My first thought when an invitation dropped onto my desk to Kensington Palace was not clouded by the usual miscellany of thought surrounding dress codes and diary dates. No, I found myself asking whether I could smuggle a baby in. It turns out that in fact, you can.

So 8 month old baby and I trotted off to the launch of a new luxury group Luxury Alliance at Kensington Palace, joined by my Sorority sister Matches COO Frances Card.

We were greeted with the signature hospitality and warmth by host Peter Virdee as we sipped champagne ( not baby I must hastily add – though not through lack of effort on his part) and enjoyed a beautiful evening in the galleried halls of the palace surrounded with stunning jewels by Chopard and a host of eclectic luxury brands from around the world.

And as  it turns out, babies make great plus ones.

We were proud to sponsor the Three Butterflies Lunch for Womankind Worldwide at their inaugural event at The Savoy.

Womankind Worldwide is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in Africa, Asia and Latin America- enabling women to understand their legal rights, helping to protect them from domestic violence and helping them to access resources and economic opportunities.

Since their launch they have helped over 10 million women.

Professional women from the highest echelons in business gathered for an afternoon of inspiration and empowerment. Jude Kelly, artistic director of the South Bank Centre and the Chair of the London Cultural Olympiad, gave the keynote that highlighted many of the issues that Womankind Worldwide strives to eradicate.

The event culminated with a surprising musical performance from an African drumming group, which provided 200 drums to each guest so that we all participated in a rhythmic unison. (Literally- banging our own drums!)

It is always a pleasure and a privilege to partake in such noble endeavours and to witness the immersive energy of amazing women coming together to harness a collective power for change.

Russia’s most famous and successful restaurateur, Arkady Novikov heads an empire with more than 50 restaurants throughout Moscow. Arkady’s name has become a byword for high-end dining in the city, with a clientele that includes everyone from Vladimir Putin and Bill Clinton through to Naomi Campbell. Indeed people go to a new Novikov restaurant simply because he is involved.

Having conquered his homeland, Arkady Novikov is now set to become a global restaurateur with the opening of Novikov Restaurant & Bar in the heart of London of Berkeley Square.

Several Sorority sisters and I were treated to a private preview of the restaurant opening and a tour of this vast creation that stretches to accommodate an Italian floor, Asian floor and sumptuous lounge in the lower ground floor.

The ground floor boasts an Asian inspired dining room with an open kitchen and impressive fresh food market where patrons can select from the finest shellfish and seafood London has to offer.

An amazing space for entertaining, and with sashimi and dumplings this good, it would be hard to be disappointed. I cannot wait to return and give the Italian floor a spin.

We are all guilty of it. Working long hours, juggling responsibilities at work and at home, and pushing ourselves to get through everything.  Contemporary lifestyles afflict an invisible trauma on our bodies and minds that we have come to accept as a way of life. If we look at these daily afflictions I have to question – why do we do it to ourselves? We are prepared to live with a certain level of pain. I am not talking about tear-jerking pain -  but everyday burdens from fatigue, stress, and irritating aches. They all add up.

So it was with curious anticipation that we organised a Glow Evening with some of London’s leading well being experts to set the balance straight.

Combining an evening of Glow yoga, nutrition and beauty, our Sorority sisters were invited into a world of calm and nourishment.

The charismatic founder of the Good Vibes fitness brand and Sorority sister Nahid de Belgeonne spearheaded a Glow yoga class that is conducted in Europe’s only infra-red heated studio which opens up the body in a gentler form than Bikram yoga.

As Nahid expertly guides you through each motion, you begin to respect the engineering of your body through the simplest of gestures that lengthen and stretch. It feels like a warm delicious hug.

These slow-motion forms do an enormous amount of good to your body, especially if you suffer from tension and stress from sitting at desk all day, wear high heels or carry a heavy hand bag on one shoulder.

By the end of the session your mind and body are transported to a serene state of balance and bliss in less than 60 minutes – and you don’t even break a sweat. Why isn’t everyone doing this?

The session was followed with delicious nutritional goodies from Nosh Detox, a leading food delivery service that creates bespoke nutritional programmes which are delivered to your door daily. Whether you want to lose weight, have a baby, or have specific health issues such as chronic fatigue and high blood pressure, Nosh has a programme to suit everyone.

The company’s inspiring founder and Sorority sister Geeta Sidhu-Robb is an award winning entrepreneur that has pioneered nutritional programmes that have transformed people’s lives. We were treated to fresh fruit smoothies that were light and not overpowering in sweetness. Truly refreshing and energising and not heavy at all. Geeta also served a spicy quinoa salad that was an inspirational take on vegetarian food that was packed with delicious flavour and very satisfying.

Nosh is the only delivery service that offers gluten and sugar free diets meaning you can tuck in and never feel bloated and sleepy.

Nutrition of course is not just about food, as Georgie Cleeve – founder of OSKIA skincare – explained. OSKIA is an award winning skincare range that is based on delivering nutrition to the skin.

The name OSKIA is derived from the ancient Greek for ‘delivering nutrients’ and ‘beauty’ and is a high performance, nutritionally-designed, natural skincare range. All OSKIA products contain a MSM-Regen Complex™ which naturally boosts collagen. Georgie shared the inspiration behind the brand as our Sorority sisters were treated to a luxurious gift box of OSKIA goodies. The vitamin massage candle is an original concept. Once melted, the blend of beeswax, soybean and coconut oil will nourish, soften and hydrate and can be used as a warm body oil which is poured directly from the candle.

OSKIA’s first UK spa is now launched and based in the Good Vibes studio which also houses signature Power Plates classes in Covent Garden, so you can get get glowing from top to toe. What are you waiting for?

We were absolutely delighted when Nicholas Kirkwood decided to host a fabulous VIP reception for our Sorority sisters in his London flagship store. Our sisters were treated to a stylish evening of champagne and shoes as Nicholas gave us an exclusive interview about his inspirations and designing the ultimate Sorority Shoe!

Lucky fashionistas had their Kirkwood creations autographed by the designer himself. I chose a stunning pair of ruched organza heels which Nicholas customised with his creative flair. More like a work of art than footwear! For more photos join us Facebook.

With so many styles to choose from we were spoilt for choice.

And with a fabulous new store opening in New York next year, we won’t be the only ones!

Click here to watch exclusive interviews with Nicholas Kirkwood. For more photos join us on FACEBOOK.

The mysterious allure of Azerbaijan has long captured the imaginations of travellers and now the natural beauty of its land has been harnessed for a new beauty line; Gazelli.

So I was terribly excited when a beautiful package arrived at my desk containing the beautiful products from the new Triple Youth range.

Gazelli offers a range of skincare treats containing a key ingredient formed from a white healing oil, which has been extracted and developed from a thousand-year-old resource unique to Azerbaijan, the oil is formed through centuries in the deep layers of the earth – beneath the plains of Naftalan.

Possessing qualities that have been recognized for centuries in medicine, the oil contains a high concentration of physiologically active components, which increase the metabolic processes at the cellular level, improving skin ability to regenerate itself and absorb nutrients and oxygen.

Sorority sister Jamila Askarova has developed the new anti-ageing Triple Youth range with her mother Dr. Zarifa Hamzayeva, who founded the Gazelli beauty group 10 years ago.

The enchanting packaging design features artwork inspired from the region and is a refreshing new brand. I can’t wait to see what this super duo dream up next.

Gazelli Triple Youth range is available exclusively in Harrods at Urban Retreat.

Jamila Askarova and Dr. Zarifa Hamzayeva are Founding Members of The Sorority.

Set in the sumptuous Mews of Mayfair dining room in the heart of Mayfair our inspiring women gathered for an evening of glittering anecdotes and warm conversations.

Fashion designers, money maestros, health gurus and celebrity chefs, we celebrated the diversity of our experiences. The stunning TV Chef Ching He Huang had just returned from shooting her new US TV show for the Cooking Channel and nutrition expert to the stars Geeta Sidhu-Robb, Founder of Nosh Detox,  shared her secrets to eating our way to a better life. We were even treated to fashionable treats by resident fashionistas Vanessa  Knox, Veronica Moncho Lobo, Opnuu, The State of Grace and online shoe sensation Upper Street’s founder Julia Grinham.

My 5 month old son certainly enjoyed all the attention at his first Sorority dinner.

The Sorority Members dinner are warm occasions to bring together magnificent women to share experiences and create connections. These evenings always serves as a powerful reminder that we can make such a significant impact on each other with the simplest of gestures. It is always my pleasure to host such evenings and hope they continue to inspire and celebrate the art of female connection.

Some of the lovely messages we have received:

“Thank you so much for a lovely evening, you have a great eye for choosing really gutsy, clever women.”

“Life has been challenging for the last few months and I left tonight feeling a renewed sense of self, a deep gratitude to women and overjoyed once again at being blessed to have been born one.”

“Thank you so much for last night. It was wonderful. I cannot explain how much it helped me to be with such amazing women. I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute.”

“Thank u for the wonderful evening.what inspiring women. Very humbling.”

“Lovely evening, wonderful venue, and very beautiful and genuine women. Thank you so much”

“Stunningly wonderful and fabulous, the evening was exquisite”

Special Thanks

The wonderful L’Occitane for sharing their magnificent Precious Cream

Quintessentially Gifts and Apsreys

Gorgeous cosmetic line Gazelli from Azerbaijan

Shoe sensations at Upper Street

Panachecosmetics.com and Philip B and Revive

Whilst I watched the crowds escape London for the Summer we have been busy in the office developing an exciting new initiative with Alicia Keys and Keep a Child Alive. I have long believed that investing in women leads to higher standards of living, education and health for families in the developing world and we wanted to invest our energies into programmes that empower women. The Sorority is delighted to be working with Keep a Child Alive and Alicia with her team to empower women and end the cycle of poverty.

We caught up with Alicia at a special dinner in London where my 12 week old son emerged as the unexpected highlight of the evening…

I have always believed in the power of people; the collective influence we all have as individuals and as a group to mobilse change and shape the world we live in. The Chinese have a proverb; Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for life.

The Sorority’s collaboration with Keep a Child Alive, co-founded by Alica Keys and Leigh Blake, has a universal mission to harness the collaborative power of successful professional women to empower women in the developing world.

Leading thinkers in social development, including the world bank, hail investing in women as “smart economics,” an untapped resource that can help solve many of the problems we see in our world today.

Investing in women produces a positive ripple effect of improved health, education, and welfare for all household members.

More than 70% of people who live below the poverty line are women.

Many of us have had the privilege of benefiting from opportunities and support that have been denied to these women.

It is my hope that we can combine our expertise, influence and strength from our successes to empower others.

Register for our email updates to be the first to hear about our special project to be launched in due course and find out how you can get involved.

Roland Mouret hosted a Bastille Day reception last night with Quintessentially Gifts at his newly launched Mayfair Maison in Carlos Place, opposite the Connaught Hotel.

Scarlett Johansson, Dita Von Teese, Victoria Beckham, Cameron Diaz and Rachel Weisz have all queued up to own one of Mouret’s iconic Galaxy dresses and now Mouret’s next fashionable chapter starts in W1.

Mouret’s three classic dresses, the Galaxy, the Moon and Pigalle dresses have been reworked for this store – and the line has also expanded to include cashmere and sunglasses.

The Sorority members and I enjoyed refreshing cocktails as we caught up with Roland who complimented my three month old son’s fashionable ensemble. Baby Mouret anyone?

Lisa Tse with Roland Mouret and baby Oscar

It was a delightful sunny setting for the English National Ballet’s inaugral Summer Party held at Kensington Palace Orangery. The cream of the British Fashion scene had rolled up (plus the odd Rolling Stone or two) to a serene gathering on a stunning summer evening. Welcomed by Nadia Swarovski, guests had gathered that evening as part of a fundraising auction for English National Ballet.

Several designer tutus and accessories were being silently auctioned that night with couture creations by Moshino, Giles Deacon, Erdem, Roksanda Ilincic and Sorority sister Beatrix Ong.

Christian Louboutin produced a pair of eight-inch Swarovski-encrusted heels based on the ballet shoe.

The auction hopes to raise over £50,000 for the ENB  following the Arts Council’s decision to cut its grant by around £2 million and was attended by guests including Prince Andrew, Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes and Ronnie Wood.

Above: Couture Tutus by Giles Deacon and Roksanda Ilincic

The glamorous and the good gathered last night for a fabulous Black Ball for Keep a Child Alive, a charity co-founded by Alicia Keys providing support and treatment to hundreds of thousands living with HIV/AIDs in Africa and India.

Hosted by Alicia Keys and Mark Ronson, guests were treated to exceptional performances from Tinie Tempah, Paloma Faith, George Michael and Beth Ditto.

The evening finale culminated in Alicia taking to the stage with Paloma Faith and Beth Ditto to sing an all female rendition of George Michael’s ‘Freedom’. George had been due to perform himself but had to  pull out last minute because of a tooth infection which sent waves throughout the Twittersphere when Alicia tweeted during the after-party “One question…who would bail on 15 million orphans? George Michael…”

For me, the highlight of the evening was hearing the first hand accounts from Carol Dyantyi. She witnessed the hardship of children left to fend for themselves and their siblings, and knew her life’s mission was to take action. There are now over 2000 orphans under Carol’s care in Soweto, South Africa.

These moving stories are the roots of the work Keep a Child Alive undertakes, and as President and Founder Leigh Blake told us last night “what we do today defines who are are tomorrow. Our life is our message…”

We can all make a difference – what will you do today?

I will make it our mission that The Sorority will support the work of Alicia and Leigh, and make a pledge to mobilse change to empower women and children under their care.

Above: Beth Ditto performs with Mark Ronson’s band

Below: Sorority Founder Lisa Tse with Leigh Blake, President of Keep a Child Alive