I’ve just come back from a fantastically sunny day trip to London, and have managed to fit in plenty of stylish sightseeing in, as well as enjoying a girls day out with some old friends. Sights to see included a trip to Selfridges for the The Girls, Paper Eaters exhibition and the ‘for sale’ wall by Supermarket Sarah.
First stop though, was a visit to the pop-up ‘shop’ by Sketchbook Magazine for a talk by Amelia Gregory. Amelia is the creator of the visual feast that is Amelia’s Magazine, a bi-annual publication that ran in print from 2004 to 2009, and now takes the form of a website and blog.
Sketchbook are in week three of a four week run of lectures, workshops, sample sales and exhibitions, in their shop just off Carnaby Street. This week the exhibition was the cover illustrations by the gifted John-Paul Thurlow, whose work featured on the most recent cover of Sketchbook – The Fashion Blogger Issue.
As we were ushered downstairs to take our seats I felt all eyes were assessing the competition: the young, fashionable elite have been attending talks like this and with our leather jackets and chunky knit jumpers, we are all competing for a place in the fashion magazine industry.
After everyone had taken their seats Amelia introduced herself and talked at length and speed about the history of Amelia’s Magazine and her ideas for the future. She provided tips on how to get ahead within the magazine and business industries and inspired everyone with the answers to her questions (though unfortunately it seems well placed connections are the be-all and end-all in this industry).
After wondering around Carnaby Street and taking an obligatory trip to the haberdashery department in Libertys, I took a trip to Selefridges to see the Paper Eaters exhibition. Andrea Blood and Zoe Sinclair are The Girls, the artistic duo behind the exhibition, The Paper Eaters: Long Live The Photo-Story! and they have covered Selfridges Ultralounge in homage to paper. Old typewriters, paper lanterns, neon pink netting and paper dolls adorned the the walls and as I wondered through the maze of magazines and hanging installations an editorial meeting was taking place.
It felt like the whole city was alive with creativity and style today and as we rounded the trip off with a trip to Portobello Market I couldn’t help craving one of the little coloured terraced houses to call home. The quirky jewelery, vintage and antique shops could easily swallow up a month’s wages and the chilled out vibe was the perfect accompaniment to a summery afternoon. I wish my trips to London were so few and far between but know that now I’m home I’ll have to take solace in the colourful terraced houses of Bristol, and of course the cider, which really is the perfect accompaniment to a sunny afternoon!
