PR & Marketing
My NakedPRGirl blog delves into the modern world in order to inspire debate about our culture. You’ll find topical features and interviews with those making waves in the industry plus my personal how-to guides and London tips and career advice.
Guided Tour & Afternoon Tea at UK Parliament
I am not exaggerating when I say visiting Parliament was like Christmas for me. I studied UK Government & Politics at A Level and was just fascinated by our brilliant but bonkers system. Like, we have a Head of State, the Queen, but with such limited powers…but we just like it… We STILL a few...
Travel Guide to Sintra in Portugal
Sintra is a sparkling jewel in Portugal’s crown; a place of history, mystery and vibrant colour. It has the ability to make modern, white washed, marbled life look rubbish, and instead it has made me yearn for pattern, detail and rainbow hues. Here’s my guide to a long weekend in Sintra. Quick...
Getting Naked With Interview with Hair & Makeup Artist Erika Swinn
If you look up ‘happy’ in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you’ll find a picture of the bubbly and vivacious Erika Swinn smiling out from the pages. I met Erika circa 2010 (give or take) when we were both working at Mamas & Papas and she was a confident, lovely girl working in the marketing...
London’s Best Spots to Instagram 2018
Five years ago, I went to a conference that looked at the rise of online and confidently predicted that shops would essentially become 'showrooms' in the future. It made me think that we would be throwing out all the merchandise and creating art galleries where three diamond encrusted handbags...
Getting Naked With Stylist SulkyDoll Donna McCulloch
Donna McCulloch is better known to her followers as stylist SulkyDoll who shares her daily fashion choices, London events and styling updates on Instagram. Life is glossy on the outside with stints at Fashion Week, press days and parties, but don’t mistake that for an easy life. Donna is a hard...
Getting Naked With Carl Thompson
I first met Carl Thompson when I was at one of my client's London Morgan's showroom in Astwood Mews where I taken it as my personal mission to sell him the virtues of the super sleek and shiny Morgan Plus 4. Well, to be honest, the car kinda sells itself, so it wasn't long before Carl was driving...
Getting Naked With Interview Ghostwriter Shannon Kyle
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of ghostwriting; it holds a kind of mysterious glamour that I find intoxicating. How it works and what it REALLY means is often the source of discussion in the media so I am thrilled that a real life ghost has agreed to be pinned down to reveal all in my...
How to go freelance in 10 easy steps
Disclaimer - If it was easy everyone would do it 😉 Almost three years ago I went freelance in the most haphazard clumsy way imaginable. I have made all the mistakes, fallen spectacularly into all the pitfalls and (so far) have survived to tell the tale because I am working and living in London...
Getting Naked Interview With Blogger & Influencer Maja Malnar
Slovenian born Maja Malnar is breath of fresh air as she is always happy, smiling and oozing confidence. I met Maja through her partner in Instagram crime, LornaLuxe who simply says that Maja represents genuine ‘goals’ with her mix of wanderlust, fashion and a touch of mystery. Maja is also a...
Getting Naked With Interview – Kelly Eastwood The London Chatter
“I like a Hendricks with some cucumber, and any other gin I’ll take with a helluva’lotta lime!” Meeting Kelly Eastwood, a.k.a ‘The London Chatter,’ at Mr Foggs Gin Parlour for her DONNA IDA Style Insider, you can tell instantly why she has been so successful in creating her blog and business. She...
Event tips – How to throw a spooky Halloween Party
When I was growing up, Halloween was one night a year, you’d carve a pumpkin or a turnip and wear a makeshift witches outfit and off you trotted trick or treating. Now we’ve gone ALL American about it and it practically lasts a whole month with decorations and fancy dress taking more preparation...
Getting Naked With Interview with Journalist Luke Chilton
I first met Luke Chilton at a party approximately a hundred years ago where there was a free bar (standard) and if memory serves me correctly, an up-and-coming singer called Emeli Sandé was providing the entertainment. At the time Luke was writing for a magazine but little did I know that he would...
Getting Naked With Interview – Journalist Rachel Tompkins
When I first met Rachel Tompkins, it was in the dusty office of the The Ripple Student Newspaper at Leicester University and I was so in awe of her I was completely mute (not the best first impression huh?). She was the Deputy Editor, I was the new Features Editor, she was totally ice cool and I...
Top Festivals on Instagram
The humble festival has exploded over recent years into a colourful Catherine Wheel combining music, food, yoga, face paint (AND glitter bras?), we've moved from wellies to high end Hunters and from day festivals to VIP experiences. In the world of marketing, where the VIP pass can be exploited by...
Londoner’s Guide To Kensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace When I first moved to London, I couldn't quite work out where Kensington Palace Gardens ended and Hyde Park started. Google informs me they are separated by water which starting at the Italian Gardens through The Long Water and opening up into The Serpentine which snakes around...
Recent Work – Zakti Active Interviews
Zakti Activewear is a relatively new kid on the fitness block which only launched in 2015 with womenswear. Since that, they've added menswear and kidswear plus linked up with former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt to launch a dance inspired collection which debuted with a cover feature and interview...
Recent Work – Donna Ida Style Insider Interviews
In 2012, we held a focus group at Donna Ida HQ where we found out that customers really wanted to see how real women styled our clothes. We loved the idea and started to snap fans of the brand using our in-house team. What started off as an experiment flourished into monthly photo shoots where I...
Guide to Italy – Sorrento, Amalfi Coast & Capri
Italy is colourful and passionate and wonderful. It has fresh sharp lemons and the juiciest oranges and brightest flowers. It has narrow coastal roads that have been nicknamed Mamma Mia from the shock visitors express on their first experience as they overlook sharp drops from the cliff tops to...
Naked Review – Guide to Kew Gardens in London
Kew Gardens has such a special place in my heart - I mean flowers and gardens - what is not to love? It is in Richmond and has it's own picturesque train station with a delightful looking pub right next to it. Kew Gardens itself, or Royal Botanic Gardens if you are being posh is a place of many...
NAKED STYLE – THE KIMONO
It was in April 2011 when Vogue hailed the Kimono the new Spring Jacket as they fell for the kimono’s liquid-silk allure. This might have been, erm, years ago but sometimes things bob around being micro-trends, before, well Zara makes an epic one and BOOM - everywhere! And as we know from the...
Getting Naked With Interview With Nik Speller
Blogger and marketing agency co-founder, Nik Speller, soared onto my radar when he put together a quick, no frills video on how to spot bought/fake followers and those pesky bots on Instagram. Why? Because although I can use my brain to assess social media stars as genuine by looking at their...
Notting Hill – A Londoner’s Guide
You'll have seen Notting Hill a thousand times. On TV and film and most of all, on social media, ESPECIALLY the image friendly platforms of Instagram and Pinterest (hello pastel houses).. I've been living in Notting Hill for around five months now and still have a lot to learn, however one thing...
How to Network Matthew Hussey Style
My NakedPRGirl blog and business is all about honesty and going behind the smoke and mirrors of the PR & Marketing industry…but today I find myself in unfamiliar territory and am looking to a relationship guru to share his secrets instead. Let me introduce you to Matthew Hussey, he’s a...
LornaLuxe & NakedPRGirl – How To Speak To Influencers
How to Influence an Influencer Spilling secrets is fast becoming something that LornaLuxe and I excel at. Especially if it is combined with an audience, an agenda about digital and each other (and possibly a bottle of Champagne if it is after 5pm soz 7pm - tee hee). Anyway, Cision invited us to...
Getting Naked Interview With Nicola de Burlet The PR Studio
Nicola de Burlet is a chic, classy, stylish PR...and there's no need to take my word for it, let's listen to what Trish Halpin, editor of Marie Claire had to say. “Nicola has always been a figurehead of the fragrance PR industry. Her experience is second to none and she has an innate understanding...
5 Things Gleaned from Michael Sheen
The thing is…I’m not a film expert which, when you’re in a cinema full of movie fans at the BIFA Central Picturehouse watching Michael Sheen being interviewed for Time Out London can be a bit of a daunting realisation. BUT I have seen five Michael Sheen films, oh yes. Well, to be honest I’ve seen...
NAKED REVIEW – Open House London
Sometimes in London, it feels like you know ALL KINDS of things you really don't need to. Like when a new hotdog joint is opening, how Pret Sandwiches are ranked from 1 to 50, or how big the waiting list is at a swanky restaurant you're never likely to grace. And in contrast there's LOADS of...
DONNA IDA for Jaeger Collaboration
For the last six months, Jean Queen Donna Ida Thornton has been working on a top secret project with British brand Jaeger and it is finally being revealed in all it's splendour on 8th September this week. The launch will be in Jaeger's Chelsea store on King's Road, a stones throw away from DONNA...
Naked Review – St Paul’s Cathedral London
St Paul's Cathedral, where I'm sitting right now, is literally blowing my mind. The very famous London landmark was built by Christopher Wren and accessoried (shall we say) with intricate mosaics after Queen Victoria called it 'dull, cold, dingy and dreary,' crikey! Inside it is utterly...
Getting Naked with Fashion Editor & Stylist Nini Khatiblou
Fashion Editor & Stylist Nini Khatiblou has an infectious character, ten minutes in her presence and you'll be smiling - promise! I've been working with Nini for, like, for-EVER, since she was at Good Housekeeping and I would send her jeans to shoot for her pages. For a while, it was an email...
The Unconventional World of Henry Holland
If you had to pick one fashion designer for a cracking night out, I would suggest Henry Holland. Firstly, from what I have gleaned, from last Friday evening while he was in conversation with Kinvara Balfour, he is exceedingly charismatic, funny, honest and I'm absolutely positive you'd be dancing...
Zac Posen – Lighting Up Fashion
All I could think about on my way to see Kinvara Balfour interview Zac Posen was Claire Danes' stunning light up dress on the red carpet at the 2016 Met Gala. The theme for this year was Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology in association with Vogue and the standout (by miles and...
Guide to The Chelsea Flower Show by a First Timer
What's a flipping silver gilt when it's at home? Why does a show garden differ from a artisan garden? Do I have to wear white linen trousers to get in? Will they know the only flower I've successfully kept alive is a flaming Katie from Tesco? These are the questions you will face if it is your...
Chelsea Flower Show 2016 – Top Retail Shop Fronts
RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a huge event in London with thousands of people descending on the capital each May to see the fabulous blooms on display. This year is no exception and the surrounding retailers take part in 'Chelsea in Bloom' which this year has a carnival theme. This years standout for...
Events – Zouk Restaurant Celebrates 7th Birthday
Zouk restaurant in Manchester reached their 7th year in business last week so they threw a party to end all parties! Zouk was started up by two entrepreneurial brothers, Tayub and Mudassar Amjad (pictured above), who create great food in cool, relaxed restaurants and it is seven years since they...
Beyoncé The Queen of Marketing
Beyoncé is a Lycra and Swarovski crystal covered marketing dream, a sparking stick of dynamite with so much business sense I think she could actually run the world - B for president? Anyway, Queen Bey has been busy in April. First she LANDED her Athleisure range Ivy Park utilising social media,...
Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos Interviewed by Kinvara Balfour
I like design duo Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos from the very start of their interview with Kinvara Balfour at the V&A because they're thinkers; they exude a quiet confidence and talk carefully and honestly about their luxury fashion label. So, there'll be no crazy, flash in the pan...
V&A Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear
In PR and marketing terms, underwear is dynamite. It can make you thin, get you laid, define your abs, give you a bigger butt, enhance your cleavage, say 'hello boys', impress the girls, you know the drill. As I talked about in my blog 'Who Sells You Your Pants' the dream is never far away when it...
Super Injunction A Modern PR Disaster
I admit it took me ten minutes to google and unearth the shamed married celebrity who like Voldemort in Harry Potter, shall not be named, and has taken out a super injunction to prevent their identity being revealed after a threesome. In all honesty, in PR terms, it is now to become a circus;...
Insta-Flock – Instagram Notifications Prove We’re Sheep
If little Jerry told you to jump off a cliff, would you? And so goes the usual parent to child life lesson handed out in those tricky school years. And this is the case for Instagrammers who this week succumbed to Insta-panic in a bid to beat the new algorithm change 'See The Moments You Care...
TimeOut Tastemaker Reviews London
I am a Time Out Tastemaker. Intrigued? This doesn't (sadly) mean that I work for Time Out writing witty and entertaining copy about London every day, nor does it mean (even more sadly)that I am wafting around Poppy Delevingne style and party-hopping on a sea of champagne and canapés. It does mean...
LCM Duchamp AW16 Code London
Isn't the Rosewood Hotel a marvelous setting for Duchamp? This swishy London hotel was the backdrop for Duchamp's AW16 collection. This happened way back in January for London Collection's Men, so in blogging terms, I am so behind the curve, there's barely any point writing this...although in...
LCM – Chester Barrie AW16 Awards Show
As a relative novice in menswear, this was my first visit to Chester Barrie's LCM show, but boy they knocked my socks off. The venue was a sublime room at the Waldorf Hilton which was so grand, I could have just stayed there forever. It had much the red carpet awards theme with, yah you...
LCM – AW16 Turnbull & Asser The Artist & The Architect
Turnbull and Asser are the classiest of menswear brands; established 1885, received their first Royal Warrant from Edward VII, make a lot of bespoke pieces, made in England, tally ho chaps! Their SS16 LCM launch was an in-store only affair which was small but perfectly formed, but for...
LCM – Belstaff AW16 Heading North
For last LCM, Belstaff took their SS16 range off to the dessert. Well to be factually accurate, they moved sand dunes into the Old Billingsgate where models stood under hot lights where outside stood an army vehicle with The Shard and Tower Bridge creating an imposing backdrop for...
Donna Ida says Hello to Sadie The Boiler Suit
Events are a huge part of the fashion calendar and no one (I repeat no one) can throw a press party like Jean Queen Donna Ida Thornton. On 27th November (during peak press day time) I worked with Donna to help her launch THE hot new denim shape for SS16; Sadie the Boiler Suit. Donna, being the...
Spinning a Yarn – The Future Of Fashion Tech
Why are we obsessed with our clothes being magical? Just as costume designer Sandy Powell discussed, the power of clothes to shape and transform an image is ever-present in our culture and history. Now we're going one step further with designers turning to technology, and indeed technology turning...
Costume Designer Sandy Powell Interview by Kinvara Balfour
I am a believer in the power of costume. Clothes can create an image that quite often signals social, economic and political status. In film, characters can be good, bad, rich, poor, from a different era, blending in, standing out, on the rise, on the edge, and all this can be echoed in the...
Can We Sell You Christmas?
Tis the season to spend money, fa la la la la, la la la la! Oh don't worry, I'm not Scrooge (honestly)! And as we already know, Christmas is already a top money spinner with businesses making or breaking at this time of year. Many are now trying to OWN Christmas whether through red coloured cups,...
Marketing A Charity – Shine Night Walk Marathon Magic
Why oh WHY would you do a marathon? That's what you must be thinking. This is what I was thinking at mile 21 in the dark streets of London. Walking a marathon has never been a lifelong dream or something I have ever strived for. But the reason I walked 26.2 miles on Saturday night was the...
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