Batty (for JW Anderson)

Gosh I've been slow at writing this - the flat building work saga continues and work is busier than Heathrow during the Olympics. Suffice to say that on the day the JW Anderson for Topshop launched, I ran there before work to suss it out and get my hands on a couple of pieces.  I had really wanted the black dress with detachable white collar and cuffs but when I tried it on - well let's just say I looked like I worked in a hotel that rents rooms by the hour.

My two purchases ended up being the gorgeous, hand knitted bat sweater ( I used to go on National Trust bat walks when I was little, yes really) and a fabulous navy blue woollen kilt.  The detailing on the kilt was superb and it was a total bargain at £49.  I could easily have bought a couple more pieces but I knew my bank account was whimpering and I had to seriously peg it to work so a short, targeted shop this was.  Both these purchases form part of my Winter staples and AW wardrobe update which I'll be posting about shortly. I only have one moan..a certain person has TOTALLY copied me.  B*tch.

I WORE IT FIRST GIRLFRIEND!!!

Wowza Walker

Anyone who has followed this blog regularly will know that I have long been an admirer of Tim Walker.  To my mind he is one of the most visually exciting and influential fashion photographers working today. Extravagant in scale and ambition and instantly recognisable for their eye-opening originality, Walker’s photographs dazzle with life, colour and humour. His recent work is drawn from the pages of the world’s leading magazines: British, French, American and Italian Vogue, Vanity Fair, W and The New Yorker among many others.

At Somerset House this Autumn, there will be an exhibition of Walker's work sponsored by Mulberry.  His photographs will provide the focus of the exhibition, but the camera, he claims, ‘is simply a box put between you and what you want to capture’. Everything in Walker’s pictures is specially constructed and in a glimpse behind the mechanics, there will be installations and a selection of the extraordinary props and models on show: giant grotesque dolls for Italian Vogue and an almost life-size replica of a doomed Spitfire fighter plane.

Throughout the exhibition there will also be the opportunity to see a series of films specially curated by Tim Walker which feature several of my favourites! These films are ones that have inspired and influenced many of his images and will include cult classics such as La Belle at la Bete, The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death (LOVE THIS) and Tim’s own first feature The Lost Explorer.

Also on Wednesday 24 October - for any of you Gentlewoman readers out there, there will be a rare opportunity to hear Tim Walker in conversation with The Gentlewoman editor-in-chief Penny Martin.  Book now!

Crikey! Had to just update this as I found the nicest, sweetest picture of Madonna I think I've ever seen. Taken by Walker in 2005 for American Vogue at her and then husband Guy Ritchie's home in Wiltshire.....