Here at Lilifi, bags are our passion, and not just our own! Looks like Spain is not just for Costa Del Sol hols and fast-talking stereotypes. Zara and Mango have fixed themselves firmly in the High Street pantheon with great design at good prices, but for something a little bit more gigi, Go West to find the UK stockist for Spanish fashon label BimbayLola . They have a delirious array of bags on offer in vivid colours, clean lines and great materials. Shake off the May blues, and go bold.
Even if you can’t afford one of their famed Birkin or Kelly bags, you can marvel, admire, and take a peek into the history of Hermes and leather, for Free! at 6 Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly
Known also for their scarves, perfumes, watches, and a whole other array of luxury goods, it’s the artisanal process of the hand-made bags that stand out from their rich history. The exhibition will give visitors a rare, real time insight into the manufacturing process.
175 years old, and not looking a day over a minted new bag!
The late, great Keith Haring would have been 54 today, and his impact is still as strong as when alive. Working at a time when music and art blurred a line, he was sadly, only 32, when taken by AIDS. The birth of hip hop, street art (pop art?) and huge blank canvases (the black papered posters on the subway) meant that Keith’s style literally went from underground to overground. Maybe, he paved the way for the likes of Banksy to cross over into other media (ie Blur sleeve art). What he did do was inject vibrancy and fun into a staid and serious culture, whilst managing to be commercial, and not sell out. You can’t help but smile when seeing his work. Maybe childish looking, but mature in his message.
Let’s go back for some soulful 80′s pop. Here’s one of the many tunes Haring did a sleeve for, and because Lilifi is all about bags, here’s one out there at the moment in a hot pink that will definitely get you seen!
We do like to uphold certain ‘British’ traditions I suppose: talking incessantly about the weather, fawning over useless Royals, cups of Rosie/splosh at every interval, and slagging off Jonny Foreigners who want to upset our (Euro shape and size approved) apple cart. In this case, it’s more about location, location, location. Where? Savile Row. Namechecked in Jay Z’s lyrics, home to the Beatles, abode of Phileas Fogg, a slice of sartorial history. Those still resident are hissy fitting over plans for The Kooples (uber-cool French label) and Abercrombie and Fitch (generic white teeth American dross) moving in on their turf. Whilst this staunch stiff collared / upper lip is quaintly patriotic, let’s not forget that the Hardy Amies group brand was acquired by Fung Capital, the private investment arm of Victor and William Fung, who together control the Li & Fung group. What is British anymore? (yawn). Maybe not The Savile anymore. A row about the row probably won’t escalate further than some column inches, but, should something steeped in such rich history, almost anachronistic in this mass produced age be left to slide into fashion obscurity? I know I’d never be able to afford a suit there, but it doesn’t stop me appreciating and respecting what they do. Big up the 3 button salute!
Forget the rain, blow off the winter blues, get out of bed (although it’s tempting for a lovely long lay-in) and get caffeinated! This weekend will require some criss-crossing across the capital but you can enjoy mouth-watering baked goods, fairytale looking cupcakes, and surprising pastries from 40 ‘competitors’ at Brixton Market (under cover, so don’t worry). Then, hotfoot it to Brick Lane for the coffe festival for classes, tasters, music and a lot of fun. Shame they’re not on the same side of the river, but hey, that’s what makes this city so challenging and exciting. Just to remind ourselves of the god-like genius of Blur, here’s Coffee and TV!
Kudos to M&S for not relying on just Twiggy and the gang to reinvigorate them and their image, and getting a little bit more conscious, and inspirational. Working with Oxfam (there are some treasures to be had at their Traid shops), they are launching a sustainabale fashion lab/, turning old clothes into new gold. Go to the site for more details, and get down to the Old Truman Brewery to get involved. Fall in love with those of back of the wardrobe skulkers…again.
It’s more than a shame to waste a vote, it’s abhorrent. Especially if it’s as localised a change as London mayor , and, you’re a Londoner. One of the biggest, burning issues is transport. Bob Crow (American saviour?) and his ‘modest’ salary, bendy buses (great if you were, ahem, short of cash), Boris bikes. Is it all a load of b’s? Even if you don’t ‘follow’ politics, the state of the tube, and getting around this fair city is important to us. Take the time to investigate the candidates and use that ballot that may have gone straight into the recylcing.
Lilifi wistfully remembers the old routemaster, and the sheer thrill of jumping off the 38 when hitting soho, from Islington. The new bus is sleeker and modernised but is it viable? See what you think …
Banksy. Not just a London thing. It’s a British thing. And a Bristol thing … As social commentator, his work wryly, and humorously speaks volume. The ‘mystery’ man himself has piped up in the press recently, lambasting the advertising industry, his work has been discussed as far as Egypt, where it has influenced others to spray and say their message, and now, he is the focus of a debate: Prankster or Painter? What do you think? lilifi knows that it gets a frisson of excitement when one is spotted. During a Steve Lamacq interview with The Clash, a recent Banksy satire of their London Calling album cover was discussed. The question is, is it ‘Art’? Should his works be preserved, and the buildings listed? What do you think? ….
(Click on bold for links)
What does Dance music need? No, not more moody boy producers, but exotic, erotic beatsmiths like Maya Jane Coles. She makes beautiful music to dance to or fill your head space when in plain listening mode. Feeling a lot of love from the dance community, her dubstep and deep house productions are the perfect beauty and the beast (beats!?) combo. She is still gathering big steam, and with festival season approaching, she will soon be ubiquitous. The Lilifi office is still loving her essential mix and can’t wait to see her play out again. Check her out, get out, spread the word.
If by any chance the lady is reading this, we think you would look great with any of our bags! Call us!
There’s also a free download courtesy of her new DJ KIcks compilation You can also search her out on Soundcloud, Beatport, Last.FM, My Space …
Beatport, Soundcloud, Twitter, MySpace, essential mix, festivals.
It’s an Irvine Welsh-fest. All of a sudden there are reminders on different media fronts of the man’s, dare I say genius? He is an anti-national treasure I suppose. Whether you were, are, or have loathed anybody of that chemical generation, you can’t deny the literary and film impact of Trainspotting. And now, the man has (deep breath), a new book, Skagboys, coming out, a film version of Ecstacy (will any ‘rave’ film be better than Human Traffic though?), an adaptation of Filth, a new film, The Magnificent Eleven, and … managed to retrieve the prequel to Trainspotting from an set of old Amstrad disks apparently. He has clearly, chosen life! A productive life in the USA. Good for us. To top it all off, Karl Hyde from Underworld (of Trainspotting Soundtrack ‘Born Slippy’ fame) has a Sunday show on BBC6. Lilifi listened yesterday and it was an exquisite choice of beauty and bangers. Get over to the iplayer and listen again. Nostalgia is never old! It gets better with age! Now then, back to the drawing board to design the ultimately practcial and stylish clubbing bag. Ultra secret compartments. Check. Water bottle chiller. Check …
Just to get a little more Brit-centric. Let’s take another look and listen to Blur doing Sing (from the Trainspotting soundtrack).
