The anzu office on a Friday

I'm working hard,

Ryma is working hard,

but I'm not too sure about this one.

Jackie Kennedy

I read so many blogs, that try as I might I can't recall which blog I saw this photo on. Anyway, I love it. It's so Jackie - the headscarf, the low pumps and the obligatory sunglasses.

The above illustration is inspired by Jackie O's accessories, her pillbox hats, Kenneth Jay Lane faux pearls, and classic shift top. It is a popular card in the anzu So... range.

Lotuses and lily pads

I love images of lotuses and lily pads, and it must be because of the cold, cold winter that these tropical images are really appealing to me at the moment. Above is a photograph I recently took of two illustrations of mine with real rose petals and fake lotuses that I bought a long time ago in Thailand.

A photo shoot from Korean Vogue.

At the temple of Angkor wat lotus gatherers collect flowers each day at dawn. In the far east, lotuses have a religious significance as divine figures were thought to be born from them, and people even go lotus viewing carrying lotus shaped lanterns.

These giant lily pads are the largest in the world and are found in the Amazon basin. They can carry the weight of rabbit sized animals.

Bespoke shoes

If you're a regular reader, you'll know I love shoes - even men's ones, as you can see from the illustration above currently used on our Tattoo shoes card. So it was really fun to get a behind the scenes tour of John Lobb - thank you Nick! John Lobb is an exclusive bootmaker, based near St. James's Palace that produces bespoke footwear for clients. Founded in 1849, it is now owned by Hermes, and has produced shoes for everyone from King Edward VII to Frank Sinatra.

Each person that comes in has a last (essentially a wooden replica of their foot) created, onto which the shoe is fitted. The basement has avenues of shelves filled with lasts of their current clients.

The shop itself is a lovely mix of workroom and showroom.

I absolutely love the wrapping paper on this pile of shoe boxes.

A photo of a workstation in the basement. I have so may photos from the trip that I will be doing another blog on this, showing a couple of famous lasts - I can't resist it!

Happy Valentines!

Happy Valentines! Above is the painting from our Anzu 'mauve heart' card.

To set the mood, I thought I'd post a couple of romantic film and tv clips. Notorious is essentially a Hitchcock spy film, where Ingrid Bergman's character has to marry someone she doesn't love to carry out her spy mission. Nonetheless, I think this clip is so romantic and sensuous. Hitchcock broke the Hollywood censor record at the time with the longest kiss scene in Hollywood history. Screen kisses could only last for 3 seconds, but Hitchcock got around the censors by having gaps in the kissing such as when Cary Grant answers the phone etc.

Such a classic clip from Frasier below. The tension between Niles and Daphne is charged and hilarious at the same time.

Pret-a-Portea goes stateside!

Finally I can reveal the design that I have been working on. Pret-a-Portea has gone over the Atlantic for NY Fashion week. I painted the above illustration for the event, which features Manhattan and London skylines, delicious cakes and Louboutin sparkly heels.

The event is being hosted by Bergdorf Goodman in the stunning BG restaurant, with a menu of bespoke cookies, cakes and other sweet indulgences all inspired by the Spring 2009 collections. Everyone has been involved in the tea from Michael Kors to Christian Louboutin to Chanel.

The tea starts today, and continues until February 20th, from three until five thirty daily. I think there is a chance it is fully booked, but call (001) 212 872 8977 if you would like to attend, or for more details (and a better image of my illustration) go to http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/Bergdorf_Goodman.aspx

Inspiration boards

I find Inspiration boards a vital part of designing and painting. This is the Inspiration board I used whilst planning and painting the new Urban range (see below). This is currently available in England, and selected items will soon be available in the US.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone that came to see us at Spring Fair, and especially those that brought my Mum chocolates and biscuits. Don't tell her I said so, but she does a fantastic job and totally deserves it.

And thank you to the Polite Company, the stand opposite anzu, who were entertaining and so helpful. This is Mike Chavez-Dawson doing tai-chi!

Embrace winter part 1

Having hated winter for years, I think I'm now learning to embrace it and dare I say, actually enjoy elements of it. Ryma (responsible for the new look anzu brochure amongst other things) is fresh from Brazil, and hates winter with a passion untold, so this blog is dedicated to you Ryma.

- Keep warm and cosy with hot water bottles, roaring log fires and piles of blankets and satin eiderdowns (above image is the anzu hot water bottle, featured on our get well card)

- Smother yourself in cashmere from head to toe, in dressing gowns, socks and gloves

image courtesy of lolita.blogg,se

- Have a snowball fight

- Fill your house with flowers. Just because it's winter doesn't mean your house can't be filled with blossoms - bouquets of black roses, window boxes full of cyclamen, vases of white flowers and pheasant feathers, or snowdrops (which are still grown in convents before being despatched to your local florists).

Folio edition of Rebecca

- Escape with a romantic bleak novel like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, or the Woman in white by Wilkie Collins

- Distract yourself from it going dark so early, with afternoon tea - a large pot of earl grey, scones with cherry jam and clotted cream, and toasted crumpets dripping in butter. Yum!

- Do as the Scandinavians do, and fill your home with 'living' lights rather than dull electric ones.

Magical

These are photos of my street, which now seems to look even more like Narnia than ever.

Snow never settles in London so I find these amazing.

Anzu is still at Birmingham Spring Fair - it's been great so far so I hope the snow won't stop us seeing you all for the rest of it!

Anzu illustration in Vanity Fair!

I am excited to say that an illustration I did for the Pret-a-Portea is in this month's notoriously hard to get into "Fanfair", in Vanity Fair magazine.

Pret-a-Portea, which has been such a success for the Berkeley hotel is travelling across the Atlantic for NY fashion week and is being co-hosted by the supremely luxurious department store, Bergdorf Goodman.

With everyone from Christian Louboutin to Oscar de la Renta being involved, it has been quite a project and promises to be a real event. I have actually done a brand new illustration, which is yet to be revealed, so keep checking back!

Spring Fair 2009

Anzu, Stand S38

Hall 3

Spring Fair Birmingham, England

1st-5th Feb

Here is a photo of a few more of our Patchwork range. We shall be at Birmingham from Sunday onwards with the rest of the Patchwork cards and all our new ranges - hope to see you there!

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist is such a great blog and I loved this recent post of these two girls in Paris. Do they always shop together I wonder?

This girl in Rio looks amazing in this sweeping blue dress. If you haven't already, see more at http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com

The lure of the leopard

No-one it seems is immune to the "lure of the leopard" as Jasmine calls it...

Not anzu (these are some cards from our new Urban range),

not Eartha Kitt,

not 1930's chanteuse Josephine Baker,

not Yves Saint Laurent (these delectable pumps are available at www.brownsfashion.com)

only Cary Grant, it seems, as can be seen in this lovely clip from Bringing up Baby.

Top Drawer Spring 2009

I would like to say a big thank you to my Mum and a very special thank you to the ever charming Saffiah for doing such a great job at the show.

I was excited about all the new designs I had done. However, it is always a little nerve-wracking waiting to see what buyers will make of them. Thankfully the new cards were really well received by buyers so that was fantastic. Next stop Birmingham!

New anzu cards for 2009!

Here is a sneak preview of some new cards we will be launching shortly. Come and see us at Top Drawer Spring, Birmingham Spring Fair or email us at info@anzu.co.uk to find out more!

Anzu at Top Drawer Spring

Lots of new designs

at

The Anzu stand D11

Top Drawer Spring

Earls Court One, London

18th-20th January

I'll be giving a sneak preview of the new ranges we have this January later this week, but just thought I'd drop you a quick note to tell you about Top Drawer Spring. Oh my goodness I have been working so hard so there are lots of new designs. I think more than we've ever released at one time. Can't wait for everyone to see them!

A new project

I can't give anything away at the moment, but I have been busy painting this, the Chrysler building and a whole lot of cakes for an exciting freelance project. I am looking forward to being able to show the end result!

Floating cities

Happy New Year from everyone at Anzu!

I just came across this article in Vogue Living Australia, on new architectural suggestions to help with climate change. I love the futuristic almost fantastical look of a lot of the designs. Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut predicts that rising ocean levels will spawn half-aquatic cities with planted housing. Ahove is one of his Lilypads, a floating ecopolis for climate refugees (www.vincent.callebaut.org)

The above proposal by Daekwon Park features stackable modules, which have garden units included.

This is how Seoul commune will actually look in 2026, where towers will become the park (www.massstudies.com). Green roofs, the article states, are quietly but effectively addressing eco-doom and have a variety of benefits including reducing energy use of a building by up to 25%. These real life plans look so fantastical to me though, that they remind me of drawings of Tintin submarines or Studio Ghibli's castles (whether it's from his "Castles in the sky or Howl's moving castle animated films).

Above Studio Ghibli's animated Castles in the sky, and below Howl's moving castle. Could the real thing be so magical? I hope so.

And of course plans such as these couldn't fail to remind of Fritz Lang's incredible vision of the future in his film, Metropolis. He was so ahead of his time in 1927, to me it looks rather like Tokyo!. I wonder what he would be envisaging for the future if he was alive today?