New Opening; Auriol Wine Bar

A few months back I was thrilled to hear news of a wine bar opening in our village. Auriol Wines in Hartley Wintney has been an established wine shop for over 25 years and following a refurbishment, last month they reopened their doors as a wine bar too.

We couldn’t wait to try our new local, so we visited a few weeks back and tried their taster flight – three different wines of your choice to taste for £10.

Some pretzels and fresh bread with olive oil and balsamic was the perfect pairing to sample our wines.

They’ve done a great job of turning the shop into a classy little wine bar complete with quirky yet tasteful interiors, creating a cosy and friendly atmosphere.

This weekend we were back again to try yet more wine and sample one of their delicious looking cheese and charcuterie boards. We opted for the medium platter of four cheeses and meats served with crackers, pretzels, grapes, rocket and chutney.

All of their cheeses are locally sourced and were divine, my favourite was the Heckfield. Portion size was very generous and our bottle of Australian Grenache red wine was a wonderful pairing to the assortment of different cheeses.

We’ve been waiting years for our village to open a wine bar as it’s the ideal location and plenty of customers on the doorstep, business will thrive there no doubt.

The team at Auriol Wines have done a fantastic job of transforming the shop into a lovely wine bar locals will love. I know I’ll be visiting on the regular for date nights and my weekend wine fix with the girl gang ❤

Parisian Style; My Weekend in Outfits

Parisian street fashion is famous for its simple yet chic approach to dressing. Sleek silhouettes and effortless basics paired with one or two statement pieces, is the fuss-free formula for that timeless French style.

For our first day strolling the streets of Paris, I wore a pair of classic white skinny jeans from Topshop, a puff sleeve floral red blouse from Abercrombie & Fitch and plaited jackfruit ASOS sliders, accessorised with a subtle pearl anklet and a white beret of course.

Saturday evening we headed to the Moulin Rouge so I dressed for the occasion in my over the knee boots, white Zara skirt-shorts, black Zara ruffle strap square-neck crop and gingham baker boy. So cliche but such a vibe for the Moulin Rouge, c’est bon!

For another day exploring Paris, I opted for comfort with my Grenson boots, camel flare smart trousers from H&M, striped bandeau and statement tortoiseshell cat eye sunnies. Blue and white stripes are such a French classic and paired perfectly with that polished camel tone, il est parfait!

Sundown drinks before dinner we headed down to our hotel courtyard for a charcuterie and vino. I wore my H&M camel flare trousers again, white bone corset bandeau and vintage Prada heels, complete with a cute silk neck scarf to finish that feminine French look.

On our final night in Paris we had to experience the Eiffel Tower lit up by night, so we headed into the centre of the city for dinner. I felt tres chic in my oversized vintage Jaeger green blazer to keep off that evening breeze.

I just love dressing up and embracing the style of the city I am visiting by taking inspiration from the locals themselves. Paris still stands to this day as one of the most classy, chicest fashion capitals of the world…tres tres chic ❤

All About Audrey

Needless to say, Miss Hepburn is the epitome of timeless style, grace and beauty. I became infatuated with Audrey Hepburn’s captivating screen presence when I first watched her running around New York in one of her most famous roles as Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Only Audrey could depict an otherwise frivolous, superficial character with such charismatic charm.

Having collected numerous coffee table books and reading up about her childhood and background, I’ve become obsessed in the humble story of Audrey Hepburn. From deprived war child to Hollywood icon of the century, her journey to stardom was not an easy road, but certainly proof of her unique talent and enchanting demure.

Her catalogue of blockbuster movies is extensive and in each film she never fails to bring with her that Hepburn sparkle. No wonder she was picked out back in her early career on stage as the ‘chorus girl with the eyes’.

A new Friday evening tradition has been to sit down with my mum and watch a different Audrey Hepburn movie each week, accompanied with a glass of wine or G&T to see in the weekend of course 😉 In fact a few years ago we had a glorious day in London together attending the Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, I was in my element!

Week one of our marathon we began with the classic Breakfast At Tiffany‘s, followed by Roman Holiday and last Friday Sabrina. With each movie comes a fabulous array of outfits as Hepburn found herself collaborating with world famous designers throughout her career, in particular the French designer Givenchy. This show stopping gown worn as Sabrina is a personal favourite of mine – isn’t it just breath-taking!?

Away from the screen Hepburn dressed a little more casual, but nevertheless maintaining that effortless class and elegance. She was the trend-setter for timeless fashion and she remains a style icon to this day.

I love recreating her off-duty minimalistic, but equally chic looks. So in honour of this Friday’s movie I went all Audrey in a pair of cropped cargo pants, an oversized tied shirt to accentuate the feminine silhouette, little neckerchief scarf and a pair of mules. Simple yet classy and always stylish.

Miss Hepburn will forever and always be my icon for all that she achieved and gave back to the world with her movies, fashion and even her devotion to UNICEF in later life; a true to testament to her beautiful soul beyond that pretty face, she certainly was an angel ❤