Ice Skating in London

Ice Skating is one of the most magical winter pastimes, in my personal opinion. For me, ice-skating is an important part of my Christmas. Sadly the outdoor ice rinks in London are only open around Christmas time, so, they can only be a Christmas experience really. It is worth making the most of them whilst they are here.

My favourite ice rink is Somerset House presented by Tiffany and Co. This ice rink is especially magical after dark inside the courtyard of Somerset house. You can do anything from Club nights to children’s stories. This Rink is open from 22 November 2011 - 22 January 2012 to book tickets go to http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/ice-rink

Be warned that this is a very popular and busy ice rink. I would even suggest going early in the morning if you need plenty of space. I would also recommend booking early as the tickets sell out very quickly.

The National History Museum is also a personal favorite of mine. Though it is not quite a picturesque as Somerset House, it is still a wonderful experience. The National History museum doesn’t have as many specific events and sessions as Somerset House, but this should make it easier to for those who really just want to ice skate.  This ice rink is open from 4 November 2011 – 8 January 2012. To book tickets go to http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/ice-rink/tickets/index.html

When going to the Natural History Museum, do be prepared to wait in line and have your session very strictly timed. It does have a lovely café and I always have a lot of fun there. Again do book early.

If you wanted to have a longer winter/Christmas experience than just your allotted hour on the ice, the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is a fun day out. It is also good for people in your party who don’t fully appreciate ice skating and tend to make very good friends with the side of the rink when they go. Winter Wonderland is open from 18^th of November until the 3^rd of January. TO book tickets go to http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/tickets.

Be warned that Winter Wonderland does not have the same picturesque elegant feel that the other two rinks have, however it is a full on Christmas experience and probably better for parties with Children.

As it is Christmas time, all the open air ice rinks in London are opening. I have written about my personal views on each if the ice rinks. Make sure you book some tickets to decide on your own favourite.

Arabic Weddings

Whilst I spent time in Dubai, I was lucky enough to learn a lot about Arabic wedding traditions.  Arabic weddings are very different from the English weddings I am used to. Here are a few examples of the differences:

1.     Marriages are often planned by the parents of two families having similar wealth and social standing. If the families of the couple getting married do not like each other, there is little chance of the couple being allowed to marry. Therefore, there is no option to dislike your in-laws.

2.     The marriage is officiated by the signing of a marriage contract stating what both parties should expect financially during their marriage.

3.     There are sometimes gifts of heavy gold jewellery given to the bride to wear on her wedding day. This is similar to a dowry.

4.     Even though couples are technically married after the contract is signed, there is still a wedding ceremony. However, this wedding ceremony is split into separate female and male parties, so, there is no chance of meeting anyone at your friends weddings.

I learnt these wedding traditions from various people I talked to in Dubai. These traditions may not be the same for every family, but they give an interesting flavour of a different wedding experience.

Things to learn from Women in Dubai

During this month I have had the privilege of staying in Dubai and staying with a ‘local’ (Arabic) family. The majority of the population, in the areas I have been living, are Indian or Arabic. I have found that both Arabic and Indian women have many good beauty and style habits we could learn from.

1. Jewelry: Indian women have certain jewelry they wear every day. They wear a special necklace to signify that they are married and other pieces that have sentimental value. I am a lover of having certain significant classic pieces I wear every day, for example I have a pair of rose pearl stud earrings I received from my 18th birthday which I wear every day. I find that it makes your every day jewelry very special and personal to you, but do have a good collection of special occasion jewelry also.

2. Scent: Arabic women keep themselves impeccably clean, due to their religion and the heat. They also all wear a very strong and often very personal perfume. It is a pleasure to be around these women and experience the scent they have chosen to represent themselves. I don’t like wearing too much perfume, but I think I have learn to stick to one perfume for a fair period of time so people think of me when they smell it. At the moment I like to wear ‘Coco Mademoiselle’ by Chanel.

3. Make up: Both Arabic and Indian women are rarely seen outside without a full layer of makeup. Arabic women wear a lot of make up (I am assuming) because it is usually the only part of them that can be seen. Indian women wear make up to beautify themselves, but also to show their status eg. Married or un-married. Even though, with my English upbringing, I don’t like to wear a lot of make up, I appreciate that these women always make the effort to look their best. This is a practice I will attempt to follow.

Thank you Women in Dubai for these exceptional examples of every day style.

Wardrobe Essentials

As I promised that I would add to my list of Autumn styles, I thought I would share with you my favourite classic wardrobe essential for Autumn and Winter, the cashmere jumper. Whatever style of cashmere jumper you prefer to wear, it is a perfect wardrobe staple that will make any outfit look smart and elegant and it will keep you nice and toasty at the same time.

Personally I like simple v-neck cashmere jumpers with dark-wash straight jeans a good belt and some simple pearl jewellery. I have a wardrobe full of them in every colour.

Here are some of the best shops to find good cashmere jumpers this winter:

1.     Cheaper option: Uniqlo and Zara do some lovely simple cashmere jumpers. They are not very expensive and I have some from Uniqlo that I have used constantly for the last four years. Both shops are well worth going into to stock up on a few colour options.

2.     My favourite: Pringle of Scotland have beautiful cashmere jumpers they are my favourite they feel beautiful and I tend to have to treat myself to one each year.

3.     Expensive option: If you want really fine cashmere with a bit of a edge to it and you don’t mind spending a fair amount Louis Vuitton and Fendi tend to have one or two beautiful cashmere pieces in their Autumn/Winter collections.

Whatever you do make sure your jumpers and hand washed. I have lost a few precious pieces because I left them in the laundry basket foolishly assuming everyone would know to hand wash them.

Mai Pearls Charity work

Along with this blog I also update a blog for Mai Pearls. This post has nothing to do with me personally, but I thought it was uplifting so I am going to share it with you anyway.

As you may already know, Mai Pearls gives 10% of its profits to Operation Blessing’s Chinese orphan care program.

We were recently blessed with some letters from the children this money helps. I thought I would share some excerpts of them with you.

Dear Uncles and Aunties:

"I really appreciate your kindly help to me. I am studying in Lizi Center Elementary School. My parents worked very hard to pay my tuition. Now their burden is lighter because of your help. I want to see you and say thank you in person."

"You have been helping me since grade 2. There was one time my parents do not have enough money and they decided to ask me stop studying. I was very sad. However now I can go to school every day happily. And my parents do not need to be so tired. Thank you. I will study hard and get a good degree."

"Since I cannot return your affection today with anything else except, I can only say thank you with all my mind and all my heart, and I want do some good things for others, just like you do for me. I want to show my appreciation again, thank you very much!"

"Thank you so much dear aunts and uncles. I won’t disappoint you. I will work hard and let the world be more beautiful in the future."

"Now I am in grade three, I got 90 points last semester and I am happy with that. Thank you so much for your help and love. I am 14 and going to be in grade 4. I will not fail you. I can feel your warm and love which give me strength to live. Happy everyday!"

Thank you all for your help in supporting these children.

 

Anna and Paul's wedding

I had a lovely day yesterday meeting up with all my friends again at a wedding. For someone who is usually fairly punctual, I have a bad habit of arriving late to weddings. This time my friend and I left an hour and a half of extra time to ensure we were not late and we still ran into the wedding five minutes before the bride after having quickly change in a feild.  Apart from the initial stress, the wedding was beautiful. I picked up some good ideas that you can draw ideas from (or just copy) if you are planning a wedding.

1.     The table decorations were beautiful and simple. Pretty lanterns with a thick white candle in each. These looked beautiful on the table and were lit after dinner to provide a (safe) candlelit dance floor for the evening.

2.     A good idea is to have a ceilidh as part of the evening entertainment or for all of it. It is great fun and every one can get involved as you are told exactly what you are supposed to be doing on the dance floor. This is a relief for those joining in and also those who have to watch.

3.     If you have a group of over excited friends, like us, put them as far away from the head table as possible. They will be quite content entertaining themselves and they won’t spoil your wedding day with their questionable fun.

4.     Let your friends know what colour the bridesmaids dresses are to avoid confusion when your friends all randomly decide to turn up in the same colour dresses as the bridesmaids and then proceed to try and take over the bridesmaids duties.

Thanks for an amazing day guys

Autumn Styles

I landed back in London yesterday to find it was chilly and pouring with rain. Instead of it making me miserable as that weather usually does, It in fact made me quite excited about the prospect of Autumn. Since July, you’ll have to admit that the summer in England was a bit of a let down. However, as we tend to have Autumn weather all year round in England, I like to get excited about Autumn. I can pretty much guarantee it will meet my expectations. Most importantly, with Autumn comes the Autumn/Winter fashions!

I wanted to list some of the best trends I have seen for Autumn/Winter 11 so far:

1. Pearls are actually a massive Autumn/Winter trend this year, with Donna Karen actually naming her collection “Pearls of Wisdom.”

(http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2011RTW-DKARAN)  Make sure you finish off your outfits with some pearls this season.

2. Camel Coats are in again this season. Which is great news if you bought one last winter, but even better news for people like me who didn’t get round to buying one last winter. The first places I am going to look are Max Mara and Burberry for a classic investment coat. If I find I can’t spend that much Zara often has nice camel coats and Spitalfields market in London has some brilliant coat designers that (if you make friend with them) may make you a coat in the exact fabric that you desire.

3. Fetish leather is also in this season. Personally I have never seen anyone who has managed to pull off head to toe leather (maybe I haven’t been to the right places). It is worth thinking about purchasing (or finding in the back of your wardrobe) a good leather statement piece. You can look at Vogue for some inspiration http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/trends/2011-12-autumn-winter/fetish/gallery.

Saying all this, I have yet to find myself a good leather jacket so I may have to start there.

Start working with those three. I’ll add to these throughout the season…

Have fun building/ planning your Autumn wardrobe. I know I will.

Sources: Vouge.co.uk, Style.com, Elle magazine, Tatler magazine and personal experience.