Monthly Archives: November 2013

ENGLISH COUNTRY LIVING MOODBOARD

19 November 2013

It’s a lovely sunny cold and crisp autumn day in London and I’m wearing a cozy grey polo neck sweater, hugging my morning tea and think I might even make myself a hot water bottle for my feet. Brrr… is it cold where you are?

These autumnal days always make me want to go for long country walks in wellies, woolly coat and with a huge scarf I can pull up to my ears. Getting ever so slightly lost on the way and usually stuck in the mud or having my jeans ripped when climbing a fence.

Somehow having the cobwebs blown away and battling the elements makes me feel that I’ve earned my seat next to the roaring fire as well as my second helping to some decadently rich pudding. On a day like today, english country living can be very rewarding and make you feel utterly wholesome – rosy cheeks and halo included.

After this preamble I feel the need for a mood board to give my humble writing some context and to bring autumnal living in the gorgeous english countryside to life.

All to be enjoyed with the customary Stylejuicer cup of tea.

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

Credits | I’d like to give credit to all the photographers and designers whose work is featured on this board. Sadly, most of the originators can’t be identified anymore so if you recognise your work here please email me and I’ll happily credit you and add your link.

Fashion & Style / LEAVE A COMMENT /

TOAST MENSWEAR IS NOURISHING YOU THIS AUTUMN WINTER

14 November 2013

A double helping of Toast this week on Stylejuicer and it’s menswear’s turn today.

Food is hip, right!? Jamie Oliver’s passion has resonated with the most listless person and by now we all get it: We are what we eat!

Nutrition is important and has become a conversation point along with house prices and choice of schools. We read more cook books than ever and cooking shows like The Great British Bake Off are no longer a guilty pleasure but something to be watched with friends and celebrated. We care about food miles and strive to buy local produce, ideally organic or fair trade and enjoy our Saturday mornings at farmers markets.

Going out to dinner has never been this exciting with new places opening up every week and an endless choice from swanky Michelin star to authentic seasonal cuisine to rustic pub food and organic cafes. We are obsessed with food and we love it!

What a great angle therefore for a fashion brand who are equally enthusiastic about their garments to associate the two – which is exactly what Toast has done with their menswear AW2013 collection. The chosen twelve models are not professional models at all but people like you and me photographed by the marvellous Neil Gavin and styled by David Lamb.

Not exactly a new idea you might say, but they are also UK-based and involved with food in one way or another. They are not just achingly cool but passionate about their work and each individual story gives the collection an added sense of credibility and authenticity.

I love the fact that Toast has chosen to include women in their menswear catalogue which works surprisingly well as you’re absorbed by the individual stories and don’t even notice this oddity.

Enjoy and support these incredibly hard working individuals below representing the classic and stylish collection in a simple and unpretentious way. Authenticity rocks right now!

STEVE BENBROW | The London Honey Company

KATHERINE MAY | Textile Artist / Fern Verrow

OLE HANSEN | Hansen & Lydersen

JANE SCOTTER | Fern Verrow

JEREMY LEE | Quo Vadis

JARED BROWN | Sipsmith

THOMASINA MIERS | An Englishwoman in love with Mexico

ALEX GUARNERI | Androuet

ALYS FOWLER | Food Grower

TOM OLDROYD | Polpo

RACHEL KHOO | Little Paris Kitchen

MARTIN HARDIMAN | The Little Bread Pedlar

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

More information | TOAST
Photography | Neil Gavin
Styling | David Lamb

Fashion & Style / LEAVE A COMMENT /

FOOD HEAVEN | APPLE CARDAMOM CAKE

13 November 2013

This recipe fits right in with the autumnal weather at the moment making me crave comfort foods and hot drinks as if I’m about to hibernate. Ah, hibernation what an appealing thought… sleep through winter and wake up refreshed and hungry when the days are getting longer and the temperatures are on the rise. Shame, I’m not a hedgehog.

But back to apple and cardamom – what a great flavour combination! I could almost smell the spices coming off the screen when I came across Helene Dujardin’s recipe on her blog Tartelette.

She’s a French expat living in Alabama and an exceptional cook, food stylist and photographer who loves to cook with fresh seasonal ingredients. An expert in her field she’s written a book on food photography, styling, lighting and techniques called Plate To Pixel and is a member of Martha’s Circle – a network of blogs chosen by Martha Stewarts editors. Great credentials but what I love most about her blog is the fact that she comes across as very natural and easy going sharing stories about her childhood and family.

Case in point is the featured apple cardamom cake recipe which has been passed on by her Grandma, Mamie Paulette, whom she says smelled of apples and vanilla. What a gorgeous combination!

I hope Helene doesn’t mind me adding just one of my favourite ingredients: a good portion of cream, whipped or runny, I really don’t mind. Oh, and a nice cup of tea of course!

APPLE CARDAMOM CAKE

Makes one 9-inch cake

INGREDIENTS:

10 Lady apples (or 2 to 3 regular sized apples)
1 cup yogurt (250ml)
1/2 cup sugar (100gr)
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil (120ml)
zest and juice of one lemon
2 cups regular flour (240gr)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350F (180 degrees). Position a tray in the middle. Grease one 9-inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Peel, core and slice the apples very thin (a mandoline works great) and place them in a large bowl filled with water and lemon juice to prevent oxidation.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar and eggs until pale (takes about 2 minutes). Add the oil and lemon juice and mix until well blended. Add the flour mix, baking powder, cardamom and cinnamon and whisk about 50 strokes until the batter is smooth.

Pour it into the prepared baking pan and position the apple slices (drained slightly) on top.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes free of raw batter.

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

More information | Tartelette
Photography | Helene Dujardin

Food & Entertaining / LEAVE A COMMENT /

TOAST UK – AW2013 LOOK BOOK INSPIRED BY THE WILD WEST

12 November 2013

A warm hello dear readers on this rather damp autumn morning! I’m hoping to cheer you up with some snippets of UK fashion brand Toast’s AW collection.

The photography by Nick Seaton is beautifully stimulating, taken in the Wild West and North American Prairie. A gorgeous backdrop with cowboys, horses, log cabins, stables and stunning scenery for the mostly soft colour palette, fine fabrics and classic patterns.

Toast is your ultimate lifestyle brand covering Womens and Menswear as well as House & Home including lotions, potions, candles, cookware and even storage to name but a few. Basically, you can live and breathe Toast… though I’d advise against eating too much of it.

They also did a clever thing on their website where you can click on the juicy lifestyle image and up pops “click to shop the look” which means that you can look just like the model in the picture! Perfect!

Note: The photo series reminds me a little of the Dude Ranch by Vanessa Jackman featured earlier this year. If you have a yearning for all things Wild West have a browse for some more inspirational photography.

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

More information | TOAST
Photography | Nicholas James Seaton

Fashion & Style / LEAVE A COMMENT /

IDA LAERKE INTERVIEW VIA BUNGALOW 5

8 November 2013

I couldn’t finish this subtle week on Stylejuicer without introducing you to one of my NBF via Instagram:
IDA LAERKE HANSEN.

I see her almost daily or at least I get a glimpse of her and see what moves and inspires her. I feel we are on the same wave length and if she’s happy or sad I can feel her mood through her photos. I think of her as part of my ‘gang’ but of course I’ve never even met her – and probably won’t – but such is the power of a simple idea like Instagram that it lures you into thinking you’ve found a soulmate. Strange, dangerous, harmless or simply fun whichever way you look at it, Instagram is a magical tool.

I was therefore delighted to find an interview with my NBF on uebercool Danish blog Bungalow5 and got permission from the founder himself to re-post it here on Stylejuicer. [Thanks Allan, you’re the man!] For more inspiring designer interviews pop over to Bungalow5 and get lost in it’s stylish content.

A picture from my newsfeed on Instagram has just ticked in, while I am writing this. It is from Ida Lærke Hansen, who just posted a new cool picture of pieces of fruit in a glass filled with water. The other day it was four horses on a field chewing grass. Ida takes pictures of her everyday life. And everybody loves it. Ida has almost 300.000 followers (including me). If you like me are curios as to why people follow her and how much time she is actually using on styling her pictures, read on.

What is your background?

I have a master in history from the University of Copenhagen. I handed in my thesis spring 2013, and the subject was sexual and body education for women 1890-1950.

And how did you start instagramming?

A friend showed me Instagram in September 2011. The immediacy appealled to me: Take a picture with your iPhone, use a filter to edit the picture and share. Easy and quick.

How do your 300.000 followers affect you?

For me Instagram is a complex tool. It is a social network but I can also use Instagram to express myselv creatively. I am happy that so many like what I do and express their positive opinions of my pictures. My many followers have motivated me to keep taking pictures but for me taking pictures has to be about me wanting to take them. As long as I think it is fun to take pictures and post them on Instagram, I will keep doing it.

How long time do you spend taking pictures?

Some days several hours, some five minutes. It depends on my mood and inspiration that day. A lot of my pictures are from where I am at at the moment. For instant at Amager Strandpark with my husband and son. In that sense Instagram is a visual diary which I always cary with me.

A lot of your pictures look like still lifes. Why?

Because I feel like it. I have an interest for compositions and colours and I love having fun arranging a picture. My still lifes create or recreate moods and feelings. Or it simply looks beautiful.

What apps are your favorite?

I am a big fan of Amaro on Instagram. Lately I have started using VSCO CAM.

The other day you posted a picture of four hourses on a field. The picture currently has 6768 likes. What makes this particular picture great?

The best pictures on Instagram are about much more than just the specific object or lighting. It is about how the picture move the person who sees it.

Why do you think people follow you?

I like to think that people follow me because my pictures represents something in our time: The esthetic and the ordenary of our everyday life. Like a cup of coffee, a flower, family or a beautiful sunbeam in my kitchen. My everyday is being interpreted through a simple, esthetic universe that I think appeals to a lot of people.

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

Photography | Ida Laerke on Instagram
Interview | Bungalow 5
Stylejuicer on Instagram

Photography / LEAVE A COMMENT /