Happy Monday! As I walked to get my daily coffee this morning I saw a Christmas tree dumped on the side of the road and thats always a very abrupt reminder that the holiday period is officially over! But rather than feel sad about it I am so excited to welcome a new year and all the possibilities that come with it. 2016 was so far the best year of my life. But I feel like the past two years have been this insanely amazing whirlwind and I haven’t really had a chance to stop and actually take it all in! In 2015 we got married (twice!), had a mini moon, got pregnant,had our honeymoon and then in 2016 I gave birth to Mila and that was a by far the most incredible experience I have yet to go through. The lead up to giving birth especially the last month is so exciting and unexpected and you have no idea when its going to happen and what it will actually feel like. And then suddenly from one day to the next you are finally holding your baby in your arms. Its mind-blowing and exhausting but you feel about a million billion heart explosions and your life has from that moment forever changed for the better. But when you are so in it its a lot to take in and its only now finally 6 months later that I feel like I can actually sit back and reflect on all that has been going on. But more of that in my next post.
We had the most amazing holiday and although I initially thought I would find it difficult to switch off from my blog for a few weeks, I ended up doing just that. I didn’t open my computer during the entire time and it felt really good! St Moritz is a beautiful ski resort we have been going to for a few years now which is easily accessible from Zurich and the perfect combination of good skiing and fun. It isn’t the best resort in terms of skiing but there are enough slopes to be able to go for a week and not get bored. Admittedly there are many people who go there and don’t even ski so if you aren’t that into skiing don’t worry there are plenty of very trendy mountain restaurants to keep you busy. People spotting is always fun. But my husband and I are VERY much into skiing so we tend to only briefly stop off for lunch.
It was definitely different this time around. In a way it was actually really hard because I love skiing but I LOVE Mila a billion times more (obvs!) and I missed her the entire time we were on the slopes. But I have always said I think its important to keep doing things for yourself as a mum so I really appreciated this holiday. We don’t usually take our nanny with us. I would prefer not to (don’t get me wrong I love Mila’s nanny but I like to do everything myself. I have had a real revelation about this too recently but more about that in my next post!) But for us there is no point in going on a skiing holiday if you can’t actually ski! And if we didn’t take our nanny that would be the case. We went up the mountain early and I would head back down at around 1 or 2 so I could then spend the entire afternoon with Mila and go for walks while it was still light.
But now I am back and excited to work on new posts and shoots this year. Many of you were asking about my ski outfits so I thought for this first post of the year I would do a round-up of my outfits and my favourite pieces. I was amazed to discover just before I left that TOPSHOP now do a skiwear line called SNO! I wanted to test it out just to see what the quality is like so I got a few pieces and I can honestly say the white jacket (check it out here) I wore for a few of the days is one of the warmest comfiest ones I own. Also loved the saloppettes and the turquoise zip-up body! So I totally recommend looking at their pieces. I also fell in love with Perfect Moment (who btw do kids skiwear too on www.alexandalexa.com but only for slightly older kids) – how fun were my star print trousers? Shop them here. And the star print polo neck which is very versatile as you can also wear it in the city! But they also have great quality jackets – check out this one and this one. Other favourite ski brands are Moncler, Bogner and Fendi. I also discovered Amelia Jane hats just before we left and much to my delight they do baby/kids hats too so Mila and I got matching ones. I never leave without my Moon boots – I take a few pairs as they are light to carry in the suitcase but the warmest shoes by far. And I recently got a pair of Inuikii boots that are a little less chunky than moon boots and come in a variety of colours (check out the selection here.) A helmet these days is a MUST- I remember going skiing when I was growing up and literally NO ONE wore a helmet but it really isn’t worth risking a fall without one – this one from Kask is really slick. And EVERYONE in St Moritz wears fur – I know lots of people have different thoughts about this and I only wear my grandmothers vintage one or faux fur but this vest is gorgeous.
If anyone is planning on going here is a round-up of key places to stay and things to do: There are plenty of amazing options in terms of hotels. For the real glitz and glam go for an old-school hotel such as The Kulm and Badrutts Palace (which are also really fun for afternoon tea!) Or for more low key options try the family run Hotel Steffani or Hotel Baeren. I would recommend staying somewhere close to town so you can walk to the restaurants and main ski lift. You don’t need to worry if you forget items because St Moritz looks a bit like Sloane Street! Shops include Moncler, Bogner, Loro Piana, Valentino and Hermes to name a few. On the slopes my favourite restaurant is El Paradiso – it has a very cool vibe (perhaps you saw it on my insta story a couple of times.) In the evening I love Pavarotti for something low key or Baracca for more of a party atmosphere (its in the middle of a car park so don’t be alarmed by the random location) Also worth trying Talvo and La Marmite.
And finally, ahead of Bubble London (the UK’s leading children’s fashion trade show) which takes place on the 29th-30th January, I interviewed the mother-daughter team behind beautiful childrenswear brand Patachou. Check out the full interview here. Wishing you all a great week xx