Invites Galore!

Nothing too exciting took place this past weekend. I did a solo shopping trip to Westfield Stratford to see what all the fuss was about. The shopping centre is massive with all the shops you could want. However, my mistake was not thinking about how busy it would be on a Saturday, so what was meant to be a relaxing shopping trip turned out to be rather manic. That eve Laura came over for dinner and we headed into town to see Morwenna dj. That night led to a slight hangover on Sunday, so the day was spent with the company of Hollei and browsing around Brick Lane markets.

Not too often can one say this, but it was when Monday came around that the fun truly began! I had been invited by my friend Gavin to attend a play at the National Theatre that his friend had a role in. So, Monday evening we both got dressed up and met at Southbank to attend the play. Before the performance,  we went to dinner and shared a bottle of wine. Gavin was the perfect gentleman insisting of taking care of the bill, and constantly opening doors for me. I felt like a princess!

The play was called Scenes from An Execution by Howard Baker. It was laugh out loud, each line was delivered flawlessly and I was riveted by everyone's performance. I hadn't been to the theatre in over a year so the experience was magical and refreshed my love for it. I highly recommend going to see it, you won't regret it. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/scenes-from-an-execution

Once the play had finished we met up with Iarla, Gavin's friend who had been in the play. Iarla then proceeded in taking us up to the "Green Room" where there was a bar and all the fellow actors and their friends were enjoying a show well done. It was wonderful chatting with everyone and hearing the different views about the play. To my surprise, John Lithgow who is best known for his voice in Shrek and his role from 90s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun was in attendance! I was slightly starstruck and was ecstatic when Iarla took me over to meet him!

Tuesday the week continued to be great. I spent most of the day relaxing and sending emails. The highlight of my afternoon was when I received a package from my friend and fantastic designer Christian Blanken. He had sent me the most fabulous pieces! A brilliant winter coat, a leather jacket and a dress shirt. I am so grateful for his kindness.

It came at a perfect time as last night I had two parties to attend. The first was for the opening party of American gym, Equinox located in High Street Kensington. Then to an agency dinner and drinks at soon to be open Bodos Schloss, an Austrian chalet themed restaurant and disco.

So sporting a Christian Blanken vest, jeans, heeled boots and Christian Blanken coat, I headed west.

When I arrived at the location for the Equinox launch, I was shown a lift that took me to the fifth floor, the main floor of the gym. The gym was all dark with party lighting but the facilities were incredible! It definitely didn't look anything like the gyms I had previously attended! The machines were all state of the art, some of which I had never seen before. Although I was in the middle of a massive gym, no one was working out. Everyone was mingling, drinking cocktails and eating some of the absolutely divine food that was going around.

A scene from the party

To mix it up my fellow model and friend Leomie, my old booker Annie, and I decided we should do some photo ops on the machines. Everyone seemed a little surprised at first, but were soon joining in.

Annie and I "using" the cross trainers

 On our departure from Equinox we each received a goody bag that included a long-sleeved shirt, an umbrella, and a 3-day guest past to use the facilities. I am for sure going to head west one day to use the gym as it looks unbelievable. Also, the fact that it's a gym used by high status clientele, it will be great for people watching!

We now all proceeded over to Bodos Schloss just down the road. Once stepping inside it really did feel like being in another country. The walls were all wooden like a true chalet and the decorating was all spot-on. The feel of it gave you the impression that you would walk outside into a snow storm upon departure!

entrance

Several different tasting plates were brought to the table and the food was absolutely delicious, all Austrian of course. After dinner a brass band along with accordion came out and the place slowly began to turn into a disco, but that was my queue to start heading home as I didn't want to be stuck in West London after the last train. The food, decor and atmosphere of Bodos Schloss were great, however the service was a little sub par, I felt the staff wasn't yet confident of the menu and there were quite a few hiccups with our meal, like our desserts being forgotten and then being offered a shot of liquor instead.. Hopefully when it opens to the general public all these issues will have been sorted.

I was so glad to be invited to both events last night and that I was able to go in style sporting Christian Blanken. It was wonderful catching up with all my bookers and fellow Premier model Leomie. I'm looking forward to the next event already!