STREETSTYLE: SUPER SISTER

P A I G E

STREETSTYLE: HOT BANGS

I am seriously missing my fringe. After spending like, forever growing it out, I'm realising that center-parting-no-fringe look is really NOT suiting my huge moonface. Yeah it looks hot on most girls, but seriously I have a huge, no MASSIVE, five-finger forehead, and god forbid a camera flash goes anywear near it! Woah! I'm sure I've blinded many a photographer with the light bouncing straight back off my head.

My hair's kind of like a blanket anyway, so a fringe will be good at thinning it out a bit. Now I'm not one of the girls that goes around complaining about how fit they are, you know the types... 'Oh my stomach is just too flat today! Jeesh, I think my skin is just like, too clear!' God how I hate those girls. I'm being sincere. My hair IS too thick. I mean, when I used to plait it my friend's dog mistook it for one of those chunky rag toys and used to conintually try and mount me to chew on it. I'm not joking. I'm not saying I hate my hair, I'm just saying I've learnt to live with having such massive hair. Alongside my massive forehead, it would appear I'm not doing so well on the looks front.

It's a smoking hot hair cut such as Victoria's that's making me want to reach for the kitchen scissors (why is it fringes seem like such a simple to cut yourself, until after you've done it?). And she's rocking some sparkly socks. Yay! 

PLACES: MEAT LIQUOR

London, for all its wonders, vibrancy and variety is an annoyingly confusing place to eat. I hate sticking to the same old same old chains for a reliable palatable meal rather than taking that risk and trying something new. It seems HARD to find the good places, but EASY to find the bad, and there's nothing worse than a disappointing meal. Sometimes, finding the simplest thing can be the most difficult. Such as a hearty roast dinner (Bacchus on Hoxton Street) or a super staple of one's diet (if you're a chubber like me that is)... a decent burger. Yeah sure, there are your Gbks, your Byrons which give you something reliably OK. But what is really bloody hard is finding a big, fat, juicy, squidgy, seasoned, raw burger dripping with sauce, pickles, non-plastic cheese in a non-sugary bun.

Take for example, The Diner on Curtain Road- the faux 50s American eatery which plays inoffensive but entirely irritating dad rock is easily one of the most disappointing places for a burger and chips, or food full-stop. So much so that I have vowed (successfully I might add), to never go back for its bland, cardboard food and obnoxious service. When I first moved to London this place was always talked and hyped about. After half a dozen trips where each time I convinced myself I must be missing that 'something' that gave it it's hype worthy status, I finally realised, nah, this place is just crap. Like seriously crap, MacDonalds is better, and faaaaaar cheaper than this place. So, it was with some trepidation that I headed to Meat Liquor's opening evening for what promised to be a hypetastic hearty meat feast of traditional Americana.

The hype (and half hour queue) was well worth it. You know you're having a good feed when you are not even half-way through the meal and you're already planning your menu choices for your next visit. I went on Friday. Then four days later I went back... Ok, so I am a bit of a fattie, with a love of all things deep-fried, but seriously, the burger was melt-in-the-mouth-more-ishly deeee-lish. I had a wonderfully named, wonderfully sloppy 'Dead Hippy' which consisted of 2 perfectly raw and seasoned patties, lettuce, tangy sauce, salty pickles, onions, dripping cheese and should probably come with a health warning.

Over my two visits I've tried...
+ 3 cheese Mac 'n' cheese - basic but creamy and moist
+ Chilli cheese fries - Oh! toooo good. Laden with succulent and spicy chilli, almost a meal in itself
+ Fried pickles - so ridiculously awesome that I don't even care that they are blocking up my arteries. The cool, creamy, chunky and garlicky, blue cheese sauce which accompanies them is worth it alone
+ Onion rings - literally the size of my head. Well. Kinda.
+ Key lime pie - slightly disappointing, tasted a bit sloppy, a bit shop bought.
+ The full English martini - reassuringly incapacitating, complete with novel boiled egg rolled in bacon bits on a cocktail stick instead of the traditional olive, which weirdly worked well.

So you can guess it's not exactly gourmet fine dining, and the manner in which it's served suits this. Served off a tray with tacky paper liner with no cutlery, no plates, allowed everyone to get stuck in with certainly no airs or graces - and barely any table manners. The blood spattered decor (calm down, its just red paint) may not be particularly tasteful, the service a little abrupt and the music a little loud and self consciously stylish, but hell for food that is this good I couldn't care less. Literally, I'm salivating at the very thought of going back...

Chilli cheese fries

BBQ Chicken burger

Mac 'n' cheese

Dead Hippy

Dripping.

PLACES: GRAYSON PERRY LATE AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM

The British Museum threw a late night spectacular celebrating the craftsman to coincide alongside the current Grayson Perry exhibition 'Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsmen.' A night of pom-pom making and lots of other artsy, crafty activities which was attended by some incredibly well dressed folks, including my dear friend Stella. Three outfits by St Marten's graduates caught my eye...

Anna Bel Luton was inspired by 'femme fatales' throughout history. Her smoking hot model definitely has the potential to fall into this category. I was a huge fan of the banana yellow sheer shirt with over-sized pockets and leather piping. Not to mention the beautiful ochre velvet skirt (of sorts). An interesting colour combination which shouldn't work but most definitely does.

Unfortunately my photos do not do justice to James Nolan's use of crisp minimalist lines and pleats in this awesomely dour outfit. Based on  L.S. Lowry's  'The Funeral Party,' Nolan has taken the naive silhouettes of the painting and transformed them into a working garment.  I WANT THIS OUTFIT IN MY WARDROBE.

Jake Wiseman used African tribe, the Shangaan, and their dancers colourful costumes as basis for this outfit . I love the heavy, intricate pleats and the jingle jangle (technical term) quality of the cuffs. 

PLACES: THE GRANT MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY

THOSE OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION LOOK AWAY NOW...

What better way to shake off the Monday blues than with a trip to the cabinet of curiosities at the Grant Museum of Zoology. My personal highlight was listening to one of the researchers there explain to a film-maker wanting to use their only human skull of the care and respect that must go into using such a precious item. Then casually leaving said skull lying around on one of the tables.

 I will warn you... I deliberately took photos of some of the grossest and stomach churning specimens. Some photos I actually deleted as they made me feel sick (a jar of sea worms. Yuck!). It's a haven of strange things in jars, dissected creatures, skeletons hung from the ceilings, colossal elephant skulls, velvet worms and crabs, smiling rhino skulls and taxidermy wonders. So without futhur ado...

A jar of moles. Obviously.

Bare brains. What made me laugh is how the jars resemble my Marc Jacobs perfume (minus the brains. obvs.)

Skippy.

Rhino colgate smile.

HUMAN SKULL! 

MISSING HUMAN SKULL!

Straight from a Tim Burton set.

ANACONDA!

Hairy toad. Not just an expression for ex-boyfriends.

Swinging chimp.

Jaws. He got me.

Sea mice. Their hairs look holographic. MEGA. GROSS.

An octopus the size of a tack.