Month: August 2024

Naomi In Fashion Exhibition at the V & A

On By samanthaIn GOING OUTLeave a comment

Naomi Campbell is possibly the most iconic and super of the super models. I saw her speaking on Sky News about a new exhibition dedicated to her career showing at The Victoria and Albert Museum, until 6th April 2025. I immediately booked tickets for myself and a friend to go. I could not get tickets for the recent Gabrielle Chanel exhibition and did not want to miss out again. I am not a member of the V & A so the cost was £18 each which includes a small donation to the museum. The easiest way to get to the V & A is by tube, if you get off at South Kensington station there is a tunnel that leads you directly to the door.

London born Campbell was discovered while out shopping in Covent Garden as a teenager. She appeared on the cover of the UK edition of Elle magazine just before she turned sixteen. Her equally gorgeous mother, Valerie, accompanied her to shoots much of the time. Campbell was the was the first black model to appear on the cover of many publications including Time magazine. In doing so she paved the way for those black models that followed her. She has been an outspoken advocate for inclusivity and diversity in the fashion world.

Campbell is know for her beauty but also for her bad temper. Years ago, I saw her appear as a guest on the talk show of American model Tyra Banks where Banks accused Campbell of trying to sabotage her career when she was starting out. In 2007 she famously was sentenced to community service and anger management classes in New York for throwing her mobile phone at the head of her housekeeper. The spectacular Dolce & Gabbana dress that she wore for the last day of community service forms part of the exhibition. Not everyone’s choice of outfit for picking up litter but Campbell knew the paparazzi would be out and the result was some iconic photographs.

The V & A is a wonderful place to visit at any time and there is nowhere like London on a sunny day. We arrived a little early and sat on the terrace with coffee and a oat muffin. There is a pond where children were playing in their swimming costumes. Local parents seem to use this space like a park and why not? You don’t have to pay to access this area. It made me want to move to this part of London, if only I could afford it.

The exhibition itself is packed with beautiful things to see. Campbell looks like a goddess in every singe photograph. She is absolutely flawless and seems to radiate a powerful presence. The exhibition incudes photographs of her with Nelson Mandela taken from her personal collection. There are exquisite gowns and accessories galore. You can see the Vivienne Westwood Anglomania shoes that caused Campbell to topple over on the runway and a chic lavender Chanel suit she wore in 1994. There are many pieces by Azzedine Alaïa with whom Campbell was particularly close. Iconic pieces by Yves San Laurent, Versace, John Galliano, Valentino and Alexander McQueen also feature. There is no one in the fashion world that she has not worked with. There is also a 360 screen displaying some of her most famous shots and another screen of her dancing. A short film of Campbell giving instructions on perfecting her signature runway walk was keeping a small boy entertained when we went. If you have any interest in fashion then this exhibition is a must see.

We exited the V & A to see hundreds of “Swifties” queuing up for the Taylor Swift Songbird Trail. The sun was still out and we walked to Knightsbridge for a mooch around Harrods. So many beautiful things to admire including a whole wall of brightly coloured Dior Lady handbags. Just window shopping for us. We then headed to Harvey Nichols where we had lunch in their cafe. I had a cheese salad sandwich and a pineapple juice which cost an eyewatering £27.

What an honour for a living person to have an entire exhibition at the V & A dedicated to their life and career. Now fifty four, Campbell has recently become the mother to two children and, understandably, her modelling career is not as full-on as it once was, she has nothing left to prove. She is still otherworldly beautiful though and her place in fashion history is guaranteed.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Samsonite Flux Suitcase & Longchamp Le Pilage Tote Bag: A Review

On By samanthaIn SHOPPINGLeave a comment

For my recent trip to Florence I decided I needed some new luggage, our larger suitcases were looking a little bit tatty. Whenever somebody in my family is going on a short trip they always take the communal Samsonite small suitcase. As it seems to have held up well I decided to by another Samsonite in a larger size. Amazon were selling a model called Flux and I ordered the medium for around £135. I ordered navy but it is available in black and red as well. I was tempted by the red as it would probably be easier to pick out at the luggage collection point. The case arrived and, initially I was very impressed, it is a good looking piece of luggage. The polypropylene hard shell has a matte finish with a silver strip running along the middle . The case has a two-zip system to make it expandable and it’s own TSA locking system. I thought that perhaps I should have ordered the larger size but the case is a real Tardis and the medium is probably big enough for a fortnight’s holiday for most individuals.

After one short flight I collected the case from the conveyor belt in Italy and was disappointed to see a huge scratch down one side, dents to the shell and the rubber seal was damaged. The baggage handlers probably take little care with people’s belongings but, even so, I thought my new case would wear a little better than that. I really should have returned it but I missed the window and returning big items can be so difficult as I found out when I tried to return a storage heater. The case has gone into the loft and I have made a mental note not to purchase this particular model again. The quality simply isn’t as good as one would expect from a brand like Samsonite. If I had wanted a lesser quality case I could have picked up one for a third of the price. Nevertheless I hope it will withstand more trips even if it already looks a little battered.

The other item I bought was a Longchamp La Pilage tote bag in burgundy. I originally ordered the medium but, when it arrived it was obvious that it was going to be too small to travel with so I exchanged it for a large which cost £120 from John Lewis. The medium size would be great for every day and I am tempted to buy it in navy. A backpack, make up bag and coin pouch are also available in this range in a multitude of colourways. There is also a leather version.

I am delighted with this bag. It is beautifully made with leather trim, it is lightweight and has a zip closure. The only thing I will mention is that the large size is too big to use as a carry on with some airlines if it is fully stuffed. Fortunately, due to the complete absence of any staff at Gatwick airport, nobody checked and, if they had, I could have folded the sides in to make it fit one of those plastic trays. The bag is just one big open compartment with a single internal pocket so you may wish to purchase an organiser, you can find these on Etsy. One nice thing is that it folds down to a tiny size so can be tidily stored away when not in use. There are countless, less expensive, copies of this bag available but this was worth the money, the fabric is beautiful, the zips smooth, it doesn’t slip off the shoulder and the finish looks expensive.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Photos show the interior of the Longchamp Le Pilage tote filled with a paperback, make up bag, sun cream, smaller handbag, medication bag and various other bits and bobs and the damaged seal on the Samsonite Flux suitcase .

Exploring Florence: A 30th Anniversary Celebration Trip

On By samanthaIn GOING OUT2 Comments

Here we are in Italy with a sun hat and a dictionary, from “Lonesome for a place I know” by Everything But The Girl. This is my current earworm. I used Duolingo rather than a dictionary but I did buy a rather nice sun hat from Accessorize for £4,50.

My husband and I celebrated thirty years of marriage last week. Time really does seem to speed up as you get older, when I look in the mirror I am always shocked to see my fifty something self looking back at me. Anyway, I really wanted to go to Venice but my friends warned me against it in August. It will smell, they said and be impossibly crowded. So, instead I booked four nights in Florence through Expedia. A friend gave me an official website to book tickets to various museums, gardens and churches, all very reasonably priced I thought. Three outings for two people cost less than £100. Picking up the tickets when we arrived at each location was very simple and I would definitely recommend pre-planning any sightseeing.

Before we talk about Florence can I just give the dump that is Gatwick airport a special mention. We arrived a little early and sat in a cafe where a roaring trade in stolen mobile phones was clearly going on. I do not blame the cafe workers at all for not intervening but it didn’t make for a very pleasant atmosphere. A woman in fluffy sliders and a “Juicy” tracksuit kept coming over and handing off more phones to three lurking men. We were flying with Vueling, the assistant helping people with the self-check-in was incredibly impatient and made a poor job of putting the bar code sticker onto my case, it went around the corner. There are no actual human beings to put your case onto the conveyor belt and weigh it, you do it yourself. Predictably, the machine could not read the bar code on my sticker and it was rejected. I was sent to the “ground services” desk where half the world’s population appeared to be queuing. It was impossible to see whether there were several queues or one big, smelly huddle and I began to feel a bit stressed. My husband suggested we try the automated conveyor belt one more time and, thank God, my case was accepted.

I only wanted to buy some Estee Lauder lip gloss in duty free but, according the the Sales Assistant, Estee Lauder don’t make lip gloss, so I gave up and bought two books from WH Smith, both thrillers that I chose in a hurry. One, The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas, was a real page-turner and I will write a little review soon.

The flight was two and a half hours and then we arrived at Florence airport where, thankfully, my suitcase was waiting for me. We got a taxi to the city centre where we were staying which cost around £35. We stayed at the Hotel Calimala which is brilliantly located. The staff were very welcoming and our room was lovely, particularly the marble bathroom. The hotel has a stunning rooftop bar which is featured in a number of guide books. We went out for a walk around the city and were immediately struck by the evening heat and the beauty of the place. There is a lovely atmosphere with street musicians and performers and endless places to stop and have a drink or bite to eat. Everybody is a little dressed up which is a refreshing change.

Like many tourist destinations, Florence has a problem with aggressive street hawkers who slip a bracelet on your wrist and then tell you to pay an extortionate amount for it. I had heard Heather McDonald, a podcaster, talking about this exact scam just before we left. She had been to Rome and been scammed by people selling fake tickets at The Colosseum. Unfortunately my husband encountered one of these people when he popped out on his own and the man was extremely hostile when my husband politely declined to buy. I gave a woman who came up to us, begging, some coins and she screamed obscenities and threw them back at me. During one meal a man randomly bumped into our table and the restaurant manager came up and explained that he was a thief trying to steal my husband’s backpack. I would advise not walking around with more money or cards than you need for the day and leave your passport in a safe somewhere if you can.

On our first morning we visited Boboli Gardens. Fortunately I had booked to go in when they opened at 10am. There are a great many steps and it would have been too hot any later in the day. The views are spectacular. Afterwards we had brunch at a little café where the waitress brazenly stole ten euros from us. It was a shame because the food was delicious but we wouldn’t return after that.

There must be a million handbags for sale in Florence. The leather market was a two minute walk from our hotel and there are countless shops all selling much the same thing. Then, of course, there are the luxury stores, Chanel, Prada, a huge Gucci, Celine and branch of YSL where the staff literally stand and sneer at the passers by. I am not much of a shopper, I had a look around the market but there were too many people and I really do not need another handbag. The quality of most of the goods seem to be excellent and they were all reasonably priced. There are also numerous jewellers and inexpensive clothes shops such as H&M and Zara.

The next day we visited the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s statue of David is displayed. The statue is quite breathtaking and much larger than I’d realised. The gallery is very impressive and air conditioned! There is a room with hundreds of marble busts, everywhere you look eyes seem to be watching. Of course, most of the artwork has a very religious theme and so much of it is stunningly beautiful, so much gold leaf. Despite being August, entry is managed so that there aren’t too many people in the gallery at any one time.

On our last day we visited Santa Croce The tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli are inside this magnificent church. If you plan on visiting remember that it is a place of worship and dress accordingly. If you wear a vest top and shorts they won’t admit you. Knees and shoulders have to be covered. Although I usually enjoy looking around churches, it was so stuffy and hot inside that I am afraid we did not stay very long.

We were not overly impressed with the food in Florence. It was nice but nothing special, we probably just went to the wrong restaurants. We went for a pizza one evening, my husband I chose different dishes but they were both too salty to eat. I had a lasagne another evening that could have come from Marks and Spencer. We went to a cute little café one morning but the waitress told us, at 9am, that we were too late for breakfast. I had a dry croissant, or cornetto, instead. I got the impression that some of the hospitability staff aren’t overly fond of the tourists.

One thing to mention is that, if you tire easily, Florence may not be the best city for you to visit, especially during the height of summer. Unless you are eating /drinking at a bar or café there is absolutely nowhere to sit and rest. There ae no benches where you can take a breather and enjoy a gelato. The best you can hope for is to perch on a low wall or even a doorstep.

Florence is a stunningly beautiful city packed full of gorgeous architecture and history. If you enjoy shopping you will not be disappointed. I hope to visit again, maybe in June or September next time when it will be a little cooler. It would be a great location for a girls trip. Everything is within walking distance and I loved the lively, bustling atmosphere.

Grazie per aver letto

Samantha