I make a hedgehog for the royal wedding

As part of our retro buffet I made a cheese and pineapple and cheese and cocktail onion hedgehog.  I waited until we'd watched the wedding as I wasn't organised enough before.  It's taken me bloody ages!  What a pallaver that was!  No wonder no one makes them anymore.

I bought Canadian mature cheddar even though I was told to buy "crap cheese" I ignored it.  I should have listened as the cheese I bought fell to bits once you tried to put a cocktail stick in it and I had to go to the corner shop and buy some rubber stuff, then I wouldn't let anyone eat it, I made them eat the good stuff instead.  He has maraschino cherries for his eyes and nose and googly eyes from one of Giles' labels.

We've decided to call him Giles.  I might try and make a pair of specs.  I'm trying to hide behind him as I haven't brushed my hair and I've been up since 7am!  Super early for me.  I normally only see 7am if I'm still up.

There were some great moments in the wedding.  I thought the service and the songs were a bit sombre.  I would have liked a bit more fun and a bit more ooomph personally, but that's just me.

I thought the dress was very elegant and beautiful.  I was expecting something more outrageous from McQueen but I can't fault it.  William (and Harry) looked very handsome in their uniforms.

Hope you've had a great day.  We've just said what a lovely day we've had and Pablo said "It has been lovely... apart from that wedding bit in the middle!" xxx

I'm Tweeting the royal wedding live for LOVE magazine

I'm Tweeting the royal wedding tomorrow morning for LOVE magazine. My gorgeous friend Giles Deacon is keeping me company which will definitely be lots of fun.  I'm getting rather excited now, I do love a wedding and this one's going to be pretty amazing.

I've Sky plussed every Wills and Kate documentary this week, I shall have a look at those in a bit.  I've studied the guest list and I'm ready to go.

We're not going to the actual wedding, we shall be watching live from the comfort of my TV/hangover room above.  A few close friends will be joining us - Pablo Flack and David Waddington the owners of Bistrotheque, Hazel Robinson from Giles/House of Jazz and LOVE Fashion Editor Jean-Marc Masala.

As the wedding coverage starts at 8.30am I asked Giles if he wanted me to do some food.  Luckily he always picks easy things.  He asked for cocktail sausages and mini Scotch eggs.  We thought it would be funny to do something retro so I'm making a cheese and pineapple and cheese and cocktail onion hedgehog.  Does anyone remember those?  You wrap a large potato or a grapefruit in silver foil and stick cocktail sticks in it.  Then you put a face on it!  I told my best friend Spencer and he thought I was taking the piss.  He was born in 1979 so missed that delight of 1970's English party cuisine.  I don't think I've had one since the last big royal wedding in 1981 when I was twelve.

I bought some red tulips, Hazel's bought some white flowers and I was going to go to my local party shop and get some Union Jack bits and bobs, until the kind people at Anya Hindmarch sent us two of these lovely goodie bags.

Anya Hindmarch Royal Wedding goodie bag and some blue-ish hyacinths

The bags contain an Anya Hindmarch canvas tote bag, a flag, some red, white and blue heart-shaped confetti and a 'Kate and William Forever' tattoo.  Thanks girls!

I'm dying to see what everyone wears (especially Victoria Beckham who Giles is friends with) and of course the star of the show, Kate's dress!  Women's Wear Daily did a piece where they asked various designers to come up with a dress for her.  Here's a selection.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Valentino

Peter Copping at Nina Ricci

Angela Missoni for Missoni

Frida Giannini at Gucci

I would love the fabulously talented Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen to design the dress.  It would be by far the boldest and most brilliant choice.  I hear there are three dresses... we shall see.  It would be fantastic to see Kate in a McQueen creation.

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen

Designed by Sarah Burton for McQueen, 2011

I really hope Kate goes down the aisle wearing McQueen.  Rumours are the shoes are by Gina.

If anyone would like to make a comment during the wedding please follow us, email me or tweet me here...

twitter.com/thelovemagazine

Have a great time everyone and wishing Kate and William a wonderful day xxx

I buy yet more sequins

Photography by Honer Akrawi

Mona Johannesson

There must be a helpline or something!  I know it's the wrong time of year but I love sequins and I love a bargain.  Inspired by pictures like these I found another little number I couldn't resist.

Tallulah is modelling it for me.  The jacket is a perfect fit but sadly I can't do the zip up to the top on the trousers!  Time for that holiday diet I keep going on about, but never sticking to.

Photography by Stefano Galuzzi

Elisa Sednaoui

This isn't what I was going to show you but I LOVE this picture and this outfit

I bought this sequin hoodie by Antik Batik on Ebay last year for £20

Photograph courtesy of the V&A

Chanel evening trouser suit, 1937

Black sequins applied onto net ground lined with silk chiffon.

Given to the V&A by Mrs Diana Vreeland.

Photography by Matt Jones.  Picture from Lily Lemontree

Diane Kruger wears a sequin dress by Emilio Pucci, £3095

Black and silver sequin trouser suit, Ebay £19

I like the stars and the silver details

The stripes down the arm are a nice touch

Both pieces will be great worn separately

I like the silver stripe on the trousers too

And the oversize stars

Rather a bargain, don't you think?

And a huge thank you to the gorgeous Sarah from Misfits Vintage for this beautiful marabou headpiece and wonderful Seventies card that arrived from Australia this morning.  If you haven't visited Sarah already you must, her blog is brilliant and very funny.

I will take a picture of me wearing it.  I'm off to the hairdressers now.  My hair hasn't quite recovered from looking like I'd been electrocuted at the weekend!

I'm still catching up on my blog reading - I shall do the rest this evening.  Hope you're enjoying the sun.  Isn't it fabulous?  The only thing is I'm having to live in maxi dresses, I'm so white it's embarrassing! xxx

RIP Poly Styrene

"Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard,

but I think, 'Oh bondage, up yours!'"

Poly Styrene

(1957-2011)

I was very sad to  hear that Poly Styrene, the front woman of ground-breaking punk band X-Ray Spex died yesterday aged fifty three after a battle with cancer.  I was due to interview Poly for the blog but sadly we didn't get a date confirmed in time.

I grew up in London playing her music, I absolutely loved punk and my favourites were Identity, Germ Free Adolescents and Oh Bondage Up Yours. I used to drive my parents mad blasting it out at full volume.

Poly, whose real name was Marianne Elliott-Said released a new album Generation Indigo only last month.  She had disappeared from the spotlight for many years after becoming a Hare Krishna devotee in 1983 although she came back for the occasional live performance.

Photograph © Falcon Stuart

Born in Bromley, South East London, famous for many of punk's biggest characters including Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin, Billy Idol, Adam Ant, Jordan, Philip Sallon, Bertie 'Berlin' Marshall and Soo Catwoman.  Her father was a deposed Somalian aristocrat and her mother was an English legal secretary.  The singer ran away from home at fifteen to hitch around all the music festivals.  Her distinctive fashion style and braces on her teeth created an unforgettable look and won her many fans.

Photography by Mike Putland

Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry, Viv Albertine, Poly Styrene and Pauline Black, London 1980

Poly had many ups and downs - she was mis-diagnosed with schizophrenia which was eventually confirmed as bi-polar disorder in 1991, she even survived being hit by a fire engine.

Spending her final days in a hospice in St Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex, her breast cancer had spread to her spine and lungs before it was diagnosed.

In a recent BBC Radio 6 interview she spoke optimistically about her battle with cancer "I'm doing everything I can to fight it.  I'm taking herbal medicines, homeopathy and conventional medicines.  I'm attacking it from all angles.  Touch wood, I'll make it."

Carol Channing, Poly Styrene and Jackie Collins at Women of the Year Awards

A statement announcing her death said "We can confirm that the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle on Monday evening to go to higher places."

There's a lovely piece from the Independent - My Secret Life - read it  HERE

My friend Princess Julia interviewed Poly for Clash magazine in March, read it HERE

These songs are a big part of the soundtrack to my youth

Photography by Ian Dickson

Poly Styrene c. 1978

Photography by Nazarin Montag

"You remember that song Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be,

the future's not ours to see?  I've always felt that.

 It's been a roller coaster ride,

but I wouldn't change a thing"

Poly Styrene

(1957-2011)

RIP Poly Styrene, a true individual xxx

Happy Easter

I hope everyone's having a lovely break.  Hasn't the weather been fabulous for once?

I went to a Birthday party on Saturday night, then an after party and didn't get home until last night.  I've had a brilliant time but with catching up on sleep I've had no time to blog.  Now I'm off for a picnic with The Actor and a group of friends in London Fields.  I haven't sorted out the picnic, I'm not ready and my hair looks like I've been electrocuted.  I'd better sort myself out before anyone sees me!

I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone later.  Enjoy the sun!  Love Christina xxx

I promise, this IS Funny

Photography by Andrew Kendall

This is Usher pulling a few moves but please click on the link below if you fancy a laugh

It's glorious sunshine again in London today.  I have to pop out for a much needed pedicure then seeing friends.  Tonight I'm off to a Birthday party at an East London club and I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone.

Last night I saw this on Facebook... one of my friends had posted this two minute clip saying "Parties in East London just aren't quite the same.  Why do people always have to show off on the dancefloor these days?"

Please watch this, I don't know what these guys have had, probably nothing!  Seemingly they've stopped to change the tyre on the car and got carried away to a tune on the car stereo.  It totally cracked me up.  Check out the moves on them!  My friend Sam said "that's how boys dance when there's no girls around!"  Keep watching it gets better and better!

If you want a laugh, click here!!!

Hope you liked that.  Have a great Saturday xxx

Dinner with the de Havilland's

Yesterday I interviewed the fabulous Terry de Havilland and his gorgeous wife Liz.  What a wonderful couple they are.

Terry's shoes are works of art.  There's a jaw dropping collection of new and vintage de Havilland's at his studio.  I was like a kid in a sweet shop!  I could go absolutely mental in there!

It's going to take a while to put the interview together as I plan to use a lot of images and loads of archive stuff that's not been seen before.  Anyone who's interested in shoes (and rock 'n' roll!) is going to love it!

Here's a teeny sneak preview of one of my snaps - a pair of satin and Swarovski crystal shoes.  The Swarovski crystals have been hand done by Liz - amazing!  Unfortunately the camera doesn't capture how sparkly they really are.

These silk-screen printed Debbie Harry ones blew me away and check out the David Bowie platforms behind!  These are from a collaboration with photographer Mick Rock.

Vintage de Havilland's from 1974

Liz and I are going to trawl through forty years of images.  There's some totally fantastic stuff to come!  I'm so excited about this one!

I've been telling Liz and Terry about my friend Elaine's restaurant for a while now, they're both really into good food and it was their first time there.  Fee (Mrs Jones) joined us and we had a lovely evening and a lot of laughs.

We started with a round of Sipsmith gin and tonics, some of Elaine's fantastic olives and salted almonds. Then we were brought a plate of locally smoked salmon, homemade rye bread and a large caraffe of red wine.

We shared a ham hock terrine with homemade chutney and Secretts leaves which are picked that morning in Islington

Liz, Terry and Fee all went for the roasted pork belly (we'd smelt it cooking as soon as we walked in).  It came with puy lentils and chicory and orange salad.  I tasted some and it was delicious!  I could have eaten a whole plate of the crackling.

Just for the sake of having something different I chose the chargrilled chicken breast with red cabbage slaw, beetroot and pumpkin seeds which was perfect

We weren't going to have pudding but Elaine suggested we share a small selection and presented us with a giant meringue filled with tons whipped cream and topped with fresh passion fruit.  We all agreed it was the best meringue we'd ever had.  We'd already polished half of it off before I remembered to take a picture.

We also shared Elaine's legendary flourless chocolate cake with creme fraiche which melts in the mouth and baked cheesecake with prunes which was amazingly light.

When it came to ordering coffees Terry decided another drink would be more appropriate so ordered a bottle of Champagne instead!  He's not called The Rock 'n' Roll cobbler for nothing.  Even though we'd insisted on going Dutch, Terry wouldn't let the girls pay and sneaked off and paid the bill when we weren't looking.  What a gent he is!

I can't wait to finish the interview.  I'm going round to Liz and Terry's house soon for dinner.  I hear he's a mean cook!

Thank you guys for a fabulous afternoon and evening xxx

Fee and I went back to hers in West London where her son George was having a sleepover.  We made ourselves scarce and went up to the shed on the roof terrace with a bottle of vodka planning lots of mad new outfits like a couple of witches.  I woke up at midday in George's bed (he wasn't in it obviously, they were sleeping downstairs with the TV and the Playstation).  I'm back home now and I think Fee's coming over later on.  No doubt we'll be up to no good.  It is Bad Friday after all!

If I haven't been to visit you yet I will soon, I'm a little bit behind with commenting.  Hope you all had a fantastic day xxx