Issue_05_Sept 2012 by aMUSE magazine

ISSUE 05

SEPTEMBER 2 0 12

Behind the scenes with NAOMI CAMPBELL

PLUS

MRS BONO’S beauty secrets THE LFW survival guide Mulberry’s EMMA HILL

PORTIA FREEMAN IN THE LOOKS OF THE SEASON

THE

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Contents S E P T E M B E R 2 012 Features

Left: Louise Gray AW12; Top right: the Maça Kizi hotel in Turkey; Below right: Naomi Campbell behind the scenes; Below left: Sally bag, £3,225, Chloé; Caleidoscopio Rocks ring, £82, Swarovski

Regulars 9

AMUSE REVIEWS All the capital’s finest fashion, art, film, music, books and shows

Columnists 28

SADIE & IRIS Our mother and daughter columnists on fashion nostalgia

A MA N ABOUT TOWN Nick Cox is tempted by masculine skirts UNNATURAL BEAUTY Bethan Cole on the search for scents

OBJECT OF DESIRE The Roksanda Ilincic dress with a built-in surprise

THE FAST FASHION FIX Olivia Palermo’s label loves

Fashion & Beauty

TRAVEL • News: Karl Lagerfeld hits Monte Carlo • Turkish treatment • Luxury Luton

THE LOOK OF THE SEASON Portia Freeman models fashion’s gothic inspirations

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INTERIORS • Kate Halfpenny’s Camden look • News: an encounter with the oligarchs’ favourite designer

COCKTAIL HOUR The glitziest rings

TRENDS Blue: join the navy Lace: be a bride of Dracula Marble: in the vein

BEAUTY News: Mac gets a make-over Brows: it’s a strong new-season look Hero products: what the make-up artists can’t live without

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FOOD • News: Absinthe again • The fifteen-minute toffee apple by Florence Knight THIS MONTH’S MUSE Emma Hill of Mulberry

THE FASHION WEEK FIX How to prepare like the designers, buyers, stylists and bloggers

TALENT ON THE CATWALK These models don’t just look stunning, they have beautiful minds too

WINNING DESIGNS Glittering prizes for the greatest fashion talents in London

MEET MRS BONO Ali Hewson is a very down-to-earth rock-star wife

GRAY’S DAY Louise Gray is London’s most colourful fashion designer

WORKING WITH NAOMI CAMPBELL How to do a successful shoot with the greatest diva of them all

TAMARA ECCLESTONE’S NEW LIFE It’s all about the hair for the F1 girl

On the cover Portia Freeman, shot by Daniel Nadel, wears embellished top, £3,665 by Marni

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EDITOR’S LETTER DANIEL NADEL

othing, not even end-of-press-day drinks at 10 Cases on Endell Street, gives the aMUSE team more of a buzz than a good Fashion Week. And no Fashion Week is more exciting than London’s. For sheer vibrant talent, inventiveness, ingenuity and wit, our capital is a world beater. In our September issue, we introduce the young designers who are snapping at the heels of our established stars – and have got the prizes to prove it. These are the Christopher Kanes and Baileys of the future, so remember their names. We also provide a thorough insider’s guide to the mayhem, queues, invitations, soundtracks and hot tickets of the week, written by the stylists, buyers, designers and agents who really know their stuff. One of the very hottest tickets of the season is undoubtedly Louise Gray’s catwalk show. The lively Scot has injected a muchneeded shot of colour into a gothic season of fashion. We find out where she got her funny, classically British take on style. We do love a spot of technicolour – my personal favourite shade is the deep, bright blue on our shopping pages. However, like everyone else, we can’t resist the lure of the vampire bride this season and Portia Freeman makes an amazing dark star for our autumn-winter trends story. All that, plus men in skirts, Naomi Campbell on parade and the ultimate backstage beauty secrets. Happy reading

Sasha Slater sasha@amusemagazine.co.uk

The Sydney-born photographer has shot our new-season cover story with Portia Freeman. He also shoots for Cover, Modzik and YEN magazines and for Fashion Gone Rogue. Daniel is passionate about film and loves experimenting with old cameras as he is intrigued by the art of “just not knowing”. My muse: “If I ever wanted a muse in my studio like the Old Masters, I would like to see if Monica Bellucci was available.”

HELENA CHRISTENSEN

The Danish supermodel is just as much at home behind the camera as she is in front of it and photographed Ali Hewson and her daughter Jordan in New York earlier this year. We feature a previously unseen shot from the series. Christensen and Hewson first met in the South of France and have been friends for over 20 years. My muse: “My mother had a huge influence on my sister and me.”

IAN BROWN

Make-up artist Ian Brown is a fashion and beauty expert, contributing to The Times, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ and Red. He is the official make-up artist for Magnifibres Lash Extender and his proudest boast is that he was recently awarded “Best Dressed Person” as a guest host on QVC. My muse: “The late Isabella Blow. Without her we wouldn’t have had Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, Hussein Chalayan or Jeremy Scott.”

Contributors

TIM TEEMAN

Tim Teeman is US correspondent of The Times, writing interviews and features for all sections of the paper. Based in New York, Tim has worked at the paper for over 13 years. His interview subjects have included George Clooney, Dame Judi Dench, Joan Rivers, Gore Vidal, Dame Maggie Smith, Susan Sarandon and Ryan Gosling. My muse: “The streets of New York, where lives and loves are played out, usually very loudly, on a grand scale.”

KATE HALFPENNY

Kate Halfpenny, the bridalwear designer and stylist, secured a placement with Vivienne Westwood while at Central St Martin’s. She’s collaborated with Moschino, Swarovski and Hugo Boss, made outfits for Kate Moss and Rihanna, and helped dress the likes of Laura Bailey, Erin O’Connor and Daisy Lowe. My muse: “Christian Dior has provided me with a lifetime of inspiration. The images from Norman Parkinson’s photography in the 1950s are imprinted on my mind.”

Sasha Slater Editor sasha@amusemagazine.co.uk Hicham Kasbi Art Director copy@amusemagazine.co.uk Stephanie Hirschmiller Deputy Editor stephanie@amusemagazine.co.uk Polly Glass Features Writer polly@amusemagazine.co.uk Arabella Preston Beauty Editor arabella@amusemagazine.co.uk Fran Mullin Junior Fashion Editor fran@amusemagazine.co.uk Contributors: Beatrice Aidin, Sara Austin, William Baker, Erika de la Barquera, Caroline Boucher, Dieter Brandenburg, Julia Chadwick, Bethan Cole, Nick Cox, Nadia Foster, Sadie Frost, Lisa Grainger, Florence Knight, Lorelei Marfil, Victoria Moore, Daniel Nadel, Henrietta Roussoulis, Natalie Silverton, Chris Sims, Lydia Slater 0207 866 8102 @amuse_mag facebook.com/amusemagazine Stephen Murphy Publisher stephen@amusemagazine.co.uk Christian Price Commercial Director christian@amusemagazine.co.uk Advertising Consultant: Debra Davies 0207 866 8101 Printer BGP Distribution: Emblem Group Colour Management: David Ladkin

BEATRICE AIDIN

Beatrice Aidin is originally from London but is now based in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. She has been a freelance journalist for twelve years and won several awards, notably for her beauty writing in the Financial Times. She was struck by Ali Hewson’s knowledge of skincare, kindness, curiosity – and her gutsiness in driving a relief-effort truck from Ireland to Chernobyl. My muse: “Michelle Obama, who delightfully combines the role of First Lady with a slightly arched brow – and Dorothy Parker.”

aMuse Magazine is published by aMuse Media, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ. Company number: 07189146. aMuse Media cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited articles and images. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters and emails. The material in aMuse Magazine is subject to copyright. All rights reserved. The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is sourced from sustainable forests, responsibly managed to strict environmental, social, and economic standards. The manufacturing mills have both FSC & PEFC certification, and also ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation. aMUSE Magazine is registered with the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC)

When you have finished with this magazine please recycle it

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Reviews aMUSE

...FASHION... ART... FILM... MUSIC... BOOKS... SHOWS... Compiled by POLLY GLASS AND KATIE TILLYER

INTO THE

TRENCHES

BURBERRY AW12

For Burberry's new flagship store on Regent Street, Christopher Bailey has something extra-special up his sleeve: an exclusive collection featuring stunning takes on the trench coat that include this magnificent gold-feather piece. An absolute must-see for anyone who has ever fallen a little bit in love with this pinnacle of British style. From September, 121-123 Regent St, London W1B 4HS, burberry.com

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fashion

C R Y S TA L IS IN VOGUE Attention all magpies: following a number of collaborations with designers, Atelier Swarovski is paying tribute to the mother of all style mavens, Diana Vreeland. The collection features gobstopper-sized gems in styles that range from delicate drop earrings to a more avant-garde crystal headpiece that wouldn’t look out of place in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art – which was, FYI, the last step on the editor’s career ladder after she left US Vogue in 1971. swarovski.com

REY OF LIGHT

Fashion’s latest muse Lana Del Rey launches Swedish retailer H&M’s campaign, with all of her usual coquettishness. We can’t help but feel that this is a pretty powerful alliance in the sartorial world – as well as having our eyes firmly on that fluffy pink jumper. Watch out later in the month for a specially commissioned mini-film featuring Lana singing ‘Blue Velvet’. hm.com

NOTA BENE There’s nothing like a new jotter for that fresh-start feeling and, as

this month brings the 125th anniversary of Smythson, the Rolls-Royce of notebooks, there’s no better time for an upgrade from all those crumpled scraps of paper lurking at the bottom of your bag. Visit the newly revamped Bond Street store to check out the limited-edition anniversary clutch bag and notebook, which have been specially designed for the occasion. smythson.com

FROM URUGUAY WITH LOVE She made her name as a photography agent

I grew up on the borders of Scotland… A beautiful place. Then I went to Uruguay and fell in love with the land, the people and riding horses. I wanted to make a connection between London, Scotland and Uruguay. The people in Uruguay are very elegant and that’s a major inspiration for me… You see a gaúcho and the way they tie something up, the way they tack up a horse, it’s so right. The people have this amazing presence. They are not arrogant, but they have a great sense of self. When I’m not working, I’m happiest… … on a horse for eight hours; not having a care in the world and enjoying an incredible landscape. Being part of something like that in Northern Europe is more difficult to find. It’s like going back in time, in a very good way. I’ve learnt to slow down and take a little bit of time… Just to do everything with a little bit more finesse. In the city, we’re always rushing, rushing, rushing. That’s why designing luxury knitwear is slow fashion for a fast world. Garzón Luxury Knitwear is available at Avenue 32, avenue32.com

for the likes of Helmut Newton, but now Tiggy Maconochie has unleashed her own creativity on the fashion world with Garzón Luxury Knitwear – named after a town in Uruguay where the wool is sourced – her debut line of cosy, stylish boleros, dresses and other pieces. Forget dowdy, old-lady knits - this is effortless AW chic. I’ve worked with some of the most important image-makers and photographers… … and they themselves have worked with extraordinary visionaries of the past. When I was very young, I was working with the photographer [Horst P] Horst and he, in turn, had worked with people like the fashion designer [Elsa] Schiaparelli. There were great stories about Chanel, Helmut Newton, Yves Saint Laurent… Those things stay with you subliminally. 10 | AMUSE TIGGY MACONOCHIE

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AMUSE

fashion fashion

ART /

/ FILM

/ RESTAUR A NTS / BOOKS /

THE QUERRY, £560

FRENCH SOLES How many of us have spent

our lives searching for the perfect shoe – and have yet to find it? Well, if such a thing exists, Roland Mouret (he of the Galaxy dress) has set about making it in his new role as creative director of French heritage brand Robert Clergerie. So choose a pair of intellectual brogues, a very bohème pair of red, suede heels or these golden beauties. robertclergerie.com/en

STYLISH NY-LONS

THE HARUM, £520

BAGS OF STYLE

It’s been a busy year for Rag & Bone. Following the opening of its first ever flagship store in London, the New York-based brand cements its leap back across the pond by gracing the capital’s style set with a presentation at London Fashion Week (founders Marcus Wainwright and David Neville are British). Not only that, it's bagged our very own Kate Moss to front the AW campaign (shot in Kentish Town). There's no place like home. Rag & Bone, 13-14 Sloane Square, London SW1, rag-bone.com

As we’re rapidly running out of time for a dose of sunshine this year, the good folks at Chloé have taken it upon themselves to give it to us – in the form of the very desirable Sally bag in sun-drenched Mimosa. The boxy shape is a winner for the upcoming season, the colour is the perfect antidote to dismal grey skies and the ostrich screams luxury. It’s currently available exclusively at Harrods. Chloé Sally bag, £3,225, harrods.com

AW12

CQueen A LofLgrunge T HEAgyness DOC T OR Deyn once again

CATCH THE CAPSULE High-street collaborations come and go, but the one that the fashion

world is getting really excited about is JW Anderson’s collection for Topshop. Anderson’s work is always some of the most desirable of the season and this new venture looks set to take the hype to new heights. Landing just in time for autumn, it’s likely to be a blink-and-you-miss-it affair, so get down there early if you want a slice of the action. The collection will include jersey, denim and knitwear, in keeping with Anderson’s trademark grungy-schoolgirl aesthetic. topshop.com 14 | AMUSE

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£140

fronts the British shoemaker Dr Martens’ campaign, this time showcasing the brand’s foray into clothing with floral dresses, bomber jackets and cute accessories, combined with a variety of hair colours to boot. As you might expect, the look is heavy on pop-culture references. Consisting of vintage-inspired pieces that could be straight out of Agy’s own wardrobe, it’s a trip down memory lane for anyone who was young in the '90s. Agyness Deyn for Dr Martens drmartens.com

£125

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EXPLORE THE DIGITAL FLAGSHIP REISS.COM

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AMUSE ART /

art

fashion / FILM

/ RESTAUR A NTS / BOOKS /

It’s a weird vision of humanity that’s presented by arty German Thomas Schütte. In this selection of some of his most famous works – including watercolours, self-portraits, multimedia sculptures and photographic pieces – Schütte captures fragility, authority and downright creepiness. THOMAS SCHÜTTE, Serpentine Gallery, 25 September-18 November, serpentinegallery.org

MAGICAL LENS

TRUTH AND BEAUTY Oh boy, the PRB (Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood) sure knew how to make ladies beautiful. Rich, colourful yet subtly observed, these masterpieces from the holy trinity – Rossetti, Hunt and Millais – are spectacular and representative of the first modern-art movement in Britain; featuring sculpture, photography and applied arts, as well as the better-known paintings. Lush. PRE-RAPHAELITES: Victorian Avant Garde, Tate Britain, 12 September-13 January 2013, tate.org.uk

ITALIAN-AMERICAN

Join the Mayfair arty glitterati for a day with a visit to the über-chic Ronchini Gallery and this slick exhibition of old-meets-new. Avant-garde works from hip young US artists will sit alongside pieces by the Italian greats of the '50s and '60s (Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alighiero Boetti, Alberto Burri…), exploring the similarities and contrasts between the eras. TIME AFTER TIME – THE PARALLELS BETWEEN YOUNG AMERICAN ARTISTS AND ITALIAN MASTERS, Ronchini Gallery, 6 September4 October, ronchinigallery.com

With experience in fashion design and costume-making under her belt (along with a love of history, film and the fair English countryside), photographer Kirsty Mitchell is well placed to create some pretty gorgeous work – as the Wonderland Series proves. Kirsty combines elements of natural wonder, fairytale imagery and the changing seasons in this sparkling collection. Head to the SW1 Gallery this month to see some highlights, or to Quaglinos in Mayfair for a mini exhibit AND a stylish bite. KIRSTY MITCHELL: SELECTED WORKS FROM THE WONDERLAND SERIES, exhibited at SW1 Gallery, 11-15 September and at Quaglinos in Mayfair, 19 September-13 November, quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk, sw1gallery.co.uk

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

And there was! And it was good – as the Gazelli Art House is proving this September with a stylish spread of light installations. Geometric shapes and cut glass meet pretty patterns and beguiling use of colour in the the gallery's ultra-cool space. If you’ve been there, you know the score. If you haven’t, now’s a good time to check it out… LET THERE BE LIGHT, Gazelli Art House, until the end of September, gazelliarthouse.com

CGoodness HIL D’S PL AY knows what Vee Speers

was thinking when she conjured up this bizarre photographic set. Stark portraits of solemn-looking children wearing duck masks, pig noses and boxing gloves, among other things, stare eerily out at you, for an unnerving, but magnetic, experience. More than a little dark, but stylish and compelling. VEE SPEERS – THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, The Little Black Gallery, 4 September-20 October, thelittleblackgallery.com

THOMAS SCHÜTTE: “WICHT”, 2006; PHOTOGRAPH BY NIC TENWIGGENHORN © DACS 2012. PRE-RAPHAELITES: DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, "LADY LILITH", 1866-68, DELAWARE ART MUSEUM, SAMUEL AND MARY R BANCROFT MEMORIAL, 1935. TIME AFTER TIME: REBECCA WARD, UNTITLED, 2011, RONCHINI GALLERY AND ARTNESIA. KIRSTY MITCHELL: "GAMMELYN'S DAUGHTER". VEE SPEERS: © VEE SPEERS. LET THERE BE LIGHT: STANLEY CASSELMAN, 2008-10

STRANGER THINGS

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GOOD EGG

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE Keira Knightley’s already been tipped for an Oscar with her title role in this lavish rendition of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina – so hotly anticipated it might just erupt before it hits the big screen. Hopefully not, though, as it looks set to go down a storm. Swoon, gasp and weep as socialite Anna embarks on an affair with the dashing Count Vronsky (Aaron Johnson), pushing hubby Alexei (Jude Law) to one side. Watch with tots of Russian Standard vodka and a large laced-edged hankie. ANNA KARENINA, out 7 September, Universal

If you’ve seen the film and are now a serious fan, Fabergé has come up with your perfect trinket. So splash out on the Karenina Opal Egg – set in white gold, with rose- and round-cut diamonds and opals. Budget? What budget? Just get your own Vronsky to buy it for you. KARENINA OPAL EGG, Fabergé, £21,472, faberge.com

GOOD VIBRATIONS...

You watch. You go "huh?" You think, "surely they won’t actually…" And then they do it. For real. Hugh Dancy and Jonathan Pryce (soon to star in King Lear in the West End…) give rich, sexually disenchanted housewives happy endings. Lots of them. Hugh even takes to wearing a wrist support from all his exertions as a pelvic masseur. Yet despite the frankly filthy subject matter – you couldn’t make a film about the history of the vibrator without a little smut – Hysteria is genuinely funny and utterly charming – with a nicely empowering role for Maggie Gyllenhaal. HYSTERIA, out 21 September, Sony Pictures

HYSTERIA: PHOTOS BY LIAM DANIEL AND RICARDO VAZ PALMA, COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES

film

Gucci has harboured a happy relationship with cinema since the 1940s, donating over $2 million to Martin Scorcese’s Film Foundation. And now, at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, the fashion house is once again honouring the best ladies in the business with the Gucci Award for Women in Cinema. Nominees include Colleen Atwood, creator of the costumes in Snow White And The Huntsman and Hugo editor Thelma Schoomaker. gucci.com

GUCCI AT THE MOVIES

THE GODDESS DIANA

The fashion film event of the year is not to be missed. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel – directed by Diana's granddaughter-in-law, Lisa Immordino Vreeland – documents the challenges of this fashion legend from childhood to US Vogue. With insights from colleagues and friends including Manolo Blahnik and Veruschka, plus archive footage of Andy Warhol, it’s one hell of a high-fashion ride. “Finding the archival footage of Mrs Vreeland was the most exciting part,” Lisa told us. “She came to life for me.” DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL, out 21 September, Studiocanal, dianavreeland.com

music NE W JE S S IE ON T HE BL OC K

You may well have already tuned into sultry 2012 single ‘Running’ – or checked out her vocals with DJ act SBTRKT (who’s done remixes of M.I.A, Mark Ronson and others) – but now Jessie Ware has arrived with her eagerly anticipated debut LP, Devotion. Her classy brand of downbeat R’n’B-meets-trip-hop makes for a strangely soulful mix. DEVOTION, Jessie Ware, is out now on PMR

HOT STUFF

Rocking, sexy, young and Californian… There’s no end of nice things to say about this retro (but very fresh) record from American blues-rock act Rival Sons. With Led Zeppelin-esque vocals, tasty licks, blues moments and rugged riffs, it’s a sweet rock cocktail. Moreish, groovy stuff, definitely, but with a depth and sophistication that gives them extra kudos. A cool but fun party choice. HEAD DOWN, Rival Sons, is out 17 September on EMI

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books THE GOOD BOOK

A STYLISH RETROSPECTIVE

Mario Testino has got up close and very personal with some extremely public figures; the best of the resulting images can be enjoyed in this gorgeous hardback, in celebration of the photographer's inaugural exhibition in China. Beautiful images of Princess Diana, Kate Moss in mental stilettos (above), an amazing close-up of colourful eye-make-up (it turns out to be Jude Law behind the slap), Lara Stone in an angular wedding dress for British Vogue… and a lot of flesh flashed in various risque poses. With a foreword from Karl Lagerfeld and thoughts from other glittering pals, it manages to be both insightful and glamorous; our favourite combination. MARIO TESTINO: A PRIVATE VIEW, £44.99, Taschen

What sparked your interest? My mother dressed with great style; she had all her clothes, shoes and handbags made for her and this had a big effect on me. Also my grandmother dressed a lot like Gabrielle Chanel, particularly the trousers with fitted jumpers and lots of jewellery.

UP CLOSE WITH COCO

Lisa Chaney, 59, is the author of Chanel – An Intimate Life. This fascinating read is probably the most comprehensive account of the icon who revolutionised women’s fashion. Here, she talks Chanel favourites, literary loves and reading in trees… What is there to say about Chanel that hasn’t been said already? Researching this book was both amazingly interesting and incredibly difficult. Coco Chanel has been written about so prolifically – but I’m pretty determined and not a bad detective. I found unpublished letters and diaries and people who’d never been interviewed. I discovered several unknown love affairs and unravelled the extraordinary story of Arthur 'Boy' Capel, who was, without doubt, the love of Chanel’s life. I wanted to show the tension between this gifted, confident woman with a huge personality and the damage and vulnerability she fought hard to overcome.

Which are your favourite Chanel products? I interviewed Jacques Polge, the great Chanel nose, or perfumer, who each year guards the quality of the flowers that make its perfumes; he also invents new ones. At the end of our conversation he said, "I want to give you a present". I was wearing vintage, including my 1920s linen and silk duster coat, and he gave me two huge bottles of early Chanel perfumes – No. 22 and Beige. I also love my Chanel L’Exuberant lipstick. It’s a fantastic cerise pink, goes brilliantly with a tan and gets you noticed. Early literary memories? I grew up in the Pacific islands and didn’t go to school for a few years. We had a wild, free childhood but always had books read to us and this made me a great reader. Aged nine, I’d sometimes steal books from my father’s library – this was before I could actually understand most of them, but they were exciting because they were forbidden. I read them sitting up a tree that leant out over the transparent blue salt water. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer. Some favourite books? David Malouf’s An Imaginary Life is a marvellous, strange, life-affirming book. Terry Pratchett’s Mort makes me laugh. The most brilliant thing you’ve read recently? The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It’s beautifully written, challenges you about all sorts of things and is deeply moving. It’s a fabulous retelling of one of the greatest stories ever. Chanel – An Intimate Life, Lisa Chaney, out now in paperback, £9.99, Fig Tree

Our ears pricked up when we heard that this London writer had been named Margaret Atwood’s protégée – anyone singled out by the creator of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Blind Assassin has to be worth investigating. So you can imagine how keen we were to get hold of her new novel – a re-imagining of the life of Christ (Yehoshuah, here) from the viewpoints of four others, a year after his death. With vivid historical detail – animal sacrifice, massacres, riots, the lot – you can be guaranteed an exciting, rousing rendition of the New Testament. Amen THE LIARS' GOSPEL by Naomi Alderman, £12.99, Viking Adult/Penguin

LONDON, NW The rapturously acclaimed writer of White Teeth and On Beauty is back with her first novel in seven years. The result? A sharp, tragicomic exploration of the complexities of north-west-London living, where Zadie grew up and where she has based the four central characters in this story. Packed with twists, turns and familiar details, it’s a stirring, gripping piece of work. NW, out 6 September, £18.99, Hamish Hamilton

THE FASHION ARTIST His vibrant illustrations and photographs jazzed up the pages of Vogue, the New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily and other top titles of the day. Antonio Lopez (1943-1987) became something of an international force majeure in fashion, going on to design campaigns for Valentino, YSL and others. Complete with a foreword from André Leon Talley (contributing US Vogue editor, and the guy from America’s Next Top Model) it’s an intriguing, visually sumptuous look back on Lopez’s work. Perfect Fashion-Week flicking. ANTONIO LOPEZ – FASHION, ART, SEX AND DISCO, Rizzoli

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shows PLAYING THE SWEDE

New glamorous theatrical destination? With a decadent Carrera marble staircase, Cordon Bleu cheffery and designer cocktails to boot? Yeah, go on then. This September will see the glittering arrival of central London’s first newly built theatre complex in 30 years – the St James Theatre, in Victoria. Wine and dine in style, then soak up some comedy, drama or musical frivolity in the 315-seat theatre, or the more intimate 100-seat studio. ST JAMES THEATRE, stjamestheatre.co.uk

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS Amazing outfits, Rachmaninov, contemporary dance, a magnificently toned company... The San Francisco Ballet is crossing the pond for two electric weeks to present one of the richest, most diverse sets of performances we’ve seen. The trio of programmes spans classical works, modern initiatives and Japanese influences among other elements. Book ahead for a serious visual feast. SAN FRANCISCO BALLET: THREE MIXED BILLS, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, 14 - 23 September, sadlerswells.com

ELLE WOODS GETS SERIOUS

Lincolnshire’s finest, Sheridan Smith, who picked up an Olivier award for her lead role in Legally Blonde: The Musical, has a lot more up her sleeve than may meet the eye. The Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps star is facing her biggest test yet, playing the title role in the Ibsen classic, Hedda Gabler. It’s known as the female Hamlet of acting roles – big on drama, light on pink-clad chihuahuas. HEDDA GABLER, Old Vic Theatre, opens 12 September, oldvictheatre.com

JUMP TO IT We’ve giggled at her antics in Smack

The Pony and The Day Today. Now, Doon Mackichan, 49, returns to the West End in a frank and funny family drama, Jumpy, written by April de Angelis and directed by Nina Raine. Tell us about your role in Jumpy… I play a borderline alcoholic, out-of-work actress. I’m single, predatory and coping with a business where older women are more and more invisible (it took months of research!). Why were you driven to perform? Being an English girl in a Scottish state school and being bullied for my accent and prissy demeanour, I would lapse into impressions of Freddie Starr, John Cleese and Benny Hill to stop getting my head kicked in. What show do you look back on most happily? I have fond memories of The Day Today, particularly when a pig was released into the office. On Smack the Pony we laughed so much we were constantly in trouble and wasted a lot of tape. Describe your personal style… Bohemian with an urban twist. I like the vintage shops in Hastings. Who do you admire in the fashion world? Vivienne Westwood, because she swims in my local baths and walks home barefoot with a towel on her head. What are your favourite things to do, and places to spend time, in London? Tooting Lido is my spiritual home. I was born in the cocktail lounge of The Lanesborough Hotel (when it was St George’s Hospital), so I drink a cocktail there called the Celtic Kick, which I invented. I won’t tell you what’s in it – just try it. Describe your dream day off… Driving to Hastings with my kids (India, Louis and Ella-Rose), having a barbecue on the beach and swimming in the moonlight in the phosphorescent sea. JUMPY, Duke of York’s Theatre, until 3 November, jumpytheplay.com

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MADEMOISELLE JULIE: © CHRISTOPHE RAYNAUD DE LAGE FESTIVAL D'AVIGNON. DOON MACKICHAN: JOHAN PERSSON AND ROBERT WORKMAN. HEDDA GABLER: JAY BROOKS

VICTORIAN MELODRAMA

Oh to be as effortlessly cool, chic and… well, French as Juliette Binoche. The gorgeous Chocolat star is set to reduce us all to simpering "isn’t-shelaavely?!" heaps once again, in this modern-day version of Mademoiselle Julie – a tale of love, lust and social conflict from 19th-century Swedish playwright August Strindberg. When the French go all Scandi on us, you know something’s up. MADEMOISELLE JULIE, The Barbican, 20-29 September, barbican.org.uk

22/08/2012 00:14

object of

desire

THE

SCARLET

DRESS AT first glance, this is simply a show-stopping scarlet dress. But turn round and, lo! The top half of the back is navy. Then there is the fact that the cut and style are so supremely flattering that everyone will think their figures look better in it. Finally, we must consider that it is that most elusive of things: demure, but sexy. Restrained, but look-at-me. Nor do you have to be thin to wear it: it will look even better on curves â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but you do need to wear it with confidence: fitted scarlet dresses are not for the faint-hearted. With attitude, it will take you anywhere: sling a navy cardy over it and take it to work, or don sharp heels and go for dinner. It will multi-task and you will never regret buying it. Au contraire: you will wonder how you ever lived without it.. Wool Amu dress, ÂŁ745, Roksanda Ilincic, matchesfashion.com

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T7-978-UK AMUSE 28TH AUGUST.indd 1

22/08/12 17:01

Available at: BASLER Store, 55 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW3 1DP BASLER Store, Westﬁeld London Shopping Centre, London W12 7GF BASLER Store, Westﬁeld Stratford City, London E20 1EL BASLER Store, Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London NW4 3FJ

BASLER AD_aMUSE_300x220_2.indd 1

21.08.12 13:53

‘Every woman should have diamond earrings, a well-tailored blazer, a tuxedo suit and great heels’

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF INTIMISSIMI’S AW12 FASHION SHOW IN VERONA AND MAGDA POZZO AND CÎROC® ULTRA-PREMIUM VODKA

The fast fashion fix:

The first fashion show I ever attended was Zac Posen in New York… but I always go to LFW now, unless I have a very good reason not to. I’m a big supporter of Matthew Williamson and Erdem, Markus Lupfer and Antonio Berardi who is another one of my favourites. I also support Charlotte Dellal’s Charlotte Olympia accessories line. British fashion has a cooler aesthetic than most cities… and British designers do everything just a little bit better. Five things that every woman should have in her wardrobe are… Diamond earrings, a well-tailored blazer, a tuxedo suit, great heels and a watch that you will own for a lifetime. I don’t have a favourite love story, but… I love romantic comedies. The Holiday is fantastic and also Something’s Gotta Give, a Nancy Meyers movie; you can’t go wrong there. Johannes [Huebl, above left, fellow

OLIVIA PALMERO The model, reality TV star and blogger Olivia Palermo, 26, is the toast of New York and renowned for always looking utterly impeccable, every moment of the day. She’s the only person in the world who never, ever has an off-day. It all starts with the underwear, she tells aMUSE…

model, photographer and Olivia’s other half ] is a wonderful boyfriend and very romantic, but we always like to keep that private. I’m really fortunate that I love everything I do… but I don’t take it for granted. My fans especially: when I see them and they’re so sweet and get so excited, that makes me love my job that much more. My best style tip is… Always dress for your body type. Underwear is like clothes – you have to feel sexy and confident… I’m not a fan of

granny-style panties, but love nude or black lace. I think Intimissimi’s new leather collection, NERO, is really fashion-forward and taps into the leather trend that has stormed the catwalks for AW12. Online and with social media, I think it’s important to not lose proper grammar… which tends to happen with the LOLs etc. I don’t have any secret geeky habits… but I love my iPhone. Intimissimi, 368-370 Oxford St, W1C 1JW, intimissimi.com AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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21/08/2012 23:28

Family values — SADIE FROST —

PHOTOGRAPH: CHRISTOPHER SIMS; ASSISTANT NICK THOMPSON

y earliest memory of fashion was when I was around four and my mother used to dress me in purple velvet hotpants with hippy slogans on them. It was definitely a look and made me stand out from the crowd. By the time I was 13 or 14, I was obsessed with travelling to the King’s Road to visit Boy and Seditionaries, Vivienne Westwood’s shop. Here, I would loiter around enjoying the dizzy, fizzy feeling that you get when you discover something good. A few years later, I modelled for both designers; Vivienne in her catwalk shows and in Boy’s magazine campaign (pictured below). When I was young, I wanted to look cool. It was important for me to dress up and express my personality. I loved shopping and couldn’t think of anything better to do. My own style was always a bit punky and slightly androgynous; I hated expressing my femininity and hid my sexuality. As I got older and became a mother, I dressed for convenience. Time was valuable and what I looked like was not my priority. Shopping slid way down to the bottom of the list. Though, sometimes, I would get all heady when there was an event or a themed party. I have always had some interesting people around me who have style. The hairdresser James Brown has amazing fashion sense and has advised me on many occasions. Other people such as Kate Moss and the stylists Katy England and Alister Mackie have always been pioneers, weaving interesting statements into their fashion sense. I guess some of my greatest fashion moments have been when I was on the catwalk of some of Vivienne’s biggest shows, or sitting on the front row of Alexander McQueen’s masterpiece collections. Those memories will stick with me forever. Now, though, my inspirations come from my four children and my closest friends. When I work on my labels FrostFrench, Iris & Edie, and Floozie, I have Iris to help me. She sits with me at the drawing board giving me ideas. I think it’s wonderful to watch your kids express themselves in their own fashion, as long as it is fun and isn’t a priority. So as I witness them experiencing what I went through all that time ago, I’m quite happy to sit in the corner in a hoodie and let the next generation take over.

— IRIS LAW —

like helping my mum when she is working on Iris & Edie, as sometimes she is very busy so it’s hard for her to get a clear perspective. I recently told her an idea I had to make printed tracksuit bottoms with owl motifs on them. I encourage my mum to make comfortable clothes as that’s what I feel best in. Iris & Edie has some really cool things that I love wearing interesting hoodies, pyjamas and tracksuit bottoms. I’m not so bothered about fashion yet myself: it is more important to concentrate on schoolwork at the moment, I think, though I love going through my mum’s wardrobes and pinching all the clothes that don’t fit her. It’s odd writing about fashion right now, as I am in a farmhouse in France and dressing up in fashionable clothes is not on my mind. It’s a nature holiday with all my family and we have been going for walks and long bike rides and picnics, so we are all looking relaxed and casual. I will throw on a T-shirt, shorts and a comfy sweater and I don’t care if my hair’s all messy and my socks don’t match. My grandmother, Nou Nou, made me some baggy beige shorts for a present that are quite ’40s and I’m wearing them a lot out here because they are homemade and very special. I think it’s good to be down-to-earth; I’ll have plenty of time to care and worry about fashion and what I look like later on.

‘My own style was always a bit punky and slightly androgynous; I hated expressing my femininity and hid my sexuality’

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21/08/2012 23:29

Giles Deacon AW12

Mary Katrantzou

THE LFW SURVIVAL GUIDE

Eat Krispy Kremes, drink coffee, wear black and tweet. How to get through the fashion madness of SS13 CO-FOUNDER OF PREMIER MODEL MANAGEMENT

During LFW I travel by... Car or foot. Ultimate goosebump moment? Giles Deacon’s last collection – the cut, the clothes, the elegance of his designs, you believe the dream… Overheard on the front row: What British stylist and fashion journalist Katie Grand did yesterday… Favourite soundtrack: The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’. Still so inspiring. Most unusual show venue: McQueen at Borough Market. Most inventive invitation: Giles Deacon’s paper glasses. Survival tips: Sleep, eat nuts and salad and Krispy Kremes, use Evian hydrating spray, drink lots of vodka and wear sunglasses. I’ll be wearing… Jeans Everyone will be wearing… A mixture

Carole White Giles Deacon AW12

of Primark and Alexander Wang. SS13 show I’m most looking forward to: Meadham Kirchhoff, because it is always crazy-bonkers. Designer to watch: Sibling. Ultimate front row: Winston Churchill, Iggy Pop, Carine Roitfeld, Stella Tennant, Jimi Hendrix. Most memorable party: A party for Dom Pérignon in an old church – amazing venue, amazing food – sushi, oysters, homemade sweets and, of course, Dom Pérignon. Biggest fashion week annoyance: People who push, getting backstage and the calendar dates – there’s no rest between NY, London, Paris and Milan Most overrated: Size zero. Most underrated: How good the British are at design.

COMPILED BY STEPHANIE HIRSCHMILLER. PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEAN THOMAS, WROBLEN1 AT FLICKR

CAROLE WHITE

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21/08/2012 23:39

MARY KATRANTZOU DESIGNER

During LFW… A fleet of Addison Lee cars takes us and all our collection to the show and back to the studio. Ultimate goosebump moment: I don’t know; I think I just get too caught up to dislocate myself and make a judgement. Favourite soundtrack? I love the music we used for the Lampshade collection – it was the soundtrack from the Chinese love film, 2046. Favourite venue: We showed the Lampshade collection C’est Ci N’est Pas Une Chambre (SS11) at the old Eurostar station at Waterloo. It was a special moment. Most inventive invitation: I like the one we had last season: it was a lenticular (when you print two images on a page so they interchange depending on which way you look at it) – I used it as part of the animation I did for Britain Creates with Mark Titchner. How do you prepare for Fashion Week? With great anxiety and sleepless nights. We have a growing team now so we can take on more, but it still feels like we’re rushing around the clock, never meeting our deadlines and never finishing on time. I have this notion that we’re five people away from being a success. I’ll be wearing… I have a heart necklace that my boyfriend got for me years ago. I always wear that. My clothes are usually black. To be honest I don’t usually have time to think about what I’m wearing. Show I’m most looking forward to? I never go to any other shows. I never even see my own show as I’m always busy backstage. Young LFW designer to watch: I really like what Simone Rocha is doing; she has a real sensitivity to the way she uses fabrics and silhouettes. After the event… You always feel really overwhelmed because of that adrenaline rush that gets you through two months of sleepless nights. Backstage after a show, we always hug and cry because there’s so much tension built up and you can let go, because you’ve done everything you can do and now it’s up to other people to decide if they like the collection or not. Mary Katrantzou AW12 AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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21/08/2012 23:54

Gareth Pugh AW12

ANNA TREVELYN

STYLIST WHO WORKS WITH NICOLA FORMICHETTI

During LFW I travel by… Foot, taxi, or helicopter. Ultimate goosebump moment: When I first started assisting years ago and I saw Gareth Pugh, Noki and House of Holland at Fashion East. Favourite soundtrack: Christopher Shannon’s Donk soundtrack a few seasons ago. Favourite venue: Somerset House’s dungeon space. Most inventive invitation: I loved the Christopher Raeburn parachute invite. How do you prepare for Fashion Week? Drink a lot of coffee and put myself in a frantic frame of mind. Survival tips: Gel insoles to kill

the pain of super-high heels. Befriend a taxi driver and convince him to become your personal chauffeur (I have not yet succeeded in this). Twitter is also really useful. I’ll be wearing… I am very excited about wearing my pink sequined Ashish all-in-one. I’m really into all-in-ones with matching jackets. Everyone will be wearing… clashing prints, bright colours, neon, camo. SS13 show I’m most excited about: JW Anderson – I love his designs and think he is one of the best emerging designers, continually pushing boundaries. Designers to watch: Alex Mattson, Nasir Mazhar, Maarten Van der Horst, Marques‘Almeida. Ultimate front row: A$AP Rocky in Supreme, Kristen Stewart in Balenciaga, Victoria Beckham in Victoria Beckham, Rita Ora in JW Anderson and Sid Vicious in SEX.

VICTORIA MEEKINGS,

James Long AW12

During LFW I travel by: The fastest route… I’m always envious of the editors who are ferried around in the Mercedes Benz fleet. Ultimate goosebump moment: Meadham Kirchhoff SS12. It was fashion theatre at its absolute best; from baby ballerinas to Courtney Love lookalikes. Even Anna Wintour raised a smile. Overheard on the front row: Deducing how hungover you are in comparison to your peers from the fashion party that took place the night before is a fun game, as is assessing the tan pantone sported by front-row celebs. Favourite soundtrack: James Long blasting ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ by Mighty Dub Katz (AW12). Favourite venue: For the last couple of seasons, Roksanda

Ilincic has shown at the gorgeous Institute of Directors on Pall Mall. Most inventive invitation: Meadham Kirchhoff ’s invitations appeal to the kitsch-hungry child in me. How do you prepare for Fashion Week? I’ll usually head on a Supermarket Sweep-style shopping trip through Harvey Nichols and Topshop so I can get through the week looking as though I work in the fashion industry… Everyone will be wearing… peplums. SS13 show I’m most excited about: Mary Katrantzou and Preen. Designer to watch: James Long. Ultimate front row: Pharrell Williams, Rhianna, the Queen and Suri Cruise.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN STEVENS

PRESS MANAGER AT HARVEY NICHOLS

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21/08/2012 23:59

MELANIE SMALLWOOD

HEAD OF FASHION BRANDS, EBAY UK

Jonathan Saunders AW12

Looking forward to… This will be our first Fashion Week as a partner of Fashion Forward. I’m looking forward

to taking our retailers to some of the shows and supporting the designers. We also have activities lined up for both buyers and sellers of eBay fashion. Ultimate goosebump moment… Alexander McQueen and Jonathan Saunders are definitely near the top of the list. SS13 shows I’m most excited about: It has to be Christopher Kane and Louise Gray. I’ll be wearing: Towering heels; but with Lanvin ballet pumps in my handbag.

Everyone will be wearing… I think we’ll see similar themes coming through from last season, with block colour and prints. Favourite venue: It had to be Burberry’s show space in Hyde Park in February. It was amazing. Survival tips… The Wolseley for afternoon tea, Hix Belgravia for some early evening drinks and St Martin’s Lane Hotel for in between. Most underrated... British designers – they’re a force to be reckoned with.

MARIA GRACHVOGEL DESIGNER

Maria Grachvogel AW12

During LFW I travel... on foot. There are so many interesting-looking people and I enjoy the fresh air and exercise. Ultimate goosebump moment: SS12. As I came out on the runway, there was the most enormous cheer from the audience and it was incredible. Overheard on the front row: A lady never tells… Favourite soundtrack: I loved the Amelia Earhart-inspired soundtrack that Doug Haywood did for us (AW09). Favourite venue: The Savoy. Most inventive invention: A key for a door that let you into an Alice in Wonderland Party at Selfridges. How do you prepare for Fashion Week? Ironically, the most important thing for me to do is rest. The more quiet time I have the more creative the collection. Survival tips: Sleep, rest, get fresh air and wear pieces that make you feel inspired. I’ll be wearing… I start to inhabit the character of the woman in the collection and this develops as the collection does, it’s a wonderful unfolding of creativity. Everyone will be wearing... There has been a growing trend for individualism – not simply following looks dictated by the runway, but making them your own. I am excited to see how this translates in what people put together for the shows. SS13 show I’m most looking forward to: Dior – I am very interested to see what

‘There has been a growing trend for individualism – not simply following looks dictated by the runway’ Raf Simons does for ready-to-wear, as opposed to couture. Favourite SS12 show? Vionnet. Rodolfo Paglialunga’s strong signature carried the brand into the 21st century. Young designer to watch: Simone Rocha is incredibly talented and has the benefit of many years of learning about the industry through her father. Ultimate front row: Katherine Hepburn, Tamara De Lempicka, Tilda Swinton, Florence Welch (pictured left with a Prada SS12 bag) and Anna Wintour. AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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22/08/2012 00:00

Emily Johnston

PRINCESS JULIA DJ AND MUSIC WRITER

During LFW I travel by… bus and train, but if a show’s in east London then I walk. Quite often, I meet friends en route and we speculate about the forthcoming show. Ultimate goosebump moment: Stephen Jones’s swan headdress creations for Giles. Favourite soundtrack: Yasmina Dexter. I also loved the soundtrack artist Matthew Stone did for Gareth Pugh (AW12). Most unusual concept: The Alexander McQueen show where the models seemingly had to walk through a river. Most inventive invitation: Meadham Kirchhoff ’s are always adorable. I’ll be wearing… four Azzedine Alaïa frocks, but I mostly mix everything up, so it’s some Louise Gray shirts, something from James Long, Givenchy and some Vivienne Westwood + Melissa Lady Dragon heart jelly shoes (above). SS13 show I’m most excited about: The Sister by Sibling collection. Favourite AW12 show: Louise Gray always blows me away. She really jazzes it up with her cut, surface design and trimmings. It’s an eyeful in the most sensational way. Young LFW designer to watch: Knitwear designer Lucas Nascimento for his inventive, ladylike collections. Ultimate front row: Hamish Bowles, Quentin Crisp, Gwendoline Christie, Isabella Blow, Lulu Kennedy and Charlie Porter as I love his fashion commentary. Most memorable fashion week party: Bistrotheque always throws some brilliant fashion dos and sometimes I get to DJ at them. Jonathan Saunders had a great party at the Bread Street Kitchen (below). The lovely Jonjo DJed, the hoola girl Marawa (The Amazing) piled on her hoops and I sat on Jonathan’s lap.

Backstage at McQ AW12

EMILY JOHNSTON

FASHION FOIE GRAS BLOGGER

During LFW I travel by… I wish it was a helicopter. But the old LFW bus is always a barrel of laughs. Ultimate goosebump moment: Alexander McQueen's McQ. The conclusion was so emotional and beautiful. I swear my entire row was fighting back the tears as an enchanted forest emerged at the end of the catwalk. Overheard: “Do you think anyone will notice that this is Primark, not Prada?” Favourite soundtrack: Two seasons ago, when everyone seemed to be playing a song from the new Adele album. Favourite venue: I really love Mulberry in Claridges. They transform the space every season with clever themed add-ons. Last season's furry seats were brilliant, especially as we were all freezing. Most inventive invitation: Again, this one goes to Mulberry who, last season, sent a massive golden key. When I say massive, I mean it was nearly two feet long.

How do you prepare for Fashion Week? Sleep. I get so little of it during the actual week, I try to hibernate in the month leading up. Survival tips: Pack flats, bring a mobile phone charger and some energy bars. Also kiss your boyfriend goodbye, as it’ll be a while before he sees you again. I’ll be wearing… Far too early to tell, but I don't go all out. It's at least a 14-hour day, so I try to keep that in mind when selecting outfits and choose what I will feel comfortable in. SS13 show I’m most looking forward to: Christopher Kane. Favourite AW12 show: I really loved Antonio Berardi. He has a way of transforming women with his designs like nothing I've ever seen before. Designer to watch: Maarten van der Horst. He's definitely making ripples. Ultimate front row: Jackie O, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe and Oprah.

REBECCA OSEI-BAIDOO

BROWNS WOMENSWEAR BUYER

Stella McCartney AW12

During LFW I travel by... Tube and fashion bus. Ultimage goosebump moment: Dolce & Gabbana’s SS12 fruit and veg show, especially when all the girls came out in sequin bustiers. Favourite soundtrack: D’Banj at Stella McCartney’s AW12 show, bringing a bit of Nigerian flavour to Paris.

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22/08/2012 00:00

THELMA SPEIRS ELLA DROR

OF LONDON MILLINER BERNSTOCK SPEIRS

Ashish AW12

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RAI ROYAL, MATTHEW HARRISON

FOUNDER OF ELLA DROR PR

During LFW I travel... by taxi. Favourite soundtrack: ‘Jungle is Massive’ by Ali G and MC Vapour. Most inventive invitation? I really loved the Ashish travelcard invite from a couple of seasons ago. Survival tips: Get a car in the morning (public transport stresses me out), wear huge eyelashes and have a glass of wine at the end of each day. I’ll be wearing… Ashish, Astrid Andersen, Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Sean Sampson, a Charlie le Mindu weave and Katy Perry-style eyelashes. Everyone will be wearing… Hints of neon SS13 show I’m most excited about: Ashish – I love everything Ashish does. He makes my fashion dreams come true. Favourite AW12 show: I love Sister by Sibling. Designer to watch: Marques’Almeida. Ultimate front row: Anna Wintour, Jay-Z, A$AP Rocky, Snoop Dogg, David LaChapelle. Most memorable Fashion Week party: I went to a Thierry Mugler party in Paris and did not get back to the hotel till 6am.

During LFW I travel by… Last fashion week on the morning of the show I was travelling at 4.00am so I went to Antoni’s and we got the night bus from there. Ultimate goosebump moment: Our Models walking Up & Down in Dresses show last year. We had been waiting since students for technology to catch up with us to allow us to make those dresses. Favourite soundtrack: The sound of someone eating a packet of crisps which was the soundtrack to our Fat and lazy and can’t be bothered collection, Nothing for AW/04. I’ll be wearing… Black SS/13 show I’m most looking forward to: Ours – it’s our 25th anniversary

Favourite venue: Kenzo’s AW12 show at the Pierre et Marie Curie University in Paris. They had models going down escalators, walking down the corridors and posing at the entrance. You wouldn’t expect anything less from Humberto Leon and Carol Lim… How do you prepare for Fashion Week? I try to go only to one or two parties and get to bed at a decent time, but to be honest that never happens. I’ll be wearing… My Prism shades and

Pièce d’Anarchive pieces that will probably be appropriate for the kind of weather we’ll have in September. SS13 show I’m most excited about: Ashish and Christopher Kane. Both very different but really representative of LFW. Designer to watch: Ostwald Helgason and JW Anderson. Ultimate front row... Jimi Hendrix, Carrie Bradshaw, Rihanna, Carine Roitfeld and Tupac Shakur.

ALISON ROBERTS OF DESIGN DUO ANTONI & ALISON

During LFW I travel by… Foot, tube or taxi Ultimate goosebump moment: Peter Jensen AW12… because I was the muse. Overheard in the queue: “Do you have a ticket?” Favourite soundtrack: Vivienne Westwood’s Buffalo Girl show AW82. The soundtrack was White Christmas (mixed with Malcolm McLaren) and there was a fake snowfall. Most unusual show venue: We did a show with Tatty Devine (SS03) in The Stockpot restaurant in Chelsea. We served full English breakfast. Most inventive invitation: Peter Jensen’s AW12 invitation was a crossword puzzle – and all the clues related to me. How do you prepare for Fashion Week? I do some yoga and polish my loafers. Survival tips: Eat: crisps. Drink: rosé. I’ll be wearing…Tomboy chic. Or my new ’60s Chanel suit. Everyone will be wearing… Bernstock Speirs bunny caps (above, worn during the Peter Jensen AW12 show). SS13 show I’m most looking forward to: Preen, because they are back showing in London. Favourite AW12 show: Jonathan Saunders, because it was so chic. Designer to watch: Lou Dalton, who does fantastic menswear. Ultimate front row: Liza Minnelli, CZ Guest, Gwendoline Christie, Louis Theroux and Hamish Bowles. Most memorable party: Alexander McQueen’s after-show party, circa 1993. Over-rated: The shows. Under-rated: The shows. AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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22/08/2012 00:00

MAW!

Model, actress, whatever... it’s always been a puzzle for models – what to do after they quit the catwalk. Should they go into acting like Agyness, design underwear like Elle, or just keep going like Kate? Three creative trailblazers – an artist, a photographer and a poet – show that there’s another way of making a life in fashion work for you

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MORWENNA LYTTON COBBOLD THE MODEL PHOTOGRAPHER

to have on the last page, about a girl in her bedroom. It was spotted by an agency and they signed me. Aquascutum was one of the most fun campaigns I’ve done. The concept was a school photo Successful model and heiress to the Knebworth made up of couples who had to kiss. My partner was a ginger man Estate in Hertfordshire, Morwenna Lytton who was worried about his girlfriend seeing the pictures. Cobbold, 22, has starred in Burberry’s campaign “I also shot with Stephen Meisel for Italian Vogue. That was with Agyness Deyn and Lily Donaldson, definitely an adventure. It happened at the last minute, halfway modelled for designers including Christopher through New York Fashion Week. I was on my thirteenth casting Kane and Vivienne Westwood and shot for of the day and was told I needed to go to the airport as soon as British and Italian Vogues, working with possible. My grandma came along for the ride and we had this photographers including Mario Testino, Steven 24-hour adventure where we flew to LA, did the shoot and flew Meisel, Ellen von Unwerth, Tim Walker and back for another day of New York Fashion Week. Rankin. An ideal grounding for her parallel “I always loved taking pictures. Even before I modelled, I was doing an A level in photography and set up a darkroom at career as a photographer… Knebworth in an old shed. I was always documenting what I was doing backstage and taking portraits of e’re talking on Skype people, because I wasn’t sure how long it was all going to last and I wanted to make sure I from Korea – her, not me. She’s in one had some way of remembering things. I’m interested in seeing the people behind all the of t hose fabled drama and styling. model apartments, “I’ve done a series of portraits called Models wea r ing a T-shir t f rom Tou r ne de and Mothers. I went to models’ home towns Transmission, (a friend’s label) and leggings and shot them with their mothers, stripping and surrounded by clothes and Polaroid back the fashion persona and going back to photos from an earlier trip to a temple in where they came from. I’m really interested Seoul. I’m told that it’s super-hot, about 30 in identity and how you construct who you degrees in the shade. are from what you wear. “I’ve never been to Asia before. It’s an eyeI exhibited Models and Mothers at the opener. In Europe, it’s much more about your Richard Young Gallery in London and there’s personality, showing them your book and another show in the works, when I have a having a chat, whereas here people don’t chance to organise it. I want to do a general speak English so you have one of the exhibition of all my travel photography with managers from the agency with you. They portraits from Sydney, Seoul and LA, where sell you and you have to just stand there and I lived last year. I shot a project there called smile, then they’ll ask you to do some poses standing at their desk. And then they’ll say Brits Abroad about people who were making ‘big pose’ and you have to make it bigger. a new life for themselves and how they were Clockwise from far left: Model Heidi Rock with her mother Philomena Hegarty at home in Crouch End, part of Morwenna’s “I was born in LA. My mum’s American still trying to keep a British identity. Models and Mothers exhibition; Morwenna Lytton Cobbold in a Vivienne Westwood Anglomania campaign; Model/actress I met Paolo Roversi recently. I told him that and my dad’s English. We lived in the village vintage Sai Bennett, photographed by Morwenna in Johnny Rockets on Melrose, West Hollywood; Morwenna herself, photographed by I was really inspired by his work and all he in Knebworth until I was 11, when my Alex Lambrechts; Bianca O’Brien, Under the Influence’s model casting director, photographed by Morwenna in Paris said to me was, “Stay in love” - not a technical grandparents handed the estate over to my parents and we moved into the actual house. It was a fun place to tip, but he’s amazing. I love modelling and I want to be a model for as long as I possibly can, but it’s not something you can do forever grow up with all the festivals in the garden and so many interesting – in 10 years’ time I see myself living in the LA countryside with people passing through. My favourite gig was probably Robbie dogs and kids running around, shooting portraits of people in the Williams in 2003. I was 13 and my friends and I sat and watched on the roof. desert. But I can also see myself at Knebworth, putting on concerts “I got into modelling through a family friend, Jenny Dyson. She and shooting mental photographs.” was European editor of Teen Vogue and I did a story that they used Stephanie Hirschmiller

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‘At castings, you’re there for hours, so I started drawing the models – but I’m shy, so I wore sunglasses’

Clockwise from above: Preizler’s take on Prada SS12; on the catwalk for Roksanda Ilincic SS12; Preizler draws Givenchy SS12

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NAOMI PREIZLER

THE MODEL ARTIST Argentinian Naomi Preizler fought backstage boredom by bringing a sketchbook to fittings. Her drawings are now earning her a name as an artist as well as a model, she tells Tim Teeman

o often as a model, Naomi Preizler says, you are treated as just another body. But not Preizler; not since the drawings she sketched of models backstage during fashion shows or at fittings at couture houses began appearing in magazines. Now, the 21-year-old Argentinian model says, she is known as “the one who draws”: an artist capturing her professional world from behind the scenes. Her drawings, in pencil and paint, of the AW2012 shows of designers including Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier and Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga appeared on Vogue.com and in magazines including Harper’s Bazaar Argentina and The Sunday Telegraph’s Stella magazine. Today, in her modelling agency’s office in New York, she is carrying a shoulder bag she has customised herself with a painting of a dramatic face with sheer cheekbones and red lips, surrounded by flowers and artful patches of glitter. Growing up in Buenos Aires, Preizler’s was an artistic background: her grandmother Paulina is a painter and sculptor, her father Daniel is an architect and her mother Sylvia a computer programmer who makes her own clothes. The family home has an atelier where the young Preizler painted and made handicrafts. Preizler’s earliest ambition was to become a ballerina, “but I was too tall”. She also wanted to become a fashion designer. At 14, she was approached by a modelling scout but, because the models she was aware of in Argentina were bronzed, big-breasted and barely clothed, she couldn’t see a future in it “and all the great designers were abroad”. However, she knew she wanted to leave school at 18 to go to New York and, at 15, tried to get her parents to sign emancipation papers giving her independence, but they refused. “They were scared because of the sex market… older men approaching me.” She stayed at school and, at 18, just after beginning to study industrial design at university in Buenos Aires, she moved first to London, then Paris, to begin modelling.

“It was amazing,” says Preizler. “I loved the museums: the Tate, Tate Modern, The Louvre. I loved London: it’s so creative, young and fresh. In New York, people buy and design what sells, they follow trends, it’s all about Barneys and Bloomingdale’s. In London, there are so many different designers and movements. I wore big peasant dresses and hats. In Paris, people would think you were weird if you dressed like that.” Preizler also started drawing in London: her roommates, people on the street and in galleries, where she fell in love with the works of the expressionists and was particularly moved by Schiele, Klimt and Lucian Freud. She attended life drawing classes and pored over fashion magazines, a fan of the photography of Paolo Roversi. “At castings, you’re there for hours, so I started drawing the models – but I’m shy, so I wore sunglasses,” she says. “I like seeing how ateliers work. I posted the drawings on Facebook and editors began to see them.” As a young model, she had been nervous: “You don’t know if you should talk to the designers; if they like you; if you’re doing the right thing. But you get older and become more confident. Painting makes me different from the other models. Because of modelling, I’ve been able to show my art and, through my art, I am becoming respected as something other than a model.” She is creating a T-shirt line for Argentinian brand AY Not Dead and will exhibit her drawings in Buenos Aires. For InStyle magazine, alongside other artists, she’s painted a homage to the classic black Chanel jacket. In addition to this, she is about to star in a friend’s independent film: small wonder her therapist says her biggest problem is that she has “too many choices”. Preizler is single and would like someone to share her life with; she thinks it likely the man will be Argentinian. British men are too shy, Americans “too focused on work ” or grandstanding about college. Argentinian men, however, “know how to treat women”. Her mother told Preizler to write down “the cruelty, the things you see” in the fashion world. “It’s hard,” admits Preizler. “You meet awesome people, but you meet a lot of fake ones too. Fashion is superficial: you wear something to make yourself more beautiful, to transform yourself.” Has she struggled with staying thin? “It’s something every model lives with. It’s a lie when people say they’re skinny because it’s their nature. Maybe some are, but I had to lose weight when I started modelling. There are so many pressures around food. Starving yourself not only hurts you but may hurt your health, now or later when you may want children. The pressure made me stronger. I had a good family, a therapist, a nutritionist. I love food and I eat healthily, three meals a day.” She laughs. “Sometimes I wish I could have a cake for breakfast though.” She shrugs. “If you can’t fit into a dress for one show, who cares – it’s just a show.” Preizler really is a singular model, and it’s not just down to her drawings. AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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‘There is a lyricism in fashion and an immediacy to poetry’

Greta Bellamacina in a Twenty8Twelve diary post, wearing their new AW12 collection on a Bournemouth beach

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The Hoss Intropia shop front and (right) a postcard printed with Bellamacina poems

GRETA BELLAMACINA THE MODEL POET

Greta Bellamacina, 22, was born in Hampstead, the daughter of two writers. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that she combines her commitments on the catwalk with writing poetry

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: JACOB PERLMUTTER

y modelling career began by accident, when I was doing an internship in America at US Vogue before starting university. I was spotted by Teen Vogue, which is based in the same building in New York’s Times Square. I was apprehensive at my first shoot, but I am now a lot more comfortable in front of the camera. I have learnt to enjoy the uncertainties. My modelling career has continued in London, while I’ve been completing an English degree at King’s College, London. For me, modelling is the 21st century’s version of storytelling, appealing to people of all ages. I am forever surprised at the endless ways there are to illustrate fashion; the more wildly ridiculous, the better. And, like poetry, fashion tells a story in which the model almost becomes the narrative. Alongside my relationships with photographers and designers, my relationship with words has evolved. Meeting people on my travels in fashion has inspired me to write more poetry. I guess my main message in writing is to raise more philosophical questions about the world, particularly about the perceived image-based façade of the fashion world. When writing, I also enjoy the challenge of word play, just as fashion can be a blend of unspoken, more visual juxtapositions. Given that the fashion industry has such an influence in the social media-driven realm we inhabit, I have incorporated words and

poetry in the same way. Initially I was very protective about my own poetry and reluctant to expose my work. I imagine a lot of artists have to overcome this fear, in order to make a living and pursue their calling. My first collision with fashion and poetry was with my friend Amber Atherton, who has developed her own online jewellery business, MyFlashTrash.com. We decided to use my poetic phrases to create friendship bracelets, which were inspired by Amber’s travels to South America. We also wanted to support the local fair-trade businesses there, using enlightening phrases and combining them with an element of aspiration. Then I wrote poetry for the Spanish fashion brand Hoss Intropia’s shopfront on the King’s Road during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and also for Chelsea in Bloom. The poetry was displayed in the shapes of flowers for passers-by to gaze at. It was soon after that that I strated writing for the Twenty8Twelve blog. I am also modelling for the label, making poetry-art videos and performing at in-store poetry events. When I was signed up to star in the All Saints TV and print advertisements for September, poetry came as part of the package, of course. There is a lyricism in fashion and an immediacy to poetry, both of which can go unnoticed. I aim to unite the two. gretabellamacina.tumblr.com/ AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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If you like Preen, you’ll love: MICHAEL VAN DER HAM

AW sees van der Ham’s signature collage prints jostling with handfinished appliqué and metallic wool bouclé, Jacquard and lace. Look out for his first foray into jewellery this season, too, with suitably baroque oversized cuffs and rings set with coral and turquoise. The Dutch-born east London-based designer, 27, who loves old-school doyennes Madame Grès, Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet and counts Louise Wilson and Lulu Kennedy as mentors, was an early developer: “I kind of liked drawing clothes when I was little. That’s how it started…” He’s gone on to be chosen last month by Suttirat Larlarb, creative director of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, to create some of its costumes and we can also expect a collaboration on a cashmere line, launching later this year.

FASHION’S FACES OF THE

FUTURE Who won what, and where? Spotting a rising fashion star is easy when you know the competitions to watch, says Stephanie Hirschmiller

THE COMPETITION:

NEWGEN

Gives young labels financial support towards show costs and use of the BFC catwalk in LFW HQ Somerset House. Previous winners include Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon and Christopher Kane

Michael van der Ham AW12

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If you like Hakaan, you’ll love: SIMONE ROCHA

PHOTOGRAPHS: NEIL GAVIN, THOMAS LUHR, RORY VAN MILLINGEN, NICK KNIGHT FOR I-D MAGAZINE, 2010; COURTESY OF SHOWSTUDIO.COM

Above and above right: Simone Rocha AW12

The daughter of designer John Rocha, Simone, 25, has style in her blood. She made her LFW debut in 2010 through Lulu Kennedy’s fashion incubator, Fashion East, and has since designed a capsule line for Topshop. Simone’s affinity with texture sees an AW12 collection of sharply cut, lace-effect PVC, glossy black ponyskin and silver, mirrored oversized coats – not to mention her signature Perspex-soled shoe.

If you like Alexander Wang, you’ll love: JJS LEE The Korean designer only graduated from Central Saint Martin’s in 2010, but Jackie Lee’s sinuous, minimal, androgynous tailoring proved an instant hit with Harrods, which gave her its coveted Design Award and snapped up much of her graduate collection. As a child, Jackie remembers unearthing a vintage Chanel jacket in her mother’s wardrobe and being hooked on fashion ever since. Her current collection was influenced by clouds and shadows, as seen from the window of an aeroplane, and SS13 draws its inspiration from the Berlin Wall. We’ve also heard tell of a new bag line to add to our wish list…

JW Anderson AW12

If you like Tommy Hilfiger, you’ll love: JW ANDERSON

J JS Lee AW12

Plaid, glossy space-age suits, trenches you can see your face in and the season’s staple puffa reinvented into high-collared tops and floor-length dresses for AW12 – all take an unlikely inspiration from an oppressed housewife. And there’s even a Topshop capsule collection debuting this month. Jonathan William Anderson, 27, originally pursued a career in acting, but the stage’s loss is the catwalk’s gain. This is also the man behind the paisley PJs so beloved of Alexa Chung… AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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THE COMPETITION:

FASHION EAST

Every season, it takes on three womenswear and three menswear designers, mentoring them and giving them a bursary, plus a venue to present a LFW show. Winners include Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland, Gareth Pugh, Louise Gray, Roksanda Ilincic… you get the picture

THE COMPETITION:

VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT MERIT AWARD

Above, below and right: Heohwan Simulation AW12

Entrants must not have held a solo catwalk show before. The winner gets £25,000 in sponsorship, a catwalk show, £1,000 bursary and marketing support. Previous winners include David Koma and Georgia Hardinge

Above and right: Marques’ Almeida AW12

If you like Christopher Raeburn, you’ll love: TEIJA EILOLA

If you like Helmut Lang, you’ll love: MARQUES’ALMEIDA Marta Marques, 25, and Paulo Almeida, 26, met at fashion college in Portugal and then moved to the UK, where they worked for Vivienne Westwood and Preen respectively before joining forces in 2009, while studying for an MA at Central Saint Martin’s. They set up their label two years later. An outerwearcentric AW12 collection saw their raw-edged denim in deconstructed shifts and all-in-ones, grungy capes and parkas edged with flashes of neon. Their inspiration? Woods, suburbia and teenagers.

Teija Eilola sketch

Originally from Finland, Eilola, 34, won a distinction for her MA from the Royal College of Art and has since worked for brands including Ted Baker and Michiko Koshino while setting up her own label. “The enjoyment of being a designer,” she says, “is in seeing somebody wearing it; and the 2-D becoming 3-D.” But while she loves Consuelo Castiglioni’s Marni and Isabel Marant, she takes inspiration from her surroundings – most recently, the girls among whom she was working at Burberry’s head office, wearing their hair in high buns and carrying huge tote bags.

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THE COMPETITION:

FASHION FRINGE

The winner, selected by Burberry’s CCO Christopher Bailey, receives help setting up their own label, studio space at Somerset House and money. Each year, three finalists spend the summer doing placements at Burberry and working on capsule collections to showcase at LFW, where the winner will be announced from the finalists below

If you like Celine, you’ll love: HEOHWAN SIMULATION

Korean designer and RCA graduate, Hwan Heo is inspired by the history of fashion and designers from Schiaparelli to Balenciaga and originally studied menswear, so his womenswear is heavy on androgyny and sharp lines. His new collection is all about Naomi Klein’s No Logo and AW12 takes on the identity of the flâneur, the 19th-century French romantic who mooches through Belle Epoque Paris and the contemporary street style photographer, incorporating the silhouettes, lines and ’80s colours.

If you like Ann Demeulemeester, you’ll love: HAIZHEN WANG Chinese-born Haizhen Wang studied at both LCF and CSM and counts Daphne Guinness and Tilda Swinton as muses. He ended up in fashion by accident – he intended to apply for a graphic design course, but his father sent off a fashion design application for him instead. His style combines masculine femininity and classical British tailoring with Asian influences and Japanese armour and his favourite designers are Haider Ackermann and Rick Owens.

Haizhen Wang sketch

If you like Mary Katrantzou, you’ll love: VITA GOTTLIEB

Christopher Bailey (far right) with Fashion Fringe finalists, (from left), Vita Gottlieb, Haizhen Wang and Teija Eilola

Vita Gottlieb sketch

Gottlieb, 36, studied for an MA in Fine Art at CSM and, while she has made TV advertisements, short films and documentaries, has no formal training in fashion. She is obsessed by the artist Walton Ford and counts Iris van Herpen, Georgia Hardinge and Felicity Brown among her favourite designers. AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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THE COMPETITION:

ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART – SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS PRIZE

The award is presented to the RCA student who has used crystals in the most innovative way Erin Hawke AW12

If you liked Christopher Kane, you’ll love: TRINE HAV CHRISTENSEN

THE COMPETITION:

CENTRAL ST MARTIN’S - BA/L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONNEL AWARD The £1000 award was set up in 2001 to nurture cutting-edge talent

This year’s winner was Trine Hav Christensen, 28, for her ethereal body con, flounces and 3-D prints inspired by a futuristic underwater world, handmade in The Olympic costumes silicone and crystal fabrics. She is a selfproclaimed maximalist and a magpie for anything shiny or embroidered. “I always work with sculptural cuts and details that accentuate the hourglass figure,” she tells us. Her aesthetic lends itself perfectly to costume and she’s created pieces for Katie Eary and Lady Gaga collaborator, filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, as well as being responsible for the costumes worn last month by the Olympic escorts for the Official Opening Ceremony. From left: Christian Wijnants with his winning design; Christian Wijnants AW12

If you like Yohji Yamamoto Y3, you’ll love: ERIN HAWKE

For her BA collection, Hawke, 24, used an exaggerated urban skater and hip-hop style as reference points for overblown silhouettes, silken graffiti prints, cropped cargo pants and low-slung apron skirts with hoods to match – all layered to the max. It’s a far cry from her home in the Cotswolds, but she’s a sucker for Nike – and the “rude boys that keep launching the lifebelts into the quay at Shadwell Basin, where I live” give her plenty of food for thought. She’s just been snapped up by Louis Vuitton’s accessories department.

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Margot Bowman for Diana Auria Harris AW12

THE COMPETITION:

LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION – FASHION INNOVATION AWARD Awarded for originality

THE COMPETITION:

THE INTERNATIONAL WOOLMARK PRIZE The winning designer scoops $100,000. Launched in the ’50s, winners have included Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent

If you like Stella McCartney, you’ll love: CHRISTIAN WIJNANTS

Woolmark’s European finalist has worked for Dries Van Noten in Antwerp. He takes his style cue from his yarns, letting the fabrics guide him to create new shapes, and loves the fact that people on the other side of the world are

buying and enjoying his dresses: “It’s a strange but very motivating feeling.” Having launched his own brand in 2000, he shows at Paris Fashion Week and sells in Paris’s Colette, Pineal Eye in London, Tokyo’s Via Bus Stop and Henri Bendel in New York. Favourite designer? Raf Simons of Dior.

If you like Lisa Marie Fernandez for Peter Pilotto, you’ll love: MARGOT BOWMAN FOR DIANA AURIA HARRIS

Diana’s swimwear is actually a joint venture with illustrator Margot Bowman and sees ’80s retro silhouettes (think Baywatch) combined with the clean geometric shapes of the Bauhaus movement and kitsch prints referencing Greek mythology. However, the Econyl fabric she employs is thoroughly contemporary - 100% recycled polyamide from fishing nets and old carpets. We have Zandra Rhodes to thank for setting her on the path to fashion stardom: she did a work experience placement with the designer at 15. “It was really exciting and inspiring working one-to-one with a fashion legend,” she enthuses. “I will always respect her for giving young kids these amazing opportunities.” AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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Ali Hewson with her daughter Jordan

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AT HOME WITH

BONO

She hates shopping, runs two businesses, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a personal trainer and once drove a truck into a nuclear fall-out zone. Ali Hewson is a very surprising wife for a rock star, discovers Beatrice Aidin Photographs by Helena Christensen

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Ali Hewson and (right) with her husband Bono at the New York premiere of his musical, Spider-Man – Turn Off the Dark

li Hewson is naturally curious. It’s what drives her. But it’s disconcerting trying to interview someone who wants to ask all the questions. As we sit in a hotel suite in New York, where Ali and business partner Bryan Meehan are presenting their revamped skincare line, NUDE, she wants to ask all about me. “Oh you moved here to New York did you? Where do you live?” she asks, eyes alert and friendly behind heavy black spectacles, all in a dancing Dublin lilt. The thing is, we are in a hurry. Her husband is coming to pick her up. That husband, of course, is Bono; the boy who made her laugh when she was twelve and the man with whom she celebrated her thirtieth wedding anniversary this August. His car is imminent, it’s the end of the day, but Ali is charm itself, fluent about the merits of her skincare line and why it has been updated. “Well, if you are conscious of what you are eating and what you are wearing, you have got to be conscious of what you are putting on your skin every day,” she explains earnestly. “We wanted to make a natural skincare line and, although there were plenty of them around, none were active in anti-ageing or feeding your skin. We wanted to make skincare that was pro-active.” Her inspiration came from omega oils and probiotics, healthy bacteria found naturally in the skin and the LVMH group was so

impressed, it bought a 70% share of NUDE last year. “They were so excited about the formula and re-formulated it with us. So now, this is ‘super NUDE’,” Ali exclaims, proudly passing me bottles. The packaging has also been given an overhaul. “You want to have beautiful things in your bathroom. After all, it’s a luxury to live in a part of the world where you use skin creams.” I can’t help but notice Ali’s skin is translucent and quite flawless, so much so, I worry she that she has succumbed to needle intervention until, to my relief, her forehead moves. Instead, I suspect she did a deal with a high SPF factor at an early age because, at 51, she looks a dozen years younger. She wears steep platform shoes and a black dress by House of Dagmar, a small Swedish brand. “I’m not wearing Edun, which is sad,” she sighs. Inspiration for Edun, her fashion line, “came out of buying for my children and not wanting to buy clothes made by someone else’s children, made with despair.” As an early ethical label, Edun has been a roaring success and now shows at New York Fashion Week. Is Ali ever temped to design herself? “That is not something I have training for, although I do love to watch the process as much as possible.” Does she have any style icons? “I like to look simple relaxed and uncomplicated. But you would die if you saw the state of my closet: most of my clothes are 20 years old and I hate shopping with a

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Thirty years of marriage to Bono have produced four children: two older girls, Jordan, 23, and Eve, 21, who live in New York, and two younger sons, Eli, aged 12, and John, 11, who are at school in Ireland. “Dublin is home, although we did live in New York for a year when both our girls moved here. Even grown-up girls still have things that they need their mother to do,” she laughs. There is scant danger of their children falling prey to trust-fund syndrome, if the example of the Hewsons’ work ethic is anything to go by. With Ali and her two businesses and charitable work, and Bono recording and touring with U2, life for the couple is a military operation. “I try to make sure everyone is going to the right place, so it’s busy, but it works. But the most important thing for us has always been the kids,” she continues. “If they aren’t completely secure, then nothing else is going well.” For many years, Ali concentrated on her children and avoided the limelight, uncomfortable with the attention. It was the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster that bought her closer to activism. “Two million people had to be evacuated from their homes and the human tragedy, the social tragedy is almost immeasurable.” The disaster at the processing p l a nt r e l e a s e d r a d i a t i o n estimated to be around 120 times g re ater t ha n t hat of t he Hiroshima bomb. In 1993, Ali drove a truck full of supplies to Belarus from Ireland. The project was filmed for a documentary she produced called Black Wind, White Land. “It was the first time I worked as an activist. I was more scared of the cameras than I was of the air [radiation] over there.” Having now found her voice, twenty-six years after the explosion, she’s still fundraising for The Chernobyl Children’s Project, of which she is patron. “We work with children in homes. If they survive to eighteen over there, they are put in jail; there is nowhere else for them. We organise volunteers to build new independent units for them and a lot of the able-bodied children come over and spend the summer in Ireland. They eat healthy food to boost their immune systems and learn English.” Hewson admits it’s a cause for which it’s hard to raise money. “It’s small stuff we are doing, but it’s groundbreaking in Belarus.” And she’s in it for the long haul. “Bono and I both understand that we can’t take any of this for granted. It’s a huge blessing.” As is their long marriage. “It is!” she exclaims enthusiastically. How will they be celebrating? “A good friend of ours, Gavin Friday, is playing Electric Picnic, the festival. I think we will go and see him.” The car has arrived with her husband to collect her. I can’t help thinking that Bono may be the biggest rock star on the planet – but he is also a very lucky man. nudeskincare.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: REX FEATURES

‘You would die if you saw the state of my closet. Most of my clothes are 20 years old and I hate shopping with a passion’

passion.” But she does adore clothes, often buying online. “I love Vivienne Westwood and the way she hits the female form, though there is nothing uncomplicated, simple and relaxed about her clothes!” As for her enviable figure? “I try not to eat anything out of a packet. Fresh food seems to give more energy but, like most women, my weakness is chocolate.” What exercise does she do? “Mainly yoga. I don’t normally get the chance to do it with an instructor so I have a guide, a little piece of paper.” It’s rather sweet to imagine Ali in her hotel room in eagle pose scored from a cheat sheet. Ali and Bono – or Paul Hewson – started going out long before U2 was conceived or became successful. Alison Stewart, as she was then, was born in Dublin in 1961 to a father who ran an electrical business and a stay-at-home mother, growing up alongside a younger brother who now lives in Australia. At school, she thought about becoming a pilot, nurse or vet. “I always knew I would see the world.” See it she has; and they are a close bunch, U2, which has been key to their success and stability as a band. “Nearly all our friends come from school, the whole band went to secondary school together. I think maybe, as fame happened and the band became bigger, it was more important to hold onto friends who really liked you and really knew you.”

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T R DREAM GIRL ECHNICOLOU

Louise Gray was taught by Louise Wilson, supported by Lulu Kennedy and inspired by Jonathan Saunders. She tells Natalie Silverton how her personal colour crusade is taking over London one dress at a time

Photographed by Paul Wetherall Styling by Richard Sloane

ray by name, but not by nature – the Scottish designer is anything but colourless. Every inch of her small person is layered in vibrant hues, sparkle and trinkets galore. The front of her platinum crop is tied up in ribbon, her hairline is graffitied in green and beaded chandelier-earrings frame her open, pixie face. It appears as though she’s thrown her look together in a haphazard way from Ronald McDonald’s dressing-up box. But somehow, it works. Even her eyes are lined in a flash of dazzling, peacock-blue – she is truly a fashion supernova. Similarly, the room we sit in, deep in the heart of London’s Arcadia House, headquarters of Topshop, is swathed from floor to ceiling in colour and texture – fresh flowers, sequined dresses and make-up abound in an explosion of colour and light. Gray is here to talk about her collaboration with Topshop Make Up. It’s a first for the store and will launch at the end of August at the same time as her debut Topshop clothing collection, all sequins, stripes and smiley faces – dresses girls will be fighting to wear at Christmas parties. “It’s amazing to have Topshop on board,” she says in her stillstrong northeastern-Scottish lilt. “I’ve been working with the brand

on my London Fashion Week shows for six seasons. I went through its NEWGEN programme [the internationally recognised investment scheme for young designers, created by the British Fashion Council and sponsored by Topshop] and it’s been a support for a really long time, so it made sense that we should work together on this.” Why turn her hand to beauty? “Make-up is so integral to me,” she explains. “I wear so much and I’m all about colour,” she adds, unnecessarily. “At the moment, I am obsessed with this electricblue eyeliner (called Intensify); it’s my new black. It’s a colour I include every single season. They always ask in my studio if that blue is coming out again. It still feels modern to me, even though I’ve been using it for years.” You would never catch her barefaced, although she could easily get away with it. She laughs: “In the summer, I’ll wear less make-up, but then I’ll end up wearing a ginormous headdress or lots of earrings. At home, I’ve got a huge extended dressing area and it’s filled with all the things I like. It’s just whatever comes to hand. It’s a process of how many things I can get on at once. This green hairspray is for Halloween, but I use it all the time. Honestly, you only find things you like and want to wear through experimentation. I’ve done so many funny and weird things.” Pots of sequined love-hearts, a cream blush duo and nail polish containing oversized glitter form part of the collection: “I definitely

‘This green hairspray is for Halloween, but I use it all the time. You only find things you like to wear through experimentation’

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Louise Gray AW12

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wanted the make-up to be something that has an instant fun factor. It’s for any age, not just the club kid.” And, as she’s quick to point out, “I’m not a club kid – I’m a thirty-year-old married woman.” She’s the wife of Christopher Suarez, business partner of British shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood. “I always wanted to be different,” Gray recalls. “I think it’s because I have sisters.” Gray grew up “in the middle of nowhere” in Fraserburgh, Scotland, the second of four sisters. Her childhood was spent dressing up in her mother’s ’80s clobber and becoming obsessed with Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. Her mother taught the girls how to embroider and sew: “She really encouraged us to be whoever we were, so that was really amazing.” As for her love affair with colour, “I lived in such a remote place, so it was all about dreaming. Where I come from is so pretty and there are so many colours there, but you have to search them out.” Her search began at the age of 13, when Gray was encouraged by her parents to attend art school in Aberdeen. It was at 17 she left home for Glasgow School of Art to study textile design. “I loved it there. One of my friends said to me I got a degree in learning to get dressed in the dark.” Not long afterwards, she met designer and fellow Scot Jonathan Saunders: “I applied to Central Saint Martin’s after seeing his graduation collection from there. It’s funny now that we are friends, because he was the main reason I wanted to do this.” She then moved to London to complete her MA under the head of MA Fashion, Louise Wilson. It was at her graduation in 2007 that she was introduced to Lulu Kennedy, who she affectionately calls Nana Fashion. “When I met Lulu, she asked me to do Fashion East.” This designer support scheme in Brick Lane has nurtured some of fashion’s most exciting talents – Gareth Pugh, Roksanda Ilincic, House of Holland and Jonathan Saunders to name a few. “I never thought I would start my own label. I always thought I’d work for other people,” recalls Gray. But Kennedy encouraged her to launch her own, eponymous line and says of her: “Lou has Nails in Pinch Punch (above); and in a totally unique eye and fearless approach Hat Trick (above right), £6.50 each, – I especially love the way she mixes colours Louise Gray for Topshop Make Up and embellishments in such an extreme way. Also, as a person, Lou never fails to amaze me; she does things completely her own way – she’s inspirational and great fun to be around.” “At first I’d say to Lulu, ‘I’m not going out at the end of my show to wave’”, recalls Gray, “but she used to drag me out.” She may have been timid in person, but Gray’s creative fearlessness sent vibes of colourful optimism down the runway and the fashion world was captivated. Since then, she’s been on a roll – showing for three consecutive seasons as part of Fashion East, then receiving NEWGEN sponsorship – and has shown for two presentations and three show seasons. Beyond the colours, what is always remarkable is her innovative use of texture, her reworking of traditional embroidery,

print, knitwear and woven techniques. “Presenting to the press was a good way to get people to look at my clothes. What I do is so textile-based, you need to get a close-up.” This year she’s been awarded Fashion Forward sponsorship from the British Fashion Council for two seasons. “I’m given a platform to show on schedule at Fashion Week, which is like a gift. You can’t imagine how helpful it is.” Living for the past nine years in London has also been a help. “London influences me so much – anybody can have fun here.” Her fun includes cocktails at Bistrotheque’s Manchichi Bar in Bethnal Green. “My AW collection was also about the punk girls I used to associate with London when I lived in Scotland. I thought they were cool and I wanted to do my version, as if they still existed now.” Gray is a designer who literally wears her art on her sleeve. There’s no difference between the way she designs and the way she dresses, colliding colours and happily clashing textures. Contrast is key in Gray’s work and nothing is quite what it seems. “People see so much weird stuff in my collections and come up with their own explanations, asking ‘Is this what it’s about?’ And I say no – but I think that’s great. It looks like so many things.” Her collections always celebrate the strong modern woman: “I focus on women as individuals and I look at different ones every season (there’s been Gypsy Rose Lee, Marianne Faithfull and Cyndi Lauper, of course). I investigate the things they were into.” Her ideas get taped to the studio wall – colours and visuals right down to a shoelace that’s caught her eye: “If I can’t see it, then I’ll forget it.” Even during a season, she’s been known to “rip out half the stuff that was in the collection and start on the next one.” Inspiration also comes from books or music she discovers on YouTube: “Everything influences what I do. I’m like a sponge – you can instantly read what I’m into through my work.” Her fashion icons include Rifat Ozbek, ’80s Moschino, Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano. “I’m like a constant magpie.” Fans of her fashion are like groupies. She describes how interns come to work for her. “When they leave after a summer, they’ve all got pink hair. It’s infectious; that’s a good thing to give to girls.” There is something of the young Vivienne Westwood about her. Gray contemplates: “It’s just the energy that surrounds both of us. We’re honest about what we do – this is me and this is my work. You see it’s the same.” She adds: “If you show people fun and optimism then they can take a part of it away with them.” She creates what she calls the “total look” – beauty, shoes and accessories: “That’s how women in my mind dress – they like stuff.” She may wear her own designs every day, but she prefers to see women interpret her work in a personal way. “I only know how I do it. I’m not selling [the idea] that you should look like me. You can get the dress or the eyeliner, you don’t have to do the full thing.” A spark can’t be rationalised, it just is. But whatever it is, she’s got it. Louise Gray for Topshop Make Up and clothing collection, available nationwide, topshop.com and at John Lewis, Oxford Street AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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PRINTS

The goth girl’s alternative to winter florals. A cinched waist and strong lip are all the edge you need DELLO FAYL SILK DRESS, £525, Theyskens’ Theory (020 7985 1188). SHOES, £335, MaxMara (matchesfashion.com).TRIFARI 1970S EARRINGS, £110, AtelierMayer (atelier-mayer.com)

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NEW FASHION RULES THE

From prints to military, fur to beading, style gets serious for the new season Model Portia Freeman Photographs by Daniel Nadel Styling by Fran Mullin

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MILITARY

Soldiers may not have had cashmere and shaved shearling in the trenches, but they are key to the AW fashion battles COAT, £1,610; SWEATER, £210; and SKIRT, £185, all MaxMara (020 7518 8010). BOOTS, £350, See by Chloé (my-wardrobe.com). NECKLACE, £225, Giles & Brother (matchesfashion.com) 58 | AMUSE

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FUR

Play with proportions and team figure-skimming chiffon with an opulent fun chubby – screen siren glamour guaranteed 1950S BEAD AND DIAMANTÉ EAR CLIPS, £540, Carole Tanenbaum for Atelier-Mayer (ateliermayer.com). FUR JACKET, £3,061; and CHIFFON DRESS, price on request, both Alberta Ferretti (020 7235 2349). SHOES, £335, MaxMara (matchesfashion.com) AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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EMBELLISHED Jewels without froufrou, sparkle goes dark for autumn EMBELLISHED TOP, £3,665; PENCIL SKIRT, £610, both Marni (marni.com) 60 | AMUSE

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GOTHIC

Team rich tapestry Jacquards with a cloak to give you something of the night TORCHON BELT WITH SWAROVSKI DETAILS, £450; GEORGETTE TOP, £720; JACQUARD ORTENSIA CHINÉ MEN’S JACKET, £1,220; WOOL COAT, £2,030; JACQUARD CHENILLE RIDING PANTS, £805; LEATHER BOOTS, £1,080, all Gucci (020 7235 6707) AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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ANDROGYNOUS

Finally, the credible alternative to the LBD has arrived. Girls will be boys this season… DEGREDE JACKET, £635; DEGREDE TROUSERS, £365; DEGREDE SILK BLOUSE, £275; IGGY LOAFERS, £280, all Paul Smith (0800 0234 066) 62 | AMUSE

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PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: ELLIE BYRD. FASHION ASSISTANT: LUBA MAKAR. MAKE-UP: IAN BROWN USING CHANEL AW12 AND ROUGE ALLURE RENOVATION. HAIR: NADIA AT FOSTER LONDON HAIR & BEAUTY

“A

lright darling, watcha number… did you watch the football last night, mate?” Portia Freeman is getting into character. She’s working Paul Smith’s AW12 suit and stomping around the studio, hands in pockets, or pulling manshapes with arms folded and legs planted. She’s got previous, after all, often appropriating partner Pete Denton’s (of the Kooks) oversized sweaters and teaming them with skinny jeans and heels. “He’s got good style, my boy. But he doesn’t own dresses,” she laughs, “let’s just get that point across.” “I love the chance to get dressed up as a boy for photo shoots.” And whether she’s on parade in MaxMara’s military-inspired greatcoat and See by Chloe boots (perfect for kicking the enemy into submission), or cutting a dash as a glamorous nineteenth-century highwaywoman in Frida Giannini’s rich Gucci Jacquard, with this season’s androgynous focus, she’ll have ample opportunity. She gets her love of power suits from her mother, who works in high-end real estate. “She wears a ma zing suits. It’s a ver y headstrong male industry and she’s one of the only women. She’s pretty iconic to me. She’s my role model.” But, dressed in the season’s more feminine looks – typified by Olivier Theyskens’ moss-coloured, printed, sheer dress – she glides into the role of the Gothic nymph with alacrity. This 23-year-old platinum blonde, who wanted to be a lawyer at school, bought a white Mambo puffa coat in her teens and still admits to being “ just a little bit chav”, is every bit the chameleon. She’s also a shoe queen; Charlotte Olympia’s campaign star of choice: “You feel amazing on her shoots. We always have the same team, so everyone knows

everybody and it’s a really fun, girly day with loads of loud music.” So much so, the designer had boudoir doll-maker Amanda Fatherazi create a red-lipped, retro-waved Portia mini-me for her New York store – though at only 5 foot, its 5-foot-9-inch original has distinctly longer pins. “Her shoes rule my life. I always walk out in Charlotte Olympias. I must have fifteen pairs.” As for her other guilty fashion pleasures, these are twofold: dressing two-year-old son Dylan and those intertwined Cs. “Dylan is my doll,” she exclaims. “When you have babies, you become obsessed with their wardrobes.” Brand of choice is Swedish label Mini Rodini. “He’s got one of their baseball denim jackets,” she confides. And then, of course, there’s Chanel. “If I could buy everything from one place, it’d be Chanel.” Her prized possession is one of the label’s signature quilted bags, which she was given when she first started modelling at 16. “They came running after me and I was thinking, ‘What have I forgotten?’ and they just gave me this bag. I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’” But what about Karl Lagerfeld himself? “He’s lovely. Down to earth, funny and charming. You don’t have to be mean in this industry.” Last year, Portia appeared in a film-noir-inspired short film for Charlotte Olympia, entitled To Die For, playing the mysterious femme fatale, Lady Webb. “The film was one of the first jobs I did after having Dylan. I’d never filmed before, but it was a great experience. Is she feeling the lure of the big screen, then? “So many people suggest acting to me, but I’m at that stage in my life where I’ll just take whichever road. You can’t plan anything in this industry. You just go wherever the wind takes you. I like that.” Stephanie Hirschmiller

‘Karl Lagerfeld is lovely. Down to earth, funny and charming. You don’t have to be mean in this industry’

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EHIND BTHE SCENES WITH THE

MEGAMODEL We’re used to seeing the finished result of fashion shoots, all polished and buffed to perfection. But even more fascinating are the secrets of what actually goes on while they’re happening. And it’s reassuring to discover that Naomi Campbell still looks amazing half-made-up, says Alexandra Scott

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PHOTOGRAPHER: DANIELE + IANGO. CREATIVE DIRECTOR: ANDREA TENERANI. HAIR BY LUIGI MURENU AT STREETERS. MAKE-UP BY ALEX BABSKY AT FRANK AGENCY. LOCATION: LONDON AT SPRING STUDIOS, VIDEO: GIORGIO TESTI. ALL CLOTHES BY PINKO. PINKO.IT

‘Her now-famous temper tantrums are perfectly easy to forgive’

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“ N

aomi Campbell is very demanding – of herself even more than of others – and she is so committed to doing a great job that her now-famous temper tantrums are perfectly easy to forgive.” So says Pietro Negra, chairman of the Pinko fashion label which has been selling its particular take on Italian high-end high-street fashion since 1980. He should know how to deal with a diva: over the years, his label has worked with Eva Herzigova, Elle Macpherson and Mariah Carey, none of them shy and retiring types who roll over at the first sign of opposition. “All talents of Naomi’s calibre are demanding,” agrees Andrea Tenerani, who styled the shoot. “But she is highly professional and once she develops a connection with someone, she is amazing. Her eyes and her legs are incredible,” he rhapsodises. Since Tenerani

usually works with men, including once memorably shooting the whole Italian swimming team in pants for Dolce & Gabbana, no doubt working with Campbell came as a nice change. Incredibly, the Streatham-born supermodel is now 42 and she seems to have settled down somewhat with the oligarch Vladimir Doronin, whose huge, space-age James Bond-villain house in a forest outside Moscow is being designed by Zaha Hadid. The architect is creating an all-white space, but news has it that the comfort-loving Russian property magnate is desperate for wood-lined libraries with cosy open fires, dacha-style. Campbell, unsurprisingly, demands a large walk-in wardrobe to house the spectacular collection of clothes that she’s been accumulating since she started on the cover of British Elle when she was still 15 years old. Hadid isn’t listening and is insisting on pure minimalism throughout. It will be surprising, though, if Campbell doesn’t triumph in the matter of closet space – Hadid may have an artistic vision, but the model’s been getting her own way since she was named The Megamodel – the greatest of the ‘big six’ supermodels in the ’90s who also included Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer. The others are all still beautiful, but it’s only Campbell who doesn’t appear to have aged a day in the intervening 22 years. Negra explains it thus: “Naomi started out young, but she already had the commanding presence of a woman. Then, as a full-grown woman, she kept emanating a freshness of spirit and demeanour that a lot of girls fail to express. It’s as if she were timeless. She’s fresh and new each time you shoot her and, just when you think you’ve captured her essence, she’s already moved on.” Tenerani adds that “her age isn’t important - it’s her identity that counts.” AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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ACCESSORIES

Hooded Ball ring, £225, Kelly Wearstler (kellywearstler.com)

18-carat gold and silver ring with emeralds, £1,750, Deci (decilondon.com)

Dragon ring, £58, Butler & Wilson (butlerandwilson.co.uk)

Caleidoscopio Rocks ring, £82, Swarovski (swarovski-elements.com)

RING THE CHANGES

Adorn your hand with an intoxicating cocktail ring, says Fran Mullin

Starﬁsh ring, £179, Thomas Sabo (thomassabo.com)

Silver loop ring, £54, Giles & Brother (liberty.co.uk)

Skull ring, £24, Tatty Devine (tattydevine.com)

Barbarella metal rod ring, £175, Bex Rox (brownsfashion.com)

18-carat yellow-gold and oxidised silver Midnight ring with green amethyst, white sapphires and diamonds, £5,800, Armenta at Talisman Gallery (020 7201 8582)

Matte black and topaz tarsier ring, £275, Violet Darkling (myﬂashtrash.com)

CATWALK: MISSONI AW12

18-carat rose-gold and oxidised silver Lotus ring with honey amber and pavé diamonds, £4,850, Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen at Talisman Gallery (020 7201 8582)

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Cleopatra’s box ring, £12.50, Freedom at Topshop (topshop.com)

Folade ring, £85, Kat & Bee (katandbee.co.uk)

Black cage ring, £250, assya (assyalondon.com)

Orange lucite ring, £270, Carole Tanenbaum (atelier-mayer.com)

Silver drop stone ring, £57.50, Azuni (azuni.co.uk)

Roya ring, £550, Firouzeh (ﬁrouzeh.co.uk)

Silver vermeil with citrine rhodolite and amethyst ring, £225, Mari Rushi (shoejewellery.com)

Dragon Egg ring, £780, Legge & Braine (couturelab.com)

Neon spiked panther-head ring, £215, Mawi (mawi.co.uk)

Pink ﬂora and fauna ring, £8,950, Joubi London (joubi.co.uk)

Uvite tourmaline ring, £200, Milena Kovanovic (milenakovanovic.com)

Stone knuckle ring in black rhodium, £210, Hannah Warner (hannahwarner.com)

Lotus Intaglio, £125, Isharya (wolfandbadger.com)

Wild rose ring, from £65, Alexis Dove (alexisdove.com)

Turquoise hand-carved skull ring in black rhodium, £970, Amedeo (matchesfashion.com) AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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The big blue

1 STELLA MCCARTNEY AW12

From Yves Klein to cornflower, there’s no better hue than deep blue, says Fran Mullin

13 12

1. Tilde skirt, £20, Monki (monki.com) 2. Crochet-edge scarf, £162, JW Anderson (ln-cc.com) 3. Wool-blend pants, £244, Piazza Sempione (stylebop.com) 4. Glitter slippers, £325, Miu Miu (020 7409 0900) 5. Satin-ﬁnish shorts, £17.99, Mango (mango.com) 6. Roll-neck sweater, £498, JW Anderson (matchesfashion.com) 7. Fernanda shorts, £19, Monki (monki.com) 8. Crepe Dylan dress, £125, French Connection (frenchconnection.com) 9. Nail-head metal collar, £395, Camilla James (kabiri.co.uk) 10. Ramses bag, £405, CH by Carolina Herrera (020 3441 0965) 11. Coat, £89, Autograph by Marks & Spencer (marksandspencer.com) 12. Fitted dress, £164, T by Alexander Wang (farfetch.com) 13. Printed shorts, £32, Miss Selfridge (missselfridge.co.uk) 14. Oversized coat, £1,909, Balenciaga (farfetch.com) AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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When it comes to looking good the Italians know a thing or two. Made in Italy, BlanX non abrasive whitening toothpaste is the only cosmetic toothpaste made from natural Arctic Lichen to give you a brilliant white smile gently, everyday. Magnifico!

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STUNNING NATURAL WHITENESS FROM ITALY. 01/06/2012 12:08

5 6

trends

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4 9

3 10

Black lace

1 FRANCESCA MAROTTA AW12

Take your inspiration from a Sicilian widow for a stylish autumn 13

16 12

14 15 17

1. Macramé lace and bouclé pencil dress, £1,530, Giambattista Valli (brownsfashion.com) 2. Neck rufﬂe, sold as part of lace-detail pencil dress, £55, Dorothy Perkins (dorothyperkins.com) 3. Deco drop earrings, £12.50, Dorothy Perkins (dorothyperkins.com) 4. Lace sunglasses, £164, Dolce & Gabbana (0844 264 0860) 5. Lace trousers, £18, F&F at Tesco (tesco.com) 6. Halter-neck lace top, £59.99, Mango (mango.com) 7. Black leather corset belt with lace trim, £945, La Perla by Jean Paul Gaultier (stylebop.com) 8. Black and cream star-print skirt, £409, Anna Sui (stylebop.com) 9. Lace Kitty jumpsuit, £425, Alice by Temperley (my-wardrobe.com) 10. Isla cuff, £232, Julia Burness (theshopatbluebird. com) 11. Lace-print clutch, £1,635, Alexander McQueen (luisaviaroma.com) 12. Silk and lace dress, £725, Stella McCartney (liberty.co.uk) 13. Lace-panelled leather dress, £3,140, Valentino (net-a-porter.com) 14. Lace ankle boot, £340, CH by Carolina Herrera (020 3441 0965) 15. Lace-panelled dress, £1,229, Emilio Pucci (farfetch.com) 16. Lace-print top, £260, Stella McCartney (farfetch.com) AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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trends

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CHRISTOPHER KANE AW12

Marbled

13 MIU MIU A/W 12

Mottled, veined and flecked, pattern hits a rich seam this season 15 18 14 16 17

1. Printed shoes, £45, Miss Selfridge (missselfridge.co.uk) 2. Printed dress, £705, Mary Katrantzou (thecorner.com) 3. Metallic paisley Jacquard skirt, £780, Marc Jacobs (matchesfashion.com) 4. Ice cubes stud necklace, £160, Marc by Marc Jacobs (my-wardrobe.com) 5. Floral pencil skirt, £49.50, Marks & Spencer (marksandspencer.com) 6. Printed modal T-shirt, £185, Christopher Kane (net-a-porter.com) 7. Efti blouse, £20, Monki (monki.com) 8. Multi trousers, £220, Ashish (brownsfashion.com) 9. Ophelia dip-dye Coat, £179, Monsoon (monsoon.co.uk) 10. Frome patent-leather clutch, £195, LK Bennett (lkbennett.com) 11. Silk scarf, £69, Aspinal of London (aspinaloﬂondon.com) 12. Vintage sunglasses, £127, Mode de vue Vintage (farfetch.com) 13. Moire leather-stripe trousers, £1,105, Christopher Kane (matchesfashion.com) 14. Swirl leather gloves, £160, Paul Smith London (houseoffraser.co.uk) 15. Steamy Window belt dress, £179, Ted Baker 16. Snake-print shoes, £251.10, Rachel Zoe (luisaviaroma.com) 17. Trousers, £320, Zeynep Tosun (wolfandbadger.com) 18. Sigrid camo coat, £950, Acne (acnestudios.com)

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All hail the man skirt

CATWALK SHOT: COMME DES GARCONS AW12

hen Beckham wore a sarong, the only effect was laughter; then women swooned at Brad in Troy, but blokes kept steadfastly wearing trousers. Now, after decades in the dodgiest of wardrobes, the man skirt is back and it’s demanding to be taken seriously. Cue Marc Jacobs sporting a sombre Comme des Garçons kilt and Kanye West rocking Madison Square Gardens in a Givenchy black leather number. What’s more, as a result of their influence, real men are also getting flirty and skirty. For decades, designers have been offering women boyfriend jeans and tuxedo jackets, so it was only a matter of time before we got our own back. Now designers have breathed new life into an ancient garment and even Harvey Nichols is serving a steady stream of confident blokes searching for fringe benefits. The store’s butch Givenchy and Rick Owens versions for AW12 are proving very popular and, according to its menswear buying and merchandising manager Darren Skey, the skirt brings a whole new dimension to menswear by “allowing creative types to play around with layers and lengths”. Elsewhere for SS13, Acne, Kenzo and Balmain are all set to get in on the act – so if you are brave enough to embrace print and colour, you will have plenty of options. Guys who prefer camouflage to going commando should investigate the beefed-up “skort”. This curious cross between a skirt and shorts is designed to confuse. Made with muscles in mind, moving at speed in this hybrid clothing will out-fox any critics and leave them pondering, “was that a man or a woman, in a skirt or trousers or shorts? “Still not convinced? As with any other new trend, ‘MENSWEAR BUYER the key is how we wear it. Mae Chung from Browns suggests layering up with other items STACEY SMITH of clothing as a safe option, including SUGGESTS I’LL NEED “masculine sweatshirts or over trousers to “A LITTLE FACIAL counterbalance the play on gender”. I can’t HAIR AND A LOT help feeling that Matches menswear buyer Stacey Smith is more on track when she MORE CONFIDENCE” since 2009… and they sell. Sadly, the same can’t be said for French design house Gerbe suggests I’ll need “a little facial hair and a lot TO WEAR A SKIRT’ which recently mothballed its “mantyhose” more confidence”. collection after poor sales. The man skirt, however, is here But what’s a man to do as temperatures plummet? Scotsmen may be used to feeling the wind between their Trossachs but, for city sophisticates, to stay. It might take time before we see it in the corner shop underpinnings are crucial. So this year, before you reach for your long johns, or on the rugby touchline but, compared to stockings for why not consider the latest colourful rash of thick, unisex, patterned men, it’s no longer sheer lunacy. or printed tights? They do the job in style. “Brosiery”, it seems, is nothing Nick Cox is a style consultant and editor of thegroomingguide.com new; Italian design house Emilio Cavallini has been supplying tights for guys AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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Beauty U n n a t u r a l

b e a u t y

BETHAN COLE

Hybrid roses and essential oils – we follow our noses when it comes to creams

GENEFIQUE NUTRICS, £44, LANCOME

an it be that there are fashions in the way our face creams smell, just as there are fluctuating trends in hemline length and lipstick hue? Odour is the initial means by which we quantify and assess our facial skincare, but it is mutable and varies wildly according to product and brand and era. As we rub a cream on the back of our hand to test it, that instinctive evaluation is predicated upon how it feels and how it smells. Of course, the really contentious issue when we purchase a product is efficacy – does it work? It is so difficult to quantify what a cream is doing to your skin merely by looking in the mirror and the clinical trials often held up as proof vary wildly in their scientific rigour from brand to brand. (In my opinion, if creams do work it is only incremental: the real keys to looking young are sun protection and not smoking.) So when efficacy is a moot point – or at least a highly obfuscated and subjective issue – all we have to go on, on first encounter, is the sensory perception of touch and smell. The beauty companies are all too aware of this. As a result, the seductive smell of facial skincare can sweep you off your feet before you’ve even mentioned the words “miracle cream”. Certain smells, like that of Nivea cream, are so distinctive they almost function as a form of olfactory branding. There is a subliminal comfort to be found in that ambient odour of a face cream, especially when it is the unmistakable scent of your mother’s dressing table when you were a child. Lancôme is another brand whose make-up and skincare have a very distinctive odour. It is derived from a specially grown hybrid rose, unique to Lancôme and created in 1973 by the French rose grower, Georges Delbard. Cosmetics brand Benefit has even gone so far as to conduct consumer tests across Europe, the US and Asia to research what sort of smells women like in ‘THE SEDUCTIVE their skincare. Fresh and floral odours were SMELL OF SKINCARE popular across all regions and thus CAN SWEEP YOU OFF characterised the scent of the brand’s new skincare range, b.right! Radiant. However, it YOUR FEET’ should be noted that, although both the and less allergenic than a fragranced one, it Benefit and Lancôme skincare scents are based on the smell of natural is actually loaded with more chemicals to remove the smells. materials, they are actually synthetic. Korres creates the perfume of its skincare using natural oils and essences, elevating the rather more earthy smells of the Five years ago, I went to Athens to meet Korres founders George and Lena Korres. On that trip, they revealed to me the problems of perfuming natural ingredients without involving any chemical overload. natural skincare. It’s often the case that the odours of natural ingredients Although whether they, too, add odour neutralisers to are not necessarily very nice, so companies try to mask them with odourextinguish the natural smells of the ingredients before they neutralising ingredients. So, while a fragrance-free product may sound purer add the scented oils is not clear. 78 | AMUSE

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aMuse promotion EXCLUSIVE AMUSE READER OFFER Enjoy 30% off your first purchase and FREE delivery at Love Your Skin London. Simply log on to www.lys-london.com and enter amuse30 at the checkout to claim the discount and free delivery. (One use per customer) Every customer that purchases through the exclusive aMuse offer will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will receive the entire Love Your Skin range, worth over £500. They will also receive a free consultation with Lorraine at a location or salon of their choice within the M25 (subject to salon permission/approval).

ove Your Skin - London is a new, but already established, skincare company that believes skincare doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. Created by skincare expert Lorraine Winslade, Love Your Skin is a collection of premium but no nonsense products that draws on her 40 years’ experience in the industry and combines the best that nature has to offer, perfected by science. Designed to treat, complement and assist the skin in its normal functions, to optimise the appearance and performance of your skin; Love Your Skin was developed through an intuitive understanding of the skin and how it functions. Treating countless clients and training thousands of Beauty Professionals over four decades, both in the UK and Internationally, Lorraine recognised that educating people on skincare was essential. Understanding your own skin is vital to ensure it is treated accordingly and with the unique Love Your Skin range, everyone can create their own customised skin care regime and work towards long term, sustainable skin improvement and ongoing maintenance. The Love Your Skin facial range is an uncomplicated concept that allows everyone to create their own bespoke regime. There is just one moisturiser which is suitable for everyone, whatever your skin type – the ‘Hero’ Intensive Hyrdra Gel Moisturiser. To this you can add the serum of your choice or combine the different serums depending on your skins specific needs. Choose between Brightening & Clarifying, Calming & Soothing, Purifying & Balancing or the Smoothing & Re-

LOVE YOUR SKIN – LONDON SKINCARE FOR EVERYONE

“Love Your Skin believes the world would be a better place if skincare was made less complicated and accessible to all by delivering great results from fewer but better products” Texturising – mix with the moisturiser or apply topically for maximum effect before your moisturiser to the areas that need it. Recognising the signs and signals skin gives us is crucial to a successful regime and with this range Lorraine bestows a wealth of knowledge by creating a selection of affordable, accessible products that are truly effective, very high quality and do what they say they will do. Currently comprised of two subcategories, ‘Face’ and ‘Body’, every Love

Your Skin product is water rather than oil based, allowing the skin to recognise and welcome the active and hydrating ingredients. This combination of water with the finest of nature’s potent and active, yet gentle ingredients has resulted in a very high performance range - a testament to Lorraine’s ambition to harness the power of nature and create a unique collection that the skin requires and responds to. checkout the new website www.lys-london.com AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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Beauty News MAC-3 Enduring a beauty-hall makeover in full view of

OF THE BEST

DRY SHAMPOOS

 PERCY & REED DRY SHAMPOO, £12 One for… those who actually bother to wash their hair occasionally. It's a much lighter formula than the others so won't dry out and volumise hair in quite the same way. It also smells delicious.  BUMBLE AND BUMBLE BLONDISH HAIR POWDER, £28 One for… brunettes. It's not easy finding a dry shampoo that works on brown hair (don't be fooled by the name): there's no escaping they'll give you a matte, rather than glossy, finish. But for a quick fix, this is the best.  BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO ORIGINAL, £2.99 One for… playing it safe. The original cult dry shampoo, this formula really delivers, with minimal residue and impressive volumising. It's still for blondes, though; if only they could crack the brunette version…

the general public is a once-tried, never-repeated experience. MAC has recognised our preference for privacy and launched MAC on 3 at Selfridges. Located on the third floor, it has a recessed semiprivate room where makeovers, make-up lessons and quick applications take place. The staff are the most experienced you will find on a beauty counter; dedicated to the brand and just as happy to discuss the latest catwalk trends as they are your natural bridal look. There's no hard sell, but the price of a session is refundable against any product. From £20 for an Express Application (redeemable). For appointments, call 0870 192 5610

WHEN MODELS GET THE MUNCHIES… Premier Models will be dishing out these nutritious yet delicious boxes to its catwalk girls during London Fashion Week, but they're available to mere mortals too. With raw protein bars, iodine-rich seaweed and power snacks such as almonds, goji berries and pumpkin seeds, it's the perfect handbag-sized snack solution for time-poor health nuts. £14.97, noshdetox.com, 0845 257 6674

WORDS: ARABELLA PRESTON

TRY ME… What: Cut and blow-dry of supreme expertise For: A fresh take on your hair Where: Hari's Salon, 305 Brompton Road, London SW3 2DY Who: Julie Delaney What it's like: I'm fundamentally clueless about my hair, which has to be taken to the hairdresser's twice a week for a blow-dry as I don't dare see what happens if I dry it myself or, worse, go au naturel. Julie, who's been at Hari's for 20 years, took my superannuated, over-long locks, gave them a trim, added a few long layers to stop me looking like a mad pre-Raphaelite – and, incidentally, gave me the confidence to go without a blow-dry for literally days at a time. Results: A total coiffeur revamp and, despite the price, probably money-saving in the long run. £120, 020 7581 5211

THE SUPERSPRAY Only available in the US since its launch in 2008,

the ultimate fashion spray is finally on our shores. Beloved of backstage artists due to its supreme hold, Bumble and Bumble's Spray de Mode, £16, allows hair to breathe and be manipulated without any sticky residue. bumbleandbumble.co.uk

FIFTY SHADES OF FORD

The new colour collections from Tom Ford are as dramatic and collectible as ever. There's the Ingénue range, comprised of pinks, nudes and deep wine colours, and Temptress, with its deep emeralds and teals. Use the Eye Color Quad (left, in Emerald Lust, £62) with a wet brush for a slick of intense pigment. As Mr Ford himself says, "These colours have a twist of the perverse to them." Cor. £62, tomford.com AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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Beauty

MAC EYEBROWS IN LINGERING, £12.50

THE SOFT, WAXY TEXTURE BLENDS BEAUTIFULLY AND CAN BE USED WITH A LIGHT TOUCH OR BUILT UP FOR MORE DRAMA

SUQQU CREAMY EYELINER IN BLACK, £25

CHANTECAILLE LIP MATTE IN BLOOM, £27

AFTER LINING THE EYES WITH A PENCIL, USE AN EYELINER BRUSH WITH THIS LONG-WEARING GEL TO CREATE A FINE LINE AROUND THE EYES

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST NUDES AROUND: THE HINT OF PINK KEEPS IT LOOKING NATURAL

BURBERRY FRESH GLOW, £34

THE SECRET TO CARA’S RADIANT COMPLEXION, THIS LIQUID HIGHLIGHTS AND ILLUMINATES TIRED SKIN

BURBERRY SHEER EYESHADOW IN MULBERRY, £22,50 A HINT OF PURPLE CLOSE TO THE LASH LINE IS SURPRISINGLY FLATTERING AND CAN HELP LIFT A SMOKY EYE

TRY ME… For: Returning brows to their natural state What: Brow Rehab Where: Blink at Selfridges What it’s like: Brow Rehab is all about getting

your brows back. Blink had so many clients saying they were tired of high-maintenance brows that they have launched a new service, Brow Rehab, to help you shape, trim and grow your brows back to their normal, bigger, shape. The therapist immediately identifies the areas I’ve overplucked, those I’ve overgrown and the shape that would suit me best, then sets to work to thread my brows into shape. I am sent away armed with Blink’s special nourishing brow oil to stimulate re-growth and a natural brow brush to fill in the missing patches – my new eyebrow toolkit. Results: Strong, defined brows, with a naturallooking shape. Bigger than I’ve had in a while, but they’ll be much easier to maintain. Details: £38, Blink, blinkbrowbar.com

CHANTECAILLE GEL LINER PENCIL IN ESPRESSO, £28

SMUDGE THIS DARK BROWN LINER INTO THE ROOTS OF YOUR LASHES, TOP AND BOTTOM, THEN BLEND WITH A COTTON BUD TO SOFTEN AND SMOKE OUT

GOING HIGHBROW Bold brows ruled the runway at Burberry this season, says Arabella Preston

he is the girl that launched a thousand brows. For the past few seasons, girls have been laying their tweezers to one side and letting their brows go bushy – and it’s all down to Burberry model Cara Delevingne. Teamed with the lightest of foundations and a sweep of cream blush on the cheekbones, the effect is delicate rose with a punch of London modern. As Burberry make-up artist Wendy Rowe says, “Cara is a great Burberry girl… she is naturally beautiful, inside and out, loves fashion and always puts her own personal touch into the way she dresses.”

For achieving this vision of youth, Wendy recommends Burberry’s Fresh Glow, “a luminous liquid that highlights the skin to reveal a more radiant KEVYN AUCOIN complexion, without leaving a pearly THE CURLING residue.” She continues, “It’s almost MASCARA, £20 undectable. The skin just looks healthy A FANTASTIC GLOSSY BLACK MASCARA naturally, without appearing to have loads WITH A FINE BRUSH, of product layered on.” GREAT FOR GETTING RIGHT INTO THE ROOTS But this look isn’t too pretty and soft; in fact, a smoky eye is what balances those brows. Plenty of brown eye pencil TOM FORD CHEEK smudged into your lash line and blended AND LIP STAIN, £36 with fingers, then dark mocha eyeshadow POP HIGH ON YOUR CHEEKBONES FOR A QUICK FLUSH OF packed onto the lid is the way to go. Use COLOUR OR SLICK ONTO LIPS a slightly shimmery shadow on the lid to FOR A SHEER, JUST-BITTEN STAIN add texture, then finish with a black liner in the roots of the lashes if it suits you. Finally, the brows. MAC’s Eyebrow pencils are the easiest to use and the soft waxy texture is easily blended away if you MAC EYESHADOWS IN BRUN overdo it. Go gently (treat it as a filling-in- AND CHARCOAL BROWN, £12 EACH the-gaps exercise if you’re nervous) and SWEEP THE LIGHTER BROWN ALL OVER emphasise the top of the arch above your YOUR LID, THEN PRESS THE DARKER SHADE INTO YOUR LASH LINE AND BLEND OUT brow bone. Use a light touch towards the centre of the face to avoid looking too harsh and give them a good brush up and out with a clear brow gel.

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aMuse promotion

bareMinerals – beauty from the outside in

EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF MINERALS The minerals in bareMinerals skincare work in harmony with the minerals in the foundation for incredible skinrenewing benefits.

STROKE OF LIGHT EYE BRIGHTENER

Brightening the eye area and diffusing dark shadows, this illuminating tint blends seamlessly to conceal imperfections, resulting in a refreshed, radiant look. How to use: Brighten eyes for a wide-awake look. Apply Stroke of Light Eye Brightener at the inside corners and directly under eyes for an instant brightening effect.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (EXCLUSIVE TO SELFRIDGES) A beautiful collection of 8 vivid, long-wearing, amazingly blendable new season colours from the bareMinerals READYTM eyeshadow range.

NEW WELL-RESTED FACE & EYE BRIGHTENER (EXCLUSIVE TO SELFRIDGES)

This gorgeous sheer mineral formula brightens and revives tired, dull skin. If you want a little more radiance than your foundation alone can deliver, this is a must-have. How to use: Lightly sweep the brightener on any areas you want highlighted - along brow bones, side of nose, top of cheek bones, around lips. Works well under or over foundation, and can be reapplied throughout the day for a quick boost.

h minerals, glorious minerals; those all-beautifying, all-nourishing secret weapons, key to everything at bareMinerals® - sun-friendly staples (we love the award-winning Original SPF 15 Foundation), vibrant eye-colours, skincare products... the lot. We reckon you’ll love what they can do for you, especially with the arrival of their ‘solid’ mineral makeup range, bareMinerals READYTM incorporating eyes, cheeks and complexion enhancers. For years, bareMinerals have researched the power and potential of minerals to nourish, energise and renew for healthy looking skin – creating makeup bag must-haves in the process. Up until now, all products have been formulated with loose minerals, but finally technology has allowed for the creation of new solid and liquid mineral-based gems. There are no parabens, fillers or harsh chemicals. Easy to apply, and perfect for seamlessly brightening up and perfecting your complexion. Two of these are launching exclusively at Selfridges this month - Well-Rested Face & Eye Brightener is a sheer mineral formula to illuminate dull skin. Yes please! And the September Issue is a beautiful collection of 8 new season eye colours. Pretty, practical staples for an effortlessly flawless look - sounds good to us...

MINERAL MAKE-UNDERS AT SELFRIDGES Interested but want to know how the experts do it? Head down to Selfridges on Thursday 20th September. European Makeup Artist Sarah-Jane Froom (better known as SJ) has minerals down to a fine art and she wants to share her artistry tips with you. Come and enjoy a glass of champagne while hearing all about SJ’s

beauty tips and tricks from her time spent working on photo shoots, fashion shows and on QVC. With her Team she’ll demonstrate how to get flawless looking, radiant skin and how once you get this right, the rest falls into place… Call bareMinerals at Selfridges 020 73184179 to book your place. But be warned, they will go quickly. There’s a £30 booking fee, redeemable against bareMinerals products. Plus you’ll receive a free bareMinerals treat… AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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Beauty THE CLEANSER Head backstage at any show and you will see rows of this French pharmacybrand cleanser. Such is its popularity that some enterprising stockists are now offering UK delivery. Bioderma Créaline H2O, £7.49, leguidesante.co.uk

THE SALT SPRAY “Over the years, we’ve been amused to see our products used backstage at fashion shows, taped up with gaffer tape so as not to antagonise show sponsors,” hair-supremo Nick Irwin explains. “This gave us the idea of developing our own range of session styling products in matte black and silver to give a subtle anonymity.” The Salt Spray is the range’s hero product, perfect for creating recent seasons’ unkempt braids and chignons. Tigi Session Series Salt Spray, £14.25, tigihaircare.com

THE MOISTURISER Steamcream is a hard-working, all-purpose moisturiser. It’s kind to models’ ravaged skin and doesn’t leave any greasy residue. Jemma Kidd is a huge fan, saying, “It is an essential part of my kit. It’s light and gets absorbed straight into the skin, giving a quick, easy moisture fix.” In fact, she loves it so much she has lent her face and name to a limited edition of the tin. Steamcream, £12.95, asos.com

THE LIPSTICK Whatever the trends, you’ll find a Russian Red lip somewhere on the catwalks. The ultimate classic red lipstick, it’s a bold yet timeless hue. The formula lasts and has intense pigment. This season, MAC director of artistry, Terry Barber, thinks that, “especially worn on a nude face, Russian Red is very aristocratic and equestrian. Red hasn’t gone away, it’s just been reinvented”. Mac Lipstick in Russian Red, £14, maccosmetics.co.uk

TRY ME

THE COTTON BUDS Yes, really: make-up artists even have strong opinions on cotton buds. The best are, without a doubt, those from Muji. The cotton is tightly wound to the wand, meaning they don’t fluff up and leave residue on the face. Kenneth Soh is a fan of the superfine mini buds: “So perfect for detailed clean-up jobs, precise touch-ups, tidying and sharpening a strong lip line,” he says. Muji Thin Cotton Buds, £2.50, muji.co.uk

For: Combating dark puffy eyes What: Firming Eye Treatment Where: ESPAlife at Corinthia, Whitehall Place,

London SW1A 2BD Who: Reema What it’s like: Reema began by allowing me to choose the face oils I wanted her to put on my skin, using only my sense of smell. She then proceeded to give me a seriously luxurious facial with a difference. For here, the eyes are the focus. First, cool stones are laid onto your lids to reduce puffiness, then an icy menthol mask is applied to firm and tone. Finally, the star of the show, ESPA’s Lift and Firm Eye Moisturiser, which contains the Nobel Prize-winning ingredient, Summer Snow Flake Bulb. Scientists have extracted dormins, the natural growthinhibitor that stops the bulbs flowering at the wrong time, and applied them to skincare. Results: I’m sold. The skin around my eyes felt brighter and firmer. Surely all facials should treat the eye area separately? Contact & Price: £72, espalifecorinthia.com, 020 7321 3050

THE DEFINER Launched this year but already a staple, these lightweight sculpting creams are reinventing contouring. MAC’s Terry Barber says, “This slightly dirty brown was used at almost every AW show”. Mac Sculpting Cream in Coffee Walnut, £17.50, maccosmetics.co.uk

BACKSTAGE SECRETS

Pare down your make-up bag with these must-haves from the pros, says Arabella Preston

THE BRUSH Guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of any model, these are quite simply the softest, bestquality, brushes you can buy. “I describe them as my ‘kitten paw’ brushes because they are dreamily soft,” make-up guru Lisa Eldridge evangelises. “Every A-lister I’ve used them on has commented on their softness. My favourite brush is the cheek brush, which I use for powdering, blusher and bronzer. All the larger brushes are completely handmade, one hair at a time. If you cherish and love them, they will last forever”. Suqqu Face Brush, £168, selfridges.com

THE NAIL POLISH REMOVER Quick and no-mess, this little pot is fast becoming a musthave. As top make-up artist Kenneth Soh says, “Because the varnish-soaked sponge surrounds the whole nail, varnish comes off more efficiently. Every make-up artist should have one in their kit. It also leaves fingers smelling lovely and feeling soft.” Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover, £4.99, boots.com

THE HEALER This tiny tube is make-up artist Florrie White’s secret weapon: “I love the instant fix of Blistex on chapped lips. It doesn’t leave any gloopy glossiness, just a natural shine. Everyone I use it on comments on the smell and the texture and I usually end up giving them the tube to take home. The last person I gave some to was Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.” Blistex Relief Cream, £2.30, superdrug.com

THE CONCEALER Space and time are both at a premium backstage. You need instant access to the best products and there are no concealers to beat Bobbi Brown’s in terms of shades and textures. International make-up artist Kay Montano is never without hers. “Bobbi Brown’s pro concealer palette is a job-saver for me, it literally does cover all bases. The palette considers the difference between the under-eye area and blemishes elsewhere on the face with separate compartments: the pink, peach and orange tones for under the eyes are on one side and the more olive and deep browns are on the other side to conceal redness, along with true colour-match correcting. It’s an absolute Godsend on location.” Bobbi Brown Pro-Concealer Palette, £185, bobbibrown.co.uk

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Awarded the Best Anti-Ageing Miracle Cream in the UK *.

Divine Cream In the heart of Corsica, L’OCCITANE has discovered two natural treasures of longevity with extraordinary anti-ageing benefits. Organic Immortelle essential oil boosts collagen production, redefines facial contours and brightens the complexion.† Myrtle regenerates and stimulates cells.† The combination of these ingredients is at the heart of this exceptional anti-ageing cream. Its formula leaves skin more luminous, smoother and glowing with youth. 3 patents registered. †Effectiveness tested on 50 women over a 4 week period: the skin is immediately more radiant (87%) and luminous (94%), smoother (94%) and revitalised (87%).

*Voted * Voted the highest rated Anti-Ageing ‘Miracle’ Cream by the 2011 Anti-ageing Beauty Bible panel.

www.loccitane.co.uk

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19/06/2012 11:26:51

Beauty

THE

HAIR

AND THE

HEI R

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Beauty

RESS Tamara Ecclestone, daughter of Bernie, is on a constant quest for a bigger, bouncier barnet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so who better to launch a shampoo that will revolutionise haircare, she tells Lydia Slater Photographs by William Baker AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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Beauty

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Beauty

amara Ecclestone wants to be a household name. Yes, all right, she is one already. But she doesn’t want to be known as Bernie’s daughter, the high-spending heiress with the £1m crystal bathtub (hers was actually much cheaper than that, she says). And especially not for the mortifying behaviour of her former boyfriend Omar Khyami, which made headlines across the world after he was caught on a sex tape earlier this summer. Tamara ended their two-year relationship, rubbing him out of her life as completely as she has erased his tattooed name from her hip. “It was such a big shock when I found out about Omar’s infidelity,” she explains. “I felt sick, mortified, betrayed and embarrassed for my parents that they’d had to see this video. I mean, my dad’s in his 80s and this is something you never want your parents to see.” “When it was over, my mum said, “I can’t believe you are so calm,” but inside I was just frozen with disbelief. It felt as if I was mourning someone who’d died, because I realised the man I loved didn’t exist.” Instead, Tamara, 28, would much prefer us to think of her every time we open the bathroom cabinet. In the past year, she has been developing her own haircare line. “I’m obsessed with hair,” she says, “but I’ve always hated mine. It’s very straight and takes a long time to volumise.” Having worked her way through myriad hair products in her pursuit of a “big, sexy, bouncy” barnet, she’s decided to bring out her own range at the end of the year. “A lot of the hair care out there doesn’t do what it’s meant to do,” she says.“There are so many products that over-promise and underdeliver. And also there was nothing truly luxurious on the market – no equivalent to Chanel or Tom Ford. Mine’s going to have a very high-end feel, something every girl will want to have in her bathroom.” (A bit like a crystal bathtub, then.) “I’ve been going to New York to do packaging and to Paris to pick out the fragrance,” she says. “I want it to have a very distinct,

special fragrance. We’ve had salon trial days where we’ve used the product on hundreds of people’s hair and we’ve tweaked it from there. Now I’m really happy with it.” Tamara was inspired to start up her new business by the success of her little sister Petra, whose handbags are going down a storm in the States. “I was so proud of Petra,” she says fondly. “And it made me feel like it was possible to have a vision and to realise it.” The glamorous sisters are frequently set up as rivals by the tabloids, but Tamara insists “there’s no competitiveness between us. It’s the opposite. It’s good to bounce ideas off each other. I send her my products to test, and she sends me her handbags. Petra moving to LA was heart-breaking for me. We’re such good friends.” Indeed, leaning up against the wall behind her is an absolutely enormous photograph, about six foot high, of the two of them on Petra’s wedding day. “Petra gave that to me on my birthday,” Tamara giggles. “I’ve just got to find somewhere to hang it.” We have met in what Tamara calls her bachelorette pad, a modern house hiding behind security gates in a quiet street in Chelsea. Inside the yard, a gleaming Audi is parked on a turntable (no three-point turns necessary). The garden walls are painted bright blue, adorned with pink butterflies; above a love-seat, a piece of squiggly neon art (which is probably by Tracey Emin) reads “Home Sweet Home”. The house, with its glass walls, wa s cle a rly de si g ne d for minimalist living. Tamara has blithely ignored this. Every surface in her sitting room seems to be covered with photographs in silver frames. Vases of flowers take up the remaining space, along with a huge glass pineapple full of jelly beans. Behind an internal glass wall, several workmen are repairing the indoor pool. It is all distinctly chaotic. Amid this whirl of activity, Tamara is serene, coiled up on the sofa with her dog, a fluffy cream chihuahua. Her face, tanned and glowing, is make-up-free and her hair is scraped back into a ponytail. She is wearing a tracksuit and trainers. It is a far cry from the Tamara Ecclestone you see in photographs, with her mile-high Louboutins and figure-hugging dresses.

‘Inside I was just frozen with disbelief. It felt as if I was mourning somone who’d died, because I realised the man I loved didn’t exist’

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Beauty

Left: Tamara, with father Bernie and sister Petra, attending a party in London, October 2010

“I’m such a bum in the day,” she laughs. “Usually I go to meetings straight from the gym. It’s too much effort to come home, wash, do your hair and put make-up on – it really cuts into your time. I hardly ever wear heels in the day and I don’t wear make-up either. It takes me five minutes to leave the house in the morning. But in the evening, I do like to dress up, have fun and be more glamorous.” Her wardrobe – rumoured to contain half a million pounds-worth of Hermés handbags and £70,000 of Louboutin shoes – gives her plenty of scope. It also seems to be in a constant state of flux: every ten days, she adds items to her online shop, Tamara Gives Back. They are auctioned off in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, for which she also organises an annual star-studded fundraiser. Ecclestone’s elder daughter ha s cle a rly i n her ited t he octogenarian Bernie’s energy as well as his billions. She has, of course, no f inancial need to work, but she has always done so, first as a TV presenter, and more recently, as the star of her own show, Billion $$ Girl, which seems to have caused a bit of family strife. “My dad told me I was an idiot. I wanted to show a different side to me. He said: ‘That won’t happen. People don’t want to see you going to the gym or hanging out with your friends, so they’ll only put in the interesting, juicy parts ofyour life.’ Which is kind of what happened,” she says with a rueful laugh. “Some bits were so cringy, I thought, my God, I want to kill myself!” Both obstinate and determined, it’s no wonder she and her father have a distinctly feisty relationship. Tamara clearly feels in his shadow to some degree. “I don’t want to distance myself from my

family, but I’d like to do something away from my dad and from F1,” she says of her hair-care project. When Bernie announced his engagement to thirtysomething Brazilian Fabiana Flosi, Tamara furiously declared that she wouldn’t go to the wedding. “It is hard when your parents have been together for 25 years and someone new comes along,” she explains. “He is so happy, and I’m happy for him, but I’m not great at accepting change. I suppose I’ve got to move with the times. There are no hard feelings. I can see she makes my dad happy and that’s the most important thing to me.” Her mother Slavica doesn’t care at all, she says. “She’s doing all sorts of crazy things like climbing Macchu Picchu. She’s finally got her life back now that my sister and I have grown up.” So would Tamara go to the wedding after all? “I don’t know if that’s a step too far. I think it probably is,” she says, frankly. Next month, she is due to move into her new house, a 55room home in Kensington that reportedly cost £45m. “It will be a proper family home,” she says. “I won’t be moving again. I definitely want to have a family in the near future. In my ideal world, I’d love two children, a boy and a girl.” First, of course, she has to find herself the right man – which shouldn’t be too difficult for a beautiful young billionairess. “I’m sure there’s someone out there for me who’s honest, trustworthy and respectful. I just haven’t met him yet,” she says. “I still believe in happy ever after.” And the omens are good. “I feel like there are a lot of new beginnings towards the end of this year – new business, new house – who knows what else?”

PHOTOGRAPH BY REX FEATURES

‘I don’t want to distance myself from my family, but I’d like to do something away from my dad and from F1’

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aMUSE

abroad

VINTAGE TEA

This year, Sudeley Castle celebrates the quincentenary of its most famous former resident: Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth wife (the one he didn’t divorce or behead…). Among the historical and literary events on offer is Tea with Lady Ashcombe – chatelaine of the famous Cotswolds castle for the last 50 years and mother of art-world powerhouse Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst, so plenty to talk about over the teacups. As she says, “I find that people love the personal touch.” Well, quite, m’lady… Tea With Lady Ashcombe, 3 September, £24. For details of the teas and other historical and literary events, sudeleycastle.co.uk or call 01242 604 244. For Ellenborough Park, elleboroughpark.com

WORDS: SUE RYAN, POLLY GLASS

TREETOP LIVING

MONTE CARLO MADNESS

The Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo was a smashing set-up anyway, so you can imagine how excited we are to see its new architectural input from Karl Lagerfeld. The pool, terrace and gardens have been given a sophisticated re-design by the Chanel main man and he’s even produced some art – a magnificent fresco-style installation, composed of 15 glass panels portraying Ulysses’s journey, with the equally magnificent pectorals of Baptiste Giabiconi (Lagerfeld’s muse) in a very prominent role. Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, from 400 euros per night, metropole.com

Morocco’s chicest hotel, La Sultana, is building a treehouse cabana for the ultimate in romantic escapes. The 11-room hotel was built two years ago – using revolutionary green technology so as not to upset the fragile eco-system of the Oualidia lagoon – and boasts the best fish restaurant in Africa. The new treehouse suite, like all the other rooms, will have a jacuzzi on the balcony and an open fireplace in the bedroom. Just like our treehouse at home, then. La Sultana, lasultanahotels.com

TURKISH DELIGHTS

Kempinski’s Barbaros Bay is the exotic Turkish setting for the shoot of Ms Hurley’s new swimwear collection and a vacation destination extraordinaire. New there this season are Cocktail Popsicles – basically boozy ice lollies. Take your pick of the cucumber and melon margaritas or zingy lime, basil and rum mojitos, which you can lick while lounging on a private beach overlooking the Aegean Sea. We are sure Elizabeth would approve. Barbaros Bay, ITC Classics offers seven nights from £939 per person based on two adults sharing a Standard Room, including daily breakfast, return flights with Easyjet from London Gatwick and private transfers, itcclassics.co.uk, 01244 355 527 AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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aMUSE

abroad

PUCCI IN BALI

Holiday like a true fashion queen with a visit to this villa, from the stylish brains of writer Terence Ward and his wife Idanna Pucci – niece of Pucci founder Emilio himself. Previously only available to their arty, glamorous pals seeking a bit of Zen time or creative inspiration, it’s now open to one and all. With a pretty swimming pool, on-site cook and housekeeping team and traditional Balinese spa treatments at your fingertips, it’s a pattern card of perfection. Villa Idanna, two nights from £380, alilahotels.com

TAJ TREASURES

MONASTIC MASSAGE

The fashionable will be able to check out the latest state-of-the-art spa while in Milan between shows. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, Four Seasons Milano’s new spa has been meticulously planned to blend into the 15th-century former convent – all convents had spas then, didn’t you know? You’ll find seven treatment rooms, a swimming pool, Turkish baths and a Rossano Ferretti hair salon. Two of our favourite ranges, La Prairie and Sodashi, have been chosen for use in the treatments – which will be highly necessary for anyone hoping to cut a dash in the front row. Four Seasons Hotel, Milan, bed and breakfast from €682 per night, fourseasons.com/milan 95 | AMUSE

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Their exquisite, handmade trinkets, scarves, embroidered cushions and other gems are gathering fans in Taj hotels across India. Now you can pick up these beautiful pieces in our fair city in the first Taj Khazana boutique to open outside its country of origin. With materials sourced from regions across the subcontinent and using age-old artisanal techniques, Taj Khazana is sustaining traditions and livelihoods all over the country – and making some lovely gifts along the way. Taj Khazana, 41-51 Buckingham Gate, tajhotels.com AMUSEMAGAZINE.CO.UK |

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YOUNG TURKS What with Amazons, Eros and a speeded-up Rihanna, there’s

nothing humdrum about Bodrum discovers Stephanie Hirschmiller Turkey is situated at the crossroads of east and west – something brilliantly illustrated by a fellow passenger on the airport transit bus. He wore an impeccably cut blazer with Raybans and a ponytail and proceeded to talk animatedly into an enormous mobile phone, pimped up with burnished silver like some Byzantine treasure chest. This is arguably one of the blingest countries in mainland Europe – it’s got two branches of Harvey Nichols, for goodness’ sake. If Istanbul is the hotbed of commerce, Bodrum is the playground of the country’s elite – a hipper St Tropez, a more laid-back Ibiza. We stayed at Hotel Maça Kizi in Türkbükü – to the north side of the Bodrum peninsula. It’s set on the slope of a cliff running down to the sea and the rooms look like sugar cubes scattered down to the water’s edge. Just fling open the doors to the balcony and you’re looking out past a shroud of fuchsia bougainvillea onto a perfect sapphire ocean. The openair restaurant a few levels below – set beneath a canopy of 100-year-old olive trees – leads down to a jetty and beach bar which is transformed between the hours of 6pm and 8pm into a pumping sundowner party, with bronzed limbs and bikinis on prominent display. The crowd is mainly Turkish decamped from Istanbul, while a mix of families, couples and young groups means it’s fun and glamorous, but without any more advanced post-watershed hedonism. Dancing on the bar to a speeded-up mix of Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’ is as wild as it gets. An hour away, the city of Bodrum is waiting for those who fancy a spot of shopping and you can get a shot of culture lite

en route by checking out the ancient amphitheatre, which now stages rock concerts. Culture heavy is offered by the tomb of King Mausolus of Caria – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which boasts a stone frieze depicting the adventures of the Amazons, who, in one of the earliest examples of cosmetic surgery, are said to have undergone breast amputation to make it easier to shoot a bow and arrow. The pretty marina is guarded by a 16th-century castle, while a warren of tiny streets is lined with shops hawking the best fake designer bags outside of Dubai, bold as brass. The aMuse contingent was actually in town for the pre-launch party for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences (opening in 2014, a 10-minute speedboat ride across Golkoy Bay) where 3,000 attendees included Milla Jovovich and entertainment came courtesy of Italian pop star Eros Ramazzotti (with his own Glasto-size stage on the beach) and acrobatics from aerial artists suspended from giant bunches of white balloons. Cue an even bigger mass exodus from Istanbul than usual. In fact, Turkish designer Arzu Kaprol, who was supposed to be dressing Jovovich for the occasion, failed to secure a flight by the morning of the party. So she resorted to desperate measures: an 8am call to a client who also happened to be the wife of an airline owner. Kaprol arrived in style in the only seat going – the co-pilot’s chair in the cockpit. With Bodrum set to explode over the next couple of years, lesser mortals are encouraged to book in advance. From about €375 per night plus VAT, macakizi.com

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Maรงa Kizi terrace and pool

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, WHAT, WHERE? HOO Why thrash miles from London for a weekend break? If you want a blast of country air, take a look at Luton, says Sasha Slater Luton Hoo is a house so grand Prince Charles once considered buying it before plumping for Highgrove. Perhaps he felt nostalgic about the gigantic, honey-coloured building, because this was where his mother and father spent part of their honeymoon. They were staying with the Wernher family, who’d built their fortune on South African diamonds in the 19th century and then added glitter to their dynasty with a marriage into the Russian Imperial family, bringing large quantities of Fabergé

to the unlikely setting of suburban Bedfordshire. They say that Prince Charles turned his back on the Robert Adam-designed stately pile because you can just hear the distant hum of the M1 while standing in the grounds. But for dedicated urbanites, that sense that you can whizz back into London in mere minutes is rather comforting. It certainly makes Luton Hoo the absolutely perfect instant escape from the city. Head towards Babington House and you’re stuck behind camper

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vans bound for Stonehenge until the ice has long melted in your welcome drink; go for the Four Seasons in Hampshire and you are fighting your way through the stockbroker-belt traffic and the enthusiastic road cyclists for mile after agonising, inching mile. No, Luton Hoo, 30 miles and 21 minutes by train from St Pancras, is the intelligent choice if you’re looking to splurge for a weekend. Unlike The Grove, which is its closest Hertfordshire equivalent and makes a virtue of chucking scarlet grand pianos into its suites at whim, the rooms here are comfortingly traditional: heavy on the floral curtains and crimson carpets and, therefore, extremely grand. Our bed had a little canopy for added Sleeping

Beauty appeal and quantities of Molton Brown in the bathroom. When we did poke our noses out of the grandeur of the main house, we didn’t venture far – and why should we when a short stroll through the idyllic grounds led to a gigantic swimming pool and spa, tennis courts, golf course, miniature Japanese garden, surprisingly affordable brasserie and croquet lawn? If you want to sightsee, get back on that train to London. But if you want a snappy little refresher, a scent of autumn to wake you up and some fresh air, you absolutely couldn’t come to a better place. From £230 per double room, based on two sharing and including breakfast elitehotels.co.uk, 01582 698 888

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aMuse promotion

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GIVE YOUR HOME A STRIKING

6:30am. Each promotion is carefully selected by ACHICA’s expert team of in-house buyers, dedicated to discovering the most exciting designers and the very best products from around the globe. They focus on bringing the very latest designs and furnishings straight to you. From luxurious bed linen by the likes of Catherine Lansfield and V&A to stunning homeware by Jan Constantine and Margo Selby, you can now adorn your home with all of your favourite luxury brands for less. Discover incredible savings on a wide range of categories including: stylish kitchenware, fashion accessories by luxury labels, original Exclusive promotions across a range of categories, including, home furnishing, art and glassworks, childrenswear, fine wine, kitchen, garden, art, fashion accessories, food and drink, travel, gourmet foods, lighting, travel and more. childrenswear and more. Recent promotions include names such as Jean Patrique, Vintage Louis Vuitton & nhance your home with the very best lifestyle and interior brands Chanel, Ray-Ban, Calvin Klein Kids, Culinary Concepts, at a fraction of the high street prices with ACHICA.com. Kenwood & many more. Each event runs for just 2-3 days, ACHICA is the members-only online store which offers access to popular products are often sold out before the sale finishes, private ‘shopping events’ featuring a range of home, garden and luxury adding a touch of urgency to matters. With new brands lifestyle brands all at up to 70% off their original price. starting daily, you’re sure to discover products and brands How can they offer designer names at a fraction of the retail price? The you’ll love. Be sure to sign up to ACHICA today and discover the savings! secret is ‘private sales’ for members only. Once you’ve signed up to ACHICA - free of charge - you gain access to exclusive promotions starting daily at achica.com/amuse

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interiors

‘I

THE LUCKY

have lived in Camden Mews for the past two years. It is a quiet lovely mews by Camden Square; it’s so peaceful we could be anywhere, yet it’s central. I live with my husband James-Lee Duffy, who is an art director. He works from his studio in the house. It has two roof terraces and more light than you can imagine. He is my inspiration. We live in a mid-Victorian house which, when we bought it, hadn’t been done up since the 1990s. We renovated it in 12 weeks, stripping the floors at ground level back to their concrete foundations and polishing them. We exposed all the old floorboards upstairs and the bathroom we split into two wet rooms, using interesting concrete sinks and black tiles. We also transformed a plain roof terrace into a glass one. The house is painted Hardwick white, a beige-ish grey from Farrow & Ball. It was originally an old mews stable, so the front door and windows are arched with small square window panes. The upstairs at the back has french windows onto a roof terrace – which is also the glass kitchen ceiling. Looking outside, I can see wisteria and the sky from the kitchen window, which is a roof light; as it also doubles up as the roof terrace, it’s fun to look back into the kitchen when we’re having a party. For me, the most important thing in a home is to be surrounded by beautiful things, books and people. We also always need a large dining table as James is an amazing cook and we love a dinner party. My home functions as a showroom, a studio, a workshop and then transforms into a romantic cosy

HALFPENNY Fashion designer Kate Halfpenny’s mews house in Camden is transformed into a party palace with the help of black tiles, glass terraces and a stuffed pink rat...

dining room or snug in the evening; it’s very diverse. The house is easily transformed from home to office and back again by simply changing the lighting, moving displays of jewellery or mannequins of dresses out of sight and then filling the space with friends and fun. My clients love coming to my home; from Kate Moss to Emilia Fox, they all feel at home when they sink into the big cream Chesterfield. It’s essential to make it feel like you are stepping into a special place when you enter – whether you’re a megastar coming for a fitting or a bride searching for her dream dress. The rail of dresses in the showroom holds so many memories; each one was inspired by a client for an event, or found in an antiques fair somewhere in the world.

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BUTTERFLY IN OAK FRAME, £40£50, LES COUILLES DU CHIEN lescouillesduchien.com

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BUTTERFLIES IN DOMES, £95-£295, LES COUILLES DU CHIEN lescouillesduchien.com

My interior style is very eclectic and inspired by objects found on my travels. In NYC I hit the Brooklyn vintage shops, or Henrik Vibskov for fabulous clothes for me and my clients. In South Africa, the modern art galleries of Franschhoek draw me in. And you can’t beat the markets in France. The shops that I tend to go to first, if I am looking for something specific, include Les Couilles Du Chien on Golborne Road – Jerome Dodd always has a gem hidden somewhere in his treasure trove. If I am feeling in need of lots of bits and pieces I will head to Ardingly or Kempton antiques fairs. If I want an industrial piece or some huge drawers then I try Retrouvius on Harrow Road. For a new sofa, designaddicts.com is my starting point and, of course, you can’t beat eBay for a shopping fi x. We have giant old draper’s chests and a lovely 3.5-metrelong set of drawers from an old dairy. They have taxidermy bell jars on top, with wonderful things inside. The taxidermy hare [in the drawing room] was a present for James for Easter. I thought I’d find him an Easter bunny and I bought it while on holiday in South Africa. Another treasure is a sleeping stuffed pink rat that I had made for James as a birthday present. My home and my fashion sense are very similar in that they are both influenced by vintage fabrics. The huge dairy drawers themselves have such a memory attached; James and I both saw them when we were with our ex partners. James, being sensible, went home to take measurements and see if they would fit. Five minutes later, I walked into the shop with my ex and said, “I have to have those drawers!” and bought them there and then. James called a few minutes afterwards to say he would have them as they would fit and was told they were already taken. He couldn’t believe it when he saw them in my house… halfpennylondon.com

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at home

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

The style and philosophy of art nouveau with its natural, feminine and organic shapes. To be creative you have to see a lot and develop your own ideas. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE

MILAN TO MAYFAIR

YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?

One of the most glamorous talents in interiors today, Ukranian Anna Dodonova designs properties for high-net-worth clients worldwide, regularly exhibits at the Milan Salone Internazionale del Mobile exhibition and has a showroom in Mayfair – all by the age of 30. This month, you can check out her work at London Design Week 2012 (14-23 September). She lives in St John’s Wood with her fiancé, who works in financial services, and Pushkin, their two-year-old pomeranian. TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT FOR LONDON DESIGN WEEK 2012…

We’re hosting our debut installation of the Milky Way – a superb light sculpture by Manooi and Swarovski. The 13,000-crystal piece is really dramatic and will be displayed in an garden designed by Moore Harrison. We are also giving guests an opportunity to view our new collection and a one-off Baxter sofa designed by acclaimed artist Draga Obradovic.

I love Net-a-Porter! My style is elegant during the week, as I have lots of meetings. But I try to bring some creativity to my look, so I use lots of accessories. Over the weekend I am very casual in blue jeans and a white tank. WHAT ARE YOUR DESIGN TRENDS FOR 2012?

Everybody should have something original or antique in their home. This year’s emerging trend is the presence of blues mixed with chocolate-browns and greys. I’m seeing these earthy tones everywhere – on walls, floors, chairs, sofa coverings and bed linen. WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST

HOUSES BEAUTIFUL

We experienced some serious home envy looking at the interiors from this new 25 Edition from Taschen. A fantastically indulgent, immaculately shot feast of contemporary homes from all corners of the globe – traditional and avantgarde, rustic and glossy, weird and wonderful. We love the gorgeous guest bedroom at Frans Ankoné’s – creative director of Romeo Gigli – home in Marrakech, Morroco (above). Pick your favourites and imagine yourself living there. 100 Interiors Around The World, £34.99, Taschen

ABOUT LONDON LIVING?

I like to go out in Mayfair; it has a lot of dog-friendly restaurants with great food. I enjoy Novikov, Nobu, Olivomare and Mari Vanna. And you can’t beat Claridge’s for breakfast. WHY DID YOU BECOME A DESIGNER?

When I was a child, I wanted to arrange and decorate our family home and my parents used to let me do it. I would look at Architectural Digest magazine and dream about interior schemes. annacasa.net, londondesignfestival.com

STYLISH BOUDOIRS

Who says runway designers can’t spruce up our bathrooms too? A host of fashionable, international names has been pulled together for Harrods’s new Bed & Bath capsule collection – including NYC designer Aviva Stanoff, who created textiles for top fashion houses like Oscar de la Renta before turning to homewares. Neutral or hot-pink; silky or fluffy, the new dedicated in-store boutique promises boudoir-ware for all tastes. AW12 Bed & Bathroom Collections, Harrods Luxury Linens Boutique, harrods.com

Giorgio is the eternal king of sophisticated fashion – and quite possibly of luxe interiors as well, if this collection of furnishing textiles is anything to go by. Inspired by Oriental culture – with nods to the Byzantine Empire and Venice, in an imaginary east-to-west voyage – these fabrics are more than enough to make any chair, sofa or throne look regal – in an elegant, understated, contemporary way, of course. Armani Casa Exclusive Textiles By Rubelli, 2012 Collection, from £97-£270 per metre, Rubelli / Donghia, Unit C9 A and B, The Chambers, Chelsea Harbour, rubelli.com

WORDS: POLLY GLASS

ARMANI AT HOME

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BE AT THE HEART OF BRITISH FASHION Clothes Show Live is everything you love about fashion. The UK’s top designers. The country’s hottest trends. And the nation’s biggest catwalk show. This is British fashion at its best. Show your love. Be at the heart. Book your tickets now at: www.clothesshowlive.com

LIVE

CLOTHES

SHOW

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SUZUKI

Official ambassador of Clothes Show Live 2012

7-11 DECEMBER 2012

NEC BIRMINGHAM

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GOODWOOD REVIVAL

“A

m e i ” t n i k c a b p e t s l a c magi

14 .15 . 16 SEPTEMBER For the latest event news follow us on and Admission strictly by advance ticket only • For tickets or hospitality please call: +44 (0)1243 755055 or visit

www.goodwood.com

restaurant news by LYDIA SLATER

THE BREAKFAST CLUB Combining good taste with good toast, hip hotel W

London’s innovative Ideas for Breakfast programme continues this month with a talk on Precious Fashion from Archivist Magazine (9 Sept) while, next month, the Bijoux Editrix bloggers explain the phenomenon of fashion trends. And you thought fashion people didn’t do breakfast… Tickets £25 per person, 10.30am-12.30pm, wlondon.co.uk/ideas-for-breakfast

20S SOMETHING

Party like it’s 1929 at the InterContinental London Park Lane, which holds a monthly Gin & Jazz night, neatly combining two of our very favourite things. On the third Thursday of every month, in the Arch Bar, you can sip nostalgic gin cocktails (they have 35 varieties of mother’s ruin to choose from) while the resident flapper demonstrates her Charleston. Dig out your boa and get on down – dashing Frenchman Benoit Viellefon performs on 20th September. Booking essential. The InterContinental London Park Lane, One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, London W1J 7QY, ginandjazz.com, 020 7409 3131

FASHIONABLE FISH The fash-pack’s favourite chef, Scott Hallsworth (he

BRAZIL OR BUST In its quest to create the ultimate Caipirinha, Brazilian restaurant chain Las Iguanas has started to make and distil its own cachaça (sugar cane spirit) in order to ensure authenticity. (But it still tastes pretty good with the Tesco version.) HERE’S HOW TO MAKE ONE:  1 lime  3 tsp caster sugar  Crushed ice  35ml cachaça 1. Top and tail the lime and cut into eight chunks. 2. Put in a tumbler and add three teaspoons of sugar. 3. Using a muddler or round-ended rolling pin, crush the sugar into the lime. 4. Half-fill the glass with crushed ice and add the cachaça. 5. Fold all the ingredients together gently with a spoon. Top with more crushed ice. iguanas.co.uk

cooked for Naomi, Kate, Christy and Alek Wek, not to mention VB, while heading the kitchen at Nobu) is opening a new restaurant, Wabi London, in Lincoln’s Inn Fields this month. On the menu: Japanese with a European twist – we’re enjoying the foie gras martini with umeshu jelly, nashi and black vinegar. Wabi London, 36-38 Kingsway,London WC2B 6EY, wabirestaurants.com

THE BENTO BUSINESS Takeout has soared upmarket. Celeb hotspot

Nobu has finally introduced a special takeaway Anniversary Bento Box to celebrate its 15 years in London. If you’re simply too famous to be seen eating in public, you can now order three tiers of Chef Matsuhisa’s specialities in bento boxes sourced from a boutique designer in Tokyo, stylishly wrapped with a gold sash. Yours for £250 (serves two). Orders must be placed 24 hours in advance and picked up personally. No one said this was going to be easy... Meanwhile Rihanna has persuaded her favourite Japanese, Nozomi on Beauchamp Place, to introduce a delivery service. That’ll be one fresh King Crab mixed with white asparagus and black truffle to go then… Nobu London, 19 Old Park Lane, London W1K 1LB, nozomi.co.uk, 020 7447 4747

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food news

by LYDIA SLATER

LAND OF THE BLACK GOLD

The supes have long known that caviar has a fantastic effect on the hair and skin, as well as the tastebuds. Sadly, its effect on the wallet is less beneficial. Now farmed-caviar importer Gourmet House has launched an entry-level caviar so we can all eat like jetsetters. Transmontanus Sevruga is a very reasonable £28.80 for 30g (the market average is £62). For a more expensive splurge, try its Iranian Beluga (£108 for 30g) – the only one available in Europe. gourmethouse.com

FOOD FOR FRIENDS Ah, cooking for the masses – that stomach-

THE GREEN

ZONE

If you think absinthe is a lurid green concoction that’s drunk with a flaming sugarlump by opium-crazed French poets (but in reality best left at the back of the drinks cupboard), it may be time to think again. French distillery La Fée has launched La Fée Absinthe Blanche (£36.79). Aimed at women, it is a white absinthe with a gentler taste and lower alcohol content and doesn’t need added sugar. La Maison Fontaine (£59.95) is another clear French absinthe that has received numerous awards and is popular with mixologists as a base for cocktails. And absinthe’s key botanical – wormwood – is now making its way into other spirits such as trendy vodka brand Babicka (£24.79), which is reputedly modelled on a centuries-old Czech witches’ brew. thedrinkshop.com

jolting, pulse-raising feat of culinary prowess (and social effortlessness) we all wish we were really good at. But despair not, oh food-loving party givers: London-based food writer and seasoned chef Margot Henderson is here to help with You’re All Invited. Beautifully yet maneageably presented, these are warm, inviting and stylish recipes: spicy fried eggs and buckwheat pancakes, sophisticated scotch eggs, roasts of all kinds… it guides you through the delights of cooking for groups of four to 40. PG You’re All Invited, Margot Henderson, £25, Fig Tree

CRYSTAL CLEAR

Already missing Ibiza? Get back a taste of summer with Sal de Ibiza, available at Selfridges. The collection, packaged in summery turquoise and gold, includes a hand-harvested fleur de sel at £24.99 – not cheap, but less than the price of a flight and it will wing your tastebuds back there much more quickly… Tickets available from Le Café Anglais, £70pp including dinner, wine and service, 020 7221 1415

LOCO COCO

Health-conscious A-listers such as Gwyneth Paltrow have long sung the praises of coconut water. Now the tipple has gone even further upmarket with the launch of Jax Coco. Founders Jane and Max Gottschalk (right) were previously investors in Vita Coco and decided to bring out their own drink. Aimed squarely at the party set (a limited-edition bottle has been made for Pacha nightclub in Victoria) the minimalist design was created by Alasdhair Willis, aka Mr Stella McCartney, and they both attended its Harvey Nicks launch alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who DJed, while the glamorous guests sipped Jax Coladas (left). You don’t get that at a Ribena party… Jax Coco is available at Harvey Nichols, £1.95 for 250ml, harveynichols.com

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TH E

FIFTEENMINUTE

MEAL

Two courses in a quarter of an hour? No problem for superchef Florence Knight HAZELNUT TOFFEE APPLES

FIGS & PARMA HAM serves four To me, figs represent the ripeness of fruit at the end of summer – they really are at their best at this time of year. This elegant little dish combines two flavours, adding the salty richness of the ham to the sweetness of the juicy figs. It’s very easy to prepare, looks great on the dinner table and you will surprise your guests with how well the two ingredients work together.. • 6-8 ripe figs • A smidgen good-quality olive oil • Pinch of salt • 12 thinly sliced pieces of Parma ham 1 Mostly important of all is to buy the ripest figs you can get your hands on. Use your nose to judge the sweetness of the fruit, then very gently squeeze them to ensure they are perfect – they should give slightly, like an avocado. 2 Tear the figs into halves, then sprinkle over a few drops of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Gently mix with your hands, being very careful not to bruise them. Place on a large serving plate and drape the Parma ham loosely over the figs before allowing your guests to help themselves. Serve with crusty bread.

This recipe is a celebration of the coming of autumn. A grown-up twist on a favourite childhood treat, above all, this recipe is fun to make and eat. It’s best to prepare these no more than a few hours ahead, as otherwise the toffee will lose its crunch. • 6 apples – Spartan apples from Chegworth farm shop are my favourite, but any sharp, firm, wellflavoured variety will do • A splash of olive oil • 200g hazelnuts • A pinch of salt • 200ml water • 400g caster sugar • ½ tsp white vinegar

tray with greaseproof paper and lightly grease with oil. 3 Place the hazelnuts onto a separate baking tray. Add a pinch of salt and splash of olive oil and bake in the oven for three minutes until the natural oils from the hazelnuts are released and you get a lovely, nutty aroma. Allow the nuts to cool, then roughly chop and set aside. 4 Place the water, sugar and vinegar into a heavy-based pan and allow the sugar to melt slowly. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. The bubbles will become larger, less frequent and will slowly turn amber at the edges. 5 Reduce the heat and don’t take your eyes off the caramel at this stage. It will become viscous and a dark terracotta colour. To see whether it’s ready, use a teaspoon to drop a bit of the caramel into a glass of cold water; remove the droplet and smash it with the back of the teaspoon: if it shatters, it’s ready. 6 Remove from the heat. Carefully holding the apples by the skewer, dip them into the caramel, swirling them around to get a thick and even coating. Don’t be tempted to dip your finger into the caramel, as I have done before – it’s dangerously hot. Gently stand each apple on its end on the greaseproof paper and scatter over the toasted hazelnuts. Leave to set for five minutes.

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2 Quickly rinse the apples under cold running water to remove any waxiness, then push a lollipop stick or skewer firmly into the centre of each apple. While the apples are drying, line a baking

VICTORIA MOORE’S TOP PICKS

WITH THE FIGS:

Cantine Giacomo Ascheri Dolcetto d’Alba Vigna Nirane 2011 Piemonte, Italy (slurp.co.uk, £14.75). The grape’s inherent juicy quality – all black cherries with a mouthwatering tang – brings out the sweet succulence of the ham and plays with the rich, autumnal figs.

WITH THE APPLES:

Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro NV Spain (Waitrose, £8.99 for 50cl) Made by adding spirit to still-fermenting muscat grapes so that the wine is naturally sweet but not too alcoholic (it’s 15% abv), this sticky dessert drink has a floral lift and citric sprightliness that cuts across the toffee and melds beautifully with the crisp apples.

Victoria Moore, wine columnist for The Telegraph, is the Louis Roederer International Wine Writer of the Year

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Every year 30,000 children in the UK are born with a genetic disorder. Modelled by Caggie Dunlop

You could make a big difference for them. Organise a Jeans for Genes Day on Friday 5th October and together we can raise money for the support and care they really need. Order your free fundraising pack

THIS MONTH’S –– MUSE ––

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borne ellik on Gol Above left: R right: Lovebox e : Road. Abov ndon. Below festival in Lo ockney H id av D a painting by

What was the last luxury you treated yourself to? A holiday in Tulum. Seven miles of beach, guacamole every day and time with my friends and my son. Which shows have you seen recently? The creative director of I saw a lot of great bands recently at Mulberry loves the Queen, eats Lovebox in London.. Seeing bands at Mexican street food in Soho festivals is just the best way to enjoy music, and doesn’t mind a bit of mud as long as you don’t mind a little bit of mud. What is your life philosophy? What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self? Be more confident in your chosen path. What do you miss when you’re away for work? My son. What’s your favourite London hotel? rk Holland Pa Claridge’s – it has the greatest service, the most comfortable beds and the most wonderful nostalgic atmosphere. What would you do with Battersea Power Station? Turn it into a Mulberry museum, store and indoor festival space – naturally. rry Left: Mulbe : ow el B . 12 Who would play you in the film of your AW the actress en life? ls O h et ab Eliz Elizabeth Olsen. Who is your favourite royal? The Queen, for her years of committed service and the Duchess of Cambridge for being a new style icon. What’s your favourite work of art in a London gallery? The recent David Hockney exhibition has been great- he’s a national treasure. mulberry.com

Emma Hill

PHOTOGRAPHS: HANNAH WEBB AT FLICKR, TJSCHLOSS AT FLICKR, TABERCIL AT FLICKR, ROBERT MOORE AT FLICKR

Which woman most inspires you? My mum: she taught me how to focus and supported me on every choice I made. Which Londoner most inspires you? Well, if the Queen can be classed as a Londoner, she inspires me a great deal. Where do you go to think? Holland Park is a great place to walk around and clear my head. Where do you go to gorge? For lunch, Ottolenghi in Kensington. and, for supper, I’m a fan of La Bodega Negra in Soho. I love its secret entrance and the food is just to die for. Where do you go to relax? Babington House in Somerset. Its setting is such a contrast to the London grind that I feel myself drop down a notch on the speedometer the minute I arrive. Where do you go to party? The top of the Standard Hotel, previously known as The Boom Boom Room, is the place to party in New York. Where do you go to feast your eyes? Our flagship store on Bond Street of course. Failing that, the Tate Modern is an amazing place to get inspiration, from everything inside to the building itself. Where do you go to feast your soul? London is my heart, New York is my soul. Which three shops can’t you resist? Vintage shops such as Rellik on Golborne Road. Get Stuffed is a brilliant taxidermist on Essex Road, I’ve recently been intrigued by this slightly eerie and macabre but beautiful art form. 112 | AMUSE

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