Indian Experience Part 2: Tirvannamalai

After spending the working week in Delhi, I hoped on a plane to Chennai. My close friend Harriet has been living in a rural town called Tirvannamalai for the past ten years. Tiruvannamalai is a pilgrimage town in the state of Tamil Nadu and is quite the spiritual destination due to the famous Annamalaiyar Temple located at the foot of the Annamalai hill. Tiruvannamalai has long been associated with many yogis and siddhars, and more recently the 20th century guru Ramana Maharshi, making it a very spiritually auspicious place. Basically it is in the middle of fucking nowhere but there is the odd crusty that pops by to notch one up on their sandal wool bedpost of hippy traveler credentials. Clearly I had packed all wrong and soon realised that my 4 inch glittery black stilettos were to have no part in my adventure but was proud to reveal my 1998 Miu Miu gemstone sandals which I had been saving for the last 12 years for just such an eventuality as finding myself in the hippy arse end of nowhere.

Tiruvannamalai

And this was what I pondered as I sped out of Chennai and drove the 3 and half hours to Tiru. How could a girl as obsessed with packing as I am have got it so wrong? However I soon reached into a karmic place and redirected my channel of thinking towards my chakras which was a stroke of luck because fashion felt a long way from home.

Indian Experience Part 1: Delhi

First and foremost I cannot believe that it has taken me 35 years to get to India. This insanely amazing country somehow never happened for me until now. And now I am hooked. They say that India is either in your blood or it isn’t and for me it most definitely is. And to be clear-my blood is also in India simply through the ridiculous number of mosquitoes that made it their business to feast on me daily. I practically needed a transfusion. But first things first…. Delhi…. This is one crazy city. I was lucky enough to stay with a friend of a friend and to have this part of my trip made incredibly easy for me. My great friend Neha organized everything from my accommodation to my driver as well as some sturdy dos and don’t lists of what to eat, what to avoid and a whole host of contacts to call upon for whatever I might need. This did make a huge difference and allowed me to embrace Delhi in all its madness knowing I was safe and only a phone call away from help should I need it. So thus armed I launched myself onto Delhi with gusto…. 

Probiotics and Biros - What More Could A Girl Need?

So in about 5 minutes I get on a plane for New Delhi. And for some reason this feels like quite a big deal. Obviously I do travel a ridiculous amount - in fact it is rare for me to be in London for more than 3 weeks at a time without hopping on a plane to somewhere and, as a travel addict, this suits me fine.

However, I have been doing a circuit of Paris - New York - Tel Aviv - Tokyo for so long that it has become almost routine and I barely register that I am somewhere other than home. In fact they practically are home. India is entirely new. And more to the point- I am doing it entirely alone. Usually I travel either with Amiee or Handsome and the kids, or for a consultancy where I will be expected to be at a certain place at a certain time. But Delhi is me, myself and I on my own agenda and that is rather disconcerting.  I have no idea what to expect. 

Madison Launch

Last week we held a trunk show at LA superstore-Madison. As you can see it was a sell out affair with frocks, fun and Funkin Cocktails all round. Keds joined us in a graffiti inspired exercise and we had all the local LA celebrities busy customizing their trainers and walking out in Sara Berman leather jackets and bags. A great day was had by all and a big up to Madison for hosting.

The Value of Altruism

When I was 11 the careers advisor at school told me that I was well placed to work in the caring profession. When I recount this to my friends they fairly hold their sides with mirth as I am not known for my overwhelming compassion... In fact when Handsome found out he was Diabetic my initial reaction was to roll my eyes and declare my hopes that this would not become an excercise in man-flu-ism. That said, I try to be a Good Person. I am aware that fashion is probably one of the most egotistical (and faintly ridiculous) industries in the world. The fact that it is also economically one of the largest goes little way toward defending its position in the face of its consumerist aim to make people spend money they don't have on things they don't need. And much as I (mostly) enjoy my job, I don't buy into the idea that clothes make people happy and therefore I am Doing My Bit. Frankly on a scale of 1 to 10 in social philanthropy (my role as a mother, partner and friend aside) I am probably hovering around a 2.5. And it is for this reason that I make a point of doing my bit for others where I can. Don't misunderstand- I am certainly not going to win any medals for Outstanding Acts of Human Kindness but I do think it is the little things that make a difference to others and at least make me feel like a better person (no such thing as altruism-the virtue of selfishness and all that jazz).


So cut to Tel Aviv airport at 8am this morning... We had decided to catch the early bird back to London which entailed leaving our apartment at 6am with a gazillion suitcases, 2 sleepy children, a husband in 'travel mode' (many of you will realize that this is code for 'seriously edgy with a short fuse pre-lit') and limited coffee intake. Just setting the scene. On arrival the check-in queues are ridiculous, and security was the usual OTT rigamarole (each person subjected to a personal Mossad style interogation). This is quite a labour intensive process- what with the juggling of kids, bags and husband and at some point in all this I noticed a elderly woman huffing and puffing in irritation behind me. Clearly she was annoyed by the circus that is my family and our faliure to progress with more speed. I also noticed that she was carrying a heavy bag which she had to keep putting down and picking up due to the sporadically moving queue. Feeling my halo start to glow I picked up her bag and indicated that I would carry it for her and therefore eliminate her problem. In return she indicated her graditude and we progressed through security. After an hour of queuing, checking and searching we finally made it to immigration. I had puffed, panted and sweated with this womans bag whist simultaniously managing my family through the airport, but at this point we were obliged to present ourselves as a family and I was confronted with our parting of ways. Oh the dilema! Should I take her bag through wait on the other side for her allowing my family to go ahead to our gate? Should I find a porter? What could I do? And all the time I was pondering this conundrum of how to help this little old lady the queue was progressing and we were nearing the front. Suddenly a new immigration booth was opened and my little old lady- seeing her moment had arrived reached down with a new found and surprising athleticism, grabbed her case and fairly skipped over the the booth. In a second she was through and with a hop, skip and a wave was off and away. She may as well have thrown "Suckerrrrrrr" over her shoulder as she sprinted down to her gate. Handsome is on the floor with laughter as I rub my sciatic nerve and as for me? Well I am just reminded of the blind man I once helped across to road only to find on the other side that he wasn't blind and had in fact been fully aware that my boob was my boob the whole time he gratefully grasped it during our crossing.

A Catch-up!

Apologies. It has been too long... But it is only now that I am lying on a beach and sufficiently recovered that I feel the urge to put finger to blackberry and fill you in on the past month. It has been a bit nuts to say the least. We started with Handsome’s 40th birthday party which he shared with his twin bro. We decided to recapture their youth and throw an old skool house party in their family home in Holland Park. Dan Williams DJ'd and frankly brought the house down with his 80's mixes and 70's funk and at some point in the early hours the council took it upon themselves to pay us a visit... Nothing changes! Everyone was on great form with some rocking outfits and dancing into the wee hours. Mum is now best buddies with Jade Jagger and Amiee and I left for Paris with no voices and major hangovers!

The Paris show at RMO showroom was 2 weeks of full on fashwani. I am pretty fluent now. I realised that I had graduated to a whole new level when I heard myself telling my friend Olivia that I was 'really driven by trousers right now'. I kid you not- shoot me now...

The Showroom in Paris 

Separated at Birth

Seeds of Inspiration

So I was talking to my cousin last night about inspiration. He is Big In Advertising and it is his job to understand what makes people desire things. As you can imagine this was a bit of a complex one involving much impassioned gesticulation and basically ended up back at the start of the creative process. 

How does inspiration happen and what starts it off? I was explaining that I don’t actually actively go out looking for inspiration, rather the seeds are sown and at some point they germinate into ideas through a process of living life and looking around.  Sometimes it is frustrating because the ideas are there but just below the surface and something needs to trigger it to let it flow. It is not a process which can be rushed and obviously with a business to run that can be a little unsettling sometimes. However today I found myself at the fabulous Haunch of Venison gallery during a gap between meetings and I must confess that for the first time ever I was inspired by an exhibition. I was lucky enough to catch the Joana Vasconcelos show before it ends this month and for me her work has such strong links to fashion that I couldn’t help but fall in love with it all. The seeds are sown and I am ready to go!

The mysterious incident of the navy tights in the designer's drawer

In the ever changing vortex of taste that is planet fashion there are few truly heinous fashion crimes. Most bad taste can be excused as ‘on trend’ however as with anything in life there are ten comandments which-for the greater good of society and regardless of creative need- should be obeyed. ‘Thou shalt not wear navy tights’ is definitely one of them. Especially if you thought they were black.

Fashion week is an incredibly busy time for us. We are flying madly from appointment to appointment, from launch to dinner to party and somewhere in all that are school runs, parent meetings and tears at bedtime. There is not the necessary time to luxuriate over the choice of ground breaking outfit. The creative dresser within must be reigned in if I am to get anywhere on time and organized the night before. In the dark. Because Ginger #1 is asleep in my bed. And therein lays the problem…. The rogue navy tights luxuriating at the bottom of my drawer undisturbed since last winter have reared their ugly head. Or feet. Whatever.

To be honest it was Amiee that they claimed as their first victim. She rummaged in my drawer shortly before we left for the Value of Fashion launch and she was rocking a beige and black neutrals looks. Except it was beige, black and navy which isn’t a look and in fact an offence and to add insult to injury it only came to light (excuse the pun) under the flash of the photographers camera as her outfit was recorded for Fashion Week posterity. Lets hope they think it’s a new trend.

I was the second victim. Thinking (clearly mistakenly) that the offending item had been taken into fashion custody and were languishing safely in a British Heart Foundation store somewhere I went into the drawer with foolish carelessness. My devil may care attitude was rewarded in the cold light of the taxi cab on route to a charity dinner for HET last night when my vintage Sara Berman lace cocktail dress was ambushed by the surprise appearance of the navy tights. I don’t understand how it happened but I had no choice but to shoulder on, the tights under surveillance. I had a fascinating evening and was enjoying myself greatly until I spotted a fellow fashion body across the room. We did the fashion quick step over to each other and performed the necessary eye sweep and computation. ‘You look fabulous darling! So clever to lift all that lace with navy.’ ‘Oh yes-very next season don’t you think?’

Perhaps I will let the tights out on bail.

The Look Show

As you may or may not know I was approached by Look Magazine to design the goody bag for the magazine's London Fashion Week show which took place on Friday (17th September). Of course I was delighted to do so - anything to keep idle creative hands busy and all that...

Fashion Week.... The story so far.

In case you were worried that my world had shrunk as small as my Spanx fear not. My brain is alive and well and juggling the many balls of London Fashion Week. Day one took me to the House of Commons yesterday to pontificate on the Value of British Fashion at the launch of the BFC’s report. Actually this is a subject I know a little about (11 years building a brand and working with UK manufacturers will teach you a thing or two) and have a genuine passion for. Which is probably why the BFC were good enough to invite me. What with my visit back in June I am getting rather blasé about this whole parliament thing and I think this was reflected in my slightly more relaxed sartorial style this time around.

Sorry the image is so fuzzy... Photos were not allowed and there were policemen everywhere. Luckily Amiee managed to befriend one.

My afternoon was spent with the lovely Adam Holdsworth who is the CEO of N.Peal and effectively my boss. Well actually he is totally my boss but I have issues with control so we use that term very carefully. As Creative Director I have the best job ever creatively directing huge amounts of super soft cashmere into sweaters and cardigans. This is A LOT of fun and also means that I am swaddled in N.Peal cashmere all year round. Yesterday was our major review day where we ruthlessly chop through the collection and throw away anything that isn’t ridiculously fabulous. The rest shall mysteriously find its way to my ‘trial’ wardrobe ‘for further review’. The collection does look wonderful and that is always a major rush. I cant wait to have it all!

Not content with the morning in Parliament and the afternoon laying around in cashmere I managed to squeeze in a quick school run, attend a parent teacher talk (what is it about that particular interaction which makes one itch to be naughty? It’s similar to that need to whine in front of your parents no matter how old you are but somehow even more pathetic) and whizz Ginger # 1 home in time to make it to Fenwick Bond St for the opening of their new restaurant Bond and Brook.

They have done a wonderful job of making this into a stylish and rather cool eaterie but to be honest there were so many people jostling for canapés and champagne (I love a traditional ‘do’! Nothing like a bellini to take the edge off) that the restaurant was entirely obscured by outfits. I am sure that the charming Mark Fenwick wouldn’t have it any other way.

Day one done. Not bad!

A Weekend On Rations

Well kind of. A friend celebrated her 40th birthday in style this weekend in the wonderful setting of the Cabinet War Rooms for an appropriately themed 1940s evening complete with ration book. Thankfully the ration book was merely for effect and the food and drink wasn't actually rationed for the evening! So of course a 1940s ensemble was absolutely essential (it even said so on the invite)...

She’s Back!

Amiee is back and all is right in my world! Yes - I can go back to my reclusive ways as she is staying with me for the 5 weeks she is here… It’s all good. Actually it is all hilarious… She brought back a whole load of bad habits from L.A the very worst of which has to be top to toe Spanx.

DIY Rocks

Another eventful night in the life of Sara Berman except this time it was spent in my living room assembling a bed for Amiee who arrives from LA today. Now you need to understand that Jews and DIY are not often found in the same sentence. Try to imagine Woody Allen dealing with a hammer and know that certain things should never happen. However for some reason I love DIY (surely this indicates rogue blood? As well as my surprisingly aryan looking children) and nothing makes me happier than an evening assembling cheap furniture.

Over the years I have somehow managed to transfer if not a love of DIY then most definitely an appreciation of the achievement of making something out of substandard plywood and (not quite enough) screws to my husband who now takes it upon himself to project manage these endeavours. This generally means that he comes over all OCD and takes all the components out of the packet, lines them up in groups, counts them all out and gets very over excited and self righteous when he (inevitably) finds shortages and omissions. And last night was no different. To be fair, and thanks to Handsome’s meticulous system, we were aware from the off that a vital screw was missing. We just were not entirely clear on where it was missing from. 

Unfortunately and after several hours assembling our master piece it became apparent that it was the Big Daddy of screws-the one that should run through the centre of the bed holding the cross bars together. Hmmm. No bouncing!

Party Party

Last night kicked off the first of the London Fashion Party Season in spectacular style with Elle magazine’s 25th anniversary party. I had a particularly busy day at the studio implementing last minute changes to our Spring Summer collection brought on by inspiration borne of insecurity which resulted in a rethink of an entire story 3 days before we start our London sales. This meant I rushed home to the kids (feeling slightly high as one does after trashing 6 months work and stating afresh with 3 days to go) and allowed myself to get smeared in Bolognese kisses before dashing upstairs to adorn myself in my new Dan Baldwin Candice Dress and Alba Clutch which I have been itching to wear since we designed it way back in Feb.

I also convinced Handsome to come along with me which should be noted as a major feat of marital point scoring. Although I am not sure if I get the points for negotiating attendance or if he gets the points for coming. The great irony is that he is the party animal whereas I am usually the one that needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into any gathering of more than 5 close friends (I am sure there is a complicated phobia word for that but let’s just put it down to early attachment from my mother’s breast and leave it at that).

Anyway, I digress because for once this was an invite I was thrilled to accept for a number of reasons: 1- I do rather love Elle and was quietly rather gratified to be invited. 2 - It was held at the Whitechapel Art Gallery where there is currently an exhibition of works by Alice Neel that I have been meaning to see since it opened in July and 3 - There was also a talk with Dame Viv of Westwood who I love and consider a true great (someone who worked for her once told me that they thought Sara Berman was the next VW and I have been hugging that misguided but utterly wonderful compliment close to my heart ever since). So there we found ourselves, Handsome and I jostling for champagne with the great and the good of British fashion. Blast and a half.

Well the exhibition was truly excellent and VW was truly hilarious. The people were fabulous and I bumped into a whole load of the usual suspects getting into their stride for the season. The outfits were fabulous and I spotted no less than 3 Sara Berman bags being toted by the mavens of fashion (always a good sign). I was pleased to have gone for bold with my Dan dress. As my mother always says - Better to be looked over than overlooked. Indeed.

Sara and the BFC/Elle Talent Launch pad

Call me a do-gooder or simply a fashion busy-body but I can't help but be excited about being involved in the British Fashion Council's new and exciting venture in collaboration with Elle Magazine which will give new young designers a stylish leg up the fashion ladder. I have been very lucky in my own career and it is a privilege to be asked to contribute to the success of these up and coming talents.

                                    

The BFC / ELLE Magazine Talent Launch Pad 2010 Selection Panel

Actually the judging day for this was waaaaaay back in June but we were all sworn to secrecy in case a leak of the shortlisted winners might cause a threat to public security. It was a really fun day as my fellow judges were people I have had the pleasure of knowing and often working with over a number of years – planet fashion is rather a small place. It was pretty tough call to select the best of the bunch not least because sometimes a great designer might simply not fit the criteria of the award which makes it difficult if you believe in someone but on the whole I think we did well. I can't tell you who my personal favorites are but I am very much looking forward to helping them develop and grow their businesses. I have no doubt these guys are the future.

Check out the official press release and find out who the winners are for the BFC/ELLE Magazine Talent Launch Pad 2010 here.

A Hair Raising Tale

So following on from my wax lyrical on the Italian hairdresser I now need to expand on subsequent events. I went to said hairdresser because since the birth of my youngest one my hair has started to turn grey. Not too much but enough that my vanity be offended and I need to address matters. Generally speaking  this can be done out of a packet and in the privacy of my own bathroom but now that my shaven locks have started to grow back, I can no longer take a back seat in the grooming stakes and I revert to the professionals. So when I found myself in Italy with time on my hands and a fabulous local salon no doubt practiced in dealing with colouring like mine (I might be of Polski/Russki origins but the Egyptian in me mixes it all up and I have the hair of a latino) I jumped right in. I emerged a woman transformed. Not only was my hair a glossy dark brown in all the right places, but it was also hanging straight and in my trademark bob.  Now this may not seem like a big deal but please remember that I was a skinhead in December and it has been growing vertically in a number of ill considered directions up until now. In fact I had gotten so used to my unruly mop that I had not even bothered to think about whether it might possibly be at the stage where I could shape it into something vaguely chic. So when I walked out of the Parrucchiere like a butterfly from a chrysalis I realised I was ‘back’ and not one further moment could be wasted on bad hair days. I poste haste booked myself an appointment for straightening at Daniel Hersheson and that was where I was returning from yesterday afternoon in all my newly polished glory when I bump into Alexandra Shulman outside Vogue House.

In my world Alex Shulman is about as cool as they come. Number one - she is the editor of Vogue. Number two – she is the editor of Vogue.  She is uber smart, she is loved and respected by all who work for her and she has done it all whilst building a family and having her life. In my eyes - she rocks. She is also very nice so I stopped for a brief chat feeling rather pleased with myself for controlling my urge to grab her and grill her on exactly how she does it whilst at the same time managing my nerves. ALEX SHULMAN!!!! I did notice that her eyes were tending to travel up to my head  slightly in the manner of someone checking over someone’s shoulder for a better prospect but unless she was hoping to see the BFG it was an unlikely social tic and I put it down to the sun being in her eyes. It wasn’t until I got in the car and checked in the rear view mirror to inspect my newly straightened locks that I realized that my hair was literally standing on end and waving gently in the breeze as though I had been electrocuted! Nooooooooo! Alex Shulman!!!!!!!!!!!!

Picture courtesy of ayoungscientist.com

Of course I hot footed it back to the salon who (rightly) assured me that the product needed a couple of hours to settle. But why oh why did my hair have to misbehave in front of Alex Shulman. It is nearly as shaming as the time I went to the Elle Style Awards in a see through dress and last season’s knickers.

The good life

I have just spent a blissful week in a little village near Rimini on the Italian Adriatic. I have been going there forever - since I was a little girl and now I take my kids to enjoy a little retro chic bucket and spade-ing.  And it really is so chic. I honestly don’t think the town or the hotel that we stay in have changed in 40 years and I find it utterly charming. From the canopied bikes we ride into town to the ice cream parlour which really is the smartest, most elaborate venue in town (30 flavours, leather booths and absolutely no clue about portion control). 

The local hairdresser is hands down the best I have ever been to for a good blow dry and I love the fact that I get to sit under one of those ancient blow dry bubble things which make me feel like an extra in Corrie and pretend to listen to the local gossip bouncing around.

I love the whole small town mentality of it all. I always come home thinking I would love nothing more than to buy a little house in this most beautiful of spots and settle down to making my own pasta.  Imagine the lifestyle porn…  Quaint 1950’s village…  The dramatic costal shoreline on the one side with its wonderfully bleached  hues, the rural countryside on the other and in the middle the best that Italian fashion has to offer open till 11.30pm EVERY NIGHT!!!!  I jest you not- all the big boys are there as well as smaller exciting brands all jostling for well merchandised space in the multitude of boutiques that the Italians do so well. But enough of this blatant consumerism and cut to me in my Italian villa dream, children running happily outside (no tears, tantrums or traumas because I am Italiano mama perfecto) whilst I am busy kneading pasta dough (or whatever it is)  wearing a floral tea dress - my hair suddenly long and layered, tied loosely in a pony tail and a year long tan. A bit like Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona but more Jewish.  You feeling it yet? Or should I tell you about my daily walks down the country lanes, my perfect expresso macchiato in the little café on the corner, the dappled light as it falls through the worn wooden slats of the canopy I am having my siesta under.

And all the while my business is running itself, fashion week is taken care of and I don’t have to give a moments consideration to the pressure looming as we prepare to present our new (but rather fabulous) collection to the fashion world. Well… It was good whilst it lasted!

Playing With The Big Boys

Check us out in Harrods - Heathrow Terminal 5!.... Playing with the Big Boys! 

Take a closer look at the bags on our brand new site here: Sara Berman AW10 Bags

Absence by Pablo Neruda

A clue as to the inspiration for our SS11 collection…. We give you too a rose...

Absence

Pablo Neruda

I have scarcely left you

when you go in me, crystalline,

or trembling,

or uneasy, wounded by me

or overwhelmed with love, as when your eyes

close upon the gift of life

that without cease I give you.

My love,

we have found each other

thirsty and we have

drunk up all the water and the blood,

we found each other

hungry

and we bit each other

as fire bites,

leaving wounds in us.

But wait for me,

keep for me your sweetness.

I will give you too

a rose.

AW10 Sneak Peek

 

Everyone at Sara Berman HQ is running around like headless chickens working to get our brand new website up and running for you. It should be launching next week with AW10 so stay tuned for an update. In the mean time there's a little preview of the AW collection, all of which is available right now here: Sara Berman AW10. Enjoy!

An Interview With Dan

Morning all. Instead of reading my musings I wanted to post an interview with the wonderful artist Dan Balwin. We are working with Dan in an ongoing collaboration and I thought you might enjoying reading about him, his work and what he is up to. I personally feel very, very privelidged to be working with him as I am always blown away by his work. Actually we came together in the first place because he spied that I had used one of his images as inspiration for our Thumbelina collection (Sara Berman SS09) and got in touch to say he loved the context and that we clearly had loads in common. This triggered a whole conversation on our work and inspirations and we felt that a collaboration would be a really fun thing to do. So read on and for the uninitiated  you are in for a treat.... fall in love with his work.... This guy is magic.

Read Acclaim Mag Interview with Dan Baldwin here

L.A Tales

As you may well be aware Amiee is now living and working in L.A. She has taken on the task of opening a Sara Berman office over there and building our US business. This is all rather fabulous and of course a wonderful opportunity for me to go and check out our new operation. So I decided to make a girls trip out of it and my daughter Lulu and I packed up and hopped across the pond for a week. Some of highlights below….

 ‘Are you famous in London?’ the Fat Pap wants to know….

Sara Loves...

This week I have been loving Inkadelic - an amazing tattoo parlour in Ibiza!

Pomp and Ceremony

So Monday night I went to the House of Commons and gave a speech for a charity called The Holocaust Educational Trust (HET). HET works to educate people of the dangers of unchecked discrimination and ensures that the lessons of the Holocaust are spread. This amazing charity has been lucky enough to secure government  funding to take 2 post 16 year old students from every school in the country to visit the Auschwitz –Birkenau death camps and see with their own eyes the true depth and breadth of the Nazi death machine and the absolute horror and evil of the crimes perpetrated against humanity. It is an increasingly relevant cause and I am a great supporter of all the work they do so I was honoured to be asked to say a few words to mark the milestone of 10,000 students benefitting from their work.

I was also pretty excited to be speaking  in the House of Commons. Speakers house to be exact. Now that’s an office for you! Full on Gothic style, river view, loads of quite stern looking dead peers staring down from the vaulted ceiling... It even has an en-suite bedroom which is where the King or Queen-in -waiting stays the night before their coronation. Which means that the last time anyone slept in that bed was in 1952! Obviously I was in there like a shot… Check me out in the Lurve Chamber of The Palace of Westminster! Lucky I am not a politician… I would never be able to resist that one!

For all my girls in the SB HQ because…

The sun is shining, life is sweet and you all rock my socks off. Yes - You ride that wave!

The Curious incident of the Rat in the Studio

It all started with the expensive chocolates. These were a gift from a happy customer and had been sitting on the counter in all their gold be-ribboned finery in anticipation of an appropriate moment to indulge. We came in on a Monday a couple of weeks ago and the chocolates were gone. The box was there and intact but the chocolates and their lovely sexy wrappings were nowhere to be seen. There was doubt and mistrust. Which greedy person had committed this heinous crime?

The mystery went unsolved leaving a bitter aftertaste of uncertainty in the studio. Until yesterday morning. We came in to mayhem in the kitchen. Cereal boxes overturned, biscuits everywhere. Basically the place had been ransacked by a crazy nocturnal beast. So we called in the Rat Man. He quickly came scurrying over. So very rodent-y with small beady eyes which I swear were tinged with yellow and a nose which moved from side to side as he spoke with a slight flare in the nostrils. His passion for his craft was doubtless and he set about tracking down this creature with gusto that was in all honesty quite hard to relate to! ‘It will not get away’ he promised. I know rats and they know me. It will be mine.’ Oh dear!

And then we remembered the chocolates… ‘Could this rat in all possibility stolen our chocolates?’ we asked doubtfully. ‘Oh yes. One this large would simply eat them wrapping and all.’ Great.  The glamorous world of fashion.

Picture courtesy of angelratdesigns

Sunshine!

The sun is SHINING! And we feel PRETTY!




Video courtesy of bravenewworld711

As Seen On Gok's Fashion Fix

We're very excited to say that the Woody Ringmaster Jacket from the upcoming AW10 collection was featured on Gok's Fashion Fix last night as part of Brix Smith-Start's quest for Great British fashion.

 

As part of the episode Brix went up to the Stornoway mill in The Outer Hebrides where our Harris Tweed is produced and travelled through the processes from wool to jacket with the wonderful ladies and gentleman that keep this trade going. I thought the jacket looked fab and loved how bright and bold the colours of the Dan Baldwin lining showed up on the TV and that's without HD!

The Dan Baldwin silk scarf also made a guest appearance - it was hanging on the wall in Brix's backstage area during the catwalk challenge. It was there last week too so I'm hoping it hangs around for the whole series!

The jacket and scarf are now available to pre-order through the Sara Berman website for delivery in August. So you can get your hands on these very special pieces before anyone else! Shop the Woody Jacket and Dan Scarf here.

Bikini Season Work Out

The Bikini season is officially upon us and I must face the reality that I need to hone myself into a beach-worthy vessel. This shall entail some pretty intense training. So for those of you who have never seen me run or been privy to my unparalleled sense of co-ordination-this clip will give a pretty accurate idea of what that intense training might look like…

Video courtesy of: Dr4nz3r95

Preoccupied

Sorry guys, I have been slightly off the boil with the blog recently. The reason being that for the first time in more than 10 years I have picked up my brushes and started painting again. I am a woman possessed (or obsessed-not sure which!) and am spending every spare second in my little studio listening to my music and painting merrily away. I have to ask myself what took me so long but I do believe life has a way of showing you what you need when you need it most. So it is with a degree of cringe that I lay myself bare and post my latest effort.

Amiee & Aleim Magazine

She's been in LA a matter of months and already Amiee is making waves for team Berman. Check her out in the debut issue of Aleim Magazine - a brand new magazine dedicated to showcasing the 'photographic, cinematic and creative personalities of our time'. That's a lot to live up to Amiee!

Read more about Aleim here and see the full blog post featuring Amiee here

As Seen On Style Bubble

Check out Susie Bubble looking oh-so-cool in the Charlotte Crop Stud Biker Jacket in pale mint. This is exactly the kind of look I had in mind when dreaming up the colour for this jacket so I'm breaking happiness records left right and centre right now! Thanks Susie!