Mother of London is the coveted, gorgeous, hard-to-obtain-but-so-very-worth-it label, whose flawless cuts and dramatic silhouettes we’ve been drooling over for years. Born in the London underground club scene and most recently seen on the likes of Black Eyed Peas, Juliette Lewis, Kylie Minogue, Marilyn Manson and Panic At The Disco, the creations of designer Mildred Von Hildegard will soon be available to you, yes you. In a few weeks the Mother of London website will launch with a limited pre-sale which will include knitwear, t-shirts, a few newer items and some classic items. Read on for a tour of MoL’s downtown atelier and a chat with Hildegard about her upcoming, much-anticipated ready-to-wear line and working in Los Angeles. For a multi-dimensional experience queue up this brvtal Gojira track – they were playing on the MoL stereo during my visit.
Tag Archives: London
Music The Sound of Sisters: The Pierces
We recently had the opportunity to sit down and get to know the sisterly duo of Catherine and Allison Pierce. If there is an award to be given for musical perseverance, these two deserve it. After three records and 10 years of making music together, the Pierce sisters were ready to throw in the towel and attempt their own solo projects. In the final hour, Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman stepped up and expressed interest in hearing their new demos. Berryman took The Pierces under his wing and produced their groundbreaking forth album, “You & I.” The ladies recently signed with Polydor Records and finally feel at home with a label that believes in them.
In the lobby of West Hollywood’s Andaz Hotel, Allison joked about continuously breaking her Kindle as Catherine told her somber tale of someone beating her to the house she had planned on moving into. The girls explained that listening back to their earlier tunes makes them proud of how far they’ve come and that being role models to artists who haven’t made it yet has it’s pros and cons.
Bars/Clubs The Player : Members Only
Last year one of my favorite bars in London, The East Room, tragically burned down. (Luckily, I was able to have one last awesome night there two days before the fire; was one of the best nights I’ve ever had in this wonderful, wonderful city.) The East Room is part of a group of members only bars which include: Milk & Honey (London and New York), The Player (London) and The Clubhouse (Chamonix, French Alps); I’ve been to Milk & Honey a bunch but had yet to give The Player a try (or The Clubhouse… which I doubt I’ll be hitting up anytime soon unless I randomly get a surprise trip the the French Alps, which I would most definitely not be opposed to).
Film Off The Beaten path: Drake’s Passage
Mexico City – Drake partakes in mezcal tasting, joins a mariachi band Plaza Garibaldi, forces down pulque at a pulquería, rides moto with Homero Diaz – Mexico’s top rider, explores witchcraft and gets a shamanic cleansing at Sonora Mercado and gets tossed around like a ragdoll in a lucha libre lesson. And this is just episode #1.
Drake’s Passage, a six-episode original travel series, premieres on Monday, August 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT during FUEL TV’s “Raging Mondays” programming block. Produced by Red Bull Media House North America, Drake’s Passage takes viewers to iconic cities around the world and showcases them through the eyes of Drake McElroy, who is one of the most stylish, cultured and respected riders in the freestyle motocross world.
Bars/Clubs Purl Bar London: A Diamond in the Ruff
It was love at first sight for me and Purl (so much so that I went there twice in one night – drinks before dinner than again after); it’s easily one of the coolest bars I’ve ever been to. You walk inside and it feels as though you’ve stepped into this hidden, underground cave with all these small nooks and secret alleyways one can’t help but want to explore. A piano adorned with candles and old photographs sits in one room; there’s a fire place with a Chesterfield sofa, antique table and two gorgeous leather arm chairs sat around it; semi-private booths lit up by antique chandeliers and lamps give the illusion of mini caves within the cavernous room; small tables are situated in various corners with old, leather bound books sprawled about as jazz floats quietly through the air. It really is, as I’m fond of saying, magical.
Music Mandy’s Music Mail 2/25/11
So I’m back in my favorite city in the world, lovely London (sorry New York, I do love you and you are incredible, but I’m afraid London wins in my book) and what better way to start this week’s post than with two tracks from UK based Jamie Woon, a singer/songwriter whom I’m definitely digging. First up is “Night Air”, off last year’s EP (co-produced with Burial) and “Lady Luck” is the first single off his upcoming debut album Mirrorwriting; listen to both here. Also check out this video of Woon singing in a canoe in Cambodia; no bells, whistles or fancy camera work, just a simple video of Woon sitting in a canoe. In Cambodia. Singing. Awesome.
Art/Design Don’t Let Anybody Yuck Your Yum
As I mentioned briefly in my magical music post, I’m one week into my three-week stay in good ol’ London and finding myself falling even more in love with this city. I’m lucky enough to get over here several times a year but generally when I’m over I feel rushed to squeeze everything in – seeing friends, having quality time with the boy, smashing in my favorite foods (oh Amigos, you make the best chicken and bacon sandwich in the world) and bars, making runs to Boots and Topshop, being dragged to Forbidden Planet and whatnot. So it’s been completely wonderful to just relax and enjoy the city, putter about and explore.
I dipped into a number of galleries this week but the following are my favorites.
Music Micachu and The Shapes: The Disharmony Remains
Described by various critics as an ‘experimental pop rock’ outfit, Micachu and the Shapes are an eclectic bunch. Although there’s a world of difference between the two in sound, their ambition reminds me a bit of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ early days, when they were molding their own classic Bromley contingent punk rock sound into something weirder, like a fusion of punk/pop/hard rock/carnival jelly. There’s a bit of a clash between the instruments and their players, but they’re so wonderfully in sync with each others’ personalities, and that’s what makes it so fun to listen to. That clash surfaces not only in sound but in composition…these are stick close to the tried-and-true punk rock formula of short songs (many of them are under two minutes, if not shorter) and Whereas many bands like to play in harmony, Micachu cordially extends their middle fingers to any notions of what music is and should sound like. It’s a nice and refreshing twist on what I used to think pop rock should sound like. And Micachu (real name Mica Levi, who composes most of the music) ain’t no hack — she was trained at the Guildhall School of Music before deciding to go in this stranger, blatantly anti-conformist direction. You can hear her entire set on Red Bull Music Academy Radio.
Gallery Urban Exploration London Wanderer
I was staying in Croydon – a neighborhood Id never heard of until being dropped off in its guts by my coach. All I can tell you about this place is it’s very far from London and Kate Moss lived there before she made it. Also, this is precisely why you should not book hotels through budget travel agencies. Fortunately, a train station was a short walk away, making escape somewhat convenient. So to London I went.
Urban Exploration Getting Down in Camden Town
Camden Town has been London’s subculture mecca since the 60′s. The Roundhouse Theater made its name as the home to countless goth and punk shows back in the day. Open air markets, including famous Camden Lock, draw alternative fashion hunters and tourists alike. The World’s End Pub is now my favorite place to lose a few hours to cognac, and my new favorite place for people-watching, fresh mint tea-drinking and baklava-chewing is a tiny Moroccan tea house situated in front of Horse Tunnel Market. I can’t think of a better way to spend a cloudy Camden afternoon. Other than at Proud, that is.











