"I always cry at weddings...

...how I love to cry at weddings, I walk into a chapel and get happily hysterical!" in the immortal words of Stubby Kaye! But it's true, I'm a "soggy creep" at weddings! Never been married myself but get me in a church or registry office, a few well chosen words, a look of love and I'm pathetic......especially when it's such a couple of good 'uns like Paul and Caz....

Not only do they look so great together, they're practically perfect in every way! Sarah took these amazing photos.....the weather was photo-perfect, late afternoon autumnal back-lighting is the BEST!

You can see I was moved.....

We had dinner in the French House - which is where they met - and it was beautiful, really intimate and appropriately drunken.....It did rather look like a wartime candlelit dinner! With no conferring, everyone seemed to be dressed in a 1940's-esque manner, lots of three piece suits and braces on the men and beautiful frocks on the women in shades of eau de nil and rose....

Apart from Max in tie-dye of course!!

Beautiful day, wonderful people......Caz n Paul together 4 evah! Love you guys!!!

Madame x

Nice Price

Now I've caught up on my blogbacklog or cured my "blogstipation" as Superduck so charmingly put it, I can finally get around to telling you what a wonderful time was had by all on Wednesday night at Tramp - YES Tramp! - at the Topman launch of Antony Price's "Priceless" range which will be hitting the store this Autumn.

Max and Paul's "Look Presents...." second fashion foray is perfectly timed....I predict there'll be skinny boys in bands stepping out in their best purple suits or their tight Artful Dodger waistcoats anytime soon.....it's always great to see sexy menswear, and all to rare a sight, and lest we forget, Antony was responsible for Brian Ferry's male sex-siren image throughout the seventies. Whenever you see the footage of Roxy Music on Top of the Pops from those days it's astounding how outrageously sexy Ferry still looks. Timeless. Eyeshadow, tight tight pants, tiger jacket and gravity-defying quiff.....endless legs......half-shut eyes as though remembering some earlier liason or just turned on by the music....a real man in great make up is not a look carried off by more than a handful of beauties....Marc Bolan, David Bowie, David Johansson......delicious.

Anyhoo, back to me. I had the HONOUR of wearing an Antony Price Crawford suit to the party. A pinstripe vamp of a suit it is obviously based on the Joan of the same name, has shoulders that could take your eye out and is going to be available on Saville Row later this year. Max is responsible for my Cinderella moment, he put me on the phone to Antony and once he'd been convinced I was going to make "some effort" with the hair and make up and do my best to do him proud he gave in....

Everyone dressed as befits the stomping ground of Joan Collins and Oliver Tobias....

Nahid and Bev scored very high in the babe stakes....

As did Roy and Julien......they went from animated chatter to a sexy smoulder in less than a second!

Lady Bunny caused a photographer's scrum in which Stevie Stewart got trampled, here she is with Antony....

....and Jonjo who was utterly starstruck like I've never seen him before!

Pam was wearing a shiny Hogg Couture number, looking as incredible as always, here with Daryoush - what a couple of stunners!

At the dinner before the party I think we had the best table (obviously the head table with Brian Ferry, Antony, Philip Green and Nicky Haslam came a close second), I spent most of the time cackling with the i-D girls and forking little tastes off their plates...whilst trying to earwig on Andrew Davis's confessional down the other end of the table (I'll never be able to stop calling him Tilly, much to his chagrin I'm sure...)

Paul Gorman was working a new glasses and houndstooth (dogtooth? whattooth?) combo which worked very well and the tailor responsible, Mr Mark Powell was resplendent in pinstripe - mopping my look!

So far so delightful....although when the ladies of the House of Maison B get together it can get a bit rowdy...



Not to mention the boys...Nathaniel quickly forgot his "no smiling in photos" declaration....

Sarah forgot she doesn't smoke....or at least she and Phil started a toothpick smoking game which ran and ran and we all found hi-larious....

I felt very proud of Max for pulling the whole Priceless gig off, he's worked so hard....

Really enjoyed hanging with the girls...

...and the boys....

Ate every scrap of my roast pineapple with coconut ice-cream!

Perhaps overdid it a bit.....

But in the best way.....it's not often I get to see so many of my friends in one place, and for that place to be legendary Tramp, with a slap up meal thrown in, this was one happy Madame......


Wonder if they'll make me an honourary member......think not....

Madame xxx

Little Wonder.....

Today Max and Paul Gorman's T shirt collaboration with Wonder Workshop goes live!!!!



They've worked with John and Molly Dove to re-create some of their classic originals from the 70"s, worn at the time by Marc Bolan, Paul McCartney, Iggy and Robert Plant. So from today you can nip into Top Man or buy one online for your geezer!

The Great Unsaid

Vive le Punk is an intriguing film of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren talking at the retrospective of their work in 1993 at The Horse Hospital. I went to the Horse Hospital on Tuesday night to watch the film with Paul Gorman, Caz Facey and El Vez. Strange to view the piece in the very space it was filmed. You find yourself flicking your eyes from screen to surroundings as Vivienne leans against a pillar, thinking, is that the one? The film is a gem. To have Westwood and McLaren in a room together is a rarity in itself, since apparently they don't communicate any more and hadn't for several years previous to this meeting.



Dressed in similar gentlemen's overcoats and regarding each other with much suspicion it's an incredible study in awkwardness and the unsaid.....Vivienne Westwood spends the first half of the interview smoking, wincing at McLaren's incessant narrative, drinking her way through several glasses of red wine and barely being given the chance for a word in edgwise. Both are incredibly eloquent and brilliantly eccentric and Vivienne gets the last word in an amazing comment the young.....I don't know if there are plans to realease the dvd, it needs considerable cleaning up as there's a lot of irritating background scrapings and fidgeting, but it would be worth doing I reckon.

We had an intelligent discussion following the screening....

....and Paul chose to demonstrate his impressive wink...I'm always impressed with this as my face and mouth have to go into a state of animated shock to coax a wink, but as you can see, Gorman is a natural...

Great to spend time also with the wonderful El Vez, he is the Mexican Elvis impersonator but so much more...check out his En El Barrio video here....

And check out Madame the Giant here....

El Vez is not tiny as this picture suggests, I was just clutching him to my chest to show I like him!!

Madame x

The Measure of a Madame....

Proud I was to be brushing up against the likes of Nick Knight, Claudia Schiffer, Giles Deacon and Jimmy Choo in my cardigan at the launch of The Measure by Louise Clarke on Thursday night.... As I might have mentioned (and might again.....), I was one of the contributers to a cracking book which explores the influence of London as a creative hotbed and dream destination from the point of view of many different voices from the world of fashion. I've been dipping into it and LOVING it! Here I am with editor Louise Clarke who's first book this is and who has become a great friend since she first walked into Maison B about a year ago to ask me if I'd be interested in writing something (would Eva Herzigova wear a push-up bra?!), and Alex...

And here's Paul Gorman who's written a fantastic Soho history for his contribution with Nigel Waymouth of Granny Takes a Trip fame and John Pearse the tailor who of course features in Paul's piece and still has a shop on Meard St from which he kits out your Dennis Hoppers and Mick Jaggers to this day....

The eats and drinks were deeeeelicous, here's Max with a mini mushroom risotto and champagne...

What clever friends I've got, Tania's been working hard getting the Noel Fielding show together for the 13th December upstairs in the Maison Bertaux gallery....mostly it's a breeze but you can see there are stressful moments for all of us...

Check out my flickr for the rest of Sarah Lee's pictures, so hilarious, of Tania and me involved in some mis-en-scene which looks like we're involved in some sort of lesson.....and I'm not taking instruction properly!!
And Stevie Stewart's always doing something amazing but this costume for the Michael Clark Stravinsky project which was based on an Yves Saint Laurent wedding dress rendered me speechless....

Good to see you taking advantage of Madame's festive offer, hope to see you all over the next few weeks.....can't wait for Maison Bertaux to start baking mince pies!!!!

Madame x

Laugh?

Ok, if you don't come to the Lost Society next month you're MAD!!! I don't think I've laughed so much in AGES...just one of those nights where the fun starts and you can't stop until you realise you've laughed yourself onto the floor of the cab on the way home...eh, Sarah?

so if this is how the evening ended, what on earth went on in the lead up to this?

Mr Mark Eley and I nearly got into a scrap behind the decks...can you see the tension brewing? But I love a good battle and really it was only the pina colada talking....

...and there were better things to do like DANCE!!

..even in your Westwood prostitute shoes, the music was too fantastic to sit still!

Especially when I was on the decks!!!!

There reallly is nothing so wonderful as dancing around your handbag in good company to fantastic music, and though it doesn't look like it here, this was a drug-free high-on-life (plus some fine wine...) kind of a night...

In fact, the only thing to do was make like a monkey (sarah's idea...thanks for that..) swing from the beams and get friggin FUGLY!!!! Even with the special effect light effects which Sarah taught me there's no getting away from the fact that this is one of the scariest picture of me that has ever been taken.......mother of two, how proud the boys will be of me one day....

Forgot to mention House of Boing who did a delightful performance using the whole room, twirling in beautiful frocks and generally bring a bit of class to the proceedings......then it was back to this...


Do come down next time...you know you want to! madame xxx

All The P's!

Well the girls' night out at Paul Gorman's Look Presents...at the Lost Society was p-p-p-perfect!!!

Those nights always feel like your friends houseparty with special guests, it's wonderful! Also I had the honour of being billed as one of the special guests as I was djing, so even better!

Here's Paul giving as good as the girls, bare breasts n all, with Caz, me and Pam Hogg:

Poppy and the Jezebels played a fabulous set of their dreamy pop songs, cor they dress really well too!! They look like little Biba models and they've just released a mini-album "Follow me Down" which I would recommend you buy ASAP! Here they are with Pam:

And talking of Pam....The Hoggdoll not only performed some of her dark, rockabilly-tinged songs giving her gold-clad ALL, she then rocked the house with a dj set that ticked all my boxes!!! You've gotta love this woman!

Having planned an early exit due to fatigue I found myself dancing myself dizzy! Mark Eley was a latecomer who made up for it quicksmart and Superduck even shuffled his brogues after threatening a no-show!

Caz is one of the best dancers I know and the way she was shaking her tush I couldn't resist!

Here's Paul and her front:

Max left before the snapping frenzy but as usual played up a storm...hadn't realised he was such a fan of Blank Generation unitl now....enough said about that Mr-Richard Hell never heard of him-Karie!
In fact Mark will be djing at the next one which is the first Thursday in September (the 6th) and All About Eve Babitz are rumoured to be playing so I know you won't want to miss that!

That's about all my news except to say the AW APC has just arrived-you'll love love love it!-and Duke learned to ride without his stabilisers at the weekend....

.....madame xxxxx

Deep breath...........

I always leave it until I've got SO MUCH TO SAY!!! Must post more regularly but where the f*** did April go???!!!! My life is flashing by like a speeded up recap on America's Next Top Model....without any top models!!!!

A week or so ago, Obey took the other shop for a couple of press days and made it look GREAT! When I went down to visit Gordon in between appointments I was so impressed! Made me nostalgic for the old gaff even though I love my new life as resident madame. It was also a great opportunity to look at the A/W Obey again, really looking forward to getting that gear in....

Been putting up bunkbeds in the boys room and unearthed a load of old photo albums and found another Obey shot, this time when Max and I were in Japan, must be at least 8 years ago...!

I think the next pic was taken on the same outing and I thought I'd throw it in to make sure you're concentrating....

Dean Chalkley, rock n roll photographer came to visit the other day, he's shooting a Levi's lookbook and on the lookout for "manly cowboys and vintage-faced girls" between the ages of 20-30 who can give good bombshell and would like to come to a casting tomorrow (4th May)! If you think you've got it going on why don't you email nina1cowan@hotmail.com and shake out your denims and slap on a bit of slap for Levi's!
Here's Dean giving good geezer, he's djing in southend-on-sea on Sunday night and when I've finished writing this I'd better try to sort out a hotel....

Then Mark and Jason drove by...they must have started on the Gumball Rally by now....in the red and blue g wizzes which looked so cute parked next to each other. The traffic wardens just wanted to ask them about the crazy little cars, unusually friendly for once....

My sister Sally and Ben McLaughlin the artist who she met in India and I went for a slightly boozy lunch on Monday at The Boot and Flogger which of course I've written about here before and is one of my favourite old boozers (the old boozers old boozer!) It's perfect for a long lunch actually because they only stay open until about 8pm, being peopled by quite alot of city types, politicians and the like who like their lunches long and liquid but perhaps an early night, probably nodding off during Newsnight... We laughed alot, particularly when Ben did an impression of a nun on iron supplement - you see this is funny because my sister's writing her doctorate on GM foods, particularly rice and one field of research is these nuns in the Philippines who get iron supplemented rice and can be observed I suppose because they don't get out much - anyhoo it was a bit like the Terminator singing "a wil o the wisp, a flibberdigibbit, a clown...." and you probably had to be there..........

Then a spot of "modelling" on Tuesday night (who said my life's not like ANTM?!) at the Cochrane Theatre for Paul Gorman's Clash Culture presentation where the women who designed the stage/street clothes the Clash wore from the late 70's to Combat Rock talked through some of the surviving outfits. Michon and Kolowska read from their diaries written at the time when they were late teens caught up in the Clash mania, sewing outfits right up until the minute before the boys ran out on stage, which was great.

Nathaniel got to wear one of the original t shirts made for the security guards at Clash concerts, this is him getting into character: "Thug Mrs"

Here's Jen from the Priscilla's and the other guys in the very recognisable zippy primary against black outfits..

Then Bernie Rhodes, notorious Clash manager got up on stage to make a "five minute statement" which ran on much longer and veered between moments of hilarious clarity, to a fashion audience primarily "I'm surprised to see you all here, I thought you'd all be at Topshop!" and great glimpses of a heady insane time, to slightly directionless rants about how we're all on the Titanic but he's good friends with Scorcese who wants to document his life....and in many ways we ARE on the Titanic metaphorically speaking.....Anyhoo, he calls himself a Punk Philosopher and he's right enough....

I love those situations when there's a polite yet terrified silence.....time to sink some free booze and sigh with relief afterwards....

Last thing to mention which I'm so excited about it that I've managed to lay my hands on some original 70's t shirt transfers which are amaaaaazing! So if you come and leaf through the file I've got some fantastic ones, these are two of my favourites, both featuring apples, but one with a glamour model pouting within it and the other with the tag "taken" attached. I've got some plain tshirts so you can choose the one you want and I can have it ready in a day or two for collection, or indeed if you have a garment you want the transfer to be put onto we can do that too!!! £39.95 with a t-shirt, £20 without.


I've got more of some than others and it's a case of while stocks last, but do come down and have a look....madame xxx