"Pret-a-Portea" Afternoon Tea at Berkley Hotel

So you are probably wondering what the hell it is that I am so busy with that I do not have time to blog.. Well I've been busy catching up with my friends who all decided to visit London one after the other in consecutive weekends!

I've been wanting to try Afternoon Tea at The Caramel Room at Berkley Hotel for a while. I heard about it from a fashionista friend but it seems to always be booked out weeks in advance. So when my lovely friend M mentioned that she would love to do an afternoon tea whilst in London, I started doing the rounds at the usual suspects - Claridges, Dorchester, Orangery at Kensington Palace.. and low and behold Berkley had an opening at such short notice.

I mean... someone had to come up with this! Such a brilliant idea had to see the light of day... A fashionista's afternoon tea where all the pastries are inspired by the current season's collection by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Mulberry, Michael Kors (see menu above!).

When the tray came out we did wonder if it would be enough for both of us but apparently tiny shoes and bags fill you up more than you think! By the end of it we were so full that when we got to the top tier of the tray .. namely the Jason Wu coconut mousse with a biscuit leg... we had to eat it only out of our respect for Jason Wu.. it would be rude not to!

The room was full of ladies of various ages all equally in awe and overcome with excitement of the event. I meant being able to to EAT a Mulberry bag is just a different type of satisfaction :)

Unfortunately, the service was not as outstanding as you would expect at hotel of such calibre. The waiters were slow and uninterested. We had to wait at least 10 minutes before anyone came to take our order and take us through the menu. At the end of our 2 hour tea drinking ritual we had to literally wave our hands in the air in order to ask for the bill. It was rather strange and disappointing but I guess "you can't have your cake and eat it too".... or caaan you?! :P

Overall, a cosy and pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon and have a good long gossip session with your girlfriends whilst feeling very much en vogue.

I should mention that the menu does change every 6 months so make sure you get in fast before A/W2012 is here.

How much: from £39 for a basic tea and extra for champagne (depending on the type of champagne)
Where: Berkley Hotel - Wilton Place, Knightsbridge (London)

http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/fashion-afternoon-tea.aspx

xx 

  

Giovanna Battaglia, Paris

A Sunday at the Tate

Not proud to admit that a lot of my Sundays are accompanied by either lack of sleep or slight hangover... which naturally means that I am slightly more relaxed about what I wear... especially if it's raining! Last Sunday as I was playing 'couch potato' at home, my lovely friend J convinced me (despite the rain) to get off my backside and do something exciting. So off we went to Tate Modern to catch the last couple of days of the Miro exhibition. 


If you do have a chance and you are even remotely interested in surrealism you should most definitely go and see it for yourself - 13 rooms of breathtaking and extremely varied art. Joan Miró's work was influenced by his political views (in a BIG way) and his work reflects that - at times you feel like you are looking at the work of 3-4 different artists and his style changes dramatically as you travel through his career in paintings and reach the most dramatic point - the Spanish Civil War. Surrealism is not my favourite type of art but I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibition and would strongly recommend it. If not for the art, go for the colour.. Miro's use of colour to express emotion is beyond belief! I'm no art connoisseuse but this man made a white canvas with a line across it look like magic. No wonder André Breton, the leader of Surrealists, called him 'the most surreal of us all' (ok, I confess that last sentence I may have borrowed from the exhibition booklet!).

So back to the clothes.. I'm always a bit conscious when meeting J as she is what I would call a closet fashionista (a person with a serious corporate job who is secretly obsessed with fashion). This time was no exception - as I was miserably licking my ice-cream in the rain, I saw J floating towards me and looking fabulous.. correction - I heard her floating.. more specifically I heard the jingle (the chime, call it whatever you want really) of her Burberry necklace (I looooved that necklace - it is such a statement!). I didn't have my big camera with me but happened to have my Fuji point-and-shoot in the bag from the party the night before, so I thought I would take a couple of shots to share the love with you. Hope you like it xx 

Orchid garden...

I've wanted to photograph J in this beautiful Matthew Williamson number for months! And finally, perfect location for a perfect dress. We didnt have much time so this was a little rushed but I'm still pretty happy with the result.

Oui Oui Julia!

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld is one of my favourite fashionistas. Her understated style and love for LBDs wins me over every time. I love how humble she is when she attends the shows, coming 10 minutes early and lining up just like everybody else regardless of the fact that her mother was first in command at French Vogue and is one of the most influential women in the fashion world. And what I love the most about her... is that she always has time to pose for the hungry photographers... mais biensur!!