The lighter side
Brigit Grant looks at this week’s buys, laughs and people
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
The very best Bracelet
Natasha Davidov looks like a woman with good taste. Sleek and confident, she makes you wish you’d worn pearls, which is a good thing because she sells them along with finely crafted jewellery designed for her brand Davidov London.
Her collection is full of fab pieces, but none more so than the Aska Maternity Movement Bracelet (£30), which is not only pretty, but serves a vital purpose.
“It was designed to help women monitor patterns in their baby’s movements and notice when those patterns change,” explains Natasha. “Changes in movement can highlight problems requiring medical intervention and with each bead corresponding to a single movement, it is possible to monitor the bumps and keep track of the changes. One mother saved her baby by being induced because the tracking provided by the bracelet enabled her to inform the hospital about the movement.”
The Aska bracelet came from a collaboration with Louise Macleod, a creative NHS worker who had the idea during her pregnancy and wanted to reduce still birth rates by encouraging and motivating women to notice changes sooner.
“I named the bracelet after Ivo Andric’s story, Aska and the Wolf’ which was special to me as a child,” says Natasha whose family history dates back to 19th century Odessa before the emigration to Hungary, then Serbia where she was born. “The heroine is Aska, a lamb who ballet dances her way out of a wolf’s clutches. It taught me at a young age, you can fight for life, dreams and creativity.”
Launched in April, the Aska maternity movement bracelet is made of moonstone, rose quartz and amazonite and includes a white freshwater pearl to signify where to start counting each morning.
With the addition of a sterling silver or gold-plated charm, which can be engraved with the baby’s name, or mum-to-be’s initials, Natasha hopes the bracelet will offer recipients joy and confidence at a time when being pregnant isn’t easy.
“It’s a lovely baby shower gift that serves as sentimental memento with a genuine life saving function.”
www.askamaternitymovementbracelet.com and for luxury jewellery,
www.davidovlondon.com
If You Knew Suzy
For a boutique on the doorstep it’s hard to beat Suzy D. Women drive for miles to reach Bushey and locals on the school run always drop by to buy a T-shirt or hippie summer skirt.
But with restricted travel, closed schools and the shop shut, what’s a girl to do?
Go to the website of course, where all the usual Suzy D fashion suspects are available to peruse and buy.
Owner Suzanne Douani knows how to dress down stylishly and her 100% cotton ultimate joggers in multiple colours have been flying out, with the tees and lightweight knits close behind.
The clothes are all made in Italy, so Suzanne is thrilled the factory is opening this week as there’s spring 2021 to think about.
Hopefully we’ll be out by then and when we do, what will Suzanne be wearing? “One of my fabulous printed shirts and jeans – if they ever fit me again.”
www.suzyd.com for a 25% discount.
Gwyn and bear it
Gwyneth Paltrow is baffling. Since launching her lifestyle brand Goop for the rich and ridiculous, the Jewish actress seems to have consciously uncoupled with reality and cast herself as a deluded dart board at which those with less money and more brain can throw pointed abuse.
Earlier this year she was selling a candle named after her nether regions which must have terrified her Jewish husband TV’s Glee creator Brad Falchuk, but her penchant for pushing overpriced products has not stopped despite the furloughing of the film industry so check out Stella McCartney loop sneakers for £501 for dog schlepping and Heather Taylor Home designer face masks at $50 a pack.
Gwyn has also decided a global virus is no reason to stop pushing Goop Glow masks (£112) as exfoliation is a pandemic priority. To her credit, Goop-Falchuk refused to take the government’s offer to pay staff at her London store, so feel free to peruse the sale, where Sonia Rykiel trousers are only £383!
Isolation Lips
The words ‘lockdown lips’ sound like an oxymoron on a page for Jewish women, so let’s focus on the best lipstick for ‘Houseparties’ and ‘team’ meetings. Just as the labels on bottles always take me to wine, so do the names of cosmetics. So for lockdown I’m choosing Jane Iredale’s Lip Drink ‘Pout’ and ‘Giddy’ (£12), which contain carrot seed and avocado oils and SPF 15 sun protection.
Deliverance
With Rocky-style fights for supermarket deliveries, and kosher chickens as elusive as a dodo, Sabeny.com is a gift. The kosher delivery firm sends groceries across the country and before Passover even got matzah to the Isle of Wight.
Owner Shlomo Grosskopf realised the need for Sabeny.com when he failed to find kosher food on a UK holiday.”Everyone should be able to buy kosher affordably regardless of where they live and we’re cheaper because we bulk buy.” Special packaging ensures all food stays fresh and a courier service alerts its arrival. “I think sure those who buy Sabeny now will do so in the future,” chirps Shlomo.
www.Sabeny.com
Read more HERE: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/spotlight/kosher-comes-knocking/
Where there’s a will, there’s OY VEY
Last night I went to Brent Cross. The parking was easy, not a 4X4 in sight and I sailed silently through John Lewis’ spring collection – (mostly florals and puff sleeves) before meeting a friend at Lola’s cupcakes.
Unfortunately the friend never arrived because one can’t invite pals into dreams in the way you can to Houseparty.
Shame about that, because lockdown has forced shopacholics to secretly drive past Brent Cross to sniff the air or admit their consumer withdrawal anxiety to other Jewish women on social media shtels. The advice on Jewish Women Talk About Anything is to look for the danger signs, so if you wake up convinced you bought a diffuser in The White Company or underwear in M&S, don’t look for the receipt – get help.
BC19 (Before Covid 19), which is a cheerier acronym for the virus that has attacked the world than DDSL (destroyed daughter’s social life), I never knew I could host a soiree without kvetching in the kitchen all day and tidying the house. Now thanks to the aforementioned Houseparty I can invite everyone, leave the lounge littered, mute the meshugenas and get rid of all the guests by simply pressing ‘End Party’. No more buttering bagels and refilling glasses in these unprecedented times, as I can now serve virtual fishballs in a schlocky sitting room knowing there will be no lingering Jewish goodbyes in the hall.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
