Category: News

Actually, we should shower our mothers with lots of sweet love just about every day, but especially on Mother’s Day. This year, May 12 all mothers across the world get some special attention and gratitude for being the loving mothers they are. And that means, it’s time to get creative and thoughtful in order to surprise the number one woman in our lives.

Every mother loves to be pampered by her child and/or hubby and what better way to start off this day with a delicious homemade breakfast. Something sweet and something savory; these recipes will definitely make our mums wish it was Mother’s day every day.

First: Croissants with honey and roasted almonds

Ingredient:

• 4 tbs. almond shavings
• 4 tbs. honey
• 4 croissants
• Caster sugar

Direction:

Roaster 4 tbs. flaked almonds in a dry frying pan until its golden brown. Stir in 2 tablespoons of honey and spread over 4 croissants. To top it off sprinkle some caster sugar over the croissants.

Second: Creamy cheese omelet with rocket 

Ingredient:

• 2 bags rocket salad
• 3 spring onions2 roasted paprika (container of 465 gr.)
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• Salt and (fresh ground) pepper
• 6 eggs (medium size)
• 1 dl whipped cream
• 100 gr grated cheese
• Nutmeg
• 20 gr cream butter

Direction:

Step 1: Wash and dry store the rocket salad.

Step 2: Clean the onions and cut it into pieces for about 1 cm.

Step 3: Cut the paprika into strips.

Step 4: Heat the oil in the frying pan and stir-fry the rocket and onion about 1 minute. Add the paprika into the frying pan and flavor it with salt and pepper.

Step 5: Whisk the eggs in a bowl with whipped cream, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Step 6: Heat butter and add the mixture in the frying pan and let it clot at medium-high heat.

Step 7: Add rocket salad at one side of the omelet when it’s almost solidified. Double fold the omelet and it’s ready to serve!

Happy Mother’s day! 

Next week, great American novel – The Great Gatsby – gets its glamorous movie premier. The classic story about a man returning from war and getting dragged in to the trials and tribulations of his neighbor Jay Gatsby, has a timeless edge. Besides it being an incredibly intriguing tale, it is also a true fashion feast set in the roaring twenties. And not only the clothing but also the amazing accessories. That’s why Tiffany’s will be launching a diamond jewelry collection in honor of The Great Gatsby.

The worldwide release of The Great Gatsby  has everybody waiting with anticipation. Not only are we dying to see the actors and how they will make the characters from the book come alive, but also the amazing costumes and jewellery already have us at the edge of our seats. Not just any jewels but amazing designs by Tiffany & co. appropriately titled ‘The Great Gatsby’ collection. In order to make every woman feel like a roaring twenties flapper girl, Tiffany & co.

The story inspired some striking pieces like ‘The Savoy’. A diamond and fresh water pearl encrusted headband with detachable brooch. This particular creation is inspired by a Native American design from the Tiffany & Co. archives.

Another amazing piece is the beautiful Chinoiserie inspired diamond and seed pearls platinum bracelet.  A different bracelet that caught our eye is the hand ornament bracelet with a daisy motif in diamonds and a cuff made out of cultured pearls and platinum.

At little Soho we also loved these amazing emerald cut aquamarine earrings, with diamonds and platinum. They simply ooze the spirit and style of the roaring twenties.

From May 16^th you can visit the theaters to see all the great costumes and jewels in action.

Florals, fluoresce, nudes and stripes are the top trends for Summer 2013. Many designers, from Dolce & Gabbana to Moschino, demonstrated to be particularly in love with the last trend of the big four: yes, stripes.

Back to Basic

After seasons of bigger, brighter and better, a lot of designers went back-to-basics with stripes in classic blacks and whites. Slim or fat, horizontal or vertical, chevron, zigzag or check style; stripes were everywhere. No embellishment needed. One man, no other than the genius Marc Jacobs, really grabbed hold of his ruler to measure up and presented sixties-ish shapes, eye-grabbing checks and pure simplicity.

Marc Jacobs

1. Moschino                           2. Celine                                 3. Alexander Wang

Splash of Colour

More poppy and exotic is the use of coloured stripes, which Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger and Moschino among others illustrate with their collections.

1. Dolce & Gabbana            2.Tommy Hilfiger              3. Moschino

How to wear it

Head-to-toe stripes has a slimming impact, but if that seems a little daunting, start with one great piece and remember the truism: vertical stripes flatter and elongate the body. A pair of striped leggings with an oversized sweater or tunic dress could be a great first choice. If a pop of summer is what you’re looking for, throw On a pair of bright coloured heels, a bag or even some lipstick.

Rather than looking retro, nostalgic or minimal, the effect was powerful, evocative and simply wow!

Give this gorgeous classic trend a try. Click here and check out Little Soho’s website for some incredible striped fashion items!

When asked what we would like to be when we’re grown up, ‘a prima ballerina’, was probably one of the most likely answers to be given. Now that we are old and wise, the thought of dancing the Nutcracker on spitzen has become a childhood dream. Getting bikini ready, however, is a goal that comes back to haunt us each summer. Forget all of the endless crunches, squats, lunges and bizarre diets. Pure Bare lets us relive our childhood while getting into summer shape at the ballet barre.

Pure Barre is the latest workout craze and combines the barre from ballet class with pilates and yoga-inspired workouts. According to the founder of Pure Barre, Carrie Rezabek, it is the most effective way to change the shape of your body in a short amount of time. In just 10 weeks you will see the results of the Pure Barre exercises that tone your thighs, abs, arms and lift your buttocks. All trouble areas of the average woman gets worked on. Plus, it burns fat just as fast as we can put that delicious cupcake in our mouths. And yes, that’s real fast.

Although, we can promise you to shape up your body, reduce your fat-percentage and even lose some extra pounds, but – unfortunately – we cannot promise you to not have pain in the process. Oh yes, muscles will get sore, new muscles will get discovered and lots of drops of sweat will flow. Expect to get pushed to the limits in one hour full of push-ups, tricep dips, exercises with hand weights and hundreds (a Pilates exercise). And don’t even think that this ‘workout from hell’ stops there. ‘Cause after this one hour of drilling exercises, it’s time to hit the ballet barre. Here you’ll find yourself squeezing a ball between your upper thighs, while doing a typical ballet ‘plie’ and ‘releve’. Now this  may sound may sound like ‘rainbows and butterflies’, but ‘thunder and rain’ are better ways to describe one hour of Pure Barre.

Keep in mind that how hard Pure Barre might be, the results are more than worth it. After all, there’s no gain without pain. And by ‘gain’, we don’t mean weight gain. Pure Barre will simply help you gain more strength, toned muscles and overall makes for an even better looking body than you already have. Unfortunately, Pure Barre classes are not available in The Netherlands yet, but you can buy all the needed equipment online and transform into a prima ‘bikini ready’ ballerina all on your own!

Image source: Purebarre.com

Check out these stylish swimwear that will go just perfectly with your banging beach body!

In honor of the nice sunny weather we’ve had this past week, we’d like to share this delicious, yet healthy spring salad with you. Does a salad with pomegranate, bulgur and pistachio sounds just as mouth watering to you as it does to us?

This lovely earthy salad with lots of fresh and spicy ingredients will make a great center piece at a dinner party. But also for a summer picnic, or a late night bite at home this salad would be perfect! The following recipe is enough for 6-8 people.

Ingredients: 

• 300 gr of bulgur
• The juice of one lemon
• 1 Butternut squash
• Mild olive oil
• Seeds of one pomegranate
• A bundle of spring unions
• A bundle of parsley
• 75 gr of pistachios

Step 1: Prepare the bulgur according to the directions     on the side of the box. Then mix some lemon juice (don’t use all of the lemon juice) and olive oil through the bulgur. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven at 200 degrees.

Step 2:  The second step in the recipe consist of preparing the butternut squash. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and precede to cut the squash in very thin slices. Spread the slices on a baking tray and season with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Grill them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: While the butternut squash is grilling in the oven, you should start removing the seeds from the pomegranate (or use prepackaged store bought seeds). If you use a fresh pomegranate make sure that the white bit around the seeds doesn’t come away when you remove the seeds. It tastes quite bitter. Also chop the spring unions and parsley to fine pieces and roast the pistachios in a hot oven (or use a frying pan). Let them cool down and chop them roughly.

Step 4: Mix the bulgur with the butternut squash, spring unions, parsley, pomegranate seeds and the pistachios. Season to your own taste with the rest of the lemon juice, olive oil and salt. You will end up with a beautiful, colourful, healthy spring salad.

Recipe by: www.nadiaenmerijn.nl

Queens Day on the 30^th of April has always been a special day in the Netherlands. This year, however, it was not your average Queens Day, but also the abdication of the beloved former Queen Beatrix. Her son King Willem-Alexander and his wife Maxima are taking over the reign and they did so in true royal style.

It all started early in the morning when the now Princes Beatrix and now King Willem-Alexander signed the official documents to pass on the crown. Alongside the new King was, of course, the new Queen, Maxima. Dying to see what dresses Maxima would wear, Little Soho surely wasn’t disappointed. Not by a long shot.

First Maxima appeared at the abdication ceremony wearing a champagne coloured outfit designed by Belgium fashion house Natan. A special detail is that the fabric used in the dress was a gift from Princess Beatrix to her daughter in law. After the long-awaited balcony scene – where we saw a mother proudly presenting her son as the new King and a father supporting his daughter as the now crown princess – it was time for a change of clothes.

And with a new look also came a new location. ‘De Nieuwe Kerk’,was the perfect setting for Willem-Alexander and Maxima to present themselves as the new King and Queen. The first Dutch royals to walk in, were Amalia, Alexia and Ariane accompanied by their grandmother; Princess Beatrix. Their adorable royal blue dresses were a great pre-show for the real show stopper, Queen Maxima. In a stunning dress by Jan Taminiau she looked just how a queen should look like. As a finishing touch, the matching cape added some regal flair to the dress. And let’s not forget about the jewelry. She wore the Mellerio sapphire tiara that was created by Parisian jeweler Mellerio, with 655 South African diamonds set in platinum and thirty-three Kashmir sapphires that are nestled at the bottom of the tiara. Extra sparkle came in the form of a giant oversized sapphire that belonged to Queen Anna of the Netherlands. The tiara was a present to Queen Emma from her beloved King Willem III. Maxima surely set the tone for the rest of her career as Queen.

And just when you think you’ve seen it all, Maxima makes her final appearance at the ‘Koningsvaart’ in a beautifully deep red lace and nude gown, also by designer Jan Taminiau. This last piece truly was the cherry on top of a royal cake and literally showed the world that a new Queen has risen.

Maxima, we at Little Soho salute you!

Your daily dinner has never been this fashionable! Italian brand Gucci is going to take over historic porcelain brand Richard Ginori and plans to launch their own luxury tableware.

Richard Ginori was founded in 1735 and is known for specializing handmade and painted porcelain tableware. The company, which is located in Sesto Fiorentino, was declared bankrupt in January. And then, Gucci came knocking on their door. Because of Gucci’s believe in Ginori they are willing to invest 13 million euros in the company.

Gucci’s decision to invest in Richard Ginori’s company came just in time for the porcelain brand. But besides helping Richard Ginori getting his company back on track, Gucci will also be launching an own tableware line.

The main goal for Gucci is to protect the made-in-Italy label. Besides the financial part, Gucci and Richard Ginori also have a special personal bond. In the seventies, the two companies also worked together on some porcelain items, which currently are showed in a museum in Florence.

Lancôme has found a way to become even more glamorous. The French make-up house has collaborated with well-known designer fashion brand Lanvin. And when two French fashion houses have teamed up, something good is bound to come out!

This collaboration gave Albert Elbaz, the designing brain behind Lanvin, the opportunity to work on his very first make-up collection. “Albert Elbaz is, without a doubt, one of the world’s most influential fashion designers. But beyond that, he is also the most talented,”Youcef Nabi, the president of Lancôme International, told WWD. “His sense of luxury, his vision of feminity and that hint of audacity resonate perfectly with the new values of the Maison Lancôme. We are extremely proud and happy that, with us, he is set to channel his universe in the world of make-up for the very first time”.

Albert Elbaz gave the packaging of this exclusive collection some of his signature designs. Albert Elbaz explained his inspiration for this collection; “Once I was in a fancy place where there was this group of people that were all shining. The shoes were shining, the hair was shining, the skin, watches and diamonds – but the eyes were not shining. I thought if I were to do a project I would love to do a ‘happy eye’ project to make the eyes shine”.  Therefore he created some colourful designs with a playful touch to it. Of course the sexy and shiny eye sketch designs cannot be missed in this exclusive collection either!

The packaging of this limited edition collection, named Hypnôse Show, are all white and littered with festive hearts, polka dots and stars. The collection consists of Drama, Doll Eyes and Star mascara and besides that it also has several eye-shadow pallets. To complete this collection, Lancôme has added a set of beautiful falls lashes.

As of June 15, this festive limited edition collection will be available. While you’re waiting for its release, you can take a sneak peek at the following pictures. And don’t forget to check out the quirky animated video of Lancôme…

Designer Brain Atwood has the ability to give a sweet and innocent shoe just a little bit of an edge. Surprisingly so, the designer is launching a shoe line especially for those sweet and innocent brides. And that means you can say ‘bye bye’ to safe wedding shoes, and ‘hello’ to the new and improved bridal footwear by Brian Atwood.

The great thing about this mouthwatering shoe collection is that you can customize your favourite pair to your heart’s desire. The line will consist of 13 pairs of shoes and one beautiful Swarovski encrusted clutch. We don’t the inside details on all 13 pairs, but the following two are very much promising…

Something blue

Looking for something blue on your wedding day? How about these amazing hydrangea inspired shoes. Hell, even if you’re not getting married these shoes would be amazing.  The shoes have stunning flower corsages around the ankle that would look amazing with any wedding dress. The sky high heels are encrusted with blue stones and look breathtaking. They are available in this beautiful blue version and there is also a white version that’s just as stunning but with a little less wow-effect.

Go for sparkle

Sometimes a girl can use a little extra spark, especially on her wedding day. The somewhat wider heel of this pair, ensures a little more comfort while walking down the aisle. The colour of the shoe is a beautiful pink/nude shade that goes perfectly with the amazing sparkly heel. It even has a peep-toe to show off your beautiful pedicure. As finishing ‘Atwood’ touch, it has a special ankle strap.

Not hearing wedding bells anytime soon? No worries, ‘cause Little Soho believes these Brian Atwoord shoes can just as easily be worn on normal night out as well!

Last week we had a special event in Amsterdam; Karl Lagerfeld’s brand store, named ‘Karl’, opened its doors. The grand opening on Wednesday the 23^th of April truly was a red carpet affaire. The store in Amsterdam is the second store in Europe after Paris, and the plan is to have a Karl store in every big city in Europe.

De Negen Straatjes

The place to be in Amsterdam right now is ‘de negen straatjes’, these are nine little side streets with hot and happening restaurants, coffee shops, hair salons and of course clothing stores. So where else would ‘Kaiser Karl’ open a store? The store is 150 m2 big and covers two floors. The main floor is designated for the women’s collection, which include stunning bags, amazing shoes and eye-catching fashion. Always wanted denim shorts with the profile of Karl Lagerfeld? Well, don’t look any further, because the Karl store has them!

The digital age

Karl is a keen photographer and social media-user which also shines through in the Karl stores. By having iPads in the dressing rooms, you can take pictures and share these with your friends and family via social media and email. Downstairs in the men’s department you can scroll through the look book on an iPad that is attached to the clothing rail. You can immediately see how to combine the clothes and pick your favorite styles. Another digital feature is the guest book. Take a picture (again with the iPad) and post this on the Facebook page of the Karl store. You can leave a personal message to let everyone know you were there.

A Little Karl

You can also buy the amazing Toki Doki dolls in the Karl store. These limited edition collector’s items offer you a b-bopping Karl. If a soft and cuddly Karl is more your style, you should check out the Mua Mua dolls. Mua Mua Dolls are little mischievous monsters that protect and love its owner by absorbing all the negative energy and transforming it into love.  According to the label you can take little Karl where ever you go, but you have to make sure to treat him with love.

Besides clothes and dolls you can buy eye-catching coffee table books, stunning moleskine note books and quirky iPhone covers. With its high-end interior, heartwarming sales people and one-of-a-kind items, the Karl store really is a great addition to ‘de negen straatjes’.  Therefore, make sure to pay a visit to Karl and give the Kaiser himself Little Soho’s regards.