DRESS IT UP WITH LOTS OF PEARLS AND CHAINS . MORE IS MORE THIS SEASON. I HAVE IT ON WITH SHORTS BUT LOOKS GREAT WITH A PENCIL SKIRT FOR FORMAL OR WITH JEANS AND BALLET PUMPS AND A WHITE TEE. £750
ZADIG AND VOLTAIRE KHAKI JACKET WITH ELASTICATED WAIST. PRICE PER WEAR WILL BE LOW ON THIS AS YOU WILL WEAR IT EVERYDAY IF YOU CAN. KHAKI IS BIG RIGHT NOW AND MOVES RIGHT THROUGH INTO NEXT SEASON. THIS JACKET HAS BEEN IN THE COLLECTION ALL LAST SEASON BUT CONTINUES INTO A/W . IT IS ONE OF THEIR STAPLES. THEY ASSURE ME IT WONT BE ON SALE YET. £370
ALEXANDRE VAUTHIER DESIGNS AMAZING STRUCTURED JACKETS. THEY FIT LIKE A GLOVE. HARVEY NICHOLS HAS JUST STARTED STOCKING HIS COLLECTION. YIPEE ! THE DETAIL WITH THE GOLD EMBOSSED BUTTONS WHICH FOLLOW UP THE SLEEVES. ALSO COMES WITH WIDE LEGGED TROUSERS. EXPENSIVE BUT REMEMBER I ALWAYS TELL YOU TO SPEND HIGH ON TAILORED JACKETS, COATS AND TROUSERS. HIGH STREET IS FINE FOR MORE UNSTRUCTURED PIECES. £1510
JOJOS STYLE LIST TIP: WHEN SPENDING HIGH ON A PIECE ASK THE RETAILER IF THEY DO FREE ALTERATIONS ITS WORTH GETTING THE FIT EXACTLY RIGHT.
This week I attended two new venue openings, pre birthday girly lunch and the Shergar Cup at Ascot Races.
URBAN RETREAT at THE WHITE HOUSE opened its doors this week with a fabulous party. URBAN RETREAT previously located within Harrods has now opened on a site 2-4 Hans Crescent Knightsbridge. Five storeys full of beauty treatment rooms, nail bar,hair salon, bars and restaurant. One giant playroom to spend the day with the girls …or boys.
FlavoUR is the destination restaurant serving natural and healthy food all day long. They have all the top beauty and haircare brands here too numerous to mention. Lots of opening special offers. Until 31st August 2019 Quote LASER30 to receive 30% off skin rejuvenation and hair laser removal treatments with the award winning Soprano Titanium laser technology.
It certainly is a good idea has not quite made the STYLE LIST today as I need to visit a few more times to test the service out but promising. You have to consistently be outstanding and luxe to make this list. So watch this space….
The Upstairs barTreatment RoomPedicure StationHair Salon
ON 5 Ascot racecourse premier restaurant located in the Queen Annes enclosure is a real treat. Exquisite food and service that can match ANY michelin star restaurant. In addition simply the best view of the racing and spectacular views from this uber stylish fifth floor restaurant. With its own sun terrace and huge balcony. Always treated like a VIP here. Open for every race event. Prices from £170 pp contact the racecourse directly. Definitely made the STYLE LIST.
Hake with Mussels and Chorizo
Piccolinos Virginia Water was the venue for my girly pre birthday lunch this week. A firm favourite and a regular at this superb Italian restaurant . Pepe and his amazing team always ensure great food and service. A massive retractable roof rather like the one on Centre Court at Wimbledon so open air dining always makes me feel I am on holiday. DJ play great tunes Friday and Saturday. Great place for al fresco lunch with the girls. I recommend the seafood risotto !! Definitely on the STYLE LIST .
Birthday Aperitifs
BE Lounge Kensington was the second launch in London this week on the same evening but thankfully around the corner from Urban Retreat. Opposite the Natural History Museum so you can indulge in some art in the same afternoon. I would definitely come here for coffee and pastries and there ARE some wonderful Arabic pastries. But need a few more visits before it makes the STYLE LIST !!
BE LOUNGE
Stay tuned for future Style List picks or let me know if YOU have any you want to share ???
Following the NETFLIX release of the much talked about film OTHERHOOD last weekend it prompted an emotional response. It deals with the trauma of three mothers and their distancing relationship with their sons. “Like their are breaking up with you on a gradual basis” was the quote that resonated with me.
Catch it on Netflix Now
As a Mother of a son think it definitely afflicts us more, girls on the whole tend to stay in touch. I am also a single Mother since my son was two so we had an extremely deep bond. Any article I have read on this deals with the void left when your teenagers leave for university, the first step. When being a mother changes , you are no longer needed in the same way. Motherhood becomes Otherhood. But often these days your offspring tend to return to the home post graduation.
As in the film though I believe the real isolation you feel from your Son comes in their twenties when they are carving out their own life…..without you. Many readers of my blog (50+) I am sure you will relate to this. My own son went off to University………..in Los Angeles a massive impact on me but now he is living in London and in his twenties I feel MORE distant.
This is a very real syndrome especially when you identify very strongly in your role as a Mother. The feeling can be overwhelming, almost a grieving period. My son was the centre of my life. Our daily time together was over.
Can I just add this can affect Fathers too. Whoever tends to be the primary care giver.
So lets look at some coping mechanisms
You have done a great job if your child is showing independence. Remember you primary purpose is to give them wings to fly the nest.
Your child will always need your support . Just cheering them on from the sidelines of the playing field of life. When they score the goals AND when they drop the ball. Let them know you are still their root.
DONT stalk them on social media.
Refrain from calling them everyday but DO still call regularly. They won’t call you. Don’t expect an instant reply to your text. I used to get upset if he did not reply within……3 minutes ! This is normal. You are no longer the centre of their world. Accept this.
Embrace your liberation. Write a ‘pleasure list’ of things that bring you happiness and do a daily pleasure. Its all about you ! Less time spent cooking, shopping, washing and ironing more time for you !!
Cultivate new friends and interests. These tend to be linked. Art galleries, a luxury brunch, long lazy lunches ( no school run ).
Update your image. Employ the help of a local stylist. New haircut. Clear out that cosmetic purse. Closet cleanse. Ready for this new chapter in your life.
Many marriages can fail at this time if your main focus was your children. Plan some together time. Reconnect. Travel. Date nights. Dancing classes. Beautiful lingerie.
Equally I personally have scheduled a lunch date with my Son fortnightly we take it in turns to choose a venue and to pay ! It really is a great catch up. We appreciate each other more as we no longer live in each other pockets.
Finally even though you feel as though you have been dumped do not express this and put pressure on them to treat you better will isolate them even further. This is a perfectly natural process in their twenties. It changes as they mature. they will be back.
Anyone going through this right now or your child is going off to University next month I would recommend you to watch the film, enjoy it and recognise we are all in the same boat with our sons (maybe some daughters too).Take the humorous route. Accept they are developing new relationships and you are no longer their main focus. they are on their own personal Journey and once they have been through the process of discovery they will return and will probably assume the parenting role over you.
JOJOS STYLE LIST TIP : FILL YOUR LIFE WITH JOY AND FREEDOM
Well guys Festival season is well and truly upon us. So I found a festival that would suit our age group. None of that pitching tents, washing (and other things ) in a bucket, copious amounts of alcohol and smoking various substances. No this was the festival of choice for me. No alcohol whatsoever replaced with a green juice bar and CBD oil replacing the cannabis. No loud music just gentle gongs and chi bowls. Dancing replaced by yoga and vegan food replaced greasy burgers. Surely this is Jojos truly happy place ???
This seed of an idea was a brilliant one….on paper but it needs to germinate and blossom. We went for the birth of this festival on Saturday 3rd August 2019. Fearne Cottons baby. But as long as she learns from her mistakes and listens to the punters she is trying to make happy then this has real potential. But yesterday it became my “Unhappy Place”.
The day started well a big Rylan Clark Neal fan I managed to secure a front row seat to await his interview with the stunning Amanda Byram. It was preceded by a lovely lady Bryony Gordon of whom I was unaware for a short interview. Engaging,witty and yes happy. Now an avid fan. Rylan as ever did not disappoint in fact was such a brilliant interview with Amanda I even bought the book ! I met Rylan a little later for a chat and he was as charming and real as I hoped……and happy. Unlike a very grumpy Russell Brand who we encountered a little later we did remind him he was supposed to be in his” happy place” but I think we only compounded his already bad mood.
Fearne’s tagline read “a place to enjoy that makes us happy” well if you enjoy queuing 2 hours for food or drink than this IS your place. There were only 3 small vegan trucks with a couple of servers in each and ONE yes ONE green juice bar with a queue stretching as far as the third eye could see !! o Fearne, you surely knew the numbers that had bought tickets ? The Vans eventually ran out of food at 3.30pm to the dismay of the people that had queued the full 2 hours ! Well if you know me I do NOT queue so we had to leave the ground early get in the car in search of food in nearby Richmond. Cotton you stitched us up on this one !!!!
Unbelievable Food Queues
Please be aware if you are booking to go to any of these Happy Place Festivals as there are more throughout September the ticket does not cover ANY of the classes on the schedule. When I booked my ticket there was NOTHING to say that all the classes were not included and the page did not redirect me to any further booking options. So I like many others on the day could not attend the classes. In fact I printed off the schedule for the classes of the SEE website and it still did not make that clear. So you really have to search many were left disappointed on the day as the classes were extremely limited. I just checked the website and it still does not make this clear.
We did meet the fabulous…….and happy Interiors Expert Sophie Robinson who was happy us and others to sit on the outskirts. A great workshop “Making Your Place A Happy Home” as Sophie was the most amazing person we met on the day would like to see her play a larger role, as she fitted the mantra for the Festival.
As a professional Sound Therapist I was eager to attend the Sound Healing session which I managed to squeeze into which was supremely relaxing after the stressful day. Although was punctuated by the loudness of an energetic voice of an American instructor at a mat class next door and Russell Brand attention seeking at a stage nearby. The Meditation and Mindfulness Tepee one would presume should be in a quiet location ? As you can see my Happy Place Sound Meditation has been going on for many years.
Many Happy Years
On a final note all the speakers were there to sell their books on site. Fearne Cottons were piled high. So after every talk the ‘celebrities’ would spend longer than the interview flogging their wares. In a Festival which is about ‘giving back’ ‘helping others’ ‘nourishing our souls’ ‘making YOU happy’ it was is sad that really once again it all boils down to commercial propaganda. It would have been lovely for someone to come along and devote their time in the true spirit of the festival. Then inform us they have nothing to sell!! How refreshing ! I really wanted this Festival to create a different message. Not a Festival to create “a Happy Place” for Fearne and her friends.
Focus
Great idea and I loved the Garden Fete feel of the Festival as more people attend I hope they don’t lose this but it felt like some of the organisation was done by someone who had only organised a garden fete before !
To end my review this was not “my Happy Place” and having bumped into Fearne during the course of the day it was clearly not hers either. But life is a learning curve and will try again next year. Scroll down to see some of my purchases from the day.
JOJOS STYLE LIST TIP
Save it for next year. It did not quite make the STYLE LIST this time around.
Jojo xxxx
My Festival Purchases
A glass water bottle with a glass chamber for a crystal elixir combination for mind, body and soul. I chose moss agate. Pure crystals.co.uk £30
CBD oil that actually tastes pleasant good for anxiety and joints. The most effective THC free formula available. For more information georgeandmae.com
Of course The Life Of Rylan (signed !!) and what a life. Paperback £6.99 available at all good bookstores and some suspect ones too !
