Lemlem to the rescue

Net-a-porter Lem Lem Nika woven cotton-blend wrap. Was £50 Now £35

I was having coffee in Juliets with my hubby and the kiddies, rocking my new Chloe gingham blouse and feeling rather proud of myself having successfully breastfed Hunter in public for the first time. Then I looked down and to my horror the other breast had leaked and my new blouse was soaked through. My milk had not only seeped through the maternity bra but through the breast pads as well! I remember this happening quite a lot with Rain, which is one of the reasons to love a good scarf. I found this Lemlem on, you guessed it, the NAP site at a bargain price of £35.



As you can see this scarf is multi-functional, not only does it act as a great breastfeeding shield but a sun shade too, here it is drapped over my Phil & Ted. And of course, this summery scarf is perfect to dress up an outfit, which is why I had to buy another.

Net-a-porter Lem Lem Omo cotton-blend scarf. Was £110 Now £44



Liya Kebede the woman behind the Lemlem scarves is a beautiful Ethopian supermodel and mum. She launched Lemlem in 2007 (Lemlem means "to bloom" or "to flourish" in Amharic). All her scarves are hand woven and hand embroidered in Ethopia. She also has a clothing line for children, which I've yet to check out.

Recently came across the mamascarf. I haven't got one myself but looks interesting. Possibly worth a purchase.
http://http://www.mamascarf.co.uk/

My favourite Coffee House in Tunbridge Wells

JULIETS, No. 54 High Street, 01892 522931



To get my coffee fix I would usually walk uphill, Carluccios, Ismails, Cafe Nero (I love them all) but now there's a new kid on the block - Juliets. I have fallen in love with this place. I love how it feels, the randomness artwork on the walls, the vintage crockery, the mismatched furniture - it's the sort of place I could happily wile away a day but alas an hour is as much as Rain indulges me if that! Still, enough time to grab a slice of cake and a latte.



Note to mothers with young babies there's no changing facility. I have put a request into Juliet about this though.

Marmite Pants

I've never really stopped to think why I love fashion. I suppose in part it's the thrill of putting together an outfit. Fashion is fun. I like how the right pair of shoes or a fabulous pair of pants makes me feel. But sometimes I can be downright lazy. For the past three weeks I have spent all day (except the rare occasion I've ventured out) in my black jersey harem pants (Splendid) and any old top that I can breastfeed in and don't mind leaking through. In fact seeing as I'm being totally honest I spent my third trimester in them too. I know the Harem pants bring about mixed feelings, a bit like marmite, you either love them or hate them. I got mine back in early 2009 and at first I wore them out and about with my red gladiators or a pair of havaianas but they're now even baggier so they've joined my comfy trackie bottoms only to be worn indoors. Although recently I've been lusting over a new pair of Harem pants, something more tailored.


1. Net-a-porter, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Kungfu tweed harem pants. £260
2. Net-a-porter, Adam, Silk crepe de Chine harem Pants. £255

My favourite clothing store in Tunbridge Wells.

CHANGING ROOM, No. 8 High Street, Tunbridge Wells.

Changing Room is owned by husband and wife team, Nick and Carol. They've owned it for a 26 years yet it still manages to look like it could have been opened yesterday. It has a very fresh contemporary feel and stocks the latest high end designer fashion. Collections from the likes of Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Marni, Dries Van Noten, Marlene Birger to name but a few.



I've had my eye on these sandals for ages, every time I walked past the shop I had to stop to have a peak. I actually went in a week after giving birth to try them on but I was unable to squeeze my trotters into a size 6 and I'm actually size 5 sometimes even a 4. I had to accept defeat and leave. But I've always been someone who believes that perseverance is the key in achieving ones goal and so yesterday I had another go. Result. They fit.



Dilemma. Just received a reminder email from Net-a-porter. "Sale. Final Reduction - DON'T MISS OUT!" Panic. These Miu Miu sandals are on my wish list.

Miu Miu Patent-leather gladiator sandals. Was £375 Now £112.50

What shall I do? Can I justify another NAP splurge when I've just brought the Chloe pair? But my red gladiators (Balenciaga) the ones I've had for several years have just about had it. What to do? If I walk away now will I live to regret it?



My old Balenciaga red braided leather gladiator sandals

Show Time

"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." (Oscar Wilde)

Let me first state for the record - I love fashion. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. OBSESSED WITH IT EVEN. My friends would say I am on a one woman mission to keep the economy alive. Truth is, I can't indulge in it with the same wild abandonment that I did pre-babies. I have to show a certain amount of self-control hence why I love a good Sale. There's nothing better than feeling like you've bagged a bargain, which brings me nicely to NET-A-PORTER. I used to love nothing better than sifting through rails and rails of clothes but anyone with young children knows how difficult this is, which is why having Net-a-porter in my life is so important. As soon as my daughter is tucked up asleep I kick back on the Chesterfield, laptop on knees, scrolling through the site to my heart content. No disruption, just me and a season's worth of fashion to get through.

The woman behind Net-a-porter and Outnet.com, Natalie Massenet.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/11/natalie-massenet-net-a-porter-internet-fashion

For nine months I haven't been in the mood to shop. It's true. Not even Net-a-porter could tempt me mind you they don't have a maternity range (hmm perhaps if they had I'd be singing a different tune) instead I made do with the maternity clothes from my first pregnancy. But as soon as I gave birth it was like a switch had been flicked and then a Net-A-Porter email popped up in my inbox reminding me that their Sales had begun and there I was three days after giving birth, Hunter snoozing in his moses basket and me, stretched out on the Chesterfield, laptop on lap fizzing with anticipation. After months of swollen hands and feet, sickness, tiredness, and now sporting a body that is in need of a good workout (all in good time) not to mention the months ahead of me, the round the clock feeding, the sleepless nights, the leaky boobs, feeling tearful I feel I deserve a treat or two.



NET-A-PORTER
1. Chloé's navy toweling harem pants. Was £194.13 Now £58.24..
2. Steven Alan's navy cotton blazer. Was £270.76 Now £115.22.
3. Stella McCartney's chunky brass bracelet with off-white enamel chain links. Was £185 Now £129.50.
4. Roberto Cavalli's gold-plated charm bracelet. Was £170 Now £68



I am nurturing a passion for design jewellery I brought a Stella McCartney L.O.V.E. bangle from Liberty months ago (OK I lied, I did happen to make one purchase during my pregnancy, just the one) and I am thrilled to discover that I can now wear it again. My hands have deflated (woohoo!)



OUTNET.COM
1. Armand Basi lavender Tris gingham cotton blouse £32.77
2. See by Chloe - puff-sleeve navy cotton blouse £29.36

Hello world

I arrive at this blog three weeks after the birth of my, son Hunter, born 28th June 2010. I also have a little girl of seventeen-months, Rain born 6th February 2009.

In my former life (pre-babies) I lived in London, worked in the Film Industry (Assistant Film Editor) and at a stage in my life where I could happily wile a way a lunch break in Liberty and spend several hundred pounds on a new bag, maybe a new dress, shoes... and not feel the slightest bit guilty about it. Although often this was a delayed reaction, the horror came later when I poured over my credit card bill! I met my husband in September 2004 when I brought his painting from Bar Chocolate, D'Arblay Street, London and he asked me out on a date (and yes he still cashed the cheque). A year later we set up home in East London and those times were cheerfully carefree, I was getting regular film work, had a busy social life and continued to indulge in my first love - shopping.

Then my biological clock started ticking and suddenly everything changed. The decision to move out of London wasn't a particularly easy one to make but inevitable, we wanted the best environment to bring up a child and decent schools. It did cause some adverse reaction from London friends, "why are you moving to the country!" I tried to explain that Tunbridge Wells wasn't the country but a busy virbrant town with classy restaurants, cafes and luxury retail, in fact it reminded me a little like Islington where I used to live, they even have a Carluccios (my staple-diet when I lived and worked in London). The fact that we knew no one in Tunbridge Wells didn't deter us and in the summer of 2008 we traded our Victorian semi for a Grade II-listed shop-fronted house in the heart of the Tunbridge Wells village. The house was in need of major renovation (took 4 months), we found out I was pregnant - yeah! and in September 2008 we tied the knot (I wore a gorgeous dress by Cymbeline 'Antibes' from MirrorMirror, Islington). Then in February 2009 came the arrival of our much anticipated daughter and life as we knew it was changed forever. Quickly followed by Hunter in June 2010.

As every mum knows it's a challenge to find even the smallest amount of time in your day to do something for yourself but I have been harbouring a desire to write for many years that it was a case of now or never. I have already written several short plays, one of which I adapted into a short film "Sucking is a Fine Quality in Women and Vacuum Cleaners" www.honeypotfilms.co.uk. I hooked up with my co-writer in the summer of 2009 and between us we have completed two screenplays and two contemporary romance novels. Now all we need is an agent. This is our challenge for this year.