BLACK NEON at Portobello Market

The lovely Jale, featured in these pictures, has a stall on Portobello Market which she very kindly let me gate crash and sell some bikini's. Jale's eclectic mix of bright colours and ethnic embroidery pieces is in ultimate contrast to that of Black Neon's slick slightly minimal aesthetic, however I feel that the two compliment each other particularly well. Perhaps whilst sunseeking in your Black Neon bikini you may have picked up some jewellery from Morocco, a bag from Thailand and a scarf from India, all combined to make a well travelled look!

Gingers Vintage at Portobello

Last Saturday whilst selling Black Neon on Jale's colourful stall, I bought a check shirt from Gingers Vintage that I'm looking forward to wearing with my Moschino belt, newly converted and bleached denim shorts and sunnies at Notting Hill Carnival this weekend!
Gingers Vintage website cleverly styles looks on the very stunning model Sarah, showing you how you can mix and match items available on her stall. Perhaps with some inspiration from Stella McCartney, and a bit of artistic licence you find the outfit of your dreams. It's always lovely to meet new nice people on the market! Good luck Gingers Vintage!

Body, Beauty, Perception - COMPLEXD

As a women I, (as most of us do) have an interesting relationship with my body image, the clothes I choose, the food I eat, the amount of exercise I do, the mood I'm in, how I wish to be perceived, etc, etc. Body awareness and the relationships we have with ourselves, how we perceive and dare I say, judge others is a rather complexed subject. We are constantly reminded of how society thinks we should look, which in my opinion steers towards generally thin, pretty and tall? However there are people out there, such as Complexd Magazine's Editor Kered Clement, who are challenging the idea of beauty in an extremely positive way.
Complexd is the UK’s first on-line lifestyle magazine celebrating multicultural women of all shades, shapes and sizes.
The magazine features inspiring success stories of talented women, eliminating stereotypes whilst capturing a wide and varied audience. Complexd features stylish shoots, interviews and editorial pieces about women from a multitude of countries and cultures.
Complexd has a very bright future, thanks for making a positive impact to women around the world! x
The front cover of this issue features the beautiful Yasmina Rossi, who in the past I have caught a fleeting yet memorable glance of at Hannah Marshall's studio. Previously the magazine has featured Tarren Johnson and Sedene Blake

Black Neon Swimwear will be ON SALE @ Portobello Market TODAY

Come down to Portobello Market today, Black Neons 2011 collection will be ON SALE with up to 75% off, come and get your bargin of the summer!!! Email me to for a special discount code for the website too :)
info@blackneon.co.uk

It's Something Hell's

Tonight Youth Club presented their latest exhibition ''It’s Something Hell’s” a documentary of “Rockabilly, Rockers & Teds” styles.
The exhibition features images from hair styled by and Mister Ducktail and Miss Betty. 'Betty does glamorous coiffures from the ’40s to the ’60s, while I (Mr Ducktail) do pompadour quiffs and bad boy looks' from their It's Something Hell's hair salon, Unit 2.16 Kingly Court, W1. Open Mon-Sat 11am-7pm. Prices from £15. If I can get a break I'll be there to get my Veronica Lake on and get ready to head to a Diamond Jive night!

Barraquito

I rarely drink coffee except when on holiday, and I can manage 3 a day. A Barraquito [barra-KEE-to], also called barraco is a coffee speciality from the Canary Islands, particularly popular on Tenerife and La Palma. The coffee is served in a glass and consists of three layers; sweet condensed milk (minimum 10% fat), espresso and milk froth. The particular ones we were drinking had an extra layer of alcohol in for good measure, which is called "Cuarenta y Tres" (forty-three). Needless to say you get a caffeine, sugar and alcohol hit all at the same time, plus about 1000 calories!

Flash Point, the cool Windsurfer, Kitesurfer, surfer hang out is a great spot to drink and watch the world go by. I come to Tenerife now and again as my Aunt lives there part of the year managing to juggle a little bit of windsurfing and tennis whilst co-running a very successful Windsurfing/Kitesurfing business which she and my uncle started in 1985. Take a look at Surfstore. Seen in the picture are my aunt, on the left, and my mum, on the right. Two inspirational ladies to be proud of!

Other Coffee's available in Tenerife should you happen to be there!

Cafe cortado natural (usually shortened to "cortado natural" [na-too-RAL]) A little glass of coffee with heated milk.

(Cafe) cortado condensada A little glass of coffee with condensed milk.

(Cafe) cortado leche leche [letchay letchay]. A little glass of coffee with both regular and condensed milk.

Cafe solo. The only one served, for some reason, in a cup (a little one), containing just coffee.

Cafe con leche The thing most Brits order (but served in a cup on a saucer). Regular sized coffee with milk. Natives usually drink it in a tall glass. If you want to follow suit, ask for "cafe con leche en vaso".

Cafe solo largo Large black coffee.

Carajillo [cara-HEEL-yo] Small black coffee, topped up with a dash of brandy.