My lunch date stood me up today so instead I grabbed the chance for my annual fix of Victorian  mahogany splendour at Two Temple Place, which is only open for a few weeks every year. This year's exhibition, drawn from the University of Cambridge collections, is quirky and engaging ... but really I was there for the splendid carvings, the mad stained glass windows and the glory of sailing up that staircase. And it's free to get in.

When I came out, I thought as I might as well go to the Isabella Blow exhibition at Somerset House, as I was only a stroll away.  More pictures here. Now, to be honest, I'm not that interested in the overblown lives of the Tatler set ...

But oh, those fabulous Philip Treacy hats. They're works of art. In another life, I could fancy myself swishing in a breathtakingly beautiful gown of tiny feathers by Alexander McQueen, with a bit of taxidermy on my head - but I'd need a fairy godmother to endow me with cheekbones first. One of the early reviewers seemed to think that you could catch Isabella Blow's scent wafting from the clothes ... Maybe it's worn off now that the exhibition has been on for weeks, but I can't say I noticed. I did notice the sloppy spelling/grammar mistakes on some of the labels, though ... No use getting in a tizz about compliment and complement these days,  but I thought 'would of' was plumbing new depths.