Miami: A little piece of heaven

I have always had a sort of love/hate relationship with Miami but since I started staying with our good friends the Colombo’s in their beyond beautiful home, I seem to relish our trips. Before, I was always flying in and out for work and was put up in hotels, not that it was all bad…but somehow, it was always a bit soulless and I couldn’t wait to leave. To say their home beats any 5 star Hotel is no exaggeration but what is even more brilliant than the sheer luxury and being spoilt with amazing Italian food 24/7, is that our children just spend all day exhausting each other!

The view from the Colombo’s beautiful home

Having dropped off our bags we headed straight for the new W Hotel and the beach. I cannot say the ocean really compares to the Dominican’s beautiful sea but Giorgio loves body surfing and he has taught Vivi not to be like me who stands on the edge with much toe-dipping going on…  Tanned cabana boys are a huge perk in Miami and the healthy shrimp wraps brought to the cabanas were absolutely what the doctor ordered. As usual, once you hit American soil, fake boobs are the order of the day and I am always fascinated at the sizes these girls will stretch too. There is generally a lot of preening taking place!

Travelling light!

That night we headed to one of our favourites – Casa Tua – run by Micky Grendene. All the Italians flock there and we never have a trip to Miami without at least one dinner there. Micky is a character and also has a wonderful photography & art gallery in the upstairs restaurant. This trip I was spoilt staring at Peter Beard’s creations.

Up early and you realise why the Miami life is so alluring. A little retail therapy after the Dominican was also hugely appealing. Sara, our girlfriend had just opened her new Design store ‘Nest’ in the uber new and trendy design district and so of course I was dying to see it. Giorgio on the other hand cannot resist Bal Harbour which is wall to wall designer boutiques.  He has a thing for Tom Ford, the man himself and anything he designs, so dragging poor Vivi there is painful.

Beautiful Miami

Robert Hanson and his lovely wife Masha had invited us for lunch there with their little boy but we ended up doing our own thing. All I can say is ‘thank goodness’ for the carp fish ponds that run across the entire downstairs, keeping all the small children entertained for hours whilst adults shop. Talking of shopping, no trip to Miami is complete without a hit at The Webster on Collins Ave. OMG it is just dripping with things you just have to have. The buyer is a genius and they always have a super selection of jewellery that ranges from ok to the ridiculous. They are also a huge stockist of Charlotte Olympia’s shoe and bag line! Utterly irresistible. I never make it out of there alive!

The Webster Gallery

Finally we made it out without a huge dressing up situation and hit the legendary Toni’s Sushi on Washington Ave.  Sara and I were so happy to be in jeans and flats! The food was delicious and super fresh and it added to our enjoyment that we had some gorgeous Cuban model, who starred in the Replay ads, forever sitting right in our eyeline. So nice for once to have the eye candy for us girls.

Lunch time!

That night we watched the sun set over the water at the end of their garden. To say it was a beautiful start to the new year would be spoilt I know, but then I do know I am very lucky! Giorgio of course had work for Formula Electric in Miami and so Vivi and I flew home alone. She cried all the way from Sara’s house to the airport and can’t understand why we can’t live in Miami. She does have a point… She is such a veteran flier that she’s practically asleep as the plane takes off. British Airways – our preferred carrier is, in my experience, fabulous with little ones. They just always seem to go that extra little step.

Bruno Bisang at his exhibiton for The Little Black Gallery

So home to London with a jolt but as it wasn’t raining I thought that was a bonus! I must be quite a proper Brit because as much as I love being away and seeing and experiencing new things I really love getting home.  Also my gallery, The Little Black Gallery, had a really exciting new show of Bruno Bisang’s polaroids, with the preview on the Tuesday night. Rallying our clients and some new faces is always relatively easy for January as everyone seems keen to get back out and do a little tentative buying. Bruno had flown in from Switzerland and was very happy with the hanging and the framing that we had done. This is always quite a relief but the images of the supers: Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni and Monica Belluci are so popular.

Paul and Stacey Young with Bruno Bisang

The party for the preview night is always quite fun as you just can’t tell who will pop in and who won’t. Our serious clients will always make an appointment as soon as the show is hung but the party is an important part of the show.  It was freezing but since I am still a little golden I opted for my Vicedomini puff dress. It was a little skimpy for some but since I rush around an awful lot I hate to be hot. Darling florist to the stars Rob Van Helden and his beau Seb arrived early and the ever handsome Giancarlo Giammetti swung by in a chic camel coat.

Melissa Odabash and Julien MacDonald

Jewellery designer King Stephen Webster and his heavenly wife Assia came late with their little pooch, Gnasher, and we were all so thrilled for Stephen as he has been awarded a Queen’s Honour! Brilliant and so well deserved. Singer Paul Young and his delightful wife Stacey came and got everyone over excited, bikini babe Melissa Odabash and her great pal the Designer Julien MacDonald also came. To say the night was fun would be true but to see how much everyone loved Bruno’s work was far more exciting.  Lets hope that excitement turns into sales!!!

A wonderful Caribbean New Year

Finally we leave for the Dominican Republic – quite an exciting departure for our family, heading for the sunshine instead of the snow, and Punta Cana was beckoning… We were joining a good friend of ours, Lucy Doughty, who has a beautiful home on the ocean. After the weather London has been serving up with alarming regularity, I was desperate for some sunshine. Our good friend Tim Attias was also coming with us and we were joining the even more mad Spiros (Arabella & Glen). So far so promising.

Me, Giorgio and Violet with Lucy Doughty, Glenn Spiro, his daughters Skyla and Sienna. ©TamaraBeckwith

We unfortunately travel with obscene amounts of luggage and as I had no clue what to take I had left nothing to chance! Violet was thrilled to be re-united with her friends Skyla and Sienna (Spiro) and the house was a child’s paradise – shallow turquoise waters and soft, powdery sand galore. Sand castles were constructed with haste.

Vivi playing with a friend on the beach ©TamaraBeckwith

The first night we were off to Casa de Campo to see a Julio Iglesias concert at their beautiful amphitheatre. Well we were told to dress casual and on arrival we looked like the shoddy relations. South Americans are chic and the women really do look put together. Hair had been done and full make-up was definitely the norm…We had spectacular seats – almost able to touch the holy man himself! As we walked to our seats we were introduced to the seriously dashing and divinely talented designer Oscar de la Renta who was the guest of honour and next to him was another star from the Fashion world, Carolina Herrera. I have met her a few times before and she always looks immaculate with a capital I.  As the lights dimmed Julio’s younger wife Miranda slipped in and sat next to Oscar. When Julio came onto the stage the packed amphitheatre went tonto! It was great to see him perform all his classic love songs in Spanish as he really does speak the language of Love. He also has three backing singers. When I say backing singers I mean knockout girls who do a sort of wiggle and a samba and coo a lot! My goodness I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

Me and Tim Attias

The show was quite wonderful and the next thing we had the President of Haiti stand up and make his way to the stage. Yes, he and Julio turn out to be huge friends and fans of each other and they even performed a couple of duets!! Quite surreal. Luckily the crowd were super orderly when it came time to leave. We then headed off to a fabulous house where we were rather rude – starving hungry we said our ‘hellos’ to our host and our friends Fawaz Gruosi from De Grisogono and his sexy squeeze Valerie and then literally stormed the buffet. It was a huge outside dining room filled with every kind of delicacy you can imagine and we all just went a bit nuts! A hugeTurkey, Italian pastas, crab jumbo, lobster… The dessert table was absolutely beautiful too – decorated with candy canes and roses as if we were at a wedding. Mini tiramisus were light and too sumptuous to refuse. Out of nowhere a gaggle of ex-Berlusconi babes arrived and the dance floor was suddenly jumping with seriously expert salsa dancers. I decided the boys had had enough eye candy for the night and rather meanly packed us all off home.

My ticket to the Julio Iglesias concert

The day of New Years Eve arrived and we were all consumed with Lucy’s pre-party for the kid’s. I have never seen as much candy, 2013 sparkly hats or hooters. She had even got a couple of mechanical mules to sit the kids on. However the piñata was her coup de force. All our girls took to bashing the poor tinkerbell with a frenzy. Never have they had such uncontrolled fun… the only tears came when the sweets finally littered the floor and the little ones weren’t quite so savvy at collecting their stash. We finally headed off to get ready and returned suited and booted ready to bring the New Year in. I was in my trusted Missoni, Arabella in coral Pucci and Lucy in Jenny Packham.  We jumped into the cars and arrived at our party as the heavens opened…Defying the naughty rain we had fun. Lots of champagne flowed as we all got into a festive spirit wearing silly hats and trying to get with the salsa programme.  The count down began and suddenly we were kissing total strangers and watching fireworks! All very different to Gstaad I must say!

Amazingly we all woke up without hangovers and headed off for a spot of dolphin swimming in the sea. Lucy had arranged a private swim with the owner of the local aquarium and as you can only imagine the girls were super excited. It was the perfect New Year’s day excursion and watching Violet feed a dolphin calledIsis was a moment to treasure. The swim was out in the sea and although I do believe that animals should be left in the wild we had a great experience. Watching Giorgio pretend he wanted to hold onto the dorsal fin and swim around made me laugh out loud!
Our last lunch was a feast with a beautiful table at a fabulous restaurant called “The Palapa” at the Eden Rock hotel.  Endless plates of fresh seafood and carpaccio’s of shrimp and mahi mahi made ourCaribbean adventure complete.  I must personally recommend the gazpacho – it was to die for delicious…

Violet grinning with glee! ©TamaraBeckwith

Unbeknownst to me Giorgio had one last treat in store before we left – a sunset horse ride! Now even I would know this is a silly reality – horses are dangerous and unpredictable but hey ho he was so enthusiastic… Vivi and I helmeted up and headed off with a Dominican boy who naturally spoke no English! A great start. Vivi is besotted with horses and has had many pony rides but to say she rides is a slight stretch… Likewise I can ride but as my tired pony got the bit between his teeth so to speak and decided to see who was the boss, I could sense we were in for an interesting hour! The whole thing was a tad chaotic and even better when Giorgio joined us cowboy style riding in flipflops!! Did I mention marrying an Italian is never dull?? Thankfully our ride was a success and apart from a couple of jitters and being taken off into a swampy forest we loved it. The enormous smile on Violet’s face as we headed back along the beach to the house one last time made it all the more magical. Thank you the Dominican Republic for a very special holiday.

Off to Miami for some last sunshine…

Happy New Year!

Christmas pantos and Italian festivities

We have a huge annual Family Christmas Tea party for all the little ones and this year it fell to us.  I had rather cheekily hijacked Rhea (she does lots of Fairy parties) to help us with the 12 children and keeping some form of order at my father’s home – and I kind of presumed the 20 adults would fend for themselves!  It’s something I have done since I was about 6 years old and have every desire to continue the tradition.  This way all the cousins get to stay in touch and Christmas really is about family.  The next day I had barely recovered from eating cheeky honey glazed cocktail sausages and Bunny & Boo cupcakes when it was all action stations to get all my little girl and Godchildren fed and off to the panto.  This is another serious Beckwith tradition and I just love every minute of watching the children’s faces in utter wonder.  It is priceless and luckily the panto is ideal for the slightly restless or timid.  This year was Violet’s first and she was beyond excited as she chose a slightly too small, red party dress and insisted on wearing her hair down like her two beautiful cousins.

Wimbledon Theatre is my traditional port of call as it’s where I grew up and also it belongs to my father’s Ambassador Theatre Group.  Quite handy if I have messed up on numbers!  This year they had gone mad and created Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The cast was genius with glamourpuss and Hollywood royalty Priscilla Presley as The Wicked Queen, my good friend Warrick Davis as Prof and the very silly comedien Jarred Christmas as Herman.  There were 15 of us, so we pretty much took up a whole row but it was, as always, glittery and silly and a great old sing along.  Warrick’s surprise song (for those who may still be waiting to see it) was absolutely hilarious and Priscilla’s costumes were a grown girls dream. Afterwards we all snuck backstage to visit Warrick who had to do it all again that night!  The panto may seem fun but it’s a brutal schedule.

We finally wrapped my new TV show Four Rooms and I was a bit sad to say goodbye.  You spend an incredibly intense period of time with total strangers and then when its time to leave you feel as if you have all been together forever.  I had so enjoyed my time with the crew I decided to get them some cold beers as a way of saying thank you.  It goes without saying the idea was far more appreciated than chocolates!

A final supper with our mad gang at the uber Christmassy, Annabel’s.  We were a cosy table of ten and it was nice to take time out to thank our friends for being such good friends to us.  We of course had traditional turkey with all the trimmings and rather copious amounts of red wine, but sadly we did not take the Jefferies lead and go to bed …We insisted or rather I insisted on a last drop at Hertford Street.  Of course that was the final straw and the following morning wasn’t at all pretty!

Giorgio and I had to pack up the house and catch a silly o’clock flight to Milan for a Christmas with his family. Milan has been freezing and I seem to have packed for an entirely different trip!  Not a sock in my suitcase or a long sleeved anything!  Where was the brain?!  The best part of the Italian trip was the night we had a very chic dinner at one of Giorgio’s best friends’ apartments and my new Alaia dress that was hanging and ready to go suddenly didn’t have any tights to go with it!  White bare legs were not an option – my husband nearly threw me out of the window! He cannot understand how I just don’t care about the small details! I tried to say I had been somewhat busy in the lead up to Christmas but he was having none of it.  All was resolved as I came up with a slightly less chic plan B.  On our way out of the Hotel Baglioni I popped to the loo and as I came out I thought of my friend Goga who now lives in Milan.  As I turned around to dry my hands there she was!  We both screamed and then gave each other a huge hug.  She had also just popped into the loo from the airport – life is full of coincidences!

Finally the big day of indulgence and family arrived.  Waking up in Milan with Giorgio’s parents was a very different variant of Christmas morning as we had, as all good Italians have, a huge celebratory Christmas Eve.  In Europe they tend to give the presents and have a huge meal on Christmas Eve.  I took this all in my stride and, although it totally goes against the grain to open a single gift before Christmas morning, I decided to let it go.  I had helped Violet write her letter to Santa and we had a huge ceremony of setting it alight in the fireplace.  She was most concerned that it was being burnt.  Sadly not a jot of Turkey, a spoonful of bread sauce or any of the little pigs in blankets that I just go crazy for… Instead home made tortellini in broth and a Capon!  It was all wonderful though and Violet saw a true Italian traditional version of Christmas.  She was up the next morning and flew down the stone staircase to see if Father Chritsmas had indeed been clever enough to find her in Italy.  Low and behold he had.  The best thing about being almost 4yrs old is that any present big or small, expensive or cheap as chips, they all still count.  It’s more the unwrapping that excites her.  Her divinely eccentric Nonna Marina had succumbed and bought her a dwarf hamster which was promptly named Romeo.  I am not sure if she is quite clear on the fact that these little creatures live quite long lives… Giorgio had gone a bit OTT in Tom Ford and so I was a tad spoilt, but it was Violet’s homemade china bowls that she had lovingly made in a pottery class that made the No.1 spot, going to prove that it really is all about family, time and effort that makes or breaks a Christmas.  Of course none of this is worth it if there isn’t, at some point, a major spat of some kind… Luckily for me when it kicks off in high speed Italian at my in laws I really don’t have a clue what its all about!

Now off to Dominican Republic for the New Year. Happy New Year to you all! I hope to have lots more adventures in 2013 to share with you.

Missoni, Ferragamo and rose petals

Being a true Missoni fan and delighted at the prospect of re-meeting Angela Missoni, the head designer of the Italian family-run luxury brand, it was with much excitement that I rushed to arrive on time at the new Privatus headquarters in Grosvenor Square. Run by another old friend Mark Brooke, it is a new Private Auctioneers for all collectables.  The elegant 1^st floor reception room had been given a wonderful Missoni boutique makeover and my darling girlfriend and PR expert Amanda Kyme was there to greet us all.  A seriously covetable Stephen Meisel photographic exhibition adorned the endless white walls and it was hard not to want one, if not a couple, of his iconic images.  Cavan Mahony brought Angela in to meet the gaggle of chic women who had been, up to this point, shopping and catching up before the last hit of Christmas.   I had a wardrobe malfunction and had to be smuggled up to a vacant office as my zip had come a cropper! So chic, whilst trying to find a suitable replacement outfit I managed to wriggle free and fix the offending zip. I then rejoined the even larger group of girls before we were asked to sit down.  Davinia Taylor in a very sexy Roland Mourret style dress was thrilled to have been sat opposite Angela with Lilly Becker next to her.  Assia Webster had arrived and was full of stories of her mad travels with husband and jeweller supreme Stephen Webster.  I was very happy to catch up with Amanda and Celia Dunstone – who is happily pregnant and seemingly very relaxed about the arrival.  Lunch was delicious and a light risotto seemed to hit the right spot.  Happily I met a new girl who was very keen to get to my gallery as she has just moved to London and needs some pictures. All in all a lunch worth trekking to Mayfair for.

As Christmas fever has taken over, I am surprisingly oblivious as I had started filming the new series of the hit CH4 show “Four Rooms” – which I have joined as one of the new dealers.  My co-dealers, Raj Bisram, Peter Ratcliffe and David Sonnenthal were a hoot and a holler but it was like sitting exams again as there was an awful lot of information to digest daily to be up to speed on all the items we were to bid on. Some genius sellers came through our doors and some a little delusional on the exact value of their items. One or two utterly fabulous characters arrived in what I would call full theatrical mode.  Naming no names as the show doesn’t air until the Spring but I found some items impossible to resist, more down to the sellers performance than what they had to sell!  Our Presenter Anita Rani was great and really made an effort to include us.  All in all I had a blast and I hope it’s a huge success. Leaving the studio every night around 7pm, at the earliest, was a big pull on what I chose to make socialising wise.  Early mornings and long days are not ideal for a witty and energised Tamara come nightfall.

I have been a Wolford Ambassador for a while and so the opening of their new store on Regent Street I had no choice but to make the effort.  Of course changing into a small black Wolford dress in my car was out of the question but to leave the studio dressed to the nines felt even sillier!  The heavenly British model Olivia Inge had already been and gone by the time I was dropped off but Yasmin Mills and Assia Webster had dropped by on their way to another cocktail party.  A glamorous Vanessa Arelle and lady in red lace Noelle Reno also put their faces in on what was a foul London night.  My lovely PA Alistair had taken charge and was I think rather enjoying the meeting and greeting.  Sidonie – head of Wolford’s PR & Marketing definitely took a shine to him and if she dares steal him…

My husband and I were quite enjoying our new routine of early supper and early movie before I would hit the pillow but we had one further dinner we absolutely couldn’t say no to.  Ferragamo is another very established and chic luxury brand and they too chose to have a Christmas dinner with a difference.  The cocktail party was at their store on Bond Street but the dinner for 200 (!!) was in the Burlington Arcade.  Quite a feat under the rather chilly weather conditions but it was faultless.  Red roses packed so tightly and stretched the entire length of the table were so spoiling and frivolous and quite a talking point.  The guestlist was terribly chic with Jessica Alba as their guest of honour.   Both Ferragamo brothers, Leonardo and Ferrucio were also there.  I had a lovely interlude with the doyenne of fashion Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune and was more than happy I had opted for my Beulah midnight blue catsuit.  Whilst many more skimpily dressed guests were freezing I was just hunky dory.  The dinner was magnificently served and I have no idea how they pulled it all off… Kate Driver and Sarah Whitehead had been in charge of creating a diverse but young group of London’s faces and the stylish Yasmin Le Bon and daughter Amber I saw briefly at the cocktail but that was it! The weather had not ruined the party and we all agreed it was a genius if not very brave venue.  Such was our mood we all headed off to Hertford Street for one last nightcap……

Me with Noelle Reno

Finally work is over and I have more Father Christmas fun, a must-see Christmas panto and some serious family time in Milan ahead….

Va-va-Valentino

Christmas is zooming closer at an alarming rate and so my two lovely friends Astrid Harbord and Alice Naylor Leyland and I decided rather last minute to organise and host a cool Christmas Bazaar. We chose to have it at my gallery The Little Black Gallery and due to the number of designers wanting to participate I asked our divine Italian restaurant next door “Eleven Park Walk” if we could use their beautiful space as well. Needless to say that what started off as a little idea became a huge production and before we knew it we had 18 brands. Lotty B, of Mustique fame, arrived bright and early with her charming husband Dr Michael Bunbury firmly in tow. Her famous swimwear and wild kaftans were a massive hit. My girlfriends Mimi Baldwin and Zara Simon had very different but very special jewellery corners along with Feidt (an achingly cool Parisian brand). Another good friend Alessandra Vicedomini had tempting rails with dresses and cashmere galore. Alberto Moretti and Fiona Dreesmann of My Slippers shod our feet and the charming Charmian Taylor had a wonderful display of her florist line Scent by Design.

The food was taken care of by the fabulous Roberto at Eleven and they even set up a pop-up café for the ladies with mouthwatering teeny portions of scrambled egg with truffles! Our great friend Sarah Ferguson popped in for tea and also to do an unofficial signing of her latest children’s book “Ballerina Rosie” for her charity.  She was a roaring hit and actually ran out of copies. We were thrilled she came as she is always great fun and Princess Eugenie popped in for support. Amanda Ferry slunk in, head to toe in gym kit, with her gal-pal model Kimberly Johnson and even Cath Vialli and her sister made an appearance. It was of course not without drama when Vivien Duffield swung by and brought lots of goodies for her Christmas list. One phone call later and we were on our hands and knees looking for a lost diamond necklace!! The day was a huge success and we even managed to raise around £1,070 for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital’s Wish list appeal. Shopping with a feel good factor…all boxes ticked!

Princess Eugenie and her mother, Sarah Ferguson

I was obviously feeling still in a ‘do good’ mood when I went off to help at my daughters Christmas Fair. I was planted on the cake stand with a hundred different prices for all the home baked treats and my mind boggled at trying to remember it all. The big mistake was that the table was kiddie height and so many little angels got their paws onto the cupcakes that parents were constantly having to shell out! It was funnily enough the homemade brownies that were in huge demand. So, a note to all you Yummy Mummies, a bake off is way too sophisticated for a Nursery Christmas fair!

A beautiful Valentino design

My most exciting night and one I had been getting all overexcited about for weeks was Valentino’s retrospective opening at Somerset House, “Valentino: Master of Couture” (somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts-valentino). Giorgio and I are good friends with both Valentino and his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti and so have been lucky enough to have seen their shows in Paris and Rome. However, nothing could prepare us for the ‘wow factor’ that they had created for London. I cannot tell you how massively urgent it is to get there and see it for yourself. The curators and creative team consisted of Patrick Kinmonth, Antonio Monfreda and Alistair O’Neill.

Johannes Huebl and Anouska at the Italian Embassy dinner

The idea is for the visitors to be walking down a runway and the mannequins are in fact dressed in Valentino’s creations and are the audience at the show – all very clever and of course a treat for sore eyes. There was of course a small intimate dinner at The Italian Embassy, thrown by Giancarlo afterwards for their close personal friends and a decent smattering of young cool London scensters. It was a visual treat spectacularly created by Emma Gold of GSP. Musician/model James Rousseau was there without his delightful girlfriend the actress Annabelle Wallis who was caught up filming.

One of the Mannequins at Valentino’s retrospective

Fashion darling Olivia Palermo and her beau Johannes Huebl had flown in from New York and were ready for fun. Alexa Chung looked amazing in her Valentino dress and Dita Von Teese was truly the business. As always with the Valentino crew the atmosphere was as if we were at one of their beautiful homes so it was absolutely no surprise when we headed down the sweeping staircase for dessert. A room dedicated to naughty treats and sweets greeted our eyes – so beautifully and artfully tempting that I can’t think of a soul who declined! A coy Victoria Beckham was on hand in her own line but it was down to the elegant Valentino to kick off the dancing. He is a fabulous dancer and adores dancing – novices step forward at your peril…

A delighted Violet in Harrods. ©TamaraBeckwith

Too much fun for one girl to digest. I rounded off a full week by taking my little Violet to see Father Christmas at Harrods. This has been an annual pilgrimage for as long as I can remember. This year was to be different! All went swimmingly as I had of course been smart and pre-booked months ago. She loved meeting Father Christmas and was ecstatic to be told she may indeed receive a hamster! No such luck I assure you..  Anyway since we were with friends we decided to have a brunch in the Terrace restaurant.

Violet and Father Christmas at Harrods ©TamaraBeckwith

I decided Violet needed a loo trip and so off we headed through the dog/pet department. Standing in the queue Violet decided she didn’t need to go after all and hotfooted it out of the room. I held my maternal ground and gave her 3 mins! Panic struck as I realised she had called my bluff – the little monster had run off! Now I hope you can all imagine a Saturday in Harrods on a Christmas shopping day! A nightmare as you have no clue which way to look – I will keep the story short but thankfully she was only missing 8 minutes in total. They were the longest 8 minutes ever but my fear was compounded by knowing Harrods has no tannoy… She had of course gone off to see the puppies and then returned. She has no clue what all the fuss was about and is still pretty unrepentant!!!

Busy next two weeks filming new series of Channel 4′s ‘Four Rooms’ plus having to squeeze in a few pre-Christmas nights out! Not sure how I am going to cope ….

TV stardom and a Winter Wonderland

Excitingly I have landed a coveted spot as a dealer on the new series of Channel 4’s ‘Four Rooms’. It starts filming next week but I was up and ready to go in my Downton Abbey ensemble when my Producer Titus Ogilvy met with me for us to shoot the teaser. For those who that means nothing to – translated that means a long day of shooting roughly the same sequence for the opening of all the upcoming shows…Not exactly high octane action or glamour for that matter. However, more excitement was generated when we all rocked up at The Little Black Gallery and Titus said my outfit was not going to work due to the strobe lights! I decided not to panic or throw a wobbly and so we duly headed to my own closet and re-styled me. The rest of the day went smoothly and I am totally excited to get cracking next week.

Me and Alesha Dixon at the “Empowering Women Awards”

The next morning I had to get over to Holborn for a very important meeting with my cousin and Great Ormond Street Hospital (gosh.org). She has a huge charity event next spring at Highclere, the beautiful house in Downton Abbey. She is a wonderful mother and a super trooper who has raised over £5 million for the children’s hospital so far. Getting to Holborn was a whole project in itself and I managed to arrive just as they sat down. I am always humbled by Charity work and was especially moved as we were given an opening speech by some of the surgeons who had helped my cousin’s own little boy. We were full of ideas on how to make a big dent in the figures needing to be raised as GOSH needs £50 million alone just to run and keep the research programmes going. I left full of admiration and headed to meet my friend Tania Fares for lunch. Tania and Kim Hersov, the fashion stylist and Fashion Editor at Harpers Bazaar were already busy discussing this seasons trends and whose styles they admired and those more importantly that they didn’t. Sadly my lips are sealed but it would make a very interesting reading. I only mention this as we were at Scott’s (scotts-restaurant.com), a delicious fish restaurant in Mayfair and I was tempted by a shrimp burger. These girls lunches aren’t renowned for huge quantities of food being consumed. It was beyond delicious and all carb free.

Alesha Dixon and Jahmene Douglas at the “Empowering Women Awards”

The next day I was invited to attend the “Empowering Women Awards” hosted by Avon and Women’s Aid, (womensaid.org) by my great friend Jenny Halpern Prince. Tea at Claridges is always a treat but I had no clue just what an emotional afternoon it would turn into. I arrived and met Alesha Dixon, who in the flesh is extraordinarily pretty and very dainty looking. She was super warm and friendly and had a sexy new bob.  Actress Tina Holby was there with her sweet mum and we ended up having a lovely chat about little girls. Jahmene Douglas from X Factor was one of the presenters as was the wonderful Will Young. I kept on wanting to tell him how fabulous he had been in the performance of Cabaret that I saw a month or so ago but felt it was a bit inappropriate. The awards are a platform for survivors of domestic violence. The winners all had very traumatic stories to tell but the overriding message was that despite the odds, they had achieved amazing things and had all been incredibly brave. It was a very sobering afternoon.

Vivi on one of the rides at Winter Wonderland ©TamaraBeckwith

Back home I rounded Vivi up as we were off to the opening night of Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park (hydeparkwinterwonderland.com). I take my hat off to the Royal Parks Committee as they have found a way to include everyone within the parks and generate much needed funds for the running of our beautiful Parks. I think I am correct in saying that Winter Wonderland generates around £5 million. Not a shoddy sum! It does get very cold there though and so we wrapped up very warmly and even wore wellies. We bumped into my good friend Tim Attias and his son almost immediately and then practically got stampeded by young girls when we crossed paths with the X Factor hopefuls! Talk about bad timing.

Me and Vivi on the beautiful carousel at Winter Wonderland ©TamaraBeckwith

We found all the smaller rides and Vivi was in heaven with her little friend Lola Sofia. Penny Lancaster was there with Rod Stewart and their two boys looking suitably glam with her flowing blonde mane. Noel Gallagher and his wife Sara were escorting their son and looked very happy to blend in.  On the beautiful old fashioned Carousel I found my other Tim, Tim Jefferies with his lovely little Swedish daughter Coco. Vivi and Coco are good friends and were thrilled to find each other. If it’s even possible I’d say it topped last year’s Winter Wonderland.  Looking at our watches it was well past normal bedtime so we quickly grabbed some huge hotdogs and rushed home.

Lastly I was all dolled up in a Missoni mini and heading off to join our friends Boris and Lilly Becker for his birthday. Giorgio was off in America again so I was solo. Loulou’s was full of his friends who had flown in from all over the world as far as I could gather. Lilly looked gorgeous as always in a Stella McCartney frock and was happy to sing him a very loud ‘Happy Birthday’. I had a delicious dinner and made some new friends but was not tempted to close the place down!

Next week I have an amazing Christmas Bazaar at my Gallery with a surprise book signing, a wowee evening with Master of Couture, Valentino and I have fun manning the cake stand at Vivi’s school…

Enjoying the yin and yang of life…

The heavenly thing about November, other than all the autumn leaves and wonderful colours in the Parks, is that it really starts to get me feeling festive. Once Halloween is over it’s straight onto Guy Fawkes… are we even allowed to call it that anymore?  Well my great girlfriend Linda Johnston and her divine husband Nick decided to throw a small, 150-friend fireworks party at their chic estate in Oxfordshire. Vivi was so excited as they have naughty twin boys who she is terribly fond of.  There was even more excitement as Nick had lovingly restored 2 old Land Rover fire trucks so that they were shiny and red, with more bangs and whistles just like the modern day fire engines. The kids were scrambling over them with juicy cheeseburgers oozing ketchup everywhere, as if they had never seen anything so magical. Even Violet, who is usually ultra girly, was beside herself with excitement.

One of the wonderful restored firetrucks

The BBQ was hyper efficient and the sausages were too delicious to be ignored (so much for my holier-than-thou etox juice diet!). A great gaggle of guests surrounded  Ed Allen and his brood, feral I believe is the word he uses for them! Kate Driver was there with her gang of trendy little Notting Hill babies and Emily Oppenheimer with both her beautiful boys, Theo and Marlowe. They had built a tall and robust bonfire with a real-life, stuffed Guy sitting on the top of it. The fireworks were every bit as exciting and thrilling as I always find them. Vivi, however, found it all a bit loud and chilly and was more than keen to sneak back to the twins’ enormous, cosy playroom, packed with toys.

Twinkling fireworks for Guy Fawkes

Back to London and I was thrilled to finally get my hair re-blonded by my team  at Atelier. Josh Wood has been in charge of my unruly mop for over 15 years and he is the only one who can create his legendary “baby blonde” for me. I’ve had a black streak in my hair for about 4 years but people still act as if it’s brand new! Josh is in charge of some of the most important heads in fashion and show business so I find that the 2 hours in his chair flies by as I’m privy to the most fabulous stories. He is a true legend!

Josh Wood and me

The following morning I was off to view a potential new school for Violet.  She is a strong character and I feel quite anxious that I choose the right next school. It goes without saying that my dear, Italian husband cannot get his head around the hoops I have to jump through to get her into a London school! Fingers crossed she gets a place somewhere come January – I don’t think home schooling would work for us…

Me at the Corinthia Hotel’s spa, ESPA

It’s a rare treat for me to ever go to a spa so I decided that, since my younger sister Clare has just had a milestone birthday, I would take her to the Corinthia Hotel’s Spa, ESPA. As it’s in Whitehall it doesn’t feel too local, so there’s no guilt attached. However, I had no clue all the X Factor contestants were in residency. Loads of young fans were penned in outside and Clare and I were given longing looks as if they wanted us to help sneak them  in. Once in the magnificently grand, white marble, state-of-the-art Spa we finally turned off  phones and gadgetry and took deep breaths. We felt a little bit like skiving school girls. After all, we had a gazillion things we could be doing but quality time together as sisters is rare without our girls, so it’s very treasured. Laura Martin, the SPA manager, came over to say ‘Hi’ and then our therapists snuck up and whisked us off for our various treatments. We were reunited a few hours later in terry robes for some light lunch. It was absolutely delicious and hilariously filling enough for us to ask to take it home in a doggie bag. Afterwards, lying on the heated marble day beds, we agreed that this should be a monthly ritual!

My sister Clare enjoying some spa time at ESPA

Life is all about yin and yang, and so, having de-compressed, I was ready to take on the world. Giorgio and I had been invited to a very select dinner in honour of the wonderful designer Prabal Gurung from New York. Uber party hostess Elizabeth Saltzman, who knows just about anyone who’s anyone in the whole World, was in charge. Nightclub supremo Piers Adam - a very old friend of mine – was letting her throw a dinner in his new cool Supper Club – Bodo’s Schloss.  It’s the new place of about 2 weeks. Rumour has it there is a secret tunnel direct to Prince Harry’s apartment in Kensington Palace a stone’s throw away. Arriving at the Austrian ski chalet we were greeted by two handsome men with very little on but oversized fur trapper hats and huskies by their sides. Girls in cheeky dirndls looked ravishing with long, plaited hair -all very themey!

Piers Adam and Giorgio and at Bodo’s Schloss

Once inside, we felt like we had arrived up a mountain and were about to tuck into a calorific cheese fondue.  The decor was spot on and there was a real mountain, bubble-lift on the dance floor. I must say, the crowd was a who’s who as always with Gwyneth Paltrow beautiful and bare faced, Geri Halliwell on great form and I am sure I spied the fashion darling Henry Holland. Alice Temperley looked very boho in pink and Tim Jefferies was celebrating his birthday, so the men with bell ringing talents went wild with the Happy Birthdays. Giorgio was beyond thrilled with his table placement, next to the beautiful actress Annabelle Wallis and I was lucky enough to get her musician/model beau James Rousseau, a handsome cheeky chappy with a little gap in his front teeth. We had been blessed to join actor Luke Evans fresh back from the Fast and the Furious 6 film set. Elle Macpherson was newly blonde and Sophia Hesketh had on the best shoes ever! As always I was just getting into the swing of things, the dance floor was warming up when Giorgio eyeballed me and swiftly frog marched me home. As I turned around for one last goodbye, who should be emerging from the Ladies room but the divine Cameron Diaz, fresh from the red carpet of her new movie “Gambit” – Giorgio I know was half tempted to give in!

James Rousseau, Annabelle Wallis and Luke Evans

However, heading home turned out to be a brilliant call as the next day I was hosting a ‘girl’s’ lunch for luxury fashion brand Missoni at the Sloane Street boutique. My friend and owner of the store, Cavan Mahony Linde, was adamant about having legendary session stylist Snowden Hill in situ to keep our girls happy. Oh and Pooja and the girls from Blink eyebrows were on hand as well.  First through our doors was artist and philanthropist Amanda Eliasch. She was drop-dead glamour with shades so dark I don’t know how she got around. Amanda Sheppard and model Kimberley Johnson popped in for a browse and jeweller Katie Braine came and made a new friend! Jackie St Clair held court upstairs with a few old friends and Lady Masha Hanson, looking very chic in dove grey mink found even more grey things she seemed to like. My great girlfriends Lilly Becker and Lilly Hodges arrived together and left together having sampled everything and tried on so many Missoni combinations I lost count. The day was a great success and Raj, the store manager was such a trooper.  Luckily a quiet weekend beckoned…….

Me with my wonderful Missoni lunch co-hostess, Cavan Mahoney Linde

Next week it’s all gigantic bling, Hollywood and more rocks before a job in Paris…..

Latex lingerie, car trouble and Halloween fun

So with half term over, life can be a little more regimented and back on track.  Still husbandless, I was invited to Lingerie London with the big-billed return of Agent Provocateur to the runway – their last show was 4 years ago. This year Atsuko Kudo’s new risqué latex lingerie show was part of the attraction when I asked one of my best friends Karim Halwagi to come with me. We have been thick as thieves since we were 15 and so I knew he would be a suitable catwalk companion. It’s a huge bonus to take someone who you haven’t seen for ages as you get to have a mammoth chit chat. I decided to wear an outfit by one of my favourite new brands, Beulah London. It was a purple and white, patterned satin sheath with a massive slit – I hadn’t noticed the slit until I slipped it on. White legs are not my best look but with 10 minutes to go I was stuck! The Red carpet was very funny as I was asked all sorts of lingerie-related questions and as I have little knowledge in that area, I kept trying to sound somewhat aloof!

Me in my gorgeous purple Beulah London dress

Then, finally, I attended the fabulous cocktail party at the old Billingsgate Market. Trays full of brandy cocktails were wafted around but I decided to steer well clear. My girlfriend, model Claudia Mason, had been flown in from Milan for the show and she was excited that we were going to be in the front row, or so she said… I was thrilled to bump into uber glamorous Andrea Dellal and we set about comparing our Charlotte Olympia shoes. I was being super brave by wearing my purple metallic pair as I am a tad wobbly in them but Andrea’s looked awesome. Charlotte had designed the shoes for the Agent Provocateur show and made a later entrance with her signature red hair. Football legend Peter Crouch was mooching around in anticipation of his sparky wife Abbey Clancy’s runway moment. The much revered stylist Katie Grand had done the casting so we expected great things. Newlywed Patrick Kielty was our host for the night and gave the crowd a telling-off for not being enthusiastic enough. He then made the bold statement of disappearing behind the curtain and then re-appearing. I thought it was quite funny! Then finally the lights went down. To describe it all would take too long but the girls in the first part for Atsuko Kudo were amazing – the feathery light latex was inspirational. The clever lace designs, again all in fine latex, were absolutely on the money and all the girls on my table, including my old friend and PR whizz Inge Theron, agreed.

Abbey Clancy, Claudia Mason and me

Agent Provocateur’s show was opened by a demure Peaches Geldof in a pale grey Miss Havisham-esque lace number. Then a striding, unrecognizable Sarah Harding took it up a notch gracing the catwalk as a saucy military style policewoman. The show was high energy and skimpy outfit after skimpy outfit came out on one gorgeous-looking model after the other. Olivia Inge, Marie Helvin and Claudia looked amazing and Abbey was stunning. The burlesque star Modesty Blaise was quite simply sensational – her ample curves were really sexy and she certainly worked the room…Feeling I had had quite enough flesh for one night we whisked backstage keeping our eyes diverted, and found Claudia to congratulate.

Our host Patrick Kielty and me

I had a truly idiotic blonde moment a couple of days later when I was heading to the airport to collect my beloved husband. My car started to pull back a little as I raced in the fast lane, trying not to be late. To my horror the petrol gauge and my “how many miles I should have left in the tank gauge” were not correctly aligned and so I had to use my trusted AA yellow card after 20 yrs of having been signed up as a member. Shamefully I had to say that I was precariously parked on the hard shoulder of the M40 with a small child on board. They were amazing and arrived to rescue us within 35 minutes! My husband has still not quite forgiven me but my little girl has told anyone who will listen that “Muma ran out of gas and we got rescued!”

Having embarked on a wonderful but never conveniently-timed “Detox Juice” week, I was hoping I wouldn’t become too irritable and starving. The detox company, Raw Fairies, was recommended to me by a good girlfriend and they deliver a small bag of fresh raw juices just for that day and a salad every morning at around 7am. Other than missing sitting down to eat, so to speak, it was relatively easy. I found going out for dinner a bit dull though as I would be sipping my juice whilst those around me were tucking into delicious hot plates of yumminess. Going to the Lionel Richie concert at the O2 with my Uncle John and his daughter Nicola was almost an ask too far. I was loving the show, as of course I am a huge fan and even interviewed him years ago for the Big Breakfast, but being unable to have any naughty burgers, nachos or even a coke was dire! Why I hadn’t thought about this before starting the detox, I don’t know…

Me with my good friend, photographer Alistair Taylor-Young

Tuesday was a work night as we had the opening at my gallery, The Little Black Gallery, for our new show ‘Holiday’ by my very good friend and truly fabulous photographer Alistair Taylor-Young.  The night was a great success with the pictures flying off the walls. The show features some of his many stunning pictures shot for Conde Nast Traveller – who are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. Alistair whizzed there on the Eurostar from Paris where he had been working, only to arrive 5 minutes before the end of his own private view – what a diva! However, he was in time for our post-show dinner at our lovely local Eleven Park Walk where everyone, apart from me still on my detox, dined on scrumptious Italian food and drink into the early hours of the morning. I left Alistair propping up the bar with my business partner Ghislain Pascal and our Park Walk neighbour Danny Shahaf of World Club Travel, who had very kindly sponsored the show.

Dining at Eleven Park Walk

Lastly we had Halloween. My little girl Violet was so excited as this was the first year that she was able to totally grasp the American tradition. My lovely friend and International hair wizard Daniel Galvin Jr had asked me to throw a children’s party at his bespoke salon in Belgravia to launch his new “Dubble Trubble” children’s organic hair and body washes. What is extra special is that he has done it under his patronage of the Prince’s Trust with a percentage going to the charity. We had Darren Black work his creative magic, turning the salon into a witch’s lair and it looked spectacularly spooky. Violet was in heaven with face painter Carragh Buxton transforming all the children into whatever their hearts desired. Davinia Taylor arrived with 3 naughty little skeletons and Donna Air popped by for a blow dry with her pretty daughter Freya. Yasmin Mills’ youngest, Maddie, was laughing about how she was a bit too old to join in. However, she had on the most wonderful costume and had been working on it all day! There were delicious cookies and evil cupcakes by Bunny and Boo Cupcakes. All us Mummies decided we wanted our faces painted too – I guess there are some things you never grow out of…

Getting my face painted for Halloween!

Love for Legoland and glamour at Skyfall

Having had a blissfully quiet weekend with lots of downtime with my youngest daughter Violet, I resumed our crazy pace with an early start on Monday morning, to Legoland.  Now I clearly have no recollection of my younger sister and I being taken to any such places.  As a result I have no sentimental feelings towards these theme parks and actually get little pleasure from them other than completing the day and getting home – but I now have to eat my hat! Legoland has certainly put Britain into the big league and I was absolutely shocked with it all.

Me and Violet ©TamaraBeckwith

Not to bore those of you without kids but even without the treasured Q box (a queue jumping aid you pay for and apparently not available on Mondays), my girlfriend Grainne and I had a blast with our two little ones.  Did I mention it was a grey sky with intermittent drizzle? Yet nothing could dampen our kids’ joy as we faced no queues longer than 20 minutes which, in my book, is a breeze.  Violet and Theo were mesmerised by the live Pirate Show, it was a first to see really engaging young students with incredible gymnastic skills and quite daredevil stunts perform– diving from a very high look out post!  Their new ride Atlantis was wonderfully presented and interesting even to us adults.  All in all a wonderful day with a delicious carb filled lunch at the Legoland hotel whilst we warmed up and the little ones ran themselves ragged.  Job done!

Violet and her new Lego friend ©TamaraBeckwith

Back to London and it was a quick turnaround for another Monday night out.   (So much for the no plans on a Monday night rule).  A great friend, Scott Curie was over from New York looking after the “Queen of Mean” Joan Rivers.  I have never seen her perform her comedienne role before and so quite naively I thought it might be a bit vanilla – was I ever in for a shock!  Sitting in a box with some of her other guests I almost choked within the first 5 minutes. Nothing is off limits with Joan.  She was speeding across the Royal Albert Hall stage in a dazzling coat of fuschia sequins with such fury I could not accept her telling us she was, in fact, 79 years old.  One of my favourite lines was how she is thinking of setting up a “Feels on Wheels” service for the elderly. Sadly the rest of her act is totally unprintable but I have been imitating her all week to various friends and get so involved I don’t realise it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ kind of nights!

Me with Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa

After the show I went down to Joan’s post-show party to meet her and her daughter Melissa.  To say they are weeny is a gross understatement, but so sharp and naughty. Also very warmly chatting to Louis Walsh and my favourite interiors whizz Lady Jane Spencer Churchill. Their work schedule is intense and Joan had just been touring England back to back for the week.  I had a couple of glasses of champagne and couldn’t resist stealing a Joan Rivers cupcake. A new convert I will proudly admit it, she was simply sensational.

Me on the red carpet at the Skyfall premiere

I was still finding the whole night hilarious when I woke up the following day but had to get my skates on to meet Daniel Galvin Jnr – a good friend and hairdresser.  We are hosting a little Halloween party on the 31^st to launch his new Organic Hair products for Children, Duble Truble.  We were in the middle of trying to agree decorations and entertainments, etc when in breezed Made In Chelsea’s Millie Mackintosh.  I had actually just seen her with her beau Professor Green at breakfast that weekend.  She was super pretty and polite and was obviously a regular. We agreed on all the details and I was home to get ready for the premiere to end all premieres, Bond’s new Skyfall.  The reason it was trebly special was because it was the 50^th Anniversary of the James Bond films and in celebration the premiere was being held at the Royal Albert Hall.  My escort for the night was my long term agent and business partner Ghislain Pascal.  Dress was black tie as the evening was in the presence of the Prince Charles and Camilla. So far so glamorous.

Me at paparazzi time at the Skyfall premiere

Even my jaded eyes were out on stalks as we made our way up the grand back staircase of the Albert Hall.  Red carpet heaven as the best of the best posed in front of a bank of photographers worthy of the Oscars.  Naomi Campbell and her handsome beau Vlad were in matching tuxedos whilst actress Helen McCrory (she appears in the movie) was a little girls dream in a fairy tulle puff by Marchesa.  Holly Valance, recently back from her wedding, was one of my favourites in a super chic orange Tom Ford outfit. The throng of people was a huge nod to the producers Barbara Brocolli & Michael Wilson and to the fact that they had done something very clever with their father’s Bond legacy. Rachel Weisz, beautiful in jaw-dropping bejewelled lilac, was so discreet she actually reunited with her Bond, Daniel Craig inside the hall before he had to shake Prince Charles’ hand. Rachel and Daniel are notoriously private and she is a huge star in her own right.  What a wife!

Me with Nadja Swarovski and Assia Webster

Once in my seat, I must add I was in the front of a box only four or five down from the Royal Box and couldn’t stop sneaking a look to see if the royal couple were enjoying the film. Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes is very unfluffy, slightly dark and heavy on action but I, for one, would just have liked a little more sexiness, but I guess the Box Office will be the judge.  Off to the after party at the Tate Modern, Ghislain and I had a riot with Assia and Stephen Webster and Nadja Swarovski with her suave husband Rupert Adams.  An immaculate vintage grey Aston Martin was there for the guests to admire and we all took silly photos, they even had thoughtfully created a Skyfall photo booth.  I bumped into Tony Broccoli, a very old friend from LA and the brother of Barbara.  The party was full on with trays of cocktails and I was thrilled to see my friend Kate Driver who was with her sister Minnie Driver in a scarlet satin sheath.  I was on a mission to find my new friend Bruce Bozzi who had come in from New York.  Much searching later he was unearthed in the inner sanctum with Daniel Craig and his posse.  Stephen Webster went over to say hello, as his jewellery had adorned the latest batch of beautiful Bond Girls.  I was happy to catch Assia’s eye as it was yet another school night and we made the brave decision to call it a night.

I was again up with the larks as I finally had to do something dull – hunting for all my receipts for a VAT return (not my idea of a couple of hours well spent). Another weekend of chilly country walks, a little horse riding all in time to replenish my energy for a sexy Agent Provocateur runway show and a Halloween party for the little people, oh and a little Lionel Richie….