Recently, I was lucky enough to get acquainted with ECCO‘s new Sculptured 65 shoe before it hit the stores. I have to be honest here, I was surprised at how much I liked it.

Until now, the only interaction I have had with ECCO as a brand has been when male personal styling clients need assistance with a sportwear look. There was nothing to dislike about the brand or their products, but their style was quite a departure from my platform-filled and dress-heavy closet of doom.

This shoe, however, is not their typical fare. The 65mm heel (hence the 65 in the name) is going to be available in a shoe, boot and bootie style later this month, and will be offered in a variety of colours on both leather and patent leather. It is also the comfiest heel I have worn in years. Based on the comfort level, it surprised me that there was no platform at the front. What the anatomy of the shoe does have – however – is a leather inlay sole covered with the ‘ECCO Comfort FibreSystem’ and a moisture-absorbent circulation system.

I have styled the Sculptured 65 for two different occasions (above):
Dressed down: Black skinny jeans, dipped hem top, and leather jacket.
Dressed up: Printed dress and fringe necklace.

How would you style yours?
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I’ve recently been doing some ‘future planning’ with the wonderful Manfriend and one of the things that most excites me about it is the chance to build our dream home together. Naturally, thinking about it sends me on a complete interior design binge where I scour the internetwebs for hours on end and fill my ‘baskets’ with more retro furniture than I could actually put in a house.

Hipsters of all kinds have been pioneering this retro as a contemporary style for quite some time. For whatever reason, most people enjoy keeping a little piece from a different around them. Be it the tie dye of the 60s, the psychedelic prints of the 70s or the glamour overdose of the 80′s, the fashion and design industries frequently pay beautiful homage to decades past.  Personally, vintage furniture works on two levels; 1) there is something very warm and magical about curating a living space from hundreds of years of archived styles 2) there is no need to ‘keep up’ with the Jones’.

I’ve found that Fashion For Home offer one of the best varieties of ‘vintage feel’ furnishings online, but I also love the idea of finding beautiful and unique pieces in thrift stores. Standout pieces like a moon armchair can add a strong Sixties vibe whilst still holding a certain amount of minimalist contemporary design. That contrast is something that I love as a design aesthetic and something that will quickly dictate a key piece in a room. This chair in particular was designed by Mike To – as a designer, he always seems to create impeccable Asian-influenced designs that work in a variety of spaces: pop-art parlours, minimalist bedrooms…the fibre glass composition even makes this particular piece outdoor friendly.

Be it a moon chair or a chaise lounge, I guarantee the next couple of years will see an influx of retro pieces find their way into our home.

In 1944, this little lifestyle snippit was featured in LIFE Magazine. It is charming and delusional in all the ways that the Forties possibly could be – this was LIFE, after all.

Obviously, a bow on the top of her head means that Ann Mitchell is out to get herself a man (what does that say about Lady Gaga?). A bow worn in back means that Betty Dupree is not interested in men (women, perhaps?). Bow worn on the right side indicated that Becky Brown is deeply in love. Lastly, a bow worn at left is an apparent signal and challenge. It means Betty Chaney is going steady. Vintage jelly bracelets, if you will.

I don’t have an addictive personality, per se, but beauty brands get under my skin extraordinarily easily. Organic beauty brand Melvita has managed to turn me into a total junkie over the past year.

The first product I fell in love with was their Slimming Oil and I have used it for months as my post-shower moisturiser. I have never had a problem maintaining a firm skin tone so I can’t say too much for its slimming properties, but the way it makes my skin look and feel is more than enough. The oil is a mix of hyper-oxygenated olive oil, geranium, scots pine, juniper, hybrid lavender, bellis oils, Amazonian andiroba, and red seaweed. The result of the cocktail is a fresh and long-lasting layer of moisture, skin strength, and anti-inflammatory properties.

In addition to the oil, I have a few new cleansing loves; their micellar water, cleansing milk, and eye makeup remover. The micellar water takes the cake, as the micelles in the liquid trap impurities and act as a 3-in-1 make-up remover, cleanser and toner. A product you would expect to strip the skin on paper, yet is actually enriched with wild rose petal extract and rose floral water, leaving skin moisturised and soft. I wouldn’t say the cleansing milk does quite as good of a job making my skin ‘feel’ clean, but I know that is due to my personal aversion of rose seed milk. For a sensitive or mature-skinned individual I expect this would be a heavenly daily cleanser, but I only use it at the end of the day when I know I can ‘micellar’ my skin in the morning.

For the days you’re feeling smokey or lashtastic, their eye make-up remover is a must. I wear very little eye make-up in the day but I do love mascara, and this formula can take it all off without tugging or irritating my eye area. In fact, because it contains active cornflower water, chamomile and lotus, the eye area is uber-hydrated and soothed after use.

Next up are the either/or products: Their moisturizing rose nectar and hydrating facial gel. If there is one product I am always switching around it is my facial moisturiser, so I know a good’un when I apply one. Both of these formulas moisturises the skin for 24 hours with a whole lot of science and active ingredients that I won’t bore you with, for now (tweet me if you’re interested!) The difference between the formulas lies with the mattifying rice powder in the gel; it makes it more absorbent and therefore better suited as a Summertime moisturiser or an oily skin staple.

The last hero (until I end up in the store, I’m sure): their Argan Oil. I know, I know – you’ve been bombarded by argan oils from Harrods to Poundland. “What’s so special about this one?” The quality. Melvita’s argan oil is fairly traded from the Ounarha woman’s co-operative in Essaouira where the women hand-crush the kernels and extract the oil using a cold-pressing system, making it 100% pure and ethical. The ultimate repair for skin and hair (it rhymed on accident…promise).

Afternoon Tea at Sketch London

If you’re looking for an experiential afternoon tea in London, Sketchis your best bet. Though the downward dog who marks the restaurant on Conduit Street may be quirky, he (she?) is no match for the Wonderland inside.

Though there is an impeccable Gallery that hosts dinner service, the afternoon tea experience is set in a gothic indoor garden at the side. As someone who delights in aesthetic detail, the room was bewitching. Dramatically tall curtains separate the room from the rest of the venue, where the attention to detail drew me in: Victorian wall friezes, a chandelier of twisted branches, rotating mirrors that dance lights around the room….all this, and we haven’t even touched the food yet.

The Manfriend and I took our seats at a quaint corner table which faced a mirror. The ‘hidden’ concept worked fabulously for a date, as you could face the angled mirror and get a perfect view of your dining partner while sitting by their side. Intimate and – like everything, down to the menu being filled with illustrations from the 1902 Sears Roebuck catalogue – fantastically romantic.

After receiving two pots of flowering osmanthus tea, the main attraction made its entrance: three tiers of sweet and savoury culinary delights. The customary English scones were placed on a separate plate alongside a small pot of violet and bubblegum-flavoured marshmallows. Both ‘extras’ were indeed delicious, but only a small victory in a feast consisting of gold leaf-topped salted chocolate caramels, chill-sauced goat’s cheese, an incredible egg/quail egg/caviar sandwich, yuzu and macadamia tartlets, earl grey macarons, and much more. You could see my tummy smiling.

As a full experience, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The Manfriend, who has an aversion to seafood, would be apprehensive due to the lack of more neutral sandwich options. That is, of course, personal taste.

Oddly enough, I have to mention the bathroom before wrapping up the review. Trying to find it, I thought I was lost in what initially looks like a set from Space Odyssey. In actuality, a unisex room filled with egg-shaped pods and rainbow-hued stained glass is Sketch’s version of a powder room. If anything, it certainly gets points for originality. Much like the entire afternoon.

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