I recently came back from our trip to Ireland and despite being so many times before I fell in love with this place all over again. I wanted to share what we have been up to and perhaps give you some inspiration for your visit. It was our half-term holiday and we had a toddler and 7 years old so that can limit us in certain way but we managed to see quite a lot and came back with lot of experiences.
Dublin
Capital of each country is probably always the obvious however Dublin is so worth it and has an incredible charm. You pretty much can manage to see a lot in 24 hours as in the town center you can get everywhere on foot. My favourite spot is Trinity College that has incredible character and the library is something like from Harry Potter movie. I also adore Irish gift shops and they are so fun to browse. Perhaps grab yourself a treat from Aran sweater shop or the University gift shop. And I would suggest a little walk around Temple bar area and snap a cute shot with the views of river Liffey. If you love shopping then Grafton Street is probably the best option as I know so many people love to splurge on different things when travelling. And Brown Thomas even has really good luxury stores if that is your thing. We were so lucky with the weather as it was perfect sunny but crispy day and I felt a bit like in Gilmore Girls especially at the campus.
This incredible open-air theatre has to be one of the most beautiful things I have seen. I feel so lucky I could experience it in such a stunning weather as well. You can find this Cornish gem in Porthcurno and around 4 miles from Land’s End and trust me you will not regret the visit. Set up on the rocks with the view over the ocean is the most charming position you can think off. If you just want to visit make sure to book in advance as tickets go fast and you can also book to see a play which is what we did.
Tohle uzasne venkovni divadlo musi byt jedno z nejkrasnejsich mist, ktera jsem navstivila. Navic nam pralo pocasi a jsem rada, ze jsem tohle divadlo navstivila, kdyz svitilo slunicko a nasavala vanek z oceanu. Najdete ho ve vesnici Porthcurno a opravdu nebudete litovat. Jen se zarezervujte listky na vstup vcas, protoze je divadlo Minack je opravdu navstevovane.
There I am standing on the charming Parisian balcony during one of the busy PFW seasons few years ago. Those were the days when I juggled full time job, blog, fashion weeks, shoots, travelling and was non stop creating content for my platforms. There was not an occasion where I would leave my Canon Mark II at home despite it being so heavy and always in the way. However that annoying heavy machine could capture moments and outfits in the most beautiful way.
A friend of mine from the industry messaged me few days ago and made me think. After reading that sentence…”Everytime I look at your old content I think it’s so good” I have been looking back and she is actually right in a way. My content was more curated. I sacrificed all my free time to be out there and take the best possible images. I published 6 blogposts a week and so much more. When I had Liam (my son) my priorities shifted and it was harder to synchronise my time with the people can help me to create good level of images and content. If you want to do it you need to meet that person with the same passion as you that has similar schedule to you. And that individual has to be fully committed.
In the last ten years I have been shooting with many people but there is one maybe two that meet those requirements. You need a flexible, passionate individual that is happy to meet you half way, turns up, does not cancel last minute after you sorted babysitting and that is becoming more challenging than ever.
This sequence of thoughts led me here when I am contemplating how the digital content changed for me personally but also in the world of social media as a whole.
What is audience looking for in 2021?
There is no doubt the face of social media and digital has shifted. Even before pandemic I felt there has been huge increase in showing reality rather than picture perfect dreamy images. The content went from highly photoshopped images, filters, flower walls, immaculate backgrounds, exotic destinations and escapism to showing cellulite, stretch marks and under eye circles of tired new moms. Sometimes content creators went too far for my liking in order to shock and revolt. However these kind of accounts and posts reach huge engagement as it is clearly relatable. Many people no longer seek escapism after hard day but they want to see that it is ok to struggle at work, with newborn baby or put on few pounds. Even some of the top influencers have been publishing quick Iphone images and showing off rather dress down effortless looks.
The video content took social media by storm and TikTok became fastest growing social media platform. It offers something new, something more real and very different from those still perfect images. The stranger the content the more your chances are for it to become viral. Audience is seeking content that entertains, is original and they can relate to. The most viral videos are the ones people can relate to. There are still videos that show luxury, beautiful people and immaculate life however they usually do not get that reach as something very simple. It is no longer so much about 5 star hotels, mansion houses but a video filmed in one bedroom messy flat on the other side of world can explode. Of course, Instagram did not want to be behind and brought reels which was definitely nice new challenge for those staying away from TikTok. However, due to so many influencers being on Tiktok already they replicate they content on reels and vice versa. The questions is whether the Instagram audience loves reels as it does bring in that TikTok culture to this platform. I have definitely noticed there are two camps when it comes to this.
Pandemic changed a lot when it comes to digital. Anything that was not possible to happen took on digital form. The fashion industry had to quickly adapt and the consumers and followers too. The type of content changed as we legally could not do the usual things. The brands were reporting the sales of loungewear hugely increased whilst sales of high heels was the lowest ever. That of course reflected also influencers’ content. We were all and still are on the same boat and that means we have to adapt to the situation. It is no longer about the perfect backdrops unless you change paintings in your living room on a weekly basis.
When it comes to travel and content it was like walking on a thin ice. Most my non-influencer friends travelled still a lot during 2020 however they are not in the spotlight. One of my good friends from the industry who’s content is a lot about luxury lifestyle travelled still quite a lot during pandemic however only to countries which had opened borders and she followed all regulations. Sadly due to the circumstances the audience couldn’t relate which led to hateful comments. It was only few days later when huge media noticed and thanks to her 15 seconds video she got criticised by the biggest publications including British Vogue. This is telling me that we all need to adapt and we need to be more relatable as that is what the market requires. We need to find new creative ways how to keep the audience engaged.
I cannot help but wonder..Is this all taking us back to where it all started? Instagram used to be about an instant image, instant experience and being more real? Is that the way we are heading? Maybe in a slightly different form but along those lines.
I believe audience is seeking relatable content full of entertainment, they want valuable information and fun.
What do you think?
Divam se na fotografie, ktere jsou porizeny par let zpatky. Stojim na kouzelnem balkone v Parizi behem jednoho z fashion weeku a vzpominam na to jake to tenkrat bylo. Byly to dny, kdy jsem obetovala kazdou minutu volna sve vasni. Mezi praci na plny uvazek jsem bez prestavky tvorila obsah pro sve platformy, fotila, tocila, cestovala, psala a byla k nezastaveni. Nebyla chvile, kdybych nechala svuj Canon Mark II doma, protoze jsem vzdy nasla dalsi moznost tvorit. Prestoze to je tezky, mohutny a otravny stroj, vedela jsem, ze mi muze krasne zachytit dalsi moment nebo outfit.
Pred par dny mi jedna moje kamaradka napsala zpravu, ze pokazde kdyz vidi me starsi fotografie, tak si pomysli jak jsou dobre. A ma pravdu. O obsahu jsem vice premyslela, planovala, obetovala tomu veskery cas. Kazda fotografie v sobe nesla vice usili, planovani a organizace. Vydavala jsem sest clanku tydne. Ale s ditetem prisly prekazky jako cas, synchronizovat cas s tema, kdo me mohou fotit a take jine priority.
Jedna z nejvetsich prekazek za poslednich deset let bylo najit nekoho, kdo je flexibilni, zapaleny a schopny. Clovek, ktery vam pomaha s vasim obsahem musi mit stejne velkou vasen pro to co delate jako vy. Za cela ty leta jsem potkala mozna dve osoby, ktere takove jsou a to je nejvetsi kamen urazu.
A vsechno tohle premysleni o obsahu a digitalnim svete me privedlo az sem. Je totiz ocividne, ze tvar a dynamika obsahu se meni a to nejen pro me osobne, ale pro vsechny z nas.
Co chteji videt sledujici v digitalnim svete v roce 2021?
Myslim, ze uz pred pandemii se obsah na socialnich sitich dost zmenil. Transformace byla sice pomalejsi, ale je viditelny ustup dokonale upravenych fotografii a prehnanych filtru. Naopak zacina byt popularni uprimna realita. A tak na me na Instagramu misto idylickych fotografii s nadechem luxusu vyskakuji fotografie celulitidy, plnych zenskych tvaru a unavene obliceje novorodicek. Influenceri v mnoha pripadech odhazuji fasady a jdou s kuzi na trh. Na muj vkus mozna nekdy az moc. Ja totiz rada pres socialni media unikam realite, ale jde videt, ze spouste sledujicich tento trend apeluje. Uprimne posty maji v mnoha pripadech nekolikanasobny engagement.
A jedna z nejvetsich zmen je video obsah. Ten vzdy existoval, ale diky rozmahu popularni platformy TikTok dosahuje novych rozmeru. A co je nejzajimavejsi, ze i v tomto pripade velmi dominuje realita. Na viralni video nemusite byt milionar na jachte ci vlastnit padesat tasek Hermes, viralni video muze byt cokoli a velmi casto jsou to prave videa, ktere jsou proste normalni, vtipne a obecenstvo bavi. Originalita je velmi dulezita a hlavne plati, ze cim vetsi blbost, tim vetsi sance na to, ze video bude viralni. Tim netvrdim, ze fashion blogeri se zamerenim na luxusni modu nemaji sanci. To ne. Jenom jde videt, ze sledujici miluji obsah, se kterym se mohou ztotoznit a ktery je pobavi. Instagram nechtel byt v pozadi a tak predstavil na sve platforme reels. To bylo pro uzivatele neco noveho, ale jelikoz spousta influenceru pouze duplikuje obsah z Tiktoku nebylo to uplne pro vsechny. Vice a vice narazim na uzivatele Instagramu, kterym reels nevyhovuji a nedokazou se ztotoznit s Tiktok trendy.
Pandemie ale prinesla do digitalniho sveta celkovy obrat. To co nebylo mozne uskutecnit, nabralo digitalni formu. Firmy i influenceri se museli rychle adaptovat. Zmenila se forma obsahu uz jenom tim, ze pro vsechny platila podobna pravidla a to byt doma. Socialni platformy byly najednou plne fotografii domova, pohodlnych teplakovek a stories o tom, na co se podivat na Netlixu. Podle statistik byl prodej pohodlneho obleceni nejvyssi za posledni leta a na druhou stranu luxusni znacky botu hlasi velky propad v prodeji vysokych podpatku. Svet se musel zkratka prizpusobit.
Co se tyce cestovani, to bylo v lonskem roce hodne omezene. Presto spousta mych pratel, kteri nejsou influenceri cestovalo. Bohuzel pro blogery je to trosku jine. Je to jako chodit po tenkem lede, jestli cestujete a tvorite stejny obsah jako drive pro spousty lidi je to neprijatelne. Jedna z mych dobrych kamaradek, jejiz obsah je prave o luxusnim zivotnim stylu a cestovani vydala video o cestovani v roce 2020 a to pobourilo nejednoho uzivatele na Tiktoku. Za par dni bylo video viralni a toho si vsimla svetova media a casopisy a dokonce Britska Vogue. Pro spousty tohle bylo neprijatelne a sobecke, prestoze tato blogerka cestovala do zemi, kde to bylo mozne a dodrzovala regulace.
A tak premyslim, zda nas to nevratilo vse na samy pocatek Instagramu. Instagram byl o neupravenych fotkach, sdileni reality a momentek. Mozna nas tohle vsechno vratilo par let zpatky. Lide hledaji obsah s nimz se ztotozni, u nehoz se pobavi nebo si treba u nej i pobreci. Obsah musi take bavit nebo nam neco predat. Co myslite?
As a luxury lover I could not decline an invitation to experience visit at Four Season in Hampshire. I am a huge fan of English countryside and together in combination with good food, stunning spa, walks in the fresh air it is even nicer.
It is such an easy staycation for Londoners as it is under 2 hours drive depending on traffic or about an hour on the train. This previously Georgian manor house that was restored into luxury hotel is perfect for families. I was so impressed how children friendly and how prepared the hotel is. They have set buffet for kids which means no waiting and no ordering which was perfect for our constantly hungry toddler. And it is healthy selection and offers plenty of variety including desserts for the little ones.
And even their spa isn’t just about the adults. Children can use separate pool with amazing sharkies reef and other fun stuff. The swimming nappies are by the pool which is the nicest touch ever. I could not believe it to be fair. It is so convenient for the parents and their children.
There are horse riding lessons, currently ice skating experience and lot of beautiful land for walks, flying kites and outdoor playground. However if you fancy pigeons shooting or bird watching these are also available at the hotel. You simply will not be bored.
I can highly recommend to try their Hampshire Herbal massage that is inspired by Jane Austen. Austen lived in Hampshire and used to grow herbs in the garden. Hotel found an inspiration and created massage where they use mint, chamomile and lavender during the massage. It gives incredibly relaxing and aromatherapy feeling. And I cannot forget they have heated massage beds. Well, that was my first let’s say. The therapist was absolutely wonderful and extremely professional.
The wild carrot restaurant has got an incredible decor and stunning views. We were very impressed with the food quality and service. I totally threw away any dieting ideas and went in all the way including delicious glass of Malbec which was my first glass in 2020. And it was so worth it.
Liam also wanted to see the horses so we could not say no to him and overall we truly enjoyed our time at Four Seasons Hampshire. It offers immaculate service, great location, lot of fun activities and incredible hospitality and luxury. What else to ask for?
Thank you for having us.
Jako milovnice luxusu jsem nemohla v zadnem pripade odmitnout pozvanku od Four Seasons v Hampshire. Mam moc rada anglicky venkov a kombinace dobreho jidla, lazni a cerstveho vzduchu je opravdu fantasticka.
Je to vyborna mini dovolena asi dve hodiny jizdy od Londyna anebo staci skocit na vlak a jste na miste zhruba za hodinu. Zrestaurovane Georgianske panstvi je dnes luxusnim hotelem, ktery stoji uprostred zelene a je idealni pro navstevu s detmi. Byla jsem nadsena ze servisu, ktery nabizi rodinam. Na obed maji deti prichystany bufet, takze zadne cekani. To se nam vyborne hodilo, protoze nase dite, kdyz ma hlad, tak pres to nejede vlak.
Pro deti je tam toho opravdu dost. Maji pro ne zvlast bazen, ktery ma skluzavky a jine prvky a dospeli si mohou uzivat sveho bazenu, jak kryteho tak venkovniho. Hotel dale nabizi lekce jizdy na koni, muzete si jit zabruslit, sledovat ptaky, strilet holuby ci si zajit s detma na skvele venkovni hriste. Muzete si objednat take masaz pro sebe. Ja jsem vyzkousela jejich tradicni bylinkovou masaz. Je inspirovana Jane Austen, ktera v Hamsphire zila a pouzivaji stejne bylinky, ktere kdysi pestovala na sve zahradce.
Hotelova restaurace Wild Carrot byla take vyborna. Dobre klasicke jidlo s vyhledem ven a krasnym tradicnim designem je vytecnou kombinaci. V takove dny je nejlepsi zapomenout na diety a poradne se do toho oprit. A taky ze jo. Nesmela chybet ani prvni sklenicka vina v roce 2020 a vytecny Malbec nemel chybu.
Dekujeme Four Seasons za jejich pohostinost a uz se tesime na dalsi navstevu.
