Apple Window Displays at Selfridges

London`s luxury hub – Selfridges – is not known for being shy or restrained. Since I remember, it has always been at the forefront of doing bold projects and hosting beautiful campaigns. No wonder that their latest unveiling is also super-stunning.

Earlier in August, the store launched larger-than-life flower installations in its 24 windows. The giant flowers form a dazzling backdrop for Apple watches that are display in front of them.

The window set-ups are inspired by eight different watch faces. They include gardenias, chrysanthemums, and passion fruit flower – my favourite, out of the bunch.

I hear it took 35,000 hours to make these beautiful blooms, and that excludes the installation.

Apple is the first brand that took over almost all of Selfridges` windows. And I think it fits well with the department store`s ethos of providing innovation as well as selling beautiful pieces that are equally practical as well as entertaining.

Fendi`s Pop-Up Palazzo at Harrods (London)

Last week, a new, colourful pop-up greeted me at Harrods.  It is being hosted by one of the most coveted Italian fashion houses - Fendi. Part of Harrods` ground floor has been turned into a replica of the brand`s headquarters – the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome. Posing with a giant Fendi bag, I am wearing a dress from Chloé and shoes from Vivienne Westwood.

Designed by two artists, Andrea Mancuso and Emilia Serra, this unique retail space brings to life the magnificent archways of the building, complemented by vivid blue sky, and chic, Italian accessories from Fendi.

Here, we can find rare designs, like this fabulous crocodile bag…..

…..but also discover familiar items, like fluffy bag charms…..

........and beautifully embellished masterpieces.

Visitors are invited to take part in a digital competition by putting their artistic flair to test and designing their own 3Baguette bag.

I had fun and used pink and green splashes of colour and – on the other side – light, fatherly strokes in white and orange. Judged by no other than Silvia Venturini Fendi, the winner will come away with a one-off 3Baguette – pictured below - especially created by Silvia Fendi for the Harrods Pop-Up. Cross fingers!

Some items can only be found at this pop-up in Harrods. So if you are after some unique 2Jours or embellished, By The Way pieces in exclusive colour combinations, head to Harrods before the end of this month, as the pop-up will close on 30 August.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selfridges Opens its Christmas Shop in the midst of Summer

Yesterday, Selfridges' flagship store on Oxford Street in London, unveiled their Christmas shop, the full 143 days before the big day. Is it too early? -  some have asked - Have our acceptance of eager consumerism pushed us too far this time?

Despite the summer weather and the fact the temperatures are set to rise even higher over the next few days, I went to the store in search of some Christmas spirit among festive trinkets and crackers. I am wearing a Versace dress and my sunglasses – `a-must-have` accessory on this sizzling summer`s day – are from Dolce & Gabbana.

There are plenty of baubles to choose from.

And the ornaments are beautifully made.

Festive-themed wrapping papers, crackers, personalised decorations, toys, Christmas trees, and a huge variety of celebratory mementoes were fighting for my attention.

The layout is well designed and easy to navigate.

It didn`t feel merry to me, simply because there was no Father Christmas in sight but I understand this is just a `start-up` Christmas shop, and a bigger space will be opened later in the year, so maybe Santa will bless us with his presence by then.

This is probably the very first Christmas store in the entire world, but I can see the point of opening it so early. Why do I support opening a Christmas emporium in the height of summer?

The holiday season is in full swing and we have a lot of foreign visitors in London, as well as many tourists who came from other parts of the country. So why not offer them the opportunity to purchase and bring home a lovely Christmas-themed souvenir?

When hanged on a tree in December, it will – hopefully - remind them of a fun-filled summer trip to London.

Best Foot Forward – Summer Awaits

Feet – they carry us through life, but far too often we find an excuse to neglect them, especially as it is easy to cover them in thick tights or socks for most of the year. With summer in full swing, it`s an ideal time to reveal a well-cared-for, beautiful feet.

Cracked heels and hard skin is the most common result of our year-long lack of attention and care. But it is easy to relieve the symptoms just by soaking feet in a hot bath and then applying a thick layer of cream, and massaging it for at least a few minutes at the end of the day. I`ve heard that some people sleep with socks on but it doesn`t make any sense to me. Why would I want my socks to be soaked in moisturiser, when I want my feet to absorb it?

I want my feet to look good in high-fashion heels like these Vivienne Westwood beauties.  

 

My routine to ensure I have `dancing feet` that I am not ashamed of include regular visits to Margaret Dabbs Foot Clinic and Spa for medical pedicures. During a 45-minute session, a qualified podiatrist transforms my soles by removing dry skin, exfoliating my feet, shaping and buffing toenails and re-hydrating.

 

Some of Margaret Dabbs` treatments can be carried out at home. I really like her foot file for removing hard skin – it has to be used on a dry foot – but produces amazing results! The other star- treatment is Margaret Dabbs Hydrating Foot lotion.  It contains a special ingredient - Emu Oil to ensure feet are left nourished and soft to the touch.  

 

Let celebrate our feet this summer!

The other day I found in Hay Hill Gallery in London a beautiful acrylic on canvas called `Night` by Adriana Saavedra – a young artist who splits her time between her native Barcelona and California. The bold burst of colours against black background makes the image feel modern and brings Pop-Art to mind. I adore this paining - what a brilliant celebration of dancing feet!