I Love London in the Sunshine!
by Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis7 June 2010
I have always been intrigued by how sunshine impacts on life. As soon as the dreary sky clears and constant rain swaps with white fluff flying through the blue sky, every city brightens up in its own way. New York for example practically moves out onto its sidewalk with the first rays of light. Every restaurant plonks its tables outside and wherever you look small jumble sales pop up, with people getting rid of their old clothes. Even the food stalls, so typical to New York life, seem more abundant. In New York everyone eats from the stalls it is not viewed as one might think, touristy or even sloppy but very New York. True to the big apple there are no limits set to the creativity of sidewalk menus, from breakfast vendors filled with bagels, muffins and freshly brewed coffee too deliciously grilled Hallal beef, Vegan foods and kosher meals, not forgetting the famous hotdogs.
Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis at the Maison Martin Margiela Exhibition
How much New York depends on its lively streets becomes apparent in spring when it gets warmer. London has a much smaller outdoor life. In part this is probably due to the weather but it’s more than that. Here greasy foods from generic super chains such as Subway are consumed, mostly in doors. Except on a couple of weekly markets there aren’t even that many food stalls around. Might it be too messy for London’s clean streets (I’m referring to West London) or might it be a dreaded Health and Safety regulation to prevent people from choking on a bite of sausage whilst crossing the road? When finally the street does come alive in London it is therefore even more noticeable than in New York. Last night was such an example. I was at the opening of the infamous Maison Margiela retrospective.
The Maison Martin Margiela Exhibition at Somerset
For 20 years this label has been at the forefront of fashion, very much in a league of its own. Deconstructed tailoring, bizarre fabrics, cut-outs revealing bits of skin rarely on display, Margiela’s creations appear closer to art works than they do to trendy bits of fashion fluff. Add to this the fact that no one knows who Martin Margiela actually is since he has never given an interview or had his picture taken and the cult following is not surprising. There were bunches of hipster kids and Central St Martin fashion graduates who had come to pay homage. Of course fashion’s Madame, Daphne Guinness could not be missing nor could party hopper Dinos Chapman. Mr Margiela was of course not there. The Belgium who recently retired leaving his company in the hands of a team of designers, managed to keep his identity concealed throughout his entire career. In a world of “I want to be a celebrity” that in itself is an impressive piece of work. But what am I doing getting sidetracked from my pondering on the weather. Aside from an interesting show well worth a trip what delighted me was the rain free semi-warm evening. It changed everything. Somerset House is a stunning venue with its vast courtyard and its beautiful terrace but on a balmy summer’s night it is an even bigger pleasure to hang out there. And the kids did hang-out, sipping Gin and Tonics and finally feeling like there might be hope for a bit of British summer after all. The good thing about London is you rarely get blasé about sunshine. We simply don’t get enough of it. Even on an ordinary Thursday morning as I sit by my window writing away I am watching people flocking onto the streets with their kids and their dogs, direction park. I just saw a woman coming back from her morning run waving her hands in the air. Now that’s what I call sunshine enthusiasm.
So is there a downside to a bright blue sky? Aside from the fact that working indoors becomes a lot less appealing, I can’t think of anything bad about it. Having said that having access to an immaculate garden square without a set of keys is most definitely a downside to the weather. Would it be raining I wouldn’t care about not having a set even though I am paying council tax on that stupid square already. Now I have to tackle my landlord who for some reason is getting all stingy on me. Nothing surprises me in this city. Come sunshine come rain London is unpredictable and often a bit of a struggle. You simply can’t really get blasé about anything here. Just when you think things are flowing smoothly they suddenly turn sour, a leak that never dries up, a letter threatening repossession because a former tenant hasn’t t paid a bill, you name it I’ve handled it. Maybe that’s the downside to the sun, life only feels lighter it doesn’t really get lighter. But maybe that’s what makes it interesting? Wouldn’t I get bored if I knew we’d have sunshine every day for the next couple of months? Well, I would at least get a little less appreciative I suppose. As Mr Margiela shows us, it’s all about uncertainty and unpredictability. Let’s all be a little more erratic like the British weather and throw in a couple of U-turn just when they think they got us all figured out.
If you enjoyed reading this, we recommend:Tags: Daphne Guinness, Martin Margiela, New York, Somerset House
