The reinvention of
NICOLE SCHERZINGER “I have so much more to give”
The
WINTER WONDERLAND issue Glittering jewels, ageless style and London’s new creativity
ISSUE 22
THE WINTER ISSUE 2023
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Th I STSHU E E 2L2 O N D O N
STYLE GUIDE Arts & Culture
8 THE GLOSSARY EDIT The season’s most joyous finds 11 AGENDA London’s don’t-miss art exhibitions 22 CREATIVE SPARK The story behind Sarabande’s new north London store
Style
26 FASHION NOTES Style updates and the latest feel-good buys 28 A STAR REBORN Actress and singer Nicole Scherzinger on the power of reinvention 38 NEW LEAF The newly-published fashion books to add style to your coffee table 42 FRENCH DRESSING Carine Roitfeld shares the secrets of her capsule wardrobe
Watches & Jewellery 46 W ATCH & JEWELLERY NOTES
The latest launches and most covetable pieces
48 O N POINT The story behind Van Cleef & Arpels twinkling Ballet Précieux collection 51 R EACH FOR THE STARS This season’s jewellery looks to the skies 52 D AYTIME DIAMONDS Watches to bring sparkle whatever the hour
Beauty & Wellness
56 B EAUTY NOTES The new cult products and trends to try 58 L ET IT GLOW Alessandra Steinherr on how to achieve radiant skin in wintertime 60 S CENTS OF THE WINTER Fragrances to spritz this season
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CONTENTS TH E WI NTER I S SUE 2023
Food & Drink
66 TASTING NOTES The new restaurants and bars creating a buzz in the capital 68 WHERE THE CRITICS EAT Grace Dent shares her favourite places to eat in town 70 TABLE TALK Hilary Armstrong reviews London’s latest restaurant openings 74 BEST BAR NONE Sommelier Honey Spencer reveals her must-visit London bars
Travel
78 TRAVEL NOTES Exciting hotel openings and experiences across the globe 80 HIGH TIMES Why the Chedi Andermatt is setting a new level of luxury 84 POWDER TRIP All the latest hotel news from the slopes
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Home & Interiors
88 DESIGN NOTES Interior design ideas and inspiration 90 LIVING COLOUR Matthew Williamson on the creative journey behind his Belsize Park home
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Editor’s Letter
A
s we begin to contemplate a new year, thoughts turn to realising dreams and taking a different direction. Our cover star Nicole Scherzinger is no stranger to starting afresh. The former Pussycat Doll is currently starring in the West End production of Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, where she’s astounding audiences and critics alike and garnering glittering awards along the way. To mark this new era for Nicole, we spent an afternoon with the singer-songwriter-actor in the Savoy hotel for our cover shoot, where she embraced a simpler, more undone style direction, albeit with the most fabulous precious jewels from Bond Street’s finest jewellers. A week later, she sat down to talk to us about the power of reinvention, not being afraid to try new things and why being a perfectionist is her biggest blessing and her biggest curse. In keeping with our long-held ethos of buying well to wear forever, we speak with Carine Roitfeld, former editor-in-chief of Vogue France and one of the industry’s most influential figures, who shares her own unique (and refreshing) take on fashion with The Glossary. Fully epitomising ageless style - “classic with an edge” is how she describes it - she tells us about the joy of having a small, edited wardrobe consisting of just a few key pieces, which she wears on repeat. We also talk to fashion-turned-interior designer Matthew Williamson about his own distinctive aesthetic and the creative inspiration behind the colourful decor of his Belsize Park home. As always, London does the winter season in style. Crisp and cold it may be, but the city is sizzling with exciting openings and indulgent things to do. Hilary Armstrong reviews the buzziest new restaurants, sommelier of the moment Honey Spencer reveals her must-visit bars, and revered critic and author Grace Dent divulges her all-time favourite places to eat in the capital. Enjoy the issue. Charlotte Adsett, Editorial Director
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LEFT TO RIGHT: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Midi Dress £2,290; DOLCE & GABBANA Blazer £3,600; ANOUKI Blouse £470 PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO SERAFINI Sunglasses £187; VALENTINO GARAVANI Sandals £1,280; LAUNER Encore Bag £2,400
T H E G LO S S A RY T E A M
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Charlotte Adsett charlotte@theglossarymagazine.com EDITOR: Harriet Cooper harriet@theglossarymagazine.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Luciana Bellini luciana@theglossarymagazine.com BEAUTY DIRECTOR: Alessandra Steinherr WATCH & JEWELLERY EDITOR: Kim Parker CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITOR: Flora Macdonald Johnston RESTAURANT EDITOR: Hilary Armstrong INTERIORS EDITOR: Amy Moorea Wong SUB EDITOR: Susie Wong ART DIRECTOR & MANAGING DIRECTOR: Ray Searle ray@theglossarymagazine.com PRODUCTION MANAGER: George Willis production@theglossarymagazine.com FINANCE MANAGER: Amanda Clayton accounts@theglossarymagazine.com SUBSCRIPTIONS: subscriptions@theglossarymagazine.com EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES: editorial@theglossarymagazine.com Published by Neighbourhood Media Limited, 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE © 2023 Neighbourhood Media Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, whether in whole or in part, without written permission. The publishers and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to The Glossary magazine’s right to edit.
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SOLE TO SOLE
Jean Paul Gaultier x Jimmy Choo Step back to the 90s with this footwear collaboration designed by Jean Paul Gaultier and fronted by the decade’s biggest star Kylie. jimmychoo.com
Edit The
Feel uplifted with this season’s most joyful finds
SCENTS OF TIME
Vilhelm Parfumerie Back To The Roots Eau De Parfum, £220 Go back in time to a tranquil garden with this fresh, floral fragrance. vilhelmparfumerie.com
SHINE ON
Dior Backstage Collection, from £32 Sparkle bright into the holiday season with metallic tones for eyes and lips. dior.com
ALL CLEAR
Della Vite x Maison Flâneur Glasses, £50 for two Raise a toast to Poppy Delevingne’s colourful glassware collaboration with the homeware brand. maisonflaneur.com
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SMOOTH OPERATOR
Prada Arqué Bag, £1,800 With its crescent shape and curved handle, the glossy Arqué is the cult bag of the moment. prada.com
GRAPE IDEA
Stella McCartney x Veuve Clicquot Channel Champagne chic with this bottle holder crafted from Vegea, a next-gen leather alternative made from by-products of grapes grown in Veuve Clicquot’s vineyard. veuveclicquot.com
DIAMONDS & SWIRLS Adler Twirly Ring, POA
A rotating trail of diamonds and enamel set in white gold that will have you in a spin. adler.ch
WAX LYRICAL
Diptyque Refillable Candle, £208 Light the way with the French fragrance maison’s new refillable candles. diptyque.com
SEEING RED
Loewe Tomato Leaves Liquid Soap, £56 The house’s earthy, verdant home fragrance now comes as a hand soap. loewe.com
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Edgar Degas, Dancer Seen from Behind, c. 1873. Collection of David Lachenmann
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IMPRESSIONISTS ON PAPER: DEGAS TO TOULOUSE-LAUTREC R O YA L A C A D E M Y O F A R T S Until 10 March 2024
From a shimmering landscape by Monet to Degas’ graceful depictions of dancers, the RA explores how the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists in late 19th-century France elevated the status of works on paper. Around 80 rare works on display show how drawings, pastels, watercolours and gouaches were increasingly seen as more than just preparatory techniques, becoming works of art in their own right. royalacademy.org.uk
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H A R R I E T
WW2 Salvage Your Rubber Scarf by Jacqmar, on loan from Paul and Karen Rennie Collection. © Jonathan Richards
W H A T ’S O N & W H E R E
C O O P E R
THE FABRIC OF DEMOCRACY
FASHI ON & TEX TI LE MUS EUM Until 3 March 2024
Don’t Miss
TAYLOR WESSING PHOTO PORTRAIT PRIZE N ATIONAL PORTRAIT G AL L ERY Until 25 February 2024
One of the most prestigious photography awards in the world and a celebration of the very best in contemporary portraiture. This year 58 portraits from 51 photographers will be on display, including Serena Brown who has been shortlisted for the prize for her work me nana fie (above), featuring her younger sister visiting her grandma’s home in Ghana for the first time. npg.org.uk
Rubens & Women
Peter Paul Rubens, The Virgin in Adoration before the Christ Child, c. 1616-1619, KBC Bank, Antwerp, Museum Snijders&Rockox House
Serena Brown, Me Nana Fie
An exploration of how fabrics have been used as a political medium over the years, whether through furnishing or fashion. Curated by design historian Amber Butchart, it looks at how fabric designers responded to political upheaval and how, from the mid-18th century onwards, leading bodies used the power of print for their own purposes, whether wartime slogans or revolutionary ideals. fashiontextilemuseum.org
DU LW I CH P I CTU R E GALLERY Until 28 January 2024 This promises to show another side to Peter Paul Rubens by shining a light on the powerful women who inspired him. Over 40 paintings and drawings (many from international and private collections) have been collated for this one-off, portraying how the Flemish artist’s relationship with females - whether the loves of his life, patrons or family members - played an integral role in his oeuvre. dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
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Frank Walter, Fields and Workers, courtesy Frank Walter Family and Kenneth M. Milton Fine Arts
Untitled (Fashion), 1982–84 © Richard Prince. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian
R ICH A R D PR I NCE: Early Photography
Untitled (Pens), 1979 © Richard Prince. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian
ARTIST, GARDENER, RADICAL GAR DEN M U SE U M Until 25 February 2024
Antiguan artist, writer and environmentalist Frank Walter largely worked in seclusion in his middle age, in a self-built house without water or electricity, perched on a hilltop looking out towards the ocean. Here he created prolifically when he died, he left behind some 5,000 paintings, 1,000 drawings, 2,000 photographs, 600 handcarved wooden sculptures and 25,000 pages of writing. Frank Walter: Artist, Gardener, Radical brings together 100 of these creations, displayed against the backdrop of a newly commissioned immersive set design, to explore Walter’s relationship with the island, environmentalism, Caribbean and Black identity and nature. gardenmuseum.org.uk
Frank Walter, Self-portrait with glasses on forehead, courtesy Frank Walter Family and Kenneth M. Milton Fine Arts
GAG O S IAN Until 22 December American painter and photographer Richard Prince blazed a trail in the 1970s and 80s for photography that explored appropriation and identity. Known for collecting and repurposing examples of mainstream humour, alongside images from mass media, Early Photography celebrates Prince’s career from 1977 to 1987. Over 100 photographs are on display across Gagosian’s Davies Street and Grosvenor Hill galleries, with the former solely featuring his Entertainers series (1982-83) and the latter other images from the period. The exhibition features many of Prince’s iconic cowboy, girlfriend and advertising photographs, some of which have never been exhibited before in London. gagosian.com
FRANK WALTER
AVERY SINGER FREE FALL HAU SE R & W I RTH Until 22 December
In this, her first UK solo exhibition, Avery Singer reflects on her personal experience of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. An installation - part stage set, part sculpture - replicates the interior of the WTC offices, and within this are a series of new paintings, both a memorial to a moment of terror and survival and an exploration of the wider societal impact of collective trauma.
hauserwirth.com
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Avery Singer in the studio. Photo: Grant Delin. © Avery Singer. Image courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
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e Mother & e Weaver F OU NDLI NG M U SE U M Until 18 February 2024
40 works, all of them by female artists and most of them from the unparalleled Ursula Hauser Collection, explore ideas around motherhood and childhood, love and loss, sexuality and identity. These are displayed in dialogue with historic objects and artworks from the Foundling Museum, inviting visitors to reconsider what it means to be a ‘good’ mother or woman. foundlingmuseum.org.uk
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Maria Lassnig, Selbstportrait weinend (Selfportrait crying), 1994. Ursula Hauser Collection, Switzerland. © Maria Lassnig Foundation/2023 DACS, London; Andrea Soldi, Isabella, Duchess of Manchester, 1738. © Whitfield Fine Art; Sonia Gomes, Tecidos Leves Atados em Força, 2013. Ursula Hauser Collection, Switzerland. © Sonia Gomes; Marlene Dumas, Diagonal Child, 1991. Ursula Hauser Collection, Switzerland. © Marlene Dumas, courtesy the artist and Ursula Hauser Collection, Switzerland
Christine Ay Tjoe. Photo: David Maru
ANTONY GORMLEY
BODY POLITIC W H ITE CU B E BERMONDSEY
Antony Gormley, Test: Buttress, 2021. © Antony Gormley
Until 28 January 2024
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Widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public pieces that investigate the relationship of the human body to space, Antony Gormley’s latest exhibition turns its attention to our species’ connection to its industrially made habitat, a topic he is passionate about. Five new bodies of work are on display through which Gormley sets out to test and question the flux between sanctuary and control, freedom and discipline. whitecube.com
CH STINE AY TJOE W HI TE CU B E M ASON’S YARD Until 13 January 2024
A solo show of new, never-before-seen paintings by acclaimed Indonesian artist Christine Ay Tjoe. Focusing on the human condition and emotions, Ay Tjoe’s expressive canvases address themes of philosophy and spirituality through her own subjective experiences and feelings. Although visually pleasing, seducing the viewer with their intricate details and colours, they also reveal darker elements beneath, created to connect with our most powerful sentiments and deepest psychological fears. whitecube.com
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CUTE
DAVID HOCKNEY:
Whether memes and emojis, squishy toys or loveable robotic design, cuteness is all around us. Somerset House looks at ‘cute’ within modernday culture, asking how something so charming has gained such traction. Contemporary artworks, new commissions and cultural phenomena have been brought together to unravel cute’s emotive charge. The exhibition also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the queen of cute, aka Hello Kitty, with a dedicated plushie space, immersive disco and display of HK products from her five decades. somersethouse.org.uk
NATI ONAL P ORTR AI T GALLERY Until 21 January 2024
SOM ER SET HOU SE 25 January - 14 April 2024
TOP: Hannah Diamond, Affirmations. Image courtesy the artist. BOTTOM: Juliana Huxtable, Untitled, 2019. Image courtesy the artist
DRAWING FROM LIFE
We’ve all read about David Hockney’s portrait of Harry Styles. Now you can see the painting, which so vividly captures the singer, IRL. Drawing from Life explores the artist’s practice over the last six decades as seen through five sitters - his mother, Celia Birtwell, Gregory Evans, Maurice Payne and the artist himself. In addition, there are 30 recent portraits of friends and visitors to his Normandy studio between 2021 and 2022, including Styles. npg.org.uk
Designed for Life
LO N D ON C O L L E G E O F FAS H IO N Until 19 January 2024 This inaugural exhibition, at UAL’s London College of Fashion’s new single-site campus at East Bank, is a wonderful opportunity to explore the college’s commitment to harnessing fashion, design and creative practice as a force for positive change. Presented across five immersive areas - textiles, design, film, photography and artefacts - it showcases how creative expression and vision can shape our world. arts.ac.uk Decolonising Fashion and Textiles participant with their textile photo-story. Photo by JC Candanedo
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TOP: David Hockney, Self-Portrait, November 2021. BOTTOM: David Hockney painting Harry Styles (with portrait of Clive Davis in background), June 2022. Photo: Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima
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Exquisite leather goods, handcrafted in England launer.com
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Catherine Elwes, Chevelure, 1977. © Catherine Elwes
Alexis Hunter, The Marxist Wife Still Does The Housework, 1978/2005. © The Estate of Alexis Hunter. Courtesy Richard Saltoun Gallery, London and Rome
Women in Revolt! TAT E B R ITAI N Until 7 April 2024
Linder, Untitled, 1976. Purchased by Tate in 2007. © Linder
This first-of-its-kind exhibition showcases feminist art from 1970 to 1990, a period of extreme social, economic and political change in the UK. The work of over 100 female artists and collectives has been curated to explore how women came together, using radical ideas and rebellious methods to contribute to British culture. Alongside well-knowns such as Sonia Boyce and Susan Hiller, the show will platform female creatives who were overlooked at the time. tate.org.uk
Caroline Coon, The Slits, Post House hotel, Cardiff, June 1977. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery
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Jill Posener, Fiat Ad, London, 1979, reprinted 2023. Courtesy the artist
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W H IT E CHAP E L GALLE RY Until 14 January 2024
Nicole Eisenman, Econ Prof, 2019. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
What Happened brings together highlights from Nicole Eisenman’s three-decade career, not just her monumental canvases and sculptures, but also monoprints, animation and drawings. The display illuminates not just breadth and inventiveness of the French-born American artist’s practice, but also highlights her unique ability to explore some of the most pressing socio-political issues of the day (gender and identity, US governmental turmoil, the impact of technology), often in a humorous way. whitechapelgallery.org
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Annie Morris, Night Figures. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Stephen White & Co
Nicole Eisenman, Fishing, 2000. Courtesy Carnegie Museum of Art. Photo: Bryan Conley
NICOLE EISENMAN
IDRIS KHAN AND ANNIE MORRIS P ITZ H A N G E R M A N O R & G A LLE RY Until 7 January 2024
A couple for more than a decade, Annie Morris and Idris Khan exhibit together in When Loss Makes Melodies. The exhibition in Sir John Soane’s neoclassical Manor draws parallels between the contemporary artists’ practices, encouraging the visitor to consider how they have come to influence each other. More than 30 examples of sculpture, photography, painting and embroidery are on display, touching on the themes of memory, love and loss.
pitzhanger.org.uk
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Salvador Dalí, 1999
H AY WAR D GALLE RY Until 7 January 2024
The largest retrospective to date of Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, whose meticulously crafted, meditative images have so enraptured for the past 50 years. This brings together the artist’s major photographic series, which highlight Sugimoto’s ability to unite the real and the abstract, using the median to both document and invent. Lesser-known works are also on display, revealing Sugimoto’s interest in the history of photography, as well as in mathematics and optical sciences. southbankcentre.co.uk
Idris Khan, The Beginning. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Thomas Schulte. Photo: Sergio Belinchon
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Francesca DiMattio in her studio, 2023
Francesca DiMattio, Wedgwood Caryatid, 2023
DAIDO MORIYAMA:
A RETROSPECTIVE
Francesca DiMattio, Blue Wedgwood, 2023
FRANCESCA DIMATTIO
P I P PY HOU LDSWORTH GALLE RY Until 23 December
For Francesca DiMattio’s fourth solo show, Wedgwood, the New York-based artist continues her practice of deconstructing domestic everyday objects (the likes of pillows, cleaning spray, running shorts, footballs) with sculptural furniture that references 18th-century Sèvres porcelain, alongside chandeliers, Rococo mirrors and Wedgwood-inspired wall sconces, inviting the viewer to consider surface and genre in different ways. The exhibition is all the more eye-catching as it also includes an artist-designed wall-to-wall carpet with a trompe l’oeil mosaic design and hand-painted wallpapers that interact seamlessly with patterns on sculptures and plinths, completely transforming the gallery space. houldsworth.co.uk
THE P HOTOGRAPH ERS ’ GALLE RY Until 11 February 2024
A fascinating insight into Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama. The show brings together more than 200 works and large-scale installations - as well as rare photo books and magazines - to showcase the highlights of Moriyama’s prolific career. From his early work and engagement with photorealism through to his self-reflexive period of the 1980s and 90s, and his later exploration of photography and reinvention of his own archive, this is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in Moriyama’s world. thephotographersgallery.org.uk
Georgian Illuminations S IR J O H N S OAN E ’ S MU S E U M Until 7 January 2024
A deep dive into the spectacular illuminations which were popular in the Georgian period. The exhibition focuses on specific, well-publicised light shows of the time, and the incredible temporary architectural structures that were erected specially for them, often designed by well-known architects including Sir John Soane. A contemporary piece - a spin on illuminated architecture - has also been commissioned. soane.org RIGHT: Robert Pollard after Thomas Rowlandson, Vaux-Hall, aquatint, c.1786
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Frans Hals, Young Man holding a Skull (Vanitas), 1626-8. © The National Gallery, London
FRANS HALS N AT I O NAL GALLE RY Until 21 January 2024
Frans Hals, The Laughing Cavalier, 1624. © The Wallace Collection, London
The first major retrospective of Frans Hals in more than 30 years, it brings together 50 of the Dutch artist’s finest works including the first-ever loan of his most famous picture The Laughing Cavalier (1624). From smaller paintings to large group portraits, this blockbuster shows what a remarkably gifted and pioneering painter he was, who depicted his sitters as relaxed, smiling, even laughing which was unheard of at the time. nationalgallery.org.uk
Victorian Treasures
MARINA ABRAMOVIC R OYA L AC A D E M Y Until 1 January 2024
Performance artist Marina Abramović has been stretching the limits of her physical and mental endurance over the past five decades, subjecting herself to exhaustion, pain and even the possibility of death. This show gathers all the highlights from her career, through sculpture, video, installation and performance. While some are restaged through archive footage, others will be reperformed by next-gen artists, meaning no two visits will be the same.
royalacademy.org.uk
Albert Moore, Apricots ,1866. Collection of London Borough of Hammersmith - Fulham
L EI GHTON HOU SE Until 25 February 2024
The artist, poet and collector Cecil French (1879-1953) amassed an extraordinary collection of paintings and drawings by the Victorian masters, which he bequeathed to the public after his death. This exhibition brings together 21 of these works, notably seven paintings by Edward Burne-Jones and Albert Moore’s Apricots (left), all of which showcase French’s tenacity as a collector at a time when Victorian art was increasingly unfashionable. rbkc.gov.uk
TOP: Marina Abramović, Rhythm 0, 1974. Performance; 6 hours. Studio Morra, Naples. Courtesy the Marina Abramović Archives. © Marina Abramović. Photo: Donatelli Sbarra. BOTTOM: Marina Abramović, The Hero, 2001. Single Channel Video (black and white, sound); 14 minutes, 19 seconds. Courtesy the Marina Abramović Archives. © Marina Abramović
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Leyman Lahcine Courtesy of Sarabande
Art House Lee Alexander McQueen’s charitable organisation Sarabande has expanded with new studios and a fashion-and-art store in Tottenham
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Malgorzata Lisiecka Courtesy of Sarabande
P o r t r a i t s b y J O E R I G BY
f you’ve walked down High Road in Tottenham of late, you’ll likely have spotted a pair of Grade II-listed Georgian townhouses, handsome with their freshlypainted windows and shiny front doors. They are the new home - and the second London premises - of Sarabande, the charitable foundation established by the late designer Lee Alexander McQueen to support emerging creatives. The two N17 properties have been transformed inside, too. As well as a meticulous renovation of all the original features - the wooden floorboards, architraves and ornate fireplaces - 15 new studio spaces have been created, as well as a permanent gallery-meets-art-and-fashion-store called House of Bandits. Here, visitors will be able to purchase one-off pieces by the artists and designers Sarabande champions (you can also buy online), with an ever-changing display of paintings, photography and sculpture to clothing, accessories, homewares and more. All profits from the sales go directly to the artists themselves, with a percentage to Sarabande. Established by McQueen in 2007, the organisation has helped to support more than 150 creatives (visual artists, sculptors, filmmakers and photographers as well as accessories 22
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A R T S & C U LT U R E
FROM TOP LEFT: Rhinestone crop top by Pariser, £900; New Sarabande bone china plate designs by Tim Burton and Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli, to join four existing designs by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Sir Ridley Scott, Francesca Amfitheatrof and Jake Chapman. Available in sets of two for £149, or all six for £395; Lamp by Emmely Elgersma
and fashion designers) by providing scholarships, mentoring and heavilysubsidised studio space. The new studio spaces in N17 take the total number to 30, with others at the charity’s HQ in Haggerston, east London, which opened in 2015. The studios are available to rent at around £1 per sq ft, in a bid to give the artists and designers a helping hand at a crucial stage of their careers and build peer-to-peer communities. With the cost of living crisis and spiralling rents, never has this been more needed. And now you can support Sarabande’s artists by purchasing their work at the House of Bandits store. Fashion lovers can pick up one-off pieces such as knitwear by Pariser and jewellery by Christopher ThompsonRoyds, who transforms wildflowers into exquisite pieces. You’ll also find one-of-a-kind artworks and homewares. Sculptor and ceramist Emmely Elgersma’s bold papier maché lamps certainly catch the eye, as do Japanese designer and artist Kuniko Maeda’s framed 3D paper sculptures, while Chinese Canadian textile artist Jia Xi Li’s knitted duck sculpture won’t fail to raise a smile. There is much to hang on your walls, too. Photographic prints for sale
ABOVE: John Hui LEFT: Michelle Marshall Courtesy of Sarabande
include those by French photographer Michelle Marshall, award-winning documentary photographer Hannah Norton and Kasia Wozniak. Idiosyncratic artwork for sale includes graphic prints and paintings by Rosie Gibbens, Leyman Lahcine, Hamed Maiye and John Hui. You’ll be able to buy Sarabande’s limited-edition bone china plates, too. With designs by McQueen, Francesca Amfitheatrof,
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Jake Chapman and Sir Ridley Scott, there are now two new additions to the collection by Tim Burton and Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli. “House of Bandits is an energetic, innovative store where visitors can enjoy and buy work by the hottest talent,” says Trino Verkade, CEO of Sarabande. “It gives Sarabande artists control and presents the work they want to show. They benefit as you will buy direct from them, bypassing the need for their own retail space. The store dynamic will change often and I urge everyone to visit it in person or, if you can’t make it to Tottenham, online.” The premises will house the creatives and their gallery-shop for the next three years, while a Queen Anne building is restored and transformed into Sarabande’s permanent home a few doors down at 808 High Road, complete with an arts space, sculpture garden and public café. The studios will relocate here too when the work is complete. House of Bandits, 792-794 High Road, Tottenham, London N17 0DH sarabandefoundation.org 23
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170 New Bond Street - 020 3967 3730
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STYLE BUDDING ROMANCE Having taken over the runways recently, flowers are set to blossom into a huge fashion trend for the forthcoming season, whether in the form of romantic floral motifs, bold hand-cut fabric iterations or huge sculptural blooms, such as this 3D rose flower adorning Huishan Zhang’s sleeveless top. Whichever way you want to say it with flowers, petal power is having a moment. 5B Mount Street, Mayfair, W1 huishanzhang.com
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Fashion Notes
Bags look to the moon, the sculpted heel and bows make a statement C o m p i l e d b y C H A R LOT T E A DS E T T
MOON SHINE
With its distinctly curved shape and spherical top-handle, the half-moon bag is the silhouette to tote this season. Reach for the skies with Coperni’s Mini Swipe Bag, its glossy metallic faux leather surely making it the ultimate lunar-inspired accessory. £510; coperniparis.com
BOW SELECTA
Bows are set to be ubiquitous next year, according to the SS24 shows. Stand out in a crowd with this head-turning Swarovski crystal-covered Belle Bow Barrette from New York-based designer Jennifer Behr.
£402; selfridges.com
Hit The Slopes
SNOW PATROL Celebrate the magic of the mountains, with the DiorAlps collection dreamed up by Maria Grazia Chiuri. One piece ski-suits, down jackets and apres-ski boots are crafted from a special water-repellent fabric for a ski wardrobe that offers peak comfort and style. dior.com
HOLD COU RT
The kitten heel - a staple of the late Nineties and Noughties wardrobe - is back. Italian fashion house Ferragamo takes the quietly elegant silhouette and runs with it, with the Eva Laminated Pump coming in bronze with a fashion forward pointed toe and sculpted heel. £775; ferragamo.com
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SECOND COMING
It was one of the most anticipated launches in fashion and Phoebe Philo’s first eponymous womenswear collection - called A1 - lived up to expectation, largely selling out in minutes. The onlineonly seasonless drops are released on Philo’s schedule - rather than adhering to traditional fashion calendars - with alerts sent out via email. Two further deliveries are due over the winter, and the A2 edit arrives in Spring 2024. Be quick, it’s sure to go fast phoebephilo.com
MAKE THE RENT Fashion E-tailers are joining the rental revolution this season, allowing customers to rent runway looks - at a fraction of the price. Net-a-Porter has partnered with rental platforms Hurr (on their website and app) and By Rotation (on their app), offering hand-picked pieces by everyone from Jacquemus to Taller Marmo. Meanwhile, MatchesFashion, in collaboration with Hurr, is now offering a curated selection from their most indemand designers, which you can rent for four, eight, sixteen and 30-day periods. A popup at the Matches townhouse at 5 Carlos Place in Mayfair - until 23 December - means you can try pieces on and benefit from sameday rental. net-a-porter.com matchesfashion.com
NEW WEBSITE TO KNOW
S O N I LO N D O N
When Sonia and Eugenia met in London a few years ago they bonded immediately, over both their love for fashion and their home country of Ukraine. And so earlier this year they set up Soni London, a first-of-its-kind online platform showcasing and supporting independent Ukrainian designers across womenswear, jewellery and accessories. The site features one-of-a-kind pieces by such names as Bezhane (left), known for their timeless coats; knitwear brand 02.02, founded by yarn expert Maryna Gershovych; and J’amemme (right), with its architectural silhouettes - amongst many others.
sonilondon.com
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DOLCE & GABBANA Silk Chiffon Dress, £3,600 Optic Chantilly Lace Bra, £435 Satin Shorts, £185 Varnish Sandals, £675 dolcegabbana.com DAVID MORRIS Diamond Earrings & Diamond Rings, POA davidmorris.com
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Interview
A STAR REBORN She’s currently dazzling London audiences in Sunset Boulevard. Here Nicole Scherzinger tells Luciana Bellini about playing the role of a lifetime, why she’s celebrating her roots and the power of reinvention
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P h o t o g r a p h y ZO E M C C O N N E L L S t y l i n g K A R E N C L A R KSO N
’m sitting in the upstairs bar at the Savoy Theatre with Nicole Scherzinger, and I have to admit I’m surprised. I’d arrived at the interview with a set of preconceptions about what it would be like to meet the wildly successful pop superstar and television personality. We’re here to talk about her role as Norma Desmond, the faded Hollywood star Nicole is currently portraying on stage in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jamie Lloyd’s hit West End production of Sunset Boulevard. But when we start our chat, Nicole is nothing like I’d imagined. Dressed down in a blue boiler suit, chunky winter boots and a woollen beanie, the 45-year-old is softly spoken and surprisingly serious. Other than those sculpted feline features and the deep plum lipstick outlining her generous pout, there’s little hint of the larger-than-life character we’re so used to seeing on our screens, either as the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls or as a judge on talent shows like The X Factor and The Masked Singer. If that’s the Nicole we’re more familiar with, the one that’s sold hit record after hit record and racked up six million followers on Instagram, then her latest role as Norma Desmond is a conscious step away from that. Nicole’s performance as the forgotten silentmovie star – for which she’s garnered rave reviews – is a tour de force, startlingly visceral and raw. “People who come to see the show will see many sides of me,” she says. “Sides they didn’t even know existed. I’ve always felt like I was scratching at the surface of my potential. I’ve prayed for a long time for the right show - and then this came along. It’s been a gift. A truly iconic role of a lifetime.” Sunset Boulevard marks Nicole’s return to the stage after almost a decade, when she starred as Grizabella in the 2014 West End revival of Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats. The role earnt her an Olivier nomination, but things turned sour after she pulled out of the show’s Broadway run at the last minute to return to the UK as an X Factor judge. Lloyd Webber was not pleased. “I’m furious because I really believe she’s the most fantastically talented girl and I went out on a limb to get her for the London Palladium here, and it makes me look like an absolute twot with them all,” he was quoted as saying at the time. 29
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Clearly the pair have buried the hatchet, as here she is appearing in another of his musicals. When I ask how their relationship is now, she tells me, “Andrew’s such a massive support - when he believes in you, he makes you want to be your best for him.” So, if Sunset Boulevard ends up transferring to Broadway - as it’s rumoured to do - will she be going this time? “Yes. I’ve always dreamed of going to Broadway and I still can’t believe I’ve never done it. And what a beautiful way this would be to make my debut.” Those bright lights of Broadway are looking evermore likely since the show landed two coveted prizes at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, which took place a few days after our interview and cover shoot. Jamie Lloyd took home the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director, while Nicole scooped the Best Musical Performance gong. On a follow-up call a few days later, I ask what the win meant to her. “When I first got into the room, I was a bit taken aback,” she tells me. “I was sitting next to Sir Ian McKellen, Elton John, Tom Hiddleston – all these brilliant stars and actors. It was a lot. But it felt amazing to know that all of my hard work was being recognised. I’m so honoured to be part of the London theatre community, and it feels like they’ve really embraced and accepted me. So, to win that award just felt really special.” To prepare for the role, Nicole says she drew as many parallels as possible between herself and Norma. “I really wanted to understand the character from a very personal and intimate point of view, so I spent a lot of time breaking the sections down by experiences in my own life, to relate to her more emotionally,” she says. When I ask which life events in particular, she looks thoughtful. “I related to her dreams, her creativity, her passion,” she says quietly. “But then on the other side, I can relate to being part of an industry where you feel like you have been discarded or discredited or dismissed.” At their peak in the Noughties, The Pussycat Dolls were one of the most famous bands in the world, selling over 54 million records. But after their split in 2010, Nicole struggled to reach the same pinnacles with her solo career. “I’ve also definitely been through my own hardship with relationships, where I’ve had feelings of loneliness and emptiness,” she continues. Nicole had a much-publicised on-and-off relationship with the British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and then went on to date tennis pro Grigor Dimitrov before meeting her fiancé, the former Scottish rugby player Thom Evans, in 2019. “A lot of that is Norma, and I can relate to all of that.” Naturally, when the casting for Sunset Boulevard was announced, there were many who thought Nicole was too young and beautiful to play the infamously haggard Norma. I’ll admit I was sceptical myself as I sat down to watch the show. But I needn’t have been Nicole embodies the part fully. In Lloyd’s starkly stripped-back production, she spends the entire time on stage barefoot, wearing nothing but a black silk slip dress, her long hair trailing around her shoulders. One of the highlights of Lloyd’s staging is his clever use of cameras, deployed to create close-ups of the characters’ faces, which are then blown up and projected onto a huge screen. Through this technique, Nicole’s usually picture-perfect features appear crazed and distorted. Her take on Norma is histrionic, melodramatic and utterly compelling. It seems like a part Nicole was born to play. She clearly agrees: “I feel like I’ve been preparing my whole life for this role.” Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a Hawaiian-Ukrainian mother and father of Filipino descent, Nicole grew up in a poor inner-city neighbourhood. Her parents separated when she was a baby, and her maternal family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, when she was six years old, with her half-sister Keala and her German-American stepfather Gary Scherzinger. Despite only having one sibling, Nicole grew up as part of a large and very close family - her mother was one of 10 brothers and sisters, and her grandmother was one of 18.
“I’ve always felt like I was scratching at the surface of my potential. I’ve prayed for a long time for the right show - and then this came along. It’s been a gift "
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SABINA BILENKO Jacket, £700; Corset, £650, sabinabilenko.com
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“My mother said that even as a child, I was a perfectionist. It’s my biggest blessing and my biggest curse, but that’s what got me where I am today "
She is well known for her strong work ethic - she’s been dubbed the hardest working woman in showbusiness. “I truly strive for greatness. I just want everything that I do - no matter how big or small - to be great, to make it count,” she says. “A lot of it comes from my family. We’re built like warriors; we just persist, and we never give up. It’s that need to always be better, to be the best. My mother said that even as a child, I was a perfectionist. It’s my biggest blessing and my biggest curse, but that’s what got me where I am today.” She cites the time she first heard Whitney Houston sing Greatest Love of All as being the moment she realised she wanted to be in music and, as a young girl, she went to performing arts school in Louisville to train in musical theatre. Nicole’s studies were put on hold in 1999 to sing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New, before she became part of the reality TV girl group Eden’s Crush. After they disbanded, she heard that top record producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair were launching an open audition for a new recording group. Nicole successfully auditioned and became the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls, who exploded onto the music scene in 2005 with their first single, Don’t Cha. She quickly became the band’s most famous member, and the group sold millions of records worldwide. They also became notorious for their raunchy dance routines and provocative costumes, which were often at odds with Nicole’s relatively conservative upbringing as the granddaughter of a Catholic bishop. When I ask her how she thinks being a woman in the industry has changed since then, she refers to the rise of social media as a huge point of difference. “We’re in an influencer era, where things are no longer based on talent, but aesthetics,” she says. “I’m having to compete with TikTokers now, which I find crazy. People that have meaningful things to say, they’re not always the ones getting the likes, and I can’t say I’m not sad about that. But when I was planning on reuniting with the Dolls [in 2020], I wanted it to be a reinvention of us. And I said, ‘Okay, what were The Pussycat Dolls about back in that era?’ It was about women wanting to be attractive and sexy to please other people, to please men. The biggest difference is today, what’s really sexy is women who want to please themselves. Women who want to be sexy for themselves. So, I think we’ve come a long way.”
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SOPHIE COUTURE Petal Ball Gown €10,000, sophiecouture.com ADLER Ventaglio Diamond Ring £29,300, adler.ch
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DOLCE & GABBANA Chiffon Silk Cape, £4,700 Satin & Tulle Top, £485 Satin Belt, £385 Jersey Gloves, £285 dolcegabbana.com DAVID MORRIS Diamond Earrings; Diamond Ring & Diamond Bracelet, POA davidmorris.com
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“I’m so honoured to be part of the London theatre community, and it feels like they’ve really embraced and accepted me " Nicole is the ultimate multihyphenate, as adept at commanding the stage and belting out a tune as she is at captivating audiences on prime-time television or acting in a blockbuster film (she has starred in Disney’s Moana and Men in Black 3). But when I ask her how she would define herself, she seems momentarily stumped. “Well, Prince always said: ‘What paid for your house?’ And that was definitely my singing,” she laughs. “So, I guess I’d have to say international singer.” She tells me she’s been working on new music for the past year, and though she doesn’t want to reveal too much, she says, “It’s the most honest and courageous and authentic I’ve ever been in music. The songs are very anthemic. My name, Nicole, means victory, so it’s very important to me that all of my music has an empowering, uplifting, encouraging element. I need that. I battle with a lot of my own demons and insecurities, so it’s vital to me that all of my music has an upside to it.” After years of living in Los Angeles, home for Nicole is now London, with her fiancé, Thom. The couple moved here permanently in September and live in Covent Garden. “This town keeps me working, so I love it here,” says Nicole. “Being in London, it feels like stepping back in time. I permanently feel like I’m in an English version of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, because everything is so old and historic.” If she loves the UK, it would seem the feeling is mutual. In May, Nicole was chosen to perform at the King’s Coronation concert at Windsor Castle, where she took to the stage alongside the
world-renowned pianist Lang Lang. She lists the experience as one of her proudest moments. “If you put things in perspective, I’m a little girl that was born on the ghetto side of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. I didn’t come from money. My mom had me when she was 18 and raised me on her own. To go from that to performing in front of the King, in a country that I truly love - that was a pinnacle moment for me.” Though she admits she doesn’t go out as much as she’d like to right now due to her punishing schedule - she performs six days a week, with two matinees - when she can, her favourite spots include The Maine Mayfair, where she goes for oysters; the restaurant at the NoMad hotel for their Sunday roasts – “I’m obsessed with roasts, I have one literally every Sunday”; and the Rosewood for romantic date nights. “That’s a very special hotel for me, as that’s where everything started for me and Thom,” she says with a smile. “We just went there for our anniversary, actually. I love going around Christmas time, it’s so festive.” As for what’s left on her to-do list in the capital, she says a trip to Oswald’s, Robin Birley’s ultraexclusive members’ club, is high on her agenda. “Put that in the piece - I want them to invite me,” she deadpans. The conversation turns to fashion and she tells me how much she enjoyed experimenting with the new styling direction on our cover shoot; so much so, she wore the white corset suit by Sabina Bilenko to the GQ Men of the Year Awards a few days later. When I ask her what she likes about British style, she says it’s the fact that it’s so different
from the way women dress in LA. “There, everyone’s just in jeans and a T-shirt all the time. Here, people actually dress up, and I love that. I can go out in London in an Alexander McQueen gown and no one thinks it’s dressy. That’s just normal. Things are a little bit more tailored, a little bit more refined here.” She likes to use fashion to reflect her moods and describes her personal style as “chic but edgy. I like more structured looks these days, something elevated and elegant. But it always has to have an edge to it, so it has a strength and a power.”When it comes to shopping, she never fails to find something to buy at Dover Street Market - “one of the best places in London, they’ve got so many great designers there” - and lists The Library in South Kensington and Selfridge’s as favourites, as well as Portobello Market for vintage. She’s a fan of Burberry and Vivienne Westwood, and describes her wardrobe as “eclectic” but says it also has plenty of staple pieces that are her go-to classics, including two trench coats - a camel one from Burberry and a black one from Dior - that are a “must-have in England”, vintage Levi’s jeans and deconstructed Ann Demeulemeester sweaters. When it comes to style inspiration, Nicole cites a surprising source: Norma Desmond. “I just love how she keeps it really simple with her black slip,” she says. “I worked with the show’s costume designer Soutra [Gilmour] for a long time, because I wanted it to be super classic, but using a rich fabric because material is everything. I come from a really poor background but I have the most expensive taste, and I picked 35
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“For me, reinvention means always evolving, never staying in one place, never being too afraid to try new things " the most expensive material ever for Norma Desmond’s slip. It’s like silk, but it has a certain sheen on stage, so that when it hits the light sometimes it looks wet, but it also has this almost animalistic, fur-like texture. It’s such a simple outfit, but it makes a powerful statement. That’s how I feel about clothes: less is more.” As for staying in shape, that comes courtesy of multiple sessions with her personal trainer, Eddie Scott-Bennin, who Nicole credits for keeping her in tip-top condition. To unwind, she relies on weekly sports massages at home, where they “literally have to chisel away at me, because I’m built like a horse.” She also says getting into a hot bath is one of her favourite ways to relax. “I love aromatherapy, I love flowers, I love candles. Those little things make a huge difference.” When it comes to achieving her glowing skin, she credits regular visits to facialist Nilam Holmes, who counts Kate Moss and David Beckham among her other clients. “Nilam’s just amazing,” says Nicole. “And for skincare and makeup I always go to Space NK, because they have the best selection.” She travels a lot, both for work and play, heading to Hawaii as often as she can, where her family are still based. While she’s tight-lipped about the plans for her upcoming nuptials, her wedding ceremony will be held there, conducted by her grandfather, and she recently bought some land on the island. “My dream was always to go back home, because my grandparents are getting older now and I want to spend more time with them,” she says. Despite relishing her new-found role as an adopted Brit, her Hawaiian roots are important. “Hawaii is a very special land and I’ve been consciously learning a lot more about our history and our culture. I’ve been speaking to elders on the island to get educated and reconnect. It’s helped me to understand a lot more about myself.” When the wildfires ripped through Hawaii in August, Nicole was devastated. “I wish I could have done more for Lahaina,” she says. “I couldn’t fly back home, because I was here, but I donated money.” She posted repeatedly to her millions of followers on Instagram, urging them to donate and help raise money for the families affected. She also joined the Red Cross effort to raise relief funds for the victims, recording a heartfelt video in which she urged people to donate.
For Nicole, it’s important to make sure she uses her platform as a force for good. “We’re all here for a purpose,” she says. “We’re all here to be of service and to help others.” She’s a global ambassador for the Special Olympics and performed at the 2015 Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles. Nicole has a special connection to the games, having grown up closely with her aunt, who has Down’s syndrome. She’s also a strong campaigner against human and sex trafficking. “It’s such a horrific and disgusting topic, especially when children are involved, that people often shy away from it. That’s why I think it’s so important to bring it to light. It would be so much easier to just pretend it doesn’t exist.” I’m aware that our time together is coming to an end - Nicole needs to go and get ready for that night’s performance. I ask her, does she still have things she wants to achieve? “A million things,” she says. “I want to write my own musical and make a movie musical from that. I want to have my own world tour.” Does she see herself returning to the stage again? “Yes, I think so.” She hesitates. “I’m not going to lie; the theatre is brutal. Eight shows a week? I’m exhausted. But I love the stage. And, as exhausting as it is, this is the most fulfilled I’ve ever been. And I know I have so much more to give - so much more.” I tell her I don’t doubt it for a second. This role feels like another in a long line of reinventions for Nicole, who’s gone from young musical theatre performer to world-famous pop star, global television icon and acclaimed theatre actress over her career. Before she leaves, I have to ask, what does the word reinvention mean to her? “For me, it means always evolving, never staying in one place, never being too afraid to try new things. To be brave and be bold. That’s what I’m doing in this show. All of my fears, all of my insecurities, all of my emotions, every part of me is being exposed,” she pauses. “That’s what reinventing yourself takes - the courage to show people who you really are.” Sunset Boulevard is playing at the Savoy Theatre until 6 January 2024; sunsetboulevardwestend.com
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GINA FRATINI Tulle Dress, POA foundandvision.com Shot at The Savoy Hotel thesavoylondon.com Makeup Artist: Chynara Kojoeva Hair Stylist: Carl Bembridge Stylist Assistants: Molly Ellison and Varvara Barto Digital Operator: Nick Graham Lighting: Carissa Harrod Retouching: Frisian
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LEFT TO RIGHT: Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2012, Vanity Fair US, September 2012. © Paolo Roversi/Art + Commerce; Haute couture Autumn-Winter 2012, Dior magazine, Fall 2012. © Willy Vanderperre/Art + Commerce
DIOR BY RAF SIMONS Assouline, £150
PERFECT The latest coffee table books that are a glittering tribute to high fashion and its designers
MORE RICK OWENS Rizzoli, £50
Rick Owens is referred to as the godfather of goth glam, his grunge-meets-glamour designs long an A-lister favourite. More Rick Owens picks up where Rizzoli’s previous monograph on the American fashion designer left off, documenting from Owens’ AW19 collection inspired by the cult 70s designer Larry Legaspi, right through to the pandemic, when he staged shows on the Lido di Venezia. In this, a continuing collaboration with photographer Danielle Levitt, stunning images encapsulate this “fertile and transformational” period in his career one that saw him experiment with shape, new and exotic materials and colour.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Hakima, SS20 Tecuatl Womens. Danielle Levitt/ Owenscorp; Ilyas, SS23 EDFU Mens. Danielle Levitt/Owenscorp; Adot, SS22 Fogachine Womens. Danielle Levitt/Owenscorp
Picture
Belgian designer Raf Simons may only have been Creative Director at Christian Dior between 2012 and 2015, but the impact he made was significant. His collections were acclaimed for bringing a contemporary edge, representing Simons’s strong belief that fashion, even couture, should be wearable. This - the sixth volume in a series of books devoted to each designer of the Parisian couture house showcases Simons’s innovative and streamlined approach, with photographs by Laziz Hamani and text by Tim Blanks, editor-at-large for The Business of Fashion.
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STYLE The “Stockholm” Dress; Haute Couture Spring Summer 1959 © Yves Saint Laurent ©Matthieu Lavanchy
YVES SAINT LAURENT FORM AND FASHION
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Anamika Khanna 2021 Couture Collection. Courtesy of Anamika Khanna; Rahul Mishra Couture Spring 2021. Photograph by Hormis Anthony Tharakan. Courtesy of Rahul Mishra; Tarun Tahiliani Fall 2002. Courtesy of Tarun Tahiliani.
INDIA IN FASHION
Flammarion, £35
Rizzoli, £50
Yves Saint Laurent is one of the 20th century’s most influential couturiers. Often cited as the founding figure of modernity in fashion, he worked with and developed a multitude of silhouettes from minimalist to exuberant, free-flowing to ultra-structured. Yves Saint Laurent: Form & Fashion celebrates the French designer’s exploration of shape and form over his five-decade career. It also observes his mastery of colour, from juxtaposing black and white to suggest movement in a garment through optical illusion to using vibrant hues to create abstract designs.
Author and global editor-at-large of American Vogue Hamish Bowles looks at the impact of Indian dress, textiles and embroidery on Western designs and how techniques, motifs and silhouettes - from turbans to saris and jodhpurs - have been reimagined by designers over the years. The pages sing with colour, print and pattern from the traditional hues of royal blue, marigold and fuschia to sumptuous fabrics and intricate chikan embroideries. With photography by the likes of Arthur Elgort and Mikael Jansson, and texts by experts from India, Europe and North America, this is a visually rich and fascinating deep dive into Indian fashion.
BURBERRY Assouline, £150
Alexander Fury is no stranger to penning tomes on fashion. This time the eminent journalist, author and critic turns his attention to the quintessential British label Burberry. The richly illustrated volume traces the house’s storied past, from when it was founded in 1856 by a 21-year-old Thomas Burberry to the global luxury label it is today. Each chapter looks at the notable events and emblems for which Burberry is recognised, notably the trench coat and that distinct Check, and how they’ve evolved in every collection. LEFT TO RIGHT: Behind the Scenes Image of the Spring Summer 1999 Campaign; Flying Officer Arthur Clouston and Betty Kirby-Green in The Burberry plane, 1937; Autumn Winter 2014 Womenswear Show. All Images Courtesy of Burberry
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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: S/S 1953 Haute Couture; Hubert de Givenchy - A/W 1957-58 Haute Couture; A/W 1953 Haute Couture; A/W 1963-64 Haute Couture. All Images © firstVIEW/Launchmetrics
GIVENCHY CATWALK:
THE COMPLETE COLLECTIONS
Thames & Hudson, £60
The ninth in a series celebrating the world’s top fashion houses spotlights Givenchy. The book explores almost 180 collections from 1952, when Hubert de Givenchy founded the house, through to when it was a firm favourite of the designer’s muse and great friend Audrey Hepburn (he created the key costumes for Breakfast at Tiffany’s). After Givenchy retired in 1995, we see how the maison developed under the tenures of John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald, Riccardo Tisci and Clare Waight Keller, and most recently under the helm of Matthew M. Williams. Expect over 1200 catwalk images, in what is the only monograph in print to celebrate the house of Givenchy across its seven decades.
EZRA PETRONIO: VISUAL THINKING & IMAGE MAKING
Phaidon, £150
The Paris-based art director, creative director of Self Service magazine and photographer Ezra Petronio, who was mentored by Miuccia Prada, has worked with every big-name brand you can think of, from Glossier to Gucci, Chloé to Chanel. This, the first retrospective publication on his career, is a visual feast of ad campaigns, branding, magazine spreads, graphics and polaroids. Essays and anecdotes from the likes of Marc Jacobs and Chloe Sevingy further serve to underline the depth and breadth of Petronio’s creativity across three decades in the industry. LEFT: Kirsten Dunst for Miu Miu. RIGHT: Gucci High Jewellery. Images Courtesy of Ezra Petronio and Phaidon
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CAROLINA HERRERA
COLORMANIA Rizzoli, £80
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Xing Xing: Pre-Fall 2021; Dove: Spring Summer 2023; Maggie: Pre-Fall 2022 and Spring Summer 2022
The house of Carolina Herrera - under the helm of Creative Director Wes Gordon since 2018 - has long been synonymous with strong silhouettes and a bold palette. This vibrant legacy has been captured by the artist and photographer Elizaveta Porodina, her ethereal, fantastical, painting-like photographs filling the pages of Colormania. Models and dancers wear key pieces, their bold floral prints, bold hues and voluminous shapes depicted in a dreamy, otherworldly light. With an introduction by Vogue’s Edward Enninful, this kaleidoscopic book is a must-have.
FOREVER VALENTINO Silvana Editoriale, £73
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This striking publication takes the reader on a visual journey through the 60-year history of Maison Valentino, featuring over 150 looks from the first collection by Valentino Garavani in 1962 to Pierpaolo Piccioli’s unforgettable AW22 Haute Couture show on the Spanish Steps in Rome. The book has been published to accompany the landmark exhibition in Doha and features many highlights from the show interspersed by sketches, catwalk shots and text by curators Alexander Fury and Massimiliano Gioni about the storied couture house.
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Le With her impeccable Parisian uniform of pencil skirts, sharp jackets and vertiginous heels, there can be no mistaking style icon Carine Roitfeld, Here the former editor-in-chief of Vogue France and legendary stylist talks to us about feeling young at 69, her signature look and why she doesn’t own many clothes W o r d s LU C I A N A B E L L I N I P o r t r a i t s HEDI SLIMANE
he first thing Carine Roitfeld tells me when she answers the phone from her apartment in Paris is that she hasn’t read a single one of the questions I sent over in advance. “I never look at the questions before I speak to someone, because I prefer to be spontaneous,” she says in her thickly accented French drawl. “I’m a very spontaneous person. Even if sometimes that’s dangerous…” Roitfeld is the rarest of breeds – a woman who has climbed to the highest echelons of the fashion world, as one of the industry’s most instantly recognisable figures and the former editor-in-chief of Vogue France, yet doesn’t take herself too seriously. In fact, she doesn’t take herself seriously at all. Case in point? The new lease of life she’s found in her late 60s, which has seen her move from the left bank to the right bank – “in Paris, that means a lot” – take up smoking and get her very first tattoos. “I totally changed my life five years ago. I’m living on my own, so everything in my apartment is for me – I don’t have to ask someone if they like it or not. I got my first tattoos six months ago – the initials of all the people I love, dead or alive, in Russian on my fingers – and I’m going to get more tomorrow. Everything people say no to, I say, ‘Why not?’ It’s about freedom – I feel more free now than ever.” Roitfeld recently turned 69 and to celebrate she hosted a glamorous party at Parisian nightspot Raspoutine, where she was joined by the likes of Eva Longoria, Poppy Delevingne and Honey Dijon. She likes being 69 so much, she’s decided not to bother turning 70. “It’s a great number, very graphic, so I think I’ll just stay here,” she says. When I ask what it’s like working in an industry that’s obsessed with youth, she shrugs it off. “Fashion is about youth, yes, but old people are something of a trend right now. Just look at Loewe’s latest campaign [starring an 88-year-old Dame Maggie Smith]. I’ve never had as many covers as I’ve had in my 60s. And I don’t feel old. I’m always surrounded by assistants in their 20s, that’s what keeps me young.”
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STYLE
For Roitfeld, being at the centre of the zeitgeist is nothing new. The daughter of a Russian-born film producer and a Parisian mother, she grew up in the French capital, where she began her career as a model, after being fascinated by her mother’s fashion magazines as a child. She found her calling in publishing, spending 15 years as a writer and stylist for French Elle. In 1990, she met Mario Testino on a shoot, and together they went on to craft the hedonistic, high-glamour aesthetic that defined that era. She was named editor-in-chief of Vogue France in 2001, where she became known for her boundary-pushing shoots and her distinctive silhouette: pencil skirt, nipped in jacket and skyscraper heels. Despite being one of the most powerful women in the industry, Roitfeld admits she found it tough when she left Vogue in 2011. “When you’re there, it’s like you have a crown. And then afterwards, you just go back to being a normal stylist. But it’s at times like that you really find out who your friends are – and I have a lot of good friends.” One of those friends is Tom Ford, whom Roitfeld worked closely with for many years. The pair rose through the ranks together during the 90s, and when Ford landed the role of Creative Director at Gucci in 1994, he enlisted Roitfeld to help him revive the sleepy Italian brand. As Ford’s muse, Roitfeld helped him turn Gucci into a global superbrand. The other instrumental man in her life was Karl Lagerfeld, who snapped her up as a collaborator as soon as she left Vogue. “Karl was like a second father to me; he protected me,” she says. Roitfeld relished the chance to be “thrown into the Chanel DNA” and said the pair always had a lot of fun together.
of Roitfeld’s favourite shoots over the years. Roitfeld was the first fashion editor to take Kardashian seriously, a fact she’s proud of. “When Riccardo Tisci introduced me to her, I thought she was beautiful and lovely – I immediately knew I wanted to photograph her,” she says. “I did her first editorial fashion story, and Kim is very faithful – she’s never forgotten that.” Roitfeld has also just launched a new home fragrance line and a perfume, Forgive Me, the latest addition to her eponymous fragrance collection. Her daughter, Julia, is the face of the fragrance, “because she’s beautiful, but also to keep the legacy of the brand”. She is also poised to bring out a range of her own eye makeup next year, inspired by her signature smoky eye look. There’ll be eyeshadows – in her favourite shades of black and khaki – mascara, wet-look glitter – “because I think that looks so sexy” – and eyebrow brushes, but no eyeliner pencils. “Everything is designed to put on with your fingers, because that’s how I do my own eyes. There’s no foundation or lipstick – I don’t have a nice mouth – so it’s just eyes.” It’s bound to be hugely popular; after all, her distinctive look is a source of inspiration to many. She doesn’t really have any style icons herself, she says, but has “a lot in common with Coco Chanel, in terms of the way we dress – though I have more waists on my jackets than she did. But she created a uniform for herself, to make life easy. I like the fact she always had pockets – she was a bit masculine in the way she dressed, even when she was wearing skirts, and she never copied anyone else. I like to keep and rewear the same outfits. I don’t have a lot in my wardrobe, but what I do have I wear again and again. I guess I’m a bit boring in that way. That’s why I’m getting tattoos now - to be less boring!”
“I totally changed my life five years ago. Everything people say no to, I say, ‘Why not?’ It’s about freedom – I feel more free now than ever” Alongside her work with fashion greats, Roitfeld launched her own magazine entitled CR Fashion Book. which she now runs with her son, Vladimir - she also has a daughter, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, a designer and creative director. The magazine has become known for its avant-garde covers, which feature global superstars styled with an irreverent twist – Roitfeld’s trademark. Kim Kardashian recently appeared on one with a buzz cut, while Jennifer Aniston was pictured in a leather bra for the tenth anniversary issue. Kardashian, who’s something of a muse for Roitfeld, also appears on the front of her latest coffee table book, Fantasies, which is made up of a selection
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Photography: Karl Lagerfeld
CLASSIC WARDROBE STAPLES People are always surprised when they find out I don’t have many clothes. I like wearing a uniform - mostly in black or khaki - because it keeps things simple. Everything I have is perfect on me, because I’m picky, but I don’t have a lot of clothes. I’m always editing my dressing room; it’s very small. And now when I travel, I just take a carry-on, even if it’s for two weeks in New York. That would have been impossible ten years ago, but now I can do it. I’ve become wiser when it comes to choosing clothes, and I like the freedom. One of the main items in my wardrobe is a Rick Owens pencil skirt. I have about 15 of them – some for winter, for summer, transparent ones, knee-length, long… It’s my silhouette now. People don’t think that Rick Owens does pencil skirts, but they’re the best. They’re the perfect shape on me, and they’re also cool. They don’t look bourgeois because they’re a bit punk-ish. The way they’re cut is great, with the long slit behind, and they have pockets, so it feels a bit like wearing trousers. I started wearing them when I was at Vogue France because all the girls there were in jeans and I wanted to look different. The other main thing you’ll find in my wardrobe are jackets, always with a waist – I have about six, I think.
Some have bigger shoulders, some have smaller ones, but they always need to have a waist. My favourite from this season is by Saint Laurent, which has these big shoulders that are just amazing. I also have great ones from Tom Ford and a special one from Balenciaga with the fake hips, the Hourglass Jacket. Plus I have a couple of leather jackets and one in snakeskin that Riccardo Tisci gave me. I always tend to look a bit similar, but I play more with colour with my shoes. I like black shoes, of course, but I’ve also got glitter, silver, yellow… I just bought a greeny-yellow pair from Loewe that I love. I have a lot of Balenciaga heels at the moment, because I love pointy shoes – I think they’re very chic. I also have bespoke shoes Gianvito Rossi made for me, usually with a wrap around the ankle. That’s my signature, because I have good ankles. At Vogue I always wore high heels, because when you work with tall people, I like to be able to look them in the eye. Wearing heels totally changes the way you walk, the way you sit, the way you talk. You’re another person. I’m very lucky to have had some designer friends who have made me couture gowns over the years, so I keep all of those. I’ve got an evening dress that Riccardo Tisci created especially for me, which I’ve had for
maybe 20 years. It’s bias cut and is all white with a black scarf. I also have another one from his Chinese collection, which has hand-painted dragons on the top. It’s very fitted, very sexy. When I don’t know what to wear, I’ll usually turn to something by Alaïa. I love their leather corsets, worn over a t-shirt with a skirt. In the summer, I wear jeans. I have two pairs of old Levi’s, which belonged to my brother when he was 18. Now he’s 70, so you can imagine how destroyed they are; they have a story. I usually finish off my look with big sunglasses. I’m not wearing the Rick Owens ones anymore, because they’ve become too popular, so I’m wearing a lot of old ones. But I’m going to buy a new pair from Porsche, because I love big glasses. FAVOURITE DESIGNERS There are a few designers that I always wear – Maison Margiela, Saint Laurent, Rick Owens. I’m going to the Rick Owens store soon and that’s always very dangerous. They know me there, so they always prepare what they think I’m going to like. Miu Miu is another brand I love, but I think sometimes it’s a bit too girly for me. I don’t like things that are too girly - if you give something to your daughter, never take it back. There is no sharing. If it’s good for her, that means it’s not for you anymore.
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Carine’s Capsule Wardrobe From oversized sunglasses to the precision-cut blazer and perfect pencil skirt, these are the trademark pieces to build Carine’s timeless French look
THE OVERSIZED SUNGLASSES
PORSCHE
£249, pretavoir.co.uk
THE BLAZER
SAINT LAURENT
£2,520, net-a-porter.com
I’m a big fan of British designers. I’ve always admired Vivienne Westwood, the way she mixed punk with more classic tailoring. That’s very chic. I worked a bit with Richard Quinn, who’s totally the opposite of what I like – I don’t like print and he loves it – but his work is great, even if it’s not for me. And I really like Nensi Dojaka, particularly her very feminine dresses. But for me the real genius was Lee McQueen. I was so sad when he passed away, because he was a fantastic tailor. I love the British craziness, because we don’t have that in France. We’re more classic, but in England you have this freedom, mixing things in a way we can’t. When I go to London, I always try to find time to visit Dover Street Market. It’s much better than the one we have in Paris. I always find something to buy there, and it’s a way to see the new pieces from the likes of Comme des Garçons and Junya Watanabe, and other designers I love. I’ll also jump on the bus to Harrods, to visit the perfume section there. It’s the best place to pick up a new fragrance. STYLE TIPS I describe my personal style as classic with an edge. I’ll always do something that changes a look, something surprising, like the colour of the shoes, or a skirt and jacket that aren’t perfect together but look great. It’s the same
when I’m doing my shoots; there always needs to be something spontaneous, something that’s not quite right but still looks good. It’s how I feel about my hair too, which is why I always cut it myself, and my makeup, which I always put on with my fingers. For me, it’s the imperfect that makes it beautiful. For French women, what you wear under your clothes is as important as what you look like on the outside. We always wear nice matching underwear, a nice slip dress, nice tights – it’s very important. It’s something we’re taught from when we’re little. French women are also very classic and modest – a lot of black, trench coats, a jacket from Chanel or Dior. When it comes to clothing, we keep things simple. I will never leave the house without putting some black on my eyes and some perfume. Perfume is the last accessory you put on, whether it’s before going to sleep, or before going out. Always. All of my fragrances have some patchouli in them, because when I was a young girl, I couldn’t afford perfume from Chanel or Dior. So, I went to the Indian store instead and bought little bottles of patchouli. That was my first ever fragrance. Forgive Me by Carine Roitfeld is available at Harrods, harrods.com; carineroitfeld.com
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THE VEST
RICK OWENS
£220, selfridges.com
THE COURT SHOE
LOEWE
THE PENCIL SKIRT
£695, loewe.com
RICK OWENS
£500, farfetch.com
THE VINTAGE JEANS
LEVIS
£58, beyondretro.com
THE CORSET BELT
ALAÏA
£ 1,720, maison-alaia.com
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Watch & Jewellery Notes
The latest launches & most covetable new pieces to have on your radar C o m p i l e d b y K I M PA R K E R
SUNNY SETTING
Dedicated to the sights, scents and colourful shades to be found on Capri, Buccellati’s limitededition Special Edition bangles are akin to a shot of Mediterranean sunshine. With unique combinations of precious stones, metals and enamels, the six shimmering pieces represent the apex of the maison’s goldsmithing and gem-setting prowess. buccellati.com
LOOK SHARP
Pointed teeth and carnivorous plants may not be the friendliest of jewellery inspirations, but thanks to pioneering designer akoon Panichgul at Tasaki, they can give rise to truly desirable creations. Contrasting delicate Akoya pearls with shards of gold studded with diamonds gives this classic triple-strand necklace a fabulous, fashion-forward edge. Danger Fang Necklace, £26,600 tasaki.co.uk
Nature’s Way
IN FULL PLUME
Peacock feathers have featured at the Parisian house of Boucheron since the 1860s and now, with a little high-tech craftsmanship, they’ve been given a futuristic makeover. Made from lightweight titanium and set in airy, open-worked arrangements, Boucheron’s Plume de Paon jewels capture all the ethereal grace of their natural counterparts. boucheron.com
MAMMA MIA Think ‘screen siren’ and ‘Italian feasts’ and what do you get? If you’re Jessica McCormack the answer is Carmela – a spiralised, stackable collection with a hint of Art Deco charm. Taking pasta as its inspiration, swirls of yellow gold and diamonds adorn hoop earrings, colliers, bangles and rings and the results are molto bene, indeed. Carmela Gold Spaghetti Hoop Bands, from £1,600 jessicamccormack.com
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SCANDI CHIC
GILDED AGE
The melancholy romance of the Scandinavian landscape is an eternal inspiration for Danish jeweller Sophie Bille Brahe, who kept envisaging “a secretive, endless colonnade between the sky and the ocean” when designing her latest must-have collection, Endless Colonnade. Case in point: the sculptural, pared-back appeal of her Collier d’Ocean Royal, which reimagines the timeless tennis necklace as an elegant, oceanic swell of graduated white diamonds set in recycled yellow gold. sophiebillebrahe.com
Blending the ornamental, hedonistic beauty of 18th-century Rococostyle paintings with her fondness for navalstyle tattoos and body adornment, Cece Fein Hughes has created a set of special occasion jewels with a contemporary twist. Five yellow gold signet rings and four pendant necklaces all feature miniature satin ribbons, skulls, wedding bells or compasses conceived with hand engraving and champlevé enamel and adorned with tiny diamonds. From £2,300 cecejewellery.com
New Opening
ANOTHER LEVEL Amidst the ready-to-wear, accessories and artworks on show at Gucci’s luxurious new 15,000sq ft Mayfair flagship, you’ll find Europe’s very first ‘Gucci Salon’. The invite-only space is where anything – including haute horologie and precious high jewellery – can be perused by private clientele and customised to their heart’s desires, ensuring no two pieces are ever alike. G-Timeless Planetarium Watch, POA 144-146 New Bond Street, Mayfair, W1 gucci.com
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Raise the th
BARRE Van Cleef & Arpels Arpels’ sparkling new Ballet Précieux collection continues the maison’s storied love affair with the world of dance
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en newly minted ballerinas are twirling en pointe under the spotlights, their slender arms held elegantly aloft or gently curved in front of their gleaming costumes. One, enacting a moment from Igor Stravinsky’s Song of the Nightingale,, carries a tiny bird on her left hand, its gilded plumage shining as she pirouettes. It’s a scene that could be playing out at London’s illustrious illustrious Royal Ballet School, but this troupe of dancers is, in fact, a collection of high jewellery ballerina pins. Entitled Ballet Précieux, they are the latest handiwork of Parisian jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels, and each pin has been mounted on a tiny rotating frame so that its exquisite goldsmithing, gem-setting and enamelling can be appreciated from every angle. Van Cleef & Arpels has had a long-standing love affair with the art of dance, stretching back to the 1920s when Louis Arpels (who worked at the company founded by his brother, Charles, and their brother-inlaw, Alfred Van Cleef) Cleef would take his nephew Claude to shows at the Opéra Garnier. Claude went on to head the New York branch of the jewellery firm and, under his leadership, the maison produced its first ballerina clips in the early 1940s. Designed to invoke a feeling of joy during a time of war, these sparkling figurines, with their delicate rose-cut diamond faces, coloured-stone fans or headdresses and tiny tutus crafted from engraved gold, enchanted collectors such as Barbara Hutton and Marjorie Merriweather Post and soon became a signature motif of the house. Designs were often modelled on famous performers, such as the Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova and the 18th-century dancer Marie Anne de Cupis de Camargo, or iconic repertoires like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. 48
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WA T C H E S & J E W E L L E R Y
Van Cleef & Arpels’ relationship with dance was deepened further when Claude Arpels befriended the illustrious choreographer and co-founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine. In 1967, inspired by the precious gemstones that feature throughout the house’s creations (and perhaps even by the ballerina clips themselves, which are said to have been displayed in the brand’s Fifth Avenue boutique window, where they were admired by Balanchine on his daily walks), Balanchine debuted a new three-act ballet called Jewels.. Each of its parts was named for a different gemstone - Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds - and featured its own unique score, costumes and movements. Over half a century has since passed, but Van Cleef & Arpels is still renowned for the craftsmanship of its ballerina pins (each takes between 300 to 400 hours to complete) and is continuing to honour Louis and Claude’s legacy by supporting dance troupes and championing new choreographic performances around the world. For 11 years the maison has sponsored the L.A. Dance Project, founded by French choreographer Benjamin Millepied and, since 2015, it has also funded the €100,000 Fedora – Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet which rewards excellence in experimental compositions. In 2020, Van Cleef & Arpels even created its own dance festival, Dance Reflections. Spearheaded by its director of dance and culture programmes Serge Laurent (previously the curator of live arts at Paris’ Centre Pompidou), the initiative promotes post-modern works by both new and existing creatives - from Lucinda Childs and Gisèle Vienne to (LA)Horde, which also recently designed movements for Madonna’s Celebration tour. Composed of roughly ten works, each annual edition takes place in an international cultural hot spot - this year, following tours in London and Hong Kong, it travelled to New York. “Dance Reflections is as much about education as it is about support for independent companies,” says Laurent. “It’s the only way to preserve many of their dance pieces and ensure they can be appreciated by a new generation. Much like keeping the historic craftsmanship of jewellery alive so it can be passed on.” With Dance Reflections slated to return to Asia in 2024, and then to Europe after that, Van Cleef & Arpels’ historic pas de deux with the world of dance looks set for encore after encore. vancleefarpels.com THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Pierre Arpels, dancer Suzanne Farrell and choreographer George Balanchine in 1967, Van Cleef & Arpels Archives. Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. Swan Lake ballerina clip: White gold, round and rose-cut diamonds, round and baguette-cut black spinels and onyx. Raymonda powder case, 1945, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection. Product card Dancer clip, 1944, Van Cleef & Arpels Archives. Drawings featuring ballerinas earrings and clips, circa 1943, Van Cleef & Arpels Archives. The Sleeping Beauty Dancer clip, 1947: Yellow gold, rubies, diamonds, Van Cleef & Arpels. Bombyx Mori by Ola Maciejewska Dance Reflections.
LEFT PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Adage a la rose Ballerina clip: Rose gold, white gold, pink sapphires, diamonds. Mathilde Ballerina clip: Rose gold, white gold, diamonds. Chant du Rossignol Ballerina clip: Yellow gold, white gold, tsavorite garnets, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds. Ludmila Ballerina clip: Yellow gold, white gold, yellow sapphires, diamonds. Carnaval de Venise: White gold, yellow gold, emeralds, black lacquer, diamonds. Vera Ballerina clip: Rose gold, white gold, yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets, rubies, diamonds. Petrouchka Ballerina clip: Rose gold, white gold, violet sapphires, rubies, diamonds. POA
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CHAUMET
Les Ciels Tiara in White Gold and Diamonds, POA chaumet.com
PRAGNELL
Transformable Brooch and Pendant in 18k Yellow Gold, Platinum and Diamonds, POA, pragnell.co.uk
TASAKI
Atelier Elysium High Jewellery Bracelet in 18k White Gold, Diamonds, Blue Topaz, Sapphires and Garnets, POA, tasaki.co.uk
VENYX
DAVID MORRIS
Astra Ring in 18k White Gold with Mother of Pearl and Diamonds, £4,700 davidmorris.com
Meteoryx Aurora Ring in 18k White Gold and Diamonds £2,720, venyxworld.com
Reach for the
S TA R S Look to the magic of the night sky this season with twinkling constellations blazing across the starriest jewels W o r d s K I M PA R K E R
SABINE ROEMER
Mon Etoile Earrings with Diamonds, Sapphire and Lolite, POA sabineroemer.com
SOLANGE
Aster Earrings in 18k White Gold and Diamonds, POA solange.co.uk
CHANEL
DIANE KORDAS
Chanel High Jewellery ‘1932’ Ring in 18k White Gold and Diamonds, POA chanel.com
Star Ear Cuff in 18k Rose Gold and Diamonds, £3,330 dianekordasjewellery.com
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TIFFANY & CO.
Colours of Nature High Jewellery Brooch in Plantinum, Aquamarine, Moonstones and Diamonds, POA tiffany.co.uk
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DAYTIME DIAMONDS Watches to bring a sprinkle of sparkle whatever the hour W o r d s K I M PA R K E R
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ho says diamonds should be reserved for after dark? The diamond-set watch is experiencing a resurgence in popularity amongst both men and women - and for good reason. These new dressier models are a hybrid of classic or sporty designs - often updated - with a scattering of the finest jewels, making them the chicest accessory to take you effortlessly from day to night. Delicately adorned with a sprinkling of diamonds, the timepieces bring a laid-back luxury to watchmaking, and signal a sleek new mood in the horology world. What’s more, scaled-down versions of iconic models such as Cartier Tanks, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reversos and Chanel Premières (all hardly oversized to begin with) have a distinctly vintage appeal, harking back to an era when even a 36mm timepiece was deemed ‘large’. “The demand for a beautifully designed, elegant diamond-set timepiece that fits with today’s hectic lifestyle has never been stronger,” says Mark Toulson, head of watch buying at the Watches of Switzerland Group, who puts the trend down to a matter of ease and convenience. “Many such timepieces find their roots in the late 90s… [but] whatever their pedigree, they are as at home in a business setting as they are at a cocktail party.” With new mini-sized movements and beautifully streamlined designs adorned with glittering gemstones, these glamorous timepieces punch far above their weight in terms of style and substance, proving that you can have a serious watch - but with sparkle. Here, we select ten of the best.
CHANEL Première Hyper Lucky Star, POA
Part of Chanel’s Interstellar watch collection, revealed at Watches & Wonders 2023, this slender white-gold timepiece harks back to Chanel’s love of star motifs, with a shooting star charm set with six brilliant-cut diamonds attached to the bezel. Its dial and bracelet are adorned with glittering diamonds, too, so it twinkles on your wrist. chanel.com
CHOPARD Happy Sport 33mm, £36,300
Conceived in 1993, the Happy Sport’s chic-meets-sporty vibe is definitely back in demand, as championed by brand ambassador (and ultimate 90s style crush) Julia Roberts. Its ethical rose-gold case houses five free-floating diamonds which skim the dial with the slightest gesture, giving this sleek timepiece an idiosyncratic appeal. chopard.com
PATEK PHILIPPE Aquanaut Luce 5269/200R, £34,760
Thanks to its softly rounded edges and ever so discreetly tucked-in crown, this 38.8mm timepiece still feels light and elegant to wear. Although the bezel is embellished with 48 flawless diamonds, its dual time-zone function, water resistance to 60m and robust integrated composite strap means this rose-gold piece travels brilliantly, too. patek.com
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FOOD & DRINK
LONGINES Mini Dolce Vita, £3,700
Measuring just 21.5mm by 29mm, this bijou but beautiful watch is an excellent all-day companion. Its rectangular steel case is elegantly complemented by the circular design of the dial, its redesigned bracelet is super comfortable to wear and its bezel is framed with 38 white diamonds for a hint of eye-catching sparkle (that’s still far from blingy). longines.com
DIOR La D My Dior in Steel and Diamonds, £6,800
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Dior’s La D de Dior watch has been reinvented with a ‘cannage’ motif - graphic lines representing the cane Napoleon III chairs present at Christian Dior’s inaugural fashion show in 1947. The silver-plated steel bracelet is engraved to resemble a silk ribbon, as another nod to the designer’s craft. dior.com
ROLEX Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36, £49,500
Spurred on by the success of its colourful enamel dials from previous seasons, Rolex has introduced hard stone dials to its Day-Date collection. To complement the warmth of its 18k yellow-gold case and bracelet, this model boasts a dial cut from carnelian, decorated with gold and diamond-set hour markers and a diamond bezel. watches-of-switzerland.co.uk
JAEGER-LECOULTRE Reverso One Duetto Jewellery, POA
Combining Jaeger-LeCoultre’s finest watchmaking and diamond-setting techniques, the Duetto is a truly haute interpretation of its Reverso model. There are 335 diamonds on the Art Deco-inspired case, with 384 more set into the fivelink bracelet. Its swivelling case houses back-to-back dials (one light, one dark), going from day to night in seconds. jaeger-lecoultre.com
CARTIER Tank Américaine, £30,300
Originally launched in 1989, the Tank Américaine retains its early 90s good looks (the rectangular case and curvaceous edges), but its latest iteration benefits from a new, smaller movement, allowing for a more streamlined aesthetic. The rose-gold version, sprinkled with diamonds, looks right at home amongst a contemporary wrist stack. cartier.com
VACHERON CONSTANTIN Overseas Self Winding 35mm, £56,000
Launched in Iceland, this sporty yet super refined-looking timepiece benefits from a frosting of diamonds around its bezel. A self-winding model, it has a high-precision calibre, 40-hour power reserve and its matching pink-gold bracelet can easily be swapped out for a white leather strap (as shown), or rubber, however the mood takes you. vacheron-constantin.com
TUDOR Tudor Royal in stainless steel 28mm, £3,310
The sporty-looking Royal makes a perfect everyday timepiece. Its hardy stainless-steel case (we’re talking 100m water resistance) and integrated bracelet are coolly contrasted with the gleaming mother-of-pearl dial, Roman numerals, diamond hour markers and diamond bezel of a much dressier watch, so you really get the best of both worlds. watches-of-switzerland.co.uk
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drsebagh.com Give the gift of luxurious, radiance-restoring skin care this Christmas. Dr Sebagh’s new collection of expertly curated, limited edition gift boxes come filled with a selection of iconic, powerful and award-winning “Ageing-Maintenance” heroes — from concentrated super-serums to must-have moisturisers — stylishly wrapped and ready to give, or receive, this season. Available in-store and at drsebagh.com
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BEAUTY
OUT OF THIS WORLD The newly-landed Nars Holiday Collection looks to the future with a limited-edition series that promises to bring an other-worldliness to your makeup. The collection includes a twinkling nine-pan eyeshadow palette, a light-reflecting cheek palette, as well as mascara, lipstick, blush and setting powder for a shimmering spin on the Space Age trend. nars.com
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Beauty Notes The French-girl chic lipstick, a new-gen hair tool and fragrances for the mouth C o m p i l e d b y C H A R LOT T E A DS E T T
S TA R Q UA L I T Y
Celebrity facialist Jasmine Vico, who is renowned for giving A-listers their dewy glowing complexions, has launched a skincare serum, VicoSkin Screen Star. Initially created for use after treatments in her Fitzrovia clinic, the results-driven formula boosts collagen synthesis and is intensely hydrating, promising screen-ready skin at home too. £105; vicoskin.com
NEON BR IGH TS
French apothecary brand Officine Universelle Buly has released a new neon edition of its cult personalisable Baume des Muses. The moisture-boosting lip balm, made from natural, plant-based ingredients, is now available in an eye-popping pink, blue, green, yellow or orange case which can be embossed with your initials. £40; buly1803.com
New Collection
BRONZE AGE Eye makeup looks to the past with eyeshadows in metallic shades reminiscent of the 80s, as seen at Dior this season - Peter Phillip’s latest Backstage Collection Holiday 2023 shimmers with bronzes and golds. Match it with the Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in Pure Copper for serious sparkle. dior.com
N E W WAV E
Haircare disruptor Hershesons - known for its trailblazing salons and future-forward products - is making waves again, literally. e brand’s innovative new Wavemaker creates effortless curls at the press of a button, thanks to its rolling barrel technology and inbuilt cooling and setting system - leaving you with longlasting, bouncy waves in a matter of seconds.
£149.50; hershesons.com
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BEAUTY & WELLNESS
POP-UP TO KNOW
GLOSSIER YOU
This winter Glossier invites you into a deconstructed world of the brand’s signature fragrance - Glossier You - with its latest pop-up on Regent Street. The immersive olfactory experience looks at the scent through the lens of all five senses, from an ASMR-inspired video to individual booths in which you get to meet the scent’s different personas, from playful to romantic. Once the performance is over, visitors can buy the perfume as well as candles, rollerballs and solid scents, before making their way down a distorted, red hallway into a final space where these orders are delivered. 173 Regent Street, Soho, W1 Until 14 January glossier.com
FRENCH KISS
Beauty brand Violette, created by the celebrated makeup artist of the same name, is the epitome of effortless French-girl chic. Now more so than ever with the launch of Cerise Désir, the latest shade of the acclaimed velvety Bouche Matte lipstick. The rich, sophisticated burgundy hue defines the look of the moment - a dark red lip, bare skin, no mascara - hovering between day and night in that undone, nonchalant way that the French do so well. £30; violettefr.com
GET FRESH Stockholm-based luxury oral brand Selahatin was founded by former fashion editor Kristoffer Vural when a stroke amplified his sense of smell and taste, and he wanted to elevate the scents of his everyday - such as brushing his teeth - from mundane to joyful. And so the entrepreneur created a series of offbeat fragrances for the mouth to provide a sense of escapism to our daily rituals, including the junipereucalyptus-bitter orange Steam Will Rise and High On The Beach, a blend of grapefruit, cinnamon and peppermint, available across whitening toothpaste, mouthwashes and oral sprays.
selahatin.com
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How to Get a Healthy
Winter Glow
L
The cold season can steal skin’s radiance and luminosity. Beauty Director Alessandra Steinherr shares the secrets to achieving lit-from-within skin whatever the weather
et’s start by asking the question - what is glowy skin? Essentially, it is skin that reflects light and to do that it needs to be both hydrated and smooth. In winter, there are lots of challenges for our skin, which means that this hydration and smoothness can prove elusive. The constant temperature adjustment from the biting cold outside to the warmth indoors and back again is one of the most stressful triggers for our complexion, leaving it tight, uncomfortable and dry. It’s also the season when we tend to spend a lot more time inside, where there’s little-to-no humidity in the air - once the central heating is on at home, it sucks out all the moisture. So regardless of what skin type you are, when you wake up in the morning, your skin is more likely to feel parched and dry, and it’s this dehydration which is also stealing your glow. There are, however, a few little tips and tricks that can turn the winter dullness around. Firstly, it may sound obvious, but make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day. But also, if you’re someone who really suffers from dehydration, try to sleep with a humidifier next to your side of the bed Dyson does great ones. It really does make a difference, especially if the heating is on. In terms of skincare, look for products that contain a mix of humectants, like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, to hydrate skin; emollients such as shea butter and ceramides to soften; and occlusives like
lanolin and petroleum jelly to lock in moisture and prevent trans-epidermal water loss. The secret to glow is to keep the skin optimally hydrated, yes - but it’s also about exfoliating. The reason you need to exfoliate is that you want to speed up that cell renewal process. Skin is dull and lacklustre because the dead skin cells aren’t coming off quickly enough. We have this instinct when our skin is dry to pop more moisturiser or oil on (I know I do!), but what this does is glue the dead skin cells together when actually you should be getting rid of them. And don’t, just because your skin is feeling dry, be afraid to exfoliate. Just make sure you go about it gently. Indeed, in winter, whatever your skin type, you need to treat your complexion a little more kindly as if it were sensitive, even if it’s not. So switch to a soap-free cleanser; you may like that squeaky clean feeling, but your skin doesn’t - that tight feeling is actually the sign of a stripped acid mantle. Add a hydrating essence for an extra layer of hydration. And generally focus on supporting your skin barrier instead of introducing too many aggressive actives. While skincare and a winter routine are essential for glowing skin, sometimes we want to fast-track that luminosity and makeup can really push that radiance. Here are my favourite glow-giving skincare and makeup products - some classics, others newly-launched - for dewy, luminous skin.
“Glowy skin essentially reflects light and to do that it needs to be both hydrated and smooth”
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The Eye Booster MZ Skin LightMax Minipro Eyeconic LED, £300
These eye patches bring all the incredible boosting benefits of LED to the undereye area. They’re antiinflammatory, stimulate collagen and strengthen the skin barrier, brightening, depuffing and reducing signs of fatigue. mzskin.com
The Glow-giving Oil
The Exfoliator
Allies of Skin Bakuchiol Firming Oil, £148
Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask Sensitive Skin, £62
This is a very active oil for an instant glow with skincare benefits. I recommend bakuchiol in winter as it has the anti-ageing, soothing benefits of retinol without the risk of excessive dryness. allies.shop
The Night Serum Chanel Sublimage L’Extrait de Nuit Ultimate Repair Night Concentrate, £620 I am completely blown away by this innovative serum, which works overnight to promote cell regeneration and skin repair. You wake up looking instantly rested and fresher - it’s eight hours of sleep in a bottle. chanel.com
Let there be light
Make this your first step for glow as it’s the best exfoliator - really gentle, yet effective. The chemical exfoliant contains lactic and azelaic acids, which remove dead skin cells, while also boosting hydration. drsebagh.com
The Mask Shani Darden Signature Nourishing Facial Mask , £54 The latest product from renowned Hollywood facialist Shani Darden is designed as a soothing post-treatment mask with squalane, colloidal oatmeal and antioxidants to boost stressed skin. Use weekly for a real self-care treat moment. shanidarden.com
From a radiance-boosting foundation to an illuminating serum, these makeup and skincare hero products give a natural glow
The Eyeshadow Chantecaille Radiant Gold Eye Shimmer, £65 This combination of gold with pink pearl is really gorgeous, making eyelids subtly twinkle. Flattering on most skin tones, it’s the perfect day-to-night eyeshadow. chantecaille.co.uk
The Multitasking Foundation Shiseido Revitalessence Skin Glow Foundation SPF30, £49 This is a great example of a foundation with added skincare benefits; ingredients include brightening niacinamide and fermented kefir for hydration. It gives medium coverage, making skin appear at its healthy best. shiseido.co.uk
The Lip Gloss Lancôme Juicy Tubes, £25 The 90s beauty staple is back. The new formula gives extra hydration, but with the same ultra-glossy finish for plump, cushiony lips. It comes in different shades - from neutral to brights - and finishes. lancome.co.uk
The Undereye Saviour Nars Light Reflecting Eye Brightener, £26 I’ve tried many eye brighteners before, but this is a brightenerand-concealer-in-one that really targets dark circles and dullness. It’s creamy and glides on beautifully, bringing an instant luminosity to the under-eye area. narscosmetics.co.uk
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Scents of the
SEASON The freshest new fragrances to spritz this Winter C o m p i l e d b y C H A R LOT T E A DS E T T
LOUIS VUITTON
Myriad
Extrait de Parfum. 100ml, £500
The sixth fragrance to join the French maison’s Les Extraits collection has - like the previous five editions - been created by master perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud and comes in a sculptural bottle designed by Frank Gehry. This new scent centres around oud, its notes masterfully combined with the lightness of Centifolia and Bulgaria Rose, and enhanced by white musk, saffron coco and a touch of moss, for a floral-spicy flourish. louisvuitton.com
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BEAUTY & WELLNESS
MATERIE PREMIERE
GUERLAIN
Fève Gourmande
Vanilla Powder
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £290
Eau de Parfum, 50ml, £145
Perfumer Delphine Jelk has taken cocoa and given it a rich and spicy spin for the latest addition to Guerlain’s L’art et L’Matiere collection, which is in fact a new version of their iconic and much-loved Gourmand Coquin fragrance. Chocolatey, delicately bitter notes lie at its heart, elevated by the elegance of rose, while base notes of woody patchouli and the smokiness of tea bring a mystery and sensuality to this new iteration. guerlain.com
Materie Premiere places one key natural ingredient at the centre of all its scents - and for his latest olfactory creation, the Grasseborn founder Aurélien Guichard turns to Madagascar vanilla, sourced from the Fair For Life agricultural certification programme. Cutting through the rich creaminess with the powdery tones of coconut powder, he has added a final layer of white musks - with beguiling results. harrods.com
CARINE ROITFELD
BASTILLE
Paradis Nuit
Forgive Me
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £139
The French natural perfume house adds to its sustainable collection with Paradis Nuit. The amber-woodsy fragrance - created by perfumer Nicolas Beaulieu - opens with the clean, soothing notes of Marseille soap. Blended with the intoxicating Cassie flower and rounded off with warm, spicy notes of sandalwood, infused with bitter cocoa, the result is a fragrance that effortlessly captures the mystery and seduction of the night. bastilleparfums.com
Eau de Parfum, 90ml, £190
D.S. & DURGA
FREDERIC MALLE
Eau de Parfum, 50ml, £155
Editions de Parfums, 50ml, £185
The style icon and former editor-in-chief of Vogue France has added to her fragrance line ‘The 7 Lovers’ with Forgive Me. Developed in conjunction with leading perfumer Dominique Ropion, the new scent beautifully balances the delicate bouquet of white flowers, tangerine and pink pepper with signature notes of patchouli and ylang ylang for an alluring scent that Roitfeld describes as both “very feminine and classic French”. harrods.com
Deep Dark Vanilla
Heaven Can Wait
Jean-Claude Ellena has long married atypical scents in his modern, minimalist creations and the warm, spicy Heaven Can Wait is no exception. The French nose, who is from a revered family of perfumers in Grasse, looks to the intimacy of private worlds as inspiration for his latest fragrance. Blending clove pimento, ambrette and carrot seed with iris and vibrant vetiver results in a scent that’s at once exotic but also comforting. fredericmalle.co.uk
The cult New York-based brand showcases a whole new side to vanilla with its latest fragrance. Self-taught perfumer David Seth Moltz eschews the sugarysweet, cloying scent of synthetic vanilla, instead creating a smoky-rich amalgamation of vanilla (both leaves and absolute) with cabreuva, pink pepper, cypress root, hay and patchouli to deliver a toasted, smoky aroma that becomes fresh and green when on skin. libertylondon.com T H EG LOSSA RY M AGA Z I N E .C O M
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CELINE
BDK
Eau de Cologne, 8.5 fl oz, £240
Extrait de Parfum, 100ml, £220
Cologne Céleste
Celine’s artistic and creative director Hedi Slimane dreamed up this cologne - and its haute parfumerie line - for the comforting ritual of bathing. Neroli provides the backdrop, against which notes of orange blossom, angelica, sweet lemon essence, petitgrain, ambrette and orris butter all come into play, resulting in a soft, elegant scent that Slimane says takes him back into the gentle and soothing atmosphere of childhood. celine.com
Pas ce Soir
Just like the original, this extrait evokes all the mystery of a night out in a Paris cabaret club - but in a more concentrated and intoxicating way. Perfumer Violaine Collas opens with a punch, blending cocoa with the spicy freshness of black pepper and ginger. A heart of quince chutney, orange blossom and jasmine bring a juicy-sweetness, while patchouli and vanilla add power and depth to this liquorice-fruity incarnation. harrods.com
Animalique
MAISON MARGIELA REPLICA
This fragrance was created to speak to the primal instinct and the spiritual animal that lies within us all beneath our complex layers. The Swedish perfume house takes fresh zingy top notes of lemon and bergamot, tempering them with a warm floral heart of mimosa and violet with suede. These give way to a base of amber, sandalwood and tobacco leaves for a fragrance that beautifully encapsulates the sensuality of nature. byredo.com
Eau de Toilette, 100ml, £115 Taking inspiration from sundrenched afternoons spent in the garden when he was a child, perfumer Olivier Crisp has created a storied scent that speaks of citrusy-woody delights. Zesty notes of mandarin, grapefruit and blackcurrant set the tone, while a tomato leaf accord brings a crispness that’s balanced out by the cool earthiness of geranium and patchouli to complete this freshgreen composition. selfridges.com
SUN.DAY OF LONDON
TRUDON
Extrait de Parfum, 50ml, £110
Eau de Parfum, 100ml, £195
BYREDO
Eau de Parfum, 50ml, £140
From The Garden
Afar
Vixi
The Hackney-based home fragrance apothecary debuts its first perfume, which tells the story of founder Natasha Garbawi’s heritage and sense of belonging. The all-natural composition has been created to transport its wearer to distant lands, a central creamy accord of cedar married with jasmine and Turkish rose. Vetiver, oakmoss and sandalwood add a warm, spicy undertone, while cardamom and bergamot bring it to a delicate finish. sundayoflondon.com
Maison Trudon, which has been making candles since 1643, continues its foray into fragrance with the launch of its latest, Vixi. The name means ‘who is living’ in Latin and has been created by experienced nose Emilie Bouge as an exploration of inner light. With Nepalese sandalwood and sage at its heart, intertwined with cardamom, petitgrain, cedarwood and jasmine, this is a scent that is woody, flowery and a breath of fresh air. trudon.co.uk
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SELAHATIN 22.indd 1
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SKIN
BODY
MIND
saloncstellar.com 19b Beak Street London,Soho W1F 9RP +44 (0)7513 821 880
salon c. stellar.indd 1
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HIGH STEAKS Aragawa in Tokyo has been serving Japan’s most prestigious beef since 1967. Now it has arrived in London, where its opulent Mayfair home lists aged Tajima steaks grilled over binchotan charcoal at upwards of £500. Factor in a bottle of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne from the 1,000-strong cellar and you can see why it ranks as the UK’s most expensive restaurant. A very special treat for a serious diner who’s done Endo, done The Araki, and wants to experience Japanese food at its apogee. 38 Clarges Street, Mayfair, W1 aragawa-uk.com
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Tasting Notes
The new openings & places to know across the capital this season C o m p i l e d b y H I L A RY A R M ST RO N G
FEAST YOUR EYES
Second Coming
CAPITAL ASSET
The world’s most famous department store has reopened its historic listed dining hall, introducing three new concepts to the culinary mix. There’s Assembly, a Mediterranean grill, from Greek-born chef Athanasios Kargatzidis; Kinoya ramen bar from Dubai; and, most thrillingly of all, at the central counter, omakase sushi from Masayoshi Takayama of three Michelin star Masa in New York. The dining hall opens from noon until night, when cocktails are soundtracked by live music. 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightbridge, SW1 harrods.com
Twenty years after the original Wolseley came into our lives, the new Wolseley City has opened in the Square Mile. The concept, with its wraparound offering of power breakfasts, business lunches and late-night drinks, might have been made for the City. The three bars and two private dining rooms certainly are. 68 King William Street, City of London, EC4 thewolseleycity.com
CALIF O RNI A D RE AMI NG
SOLA, chef Victor Garvey’s modern Californian in Soho, has a new look and a new lower ground floor. The expansion affords it an elegant bar, lounge and private dining room, as befits the Michelin-star destination that it is. The £149 tasting menu demonstrates why SOLA is widely tipped as London’s next two-star. 64 Dean Street, Soho, W1 solasoho.com
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RAISING THE BAR
ON THE GRAPEVINE
Picture the perfect pub and it looks something like The Devonshire, just off Piccadilly Circus. London’s best-known publican Oisin Rogers has taken it over, partnered by Flat Iron’s Charlie Carroll and ex-Fat Duck chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. It may be fancier than the average pub – with its own beef-ageing chamber and a three-metre wood grill – but it’s prioritising affordability with a sub-£30 set menu and homecured bacon sandwiches to go with your Guinness.
Enoteca Turi in Pimlico, the chic neighbourhood Italian beloved of italophiles and oenophiles alike, has new owners in restaurateur Dominic Ford and Master of Wine David Gleave. Regulars need not worry; little has changed dramatically. Just the introduction of new dishes like spaghettini and oscietra caviar and suckling pig on Sundays; and a shiny new by-the-glass dispensing machine, so you can work your way through one of London’s finest collections of Italian wine. 87 Pimlico Road, Pimlico, SW1 enotecaturi.com
17 Denman Street, Soho, W1 devonshiresoho.co.uk
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THE MIDLAND GRAND DINING ROOM
M Y FAVO U R I T E
LONDON RESTAU NTS GRACE DENT The food critic, author, Masterchef regular and host of the podcast Comfort Eating on her top places to dine in the capital A s t o l d t o LARA KILNER P o r t r a i t SA R A H B R I C K
Incredibly chic and ornate, it’s like going into a flamboyant 18th-century French king’s sittingroom - there is gold and velvet and chandeliers. It’s the campest place in London, not just because of all the wonderful decor but the fact that the stairwell is where the Spice Girls did their dancing in the Wannabe video. They do a dish called snails bourguignon with pomme Paillasson and it’s basically a very posh hash brown with snails in a stew, but far better. On the dessert menu, they have a soufflé du jour and I would eat one every day of my life. They also do a rum baba with crème Chantilly that I absolutely love. If you’ve got anybody special to you coming in and out of King’s Cross, they could literally get off the train and walk 100 metres into this wonderful restaurant, and then get back on the train. It’s a wonderful way to treat somebody – or, in fact, take your Dad and let him pay. St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road, Camden, NW1 midlandgranddiningroom.com
BIBI
A very modern experimental Indian restaurant with rows and rows of Ferraris and Bugattis parked outside. It’s mysterious, you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get because the menu doesn’t give away a lot – it will just say things like lobster salan or goat galouti kebab – and I think Chet Sharma, the chef, is an absolute genius. He cooks from memories of his family’s food and dishes that he loves from all over India, but in a very Michelin-starred way. I go there for Friday date night with my man, Charles, and we sit up at the bar on these tall, opulent stools where the lighting is so flattering and twinkly that it gives you this peachy Hollywood glow and takes 15 years off you. They do a non-alcoholic cocktail called Kulukki Sharbath, which is Indian lemon juice with passion fruit seeds floating about like little bubbles and green chilli soda. It’s like a fiery hot lemon juice drink. I like drinks that take me on a journey. For dessert, I like their buffalo milk paneer and pistachio kulfis that come in the form of mini Magnums. It’s one of the best restaurants in London. 42 North Audley Street, Mayfair, W1 bibirestaurants.com 68
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MOUNTAIN
This is the restaurant that says to me that London is back after a really hard time. I had a lovely long meal here recently with my man - it feels like 1998, the place is full to the brim with people doing business lunches. It’s large, airy and glam, with a bakery downstairs, and it’s the absolute place to be seen at the moment. The chef Tomos Parry is the man behind Brat in Shoreditch – he has this nerdy, intricate attitude to food and recipes. The thing I ate that stands out the most was his homemade walnut bread with very thinly sliced peach and bottarga, which is fish roe. It was fruity and nutty and delicious and never in a million years would you make that in your own house. Imagine thinking, “I tell you what, I’ll just slice up a peach and have it with some fish.” 16-18 Beak Street, Soho, W1 mountainbeakstreet.com
BUBALA
Everybody needs this restaurant up their sleeve. It’s just there, casually being utterly innovative and it’s not massively expensive. It’s what I call a secretly vegetarian restaurant. If you take a real carnivore, they’ll often order without noticing that there isn’t any meat on the menu. They do a thing called ‘Bubala knows best’, where they bring amazing vegetables done in wonderful Middle Eastern ways. The last time, I ate oyster mushrooms with tamari and coriander seed, amazing smacked cucumbers and tahini, saffron braised fennel, butter lettuce with raspberry molasses, and confit potato latkes. Everything comes with chamomile and fennel honey or whipped feta or Aleppo chilli, and they’ll do things like Chinese cabbage on skewers with preserved lime and cardamom, and you think “if I tried to put cabbage on a skewer, it would be hilarious.” Bubala is one of those reasons why you can’t quite leave London. 15 Poland Street, Soho, W1 65 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1 bubala.co.uk
AKOKO
Comfort Eating: What We Eat When Nobody's Looking by Grace Dent, Faber (£20)
West African food at a very high-class, tasting-menu level. I went there for the first time with one of my best friends, Hugh, and I was preparing myself for tiny amounts of food, but I remember coming out feeling well fed and like I’d learned so much about a cuisine that I didn’t know an awful lot about. I’ve eaten jollof rice probably 500 times in my life and it’s a dish that is a contentious issue – every country believes theirs is the best and they’ve got their own way of doing it. The one I had at Akoko was made with Herdwick lamb, aubergine and XO sauce and it was spicy, sweet and absolutely delicious – the best jollof rice I’ve ever tasted. The restaurant is buzzy, and I was knocked out by the cocktails – even though I don’t drink now, the stuff that was coming out was intricate with all kinds of bells and whistles. They’re really going for it and they need Michelin recognition. 21 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, W1 akoko.co.uk
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Tab
a l T k e l
L’Atelier Robuchon 6 Clarges Street, Mayfair, W1 robuchonlondon.co.uk
W
hen the late French chef Joël Robuchon opened his comeback concept L’Atelier in Paris in 2003, it was the talk of the town. Here was a chef who’d won Michelin stars in multiples for his haute cuisine but who railed against the formality of it all. His new restaurant was different. Guests ate at a counter, the kitchen was open, there was music, there was even a burger on the menu. It was sexy. It was clubby. It was rad. Twenty years later, how does it stand up? The new L’Atelier takes over from what was Le Comptoir Robuchon. The reno took just a month, during which time the marble-clad, mirror-hung space was brought in line with the other L’Ateliers across the globe from Paris to Las Vegas to Taipei. Without a full glow up, it’s never going to feel quite like the old L’Atelier in Covent Garden with its slick
From Rowley Leigh popping up in Ladbroke Grove to Soho’s convivial spin on rotisserie, restaurant editor Hilary Armstrong shares the tastiest new openings of the season postmodernist interiors in red and black lacquer, but the little details like the ruby red water glasses and shiny black plates bring the memories flooding back. What brings it up to date is the music programme (there are DJs and live music in the evenings) and the new bar at the entrance, where bar manager Renaud de Bosredon Combrailles is mixing cocktails unheard of 20 years ago. His Champagne cocktail involves whey, and vetiver, while ‘Le Pays Basque’ celebrates piperade and saffron. The non-alcoholic sparkling tonka bean assam chai he makes in-house is seriously good. They should bottle it. There’s also a fun bar menu with snacks like shrimp waffles, mini gyros and mini madeleines, made fresh to order. Executive chef Andrea Cofini has modernised the menu introducing of-themoment dishes such as spaghetti with caviar (Enoteca Turi and Jackson Boxer at Selfridges both do a version), sea bream carpaccio with poppy seeds and lemon, and beetroot, apple and avocado with green mustard sorbet. They all sound delightful but, in truth, my gastronaut friend and I don’t go to Robuchon restaurants to eat lightly. One sniff of Burgundy and we’re crying out for truffles, foie gras and lobster, all of which L’Atelier Robuchon offers in abundance. You don’t see bread baskets like L’Atelier’s very often now. We grab greedily at a cornucopia of pinstriped squid-ink rolls, salt-flecked laminated brioche, petite baguettes, and buns stuffed with melted Comté. It makes a change from sourdough.
The amuse bouche, a silky foie gras custard with a Parmesan foam, tells us this is going to be a ‘proper’ lunch, a late-backto-the-office sort of lunch. The sommelier eggs us on - the front of house staff are real characters - with his perfect wine matches: a Loire chenin with crunchy rice, egg yolk and wild mushrooms; and MaconVillages with the signature langoustine ravioli, two silky hummocks napped with foie gras sauce and finished with black truffle. We dine à la carte but there is also a tasting menu at £159 and a lunch at just £49 for three courses. One reason we’re here is to try the famous purée de pommes de terre, whipped potato purée made ethereal with a 2:1 potato to butter ratio. It’s served with the signature quail stuffed with foie gras (matched with Saint Emilion), but we spoon on even more for good measure. The rest goes with a roll of tender suckling pig (paired with Morgon), topped with a lacy squid-ink black tuile that might have been crafted by Philip Treacy. The ambience may be relaxed - cries of “Oui Chef!” punctuate lunch (we’re tempted to join the chorus) - but the cooking is as meticulously wrought and surgically precise as any in London, or Paris for that matter. Avant-garde it is not, but great produce, warm hospitality and clever cooking never go out of style. MEAL FOR TWO (with wine): £200 SIGNATURE DISHES: Le Caviar Imperial, Le Burger, Les Langoustine WHAT TO DRINK: Grower Champagne
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Restaurant R E V I E W S
to test his mettle at an unprecedentedly difficult time for London restaurants. It’s a fun place to enjoy a long Sunday lunch, cocktails or supper with friends. The Bella Freud design is cheeky and boho, with pink velvet for days and covetable woven chandeliers hung with monkeys. Leigh can’t possibly get bored here. In his open kitchen at Laylow, Leigh cooks bistro food that speaks with a pronounced Italian accent. The septuagenarian’s seasonal menu couldn’t be more on trend. Old school Italian is back in style; you’ll see ‘forgotten’ dishes on the menu at Dalla in Hackney
Rowley Leigh and Laylow founder Taz Fustok
CHEZ ROWLEY at Laylow
10 Golborne Road, Ladbroke Grove, W10 chezrowley.com
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op-ups are not the preserve of the hip young pan-rattler. Veteran chef Rowley Leigh, 73, is at the helm of the season’s most talked about residency: Chez Rowley at Laylow on Golborne Road in west London. Consultancies aside, Leigh hasn’t done a restaurant in a while. I last ate his parmesan custard and anchovy toast at his residency at Parabola (now the Design Kitchen) at the Design Museum; prior to that, it would have been Le Café Anglais in Bayswater (which he sold in 2014) where I could never resist the pike boudin. Casting minds further to the 1980s and 1990s, Leigh was regarded as “one of the founding fathers of modern British cooking” during his time at Kensington
Place, one of the late Princess Diana’s favoured haunts. The reason for the regular FT columnist’s return to active service? He was “bored” apparently. His residency at Laylow, Taz Fustok’s restaurant and club in an old pub beneath Trellick Tower, is his chance
and Polentina in Bow, both in east London. Leigh leads the charge for them in the west. So, as wonderful as it is to reacquaint oneself with Leigh’s signature salsify fritters and his parmesan custard and anchovy toast, it’s even more pleasing to read a menu full of old-
MEAL FOR TWO (with wine): £160 SIGNATURE DISH: Salsify Fritters; Parmesan Custard & Anchovy Toast WHAT TO DRINK: Wines from “Rowley’s Italian Cellar”
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fashioned dishes so seasonal that if you don’t eat them this year, you’ll have to wait until next year to get another chance. Cotechino sausage with lentils, salsa verde and mustard fruits, a dish from Emilia-Romagna (traditionally served on New Year’s Eve) is one such. The only time I usually eat it is when I cook it myself, so it’s a treat to try a chef’s version that so cleverly balances the understated lentils with punchy salsa and the sweetness of the jewellike candied fruits. Rustic cod brandade with a white cabbage and shrimp salad is a little underpowered by comparison. The menu is centred around sharing dishes including bone-in sirloin, steamed Dover sole and an Elizabeth David dish that has become a hero at Laylow, the poulet antiboise, roasted with onions, black olives and anchovies. Wanting to try as much as possible, however, we order the individual plates. Steak is a bistro essential. Leigh chooses featherblade, an undersung cut that’s full of flavour; toast and dripping, your granny’s favourite, on the side is an inspired garnish. Another main course of celeriac and truffle lasagne, with thin alternating sheets of pasta and celeriac, is vegetarian cuisine at its richest and most festive. A whole lettuce on the side with sharp lemon dressing is the perfect foil. Chez Rowley has us feeling so nostalgic we pounce on the prospect of sherry trifle for pudding but, alas, it’s off; rice pudding swirled with quince is a decent second best. If you too share a love of old-fashioned cooking, you’ll need to hotfoot it there now. Leigh is in residence only until 22 December.
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Bébé Bob 37 Golden Square, Soho, W1 bebebob.com
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ob Bob Ricard (est. 2008) is Soho’s most decadent restaurant bar none. Its iconic ‘Press for Champagne’ button went viral before going viral was even a thing. The question, for a boundlessly imaginative restaurateur such as Leonid Shutov, is how on earth do you top such a stroke of genius? The answer, judging by his latest launch, is by going back to basics. At Bébé Bob, now open on Golden Square, Shutov has stripped it right back to bare bones, to a minimalist, nigh on monastic offering of caviar, fine wine, Champagne and rotisserie chicken. There’s no such thing as moderation in the BBR universe. We begin with caviar, of course we do. We order a dégustation of caviars: Siberian sturgeon, oscietra and Amurski sturgeon. Much has been written about the democratisation of caviar, about the rise of the ‘bump’. I’m happy to report that the caviar service at Bébé Bob is very much comme il faut, the fish eggs served with fresh blinis and crème fraîche on miniature mother of pearl spoons. My one cavil is that the caviars
are not so dramatically different from one another. Better to pick one and enjoy it. Come back another time for the others. Taittinger Prestige Rosé in cut-glass flutes proves irresistible. If it all sounds terribly glamorous, it actually is. It’s not quite as extra as Bob Bob Ricard mark one (nor Bob Bob Ricard mark two, which is the City outpost), but its windows are shaded from prying eyes, its floors are carpeted to muffle harsh sounds and it’s oxblood panelled walls are hung with fine art. It feels fancy. You don’t have to be fancy to eat here, however. There is only one main course available and it’s chicken or chicken. Specifically, Vendée chicken at £19 per person, or Landes chicken at £29 per person. We’re in for lunch, so we can be even more thrifty: the Express Lunch, served seven days before 5pm, is just £24, and includes a half Vendée chicken, winter leaf salad and French fries. Little wonder, just a few weeks after opening, nearly every table is full with a good mix of a Soho business crowd and Christmas shoppers surrounded by their Liberty bags. Don’t be tempted to bring children; Bébé Bob has
a 15+ policy which, in this instance, we endorse. Let them eat Nando’s. Leave us to our Burgundy. The wine list has been designed to complement the chicken with over half the list comprising Champagne and Burgundy wines. Some of the bottles you won’t find cheaper elsewhere, such as Dom Pérignon 2013 at £175 (you can pay over £200 a bottle at retail). There are other luxuries you might want to add to your order: for example, a whole baked Saint Marcellin cheese with truffle honey; an order of Severn & Wye smoked salmon; truffled French fries; Ibericó Bellota ham; or egg mayonnaise with Cantabrian anchovies. But if there is a cap on your budget, know you can have the express lunch and a bottle of Picpoul for under £100 and the kindly waiters, so dashing in their double-breasted jackets, won’t raise an eyebrow. You won’t need pudding. We certainly didn’t but ordered two anyway: a smooth, dark chocolate tart with brown butter ice cream and a many-layered honey cake. Both come flecked with unnecessary but very on brand gold leaf. That’s Bébé Bob through and through. Champagne on demand may be a hard act to follow but the Bob Bob family keep trying and London’s restaurant scene is the better for it. MEAL FOR TWO (with wine): £140 SIGNATURE DISHES: Rotisserie chicken; caviar and blinis WHAT TO DRINK: Taittinger Rosé Champagne
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FOOD & DRINK
Restaurant R E V I E W S
KOLAE 6 Park Street, Borough, SE1 kolae.com
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olae, a new Thai restaurant near Borough Market, has been years in the making. I’m not referring solely to the three years since co-owners Andy Oliver and Mark Dobbie of Som Saa in Shoreditch crowdfunded to set the opening in motion, but the years before that. Years when the two chefs immersed themselves in Thai cuisine at the likes of Nahm in London, Bo.Lan in Bangkok and Pok Pok in Portland. It’s the education in Thai food that they received there, and the network of suppliers they’ve built assiduously since, that make Kolae what it is. Oliver is at the pass when The Glossary drops by for lunch. None of the customers pay him much heed; they’re far too busy
sipping tamarind sodas and fighting over plates of prawn heads. Were they to look over they’d see him head down, checking plates, tweaking garnishes and adjusting seasoning. He tastes everything. At the heart of the dining room (a converted coach house abutting Neal’s Yard Dairy) is the open grill. In front is a stepped counter from which you can watch the chefs tending coals and turning skewers. Even better, you can see all the dishes as they hit the pass and hurriedly add them to your order. If you’re sitting upstairs in the peaceful first floor or, lucky you, in the gorgeous glass-walled private dining room, you’ll have to take the servers’ advice instead; they’ll help you compose a balanced meal from the
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assortment of grills, curries, pickles, salads and small plates. By the time I watched the chef toss what must be his one hundredth sour mango and roasted coconut salad in a row, I’m wondering what kind of fool I was to not order it in the first place. The same goes for the unremarkably named ‘relish of roasted shrimp paste and chilli’ and ‘coconut water pickles’; you could easily overlook them but they’re there to bring balance to the showier grills and curries. The move though is to come in a group and order the lot. You might even want to order the kale and herb fritters twice. The most important dishes are cooked in the style of cooking known as kolae (or golae) from which Kolae takes its name. The technique hails from the far south of Thailand, toward Malaysia, and sees ingredients bathed in sauces and spice pastes and grilled on the coals on repeat until smoky and tender. Oliver applies the technique to hogget chops, kabocha squash, chicken and mussels, one of the restaurant’s most talked about dishes. If it comes off the menu, expect an outcry. They’re not mussels as you might know them; what they lose on the grill in slippery sweetness, they gain in robust flavour and firm texture - qualities that allow them to take on so much flavour from the coconut and turmeric marinade. A single smokey hogget chop has the fat and age to handle even more; it tastes almost Christmassy with cassia and warm spices, hidden under a tumble of fried onions. A note on heat. Oliver aims for a level of spice you’d find in Thailand, so dishes are true to their origins; but not all dishes pack a punch, and some not an obvious one, as in the case of my prawn and betel leaf curry that builds slowly and surprisingly on the palate. A scoop of young coconut sorbet with pandan sticky rice and peanuts, the only dessert on the menu, is the soothing balm I need. Kolae has worked its magic. MEAL FOR TWO (with wine): £150 SIGNATURE DISH: Kolae grilled mussel skewer; Kolae hogget chop WHAT TO DRINK: Pickled mango Dirty Martini
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After Dark
From her go-to natural wine bar to a decadent spot for cocktails, London’s most sought-after sommelier Honey Spencer, who has recently opened her new restaurant Sune in Hackney, reveals her must-visit late-night haunts in the capital A s t o l d t o LU C I A N A B E L L I N I
THE SUN TAVERN This spot on Bethnal Green Road is very dark and brooding - it was inspired by The Dead Rabbit in New York – and the music is amazing. It scratches a particular millennial itch, ranging from Fat Boy Slim to The Killers. There’s a DJ playing at the end of the bar, which adds a fun theatrical edge. I’ll usually go with a friend to have a pint, served in these big frozen flagons, or I’ll order an Americano, a short bitter drink topped up with soda. My husband and I live in the neighbourhood and we recently opened a restaurant together called Sune, so if we finish early we’ll often head here to sit at the bar and decompress together. 441 Bethnal Green Road, Bethnal Green, E2 thesuntavern.co.uk EQUAL PARTS Opened by Michael Sager, my old boss at Sager + Wilde, this bar is halfway down Hackney Road in a part I never thought would fully transition from sketchy to highbrow, but it has. It’s housed in a beautiful space that we used to call the avocado shop, because it’s got these gorgeous green tiles on the outside. Before Michael got into wines, he was a cocktail guy, so this opening harks back to his past. It’s an aperitivo and amaro bar by night, but during the day it’s a coffee and bottle shop, so they have an exceptional wine selection on offer. 245 Hackney Road, Hackney, E2 equalpartslondon.com
EQUAL PARTS
THE SUN TAVERN
NAUGHTY PIGLETS My absolute favourite natural wine bar. Margaux, the co-founder, is the biggest punk I’ve ever met - in a great way. She’s just the coolest French girl and everyone that she hires is epic. What makes it, though, is how they deliver a lively wine bar vibe with fantastic food in such a fluid way. Margaux also works with a lot of producers that have tiny allocations but because of who she is, she gets quite high quantities of sought-after wines. So, if you like a natural wine producer that’s sold out everywhere else, chances are Margaux has quite a few bottles. 28 Brixton Water Lane, Brixton SW2 naughtypiglets.co.uk
NAUGHTY PIGLETS
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ORANJ
THE CONNAUGHT
THE CONNAUGHT If I’m looking for somewhere for a celebration or birthday drinks, it has to be here. It’s flawless. I adore their Martini trolley – sure, it’s £20 for a cocktail, but they wheel it over and make it right in front of you. It’s all about the experience there. The service is incredible. Whenever I go, they always make a note of coming over and saying hello, asking how I am. In a city where you can be so anonymous, I think it’s really special to be able to experience that sometimes. They also serve truly superior nibbles, which always helps. 16 Carlos Place, Mayfair, W1 the-connaught.co.uk VÉRAISON WINES A beautiful wine bar in Camberwell with gorgeous dark panelling and these old-school cabinets that give a European vibe, so you feel like you could be in Venice or similar. The founder Patryjca Lorek used to work for 10 Cases and her husband John is director of The Winemakers Club, so they know their stuff. She’s super easy-going and they host lots of relaxed wine tastings which I love. It’s the place I go if I want a proper catch up with a friend I haven’t seen for ages, or it’d be a perfect spot for a date with someone you really like. 78 Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell, SE5 veraisonwines.co.uk
ORANJ My friend Jasper has opened this gorgeous space, located in a warehouse in Shoreditch. They specialise in terrific natural wines, serving low-intervention, biodynamic and organic wines from small producers - and you can get deliveries via their subscription service too. They also run some brilliant chef residencies. They did a residency with one of the best chefs that I worked with, Budgie Montoya, who runs Sarap and specialises in exquisite Filipino coal fire cooking. Their most recent is with SeeYouSoon - three chefs Keith Siu, Michael Ovejas and Kevin Le from Toronto who are cooking up dishes with flavours from China, Vietnam and the Philippines. 14 Bacon Street, Shoreditch E1 oranj.co.uk
VÉRAISON WINES
BAR TERMINI
BAR TERMINI I cannot overstate how good this place is. Even though there’s no room for you, they’re always like, ‘Oh come and stand in this one centimetre by the bar and we’ll make it work’. It’s way too dark, but in the most brilliant way. As soon as you walk in, you immediately forget whatever you were thinking about and just focus on standing in the right place and drinking your drink. There’s an unmistakable Italian romance and chaos about the place. Last time I went I drank a Marsala Martini, made with Marsala Dolce and almond bitters, which was absolutely delicious. 7 Old Compton Street, Soho W1 bar-termini-soho.com
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THE MULWRAY
THE MULWRAY My favourite spot for sake tasting in London is this wine bar, tucked away above The Blue Posts in Soho. There’s a big interest in sake but no one really knows where to drink it and sometimes sake bars can be a little intimidating. The Mulwray has always been a cocooning environment - it’s an all-female team and such a comfy space – which means it’s somewhere people are willing to try new things. It’s nice to be able to sample a couple of sakes here followed by a bottle of wine. It’s interesting tasting sake, because they are very different and the good ones are so pure it’s almost like you’re having some sort of spiritual experience. The Blue Posts, 28 Rupert Street, Soho, W1 theblueposts.co.uk 75
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Memories create a journey you can always return to.
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COLD COMFORT If you like to eat well on an Alpine escape, the Four Seasons Megève Collection has you covered. At Four Seasons Hotel Megève there’s a sumptuous new winter menu at Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic – Le 1920, and a speakeasy, The Glass Bar; and over at Les Chalets du Mont D’Arbois, a Four Seasons Hotel, there’s now a mountain-inspired steakhouse. But for a new level of chic, the L'Idéal 1850 restaurant has been given an Armani makeover, where decor comes courtesy of the fashion maestro and Armani Espressotini cocktails are order of the day. fourseasons.com
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Travel Notes
Seek serenity in Thailand, get healthy in Mexico and escape the cold in Tunisia C o m p i l e d b y HARRIET COOPER
SPIRITUAL RESET
New Heights
ON THE ROOF Nowhere encapsulates the vibrancy of Marrakech better than El Fenn. The atmospheric boutique hotel, in the heart of the medina, celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024 - and to mark the occasion it has redesigned its famous rooftop terrace. Red-and-white stripe parasols and bespoke furnishings combine with Suzani prints and retro zellig tables to create a joyful al fresco space - just the spot for sundowners. The spa and boutique have had a refresh, too. el-fenn.com
B ODY & S OU L
For those who like their ‘new year, new you’ resolutions with a side of sunshine, revered wellness clinic SHA is opening an outpost in Mexico in January. Set on a white-sand stretch of Costa Mujeres on the Yucatan Peninsula, overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the seven-acre resort will offer four personalised health programmes, ranging from four to 21 days, delivered by an expert team across everything from nutrition to preventative ageing. shawellness.com
Luxury hospitality brand Anantara welcomes guests to its latest resort Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas, in the middle of Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay. It may be a 45-minute boat ride from Phuket, but this island sanctuary couldn’t feel further away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Built on a secluded 27-acre coconut plantation, suites, villas and penthouses offer views across swaying palm trees out to the turquoise bay beyond. Whether you’re into paddle boarding or batik-making, spa-ing or feasting on the freshest of seafood, do as little or as much as you want in this tropical paradise. anantara.com
SWISS ROLL
Zurich’s first grand hotel - which opened in 1838 - has a new identity, opening as Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich this winter. Located on the storied Paradeplatz, near all the best shops, the hotel has been transformed by Paris-based interior designer Tristan Auer, with many of the rooms and suites offering stunning views of the city’s landmarks and the Swiss Alps beyond. mandarinoriental.com
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D E S ERT N I G H T S
The Residence Douz is a serene retreat set amidst the swaying palms and golden dunes of southern Tunisia. The architecture references local design, with the 50 elegant villas incorporating artwork, handwoven carpets and private terraces for sunbathing and stargazing. The two restaurants serve Arabic-Mediterranean fare and the Spa by Clarins promises to soothe the senses. cenizaro.com
CARIBBEAN CALLING The much-loved five-star Curtain Bluff in Antigua has reopened after a multi-million-pound renovation and it’s lost none of its toes-in-the-sand charm. Instead, it has gained a new adults-only Wellness area complete with a sea-facing yoga pavilion and newly-built infinity pool; many of the suites have also been completely refurbished, with additional room enhancements planned for summer 2024. curtainbluff.com
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Wanderlust
Hitting the
PEAKS
Nestled in the Swiss mountains, The Chedi Andermatt celebrates its tenth anniversary this winter and the Asian-Alpine retreat is as luxurious as ever W o r d s HARRIET COOPER
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s the train takes us from Zurich en route to The Chedi Andermatt, the scenery is straight out of Heidi. We whizz past lush green fields of cows, huge bells around their necks, glacial lakes, log piles that can only be described as an art form, and pine forests shrouded in mist. And then, as we ascend - the village of Andermatt is approximately 1,440 metres above sea level - the snow appears, glistening in the wintry sunshine.
Set high in the Swiss mountains in the Urseren Valley - between the Oberalp, St Gotthard and Furka passes - The Chedi Andermatt has been setting the bar for understated Alpine glamour ever since it opened its doors a decade ago, in December 2013. The five-star hotel, just moments from the train station in the heart of the village, looks like a traditional Swiss chalet, albeit a gigantic one, with the 123 guest rooms and suites spread across a series of interconnected buildings. As the glass doors slide open into the expansive lobby, the first thing I
see is a 3.5-tonne Swarovski-crystal chandelier above the reception desk. The king of luxury hotel design, JeanMichel Gathy, is behind the decor, blending chalet-chic with a zen Asian vibe. Amongst the deep leather chairs, huge velvet sofas and roaring fires (just the kind of welcome you want after a day on the slopes), I spot Balinese artwork, Japanese lanterns and latticework panelling that draws inspiration from Thai temples. Nature is nuanced everywhere, from the warm woods and natural stones (all sourced in Switzerland) to the palette of soft greys, deep reds and browns.
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T R AV E L
The rooms - which range from Deluxe to the top-tier suites - are equally cocooning. All come with a balcony, complete with a dualaspect fire that’s controllable by an iPad, huge beds with plush Hästens mattresses, and bathrooms featuring large tubs, heated floors, rain showers and Acqua di Parma amenities. I spend a blissful hour soaking in the bath, gazing out of the floor-to-ceiling windows framing the snowy vistas beyond. It’s incredibly picturesque (so much so, Andermatt stars in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger). The skiing is exceptional, with ski-in, ski-out access to around 180 kilometres of slopes - on the Gemsstock and Nätschen, in Sedrun and Disentis, as well as on Oberalp - covering all bases for skiers. And, thanks to its high altitude, it’s reliable for snow. The hotel has a dedicated ski room, of course, where ski butlers in chic Nordic jumpers ensure your boots are warmed, hire you equipment and drive you to the ski lifts (the service throughout the hotel is Swiss efficient and exceptional). But it’s not all scaling peaks and going off-piste. One morning, I visit the local Bristen Llamas farm for a couple of hours of llama trekking - as I lead my furry friend (she is called Miss Switzerland and has the longest eyelashes I have ever seen), it’s surprisingly therapeutic. Visit this area after the snow has melted and there are wildflower meadows, cascading waterfalls and pretty Alpine villages to be explored. The Chedi’s three-floor 2,400 sq metre spa and health club is the place to unwind after mountain exertions. The indoor pool takes centre stage - it’s the longest in Switzerland. While guests in fluffy robes lie poolside on huge day beds, nibbling dried apple slices and sipping fresh juice, my favourite spot is in the outdoor
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pool where I sit listening to birdsong as steam rolls off the deliciously warm water. The floor below is home to the gym, sauna and steam rooms (there’s a Finnish Sauna, Organic Sauna, Steam Room, Sol Steam… ), and whirl- and hydrotherapy pools; upstairs the 12 spa suites are all enormous. It’s here - luxuriating in my heated massage bed, heated neck pillow and heated eye mask - that I have the signature Balinese massage with jasmine oil, my therapist Eva expertly working through my hunched-over-a-computer knots. The spa also offers Omorovicza and Tata Harper treatments, as well as every manner of beauty treatment. All that fresh mountain air certainly whets the appetite and there are five restaurants and bars to satisfy hungry guests. I must start with the cheese, however. The hotel is home to a 16ft-high, glass-walled, climate-controlled wine and cheese tower housing 43 types of Swiss
cheese alone. I spend a happy hour with the cheese sommelier Jennifer, sampling the standouts, including a 32-month-aged gruyère. The tower is housed in The Restaurant, which serves an AsianEuropean menu, the likes of dim sum, black pepper beef, tagliatelle
with lemon and caviar, and incredible desserts. The pastry chefs deserve a special shout out - the afternoon tea, served in a bento box, is the prettiest I’ve ever seen. Breakfasts are hearty. But it’s the two-Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant, accessed via a discreet
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corridor, and its modern Omakase menu which you won’t want to miss. Executive chefs Dominik Sato and Fabio Toffolon - aka the Twins - also serve up sushi, sashimi and sake on the slopes at The Japanese by The Chedi Andermatt, located 2,344 metres above sea level. Apresskiers will love the hotel bar where the cocktails are inspired by fire, water, earth and air (try the rum, apricot liqueur and coconut Apricolada; you’ll thank me) and the DJ spins a good tune.
During the ski season, the hotel’s courtyard is transformed into a twinkling pop-up Winter Village with traditional Swiss and Scandinavian cabins serving food and drink. The Chalet is the place for raclette and cheese fondue, plus there’s a Finnish
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Sauna and (new for this year) The Dome, where guests can enjoy postski tipples and star-lit dinners. Staying true to the hotel’s sustainable ethos, all are made from local wood and the 250 fir trees that line the snowcovered paths are replanted in Andermatt’s forest once the festive season is over. The Chedi Andermatt, without doubt, takes quiet and considered luxury to another level. A Deluxe Suite at The Chedi Andermatt starts from £680, including breakfast thechediandermatt.com 83
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COOL
From lavish restorations to new collaborations with designer brands, the hotelscape sets the luxury bar ever higher on the slopes this season
RUNNINGS HÔTEL BARRIÈRE LES NEIGES
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Courchevel, France
ôtel Barrière Les Neiges, in Courchevel 1850, has long been a favourite for snowy adventures; nestled at the foot of the legendary Bellecôte piste, it has direct access to Les Trois Vallées and some of the best ski runs in Europe. Now you can swish down the slopes with swooshy hair, as the five-star hotel collaborates with Balmain Hair Couture, an offshoot of the Paris fashion house, to bring its guests a new salon offering a range of services and products from the world-renowned brand (there is also a spa). Pampering aside, this hotel has luxury at its core. The 42 spacious rooms and suites are all deliciously cosseting with wood panelling, faux-fur throws and deep rugs, while downstairs has two restaurants - wood-fired cuisine at BFire and Fouquet’s serving classic French fare - and a toasty bar. hotelsbarriere.com
COMO ALPINA
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Dolomites, Italy
he latest opening from COMO Hotels & Resorts is in northern Italy’s South Tyrol, amongst the majestic Dolomites. Though a year-round resort, it promises to be particularly enchanting in winter, set in Val Gardena on the high-altitude plateau Alpe di Suisi. The rooms typify quiet luxury - a pleasing combination of muted tones and rich furnishings - with large windows framing the dramatic peaks beyond (as beautiful in summer too). The striking circular Alpina Chalet, its jagged roof mirroring the mountainscape, is linked to the hotel via an underground passageway and home to further suites. This being COMO, guests’ holistic wellbeing is a priority, with the serene Shambhala Spa offering a long glass-fronted pool, sauna and steam, a yoga room and revitalisating treatments - and the restaurants serving a local, healthy menu. comohotels.com 84
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GSTAAD PALACE
THE CŌMODO
ne of the grandes dames of the mountains, Gstaad Palace celebrates its 110th anniversary this season. As befits the family-owned, 90-room hotel, which towers above Gstaad in the snowy hills of the Bernese Oberland, it marks its milestone in style. Behind the fairytale exterior, guests can expect the usual impeccable service and Alpine comfort, but with a few changes. The ever-popular Le Grand Restaurant has been lavishly restored (Christmas Eve dinner here is nothing short of magical). Not to be outdone, the Palace’s spa has a new partnership with Augustinus Bader, its treatment menu curated around the cult skincare brand’s most popular products. Prefer art over spas? Renowned gallery Hauser & Wirth returns again this year to showcase worldclass pieces in the twinkling Palace Garden. palace.ch
he not-long-ago-opened Cōmodo, in the heart of the Austrian Alps, is the very definition of cool glamour. Designsavvy skiers will fall in love with the aesthetic throughout the public spaces and 70 rooms, which pays tribute to the mid-century modernist style of the 1960s and 70s but with contemporary flair. The artwork, the furniture, the palette… everything is beautifully considered. In its previous life, the building was a spa hotel and wellness remains deeply rooted. The serene spa has an indoor pool and two saunas, while treatments utilise the healing properties of the mineral-rich Gastein mountain water. The farm-to-table restaurant serves up mountain views alongside modern Austrian cuisine and organic wines. For a breath of fresh air, this is it. thecomodo.com
Bad Gastein, Austria
Saanenland, Switzerland
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GRACE LA MARGNA
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Main photograph: Obertauern, Austria
St Moritz, Switzerland
n 1928, Vogue declared St Moritz the “most chic resort in the world”. Little has changed, especially with the arrival of Grace La Margna which promises to bring an “urban touch” to the grand winter destination. The 74-room boutique hotel is divided into two wings, each with its own distinct personality. The Grace Wing is sleek and modern, the La Margna Wing is more contemporary-cosy, but all rooms have huge beds and sizeable bathrooms. Apres-ski comes every which way, from afternoon tea in the lounge to cocktails at N/5 - The Bar and a Mediterranean menu at The View (as the name implies, the vistas from the restaurant across the Lake and the mountains are pretty magical). There’s a spa, too, of course. gracehotels.com T H EG LOSSA RY M AGA Z I N E .C O M
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EXCEPTIONAL PRIVATE VILLAS to rent in Greece, Italy, France, Spain VILLAS & Morocco EXCEPTIONAL PRIVATE EXCEPTIONAL PRIVATE VILLAS to to rent rent in in Greece, Greece, Italy, Italy, France, France, Spain Spain & & Morocco Morocco villacollective.com | +44 (0) 203 950 1588 villacollective.com villacollective.com || +44 +44 (0) (0) 203 203 950 950 1588 1588 VILLA COLLECTIVE 20.indd 1
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HOME & INTERIORS
HUNG UP The Collage III wallcovering collection by Mark Alexander is all about bringing the outdoors in. Celebrating the pure beauty of nature, the range is traditionally crafted from organic materials such as water hyacinth, sisal, raffia and abacá, as well as traditional Japanese papers, delicately decorated with intricate weaves, contrasting textures or embroidery. £390 per 10m roll; markalexander.com
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Design Notes
Timeless tiles, the cult rocking chair and rugs go avant-garde C o m p i l e d b y A M Y M O O R E A WO N G
LEADING LIGHTS
Inspired by the crisp colour palette of Italian designer Vico Magistretti and the playfulness of the Memphis movement, London-based homeware brand Palefire has created a capsule lighting collection for boutique gallery and studio 8 Holland Street. Made from moulded and recycled paper-pulp, the six exclusive designs include this stripe pattern as well as elegant plains. From £450 8hollandstreet.com
ROCK ON
Designed in 1965 for Carl Hansen & Søn by Scandi design legend Hans J. Wegner, the CH45 Rocking Chair is officially in production again. Pared back and perfectly proportioned, each chair is meticulously crafted in Denmark, the oak surfaces hand polished to a gentle shine and the seat expertly woven from over 200 metres of natural paper cord. From £1,911 chaplins.co.uk
Floor Fillers
MARBLE EFFECT Knots Rugs has teamed up with Margate-based paper marbler Nat Maks to create an eight-piece collection of rugs. Based around the artist’s original works, which draw from the art form of Suminagashi Marbling, they’re crafted from Tibetan wool, Chinese silk and linen to create a swirling weave full of movement and expressive colour palettes. Nat Maks x Knots Rugs, Low Tide Rug, £1,980 per sq m, knotsrugs.co.uk
SHINING EXAMPLE
After 10 years of creating statement lighting, Cameron Design House is breaking into the furniture world. Its bold debut collection Kupoli is a range of tables composed of domed steel tubes, in a dazzling array of polished colours, supporting delicate glass tops – half pieces of art, half somewhere to put your coffee. From £2,200 camerondesignhouse.com
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ON THE TILES
Claybrook’s Tavolozza wall and floor tile collection is a combination of plain colours in eight soothing satin shades, including deep blue Midnight, nearly pink Petal, soft green Meadow and white-ish Linen. There’s also the option to mix in and get creative with a coordinating design adorned with a tactile 3D curve. From £72 per sq m (£0.54 each) claybrookstudio.co.uk
TABLEWARE COLLECTION
TURN THE TABLES
Louis Vuitton’s first collection of tableware, which combines functionality with the French maison’s creative heritage, is a feast for the senses. Crockery - including teacups to dinner plates - is fashioned from the finest white Limoges porcelain and features the signature LV Monogram Flower Tile pattern in blue. The Twist glasses come in a variety of hues including Sapphire Blue, Amber, Emerald, Venetian Ruby and Crystal Clear, while carafes accent a bas-relief version of the Monogram flower - all of them handblown in Murano. louisvuitton.com
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IN LIVING Matthew Williamson is the undisputed king of rich tones and bold patterns and nowhere is this better reflected than his Belsize Park home. The fashion-turnedinterior designer talks to us about the apartment’s aesthetic and the creative inspiration behind it Wo r d s HARRIET COOPER P h o t o g r a p h y DA M I A N RU SS E L L
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hen speaking about his Belsize Park home, Matthew Williamson describes it to The Glossary as a “Pandora’s box”, a space that’s full of surprises, where the tomato-red hallway leads to a huge barrel-shaped living room with a high ceiling and an enormous bay window, complete with original parquet flooring, cornicing and architraves. “It’s definitely the wow factor. People walk in and gasp because of its scale. It was very difficult to get it wrong as I started with great bone structure; what I did was cosmetically enhance it to give it personality. I coloured it.” The fashion-turned-interior designer - who shares the apartment with Joseph Velosa, his partner of 30 years, and their daughter Skye, seven - adores colour, describing himself as “neutral shy”. Indeed, over the past three decades of designing clothes and then rooms, he has built up an unmatched reputation for his clever
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“I had 20 years of fashion under my belt and felt that was a good time to move on. Now I am dressing rooms as opposed to people” use of rich jewel tones, bold patterns and statement prints. So much so, he has written a book on the subject called Living Bright. Part practical guide, part memoir, it’s described as a hardworking handbook designed to help readers find their own style and encourage them to embrace the paint pot. “It’s not about the science or technicalities or theory of colour, it’s much more about the art of colour,” he explains. As well as detailing how Matthew’s relationship with colour has developed since he was a young boy growing up in Manchester (there are some lovely anecdotes about his mum Maureen and her flair for maximalism), it’s full of advice, with each chapter devoted to a different hue. “I was keen to make it personal, so I talk about my experiences with that colour and what I like about it, any mistakes I’ve made, just to show the reader that we’ve all got our own take. I don’t believe there’s a right or wrong way - your home is for you.” Within the pages of the book we also get a tantalising glimpse of Matthew’s homes, past and present, in both the UK and Spain (he has a finca in Mallorca and when we speak he’s in the midst of choosing colours for the kitchen), his shop and projects he’s completed for clients. But it’s his ground-floor apartment in NW3 which really jumps out, not least the living room. Matthew’s instinctive decorating eye has brought the space to life, starting with the soft blush walls in a shade called Lido Pink from The Pickleson Paint Co, which is run by Rachael Green and her partner Alex Kirby (the bay window is painted in the brand’s Hackney Gold, chosen to highlight the greenery beyond). “They know their colours - their palette is not exhaustive, it’s really edited down and when you choose a colour, I guarantee it will work.” But why pink, I ask. “It comes back to my anxiety around neutrals, I just don’t
know how to use them, and I am not saying that to be contrary,” he says. “If I paint a room white, I feel like I’m at the dentist; if I paint a room cream, it feels old-fashioned; if I paint a room grey, it feels cold. I understand that people think they work, but for me this pink is so subtle. In fact, I don’t even see it as pink, it feels like a warm beige.” Gilt mirrors adorn the walls and antique finds, interesting pieces of furniture and characterful fabrics enhance the cosy-calm of the space. The artwork is delightfully eclectic. One of Matthew’s favourite pieces is a huge painting of an orange front door by Florence Hutchings that’s propped on piles of books. “Choosing art is down to an emotional connection, it could be the colour or the form you love,” he says. “I like the way this painting is so naive, but the rest of the lounge is so precise.” Another of his standout pieces is the vintage chandelier that he’s had for over 20 years, which “hangs like an upsidedown pyramid of amber glass”. When sourcing vintage, Matthew likes Vinterior - “it has a great network of suppliers, so if you want something specific it’s a good one-stop shop” and Anemone Interiors in West Sussex. “It’s run by my friend [Lia Briamonte] who does a cool Miami-meets-Italy take on interior homeware.” You’ll also find him trawling markets and browsing Liberty London, “even if it’s not to buy, just to daydream and see how they curate things - they have a very good eye.” What you certainly won’t see amongst the antiques and artworks in the apartment are big, bright plastic boxes overflowing with Skye’s stuff. Instead, Matthew has repurposed containers, such as a fruit crate for her books and a galvanised bucket for crayons and paints, while a carved wooden chest houses the bulkier toys. “I am very meticulous; I like things to be where they’re meant to be. I’m not 91
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“If I paint a room white, I feel like I’m at the dentist; if I paint a room cream, it feels old-fashioned; if I paint a room grey, it feels cold ” an easy breezy homeowner,” he tells me. “Skye’s seven now, so she’s a bit more understanding of that. We’re quite disciplined - she has her room, her wardrobe, her bed, her space. Rather than letting kids take over, you can strike a balance. It’s all about editing and managing.” Along the hallway, the walls of Matthew’s bedroom are Pickleson Paint Co’s Tequila Green, with the ceiling,
shutters and skirting board in a darker gloss, while an eclectic mix of rugs, artworks, bed linens and plants all work together, unified by the colour green. It’s a hue Matthew describes as one of the most versatile when it comes to interiors. “From jade and jewel tones right though to sage and softer greens, green is a friendly colour to use - it feels connected to nature and can be both invigorating and restful,” he says.
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LIVING ROOM <
collaborations, so it was a no-brainer. Now I am dressing rooms as opposed to people.” These days, his projects are both private and commercial - he was recently commissioned by the Design Museum in Kensington to create a space within the iconic John Pawson modernist building. He also currently has collections with John Lewis, Pooky, Osborne & Little and Les Ottomans, and will be I ask him whether launching a SS24 collection using colours can make with John Lewis. “If you us feel a certain way. pushed me to describe my “I don’t know about the style, it would be rusticactual effects of colour decadence,” he says. “On the on the human body or one hand it’s got this handthe science behind it - or done, crafted quality - it’s not even if there is science too perfect - but then at the behind it - but I would same time I love grandeur and certainly go as far as to opulence. When I’m working say I feel happier living on a project, I think of those against certain colours. two words and how I can get It’s quite an abstract, a balance in a space. That to subtle feeling. And we all me is when it comes to life.” see colours differently, Is there anyone he looks that’s also interesting,” he to as a source of creative continues. “My bedroom inspiration when it comes in Spain, for example, is to colour, I wonder. “It yellow. When I wake up chops and changes all the in the morning it feels time; I am like a magpie. like sunshine, and when I don’t have a consistent I go to bed at night with colour hero, although I the table lamps on, it feels like the work of the artist golden. It works for me, Dan Flavin who creates but the next person might these contemporary light find it a horror show.” installations using neon Although Matthew says tubes. And the painter Gary he feels he was born with Hume combines colours so an in-built curiosity about well. I’d also say the Mexican colour, a fascination that architect Luis Barragán, was nurtured by his parents, who would use a couple of it wasn’t until he did a fourtones in his structures - hot year BA honours degree in pinks and oranges and reds.” fashion design and textiles LIVING ROOM ^ Matthew also mentions at Central Saint Martins “Whenever I see a gilt-framed mirror, I buy it. I don’t need to know exactly photographer Kate Bellm, that his confidence grew where it will go - there’s always somewhere. I balanced out each area of the a friend and neighbour and he began to find his living room with hints of blue and green, and picked out the pink of the walls in of his who owns a hotel creative feet. A work the upholstery and furnishings. Many of the artworks in the flat - including the called Corazón in Soller, placement at Zandra portrait of a man in a turban in the living room - were sourced by Heroldian Art.” Mallorca. “She’s just opened Rhodes’ design studio and it to a great fanfare of acclaim - I love regular trips to India followed, all serving - Williamson found himself drawn the way she’s used colour throughout as inspiration for his own first fashion towards interior design. “I had 20 the hotel, it’s super subtle.” And on collection, ‘Electric Angels’, in 1997. years of fashion under my belt and that note, I leave him to get back to Featuring models including Kate felt that was a good time to move choosing the colours for his Spanish Moss, Jade Jagger and Helena on,” he says. “It was a slow pivot kitchen. Whatever he decides, one thing Christensen wearing bias-cut dresses in towards an industry that seemed is for certain - it will be unexpected and tangerine, cerise and aqua, it catapulted more welcoming. I had enough design uplifting, as only Matthew knows how. Williamson into the limelight and he intel and had already done a few
“I painted the living room a soft blush called Lido Pink from the Pickleson Paint Co. The colour makes the room feel delightfully decadent, yet comfy and cosy, too. I can guarantee that more traditional neutrals - white, beige or grey - would have been less successful. I’ve dotted portable lamps I designed for Pooky around (on a drinks trolley, a coffee table and a dining table) which all give the space a wonderfully opulent glow.”
quickly built up a loyal following for his bright, empowering designs, garnering numerous fashion awards and celebrity fans along the way (Sienna Miller, Kiera Knightley, Olivia Palermo…). In 2005, he was made creative director at Emilio Pucci. But after two decades in the industry - and a few forays into designing homewares collections
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MATTHEW WILLIAMSON’S
From layering colour to incorporating maximalist prints, how to lift your interiors and live bright P o r t r a i t JA M E S K E L LY P h o t o g r a p h y DA M I A N RU SS E L L
Find your ‘design DNA’
“It can be easy to get lost in your phone as you end up looking through four million pictures of kitchens or whatever - I often find that this can be a labyrinth to nowhere. So my suggestion is that you have a brainstorm before starting an interior design project and visually lay out markers that point towards your design style. This will help you understand and, importantly, see, laid out in front of you, exactly what it is that you love. “Ask yourself some key questions: ‘Who are the artists you love?’ ‘What fragrance do you wear?’ ‘Your style icon?’ ‘Do you have a favourite decade?’ Find an image that reflects your responses and build a visual board of all these things. Hopefully this distillation will steer you and help you act more instinctively when making design decisions, with greater clarity and confidence. Our styles and tastes do and should evolve, but a board like this will be a good reflection of who you are today and what your creative ideas and inspirations are.”
Look to what you love for inspiration
“If you don’t know where to start, pick a colour and paint the whole room in that tone, creating a solid backdrop. I wouldn’t go for bold, bright, deeply saturated colours if you’re anxious, lean towards softer tones. And then work into the room; much like creating a painting, you do the background, then the mid-ground, then the foreground. Use a complementary but slightly bolder colour for the bulkier items in the space such as beds, sofas and large pieces of furniture to ramp it up a bit. And then I’d reserve an even brighter colour to pick out and highlight smaller decorative items such as paintings, lampshades, cushions and vases. Much like picking a pair of earrings or a bag to finish off an outfit. “When thinking about colours that work well together, I like to snap palettes and patterns that catch my eye on my phone, so they’re stored and ready to use when inspiration is needed. Another way is to go and find something you love - maybe it’s the colours combined on a china plate in your kitchen or a printed silk scarf your mother gave you or the palette from a much-loved artwork. Something that will make you go, ‘Oh, I like those colours, they make sense to me.’”
BEDROOM ^
“My bedroom in London is painted top-to-toe green. I used a mid-tone of mint called Tequila Green, again from the Pickleson Paint Co, which is at once crisp yet evokes a feeling of calm. Where the ceiling drops down low, it is painted with a more intense Basilica Teal. I didn’t want everything to look too co-ordinated, so the yellow-ochre bed linen throws things off a little. Plants are a good way to enhance the feel of a space. Like living sculptures, they can act like art and make a statement.”
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“When choosing a palette, use the palest colour for the walls, ceiling and woodwork to create a solid backdrop. Choose a complementary but slightly bolder colour for the bulkier items, such as large pieces of furniture. I’d reserve a brighter colour to highlight the smaller decorative items such as paintings and lampshades, like these blue lights in the kitchen. The galley kitchen benefits enormously from the lightwell.”
Incorporate colour and pattern
“With maximalism in mind, I wouldn’t rule out combining any types of patterns, as it’s precisely in this kind of curated mix that you’ll create something unique. A floral pattern never seems to fail - blowsy and bold or delicate and ditsy, it always adds an air of whimsy, romance or drama to a space. To contrast with a floral, I’d head towards something more graphic such as a check or stripe, which invariably looks sharp. As in so many areas of design, things that come in threes always work well, so I’d add a third print such as an animal spot or classic ikat - both timeless. “When it comes to using colour across a mix of patterns, a good tip can be to refrain from using too broad a palette. Mix up your prints freely, but keep the palette tight - say a maximum of six colours - to create a harmonious core. Don’t veer away from that as you might get into a pickle with too much going on. It’s about both freedom and restraint.”
Mix contemporary with vintage
“My rule would be don’t stick to one era. To me it’s a red flag if everything is from the same genre. I quite like looking at those rooms that are very disciplined, but they don’t speak to me in terms of comfort and pleasure. It’s all about balance - if something contemporary is featured prominently, I’ll pair it with something old. I’ve always believed that when you combine items from different eras and genres, it’s in that mix that you create a space that has soul. “Keep an open mind and source what you love from different decades. I tend to be on the more elaborate side of things - I love all the decadence of gold and gilt and brass and shine, but I also want to mix that with something raw or rustic or more natural. So I suggest you have fun mixing things up. While it may take a little longer, you’ll be sure to create a space with more character that’s uniquely yours.” Living Bright by Matthew Williamson (Thames & Hudson, £30) 95
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