I’m having a little play with Cinemagram for my next BitchBuzz article. Expect plenty more whimsical little GIFs on this blog from now on.   OHMIGOSH, THE MILK IS MOVING!!!!!   Happy Easter!   BBxx  

    I’m currently obsessed with the lives of early 20th century aristocrats. Not in a fawning, “Oh, how I wish I was a Duchess trapped in a loveless marriage to a Tory/Nazi sympathiser” kind of way. It is more of a “WOAH, those people were MESSED UP” gawping fascination.   This new obsession has been fuelled by two books: The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford and The Bolter by Frances Osborne.   Both of these books are like a 1930s Heat magazine, only with literary merit. They are gossipy, scandalous and utterly addictive.   Let me explain: Nancy Mitford was one of the Mitford sisters. Out of her five sisters, she enjoyed the dubious honour of being “the not quite as screwed up one”. She was also an incredibly talented writer, chronicling the excesses and complicated lives of the social elite in her works of sparkling semi-fiction. Kind of like Gossip Girl for the Bright Young Things.   The Pursuit of Love is the tale of Linda and Fanny, cousins who grew up together in the rambling and chaotic Alconleigh estate. Their childhoods were full of adventure and fun despite Fanny’s mother, The Bolter, abandoning her daughter to embark on a life of multiple marriages and high living.   As they mature, Fanny and Linda begin to long for love. For Fanny, this takes the form of a quiet life with an Oxford don – reliable, loving and secure. Linda’s pursuit is far more complicated; she wants passion and excitement and refuses to let the expectations of her family and society stand in her way.   It is not so much the story that makes this book special, more Mitford’s gossipy and flippant tone that masks a fierce and shrewd intelligence. There are barbed quips aplenty. The world[.....]

  Beer and tapas, tapas and beer – whichever order those words come in, they always sound good.   Healthy portions of both will be on offer at FemALE, a women-only evening combining delectable ales and delicious food. The event has been organised by Purity Brewing Co and Malmaison, following the success of their 2011 event which attracted 100 beer-loving ladies.   This year’s event, at Malmaison, Birmingham will take place on Thursday 29th March, 6-9pm. Beer writer and blogger, Beer Beauty AKA Marverine Cole, will host the evening.   There will be six tapas-style dishes on offer, each expertly matched with a craft beer. Purity, the Warwickshire-based brewery behind award winning ales including Pure UBU and Mad Goose, have been championing beer and food pairing since their launch in 2005.   Host, Maverine Cole, will be sharing some of the expertise that has won her beer writing awards from the British Guild of Beer Writers and the Belgian Tourist Board.   If the food and beer isn’t enough to tempt you, all guests will receive a goody bag filled with Purity and Malmaison treats. Beer, tapas, great company and goody bags. Yup, that sounds pretty good to me…   Tickets for the event cost £25.00 and can be booked by contacting reservations.birmingham@malmaison.com or calling 0121 2465000.  

  We’ve already established that highlighter pen yellow is a trendy colour for this spring and summer. However, I feel compelled to point out that it is merely a micro-trend, one of those things that hasn’t quite reached the tipping point of becoming an all out cultural phenomenon. That’s because this year’s big fashion colour story is pastels.   Crazy, eh? Pastels, for Spring? Whatever next?   It may well be the fashion equivalent of bears shitting in the woods, but if you want to be “on trend” this season you’d best be reaching for the lemon, rose, pistachio and powder blue.   It links in neatly with the 50s look that was championed by Prada. Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton offered an all together more prim and proper take on rose tinted 50s nostalgia. His collection of drop-waisted macramé skirt suits and dresses led the charge of fashion journalists for synonyms for “pastels” (“sorbet shades”, “ice cream tones”, “candy colours”, “feminine palette” to name but a few).   Back in the real world, Topshop are doing a pastel heavy range called 50s Diner that gives you a decent idea of what it is all about. The new pastels are sweet but open to some playful rockabilly and pin-up twists. Think full skirts teamed with denim bustiers, skinny jeans in soft shades and prim prom dresses.   Whilst Prada and Louis Vuitton were off on a 50s tip, Preen were taking an utterly modern yet ladylike approach to the pastel palette. Their Virginia Woolf inspired collection (Ahem. Yes, I know.) featured a distinctive multi-coloured grid print, lace and lashings of lemon sorbet.   Meadham Kirchoff did the whole “subverted sweetness” thing with their playful Dollparts inspired collection. Punky princesses stomped a catwalk bedecked with pastel balloons. The clothes gave the[.....]

  As I’m sure your Twitter and Facebook feeds have already told you, today is International Women’s Day.   There are hundreds of thousands of excellent and inspiring blogposts being published today. There are events taking place around the world, celebrating the achievements of women and highlighting the VERY REAL problems facing them. Depressingly, there is also the inevitable backlash, dripping in misogyny and supposed wise-ass remarks.   To all those who don’t see the point of today. To all those who think there’s nothing to fight for. To all those who think that the ongoing global exploitation and opression of women is unimportant. To all those who dismiss violence towards women. To all those who think that ”feminist” is a dirty word, I’ll let Le Tigre do the talking:     We won’t stop.   BBxx   P.S. I’m a feminist  

    Cool people get excited about stationery. Gazing at a packet of new highlighters pens arranged in colour order can quite often pass as the highlight of my day. So yeah, cool people get excited about stationery.   The fashion world has clearly clocked this because this season’s muse looks a hell of a lot like a classic Staedtler highlighter pen in a colour that we’ll describe as “lumo yellow”.   Neon is back and this time it is hard to resist. The new neon is free of the trashy eighties references that have hampered previous attempts at day-glo revivals. It can be soft and ethereal as seen at Christian Siriano or in confident solid body-con blocks. Akris even offered a clean and minimal take, with light and super-bright fabrics worn head to toe. Neutrals like dove grey, flesh pink and camel balance the colour to give a fresh and modern look.   If you don’t fancy fully committing to the look, the must have accessory has to be Muji’s set of six mini highlighter pens. They’ll comfortably fit in any handbag making them ideal for highlighting on the go. And what’s more, they come in a cute little transparent storage bag. That, right there, is functional fashion.   BBxx  

  Dear Imaginary Teenage Daughter   Apologies if what follows is patronising. As my imaginary teenage daughter, I like to consider you a clever young lady with her head firmly screwed on. Even so, I want to talk to you about Gossip Girl and, more importantly, the nature of love.   We both agree that Gossip Girl is The Greatest TV Show of All Time but something is troubling me. Your adamantly pro-Chuck and Blair stance is kind of freaking me out. I get that they are meant to be caught up in the Greatest Love Story of All Time but I want to tell you that what you are seeing on the TV screen isn’t love.   Remember that ridiculous plot line about Georgina returning with the baby that she convinced everyone was Dan’s? We both scoffed at that. Remember how we guffawed at the sight of Liz Hurley’s alleged “acting”? Or how we sniggered at the absurdity of Chuck Bass during his Nehru collar and peasant waistcoat phase? What I’m getting at is that Gossip Girl is full of implausible and stupid plot ideas, crazy casting choices and unfortunate outfits. Blair and Chuck are no different.   I don’t want to launch into an all-out character assassination here. Bah, whatever, these are TV characters NOT real people so I’ll launch away. Chuck Bass is not a romantic hero – he is a complete and utter tool. Let’s look at the evidence:   1) He tried to rape little Jenny Humphrey 2) He tried to hit Blair   I feel it unnecessary to go any further.   Listen up, imaginary teenage daughter, if you ever consider bringing a guy like this home, you will be grounded FOREVER. Even if he has a dazzling collection of cravats, wears smoking jackets[.....]