Now don’t get me wrong…The experience was one to be remembered. Throughout the journey, the guides were friendly and would make sure we were okay. It was a lot of fun and quite amusing at times. Amusing in the sense that for most of the journey on the Thames, Jessica and I were struggling. We even rammed into the wall of the river at one point and nearly t-boned a couple others in our kayaking group. Brilliant.

But in the end, sore muscles and all, the experience was very much worth it. I’d recommend everyone to try paddling along the Thames at least once. We experienced a bit of London like some never have. We viewed Big Ben and the London Eye from our red kayaks and had fun socializing with others in our group. It was quite a bonding experience since we all had to make the fun journey together. I love that I now have a nice story to share with others and I must say, I’m a bit proud of kayaking 7 miles. Finally at the end of my first kayaking experience, I felt I had to reward myself. The first thing that popped into my head was nice cold glass of Guinness at a comfy pub. And that’s exactly what I got. Cheers!

Published by Dorothy Figueroa @DorothyInOzz

So Poppy, how did your career as a reporter begin?

Well I’ve been presenting my family holiday videos ever since my dad bought a portable video recorder (circa 1996)… But I suppose that doesn’t really count. So I would say my reporting career started when I was 18 while I was working for a celebrity gifting company. We used to set up gifting lounges backstage at events and I used to interview the talent that came in. The interviews were terrible but it was a great way to start and practice on camera. From that, I set up my own TV show at university (LSE) which focused on interviewing business leaders to ask their career advice and during an interview with the executive producer at ITN, managed to persuade him that I should start reporting for them. After many a month of gruesome work-experience weeks completing mundane tasks, I was finally allowed on the red carpet!

Has your degree in Politics from LSE been important or do you think working your way up with hands on experience is just as highly regarded?

I think degrees and practical experience have different merits. I was lucky that I could focus on both, in the daytime I would attend university and in the evening, I would interview for ITN at events. You learn most through your practical mistakes from hands on experience (I’ve had plenty!!) rather than theoretically understanding something from a book I think. If you are considering being a political correspondent for example, then a university background in politics is fantastic but having a university degree these days isn’t enough. My LSE degree has helped me prove I’m not a blonde airhead and will probably come in handy in the future if I ever want to change career course, but for now, it’s my hands on experience that is the main factor helping my career progression.

What does it take to be a good reporter?

Well, I’m definitely still learning but my mum gave me some great advice when I first started which was, a good reporter knows the interview is not about them. It’s so true! When you are a reporter/interviewer, it’s all about the other person so open questions are important, maintaining a comfortable atmosphere and I definitely like to stay away from any form of interrogation. Nobody will respond well if you start bombarding them with fierce leading questions. In my opinion, a good reporter keeps their cool, sets the tone, listens to answers and carefully considers their interviewee at all moments of the interview.

What was it like interviewing Anna Wintour?

Quite scary! She is an amazing woman who knows what she is about to say before you have asked your question. She takes no prisoners. I had to be very on the ball because if you stumble even once, you’ve lost her focus. I tried very hard to maintain eye contact to prolong her attention for as long as possible.

You’ve interviewed a range of people from Boris Johnson to Jude Law (jealous!), how do you put people at ease and make them receptive to your questions?

I suppose I don’t try and put people at ease but rather concentrate on not changing myself. I treat everyone like I would my friends. The main thing I love about my job is I get to meet incredibly fascinating people so I act as I would without a camera. I usually get very excited and always actually want to know the answer to the questions I’m asking! Genuine interest is important I think.

What is the coolest place you’ve travelled to for your job?

Probably Cannes Film Festival. It’s really exciting, there’s an amazing buzz and although you end up working 24/7, your adrenalin is on over drive the whole time!

What is the one place you would love to go to for work and why?

I would love to travel to different parts of Africa because I haven’t visited the continent before and hope one day my work can support charitable organisations. I think it’s really important for everyone to use the resources they have to help the world in some way.

What has been your most challenging interview so far?

Probably the one when I missed the chair and fell on my backside interviewing Jude Law! IT WAS AWFUL!! Can you imagine?! I was wearing the shortest skirt that day (massive error) and just totally missed the chair when attempting to sit down. As you can imagine I was so embarrassed but luckily Jude couldn’t have been kinder and helped me to my feet. Trying to overcome that and carry on the interview was probably my biggest challenge and I’m not too sure how I succeeded either as I couldn’t stop giggling! I learnt a good life lesson though… Always check where the chair is before you sit down!!

You work in an industry that is notoriously hard to break into.  What advice would you give to reporters who are just starting out?

Be creative. You don’t need a TV company to offer you a job because you can create a TV show online these days. Start reporting on local events, make blogs, use the video on your laptop or mobile phone! In hesitance of sounding cliché, the world really is ours! Online video content has a global platform and provides an opportunity for all reporters to make their impact on the world.

www.poppyjamie.com

Marta Hryniak, Designer and owner, www.laloushka.pl

Please can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your upbringing?

I am a photographer and art historian by education. I studied in Paris, which contributed to my taste and interest in fashion. When I returned to Poland, I worked as an editor at Marie Claire and Twoj Styl – best selling Polish lifestyle magazine. When my three daughters were born I decided to start my own business, and that is how Laloushka came to be.

From what age did you know that you were passionate about fashion and design?

From the earliest years I loved fashion. Quite recently, a friend of mine with whom I used to spend all my childhood summers in the country, brought some doll clothes, which we had sown for her Barbie when we were 10 years old. They are fabulous: a tiny corduroy jacket with pockets and patches on elbows, wide sleeve blouses, a pink frette bathrobe and an amazing geometric pattern bathing suit. Those were the humble beginnings of Laloushka, 30 years ago.

Please can you tell us a little bit about Laloushka and the idea behind the brand?

Laloushka dolls are, of course, “the best dressed dolls in town”. I can honestly say that I have never made an ugly doll, even though most of our dolls are made based on client’s orders. All orders that we receive are spot on with my style sense and taste. Maybe that is why I like my job so much. We focus on personalized dolls, sown based on photos of particular people. We pay attention to all details, the outfit, shoes, bag, jewellery and other accessories such as iPads or even keys to a Mini Morris! The more complicated the project ,the bigger the fun. Recently I made a guitar, DJ earphones and court files. I love a good challenge.

What is your role within the company?

I am the co-founder of the company, its owner and main (and only) designer. I no longer have to sow on my own, as I have seamstresses that do this for me. Unfortunately I still have not found anyone who could replace me in making accessories. Each of the orders requires the use of different techniques, sometimes you have to think outside the box, search for unusual solutions… Just think that I sometimes need to come up with a way of making a mini Harley helmet or get a printed Marni fabric in a miniature size.

What’s your typical working day routine?

Once I drop off my daughters to schools, I drive to my workshop, which is located in a very charming part of Warsaw, surrounded by cafes and little restaurants, only two streets away from my home. From 9 till 11 I answer all my e-mails, order couriers and delegate work. Then I add finishing touches to the dolls which had already been sown and dressed. Sometimes it happens that I spend hours on one bag or a pair of shoes. In other cases, like when I make a Hermes Birkin, it goes much faster as I have become accustomed to making them by now. I sometimes joke that all our clients have a Hermes and I am still waiting for mine.  When I am working, I love to watch contemporary French movies – thanks to them I feel as if I am a little bit in Paris. All my meetings I try to set up during lunch time, as not to waste time on eating. I have limited time, as by 5 pm I have to pick up my kids. That is when the fun ends and the real work begins. Making dolls with Hermes bags is a piece of cake compared to taking care of 3 girls.

What is the typical process from designing to creating a Laloushka doll?

I first look at all the photos of the person that the doll is supposed to depict. I try to imagine their style, their characteristic features. These things will make the Laloushka similar to the original. Sometimes it is the figure, one of a kind jewelry or clothing proportions.  That is the stage that creates the doll, it is its main theme. The next step is picking out the yarn from which the hair will be made. We choose the hairstyle for the doll. After that, my seamstress and myself pick out the fabrics, decide on the cut of the clothes and their style. When we have that done, it is time for the accessories. To finish things off I make a personalized certificate, take a photo of the doll and put it in a box. I tie it all up with a black thick bow and voila!

Where do you get inspiration from for your designs?

I am inspired by the photos I get with the order. But to tell you the truth, I follow my fashion intuition, my sense of style. As long as I can remember, I have been buying fashion magazines. I love to sit, sip on my coffee and look at the well-dressed passer byes. When I look at photos I know exactly what is important to the photographed person in their outfit. I notice every detail. When I am working on a project I make these details part of the doll. If the jeans that my seamstress had sewn have a too high waist, we sew again. You would be surprised how these details influence the fashion personality. Sometimes it is enough to narrow the sleeves of a jacket to make a similar doll turn into the mirror image of the client. It’s all in the details.

Where can our readers get their hands on these gorgeous dolls?

One can write to us at biuro@laloushka.pl to place an order for a personalized doll. In London, you can visit Browns boutique in South Molton Street to browse our “Great Designers” collection, designed especially for Browns. Ready models from the Laloushka Kids collection (smaller and simpler than dolls for grown ups) as well as mini Laloushka dolls in the form of pendants, can be bought via our web site at: www.laloushka.pl, also available in English.

Last but not least, what is next for Laloushka? What should our Verge readers look out for?

I would mostly like to concentrate on expanding the company, which would enable me to concentrate on its growth. What is more, my wish is to gain customers form France, England or Italy. I am also thinking of Japan. I have so many plans but so little time to make them real. An interesting project which I am participating in at the moment is children’s clothes collection and designer house line for Laloushka dolls. I hope to make these projects come to life at the beginning of next year.

Check out the personalised Laloushka Doll of our Verge Editor, Rosalind Shimmen. How cute is she?!

For your chance of winning a cute Karl Lagerfeld Laloushka keyring, follow us on Twitter @VergeMagUK and tell us what characteristics your Laloushka Doll would have.

#IfIWasALaloushkaDoll …

What initially triggered you to start the How Two Live blog? Was it something you had both always wanted to do?

We had never really been particularly into blogs or Tumblrs or even Instagram before we started How Two Live – to the point where we didn’t even really know how to use them. However, when Stef moved to Paris for six months last year; a blog just seemed like a really convenient way to keep in contact, it has flourished from there.

How exactly would you sum up both your signature styles? I love how our outfits always compliment one another, is this something which just comes naturally?

We like to describe our style as ‘anything goes’. We have pretty similar tastes, so we share literally every piece in our wardrobe. The matching outfits have evolved since Paris Fashion Week last year and they have developed throughout the course of the blog. The French are brutally honest, resulting in mixed responses. Whilst a lot of people loved it, a few were kind of like ‘what are you doing…?’. But as far as we are concerned, if somebody doesn’t have an opinion about what you’re wearing (good or bad), it’s probably not worth wearing.

What are your favourite brands and stores at the moment; or the ones you are most loyal to?

We love wearing Australian designers; we definitely have some of the best talent in the world here. Cameo, Alice McCall, Shakuhachi, Ixiah, One Teaspoon, Emma Mulholland and Ellery are just some of our favourites.

Out of the ever-increasing string of countries you have visited on your globe-trotting adventures, which are your favorites and why?

France is up there with our very favourites. We love the food, the language, the culture, and most of our dad’s family lives there, so it totally feels like home. We also love a good beach holiday – if we were in Europe this Summer, we would most likely be heading to the Greek Islands for some sunshine.

Tell us about your HTL sale in aid of the Amira Project, it was such an amazing, idea (one which left me wishing I was in Melbourne; although it’s probably safer for my bank account that I wasn’t…)

The sale was a lot of fun, and we ended up raising over $1000 for the Amira Project; which we’re so excited about. We only recently heard about the organisation and we are really inspired by what they do. We particularly like that they hold events called ‘Princess Parties’ for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, where they basically get the girls all dressed up and make them feel special for the night, with lots of pampering, activities, and goodies. It’s such a great initiative!

For those of you unfamiliar with the How To Blog, you can check out the stylish sisters and their whereabouts at howtwolive.com.

Brooke McCord

@BrookeMcCord

http://www.minniemacblog.com

That was when I stumbled upon it.

A video of Coachella. I was drawn in. A pixelated paradise. Sun-drenched, carefree, full of my favourite bands, and, even better, not a welly in sight. I decided I must go. I MUST.

Fast forward to last month, and weaving in and out of the sprawling St Jacinto mountains in Southern California, backlit palm trees reflecting on the bonnet of the car, I was finally stateside – and on my way to experience the festival for myself.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, or ‘Coachella’ to its mates, is held in Indio, California – about 125km from LA – at the plush Empire Polo Club, a green landscape framed with picturesque, mountainous desert.

The festival has gone from strength to strength since 1999, and made headlines worldwide in 2012 when Snoop Doggy Dogg Lion welcomed a 2D hologram of Tupac Shakur back from the grave and onto the main stage.

With over 80,000 people swelling the venue this year, tickets were like gold dust – and the festival is hipster heaven.

It goes without saying that a hyped-up Californian festival attracts hyped-up California-based celebs – and Coachella had no shortage of A-listers in attendance this year. Stars such as singers Katy Perry, Macklemore and Rita Ora, vampires Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson, and, erm, Paris Hilton were all spotted strutting their stuff around the grounds over the weekend.

Cut-off denim shorts, handmade Converse trainers and vintage tees – Coachella is a fashionista paradise, a thrift shop utopia, and at times I felt like I’d stumbled into the middle of an Urban Outfitters car park during a fire drill. But it’s not just about the atmosphere, fashion and the people – there’s also more music than you could shake a LIMITED EDITION, vintage, stick at.

Line-up announcements will never please everyone – and with Blur and the Stone Roses topping the Friday bill, this year’s opening night was more 90’s Britain than Sweater Shop, Adidas poppers, and lads having Nike ticks shaved into the back of their heads.

That caused controversy stateside – with many of the hip, Hollywood guests raising their perfectly groomed eyebrows at the choices – but as it happened, Blur were on top form – and went down well with the largely American crowd. As the Essex boys launched into ‘Song 2’, one guy behind me turned to his buddy and said ‘these guys are gonna be big!’.

Parisians Phoenix brought their brand of pop rock – or as the French would call it, ‘le pop rock’ – to the main stage on Saturday night, before the Red Hot Chili Peppers sizzled on Sunday with a home-town headline slot.

As is notorious with Coachella, the real value in the line-up was lower down the bill – and, testament to the quality of music coming out of our fair isles at the moment, there was a distinctly British feel to this year’s festival.

The likes of Jake Bugg, Alt-J and Foals did us proud on the opening day – and were followed up with the XX, Jessie Ware, Franz Ferdinand and Leeds/Reading headlines Biffy Clyro flying the flag on the Saturday and Sunday.

I stayed in nearby Palm Springs for the festival, which is about half an hour away from the Polo Club grounds – but the organisers do operate an official shuttle bus from there, which runs all day, and ends at about 1am.

Alternatively, if you fancy sweating from places you never even knew existed, there is free camping available on site, where you can HANG with the BROS and DUDES (NB: I only managed to learn a bit of American whilst I was over there, so not sure if I’m pronouncing those correctly).

The last act of Coachella 2013 – and one that I was particularly looking forward to – was Disclosure, who brought their brand of future garage to the Gobi stage, as they were presented with the unenviable task of following the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ main stage set.

They got by – with a little help from their friends – and were joined on stage by Ware, who provided vocals on a remix of her track ‘Running’, and Sam Smith, who gave an ace live performance of ‘Latch’ to close the festival.

As the sun came down on Coachella 2013, and the crowds dispersed, the famous ferris wheel became a dim, distant vision – and, already planning my return trip next year, I was left with sunburn, memories…and Youtube, of course.

Published by Jonathan Turner @jonnot

9:00 A.M.

Zach Parrish says: “I get to work at 9:00 a.m., and the first thing I do is get a cup of coffee and wake up. There are always a few emails to read and then I check my calendar to see what my day is going to be like.”

9:05 A.M.

“As soon as I’m sat at my desk, I open up the shot that I’m working on for the day. For Wreck-It Ralph, I worked on King Candy a lot. King Candy is the zany king of Sugar Rush; he’s very much like the Mad Hatter from the 1951 Disney animated film Alice In Wonderland. He’s very goofy and bubbly, so it’s been a lot of fun to work on him. At my desk, I’ll start to figure out what the character is thinking and doing in the scene – and then I’ll get to work.”

10:00 A.M.

“Every Tuesday, John Lasseter comes in to check the progress of the movie. The meeting is usually held in a big room where we watch various scenes on a big screen, but not all of the animators will be present. I’ll be there to check all of the sequences I’m involved with, and it’s always inspiring to hear John’s comments. He’s a very smart man.”

11:00 A.M.

“We usually have a meeting called the ‘dailies’ at around 11 a.m. every day. This is where the animators show the movie’s director, Rich Moore, the shots we’re working on. By showing our work to the director, we can make sure we are on the right track with the look of the scene. The ‘dailies’ are usually held in a big room with a huge screen, so we can see the animation in close detail.”

12:00 P.M.

“Around midday, everyone migrates to the cafeteria for lunch. Lunchtime is always fun here, especially within our department. We always have a very big table at the cafeteria. It’s a family-style environment where everyone gets along.”

1:00 P.M.

“Lunch is usually over by 1 p.m., which is when I grab a coffee and head back to my desk. The afternoon is when the day really seems to kick in. I’ll get my head down and push through with my work.”

2:00 P.M.

“During the afternoon, [animation supervisor] Renato Dos Anjos and two of the supervising animators have informal meetings with animators to check their progress. We look at our animations on a big TV screen and then we bounce around ideas to see if we can improve the shots in any way. We ask things like, ‘What if we do this?’ Or, ‘What if we do that?’ Then the animators take the notes away to their desk and work on getting the animation closer to the director’s vision.”

3:30 P.M.

“By 3:30 p.m. I usually head for a snack at the cereal bar. The cereal bar is a kitchen area at Disney that’s always open. There are seven or eight different kinds of cereal available in there, as well as oatmeal and hot chocolate – and every kind of milk you can imagine! We’re all big fans of the cereal bar here.”

4:00 P.M.

“If I’m lucky, there might be a voice recording session in the afternoon. During the making of Wreck-It Ralph, I was able to observe Alan Tudyk [who voices King Candy] and John C. Reilly [who voices Ralph] record together, which was great. The sessions are recorded on video so that the animators can watch the actors’ faces when they read their lines. We use the video for reference, so you can sometimes see an actor’s movements or actions in the finished film.”

5:30 P.M.

“Every once in a while I’ll take a little break from work. I’ll briefly check out YouTube to see what’s going on in the world or I’ll have a chat with one of my colleagues. There’s a ping pong table in one of our
recreation areas, so I might challenge someone to a quick game – but then it’s back to my computer.”

6:00 P.M.

“We like to do a lot of research at Disney. For Wreck-It Ralph, we had arcade games available to play if we want to research games for the movie and there’s also a video reference room where we can work on other ideas. To research King Candy, I would watch the tea party scene from Alice In Wonderland, or I’d check out scenes with Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee because they are great references for a lot of the Sugar Rush characters. There’s a whole library of archived Disney movies to watch if we want to look at anything else for inspiration.”

8:00 P.M.

“My working day can finish at any time from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., but I do the same things at the end of every day: I save my work. If I’ve got one tip to share with everyone about working in animation, it’s save and save often. That is something I still haven’t learned and I really, really need to. After I’ve saved my work, I shut down my computer and I head home; tomorrow is another day!”

Whilst the Verge team are unbelievably excited for Parklife, Glastonbury and Bestival to name a few festivals, the first one we have lined up to attend is the brand new 15,000 capacity dance giant – We Are FSTVL; taking place in two weeks time on Saturday 25^th May 2013.

Who’s Playing?

Promising to bring together the biggest names in both dance and electronic music, alongside club brands and labels; We Are FSTVL boasts an eclectic line-up to include the likes of Eats Everything, MK, Shadow Child, Joy Orbison, Rudimental, Hot Since 82, Flashmob, Art Department and Damian Lazarus; along with many other talented artists and DJ’s. The inaugural festival will play host to over 70 acts across 10 stages and arenas over one magical day from 11am – 2.30am.

Where is it?

Taking place over a sprawling 122 acre former WW1 airfield in Upminster, Essex, custom built structures will give each arena its own distinctive identity to create a series of parallel worlds. We Are FSTVL will place huge emphasis on production to create an unrivalled festival experience, never before applied to the UK dance festival market.

What about the after parties?

So, as if the line-up alone; twinned with 15 whole hours of live music was not enough… The masterminds behind We Are FSTVL have organised not one, but THREE options of after parties – host by Egg, Ministry of Sound and Fire London; so all party goers can dance until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

 How do I buy a ticket?

With tickets almost sold out completely, there are still a limited number of VIP tickets available – trust us, you do not want to miss out. With rumors of unexpected twists and surprises nestled away – think dress-up boxes and play areas for those who want to blend seamlessly into their fantastical surroundings, flashmobs and bespoke never-before-seen design details – We Are FSTVL is set to be an experience never forgotten. You heard it here first.

http://www.wearefstvl.com/

@wearefstvl

For those who are interested be sure to check out the Go Canoeing website for more details on how to participate! Link listed below.

GO Canoeing!