GREAT BRITAN – Page 10 – L'ItaloEuropeo – Independent Magazine in London

A Love for Vintage

The month dedicated to fashion has started September is for everyone in the know, the month where new trends unveils and the biggest shows in the world crown new designers or confirm an established one.

Milan, Paris, London and New York host the most important Fashion Weeks and where press, buyers, models, designers and fashionistas all over the world meet to discover, to see, to show and to show off. During this month, independently from the big fashion dates, several other events take place, all with a mutual denominator, FASHION.

In London the V&A has dedicated its last Friday Late to the glamour of Hollywood and that night at the museum it has been possible to see several people attending the event wearing vintage dresses, hairdo and make up from the 50’s. September has started instead with a homage to a bygone era, that one of the cocktail lounge, when the cocktail dress was playing a very important part in lots of women’s lives. Linda Bee, a wellknown dealer at Grays in Davies Mews, specialized in vintage dresses and accessories, has given life to a pop up cocktail lounge where beautiful dresses, jewellery, clutch bags are displayed together with furniture, glasses centerpieces all original from the 20’s up to the 70’s.

In her incredible shop it is possible to find that particular dress or piece of jewellery by Trifari and even make up in their nostalgic boxes. Now that lots of entertainment companies are throwing parties with a theme (20’s, cruise lounges) the need to find the perfect outfit it has become the last trend and at Linda’s it’s a treasure trove for anything vintage. The exhibition will last for the next three weeks.

For who loves shoes instead, a great occasion to indulge is during Vogue Fashion Night at Liberty on the 8th of September when the opening of Manolo Blanik concession , the shoes made famous all over the world by SJP in Sex and the City, will start to trade at the famous department store.

In this occasion Manolo and Yasmin Le Bon will attend the evening. And after writing about fashion from the past and from the present watch this space in the next ten days with the start of London Fashion Week, where we will see the future, Spring/ Summer 2011.

FRANCIS, THE HOLY JESTER by Dario FO With the support of the Italian Cultural Institute

Mario Pirovano brings to London for one night only his Edinburgh Festival acclaimed one-man performance of Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo’s work on the life of Francis of Assisi.

A Beautiful Happening with PerenoWorld.com

“This production is the most entertaining and funny history lesson you could hope to see, given a captivating performance by the charismatic Pirovano.” British Theatre Guide

“Veteran Dario Fo associate Mario Pirovano delivers Fo’s characteristically folksy monologues about Francis of Assisi with a verve and informality that closely resemble Fo’s own performance style.” The Stage “Pirovano’s performance, and his ability are astounding. I recommend it wholeheartedly and completely.”Edinburgh Review

“Imagine a cross between Bertolt Brecht and Lenny Bruce, and you may begin to have an idea of the scope of Fo’s anarchic wit.” New York Times

Francis, The Holy Jester provides an intimate, insightful and often hilarious portrait of Saint Francis of Assisi, and gives a delightful slice of life in medieval Italy, full of relevance for our lives today. A tale that brings together courtiers, Popes, Cardinals, generals and peasants, saints and sinners, and Jesus himself in a great pageant of characters brought to life through a remarkable performance that sparks the imagination and delights the soul.

Dario Fo was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997.
His works have been published and performed in over 50 countries and in more than 30 languages, and include Mistero Buffo and Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

Mario Pirovano performed the play at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival to great critical acclaim, and he has now returned from his home in Perugia for a tour of the UK.

The St James’s Church performance will be the only London night of the tour, and the stunning interior and acoustics of this very special building will assure an unforgettable night of theatre.

http://mariopirovano.it/

The play has also been transcribed into a novella which is now available from Beautiful Books at £8.99.
To order your copy, visit http://www.beautifulbooks.co.uk/ , or you will also be able to purchase copies signed by Mario Pirovano on the night.

Tickets: £15 available from: St James’s Church, Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL
http://www.beautiful-books.co.uk/ or email:mailto:francis@beautiful-books.co.uk or telephone: Sara on 0207 734 4448

Information: Tickets: £15 Concession £10 until 15 August

London Mayor Boris Johnson has officially launched the bike hire scheme

People can hire the bikes 24 hours a day from 400 docking stations in nine boroughs and several Royal Parks in central London. The service is available in Camden, Hackney, Lambeth, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, City of London and the Royal Parks.

The Keys cost £3 then the first 30 minutes are free.

It will then cost another £1 for up to an hour, £4 for 90 minutes, £6 for two hours and £50 for 24 hours.

“My crusade for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a gigantic pedal-powered push forwards” he said.

The bikes, producted in Canada in a factory in Bagotville, weight 23 kg and they are formed by three-speed gears, a bell, a basket and dynamo-powered lights. The design has been thought to be practical with adjustable saddle.

The project will also include 12 new cycle "superhighways".

Transport for London expects that the hire scheme will reach an extra 40,000 cycle trips a day. For this reason Tfl’s target consist of 6000 cycles and 400 docking stations to get in one year.

Barclays is the official sponsorship of the scheme due to a deal among the bank and the mayor. The bank invested £25m into the project. Mr Johnson added: "Barclays are going to help us deliver the cleanest, greenest and healthiest form of public transport that London has ever seen."

The project planning implemented by Transport for London (TfL) had been expecting many issue but one in particular has been verified: "teething problems". After only one day from its inauguration, 12000 people has signed up to the scheme but only 6000 keys are available and has been activated.

Cyclists will be able to withdraw the bikes from docking stations just with the activation.

London Assembly Green Party member Jenny Jones said: "The bikes should have locks and bigger baskets. A target date should be set for people to be able to use Oyster (travel) cards to pay for the bike hire”.

Already some anti-war demonstrators placed stickers about the conflict in Afghanistan on the back of some bikes and others protested against the sponsorship.

Photo1:london-se1.co.uk

photo2:.boris-johnson.com

View London Cycle Hire docking station locations in a larger map

“ Step LIve” is going to take place at the Sadler’s Well Theatre in Islington.

Keep the 11th of July free in your diary because the event “ Step LIve” is going to take place at the Sadler’s Well Theatre in Islington.

Organized by “ Step into dance”, a partnership between the Royal Academy of Dance and the Jack Petchey Foundation, it gives one hundred secondary schools across thirteen London Boroughs the possibility to engage 11-16 years old in dance classes ranging from Contemporary, Street dance, Jazz, Capeira, Breakdance and many more.

The project hosted by the Sadler’s Well will see dancing events in the foyer starting at 4 p.m. and also music, body percussion, salsa and Spanish dance.Something for everyone as you can read, an event for all the family.

The main show will be at 6 p.m. with both male and female dancers having the great opportunity to perform at this prestigious venue.

This program has given, since 2006, a unique experience to over 2000 students, an occasion to develop a discipline and build up their confidence.

A great part of these young people have never danced before and seeing their moves on stage it is such an achievement for this Foundation.

A great event for everyone worth a visit in leafy Rosebery Avenue, where you will be certainly amazed by the skills of these young dancers.

50Th Carnaby Street -A week end of music in Carnaby Street

London- A week end of music in Carnaby Street to celebrate the famous site where fashion, music, iconic shops and a way of life changed the world in the 60’s.

Started in February with an exhibition dedicated at people who made their name in history 50 years ago, and carrying on during the year with several events dotted every month, the second big celebration event saw live music in the street in the mild weather of a summery week end.

The opening has been breathtaking with the american cast of the musical “ Hair” now at the Gielgud Theatre, in a spectacular performance on the stage appointed at the top of Carnaby Street, and then during the afternoon and the day after, live music has been on the programme, on stage and in several shops.

Mods inspired bands with hairstyles and clothing that would have been perfect in a magazine of 50 years ago, played for the crowd gathered in this small street but famous all over the world, while from the other side another stage hosted other singers ready, after their performances, to sign their CDs for the audience.

And the surprises did not ended here, shops assistants where inviting passers by for a glass of wine or orange juice, while listening to performers inside the shopfloor. Limited editions gadgets and items where on sale to mark this important anniversary. Among the several initiatives, the workshop with the painted elephants that at the moment are scattered in London for the Elephant Parade. During this workshop it has been possible to buy small reproductions of the big models on the streets, or painting the own personal model, with all the procedings gone for the organization that cares for the endagered asian elephants.

And for the shopping addicts, discounts in stores and live music brought in by DJs spinning records on the turntables, a great shopping experience, very similar to the one given to the customers fifty years ago from the shops that in Carnaby Street shaped a new generation of youth in the glorious 1960.

Next appointment is going to be with the fashion catwalks in September, watch this space.

LONDON ‘s ELECTION : Time of agreements

“David Cameron and Nick Clegg should clearly be entitled to take as much time as they feel necessary. Should the discussion between David Cameron and Nick Clegg come to nothing, I would be prepared to discuss with Nick Clegg the areas where there may be some measure of agreement between our two parties”.

This is Gordon Brown’s speech after the outcome of the election: Britain officially has a hung Parliament with the Conservative the largest party. This is the first hung parliament since 1974.

What does exactly hung parliament mean? The Parliament is composed by 650 seats. For a single party to reach an overall majority in the House of Common has to obtain 326 seats. None of the parties achieved the winning post as it’s showed in the tab below.

PARTY	LABOUR	CONSERVATIVE	LIB-DEM	OTHER
SEATS	258	307	57	28

A party is not required to have an overall majority in the Commons in order to form a government.

One possibility is that the largest party is going to form a minority government.

By convention, after the election, the person who seems most likely to command the House of Common is invited by the Queen to become Prime Minister.

In this situation, without an overall majority, the political parties has to decide who that person is, and communicate the name to the Queen that will accept the outgoing Prime Minister’s resignation and consequently will invite the elected to take his place.

Two o more parties have to achieve an informal agreement. One of the parties of the pact forms the government and the other parties will support it in any votes in the House of Commons.

In this prospective, David Cameron offered a pact to Clegg to run the country together “tackling the big and urgent problem- the debt crisis, the deep social problems and broken political system” Cameron said. Despite the effort, no deal has been announced until this morning.

In the meantime the business of government in charge is suppose to continue. The chancellor Alistair Darling, is going to meet EU finance minister to discuss about the Greek crisis.

READ MORE : Special Elections Uk – WHO WILL WIN? ( our Story and investigation about the UK’s Election)

THE ITALOEUROPEO’S SURVEY

The Italoeuropeo has conducted a survey in order to established which subject the new government should face primarily once they gain power.

The sample was composed by 300 interviews and we ask them to rank the following five topics in order of importance: job, tax, health, immigration, education. The interviewees assigned a value from 1 to 5 where 1 represents the highest value whereas 5 is the lowest value.

The result of survey are shown below in the pie chart:

56.4 % of interviewees said that job is the most important subject area that needs to be addressed.

On average, the second important topic is tax with 32.6%; thirdly health with 6.9% followed by immigration with 2% and finally education with 1.9%.

Moreover if we analyze each area separately, we obtain the following result:

Job

Job area is still a crucial subject because of the economic crisis.

62.6% of interviewees assigned the value of 1 to the job area; 27.4% said 2 whereas 5.4% gave a value of 3 followed by 2.1 % agree with 4 and the same percentage orientated towards 5.

Tax

36% of interviewees assigned the value of 1 to the tax area; 49% said 2 whereas 8.7% gave a value of 3 followed by 2.1 % agree with 4 and 3.29% orientated towards 5.

Immigration

Just 4.38% of interviewees assigned a value between 1 and 2 to immigration as a matter of greatest importance. The rest of the sample, respectively 9.8%, 42.8% and 42.8% was agreed to assign a value of 3, 4 and 5.

Education

The trend of the education sector follows the immigration’s trend. Just 8.69 % gave a value between 1 and 2. The rest of the interviewees respectively assigned 32%, 35% and 23% to the value3, 4 and 5. The people doesn’t think that education needs to be addressed primarily.

Health

By common consent, the value to assign to health is concentrated in the middle with 58 % of interviewees that prefer 3. On the other hand 27% was orientated between the value 1 and 2 whereas 14% choose between the value 4 and 5.

Special Elections Uk – WHO WILL WIN?

Ever since, for the human being, making a choice is a difficult challenge. The economic theory of the XVIII and XIX centuries considers man as a rational individual. His decision is the output of the elaboration of the input (information) that he collects. ( Photo- GORDON BROWN, NICK CLEGG, DAVID CAMERON, )

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