Karen Walker’s Playpark Summer 2017 starts Saturday 4th November. Images supplied.
It’s fair to say Karen Walker has impeccable taste in everything and this Saturday she launches Playpark Summer 2017 at her Newmarket boutique which will showcase her love of tea, cake and books. The designer is collaborating with Hedleys Books, The Caker and Storm & India for a stylish fashion experience which will be as delicious as it is enlightening.
Wairarapa’s Hedleys Books is a New Zealand publishing icon and is the oldest family-owned and run book retailer in the country. In an era where bookshops are becoming a more scarce haven for bibliophiles, Hedleys Books is celebrating a remarkable 110 years in business. The opportunity to collaborate with them “was an unmissable opportunity to embrace my inner book geek,” says Karen who has more than a passing affection for books. “Mikhail literally has to drag me away from the shelves when we visit Book Soup in LA or Tsutaya in Tokyo.”
The designer has curated her own personal “library” of must-reads in collaboration with David Hedley with 110 beautiful titles representing their combined favourite choices from a lifetime of reading. The eclectic selection includes Karen’s love of twentieth century classics such as Mrs Dalloway and Bonjour Tristesse as well as David’s pop culture interests around rock luminaries David Bowie, Lou Reed and George Harrison. Anna Hedley, Hedleys 4th generation bookseller, will be on-hand to give expert advice for those who are unsure what to choose or where to start.
Tea and cake are the perfect companions to a good book and every Saturday from November 4th, book lovers will be able to enjoy delicious cake from The Caker and fragrant organic teas from Storm and India at the Playpark pop-up. Karen collaborated with The Caker’s Jordan Rondel on an amazing Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Cookie Mix for Mother’s Day which sold out quickly but the cookie mix is back for another limited run along with a new recipe: White Chocolate Hazelnut Orange Cookie Mix.
The Bellamy sisters from Storm and India have also collaborated on a new tea with Karen creating – the ‘Storm’ a botanical take on traditional Earl Grey, called Runaway. The tea is a spirited blend of black tea, zesty citrus and delicate rose petals that is packaged in a blush tin and makes a wonderful gift with cookie mixes and a good book. Playpark Summer 2017 definitely has all the ingredients for a summer of delight.