Category: summer
Laura Manara





Chic prints, butterfly soft fabric and purposeful design, Laura Manara is everything you want to throw in your suitcase. Dress up, dress down it’s a barbie on the beach or dinner at the Ritz..
Laters. Kate x
Baggage..
Love a boho bag me….and Essentiel Antwerp have a heart pounding range…and they’re having a great Sale..temptation hey..
Laters, Kate x
Talitha x
Bargain Hunting..
The wonderful Toast are having a brilliant sale..particularly their ‘Archive‘ section – true bargains..if it’s in your size, snap it up..I got my denim Chore coat at more then half price and I’m delighted with it..Not sure it was the wisest thing to take to Greece, but I couldn’t bear to leave it behind..and coming back to the UK could be cold, couldn’t it?
Laters, Kate x
Heading Off..
Barmy summer has hit leafy South West London, the skies are swallow tail blue, the grass on the common has been cut and is turning to hay…soon they’ll send in the big bale machines and turn our urban bit of green into a country field which always brings a smile. For the first time this week I’ve smelt the laburnum in the air, all sweet and sultry and the prediction is that today the temperature will reach thirty degrees..so probably a good time to leave and discover the sanctuary of a faraway beach…
It’s been strange not having the kids for a whole week. I thought that I would get loads done…but I haven’t. Part of that was I realised how much else I cram into a day..and part of it was refusing to do any extra. My brain went into shut down mode and just wanted to sleep. We did get out though..the above picture was taken on an evening bicycle ride home across Clapham Common after watching ‘The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared’ (to be recommended..laugh out loud hilarity) – it was a joy to feel that pink evening sun again – as a parent it’s the time you’re always doing the bedtime routine so you never get the chance to drink it in, but it’s such a special time of day. Which doesn’t mean I haven’t missed my two…we’ll be flying to Athens today, picking up a hire car then driving over the Peloponnese to Costas, where we’ll pick up a water taxi (a speed boat) (the most expensive form of transport known to man (other than a space rocket..and perhaps a Venetian Gondola..which depends if you’re doing price per person or price per mile..hmmmm)) and head across to the island of Spetses where they’ll be waiting for us on a star-lit beach…it’ll be a bit like James Bond…can’t wait…
Laters, Kate x
More Than Words..
If clothes were a vibe then Raquel Allegra would be the coolest place in town.
But then who else would start their fashion line upcycling tees from the Los Angeles County Jail?
Her clothes have an unmistakable air of off-duty model louche looks: They don’t have to be flattering just capture the mood..and they do that with effortless beauty.
They say when I’m comfortable in my clothes, I’m confident in my life.
(There’s also her love of tie-dye..I have two more batches in the dye bath as I type..)
Her work has an honesty and integrity: She’s prepared to get her hands dirty. She says: ‘At an early age my creative heart was broken around creative expression: It kind of shut me off to the possibility of dreams. It’s really sad..but I didn’t think there was anything other than retail for me in my life..I feel very lucky to have found design, particularly in the way that I did.’
The clothes echo who she is – very connected, very personal..you want to know her and be part of her world.
‘I don’t believe you have to be anything but what you are. Be kind to people, and do what you believe in. I don’t believe in competition. I don’t believe in being mean. I believe in helping other people. I certainly couldn’t be here without other people helping me. What it really comes down to is your heart. Follow the light bulb in your head that says this is where you belong. This is what makes you happy.’
Amen to that.
Laters, Kate x
Accessing All Areas..
It’s the last day of school for the kids today before the nostalgia of summer holidays, which has meant the last two weeks have been manic. Sometimes it’s hard to describe that state of continual motion when every minute of the day is converted into action. Even this afternoon: After the presentation of presents to their teachers and almost missing them with cards still to write and hair to do this morning , they’re only at school till 12. Then there’s a joint birthday party on the Common for Charlie, a picnic for Bella – all with their associative jobs – and there’s shopping still to do, the dog to pick up, supper to sort…because tomorrow the kids leave for Greece with their Grandparents – and I haven’t even started packing: If Charlie goes without a couple of stitches in his new swimming trunks his modesty will never survive the first wave. And Bella wants to take one of the tie-dye tops we made – but the arms need shortening..and it was a late mum’s night out last night…..and where are their passports – and are they up to date??
At least I’ve ordered some holiday towels for all of us…we join them in Greece in a week so they’ve still got time to arrive. We’ll then stay for a few days with my parents, before heading off to the island of Lefkas for what I thought was a Greek Glamping experience…i.e. A little wooden house with air-con for the husband….except there seems a little confusion over what exactly we’ve booked. Hey ho, time will tell..
Made the old fashioned way, these cotton towels are hand loomed in Turkey (Don’t tell the Greeks) and are meant to be compact, dry quickly, absorbent and just generally awesome and cool. It helps they’re supplied by a local Company, Sorbet based in SW London..
At least I might have got one thing right..even if my priorities are a bit questionable….!
Laters, Kate x
Duro Olowu x
London based Nigerian designer Duro Olowu has his own unique aesthetic.
Prints inform the story, but you don’t have to choose between smart and boho..
He has a mastery for mixing colour and pattern, but there’s still sub clause stacked against sub clause. He says: ‘I have always believed that a garment is irresistible not only because of the label but rather because of the love and attention in it’s composition.’
He makes it easy to keep your cool with a simple shot of bright energy.
And creates clothes that love the female form.
Oh how I’d love to see Kate Middleton in this one..
(photos by Luis Monteiro)
His clothes sing like a mezzo soprano over an African drum beat, gently crooning there’s nothing shallow about feeling good, confidence is the most attractive thing – just go out and have fun..
Laters, Kate x
I Dyed.. x
Like the lifespan of a butterfly, the summer term is flying to it’s end. For Bella’s class it’s quite a poignant time as her year get re-mixed into different classes for September so after three years together it’s a real time of change. As a little hurrah for the mums of her 2B class I held a Shibori tie-dye day..with all the essentials….
Joy of joys..the sun shone!
Is that a stick I see before me?
Our patriotic dye bath..previously used for mixing concrete for the patio. The union jacks come from cut up passport covers from the 99p shop – they were perfect for holding the material in place to create the square shaped tie-dye pattern.
The magic starts when you unwrap..it’s a bit like Christmas..you have no idea what they’re going to be like..
But the results were pretty spectacular!
Each one different and unique! My washing line has never looked so cool!
OMG – It actually looks like the tutorial photo!
This beauty was the result of ‘stick’..it’s like looking up at the sea whilst diving..
Now I have the kids home and dying everything in sight! But honestly, I can’t blame them..it’s addictive..for a wonderful day with friends, it’s surprisingly easy, wonderfully effective and thoroughly recommended!
Laters, kate x
Two Into One x
Two New York is a treasure trove of beautiful things.
Monica Patel-Cohn, the driving force behind the label, believes that the chic boho vibe stems from her combined Indian and Italian background.
All her clothes are made locally in New York using handmade textiles and saris from India: It’s about quality, it’s about details, it’s about the purity of things.
Pale and interesting with a modern sensibility.
You can indulge your personal sense of style, away from the grunge of Glasonbury with featherlight clothes readymade for the summer urban burn.
A blue to match the colour of your mind, sky and sea.. 
Sun-meets-fun-eats-chic..
Perfect for a cocktail and a pollution fix on a deck over hanging the main strip peppered with neon lights. and mellow laughs..
…Or on a far-away beach under the stars..
Laters, Kate x


























































