A Few of ‘My Favourite Things’

In 2004 Royal Albert agreed a licensee agreement with fashion icon Zandra Rhodes – it was a partnership that would lead to the creation of an exciting new range of Zandra Rhodes table, gift, and glassware, themed as ‘My favourite Things’.

Zandra first came onto the fashion scene during the Swinging Sixties when she designed the late Princess Margaret’s wedding dress. She has remained a key part of the English fashion scene through her creative use of both fabrics and colour. Most recently, she has worked with Uma Thurman, Kelly Osbourne, and Top Shop.

Butterfly and Wiggle

The design of the new range was inspired by classic Zandra fabric prints, featuring her signature Butterfly and Wiggle as the lei motif of both the tableware and giftware.

Zandra would also act as a spokesperson for the Royal Albert brand while endorsing her own range. She is the perfect match: both brands are quintessentially English with a global appeal, vivid colour, and a classic 60s heritage – for Royal Albert launched the world’s most popular bone china tableware, Old Country Roses, in 1962.

The butterflies are distinctive on all the pieces which are effectively made to mix and match according to taste, featuring pink and aqua hues, set off by gold lines.

It's a simply stunning statement that extends to the very packaging on the boxes of each piece…striking pink and aqua featuring the butterfly…right down to the gift tag itself.

Leap Forward in Tableware

The Zandra Rhodes Tableware amounted to a huge leap forward in the development of dinnerware suitable for both the dishwasher and the microwave. While this contemporary fine dining pattern is based on the established classic Hampton bone china pattern, it features a mica trim for a gold effect that is effectively dishwasher and microwave safe.

Its success was soon complemented by a suitably dynamic and romantic range of ‘My Favourite Things’ giftware, extending the natural and organic themes of the tableware to a host of tabletop and lifestyle goods. Why, the butterfly theme is beautifully rendered in 3D by a delicately crafted piece topping the ‘With friends’ napkin holder, while, true to its name, the butterfly plate is a splendid, boldly coloured butterfly shape.