Happy New Year! It’s Twelfth Night, the official day to take all those Christmas decorations down. So, to cheer you up and ease you stylishly into 2013, there’s an extra 10% off everything in the BrandAlley sales and our OUTLET when you shop today. But hurry, this purse-friendly treat ends at midnight, tonight!
Valentino: Master of Couture
Start the new year in style with a trip to Somerset House to see Valentino: Master of Couture, celebrating the life and work of this legendary Italian designer. Focusing exclusively on haute couture from the 1950s until today, this fascinating, interactive and multi-media exhibition takes you on a journey into the secretive world of the Valentino atelier. Plus, you can feast your eyes on over 130 beautiful creations worn by style goddesses like Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Sophia Loren.
Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair
Talking of icons, there’s a wonderful tribute to the world’s most famous blonde bombshell over at the National Portrait Gallery. Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair is free display of photographs and magazine covers from 1947 to 1962, showcasing the transformation of the most popular pin-up girl on the planet to acclaimed actress. And this chic little exhibition puts the spotlight on the British photographers and personalities who admired her and worked with her.
Twelfth Night celebrations
Head over to Bankside at 2.45pm today, outside Shakespeare’s Globe, for free Twelfth Night celebrations from the Lions Part theatre, which mixes ancient seasonal customs with modern festivities. Highlights include the Holly Man decked in evergreen foliage (the winter guise of the Green Man from folklore), appearing from a boat on the Thames to ‘bring in the green’ and ‘wassail’ (toast) the people, the River Thames and the Globe – plus an exciting performance by the fabulous Bankside Mummers.
The Tatton Park Antiques and Fine Art Fair
If you’re in the North West today, check out the Tatton Park Antiques and Fine Art Fair, the UK’s first major, prestigious antiques fair in 2013. Enjoy a lazy Sunday browsing stalls full of beautiful things sold by fifty leading antiques and fine art dealers from across Britain – with everything from Georgian glassware, Victorian and 20th century jewellery to decorative mirrors, modern art and much more.
Try something new: learn a craft
Why not try out a new creative hobby in 2013? If you need a bit of inspiration, go to All About You, where you’ll find simple guides for beginners on a variety of crafts – like candle-making, appliqué, stencilling, knitting, crochet and patchwork. Plus you can choose from loads of free online patterns to help you get started.
Happy Sunday
Jo x
Picture credits: © Image in top banner taken from thelionspart.co.uk; Photo: Valentino with models, 2007 © Lorenzo Agius @ www.aandrphotographic.co.uk; © Marilyn Monroe: Cecil Beaton by Ed Pfizenmaier, 22 February 1956; © Image from Twelfth Night Celebrations taken from thelionspart.co.uk; © Image from the Tatton Park website; © Image of expert knitter Rachel Ong demonstrating how to cast off from the All About You website.
