Luxury lifestyle brand heidi klein has teamed up with renowned fashion embroiderer Laura Lees to offer Harrods’ shoppers the chance to have their initials embroidered in gold thread on their swimwear and accessory purchases.
“We wanted to offer the Harrods’ shopper something personal this summer. Having your initials sewn on to your bikini or canvas bags by Laura Lees is a luxurious touch we hope shoppers will enjoy. It’s great for gifting and our new collection,” says co-founder Penny Klein.
Items that lean themselves well to personalise are the new Bimini canvas bags, as well as bikinis and one-pieces. Laura will be on hand to expertly hand-stitch any purchased item as a complimentary service at the heidi klein cabana at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London.
heidi klein launches four collections each year with exquisitely cut swimwear with an impeccable fit. The focus on exclusive mix and match styles and prints has earned a continued celebrity following from Kate Moss to Olivia Palermo, to Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston, as well as maintaining a strong following with the press and a loyal customer base.
Staying true to its promise, heidi klein takes you on a journey to feel confident and gorgeous on holiday … all year round. www.heidiklein.com
Jivesse premium skincare which has up until now graced the shelves of Harrods has earned its place as a reputable dermatological brand. The impressive science and innovative ingredients have placed it high above competitors in the skincare market and now launching at first class wellbeing emporium, John Bell & Croyden, and soon to be launching in Selfridges, this is set to be a range which will hopefully be a staple for anyone looking for serious results and quality natural ingredients.
Being an advocate natural skin solutions, the science behind the Jivesse range is quite simple but altogether quite revolutionary. Having been developed by skincare experts with clinical knowledge of dermatology as the name suggests, Jivesse Marine Collagen Cream contains potent active ingredients which help to accelerate the natural production of collagen within our own skin. The result, tighter, brighter, and youthful skin without any Botox. Result! What makes Jivesse so unique is that is the first Triple Complex Marine Collagen Cream…
…here comes the science;
The Triple Complex Formula contains
Peptan® The purest form of type I collagen Argireline®The cosmetic alternative to Botox Liftonin® Xpress: Which instantly tightens and lifts
As well as this the product contains a host of anti-oxidants and skin luminosity which reduces the damage of vital molecules within the skin and helps to introduce Vitamin C to the skin, something which our body’s cannot produce naturally.
Our result;
The brand is at once luxurious, smart and the team behind it are genuinely some of the most articulate and passionate in the business. Having just announced Anna Williamson, TV Presenter and Life Coach, as their Brand Ambassador, Jivesse are spring boarding their brand as one that is hopefully set to create waves within the cosmetic market. The science really speaks for itself here and the results speak volumes. Luckily, I haven’t got to the point where i’ve had to deal with the dreaded wrinkle situation but after a skin analysis with the experts at John Bell and Croyden, my skin was suffering from severe dehydration. After just two weeks of using this product my skin is luminous, radiant and successfully no longer dehydrated. Any moisturiser that can deal with the elements we’re privy too in The UK is a winner in my book. The clincher for me is the fact that this moisturiser is presented in a beautiful Airless Jar protecting the cream from light exposure and contamination. We love using this product and it has certainly brightened up and made my skincare regime a much more enjoyable experience.
Terry de Gunzburg has announced the launch of Ombre Mercure Extreme, a new powdery, woody fragrance launching in Harrods from 17 August and in selected stores from 20 September.
The fragrance contains key notes of bergamot, violet, iris, patchouli and vanilla.
The Ombre Mercure Extreme Extrait de Parfum is priced at £235 for 100ml.
Gifts from Harrods are the ultimate decadence, and this gorgeous and stylish Douvall’s Argan Oil Gift Set from Urban Retreat at Harrods is affordable luxury for someone you really love. And I mean really love. Don’t be scared of keeping for yourself, it is that type of present.
Upon trying the Douvall’s Limited Edition Christmas Gift-Set I was impressed at how my skin looked after. I am a fan of face oil anyway, massaging it in and using the muslim cloth to take if off after really leaves the skin exfoliated and clean. Something about the massage and the face oil really has an effect on wrinkles and skin tone. The organic argan oil moisturiser is not only light enough to use on the face but can also be used on the body, on split ends, cuticles and in the bath. I love both of them, they are products that really work.
The limited edition set includes 50ml of Douvall’s best-selling Organic Argan Oil Moisturiser, which protects the face, body, hair and cuticles whilst minimising the appearance of fine lines, and 150ml of Douvall’s All-in-One Argan Oil Cleanser, enriched with natural almond, safflower seed and grape seed oil which leaves the skin smooth, dry and moisture balanced.
First-ever anti-ageing supplement range launches at Harrods
California’s favourite supplement brand, Nature’s Plus, is launching a groundbreaking new range of anti-ageing supplements to help promote the youthful vitality of Harrods’ finest.
The Nature’s Plus AgeLoss range is an entirely new approach to promoting good health, it works to counteract harmful free radicals that can lead to inflammation whilst also giving the body a healthy boost.
Step 1
With Vitamin D for healthy immune function1, antioxidant vitamins and minerals* and organic whole foods, Nature’s Plus AgeLoss First Day provides unparalleled nutritional activity.
Step 2
AgeLoss Women’s Multi features a vibrant offering of botanicals and amino acids to support a woman’s quality of life, it is the first-ever women’s multivitamin enhanced to promote youthful, restorative wellness in the female body’s organs and systems via specialised antioxidant nutrition.2
Step 3
Customise your quality-of-life programme by selecting the individual formulas in the AgeLoss range most appropriate for the bodily systems you wish to address. Each product employs specialised antioxidant blends, each designed to uniquely address the free radicals of specific tissues or systems.
· Promote a healthy digestive system with Digestion Support†
· Uplift your energy levels with Energy Support†
· Take care of your eyesight with Eye Support†
· Maintain your joint health with Joint Support†
· Feel on top form with Immune Support†
· Promote a radiant skin with Skin Support†
Maintaining good health is now just as easy as picking a new dress.
• Nature’s Plus AgeLoss range is available at Harrods
The Ampersand Hotel is in a very convenient location, a few minutes walk away from South Kensington tube station. It is also near the Victoria & Albert Museum, Harrods, Hyde Park, The British Museum and Harvey Nichols. So if location is your thing, the Ampersand Hotel should already be at the top of your list. The hotel itself is beautiful, brilliantly designed, classy and elegant. The staff are friendly and helpful.
The room is beautiful. It has everything you could possibly need. You do expect a hotel of this caliber to have everything and it does not disappoint. It has free wifi, a hairdryer, air-conditioning, TV, a desk, cable, tea, toiletries by Miller Harris and even ice. The bed is comfortable and the curtains are good and heavy, blocking out the light and some of the London noise.
The bathroom is great, with a bath and a shower. It also has lots of handy kits for sewing or vanity. The towels are lovely and fluffy. A dressing gown and a pair of slippers also comes with the room. The only thing I can complain about is the lack of bubble bath.
The lighting is good, the soft drinks in the minibar are free. One of the things that I really liked about this hotel is that you do not feel like a customer, constantly being fleeced of your money, but instead like a guest.
There is also a Business centre, a library, a wine room, a games room and a gym.
The Apero restaurant in the hotel is good. With an emphasis on sharing. We had serrano ham mikado ,(delicious and different) ,Plaice goujons with avocado mayonaise , Grilled neck of lamb with harissa & onion salad and Gnocchi with chard & smoked scamorza and an amazing cocktail called Elixir of Love.
In the morning we had a delicious full English breakfast and read the papers. Our stay in the hotel was relaxing and luxurious. This hotel is highly recommended. One of the best hotels to stay at in London.
I met Vanessa in the City. She is fashionable, warm, friendly and passionate. I came to interview her about her amazing site for women in the City: wearethecity.com. A place where women can find help and advice with their work, life and careers.
Vanessa Vallely: “There are three core values that I had in mind when I set it up that hold true. One, that we provide a platform for female entrepreneurs to get their products to market on the basis that it fits into our members’ demographic. We do that by taking away hefty advertising fees for them and to give female entrepreneurs a bit of a leg up. We are also a conduit to charities to get to high net worth women. We will actively promote any network or any organisation that is free that will develop skills for women. So probably 40% of what we do on the website falls into that value set, that is really important to me.”
Frost: First of all, what are you wearing? You look great.
VV: “I am wearing a Britt Lintner dress with my normal Gucci shoes and scarf. She is a fantastic designer. She set herself up a couple of years ago doing dresses and managed to get her collection into Harrods, although she’s taking some time out because she’s raising some small children.”
When did you know you wanted to go into business?
“I left school at 16 with just a couple of GSCEs and headed out into the city with 15 pence and a bag of ambition because I wanted to change my lifestyle and my mum’s as well. We come from a very socially and economically-challenged background, so I knew that I wanted to be successful, I knew that the financial district was two miles away from where I lived and that was where I was going to start.
“I actually realised I wanted to develop the website three years ago due to my frustration with not having a site that covered everything in my life. There needs to be a bit of lifestyle in there because let’s not hide it, I am a woman. I need to eat, I need to have my hair done, I need to find a dentist. But I also wanted to upskill myself outside of my corporate environment, so how was I going to that?
“Women’s networks, courses I could go on – for me it’s frustrating. If I Googled that information, I would spend hours on the internet. I wanted to find it all on one site so my husband said, ‘Why don’t you create a website for women?’ and we built it together.
“So that’s when I knew that I wanted to work for myself. I love my corporate job and run the website outside of work.
“My aspirations in 10 years time are to be the CEO of a charity, because I do a lot for charity still.”
Tell me about being a Pearly Queen?
“It has been in my family for 100 years. The Pearly Kings and Queens were started by an Orphan called Henry Croft and he used to sew buttons on his suit, he was a rat-catcher in the markets.
“If you think about London 100-odd years ago it was still markets, no superstores or anything. So he used to hang around the markets with the costermongers who were the apple sellers. They used to sew buttons on their suits and were called flash boys.
“If the costermongers were down on their luck, their entire family was affected if someone was ill. There was no social security then, so he used to raise money in the markets for his fellow orphans. Eventually he was so much in demand, he couldn’t be at all the markets, so he made head Pearly Kings and Queens of each of the 20 boroughs of the London of the time and they’d raise money for individuals in that borough. My granddad was pearly King of East London and he passed that title to my father and my father passed it to me.
“I have been a Pearly Queen since I was three years old. I was Pearly Queen of Hoxton until this year when I gave that title to my 11-year-old daughter and I have taken the City of London from my dad. So we still go out and put our buttons on for various charities. I don’t quite sing and dance the way I used to, but it is a lovely part of London heritage and we are as famous as the Chelsea Pensioners, so why not do it? The fact that I have a profile in the City helps because it could die out with people getting old.”
I read that you could see the city from….
“I could, from my tower block window. I lived on the 18th floor and could see NatWest tower. I used to say to my mum, ‘I am going to work there one day and I am going to change how we live’. My first job was in that building.
I drive past there now and I look up at that tower block and I think, That’s where it all began’. We were broke half the time. There were lots of people with challenges and me and my mum were one of them, but bit-by-bit we made it out through sheer hard work. Most of my childhood was spent going to school and then cleaning betting shops until 11 pm. I don’t know if my mum still has it, but I think there’s a picture where I am holding a mop that is bigger than I am. I still love to clean – mopping and stuff like that.”
Was it hard getting to where you are now? Any reinforced ceilings?
“Yes, in the City I was different in a time when diversity wasn’t really appreciated. I didn’t speak the right way, I didn’t look right, and had a bit of an attitude. I was quite precocious and quite a forceful individual because I wanted to get ahead. I never had a college network to back me up, I never knew anyone, so I had to fight my corner a little bit harder.
“There were individuals who I worked for along the way who told me I can’t do what I have done. They said I’ll never succeed or I’ll never cut it or I’ll never get that job. I love people like that because they fuel my fire and I love to say to them, ‘Well, actually, you were wrong’.”
It’s all connections isn’t it?
“Absolutely. And I spent the past six years building those connections, not just for me, but for other people. I find people jobs, I mentor, I connect businesses, source providers. I spend probably 30% of my week connecting people to others. That’s why my strapline is ‘Make The Magic Happen’. They can go off and do stuff together. They call me a ‘contentpreneur’. I enjoy doing that and enjoy hearing about what other people have done as a result, because I feel like I was part of it.”
I heard that you were the most connected women in London….
“I do know a lot of people. I do agree that there are only three degrees of separation. I can get to most people if I need to. But I don’t call on favours often. I only call on them when I need them. I am more likely to be found giving favours or doing stuff for other people. That’s my model and I enjoy doing it.”
What do you think made you successful?
“Passion and drive. But also I open most conversations with, ‘what can I do for that person?’ and I think what you end up with is thanks. You are good to other people and they want to help you back. Also volunteering for things other people didn’t want to do. People would say, ‘oh, I don’t want to do that’ if there was a project that was really messy. I was the first one with my hands up, because I think you learn so much as a consequence of being in a mess, fixing it, and getting yourself out of that mess.
“I have always volunteered for projects that other people don’t want and for things I don’t necessarily have the expertise for. There are things I have worked on when I’d have to come home and study. I would read books and call on my network, saying, ‘Can you help me understand this stuff?’. I am not a hugely academic person, but I get things done and I have people skills. I get along so well with people. I think if you approach it a certain way, then people will help you.”
What do you think about the global economy?
“I think we’re in a tight space. I think we have been in a tight space since 2008. You look at what happened with the banks out there, Northern Rock and stuff, it has had a knock-on effect. It’s wider now, it’s countrywide, Portugal, Greece, Ireland.
“I think it’s a tough place to be. I think it’s a tough time for businesses, but I also think tough times are the best place to grow sometimes. You are starting from a very low point. I think there are people who will thrive as a consequence, but we have to watch what we are doing. It’s difficult. It’s difficult for public services, schools, I mean I do a lot of work within charities who have had their funding cut. I think the whole world is feeling the pinch. It’s a scary place to be.”
What was the original idea behind Wearethecity.com?
“It was my frustration that there wasn’t really a website for women. There wasn’t something that showed me a one-stop shop where I could make a change. There are now 20-30 charities that we promote and we have over 200 writers.
“These are girls that have never written for publications before and are amazingly talented. Some of them want to share their experiences and they are writing about a myriad of things, those problems that women face in their careers, life, childcare, elderly care, career aspirations, setting up a business. We are giving them the opportunity.
Wearethecity has grown from being a website that was built on an £8 a month web builder tool that anyone can get off the internet to a website that gets a million and a half hits every single month.
“Let it be noted that I have not done it on my own. There wouldn’t be a me without my husband. He built the website, he is the technical person, he has a full-time job, he believes in the power of women, he believes in me and it is a very supportive partnership. That enables me to do what I do. It is shared responsibility. Yes, when the kids are away we have an argument about whose week was more important, but he is a massive support, I couldn’t do it without him.”
How do you juggle kids with a career?
“Again, it’s a tough one. The kids come first. They have to come first. You have to spend quality time with them and it is quality time. I get up at 5:30 in the morning, generally I am pulling letters out of school bags, I write a few cheques, and I get prepared. I have a childminder that comes at 6:30, I literally hand over as I am walking out of the door. I get into work at 8:45 and I do my full day job. I see people, I do work on wearethecity on lunch breaks or after work, so I don’t mix the two.
When I am here in work, I am here in work. I do my emails on the train. I get home at 7. I see the children, the childminder goes. We tend to do a lot of quality stuff. We go to the theatre and we travel a lot because we live in quite a middle class white area and I grew up in the culturally mixing pot that is Hackney. I don’t want my kids growing up thinking the world is flat or white. I want them to have an appreciation of different religions and cultures. We cook a meal from the culture that we are visiting and then we travel there.
“My kids have a huge world map, probably three feet by two feet, that I bought them a few years ago. Every year, we choose two countries and then we go through a process. They do a little project, we talk about it, we cook a meal and we go. My kids can navigate Heathrow airport, Gatwick, Stansted like you would not believe. It has helped them to grow up. I want them to be the kind of individual who would see a person properly, for what they are, not what they look like or what their beliefs are. That is very important to me.”
Do you think the City is a good environment for women?
If you think of where we came from in the last 40 years, from being able to vote and stuff like that, I still think it is sad that we have to celebrate en masse when a women gets a board position. I would rather that was the norm.
“I also think women in my position should be role models and mentor these women because we need to build the next generation – that next pool of talent – or we’ll never get women who are ambitious enough to get onto boards.
It’s a good spot for women. The young girls that I talk to are coming out with different dreams and aspirations, with a ‘why can’t I?’ attitude, which I like because I think women should continue to push boundaries and I fully support that.”
What advice would you give to other women in business?
“Don’t take no for an answer. Try to remove the emotion. With some things that happen, it’s very easy to get a bit deflated. They just have to dust themselves off, get up and keep trying.
“Networking is one of the most important tools. Meet people, even if you can’t see an immediate need for your business. You never know when that person’s name is going to come up, so spend a lot of time networking with the right peer group. Keep those relationships warm, don’t be transactional, keep in touch even if it’s not a close contact. If it’s a peripheral contact, keep in touch every six months. Drop them an email saying. ‘I thought of you’, that sort of thing. That is massively important.
“Don’t give up. If you have a dream in your head, think about, ‘How do I get there?’. You may be back at the start and your dream is two miles ahead, so how do we get to mile one? Who do we need to help us to get there? What do I need to learn?
“Visualise that short-term goal, but keep the long-term one in mind as well. You just have to keep pushing on. It’s not always easy. I’m not perfect. I had times when I put my head in my hands and thought, ‘Why am I doing this?’ Or when I want to give up, that network around me are the ones that give me the push. You need to push on. That is what I give to my network now.”
I know what you mean, I have times when I think, ‘I can’t do this’.
“But then one of your friends will be strong and they will say, ‘Yes you can’. Then they might have a moment. I think it’s a fantastic time for women, and again, if you hang out with the right set of women who support women, it’s a fantastic place to be.”
It was Madeleine Albright who said there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women [Vanessa finishes the quote with me]
Absolutely. And she’s spot on. She said a lot of profound things. She is one of my women that I aspire to. She’s amazing.”
It is an annoying myth that women don’t help other women.
“I can honestly say 99% of women I associate with are absolutely supportive. If we don’t make a difference, if we don’t support other women, if we don’t tell young girls that they can do it, and influence and navigate….
“I don’t think a woman should ever change her make up. I look back at the pictures of me early in my career and I look like a guy, I have a pinstripe suit on. The only thing that says I am feminine is my hair and a bit of make up, because that’s how I thought I needed to be. In order to succeed, I needed to be one of them. I needed to be a ball breaker, I needed to be, ‘I don’t care. I’ll sack that one and I don’t care’.
But you know what? I am absolutely proud to be a woman. Unfortunately, women get labelled very easily, so if you are outspoken about something, you are having an emotional breakdown. If you react to something in a certain way: you’re sensitive, so it is very easy to slap a label on women, and I am like, ‘Why can’t my outburst be described the same as yours? I have a label and you are just being seen as being passionate. There is no difference.”
It’s like that quote: a women who has an opinion is a bitch, but a man with an opinion is strong.
“Exactly. A man and women can say the same statement and people will go ‘Ooh!!’ to the woman and with a man they just say, ‘Alright’. They see things how they are and won’t bat an eyelid. It is easy for women to be labeled and it’s a shame, it shouldn’t be that way.”
