
Miriam Bouteba
Miriam Bouteba is Time Out's former London Senior Staff Writer.
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Miriam Bouteba is Time Out's former London Senior Staff Writer.
London's weather is so unpredictable, so it's good to know that there are spas to help you chill out (or warm up) when needed. If you're sick of the rain, you can relax in the hot tub, sauna or pool and these luxurious hotel spas instead. And while you're at it, why not treat yourself to a massage? London is great for many reasons, but it can be just an eeny-weeny bit exhausting â pause to unwind in one of these ace spas with our cherry-picked list. These lovely London hotels all have their own distinctive on-site spas. So whether you fancy a hammam treatment or a few relaxing lengths in the pool, thereâs a place for you â the perfect respite from all that trekking around those top attractions or the very best shops. Make sure you get yourself booked into one of these simply divine overnight stays no matter where you are in the city. From Mayfair galore to Whitehall bliss, it's all here to use. What's more these hotels and spas are often as luxurious as one another, catering for all forms of restorative. There are also plenty of other on-site perks from fancy toiletries to top-end restaurants. And relax... Check out our video of 10 of the best spas in London: Note: please check the latest travel guidance before booking your trip. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.
Itâs always a good time for flowers â and London has a wealth of florists, so thereâs no reason for your bouquet-buying to be limited to a Sunday morning stroll down Columbia Road. Lots of shops around the city offer impressive ready-made arrangements as well as the chance to pick your own armful of flowers for that added personal touch (and extra brownie points). Whether youâre hoping to make a gesture for an anniversary, Valentineâs Day, Motherâs Day or just simply because you want to put a smile on someoneâs face, hereâs our pick of Londonâs best florists and flower shops. And if you want to order online and make it really easy? Check London's best flower delivery services. Â
Stuck with what to wear to scare this Halloween? Weâve raided Angels, Londonâs biggest and best fancy dress shop, to dig up the most frightfully brilliant Halloween costumes that this cesspit of a city has to offer. Whether you want to be a magnificent Maleficent, a Warewolf in London or a pigging good butcher, we're got the scream of the crop. All images shot in The London Bridge Experience & Tombs. RECOMMENDED: Read the full Halloween in London guide
Housed in a building that is superb example of modern design itself, the new Design Museum also contains some outstanding works of art, representing the epitome of human design. We paid a visit to the sparkling new museum, fresh out of its wrapping, to uncover some of its highlights...Â
From chocolate and fudge to retro flying saucers and rhubarb and custards, Londonâs best sweet shops rival Willy Wonka himself when it comes to teeth-achingly good treats. Whether you're shopping for yourself or hunting for gifts, you'll be like a kid in a sweet shop at these sugary emporiums. Â
From half-feral Catherine Earnshaw in âWuthering Heightsâ â where she met her husband Tom Hardy â to the brilliant and fearless May Carleton in âPeaky Blindersâ, Charlotte Riley plays bold heroines. So you might think that her latest role, as Kate Middleton in the BBC adaptation of Mike Bartlettâs future-history play âCharles IIIâ, is a marked departure. But unlike the seemingly passive K-Mid that weâve come to, well, not exactly know, the Charlotte Riley version is all ambition and steely determination. We meet the actress in a Soho hotel room and sheâs a bundle of energy. Bright and chatty, with a lovely soft north-east accent â Teesside not Leyton â quite unlike the plummy voiced characters sheâs played. We chatted to her about filling those nude-heeled-shoes⊠and swallowed the urge to ask about her bedtime-story-reading husband. How did you go about researching Kate Middleton? Sheâs not exactly an open book⊠âI started, very intellectually, with YouTube. I watched endless videos of her. I also watched all of the weird documentaries about her â how factually correct they are, who knows? My auntie sent me one of those cheesy books, a Kate Middleton annual. More as a joke but it was actually quite interesting to see all her changing styles.â Speaking of her style⊠Was the physical transformation quite important? âWe didnât go as far as giving me blue contacts, because itâs not an impression of Kate Middleton. In terms of physicality, in terms of acting and voice, it was a
Se acaba de estrenar la novena temporada de RuPaulâs Drag Race y toda la comunidad LGBTTTI de la Ciudad del MĂ©xico, bueno, y el mundo, colapsó de felicidad. Semana tras semana estamos pendientes del lanzamiento de un nuevo capĂtulo. Para que entiendas nuestra obsesiĂłn te damos las razones por las que deberĂas ver la serie. AdemĂĄs te decimos cuĂĄles son nuestras drags y canciones favoritas de este programa LGBTTTI.
Not all mums were created equal. Yours is clearly the best, right? Show her that sheâs a mother superior by treating her to a gift with a bit of thought behind it this Motherâs Day. Buying mum flowers from one of Londonâs best florists is always a nice move, but why not go the extra mile this year? Weâve picked out a range of stylish and classy gifts thatâll make it a marvellous and memorable Motherâs Day. RECOMMENDED: our full guide to Motherâs Day in London
If flowers and chocolates just won't cut it this Valentine's Day and you're in need of inspiration, we've got you covered. London's shops are brimming with romance at the moment, so take advantage and grab some goodies to suit your budget. From amazing aftershave to tip-top tees, here's our selection of fab Valentine's Day gifts for the major man in your life. RECOMMENDED: Valentine's Day offers
If flowers and chocolates just won't cut it this Valentine's Day and you're in need of inspiration, we've got you covered. London's shops are brimming with romance at the moment, so take advantage and grab some goodies to suit your budget. From chic clutches to tip-top tees, here's our selection of fab Valentine's Day gifts for the lucky lady in your life. RECOMMENDED: Valentine's Day offers
Weâve all been there â after a busy week you suddenly glance at your calendar and realise that one of your nearest and dearest is about to hit a special milestone. Rather than frantically wrapping up the contents of your own flat at random or hoping the local corner shop can deliver the birthday gift of their dreams, head to one of the brilliant shops below â simply the very best places for birthday gift ideas in London. RECOMMENDED: Ten great birthday ideas for celebrating in LondonÂ
'Briefs' comes to Christmas Leicester Square in November 2018. This review is from 2017. Shivannah â the host-cum-ringmaster of racy cabaret-circus show âBriefsâ â is so engaging that even his pre-show request for us to turn our phones off is entertaining. And that sort of says it all, because from that moment of usually-nondescript-theatre-admin the âBriefsâ boys will have every speck of your attention. In fact, even before the troupe emerge in their pastel morning suits â no shirts, obvs â the tent is in full-on celebration mode, with a party playlist blaring as the audience takes their seats. Itâs a welcome return to the South Bank for the Brisbane boys, whoâve sold out their London shows for the past three seasons. With a raid-worthy wardrobe â thereâs feathers, lamĂ© and huge beaded necklaces for everyone â this time their exhausting-sounding combo of comedy, drag, burlesque, contemporary dance and circus has a sci-fi spin. Theyâve come to visit our grim present from the oh-so-glittery future to show us that things get better (thankfully without the use of a âD:Reamâ number) and how to get there (nice manners will help, apparently). There are far-ranging references, going from âArmageddonâ to âAlice in Wonderlandâ, with a âbunny rabbitâ performing simple-seeming â but actually kind of mind-blowing â tricks with alarm clocks. Meanwhile, Mark âCaptain Kiddâ Winmill has mouths agog as he flips and twists around in an awe-inspiring aerial display: his trapeze skills are matc
Hounslow Urban Farmâs history stretches back more than two decades, but it was on the brink of closure three years ago, before it was taken over by eco-warrior father and daughter, Alice and Tony. Every animal on the farm has been rescued and the pair work closely with the RSPCA. The farm is home to exotic animals including snakes, lizards and tarantulas, as well as a faster-than-normal tortoise called Becks. Birdie the cockatoo arrived with hardly any feathers, but after 16 years of care is a picture of noisy health. Horses Trevor and Gizmo recently moved in after being found abandoned in a local field. Instead of growing veg like most city farms, there are plans to sow wildflower meadows over its 29 acres, in keeping with the eco-friendly theme. Activities on offer include egg hunts, unmissable pig racing and a big olâ bouncy castle. Whatâs more, if youâre looking for a new roomie, you can rehome one of the animal guests. Find more urban farms in the capital with our guide to London city farms
In properly posh Piccadilly, youâll find handsome stores dedicated entirely to cigars, lots of smart shirt shops and, now, Ginza Onodera, a pretty decent Japanese joint. Though new to London, GO has branches in Tokyo, LA, New York and beyond, so youâd have thought that theyâd have everything down to a (sencha) tee. But that wasnât quite the case, and my visit here saw highs â like the sparkling service â and lows, such as the unpleasantly metallic-tasting sashimi. Downstairs, beneath the sake bar, the room itself is cavernous and decorated with beautiful restraint, as though someone from the Edo period had travelled in time to work on it. Unfortunately, the ambience was similarly restrained; the vibe was very much âbusiness lunchâ. The food, too, was a mix of triumphant hits and a few near-misses. The vegetable tempura with a matcha dipping salt was almost flawless, and the eringi mushrooms were rich and earthy. But the beautifully presented sashimi was rather disappointing to taste, and the stuffed squid wasnât worth bothering with. Nothing was truly terrible â but standards should have been at least as high as the prices.
Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper, the duo responsible for some of the best adult pantos of the past couple of years â âBeauty on the Pisteâ and âTinderellaâ â hit the back of the net as they make their return to Above the Stag Theatre. The official football season might not start until August but balls are flying all over the place in âHe Shoots! He Scores!â, a musical comedy set in the world of five-aside football. A gay team thinks theyâre entering a gay football tournament⊠only itâs a regular one open to teams from all over Europe. Fun and unashamedly camp, itâs the classic tale of an underestimated, team of underdogs and (SPOILER ALERT) their eventual success â but with more dick jokes and some really super songs. Liamâs ballad â an ode to straight boys which contains the beautifully belted out line âheâs grateful when you rim himâ â is a work of a genius, and I have no idea how performer Tom Mann managed to get through it without bursting out laughing. Proper belly-laughs abound, especially from Duncan Burtâs Tayzr who steals just about every scene heâs in with his silliness and sass. But despite how downright daft the show is at times, it makes the important point that sport is seriously backwards when it comes to LGBT+ rights, with all manner of horrible homophobic insults rained down on players from the terraces. I reckon it would do a lot of football fans the world of good to see âHe Shoots! He Scoresâ, and not just because itâs a laugh.
When Harry Selfridge founded the now iconic department store back in 1909 he wanted it to be much more than just a shop, but over 100 years later, thereâs more going on at Selfridges than he could have dreamed of. With a mission to surprise its customers, it has previously installed a talking waterfall in the Foodhall, hosted a glitter-tastic Sink the Pink pantomime and had a crazy golf course on the roof. But its latest spot of ingenuity might be our favourite. Concerned by the dwindling number of independent music venues in the capital, it has decided to open its own in the basement of the store. The 170-capacity spot will host weekly gigs from both established and up-and-coming artists including grime collective New Gen and Eagle-Eye Cherryâs niece Mabel. As part of its Music Matters season thereâll be a bunch of other musical goings-on throughout the shop, with free classical, acoustic and DJ performances, a self-playing piano appearing in the Wonder Room and Peckhamâs Rye Wax popping up to flog some vinyl in the menswear department. Shopping never sounded so good. See the full programme here.
The extravagant exterior of this Japanese restaurant belies how humble the interiors are. Outside, youâre greeted by a wall of fairy lights and plush blue velvet seats. Inside, with its bistro chairs, tarnished mirrored bar lined with simple carafes and sake barrels on the wall, it feels like youâre in an izakaya whose owner was taken with Parisian brasseries, but wasnât into those checked tablecloths. Within a stoneâs throw of Oxford Street, itâs a calm oasis and surprisingly cosy despite being a reasonable size. As in a traditional izakaya, itâs best to stick to beer (Asahi on draft) and sake (a fairly comprehensive selection ordered by region). A lychee martini lacked finesse. The menu has all of the izakaya classics. I had no criticisms about the sashimi plate. Everything was wonderfully fresh and meltingly good, especially the lovely, brightly coloured tuna. And it wasnât just the raw stuff that was delicious. The black cod was great; perfectly cooked and with a subtle amount of miso. Some dishes, though, were crying out for a little polish. The karage fried chicken was greasier than it should have been and the promised ginger undetectable. And while the tuna tataki was fresh and soft, the daikon radish inside was flabby. It really is more hit than miss, though. Being surrounded by chains, this spot is a genuine haven. Â
Life stinks. And to prove that, the East Wing of Somerset House has been transformed into ten abstract looking chambers â each given over to a different pioneering fragrance â for an interactive exhibition all about, you guessed it, perfume. It opens with a room of beautifully presented bottles of perfume housed in glass cloches, each representing a different decade, with the â90s of course being summed up by the iconic frosted glass bottle of CK One. For the 1930s, thereâs a bottle showing the genius of Elsa Schiaparelli â it looks like Marc Jacobsâs Daisy and Jean Paul Gaultierâs Classique went back in time and had a baby. But the curators donât want your nose to be overwhelmed, so there are only a couple that are available to smell. One of them, the ground-breaking LâOrigan from Coty, was created in 1905 and is long out of circulation, but those clever perfumers have recreated it from the old recipe. Powdery and delicately floral, it smells just like my grandma. And thatâs the thing with perfume. Itâs not just about the notes that you can sniff out â it has incredible powers of nostalgia that can transport you, in a soft, dreamlike state, to a vague time or feeling in the past. The rest of the show is more abstract. And because your sense of smell can be easily misled there is very little direction throughout; instead, each room been designed to reflect the scent that it houses. Youâre left to follow your nose around the space with a notes card on which you jot down you
So dense in detail is American designer Anna Suiâs work that even a crack cryptologist might come unstuck. This retrospective of her work is complicated, tricky but totally absorbing. This is the crystal maze of fashion exhibitions: there are no clues as to where her inspiration came from, other than the clothes themselves, so unless you knew that Barbarossa was plundering at the same time that Louis XVI was on the French throne, you would have no idea that the starting point for a pirate-style dress was in fact Marie Antoinette. With over 125 outfits on show, each as incredibly detailed as the last, you could spend ages in the main space trying to work out what her possible references were. Sui is clearly obsessed with music. There are outfits that look like theyâre straight off a tour bus â a pretty blue baby doll dress is very reminiscent of Kurt Cobain raiding Courtney Loveâs wardrobe, whereas the dandified versions of flares and jackets, all velvet, faux fur and embellishment are pure Jagger. Theyâre looks that fit well with the current â90s revival. Sheâs an incredibly narrative designer. Rather than her work being displayed chronologically, itâs instead organised by the themes and motifs that run through it. An army of fairy tale characters stand opposite a herd of punks, while on another podium cowboy themes meet a Pennsylvanian country club with some Warhol-inspired embroidery thrown in for good measure. Disparate though her ideas are, there is a clear Sui thread ru
The V&A has written the mother of all love songs to CristĂłbal Balenciaga (1895-1972), and itâs one that will have you swooning over the Spanish fashion designer, too. The ground floor is dedicated to his craftsmanship, and will have fashion nerds in their element. Nick Veaseyâs x-ray photography has been put to good use revealing how the designerâs deceptively simple work was actually incredibly intricate, with weights ensuring that skirts hang just so, and corsets hidden beneath swathes of fabric. From the off you can see just how driven and forward-thinking his design was; bold, architectural and Kermit green, the caped dress from 1961 that opens the exhibition could very easily be a modern piece of Comme des Garçons. Lovingly curated, itâs clear that the V&A want you to love Balenciaga as much as they do, and so have been at pains to prove just how ingenious the man was. Enlisting the help of students from the London College of Fashion to digitize his work, there are animations which show the intricacy of his pattern cutting. In addition, thereâs a replica of his iconic cape-cum-skirt which you get to try on â itâll do wonders for your social media feed. The upper floor is dedicated to his legacy and how he has shaped fashion. You can see his influence in the clever use of fabric in Simone Rochaâs embroidered vinyl coat-dress which references the incredible Balenciaga pink evening-coat, embellished with vibrant plastic discs on the lower floor. Or the babydoll dress from s
Towering over Canary Wharf, BĆkan may sit on the 37th floor of a Novotel â but this is the kind of hotel restaurant youâll actually want to eat in. With amazing views of Londonâs skyline itâs undeniable that a key reason for coming here is the setting itself. Especially given that itâs been so thoughtfully decorated, with rustic Scandi and subtle industrial vibes. And if itâs true that you can judge the merits of a restaurant based on its loo, then this sky-high spot â which, per square foot, rivals Versailles in its mirroring â is soaring. Service, too, was as slickly competent and polite as the surroundings. So far, so great. The food was slightly more irksome though. Beautifully presented, the scallops tasted mainly of lemon, with only the smallest amount of lip service being paid to the promised seaweed. Similarly, the crab salad had a nice kick, but with far too much daikon (Japanese radish). Having said that, desserts were awesome, with a meringue that was everything you could hope for â coconutty, fluffy and crunchy all at once. And the ginger pudding â billed as a sharer â was so great that one person could very easily wolf the whole thing down. Donât expect culinary fireworks, but for a dining room with a view, BĆkan will do nicely. Note that there is a smart-casual dress code, so any sloppiness may be refused entry.
If youâve ever felt that Soho isnât what it used to be and could do with a bit more drama, then you should go to see this circus spin on central London, which sees dancers, trapeze artists and acrobats hurling themselves around the stage. Opening with a scene in which the performers are doing the dreaded commute, the stage is cleverly set with movable cubes that later morph into restaurants, pant shops and of course â because this is Soho â luxury flats. Representing the hodgepodge of characters that roam the streets, thereâs a handstanding shopping lady, a tower of waiters, a real-life human mannequin and a pervy photographer who asks the question,âare there really âmodels upstairsâ? because I always assumed they were hookersâ. In fact thereâs so much going on it is genuinely somewhat reminiscent of actual Soho, where you donât know where to look. Another true-to-life moment comes from an exchange between the lost-looking tourist and an aggy Londoner on her phone â when the two are reunited later for a charming Charleston, itâs a real highlight. It is not for those with a nervous disposition, and there are some watching-through-the-hands moments as a man hangs from a trapeze by his ankle. Hairy! Thereâs also a fair bit of bewilderment. While memberâs clubs are certainly confusing, I was unsure as to why during a scene set in one there was an annoying woman parading around blowing smoke in everyoneâs face, while a man in Y-fronts swings from the ceiling. The second most d
On a charming street in Marylebone, where even the launderette looks lovely, sits the latest branch of veggie restaurant The Gate. Understated, sleek and minimal â despite being almost austere in style â it somehow manages to be super comfortable. And with plenty of bistro-style pavement seating itâs a lovely spot for sitting in the sun, sinking some scrummy organic wine â of which they have a brilliant selection â and pretending youâre in Paris. The Gate is kind of like that good-on-paper boyfriend â Aidan from âSex and the Cityâ, if you will. There really is nothing to complain about: the service was perfunctorily polite and the dishes well composed. But there was no spark. The Thai green curry was beautifully presented, with sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf, but itâs not going to bring back memories of Bangkok. And the cappuccino vegan cheesecake, while creamy and delicious, quickly faded from my mind. The Gate may not be the kind of long-distance love affair Iâd cross town for, but itâs worth visiting if youâre in the area.
As Boy Better Knowâs Jme prepares to take to the stage at Afropunk festival this weekend, we salute the London grime hero. 1. First off, look at him: heâs a babe! There arenât too many men (too many many men) who could pull off a do-rag the way that this 32-year-old London grime MC can. But the founding member of BBK is straight-up pretty, with cheekbones that could cut glass. 2. Heâs part of a musical dynasty Jmeâs good looks arenât surprising â heâs a part of the genetically-blessed Adenuga family. The Adenugas are musicâs answer to the Dimblebys; aside from Jme, thereâs big bro Joe, aka Mercury Prize-winning Skepta (pictured below), and sister Julie, who DJs for Beats 1 and shares equally enviable cheekbones as her brother. 3. His interests are frankly âšfascinating Park every preconception you have of grime MCs. Jme is his own guy. He loves PokĂ©mon to bits, is teetotal, vegan (and like many vegans he never ever talks about it), and bakes croissants (vegan, obvs). He has a degree in 3D Digital Design but according to 2006âs â96 Bars of Jmeâ, JavaScript makes him want to âswear like Plan Bâ. Also, heâs more into keeping fit than Rosemary Conley â see the video for âRari Workoutâ with the famously dench Lethal Bizzle. 4. Heâs grimeâs most political âšpresence And he helped to garner the youth vote in a big way. A vocal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, he interviewed the Labour leader for i-D. He also encouraged his fans to register to vote and then go out and vote for whoever they
The Ultralounge in the basement of retail behemoth Selfridges has previously been a Silence room, a Psycle studio and a full-on theatre. Itâs currently going through another transformation and this latest incarnation is probably our favourite yet. Concerned at the dwindling numbers of independent music venues, the pioneering department store has decided to open its own. Launching on July 20, the 170-capacity venue will host weekly gigs from both established and up-and-coming artists (full list below) while the space will also serve as a state-of-the-art audiovisual content studio. And as if that werenât enough, proceeds from the sale of tickets will go to the Music Venue Trust. This is all part of Selfridgesâ Music Matters campaign, so there will be a ton of things happening around the store including free classical, acoustic and DJ performances as well as Rye Wax record store popping up in its brilliant menswear department. This is the line-up, and tickets are available here: July 20: New Gen: 67, Not3s, Renz July 26: Tom Walker, Majik, Tayla July 27: ElvĂžr, Charlie Cunningham August 3: Unkle August 9: Kudu Blue, Croox, Frank Gamble August 10: Raye, Mabel August 17: Ten FĂ©, Vessels, Ben Pierce DJ August 23: Mullally, Joy Crookes, Callum Pitt August 24: Shura, Pixx August 31: Joe Goddard, Ama Lou, Ed Rostand DJ September 6: Sam Wills, Cameron Bloomfield, Maad September 7: Last Night in Paris, Hare Squead September 13: Yassassin, Nova Twins, Animal Sons S
Thereâs Scouse girls and their wearing of bangle-width rollers round town before a night on the tiles. Manc girls who â presumably through natural selection â can traverse ankle-breaking cobbles in skyscraper heels with grace. Manc lads in those parkas now synonymous with the warring Gallagher brothers. Geordies who are apparently impervious to the cold. And all thatâs not to mention the 1980s casual look, originating on the football terraces of northern England. Hundreds of images come to mind when you think of northern fashion. And so itâs only proper that the region gets its own fashion exhibition. Curated by SHOWstudioâs Editor-at-large Lou Stoppard â who was also responsible for the brilliant Mad About The Boy exhibition at the Fashion Space Gallery last year â and Adam Murray, lecturer at Manchester School of Art and Central Saint Martins, North: Fashioning Identity is travelling to Somerset House from Liverpoolâs Open Eye Gallery. Celebrating northern fashion feels right given the wealth of talent that the region has produced. For example, Burberryâs Christopher Bailey hails from Halifax. Agyness Deyn is from Rochdale and bright young thing Matty Bovan grew up in York with his impossibly stylish mum. The exhibition â which is being expanded for its trip down south â will also look at how the north and northerners are represented in contemporary photography, fashion and art with contributors including Raf Simons, Corinne Day and Gareth Pugh. Hereâs a hint at what you c
Liberty â the capitalâs grand dame of department stores â is getting all pioneering in its old age. This summer sees the launch of in-store art exhibition The Dark Side of Liberty. Inspired by a combination of London subcultures, and the trippy, psychedelic art and music of the â70s, the windows and the storeâs handsome atrium will be taken over with the work of five emerging artists. Running for eight weeks from July 6, there will also be an accompanying programme of music activity. Pink Floyd-esque vibes will abound as artists â Jared Madere, Alex Morrison, Joris Van de Moortel and Julie Verhoeven â and an architect, Satyajit Das, explore the dark side of the store (and we donât think that means the stockroom) through a celebration of the real, the physical and the experiential. Hereâs whatâs happening so far. Celebrating the relaunch of Libertyâs already-great-menswear-department in August, ace fashion-illustrator Julie Verhoeven has created a multimedia, animated psychedelic installation. Belgian artist and musician Joris Van de Moortel will be taking over a series of windows, turning them into an immersive installation/actual-working-recording-studio. Alongside musicians Mauro Pawlowski and Carlo Adriani, heâll be transforming the transcendental music of the â70s. Making use of Libertyâs prints, Alex Morrison will transform one of the storeâs windows into a trompe lâoeil sculptural installation. The gorgeous wood-panelled atriums will look pretty different â the main o
The Walkie Talkieâs escalator can reasonably be referred to as a stairway to heaven (well, aside form it not being stairs, but whatevs) next Tuesday, as actor and musician Raleigh Ritchie â Jacob to his mum, Grey Worm to âGame of Thronesâ fans â performs a set in the Sky Garden. Part of Belvedere Vodkaâs Sunset Sessions, itâs a free event but we recommend booking a table. Tue Jul 4, 8pm. Sky Garden, 1 Sky Garden Walk, 20 Fenchurch St, EC3M 8AF. Find more gigs in London right here.  Â
East Londonâs luxury outlet village Hackney Walk, which this spring hosted a range of brilliant masterclasses, is back with another programme of events, but this time itâs getting all green-fingered. Some of our capitalâs best florists will join top gardeners and lifestyle brands offering a range of workshops, all in collaboration with Hackney Arts. Every Saturday for the next five weeks there will be a different expert taking up residence. From modern floristry with the super cool, Ace Hotel-based That Flower Shop and terrarium building with the lovely Grace and Thorn, to candle making with Earl of East and whipping up your own herbal lip balm and teabags with Hackney Herbal. And what good is all of that hard work if you canât brag about it on social media? Happily, Insta-famous Zoe Timmers will be offering lessons in lifestyle photography. The schedule runs as follows: Saturday 1 July, 10:30am-1:30pm. Herbal Wellbeing Masterclass with Hackney Herbal Saturday 8 July, 10am-12pm. Bouquet Workshop by That Flower Shop Saturday 15 July, 10am-1pm. Lifestyle Photography Masterclass with Zoe Timmers Saturday 22 July, 10am-11.30am. Candle Making Workshop with Earl of East Saturday 29 July, 11am-1pm. Terrarium Workshop with Grace & Thorn Workshops are free but spaces limited so reserve a space here. There will be a waitlist for all classes. Hackney Walk is at Morning Lane, E9 6LH. In other news, Hackney Walk is also throwing a huge sample sale this weekend. Want more ways to get cr
Forget whatever it is youâve agreed to do this Friday, because things are about to get fudging exciting: âUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtâ is back on Netflix for season three. Only the genius that is Tina Fey could make the story of a group of women kidnapped by a doomsday cult leader and kept in a bunker for 15 years extraordinarily funny. But itâs not just the lols â of which there are oodles â or the super-catchy theme tune (viral meme-based, obvs) that will make you want to literally Netflix and chill. Thereâs Kimmy herself⊠She was kidnapped as a 15-year-old and dressed in a nineteenth-century gown when she was in the bunker, so her style never evolved. Cut to Kimmy navigating New York dressed like a box of crayons, with light-up shoes and colourful accessories. Unashamedly girly, relentlessly cheerful and remarkably innocent, Kimmyâs ultra-feminine qualities arenât at odds with how tough she is â itâs like the theme tune says, âfemales are strong as hellâ. And while Kimmy has plenty of admirers, her love life is by no means her main story arc. Kimmy saved herself from that bunker and itâs her independence that makes her so strong. Truly, she is the hero that the world needs in these trying times. Netflix Then thereâs her squadâŠÂ Comprising her gravelly voiced landlord Lillian (Carol Kane), who campaigns against gentrification and is flexible about which side of the law she finds herself on; incredibly spoilt boss-turned-best friend Jacqueline Voorhees, played by the brillia
Footie fans, get out your Moleskines and save the date. Menswear trade show Jacket Required is in town again and this year brings with it an exhibition that will fill the hearts of sportswear nerds with a ton of glee. Exploring the relationship between football and popular culture, âThe Art of the Football Shirtâ is curated by Neal Heard, a fashion historian who wrote the first book to examine sneaker culture, and more recently penned âA Loverâs Guide to Football Shirtsâ â a beautiful lexicon of those polyester sportswear icons. Digging through the archives, the exhibition will showcase more than 100 obscure and super-cool shirts from streetwear brands like Patta and Palace, to designers like Jean Paul Gaultier and YMC.  Hereâs a sneak peek at just some of the shirts thatâll be on show:     âThe Art of the Football Shirtâ is at Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QR. Jul 26-27. Find more great exhibitions in London.
Alongside Stuart Milk, the global LGBT+ rights campaigner who has continued the work of his uncle through the Harvey Milk Foundation, denim brand Leviâs is once again descending on the capital for Pride in London. In addition to its awesome collection of Pride-themed slogan T-shirts, denim shorts and rainbow bandanas â the proceeds of which will all be donated to the Harvey Milk Foundation and the Stonewall Community Foundation â it has a couple of great events lined up. First off, in the run up to Pride thereâll be a special screening of Milk at the Regent Street Cinema. The biographical 2008 drama stars Sean Penn, who won an Oscar for the role, and is based on the life of murdered politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Before the film is shown there will be a panel discussion with Stuart Milk, Ninette Murk, who founded Designers Against Aids, and electropop musician Shura. As well as taking part in the massive parade on Saturday â last yearâs float featured a giant milk bottle with a rainbow flowing from the top â Leviâs is hooking up with London Bridgeâs Omeara to throw a huge afterparty. Thereâll be a heady mix of funk, soul and disco. Tickets are ÂŁ5.50 if youâre organised and get them now, or ÂŁ12 on the door, but with the proceeds being donated to the venueâs Borough Market neighbours who were affected by the attacks in London Bridge, paying extra is no bad thing. Milk will be screened on Wed Jul 5, at 7pm. Regent Street Cinema, 309 Regent St, W1B 2UW. Pri
The beauty industry in South Korea is pioneering. You know those sheet masks that shops across the capital have been peddling as ânewâ? Well, theyâre really not. In fact, they werenât even the hot-new-thing the first time I holidayed in Seoul, and that was about nine years ago. That isnât to say theyâre not great, though, they totally are, even if wearing them makes you look like a vain Hannibal Lecter. Similarly, the now ubiquitous BB cream â which didnât make it here until 2012 â was developed in Korea in the 1980s. But if you donât fancy trekking to Seoul for a moisturiser, we recommend heading to Selfridges instead. The department store has stocked a decent selection of Korean lotions and potions for a couple of years, including seriously cute products from Tony Moly. But this week ramped things up by unveiling a mini-department dedicated to East Asiaâs most progressive beauty brands. The launch will see the incorporation of some sleek science-y products, as well as continuing to house brands from the more adorable end of the skincare spectrum. Selfridgesâ beauty buyer has put together a ten-step routine, but if your morning rush doesnât allow time for all that we reckon these products will serve you well. Selfridges The Oozoo is a pioneering brand for face masks: the active ingredients are kept separate in the syringe so the plumping concoction is fresh when applied. These medicinal-looking masks are a very affordable ÂŁ8. Selfridges Skin 79 is the brand credited w
Breaking and incredibly exciting fashion news! London designer Ashish â he of the brilliant âIMMIGRANTâ slogan T-shirt and a man whose catwalk shows are rainbow-coloured explosions of sequins, sass and all-round positivity is teaming up with River Island for the latest in its Design Forum collections â this time with a gender-neutral selection of sweatshirts, frocks and PJs. We only have these beautiful illustrations to go on, but we are anticipating that it will be sparkle-tastic and sell out immediately.   Prices range from ÂŁ30-ÂŁ180. The online-exclusive collection goes on sale this September. In other news, an exhibition dedicated to football shirts is coming to London.
She just couldnât let him enjoy his moment in the spotlight. Mere days after it was announced that her boyfriend Ken had been given a makeover, and that Sohoâs achingly cool store Machine-A would be displaying an archive collection of dolls, Barbie Millicent Roberts has unveiled her very own limited run of afternoon tea. Celebrating the launch of her Instagram-based book, tea will be served in the Swans Bar at Maison Assouline â one of our capitalâs most beautiful bookshops, it sells the kind of tomes that are designed to spruce up the dowdiest of coffee table. Itâs a predictably pink affair: salmon and cucumber sarnies will be presented alongside strawberry poppy pink macarons from Parisian pĂątissier LadureÌe, redbush tea (because itâs pinkish, obvs) and a Barbie-pink cocktail. A post shared by Maison Assouline (@maisonassouline) on Jun 15, 2017 at 9:00am PDT The Barbie Afternoon Tea is available 3pm-5pm until July 1st for ÂŁ30. Swans Bar at Maison Assouline, 196A Piccadilly, W1J 9EY. Love stuffing your face with scones? Check out our list of the best afternoon teas in London here.Â