Love Letter
I’m a tulle wearing, Valentino Rockstud loving Londoner & my blog aims to bring you all the Instagrammable corners in the city. My specialist subjects are flowers & seasonal content! So expect plenty of Halloween and Christmas deep dives!
Notting Hill – A Londoner’s Guide
You'll have seen Notting Hill a thousand times. On TV and film and most of all, on social media, ESPECIALLY the image friendly platforms of Instagram and Pinterest (hello pastel houses).. I've been living in Notting Hill for around five months now and still have a lot to learn, however one thing...
How to Network Matthew Hussey Style
My Claire & The City blog and business is all about honesty and going behind the smoke and mirrors of the PR & Marketing industry… But today I find myself in unfamiliar territory and am looking to a relationship guru to share his secrets instead. Who is Relationship Coach Matthew Hussey?...
Lorna Luxe & Claire & The City – How To Speak To Influencers
How to Influence an Influencer Spilling secrets is fast becoming something that LornaLuxe and I excel at. Especially if it is combined with an audience, an agenda about digital and each other (and possibly a bottle of Champagne if it is after 5pm soz 7pm - tee hee). Anyway, Cision invited us to...
Interview Nicola de Burlet The PR Studio
Nicola de Burlet is a chic, classy, stylish PR...and there's no need to take my word for it, let's listen to what Trish Halpin, editor of Marie Claire had to say. “Nicola has always been a figurehead of the fragrance PR industry. Her experience is second to none and she has an innate understanding...
5 Things Gleaned from Michael Sheen
The thing is…I’m not a film expert which, when you’re in a cinema full of movie fans at the BIFA Central Picturehouse watching Michael Sheen being interviewed for Time Out London can be a bit of a daunting realisation. BUT I have seen five Michael Sheen films, oh yes. Well, to be honest I’ve seen...
Review – Open House London
Sometimes in London, it feels like you know ALL KINDS of things you really don't need to. Like when a new hotdog joint is opening, how Pret Sandwiches are ranked from 1 to 50, or how big the waiting list is at a swanky restaurant you're never likely to grace. And in contrast there's LOADS of...
Exploring St Paul’s Cathedral – London’s Iconic Landmark
St Paul's Cathedral, where I'm sitting right now, is literally blowing my mind. The very famous London landmark was built by Christopher Wren and accessoried (shall we say) with intricate mosaics after Queen Victoria called it 'dull, cold, dingy and dreary,' crikey! Inside St Paul's Cathedral...
Interview with Fashion Editor & Stylist Nini Khatiblou
Fashion Editor & Stylist Nini Khatiblou has an infectious character, ten minutes in her presence and you'll be smiling - promise! About Nini Khatiblou I've been working with Nini for, like, for-EVER, since she was at Good Housekeeping and I would send her jeans to shoot for her pages. For a...
The Unconventional World of Henry Holland
If you had to pick one fashion designer for a cracking night out, I would suggest Henry Holland. Firstly, from what I have gleaned, from last Friday evening while he was in conversation with Kinvara Balfour. He is exceedingly charismatic, funny, honest and I'm absolutely positive you'd be dancing...
Zac Posen Interview – Lighting Up Fashion
All I could think about on my way to see Kinvara Balfour interview Zac Posen was Claire Danes' stunning light up dress on the red carpet at the 2016 Met Gala. The theme for this year was Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology in association with Vogue. The standout (by miles and miles)...
Guide to The Chelsea Flower Show by a First Timer
What's a flipping silver gilt when it's at home? Why does a show garden differ from a artisan garden? Do I have to wear white linen trousers to get in? Will they know the only flower I've successfully kept alive is a Flaming Katie from Tesco? These are the questions you will face if it is your...
Chelsea Flower Show 2016 – Top Retail Shop Fronts
RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a huge event in London with thousands of people descending on the capital each May to see the fabulous blooms on display. This year is no exception and the surrounding retailers take part in 'Chelsea in Bloom' which this year has a carnival theme. This years standout for...
Beyoncé The Queen of Marketing
Beyoncé is a Lycra and Swarovski crystal covered marketing dream, a sparking stick of dynamite with so much business sense I think she could actually run the world - B for president? Introduction for Beyonce's Ivy Park Anyway, Queen Bey has been busy in April. First she LANDED her Athleisure range...
Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos Interviewed by Kinvara Balfour
I like design duo Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos from the very start of their interview with Kinvara Balfour at the V&A. They're thinkers; they exude a quiet confidence and talk carefully and honestly about their luxury fashion label. There'll be no crazy, flash in the pan decisions here...
V&A Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear
In PR and marketing terms, underwear is dynamite. It can make you thin, get you laid, define your abs, give you a bigger butt, enhance your cleavage, say 'hello boys', impress the girls, you know the drill. As I talked about in my blog 'Who Sells You Your Pants' the dream is never far away when it...
How I Became A Time Out Tastemaker Reviewer in London
I am a London Time Out Tastemaker. Intrigued? This doesn't (sadly) mean that I work for Time Out writing witty and entertaining copy about London every day, nor does it mean (even more sadly) that I am wafting around Poppy Delevingne style and party-hopping on a sea of champagne and canapés. What...
LCM – Chester Barrie AW16 Awards Show
As a relative novice in menswear, this was my first visit to Chester Barrie's LCM show, but boy they knocked my socks off. The venue was a sublime room at the Waldorf Hilton which was so grand, I could have just stayed there forever. It had much the red carpet awards theme with, yah you guessed...
LCM – Belstaff AW16 Heading North
For last LCM, Belstaff took their SS16 range off to the dessert. Well to be factually accurate, they moved sand dunes into the Old Billingsgate where models stood under hot lights where outside stood an army vehicle with The Shard and Tower Bridge creating an imposing backdrop for the range....
Interview Chloe Beeney
Chloe Beeney is irreverent; she’s bold, memorable and loaded with fashion knowledge. When I first met her she was a force to be reckoned with, wearing a shiny black trench coat and Christian Louboutin boots with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. In a world of image, she surely knows how...
Costume Designer Sandy Powell Interview by Kinvara Balfour
I am a believer in the power of costume. Clothes can create an image that quite often signals social, economic and political status. In film, characters can be good, bad, rich, poor, from a different era, blending in, standing out, on the rise, on the edge, and all this can be echoed in the...
Can We Sell You Christmas?
Tis the season to spend money, fa la la la la, la la la la! Oh don't worry, I'm not Scrooge (honestly)! And as we already know, Christmas is already a top money spinner with businesses making or breaking at this time of year. Many are now trying to OWN Christmas whether through red coloured cups,...
Marketing A Charity – Shine Night Walk Marathon Magic
Why oh WHY would you do a marathon? That's what you must be thinking. This is what I was thinking at mile 21 in the dark streets of London. What is Shine Night Walk For? Walking a marathon has never been a lifelong dream or something I have ever strived for. But the reason I walked 26.2 miles on...
In Vogue – Kinvara Balfour Interviews Alexandra Shulman
As preconceptions go, Alexandra Shulman has a lot to live up to, after all she is the editor of Vogue, the most formidable and revered of fashion magazines – even Carrie Bradshaw struggled to be ‘Vogue’. Alexandra Shulman is being interviewed for Apple’s In Conversation With series by Kinvara...
That’s Shoe Biz – Patrick Cox Interview
On Tuesday this week the fash pack (including Liz Hurley in an incredible Amanda Wakeley black dress) descended on the V&A to see legendary shoe maker Patrick Cox being interviewed by Kinvara Balfour. You know how much I love Kinvara from my interview (click here) and from her on-point In...
Interview with Influencer Lorna Luxe
Lorna Luxe has burst into my life like a perfectly formed, seriously well-dressed stick of dynamite. My first glance of LornaLuxe came at Donna Ida as I perused the shots the team had taken of denim lovers at London Fashion Week. Lorna was selected as one of our 'Best Dressed' and that blog post...
Interview with PR and Digital Expert Rachel Hardy
Rachel Hardy was born to be in PR; she’s super hardworking, passionate, supreme networker and she has (quite importantly) got the type of honesty and integrity that has made her respected by her colleagues, peers, celebrities and journalists alike. She is THE Head of Press at Lime Pictures. Not...
Interview with Kinvara Balfour
If you have ever seen Kinvara Balfour on stage, you'll know that she is the epitome of elegance and poise. If you have been paying attention to what she is saying, you'll know that she is determined, knowledgable and at home in the spotlight. These enviable characteristics are far from surprising,...
Château de Versailles is Place of Wonder
Now, I’m not about to give you a history lesson, but I am about to share a very beautiful place. Château de Versailles is somewhere I’ve heard of – history books, guide books and the occasional magazine – but no one has quite managed to shake me and say, ‘God, the Palace at Versailles is tres...
Interview With Threepipe’s Jim Hawker
Think PR is all fluffy canapés and champagne? Think again my friends, because PR is a business. Jim Hawker is a serious PR guy with a witty sense of humour, for who else would have named their agency after Sherlock Holmes (think Conan Doyle rather than Benedict Cumberbatch)? Jim’s style is cool,...
Interview with Slowette and En Brogue’s Hannah Rochell
Who is Hannah Rochell? Hannah Rochell is a modern multi-tasker. As Fashion Features Editor at InStyle magazine, she's committed to delivering inspirational yet practical advice to 30 something women who are looking for catwalk style for real life. As if that wasn't challenging enough, Hannah has...
Business of Beauty – Interview with Charlotte Tilbury
"There's nothing low key about my life darling." This is one of the first quotes I note down from Charlotte Tilbury as she talks in conversation with Kinvara Balfour at the Apple Store on Regent Street. It seems to combine the makeup artist turned business woman's acute self awareness and...
REVIEW – Dior and I Movie – Sublime
If you are in fashion, see Dior and I. If you are thinking about going into fashion, see Dior and I. If you appreciate art, hard work and a touch of drama, see Dior and I. What is Dior and I Film About? This is a no holds barred, access all areas documentary focusing on the newly appointed...
Barter Books Alnwick – Business Masterclass
We talk A LOT these days about retail, and how the high street is declining and businesses are having to adapt to stay relevant to their customer in the increasing convenience of online shopping. So it is somewhat heartening to find a business which is thriving in an industry which you might...
Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Review
Alexander McQueen was a creative genius and joined together beauty, art, sculpture, history and culture all into one beautiful vision of fashion. His clothes were crafted, almost sculpted and he could see beauty in the ordinary or as he said himself, "I think there is beauty in everything. What...
7 Inspiring Career Lessons from Emily Johnson Fashion Foie Gras
If you're looking for your next career step in fashion or are just starting out on your journey, then you can certainly take some well seasoned advice from the self confessed 'grandmother of blogging' Emily Johnston Fashion Foie Gras (she started blogging in her 30s and is ONLY actually 35 in real...
Interview Vogue’s Lauren Milligan
You need a cool head to work in digital, but you need nerves of steel if you're heading up the world's leading fashion website. Lauren Milligan is in the driving seat of Vogue Online as their News Editor, quite literally breaking fashion news every, single, day. She's a well respected industry...
Spring Clean Your Wardrobe – Update Your Brand Image
I recently had a spring clean of my wardrobe. Not the wussy kind I normally have where I get everything out, imagine some emotional attachment/marvel that it is not completely knackered/think of the next hypothetical time I will wear it. Oh no, this was EPIC. Turned out, not that I’d like to...
Interview – 10 Lessons from GQ’s Dylan Jones
I wasn't sure what to expect of Dylan Jones. But to be blunt (as he can be) it was a joy, especially if you enjoy a little dry humour as I do. I wrote about GQ not long ago after the GQ Awards were photo bombed by Kim Kardashian. Yet men are continuing to go from strength to strength as Jones...
Interview with Disneyrollergirl Navaz Batliwalla
I, like many people I suspect, first knew of Navaz Batliwalla through her fashion blog Disneyrollergirl. Her achingly cool blog is something of a juxtaposition – a name which could suggest you might be served up a Mickey Mouse fashion blogger on roller skates but in contrast you will find a level...
Love Makes The (Marketing) World Go Round
Cashing in on love seems cynical no? Taking advantage and marketing love, the purist of emotions which (in theory) shouldn't be commercialised. But alas as the marketing cycle goes on, the second the Christmas cards have been heaved off the shelves, up shoot Valentine's Day cards. Pink and red,...
Fake It Till You Make It – How Important Is Image?
Image is a complicated thing. On the one hand – it is revered higher than anything else. But sometimes we loathe our addiction to it. Why does it matter what someone is wearing if they’re doing a good job as we asked last summer with the ‘Downing Street Catwalk’? Or is it simply image is integral...
FEATURE – Reality TV – I’ve Got the X Factor Get Me Out Of Here
Ok so every year The Great British Bake Off, The Apprentice, X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here get set for their next series. The reality franchise is now big business, from humble low budget beginnings of Big Brother and Pop Idol to the huge productions and...
Review – 10 Business Tips from Mary Katrantzou
Mary Katrantzou is fashion dynamite, the Greek born designer has taken the world by storm with her daring prints and sculpting feminine forms. I was lucky enough to join the audience at The Industry's latest talk at Conde Nast College last night when she was in conversation with fashion journalist...
How to Write a PR & Marketing CV
Ok, so you're hoping to land here and copy and paste a CV right? Sadly, it is not as easy as that, but thankfully there is plenty of advice out there on how to write a CV. So here are my top tips to help you when writing your Curriculum Vitae for job in PR & Marketing. Tip 1) Everyone is...
Job Advice – How To Get A Job In PR
How to get a job in PR? This is the million dollar question, but first of all, do you want to be in PR? If you have grand illusions that you will be: Characters Who Work in PR on TV and Film Eddie from Ab Fab 'Everybody's there, everybody! Big names you know. Chanel, Dior, Lagerfeld, Givenchy,...
PR Tips – How To Be A Brand
If you've been reading 'Are You Ready to Be A Brand?' and have decided that you're ready to define your online persona, I've put together a few tips to help you. There are no hard and fast rules, the most important thing is to be yourself and the rest will follow - even though image is important,...
Are You Ready To Be A Brand?
Andy Warhol famously said; ‘In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.’ Looking at where our society is heading, it may end up that it is really true, from the explosion of reality TV to the growth of social media, fame and notoriety are closer than ever before. Ten years ago, PR...
Welcome to Claire & The City
I first wrote this blog when I launched the blog on 1 April 2014 when I was called NakedPRGirl. Why did I Start A Blog? NakedPRGirl is all about being naked. Not in the traditional sense, so apologies if you clicked on this page expecting to find a buxom blonde with nothing but a glass of...
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