feelin' festy

(Written last Sept) As the magic of summer evaporates through progressivley greying sky I think back through my highlights of summer 2010. This year I partook in my first ever camping/festival experience at Benicassim in Spain. I loved the whole thing - the community atmosphere, the heat and of course the music. I had an unbelievable time and saw lots of fantastic performances including: Ray Davies, Skream, Benga, Skratch Perverts, The Temper Trap, Mumford and Sons, Vampire Weekend, Julian Casablancas, The Prodigy, Ian Brown, The Klaxons, The Specials, The Cribs, Gorillaz, Dizzee Rascal, Ellie Goulding, I Blame Coco, The Courteeners, Two Door Cinema Club, Foals. Here are some photos I took whils there. Hearing Ray Davies sing 'Lola' and thousands of people singing my name was a particularly surreal and memorable experience! Ah summer days drifting away...

The Fashion Pack

When it comes to summer holidays, packing a stylish and appropriate suitcase is a true art. Perfect packing is a skill to be honed after years of jet-set practice and probably some spectacular faux-pas'. We have all made generic mistakes such as forgetting the crucial BlackBerry charger or leaving our book on the plane at the crux of the story 10 pages before the end. However when it comes to looking cool in the heat, we urbanites who are accustomed to cold weather can struggle. In terms of beachwear there is a fine and often blurred line between achieving a look that is hot hot hot and hot as hell. There are so many types of holiday which poses an additional problem, from yacht posing in Monaco and St Tropez, raving in Ibiza or Mykonos, looking chavvy chic in Marbella, glamourous in Beirut or boho romantic in Marrakech. The key to sartorial heaven when on holiday is as the old adage says to travel light, especially if you know you will shop like a demon when abroad. The other key factor is to pack appropriately, as in, you might love your studded biker jacket to death but ask yourself if you'll wear it in the humid Caribbean. Similarly if you can't get enough of your spandex jumpsuit but will not wear it during a weekend sojourn to Rome with your boyfriend then DO NOT PACK IT! If in doubt the golden rule is to remember what you need, in other words enough of your favourite bikins, a cardi or wrap for the evenings or heavily air-conditioned venues, dresses, shorts, basic tees and a couple of wedges/heels - pack basic and load up on accessories. Take make-up you know only looks good with a tan, hats and hair-bands you wouldn't normally wear in the city and tons of fun jewellery to brighten up any old sun dress/gladiator sandals combo!