blogging

Sawako’s New beginnings

During the lockdown, one of the most satisfying things I have done is to give some proper attention to my house plants. I had been noticing little plantlets popping up in the soil of one plant in particular, and I hadn’t found time to care for them properly until now. There was the added issue of not being able to get my hands on any compost for a while.

Having grown up in a house filled with plants I always hoped I had inherited the green finger gene. As soon as I moved into my own place, I was excited to fill every windowsill with pots, and have over the last few years, learned a few dos and don’ts of house plant keeping.

My biggest success so far is my beloved pancake plant – a pilea peperomioides. A quick look online proves what a popular and Instagram-worthy houseplant this is. The satisfyingly round, glossy leaves and easy-care make this a particular favourite with fellow Millennial plant parents.

The mother plant that I’ve had for around two years.

Once your plant starts to sprout little plantlets, it is easy to propagate them. Carefully, cut through the root under the soil and plop the plant into a small jar of water.

The little plant can be put straight into a new pot of soil, but I like seeing this stage of the growth. It is so satisfying to see the roots develop, and I feel like I’m doing my own little science experiment.

Here are some I made earlier. At the beginning of the year I also had a few sprouts that I’d removed and they are doing nicely. One of these babies was supposed to go to a friend who I will hopefully get to see soon.

Windowsill space is getting tight around here. Any takers for a new pancake plant?

Sawako is the Merchandiser at Nadia Minkoff London, currently in lockdown at home

Happy Eastover!

Hi everyone!

Hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday weekend!
Whether it be Easter, Passover, or just another weekend in quarantine, it’s difficult to be away from friends and family. I am currently quarantined with my parents, which is about as harmonious as a gaggle of 4 year olds playing the recorder, but I am missing my friends and colleagues quite significantly.

What I am most grateful for is that this is happening in 2020, and not during the days of dial up internet and Nokias (though honestly, an unbeatable phone, it could get run over by a tractor and survive). In some ways, I think I’ve spent more time with my people than I would have normally. A little too much probably.

I’ve had movie nights on Netflix Party, played trivia and drawing games on Houseparty, lost at multiple pub quizzes, and baked cinnamon rolls with a friend. I didn’t get to eat any of the cinnamon rolls so it was really quite the tease, but at least the intentions were good.

I read somewhere that instead of calling it “lockdown” or “distancing,” we’re meant to call it “cocooning,” in order to relieve stress the harsher words induce. I’m not sure if the wordplay works, but I’ve found that spending quality, dedicated time with people I care about has made this time so much better.

I’m physically distancing, but I’m more social than ever.

I hope wherever you are, you’re surrounded by people, even if not in person.

Bonus pic of me and my best friend engrossed in a very candid chat.

Dana’s Quarantine Diary

Hello everyone!

Hope you are staying safe with ample amounts of toilet paper, and that you’re enjoying your one form of exercise a day.

During this time, it is easy to be inundated with suggestions to enhance “productivity,” how to spend this perilous time learning Mandarin while homeschooling 3 children, or growing botanical herbs in the garden. If one more person tells me Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine I might cry.

However, I prefer a more realistic approach to lockdown. Below are a few things I’ve been doing to pass the time.

A jigsaw puzzle

Somehow I had managed to reach the ripe old age of 24 before engaging with a jigsaw puzzle. To be honest I have no patience and didn’t really see the point of spending hours putting pieces together to pull them apart at the end. But desperate times. I’m proud to say with the help of my father I completed a 200 piece puzzle aimed at children ages 8 and above. Hold your applause.

2. Netflix

I must admit, I got a little nervous that I would finish all the content available on Netflix. I even watched some Argentinian true crime (thanks for the rec, Nadia) in trying to stagger my viewing, which ended up being the best thing I’ve watched in years. Using this time to slow down and veg out in front of the TV with family is the best. Trust me.

3. Nadia’s Workshop Take Home Kit

Once this is all over, your first outdoor excursion should be to one of Nadia’s workshops. I happen to have the hand eye coordination of a newborn lemur, but Nadia and the most amazing team managed to coach me into creating a beautiful necklace (if I may say so myself) which made for a wonderful birthday present for my mum. The new at home kits paired with her Youtube videos allow you to make the same creations at home. I can’t wait to make more to wear to all the post quarantine soirees.

4. Download Tik Tok, feel old, get confused, delete it

This activity I cannot recommend in good conscience, it will leave you feeling geriatric and googling what the “Savage” is.

To conclude, this time is weird for everyone and we’re all just doing the best we can. Don’t let people online make you feel bad for not doing at home Yogalates or creating healthy and “delicious” (I don’t buy it) kale protein bars. If you woke up this morning and washed your hair, you’ve already accomplished more than I have.

Stay safe and take care of each other, as me and my best friend demonstrate below.

Dana

Bag fit for a blogger

My sister in law Sharon, is a lady of many talents. Apart from being a photographer and global traveller, she is also an amazing cook, consummate foodie and writes her own food blog.

It goes without saying that as my sister-in-law she has a decent collection of Nadia Minkoff handbags, mostly large bags that can accommodate her camera and lenses and are suitable for travelling.

So when we launched our Borough Camera bag she was intrigued to know if it would work for her ‘ bloggers’ camera and we decided to let her test-drive it and tell us what she thinks.

So here we go, Sharon and her Borough Camera bag, on location in Cadiz Spain. And for those wondering the camera is a Fuji X-T20 with a 18-55 lens.

We’re happy to confirm Sharon has advised that bag, camera and photographer are very well matched!!

Vive Paris

Location: Paris

Bag: The Richmond midi in Blue

Photography:Brian Minkoff photography

What a difference a day makes….

When shooting our blog post in Paris a couple of weeks back, the fire at Notre Dame could not be imagined. It would be impossible for us to post this blog without reflecting on this.

Notre Dame is said to be Paris’s most visited and beloved monument, surpassing both the Eifel Tower and the Louvre. Having weathered many a storm since construction on it started in 1163, no one would have thought that 850 years later Notre Dame’s main spire and roof would be ravaged by a massive fire.

The world now watches as France and Parisians start the difficult task of establishing the full extent of the damage and work towards rebuilding its finest monument.

We will take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy and relaxed Easter- recharge, spend time with family and friends, eat chocolate 😊 We leave you with photos of an overcast but beautiful Paris.

In your stride or how to get your bag to multi task for you

Come February and we all want a wardrobe update, could be a clothing update, a shoe update or a bag update, even if we don’t really really need it… we kind of do.

Interestingly at Nadia Minkoff London we think there is a methodology of getting your bag to multi task for you, seriously we do!

So just the one bag update to see you through transitional (i.e. in between winter and summer) as in right now, followed by a great summer innings and back again for Fall transition (i.e from the end of the summer hols till before the festive season).

The key is actually in the contrast colours you wear your bag with. For demonstration purposes we’ve chosen two key colours:

Black , in the form of our Islington fringe Bucket bag

and Orange, in the form or our Angel bag

Our thinking behind this is that black is black , always safe, always smart and just well…..always.

Orange is often referred to these day as ‘The new Black’ , a few years back it used to be anything but safe but these days it is a wardrobe staple and a safe investment.

So this is how to get your black or orange bag to multi task for you

For Winter to summer transition: wear your Black bag with orange or your Orange bag with Black

For Summer– wear your orange bag or your black bag with white, keep it very pure and very clean

For Fall transition– wear your orange bag or your black bag with beige and frame with a little more black- black shoes or boots, black scarf or black coat.

Colour blocking is always fresh, so take each season in your stride, it’s that simple!

Make it a London Christmas / Part 2

I have found concluding 2018 difficult, it’s been a tough year in general ,most certainly for the High Street and for anyone who works in fashion. I wish I could say I am ending it on a high and feeling optimistic for 2019, hard as I try I am not. But I most certainly don’t want to end it on a low and I am certainly hopeful that 2019 will surprise me for the better.

I will let London, my source of inspiration,do the talking for me. Captured by photographer Dennis Madden over the festive period and right up to date 31/12/18, New Years Eve.

From Trafalgar square, to China Town

The all new Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross, and the iconic Royal Albert Hall

From towering Christmas trees in Euston, to ho ho ho in Soho, and some much needed Angels in Regent Street

Spectacular skies over Waterlow Park in Highgate

And last, but most certainly not least, my very own Waterloo sunset

Wishing you all health, happiness and good fortune in 2019

x Nadia

ESCAPE… Amsterdam inspiration

I try and make sure that every work trip I do is also a source of inspiration. I see something that catches my eye and imagination everywhere. What interests me I capture , save, then reference. My recent trip to Amsterdam was particularly inspirational , it’s a city I love full of colours and tucked away corners. So here we go, I am sharing my ‘inspirational highlights’ with you, will be interesting to see what of these filters down to my next collection

Amsterdam is:

Cheese & cheese newspaper

Van Gogh:

Flowers & Urban gardening:

Canal side living:

Bakeries:

some of the best Indie shops I’ve seen ( Matter.of.material)

Lovely Paris, The Boss!!

Bold colours in doorways, that match my Brewer Travel bag to perfection

Finally home again from college

Blog by Ophir

Photography by: Fiona Yaron Field

I’m a creative and preforming arts student and home for the Easter break I went out and about in London Town with my things from the cool Nadia Minkoff.

As an artist I’m in to bright and like contrasting colours and I love the beautiful blue of this bag. I also love the movement of the tassels I feel free,funky and cool.

( I went to the Tate modern to see collections called materials and object’s.)

In my own patterns as artists I am into bright and like contrasting colours and the balance of them.

I thought the earrings were blue crystals and then I discovered the skulls – super cool

Ophir models:

Nadia Minkoff London,The Angel bag in Blue

Nadia Minkoff London ,Crystal Skull & Spike earrings in Metallic Blue

Red Leather coat: My mums red coat is from a Vintage shop in Cheshire St, off Brick Lane

My red nails has been done at my lovely local nail bar

My leopard coat is from Pull and Bear.

I went to Tate Britain , Covent Garden, Paddington station saying goodbye to my friend that been visiting and took her around London.

Also been to the Southbank.

ESCAPE..THAILAND’S ISLANDS-PART 2, RAILAY

Having gotten over my jet lag and effortlessly adjusted to life in Koh Samui (see Part 1, Koh Samui) I headed on down to the Andaman Coast, destination Railay.

There is 1 airport in Koh Samui, it is privately owned so flights in and out of here are not cheap like other internal Thai flights but they are quite spectacular. The airport resembles a resort with lush landscaped gardens,boutique style shopping and pretty swanky toilets!! Passengers are ushered to the planes via the runway, in converted golf carts and the views of Koh Samui from the air are breath taking

Flight: Koh Samui to Krabi with Bangkok Air, approx 50 mins flight, £87 with in-flight snack

Krabi airport to Ao Nang by shuttle: 30 mins

Ao Nang to Railay by long boat (there is a hire booth on the beach) approx 15 mins

Railay is accessibly only by boat and yes, you do have to climb in and out of a ‘long boat’ clutching your suitcase through the sea, but it is so worth it. Laid back, chilled and welcoming I can’t recommend it enough. In my books it is as close to a slice of paradise as it gets. I would go there again in a heartbeat.

Stayed at: Railay Bay resort and spa prices start at £150 for a double room

visited: Nang Phra beach, a beach like something out of the Jurassic period, with towering rocks, caves and stalagmites. No dinosaurs , but plenty of monkeys in the surrounding forest. It’s a busy tourist destination and at the weekends the traffic from Ao Nang to this beach is quite overwhelming, so avoid if you’re looking for solitude.