The English Mademoiselle Diaries

I am starting a new lil' series over here on the blog to help celebrate my favourite smaller designers.
And I'm starting with BANA a sunglasses brand created in 2014 the French/ Lebanese designer Tanya Hayek. They showed the Spring So Cute Collection at the show I saw, and I want a pair of all of them. I have seen sunglasses like this before with the floral embellishments but none with this amount of attention to detail. The brand doesn't just use the cliché roses, they have picked different flowers, with different shades, and for me what really makes them stand out is the use of different tints on the lenses to either contrast or compliment the floral designs. Now, of course, the best way to get to know a brand is to talk to the owner, and that is what I have done. So here begins an interview with Tanya Hayek the owner of BANA.

How would you sum up your brand?

I would say that every pair of sunglasses has a personality so by wearing them you are adopting that personality. And with the flowers, I believe that everyone is so beautiful and so everyone deserves to have a bouquet of flowers to match their personality.

If you could only wear one pair of your sunglasses for the rest of your life which pair would it be?

I could never wear one pair of sunglasses for the rest of my life I'm always changing which ones are my favourite about every three months or so depending on the season. But if I had to choose right now I would go for the Ceaser pair because they are so different from the normal flowers and pastels I normally work with. That and I am currently in Cannes ready to release my new collection near the time of the film festival, so this pair makes me feel like I am dressed to the standard of everyone else living and staying here.

Tea or coffee and how do you like it?

I love both but prefer tea because you can get so many different flavours so I always have a new favourite type. I also prefer it because it is healthier.

If you could live and work in any city in the world where would it be?

Not really a city but I would love to live in Hawaii!

How did you create the Spring So Cute collection?

The basic concept was based on going to the beach, and that I was bored of seeing the same sunglasses everywhere. So I made customised an old pair of my own, then a few compliments later and a push from a friend I starting selling them as a business.

Do you think this sort of embellishment could work for normal glasses/would you ever design normal glasses frames?

Yes totally! I take private orders in the town where I live, and people give me either a pair of sunglasses or normal specs for me to customise. I don't think I would create a glasses frames collection just yet because you can play around with sunglasses so much more.

Who are your favourite designers or artists to draw inspiration from?

Most of my sunglasses draw inspiration from the people I see around me, and the round shape comes from the iconic John Lennon glasses.

What are your favourite colours to work with?

I love to work with the colours of the sunset, I currently have a paint that goes from orange to yellow depending on the light you're under which has been really fun to work with.

A massive thank you to Tanya for letting me interview her, and if you want a pair of glasses by her ready for the summer and festival season head over to the BANA website!

XO, Miriam

*disclaimer, I am in no way sponsored to do this post.

//Top - People Tree//Skirt - UO//Cardigan - BooHoo// Pleather Sandals - New Look//

Oxford is still in that weird in-between phase of spring where it's not quite warm enough to go without tights, but it is too warm to wear more than two layers after midday. So here is my compromise between some of my summer staples and so of my leftover autumn and winter pieces before I put them away. I am still trying to experiment a bit more with my look so today I tried out some pieces that vary in length, and I am pretty happy with the result.

This is probably something I would wear out for dinner with friends or if I had a class presentation at uni, basically any time when you need to be a little smarter than your average jeans and a tee combo... Which if you know anything about me you is my go to thing to wear.

Have a wonderful day!

XO, MIRIAM

Hannh Sykes

Bana

Noora Pajari

Sabina Saga

Emanuela Giannelli Design

Hooray for in ability to blog at all for far to long, if I told you how long I have had this post pretty much ready to post you would fee embarrassed for me. So I will try to make this short. Now you may have seen that last season that I attended the OFS shows in Oxford, but while they were enchanting and showed me the wonderful mayhem that is pre-runway show it pales in comparison to the LFW shows. There was more of a buzz surrounding these shows, as well as an incredible location, Devonshire Square anyone?!

I am going to do a more in-depth post on one or two of the designers because I couldn't get over how much i loved their designs. But for now these are some of my favourite shots and looks from the shows. If you want to see more obviously head over to the OFS website (here) to take a closer look and find out about tickets for next season.

Sorry this post is oh so short, but I have so much to say about some of the designers that they need their own post or maybe a video I don't know yet. But it is coming I promise.

XO, Miriam

With so much going on in my life right now I'm struggling to find the space to just breathe.

In, out, in, out, in, out

And even when I do catch some time it is like watching time fall through my fingers like the way the sea moves past my body as I walk out into the surf. Where do you begin to look for the space to breathe?

I've found it in strange places: the utility room, on the swings, talking to the loveliest homeless woman on the way home from work, while sat drinking flat whites and green tea, just inside the front door. All of these places aren't new to me, they just happen to be the places I find the most peace. Where nothing reminds me of him, where I can breathe freely for a moment before my brain begins to start again.

XO, Miriam

There is so much I want to do right now, there are so many things I'm looking forward to doing. But there are also parts of me that don't want to do those things because if I do I leave things behind. Things I love, people I love and lost, memories I don't want to give up.

*listens to Audrey Hepburn sing Moonriver*

The thing is moving forward when there is so much to let go of is hard, harder than I expected. It means asking for help in unlikely places, and from unlikely people. It means cutting off, burning bridges, and not turning back. For me I know I need to move forward, and not once consider the alternative future that could've been.

*lets housemate into the house*

The problem with losing someone you care about is that you need to find you again. A you that doesn't co-exist alongside their values all the time any more, a you that stands alone to face the world and everything in it. A you that is the truest for of yourself in that moment.

Moving forward is as scary as it is freeing, as exciting as it is painful. Cause damn this will be hard, but I'm going to do my best.

XO, Miriam

The addiction to smoothies continues forever... And the simpler the better in my eyes!

So grab these things from your fridge/freezer/cupboard or wherever else you may keep your food.

4-6 super spotty bananas

1 cup of baby spinach

1 cup of mixed tropical fruit

1 cup rice milk

1-2 cups of ice cold water

Blend the spinach with the coconut milk into a paste first, then add all the fruit and the water and blend blend blend.

*and the vegans are going to blend blend blend*

Drink up and be happy.

XO, Miriam

Tah-dah! Another 'What I Eat In A Day' post, I wanted to do these more often than I have but I don't always have my camera near by when I'm eating...

Breakfast: As always I started the day with a big bottle of water, and on this day I had marmite on brown toast (get that B12 in people) and a bowl of oranges.

Snack: You guessed it more oranges, I happened to have loads of really juicy rip oranges so why wait to eat them!

Lunch: *please excuse the over exposed photo* *cringes* Can we all raise our hand to me finally putting blueberries in salads because this is the best! I made this salad with a mix salad bag, falafel, thai crackers, sesame seeds, tahini, chai seeds and moron hummus. I had two bowls of this, because second helpings are important to me okay...

Dinner: PIZZA! I bought some remade bases from the supermarket and put loads of veggies on top of some tomato sauce. The veggies included onions, potatoes, spinach, peppers, and mushrooms, all topped with siracha.

So there you have it what I eat in a day.

XO, Miriam