Anedoti Blog

Xmas is fast approaching and its been a very relaxing last weekend before the celebrations at Anedoti. Having gotten all our shopping done on-line (remember: last day for Xmas UK orders is TODAY), Ed and I only had to celebrate with our annual Romantic Xmas Dinner. We wanted somewhere casual and fun and we chose Barrafina.  Its one of the few places in London where you can enjoy excellent tapas.It was buzzy and fun with maybe just slightly too much Rioja.  http://www.barrafina.co.uk

Now its time to relax, see friends, crack open a few bottles of champagne and listen to some great music. I highly recommend Nova Tunes throughout the holiday. Compilation 1.8 is out as well as the new Nova in 25 CD’s. Ed and I have the entire collection and we can never have enough. Their compilations are both chilled and exciting. Nova explores so many new music territories, from electronic music to rap, soul, reggae, African and Brazilian combinations. Nova combines great quality with the discovery of new talent from around the world- its a great mix.

Tags:   anedoti music · music recommendations · nova tunes · Xmas ordersNo Comments.

Ed and I just hosted our annual Anedoti Xmas party and we had a great time. Its a lovely way to catch up with our friends, clients, designers and partners.

Our favourite sister combo Clare and Rebecca provided wonderful pampering, treatments and aromatherapy by Balance Me. Their beautiful Xmas gift sets and hand massages were a massive success as usual.

Mel from Choi Times joined us with her exceptional teas. She has had a phenomenal year, winning loads of awards, press coverage and to top it all off, she is now available at Harrods.  One sip of her teas and you will understand why. From her Jasmine Pearls to her wonderful Damask Roses, the Choi Time Collection is truly wonderful. I am a massive fan. I drink them every morning partly to detoxify and control my coffee addiction and in part because they are just so yummy. A few pearls will last for hours and they taste fabulous even when they have cooled off -which happens a lot when I spend my early mornings running after our son Sebastian. Its always great hosting events with these beautiful talented enterpreneurs who create wonderful products.

Despite the gloomy economic environment, Anedoti is going from strength to strength as more and more people discover our gloves, niche brands and designers. We feel incredibly thankful to all our customers who have encouraged us along the way. A big thank you to Minal Supri who sent us the loveliest email about her order in November for an Anedoti Cream Glove.

Ursula wins the prize for best boss in London, having selected a different Anedoti cashmere lined glove for everybody who works at her eye clinic and surprising all of them with a gift wrapped present at their Xmas dinner. We loved fulfilling that order and could not wait to hear about her team’s reaction!

All our friends have been marvelous since the beginning, spreading the word about Anedoti, helping us come up with ideas for the brand, styling photo shoots and always on hand to help at a party. You have all been wonderful.

And of course our designers have been awesome throughout the year: Tom Salama, Inbar, Anna e Alex, Ikken to name a few. A toast to everybody! I am feeling in a celebratory mood despite the cold and the rain.

Tags:   anedoti gloves · anedoti xmas gifts · anedoti xmas party · balance me · choi times · presentsNo Comments.

December is a funny month isn’t it: Its dark from an absurdly early hour; you are exhausted from a year of hard work. So you just want to curl up in bed with a good book or watch a good movie at home. And yet its one of the busiest social months with office parties, cocktail parties and dinners at friends.

The only way I manage to get through it and enjoy all the social engagements is to book plenty of downtime between parties. I read loads of books, take long baths and do all my Xmas shopping on-line on my sofa in front of our fireplace. I can’t bear the thought of queuing up in shops and fighting for taxis on Regent street in the cold. I love outsourcing the gift wrapping and shipping to the companies on-line. 

In terms of great books, I just finished The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga who won this year’s Man Booker Prize. Its incredible dark and entertaining. For a good video, get the old series of Spooks. I just finished viewing series 2 and its really entertainment.

If you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping, go to www.anedoti.com today and get 10% off, free shipping in the UK and free gift wrapping. Enter Code: MadXmas at the checkout and you will get an immediate discount, free shipping and a lovely gift box and personalised message with your purchase. So much less stressful!!!!

Tags:   Anedoti · Anedoti Gifts · booker prize · Christmas · Christmas gifts · free gift wrapping · promotion · shopping · The White Tiger · XmasNo Comments.

   

Zhang Xiaogang

At Anedoti, we view art and fashion as very close linked disciplines. In fact, at each pop up shop organised by Anedoti, we promote the work of a young artist. Ed and I try to go to at least one show every weekend: a goal we had systematically missed in the last month given our work and travel schedules.

It was an absolute treat to go to the Saatchi Gallery and take a peak at the New Chinese Art Exhibition with amazing artists such as Zhang Xiaogang and Yue Minjun and to discover new talent. We loved the Warhol like paintings by Feng Zhengjie. The new gallery is wonderful: a great building, lovely staff, free entrance and a great location. The lifts are a bit smelly but hopefully that’s just the sign of a new building.

If you get a chance go there this weekend. You wont be disappointed.

Tags:   Anedoti · art · Fashion1 Comment

Ed, Sebastian and I are back from NY where we enjoyed 5 great days amongst friends, a wonderful wedding in Central Park and a bit of shopping. Specifically shopping for boots. 

I love boots. I practically live in boots in winter. I have over 10 different pairs and it does not feel like a luxury as I wear them all the time. I have several ankle boots but my real obsession is long boots. Casual ones, refined ones, flats, high heels: I need them all. I wear them with business suits, dresses, jeans, trousers, elegant slacks. I used to buy from a wide range of brands but in recent years i have become loyal to 2 brands only: Studio Pollini and Sacco Shoes NY.

Both use soft Italian leather. Studio Pollini do great sexy low heeled long boots with stunning leather and stitching. Sacco Shoes do the most comfortable high heeled elegant boots.

 I was very reasonable and bought only one pair this time around. In this climate anything else would have felt excessive. I chose stunning long grey suede boots with a super snug fit that feel like a wonderful warm soft slipper. They go super well with my Tom Salama Orita dress and are perfectly accessorised with Anedoti’s 4 inch grey suede gloves with white buttons. I was also very tempted with the lime green…Maybe on the next trip.

Tags:   Anedoti · Boots · Fashion · Shoes · Suede Gloves2 Comments

We shot our second fashion shoot for gloves and fine cashmere in London at Tiger Studios.  We were really pleased with the outcome.

Photoshoots are nerve racking as so much depends on the mood on the day and the connection between the stylists, the photographer and of course the model. We could not have been more pleased with the team this year.

We chose Katel as our model after working with her on a runway fashion show this spring. I instantly liked her look. She is in her twenties, gorgeous, has real curves, a size 10 body and amazing cheek bones. Its important to me that our models represent our customers rather than a distorted image of beauty. I was shocked at our casting to see so many stick thin girls who looked barely a day over 17.

Omer, our photographer has worked with Anedoti for 2 years and knows us super well. It helps as we can be completely honest and relaxed with one another and improvise during the shoot. Our new make up artist, Suzanne was wonderful to work with. She did a great job with hair and make up and totally put everybody at ease showering Katel and all the team with compliments. Its really important to have a positive vibe during a shoot. The model must feel really good about being there. My friend Leila very kindly joined us to help and style the shoot. She has an amazing eye for detail so her help was invaluable.

The day went by without a hitch apart from finding out Katel’s ears were no longer pierced….So don’t be surprised if you don’t see any earrings throughout the shoot. We hope you enjoy these scenes from our day.

Tags:   anedoti photo · Gloves · model · photoshoot · Winter collectionNo Comments.

Its such an exciting time when new products arrive at our doorstep. Its particularly fun when its a collection Ed and I have designed or contributed to. With fine italian leather gloves, the wait to receive the items is always long. All gloves are handmade in Naples and take over 3 months to complete. The two long awaited final winter collections will hit the site throughout the week as we manically photograph, categorise each glove and get them live on the web. We choose a wide ranging collection of gloves this season with an emphasis on long leather gloves, exotic red patent gloves and stunning colours of all models. I am pleased to say we now have the largest collection of fine suede and leather gloves on the web available in the UK today.

My favourites this season are ruched gloves. Ruched gloves are 8 inch long but much more comfortable than regular long leather gloves as they are wider at the top with a lovely soft ripple effect. We have them in brown, red and taupe.

I am so happy with our new combinations of two-toned suede leather gloves. The grey and white combination is sophisticated and yet so striking. I also love our new berry gloves in the basic silk lined.

And we finally have a great selection for men as well. Enough with just brown or black. Get your stylish hubby a bold yellow or white.

With the cold front continuing in London, I wont have a choice but to try a few pairs this weekend.
Anedoti leather gloves

Tags:   Anedoti leather gloves · italian leather gloves · Leather gloves · ruched glovesNo Comments.

Our new knitwear collection from french niche luxury brand Neen is now live on the website. Each piece is divine. Rich wool, silk and cashmere mixes; beautiful cuts and stunning quality. I am completely addicted to the short sleeved grey cable knit sweater. I have worn it every day this week. Its stylish and incredibly comfortable. It looks great with tight jeans and boots or with elegant wide trousers. We will add more pieces every few weeks.

  

Neen Chunky Cable Sweater

Tags:   cashmere · french designer · knitwearNo Comments.

What an exciting Friday for Anedoti!

Our wonderful orange and fur gloves appear in today’s FT How to Spend it.

And Notting Hill Design’s Lola Clutch is in the November issue of Vogue

Viewn Anedoti leather gloves collections
View Notting Hill Design’s handbags

Tags:   Fashion · FT · Gloves · How to Spend · Notting Hill Design · VogueNo Comments.

We are back from a wonderful mini break in the South of France where we attended the wedding of good friends Elina and Jan. We stayed in a lovely small B&B with a great hosts in a fabulous property called Le Clos Des Saumanes. The rates are very reasonable and the service is warm. The owners were completely adorable with Sebastian and took great care of us throughout our stay:  http://www.closaumane.com/Frame_GB.html

I wore one of my favourite cocktail dresses by Tom Salama in Silk Chiffon paired with lovely Anna e Alex earrings. Our good friend and fashionista Alison was wearing a pair as well from the Anedoti collection and looked absolutely stunning as usual. The bride looked divine in a bespoke dress by Fani Couture. What a talented designer! 

 
View Anna e Alex’s jewellery collections
View Tom Salama’s AW collection 2008
 

Tags:   Anna e Alex · France · Tom SalamaNo Comments.