Luxury British Heritage Brands

Hello all,
 
Here is a link to a questionnaire for my univeristy project:
 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6VB8JG2
 
I have decided on a project the title of:
 
‘Best of British:The Relaunch of Norman Hartnell’

I would really appreciate it if you would be able to fill in this quick questionnaire on luxury British heritage brands. There are 10 multiple choice questions and it will take just a few mintutes. Every single response will help me a lot in my final degree project.

Thanks!

Diabetic Blueberry Cupcakes/Muffin Recipe

These cupcakes/muffins (it depends on the size of the case you cook it in) are delicious. I just made them and ate one warm and it was so yummy I had to blog the recipe. This is a great recipe for all you diabetics out there, ot generally anyone on a low sugar/no sugar diet. They are easy to make and don’t involve any unusual ingredients, so get cooking!

Ingredients

6 oz plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 oz soft margarine
14 tablespoons of sweetener
100 ml milk
2 tablespoons of honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence or 1 pod with seeds scraped out
A load of blueberries

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 210C/gas 6
Put paper cases into baking tray. It will make about 20 small cakes, so about 10 muffins
Sieve the flour and baking powder together and put into a bowl
In another bowl beat the margarine or butter with the sweetener and honey until light and fluffy
Add the vanilla essence and the egg and beat well
Add half the flour mixture to the other mixture and all the milk. Stir well. Add the rest of the flour mixture
Add the blueberries and fold in gently
Spoon the mixture into the cup cases
Put into the oven in the top half of the oven
Cook for 15 minutes. Do not open the oven until this time or the cupcakes will collapse.
Check to see if they are done.
Stick a wood cocktail stick in if it comes out clean they are done . If you touch the surface of a cupcake and it is springy to the touch it is done. If not leave longer in the oven. Depending on the size they can take 15 to 20 minutes.

Voila!! Enjoy!

Easy (Microwavable) Salt Dough Recipe

This recipe is ridiculously easy, and very cheap. Salt dough is a great way to create your own decorations, and you can dye them or paint them any colour you like…let’s get microwaving!

1. The ratio is 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of water and 2 cups of flour. Mix all this together. It can get rather messy! If it is really gloopy, add more flour. If it is very dry, and a splash more water. You can leave the dough its natural colour, or add food colouring to stain it any colour you want! Only use a drop or two of food colouring, and you may find it makes the dough more sticky, so be prepared to add a little more flour. It is also good to have a little olive oil handy as later on when cutting out the dough may begin to dry out. The oil can be rubbed on the dough to soften it back up.

2. Knead the dough until soft and pliable

3. Get a clean work surface or board, and a rolling pin. Choose a selection of pastry cutters, these can be letters, shapes…anything you want! These can be bought from cookery shops, supermarkets etc. Roll out the dough until it is the desired thickness (don’t make it too thin) and start cutting out the shapes. If you want them to be hanging decorations, then remember to put a hole in the shape using a skewer or pencil

4. Pop the shapes on a plate that has been covered in grease proof paper, and put them in the microwave. Cook on full power for approximately 2 and a half minutes. If you take them out and they are doughy still, put them in for  a bit longer. Watch that they don’t burn!

5. Now leave them to cool

6. Once fully cooled, you can paint and decorate them. You can use any type of paint, preferably poster paint or acrylic. Also, glitter is a great way to jazz them up. Just have fun!

 

An Image a Day

Something a little bit different today…

I am not sure who this is a picture of, I just happened to come across it. It’s quite inspiring for both the pose the woman is positioned in, and for the dress she is wearing.

I am not normally a fan of all this PVC and dominatrix style design, but this is different; it is subtle and feminine. I love how if you crop the image and look at her face she looks like a 1950s housewife, then you see the image from her neck down and it tells an entirely different story. This is an interesting approach to take in design, to mix two opposing and contrasting themes together to create something that challenges the viewer, as well as the wearer.

An Image a Day

Drumroll please…

Another photoshoot on a bike! Something deeply inspiring in them?! Who knows, but what I love about this photo is how carefree and relaxed, yet elegant, Jennifer looks.  And this is what I like to create in my designs – relxed elegance. The black outfit is chic and timeless, and the expression on her face sends out vibes of happiness and fun. It makes me want to go cycling, although maybe not in flip flops…that spells danger to me!! Viva Miss Aniston.

Nixxi – fashion with a conscience

I just discovered Nixxi, a fabulous fashion label whose clothes are uber cool and glamourous, as well as being sustainably produced. Bravo!

As far as I am aware, Nixxi isn’t (annoyingly) available to buy in the UK…although, trust me, I am looking! It appears to be a Canadian label, and my Mum is travelling over there later on this year, so may have to ask her to bring me some bits back!

Nixxi has been nominated for a ‘Fashion Takes Action’ award, and I hope they do well! The clothes are utterly feminine and gorgeous. Lots of drapery, and floating fabrics. ‘Clean silhouettes in organic textures’ as they put it. I love it. I am a sucker for anything sustainable and ethical, especially if it looks as pretty as these clothes do…

An Image a Day

Today’s image…

This image is fabulous and so strong. The structured lines of the skirt are offset by the drapery of the coat.

An Image a Day

Today my image is…

I love this image of Victoria Beckham, taken by Ellen von Unwerth, with a gorgeous little fluffy puppy. I like how relaxed she is dressed and looks, yet she has styled it up with a fancy, but messy, up do…great weekend casual chic

Anya Hindmarch for Barbour

Hugely successful handbag designer Anya Hindmarch has just launched a range of outerwear for traditional countrywear label Barbour.

The range of outwear is set to bring a new ‘fashion’ crowd to the country persuits brand. The designs are part of the Barbour Autumn Winter 2010 collection which will launch later this year, and is already gaining a huge amoutn of interest from fashion journalists.

The Telegraph reported on the collection, will the following quoted by Anya herself:

“Barbour is an iconic British brand. It is part of my childhood, and the feel and smell of a Barbour waxed jacket is something that evokes home, family and country weekends,” Hinbdmarch said today. “It was fascinating working in the archives, hearing the Barbour stories behind some of the coats, from explorers, military men and heroines.

“It has been fun to add a little Anya Hindmarch style. We have respected the original design but played with the cut, fit and the details. I can’t wait to have mine so I can look less like a “pavement girl” in the country.”

This isn’t the first time the heritage brand has try to seek modern twists on thier classic waxed coats. Back in 2007 designers on the first series of Project Catwalk were asked to design a garment for the brand, in keeping with thier brand ethos, while bringing it more up to date with a ‘fashion’ twist. The winner of the week was congratulated with the company putting the design into production, and availabel for sale through thier stores.

Deborah Walker was the lucky winner, with the winning design shown above.

I look forward to seeing what is to come, although I am still a little uncertain…

Britney Spears Releases Untouched Photographs

The Daily Mail yesterday released images of Britney Spears, untouched, from her photoshoot with American brand ‘Candie’s’

I think this is such a brave and courageous move from Britney, and I congratulate her on it. Finally, someone is speaking out wholeheartedly about the way images in magazines are retouched beyond recognition. Although, saying that, there have been a few minor changes, but her face has remained virtually untouched. It is so refreshing to see the extent to which these images are altered to make us, the naive public, realise that people don’t look like they do in magazines in day to day life.

I think Britney looks fab before the retouching. So she has a few bruises on her leg…who cares? Who doesn’t have bruises (mine are from sheer clumsiness!)?!

Well done Britney…I hope this leads to a wave of other celebrities releasing similar images.