(Not So) Safari Chic

Well let me begin by wishing you all a very Happy 2011! Hope you had a fun & drama free New Year!

We've just got back from a rather interesting Safari adventure...I honestly don't know how anyone can possibly carry off 'Safari Chic' in 40 degree weather. The heat was absolutely unbearable - and it was that  attractive sticky heat where you are permanently sweating. And don't get me started on all the bugs. I think when God created the world he basically put all the bugs in Africa. More specifically in the area that we were staying. My mosquito repellent became my third arm - I even slept with it under my pillow. It really puts that 'Oh my god get that daddylonglegs out of my London home' scenario in perspective. Anyway, back to the heat. So all my beautiful clothes stayed firmly at the bottom of my suitcase and I basically lived in my bikini and sarong (still unbearably hot - but at least the sarong allowed me a bit of a breeze!)

We saw some wonderful things - think Lion King meets Dumbo. Driving through the bush with a breeding herd of elephants on my right and a graceful, willowy giraffe on my left, with the wind blowing through my hair and the sun on my face, I just kept thinking how amazingly beautiful our natural world is. The sunrises & sunsets, the colours, the animals, the atmosphere has been incredibly inspiring and you will see a lot of these influences in our new Spring / Summer 2011 Collection. It was a fab way to see in the new year and we're now ready to face whatever 2011 throws our way!

(Featured photos: Now this woman can do Safari Chic. Erin Wasson for the March 2005 edition of US Bazaar.)