My weekend

Photography by Britta Jaschinski

After my big night out I was good for nothing so I stayed in and watched films all day Friday which was lovely.  

Mrs Jones came to stay in the evening and on Saturday I helped her unpack a ton of stuff into her new shop.  The Actor watched the football with his friends.  How brilliant were Barcelona?  I'm no expert on football but it was clear in the first five minutes that Man U had no chance.

Sunday was The Actor and I's anniversary.  We've been together for five years now since getting together at our friend Andy Lincoln's stag night on May Bank Holiday 2006.  I took all twenty nine boys to Fabric and The Actor never left.  I have no idea where the time's gone!  He's still the best boyfriend ever.

The lovely Andy

We go out to enough fancy restaurants and we both wanted something more relaxed so I booked a table at one of our favourite places, the fantastic Royal Oak in Columbia Road which is five minutes from home.

Columbia Road has it's famous flower market every Sunday.  There's lots of great independent shops, bars and restaurants.  The whole area has a Dickensian feel, it was built in 1860 and has cobbled streets and Victorian lighting.

Most of the stallholders have been there for generations.  I always go late when you can pick up some great bargains.  I saw a brilliant orange tree for £20 and a giant olive but I managed to resist buying them, plus I'd have had to cart them home after a big lunch.

The Royal Oak is a great pub

There's a lovely dining room upstairs decorated with art deco furniture

We had Bloody Mary's, some Champagne and a dozen oysters

We shared roast rib of beef with a huge homemade Yorkshire pudding

And the roast belly of pork with apple sauce.  It looks a bit radioactive with the flash on, it wasn't burnt either, the crackling was perfect.  We were tempted by the chocolate mousse and the gooseberry fool but didn't have room.  The Sunday lunch is excellent at the Royal Oak and booking is essential for the upstairs dining room.

In the evening Giles, Phoebe and Neil came over for drinks then Giles left as he had to catch a plane early in the morning and Phoebe and Neil went off to the Ponystep party in Clerkenwell.

I've hardly seen The Actor as he's been away filming a lot over the last three months so we stayed in with another bottle of Jack Daniels and Coke, he played guitar for a bit then the iPods came out and we blasted out music and danced all night.  There was lots of the Stones, Dylan, De La Soul, punk, dance music, all sorts.

The tune of the night had to be Iggy Pop's The Passenger.  There was a lot of leaping around going on to this.  Luckily my neighbours are used to it.

I love Iggy.  Isn't this a beautiful picture?

Here's a blurred shot of The Actor and I on Monday morning

I think I've had a sugar overload with all that Coca Cola and I have a free afternoon, so I'm back in bed with my laptop where I shall be catching up with everyone at long last.  It's the first weekend in ages I've not been online, I've missed you all!

I hope you had a fabulous Bank Holiday weekend xxx

My big night out

As I'm still on my economy drive I was lucky that pretty much everything I wanted to do this week were on the same night. 

First I met my friends Stephen Beresford, who's a brilliant writer, and the lovely stylist Richard Sloan aka Sloanie in Mayfair to help choose a 40th Birthday present.  Stephen very kindly treated us to cocktails in the bar at The Connaught afterwards.

I didn't take any pictures these are from The Connaught's website.  Sometimes even I have to be discreet but I must say they do serve a superior drink in there, excellent crisps and giant olives.  The warm VAT in the pub with one cube of ice just won't do sometimes.

I once went to The Connaught for Christmas lunch with an ex-boyfriend (also an actor) who faked a heart attack when the bill arrived.  Luckily he quickly admitted he was joking before someone called an ambulance and paid it while I tried to keep a straight face.

Then we went to a private view at Pertwee Anderson and Gold

It's a lovely little gallery in a Georgian building in Soho

I tried to take some shots of the art but it was hard with the spotlights, I would have posted some of Christos' work otherwise

This was made of embroidery

And real hair

Phil Bloomberg and artist Christos Tolera, I love what Christos is wearing.  Read more about his amazing life in my interview HERE

Stephen Beresford and Richard Sloan

Make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury who definitely has superior hair

My very old friend Sean Pertwee one of the gallery owners, looking very dapper.

Pertwee Anderson Gold

15 Bateman Street

Soho

W1D 3AQ

I then went North to my the opening of a new comedy night run by friends Baz, Nick and Tamzin at The Music Palace in Crouch End

Organisers Tom "Baz" Barrie

And Nick Dear

And the lovely Tamzin Outhwaite selling tickets for the charity raffle.  They did really well.  The prizes were a flat screen TV, lots of perfume, a big box of skincare and tickets to Celebrity Juice

Daisy Beaumont roaring at me

Actor Jake Maskall

Presenter Peter Sherlock

I debuted the budget look from Tuesday's post

Actor Tom Ellis

I hung out in the smoking area puffing on my plastic cigarette holder thing.  I was intrigued by this lighter

Look at the size of it!  How to ensure no one nicks it

Kate Simm looking gorgeous as always

There were four different stand-ups

It was packed.  Luckily I got one of the last seats

Dave Holland who's one of the funniest people I know (I hope he does some stand up at Boom Tish soon) and the lovely Siobhan Belton.  It was great fun.  The next Boom Tish is on 30th June.

Boom Tish

@ The Music Palace

Tottenham Lane

N8

After that I went back East to see Fee (Mrs Jones) who had just finished moving van loads of stuff from the Emporium into her new shop in Hackney Road.  Fee, Neil, Vicky, Dan, Kelly, Chris and I had an impromptu party to christen the shop.  I didn't get any pictures of the actual shop which was packed full of boxes and clothes.

We had a little explore round the building.  This would be great for a fashion show.  It's the sort of place we had parties in in the Nineties

And another huge empty floor

This is the clearest shot of us dancing in the back of the shop, the photography's not up to much by this stage

As usual there was dressing up, drinking and dancing.  I don't know where Fee got this number with a huge train she's wearing

I'm still clutching my cigarette thing that Fee says looks like a tampon

I don't know what I'm up to now

Maybe I'm choosing a record from Neil's vinyl collection?  Who knows.  I don't remember these being taken.  All the vinyl is for sale in the shop too.  And Loveiwear's amazing vintage sunglasses

5am.  Time for Fee and I to go back to my house for some sleep.  The new shop will be open from this Sunday 29th May.

Mrs Jones Emporium

49 Hackney Road

(At the bottom of Columbia Road)

Shoreditch, E2

I've been so bad at blogging recently.  I've been operating at a snail's pace today after cramming in a week's worth of socialising into one night.  I can't wait to catch up with everyone properly.  I plan to take it easy this weekend.  Hmmm.  Famous last words.

Have a wonderful Bank Holiday

Love, Christina xxx

Giles collaborates with Nine West. And meet Eek

Photography by Sølve Sundsbø

Giles in the latest issue of LOVE magazine sporting an Eek manicure

Last night I went to the press launch for a collaboration with Giles and Nine West.  Named "Shoelaborations" the latest tech-based capsule collection by Giles will be in stores in the Autumn.

Fred Allard, Nine West Creative Director, said, "Giles Deacon is a design visionary who has a unique aesthetic and whimsical irreverence that has shaped fashion today.  Together, we are creating a collection that explores technology-infused fashion with Giles' famous character, Eek, incorporated into the designs in unexpected ways."

This is Eek, a michievious mouse like character that Giles came up with a while back

Eek appeared on this shift dress from Giles AW06 collection

Eek appeared again in sequins for AW08

Nail queen Sophy Robson came up with the Eek manicure for the AW11 collection. Here's the lovely Ana Beatriz Barros modelling for Giles

Sophy Eek manicure.  Lots of people are asking for it

Eek features in Giles' jewellery collection along with Gizmo

Giles likes a cartoon eye

The launch was at the St Martin's Lane Hotel in Covent Garden

I love Philippe Stark's hotels and I've had a few mad nights in here and loads in The Sanderson.  When St Martin's Lane first opened, a group of us carried on after a party as my friend had a suite.  The next day my friend Hazel ordered one portion of scrambled eggs on toast "off menu" and it was £45!  I'll always remember that.  Note to self, never order room service "off menu".

They were showing the shoes in Bungalow 8, the members nightclub downstairs.  It was rather a good setting for the shoes, if not for my photography.  My friend recently went to Snoop Dogg's album launch at a strip club, Snoop gave a press conference sitting on a gold throne surrounded by pole dancers.

The girls from Nine West were lovely, they'd been there since 9am.  I arrived at 6.45pm.  It finished a 7pm and I just missed Giles who'd zipped off on his bike ten minutes previously.  He texted me but I missed it.  I still haven't got my iPhone fixed, I'm currently using a Nokia which I dropped so it's sellotaped together like an old grandad's pair of glasses.  Classy!

I had a glass of Champagne

Some grilled halloumi and chicken satay

Giles has designed a small capsule collection of shoes to take you "from breakfast time to bedtime" all at high street prices.  I keep banging on about the fact that none of my shoes are comfortable enough to wear all day and this could be the solution.  I've never known Giles design a sensible shoe before.

Bernadette pumps

Bernadette pumps in black cowskin

Layla in black suede with leather straps

Polly in black suede with leather straps

There's also a laptop case and an Eek USB on a chain

Here's a selection of Nine West's new collection for AW11, there's lots in the brochure that I really like

As always I'm drawn to something shiny

I love these

These changed colour when you stroked them

The clutches are good and the fur is faux

We were given goodie bags containing an Eek canvas and leather tote bag.

I went for a cup of tea with my friend Frances on the way home.  She took a couple of snaps of me.  I rarely post outfit pics because I can't seem to take them of myself.  I need to sort that out.  I was late and hadn't washed my hair.  I tried to smother it in dry shampoo but I just looked grey as it was too far gone, hence the turban.

So these are for two of my dearest blogging friends who are always asking me to post pictures instead of dressing Tallulah up - Sacramento and Sarah, these are for you.

I'm wearing

Sequin turban headband by Ophelie from the V&A £55

Marabou shoulder piece by Jasper Conran from Ebay £20

Black and silver star jacket by Ghost from Ebay £22

Silk vest by Joseph from Ebay £8

Faux sapphire and diamond panther bracelet from Ebay £15

Blouson trousers with buttoned ankles - very old Margiela

Sequin wedge ankle boots from Office Sale £25

I'm posting this because it's the only one where I'm looking at the camera.  I don't even think this looks like me, maybe because I'm looking upwards but I seem to have a fat face and a snub nose!  I do need to lay off the chocolate a bit now I've given up smoking.  I ate a whole box to myself the other day.

I was supposed to be going to the launch of Lily Allen and Sarah Owen's new collection for Lucy in Disguise at Harvey Nichols tonight but I'm too late to go now which is a shame.

I'll have to go and see it very soon.  Hope you have a great night girls xxx

I have to finish some work then I'll stay in and be a couch potato instead.  And watch The Apprentice on Sky+.  I hope you have a lovely evening whatever you do xxx