With Margarita Landeira
A Woman Of The World

‘HoG Your Style’ is an ongoing series devoted to celebrating the accomplished women in our communities, cities and countries — the brilliant forces of creativity and passion that often go unseen and unheard, all while running the world. Those who are often behind-the-scenes, unnoticed or unrecognised — House of Gharats beams the spotlight on these lives to reveal their inherently inspirational existence. We focus on style, lifestyle and womanhood as we find meaning in the extraordinary experiences of everyday life. Of course, ‘HoG’ stands for House of Gharats, but it also relates to the act of claiming who you are and being comfortable with the way you live your life. The women we’ve interviewed embody this idea, and we hope their stories inspire many more people to stand in their power in this time of new beginnings and self-discovery.

#HoGYourStyle

#WomenPoweringWomen

Style — How would you describe your personal style? What does it mean to you? How do you use your style to express yourself — thoughts, emotions, symbols, memories? What’s an heirloom or hand-me-down piece in your wardrobe that means a lot to you and why?

In terms of clothing, I would describe my style as a mix of classy & modern. I like to dress with timeless pieces, but I also spice them up with colors and small details, such a different necklace or brooch or a blazer/coat with lively colors or a different cut. Regarding make-up, I like soft colors and most of the time do not wear foundation, I like it as natural as possible. But for my lips, I like red or pink if I am dressing up. At home, I like to be as relaxed as possible with soft clothes of neutral colors. I also like to do outdoors sports, so my favorites are sports outfits for cycling, kayaking or yoga.

The routine of finding the correct outfit for work or going out is important to me. I always choose each item to match until the very last detail. Once I have chosen it and I am comfortable with it, I feel good as I like to look nice, as we all do. My favorite pieces can be either bought in a different country and are linked to visiting a dear friend or just a special connection to a particular culture, or designed by a dear friend, or a piece from my beloved father, or my own creation. I have an ability of remembering what I wear in special moments as my memory is linked to images.

Scarves — What do scarves mean to you? Do you have any memories associated with scarves? What do House of Gharats’s scarves mean to you?

I love scarves, I have always done so, and I always give them as gifts. I personally think they are the best way of giving the final touch to an outfit. I have many scarves, with many different colors and shapes. It is rare that I leave the house without wearing a scarf! Scarves from House of Gharats are very special to me, as they connect me to my dear friend Neishaa and they match my personality with the vivid colors and the story attached to each one of them.

The Queen — Queen Elizabeth II is the most loved and powerful monarch in the world. Many people look to her as someone they admire, a strong woman with a compelling sense of duty, hilarious wit and lovely sense of style and personality. She is a symbol of British heritage, history and identity, serving as a constant for most people’s lives. What does the Queen mean to you? What does she mean to you as a woman?

She is the image of a dedicated and strong woman, putting herself and her needs aside for serving a country, without much of a complaint. Her story and life experiences have made her the woman she is, going through very difficult times, most people would not have been able to overcome in such gracious ways.

Inner Queen — Embracing your inner queen is all about self-love. Being loyal to yourself, accepting yourself, celebrating yourself and loving yourself. What makes you feel this way? How do you pamper yourself to feel like royalty? What do other people do to make you feel special? How do you remind yourself of your inner Queen?

To embrace myself and give me self-love is something I have learnt in the recent years. The way I feel like a Queen or embrace my inner queen is by being relaxed about acceptance and being relaxed with myself. Finding small moments for myself, like 10 min in the jacuzzi after swimming, or simply enjoying body lotion after a nice shower, these small moments make me feel like a Queen. Wearing something special for a special occasion also makes me feel like a Queen. Or simply with small re-decorations at home or hanging up a newly finished painting makes me feel that way. People who know me know that I truly value these small gestures, therefore they know a small card with a lovely note, or a photo together fills me with joy.

Home — What does home mean to you? How does it reflect yourself, your life experiences and memories, your tastes and passions? Where in your home do you feel most grounded? What’s something in your home that means a lot to you and why?

Home to me is my safe space, my nirvana, my heaven. I am a very homely person, which helped during this difficult covid-time. In each country I have lived, my home has been distinguished by its location and view, also by the big windows letting the light and the sun to get in. Wherever I have lived, light and green spaces as well as water nearby have been a must for the chosen location. Important items for me in my home (and others) are my own artwork. My paintings hanging on the walls make me feel grounded and at home.

Sleep — Sleep is an art, a restorative practice that our bodies need to heal, grow and rest. It’s when we dream, reflecting on our thoughts and feelings in abstract ways. How do you approach sleep? Do you have any rituals to prepare for this special time of the day? How do you create a sleep sanctuary in your home?

Unfortunately, I am a light sleeper, so I definitely need routines to ensure a good night sleep. My bedroom is decorated with soft colors and my bed is very comfy with several pillows and a big and light duvet. I try different things for sleeping routines, going to bed not too late after a nice cup of herbal tea or after taking a warm shower and covering my body with body butter helps me relax before bedtime. Also, my partner reading to me with his calm and deep voice helps me fall asleep easily.

Food — How does food connect you with others? When is food a focus for your celebrations, your moments of joy? What, in your experiences, is the reason that food is powerful?

Food is a pleasure for the senses and in my world, it is even better when sharing with others. I love having friends or family over for lunch/dinner and cook something special for the occasion. To me cooking is an art of giving, as you prepare something with care for others to enjoy. I believe we connect to people in a deeper way when we share a lovely meal as our senses are more awakened and are in harmony with ourselves and others.

Homelessness — Homelessness is a major issue in the United Kingdom. How do you think this affects the community, when such a large group of people are suffering? How can we collectively adopt a better approach towards rough-sleepers and their living conditions? How might our attitudes toward homelessness affect the community?

Unfortunately, we see more and more people living on the streets and suffering from homelessness, and it truly affects me. I always try to help them with a small donation. Whilst I lived in London, I often went for a walk in my neighborhood, bought soups and other food and gave it to the people on the streets I found during my walks. They all were very grateful. I knew my gestures were tiny and that didn’t solve their situation, but only gave them a brief comfort. I don’t really think anyone wishes for people to live on the streets, however, if we change as a collective and adopt more community activities to try to change this situation, with time, things might start changing.

60-year-old self — What does it mean to be sixty-years-old? What words of advice or compassion would you give your sixty-year-old self? Whether you’re younger or older, how would you speak to yourself at this pivotal age?

No matter how many difficulties life might bring you, a positive attitude is key to overcome obstacles. Regardless of age, life is to be lived fully, so what I would say to myself is to keep living and enjoying the small moments in life and to keep seeing my true self in the mirror, acknowledging the signs of time in body and face, accepting them with elegance and being proud of it. Also, to keep nurturing friendships, the people around me are like family to me and I would therefore keep having them close to my heart.

Work — In today’s times, careers and vocations intermingle as emphasis is placed on the importance of loving what you do, no matter the cost. Can your life exist outside work, or is it more important for you to love your career? What do you think about career changes? Have these new paths affected your life? As the 9 to 5 becomes a thing of the past, have you begun to work multiple positions at once? What skills do you think can help women adapt to this changing world of professions and work? What would be your advice to a young woman starting out today?

Important questions, indeed. Women’s priorities and dreams have changed over the past decades, juggling with both professional career and personal life. I lived many years in Scandinavia, where gender equality, sharing house chores and kids´ care are well understood by a couple. Companies also ensure an adequate work-life balance, as they believe this is key for a productive professional. ´Happy at home, happy at work´ basically. Unfortunately, it is not always like this everywhere, and when choosing a career, other parts of a woman’s life suffer, leaving them with a sense of not being perfect if not accomplishing everything (who said we should be perfect to begin with?).

Loving what you do is crucial, but it is equally important to have time for a healthy lifestyle and nurture not just the intellect, but also body and mind. My career has never been more important than my personal life, family, friends and health, but my work has never been 9-5 and I must admit workload has in some periods taken over and my body and mind have suffered. I am quite lucky as I am quite resilient and am able to go through long periods with high stress, but I have learnt to listen to my body and stop and rest. Over the time, I have understood that the way we react to things and the way we think and interpret situations play a part in stress levels, and I have learnt some techniques to change my way of interpreting and reacting to situations of conflict and stress. Besides my resilience, I am also quite adaptable, which is helpful in an ever changing environment.

Some years ago I underwent a massive change in both my personal and professional life. I left an unhealthy relationship and changed my career path. And it was definitely the best decisions in my life. It took me some years to have the courage needed to make these decisions, as it meant taking time off work, moving to another country, going back to University to study a Masters degree about that new area I was passionate about and starting from scratch. It was a hard period in my life, but I also loved the challenge and adventure that these changes brought. Soon after, I could see the changes both in the outside and in me. And quickly after, my career was back on track and I am now very proud of what I have accomplished in the past 10 years.

My advice to young women is not to worry too much or overthink things. To walk away from what is not good for her. To find what is their true passion and make the changes that are needed and go for it. Also, to be scared is part of life, and so is failing. Aiming for perfection leads to inner discomfort. When we fail we learn, and I have learnt a lot from my mistakes. I will also recommend to work on both physical and emotional strength, as well as sound sleeping, finding whatever method suits best to do so, be it doing sports or working out, painting, singing, reading, yoga, meditation, going for a walk or just doing nothing…That´s also okay! Turbulent times will surely arrive, but they will also pass. And most importantly, having deep and close relationships. These relationships will help easing the hard times and making the sweet times ever sweeter. Finally, nothing is impossible if you put your mind and soul to it.

Menopause — Menopause is a new part of life — a shift in the life phases of women everywhere. If you or someone you know has experienced this, how would you describe its transformative moments? How would you disrupt common beliefs about the loss of pleasure after menopause?

I am not in that phase of my life yet, but I believe in how you think a new condition is affecting you and how to deal with it is key. There will be many questions needing answers to begin with, therefore, to consult and specialist and a supporting group will help getting information in order to make decisions around this new stage in life. Most important is to try to view it as a normal process in a woman´s life. Once one is accepting this new self, and the changes in the body, it makes it easier to find ways to live better with and more in balance with this condition. And definitely it shouldn’t mean the end of pleasure. It is crucial to believe in our inner and outer beauty. I would recommend activities that make oneself feel beautiful and be open about it with yourself. Avoiding dealing with these changes will not help going through this process.

Sex — Society thinks older women don’t have sex … or at least, doesn’t talk about it. As you’ve aged, have you experienced any feelings of shame regarding pleasure? How do you combat these feelings in your own life? How is sex still important to you, even with age?

As mentioned, aging should not mean the end of having sexual pleasure, but it is correct that society does link sexuality with young women, and as such, women of a certain age do believe this time is over for them. Changing a chauvinist society is very difficult, but not letting ourselves to be conditioned by it and stop viewing ourselves like non desirable. I believe desire starts within ourselves, when we feel beautiful, in balance and loved and respected not only by our partner but most importantly by ourselves.

Sisterhood — The women and girlfriends in our lives are incredibly important. Relationships between women are magical things, incredibly supportive and precious. What does sisterhood mean to you — that special bond between women and its meaningful moments in our lives? When has sisterhood been incredibly important to you? How does it make your daily life feel brighter?

Sisterhood is very important to me. I consider myself privileged by having wonderful women in my life. My girl friends have been very supportive in very difficult situations, such as losing a parent or partner. Their unconditional support and love have been essential in those critical times and their caring actions will be in my heart for life. They have also been there in fun moments, making these very special experiences, leaving good memories. Most of my friends are all in different countries, but despite the distance, I feel they are very close to me and we regularly send sweet messages or call each other and that makes me feel very much loved.

Spirituality — What does spirituality mean to you? We’ve all had moments in our lives where we’ve looked to a higher presence for guidance, comfort, light — when has some form of faith saved you in this way? How would you tell this story?

Spirituality is the feeling having of a connection to a higher presence, and in my mind it can have different shapes, colors and gives me comfort in challenging times. Every time I feel the need to ask for guidance, reaching out to my spiritual self has helped me feel more grounded and balanced, providing me with a sense of empowerment, allowing me to overcome any obstacle. There was a time in my life when I lost myself after a long and very important relationship and it took me time to build up all the little pieces and be able to go back to who I was. During that time, I spent time in solitude with myself and went deeper into my soul, and at moments of despair I was able to feel that something will always be taking care of me, no matter what. With regular meditation and silent moments I learnt a great deal about myself, my resilience, my strength. After this process, I became a new me, however, what was more amazing was that the core was intact.

Unseen people — Hogging your style means standing in your own power, particularly for those who are often unseen by others. In this world of social media and influencer culture, who is an ‘unseen’ person that inspires you? How can we better ‘see’ people who often go ‘unseen’?

In my life, an important ´unseen´ role model has always been my Godmother. She will always be my point of reference, someone who worked very hard throughout her life and survived very difficult moments, and yet was always positive, smiling, laughing and taking life in an easy manner. She fought for what she wanted and lived life the way she wanted, stepping away from anything jeopardizing her beliefs, even living in a time after war and during a dictatorship, a time filled with judgement towards women. I sadly lost her last year, but her spirit will always stay with me and she will remain an inspiration, the personification of courage, hard work and being true to oneself.

The world now is about being connected 24/7, a culture of being noticed and thinking only about getting easy rewards and not much of inclusion or concern for other´s feelings. There is an increased pressure towards perfection, where the perfect lifestyle and our perfect self is on display every day. Sometime ago, I overheard a conversation between two young girls about the stress and anxiety of not having posted a photo that is better and more perfect than the previous one, and that the pressure of selling their image was getting worse and worse. I was stunned by this conversation and I felt the enormous pressure on youngsters nowadays, leaving the people not wanting to be part of this phenomenon unseen and disconnected from the rest. I think it is important to remind people about the beauty in core values, and that dedication, humbleness and the importance of being noble and true to oneself and others is far more important than the staged photo of the day. The ephemeral and superficial will never leave an important legacy. This will inspire people to pay attention to what is truly important and unseen people will be noticed more.

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