I would love to be able to enthuse wildly about the Dior, the Balenciaga, the greatest hits of 20th Century Fashion, but Mumsie and I couldn't get in to The Golden Age of Couture at the V&A. The exhibition is nearly through and the queue for tickets alone is over 2 hours. Goddammit. Should have booked in advance. No matter, there were other delights to be found deep in the cold heart of London.
The window of Patisserie Valerie is always worth seeing. All those beautiful cakes, decadent in their syrupy glazes, sit saucily in their creamy couture. Strawberry confection perfection. I seldom want to eat them; I just want to throw them at someone. An expensive bun fight. I left with some pain au chocolat for today's breakfast and the urge to stuff cake down my pants Swansblossom stylee.
Next, a visit to Coco de Mer. They currently have, housed in a padlocked glass case, a very rare and expensive (12k) first edition of Dangerous Liaisons. It is truly a thing of beauty, and a joy to hold in my hands if only for a minute. The most breathtaking thing of all though was a stuffed black swan with gilded beak sitting high on a shelf amongst the feathery ticklers and human hair whips. A most extraordinary sight. It is always lovely to see my dear friend The Earls Mistress, aka Louloubelle, gorgeous as ever in impossibly high heels. I left feeling inspired, having acquired a dark satin blindfold, embroidered with 'Freedom is deciding whose slave you want to be'. Well quite. It may come in handy one day.. either that or my children's "pin the tale on the donkey" party games will always have a dangerous twist. Naughty Auntie Louloubelle!
I haven't been able to stop thinking about that black swan. It seems to sum up my current kohl black mood, eyes feline with liquid eyeliner. Black swan, black sheep, back to black.
But the rarest and most unusual sight was me at the Prada sale. There they were; the shoes I have been lusting after all winter. In the sale, in my size. I put them on and they were devastatingly good. High. Black. Amazing. I loved them. I'm broke but my credit card was throbbing in my purse - "spank me spank me" - I walked away. I left them there. They would be to no avail; they could not answer my questions. I loved them and I just walked away. I'm getting rather good at that lately.
High. Black. Amazing.