Sat Oct 29th: Halloween

My peculiar and particular phobia is prosthetic makeup and any joke-shop affiliated nastiness. In short, this makes Halloween an annual trauma for me. Therefore I have reconciled to boycotting any parties or places I might be exposed to a pumpkin. Just the sight of fake blood is enough to make me run a mile in the opposite direction of a a friend in fancy dress .......... even opening up Facebook is giving me the heebie-jeebies with all the costume pics being uploaded BUT I had to share this gem. From last nights revelry is Max Allen and Daniel Sallstrom looking fabulous and fierce in a refreshing fun answer to the regular freaky fashions. LOVE IT!
Photo: Jose Vigers

Sat Oct 29th: Fee Fee La Fou Enterprises

If you think this looks like a fun shop - you'll be right! Fee Fee La Fou has just opened in Dalston with a candy colour circus painted facade and cute merchandise mounted on a wooden helta skelta inside. There is a retro grabber arcade game in the window stuffed with smiley soft toys and power puff girls. Accessories are stacked in draws of an old general store glass cabinet including Blandine Bardeau bracelets and Neivz bangles and bar rings. Graphic pattern cushions are scattered inamongst crocheted teapot covers and neon screen prints hang on the Super Man wallpapered walls. There's lots of little artist edition greeting cards, trinkets and even glittery cupcakes - Halloween pumpkins and aliens today. Check out their page to see news on the shop of curiosities that boasts "everything on site is for sale"........
6 BRADBURY STREET, DALSTON, LONDON, N16 8JN

Fri Oct 28th: Absolut Blank Video Portraits with Saam Farahmand

You may recognise and remember last time I wrote about Saam Farahmand's video portraits at the Land Of Kings Festival for Soulwax. The travelling dance boothe has found its way to Hoxton Square - literally in the middle of the square on the green. To launch the new location, special guests were invited down to choose their favourite dance floor filler and let loose inside the box for a video portrait. It was hilarious standing in line hearing each person's chosen track and watching their self conscious (or not!!) throwing shapes in a solo disco. Here we have Sophy Robson, (2 of)T3ETH, Cassetteplaya, Alexis Knox, Charlie Casely-Hayford, Daryoush Haj-Najafi and Jamie Winston. The coterie of contenders included London's extended family of fashion folk, musicians and Saam's friends and family ........ extending out to random revellers including a member of Dirty Sanchez who stripped resulting in a blank screen!! Find out what happens next with this installment of images, destined to be mixed as the background of a music show in December for Absolut Blank via Saam's site.......... and if you fancy taking part; the doors are open to the public for the rest of the weekend ........ look out for the blue light and follow the music ..........

Thurs Oct 27th: Quentin Jones "Haunted" at The Darkroom

For an accessory magpie like myself, one of London's best boutiques is The Darkroom Store on Lambs Conduit Street - a jewell in the crown of the city's loveliest cultivated row of independent shops. I love the idiosyncratic mix of quirky accessories and interior design sourced by owners Rhonda and Lulu's sophisticated eye. They have a strong visual concept which starts from the chess board floor, hand-painted by themselves thru to the special exhibitions curated in conjunction with their clients. The latest installation to take over the window space for a seasonal Halloween theme is by director / animator Quentin Jones. The girls approached Quentin to undertake the task matching her sinister style yet playful approach to conjure up a timely spooky scheme. Taking the logo ident of the store as a starting point, Quentin echoed the interlocking OO's in a pair of eyes constructed from screens showing an edited loop of her films. The rest of the sculpture grows out from this flashing focal point with vignettes of silhouettes carved accommodating shelves to display products and fulfill its decorative purpose. ............. the inclusion of a Phil Cuttance vase as a nose is perfect! When you visit the shop to take a peek, you will be treated to a sonic experience of a spoooooooky soundtrack compiled for the occasion by Jean Noel Young.
Visit the store to start off the weekend's freaky festivities seeing Quentin's illustration out of its typical cinematic context in 3D form and perhaps pick up a Jonathan Saunders scarf whilst you are there.

Weds 26th October: FBStyle soaps for Feel Unique

Just in time for Christmas shopping and searching out unsuspecting stocking fillers ......... I have teamed up with Feel Unique on 3 soap designs perfect for throwing family members off the scent (excuse the pun) when feeling thru the wrapping. Originally it was one big star column that divided into three smaller components but as they are being produced my an independent hand made soap company, this was a little too complex! So here we have three fruity novelty soap bars harking back to my childhood fun, sniffing round Bodyshop and savouring those miniature apples, strawberries and grapes. Buy one or collect all three .......... or like me, get enough in for five nephews and nieces.......

Tues 25th Oct: DSM window installation by Rei Kawakubo ft. AVAF

I have been a big fan of Brazilian/French artist group AVAF since discovering the cosmic chaos at Deitch, NYC in 2008 so I'm really pleased to see the pattern brought to London by Rei Kawakubo. The new window installation at Dover Street Market designed by Kawakubo features their technicolour artwork emblazoned on the pillars, fixtures and fittings across the ground floor. This Assume Vivid Astro Focus "hut invasion" is a Comme des Garçons collaboration that I cant wait to see more from ......... !!

Weds 26th Oct: Anna Bruder at Dalston Superstore

The gallery at Dalston Superstore has recently undergone two changes. Firstly the role of curator has been taken on by Saskia Wickins and secondly the format of group show has been radically readdressed and appropriated in a solo show by Anna Bruder. Theatre designer, prop maker and artist Anna has wallpapered the entire venue to draw directly onto every surface and transform the cafe/club into a scene from a linear illustration. Each chair, table, vase, ketchup bottle, fire extinguisher and even the bar has been given a black outline in this site specific treatment. It's like stepping into a totally new space and makes you instantaneously feel like a floaty, feather-light Fido Dido. I dare not think how long it must have taken Anna to literally go round every single nook and cranny with a felt-tip marker ......... but worth every minute when you get lost looking around and enjoying the occasional penned accompanying commentary.

117 Kingsland High Street London E8 2PB

Tues 25th Oct: Dudley O'Shaughnessy

I never repeat images on here but for this post I have made an exception to pull together some photos of Dudley O'Shaughnessy when he has made an appearance and popped up in different places in the past. Now the face of the new Rhianna video "We Found Love" his modelling career has taken a shift to international exposure and I'm really excited for him to see where it leads .......... especially this foray into acting! Here are snaps of Dudley having a fitting with Judy Blame last season at New Gen Men, backstage modelling for NOKI at Lovebox, and at Kim Howells birthday picnic earlier in the summer. Kim has been working with Dudley for some time, casting him for menswear projects and most recently the profile portraits for Piers Atkinson's look book which you can see here.

To keep up to date and find out what is next for our London face, check Dudley O'Shaughnessy