Welcome to Dulwich, MadC!

Here's a new addition to the street art of Dulwich - by MadC - to be found at the crossroads where pub meets library, and bank meets florists, at the top end of Lordship Lane. The recently-finished mural prompted closer inspection (and a photo opportunity). I'm wearing my favourite new combats, authentically Desert Storm indeed with their own NATO number (and a bargain to boot from Frank the Stylist), together with a leather Banana Republic jacket and a shaggy waistcoat from Sugar. The snakeskin boots are by Pura López whilst the sunnies, in the same style zone as Iris Apfel, are French by Francois Pinton, from south London's Paraphernalia. My turquoise jewellery is from Jessica Walker.
The new piece of street art replaces another called Tea with a Bee, created as part of Baroque the Streets, a collaboration between Dulwich Festival and Street Art London. It, along with a number of other works, put Dulwich firmly on the map for street art, back in May 2013. MadC's work also appeared then, most notably in The Street Art House, formerly at 265 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich.

Electric Prisms and Coloured Rhythms

... are titles of works by the multi-talented Sonia Delaunay, whose career spanned much of the 20th century. She was a pioneer of paint; a mistress of the applied arts; and ace collaborator with some of the most progressive poets and choreographers of her day - and she was crazy about clothes! This first UK retrospective at Tate Modern has warranted several visits and I shall probably return for one more helping of Delaunay before the exhibition closes on August 9. On this particular visit, I opted for a charming 1920s-style silk shift, but actually a modern piece by Sarah Spencer, in washed sea-green and soft peach, colours which, I think, take their reference from the Bloomsbury Set. My daughter's glamorous gilet, by Lederer, is a jazzy miz of suede and fur, and has abstract patterns cut into it. My trusty canvas bag was bought in Cornwall and the French plimsolls are by Bensimon. A deliciously decadent string of milky-white beads, punctuated by a jade flower, and a pink quartz ring and bracelet, are by my jeweller of choice, Jessica Walker.

Quaglino's

Where to go for a celebratory supper? Quaglino's, of course, which positively pulsates with glamour. Secreted away in St James', at 16 Bury Street, the sweeping staircase to the restaurant is like descending the stairs of a great ocean liner, albeit one anchored in Mayfair. For the occasion, there was only one dress to wear: a mid-century satin number weighed down with beads and pearls. A hand-made piece, purchased in Pimlico's Cornucopia (long-gone but one of my very favourite shopping haunts), this gown never fails to make me feel that I'm "Puttin' On the Ritz" - coincidentally just around the corner. Worn with brown satin heels, a deep-red vintage fur, and a statement pearl ring from Jessica Walker, plus a perfect dining companion (my daughter), in an Isabel Marant for H&M metallic dress. 

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is always good for a stroll through its magnificent Turbine Hall: Richard Tuttle's 'I Don't Know'. The Weave of Textile Language is the largest installation by this renowned American sculptor, and the newly commissioned piece thoroughly suits the space. Its arrival coincides with a retrospective of the artist's work at the Whitechapel Gallery. I couldn't resist the chrome yellow walls on the second floor - a sharp contrast to all the black and white I'm wearing - top by Jesiré with sequinned collar and cuffs; Italian trousers by Massimo Rebecchi, with more sequins; and silk sling-backs by Dolce & Gabbana. The vintage fur is from the '70s and the velvet bag, with cane handle, is even older. Up on the second floor at Tate Modern, a retrospective, Alibis: Sigmar Polke 1963-2010 highlights the work of one of the most radical and original artists of the past 50 years, who used an unlikely array of materials and media to work with - from soot and bubble wrap, to potatoes and python, as well as ground dust from a Chilean meteor! This true astronaut of the experimental was also given to wearing his own art - note the image at the entrance to the show - of Polke draped in a litany of archaic German insults called: 'The Large Cloth of Abuse'.

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