RueLaLa's Shopping Event w/ British Airways & Visit Britain

Fashion flash-sale site, RueLaLa, is having a brilliantly British sale today. They've partnered up with British Airways & Visit Britain to offer "luxe goods from four Britain-based design houses [as well as] exclusive offers on British Airways flights". The collection includes discounted items by four British fashion legends: Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney, Ted Baker, & Mulberry.

Check out the sale HERE and get (jet) set to hop across the pond!

Not a member of RueLaLa? 

Click HERE for an exclusive "Blimey, That's British!" invitation to join RueLaLa.

Liberty of London and Barbour - Now Available at J.Crew!

Classic American outfitter J.Crew is taking a British twist now by offering iconic Barbour wax jackets for men AND women and women's Liberty floral oxford shirts. Right now you can even get a few of their Liberty designs, the D'anjo shirt and several one and two-piece bathing suits, at 30% off their sale prices! Just enter "OURTREAT" at checkout. The promotion ends on Sunday, October 28th at 11:59pm.

Liberty and Barbour at J.Crew by victoria-harman on polyvore.com

Alice by Temperley for Stella & Dot

Haute British fashion house Temperley (a favorite of Kate Middleton) has designed a limited edition special collection of fashion jewelry for American based online boutique Stella & Dot. Prices range from $39-148. Check it out HERE.

Here's a video of the designer, Alice Temperley, talking about her inspiration for this special collaborative collection:

Top of the Pops: Listen live to British Radio - 95.8 Capital FM

Missing UK radio? Sometimes Britain just gets the top pop music hits a bit earlier than America. Never fear, Capital FM offers a "listen live" feature on their website.

Listening to Capital FM live will require you to enter a UK Postcode if you are abroad. However, you can enter ANY valid UK postcode. Are you an expat? Does your family still live in the UK? Maybe you're just over in America for a brief time on business? Type in your UK postcode and it should work just fine abroad.

-- Listen Live to Capital FM by Clicking on the Box on the Upper Right HERE --

Here's what the player looks like:

Great British Sale: Whittard of Chelsea - Ships Internationally!

Whittard of Chelsea

Celebrating a Golden Summer

Up to 50% off Sale

Shop the full sale HERE.

FREE Shipping on all orders $40+ direct from the UK
(International Shipping to USA usually $15)

Everything $5.00 - $46.25

Fine Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate, & Kitchenwares
Great gifts for family, teachers, & co-workers!

Here are my 14 favorite sale items:

Whittard of Chelsea by victoria-harman on polyvore.com

It's Pimm's O'Clock: How to Make a Pimm's Cup

If you've been to England, especially during the summertime, you've probably heard of the popular British cocktail known as "Pimm's and Lemonade" or "Pimm's Cup".


Pimm's was created in 1823 by James Pimm, the owner of the "Oyster Bar" in Central London. While gin was the drink of choice with oysters at the time, it was too bitter to really be savored and enjoyed. So, Pimm created the "house cup" to serve to his patrons which flavored the gin with liquers and fruit extracts. You may notice that a Pimm's Cup uses Pimm's No.1 (made from gin). That's because Mr. Pimm also created a few varieties using different types of spirits. For example, No. 2 is made with scotch and No. 3 is made with brandy.

THE Recipe (according to Pimm's):

1 Part Pimm's No. 1

3 Parts chilled lemonade*

Add some mint, cucumber, orange, and strawberry

Fill the rest of the jug with ice & enjoy!

Here's a list of some other Pimm's cocktails:
http://www.anyoneforpimms.com/recipes/

* Lemonade refers to British lemonade (made by Schweppes) which is a bit like American lemon-lime sodas Sprite or Sierra Mist but with a more distinctively tart lemon flavor. You can purchase Lorina French Lemonade (the clear variety, $4.99), which tastes quite similar, in many stores throughout the USA including BevMo - where you can also buy Pimm's ($17.99)! You can buy the real stuff from Simply Oz, an online Australian grocery store based in Ohio, if you're willing to pay up a little more for it.


Check out yesterday's NBC Today Show segment in which British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver demonstrates how to make a proper Pimm's Cup with the help of London 2012's Olympic Gold medalists in Men's 3m Springboard Synchronized Diving, Troy Dumais and Kristian Ipsen from the USA:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Olympic Athlete Profile: Helen Glover & Heather Stanning (Rowing)

Glover (Left) & Stanning (Right); Photo Source: Team GB Official Facebook Page

On an overcast August day at Eton-Dorney, Team Great Britain finally won its first gold medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The worthy recipients were Helen Glover and Heather Stanning in the Rowing Women's Pair Final. Great Britain has won a gold medal in rowing at every summer Olympics since 1984; however, the British women had never before won an Olympic gold in rowing.

Although the pair was unbeaten in 2012, the team is a relative newcomer in the sport. Glover, a PE teacher, picked up the sport only 5 years ago when she noticed an ad in a local paper for the "Sporting Giants Scheme" seeking ambitious athletes for the upcoming Olympic games at home. She had no previous experience in the sport whatsoever but had run cross-country and played hockey in school. She is a native of Cornwall. 

Stanning, on the other hand, is a different story.  She was commissioned from RMA Sandhurst into the Royal Artillery in 2008 and took time out of her military career to train for the Olympics. Stanning currently holds the rank of Captain and is originally from Somerset. She will return to active military duty at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire in September.

Legendary British Model Twiggy Makes a Comeback

Regardless of whether or not you were even alive in the 1960s, most women have heard of Britain's top style icon of the era, "Twiggy" (Lesley Lawson).  She's best known for her "boyishly thin" and "twig-like" stature, a look that has paved the way for many fashion models of today. 


Twiggy's interest in fashion started at an early age in her home of Neasden, Northwest London. As a child her mother taught her to sew and she used this skill to design her own clothing. Today, at age 62, Twiggy has continued to pursue her love of fashion. She has recently launched the Twiggy London line with the Home Shopping Network (HSN). All of her designs are very feminine and distinctly British.

Here's a peek of a few of the items in the Twiggy London collection:

Shop some of my favorite items in her collection:

Twiggy London for HSN by victoria-harman on polyvore.com

The Barclays New York Cup: NY Red Bulls vs. Tottenham Hotspur

There were plenty of photo opps with the star of the show, the Barclays Premier League Trophy, won by Manchester City in this year's competition.

The New York Red Bulls started off with a 1-0 lead in the first half. However, the game ended in a Spurs victory of 2-1.

There were thousands of Tottenham fans in attendance, enthusiastically leading cheers throughout the entire game...and on the PATH ride back to New York City...and on the New York City streets after that!

The Barclays New York Cup took place on July 31st, 2012 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. Red Bull Arena is home to a season of exciting MLS games as well as many friendlies by visiting teams. Most recently, the Arena hosted an open practice for the Argentine National Team and the French Trophee des Champions Tournament.

How To Speak The Queen's English, Lesson I

British English ---> American English


Transportation:
Boot - Trunk (of car)
Bonnet - Hood (of car)
Lorry - Truck
Coach - Bus (for long distances i.e. National Express in the UK & Greyhound in the USA; city transportation is called a "Bus" as it is in the USA)
Lift - Elevator
Tube / Underground - Subway
Subway - Underground Foot Path or Tunnel


Food & Dining:
Chips - Fries
Crisps - Potato Chips
Jelly - Jello
Jam - Jelly/Jam
Puddings - Desserts (usually cakes)
Sweets - Candies (sometimes also refers to Puddings)
Lolly - Lollipop
Ice Lolly - Ice Pop
Lemonade or Fizzy Lemonade - Lemon-Lime Soft Drink (i.e. Sprite, Sierra Mist), Schweppes makes a soft drink in the UK called "Lemonade" that tastes slightly different, more lemony and acidic/tart
Cloudy or Fresh Lemonade - Lemonade / Fresh Squeezed Lemonade (i.e. Country Time, Newman's Own)
Pies - Sweet or Savory Pies (i.e. meat pies OR fruit or nut pies)
Biscuit - Cookie
Courgette - Zucchini
Serviette - Napkin
Corriander - Cilantro


Clothing:
Pants, Knickers - Underwear
Trousers - Pants
Jumper - Sweater
Hoodie - Sweatshirt (includes what Americans call "hoodies" AND all other sweatshirts)
Trainers - Sneakers
Vest - Undershirt
Waistcoat - Vest
Dinner Jacket - Tuxedo
Fancy Dress - Costume (like Halloween)
Kit - Uniform (like a sports team)
Wellies - Rain Boots (such as Hunter boots)
Brolly - Umbrella

The London Candy Co's London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony Party

Guests mixed and mingled in a festive setting whilst viewing the Opening Ceremony on a large LCD screen in the shop.

Food was catered by Drury Lane and included delights such as: Eton Mess, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Homemade Shortbread, and a lush chocolate pudding with bits of Jaffa Cake & Cadbury Crunchie.

Cocktails were provided by Bulldog London Gin and included tasty combinations of cloudy lemonade, pomegranate juice, and apple cider.


The London Candy Co is located at 1442 Lexington Avenue (corner of Lexington Ave & E 94th Street) in New York, NY.

The 30 Most Iconic Names in British Fashion

In celebration of the London 2012 Olympics and the Opening Ceremony tonight, the media just can't stop talking about all the fabulous fashions from across the pond. Having lived in the UK just last year, I had to put in my 2 cents!

Today I've curated for you THE list of the 30 Most Iconic British Names in Fashion. Most of these names have already hit it big in the USA with boutiques lining the streets of all the major US cities' shopping districts.

(The few that do not yet have US locations offer overseas shipping.)

So....on to my Gold Medalists! Who made the cut?

The 30 Most Iconic British Names in Fashion by victoria-harman on polyvore.com