Holidays with MR PORTER

MR PORTER's prelude to Christmas saw a Baker Street event space turned into a festive affair of gifts, grooming and gin cocktails. As the online menswear retailer showcased their favourite gifts and accessories for the holiday season, their guests were treated to a few pre-Christmas goodies of their own, as well as a selection of interactive experiences to perfect the art of gifting.

Among these, grooming brand Pankhurst London provided a pop-up barbershop beside the Sipsmith gin bar, calligraphers Lamplighter London monogrammed Montblanc passport holders to an ever growing queue of wanderlusters, and there was even pick 'n' mix sweets to satisfy one's inner child - without the extortionate cinema prices. And throughout the night, stationers Esme Winter wrapped present after present for guests to take home after their thoroughly festive evening.

Skagen Pop-Up | Wallpaper* Hygge Christmas Market

There's a fair chance you may have heard the word Hygge in conversation this year. Continuing to grow in popularity all around the world, Hygge (pronounced "hoo-guh") is the Danish lifestyle of achieving cosiness and contentment, simply by enjoying the good things in life with the people you love. Unsurprisingly, Christmas is a natural occasion for practicing Hygge, and so to that end, Wallpaper* Magazine, with support from the Royal Danish Embassy, have assembled a pop-up Hygge Christmas Market in the heart of King's Cross, London, to celebrate the craftsmanship and creative talent of Denmark's capital, Copenhagen.

Among the Danish creatives showcasing at the market is accessories label and event sponsor Skagen, whose collection of watches, jewellery and leather goods is a beautiful infusion of contemporary design and Danish influence. New to the autumn/winter season is Skagen's Hybrid Smartwatch, which incorporates interactive technology into a beautifully made wristwatch. Only the three unassuming buttons on the side of the timepiece might give away its secret functions, which include activity and sleep tracking, e-mail notifications, and wireless connectivity with the wearer's smart phone.

The Wallpaper* Hygge Christmas Market is open 12-8pm daily until Sunday 18th December,
and can be found at 1 Wharf Road, King's Cross, next to Central Saint Martins College.

Christmas in Kennington

Christmas jumper c/o Burton Menswear | ASOS skinny jeans | sneakers c/o adidas NEO

Christmas is a funny time of the year. We hang up an obscene amount of bright lights and garish decorations, we listen to cheesy music we wouldn't dare listen to any other time of the year, we throw out all our inhibitions when it comes to food, and we feel inclined to wear knitwear bearing reindeers and snowflakes. But hey, I guess that's what makes Christmas so ridiculously enjoyable.

The festive spirit is in full swing in my new London home. I'm afraid my friends and I don't have the pleasure of living behind one of the quaint, wreath covered doors of historic Cleaver Square, but we do have a Christmas tree that turns the living room into an instant rave, and a delicious Christmas dinner in the making, the thought of which is already making me salivate.

'Tis the season for fashion blogging

Happy Christmas, you lovely lot. I'm sorry for not being a magnificent blogger lately (since Paris for that matter); I really haven't had much time for this little corner of the Internet. But fear not, Christmas is here! I know this time of year ought to be about taking a break, but I'm genuinely excited to have two weeks to concentrate on my blog. One of my new year resolutions will be to organise my time more efficiently, so I can fit my street style photography and personal style shoots around full-time work and maintaining a social life!

In the run up to Christmas, I have already had a few festive get-togethers with friends, before they left London for their families. It's sad to not have them around over the holidays, but I know we'll have plenty of fun things planned for the new year. Maddy, being my best friend and all, was exceptionally kind to me on the present front this year, having gifted me with a Noose & Monkey heart print shirt. It's a sign she knows me too well, as little did she know I had been eyeing up the very same shirt in Topman's Oxford Circus store. I'm already brainstorming a very special style feature for 2015, which you're going to love, love, love!

There shall be plenty more festivities today, when my sister and I visit our grandparents, however our main family Christmas isn't until the 28th December, when our stepsister and her fiancé come join us. Thankfully, I'm a patient man, so present opening can wait. Although I cannot deny the temptation of the post-Christmas sales, especially if there are any patterned jumpers on the half-price scene.

Merry Xmas!

Merry Xmas, folks! Now get off the internet and have a wonderful time with your friends and family. The holiday season is for merriment and having fun with your loved ones, and that is exactly what I am doing - with a generous helping of Doctor Who and festive food in between. Have a good one.

 

Wrapped up for Xmas, Bath

Sarah, from Canada, blogs at 'The Laughing Medusa'. She wears a Zara coat, H&M scarf, Bass shoes from ModCloth, and a Christmassy headband she fashioned herself.

Megan McMinn, Bath

Wishing a very happy 21st birthday to blogger pal Megan McMinn! These photos were 
taken the previous weekend at the Bath blogger meet-up. She wears a Miss Selfridge 
dress, Xmas jumper from eBay, coat by SugarHill Boutique, River Island necklace, 
ASOS hat, Dr Martens shoes, and bag from Oxford Satchel.

The Fashion Museum, Bath

Miriam blogs at 'The English Mademoiselle Diaries'. She wears Converse trainers,
Joy tights, Topshop skirt and jacket, Primark Xmas jumper, and Pepe Jeans glasses.

OnePiece Xmas Onesie

From a two-piece to OnePiece - I bet you never thought you'd see me in a onesie, did you? I was quick to poke fun at them in the past, but those Primark knock-offs have nothing on my heavy-knit jumpsuit, which frankly beats everything else in my winter wardrobe as the snuggest, warmest, and most comfortable piece of clothing I own. (Now, if that isn't a positive review in a paragraph, I don't know what is!)

This winter, onesies rival the traditional Xmas jumper as the go-to outfit on Xmas Day. It sounds wonderfully lazy, yet there is still something profoundly cosy and quaint about wearing a festive knit. OnePiece, inventors of the modern onesie, found a compromise in their Marius Heavy Knit Onesie, by combining the company's original jumpsuit design with the aesthetic of a festive jumper.

As its name suggests, this jumpsuit is made of a heavier material than its siblings, but all the better for keeping the wearer toasty. Whenever I put mine on, I never want to take it off, even if I do look like I am wearing an oversized babygrow. I love the bright colours and wintry pattern, and I love how incredibly comfy it is. I do have one query, however...

 

Why the heck does the zipper fasten all the way to the top of the hood? Perhaps people have been known to die from laziness as a consequence of a onesie's sheer comfort, and therefore the garment has been redesigned to double up as a body bag. Suffice it to say, my family take delight in telling me my looks are much improved when I am completely zipped up. Aren't they the kindest?