English Country Chic

Let us day dream this time and look into this chic and elegant country home of Jemma Kidd and Arthur Wellesley, son of the Duke of Wellington, featured in the April issue of Elle Decor. They made the brave move from their home in Notting Hill, London to their country estate in the Hampshire to create a better, cleaner environment for their children. The whole house which is Georgian style is surrounded by well manicured gardens, well trimmed trees and even a riding field for Jemma. Inside, their house was decorated by Penny Morrison which worked together with the couple to create a comfortable and chic home to reflect their own personalities, collections from travels and included family history and heirlooms too. 

Jemma Kidd with her children.

Trunks from the Duke of Wellington's campaigns and bust of the 1st Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Conservatory has elegant furniture and always have direct natural light. 

  Large country kitchen.

A romantic floral four poster bed. 

A collection of  Wellington and riding boots which is part of a truly English country home. 

Enjoy your Weekend!


Photo credits: Elle Decor

Read more »

J. Crew in the Cotswolds

For their Fall Style Guide, J. Crew visited the Cotswolds in the Southwest England presenting here the beautiful rolling hills, idyllic country life and fashion style. J. Crew is an American Clothing company featuring classic and trendy fashion clothing and accessories for Men, Women and even Kids. I am currently loving this Brand as their clothes are so stylish and well made. Their creative director is the fashionable  Jenna Lyons who is always featured in magazines and photographed always looking so chic. J. Crew have perfectly presented these classic and fashionable clothes in this idyllic Cotswolds setting which I am currently inspired to visit one day. I am daydreaming right now as I turn the pages of the catalogue. 

Here is Christopher Brooks together with his daughter Coco (in light blue sweater) riding their horse Murphy and the model riding Polo.  J. Crew actually photographed these in the Country Estate of Amanda and Christopher Brooks which I previously featured at Transformation: The Farm Girl Fashionista. However Amanda was not in England during the time of the shoot. So her husband Christopher, daughter Coco plus their horses Murphy and Polo were included in this fashionable campaign. Here we see a glimpse of their country life which Amanda presents every day in her Instagram. Murphy, the horse that Coco was riding actually passed away last week which Amanda recently featured in her Blog, Mourning Murphy.

I am loving all of these clothes in the campaign. For this Fall, I am loving these colour blocked coats, the very feminine white and black blouse, camel sweaters and those tweed blazers. My favourite right now are those denim shirts which I have bought in the chambray and also dark denim colour. J. Crew also sell stylish shoes, bags and Jewelry which I also like. Check out the J. Crew Style and hopefully you will love it too.

Read more »

Transformation: The Farm Girl Fashionista

Meet Amanda Brooks, former New York Socialite, former Fashion Director of Barneys, one of the leading Department Stores in America and author of the book I Love Your Style, from which her own blog is called. Last year, Amanda left her home in New York City to move to the English countryside in the Cotswolds with her English husband, Christopher Brooks and their two children. Amanda was featured in the July 2013 British Vogue Ageless Style Issue. In the article, Amanda shared about her move from NYC to England with only three suitcases of clothing comprised of the best Designer clothes from her huge collection of clothes and accessories when they lived in NYC.

Presently, Amanda is living on a farm in the Cotswolds in England that belonged to her husband's family for many decades. One can see through her Instagram  and her own blog I Love Your Style her transformation from New York City socialite who let her clothes define her to a country girl in the Cotswolds riding her horses with her children, tending to farm animals and just loving the English countryside with her family and friends. It is for me a marvel about transformations. As the saying goes, the only constant in life is Change. Through Amanda, I can see that we should not be afraid to embrace change and make the best of life wherever we may be at the present moment.

Amanda shared that Life on the farm would allow me to take the focus off buying clothes and focus instead on my family. I had let clothes define me for a very long time...For the first time in my life, I am not overspending on clothes. There is no need.

Amanda also shared on British Vogue that Most people probably think that living on a farm is isolating, but I am actually more sociable here, albeit in a less exhausting way, than I was in New York. 

Amanda's new attitude on clothes and on dressing up: In addition to refining my fashion self, I have come back into my own body, so to speak. I am calm, I am present, I am happy. I still care deeply about the clothes I put on, how they go together, and what the final impact will be. 

The best impact about their move to the English countryside is that After years of arriving at my kids' school on my way to a fashion show (in NYC) and completely overdressed, I find it a relief just to fit in. 

As for me, I am thoroughly enjoying reading about her adventures and charmed life through her blog and seeing her photos on her Instagram, sharing with us her transformation from a City Fashionista to a lady now enjoying her country life in England with her family. She features on her Blog and Instagram photos the beauty of the English countryside with its lush green expanse of land and lots of riding horses around it.

Read more »