Christmas cards signed by Princess Diana

My fridge is bursting with food, the bottles of champagne are cold, the Christmas tree is decorated and the presents are wrapped. There is one thing I have not done this year, however, and I hang my head in shame: I have not made or sent a single Christmas card. Not even a Christmas email! Have you? I expect you have. Sigh. Oh dear. I think I might have to send out Happy New Year emails, instead.

I think what put me off was not knowing what to write on the cards... because I like the idea of writing a personalised note on each one. But the truth is, that's a hassle and you end up not sending any. So next year when I do send out Christmas cards, I am sticking to one of these standard (but boring) phrases and just writing "to" and "from". I mean, the royals do it... see below.

Christmas cards signed by Diana and Charles

... and ones signed by Diana only.

And now my turn.

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas! 

Kate Middleton's gorgeous hair

Who doesn't want Kate's gorgeous hair? Unfortunately mine is not long enough yet but I am growing it out.

If you are in London you might be interested to know that she has her hair done at the Richard Ward salon. The salon has confirmed that James styled her hair for the engagement press day.

"Richard, Hellen and the Richard Ward team would like to send their sincere congratulations to Prince William & Kate Middleton on the announcement of their engagement.

It has been widely speculated in the press that Kate and the Middleton family have been loyal salon clients for many years; we would like to confirm this.

Our relationship with the Middleton’s has been built on discretion and trust, Richard and his team intend to maintain this relationship whilst respecting Kate’s on-going privacy.

We can confirm our stylist, James Pryce, did a fantastic job in enhancing Kate’s look for the engagement press day and we would like to extend our best wishes to the happy couple for the future."

Here is a collection of photos (in no particular order) that show her glossy locks.

FROM ST TROPEZ WITH LOVE

Can we just say how much we love St Tropez? It's not even Christmas yet and we've already got a serious gift contender for the best-gift race (if anyone thinks they can top the above, our contacts details can be found on www.elitemodellondon.co.uk). Anyway, back to the amazing people at St Tropez: ever since we received this awesome Christmas goodie bag, the Elite London office has been a paradise of tan. The Elite girls are practically stealing St Tropez from each other's bags. Come to think of it, we might need another shipment!

http://www.st-tropez.com/

Caroline's only got eyes for Marc...

Now if this doesn’t brighten up your winter morning we’re not sure what will! Caroline Brasch Nielson dazzles us in this blinding campaign for Marc Jacobs Eyewear S/S 11 shot by the legendary Juergen Teller. It may be a slightly odd time to start thinking about our Summer wardrobe for next year but a pair of these outrageous orange glasses are definitely going on our Christmas list!

Philosophy's (non) miracle worker

Back in September I got really curious about Philosophy. I got loads of good recommendations and meant to try out an exfoliator but came home with an anti-ageing product, instead (not sure how that happened). Well, I don't have any wrinkles yet but one age spot on the side of my face so I sort of shrugged and thought, why not...

The miracle worker and I didn't get off to a good start... because despite all the writing on the box (where else do you see so much text on a skincare product?), there were no instructions on how to use the product. I mean, yes maybe it's obvious that you are supposed to pour the liquid onto the pads but I wanted to be sure, seeing as I'd spent so much money on it. And was I supposed to use it once or twice a day or week? I mean, this is surely a bit more complicated than the usual face creams that do come with the most banal instructions to "apply day and night", for example.

So I had to go to their website (what a hassle) for instructions.
And I poured the entire bottle over the pads.

Voila, the soaked pads.

Each pad has a smooth side and a rough side. I quite liked scrubbing my face with the rough side (it felt like it was doing something). The liquid felt peculiar, like a dry oil, but it didn't cause any problems. No break-outs.

In fact, nothing. I used this every night for 60 days, and I didn't see any difference. The age spot on my face is still there. No compliments on glowing skin, either.

I don't believe in miracles anymore... (I'll try again when I'm fifty.) 

It's a nice day for a white wedding...

Constance Jablonski continues to dazzle as the current face of Estee Lauder in the exquisite tv campaign for the Beautiful fragrance, living out every girls fantasy in the perfect white wedding dress. To see the full video check out Elite London's Facebook page...

Kate Middleton's official engagement photos!

What gorgeous photos! Kate looks beautiful.

Especially in the second photo (below) you can really see how perfect her hair is and her make-up was obviously done professionally here, for a change. Not that it was ever bad (no, not at all!) but the eyes look 'softly smokey' (and not just the usual black eyeliner). She is also wearing a white dress and that gets my seal of approval! (you know how I love white!)

These photos were taken by Mario Testino.

RED HOT

Well well well... looks like we have another star in the making! Not content with being Mulberry’s muse last season, our resident redhead Julia is now racking up some major editorials including Velvet Magazine and Italian Vogue...guess this means red is the new blonde! The best is yet to come...for anyone who has seen the September Issue this will have significant wow factor...Julia is currently in NYC shooting American Vogue, styled by Grace Coddington and shot by Mario Testino, now that’s what we call a dream team! We may have to wait a while for the issue to hit the stands but to keep us going the lovely miss J has sent us this sneak preview from behind the scenes...looks like we’ll be cracking out red hair dye next year!

Maybe Miu Miu?

So I have been popping into all the boutiques to look at the latest handbags. My first stop this time was Prada but I couldn't find any of the ones I wanted (here). They had similar ones, though, so I got a good idea of how big the bigger ones are. Is there such a thing as a perfect size? I usually carry larger bags, then put too much in and get shoulder aches. So I switch to a smaller one, then curse that I can't fit anything other than the essentials in. Sigh.

At Miu Miu I did find something that I liked. The bow bag (vitello lux satchel): this has been around for two years or so already, which I always think is a good sign because I don't want highly recognisable 'it' bags that go out of style quickly. It comes in two sizes and I like the smaller one. It has adorable bows on the sides! It has a zip closure, which is usually a must for me (but I'll forgive the Hermes Birkin for not having one, just because.), and it folds over.

It does not open very wide so it's not the most practical bag but it is roomier than it looks and I can fit all my essentials (+ room for a bit more) in.

It comes in various colours. But as I need a brown bag (first), the dark grey-brown shade called argilla (a new colour) is what I should get. The lighter brown / dark camel is also gorgeous....

What do you think?

I don't own any Miu Miu yet so I am unfamiliar with the quality. I have read one horror story about a letter falling off but I am thinking (hoping) this is an exception. Does anyone have any experience with Miu Mius?

Next: Prada?

I love designer handbags, you know that, and when I got my classic Chanel bag (which I will show you soon) I swore to myself that I would only buy Chanel bags from then on. But then I fell in love with a red Dior (see it here). And once I had that, I felt I had enough handbags (I have more than just these two) and I should start saving up for an Hermes Birkin. And I have kept my word... for a year.

But I am starting to realise that maybe this is not such a good idea. Because even if I argue that the Hermes is the ultimate bag and I would never need another, the truth - I think - is that I get bored. So I would probably sleep with the Hermes for a year (literally, probably), then start flirting around with other bags again... and at some point the Hermes would just become 'another' handbag in my collection.

I've sort of decided that I desperately need a brown bag and I like this one from Prada more than I would like to admit.

Large Cervo Satchel

But... and this is where I start to lose sight of that "I need a brown bag" argument (didn't take long, did it?)... I do like this grey one, too.

Vitello Daino Half Moon Hobo

And these are not what I had in mind at all but I like them, anyway. I'm already trying to decide between the big one or the small one...

Soft Calf Framed Satchel

Which one do you like best? Should I even go for Prada at all?!

ALANA ZIMMER JOINS ELITE LONDON

Good news seldom comes in ones: following the news of Madisyn Ritland signing to Elite London, we've just been informed that Alana Zimmer is boarding our ship, too. As of today, the Canadian top girl who's shot, well, everything worth shooting is officially an Elite London girl. Merry Christmas, y'all.

MADISYN RITLAND JOINS ELITE LONDON

Just in time for Christmas! We're proud to announce that the amazingness that is Madisyn Ritland just joined Elite London. Madisyn has shot titles such as 10, i-D, Vogue China, Vogue Helles, and W, and appeared in spring/summer 2010 campaigns for Theory and 'S Max Mara. Welcome on board, Miss Ritland!

Asian with a twist of French

I haven't done a food post in ages... so I thought I'd show you one of my all-time favourites: Vietnamese cuisine! Ahhhh... when I was pregnant I couldn't get enough of their curries! This is a restaurant I usually go to for dinner but this time it was lunch with a friend.

Jasmine tea... lots of it.

I usually prefer summer rolls but on the lunch menu they were only offering vegetable spring rolls. They were good, too. 

Then the 'usual' chicken curry with rice. Oh, see the carrot in the corner? Do you think that is supposed to be a butterfly? 

Vietnamese coffee. I don't even drink coffee normally so it's a bit strange that I like this: a double espresso with lots of condensed milk. I like to pour it over crushed ice. It's very sweet... this was basically dessert. My friend had never seen this before and she was quite fascinated! 

I need to branch out, though, and order something other than chicken curry next time. What are your favourite Vietnamese dishes?

P.S. When I think of Vietnam, what comes to mind is L'Amant (The Lover) by Marguerite Duras, the story of a young French girl and her Chinese lover... It is one of my favourite books.

Maybe you are familiar with the film...? 

More Roaring.. Denisa & Will for TIGER

Loving Denisa Dvorakova and Will Lewis work it for TIGER Magazine in this 

slick and stylish film. 

Direction: JM Ferrater/Jotaeme/Antonina Obrador

Styling: Ana de Gregorio

Art Direction: Jotaeme

Hair/Makeup: Daniel Rull using Chanel

Studio Direction: Alejandro Rivera

KORREL & JAMES ROSS IN i-D's WORLD AIDS DAY FILM

World AIDS Day 2010 is all about raising awareness to tackle HIV prejudice and help stop the disease spreading. We are proud to present this 5-minute film, courtesy of i-D's Menswear Editor Elgar Johnson and filmmaker George Harvey. The idea is simple: twelve models, of varying ages and nationalities, talking about AIDS. Without being briefed, each talks candidly about what AIDS means to them and what we can do to raise awareness.



All models wear Emporio Armani (RED, Converse (RED) and GAP (RED). 



Watch, ACT AWARE and wear your Red Ribbon with pride.



worldaidsday.org

joinred.com
tht.org.uk

Elite London boys get the cover of Models.com

 

The new Models.com cover is devoted to the Elite London boys! New York-based photographer Samantha West shot Austin Myers, Egor, Felix Branch, Joshua Bell, Nick Alexander, and Tom Fonteyn exclusively for Models.com in an editorial honouring the Elite London men's board.


The shoot, which was styled by Morgan Hamada Ruiz, features London-based designer James Long's spring/summer 2011 collection, as well as elements from his autumn/winter 2010 collection. Congratulations to the boys - and special thanks to our friends at Models.com!


Check out the story on www.models.com

SNOW ANGELS

   If these shots don’t put a smile on your face we’re not sure what will!  When presented with a snow day here at Elite what do we do...moan about the lack of transport...complain about the cold? Nope we see the perfect opportunity for an impromptu photo shoot what else!?

We roped in two gorgeous elite boys to indulge us with this one and Oscar and Luiz just happened to passing through the agency. For born and bred Swede Oscar this is pretty standard but for Luiz who joins us from Brazil this is a whole new experience... we hope these put a smile on your face and cheer up any miserable snow days out there!

Jealous much?