Prada's SS11 Creepers: Three's a Crowd

Prada's 'Creeper' shoes. Or was that 'Creepy'?

Prompted by a sighting of Prada's infamous brogue- trainers along Carnaby Street in London last night, I feel it about time to give my 2pence worth on these £510 shoes.

First brought to our attention at the catwalk in Milan last September, the 'Creeper' shoe became something of an overnight sensation. Turn to the many blogs and articles on these brogues - cum - espadrilles - cum - trainers, and you'll notice an overarching sentiment of they're ugly but I have to have them; so much so that the shoes - available for both men and women- completely sold out across London in March.

At the risk of removing myself for evermore from the inner circle of the 'fashionable,' I have to say that these Creeper shoes are just plain Creepy. A fusion of two shoe design concepts may provide a ying/yang balance but a mixture of three? Prada, didn't you ever learn that three's a crowd?

Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 years on

Much like reading War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations, I feel I am on the cusp of reaching another milestone in my reading material. Today my good friends, the Wakefield sisters return to the UK, ten years on, in Sweet Valley Confidential.

Forming the staple of my pre-adolescent literature diet, I am much excited about tasting the new offering as dished up by author Francine Pascal and Random House. 180 books since my journey first began, I anticipate spending this weekend catching up with other old friends - Enid, Winston, Lila, Bruce, Todd and Stephen - in a quest to learn the meaning behind the books' tag line; “What unforgivable thing did Jessica do to her own twin, and can their relationship recover?"

US cover - nodding to NYC's most scandalous elite.
2 points for guessing who the reference is to. You know you love me. XOXO.

UK cover - traditional design as circulated during their publishing heyday in the 80s

With two cover editions available for purchasing I have yet to determine whether to fully embrace that we have moved on 10 years - rumour has it residents of the Utopian SV community in southern California tweet, use facebook and engage in other social media activity - or whether to have a cover reminiscent of where we all last left them. Always one for tradition, I'm inclined to opt for the latter.

To buy your copy of the UK version click here 

To buy your copy of the US version click here

Whilst waiting for the book to be delivered why don't you take a trip down memory lane and get the low down on Sweet Valley today - click here to be taken to the official Sweet Valley Confidential website.

Personal review status: PENDING!

London Coffee Festival: An insight into the highlights

Based in the Old Truman Brewery you would be forgiven for attributing the London Coffee Festival as merely a destination for the crazed caffeined, sleep deprived and narcoleptic amongst us - despite the blue skied laid back picture on the leaflets.


Walking up the entrance steps to the event and finding myself in Hyde Park I was certainly not expecting a room flooded with light, decked out with a mock lawn, sun loungers, picnic tables, bean bags and parasols. It instantly said quality time with others shared over a cup of coffee rather than extra shot Monday morning espresso territory. Even more attractive was the assortment of drinks on display; everything from coffee to hot chocolate, tea to pressed juice, coconut water to Espresso Martinis. To satiate stomachs as well as taste-buds, invitations to samplings of fudge, yogurt, brownies and other such sweet treats were on offer to fully compliment the flavours and textures of the beverages in store.


The atmosphere was casual, warm, friendly and vibrant with cheerful chatterings between those exhibiting and amongst event attendees alike. With a noticeable lack of 'he who shouts loudest' tactic deployed, each stall and offering was able to personally speak for itself and market its product to the enquirer when prompted. Leaving before the event opened to the public at 5, the stage and bandstand already set up in the main room led me to believe the fun and festivities looked set to amplify in the hours to come.


Highlights during my three hours mooching around the festival on Friday afternoon were as follows:

Launching that day, Kokoa Collection - the tasty initiative of Paul Eagles - was born out of a noticeable gap in the drinks market. As consumers we are so very keen to know all about where our tea and coffee is sourced from but never question our hot chocolate. The Kokoa Collection is therefore a 'hot chocolate by origin' label prepared by baristas with tablets of real chocolate. No coffee expert would declare powdered instant coffee to be as fine a quality as the freshly ground bean variety. Why ought chocolate be any different? In the name of 'market research' I indulged in a 70% cocoa hot chocolate sourced from Ecuador. Choosing to add nothing to the drink, other than the milk with which it is made, I am amazed at the transparency of quality. The buttery/oily after taste and texture that can follow with powered chocolate is replaced with a rich velvety and smooth sensation in the back of ones throat. With the option to experiment with flavours of chili, cinnamon, rose, orange, lavender and seasonal specials, not to mention the various origins of cocoa bean on offer, the combinations are endless!



I must state that the picnic themed area mentioned earlier was courtesy of Innocent and provided the perfect summer backdrop for sipping on an apple, lime and kiwi smoothie - apparently a favourite with many due to lack of banana in the mix. Those manning the Innocent Carafette were keen to intro - juice you to their drinks whilst leaving you guessing the number of mangoes in a jar - (if the answer is 42 you can contact me here).

Never previously having sung high praises for Starbucks as a chain, I therefore find myself rather surprised to be so taken with Starbucks Reserve. With my Aged Sulawesi Kalosi coffee filtering, Aneta (the Barista) had just enough time to inform me of the beans history. Indigenous to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the coffee is grown alongside the fruits and vegetables in the garden of only 12 families. Handing me my expertly produced cup of coffee she asks whether I know 'how to properly drink coffee,' I admit I don't. Rule number 1: Coffee ought to be tasted much like a good wine. Admittedly I consume my coffee like most of you out there, gulping and glugging it down my neck, allowing little time to appreciate its taste. Smelling and swirling before finally swallowing, I am reminded of outdoor camp fires as I sense the toasted marshmallow flavour come to life. An experience in itself! 

Taking on an ancient Chinese proverb of 'better to be deprived of food for three days than tea for one,' Mangajo provided the perfect hydration requirement after one too many cups of coffee. With an emphasis on health, sustainability and great taste, I felt instantaneously healthier and fully nourished upon trying the 'most popular' Lemon & Green Tea drink.  With 5 great tasting drinks currently on the shelves and with more set to appear in the pipeline, I anticipate exciting things for this self confessed super juice label. Watch this space.


Given the array of drinks and variety of coffee beans alone, we clearly like choice, so why not house your perfectly blended beverage in an equally personally container? With the option to pick the size and colouring of every element going into its construction, KeepCup allows you to sip away in style. Excellent!

Last but not least, I paid a visit to the supplier of my most welcomed weekend cup of coffee. Olivier and his team at the Bean About Town had clearly bean preparing for this event for quite some time. Setting up on the back of one of his carts, it was clear that this stall was going to be quite the attraction with badges and build your own coffee fleet cut outs to amuse oneself with whilst sitting down to one of their finest hand-pulled espressos on a bench. The option to switch from regular espressos to an Espresso Martini was greeted with a fervent 'yes please' and was consequently served up with a yellow cocktail umbrella, pink straw and garnished with 3 beans. The perfect last drink of the day!

Other lines of note for the upcoming few months include Bespoke Tea, MOMA! and VITA COCO!


Not being a member of the coffee trade I opted not to attend the talks being held in the Lab, although from its entrance I could hear high levels of conversations and dialogue. So all in all a very enjoyable experience for those involved.


Personally I found the more challenging aspects of the event involved entering and exiting the Old Truman Brewery. Where can't you pay entry on card these days and can we have a few simple signs indicating the way out next time please? That said, it was the first time the event had been held so I will allow its organisers this slight leeway; Those exhibiting more than made up for it!


For more information from the event itself please click here. 

The London Coffee Festival

As the weather picks up and we dare allow ourselves to think Summer is in sight, the Great British public suddenly become full of beans and the joys of spring.

Now it looks like starting tomorrow Londoners may be quite literally full of beans as the very first London Coffee Festival comes to the capital this weekend. Seeing off UK Coffee week, this festival

which is being held 8-10th April at F Block of the Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL, will begin as a Trade Day until opening to Joe bloggs from 5:00pm-10:00pm. 

Joe and fellow general public will have the opportunity to indulge in an Espresso Martini or two at the official Launch Party from 7:30pm. Not being adverse to an Espresso Martini myself - I do seem to find myself repeatedly ordering them whether at Fifty Five Bar in Camden, The Arc in Angel or Aqua Spirit in Soho - you can sign me up! Saturday and Sunday holds 3 sessions per day for visitors to drop in and join the best baristas around for Brunch, Lunch or Teatime! Time slots can be found on the website.

The festival also has a series of themed zones for its visitors including:

Hyde Park
Wander through the parkland village. Grab a flat white and a delicious artisan toasted focaccia. Watch coffee being roasted before your eyes and soak up the delicious aroma at The Roastery. Sit on the grass with your friends, sipping an iced mocha and enjoy live acoustic music from the bandstand.

Soho
Explore edgy ‘Out of the Box’ coffee shop experiences. Talk coffee with the experts and be dazzled by live barista demos. Visit the Ten-Bean Bowling Alley, sample deli produce and indulge yourself with a hand-made cup cake.  Listen to a fine selection of world beats and jazz from local artists and DJs.

Shoreditch
From artisan food stalls to the finest boutique roasters, Shoreditch is the place to be seen admiring and sampling a range of gourmet food products and tasting the most unique coffee blends. Visit the coffee art gallery before relaxing in the retro lounge with a boozy smoothie and some vintage tunes.

The Hub
Where coffee and food meet the Arts.  The Espresso Martini Launch Party will be held here on opening night!

The Growing Community
Learn more about the journey of the coffee bean from crop to your cup with interactive elements throughout the zone. Bring yourself good luck with a visit to the wishing well!

The Lab
Be the first to witness the ‘Fourth Wave’ science of coffee! From the latest pod technologies to the vacuum pot, revolutionary brewing methods will be demonstrated and showcased in The Lab, where you will discover new taste sensations.

 

With an official Coffee Guide accompanying the event, this is also one for the more serious coffee connoisseurs. The London Coffee Guide 2011 was born out of a desire to find the best coffee out there; chains, independents, kiosks, carts - if it serves good coffee it's in it! As a Camden resident I am favourable to the Bean About Town, the niche coffee cart that can be found at Camden Lock/ Kensington Olympia / St Katharine Dock / Dalston Kingsland / Clapham North.  Much like the infamous Avis ad by Doyle Dane Bernbach - 'When you're only Number 2, you try harder. Or else.' - you get the feeling that the size of the company means your custom is truly appreciated.  Served with this, is a relatively inexpensive cup of super smooth, rich organic coffee with a wholly personal experience; They will certainly be receiving top scores from me.

As with any fun festival, there is often a more serious note underpinning the event - in this instance, Project Waterfall, the charitable component of UK Coffee Week™.  It aims to raise more than £1million to deliver safe drinking water and sanitation projects for up to 100,000 people, specifically in coffee producing countries in Africa. In an attempt to achieve this The London Coffee Festival will be donating 100% of all proceedings made from ticket sales to Project Waterfall. You can do your bit too by voluntarily adding 5p to coffee and food purchases at any of the wide range of participating branded and independent coffee venues across the country during UK Coffee Week™. For those who don't drink coffee but wish to support the cause, there is also the option to text/email a donation (see online for details).

So let's pray for good weather, good company and seeing that caffeine is meant to significantly reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, a good old cup of coffee too.

Shakespeare's way with words

You would be much forgiven upon beginning Don Paterson’s ‘Shakespeare’s sonnets’ in the Guardian yesterday to expect a well constructed, soundly debated and articulately communicated piece of prose in which the author actually does try to ‘get back to what the poet was actually saying.’

Whilst I do not wish this response to his article to turn into a diatribe on what is stylistically acceptable of such a topic, I do open with my conclusion that this is an overly long self indulgent mini essay that never clarifies the point behind its mission statement. As entertaining as a 2 paragraph conjecture into the relationship between ‘Kit’ Marlowe and Bill Shakespeare may be, or that Shakespeare was as gay as the day is long, this was certainly not the discourse I was expecting to read, nor did it shed meaningful light on Shakespeare’s sonnets - unless of course you account for the obvious notion that he merely wrote them as an egotistical project in the battle for Wriothesley’s affection.  I can very well believe that he wrote this whilst stuck on Bioshock on the Playstation. You may need an OED on hand to interpret Shakespeare, but you need a bottle of scotch to even begin to start making sense of Paterson’s point (s?).

One fundamental problem I have throughout is Paterson’s clear view that the narrative voice of the sonnets is unquestionably the author himself. Not once is it considered that such a close biographical reading has serious limitations on their meaning - which I do believe WAS the intended point of the article?? That Shakespeare was simply a playwright and poet by profession- and a very good one at that - there is no scope for. No, the dramatis personae of his works must be historical figures and the sentiments conveyed, be Shakespeare’s own.

Admittedly I do applaud Paterson’s differentiating primary and secondary readings of poetry and agree that the two have separate intended outcomes. That said, I must question that when a reader – primary or secondary -seeks the meaning of a poem it is solely on their assumption of ‘that’s how you read poetry.’ Surely to appreciate any opinion or point, or have a sentiment or feeling evoked, you must primarily translate a meaning. How can anything resonate if you do not understand it? Having never fully gotten to grips with art for art’s sake, I believe it unnatural to not enquire further or wish to know more to make better sense of the words. Surely this is the only way they can truly come to life?

There is one point raised that I am wholly in agreement with, albeit a fairly common one amongst Shakespearean scholars, and that is Shakespeare’s influence on the sonnet and the shift in its previously accepted purpose for conveying courtly love. The Petrachan sonnet synonymous with idealistic and pure love is transplanted with Shakespeare’s obsessive and unhealthy equivalent.The liberation of the sonnet in form and theme I believe is really the crux of Paterson's article and a little more time spent exploring this rather than where to seat yourself by the cheese course at a dinner party, would have undoubtedly been a far more believable and logical read. However at the risk of running headlong into the same trap I’ll make sure to come full circle. So Shakespeare was saying what in his sonnets??

Answers on a postcard please.

I'll Chin Chin to that!

Here is a bit of a taster of one of my cool findings in Camden so far:
 
The Chin Chin Laboratorists -  'Europe's first nitro ice cream parlour.' 

The concept is innovative - nothing short of branding brilliance - but WHAT exactly is so special about nitrogen ice cream? As a staunch supporter of Ben & Jerry - the Batman & Robin of my world, for they have 'saved my day' more times than once - I confess I enter the lab somewhat sceptical of this 'haute cuisine' variety...