Séraphine Open New West End Boutique

Last week I attended the opening of Seraphine's new store on Marylebone High Street. For those who might not know, Seraphine is a leading maternity fashion brand, but trust me, you do not have to be pregnant to fall in love with their gorgeous pieces that are both trendy and functional. After all, they've been worn by Duchess of Cambridge, Angelina Jolie and Claudia Schiffer to name a few.

The great thing about Seraphine's clothing range, is that it is extremely versatile. Everything is designed to suit women in different stages of pregnancy, as well as new mothers. 

This super-soft shawl is on my shopping list. You can wear it if you are pregnant, it works brilliantly as a breast-feeding wrap (thanks to those little poppers on the side) and it is great for when you are on the go doing your school/nursery run (that would be me). It costs £42 and in my opinion it is money well-spent considering its functionality. 

Here is another item on my list (despite the fact that I already own a winter coat...)

Think Max Mara signature wrap coat but with a smaller price tag. This is such a cosy piece. Made out of lavish wool blend and cashmere, it both looks and feels amazing. 

There are some fantastic coats in their collection designed to keep you and your bumps warm and fabulous this winter. There are even coats that are made specifically to fit your baby-carries in when it gets chilly. 

What is more, Seraphine has created a stunning yet affordable LUXE range of red-carpet-ready eveningwear. I remember spending a lot of time trying to find a perfect dress for a special occasion when I was pregnant. Seraphine has some head-turning creations that will look incredible on all mothers-to-be. Cecile, the founder of the brand, said that she has ordered one to be made in her size (she is not pregnant) and I definitely want one too. 

Seraphine don't only specialise in clothing and accessories. During her second pregnacy Cecile came up with an idea of ShoeTherapy. Together with acclaimed French orthopedist, Cecile has co-created a range of stylish yet comfortable shoes which help to improve posture and combat back pain - important aspect for all mothers-to-be as well as new mamas. Think hospital footwear but pretty. 

Seraphine is most definitely the place to go if you are looking for chic Parisian-inspired pieces that are luxurious yet accessible. 

Cecile and I 

Cecile talking us through Seraphine's future collections (you can just see the passion!). 

Fenwick of Bond Street Beauty Week - Face Stockholm

It was great to 'bump' into my new favourite cosmetics brand Face Stockholm again during Fenwick Beauty Week last month. Ever since I've been introduced to them this summer (post here) when they first launched in the UK, I started using their products and I haven't been dissapointed. As I mentioned before, simplicity and quality won me over. 

So here are my two 'front-runners':

Icelandic Solution. This mosturising gel, which contains minimal ingredients, is simply genius. Extremely light, it tightens and calms your skin. At £140 it's obviously not cheap, but you only need a small amount and it can be used under your eyes, on your lips and as a base under foundation. Basically, it is lots of different products in one bottle. It is the most expencive moisturiser I have ever owned as I am rather sceptical of overly expencive creams and I do believe that price is not always an indicator of quality, but this one appears to be working and I just cannot believe how light it is.

The other new favourite product is BB Natural Beauty Balm. Similary to the moisturiser, it is very light. It can be used on its own for a natural looking coverage or as a primer under your foundation. I am not a fan of heavy foundations, so this balm is ideal. It comes in a handy compact box with a mirror, so it's perfect for when you are out and about. Moreover, it contains Vitamin E and it SPF 30. 

Fenwick of Bond Street Beauty Week - Eve Snow

A few weeks ago I attended a beauty event at one of my favourite department stores - Fenwick of Bond Street. Fenwick works with some exclusive brands so it is always exciting to see what's on offer. 

Eve Snow is my new discovery. It's a British nail lacquer company. I was attracted to their simple yet high quality product which is produced here in England and is free from several toxins. Plus it has '3 added' nourishing ingridients, meaning your nails will be protected. In the past few years (not sure wheather motherhood had anything to do with it...it does crazy things you sometimes), I've become conscious about what goes into the products I use. Not to an unhealthy extent, but I do care. As fewer toxins as possible is an advantage in my book. 

I've been wearing Eve Snow varnish in a very elegant Birthday Suit shade for a few weeks now and can honestly say that there is no compromise on the quality. My nails can sometimes go through a 'war' with all the 'pram-folding', washing-up and everything else that comes with being a mother to a toddler, so this nail varnish has been thoroughly tested!

I said it before that I do not buy tons of cosmetics. For me simplicity and quality is key, therefore I am always pleased to discover some new products that are just that little bit different from the rest. 

 

Shopping: ankle boots

Autumn is here and I need a new pair of shoes. Some people might slightly disagree when inspecting my shoe collection (hubby...), but I honestly need something that is not overly wintery (boots), yet can be worn with socks (my feet get too cold in flats now!). Therefore, I need ankle boots.

Ever since falling in love with these beauties (below) back in spring, I now need a darker pair that could be worn when out with a toddler (do they have food-stain resistant ones?), be comfortable when driving and look good when I am going to my various work meetings.



Acne

So here are my top three:

1.  It's got to be Acne again. These are just perfect.


Chesnut Pistol Ankle Boot. £350 from my-wardrobe.com

2. Gorgeous colour (not to mention great discount) - Cynthia Vincent.


12th Street by Cynthia Vincent, were £310 now £154.99, available at The Outnet

3. Simple yet cool - Ash.


Ash Jalouse, £149, available from Ash Footwear

Motherhood - two years on

Next week Little Miss S will be two which means two whole years of motherhood for moi! Well, let me tell you that it feels like I've been a mother my whole life. My brain cannot possibly process the fact that there were times when I was child free. 

Was there ever a time when I was able to sleep till noon on weekends? Was there ever a time when evening out did not have to be pre-planned a month in advance? Was I ever able to walk around my house without stepping on a crayon and nearly breaking my neck? Was there ever a time when making a decision did not involve me being left feeling guilty no matter which choice I made? Was it ever possible to devote my full and undivided attention to an adult conversation without wondering what is my child up to at the moment? Was I ever allowed to be a little selfish and self-indulgent? Did I actually buy those Louboutins or was that just a dream... When did I start preferring Mothercare to Selfridges? What did I do with all that free time? How did I live without my little darling? 

Motherhood is the most amazing thing in the world, but it's also hard. Yes, hard. No one ever tells you that it will be hard. Yes, you hear about sleepless nights, but that's just one tiny little aspect of motherhood. It is hard because no one ever teaches you about it. It's not like you can get internship at Motherhood HQ, is it? So every single decision that you make about your child is purely based on your own instincs (or Google). And God forbid, if for some reason the decision you make works out to be the wrong one, or is criticised by someone else, then you are left with one ginormous feeling of guilt. Oh yes, guilt goes hand in hand with love in motherhood. You decide to go out for the evening - feeling guilty, you decide to go to work - feeling guilty, you leave your child in front of Peppa the Pig so you can get some things done - feeling guilty, you decide not to take your child to a playgroup because it is pissing down with rain and you just cannot be bothered - feeling extremely guilty. The list goes on and on and on. I've never put so much thought into making decisions like I do now, because I now have future and well being of my child in my hands, and trust me, this can be a very daunting thing. 

Add tantrums, colds and sore tummies into an equation and it sometimes surprises me how us parents still manage to survive without loosing the plot (wine helps!). We brush off biscuit crumbs from our tops or houmous from our shoes (goodbye my gorgeous DKNY flats...), put on straight faces (or even a smile) and just soldier on. Being a parent one certainly has to learn to remain calm (no swearing in front of a child...I am still mastering that) and we do, but trust me, there underneath all that calmness, ocassionaly (often) there is a parent who is just about to explode! The main thing remains though, no matter what, motherhood (or parenthood) is the most incredible thing in the world. I cannot remeber the days when I loved and laughed so much. Or felt so proud! 

Cheers to a lifetime of motherhood! 

 

Best Sunday buys for £100 and under



 Here is my selection to get you inspired for next week!

Gianvito Rossi shoes, were £390 now 100 from Browns Fashion




Lanvin iPad case, was £85 now £50 from Browns Fashion

Être Cécile T-shirt, £80 from Matches




VB skinny jeans, were £185 now £92.50 from The Outnet
 



Sheriff and Cherry sunglasses, £95 from Matches



Rag & Bone belt, was £145 now £72.49 from The Outnet

 

Perfect trench

Apart from ability to wear my Hunters on the streets of London without looking stupid and drinking red wine by the fire, autumn is also great for digging out your trench coat! It's such a phenomenal invention. I find trench coats very practical, cool and sexy. I wear mine with jeans when I am out and about with Little Miss S or over a dress on a night out. 

This one is my favourite. It's from Massimo Dutti. I like rolling up the sleeves a little (weather permitting). I am a fan of 3/4 sleeves. Tend to do that with my shirts and jumpers. 

Motherhood in Trench

Now then, if I was to buy another trench (erm, yet again I cannot justify another one...but a girl can dream, right?), this is my wish list:

Slightly (a lot) more pricier version. Carven from Matches. £630 

Or this one from Mango. £99.99 

It is Friday so I am connecting to Mummy's got Style for Fashion Friday.

Happy Friday! 

Autumn and wellies

Tan is rapidly fading, heating is on and socks are back on. Yes, summer is well and truly over. Last weekend instead of wearing my Havaianas, I wore my Hunters. They've been hidden away somewhere in the depths of the wardrobe for a long time and I was actually excited to be reunited with them. I love wellies and if I could justify it (I can't...), I would certainly purchase some more pairs (does anyone actually own more than one pair of wellies?).

I am also wearing Trilogy jeans. They do perfect skinny jeans (yes, I know all my jeans look the same, but when I find something that fits me, I stick to it).

Little Miss S was also treated to a pair of new wellies (if I cannot buy myself another pair, at least I've got my daughter). Hers are from Cath Kids.

And if you did manage to find an excuse for another pair of wellies, here are some of my favourite:

 

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FENWICK OF BOND STREET CELEBRATES LONDON FASHION WEEK

Fenwick of Bond Street will celebrate London Fashion Week in style -championing the best of British design talent while hosting style focused events.

To celebrate, the department store has given five of Britain’s most exceptional designers one Bond Street window each entirely devoted to display their latest collections. 

Set to become London’s most fashionable window display, the Bond Street windows will be dedicated to fashion favouritesPreen, Zoë Jordan, Clements Ribeiro and Richard Nicoll as well as the nation’s hot new homegrown accessory designer Amelia Powers.  

Styled by the Telegraph newspaper fashion team, each window showcases an exclusive edit of each label’s autumn winter 2013 collection available to buy now from Fenwick. To support this project there will also be an exclusive online video interview with every designer on the store’s website (www.fenwick.co.uk). 

 

Amelia Powers’ window will debut her classic and coveted bag ‘The Bond’ in a new limited edition green hue exclusively created for Fenwick.

 

Preen will also launch an exclusive pop-up shop on Fenwick of Bond Street’s second floor for LFW.

Fashion fans will be spoilt by this shop-in-shop comprising the largest edit of Preen’s autumn winter collection available to buy under one roof.

The autumn winter collection is characterised by Preen’s punk influences with pretty touches in a discerning palette of white, black and red brought to life with flashes of daring scarlet. 

To  reflect this collection the pop-up shop will be distinguished by a huge red stripe installation.

Not only will the Bond Street windows be celebrating British designers, the store’s Brook Street windows will also applaud the best of British bags.

 

From its stable of British accessory talent, the store has selected designers who will each have a window devoted to their latest must-have bags comprising Mulberry, Paul Smith and Bottletop.  

Ethical accessories specialist Bottletop’s window will feature its latest product made from upcycled material as well as exclusive campaign imagery and video content.

To further support its charitable work Bottletop will have an exclusive installation of its ethically produced bags on October 7th to run for three weeks in one of the Brook Street windows.

David Walker-Smith, Managing Director of Fenwick Bond Street says: “What better time to update your wardrobe than during LFW. Our multi-brand edit showcases this season’s most tempting trends.

“Fashion forward and impossible to resist, these trends include masculine tailoring, flashes of hot pink and blue, prints and the must-have winter essential - the cocoon coat.” 

During LFW American designer Eileen Fisher will also be making an in-store personal appearance. Fisher will present an exclusive autumn 2013 fashion show.

Select customers will have the chance to enjoy an exclusive afternoon tea with the designer on 12th September from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

 

Simple look for day and night

Today I am connecting to Mummy's got Style for Fashion Friday. After yesterday's exceptionally hot day in London, which Little Miss S and I spent in the park, today is much more cooler. I have a couple of meetings in preparation for London Fashion Week and later Hubby and I have a 'date night' (or just dinner together). In between that, Little Miss S and I are attending a playgroup! I won't have much time to change, so here is what I will be wearing.
 

 

Trousers: Massimo Dutti

Top: Burberry

Jacket: Aquascutum

Bag: Mulberry

Flats: DKNY

 

 

 

I love my DKNY flats. They are extremely comfortable and I can run around in them the whole day. I would suggest to try and go for leather or suede flats rather than cheaper synthetics, as your feet won't sweat so much!

 

For the evening, I will change my flats for these super high Geox wedges (here I am also wearing 7 for All Mankind jeans). Having a little one, I tend to spend a lot of time in flats (many years ago I used to wear heels to supermarket...insane), so I use any opportunity to 'trotter around' in high heels.

Here is my suggestion from Style in View, if you need a simple outfit that will look good during the day and night out.

Happy Weekend.
 

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