Crimes Of Fashion

Would you dare leave your house in totally unfashionable and hideous clothes? Do you have what it takes to pull together the worst the 80s had to offer and still have a smashing time?

Well, if you answered yes to both of these question without knowing why I was asking them, then, erm, not sure what to say except good for you! But if you answered no, then let me ask you: would you wear these clothes for Hallowe’en? Bet the answer’s yes now!

Notting Hill’s Tabernacle invites you for a night of pouffy permed hair, fluorescent legwarmers and leggings all in the name of its 80s Horror Show. Throw together those items that you kept just in case they’d come back into fashion (yes, grab that pink leotard and that groovy big-shouldered jacket) or just head to your nearest high street where 80s fashion is having a comeback and prepare to have the time of your life as you live forever. How vogue.

There’ll be music from ska group Top Cats, DJs Mr & Mrs and Konal, as well as an 80s tribute set from The Jinks.

Tickets cost £15 in advance or £20 on the door. To  find out more about the party and to buy tickets, click here.

The 80s Horror Show party starts from 7pm on Saturday 31st of October. The Tabernacle is at 34-35 Powis Square between Westbourne Park (on the Hammersmith & City line) and Notting Hill (on the Central, Circle and District lines) tube stations.

Friday Night Skate

Alice Dellal promotes Nokia Skate Almighty © PA

It’s cold out and you’re getting bored of running in the dark. So do you fancy trying something new?

© Kathie Fry

Roller skating isn’t exactly new, neither is roller blading, but it’s a fun activity to start in the winter. Imagine that those skates are weights on your legs and you’re running with them on… This is high energy.

Plus, as it’s cold, you’ll want to get warm and that will motivate you to go faster. And the best bit? You can just glide home with minimum effort. It’s both the hardcore exerciser’s and the lazy dude’s ideal sport!

Skate around your block or across the capital, or if you fancy mingling as you skate, why not join a group of Friday night skaters? With the London Friday Night Skate & Sunday Stroll (LFNS), you’ll skate for 10-15 miles along streets that take you around central London or down the steep hills of Camden or Putney for an extra workout. To help you keep up the rhythm, bikes with sound systems attached to them will blare out hot tunes.

Safety is always a big issue with these types of events and there will be (wheeled) marshalls to guide you past cars and cyclists. Also, organisers advise you to wear helmets and protective pads, as well as lights or fluorescent tags: you want to be seen in the dark! Check out the www.lfns.co.uk/about-the-lfns/rules/ too.

LFNS meets on Fridays at 8pm next to Wellington Arch opposite Marble Arch tube station (on the Central line). Check here after 5pm to check it’s going on- it depends on the weather. On Sundays, they meet at 2pm on Serpentine Road, which is in Hyde Park but close to Marble Arch. For this skate, you need to check their website at 11am on the day.

Go on, wrap up warm and burn those calories!

Affordable Art Fair

Vanessa Pooley sculpture

If you’ve always dreamed about buying some art but have always been slightly put off by the price tag then fret no more. The Affordable Art Fair is here for you.

Opening on Thursday, it will host exhibitors and galleries that specialise in good art for reasonable prices. You could buy something for between £50 and £3,000 so depending on what you’re looking for you won’t need to break the piggy bank.

Check out the contemporary paintings and photographs on display in Alicia David, snap up funky art by James Hunt (see left) and Theo Booth  or sculptures by Vanessa Pooley (see above) from the Fine Art Consultancy. There will also be galleries from around Europe showing the best affordable art.

You must also look out for the Recent Graduates’ Exhibition where you may spot the stars of the future.

If you bought something here it could be like buying an early Damien Hirst. A lot of people have turned to art as a secure way of investing money and if you manage to buy a really special piece you could be set for life.

The Affordable Art Fair opens on Thursday 22nd October at Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park and closes on Sunday 25th October. It’s open from Friday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm but on Thursday it closes at 5.30pm as there is a drinks reception that you can go to for £20. Tickets cost £10 otherwise. Children under the age of 16 go free.

The nearest tube is Sloane Square on the Circle and District lines. From there, take a right out of the station and wait for a free shuttle bus (it’ll be a silver Renault Espace) on Cliveden Place, which will take you directly to the fair.

Inside Out Knowledge

King's College London's library

Get informed this week on arts, media and culture at the inaugural Inside Out Festival. Curated by the London Centre for Arts and Cultural Events, it showcases the best professors and the more original musicians from the University of London’s nine colleges.

For this week only, attend an improvised concert for £5 in King’s College’s Chapel on the Strand (on the 20th at 7.30pm) by the London College of Communication’s resident Laptop Orchestra (see left). They perform on laptops and manipulate the sounds made by Gameboys, mobile phones and radios through audio engineering.

Or perhaps you’d like to hear Andrew Motion read his poems live? He’ll also be talking about his latest memoir and his role as a former Poet Laureate. This takes place at the KCL Chapel on the 22nd at 6.30pm. Tickets cost £5.

You could also go to a £5 debate on the 23rd about contemporary attitudes towards the Holocaust. The talk will be led by Birkbeck’s Russia Professor Orlando Figes but professors Cesarani from the Holocaust Research Centre and Beer from Royal Holloway will also be in attendance. This takes place at Somerset House at 7.30pm.

Don’t miss a free noon lecture on the 24th at Somerset House where Robert Hampson, from Royal Holloway’s Modern Literature department, will talk about the real stories behind The Wives and Widows of the Sea Captains, depicted in Joseph Conrad’s classic tales.

The last event in this series will be a free 2pm talk on the 24th on portraiture and whether it has had its day. This will be held in the National Portrait Gallery and both film-maker Gideon Koppel and philosopher Theodore Zeldin will discuss the subject.

King’s College London’s Strand Campus and Somerset House are nearest to Temple tube station on the Circle and District lines. The National Portrait Gallery is close to Charing Cross station on the Bakerloo and Northern lines.

Terrific Thierree

James Thierree is a one-of-a-kind performer and his new show, ‘Raoul’, is unmissable.

The show is engaging straight from the start as Thierree emerges from the audience and climbs onto a surreally decorated and moving stage. His movements are fluid and his dancing manages to be both beautifully balletic and eye-wateringly funny.

The music changes to fit each scene as Thierree flies across the stage or leaps from ladders or make-shift scaffold houses. He creates a strange yet marvellous dreamland where gymnastics, dance and puppetry collide.

The magical puppets take the shape of fish, jellyfish, horses and elephants- all operated by the same incredible puppeteer.

‘Raoul’ makes for a fantastic night out and is great for kids too, especially as it’s only one and a half hour long.

On at the Barbican at 7.45pm every night until the 24th October, tickets cost between £20 and £35. The nearest tube station is Barbican on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.

Chocolate Seduction

To celebrate chocolate week, the Met Bar is hosting a special afternoon class on Saturday (17th October) just for the ladies. Called the Court-Tea-San De-Light, it combines tea, chocolate, cupcakes and seduction.

Teaming up with lingerie brand The Modern Courtesan, the Met Bar has invited those who know how to seduce the best. There’ll be burlesque performers, erotic photographers and film-makers, real-life courtesans and best-selling authors on seduction.

You’ll learn all the secrets of the trade -no, not how to make a porno!- but to seduce your man. Maybe you can convince him to buy you some of the lovely lingerie or luxurious gifts that will be on sale after the class.

It last two hours (3-5pm) and costs £50. Places must be booked in advance with Jo James on 020 7447 1025 or at jo.james@como.bz

The Met Bar is located in the Metropolitan Hotel on Old Park Lane. The nearest tube is Hyde Park Corner on the Piccadilly line.

The Maharaja’s Court

A beautiful exhibition has opened at the Victoria & Albert Museum. It depicts the splendour and majesty of the Maharaja’s court from the 18th century until the mid-20th century.

When we imagine maharajas, great kings, we think of them as turbaned and bejewelled men surrounded my exquisite wealth and stunning ladies in waiting. This exhibition expands our knowledge and takes us on a journey through their extraordinary  political society and culture.

As you wander around the exhibition, you’ll travel through the history  of such iconic men and see luxurious jewellery, quirky clocks, colourful carpets and paintings. You’ll learn about the duties of the maharajas, their role under British influence and their public and private lives.

The Maharaja’s Court is on at the V&A until the 17th of January 2010. Tickets cost £11 for adults, £6 for students and are free for under 18s. There’s a timed entrance so it is worth booking in advance. It’s open daily from 10am to 5.30pm (last entry at 5pm). Fridays stay open until 9.30 pm with the last entry at 9pm. The nearest tube is South Kensington on the Circle, District and Piccadilly lines.

Asian Dessert Heaven

There’s nothing better than ending (or continuing!) a delightful evening with a fabulously decadent dessert. Don’t say you don’t have room, you can diet later. Plus we always have room for dessert! Here are some examples of dessert heaven in London:

Sumosan’s milk and white chocolate fondant (see above). This may sound like a boring version of the hot creamy fondant but it will blow your socks off. It arrives on the table in the form of a round green bundle sitting next to coconut ice cream and protected by a sugary shell. As you dip you fork through the hard chocolate exterior you’re met by incredible soft pastry and wonderfully mouth-watering white chocolate fondant. It is as incredible as it sounds and more. It’s possibly much nicer than Nobu’s signature passion fruit dessert.

Ping Pong’s banana and chocolate spring rolls are a force to be reckoned with. While they don’t look like much on your plate, boy are they tasty! Just dip them in chocolate wasabi ice cream and wait for the mouthgasm.

E&O’s iced berries with hot white chocolate sauce is divine. The hot’n'cold and the sweet’n’sour countrasts are well thought out and perfect with a delicious digestif.

Sumosan (020 7495 5999) is at 26 Albermarle Street. The nearest tube is Green Park on the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines.

Ping Pongs are located across London, try the one on Southbank (020 7960 4160). The nearest tubes are Embankment on the Bakerloo, Circle and District lines or Waterloo on the Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines.

E&O (020 7229 5454) is at 14 Bleinham Crescent. The nearest tube is Ladbroke Grove on the Hammersmith & City line.