 Magazine were an absolute delight and added an extra sense of warmth to the already scorching room! Though the space was vast, the personalities in the room made the dancefloor the place to be and the number of air kisses and hugs I witnessed must have been enough to set a world record!


Thanks so much to Sarah Phillps and the Shine PR team for putting together a successful event!
Many thanks also, to the beautiful people I met and hope to be meeting again soon!


I hope you've had a good week!


Ciao Belissimi!
X

"She's so much more than just a pretty face!" - Mr. Darkwah

On an unusually sunny Monday afternoon (taking into account the weather we've had in the past few weeks for "summer"), the Marylebone Hotel hosted the launch of Joseph Ribkoff's Autumn / Winter collection and a meet and greet with Miss America, Teresa Scanlan. The event was beautifully organised and bore the air of an afternoon tea held in a country estate. 

No sooner had I entered the door, was I greeted by Miss America herself, Teresa and had it not been for her bedazzling smile, I would not have known it was her. She was so down to Earth and polite - nothing like the preconceptions we have about pageant-winners - she took me by the hand and conversed with me as though I was the only one there and made me feel right at home! 

Asked about how she felt being the brand ambassador for Joseph Ribkoff she replied "It's amazing, and you know what? The clothes NEVER have to be ironed so they fit RIGHT in with my busy schedule! I love it!" She wasted no time at all, talking me through the finer points of her responsibility as Miss America and also showed me around the collection. 

Ribkoff's collection showcased designs and that were easy to take from day to night and shapes and materials that would flatter any form. I noted that the collection was very versatile, not only in the sense that the outfits could work for any occasion but also because they would work for any woman of any age - from the sexy Jessica Rabbit to the more refined, present-day Raquel Welch. All of the garments were made of silk jersey materials that required little or no ironing and truly allowed the woman to wear the dress and be ravishing rather than the dress wearing the woman. After all, every woman wants to be noticed for her being - not the dress on her being!

"Did you know that the four points on my crown have a meaning?" she asks me with the widest and, might I add, amazing hazel eyes and I reply, in awe of her "I wasn't aware that they had a meaning". She proceeded to explain that they stood for Style, Scholarship, Service and Success. Style would represent the individual flair that the winner of Miss America presented to have gained the crown; scholarship for the scholarship funds gained through winning the competition; service for the year's worth of work that Miss America would be doing for the cause she represented and success for what she would go on to achieve in her life after the pageant. 

I went on to realise that Miss America was much more than a pageant - it was a provider for that one lucky girl and would enable her to go on to college and gain a degree in her field of interest. "Being the middle child in seven, my mom and dad wouldn't have been able to put me through college and so this has literally been the biggest blessing!"

So young and so far-sighted, Teresa (Miss America) hopes to go on to study and then work in politics. "You've got to be nice to everyone," she laughs "because you never know what they'll pull up! I mean, I don't want to be speaking in public and have someone say she ignored me in high-school?" This may seem a tactical decision made by someone schooled in media but she radiated the most beautiful and warm beams of kindness. A true gem.

Grazie to Task PR for accommodating myself and my assistant. Grazie to Teresa Scanlan and a huge congratulations to her also. We wish her well on the rest of her touring year and hope to see her running for senate or even presidency! Finally, a gargantuan congratulations to Joseph Ribkoff on a beautiful collection that surpasses age and occasion to truly accommodate the modern woman!

If you want a piece from Ribkoff's collection, it is being stocked in Robina (on New Bond Street) and Fenwick department store as well as many other retailers throughout the UK!

Hope you had a good day!

Ciao belissimi!

X

"When a person is "Vogue" they are cool beyond measure" - Mr. Darkwah, "Enchanting!" - Charles Ampadu

For as long as the socialite has lived, there has been the question of what to do on a Friday night. Shall we stay in and have chats over a glass of wine and a cheeseboard? Or do we go out and party like "it's 1999" as we said before the new millennium? This Friday's dilemma was answered with the latter and the venue of choice was Club BOND on Kingly Street.

Getting ready was not a task to me at all as, in true fashionista sense, I had planned in advance so I got ready and made my way out to meet my good friend, fellow stylist and fashion blogger, Charles Ampadu for a little relaxation before we danced the night away! In meeting Charles, I was introduced to possibly the most "Vogue" person I've ever met! Camilla was a pleasure and such a breath of fresh air when all seemed to be a little grey.

We arrived at BOND around 11:00pm and were seen in with little fuss. As soon as I entered, I knew that this was the place that the young, sexy things came out to play! Everyone was drop-dead gorgeous and their beauty only amplified by the great ambiance of the venue (BOND is definitely a new favourite of mine). Unlike a lot of clubs that are enjoying success at the moment, the music was very good and the DJ had us dancing from the word go! There were no "corny" loops played in order to hide the fact that the DJ couldn't find a song to play and I don't remember hearing the same song twice!

Bravo to BOND and bravissimo to my friend Kareem Cheriton-Francis on arranging such a successful night out! To all of you who read this and wonder when you can go there next - especially you students, BOND is hosting its first student party of the year on Thursday! £7 entry and £5 double vodka! You might just run into The Clique at a table so come along and be"Vogue" with us!

Hope you had a great weekend and remember, The Clique is only a click away!

Ciao belissimi!

X

"I like to take a meaning, something close to me, and create something" - Roberto Angeletti

The beginnings of the creative process - Angeletti's sketches of his first piece of the collection

Thursday evening saw the launch of Roberto Angeletti's new collection and as quoted, he definitely created something out of a meaning. Melding the ideas of old artisan-created pendants and the juxtaposition of the precious and mundane, his new collection is both very glamorous and very accessible. Gianni Versace once stated that "grunge would never catch on it Italy as it is too close to the reality of the poor" however when done as tastefully as in Angeletti's collection, one can't help but fall in love with the mixture of jerseys and denims with white gold and diamonds.

Wolf & Badger, a unique lifestyle boutique on Ledbury Road, was the best venue to hold the event as it complimented the down-to-earth nature of the designer and his collection and brought together the fashionistas and local residents in what was a very successful evening! If you were not there, you definitely missed out as not only the designer, but the owner of the store, George Graham and all of the guests were the most pleasant and beautiful people around! Birds of a feather do flock together, after all! 

"I wanted it to feel homely and familiar" says a very pleasant and happy Angeletti as he talks me around the collection. "The pendants, I wanted to look almost like pet tags." Wowed by the warmth of Angeletti's reception and willingness to answer all sorts of random questions I was firing at him, I realised that this was not just a family business that he decided to go into - he loves his work and that is why it has managed to leave Rome and find retailers in Hong Kong, Beijing and now London. A mind for expansion, Angeletti spoke of how he would like to expand but at a slow and steady rate so as to maintain a personal feel to the company. "I want to be able to know the people buying my items and know where my company is going". 

When asked about his decision to take the brand out of Italy and to the rest of the world, Angeletti replies "I knew it was a good product and I just wanted to prove that it could work." Well I can safely say that it has worked and if you want a piece of the action you need to get down to Wolf & Badger on Ledbury road as soon as possible because Angeletti's line will only be there for another couple of months!

Have a great weekend and remember, The Clique is only  click away!

Ciao belissimi!

X