by Lorna Harris on January 7, 2010
I have received some very strange observations about my appearance recently which has led me to believe that there must be a certain look to English women.
My first experience was being told at a party that I looked liked ‘Steve Martin’s ex-wife.’ I knew whom the person meant but neither of us could remember the woman’s name. We stood there for a few minutes, drinking our wine and racking our brains trying to figure it out but couldn’t. I’ve just looked it up; it was Victoria Tennant, an English actress.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, a complete stranger came up to me and told me I looked like Emma Thompson. He also told me where he lived and that I could pop in anytime. Fancy that!
When we were skiing, I was queuing for lunch when a woman came up to me and said ‘I know you, don’t I? You’re an actress aren’t you?’ I was tempted to reply, ‘yes, you may have seen me in Tomb Raider or Mr and Mrs Smith’ but I just got all flustered and embarrassed and said no. I returned to the table and told my family who all burst out laughing. You? They thought you were an actress? Once they’d all picked themselves off the floor from laughing so hard, we headed back out to the slopes.
I don’t think I look anything like Emma Thompson or Victoria Tennant but perhaps there is an English ‘look’ that I have which would explain why I stand out here amongst California Girls.
Just in case you think this is all going to my head and that I’m sitting here feeling smug and waiting to be compared to Kate Winslet next, I’ll fill you in on my experience on Tuesday. I booked a post Christmas, the little buggers have gone back to school facial. It was supposed to be a treat, I can’t remember the last time I had one. As I was lying there, a lovely warm heating pad under my back, New Age music tinkling away, I completely relaxed, I deserved this, I needed this tiny bit of luxury. Then the therapist started pointing out where I needed botox and filler on my face. I beg your pardon? What did you just say? My treat was turning into a horror film.
I guess I am in the land of perfection; I just hadn’t come across it yet. Not first hand anyway.
So, I may look like a classic English lady but apparently one that needs a bit of work. At least now I have the name of a good plastic surgeon. The therapist gave me that too.
by Lorna Harris on November 25, 2009
My youngest son is a skateboarder and a BMX rider. He wrecks his shoes.
For the first few years of his life we headed into Clarks, England’s main children’s shoe shop, to make sure the computer measured his feet correctly. Then the best black leather shoes were chosen to fit his feet perfectly so he would be smart for school.
On arrival in California, the Clarks’ black leather shoes were immediately ditched. Not only was black leather not appropriate here but everyone was wearing canvas skateboarding shoes plus there’s no uniform, no need to look smart.
In the back of my mind, I’ve been worried. Worried about the spotty teenager in the surf shop who measures my son’s feet and says ‘well dude, I think he, like, maybe, well could be a 2 or even a 3.’ How did I go from the thirty minute fitting at Clarks with the manager coming out to approve the size to ‘dude, you’re a 2?’
Last week, I was invited to tour etnies as part of an OC Family bloggers event. I didn’t know anything about etnies, I’d grouped it together with all the other surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding brands. Nice shoes, nice designs and that’s about it. What a great surprise to find out that a Frenchman and an Englishman founded the company. How wonderful to have a European influence on the skateboarding industry right here in Orange County.
On arrival, the first thing that hit me was the design of the building. It’s beautiful, all curves and not a straight line in sight – just like skateboarding.
The founder of etnies, Pierre André Senizergues was there to meet us and explain the philosophy behind the company and their products along with Don Brown, etnies’ marketing guru and fellow Brit (Don is from Brighton). As skateboarders in Europe in the 80s, Pierre and Don headed out to California to follow their love of the sport and together started designing shoes that would last because ‘skateboarding is the worst thing that can happen to a pair of shoes.’
Etnies do a great deal of biomechanics research on the impact skateboarding has on the body. Skateboarding has a force of 17 times your body weight on your feet when you land. The closest another sport comes to that is when a basketball player does a slam-dunk. Their biomechanics lab was fascinating and we watched as a skateboarder, covered in sensors, performed a trick and the computer analyzed his movements and where the body takes the most impact.
I liked the fact hat the company is environmentally friendly, incredibly so. Along with that I appreciated how fascinated they were with a group of women, all bloggers, all with children and how we all have our own individual voices here in Orange County.
Of course, now I’m re-thinking what my son wears when he’s skateboarding and BMX riding. It’s good to know that there is a company out there putting so much thought into the impact the sport has on the body.
My favourite quote of the day? From Pierre André Senizergues:
Skateboarding, like life, is all about balance.
Suz Broughton from Alive in Wonderland created a great video of our etnies day.
Marcy at The Glamorous Life was also in attendance.
See a special etnies promotion on Marcy’s blog.
