This Week Citizen Femme Loves: 13.11.23

Voices of fashion to voices of women, the year is closing with opinions.

Indulge in something that will make you richer this week, whether learning a new recipe from Mira Manek’s cookbook or discovering more about the 1970s feminist movement at London’s Tate Britain. Meanwhile, Burberry Beauty’s new boutique in Selfridges and Ett Hem’s gorgeous wreaths will kick start your festive weeks ahead. And they are bound to be exciting ones. This is what we’re loving in this week’s Citizen Femme hotlist.

Burberry Beauty is making a grand return to the makeup scene, announcing the launch of its first boutique inside the beauty hall of Selfridges in London. This exclusive area presents the brand’s comprehensive makeup and fragrance collection, showcasing their complete product line as well as a beauty counter where shoppers can enjoy product trials before buying. New offerings include the innovative Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation inspired by the iconic Burberry trench coat fabric as well as Burberry Kisses lip product, along with a trio of holiday exclusive shades presented in limited edition packaging.

Design-led faux flower Ett Hem London has come together with Colours of Arley this Christmas to create a wreath you will want to display year after year. The iconic stripe colours are inspired by the timeless English Rose combined with modern Swedish interiors, and the bows come with a ribbon attached to easily tie onto a Christmas Wreath. All wreaths and arrangements are hand-tied and beautifully packaged in London, arriving in a canvas dust bag so you can keep your wreath protected, year after year. This is the luxury wreath that lasts forever.

Indian restaurants in London are taking centre stage with delectable dining across the capital. This weekend’s Diwali celebrations were a small showcase of the variations on offer and if you bagged a table at one of these restaurants, you were undoubtedly in for a treat. But the association of Indian dining can often be with heavy, rich and indulgent cooking. With more people turning to healthy home cooking there has never been a better time for a fresh and lighter take on Indian food – one that Mira Manek has created with her homegrown style. Inspired by her mother and grandmother’s cooking, Manek provides a modern interpretation of Indian classics, from a Saffron & Lime Chia Pot to an Indian Summer Salad, a Thali to a Masala Almond Milk. Her book Saffron Soul combines the best of the core elements of Indian cooking with original health-promoting twists. She also recreates some perennial favourites, replacing traditionally used grains and sugar with more nutritious ingredients such as millet, chia and jaggery, and cutting down on oils and fats, to make her dishes even healthier. This is one to self-gift this Diwali, and indeed this Christmas.

Women in Revolt!, the exhibition at London’s Tate Britain, begins in 1970, with protest banners against Miss World – “We’re not beautiful. We’re not ugly. We’re angry” – and the first Women’s Liberation Conference, held at Ruskin College in Oxford. This exhibition puts feminist art from 1970 to 1990 under the lens, is its sheer scale and comprehensive coverage. It’s angry and its thorough, showcasing 100 feminist artists and collectives kicking violently against the system. After all the freedom and liberation promised by the Swinging Sixties, British women in the 1970s had to deal with the reality: not much had changed. 1970s anger became its own movement, with attempts to get the Equal Pay Act of 1970 duly enacted through to the anti-pornography, pro-choice and Reclaim the Night marches of the 70s. The 1980s brought Thatcherite neoliberalism, nuclear threat and endless racism; things hadn’t changed. This is an exhibition that is about the fight to change the world. Extraordinary and depressing in parallel.

Fashion lovers, this one is for you. For a stylish weekend away, The Fife Arms presents their inaugural Festival of Fashion, taking place this weekend from 17th to 19th November 2023. A full weekend fashion immersion against the backdrop of the majestic mountains of The Cairngorms National Park, explore the world of couture with eminent fashion journalist Tim Blanks and acclaimed international designer Simone Rocha, to a fashion illustration class with celebrated designer Giles Deacon. Braemar itself is a village steeped in fashion history with Elsa Schiaparelli, a frequent guest at Braemar Castle. The weekend offers guests an opportunity to learn about the fine craft of couture and the role of artist collaboration, as well as the future of fashion and the meaning of the clothes we wear. To coincide with the success of the current sell-out Chanel exhibition at the V&A, Oriole Cullen, V&A’s Curator of Modern Textiles & Fashion, and Leonie Bell, Director of V&A Dundee, will take a deep dive into the world of textiles from Scotland and beyond.

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