MAMA APRIL/MAY 2016

Mama FOR STYLISH LONDON MUMS

APRIL/MAY 2016

Carey Mulligan

ISSUE TWO | £3.95

PARTY TIME

Chic ways to celebrate baby's birthday

Welcome to motherhood

MODERN MUM FASHION

with Style Me Sunday

Art STAR

Must-have Spring fashions for little ones

Back to Black Monochrome maternity looks

RAISE THE ROOF

Inside the home of

Scandi Mini founder Gabrielle Spång

BO O NOWKING FO R 20 16

Discover blissful baby & toddler friendly holidays Everything that parents need for stress free getaways in luxury villas and 5* resorts Call us on: 0800 014 2770 or email: enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk

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Contents Apr il May

AG E N DA

H E A LT H & B E A U T Y

64 BEAUTY NOTES

86 SIX OF THE BEST

16 BRINGING OUT BABY

66 FITNESS NOTES

90 TOY BOX

Dates for the coming months

Pregnancy massage at Aman Spa

The best baby classes in London

The benefits of baby swimming and smart vitamin supplements

20 ONLINE/OFFLINE

70 FOODIE FOCUS

This month's best books and apps

Healthy Ibizan-inspired recipes from Tanja Ting

26 SOMETHING ABOUT CAREY Carey Mulligan welcomes motherhood

INTERIORS

STYLE

38 ART STARS

74 NURSERY NOTES

48 STYLE THE BUMP

76 SCANDI LIVING

56 MODERN MUM STYLE

80 PARTY TIME

Best baby buys put through their paces

Must-have spring fashions for littles

ON THE COVER NINE IN THE MIRROR

nineinthemirror.com

ESSENTIALS

14 WHAT’S ON

Inside the home of Gabrielle Spång

With Apphia Michael

Chic ways to celebrate baby's birthday

Inside Natalie Lee's wardrobe

3

Put to the test: highchairs Our pick of the best plush toys

T R AV E L

96 TOTS TO TRAVEL

A stress-free Grecian retreat

98 LA DOLCE VITA

The ultimate Sicilian family villa

102 SNAP HAPPY

A photographer's guide to taking holiday snaps

105 UK FAMILY GETAWAY

Take a walk on the wild side at Port Lympne nature reserve

April / May 2016

Amelia, 5 months. Wearing �o Brightly

Baby you’re so next season #pimpmybump

GIGGLE 2 - TRAVEL SYSTEM

ZOOMI - GROUP 123 CAR SEAT WITH NEW 5 POINT PLUS ANTI-ESCAPE SYSTEM

YO2 - PUSHCHAIR

Introducing our Go Brightly collection, for next season’s babies. Choose yours. cosatto.com

Mama FOR STYLISH LONDON MUMS

Contributors

The mamas who helped to create this issue share their heroes and what they're looking forward to this Spring

EDITOR HELEN BARON CONTRIBUTING EDITOR APPHIA MICHAEL COMMERCIAL MANAGER KATIE AMPS DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIP THIAGO ALVES ART DIRECTOR RAY SEARLE SENIOR DESIGNERS PAWEL KUBA, PHIL COUZENS PRODUCTION MANAGER STEWART HYDE FINANCE DIRECTOR ALEXANDRA HVID

CHARLOTTE PHILBY

Journalist and founder of motherland.net

My ultimate female heroine would have to be Beryl Bainbridge: she drinks, she smokes, she seemingly doesn't give a flying toss... and as well as being a wonderful, hilarious writer she is quietly also a brilliant artist – and she has FOUR CHILDREN. @motherlandnet

MAJOR ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR TAMSIN LUCK PA TO THE DIRECTORS MARIANNE MCFADDEN DIRECTORS GREG HUGHES, ALEXANDRA HUNTER MANAGING DIRECTOR SHERIF SHALTOUT

For editorial enquiries please email: helen.baron@zest-media.com

CHARLOTTE EMILY GRAY Family photographer

We have recently moved to the flat on the ground floor so this Spring I am really looking forward to getting into the garden and growing some plants and veggies with the kids.

PHOTO: © Zoe Maxwell @emilygrayphoto_

For advertising enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: katie.amps@zest-media.com For media partnership enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: thiago@zest-media.com Part of the

ZEST MEDIA PUBLICATIONS LTD 197-199, City Road, EC1V 1JN T: 020 7704 0588 ZEST-MEDIA.COM

BETH EVANS Writer

I love Buster’s weekly swimming lessons. We’ve been going together since he was three months old and it’s lovely to see how far he’s come and to imagine the future family holidays by the pool.

Zest Media Publications Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Zest Media Publications Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

Fo l l ow Us O n T wi t t e r @ABSOLUTELYMAMA Fa c e b o o k ABSOLUTELYMAMA In s t a g ra m ABSOLUTELYMAMA P i n t a re s t ABSOLUTELYMAMA

EmbryoCare® Insurance cover for your unborn child We cover 14 different conditions from your 20 week scan through to your child’s 2nd birthday. To find out more, give our team a

www.embryocare.co.uk 0800 6444 355

EmbryoCare® EmbryoCare Future Family Insurance EmbryoCare Limited is an Appointed Representative of Pulse Insurance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Smoothie Suit

beautiful clothes for gorgeous girls from 0-15yrs

Notting Hill, London W11 2AJ 020 7229 5855 Primrose Hill, London NW1 8UY 020 7586 1552

www.ilovegorgeous.co.uk

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We l c o m e

Editor's Letter

I

A curated collection of stories, inspiration and insights pertinent to the modern mum

n an interview in our launch issue, Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said she was inspired by ‘real’ mums rather than the 'role models’ trotted out by the media as examples of how to ‘have it all’. In Roberts’ opinion, a lot of these women achieve success partly because they start out with every advantage going.

I found Roberts' honesty seriously refreshing. In putting together Absolutely Mama I hope to strike a balance between a fun, ‘aspirational’ take on motherhood – all boundless creativity, sophisticated style and photogenic happiness – and the everyday, earthbound challenges with which we’re all undoubtedly more familiar.

It’s a balancing act Charlotte Philby knows well. In this month’s Mum Diary, Philby talks about founding leading online mum mag and boutique motherland.net. She’s as honest as Roberts in detailing the stresses she faces keeping her professional and

family lives in sync. Being a parent can be fun and liberating and wonderful, of course. And the media will always focus on the successful and the beautiful. But such stories rarely represent the whole, unvarnished truth. We ought not to reinforce a slew of unrealistic ideals for the next generation. Motherhood is hard enough already.

It’s with this in mind (and with both International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day recently gone) that I want to congratulate all mums, not just those who happen to make the ‘papers. So well done, Mama, wherever you are. Keep up the good work – and enjoy the issue.

e dito r

PICK

Sushi Leggings, £16; tobiasandthebear.com

Helen B ar on ED I TO R

@hel_bow helen.baron@zest-media.com 9

’s

April / May 2016

10 T h i n g s We

Absolutely Love SWEET CAROLINE Caroline Bosmans

QUIET STORM Bacabuche

The new collection by Belgian designer (and, um, psychiatric therapist) Caroline Bosmans shows her fantastically offbeat imagination in full effect. Fruity colour washes and edgy, oddball prints abound. abacus-kids.co.uk

This US brand offers an understated, contemporary take on babywear, with versatile pieces in demure, practical shades of charcoal, navy and pink. Cuts are desirably minimalist and fabrics as soft as can be. We sense a new obsession in the offing...

Available at cissywears.com

TOTS AMAZING Bon Tot

SHOE PEOPLE

We can’t get enough of Bon Tot’s own-brand hand-knitted jumpers, and the shop also carries brilliant Liberty print bloomers by US label Billie Blooms. The only problem is getting your order in before your favourite bits sell out! bon-tot.com

Wo l f i e & W i l l o w

We love these luxury leather moccasins from Wolfie and Willow. Made ‘for little eco warriors’ and available as lace-ups or slip-ons, they’re super soft for babies’ delicate feet.

From £38; wolfieandwillow.com

absolutely-mama.co.uk

10

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SITTING PRETTY

M u m a n d D a d Fa c t o r y

French design studio Mum and Dad Factory creates stunning furniture – for mini-mes. From streamlined beds, desks and shelves to our favourite chair, now available in black rattan as well as natural plywood. €92; mumanddadfactory.com

IN PRINT

Beau Loves

’s edito r

PICK

Beau Loves continues to blaze a trail into SS16 with an upbeat, graphic collection that mixes soft organic cottons and light summer weaves with monochrome tones and subtle hints of colour. And don’t forget the brand’s trademark punchy prints… Streetwear for little ones never looked so good. beauloves.co.uk

EYE CANDY Akid

This might just be the world’s hippest kids shoe label, founded by a husband-and-wife duo who count Kanye West among their creative collaborators. The brand focuses on footwear, and we’re after these Evil Eye hi-tops for the summer season. If only they made them in adult sizes… Baby wins again.

Akid Cream Eye Canvas Trainers, £58; alexandalexa.com

DANCING QUEEN

Bang Bang Copenhagen

Ruffles? Check. Arty blocks of colour? Check. Minimalist, monochrome polka dot print? Check. Looks like Bang Bang Copenhagen has covered every angle a girl could ask for with their Dancing Dora Leotard. Great for dancing; even better for striking a starry pose. Lights, camera... £34; lunaandcurious.com

MODERN LOVE

Baines & Fricker

Lovingly crafted from pale birch ply, this modernist doll’s house is a minimalist mama’s dream come true: just the right size for dolls from Sylvanian families to Playmobil, and with scope for personalisation in the form of painting, decorating and furnishing. £300; store.motherland.net

11

MAMA’S THE WORD The Gray Store

The simplest things are often the best – like this canvas washbag-cum-clutch. Perfect for storing toiletries or credit cards (and phone), and the embroidored ‘Mama’ makes a nice statement. £20; thegraystore.com

April / May 2016

THE NEW APP FO R A N E W B R E E D O F M A M AS

Mama FOR STYLISH LONDON MUMS

APRIL/MAY 2016

Carey Mulligan

ISSUE TWO | £3.95

PARTY TIME

Chic ways to celebrate baby's birthday

Welcome to motherhood

MODERN MUM FASHION

with Style Me Sunday

Art STAR

Must-have Spring fashions for little ones

Back to Black Monochrome maternity looks

RAISE THE ROOF

Inside the home of Scandi Mini founder Gabrielle Spång ABS MAMA_COVER_HB_0.1 (1).indd 1

06/04/2016 14:05

TO V I E W T H E FU L L V E R S I O N O F A B S O LU T E LY M A M A . . . ...please download from the app store or email m a m a @z e s t - m e d i a . c o m f o r s u b s c r i p t i o n s

www.absolutely-mama.co.uk