FILM | BOY GEORGE'S 1970'S: SAVE ME FROM SURBURBIA

I have always admired the era of the 70's for it's music and flamboyant fashion, which drew me to this BBC documentary presented by Boy George.

The hour long documentary was a great way to expand my knowledge of a much loved era, delving into the prominent subcultures throughout the period amongst other social and political  issues.

It delved into the lives of  a whole scope of style tribes including punks, teddy boys and the new romantics.

"I think of the 70's as being this glorious decade", says The Culture Club frontman. "And yeah, of course there was that dark side...the rubbish, the strikes the poverty, and I'd get confronted for the way I looked." And this is displayed throughout the show, a backlash to this changing youth culture, whilst the battle against racism remained an issue, with shows such as 'Love They Neighbour' normalising blatant racism.

'Sometimes the most political act is being yourself', was a quote taken from Boy George, a phrase I believe sums up this era perfectly. Whether you are just after a taster of the 70's, or to know more about the man telling his life story, to me this documentary is an essential 60 minutes.

- A

TRAVEL | CULTURE VULTURES

Similar to that of everyday we spent in Amsterdam, we begun the day with brunch. This time at one of my favourite spots, Metropolitian located on Rokin.

The interior is an utter dream. Enclosed within brick walls, and filled to the brim with leafy green plants, you can't help but feel at home with a coffee on your slouchy leather sofa.

We wetted our appetite with the best acai bowls around (complete with many cups of coffee), and headed out into the city centre.

Having explored the main shopping district of Amsterdam yesterday, we headed further afield firstly stopping by the flower market, a canal strip aligned with many stalls all selling a whole host of flowers, bulbs and souvenirs.

Yet again we found ourselves wandering the endless canals of Amsterdam, finding a whole host of hidden gems. One being the most amazing vintage store with a rail of the dreamiest fur coats.

Having known that I was visiting Amsterdam, I made it a priority to track down the Fred Perry store and take a visit, as currently we are working with the iconic brand for a brief this term. My main of the visit was to speak to one of the employees and gain an insight into the Dutch market, and also compare the retail space of this store to our British stores.

The interior itself was far less tailored to the brand, and looked rather like a retail space that was created as a pop up store for Fred Perry rather than it's own store.

The items stocked visibly in store were their iconic and most popular pieces such as the polo, and barrel bag.

Having left the store and found nearby shelter from the rain in a cafe, the sun finally decided to make an appearance for the afternoon.

We decided to hop on a rickshaw bike, and head to the MOCO.

Currently showing at the Modern Contemporary Museum, are Banksy and Warhol.

Warhol's exhibition focusing upon his love of for celebrities and royals, whilst Banksy his most famous works.

Overall I couldn't help but feel slightly underwhelmed by the exhibition as a whole, having expected the museum to be far bigger and hold far more art than there happened to be. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the works of Banksy in particular.

After the MOCO we headed back to our hotel and finished our last night at the only place we know how, The Sky Lounge.

Amsterdam, you truly stole my heart yet again. And all of my money.

Until next time!

- A

TRAVEL | SUNSHINE IN AMSTERDAM

Having fully mapped out our day the previous evening, we set our alarms (for a reasonable hour) and headed out eager for the day ahead. 

First stop, pancakes!

Mook Pancakes was a spot that had been on my list for a looong time, serving a wide variety of healthy alternatives to pancakes. The interior was a dream, combined their playlist of hip-hop tracks making the most perfect mix.

Let's just say, I'll definitely be heading back.

The rest of the day we spent exploring the cobbled streets and canals of Amsterdam, jumping aside every time a cyclist nipped past at lightning speed!

For late lunch we dined at Cafe De Paris, a chic space for Italian inspired dining. We both ordered the Salade Burrata, with a side of the best chilli fries. This spot is definitely worth a visit!

Feeling rather exhausted having been exploring all day, we headed back to our hotel for a night of cocktails and pizza bought from a local Italian restaurant nearby. 

- A

TRAVEL | ARRIVING IN AMSTERDAM

Just two weeks ago, my friend and I booked a spontaneous weekend getaway to the city I had only just returned from this summer, Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, sure did take my heart with summer so I couldn't wait to return.

We left Friday evening, our holdalls full to the absolute brim (never again) and touched down forty minutes later at Schipol airport.

We hopped in an Uber and headed straight to CitizenM our 'home' for the next few days.  

Our room was controlled entirely by an iPad, including the lights (to much of our amusement)! Although small, the room was delightfully cosy despite the futuristic modern feel.

Abandoning our bags, we headed straight to the SkyLounge, a bar located on the top of the Hilton hotel, where we spent the rest of our evening looking out upon the skyline of Amsterdam.

More posts coming soon in this series!

- A

WORKING WITH CDC #2

For the past nine months I have been working with CDC, a firm that sells hangers to both brands and individuals.

My role at CDC is marketing assistant, which entails assisting the marketing manager with all sorts of work including, managing their social media accounts, editing photos for their website and designing promotional material to send out to clients.

Over this summer I've learnt a lot working with CDC, in particular improving my skills in terms of graphic design and literacy skills when writing up and coming blogposts for their website.

I look forward to continuing my work with CDC in the near future!

Check out their Twitter feed here:

https://twitter.com/thehangerstore

- A

PHOTO DIARY | T IN THE PARK 2016

After the lineup was released earlier this year my boyfriend and I decided to invest in two tickets to ensure that we couldn't miss out on the incredible artists performing in Scotland this June.

The festival was by far the best I've experienced yet, not only was the lineup amazing consisting of a few of my all-time favourite artists, but the atmosphere really was something special.

Unfortunately I managed to get few photos over the duration of the four days, however I captured a few really cool shots on the disposable camera I packed.

Here are my favourites below, enjoy!

- A