AREA CODE - Curious in Cardiff

Today we want to celebrate the lovely city that is Cardiff, which is where our showcase is taking us next! Why not join us on the 10^th and take the time to enjoy some of these awesome opportunities at the same time?

1)    Cardiff Bay

Cardiff’s waterfront offers loads to do for all ages and interests. Not only is it home to various eateries, boat trips and cultural attractions, but it is enough to keep you occupied all day, and night. The Cardiff Bay barrage holds a wicked kids’ playground to entertain any little ones you might have with you, and boat trips are available if you prefer to see the Bay from a little closer up. Our particular favourite has to be Mermaid Quay bars and amusements though, so keep an eye out for those!

2)    National Museum Cardiff and St Fagans National History Museum

The National Museum Cardiff is one that’s fun for all the family, as it is home to the likes of Impressionist paintings and dinosaurs and the world’s largest Leatherback Turtle and a skeleton of a Humpback Whale! They even offer a Guided Tour daily from 12.30pm that last approximately 35 minutes.

St Fagans Museum is also another top 10. Not only is it one of Europe's leading open–air museums and Wales's most popular heritage attraction, but admission is also free! The Museum has been open since 1948 and is still going strong, with various events taking place on site throughout the year. Check out what they have to offer here.

3)    Cardiff Castle



A must-see for any history buff you are bringing along with you! Explore the stunning blast-to-the-past and history within the castles walls.

4)    Farmers Market

This is perhaps our number one on our list of Cardiff to-dos! Not only is the food all locally sourced, something we here at Madia and Matilda are very passionate about, but they also support local businesses. The Market is celebrating its 19^th year this year and is sure to be another incredible year. Check it out here.

5)    The Cardiff Story

The Cardiff Story is a good way to start your own Cardiff story of explorations! It is housed in the beautiful Old Library Building in the middle of the city and, quite literally, tells the story of Cardiff! This includes the transformation of Cardiff from a small market town to the cosmopolitan city we know and love nowadays. Find out more here.

Don’t just listen to me, take a sneak peek at what these Cardiff bloggers have to say about the EPIC city here.

Have a great trip!

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

AREA CODE - Dreaming of Durham

Following the success of our little excursion to Chelsea last month, we will be heading to the lovely town of Durham shortly and wanted to give you guys some ideas of what you can get up to in Durham when the shows finished!

Go Stargazing at Hamsterley Forest

Why not join local amateur astronomer Neill Sanders, former volunteer at Kielder Observatory and member of the Go Stargazing team, between 28th March until 30th March for an evening of fun for all the family stargazing at Hamsterley Forest through large telescopes.

Open Treasure - Beasts

Who needs a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter when Open Treasure at Durham Cathedral exists?! This is an exhibition of the weird and wonderful beasts and monsters which have fascinated people from earliest times and is sure to amaze any HP fans in your life, big or small!

Available now until 10th June with various opening times (see website for more details).

Durham Castle: Family Fun Tour

Bring the whole family to Durham Castle Tours on 31st March and enjoy a family-focused tour around Durham Castle, with activities for children throughout the tour.

Please note that charges do apply for this.

Bishop Auckland Food Festival

For the foodie's, Bishop Auckland Food Festival taking place 1st April to 2nd April is the obvious choice. Not only is it the region’s biggest food event, growing year on year hosting a whole programme of events and activities including celebrity chefs, cookery demo’s, street entertainment and a demonstration kitchen, it is also hosted in Auckland Castle - stunning food, stunning venue, what more could you possibly want?!

North Pennines Observatory Open Evening: Jupiter and its Moons

For something a little more romantic, join experienced astronomer Graham Relf on 7th April (Open 19:00 - 22:00) at North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Ireshopeburn where he will lead a talk about the planet Jupiter, and if the skies are clear you may be lucky enough to see it yourself through a telescope!

After a giggle? Why not hit The Gala Theatre on Friday 14th April for their Funny Bones Comedy Club! A monthly dose of funnies with a mix of seasoned stand-ups and new comedic talents ready to have you laughing your socks off.

Beamish Museum

Throughout the year, Beamish hosts lots of interesting events for all the family to enjoy, including The Great North Festival of Transport, a Georgian Fair, The Great North Festival of Agriculture and much more. They even host a whole season of events just for Christmas!

Experience a real sense of your past at Beamish, and discover what life was like in North East England in the 1820s,1910s and 1940s .

Why we love it at Madia & Matilda: Beamish is a living, working museum, set in 300 acres of beautiful Durham countryside. Costumed folk bring to life the Town, Pit Village, Home Farm and Pockerley Old Hall.

You are also able to experience first-hand how the Industrial Revolution transformed agricultural life in the region as the buildings you see at Beamish are not replicas, but have been brought, brick by brick, from around the region and rebuilt to give visitors a real sense of history.

Also note: Tickets to Beamish are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase for an unlimited number of daytime visits to the Museum. Visit the website for full details.

Events at Beamish Museum March-April:

Great North Festival of Transport

This hugely popular festival gets bigger and better every year. Therefore, we think it is a must for enthusiasts and  a fantastic family activity for all to get involved in!

29th March – 23rd April (Open 10:00 - 17:00).

Old Kind Coal

This five-day celebration of the rich mining heritage of North East England is a definite must-have for any history buffs you may have joining you. Not only can you join in in the banner parades, but also have the chance to enjoy performances by local brass bands.

29 March to 2 April (Open 10:00 - 17:00).

Great North Steam Fair

This is an annual steam fair with an amazing line-up of visiting vehicles and Beamish Transport, in action and on view for all to see! Please the little ones or the boys that refuse to grow up with the likes of motorcycles, lorries and much more.

6th – 9th April (Open 10:00 - 17:00).

Horses at Work

More into animals? No worries! See magnificent horses at work around Beamish museum throughout April, including ponies, carriage horses and heavy horses. We also recommend staying to watch the incredible cavalry display.

22nd - 23rd April (Open 10:00 - 17:00).

Whatever you get up to in Durham, make sure to pop along to our event! Further details to be released later this week.

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