Decades of Elegance-interview in the Simple Things Magazine

“(Decades of Elegance) the modern-day equivalent of that childhood dressing-up box experience, made even richer by the captivating images and fascinating stories behind certain pieces.” – The Simple Things Magazine

A sneak peek into the  interview in The Simple Things Magazine, Photography: James Oaten 

We are so excited to let you know that the Decades of Elegance-interview in The Simple Things Magazine is now out!  Issue #21 is featuring our lovely collection and the magazine can be found at WH Smith stores for another few weeks.  You can also order it online:  The Simple Things Magazine Order Online.

I thought that today’s post would be the perfect time to take a sneak peek behind the scenes of the magazine photo shoot, where we made the acquaintance of photographer James Oaten.  We have visited his website in a previous blog post, but just in case you missed it you can find it here: James Oaten.

I can’t wait to have a walk-in-closet, obviously with a section dedicated fully to jewellery!  Photography: Iida Heikkinen

On the day of the photo shoot the whole Decades of Elegance-collection came out, and my place suddenly looked like the dressing room of any old Hollywood movie!  Pearls and sparkle were sprung across mirrors, drawers and tables, and I suspect that even Elizabeth Taylor would have been happy with the pieces that were on display:

A vintage mother-of-pearl necklace, just waiting to be worn to an elegant party…   Photography: Iida Heikkinen

Vintage snake necklace and pearls in the Iittala Mariskooli – we Londoners can buy these bowls at the fabulous Skandium. Photography: Iida Heikkinen

Being interviewed by Melissa Blease was such a lovely way of reminding myself why I started the blog in the first place: my wish to bring all these beautiful pieces to you and tell the fascinating stories of gemstones, eras and styles.  There are so many amazing people out there working for such important causes and so I wanted to create a space where you can step away from the rest of the world and indulge in old school beauty and glamour.

My co-photographer here at Decades of Elegance helped me take some more photos after the Simple Things-photo shoot, for example this vintage Mother of Pearl bracelet…  Photography: Decades of Elegance

And since the photo shoot brought out all the Decades of Elegance pieces I took the opportunity to photograph a few for the sales page that is coming soon – you might recognise a few of these sweeties.

Sarah Coventry vintage bracelet…   Photography: Decades of Elegance

I hope you enjoyed the post today dear, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the blog as it stands.  Is there anything that you would like to read more about?  Hairstyle ideas / Outfit inspiration / visits to markets or fairs?  Or if you just have some general thoughts that you would like to share I would love to hear those too!

Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery in Stellenbosch, Cape Town

 

Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery

As you know by now, sometimes here on the blog we take a little detour from antique jewellery and venture out to look at other interesting things that are antique-related.  Well, being here in Cape Town, I thought that a trip to one of the beautiful wine farms was in place, and so today we are visiting Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery in Stellenbosch, Cape Town.

Some beautiful summer flowers at the winery…

Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery

We were admiring the Manor House, which was built in 1789 by Paul Roux and declared a National Monument in 1975.  I just love Cape architecture, where the most prominent features are the gables; you can see a beautiful example of this in the photo above.  In the 20’s the building was subject to many Victorian influences – like so many other Cape buildings – for example the old thatched roof was replaced with corrugated iron and lights were added.  In 1940/41 the house was restored to its former glory, which is very fortunate for us, as we can still admire its beauty until this very day! 

Wine tasting at Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery

We of course started our visit with a wine tasting and tried some amazing wines… the one that stayed in my mind was a lovely rose wine:

“Light and inviting, with oodles of fresh strawberries and candy-floss to entice your tastebuds!“

Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery Rose Wine

Another favourite was a red wine called Gracious Lady:

“Vredenheim’s beloved matriarch Rikie Bezuidenhout, a timeless woman loved by all who meet her, is celebrated with this exclusive red blend.”

Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery – wine tasting

We then continued to the restaurant:

The restaurant at Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery

… and enjoyed a lovely lunch in the garden, under a stunning old tree all dressed in Chinese lanterns:

Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery garden

We ended up buying a few bottles of Sauvignon Blanc that we actually brought along to the restaurant and enjoyed together with our lunch:

Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery garden

Orange irises in the most beautiful outfits 

A stunning flower garden 

At 2:30pm it was time to head to the back of the wine farm, to see the Great Cats getting fed.  We soon ended up by the tiger enclosure:

Titan and Jessica the Vredenheim tigers – who knew thar tigers enjoyed playing in water this much?!

There are less than 2000 Bengal Tigers in the world today and it is an endangered species.  Vredenheim welcomed two cubs in early 2012: Jessica and Titan, and they now live a safe and happy life here at the park.  On the day that we visited the farm it was incredibly hot, so the gentleman who looks after the tigers brought out a water hose – to the great delight of Jessica:

Seeing Jessica chase the water was like watching any pet cat play with a piece of string!

This is what I call a happy tiger!

Jessica the Tiger playing in water at Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery, South Africa

After this magnificent show where we also saw three lion cubs – two brown and one white – as well as a white male lion and a female, that are of course more indigenous species to South Africa.  A cheetah and a leopard were also relaxing in the shade and we then continued our walk past some buffalo, before we finally stopped to admire the zebras – and an ostrich:

The cutest bunch of zebras chilling with an ostrich 

So if you are heading over to South Africa one day this is definitely one wine farm that I can recommend that you visit.  A beautiful mixture of all things South African; from animals to glorious architecture, fantastic wine and great food!

Afternoon Tea – the Drawing Rooms at the Ampersand Hotel

 

Today’s Afternoon Tea review from the Drawing Rooms at the Ampersand Hotel

In the heart of South Kensington lies a golden gem for us Afternoon Tea lovers: The Drawing Rooms at the Ampersand Hotel.  The Ampersand Hotel was originally built as a boutique hotel called The Norfolk Hotel, and it reopened in its modern incarnation in the summer of 2012.  I just love this review of the Norfolk Hotel from 1889 on their website:

Review on the Norfolk Hotel, now known as the Ampersand Hotel, in South Kensington, London

Here is the elegant entrance to The Drawing Rooms:

The inviting entrance to the Drawing Rooms at the Ampersand Hotel

The Ampersand Hotel, the Drawing Rooms

The hotel presents very unique designs, furniture and works of art in such an elegant manner.  The Drawing Rooms immediately makes you feel at home with its comfortable sofas, scarlet armchairs and beautifully set tables.  In a neighbourhood where French style is so prominent, these influences can also be found little details, from the blue and white striped sofas to the heart-shaped gougeres in the Valentine afternoon tea.  The sun very happily shines in through the grand Victorian windows and creates the most fabulous backdrop to your afternoon tea.

The Drawing Rooms at the Ampersand Hotel, South Kensington

Mouthwatering cakes and meringues await you 

I went with my sister and Lady L, and we ordered almost every afternoon tea variety that they had on the menu: The Vegetarian, The Classic and Valentines Afternoon Tea – all accompanied by a glass of champagne of course.  We were delighted to find that the staff was ever so helpful and attentive, and took the time to tell us exactly what was being served.

A glass of champagne to add an extra splash of fabulousness to our tea

Our food arrived all at once so beautifully displayed on three-tier cake stands: in the Classic and Vegetarian Teas the savoury tartines were placed on the bottom; the scones, jam and cream in the middle; and the sweet cakes at the top:

The Classic Afternoon Tea 

The Vegetarian Afternoon Tea 

The Valentine’s Day Afternoon Tea had the most beautiful heart-shaped gougeres (a very thin baked savory pastry)  the bottom level with various sandwich toppings; scones, jam and clotted cream on the middle level and the most romantic sweet cakes at the top:

The Valentine’s Afternoon Tea 

We were all so pleased with our choices: in the Vegetarian version I just love the thin bread that they make the sandwiches of as it makes the meal very light and tasty – and same goes for the Classic version.  The Valentine’s Day one was a little bit on the heavy side with the gougeres that replaced the sandwiches, as it made it a very “bready” choice, but the fillings were all heavenly and we finished every little bit.

Champagne Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel

The scones were heaven sent!  The clotted cream and strawberry jam were just perfect and came so beautifully presented as you can see above.  I actually came here for afternoon tea before Christmas with a friend of mine from Sweden who had never tried scones before, and she has made me promise that we come back here every time she visits, just for these delicious scones!

The sweets in the Valentine’s Day Afternoon Tea 

We finally arrived at the top level of our tea, where a collection of the most heavenly cakes greeted us!  The Valentine’s Day one was especially lovely, as all kinds of heart shaped beauties were presented so beautifully.  You can see the in photo above that one of the macaroons had a little pipetti that Lady L squeezed in order to create a sweet red filling:

Fabulous detail of squeezing the filling into a macaroon in the Valentine’s Day Afternoon Tea 

… and the cake sure went down a treat!

Valentine’s Day macaroon heaven…

I chose their delicious Jasmine Tea while the other ladies went for a heavenly Earl Grey:

We enjoyed the Earl Grey and Jasmine teas

I have found that making that little extra effort when dressing for your Afternoon Tea really makes all the difference, as you feel so perfectly suited for the occasion!

I took a little wander in the rest of the hotel and everything is just so beautifully decorated and planned.  A charming arrangement of fairy lights adorn the staircase:

Fairy lights bring a bit of magic to the staircase 

Lots of little hideaways downstairs…

I don’t think that I will often be writing about the ladies’ powder rooms in these afternoon tea reviews, but the one at the Ampersand Hotel deserves its own little section as it is such so lovingly designed and decorated:

Easily one of London’s most beautifully presented ladies’ powder rooms

The Jasmin Room

The Violet Room

My choice of a pair of vintage style pearl earrings and the shift dress from Vintage Shrewd felt just right!

Conclusion:

We all found the Afternoon Tea at the Drawing Rooms at the Ampersand Hotel to be the most wonderful experience!  The setting is so bright and beautiful in the elegantly decorated Drawing Rooms and the staff is always so welcoming and helpful.  A lot of thought has gone into creating the menu and it keeps changing with seasons and holidays, which is perfect when you want to do something special with a loved one.  For example, they have a Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea coming up – and we of course took advantage of the gorgeous Valentine’s Day Afternoon Tea.

There was no question about it – we all thought that this afternoon tea deserved 5 out of 5 Decades of Elegance rings: