SUNDAY BEST Sereena Abbassi

1. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE #IFSUNDAYBEST LOOK AND WHY?
The silk blue/yellow Veronica dress; there's something about wearing a dress that makes me feel/makes the day that bit more special.

2. WHOSE STYLE, PAST OR PRESENT, DO YOU COVET THE MOST?
Paloma Faith. Many, many years ago I assisted a stylist for the Swedish fashion publication, Bon, where I had the honour of meeting and styling Paloma, this was before she became a huge star, about 15 years back. A couple of years later she and I worked alongside each other at Agent Provocateur in Soho; she doesn't just have incredible style, she's like the sun, full of joy.

3. YOU WORK AS WORLDWIDE HEAD OF CULTURE & INCLUSION AT M&C SAATCHI, TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER JOUNEY SO FAR.
It’s been quite the journey, as I’ve already alluded to, full of lots of different experiences, which has given me the opportunity to meet so many wildly brilliant special people. In my heart, I am an Artist, and my art has just taken on a new medium. My mantra has always been, to help people connect to themselves so that they can better connect to each other, and I just do that now in a different way.

4. WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL WORK DAY LOOK LIKE AND HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
There’s no typical day. The only thing that affects my personal style is footwear; whether I’m on my bike (bicycle, though I really want a motorbike) or whether I’m power-walking to work!

5. WHERE DO YOU LOOK WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?
Nature, if I can’t get out of London, then Hackney Marshes, Wetlands and pottering along the canals always seems to give air to my thoughts.

6. TELL US THREE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING.
Nicole Crenstil/Black Girl Fest – Nicole is simply incredible, she and her business partner, Paula Akpan, have created a brand (Black Girls Fest) which has been instrumental in carving out/bringing a discourse to the Black British female experience

Pilgrim Restaurant – shameless girlfriend plug, cuisine inspired by the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage that happens across Northern Spain. This trio is one to watch, they will be appearing on Million Pound Menu late January 2019, so keep your eyes peeled!

Harry & David Rich – Harry is pretty much family as he’s married to my best friend, Sue. Landscape Gardener/Designer brothers who are taking the BBC by storm on Garden Rescue with Charlie Dimmock. Their account is beautifully curated.

7. THE LAST BOOK YOU READ AND LOVED?
It’s been sometime since I’ve had the opportunity to leisurely read, I’ve been in the thick of academic text for the last year and a half; I’m doing a part-time masters at Goldsmiths in Postcolonial Culture & Global Policy. Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks, is incredibly rich and reads so smoothly.

8. YOUR TOP THREE LONDON HOTSPOTS - CAFES, RESTAURANTS, MUSEUMS — ANYWHERE YOU LOVE TO VISIT.
Victoria Miro - between the Angel/Hoxton border is one of my favourite. Their garden is a piece of magic in the summer.

Escocesa, on Church Street in Stoke Newington – it’s divine.

Curve Garden Dalston – a perfect way to spend an evening in the summer months, and it's definitely worth trying to catch a gig there if you can - very special.

9. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE COUNTRY TO VISIT?
There are too many to choose from! Though a place that will always be dear to my heart is Madrid, as I lived there many years ago with my then partner. Lots of fond memories, as well as some painful ones, though mostly fond. La Latina’s Sunday market, El Rastro, is one of my favourite things to do ever.

10. WHAT'S YOUR SUNDAY RITUAL?
This totally depends on whether I have company, though either way, always music.