Prêt-à-Portea

Today I had a fabulous tea at the Berkeley hotel in the Caramel room.  Not a typical tea house but do not be mistaken!  If you want sheer elegance with a fashion twist, this is your destination.  Seven of the ladies in my group including myself went.  I had found the place a few weeks ago just looking for a fun tea place online.  We had to book in a few weeks in advance because they have limited seating but, it was well worth it.  

The tea was called Prêt-à-Portea, which translates to Ready to Wear.  Yes, fashion tea.  This included "cakes and fancies" inspired by fashion designers Tom Ford, Chloe, Tory Burch, Miu Miu, Jil Sander, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Roger Vivier, and Victoria Beckham.  Please ooh and ah.  Such an experience.   


First off was a selection of loose leaf teas to choose from, I chose the Pear Caramel, appropriate for the Caramel Room :).  So delicious I must say.  I actually previously purchased a bag of Caramel loose leaf tea but I haven't tried it yet because i'm looking for the perfect tea siv but now I'm eager to taste it!  The service was so lovely and proper including the waiter putting the napkin on our laps.  We next were served a selection of tea sandwiches- egg&mayo, tuna, salmon, cucumber and a chicken roll.  

After our sandwiches, we were served a three tier selection of desserts and savory canapes.  I was surprised to see such a selection for a set tea.  Even more surprising, refills were unlimited!  This meant more of anything we wanted all included in our fixed tea price.  I really enjoyed seeing the adaptations of the Summer/Spring collections into food.  Every six months the venue changes the desserts to comply with the fashion season.  


With our tea, we 
decided it would be most appropriate to dress for the occasion.  I purchased a vintage cream and gold horizontal striped dress from a vintage shop on Brick Lane.  There was a large selection of vintage shops and other fun venues- definitely one of the best markets I've been to so far.  I also was able to pick up a hat from another shop.  I was really on the hunt for a fascinator but they tend to be quite pricy so when I found a hat for  £12, I jumped at the deal.  I ended up cutting the decoration part off of the actual hat and then re-sewing the pieces that I wanted for my fascinator and then bobby pinned it into my hair.  Unfortunately, I did not have all my resources readily available, (i.e. feathers, hot glue gun...) but I was able to concoct a decent looking piece I would say.  


I really had a lovely afternoon and highly suggest fashion tea at the Berkeley, just don't forget your reservations. The price is a little high for regular tea but perfect for a treat.  

Bath Time

So as a part of the FIE program, my group was able to go on a guided trip to Stonehenge and the town of Bath. We started out the day quite early, a little before 8:00am for a bus ride about 90 miles outside the city to head to Stonehenge first.  Stonehenge is listed at one of the 7 Wonders of the United Kingdom as well as one of the 7 Wonders of the Medieval World.   For the summer solstice sunrise, it is a main attraction because there is a stone that lies outside the stonehenge circle that lines up with the the appearance of the sun.

Prior to our visit, a lot of us believed the stones of Stonehenge were place by some extraterrestrial force which, is what created such mystery.  However, our lovely and delightfully witty tour guide, informed us that there were tribes that lived in this area that some how placed them.  The mystery of the complete story is still in the midst because there are still so many piece pieces to the puzzle.  The stones are quite deep in the ground and weigh several tons each.  They were thought to have been taken oven on a boat but the weight would logically just be too heavy for the boats they had at that time.  It is estimated that the Stonehenge structure is about 3500 years old and it was used as a ritual piece.  The remaining structure is only a fracture of the original circle formation.  Research teams have been continuously finding artifacts that have led to new discoveries so it seems the story is always shifting a little.  There is still many legends about Stonehenge which makes this such a tourist attraction still.

After Stonehenge, we also visited Bath to see the Roman baths as well at the delightful surrounding town.  The architecture of the Bath house was very beautiful but the water had a certain green glow.... 

After walking around the Roman Baths and stopping at the gift shop, ( I was trying to decide if I should have "Bath" themed bathroom :D ), we ventured off on the cobble stones of Bath.  There were a lot of traditional retailers but a good variety of the little shops that you just cannot find anywhere.  We stopped in a hat and fascinator shop, (fascinators are more or less smaller clipped in versions of the hats), which carried some of the amazing hair accessories that women in the UK traditionally wear to special occasions such as weddings.  The fascinator fashions and hats were the talk of the town, (who am I kidding, the world!), from royal wedding.  We may even have to consider having some for the next D&M kiosk :).  

Those who know me, know I like to find the diamond in the ruff; the hunt is half the treasure!  So I love any kind of markets or rummage sales, charity and consignment shops.  Just off one of the main roads in Bath we spotted just a small market called 'The Walcot Street Saturday Market.'  They had a lot of antique serving sets as well as jewelry so I picked up a couple of gifts.  Overall, a great day and perfect view of the country side on the ride home!

Camden Market

The markets are one of the most exciting aspects of the London area and anywhere.  As I said my last post, I got a really fun chocolate tea at a market which happens to be Camden Market.  The Camden scene is defiantly influenced by an urban, punk vibe but there is still variety of vendors that  would be appealing to many people.  As a design major, I really enjoyed some of the store fronts!

There is a variety of shops, stands, and larger stores (also delish nutella crepes).  One of the most outragous and must-see places is Cyberdog*.  You will probably be speechless with the combination of the fashion-club items as well out of this world children's wear, the "18 and over floor," and an overall atmosphere.  There was no photography allowed inside but this is part of the outside of the store to the right.  Cyberdog is amongst a bunch of small vendors so you can image it's visual impact.  These stores are just a reminder of the impact of strong visual merchandising design.  

"It’s art if can’t be explained. It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation."- WOUTER STOKKEL

*http://shop.cyberdog.net/

Royaltea

As a part of our royal London experience we had a lovely tea at Kensington Palace Orangery, no reservation required.  It was a rainy afternoon but a few of us wanted to get to know London and do some of the acclaimed London traditions.  Pricing can get steep (no pun intended), if you want the full official afternoon tea but it is definitely not necessary to get your tea time experience.  I paid around £5 for a pot of tea that served 3-4 cups and a pastry that shared with a friend.  It was so worth it for me because I had a lovely chocolate tea which I had no idea even existed until now!

Of course next time at the market I made sure to be on lookout of other chocolate tea varieties and picked up Yumchaa's Carmel Sweetheart tea* which, has caramel pieces and white chocolate hearts; obsessed: almost too pretty to drink.

There are tons of tea places around at many different price ranges.  A few of the ladies from my group and I are actually have a more formal 'Fashion Afternoon Tea' planned that required a few weeks notice for reservations at The Berkeley.  This tea includes cakes based on particular designers collections for the current fashion season... cannot wait!


"Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea" -Henry Fielding, "Love in Several Masques"


*http://www.yumchaa.co.uk/tabid/100/Default.aspx

"Woke up in London Yesterday" *

Whatever journey you are taking on should be meaningful; you shape your own life and everything you do will have an influence on your future self.  Traveling is an easy way for many people to take a journey because we are physically escaping an environment that may typically seem quite lackluster.  Being abroad for just a few days in London has allowed me to experience another culture that I may have otherwise had thought was not so different (they do speak English after-all!).  But, things like how Londoners go food shopping every few days rather than a few times a month like Americans, can make such a difference to someone like me staying here for 10 weeks.

My name is Emily and I have just recently arrived in London as part of a study abroad program with my university and FIE.  It consists of four courses divided into 2 sessions, leaving only two classes per 5 week section and a lot of free time, (so far).  I've been here about two weeks and despite the sporadic rain showers, its been a refreshing change of pace.  

We are staying in quite a ritzy area, 'Made in Chelsea' status I would even suggest, (if you don't know what that is, please get on googling that and obsessing).  Our housing is in the South Kensington area, quite close to the Royal Albert Hall and the colossal Price Albert monument.  My group's program has allowed us to explore other parts of London with a coach and walking tour which, showed so much within a few hours.  I highly recommend city tours if you are ever visiting and don't have a plan of your own.

To me, one of the biggest differences is just the pace of daily life and while I have experienced culture shock, I wouldn't say it was a bad thing :)


"Keep Calm and Carry On" *



*Lyrics to Good Life by One Republic
*You'll find an abundance of merchandise with this phrase on it in Britain as it was a phrase developed by the Ministry of Information prior to WWII as a means to lift people's spirits in the time of utter disaster.  This saying was one of three composed and it was never released until recently when it was discovered in 2000 in print and became the model for the current worldwide hardship.
Hughes, Stuart. "The Greatest Motivational Poster Ever?" BBC News. 09 Feb. 2009. Web. 02 July 2011. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7869458.stm>.