Category Archives: Shopping

Independent retail: the personal touch and a bit of a natter

Posted on March 11, 2023 by fortewinks

Many moons ago, my then partner invited me to accompany him to a corporate Racing Day. I had a hunch there was something going on between him and his client so decided my look had to pack a punch. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Consumer rights, Design and architecture, Economy, enterprise, Female Founders, Food and wine, Home, Life and romance, London, property, Shopping, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

London E2: life’s good in the ‘hood

Posted on March 18, 2017 by fortewinks

In April 2008 My Girls and I moved into a three-up-two-down on Wimbolt Street just yards away from Columbia Road, Bethnal Green. It is here that the world famous flower market takes place every Sunday. Despite our proximity to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Entertaining, Family, Food and wine, Friends, Health, Life and romance, London, Motherhood, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

First impressions: the prêt à porter (re)collection

Posted on February 15, 2015 by fortewinks

The black lace skirt with flesh tinted lining, a pale yellow silk blouse, one richly floral Chinese dress and a pair of black suede heels. These represent a handful of perfect pieces that hold memories, some momentary others momentous but … Continue reading →

Posted in Design and architecture, Feminism, Friends, Life and romance, London, PR, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The fine art of fashion retail or “we do that one in red”

Posted on June 12, 2014 by fortewinks

Frock shopping is not a loved pastime: browsing is anathema. If I need something new to wear, I work out what it is and where to find it. The “where” is important because I am a fan of the independent … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Feminism, Life and romance, London, Shopping, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A tale of clever women and country cottages.

Posted on February 24, 2014 by fortewinks

The charms of a weekend in the country have largely eluded me over thirty years as a Londoner, mainly because I feel safe in these smokey streets. So when invitations to go there began to arrive, I thought long and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Business, Entertaining, Family, Feminism, Food and wine, Friends, Life and romance, London, PR, Shopping, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spicy rum, wayward cherubs and the artist unzipped

Posted on January 28, 2012 by fortewinks

Once upon a time I must have known how to spell ‘prompt’. These days its meaning seems to escape me, and so with more metaphorical Lycra than was decent for “fashionably late”, I landed in the midst of Zyg’s Private … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Friends, Life and romance, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bethnal Green Behaviour

Posted on May 30, 2011 by fortewinks

Just over three years ago The Girls and I left the Shoreditch loft that had been our home for some thirty months and into a less exuberant, much smaller,  three-up two-down Bethnal Green cottage, half a mile East. The moment … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Food and wine, Friends, Life and romance, London, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Been spoken for: the wedding suit

Posted on May 16, 2011 by fortewinks

Tim has lassoed Sassy Amanda, my soon to be married Best Friend. He’s the bow to her arrow – or perhaps with less poetry and more realism, the brake to her accelerator.  Tim is a fine man. Following the success … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, London, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wedding Dress shopping when you’re Not Kate Middleton

Posted on April 18, 2011 by fortewinks

She may not be Kate Middleton, but this bride is a sassy, sexy, forty-something businesswoman seeking the perfect wedding dress on a generous budget. So how did she fare in London’s top bridal destinations? Were there any Save the Date … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, London, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment