Amanda Wakeley OBE
“November will be a busy month. I will be doing the last couple of podcast recordings for my debut podcast Amanda Wakeley Style DNA – in which I go on a sartorial journey with each of my well known guests (from Trinny to Sophie Ellis-Bextor, James Blunt and many more)…I explore their Lives through their Looks … every one with different stories, experiences and sensory memories… and I hope some of their stories and emotions resonate with you too… or give you food for thought or just simply entertain. I have also been training hard for the trip of a lifetime as we are heading off to Antarctica on a Ski Mountaineering adventure… I am both nervous and excited but the prospect to see nature at it’s rawest while exploring virtually untouched terrain is so compelling. On our return I am really looking forward to visiting the The Ever After Garden in Grosvenor Square … It’s the most brilliant and deeply moving illuminated garden of remembrance supporting The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity… “
Amanda Wakeley - British Fashion Designer
Restaurant: Speedboat Bar
Speedboat Bar, located on Rupert Street in London’s Chinatown is a new foodie hotspot that will transport you to the bustling late-night canteens of Bangkok’s own Chinatown. Aromatic curries, stir fries, drunken noodle dishes and zingy seafood salads hit with acid and chilli are served with Whiskey Sodas and sharing towers of icy cold Singha beer. We’d recommended taking some pals and tucking into one of their set menus, allowing yourself to fully indulge in a little of everything. Speedboat bar is colourful and vibrant and was launched by acclaimed chef Luke Farrell of Pizza Khao Gaeng fame. Not only a great spot for either lunch or casual dinners but the perfect place to kick off your weekend antics- Open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, the venue features a central bar, pool table with eclectic Thai pop and rock beats for eating, drinking and partying to.
Club: 25 Paul Street
Listen up party people, the best new un-kept secret in town is open now at 25 Paul Street. A glittering late-night venue in the heart of Shoreditch, 25 Paul Street is set within a multi-storey townhouse with statement retro interiors and vintage design from the 70s and 80s. Expect big-name DJ acts, top-level service and premium drinks. Glamorous, seductive and unexpected, this house of revelry celebrates great music and invites guests to dress up and let loose for an unforgettable night out. The full five-storey townhouse is taken over on Saturdays for an ultimate house party until late, with ticketed DJ acts brought by the likes of Disco Disco, Harpies, Parable and The Menendez Brothers. Risqué performances against a backdrop of disco-balls and mind-bending visuals revive the spirit of NYC’s legendary Studio 54. Resident DJs play over the lower two floors throughout the week. Drinks wise there are cocktails inspired by 70s classics; think Harvey Wallbangers, New York Sours and Strawberry Daiquiris. With decked out with space-age orange TVs and kaleidoscopic projection mapping from resident artists, an immersive space of shifting colour and pattern over circular motifs bring a louche 1970s houseparty vibe. We may just set up camp and party here all weekend long.
Experience: The Search for Dippy
The year is 1905 and we have been invited to a special preview of the newest display at the Natural History Museum - 'Dippy the Diplodocus'....However, on arrival the curators are in a panic and something is amiss - several parts of Dippy the Diplodocus are going to be stolen before the display opens! They need our help to follow the clues around the Museum, question the suspects and track down the culprit before the King and notables arrive for the display's launch the following night. Can this national scandal be prevented? IT’s time to put your best sleuthing skills to the test to solve this mystery. This brand new escape room-like game will have you exploring the Museum after hours while you find and interview the six suspects, all of whom have something to hide. Which of them is lying and who is trying to help you? Can you solve the mystery within an hour? The challenge is on! After the experience you will have the opportunity to view a selection of the NHM galleries and meet some of the Museum's scientists who will be debunking myths and misconceptions about the natural world. This event on the 25th November is for 13+ and tickets are priced at £35.
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Experience: Magic Mike
Magic Mike Live has become an international sensation since opening in Las Vegas in April 2017. We can’t begin to imagine why….although it could be something to do with the sexy dance routines intertwined with one-of-a-kind acts, presented by a diverse cast of extraordinary artists performing 360-degree dance and acrobatic spectaculars in front of, behind, and above audiences? Maybe. Also they’re really quite easy on the eye. Channing Tatum *swoon, and his co-producers are delighted to announce a new booking period for Magic Mike Live at The Theatre at the Hippodrome Casino. Patrons will be able to book performances through to Sunday 2nd July 2023 and tickets for the new booking period are on sale now. From the bespoke entrance off Cranbourn Street, to the specially curated lounge and bar experience, to the cast of world-class performers, Magic Mike Live is a complete evening of unparalleled entertainment for guests aged 18 and up and an evening you won’t forget about in a hurry.
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Drinks: Avora
Avora is a first of its kind cocktail adventure where guests can discover a brand-new world engulfed in mystery and wonder, brought to life through awe-inspiring theatrical sets, unique cocktails and a cast of talented actors. Want to know what to expect? Well upon arrival at the Roscorp Laboratory you will be given a purpose built jumpsuit for missions to Avora as well as your instructions on mining the planet. Because of the planet’s atmosphere being different to our own (obvs), here you will receive your first cocktail, the “anti-dote”, a colour changing concoction to help acclimatise you to the new world you are about to enter. Intrigued? As you step through the gateway you will be confronted with a rich mystical woodland which you will explore in order to discover the universe’s most unique and exotic flora, the Liquor Lilly, with a magical bud you can harvest and watch it transport into your second cocktail. Delish. Then as day turns to night, you will witness the lush magical world really come to life. A short trip away will take you to the Tree of Spirits where you will forage for spirit- filled “Juniper Berries” to enjoy with your third cocktail. Bosh. Certainly makes a change to a large white wine at a sticky pub table! Tickets include the drinks and are priced at £49.95 and bookable via the website.
Art: Turner on Tour
From the 3rd of this month until mid-Feb next year and for the first time in a century, two ground-breaking paintings by Turner are coming back to the Uk and specifically the National Gallery, for a special exhibition. The pair – 'Harbour of Dieppe: Changement de Domicile' and 'Cologne, the Arrival of a Packet-Boat: Evening' – left Britain for New York in 1914, when they were acquired by the American industrialist Henry Clay Frick, and where they have remained masterpieces of the Frick Collection since. Turner was famous for being an artist traveller – he toured Europe every year, voraciously filling his sketchbook with studies of continental cities, despite the often-arduous journeys it took to get there. He painted the Frick works in his London studio following trips to France and Germany in the early 1820s. Two centuries later, the paintings still dazzle. Bringing them to a new generation, this exhibition presents the unique opportunity to view the pair under the same roof as the Claude paintings which may have directly inspired them, as well as other much-loved works by Turner from the National Gallery Collection.
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Theatre: Death Drop 2
Following three sold-out West End runs and a smash hit UK tour, Death Drop is back! This is THE drag murder mystery sensation returning with a brand-new show and an all-star cast led by legendary drag queens and stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Willam (A Star is Born, Nip/Tuck), Cheryl Hole (Celebrity Juice, The Only Way is Essex) and Drag King superstar LoUis CYfer. Written by Rob Evans and directed once again by Jesse Jone, Death Drop: Back In The Habit sees a gaggle of fabulous Nuns trapped in their Convent with a serial slayer slashing their way through the Sisters. It’s as camp as it is comedy and as the clues are unearthed by Sis Marple, you’ll be laughing in the pews as the hilarious, fierce, all-drag killer comedy comes to its thrilling and uproarious conclusion. If you are looking for heavenly light hearted fun then honestly look no further but don’t hang about for tickets because this run is only on from the 8th until the 20th at the Garrick Theatre. It is NUNbelievably funny.
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Charity of the Month: Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the last decade, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. You can volunteer your time; donate money; share your skills; campaign for something; donate goods, food, or clothes; organise a community event such as a street or park clean-up or a coffee morning. The list really is endless. Giving Tuesday takes place on the 29th November this year so why not take part, be proud and encourage everyone to also donate, volunteer or in some way support a good cause? For more ways you can get involved check out the website to support your favourite charity.
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App of the month: Athlo
Are you guilty of not always making the most of your gym membership and feel like you’re wasting the spend? With the Athlo app you can list your membership or class packages and sell the days and classes you aren’t using! Genius. List days, weeks or months and earn at home or on the go, on your schedule and edit at anytime.For this looking to use an unwanted sweat session the Athlo is your passport to fitness and the world's first peer-to-peer fitness marketplace, where you can book any workout, wherever you want - whether you’re flying in from afar or looking for a workout close by. Gym time, Yoga, Pilates, Barre, HIIT, Boxing, Spinning, Strength training, TRX, Versa Climb- Athlo have it all! Partner gyms include Milo and the Bull, F45, The Altitude Centre, Sweat and more, with more joining the roster all the time..