Santa Lucia

On the morning of the 13th December (the middle of the darkest month of the year) Scandinavians celebrate Santa Lucia, a tradition which brings people together to sing hymns and light candles.

Lucy means "light", with the same Latin root, lux, as "lucid," which means "clear, radiant, understandable." Ironically, St Lucy's history is shrouded in darkness: all that is really known for certain is that she was a martyr in Syracuse in Diocletian's persecutions of A.D. 304. Her veneration spread to Rome, so that by the 6th century the whole Church recognized her courage in defense of the faith.

Just my luck!

I want to believe in fortune cookies after having a chinese the other day...

One of my favorite brands

Swedish based fashion brand Hunky Dory came along a few years ago and has since become an accepted and much-loved high-street designer brand. They have a wide range of feminine designs, modern but sensual - and the materials are always great.

You may have to cough up somewhere in the region of £150-200 for a dress/tunic like the one above, but it is worth it. The colours and quality will last you for several seasons to come and you will find that you can take out blouses or jackets from old collections and easily match it up with new influences to get a contemporary look. Fabulous!

What do you wish for this Christmas?

I hope that Santa brings me some pretty things. Why not a set from this Sonia Rykiel range, produced in conjunction with Swedish H&M! The collection was only launched last week but knowing past designer collaborations with the fashion giant stock will finish shortly...