concrete collar: culottes

Sunday, 6 July 2014

The Filling Station

On a scorcher of a London Sunday, we headed to the closing day of the Central Saint Martin's Graduate Exhibition held on the grounds of its enviable campus in Granary Square, Kings Cross.

The university is situated along London's Regent's Canal boasting a tiered outdoor screening area which slopes down to meet the canal's banks and an 8000sqm public square to its front which is dotted with over one thousand water jets. Granary Square, designed by Townshend Landscape Architects, is a lesson in the merits of public space. On this particular day it played the part of public bath to hundreds of young city-dwelling children.

Further along the banks of Regent's Canal, sits another clever re-imagining of a once disused space. In 2012, a derelict petrol station was treated to a complete overhaul by

Carmody Groarke Architects.

Today the kiosk of the rebranded 'Kings Cross Filling Station' is home to Shrimpy's, a Californian-meets-Mexican seafood and steak eaterie and the brainchild of Pablo Flack and David Waddington of Bistrotheque in Bethnal Green. Restaurant goers sit canalside in the forecourt of the station which is enclosed by 200m x 4m high wall of curvaceous fibreglass. Above the station's canopy, neon lettering reminiscent of 1950s American diners reads 'The Filling Station'.

More from our London reunion coming very soon!

B+C

Becky wears: Topshop Rib Tee

Topshop Neoprene Culottes (similar here)

Smock

St Patrick's Tower is the last remaining feature of the George Roe Distillery which was started by Peter Roe in 1757. In its heyday in the late 1800's, the distillery is thought to have been producing more whiskey than any other distillery in the world. In 1891 it joined forces with the Jameson Distillery and the Dublin Whiskey Distillery which was situated nearby on Marrowbone Lane. A combination of worsened trade conditions as a result of the American Prohibition in 1919, the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War in 1920 and 1921 appear to be the cause of the distillery's closure in 1926.

The 9 storey brick tower standing at 150ft tall, was once a smock windmill that has sadly lost its sails, and is (un)affectionately known by locals as 'the willy'. We have to laugh. More windmills of its kind are dotted across Massachusetts and the UK and are so called as their form resembles that of a type of smock once worn by farmers.

This post is the second instalment of our exciting collaboration with boohoo.com. Yesterday Becky showed us how she'd style the classic shirt dress from the #ownit campaign which focuses on experimenting with new trends and silhouettes and different ways to wear them. Ciana decided to go with the new generation of shorts on the block - culottes.

Many thanks to photographer Aoife O'Sullivan of Disassemble Dublin and to Boohoo Clothing for getting us involved in this great project.

Look 1:

Kiya Midi Length Culotte Shorts

Dani Turtle Neck Woven Shell Top

Layla Wool Look Boyfriend Coat

Verity Mixed Size Ring Stack

Mia Buckle Ankle Strap Heels

Lola Crock Handle Strap Clutch Bag