La DoubleJ’s collaboration of patterned teacups, 18k gold rimmed serving dishes and a big and beautiful teapot with the Parisian patisserie geniuses, Ladurée, celebrates the beauty in the ritual of sitting down for a cup of tea with friends. What is in the power of a ritual and what are the everyday practises that keep our community of #LDJbabes going? We gathered our fabulous London friends in Ladurée’s world-class Burlington Arcade café to discuss daily cannoli, 5k morning cycles and finding “everyday pockets of joy”…
Morning movement is the most important ritual of the day for the London-based Vogue writer Pippa Vosper: “I am obsessed with cycling and need my morning 5k cycle with a calming podcast to begin my day. Through rain, snow, sun, if I don’t have this time alone on my bike, the day just doesn’t feel quite settled.” Swapping strong coffee for freshly pressed green juice (far more energising than the intensity of caffeine, she says), the power of the ritual has become clearer with age: “It took me until my mid-30s to understand that having daily rituals that enhance your mood are so important. I am more present if I have had time to be alone. I am more productive if I cycle in the morning. I am more patient if I have had enough sleep. All of these things, and so much more, are a priority for my mental wellbeing.” @pippavosper
The taste-maker and founder of the happy-making design studio Campbell-Rey, Charlotte Rey, traces the head-clearing power of a cold morning shower to growing up in Sweden. “Swimming in the sea was always part of my childhood and now when I go home to Falsterbo on the southern beaches we wake up very early, put on swimming costumes underneath a bathrobe, and then bicycle together down to the beach and go for a wake up dip. It’s so incredibly beautiful and refreshing. Showering cold at home in the morning in London puts my mind right back into that mindset.” The next Wim Hof? Maybe, though she keeps things real with a daily trip to Mari Deli in Chiswick. “I pick up a black americano and a cannoli from Mari Deli, which is a delicious treat and that feels sufficiently naughty to put me in a good and mischievous mood for the day.” @charlotterey
“Small pockets of everyday joy” is how the brand consultant and founder of FashMash, Rosanna Falconer, describes her daily rituals, which include tongue scraping (“try it!”), turning her emails off at 8pm and Qi Gong tapping – “J.J. got me into Qi Gong tapping nearly two years ago and I love its power to stimulate my senses and energise me for the day.” Like us, she believes in the power of a good cup of tea: “I prepare it in a pot with leaves because t’s more eco-friendly (165m tea bags go to landfill daily) plus the tea tastes much fresher.” On rituals, she says, “they make the world feel more manageable even when it’s racing at 100 miles per hour, but it’s important to not get obsessed with them… Unless it’s a cup of poorly-made tea.” @rosannafalconer
