Holiday Tartan
Holiday Tartan
Our tartan love affair deepens
1. The story so far…
Ever since Agyness Deyn sashayed down the catwalk clad head-to-toe in neon tartan for Henry Holland, the plaid revival has been unstoppable. Dolce & Gabanna and Just Cavalli swiftly jumped on the band waggon and it wasn’t long before tartan hit the home. Think Dutch design guru Marcel Wanders’ hot pink Audrey wallpaper. Now everyone’s getting in on the action, re-inventing the traditional pattern in fresh colour ways and unusual applications. Osborne & Little’s Lomond check is perfect for giving stylish new life to your sofa or cushions.
2. Have a Highland fling
Black and white prints are a surefire way to make a trend last a lifetime. We’ve searched the net for a cool tartan picture and found this bargain print Sheena hardy model with tartan painted Rolls Royce from Easy art.
3. Grab a hot dog
Fashion designer Jonathan Saunders is famed for his bold use of the classic print. Asked who would wear his clothes, Saunders once responded: ‘Brave women. Confident, with a sense of humour.’ Saunders proved that tartan doesn’t have to be serious. Likewise, Hamish the daschund draught excluder from Amara will put a smile on your face and cheer up winter days.
4. Layer by layer
Don’t be afraid to mix and match. ‘Tartan looks wonderful with everything. Even other tartans,’ says Queen of punk Vivienne Westwood. ‘The idea that this tartan belongs to this house or another was developed by the Victorian tourist industry.’ Use accessories as your tool for layering different plaids. We love this cosy check blanket by Cath Kidston.
5. Get checks appeal
From the highlands to the home, tartan rules the roost. You can prove your style nouse with the simplest of accessories. Mulberry and Ralph Lauren have been selling tartan for years. Serve drinks from this Ancient Tartan Trey by Mulberry at Amara and your parties will be the most stylish in town.
6. Check it out Balmoral style
Find tartan too harsh? Opt for a softer take on the look. This edale wool blanket from Wallace Sacks will blend easily into your home while keeping you snug during the big freeze. No longer the reserve of granny laps, tartan blankets bring a certain edget to your home.
7. Go for plaid plates
The Scots know a thing or two about being cold. Warm up your plates the stylish way these Hot Ideas fabric plate warmers from Amazon. They act as mini electric blankets for your dishes so your neaps and tatties stay piping hot for longer.
8. Tartan goes modern
Today’s tartan doesn’t have to be confined to the rich colours of old. When decorator Nina Campbell recently decked out the bar of New York’s Grand Central Station in plaid, she shed convention. ‘I brightened the colours to scarlet, pinks and yellows rather than those heavy blues, reds, greens and blacks,’ she explains. Follow Campbell and funk up your home with this bright melrose tartan from Fabrics and Papers.
9. Come back for coffee
The check trend is even affecting our holiday choices. ‘It’s great for tourism because every time someone sees tartan, they think of Scotland,’ says Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartans Authority. Have a hot toddy in this Dunoon Arran Royal Stewart Tartan Mug from Amazon.
10. Beware of tartan overload!
Don’t overdo it! Like most pleasures in life, tartan is best served in small doses. Trendsetters Alice Dellal, Mary-Kate Olsen, Kelly Osborne and Peaches Geldof wear tartan sparingly for optimum effect. This trick works for the home. Stick to feature walls and accessories like this striking
fuschia pink and tartan furniture cube from Crush.
About the Author
Annie is an expert furniture and interior design writer. Her current area of specialism is table lamps, pool tables and sheds
Sports Training Destinations in Europe
Achieving your potential in any sport requires talent, commitment and dedication. But to reach the very top of their sport, athletes rely not only on their own abilities, but also on things like highly skilled coaching staff, adequate financial funding and access to the best training facilities. You may think that countries such as Australia and the USA lead the world in sports facilities but in Europe there are now some of the finest dedicated sports training centers in the world. The southern countries of Europe such as Spain, France and Italy make ideal locations for these facilities, benefiting as they do from a mild winter climate while still being within convenient traveling distance from most European countries. In this article we will look at some of the biggest and newest facilities available and explore the new and upcoming concept of sports tourism.
The Canary Islands, part of Spain, lie on the southern-most edge of Europe in the Atlantic Ocean. The climate there is consistently mild, never experiencing really cold weather, seeing low levels of rainfall and, even in summer months, remaining relatively cool compared to some European mainland areas. Because the islands are already a popular tourist destination, there are frequent flights to Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria from many other countries, making the islands very accessible. Air fares to the Canaries during the months of January, February and March are very reasonable and provide a low cost way of escaping the harsher weather of more northerly regions in Europe.
On the island of Lanzarote lies the long-established sports resort Club La Santa, which opened in 1983 and welcomes sports fans from all over Europe. The club offers year-round training facilities and boasts a 50m open air swimming pool, six lane tartan athletics track as well as huge indoor fitness areas providing Nautilus , Cybex and Tetrix equipment. Also indoors are six badminton courts while outdoors there are 10 hard court floodlit tennis courts. Everyday the center puts on organized events like group runs, mountain bike rides, aerobics sessions and other coaching groups.
Tenerife, one of the other larger islands in the Canaries, is home to a very new centre located close to the southern village of La Caleta. Tenerife Top Training, or T3 as is more likely to be known, is a brand new high-tech sports training center that opened its doors in October 2008. It has 3 swimming pools, 50m and 25m outdoor pools in addition to an indoor therapy pool with water flow technique improvement facilities. Indoor physio and training rooms complement the outdoor tennis and football pitches. Close by is a luxury hotel providing high class accommodation, although visitors may chose to rent one of the many holiday villas close to the resort. The international airport, Reine Sofia is close by ensuring very short transfers times for visitors.
On the island of Cyprus, which is accessible by flying to the nearby and newly renovated Paphos airport, the sports resort of Coral Bay provides fantastic facilities. It was used by the Great British Olympic team as its training camp prior to the Athens Olympics and provides an outdoor Olympic 50m pool which is heated all year round. There are also 4 tennis courts and indoors a well-equipped gym and relaxation pool. Flights to Paphos are available from the UK, and with a flight time of around 4 hours, Cyprus provides a convenient location for mild weather winter training.
If a flight to Cyprus is a little too far for you, then you may opt for a shorter flight to Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands where you will a range of superb sports training facilities. The Son Hugo swimming complex provides two 50m 10 lane swimming pools, one indoors and one outdoors. Also on Mallorca is the MegaSport Fitness center located close to the capital Palma and its international airport. The center provides a range of indoor and outdoors sports areas and is located close to the international cycling velodrome and football stadium.
So for both professional and amateur athletes alike, a trip to one of these warm weather sports training centers will provide a great kick-start to the season ahead. With cheap flights provided by a number of companies to the airports nearby, the trip need not cost too much either.
About the Author
If you are a sports fan looking for a low cost trip to warmer weather then Dan Williams advises a comparison of
cheap flights to Tenerife
Lanzarote and Paphos on the
FlyThomasCook
website.
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Christmas Plaid Stocking by Selections by Chaumont $24.96 Fill your home with Yuletide cheer Design: Tartan PlaidBlack velvet cuff and crystal stone buckle accents |
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Christmas Plaid Tree Skirt by Selections by Chaumont $78.46 Fill your home with Yuletide cheer Design: Tartan PlaidBlack velvet border and crystal stone buckle accents at each corner |