...farewell 2010

When I think back on the year that's been , it literally makes my head spin. I can hardly believe some of the opportunities I've had , experiences I've gone through, incredible people I've met, friends I've made and amazing situations I found myself in. I thought I'd do this post to toast an incredible year & welcome the year that is now before me... I thought I'd do it in a fun light-hearted way , looking back at some of my favorite things throughout the year along with the highlights & some low points of the year , as with good experiences come bad and with no regrets these are the trials & tribulations that make us the people we are & help us grow as individuals...

Let's get this rundown started!

Highlights of 2010

London Fashion Week

When I think to my first LFW in February of 2010 , as I worked the shows while interning at Goodley PR - it gave me a taste for what the fashion Industry was really about and made me feel like I was finally in the right place. Fast Forward to LFW September 2010 and now a freelance stylist I was attending shows and relishing in the whirlwind rollercoaster ride that was LFW. My London Fashion Week experiences so far can be summed up in one sentence - 'Is this really happening to me...' - I couldn't stop thinking this as I found myself showing Carine Roitfield (former Editor of French Vogue & one of my all time Hero's) around the Meadham Kirchoff collection, hand under her arm like two old friends. I couldn't stop thinking this as I sat 2nd row at Julien Macdonald in the beautiful Banquet House location , sitting behind Editor of Japanese Vogue Anna Dello Russo (also another hero of mine) or the ultimate , attending the Vivienne Westwood show which ultimately was so overwhelming it brought me to tears. Here's to more London Fashion Week adventures in 2011...

Special Event

Over the course of the year I've been lucky enough to work & attend various events. From store openings, to magazine & film launches followed by more upscale events during LFW & the Q Music Awards After Party. One night however is a night I will never forget - when as fate would have it on the same night the PR agency I'd at the time started working for was hosting a private event with the guest of honour being my Idol Kylie Minogue , which happened to coincide with the Glamour Woman of the year awards. In the one night I met the Divine Miss M & still smile like a child when I think how she shook my hand and called me a 'sweety' , shortly after I was whisked away to the white marquees at Berkley Square with my client and friend Seema to attend the Glamour Awards VIP After Party, where we rubbed shoulders with Florence Welch, Dizzee Rascal, Amanda Holden & Tinie Tempah. Truly a night I will never forget.

An amazing job!

The career prospects that followed me through 2010 were each amazing and fulfilling in their own way. From my first internship in Fashion PR , to then being made a Press Assistant with the amazing Tamara Kretzer PR - I learned about the fashion industry from a completely different angle and loved every minute of it. My own freelance styling has further developed and my client base expanding and then at the end of the year I scored an internship with InStyle magazine working alongside my fashion styling hero Natalie Hartley. I am so greatful & feel so blessed for each opportunity I've been given - its been quite the ride!

Wireless Music Festival

In the summer of 2010 my dream came true and I got to see the musical genius & one of my favorite artists Jay Z Live in Hyde Park. Words cant quite describe how amazing it was. It will forever be the greatest Live Performance I've ever seen. Pure genius!

Low-Point of the year

And so a Chapter ends...

I never imagined coming out of a relationship would be easy, but no one could have prepared me for infact how difficult it would truly be. Break-Ups are hard in any circumstance but then you're thrown into a scenario where you feel as though your whole world is crashing down and when you need your mother's hug the most you're on the other side of the world & suddenly you've never felt more alone. Someone once told me that matter's of the heart are never simple - well that is the understatement of the year. However there is a positive to every negative and coming out of a 2 year relationship in a foreign country when essentially you can only rely on yourself , has taught me so much about myself. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger and at the end of the day life is full of lessons and this chapter in my life was a journey in which I learnt a lot along the way. It has to be said that without the amazing support of the incredible friends I've made in London and the incredible support my family & friends have shown me even from the other side of the world, I don't think I would be where I am today. Love is an amazing feeling & though along with it can come heartbreak but I would do it all again in a heartbeat, life is too short for regrets. So it is with this Low-Point that I will learn & grow from in 2011...

My Favorite Albums of 2010

2010 was all about the Hip Hop music scene and though there were many amazing musical offerings across the year , the 4 albums that are at the top of my list are as follows. Local London newcomer Tinie Tempah took the music world by storm with 'Disc-Overy' offering track after track of an amazing mix of hip hop & electronic beats. I saw him live at Wireless Music Festival &

thought he played in a tent & not on the main stage he had the tent overflowing with people who didnt stop dancing & singing along to his fly lyrics. Nicki Minaj is to Hip Hop what GaGa is to Pop - controversial , attention seeking and FUCKING TALENTED! 'Pink Friday' shows every aspect of Nicki's talent , rapping , singing , writing & producing. Pure genius! Kanye West , love him or hate him you can't deny his talent. Rolling Stone called My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy the record of the year and only just having really becoming obsessed with it I wouldn't disagree. Its constantly on repeat on my iPod & 'All the Lights' is a track of pure genius! It goes without saying that this was Rihanna's year. That Hair. That Song. Those Killer Live Performances , LOUD truly is an album you can put on and from start to end love every single track! Since its release I haven't stopped listening to it! Amazing!

My Favorite Songs of 2010

Kelis - Acappella That Beat. The David Guetta production. The hyponitizing vocals. This was a summer anthem. When I hear it I think of balmy London nights, full of dancing & Pimms!

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are Everytime I hear it It gives me goosebumps. I feel like you hear it and you just want someone to serenade you with the song. Add to the mix it featured on Glee and before you know it its a track that i'll always associate with 2010!

Far East Movement - Like a G6 The first time I heard this track was in an episode of Gossip Girl. I immediately downloaded it and its by far one of the coolest tracks i've ever heard. It makes me think of dancing all night & feels like the kind of track that would be played at a fashion show. Very Very Cool.

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream This song makes me want to fall in love again. That feeling of

floating on a cloud so intoxicated by that feeling that you do feel like you're a teenager all over

again. Also featured on Glee this season - its a guilty pleasure and very lovable!

Rihanna - Only Girl in the World Without a doubt the most played song of the year. The

Biggest anthem to be released all year its an absolute firework of a song. It explodes and leaves you wanting more. Its such a feel good track that no matter how many times I hear it , I find myself dancing in the street.

My Fave TV Show of the Year

It was the UK Reality TV Sensation of the year - The Only Was is Essex followed the lives of these tan-tastic Essex locals and did everything a reality show should do - provide entertainment, give us new catch phrases and ended up in every glossy rag on the news stand. Because one of my best friends is from Essex and before the show aired I had many a time frequented the clubs and the culture that feature on the show It was a personal favorite and a highlight of weekly TV. My favorite - the cutely ditzy Amy - such a sweet funny and like-able character & with Seasons 2 & 3 confirmed there's plenty more Essex to come! Yay!

My Favorite Film of the Year

Although 500 Days of Summer came out late 2009 , I didn't see it until January 2010 and a year on its still by far my favorite film of the year and one of my favorite films full stop. Such a beautiful yet heart-wrenching story of Love but not a typical love story and though I'm a huge fan of cheesy rom-com's , the realness of this film is so refreshing & its so beautifully made.

THE YEAR AHEAD...

On a nostalgic day during cold December after watching Eat Pray Love I felt a sudden burst of inspiration to make a list of 10 things I wanted to achieve in 2011. Some things are big and come down to timing with a little bit of fate while other things are little & easier to achieve but each is something I want to do for myself...

1. Travel to an amazing city alone & embrace it!

2. Establish myself as a successful up & coming Stylist.

3. Put myself out of my comfort zone & do something extreme like skydiving!

4. Give something back to my parents , something they've always wanted but haven't got around to doing/buying etc...

5. Throw a fabulous intimate dinner party and cook everything myself

6. Give back to the world/my community. Do some charity/volunteer work

7. Make more time for my brother. A weekly/fortnightly chat , just us two catching up on life

8. Allow myself one splurge/investment purchase

9. Take care of my body inside & out , eat better, exercise, meditate. Make that connection with the real me again, regain my confidence & a sense for the person I am & want to be...

10. Fall in Love! All consuming , can't live without each other , butterflies in your stomach LOVE!

That's it for me peeps! Happy New Year , looking forward to see what 2011 has in store for us xoxo Deni