Last week I was invited to Coast‘s flagship store on Oxford Street for a little dress-up session with a small and lovely group of fellow bloggers. In addition to a little make-up and hair refresher (they’re the ones to blame for this month’s Braid Takeover), Coast’s in-store personal stylist Marie pulled us all a selection of beautiful dresses before letting us run around the store to tag – or #hashtag – our favourite items.

While I would happily throw 90% of their stock into my wardrobe, the apple of my eye on the day was their Topaz dress, seen above. Unsurprisingly  I was sold on the chunky crystal embellishments scattered around teardrop cut outs. Quintessential Lela. The heels – their Haniba shoes – were designed by Jean Michel Cazabat and come in real JMC style; all chic and strappy platformed goodness.

Want to get in on the action? Until the 18th, Coast have an online promotion which will get you 25% off any full price items – just use the code ‘Style25‘!

Continue reading…

Excuse me for arriving late to the party but…how awesome is Gangster Squad?

If Ryan Gosling alone wasn’t enough to get you to the theatres, let me spell Gangster Squad out for you; 1940s. Wit. Action. Style. Mobs. Off the book cops. Sean Penn. Josh Brolin. Nick Nolte. Emma Stone…

…in fact, I know Emma Stone’s wardrobe would be reason enough for many of you to get caught up in the film’s slick aesthetic. Playing Gangster Moll Grace Faraday, the redhead epitomised everything I adore about 1940s style.

To ‘Get The Look’…

How-To: Emma Stone’s Gangster Squad Style:
- Hair: Barely changing throughout the entire movie, Grace always has uniformed and glossy curls pinned back to one side. To get the look, I suggest gently combing through No Heat Sock Curls and getting a pretty hairpin to secure one side away from your face.
- Make-up: You want to keep the skin very soft and mattified (best example) and the rest of your make-up as simple as cat-eyed eyeliner and a show-stopping red lipstick (try NARS Jungle Red). Anything else would detract from her simple and classy beauty look.
- Fashion: Royal-toned and floor length gowns rule here. (Options: steal, save for, or splurge).

And hey, while you’re at it, why not take a second to enter to WIN one of 5 blu-ray copies of the Gangster Squad DVD (out May 27th)?! Thanks to the lovely folks at Warner Bros, you are in with an exclusive chance to get your hands on the jam-packed DVD.

To enter you must: Like Lela London on Facebook and follow Lela London on Twitter (receive an extra entry for following Lela London on Bloglovin’!) through the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Competition ends May 28th, 2013.

Instagram (@lelalondon) – left to right, top to bottom:
1. There are some real diamonds in this world.
2. Crown braid. Princess dress. Photo shoot with Coast.
3. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.
4. Florals with friends at Bulgari.
5. Boy in Boxpark. Margaritas in mouths.
6. Last night’s dinner (aka cardiac arrest nom nom nom)
7. My new column, Fash for Thought, has just launched at HungerTV.com. Ch-ch-check it!
8. 3 countries in 3 days. Pooped.
9. Crown braid, I set you free.
10. Food For Thought at HungerTV.com. Prepare your belly for Assiette Anglaise.
11. Sometimes I brush my hair. Today is not one of those days.

As a food writer I often get the impression that people expect me to whip up a culinary delight for myself at each and every meal which takes place outside of a restaurant. The reality is quite the contrary. Throw a massive house move into the mix and you will barely have me touching a kettle, let alone a saucepan.

To stay healthy I do consume a lot of raw food and salad, but these three grocery ‘cheats’ have definitely made their way into my body amidst weeks of organising and packing.

Metcalfe’s Skinny Topcorn
Though I was first introduced to Topcorn at Fashion Week (it is a true backstage staple), I had yet to get the hype over it until trying their brand new Sweet Cinnamon Spice flavour. The 25g packs contain only 117 calories but are packed with enough flavour to satisfy any sweet tooth. Their original Wasabi popcorn has turned into ‘Wasabi Glaze’ – also a tiny bit sweeter – and is equally addictive.

Emmi Caffe Latte
While my beloved coffee machine was still boxed away, I ran out looking for a quick caffeine fix and was rather surprised that Emmi’s ‘skinny’ cafe latte only had 90 calories and tasted like a latte (let’s face it, most store bought latte’s taste like sugar). I have since started using a multitude of their flavours in cocktail mixes – the ultimate cheat – when friends drop in unannounced. Fact: An Emmi latte with Bailey’s is the quickest and most delicious booze-shake around.

itsu Miso Soups
As a judgemental miso consumer, I have fallen tongue over head for itsu’s miso soups. Unlike other miso soup products, both versions – veg and fish – are made from a smooth paste rather than a powder. Nowhere near as salty as their predecessors and shockingly filling for only 44 calories.

Bank Holiday weekends mean nothing to me. As a freelancer/interminable workaholic, public holidays often turn into a marathon of work on my end.

Until, of course, I nab myself a very handsome man with a 9-5. That’s when public holidays turn into excuses for a jam-packed road trip in Europe. The plan? Rental car to Dover, ferry to Calais, Day One in Lille, Day Two in Bruges (Brugge), and Day Three in Ostend (Oostende) before ferrying back to Good Ol’ GB.

It was all kinds of magic. With no real plan to speak of, we relied on the suggestions of our phenomenal AirBnB hosts and fateful wandering around the different cities to dictate each day’s activities.

Highlights included: A gargantuan prix fixe menu at Le Broc fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol and Frenglish, a rather peculiar trip to Historium (resulting in pimp faces, seen below), flicking through Encyclopaedia-sized menus with 400 types of beer, trying to steal ducks on a Bruges canal boat tour, and finally getting my paws on some mussels at Danny’s Brasserie in Ostend before falling asleep and earning myself a Snuggle Tan on the beach.

Continue reading…