Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East, The Lifestyle Edit

Slaley Hall Summer Soiree

Northumberland has two modes, Summer and Winter and it looks equally beautiful in either.  Bo and I were invited to Slaley Hall in the heart of Northumberland for the annual Summer Soiree, held during the height of Summer.  Not just any Summer, the Summer of 2018, yeah, the one where we had actual heat and sunshine at the same time.

With the sun high in the sky we set off for Northumberland with the top down, our sunglasses on, and not a jacket in sight.  We arrived at Slaley Hall in the evening with the sun beating down on us like noon on a Summer day, the setting literally couldn’t have been more perfect.  Slaley Hall is as welcoming as it is imposing, this gorgeous castle / manor house never fails to impress and seems to project a different persona from every aspect.  Tonight though, we were there for a showcase in conjunction with Duke Ata Bespoke, a menswear label by one of my BFFs held in the gardens, natch.

Guests were treated to sunset themed mocktails and cocktails prepared using Durham Gin (the house gin at Slaley Hall) on arrival, alongside canapés that looked like delicious mini ice cream cones but turned out to be some kind of weird tunafish wafer thing.  As we walked out to the gardens, the view opened out over beautiful, uber green grass and perfectly trimmed trees.  A live singer played on the lawn for us whilst we chatted and enjoyed the rare occurrence of some evening sunshine, think Nikki Beach, with grass.

After a chance to catch up and chat, we were escorted to the Japanese Ornamental Garden further down in the grounds of Slaley Hall.  A feature that’s pretty well hidden, almost like a secret garden which casts the most perfect light over it’s red and purple leaves and super still pond.  At the entrance to the Garden there’s a stone bandstand type structure, we’re told it can be hired for private dining parties and decked out with lanterns, or used for smaller wedding ceremonies and I can’t help but think what a gorgeous moment that would make.  Today though we’re assembled to hear from Duke Ata about his latest venture, the Duke Ata Clubhouse.  If you haven’t already read my post about the Clubhouse launch event you can find it here.  Duke and his team spoke about their quest to find the perfect base for the Duke Ata Bespoke brand and how as well as the bespoke tailoring range, the brand will now produce a ready to wear collection for men comprising suiting, shirts, socks and shoes, all available to view on the rack at the Duke Ata Bespoke clubhouse in Jesmond.

After his informal presentation, I grabbed Duke for a chat about some of the intricacies of how the Clubhouse will operate and in his usual relaxed tone, he told me that it’s there to be used, basically if a client wants an appointment the team will make it happen.  A driver will be sent to pick up the client from any North East location to bring them to the studio where they’ll chat about personality, style, likes and dislikes so that Duke can get a feel for what the client needs.  After that, the process begins and the suit is crafted to the exact specifications for that particular client.  It’s simple, but also elaborate and it’s a very client-centric approach.  Obviously I know all of this, I hang out there, I’ve even played the vintage piano that sits in the Clubhouse.

Sunset over Slaley Hall at the Summer soiree in Northumberland

At the end of the evening we make our way back across the manicured lawns to the main Slaley Hall building and I can’t help but notice just how beautiful it looks in the Northumberland sunset, right here in the UK.

Pixie

 

Categories: The Archives, The Glorious North East

The one where Fashion Voyeur goes to Friends Fest

You undoubtedly know the hit TV show Friends, the show that spawned endless catchphrases, infamous scenes and at least three scene stealing hairstyles.  It’s iconic, and if you’re thinking of revisiting it, it still holds up today.  Did you also know that there’s also a mini festival dedicated to all things Friends?  2018 is the second year Comedy Central have brought their Friends Fest to the UK promising to be bigger and better than 2017 with the addition of Ross Geller’s apartment set.  I didn’t get to visit Friends fest last year as I wasn’t in the UK but this year, when the invite dropped, I hit up the Ross to my Monica and we dusted off our high school dance routine just in case.  Get ready for an awesome image heavy post….

fashion voyeur written and represented in the style of the Friends TV show logo for the Fashion Voyeur blog post about 2018's Friends Fest from Comedy Central UK

We arrived at Friends Fest on one of the hottest evenings of the year which was perfect as some of the photo opps are outdoors and look way better against a cloudless blue sky, it’s staged in a field in a series of marquees and offers the chance to recreate some of the most iconic scenes from the TV show, and the chance to pose for pictures wearing clothes from some of the most memorable scenes, including THOSE wedding dresses.

With the sun still beating down, we headed inside to recreate the titles followed swiftly by the infamous PIVOT! scene – could we BE any more excited?!

Just around the corner is central Perk, a full scale set built to replicate the coffee house including the famous window decals which appear in every single one of the 236 episodes of Friends.  One half is a working coffee shop where you can order food and drink, the other side is spookily accurate.  As you face the set, it’s presented from the same perspective as the TV show was shot, looking on to the orange sofa with the performance area (Smelly Cat anyone?) to the right, and the counter to the left.  As far as set builds go, this is impressive, even the cups are a match.

CENTRAL PERK!

As part of Friends Fest there are set tours facilitated by your very own tour guide, as you wait for the tour to begin, you get the chance to view some of the actual, original props and set pieces from the TV show.  They’re tucked away inside glass boxes and have designated handlers because yes Voyeurs, they’re worth THAT much.  A box of soap powder from the set is valued at $4k and Phoebe’s guitar is valued at $19k but standing proudly in the corner is Gladys, the “artwork” made by Phoebe and it’s valued at a cool $16k.

When you enter the set tour for the first time, as a fan of the show and someone who’s watched all 236 episodes over ten series, several times, it’s pretty overwhelming.  These guys work to a two day build to ensure these sets are an exact replica of what you see on screen and the attention to detail is impeccable.  The scale is perfect, the placement is on point and you feel like you’re part of something really special when you take that first step into Joey & Chandler’s apartment.  The entertainment unit locked with an ice hockey stick, the canoe and those famous recliners, it’s all there and you’re encouraged to get amongst it.

Next on the tour is the famous hallway and this too is an exact replica, staged in between Monica’s and Joey & Chandler’s apartments exactly as the TV set was built.

Comedy Central UK's Friends Fest 2018: Pixie Tenenbaum and her brother sitting on the step in the hallway between Monica'sd and Joey & Chandler's apartments

If you’re a fan of the show (and why wouldn’t you be??) the next steps you’ll take on the tour will be the most surreal.  As you step into Monica’s apartment it takes a little while to drink it all in and if I’m completely honest I’m a little overcome with emotion.  Everything, from the shade of purple on the wall to the frame on the door, it’s all perfect.  You know that famous yellow frame on Monica’s door?  That was originally a mirror which was to be used elsewhere until it was smashed on set by a member of the crew and put there as a joke.

TASTES LIKE FEET

Last stop on the tour is Ross’ apartment.  This set is brand new for 2018 and it’s been meticulously planned for the past 12 months in order to get it looking perfect.

The festival is small, the clue is in the title, it’s a mini festival dedicated to celebrating all things Friends.  There’s a pop up cinema playing the most iconic moments from the series on repeat and it’s bound to have you laughing along.  There’s Friends themed food and a bar serving themed cocktails which is stocked with board games and there’s a gift shop too if you feel the need to stock up on Friends memorabilia that you won’t find anywhere else.

Personally we loved it.  We had an awesome time there and loved recreating the titles, the weather was great which just enhanced the evening, plus, i got to hang out with my little brother too which is always a pleasure.  If you’re a fan of the TV show Friends, and Friends Fest is being staged somewhere near you then it’s well worth a visit and you’ll get some awesome pictures out of it too.  It’s spurred us on to start watching the show from the very beginning too so we’ll have new material for next year…

P x

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Finding Your feet with Vintage

Vintage clothing is perceived as a bit of an acquired taste, it’s something people seem to either really love, or think they’ll hate.  I’m here to tell you that vintage can be for everyone, you just have to look past that idea that it’s musty, smelly old clothes that was once worn by old ladies surrounded by cats.  For an item to qualify as vintage it must be over 20 years old, meaning that clothing from the 90’s is now officially classified as vintage.  All those Kookai and Morgan de Toi pieces you saved your pocket money to buy are now collectors items and worth a pretty penny.

There are many reasons that the revival of clothes from decades gone by is such a popular choice in fashion right now:

  1. You’re guaranteed to get something unique.  You’ll find something that will make you stand out from the crowd, providing you know where to look to source really great vintage.
  2. You’re promoting sustainable and revived fashion.  By giving a garment new life, re-using, re-working and re-loving something, you’re helping to prevent waste and are part of the cause against fast fashion and sweat shop produced fashion.
  3. You support a small business.  It’s no mean feat trying to source good quality vintage clothing, someone has spent time, money and effort searching for those pieces.
  4. You’re making a statement.  You’re saying that you don’t need mass produced high street clothing in your wardrobe for every day of the week.
  5. It’s a great way to experiment with fashion from different eras, vintage can be affordable, contrary to popular belief, and you won’t bump into anyone else wearing the same piece

How do you source good vintage clothing?

It’s hard to find good quality vintage clothing these days, and with the 90’s revival maintaining pace, stock is at a premium.  Vintage fairs are a great place to start, Britain Does Vintage and Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair have seasonal pop ups all over the country and invite the best retailers from the surrounding areas to sell their stock.  The great thing about vintage fairs is that they sell way more than just clothing, you’ll find hats, accessories and tea sets perfect for serving gin, prohibition style, amongst the treasures on offer.  If I’m looking for jewellery, trinkets or era specific clothing, I head to Clerkenwell Vintage Fair which runs seasonally at Freemason’s Hall in Holborn, London.

Vintage stores are more tricky, in the North East we have Trendlistr studio (who also sell online via their website) in uber cool Commercial Union House.  The fuschia pink studio creeps with ivy on the outside and inside is a wonder emporium like no other.  Selling high quality vintage clothing, shoes and accessories sourced from all over the world, owner Louisa tells me that the best vintage clothing comes from France.  Whether it’s a particular Hermes scarf, Miu Miu shoes or just a printed shift dress, you’ll find it at Trendlistr.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever visited and not bought something, it has the highest concentration of great quality vintage pieces in one place that I’ve ever come across.

I was actually recently asked to collaborate with Trendlistr and shoot a selection of Summer stock for the website including an awesome Beverly Goldberg-esque jumpsuit that I’m kicking myself for not buying.  You’ll be able to see the images pretty soon, but for now here’s a few I took behind the scenes.

For a more youthful vibe It Girls Vintage in the North East offers re-worked pieces and lots of denim in different shapes and cuts.  Those Mom jeans you’re buying for £40 in Topshop are great, but you could find some 80’s and 90’s originals at It Girls.

Online; try eBay but approach with caution, it’s filled with sellers who use the term ‘vintage’ very loosely so make sure you read everything, check the pictures and if you’re still not sure, then ask questions!  Some sellers will call something vintage, when they mean vintage style or retro which are very, very different.

What should I look for?

Literally anything that catches your eye!  The beauty of vintage is that whilst it doesn’t run to a specific trend, you often find that some pieces have come full circle and are fashionable again.  I recently scoured the high street for a double breasted checked jacket in the style of one Margot Robbie was snapped wearing, after three weeks of turning up shit quality pieces online and in-store, I found an awesome vintage piece that fit the bill perfectly.

Think outside the box, I have a vintage wedding dress that’s just quirky enough to pass for formal wear and recently I sourced an amazing floor length velvet gown that looks like it was shipped straight from the set of a Florence and the Machine promo.  With vintage clothing you can be more daring, you can push the envelope and achieve more than you can with high street pieces alone.  For Fashion Month I always try to source new and interesting vintage pieces for my collection so that I can guarantee I won’t bump into someone wearing the same thing.  So many times I’ve seen women wearing the same clothes and shoes sat just a few spaces apart on the Frow – talk about a glitch in the matrix.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

What I Wore: The Perfect Denim Jacket

Love it or hate it, the trend for denim jackets emblazoned with huge motifs is going nowhere.  Embellished denim just won’t cut it anymore, in an age where we paint, embroider and customise our clothes, a simple pearl or diamante is just no good.

These days we’re all looking for that little bit of flair, something that makes us different, and that makes us stand out.  Why?  Because it’s no longer cool to be wearing what everyone else is wearing.  Gone are those school days where we all wanted the same sneakers, where wearing the right jacket gave you a silent seal of approval.  Right now it’s all about individuality, and standing out.  Personalisation came on to our radars in a big way in the noughties, with Nike’s iD Design Lab making it easy to grab a pair of bespoke sneaks.  Not just with your name, but by selecting panels and fabrics meaning you had the opportunity to create something unique and completely bespoke.  In fact, I was asked to create a pair of bespoke 90’s archive Air Max sneaks to display in the New York iD Lab as part of a fashion exhibition, but that’s another story.

So, with individuality high on our agendas, there’s never been a better time to stand out.  Whether you’re sick of conforming, or you’ve longed for a time when you could embrace your individuality; wonder no more, that time is now.  Fashion is changing, the industry itself is changing.  The shift in show seasons is a reflection of that, with some designers opting for the See Now, Buy Now model and others opting to stay within the pre-season format, everything has loosened a little and become less rigid.  Just like gender, fashion has become fluid, and open to interpretation.  You can of course conform, if that’s your jam, but where’s the fun in that?

So, the point of this post, yes, denim jackets.  So, there once was a time where a little lace trim or a carefully placed pearl was considered a fashion risk.  Why would you want to add to denim, it’s perfect the way it is right?  Well yes, but it can be so much more….

Here’s my favourite denim jacket, now just as an aside, I haven’t been paid to write this, I wasn’t gifted the jacket, I bought it at full price and probably the retailer doesn’t even know I’ve written this, but this is my top pick for getting you through Spring and Summer as the most perfectly versatile cover up.  It’s a simple mens fit denim jacket (that means you get the 80’s sleeve rather than the tight fit stretch denim), until you see the back.  This one is from North East independent retailer Flaura Rose, she customises each piece individually and they retail at around £60 depending on the intricacy and size of the design.

fashion blogger Pixie Tenenbaum wears a denim jacket by Flaura Rose with red elephant design on back

I spotted this one on a market stall and fell in love with it, it’s stiff denim so the collar stands up without flopping and it’s the perfect wash.  I’ve worn it with my beloved Daisy Duke’s, these vintage golf trousers and a million other things because that’s right Voyeurs, it goes with freaking everything.  So, that’s it, my ode to the not so humble, bespoke, individualised, crazy freaking awesome denim jacket.  It’s a real talking point to, people always ask me where I got it from, and I never tell them.  Until now.  You’re welcome.

Categories: The Archives, The Glorious North East, The Lifestyle Edit

Forsyth & Reed Breakfast Review

Clayton Road in Jesmond has undergone something of a resurgence recently.  From the OGs, those who spotted the potential on this largely undiscovered shopping street, like hair maestro’s Hooker & Young, to the newest kids on the block, Forsyth & Reed, Clayton Road has become a real destination.  The best thing?  There’s free parking.

Ok, that maybe a gross over exaggeration, it’s not the best thing about it.  The street is largely made up of independent North East Businesses and this time I’m in this leafy suburb to review the breakfast menu of hip new eaterie, Forsyth & Reed.  Early one (rare) sunny Saturday morning in March, Bo, Plankton and I landed on Clayton Rd right outside this quirky cafe.  The outside fixtures set the tone for the experience, black gloss fronting with heavy gold external downlighters and heavy red drapes – it feels like we’re about to step into an olde world theatre.

On the inside its an eclectic mix of old and new, with it’s bold sapphire blue wall and mismatched furniture it feels as if the owners responded directly to the wishes of every North East millennial.  A quick browse at the breakfast menu offers up a decent variety of options.  Whether it’s a simple bowl of granola or a Full English Breakfast, there’s something there for most tastes and we opt for Eggs Royale (me), Full English (Bo, obvs) and Poached Eggs on Toast with an optional sausage (Plankton).

While we wait, we sip on some of the best coffee I’ve had in a long time, thick but not syrupy and with a hint of bitterness that lets you know it wasn’t over roasted.  Preparation is fast and all of our food arrives at the same time meaning there’s no waiting around for somebody’s food and secretly hating them while you do so.  As we gaze lovingly at the breakfast feast on the table in front of us, it’s clear that preparation and aesthetics are equally important at Forsyth & Reed and both Bo and Plankton give me the death stare as I tell them they must wait until I’ve photographed it for you lovely lot, before they dive in and demolish it.

Eggs Royale
Full English Breakfast
Poached Eggs on Wholemeal with a Sausage

The breakfast is good.  I mean really good.  Poached eggs are easy to get wrong but these ones are perfection, small, round and full of flavour.  The egg whites are almost yoghurty, there’s no loose white and the yolk is soft and oozes when cut – exactly as it should.  Y’all know Bo is a difficult dude to please but he’s pretty confident that this is in his “Top 5” cooked breakfasts, he’s a very harsh critic so this is damn good praise.  Plankton ate both poached eggs in four bites, with no toast – that’s how good they were.  The eggs in the Eggs Royale were offset perfectly by the cooler smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce.  Served atop a lightly toasted English muffin, just enough to give it a crisp outer edge, but still fluffy in the middle.  It’s how I’d like all of my breakfasts from now on please.

The space itself is busy, despite being new to Clayton Road, there’s a constant foot flow whilst we’re sat there and staff are friendly and attentive making sure that everyone gets a choice on where they’d like to sit and a drinks order is taken as soon as you’re seated.  The decor is what really draws you through the door though, despite having that deep blue wall the place is still light and airy.  There are a selection of newspapers and local magazines on display for customers to read and there’s no sign of the bullshit local rags, you know the ones I’m talking about Voyeurs.

We hung around and chilled long after we’d finished our breakfast, it has that feel to it, like you’re chilling in someone’s front room and there’s no hurry to leave.  If you’re a person who indulges in the sport of people watching, there’s a higher seated area in the window which offers prime viewing for such an activity.  There’s a constant stream of people who visit Forsyth & Reed in the time that we sit, and whether they’re ordering dishes from the menu prepared in the kitchen, or counter top cakes, everything that’s served looks delicious and the couples and families around us offer each other a taste of their food – a sure sign that it’s good.

On the go without time to stop for a cooked breakfast?  Then you’ll love this, remember that coffee I mentioned?  It’s half price as a carry out before 11am and before 11am good coffee is all you need right??

Pixie x