The Best Vintage Clothes Shop In London (well the cheapest anyway!)

The other day my colleague popped in the office and told me he'd just seen a sign for a vintage fashion shop where you can stock up as much as you want for a tenner. We've been located near Mile End for the last five months and I can honestly say that despite the proximity to the park and canal there is NOTHING HERE, so to discover there is a clothes shop for me to hang out in was music to my ears. And he wasn't wrong. I popped in a few days later and found myself lost in a warehouse filled with clothes and when I say filled, I mean FILLED!

Taken from Mile End Vintage's Instagram account

Mile End Vintagestore does indeed work by a 'stock up on what you want' policy. You take either a small bag (which is still huge) or a large bag, fill it up with whatever you want for either £10 or £20 and that's it, done deal, a whole new wardrobe for less than a weekly travelcard. There are some rails of 'priced items' but they won't break the bank.

I popped in one lunch hour and only managed to make a dent in the stock, I didn't even get a chance to fill a bag. 

But's here's what I did take home:
3 Dresses

Sixties launderette chic

Seventies Hippy Dippy

Eighties power dress

1 knitted tank top

2 Scarves

1 jacket* 

NOT PHOTOGRAPHED YET! (check back soon!)

*it's pink wool, was a bit big for me, so I am currently having it taken in by six inches so it's nice and fitted!
ALL THIS BOOTY FOR THE GRAND SUM of £6!!!!!! Yes £6 and it's all good quality stuff.

I've been to ALOT of vintage clothing emporiums in my time, I used to live in Brighton, home of vintage chic and I spend a lot of time in Brick Lane, the heart of vintage in London. Generally the stores are colourful, creatively decorated with retro music blaring out of speakers and the costs vary from 'that's pretty good' to 'hmmm should I really spend that much?'.

Taken from Mile End Vintage's Instagram account

Take away all the styling and fanfayre and what really matters is the clothes, and Mile End has plenty. 1/3 warehouse, 1/3 market stall and 1/3 shop, it really is a proper bargain hunter's paradise and if you have time on your hands you really can dig deep and discover incredible finds.

It's a clean and spacious setting and there are several changing rooms. The team also offer an alteration service so if the dress you find is too long or jacket not figure hugging enough they can sort that out for you. Most exciting of all though is that stock changes regularly AND they hold regular £1 sales at weekends.....including this weekend 23rd and 24th October. Which translates as buying clothes for £1. £1.

Taken from Mile End Vintage's Instagram account

There are a variety of styles from different genres and decades in stock, for guys and girls. Above are some happy shoppers from their last Pound Sale.

I called this post 'The Best Vintage Clothes Shop' in London and I believe this because going there is a proper shopping experience. 

It's not about beautifully pressed frocks hanging on lace covered hangers beside a jukebox....this is rifling through a neverending car boot sale where treasure could be anywhere. And when you  discover something you like that , there's a great sense of achievement that you don't get from ordinary shopping.

Yes there are plenty of vintage shops, markets, fairs and boutiques in London but they are so predictable. At Mile End Vintagestore however you really don't know what you'll find.

 It gets my thumbs up and I recommend making the trip here when you can. Now then, when am I next going back? *consults diary*

Mile End Vintagestore, 452-454 Robeson Street, London, E3 4JA. Follow their social media to find out about their £1 sales, next one Sat Oct 23rd and Sun Oct 24th 2015. 
Usual hours are 11am-6pm and 2pm-7pm Fridays. 
www.eastendvintageclothing.com

How To Present On A Red Carpet: Film Premiere Of Amar Akbar & Tony

One of the first TV Presenting tasks I ever got asked to do was report from a Red Carpet. It's the staple experience for any wannabe telly presenter - standing outside getting cold for hours, shouting at celebs to get their attention and invariably being ignored...everyone has to try it! I'm not exactly a pro, but as I've done my fair share (including two in the last two weeks), I thought I'd share some advice for anyone starting out, using a recent red carpet example where I covered the Premiere of new British indie movie Amar Akbar & Tony.

The Premiere took place a week before the film released at cinemas (April 17th it's OUT NOW!) at the Cineworld in Haymarket. Thankfully the red carpet bit took place inside, but my camera man Shevy Sandhu and I filmed some links outside to set the scene.

You can watch our finished report here.

And below are my 

Top 10 Tips For How To Present From A Red Carpet

1. GRAB CELEB EVEN IF THEY DON'T WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU

Yes that is Cindy Beale from Eastenders and no she did not want to speak to me but you have to be confident and assertive enough to talk them around; and it does work, even if you only get a sound bite, that's better than nothing!

2. ASK CELEB TO DO SOMETHING 

Celebs will be asked similar questions from all the press in attendance so if you can pop in a practical task they'll appreciate it. In the case of the cast of Desi Rascals I asked them to perform their famous Power Dance, which they did!

3. COMMENT ON CELEB'S CLOTHING

This is one of the easiest ways to strike up a conversation (not just on a red carpet but in real life!) and you never know what you may find out. For example after telling Doctors actress Rebecca that I loved her dress, she revealed it's actual vintage and used to belong to her granny. Now you don't find out stuff like that everyday!

4. NAB TWO CELEBS AT THE SAME TIME

I'm not a fan of the saying 'kill two birds with one stone' but getting more than one celeb at once means you get two interviews out of the way and it adds some variety to the overall film.

5. PRETEND YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE

Again in this instance be confident and enthusiastic. I thought this was Ella from The X Factor but it was Ella from The Apprentice, I didn't watch either so I didn't ask her about the shows - instead I greeted her very enthusiastically so she felt comfortable to talk, and getting someone to talk is the main thing!

6. BE SURE TO INTERVIEW THE LEADING LADY

It's all well and good interviewing the guests but if it's a film you're covering you must nab the leading cast otherwise your report is a bit pointless. 

7. REMEMBER THE DIRECTOR & CREW

Remember, these events shouldn't just be about the faces, show some love to the hardworking peeps behind the scenes...after all, there would be no film without the Director who in this case was also the Writer, Producer & Distributor. These people have stories to share that will make your report far more interesting.

8. HAVE FUN

Working on a red carpet isn't really work. There's no need to stress. Rather then trying to get 'the numbers', concentrate on engaging who you speak to and enjoying the whole experience.

9. PLAN A BASIC SCRIPT

I know TV Presenters who never do any planning (and it shows!) and others who get everything written for them, they just turn up and read...but my feeling is you should do some prep. Have an idea of what you want the finished piece to be like and decide on what links you think will work - when it finally happens it can be very quick and before you know it it's over and you may be so caught up in the buzz you forget to record the important stuff, so never be afraid to write scripts and bring them with you, you'll get a much more professional end product.

10. WATCH MY VIDEO TO GET INSPIRED!

After all the advice I've given you need to see me in action right?! Ok well here goes...press the play arrow!

Most of all, every presenter needs to develop their own style so whatever yours is: hone it and go out there and share it with the world! 

Catch Amar Akbar & Tony in UK cinemas it's OUT NOW!

Underwater Love: Design Features At Atlantis, The Palm Dubai (and my wee visit to the hotel!)

Me, blending in like a piece of the furniture at The Atlantis Palm Dubai

I love a good theme and I love water so a water themed hotel is bound to be my kind of place right? Atlantis, The Palm Hotel in Dubai is indeed that 'water themed' hotel but I had no idea it would also be such a creative destination. There are crafty touches in the design and décor everywhere you look, starting with this exquisite glass centrepiece in the entrance (made by Dale Chihuly the same artist who created the jaw-dropping Rotunda Chandelier the V&A Museum in London.) It consists of 3,000 handblown pieces of glass and measures 9.75m in height. The good news is you don't need to stay at the hotel to enjoy the art, so if you're ever in Dubai it's worth popping in just to admire the views...

Dome ceiling in the lobby with top view of the sculpture

Underwater themed painted ceiling in the hotel

Another painted ceiling in the hotel

And another one!

Sea urchin lampshade
So that's a taste of when you look up....when you look down, the floors are works of art too...

Then there are the giant prawns in the corners ...

and random features around the place like shell vases...

That's just some of the water themed décor touches, but what about water itself? Well there is no escaping 'The Element' and the 65,000 sea creatures that live within it at the hotel...

From my room (I was lucky enough to spend three nights at the hotel earlier this month) I could look down onto sting ray from my balcony, while around the hotel there is no escaping the sharks and giant leopard print sting rays swimming passed thanks to The Lost Chambers Aquarium that stretches throughout the hotel...

She's in fashion

If that's not enough, you can also dine next to fish at Ossiano underwater restaurant (I should point out it's a seafood restaurant so it's a bit strange eating fish while they are looking at you!)

Oi! Is that my cousin you're munching into?

Or if you have £8k spare you can sleep with sealife in one of the hotel's two dreamlike under water suites....

I don't mind if I do...

But if that's too overwhelming you could simply stick with visiting the aquarium and just watch the fish swim by for hours.

Who needs a telly? 

I spent one afternoon doing just that and spent my other two afternoons hopping from flume to flume at the hotel's Aquaventure Waterpark (which included going down one of the longest and scariest flumes in the world!)

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Splash!

As well as a dip in the 'fake sea' that Dubai is known for

 I also had a dip in the pool...

This is the life!

...fed some stingray, and most exciting of all, got to hang out and swim with a dolphin called Tina at the hotel's Dolphin Bay. 

Holding on!
Could a hotel got more water themed? I think not! I went with little expectations (other than I hoped the flumes would be good and thankfully they were!) so it was a real pleasure to discover that I would love staying in the hotel so much. 

Should you visit Atlantis, The Palm Dubai? If you get a chance to then yes. If you can stay overnight then even better - there's just so much to enjoy and take in, from the surroundings to the little details, and so many people to talk to - staff are everywhere (especially around the waterpark) and they always at the ready to strike up a conversation.
This trip is going down as #funtimes : )

With my fellow travelling companions

Oh go on then! 

Here are some snaps of what I ate while I was there (I took so many photos that it would be a crime not to share them...be prepared you may get hungry!)

Delicious Chinese lunch with bubble tea at Yuan

Teatime at Plato's Tea and Coffee Lounge (over 120 teas to choose from!)

A mere snapshot of the 100 desserts on offer at Saffron buffet restaurant

Yummy global breakfast

Sipping a mocktail at Nasimi Beach Bar