Simply the best

Earlier this week, I was invited to the Udderbelly Festival on London's Southbank to see show called A Simple Space. I'd never heard of it before, but the promise of "an amazing, uniquely no-frills show which champions the incredibly artistry of the human body over traditional circus gimmick" was just too intriguing to resist.

A Simple Space provides exactly what it says on the tin: there are no frills, no elaborate costumes or flamboyant sets. The show is stripped back to put the entire focus on the performers and, let me tell you, there is plenty to see. I don't want to spoil the show too much for you in case you decide to go yourself (and you really, really should), but highlights include the performers falling from insane heights, standing on each others heads, throwing and flipping each other around like rag dolls and so much more. Here's a little video of the show to whet your appetite:

Gravity & Other Myths, the creators and performers of the show, are an Australian acrobatics ensemble made up of six men and two women - all of whom are now my personal heroes. After seeing the show, I can completely understand why they have won so many awards and achieved recognition all over the world. Not only was each performer incredibly talented, mind blowing-ly strong and impossibly flexible, but they were also extremely witty and engaging. Rather than staying within the figurative walls of the stage, they would smile and laugh with the audience, inviting us to be in on the joke. It's nice to feel included, and the friendship and chemistry between each of them makes the show that much more enjoyable.

To put it simply (pun intended), A Simple Space is an incredible show. I spent the whole show with my mouth agape, occasionally muttering expletives in my utter astonishment. If you live in the London area or fancy taking a trip, I highly recommend booking tickets to see A Simple Space. They're in London until 6th July 2014, and then they'll be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe from 28th - 30th August 2014.  I guarantee you'll leave the show feeling happy, inspired and desperate to be more flexible.

Much lovely,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Spectacular spectacular!

Happy New Year, my Swell friends!

So I didn't blog for the whole of December - whoops! Instead of giving you a myriad of excuses, I'm just going to promise to be better and try to do more posts in 2013.

For my first post of the year, I will be reviewing a new pair of glasses, courtesy of the good folks at Lensway.co.uk. I must confess that despite being terribly short-sighted, I often don't wear any glasses, so I was looking forward to having a good pair of frames to inspire me to actually wear them! That being said, I already have a pair I love from London Retro, but it's nice to have different options to choose from on a daily basis.

After having a good ol' browse of their site, I was really impressed by the wide variety of spec styles on offer. Finally, after hours of internal debate, I settled on a pair I liked - the "Derek Cardigan" frames (who doesn't love a cardigan?) in the colour "Rootbeer".

I was a little nervous about ordering glasses without physically trying them on first, but I had no reason to worry as the frames turned out to be perfect! A slightly different shape to what I usually go for, but still flattering and comfortable. I also really like the clear plastic they're made from as it makes me look a bit cooler than I really am.

As you can see, I have modelling stuff down to a fine art nowadays...

Not only did the glasses look good, they were also really comfortable. I wore them for a full working day (from about 8am till 8pm), and hardly noticed them at all. In the past, I've had a real issue with glasses feeling heavy on my apparently soft head, but these felt nice and light.

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend a pair of specs from Lensway.co.uk. Not only do they have a lot of choice, but they're also very reasonably priced. My pair cost £89 (including the lenses), and came with a good sturdy case and even a little screwdriver should I need to tighten them up. Thanks for making my vision better and more stylish, Lensway.co.uk!

Also, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have already seen my New Years Resolution for 2013. This year, I have promised to do at least one nice thing a day for someone else. It can be big or it can be small; the only rule is that it has to be nice. To help me make sure I do it, I've started a little Tumblr. If you're interested, you can read all about it over at http://niceonefrankie.tumblr.com. Follow me and feel free to share the nice things you get up to too!

Many thanks,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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What a glorious feeling...

This week I was fortunate enough to see Singin' in the Rain at the Palace Theatre in London's beloved West End. As the 1952 MGM film is one of my all-time favourites, I was both excited and nervous to see the show. Although the reviews have been nothing short of excellent, I was uncertain as to whether it would be able to reach the very high bar the film had set.

Photo by Lucy of Shiny Thoughts

Boy, was I wrong...

Without gushing everywhere like an unexpectedly heavy rain storm (see what I did there?), Singin' in the Rain was an utter joy. The acting, the dancing, the singin'...all of it was simply incredible. This will probably sound very stupid, but sometimes I forget just how talented people can be, and seeing a whole stage over flowing with it was just astounding. All I'm saying is, I am currently craving tap shoes and a personal sense of rhythm...

The stand out performance for me was Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont. Not only did she add her own unique stamp to the character, but she did it with elegance and style. She even had a song that wasn't in the film - definitely a big treat for any Lina Lamont fans out there.

As if that weren't enough, let's talk about one of the most iconic moments in film history being brought to life on the stage. You may think it would be impossible to recreate Don Lockwood singin' and dancin' in the rain with the same excitement and romance that was done in the film, but you'd be wrong. Seeing it rain on stage in itself was something I will not forget in a hurry. Oh, and if you want to see the show but don't fancy getting wet, I wouldn't sit in the first ten rows. Just trust me on that.

The only part that didn't really work for me, and it's a very small part, was the accent of the show's Cathy Selden, played by Scarlett Strallen. While her singing and dancing were all top notch, I felt her over-the-top New York accent went against the whole reason for her character. In the film, Cathy has a gorgeous, silky-smooth voice to contrast the sharp, headache-inducing to voice of Lina, but there were moments in the show when her voice was equally as novelty-sounding. I'm not sure why they chose to go this way for the stage version, but perhaps I'm just too enamoured with the film.

Overall, would I recommend Singin' in the Rain? Heck yes! If you like classic songs, incredible dancing and an all-round great night out, I'm pretty sure you will love the show as much as I did. It would be the perfect family outing, especially with Christmas drawing ever closer...

If you fancy seeing it for yourself, you can book tickets over at www.singinintherain.co.uk.

Until next time, vintage fans...

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Let it shine

Hello friends! It's been a while. How the devil are you?

So at the weekend, the very kind folks at Aussie Hair invited me along to a spa to celebrate their wonderful Three Minute Miracle hair saviour and hear an exciting announcement. I had to wait all day to hear their big secret, but the good news is you can hear it right now!

Drum roll please...

Aussie are releasing a brand new collection of hair care products! 

Their "Miracle Shine" range was created to make your hair as gorgeous and glossy as possible. With Australian Ginseng, pearl powder and a whole load of delicious fruit extracts, not only does the whole range smell good enough to eat, but it also does a world of good for your hair. Don't believe me? Let me show you...

Now, I'm no hair model (or any kind of model at that!), and I'm definitely not very good at taking pictures of myself, but I wanted to show you just how shiny the Miracle Shine Shampoo, Conditioner and Three Minute Miracle made my hair after just one wash. I apologies for my ridiculous face/poses/angles in advance...

I don't know about you, but personally I like the last picture best. Jennifer Aniston ain't got nothin' on me...

In conclusion, the new Miracle Shine range from Aussie does exactly what it says on the tin (or rather 'plastic bottle'). My hair is noticeably softer, feels in better condition and, of course, looks a hell of a lot shinier. The complete range of products will be available to buy in shops RIGHT NOW, so get your purse and hair ready to shine!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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That's my philosophy

A little while ago, I received a very generous care package from the good folks at philosophy. This was an exciting one for me - not just because I'd just run out of face wash, but also because I've been meaning to try their goodies for a while now. 

Typical blogger Instagram photo - follow me at 'frankieisswell' for more typical blogger pics!

To quote their website, philosophy is a brand that "that approaches personal care from a skin care point of view, while celebrating the beauty of the human spirit". This ethos appeals to me greatly because, to be perfectly honest with you, my poor skin gets put through hell on a somewhat regular basis. I wear make-up nearly every day (apparently far too much, according to my dear Mother), I'm fairly certain I exfoliate too often (it just feels so good!) and I suffer from the occasional but nonetheless unpleasant break outs. It's nice to know that someone out there is thinking about the good of my skin as well as my "inner beauty", as it were.

I was extremely excited to try philosophy's famous purity cleanser. Not only has it won awards, but it also promises to "to gently cleanse, tone and melt away all face and eye makeup in one simple step, while lightly hydrating the skin". Sounds pretty good, eh?

I've been using the cleanser on and off for over a week now, and I must say I am very impressed with it. It smells lovely, foams and rinses off well and somehow manages to leave my skin squeaky clean yet supple and moisturised at the same time. It definitely helped with an untimely pre-lady time break out too, and it did it in a nice way. It didn't dry out my skin to get rid of them, it just gave it a good ol' clean deep down. 

After using these philosophy products, I am officially a convert to philosophy products as well as their way of thinking. And the best part is I can continue to wear lots of make-up as I know my purity cleanser can handle it - score!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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Review: New African Fashion by Helen Jennings

I have something I need to confess...here goes:

My name is Frankie, and I love African fashion.

I had always had a strong appreciation for it (who doesn't love a strong print and lots of colour?!), and ever since attending Africa Fashion Week a little while ago, my love has blossomed into full-blown obsession. I've even found myself on numerous occasions staring longingly at the local African clothing shops in Dalston, wondering whether or not I could actually pull off a traditional head wrap (I've decided to ease myself into the look with a Charlotte Taylor penguin scarf for now...). I am part-Egyptian after all! So naturally when I was asked to review "New African Fashion", a new book by Helen Jennings, I was overly keen to accept.

According the book blurb, "From Africa-inspired to African-made, this guide is the first to celebrate a new wave of fashion designers who are appearing on the global stage." It's no secret that Africa has been influencing designers for many years, and more recently big names such as Michael Kors, Burberry and Donna Karen have shown clear Africa-inspired collections.

The book starts by talking about the origins of African fashion before leading into current African/Africa-inspired designers, covering both womenswear and menswear. The book features an incredible number of up and comers who are undoubtedly ones to watch. My favourites include Duro Olowu, Mimi Plange and Black Coffee. I was also very happy to see Bunmi Koko featured, as I've been a big fan of her designs for a while now.

As well as featuring African design talent, the book also covers some of Africa's best-known and emerging models, both male and female. It's a given that the legendary Alex Wek would be included, but it was also nice to see models such as Ataui Deng and Ajak Deng (no relation, but very good friends apparently!) in there too.

Overall, I was really impressed with this book. It offers a comprehensive look at the wide ranging talent that Africa has to offer, features interesting interviews and beautiful vibrant photography - what more could you ask for from fashion book?! And, as this blurb from the book says...

The more we all educate ourselves about Africa and embrace what it has to offer, the more fashion can continue to develop and innovate. Retailing at £19.99, I would highly recommend this book for any real fashion lovers or enthusiasts, especially those who are looking to broaden their own person style. You can order your copy from Amazon and many other book retailers right now.

Happy reading!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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