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Friday, June 27, 2008



Apologies - Camilla's Store has been terribly overlooked this week due to a combination of moving house and long days looking out for Queen M. Posting will resume as normal next week and I'm hoping to get lots of interesting stuff up over the weekend!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Saturday, June 21, 2008

THE THREE PAGES OF MAN. PART II. Dating.

I can't just be me who feels like the summer sun brings all the great-looking people onto the streets. They were probably around all the rest of the year as well, but hot days make for better clothes, glowing skin and a happy demeanor - all adding to their gorgeousness. And, when two gorgeous people get together, it only makes sense that they should do it somewhere rather fabulous too. So, here's the Camilla's Store guide to some of London's best date restaurants.

THE FIRST DATE
Ping Pong, now with dim sum restaurants dotted all over London from Great Marlborough Street to Hampstead, is fantastic. It's buzzy, cool, well-priced, and full of other hot young things doing their thing. Like Wagamama, much of the seating is communal or - in the case of their Soho branch - rings round the edge of the mezzanine, meaning you sit next to each other. The whole ordering process - done by ticking a list - makes a great ice breaker and the slight foreignness means that you can always talk about deep fried tofu if things start to go sour.



THE SECOND DATE
It's time to find out whether it's gonna be 'just friends' or 'happily ever after', so how apt to go Fish! in Borough Market. If you're there for dinner, the slight eeriness of the closed market makes a perfect opportunity for a spot of light hand holding. Success or failure during this bold step can be almost instantly relieved from intensity by the upbeat atmosphere of the restaurant which also allows you to play things either way. If it's looking bleak you can discuss the future of London's markets over a lemon sole, but if all's well you can share oysters and a glass of bubbly.

CLOSING THE DEAL
If you're gonna put the moves on a girl, do it at Julie's Wine Bar. Julie's is classic, classy and very discreet. Book ahead and you can get your own curtained booth, or be softly romantic with a table in the conservatory which is lit with fairy lights. Expensive enough both to make her feel special and to let her know you're serious.

THE MORNING AFTER
The father of a friend of mine once wistfully commented, "I no longer have the need for a full english in the morning", so while we are still young, it's well worth girding your loins for a hearty breakfast to make up for all the other shenanigans your loins have been involved in the previous night. Providores on Marylebone High Street does a smashing breakfast with a french toast that beats them all. Its location - with Regent's Park at the top, and Oxford Street at the bottom - makes 'going your seperate ways' a lot easier to handle.



BREAKING UP

She's clingy, she hates your friends and you did the dirty with hers - it's time to move on and you have two exit strategies. No.1: If your risk assessment of the break-up conversation suggests you're going to require some serious damage control, pick a place that's crowded, noisy and that you don't mind never going to again - this puts you ahead of the game when the screaming starts. The Sanderson Long Bar has the anonymity of an international hotel, the bullish crowds of Fitzrovia and hard liquor on tap.
Alternatively, plump for option No.2: This option is expensive but just look at it as a pay-off to get you out of a sticky situation. Book a corner table at Simpsons, silently chop your way through the meat trolly then, as the sticky toffee pudding arrives, deliver your missive. With a hushed voice insist that there does not have to be a 'vulgar scene'. You will not be popular, but the Simpson doormen will be the epitome of charm and ensure she is safely escorted into a taxi home. Well-handled!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Coming up this weekend...

The best date restaurants in London! What Brits really think about shopping malls, why genius doesn't cut it in the world of work and the woman making member's only clubs look cool!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Two great Guardian articles I want to flag up today.

This one is all about older, female bloggers. I'm not part of the former category (just yet!), but I was interested to read about how women respond to the predominantly geeky and male world of computers, blogs, html etc.

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,,2285382,00.html

And Charlie Brooker makes some great observations about branding and product placement in his article, featured in today's G2.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/16/television.advertising



And, finally MARY QUEEN OF SHOPS IS ON TONIGHT AT 9PM ON BBC2!!!!!!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Take years off your dog with the Puppy Cut



Apparently it's not just us humans who get paranoid about their fading looks - I recently heard about a pooch parlour that specialises in the 'puppy cut'. The cut trims a dog's hair right back to the soft fur at the base, making it look younger and more puppy-like. Hilarious

Friday, June 13, 2008

Home sweet home



What with moving at the end of the month, I can feel myself starting to get incredibly uptight and obsessive-compulsive. Endless folding and daily trips up to the attic to 'check' on my various boxes of belongings are generally signs that I'm about to uproot and move on yet again.

Fortunately, however, this time I'm moving into possibly the most gorgeous little flat with some pretty gorgeous little people so my OCD is manifesting itself in thoughts about decoration, home accessories and glamourous cleaning products. Yes, GLAMOUROUS!...

Noticed these Maison Belle detergenets in the window of Heal's - Design Sponge says they smell divine! While Daylesford Organics do a very chic line in surface cleansers!




For LIke Ever poster from www.vllg.com

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Food porn or eater's wives?

A step too far, Marks and Spencer. A step too far! Oozing poached eggs? Ok. Melting chocolate puddings? Fine. But burgers stuffed with gorgonzola cheese? No freaking way. Sexy food cinematography can no longer suggest that M&S is not one of the worst offenders when it comes to junk food on the high street. I've been noticing for a while the sheer volume of mayonnaise, custard and cream that so many of their products are choc full of, and yet I've always maintained that their fruit and veg selection is second to none. Now, however, I'm starting to think that this is not just food, this is M&S high-priced, intensely calorific crap for the over-worked masses.
THE THREE PAGES OF MAN. PART I: MAN LOVE

The old epigram 'men want to be them, women want to date them' rings most true for this motely crew. Everyone's got to have a hero - be they 28 or 78, you could do a lot worse than to take a leaf out of these guys little black books!

The come-back kid. Robert Downey Jr is the self-titled 'posterboy for pharmaceutical mismanagement', yet these days seems to be very much back in the game with summer blockbuster Iron Man. I've had my eye on him since Only You - it's the puppy eyes!



The Legend. Those who know me will also know why I think Hunter S. Thompson would actually need his own blog for me to explain just what a dude he is. To choose one quote would do him a huge disservice, to know him only for Fear and Loathing - an even greater one. The Rum Diary, Hell's Angels, On the Campaign Trail..... Absolutely number 1 on the fantasy dinner party list.



The All-Rounder. Tom, tom, tom... you can literally do no wrong. He is an inspired designer, a shrewd businessman, effortlessly charming and fantastically gorgeous. After his considerable stint at the helm of Gucci, Tom opened his ultra-chic, eponymous store in NY last year and brought unabashed opulence and debauched decadence to the metro-sexual male. He is quoted as claiming to be his own muse - and can you really blame him?



The Older Man. Like a fine brie, Jack seems only to get better with age. He has been rocking Hollywood since he stole the show in Easy Rider, then shot to fame in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Ever one for the ladies, Jon Stewart even quipped at this year's Oscar ceremony that there were 'two pregnant women here tonight at the Oscars—then again, obviously the night is still young. And Jack is here!'.



The funny guy. Dane Cook is barely known on these shores but over the pond, his comedy album sits at the top of the charts and, back in 2006, he became the second comedian ever to sell out Madison Square Garden, where he performed his 'Rough Around The Edges' tour in the round to 20,000 people.



Coming up.... Part 2: The great date guide to restaurants!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Is Mary the new Ramsay?

The new season of Mary Queen of Shops aired last night, earning over 3m viewers!! Ramsay better watch out because Mary's heels look somewhat sharper than his kitchen knives!

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Woo hoo! I knew August had a purpose this year! New Frat Pack movie, Tropic Thunder out soon!



Ha ha ha ha ha. Best ending!

Objects of Desire

Two sites definitely worth checking back to every few weeks are Retrouvius and Re-Found Objects. Retrouvius has carved an interesting niche for itself by bringing reclamation to the web. At the moment they have a whole load of Ercol chairs salvaged from a convent! And, for when we all get seriously wealthy, they also do interior design!

On a much more humble note, I can indulge my new penchant for poached eggs with these cute poachers from Re-Found for just £5 each!

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Cool idea

Available at www.luflux.com.

Coming soon to Camilla's Store...

THE THREE PAGES OF MAN!

A men's guide to fashion, style, heroes, and the best 'date' restaurants in town!

Sex and The City Movie just an excuse for female binge drinking

What is it with the British? Literally, any excuse and we're cracking open a bottle. This week Boris imposed his drinking ban on the London Underground. Unlike the French, who would have started torching things and gone on strike, the British viewed it as an excuse for a massive knees-up and began celebrating the joys of being paralytic on a cramped tube with abandon. Monday's papers showed delirious toffs in full evening dress brandishing bottles of champers, while everyone felt very pleased with themselves for giving the old liberty a jolly good send off.



Last night a friend and I went to see Sex and The City Movie at the Hampstead Everyman. I anticipated the place to be filled with smart north Londoners, explaining how they were there purely for the post-modern irony of it. Quite the contrary - it was like a scene from a Lambrini commercial. Everywhere, groups of women in Carrie-esque corsages and sparkly berets were clapping, squeaking and knocking back the white wine. As the film began you could literally hear the gush of oestrogen filling the air combined with the congratulatory chink of wine glasses.

We may not be as fun-loving as the Spanish, or as laid back as the Dutch, but Britain really stands out in Europe as a nation of people hell bent on pulling together, staying positive and making the best of the given situation. Four of you, one of me, I make that Pimms O'clock!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

For my new flat!? In purple though, me thinks.



Oh, and can I have a table full of these Emeco 1006 'Navy' chairs too please?

Tickle me Pink

Went to check out the White Shirt Bar at Thomas Pink on Jermyn Street today. Its black, chic area jars slightly with the more traditional English surroundings of the rest of the shop, but the concept is brilliant!

Umm, Summer? It is June now.

Monday, June 02, 2008

Confused.

This girl is on both The Sartorialist and in today's G2 magazine. Same girls, apparently the same photo, yet different photographers!?

Sart, either you're commissioning out your work or The Guardian needs to start doing its own research.



(http://bp3.blogger.com/_qjpwnPW4c1o/SD-rVcG1cHI/AAAAAAAADdo/9ZuvKHGGBYc/s1600-h/5308Fayweb.jpg)

Sunday, June 01, 2008

La Nouvelle Vague



Sacre bleu! The re-release of Jules et Jim is making me feel very rive gauche. Oh, to slip down sun-drench cobbled streets, puffing seductively on a Gitanes cigarette held loosely between fingers painted a vivid red and flecked with crumbs from the morning's croissant. To muse reflectively on Sartre, sip l'eau menthe, and spend the afternoon going on strike and faire l'amour.

Apologies for the lack of posts yesterday - Camilla's Store was out flat hunting! More posts later on today!