What's On This Bank Holiday Weekend?

Where Will Bank Holiday Weekend Take You?

That's right, lads 'n' lasses: it's bank holiday weekend from the 4th to the 7th. While some people will be hurling themselves into the car at 6pm on Friday to speed off for a mini-break away, others will be oiling up the barbie and putting their feet up in the garden. Whichever you choose, take a quick look at our lil' list of some really cool stuff that's 

happening around the country this weekend. 

The Cotswolds

Close to home for us, the Cotswolds really come alive in the sunshine (especially with a cool glass of beer in hand). The Prince Albert pub in Rodborough are holding their 11th annual beer and music festival this weekend, offering "32 of the finest handpicked beers from across the country", plus gorgeous food from the Jamaica Inn Kitchen pop-up, and a lovely selection of equally delectable local music acts. 

Photo courtesy of University of Hull

Hull
The UK's City of Culture has a huge amount to offer in terms of stuff to do (as you'd expect). This weekend you can indulge your curious side with exhibitions on everything from Light and Colour at Studio Eleven, a collection of pieces centered around glass and its sculptural qualities, to the Hull Skateboard Festival at several different locations across the city. Another place worth checking out is the fruit market on Humber st, with lots of eclectic vintage shops and restaurants. 

Photo courtesy of The Telegraph

London
Deciding what to do when you hit London can be difficult. Luckily we've done some digging for you, so no stress! Here are a few ideas to contemplate while sipping a glass of something cold in your back yard...

Fashioned From Nature: an exhibition hosted by the V&A
Described as being "about the future of fashion – and the planet" by TimeOut, this awe-inspiring collection pulls together examples of nature in fashion from the 17th century to the present day. The V&A is famous for it's world-class events, and if you have even a passing interest in fashion, this sounds like one you wouldn't want to miss. Find out more here.

New Cross and Deptford Free Film Festival 
Catch a selection of quirky films from all genres in a number of venues across London. The event is running from Friday to Sunday, so grab a blanket and head over! More info here.

KERB Does Alchemy
The Southbank Centre becomes home to a whole world of vibrant and spicy cuisine from India to Afghanistan. The event will host 29 traders, all cooking with a huge range of flavours and styles. If you think you can handle the heat, head over there now! We were especially taken with the mention of "pistachio butter orange glaze donuts". Count us in! More here.


What will YOU do with your extended weekend of freedom? Enjoy your May bank holiday!





Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Area Code: In Shoreditch this Christmas

Shoreditch

When you throw around words like "trendy", "hip" and "ultimate cool", you expect something pretty special. We've rounded up a few of the unmissable delights of London's creative hub, including art, fashion and drinks. Ladies and Gents— welcome to Shoreditch!

Image credit: www.thestageshoreditch.com

Lara Intimates is the love child of friends Cindy and Faith. They created the company after discovering how poor conditions were for workers in the lingerie industry, particularly in China. Garments by Lara Intimates are "made of material that would have otherwise gone to landfill", reducing waste produced by the fast fashion obsession, which applies to lingerie too. Based normally in Soho, the brand is holding a pop-up shop in Shoreditch on the 8th of December— and as they say on their website, "pants make nice gifts". We're sold!

Image credit: Lara Intimates

Blitz: a vintage-lover's dream. Possibly Europe's biggest vintage shop, Blitz is described in the New York Times as "a contemporary art exhibition". Stuffed with hand-picked garments to drool over, we wouldn't miss this one for the world! 

Aida is a boutique store that we love and is like minded to us offering a very stylish selection of everything from socks to stationary. With a huge range of clothing and homeware to choose from, where better to go for Christmas gifts other than us (obviously)? Heck, where better to go to treat yourself?!

Image credit: Cosy Mag

You've pounded the streets for hours and now it's basically dark (and probably drizzling), and all you want is to sit down and boast about your fantastic purchases over a drink. Best classy Shoreditch bar?

Nightjar is a speakeasy-style bar, described as "sexy AF" by one visitor on its website. It's wildly popular (for good reason!) so you're advised to book a table. Team our gorgeous Carly dress with an oversized jacket for some laid-back vibes for the occasion!

Vida Bakery, a cute cafe for the working lunchbreak or to get someone a little sweet treat thats vegan and lovely! 

Who can resist a good cupcake? Not us! We've tried these and they're delicious. Drop and sit down, take a moment to savour the goodness... We recommend the Cookie cupcake!

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

NEWS - London Fashion Week Debut

AW17 SHOWCASE

Classy, quintessentially classic, contemporary and clean-cut... next season's style is one to watch out for.

We geared up and got ourselves down to Chelsea last week for the release of our next season's clothing and we are delighted to let you in on a little sneak peek!

Elmira getting ready to shine

The girls arrived to our location in the lovely area of Old Church Street, Chelsea at Haute Elan for an early start to get their hair and make-up done.

It's the little things

Our fab make up friend, Chloe Versaci doing Danielle's make-up pre-shoot.

The lovely Linn having a giggle with Chloe.

Economic, social and environmental sustainability is something that is very important to us here at Madia & Matilda. Our new collection initiative is designed for simple-living.

The girls wore LilyFlo Jewellery, which you can find in our curated brands, accentuating their looks and with a little cuddle and gal time before taking to the stage.

Shardarae and Elmira pulling off our AW Collection effortlessly.

Linn wearing one of our next season daily looks.

Oriana showing off our new dress collection.

Wanting a more classy look? Danielle shows us how it's done in this new top and skirt combo.

Oriana still slaying in Lilyflo's new season minimalist, urban-geometric pieces whilst having a little sit down mid-shoot.

Is it even a showcase if we don't include a classic black and white behind the scenes?

Life isn't perfect but your outfit can be.

From left: Danielle Esprit, Shardarae P, Linn B. Saeb, Oriana Findlay, Véronica McBeal, Elmira Panjavi.

 Designer & Director Shalize Nicholas, Jewellery - Lily Flo - Designer Diana Sherling, Photographer  Rosalind Rosalind Alcazar & Claire Dytham, MUA Chloe Versaci, Showroom Haute Elan

Pre-order the new collection in August.

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

AREA CODE - Chasing Chelsea

In case some of you lovely people missed all our excited social media posts this week, Madia & Matilda are heading to Chelsea tomorrow for our new season showcase! We hope to see as many of you there as possible for a day of fun, friendship and fashion but why not make a trip out of it? Here’s some of our favourite things to do in Chelsea whilst you are there.

For the artsy:

The Saatchi Museum:

An exhibition on "Paper" at Saatchi

Our top favourite hotspot in Chelsea and definitely worth checking out is The Saatchi Museum for contemporary art. The Museum was opened in 1985 by Charles Saatchi himself as a means by which to display his collection to the public and has been loved by all ages since. The Museum is open 10am-6pm daily and is accessible via a 5 minute taxi or uber ride or an 11 minute journey on the underground. Check the website here for more information.

For the history buff:

Chelsea Old Town Hall

Chelsea is full of exciting history in and around the showcase venue in Old Church Street so those of you travelling with a history buff are bound to be satisfied! Not only is the Sir Thomas More historical landmark literally 2 minutes away but also surrounding the area is Chelsea Old Town Hall – a 9-minute walk away from our venue. A 4-minute walk away will find you in the comfort of Crosby Hall and Lindsey House (though please note this is only open by special arrangement) is a further 2 minutes away from there.

Crosby Hall

Chelsea Old Church is also only 2 minutes away from Old Church Street. The historic Anglican church has been visited by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, and was restored after the 1941 blitz where it was badly hit.

For the foodie:

The Phene

Located just a 6-minute walk away is the beautifully converted pub The Phene, with its purple-velvet lounge bar, library-themed dining room and beach bar-style terrace, we cannot think of anything we would love more to admire whilst sipping on a well-earned cocktail! Book a table and view the menu here.

The Cross Keys Bar and Restaurant

The Cross Keys vibrant restaurant and bar serves beautifully creative takes on conventional Euro-Brit food in a wonderfully historic building and area. The traditional setting gives it a quintessentially British feel, which we love here at Madia & Matilda and want our clothes to do the same. You can find The Cross Keys just a 2-minute walk away and view their website here.

Bluebird Chelsea Bar and Restaurant

Bluebird Chelsea’s eccentric interior with monochrome floor tiles, feature lighting and terrace is what makes it a top on our list of Madia & Matilda favourites! The European food and cocktails are just an added bonus to the style of the restaurant and the lovely staff. You can find Bluebird Chelsea approximately a 5-minute walk away from the showcase venue so you have no excuse not to have a sneak peek before the day is up! Why not pop in for a cheeky cocktail after the showcase? Find the website here for menu lists, opening times and to book a table.

Cheyne Walk Brasserie

After something with a little bit of a view? This is definitely the one for you. The bright, modern Provençal brasserie with its sky-blue banquettes is not only stunning but also holds an upstairs salon with river views and located just 4-minutes away from our showcase. Check out their website here.

For the outdoorsy:

The Ivy Chelsea Garden eatery and orangery

Here at Madia & Matilda we love our food, but we also like a nice view of the outdoors! With this lovely restaurant located only 6 minutes away and open 8am-11pm daily, not only are you able to dine on modern British menus but you are able to enjoy it all in a refined, art-filled space with a garden terrace and an orangery!

Elm Park Gardens and Ropers Gardens

Not feeling a restaurant priced bill but still want experience the outdoors? Why not pack a picnic and take a 9-minute walk to Elm Park Gardens or simply a 2-minute walk to Ropers Gardens and set up base there? Not only are the views stunning but the wildlife is also spectacular. Check out London Gardens here.

Whatever you get up to in Chelsea this week, stay safe and let us know what you get up to on social media with the hashtag #madiamatildatakeschelsea but most of all - have fun!

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Culture - Things to do this Winter

If you are still on holiday from uni, here are a couple of other ways to spend your winter holiday period, after all it is Dry January. 

If you are stuck for things to do, why not visit a Museum gain some insight on cultural aspects of life. Or for those seeking a little more of a thrill, ball pit bars, (yes that's right, there is such a thing), visit your local market or for movie night why not watch Passenger, more details below.

Museum Trips - Saatchi or V&A is just a few of our favourites that springs to mind. Check out whats on here.The Saatchi Gallery, is based in Chelsea, where we shall be holding our next event. The home of curated art, fashion and a little bit of culture.

The V&A, a hub of revolutionary art, design and fashion, a space to think, view the like of so many visionary's, throughout the history of art. For us it is one for the bucket list!

Ball Pit Bars - Where childhood meets adulthood, who said we have to grow up gracefully. Ballie Ballerson in Dalston. A ball pit filled with over 200,000 balls, inflatables and foam toys, for a bit of light hearted fun and frolics. Funk soul and bass for some adult play. If that does not sweeten the deal, the bar has range of throwback cocktails, (mocktails for those of you who are on a health kick) based on sweets such as Wham bars, pink shrimp and Dip Dabs. The food offering is also (obviously) ball-shaped. Find out more here http://www.ballieballerson.com/

Photography Credit - Stacey Hatfield

Market - One of our favourites to visit, Bath Artisan Market filled with artisan hand crafted treats, open every second Sunday of the month. Renown for its fresh goods, independent artists and where we first started out. Perfect for Sunday morning strolls, if you are an early bird. http://bathartisanmarket.com/

Photography Credit -  Bath Artisan Market

Films to watch this winter - Passenger, check out our review below

We at Madia & Matilda love a sci-fi,action thriller, rom com; once we saw the trailer we eagerly awaited the release of this film Passenger and were not disappointed.

The film from The Imitation Game director Morten Tyldum. Staring Chris Pratt  & Jennifer Lawrence.  
Chris Pratt as Jim and Jennifer Lawrence as Aurora, find themselves alone on a passenger spaceship, after waking up from cryostasis earlier than intended from being ejected from their sleeping pods.

In a time of uncertainty the pair turn to each other for comfort and much needed help, it soon becomes quite clear that going back to sleep, is not an option. Instead, the pair face a lifetime aboard the ship, with just each other for company.

Definitely a must see movie for this winter, released in cinemas on December 21st 2016

Passenger Release date December 21, 2016 click here to see trailer

  Sincerely Madia & Matilda