Category: 2015
Mochi x
There are many kinds of happiness in the world..I’ve just spent an utterly lazy, child-free weekend with the husband that I refuse to regret as I look aghast at the weeks to-do list, slightly lower down that list of love is my passion for beautiful embroidery and textiles..which is all the more ring-starred when it can be married to intelligent, bridging the distance fashion.
Mochi is a brand whose identity lies deep in the love of ancient embroidery and needle craft. It was set up by Palestinian Mochi Ayah Tabai to produce visually stunning, wearable clothes that celebrate world-wide stitching communities.
Handcrafted by local artisans in their own countries, Mochi isn’t a melting pot of ideas but an acknowledgement of what each culture has to offer, from Jaipur, Palestine, Thailand, Uzbekistan to Hungary, all items produced are claimed under their own makers.
A top from Palestine, so easy with a pair of denim shorts.
A summer dress from Jaipur, ideal to dress up or dress down.
Shorts from Uzbekistan.
A crop top and skirt from Thailand.
They appeal to my love of the past, of inherent quality and the deep vein of romanticism I have running though my middle.
It’s a refreshing change from the polyester re-runs of the high street…we can have more, pay less and think we’re clever…or we can just put up our hands and say what we really love.
Laters, Kate x
True Love x
It’s the season of the couture shows when material transforms into an artist’s palette and cost becomes no object to imagination.
Valentino showcased their collection last night at the sort of event us mere mortals can only drool at – it started with a magical treasure hunt tour of the places in Rome where Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli found inspiration, from the Bibblioteca Casanatense, a public library lined with books with it’s deep aroma of learning to a marble bath from 1840 sited in a private palazzo, ending with a majestic open air catwalk show at dusk.
Their muse was Rome, a monster of an idea, held together across time by the golden thread of fairytale…
Because Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli have that singular ability to take the concept of inspiration and find the person deep inside.
Their designs represent the model of languid self-possession.
(All pics from Style.com)
Always with that romantic touch of magic, intriguingly bathed in clouds.
I covet.
Laters, Kate x
Bummer Bag x
Bumbags got a bad rep in the eighties. I can’t think why.
The nineties weren’t much better..
But away from the neon and laughter, there’s a functional aesthetic desperate to get out. I have the bag in this picture – it’s by Hipstersforsisters – and it’s a true, top totty wonder. With it’s chain, it can be unclipped and turned into a crossbody, or removed entirely to transform into a clutch. A slam-dunk three-in-one-no-brainer.
Now I’m after something a bit bigger, in brown leather with more pockets to carry passport, phone…and cash..to take to Greece. I’ve left it a bit late in the day, but I’m hoping I’ll still find something…
without having to raid the last penny of the piggy bank for this Row bag sadly costing more than the holiday!
Laters, Kate x
Kids Inc. 2
Feather Down Farm Part 2: Where you only have to love, run fast and be impressed by chickens..
A time away from modern life, where nothing is more important than building dens, climbing trees….and shooting your best friend.
It was the perfect spot for giant bubbles..
But, damn it…it’s a hard activity to perform secretly…and the kids soon discovered us..
We did a fabulous walk to the Lamb at Buckland for a delicious Sunday lunch…before running back home again in a thunderstorm to be ready for a felt making class..
The results: I’m thinking squared off and blanket stitched onto cushions with a pom pom trim round the edge?
And then the final night closed in…all in all, it was the stuff of dreams..
Laters, Kate x
Kids Inc..
Every now and then it’s good to let the music stop..which is what we’ve done for the last 4 days. Miles away from the whirling, high energy, high pressure of London we escaped with the kids and three other families to a Feather Down farm just outside Oxford to cook on wood burning stoves, chase errant chickens and drink copious amounts of wine….
Each family had their own tent on the side of a forested hill (or ‘mountain’ according to the kids) looking out over the lush, green fields of England..
The tents were fabulous – (this really was glamping with a capital ‘G)’..all rustic with purpose, without being plastic-basic..and apart from food, everything was provided..although even food could be bought or ordered in advance from the on-site honesty shop.
I’m still in love with this candlestick chandelier hung from a piece of wood..
And this coffee grinder, complete with beans..
We thought the kids would fight over who slept on the top bunk..
But they were more interested in the cupboard bed!
(Probably a wise choice – on our very first night, there was an almighty thunderstorm which even managed to blow the ash pan off our internal wood burner’s chimney..those in the cupboard with it’s wooden roof never so much as stirred..)
The view out…
Next to each tent we all had our very own chickens that the children had to keep fed and watered and could check for eggs for our own consumption..
There was no electricity..making the morning brekkie..
Not having to cater for every element of camping meant there was room in the car for extras..like my basil plant – how London can you get?!
The time just flew – between teaching the girls to make Makrame and friendship bracelets..
To checking the chickens for eggs at the main paddock…and being sure to keep the goats and sheep in…not that we always managed it..and then it was a drama trying to catch them and herd them back in!..
Success!
On Saturday morning we did a tour round the farm led by Farmer Bill and his wife..the tractors were a big hit..
‘Please Bella sit in the wheel so I can take a picture of you to show how large the wheel is..’
At least Charlie was a bit more obliging..
I’ve got a brand new combine harvester an I’ll give you the key!
Learning about sheep..
What the kids loved most was the freedom..they spent hours off exploring or on this mud slide going up and down..
In the evenings we gathered around the campfire, making music, singing songs and roasting marshmallows.
And that’s only half of it..
Laters, Kate x
Strawberries and Cream x
Successsssssssss!!
Joy is simply producing a whopping, great bubble…and wanting to do it again, and again, and again…
Yesterday, we finally go our giant bubble mixture to really work…YAAAAAAYYYYYY!
The recipe was:
One and a half teaspoons of guar gum (bought from Amazon).
Mixed with enough glycerin (from local chemist) to turn it into a paste.
To which 4 litres of hottest tap water is slowly added.
And a tablespoon of baking powder.
Then finally 6 oz of the best fairy liquid you can buy (we used platinum).
(The trick is lots of vigorous stirring..and then let it sit for 20 minutes).
(The bubbles wands are simply made from wooden spoons and cotton string, tied in a triangular shape with a weight (keys/keyrings work well) at the bottom).
We learnt that if you blew into the bubble..
You could get bubbles inside the bubble!
Hours and hours of pure, unadulterated FUN!
Laters, Kate x
Cooking..
Damn it’s hot. Feverishly hot enough to melt a bottle..or poach an egg in an unsuspecting armpit..really unpleasant.
It’s hard to find anything to wear that doesn’t stick or itch. The best thing would be a large,cool lake or natural swimming pool but unfortunately my wardrobe’s not large enough, neither is my wallet.
I have found these kimono’s ..
They might not cut it on the school run..
(All kimonos from South Beach Official)
But will be perfect with a large hat for wafting on holiday.
And at only £18, they’re a bargain..
Laters, Kate x
Elina Linardaki x
I didn’t go to Glastonbury this year..but if I had, I would’ve worn a pair of these beauties by Elina Linardaki. (Until it rained of course, and then they’d transform into a pair of hunter wellies, because that’s just how magical they are).
I could do with a pair today..last week it was tights and scarves..this week temperatures are set to hit 36 degrees. London in this kind of heat is not good, we seem to specialise in the really heavy, oppressive variety that saps the very life from your bones where 36 on the thermometer feels more like 46. It’s partly because we’re just not equipped to cope..lots of glass, no shutters, no air con, no swimming pools, just a sprinkler in the garden. We have Prize Day at the kids school today and thank God it’s no blazers, but no doubt we will all gently boil.
I’ll be sitting their, quietly sweating away…dreaming of leather gladiators and a beach….
Laters, Kate x
A Green Summer x
Is there a place for fast, wallet-friendly fashion?
Can you really have your cake and eat it?
Monki would certainly like to think so.
There’s nothing in this post that costs over £50.
But this is a Company with principles..their Care Label represents their ideals regarding organic cotton and their better cotton initiative which is to ensure the cotton they buy uses less chemicals, less water and gives the people involved in production more benefits. It also stands for their Code of Conduct, which all their suppliers must comply with, to ensure decent working standards and conditions for the employees of their suppliers. And finally it’s a promise to minimise the impact of fashion, both in production and regarding landfill, by re-using existing materials and re-cycling them into new cotton, polyester and wool.
With designs like these…..it’s cream teas all round..
Laters, kate x
Maison Bentley Style 
