Shiva Rose curates the website Local Rose, which was born out of Shiva’s desire ‘to celebrate a holistic, healthy, authentic life style without sacrificing taste and glamour.’ After having her first daughter, and being diagnosed with an auto-immune condition, Shiva started to follow a natural, authentic way of life. She lives in Santa Monica, California, with her two daughters.
Shiva joined us for dinner in LA last month, and picked her top choices from the Spring Summer 2013 collection.
We’re delighted to announce the opening of our first store in Berlin on prestigious street, Kurfürstendamm. This larger store follows the opening of our boutique space in department store KaDeWe.
This new store was designed by renowned British architects Universal Design Studio, who showcased our dedication to craftsmanship through tactile, natural materials like timber and limestone, as well as using oak for a subtle reference to our rural roots in the English countryside. You will also see bespoke design touches in store, including Bocci pendant and Lee Broom crystal globe lights.
We’re also excited to announce our collaboration with local Berlin artist Frank Hülsbömer, who has created a bespoke installation for a dedicated space in the store. The installation will be showcased throughout the summer and celebrates ‘history and craft’, as well as the city’s innovative creative community.
Mulberry on Kurfürstendamm stocks men’s leather bags and accessories, and women’s bags, accessories, shoes and ready-to-wear.
Find the store at Kurfürstendamm 184, 10707 Berlin.
To celebrate the opening of this new store a beautiful and exclusive Willow Tote has been created in Biscuit Brown Alligator, the only one of its kind in the world.
There’s no inspiration like sunny skies and semiconductor chips. At least not for the brilliant women who live and work in the heart of Silicon Valley. We sat down with some women who are helping shape the world’s most beloved tech products and services, while maintaining their sense of personal style in a male-dominated industry. They share their inspirations, and how their taste is shaped by the unique culture of their industry.
In the final part of this series we bring you Alexandra Levich, Product Manager at Google.
By Mariana Lin
Where did you live before coming to California?
I was born in Russia. In the 1990s, I moved to Israel, where I grew up and went to college. I served in the Israel’s Defense Forces as a software engineer. Then I moved to northern California to work for a startup, and a year later I joined Google as an engineer.
How has living in Silicon Valley impacted your style?
If I had chosen another profession, my style would have evolved differently. My style is much more casual than it would be elsewhere, because of the tech industry. I love to wear t-shirts and jeans. You could describe my style as geek chic. I have a big Google t-shirt collection.
How do you adapt your style to the workplace?
I want to look professional, but still feminine. I’ll wear high heels and jewellery to balance the casualness of the t-shirt and jeans. But I don’t dress over the top where it would take attention away from my work.
Which piece from the Mulberry collection best reflects your style?
The Dorset High Heel Booties fit my style perfectly.
What are your favourite places to eat and hang out in the Bay Area?
Cafe Venetia in Palo Alto has the best atmosphere and coffee, pastries and cake. It feels like you are in Europe. And Joya has great tapas.
What inspires you about California?
California allowed me to become who I am, and be comfortable with my own style. I don’t feel forced to follow trends. In other parts of the world, people might look at you strangely or make comments if you dress differently from everyone else. But California is so diverse and lets everyone define their own sensibility.
Read part one, with Apple’s Jenna Boule >
Read part two, with Facebook’s Morin Oluwole >
Read part three, with Pinterest’s Cynthia Maxwell >
Find Mulberry on 166 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94108 Tel: 415.399.9105.
Our iconic bag styles come in a variety of leathers and colours each season. The Bayswater, Alexa and Lily have new colours for Spring Summer 2013 like Bright Apricot, Raspberry and Mint, as well as classic shades such as Oak, Chocolate, Deer Brown and Black. Mulberry icon Bayswater has a colour for every personality; which one is yours?
The Bayswater is a much-loved style, with recognisable design signatures and an understated practicality. Outwardly simple, with no external pockets, inside the Bayswater has belted straps to adjust the compartment size, and can hold A4 documents and folders, and small laptops and technology accessories. The iconic postman’s lock secures a leather flap closure, and two top handles can be worn on the shoulder or carried in the crook of the arm. The Bayswater can be adapted to many situations and occasions, and we welcome customers into our stores every day to discuss how it can work for them.
It takes a team of people time, attention to detail and considerable skill to make a Bayswater. From checking the leather for minor imperfections, to creating each panel, stitching and compiling the bag’s parts into the finished product, at each stage quality and care is paramount.
Mulberry icons are those bags that are continually recognised for their timeless appeal and understated elegance. Our leather craft heritage is apparent in their signature detailing, whether in the leatherwork or hardware, with plaited leather, belted straps, padlocks and the iconic postman’s lock closure.
The Bayswater, nearly ten years old, is considered a Mulberry classic, available in a myriad of colours each season, with complementary accessories as part of its collection. The Bayswater has also formed the basis for bags created since then, including the Alexa, Del Rey and Lily, who all take the Bayswater’s signature postman’s lock and crafted leather detailing on very different silhouettes. The plaited handle of the Alexa, and the woven leather and chain strap on the Lily, both display the intricate handwork that goes into making a Mulberry bag.
The talented pastry chef at Claridge’s has been busy in the run up to Easter creating a chocolate egg worthy of its grand surroundings at the beloved British luxury hotel. This year the Claridge’s egg combines themes of timeless glamour and the hotel’s rich Art Deco heritage and was inspired by the famous checkerboard floor in the hotel’s famous lobby.
Just 100 limited-edition Deco eggs have been made, using dark, milk and white chocolate and filled with home-made miniature chocolate eggs. We were very happy to see one had been created specially to wish Mulberry a happy Easter, as Claridge’s gave us a glimpse at the intricate process behind creating an Art Deco egg.
A Mulberry contributor (and frequent traveller) comments on style and the ‘golden age’ of travel.
By Henrietta Thompson
I often ponder, usually as I join yet another queue, what it must have been like to travel in ‘the Golden Age’. When trains and planes were considered glamorous affairs. When the journey itself was something to be celebrated rather than a necessary hassle punctuated only with endless waits and vases of caffeinated water. During the first half of the last century, getting from A to B was itself something to experience in its own right. Crucially, it was an experience worth dressing up for.
Like going to the theatre or opera, the art of dressing for a journey is one we’ve largely forgotten, preferring instead to dress for comfort and survival. What the journeyman of the Golden Age realised of course, was that comfort and class are not mutually exclusive. The panama hat, the pressed pyjamas and an immaculate luggage set were all accessories to a pre-planned look that made every queue an opportunity to pose, and every plane corridor a catwalk.
The British traveller, once upon a time, was widely considered the best at this. Though today the reputation of the Brit abroad has changed somewhat, he was once considered the archetype of elegance as he went about his ‘grand tour’, his business, or simply conducted his international affairs. The journey might have taken longer than today, but as it was as much a part of the traveling experience as the grand hotel or residence the gentleman would have eventually arrived at, sartorial consideration was equally as important.
So what has changed? Why has the action of traveling lost its allure, the focus now being almost entirely on the destination instead of the journey itself? And is there anything that we could do to change things?
In the majority the blame tends to shift towards the rise of budget travel, as well as the time-poor commuter. As proper cutlery and crockery have been phased out along with railway porters, so too have passenger standards slipped. But we can’t just blame a decline in the glamour of the airport lounge; as passengers we also need to take some responsibility.
It’s time for a rethink. Life is a journey, they say, not a destination. And that is never more true that when traveling for business, when the journeying part of any trip is likely to take up about 75 per cent of your entire time away. It would make sense to make the most of it.
So where to start? A good tip is always to begin with the bags, of course. A considered set of luggage will elevate any outfit and of course traveling is really the only time when it’s possible to put it on show. A strong suit of cases will make any journey an instant special occasion. From thereon, layers are the key. A comfortable outfit in an uncrumpable fabric, should be seasoned with leather accessories and a liberal dose of super soft cashmere.
For inspiration, turn to the cinema. If you want to meet a stranger on a train you’ll want to look your best. Hitchcock’s current revival provides a back catalogue of wonderful looks, while the Titanic and the Talented Mr Ripley are also worth studying. Then there are British classics such as a Room With A View, Brideshead Revisited and of course, James Bond.
And if you feel you need to test out your look before you board? If it will see you to tea at Claridge’s or a cocktail at the Connaught, then you’re well on the way already.
Discover the Mulberry travel collection >
Classic Scotchgrain and leather luggage has been a part of the Mulberry travel collection for decades, and is loved for its durability, practicality and understated luxury. Over the years the travel collection has expanded to include travel accessories; all the essentials you’ll need for the daily commute, work trip or holiday.
As well as the instantly recognisable Scotchgrain collection, there are full leather pieces such as the Clipper and Piccadilly, both beautifully crafted signature styles, and products for all needs, including lightweight weekend bags, suit carriers, hand luggage suitcases and holdalls in different sizes.
Travel accessories include passport covers, travel wallets, card cases, wash bags, travel adapters, luggage tags and a range of leather cases for iPad, iPhone and Blackberry.
We found a beautiful image from our archives celebrating the art of travel, featuring original Scotchgrain luggage piled up next to a vintage car, ready for an adventure!
Creative director Emma Hill hosted dinner by the pool at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles for a group of Mulberry friends, following a preview of the Autumn Winter 2013 collection.
Mulberry brought some English touches to the balmy California evening, including countryside-inspired flowers and wildlife decorations (including British Butterflies and a handmade mouse) and enjoyed English sticky toffee pudding after supper.
Guests included Marisa Tomei, Alice Eve, Mena Suvari, Emily Mortimer, Liz Goldwyn, Shiva Rose, Brit Marling and Ashley Madekwe, wearing pieces from the Mulberry Autumn Winter 2013 collection.
