New V&A Theatre and Performance Galleries

A new section dedicated to the theatre and performance arts in general opened last week at the V&A, so me and my Iphone (excuse the low def. pictures!) went to check it out.

Amongst various video clips of theatre plays, opera and dance performances (which even included a short extract of Infra, Wayne McGregor's much lauded 2008 piece for the Royal Ballet), a replica of Kylie's well stocked dressing room from her last tour, lots of props and a vintage theatre ticketing machine, there were all sorts of interesting memorabilia, such as:

A costume worn by Dame Maggie Smith as Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest" circa 1993

Led Zep 70's concert poster, wish I had seen this!

"Egyptian inspired" (ie. the symbols) costume worn by Zep's Jimmy Page whilst on tour
sometime in the 70's

Speaking of Egyptian, here's something weird:

And something cute:

One of the many ballet costumes on display is this Japanese themed tutu (with Kimono-like sleeves) designed by the wonderful Karinska for Balanchine's "Bugaku" and worn by Mr. B's muse, Susanne Farrell in the 60's

And while we're on the subject of ballet themed exhibitions, there's a very interesting one coming up this April.

2009 Red Carpet Face Off

It's that time of the year again, when the stars model their carefully chosen looks on the mother of all red carpets, this time also providing us much needed respite from all the gloomy financial headlines. You can follow my full story here (in Portuguese)...

...or, check out some highlights:

The Gorgeous "Grace" Winslet

The Queen Bee
(and my "I-wish-I had-this-gown" gown)

The bad girl gone good

The Architectural Masterpiece

The Jaipur Jewel

The Haute Couture Victim

The Goth Bride

Splash!

Sources: E online, Oscar.com, Handbag

Winter pret-a-por-tea

Form and substance:
matcha tea & mochi (yummy Japanese rice cake) at Minamoto Kitchoan

Two shades of green:
matcha and green icing chocolate cupcake at home

Two shades of yellow:
Lime cupcake and a pot of English Breakfast tea
from the Primrose Bakery

Londongrad melts

I realize I have only been posting picspams of late but there I was... Golders' Hill, a beautiful Wednesday morning, a not-too-shabby phone camera and hoping it was not too late to capture traces of the freaky weather:

Here's to a taste of Siberia

Frostbitten girl versus...

...Eskimo girl

South African Souvenirs - Part 2 (South African style)

Plywood hairdresser signs for sale...
(although these ones are definitely cooler)

... and the real thing

Curious George exploring a candy shop in Pilgrim's rest
(click to enlarge picture detail)

Made in South Africa: the red capuccino
(Rooibos tea with frothy milk, delish!)

A beaded cloth for sale in Graskop

And some funky bags at Moyo's (Jo'burg)

South African Souvenirs - Part 1 (Animals)

I swear there's a croc hidden in this picture,
look closely!

A happy Kruger Park hippo says "cheese"

Lies to tell tourists:
female and male zebras wave their tails in opposite directions

Small but also powerful

The cheetah or "the coolest cat in catsdom"

Elephant Whispers

More to follow...

Pret-a-por-tea

... a few green (yes, my favorite colour!) sugary treats directly from the "cakewalk":

Mint and Strawberry tart with a cup of Tie Guan Yin tea at Yauatcha


Vanilla Rooibos tea and Green tea & chocolate cupcake from the Hummingbird Bakery at home...


...accessorized with vintage "crinoline lady" china