What Are My Clothes Made Of?

Meet the Fabrics

This week, Madia & Matilda bring you their collective wisdom about fabrics, plus some cool stuff about being eco-friendly while you're being clothing friendly.

What d'you mean there's more ironing to do? Pass the wine Janice. 

Cotton: the Sturdy, Stand-By-Me Friend in the Squad

Cotton is pretty hardy, as fabrics go. Of the friendship group it's the dependable, wise friend you can always count on (who is also ultra-breathable and machine-washable). Cotton is a natural fibre which is lovely to wear next to the skin. 

Linen: the Comfy, Badass Grandma Who Has No Time for Your Rubbish

Another natural fibre, linen shares many of cotton's best qualities: it's breathable, durable and comfortable to wear. Linen's other great qualities are its amazing durability, non-stretchiness and keeps you cooler than cotton in the heat.

Silk: the Mind-Blowing, Ethereal, Emotionally Unstable Beauty Queen 

Silk is a natural fibre which is famously picky when it comes to care. However, it's such a beautiful fabric that many people just can't resist its charm. It's breathable, hypoallergenic and comfortable to wear, and that's just for starters! 

Wool: the Lovely Warm Grandad with the Scratchy Beard

Another natural, hypoallergenic fibre! Wool is incredible: cosy and comfy, both insulating and breathable, what's not to like?! (Unless you're vegan. Fair Play.) Wool is also dust-resistant (take that, dust allergies!). True, it can be scratchy, but nobody's perfect.

Polyester/Nylon: One Half of the Glam, Up-For-It Plastic Fantastics

Polyester and nylon are both man-made materials derived from plastic. They were invented in the '50s, and have enjoyed much fame since as a hardy material. Quick-drying and great at maintaining shape, polyester and nylon are good all-rounders. 

Acrylic: the Other Half of the Glam, Up-For-It Plastic Fantastics

Acrylic clothing is similar to polyester and nylon: versatile, easy to  wear and care for. Another synthetic plastic fibre, acrylic fibres were invented by the Germans in the '40s. If you're trying to buy less plastic, you may want to avoid buying acrylic clothing. 

Clothing Care and the Planet: Compatible?
Washing machines and electric dryers typically use lots of energy, but there are lots of ways you can cut down your energy consumption while giving your clothes great care. 

• Wash your clothes less, e.g. wash jeans every week or so rather than every couple of days. Really, it's that simple! 
• Use a biodegradable, petroleum-free washing detergent (see below!). Or you could use soap nuts, super cool little berries which are harvested largely from trees in India and Nepal. ("Chuck a few more nuts in the washing machine would you, honey?" Go on, you know you want an excuse to say that)
• Give your dryer a rest (or send it into retirement) by letting your washing dry naturally. On a sunny, breezy day your washing could be dry in an hour. Amazing!
• Make sure you're putting on full loads of washing instead of just a couple of items. This will save you money as well as reducing the amount of energy you use
• Hand wash silk or wool items. This also reduces risk of the fabric warping or shrinking. Use a special wool/silk detergent and be gentle!
• For other ways to make your clothing care greener, visit this link

Ecover and the Green Clean Crew

Ecover are champs of the green clean initiative. Created and based in Belgium, Ecover make effective cleaning products that smell amazing. You may have heard people saying that green cleaning products aren't as effective as mainstream, chemical-based ones, but it's just not true. Give it a go, and let us know what you think! Read more about the ethos of Ecover here.

Method also make beautiful clean products which clean beautifully well (try saying that three times fast!). Created by "former roommates" and fellow "superheroes" Adam and Eric, Method products are "gentler than a thousand puppy licks" and do a wonderful job of cleaning your home! How's that for endorsement?! For more about the Method method, click here.

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

January: The Capsule Collection

The Capsule Collection

Welcome to the New Year lovelies! Today we bring you the mainstay of your wardrobe, the capsule collection to sustain you through the rest of winter and keep you happy until it finally starts warming up for real! We hope you've started the year on a high, and we're sure that the only way is up (or a gentle 4% gradient; just as long as we stick to the positive numbers).

Whatever you're in for this year, see it through in our simple, versatile styles: Jen, Greta, Belle, Rachelle and Angelica. 

Our Jen t-shirt is made of Jersey, perfect for days when you step outside to test the temperature and... Yep. Still cold. It's functional shape makes it a great contender for casual wear and a general wardrobe staple, ideal with Camille - capri trouser or maria - gathered Skirt. For an easy-fitting style our Angelica top is made from a similar jersey fabric and is a great cut to ease your self into the new year! 

Our lovely Greta! This blouse works everywhere: prep-up some jeans for a bit of smart-casual daywear, wear to work, or pair with a high-waisted skirt for a touch of elegance. 

And when the air warms up a bit, you've seen a few crocuses, you think you may survive the day without three coats, two scarves, gloves and hat... Bring out Belle! Wear over a long-sleeved t-shirt if it's still too early to take the plunge, otherwise brave the weather (or head to Spain) for a look that will instantly transport you into summer.

The floral detailing on the pockets of our Rachelle dress are a sprig of spring all year round. Also, who else is sick of having to choose between wearing a dress and having somewhere to put your phone?! Worry no more! Rachelle is a great choice for the daytime.

That's all for now.. However we have lots more in store for Feb; when we shall be celebrating 5 years of Madia & Matilda! Hope you enjoy reading our tips for a sustainable wardrobe and living.


Sincerely Madia & Matilda @Madia & Matilda  #MadiaMatilda 

Best Christmas Films

Christmas Film Edit

Cuddle up, cuddle bunnies! Put on your dressing gowns, onesies, blankets; gather your mince pies, Bailey's, cats, small children, etc. The cosy Christmas film viewing is, for many families, as essential a part of the big day as dinner is. Here are a few well-acknowledged favourites. Is yours here? Drop us a comment to let us know! 

Home Alone

Ballsy little Kevin McAllister sets so many perfect booby traps that I'm always amazed villains Harry and Marv make it out alive. Any else have great memories of crying with laughter during this film? Did you wet yourself? 

Elf

Will Ferrell stars as a larger-than-life, Christmas-obsessed elf who spends most of the movie getting into scrapes with cynical New Yorkers. The tights definitely make it for us.  

Image credit: IMDb

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Vintage Charlie Brown? Can't be beaten! The 1965 special was initially predicted to bomb magnificently, but won an honorary Emmy years later! Who could watch this without falling in love with Snoopy all over again? 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

A little darker than the other movies on this list (though still full of fun!), The Nightmare before Christmas is about Jack Skellington's attempts to bring Christmas to his Halloween hometown. Tim Burton heads up the writer's team working on this movie. 

The Grinch
A Christmas villain manages to finally redeem himself with the villagers of Whoville in this adaptation of Dr. Seuss's picture book, written in 1957. Great fun, plus a green villain! What's not to like?

Image credit: Bristol Film Festival

Miracle on 34th Street

A heart warming, dreams-can-come-true tale. The premise sounds improbable (who takes Father Christmas to court?!) but essentially this is a story about a young girl's belief in something adults repeatedly tell her is not real. So there! Santa does exist! 

What do you like to watch at Christmas? Who do you watch it with?

Drop us a comment and let us know! 

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Fashion Edit: Bring Out the Blues!

Outfit ideas that have you covered—

from the club to work's Christmas do!

Image credit: Disney Princess

Blue is a classy colour, no doubt about that. We've selected a few pieces below in the cool hue, which are perfect for going out in, whatever the occasion. We've thrown in a great pair of snazzy vegan shoes for good measure. There's also some stunning jewellery from Lily Flo. So just be blue— on the outside, not the inside!

Team our Delia dress with Lily Flo's bar necklace (pictured below) for a statement look.

There's nothing like a flared skirt for dancing, ask Cinderella! How about wearing our sassy Sapphire dress (above) with a sparkly long-sleeved top underneath for colder nights? 

Accessories are key, but that doesn't mean you have to go crazy (unless you're into that!). Keep it simple and subtle with Lily Flo's rose gold stud earrings, pictured above, and let your dance moves do the talking! Also, know that feeling when you wear massive dangly earrings and they whack you in the eye? Not great.

Bourgeois Boheme makes stylish, animal-free footwear. Above is their classic Kate style, perfect for any event! (And *psst* — that's our sweet pink Stone skater dress too!)

Why should dresses have all the fun? Playsuits are very popular, and we totally get it because you can wear them anywhere! Team our Ivy playsuit with a cropped jacket and you're good to go.



Put together a killer outfit this month? Tag us in a pic, we'd love to see!

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

#Foodie - Mulled Wine

Winter Warmers for the Cold Season

Got cold in your bones that just won't shift? (Bit dramatic for the UK, I know. Play along, please). Maybe you just need a mug of something warm to thaw your fingers? A good glug of something hot and delicious to lift wet-winter blues? We got you, homies. Read on for Christmas drinkies that Father C. would dive head-first down the chimney for. 

Image courtesy of Jamie Oliver's website

Marvellous Mulled Wine

This recipe comes courtesy of the GB food guru himself, Jamie Oliver. He asks you to make your own spicy, orangey mix yourself, but if you're not into that, you can buy mulled wine mixes from pretty much anywhere. This recipe serves about 10.

1. Peel 2 clementines, 1 lime and 1 lemon
2. Put 200g caster sugar into a large pan over a medium heat, then add the peels and the juice of both clementines
3. Add 6 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 3 fresh bay leaves to the mix. Grate in 10-12 gratings' worth of nutmeg (or use a teaspoons ground nutmeg) and  halve a vanilla pod lengthways and add to the pan
4. Pour in just enough red wine to cover the sugar (Jamie recommends an Italian wine such as Chianti) and stir well. 2 bottles of red wine are required for this recipe
5. Let the mixture simmer until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Keep it boiling for 4-5 minutes, or until you have a "beautiful thick syrup". As Jamie says, creating this syrup will help the ingredients to blend well with the wine, while the heat of the syrup will ensure most of the alcohol is persuaded to leave the rest of the wine when it's added
6. When you're syrup is lovely and thick, turn the heat down to low and add 2 star anise and the rest of your wine
7. Gently heat the whole lovely lot until it's "warm and delicious", then serve in heat-proof glasses

Image courtesy of Café Delites blog

Cheeky Hot Chocolate

Our Nutella Hot Chocolate recipe is adapted from a blog called cafedelights, run by a very lovely Australian. 

1. Heat 1 litre of milk in a medium-sized saucepan on a medium-high heat until steaming
2. Add 2 tablespoons of Nutella or a similar chocolate hazelnut spread, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of sugar or another sweetener. Whisk the mixture until combined and dissolved
3. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat
4. Serve the hot chocolate with your choice of toppings, if using. This could be: a healthy dollop of Nutella, a few mini-marshmallows, chocolate chips or crushed hazelnuts. Up to you!

Image courtesy of Tasty Yummies blog

Egg-cellent Vegan Eggnog

Yes, it's possible. Yes, you may be amazed! But don't take our word for it— make it yourself! Thanks to the Tasty Yummies blog for this recipe.  

1. 470ml cashew milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
2. 115ml coconut milk
3. 4-6 Medjool dates
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
6. pinch of ground cinnamon
7. pinch of ground cloves
8. pinch of salt

It's just a matter of chucking all the above ingredients in the blender and off you go! Let us know how it turns out! 

Mmm, Mince Pies

Such a classic deserves a place on every Christmas recipe list. Here's Nigel Slater's recipe for "perfect" mince pies. The recipe's a bit long to include here, but follow the link to view it in full.  

Happy making and baking folks! Please get in touch with pics of your delicious drinks and pies, we'd love to see them!

 

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

Sustainable Christmas

Happy Sustainable Christmas!

It’s a well-known fact that we all enjoy indulging ourselves a little more than usual at Christmas – whether it be by buying our loved ones more gifts planned, treating yourself while Christmas shopping (cos that shizzle is exhausting!), or having to unzip your jeans after dinner. But spoiling ourselves this season does not mean we need to spoil our planet too.

Here are a few tips to help you enjoy a sustainable Christmas this year. Challenge accepted? 

1) Sustainable Christmas Trees

Christmas is a massive tree brushing the ceiling of your living room, adorned with glittery baubles and lights and memories of Christmases past, right? Doesn't have to be! Why not try an artificial tree for a more Sustainable Christmas – these can be bought from most shops and last on average up to 20 years.

Not only that, but they come in all shapes and sizes – for example, there is the classic artificial tree, but also more unconventional trees such as this stunning steel tree above. Stick it away in the loft when January rolls around and re-use every year!

Another option for a sustainable Christmas tree would be to rent one! Yes, you read that right. There are now companies all over the UK, such as Forever Green, Christmas Tree Rentals, or Living Christmas who specialise in growing Christmas trees in pots. You simply order yours, they deliver it and you water it every day. Then, come January, the company comes to pick it back up and look after it all year until it gets rented again the following Christmas. The benefit of this is that trees are not simply being planted to be chopped right down again come Christmas time. Here at M&M, we think renting Christmas trees is a pretty great idea and will certainly be renting ours from now on!

2) Eco-friendly decorations

There is nothing prettier than an autumnal wreath on the front door at Christmas time and our friends at Fleur de Rue in Stroud Town Centre are selling the most stunning wreaths that would look amazing in any home this winter!

Why not pop down to their stall and have a little nosey for yourself at their beautiful pieces?

3) Recycle your tree!

You do not have to rent a tree or buy a fake one to be sustainable this Christmas. Make sure to recycle your tree when Christmastime is over and ensure you're not contributing to the 90% that end up in a landfill. For advice on recycling your tree, simply call your local council.

4) Send e-cards

Not in the mood to handwrite hundreds of Christmas cards this year? No worries – check out how to create an e-card and then email them to your recipients. The process takes minutes and all your cards can be sent at the same time – saving you time and effort, which means more time to get into the Christmas spirit with your family and save trees in the process! Win-win! Or a voucher from us, now what's not to love! 

5) Why not try a Vegan Christmas dinner?

The Vegan Food and Living website has some incredible Christmas meals and snacks to try. What's to stop you from updating your Christmas dinner, whilst still allowing for tradition? Check them out now for stunning and simple recipes such as Vegan Christmas Pie and Vegan Tofu “Egg” Nog and enjoy a sustainable Christmas dinner.

6) Eat your leftovers!

Boxing Day's leftover-sandwiches are a great part of the season's culinary offerings. Ensure to make your Christmas leftovers last and avoid throwing away good food this Christmas instead of binning your food remains. Books such as Love Your Leftovers from Friends of The Earth are a great way of doing this, but failing that, it might be an idea to donate your leftovers to your local homeless shelter. For some, it may be the only Christmas dinner they will get this year and you will be helping to cut down on global food waste whilst making someone feel loved. Is that not what Christmas is all about?!

However you choose to spend Christmas this year, we hope this has been of some help to you in having a more sustainable Christmas! All of us at M&M would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year and thank you for all your support this year.

Sincerely Madia & Matilda