LondonZest Tries Hollywood Glamour

How can one think about gowns, jewels and stilettos when the outdoor temperature reaches the zeroes and all you want to do is slap on some mittens and a hoodie just to brave the cold London wind? I am feeling awfully shabby these days, preferring to settle for the jeans and knit sweaters than the cute LBD and accessories combo. But the Hollywood awards season having kicked off already and Spring weddings and exciting travel plans coming up shortly, I am finding myself longing for the occasion to dress up and be glamourous. Done with the winter blues, hello to the bejeweled evenings out and parties. In comes the shopping.

Walking past the Merchant, the posh yet welcoming high end designer Vintage store on Ledbury Road in Notting Hill, I was immediately enamored with the beauty of the window. I saw Chanel, I saw Stella and Dior, I saw Louboutins, Choos and Prada.

I grinned. I immediately had a vision of myself, tall, confident, glamourous, donning a flowy frock and diamond earrings, an Oscar in hand, on stage, thanking my mum, my dad, God, and of course, the academy. I don't know how it happened, but before I knew it, I was inside the treasure trove, trying on dozens of items, garments, shoes and jewelry and forgot about it all, the cold, the wind, the mittens. And then I grinned even wider, the treasure trove sheltered a Golden chest filled with vintage jewels. 

And suddenly, the long grey gown I had chosen for my upcoming friend's wedding seemed much less dull. The earrings were on my ears - and there was no taking them off. I smiled to the clerk - and there was not much else to say but thank you. And have a good day.

These are no diamonds but I'll settle for these any day of the week. I wish I could tell you the name of the designer but he remains nameless- honestly the shop assistant had no idea what his name was. You'll have to go check it out for yourself. So off you go, zesties.

The Merchant

36 Ledbury Road 

London, W11 2AB

A Real Life Fairytale

Last week, I was in the presence of real life magic. It all started when last Tuesday, I met one of Disney's most popular princesses. Cinderella, my favourite one (she was always the most down to earth - literally a floor washer and scrubber), stopped by my office for an exclusive showcase of her jewelry.

No, I am not talking about the real life Disney Princess, God, get a clue. And no, do not worry about me, Zesties, I'm not going insane - though some Christmas holidays would be very much needed right now. Rachel, the closest thing to the collection's namesake and Brazilian muse, Cinderela, is the mastermind designer behind Cinderela B, a beautifully eclectic and utterly whimsical jewelry collection, which is based right here, in the heart of one of London's hippest area, Spittalfields, E1. And she can even visit your office or a girly night in, if you fancy the VIP experience.

Her line ranges from a colourful set of pearls and beads, necklaces and bracelets, pendants and charms, all made from the real thing and marked with a "made with love" stamp; a wide variety of DIY charm necklaces, for which you have an extensive choice of charms, from cutesy stars and boy and girl kissing, to rock n' rollin skulls and angel wings; and finally chains up the wazoo, gold, silver and bronze, dangly and neck-choking. 

It's a miracle Harvey Nichs hasn't whisked her away yet, and an even bigger miracle that I only got myself this adorable rose quartz star-charm bracelet. I wish I had filled up a cart full of goodies before Cinderela flew away in her pumpkin carriage.

If I were you, I'd give it a visit sooner rather than later. The prices are friendly and there is even a sale going on right now. Or, get Prince Charming to go there instead. Christmas is around the corner after all. 

Here are some of the places you can spot Cinderela B:

Sunday-Up Market (every Sunday 10am-5pm)
Just off Hanbury Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6QL
Lucas Bond, 45 Bedford Hill, Balham, London, SW12 9EY
Tickled Pink, 2 Bellevue Rd, London, SW17 7EO

Let the Bling Bling Make a Bing Bang

After months of searching and digging around London; after days of surfing the web for their London-based shop, I finally found my all-time most favourite jewelry designer, and believe it or not, they're smack in the middle of Liberty's! I discovered Iosseliani back in NYC at my friend Ashley's store Honey in the Rough (though they hail straight from Rome). Her lovely boutique featured a broad range of pieces, which always seemed way out of my league and more importantly way out of my price range. In fact they were so out of my range that I dragged my mum down there one time just so I could vicariously live through her, and watch her as she purchased one of the most unbelievable pair of earrings I've seen under the £300 price mark. 

I stole from her jewelry box often, the days in NYC when I came uptown to do my laundry. My god what a devilish child I was! I would dig through her jewelry box like I always did when the drying cycle was in full throttle and the noise of my clothes banging against the walls of the dryer would make more noise than my fingers rummaging through her jewelry box. There they were. These beauties were calling my name and it was a sudden love affair between myself and those gorgeous diamante objects. The reason I said that they were out of my league is that I never considered myself to be a diamante-wearing kind of a gal. I've always preferred the simple studs or button-size pearls over the bling-bling and the watermelon-sized jewels. I'm more of a t-shirt and jeans kind of a gal. But come on now, you can't help but notice how smashing a pair of stunning earrings can look as they frame a woman's face so gracefully. Even it's with a pair of jeans. Or accessorizing an evening dress. It's a sight for sore eyes.

Speaking of bling, Iosselliani is also a pro when it comes to rings. Their rock n' roll rings represent chic and modern glamour and will accessorize any outfit, from the day wear to the evening wear. You'll turn heads and toes around. Women will salivate for these, and men will be hypnotized by these monster diamonds, when they see you reaching for your champagne glass! Wear them together or wear them single-banded, both options are appropriate and both stand out in the middle of the crowd.

Needless to say, I'm a little obsessed with the bling. But let me assure you that this is not any bling. It's the bling you steal from your mum's jewelry box and it's the bling you love to wear for years on end. And the fact that Liberty's features a few of Iosselliani's most beautiful pieces, earrings, bracelets and necklaces, makes me slightly uncomfortable. And for the quality and shine of these tiny pieces of art, you're making quite a bargain , and a long-term investment at that. So don't under do it. Over do it. Iosselliani wants you too.

Anchor & Hope for Summer

Just because Spring has been around for a while now and we are looking ahead to summer, I can't help but picture myself sprawled on the deck of a megayacht, tanning my pasty bum and toasting my rosy cheeks under the hot sun of the Grecian paradise. Add to that, a sailor hat, some boyish boat shoes, a pair of dark blue high-waisted shorts, a striped blue & white marine shirt and a marine salute, and I'll look like a million sailor bucks. Argh. I'm not kidding though, that is my idea of the summer picture perfect outfit- in a picture perfect setting. But now that I'm dreaming, I might as well add that I've had my eye set on some cute Anchor accessories that would compliment this picture perfect outfit most wonderfully.

Tatty Devine, Monmouth Street, Covent Garden

Tatty Devine's Covent Garden boutique has me all giggly with summer love and I am super excited about gifting myself with a couple of these lovely neck and ear treats. For only £12-£40 a pop, these playful accessories make for an easy breezy summer lovin' look. 

Anchor & Chain Necklace, £12

Not surprisingly, the matching anchor earrings and seagull necklace are quite sweet as well, and though I wouldn't recommend wearing both accessories at once, they are a couple of head-turners themselves.

Anchor Earrings, £15 Seagull Necklace, £39

Wrap something cute and frilly like this crown or ice lolly around your neck and you'll earn yourself a free drink at the pub.

Crown Necklace, £24

Ice Lolly Necklace, £25

Also, in line with the upcoming Sex & The City 2 Movie release, Tatty Devine has decided to put all of their name necklaces on sale for £22, giving you the green light to go wild when designing your own name necklace. Remember the Carrie necklace? Today is the last day (til 5pm) for you to buy and save so do check out their website or pop 'round their store on Monmouth Street to design and order a Carrie necklace of your own!

Name Necklaces, now £22 (usually £27.50)

Now's your chance to be quirky with your accessories. Summertime has left the docks early and is taking you on a long and happy journey to a land where plastic name necklaces and thunderbolt earrings are cool. So don't be shy: sail away!

Ain't Nothin' Wrong With a Bit of Daydreamin

If you think Crochet is something only your Granny is good at, think twice. The designers at Daydream Nation have partnered up with designer Guru Peter Jensen in a fantastically avant-garde yet wearable jewellery collection, meshing up woven colourful threads with rock n' roll chains, and sweetly attached to the hip by massively opulent pearls. This uncommon combination of tradition and eccentricity makes for huge statement pieces, which are bound to turn some heads and loose eyeballs in the streets of London, and more. Like this bracelet below and the necklace above.

Obviously enough, Daydream Nation is a team of 2 siblings, brother and sister, who hail straight out of Central Saint Martins and the Royal School of Arts, to create a selection of accessories that are at once provocative and beautifully elegant. You won't see this marriage of styles anywhere else and this is why you must give them a chance. 

 

I did and I don't regret it. My green crochet and pearl necklace never leaves my neck. And for £70-£90 the wear and the reaction you'll get out of a Daydream Nation piece is quite worth the investment. Marylebone jewellery shop Kabiri (a personal favourite of mine) offers a wide variety of pieces by DN, while hip multi-brand b-Store, Selfridges and the lovely Labour of Love in Islington, carry a slightly reduced selection. But there is something there for everyone, the splashy, the fun, the silly, and of course the rock n' roll.

Like the Scrooge on Bank Rob Day

East London still seems like such a daunting place in my puny narrow mind. Not because it has so many fantastic secrets to offer, and it does, but because it will take someone like me ages to discover even a third of them. Everything is so spread out. Shoreditch, Faringdon, Hackney, and that's just a fraction of it. And my legs are not what you would call short and stubby. They have taken me places before, and I still believe that they will take me to see the world on other zesty adventures. But there are still so many places to see, so much to discover, and I still now, after many escapades East, will have my eyes glued to my stupid iPhone Google maps like paparazzi to Kate Moss.

But my adventure out to Columbia Road Market last month was so much more than the discovery of another open market. It was yet another daunting realisation that there is more to London than the W11 and W1 postcodes. At least in terms of secrets to discover. That time, when I was wandering down Columbia Road Flower Market, I kept hoping to stumble upon that gem that would prove me wrong again in my assumptions about the East. And that it did. Yet again.

A treasure chest full of jewels, L'Orangerie is that magical place, in which the owner Caroline, a relentless European traveler, manages to bring an ecclectic flavour of European delights into one place. Necklaces, bangles, big fat rings, long chains and vintage pieces of furniture and knick knacks alike, you'll feel like the Scrooge on bank rob day. You'll want to take it all, all of it. And then you'll bathe in it, like there is no happier moment in life.

    

 

As you walk in, you'll find yourself ducking under dangling tree branches and bopping oranges. You'll suddenly smell perfumes and fragrances from Spain, Italy and Portugal, which will then magically turn into much cooler scents from the pine trees of northern Europe. You'll hear things scintillate as you slip your fingers through them, play with them and try them on. First make your way to Columbia Road Market if you haven't already. Then, step into a world of all things magical at L'Orangerie. You'll want it all. And you can, it's affordable. It's East London.

This Winter, Ecclecticize!

I've sort of been obsessed with fun bright pieces of jewelry lately, as you've probably noticed. Again, I guess I've probably been craving a little bit of colour in my life.

It's time for you to meet the latest addition to the jewelry scene, Spaniard jewelry and design sensation, Monica Vinader, whose majestic rings and other jewels alike are not only befitting of "Victorian" queens of Spain and England, but also bring the flavours of Mexico, Argentina and Marrakesh right to your fingertips thanks to a splashy selection of candy-coloured stones and perfectly-cut semi-precious drops of personality. 

When it's cold and snowy (more like rainy, yuck) outside, I say, it's all about the colours.

The above and below pieces are available now at the beautifully Christmas-decorated South Kensington Conran Shop, an always enjoyable Liberty's and at its much anticipated launch location (and for that keep your eyes peeled real wide!), the Harrods' Stone Bar!

I've recently been given a ring of hers as a present, and I must say that I'm having trouble putting it to rest at night. 

So enjoy it daytime and nighttime, with a pair of jeans or a dressy outfit! Mix and match and have fun with her pieces! The point is, ecclecticize!

Kabiri, Time For Some Christmas Cheery!

 

Kabiri, Marylebone High Street

Meet my new crush in the the jewelry department, Kabiri, the coolest jewellery store on the planet. Well in London at least. This gem of a place, located on Marylebone High Street, features some of the hottest new emerging jewelry designers in the UK. Most of them are indeed British and that's why this, my dear friends, is a truly zesty post. 

Check out these uniquely inventive pieces. You'll salivate over them, you'll die to get your paws on them, you won't even be able to shake them!

 

This Marni-esque necklace is a great accessory to go with a deep plunging neckline!

A gorgeous ring to complement that tanned skin of yours on your December getaway to...St Barths? Yeah, wishful thinking...

 

The adorable Mini Girl by Ginette NY!

This bear ring is my favourite! It is so masculine and fantastic! It even has a paw imprint on this inside!

The itsy bitsy spider is crawling up your chest!

If you're still drumming your fingernails on your desk and wondering what on earth you'll be getting your mum, your girlfriend or even your boyfriend for Christmas (yes, yes you read right, Kabiri sells men's stuff as well!), you know where to go for your holiday shopping! Prices range from £80 to £2000. There is something there for everyone. This is a special spot on a special street in a special neighborhood. Time for some Christmas shopping! Hint hint, my special friends, you know who you are, if you're feeling particularly generous this season, and want to give your special blogger friend a special present, the present gods will smile back at you!

Non-Fashioney Fashionistas

It's funny because I've never been that fashioney of a person. I like fashion. I wear it, yes. I admire it in magazines and my eye will occasionally stop its self when a cool ad intrigues me on TV or on print. However, I am not at all the fashion type. I don't go crazy over the next IT bag and I certainly don't subscribe to any fashion magazines. Up until last month, I actually didn't know what A/W stood for. I would literally keep asking myself. What do they mean by A/W? Awesome Wear? Another Winter? A What??? I know. It's embarrassing. I am, however, keen to window shop once in a blue moon and I do have my favorite designers (Sonia Rykiel and Isabel Marant) and favorite shops in London. I've never been a huge department store fan. Selfridges makes me woozy and Harvey Nichs is just a tad too euro for my taste. I don't know, it just doesn't do it for me. I like my small boutiques and I completely buy into the personal shopping experience. I love it when a salesperson remembers me and makes me feel uber special (like the awesomely delightful Ashley at Honey and the Rough in NYC). SO when my friend told me last week that my favorite designer's new fall collection, which  I could not find anywhere in London no matter how hard I tried, was featured at a cute shop on Ledbury Road in Notting Hill (as it always has been, Hello?), I jumped at the occasion to make it a special visit last week. And Isabel Marant's Fall collection was there! Among others. Needless to say, Isabel Marant only does Ready to Wear (RTW: another mysterious acronym, OMG, WTF, xoxo!) which is one of the big reasons why she rocks my world. As a French designer, she captures all that is elegant and cool in her designs and she never fails to add a splash of rock n' roll in her outfits. If there's one thing I learned from her inspirational style, it is to never look too matchy matchy. Always always pair up a cute little grey dress with a leather jacket, or always always remember to strap on some biker flat booties with thick tights and a short skirt. Also, you can never wear that thick sweater enough.

I know you're probably sick of me rambling on about Notting Hill, but I cannot hide this zesty gem from you any longer. You must go. Period. Aime is an adorable hidden boutique on the south side of Ledbury Road. From Isabel Marant and APC, to Vanessa Bruno and Les Prairies de Paris, you will find all the cool French designers and styles that you've been missing from your wardrobe all of these long shopping-less months since moving to London! (uh, yeah, I guess that's me). You will love their selection, their shoes and their lifestyle stuff. Their jewelry is also to die for and not outrageously expensive. They even offer a superb selection of Repetto ballerinas and they have the greatest Isabel Marant leopard print flats (note: they go wonderfully well with one of Isabel's silk black dresses). So go take a peak. It's a special place and deserves your attention.


                    Aime Clothing Boutique, Ledbury Road, Notting Hill

A Few of My Favorite Isabel Marant Things 

Black Wool Top With Cotton Belt A/W 09 Collection (like wearing a cloud)

Swarowski Crystal Necklace A/W 09 Collection (Day and Night, it rocks the hell out of any outfit)

Plad Red Dress A/W 2007 (!!!) Collection (Still one of the sexiest items in my wardrobe)

Colville Mews, Notting Hill

I've just been on the Blogger homepage to update my Blogger profile and for some strange reason, Blogspot decided it was important to mention that I am born the year of the rat. No idea why, they just did. So, after much time trying to figure out how to delete this superfluous piece of information, and to no avail, I decided to let it be. Now I am not one to believe in signs and silly premonitions but this is just too strange to not take as a sign. Right? I don't know, maybe I would have found it cooler to be born the year of the dragon or the spider or something. But the rat? Seriously? Yuck. Hmmm, I guess lil Frankie here is kinda cute.

Wait, wait, wait, this gets better...

Creative problem solver, check! Imaginative, check! Intuitive, check! Hey, this isn't so bad...

So, here I am, procrastinating, taking a break from my long and tedious dissertation writing, hoping to find some inspiration in the blogging process...and maybe from a little coffee break. So I get up from my numb-feeling bumm from all the sitting down, oh so ready to get inspired. I picked up a delicious cappucino and muffin at Tom's Deli on Westbourne Grove and strolled around the block weaving in and out of mews quarters, sipping and munching away, hoping to find some answers. Looking into the cute little Colville Mews, I was intrigued by the big Temperley sign, tucked away behind the white brick walls of the mews alley. Not that I was thinking of going inside...no more shopping for me (I'm living on student budget, which means the cash flow is pretty much non-existent), but I found myself to be smiling at how adorable this remote area of busy Notting Hill was. Crazy! I've been living close by for months, and I've never even noticed this little treasure of a street?

Not only that, but next to Temperley is the tiny Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, which if you're into media, marketing, fashion, branding, advertising and pop culture in general, like I totally am, you'll have to make a special detour to check out! Right now, it is featuring a show on the very best of Guiness Advertising over 250 years and it is a really fun 30 minutes so go take a look!

        Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in Notting Hill

On the other side of Temperley, you'll also find the small Pippa Small Jewelry boutique, which offers beautifully crafted bracelets, necklaces and earrings that are both ethnic and chic, a look that totally befits the Notting Hill vibe. Her style is cool and fresh and all of it is handmade! She also uses real stones, from amethyst and emerald to Lapis and Quartz, which make for truly special pieces.

                            Pippa Small's Bolivian Blue Pebble

So next time you're in my hood, either come and visit me, or go check out Notting Hill's hidden treasures in Colville Mews off Lonsdale Road.