So as I said in my previous post, yesterday was a hectic day for me, running around london in 5inch heels just made matters more interesting. But the day was undoubtedly a blast and for so many reasons (so get ready for a long post). Woke up early to go and vote, then I headed off to the Swatch & Art event. The event took place at Shunt London, in the words of British artist aka Casette Playa the venue was a "futustic playground\dungeon". First came the press release where yours truly was "Toni, Media UK" sitting on the front row wondering "wow how in the hell did I end up front row at a Swatch press release & event, surrounded by professionals who do this daily". Then there was the unveiling of the four "swatch & Art" watches designed by four artists and designers from around the world; Ivan Navarro, Casette Playa, Manish Arora and Enki Bilala. They each had a personalised space in the dungeon to showcase not only their watch but also their vision and perspective on "time".
The amount of interesting people present was just unbelievable, of course the glasses of champagne at 1pm did help quite a bit. I left with a bag full of goodies, including Casette Playa's playful Art watch. It was great meeting her and listening to her point of view, she really is an upbeat and hands on kind of girl with one hell of a personnal style. I have to say I really Liked Ivan Navaro's watch too with the skull and the story behind it was very touching. He explained how his upbringing during the dictatorship in Chile influences, sill today, a lot of his decisions. I had so many pictures but decided to share with you those of Ivan Navarro and his watch and of Casette Playa.
This really is the reason why I love Swatch so much, it truly is so much more than just about time. Swatch is also about fashion, about art and each watch conveys a message and represents so much more than just a watch or accessory. These watches are clearly each linked to and portrays a personal journey and story. I would have loved to go back to the cocktail, Diner and the party (wich I hear was simply incredible) but with the final exams just around the corner I just couldn't.
Then I got myself to Carnaby street, were the day just got better. The sketchbook pop up store was so much more than I had imagined. The ever surprising shop, the welcoming girls at Skechbook, the enthusiastic bloggers and of course the dynamic and fun duo Jill & jen. The workshop was just the perfect place to share our stories and tips about blogging, to meet new bloggers and learn from bloggers such as Jen and Jill how have clearly made a name for themselves in the blogging world.
It was strange and great fun to get a sense of this community outside of the blogosphere itself, and literally take it to the streets. For the rest i will let the pictures do the talking.
On a last note, a will try and get some pictures of me in front of the camera not behind it so that you can what I was wearing during my hectic day. So if any of the bloggers that were there that da have pictures of me and I don't look like I have ran a marathon all day, do let me know. Thanks and thank you for a great afternoon!
