The ME+EM Summer Sale Is On – These Are All The Staple Items We're Shopping
Helmed by founder Clare Hornby, the brand uses a '3F' philosophy of 'flattering, functional and forever', aiming to produce items that will endure. It has an eye on sustainability too, with organic cotton, recycled fibres and responsibly sourced wool used alongside circular design practices.
ME+EM has gathered many a famous fan, with the likes of Daisy Edgar-Jones, Phoebe Dynevor, Leighton Meester and the Princess of Wales favouring its forever-chic, soft power pieces.
The brand has made waves in the political sphere too, with Lady Victoria Starmer choosing to walk into Number 10 Downing Street the day after the 2024 general election in a Labour-red fluid crepe midi-dress (leading to a 300% spike in visits to the website) and Angela Rayner opting for a green trouser suit the day she was appointed deputy prime minister, and an orange ME+EM dress for her first cabinet meeting.
As author and fashion educator Andrea Cheong tells ELLE UK: 'The quality of the construction is really high – you'll see bias binding around zips, French seams, pin-tucking and things are lined. I'm surprised to see the levels of details they have in their designs, particularly in the summer collection, given the price point,' noting that they could 'easily' charge what Joseph does.
In 2022 and 2023, ME+EM was named as one of Britain's fastest-growing private companies in the Sunday Times 100 list and in 2024 the brand announced sales of £120 million, which was a 46% year-on-year increase.
It has now launched its summer sale, and with items up to 50% off, it's the perfect time to invest. Below, our edit of the best buy-now, wear-forever pieces to add to basket.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Esther Coombes is the Senior Ecommerce Editor at Harper's Bazaar, ELLE and Esquire, overseeing luxury shopping content across fashion, beauty, travel and homes. She graduated from London College of Fashion with a First Class BA in Fashion Journalism in 2010, and has since worked at Marie-Claire, Easy Living, GLAMOUR and Women's Health.
She held positions as Senior Fashion and Beauty Executive, Senior Lifestyle Executive and Content Lead during her nine years at HELLO! and HELLO! Fashion, creating editorial and branded content across the lifestyle sector and interviewing talent and experts including Lisa Eldridge, Jo Malone and Katie Jane Hughes for print and digital features.
With exacting standards and a critical eye for editing new launches, she enjoys recommending readers best in class products and experiences, be that a glow-giving skin tint, a boutique hotel stay or the perfect slingback stiletto.
In her spare time you can find her at a spin or reformer class or streaming the latest zeitgeisty podcast or television drama. You can follow Esther on Instagram at @esthercoombes.
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Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Churches in once Catholic-dominated Quebec get new secular roles as restaurants, gyms and theaters
MONTREAL — On a Friday night, families danced under pink and purple neon lights to the beat of an African band playing where the altar used to stand at a Catholic church in Montreal. Notre-Dame-du-Perpetuel-Secours, built between 1914-1920, was renovated and repurposed in 2014, becoming Theatre Paradox. The concert hall has hosted meditation, Zumba lessons, even a fetish party that organizers touted as 'Montreal's most kinky, freaky and sexy Halloween event.' In the once Catholic-dominated province of Quebec, it's just one of many churches that have been deconsecrated and transformed into everything from gyms, restaurants and museums to luxury apartments, auction houses and a university reading room. For most of Quebec's history, the Catholic Church was the most powerful force in the French-speaking province, with a firm grip over schools, health care and politics. But its influence faded during the so-called Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, when the provincial government took control as part of a campaign to reduce the church's power. The rate of regular church attendance among Quebec's Catholics plunged from one of the highest in Canada to the one of the lowest. That happened to Notre-Dame-du-Perpetuel-Secours. Over the course of a century, thousands of worshippers filled its pews. But attendance had dwindled to a few when the event management company Groupe Paradoxe bought it in 2010, said its director, Gérald St-Georges. He believes that even in a deconsecrated secular setting, the former church continues what he describes as a sacred mission. Today, it offers training and paid work for young adults, including those with prior addiction issues and juvenile records, in theater and stage management to help them land jobs in the entertainment industry. 'When I started the project, I said to myself, 'That's the kind of work the church should do, not only Mass,'' said St-Georges, who is a Catholic. 'I practice my faith with what I do every day, helping people.' Wood from the pews was used to build a bar. On a recent summer day, concertgoers ordered cold beers in front of stained glass illuminated by neon lights under a silver disco ball that hung from its soaring ceilings. In the historic neighborhood of Old Montreal, tourists formed a snaking line outside the Gothic-style Notre-Dame Basilica — Montreal's still-active mother church that also hosts secular events — to attend a popular show that uses projectors and lasers to illuminate the building. Mateus Vassalo, a Brazilian tourist who visited the show with his family, said it's an incredible opportunity for believers and nonbelievers to gather in such a setting outside of worship services. 'You see people from other religions, Muslims, people who sometimes don't even believe in God, coming here to the church,' he said in Portuguese. 'Even if they come specifically for the show, they end up having a contact, and who knows, maybe there's a door for God to enter. There's curiosity. There's questioning.' Just a few miles north, in the neighborhood of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the sky is dotted with crosses atop church steeples, many of them unused or repurposed. For decades, factory and port workers worshipped at Saint-Mathias-Apotre Church. Today it's a restaurant that serves affordable meals daily for up to 600 residents. The manager of Le Chic Resto Pop also grew up Catholic and, like many of his staff, now identifies as religiously unaffiliated. But he still feels close to core values of Catholicism that he tries to extol at the nonprofit restaurant that keeps the original wooden doors and even the confessional booths. 'There's less faith, but the values are really much the same: It's values of respect, values of well-being, of wanting to help each other,' Marc-André Simard said during a lunch break, sitting near what used to be the altar. 'There's still space to be together, to have some sort of communion, but it's around food, not around faith.' 'I vote for you!' Marie-Frédérik Gagnon, one of the restaurant employees, said laughingly next to him. She also grew up Catholic but is now part of the so-called 'nones' — people who are religiously unaffiliated. Today, she values how Quebec grants people the right to live free from religious impositions, while protecting the right to religious freedom. 'In the restaurant, we have a bunch of people that are Spanish-speakers, that come from African countries, and they're still big believers, and everybody sits at the same tables. There's a big acceptance of all.' 'It's such a beautiful place,' she said. 'People are very calm and quiet when they come here. The environment, all the lights, all the open space, I think it's helping people to feel good. So it's nice to have the chance to work in an open-space environment like this.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Churches in once Catholic-dominated Quebec get new secular roles as restaurants, gyms and theaters
MONTREAL (AP) — On a Friday night, families danced under pink and purple neon lights to the beat of an African band playing where the altar used to stand at a Catholic church in Montreal. Notre-Dame-du-Perpetuel-Secours, built between 1914-1920, was renovated and repurposed in 2014, becoming Theatre Paradox. The concert hall has hosted meditation, Zumba lessons, even a fetish party that organizers touted as 'Montreal's most kinky, freaky and sexy Halloween event.' In the once Catholic-dominated province of Quebec, it's just one of many churches that have been deconsecrated and transformed into everything from gyms, restaurants and museums to luxury apartments, auction houses and a university reading room. For most of Quebec's history, the Catholic Church was the most powerful force in the French-speaking province, with a firm grip over schools, health care and politics. But its influence faded during the so-called Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, when the provincial government took control as part of a campaign to reduce the church's power. The rate of regular church attendance among Quebec's Catholics plunged from one of the highest in Canada to the one of the lowest. That happened to Notre-Dame-du-Perpetuel-Secours. Over the course of a century, thousands of worshippers filled its pews. But attendance had dwindled to a few when the event management company Groupe Paradoxe bought it in 2010, said its director, Gérald St-Georges. He believes that even in a deconsecrated secular setting, the former church continues what he describes as a sacred mission. Today, it offers training and paid work for young adults, including those with prior addiction issues and juvenile records, in theater and stage management to help them land jobs in the entertainment industry. 'When I started the project, I said to myself, 'That's the kind of work the church should do, not only Mass,'' said St-Georges, who is a Catholic. 'I practice my faith with what I do every day, helping people.' Wood from the pews was used to build a bar. On a recent summer day, concertgoers ordered cold beers in front of stained glass illuminated by neon lights under a silver disco ball that hung from its soaring ceilings. An opportunity to gather for believers and non-believers In the historic neighborhood of Old Montreal, tourists formed a snaking line outside the Gothic-style Notre-Dame Basilica — Montreal's still-active mother church that also hosts secular events — to attend a popular show that uses projectors and lasers to illuminate the building. Mateus Vassalo, a Brazilian tourist who visited the show with his family, said it's an incredible opportunity for believers and nonbelievers to gather in such a setting outside of worship services. 'You see people from other religions, Muslims, people who sometimes don't even believe in God, coming here to the church,' he said in Portuguese. 'Even if they come specifically for the show, they end up having a contact, and who knows, maybe there's a door for God to enter. There's curiosity. There's questioning.' Following Catholic values in a church turned restaurant Just a few miles north, in the neighborhood of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the sky is dotted with crosses atop church steeples, many of them unused or repurposed. For decades, factory and port workers worshipped at Saint-Mathias-Apotre Church. Today it's a restaurant that serves affordable meals daily for up to 600 residents. The manager of Le Chic Resto Pop also grew up Catholic and, like many of his staff, now identifies as religiously unaffiliated. But he still feels close to core values of Catholicism that he tries to extol at the nonprofit restaurant that keeps the original wooden doors and even the confessional booths. 'There's less faith, but the values are really much the same: It's values of respect, values of well-being, of wanting to help each other,' Marc-André Simard said during a lunch break, sitting near what used to be the altar. 'There's still space to be together, to have some sort of communion, but it's around food, not around faith.' 'I vote for you!' Marie-Frédérik Gagnon, one of the restaurant employees, said laughingly next to him. She also grew up Catholic but is now part of the so-called 'nones' — people who are religiously unaffiliated. Today, she values how Quebec grants people the right to live free from religious impositions, while protecting the right to religious freedom. 'In the restaurant, we have a bunch of people that are Spanish-speakers, that come from African countries, and they're still big believers, and everybody sits at the same tables. There's a big acceptance of all.' 'It's such a beautiful place,' she said. 'People are very calm and quiet when they come here. The environment, all the lights, all the open space, I think it's helping people to feel good. So it's nice to have the chance to work in an open-space environment like this.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A reader seeks a quiet Bay Area restaurant. Here's what our critics recommend
Associate restaurant critic Cesar Hernandez and I often field highly specific requests from readers. Where can I book a private dining room for a holiday party? How can I make a good first impression on my girlfriend's gluten-free parents? Where do I find the best cinnamon rolls in Marin County? We respond when we can (and if we haven't answered your particular query, our apologies, please send all complaints about workload priorities to our editor) but recently we've been thinking: Shouldn't we be sharing this intel with a wider audience? Maybe you too have a girlfriend with gluten-free parents? So today we decided to open the mail bag and respond publicly, and if there's demand, we'll continue to do so every now and then. Could you use a restaurant recommendation for a specific dining occasion? If so, hit us up using this form, and we might answer your question in a future installment. I enjoy your reviews tremendously but keep looking for a mention that I can't find — communal tables. Are there any? A place where you can eat alone but with others? There must be more singles like me that would be interested. Even couples for that matter. I know the bar is always an option but it's not the same. — Eva You're right, Eva, the bar is not the same — although when I'm dining solo, I personally will take the bar over a communal table any day. But this is about you, not me! I would recommend checking out Galinette, a French 'beach bistro' in the Outer Sunset that opened last year. The front room and sidewalk have individual tables, but a second room is dominated by a large communal table that can fit 16 cozily. And a bonus recommendation for you: My former colleague Soleil Ho recently wrote an essay for Best Food Blog about experiencing social anxiety in communal dining situations, and they shouted out Jules, where 'reservation-less riffraff can still dig into nori guanciale pull-apart buns and sourdough pizza at the communal table.' — MacKenzie Galinette. 3554-3560 Taraval St., San Francisco. I have two recommendations: one is sleek and the other lively. Ilcha in San Francisco has a shared table that runs across the dining room, and it's the soul of the restaurant, filled with patrons gleefully nibbling on fried chicken and sipping soju. Shan Dong in Oakland's Chinatown, meanwhile, has three round communal tables outfitted with Lazy Susans. When I sat at one recently, the man sitting to my left was transfixed by my order of eggplants in a gleaming sweet-and-spicy sauce. I felt him salivating, so I offered him some, and he nearly leapt with joy. In exchange, he gave me a vegetarian dumpling, and the person across from us offered to share his spicy chicken. Since Shan Dong can get packed, staff offer smaller parties the quicker option of huddling up with others at a communal table. It's the best seat in the house. — Cesar I'm a Baby Boomer. Yesterday I had lunch with a friend who is also a Baby Boomer. She lives near San Jose and I live in San Francisco. She said she seeks out quiet restaurants wherever she is, and I've noticed a huge difference in my ability to hear when in a restaurant that has carpet on the floor. Could you do a search for the quietest restaurants on the Peninsula — approximately equal distance for both of us? The Boomers, and probably even younger people, will love it. — Christina If you and your friend are down for dinner instead of lunch, I would book a table at the Mountain House in Woodside. The front bar area, complete with taxidermy and a roaring fire, can have raucous roadhouse vibes, but the dining rooms in back are marvelously hushed with plenty of space in between tables. One of the rooms — almost entirely glassed-in, giving the illusion of dining among the redwoods — even has that coveted carpet. Don't miss the flourless chocolate cake. — MacKenzie If you're looking for a lunch spot (and your San Jose friend doesn't mind a slightly longer drive), check out Rasa in Burlingame. Specializing in contemporary Indian cuisine, the restaurant reopened last year after closing in 2022. Try to sit on the mezzanine level, which is styled with tropical wallpaper. It's much quieter during the day than at night. — Cesar A friend is in a new relationship, and I'd like to get her a gift certificate to celebrate a fresh chapter. Can you suggest a romantic, under-the-radar spot? — Laurie By some metrics, Aziza is definitely not under the radar; it's on our 2025 list of the Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area, and except for an extended closure from 2016-2019, it's been around since 1999. But the Moroccan restaurant's location in the Richmond District gives it the aura of an undiscovered secret. It can be found on a stretch of Geary that teems with excellent food, from Russian bakeries to destination dim sum, but most of the neighboring restaurants range from unfussy to extremely casual. I think your friend and her new paramour will adore the romance of stepping off the busy street, through Aziza's distinctive corner door and into the warmly lit dining room. They should have a drink at the Moroccan-tiled bar before requesting one of the tables with banquette seating. Also, if you're still reading, Eva — there's a communal table! — MacKenzie Aziza. 5800 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA. In my view, there's nothing more romantic than saving money. Sfizio in Oakland cares deeply about making its food accessible, offering a Cal-Italian menu where nothing exceeds $20. That means a couple could have a nice dinner filled with an appetizer, spaghetti with meatballs and a glass of wine for a sensible price. Extend the date with dessert by walking over to Tara's Organic Ice Cream for a scoop; my go-to: lavender on a black sesame-flecked cone. — Cesar
