Staple - Umbro visor

Vive la Fete

OK, so I survived Reading Festival; just. Unfortunately the seagull didn't, nor did my wallet or phone, or my lovely pacamac-cum-bag. However, out of all the things I've taken to festivals this year, one has been useful come rain or shine, this visor. It's an Umbro diffusion product, from the milliner Philip Treacy, the man who designed hats for the fabulous Isabella Blow (RIP). Not only was it useful for keeping water/beer from my glasses, but it also allowed my head to breathe and there have been days when it hasnt been removed, in fact I think it was the last thing I took off before sexytime...or maybe that was my glasses. Anyway, festivals are about balancing practicalities with luxuries, Clinique with Carling, Umbro with Umbrellas, Tents with beautfiul T-Shirts. And of course seeing some fucking fabulous music, and having an unfeasibly good time with your mates. But when they're over, the fundown begins; every year after Reading, I have some quiet time with some favourite music and have a moment of sadness that the festivals (and this year there were 8), and the summer is over. And althought this is true, everything else still remains, it's just that wearing a gold visor around town is a little less acceptable when you're on your way to work Ah well, it'll still be here next year, along with those other luxuries. Next year, on the inspiration of the girls camped next to me, I'm taking a plastic bowl to fill with water - there was nothing more refreshing all weekend than dunking my head in some cool, clear liquid. The luxuries don't have to be luxurious, just useful; it's all about balance. With that in mind, here are this week's staples:
A gold visor
Hot English boys
Prescription Sunglasses (yes again, they're just so useful)
Manuka Honey
Reusable carrier bags for the supermarket
Poppers
Stealing vodka from a festival bar

The Staple - Resin Seagull

Festivalis Digitalis

You know that rubbish you buy just because it seems like a good idea at the time and you're a bit drunk/high? Well, I love doing that. Just finding some improbable item somewhere is one thing I am actually good at (perhaps I should add it to my CV?) and last week was no exception. French supermarkets (in case you've not had the pleasure) are often stocked with such gems. So the combination of France and a tiny festival with supremely good acts (www.laroutedurock.com) meant that we spent a good couple of hours in total in the hypermarche, where I bought a resin model of a seagull. Which I instantly became attached to. Hash EwaWoowa - as he became known - was an event in himself. He was thrown at people's faces whilst being tied to a piece of elastic; became an amusing prop when a real seagull stole someone's lunch from a bar; got into a dogfight with a toy poodle in a nappy and tragicaly lost most of his legs, and nearly took a dive into the channel on the return trip. It's rubbish like this that makes festivals, and indeed life, worth living. That novelty item, the one that you discover and create a story around can often be the best reminders of temps bien perdu; embrace them when you find them, as they provide much better memories than a million filed digital photos. This week's staples are:
Justice's album '+'
Spanish dessert wine as an aperitif
Pref magazine
Mauve canvas shoes
The Yorkshire Grey pub in Fitzrovia
Reading Festival
Hot French boys

The Staple - Jil Sander

Fraudband

So I'm in my kitchen 'jacking' wifi broadband working out whether to sit on a camping chair or stand. I'll stand. It seems appropriate - and I have the Long arms of the Law on my side. So this blog thing is going to be stuff to do, stuff we like, stuff we think is essential, culled only from the finest of sources. And it all starts with shoes.
Good work shoes will get you as far as you can go in life; everything you need to know about a person is in their shoes, particularly the ones they wear for work. My shoes - Jil Sander 'shovel toe' plain black nappa lace-ups, in the most elegant shape i could find, make me uber happy whenever I put them on. I've just buffed them to a gleaming shine, using Kiwi products which I've been using since I was a bairn. When you're in work tomorrow, or on the bus or wherever, take a look at your deskmates' shoes and note how they reflect the person; functional people go for Clarks; young trendy 'metrosexuals' (YES, they still exist, I used to live with one - bootcut stonewash denim?) wear pointy faux-brogues from Topman, or worse, River Island. Your boss probably has some classics from Church's, John Lobb, or if he isn't quite so top spec, Marks'. This does really only apply to work shoes; leisure shoes are an entirely different area - much more colourful and fraught with peril. Shoes people; keep an eye out, and do try and remember that other people are doing the same.
This week's staples are:
Field Day Festival in Victoria Park, East London
A chocolate orange brownie from Leon
An item of animal print
A Razmopolitan cocktail
Camino in King's Cross
Chromeo
Sunglasses with metal frames - no fluoro plastic allowed.