Harvey Nichols have always produced famously delicious hampers, from cheese selections to weekend picnic baskets they never fail, and this time they might be about to save us again. As Mother’s Day creeps closer and closer and interesting and new ideas evade us, Harvey Nichols have created the Mother’s Day Hamper.

Coming in an elegant white wicker basket, The Harvey Nichols’ hamper is full of sumptuous treats. From pink grapefruit marmalade and mouth-watering strawberry jam to their own English breakfast loose-leaf tea, the hamper is an ideal present to wake up to on Mothering Sunday. There are even clotted cream biscuits and bars of dark, milk and white chocolate, not to mention the final touch of a mini brut champagne bottle.

Harvey Nicholas can deliver inside London in up to 48 hours. So, it’s best to get moving if you’re after something guaranteed to please every mother.

The Basket includes:
Clotted Cream Biscuits 200g, Rose and Violet Creams 135g, Harvey Nichols Mini Brut Champagne 200ml, Lavender and Violet Milk Chocolate Bar 70g, English Breakfast Loose Leaf Tea in a Caddy 125g, Strawberry Preserve 340g, Pink Grapefruit Marmalade 340g, Lime and Coconut Dark Chocolate Bar 70g, Strawberry and Balsamic White Chocolate Bar 70g

Priced at £60 and available at Harvey Nichols nationwide call 0207 201 8632 for stockists or visit www.harveynichols.com

 

Live out those screen siren fantasies at the Connaught Hotel this spring. To coincide with the Grace Kelly exhibition at The Victoria & Albert Museum, The Mayfair hotel is paying tribute to the movie legend with its Grace Kelly Style Icon Weekends. The iconic hotel was once the actress’s London home and many of the staff still vividly remember her extraordinary presence as she floated about the renowned establishment.

Guests can kick off their kitten heels in The Connaught’s elegant bedrooms while viewing such movie greats as To Catch a Thief, High Society and Rear Window. Additionally, a specially created commemorative book and tickets for exhibition will await their arrival. The award-winning Connaught Bar has also devised three bespoke Grace Kelly cocktails: Hollywood Star, Beloved Princess and Royal Bride. Our’s is the Hollywood Star – gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg white served in a chilled martini glass with a spring of mint.

And if you really want to live the dream, the hotel’s renowned butlers will arrange private visits to the legend’s favourite label, Balenciaga – the store is a mere hop around the corner on fashionable  Mount Street.

The package (From £375 per night, weekends only, April 17th to Sept 26th) includes two Grace Kelly cocktails in The Connaught Bar; two tickets to the exhibition at the V&A; a copy of Grace Kelly: Style Icon – the official exhibition book; a box set of iconic Grace Kelly movies to enjoy during your stay and an English breakfast which you will obviously take in bed!

The services of your own personal Balenciaga butler to faciliate your private store visit are also included but sadly, the deal doesn’t stretch to any prospective purchases. That’s what your other half is for. After all, as Kelly once proclaimed “emancipation of women has made them lose their mystery!”

Ring it up – we’re all about the mystery after all!

www.the-connaught.co.uk

 

Ok, we know you can’t actually wear an hotel but this is surely the next best thing.

Much-lauded fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg who reinvented the wrap-dress for a whole new generation is set to unveil her first interior design project. In June of this year, the esteemed fashionista will launch a series of rooms and suites at Claridge’s Hotel.

 

 

Her signature style of iconic prints and bold colours is the perfect fit for Mayfair’s Art Deco landmark and with original pieces of furniture to boot, the collaboration is sure to be the talk of the town!

Furstenberg is a longtime guest and friend of the hotel, having enjoyed an intimate relationship since the 1970s and some of her collections have even been inspired by her favourite London hideaway.

Indeed, one of the designer’s fondest memories was her first stay in the hotel as a young, independent businesswoman. “I knew I had made it,” she breathes, “to me, Claridge’s is the most glamorous hotel in the world and I regard it as my home away from home.”

So, it’s a wrap then, just make sure you don’t clash with the wallpaper!

www.claridges.co.uk

The house of Alexander McQueen presented the final collection worked on by the talented designer yesterday in Paris, to a select audience of the fashion world’s journalists. Uncompleted when he passed away last month, the finishing touches to the pieces were under the control of Sarah Burton, with whom McQueen worked for sixteen years.

The collection was described by those present as hauntingly beautiful, drawing on the most theatrical of tones which have infiltrated McQueen’s work for years. Rather than reaching for the future, the clothes channel the Old Masters, with angels and demons from religious scenes adorning the heavy fabrics alongside hand-painted gold feathers and embroidery. Full accessories accompanied the pieces, from detailed glass necklaces to heavy footwear featuring the eponymous McQueen skull.

The show’s notes simply read, “Each piece was unique, as was he.”

Parent company to the label PPR has announced that the McQueen name will continue to trade, although the leading creative director is yet to be settled.

View the triumphant last collection at www.alexandermcqueen.com

Technically, Mother’s Day is intended to be a day for spoiling your mother. But who says you can’t kill two birds with one stone and join in on some well deserved treats yourself?! The Bentley hotel clearly agree that you should indulge too and have engineered an irressistable ‘day of delights’ too good to refuse. A day of pampering at the spa, lunch and afternoon tea are all on offer at fabulously good value.

The truly delightful day begins with an anti-ageing and rejuvenating Smoothie Facial from the Karin Herzog skincare range to restore youthful glow and radiance. Next, mum’s hard-working hands will be given extra TLC with a luxurious manicure and polish for beautifully glamorous nails before she is escorted to the lobby for a dainty and indulgent afternoon tea.

While Mum is being pampered, indulge in a little me-time with the fantastic Happy Hour packages at Le Kalon Spa, The Bentley London Waldorf Astoria Collection.  The luxurious 5-star hotel spa and hammam is offering 60 minutes of undiluted pampering bliss for just £60, based on availability. Choose any hour long treatment from the extensive spa menu which includes traditional Turkish Hammam, Karin Herzog facials, body massages and beauty treatments and pay no more than £60!
Now you have both been pampered to perfection you can surprise mum with an extra special Mother’s Day lunch at the stunning Peridot Restaurant. Enjoy an afternoon of elegant fine dining, including a glass of sparkling wine and three-course gourmet meal with tea, coffee and petit fours to finish, for £34.99 per person.

If your pampering means you miss lunch, then a delightfully dainty afternoon tea, served with a glass of sparkling wine is also on offer.  Munch on finely cut finger sandwiches, indulgent pastries, along with the traditional scones with Devonshire clotted cream and preserves, whilst soaking up the elegant ambience of the lobby lounge.

www.thebentley-hotel.com