Summer Solstice, longest day of the year, the future King’s birthday, plus MY birthday; all of the above takes place on 21^stJune.

All of my adult life I have stretched my birthday antics out for as long as possible. Most of June in fact, and why not? This year, I kicked off the celebrations with the summertime Hacienda Classical festival on my home turf of Hampstead Heath, followed by a weekend cruising the south western coastline of Mallorca. I managed to forget how old I am by engulfing myself in holiday reading, getting lost in a great book.

Whatever Makes Them Danceby Lindsay Wesker

What is masculinity? What is being a man? What is ‘being manly’? Are all men really the same?

It’s is a love story about a man who does not like being single. He prefers being in a relationship. He prefers having someone to bounce ideas off.

Without giving the plot away, it’s a story about a number of things. It’s about love. It’s about friendship. And it’s about the different ways one can live life.

You might know Lindsay as one of the infamous DJ founders of the pirate radio incarnation of Kiss FM, now broadcasting on super smooth digital radio station MiSoul. 

Author, Director and DJ, I thoroughly recommend his book for your Balearic holidays this summer.

Paperback version: £5.25 www.Amazon.com

Onto this week’s instalment of Zips It Up and there’s no escaping the World Cup or Love Island, so we delve into the fashion side of both. Plus Acid House is back!

Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it. Yes, the new series of Love Island is dominating the UK’s screens, only a touch behind the World Cup. And fans are already obsessing over what the cast is wearing.

The reality show on ITV2 has become a ‘summer fashion catwalk’, inspiring viewers’ seasonal wardrobes.

One of the key fashion trends is thekimono, and not just the swimwear variety. For those of you living under a rock, asking “what is a kimono?” – it’s a traditional Japanese full-length, thin robe, now popular in “boho” culture.

Now of course, kimonos are not exactly new on the Balearic boho scene, but take a guess where they are a brand new arrival? You’ll never believe this one:

The Kimono landed at Lidl UK stores nationwide this Monday June 17, as part of Heidi Klum’s new summer collection at the budget retailer.

Her #LetsLoveSummer range delivers boho festival fashion to all ages, and each piece proves to be truly Instagram worthy, awash with eye-catching patterns, colourful fringes and flowing fabrics.

Other highlight pieces include paisley shorts perfect for festival fun, plus maxi dresses made for sunset drinks and poolside lunches. Prices in the range start from £2.49. The kimono costs £11.99.

On the subject of budget shopping, Primark always nail it with their super popular ‘themed collections’, and now they’ve launched a Love Island 2018 range that will be literally everyone’s ‘type on paper’.

I’m loving the slogan hoodies with phrases such as ‘speak to me after Love Island’. No doubt another popular product will be the striped T-shirt embellished with two flamingos, with ‘future islander’written on the front. Not that I’ll be wearing that.

‘I should have been on Love Island’swimwear will also be available for avid fans.

There are bags, jeans and water bottles too, which seem to be popular with all ages. Love Island truly does seem to be conquering all.

The World Cup 2018 in Russia has kicked off and hold on to your hats, England won their first game!

 Exciting times. But the game itself isn’t the only exciting thing about the event. The fashion on the pitch is worth observing, too.  Nigeria’s kit has made headlines over the past few weeks. The cheerful Nike-designed piece has sold a record-breaking 3 million units already, but it’s not the only country that boasts a stylish footy kit. There’s a classic number from Argentina and an eye catching print from Croatia.

I quite fancy the idea of donning a traditional Spain shirt with a pair of shorts this summer. You could even go down the sexy route like this, and wear one over bikini bottoms.

Here’s my pick of the best:

Argentina
The baby blue and white stripe combo adds a tender side to the dirt-splattered sport. Call it classic.

Australia
The shirt has a history. Former Australian soccer player Mark Viduka asked fans to turn its stadium into a “sea of gold” 13 years ago. And now, the colour has become the hue of the team’s jersey. The sleeves boast cool stripes, almost like a tattoo. Also, the team’s name is the Socceroos.

Colombia
Whilst many countries in the World Cup are wearing red colours, Colombia’s canary yellow shirt is easy to spot. Sassy too, thanks to the jagged blue and burgundy print around the arms. It’s sponsored by Adidas, so fans will enjoy the three stripes on the shoulders, too.

Croatia
Croatia is proud to be Croatia, and that’s great stylistically, too. The Central European country put its red and white checkerboard coat of arms print right on its jersey. It makes for a flashy, can’t-miss-it moment on the field. Comes with the Nike swoosh symbol, too!

Peru
For those with minimalist tastes. The South American country boasts a simple white jersey with a thick red stripe that cuts diagonally across the chest.

Russia
The World Cup hosts shirt comes in Soviet-shade red with two easy stripes on the sleeves.

Cameroon
The grass green jersey designed by Puma has a geometric lion face, an ode to the team name, the Indomitable Lions. The flag’s yellow, red, and green colours act as the collar, a pop of contrast that truly allows this piece to shine.

Japan
Japanese culture is known for process and tradition when it comes to design, and that shows in the country’s soccer jersey, too. The white pattern is made to resemble sashiko stitching, a functional yet decorative technique for reinforcing fabric that was used in Japan from the early 1600s to the late 1800s.

And then there’s three lions on a shirt…. Plus fifty years of hurt. The less said about this, the better.

Who needs to confine shenanigans to a day, when there’s a whole week scribbled in the diary? Yes, it’s time to start my birthday celebrations. This weekend (Friday pm) kicks off with the brilliant Hacienda Classical Concert in the grounds of Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath, conveniently close to home.

Bleary eyed, we’re then flying to Mallorca on Saturday morning for a “proper” Med weekend, before returning to normality on Monday morning.

It’s taken until now to finally learn an important lesson whilst drinking in the sunshine. Namely, consuming plenty of water at the same time.  A drill that’s easy to forget – a bottle of water for every bottle of fizz, etc.

But what about the plastic trail that comes with water consumption-a massive global issue?  I’d like to introduce you to the Puritii Water Filter Bottle.

The Puritii bottle is the most unique on the market. No other bottle filters every contaminant. Tap water is recycled up to 7 times and carries harmful chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fluoride, ammonia and chlorine, which can’t be filtered. It also contains bacteria that can cause stomach upsets, poisonous algae that encourage cancer cells to breed and ageing skin.

The incredible triple layer filter system provides healthy water, saving you heaps of money in the process.  And the real beauty of this bottle is that each single filter can potentially prevent 455 plastic bottles from hitting the environment (that could be up to 350,000 plastic bottles in your lifetime).

This incredible bottle can be filled at any water source, including Ibiza taps or muddy ponds, as it filters water to 99.99% pure. Not that I’ll be embarking on the mud test, mind.

Danny Gould: Clean Living, SUPER HEALTHY

They went down a storm at the 2017  Clockwork Ibiza Weekender and were road tested by Clockwork’s Danny Gould last weekend on the white isle, to a huge thumbs-up.

My good friend Lisa Jo has taken a £15k supply to 3 villages in Africa, where they are now able to provide fresh water from filthy water holes. I’m taking mine to the Balearics this summer. If anyone would like more info, please contact Lisa:

lisagood.puritiiocean@gmail.com

07720854902

On to this week’s super colourful instalment and we go all techno/ beauty with Crayons, solve your lost luggage dramas and to coincide with Gay Pride Month, Converse launch colours of the rainbow.

Thanks to my Guest Ed Mira Manley for some of this week’s content.

We’re back!

After a week in the blingtastically boiling Dubai, I return tanned, refreshed and half a stone heavier.

It was Ramadan during our stay, and it was fascinating observing how Muslims are so strict with themselves in observing fasting-by-day. Non-fasting people eat in restaurants behind sheets and boarded up windows, to respect those fasting around them.

During this holy month ruled by the moon, Muslims fast (do not eat or drink) in order to ‘re-set’ bodies and minds, and observe a time of peace.  I would happily do the same myself, but lack the self -discipline. Indeed, I returned half a stone heavier, and admit that I did indeed scoff behind those sheets and boarded up windows.

I also enjoyed the insanely hot temperatures. It never dipped below 32, even at night and peaked at 42 degrees. The other members of my family hated it, but as one who loves to boil, I was in my element.

My other half has a “hipster” beard, meaning that he had extra Arabic warmth to contend with. Interestingly, on this exact subject, I hear that hipsters’ worst nightmares came true, when a recent poll revealed that 43% of women wouldn’t sleep with a bearded man. It appears facial fuzz puts women off. Clearly, I think this is ridiculous, since I’m married to one. To add insult to injury, novelist Jilly Cooper claims that bearded men cry all the time and are scared of women. Hmmm.

The stats roll on. Apparently, 1 in 5 men struggle to grow chest hair, whilst 1 in 10 who can shave it off, 7% snip it, 3% wax it and 1% get laser hair removal. Men from the West Midlands have the most self-confidence, with Northern Irish men being the least confident. Although clearly not in Jamie Dornan’s case.

Sounds like a load of rubbish – but just the sort of trivia that makes the world go round.

Onto this week’s instalment of Zips It Up,and we check out an Aussie Menswear label, Ibiza’s top nail & lash technicians and discover how love eggs are good for your health, not just an orgasm.

G’day. Meet two UK friends living the dream Down Under.

 Richard Cook, a Software Developer originally from Hertfordshire, and Joe Ames, a Car Detailer and former Bouncer from Birmingham, were having a beer at their local Aussie pub, when they noticed the lack of decent ‘Street Wear’ from the smaller menswear brands.

Most brands were run by large multi million dollar companies and didn’t leave enough room in the marketplace for the smaller independent labels.  So, the boys decided to see if they could give it a go.

After month or so, they decided on a manufacturer of apparel they liked, to kick off the online shop while they were working on the brand itself. And so, Apache Street Wear was born.

Richard and Joe are also working on a selection of women’s apparel under the guise of Clair De Lune Avenue, which will feature a classic selection of ladies dresses, body suits and accessories.

The main focus at the moment is to build a strong quality brand from Apache and Clair De Lune, while keeping reasonable pricing but still maintaining high quality.

The menswear collection is vast but here are a few of my favourites.

Web: https://apachestreetwear.com

Facebook: https://fb.me/apachestreetwearor https://www.facebook.com/apachestreetwear/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apachestreetwear