Our sister is born! Last week Biondi saw the exciting opening of her sister boutique, which is situated in the luxury location of Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel, Portugal.

We wanted to give the boutique the exact atmosphere as our London based store, so we set about sourcing shop fittings that would look at home here in Chelsea. The idea was to take elements of London’s chic edginess, but maintain the resorts relaxed vibe.

Once all the shop fittings and accessories had been sourced, choosing the swimwear and clothing was the next enjoyable task. Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel is known for its water sport ready beach, so we knew we would have to include practical beachwear like the Ondademar Lace Dress, alongside beautiful Vix bikinis and Karla Colletto swimsuits

As our London based stylist staff are exceptionally knowledgeable when it comes to swimwear brands & fit, we knew the same would be applied to our Martinhal boutique. Our staff, Filipa Montero & Paulina Joanna Czepulkowska, have been trained to fit, style and advise customers on their swimwear and beachwear choices.

We plan to hold an official opening of the boutique during the summer, but the unofficial opening was celebrated with the Portuguese speciality, Pasteis de Nata (Custard tart type desert) which was quaffed by all the new customers... And staff!

We’re so happy to have this exciting new venture and hope you get the chance to visit Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel and experience what the resort & boutique have to offer.

Thank you’s:

Biondi were helped massively by the Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel’s manager Luis Chaves, who kindly guided us through the process, assisting with any problems that arose in Portugal.

The shop floor plans and layout were superbly designed by the interior architect, Gustav Szabo.

Last month saw Biondi host yet another exclusive party. This time the event was organised by The Family Travel Collection, a specialist travel company focused exclusively on designing and arranging luxury holidays for families with children. The event was also in conjunction with Daios Cove, a luxurious holiday resort based in Crete.

Here at Biondi, we adore spoiling our customers, but for this occasion our special guests for the event were clients of The Family Travel Collection, who’d been invited to enjoy a wonderful evening being dressed by the Biondi stylists.

The guests were treated to a champagne reception followed by scrumptious canapés.

The wonderful Daios Cove staff held a presentation on their resort, showcasing all the extra special amenities they had to offer, such as private pools for each villa, concierge service and the extraordinary Private Jet & Helicopter Service.

Once the socialising and networking depleted, the thoroughly enjoyable evening came to an end, our lucky guests left with a little (but fabulous) goodie bag from Biondi, filled with gifts that will most definitely be used on their next beach holiday.

Should you wish to find out more about The Family Travel Collection you can email info@familytravelcollection.com or call +44(0)20 7581 9683.

Or if you wish to contact Daios Cove you can email info@daioscove.com or call +30 28410 62600.

Biondi have hosted various parties & shopping events, if you wish to find out more about the facilities we have to offer or wish to book a special event yourself, please contact Hannah at hannah@biondicouture.com or call +44(0)20 7349 1111.

During the festive holiday, swimwear from Biondi featured for the third time in Made in Chelsea, this time in their Christmas ‘spesh’ episode on 22^nd December. We absolutely love seeing our swimwear featured on Made in Chelsea, the girls always do such a fab job of rocking our bikinis & swimsuits!

The cast of Made in Chelsea have been ‘totes amaze’ when it comes to supporting their local stomping ground. If you haven’t seen the programme, they regularly feature local businesses, shops, restaurants and locations… obviously you couldn’t have the programme without them, considering the name & nature of it, but, the stars of the show have shown their appreciation and support through Twitter, Facebook and their own personal blogs by updating their fans with info on where to buy the clothing, jewellery & swimwear that they adorn on each episode.

We’ve had several mentions from Rosie Fortescue, Louise Thompson, Millie Mackintosh & Caggie Dunlop in blogs, on Twitter & on Facebook and we appreciate every single mention of our name. Our multi branded boutique may not have its clothing & swimwear ‘Made in Chelsea’, but we’re located here, on a little capillary off the main artery that is the Kings Road, we’re more than proud to be located here, in the heart of Chelsea.

For more information on the bikinis worn by E4 Made in Chelsea stars Rosie Fortescue & Louise Thompson - Please call us on 020 7349 1111

This month we experienced our second cameo on TV. Slowly, but surely, we are becoming a household name – well that might be a little bit of an exaggeration. Never the less, we’ve gained more beautiful followers on Twitter and Facebook due to the help of the E4 Made in Chelsea stars.

We always knew about the power of social networking but how to use it was another thing altogether. Once our brands and our own bespoke swimsuit were worn on TV by the E4 stars, we were hit with the real potent potential that Twitter & Facebook had to offer a specialist boutique – a few tweets from the Made in Chelsea stars Rosie Fortescue, Millie Mackintosh, Amber Atherton,  Caggie Dunlop & Louise Thompson have given us the opportunity to reach out to new customers with amazing new brand information and opportunities for shopping events in store, among many more fabulous offers.

As our niche is to give customers the best service that we can humanly offer, having another way of communicating with people is invaluable to our philosophy. We want people to visit our store and experience personal styling tips, advice on cuts, sizes and styles which they can walk out of our boutique happy, with a Biondi bag swinging from their hand, knowing they have been given nothing but honest help.

Now we have reached almost 900 followers on Twitter, we can’t help but think that this could be 900 more people we can give a helping hand to when it comes to getting the right swimsuit or bikini – because let’s face it, for most of us, the idea of that holiday moment when you have to step out for the first time on the beach or by the pool wearing your bikini isn’t a thought that fills us with joy, in fact, it’s usually one that fills us with dread. But knowing that you’ve had unbiased advice on style, size, colour and cut… you’ll bound to be full of self-confidence.

Some might look down on companies using TV shows as a way to gain publicity, but from first-hand experience we have embraced our 15 minutes of fame like Andy Warhol suggested we would, we’ve used it to connect more with our customers, adding to our unique personal service, which is something you undeniably can’t look down on.

For more information on this stunning red swimsuit by Biondi - £195, as worn by E4 Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh, please call us on 020 7349 1111.

If we want to prevent our high streets from turning into bland, identikit versions of each other, or dying off entirely , then we have to rally around little independent stores.

The Telegraph is playing its part and has launched its Best Small Shops in Britain competition exclusively for indies.

Take this opportunity to salute your favourite independent stores who offer something the big boys can’t: a unique and personal service. We hope you feel that Biondi deserves a vote!

Vote for Best Small Shops here

Vote for your favourites and you automatically enter the draw to win some fabulous prizes. We’ve had great fun here discussing our votes for each category. Of course we all put Biondi in the Women’s fashion category.

Kelly comes out on top! 

“If you could look like anyone in the world, who would you choose?”  This is a common theme of chit chat in our shop…. from the stylist team to the customers!  That’s why there were a few knowing glances last month when Kelly Brook strolled in to browse our new summer stock. 

What is it about Kelly?  Well, she is a real woman.  She has all the curves in the right places mixed with a huge amount of self-confidence and zest for life!  Anyway, she headed straight for the Vix bikinis, tried a fair few on and settled on the Vix Tortoise , Vix Zebra Tube, and the Vix Solid Tube.

 Then, Hannah, our fabulous shop manager, convinced Kelly to try our cup- size brand Eda as they are cut especially for her shape. She agreed and bought the  Miami and the Coral (in store only).

She them spotted the cut-out one-piece by Ondademar and had to have it – she looked AMAZING!

Kelly swept out of the shop with her new swimwear in tow leaving us all to agree that perhaps we too needed one more bikini for the summer ahead! 

Just one final note:  the press got wind of Kelly’s fabulous figure in Vix, Eda & Ondademar – have a read: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1290528/Why-Kelly-Brooks-165-Vix-bikini-the-summer.html

All in one....

I was out enjoying a delicious dinner with 3 girlfriends earlier this week.  The excitement of the summer led to holiday chat which, in turn, led to wardrobe planning….  And suddenly there was a divide:  were we bikini birds or one-piece posers?

It’s clear that the more body confident of us will happily opt for the bikini but – interestingly – the one-piece shouldn’t only be chosen as a ‘cover up’.  Karla Colletto’s swimsuits http://www.biondicouture.com/Catalog.aspx?bid=26   are masterpieces this year, full of ruffles, twists, cut-outs…..The debate is an ongoing one but, as the one-piece is so on trend this summer, we are seeing more and more of our clients purchase both bikinis and one-pieces. 

Molly Gunn – a freelancer journalist and now ‘friend’ of Biondi – wrote a great article in this week’s Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/7861723/Swimwear-clinic.html

highlighting some of the issues we have choosing our swimwear.  The day the article appeared in the newspaper led our phone to literally ring off the hook in the shop and the site was busy too!

So what is my parting advice?  Well, my mantra has always been the same:  ignore trends unless you have an amazing shape and focus on the fit.  As always, I am around for advice:  claudined@biondicouture.com or do call/visit the shop. 

The Beauty of Bespoke

Are you one of a kind?  I tend to think that – as women – we take huge pride in being our own person and choosing clothes which will flatter and complement us.  In fact, as a teenager, I couldn’t bear to pull on leg warmers just because…. well, everyone else had them on.

More importantly, we like to look different.  Last year a woman I hugely admire, Anya Hindmarch, launched a bespoke service in handbags, giving her clients the opportunity to have a hand in designing something completely unique and personal.  I realised then the real reason why we had created the bespoke service here at Biondi ( all those years ago) allowing clients to  design (with our assistance) made-to-measure, bespoke swimwear.

A few big names have dropped by Old Church Street to be measured up…. it’s a lot of fun and not all tape measure!  With more than 100 colours and prints to choose from and armed with our charms, beads and other accessories, the process allows you to create swimwear which will not only flatter you greatly but also make you feel truly unique on the beach!

But, enough about the bespoke bikini as bespoke now comes in all forms.  My bespoke awards would go to:

http://www.larabohinc.com/ for jewellery

www.jomalone.co.uk for smells

www.dicha.co.uk for vintage

www.katestarkeycouture.com for elegantly tailoring

www.anyahindmarch.com for bags

Food Glorious Food

So – like me - you've booked your summer holiday and bought your beautiful, designer bikini… and the only nagging thought is the 5 lbs you promised yourself you’d lose before facing the beach.  Sound familiar?

But don’t panic, it’s not too late, I’m going to tell you my secrets, with a little help from my friends!

1)                   drink water and then drink some more.  It does in fact make you feel full, healthy -and makes your skin look less ‘London’!

2)                   think swimwear – I always think swimwear before I eat chocolate and, just sometimes, it puts me off!

3)                   Get busy with salads, they take ages to prepare so a little nibbling as you go and…. You’re full before dinner!  Check out Jennifer and Courteney’s http://www.handbag.com/celebrity/Courteney-Cox-reveals-Anistons-10-year-diet/v1

4)                   Embrace brown rice, non-dairy milk (oatley is a good one) and cut down your fruit intake – but you can still wear leather shoes!

5)                   Keep trying on that bikini – maybe even wear it around the house….! It will remind you how much better you will feel once the 5lbs have flown away.

6)                   Purchase a totally forgiving kaftan to make you feel more confident http://www.biondicouture.com/Products/240/chevron-batwing-kaftan.aspx

7)                   Don’t eat baby food, starve yourself or let the 5lbs get in the way of having a great holiday!

All that glitters

We have all learnt the hard way.  Should we take that beautiful piece of air loom jewellery on that beach holiday or not?  ‘Of course not’, says all who have lost and never found again.  But, fret not, holidays don’t need to be jewel-free.  I will be continuing my search this week at http://www.londonjewelleryweek.co.uk/ to add to our collection of holiday jewels in my bid to prove to you all that glitters may not be gold….

Stop by the shop to try on the beautiful holiday sparkles, perfect to add to your poolside glamour or even as a clever gift for a girlfriend…. online you’ll find just some a small selection of the 2010 gems http://www.biondicouture.com/beach-accessories/jewellery.aspx

Other clever ways to accessorise your beach look would be to snap up one of Anya Hindmarch’s colourful clutches http://www.biondicouture.com/Products/171/rochelle-straw-clutch-bag.aspx , choose a Seeberger visor (for each outfit?!) http://www.biondicouture.com/Catalog.aspx?bid=25 or simply shade your eyes with Oliver Peoples Strummers http://www.biondicouture.com/Products/16/oliver-peoples-strummer.aspx

Cellulite – the bottom line

Orange-peel skin, lumpy and bumpy, wobbly bits….. find me an honest woman who doesn’t have a little cellulite?

The point is that while we can of course take steps to improve the shape of our legs, the easiest way to look great and feel great in your swimwear is to self tan for confidence, choose a swimsuit or bikini made using quality fabrics and never leave home without a fabulous cover up!

Dr Howard Murad (www.murad.com) recognised as one of the world's foremost authorities on skin health, lists a range of food which apparently help ‘the dimples’ disappear such as egg, spinach, peanuts (peanut butter – honestly?!) and oily fish, amongst others. 

Kate Shapland (beauty writer for Saturday Telegraph Magazine) says to scrub away the winter webs and recommends a range of delicious looking potions - check out:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/beauty/7771509/Summer-beauty-special.html

I agree wholeheartedly with their advice but also think we are busy women who need look no further than the Ondademar Marrakech bikini http://www.biondicouture.com/Products/191/marrakech-bandeau-bikini.aspx and matching beaded tunic http://www.biondicouture.com/Products/159/marrakech-beaded-tunic.aspx

Oh and most importantly, despite any lengthy preparations or none, you’ll only look as good as you feel.

2010 Trends

If I had a manicure every time I was asked about this year’s hot list for our beach wardrobe, my nails would look a darn sight better than they do!  Journalists, celebs, our lovely customers and even my mum seem keen for advice as they start their swimwear shop to update their ‘poolside wardrobe’.

So – you heard it here first – 2010 is all about femininity as it lures us into fabulous ruffles.  Combined with the vivid seasonal purple, we will be looking our best either in or out of the water! Finally, the bandeau bikini lives on in a ‘I’m here to stay’ way.  I think it’s the bare shoulders which flatters women all of shapes and sizes….

I’m off to Cuixmala in Mexico and my Anya Hindmarch holdall (I travel super light) will be bursting with Ondademar and Karla Colletto one pieces as well as the new-in Vix’s teresa tube zig zag bikini.  But my icing on the cake is the Allegra Hicks tie back maxi dress – quite simply the most elegant kaftan I have ever seen/worn/not ironed… The woman is a genius.

Anyway, after a long and cold winter, spring is here and Biondi has more styles and carefully selected brands than ever before.  Shop here or come in and see me and my team for advice and guidance.

Go on birds, get chirping!

A Spoon-full of Sugar

If you’re an avid reader of Daily Candy (aren’t we all?), then you’ll know why there were queues down Old Church Street last Friday and Saturday.   A little birdie told our friends at Daily Candy in advance about our rather exciting sample sale (yes it’s true – a wacking great 70 per cent off current-season swimwear) and from there bikinis and swimsuits were skipping out of the shop before we could say ‘Bon Voyage’ to those looking for the ultimate pre-hols bargain!

Just a few pretty pieces left unclaimed, so do trot by and smile sweetly at Hannah or Caroline! 

http://www.dailycandy.com/london/article/71991/The+Weekend+Guide

Fashion Stalker!

Now for those who haven’t been into the boutique, Hannah is divine. It’s fact – every dress she puts on looks amazing on her and, quite frankly, sells out!

This morning was a first though, even for Hannah. She was followed all the way from the tube and the fashion stalker only plucked up enough courage to ask her where her maxi dress was from, outside Biondi!

In came our fashion stalker, the dress was tried on and purchased before I could finish my coffee and croissant!

The moral of the story: always follow a dress you love.

We’ve gone live!

It’s been weeks of picking and shooting product, designing pages, tweaking pics, styling shots... and not enough sleep (!) but I'm thrilled that the fab, new Biondi site went live today! It’s a similar feeling to seeing your suitcase arrive on the baggage carousel: huge relief but also excitement about the trip lying ahead...

Our online journey is just beginning... By the way, I’m not a blogger per se. I just thought some of you might be a tiny bit interested in the goings-on behind the shop, the site, my retail and wholesale businesses and what amuses us day-to-day in our swimwear hideout on Old Church St! Anyway, someone mentioned that I might be the first bikini blogger. How fun.