Croftfest September 2015

The weather was out, and so were we, in celebration of last weekend's Croftfest in south London and all that's best in SE4. Highlighting both home-grown shops and produce in this particular part of London, Croftfest attracted families, shoppers and indeed passers-by to the day-long community street festival on Saturday, and certainly there was a buzz around Crofton Park in the September sunshine.
We were in our element: dressing up in lots of different styles and eras, courtesy of designer and vintage boutique, Paraphernalia, which celebrates its 18th year at 365 Brockley Road this month. I wore a slinky burnt-orange knit dress with divine Fendi bag and Dolce & Gabbana boots; a funky Traffic People metallic jumpsuit reminiscent of Studio 54; a chic navy ensemble; a sophisticated grey and camel outfit complete with Goyard clutch; and a glamorous vintage fur, with the best boots for strutting my stuff. What a great day and a Happy 18th to Paraphernalia! And check out the amazing street art in this neighbourhood!

Belair

There's nothing quite like a bit of Georgian architecture to uplift the spirit and a lovely local example is Belair House: Bar, Dining and Social, at 1 Gallery Road, Dulwich. Putting the long and the short of it together, I opted for a long suede coat and fringed scarf for cover, and my shortest skirt by Paul Smith, with garden florals to suit the bosky surroundings. A dash of red in the Chinese-style Equipment top and favourite Dior lipstick, Dolce Vita, gave me a decent dash of tomato to complement the colours in my '50s Hong Kong clutch, bought this summer at Cliffe Antiques Centre, East Sussex. The charming vintage shoes by Joseph have a distinctly Georgian look whilst the Prada sunnies are decidedly Rococo.
Pop this in your diary: from November 2nd, Belair House will be holding a history exhibition, 'Through the Ages', including funny, happy and interesting memories from local residents.

Dulwich beauties: part 2

A garden with focal points... from the charming Monet-style summer house and bridge with a little pond full of lily-pads, to a magnificent willow as a centre piece, and a pretty gazebo near which a local orchestral played folky tunes to a gathering audience. All in all: a stunning 2 acre garden in the heart of Dulwich, open for one afternoon this month in support of Dulwich Helpline & Southwark Churches Care*. To fit in with the exceptionally green surroundings, I'm wearing my Marimekko print dress, designed by Mika Piirainen, topped with a vintage woolly cardi, a big bright basket (from that collection I keep going on about), Thierry Lasry sunnies, Jessica Walker earrings and some knock-out Paul Smith shoes, which are surprisingly comfy.

*DHSCC provides friendship, practical help and emotional support to isolated older people in the community