Day 1
Arrivals
Straight to lunch
Lunch
Next Stop, Hair
Cocktails, Champagne, Oysters
Pre-Dinner Prep
Dinner à la The White Company
Day 2
Ready, Steady, Play
Farewell Lunch
Check out.
Is there a better way to kick off summer than by decamping to Coombe End Manor in the Cotswolds with some of our favourite Who What Wear UK community influencers for the ultimate girls' trip? It was a two-day celebration of the fashion, beauty and homeware we’re embracing as temperatures rise and getaways are embarked on, courtesy of our editors’ go-to brands. Continue scrolling to relive everything we did.
It was bags down and straight out to a delicious alfresco lunch right next to the pool. After we exchanged pleasantries and raised a glass to toast the trip, we sat down to enjoy a light family-style meal of fresh local produce. Did we need to shrug on blankets to shield against the escalating wind? No sun, no problem.
Before our guests arrived, we circled the manor, allocating bedrooms and leaving piles of the incredible gifts we’d curated from an assortment of brands we love and couldn’t wait to try for the first time together. Sportswear! Beauty products! Snacks! Books! We wanted to start the trip on a memorable note and get our guests even more excited for the season ahead by greeting them with surprises to try on and sample at their leisure.
Some explored the house or swam, whilst others booked slots at the TRESemmé Styling Lounge for makeovers accompanied by cocktails and sweet bites. Having their hair styled by professional hairdressers for dinner was the perfect opportunity to try out the brand’s new Thermo range, which promises 72 hours of style retention for all hair types. And the products didn’t disappoint; the beachy waves, curls and sleek buns held up until guests checked out, and everyone left with the full product line to keep using at home.
At the same time, a stunning white-and-green tablescape showcasing our picks from The White Company’s chic homeware and outdoor dining edit was coming together. Our creative event producer and stylist, Kate Thompson, decided to move the multi-sensory experience indoors due to the aforementioned wind, having drafted in floral artist Holly Tomalin to create sculptural arrangements of calla lilies and alliums sprouting from the table.
The evening kicked off at golden hour with everyone dressed to the nines. We congregated in the garden for margaritas and ’fit pics before moving inside to nibble on gilda canapés and tip back oysters, accompanied by elegant flutes of champagne.
There were audible gasps when we entered the dining room and took in the finished tablescape, complete with lit candles in hurricanes, knotted linen napkins and chicly mismatched plates. With everyone seated beside a calla lily bearing their name, a delicious three-course meal was served as we swapped stories and memorised specific details of the tablescape to re-create ourselves. After an indulgent chocolate mousse for dessert, the multi-tiered cheese “cake” was sliced for afters.
From avocado toast and bacon and eggs to pastries, parfait, and fruit, we sat down to a hearty breakfast spread to fuel the sporty fun ahead, and got changed into eye-catching activewear. There was no risk of the session being rained off as the place we were heading to had a new roof.
Breakfast
After returning to the manor to freshen up and finish packing, we sat down to one last delicious lunch together before we checked out. Everyone left with a bag of freshly baked madeleines for the road.
Hands up if you’ve played padel? As it turned out, not many of us, so Space NK’s takeover of the nearby courts was a real treat. After hitting the hydration station showcasing the retailer’s new hair and body mist along with other hero summer products on ice, things got surprisingly competitive as we served and took our shots. There was ice cream on hand, naturally.
