Editor’s Column. Number 1, November 2011.

Hello lovely readers and welcome to the shiny new look Pigeons & Peacocks dot com. This is your editor just wanting to introduce myself in the first of what is going to be a regular online column. Over the next few months I’ll be giving you some sneaky peeks into the creation of Issue 5 and lots of general loudmouthing about newsworthy, pressing issues such as the waxing and waning of Tilda Swinton’s gingeryness or the style merits of the polygamy vibe in Marc Jacobs’ latest collection (that was bloody well stolen in transit to London… don’t look at us we had nothing to do with it…)

The most exciting action I got this week was in the tropical-print scrum at Selfridges for the Versace H&M collaboration. Oh. My. Donatella. Absolutely divine. Crocodiles marching across jeans and matching t-shirts, a scorching fushia suit, baroque bombers, sequined shifts and lots of studded leather. My frantic 9am dash through every H&M on Oxford Street was actually really fun. A favourite moment was at the Oxford Circus shop where I saw a fabulous girl from Brixton with gold teeth and size 18 bottom spot a pair of the totally sold out pink and red jeans discarded on the floor (easily 3 sizes too tight.) She started screaming, hitched her skirt up flashing that ample bum to all and sundry and jumped up and down wailing doing the skinny-jean-jig (you know the one- that’s like getting toothpaste back in the tube.) When she got them buttoned up all the way I swear there was applause. She looked totally majorette.

This was much funner than the last time I braved one of these types of things- Stella McCartney for H&M years ago; a truly barbaric event where I witnessed a pram (with baby on board) capsized as rabid women literally tore dresses out of each others hands (and one pale faced salesgirl returning from the stock room literally had to throw an armful of stock at the stampede of charging at her just to save herself.) Even after some shameless hinting and lots of suck up emails I wasn’t invited to the launch party (and was flat out refused a discount) so you know that this glowing sycophantism is genuine and not the result of some PR schmoozy fooey. When I was queueing up to pay for my three piece crocodile look (jeans, t-shirt and silk shirt to wear on top but with only the gold top button fastened…) I bumped into P&P cover star Long Tall Larry who was excited as I was to grab some goodies. We had a natter about the dilemma of whether to wear straight away versus time capsuling the lot (to wheel it out in 3 years time – ta da!) and both decided that the collection is just so bang on perfect for right now we can’t not wear it RIGHT NOW. Expect lots of knowing cheeky looks from people on the tube who are wearing the same pieces: usually a bit of a disaster but in this case – a fabulous show of gang solidarity. Viva Ver-Sar-Chey!

The photos you see here are of P&P Issue 4 back-cover star and my muse Dollface Sparklepuss. Shot with her tanned babyface brother Joe and the newly turquoise haired P&P make up artist Theresa Davies around Seven Sisters, North London. The shoot was shot by LCF graduate and P&P contributor Alena Jascanka and John William for Vice magazine and here are some exclusive outtakes! As well as sorting her own face out lovely Theresa did Dollface and Joe’s hair and make up too. See the original story on Vice here.

That’s all for now folks I’m off to dance to Beyonce’s ‘Countdown’ in my Versace and get to starting work on Issue 5.