Page 1: Tag: Birdcage umbrella

Want to make your weekend break a little extra special? Why not add a touch of royalty with these five beautiful Airbnbs?
Live Like Royalty In These Five Majestic Airbnbs

Planning a mini break but want to make it a little more special? Well, we’ve got a treat for you with this stunning selection of Airbnbs, where you can live like royalty for the weekend and treat yourself, your family and friends to a luxurious stay.

 

A private countryside retreat in Essex

Imagine drawing up to a majestic Georgian mansion tucked away in 52 acres of private countryside in your car. Well, you can live out your ‘just arrived at the ball’ dream with this luxurious home filled with everything you could possibly want to spend the weekend like royalty. You can have your own private spa day with an indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, gym and tennis courts. There’s also a decked-out games room and a grand piano for the after-dinner entertainment.

During the day, you can even promenade along the lake that sits within the grounds. One of our stylish birdcage umbrellas – a firm favourite of the royal family – is a must-have for keeping you dry if the heavens open while you’re out and about.

 

A lavish Victorian mansion 

Halfway between Bolton and Preston in the North West, you’ll find this luxurious Victorian mansion. Perfect for a large family getaway, here you’ll find a heated swimming pool, a hot tub and a cinema room for an elevated movie night with the kids.

In the winter months, you’ll also be able to cosy around roaring fires after a day in the chilly countryside air. You may find the resident cat, named Tink, curled up beside you as the owners kindly ask that you look after her during your stay.

 

A manor modelled after Buckingham Palace 

Could you get any closer to living like royalty than this luxury villa in Hinwick modelled after Buckingham Palace itself?

Built in 1710, this Grade I listed home truly lives up to its description of having an air of historic grandeur. Filled with priceless antiques and luxury furnishings, including crystal chandeliers, Persian rugs and furniture from Princess Diana’s family home.

Surrounding this truly impressive country manor is 38 acres of wonderful parkland. Here, you can take up a spot of croquet, tennis, clay pigeon shooting, or even go for a leisurely trip in a rowboat on one of the two lakes.

 

The historical Jacobean castle

Bring the whole royal court to share the 11 bedrooms that this Grade II listed Jacobean castle in Durham boasts. The large, lavish dining room can seat up to 32, perfect for an evening soiree with your friends and family.

As well as this, you can keep the party going in the not-so-secret dungeon that spans the whole footprint of the house. With many rooms, including a private bar and games room, there’s plenty to discover. Or, if you want to step outside, a hot tub and sauna are just waiting for you to get in and relax.

Pets are allowed here too, free to roam around the 14 acres of grounds. When you need time to truly enjoy the peace and quiet, the surrounding nature reserve is a great place to get away from it all and truly makes this castle feel tucked away.

A Riverside Cornish castle

As you drive past the statue of original owner Sir John Tillie, you’ll find that this castle packs quite the first, second and third impressions. Indoors, you’ll find nothing but elegance and grandeur with many priceless antiques, as well as all the mod cons – including a games room and well-equipped kitchen.

Outdoors, the house backs onto the banks of the river Tamar, which you’ll have a beautiful view of from the three large terraces. Surrounding this, Cornish Castle is set within 55 acres of woodland gardens to explore. And, if you visit in the spring, a blooming wisteria tunnel makes a beautiful, fragrant backdrop. Or you can always dive into the solar-heated swimming pool for a refreshing dip.

We’re getting our swimming costumes ready, just thinking about staying at one of these luxurious homes (and, of course, our birdcage umbrellas should the heavens open) – how about you?

Fashion is cyclical and what was popular 30, 50, or 100 years ago can eventually come back into style. Let’s look at some of those eras doing just that.

How History Is Influencing Today’s Fashion

Iconic styles and pieces from the past are often reshaped and reimagined for the modern era. This is true for mainstream fashion, micro-trends, and the more niche ‘aesthetic’ trends like witchcore and fairycore.

Some of these styles seem to be timeless, whereas others we think will never see the light of day again until they do (low-rise jeans anybody?). Nevertheless, let’s take a look at which historical eras are influencing fashion in 2023.

In the past few years, no era of fashion has perhaps become more popular than the early 2000s, more commonly known as Y2K. With the new millennium came a bright and poppy era, full of denim miniskirts, crop tops, butterflies, colourful accessories, and the aforementioned low-rise jeans. Icons of the era included Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Between 2021 and 2022, searches for Y2K fashion doubled and while it’s still popular in 2023, we’re starting to see mainstream trends evolve into a more toned-down, relaxed style.

 

90s minimalism 

Far from the bold, colourful and playful styles of the Y2K era, the ’90s grunge aesthetic has also been going strong in 2023. Featuring generally darker colours and baggy styles, the ’90s grunge aesthetic has a distinctly dishevelled, informal look – think baggy flannel, simple tank tops, and casual cardigans.

In terms of accessories, you’ve also probably seen the influence of the ’90s, with shops full of claw clips, chunky headbands, scrunchies and fanny packs.

More minimalist styles popular in the ’90s are also making a return in the 2020s, including slip dresses, boxy blazers, spaghetti straps, and mesh everything. You can also see these influences in today’s ‘witchcore’ aesthetic, which often takes inspiration from popular TV shows like Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Earlier in the year, autumn/winter 2023 runways showcased many of these ’90s-inspired pieces like chic blazers, sheer dresses, and chunky checked shirts. So, it seems like the ’90s fashion trends are going to stick around for a bit longer.

Swinging ’60s

Monumental shifts in society in the ’60s transformed UK fashion. The more formal, proper styles seen in the preceding decades made way for an era of rebellious freedom. Some of the ways we’ve seen the ’60s come back to life in the 2020s is through bold, abstract floral prints. These prints started to reappear on runways in 2021 as the trend of dopamine dressing was getting into full swing.

It was in this era that we first developed the PVC dome umbrella – more popularly known as the birdcage umbrella. As well as having a distinctly ’60s British flair, we like to think of the birdcage as one of those timeless styles that remained popular throughout the following decades. Since its invention, the birdcage has long been associated with royal fashion after the Queen Mother made it her go-to style.

Its versatility means it can accompany a flowing, feminine outfit as well as it can a sleek, minimalist look. Take a look at our different colours and patterns of birdcage umbrellas for some more inspiration.

Regency era

Spring and summer styles also saw the return of Regency era-inspired fashion, which has had a huge comeback in the past few years – known as regencycore.

The Regency era in the UK happened in the early 1800s, and part of its renewed popularity has to be credited to the wildly popular Netflix show Bridgerton. In fact, just three days after season two landed on Netflix last year, online searches for ‘regency dresses’ had increased by 84%.

The main tenet of the trend is to create a hyper-feminine look that’s less to do with historical accuracy and more to do with the sheer romance of it. Empire waistlines, long flowing skirts, delicate floral prints and even corsets have made a return to mainstream fashion.

Interestingly, some of these styles cross over with some of Y2K’s fashion trends – for example, the corset. Paired with a flowing shirt or skirt, the corset really leans into the romance of regency core. Wear it with denim or loose-fitting cargo pants and it creates a more ’90s/Y2K look.

The 2020s era of fashion is one that’s pulling from a lot of sources, both for mainstream fashion and more niche trends and aesthetics.

At a time when second-hand and vintage dressing is only getting more popular, it seems like past fashions are going to carry on popping back into the mainstream. While ’90s and 2000s styles are dominating shops and runways at the moment, it will be interesting to see which historical era will come into the forefront next year and beyond.