DID YOU MISS ME?

Hey Everyone!

It has been ages since I've blogged here - but for a gazillion reasons I haven't had the time [or the tools - my laptop at home is getting old] to keep you up to date with my high octane fashion life. *GUFFAW*. But maybe by the end of this blog I will have had the chance to convice you otherwise?!

So - OMG - I was in Paris for a week with my other job [of course my real job is at Maison B but I don't actually do anything at the moment] on the stand for KH. The hotel was on rue Madame in the 6th and there were two A.P.C. shops within walking distance. I stalked them both but realised the A.P.C. Pippa buys is the stuff I like best anyway. I did become good friends with cute French shopguy Oliver. My gaydar wasn't working too well - I couldn't work it out...

Here are my three best friends in Paris. DJ "LOVE" Koyote (one half of Diamond Grills), Mathieu Berenholc (Editor of VICE France) and DJ "Peace" Goon (the other half of Diamond Grills). We had dinner at a faboulous restaurant called Hotel du Nord by the canal not far from Republique. I didn't take any pictures though of the food. I was too tired.
A self portrait:

No not really, but that is how I was feeling at the end of it all. Super tired from speaking in Frenglish the whole week, long days early starts and finding out my ex has a new girlfriend. Blurgh.

Here is a little picture of a massive necklace I bought for myself in Paris. It is Bijoux de Sophie - an the first I heard of this was from Sascha Knight who designs Hyde SK. She had the most incredible black skull ring! I was super thrilled to find a shop in Paris that sells it.

After my Parisian jaunt then it was down to the lawn at London Fashion Week to do the same thing all over again. This time we had Kesh from the Coconut Twins on our stand modelling the collection.

Every time there was a TV crew around, Kesh had to stand in the background and look amazing. I'm so immature though I was trying my hardest to crack her up by pulling faces and throwing signs at her.

In other news, there is a photo of ME - well more to the point, my crotch - in the new Boom Box book that just came out which KH took some pictures for. Here is KH and I in a more serious moment doing some hard work on the stand.
Here folks, take a closer look:

And no Max, that isn't how I look up my dress - it is just the GUSSET OF MY TIGHTS.

Anyway - just in case you ever doubted that cakes were ever in fashion, here is my picture of the shop window at Harvey Nichols celebrating London Fashion Week and their food hall:

Not quite as amazing as a cake of Ladurée but more than appealing never the less.

Speaking of Ladurée - caramel and salted butter flavour in town (weird but amazing) and two newish boxes: Yellow with ladybirds and daisies or black and a million cakes all over it. You decide the one you prefer - either way you can't go wrong [maybe theblack one is better cause it fits more in?)

xx Emma

SUMMER SORE THROAT

Praise the Lord that Summerish weather is finally here! I've been able to wear my Jessica Ogden / APC Madras without a white cotton vest underneath and flounce about in all my vintage cotton party dresses without a tower of knitwear on top as well. Sadly however, I've been working too hard [9 days straight] and ended up in bed this morning with a throat of FIRE. But there is always a plus side - time to blog!

The last 9 days have had some party time in between. One of the girls at Katharine Hamnett is leaving on maternity leave so we had a big dinner at Julie's to celebrate the exciting times ahead for her. We decided we all have to turn up with mad hair cause Jo has the craziest hair of all.

Katharine Hamnett was able to live her Amy Winehouse hair obsession for one night only.
I was sad when we brushed it out the next day. I loved it.
N.B. I have to say I drank far to many French 75 Champagne cocktails that night and had dry mouth the whole of the next day and it was tough going reconciling bank statements AND answering the Katharine Hamnett phones. Particularly as I had been drinking the same cocktails the night before at the Hawksmoor.

I found a gang of old photos too:

Paul found these old nudie pics when he was still living in Chicago. I think they are so beautiful - there are three or four of them all together all as lovely as this. And I can't help but look at her and think that is Madonna wasn't a pop star, she might just look like this.

And do you recognise anyone here?:

This is from when Pippa came to Hamburg in 2003 with me and did two shows, one at the Golden Pudel and another on the MS Stubnitz. The boys were still little babies I think! Of course, they were not dancing around in the background, they were safely at home. I have to say, Pippa looks about 19 in this picture.

I wish I had got to go to the last party of Paul Gorman's Pippa was performing at - I will have to get all the gossip off her on Saturday when I see her next. I am also looking forward to all the new stuff coming into Maison B for Autumn/Winter - I had a mini snoop in Selfridges at the SONIA stuff but didn't buy anything cause I know that Maison B prices are always a bit cheaper, and Pippa and Max always get madder stuff. And I'm DYING for the A.P.C. on it's way. And of course all that means is we are gonna be making some more videos and doing more shoots to show you all the new stuff - which has got to be the best fun of ALL!

xx Emma

I lost the will to blog....

....for a couple of weeks there. How British of me to be so affected by the weather but sad to say I was. I felt like Chicken Licken waiting for the doom-laden sky to fall on my head!

I think I'm over it now...which is why it's always important to remember....

Reasons to be cheerful:

1. We now do bespoke name-necklaces! And I've already got one!!! Here's mine....they can be custom-made to suit the personality of the wearer, so instead of an "o" you could have a flower or a mother-of-pearl heart for instance, or as I did, a little shard of coral (one of my favourite colours in the world, especially when it's a YSL lipstick!) instead of an "i" or a star for an "a", in fact whatever the hell you want! We've done a Mel with a star for an "e"! The idea is to mix the gold and silver theme up too, so the letters only come in silver but you can have on a gold, silver or oxidised silver chain if you wanted to go a bit goth....We're taking orders now, a silver chain name necklace will set you back £69 and a gold on £89, half up-front please and half on delivery, allow 2 weeks for them to be made up! Get creative people!


2. Jack, the student studying fashion in Brighton who helps me in the shop sometimes over the summer hols, and I have a mutual obsession with Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City books. I read them when they came out I hate to admit cos that makes me ANCIENT, but anyway, he's just written another one called "Michael Tolliver Lives", and I had mentioned this to Jack and the fact that he had been appearing in various bookshops for readings and signings etc...(Jack's only 20 and I've found myself waxing lyrical about all kinds of counter-culture gays, your John Waters', your Andy Warhols, your Armistead Maupins, like some old friend of Truman Capote's or something...)...anyhoo, there he was wandering through the streets of Brighton and who should be signing that night but Armistead Maupin HIMSELF!!! Long and the short of it is he only got the author to sign a book to me as follows "To Pippa at Maison B" !!!! Made my month!!! I'm trying not to race through it too quickly, to savour it, but I CAN"T!!! All the old friends are there....if you loved the Tales of the City's, it's COMPULSORY reading!!!


3. Emma's husband Paul took part in the shoot for Katharine Hamnett's website which Duke and Joe also popped by for, and although when we arrived late in the day, he looked his usual scrubbed-self, earlier in the day, he'd got a little experimental with a little make-up and edgy styling.....and he sent me a shot!!! How fantastic is this?! Paul love's a garish jacket or a pink trouser, but here it's like he's discovered an alter ego - who sweats glitter and goes out on the town in his smalls!!!! Never send me a pic like this if you don't want it to end up public!!!


4. Duke and Joe did a shoot for i-D!!! A fashion shoot if you please and Henry Holland made special "Hang on a min, that ki-D's a twin!" t shirts for the occasion which they were allowed to keep!!! Look out for the kid's issue in Octber!


5. I get to dj at the next Look Presents...on Thursday night AND Pam Hogg's djing and performing AND Poppy and the Jezebels are playing. You've GOT to get down there, it's like a continental oasis down south, with the best talent, the BEST cocktails and it's once a month. This one's "Girls' Night Out" but boys are also permitted...


6. Two of my best friends, Jonathan and James, got married at the weekend, and we partayed from 10am til the wee hours. So much laughing, dancing and champagne with your favourite people will banish the blues in a second! Great potato salad too!


7. Bev and I have been going to Power Plates! If the image of us two in the nearest thing to workout gear we can pull together out of our decidedly un-casual wardrobes, vibrating with teeth a-chattering doesn't make you break into an involuntary smile then there's no hope for you.......!

Cheerful lists are a very good idea. I've already thought of loads more, I'll save them for another rainy day......

madame x

XMAS SALE SHOP

WHOO HOO!! You ain't gonna believe what we got for YOU!!!

EXACTLY what it says on the tin. Come December 1st, The World According To... will become a Christmas Grotto Sale Shop full of Sparkling Silas Mens and Womens, Kooky Katharine E Hamnett one offs and archive pieces for Men and Women and pieces like garlands from the bottom of Birdie's nest. Great for Christmas pressies or guilty shopping splurges while out shopping for everyone else.
Cash and Cheque only.
If you come down to either store and pick up a flyer, we will add you to the our Friends and Family list. People on our list are automatically invited to the secret sale on the evening of 30 November where friends and family to get first pickings over the one offs and specialty items we have available.
Our regular The World According To... stock is NOT going into the Christmas Grotto Sale Shop but will live over at Shop At Maison Bertaux come December 1st.

Now I know some of you Shop At Maison Bertaux customers still haven't checked out our original The World According To... shop. There are a lot of cool reasons why you should have come to say hello:

The amazing James Jarvis murals on the walls of our stairwell. AWESOME.

The weird stuff you can pick up for yourself or someone else like these Eley Kishimoto and Marjan Pejoski socks and tights

And more spots and stripes than you can poke a stick at.

Looking forward to seeing you all down to pick up your flyer for the Friends and Family sale!!

xx Emma

Mark and Max - done it!!!

Here is Max in a Katharine E Hamnett t-shirt and Mark Powell the night we spoke at Borders for Paul Gorman's The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion book.