Lara Bohinc for Turning Leaf

Things have been a little stressful at the moment, it's all deadlines this and essay's that, so when the lovely people at Turning Leaf invited me to a wine-tasting evening at The Assembly near Spitalfields, I couldn't say no.

Turning Leaf is a premium Californian wine brand and one of their wine makers Stephanie, was on hand to answer any questions (I'm known for turning into a bit of demon after drinking wine so I was glad to learn more about the stuff!). The evening was in aid of the Turning Leaf Lara Bohinc collaboration, how beautiful are these bottles?!

We sampled 5 of Turning Leaf's wines and considering I'm not a massive wine drinker, I really enjoyed each and every one. My favourite was the Turning Leaf Chardonnay - it had these lovely sweet aromas that I've never noticed in a wine before; it's amazing how much you notice when you know what to look for!

To accompany the wine was an array of yummy food's - a girl can never turn down a good chunk of Wensleydale.  Below is just a smidgen of the tasty goods on offer...

The limited edition bottles have been designed by Queen of luxury Lara Bohinc and have been laser-cut - they look really impressive on the table and we all agreed that they'd make great candle holders when the wine had been devoured. If you're still stuck for present ideas then these would make a great gift for someone a bit trickier (think in-laws or your sibling's other half).

The Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Edition bottles are both available to buy now from Lara Bohinc's store on Sloane Street for just £35. Whether you wanted to drink the wine or not, they'll undoubtedly become a collectable in their own right so snap yours up before they sell out!

photos by Patricia Niven and Turning Leaf

Tis The Season To Be Jolly

Ok so Christmas is just a stone's throw around the corner (19 days, to be precise) and if you're anything like me you won't have even thought about it until now; don't get me wrong, I love giving people presents, but finding great gifts is one of the most traumatic things in the world. This year however, things are going to be different because being in London, I'm surrounded by amazing boutiques and gift shops - all selling perfect Christmas presents waiting to be bought.

Here is a small selection of some of the things that have caught my eye so far, how cute are the Stella McCartney Days of the Week knicker Set?!

Days of the Week knickers by Stella McCartney and playing cards by Lanvin @ Matches. Silver bag by Topshop. i-D Covers book and cat plate by Donna Wilson @ Magma. Red Fisheye camera by lomography.com. Moustache brooche by Tatty Devine. Pom-pom mittens by ASOS. Crossbone ring by galibardy.co.uk. Christmas Cookie candle by Yankee Candle.

All of these beauties would make great stocking fillers or secret-santa pressies as they're all within a reasonable price range. It also helps that I'd be more than happy to receive any one of these for Christmas so if anyone is stuck...well, you get the idea.

What will you be asking for this Christmas and what are the best and worst presents you've ever received?

photos from individual web pages

Pre-Party Inspiration

This gorgeous photo of Carey Mulligan from this evenings Moet British Independent Film Awards got me thinking, what on earth should one wear to a Christmas party?!

Prabal Gurung has been worn by every hot-young-thing in recent weeks and this dress looks as though it was made for Carey. Unfortunately Prabal Gurung is a little out of my price range (OK so it's massively out of my price range) but I really love the simplicity of this look and think we should all take a leaf out of Carey's book this Christmas. 

I've put together 9 going-out looks for the inevitable onslaught of festive parties and although I'm a creature of habit, mainly a LBD habit, I've experimented with a touch of colour. What do you think?

Topshop never fails when it comes to party dresses, cheap and cheerful is definitely going to be my motto this season and these outfits won't break the bank. Unless you've got superhuman powers then black tights are an essential this time of year and all of these looks are great with or without. 

From left to right: Antonio Barardi dress, Charlotte Olympia heels. Christopher Kane dress, ACNE wedges, Mary Katrantzou dress, YSL heels.

Matches, although on the slightly expensive side, has more amazing dresses than you can poke a stick at. I'm particularly fond of the Christopher Kane number and have been drooling over all of the shoes since I first clapped eyes on them; the ACNE wedges have been in my sights for quite some time now, early Christmas present to myself? I think so.

From left to right: 3.1 Phillip Lim dress, Marc Jacobs bad. Issa dress, Valentino bag. Marc Jacobs dress, Herve Leger clutch.

The OutNet has some great party-pieces but I wasn't so taken by the shoes and have instead replaced them with bags instead - a girl always needs a good bag, right? These dresses scare me a little because they're so colourful but I'd happily wear any of them because they're so pretty. 

I definitely think its all about fun mini-dresses teamed with black tights for Christmas because everyone's so god damn depressed at the minute. If you want the designer label but not the designer prices, head over to Girl Meets Dress where you can find hundreds of gorgeous dresses to hire. You only need wear something once and they have a massive selection - perfect for partying! Check it out, you might be pleasantly surprised.

What will you be wearing this Christmas? Will you keep it simple like Carey or go the whole-hog and don all the tinsel you can find?

photos from matches.com, topshop.com, theoutnet.com and justjared.buzznet.com

Spotlight: Mary-Kate Olsen

Mary-Kate earned this weeks Spotlight thanks to this insanely beautiful photo...

We've all been snowed in for the past few days and this shot cheered me right up. From an old Elle shoot back in 2008, I think Mary-Kate definitely deserves a shout-out; she is absolutely stunning.

My friends and I were discussing whether you would pretend to be your twin if you had one, do you think MK and A did that when they were younger? What is your favourite Olsen editorial?

photo from mary-kateolsen.net

Daphne Guiness is Dead

Of course she isn't actually dead, but if you've been keeping track of her Twitter today, you'll have noticed a severe lack of posts. Guiness is one of a whole host of celebs (including Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Elijah Wood and Justin Timberlake) who have sacrificed Tweeting until $1 million is raised for World AIDS Day. I think it's a great idea, if each one of their followers donated just $10 or £10, then they'd reach the target in no time.

If you're interested in making a difference, go to buylife.org and donate. Talking about making a difference, if you're a regular reader then you may remember last month I attended the Levi's Shape What's To Come evening on Regent Street. It was a really inspiring evening and it helped me put my (not-so-stressful) life into perspective.

If you haven't already done so, I recommend you sign up to the Levi’s® Shape What’s To Come Online Community - not only is Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes hosting a live webcast tonight at 9pm but you'll be able to interact with other like-minded and career focused people. Great for getting your feet off the ground!

What do you think of the World AIDs Day campaign? It's so strong I don't think anyone can ignore the message they're trying to get across...

photos from buylife.org