Fashion Voyeur

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

What I Wore: To the Duke Ata Clubhouse Launch

Voyeurs, this event has been a long time coming.

A good friend of mine, and one of my most favourite people in the whole world, has finally opened his bespoke menswear studio: The Duke Ata Clubhouse.  I can’t tell you how many times Duke and I have sat down to discuss plans for creating the most perfect launch event, all culminating in a home for his made to measure tailoring business, Duke Ata Bespoke.  You’ve heard me talking about Duke, we affectionately refer to each other as “my favourite” and I kind of feel like if you were to assign someone with the title of my Work Husband, Duke would be the proud bearer of this title.  Suffice to say, we’re good mates.

When Duke called me to first berate me for not keeping in touch over the past two months, and then tell me that he’d found the best location for his new studio I was psyched.  Well, less so about being bollocked for being a shit friend but the bit about the studio rocked my world because he’s been searching for what feels like forever.  As Duke and his awesome team knuckled down and got to work refining the space and creating somewhere that would feel like a real escape, I got to searching for the perfect outfit.

Duke specialises in mens tailoring, in a similar vein to Joshua Kane (without the dramatics) Duke’s work is classic, distinguished and instantly recognisable.  From the cut, to the finishing details, he’s a perfectionist and if you’ve never met this dude, he’s like a slicker, more tidy version of Andre 3000, he plays football on a weekend – I’m positive he does it in a suit.

An image of Blogger Pixie Tenenbaum wearing vintage Dieter Heupel from Trendlistr at the launch of the Duke Ata Bespoke Clubhouse in Jesmond

So, back to my outfit, when my invite landed I knew I couldn’t rock up in my usual scruffy chic and by total chance, found this vintage Dieter Heupel tailored jacket at vintage hotspot Trendlistr.  The fit is perfect and the cut is clean, it’s not my usual neckline as I usually avoid anything with a deep V, or anything that exposes my chest but the print is just too good to not wear it.  I opted to wear it as a solo piece with a black cage bra underneath to max out on that perfect fit.  As the jacket is midnight blue with varying shades of blue throughout, I paired it with a midnight blue velvet sock boot and some polished latex trousers from a fetish store in Soho.

With my pink hair and signature MAC Heroine lip, I’m chalking this up as a pretty awesome lewk.  High five, air punch emoji, winky face.

Pixie x

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

Cocktail Tasting at Tapas Revolution

Almost a year ago to the day I was invited to the launch of Spanish restaurant Tapas Revolution in the newly revamped Grey’s Quarter of Intu Eldon Square.  Since then, Grey’s Quarter has become a destination for those seeking quick, easy access to great quality food and drink in Newcastle and it’s not just Spanish food on offer either.  The addition of The Alchemist has ensured that Grey’s Quarter stays open long after store closing time and has meant that surrounding outlets have had to seriously up their game when it comes to their drinks menus.

Fast forward to a year after an evening of tapas tasting and I’m back at Tapas Revolution for the intimate launch of their brand new cocktail menu which aims to offer something for everyone, along with a flavour of Spain…

Bo and I arrived at Tapas Revolution fresh from another launch event and were a little flustered.  We were greeted by our Bar Tender Marco and shown through to a private booth in the bar area of the restaurant which looks out over Old Eldon Square – it’s only a little thing, but it makes eating or drinking in the shopping centre a way more attractive prospect when you can actually see outside.  Once we were seated and decidedly less flustered, we were given a menu and asked to select three cocktails each which we decided to drink in rounds, rather than have on the table all at once.

First of all let’s address my awesome outfit, I wore vintage Pringle golf trousers with a topshop tee and a super cosy faux fur tee, might not sound like much but these are literally my current favourite trousers so any excuse I get to talk about them, I’m taking it.

On to the drinks.  The menu has had a significant revamp and it’s split into the traditional Spanish style Gin and Tonic menu which I was thrilled to see included two of my most favourite and difficult to find gins, Larios and Xoriguer (if you haven’t tried Xoriguer gin I urge you to find it, you’ll never look at a bottle of Hendricks again) all served with Fevertree tonics of varying flavours. Next to that you’ll find the cocktail menu, there are eight Spanish inspired cocktails to choose from and a selection of three Sangrias.  Cocktails vary from short to long and each has a strong vacation vibe in that you could easily imagine yourself sitting on Sant Tomas Beach watching the waves roll in sipping on one of these bad boys.  Even though the menu is concise, it’s difficult to make a choice because they’ve managed to select drinks that are very different from one another but you know, in the name of duty we managed it.  We went for:

ESPRESSO BLANCO MARTINI £8.50

Espresso Blanco Martini, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
ESPRESSO BLANCO MARTINI £8.50

Served in a traditional Martini glass, this smooth drink comprises Veterano brandy shaken with cold brew espresso, milk, dark chocolate liqueor, Kahlua and Frangelico.  Basically all the sugary alcohol that tastes like no alcohol at all.  It’s super easy to drink because of the added milk which makes it smooth and not as bitter as some Espresso Martinis you’ll find in Newcastle.  This was my favourite and truth be told, I ended up having three.

PASSION FRUIT & MARZIPAN BATIDA £8.50

Passion Fruit & Marzipan Batida, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
PASSION FRUIT & MARZIPAN BATIDA £8.50

A blend of vanilla and marzipan flavoured vodkas, condensed milk (yes really), tigernut milk and passionfruit juice shaken with pimento dram and Disaronno amaretto to create heaven in a glass.  This was Bo’s favourite and listen up Voyeurs, they should rename this one Lethal Weapon, it’s stealthy because it’s like sippin’ on a more-ish shake.  Creamy yet refreshing.

PIMENTO & MANDARIN DAIQUIRI £8.50

Pimento & Mandarin Daiquiri, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
PIMENTO & MANDARIN DAIQUIRI £8.50

A short cocktail served in a short stem class with a blend of Bacardi rum, mandarin, melon and pimento dram, shaken with caramelised pineapple and lime.  This one tastes as it sounds, it’s a little bitter and whilst it’s less exciting than the two above, it’s still a refreshing cocktail.  What you won’t expect though it the crunchy pieces that sit in the liquid, those tiny pieces of caramelised pineapple and lime give this drink some much needed bite.

BLOOD ORANGE & CHERRY ROYAL £7.50

Blood Orange & Cherry Royal, Tapas Revolution Newcastle
BLOOD ORANGE & CHERRY ROYAL £7.50

Another short cocktail vibrant in colour and topped off with fresh mint which I couldn’t help nibbling on.  this one has Larios gin, blood orange, aguardiente de cerezas, pimento dram all shaken up with lemon and topped with cava to cut through the sweetness and add a touch of fizz.  If there’s a drink that tastes like vacations by the sea then this is it, refreshing to the core and definitely one that looks as sophisticated as it tastes.

After we were cocktailed out, we opted for a jug of Sangria, the menu offers a choice of four typical Spanish Sangrias and one Skinny Sangria with 30% less sugar than the others.  We opted for a Sangria with a rose wine base.

BLOOD ORANGE ROSE SANGRIA £16

Blood Orange Rose Sangria, Tapas Revolution Newcastle

Made with rose wine, blood oranges, grapefruit, lemon, orange and lime, this offered a lighter, fresher, more citrus alternative to the traditional Sangria which is made with pineapple, strawberry and other fruits.  Not sure what to expect after conjuring images of drinking Sangria to excess in our high school days, Marco arrived at our table with a jug, a wooden spoon and two tumblers.  As you no doubt know, Sangria gets way stronger the further down the jug you get, no matter how much you stir it.  I stuck to the top of the jug whilst Bo demolished the bottom half.  As a Sangria it’s very unexpected, it’s light and refreshing, where some can be very dark and quite difficult to detect the alcohol, this one had a citrusy top note with a definite rose taste to it.  Pleasant and most definitely Spanish.

When it comes to pricing, the drinks are at the cheaper end of the scale for cocktails and that’s most likely because the primary function of tapas Revolution is as a restaurant.  However, you can visit just for drinks without buying food and even better, if you visit between 12-7pm Sunday to Friday jugs of Sangria are half price, cocktails are 2 for 1, and Larios gin and tonic is also 2 for 1.  That’s way more than a Happy Hour, that’s a Happy Day, and you can’t say fairer than that.

Pixie

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

Blog At The Beach with icelolly.com

Each year, the lovely humans behind holiday comparison website icelolly.com host a big bash for Bloggers and Influencers called Blog at the Beach.  It’s one of those events that I’ve heard about, but never attended, that is until now.  Yes that’s right Voyeurs, the UK’s best Bloggers, Influencers and Content Creators are hand selected by icelolly.com to attend the event which aims to educate Influencers and improve blogger networking and 2018 is my year, the year I found myself on that very list…

Obligatory lanyard shot

So, what’s it all about?

Well, Blog at the beach, despite setting out a pretty crammed agenda is actually a chilled out, fun event for people like me to learn more about the things that really make us tick.  Whether you want to up your photography game, learn how to pitch to brands (I say that through clenched teeth after White Moose-gate), or just pick up some real world tips from super successful Bloggers, Blog at the Beach and icelolly.com hold consultation in advance about which topics are the most important, and the most current it the whole wide blogosphere, then seeks out industry experts to speak about them and pass on their best tips for success.

Where the hell is it?

The event has taken place in various different locations across the super cool city of Leeds meaning that if you’re travelling from afar, there’s plenty you can do to make a day, or even a weekend of it to maximise your Insta goals.  This year’s event took place at Duke Street Studios which was super easy to travel to, and a pretty well equipped venue for 80 or so Influencers.

Blog at the Beach??  It’s bloody January!

This year’s event had a Ski Lodge theme, but seeing as the name is pretty cool and has a nifty little following, it just had to stay, for continuity.  The venue was dressed to match the theme with fairy lights, ski accessories and even mulled wine to stretch out that post Christmas hangover.  There was even a cute little moving cable car theme projected on to the wall behind the stage.  I wrapped up in my favourite faux fur coat and met up with some of my best non-North East Blogger pals and you’d be forgiven for thinking we were cosying up in a chalet somewhere up in Val d’isere for the weekend – the attention to detail was pretty damn sweet.

Blog at the Beach with icelolly.com Fashion Voyeur Blog props including ski goggles and a Charles Conrad watch

What went down?

Three awesome speakers that’s what!  First up was Kirsty Leanne who gave an impassioned talk on how to write the perfect pitch to brands with sound advice on how to lay out that all important first contact.  Her talk included tips such as letting the brand you’re pitching to know just why it is that you love them and including what made you want to work with them, but also making sure that you never over promise on what you can deliver when you make your pitch.  Looking around the room there was a 50/50 split on those frantically jotting down notes in notepads covered with inspiring quotes, and those taking screenshots of the words of wisdom displayed on screen.

KIRSTY LEANNE

Next up was Queen Beady, a Blogger you’ll no doubt recognise from my own social media as she’s my Ice Queen hair icon, sporting silvery white tresses I fawned over her hair and her awesome teadress whilst on stage.  Her talk was inspiring, the biggest thing I took away from it was learning how to translate your top five achievements into your outgoing USP and making them work as hard for you as you did for them.  Simple, but super relevant.  Bee talked about putting money back into the thing that makes you money, whether it’s your blog or your chosen social media platform, put effort into making it look as awesome as it can, after all it’s an extension of you and well, we’re all pretty damn amazing right?!

QUEEN BEADY
JUST LOOK AT THAT HAIR…

After a lunch break and a chance to network with the people we think we know but we actually only “online know”, gasp at each others outfits and just generally seek out the people we adore and admire, it was back to our seats for the final talk of the day from photographer extraordinaire, Kaye Ford.  Kaye is a great public speaker, she’s super laid back and had everyone engaged as she spoon fed us tips on both cellphone photography and DSLR photography and how to make it work for our own websites.  With tips on how to shoot snow (for reals, it’s hard), to using tourists as part of the field in our photographs, Kaye told us to travel lots and to look away from the regular tourist hotspots for show stopping images.

KAYE FORD

But what about icelolly.com?

Well, they’ve just overhauled their website to make it way more user friendly.  If you’re not familiar, it’s a comparison site for holidays; in the same way that you might use a comparison site for your car insurance, icelolly.com scrapes the web to return the best vacation deals based on the criteria you set and then refers you out to purchase from the seller direct.  You don’t pay them any money and they don’t sell you anything.

Any thing else to report?

Well yes actually!  Throughout the day we were informed that #BlogAtTheBeach was the trending at the top spot and that the icelolly.com bods had been scanning our posts to find their favourites.  At the end of the event two winners were announced and given a Charles Conrad watch from Watches 2 U and I just happened to be one of them!  I was given a pretty smart looking watch with a rose gold bezel and black leather strap which I promptly slapped on my wrist for the journey home.  Yay me!

THE CHARLES CONRAD WATCH I WON!

Was it worth it?

Hell yeah!  The great thing about the Blog at the Beach event is that despite being hosted by icelolly.com it’s impartial and non-biased.  The speakers were given free reign on their topics and on the rare occasion that a competitor came up they were never stopped from speaking about it.  The Bloggers and Influencers selected to attend the event were friendly and accommodating – something you sadly don’t always find at networking events, and the speakers made lots of time for questions afterwards to make sure that everyone in attendance took something away that they could use and apply to their work.  Icelolly.com were open in asking for feedback, or suggestions on where the next event might take place and they worked their way round the room in the recess periods chatting to everyone.  It was definitely an unexpected vibe, and in a positive way.  Given the chance I’ll be all over the next one.

So what’s next?

Well, as you know Voyeurs, I have both Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks right around the corner straight after London and I’ve got a pretty awesome idea for a Fashion Month Diary pitch formulating in my mind.  I’ll keep you posted…

As you were.

Pixie xo

 

Categories: The Glorious North East, The Lifestyle Edit

A Visit to Crêpeaffaire Newcastle

With the influx of new restaurants to the still reasonably new Grey’s Quarter wing of Intu Eldon Square, tucked away in a corner is one I’ve been looking forward to trying.  Whilst the likes of Tapas Revolution and The Alchemist opened to huge fanfare, a smaller, more niche eatery opened on the ground floor…

Menu and drinks at Crepeaffaie Newcastle Intu Eldon Square

Crêpeaffaire is a small restaurant that specialises in gorgeous, soft, French style crêpes.  Whether you eat them sweet or savoury, these guys are experts in cooking up pancakes with all manner of fillings, and there’s a small selection of waffles available too if you fancy something (slightly) different.  Plankton and I were invited along to try out the brand new luxury menu, however on arrival there was some confusion over this as seemingly there is no luxury menu – just one simple, easy to understand menu that’s been around since the Newcastle branch opened for business exactly one year ago this week.

BANANALICIOUS WITH EXTRA CREAM & ICE CREAM
APPLE CRUMBLE WITH EXTRA CREAM AND ICE CREAM

We took a corner seat and scanned the menu with Plankton opting for a Bananalicious crêpe with Belgian chocolate, extra whipped cream, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a chocolate milkshake.  I went for the Apple Crumble crêpe which I’m told is one of the most popular items on the menu.  Promising lashings of cinnamon apple, sultanas, butterscotch sauce and crumble topping, I knew this was going to be good but still couldn’t resist adding whipped cream and vanilla ice cream from the extra toppings menu.  I did however wash it down with a Kale smoothie which I think negates most of that right?

Everything is prepared from scratch in the open kitchen and the wait is short, we had our pancakes in front of us in around five minutes meaning I didn’t really need to entertain Plankton whilst we waited.  Presentation, if you’re interested in that kind of thing is very good, the ice cream is served in a separate chilled bowl so that it doesn’t melt on the hot crêpes and the cream is served on the side for the same reason.  Plankton needed help to cut his up but once sliced, it was polished off quickly with the odd pause to tell me how amazing it tasted and how we should bring Bo along next time.

Pixie and Plankton Tenenbaum visit Crepeaffaire Newcastle to try out the latest additions to the menu

Mine was completely lush, way better than I expected in fact, after all it’s just flour, eggs and milk right?  With the cinnamon, apple and sultana it’s actually a pretty awesome festive treat and a great alternative to the traditional sweet mince pies or Christmas cake you see at this time of year.  The ice cream cut through the sweetness perfectly and the kale smoothie made me feel like I was actually eating healthy food.  Actually that’s a flat out lie but I’m a massive kale fan and can’t resist a bit of the green stuff in a smoothie if it’s on the menu.

The drinks menu has the regular coffee offerings you expect to see from a place that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner; smoothies and milkshakes and fresh juices as well as a few others.  With crêpes ranging in price from £5.10 to £8.50 it’s easy to rack up a bill when you start adding extras – ours would have cost just under £30 in total which we thought was quite expensive for the two of us.

WHAT’S THE VERDICT?

Crêpeaffaire is quick and easy, the food is good.  I’m not a fan of savoury crêpes so can’t comment on those but there’s a wide selection on the menu including Eggs Benedict and Mexican Chicken so they’re definitely committed to giving their customers choice.  Our crêpes were lovely and Plankton really enjoyed the whole experience but taking kids will definitely jack the price up so beware of those extras!  It’s definitely on the more expensive side and portions aren’t huge so after we left, we visited the Christmas Market and bought snacks to pacify our hunger.  Looking for somewhere with fast service and a tasty snack whilst you’re out in town?  Then Crêpeaffaire will most definitely fill that gap but be aware that it could get costly.  Lush, but a little pricey.

Pixie xo

Our meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

Categories: The Glorious North East, The Lifestyle Edit

Hadrian’s Tipi Returns to Newcastle

Hadrian’s Tipi is back in the Toon for the 2017 Christmas season!  If you visited the festive Tipi on the Central Station site in Newcastle in 2016 then you’re in for a real treat this time round, it’s back on a brand new site and it’s bigger than ever!

Hadrian's Tipi logo on the outside wall

I visited with Plankton for the official launch night and let me tell you, it’s nothing like last year!  Hadrian’s Tipi can be found on the infamous old Odeon site at the bottom end of Northumberland Street, right in front of Commercial Union House.  This year it comes with a whole Street Food village attached to it all lit up with festive fairy lights.

Hadrian's Tipi collage of images showing street food, live music, and festive fun at the original Central station location

First up, access for the time being is a funny one, part of the site is still a working demolition zone so to access the tipi we had to walk down Pilgrim Street on one side and then back up the other.  Plankton has been psyched about visiting the tipi for days, he’s called it the tutu and the pipi which has made things a little confusing but needless to say, when he saw it all lit up in the dark, I think he almost cried.

Plankton Tenenbaum eating a massive hotdog from a street food vendor at Hadrian'd Tipi 2017

We were greeted on arrival with hot cider and mulled wine and before we’d taken two steps Plankton spotted a German bratwurst street food stall and his eyes lit up.  We stopped to eat at a long picnic bench where the people either side were in great spirits and chatted to Plankton about his night, he told them he’d only just arrived but was planning on getting very drunk.  Yes, he seriously said that.  The bratwurst was good, at £5.50 it’s on the expensive side for a hotdog but in line with what you’d expect to pay for festive street food and he ate every last scrap of it so definitely worth it.

List of street food vendors at Hadrian's Tipi for 2017

The tipi is marketed as child and pet friendly and we saw a few other families taking advantage of the large outside seated area at the back, and in the tipi itself watching the live music, as well as lots of people with dogs.  We spotted my lovely pal Imogen from Newcastle fashion label Fash1 so Plankton took the opportunity to pet her adorable pet dogs by the open fire.  The majority of people there were there for a night out but don’t let that put you off taking kids, we still had a great time during our visit and I’m biased of course, but the people in Newcastle are the friendliest people you’ll meet.

Launch night at Hadrian’s Tipi was busy.  I took Plankton along not really knowing what to expect but the atmosphere there was great, and very festive.  From the fir tree garlands inside the tipi to the decorated tipi poles, every effort has been made to ensure that it feels like Holiday season whilst you’re in there.  There’s different live music on inside the tipi daily and there are wooden benches and crates to sit on and barrel table tops, if you manage to get in there early enough then be sure to grab a seat by the open fire pit to stay toasty and to create the perfect Instagram capture.

Plankton Tenenbaum drinking R Place White Hot Chocolate at Hadrian's Tipi
Plankton enjoying his White Hot Chocolate

Plankton and I wandered instead of staying static, and enjoyed trying out different foods from the street food sellers, we loved the white hot chocolate from R Place coffee and the American burgers from Fat Hippo and we’ll definitely back for more during the tipi’s 2017 stint.  The new location makes it easier for families using the tipi on a weekend too, in fact it’s perfectly positioned for a hot chocolate after viewing the brand new Fenwick Christmas Window.

In or around Newcastle between now and Christmas?  Then it’s definitely worth a visit if you want to amp up your festive-ness!  Want to know Plankton’s views?  His official review: “I thought it was going to be crap but it was actually awesome and I loved it!”  Yeah, he’s got a real way with words this one…

Pixie xo