Is this the photo that will make you Champagnista famous???

I have decided that instead of writing about the Champagnista Cocktail party that took place last Thursday 4th December 2008, I will instead show you just what a great success it was through the fantastic photos taken by Joana Patterson.

Let me just say, don’t forget to take in the laughter, the alcohol fuelled giggles, the cheesy grins, the yummy canapés, the dapper men, the pretty girls, the fashion movers and shakers, the fashionistas and of cause us.

So enjoy the great mixture and jumble of fabulousness that was our party and just follow the story told by the photos ...and see if you can spot your fabulous self!

By Champagnista M

Champagnista Christmas Party at Maddox, 1st photos

To get a good understanding of the night, look through pictures from bottom upwards...

Statement white suede ankle boots

Striped suit and fedora

GQ boys after-sponsor

Split and beads

Poppy from Poppy Rocks

Emilio de la Morena laughing with girl with extravagant cardigan

Cocktail barmen working on Golden Moscow vodka to make us all happy

David Kohn and girlfriend Margherita Laera

Nathaniel Gam from the British Fashion Council, and girlfriend

Photos by Joanna Patterson, jojpat@hotmail.com

Jo has recently finished a fashion project with River Island and is now working on the illustration of a minimalistic architectural space in the Barbican that she will feminize by using nudes.

A little something from NY

My fabulously fantastic friend that I have known for nearly 8 years has generously decided to contribute to champagnista.com. She will be our little something from across the pond and will keep you all up to date on all the glamour and glitz from the city that never sleeps.

A talented writer with experience to rival any fashion writer she also has her finger on the pulse of what is going on in the exciting world of New York City.

A regular at the must go to Beatrice Inn where she recently spotted Anne Hathaway and at the Waverly Inn where regulars Jon Bon Jovi and Topher Grace hang out, Danielle promises to be our Zagat guide into the hard to get into world of NY society and NY fashion.

So if you want to know the top balls/charities to attend, the best hotels or holiday spots for festive drinks around a fire, how to dress festive in nyc with out being a tourist, and the best holiday shopping places then my advice to you fellow Champagnista's is do not miss this NY fashionista's posts because she is the one you want know when it comes to fresh and enlightening news from across the pond....so lets all give Danielle Lacombe a warm welcome to Champagnista.com.

Champagnista M

SAVE THE DATE (or maybe not)!

Ever wanted to meet the girl from black eyed peas band, well you are in luck baby. Fergie is appearing at Selfridges between the 8th-11th December 2008.

So be sure to make your way to the MAC counter, and who knows you might leave with more than just your MAC viva glam gloss, you might also get an autograph..ohhhhhh ahhhhh right!

Just dont ebay it!

Remember fashionistas, all sales made from Mac viva glam lipstick or gloss go to support people living with AIDS/HIV.

Champagnista M

Champagnista Christmas Party, 4 December 08, Maddox

Today is a special day because yesterday was a very special night, and Champagnista M and I should celebrate.

The Christmas party we organized at Maddox turned out to be as successful as we hoped: we had gorgeous people in the room, who consisted in a nice Art and Fashion mix with designers as hot as Emilio de la Morena and Eliot Frieze for Qasimi and talented artists like 'Flash' Restaurant architect David Kohn and the whole team from trendy international fashion gallery MyFace, but the dynamics was also very interesting because everybody was moving around in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. It is quite unusual and difficult to create the right vibe at a Fashion party: as you know, fashion can be pretty hierarchical, so I am incredibly pleased with the balance we managed to establish yesterday night.

My guess is it had a lot to do with the amount of vodka in the cocktails: you just couldn't feel it, yet it was definitely there.

Consequently, this morning was pretty hungover. The Golden Moscow sponsorship did its job quite well, the Maddox cocktail barmen did theirs even better, and I had quite a few returns this morning saying 'I never realized I was so drunk yesterday, I had such a great time!'. Maddox canapes were delicate and proficient, but apparently not absolutely sufficient.

However, I was in a bad baby blues mode myself, crying all over the place like a baby... 4 hours of sleep per night for the last 10 days, an impossible crush and a 2 week cold you can't shake off, this is the recipe for a strong after-party blues.

Another one who had a hard time getting out of bed for her secret samples sale this morning was Poppy, from ethical jewellery label Poppy Rocks, who designed one-off jewels made of semi-precious stones and pure silver for our very favourite guests... Dammit, we so hoped there would be one or two goody bags left, even one would have done the trick, we could have turned the Poppy Rocks necklace as our lucky token and passed it to each other as a sign of good luck, whenever one of us needed some.

Yawnnn... I think seriously time to go to bed now... Pictures by Joanna Patterson to come very soon.

Champagnista V

The London Accessory Sale - 4 to 8 December 2008

When I am down, I have a few pick-me-up solutions: shopping, cathartic writing (Oh Lord, do you know about this one!), shopping, you tubing 'baby laughing' (this one always works), shopping, and getting drunk on cheap pub wine with my good friend Miss Soho Square, Irish script-writer, an activity which we are expert at and that usually ends up in pretty messy ways (lately chain-smoking and sleeping on a sofa in the office of the production company she works for on Soho square... of the use of baby wipes in the morning!).

And shopping.

Sadly, you-tube is barred from my company's network, so I had to go to extra lengths to find a new internet fix at work. It is easier than you would think though, you just have to look through your spam... The only thing you must remember is, however tempting, do not open the emails, you never know what they might contain! Recently, I have been getting more and more spam emails from... myself. Emails entitled 'make your penis larger' (really?), 'you need casual sex' (that I won't deny!) and today, this one that blew my mind and almost made me break the cardinal opening rule: 'Do you know yourself?'. From me to me, I wondered one second if maybe I had had a schyzophrenic episode without noticing it.

Shopping it was to be this time, because Miss Soho Square is back in Dublin, I am back to a non-drinking try-out (which, you have understood, never lasts more than 48 hours... scary as it is to think I could count my non-drinking days this year on both hands), and my spam messed around with me today.

However, pick-up shopping can be a pretty schizophrenic experience of its own: you want to please yourself and end up struggling to fit your big fat ass in the tightest pair of jeans in the world, jeans that will not close, or will rip if you manage to press this waistband snap button with enough thumb strength. I am not mentioning the revelatory power of fitting rooms, you know as well as I do that the mirror in there will speak to you in a worst tone than the oracle annoucing to Oedipus he would kill his father and spouse his mother.

You will think: the solution if you are depressed, feel fat, and cannot drown your sorrows in wine, is to go shoe-shopping. After all, shoes always fit. No fight with yourself... No fight that is, until you remember that it is the beginning of the month and you are already living on your overdraft.

What is the solution then, do you think to yourself, holding you head in your hands and plunging your home-manucured nails in your temples in dismay. Oh the dangerous dismay of the fashionista who doesn't have money to go shopping! You have to agree, there are not much deeper abysms of anxiety we might reach.

That is when good fashion blogs and good fashion networking becomes indispensable: otherwise you might never hear of secret samples sales. Here is one that you should not miss if you want to go on a jolly and cheering guilt-free accessory shopping spree: The London Accessory Sale, in Chelsea Town Hall on King's Road. It is produced in association with The Secret Sample Sale, it runs from Thursday to Saturday this week, and it is a Gold mine if you have lots of shoes to fill under the Christmas tree... or if you need a pair to add under the tree for Santa's attention.

If this doesn't work out, however desperate, no foolish ex-lover texting: can you just imagine if no answer comes? That would be a total bummer.

http://www.londonaccessorysale.co.uk/

Champagnista V

Following a stern word in my ear from Champagnista V, I must add that I know, I know that I was supposed to report about the British Fashion Awards party the day after the party not a week later, but you must forgive me because it has taken me nearly a week to recover, and only now am I able to recall the evening...

It was one that boasted Giles Deacon at the DJ booth spinning music reminiscent of a 1980’s disco, the British Fashion Awards after party was the place to be for any self respecting fashionista. So I made sure I attended and I took my good friend; model Lara Murphy (the face of Johnny Loves Rosie’s AW08 campaign) with me.

It all started as we exited my friends rather swanky 4X4 and headed towards the door where a queue to enter the venue had already started to form. Looking at the line I confidently walked past the people and headed to the front door, waved at the guy with the clipboard who then swiftly opened up the red velvet rope to allow me and my friend to enter- I expected nothing less!

As we walked down the stairs to the cloak room I bumped into Hannah Marshall, a designer whose career I have been closely following. After exchanging air kisses and small talk, my friend and I continued towards the cloak room where we handed over our heavy winter attire. As I waited for my ticket, the model like coat check girl asked for my finger, looking at her confused I repeated “finger”, she replied “yes madam”. Handing her my well manicured finger she pressed it on some pad and said “thank you”. Shrugging my shoulder I said, “my ticket?” to which she said “there will be no ticket madam, the finger print you gave us will be your ticket and when you return to pick up your coat just hand us your finger”. I though what a fool proof idea, all my drunk friends who constantly loose their ticket will no longer have to stress about where they put that “damn ticket”. Smiling at her in return I grabbed my friend’s hand and headed into the party.



After being handed a glass of champagne, I took in the room. I spotted Luella Bartley walking back forth looking for someone who she seemed unable to find, Matthew Williamson strolling about the party making sure everyone spotted him, Nathaniel Gam the “it boy” socialite from the BFC, Erin O’ Connor looking Amazonian, Henry Holland and Agnes Deyn creating a “too cool for school” vibe around them and the as I turned to try and catch the waiters attention so I can get a refill I bump, literally, into Sophie Ellis Bextor and her beau. Starting to apologise and I also counted my lucky stars that I had really emptied that glass of champagne until there was no drop was left to then accidently spill on the Rimmel girl. Refusing any fuss we started talking.



I met Sophie previously 2 seasons ago at the Vogue Italia party where she looked amazingly stunning and was such a nice person that I wanted to poke her to make sure she was real. Meeting her again my opinion of her did not change. She refused my apologies gracefully and asked who I was. As we conversed I thought “this Rimmel Girl rocks, move over Kate your days are numbered”. Then all of sudden I asked “Can I take a picture of you”, to which she responded “that is no fun, unless we both take a photo together”. Smiling at her answer I literally threw the camera at my friend, and demanded that she snap the photo, and then demanding her to snap a second one in case the first wasn’t to my liking. Then after my pap moment I grabbed yet another glass of bubbly and the party for me truly began… I am sure that at some point in the early hours of the morning when the party started to turn into fashionable heaving mess of people I yelled at the Giles in the DJ booth, “hey you, put on a bit of 80’s Madonna I feel like a jive!”, and believe me when I say I am still trying get over that faux pas!


Champagnista M

Psst/ For those interested the winners were:



Designer of the Year: Luella
Designer Brand: Jimmy Choo
BFC Award for outstanding achievement in Fashion Design: Stephen Jones
Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator: Tim Walker
Swarovski Emerging Talent Award – Accessories: Nicholas Kirkwood
Swarovski Emerging Talent Award – Ready to Wear: Louise Goldin
Menswear Designer: Christopher Bailey for Burberry
Accessory Designer: Rupert Sanderson
Red Carpet Designer: Matthew Williamson
Model: Jourdan Dunn
Bespoke Award: Richard James

The French New Wave

Should it be called the New French New Wave? Not quite as catchy...

It has been one of these days: I am tired, I have silly questions in my head, I have been dragging the same cold on and on for the last 2 weeks (I think my teeth are turning black from the Echinoa elixir I am actually drinking from the bottle without even taking the time to dilute it in water anymore), I have a weird onion after-taste in my mouth although I have eaten only grapes tonight (really couldn't be bothered cooking in the middle of the emotional turmoil I have fallen in), I am trying to concentrate but the only place I can write is in the living room, my flatmates are in watching MI5 and the the very cute one is commenting quite loudly (even squeaking, how on earth did he come up with this sound?!) on the James Bond-type whereabouts...

PMS probably but at this point I just ... want... to... go in the middle of a forest somewhere and scream... AaaaAaAH!


This is a bloody mess I feel like I am stuck in one of these French New Wave movies, like Duras' Moderato Cantabile, where the narrative structure is completely broken into a thousand million pieces and there are slow-downs and forwards and it's all black , white, way too slow and not happening and when it does happen it just explodes in your face with a silent smile before it had the time to start.


You know? The New Wave. And there it goes: see these photos taken by Paolo Roversi for the New York Times: the project is entitled the New French Wave. Black, white, minimalistic, passionate, broken, obscure and introvert and so scary when it comes to the Cassel one but so incredibly revelatory? That's not too far from my mood. Well I am obviously flattering myself because I am in no way a millionth as intense as these people. In these pictures. This is about the point where fashion and psychology meet and tear apart from each other... The brightest darkest of French cinema stars and style icons of this time in Roversi's merciless lens.


Champagnista V