The Minister of Fashion!

It was inevitable that my blog would feature fashion related posts, but it has taken me some time to decide how to begin to tackle such an important part of my life. It became obvious that the best place to begin, with any subject, is at the beginning, so this post relates to fashions first great designer, the often overlooked Rose Bertin!

I suspect the majority of you, even those dedicated fashionistas amongst you, will never have heard of Rose Bertin, but she is perhaps the single most important figure in the history of the multi-million dollar fashion industry! Marie-Jeanne Rose Bertin was born on the 2nd July 1747, in Picardie, France, the daughter of a humble police man, but she was to rise to be the worlds very first fashion designer, dressing some of the most important women in Europe, including the eternal fashion icon, Marie-Antoinette.

Rose Bertin was perhaps the first couturier who's fame was to eclipse that of even her most famous clients, and to continue long after many of them had lost their heads to Madame Guillotine, long before the days of Coco or Donatella... Her unique belief that the price of a gown should not only cover the cost of materials and labour, but, like great works of art, should be based on the creative talents of its designer, is still a central principal of today's fashion industry. Without Rose Bertin a piece of beautiful couture would not cost upwards of ten time the amount of a high street basic, regardless of the cost of raw materials. Rose Bertin's unprecedented relationship with Marie Antoinette allowed her to revolutionise the garment making industries, long before the French people revolutionised their government. Bertin created for the Queen a constantly changing wardrobe, in an era when people would wear the same gowns over and over for the entirety of the lives. The Queen's desire to lead new styles, rather than follow them meant she commissioned Mademoiselle Bertin to create several radically new looks for her a year. Bertin's, continually innovative creations for the Queen, were avidly copied by the women of France, and the world, nobody wished to appear out of style, and what the Queen of France was currently wearing was considered the epitome of style. and so the concept of "fashion" was born! Paris long looked to as the leaders of civilised society, with the aid of Rose Bertin's shop, The Grand Mogul was cemented as fashion capital of the world, a status the city still holds today!

I hope this short post has inspired some of you to find out about a figure from history that I am so passionate about, and who's ideas are still so relevant to the fashion industry, several hundreds of years later. I could talk about this subject for hours, but I shall refrain, I could, however, recommend several books to those who are interested, and to those who aren't, I can only promise my next post shall be more current!

A Walk Down The Street...

Those of you who know me will be well aware that I am partial to a drop of whisky, and this post is dedicated to one of my favourites!

I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of Compass Box's Great King Street, The Artist's Blend for Christmas off a very dear friend, most probably due to the large amount of hints I gave him through out December, which regrettably I have just finished.

Compass Box are one of my favourite whisky labels, producing some of my favourite blended whiskies. To many, blended Scottish whisky is often regarded as poor quality, substandard to single malts, this is a myth that Compass Box intend to dispel! Compass Box have created a beautiful range of balanced whiskies that cater to every pallet, from the delicately smoky Peat Monster, the award winning Hedonism, to the controversial, but exquisite Orangerie, each blend is unique and undoubtedly excellent!  Great King Street is a completely new range, and The Artist Blend is the first release in this exciting range...

For those of you that don't already drink whisky, and would like to, I could think of no better place to start! The Artist Blend is beautifully sweet and balanced, with lovely honey notes, and hints of toasted marshmallow. A perfectly balanced and delicate whisky, it will undoubtedly appeal to novices and the experienced whisky drinker alike. A perfect blend of Highland, Speyside and Lowland whisky, The Artist's Blend is a wonderfully versatile whisky that I, shocking wouldn't object to putting into a cocktail, but is at its best neat, with just a dash of water. I can only hope the next addition to this promising range lives up to its premier!

No Shit Sherlock!

There are very few programs currently on television I can truly enjoy, but the BBCs Sherlock was completely enthralling!

Having battled with, and ultimately enjoyed Sir Arthur Connan Doyle's prose as a teenager, I was horrified by Hollywood's recent attempts to sex up the most British of character, Sherlock Holmes. When, in 2010, came Stephen Moffat and Mark Gattis's dramatic modernisation of such a classic, Victorian story, I was at first wary that it may be yet another bastardisation of a great British literature!

 But I needn't have worried, this slick adaptation stayed true to its 19th century source material, yet beautifully relevant to the 21st century. Clever writing, and excellent casting, the realtionship between Benedict Cumberbatch's exquisitly played Holmes and Martin Freeman's fresh take on Dr Watson , have ensured that in two brief series, Sherlock has crafted 6 of the most famous mysteries in litterary history into wonderfully modern stories, that continually keep viewers guessing!

 I look forward to the third series with great anticipation...

Humble Beginnings....

I thought it best to begin by explaining the purpose of this blog, and what it's readers can look forward to...

Since finishing University in 2010, I fear my mind has become stagnant. The monotony of working life has extinguished my creativity and let my intellect rot. Hopefully in writing this blog I can rekindle some of those skills that were so important to me at University, and put into writing some of those musings that have been long trapped inside my cluttered brain!

Please do not expect posts of literacy significance, nor can you expect a cohesive theme to my posts. This blog will simply be an outlet for me to express my passions, a bottle of Whisky I've particularly enjoyed for example, or an individual from history that inspires me. I'll discuss updates to my wardrobe, meals I've enjoyed, and things that I lust after...

In all honesty this is a blog about my great loves and I hope that I can hold your attention long enough to share some of them!