Heidi Klein : Editor of the Month with Lisa Grainger
Editor Of The Month
September 2011
Travel Q & A - Lisa Grainger
If you could click your fingers and be anywhere in the world, where would it be?
On top of a mountain; seeing people the size of ants, vast countryside below, and clouds scudding in blue skies. I love the peace of mountaintops, and the way they make you feel very, very small. I was once dropped on a mountaintop in New Zealand by helicopter, with a bottle of champagne, gramophone and boyfriend. We might have had a kiss…
Describe your most memorable holiday
Last year, we were invited to the Rajasthan International Folk Festival in Jodphur and fell in love with little groups of Baul singers: travelling spiritual minstrels who start the day by singing praises as the dawn rises. We stayed in tents in the beautiful pink-stoned Jophur fort and lived like maharajahs: dining on the ramparts, dancing late at night on fort roofs, tumbling into our soft beds in tents and then waking at dawn to hear the heart-wrenching songs of the Bauls. It was a full-on musical, spiritual, waist-expanding fest.
Favourite restaurant abroad?
Zori on the islet of Palmizana, just off Hvar, in Croatia. A 300 year old family run business that turns out dishes that Michelin chefs would be proud of, under shady trees overlooking a pretty little yachting bay. The fine sour-orange tart is so good, you want one every day. Well, until you see yourself in a bikini…
What beach do you love to visit?
Rocktail Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal coast in South Africa, where turtles come to lay their eggs, and where whales swim past between September and December. Or perhaps the white islets off Bazaruto island in Mozambique that vanish during high tide and the next day are covered in fresh white shells.
What would you wear from the latest heidi klein collection?
I leave for Tanzania tomorrow – and wish I’d bought a couple of one-piece swimsuits. I love the Lace-up One Piece by Karla Colletto and can imagine wearing it with a Lucas Jack Round Smooth Gold Ring, because at £25, you wouldn’t be too concerned that some fish might nip off with it.
Any tips for unwinding after a long haul flight?
Drink tons of water, and a cup or two of hot water with ginger to calm your stomach. If you’re feeling queasy, a few drops of organic peppermint oil into some water will do the trick. As soon as you get into a hotel, steam your face using a flannel and then pile on moisturiser: planes clog up your pores and dry you out.
What are your top three in-flight essentials?
A blow-up pillow. A huge bottle of water. And an eye mask with a wide strap that acts as noise-reducers over my ears. For a long-haul flight, I would usually have a glass of red wine, heaps of water, and then go to sleep for as long as I can.
What is your favourite holiday cocktail?
Bellini. Is there anything nicer than fresh peach juice? Particularly from white peaches…
What are your top tips for beach ready make-up?
Wear waterproof mascara, tinted lipgloss that doubles as cheek colour, and forget the rest. Let your skin breathe – put on heaps of organic moisturiser (with sunscreen) and it will come back from holiday glowing.
What are your essential items when packing for a beach holiday?
A cap with a huge brim (for ease of reading and fewer wrinkles) and a hole at the back that lets a ponytail poke out. A pretty pair of flat sandals that allows you to show off your pedicure, and walk comfortably at night on the beach after dinner. A couple of tiny silk tops – somehow silk always feels sexier on skin that’s just been tanned. And bottles and bottles of body lotion, to give a glimmering glow.
How do you prepare to bare on the beach?
The morning before I go, I get ripping with wax strips, pluck my eyebrows, exfoliate my whole body with an apricot-kernel scrub, rub the bottom of my feet until they are baby soft, and give myself a good pedicure, using a delicious neon pink that makes me feel instantly on holiday. Just before I leave home, I slather my whole body with rose cream: it feels luxurious and means I never get off at the other end wit my skin resembling a crocodile’s and rub some black-rose oil into my pulse points. The luxurious feel of soft skin and just-pressed flowers makes me feel like I’m on holiday before I’ve even gone.
Bikini or one piece?
Bikini to tan and read in – there’s nothing lovelier on a cold winter’s day back in Blighty than having a brown tummy to admire. But a one piece for activities. You don’t want to be concentrating on where your bikini top is when you’re trying to water ski, do you?
What is on your wish list from the heidi klein collection this season?
The Reethi maxi dress in chilli, Petrelli bag to chuck everything into on the beach, a Nupa hat from Helen Kaminski, a Karla Colletto one piece, and a Vix Capri lace tunic that would look good in the evening, with a simple necklace.
Lisa Grainger
Lisa Grainger's
holiday favourites:
Designer swimwear, bikinis & beachwear for men, women & children : Heidi Klein
