You are here: Home / Archives for Britain

Posh Picnics and Pink Martinis

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Shabby chic meets French country style in this truly amazing picnic display.

Every summer, my husband and I attend several outdoor concerts near our house. The venue is such where you can bring a full picnic of outside food, wine/alcohol, small tables and chairs, candles, etc. Although many couples and groups of friends go all out – bringing fancy plates, real wine glasses, and gourmet food, others are more spur of the moment, and bring just a blanket and dessert.

Last night, we attended a fantastic concert by the Portland, Oregon jazz band, Pink Martini. Not only did hear the wonderful sultry sounds of the band, but it was also a very special night for picnic-goers. Home and Garden Television was on hand to host and judge an ultimate picnic contest. Although we did not participate in the contest, it was lovely walking around taking pictures of the beautiful picnic and food displays. The time and creativity spent on some of these displays was amazing and the styles were reminiscent of classic outdoor parties in England and France, many that were truly fit for royalty.

Take a look at a few of my favorites (including the above). Enjoy!

Ruby red mixed with olive green bring a touch of elegance and a hint of romance to this classy display.

Refined English garden charm with a splash of pink martinis!

A throwback to the 70s with cushy beanbags peppered with Asian decor – spicy and colorful!

Ciao bella!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , ,

Wimbledon Brunch

July 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As I mentioned in my previous post, this weekend marked the 125th grand slam tennis tournament held at Wimbledon in England. In honor of this historic event – and the fact that my sister and cousin were visiting from out of town – I served a very Bistro Chic Wimbledon Brunch:

  • Mimosas – made with Napa’s own Domaine Caneros sparkling wine, complete with fresh berries
  • Lattes – Nespresso lattes with caramel syrup and sprinkled with chocolate sugar
  • Crumpets – British style muffins served toasted with a variety of French and British preserves, including fig, raspberry, and blackberry
  • Strawberries and Cream – one of the official foods of Wimbledon – strawberries served with freshly made whipped cream, plus a little brown sugar on the side for dipping

Ciao!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , , ,

5 Facts About Wimbledon

June 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

(photo source)

I will be the first to admit that I am not a tennis fan. However, seeing as this week/weekend is the 125th year that the grand slam tennis tournament is being played at Wimbledon (located in Merton, England) it’s hard not to be a little excited.

In honor of this age-old sporting tradition, here are a few clever facts about the event….

5 Facts About Wimbledon

  1. King George VI (Colin Firth’s character in The King’s Speech) played in the 1926 Wimbledon championships while he was still the Duke of York. He lost in the first round.
  2. The 19 courts at Wimbledon are all made of real grass – 100% rye grass to be exact. During the championship, the courts are mown, rolled and relined each day, and showered with 3,000 gallons of water.
  3. The trophy for the men’s singles has a pineapple design on the top.
  4. Strawberries and cream is one of the traditional symbols of the championships. They are freshly picked each day from the “Garden of England” and are served throughout the tournament.
  5. Ladies’ singles finals will be held on Saturday, July 2, while Men’s singles finals will be held on Sunday, July 3. View more key dates for Wimbledon.

Ciao!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , ,

Royal Ascot Celebrates 300th Year

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This weekend marked the 300th year of a major sporting event in England – Royal Ascot. Founded by Queen Anne in 1711, Royal Ascot is the most popular flat horse racing event in England. As you may know, I’ve written about my fascination with Britain’s Royal Ascot in previous posts – the glamour, the fancy dress, and, oh yes, the horses! Although I think the horses are beautiful, the real reason for my interest lies with the attendees and what they are wearing, particularly on their heads.

Although I’m not actually able to attend Royal Ascot each year, I still manage to celebrate this key British event in my own way. I simply create  my own Royal Ascot by attending my local racetrack. The racetrack and concourse are  lovely and the attendees, although not Royals, are certainly quite interesting in their own right.

When I attend the races, I peruse the crowd for creative dresses and hats. The trend this year seemed to follow one of three patterns 1) big brimmed, 2) black and white, and/or 3) bold colors. There was also a trend for the hat wearers to showoff bare shoulders and long straight hair under their hats. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing this trend in large-brimmed hats and long straight hair is somehow related to the recent excitement surrounding William and Kate.

Didn’t get to Royal Ascot this year? You can still view the full fashion coverage from 2011 – as well as the fashions over the last 300 years.

 

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Morning Dress at the Royal Wedding

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

(Photo sources: left, right)

I was one of the many millions of people who watched – celebrated  - the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton last Friday. I absolutely loved Kate’s dress – simple, understated, elegance, quite like how she dresses normally. But I also loved seeing all of the other party-goers suits and frocks. While watching the festivities and reading subsequent news articles, I kept hearing about how wedding attendees were either wearing or not wearing what is considered morning dress in England. Although I’ve heard of women wearing one outfit for a morning wedding ceremony and changing into a more fun dress for the evening reception, I had never really heard of the term morning dress in a formal or royal sense.

According to Wikipedia:

Morning dress is the daytime formal dress code, consisting chiefly for men of a morning coat, waistcoat, and striped trousers, and an appropriate dress for women. Men may also wear a morning suit, a popular variant with all parts (morning coat, waistcoat and trousers) are the same colour/material, often grey.

Morning Dress (for men) consists of:

  • Morning dress coat
  • Waistcoat
  • Formal striped or checked trousers
  • Formal shirt with a turndown collar to tie, or a shirt with detachable wing collar
  • Plain or patterned silk handkerchief or pocket squart
  • Black Oxford shoes or dress boots
  • Optional items – top hat, gloves, a cane or umbrella, a pocket watch or wrist watch, boutonniere

In modern day England, morning dress is rarely worn and is generally saved for weddings, some official government or Royal functions, races such as Royal Ascot, and as uniform at some of Britain’s most traditional schools such as Eton.

If you’re still not sure about what is considered modern day morning dress, check out David Beckham’s suit that he sported at Will and Kate’s wedding. Proof that even footballers can look dapper.

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: , , , , ,