Long-term relationships.

It's not often one finds something you're prepared to commit to in the long-term, especially not in the region of hair care. Men may come and go, but I can't imagine ever having relationship issues with Green Tea and Mandarin shampoo from 4th floor.



Speaking of the beauty industry, I've spent a large part of this working week researching trends in skincare. Who knew that, for $49 one could buy a tube of 'neck contouring' gel? Or that one designer beauty brand has released a serum that is jet black in colour? What's that about?

Is it just me, or did this video, this pairing, this look mark the start of the current youth movement? Would I be going out on a limb to say that this was the first time Shoreditism went mainstream?

Tee's me, tee's me!

I'm very excited to showcase new t-shirt brand, Rizzo Tees. Who doesn't want a little bit of Barack in their lives right now? 364 electoral votes can't be wrong.



Or, if politics ain't you bag, why not go for... simple yet to the point.



In fact, use this code (3JBEE84C) when you order any Rizzo Tee and get 20% off your purchase! Exclusively through Camilla's Store.

Election night.

Why is British politics never as exciting as all this? A friend of the Mothership spotted this Obama cookie in Eleni's Bakery in Manhatten's Chelsea Market. She says 'all the Baracks sell out, but the McCains sit there with the Halloween ghoul candies....'

Come on Obama!!!

You have mail!

It's not often that one actively invites unknown emails into your inbox, but in the name of research I have recently signed up to some of the more cooler, cutting edge newsletters. Among them, that of The Cool Hunter. Naturally, it's not a patch on Camilla's Store - they introduced United Nude (see shoes below) as if they were first to the party, while I've been rocking my wedges to great acclaim for nearly two years! Nevertheless, it never does any harm to keep an eye on the competition.



E-newsletters

The Cool Hunter
Urban Junkies
Daily Candy

Westfield: the verdict

In a word, I love it. But then, two things were going to make me biased towards it from the beginning. In the first instance, I was working on the project, understood its' purpose and worked directly with the team who brought it to life. In the second instance I am a total mall-rat. Give me a corridor of air-conditioned, retail opportunities and I'm in heaven.

There again, however, my utter adoration of shopping malls and all that lie within them gave Westfield a lot to live up to. I was lucky enough to have been weaned on the Beverly Centre in LA and La Cantera in San Antonio. I knew my malls from my precincts. I need not have worried though, for as I stood on Westfield's marble floor, bathed in sunlight and looking in disbelief at the vast retail spaces which were still being created just weeks before the launch date, I knew that London was about to be given something rather special.



We, in Britain, have it pretty tough. We're a tiny island, with terrible weather and, at the moment, a pretty scary economic climate. In London all this is compounded by hellish rush-hour conditions, a bullish employment market and soaring prices. And, when it comes to our precious down-time, over-subscription to cultural events make most spur-of-the-moment excursions pretty much hopeless. For me, and no doubt a good percentage of the 500,000 visitors Westfield received in its' first weekend trading, the prospect of a modern, accessible, weather-proof destination complete with all our favorite shops and restaurants is very enticing.



The broadsheets may well proclaim that 'shopping is dead', Polly Toynbee may say that it was 'conceived in a bygone era' and the red-tops may highlight the resulting traffic nightmares, but when all's said and done Westfield is now an integral, and more civilized, part of the London experience and will be for years to come.

For me Halloween is just the one day in the year when local hoodies are legitimately allowed to scare the cr*p out of me. For all those who prefer to hide behind the sofa, here's this...

www.blazingcameras.com

Hail Mary! Click this...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7699339.stm

Inside Westfield London

I'm live from Westfield London - towards the end of what's shaping up to be a 16 hour day. I was here as they put the finished spritz of Gleam on the windows and have just gone to collect the London Paper, The London Lite and The Evening Standard to find we had made all three front pages!!! The crowds have been immense and the sheer number of laden shoppers made everyone wonder ' credit crunch? what credit crunch?'. Hurrah!!! We made it!

More in-depth analysis forthcoming (as soon as I've had a hot shower, some hot food, and one long night's sleep!)!

Not seen this before - not even sure what name they go by. Curved, outdoor plasma screens on the underground. Drew quite a crowd at Bank.

Ok, I am now OFFCIALLY super-cool. For tonight I finally made the pilgrimage across to East London and to Shoreditch House. Those who are regular readers of this blog will know my position on Shoreditch-ites and I went to SH hoping to loathe it. But I am forced to admit that it is gorgeous - every aspect done with incredibly good taste and attention to detail. And don't even get me started on the roof-top pool. Not to mention that my companion and I enjoyed a perfectly hearty supper for no more than £15 each.

The only downer came as we waited to take the lift back downstairs, only to find a group of my old school pals with a similar agenda. Groucho Marx famously said that he could never join a club that would have him as a member. I rather fear that I might be just be a Shoreditch-ite myself after all! Oops.

The Perfect Saturday

Had a shifty down the lovely Marylebone High Street yesterday. MHS is wonderful not only because of it's fabulous mix of boutiques but also because it is one of the last centrally located havens mostly undiscovered by tourists. Well, apart from the acceptable kind of tourist like Jake Gyllenhaal whom I saw meandering there recently.

Marylebone is also a joy year round - whether you have a lazy al fresco brunch at Le Pain followed by a stroll round their Saturday street market in high summer, or scamper between bars of delicious dark chocolate at Rococo, cashmere heaven at Brora, and a lingering mosey round Divertimenti in the depths of winter. From shopping mecca The Conran Shop at the top, to clothes boutique KJ's Laundry at the bottom, MHS is all things to all the right sort of people.

I lusted after...

A selection of Rococo Mini Bee Bars in 8 unbelievable flavours.



And this divine Globe Trotter vanity case from the Conran Shop.

Will Ferrell as Bush, Tina Fey as Palin. It takes a team to make a dream.

Oh my god!!! Anthropologie is about to sign on a place in Regent Street! I am all over this. All over it like a rash! Yes!

Check it out by clicking HERE!

Whole (lotta) Foods

Given that all work and no play makes Camilla a dull blogger, I am forced to post vicariously. For, whilest I was slumped post-prandially on the sofa, my 'What's on in London' guru and Housemate Extrordinaire, enjoyed 'Thristy Thursday' at Whole Foods in Kensington. I attended the pre-launch preview back when it opened in 2007 - which, with the whole food court laid open for free, escalated into a full-blown binge fest. So I can only imagine what delights my Housie enjoyed for a mere £5 entrance fee and, as they say in the spiel, 'a self-guided tour of the best food in the store'. Sounds like marketing speak for 'dig in!'.

I hate to put a downer on everything, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on Whole Foods to see how it fares during this economic wobble, for I believe it will prove once and for all whether Green is an investment buy or a passing trend.

I fear the next few days herald a considerable drop in blog post rate and quality. With working days so long they are putting us up in a hotel, I can only dream of a holiday right now. Pater recently found photos from our two week jaunt to Florida several years ago. What I'd give to return to that little suburban enclave with days out to Wal-Mart!


Photograph by Blazing Cameras.

As I write this I am tucked up under a 40 tog duvet, wearing M&S slipper socks and clutching a hot water bottle (don't worry, I'm still glamourous - the hottie has a cashmere cover). It is now cold enough outside to begin my third November in a row contemplating forking out for my first ever pair of Uggs. But... is anyone else sick to death of this look...?

Westfield London. I shop, therefore I am.

In 10 days Westfield London, Europe's new biggest shopping mall, opens its doors. On launch day the usual circus of events, celebrities and media will herald the opening of 265 retailers and 50 restaurants all under one stunning glass roof. And with a dedicated concierge service, a mix of both high-end luxury and highstreet staples, and a McBan on the usual dire food offer, Westfield looks set to knock the socks off its rivals Bluewater and Brent Cross.



But there is a huge pink elephant standing in the middle of the central atrium, and Banksy has stenciled 'RECESSION' on its rump. Can a credit crunched London handle a shopping mall of this ilk right now? Westfield has been a building site for the past 12 years, so they weren't to know of the economic situation come opening day, but this month has been the tipping point for a downturn that is making everyone hold on to their pennies.

Retail analysts are right - during hard times, people need cheering up and transporting to a fantasy world. And where better to do that at Westfield, where many of the retailers have made flagships of their stores, and where a combination of shops, restaurants and, in 2009, cinemas and spas, will create a full day out? In a few months, this opportunity for escapism will bring thousands to the centre. But this month, of all months, I fear that escapism is barely an option as we look reality straight in the face.

I'd be nervous if I was opening the doors to the public at Westfield next week, but I'm sure by Christmas this new wonder mall is really going to be giving Oxford Street - just minutes away on the Central Line - a real run for its money.

Geek chic on the Northern Line

Well, I've been a few days off radar due to certain Hen-related activities. Fortunately, we managed to avoid the usual L-plates and blow-up penises that have become somewhat stereotypical of today's Hen parties and achieve quite a classy array of festivities over several days.

Best of all, my fellow bridesmaids and I (yes, you heard right. A bridesmaid) managed to find some totally non-horrific bridesmaid dresses. In fact, some might say they are rather fantastic. Thank god for Oasis.

I'm going for classically demure in black.


While, another is in disco heaven in pink.


Not a meringue in sight!

I love Sarah Silverman. I love that she can say things like 'I don't care if you think I'm racist. As long as you think I'm thin' and get away with it. I love this Vote Obama video she made.



I love that she is playing the Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday. And I love the interview she gave in the Guardian last weekend.

Oh, and I love that the poster in the video is from www.theposterlist.com

Wow, just how many shout outs did I get into that post! Gotta get me some sponsors! Go pro.

As the Beckhams have recently discovered, Ebay can be a pretty scary place. I've lost many a friend to ebay. I've even nearly lost myself, and my pay packet, to it a number of times. The scope means your every whim is catered to - hell, Pater once sold a vase and made a girlfriend out of the buyer! It appeals both to the gambler in us with the auctioning system and the thrill seeker with the 'buy it now' function. And it has a community feel that brings like minded people together to exchange their wares.

And yet, despite a recent overhaul, I can't help but feel its usability is somewhat lacking. E-customers are a fickle bunch; on our local highstreet we still have to walk past the sellers we've shunned. On the web we can slip away without a backwards look. A competitor with the interface of a Amazon or Facebook, would make a MySpace out of Ebay in a matter of weeks.



In the meantime, however, I'm doing all I can to ignore the Abercrombie & Fitch buy it nows.

For news on the Beckhams, click here.

The Last Hurrah

If the economic forecasters are to be believed we are on a slippery to slope to a major recession. This means that 'It' bags and bling will give way to a major focus on inconspicuous consumption. And, so, like a WWII madam giving her best girls to the soon-departing soldiers, I offer up the Camilla's Store Top 5 Last Hurrah Buys. 5 trinkets which, in a matter of weeks, will be seen as morally irresponsible, reprehensibly decadent and downright vulgar. Make the most of it people because I fear that no matter what Grazia says, there just isn't such a thing as credit crunch chic.

1) Expensive nail polish. It chips within seconds, costs £16 a pop and goes gloopy almost immediately and yet.... so pretty!



2) Waitrose. Shockingly over-priced but, as Nigella no doubt mutters to herself, where else can one buy crystallised voilet petals and 14 types of organic butter?? For staunch anti-credit-crunchers, I suggest you drive there in your 4x4 and refuse to re-use. Plastic rules!



3) Luxury gym membership. If we're going to be poor, we may as well look buff doing it. My favourite gyms are the ones that offer a £300 joining fee on a 5 year membership that has no get out clause. Yes.



4) Proper Tea. I once convinced a Texan that it was against the law not the drink tea at 4pm in the UK. High tea is our birthright. They may freeze all our assets but we will always have cucumber sandwiches goddamit.



5) Louboutins. A fleck of crimson as you step out the taxi offers the most flagrant display of wealth. But be careful, as these are almost passable as an investment buy, so be sure to buy in this season's style and then make an anecdote of how you accidently left one of them at Whisky Mist! Such larks.



Happy Shopping!

So freakin' brilliant. (Takes a sec to load video, but worth the wait!)



God Bless Saturday Night Live.

Pink Boots. Hyde Park Corner

Another satisfied customer leaves the new Space NK on Tottenham Court Road.

Photographer, fellow blogger and sometime classmate of yours truly, Marcos JQ, busted a very cosmopolitan move and attended the opening of Apple Mac, Geneva.





See more from this series and others at http://marcosjq.blogspot.com.

She's the voice behind Zero 7 and has now gone solo with her album 'Some People Have Real Problems', which is AMAZING. All the soul we loved in Zero 7, but with a sense of fun and oodles of power we never knew existed.

Buy it now. Don't question me. £7.99 on itunes. Do it.

Cinch it!

I've heard that during recent times of war, the fashion scene on the homefront has embraced army-prints and combat trousers (see little cited pop/history moment: girl-band All Saints' Marharishi trousers during the Balkans). Well, now it's the credit crunch and dippy women everywhere are taking the advice to 'tighten our belts' a little to literally. Kicked off by cult series Mad Men, popularized by our lady in LA, Posh Spice's body-con look, and now rampant on the catwalks of Paris fashion week, feminine curves are IN, IN, IN.

It's a shallow way of looking an impending economic doom, but on the bright-side a belt's cheaper than a whole new dress, and we'll be starving enough to get into those size 8s! Woop woop.

Loving this!



available from www.knockknock.biz

When I was 16, my best friend lived in her own house at the bottom of her parent's garden. She had fish in the bathtub and, in the spare room, a truly awe-inspiring collection of over one hundred My Little Ponies. Saw her again this weekend, the ponies may be long gone but I still think she might like these prints from Garudio Studiage.

Back in the early Summer of this year, when Sex and the City mayhem was in full swing, I posted something along the lines of M&S being a little late off the mark to announce they were doing a collaboration with Patricia Field for AW08. Typical M&S - always last to the party.

Anyway, this coming week sees the new collection hitting the shelves and, if the editorial in today's Guardian magazine is anything to go by, it is typically underwhelming. As similar piece on Jane Shephardson for Whistles literally had us all dashing down off to the highstreet but this... not so much. You can't shove a bit of leopard lining on a trench coat and call it Sex and the City. I'm thinking more Fumble in the Suburbs.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/04/fashion.marksspencer

Went to see Now or Later at the Royal Court this evening. Fab play and very apt what with Election fever rising. I only think that the director missed a trick when it came to creating dramatic tension between the passive, laid-back son unwilling to compromise and the Presidential entourage who come in and out desperate to make him change his mind. While the dialogue convinced us these characters were being forced to deal with a stubborn teenager whilest on the brink of Presidential election, their relaxed on-stage body-language made us think otherwise.

Being at the Court also reminded me what a great little restaurant they've got going on down there. As Pater would say... 'somewhere nice to meet your friends'.

And We Flock Just Like Birds of a Feather

My current project at work involves getting cosy with over 250 of the nation's most well-known retailers (*subliminal* Westfield London opens 30th October *subliminal* ) and it has really woken me up to just how snobby I am about where I shop and where I choose to spend my hard-earned cash. I do TopShop and H&M, but not Zara. I shop in Sainsbury's and see Waitrose as a treat. I love Selfridges yet avoid Harrods. I am fiercely loyal to M.A.C and Clarins, but totally whoreish over my toothpaste.

The notion of 'Families of Brands' is a concept that is often banded about amongst marketing types, but I think overlooked. Typologies can really gain depth if you start to look at the assortment of brands people bring into their lives. A London-based 30 year old women, with two kids who lives in Islington and shops in Jigsaw will present a completely different set of values and consumption habits to a London-based 30 year old women, with two kids who lives in Islington yet shops in Debenhams.

Suddenly you see that the Jigsaw shopper also has a weekly delivery from Abel & Cole, buys her underwear from M&S, and splashes out in Nicole Farhi. Debenhams lady, however, loves a bargain in Primark, does her food shopping in Tesco, and looks forward to the Karen Millen sale. Where most will have placed these two women in the same consumer group based on age, location and gender, those who look at Brand Families can see a much broader picture.

And it doesn't stop there. Once you know the 'Family', you can see where other brands might fit in - ideal if you are bringing a new one to market. You can see where competition lies outside of your industry - perfect for identifying competitors. And, if you are already established, you can bring your other Family members closer - be it geographically or psychologically - and become stronger.

Been burning the candle at both ends these past few days, but this evening it was worth it as I met the owners and originators of Clippy Kit bags. So exciting - and inspiring - to meet a young women in the throes of business success! Wonderful anecdote about how a guy once asked how she liked running a 'cottage industry' and she responding that you could hardly call supplying House of Fraser, John Lewis and countless national independents 'cottage'. Brilliant.



www.clippykitlondon.co.uk

Kentish Town. 8.45am. Winter Wardrobe 2008. His and Hers

Woo hoo! And I'm back in the game. Creative30 (www.creative30.net) have just re-posted the Camilla's Store blog in their 'as picked by our panel' section. 4 days and counting until the end of the selection phase, so I better start churning out those original thoughts that I'm becoming so well known for!

Service with a Smile

The next big thing is going to be a seismic shift in the British retail landscape. Currently in a limbo between its formal, bespoke past and its technology-driven, experience-orientated future, Britain must discover how to stand out in the international marketplace.

Classic BBC dramas like Cranford or Lark Rise To Candleford remind us how there was once a time when what we bought, be it candles or muslin, was handed to us wrapped in tissue paper, then bound in silk ribbon and finished off with a kindly word of advice (or gossip) from our local tradesman.



Today, a trip to Europe or even down Saville Row proves that this attention to detail is far from lost - luxury and artisan retailers feel an affinity with their product and pride themselves on the care with which they sell it. However, with more and more emphasis placed on price and choice, UK companies have cut back on their service offer, choosing to bring in less costly foreign floor staff but losing eloquence and devotion along the way.

Until recently, retailers in Britain got away with shoddy service as consumers got what they thought they wanted, namely cheap products piled high, but in the past five years our boisterous, American cousins have appeared on the scene. For Banana Republic and all the other American owned stores, excellent customer service is part of their mission statement. Their staff are as much as part of their brand as the items they sell. We have laughed for years at candy-pop cheerleaders who greet everyone with 'Hi! How are you folks doing?', but the shopping 'experience' is an integral part of a brand's image, and, ultimately, what we pay for.



The recent backlash against shops like Primark and Tesco in the UK highlight a massive change in consumer attitudes. The term ‘organic’ has taken on a larger meaning that goes beyond chemicals and accountability and now encompasses an entire lifestyle. What we do and experience will define us more than what we buy and own.

In the midst of a Credit Crunch, stores who offer more than just the product they sell in terms of service and experience, will find themselves with a loyal following as consumers enjoy the feeling of true value. With more UK brands focusing on customer experience, the Next Big Thing will be fantastic customer service that excites and enlightens the British shopper.

Obamatron says...

"I just saw the G Ramster opening his new restaurant in Camden Town!! Awesome! Its just on the outside of the park - dinner reservations at the ready!"

Translation: Gordon Ramsay's York & Albany opens Monday.

Knowing his claret from his beaujolais.

Blur-member turned cheesemonger says "I think you've got to move out of rock star hair and into poet hair when you hit 35". Another important life lesson to add to the list.

Emma. 12.55pm. Camden Tube.

We all face dilemmas in our lives. Some more serious than others. Today I faced the dilemma of Sainsbury's or Waitrose. Yesterday, during a night out that goes straight in at No.1 on the Top Evenings in London list, my compatriot was juggling the dilemma of World Domination or reclusive Hampstead bookshop ownership. As I said, some dilemmas are more serious than others. And so, to help him in his decision I would like to offer up some inspiration in the form of...

The Camilla's Store Guide to the World's Best Bookshops

1) Yeats said he 'must lie down where all the ladders start, In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart', and for all others who have felt the same when down and out in Paris, the Shakespeare & Co. bookshop on the Left Bank is the place to head for. Rickety staircases, bohemian staff and hundreds of thousands of books makes this one of the most unique places to hang-out and browse.



2) Without ever having been there, I feel like I have visited City Lights Bookshop in San Francisco many times through the work of the Beats. I half hope that, when the time does come for me to visit, I'll find Jack, Allen and Neal waiting for me.



3) Often feted on the design websites, this converted church in Maastricht, Netherlands now houses an incredible selection of books, fusing aesthetics and learning.



4) Living in Austin, my friends and I often found ourselves whiling away our Sunday afternoons in Book People. Great for bumper stickers, the local rags, readings and an extensive selection of Moleskines not to mention three floors of books, books, books. Oh, and right next door to Amy's Ice Cream! Good times.



5) Not really a bookshop, but certainly a fab starting place for the discerning bibliophile. Our grand old British Museum's Reading Room. Makes you feel clever just being there.

High Fives all round! Creative30 - a project from VICE, Volvo, The Independent and Yahoo which "aims to find and celebrate thirty of Britain’s most promising young creative people" has made honourable mention of this very blog!

Funny, as I was just Yahoo-ing the new Volvo XC60, before settling down to read the Independent on Sunday. Talk about synchronicity. And shameless plugging!