Paris here we come...

Thank you for all the wishes...it was a good first week...Sebastian seems happy despite his first flu of the winter.... Poor little guy needs to get his immune system fighting fit and hopefully he will be strong enough to withstand all the nasty germs which naturally get passed around at day care. 

A four day week goes really fast and I love having Friday off! I have my first business trip to Paris on Monday...I am going to the jewellery fair, Premiere class which is always very interesting with lots innovative and creative designers... so looking forward to seeing what is new and happening as it has been a year since I was last there. It will also be my first night away from Sebastian but I am sure Philipp will handle it well. So I am writing down Sebastian`s schedule and any bits of information which will help Philipp keep Sebastian a happy chappy!

I love Paris it is one of my favourite cities...it is just so beautiful and of course it is the land of yummy chocolate macaroons. Personally I think Jean Paul Hevin has the best chocolate macaroons so definiately go and try one next time!  Jean-Paul Hévin

I am also hoping to squeeze in a visit to the ultra cool and inspiring concept store Colette. Always presenting an array of hip, hop and happening items ranging from sportswear to designer looks, purfume and jewellery. I love to buy my purfume there as they always  have an exclusive launch of all the fabulous scents such as Balmain, Balenciaga and Juliette has a gun.  Colette

Love these Valentino beauties found at Colette! Paris here we come...

The Rigi Rocks!!

I am a big fan of the Rigi...it is easy skiing, great for kids, breath taking views and home to the restaurant gem, Bergsonne Hotel. We spent Christmas up there three years ago and it was very special....lots of sledging which was great for me not being a champion skiier!

The beautiful view taken by Philipp from the Bergsonne Hotel

It is a close getaway from Zurich...perfect for a day trip.... to be up in the mountians and enjoy the sun and the amazing views. I would highly recommend the Bergsonne Hotel restaurant, the food is gourmet standards set in a cosy relaxed atmosphere and with an exstensive wine list.  Family owned and hosted by the dynamic husband and wife team, Willy and Dorly who are always very happy to see us. Dorly is the star chef!

We went last Sunday with friends and Philipp`s godson who is 3 month old and it worked really well...everyone was super helpful and of course our boys were very well behaved:) Sebastian had a cute alpine style baby chair, so I could also enjoy my lunch. We finished with a white and dark chocolate mouse which I have to say was to die for!!!!!

So next time you feel like a fun weekend excersion try the Rigi..

www.bergsonne.ch

The Boys and their wheels:)

Sebastian in his chair..note his first cashmere sweater from Uncle Paul!:)

Not the most perfect weather Sunday but our yummy 4 hour lunch made up for it!

If the sun is shinning they have the perfect terrace to enjoy a few rays..

Sun, fun and Christmas lights....Cape Town here we come!!!

So just as I was getting into the snowy Swiss winter....I am off to sunny Cape Town, Yipppy!!!...Sun, beach, cold Savanah cider and Christmas lights!:) Bring on the festive season...

I am crossing fingers Sebastian is going to be a star on the flight again...yet it is the connecting flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town which is a killer....but all worth it once you are there. There are also a whole new set of challenges for this flight now Sebastian is 7 months....got to workout how to feed him breakfast without being covered in apple puree and praying he will fit in the bassinet....it is definately going to be cosy!

I am dying to introduce Sebastian to his fabulous South African family and special friends. Lots of playdates and Mommy time already planned and Zsa Zsa, who will be there to meet us can not wait to give Sebastian a cuddle and of course lots of baby sitting:))

So please keep posted while High Heels and Nappies is in Cape Town as there will be lots of fun under the sun coming your way!

Picture taken on a perfect day in Cape Town last December when I was 6 months pregnant...

Rolling around at the Dolder Hotel in Zurich...

Sebastian enjoyed rolling around the big bed at the beautiful Dolder hotel in Zurich today.... before spitting up a bit of his lunch on the very expensive linen:).....we went to visit Sebastian`s favorite Uncle Paul.....and in his true style of "luxury" he was roughing it at the Dolder :)..

We were all excited to spend the afternoon at the spa and Sebastian was dying for a swim in the nice heated pool but in the end.. no can do! They do not accept babies and children under 12 years old. Obviously this is something you do not take note of before having children of your own but now I am finding more and more 5 star hotels do not allow kids under 12. I was recently helping a friend plan a trip to Cape Town and surprised at how many of the nice hotels would not accept children under 12 years old. 

Sebastian having a cuddle with Paul

There is a website Tots Too http://www.totstoo.com/ which specialize in planning luxury family holidays. Offering special deals and highlighting all the child friendly luxury hotels ...they also give you a detailed list of what each 5 star hotel/resort offers such as sterilizer, high chairs, kids clubs, baby sitting and even if the hotel is stroller friendly. 

But even though we did not make it to the spa in the end we enjoyed a lovely long lunch in the lobby where Sebastian had enough space on the couch to roll around while we enjoyed a delicious club sandwich!! A fabulous day!

Time to say goodbye....

Well almost packed and getting myself ready for the long journey home.....feel quite emotional leaving HK been such an amazing trip although not as productive as hoped but I guess you always feel like you have so much time and then before you know it you are back on the plane again!
It is exciting to go home..dying to see Philipp, family and good friends just always hard to say goodbye to my one of a kind parents who I love dearly and are going to miss Sebastian like crazy!! Sniff sniff....
Some HK photos...

Queue to get into Gucci

Shopping shopping shopping...

The New Swarovski store on Canton road

The new 1881 shopping centre in TST

HK contrast .. the big and the small

The view on the star ferry which you never get tired of..

The amazing pool side view I will miss...

HONG KONG WE WILL BE BACK!!!!

Nicholas Kirkwood unveils his collaboration with Keith Haring at On Pedder in Hong Kong..

British designer, Nicholas Kirkwood, the man behind this winters "it" lace booties was just in Hong Kong for the exclusive launch of his special collaboration with the Keith Haring Foundation. 

A capsule collection of 12 styles, featuring Nicholas`s first ballerina, each designed around a specific art work of Haring's. The collection is anticipated to launch worldwide in February of 2011.

I am not sure if these shoes are meant to be worn or just put on the mantel piece as an art work ?:) Unique is definitely the word, making a fantastic artistic fashion statement with  sculptured shapes pushing all the boundaries.

On Pedder, Hong Kong is one of three stores worldwide to stock the collection, with Dover Street Market in London and Maxfield in Los Angeles. On Pedder is beyond fabulous and is Asia’s foremost source of designer footwear, handbags, fine jewelry and fashion accessories making it the perfect spot for Nicholas Kirkwoods first retail space. 


http://www.onpedder.com/

On Pedder in Joyce Hong Kong

There will also be a Nicolas Kirkwood treat at London Fashion Week: Kirkwood will be launching an eight-day online pop-up shop, where his collaborations with Rodarte, Erdem, and Peter Pilotto will be available for pre-sale, with the promise of early delivery. So you have them before the shops do....perfect for the serious fashionista Moms!!

"Baby friendly" Four Seasons!

We hopped on the ferry to Macau to celebrate Philipp`s Birthday...which turned out to be a wonderful relaxing little break. We stayed at the Four Seasons which I have to say was just outstanding. The service was amazing and we were lucky to be upgraded to a 2000 sq ft suite which was dreamy!! They were so "baby friendly" bringing in a cot, sterilizer, bottle warmer, bath and even a special package with nappies, baby lotions etc.. we were very impressed ....and so was Sebastian, especially when he received a cute little blue elephant as a gift! 

We brought Sebastian along for dinner so we could all celebrate Philipps birthday together with my Mom, which ended up working so well as he slept through the whole dinner. It felt very strange pushing the MacLaren in High Heels ..... a very High Heels and Nappies moment!!I :) 

We had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend an escape from HK to the Four Seasons Macau...tip: it was lovely to be there during the week as we enjoyed the peace and quiet...instead of the weekend madness!

http://www.fourseasons.com/macau/

Chloé for tea darling?

What a delightful afternoon...I met up with a friend who I only got to know briefly as she was leaving Zurich to live in Hong Kong and I had just arrived from Hong Kong! Four years later we managed to meet up for tea :) at the trendy Mo Bar of the Landmark Manadarin Oriental hotel. Vanessa is 39 weeks pregnant and looking fantastic! She is a great High Heels and Nappies supporter and as you can imagine there was a lot of "baby talk"...:)

Mo Bar - Hong Kong

But it was not just any tea ....we enjoyed specially designed pastries inspired by Chloé`s signature fragrances..and to top it off we received a special Chloé gift of hand cream and a small bottle of perfume...Tea never tasted this good!

 

The afternoon tea set will be available from 3pm to 5.30pm till the 30th September...so if you in HK definitely pop down for a cuppa!

Lane Crawford - Hong Kong

I nearly died.. (said with a very thick South African accent!) stepping into Lane Crawford is pure torture !! The array of fabulous shoes is magnificent...after seeing many only on line it was awesome to get up, close and personal with many of my true loves but being in Hong Kong....land of tiny feet....they do not stock my size!! Maybe this is a good thing as I would be broke and the credit card would be maxed out so end the day it is a saving grace!... I can hear Philipp sighing with relief:)

The Lane Crawford store within the IFC and Pacific Place Mall are Asia's leading specialty stores, offering the largest assortment of designer brands in Greater China, exhibited in a series of gallery-like rooms. The stores are a fusion of fashion, art and architecture. It is a must when you come to HK and even if you can not buy anything you walk away feeling very inspired!
Service is key and they offer a styling, cosmetic concierge and concierge service to make you feel like a rock star... they will even charge your mobile phone:)

Lane Crawford IFC

Lane Crawford Pacific Place

Got to go back and explore more as they have a stunning range of fashion jewellery which caught my eye.. the credit card is not safe yet!!

Prepare for take off.....

Yipppeeee...we have arrived in HK!! After 3 days of packing and many nervous calls to friends regarding the big journey ahead we are finally here...and it feels fabulous!

Packing my hand luggage was definitely the most difficult task and just before leaving I decided to pack my handbag reducing my bags to two instead of three. As I needed to push Sebastian in the Maclaren ..and well.... I started to look a bit like a donkey!! It was the best idea as on the flight I had my nappy bag at my feet with all the essentials and then a pull along suitcase stowed away up top with extra nappies, clothing etc for emergencies.

I boarded the flight first which actually worked well and the air hostesses were sweet and held Sebastian while I sorted myself out... I then had two young guys in there 30`s sitting on either side of me.. GREAT I thought, perfect for my first airplane breast feeding experience! I joked with the one guy saying I am sure he was thrilled to be sitting next to us:) But I introduced Sebastian to the row and explained it was our first flight and we were going to to try our best!

Well Sebastian lived up to his promise and was just a perfect passenger... even the air hostesses were saying he was going to become a pilot as he seemed to enjoy the flight so much....entertaining everyone with his giggles, flirty smiles and air kicking out of the bassinet......very cute! After his aerobic act and looking around the plane in total amazement he went to sleep, waking just before breakfast. I even managed to sleep a bit!

I would definitely confirm feeding your baby a bottle during take off and landing.. not sure how someone would breast feed, was so happy I had a bottle! It helps with balancing the ear pressure and also a good distraction. Then you just need to be organized with all your nappies, clothes, blankets etc and wish for the best.! Guess this will be as good as it gets as next time he will be too big for the bassinet and once they start to crawl ..it is a  whole new ball game..:)

Sebastian in his Maclaren buggy....ready for take off...

High Heels and Nappies is off to HK!!

We are off to Hong Kong tonight.. I can`t wait, although a bit nervous for the whole journey ahead but crossing fingers it will go smoothly!! Thanks to everyone who sent great traveling advice!
Lots of exciting news to come from the East... stay posted!!:)
xx

Hong Kong count down...

I am trying to get organized and mentally prepared for the long flight to HK. A three week count down today and got to say I can`t wait!! I have major withdrawal symptoms, it has been way to long since I was last in Hong Kong, even though it is going to be a very different experience with Sebastian. No crazy nights dancing on bar tops....or are you still allowed to do that as a Mom??:) If not, I am willing to break the rules as I have the best baby sitter possible, My Mom and Sebastian`s Zsa Zsa. So it is going to be great to have some fun, catching up with old friends and know he is in the best hands.  

Philipp will be joining for two weeks in the middle of my 6 week trip...which is great as then he is not away from us for too long, think he will especially miss Sebastian. But this also means I will be traveling there and back on my own! Yikes! So I am now on a mission to try and research all the brilliant tips for flying with a 4 month old! 

So if anybody has any good advice please share...Moms have got to stick together here as hoping he will just fall asleep avoiding any nasty stares!!

I Promise to report the experience and share any learnings which can help you jet around peacefully!

Picture taken in Nov 2007 when we were last in HK