It was a good 'un

Whilst all around political editors debated and dissected the budgetary issues of the UK, Mr MDS and I nipped out in the cold London air to celebrate.

It felt a bit like we were indulging in some hedonistic pleasure while Rome burned as we entered Hix Soho on Brewer St. It is by no means opulent but it is new(ish) and exciting. We went down stairs to the bar for a pre dinner drink. It is such a good venue that in the midst of my meaningful discussion with my beloved he said 'cool bar'. I had to concede it was a point well made and dropped any attempt at deepness.

My champagne was served in a delightful glass and I made Mr MDS undertake a photo which was not cool in a cool bar. I actually look different in the photo but not in a good way and my up do is lost in the coolness of the dark ambience. But the glass is magnificent so I'm ignoring my vanity. I'm also wearing the dress I bought off Mrs Bossa and altered.



Then it was upstairs for dinner. Mr MDS loves Mark Hix, he is good blokey chef and I've always enjoyed his chef aesthetics even if sometimes the food is too rich for me. I always select the lightest possible food on the menu. But you can't go to Hix's establishments and not have oysters.


There was a choice of three types and I asked the waiter his view on the rock or natural after discounting the Duchy of Cornwall's ones. After more questioning he did reveal lots of people spurned the royal oysters, it seems there are a lot of us anti-royalists around. I choose some good old Essex rocks which were delicious and I only had 3, which I think is enough.

The rest of our meal was delicious and the wine was superb too. It was such a lovely wedding anniversary evening.


Oh the glamour of getting the train home even in Prada shoes!

Go Mad Men yourself

Today is Mr MDS's and mine wedding anniversary. Therefore I present ourselves as we will look tonight in Soho.
You too can go and Mad Men yourself if you so wish here

London - Vienna versus New York - Paris

Tuesday night was delightful. There is something I love about dressing up to go out. The style challenge is always about balancing the look with the setting. Given it was a Tuesday I didn't want to over dress (so no statement earrings) although it was a special occasion. I wore my Roger Vivier wedding shoes, my Hermes leather bracelet of course, my first anniversary Cartier ring and a DVF dress (2007) I bought in Bloomingdales, Soho, NYC with a wedding gift card I received. It was the perfect excuse to fly over to New York. I added a metallic grey snood from Zara with a white faux fur 3/4 length coat I bought from TK Maxx and a sparkly black evening bag with fringe I bought years ago from Accessorize. Plus fishnet tights.

Our meal at the Wolseley was lovely, I'd not been before and it made me long for Balthazar due to its pastiche of a European restaurant, in this case Austrian not French. Afterwards Mr MDS made me take a walk through Mayfair mainly to discuss the fact there was a jumper in Hermes for a thousand pounds. He really can't come to terms with this....we stumbled on the Christmas lights being put up on Oxford Street - a sneak preview below. They are quite understated this year, umbrellas and presents being one theme!?

DVF dress, my self timer effort doesn't do justice to the detail

The complete look in Piccadilly Arcade

Oxford St Christmas lights sneak preview

Hurrah for Hermès

Well actually hurrah for Mr MDS as he made the perfect call for a wedding anniversary present with the leather Hermès bracelet.


Some snaps of the photos from the wedding album - having hair done, my accessories and the bit were it all became official, signing stuff.

And tonight we dine at the Wolseley what's not to love!

Dilemma

Mr MDS sent me into a spin. Its our 3rd wedding anniversary next week and he's obsessed with getting me something in leather - the traditional gift according to anniversary rhubarb stuff. This is all very thoughtful and lovely but I'm a dreadful ditherer over these matters.

He phoned me to discuss what he wants to get me during my fourth revision of my dissertation introduction! I turned down the offer of a Bvlgari leather pendent which I know I won't wear. I quite like the Hermes night bracelet and also quite like the Michael Kors leather watch from Red Direct although I can't make my mind up between white or tan. I normally love a surprise but I think I need to steer him on this one or I might end up with just a nice leather diary as he gets disillusioned with my deliberations and indecisions over his nice thought! Please help...

Bvlgari 125th anniversary pendent

Hermes Night Bracelet

Michael Kors watch

Back on track

Thank goodness this is a blog because if it was an ipod download you'd be getting nothing for quite a while - OK the cheeky one in the corner who shouted hooray will get heavy breathing phone calls from me! I've got laryngitis and I briefly lost my voice completely although Mr MD&M was probably secretly happy until he realised that a mute me was more irritating than a vocal me.

Yesterday I braved the outdoors to celebrate our wedding anniversary which is today. I had a pashmina caressing my neck to keep it warm and snug. It was a suitable low key lunch at Carluccios with the petit garçon in tow. The sad fact about laryngitis is it gives you an aversion to alcohol! I managed one glass of prosecco with lunch and even that was a struggle. The other sad fact was MrMD&M was bl**dy hungover after a stag night. So I fleeced him for a top from Reiss to make up for being abandoned whilst ill and looking after a small child.

That's a mighty fine and large neck muff you're sporting.

The Reiss top is to wear on Thursday to the House of Masquerade in Shoreditch. I refer you to this by Disneyrollergirl. Now my invite from Absolut Vodka was supplemented by a rather nice little parcel which arrived on Saturday.

They sent me a really cool sequin zipped up bottle of vodka and a gorgeous mask. It makes for an interesting display on the book shelf and made me think I needed to make the effort for Thursday night, hence a new top. Although I have to pay him back as technically the money was for our wedding anniversary present - we are still collecting Vera Wang Grosgrain china and need more espresso cups!

The china does only come out twice a year but it is a sheer delight and the only grown up things I possess. This spurred me on to do my most put off chore of the year the ebay listings. Luckily it was free listing day if you set start price at 99p and so I dutifully did the unused items. One is a cocktail dress that I had for a TV presenter, who's name escapes me and she never wore it.

I think I got it because it was very classic and on budget (for mid level TV peeps!). I just have to clear out stuff as I find too much makes me feel stifled. The only items I hang onto for my work are belts and costume jewellery. I can keep these without feeling oppressed by them. If I had a unit where I could store clothes I would keep them. My own personal wardrobe is kept quite streamlined otherwise I couldn't cope with too many clothes. I know some people can have wardrobes stuffed full of things but I have one drawer for t-shirts and jumpers and one wardrobe for my stuff. I have managed to sneak my lbds and a few other evening items into MrMD&Ms one which doesn't seem to bother me for some reason!

The only item of mine I'm parting with is a J Crew blazer. I bought it last September in New York and the first day I wore it was to a meeting in St Christopher's Place, London. It was quite informal in a coffee shop and I bounded in all chipper and was greeted with the sight of another person sat there with the same ruddy blazer on! I never wore it again. Usually I don't mind about someone else having a retail item the same but I never got over this encounter.