Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Grey Goose Ice Bar at STACK Newcastle

The Ice Bar slid back into Newcastle this week for its second term at STACK, this time with a shiny new sponsor in the form of Grey Goose Vodka and making its grand entrance with a New York theme.

That’s right, everything inside has a nod to the city that never sleeps and it’s just fabulous.  From the huge to the very tiny, there’s something to capture your attention for every single one of the twenty minutes you get inside and it’s all been painstakingly carved out of, or encased in ice.

New York Nicks Basketballs encased in ice in the New York themed ice bar at STACK Newcastle in January 2020

We were invited along on launch day to check it out.  When you arrive you sign in at a welcome cabin and you’re given vouchers dependent on which package you’ve booked – we were there for the basic entry deal, a simple entry to the Ice Bar, shot of something from the bar and a hot chocolate after leaving.  After signing in you’re given gloves and a faux fur hooded cloak to keep you toasty once inside.

You enter the Ice Bar in groups which are pre-booked online so it’s never overcrowded and the numbers are controlled in order to maintain the temperature inside.  Once you get in there you’re immediately faced with ice, and a lot of it.  You  round a corner into the bar and it opens out into what’s actually a pretty big space.

Inside the New York themed Grey Goose Ice Bar at STACK Newcastle

The bar itself is completely carved from ice, as are the glasses the shots are served in.  The toffee Schnapps served as the drink included in the entry fee is simply divine, it’s made fresh on site each evening by the bar staff specially for the event to a recipe they “just came up with”.  There’s also a non-alcoholic apple version available for kids (or adults who just fancy it) and I have it on good authority that that’s pretty amazing too.

Shot glasses made of ice at the Ice Bar in STACK Newcastle in Jan 2020

So what can you expect to see inside the Ice Bar and is it worth going back if you visited last year?  Well, yes actually.  It’s better.  I’d say it’s a lot better.  Firstly, this time everything is tied up with a theme so it makes more sense, secondly there’s a designated seating area and it’s decked out with rugs so if you want to just sit, you can.

The main focal point is the Friends set piece and sofa, it’s the definite Insta zone of the Ice Bar and the lighting around it is so much better than it was in there last year so make a beeline for that if you get in there this year.  There’s some sporting memorabilia in there too in the form of the baseball bat with which Babe Ruth scored his first ever home run and it’s fully encased in ice.

The famous blue Manolo Blahnik pumps given to Carrie by Big in Sex and The City are in the ice too as well as some Tiffany jewellery and there’s a Yellow cab carved out of ice which looks really slick.  Oh, and it just wouldn’t be NYC without Lady Liberty in there now would it?

The Statue of Liberty carved entirely from ice on display in the Grey Goose Ice Bar at STACK Newcastle

After twenty minutes are up, and trust me you’ll be feeling it at sub zero temperatures, you’re ushered out in your group and directed to the end of the bar where you’re served hot chocolate topped with cream and marshmallows and given the option of mingling with the masses at STACK or heading to the Warm Room at the opposite end of the DJ stand to defrost fully.

Overall, it’s a fun activity, doesn’t take up a huge amount of time and doesn’t cost a fortune.  Check it out while it’s here, it’s not around for long.

Pixie

TICKET PRICES

Mon-Thurs (Off Peak) / Fri-Sun (peak)

STANDARD ADULT — £10.00 off peak /£15.00 peak

Includes Entry
Jacket and Glove Hire
Ice Shot (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
Hot Chocolate

PREMIUM ADULT — £15.00 off peak / £20.00 peak

Includes Entry
Jacket and Glove Hire
Ice Shot (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
Hot Chocolate
Glass of Prosecco or Bottle of Beer

CHILDREN — £6.00 per child

No Under 7’s are permitted in the Ice Bar

Includes Entry
Jacket and Glove Hire
Ice Shot (non-alcoholic)
Hot Chocolate

FAMILY TICKETS — £30.00 off peak / £38.00 peak

A family booking can be made consisting of 2 adults and 2 children.  More children can be added for £6.00 per child.

Includes Entry
Jacket and Glove Hire Ice Shot (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
Hot Chocolate

Categories: The Fashion Closet

PRITCH London Divine Beings London Fashion Week

With London Fashion Week about to kick off for another season there are always a few pre-season openers that warm up show season nicely.  We all know that New York Fashion Week isn’t what it used to be and with many of us no longer even optioning it as freelancers since the division of Fashion Month and instead opting for season openers like these instead, which give us an insight into Fashion Week on our home turf ahead of time.

Earlier this week PRITCH London gave us just that.  The invite said simply ‘Divine Beings’ with a nod to Greek mythology in its illustration and its evening slot and dreamy church location hinted its opulence.

Pixie tenenbaum holds up the invite to the PRITCH London SS20 runway show pre-London Fashion Week in September 2019

PRITCH London is a brand known for its non-conformist luxury and distinctive use of sustainable leather, something that they’ve worked hard to source.  With Divine Beings, PRITCH London aim to elevate the wearer to divine, almost god-like status – translating the power of ancient Greek mythology through striking silhouettes completely unexpected and seemingly impossible in a fabric as unyielding as leather.

The story behind this vibrant collection comes from designer Federica Braghieri’s passion and desire to illuminate the more obscure Greek goddesses who are more often historically overlooked, or misrepresented, in favour of more serene, quieter beings.

“Hecate, the three headed goddess of magic and the night, known for her ability to see past, present and future, is depicted more rarely than the gentler Aphrodite or Athena, but for us this divine being represents the multifarious expression of the collection.”

Historically depicted carrying flaming torches through treacherous night journeys, the colour palette of the Divine Beings collection reflects the mysterious tales of the goddess Hecate.   Red, yellow and copper intertwine with black and grey through various leather weaving and pleating techniques developed by Madara Rozensteina to create an almost water like texture, the garments themselves flow softly on the runway and it’s only on close inspection that they appear heavy as leather is.

There’s a cute little use of fuzzy felt type faux fur early in the show (London Fashion Week has been fully fur free for a few years now), which gives a nod to the season we’re actually in as well as some Spring Summer 20 forecasting which is real nice – perhaps a glance into the future of a new type of co-ed show?

Either way, I’m a sucker for leather and PRITCH London definitely know how to work with it.  From those tight little box pleats that don’t cram in extra weight – something that’s hard to achieve with a heavy fabric, right through to those fit and flare body harnessed blazers; suffice to say, PRITCH London delivers eloquence whilst challenging the fashion status quo.  Divine Beings is a real celebration of non-conformist skill and craftsmanship that deserves to be appreciated up close.

Pixie

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

What I Wore: Wear The Dress Day

Every season there’s a dress that seems to become an overnight sensation.  The truth of it is that it begins its life on Instagram, shared by Bloggers, Digital Editors and even regular fashionistas like you who have inadvertently become Influencers by buying it, wearing it, photographing it and sharing it with your friends, family and followers.

This year’s must have dress hasn’t conformed to any trends – I say that in a hushed tone as it’s a bit of a dirty word right now – it’s a simple shape that can be worn over and over again.  A simple white dress with a polka dot motif, it’s up there with the most classic of designs and works for day and evening.  The dress, as I’m sure you know is from Zara and is lovingly referred to as the Hot 4 The Spot dress.  It even has its own Instagram account and at just £39.99 it’s a piece that will transcend seasons and work hard in your wardrobe long after the social media furore has died down.

Pixie Tenenbaum wears THAT Zara Hot 4 The Spot dress made famous on Instaf=garm on Wear The Dress Day August 22nd 2019

Such is the love for the Hot 4 The Spot dress, that Conde Nast orchestrated a global Wear The Dress Day event on August 22nd 2019 with Glamour Magazine hosting a party in London in the same day.  Unbelievably, on August 22nd #WearTheDressDay and #Hot4TheSpot held the worldwide top trending hashtag positions on social media for the entire day.  That’s the power and influence that fashion has when people decide to come together over something.  One simple dress.

I bought the dress early and it hung on my open clothes rail for a little while, I even thought about taking it back because I thought it might be a little see though (it’s not).  Then I saw a community of women unfolding online, connecting over something they love and conversing about it in their own little space and I thought to myself, that’s something I can get down with.  Plus, the dress is undeniably lovely and universally flattering.

I wore mine for the first time to The Cosy Club in Durham when we were invited to a menu review.  I noticed right there and then that something amazing happens when you wear the Hot 4 The Spot dress; people gravitate towards you either to ask you where the dress is from, to compliment you on it, or because they’re wearing the very same dress and want to revel in your style choice.  Sartorial sisterhood achieved with one simple decision.

Obviously wearing a dress is easy, especially when it’s instafamous.  You can choose to accessorise to the absolute max in order to stand out from the crowd, or let the dress do the talking and keep things real simple.  I wore mine with Vionic Kanela boots (a PR gift), frilly socks and a Zara leather jacket I bought in Monaco around eight years ago which I wear all the time.  It’s a simple look and once which received a multitude of compliments that night!

Did you participate in Wear The Dress Day or even just get your hands on the dress and love it?  Did you customise it to make it that little bit different?  Drop me a comment below and let me know.

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Exploring Steve Messam’s Hush

Because we made the decision to paint our Batcave and I’m an absolute shocker when it comes to ruining gloss paint.  Seriously, I can’t resist slapping a hand down in wet gloss, or at least a finger, I have to be removed from the area completely for a period of at least eight hours – we took a family trip out to Upper Teesdale this weekend to Bales Hush on the recommendation of my friend Laura from Pop Up Studio.Bales Hush is an old lead mining site on the Raby Estate in County Durham and it’s quite a site to behold anyway – it’s feature within the landscape created when miners worked the hillside by hand to expose a mineral vein, after which the land was flushed with water to reveal what was below.

Now Bales Hush is a huge gouge spanning over 400m in length and up to 20m deep in some places.  It’s an amazing natural feature that you can hike up to and through at any type of year, providing you can manage the terrain.  On Sunday we managed to catch the final day of environmental artist Steve Messam’s ‘Hush’.  A large scale, temporary outdoor art installation which occupied Bales Hush for jus 17 days over the Summer.  Inspired by the landscape, geology and mining history of the area, Hush fills the space with 5 kilometres of recyclable yellow fabric formed into hundreds of sails which flow through Bales Hush in the breeze.

Steve Messam's Hush, a large scale temporary art installation at Bales Hush in Upper Teesdale. Pixie Tenenbaum stands in Bales Hush under the saffron coloured sails. Image taken by Pixie Tenenbaum for Fashion Voyeur

We arrived at Bowlees Visitor Centre having done some advance research into the hike, there’s a much closer carpark at the foot of Bales Hush but we were looking forward to being outdoors and killing a full day with some exploring.  The hike from Bowlees to Bales Hush is around an hour (1.8 miles ish) and is over varying terrain.  None of it is particularly difficult but there are walls to climb over, a river to cross and hills to ascend and descend, so depending on your fitness levels, it may take more or less time.

The views throughout the hike are spectacular.  It’s one of those hikes that looks like it’s been pre-filtered.  There’s a section which opens up on to Christmas Trees which is just breathtaking and every now and again I spot a tiny house in the distance and wonder whether Amazon Prime deliver there.

When we reach the river, I’m tempted to just plough straight through it, then I’m reminded by Bo that I’m only around half way and still have the return journey to do in the same shoes – plus, there’s a very clear and pre-determined rock path set out for people who don’t want to get wet.  We opt for that and power on up the hill to the farm on the other side.

As we exit the farm we get our first glimpse of Hush from a distance.  The sails look like spun gold and the people like ants crawling towards it from here.  The banks either side of the gouge don’t look steep but as we get closer it’s clear to see that it’s an optical illusion.  You can approach Bales Hush from any direction, either the left or right bank, or you can walk straight through the bottom of it and then come back down on of the bank sides when you reach the end.  We did all of the above.  We walked up the left side and then explored through the middle of it – we actually spent quite a few hours up there exploring over different terrain and got caught in rain and some blistering heat too.  If you’re heading up that way, make sure you take a decent pair of shoes and something you can layer up with in case it’s cooler when you get to the top.

The installation itself is just beautiful.  It’s serene and peaceful up there despite being busy with people.  You can’t really get a sense of the scale of it in a picture suffice to say that it’s huge.  You keep walking thinking you’ve reached the end of it and it unfolds its golden sails further and further.  Another thing that’s impossible to convey is the sound; from the top you can’t hear it but once you step into the void and you’re underneath the sails you can hear the rippling of the fabric all around you like a whispering.

A large scale temporary art installation by Steve Messam occupies Bales Hush in Upper Teesdale in County Durham for 17 days over Summer 2019 photographed here by Pixie Tenenbaum for Fashion Voyeur. Large saffron coloured sails fill a natural gouge in the landscape

The hike itself was really enjoyable.  Given that I had hip surgery in April which hasn’t gone entirely to plan this felt like natural rehabilitation and it was great to be outdoors as a family doing something fun and moving around – that’s not something I’ve been able to do for a while.  Even Plankton enjoyed it and it takes a lot to motivate him to do anything, even getting him to put clothes on and leave his room is a chore.  The installation was breathtaking, I found it calming and soothing and loved being above and below the sails, Bo quite enjoyed getting in amongst them and straightening them all out and unravelling them so they could flow properly in the wind and making people’s photographs look nice – well if it keeps him happy right?

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet

What I Wore: To Dinner at Beadnell Towers

Sustainable fashion has made leaps and bounds in the last twelve months alone.  With Second Hand September taking place in the same month as Fashion Month, it’s taking huge steps in the curation of our wardrobes and really making us think not just what we want our clothes to say about who we are as people, but what they say about our purchasing choices and power.  There are so many ways that people can tap into sustainable fashion, whether it’s by sourcing ethical materials and fabrics from high street stores whilst still buying new, or buy purchasing vintage clothing (older than 25 years) or from second hand / charity / thrift stores.

Personally, I do all of that, but I do have a penchant for vintage and as you know, I can’t resist a prairie dress.   I’m not sure if I mentioned this already but Bo turned 40 earlier this month.  Actually I did, I mentioned it in this post and yes, it’s still a very sore subject for the same reasons.  Anyway, we were recently invited up to Beadnell Towers for an overnight stay, seriously the hotel is amazing, it’s recently been overhauled completely and the place is just brimming with original features that are complimented beautifully by new homages to the old.  You can read about our stay here, but the reason for the mention is more to do with setting the scene for my vintage prairie dress.

Beadnell Towers is the most perfect location for blending the old with the new.  It’s exactly what Dynargh Design have done in their interior design brief.  It’s what we do with our wardrobes every single day, maybe not to the same degree, but all of us every day are mixing old and new clothes to create something individual, to stand out in a crowd.

Pixie Tenenbaum stands in front of twin copper slipper tubs wearing a blue midi prairie dress and brown cowboy boots at Beadnell Towers Hotel

For dinner I put together a really easy outfit, I say it every time and I’ll say it again: a dress is easy because it’s one piece.  Easy to pack, easy to dress and easy to accessorise.  This particular one is a vintage midi prairie dress in cerulean blue with white trim and I’ve paired it with my favourite battered old cowboy boots from Topshop.

Pixie Tenenbaum wearing a cerulean blue midi vintage prairie dress in the Muckle Hoose Suite at Beadnell Towers Hotel

The thing I love about this dress is that unlike most other typical prairie dresses, it doesn’t trail on the floor, and it has elbow length sleeves which is quite unusual for the type of dress.  Also, I never normally wear a sash belt with a dress but occasionally with this one I do because it works really well with the ruffles on the front – which are also great for creating the illusion of a bust.  Top tip, or maybe that should be top tit?

Whenever I wear this one, and it’s not as often as I’d like if I’m honest, it always garners lots of compliments – it’s one I’m thinking about taking to London Fashion Week with me because it never seems to get enough of an outing in that I never seem to wear it for a full day.  I’m trying to shake that whole thing of it being a bad thing for Bloggers to be seen in the same outfit twice because I really do love my clothes!

Pixie

Pixie Tenenbaum Editor's signature with fashion illustration graphic