Raaaaawwwwwwwrrrrr….. – the perfect vintage animal print scarf

Var på genbrugs-tour i fancy-pants Belgravia og Pimlico den anden dag (fantastisk område for genbrug og guide følger i morgen!) og i Retromania hapsede jeg det perfekte oversize vintage vilddyrstørklæde. Det skal ikke være nogen hemmelighed, at jeg har en forkærlighed for dyreprint, men er trods alt blevet lidt mere konservativ med alderen, så SÅ vildt skal det heller ikke være (sagde hun og tænkte med lige dele øm nostalgi og rædsel tilbage på gymnasietidens leopardlegging og jeans med pytonprint).

Derfor er dette her i nude/beige/brune nuancer og med bittesmå  vilde pletter som skræddersyet til at blive båret om min hals resten af efteråret. Gav 20 pund for det, ikke vildt billigt, men det har håndrullede kanter og jeg knuselsker det.

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I recently undertook a charity shopping tour of posh Belgravia and Pimlico (guide to this excellent second-hand area is on its way!). It’s no secret that I’ve been obsessed with animal prints for almost two decades. BUT beware: if you’re not careful those roaring, snarling wild dots and stripes can easily become overkill and make you look more like messy roadkill than sexy starlet.

Less is more is the way to go. So I instantly fell in love with the understatedness of this oversized scarf when I saw it in Retromania.  I paid 20 pounds for it and it’s worth every penny, it even has hand-rolled edges. I’ll probably be wearing it non-stop and use it to brighten up otherwise dark autumn outfits.

My favourite beauty blog: A model recommends

A few weeks ago I watched the brilliant Channel 4 documentary series from 2003, This Model Life for the first time. Here acclaimed film-maker Jane Treys zooms in on life in fashion’s fast lane as pictured in the life of two very different British models.

First up is the incredibly beautiful, tall and majestic supermodel Erin O’Connor who jets between Paris, New York and London to strike poses for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Valentino. She’s a the top of her game and is wisely investing her money in NY property.

Quite a bit further down the slippery supermodel ladder we find bubbly blonde Ruth Crilly who is hanging on with a firm grip. What she lacks in height and serene beauty compared to Erin O’Connor she makes up for in charm, drive and a great sense of humour. In the first episode we follow her as her agency ships her off to Japan where Ruth is hoping to earn enough money to pay back her mum and erase those horrible credit card debts. It’s not a great success (the Japanese are not big fans of the quirky gap between her front teeth, although they’re too polite to say it) but Ruth takes it all in stride.

Same happens in a very hot and humid New York in August, where all her potential customers seem to have fled the sticky city and Ruth ends up spending more time with a baby turtle in her dingy model apartment than at castings.

So bottom line and what I actually wanted to say: After watching the programme I googled Ruth Crilly and found out that seven years later she’s still in business as a successful model and as the author of a popular blog: A model recommends. Here she tests and recommends beauty products via posts and YouTube videos. It has quickly become my favourite beauty blog (well, actually the only one I really care to read) because it’s so down-to-earth, useful and honest and just as delightful as the woman behind it. Go check it out and see if you like it too.

Watch This Model Life on Channel 4 On Demand (only works in the UK I think)

Visit A model recommends

Warm, comfy and inexpensive: Uniqlo’s HeatTech range & cashmere sweaters

Uniqlo Camisole - 9.99 pounds

I’m a big fan of casual Japanese highstreet brand Uniqlo’s HeatTech range. They sell everything from camisoles to leggings and long-sleeved shirts made from this special material that keeps you warm. Apparently the magic material also absorbs body moisture (aka sweat) and transforms it into heat. Or something like that.

Bottom line is: the fabric is comfy and soft like a baby’s bottom and doesn’t feel synthetic at all.  Plus  you can wash it like a 1000 times without it turning grey and boring (as cotton does).

Read more about the HeatTech range for women here

Uniqlo sleeveles top - 9.99 pounds

Uniqlo scoop neck top – 12.99 pounds

They also do a range of very cheap cashmere/wool sweaters for men (and women) in many different colours. At 24.99 you’re not going to cry if: a) you find out that a hungry moth has taken a big bite of it or b) you accidentally wash it on 60 degrees. Not that any of those things have ever happened to me, no no of course not 😉

Shop online for Uniqlo here

Uniqlo men's v-neck sweater (merino wool) - 24.99

Traid Kilburn and my 6 pound shopping spree

The best (and one of only a few) charity shops in the Kilburn area is Traid. Traid stands for “Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development” and this charity has a number of shops all over London. Find them here.

Basically what they do is divert clothes from landfills, then they hand sort it and sell the best stuff in their shops. The profit is used to “support projects fighting inequality and exploitation in the global textile supply chain, and projects establishing environmental sustainability in some of the world’s poorest communities.” Quite admirable and worth supporting.

I always walk past this shop on my way to our local Sainsbury’s and last time the sale signs were screaming at me “2 pounds, only 2, come in and have a look Mette!!” So I did. The shop is long and cluttered and filled with rows of clothes arranged by colour and type.

It can get very busy and your second-hand treasure hunt will probably be time-consuming so don’t bring your better half as he will slowly deteriorate outside the shop while you manically flip through row after row of skirts, bright ethnic caftans, polyester shirts, boyfriend’s jeans etc.

Traid, 69-71 Kilburn High Road. Map

It can be difficult to dig out the really brands or vintage finds here as 80% of the stock is made up of newish  cheap stuff like Primark, M&S, H&M etc. I ended up with these three in my basket:

It’s a basic cotton T-shirt (C&A) but I like the wooden pearls that have been applied around the neckline. before: 6.99, now: 2 pounds.

Mexx was all the rage amongst nice little girls when I grew up in Denmark in the early 80’s so this see-through top hit the nostalgia spot. But I also like the bordeaux colour and the animal print. Will definitely have to wear a black top underneath. Before: 6.99, now: 2 pounds.

Well, who can say no to a pair of 2 pound striped Jaeger trousers? Not me, as I love that brand. Only drawback is that they’re slightly too small and when I wear them I resemble an over-stuffed sausage (I didn’t feel like queuing for the changing rooms, so didn’t try them on). Oh well, they’ll go in the “stuff-I’ll-wear-when-I-get-slimmer” pile and probably stay there for a long time. Before: 14.99, now: 2 pounds.

Wardrobe collapse – a shopaholic’s worst nightmare

Literally.

You know you have too much clothes (or really crappy wardrobe facilities) when you hear a strange noise from the bedroom, runs in to investigate and is faced with this:

SHIT.
(note to self: next flat we move to must have a walk-in closet).

Second-hand find: Harrods cardigan

Denne Harrods cardigan er lavet af verdens blødeste uld, og den er perfekt til kølige efterårsdage. Kostede 10 pund i St. John’s Hospice genbrugsbutikken.

This Harrods wool cardigan is softer than soft and the perfect companion on chilly autumn days. Cost 10 pounds in the St. John’s Hospice charity shop.

Prix Fixe & Pierre Victoire – affordable and charming Soho brasseries

Oh la la. Fromage du chevre. Moulin Rouge. Vin rouge. Sometimes you feel the need to infuse your life with some yummy Frenchness, be it a quick Eurostar weekend trip to Paris or just some lovely bistro/brasserie style food & atmosphere in the British capital.

When that happens we head straight for either Pierre Victoire or its sister restaurant Prix Fixe, both in Dean Street in Soho. I prefer Prix Fixe as it is more spacious and cosier with its red walls, dimmed light and of course plenty of Frencher-than-French posters (also, there tends to be this guy hammering away on a piano by the entrance at Pierre Victoire – so annoying).

The menu is classic brasserie style food and not all of it is French. For a starter I had a goat’s cheese salad with watercress, beetroot and pecan nuts (5.80), Sam had the rock oysters (1.10 each).

As a main course I had one of my favourites: Roast breast of duck with dauphinoise potatoes, steamed pak choi and port jus (13.80). Sam had his favourite: Entrecote steak & frites (14.90).

Both restaurants also have a cheap 2 course lunch menu + dinner menu (before 7 pm). Read more about the restaurants and check out their menu here:

Prix Fixe Brasserie, 39 Dean Street. Map.

Pierre Victoire, 5 Dean Street. Map.

Winter’s Bone

I walked past this poster in the tube the other day and was instantly intrigued (yes, I do tend to judge books and films by their cover, shame on me) and turned to Sam: “That looks interesting, have you heard anything about it?” (it’s pretty great to be married to a walking film encyclopedia). Of course he had, and he’d only heard good things about it, so yesterday we went to see it.

Apparently people have been going crazy about the low-budget Winter’s Bone at Sundance and everywhere else. And rightly so. It’s based on a book by Daniel Woodrell and set in the remote Ozarks Mountain Country. Here a poor 17-year-old girl embarks on a gruelling  journey to find her meth-cook of a father, before “the law” can take away the family home and land from her, her two young siblings and mentally resigned mother.

It’s harrowing honest and visually stunning in all its simplicity. No over-the top visual effects and 10 layers of make-up here. This is all about the story/message and the acting is remarkable. The bluegrass soundtrack is pretty awesome too.

Enough said, now go see it.

Winter’s Bone official site (with trailer)

Review from Empire

Photos courtesy of Sebastian Mlynarski

Second-hand finds from the bottom of the monster chair: chequered trousers

I have this really scary chair. It has been creepily stalking me ever since my childhood. From city to city and one country to another. It’s always there, shapeshifting (yup, I think it’s been watching True Blood over my shoulder) and lurking in the background. This is what it currently looks like:

Good thing about it is, turning it over is a bit like digging for a treasure. You never know what you’re going to find. Yesterday I dug out two pairs of chequered trouser that I’d forgotten all about. Turns out they’re perfect for autumn walks (paired with a Burberry trench and Mulberry bag for that conservative British look) :

First up are these trousers from wonderful Aquascutum. I paid around 10 pounds for them in the St. John’s Hospice charity shop. They are the most  comfortable pair of trousers I own.

My mum actually bought these Betty Barclay wool trousers for me in a second-hand shop in Hjørring. Just like the poncho she found they’re spot on (it’s normally hit or miss when she buys things for me).

Second-hand find: off-white Sheilagh Brown wool coat

I let my hands run up-and down this thin wool coat in the Oxfam charity shop in Highgate, caressed the soft and smooth fabric, tried it on, put it back, almost walked out the shop and then ended up trying it on again and finally buying it. Price 11 pounds.

The thing was: I instantly knew this was a top quality jacket but couldn’t really justify buying another off-white wool coat, as I already own these two.

But I’m very glad I did. Especially after having done what is one of my favourite things about second-hand shopping: Googling the designer. I’d never heard of Sheilagh Brown before but it  turns out she’s one of the British Biggies. She had her own London brand back in the 70s and was the famous hat maker/milliner Philip Treacy’s tutor at the RCA.

If you want to know more about her I can recommend this inspiring interview video, where she talks about her life as a fashion designer back in the good old days where Mick Jagger would come and lie on big pillows and smoke in her shop.

And best of all: it’s getting cold here in London, so I can start wearing it soon!