Lingerie – or simply put, underwear – is a woman’s ultimate weapon of seduction. From briefs to bras, and from camisoles to corsets, our intimate apparel is a relatively recent – yet essential – addition to our wardrobes. In fact, one of the earliest pair of undergarments still in existence belonged to Queen Victoria. Her Majesty’s impressive … Continue reading
Pearls are the oldest gem known to humankind: the oldest pearl found is over 7,500 years old. Famous women — from Cleopatra to Coco Chanel — adorned themselves with these shimmering gifts of the sea, which are a staple of every woman’s jewellery box. Until the early 1900’s, natural pearls were accessible only to the … Continue reading
My three-year-old daughter is obsessed with princess dresses, especially those in lurid colours. Taking them off at bedtime is a constant battle. What I would really love to ask the scientists decoding the human genome is what exactly makes girls genetically programmed to go for pink — of all the colours in nature’s palette! Now don’t get me … Continue reading
For some, this phrase conjures images of big hair and shoulder pads as seen on Dynasty characters and 1980s air hostesses. Yet for many women in the public eye – be it business, politics or international affairs – power dressing is a part of their job. Thankfully, many of them have adopted a much more sophisticated approach to dressing for … Continue reading
As I write this post after nearly a two-month hiatus, I am staring out of my window onto a hazy and shimmery late autumn day in Switzerland, hills covered in auburn and golden foliage with an occasional dark green patch. I have just returned from Australia where temperatures had already soared to 40 degrees C … Continue reading
This week took me to the shores of the Baltic Sea, a region which has recently made its mark on the fashion scene – from H&M, world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, to many more globally successful designer brands such as Acne Studios and By Malene Birger. Many Nordic countries look to sustainable fashion as the region’s unique selling point. After the new … Continue reading
On my first trip to Paris at the age of 14, I saw an unmistakably French woman on the street wearing an orange bowler hat. It did not look out of place or ridiculous; on the contrary, it looked absolutely perfect. And this is the infuriating thing about French women: they can pull off pretty … Continue reading
Emeralds, rubies, sapphires and other coloured gemstones have seen a surge in price and popularity over the past decade for a variety of reasons – not least due the saturation of the diamond market and thanks to a certain engagement ring presented to the future Queen of England. Indeed, marketers were quick to come up with replicas of … Continue reading
From fire-retardant infant sleep-suits to designer T-shirts, the use of chemicals such as teflon and formaldehyde in clothes is ubiquitous, while heavy metals including chromium are widely used in leather tanning. However while the presence of hazardous chemicals in cosmetics and household cleaning products is relatively well-known, consumer awareness of toxic elements is rather low when … Continue reading
Every woman I know has found herself at some point in her life staring into her bursting-at-the-seams wardrobe with nothing to wear. But rather than hitting the shops and adding to the growing credit card balance and piles of clothes in your closet, how about shwopping instead? Shwopping (clothes swapping), also known as swishing, is a growing trend … Continue reading
green stilettos 