Pass The Pimm’s Please: Chestertons Polo In The Park

June 10, 2016June 21, 2016Leave a comment

If you thought summer activities were limited to wasp-infested picnics, rained-off bike rides, going to the races or being invited to another distant relative’s wedding, then you’ve obviously never heard of polo…

Situated not far from Parson’s Green and King’s Road is Hurlingham Park, Fulham, home of Chestertons Polo – the best introduction to the crazy, furious sport you could hope for!

Spread across three days this summer (at the beginning of June), Polo in the Park slots nicely into the summer social calendar and provides ample opportunity for you to dress up, stand in a field, eat burgers and get slightly tipsy whilst watching everyone else do some hard work. I can’t think of many more summer activities I like better…

This year, Chesterons Polo in the Park had a new attraction – the Great Polo Food Festival, which was held in the Grazing Paddock, from Gorilla Events. The festival brought together some of the finest London restaurants and street food vans, including some of my personal favourites: Hix, Maze, the Meringue Girls, and Bubble Dogs.

The food area was absolutely heaving, but there were plenty of places to sit (although, pro-tip, remember to bring a picnic blanket just in case. And water (preferably a few bottles already frozen!). And sunscreen!). There was so much to choose from but eventually I plumped on this gorgeous lobster roll from Hix – although this buffalo chicken burger from Maze was sooo tempting…

The event felt very much like a mini Taste of London festival, which was fab! I also picked up some Meringue Girls treats for after dinner back at home – their dessert bar was incredible and included brownies and pavlovas – all picture-perfect and 100% Instagram-friendly!

Their stand was one of the prettiest there, and I had to snap a few pics of their cool Smeg mixer, which the chap behind the stand was pretty chuffed with and eager to tell me all about how much better it was than certain other brands…

I’ve followed the Meringue Girls on Instagram for ages so I was so happy to see them at the event – and felt the same way about seeing Rachel Black, the amazing milliner, there too! I have followed her for ages on Twitter, stalking her gorgeous floating feather headpiece for what seems like years… She even had one available for an amazing discount but I just didn’t have the funds. (So sad…) However, I swear one day I too shall wear a floating feather on my head!

But as you can see, the floating feather piece is far from her most beautiful item – there are some truly incredible creations here. Check out her site!

There were quite a few other fashion retailers, selling everything from jewellery (Stella & Dot, above, are another fav!) to fur coats and panama hats! Luxury skincare brand Elemis even had a treatment bus parked up for the odd impromptu facial or massage…

Of course, just like all the rest of the punters, I didn’t come here just to eat and shop. No. I came to get an alcoholic beverage of my choice at a pop-up bar! And luckily, there were plenty of choices there, from the traditional Pimm’s…

…to the rather more interesting Fentiman’s, which was selling its own drinks as mixers for tequila, vodka and gin. I went off-piste slightly with my order…

Instead of a boring old G&T I had Boodles Mulberry Gin with Fentiman’s Rose Lemonade – and it was utterly delicious! Fruity, floral and deliciously pink! I’d already tried the rose lemonade at a restaurant on its own, so knew that it would work gloriously!

There was also a tropical themed bar – the Mahiki Coconut Bar – which sold drinks in pineapples and coconuts.If you were feeling flush you even shell out for a treasure chest for £150, which served eight people and was a mix of Kraken Black Spiced Rum, plus more rum, brandy and peach liqueur, shaken with lime and sugar and topped with a bottle of Lanson Black Label Champagne – served, of course, in a treasure chest!

But of course, I’m only kidding about the refreshments – the real focus of the day was the polo, and what a thrilling day it was! I’d never seen a polo match before and Chestertons was the perfect place to learn, because it’s geared up for everyone from families to fashionistas, to polo-fiends, to polo-newbies. There were even helpful leaflets explaining the action, including the lengths of the chukkas and what to do with a divot…

That’s right – if there’s one thing I knew for sure about polo (apart from I was sure it was the horse kind and not the water kind), it’s that you have to go and stamp down the divots ripped up in the lawn by the action of the hooves and the mallets.

This is why I recommend 100% wedges (or flats) for a polo watching session, because if you come in heels you’ll end creating divots of your own. I wore my trusty Stuart Weitzman for Russell & Bromley Coco wedges in navy blue suede for just this occasion… (Teamed with my Mulberry Lily Gem in blue suede and my Hobbs Bianca sun hat! Oh, and some more familiar accessories, my Brora Gold Charm earrings.)

(But, don’t forget a trusty tote to carry all those polo essentials, too, like your water, picnic blanket, spare flats, etc…)

I would massively recommend Chestertons Polo in the Park to anyone who wanted a fun activity for summer – whether it’s a family day out (the day I went, Sunday, was perfect for kids as they had special activities and amazing games for children in the morning), to be seen out and about wearing your finest, to grab some amazing food, or to get out to a summer sport that isn’t horse racing… again!

Check out Polo in the Park here, and keep your eyes peeled for info about next year’s event!

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Breton Stripes: A Forever Classic

April 20, 2015April 29, 20151 Comment

If you describe your style as classic or preppy, you should have at least one Breton style top in your wardrobe! The Breton top is a classic and has been popular with the fashion set for nearly a century, after Coco Chanel introduced the top to her fashion collection in 1917.

The original, classic Breton top was worn by sailors in the French navy, was introduced in 1858, and was supposed to feature 21 stripes for Napoleon’s 21 victories. The lore surrounding the Breton top also states that the stripes were selected so that a sailor would stand out in the sea if he fell overboard! Breton tops are most classically defined as navy and white, although red and white is fairly usual alternative. These tops have been worn by Audrey Hepburn, Kate Middleton, Marilyn Monroe, Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot, and Alexa Chung, to name but a few. Taking stock of my wardrobe recently, I realised that Breton stripes had become something of an obsession, so I decided to do a post featuring a few of my current favourites!

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Replikating at Hobbs, Gunwharf Quays

April 5, 2014July 28, 2015Leave a comment

Gunwharf Quays is my local shopping outlet, and whilst it doesn’t have as many luxury brands as Bicester, it’s still an amazing place to shop.

If you’re after some Kate Middleton style, it’s also a great place to pick up replikates!

Many of Kate’s favourite shops and brands are here, including L.K. Bennett, Barbour, Hobbs, Jaeger, Ted Baker, Links and Ralph Lauren

I popped in to Gunwharf for a quick pit stop this weekend, and here are some of my finds!

This awesome Ted Baker jacket in silver was a special sample priced at £80. Unfortunately it was a bit creased and didn’t photograph well, but it had a beautiful shape to the back.

Ted Baker is an excellent place to get really gorgeous party dresses or frocks for the races.

Another great outlet is L.K. Bennett. I’ve purchased many a great item in here, including a teal Jude jacket (£60) and a pair of black suede Harper pumps (£115). Highlights today included a black Davina dress (Kate has worn one in teal under her Jetta jacket – like the Jude) for £150, and Sledges in beige, gold and black glitter for £115.

I spent most of my time in Hobbs though – I love the brand and the physical stores, but let’s just say their online service leaves a lot to be desired… But let’s stick with the positive for this post!

There were a few items in here from the current mid season sale, including plenty of items in the same Dalmatian print that Kate wore in Southampton (hers was a collarless coat). The Niamh top was there in blue and white for £28.

There were also trousers, a scarf, and a cardigan (£50).

As the Dalmatian mac that Kate wore is long since sold out, these are great replikating options which use the same print! There are even shoes – the Lexi open toe court for £49 and the Bea ballerina, £35.

My favourite replikate from Hobbs is the Myra wedge, in navy suede (£49).

They also had the mushroom version, which was incredibly tempting!

Hobbs Outlet stores can be found at Bicester, Braintree, Canterbury, Cardiff, Cheshire Oaks, Kildare, Portsmouth, Swindon, Walton-On-Thames and York. Track them down at http://www.hobbs.co.uk.

Russell & Bromley / Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon / Coco wedges versus Hobbs Myra wedges

January 22, 2014February 20, 201418 Comments

You might have noticed my slight obsession with the Duchess of Cambridge – she’s one of my favourite style icons, and I’ve always had a soft spot for the royal family. So I’m very happy to scoop up any Kate purchases I come across when they’re brought to my attention by the lovely community over at What Kate Wore’s Facebook site!

One of my favourite ever shoes that Kate’s worn are the Corkswoon wedges – designed by the American label Stuart Weitzman, they were sold in Russell & Bromley stores here in the UK for a short period. Unable to get my hands on a pair, I plumped for the copykate Myra wedges from Hobbs, which retailed at £125. Thanks to a variety of reasons, I was only ever able to wear these out once, when I went to a Greek restaurant last year.

Needless to say, I loved them, but being a perfectionist, I couldn’t help but jump to it when I saw that Russell & Bromley had made the wedges available again to buy! At the price of £255, though, they’re over twice the price of the Hobbs Myra wedge, so in the interests of retail science, I decided to do a side by side comparison! But first, here is the epic story of how I got my wedges…

The Corkswoon wedges – as they are called in the US – have been renamed to ‘SW COCO’, and I found out from R&B’s Twitter account that they were available again for the new season. (Also available in a pretty silver shimmer colour too!) Unfortunately, by the time I got myself organised (three hours…) my size (7/40) had sold out. I decided to take a chance and ordered the 6.5 but they were too small. So, I signed myself up to receive updates when my size is made available again. Every morning at 9am I’d get an email to say my shoes were in stock, but after checking, they were sold out again, leading me to believe that there was massive demand that R&B was keeping up with by getting in new shipments everyday. It turns out I was hilariously wrong, as I eventually emailed them to ask them if they could put a pair aside for me as an exchange. What had been happening was that the email system was telling everyone who was on the list when a new size came in, even if that wasn’t the size they were after. In fact, there were no new shipments and they weren’t expecting any more through(!) BUT, they checked their inventory and found a pair in Mayfair for me. I rang the store right away, and they were able to post the shoes out to me. And so, they arrived today. And thus ends the tale!

Now for the comparisons! Hobbs Myra is on the left, and Corkswoon/Coco is on the right:

As far as I can tell, these are the main differences: the colour of the navy on the Coco is deeper and more even. The nap seems to be shorter, which gives it a tidier appearance. The cork differs slightly – the Myra has a more spotted finish, while the Coco has a series of lines… (I tried to look up to see if these have a special name but I couldn’t see anywhere that they do!) When it comes to fit, the Coco actually fits me much better than the Myra wedge. The back seems to be higher, although the Myra wedge has a nifty piece of cord at the back which helps to maintain grip. Finally, the most obvious difference is the cute gold SW button at the back of the Coco wedge!

If you’d like to see all the pictures in high res, you can visit my Flickr set here. You can also see another comparison between the Myra wedge and the Next wedges that they did last season which were a good match for the Coco wedges here.

As I don’t need both pairs, I’m going to be selling my Myra wedges – they’re size 7/40 and if you’re interested just email me using the contact tab above! As they fit me better than the Myra wedges, I decided to keep the Coco, but I honestly think that the Myra wedge is a fantastic replikate, especially considering the enormous price of the originals. The Cocos are nicer, but twice as nice…? I’m not certain!

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: London Sole Leopard Love Heart Flats and Hobbs Lanesley Bag

November 8, 20133 Comments

Here’s the first reveal of shoes from the epic French Sole factory shop visit I had last week! As you may remember, I came back with a massive haul, so I’m pretty booked up with my plans for these posts for a month and a half! I also hinted that they were very festive in their design, but I have to say, these are probably the least festive of the batch, which is why I decided to wear them first…

I almost didn’t buy these ones, but I couldn’t leave the shop without them in the end! These are from French/London Sole’s spring/summer 2012 collection, specifically, their Valentine’s range. I remember seeing them at the time and thinking they were really pretty. The material is patent olive green leather – which is another reason I busted them out this week – it’s been raining almost every day!

One of my favourite pairs of French Sole shoes are my classic leopard ponyhair flats with red trim, so I had to get another leopard print pair – I would have loved to have had FS on the heart (or even my own initials!) but LS is good enough for me, especially when they were just £25! I paired the shoes with my trusty black Lanesley bag from Hobbs, which is a versatile satchel style bag with a Mulberry-esque postman’s lock, top handle, and cross body strap. It’s my nod to the now sold-out Polly Push Lock Mulberry satchel – which of course, I would love to own, but alas are now rare as hen’s teeth and considerably more expensive!

Ah, monograms! I’d love to have a pair of personalised, monogrammed smoking slippers from French Sole! I’m thinking MS G would look pretty cool! What do you think of monogrammed shoes, or items with logos on them? Dig them, or find them too flashy?

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Hobbs Antonia satchel and Accessorize Camden ballerinas

September 23, 2013December 6, 2013Leave a comment

Work has been insane recently so I’ve not had very much time to update the blog in the past week, but I did take a picture for Bag ‘n’ Shoes – I just neglected to upload it, cos I’m like that. My idea was to update these on a Wedneday, to celebrate hump day, so if I stay on track there should be another post like this the day after tomorrow… And, happily enough, my next Bag ‘n’ Shoes day after that falls on my birthday! And I happen to know I shall be receiving a rather splendid new bag then, because I bought it!

Anyway, shall I shut up and get on with it?

I was definitely feeling the love for autumn last week – there’s nothing quite like the crisp air and the sunshine through the red and brown leaves. It’s probably my favourite season! So as soon as it gets slightly chilly I’m in my wardrobe, cackling with glee, airing out my jumpers and scarves and getting ready for the cold. It’s not *quite* cold yet – in fact, today, it’s bordering on warm – but I’m going to get excited anyway. I wore my new-to-me red and green tartan scarf from Abercrombie and Fitch, which you can just see in the picture. A bargain on eBay and such a great colour! And, you can also see my big sloppy jumper from hush in there too. But that’s not the main attraction!

My lovely brown leather Antonia bag from Hobbs is surely the star of the show! I got her with my voucher I won from Ascot the year before last, and these Camden flats from Accessorize were bought on a recent trip to London when my feet just gave in in my heels – they were on sale, and I love the colour and the studs. (You can buy shoes from Accessorize here: I love their range!) So far my combos have been very matchy matchy, but unfortunately I think that’s going to be a theme for me! Maybe this little feature will encourage me to be more daring with my combos.

Bicester Village: Chic Shopping at Bargain Prices

September 6, 2013September 6, 20134 Comments

One of fashion’s best kept secrets is Bicester Village – a shopper’s paradise located in Oxfordshire. Part of the Chic Outlet Shopping group, the Village is home to luxury brands like La Perla, Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Temperley London, Anya Hindmarch and more – along with high-end high street stores like L.K. Bennett, Hobbs, Ted Baker, Reiss, Links of London, and French Connection. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather spend the day shopping!

I recently went for a visit as Bicester Village is very conveniently located halfway between my house and my in-laws’ (near Birmingham), so a spot of retail therapy breaks up the trip nicely…

The Village itself is beautifully laid out – a long walkway lined with shops and restaurants, and it’ll take you a couple of hours at least – at a brisk, no-dawdling pace – to see everything. If you’re planning some serious shopping, you’ll probably want to take all day! There are some lovely places to eat – Busaba Eathai, Carluccio’s, Starbucks and Pret A Manger I can all vouch for, while I’m dying to try out Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts, and the Creperie Angelie and Amorino Ice Cream kiosks.

Strategy is the key for a successful shop at Bicester – make sure you set yourself a budget, although if you’re like me, you may well blow it on some serious bargains. There’s always something new here as the stock changes fairly regularly, and each company has a different policy about what makes its way to the outlet stores, and when.

Needless to say, everyone will be after something different from their visit. I always like to pop into Jimmy Choo (last seen with some wellies on offer for £50!), and to lust after the gorgeous wedding dresses in Temperley. Scarves and clutch bags are the order of the day in Alexander McQueen, and I just love to check out the huge range of beauty products at the Cosmetics Company Store (including Bobbi Brown!). No visit would be complete without checking out the bags at Mulberry or the scarves (and trench coats!) at Burberry, although with some of the high street stores you’ll certainly find items priced at most budgets.

If you’re a massive fan of the Duchess of Cambridge’s style – as I am (could you guess?) – you’ll be pretty pleased to find many of the brands she’s been pictured wearing all in one spot. If you’re ever visiting the UK, you really need to put this on your ‘must-do’ list – there are even luxury coach services from London, as well as regular trains from London and Birmingham. In fact, if you fancy, you could charter a chauffeur service too – check out the options on the site here. (Of course, it goes without saying that driving there is very simple – it’s just off the M40 and A34, and again, if you want to make your trip even more luxurious, Bicester has just the option for you – valet parking!).

One of my favourite shops to stop in at is L.K. Bennett, and during my trip I noticed the Natalie clutch and the Maddox wedge (heir to the Greta) on sale, and previously other acquaintances of mine have scooped up some coats the Duchess has worn in both Hobbs and Ted Baker. Sadly for me, I already owned the Natalie and the Maddox (yes, in both colours!), but there was plenty to tug at my purse strings on my visit.

I came away from my trip with a beautiful Fox Charm necklace from Mulberry (£90 reduced from £150), a red purse from Anya Hindmarch (£61 down from £175, I believe – can’t believe I forgot to check!) and a free – FREE – dotty umbrella from Jaeger, courtesy of my loyalty card voucher. I can definitely attest that that’s one scheme worth signing up for! I would have come away with a beautiful deer brown Lily bag from Mulberry (which was just over £400), but let’s just say I’ve been buying too many designer bags recently and people are starting to notice…! (By that, I mean my bank manager specifically.)

Sunglasses, eBay / Bondi Font Bracket Necklace, Maqaroon / Tangerine Michelle Top, hush / Grey Trousers, Next / Vectra5 Studded Slippers, TopShop / Lanesley Bag, Hobbs / Bloomingdale’s Charm, Bloomingdale’s / Dog Zodiac Bracelet, Mulberry / Lucky Charm Camera Bracelet, Maqaroon

Bicester Village has recently launched a new campaign for autumn called Touch of Chic, which I’ll post about later in the month – in the meantime, make sure you check out the site for Bicester Village at www.bicestervillage.com to find out more about the brands, offers and services available, including travel information and a list of shops!

If you’re visiting, get there early to get into the big name shops without queuing (these are easy to spot by the velvet ropes outside!). On my visit I arrived promptly at 9am on a Saturday in the school holidays and managed to get into all the shops I was aiming to without having to wait – but by the time I was leaving, just a couple of hours later, the queue were starting to form. Well, good things do come to those who wait, right?

Find Bicester Village at 50 Pringle Drive, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 6WD. You can also give them a ring at +44 (0)1869 366 266. And, check out the visitor information at the site by clicking here.

Hush Summer Sale: My Picks!

July 30, 2013July 30, 20131 Comment

The summer sale at Hush is winding down, but you can still head on over to their site to bag yourself some bargains!

Half Frame Angular Cat Eye Sunglasses, ASOS / Necklace, Accessorize / Chiffon Shirt, Hush / Jeans, Gap / Antonia Bag, Hobbs / Brown Patent Maddox Wedges, L.K. Bennett

One of my favourite items is this beautiful chiffon shirt in whale (slightly dodgy colour name…) – it’s cool, smart looking, but easy to wear, and great for the current muggy weather… And, it’s £30, reduced from £60.

These shoes were a huge bargain that I found at the L.K. Bennett outlet store – they actually didn’t have my size in stock, but the lovely SA there tracked down the final pair and had them posted to me. I always find L.K. Bennett’s customer service is amazing. (Hobbs could learn a lot. Just saying…)

Another pic from the sale is the tangerine Michelle top, which is currently just £15!

Kitten Eye Sunglasses, ASOS / Michelle Top, Hush / Skinny Grey Trousers, Next

It’s lovely and billowy – a great bright colour, and it’ll keep you sooo cool in the heat! Can’t you just imagine wearing this on your tropical beach getaway holiday? Or, if you’re like me, down the local seafront, fighting off seagulls?

Petworth House

July 8, 2013July 8, 2013Leave a comment

In April, we visited Petworth House as part of a special offer with the National Trust. It was a lovely place with some great artwork, but pretty expensive if you’re not getting a special offer. And, unfortunately, you’re not allowed to access the top part of the house during the weekends… Considering you still have to pay full price for this and it’s not mentioned anywhere, I found this to be pretty irritating in all honesty. But if you like art there’s still a lot to see during the weekends, including a spectacular gallery full of statues and paintings. I didn’t take photos inside because I was worried about being told off!

Sunglasses, Jeepers Peepers / Boyfriend jacket, Primark / T-shirt, Warehouse / Pave button pendant, Cristalina Jewellery / Lanesley bag, Hobbs / skirt, Louche / Maddox wedge, L.K. Bennett

This was my first outing for my Maddox wedges, and I was worried whether they’d rub or be uncomfortable – but I’m happy to say they were excellent! However, I wore them with sheer tights, which I am slowly learning is one of the most effective ways of preventing blisters on your feet… Pro-tip there! These shoes also give you a lot of height without losing stability – I went through a phase of hating wedges, but now I’m back in love with them again…

Do you blame me? LOVE these shoes!

Outfit for Greek night

July 1, 20135 Comments

I thought I’d share my outfit for last Saturday when we popped into The Fat Fig!

Navy texture peplum jacket, Next – Red Geo print sleeveless top, Next – Jeans, Gap – Navy Myra wedges, Hobbs – Charlie clutch in raw navy silk, Wilbur & Gussie

I really wanted an excuse to wear my wedges and use my clutch, so the outfit was just built around these two items…

Ever since I saw this clutch on Wilbur & Gussie’s site I’d been lusting after it, so when it went on sale I just had to snap it up. I love their range, there are some truly adorable bags there (for example, the awesome Ruby Brown envelope clutch and the Coco cream silk clutch – although I already have that style in black velvet so shouldn’t be greedy!). I also wore by CZs by the Yard bracelet from Heavenly Necklaces.

Definitely going to be looking for some more excuses to get the bag/clutch combo out again soon, even though the heels are sky high! I used to be scared of wearing heels but I can safely say I’ve overcome my phobia…

Food, Fashion and Fitness

Style, beauty, health and recipes

Tag: Hobbs

Breton Stripes: A Forever Classic

Replikating at Hobbs, Gunwharf Quays

Russell & Bromley / Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon / Coco wedges versus Hobbs Myra wedges

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: London Sole Leopard Love Heart Flats and Hobbs Lanesley Bag

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Hobbs Antonia satchel and Accessorize Camden ballerinas

Bicester Village: Chic Shopping at Bargain Prices

Hush Summer Sale: My Picks!

Petworth House

Outfit for Greek night

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