Mama FOR STYLISH LONDON MUMS
APRIL/MAY 2016
Carey Mulligan
ISSUE TWO | £3.95
PARTY TIME
Chic ways to celebrate baby's birthday
Welcome to motherhood
MODERN MUM FASHION
with Style Me Sunday
Art STAR
Must-have Spring fashions for little ones
Back to Black Monochrome maternity looks
RAISE THE ROOF
Inside the home of
Scandi Mini founder Gabrielle Spång
BO O NOWKING FO R 20 16
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Contents Apr il May
AG E N DA
H E A LT H & B E A U T Y
64 BEAUTY NOTES
86 SIX OF THE BEST
16 BRINGING OUT BABY
66 FITNESS NOTES
90 TOY BOX
Dates for the coming months
Pregnancy massage at Aman Spa
The best baby classes in London
The benefits of baby swimming and smart vitamin supplements
20 ONLINE/OFFLINE
70 FOODIE FOCUS
This month's best books and apps
Healthy Ibizan-inspired recipes from Tanja Ting
26 SOMETHING ABOUT CAREY Carey Mulligan welcomes motherhood
INTERIORS
STYLE
38 ART STARS
74 NURSERY NOTES
48 STYLE THE BUMP
76 SCANDI LIVING
56 MODERN MUM STYLE
80 PARTY TIME
Best baby buys put through their paces
Must-have spring fashions for littles
ON THE COVER NINE IN THE MIRROR
nineinthemirror.com
ESSENTIALS
14 WHAT’S ON
Inside the home of Gabrielle Spång
With Apphia Michael
Chic ways to celebrate baby's birthday
Inside Natalie Lee's wardrobe
3
Put to the test: highchairs Our pick of the best plush toys
T R AV E L
96 TOTS TO TRAVEL
A stress-free Grecian retreat
98 LA DOLCE VITA
The ultimate Sicilian family villa
102 SNAP HAPPY
A photographer's guide to taking holiday snaps
105 UK FAMILY GETAWAY
Take a walk on the wild side at Port Lympne nature reserve
April / May 2016
Amelia, 5 months. Wearing �o Brightly
Baby you’re so next season #pimpmybump
GIGGLE 2 - TRAVEL SYSTEM
ZOOMI - GROUP 123 CAR SEAT WITH NEW 5 POINT PLUS ANTI-ESCAPE SYSTEM
YO2 - PUSHCHAIR
Introducing our Go Brightly collection, for next season’s babies. Choose yours. cosatto.com
Mama FOR STYLISH LONDON MUMS
Contributors
The mamas who helped to create this issue share their heroes and what they're looking forward to this Spring
EDITOR HELEN BARON CONTRIBUTING EDITOR APPHIA MICHAEL COMMERCIAL MANAGER KATIE AMPS DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIP THIAGO ALVES ART DIRECTOR RAY SEARLE SENIOR DESIGNERS PAWEL KUBA, PHIL COUZENS PRODUCTION MANAGER STEWART HYDE FINANCE DIRECTOR ALEXANDRA HVID
CHARLOTTE PHILBY
Journalist and founder of motherland.net
My ultimate female heroine would have to be Beryl Bainbridge: she drinks, she smokes, she seemingly doesn't give a flying toss... and as well as being a wonderful, hilarious writer she is quietly also a brilliant artist – and she has FOUR CHILDREN. @motherlandnet
MAJOR ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR TAMSIN LUCK PA TO THE DIRECTORS MARIANNE MCFADDEN DIRECTORS GREG HUGHES, ALEXANDRA HUNTER MANAGING DIRECTOR SHERIF SHALTOUT
For editorial enquiries please email: helen.baron@zest-media.com
CHARLOTTE EMILY GRAY Family photographer
We have recently moved to the flat on the ground floor so this Spring I am really looking forward to getting into the garden and growing some plants and veggies with the kids. PHOTO: © Zoe Maxwell @emilygrayphoto_
For advertising enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: katie.amps@zest-media.com For media partnership enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: thiago@zest-media.com Part of the
ZEST MEDIA PUBLICATIONS LTD 197-199, City Road, EC1V 1JN T: 020 7704 0588 ZEST-MEDIA.COM
BETH EVANS Writer
I love Buster’s weekly swimming lessons. We’ve been going together since he was three months old and it’s lovely to see how far he’s come and to imagine the future family holidays by the pool.
Zest Media Publications Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Zest Media Publications Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.
Fo l l ow Us O n T wi t t e r @ABSOLUTELYMAMA Fa c e b o o k ABSOLUTELYMAMA In s t a g ra m ABSOLUTELYMAMA P i n t a re s t ABSOLUTELYMAMA
EmbryoCare® Insurance cover for your unborn child We cover 14 different conditions from your 20 week scan through to your child’s 2nd birthday. To find out more, give our team a
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beautiful clothes for gorgeous girls from 0-15yrs
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We l c o m e
Editor's Letter
I
A curated collection of stories, inspiration and insights pertinent to the modern mum
n an interview in our launch issue, Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said she was inspired by ‘real’ mums rather than the 'role models’ trotted out by the media as examples of how to ‘have it all’. In Roberts’ opinion, a lot of these women achieve success partly because they start out with every advantage going. I found Roberts' honesty seriously refreshing. In putting together Absolutely Mama I hope to strike a balance between a fun, ‘aspirational’ take on motherhood – all boundless creativity, sophisticated style and photogenic happiness – and the everyday, earthbound challenges with which we’re all undoubtedly more familiar. It’s a balancing act Charlotte Philby knows well. In this month’s Mum Diary, Philby talks about founding leading online mum mag and boutique motherland.net. She’s as honest as Roberts in detailing the stresses she faces keeping her professional and
family lives in sync. Being a parent can be fun and liberating and wonderful, of course. And the media will always focus on the successful and the beautiful. But such stories rarely represent the whole, unvarnished truth. We ought not to reinforce a slew of unrealistic ideals for the next generation. Motherhood is hard enough already. It’s with this in mind (and with both International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day recently gone) that I want to congratulate all mums, not just those who happen to make the ‘papers. So well done, Mama, wherever you are. Keep up the good work – and enjoy the issue.
e dito r
PICK
Sushi Leggings, £16; tobiasandthebear.com
Helen B ar on ED I TO R
@hel_bow helen.baron@zest-media.com 9
’s
April / May 2016
10 T h i n g s We
Absolutely Love SWEET CAROLINE Caroline Bosmans
QUIET STORM Bacabuche
The new collection by Belgian designer (and, um, psychiatric therapist) Caroline Bosmans shows her fantastically offbeat imagination in full effect. Fruity colour washes and edgy, oddball prints abound. abacus-kids.co.uk
This US brand offers an understated, contemporary take on babywear, with versatile pieces in demure, practical shades of charcoal, navy and pink. Cuts are desirably minimalist and fabrics as soft as can be. We sense a new obsession in the offing... Available at cissywears.com
TOTS AMAZING Bon Tot
SHOE PEOPLE
We can’t get enough of Bon Tot’s own-brand hand-knitted jumpers, and the shop also carries brilliant Liberty print bloomers by US label Billie Blooms. The only problem is getting your order in before your favourite bits sell out! bon-tot.com
Wo l f i e & W i l l o w
We love these luxury leather moccasins from Wolfie and Willow. Made ‘for little eco warriors’ and available as lace-ups or slip-ons, they’re super soft for babies’ delicate feet. From £38; wolfieandwillow.com
absolutely-mama.co.uk
10
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SITTING PRETTY
M u m a n d D a d Fa c t o r y
French design studio Mum and Dad Factory creates stunning furniture – for mini-mes. From streamlined beds, desks and shelves to our favourite chair, now available in black rattan as well as natural plywood. €92; mumanddadfactory.com
IN PRINT
Beau Loves
’s edito r
PICK
Beau Loves continues to blaze a trail into SS16 with an upbeat, graphic collection that mixes soft organic cottons and light summer weaves with monochrome tones and subtle hints of colour. And don’t forget the brand’s trademark punchy prints… Streetwear for little ones never looked so good. beauloves.co.uk
EYE CANDY Akid
This might just be the world’s hippest kids shoe label, founded by a husband-and-wife duo who count Kanye West among their creative collaborators. The brand focuses on footwear, and we’re after these Evil Eye hi-tops for the summer season. If only they made them in adult sizes… Baby wins again. Akid Cream Eye Canvas Trainers, £58; alexandalexa.com
DANCING QUEEN
Bang Bang Copenhagen
Ruffles? Check. Arty blocks of colour? Check. Minimalist, monochrome polka dot print? Check. Looks like Bang Bang Copenhagen has covered every angle a girl could ask for with their Dancing Dora Leotard. Great for dancing; even better for striking a starry pose. Lights, camera... £34; lunaandcurious.com
MODERN LOVE
Baines & Fricker
Lovingly crafted from pale birch ply, this modernist doll’s house is a minimalist mama’s dream come true: just the right size for dolls from Sylvanian families to Playmobil, and with scope for personalisation in the form of painting, decorating and furnishing. £300; store.motherland.net
11
MAMA’S THE WORD The Gray Store
The simplest things are often the best – like this canvas washbag-cum-clutch. Perfect for storing toiletries or credit cards (and phone), and the embroidored ‘Mama’ makes a nice statement. £20; thegraystore.com
April / May 2016
THE NEW APP FO R A N E W B R E E D O F M A M AS
Mama FOR STYLISH LONDON MUMS
APRIL/MAY 2016
Carey Mulligan
ISSUE TWO | £3.95
PARTY TIME
Chic ways to celebrate baby's birthday
Welcome to motherhood
MODERN MUM FASHION
with Style Me Sunday
Art STAR
Must-have Spring fashions for little ones
Back to Black Monochrome maternity looks
RAISE THE ROOF
Inside the home of Scandi Mini founder Gabrielle Spång ABS MAMA_COVER_HB_0.1 (1).indd 1
06/04/2016 14:05
TO V I E W T H E FU L L V E R S I O N O F A B S O LU T E LY M A M A . . . ...please download from the app store or email m a m a @z e s t - m e d i a . c o m f o r s u b s c r i p t i o n s
www.absolutely-mama.co.uk