EDITOR’S LETTER
Fearne Cotton shares Christmas joy on page 70; we meet artist and children’s author Oliver Jefers, page 120; the indomitable Zainab Salbi, page 110
PHOTOGRAPHS STEPHANIE SIAN SMITH, DAVID GUBERT, MATT HOLYOAK, TOM HOOPS
COMFORT AND JOY When we began shooting photography for this month’s Christmas Countdown issue (nothing quite like art directing a twinkling wreath in July to better exemplify the topsy-turvy timings of magazine production) we began to ask ourselves what the festive season would be like this year. After all, 2016 has been unsettling by anyone’s estimation (from Bowie, to Brexit, to the extreme and polarising spectacle of the US elections which still won’t be called by the time you read this). Team Red’s conclusion was that this year Christmas might feel like a rug you want to wrap yourself up in. We were in the mood for cocooning ourselves and our loved ones in cosiness, just taking the time to relish simple pleasures. “For the first time I really get what makes me happy and it’s not the stuf that requires a vast amount of efort, just really simple things,” in the words of our lovely cover star Fearne Cotton (who is writing a book about happiness at the moment and is a woman possessed of a beguiling wisdom about such matters). Keeping it real is a theme that seems to run through much of the writing in this month’s issue. In Decca
Aitkenhead’s remarkable story about finding hope over loss (page 127), she admits to an argument that simmered between her and her late husband during a Christmas shopping binge in Toys R Us. The honesty brought tears to my eyes. As ever there are some extraordinary women contributing their words and stories to the pages of Red – from Decca, to the kick-ass humanitarian Zainab Salbi on her new TV venture, to Shappi Khorsandi (Wonky mince pies, fake snow and a comedy Santa) whose memoir about Christmases past and present celebrated by her Iranian atheist family just oozes humanity and proper LOLs. Elsewhere, our pages are absolutely stufed with gorgeous trinkets, wrapping wonders, clever gift ideas and a stack of brilliant recipes for you to choose how to celebrate, however takes your fancy. (Red’s creative director Tanita Montgomery ran Project Christmas with a passion that would put a battalion of Santa’s finest to shame.) I hope you enjoy it.
Editor-in-chief SARAH BAILEY
THIS MONTH I HAVE BEEN: BINGE-WATCHING Netflix’s Stranger Things (late to the party, but hey); PRETTIFYING my ear lobes with Inbal Mishan’s lovely jewels; SPENDING quality time in the Rado lounge at the Red Smart Women Week house; STOCKING UP on Tom Kerridge kitchenware for man gifts; TWEETING @SarahRedMag
See our great SUBSCRIBER OFFER on page 67
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 13
CONTENTS
154 37
138
CONTENTS December 2016
196
Q ON THE COVER
STYLE 35 The little black shoe For dancing from dusk ’til dawn 37 The new party chic Steal the show in luxe tuxes and sequins teamed with track pants 44 All dressed up... Take festive style inspiration from the best-dressed women 51 Velvet goldmine Give a nod to royalty with shoes and bags in rich jewel tones 54 Pile it on, stack it high Step up your accessories game and go big, bright and beautifully bold 60 Jewellery news Tifany & Co brings Robert Rauschenberg to London
RED GIFT EDIT 81 192 brilliant ideas Tick of everyone on your list with the most fabulous presents
83 Deck the halls Shine bright with warming gold, copper and peacock blue tones 84 In the bedroom For her… for you… gorgeous gifts, from jewellery to perfume 87 At the table Perfect additions for a chic home 88 The games room Grooming gifts and gadgets for the men in your life 93 The playroom Big treats for the smallest people 95 The den Cool ideas for every teen 97 The secret garden Beautiful botanicals for the green fingered 98 The gift drawer Superb stocking fillers for under £25
FASHION 137 Into the night Mix and match and break the rules
138 Let’s party! Model Portia Freeman and family showcase the glitziest party looks
FEATURES 63 To my dear Alpha Male... Rosie Green lays down the law with a festive family charter 66 People-pleasing? I’m over it It’s time for a more relaxed approach to Christmas, says Jenny Colgan 70 Jamie and Fearne share their Christmas survival guide The long-term friends talk family, food, fun and festivities 100 Oh, what a circus! Pearl Lowe’s new clothing range puts on quite a performance 107 Mingle all the way How to be the ultimate party socialite 110 “If you think it’s a woman’s show, you’re damn right it is” Women’s rights activist Zainab Salbi is on a mission to make you listen »
162 DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 17
CONTENTS 81
54 117 Wonky mince pies, fake snow and a comedy Santa Shappi Khorsandi on her memories of somewhat untraditional Christmases 120 The man with the golden pen There’s more to artist Oliver Jefers than meets the eye, Laura Craik finds 127 Finding hope after loss Decca Aitkenhead on moving on from grief during the festive period 129 Jump start your career in tech Sky’s latest career-changing workshop 242 My favourite thing For Whinnie Williams, it’s a painted sign
178 Gizzi Erskine’s big-day recipes Christmas lunch made simple 186 Fearne’s veggie feast Platters even carnivores will love 195 Jamie’s perfect turkey tips Plan, prep, plate – and don’t panic 196 Fill your house with sparkle & light The modern way to decorate 206 Wrap everything in blush & rose gold Adorn your gifts with bows and stars
ESCAPES 215 Winter wonderland The best white-Christmas getaways
SELF 219 Take a forest bath Let green space wash away the stress 221 The secret chaos of my relationship with food Confessions of a secret eater
206 225 The friend who saved me How Olivia Gordon found a friend for life in the most devastating of situations 229 Give flu the cold shoulder Beat the sniles this winter 231 Fast fitness fixes There’s no excuse to not exercise with these speedy workouts 232 Ask Philippa Our agony aunt tackles your issues
OFFERS 67 Great reasons to subscribe to Red 135 Don’t miss our Eileen Fisher event with 15% of in store 148 Gift ideas from £24.99 149 Exclusive subscriber ofers
BEAUTY
167
153 All I want for Christmas is... ...Estée Lauder’s Re-Nutriv range 154 Berry lips & grown-up glitter Meet the season’s beauty heroes 162 Calm thoughts, late gifts and skin SOS Three stylish women on how they survive Christmas 167 Waxing lyrical Reap the benefits of scented candles 171 Meet skincare’s secret trailblazer Caroline Hirons’ beautifying tips 175 Beauty notebook
LIVING 177 Five gold rings... The finest festive wreaths
20 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
IN EVERY ISSUE
186
13 Editor’s letter 32 Say it, write it, tweet it 62 In next month’s issue 131 Reads The books that’ll have them hooked 241 Stars
THIS MONTH’S COVERS Photographs David Gubert. Jamie Oliver wears, far left: Suit, £2,500 (made to order), Nick Tentis. Socks, £15, Scalpers. Shoes, £199, Oliver Sweeney. Fearne wears, far left: Dress, £1,795, Burberry. Earrings, £490, Marni. Jamie wears, right: all as before. Fearne wears, right: Dress, price on request, Dolce & Gabbana. Earrings, £265, JW Anderson at Liberty. Recreate Fearne’s look using Super Balance Silk Foundation in Ivory, Lash Power Flutter To Full Mascara, High Impact Custom Black Kajal, All About Shadow Duos in Fawn Satin, Pop Matte Lip Colour in Ruby Pop, all Clinique. Subscribe to Red to receive the limited-edition covers (above, right); see page 67 for details.
CONTRIBUTORS December 2016 Gizzi Erskine
BEST THINGS IN LIFE
O Waking up with my cats meowing in my bed O Cooking what I want when I want O Winter At my sister’s house with lots of food, drinking and games.
Mouchette Bell
Styles the party dressing shoot on page 44 BEST THINGS IN LIFE
O Hanging out with my adorable 18-month-old niece O Getting my skis on and heading up a snowy mountain O Milky tea O Scoring the winning hockey goal
O Enjoying a glass of champagne with family and friends O A dip in turquoise Caribbean waters O Walking on Primrose Hill when it’s snowy THIS CHRISTMAS I’LL BE… In London with
my family and friends. I love the city in December. I always go and see the lights on Bond Street.
THIS CHRISTMAS I’LL BE… Counting
down the minutes until Christmas dinner (my favourite meal) is served.
@RedMagDaily @RedLivingTeam General enquiries 020 3535 9152 Editorial coordinator/junior fashion executive Lucia Ferigutti lucia.ferigutti@hearst.co.uk Lifestyle editor Sarah Keady Features writer Cyan Turan Lifestyle intern Harriett Monaghan Features intern Megan Sutton
REDONLINE.CO.UK ART Social media and fashion editor Roanna Price Art editor Zuki Turner Fashion and beauty writer (digital) Sarah Ilston Picture editor Rebecca Shannon
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS GROUP EDITORIAL PRODUCTION Mouchette Bell, Deborah Brett, Viv Groskop, Skye Gyngell, Sali Hughes, Caroline Issa, India Knight, David Loftus, Marina O’Loughlin, Sarra Manning, Sarfraz Manzoor, Evyan Metzner, Thomasina Miers, Philippa Perry, Kate Spicer, Alexandra Stedman, Steph Stevens, Stephanie Theobald, Sharon Walker, Frances Wasem
Chief sub-editor Hannah Jones Deputy chief sub-editors Samantha de Haas, Robin Wilks Senior sub-editor Francesca Cotton
GROUP PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
Jacqueline Euwe Digital director Christina Watson Brand development director Alistair Wood PA to group publishing director ADVERTISING Chloe Sherard-Knott Brand director Lee Bailey 020 7312 4149 Brand manager Lucy Burnham 020 7312 3062 PRODUCTION Digital brand director Sara Haufé-Brett Procurement & production director 020 7339 4564 John Hughes 020 7439 5200 Client sales director Sam O’Shaughnessy Production manager 020 7312 273 Pavel Pachovsky 020 7439 5619 Production coordinator PROMOTIONS Carl Latter 020 7439 5402 Group partnerships director Laura Chase Partnerships director Sarah Wheatley CIRCULATION & MARKETING Creative solutions art director Simeen Karim Head of consumer sales & marketing Acting creative solutions art directors Matthew Blaize-Smith Daljit Kaur Babber, Jo Jo Ma Group marketing manager Natasha Chamberlin Creative solutions project manager Senior marketing executive Tilly Michell Alexander Stanhope Head of marketing operations Jennifer Smith Head of marketing promotions EVENTS Charlotte Cunlife Head of events & sponsorship Victoria Archbold Head of digital marketing Seema Kumari Marketing & campaign manager Victoire Laurin
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Shappi Khorsandi
Anna Jones HEARST MAGAZINES UK
THIS CHRISTMAS I’LL BE…
Managing director, brands Michael Rowley Chief revenue oicer Duncan Chater Chief financial oicer Claire Blunt Chief digital oicer Darren Goldsby Circulation & marketing director Reid Holland Chief operations director Clare Gorman Director, Hearst Made Jane Wolfson Head of digital sales Hayley Cochrane Strategic partnerships director Becky Gee HR director Surinder Simmonds Director of communications Lisa Quinn Head of PR Karen Meachen Acting head of PR Debra Johnson
At home with my children, ex-husband and family, probably burning the gravy.
Senior vice president/CFO & general manager Simon Horne Senior vice president/international publishing director Jeannette V Chang Senior vice president/editorial director Kim St Clair Bodden Fashion/entertainment director Kristen Ingersoll
Describes loving Christmas as an atheist on page 117 BEST THINGS IN LIFE
O A mug of tea with toast and marmalade O Quietly drawing with my son
HEARST MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL
Red is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors’ Code Of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact complaints@hearst.co.uk or visit hearst.co.uk/hearst-magazines-uk-complaintsprocedure. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit ipso.co.uk.
26 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
COMPILED BY MEGAN SUTTON
BEST THINGS IN LIFE
Features editor Natasha Lunn Associate editor (Living) Pip McCormac Beauty director Annabel Meggeson Health director Brigid Moss Fashion features director Alice Olins Executive fashion & beauty director Kim Parker Fashion director-at-large Nicola Rose
FASHION & BEAUTY FEATURES & LIFESTYLE @RedFashionTeam @RedBeautyTeam Style editor Lauren T Franks Merchandising executive Sophie Hooper Fashion assistant Gabriella Minchella Fashion intern Anisha Parbhakar-Brown Beauty editor-at-large Rosie Green Acting beauty editor Alexandra Friend Junior beauty writer Rebecca Hull
THIS CHRISTMAS I’LL BE…
Styles and art-directs Think outside the box on page 206
Sarah Bailey Deputy editor Sarah Tomczak Creative director Tanita Montgomery Acting fashion director Oonagh Brennan Group managing editor Merrick Cassanova Picture director Beverley Croucher Entertainment director Rosamund Dean Fashion & beauty bookings director Karina Dial Acting digital editor Hannah Dunn Workflow director Cathy Levy
Shares her favourite festive recipes on page 178
Tania Montgomery
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
YOUR SAY
SAY IT
WRITE IT
TWEET IT GUILTY PLEASURE? THERE ’S NO SUCH THING In our October issue, Dolly Alderton wrote about the sanity-saving power of “life lilos” – “comforting cultural fluf like boxsets, reality telly and beauty vlogs.” Many of you agreed and got in touch with your thoughts. “Thank you for Dolly Alderton’s Guilty pleasure article,” wrote Alexa Collins. “Following an awful month of losing my baby son after a second trimester miscarriage, reading the article gave me permission not to feel guilty about wanting to switch of by watching Friends while crying on the sofa
ON INSTAGRAM You took to Instagram to share your relaxing Red moments:
Readers applauded London mayor Sadiq Khan’s feminist stance
before collecting my toddler… Great advice to many who are going through a trauma or crisis!” Clara agreed via email: “Reading Dolly Alderton’s article couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I read it hysterically laughing with tears dripping down my face. This year has been a funny year – I’ve moved away from my family to start a new job, my fiancé left me two days before our wedding and even my pet dog is sufering with various health issues. When things got really bad, I went on holiday to my dad’s house in the country. Boxsets, good meals and dog walks managed to get me through. Life goes on. Thank you to Dolly – her article really helped me through a diicult time in my life.”
@MumWantsSleep: Totally loved Lessons from my teenage self by @elizabday in this month’s @RedMagDaily. Beautifully written and inspiring. @FrancescaHornak: Great interview with Jilly Cooper by @Natashalunn in October’s A side order of @RedMagDaily. Red (from left): @SophieMilliken1: @laura_cuckoopr, Learnt lots about @3girls_andme, @lisaerinwoodson @SadiqKhan in this
Our mail of the month wins a Liz Earle goodie bag worth £94, packed with award-winning botanical beauty products including Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (100ml), Instant Boost Skin Tonic (200ml) and Skin Repair Moisturiser (50ml) – refreshed and revitalised skin just got easy. This month’s star-letter prize goes to Alexa Collins, mentioned in Guilty pleasure? There’s no such thing 32 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
month’s @RedMagDaily. Great explanation of #feminism and some fab ideas to benefit #London. WRITE TO:
Red, 33 Broadwick Street, London W1F 0DQ Email: red@redmagazine.co.uk Tweet us: @RedMagDaily Comment: Redonline.co.uk Like us: Facebook.com/ RedMagazine RED ’S AWARDS BEST PRACTICAL GUIDE TO FRAGRANCE (Kim Parker) Jasmine Awards 2016 MARKS & SPENCER FOOD PORTRAITURE AWARD 2015 (Jonathan
Gregson) Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards 2015 JASMINE SOUNDBITE: MAGAZINES (Annabel Meggeson) Jasmine Awards 2015 BEST MONTHLY CONSUMER MAGAZINE JOURNALIST & JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
(Annabel Meggeson) Johnson & Johnson Skincare Journalism Awards 2014 BEST JOURNALISM: BEAUTY
(Annabel Meggeson and Rosie Green) & BEST LAYOUT: BEAUTY (Annabel Meggeson and Haley Austin) P&G Beauty & Grooming Awards 2013 BEST DIGITAL FRAGRANCE EXPERIENCE (Annabel
Meggeson) The Jasmine Awards 2012 CONSUMER MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR PPA Awards 2011
PHOTOGRAPH PIP
If you have any news, views or issues you’d like to see covered, we’d love to hear from you
Style
Edited by OONAGH BRENNAN
The
little
BLACK
SHOE
We’ve done our research, and here it is – drum roll – your ultimate disco-dancing accessory: Russell & Bromley’s spectacular, be-ribboned heel. Really, no other shoe compares. It has this season’s statuesque block heel that has been conveniently designed to refract festive lights, and the velvet Mary Jane shape is luxurious and playful in equal measure – perfect for wide trousers and flippy dresses alike. As if that wasn’t enough, the price is reassuringly attainable. This just might be your Christmas wish come true…
STYLING SOPHIE HOOPER. ART DIRECTION ZUKI TURNER. FABRIC, £110 PER METRE, HOUSE OF HACKNEY
Photograph VICTORIA LING
Velvet shoes, £255, Russell & Bromley
For the best party-shoe edit, go to REDONLINE.CO.UK
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 35
STYLE LUXE BALL Earrings, £125, Kate Spade New York
Ring, £70, Trollbeads
Earrings, £12, Accessorize
Ele Sab A/W 16
Go all-out opulent. Fairy-tale feathers, floor-length gowns and lashings of embellishment make the perfect ingredients.
Dress, £130, Asos.com
SHOPPING Bag, £60, Debenhams
THE PARTY STARTS HERE… Bangle, £7.99, H&M
Shoes, £35, Dorothy Perkins
Cape, £185; dress, £325, both Needle & Thread at Harrods
Shoes, £450, Tabitha Simmons
Earrings, £119, Shourouk at Amazon Fashion
Jacket, £149, Monsoon
FROM SEQUINS AND LACE TO A LUXE TUX AND TRACK PANTS, THESE ARE THE NEW PARTY DRESS CODES
OPI Nail Lacquer in Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around, £12.50
Edior’s tip
Style tip
Skirt, £60, Asos.com
Add layers of glamour and throw a cropped feather jacket over the shoulders of a lace gown
Headband, £120, Emily London
Shoes, £595, Jimmy Choo
Try the new colour combo: olive, lilac and rich burgundy
Dress, £2,690, Jenny Packham »
Bag, £2,105, Roberto Cavalli DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 37
Earrings, £345, Oscar De La Renta at Net-a-porter.com
Jacket, £420, Claudie Pierlot
STYLE
HOUSE PARTY Use metallics and glitter to give your of-duty wardrobe a dose of festive fizz.
Jumper, £110, Jaeger at John Lewis
Top, £65 , Etre Cécile
Jacket, £129, Boden
Style tip
Bracelet, £60, APC
Pair a simple cashmere sweater with a statement skirt for a relaxed take on party dressing
Style tip
Tracksuit trousers plus a glitter jacket = street couture
Skirt, £120, DKNY at Theoutnet.com Boots, £89.99, Mango
Bag, £950, Saint Laurent
Boots, £120, Dune
Trousers, £240, Elizabeth And James at Net-a-porter.com Shoes, £260, Sandro
Jacket, £175, Jaeger
Jumper, £175, Fleur B Trainers, £150, La Portegna Jeans, £185, AG Jeans
Earrings, £88, Edge Of Ember » Bag, £98, Jigsaw
Shirt, £225, By Malene Birger
Skirt, £235, Agnès B Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Red Carpet Red, £23
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 39
Earrings, £125, Thomas Sabo
Necklace, £69, Swarovski
Necklace, £59, Swarovski
NEW FORMAL Give classic black and midnight blue a chic French twist with pastel pink and pearls.
Bianca Jagger
Skirt, £1,595, Alice + Olivia at Net-a-porter.com
Watch, £4,325, Chanel at Ernest Jones
Albera Ferretti A/W 16
STYLE
Dress, £275, Perseverance
STAR BUY Bag, £87, Pinko at Harrods
Trousers, Dress, £95, £895, Mulberry Asos.com Shoes, £260, Claudie Pierlot at Harrods
Trousers, £284, Frame Top, £29.50, Limited Edition at Marks & Spencer
VINTAGE SPIRIT
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Féminin Pluriel EDP, £120 for 70ml at Net-a-porter. com
Famed for its unique, stylish children’s clothes, Caramel, the brand dreamt up at founder Eva Karayiannis’s kitchen table in 1999, has finally extended its fabulous fashion ofering to grown-ups. Karayiannis felt there was a gap between high-street and high-end fashion, so wanted to ofer “easy-to-wear pieces that could be styled up or down, that fit diferent body shapes and appeal to all ages”. Expect a vintage-inspired winter collection bursting with wallpaper patterns and romantic detailing. Find it at Caramel-shop.co.uk
Ring, £70, Pandora Jacket, £498, Frame
Style tip
The reworked tux has a slouchy cut in deep velvet. Wear with pink heels »
Dress, £450, Caramel Shoes, £69, Topshop
40 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
STYLE
Earrings, £300 for set, Fendi
Set of three rings, £17, Accessorize
COCKTAIL HOUR After-dark drinks call for clashing patterns, rules and chandelier earrings. Go as bold as you dare.
Ear cuf, £30, Maria Francesca Pepe
Dress, £1,280, Zimmermann at Net-a-porter.com
Earrings, £55, Uterqüe
Pyjamas, £34, Topshop
Kate Bosorth
Bag, £225, Furla at Veryexclusive.co.uk
Style tip
It’s okay to party in your PJs – just make sure they’re silk and in sumptuous patterns
Top, £69, Monsoon
Jacket, £68, Next
Earrings, £6.99, H&M
Ballet shoes, around £100, Ballet Beautiful
Style tip
Buy a pair of ankle-tie satin ballet shoes and wear them with a full maxi-skirt Shoes, £620, Marco De Vincenzo
Dress, £275, Self-Portrait at Harrods
42 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Skirt, £435, MSGM at Fenwick
Trousers, £69, Monsoon
For our best party-dress edit, go to REDONLINE.CO.UK
COMPILED BY OONAGH BRENNAN. PHOTOGRAPHS IMAXTREE, GETTY IMAGES
Bag, £979, Dsquared2
Dress, £1,975, Noir Sachin & Babi at Harvey Nichols. Choker, £61, Geraldine Larkin. Shoes, £1,250, Jimmy Choo
PARTY PEOPLE
ALL
dressed …AND READY TO GO. THREE STYLISH WOMEN SHARE THEIR PERSONAL TAKE ON PARTY DRESSING (AND WE’VE FOUND THE PERFECT PIECES TO COMPLETE THE LOOK) Photographs PHILL TAYLOR Styling MOUCHETTE BELL
44 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
UP…
Shoes, £525, Miu Miu at Matchesfashion.com
STYLE
Ring, £150, Etro at Net-a-porter.com
Dress, £665, Alice And Olivia at Harvey Nichols. Headband, £595, Dolce & Gabbana at Matchesfashion.com. Shoes, £1,250, Jimmy Choo
Bag, £39.99, Zara
Dress, £230, La Double J
SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR, SINGER I love getting ready to go out – I’ve often found that it’s better than the night itself. Any excuse to get the sparkly eyeshadows Bobbi out and have fun with some party dresses, and I’m happy. I’m not a planner; I wait and Brown Ultra Fine see how I feel on the day. Even when I’m Eye doing a TV performance, say, I’ll decide Liner Brush, at the last moment. This can result in a terrible bedroom mess; shoes and handbags £22.50 end up everywhere, because I’m just not desperately organised in that respect. I love vintage clothes, and if I’m of to a party, I’ll go for something with some character. My ideal party dress would be a ’60s mini in a slightly crazy print – nothing too fussy, or that requires the use of special underwear. I want to zip up and go. I buy a lot on Ebay and Etsy, and I don’t spend more than about £40 a pop. There’s a thrill in finding a cheap gem. I love the idea that these dresses have had a life before me, and that they’ll have a life after, too. I often loan out my dresses. My friend Ruth wore my Take Me Home jewelled Moschino dress to her university ball. It makes me happy because otherwise all these lovely things are just sitting there gathering dust. My party shoes need to be comfortable enough to dance in; I love an Audrey Hepburn-style low, sparkly heel. Good shoes definitely elevate a cheap dress. And I need a bag that looks small but can actually hold tons of stuf. I’m someone who, even though I probably won’t even touch it, needs to take her entire make-up bag with her, just in case. »
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, £19 DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 45
STYLE
Earrings, £210, Rosantica at Net-a-porter.com
Cuf, £485, Serefim
Jumpsuit, £145, Uterqüe
Dress, £2,295, Temperley London. Earrings, price on request, Chaumet
ANOUSHKA SHANKAR, MUSICIAN My Cinderella party moment was when my husband [director Joe Wright] and I were dating and I’d flown into London for his first premiere. I arrived from LA, where I’d been doing a show, and had nothing to wear. Waiting in our hotel room were three dresses to choose between. It was such a fantasy; his thoughtfulness was so touching. Having said that, I don’t particularly enjoy the red carpet because when I have to look impeccable, as soon as that kind of perfectionism creeps in, nothing feels right. I’d always prefer to be in my velvet slipper
flats, out for dinner with friends, or at a party in a traditional Indian two-piece. I’ve also been wearing jumpsuits for parties; I used to think they weren’t enough, but now I find that they are really powerful. I guess that’s the thing about eveningwear: it’s good to try something new. My Christmas party-dressing advice: find pieces that are a nicer version of what you’d normally wear – so more luxe fabrics and detailing. In terms of getting ready, if I can engineer the time, it’s a luxury. But with two small kids, planning is essential if I want to get out of the house on time. »
Shoes, £160, Taschka
Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick in Cherry Red, £20 at John Lewis
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 47
STYLE
Jacket, £149, Monsoon
Boots, £665, Stuart Weitzman
Shoes, £49, Topshop 48 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Playsuit, £367, Pinko. Earrings, price on request, Annoushka. Shoes, £795, Christian Louboutin
SOPHIE’S HAIR BEN COOKE AT FRANK AGENCY. ANOUSHKA’S HAIR SHUKEEL MURTAZA AT UNTITLED ARTISTS. MAKE-UP LINDSEY POOLE AT UNTITLED ARTISTS, USING SYNTHETIC DE CHANEL AND SUBLIMAGE LE TEINT. STYLIST’S ASSISTANT ANISHA PARBHAKAR-BROWN
Ring, £204, Carat London
Dress, £2,760, Razan Alazzouni. Shoes, £995, Jimmy Choo
HELEN GEORGE, ACTRESS I’m definitely not a less-is-more type of girl – I would rather be overdressed, every time. I didn’t have money to spend on clothes growing up, so when I was a student I had to be inventive, which has left me with an eclectic sense of style. I love sequins, anything that glitters and fluf. I suppose I dress like the 12-year-old I always wanted to be. I plan outfits weeks in advance and drive my stylist mad. I love being a diferent type of character every time I go out: my friends afectionately call me Barbie – Dog-walking Barbie, Holiday Barbie, ’80s Barbie, the list is endless. One of my most memorable dress-up moments has to be my first BAFTAs. Call The Midwife was up for an award, and I was presenting. I wore a lace Alberta Ferretti gown and it felt like a dream. My worst is a last-minute panic; when I’m frazzled, I end up feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious for the rest of the night. The right, well-planned party dress makes me feel fun, sexy and confident. I enjoy being tall, so mega shoes are a must. I’ve got some amazing thighhigh Stuart Weitzman black boots. They’re fierce, and I never completely know when it is appropriate to wear them, but I wear them anyway and hope for the best.
STYLE
Velvet GOLDMINE Photograph VICTORIA LING
It’s not often one can legitimately nod to royalty. So when velvet comes along with nuggets of emerald, sapphire and ruby, it’s worth doing one’s duty and getting involved. These accessories feel just as at home in oices and dinner parties as they do in exuberant palaces. Try Miu Miu’s heavily embellished Mary Janes with your daytime denim, or Lanvin’s oxblood cross-body over your trench, and unleash your inner sovereign – no curtsies required.
Bag, £940, Lanvin at Matches fashion.com
WORDS ALICE OLINS. STYLING SOPHIE HOOPER
Shoes, £460, Jil Sander at Net-a-porter.com
Shoes, £690, Miu Miu at Net-a-porter.com Earrings, £195, Anna E Alex at Liberty
To see our velvet accessories edit, go to REDONLINE.CO.UK
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 51
MASTER MIX Who says life needs no extra adornment? Create the maximalist mood with pieces that pop. Think big. Think bright Earrings, £50; necklace (brown), £75, both Toolally. Necklace (lilac), £59.50, J Crew. Brooch (left), £475, Chanel. Brooch, £40, Tatty Devine. Jumper, price on request, Miu Miu. Hair bobble, stylist’s own
ACCESSORIES
PILE IT ON, STACK IT HIGH BOLD BAUBLES FOR GIFTING OR ADORNING YOUR GOOD SELF Photographs ALEX EDWARDS Styling LAUREN T FRANKS
54 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
STYLE GILDED PLEASURE Forget Coco Chanel’s minimalist rule. Layers of pearls, diamonds and gold will elevate your look to another level. More, more, more Headbands, from £195, all Jennifer Behr at Net-a-porter.com. Earrings, around £820, Percossi Papi. Necklace, £138, J Crew. Brooch (gold), £110, Marc Jacobs at Net-a-porter.com. Bracelet, around £115; brooch (silver, near bracelet), around £16, both Anton Heunis. Rings (hand by shoulder) FROM TOP: £745, Alex Monroe; £110, Astley Clarke; £29.90, Lola and Grace. Rings (other hand) FROM TOP: £1,040, Alex Monroe; from £190, all Zoe & Morgan. Dress, £100, Topshop
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 55
STYLE SHE’S ECLECTIC Bijoux brooches and armfuls of bracelets – this is a look that’s boldly artistic. The only rule is anything goes Hair pin, £108, Nocturne. Earrings, £6.99, H&M. Necklaces FROM TOP: £1,100, Gucci at Browns; £138, J Crew. Brooches CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: £45, Gillian Horsup; £19, & Other Stories; £135, Nocturne. Bracelets, from £65, both Nocturne. Watch, £7,650, Hermès. Rings FROM LEFT: £110, Soru Jewellery; £8, Accessorize; £25, & Other Stories; £430 (just seen), Bee Goddess at Harrods. Dress, £995, Paul Smith Models Emily Meuleman at Elite London, Amba Reohorn at Select and Nur Hellmann at Viva Model Management. Hair Bjorn Krischker at Frank Agency, using Bumble and Bumble and Beauty Works. Make-up Rebecca Muir, using Nars. Nails Joanna Newbold at ERA Management, using Nars. Stylist’s assistants Gabriella Minchella, Anisha Parbhakar-Brown. Hair stylist’s assistant Michael Eckel. Make-up artist’s assistant Samantha Ariano. Location thanks to Spring Studios
56 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
STYLE
JEWELLERY NEWS Necklace, from a selection, Jean Schlumberger for Tifany & Co
BELOW: ‘3D paintings’ by Robert Rauschenberg for Tifany & Co
A GEM OF AN EXHIBITION by KIM PARKER
Brooch, from a selection, Jean Schlumberger for Tifany & Co
3 BEST… STATEMENT PIECES FOR PARTY SEASON ( just add an LBD) The cocktail ring: £3,800, Daou Jewellery
The haute choker: £855, The Lanvin at Matchesfashion.com chandelier earrings: £645, Dolce & Gabbana at Net-aporter.com
60 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
TIME TO GET SMART
Wrist party getting a little crowded? Michael Kors’ chic new range of smart watches may just be the answer. As well as being good-looking timepieces, they come fully loaded with all the high-tech wizardry of modern fitness trackers and can be digitally connected to your phone to receive all your social-media updates and email and text alerts, too. Plus, they have fully customisable faces and backgrounds, which you can even set to change with the time of day. It’s wearable tech we’ll actually want to wear. How smart is that?
Watches, from £329, Michael Kors
Keep an eye out from 14th December for exciting news from Red, Tifany & Co and Tate, at REDONLINE.CO.UK
ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG PHOTOGRAPHS: VIRGINIA ROEHL STUDIO, TIFFANY ARCHIVES, BED (1955): THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK/SCALA, FLORENCE/COURTESY TATE MODERN
Ring, £2,650, Tifany & Co
Fashion has long had a love afair with art, and this month sees the opening of the most exciting retrospective of Robert Rauschenberg (America’s modern master) in Britain for 35 years, supported by Tifany & Co. Endlessly curious across a 60-year career, Rauschenberg applied his genius to everything from paintings to sheets to stufed goats, a precursor to the likes of Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst. His association with Tifany began in the late ’50s with his ‘3D paintings’ for its Fifth Avenue storefront, from earrings in a giant spider’s web to a bracelet on a miniature road. Now Tifany is helping bring the artist’s work to London’s Tate Modern, from 1st December until 2nd April. If RIGHT: you treat yourself to one thing this Christmas Rauschenberg’s (aside from something sparkly like these Jean Bed (1955), Schlumberger for Tifany & Co gems), make it part of the Tate a trip to this artistic wonderland. Tate.org.uk Modern show
Linisy Montero
IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE
RED, THE JANUARY ISSUE, ON SALE 6TH DECEMBER 62 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
PHOTOGRAPHS IMAXTREE, GETTY IMAGES
DREAM TRAVEL DESTINATIONS: OUR BEST OF THE BEST
Versace A/W 16
50 NEW PRODUCTS WE NOW CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
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RED BEAUTY AWARDS
LIFE’S ROSIE ROSIE GREEN
To my dear Alpha Male... Respect the wrapping laws, step away from the sausages and know when to keep schtum: our columnist draws up a household Christmas charter
ILLUSTRATION BETT NORRIS. PHOTOGRAPH JESS REFTEL EVANS AND MARTIN REFTEL. HAIR AND MAKE-UP LINDSEY POOLE
1ST DECEMBER. THE DATE WHEN SANITY IS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED. WHY? Because from
the box of chocolates I keep for panic gifting. Because yes, I do think that when Auntie Vera opened her Bendicks right now EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE SPECIAL. last year, she knew there were originally two layers. 3) If you are taking a family photo for posterity, please Christmas special. The house needs to smell of alpine (subtly) ensure all new, by which I mean sub-one-decade, forests (not guinea pig), be hung with fairy lights in partners are put on the outer edges so they can be cropped just the right kind of white and populated by cherubic out should their relationship with a family member end. children dressed beautifully in a muted grey palette. 4) Respect the wrapping laws. Should you be charged with It won’t. Which is always somewhat stress-inducing. present wrapping, on no account should the paper be stuck As Alpha Male thinks December is like any old month with Sellotape to the actual present (srsly!). Do not wrap except he gets a long break at the end (!), we are somewhat my present in paper I bought (doubly insulting if you at odds. So this year I am creating an MMOU (Michaelmas finish the roll). And if wrapping the kids’ stuf, remember Memorandum Of Understanding) to advance his that even an eight-year-old will think it is too much of understanding of my (okay, not entirely rational) Noel-isms. 1) Appreciate the challenges of high-density living. As a coincidence that Father Christmas purchases the same guests descend on Christmas Eve, the house slowly fills multi-buy variety at John Lewis. Oh, and if the paper won’t up until the kids are four to a room and the living room quite stretch around your mum’s present, it’s not okay looks like a backpackers’ pad in Earl’s Court. This is to fill the gap in with an auxiliary bit of paper. 5) Leave things unsaid. You correctly anticipated entirely my fault (I’m all about a full-on family fairy lights wouldn’t work? The Christmas Noel), but that doesn’t mean I won’t, at some “Last year thedinner is colder than Jolie/Pitt relations and stage, experience a visible-from-space mincemeat was the turkey drier than Lohan’s mouth meltdown. I will go to the toilet, lock the door and make throttling gestures consumed from post-bender? This does not need to be verbalised. Unless, of course, it is by me. in the mirror while stamping my feet. the jar, in the In which case, make conciliatory noises. At this time please do not (repeatedly manner of Here’s hoping this insight into my frayed and increasingly loudly) ask me the Winnie The festive mind will aid spousal relations. whereabouts of the slotted spoon. Perhaps the MMOU needs a contribution Sometimes I will save up multitudinous Pooh” from AM. One that introduces me to the joy of frustrations until bedtime, when I will whisper watching endless episodes of The World’s furiously about trivial matters. NB: Strongest Man and appreciating the Here lip-reading may be required Christmas tree’s 45-degree angle and answers must be both as ‘characterful’. Perhaps it might forthcoming and at a low decibel nudge me out of my perfection level. It is not appropriate to fall obsession and into a horizontal asleep until discussions are over. 2) Do not eat all the sausages position on the sofa. wrapped in bacon before they And from there I’ll admire reach the table (it has happened the kids in their Minecraft before). Or the Fortnum’s mincemeat T-shirts, scof contraband I’ve bought to make mince pies. (Last year chocolate and relax in the comforting mincemeat was consumed raw, from the aroma of Join the conversation jar, post-pub, in the manner of Winnie cochon @RosieGreenBQ The Pooh and the honey pot.) Or d’Inde… @RedMagDaily
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 63
GUEST SPEAKER JENNY COLG AN
People-pleasing? I’m over it
After years of trying to make Christmas perfect for everyone, this year Jenny Colgan is adopting a more relaxed approach
still won’t please everyone, and you certainly won’t please yourself. Just as absolutely nothing is fun for all the family, Christmas cannot work for everyone and that is that. Even and the turkey is delicious, not dry, it is – I have discovered if you’d made everything unutterably perfect for absolutely – a fantasy. Even if, like me, you run yourself ragged everyone, I bet you one Heston Blumenthal exploding trying to please people, it rarely ends in festive harmony. dessert that you’d still have a relative who would pick Take last year, for example. My brothers were away, so holes in an angel for having their wings too feathery. my father would be alone at Christmas; My advice? Please yourself. and my husband was working in Everyone’s happiest childhood France, also set to spend it solo. memories of Christmas are diferent A sensible person would pick a team (and everyone else’s, obviously, are and stick with it, but I, dear reader, am wrong), so start again from scratch. an idiot. I checked flights and, hey Do the bare minimum. presto! My children and I could see my I remember the year we’d accidentally father in west Scotland in the morning, had another baby and were in no fit then catch a flight to France (via state to socialise, so we went to a Schiphol Airport because, surprisingly, restaurant for Christmas dinner and there are no direct flights from came back to a spotless flat with Prestwick to Nice) and have a joyful nobody else in it. It was brilliant, but reunion with my beloved. Everyone I recall my mother’s sharp intake of would be happy, and I would bask in breath when she heard what we’d done. festive organisational glory, right? Convinced only the unloved go to “I REALISED Wrong. Until you have spent six hours restaurants at Christmas, she was appalled. I’d given one in Schiphol Airport on Christmas Day, This year, we are staying indoors and CHILD a gift staring at closed shops and glumly doing very little. Everyone is welcome, but drinking beer, you may never complain they should know that standards will be another about Christmas again. Let’s just say relaxed, pyjamas may be worn all day, and BITTERLY our short stopover in Schiphol turned out they are not allowed to count the Marks & coveted” to be… well, not that short. Spencer food packets in the bin. I am going As I watched an airport stafer wax the floor, to please myself, which means reading all the I longed to be having a pointless political argument books I’ve received from Santa and playing with my with my American uncle. Or sitting in a stufy living daughter’s new felt tips, rather than basting a turkey or room. Or glancing at the children with a sinking feeling as schlepping across the country (or, indeed, countries). I realised I’d given one child a gift another bitterly coveted. That’s the plan, despite a recent proclamation from I missed every single snobby remark about my my eldest: “You know last Christmas? In the airport?” shop-bought red cabbage and everyone groaning when he said, the little ones hanging on to his every word. I suggested playing a board game instead of collapsing “That was brilliant. Best Christmas ever.” in a tipsy stupor in front of the ITV movie. “I wore my reindeer suit and did running on the When we finally reached France – exhausted, miserable fast running track!” agreed the little one. and crumpled – we did so to a reheated Christmas lunch “We got to drink Coke,” nodded the middle one nobody wanted and a grumpy husband who’d had to find sagely. “We asked, and you said, ‘Sure, whatever.’ a cab to the airport at 10.30pm on Christmas night. Can we do that again?” Join the conversation Christmas At Little Beach Street Bakery @jennycolgan So, heed me! I am the ghost of Christmas past and I am by Jenny Colgan (Sphere, £12.99) telling you: Stop. You can travel across countries and you @RedMagDaily
66 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
PHOTOGRAPH DAVID LOFTUS
WHILE IT’S NICE TO IMAGINE A CHRISTMAS DAY WHERE THE CHILDREN ARE PINK-CHEEKED AND GRATEFUL, the in-laws get on
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DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 67
CHRISTMAS WITH FEARNE & JAMIE
FROM CELEBRITY PALS TO KITCHEN COMPANIONS, FEARNE COTTON AND JAMIE OLIVER TALK FAMILY, FOOD AND FESTIVITIES WITH PIP McCORMAC » Photographs DAVID GUBERT Styling NICOLA ROSE
PROFILE
Fearne wears: Dress, £1,995, Huishan Zhang. Earrings, £265, JW Anderson at Liberty Jamie wears: Suit, £2,500 (made to order), Nick Tentis. Shirt, £240, Gucci at Browns. Tie, £125, Dior Homme
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 71
Dress, £600, Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini
72 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
PROFILE
earne Cotton and Jamie Oliver big eras in their lives, on the cusp of brand-new moods. are catching up. Around them You can hear it in the way they talk, their mannerisms. Christmas balloons float, Red’s vast For Cotton, who smiles a lot, sits still and allows others photographic crew tinkers loudly to work around her, it’s about finding peace, recognising with lights, a DJ plays Balearic happiness, quietening down – the symbolism behind house (to keep the team’s energy leaving Radio 1, home of youth and partying, for stints up, and to get Cotton ready for the on the more grown-up and settled Radio 2 is not lost on Ibizan holiday she’s about to take) her. Meanwhile Oliver, pacing the room, seems to have and a member of Oliver’s team is moved into his Radio 4 phase – agitated with current polishing a pomegranate. But in afairs and often disgruntled, he’s keener than ever to the middle of the chaos, coolly engage with society and to strive for social change. and calmly, Cotton and Oliver are “I’m not that happy-go-lucky Naked Chef any more,” talking baby names, for it’s a week he says, staring out of the window with his back to the before Oliver and his wife Jools’s fifth child is to be born room, looking perhaps at a future only he can see, filled and Oliver is predicting it will be called something with his soon-to-be-five kids and a nation saved from unusual (he’s right – his son arrived into the world as the evils of fizzy drinks. “I’m 41 now and although I feel River Rocket Oliver). “This one [’s name] is gonna have in a good place, I didn’t like 40. In fact, I hated it. I’m some crazy stuf in it,” Oliver says. not normally a worrier but I was sorting “I mean look at what we’ve got out a lot of housekeeping at work. I had already.” He stumbles over the middle 28 businesses, 8,000 staf and I just names of Poppy, 14, (they’re Honey thought, ‘Fucking hell, really?’ I wasn’t and Rosie), before listing Daisy Boo happy.” And so he streamlined, taking Pamela, 12, Petal Blossom Rainbow, control of his empire and cutting down to seven and Buddy Bear Maurice, six. the five businesses he cared most about, Cotton nods sagely, taking the focusing instead on what brought him joy. showbizzy-ness of the names in “Which is cooking. And holidays and her stride. “And how’s Jools?” families. The things that are important.” For Red’s cover stars have been It’s a total gear shift from when I last friends for ages, and this is just another interviewed him two years ago, when he day in the life of two 20-year careers, seemed tired but unsure of where to make and another chance to hang out. big changes, thinking vaguely about “I wish I could remember our first tackling child obesity (he went on to meeting but I’ve sort of seen him at persuade George Osborne to introduce JAMIE ON FEARNE events and kept in touch with him for a tax on sugary drinks). Now he tells years. Predominantly I’m just a huge fan,” Cotton, 35, told me gleefully about his #BuggerOfBoris campaign on me while getting her hair and make-up done earlier (her Instagram (“My mum wasn’t very happy, she loves un-made-up skin is flawless, by the way, luminescent and Boris and she wanted out [of the EU]”) and how he’s rested-looking, despite her revealing cofee is the only looking forward to trying to work with Theresa May thing that keeps her eyes open). “Fearne’s a good’un, to further tackle obesity – though following recent we broke at the same time,” Oliver jumps in. “She was events, he has since told The Times how “the prime a teenage talent, I was 23, and I’ve known her all my minister has let British children down” with her new celebrity life, going down the red carpet, popping up strategy that has reversed plans to curb advertising on T4.” Most recently, they teamed up for an episode of and drop restrictions on food companies. “Everything Jamie And Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast where Cotton about it stinks of ‘we don’t care’.” made fish tacos from her new book, Cook Happy, Cook And, of course, back then, he said he didn’t want any Healthy, of which Oliver tells me, “She cooks good”. more kids, even as Jools told me she wanted twins. So Christmas is a time to look back, reflect and then move how did she convince him? “She just did that thing, you forward, and Cotton and Oliver both seem at the end of know, the magic spell. I was quite surprised she wanted »
“WE BROKE AT THE SAME TIME. SHE WAS A TEENAGE TALENT, I WAS 23, AND I’VE KNOWN HER ALL MY CELEBRITY LIFE”
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 73
JAMIE WEARS: SUIT, AS BEFORE. SOCKS, £15, SCALPERS. SHOES, £199, OLIVER SWEENEY
PROFILE
“I’M INTO GETTING THE FAMILY OVER, HAVING EVERYONE IN OUR BARN FOR LUNCH. BUT, I MIGHT TAKE THEM ALL TO HAWAII THIS » CHRISTMAS” JAMIE
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 75
PROFILE to go again if I’m honest with you. She clearly was really passionate about it. I think in a relationship you’ve got to put up with diferent things and she’s a great mum and she’s made that her career really.” He pauses, looks at me resignedly. “I think we’re done now.” Cotton feels similarly clear in her focus. “For the first time, probably in life, I really get what makes me happy and it’s not stuf that requires a vast amount of efort, just really simple things,” she says. “Like being with the kids and with Jesse [Wood, her husband] and doing jobs we enjoy. I’m writing a book at the moment about happiness and I’ve done a whole section about looking back at mistakes you’ve made, or things you’ve done that didn’t feel authentic to you. And I think most of the time when I was out clubbing or at industry events, I was thinking ‘God, I wish I was at home.’ Even if I was looking like I was having the best time out ever, I’m a real homebody by nature and that period of my life was more about trying to feel like I belonged to a gang of people.”
W
hile Oliver prowls, Cotton radiates a beatific serenity in lived-in Mint Velvet jeans, and an H&M peasant-style top, Dress, at ease, happy to chat with me about £1,295, restaurant recommendations, to see Victoria Beckham pictures of the stylist’s daughter and wave to her on Skype. She says she felt ready to leave Radio 1 because she wasn’t going out to gigs and covering the bands her listeners wanted to hear. “I was just pregnant and eating cheese instead.” I ask what marked the change in outlook – was it meeting Wood that settled her, or was she already taking a step back? physically damaging. Whereas now “I think naturally later in life you actually I can be quite happy without having [to just go, ‘I’m really happy being me.’ achieve anything specific]. Just by being Everything gets much simpler and you cool with being me and being a mum.” strive for less and want to feel balanced Wood – now sober after struggling and calm. It narrows down your vision with substance abuse in the past – has because you don’t have to be reaching helped in setting up a calm home life. out for all the stuf that you don’t really “The best thing is having good people need. You have to have a period in your around you, building a community who life where you experience the good, the you can share things with. Jesse is great bad and the ugly and then you get to a at understanding what state I’m in place where you can be at peace with because he’s had a really bizarre, most of it.” She speaks as someone who extreme life. He lost his mum when he has previously said her happiness had was young and that’s fast-tracked him been elusive. “Something I’ve had to to this place.” Wood’s mother, Krissy FEARNE watch is how I get sucked into a darker Findlay, died of an accidental overdose side of life.” Like depression? “It’s definitely been in in 2005 and his father is, of course, Rolling Stone Ronnie my life, put it that way, something that I’ve had to keep Wood. There’s a glowing lightness in the way Cotton a check on. And that’s why I keep everything very simple smiles when she talks about Wood. “He’s definitely been and comfortable because I know what works for me a huge part of me feeling how I feel today, because I’ve now. Whereas before I didn’t and that’s when I ended got a really good partner in crime who totally gets me. up pushing my own personal boundaries, searching [for We’re best mates.” happiness] in the wrong place. For me it was always For both Cotton and Oliver, Christmas is the time about overachieving, feeling like I had to do everything their communities really come together. “Because my and I had to succeed in my job, which was probably parents worked in a pub that was open every day except »
“MOST OF THE TIME WHEN I WAS OUT CLUBBING OR AT INDUSTRY EVENTS, I WAS THINKING ‘GOD, I WISH I WAS AT HOME’”
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 77
Christmas, it was the only time I ever got the two of them alone,” Oliver says. “So now I’m into the nostalgia of getting the family over, having everyone in our barn for lunch. But this time, I might take them all to Hawaii for Christmas. Very controversial.” I tell him he said that two years ago. “Did I? Well, Jools is not very adventurous, she doesn’t like travelling, she hates flying and she’s a real homey type. That’s partly why I love her to bits.”
C
otton is equally homey. “It’s usually at ours, with all our extended family from both sides. Jesse is the head chef as he’s the only one who can tell my mum what to do, because if I try, that is a Christmas Day argument that we don’t need. I’ll do the nut roast – Hemsley and Hemsley last year – and plop a bit of champs in a glass with some cranberries and agave. Sometimes Jesse’s dad comes, sometimes he doesn’t. He’s generally feel-good about most situations in life, so he gets pretty into the spirit of the day. He had a paper hat on the other year when he was round.” Does her side of the family not feel odd about having a Rolling Stone in their midst? “They’re so used to him just being Ronnie rather than it being ‘Him in a band’ that it doesn’t really factor into it. My mum and dad are certainly very unfazed. They’re kind of just like ‘Oh whatever, anything goes’.” Life at the Cottonwoods – as Cotton refers to it – is as hectic as ever, despite her calm approach. There is Arthur, 14, and Lola, 11, Wood’s two children from a previous relationship, as well as Rex, three, and Honey, one, his children with Cotton. What’s the trick to making the blended family work? “You know, it’s been five and
78 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
a half years, and we’re really into the swing of how our family dynamic works, as Jesse and I have worked really hard at that. The main thing is just communication with the kids and letting them know exactly what’s going on at all times. I’m not trying to be their mum. It’s a really weird thing to put your finger on being a stepmum, because you love them and you care for them and you’ve got this huge sense of responsibility, but it’s not me replacing their mum in any way when they’re at our house.” It does mean that Christmas Day is very child-focused though. “Which is great, adults love to see kids having fun on the day. And there are so many children and grandchildren now. Jesse’s dad has got his own babies now, too. He’s pretty busy with that, so we haven’t seen him as much recently because they’re still in the phase of getting used to having twins. But we do hang out with them a bit. And then Jesse’s stepmum, Jo FROM LEFT: [Wood], will come over Fearne Cotton and see the kids, and and Jesse Wood; Jesse’s sister has two kids, so we’ll The Oliver clan hang out with those guys.” Schedules promise to be no quieter for either Cotton or Oliver in the run-up to the big day. Shoot done, Oliver is back in his blue denim jacket and jeans, ready to go straight to filming for some more TV; Cotton is of to pack the whole family’s suitcases for Ibiza. I leave them chatting, promising to get together soon, Cotton telling Oliver to send Jools her love. There’s a festivity to both of them, an excitement that comes from knowing where you’re meant to be in life, and who you’re meant to share it with. The very spirit, perhaps, of Christmas. Cook Happy, Cook Healthy by Fearne Cotton (Orion Books, £20) and Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook by Jamie Oliver (Michael Joseph/ For Jamie and Penguin, £26). Fearne also Fearne’s Christmas presents Fearne On Fashion survival guides, visit on Huingtonpost.co.uk REDONLINE.CO.UK
HAIR TONY COLLINS AT EMMA DAVIES AGENCY. MAKE-UP SILVER BRAMHAM AT ART DEPARTMENT, USING MAC. NAILS JOANNA NEWBOLD AT ERA MANAGEMENT, USING NAILS INC. FOOD STYLING ABI FAWCETT AT JAMIE OLIVER. STYLIST’S ASSISTANT GABRIELLA MINCHELLA. HAIR STYLIST’S ASSISTANT BETTY BEE. FOOD STYLIST’S ASSISTANT SOPHIE MACKINNON AT JAMIE OLIVER. LOCATION THANKS TO AIRSPACE LOCATIONS. BALLOONS BUBBLEGUM BALLOONS. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES
PROFILE
Gift edit Edited by TANITA MONTGOMERY
THE
MOST magical TIME of year
Make sure you have plenty of HIDING PLACES around the house – this year’s HAND-PICKED gift guide is looking better than ever. For him, for her, the lucky little ones and the unexpected guests, take a WANDER around Red’s Christmas home… » Illustration NINA FUGA DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 81
GIFT EDIT Star decorations, £6 each, Monsoon Rocket crackers, £20 for a set of six, The White Company
Se tt he
HE HA T K copper and p old, eac g n i oc e kb n to
Porcelain stag, £29.50, Marks & Spencer
e lu
Nutcracker decoration, £25, House Of Fraser
Snowflake fan decoration, £8, The Conran Shop
S LL
DEC
L’Eclaireuse scented candle, £125, Fornasetti Profumi
Alphabet tree decorations, £4.50 each, Oliver Bonas
Star bauble wreath, £30, John Lewis
Pear ornament, £8, Sainsbury’s
Crackers, £12 for a set of six, John Lewis
Ring dish, £12, Fox & Lilly at Etsy
Paper trees, from £81.80 each, Broste Copenhagen
Hygge by Charlotte Abrahams, (Orion, £20)
Candle holder, £15, Marks & Spencer
Christmas Carols: From Village Green To Church Choir by Andrew Gant (Profile, £9.99)
Tray, £37, Rockett St George
Peacock feather wreath, £35, John Lewis Difuser set, £32, Biba at House Of Fraser
Candle, £45, Fortnum & Mason
Premium gin, £28, East London Liquor Company » DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 83
Diptyque advent calendar, £250
GIFT EDIT
Headband, £15, Her Curious Nature Ring, from £1,400, Loquet London
Ear cuf, £695, Annoushka
Pyjamas, £350, Olivia Von Halle
Watch, £145, Vitae London
E D B RO E H lux e l t Lit
uries for af ter d
Brooch, £345, Chanel
Necklace, £640, Gee Woods Jewellery
ar k
OM
The Quick Guide To Parenting by Laura Quick (Portico, £9.99)
IN T
Bra, £34; briefs, £22, both The White Company
Sisley Eau du Soir Limited Edition EDP, £183 for 100ml
Dressing gown, £285, Toast
Scarf, £59.50, J Crew
Herbivore Coco Rose Body Polish, £29 at Wood/Grey
Chanel No5 L’Eau Spray, £68 for 50ml Top, £175, Sandro
Clothing Art by Aileen Ribeiro (Yale University Press, £40)
Jo Malone Orange Bitters Cologne, £90 for 100ml Journal, £20, Kikki.K Shoes, £50, Cocorose London
Bag, £1,670, Chloé at Harrods Earrings, £80, Tada & Toy
84 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Eye mask and bag, £65, Olivia Von Halle
£26.99 for a year’s subscription, Redonline.co.uk/ christmastreat
Burberry Gold Glow Fragranced Luminising Powder, £45 »
Crackers, £50 for a pack of six, John Lewis
GIFT EDIT
Martini glasses, £75 for a set of two, Tom Dixon at John Lewis Charger, £29.99, Zara Home
Coasters, £79 for a set of four, Jonathan Adler at Harrods
Cake stand, £110, Tom Dixon Cheese knives, £39 for a set of four, Oliver Bonas
AT
make any home o t ha fts i pp G
Candle, £18, Candelle & Co at Notonthehigh street.com
y
Tumbler, £10, Oliver Bonas
T E A H B T
Kettle, £93, Smeg at QVC
LE
Fishers gin, £47, Harvey Nichols
Tray, £19, Oliver Bonas
Trules, £13.95, Charbonnel et Walker Chopping board, £30, Habitat
Belvedere RED limited-edition vodka, £38, Sainsbury’s
Low & Slow: Comfort Food For Cold Nights by Louise Franc (Smith Street Books, £20)
Port and stilton gift box, £58, Selfridges
Kettle, £325, Mauviel at Harrods
Fruit panettone, £18, Heal’s Le Comptoir de Mathilde chocolate lollipop, £4, The Conran Shop Kettle, £99.95, Haus
Cutlery, £180 for a 24-piece set, House Of Fraser
Christmas spiced biscuits, £5.95, Fortnum & Mason
Spice collection, £15, Ottolenghi Platter, £95, Oka »
THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS GIFT ? A VISIT TO THE ICONIC HARRODS GROT TO. FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A TICKE T (IT ’S ALREA DY SOLD OUT!), VISIT REDON LINE.C O.UK DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 87
GIFT EDIT
Sea salt chocolate, £6.50 for 70g, Mast
Bag, £895, Paul Smith
Card holder, £240, Thom Browne at Harrods
Lumix GX80 camera, £599.95, Panasonic at John Lewis
Trench coat, £1,295, Burberry
Urban Cycling by Laurent Belando, (Mitchell Beazley, £12.99)
im
ered cov
From cy clin gm an
th
THE
ement jackets, w t a t s e’v to eg s l o ua
OM
Fitbit Blaze watch, £160, House Of Fraser
E S M RO A G Speakers, £29.50, iQualTech at Amazon.co.uk
Headphones, £259, Master & Dynamic
Watch, £225, Coach
Socks, £17, Paul Smith Cofee liqueur, £39.50, Mr Black
Tom Ford Mandarino Di Amalfi EDP, £148 for 50ml
Scarf, £395, Burberry
Water bottle, £42, S’well at Thesports edit.com
Backgammon set, £50, John Lewis
Bowie A To Z: The Life Of An Icon by Steve Wide, illustrated by Libby Vaderploeg (Smith Street Books, £12.99)
A PERFECT FIT The best athleisure gifts for her Fitbit watch, £99, John Lewis
Trainers, £61, Skechers at QVC 88 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Top, £115, Rag & Bone at Mrporter.com
Water bottle, £25 each, Lululemon at Harrods Yoga mat, £45, Adidas by Stella McCartney at Net-a-porter.com
Grooming gift set, £25, The White Company
Nutribullet, £79.95, John Lewis Sports bra, £20; leggings, £48, both Victoria’s Secret »
GIFT EDIT Mobile, £45, Little Cloud Oskar Loves… by Britta Teckentrup (Prestel, £9.99)
Jigsaw puzzle, £12, Marks & Spencer
Ge
iles from est sm the g g i sm b al he t l t Sunglasses, £165, Dolce & Gabbana
Socks, £7, Foofou at Etsy
le eop tp es
TH
Y A R L O P E
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Build your own aeroplane, £6, Sainsbury’s
Safety helmet, £29.95, Micro Scooters
One Very Big Bear by Alice Brière-Haquet (Abrams Appleseed, £9.99)
Trinket dish, £9.50, Oliver Bonas
Slippers, £22.50, Boden Toy pizza, £12.95, Dotcomgiftshop
Skirt, £32, The White Company Sweatshirt, £45, Alex and Alexa
Wrapping paper, £2 per sheet, Roger la Borde
Soft toy, from £9, The White Company Teepee, £43, Smallable
PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES
Vilac Team One Balance bike, £88, Alex and Alexa
Toy drum, £29, Hip Little People Pull-along toy, £11.70, Djeco at Smallable
Colouring pencils, £2.95, Dotcomgiftshop
Gift experences for grown-ups COFFEE DELIVERY Treat the
cafeine lover in your life to a gift subscription of cofees. With weekly and monthly delivery options, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Monthly subscriptions from £10; Workshop cofee.com
CALLIGRAPHY CLASS From
beginners to improvers, these courses focus on modern calligraphy techniques. Ideal for writing next year’s gift tags. Courses from £54; Quilllondon.com
TATE MEMBERSHIP For a slice of culture, pop a Tate Membership under the tree. Presented in a collectable gift box, you can get free access to all four galleries. From £70; Tate.org.uk/ members
Headphones, £35, Urban Outfitters »
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 93
GIFT EDIT Hair grips, £5 for three, Monki
Lit sign, £60, House Of Fraser
Watch, £38, Swatch
D E E N H T
Headphones, from £179.99, Frends at Selfridges
hen they’re livin’ w r in a teenage dr Fo eam
Notebooks, £14.99 for 10, Chronicle Books Telescope, £479, Shop.rmg.co.uk
Cushion, £55, Yonder Living
Pot, £40, Pentreath & Hall
Jumper, £55, Cheap Monday
Sign, £18, Debenhams
Skateboard, £111.50, Smallable
Ornament, £15, Very. co.uk
Clock, £65, Alessi
Phone case, £20, John Lewis Decoration, £17.95, Harrods Pencil set, £14.95, Ted Baker at Wild & Wolf Wireless speaker, £95, Lexon at House Of Fraser
Backpack, £29.99, Mi-Pac
BOOKS FOR TEENS
Loulou The Pug: A Book By Meet The Pugs (Hardy Grant, £8.99)
Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen (Chronicle, £12.99)
Photobox: The Essential Collection – 250 Images You Need To See by Roberto Koch and Alessia Tagliaventi (Thames and Hudson, £14.95)
Collage Carnival by Lizzie Lees (Batsford, £12.99)
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: The Original Screeplay by JK Rowling (Little, Brown, £16.99) » DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 95
GIFT EDIT Quill bookmark, £12, Tom Dixon
Umbrella, £14, Fulton Umbrellas
Cuf, £85, Stella & Dot
Headphones, £875, Dolce & Gabbana at Mytheresa.com
Jewelled bug clips, £44.95 for a set of three, Joanna Buchanan at Harrods
Hair clip, £30, Butler & Wilson at QVC
Penhaligon’s The Coveted Duchess Rose EDP, £178 for 75ml
T E R G C A E s nder wo
Coasters, £78 for a set of four, Oka
Earrings, £70, Kate Spade New York
EN RD
so ur eye n these o y bo t ta as e n F
l ica
THE S
Sweet fig candle, £34, Wood/Grey
William Morris colouring book, £12.95, V&A Shop
Cushion, £95, Emma J Shipley x Liberty London
Scarf, £195, Liberty London
Paperclips, £3 for two, Paperchase
Distilled nonalcoholic spirit, £27.95, Seedlip
Watering can, £27.50, Marks & Spencer Tealight holder, £40, Amara
Christian Lacroix Frivolité notecards, £31.95 for six, Harrods
Notebook, £12, Matthew Williamson
Bag, £150, Liberty London
Scarf, £49.50, Boden
Leaf dishes, £14.50 for two, Alison Cork at QVC Mug, £12, British Colour Standard at Designed in Colour » DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 97
GIFT EDIT
Notebook, £6, John Lewis Colouring book, £10, Amara Earrings, £12, Aldo
Pandoro, £16.95 for 700g, Carluccio’s
Earphones, £10, Debenhams
ALL UNDER £25
Candle, £22, ROAM by 42 Pressed
T D F I RA G E
Cup, £10, Debenhams
Pouch, £15, Alphabet Bags
Hot ginger green tea, £5.99, Ace Tea London
Mint humbugs, £6.95, Liberty London Notecards, £10 for eight, Roger la Borde
Make-up bag, £15, Urban Outfitters
Mug, £22, Anthropologie Confetti cannon, £3.75, Rockett St George
Socks, £9, Happy Socks
& Other Stories Sardonyx Fire Hand Lotion, £5
Mini light box, £14, Urban Outfitters
Rituals gift set, £19.50
Worth a jot noteboks Bobble hat, £14, Topshop
£11, One Canoe Two
£16, A Weathered £12.99, Papier Penny
98 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
£7.50, Roger la Borde
£10, Kate Spade New York
Lancome x Sonia Rykiel Parisian Lips Le Stylo in Parisian Spirit (left) and French Baiser (right), both £21
PHOTOGRAPHS HEARST STUDIOS. COMPILED BY TANITA MONTGOMERY, SOPHIE HOOPER, REBECCA HULL, HARRIETT MONAGHAN, CYAN TURAN AND GABRIELLA MINCHELLA
Marzipan Christmas puddings, £7.50 for seven, Fortnum & Mason
Stationery kit, £21, Kikki.K
Keyring, £12, & Other Stories
R WE
TH
e st sistibl ocking fi e r lle Ir rs
OH,
what a
CIRCUS!
After a decade in the country, it’s no longer about juggling parties and the it-girl lifestyle for Pearl Lowe. Instead, she’s working on a whole new performance, as Deborah Brett discovers Photographs AMELIA TROUBRIDGE
Lowe’s kids’ collection is influenced by circus performers of yesteryear
100 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
PROFILE Pearl Lowe in her beautiful Georgian country home
C
urled up on an old French dining chair, barefoot in a ’40s tea dress and nibbling on a bowl of granola is how the 46-year-old designer Pearl Lowe is when I first meet her. Her transition from Primrose Hill party girl to country-idyll-dweller has been well documented, but I wasn’t expecting quite so much domesticity. There’s already a bufet of fresh salads and scones on the counter opposite the Aga. She hasn’t gone the full Nigella and baked them herself – they’ve been shipped over from neighbouring Babington House to feed the 20 or so people who have descended on her Somerset Georgian house. But she’s rather relaxed for someone whose home is being overrun with photographers, stylists, assistants and a gaggle of her 10-year-old daughter Betty’s friends, who have all agreed to be circus performers for the day. Lowe, however, seems at home in the chaos, placating Betty and the other girls, who have a braid bar at their disposal and are in a heated discussion about who will »
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 101
Performers for the day: youngest daughter Betty (in stripes on the caravan) and her friends loved dressing up
TOP and LEFT: Leotards, glitter, top hats and velvet capes make up the Petite Pearl Lowe collection ABOVE: Lowe and eldest daughter Daisy
102 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
get which creation from plait maestro Joel and negotiating how much glitter they can wear on their nails, eyes and anywhere else. There’s her husband, ex-Supergrass drummer Danny Gofey, and musicians strumming on guitars in the next room, while her study has been transformed into a makeshift dressing room with rails of her new children’s range, Petite Pearl Lowe. “I found this amazing sequin fabric at a vintage fair, backed it in a harlequin silk and made some curtains for Betty’s room. Next I made a cape and leotard, and that’s how Petite Pearl Lowe started,” explains Lowe when talking me through her circus-themed collection, which contains butterfly-winged leotards, copious amounts of glitter, fairy wands, top hats and velvet capes. Disney Store dressing up, this is not. Think 1920s trapeze artists and lion tamers in the most sumptuous attire. “It’s the most excited I’ve ever been about anything I’ve ever done,” explains Lowe. “It’s so weird. I’m really surprised because it’s not even for myself.” THE CLOTHES ARE NOT YOUR NORMAL EVERYDAY WEAR, but then life at Pearl Lowe’s is anything but
pedestrian. “I’m very childlike,” Lowe confesses, “and my kids love dressing up. Funnily enough, my 19-year-
PROFILE and I’m not going to make the same mistakes. I’m so proud of everything you’ve done.’” Her eldest daughter, Daisy, 27, appears to inhabit a not-toodissimilar world from her mother’s former in-crowd, frequenting Glastonbury with her friends Pixie Geldof and Alexa Chung. “I’m a walking encyclopaedia on what you shouldn’t do. I can sit down with my children, and I can guide them from my experiences. Alfie and Daisy really do listen to me.” Model Daisy was the only one of her four children not to make the country move, opting instead to stay with her maternal grandparents in London and finish her schooling old, Alfie, is a DJ in Bristol, he’s at South Hampstead High School. studying music and asked me to make And this autumn she’s hung up her him a butterfly outfit for Bestival. stilettos and swapped them It’s the most excited I’ve catwalk He’s been nicking some of my vintage for dancing shoes on BBC One’s ever been about anything Strictly Come Dancing. stuf and ruining it, which is really annoying. ‘Can you just ask me?!’” I’ve ever done. I’m really “Daisy said, ‘Sorry, Mum, but she exclaims. Although it seems surprised because it’s from now on your Saturday-night her second child still hasn’t learned, viewing is me.’ We were so excited,” not even for myself having recently appropriated her beams Lowe. “I never really watched favourite leopard-print coat. “One the show but Betty was obsessed of his friends posted a picture of him with Abbey Clancy when she was DJ-ing in it on Instagram, and I just messaged him on, so she is over the moon, she couldn’t be prouder going, ‘You’d better bring that coat back!’” of her sister.” Lowe admits that Daisy is a natural. “She It’s hard to believe that it’s more than a decade since always wanted to go to ballet, I’m really pleased people she upped and left the infamous Primrose Hill party will get to know her. She is so sweet, so intelligent and set, which included Kate Moss, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, she’s very strong-willed.” Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit. “We were going THE YOUNGEST, BETTY, HAS ALSO DIPPED HER out every night in London. It was hard not to – ‘If TOE INTO THE FASHION POND. After she appeared you come tonight, we will give you a Gucci handbag,’ in a shoot for cool culture magazine i-D, stylist Katie or, ‘If you come tonight we’ll pay you a grand.’ It’s Grand texted Lowe asking if Betty would model in so tempting; you have to be so strong to say, ‘No, a Marc Jacobs ad. I’m staying in.’ And then, when I moved to the The designer is known for his irreverent campaigns – country, I didn’t go out at all.” Victoria Beckham’s legs poking out of a giant shopping The move was an extreme but necessary measure, bag, for instance – and the images of Betty dressed in designed to help Lowe finally quit her addiction to both a long, python-print skirt and polo neck garnered typical cocaine and heroin. “It took ages to look at that time outrage in the tabloids. “It wasn’t provocative in any fondly because for me it was very damaging, but now way,” says Lowe of the demure photographs. “She’d I’m able to see that it was a really fun, crazy time,” never been to New York, she’d never even been to admits Lowe, adding sincerely, “I can embrace my America, so for her it was a dream come true. We went more mature years, let’s say, with no jealousy.” up the Empire State; we went in a carriage round Central HER MEMOIR ALL THAT GLITTERS, PUBLISHED IN Park; we saw the Statue Of Liberty.” 2007, CONVEYED JUST HOW CENTRAL DRUGS Since then, Betty has been photographed for the cover WERE TO HER GANG. Alfie read the book when of Vogue Bambini. “We flew to Milan last week. We have he was 13. “He only told me a year ago. He said as it these little adventures together. It’s not really what she was just on the shelf, he thought he’d read it. I cried aspires to do – she wants to be a manager,” admits Lowe. when he said, ‘I really know what you’ve been through “She was a bit angry with me about the editorial fee for »
Lowe with 10-year-old Betty, who inspired the kids’ clothing range
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 103
PROFILE
FROM TOP: Lowe with youngest daughter Betty; with husband Danny in 2014
that. She was like, ‘If I was my own agent, I wouldn’t have accepted that.’” LOWE READILY ADMITS MONEY AND FINANCE ARE NOT HER FORTE. “Danny
and I are so shit with money, it’s been our hiccup in life. We’ve not had money to put petrol in the car sometimes, it’s been that bad. So now any money I earn goes straight into my business. I’ve had no outside investment, which I’m really proud of.” Gofey, meanwhile, has his new band, Vangofey. “He’s got all his mates and they’re of to India soon to do a festival. He’s loving it. He doesn’t feel he has to be successful. He knows what success feels like; this is something to feed his soul.” And what’s feeding her soul? “Creativity,” says Lowe quite simply. “It makes me really emotional because there was a time when I would sob at night and ask to be removed from my life because I was so deeply unhappy. I used to ask myself, ‘Why? Why can’t I be
104 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
happy? I’ve got beautiful kids, I love my husband, I’ve got a wonderful home – why?’ And I think it’s because I wasn’t being creative – that’s how you can overcome addiction. I didn’t realise Where do you like to celebrate? “Last until about a year ago that year, we jumped ship to Miami, but we didn’t I wasn’t waking up with a like it so much. We needed the cold. black cloud hanging over me.” Thankfully, this year it’s back home.” Now there’s no shortage Who’s invited? “We have everyone round. of creativity in Lowe’s life, My family and Danny’s family, Danny’s having just finished styling brother and all his lot. It’s pretty crazy.” Jamie Oliver’s new show and Who cooks? “Danny. He is an amazing book, expanding her range cook. He does the turkey and I do the veg.” of candles to incorporate What kind of tree do you have? “I love fragrances, and juggling decorating. I’m obsessed. I decorate the tree filming commitments as on 1st December. I’ve been known to buy the vintage expert on two because the first one’s dropped before Channel 4’s Four Rooms. Christmas and I’ve had to get another one.” Do you have a colour theme? Is it black But it’s the joy of creating and gothic, or bright and sparkly? “In Petite Pearl Lowe that really honour of Betty’s first Christmas, we bought brings a sparkle to her eye. a white tree with pink decorations. So we Lowe has added an extra have a lot of kitsch. I try to limit it to two age to the range for Betty, colours but Betty wants everything on.” as she’s getting bigger; Any special traditions? “Sadly, Betty made and, after making Daisy Danny admit there was no Father Christmas. a butterfly outfit for Some of her friends had been telling her he Glastonbury this year, she’s wasn’t real and she didn’t want to be the last now thinking of doing a few to find out. So, for the first time in 26 years, key pieces for teens, too. It we won’t be putting out mince pies, snow looks like life is anything feet, carrots and sherry for Santa.” but sedate in Somerset. Are you an organised present-buyer Petite Pearl Lowe is available or a last-minute-dash person? “There’s at Harrods, Selfridges and always a last-minute dash – I never feel I have bought enough presents.” online at Pearllowe.co.uk
Christmas ith The Lowes
PEARL’S HAIR AND MAKE-UP MARLENE ANDERSSON, USING YSL BEAUTÉ, AND KEVIN AUCOIN. BETTY AND FRIENDS’ MAKE-UP JESSICA CHEETHAM, USING MAC FACE PAINTS. HAIR JOEL BENJAMIN, USING MARIA NILA. PROP STYLING LAURA TIMMONS. STYLING HILARY OWEN. ADDITIONAL IMAGE GETTY
Betty has already modelled for Marc Jacobs and Vogue Bambini
SOCIALISING
MINGLE ALLthe WAY
Compliments, perspective and graceful exits: seasoned partygoer Emily Cronin shares her rules for socialising during the festive season Illustration MOUNI FEDDAG
L
ast month I seriously considered revoking my RSVP to a fairly glittery fashion party to spend time with the women of Litchfield Penitentiary. It’s not that I’m antisocial, or even that I found anything particularly compelling about season four of Orange Is The New Black. But between thinking about the event, getting dressed and made-up, stepping into shoes that transmit party-esque vibes, slipping out of those shoes and into something more compatible with the walk to the Tube station, the journey itself, the guest-list check at the door, the cloakroom shule and the search for that first glass of champagne – well, it’s a lot of efort, isn’t it? No wonder there was something comparably appealing about a large cup of lemon and ginger tea, a blanket and a boxset. And yet there comes a season – this season – when we all have to tiptoe out from behind our Netflix watch lists, zip into optimistically purchased (read: too tight) festive garb and indulge in meaningless pleasantries with relative strangers. For fun. After years of broken heels and spilled champagne, I’ve learnt a thing or three: that lipstick on teeth need not be a hazard in the age of front-facing iPhone cameras; that a single compliment can be the avenue to instant, if ephemeral, party friendship; and that it’s possible to talk to anyone about anything for five to seven minutes. So just in time for the holiday social whirl, here are eight tips to help you feel more comfortable at parties – with a little advice from women who know the drill.
KNOW YOUR VIPS Women with party prowess greater than mine agree: the first stop at any party should be the host. Better still, thank the host before you’ve even set foot at her party. “I always contact the person who invited me to say, ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing you,’” says Lauren Stevenson, co-founder of communications consultancy Aisle 8. When you get there, find the host straight away, tell her it’s a fantastic event and thank her for inviting you. “That’s really big event etiquette. There’s nothing worse than people who don’t show or don’t tell you they were there,” she adds. If you’re there solo, this tactic has the bonus of enlisting your host’s help with introductions.
MAKE PARTY FRIENDS I seem to forget to request plus-ones for events, and end up attending alone. Arriving solo can bring about cold sweats in the most intrepid partygoers, but the antidote can be as simple as a conversation. Sasha Wilkins, founder of blog LibertyLondonGirl, picked up nearly everything she knows about party chat from her years living in New York. “I used to be super-shy and sufered from crushing social anxiety,” she says. “My coping mechanism, which I learnt when I was in America because Americans are so outgoing, is that I go up to a group of people and smile sweetly and say, ‘Hi. I don’t know anyone here, but you look so lovely that I thought I’d talk to you.’ Always go in with a compliment. Or if »
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 107
SOCIALISING there’s someone else on their own, you can say, ‘So what brings you here? Oh, your bag is amazing.’” The only conversational fail Wilkins warns against is asking about someone’s work – it’s too much like a job interview. Keep a few stock questions in mind that work for everyone. My go-tos include asking how another guest knows the host, complimenting their hair (there’s a special bond between curly haired women, perpetuated by mutual airmation) or which is their favourite canapé (useful).
BUY INTO SMALL TALK Don’t slate small talk. Light conversation has been around at least since Jane Austen wrote of ballroom pleasantries between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Sure, discussing if you’re well, or the beauty trend of the day, isn’t the stuf of revelations, but it establishes the basis for a more substantive relationship. “It’s a shame to criticise or belittle small talk… because it is a gateway to bigger talk,” says Philippa Perry, psychotherapist and Red agony aunt. “We do have to establish the fact that we are both friends, both willing and open to getting deeper into our acquaintance, and we do this by exchanging ritualised words that might not mean very much – but when we’re there, then we can find more specific common ground.” It’s worth noting that I met Wilkins through this form of frothy conversation while waiting for a delayed London Fashion Week show to begin. We now meet for dinners and heath walks that have nothing to do with fashion some six years later. So, small talk: it works.
conversation you’re in (until you deploy a get-out phrase from section four) and keep your phone on airplane mode – or, better yet, of.
NOT HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE? ACT AS IF YOU ARE Derek Blasberg, Vanity Fair’s ‘Our Man on the Street’ and professional BFF to Karlie, Bella, Naomi, Alexa and Sienna, recently called niceness his most attractive trait. To be “the person people want to have around”, he said, “don’t be a gossip, don’t be a dick, don’t be unkind, have fun, smile more than you frown, laugh more than you cry, that sort of stuf”. Consider: would you rather speak with someone who looked bored or scintillated? The way to be captivating is to appear captivated – it’s worth acting as if you’re having a lovely time until you are. Stevenson says, “Approach every event like it’s a Friday night and you’re going to enjoy yourself. You’ve been invited to something lovely – enjoy!” It’s all about mindset.
GET PERSPECTIVE
If the prospect of festive socialising still makes you shudder, you’re not alone. “Although you think that you are bad at parties, what you are doing is comparing your internal experience with what other people are showing you on the outside,” Perry says. “But on their insides, they’re probably just as awkward-feeling and nervous as you are. We’re all vulnerable O When alone at an event, in that situation; it’s just that we’re take two drinks from the only aware of our own vulnerability.” cocktail tray and ofer one to another solo guest to initiate conversation. O Wear a (non-sexually suggestive) conversation piece. The reason we bother with parties A bold hat/brooch/coat/scarf at all is the potential for something can make it much easier for extraordinary to happen. It’s strangers to approach. O Be honest: are you really not always natural or easy, but comfortable in heels all night? if you’re open to it, it could happen. Flats or block heels make for I remember awkward milling about a less foot-obsessed event. with far less clarity than I recall (Likewise, we like elasticated swapping sunglasses with a Twilight waistbands on floaty dresses.) star, singing country songs with O Upon arriving at a crowded members of an obscure yet credible party, head straight to the indie rock band and learning about back of the room and work the ins and outs of Katy Perry’s tour your way towards the door. wardrobe management at various You’ll see everyone you need to see, and you won’t get stuck. parties, none of which I could have anticipated when I RSVP’d. And O Don’t trust yourself to leave all of which, I have to say, beat your phone alone? Try Flipd, a night in front of the TV. Oline, BreakFree or other Emily Cronin is fashion features apps designed to help you know when it’s time to unplug. editor at The Telegraph
Bonus tips
MASTER THE GRACEFUL EXIT If you wind up blocked in a corner with a total bore, excuse yourself with an unembellished exit line. “Normally I just say, ‘It’s been so nice to speak to you, I’m so sorry, I’m going to have to go,’” Stevenson says. “Or, ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to have to go and say hello to ____.’ It’s just being polite.” Other ideas: you must get a drink, you’re checking if your friend has arrived, you need the loo – anything but “I’ve just had a text saying poor Fifi has been dog-napped. Must go” will do.
KEEP THE PHONE IN YOUR BAG Phones, while serving as social crutches for the insecure, also impede chances for connections by making people unapproachable. If you do one thing at a party, focus. Commit to the
108 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
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“IF YOU THINK IT’S A WOMAN’S SHOW, YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT IT IS” She’s raised more than $100 million in aid for female survivors of war. Now activist and author Zainab Salbi is using the power of storytelling to trigger change with a new television show for The Huffington Post Words MARISA MELTZER Photographs TOM HOOPS
Z
ainab Salbi turns 47 in three days and she’s going to spend it in Iraq, on the frontline of the battle against Isis. The former CEO of Women For Women International, activist, humanitarian and talk-show host prefers it that way. “I literally came from India today and I go to Iraq on Friday.” She laughs. “We were shooting 15 hours a day for my show, working our asses of.” Today she’s sitting in a Manhattan hotel café in a loose jacket and black trousers, with almond-shaped eyes lined in black, her face framed by buzzed hair (“I’m always a number-four buzzcut”). We’re meeting to discuss The Zainab Salbi Project, her TV show with The Huington Post, in which she travels the world to shed light on global issues “through the incredible stories of people who are struggling, surviving and thriving as they encounter fear in their lives”. The show is also the reason she is about to travel to Iraq, where she was born and lived until she was a teenager, to interview a woman who is leading her own brigade, an
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Iraqi-Sunni Arab militia. “She’s taking me to the frontline. She’s making it her mission to destroy Isis because they killed every single male member of her family,” Salbi says in an accent that is equal parts Iraqi and American. Is she disappointed to spend her birthday in combat? Salbi shakes her head. “I grew up in war. I worked in war for nearly 20 years. It’s very normal for me.” AND IT’S TRUE: WAR AND WOMEN ARE THE TWO THREADS THAT HAVE DEFINED SALBI’S LIFE. “I knew
I wanted to dedicate myself to women’s issues since I was 15 years old,” she says. Perhaps that’s because, growing up in Iraq, Salbi had her own experience of overcoming terror – her family lived in fear while her father was Saddam Hussein’s personal pilot. Salbi even called him uncle. “My consciousness of the world was very much shaped by how I saw the world, which was war and fear, and a dictator.” Unbeknownst to her, in an attempt to protect her from Hussein’s clutches, Salbi’s mother arranged a marriage »
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Humanitarian and crusader for women’s rights Zainab Salbi in Bangkok
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No matter what HAPPENS to me, I will stand up for women’s rights. This is the ESSENCE of who I am
for her in the US when she was just 19. Salbi said yes out of duty and moved to a country she had never visited, cut of from her family, to marry a stranger. Then her husband went on to be abusive. “The very thing that my mum was afraid would happen to me in Iraq – she was trying to save me from violence – happened to me in America,” she says. “My mum told me, ‘Never let anybody touch you or talk to you in the wrong way.’ So I just knew that this was wrong, and I’m not to allow it.” So after three months of marriage, with $400 in her pocket, she left her husband. “I vowed that one day I would go back home to help the women,” says Salbi. And she did: she stayed in America, founded Women For Women International – a charity to help women survivors of war – aged just 23, and ran it until 2011. Under her leadership the charity distributed more than $100 million (£776,000) in aid – even Hillary Clinton ofered an endorsement. As one of the most successful humanitarians in the world and someone who has been interviewed on Oprah’s sofa 10 times, Salbi seemed to have it all. And yet she had a kind of crisis of identity: “I lost perspective of who I was. My schedule was planned by so many people, and packed, that I lost my equilibrium,” she says. “I needed to go back to myself. And find myself – not vis à vis society, or my parents, or Iraq, or war.” She asked herself, “Who is Zainab? And that was a very hard journey, to go to the essence of yourself and realise who you are.” Her eyes shine as she recalls that moment.
“I came out with a very clear idea of who I am,” she says. “I am someone who is going to die trying.” WHILE MEDITATING, SALBI HAD AN EPIPHANY:
she wanted to move to a diferent sector where she could tell and share women’s stories. But the decision to leave Women For Women International was far from easy – Salbi says it was as if she’d “fallen on my knees and wasn’t sure if I could stand up again”. But she also found clarity. “I realised that no matter what happens to me, I will stand up for women’s rights. This is the essence of who I am. The change was hard because I had to start from zero. I had to prove myself all over again. And that shook me.” The question that spurred her on was: what brings about change in women’s lives? A colleague took her hand and said, “Zainab, it’s inspiration, that’s what triggers change.” That’s when she switched her focus to storytelling. And, after 20 years in the humanitarian field, she turned her attention to the media world. First came Nida’a Show (‘The Calling’), her chat show for TLC Arabia (aimed at Arabic and Muslim women), which ran from 2015 to 2016. And in May of this year, The Zainab Salbi Project was announced. When it debuts this month, it aims to “shatter stereotypes, and courageously reveal the humanity we all share”. IT’S CLEAR THAT SALBI IS DRIVEN BY A DESIRE TO
understand how diferent people, especially women, view the world, so it’s fitting that the show’s tagline is, “If »
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SALBI HAS THE QUIET SELF-CONFIDENCE OF A WOMAN WHO KNOWS WHO SHE IS. In her twenties,
she admits she felt as if she needed to look like a man to be a feminist and to be taken seriously in war zones. But what she learned from women in the Congo or Rwanda was that expressing beauty, her womanhood, even her sexuality, was an act of defiance in war-torn or impoverished countries. “I realised beauty becomes a form of keeping our souls alive and that if I had mistaken feminism with taking away our beauty, then that is my loss. That’s part of my feminism now: to ingrain my womanhood, my sexuality, my beauty, my interest in fashion – whatever I want. That is how I shifted my interpretation of what a feminist should be like – not to be like any man but to be myself. That’s what feminism is to me.” The only thing that scares Salbi? Her vulnerability. “My motto in life is to live in my truth, to say the truth and to be my truth. That is very important. That vulnerable and fearful part of me is ‘Am I going to be okay?’, ‘If I get old and sick who is going to take care
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CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: Salbi meeting Bill Clinton; speaking for Women For Women International; with Angelina Jolie; filming in Thailand
of me?’ These are the issues that worry me.” Though her second marriage – to Palestinian-American lawyer Amjad Atallah – didn’t last, the two remain friends after being together for 13 years. Is she dating? “When I slow down I’m like, ‘Maybe I want to,’ but then I get busy and I’m like, ‘I don’t have time for this.’ She does, however, make time for meditation (every day), exercise (cardio, weights and yoga twice a week) and the odd indulgence (wine, massages and “a ton of Indian food”). It’s a pleasure talking to Salbi. Our conversation touches on everything from Oprah (“I love her deeply. She has become a very good friend and a good mentor”) to Hillary (“I’m confident she’s an experienced woman and I’m a personal witness for how the Clintons have been game-changers in terms of the discussions between the public sector and the private sector. I won’t forget that.”) I wonder if it’s her experience as an outsider, her unique perspective from straddling the Western and Arab worlds, that allows her to connect with the most powerful women in the world and the guests on her show. “I’m from neither culture and I’m from both cultures,” she says. “I lived half my life here, half my life there. There are a lot of privileges that come with it because the rules don’t fit you. Even when I go to Iraq, they say, ‘Oh, she’s American.’ The rules don’t apply.” Before we part, she tells me about her next mission: “To create a dialogue where we can understand, whatever the issue is, how it feels from the other side. I really believe in that. When I love something, I believe in making the impossible possible. I’m giving myself until the age of 60 to accomplish that goal. That’s my mission.” And I don’t doubt she’ll achieve it. The Zainab Salbi Project is released every Wednesday Enjoy more stories in the Red free weekly newsletter. To on The Huington Post; sign up, text RED and your Huingtonpost.com/ email address to 84499* section/video
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you think it’s a women’s show, you’re damn right it is.” And women are always at the forefront of her thoughts: “I always pay attention when women are missing. I look at pictures and I’m like, ‘Women are missing.’ I look at boardrooms and think, ‘Women are missing.’” Perhaps that’s why Salbi is not afraid to have “the uncomfortable, real, unapologetic conversations, instead of the politically correct ones”. For example: “I interviewed Muslim men in Minnesota, and asked them, ‘Are you oppressing your women?’ Or to the Muslim women, ‘Are you being oppressed? Let’s get that out of the way.’” When she interviews women now, it feels diferent to when she was working in aid. Before, “It was like, ‘We can help you.’ Now I’m interviewing them and finding out the emotion I have discovered in myself, and finding it in them – like connecting that emotion to my emotion.” A man in a suit pops round to our table. “Are you Zainab Salbi?” he interrupts. Salbi smiles and says yes. He tells her about someone he knows who she helped through Women For Women International and how much she would like to be able to thank her. Salbi gives him her card and says she should get in touch. She admits she gets approached a lot, “especially in New York”, but seems unphased by the attention.
EXPERIENCE FROM LEFT: Shappi, aged eight, with her father; Christmas reached her as a child through TV films
Shappi in her corduroy Santa suit in 2008
WONKY MINCE PIES, FAKE SNOW AND A COMEDY SANTA A traditional Christmas means something different to everyone. For Iranian-born British comedian Shappi Khorsandi, who grew up not celebrating it at all, creating her own festivities has been a labour of love
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he idea of a child not having Christmas – a house with no tinsel in December – seems very sad. “What, Christmas Day is a normal day for you?!” My classmates at school were baled by such Dickensian cruelty. I’m sure I milked this for all it was worth. I widened my eyes and my kind teachers cooed in sympathy. They tried to make it up to me by giving me an extra satsuma and chocolate digestive on the last day of school. “We are not allowed to have Christmas,” I’d tell them. This wasn’t, strictly speaking, true. My parents were from Iran and sweetly chaotic. They didn’t keep abreast of the magnitude of cultural events in their adopted country. Christmas was fun and interesting when we went around the shops and watched it on TV, but to suddenly start celebrating it by telling us a man
was going to break into our house via the chimney, trample soot all over the carpet and creep about from room to room as we slept, wasn’t something that came naturally to them. So they didn’t do it. “Is Father Christmas real?” I asked one year. “Of course not, he has been conjured up by capitalism to force parents to spend money,” replied my atheist father, who valued reason and rational thought over the magic of childhood. That ‘no-Santa’ moment was up there with my tearful enquiry about the fate of a dearly loved, very-dead hamster when I was eight. “Has he gone to animal heaven?” “No, my darling,” he replied. “Flufy is now in the ground and worms are eating him.” MY PARENTS JUST DIDN’T ‘GET’ CHRISTMAS.
“You want to bring a tree into the house? A tree.” My puzzled mother, imagining a giant redwood in the »
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EXPERIENCE When I became a single mum, my young son and I lived on a council estate. It was tight-knit and friendly and I was even more adamant that my home was the hub at Christmas. I invited all the neighbours round with their kids for drinks and mince pies. Who knew a corduroy Santa suit I bought from a charity shop would become such an integral part of our estate Christmas? I wore it and wandered around like a crimson pied piper, a troop of children following me, shrieking gleefully, “THAT’S NOT SANTA! THAT’S SHAPPI!” I will never know how they saw through my disguise. THEN CAME THE YEAR WHEN IT WAS MY EX’S ‘TURN’ TO HAVE OUR SON.
A blanket of black fell over my Christmas. What point was there to it without my boy? I could have been braver. I could have found a way to embrace a childfree Christmas, gone skydiving or gone on a date with a matador, but I preferred THE MOMENT MY BROTHER AND I LEFT to sit in the corner at my neighbours’ house “I was the HOME in our mid-twenties, we went to who had sweetly invited me to spend ONLY shepherd the day with them. I didn’t want to town with Christmas. We spent it with our gang of fellow Christmas-deprived spend it with my own family as I think who wore her first-generation immigrant kids. We my parents were cleaning out the attic dad’s PANTS understood each other. We roasted that Christmas Day. on her chestnuts on open fires, made a sumptuous My gift to my neighbours that year roast and gave each other presents. In the was an anecdote to share for years to come HEAD” middle of the room would stand the tallest, most with family and friends; the day the woman elaborately decorated Christmas tree, spreading next door came over for Christmas. “She spent pine needles unapologetically all over the carpet. the day drinking white wine in the corner, crying When my son was born, I celebrated Christmas while singing Away In A Manger to the dog.” like only a woman with a chip on her shoulder can. Once my boy had a sister, my ex and I came to an Our home was a grotto. We had not one, but two trees, arrangement to split the day (how?), but this year we our baby was dressed as an elf and after weeks of being are all spending it together and we do Christmas like subjected to my Traditional Christmas Songs album, there’s no tomorrow. Fake snow in the hallway with big I’m sure he gurgled “Wenceslas”. footprints in it, wonky homemade mince pies – the lot. Sadly, when he was two, my husband and I broke Both children get a letter from Santa, praising them up, just before Christmas. We were to spend Christmas for all the good things he has noticed they have done together regardless, for the sake of our little boy. On throughout the year. Everything from sleeping without such a heartbreaking day, parental support was needed a dummy, getting a purple stripe in karate and so I summoned the cavalry. apologising after they locked their mum in the toilet. I spent the morning manically attending to the These days I like to host Christmas for all my friends house and Christmas lunch, putting on a show of and family who are around and want to come. I cheat Disney-standard ‘happiness and wonder’ for my toddler, with the food. I roast my own turkey and potatoes, but while on the inside I felt the sadness only a recently I order all the trimmings from a fancy company who broken marriage on a public holiday can bring. send you the stuf, and you just heat it up and pretend My parents, coming solely to be my emotional you’ve cooked it yourself. This is my annual Christmas scafolding, were to arrive at 1pm. Their arrival time present to myself. I prefer to spend the day playing came and went. At 2pm I called them. “Where are with the kids and insisting, “It was Santa who you you? Dinner was ready ages ago, Mum I need you!” saw in your room. He just happens to swear exactly I heard silent confusion, then the penny dropped. like mummy when he treads on Lego.” Nina Is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi (Ebury Press, £12.99) “Christmas Day?” my mother said. “Is it today?”
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Shappi with her mother, father and brother at Christmas in 2003
PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES, BBC
middle of our tiny front room, compromised by allowing me to throw tinsel over the yucca plant. Happily, Christmas magic did reach me in the form of warm, sparkly TV adverts and endless Christmas specials. I shared my festivities with Morecambe and Wise and the Radio Times. The television was where the spirit of Christmas lay for us and somewhat sated my desire to be a part of it. My mother had made little eforts, though. We were always taken to central London to see the lights and to the grotto at Harrods. Of course she made my costume for the nativity play – I was the only shepherd who wore her dad’s pants on her head. But I was never an angel. Only blonde girls were angels back then.
Oliver Jefers, photographed for Red in London; and right, a scene from Lost And Found
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MEN
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN PEN Oh, how enchanted we are by Oliver Jeffers’ magical children’s books. But, as Laura Craik discovers, there’s more to the artist than penguins and striped sweaters Words LAURA CRAIK Photographs MATT HOLYOAK Illustrations OLIVER JEFFERS
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orming a picture of an author from his words is fun, inevitable and extremely likely to be of-beam. For example, I imagined Oliver Jefers to be in his sixties, with a grey beard and a predilection for fisherman’s jumpers, yet the only part of this phantasmagorical equation that turns out to be accurate is the beard, which is far from grey. The man in front of me looks more like Jamie Dornan than some cosy old man who writes children’s books. Not that Jefers, 39, likes to call them children’s books. “Really good stories surpass boundaries of age,” he explains. “I have never really stopped to think, ‘What is it that children want to hear in a story?’ and then tailored what I do towards
that. It’s more about telling good stories that satisfy my own sense of curiosity.” Jefers has sold over seven million copies worldwide, although no sales figures, nor any of his myriad literary awards, can adequately convey the delightfulness of his books, or the spell they seem to cast on children. It was 2005’s Lost And Found that first wove its magic on my elder child: as a toddler, she would have nothing else at bedtime. Most parents would attest to the dreariness of reading the same story over and over again, but Lost And Found had me in thrall as much as her. True, a tale about a boy and a penguin isn’t exactly up there with The Girl On The Train in the suspense stakes, but what makes the book special is its sparsity. “There’s a lot of empty space »
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MEN in the book, both in the pace in which it’s told and in the art itself, and I think it allows people room to place themselves in the story, so there’s a bit of empathy in there,” says Jefers. “There’s a stillness to it. The penguin character actually doesn’t do very much, so people get to project onto the penguin what they want him to be.” Did he know it would be so successful? “I had a feeling when I was doing it.” He smiles. “Although I don’t have any interest in picking apart and figuring out what’s popular and what’s not, because it might change the way I make things. It’s got to feel right for the right reasons, and be authentic in that sense.”
It’s got to FEEL right for the right reasons and be AUTHENTIC in that sense
THAT ADULTS LOVE HIS BOOKS AS MUCH AS CHILDREN ISN’T SURPRISING. “They
always come up [at events] a little bit embarrassed, saying, ‘You know, I’m here with no children…’” Jefers laughs. “It’s happening more and more often, but the level of embarrassment is starting to drop, which is good, because that means that it’s becoming okay to embrace the fact that here are a bunch of adults who enjoy picture books.” There is much in Jefers’ oeuvre for adults who don’t enjoy picture books, too. A young Jefers with his older brother While he has provided Rory; and, right, one illustrations for Kinder Eggs and of his paintings from Starbucks, designed album covers and worked on a video for U2, it’s art which Lost And Found is his passion, and he exhibits often. Next month he launches a small range of merchandise in Colette, the chic Paris boutique that every self-respecting fashion designer would sell a kidney to be stocked in. “I’ve got myself into a position where I only do the projects I want to now. I’m not a gun for hire,” he says with some relief. He works out of a Brooklyn studio, with his wife Suzanne functioning as his manager. They met in their native Northern Ireland, moving to Brooklyn nine years ago because “It’s New York – who doesn’t want to give it a go?” His wife was reluctant at first, so they came initially for six months. “That turned into a year, then into three, and the next thing we’re renewing our visa, getting a green card, and now we have a son who’s an American citizen.” Their son Harland is 17 months old and has turned Jefers’ life upside down in the nicest, most predictable ways. “On the practical side, I no longer work at weekends or evenings, which used to be my most productive time. And I try to keep travelling to a minimum.” Has it changed the way he writes and illustrates his books? “It’s too hard to tell because since he’s been born, I’ve been focusing
on fine-art projects – conceptual paintings and whatnot. Inevitably, it’s going to have an efect because I’m talking to him and telling him stories and reading other people’s stories to him at bedtime. I was out of the loop for a long time with picture books, just doing what I do. I have the pleasure of working with a few wonderful publishers, and when he was born they all sent the classic books they publish, so there were a load of books I was aware of but I had never actually read. So that’s been interesting.” So far, he has largely resisted featuring Harland on his stylishly curated Instagram account (760,000 followers and rising), a decision he calls “a very conscious thing. It’s not like I’m totally hiding him away, but I also don’t want to use him as fodder”. Brooklyn-based as he is, Jefers still feels wholly Northern Irish. He was born in Australia, but his parents »
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himself (“I was much more interested in drawing, or being outside, digging holes”), but loved The Bad-Tempered Ladybird, the picture book by Eric Carle. He also loved Roald Dahl. I mention how surprising it is, as a new parent, to realise that children have a fascination with the macabre. He agrees. “Think of the Brothers Grimm stories, and Hans Christian Andersen. They’re all slightly dark and scary, and that’s okay. Roald Dahl is a classic example. Kids love a little bit of mischievousness, and a little bit The real world can be of feeling scared, SCARY. Reading scary but then secretly stories is not a bad way knowing that they’re okay. to familiarise yourself Not everything with how that FEELS is sweetness and light. I think it was Neil Gaiman who said that scary stories are a good preparation for real life. The real world can be scary. Reading scary stories is not a bad way to familiarise yourself with what that feels like – especially in the safety of your own bedroom.” DOES HE STILL PINCH HIMSELF THAT HE GETS TO DO THIS FOR A LIVING? “HA. YES AND NO. I don’t
really look backwards or weigh up what I’ve accomplished – that’s a dangerous thing to do. I tend to look forward.” As for the future, “I think of nothing but!” He laughs. “In 10 years’ time, I’d like to be doing the same thing as I’m doing now. But maybe a bit less of it,” he adds. While Harland is his priority (“Family and home first – work after,” he says of his post-fatherhood approach) Jefers loves his job(s) too much to remain anything other than prolific. Asked about the most satisfying parts of his career, he says, “They happen in diferent ways. With painting, it can be a single brushstroke which fixes everything. Or it can be the sense of joy and humble pride that you get whenever you see other people enjoying your work – being in a bookshop and seeing a kid pick up your book, sit down on the floor and read it, and they have no idea that you’re there. Watching people enjoy what you create is a pretty special part of it.” Truly, it’s hard to imagine anything better. For the best children’s Imaginary Fred by Oliver Jeffers and books to read, go to Eoin Colfer (HarperCollins, £7.99) REDONLINE.CO.UK
GROOMING LINDSEY POOLE
moved back to their native Belfast when he was still a baby, and he remained in the area as a student, graduating from Ulster University in 2001. He says it’s only latterly that he realised his upbringing has had a huge impact on his chosen career. “One, the way in which my sense of humour has taken shape, because there’s certainly a darkness to the humour in Northern Ireland which is fairly unique, and it’s a brilliant thing. But being surrounded by good storytellers, the essence of judging what a good story Books by Jefers, is and how to tell it and how How To Catch A Star to time it and how to structure it starts seeping into you when and new release Imaginary Fred you’re a kid. Granny’s in the kitchen, uncle’s in the pub, other kids in the playground… everybody telling a yarn.” His mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was two, and passed away 16 years ago. He has barely any memories of her walking. “I always remember her as full of life. People joked our house was like Grand Central Station. People would come in and out, and it revolved around her bedroom, which we moved to the ground floor. She was such a big energy that she drew everybody to her.” Did he inherit his artistic skills from his mother? “Definitely. My dad jokes that he can’t draw a straight line, and I like to remind him that actually, a straight line is one of the hardest things you can draw,” he says laughing. Last Christmas, the family went back to Belfast. “I really thought my wife would want to move back,” he says. “I was sort of preparing for that, but the funny thing is that she was fine to go back to Brooklyn, and I was the one who was like, ‘This is where all of his [Harland’s] family are.’ This Christmas, wherever they spend it, food is sure to be centre stage. Jefers has too many projects on the go – and way too much of an active mind – to be much good at relaxing, but says he does like to kick back by cooking, and recounts another Brooklyn Christmas when he and Suzanne (“we make a good tag team”) cooked a turkey in the borrowed oven of his upstairs neighbour while simultaneously barbecuing a ham outside. I suggest that it must have been chilly, barbecuing in the snow. “Just put a coat on!” he exclaims. Which book of his would he urge novices to start with? “For small children, probably How To Catch A Star or Lost And Found are good ones. The colour palette seems to appeal to young kids.” As a child, he wasn’t a big reader
MEMOIR Tony, who passed away in 2013, pictured with Decca and their two boys
FINDING HOPE after LOSS
“The more the better” was Tony’s philosophy on spoiling their sons at Christmas
When Decca Aitkenhead, 45, lost her partner in a tragic accident, she began to dread the festive season. Here she reveals how, by embracing its imperfections, she’s finally learned to love Christmas again
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spun around us, a thought suddenly struck me: I had veryone has their own Christmas song. fallen in love. Ice-skating became our annual tradition, For an embarrassingly extended period of and afterwards we would stroll along the Thames and my early life, mine was Chris Rea’s Driving marvel at the magic of a city wreathed in fairy lights. Home For Christmas. But from my early To do Christmas properly you need a certain sensibility. thirties to early forties, it was Tom Petty’s It is not a season for restraint, and Tony threw himself into Free Fallin’. For that, as for so much other happiness all its extravagance with wild enthusiasm. That first year in my life, I have my partner Tony to thank. But Tony died almost three years ago, and I can no he bought me, of all things, a drum kit, and couldn’t think longer bear to listen to Tom Petty. To my horror, for the why I wouldn’t want such a thing in our one-bedroom past two Decembers the song that has moved me to tears flat. He gave me every single boxset of The Sopranos, is Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. One too, and we would binge into the early hours while a of the many unexpected cruelties of Christmas candle the size of a kitchen It is not a season for bereavement, I have discovered, is bin (another of his gifts) filled the air how appallingly susceptible it leaves RESTRAINT, and Tony with smells of childhood. I still can’t you to saccharine sentimentality. The Sopranos theme tune threw himself into all hear Christmas without Tony would be without thinking of mulled wine. its EXTRAVAGANCE easier to face if he hadn’t been so good One New Year we booked a cottage at it. Our first year together, he took me on Exmoor. Tony’s presents that year with wild enthusiasm ice-skating in the courtyard of Somerset included a jokey bra and knickers made House, a neoclassical wonder on the banks of the Thames of pastel-coloured sweets threaded along string, and in London. It was dusk, and as we swirled across the ice, on New Year’s Eve I wore them to the pub beneath my snowflakes began to fall. Free Fallin’ was playing on clothes. As we headed to the bar, the room fell silent and loudspeakers. We held each other tight, and as the world turned to stare. Tony being mixed race with dreadlocks »
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and six foot two, and this being a remote West Country guests. This strategy proved surprisingly successful, but village, I wasn’t entirely surprised. I heard someone mutter by Boxing Day I was already fretting about what to do as we ordered drinks, and gave Tony a nudge. “Tone!” next time. Clearly we couldn’t steal our friends from their I whispered, giggling. “They think we must be Swedish!” families two years running, and I would need another plan. It wasn’t until he slipped an arm around me that I realised But as the year passed, no clever plan came to me. the top I’d thrown on was backless. From behind, Instead, slowly, memories came back to me that corrected I appeared to have come dressed in Woolworths pick ’n’ the posthumous fantasy of perfection I’d invented about mix, and the puzzled whisper rippling around the room Christmas with Tony. I remembered our annual argument was not “Are they Swedish?” but “Are they sweeties?” about how many presents to buy for the boys. ‘The more From that night on, whenever any awkward social the better’ was Tony’s position, whereas I held that less was moment arose, Tony would glance at me and whisper, more, and each of us insisted the other’s approach would in a terrible West Country accent, “Are they sweeties?” ruin the kids’ Christmas. On good years the row festered On our last Christmas beneath a festive surface; together, he hired a bright on bad years it could make Christmas present: Decca and the boys green elf costume for the day, the civil war in Syria look at home last year and cooked turkey looking like a little local diiculty. like a cross between Peter Diplomatic relations broke Pan and a giant garden down altogether one year gnome. The turkey he’d in Toys R Us – my idea of bought was only marginally perfect hell, Tony’s vision of smaller than our youngest son. heaven. He would have gladly And then, less than five bought out the whole store, months later, he was dead. couldn’t fathom my objection, Catastrophe struck on and was so incensed that a family beach holiday in when I threatened to walk Jamaica with our two sons home – 11 miles, in the dark (now seven and five). One morning I BRIEFLY considered – he very nearly let me. our eldest, then four, was paddling At first it felt disloyal to recall these signing up as a at the water’s edge when a riptide rows. But every family finds Christmas Jehovah’s Witness sucked him of his feet and out a lot bumpier than we like to pretend. to sea. Tony swam out and saved The tinselled fantasy of Christmas for an excuse to his life, but couldn’t save himself, song lyrics is just that – a fantasy – CANCEL Christmas and drowned before our eyes. and it isn’t so much disloyalty The rest of the year was lost in a blur of shock and as plain honesty to acknowledge the imperfections. grief. I barely registered the changing seasons, until Now I think about it, the miraculous perfection of someone asked me what I was planning for Christmas. my childhood Christmases must be a false memory, too. I froze in panic. What would we do? I didn’t have a clue. When I picture waking up on 25th December at the age Frightened of being left alone to manufacture a charade my sons are now, in my mind the day was always a of festivity, I accepted every invitation from friends and flawless orgy of Quality Street, stockings, After Eights family, making an itinerary that looked promising and and euphoria. That this cannot be how my parents would might indeed have been fun, had my sons been 10 years have experienced it is undeniable – but also, I now realise, older. The three of us set of on Christmas Eve to a friend’s irrelevant. For young children, the magic of the day is house in the Cotswolds, and by the time we reached my enough to eclipse any tensions or minor mishaps, and if dad’s the day after Boxing Day the boys were disorientated all they will remember is joy, what am I worrying about? and fractious, addled by sugar and a carousel of unfamiliar Twelve months after Tony died, I was diagnosed with beds and faces. We ploughed on to my brother’s house, breast cancer. This time last year I had just completed tempers fraying in a relentless battle to keep them on their many months of chemotherapy, and was about to undergo best behaviour, and on again to friends’ for New Year’s Eve. a double mastectomy. I am now well and the prognosis By the time we limped home I was already dreading the looks hopeful – but there is nothing like cancer to make following December, and briefly considered signing up one re-examine one’s priorities, and the fact that all three as a Jehovah’s Witness for an excuse to cancel Christmas. of us are still here makes how or where we celebrate the Next year I was tempted to fly us of to a tropical island season almost comically unimportant. I thought I would so we could pretend it was summer and dodge Christmas dread Christmas for the rest of my life, but this year altogether. But a beach holiday risked evoking too many I am actually looking forward to it. To be together is ghosts, and the boys wanted to be at home, so I decided enough. And I am going to take them ice-skating. All At Sea by Decca Aitkenhead (4th Estate, £16.99) the safest bet was to stay put and fill our home with
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PHOTOGRAPH EMMA CUTTERIDGE
MEMOIR
READER EVENT
Join us o
JUMP START your career IN TECH
in association with
Make your ‘Plan B’ a reality with an afternoon of tech workshops at Sky’s Leeds campus Looking for a career change? Want to be your own boss, build a business or future-proof your job? Our afternoon of tech workshops will help you with practical hands-on experience, advice and expertise. The fourth in our series of digital dates with Sky that aim to help women join the field of technology, this event will be hosted at Sky’s new Leeds campus and features sessions with five inspiring trailblazers… DIGITAL MUMS
Winners of Red’s 2016 Women of the Year Start Up category, Digital Mums is a tech company which up-skills mums with in-demand digital skills and connects them to businesses. In this inspiring session, they’ll show you how to use social media platforms most efectively to boost your brand. ANNA-MARIE FERGUSON SKY
PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES
The head of internal estate at Sky will be sharing the five crucial steps to move into a career in tech. Whether you’re working for a large corporation, or setting up on your own, these are your personal and professional building blocks. FREEFORMERS
Coding company Freeformers will be leading a class in ideas and innovation. Discover how to fine-tune your business proposal, create sketches of your ideas and turn them into digital prototypes using software freely available on the web.
ZANNA VAN DIJK FITNESS BLOGGER
Instagram star, personal trainer and co-founder of the #girlgains movement, Zanna van Dijk will take questions and share her insights on building an online brand. She has an Instagram following of 126,000, has her own activewear collection and this December releases her first book, Strong, on how to get a fit, healthy and balanced body. VICKI PSARIAS OF HONEST MUM LIFESTYLE BLOGGER AND FILMMAKER
An award-winning producer, director and professional blogger, Psarias started Honestmum.com while on maternity leave six years ago and now boasts more than 30,000 Twitter followers and collaborates with brands like John Lewis, Waitrose, H&M and Lloyds Bank. She’ll be giving advice on how to carve out a new digital career and thrive as a working mother.
Bok a digial date
WHERE: Sky 2, Leeds Dock, LS10 1QG WHEN: Saturday 26th November, 12pm-4.30pm PRICE: £35, plus booking fee WHAT’S INCLUDED: Lunch, digital workshops, networking drinks and a Red goodie bag BOOK AT: Redonline.co.uk/red-women/redevents/career-in-tech-advice
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 129
Reads
Edited by CYAN TURAN
GIVE THE
GIFT OF WORDS
PHOTOGRAPH LOUISA PARRY
Books are the most magical presents of all, says Cyan Turan
W
hen I was 10, my grandparents gave me a canary-yellow hardback copy of R D Blackmore’s Lorna Doone for Christmas. I’ve cherished it ever since, adoring the way its buttercup-hued spine jumps out from the hundreds of others on my bookcase. I occasionally remove it, thumbing the pristine white pages. This book, which probably cost less than a G&T, is one of my most treasured possessions. As much as I adore receiving crisp new pages to devour, I also relish the challenge of choosing books to gift to
others, because if there’s a better way of expressing love than by giving a thoughtfully chosen tome, I haven’t heard it. So although matching the person with the book can be an elusive quest, the sheer joy of watching someone unwrap a pristine first-edition of their favourite classic, a dog-eared copy of a novel you know they adore found in an Oxfam Bookshop, or the latest bestseller plucked from the tiniest nook of your local Waterstones, makes the efort utterly worthwhile. Peruse our picks of the best books to give this Christmas on the next page. See you at the bookshelves. »
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Christmas CRACKERS
From stocking fillers to coffee-table classics, these are the works on our wish lists this festive season The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher (Bantam, £16.99; out 24th November) The Princess Leia actress and novelist’s memoirs ofer a hilarious romp through her colourful life. Lyrebird by Cecilia Ahern (Harper Collins, £16.99) Country girl Laura is transported into a world of fame and fortune, but at what cost? A telling tale of our modern obsession with the cult of celebrity.
The Mills & Boon Modern Girls’ Guides: Working 9 to 5 and Happy Hour by Ada Adverse (HQ, £6.99 each) This fun and feminist series of humour books celebrates the sisterhood with a wry smile.
The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride (Faber, £16.99) One of the year’s most talked about books, the writer follows up the groundbreaking A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing with this novel of love and sex in an age-gap relationship.
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Frida Kahlo At Home by Suzanne Barbezat (Frances Lincoln, £25) An intimate look at the inside world of the Mexican painter, famed for her self-portraits.
Pretty Iconic: A Personal Look At The Beauty Products That Changed The World by Sali Hughes (Fourth Estate, £26) A celebration of cosmetic classics and products that really work, by a true beauty expert. The New York Times 36 Hours In London And Beyond by Barbara Ireland (Taschen, £7.99) Those clever folk at The New York Times have curated our capital, with the best things to see and do.
WORDS CYAN TURAN. PHOTOGRAPHS HEARST STUDIOS
Treasure Palaces: Great Writers: Great Museums edited by Maggie Ferguson (Profile, £12.99; out 10th November) Allison Pearson’s musings on Paris’s Musée Rodin and Ali Smith’s essay on the Villa San Michele in Capri are just two of the tales in this gorgeous compilation.
READS Swing Time by Zadie Smith (Hamish Hamilton, £18.99; out 15th November) Zadie Smith returns with Swing Time, an homage to the magic of dance. Tracey and our narrator are the only two “brown girls” taking ballet lessons in their local church hall. But while Tracey has talent, the other girl is obsessed with the magic of old Hollywood musicals and their friendship falls apart. From Neasden to Senegal, the cult of celebrity to globalisation, this is a novel of big ideas and small tragedies, told with Smith’s trademark wit and ability to get to the hidden heart of her characters.
NEW
Winter TREATS With dark nights and short days well and truly upon us, Sarra Manning picks this month’s reads to cosy up with
An Almond For A Parrot by Wray Delaney (HQ, £12.99) The first adult novel from children’s author Sally Gardner. Set in a grimy, amoral 18thcentury London, An Almond For A Parrot tells the tale of Tilly who, after a childhood of neglect, becomes a celebrated courtesan. Hiding from a vengeful husband who she was married to as a child, Tilly has supernatural powers that will save her life in more ways than one. A compelling mix of bawdy romp and magical realism. Under A Pole Star by Stef Penney (Quercus, £18.99) Flora Mackie first ventures into Arctic waters on her father’s whaling ship in 1883. Nine years later and newly married, she returns to the Arctic as head of a scientific research team and falls in love with Jakob, part of a rival expedition. This is an epic love story set against the forbidding beauty of snow meadows. A perfect winter read. The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer (Bantam, £12.99; out 17th November) Belinda Bauer was once a screenwriter, and it shows – a fast pace and mounting tension make this a book you’ll read in one go after making sure every door is locked. TV crime reporter Eve Singer, a caustic, ruthless heroine, needs to keep her ratings up. Luckily there’s a serial killer loose in London who likes an audience. There’s just one problem – he wants Eve as his next star. The Riviera Set by Mary S Lovell (Little Brown, £25) Rejoice! Mary S Lovell has a new book out and it doesn’t disappoint. The story of Maxine Elliott, a sea captain’s daughter who built the legendary Château de l’Horizon where she entertained everyone from Noel Coward to Winston Churchill. I loved every word. »
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READS
A room of
HER OWN
Morgan McCarthy’s new novel features a woman who is banned from using Oxford’s Bodleian Library in the ’20s. Finding spaces to read and write hasn’t always been easy, she says
W
ith its ornate stonework, high walls, and heavy doors, Oxford’s Bodleian Library hides busy academics and students, working, researching, and discovering. What many don’t know, though, is that less than 100 years ago, said doors were closed on none other than Virginia Woolf. She was told that women weren’t allowed in without permission from a man in authority. Throughout history, women have struggled to find places to read and write. The earliest female novelists usually relied at first on the help of wealthy male relatives. Austen had a supportive dad, and George Eliot’s father got her access to a library. My own novel, The House Of Birds, features a frustrated, intelligent young woman who manages to scam her way into the Bodleian Library to write – aided (predictably) by a man. By the 20th century, women could study in colleges (lucky things!), though they wouldn’t get degrees from Oxford until 1920. To support their fledgling writing careers, female authors (including Agatha Christie and Gertrude Stein) were reliant on family money and the help of men. Thankfully, these women all later revelled in the writing places they had
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earned. Woolf famously spoke about ‘A room of one’s own’ – in her case a (very nice) shed. Christie had an architect install a bath with a ledge so she could eat apples as she wrote. Stein wrote in her own car, sitting in – rather fabulously – the driver’s seat. Happily, modern women in the West have their choice of spaces in which to read and learn. When we need to know something we have access to the internet, libraries, book stores – even the forbidding Bodleian itself (after a bit of paperwork). We are also free to write where we choose: JK Rowling in cafés, Maya Angelou in a hotel room, Anne Enright in her sitting room, Rose Tremain in her own study. I personally like to write in diferent places, depending on my mood. Yet other women, born in other countries, haven’t been so lucky. In countries such as Afghanistan, female literacy rate stands at less than half of men’s. Poverty, crime, war, religious repression, pressure to marry young and have children: all these things prevent women from finding a safe space to read and write. When it comes to having a room of one’s own, we still have a long way to go. The House Of Birds by Morgan McCarthy (Tinder Press, £18.99)
FESTIVE FAMILY FAVOURITES Two lyrical literary happenings that young and old will love A NOVEL CHRISTMAS STORY
Matt Haig follows up A Boy Called Christmas with The Girl Who Saved Christmas (Canongate, £12.99). Not to be missed. ONE TO WATCH
Hoping to replicate the success of The Snowman is Channel 4, whose charming adaptation of Michael Rosen’s We’re Going On A Bear Hunt is voiced by Olivia Colman. On Channel 4 this Christmas
Wise ords There’s sage advice from our favourite stars in If I Could Tell You Just One Thing “Do not be possessive. It is one of the most dangerous things, especially in relation to sex. There are a lot of people who think it’s indecent to not be possessive when you are married. The trick is to love, not possess.” Diana Athill “There will be moments in life when a light may go on, when you think to yourself ‘I must do that’… if you find that light, acknowledge it, cultivate it. Find that deeper purpose in your life.” Annie Lennox “Love everyone you meet. From the moment you meet them. Start from a position that they are lovely and that you will love them… but get rid of any of the bastards who let you down.” Joanna Lumley If I Could Tell You Just One Thing edited by Richard Reed (Canongate, £14.99)
PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES, REX FEATURES
E S S AY
READER EVENT
AN EVENING OF STYLE & celebration JOIN RED AND EILEEN FISHER AT A ONE-OFF NIGHT OF CLOTHES, CRAFTS, COCKTAILS AND CANAPÉS
*TROUSERS AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY
S
truggling to get into the holiday spirit? Let us help! Join the Red team for an exclusive evening of creativity, style and shopping at US label Eileen Fisher’s Wimbledon boutique in London. Pick up some brilliant new skills and tips while you shop the collection for efortless clothes to see you elegantly through the season. Our style experts will be on hand to provide gifting advice, and we’ve invited some special guests to share holiday craft ideas. Superstar florist All For Love will lead a festive wreath-making workshop – take your handiwork home to adorn your front door. There will also be a session with in-demand calligraphers Quill London, beloved by Instagram, who will show you how to create beautiful gift tags to add the perfect personal touch to presents and place settings. To top it all of, there will be delicious cocktails and canapés, a 15% discount on the collection in store (plus a free gift with purchase) and a goodie bag for everyone at the end of the evening. Feeling a little more festive? We thought so. We can’t wait to see you there.
Tunic, £225; trousers*, £205
Shawl, £375
Cardigan, £315; dress, £300. All Eileen Fisher
WHERE: Eileen Fisher, 23 High Street, Wimbledon, London SW19 5DX WHEN: 24th November 2016, 6pm–8.30pm PRICE: £10, incl a goodie bag, 15% of Eileen Fisher, cocktails and workshops BOOK AT: Redonline.co.uk/red-women/red-events
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Fashion
Edited by OONAGH BRENNAN
Velvet and tulle top, price on request; velvet trousers, £1,050, both Giorgio Armani
PHOTOGRAPH DAVID GUBERT
INTO THE NIGHT This PARTY season is going to be a breeze. Just mix and match… a SEQUIN skirt with a rock ’n’ roll T-shirt; LACY tops and velvet trousers; a bodacious FULL skirt with a cool understated knit. Be a little DIFFERENT, BREAK your own rules and be the last to leave the party. It’s Christmas after all.
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L
p
et’s
arty!
FUN, FANCIFUL AND OH-SO JOYOUS, CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT SPARKLING SEQUINS, GLITZ, GLAMOUR AND A TOUCH OF ANIMAL PRINT. HERE, MODEL PORTIA FREEMAN AND HER FAMILY SHOW YOU HOW IT’S DONE. SO GO WILD, BE FREE, THEN CARRY THOSE HEELS HOME… Photographs DAVID GUBERT Styling NICOLA ROSE
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Thank you Mary Katrantzou for making all of our skirt dreams come true. Crazy, extravagant, intricate and fabulous – just add a Bella Freud knit and go Metallic and rayon-mix jumper, £290, Bella Freud. Tulle skirt, £6,500, Mary Katrantzou
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Whatever time you roll into bed, make sure you do it in style. Leopard print is a plucky addition to any bedtime wardrobe, and this Sandro coat is the most alluring around Portia wears: Shearling coat, £1,800, Sandro. Linen pyjama set, £340, Morpho + Luna. Cotton bra, £29, & Other Stories Pete wears: Cotton T-shirt, £85, Enlist. Wool trousers, £505, Marni. Bracelets, model’s own Dylan (far left) wears: Cotton pyjamas (just seen), £75 for a set, Derek Rose Rudy wears: Cotton shirt, £35, Billybandit at Alex and Alexa. Blue and white cotton trousers, £38.50, Boden
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There is wow, and then there is this Paule Ka dress. You can’t possibly have a bad Christmas party in this scarlet treasure Viscose dress, £1,030, Paule Ka. Gold and diamond necklace, from £845, Annoushka. Cotton and faux-fur shoes (just seen), £198, J Crew
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Sometimes it’s good to blur the gender lines, and Christmas is no exception. Burberry shirting and mannish pyjama stripes... everything goes when you add big hair and a slick of black kohl Portia wears: Pink cotton sweatshirt with studs, £495; tulle blouse (just seen), £395; blue, red and white cotton-, silk- and satin-mix trousers,
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£550; leather boots, £1,195, all Burberry Rudy wears: All as before Pete wears: Blue, red and white cotton- and silk-mix jacket, £1,195; denim jeans, £395; suede boots, £495, all Burberry. T-shirt, model’s own. Silver ring, £145, The Great Frog Dylan wears: Cotton shirt with bow-tie, £35, Billybandit at Alex and Alexa. Red and navy cotton pyjama trousers, £75 for a set, Derek Rose. Polyester trainers, £13, Next
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If you’re going to spin some tunes – or at least pretend to – then do it in sequins. Christmas is about excess and this Sadie Williams shining number can’t help but keep the party rocking Sequin top, £460, Sadie Williams. Satin shorts, £190, Hilfiger Collection. Crystal earrings, £230, Saint Laurent. Acrylic bag, £1,455, Edie Parker. Leather boots, £590, Chrissie Morris
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You can’t have Christmas without glitz and gold. This Masscob skirt will keep rolling even after New Year, and the 3.1 Phillip Lim coat’s a keeper, too. After all, precious metals are meant to last forever… Lamé coat, £810, 3.1 Phillip Lim at Harvey Nichols. Velvet blazer, £395, Topshop. Cotton T-shirt, £25, Rokit. Sequin top (underneath), £375, By Malene Birger. Silk and Lurex skirt, £315, Masscob. Velvet shoes, £495, Gianvito Rossi
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There are so many ways to bring a sparkly dress back down to reality. One is with the chunkiest scarf you can get your hands on. This Hilfiger Collection dress can now take on daytime jaunts and evening soirées with equal panache Gold sequin dress, £850, Hilfiger Collection. Gold-plated, crystal and faux pearl earrings, £345, Oscar de la Renta at Net-a-porter.com. Wool scarf, £295, Cats Brothers. Gold and diamond necklace, from £845, Annoushka. Suede boots, £900, Giuseppe Zanotti Design Dylan wears: Navy wool blazer, £161, Little Marc Jacobs. Cotton pyjamas, £75, Derek Rose. Burgundy silk scarf, £79.50, J Crew
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Candy floss, flamingos and a gaggle of the softest marshmallows all whipped into one Preen ensemble. Sometimes more is more is more when thinking pink Shearling coat, £5,199; silk and paillettes dress, £1,136, both Preen by Thornton Bregazzi. Gold-plated necklace, £340, Dior. Rings, from left: rose gold, diamond and blue topaz, £1,600; rhodium-plated rose gold with diamond, £1,300; rose gold, diamond and peridot, £1,600, all Pomellato. Velvet and glitter boots, £610, Saint Laurent Models Portia Freeman, Pete Denton, Dylan and Rudy Denton all at Select Model Management. Hair Tony Collins at Emma Davies Agency. Make-up Kim Jacob at Angeli & Co. Nails Emma Welsh at August Management, using Chanel. Men’s styling Lauren T Franks. Stylist’s assistant Gabriella Minchella. Hair stylist’s assistant Tomoko Oda. Make-up artist’s assistant Kelly Sadler. Set designer Laura Timmons. Location thanks to 1st Option
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Velvet jacket, £120. Velvet trousers, £100
THE EVENING EDIT Modern silhouettes in timeless black – Laura Ashley’s occasion wear will keep you chic long into the night
PROMOTION
Plunging necklines, floorskimming shapes; Laura Ashley’s A/W 16 collection is the embodiment of modern party dressing. Flattering shades and a smattering of sparkle give that understated luxe element – then just slip on your most fabulous heels. So for an evening look that’s equal parts elegance and nonchalance, head to lauraashley.com now.
Maxi dress, £125
Velvet culottes £95. Silk blouse, £105. Fauxfur collar £45
Beauty
Edited by ANNABEL MEGGESON
All I want for
WORDS ANNABEL MEGGESON. PHOTOGRAPH ENZO TRUOCCOLO
CHRISTMAS IS... …utterly luxurious skincare. The heavy gold jars with their mirrored tops look more like precious objects than pots of cream, while the serum’s core of beads glisten with promise. Add a quietly expensive scent, luxurious textures and exactly the roll call of high-quality, collagen-boosting actives you’d expect from Estée Lauder, and you have a range of skincare designed to make you feel and look good all winter long. For true skincare fans, this is the season’s most enticing gift. Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Regenerating Youth Creme, £215; Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Regenerating Youth Serum, £215; Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Regenerating Youth Eye Cream, £115
For more of this season’s best skincare, visit REDONLINE.CO.UK
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PARTY MAKE-UP
The new BEAUTY HEROES… THE KEY TO MODERN PARTY GORGEOUSNESS LIES WITH JUST THREE PRODUCTS. ADD THEM TO YOUR REPERTOIRE AND YOU’LL OWN THE NIGHT Words ANNABEL MEGGESON Photographs DAVID GUBERT Creative direction NICOLA ROSE
THE it LIP CHANEL LIP INK IN EXPERIMENTE, £26
conker and a wearable red, this velvety lip lacquer features an amazing new texture that we’ve spotted across a few brands this year. It glides on beautifully and is easy to apply; the impact is eye-catching but not showy – and as we’ve said, the colour provides an instant update. Team with fresh skin, groomed brows, a lick of mascara and not much else. Use a bit of bronzer to bring warmth if/where you need it. HAIR NOTES: “Add a hit of volume to hair by using a texturising spray just before you go out,” says top stylist and Charles Worthington ambassador Ken O’Rourke. “Tilt your head to one side and spray into the roots. Repeat on the other side, then tousle.” »
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MODEL WEARS EARRINGS, TIFFANY & CO
MAKE-UP NOTES: Somewhere between on-trend
BEAUTY
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BEAUTY
THE chic STATEMENT BURBERRY SHIMMER DUST IN GOLD, £20 MAKE-UP NOTES: We piled it on
for the sake of our picture, but this pale, luminous ‘dust’ is more about bringing beautiful light to your face than actually wearing glitter. It’s easiest (and we think prettiest) to pull of when pressed lightly onto clean, primed lids to look
twinkly but subtle. (You can aford a little more on the inner corners.) If you’re feeling daring, a tiny press onto the top of cheekbones also looks very pretty – and very now. HAIR NOTES: “The easiest way to create soft waves is to apply a pea-sized amount of Charles
Worthington Smooth & Control Finishing Serum (£6.99) through mid-lengths and ends of hair when it’s about 85% dry. Use a wand to make curls, then brush them out with a Mason Pearson brush to create the waves,” says O’Rourke. »
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MODEL WEARS: SLIP, MORGAN LANE. EARRINGS, KIMBERLY MCDONALD AT BROWNS. MODEL GEORGIE WASS AT ELITE LONDON. HAIR TONY COLLINS AT EMMA DAVIES AGENCY, USING CHARLES WORTHINGTON. MAKE-UP KIM JACOBS AT ANGELI & CO. NAILS EMMA WELSH AT AUGUST MANAGEMENT, USING CHANEL. STYLING LAUREN T FRANKS. STYLIST’S ASSISTANT GABRIELLA MINCHELLA. SET DESIGN LAURA TIMMONS. LOCATION THANKS TO 1ST OPTION
BEAUTY
THE MODERN smoky THE ESTÉE EDIT METALLISHADOW CRÈME & POWDER DUO IN SOLAR BLAST, £17
MAKE-UP NOTES:
This is your one-stop pot for a professional-looking catwalk eye. Blend the cream shadow over lids, then pat the dust on top for an eye that’s just shimmery and metallic enough, with the right amount of warmth and depth to suit everyone. Load on the mascara, then finish with a nude lip for classic smoky style. HAIR NOTES: “To make an updo look easy and efortless, pull hair into a bun or twist just about halfway up your head,” says O’Rourke. “Pin securely then use your palm to create texture around the crown; add a small accessory if you want extra interest.” »
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 159
BEAUTY Paul & Joe Cheek Colour in Petit Promenade, £28 – the perfect last-minute complexion brightener
Guerlain Soule d’Or de Shalimar, £59 – we love a quick dusting of this super-fine gold shimmer on shoulders, collarbone, anywhere
Hair barrette, £17, Accessorize
Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray, £6.99 – adds instant volume
Sisley Sisleÿa Le Teint Anti-Aging Foundation, £98 – sheer, long-lasting coverage
Supporting CAST
Burberry Nail Polish in Gold Shimmer, £15 – the easiest way to wear glitter
COMPLETE YOUR LOOK WITH MORE OF THE SEASON’S BEST PIECES
Laura Mercier Brow Dimension Fiber Infused Colour Gel, £19 – one-stop brow building Max Factor False Lash Epic Mascara, £11.99 – gives naturallooking separation and length
Mason Pearson Pure Bristle Pocket Sensitive SB4, £49.25 – the classic brush in handbag size MAC Cream Colour Base in Midtone Sepia, £17 – use this when you want your lids to look polished but not done
160 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Real Techniques 201 Blending Brush, £12 – blend your eyeshadow with a brush and it’ll look better and last longer; this firm, round number does the job very well
Make Up For Ever Prolight Fusion Undetectable Luminizer, £26.50 – the best for subtle illumination
COS Hair Pins, £5 Charles Worthington Strength & Repair Hair Spray, £6.99 – essential for setting your style
For more of Ken O’Rourke’s hair tips, visit REDONLINE.CO.UK
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS STUDIO 33
Chantecaille Matte Lip Colour in Suzy, £36 – your smoky eye’s partner in crime
Otis Batterbee Liberty-print eye mask, £50, Liberty London
BEAUTY INSIDER Guerlain Météorites Perles de Legende, £42.50
CALM THOUGHTS late gifts and SKIN SOS It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and also the most stressful. But take on these new tricks from three stylish women and you’ll sail through efortlessly
Natalia’s party-ready staples include Guerlain Shalimer EDP and liquid eyeliner; with her children Neva and Lucas
Champagne, from £31 for 75cl, Moët & Chandon
Naalia Vodianoa
– that guarantees a punch of energy, especially in the morning, and, of course, you feel good about it afterwards.
Guerlain Limited Edition L’Or Felt Eyeliner in Sparkling Gold, £22
Personalised baubles, £14.95 each, Liberty London
SUPERMODEL AND FOUNDER OF CHILDREN’S GIFTING This year I’ll CHARITY, NAKED HEART FOUNDATION be making up boxes full of my Guerlain make-up KEEPING CALM Come collection for friends and for Christmas itself, all I need our donors at the Naked Heart Honeybush to relax are my children and Foundation. I’m especially proud of and rooibos a glass of Moët & Chandon. the gold eyeliner and the Météorites teabags, But I do have regular in their beautiful packaging. £11.45 for 50, Teapigs head and scalp RITUALS Decorating the tree is a big treatments at Leonor deal and I make sure we always do it Greyl in Paris in the together. Every year, I get special run-up – it’s a busy Guerlain decorations made for my family, time and that helps keep Shalimar EDP, £31.99 engraved with their name and the me grounded and calm. for 30ml year. It’s simple but meaningful. It’s amazing how revitalising a one-minute, self-administered PARTY-READY I use concealer scalp rub can be, too. where I need it rather than foundation ENERGY BOOST If I feel myself all over; it still gives an even skin flagging I’ll force myself to bed an tone, but you don’t have to worry hour earlier. For an instant boost, about it going cakey and it’s easy to I make rooibos tea. It doesn’t have top up. I tend to do my eyes on a cafeine, so I don’t feel I have to night out – Guerlain’s liquid eyeliner limit it, but it’s got all the antioxidants and mascara – plus splashes of and they seem to make a diference. Shalimar EDP, which is very much Or I’ll have an organic green juice my winter-party fragrance.
162 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Smashbox Studio Skin 24-Hour Concealer, £20
Leonor Greyl Hair Oil, £29
BEAUTY Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil, £34.50
Byredo Gypsy Water EDP, £90 for 50ml Show Beauty Allure Body Shimmer Oil, £35
Annabel Meggeson RED ’S BEAUTY DIRECTOR
Annabel with her daughter Blue. This year their house will be full of firs and festive fairy lights
RELAXATION I need plenty of me-time and am much better now at carving it out for myself. Late-night baths are part of the repertoire, for which Epsom salts (detoxing), coconut oil (moisturising) and lavender bubble bath are always on standby. And a good scented candle. EMERGENCY GIFTS
This year I’ll be bulk buying copies of The British Library’s A Literary Christmas, smart black jars of Maille Black Trule & Chablis Mustard (they’ll be thanking you for Chanel No5 months), and Fortnum & The Body Oil, Mason’s fabled Griottes, £62 for 200ml all of which make very respectable last-minute presents. Unless you know exactly what someone uses, beauty Black Trule & products as gifts Chablis Mustard, have to have a £29, Maille certain universality. The following can be appreciated by almost everyone: Estée Lauder Revitalizing Trilogy Certified Supreme Global Organic Rosehip Anti-Aging Wake Up Balm, £46
H&M High Impact Eye Colour in Down To Earth, £4.99 This Works Deep Sleep Bath Soak, £22
Oil; Byredo Gypsy Water EDP; Chanel No5 The Body Oil; Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Wake Up Balm; This Works Deep Sleep Bath Soak. PARTY- READY Laser hair removal (courtesy of Courthouse Clinics) has had the miraculous efect of my being permanently party-dress ready. I’ll supplement with a (long-lasting) medical pedicure at Margaret Dabbs, plus on the night a generous slather of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Deep Moisture Oil-in-Lotion, followed by Show Beauty Allure Body Shimmer Oil. MAKE-UP My two desk-to-drinks
formulas this year are Stila’s Matt Lipstick in Soiree with hair pulled into a high-ish pony; a smoky eye using H&M’s High Impact Eye Colour in Down To Earth with as much kohl as I dare and hair given a tousle. Both can be done in a couple of minutes and don’t need a full face of everything to pull them of.
Coconut oil, £5.99, Vita Coco
Stila Matt Lipstick in Soiree, £15
L’Occitane Lavender Foaming Bath, £20
HOUSE I love the whole
outdoors-inside thing at Christmas. This year I want to fill the house with firs. They’re also the best vehicle for fairy lights, my other favourite festive decoration. »
Chocolates, £40, Fortnum & Mason
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 163
BEAUTY No 22 Bookshelf Candle, £38 Tom Ford Lip Color in Rafael, £28 “I never go out without a red lipstick in my clutch” Dior Diorshow Black Out Mascara, £25.50
Jurlique Rose Body Oil, £38 “I use this every day for ready-togo skin”
CHEF PATRON OF JIKONI AND AUTHOR OF COOK IN BOOTS Ravinder’s festive musthaves include kitchenappropriate shoes and plenty of me-time
Escentric Molecules Molecule 01, £65.50 for 100ml
This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, £22
PRE-SEASON PREP
At the start of the party season, I’ll book a hair colour and Thai massage to set me up. I also love a blow-dry for special occasions – it’s a moment to unwind and gather myself, as well as making me feel great. And I don’t wait for Christmas Day to receive perfume: I stock up on Escentric Molecules perfume in Molecule 01, as I can’t go out without it! Finally, I’m going to try and book a facial with Anastasia Achilleos. My Christmas wish this year is to have regular facials with her – they’re absolutely dreamy. HOME COMFORTS As I’m in the kitchen a lot during Christmas, comfortable footwear is a necessity. I love my Minna Parikka trainers; they have bunny ears and pompoms, so despite them being sensible, I’m still having fun. Birkenstocks are great, too, as they give good support. SKIN SOS Late nights and being busy mean I get dull skin quite easily, but I swear by this old-fashioned remedy to brighten mine up: blend natural yoghurt,
164 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
gram flour and a pinch of turmeric, then apply as a face mask for a few minutes before rinsing of with warm water. And I keep a lavender pillow spray next to the bed to help me sleep better. HOUSE BEAUTIFUL
My friend Karen Hsu (founder of Pom Pom Factory) makes the most beautiful paper flowers. She has an installation based on marigolds in my new restaurant Jikoni and I’m hoping she may be able to come up with an original take on a Christmas tree for me. I love No 22 candles from Liberty, too. It’s so important to have something for me amongst the Christmas madness. My favourite is the Bookshelf Candle, which genuinely smells of books! It’s so comforting. HOSTESS HACKS I stockpile Ginger Pig meats, Hansen & Lydersen smoked salmon and cheese from Neal’s Yard to make sure I’ve always got something delicious in case of impromptu parties.
Trainers, from £255, Minna Parikka
Beautiful paper flowers made by Ravinder’s friend Karen Hsu; Ravinder likes to use turmeric in her homemade face masks
Shiseido Eyelash Curler, £19 “I always curl my lashes for a night out”
Find more Christmas beauty essentials, at REDONLINE.CO.UK
COMPILED BY REBECCA HULL. PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES, HEARST STUDIOS
Rainder Bhogal
BEAUTY Azzi Glasser The Perfumer’s Story by Azzi Fever 54 Candle, £49 – blowsy rose with an aromatic heart
Frédéric Malle Joyeux Noel Candle, £60 – amber, cinnamon and welcoming woodsmoke
INSIDER’S GUIDE
Waxing LYRICAL
Nothing says ‘festive’ like the glow of a scented candle, but there are myriad ways to make yours work harder, as Alexandra Friend discovers
Diptyque Giant Baies Candle, £210 – Diptyque’s classic rose and blackcurrant blend, in full Christmas livery
hat’s your a glass cylinder over The White scented candle the top to throw the Company tally this year? fragrance even Mistletoe Given, higher [you can get Candle, £34 received, these from John – a fresh take on festive, burnt… not inconsiderable, we’d Lewis].” Timing helps, with spruce, guess. But here’s the thing: how especially when amber and lily does your home actually smell? If entertaining. “Light of the valley sales of fragranced wax are on the candles an hour before up (Liberty London alone reports your guests arrive, but put a year-on-year leap of 27%), and the them out after two as the Vilhelm Tom Daxon White oferings ever more enticing (perfume scent doesn’t get any stronger Parfumerie Narcissus Candle, houses Tom Ford and Vilhelm after this.” The reward for such Lazy Sunday £55 – creamy Parfumerie are adding candles to discipline is the especially intense Candle, £60 winter blooms – soothingly floral their works this winter), we should fragrance candles release as they for mornings after all be floating cool, though do let along in a their surfaces turn “For an INTIMATE delicious winter’s evening, try fully liquid before Cire Trudon yearblowing them out, Bethléem WARM woods or round to ensure they burn Candle, £70 lofty incense notes” fug of evenly next time. – cosy spice and fig and Also, trim wicks sandalwood sandalwood. But while to around 5mm between burns, scenting the odd corner of and, says Malone, “keep the a room is one thing, creating inside of your votive clear of a signature scent for your home soot. Try a dab of washing up – and making it last – isn’t liquid on a kitchen towel”. a given. So what’s the secret? So, three or “Fragrance rises, so place four strategically candles lower down and you’ll placed candles, smell them sooner,” says candle lit for a couple guru Jo Malone. “Fireplaces work of hours every – well, especially in large rooms with or every few – high ceilings, which evenings is the Ideo Parfumers are hard to fill. Or put first step to infusing Jasmin de Beyrouth one at the foot of your house on an Jo Malone Christmas Candle, £35 – rich, ongoing basis, » your staircase with Miniature Candle heady and lasting Collection, £66 – the sweetest votives, perfect with pudding DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 167
BEAUTY
BEST… PALETTES
Cutting Room Candle, £55, is all white blooms and freshly snapped stems), and to soothe sore heads the next day, it’s back to the log fires or Linari Opale Scented Candle, something soft and fresh (Rachel £59.95 – juicy Vosper’s French Lavender, £30, is plum and especially clean and comforting). tangerine with Mealtimes require a particularly nutmeg and cedar tactical approach. “Subtle spice or herbal scents work well with most foods, but anything too strong will distract the nose from the meal, so light your candles earlier in the evening and put them out Scented just before guests arrive,” matches, says Delafon, who Snufer, Buly, £15 recommends the tea, Diptyque, £20 mint and ginger blend of Cire Trudon’s Abd El Kader (£62). Once blown out, replace with tapers and tealights for atmosphere. Or do as Wick Jo Malone does and bring trimmer, a few mini votives into Frédéric Snufer, Tom the dining room with Malle, £15 Dixon, £28 pudding, which has the added efect of clearing postprandial odours. But however you use your scented candles, do For more home-scenting use them. Candles can be tips from Red’s favourite tempting to stockpile, but candle experts, visit with an impending REDONLINE.CO.UK Christmas set to boost your tally, there’s no reason to save for never.
The kit
Like puppies, a make-up palette isn’t just for Christmas. These days, they’re so well curated you’ll want to play with them all year
Givenchy Palette Ors Audacieux, £40.50
YSL Sparkle Clash Multi-Usage Palette, £59 168 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Dolce & Gabbana Flower Jewel Compact, £134 (exclusive to Harrods)
Bobbi Brown City Palettes, London, Paris and New York editions, £45 (exclusive to Harrods) PHOTOGRAPHS HEARST STUDIOS
but to really seal the deal, supplement with room spray, reed difusers or your favourite fragrance. “I even mist my bed linen and blinds with scent every evening and throw a few capfuls of cologne into the mop L’Artisan bucket once a week,” says Malone. Parfumeur As for the scents themselves, heavier XL Candle in notes linger longer – think amber, L’Ambre, £155 woods and heady blooms such as – supersized amber jasmine and tuberose. “Citrus and lighter floral notes need more warmth in the air to bring them out,” says Malone. “So save those for spring.” Jo Loves Of course (purchase Christmas enabling alert), having an A Layered extensive candle edit at Candle, £80 your fingertips is a brilliant – pine, plum way to scene-set your social pudding and occasions. “Create, change, log fires keep it lively,” says Laurent Delafon of United Perfumes. “For an intimate winter’s evening, try warm woods or lofty incense notes. Precious woods help prompt the release of serotonin, which is why they were used in religious rituals.” (Diptyque Feu de Bois, £42, is the archetypal log fire dupe, while Cire Trudon Byron, £62, is rich with uplifting resins.) For a smarter and more sparkling afair, bring in flowery scents and lots of them – the way you’d fill your Tom Ford Private Blend home with floral Candle in Tobacco arrangements (By Vanille, £165 – soft spice Appointment Only and warm tobacco
PROFILE BEAUTY GURU
Meet
SKINCARE’S SECRET trailblazer Caroline Hirons CV The birth of a beauty blogger
Get set to revolutionise your beauty routine, Caroline Hirons is the blogger who can make you buy anything Words ALEXANDRA FRIEND Photograph JENNY LEWIS
T
here’s skincare, there’s the internet and, where the two meet, there’s Caroline Hirons. If you’re one of her 100,000 YouTube subscribers, 110,000 Instagram followers or 4.2 million blog readers, you’ll know the drill: a trained aesthetician and beauty brand consultant, 47-year-old Hirons breaks down the world of skincare like no one else online, ofering up comprehensive (and very candid) product reviews, cheat sheets and industry news and inspiring a social-media lexicon all her own – Sunday facial, #takeittothetits (ie your face doesn’t end at your chin when applying skincare) and #carolinehironsmademedoit (for a big beauty spend) are just the start. But if you’re new to the Hirons phenomenon, here’s what you need to know.
SHE DOESN’ T DO BOTOX “There’s nothing wrong with ageing; we’ll all do it if we’re lucky. I don’t have Botox or fillers – a good, healthy glow takes years of, and why wouldn’t I want laughter lines? I’m more about texture and bounce, and would rather every woman over a certain age tried an oil or serum first. If anything, that’s where you should spend your money as that’s the product that will get right under the horny outer layer to treat the skin – Ren Vita Mineral Omega 3 Optimum Skin Oil (£25) suits every skin type. But if needles make you happy, go for it. Just don’t think you won’t need good skincare, too. All the Botox in the world won’t give you good skin.”
SHE WANTS EVERYONE ON ACID “Acid toners, which contain gently exfoliating ingredients like AHAs (alpha hydroxy acid, eg glycolic acid) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acid, eg salicylic acid), are revolutionary. They’re the first step in the moisturising process – as well as resurfacing the skin, they destroy bacteria, boost collagen and improve the absorption of products. As a rule of thumb, AHAs are better for dryness, ageing and dehydration, BHAs for spots and acne. Try Pixi Glow Tonic (£18) or Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid (£23.50).”
2004: Graduated from beauty school as a trained aesthetician while working as a beauty retail consultant and raising her family 2006: Became UK Retail Sales Manager for Liz Earle 2009: Launched independent brand consultancy, advising clients such as Zelens, Pixi, Sunday Riley and Kate Somerville 2010: Started beauty blog Carolinehirons.com 2012: A recommendation for Pixi Glow Tonic meant the company had to leave its answerphone on for six weeks to cope with demand 2013: Her cheat sheet on skincare routines reached 600,000 views 2014: A blog post featuring Clinique Take The Day Of Cleansing Balm resulted in a 1,345% sales increase 2016: Blog reaches 100,000 YouTube subscribers and 70 million page views
SHE WON’ T TALK SKIN TYPES “The minute you go down the skin type route, you limit your choices – it’s such an old-fashioned, department-store way of thinking. All skin is ‘normal’. Oily, dry and dehydrated are conditions that can be adjusted. Anyone »
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 171
PROFILE battling with excess oil, for example, will often be sold a foaming cleanser, but I promise you your skin will feel so much more comfortable after cleansing with a balm. I hope I give my readers the confidence to walk up to any counter and say ‘I need that’, without being swayed.”
May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon Beauty Balm Concentrate (£128) for soothing and nourishing skin, and if I had to pick one brand for cleansing, it would be Tata Harper.”
SHE ’S PROBABLY LOOKING AT YOUR SKIN “I never switch of – skin’s just my thing. If I’m sitting next SHE DOUBLE CLEANSES (BUT NOT ALWAYS ) to you on the Tube, I’ll know if you haven’t been cleansing “When I started the blog properly. There’ll be a tell-tale tidemark (Carolinehirons.com), of dead skin around your hairline, or make-up tutorials were all you’ll look flat and lacklustre due to the over the internet but no one build up of product. I only comment Clinique Take The Day Of was talking about skincare. when I’m asked, though. It happens Cleansing Balm (£22; 1) “Suits all skin and removes every last bit of make-up.” How can skin breathe if it’s a lot, especially in the ladies’ loo. I love Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 not clean? I’m known for it – but let me wash my hands first.” (£52; 2) “The acid toner that started double cleansing – once my obsession. Smoother, brighter – SHE DOESN’ T KNOW IT ALL to remove make-up and the results are immediate.” “I’m still learning. Who isn’t? The a second time to treat the Flannels “If you’ve only ever splashed biggest issue at the moment is skin. Save your most product of your skin, these will make fortysomething women developing expensive cleanser for the a massive diference. Thorough allergies and acne at the same time, second cleanse, though – without being too harsh.” and no one knowing why. Clinique has clay-based products like The Ordinary Vitamin C a whole team working on it, and the Pixi’s Glow Mud Cleanser Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% two seem to be linked. I got acne and a (£18) are great for dullness (£4.90; 3) “Used in conjunction with shellfish allergy when I hit 40. I changed and blemishes, but are SPF, a good vitamin C serum covers my skincare routine, switching out my wasted on your first cleanse. you for environmental protection.” richer creams for acids, and fixed the I don’t do it as much as Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol acne myself. It has never come back.” people think, though. I work Night Oil (£63; 4) “Everyone over the age of 30 should be using retinoids. from home, and when you’re Other than SPF, this is the only SHE WANTS YOU TO TRY LED not wearing make-up or ingredient the American FDA (Food & “I mix massage and machines in my sunscreen, once is enough.” Drug Administration) allows brands to facials [The Caroline Hirons Signature claim has an anti-ageing efect.” SHE ’S ALL FOR Facial, £175 at Teresatarmey.com – CO N V E R S AT I O N but be prepared, there’s a waiting list]. ➌ “I try to respond to every It’s a very British approach. Americans ➊ comment. Right now I’ve are all about machines, the French got 500 outstanding on love massage, and we’re somewhere in YouTube, but I’ll get to between. I love LED (light-emitting them. I’ll always give diode) phototherapy, which activates ➍ ➋ a straight answer, too – collagen, treats acne, eczema, psoriasis I think that’s part of my and dermatitis and gives skin a lovely appeal. If I don’t like something, I’ll say so. Websites glow. It’s afordable and accessible, too – there are LED that don’t list ingredients are a particular bugbear. Why lamps in clinics all over the country.” would I buy something if I don’t know what’s in it? My BUT ULTIMATELY, SHE BELIEVES IN DIY readers also like that I’m a working mum. The vlogs “I absolutely believe that unless there’s something systemic that show me complaining about the pile of odd socks going on (in which case I’d refer you to the medical sector), in the kitchen go down well – it’s certainly not like you can treat most skin conditions at home. Wash your going behind the scenes at the Beckhams’!” face properly, use a decent acid, a good retinol, a serum SHE CHAMPIONS SMALL BRANDS and an SPF and the rest is about lifestyle. Nine times out “Much as I love the big players, I get the biggest buzz of 10, people know what they’re doing wrong. I don’t drink from helping to introduce niche brands to the UK. any more and I try to stay away from sugar, but lack of Independent companies don’t have shareholders to sleep on me is a shocker – my eyes look dark and my skin answer to, so product not profit comes first, meaning looks sallow. If ever I’m looking dull or sluggish and need that, while you might pay a bit more, you’ll often get a quick boost, leaving Neal’s Yard Wild To win a selection of a higher percentage of active ingredients for your Rose Beauty Balm (£38) on for 10 Caroline Hironsmoney. I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t loved the minutes will put the radiance back.” approved skincare, go to REDONLINE.CO.UK 172 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
MAKE-UP AMANDA BELL. HAIR PAUL O’REILLY
A Caroline Hirons sarter kit
PROMOTION
See life DIFFERENTLY Radio and TV presenter Sara Cox talks career, confidence and contact lenses, and gives us a glimpse into her life and loves
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BEAUTY BEST...
Christmas reds
Bella Freud Close To My Heart EDP, £95 for 50ml – sexy, seductive tuberose with a modern twist
Laura Biagiotti A/W 16
NON-STOP SUNCARE
UPDATE
LIGHT I T UP The Red jury’s still out on what exactly LED can do for skin*, but it’s gaining quite a reputation among beauty experts as a collagen booster. We’ll be looking into this at the newly opened Cowshed Spa in Selfridges, where it’s ofered alongside manis and pedis. Light Therapy at Cowshed, from £35 for 15 minutes
Add a couple of Dr Barbara Sturm’s Sun Drops SPF 50 (£105) to your skincare or foundation for a little on-the-spot UV protection when the weather looks bright. It’s a non-bothersome way to do sunscreen in winter.
BEAUTY NOTEBOOK Miller Harris Hope & Joy Christmas Candle, £30
PHOTOGRAPHS IMAXTREE. STILL LIFES HEARST STUDIOS *CONFLICTING VIEWS ARE AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD IN THE WORLD OF BEAUTY. SEE PAGE 172
Paul & Joe Nail Polish in Poinsettia, £12 – a classic colour, but tomato undertones keep it fresh
BEAUTY INSIDER by ANNABEL MEGGESON
COLOUR CARE. Ugh. One of the
most boring bits of beauty, I thought – till a swell of greys saw me begging for a dye job every few months and I became obsessed with making colour last. “Understandable,” says one of the UK’s most accomplished colourists, Josh Wood. “HAIR
& Other Stories Caliper Body Oil, £29
WITH ITS THREE SEXY, FEMININE FRAGRANCES IN AN ELEGANT COFFRET, LOUBOUTIN’S SET OF MINIATURES IS CANDY FOR EYE AND NOSE. £70 AT SELFRIDGES
MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Fashion Legacy, £21 – a fabulous, long-lasting red
Wet Brush Leopard Detangler, £11.99 Fresh Sugar Cream Lip Treatment in Blush, £19
Socking fillers From the gardens of Provence comes & Other Stories’ Atelier Paris range, with herby ingredients and chic packaging. Fresh Sugar Cream Lip Treatment, a Wet Brush Leopard Detangler, and Miller Harris’ Hope & Joy scented candle also make great bottom-of-sock fare.
COLOUR IS A METAPHOR FOR WELLBEING.
The visual and emotional perception of hair that’s frizzy or grey goes beyond the fact someone might not be using the right conditioner. And now we’re sharing imagery in a way we never have, the pressure’s greater than ever to not have a hair out of place.” What to do? “The single best thing is to use a mask once a week.” (Try Wood’s new Colour Care Glossing Masks, £10 each, from M&S.) But don’t fret over using it properly. “The main thing is just to get it on your head. Even if it says apply to washed, towelled hair and you apply it to dry This month hair in-between getting I have been… the kids’ breakfast and BROWSING Diptyque’s taking a shower, fine. fabulous Liberty pop-up; Once you’ve boosted RAVING about Romilly shine and/or shade with Wilde’s Light + Energy a mask, blend the greys Serum Cleanser (£75); with a touch-up wand.” ACCEPTING it takes READER, IT WORKS.
a brush to blend eyeshadow properly
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Living
Edited by PIP McCORMAC
Five
£90, The Geo Jungle at Etsy.com
GOLD
RINGS… The wreath on your door is a moodsetter, speaking of festivities within, fun to be had, drinks to be ladled into mugs. A decoration so joyful it spills outside, warm and welcoming. Of course, these work just as well indoors – on a hall console, on a drinks trolley or as a table centrepiece. Instant cheer.
£25, The Contemporary Home
Photograph OMER KNAZ
£17.50, Cox & Cox
STYLING AND ART DIRECTION TANITA MONTGOMERY
£45, The White Company £27.99, Gisela Graham
For more Christmas wreaths to buy, go to REDONLINE.CO.UK
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FESTIVE EATS
ALL THEfun OF THE FEAST
Gizzi Erskine’s recipes will get you through the big day. The easiest turkey, sprouts even teens will eat. All you have to do is enjoy
“
T
here’s a magic to treating Christmas traditionally. To singing carols, filling the air with the scent of mulled spices, surrounding yourself with familiar flavours. Christmas is a time to go all out as you nurture yourself and those you love; to cook, eat and be together. The key is approaching the meal like it’s one big roast. Don’t get too bogged down with cooking deadlines, or having to entertain lots of people. What’s important is you’re looking after them. These are my very favourite Christmas recipes, slightly updated rifs on the classics. Tried, tested and full of festivity.”
Photographs EMMA LEE
Spiced dry brined turkey (page 180)
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LIVING
HONEY GLAZED CARROTS AND PARSNIPS These vegetables are simply roasted with no fuss, but will still be perfectly cooked and the honey will bring out the natural flavours.
SERVES 8 PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes COOKING TIME: 40 minutes ● ●
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2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil 500g small to medium carrots, peeled but kept whole with a little bit of green ‘hair’ left on 500g parsnips, peeled, cut into quarters lengthways, and parboiled for five mins 4 tbsp honey A few thyme sprigs (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/ gas mark 7. Pour the butter or oil into a roasting tray and place in the oven to heat up for five to 10 minutes. When hot, remove from the oven and add the carrots and parsnips. Drizzle over the honey and a decent splash of water. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme sprigs, if using. 2 Toss the carrots and parsnips to make sure they are evenly coated in the oil and honey, then place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, giving them a good stir halfway. You want the vegetables to be cooked through and lightly caramelised, but still retaining some bite. »
Honey glazed carrots and parsnips
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SPICED DRY BRINED TURKEY (page 178) With guaranteed juiciness, the brine acts similarly to a marinade and takes advantage of all the flavours. If you dry-brine, you need to brine for much longer (24 to 48 hours) than the more usual wet, and cook the meat much more slowly, but you will get a really delicious succulence.
SERVES 8-10, with leftovers PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes, plus brining COOKING TIME: 4 hours, depending on the size of the turkey ●
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1 free-range Kelly Bronze turkey, around 4-5kg, giblets removed 12 cloves 12 allspice berries 5 star anise 2 cinnamon sticks 10 peppercorns 150g brown sugar 2 bay leaves 3 rosemary sprigs 5-6 thyme sprigs Finely grated zest of 2 mandarins Finely grated zest of 2 lemons 50g unsalted butter 20 streaky bacon rashers 2 onions, sliced
1 You can get these brilliant turkey brining bags (I get mine from Lakeland). Pop your turkey into the bag and crack on with the dry brine. Place the cloves, allspice, star anise, cinnamon and peppercorns in a pan and toast them for two to three minutes. Place in a blender with 500g fine salt, plus the sugar, herbs and zest, and blitz until you have a spiced salt. Pour the salt into the brining bag with the turkey and give it a good shake until the turkey is covered inside and out with the mixture. Leave in the fridge for up to 48 hours. 2 When ready to cook, heat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 1. This sounds alarmingly low. Trust me, it works. You now need to wash of the salt mixture and dry the bird really well. Carefully slide your hand under the skin to detach it from the breast, just enough
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to rub the butter underneath. Do your best to rub it evenly under the skin, but if there’s any excess butter, you can rub it over the top of the bird. No need to season, as the bird has been brined. 3 Next, lay the bacon over the breast of the bird. You can get all fancy pants and make a lattice shape if you like, but this bacon is just to keep the breast moist and for more flavour. Lay the bird on a trivet of the sliced onions in a large roasting tray and wrap tightly in foil. Roast for Braised sour red three and a half hours – cabbage with there really is no need to pomegranate baste when cooking at so low a temperature, so ● 2 tbsp olive oil don’t remove the foil. It kind of roasts/ ● 2 red onions, thinly sliced steams the bird, which is how it keeps ● 1/2 large red cabbage (or 1 small one), it juicy. When the time is up, take the cored and thinly sliced bird out of the oven and increase the ● 100ml red wine vinegar oven temperature as high as it will go. ● 3 tbsp brown sugar 4 Remove the foil while the oven ● 50ml pomegranate molasses heats up and check the bird is cooked ● 3 juniper berries by piercing the thigh at its thickest ● A pinch of ground cloves part with a skewer. The juices should ● Seeds from 1/2 pomegranate run clear and it should be really juicy. Roast for another 20 minutes, or until 1 Heat the olive oil in a large pan (I use a wok) and fry the onions the bird is an even bronze colour all gently for eight minutes, or until they over. Remove from the oven and wrap in fresh foil, then leave to rest for have softened and started to get a golden tinge. Add the cabbage 40 minutes before serving. and stir-fry for a further five minutes. Pour over the vinegar, sugar and BRAISED SOUR RED 2150ml of water and stir until the CABBAGE WITH sugar has dissolved. Add the POMEGRANATE molasses, berries and cloves, then I’ve taken the essence of my mum’s pop a lid on and let it slowly simmer recipe and made it more Christmassy for 40 minutes. You may need to with seasonal pomegranates, both in check the water level at this stage. the braise and at the end to finish it. What you’re looking for is that when It’s a vibrant, acidic necessity with you slowly move the cabbage away your Christmas lunch. with a spoon, it leaves a drool of lightly syrupy liquid. You don’t want SERVES 4 it too dry, but not too wet either. PREPARATION TIME: Season with salt and pepper and 15 minutes stir through the pomegranate COOKING TIME: 45 minutes seeds before serving.
LIVING ROAST SPROUTS WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE AND ROASTED HAZELNUTS
SERVES 6-8 PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes COOKING TIME: 25-30 minutes ● ● ● ● ●
500g small Brussels sprouts 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar 100g skinned hazelnuts 2 tbsp roasted hazelnut oil (optional)
1 Heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Trim the sprouts, place them in a roasting tray, and toss with the olive oil, balsamic and 50ml of water. Roast the sprouts in the oven for 20 minutes, then stir, add the hazelnuts and roast for a further five to 10 minutes, or until the hazelnuts are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Dress with the roasted hazelnut oil, if using, before serving. CREAMED SPROUTS WITH NUTMEG
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP: Sprouts, smoked bacon and chestnuts; Creamed sprouts with nutmeg; Roast sprouts with balsamic glaze and roasted hazelnuts
SPROUTS THREE WAYS On Christmas Day I like to make the creamed sprouts with nutmeg, then top a dish of this with the stir-fried sprouts with smoked bacon and chestnuts. Check out Jamie Oliver’s tips on the best way to prepare your Brussels sprouts on page 195. S P R O U TS, S M O K E D B ACO N AND CHESTNUTS
SERVES 6-8 PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
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500g small Brussels sprouts A knob of unsalted butter 150g pancetta, cut into strips 250g vacuum-packed chestnuts
1 Trim the sprouts, halve or quarter them, then cook them in boiling water for two to three minutes, until just done. For me, this is when they are most definitely cooked through but still have a decent amount of crunch. Drain. Heat the butter in a wok and fry the pancetta until crisp and golden. Add the chestnuts and sprouts and stir-fry for three to four minutes. Finally add salt and pepper and serve.
SERVES 6-8 PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes COOKING TIME: 10 minutes ● ● ● ● ●
500g Brussels sprouts 150ml crème fraîche 20g Parmesan cheese, finely grated 20g butter A really good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 Trim the sprouts, halve or quarter them, then cook them in boiling water for four to five minutes, until cooked through and softened a little more than if you were eating them whole. Drain, then leave to steam for another five minutes. This makes them drier and helps make sure they’re cooked evenly. Place them in a food processor with the crème fraîche, Parmesan, butter, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper and blitz until smooth(ish). Put back into the saucepan over a medium heat and reheat until piping hot. Check the seasoning and serve. »
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LIVING
A WREATH OF PIGS IN BLANKETS Buy the best smoked bacon you can aford and real butcher’s sausages. After that, it’s about getting creative. You can make this a day in advance and keep it tightly covered in the fridge until ready to roast.
SERVES 10-12 PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes COOKING TIME: 35 minutes ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
18 traditional butcher’s sausages 18 smoked streaky bacon rashers 12 bay leaves 8 rosemary sprigs A good few thyme sprigs Oil (I use rapeseed), for cooking Cranberry sauce, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Wrap each sausage in a slice of bacon, securely, but not too tight. 2 To make your ‘wreath’, line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Place a side plate in the centre and draw around it. Lay the wrapped sausages around in a tight circle. 3 Next, push a toothpick in the sausage where it sits closest to the next sausage to secure it to its neighbours; repeat until your wreath of sausages is held together. 4 Now, intertwine your herbs through the wreath. Drizzle with oil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the sausages are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter, then remove the toothpicks. Serve on its own, or put a bowl filled with cranberry sauce in the middle for dipping and use it as your table centrepiece.
Perfect roast potatoes
PERFECT ROAST POTATOES I always vowed I’d never mess about with roast potatoes, but garlic and rosemary can make all the diference. I don’t think you should use entirely goose or duck fat or dripping – it needs to be lightened with some vegetable oil. Follow this recipe for outstandingly good roast spuds.
SERVES 4-6 PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes COOKING TIME: 11/4 hours ●
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6 largish potatoes, peeled and quartered 3 tbsp vegetable oil 3 tbsp goose fat A few rosemary sprigs 1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Place the potatoes in a pan and cover with cold water. Add one teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then parboil for seven minutes, until the potatoes are 'furry' on the outside but still uncooked in the middle. Drain and give them a shake in the colander so the edges become grainy – this will give you the crispiest potatoes. Leave them to ‘steam’ for 15 minutes, to remove the excess water and make them extra flufy all the way through. 2 Pour the fats into a baking tray, and pop into the oven to heat for five minutes. Tip the potatoes into the hot fat, turning to make sure each potato is coated. Add the rosemary and garlic and roast for 50 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes before serving. »
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LIVING CLEMENTINE AND GINGER TRIFLE Here we have my take on the Christmas trifle, with an old-school clementine jelly and a classic ginger cake, made boozy with ginger liqueur. Thick custard, cream, glacé cherries and chocolate. It’s epic. I hope you enjoy!
SERVES 8 PREPARATION TIME: 45 minutes, plus cooling and chilling time COOKING TIME: 1 hour 100ml ginger liqueur 600ml fresh custard ● 300ml double cream ● 1 tsp icing sugar ● 50g good-quality dark chocolate ● A few glacé cherries, chopped For the ginger cake: ● 225g unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the tin ● 225g dark brown sugar ● 225g black treacle ● 2 free-range eggs, beaten ● 290ml milk ● 340g plain flour ● 1 tbsp ground ginger ● 1 tbsp ground cinnamon ● A small fresh grating of nutmeg ● 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda For the clementine jelly: ● 150ml water ● 50g caster sugar ● 300ml clementine juice ● 4 gelatine leaves ● 3 clementines, segmented ● ●
1 For the ginger cake, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Butter and line a 30x20cm roasting tin. Melt the butter, sugar and treacle in a pan, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the eggs and milk. Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl, then fold in the butter mixture to form a batter. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake is risen and firm. Leave to cool on a wire rack and store
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Clementine and ginger trifle
in an airtight container until needed. You will have made too much cake, but it freezes brilliantly. 2 To make the clementine jelly, put the water, sugar and clementine juice into a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring to a rolling boil. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 10 minutes, then squeeze out any water with your hands and add to the clementine juice to dissolve. Arrange the clementine segments in the bottom of your trifle bowl, pour over the liquid and refrigerate for at least four hours, to set.
3 Now you’re ready to construct the trifle. Chop up 150g of the cake and place on top of the jelly. Pour over the ginger liqueur. Pour over the custard and level out the top. Whisk the cream with the icing sugar until it’s gently holding its shape, then spoon over the custard. Grate over the chocolate and finish with glacé cherries. Pop the trifle into the fridge to chill for one hour before eating. Recipes from Gizzi’s Seasons Eatings: Feasts and Celebrations From Halloween To Happy New Year by Gizzi Erskine (Mitchell Beazley, £17)
VEGETARIAN FESTIVE EATS
EAT,drink & BE (HEALTHILY) MERRY Fearne Cotton’s delicious and nutritious party food will see vegetarians rejoice and even the hardiest of carnivores reaching for the platters. It’s never been so easy to cater for non-meat eaters (and not a dry supermarket nut roast in sight) Photographs LAURA EDWARDS Prop styling TABITHA HAWKINS Food styling ANNIE RIGG
I
love cooking, but I’m no Nigella when it comes to entertaining – I only wish I was that relaxed when feeding a hungry gaggle. Having groups of friends over can seem daunting, which is why I’ve created these dishes that are low on stress for you and high in pleasure for your guests. Having lots of dishes on the table means they can get stuck in to second helpings without any embarrassment. Platters make a fun frenzy of sharing and scoing – the spirit of a glorious night in.
MAPLE HOT CHOCOLATE I first had this recipe on my sofa watching a film with [husband] Jesse. It tastes so luxurious.
SERVES 2 PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes ● ●
500ml almond (or rice) milk 2 tbsp raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder,
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plus a little extra for sprinkling 1 tsp maca powder (optional) 11/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 Simply whisk all the ingredients, plus a pinch of salt, in a saucepan set over a medium heat. Stir every now and again until it is hot, but don’t let it boil. Pour into cups and dust with a little more cacao or cocoa powder.
RAW COCONUT TRUFFLES So easy, these can be made up to two weeks before your guests arrive.
MAKES 22 balls PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes ● ●
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50g raw unsalted cashew nuts 150g desiccated coconut, plus extra to coat 2 tbsp coconut oil 8 Medjool dates, pitted 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor
with a pinch of salt and blitz for around a minute, or until the mixture sticks together when you press it between your fingers. 2 Shape the mixture into 22 balls and roll each ball in desiccated coconut to coat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
AUBERGINE, PUY LENTIL AND CHERRY TOMATO SALAD A tasty and filling – yet simple – salad that is full of goodness. Serve it on a big plate for your friends or family to dig into.
SERVES 4 PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 35 minutes ● ●
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Olive oil, for frying and brushing 1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 300g puy lentils, rinsed and drained »
LIVING Raw coconut trules and Maple hot chocolate (left)
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Aubergine, puy lentil and cherry tomato salad
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1 litre vegetable stock 3 aubergines, cut into 2cm-thick round slices 1 tbsp honey 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced 14 cherry tomatoes, halved Large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 100g goat’s cheese, sliced (optional)
1 Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan (with a lid) over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté gently for five minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute, then add the lentils and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for around 25 minutes, until the lentils are tender with a little bite, and have absorbed most of the stock. 2 Meanwhile, use a pastry brush to coat the aubergine slices with olive oil on both sides. Heat a large, dry frying pan over a medium heat and fry the slices for eight to 10 minutes on each side, until golden brown and soft to the touch. Transfer to a plate, season with sea salt and pepper, then drizzle over the honey and a tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil. 3 When the lentils are cooked, remove the lid and pour of any excess stock, keeping about one tablespoon of liquid behind with the lentils. While they are still hot, add the lemon zest, red wine vinegar and soy sauce and the remaining two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes and most of the parsley. Mix thoroughly and leave to cool slightly. When ready to serve, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary with a little more soy sauce, vinegar or extra virgin olive oil. 4 To serve, layer the aubergine and lentils on a large dish, and scatter over the remaining parsley and the cheese, if using.
LIVING
LENTIL, HARICOT AND VEGETABLE SOUP This recipe was passed down by my friend Heidi’s mum, Margaret, and it continues to be a hit. Full of veg but quick to make, it’s a winner.
SERVES 4 PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 35 minutes ●
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Halloumi and roasted beetroot salad
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HALLOUMI AND ROASTED BEETROOT SALAD This makes a great side salad or sharing bowl.
SERVES 4 as a main or 6–8 as a side dish PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 40 minutes ●
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8 raw, unpeeled beetroot, topped and tailed, cut into 2cm-thick wedges (leaves retained – optional) 11/2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 300g halloumi, cut into thick slices 1/2 red onion, halved and thinly sliced Small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
For the dressing: ● 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ● 2 tsp balsamic vinegar ● 1/2 tsp honey or maple syrup ● 1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Place the beetroot wedges in a roasting tray, season and toss with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast for 40 minutes, until slightly blistered and tender. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and set aside. 2 Heat a large, dry frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the halloumi for two to three minutes on each side. Layer the beetroot, leaves (if using), red onion and halloumi on a serving dish, drizzling over the dressing. Scatter over the parsley and serve.
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2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 leek, trimmed and finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 100g red lentils 1 large sweet potato (about 275g), peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks 2 carrots, cut into bite-sized chunks 1.2 litres vegetable stock 100g canned haricot beans, drained and rinsed Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 Heat the olive oil in a large, high-sided saucepan (with a lid) over a medium heat. Add the leek and sauté for 10 to 12 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and fry for one minute, then add the remaining ingredients (setting aside some parsley). 2 Increase the heat to high, cover and bring to the boil for one minute, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the carrots and sweet potato are cooked through. Season to taste. 3 To serve, ladle into bowls, drizzle over a little olive oil and scatter over the remaining parsley. »
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LIVING VEGETABLE AND MOZZARELLA BAKE My perfect cosy night in always features this dish, as it feels like a warm hug on a cold evening – the mozzarella makes this a decadently creamy bake.
SERVES 6–8 PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes COOKING TIME: 1 hour ●
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1 tbsp coconut or olive oil, plus extra for greasing and drizzling 1 onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 4 beef tomatoes, chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp maple syrup 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced 2 large balls of bufalo mozzarella, drained 2 courgettes, thinly sliced 1/2 aubergine, thinly sliced Parmesan cheese, for grating 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6, and grease a 22cm x 18cm ovenproof dish. Heat the oil in a large saucepan (with Vegetable and a lid) over a medium heat. mozzarella bake Add the onion and sauté for five minutes until translucent, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute. pepper and drizzle with a little olive Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin, oil. Cover with a third of the tomato maple syrup and tamari or soy sauce and tear a third of the sauce, then cover and bring to the mozzarella on top. Lay half of the boil. Reduce the heat to low and courgette slices over the torn simmer for 10 minutes. Remove mozzarella and tomato sauce, from the heat, season to taste with season again with salt and pepper salt and pepper and set aside. and drizzle with a little olive oil. 2 Cover the base of the ovenproof Add another third of the tomato dish with the sweet potato slices, sauce and mozzarella. Layer the season with a pinch of salt and aubergine slices on top, season
again, then add the remaining tomato sauce. 3 Top with a layer of the remaining courgette, season again, tear over the remaining mozzarella and grate over a thin layer of Parmesan. Finally, scatter over the thyme leaves. Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is bubbling and golden. Serve immediately with a green salad on the side. »
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LIVING 4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tsp maple syrup For the filling: ● 2 x 400ml cans full-fat coconut milk, chilled ● 3 tbsp set honey ● 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ● 18 fresh cherries, halved and pitted ● 50g raw unsalted pistachio nuts, cut into slivers ● ●
MINI COCONUT AND CHERRY TARTS These taste so good your friends won’t believe they’re good for you!
MAKES 6 tarts PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes, plus chilling time COOKING TIME: 5 minutes For the base: ● 100g raw unsalted almonds ● 90g plain oatcakes ● 90g dried dates, pitted ● 1 tbsp coconut oil
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1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and line the holes of a six-hole muffin tray with cling film. To make the base, roast the almonds on a tray for five to six minutes, or until a shade darker and aromatic, taking care not to burn. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Place all the ingredients for the base, including the roasted almonds, in a food processor with a pinch of salt and blitz until the mixture forms a paste that sticks together when you press it between your fingers. 2 Divide the base mixture between the six lined muffin holes, pressing it firmly into the base and sides. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes, to set firm, then remove and carefully lift up the overhanging cling film from each hole to release the mini tart cases. Place the tart cases on a plate, cover and chill in the fridge. 3 Remove the cans of coconut milk from the fridge without shaking. Carefully scoop out the very firm, set coconut cream at the top, leaving the coconut water in the cans (don’t throw that away – use it to make soups, curries, porridge or smoothies). Add the thick coconut cream to the cleaned-out processor with the honey, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, and blitz until completely smooth. Remove the tart cases from the fridge and evenly divide the coconut cream between them. Add three cherry halves to the top of each mini tart and scatter over the slivered pistachio nuts. Serve immediately or chill, covered, for up to three days, until ready to serve. Find more vegetarian Cook Happy Cook Christmas recipes, at Healthy by Fearne REDONLINE.CO.UK Cotton (Orion, £20)
PROMOTION
SEASON’S
EATINGS Full of flavour and intensely aromatic, the World Winning Gruyère AOP Réserve is this year’s most showstopping centrepiece
B “The World WINNING Le Gruyère AOP Réserve is a stellar cheeseboard addition, PERFECT for Christmas”
ringing out a cheeseboard at Christmas is always the ideal end to festivities. From a kitchen supper with friends to the Boxing Day feast, nothing creates a feeling of happiness, bonhomie and seasonal satisfaction quite like it. But a good board must cater to all, full of a cheese that everyone will like. Step forward the World Winning Le Gruyère AOP Réserve. Left to ripen for 10 months of refinement it takes on a fullbodied, aromatic taste, subtly flavourful rather than overpowering. It’s a technique that has developed thanks to the know-how passed down across the centuries, as Le Gruyère AOP has been made with the same recipe for 900 years. This is a cheese created by people who know what they’re doing. Le Gruyère AOP Réserve is a hard cheese and a stellar cheeseboard addition, so add it to your Christmas list to eat, cook with and enjoy, find out more at Gruyere.com. The perfect festive fare.
Onion and Gruyère AOP Soup SERVES 2 PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes COOKING TIME: 30 minutes INGREDIENTS
1 head of garlic, with cap removed Olive oil 400g onions, chopped 4 celery stalks, cut in rings 1.5l vegetable or chicken broth 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley tied together with string) 1 dash of nutmeg For the Bruschetta with Gruyère AOP: 4 tsp grated Gruyère AOP 4 slices of bread, toasted
PREPARATION
1. Pre-heat the oven at 200°C/ gas mark 6. 2. Place the head of garlic in a square of aluminium foil. Pour one teaspoon of olive oil into the foil package, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with thyme. 3. In a container, mix the onion and celery with the one tablespoon of olive oil and spread on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes then set aside the garlic and vegetables. 4. Bring the broth to the boil in a heavy-bottomed pot then add the baked onions, celery and bouquet garni. Continue cooking, covered, on a low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Crush the roasted garlic in a container and add it to the soup. Pre-heat the oven grill. 6. For the bruschetta with Gruyère AOP, sprinkle the slices of grated cheese. Put under the grill and leave to gratinate for several minutes then set aside. 7. Remove the bouquet garni. Add the nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Pour the soup into bowls or deep dishes. Serve with gratinated bruschetta.
LIVING FESTIVE EATS
JAMIE’S PROPER
TURKEY DINNER Don’t panic, it’s all in hand. To help you avoid crying in the gravy, Jamie Oliver has shared his top tips
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN Be sure to nail your plans for the big day as early as you can. Get ahead on your store-cupboard shopping, plan your menus – and delegate; whether that means keeping little ones entertained by letting them help knock up a batch of edible gifts, or enlisting your nearest and dearest to contribute. Break your cooking into manageable chunks (do whatever you can in advance) and divvy up the jobs, so everyone knows what they’re responsible for.
TURKEY PREP For me, the perfect turkey weighs 6 to 8kg – it’s easy to handle and feeds 10 to 14 people. Take your bird out of the fridge one hour before you need it so it can come up to room temperature – this is key. You can get your bird prepped and ready to cook on Christmas Eve, which eases the pressure on the day. The turkey is your centrepiece and should be treated as such.
PERFECT ROAST SPUDS
PHOTOGRAPH DAVID LOFTUS
For me, Christmas is the ultimate special occasion, so goose fat is totally justified to give you turbocharged results. Butter will also deliver on the flavour front, or for a slightly lighter option, stick with good old olive oil. Why not try adding fresh clementines for a full blast of festive taste? Just peel a few strips of zest and add to the tin halfway through roasting with some sage and garlic cloves, give a good shake and return to the oven.
GET-AHEAD GRAVY You can definitely make your gravy a good few days before, then chill or freeze, ready to finish on Christmas Day. If you’re doing this, chicken wings are a really budget-friendly way to create a great flavour base.
CELEBRATING SPROUTS When it comes to sprouts, there are lots of diferent directions to take them in on the flavour front, and you can mix up how you cook them, too; whether it’s pan-frying with bacon and bay, or shredding them for a quick fix. And – contrary to belief – there’s no need to cut a cross into their base – it doesn’t help them cook faster, but means they end up soggy and waterlogged.
ROAST VEGGIES Create a big roast-vegetable mix by parboiling your favourite vegetables then roasting them in a large tray. Keep each vegetable to its own area on the tray, and you can have fun choosing diferent flavour combinations to give them some character – as well as oil, try sage and white wine vinegar with parsnips, and bay and red wine vinegar with turnips, for example. This also stops everything going purple – beetroot, I’m looking at you.
CHANGE UP THE PUD It’s important to have some time-saving strategies up your sleeve, and puddings that can be made in advance will make the actual day feel more like the holiday it’s meant to be. Anything that can be frozen or will hold well for a few days, such as the winter bombe or tiramisu from my Christmas Cookbook, are just the ticket.
MULLED CIDER Ring the changes and make mulled cider. It’s simple to do and a celebration of festive flavours. Add cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg to dry cider, plus any extra spices you like! If you’ve got guests For your foolproof over, just leave on a low heat, ready to serve. Christmas menu Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook plan, visit (Penguin Random House, £26) REDONLINE.CO.UK
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Lift simple place settings with details of opulent coppers and golds. Personal touches like a glittery monogram will make guests feel extra special FROM TOP: Wrapping paper (on present in bowl), £3.75 for 3m; ribbon, £1.75 for 3m, both Paperchase. Bowl, £30, Toast. Cracker, £21.95 for six, Lulubel at Notonthehighstreet.com; alphabet sticker, £4.99 for a pack of 264, Pretty Little Party Shop. Acorn bauble (just seen), £4, John Lewis. Dinner plate, £12.95; side plate, £6.95, both Idyll Home. Copper charger, £12.95, Rockett St George. Tablecloth, £112, Volga Linen
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
ALL
aglowwith
Sophisticated and chic, with a touch of sparkle against moody palettes: this is the modern way to be festive Photographs KRISTEN PERERS Styling JENNIFER HASLAM
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LIVING
Hang favoured baubles with pretty ribbon above a dining table, a high doorway or along a wall. Their shimmering jolts of colour will inject joy into unexpected places FROM LEFT: Clear grey bauble, £8.95, Harrods. Small copper,
gold and white baubles (dotted around), £10 for a pack of 20, John Lewis. Diamond bauble, £12, House of Fraser. Pink and stripe bauble, £25 for 12, Marks & Spencer. Copper and burgundy bauble, £20 for nine, Cox & Cox. Frosted white bauble,
£7.95, Harrods. Green bauble, £9.95, Liberty. Gold diamond bauble, £2, Marks & Spencer. Feather bauble, £10.50, Selfridges. Pineapple bauble, £7.50, Oliver Bonas. Honeycomb bauble, £25 for six mixed designs, Cox & Cox »
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Nothing says festive cheer like a full drinks trolley. Pile it high and let it clink for guaranteed Christmas spirit
Selfridges; hazelnut chocolates, £9.99 for 250g; gold foil dark chocolate nougat, £15.99 for 250g, both Bonieri at Selfridges. Cocktail shaker, £19.50, Marks & Spencer. Grey embossed glass, £6.50, Rockett St George. Tray, £48, Christiane Lemieux for House of Fraser. Large gold votive, £6.25; small copper votives, £4.25 each; all Raj Tent Club. Lantern, £17.95, Graham & Green. LED rope light (inside), £21.99 for 8m, Lights 4 Fun. Sea-salted caramel trules; champagne trules, £13.50 each, Fortnum & Mason
WALLS PAINTED IN MATT EMULSION IN RUBY STARLET, £29.99 FOR 2.5L, DULUX
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: Triangle garland (on wall), £8.95, Funky Frills at Notonthe highstreet.com. Drinks trolley, £325, Graham & Green. Wine glasses, £19.95 for a pair, Marks &
Spencer. Champagne bucket, £48, Rockett St George. Champagne, £26 per bottle, Marks & Spencer. Gold bauble, £2, Marks & Spencer. ‘Milk’ bottles, £10 each, Anthropologie. Paper straws, £2.99 for 25, Pretty Little Party Shop. Pineapple ice bucket, £40, Oliver Bonas. Decanter, £58, LSA. Confetti-filled balloons, £3.99 for a pack of six, Pretty Little Party Shop. Copper cocktail glasses, £75 for a pair, Tom Dixon at
198 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Ornaments, £26.95 for two, Mia Fleur
Vase, £7.99, H&M
LIVING Table, £195, Oliver Bonas
Plate, £45, Jonathan Adler at Pad Lifestyle
Dark corners can be turned into shiningbright centrepieces. The key? Clustering warm metallics, tealights and sumptuous florals to create an incandescent glow
Bottles, £495 each, Armani Casa
FROM LEFT: Hydrangeas, £9 per stem, Achillea Flowers. Vase, £26, Anthropologie. Copper votives, £4.25 each, Raj Tent Club. Square copper tray, £19; small gold trinket tray, £14; pear pot, £16.50; apple pot, £12.50, all Oliver Bonas. Burgundy bauble, £9.95 for a set of four, Nkuku. Pineapple decoration, £16.50, Talking Tables. Glass lantern, £24, Rowen & Wren. Side table, £175, Amara
Coasters, £24 for a set of four, Mia Fleur
Decoration, £20, The Conran Shop
Light-up Christmas tree, £50, Anthropologie Fig, orange and clove coconut wax candle, £60, Cocolux at Selfridges
Table, £194.70, Broste Copenhagen
Tealight holder, £40, Tom Dixon
Dish, £29.99, Zara Home
Vase, £9, JD Williams
Ornament, £4, Neptune
Trinket dishes, £12 for three, Curious Egg
Floor lamp, £175, Loaf »
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 199
LIVING
Garland, £18, John Lewis
Bauble, £3.90 for two, Broste Copenhagen
Bauble, £29 for a set of two, Amara
Timer, £17, COS x Hay
Decoration, £1.84, Sky Lantern
Bauble, £5, The Conran Shop
Lantern, £45, Bloomingville at Trouva
Bauble, £10.50, Selfridges
Vase, £9.50, Selfridges
Decoration, £3.90 for a multi-pack, Broste Copenhagen
Tray, £20, Abigail Ahern
ALLthe
Salad servers, £75, Linum
Garland, £5.99, Gisela Graham
Because you can never have enough baubles and pretty adornments
Candle holder, £13, Pols Potten at Amara Trays, £162 for a set of three, Pols Potten at Amara
Pot, £14, Mia Fleur
Decoration, £1.69, Party Pieces
Pot, £95, Hend Krichen at Amara
Plate, £20, Anthropologie Tealight holders, £5 for three, George
Christmas cracker with pink Marc de Champagne trules, £7.50 for one, Charbonnel et Walker
200 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Lantern, £15, Amara 14-piece cutlery set, £18, Ikea Tray, £12, COS x Hay
SHOPPING COMPILED BY HARRIETT MONAGHAN
Glass set, £14, Urban Outfitters
WITH JUST a light
FROSTING of Flashes of white, silver gleams and natural greens – celebrate the season hygge style, and snuggle up in the perfect mix of warm and cool Styling JENNIFER HASLAM Photographs KRISTIN PERERS
202 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Place a little tree dressed just like your larger one as a welcome in your hallway. A surefire way to make an entrance CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP RIGHT: Hanging cardboard star, £4, Ikea. Large paper ball decorations, from £8.50, RE Found Objects. Grey paper ball decoration, (far left corner), £2.63, Sky Lanterns. Large light-up cardboard tree, £18.95; small, £13.95, both The Hanging Lantern Company. Wooden bench, £180, Habitat. Small paper tree decorations, £3.90 for two, Smallable. 1ft pre-lit pine tree in pot, £35; star and heart decorations, £12 for a set of six; mini white and silver baubles, £15 for a set of 20, all The White Company. Small paper fans, £11 for a pack of 12, Talking Tables. 8m warm white LED fairy lights, £21.99, Lights 4 Fun
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE WHITE COMPANY Silver and white are classics for a reason – they speak of chic and snowy climes. Pair with oversized decorations and plenty of candles to create a cosy hideaway CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: Armchair, £575; wreath, £100, both The White Company ON MANTELPIECE, FROM LEFT: Hurricane vase, £84; candlesticks, £11 for two, all Rowen & Wren. Foliage garland, from £20, Achillea Flowers. Star lights, £20, Cox & Cox. Tealight holder, £15, The White Company. Vase, £25.95, Graham & Green. Tree, £450; tree decorations, from £4 each, all The White
Company. LED lights, £25.99, Lights 4 Fun. Silver wrapping paper, £2.50 for 3m; ribbon, from £1.27 for 3m, both Paperchase. Star wrapping paper, £12.50, Cox & Cox. Small grey paper decoration (just seen), £2.75, Sky Lanterns. Large white paper decoration, £8.50 each, RE Found Objects. Sheepskin rug, £395, The White Company ON TRAY: Vase, £25.95, Graham & Green. Mercury tealight holder, £10; small tealight holders, from £6, all The White Company. Paper decorations, £19 for a set of four, Toast. Tray, £35, Idyll Home at Notonthe highstreet.com. Paper star, £7.95, House Doctor at Idyll Home. Logs, £30 for 5kg, The Log Man »
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Fill the gaps between larger ornaments with foliage and baubles for a simple yet seasonally Scandi vibe
WALLS PAINTED IN MATT EMULSION PAINT IN DOWN PIPE GREY, £39.50 FOR 2.5L, FARROW & BALL, AND SLATE II EMULSION, £42.50 FOR 2.5L, PAINT AND PAPER LIBRARY
Wreath, £100, The White Company ON MANTELPIECE, FROM LEFT: Mercury pillar candlestick, £25; mercury votives, £6 each; mercury candlestick, £20, all The White Company. Wooden votive, £50 for a set of five, Bloomingville at Amara. Large vase, £32.95; small, £25.95, both Graham & Green. Paper decoration, £19 for a set of four, Toast. Square candle holder, £15, The White Company. Hurricane vase, £84, Rowen & Wren. Star light garland, £20, Cox & Cox. Foliage, from £7.50 per bunch, Achillea Flowers
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE WHITE COMPANY
READER OFFER *OFFER EXPIRES AT MIDNIGHT 5TH DECEMBER 2016. FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAN BE FOUND AT THEWHITECOMPANY.COM/HELP/TERMS/
20% OFF AT THE WHITE COMPANY, plus free UK
delivery*. Quote code AN558 in-store or at the online checkout
chairs, £330 for two; dining table, £1,500, all The White Company ON TABLE, FROM LEFT: Cake stand, £50, House Of Fraser; filled with stollen, £9.95, Betty’s; cinnamon buns, £2.90 each, The Nordic Bakery. Paper decorations, £19 for a set of four, Toast. Runner, £28, Rowen & Wren. Glass FROM TOP: Birch pole, £30, The Log cloches, £20 each, House Of Fraser. Plates, from £10 each; porcelain star Man. Ivy, £7.50 per bunch, Achillea Flowers. Paper snowflake decoration, decorations (on cloches), £12 for a set of six, The White Company. Baubles £4, RE Found Objects. Large paper star, £7.95, House Doctor at Idyll Home. (under cloches), from £3.95 for a Hanging star glass lanterns, £30 each; selection, Liberty. Napkins, £32 for
Decorations shouldn’t stop at the dining table – but remember people still need to see each other. Hang them high and scatter sparingly for a luxe look you can still eat around
a set of four, Rowen & Wren. Napkin rings, £20 for a set of four; cutlery, £95 for a 16-piece set; drinking glasses, from £20 for a set of four; dipped mercury tealight holder, £10; silver mercury votives, from £6; square tealight holder, £15, all The White Company. Eucalyptus pickings, from £7.50 per bunch, Achillea Flowers. Wooden votives, £55 for a set of five, Bloomingville at Amara. Oak bench, £425, The White Company ON BENCH: Throw, £120; cushion, £35, both Murmur for Bedeck
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Bauble, £19.71, Kina Ceramics at Etsy.com
String, £4.75 for 10m, Kikki.K
Tag, 25p, Giftbag shop.com
Wrapping paper, £11.10 per 1.8m roll, Zazzle.co.uk Tape, £3.95, Ohh Deer
CHRISTMAS WRAPPING
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX Bauble, £13 for three, Selfridges
Bow, £1.99 for a selection, Berisfords
Bags, £5 for eight, Design-3000.com
Bauble, £8, Fortnum & Mason
Bauble, £5.99, H&M
Luxury crackers, £72 for six, Selfridges
Brown paper packages tied up with string… and stars, garlands and ribbons. And the paper doesn’t have to be brown. These wraps and festooneries are our favourite Christmas things Photographs OMER KNAZ Styling and art direction TANITA MONTGOMERY
Tape, £2.50, Ohh Deer
Tags, £3.49 for 10, Pipii.co.uk
Scissors, £12, Papermash.co.uk
Bauble, £1, George
Twine, £5.95, Papermash.co.uk
Decoration, £5, Anthropologie
PRETTY OPULENCE Decoration, £1, Wilko
Mix copper and antique gold with blush pink and drops of mint for Hollywood glamour
Pen, £4, COS x Hay Wrapping set, £6, Katie Leamon
Dispenser, £60, Tom Dixon
206 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Decoration, £17.95, Harrods
Bauble, £15.50 for six, Cox & Cox
LIVING When using metallic and craft paper (as opposed to a roll of wrapping paper), seal it with double-sided tape. This oft-overlooked trick adds a neat, professional touch to your wraps, and fastens them more securely than standard sticky tape
Tying two ribbons together in a bow looks so thoughtful and considered – plus two colours means extra prettiness
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Ribbon doesn’t have to be tied in a bow; weaving it in a lattice pattern is a chic alternative. Try mixing fabrics – satin with grosgrain has a really tactile effect
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➊ Wrapping paper, £4.50 for a 3m roll, Marks & Spencer. Ribbon, 95p per m, VV Rouleaux. Bauble, £4.95, Liberty ➋ Wrapping paper, £8 as part of a gift set; ribbon, £8 as part of a gift set, both Marks & Spencer. Tag, £4 for three, Cutture. Star, £6 for 12 in various colours, The Contemporary Home ➌ Wrapping paper, £6 as part of a set; ribbon, £5 as part of a set, both Marks & Spencer. Pink bauble, £4.95 for a mixed pack, Pipii.co.uk. Green bauble, £10 for 100 in various colours, Paperchase
➍ Wrapping paper, £12.50 for a 10m roll, Cox & Cox. Copper ribbon, 95p per m; pink ribbon, £1.75 per m, both VV Rouleaux. Copper tape, £2, Unwrap Colour at Etsy.com. Gift tag, £6 as part of a set, Katie Leamon. Mini baubles, £5.50 for a pack, Cox & Cox ➎ Wrapping paper, £8.95 for five sheets, Dotcomgiftshop.com. Ribbon, £1.65 per m, VV Rouleaux. Gift tag, £4.72, Karliboutique at Etsy.com. Star, £1.50, Wilko. ON ALL: Double-sided tape, £6.10, Paperchase »
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If tying a stack of gifts together, alternate plain papers with patterned. It will feel calmer ➊
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➊ Wrapping paper, £19.95 for 15 sheets in various colours; star toppers, £6.50, both Rockett St George. Ribbon, £4.50, Trouva.com. Twine, £2 for 27m, Hobbycraft. Tag, £5 as part of a set, Marks & Spencer. Pine cone, £7.50 for six, Paperchase ➋ Stag wrapping paper, £17 for a set of three diferent rolls, Neptune. Brown paper (middle present), £2 for a 2m roll, Marks & Spencer. Twine, £2.50, Hobbycraft. Pine cones, £5 for nine in three colours, Paperchase. Eucalyptus picking, from £20 per bunch, Scarlet & Violet. Peg, £4 for 12, Pipii.co.uk. Gift tag, £7 as part of a set, Wrapped By
Alice at Etsy.com ➌ Wrapping paper, £3.50 for a 3m roll, Marks & Spencer. Ribbon, £2.50 as part of a set, Ikea. Bauble, £10 for four designs, Paperchase ➍ Brown paper, as before. ‘Falala’ garland, £6 for a pack of three, Cutture. String, £3, Ikea. Stag, £6.50 for 10, Artcuts at Etsy.com. Tag, £6 for six, Cutture ➎ Box, £3.25, Paperchase. Twine, £3.50, Unwrap Colour at Etsy.com. Ribbon, £1.75 for 3m, Paperchase. Fern tags, £6 for six, Cutture. Star, £5.50 for 15, Cox & Cox. Brown tag, £1.25 for 10, Clarise Stamps at Etsy.com
LIVING
Baubles, £10 for 12, The Conran Shop
Decoration, £7.99 for two, H&M Tape, £2.75, Thefoxandstar.co.uk
Decoration, £4.99, Homesense
Decoration, £4, Ikea
Card, £3.99, Berinmade
Tags, £5.80 per pack, Knot & Bow at Quill London
Pine cones, £4, Marks & Spencer
Gift tags, £4 for 10, Kraftille at Etsy.com
NORDIC FOREST Bauble, £6, Smuck at Etsy.com
Brown paper teamed with wood decorations, twines and foliage brings a Scandi snowiness to your wrap
Tags, £3 for five, Princesse Aux Bidouilles at Etsy.com
Decoration, £4, Future and Found
Ribbon, £3, Hay at Huh. Store Tag, £1, Giftbagshop.com Decoration, £9.50, Nordic House
Wrapping paper, £11.85 per 1.8m roll, Zazzle.co.uk
Star garland, £16, West Elm
Snowglobe, £25, Marks & Spencer
Decoration, £4 for four, Clouds & Currents at Etsy.com
Ribbon, 75p per m, Berisfords Decorations, £32, Neptune
Decoration, £8.90, Atnumber67.co.uk
Card set, £4, Tinkasladen at Etsy.com
Baubles, £2.99 each, Pipii.co.uk » DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 209
Decoration, £35 for six, The Conran Shop
Garland, £9, Papermash. co.uk
Decoration, £15.25, Selfridges
Tape, £5.25 for two rolls, Pipii.co.uk Bauble, £8, Habitat
GRAPHIC CANDY Pops of neon, graphicpatterned paper and quirky decorations make happy wrapping for the (big and small) kids in your life
Wreath, £45, The Conran Shop
Decoration, £14.95, Harrods
Neon ink, £12 for three pots, Quill London
Card, £2.50, Ohh Deer
Card, £2.30, CJ Designs Paper at Etsy.com
Garland, £12, Bon Maison
Stickers, £2, Goldlion at Etsy.com
Decoration, £10 for three, Paperchase
Baubles, £20 for 12, The Conran Shop
Crackers, £17.95, Idyll Home
Twine, £3.95, Dotcomgiftshop.com
STYLING AND SHOPPING ASSISTANT HARRIETT MONAGHAN
Wrapping paper, £11.70 per 1.8m roll, Zazzle.co.uk Tape, £16.50 for eight rolls, Papermash.co.uk
Garland, £7.50, Pipii.co.uk 210 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
Paper, £1.95 for 10 sheets, Dotcomgiftshop.com
Tag, £3.95 for six, Marby & Elm
LIVING The more kitsch the bauble, the better! Bring fun and wit to your wraps with flamingos, penguins and glitter fruits
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Plain paper can be made more festive using washi tape and a few simple craft pieces. We created a tree from two different tapes and added pompoms and a button to finish ➋ ➌
Personalise presents with witty messages, and monogram gift tags with the recipient’s initials, using glittery sticky letters
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➏ ➊ Wrapping paper, £6 for 7m, Marks & Spencer. Twine, £6 for 100m, Unwrap Colour at Etsy.com. Small baubles, £10 for a variety box of 100; large bauble, £5 for 25, all Paperchase. Flamingo, £8, Oliver Bonas. Tag, £1 for 20, Unwrap Colour at Etsy.com ➋ Wrapping paper, £6 as part of a set, Katie Leamon. Neon decoration, £9.95 for four colours, Pipii.co.uk. Ribbon, £1 for 20m, Paperchase. Tag, £3.16 for a pack of 10, Knot and Bow at Etsy.com. Monogram sticker, £4 as part of a pack, Hobbycraft ➌ Wrapping paper, £2.50 for a 3m roll, Paperchase. Tape (on top), £2.25, Unwrap Colour at Etsy.com. Button, £1 for 100g in various colours,
Hobbycraft. Pompoms, £1 for 50, Hobbycraft. Tape (used for tree), £13.95 for five colours, MT at Trouva.com ➍ Wrapping paper, £6 for a set, Marks & Spencer. Ribbon, £2.50 for 5m, Paperchase. Fruit decoration, £26 for six, The Conran Shop. Bauble, £10 for 100, Paperchase ➎ Tissue paper, £1.75 for three sheets, Paperchase. Stickers, as before. Pompom ribbon, £3 for 3m, Paperchase ➏ Wrapping paper, £8 for two rolls, Marks & Spencer. Ribbon, £2 as part of a set, Paperchase. Gift tag, £8 as part of a set, Marks & Spencer; spraypainted in PlastiKote Silver Metallic, £7.49 for 400ml
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ARE YOU CHRISTMAS
READY? You can be with a few well-chosen decorations. And from Scandi silver to snowy chic, Dunelm has it covered
D
ecorating for Christmas ought to be fun. It ought to feel festive and full of seasonal joy, not just another thing to tick of your list. Which is why we’re looking to Dunelm, a treasure trove of anything from trinkets to trees and everything in between. From niceties to necessities you’ll be able to transform your home – the ease of finding everything you need in one place meaning you’ll have more time to make your house look beautiful. We particularly like Dunelm’s nod to Scandi chic – fir green wreaths, dashes of silver and even the odd polar bear. An easy-yet-glamorous guide to Christmas.
PROMOTION
Winter scene glass bauble, £2
Stylist’s notes Hanging bell heart, £4
Polar bear room decoration, £4
Frosted white helps create the illusion of a snowscape – wreaths with silver tips, cream lanterns and unfinished woods will transport you straight to Santa’s grotto. Add in your own sprigs of foliage for a hint of natural charm.
Christmas doormat, £4.99
Baby stag decoration, £8 Wreath, £15
Countdown to Christmas plaque, £3
decoration, £2
Stylist’s notes There are few more festive colours than red, and all this lantern needs is a tealight to create a very warming glow. Place three down the middle of a dining table – an instant and easy centrepiece.
Metal lanterns, from £7 Sequin tree decoration, £3
Star tree decoration, £1.50
Visit Dunelm.com or pop in store for more festive decorations
Escapes Edited by SARAH TOMCZAK
WINTER WONDERLAND Oh, for a white Christmas! But since there’s no guarantee of a flurry, escape to a place where you can truly feel the crunch of snow underfoot…
CHIC SKIING
Snow-covered trees on the mountainside in Courchevel
AT PORTETTA , COURCHEVEL, FRANCE Ask me to describe my perfect ski accommodation and my wish list would start with stunning mountain views, a location I could ski in and out from, delicious food to fuel me on the slopes, open fires and relaxed-yet-chic surroundings. Naturally there would be comfy beds and power showers to ease tired limbs, and now I’m a parent, an easily accessible ski school is high »
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SHOPPING THE CHRISTMAS MARKETS HAMBURG, GERMANY
Wooden stalls trimmed with snowflake garlands, the rich aromas of gingerbread, roasted chestnuts and mulled cider – few things feel as festive as a Christmas market. For the prettiest and most impressively stocked, Hamburg is hard to beat. The historic port has 15 markets, ranging from the most traditional one
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What o wear
TRIP NOTES
Seven nights at Portetta, Courchevel 1650, from £2,250 per person, based on a couple sharing on a b&b basis, including ski passes, return British Airways flights and private airport transfers; 020 8682 5050, scottdunn.com
laid out in front of the majestic city hall – where rows of toys and trinkets are followed by stalls of handmade ornaments – to the Jungfernstieg market, which is a foodie’s paradise. Take your overstufed shopping bags and weary feet back to a hotel that is anything but olde worlde: the Side Hotel is Hamburg’s hippest design destination, with moody dark wood, neon yellow and ergonomic designs. What it doesn’t have in twinkly lights and organ music, it makes up for with dry-aged steak and a superb cocktail list. SARAH TOMCZAK
LEFT: Hamburg’s trendy Side Hotel BELOW: The bright lights of the city’s markets
TRIP NOTES
Rooms from £119 per night; side-hamburg.de. Flights to Hamburg from £74 return with Easyjet; easyjet.com
PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES
FROM TOP: A stunning winter sunrise; warming dishes at Portetta’s restaurant
priority, too. In short, it would combine the homely atmosphere of a chalet and the facilities and service of a luxury hotel. Happily for me, this is the formula at Portetta, in Courchevel Moriond (aka 1650), France. Run by the same team behind The Pig hotels and Lime Wood, not surprisingly the ethos at the 38-bedroom Portetta is one of laid-back luxury. Think hunting lodge (taxidermy abounds) meets country house hotel (yes, there’s an open fire). And my gosh it’s a relaxing place to stay. While the hotel and village lack the glitz of Courchevel 1850 (the swanky sister resort higher up the mountain beloved of celebs), Portetta’s strength is in the detail – staf at the hotel’s own ski shop will bring out your skis for you every morning. When you’ve finished, they put them away again. And free bottles of water are replenished in mini bar fridges daily. As for location, the ski school is adjacent to the hotel and it’s a mere three-minute tramp in ski boots to the main lift up the mountain, where you’re linked to
Courchevel 1850. A Trois Vallées pass gives you the run of Méribel, Val Thorens and La Tania, too. At the end of the day you can ski onto the terrace of Fire & Ice bar for après ski. For a pick-me-up, endearingly named shots (Oulalaaaaaa, Bad Boy, Le Clare enjoying Yeti) are served in ice ‘glasses’. the après-ski shots BELOW: A basement spa houses a steam room The resort’s and sauna, and two treatment rooms cable cars for massages, facials or mani-pedis. As for the food? Breakfasts are a feast in themselves – cakes, pastries, fruit compotes, yoghurts, juices, cold meats, cheese, cereals, bacon and eggs, avocado on sourdough. And since December 2015, Portetta’s restaurant has been overseen by Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett. Her delicious, locally sourced Italian food includes pear, Earrings, £12, Jon pecorino and fennel salad, and Richard pumpkin risotto. Gloves, My only complaints? Bedrooms £195, Ugg are on the small side and those with a mountain view may find themselves waking early, courtesy of the piste-bashers. But these are quibbles. Portetta is named after one of the local peaks. Leggings, It might mean ‘little door’ but the £230, Backpack, hotel is a gateway to a great skiing 2ndDay £400, experience. CLARE GOLDWIN Moncler
ESCAPES Enjoy nature’s finest night-time display from Lake Inari, Finland
ART
AT ARLBERG1800, AUSTRIA As a seasoned snow bunny, the thought that there could be more to a ski holiday than eat, ski, drink Glüwein and repeat hadn’t actually occurred to me – until I stayed at the Arlberg1800 in St Christoph, Austria. Perched in the mountains, the resort is all about art, fine dining and culture as an alternative to the snow. The Kunstgalerie is a contemporary The sci-fi-like space with cement walls and grey splendour of the stone floors, where modern art – northern lights is on many people’s must-do list, but video installations, paintings and seeing them from the centre of a lake? That’s real bucket sculptures – is on display. Adjacent list stuf. At Lake Inari in Finnish Lapland, your cosy to the Kunstgalerie is an impressive cabin is towed out to the centre of the lake, so you can but intimate concert hall, A selection of enjoy the lights in complete solitude. The snow homes where you can swap retro ski posters in are heated, have giant windows (and a loo), and boast traditional après ski for the tunnel in the a more chic ofering of live an attached sauna and hot tub. hotel’s basement music or film screenings. There’s also reindeer rides, Head back through husky sledding and ice fishing a James Bond-style – and the four-day itinerary Jacket, £229, underground tunnel to Barbour also includes two nights at the hotel and art is still Hotel Kultahovi. Perched on Jumper, everywhere – including the roaring rapids of River £125, fantastic retro ski posters Juutua, the hotel is Scandi Jaeger lining the walls to the ski simplicity at its finest: pine shop in the basement. The beds, crisp sheets and splashes resort is the ideal base for of primary colour. Every room the Arlberg ski region, which takes in the famous St Anton has a sauna, the restaurant ski resort and has 280km of marked runs. I never thought serves reindeer carpaccio and there’d be more to a ski holiday than ticking of the black fish caught in the Juutua, and runs, but Arlberg1800 ofers a side order of culture for there’s a sunken lounge with your ski season. It’s hard a roaring fire to laze around Bag, TRIP NOTES £115, Boots, around to resist. TANITA as the night draws in. Truly Doubles from £175 a night, Hunter £180, Mephisto MONTGOMERY a winter wonderland. based on two people sharing; SARAH TOMCZAK
Northern lights from a lake, Finland
What o wear
arlberg1800resort.at
TRIP NOTES
A four-day tailor-made holiday, from £670 per person, including flights, transfers, two nights at Hotel Kultahovi and one night in a Lake Inari mobile cabin (from mid December to mid April); best-served.co.uk
The frozen River Juutua BELOW: Inside the chic Hotel Kultahovi Outside the Arlberg1800 resort RIGHT: The resort’s concert hall DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 217
Self MIND • BODY • SPIRIT
Edited by BRIGID MOSS
TAKE a FOREST BATH Immerse yourself in nature and let the anti-stress benefits of green space wash over you
No, we don’t literally mean bathing in a wood. Originating in Japan, this phrase simply means immersing yourself in nature. It’s one of the most efective things you can do to improve your mood and health, according to Jonathan Fields, author and creator of Good Life Project, a podcast about finding meaning. “If you can, go for a walk in the woods or anywhere with a lot of greenery,” he says, explaining that exposure to plant life is proven to trigger physiological and psychological shifts that serve as a quick reset, reducing stress and anxiety and enhancing your immune response. “The blend of nature, movement and mindfulness is really efective in improving wellbeing,” he adds. If outside isn’t an option, research shows that having a plant in view while working can boost energy and mood. We think our Christmas tree does the same job.
WORDS MEGAN SUTTON. PHOTOGRAPH GETTY IMAGES. BATH , £1,950, FIRED EARTH
How To Live A Good Life by Jonathan Fields (Hay House, £12.99)
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 219
Putting a spotlight on her eating habits has helped Amy feel free
SELF
THE SECRET CHAOSof my
RELATIONSHIP
WITH FOOD Even though she loved clean eating and achieving fitness goals, Amy Abrahams found herself secretly overeating junk foods. Confronting her shame was the first step to breaking the cycle Photograph LUKE J ALBERT
I
t’s mid-December, 2014. I’m in for the night and on the kitchen counter, next to my blender, spiraliser and green superfood powders, I unpack dinner. A block of Cheddar cheese, a bag of penne and a family pack of KitKats. I have already eaten five chocolate-chip cookies, each the size of a side plate, in the 12 minutes it took to walk back from Sainsbury’s. I am not hungry. But I boil the water anyway. I am alone. And will eat enough for four people. It goes without saying that the spiraliser will not spiral tonight. Two hours pass: I lie on my sofa, feeling like one of those snakes you see on YouTube that’s swallowed an antelope. I will tell no one what I’ve eaten. Why have I done this again? I make familiar promises: “Tomorrow,” I tell myself. “Tomorrow I will be good.” But if tomorrow is about being ‘good’, right now I feel disgustingly, miserably bad. People often comment on how healthy I am. I love kale. I’ve run marathons. I asked for a NutriBullet for my birthday, for goodness’ sake. And yet the full story is that my life has been a seesaw between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, starve and binge, with all the messy stuf hidden away. It was during my teens that I first found myself eating in secret. I was failing to be as clever as my A-grade older sister, feeling weird, unpopular and invisible to
boys with my frizzy hair, train-track braces and inability to street-dance to Salt-N-Pepa. In the chaos of growing up, I got hooked on the feelings of control that came with dieting. But then came the flip side of hunger: caving in to binges when no one was around to see. IT WOULDN’T HAPPEN EVERY DAY, OR EVEN EVERY MONTH, BUT IT WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT COULD. An unexploded bomb of anxiety and self-
loathing buried at the back of my mind that I carried with me from my teens to twenties. There were the diets – Atkins to Dukan, even ‘Eat Right For Your Blood Type’ – then fuck-it moments of “Well, I’ve eaten one, so I might as well eat the rest…” I learnt to police my eating in public, but alone I’d rebel against my own rules. The NHS says there’s a one-in-30 to one-in-50 chance of a person developing a binge-eating disorder at some point in their lives. And a poll of 2,000 women* found six out of 10 of us admit to secret eating, with a quarter of those saying they hide the evidence. Secret eating doesn’t have to be a binge, and you can binge without having a clinical disorder, but if there’s enough guilt and shame attached to eating that you only do it in private, something isn’t right. A friend recently confided she’ll eat a tub of HäagenDazs Pralines & Cream, then take out the black bag to »
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 221
SELF the dustbin so her husband won’t know. Another buries the a hypocrite, writing about health and urging people to crumbs from the whole loaf of tiger bread she’s eaten, deep love themselves, but unable to listen to my own advice. in the bin. I have even alternated between Sainsbury’s, the That is how I found myself emailing Kate, a corner shop and Tesco so that cashiers wouldn’t remember hypnotherapist I’d connected with on Twitter. “Please Paul I bought Jafa Cakes the day before and think I’m greedy. McKenna me into not eating,” I wanted to say, hoping the While it’s not always a full-on binge – sometimes it’s session would involve an induced nap, from which I would just a chocolate bar on the way home, or three biscuits awake reborn with iron will and an aversion to carbs. – it’s always alone so I don’t feel judged. Instead, I walked into her oice, sat on a chair, and wept. That I’m not overweight, that I don’t think being I laid out emotionally burdensome secrets I’d carried for overweight is ‘bad’, is neither here nor there. Mostly years, going all the way back to being a 10-year-old who I’m a size 10, though my wardrobe thought her knees were fat. There I am spans from a size six to a 12 as I lose at 11, running to my bedroom with a and gain half a stone. Feeling ‘fat’, for neon-red lollipop hidden up my sleeve, me, is not so much to do with weight crunching through it before I get caught. 1 Exercising three times a as a state of mind. I can look at two I see myself writing in my diary. Aged week takes the focus from photos of myself, taken days apart, and 14, it changes from a Dawson’s Creekwhat my body looks like, decide in one I am okay, and in the style crush-fest to an obsessive food to what it can do. Running other I am ‘fat’. It’s a short circuit in inventory. Some days I barely eat more clears my head, weights make my mind; what it really means, I know than a cup of soup. Major events – me feel strong and the now, is I’m feeling unhappy, insecure imminent parental divorce, relatives’ endorphins lift my mood. 2 Eating what were ‘bad’ or overwhelmed. funerals – have single-line descriptions foods in public: I remind amongst pages of lists: calories eaten, myself eating is not shameful, “I SEE SECRET EATING AN AWFUL bites avoided, binges succumbed to. so if I want a posh burger and LOT. Often, it’s ‘together’, successful, a milkshake I’ll have one. HYPNOTHERAPY IS A BIT slim women who give an impression of 3 Slowly introducing MISUNDERSTOOD, hijacked by TV ‘having it all’,” says psychologist Dr ‘trigger’ foods at home. theatrics. For me, it was like problemJoanna Silver, a specialist in eating There’s been a pizza in my solving while in a meditative state. disorders and body dysmorphic freezer for a month. Telling Kate would count down as I imagined disorder at London’s Nightingale myself I can have something myself walking further and further Hospital and The Natural Gateway if I want to has helped me. into a forest until I was deeply relaxed. Clinic, Borehamwood. “These women 4 Not believing every There, I’d confront myself to release are very in control of their emotions – perfect life on Instagram: emotional baggage, remove guilt from polite, lovely and rarely angry. But we are all works in progress. food, visualise a happier future. most people do have angry thoughts. 5 Finding healthier ways During one session, a memory Because these feelings are so repressed to deal with feelings. Rather than ‘reward’ or ‘punish’ surfaces. I am 14, at the dinner table, all the time, food becomes a release.” myself with food, I try to relax hiding roast potatoes in my napkin. Kate Was I repressing emotions? That in other ways, like writing asks what advice I’d give my younger December two years ago, I was my blog or seeing friends. self. I feel protective, almost maternal. technically very happy. I’d recently 6 Realising this is I say, just audibly, “It’s going to be met the love of my life, I was pushing a feminist issue. Imagine okay.” She passes me a box of tissues. myself at work, healthier at 33 than what more we could achieve My sessions took me into the New ever before, rarely bingeing, blogging if we weren’t judging Year, and I swerved my usual January about my fitness journey and trying to ourselves so harshly. ‘detox’. Over six sessions, I learnt it was ‘eat clean’ (in retrospect, a way of better to be honest about my approach to eating not user-friendly to a mind food. I felt freer just for speaking about it. ‘Binge’ is an already inclined to malfunction around food). I had ugly word, with its bloated ‘b’ and sluggish ‘g’, but doing it just run my first marathon and was feeling proud, but isn’t a crime. It makes me sad to think about all the hours suddenly I found myself buying foods I never usually I’ve lost to hating my body – I work hard not to lose more. ate. In the run-up to Christmas, excess was everywhere. That’s not to say writing this doesn’t make me feel Whole Terry’s Chocolate Orange to myself? Fine. vulnerable, or that I don’t have ‘of’ days. But if I fall A box of Lindt Milk Trules in one sitting? Easy. into a pit, I now know the quickest route to crawl out: Partly I was on a marathon comedown, but it was more it’s the path marked ‘Be kind to yourself’. One binge than that: I was trying to be the dream girlfriend, the go-out-of-her-way employee, the Insta-perfect runner. used to lead to another. But now I Join the conversation The more I tried, the more I got trapped in the cycle of don’t beat myself up. I remind myself @Amy_Abrahams I deserve to feel good. And so do you. @RedMagDaily controlled eating by day, bingeing by night. I felt like
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*SECRET EATING SURVEY OF 2,000 WOMEN BY LIGHTERLIFE. PORTRAIT JOHN DAVIES
My self-care essentials
SELF RELATIONSHIPS
THE
FRIEND WHO SAVED ME When does a good friend turn into a friend for life? For Olivia Gordon, it was after she was told her baby might not survive pregnancy
I
t was my husband, Phil, who picked up the phone when Emily rang one morning in January 2011. I was too low to answer. I felt embarrassed people might hear me at my worst: crying, frightened, full of negative thoughts. I thought only my husband and close family could see me like this. The most I’d felt able to do was group-email my friends to let them know what was happening. I was 31 weeks pregnant with a baby I’d just been told by doctors might not make it. I was sitting alone at my computer, Googling terrible outcomes, and feeling like I’d fallen of a clif. But Emily, who I’d met at school aged 11, was determined to speak to me. From a Goan beach where she was beginning a six-month career break, she insisted Phil put me on the phone. “I’m going to fly home,” she said as she paddled in the sea. “I want to be with you. Call me any time, day or night.” “Oh, it’s not necessary,” I replied automatically. And I really didn’t expect her to come back. But she did. Emily arrived, suntanned and glowing, a few days later, by which time I’d gone into premature labour and my son, Humphrey, was in intensive care. For the whole of Humphrey’s five-month hospitalisation that followed – a roller-coaster that took him through heart failure, chronic lung disease, major abdominal surgery and several infections – Emily was there for me and Phil in ways I’d never imagined any friend would be. She stocked our fridge with my favourite M&S ready meals (she didn’t ofer – she just brought them round). She researched the neonatal unit experience so she could understand it. She called and texted regularly. She came
FROM LEFT: Olivia (right) and Emily aged 16; Humphrey in hospital
FROM LEFT: On Olivia’s wedding day; Emily with Humphrey, just after he came out of hospital on the Tube from her flat on the other side of London again and again, sometimes a few days a week, at 8am. She’d help me get up, sort mail, call people I needed to call (posing as my PA), cook me soup and make me eat it (I’d lost my appetite), calm me as I cried wretchedly, then come with me to the hospital where she’d sit in the waiting room (she wasn’t allowed to see Humphrey at first because of the risk of infection). Later, when Emily could see Humphrey, she helped us keep a 24-hour vigil at his cot after he had surgery. One night, he suddenly went white and struggled to breathe. He’d developed pulmonary oedema – fluid in the lungs. My family and I were all shouting for a doctor, but Emily calmly pointed out he was still breathing: “Look, Liv, his chest’s going up and down.” MOST IMPORTANTLY, SHE HAD AN UPBEAT ROBUSTNESS. It sounds odd to say it helped, but she
sometimes laughed and joked when I shared my despair. And the fact she could briskly take the piss out of me, just as she always had, reassured me that I was still me, and things couldn’t be as bad as I feared. Emily knew me, she was loyal, she was sensible, and she was clear-headed. Finally, Humphrey was pronounced well enough to come home, and I became happy again. Emily is now godmother to a joyful, bouncy five-year-old, and my true friend for life. To be honest, until she stepped forward to help me, I had always thought of her as just another good friend. Frankly, we have little in common. I’m an exhausted mother, arty, and a sentimental softie; she’s a single girl about town, conservative and sarcastic. We were seated »
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SELF next to each other on the first day of high school. I had a nosebleed and she put up her hand and took me to the nurse; all her pencils were neatly labelled with her name. OVER THE YEARS, EMILY AND I STUCK BY EACH OTHER through first snogs and
Emily and Olivia pictured during their gap year
first jobs, awful boyfriends, and when she nearly died in a bus accident while travelling in South America. I can be silent with her; I can talk rubbish; I don’t have to look at her when I speak. Just before I walked down the aisle, she was the friend who held the long, embroidered train of my old-fashioned wedding dress away from the loo. But I never expected her to give up a chance of travelling as an expression of our love and friendship. I wouldn’t expect anyone to do that. I’ve long felt the need to repay her, and have tried, in my own way. Emily is a super-organised person who excels at helping friends manage their lives, so I’ve always tried to be an empathetic, kind listening ear for her – and, as a result, she trusts me enough to express a softness and vulnerability she rarely shows to others. Of course, that’s what she’s done for me, too – accepted me at my weakest. Musing on friendship, I think revealing yourself is what turns a promising friendship into a real one. Wanting more friends is something many women feel ashamed to admit to, but my thirtysomething friends often confide in me that they feel lonely. The key is finding someone with whom you can be yourself, and be known and loved at your lowest ebb, like Emily knew and loved me. That spring in the neonatal unit, I met Diana, who, over the years, I’ve felt closer to because of our understanding of parenting a NICU child. And then I have Zoe, Chloe and Ros, from university, whose careers, marriages and babies have developed in parallel with mine, and who’ve always stayed loyal. I’ve got my work mates, fellow writers I swap notes with, and my mum friends I’ve met at school and playgroups – they’re the ones I see most. And Nina,
“Revealing YOURSELF is what turns a promising friendship into a REAL ONE” a photographer, who I met in my twenties when we worked in a horrendous oice, is my ‘soulmate’ friend. As one of us says something, the other exclaims, “Me too!” Emily is single and doesn’t have children yet, so devotes a lot of energy to maintaining friendships – which is a good lesson for me, always busy with my husband and children. Because friends are, in a way, more self-airming than family. They’ve chosen us. They don’t love us automatically because we’re their mother or child, or we’re married. I like to imagine I’ll still be hanging out with these friends in our eighties. We’ll lie on sofas in the nursing home with our feet in each other’s laps, sharing our worries, laughing hysterically and giving each other the cheerful ‘you can do it’ reassurance only a friend can make us believe.
226 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
things a true frend does FALLS STRAIGHT BACK INTO A DEEP CONVERSATION AFTER ANY LENGTH GAP
Probably like you, I hardly see some of my closest friends – either because our lives are too hectic, or we now live far apart. But this won’t spoil a real friendship. I lost touch with my best friend from school, Samaya, for many years, but we recently found each other again and it’s just as brilliant as when we were 13. GETS OVER A DISAGREEMENT
I don’t often argue with friends, but one of the things that stands out about some of my longest friendships is that, somewhere along the line, we’ve fallen out. It’s pretty inevitable over 20 years. But when you care enough to repair the friendship, the bond of the renewed friendship is truly cemented. IS THERE FOR YOU
It sounds obvious, but when you have a get-together, even if some friends flake out, there will always be the ones who are quick to reply ‘yes’; and ofer invitations in return. These are the same friends who’ll be on your doorstep with wine if you have a break-up or lose your job, and they come with you to visit your mum in hospital. Text them in the middle of the night needing urgent advice, you’ll get a reply first thing in the morning. They really care. IS REAL
When you’re feeling awful but acting like everything’s fine, a true friend will notice. A close friendship has a trust and openness – you’re honest with each other (even when the truth is shameful or painful) and each of you drops your defences to show the real you. A great friend knows you better than you know yourself. EXPANDS YOUR LIFE
A good friend shows you new worlds, whether it’s music, books, art, tech, places or ideas. They suggest ways you can become healthier or happier, or live your life’s dream. But most of all, they make you laugh, until you both absolutely cannot laugh any more. Find out how many great friend qualities you have at REDONLINE.CO.UK
SELF
GIVE FLU THE COLD SHOULDER Determined not to succumb to a cold or the flu this winter, Zoe McDonald is adopting an anti-viral strategy
HOW TO AVOID A COLD… HANDS OFF! Viruses infect you when your (dirty) hands touch your eye, nose or mouth. I realise I touch my face far more than I’d thought – and my five- and eight-year-old do constantly. A new study found that on the Tube, poles and ticket machines harboured the most germs. This is likely true of handrails, door handles and bus bells, too. I then discovered that the flu virus can survive for 24 hours on a hard surface, compared to only 15 minutes on a tissue – this triggered a blitz on all light switches and doorknobs in my house – we’re going to wear gloves. And we’ll also use Vicks First Defence (£6.54, Boots), which reduces the pH in your nose, making it inhospitable for viruses.
PHOTOGRAPH LOUISA PARRY
SCRUB UP You
already know that, in hospitals, handwashing is known to be the best way to stop bugs spreading. Do it at home, too: a Thai study found that it significantly reduced surface contamination levels of the flu virus in households. “The water needs to be hot and you should thoroughly lather up,” says Boots’ pharmacist Angela Chalmers. “Clean nails and between fingers, your wrists and the backs
of your hands, taking care around rings – they can be germ hotspots.” SANITISE… BUT DON’T RELY ON IT If your hands are dirty when you
apply sanitiser, much of the solution may be soaked up by the surface dirt on your hands and won’t do its job. And if it doesn’t say ‘anti viral’ on your hand sanitiser, “it won’t do anything to combat the cold and flu germs sitting on your skin”, says Chalmers. Try Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel (£1.35, Boots) – it kills bacteria and viruses. ➊ WRAP UP WARM A team
at Yale University published a paper last year, proving the common cold thrives in a chilly nose. Warm noses aren’t so hospitable for the virus, so pull up that scarf.
BUT IF A COLD IS COMING ON… EAT GARLIC “Garlic is a much-
underused cold treatment,” says medical herbalist Hannah Sylvester (thedistrictherbalist.co.uk). “It’s probably more efective than echinacea.” She suggests adding as many extra garlic cloves as you can to soup, crushing and stirring it to release the medicinal compounds. SUCK ON ZINC
But avoid the lozenges with citric acid in, advises Dr Harri Hemilä, of the
University of Helsinki’s Department of Public Health. In his study, he says 80-90mg of zinc a day has best efect. Keep taking until the symptoms go: “Often people don’t take for long enough to see the benefit.” Source Naturals Wellness Zinc Lozenges (1), £9.49 at Revital.co.uk EARLY NIGHTS Not getting enough
sleep has a powerful impact on your body’s ability to fight bugs – as bad for immunity as extreme stress, found one US study. And early is good: sleep before midnight is most restorative.
What I’m aking…
Sambucol Black Elderberry Liquid Extract Immuno Forte Formula (2) Studies show elderberries can shorten a cold. From £6.74 at Boots Mikei Red Reishi Essence (3) Research shows polysaccharides in red reishi mushrooms stimulate the maturation of immune cells into macrophages – cells that destroy pathogens. For best results, take with vitamin C. £47.99 for a month’s ➋ supply at Planet Organic Pharma Nord ➌ Bio-Vitamin D3 (4) “I take Vitamin D3 as a supplement throughout winter,” says Professor Ron Eccles of the Common Cold Centre ➍ at Cardif University, £6.95 at Revital.co.uk
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SELF EXERCISE
FAST FITNESS FIXES You only have two minutes? Squeeze some exercise into your day and you’ll stay in shape all the way to New Year
W
e’re not saying you should be swapping time spent socialising for the gym. But we are saying that squeezing fitness into any spare time you have will ensure you have a more energetic, possibly even happier, New Year. We asked three of our favourite experts for fast ways to keep your fitness levels ticking over, even if you only have a few minutes to spare. GOT TWO MINUTES? SPRINT YOUR STAIRS
resist pigs in blankets.” Lean In 15: The Sustain Plan by Joe Wicks (Bluebird, £16.99; out 17th November) GOT 15 MINUTES? DO A DINNER DANCE
Making fitness fun is key, says Pilates instructor Lottie Murphy. “I love to get 15 minutes of exercise in when I’ve popped something in the oven; I’ll put on my favourite playlist and dance around the kitchen. Grab some tins, reach your arms straight behind you and pulse to work your triceps and shoulders and improve posture. Or try ballet-inspired moves like raising up and down on your tiptoes to tone your bum and calves, then reaching one toe behind you and pulsing it up and down to really lift the bottom.”
“Quick sprinting up and down the staircase is a great way to increase calorie burn and get fitter faster,” says Anya Lahiri, Barry’s Bootcamp master trainer and Nike NTC elite trainer. “Or, if you’re looking to strengthen muscles and tone up, body-weight exercises like squats or push ups can be squeezed in pre work or before bedtime.” Feeling jaded or overloaded? GOT FIVE MINUTES? DO Put on Nadia Narain’s A MICRO WORKOUT stretching and meditation DVD. You can choose from six “If you’re too busy to fit a full sessions, including five minutes workout in, a mini one can be the of calming breathing, 22 minutes first step to getting leaner,” says of moving meditation and The Body Coach, Joe Wicks. “Try stretching, or eight minutes of pushing yourself really hard for lying down in blissful relaxation. three lots of 30 seconds, doing Nadia Narain Beginners exercises like lunges, running on Meditation & Mindful the spot and tuck jumps. Leave Stretching, £10.99 40 seconds recovery time between For a yoga class that will fit in each burst of movement. The with your every spare moment, sign great thing about this on/of High up for Movementformodernlife.com. Intensity Interval Training Workouts go from two minutes (HIIT) method is that you can to 90, and there’s something do it anywhere, any time, even for everyone, from complete while watching TV. And working beginners to full-on yogis. Subscriptions from £10.99 per out over Christmas means you month after a 14-day trial can indulge. I personally can’t
WORDS MEGAN SUTTON. PHOTOGRAPH SEBASTIAN MADER/TRUNK ARCHIVE
Let’s get digial
GOT 30 MINUTES? GO ONLINE
“Head over to youtube.com/ lottiemurphy and pair the Pilates Tone Circuit with the Flat Lower Tummy Pilates,” Murphy advises. “The first targets muscles you might not even know you had; the second targets the core, improving posture and helping to prevent back pain. Try not to brace your abdominals, instead feel the tummy gently flattening as you exhale.” GOT 40 MINUTES? RUN FOR IT
“Change up your usual park jog with short bursts of speed and hill runs,” says Lahiri. “Include five lots of 30-second sprints, each with a minute’s walk in between. Then, find a hill, run up and walk down five times. A steady 3.5k run once a week is great For more short, efective for increasing endurance.” workouts, go to REDONLINE.CO.UK
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SELF
ASK PHILIPPA A reader isn’t looking forward to Christmas because she feels inadequate. It’s time to get out there and be the real you, says psychotherapist and Red’s agony aunt, Philippa Perry Photograph CAMERON McNEE
I’m dreading the Christmas period because I’ll be forced to socialise. I started avoiding friends months ago, as I always came away feeling demoralised and disconnected. I used to be happy, carefree and positive but now I feel exhausted, downtrodden, a nobody with nothing to say or show for myself. I’m 40 and, after 12 years raising two children, my husband and I are struggling for money, so I have to go back to work. While I’ve been all about the children, my friends have been building careers, upgrading their houses, going for expensive dinners, weekends and holidays. These are all unobtainable to us, so I started avoiding contact. Before children, I worked in admin. I’ve never had any idea what else to do, despite having a degree. I have no passions or hobbies that could lead to a living. I’ve never allowed myself to have any ambitions as, at best, I’m mediocre. My husband tries to fix things, but it’s no help. I’ve stopped
making decisions or plans as they never seem to materialise. The very prospect of working fills me with panic. I already feel stretched. Any advice, please? Name and address withheld The very thing you dread – socialising – is what will get you out of feeling demoralised and disconnected. Not just comparing holidays and expenditure, but the sort of socialising where you take of your social mask and dare to say what your experience is and how you feel about it. No one can connect with the real you if you keep her hidden. At the moment, you have a low opinion of yourself; I doubt others see you in the same way. It sounds as if the trouble with your husband is, rather than give you a jolly good listening to, he thinks he has to fix you. You can
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO ASK PHILIPPA? Philippa would love to give you an answer to your problem, whether it’s about partners or relations, children or fertility, friends or frenemies, life change, work issues, expectations, confidence, goals or ambitions. Email her in confidence at therapy@redmagazine.co.uk. You’ll find all Philippa’s past columns at Redonline.co.uk.
232 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
tell him that you don’t want or expect him to fix you, but you do need to be listened to. Reading between the lines, you are comparing how you feel internally with how others look externally. You see material things. And you don’t need me to tell you, but material things do not make a person happy. What makes us happy is connecting with others and finding meaning in our lives. For all you know, internally your friends might feel a bit like you feel. Dare to take of the social mask. There is a lot more to life than what we do. In our results-driven culture we give, in my opinion, too much value and attention to doing and not enough to feeling, thinking and being. You have for the past 12 years been with your children in the most nurturing, focused way. Rather than diminish that achievement, be proud of it. To find out what you want, you need to nurture and pay attention to yourself. To start, you need to know what you feel. Set a reminder, three times a day, to ask yourself these questions: 1) How am I feeling right now? Then, 2) How am I breathing right now? Finally, 3) What do I want? After 1) and 2), you’ll have a much better idea of 3). If you still don’t know, find work that’s not ideal but try to be the best you can at it until something even better comes along. I’m not even sure there is such thing as the perfect job. I wonder what not allowing yourself to be ambitious is about? Fear of failure? If we never fail, it means we’ve never tried. Mediocre is often a satisfactory ending point, but it is a great starting point, too. There’s no shame in it. Even if you find work that has no special meaning for you, if you are doing it to provide for you and your family, that, in itself, is meaningful. You may be constructing an idea around yourself and mistaking that idea for a fact. The great thing about the story we tell ourselves about ourselves is, we can edit it.
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E N T E R TA I N M E N T
HOROSCOPES
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CANCER 22nd June-22nd Jul December’s new moon in your love zone means you have the chance to start all over again with someone who really matters to you. It could be your partner or your ex but it could also be someone special who is a friend or even a colleague. At home and work there is a massive chance for very positive developments.
Yasmin Boland reveals what’s in store for you this month Illustration MARGAUX CARPENTIER
SAGITTARIUS 23rd Nov-21st Dec Money issues? Change the way your finances are set up, or at least draw up your 2017 ‘financial intentions’ list. The full moon in your love zone means you can let go of someone who is no longer a good fit.
LEO 23rd Jul-23rd Aug If you want to change your life (especially something to do with work), then you may need to change the way you’re thinking. And the good news is that this is very easy to do this month. In fact, coming up with just one new idea to solve an old problem could turn everything around, so stay open to doing things diferently.
CAPRICORN 22nd Dec-19th Jan
ARIES 21st Mar-19th Apr
You have Mercury retrograding in your sign for a lot of this month, so expect misunderstandings, delays and confusion. Sometimes you might feel like you’re speaking a diferent language to the rest of the world. Get through December by tying up loose 2016 ends and keeping your sense of humour intact.
Any changes in your life this month should turn out very positively. New developments to do with love, work and anything overseas are very fortuitous. This is the time for you to break free from anything or anyone that cramps your style. Don’t be afraid to make changes – they will liberate you. This could be a turning point.
AQUARIUS 20th Jan-18th Feb Think about which fears are holding you back and deal with them first by remembering where they came from. What do you gain by allowing this fear to fester? Meditation and contemplation will go a long way if you can get some time out amid the end-of-year madness.
TAURUS 20th Apr-20th May There are some powerful and positive energies in the air this month and they are afecting your working life and finances. With a little bit of luck and positive thinking, there could be a financial bonus. This goes triple if you work in the spiritual arena, in a hospital or other institution.
PISCES 19th Feb-20th Mar
GEMINI 21st May-21st June
Expect a financial turnaround this month thanks to a clash between big spender Jupiter and changeable Uranus. Get the money goddesses on your side by only spending what you have and believing you deserve financial abundance. For some, an old friend is back. For others, there’s a frustrating mix-up with a friend.
The full moon in your sign this month makes it really easy for you to do your New Year’s resolutions list. The lunar energies are impressing upon you that it’s time to turn a corner. So who or what do you need to leave behind as you move towards 2017? You should have no trouble being brutally truthful with yourself and others.
VIRGO 24th Aug-22nd Sept Have your finances started to improve yet? If not, it could finally start to happen this month. Obviously don’t go overboard with your December expenditure until you see the turnaround. But keep the faith 2017 will be a bumper cash year. Also, get out and enjoy the silly season. Your stars are urging you to have some proper fun this month. LIBRA 23rd Sept-23rd Oct Something that happens in your love life this month could totally surprise you – hopefully in a good way. The planet of happiness, Jupiter, is in your sign and is triggering the planet of the unexpected in your love zone. Singles could meet someone. Declarations of love are not out of the question. Even your ex might start behaving better.
SCORPIO 24th Oct-22nd Nov Life could be a tad confusing this month but whatever you do, don’t panic! All the weirdness coming up now is helping you to see how life could be diferent. The best thing you can do is get spiritual. Meditate, do yoga or chant and let your inner-tuition guide you.
DECEMBER 2016 REDONLINE.CO.UK 241
MY FAVOURITE THING
For the singer, a handcrafted sign is a reminder that it is possible to realise your dreams Photographs PETER PEDONOMOU
M
y boyfriend had this picture designed for me as a Valentine’s Day present two years ago. It’s made from gold leaf, shell and glass by painter and gilder Alex May Hughes. Poodle & Blonde is the name of my house – it’s inspired by Brian, my miniature poodle, and me. He’s four now, but when I got him he was so small I brought him home in a McDonald’s cup. He is the poodle to my blonde. I gave my home this name the day I decided to follow my dream of hiring it out for shoots and turning it into a sort of creative hub. Now, two years later, all sorts of
242 REDONLINE.CO.UK DECEMBER 2016
companies have held shoots there – from Vanity Fair to fashion brands. And some amazing people have lived there with me, too: photographer Charlotte Rutherford, a band called Crystal Bats, set designer Amy Exton, and a musician called Mononoke. It’s become a place full of creativity and happy memories. So this sign hangs in the kitchen, the heart of my home, reminding me how all of this first started with a tiny idea. Every time I look at it, I remember that anything is possible. Whinnie’s current single Real Damn Bad is out now via Dats Entertainment/Red Essential
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