New York, New York

Shooting in NY for the past week...utterly exhausted but still managed to find time for drinks and dinner with the fabulous Tobi and Kike of Style By Queens last night. Cocktails at the rooftop bar of my hotel, The Hudson, then Italian food downtown where I basically fell asleep head first into a bowl of ravioli. Tired but so happy - can't wait to share all my pictures with you! In the meantime, here are a few from last night, courtesy of Tobi...



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I'm not a feminist...am I?

"I wouldn't have started Playboy if I was afraid of controversy - I think controversy is the way you change things." - Hugh Hefner

The Playboy Club opened in London last weekend. I won't lie, I'm a bit gutted I didn't get to go - I think my long-standing dedication to Girls of The Playboy Mansion should've granted me at least one overpriced cocktail in The Cottontail Lounge before they threw me out on my long, furry ear. Anyway, as I understand it, there was a flurry of feminists outside, gathered in protest. I'll admit that I've never really delved into what feminism means to me before, much preferring the general, shruggy manifesto of "I think I'm empowered, therefore I am empowered." I've never read The Second Sex, or The Feminine Mystique, and just thought of Germaine Greer as quite a cool old lady who I ran into once in the toilets at Victoria station. Not the best place to grill someone on the ins and outs of feminist theory. But having considered it a lot recently, I think my singular belief in personal empowerment can only go so far. After all, I'm only one individual - I still have to reside in a wider society that may have a differing reality to my personal one.

I work in an industry dominated by women, I've never gone up against a man in an interview, I would even go so far as to say my sex is crucial to the work I do. Sexism in the workplace just isn't an issue for me; the glass ceiling that may effect my friends is not really something a girl in fashion ponders. Having said that, who's at the very top of the game? Philip Green, Charles Townsend; even Natalie Massenet now has to answer to the suited Messrs. of Richemont. Coincidence? Inequality? Out and out gender discrimination? I have no idea anymore. And if this all seems a pretty basic argument, it's because I'm still getting to grips with the rudiments of my beliefs, after having been a fan of Playboy for so long.

I love Hef, only seeing him as a sanitised, cuddly Uncle figure that isn't really having sex with untold blondes night after night…is he? Regardless of what I think of that and his pioneering of society from prim and starchy to sexualised and free, his civil rights activism deserves the utmost respect. After watching the above documentary, I realised there's a stark, almost jarring, duality to Hef, just like there's a duality to most people and just like there's a duality to what Playboy has meant for society. He's charming, intelligent, captivating, perverted (yes, a little - some might say a lot), and as old-fashioned as he is forward-thinking. He fought for racial equality, freedom of speech, pro-choice and the anti-war movement. He published blacklisted writers, pieces challenging homophobia, opened the doors of his nightclubs to both black and white patrons - unthinkable in those days. He created an iconic, revolutionary brand, without which the world would never be the same.

It's hard to tally all this with the chauvinist monster he's painted as. He began Playboy in the 50s when times were very different - is it realistic to expect him to pack up and go home when he's still heading up a successful brand? Or to change his ideology at 85? Perhaps the damage is done anyway. Like The Boy asked me last night, can a man go to a club like that, then flick a switch the next day and see women as complete equals in the office? Certainly not all men. So does the Playboy club just make things worse for how seriously women are taken in general? *Wave of massively late realisation*. Yes. Yes it does. Hef paved the way for women to express their sexuality but objectified them in the same breath. He opened the floodgates for sexual female empowerment but couldn't stop, or even predict, the tidalwave of change it brought about. And just as contradictory as he seems, as am I. I like the fact that women can dress a certain way and get a reaction from men. I like that I have the choice between dressing as a bunny, or in a burka; that I can serve drinks dressed in a corset, or serve a summons dressed in a suit. I have no idea where this places me on the '4th wave of feminism' spectrum, (no doubt somewhere at the bottom along with my old pals, hair extensions and pouting), but it can never be a bad thing that I'm now considering where I stand. And if I go out tonight wearing a crotch-skimming skirt, at least I'll be thinking about what my choice to wear it actually means; for me, and for society.

Where To Wear...Portofino

All this mighty fine weather we're having is making me yearn for swimwear, sailing and a see and be seen at the seaside kind of thing. The Boy and I are discussing the merits of Capri vs Portofino at the moment. If the latter wins, this is what I'll be wearing there in my dreams at the yacht club and the like. God, I'm so Team Euro it hurts.

1. Some light jet-set reading: Greek Fire: The Story of Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis - Amazon

2. To clash perfectly with my Pucci two-piece: Missoni beach towel - Amara Home

3. To channel Talitha Getty: Turban - River Island

4. No self-respecting Euro's luggage is complete without one! Emilio Pucci bikini - Net-a-porter.com

5. Tom Ford is always right: Neroli Portofino fragrance

6. Oversized enough to carry all my smugness: Beach bag - Marks and Spencer

7. The perfect coverup: Mara Hoffman kaftan - Net-a-porter.com

8. To be worn with 15. Chanel Mimosa on my toes: Flat sandals - French Connection at ASOS

9. Wowzers: Sho Clementia ring - Kabiri

10. To make outfit judging people watching so much more discreet: Karen Walker sunglasses - Gargyle

11. Subtlety is key in the Med: Oversized YSL cuff - Matches

12. Chic, chic, chic: Max Azria playsuit - Net-a-porter.com

13. Good old ASOS: Red suede clutch - ASOS

14. Love how fresh silver and nude look together now: Snakeskin-effect heels - Zara

15. Gorgeous with a tan: Chanel Mimosa

Brit Chicks

So the world’s in love with Pippa Middleton. She of the unsuitably-sexy maid of honour dress and impossibly pert bottom. Her appeal is obvious; a girl-next-door vibe mingled with a dirty looking grin and an array of faultless, if a little vanilla, ensembles. This winning combination has meant her style symbol stock is up. But is she ready to join the ranks of the iconic British fashion hall of fame? We don’t let just anyone in to that hallowed sphere, you know. Here are a few who have made it…

Kate Moss

Bar the top hat and the kilt, Mossy is probably our most famous style export. Hailing, ironically, from Croydon, a fashion wasteland in South London, Kate’s perfectly-pitched nonchalance and constant post-party appearance is exactly what makes her such an endearingly British icon. All snake-hipped skinny jeans and vintage cover-ups, she is the epitome of that casual, dishevelled chic that we Brits adore. Let’s face it, blow dries and LA perma-tans will never be our thing. Give us smudged eyeliner and a girl who looks like she can hold her drink and we’re sold.

Alexa Chung

Poster girl for preppy androgyny, Alexa’s quirky styling has launched a thousand imitations, all gadding about East London and cutting their own hair. Starting off as a model (always helps), Alexa’s style has evolved into a plethora of cutesy, borderline-kitsch babydoll dresses, shrunken blazers, ankle socks and Church’s brogues - an iconic English finishing touch that is shorthand for cool. She even has a Mulberry bag named after her. She’s definitely a permanent member of the club, now.

Victoria Beckham

Now, Posh is a bit of an anomaly in this here hall. She’s still much-derided. She’s still a WAG (albeit Queen WAG). She’s not as innately stylish as the rest. But she’s definitely in here, perhaps more through sheer perseverance than anything else. Her rubber catsuit-wearing Spice Girl days are long behind her and she now does quite a nice line in premium denim, dinner plate sunnies and overpriced handbags. She’s also proving herself to be a more than competent designer of beautifully tailored dresses; indeed, her label now has a considerable celebrity following. She also owns about 90 Birkin bags which, in all honesty, is reason enough to be in here anyway. Who cares if her and David once did his ‘n’ hers denim? Water under the bridge.

Originally pubished for Lyst

A Stella Summer

OK, so there might be a distinct lack of Stella in the below ensemble, but her spring/ summer spirit is there in abundance. See the clean lines and 70s mum denim? That's all Ms McCartney's influence. With a bit of Pheobe Philo thrown in for good measure. Who needs colour blocking?

I'm wearing: T-shirt: COS, Skirt: Marks & Spencer, Wedges: Topshop, Bag: French Connection