It all starts with this line: ‘You just said [insert dream food] and my eyes went all blurry’. That’s all it takes for the office to collectively groan/sign/wail a little as knees buckle and pens to fall out of melty hand grip. It doesn’t take much, but garlicy pasta, sweet potato fries and ice-cream take the trophy in prompting the most creative noises and about eleven, maybe twelve minutes of temporary vision + hearing loss that does not help with general productivity. The news, therefore, that Häagen Dazs (SIGH) to officially supply ice-cream (AUuhhh) to Wimbledon, and create a limited-edition Strawberries & Cream Stick Bar (YAaaAS) possibly made the neighbours wonder what it is we do in this office, really.
But noise tells everything, doesn’t it? And the lack thereof. Contrary to what I’d expected, Wimbledon is much less about the scores or the off-chance that you’ll spot Andy Murray scoffing down a banana in an information booth, or Federer adjusting his headband at the men’s (both of these need to be a Snapchat filter). The real joy is getting lost in the deafening silence between a forehand hit and a slice, or the split-second of hush before the board updates the scores. It’s the collective, gentle gasp, and a thunder of hoot-less clapping after a match-set that makes Wimbledon so addictive. Every single spectator leans in, decisively tracking the yellow ball as it tours the court with every hit, completely lost in the moment. Add a Häagen Dazs ice-cream* to this equation and you’ll need to lay down from mirth overdose at some point.
*If Wimbledon is not one of your summer plans, the limited-edition Strawberries & Cream Stick Bar is also available exclusively at Selfridges during the Championships fortnight (London Oxford Street, Manchester Trafford Park and Birmingham Bullring) – just make sure to go by the Wimbledon finals weekend.
Top – 3.1 Phillip Lim. Skirt – Cedric Charlier. Shoes – Stella McCartney. Watch – Rosefield.
In collaboration with Häagen Dazs
