Anya Hindmarch Postbox Maze

On Saturday I headed to the Brewer Street car park to check out the Postbox Maze, an immersive art installation and a celebration of Anya Hindmarch's new Postbox Collection and the art of the written word. You enter the maze through an inviting red archway - the red is used throughout the maze and is made from a soft wool that covers the walls and floors.

The maze is a unique tessellated design created by leading maze and puzzle designer, Adrian Fisher and is inspired by the mural designed by MC Escher for The Hague Post Office. The Brewer Street car park is the perfect venue for an installation this size as well as being in the perfect location. The high industrial ceilings allow space and light and add to the drama.

Within the maze, visitors can discover readings of a series of letters written by notable people throughout history, such as Emily Pankhurst and Spike Milligan.

In the Postbox Maze cafe you can enjoy a cup of tea and postal-themed biscuits and cakes.

In the concept store you can shop a carefully curated range of stationery-related items, or sit and write a hand-written letter which will be posted for you. And last, but not least, you can view the latest range of stunning bags from the Anya Hindmarch Postbox Collection. I'll have one of each please!

Happy Monday

Happy Monday! I hope a good weekend was had by all. Mine was fab, with a great combination of culture, exercise and hanging out with friends and family. On Friday evening I went to see The Handmaiden, a beautifully shot and styled film about deception and seduction in Japanese-occupied Korea. The costumes were stunning, drawing inspiration from the kimonos of Japan as well as the delicate lace dresses of Edwardian England. I saw it at the Picture House Central which is just off Piccadilly Circus in the old Trocadero building and has a rooftop bar with stunning views over central London.

On Saturday evening I went ceroc dancing, which is always fun and a great way to blow the cobwebs away. On Sunday I went for a very long walk in Richmond park, ending up at the Isabella Plantation where the rhododendrons and azaleas were out in full force. The colours were stunning and very inspiring, in varying shades of magenta, fuchsia and everything in between. This is the best time to go, so get down there before it's too late!

I also put some time aside to create items for my Cheeky Leopard store, which I love doing. I have my lovely little studio and can spend hours in there, fiddling with fabrics and coming up with new ideas. As a designer/maker, I am always in awe of how other professionals create their wares and have just been checking out the beautiful film on the Anya Hindmarch website where it illustrates the amount of attention that goes into making one of her bags. I'd like to think the same care and attention goes into making a Cheeky Leopard bag. Click on the image below to see how one of her beautiful bags comes to life.

Undressed

On Sunday afternoon I went along to the Victoria and Albert Museum to check out 'Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear'. It's a temporary exhibition which follows the evolution of underwear design from the 18th century to the present day, with over 200 examples of everything from everyday items, to the luxurious and custom-made. The exhibition covers the notions of the ideal body through the ages. The beautiful corset below shows how tiny the waists were expected to be!

The exhibition also highlighted how lingerie still influences the fashions of today. London Fashion Week is in full swing and several of the collections use underwear influences with a new twist.

Preen uses corsets in their Autumn/Winter '17 collection, but layer them over chunky-knit sweaters.

This beautiful camisole top from the V & A collection uses soft silk and delicate lace trim.

The Christopher Kane Autumn/Winter '17 collection also uses delicate lace as shirts and dresses, but pairs them with an oversize knit in pastel pink, or layers it with a dramatic white fur-lined coat.

 The silk and lace negligee from the exhibition, below, is just stunning in its delicacy and attention to detail. I love the v-shape that the lace creates.

Erdem used a similar type of lace and bias cut-style to create flowing dresses in shades of lilac in his Autumn/Winter '17 collection.

The example on the below right shows how large knickers have also been a part of underwear history, great for holding in the stomach area and contouring the body.

Large knickers were also represented at London Fashion Week, at the Anya Hindmarch Autumn/Winter '17 show, but they were more like baggy bloomers than body con fashion. She also included knitted play suits, all in a fabulous Alpine style.

The Undressed exhibition closes soon, and I recommend going along there before it goes.