Downing Street

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Bora Aksu (by Jemma)

by

Bora Aksu London Fashion Week AW11
Bora Aksu by Lisa Stannard

Bora was the hot ticket on Saturday night and it was typical that all the big fashion editors were otherwise engaged, pills ok so they were at Downing Street with the queen of political fashion Sam Cam but I bet they were gutted. In fact I was quite impressed with myself getting a seat right by the models entrance and plonking myself right on the end….that was until the show got soo full up that the side of the stage was crowded with a gazillion people blocking my photographic view. Oh well.

Bora Aksu London Fashion Week AW11
Illustration by Lisa Stannard

Aksu is a graduate of the Central Saint Martins MA (who isn’t these days?) so since 2002 he has been working through his collections and gaining the title of “star of the show” by many newspapers which lead him to his first debut collection off schedule in February 2003. Suzy Menkes is even a fan, mind not an accolade to be taken lightly. Intriguingly Bora Aksu was intent on dressing models in chiffon headband. Now these weren’t ordinarily tied around the head but wrapped in a variety of criss cross styles almost like a facial sling; not that that’s a slur I loved it. Aksu’s aspiration is to “find balance point between contrast [and create romance] with a darker twist.”

Bora Aksu London Fashion Week AW11
Photoography by Jemma Crow

It certainly was a darker show inspired by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with Marilyn Manson’s rendition of Sweet Dreams accompanying the models. Although looks were tailored there was an old-fashioned Victorian feel to the collection with bustle style skirts on dresses and bow ties. It even seemed that Aksu had taken a leaf out of Christopher Kane’s book with a green lace dress, looking to be a hot colour for the season along with red (but never together of course that would be ridiculous!) It even came in the form of silky shirts tucked into trousers. Delish!

Aksu knows how to make the OTT side of fashion into a surprisingly wearable collection. I think it’s mostly down to his subtle use of colour (the greens) and detailing (the bows and head scarves) which makes everything just that bit more interesting.

Bora Aksu London Fashion Week AW11
Photoography by Jemma Crow

As with all the popular shows we had the delights of a front row celebrity through non other than M&S sweetheart Twiggy who sat next to our very own Amelia Gregory. But the real press scrum (and I’m not using that word lightly it was a MENTAL scrum) came after the show. What with the likes of Marina from the Diamonds fame, Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud and Twiggy making their exit, getting out of the show was easier said than done. Cue lots of pushing us plebs from the paparazzi as far as we could go just so that they could get the money shot. Not my favourite thing about these shows but it’s all got to be done. And believe me I’ve got elbows to push them back be warned.

Bora Aksu London Fashion Week AW11
Bora Aksu by Lisa Stannard

Thanks to Lisa Stannard for the illustrations. More of her work can be seen in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Written by Jemma Crow on Wednesday February 23rd, 2011 1:46 pm

Categories ,Amelia Gregory, ,AW11, ,Bora Aksu, ,celebrity scrum, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Downing Street, ,Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, ,Lisa Stannard, ,London Fashion Week, ,marilyn manson, ,Marina and The Diamonds, ,Nicola Roberts, ,samantha cameron, ,Suzy Menkes, ,twiggy

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Amelia’s Magazine | Behold, the Cleggeron Riseth.

by


A selection of elephants by Paul Shinn

Allow me to introduce you to Marjorie, web picture below. She’s one of 258 fibreglass elephants in and around London decorated by some of the capital’s most prominent artists, more about designers and image makers.


Clare Bassett’s Marjorie (#81)

It’s London’s largest outdoor art event and it’s creating quite a stir in the capital. From people like John Shinn, who’s trying to photograph them all on Facebook, to work colleagues printing out lists of the elephants and checking them off, it seems that they’ve gripped London like nothing before.

So, where to start? Well, the aim of this project, whilst cheering up many a London street, is a simple one. It’s to raise awareness for the plight of the Asian elephant, dangerously close to extinction. Created by father and son duo Mike and Marc Spits, all the revenue from sponsorship and the auction of the elephants will go to the Elephant Family charity.

Here’s some you should see, and some you can just see here.

A range of fashion designers have applied their own style to the elephants, including this creation by red carpet luminary Julian McDonald.

It’s fun, no? It’s not the best one by a long shot, and I question the ethics of decorating one endangered animal in the beautiful coat of another, but I’m sure this is totally off McDonald’s radar. It’s suitably camp and stands perkily out Liberty, and this clump of Italian teenagers certainly seemed to enjoy it.

Other fashion names include Issa, Diane von Furstenberg, Matthew Williamson and Sir Paul Smith (one of my favourite elephants so far)


The Paul Smith Elephant by Sir Paul Smith (#173) at The Royal Exchange

The beauty of the project, besides raising awareness in a super fun way, is that you never know when you are going to bump into one of these creatures. They are literally everywhere – hell, they’d have to be to fit 250 of the buggers in our city. Just as you put your camera away after photographing one, you turn a corner and there’s another!


Illustration by Gemma Milly


Illustration by Matt Thomas


The Cartier elephant (#107) at the Royal Exchange by Rachel Liddington


The City in the Elephant by BFLS Architects (#255) illustrated by Lisa Billvik

This beauty is pretty simple on the outside, but peer inside any of its small transparent domes and inside you’ll see an incredible model of London featuring teeny tiny elephants, too!


Photograph by Paul Shinn


Thammakit Thamboon’s Polkadot (#12) at More London by Jenny Robins


Helen Cowcher’s Hornbill (#116) at More London by Naomi Law


Illustration by Eben Berj

Of course, this art project wouldn’t be complete with a good ol’ dash of politics. ‘Anonymous’ has created three elephants dressed in boxing gloves and silk shorts in the colour of the three main political parties – appropriately titled ‘Mr Brown’ ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’. The Elephant Parade haven’t yet confirmed, however, if they’re to remove ‘Mr Brown’, or indeed move ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’ together so they can whisper sweet nothings to each other.


Photograph by Paul Shinn

So, go out and enjoy some fun art right on the street. Tweet your pics @AmeliasMagazine !

A selection of elephants by Paul Shinn

Allow me to introduce you to Marjorie, website picture below. She’s one of 258 fibreglass elephants in and around London decorated by some of the capital’s most prominent artists, this web designers and image makers.


Clare Bassett’s Marjorie (#81) at More London

It’s London’s largest outdoor art event and it’s creating quite a stir in the capital. From people like John Shinn, who’s trying to photograph them all on Facebook, to work colleagues printing out lists of the elephants and checking them off, it seems that they’ve gripped London like nothing before.

So, where to start? Well, the aim of this project, whilst cheering up many a London street, is a simple one. It’s to raise awareness for the plight of the Asian elephant, dangerously close to extinction. Created by father and son duo Mike and Marc Spits, all the revenue from sponsorship and the auction of the elephants will go to the Elephant Family charity.

Here’s some you should see, and some you can just see here.

A range of fashion designers have applied their own style to the elephants, including this creation by red carpet luminary Julian McDonald.


Bertie by Julien McDonald (#139) on Foubert’s Place

It’s fun, no? It’s not the best one by a long shot, and I question the ethics of decorating one endangered animal in the beautiful coat of another, but I’m sure this is totally off McDonald’s radar. It’s suitably camp and stands perkily out Liberty, and this clump of Italian teenagers certainly seemed to enjoy it.

Other fashion names include Issa, Diane von Furstenberg, Matthew Williamson and Sir Paul Smith (one of my favourite elephants so far)


The Paul Smith Elephant by Sir Paul Smith (#173) at The Royal Exchange

The beauty of the project, besides raising awareness in a super fun way, is that you never know when you are going to bump into one of these creatures. They are literally everywhere – hell, they’d have to be to fit 250 of the buggers in our city. Just as you put your camera away after photographing one, you turn a corner and there’s another!


Illustration by Gemma Milly


Illustration by Matt Thomas


The Cartier elephant (#107) at the Royal Exchange by Rachel Liddington


The City in the Elephant by BFLS Architects (#255) illustrated by Lisa Billvik

This beauty is pretty simple on the outside, but peer inside any of its small transparent domes and inside you’ll see an incredible model of London featuring teeny tiny elephants, too!


Photograph by Paul Shinn


Thammakit Thamboon’s Polkadot (#12) at More London by Jenny Robins


Helen Cowcher’s Hornbill (#116) at More London by Naomi Law


Illustration by Eben Berj

Of course, this art project wouldn’t be complete with a good ol’ dash of politics. ‘Anonymous’ has created three elephants dressed in boxing gloves and silk shorts in the colour of the three main political parties – appropriately titled ‘Mr Brown’ ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’. The Elephant Parade haven’t yet confirmed, however, if they’re to remove ‘Mr Brown’, or indeed move ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’ together so they can whisper sweet nothings to each other.


Photograph by Paul Shinn


Eko by Paul Kidby (#195) in Green Park, illustrated by Rachel de Ste. Croix

So, go out and enjoy some fun art right on the street. Tweet your pics @AmeliasMagazine !
Cameron-Clegg-Antonia-Parker
Cameron and Clegg in bed together, mind by Antonia Parker.

Who watched the joint press conference given by David Cameron and Nick Clegg from the Downing Street back garden on 12th May 2010? Who else boggled at the back-slapping camaraderie of this sudden coalition? Within the space of just one week Cameron and Clegg have gone from flirtatious – or so it now seems, buy looking back – bickering to full on coitus. Watch them chuckle at each other’s jokes like old mates! See them smile lovingly at each other! Yes, I feared that a hung parliament would produce my least preferred coalition, but I never for one moment anticipated this classic bromance.

sandra dieckmann-lib-con love
Lib-Con Love by Sandra Dieckmann.

And I can’t help but think – how on earth is this love-in actually going to work? How many concessions will the Cleggeron make to keep the spark alive? These are interesting days, to be sure.

The opportunity to put out an open brief to picture this unholy union was just too irresistible. This then, is a blog devoted to the brilliance of illustrators. Enjoy.

bex_glover_nc_dc_tandem
The tandem by Bex Glover.

The Cleggeron-Lazarou Monkey Terror
The Cleggeron by Lazarou Monkey Terror.

Abi Daker - clegg - cameron
Illustration by Abigail Daker.

camerlegg-Colourbox
Camerlegg by Colourbox.

louise rowland-clegg cameron
Bathtime by Louise Rowland.

mel-elliott-clegg-cameron-krankies
Krankies by Mel Simone Elliot.

Reena-Makwana-Clegg-Cameron
Illustration by Reena Makwana.

tom_dench-layton_cleggcam
Cleggcam by Tom Dench-Layton.

simonwild_CLEGG&CAMERON
Surprise!! by Simon Wild.

pearl_law_cleggcam
Illustration by Pearl Law.

Nikki-Pinder-Clegg-Cameron
Illustration by Nikki Pinder.

If you fancy getting involved in my open callouts the best thing to do is follow me on twitter and get stuck in. Until the next one…

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 14th, 2010 3:53 pm

Categories ,Abigail Daker, ,Antonia Parker, ,Bex Glover, ,Bromance, ,Cleggeron, ,Coalition, ,Colourbox, ,David Cameron, ,Downing Street, ,General Election, ,Hung Parliament, ,illustration, ,Lazarou Monkey Terror, ,Louise Rowland, ,Mel Simone Elliott, ,Nick Clegg, ,Nikki Pinder, ,parliament, ,Pearl Law, ,politics, ,Reena Makwana, ,Sandra Dieckmann, ,Simon Wild, ,Tom Dench-Layton, ,twitter

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | Behold, the Cleggeron Riseth.

by


A selection of elephants by Paul Shinn

Allow me to introduce you to Marjorie, web picture below. She’s one of 258 fibreglass elephants in and around London decorated by some of the capital’s most prominent artists, more about designers and image makers.


Clare Bassett’s Marjorie (#81)

It’s London’s largest outdoor art event and it’s creating quite a stir in the capital. From people like John Shinn, who’s trying to photograph them all on Facebook, to work colleagues printing out lists of the elephants and checking them off, it seems that they’ve gripped London like nothing before.

So, where to start? Well, the aim of this project, whilst cheering up many a London street, is a simple one. It’s to raise awareness for the plight of the Asian elephant, dangerously close to extinction. Created by father and son duo Mike and Marc Spits, all the revenue from sponsorship and the auction of the elephants will go to the Elephant Family charity.

Here’s some you should see, and some you can just see here.

A range of fashion designers have applied their own style to the elephants, including this creation by red carpet luminary Julian McDonald.

It’s fun, no? It’s not the best one by a long shot, and I question the ethics of decorating one endangered animal in the beautiful coat of another, but I’m sure this is totally off McDonald’s radar. It’s suitably camp and stands perkily out Liberty, and this clump of Italian teenagers certainly seemed to enjoy it.

Other fashion names include Issa, Diane von Furstenberg, Matthew Williamson and Sir Paul Smith (one of my favourite elephants so far)


The Paul Smith Elephant by Sir Paul Smith (#173) at The Royal Exchange

The beauty of the project, besides raising awareness in a super fun way, is that you never know when you are going to bump into one of these creatures. They are literally everywhere – hell, they’d have to be to fit 250 of the buggers in our city. Just as you put your camera away after photographing one, you turn a corner and there’s another!


Illustration by Gemma Milly


Illustration by Matt Thomas


The Cartier elephant (#107) at the Royal Exchange by Rachel Liddington


The City in the Elephant by BFLS Architects (#255) illustrated by Lisa Billvik

This beauty is pretty simple on the outside, but peer inside any of its small transparent domes and inside you’ll see an incredible model of London featuring teeny tiny elephants, too!


Photograph by Paul Shinn


Thammakit Thamboon’s Polkadot (#12) at More London by Jenny Robins


Helen Cowcher’s Hornbill (#116) at More London by Naomi Law


Illustration by Eben Berj

Of course, this art project wouldn’t be complete with a good ol’ dash of politics. ‘Anonymous’ has created three elephants dressed in boxing gloves and silk shorts in the colour of the three main political parties – appropriately titled ‘Mr Brown’ ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’. The Elephant Parade haven’t yet confirmed, however, if they’re to remove ‘Mr Brown’, or indeed move ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’ together so they can whisper sweet nothings to each other.


Photograph by Paul Shinn

So, go out and enjoy some fun art right on the street. Tweet your pics @AmeliasMagazine !

A selection of elephants by Paul Shinn

Allow me to introduce you to Marjorie, website picture below. She’s one of 258 fibreglass elephants in and around London decorated by some of the capital’s most prominent artists, this web designers and image makers.


Clare Bassett’s Marjorie (#81) at More London

It’s London’s largest outdoor art event and it’s creating quite a stir in the capital. From people like John Shinn, who’s trying to photograph them all on Facebook, to work colleagues printing out lists of the elephants and checking them off, it seems that they’ve gripped London like nothing before.

So, where to start? Well, the aim of this project, whilst cheering up many a London street, is a simple one. It’s to raise awareness for the plight of the Asian elephant, dangerously close to extinction. Created by father and son duo Mike and Marc Spits, all the revenue from sponsorship and the auction of the elephants will go to the Elephant Family charity.

Here’s some you should see, and some you can just see here.

A range of fashion designers have applied their own style to the elephants, including this creation by red carpet luminary Julian McDonald.


Bertie by Julien McDonald (#139) on Foubert’s Place

It’s fun, no? It’s not the best one by a long shot, and I question the ethics of decorating one endangered animal in the beautiful coat of another, but I’m sure this is totally off McDonald’s radar. It’s suitably camp and stands perkily out Liberty, and this clump of Italian teenagers certainly seemed to enjoy it.

Other fashion names include Issa, Diane von Furstenberg, Matthew Williamson and Sir Paul Smith (one of my favourite elephants so far)


The Paul Smith Elephant by Sir Paul Smith (#173) at The Royal Exchange

The beauty of the project, besides raising awareness in a super fun way, is that you never know when you are going to bump into one of these creatures. They are literally everywhere – hell, they’d have to be to fit 250 of the buggers in our city. Just as you put your camera away after photographing one, you turn a corner and there’s another!


Illustration by Gemma Milly


Illustration by Matt Thomas


The Cartier elephant (#107) at the Royal Exchange by Rachel Liddington


The City in the Elephant by BFLS Architects (#255) illustrated by Lisa Billvik

This beauty is pretty simple on the outside, but peer inside any of its small transparent domes and inside you’ll see an incredible model of London featuring teeny tiny elephants, too!


Photograph by Paul Shinn


Thammakit Thamboon’s Polkadot (#12) at More London by Jenny Robins


Helen Cowcher’s Hornbill (#116) at More London by Naomi Law


Illustration by Eben Berj

Of course, this art project wouldn’t be complete with a good ol’ dash of politics. ‘Anonymous’ has created three elephants dressed in boxing gloves and silk shorts in the colour of the three main political parties – appropriately titled ‘Mr Brown’ ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’. The Elephant Parade haven’t yet confirmed, however, if they’re to remove ‘Mr Brown’, or indeed move ‘Mr Cameron’ and ‘Mr Clegg’ together so they can whisper sweet nothings to each other.


Photograph by Paul Shinn


Eko by Paul Kidby (#195) in Green Park, illustrated by Rachel de Ste. Croix

So, go out and enjoy some fun art right on the street. Tweet your pics @AmeliasMagazine !
Cameron-Clegg-Antonia-Parker
Cameron and Clegg in bed together, mind by Antonia Parker.

Who watched the joint press conference given by David Cameron and Nick Clegg from the Downing Street back garden on 12th May 2010? Who else boggled at the back-slapping camaraderie of this sudden coalition? Within the space of just one week Cameron and Clegg have gone from flirtatious – or so it now seems, buy looking back – bickering to full on coitus. Watch them chuckle at each other’s jokes like old mates! See them smile lovingly at each other! Yes, I feared that a hung parliament would produce my least preferred coalition, but I never for one moment anticipated this classic bromance.

sandra dieckmann-lib-con love
Lib-Con Love by Sandra Dieckmann.

And I can’t help but think – how on earth is this love-in actually going to work? How many concessions will the Cleggeron make to keep the spark alive? These are interesting days, to be sure.

The opportunity to put out an open brief to picture this unholy union was just too irresistible. This then, is a blog devoted to the brilliance of illustrators. Enjoy.

bex_glover_nc_dc_tandem
The tandem by Bex Glover.

The Cleggeron-Lazarou Monkey Terror
The Cleggeron by Lazarou Monkey Terror.

Abi Daker - clegg - cameron
Illustration by Abigail Daker.

camerlegg-Colourbox
Camerlegg by Colourbox.

louise rowland-clegg cameron
Bathtime by Louise Rowland.

mel-elliott-clegg-cameron-krankies
Krankies by Mel Simone Elliot.

Reena-Makwana-Clegg-Cameron
Illustration by Reena Makwana.

tom_dench-layton_cleggcam
Cleggcam by Tom Dench-Layton.

simonwild_CLEGG&CAMERON
Surprise!! by Simon Wild.

pearl_law_cleggcam
Illustration by Pearl Law.

Nikki-Pinder-Clegg-Cameron
Illustration by Nikki Pinder.

If you fancy getting involved in my open callouts the best thing to do is follow me on twitter and get stuck in. Until the next one…

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 14th, 2010 3:53 pm

Categories ,Abigail Daker, ,Antonia Parker, ,Bex Glover, ,Bromance, ,Cleggeron, ,Coalition, ,Colourbox, ,David Cameron, ,Downing Street, ,General Election, ,Hung Parliament, ,illustration, ,Lazarou Monkey Terror, ,Louise Rowland, ,Mel Simone Elliott, ,Nick Clegg, ,Nikki Pinder, ,parliament, ,Pearl Law, ,politics, ,Reena Makwana, ,Sandra Dieckmann, ,Simon Wild, ,Tom Dench-Layton, ,twitter

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with cake designer and alternative baker Lily Vanilli, a.k.a. Lily Jones

by

Photography courtesy of Michael Clements

I first heard of Lily Vanilli last year when I read an article in The Observer Magazine about the candidates who made the shortlist for Courvoisier The Future 500 (2009). The graphic designer-turned-bespoke cake designer was listed in the top five and cited as one of the rising stars to watch for her innovative approach to cake baking.

Turning the cupcake business on its head, try Lily’s delicious cakes are the antithesis of the conventional, story cutesy cupcake with their unusual and macabre themes. Her fabulous creations are essentially mini edible sculptures (e.g marzipan beetles, decease morbid meringue bones, etc), an aesthetic delight, which are all crafted by hand in Lily’s kitchen in East London. This, combined with unusual ingredients such as bacon and avocado and a killer melt-in-the mouth sponge recipe, makes for a thrilling culinary experience. Speaking as a dessert fiend and as someone who has sampled Lily’s gourmet cakes, I have never been happier to move over to the dark side of cake!

Lily’s imaginative style to cake baking and kooky creations have earned her somewhat of a cult status within the industry and her decadent cupcakes, which are tailored specifically for each occasion, have featured at parties for Elton John, Henry Holland, Sadie Frost, Hello Kitty, Downing Street, Saatchi Gallery, Levi’s and The Sunday Times. Not bad for someone who only started baking as a hobby.


Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Last month saw the launch of Lily’s first ever book, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake’, in which she shares her secret recipes for the first time ever. Guaranteed to be unlike any cake baking book you already own, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is a graphic horror novel/cookbook comic featuring 25 gory recipes ranging from Sweeney Todd’s Surprise, a chocolate cupcake which looks like a pie with a severed bloodied finger poking out of it, to Bleeding Hearts, which, well, looks like squashed bleeding hearts with arteries and veins attached ‘n’ all.

Featuring other sweet treats aptly named ‘Eerie Eyeballs’, ‘Shattered Glass’ and ‘Marzipan Beetles’, the book is a visual feast, fusing the worlds of art and cuisine. With quirky detailed comic illustrations provided by up-and-coming illustrator Paul Parker, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is a must for any cupcake enthusiast who is ready to take on the challenge of some slightly more sinister baking.

To celebrate the launch of Lily’s new book and her cupcake range at Harrods, Amelia’s Magazine caught up with the alternative cake designer and baker to talk about experimental food movements, taking on the cupcake world and crowd surfing with Nick Griffin’s head…

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Your background is as a graphic designer – do you think the skills you picked up during your training have helped you in your cake baking career at all?
I was a self-taught designer and I’m a self-taught baker so I never had any training for either! I definitely think there are transferable skills though and it’s valuable to learn how to apply yourself and your creativity to different things; design skills are always useful these days.

What excites you most about being in the cake baking industry?
I think it is a really exciting time for food in the UK; take a look at the Experimental Food Society of which I am a member. There are lots of young and creative people pushing boundaries in food. I think this is just the beginning and it’s going to get really fun. 

What sparked off the idea of going against the conventional cutesy cupcake?
It was a backlash. I was accidentally thrust into the world of the ‘cupcake’ which was never my intention as a baker, and I found it saturated with style-over-substance, overly sweet cakes, iced in glitter and sprinkles and sold at inflated prices. I wanted to bring it back to quality and play with preconceptions of appearance, for example, baking things that were ugly to look at but using quality ingredients.


Photography courtesy of Cico Books

How did you come up with the ideas for the different recipes in your book?
It didn’t take much! I love horror and the macabre and I always had a fascination with things like insects and dark stories like Sweeney Todd. I just played around for a few hours and that was it.

On average, how long does it take you to perfect a recipe including the design?
Most of my recipes are works-in-progress that I have been developing for years. It starts with a flavour or an idea about a perfect cake – texture, smell, flavour, etc – and then I develop it from there. None of my recipes are ever finished. I’m always tweaking and improving things, or adding a new twist. I have one cake, it was the first one I developed, which I have been working on for years – it always gets better. It’s a very wintry cake so I’ll be making it again soon. I can’t wait!

How did you end up working with Paul Parker on the illustrations in your book?
I originally got in touch with an artist I really admire called Richard ‘French’ Sayer. He makes these very beautiful dark and twisted black and white drawings, we had a few meetings about the project and he loved the idea, but once we got started it turned out it wasn’t a perfect fit for the book so he recommended Paul and straight away he completely nailed it. Paul’s work is much more colourful and the comic book/graphic horror novel style was exactly what I wanted. Everything I described to him he produced perfectly. He’s really young and just getting started but I think he’s going to do great things!

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Have you had any cake baking disasters?
I once made a sculpture of Nick Griffin’s head for an event called ‘ The British Internationalists Party’. I spent about eight hours on it but it died (due to structural issues). We used it anyway and it crowd surfed at a gig, completely deformed by then. People were biting chunks out of it on the sweaty dance floor and marzipan ears were flying around – it was all pretty crazy! The worst part of it was that I had to look at images of Nick Griffin for a full day.

What’s the best cupcake you’ve ever had?
Definitely the best cupcake I’ve ever had is my vanilla with passionfruit, coconut & toasted almond. It really is just the perfect cake – so light and fluffy with a slight chewy texture at the top and beautiful vanilla flavours with gentle creamy buttercream and the sharpness and flavour of the passionfruit balances any sweetness. I made it the perfect cupcake for me, so I definitely say that’s the best one I’ve had…

Who do you most admire in the cake baking industry and why?
There are some really talented cake sculptors, such as Michelle Wibowo and Louise from Love to Cake, but the really exciting people for me in food are people like Bompas & Parr who bring art and science into food creation and push boundaries with everything they do.

What’s next for Lily Vanilli?
I’m launching at Harrods at the moment! This is a huge step for me as they are my first supplier. We will keep it seasonal and creative with new flavours each month. This month sees a special ‘Bonfire night’ cupcake. It’s a warm, wintery spiced cake, with a light lemon frosting and a popping candy chocolate disk with caremelised biscuit. It explodes in your mouth and tastes delicious! I think it’s a real sign of progress for foods in the UK that one of the worlds most visited and prestigious food halls would take a chance on an artisan baker from East London… I’m very excited!

Lily’s new book ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is published by Cico Books and can be purchased here. 

Written by Kat Phan on Monday November 8th, 2010 12:52 am

Categories ,A Zombie Ate My Cupcake, ,Bompas & Parr, ,Downing Street, ,Elton John, ,Experimental Food Society, ,Harrods, ,Hello Kitty, ,Henry Holland, ,Kat Phan, ,Levi’s, ,Lily Jones, ,Lily Vanilli, ,Michelle Wibowo, ,Nick Griffin, ,Paul Parker, ,Richard ‘French’ Sayer, ,Saatchi Gallery, ,Sadie Frost, ,Sweeney Todd, ,The Courvoisier Future 500, ,The Observer Magazine, ,The Sunday Times

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with cake designer and alternative baker Lily Vanilli, a.k.a. Lily Jones

by

Photography courtesy of Michael Clements

I first heard of Lily Vanilli last year when I read an article in The Observer Magazine about the candidates who made the shortlist for Courvoisier The Future 500 (2009). The graphic designer-turned-bespoke cake designer was listed in the top five and cited as one of the rising stars to watch for her innovative approach to cake baking.

Turning the cupcake business on its head, Lily’s delicious cakes are the antithesis of the conventional, cutesy cupcake with their unusual and macabre themes. Her fabulous creations are essentially mini edible sculptures (e.g marzipan beetles, morbid meringue bones, etc), an aesthetic delight, which are all crafted by hand in Lily’s kitchen in East London. This, combined with unusual ingredients such as bacon and avocado and a killer melt-in-the mouth sponge recipe, makes for a thrilling culinary experience. Speaking as a dessert fiend and as someone who has sampled Lily’s gourmet cakes, I have never been happier to move over to the dark side of cake!

Lily’s imaginative style to cake baking and kooky creations have earned her somewhat of a cult status within the industry and her decadent cupcakes, which are tailored specifically for each occasion, have featured at parties for Elton John, Henry Holland, Sadie Frost, Hello Kitty, Downing Street, Saatchi Gallery, Levi’s and The Sunday Times. Not bad for someone who only started baking as a hobby.


Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Last month saw the launch of Lily’s first ever book, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake’, in which she shares her secret recipes for the first time ever. Guaranteed to be unlike any cake baking book you already own, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is a graphic horror novel/cookbook comic featuring 25 gory recipes ranging from Sweeney Todd’s Surprise, a chocolate cupcake which looks like a pie with a severed bloodied finger poking out of it, to Bleeding Hearts, which, well, looks like squashed bleeding hearts with arteries and veins attached ‘n’ all.

Featuring other sweet treats aptly named ‘Eerie Eyeballs’, ‘Shattered Glass’ and ‘Marzipan Beetles’, the book is a visual feast, fusing the worlds of art and cuisine. With quirky detailed comic illustrations provided by up-and-coming illustrator Paul Parker, ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is a must for any cupcake enthusiast who is ready to take on the challenge of some slightly more sinister baking.

To celebrate the launch of Lily’s new book and her cupcake range at Harrods, Amelia’s Magazine caught up with the alternative cake designer and baker to talk about experimental food movements, taking on the cupcake world and crowd surfing with Nick Griffin’s head…

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Your background is as a graphic designer – do you think the skills you picked up during your training have helped you in your cake baking career at all?
I was a self-taught designer and I’m a self-taught baker so I never had any training for either! I definitely think there are transferable skills though and it’s valuable to learn how to apply yourself and your creativity to different things; design skills are always useful these days.

What excites you most about being in the cake baking industry?
I think it is a really exciting time for food in the UK; take a look at the Experimental Food Society of which I am a member. There are lots of young and creative people pushing boundaries in food. I think this is just the beginning and it’s going to get really fun. 

What sparked off the idea of going against the conventional cutesy cupcake?
It was a backlash. I was accidentally thrust into the world of the ‘cupcake’ which was never my intention as a baker, and I found it saturated with style-over-substance, overly sweet cakes, iced in glitter and sprinkles and sold at inflated prices. I wanted to bring it back to quality and play with preconceptions of appearance, for example, baking things that were ugly to look at but using quality ingredients.


Photography courtesy of Cico Books

How did you come up with the ideas for the different recipes in your book?
It didn’t take much! I love horror and the macabre and I always had a fascination with things like insects and dark stories like Sweeney Todd. I just played around for a few hours and that was it.

On average, how long does it take you to perfect a recipe including the design?
Most of my recipes are works-in-progress that I have been developing for years. It starts with a flavour or an idea about a perfect cake – texture, smell, flavour, etc – and then I develop it from there. None of my recipes are ever finished. I’m always tweaking and improving things, or adding a new twist. I have one cake, it was the first one I developed, which I have been working on for years – it always gets better. It’s a very wintry cake so I’ll be making it again soon. I can’t wait!

How did you end up working with Paul Parker on the illustrations in your book?
I originally got in touch with an artist I really admire called Richard ‘French’ Sayer. He makes these very beautiful dark and twisted black and white drawings, we had a few meetings about the project and he loved the idea, but once we got started it turned out it wasn’t a perfect fit for the book so he recommended Paul and straight away he completely nailed it. Paul’s work is much more colourful and the comic book/graphic horror novel style was exactly what I wanted. Everything I described to him he produced perfectly. He’s really young and just getting started but I think he’s going to do great things!

Photography courtesy of Cico Books

Have you had any cake baking disasters?
I once made a sculpture of Nick Griffin’s head for an event called ‘ The British Internationalists Party’. I spent about eight hours on it but it died (due to structural issues). We used it anyway and it crowd surfed at a gig, completely deformed by then. People were biting chunks out of it on the sweaty dance floor and marzipan ears were flying around – it was all pretty crazy! The worst part of it was that I had to look at images of Nick Griffin for a full day.

What’s the best cupcake you’ve ever had?
Definitely the best cupcake I’ve ever had is my vanilla with passionfruit, coconut & toasted almond. It really is just the perfect cake – so light and fluffy with a slight chewy texture at the top and beautiful vanilla flavours with gentle creamy buttercream and the sharpness and flavour of the passionfruit balances any sweetness. I made it the perfect cupcake for me, so I definitely say that’s the best one I’ve had…

Who do you most admire in the cake baking industry and why?
There are some really talented cake sculptors, such as Michelle Wibowo and Louise from Love to Cake, but the really exciting people for me in food are people like Bompas & Parr who bring art and science into food creation and push boundaries with everything they do.

What’s next for Lily Vanilli?
I’m launching at Harrods at the moment! This is a huge step for me as they are my first supplier. We will keep it seasonal and creative with new flavours each month. This month sees a special ‘Bonfire night’ cupcake. It’s a warm, wintery spiced cake, with a light lemon frosting and a popping candy chocolate disk with caremelised biscuit. It explodes in your mouth and tastes delicious! I think it’s a real sign of progress for foods in the UK that one of the worlds most visited and prestigious food halls would take a chance on an artisan baker from East London… I’m very excited!

Lily’s new book ‘A Zombie Ate My Cupcake!’ is published by Cico Books and can be purchased here. 

Written by Kat Phan on Monday November 8th, 2010 12:52 am

Categories ,A Zombie Ate My Cupcake, ,Bompas & Parr, ,Downing Street, ,Elton John, ,Experimental Food Society, ,Harrods, ,Hello Kitty, ,Henry Holland, ,Kat Phan, ,Levi’s, ,Lily Jones, ,Lily Vanilli, ,Michelle Wibowo, ,Nick Griffin, ,Paul Parker, ,Richard ‘French’ Sayer, ,Saatchi Gallery, ,Sadie Frost, ,Sweeney Todd, ,The Courvoisier Future 500, ,The Observer Magazine, ,The Sunday Times

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