AJ, our organic, sloth-loving editor was brought up as an organic girl, by a book-loving, Scottish dad who saw making compost as a meditation; built his radios from scratch; dressed in Harris Tweed, adored chocolate and nurtured our heroine with stories of Arabia, Robert Louis Stephensen and Bonnie Prince Charlie. No wonder she has a first-class Luminary imagination.
Here's AJ's pick of divinely glam, luminary organic fashion, food, antiques and assorted treasures to see you through January and support a soil-loving, regenerative world, where our fantastic beasts, insects and wildflowers can thrive and so can we.
Bravo to Brora, for choosing organic cotton for their collection of intricate and wildly feminine organic blouses from delicate broderie Anglaise to a riot of pintucks that would delight any discerning fashion fan of the Kitty Foyle look, made famous by Renie's costume designs for Ginger Rodgers in her Oscar-winning 1940 film of the same name. The point is that wearing dazzling white close to the face, contrasted with a darker fabric does wonders for a girl's complexion. Tip - wear the blouse with a black or navy LBD or a colourful cashmere or alpaca sweater or cardigan to achieve the same dramatic and illuminating effect with a dash of Hollywood razzmatazz.
At last, organic cotton, wool and silk have taken their rightful place on the catwalk and Joanna Lumley, a style icon since she played Purdey in the sixties, has been leading the fashion pack, flaunting an adorable organic cotton blouse with cashmere twinset she has designed for Brora, the Scottish slow cashmere fashion house. Snap up one of these bold and oh-so-pretty blouses in the Brora sale.
You can watch Ginger Rogers play a fearless white-collar girl in Kitty Foyle, which is available on BBC iPlayer.
RFK the Heir Apparent Organic President and the Best Organic, Pasture-Fed Meat and Charcuterie
Buy real organic food from farmers and small, slow food producers, not corporations to burnish your health, follow a keto diet, and help to regenerate nature and biodiversity. Check out Robert Kennedy Junior talking about the need for an organic farming revolution in the US as he makes his bid to become the first green and organic president of the US. Kennedy 24 RJK's law firm won the historic case against Monsanto for the toxic pesticide glyphosate. Read all about the documentary Into the Weeds here. We need passionate, devoted farmers, not processed food corps. Great farmers are the custodians of nature and a nutritious, healthy food culture. Vote with your wallet for real food and simple ingredients you can transform into a meal to remember.
For sheer deliciousness and an array of organic meat and charcuterie to use in your recipes, check out two of our UK favourites, Peelham Farm and Rare and Pasture. Both companies farm and produce their organic pasture for life and free-range meat. The quality and taste of the produce is stunning. We love Peelham Farm's juicy, perfectly seasoned sausages, burgers and pancetta and Rare and Pasture for authentic organic bresaola and sublime, melt-in-the-mouth, silken pate and charcuterie tasting platters.
Peelham Farm and Rare and Pasture
Life Should Be Bubbling Link Pink Organic Champagne
"Life should be bubbling like Pink Champagne," declares Charles Boyer to Irene Dunne in one of the greatest roms coms of all time, Love Affair 1939. Oh, how I agree. Here are three of the very best organic pink champagnes - Champagne Fleury Rose Brut ; Jean-Marc Terre d'Emotion Rose NV and Champagne de Susa Cuvee Caudalies Rose Brut - Here's to an effervescent, sparkling organic and biodynamic January.
Antiques, Flying Carpets and Circular, Preloved Heaven
AJ at Home - I've been mooching around antique emporiums, charity shops in posh postcodes and reclamation yards since I was a teenager. It's fun! Viva the circular, preloved economy. I adore the hunt and the smell of time. Why would you shop at IKEA when you can discover furniture, fashion, jewels and even magic carpets from Arabia and a cornucopia of whimsical, Alison in Wonderland treasures made by talented craftsmen from an age of elegance, slowness, attention to detail, beauty and ingenuity? Here I am in one of my favourite antique emporiums, Talk of the Chine in Shanklin on Queen Victoria's island. The intricate throws and carpets come from Iran and are still made by hand in cotton, wool and silk. Beverley, the very friendly and knowledgeable owner will source items for customers and she can arrange delivery to just about anywhere. I also get to play with her gorgeous dogs Bobby and Stitch. Naturally, the have leapt straight out of an Erte poster.
Quote for January and Beyond
"Our landscapes connect us to our history; they are the source of our character as a people, as well as our health, our safety, and our prosperity. Natural resources enrich us economically, yes. But they also enrich us aesthetically, recreationally and culturally and spiritually." Robert Kennedy, Jr.
Copyright Alison Jane Reid/The Luminaries Magazine January 5th 2024. All Rights Reserved. No copying or Reproduction Whatsoever.
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