January is over and we have been enjoying a sprinkling of snow and some brilliant blue skies. Weekends now seem to mean longer walks along the Ox Drove which lures us in new directions exploring routes we don't normally have time to walk.
Week days have been busy with online orders, buying and preparing for the new season ahead.
I opened Hetre in Feb 1998, which seems a very long time ago now! It has made me think about some of the suppliers who I have been working with consistently for many years. Those relationships that endure are really rather special. You recognise and love signature styles that don't need to be reinvented each season just a change of colour or fabric to move with the trends.
With the sale coming to an end; it is an exciting time of year that we planned about 6 months ago now: the arrival of some of our Spring collections. The first arrivals will be from Penelope Chilvers who I have worked with for many years and admire enormously.
This last year since the pandemic erupted on us has been challenging not just for stores but for the companies who supply us.Team Chilvers (it's a family affair) has made yet another fabulous collection and I wanted to share with you some photographs of them choosing leathers, a day at the factory and finally shooting the end results in the dusty foothills of the Andalusian mountains. I hope this will give you a taste of what will soon be on the shelves at Hetre - or at least online for the time being!
Penelope and her girls in Spain (do you recognise her signature fabric linings?).
A day in the factory:
Excited for the Amelia in khaki and terracotta suede to arrive (above)
There are so many more fabulous styles coming in, long and short boots, sneakers and espadrilles in a raft of colours and materials - suedes, leather, velvet and canvas.
This is the Oscar, a much loved favourite in sage green and silver, arriving shortly and available online to pre order.
What I'm watching: Netflix Alert ... I loved this so much I urge you to watch this if you haven't!
My Octopus Teacher is a documentary narrated and produced by Craig Foster, who was suffering burn out. He starts free diving every day for over a year in the cold underwater kelp forests near Cape Town, a soothing balm for his soul. He meets and forms an incredible bond with an octopus who shows him things he had never seen before. The filming is ravishing, be prepared to be mesmerised.
What I'm cooking:Tonight we are going to try a Pasta Evangelist supper, will let you know what we think! One silver lining of this third lockdown has been the chance to stop and think about cooking, which more often than not, can slip down the list of daily priorities.