If you must go to bed, do it in style!

I already rock two pairs of Anthropologie jammies and these (below) would make a wonderful hat trick.


So cute from Top Shop


And if you're feeling a little slutty, Pussy Glamore says it all!

Is it just me, or are these becoming seriously passe?

Over- fed, over-hyped, and over here: The American Invasion.

It started a while back with Urban Outfitters opening on High Street Ken as the go-to place for fashionable bo-ho Londoners who prefer their vintage looks without the smell of old lady. Then American Apparel appeared on Carnaby Street luring generations of Gap-fans with their soft cotton tees in rainbow colours. But it was unleashing Abercrombie & Fitch on the nation's 15 year old girls that really made everyone sit up and take notice of these sexy American stores charming their way onto our high streets and into our wardrobes.

Unlike their reserved and somewhat eccentric counterparts, the American stores know no bounds. They are vast, glossy and immaculate. No amount of British propaganda (apparently A&F in-store models are fired if they stop dancing) can penetrate their alluring shell. Whole Foods swanned into Kensington, kicked the Barkers building into shape, piled the shelves high with over-priced Organic veg and, like unwitting Northerners with a penchant for coal, had Londoners swooning in the aisles.



It is Banana Republic, however, that is quietly giving British retail a major run for its money. And it's not due to their office-perfect twin-sets, or their preposterously massive changing rooms, it is their standard of service. We have laughed for years at candy-pop cheerleaders who greet everyone with 'Hi! How are you folks doing?', but it is sixteen years since Ab Fab's Eddie quipped 'You only work in a shop, you know. You can drop the bloody attitude' and still we are putting up with surly, unwelcoming assistants.

Will Banana Rep's pioneering development of a beautiful midway point between Olivia Newton-John and Jeeves see things begin to change on the shop floor?

Terms of Abuse

This 'delightful' note paper and many others like it are available through Carol Lee Designs on Etsy.



And if you're too cheap to post your message, head immediately to someecards.com.

Model employees of Bletchley Park





Photographs by HG

Wondering why....

Back in September, huge excitement was generated over the news that Selfridges was unveiling The Wonder Room. The concept behind the Wonder Room was to challenge the meaning of 'exclusivity' with unique and diverse pieces from around the world. And, certainly at first viewing it seemed to offer just that... squidgy, rubber buddhas rubbed shoulders with Ali's training jacket, while the Hermes winged saddle bag snuggled up to designer vibrators. So far so exclusive.



It's been nearly eight months now, however, and I've yet to see anything new or wondrous added to their collection other than some £80 notebooks and a back wall devoted to designer sunglasses. It's a shame because, with a little research and devotion, Selfridges could really lead the way in offering one-off items. If you're in Selfridges dropping several grand on a handbag, would you really stop to think of wasting a few hundred on a John Derian decoupage plate, a 'C'mere' Hand Hook, or even some star spot from Etsy? And for those of us in there just to browse, what could be more aspirational than something that is both expensive and relatively unique, or more exciting that seeing something not found anywhere else in London?

Yessss! Loving it!



www.domestic.fr

Who is this this 'Mogil'? Why are they suddenly everywhere? And do we even like it?

CAMILLA'S STORE BEST OF...
Sweet Things in London

Best Milkshake: Fortnum & Mason Fountain Rooms

A friend of mine used to bring his mother here when she was angry with him as he knew she would never raise her voice in such an establishment. Served in a proper milkshake glass and in glorious pastel shades worth every pound!

Best Chocolate Cake : La Fromagerie
I have this on good authority, that - indeed - the best chocolate cake in London is to be found in a cheese shop.

Best Cupcakes: Hummingbird 

Unbelievably delicious cupcakes that just about counteract the terrible service from their staff!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies: Clarke's
Made with high quality dark chocolate and just the perfect amount of crunch!

Best House Truffles: Rococo Chocolates
Call me biased, but you have to go a long way to beat a Rococo rose truffle dipped in cocoa nibs.

Best Sweet Newcomers (sweet!): Dylan's Candy Bar to Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor, Scoop Gelateria to Covent Garden, and Sir Hans Sloane Chocolates to Liberty.



Have a great bank holiday!

It's all very well going on about Carrie's closet, but have we ever really got over Cher's computerised one in Clueless? As if!

Loving the packaging for these DayNa Decker candles spotted in Liberty's and Space NK - so fresh and modern. Time to step your game up Diptyque!

Cheerleading at Pineapple Dance Studios... got this routine down in the first half hour!

Diversity

A recent nose around Planet Organic revealed that the lovely makers of the to-die-for 'pleasure' tea - Pukka - are branching out. Who doesn't need a jar of Pukka ghee in the cupboard!? Weird supplements and bodycare also made an appearance.

And now Ribena are doing pure juices!? Is nothing sacred?

We can't have just Banksy's on our walls...

Posters from Ork Posters and The Poster List

Typical Marks & Spencer - the concept of 'on-trend' is yet again lost on the brand directors of Marks and Sparks. You can practically see their under-oiled thinking behind their latest venture - namely to allow Patricia Field (the stylist for Sex and the City) to design a range for them. 'Excellent!' you think, 'Where can I buy it??' But then you pause and remember it's M&S we're talking about here! Of course, the range will not actually be in store until OCTOBER - a full 5 months after Sex and the City movie mania has subsided.

Is that slow hand-clapping I hear???

Camilla hearts...



But she still loves,

Note to self: Dress excellently all next week.
Why: The Sartorialist is in London for the first time!

Loving it....

http://muxtape.com

Still astonished to see that this slide viewer for Abercrombie & Fitch is pretty much the only one in use on the web for retail!



www.abercrombie.com

Looking forward to the Street and Studio photography exhibition at the Tate Modern.

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/streetandstudio/default.shtm

Man Ray says: "The least possible effort for the greatest possible result".



www.tate.org. Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia

Why we buy what we buy

A shopper wants to buy some cheese, but he must decide between the 197 varieties on offer. Conventional wisdom says that such a huge choice makes it more likely he'll make a purchase. But that doesn't take into account human unpredictability, according to the new discipline of behavioural economics. Aditya Chakrabortty in today's Guardian reports. To read the full article,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/may/20/consumeraffairs.economics


Plan59

It's... all... about... the... hairbands!

Very much hoping THIS band is going to get big and make a ton of money! Apparently he's playing Urban Outfitters on 26th - if you're gonna sell out you may as well do it there!



Oh, alright, here's another one....

Sunday trip with the Mothership into town, where she purchased THIS dress and, for once, it looks better on a 'real' woman than on the skinny bitch modelling it below! Hurrah!

My addiction to Mad Men has turned me back onto Ella Fitzgerald and this song has had me gliding around the newly sun-drenched London. And let's not forget it's Sex and the City season!

A day late I know, but I loved the London Paper's reporting on the Pete/Amy kiss... something along the lines of 'yet again Camden proves itself as the human cess pool of North London'. That's my town!

Loving this cotton eco bag from Glasgow based Showpony. Snaps to DesignSponge for spotting this!

134 Bus from Camden to Tottenham Court Road

18 year old middle-class girl: What's that?
Her brother: The BT Tower
Girl: What happens there?
Bro: Telecommunications
Girl: Why?
Bro: *sigh*
.....
Girl: What's that?
Bro: A blue plaque.
Girl: What's a blue plaque?
Bro: It's what they put up when someone famous has lived in the house
Girl: Are they dead celebrities?
Bro: Yes
Girl: Did they die in the house?
Bro: *sigh*
......
Girl: What's a Suffragette?
Bro: Didn't you learn about them in school?
Girl: I didn't learn anything in school
Bro: Well, they were a group who fought for Women's Rights
Girl: Would I have learnt about them in History?
Bro: Yes
.......... Someone's mobile starts ringing further down the bus
Girl: *With glee* La da da da di la da da! I love this one!!!!!!!

Dane Cook Rough Around The Edges

Spent a happy hour alone with this video!

Eddie Izzard meets Legoland

Snaps to the Guardian techie pages for this tip-off.