Maybourne Magazine Spring/Summer 2023 by BSP

Temps

Été

D’un

Summer On The French Riviera

KING CHARLES III The Coronation

HÉLÈNE DARROZE In London

TIM WALKER Takes Los Angeles

F A M I L Y

S T O R Y

Yasmin and Amber Le Bon wear Raindance

A S P R E Y. C O M

A S P R E Y ’ S L E AT H E R A N D J E W E L L E R Y C O L L E C T I O N S

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Editor ’

e t r t e L s

ILLUSTRATION: CLYM EVERNDEN. COVER STYLING BY NICKY YATES. MODEL CAROLINE GOECKEL WEARS BODYSUIT BY PHILOSOPHY, SUNGLASSES BY ZIMMERMANN.

here is no time like the past. In 1932, Country Life reported on the formidable task that designer Oswald Milne faced in updating a certain historic Mayfair property. ‘A hotel, especially one such as Claridge’s, with a longstanding reputation, is not a place for experiment or eccentricity, however warmly the vogue of a year may recommend it.’ Thankfully, Milne didn’t take such concerns to heart: he proceeded to modernise elegantly, focusing on the burgeoning needs of the 20th-century traveller. In Milne’s case, that meant a dressing room with furnishings that stood in defiance of the ‘machine age’, a hat stand made of English walnut and a ‘telephone cabinet’ – complete with two volumes of leather-bound directories – from which to make a call. Maybourne Hotel Group today shares the same priorities: each hotel needs to honour guests that came before, while anticipating the needs of future generations. This issue of Maybourne magazine is a celebration of the group’s past, present and future. We remember the Royal visits and mark the 70th anniversary of Audrey Hepburn’s ‘Welcome Home’ reception at Claridge’s, while Hélène Darroze reflects on 15 years at The Connaught. We discuss the Coronation of King Charles III, the contemporary state of Los Angeles fashion and reveal the finest suites that one can experience right now. Plus, we plan ahead: to the launch of The Emory, the group’s first new property in 50 years, currently being constructed in Knightsbridge. Look to the future – and enjoy this issue. CLARIDGE’S

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Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL +44 (0)20 7499 7070 the-connaught.co.uk THE MAYBOURNE RIVIERA

1551 Rte de la Turbie, 06190 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin +33 4 93 37 50 00 maybourneriviera.com

THE BERKELEY

Wilton Place, London SW1X 7RL +44 (0)20 7235 6000 the-berkeley.co.uk THE EMORY

Old Barrack Yard, London SW1X 7NP info@the-emory.co.uk the-emory.co.uk

Follow on Instagram: @claridgeshotel, @theconnaught, @the_berkeley, @themaybournebh, @themaybourneriviera, @theemorysw1x For reservations please call +44 (0)20 7107 8830, email reservations@maybourne.com or visit maybourne.com Acting Editor Andy Morris (Editor: Elle Blakeman) Cover Billie Scheepers Art Directors Vanessa Grzywacz, Craig Baxter Picture Editor Ben Rowe Sub Editors Chris Bryans, Nick Mee, Liz Tray Maybourne Communications Paula Fitzherbert, Charlotte Alexander-Stace, Christina Norton Contributing Editors Andrew Barker, Luciana Bellini, Georgina Cohen, David Downton, Emma Victoria Reeve Advertising Director Chris Wilson Advertising Executive James Fisher To Advertise: hello@luux-media.com The Maybourne Magazine is published biannually by Brook Street Publishing 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ

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A WELL-APPOINTED SUITE WITH A VIEW IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED...

Contributors Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera . The Emor y

Billie Scheepers

Jimi Famurewa

is the Chief Restaurant Critic for The Evening Standard. He visits Claridge’s ArtSpace Café. He loves the work of Chris Ware and the salted Negroni Sbagliato at Straker’s. His room service depends on his marathon training regime but always requires a little glass bottle of Heinz ketchup.

is a photographer whose work has appeared in Vogue, Beauty Papers and Vanity Fair. She photographs the cover shoot at The Maybourne Riviera. She loves the feminine power of Tamara de Lempicka, the novels of Javier Marías and the wit of Damien Hirst. Her room service order is a cheeseburger and truffle chips.

Roya Nikkhah

Fiona McCarthy

is a contributor to Air Mail, The Times, Christie’s Magazine and Galerie. She interviews Hélène Darroze. She loves Georgia O’Keeffe’s intense colour, author Sarah Winman’s turn of phrase and a ‘filthy as possible’ gin Martini. Her room service order is either a Caesar or Niçoise salad, with a glass (or three) of chablis.

Lydia Slater

Merle Ginsberg

is the Style Editor of Los Angeles Magazine. She writes about the city’s fashionable side. She loves Robert Longo’s art, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poetry and California white blends from Conundrum and Pine Ridge. Her room service order is shrimp scampi and Pinot Gris.

JIMI: NATASHA PSZENICKI. MERLE: BRIAN TO/WWD/PENSKE MEDIA VIA GETTY IMAGES

Bill Prince

is the former Acting Editor of Wallpaper* and author of Royal Oak: From Iconoclast to Icon (Assouline). He explores The Emory. A devotee of Bob Dylan, fiction by Anne Tyler and a gin Martini, his room service order is penne arrabiata with a glass of the glossiest red.

Robin Muir

is a Contributing Editor to Vogue and a photography historian. He profiles Tim Walker ahead of his major LA show. He enjoys Patrick Procktor’s art, covers by Vienna Boys’ Choir and room service on a trolley. P.

is the Editor-In-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar. She interviews Alexi Lubomirski. She loves the art of Yayoi Kusama, the black humour of Andrey Kurkov and orders a Bellini in Italy, a Kir in France and a G&T in London. Her room service preference is cucumber sandwiches and a pot of tea.

is the Royal Editor of The Sunday Times and a leading broadcaster on the Royal Family. She writes about our new King. She admires Banksy, Bellinis, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and jockey Billy Loughnane. Her room service order is chicken soup, Caesar salad and red wine. P.

44 P.

104

Hannah Betts

is a contributor to The Times and The Telegraph. She experiences Josh Wood’s salon at Claridge’s. Her preoccupations include the art of Bronzino, Harris Reed at Nina Ricci and vegetarian club sandwiches.

©ARTEFACT, FRANSISCO MARTINEZ

…IMAGINE THE VIEW FROM YOUR SUITE CHANGING EVERY DAY…

Contributors Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera . The Emor y

Emma Victoria Reeve

Nicky Yates P.

is an internationally acclaimed editorial and red-carpet stylist. She is responsible for this issue’s cover shoot. She is currently prepping for the Met Gala, learning harmonica and looking forward to her next club sandwich and fries.

Sophia Money-Coutts

is a novelist and contributor to The Times. She discusses the wit of King Charles. She enjoys the cheerful nudes of Anita Klein, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s murder mysteries and a greasy burger delivered to her room under a silver dome.

12 Helena Lee

is the Features Director of Harper’s Bazaar. She writes our Postcard from London. She loves the screenprints of Lubaina Himid, author Tahmima Anam, seeing Madonna live and eating chips with aioli on a hotel balcony.

76 Lucy Halfhead

SOPHIA: LARA ARNOTT. HELENA: DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES. LUCY: JENNY SMITH. RACHEL: TOM CRAIG

is Content Director at Citizen Femme and a contributor to Elle. She meets Marcus Wareing. She loves Annie Morris’ art, planting tomatoes in Hackney and film producer Sarah Brocklehurst. Her room service order is chicken Caesar salad with triple-cooked chips.

is a luxury brand consultant and producer. She writes our Postcard from the French Riviera. She loves the works of Daphne du Maurier and visiting the Chagall museum in Nice. Her room service order is something indulgent with a glass of cold Champagne.

Zachary Weiss

Clare Coulson

is a regular writer for HTSI, The Telegraph and is co-editor of Blooms. She writes about the joy of flowers in hotels. She loves the paintings of Ivon Hitchens, whisky sours, Phoebe Philo and considers her garden her ‘forever project’. She orders eggs Benedict and a hot pot of tea.

Rachel Louise Brown

is a photographer for Harper’s Bazaar and Port. She photographs Charli Howard. She loves the author Elif Shafak, Claude Cahun’s photos and has begun work on a major project called ‘Salty Clowns’. Her room service order is lobster bisque and shoestring fries. P.

110

writes for vogue.com and Ralph Lauren’s RL Magazine. He meets the founder of Dante Beverly Hills. He likes the sly subversion of David Hockney’s work, Anderson & Sheppard’s rollnecks and an expertly crafted Negroni. His room service order matches his custom Stubbs & Wootton slippers: a club sandwich.

John O’Ceallaigh

is a luxury travel specialist and the creator of Lute. In this issue he examines the joys of a suite. His obsessions include Hong Kong, Madeline Miller’s fiction and the installations of James Turrell. When flying long-haul, he convinces himself that sugar will prevent tiredness, so he opts for chocolate desserts when ordering room service.

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LUXURY YACHTING By

Contents Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera . The Emor y

Spring/Summer 2023

P. 12 POSTCARDS FROM

The inside track from our experts

14 WHAT TO WEAR

Dress to impress this season ING CHARLES III K Roya Nikkhah, Stephen Doig and Sophia Money-Coutts on the new King. Plus, treasures from the archive at Claridge’s

24 TALKING HEADS

Some of our favourite people share their top spots

28 FOULKES & SONS The luxury aficionados experience The Connaught Cigar Merchants 32 BMW’S NEW ARRIVAL

A detailed report on a stunning new electric vehicle, the i7

ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI The renowned photographer speaks to Harper’s Bazaar’s Lydia Slater

ANIEL LISMORE D An interview with London’s greatest living sculpture (right)

TIM WALKER The photographer’s blockbuster show arrives at The Getty

8 HOURS WITH… 4 Model and activist Charli Howard (below left) experiences The Berkeley

AUDREY HEPBURN Before Breakfast at Tiffany’s, there was cake at Claridge’s 54

THE EMORY Maybourne Hotel Group is opening its first new London hotel in 50 years 62 L A BELLE VIE The Maybourne Riviera provides the perfect backdrop 58

ET’S SPEND THE NIGHT L TOGETHER The most enticing new suites for long summer days

MARCUS WAREING The legendary chef talks about his flagship restaurant at The Berkeley

78 DANTE GOES WEST

The NYC bar is on the rooftop of The Maybourne Beverly Hills 82

ARTSPACE CAFÉ Step into the artful grandeur of the new café at Claridge’s

THE FRENCH CONNECTION Hélène Darroze on 15 years at The Connaught 86

L A AS FASHION CAPITAL Merle Ginsberg on how the style set fell in love with California

SAM BARKER. RACHEL LOUISE BROWN

MEN’S FASHION Manolo Blahnik’s slippers, created for the Coronation

WOMEN’S FASHION Burberry and Monique Lhuillier bring the glamour

100

BEAUTY NEWS Aman Spa at The Connaught and Chanel’s new hair perfume 102

ROSS J. BARR The wellness practitioner bringing acupuncture to Claridge’s 103

JOSH WOOD The A-list hair colourist is changing the face of hotel hair 104

PARTY PAGES An Oscar nominees’ reception at Claridge’s and Frieze at The Maybourne Beverly Hills

108

BLOOM SERVICE A visual feast of the verdant additions to Maybourne Hotel Group 110

CHECK OUT News and views from the six hotels, including the BBC’s Mayfair Hotel Megabuild series 116

DAVID DOWNTON DRAWS Hollywood Golden Age icon Leslie Caron 120

WITH LOVE Postcards from a few of our favourite locals LEE

LONDON

The editor of East Side Voices enjoys a bumper crop of contemporary galleries I am a Londoner through and through. I was born, bred and married here; have lived north and south of the river, east and west. If I had a spare wet Wednesday (which, I fear, is rare), then I would use it to walk the city, traversing its arteries with no particular end in sight, in the hope that I would stumble across parts unknown that had been occupied by, served as inspiration or been meaningful to an artist, a writer, or perhaps a Nobel Prize-winning scientist. Because that’s what I used to do when I had the luxury of time, as a teen burdened with angst, and then in my more hedonistic and hungover twenties. I would gravitate

to institutions like the National Portrait Gallery (npg.org.uk) and get lost in its passages, staring – a little audaciously – into the eyes of those who came before, and wonder about each subject’s journey to reach these walls. After three years of watching the drilling and scaffolding around it, I’m delighted by the gallery’s reopening in June, its collection reinforced by significant acquisitions of portraits of trailblazing women: Chila Kumari Burman, Celia Paul, Susan Hiller, Mary Beard and Sarah Gilbert. And in a statement of intent, the opening show will focus on the groundbreaking Yevonde, a pioneer in the history of colour photography. Cutting down Piccadilly is always a joy – past St James’s Church, where I got married, Hatchards, Fortnums, maybe a detour down Jermyn Street for Paxton & Whitfield cheese. I’d make my way,

Left: Lizzo, wearing Thom Browne, in ‘Crown to Couture’

Above: Vivien Leigh at the National Portrait Gallery. Right: ‘Double Spiral’ by Keita Miyazaki, soon to be seen at the Young V&A

via a quick stop at the Serpentine Galleries, to Kensington Palace (hrp. org.uk) for its largest ever exhibition, ‘Crown to Couture’, where contemporary couture gowns, as worn by the likes of Lizzo and Billie Eilish, are on show along with the historical confections of Queen Charlotte and Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire in the glorious state apartments. Then, I would head east on the tube to Bethnal Green to see how the transformation of the V&A Museum of Childhood to Young V&A (vam.ac.uk/ young) has manifested. It now houses an ‘Imagination Playground’, a design gallery – with work by Greta Thunberg, and will show an exhibition about Japan in October. It perfectly encapsulates what London is about: a playground for all, in its infinite variety.

VIVIEN LEIGH: YEVONDE (1936) © NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON. DOUBLE SPIRAL: KEITA MIYAZAKI ©︎ LUKE WALKER COURTESY OF GALLERY ROSENFELD. LIZZO: GOTHAM/GETTY IMAGES

HELENA

EMMA VICTORIA REEVE T HE FR ENCH R I V IER A

The luxury expert opens up her little black book of labels and loves I love summer on the French Riviera because it brings back memories of spending time here during childhood: lunches among the Léger murals at La Colombe d’Or (la-colombe-dor.com), or long, languid meals of fresh seafood, with sand between my toes, at Le Club 55 (club55.fr). I moved to Monaco four years ago, so the Côte d’Azur is my oyster once again. The summers here really make my heart sing. If you’re looking to visit, I would recommend wearing Eres for a day on the boat, Rowen Rose for lunches at the beach club, some Pucci for fun days in Saint-Tropez and Olivia von Halle silk

Above: La Spiaggetta at Balzi Rossi. Right: La Colombe d’Or

pyjamas for the balmy nights. On a typical day, I live in simple linen shorts from Asceno and maybe a top from Simone Rocha – or even one of my husband’s linen shirts. I’m looking forward to taking the all-electric buggies up to The Maybourne Riviera for lunch by the pool with friends. For dinner I can’t wait to

try La Vigie (montecarlosbm.com) in Monaco on a warm evening. I already feel like Cannes is turning into a mini Miami, with so many beach-club openings and new restaurants. Everyone’s already talking about the parties that happen around the Monaco Grand Prix at the end of May and, personally, I’m discussing how many SaintTropez trips we can squeeze in before August. I’m excited about playing tennis with my husband and friends at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (mccc.mc). Beach clubs open in May and I am counting down the days to return to our favourite Italian spot, Balzi Rossi (ristorantebalzirossi.it). It’s truly chic and understated – a very Slim Aarons scene.

Summer brings back memories: long languid meals of fresh seafood with sand between my toes ANDREW BARKER BEV ER LY HILL S

HOLLYHOCK HOUSE DINING ROOM: PAUL COZZI. SCHINDLER HOUSE: ESTEBAN SCHIMPF

Our LA Editor investigates the city’s most stunning settings The next time you go gallery hopping in LA, don’t expect an endless sea of white cubes and even whiter walls. An LA gallery is far from a blank canvas, and some spaces are as jaw-dropping as the very art they contain. Take The Future Perfect’s new home in Beverly Hills (thefutureperfect. com). Built in 1916, it now shows works on rotation by some of the world’s most collectable designers, including Casey McCafferty, Bari Ziperstein and Dan John Anderson. Their sculptures, furniture and ceramics effortlessly update the home in a captivating blend of old and new. As I

Above: Hollyhock House dining room. Left: Schindler House

write, Hollyhock House (hollyhockhouse. org) – a Unesco World Heritage Site completed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1921 – is hosting its first ever art show, featuring LA-based couple Louise Bonnet and Adam Silverman. The house itself was inspired by the Mayan architecture

of Mexico. Lloyd Wright worked on the temple-like project with Rudolph Schindler, an Austrian émigré who went on to be prolific in California, building some of the most paradigm-shifting works of modernism. The Schindler House is now the home of The MAK Center for Art and Architecture (makcenter.org). Elsewhere in the area, Gagosian’s second LA outpost (gagosian. com) has opened in a cavernous former Masonic lodge, while the Sam Parker Gallery (parkergallery.com) is located in the artist’s five-bedroom mock-Tudor house in Los Feliz. For its latest exhibition, Party/ After-Party (until 23 July), The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (moca.org) has adapted its industrial setting with an immersive exhibit by music producer Carl Craig. The former manufacturing plant seems the perfect site to be filled with light and sound. Craig, drawing on his 30 years as a DJ, has created a sensorial experience to conjure the euphoria of a nightclub without the need to stay up past midnight. Neon strip lights and mounting repetitive beats energise the brutally bare walls of the warehouse – although I rather wish he’d called it ‘Culture Club.’ M

Top, LoveShackFancy Skirt, Art Dealer at Threads Styling Sandals, Aquazzura at Matches Fashion

Ryan Lanji

Dress, David Koma at Selfridges

Earrings, Boodles

Dress, Attico at Selfridges

Bangle, Begum Khan at Matches Fashion

Trousers, Amy Lynn at Selfridges

Dress, Dolce & Gabbana at Matches Fashion Collar, Boucheron

Boots, Roger Vivier

W H AT T O PA C K F O R

DIVA AT The V&A THE V&A

The Victoria & Albert Museum’s new Diva exhibition, which runs from June this year to April next, is just the excuse you need to experiment with some high-octane dressing. You don’t necessarily need to attend the exhibition dressed as a diva, but it should certainly give you some food for thought on how to channel their power, creativity and style, from the Victorian opera singers of yesteryear to the global megastars of today. Our diva style tips: the LKD, otherwise known as the little killer dress; embellishment and lots of it; bold shoulders; bolder jewellery; and accessories that you might usually think twice about. It’s all about high voltage and mega-wattage. vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/diva Bangle, Asprey

Sandals, René Caovilla at Selfridges

Skirt, Dice Kayek

COMPILED BY JESSICA BUMPUS DAVE BENETT/GETTY. SAMIR HUSSEIN/WIREIMAGE. HOUSTON ROGERS. © VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM LONDON. DANNY CLINCH/COURTESY OF THE LA PHIL. ADAM LATHAM/COURTESY OF THE LA PHIL. AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC.

Adele

Cardigan, Balmain

Trousers, Alice + Olivia

Jacket, DanCassab at Threads Styling Earrings, So-Le Studio

Earrings, Almasika

Mascara, Byredo

Necklace, Graff

Bag, Brunello Cucinelli

Lipstick, Code8 Beauty Sandals, The Row at Matches Fashion

e a yi ng witBh ethve rly Hills l p , in rt a M Ga vin he Ma ybou rne LA Phil at T

Clutch, Asprey Dress, Roksanda at Matches Fashion

Bag, Judith Leiber at Matches Fashion

Choker, Elhanati

Jacket, Veronica Beard

Watch, Bulgari

Top, Roland Mouret at Matches Fashion

Walt Disney C oncert Hall

W H AT T O PA C K F O R

THE LA PHIL

Dress, Dice Kayek

‘Never let your wardrobe keep you from a concert!’ instructs the LA Philharmonic website. To which we would say: ‘Never let a concert keep you from your wardrobe.’ Of course, you don’t necessarily have to dress up, but it’s fun to do so, especially after the past couple of years of wardrobe restraint. Go traditional: get the gloves on, opt for a full-length gown and add a bold ring, choker or headband. Glamorous shoes that you can walk in are a bonus. laphil.com

Necklace, Boodles

Lipstick case, Saint Laurent at Selfridges

Ring, Boodles Shoes, Jennifer Chamandi Headband, Roger Vivier

Earrings, Kirstie Le Marque

Gloves, Paula Rowan

Skirt, Brunello Cucinelli

Cynthia Erivo

Ring, Almasika

Dress, Alice + Olivia

Dress, Tory Burch

Necklace, Chaumet

Jacket, Saint Laurent at Matches Fashion

Top, Dice Kayek

Blouse, Alice + Olivia

Trousers, Nynne

sso a c i P a m o Pal

Ring, Nada Ghazal

Bracelet, Tohum at Matches Fashion

Dress, Self-Portrait at Matches Fashion

Jacket, Ahluwalia

Bag, Tissa Fontaneda

Trousers, Ahluwalia

Waistcoat, Raisa Vanessa at Threads Styling Ring, Boucheron

Perfume, Loewe

MUSÉE PICASSO

For a date at Antibes’ Picasso museum on the 50th anniversary of the Spanish icon’s death, it’s time to amplify the art aesthetic. In the 1940s, Pablo Picasso had a studio in the town at what was then Château Grimaldi, which was later renamed the Musée Picasso and now showcases an impressive collection of his works. Embrace the artist’s Cubist legacy with quirky accessories, blocks of colour and confident silhouettes. Then mix them together with Riviera flair – think stripes and clothes that are easy, breezy and sun-ready. antibes-juanlespins.com M Shoes, Loewe at Selfridges

Mini dress, Valentino at Selfridges Earrings, So-Le Studio

Clutch, Roger Vivier

Musée Picasso

ALAIN DEJEAN/SYGMA VIA GETTY. TONY VACCARO/GETTY. WWD/PENSKE MEDIA VIA GETTY. MARTIN TURZAK/ALAMY.

Earrings, Kirstie Le Marque

Moschino Spring/ Summer 2020

Ring, Bea Bongiasca at Matches Fashion

Skirt, Paco Rabanne at Selfridges

W H AT T O PA C K F O R

DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN’S MOST LUXURIOUS ADDRESS

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Royal Appointment By

King Charles III is uniquely suited to embrace his role as monarch, says Royal reporter Roya Nikkhah

TIM GRAHAM PHOTO LIBRARY VIA GETTY IMAGES

Prince Charles arriving at the Amir of Kuwait Banquet at Claridge’s, 1995. Watching on is Head Footman Roman Proboziack, who recently retired

he longest-serving heir apparent in British history before he acceded to the throne, King Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023 as the most prepared monarch to ever swear the coronation oath. Buckingham Palace wanted the service to ‘look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions’, much like the King himself, who at 74 still wears suits made four decades ago, but is laser-focused on how the Carolean age should evolve into a modern monarchy that fits his subjects in years to come. As Julian Payne, the King and Queen Consort’s former communications secretary, says: ‘At his age, it could be argued that the new King has already completed, as Prince of Wales, a career of duty and service of such length that he should be looking forward to a few years of well-earned rest. Yet he has just begun his greatest challenge. Not, as some have suggested, the role he has been “waiting for” all his life; rather the job he was ready to do when the time came. The King knows that a priority for the monarch is to promote stability while gently modernising.’ King Charles has unenviably big shoes to fill after the recordbreaking reign of his beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but the septuagenarian monarch has already embarked on a programme of modernisation. He plans to open up Buckingham Palace to the public almost all year round when its 10-year, £369m refurbishment is completed and transform other royal residences from

‘private spaces to public places’. In January, he asked that bumper profits from a £1bn-a-year Crown Estate wind-farm deal be used for ‘the wider public good’, not as a boost to royal funding, and his first Christmas broadcast addressed the cost-of-living crisis, acknowledging the financial hardships many are facing. His long run-up to the throne means the King has spent a lifetime going into communities and hearing about what really matters to people. He has campaigned to raise awareness of climate change for more than 50 years and is now acknowledged as world leader on an issue that resonates with younger generations. He continues to advocate for community integration and religious tolerance, and has helped more than a million disadvantaged young people into training and jobs with the Prince’s Trust. Whereas the late Queen sometimes cut a remote figure in her final years, with health and mobility problems hindering her ability to perform engagements, the King and Queen Consort are on manoeuvres several times a week. ‘The King has a natural ease with people, and he listens,’ says John Bridcut, a documentary maker who has known and worked with the monarch for more than 15 years. ‘There is a spontaneity and naturalness that people will notice. Many feel sad about the Queen, but they are already responding to the new reign. It’s part of the mystical magic of monarchy.’ King Charles is a workaholic who skips lunch, saying of his habit: ‘I don’t need lunch. I’m like a camel.’ And in common with the animal king of the desert, the monarch has shown an ability to weather

‘The King has a natural ease with people, and he listens’

ANTONY JONES/UK PRESS VIA GETTY IMAGES. ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID DOWNTON

Left: the 2005 wedding of Charles and Camilla at The Windsor Guildhall. Right: Claridge’s portrait of His Majesty by David Downton, commissioned to mark the coronation

CROWNING GLORY

PA IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. STEVE WOOD/SHUTTERSTOCK. GETTY IMAGES. TIM GRAHAM PHOTO LIBRARY VIA GETTY IMAGES. BERNARD BISSON. POPPERFOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES. WIREIMAGE

Left: Prince Charles arriving at Claridge’s at a 2011 charity gala dinner. Below: The King’s championing of green issues stems, in part, from his love of English gardens.

storms and navigate tricky terrain, from the ‘War of the Waleses’ in the 1980s and 1990s – when the very public breakdown of his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, led to him often being portrayed negatively – to the seismic questions and challenges that confronted the Royal Family after Diana’s death in 1997. The popularity of Netflix’s dramatisation of royal scandals in The Crown, with what some might consider fiction dressed up as fact, has brought memories of those unhappy years back into the public consciousness. Although the King has found immense personal happiness with the Queen Consort, controversy still swirls around his family, and he is navigating choppy waters with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of York in his new roles as head of both the nation and the Royal Family. Dramas aside, says a friend of the monarch: ‘It’s surprising how immediately and naturally the role of King looks like a fit for him – and the public response is chiming with that. So many people stopped properly looking at who he really is and what he does a long time ago, defining him through the lens of his first marriage. His change from Prince to King has given people the ability to reappraise him.’ The King put diversity, community and public service at the heart of his coronation. During the three days of celebrations, an extra Bank Holiday featured ‘The Big Help Out’, an initiative that highlighted volunteering events and the value of helping others. For the King, his coronation was about more than just a glittering crown and spectacular pomp, pageantry and patriotism. It was about forging a ‘meaningful legacy’ for his reign. It says much about the man that championing how to help others is at the heart of his royal manifesto. Roya Nikkhah is the Royal Editor of the Sunday Times.

For someone so inextricably embedded in tradition, what’s remarkable about our new King is how thoroughly modern he is in his approach to style. Not with the latest catwalk theatrics, but in subtle touches that demonstrate a contemporary approach to dressing for men and, in doing so, how forwardthinking he is across all areas of his life. Yes, the tailoring is a masterclass in steadfast classicism – handsome grey or blue (rarely black) singlebreasted – from Anderson & Sheppard and Hackett, but the King’s focus on detail and provenance is what marks him out. There are the campaigns to support British wool manufacturing, alongside his craft initiatives at Dumfries House, which put a focus on artisanal skill over mass production. There’s his ‘make do and mend’ attitude to suits and coats, wearing the same A&S coat for over 30 years, having his suit patched up and happily wearing his roughed-up Barbour coat on Countryfile a decade ago. During a rare audience with the then Prince of Wales, I was told, ‘People throw so much away when they can easily mend.’ Today’s Gen Z might espouse sustainability, but the new sovereign has been doing it for years. It’s also refreshing that, well into his seventies, King Charles actively relishes and enjoys style. There are little touches that are deeply personal in the way he dresses; usually a suit with some form of pattern, in lieu of the standard black or navy (how dreadfully corporate and dull), as well as a fondness for lilacs and pinks, and a tender touch of sentimentality in his accessories. For example, cufflinks bearing the Greek flag in honour of his father or a signet ring in Welsh gold, a nod to his enduring relationship with the country. He’s already ascended to heights of style. Stephen Doig

Left: Charles meeting the singer Annie Lennox at Claridge’s. Below: at the Sandringham Flower Show in 2022

Fit Sophia Money-Coutts on For a the humour of the new King King

e’s a ‘jolly good person to sit next to at a dinner party because he’s so charming and intelligent,’ says Samantha Cameron. He’s ‘remarkably stoic’, according to a schoolfriend from Gordonstoun. ‘He has a terrific sense of humour; he’s very, very funny,’ says another old friend, who doesn’t live far from Highgrove. These are all handy qualities in a new King, but it’s his sense of humour that may prove the most useful of all. How else could one bear the mantle of monarch if you were unable to smile or laugh at certain plodding moments of ceremony? ‘Charles, can we go for a beer?’ shouted a bystander in the crowd at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In a flash, the prince spun around. ‘Where?’ he said to the stranger, before bursting into laughter. Our previous monarch was irreproachable in all matters, but one cannot quite imagine such a quick, waggish response to a heckle. Over the years, our longest monarch-in-waiting has been called many things: impatient, difficult, spoilt, irascible, petulant, uncaring and so on. In 1993, while damaging headlines about his first marriage swirled, his approval rating in Britain dropped to 4 per cent. In more recent years, he’s faced unflattering portrayals in television series and in films. In the past year alone, his beloved mother died, he became king, he was mocked online for losing his temper over a pen just days into mourning, the bitter relationship between his sons and their wives has been discussed by almost everyone on the planet on a daily basis and his

credentials as a father have been called into question by multiple claims made by Prince Harry. The man is 74. As the kids say, it’s been a lot. All of these brickbats, as well as the decades he’s spent waiting for the role, have shaped him into the perfect monarch. Has anyone ever taken on a job with so much training beforehand, or having weathered so much criticism? Think of the ludicrous titbits we’ve been told about him: that his valet puts his toothpaste on his toothbrush every day. That he travels with his own lavatory seat. That he insists on his shoelaces being ironed nightly. We’ve overheard the prince’s private phone calls and the most salacious details of his private life. And yet, he’s carried on, smiling through it all publicly (if not privately), patiently biding his time while working tirelessly on his charities and the Prince’s Trust, flagging the issue of climate change long before others were thinking of it. For the past 18 years, it also helps that he’s had his ‘darling wife’ beside him. The Queen Consort is also fond of a joke and once admitted she gets the giggles at solemn state events. ‘You have to laugh at yourself because if you can’t, you may as well give up,’ she’s remarked. As we enter a new Carolean age, at a time of such political tumult, when the world is swirling with anger, being able to see the humour in life has practically become a lost art. What a blessing that we have a king who hasn’t lost his funny bone, especially given what the last year has thrown at him. None of us can predict what the next decade or so may bring, but all this should stand him in good stead. Sophia Money-Coutts writes for The Times and Daily Telegraph.

It’s a blessing to have a king who hasn’t lost his funny bone

ROTA ANWAR HUSSEIN/GETTY IMAGES. CHRIS JACKSON - WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES. COLLAGE: CHRISTINA NORTON

FIT FOR A KING

Coronation Treat Claridge’s Archivist Kate Hudson talks 200 years of royal connection How long has Claridge’s had a royal association? Since James Mivart opened a hotel on the same site in 1812. We believe the Prince Regent kept a suite for his paramours. What is a favourite Archive memento? The fragile fan created to celebrate the coronation of King George V. Did hotel staff celebrate coronations? For Queen Elizabeth’s, kitchen staff slept on camp beds, then went to the parade with orange boxes to get a good view. What can we expect for King Charles? The Painter’s Room has created a special cocktail menu with a botanical twist to reflect His Majesty’s love of gardening. Are guests able to view the Archives? Yes! The Claridge’s Archive Cabinet is open to all on the ground floor. It includes fascinating items such as Queen Victoria’s diary and Queen Elizabeth’s menus. M Claridge’s Royal Archive Cabinet will be on display throughout summer 2023.

Mary McCartney’s ‘Record’, as seen in The Maybourne Bar at The Maybourne Beverly Hills

LADY KITTY SPENCER The Model

MARY MCCARTNEY

‘Elsa in Monte Carlo is great for a chic early-summer seafood lunch before the crowds get too much in July and August. Or try Le Ficus in Èze, right on the water between Monaco and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The perfect place for a long summer lunch, sharing dishes and relaxing by the pool. Try either one - then come back to The Maybourne Riviera for the spectacular panoramic views.’

MAIN IMAGE: RECORD BY MARY MCCARTNEY. MARY: GRACE GUPPY. KITTY: MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE. AARON & LAURE: ZACK WHITFORD/BFA.COM. COMPILED BY: LUCIANA BELLINI AND GEORGINA COHEN.

The Photographer ‘During the day I often head to the Taschen bookshop in Hollywood Farmers’ Market for inspiration. Then I’ll head across the road to The Grove to see a movie, or to LACMA nearby. For dinner I head to Gracias Madre for nourishment. It has delicious traditional Mexican cuisine made from scratch and great Margarita cocktails.’

A Great Little Place friends and I Know Ourfamily open their

AARON YOUNG AND LAURE HÉRIARD DUBREUIL The Couple To Know Aaron: ‘Laure and I live just up the hill from The Maybourne Beverly Hills, so when we have a “coordinated date walk”, we stroll down the hill and grab a smoothie at Erewhon, relax on the sunny patio and people watch in order to scope the ever-changing sartorial trends. We then pass by Gagosian gallery for the latest greatness. Then, to spoil all the exercise, we’ll stop for pizza at Jon & Vinny’s. Beverly Hills is decadent, why hold back?’

little black books

SERENA HOOD & LUCINDA CHAMBERS The Collagerie Curators Serena: ‘Sunbury Antiques Market at Kempton is a treasure trove of vintage finds. I particularly love sourcing interiors items, from chairs to art to mirrors Top tip arrive at 6am, the early bird catches the worm!’ Lucinda: ‘Tobias Vernon’s gallery 8 Holland Street has the most eclectic mix of midcentury modern paintings, ceramics by contemporary artists and textiles including rugs and cushions. And then he throws in an Ikea chair! I love his enthusiasm for design in all its forms.’

ERIC UNDERWOOD The Dancer ‘I love The Yard Theatre in Hackney because it’s a fantastically creative space that’s never afraid to take risks. It’s incredibly experimental and always pushing boundaries – definitely worth checking out if you enjoy an evening at the theatre.’

EMILIA WICKSTEAD The Couturier ‘Musso & Frank in Los Angeles is a special restaurant. It’s known as Hollywood’s oldest eatery and feels like stepping back in time to a bygone era. It has been passed down through generations of an Italian family since 1919, and you can feel the history, from the charming waiters in dinner jackets who have worked there for decades to the traditional, expertly executed American menu.’

The Artist ‘When I’m away from New York I find places that give me a sense of ‘home’. In LA I’ve got Bar Stella, which is ironic because I don’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. But a group of my close friends love to go for a drink and a smoke. The next two are restaurants: Manuela at Hauser & Wirth and Lulu at the Hammer Museum. Nothing feels more like home to me than pairing great art with great food and friends. The last time I was in LA, I had a chicken sandwich and watermelon juice at Manuela that almost sent me looking for a permanent apartment.’

DARREN GERRISH The Gentleman Paparazzo ‘When I’m back in London for work I love going to The Thin White Duke at 22b Great Windmill Street. It’s this wonderful little cocktail bar and recording studio in Soho, where they serve amazing cocktails and Dominican bites and have a beautiful little French bulldog named Dim Sum that greets you at the door. My kinda place!’

LINDEN PRIDE The Mixologist ‘I’ve been spending time in all corners while getting to know Los Angeles. The one place I continue to return to is Gjusta, the wonderful bakery in Venice. The ordering system is chaotic (it gets very busy on weekends), but almost everything we eat here is fabulous. Cabinets are piled high with smoked fish, delicious pastries, bountiful salads and pizzas. You can order almost anything at Gjusta and be confident that it will taste extremely good.’

EMILIA: DARREN GERRISH/WIREIMAGE. LINDEN: ASHLEY RANDALL

JAMEL ROBINSON

MICHAEL KORS The Style Icon

MICHAEL KORS: GERMAN LARKIN. ROKSANDA: QUENTIN JONES. JOYCE: TORY HO HAO KIU. NATHAN: DAVID M BENETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR FRIEZE. PETER: RENAUD CORLOUER. CHRISTOPHE: DAVID REISS

‘Whenever I’m in London, I always spend a little time browsing in Liberty; I could stay for hours in its fabrics and haberdashery department. I also love Sundays at the flower market on Columbia Road in the East End – you feel like you’ve stepped into My Fair Lady and Eliza Doolittle is just around the corner.’

ROKSANDA ILINCIC The Visionary ‘There is something about the intimacy of a small restaurant that I find so enchanting. Oren on Shacklewell Lane, east London is a hidden gem with incredible vegetarian dishes. The Jerusalem artichoke combined with dates and sour cream is a particular favourite. I love it not just for its delicious food, but its minimal and unassuming interior that accentuates its authenticity.’

NATHAN CLEMENTS-GILLESPIE

PETER HARRISON The CEO of Richard Mille ‘Every time I return to London and have the time, I visit Riva in Barnes. I’ve been going there for 30 years and it is undoubtedly one of the best Italian restaurants in London. The atmosphere is welcoming, the staff are personable and the food is exquisite.’

JOYCE WANG The Aesthete ‘Miel Bakery is our London studio’s go-to for coffee breaks. A French-inspired boulangerie and patisserie just steps away from the studio, it’s an unassuming and unpretentious space, where everything that matters is done to perfection.’

The Art Aficionado ‘My first stop in LA is for ceviche tacos at La Isla Bonita in Venice: simple and delicious. I’ve even made a mad dash from LAX during a long layover. I always enjoy a visit to the Getty Villa – the ancient sculptures remind me of my childhood in Rome, yet the setting and landscape are quintessential California.’

CHRISTOPHE KANE The Joy Bringer ‘I love nothing more than walking around Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It has some of the most amazing headstones of late movie titans and every month they hold cultural events like concerts or movie screenings on the lawn. It’s a real LA gem.’

Nick, right, and Max Foulkes savour the stock at The Connaught Cigar Merchants, while Freddie gets it all on film

A Family Affair With sons Max and Freddie, Nick Foulkes’ witty celebration of superior cigars is a YouTube hit. So who better to visit The Connaught Cigar Merchants? Photography by

PHILIP SINDEN

Nick Foulkes at The Connaught Cigar Merchants, an intimate, oak-panelled hideaway designed by Bryan O’Sullivan

Freddie, left, and Max, below, join their father to produce the Nick Foulkes & Sons YouTube channel, on which they enthuse over the finest cigars and clothes

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: JOE CONWAY. TABLE AND CHAIR PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES MCDONALD. ILLUSTRATOR: MO COPPOLETTA

ou know a cigar sampling room is special when your wife, who usually classes the fragrant blue smoke of a fine Havana cigar as a mephitic vapour emanating from the very bowels of Tophet, starts reaching for the thesaurus of superlatives: exquisitely crafted, beautiful and cocooning. I do my best not to disagree with my wife, but seldom have we concurred more harmoniously on any subject. By any objective measure, The Connaught Cigar Merchants is one of the wonders of modern Mayfair and when it comes to cigars I am hardly, if ever, objective. When I like something to do with cigars, I usually broadcast it over His Majesty’s Internet, on the current affairs network known as the Nick Foulkes & Sons YouTube channel. Foulkes & Sons, as I am sure you need no telling, was the silver lining within the cumulonimbus of the pandemic. Think of it like lockdown fitness star Joe Wicks, but aimed at aesthetes for whom dressing up, setting fire to a cylinder of the finest Vuelta Abajo tobacco and doing little else is the ultimate goal in life. Wicks is a little more mainstream, whereas we are decidedly niche. He counts his followers in millions, while Max (the son in front of the camera) and I find it exhausting to count above one, so always refer to our viewer in the singular. Wicks leaps about in tightfitting sportswear; we loll about in tweed suits. Wicks likes to recommend high-protein, low-fat recipes; we provide guidance as to the sort of cigars you might enjoy (and have yet to extol their low-fat, low-cal benefits). Ordinarily, we broadcast from the ancestral hovel in bucolic Shepherd’s Bush, but when such an opportunity as the sampling room at The Connaught presents itself, we are prepared to make an exception. It is a cigar lover’s dream and, in its oak-panelled and ceilinged splendour, is the closest I have

come to experiencing what it would be like to live in a giant humidor, albeit a humidor equipped with a pair of sliding ladders to enable: a) aerial filming by Freddie (the son behind the camera); and b) access to the upper reaches of the floor-to-ceiling cigar selection. And talking of the humidor, it is stacked with cigars so rare that I had doubted the existence of some of them. For instance, the H Upmann Petit Corona, released in tiny quantities to celebrate the new millennium, or the Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva. They should charge admission just to look at these rarities. Stepping into this temple of tobacco and setting my eyes on such marvels, I felt a bit like someone who has spent their life searching for the yeti, only to find that this mythical beast is alive, well and living in Mayfair. Whether you’re dropping by to sample a Cohiba Sublime (by name/nature) from 2004 or something less exalted, such as a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 (favourite cigar of

‘The humidor is stacked with cigars so rare I had doubted their existence’

late Sir Terence Conran), there’s no difference in the welcome extended by the courtly Head of Cigars, Adam Lajca. Then, cigar clipped and ignited, I settle into one of the leather and walnut club chairs that have a dropdown shelf concealed in the side, on which you rest your ashtray, lighter and libation. It is a little like Q Division has been seconded from a Bond film to devise a gadget that minimises the exertion of the user, enabling him, her or them to concentrate his, her or their entire mind on the sacred and meditative act of sampling and savouring a cigar. But you know what Mrs Foulkes likes most about the cigar sampling room at The Connaught? The Swiss extraction system. It cleans the air so thoroughly that one could set fire to the entire room, plus every cigar in it, and not smell a thing. But that would be an act of vandalism on a par with the fire that ravaged the Great Library of Alexandria in 48 BC, back in Julius Caesar’s time. M Follow the adventures of Foulkes & Sons on their YouTube channel. The Connaught Cigar Merchants, offering a selection handpicked by Master of Havana Adam Lajca, is open daily, 11am-1am. the-connaught.co.uk

Smoking Section: Max Foulkes’s Selection The Connaught Cigar Merchants boasts an extensive collection of fine and rare Cuban cigars displayed in humidified glass-fronted cabinets extending from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. So exhaustive is this collection that rolling library ladders are needed to reach cigars only halfway up. Me being me, it was not the Behikes from the first year of production, nor the Partagas D4 Reserva that caught my eye. It was the H Upmann

Corona Reserva del Milenio, released with the Cuaba Distinguidos, Montecristo Robusto and Cohiba Piramides at the 1999 Havana Festival. Among the aged and vintage lie cigars of a ‘standard release’ that elude the humidors of many. Once considered modest, Cohiba’s Linea 1492 lines shelves, a feat considering the current climate. Had I known the Siglos III and V had not simply disappeared, but

instead reside at The Connaught, I would have visited sooner. Ageing alongside limited editions held in high regard the world over are lesser-known variants once considered undesirable… now unobtainable. The Romeo y Julieta Escudos, Hoyo de Monterrey Regalos and Trinidad Ingenios are rarely seen. The best bit? That the purchase of a single stick is very much encouraged.

Brave New World BMW’s electric i7 is now the preferred choice for chauffeured journeys in London and beyond, says Jason Barlow

MW’s design trajectory is fascinating. Many of the world’s greatest designers have worked for the Bavarian giant and the result has been a commitment to modernism and a commendable absence of sentiment. The company’s HQ, the Karl Schwanzer-designed Hochhaus – or four-cylinder building – is a standout on the Munich skyline. Inside, a Gerhard Richter painting hangs in the reception area, commissioned when he was still a relative unknown. This is my kind of car company. But change is afoot. These are seismic times in the car industry, perhaps the most uncertain since the dawn of the automotive age. Legacy companies are being usurped by nimble start-ups and the pivot to electrification demands colossal upfront R&D investment. A new generation is appearing that can’t afford a car and isn’t sure about buying one even if they could. BMW, once beloved as the maker of the ‘ultimate driving machine’, knows it has to reposition itself, and the results are intriguingly progressive. The fully electric i7 currently sits at the heart of this reimagining. Where BMW once focused on dynamic excellence, the i7 is all about a world-beating digital experience, genuine sustainability and dazzling levels of on-board comfort. The partnership between BMW and Maybourne Hotel Group has also evolved. The marque has long been a favourite of the group’s chauffeur programme, and this summer an i7 will be available on request from each of its London hotels, to be used for airport or station transfers and also as courtesy cars (4pm to 10pm every day bar Christmas Day) as well as for those booked into a suite. There has been some discussion about the appearance of the 7 Series,

but it looks better in the flesh. EVs need to be slippery in order to improve their efficiency and range, and the car is impressively aeroefficient despite its size. The upper sections of the split-level lights are a focal point. They can be ordered with Swarovski ‘iconic glow’ crystal glass, while the grille illuminates at night. Now imagine it gliding to a stop outside The Connaught. There is flamboyance and theatre here, but it’s defiantly, necessarily modern, too. The i7 xDrive60 has a combined 536bhp from two electric motors, with its hardware similar to the setup in the excellent iX. The claimed 0-62mph time is 4.7 seconds and the top speed is 149mph. Its electric powertrain and charging software is constantly improving in thermal management and there are no rare earth metals. The lithium-ion battery pack provides 101.7 kWh of usable energy and sits comfortably under the floor. BMW claims between 3.1 and 3.3 miles per kWh and a range of up to 388 miles on a full charge. Find a 195kW fast charger and you should be able to add 106 miles in about 10 minutes. The i7 is a magnificent driving machine. There’s enough power and torque to move this large, heavy car at an impressive velocity and it handles adroitly. But the real magic isn’t in its pace, it’s in the refinement. This is a car with a world-beating, extraordinarily engineered sense of hush. Hollywood score maestro Hans Zimmer has designed the sound suite that accompanies the different drive modes. BMW says the car was designed from the inside out and it’s easy to believe: the 7 Series probably has the best-executed car interior in the world. As in the iX, the i7’s curved display is ergonomically efficient but also beautiful. It combines a 12.3in instrument display with a

MARK FAGELSON

14.9in main touch-screen. Beneath the central screen is the new ‘Interaction Bar’, which has a crystalline surface and backlighting, and stretches the width of the cabin. ‘The great thing about the i7s is they have combined luxury with sustainability, without compromising the elegant feel of a saloon,’ says Maybourne Hotel Group’s Fleet Manager Zara Saeed. ‘We’ve already had wonderful feedback from guests.’ The i7 also contains the ultimate crowd pleaser: a 31.3in ‘Theatre Screen’ that folds out of the roof, to stream content or handle Zoom calls to whoever is lucky enough to be sitting in the back. For those looking to upgrade their own vehicle, Bowers & Wilkins surround sound is a further option, complete with 36 speakers and 1,965 watts of output. The seats are world-class, with multi-functionality and a selection of massage programmes. Order the Executive Lounge option and things become more luxurious still: the front passenger seat slides and tilts as far forward as it’ll go, leaving the rear passenger free to recline to 42.5 degrees – a record in this class. The back of the headrests have wood trim and the (optional) wool cashmere trim is sustainable and looks and feels fantastic. Various interior treatments are available for the wood and metals. BMW’s ambition was to deliver an interior unlike any other and while good taste is impossible to quantify, this is a special place to spend time. The i7 is genuinely adventurous in a world that sometimes lacks imagination. That alone is worth celebrating. M Maybourne Hotel Group’s three London properties each provide BMW i7 luxury saloons for chauffeur-driven courtesy cars, transfers and suite bookings. Contact the concierge for further information.

The BMW i7 Series offers a ‘theatre screen’ for passengers and a range of up to 388 miles on a full charge

ART& CULTURE

WILL PRYCE/COUNTRY LIFE PICTURE LIBRARY

London /Côte d’Azur /Beverly Hills

After a five-year restoration, artist Ferdinand Bac’s exquisite 1920s villa and garden near The Maybourne Riviera is now open to visitors

Shooting Star As he exhibits in Claridge’s ArtSpace, Alexi Lubomirski tells Lydia Slater, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, about his life behind the lens Photography by

ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI

VICTORIA BECKHAM, London, October 2019 for Vogue Poland

EDDIE REDMAYNE, Los Angeles, November 2022 for Variety

laridge’s has served as a backdrop for several of Alexi Lubomirski’s celebrity photo shoots. ‘It’s synonymous with London luxury,’ he says. Now, though, his photographs themselves are taking up residence in Claridge’s ArtSpace. In April and May, to coincide with the release of his new book, The Sittings, an exhibition of his portraits will be on display, ranging from off-duty pictures of the Royal Family to a stately Olivia Colman. ‘When you’re looking for a gallery, you want somewhere that seems momentous even without your work in it, and that place feels to me like walking onto a futuristic movie set,’ enthuses

Lubomirski about Claridge’s ArtSpace. ‘Plus, when you’re following in the footsteps of someone like Damien Hirst, who’s exhibited in the same spot, that’s pretty exciting.’ He admits to feeling nervous about watching people reacting to his pictures. ‘The funny thing about being a photographer is that once you’ve passed your work on to the client, you don’t really know how it’s being perceived,’ he explains. ‘I don’t mind putting it out there, but standing next to someone when they’re looking at your work is like watching someone opening your Christmas present...’ If he is worried, he shouldn’t be. Having commissioned him at Harper’s Bazaar for years, I can attest that he possesses a rare ability to persuade the prickliest A-lister to drop their guard, which leads to the warmest

images. He photographed Julia Roberts laughing and barefoot on the beach for us, and was subsequently commissioned to take the charming engagement and wedding photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. ‘I love shooting couples and documenting that chemistry,’ he says, recalling how Prince Harry was delighted to be told he could play his own music on set. Even when photographing King Charles III, Lubomirski was at pains to establish a friendly rapport. ‘You have to make that personal connection,’ he says. ‘You have to be able to talk to people, to understand if they’re feeling insecure and how they want to be treated. If there’s no talking, then the person starts to get inside their head. They start thinking: “How am I looking? Am I sitting strangely?” I want them to forget about that, so I crack jokes, and then I might get a smile or a moment of authenticity.’ The son of a Polish aristocrat and a PeruvianEnglish mother, Lubomirski was born in London and educated in Oxford. He began taking photographs of his friends as a teenager, and worked as a photographer’s assistant in Paris for four years before starting up on his own. ‘As a photographer, you have to have confidence, you can’t show that you’re nervous. So my first year was definitely a case of “fake it till you make it,”’ he admits. These days, however, there’s some doubt about who is the biggest celebrity on set. The other day, he tells me, he was photographing Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose first words to him were ‘Big fan, Alexi!’ ‘That completely threw me, because I’m never arrogant enough to think anyone is going to know who I am,’ he confesses. I suspect he may have to get used to it. M ‘The Sittings (2003-2023)’ by Alexi Lubomirski is out now. alexilubomirski.com. The exhibition runs at Claridge’s ArtSpace until 15 May. claridges.co.uk

JULIA ROBERTS, Los Angeles, July 2018 for Lancôme

The Radical Art of Self Acceptance Living sculpture Daniel Lismore is a front-row regular, a partygoing activist and a self-made style visionary. Mark C. O’Flaherty meets him at Claridge’s Photography by

SAM BARKER

Daniel Lismore, wearing a £21,000 Louis Vuitton lobster, graces The French Salon at Claridge’s, where he has been a regular for 20 years

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: LEO WILLIAMS

Rizzoli published a monograph on one aspect of his work, Daniel rom Beau Brummell and the Macaronis of the 18th century, via Stephen Tennant Lismore: Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken. The title came from of the Bright Young Things in the 1920s, an exhibition of 64 looks by Lismore, incorporating 7,000 assembled to Leigh Bowery – who defined clubobjects and totems, which opened in Atlanta a year earlier. It travelled land in the 1980s – Britain has an epic, to Miami, Reykjavík, Naples, Poland, The V&A and his home town colourful tradition of eccentric society of Coventry – where he grew up fascinated by the dandies of British peacocks. Beyond attention seeking, it’s a rejection of the status history, constantly delving into familial dressing-up boxes. In 2019, quo, and a personal reinvention. ‘Maybe it’s something in the tea,’ he created the costumes for The Mask of Orpheus opera at ENO in says Daniel Lismore, the epitome of the phenomenon in the 2020s. London. ‘That was daunting,’ he remembers. ‘It was creating three Although Lismore is omnipresent at the most fashionable parties, worlds simultaneously on stage. It took years of discussions. I got a that’s not the only thing he’s about. Aged 38, he has a disarmingly polite lot of my ideas for the costumes from lucid dreaming – I’d wake up softness to him, and is on a serious mission. Whereas Australian-born and scribble notes. I asked Daphne Guinness if I could use one of her Bowery created visual drama to shock and rule over a Soho scene he silhouettes and based another character on Vivienne’s son, Joe Corré.’ had obsessed about from 10,000 miles away, Lismore’s garb has been World-renowned choreographer Barnaby Booth, who worked on created to give him access to influential people for activism, focusing the production, found Lismore’s contribution a revelation. ‘Daniel’s on LGBTQIA+ rights and climate crisis. Over his six-foot-four frame, costumes distorted the body. They were beautiful and grotesque. the eclectic talismans he adds to each outfit – including reworked shreds The humour and detail of the movement I was making was given of couture – create a dazzling work of art. a whole new life. The human body started He glides between disparate worlds, from to express something I hadn’t previously fashion shows to Soho dive bars and parties realised it was capable of. My collaboration with him changed how I think about on Lindsay Lohan’s yacht (‘she didn’t show costume, character and collaboration.’ up for hours, so me and my friend Ellen von Unwerth did a photoshoot to kill time’). Lismore was also a Circuit AmbasHe’s often teaching students or sitting on sador for the Tate museums. ‘He has been political panels, and, like so many style a champion of inclusivity across the arts,’ iconoclasts before him, takes time out by says Mark Miller, Director of Learning at having tea at Claridge’s, where he has been Tate. ‘He celebrates ethical and sustaincoming for 20 years. ‘I used to be here all able fashion, and has supported the the time when I was first a model,’ he says. ‘I ambitions of young people, inspiring always come to mark my birthday.’ Mayfair their own personal and creative output.’ continues to create a Venn diagram of David Bowie, a man who understood the glamour, establishment and iconoclasts. ‘I power of clothing to change perceptions, tell all my friends from overseas to stay here once said, ‘if you feel safe in the area that as it’s the best meeting place in London.’ you’re working in, you’re not working in When we meet, there are multiple pots of the right area’. Lismore thrives on leaving his comfort zone. His Instagram has docutea on various surfaces around his suite, all dropped off for the fatigued Lismore by butler mented trips to Chernobyl, and he has spent Michael Lynch. ‘I was at the couture shows time living with the Maasai in Kenya, where he worked on charity projects and made in Paris last week,’ he says, pouring another cup of Earl Grey. ‘It was great to talk to friends with tribesmen while creating jewelPierpaolo [Piccioli] about what inspired him lery. ‘They called me a “white Maasai”,’ he at Valentino this season, and to have dinner recalls. ‘They didn’t know if I was a boy or with Ellen, Dove Cameron and Stefano Pilati, a girl, and it fascinated them. We had some but that’s not what I’m doing all this for. The wonderful conversations. You have to get Lismore on out there into the world and discover things.’ first time I met Pamela Anderson was when characteristically I was at the House of Lords with Vivienne Right now, Lismore is obsessed with turning dazzling form at Westwood. We are now great friends. But I the fragrance he had discussed with Westwood The Fumoir (left) and the Ballroom into a commercial product. It’s already been was there as part of a demonstration. I don’t (above) in Claridge’s, understand famous people who fail to use used to scent the rooms at his exhibitions. ‘I which he considers to their position to change things for the better.’ have been studying with [perfumer] Anastasia be ‘the best meeting place in London’ Lismore, like many people in the fashion Brozler to get what I want. We’ve created 35 world, is mourning Westwood. ‘I feel like in total, but the one I wear is my favourite. I’ve lost my compass,’ he says. ‘She was such Björk and Kate Moss already have it.’ It’s a a powerful force in my life. She was well heady aroma, apposite for someone with such informed. She didn’t just read about issues. I remember sitting down visual presence. ‘There are hundreds of notes,’ he says. ‘There are with her and NASA scientists to have a conversation. One of the last death flowers and metallics. Sometimes, I can smell barbecue sauce.’ Like everything he does, the perfume will have a story and agenda. times I saw her was when we went to scatter a friend’s ashes in Kew But there’ll be a lot going on before it’s available. Lismore has the Gardens. We were talking about the fragrance I had developed – she confidence, energy and imagination to make anything happen. loved it and wanted to use it to raise profits for Cool Earth, a climate change charity. It was such a beautiful day, but she passed soon after.’ ‘I had an idea the other day. So I called up Marina Abramović Perfumer, painter, activist, costume designer – Lismore is a dazzling about collaborating. She was into it. It’s something that’s polymath as well as an aesthete. ‘Daniel’s heart is in his existence as a never been done before. So… maybe that’s the next thing.’ M Daniel Lismore: Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken is work of art,’ says artist Andrew Logan, who founded the Alternative published by Rizzoli Miss World events back in 1972. ‘Long may he continue.’ In 2017,

A Shared Vision Tim Walker’s blockbuster show Wonderful Things, created with the V&A, is arriving at The Getty, close to The Maybourne Beverly Hills. Robin Muir writes about one of the world’s finest fashion photographers

CLOUD 9 © TIM WALKER STUDIO

F Opposite page: Radhika Nair wearing Halpern and Dolce & Gabbana from the Cloud 9 series, originally published in W magazine

or the past three decades, photographer Tim Walker has become synonymous with pictures of epic grandeur and startling proportion. A regular at British Vogue since 1995 (shooting his first picture there at 25), he has transformed its pages into a wonderland of monstrous balsa bumblebees, twice-life-size skeletons, biplanes made with French baguettes, Battle of Britain spitfires crash-landed into suburban houses, big owls hanging from even bigger chandeliers. He would think nothing of reimagining Dante’s Inferno in the drawing room of a stately home – and then igniting it – or covering the outside of an ancient manor house in hundreds of coloured balloons. His imagination knows no bounds and Condé Nast has always been delighted to indulge its homegrown surrealist. But gone are the days when ambition was never a problem and money only marginally less so, as the magazine despatched him to uncharted Papua New Guinea rainforest, where the team went missing for several days (a search party was organised), or happily solved the problem of 40 trunks of clothes and an impossibly steep incline in Bhutan by calling in a fleet of Indian Army helicopters. Budgets may be diminishing, but Walker is reluctant to scale back. His exhibition Wonderful Things, opening in May at The Getty, is monumental in scale and aspiration. It started life at London’s renowned V&A Museum in 2019, although many new pictures have

Left: spreads from Walker’s Wonderful Things book

been added since, at the same time as a far-reaching retrospective of his ‘greatest hits’. Walker had been invited to select artefacts from across the V&A’s collection of more than 2.8 million objects and its 145 galleries. Could he, the curators asked, relate them somehow to his own photography? Reimagine them in his own style? And then show his photographs together with the objects that inspired them? I interviewed Walker back then. ‘How on earth can I do it?’ he asked in excited trepidation. ‘It’s such an eclectic collection and I’m not sure about an object “inspiring” a photograph. How do you unify things so different in period, form, texture, emotional response?’ But he picked up the gauntlet (in one case, literally: an embroidered Elizabethan glove delicately stored inside tissue paper, then inside a sleeve, more tissue paper and then a box) and ran with it. Over a year and a half for three days a week, often more, he went through the permanent collection, meeting curators who would bring out favourite objects for him to tilt up to the light. ‘I decided I needed to see everything. Everything. I wanted to go everywhere. You know the roof is incredible? They keep bees up there…’ He ventured backstage and into the storerooms. ‘What I have seen! Did you know they have these arrows from Lahore, which are still toxic?’, adding with more than a hint of resignation, ‘I guess they won’t let us put them on display.’

CLOUD 9 © TIM WALKER STUDIO. SPREADS FROM TIM WALKER WONDERFUL THINGS BY V&A PUBLISHING, VAM.AC.UK/SHOP

Above: Radhika Nair, Chawntell Kulkarni and Kiran Kandola wearing Richard Quinn from the Cloud 9 series originally published in W magazine

Somehow, he whittled it down to make, at last, ten series of ten photographs, each one a love letter to the museum’s collections. Among the pieces on view, a delicate mid-18th-century chinoiserie snuffbox, its lacquered panels hinged in gold and studded with gemstones. Around it, Walker has woven a fable: an ancient empress walks her pet dragon at night, picking a flower that blooms only at full moon. Shot with ultraviolet lighting, the photographs inspired by this masterpiece in miniature are off-kilter and unearthly. ‘A world I hadn’t been to before’, says Walker. More hard-hitting – a series of male nudes taking as their cue a giant detachable plaster cast of a fig leaf (c.1857, likely by sculptors D. Brucciani & Co), used to preserve a statue’s modesty if ever Queen Victoria should chance by. For ‘The Land of Living Men’, Walker envisioned huge, naked and muscular men bestriding a Lilliputian world. ‘We are exquisite beings nude,’ says Walker, ‘and that’s something I want to celebrate.’ He has now enlarged the show to include new images specific to The Getty’s holdings.

The original exhibition was a resounding success – it was an instant hit with the public (there were queues around the block on opening day) and a succès d’estime with the critics. The title is taken from archaeologist Howard Carter’s reply, made in 1922 as his candle flickered in the darkness of Tutankhamun’s tomb, to Lord Carnarvon’s anxious inquiry, ‘Can you see anything?’ Walker’s reputation escalates year on year: he has another exciting (and equally vast) museum project on the horizon. In the meantime, catch Wonderful Things while you can at The Getty, its second and final stop. I’m more convinced than ever that, when the people of tomorrow wish to learn more of the character of our time in all its spiky, chaotic diversity, then they will look to Walker’s pictures for guidance and be amazed at what they see: wonderful things, certainly, but, self-evidently, wonderful people, too. M ‘Tim Walker: Wonderful Things’ runs from 2 May-20 August at Getty Center. getty.edu. A hardback book, published by the V&A, is also available at vam.ac.uk.

PORTRAIT: CAMPBELL ADDY

‘ How do you unify things that are so different in period, form, texture, emotional response?’

9.30 am

ROBE, DEREK ROSE; LINGERIE, COCO DE MER; EARRINGS, NECKLACE, BRACELET, RINGS, BOODLES

to The Having booked ine R&R Berkeley for soms of after the madnes Week, I London Fashion ool and wake up in the c ent suite spacious Apartm e bath. and have a bubbl t in bed I follow breakfason the with cups of tea alk about private terrace. T ving! indoor-outdoor li

Belgravia’s Next Top Model

A 48-hour staycation at The Berkeley with Londoner Charli Howard

KAFTAN AND BIKINI, CELIA B; HAT, LOCK & CO

Photographs by RACHEL LOUISE BROWN

11.00 am

I head to the swimming pool on The Berkeley’s roof. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for… sunshine, a warm swim and a Ugo mocktail with ginger. The views across Hyde Park and the capital are unparalleled. My new favourite summer spot!

Stylist ROSIE ARKELL-PALMER

1.00 pm

CARDIGAN, BERNADETTE;; EARRINGS, BRACELET AND RING, PRAGNELL

be amazed to ot n d r a h ’s t I ’s cakes and et ol r G ic r éd C y b le works tt li e k li e ’r ey Th cookies. eat at the s a e k ta I t. r a of d decide n a r te n ou c ’s ef h c w (it to taste-test a fe to). The would be rude not is to ke vanilla flower ca staIn die for, as is the ne! ivi famous cookie. D ’s No wonder Cédric t. creations sell ou

6.00 pm

DRESS, RODARTE AT KOIBIRD; NECKLACE AND BRACELET, ASPREY; SHOES, JENNIFER CHAMANDI. JUMPSUIT, LISOU; EARRINGS AND BRACELET, PRAGNELL; BAG, ASPREY; SHOES, ADIDAS

Time for a pre-room service drink. I slip into something special and head for the Blue Bar, which looks like something out of a Hollywoodd movie. It ’s great for cosy dark corners, a great vibe and killer cocktails.

11.30 am

orrow a After a lie-in, I b it the h Berkeley Bike and e Belgravia. cobblestones to explor d n I love the history a architecture of this part of London, not s. to mention the shop Concealed around the corner is legendary pub The Grenadier, the perfect neighbourhood watering hole.

3.00pm

Prêt-à-Portea served in Th Collins Room is the prette afternoon tea I’ve ever se iest with biscuits and cakes en, based on the season’s fa collections. Check out shion m Self-Portrait bag – ther y e’s a cake to match! My favourites are the chicken and truffle sandwiches and the Ralph Lauren coatinspired cake.

JACKET, GANNI; CARDIGAN, BERNADETTE; EARRINGS, BRACELET AND RING, PRAGNELL;

7.00 pm

PHOTO ASSISTANT: DANI ROVERSI, PROP STYLIST: MATILDA DAWES, STYLIST’S ASSISTANT: REBECCA EVANS-WHITE, HAIR AND MAKEUP: SAM COOPER C/O CAROL HAYES MANAGEMENT DRESS AND CUFFS, MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION

After all the excitement of the day, it ’s time for dinner at the very glamorous Marcus. I love the gentle jazz playing in the background. The s tasting menu is deliciou – just wait for the caneléf dessert. The fact that Chee Wareing himself was ther is was the perfect close to th unforgettable staycation. It ’s going to be hard to check out tomorrow!

To book your own Berkeley staycation, visit the-berkeley.co.uk

BECOMING AUDREY Before Breakfast at Tiffany’s, there was cake at Claridge’s. Seventy years ago, a young Audrey Hepburn was celebrating her rapid rise to fame. Her star power still burns brightly, says Christina Newland

CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

n a spring evening in 1950, a beautiful ingenue wearing white gloves and a chic sailor’s hat was having a cocktail in the corner of Claridge’s bar, joined by a couple of agents and a bona-fide Hollywood movie star. At the time, she was merely a supporting stage player, performing in a chorus line for a musical called Sauce Piquante. For the young woman, meeting Van Johnson – a big MGM star of war pictures – was undoubtedly memorable. But, as posterity would have it, more people would learn her name in years to come than would likely remember his. Her name, after all, was Audrey Hepburn. And, as Hepburn’s trajectory towards superstardom only steepened, Claridge’s would remain her home-away-from-home for decades. Van Johnson later said of her: ‘I can still see her now, this cute little girl sitting in the corner… I was just smitten by her innate manners and breeding and her quiet, inner confidence. The only other person I ever met with similar qualities was Grace Kelly.’ Little did Johnson know that Hepburn’s background was far from conventional. Born to Dutch-British parents and raised by her mother after her father walked out when she was only six, she barely survived the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during the war years, nearly dying of severe malnutrition and witnessing the horrors of firing squads. Living through the near-unimaginable circumstances of those years, it seems almost superhuman for Hepburn to have so gracefully transitioned from émigré and jobbing ballet dancer in London to playing the part of an actual princess. But that was precisely what she would go on to do in William Wyler’s love story Roman Holiday. Thanks to that film – and a run of wellchosen, elegant roles in the 1950s and early ’60s – Hepburn became synonymous with the quintessence of chic mid-century beauty. While her most famous film remains Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the 1961 screen adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella about Holly Golightly, a glamorous, wistful Manhattan courtesan, Roman Holiday preceded it by several years and truly carved out her entire screen image: gamine, sparkly eyed, sweetly innocent and womanly all at once. Seventy years old this year, Roman Holiday was a story about a princess who escapes her gilded cage to be an ordinary tourist in Rome

Audrey Hepburn cuts into a cake at her ‘Welcome Home’ party, hosted by Claridge’s on 21 May 1953 to celebrate the filming of Roman Holiday

From top: Hepburn on the cover of Picture Post, December 1951; Claridge’s in the 1950s was the star’s hotel of choice; a ’50s publicity shot. Right: Touching down after filming Roman Holiday

for one precious day, where she meets and falls madly in love with an American reporter (played by the ever-handsome Gregory Peck). It’s a delightful, achingly romantic, ultimately wistful film – Cinderella in reverse, if you will – shot on location in Rome. And its conclusion, with the exchanged, charged looks across a palatial throne room, still pulls the heartstrings. It only took one breathtaking close-up of Hepburn, all doe-like eyes and delicate features, for the world to know she was a princess. Although Elizabeth Taylor had originally been considered for the part, which was rumoured to be based on the real exploits of Princess Margaret in Italy, Hepburn’s captivating screen test won the day. Paramount came calling after Hepburn’s work with British studios Pinewood and Ealing. Her 1952 film Secret People caught William Wyler’s attention. When she screen-tests for Roman Holiday, showing a trim figure in costume designer Edith Head’s A-line skirt and white blouse, she’s asked about her wartime experiences. Her disarming frankness is there, as is her regal, measured accent. Perhaps most striking, beyond her stoplight-large eyes, is when she explains she put on dance performances to help fund the Dutch resistance. Asked what the Germans did, Hepburn smiles a smile of serene, ladylike defiance. ‘They didn’t know about it,’ she says. As director Wyler said of her later on: ‘She had everything I was looking for – charm, innocence, talent. She was also very funny.’ Wyler knew what he was talking about: he had been instrumental in creating and burnishing the screen image of titans such as Bette Davis. Later, Hepburn recalled with characteristic modesty: ‘When I did Gigi and Roman Holiday, I was 24 with the mentality of a 12-year-old. I was green and naive, not a bit worldly. I worked very hard. I learned my lines. I was punctual and I had directors who let me learn. I’ve been more than lucky with directors. If I may use the word, I’ve been blessed.’

BERT HARDY/PICTURE POST/IPC MAGAZINES/GETTY. PA IMAGES/ALAMY. WORLD IMAGE ARCHIVE/ALAMY. HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY. PICTORIAL PRESS LTD/ALAMY. CHRISTIE’S. PARAMOUNT PICTURES/GETTY. GODDARD ARCHIVE PORTRAITS/ALAMY

Roman Holiday was a landmark that showed what Hepburn had to offer – and Claridge’s was there to mark the occasion. After filming with Peck on location in Rome all summer, she received a ‘Welcome Home’ party on the premises. Black and white photos of the shindig, held by the Associated British Picture Corporation, show Hepburn smiling over a celebratory icing-topped cake. She looks like her most radiant self – that is to say, like Audrey Hepburn the Movie Star. In heart-shaped diamond earrings and a black, high-necked tea dress with a panel of grosgrain-trimmed chiffon across the collarbone, she looks effortlessly and understatedly fashionable, and her look is paired with wrist-length white satin gloves. Her usual pert pixie cut would become all the rage among young women after Roman Holiday’s release. Hepburn would go on to win the 1953 Academy Award for Best Actress for the part of Princess Ann, only 10 months after her ‘Welcome Home’ cake at Claridge’s. Such was the impression Hepburn left on Peck that he insisted she share billing with him. He, too, knew a star when he saw one. Hepburn always did seem imbued with otherworldly qualities, and it was often her transformation into princess, socialite, fashion model or woman-of-the-world that remained one of the cornerstones of her screen persona. She undergoes a major makeover in Funny Face; she comes from surprisingly modest origins in Breakfast at Tiffany’s; and she bumps down to earth in Roman Holiday. Tiny inklings of a more handto-mouth existence are everywhere in even her most glamorous movies. Perhaps this is part of what has made

‘It only took one breathtaking close-up of Hepburn, all doe-like eyes and delicate features, for the world to know she was a princess’

From top: Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday; a rare promo booklet auctioned by Christie’s; as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s’; the actress at Claridge’s in 1981 to discuss her work with Unicef

Hepburn such a continuing source of fascination: she was living proof of the truism about diamonds being made from pressure. Although Hepburn is typically considered Hollywood royalty (albeit with a continental flair, Belgian-born as she was), London held a special place in her heart and her career. She returned periodically to Claridge’s to stay, have photographs taken and hold events: Martin Ballard MBE, Claridge’s hotel ambassador, recalls in 1986 snagging tickets for Hepburn to see one of the opening shows of Phantom of the Opera in the West End, and walking her little dog around Grosvenor Square. A few years later, in 1989 – aged 60 – Hepburn returned to Claridge’s for a Unicef charity opening to help tackle hunger (a topic close to her heart, given the near-starvation circumstances she had found herself in during the war). Photographed in black and white with a single white flower in hand, she looks on with the same luminous gaze and beguiling smile. But underestimate her at your peril – as the biographer Robert Matzen said of Hepburn’s charity work: ‘She wasn’t fragile, she was fearless.’ Claridge’s has had countless movie stars and cultural icons through its doors and across its lobby over the decades, but, where Hepburn was concerned, the longstanding affection she held for it was a pivotal part of her career. Claridge’s played a role in celebrating the release of a film as magical as Roman Holiday – and in helping Hepburn, on the cusp of superstardom, to become one of the 20th century’s most beloved and gracious actors. Recently, announcements have been made of an upcoming film biopic of the star, helmed by Call Me by Your Name and Bones and All director Luca Guadagnino and starring Rooney Mara. Perhaps a certain historic hotel would make for a great location? M

Introducing The Emory Maybourne Hotel Group is opening its first London property in 50 years. Bill Prince takes a tour

ave you noticed how fewer people are now wearing logos? The drop has been attributed to the hit TV series Succession as well as those following in the footsteps of its cashmere-clad, one-percenter cast by dressing head to toe in Brunello Cucinelli. But the idea goes back further, to the concept of ‘stealth wealth’ that arrived in tandem with the onslaught of ‘bling’, enshrined in Old Money’s ability to achieve a level of pre-emptive privacy by avoiding the outward signs of success. Now this movement – dubbed ‘quiet luxury’ and prevalent in the staterooms of super yachts and private air terminals across the planet – has entered the hospitality industry with the unveiling of The Emory, a ground-breaking all-suite hotel opposite Hyde Park and the latest addition to Maybourne Hotel Group’s portfolio of London hotels. Rising sail-like in Knightsbridge, the only UK hotel to be designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour (whose co-founder, Sir Richard Rogers, passed in 2021) began life nearly a decade ago, during which time its edifice lay mysteriously clad behind a protective façade. Since spring, however, those lucky enough to join its General

‘The name comes from middle English meaning “home strength” or “industrious leader’” Manager, Knut Wylde, on a private tour of the project will have discovered a new concept in hospitality that moves the dial sharply in a city not short of showy openings. With 60 suites arrayed across nine floors, topped off by a penthouse with 360-degree views and a residents-only rooftop bar, The Emory delivers the same feeling of intimacy and calm one associates with truly residential settings. The name comes from Middle English, first documented around 1068: it means ‘home strength’ or ‘industrious leader’. ‘We set out to create a modern London masterpiece with magnetic appeal,’ recalled Wylde, as we surveyed Hyde Park and the hinterland of Belgravia that lies below it. ‘At one stage, we were looking to create a private member’s hotel. And even though we’re not doing that anymore, we have retained quite a few of those elements. The desire wasn’t to create something ostentatious or over the top, but something with more of a residential feel. Understated luxury, quiet hospitality.’ Reflecting this drive for human-scale sophistication each guest floor is the work of a world-renowned design practice, including Alexandra Champalimaud, André Fu, Rémi Tessier, Pierre-Yves Rochon, Patricia Urquiola, and Rigby & Rigby, whose wraparound, floor-to-ceiling glass penthouse truly justifies the term sensational. ‘Richard Rogers was a visionary architect who approached architecture with an inside-outside perspective,’ explains Rigby & Rigby’s CEO, Iain Johnson. ‘When we saw the building, we were inspired by the huge amount of natural light that comes in and the beautiful views out across the city. Our concept therefore was inspired to be light, both in terms of colours and textures, but also creating a space that felt more minimal and did not feel crowded or cluttered.’

Clockwise from left: The Emory’s rooftop bar and cigar lounge by Rémi Tessier; Jean-Georges Vongerichten who will bring abc kitchen concept to London; the expansive wine cellar, Clym Evernden’s artwork of The Emory

Discretion also informs the public/private realms of the hotel. Only those dining at abc kitchen, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s acclaimed New York casual dining concept on The Emory’s ground floor, will likely notice the comings and goings of what will soon be recognised as London’s most culturally erudite clientele. Rémi Tessier is responsible for the design of both abc kitchen on the ground floor and the residents-only rooftop bar and cigar lounge. The ground-floor space features artwork by Damien Hirst, an expansive vertical glass wine cellar, and the hotel’s bar made of solid green onyx, natural cedar and other rare materials. As for the rooftop bar and cigar lounge, two distinct glass boxes ensure extraordinary views over London and a rarified, members’ style atmosphere. For Tessier every detail was meticulously constructed: all the furniture, lamps and fabrics are bespoke and designed by himself. ‘The execution has been realised by the best craftsmanship of the highest level of quality. Particular attention to the lighting design has taken place. The two rooftop spaces are irrigated by natural light to bring together a sense of peacefulness and timelessness. The space has to nurture the souls of the guests, to bring them happiness and joy,’ explains Tessier, underscoring the idea that The Emory’s service will be anticipatory, intuitive and seamless. And if Wylde is confident that The Emory represents something hitherto unseen in the capital, he’s even more excited about Vongerichten’s arrival into the new property. ‘One of the key things about having Jean-Georges back at this location is that he originally opened his first restaurant in London restaurant, Vong, here on Knightsbridge in 1995. So it’s great that Jean-Georges is coming back – it’s like a homecoming.’ M The Emory will launch in winter 2023. the-emory.co.uk

EXTERIOR PHOTOGRAPH: ROBIN FORSTER. ARTWORK BY CLYM EVERNDEN. ABC KITCHEN AND PORTRAIT: JEAN-GEORGES.COM. ADDITIONAL WORDS: ANDY MORRIS

Building The Emory According to André Fu, achieving The Emory’s spirit of considered living relies on its sense of amity. ‘It’s no longer about a sense of formality, or the use of exuberant materials,’ he says. ‘What’s essential is you feel that the space is intimate; that there’s a greater sense of you feeling easeful and relaxed. I’ve talked extensively about this spirit of relaxed luxury and The Emory is a very good amplification of that.’ For The Emory’s larger suites, Fu has set forth a welcoming palette of dusky salmon pinks and pistachio, combined with intricate marquetry, underlining the cohesive spirit of classically inspired, contemporary urban style that runs throughout the property. Elsewhere, Champalimaud Design’s Principal Architect, Elisabeth Rogoff, has drawn on Richard Rogers’ ability to ‘instil his vision of the future into the architecture’ to demonstrate how elevated design ideals can coexist with streamlined ideas, emulated in sleek and highly functional guest rooms ‘designed to feel like an intimate yacht cabin, a haven away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.’ Rogoff’s overall vision? ‘Ease of living presented in a beautiful way.’ Bottling the sort of lightning that attracts the modern nomad – a breed of traveller in need of relaxation with the promise of a carefully curated cultural experience – is no mean feat. Thankfully Maybourne Hotel Group specialises in the challenge. Wylde believes a little breathing space is a luxury in itself. ‘It’s all about discretion,’ he says, referencing the protective veil provided by The Emory’s off-street entrance on Belgravia’s historic Old Barrack Yard.

RÉMI TESSIER

Best known for his work with super yachts, Dreamliner jets and extraordinary private residences, Paris-based Tessier is also responsible for The Penthouse at Claridge’s and Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley.

ANDRÉ FU

Award-winning Hong Kongbased designer Fu has worked on galleries, hotels and restaurants. He recently created Claridge’s spa and The Berkeley’s new suites.

PATRICIA URQUIOLA

Spanish design titan Urquiola has collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Missoni. This is her first project for Maybourne Hotel Group.

PIERRE-YVES ROCHON

A French luxury specialist who has brought a chic sensibility to over 200 hotels, spas and restaurants around the globe. He recently created The Mayfair suite and The Octagon at Claridge’s.

RIGBY & RIGBY

World-leading luxury interior specialists, this London-based design collective recently created the AlphaTauri showroom in Knightsbridge. It is also responsible for suites at Claridge’s and The Maybourne Riviera.

RICHARD ROGERS

Senior Partner at RSHP with Ivan Harbour and Graham Stirk, Rogers was one of the world’s foremost architects before his death in 2021. During his remarkable career he was also responsible for the entrance canopy of The Berkeley.

CHAMPALIMAUD DESIGN

Founded by luminary Alexandra Champalimaud, this New York design agency is best known for Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St Moritz, Switzerland and The Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Champalimaud Design also created a Mayfair Suite at Claridge’s.

Belle Vie From sunrise to sunset, The Maybourne Riviera never ceases to surprise and delight

Dress, E.Stott. Earrings, Jessica McCormack

Photography by

Styling by

BILLIE SCHEEPERS

NICKY YATES

n a sunsoaked day at The Maybourne Riviera, one might while away the afternoon trying to document every single shade of blue on display. Start with the celeste sky, the ultramarine sea, the cerulean bar stools at Le 300, the intricate vetiver glassware, the azure crystal bathroom taps, the cobalt plunge-worthy private infinity pools. But there are other vibrant colours on display too: the citron-coloured electric buggies, the red mullet at Mauro Colagreco’s Michelin-starred Ceto, the peach terrazzo of André Fu’s spa, the tangerine of the pool day beds, the burnt ombré of the spectacular sunset, the verdant green of the cypress trees reaching into the firmament. Then, everywhere you look, pure pristine white: a king-size bed, a precisely folded beach towel, the abstract Bryan O’Sullivan shapes, the delicate meringue topping to the world’s finest lemon dessert. This modernist-meets-maritime is truly a feast for the senses: an architectural marvel from Jean-Michel Wilmotte, inspired by the formidable legacy of locals Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray. Suspended above the village of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, with views of Italy to the east and Monte Carlo to the west, The Maybourne Riviera offers a bold contemporary approach to the traditional delights of the Côte d’Azur. Sixty-nine rooms promise long languid days sampling what the Riviera has offered travellers for years - artistic inspiration, culinary delights, rest and relaxation and even style guidance (no wonder Chanel selected the pool here for an event to celebrate the Cruise collection). Venture to The Maybourne Riviera this summer or book ahead for the winter months - after all, if the colours are so vivid that they convinced both Monet and Matisse to travel, what’s your excuse? M maybourneriviera.com

This page: Shirt and Shorts, With Nothing Underneath. Sunglasses, Persol Opposite: The tranquil clifftop infinity pool

This page: Top, belt and trousers, Michael Kors Collection; shoes, Aquazzura Opposite Above: Bodysuit, Philosophy. Sunglasses, Zimmermann Below: Sunglasses, Zimmermann; bikini, Nanushka; raffia flats, Ancient Greek Sandals

This page: Earrings, Jessica McCormack; dress, Alessandra Rich; shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti Opposite, clockwise from top left: Stretch crepe body, tulle skirt and earrings, Chanel; Dress, Del Core, shoes, Jimmy Choo, Earrings, Jessica McCormack; Shoes, Aquazzura; Swimsuit, Emilia Wickstead. Model: Caroline Göckel at M&P. Hair and makeup: Maarit Niemela using Amika and Chanel.

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Musical Inspiration

Craftmanship Claridge’s Royal Suite is a tribute to exemplary craftsmanship. From its intricately decorated monochrome stone flooring to its gilded ceilings, it radiates impeccable taste and enduring beauty. Look out for the dining room’s restored antique furniture, fashioned by royal weavers, and pause for a moment at the handpainted chinoiserie wallpaper. From its golden clock to its mahogany chairs, this refined suite’s handmade heirlooms and antiques have drawn admiring glances over centuries.

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Impeccable Butler Service

It’s easy to customise a soundtrack for your stay in the city when you’re a guest in Claridge’s Mews Terrace: the spacious suite features its own Steinway baby grand piano. Proficient pianists are encouraged to tickle the ivories – the in-house team will ensure your favoured sheet music is at the ready. Alternatively lauded Claridge’s pianist Carl Joseph will happily play a private concert in your rooftop sanctuary.

At The Connaught, butlers tend to every bedroom and suite and love nothing more than impressing guests. The longstanding butlers – some third generation at the hotel – are legendary in the business and are on hand 24 hours a day. From hanging and colour coordinating your wardrobe, to pouring the perfect glass of chilled champagne, the team has even been known to plan an epic proposal on a Hyde Park rowing boat.

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Bookworms

It’s an impossibility for even the most voracious readers to conquer the book collection in The Connaught’s Library Suite, populated with everything from the classics to contemporary. Stretching across the breadth of the sitting room, the book shelf ’s catalogue of travel and lifestyle tomes is regularly updated to ensure every stay is filled with fresh insights and inspiration.

INTERIORS: RAY MAIN. JAMIE MCGREGOR SMITH. GETTY IMAGES. DAMIAN RUSSELL ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. GLOBE-TROTTER. RICHARD HAUGHTON. GETTY IMAGES/WESTEND61

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Walk-In Wardrobe

At The Berkeley, The Apartment is an outstanding testament to architect John Heah’s perfectionism. Incorporating more than 30 fabrics and materials – from delicate Thai silks to refined wools – its every detail has been considered precisely. Tastefully finished in sustainable teak, the walk-in wardrobe is no afterthought: softly lit and with its own vanity spot, it comes with enough storage space to accommodate even the most enthusiastic shopaholics.

Let’s Spend The Night Together John O’Ceallaigh handpicks the perfect suites for dreaming, dining, reflecting and relaxing

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Infinity Pool In The Maybourne Riviera’s Duplex Pool Suite, the infinity pool reveals an immensity of immaculate blues. On warm mornings, the panorama is awe-inspiring. With the region usually cloud-free, it’s sometimes just the shimmer of a passing superyacht or the acrobatics of a hang glider that distinguishes where the sky meets the sea.

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Bath As a sun-soaked clifftop hotel where every room overlooks the sea, The Maybourne Riviera is a haven for water lovers. Corniche Room guests get to enjoy those vistas in especially decadent style, by soaking in what might well be the most fabulous bathtub in France. Hewn from pristine white stone, its soft curves are remarkably comfy. With a good book or a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs in hand, spending a lazy afternoon here comes very easy…

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Art

Cultural aficionados are spoiled for choice at Maybourne’s London properties, where the suites’ artistic treasures rival the best of Mayfair’s galleries. Take Claridge’s Grand Terrace Suite, where an alcove holds a poignant artwork by Annie Morris, or The Connaught’s Sutherland Suite, where classic portraiture conveys a special English sensibility.

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Private Bar

Maybourne’s signature suites are tailor-made to mark life’s milestone moments, so you’ll often find a standalone statement bar in place as an inviting let’s-make-a-toast centrepiece. Perhaps made from luminous marble and stocked with whatever drinks you might desire, these cocktail counters contain everything you need to make the perfect Martini or a punchy Negroni. Alternatively, the hotel’s mixology teams are always on hand to make bespoke creations for your private party.

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Vivid Sunset

Serving as eyries just minutes from (and yet beyond) the clamour of the city, Claridge’s Terrace Junior Suites are handsome hideaways overlooking the rooftops of London. As dusk descends, their tranquil terraces provide picture-postcard views as the setting sun swashes streaks of amber and red across the sky.

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London Skyline

RICHARD HAUGHTON

The unexpected panorama from The Berkeley’s Hyde Park Penthouse provides a novel perspective on this non-stop city. From here, overlooking London’s most celebrated Royal Park, the capital feels bucolic, languid and leafy. Transforming through the seasons, the suite’s terrace makes an idyllic setting for sundowners as spring’s flowers blossom; while autumn calls for hot chocolate by the fire pit, when the canopy below is a carpet of pinks and golds.

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Ultimate Corner View So called after the distinctive glass-walled nook that sits at its edge, Claridge’s Octagon Suite is breathtaking on sunny London days when light floods its interior. Surely, this must be one of the best spots in Mayfair to overlook bustling London life.

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Sense Of Space At The Maybourne Beverly Hills, the palatial California Suite is all about versatility. Covering 2,025sq ft, its succession of rooms allows for every occasion and eventuality, making it the perfect space for everything from partying to a power nap. Important Zoom? Make for the office. Sublime supper? The dining table is already laid for eight. Fancy a party? A singalong by the baby grand will impress everybody. And then, for more intimate moments, you can always relax with a drink on your balcony.

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Alfresco Breakfast The views from The Berkeley’s Crescent Pavilion Penthouse are divine. It overlooks the refinement of Knightsbridge’s St Paul’s Church (not to be confused with the cathedral). The handsome landmark makes a beautiful backdrop for long, leisurely breakfasts on the terrace, perhaps including crumbly, justmade viennoiserie from visionary pastry chef Cédric Grolet, or an aromatic shakshuka with freshly brewed coffee.

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Fireplace

The welcome to The Apartment really does come from the hearth: designer David Collins modelled this Connaught suite’s fireplace on his own. Formed of the same lavender-tinted Turkish Lilac marble, this cosy centrepiece comes to the fore on crisp winter nights when the room glows gold in the delicate flicker of firelight.

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Unforgettable Experiences If you’re a guest at a suite at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, it’s only right that you explore what California has to offer. The hotel’s concierges make that easy, arranging everything from sunshine bike rides to Hollywood Hills hikes and even LA street-art sessions.

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Truly fit for royalty, Claridge’s has played a fascinating role in history. It was here in 1945, in suite 212, that Yugoslavia’s exiled queen gave birth to Crown Prince Alexander. Winston Churchill temporarily declared the room Yugoslavian territory. Today’s interiors reflect 1940s European designs as a tribute to that momentous occasion.

DAMIAN RUSSELL. GETTY IMAGES

Royal Connections

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Four-Poster Inspired by Kabul’s Peacock Palace and crafted by Turquoise Mountain School, The Prince’s Lodge at The Connaught is awash with enigmatic artefacts from old Afghanistan. Most majestic is its handcrafted bed, which, over 100 years ago, was the first four-poster to be made in Kabul. Intricately detailed and ruggedly handsome, this is a king-size with historic clout.

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Incognito Entrance

Consider The Mews at The Connaught your metropolitan manor. With its own front door on discreet Adam’s Row, this three-storey, twobedroom townhouse is tailor-made for long, under-the-radar stays that come complete with every Connaught convenience. A secret corridor connecting to the hotel means room service is with you in moments, while the abode’s grand piano, museum-worthy art and well-stocked library make this the perfect hideaway. M

FOOD & DRINK London /Côte d’Azur /Beverly Hills

In Fine Form

One of the most acclaimed chefs in Britain on supporting new talent at The Berkeley and reconnecting with nature in Sussex Words by

LUCY HALFHEAD

PORTRAIT BY PAUL RICHARDSON. KITCHEN: EMILY JACOBS. GARDEN: BBC/PLIMSOLL PRODUCTIONS

arcus Wareing is running late, one of his team messages to say. I later find out that his motorbike battery has gone flat, prompting a last-minute dash from Wandsworth, south London, where he lives in a Victorian house with his wife Jane, their three children and a cocker spaniel called Esme. But by the time I arrive at The Berkeley to meet him for breakfast, he’s already sitting at a table in a corner of the Collins Room, calm and composed in a smart navy jumper and dark jeans. It’s hardly surprising. As one of Britain’s most successful chefs, whose restaurant at The Berkeley holds a Michelin star, Wareing’s drive and determination is legendary. ‘If you stick chef whites on me, I change a little bit,’ he says. ‘I’m a soldier in that jacket.’ Wareing was born in Southport, a ‘typical Northwest lad’ who spent school holidays working for his father’s fruit and vegetable business. At 18, he got his first job as a chef and at just 26 earned his first Michelin star. ‘My father taught me a strong work ethic and how to stand on my feet for 15 hours a day,’ he says. Along with Gordon Ramsay and Angela Hartnett, Wareing was part of a generation of British chefs that took hotel dining rooms and turned them into the hottest restaurants in town. ‘It was the beginning of a new era,’ he says. ‘Not a lot of people 30 years ago thought they could eat in a five-star hotel – they were only seen as places for the rich – but when you bring in a household name then it becomes open to everybody, not just guests.’ Although The Berkeley has been Wareing’s life for the past 20 years – five when the restaurant was Pétrus, five as Marcus Wareing and, by the end of this year, a decade as Marcus – he has written several best-selling cookbooks and cultivated a notable television career

that includes nine seasons of the BBC One cooking show MasterChef: The Professionals. ‘There’s something special about finding unsung heroes,’ he says. ‘These chefs have got ambition, but they’re lost souls. MasterChef takes them through a unique journey – they walk in at the beginning shy and scared and leave as something very different.’ Case in point is the 2017 MasterChef champion Craig Johnston, who was a 21-year-old working in a pub when he won the coveted title and is now Head Chef at Marcus. ‘Craig has an amazing eye for quality ingredients and how to get the best out of them,’ says Wareing. ‘He’s a star of the future and it’s my job to mentor him to stand head and shoulders above me one day.’ While Wareing seeks out the next generation of culinary talent on MasterChef, his latest hit, BBC Two’s Tales From a Kitchen Garden, is all about nurturing the land. Filmed on a 65-acre smallholding he bought six years ago in East Sussex, the show sees him learn how to grow produce and raise a menagerie of animals including sheep, pigs, cows, chickens and ducks. ‘It’s opened my eyes to a whole other world,’ he says. ‘I used to just stay in the kitchen; learning how things are farmed was the missing part.’ For series three, the team will relocate to a farmhouse in Provence. ‘I want to show people that cooking should be fun, but also something that you can improve on all the time,’ he says. ‘It’s not about what you are today, it’s about where you’re going.’ M Book ‘A Foodie Adventure With Marcus Wareing’ – which includes an overnight stay at The Berkeley, a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne, a private kitchen tour, a seven course tasting menu for two, breakfast and a signed book of recipes to take home – at the-berkeley.co.uk

Above: Wareing catching up with his Head Chef, MasterChef winner Craig Johnston, at his Michelinstarred restaurant Marcus at The Berkeley. Below: Wareing with his cocker spaniel, Esme, at home in East Sussex

THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY GIADA PAOLONI.

PICTURE CREDIT IN HERE PLEASE

Dante Goes West

One of the finest bars in New York City will open its first West Coast outpost on the rooftop of The Maybourne Beverly Hills. Zachary Weiss meets the team behind the best Negronis in town

PORTRAIT, MARTINI AND BARTENDERS BY ASHLEY RANDALL. ILLUSTRATIONS BY RILEY SHEEHEY.

Above: The rooftop pool of The Maybourne Beverly Hills will be the home of Dante Beverly Hills. Below: owners Nathalie Hudson and Linden Pride

EXTERIOR BY GIADA PAOLONI. PORTRAIT BY ROBERT FITCH

here’s a beautiful din to be heard upon stepping into either of Dante’s bustling New York City outposts: convivial conversations peppered with laughs; the stacking of finished plates that once played host to delectable bites such as arancini al ragù; and, of course, the unmistakable shaking of a cocktail, before it’s poured into a frosty glass. It was a similar ambience, in 2015, that served as a siren call to Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson, who took a chance on acquiring what was then a charming, albeit slightly run-down, café in Greenwich Village. New Yorkers by way of Australia, the husband-and-wife duo were shown the space, a jewel box on MacDougal Street, under one condition: Caffe Dante, which opened in 1915, had to remain as such. ‘There were rumours the space would be converted into another cupcake shop. The owner, Mario, just couldn’t let that happen,’ Pride tells me on a sunny afternoon as we sit outside Dante enjoying an orange juice. ‘He was holding out for the right person to continue the legacy of the restaurant. As we were sitting there getting acquainted with him over espresso and sambuca, it dawned on us that we were ready to do this. Australia has an incredible Italian presence, so we were well-acquainted with casual, all-day service, but we knew we eventually wanted to add a bar.’ In the beginning, Dante’s clientele remained firmly in two camps: the octogenarians who favoured the tried-and-true coffee service and the younger set who sought out the venue for its budding menu of Italian-inspired bites and cocktails; a secret for those living within a few blocks. ‘Nathalie would work days and I’d do nights. When she had our daughter, Noa Grace, we’d literally hand the baby to each other as we crossed paths,’ Pride remembers with a laugh. Among the regulars was Elvis director Baz Luhrmann, a fellow Australian who quickly became their best customer. ‘We were making about $300 a day for about a year,’ Hudson recalls. ‘We were fortunate Baz was living across the road at the time. He came in one day and said, “I heard these Aussies had opened this place.” He wanted a coffee then changed his mind to a Negroni. We worked out an arrangement where Linden would take Negronis across the street to Baz’s house for his guests. Then he was nice enough to start taking his meetings outside the shop, so he’d be in the café with notable friends. This led to a moment on Thanksgiving when Baz and Catherine [Martin, Luhrmann’s wife] hosted a dinner party for 30, including Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It really was surreal.’ These days, Dante’s reputation precedes itself. The crowd is often equal parts local loyalists – some of whom order their ‘usual’ with a simple glance toward the bartender – sitting with first-timers aware of the accolades the café has amassed over the past decade, as coffee has taken a back seat to bustling weekend brunches and artfully crafted cocktails. These awards hit new heights in 2019 when Dante was crowned the World’s Best Bar at the

‘Baz Luhrmann and his wife hosted a party for Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It really was surreal’ Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s fiercely competitive ceremony, hosted in New Orleans, and later garnered the number one spot in the World’s 50 Best Bars list. In 2020, they opened another outpost on Hudson Street, which served as an impromptu hub to send out pre-batched cocktail kits during the pandemic then became a centre of gravity in the West Village hospitality circus. It was here that the love story of Maybourne Hotel Group and Dante began in 2022, when Dante West Village hosted the launch of Claridge’s: The Cocktail Book. ‘The conversation started simply about throwing a party and grew to a week-long residency of events in the West Village, so it was this immersive experience where we really got to know each other and connect,’ says Pride. ‘The logical next step was to work on a pop-up together in London or the South of France, but then the opportunity to provide something long-term at The Maybourne Beverly Hills came up. Every step along the way from that first meeting, which began with trying to work out how to do an event together to working out how to build a business together, has had that same fluidity and serendipitous connection.’ It’s all come to fruition on the rooftop at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, where signature libations such as the Negroni Bianco and Seville Spritz live alongside dishes designed with an eye toward fresh, seasonal ingredients. Dante Beverly Hills has come to life through wood-fired pizzas served poolside as well as roasted Santa Barbara black cod, organic chicken and rainbow trout, all from nearby suppliers. ‘The produce is so fresh and flavourful. We certainly want to take advantage of that,’ says Hudson. ‘It’s like bringing the Amalfi way of life to California.’ M Dante Beverly Hills will open summer 2023 at The Maybourne Beverly Hills. maybournebeverlyhills.com.

Serving stunning signature crêpes, perfect patisserie and Laurent Perrier to take away, Claridge’s ArtSpace Café brings a more casual approach to Brook Street. Jimi Famurewa is dazzled by its artful grandeur

Café Hero

EXTERIOR: @CLERKENWELLBOY

t first glance, Claridge’s new ArtSpace Café looks like a study in hushed elegance and aesthetic restraint. The walls of the John Pawson-designed space gleam white, soft light bounces off sweeping, Carrara marble surfaces and even the ceramic William Walker dog bowl by the door looks like the kind of pristine design accessory you wouldn’t necessarily want sullied by stray labradoodle hairs. But spend a little time in the venerated Mayfair hotel’s very first café, an adjunct to the free ArtSpace basement gallery that debuted in 2021 on Brook’s Mews – which is, in a broader sense, the latest stage in Claridge’s landmark, six-year refurbishment – and you soon learn it is an opening that is as much about play, subversiveness and sensory pleasures as austere minimalism. Champagne foams to the brim of paper cups; hot plates sizzle audibly in readiness for made-to-order crêpes; and on the glass counter, amid a soundtrack of burbling conversation, a wooden mannequin hand brandishes a freshly baked madeleine. To spot the cutlery stowed away in discreet little drawers is to seal it: this is Claridge’s inimitable, characterful grandeur artfully reimagined for a new era. And it is an expansion, a deepening of scope as much as a literal footprint, with approachability and surprise at its core. ‘This is still Claridge’s,’ says Dmitri Magi, the café’s gastronomic mastermind and, as of last summer, the newly anointed Culinary Director of the hotel. ‘It’s about amazing food and amazing service. Here, you can come in easily and as soon as you arrive you can feel the warmth, hospitality and belonging.’ This visual counterpoint

Above: Damien Hirst’s debut show in the space; a Claridge’s chocolate crest. Below: Claridge’s signature seafood crêpe with lobster and caviar; the John Pawson-designed café; LaurentPerrier is available to take away

INSTALLATION VIEW: DAMIEN HIRST, SUNSHINE (COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS EXPLAINED SIMPLY) AT CLARIDGE’S ARTSPACE, LONDON. PHOTOGRAPHED BY PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LTD. © DAMIEN HIRST AND SCIENCE LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DACS 2023.

to, say, the twinkling, timeless splendour of the Foyer is etched in many of the ArtSpace Café’s subtleties and inviting details (the communal central table that encourages interaction; Sharpies provided for doodling; a creativity-jolting collection of browsable, all-ages art books). Yet, when it came to identifying a food offering that would complement this spirit of generous informality, Magi looked to one of his own personal, longstanding obsessions. ‘I always dreamed about opening a crêperie,’ says the Kazakhstanborn, Estonia-raised chef. ‘I really started from nothing. As a kid, the only treat we’d get at home was crêpes. And it’s something I’ve continued to do with my kids – if it’s Sunday and I don’t cook the crêpes, I’m in trouble.’ Naturally, this being Claridge’s, the toppings on the ArtSpace Café’s gorgeously thin, lightly leopard-spotted specimens are a little more advanced than what most households could muster (although pancake purists will be pleased to know that the classic lemon and sugar is present, correct and, like everything else here, available to be taken away to form a princely desk-bound lunch). In practice, that means varieties including butternut squash with gorgonzola, matcha and raspberry, and the signature Claridge’s seafood cocktail crêpe: a decadent, more-ismore riff on the hotel’s famed starter, which consists of a savoury galette that’s heaped with native lobster, white crab meat, caviar, quail’s eggs and more in a sprightly drizzle of Marie Rose sauce. Elsewhere, expertly crafted comfort comes from croque madames oozing fiery, vividly rich Clarence Court yolks and a vegetarian

reuben sandwich – built on aubergine that is painstakingly brined, marinated in soy for 12 hours, then deep-fried and dehydrated for crunch – that exemplifies the ArtSpace Café’s broader philosophy of tasting menu-level technique and rigour at accessible prices. That thinking, and a further link to the art world, also manifests in the scheme where the first 50 art students through the door on a Monday receive a free coffee. Elsewhere, there is true culinary artistry in the form of Executive Pastry Chef Thibault Hauchard’s intricate patisserie: finely wrought masterpieces that run the gamut from the sumptuously balanced mango cake to the lavish Mega Mayfair Madeleine celebration cake that (alongside other large-format offerings) is available to order 48 hours in advance. These concoctions all, in their own way, bridge the gap between the creativity downstairs in the gallery and upstairs in the café. What’s more, Magi’s great hope is that the dialogue between the two spaces will only grow louder. Dishes and drinks inspired by the work being exhibited (which has already included luminaries such as Damien Hirst and Gavin Turk) would, again, only serve to foreground that sense of playfulness and surprise. But that’s for the future. For now, there are the ArtSpace Café’s daily rhythms – the art student sketching, the colleagues catching up over frothed matcha lattes, the crack of a spoon coming down on a chocolate cake with the hotel’s crest (pictured left) – and the bolstering spectacle of 211 years of sophistication presented in a thrilling new frame. M Follow @claridgesartspace on Instagram to keep up to date with news on forthcoming exhibitions. claridges.co.uk

THE FRENCH CONNECTION Fifteen years on from reinventing fine dining in London, Hélène Darroze remains a formidable culinary force on both sides of the Channel. Fiona McCarthy meets the pioneering chef to discuss what drives her perfectionism

Previous spread: Hélène Darroze’s 15-year love affair with The Connaught, including images of her first restaurant in Paris; with daughters Charlotte and Quiterie; and with Roland Mouret. This spread: a shoot for the Observer’s Food Monthly; appearing on the Ratatouille red carpet; and with her producers

A week later, she was back on board, with her father Francis, mother Annick and petite fille in tow. Darroze’s arrival on the London restaurant scene in 2008 heralded a new mood in fine dining that was then still dominated by swaggering male personalities. She brought something new and fresh, deeply rooted in French savoir faire but with a twist of what she called ‘haute rustique’. Early reviewers couldn’t believe their luck: one from the Telegraph took time to point out that this ‘41-year-old single mother’ had managed ‘hugely accomplished cooking’, with one oyster dish, in particular, ‘so fresh and sumptuous that if you could eat only one dish for the rest of your life, this might be it’. ‘I have always cooked from the heart,’ enthuses Darroze. ‘For me, it is about giving love through my food. It is about giving pleasure.’ She brought both taste and technique to the table, pouring the memories, emotions and heritage of growing up in the Basque Landes region of Mont-de-Marsan into her cooking. As the fourth generation of her family to choose life at the stove, Darroze learnt early on that good-quality produce would always be the true star of her dishes. ‘I remember as a little girl going to the market along with my grandfather Jean in order to choose his favourite foie gras and poultry, or spending time in the kitchen, where every morning farmers or fishermen would come with the first ceps of the season or that day’s catch of wild salmon,’ she says. ‘I saw how his relationship with, and loyalty to, his suppliers was so important.’ While drawing on the flavours of her childhood and her travels (from Japan and India to South America), it is the Irish oysters, Scottish langoustines, Coco de Paimpol haricot beans from Côtes d’Armor and ripe cheeses from Saint-Jean-de-Luz that prove the secret weapon behind her famed repertoire. ‘There is one dish – poached Cornish lobster or an XXL Scottish scallop roasted with tandoori spices, balanced with the flavours of carrot, citrus and coriander – that guests will never allow us to take off the menu,’ says Darroze. So too her signature rum baba dessert, doused liberally with her family’s Armagnac, and the bright red Espelette pepper that brightens butter which has been whipped and piped like a firework display. Naturally, Darroze’s tasting menus – cooked with ‘emotion and instinct’ she says – not only traverse the seasons but also a world of unusual ingredients, from yuzu kosho pickled rose petals and dashi jelly to Sardinian bottarga. At the chef’s table, guests are invited to sit at a blush-pink marble table – which sits beneath a midnight-blue ceiling frescoed with a constellation of cooking utensils illustrated by Parisian contemporary artist Rochegaussen – as they try balls of caviar à la royale, oyster tartare and Haricot Maïs du Béarn ‘coco beans’, or share

‘I have always cooked from the heart... for me it is about giving pleasure’

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he award-winning, multiple-Michelin-starred French chef Hélène Darroze vividly remembers the first time she stepped into The Connaught during the winter of 2007. ‘When I came into the lobby, something happened,’ she says. ‘I can’t describe it exactly, but it was like a coup de foudre – a lightning bolt – and straight away it felt like it was the right place to be.’ At the time, The Connaught was emerging from its swaddle of scaffolding, following a comprehensive £70 million renovation, which included a darkly panelled and jewel-hued reimagining of the hotel’s main restaurant. ‘I knew very little about the hotel, except through my Uncle Claude, who was also a chef,’ Darroze tells me. ‘It was November and the sun was shining, which I was so surprised to see because in the Parisian mentality, London is always grey and raining,’ she says with a laugh. ‘It was a good welcome.’ As we sit at a corner table in her restaurant – now celebrating its 15th year at the hotel – a soft afternoon light gently disperses around the room. It enhances the flattering shade of salmon pink, washed across the walls, cornicing and ceiling, that Darroze chose with the French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch for the restaurant’s lavish 2019 makeover. Artwork by Damien Hirst hangs above the curvaceous banquettes, while a sprawling chandelier by Swiss glassblower Matteo Gonet lends a frisson of drama. Darroze, 56 – who now holds six Michelin stars across her four restaurants in London, Paris and Provence – looks completely at home. ‘Can you imagine I almost said no?’ exclaims the self-taught chef, dressed in her usual uniform of crisp white shirt, face framed by chunky, rimmed glasses and blonde hair neatly pulled back into a short ponytail. ‘I used to say that I was the chef of only one restaurant, so when I was approached to join The Connaught, spending half of my time in London didn’t really seem realistic. My eldest adopted daughter, Charlotte, who was then eight months old, had only arrived from Vietnam a few months before and it was too much pressure. But as soon as I said, “No, it’s not for me,” I couldn’t sleep. I knew that I was making a mistake.’

JUSTIN DE SOUZA. PARIS MATCH VIA GETTY IMAGES. GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES. MARC PIASECKI/GETTY IMAGES. GAVIN SMITH/CAMERA PRESS. MAURICE ROUGEMONT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Darroze with a selection of dishes from throughout her career; a Paris photo shoot for Hello! to mark her status as Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef in 2015; with the Barbie made in her honour

chargrilled tranches of tender octopus and cod fricasseed with clams and chorizo. ‘Each course is accompanied with a new experience,’ she says of the many different plates and vessels (sourced from the likes of Bernardaud and Hermès, or ceramicists such as Ema Pradère) and the mouthblown water jugs by Massimo Lunardon. There has been much whimsy, too, during the past 15 years. Special menus have revolved around favourite ingredients, such as the black or white truffle (a layered dessert of mascarpone cream, sponge pudding, Alba truffle and sliced almonds, topped with a delicate almond foam, was particularly memorable). There have been galette des rois parties and American-style brunches. ‘You could smell the waffles all over the hotel!’ Perhaps most talked about was ‘Le Poulet du Dimanche’, where Darroze introduced her grandmother’s Sunday ritual of roast chicken. Stuffed under the skin according to the season, with foie gras in winter, morels in spring and ceps in autumn, it was devised to be shared informally with family and friends. She remembers hosting a lunch for her suppliers, where journalists rubbed elbows with the Yorkshire rhubarb grower Janet Oldroyd, Alsatian jam maker Christine Ferber and the specialist chicken farmer based near Darroze’s childhood home, Arnaud Tauzin. Her own approach to fine dining has also greatly relaxed: the stiffness of white tablecloths, her own toque blanche chef’s hat, all puffy on top like a soufflé, and the fanfare of intricately explaining every dish have all gone. ‘More than ever, it’s about sharing,’ says Darroze. ‘It’s about the connection with the food, of course, but also with the people serving, the other diners around you. Without teamwork, I would never be at this level. And with this beautiful hotel, for me it’s all about sophistication and elegance.’ From being voted the World’s Best Female Chef by Veuve Clicquot in 2015 to being promoted to Officer of the National Order of Merit by President Emmanuel Macron in 2020, Darroze is unquestionably one of the most successful female chefs of all time. Yet she asserts that she will never rest on her laurels. ‘It is my job to keep challenging people, to question everything.’ She values her team at The Connaught above all else. ‘It has always been about communication, respect and humility. Those are the three most important words for us,’ she explains. ‘I tell them we are not royalty. We are just chefs and waiters. It is about the experience we deliver together. We give happiness, that’s it.’ Many of them have been with her for years, including her Executive Chef Marco Zampese and Restaurant Manager Mirko Benzo. The delicatesse of the dishes – the intricate presentation,

the scattering of tiny flowers, the rainbow hues resonating from the plate – also comes from Zampese. ‘He’s better than me, for sure. He has so much rigour.’ Generosity, ultimately, is key. ‘It’s not about giving a lot on the plate. It’s about all the time you spend to build something on the plate and the time you give to everything around the plate. I’m not sure it’s French. I prefer to say it is feminine.’ Winning her third Michelin star for The Connaught was an emotional moment for the chef. ‘I will be really honest with you,’ she says. ‘The three stars, for the first time, gave me a confidence I never had before. It was one of the happiest days of my professional life.’ It’s the sort of exacting detail that saw Michelin honour her thrice over, citing the ‘extraordinary quality’ of the ingredients and ‘dishes that stay long in the memory’. Motherhood has also helped Darroze to prioritise along the way. ‘My children will always be the most important thing in my life,’ she says of Charlotte, now 16, and Quiterie, 14 (also adopted from Vietnam). ‘But, in another way, it has also taught me that it’s possible to be a chef and a mum at the same time. It is just different. I remember all the Saturday evenings I spent here in the little office downstairs, where one was sleeping in the pushchair and the other was watching a Disney film on my computer. They have shared everything with me,’ she reflects. ‘But they have also seen someone who is passionate about what they do and they feel the love that comes from having all these incredible people in the kitchen and restaurant around me.’ Even after all the accolades and global renown, she ultimately still sees herself as less a chef – Darroze insists her teams call her Hélène – but rather ‘someone who cooks and is passionate about cooking’. And yet, while more stars for her other restaurants are undoubtedly in her sights, she knows perfection will always prove elusive. ‘But we are always chasing it,’ she says. ‘If it’s not to do the best, there is no point.’ M To book your table at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught visit the-connaught.co.uk. Follow @helenedarrozeattheconnaught on Instagram.

‘The three stars gave me a confidence I never had before. It was one of the happiest days of my professional life’

Camels & Palm Tree Candel abra, in Sterling Silver

1 0 4 - 1 0 6 F i l h a m R o a d, L o n d o n, S W 3 PAT R I C K M AV R O S .C O M

STYLE & BEAUTY London /Côte d’Azur /Beverly Hills

Thanks to Margot Robbie and Pierpaolo Piccioli, ‘Barbiecore’ is everywhere, with Maybourne’s pink Moke turning heads on Rodeo Drive

Beyond the Red Carpet: HOW LA BECAME THE FIFTH FASHION CAPITAL

For bold catwalks and red carpets alike, with exclusive boutiques and unbeatable vintage, California has never looked so cool. Having witnessed it first-hand, Merle Ginsberg reports on how the style set fell in love with the West Coast

EMMA MCINTYRE/GETTY IMAGES

Previous spread: the Versace catwalk in 2023. This page: Hollywood’s most fashionable women, from top: Veronica Lake wearing Edith Head, 1942; Ava Gardner in 1950; Jennifer Lopez in Versace, 2000; Julia Roberts, with her Oscar, in 2001 in Valentino

ike all things in Los Angeles, it began with the hair. During the dawn of the silver screen, what riveted female attention across the world were the stars’ coiffures: Veronica Lake’s side part, Jean Harlow’s platinum bob, Rita Hayworth’s fiery waves. Any woman could access a bottle of peroxide (though squeezing into Rita or Marilyn’s gowns was less likely). Ever since then, LA has ruled as the hair capital of the world. Years later, it has also become one of the most emulated capitals of style. In the past year alone, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Celine have all presented major collections there. Recently, Donatella Versace showed her AW23/24 collection on Oscar weekend. ‘It’s one of my most inspiring places,’ she said. ‘The weather, the people – and I have so many close friends there. Going to the Oscars is one of the most glamorous things one can do. The year I went with Lady Gaga was the most fun. We changed 12 times in one night.’ It wasn’t always like this. 1989: a recent East Coast transplant, this was my first Oscars as a newly minted Angeleno. I’d been mesmerised by Hollywood style since I was a kid. But that’s when style icons like Lauren Bacall, Natalie Wood, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly were part of Hollywood’s old studio system, and had been outfitted by famed film costumers such as Edith Head or couturier Hubert de Givenchy. Left to their own devices, most stars had no idea what to wear. What I saw in 1989 was ill-fitting beaded numbers shaped like (sad) potato sacks. Demi Moore even put together her own look – including bike shorts – which lives in infamy to this day. Twenty-seven-year-old Jodie Foster, who won Best Actress for The Accused, wore a crumbled periwinkle prom dress. Cut to Oscars 1992. Foster grabs her second statuette, for The Silence of the Lambs. Instead of blah and baggy, she’s sleek and chic in a slouchy white trouser suit. Welcome to 1990s Hollywood, ushered in by Giorgio Armani and his lavish boutique on Rodeo Drive. Armani’s

‘Demi Moore even put together her own Oscars look – including bike shorts – which lives in infamy to this day’ understated, softly tailored suits had become the uniform of top agents, male and female, while Michelle Pfeiffer, Annette Bening, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere exemplified the new ‘power suit’ on screen and off. Why are stars so entwined with LA style? Realising red carpets could reach millions of people, luxury brands woke up in the mid-’90s. Versace and Valentino jumped into the fray, followed by Chanel and Dior. By 1994, Joan Rivers was bringing red-carpet designer names, and sartorial snark, straight into American households. New York and European runway trends now had some serious competition. Suddenly obsolete were Nancy Reagan’s Galanos suits and Cher’s overthe-top rocker glam. LA’s crass taste was gone with the Santa Ana winds. It all seemed to coalesce at once: New York’s Barneys threw open its Beverly Hills doors in 1994. NYC-centric magazines Vogue, Elle and W started putting celebs on covers instead of ‘supes’ Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford. Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman didn’t just land covers: big beauty and fashion-ad campaigns followed. And the digital appetite was extraordinary. Jennifer Lopez’s sheer Versace garden-print gown, worn to the 2000 Grammys in LA, was such a global sensation that her dress caused the creation of Google Images. With help from the Oscars, another LA trend became ubiquitous: secondhand shopping. Vintage guru Cameron Silver opened Decades, putting stars such as Reese Witherspoon in heritage couture, a way to look instantly singular. ‘Thrifting’ became an LA pastime. Dressing like something from your grandmother’s wardrobe made its way to New York runways. Marc Jacobs made grunge a major fashion statement in the mid-’90s. Goth-style mermaid skirts by California’s own Rick Owens dusted club floors all over town. Grunge and goth glamour began

JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION/GETTY IMAGES. HERBERT DORFMAN/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES. SCOTT GRIES/IMAGEDIRECT/GETTY IMAGES. CHRIS WEEKS/GETTY IMAGES

NOE DEWITT. BENNY CHAN/FOTOWORKS/STANDARD ARCHITECTURE | DESIGN. MAREK SLUSARCZYK/ALAMY STOCKY PHOTO

Ralph Lauren, pictured above with his wife Ricky. Ralph Lauren’s catwalk show at The Huntington (right) in October 2022

trending everywhere, as did hip denim brands and biker jackets. When red-carpet style began to out-eyeball runways, luxe labels went all in, hiring West Coast reps. By the mid-’90s, stars were being so besieged with sketches, jewels and evening bags, they had to hire people to sift through it all, creating a brand new industry: celebrity stylist. By the early 2000s, Jessica Paster (Cate Blanchett), L’Wren Scott (Nicole Kidman) and Rachel Zoe (Cameron Diaz) were as well known as editors from Vogue, and LA brands Rodarte and Monique Lhuillier started showing up in their shoots. When The Hollywood Reporter initiated its annual ‘25 Most Powerful Stylists’ list (created by yours truly), stylists ascended to their own stardom. Parisian designer Hedi Slimane returned to YSL in 2012, then moved the French atelier to his chosen home of LA. This sealed the deal on the city as a fashion capital – no longer the ugly stepsister to New York. Around this time, major designers started showing, often skipping NYC or Milan in favour of an audience of famous faces. In 2015, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent and Burberry showed collections in LA, drawing editors from around the world who decided the city was suddenly cool enough to relocate to. Angelenos stepped up their jeans/T-shirt day looks with designer tops and sunglasses. The evening dress code finally surpassed New York’s, whose society ladies in dusty ballgowns were looking passé compared to Blanchett in body-hugging Gaultier

on the red carpet. Tom Ford’s AW20 show at Milk Studios provided star-powered confirmation. Front row was Anna Wintour, Jennifer Lopez, Renée Zellweger and Lil Nas X. LA models, rappers and moguls have been responsible for raising awareness of the edgiest international labels like Balmain, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent by Vaccarello. When Ralph Lauren showed his spring 2023 collection at The Huntington last October, it was the first time a major American designer had moved a New York show to the West Coast. Lauren, of course, has always tailored his clothes to the outdoor lifestyle – and the American West – but he’s not a designer often associated with Hollywood, red carpets and sultry night-time apparel. Nonetheless, the lush gardens suited his sensibility and he had plenty of celebs in the front row: JLo, Diane Keaton (the ultimate Ralph acolyte), Mila Kunis and Laura Dern. Donatella actually relocated her Milan show for the Oscars, hosting a weekend show at the Pacific Design Center watched by Dua Lipa, Elton John and Miley Cyrus. She even had her atelier recreated at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, bringing 110 employees with her. ‘Versace has been dressing stars for a long time, back when nobody dressed them!’ she recently told the Wall Street Journal. ‘We were the only ones!’ (Armani might not agree, of course). ‘I love LA because it’s full of freedom, full of interesting people. Gianni thought that if you dress like a star, some of the stardust will stay with you.’ THE CHANEL BOUTIQUE

Stores to Seek Out Boutiques close to The Maybourne Beverly Hills

JAMES PERSE

357 North Canon Drive What feels like the world’s softest T-shirt fabric is what Angeleno James Perse weaves into his sporty collections for both men and women. With well-designed flip-flops, the chicest sweats, great-fitting T-shirt dresses and linen pants, it’s your one-stop shop for the SoCal lifestyle: ease, luxurious fabrics and a great fit.

400 North Rodeo Drive This May, Chanel Beverly Hills will reveal its all-new double-sized boutique. The French luxury giant added the former Lladro space next door, giving architect Peter Marino space to create this first-of-its-kind 15,000 square foot superstore. Picture three floors of the world of Chanel, with a rooftop VIP area and exclusives to the BH store: eyewear, watches, nail polish and shades.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

9520 Brighton Way The best of Chanel, Gucci and Prada, concentrating on the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. You’ll find the best vintage designer bags here, plus boots, shoes and jewellery. The store has items you simply cannot find anywhere else. All are one of a kind.

La Dolce Vita

Milan’s Eleventy is taking a break from the thrum of city life to embrace the siren call of Amalfi. The house, which has a store at The Berkeley, is paying homage to Procida, the charming island known for pastel-hued houses and rustic architecture. That palette and the island’s carefree aesthetic translates into soft suiting in cream, denim and low-key elegance. eleventymilano.it

STEP UP

Loro Piana’s new factory has created White Sole, a handsome range as luxurious as any of the house’s cashmere. The USP for the 0.1%? Scuffproof soles for yacht decks. All aboard. uk.loropiana.com

NOTES Streets Ahead The romantic aesthetic of Dublin-born Simone Rocha wouldn’t seem to lend itself to menswear. But the designer has taken her whimsical calling cards and applied them to a range of men’s pieces. From suits with draped shawls on collars to gauzy shirts decorated with jewels and jackets bristling with Lurex tweed, it’s a left-field take on dressing for the man who’s done with standard suits. doverstreetmarket.com

Saddle Up

Dunhill’s backstory is interlinked with motor racing, but it was equestrianism that ignited its dynamic spirit. Now, for its 130th birthday, the house debuts its Harness collection, so termed because Alfred Dunhill inherited his father’s horse-harnessing business. The range employs How apt that the king of footwear should create a collection in peerless handcrafting skill to homage to our new monarch. To coincide with King Charles III’s create a sleek range of totes coronation, Manolo Blahnik has released a limited-edition range of and rucksacks in black men’s slippers. From ornate decoration that evokes military frogging grosgrain. dunhill.com to traditional panelling, they’re a crowning achievement. Thirty pairs of each style will be available in its Burlington Arcade store. manoloblahnik.com

From regal Manolos to Simone Rocha’s menswear, Stephen Doig reports

Sovereign Style

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LOOK ING BACK

Maison statement French fashion house Balmain, headed up by Olivier Rousteing, Eyewear specialist Cutler and Gross is going into its storied past. Its bold 9894 takes a cue from ’90s band Pulp and 9383 pays homage to sculpted ’80s frames. cutlerandgross.com

recently opened in Mayfair’s prestigious Mount Street, housing formalwear, suiting, sneakers and shoes, plus a private VIP suite by appointment. gb.balmain.com

SIMONE ROCHA. ELEVENTY. LOROPIANA SS22. DUNHILL. OLFF APPOLD. MANOLO BLAHNIK. ROBERTA DE MIN BALMAIN: WORDS BY JESSICA BUMPUS

Style

BORN FROM NATURE, ELEVATED OVER TIME

DOM RUINART, THE QUINTESSENTIAL BLANC DE BLANCS

Drink responsibly

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Bride Of Place

Twenty-two years after first opening in Beverly Hills, Monique Lhuillier has launched her first London store at 69 South Audley Street. With eye-catching gowns already worn by the likes of Anna Kendrick, Taylor Swift and Jamie Lee Curtis (as well as a selection of First Ladies), expect red-carpet primed ready-towear, dramatic bridal and accessory collections, along with exclusive items. If you are after ‘feminine and glamorous, but with a modern twist’, you’ve come to the right boutique. moniquelhuillier.com

C H E C K M AT E

ALICE + OLIVIA HITS LONDON US label Alice + Olivia, which has an A-list roster of fans (think Beyoncé and Michelle Obama), is bringing its brand of hyper-femme separates to London. Its first British store, in Mayfair, will revamp the retail experience. Alongside selling clothing and accessories, the brand collaborates with kidswear specialists Dotty Dungarees. aliceandolivia.com

NOTES

From hoop dreams to shady themes, Jane McFarland reports on the key summer looks

Perfect Timing To celebrate its first women’s sport watch, RM 07-04 Automatic Sport, Richard Mille has partnered with drivers Aurora Straus and Margot Laffite, golfer Nelly Korda and Olympic champion heptathlete Nafi Thiam. Available in six bold colourways, the featherlight timepiece combines high performance with function. richardmille.com

Jump Through Hoops

American designer Jennifer Fisher has become synonymous with hoop earrings, the one piece of jewellery her clients rely on. Don’t miss her newest iterations – we love the Elise Hoops cluster and oversized Shadi Hoops. jenniferfisher.com

T H ROW I NG SHADE Summer – parties, festivals, weddings and, let’s face it, hangovers – requires statement shades. Don’t miss LoveShackFancy’s latest line. The brand’s Hessel cat-eye glasses will work with every face shape. loveshackfancy.com

Ahoy, Asprey!A generous tote for summer? Asprey’s Harbour

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collection has a style for every occasion, from beach to boat. asprey.com

COURTESY OF MONIQUE LHUILLIER. ALICE + OLIVIA: NEIL HEWISON. JENNIFER FISHER: LIZ VON HOENE

Style

Daniel Lee’s Burberry debut brought wit, modernity and a youthful energy to the brand’s classic heritage. From September, the range will be available at Burberry’s new store on Bond Street, due to open this summer. Meanwhile, the Frances Bag, pictured, makes a good case for summer spending. uk.burberry.com

FOR DAYS L E S S E V E RY DAY N EW B OND ST R EET SLOANE ST R EET WEST B OUR NE GROV E HAR RODS SELF R IDGES

SMY T H SO N.C OM

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B LU N D E R CON TROL

Deep Peace

For those seeking deep indulgence, make the Aman Spa at The Connaught your destination. A triple-masking facial reveals glow-giving skin and a feeling of peace, while the body polish and wrap harnesses amethyst powder to promote stability. Plus, each 90-minute treatment ensures access to the pool. the-connaught.co.uk

Red-carpet favourite Blunder Cover is somewhere between a foundation, a concealer and a contour cream. Monika Blunder is a dab hand at knowing what is good for the skin and encourages genuine longevity. monikablunderbeauty.com

Beauty

NOTES

Extraordinary treatments for exciting times, recommended by Billie Bhatia

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Celebrity Skin

HIGH SHINE Glossed lips are back on the agenda and no one is doing it better than insider favourite Lisa Eldridge. From sheer washes to enhance the appearance of your lips to highly pigmented colour drama, there’s something for everyone in the Embrace Gloss collection. If you’re seeking the perfect pinky nude, look no further than Blush Lightly: it’s a game-changer. lisaeldridge.com

Light Up

In the business of good glow, no one does it better than 111Skin, which has set up shop at The Berkeley. Choose from the Black Diamond lifting facial or the Cryo De-puffing facial, which I road-tested with stunning results. the-berkeley.co.uk

Layers of Luxury Revisit a fragrance legend by way of Chanel’s latest launch, Coca Mademoiselle Hair Perfume. In this era of layered fragrance (we already have body creams, oils and perfume), it makes sense that our hair gets a look in, too. The handbag-friendly bottle leaves a subtle scent trail of soft airy notes of the cult classic fragrance. chanel.com

Ambroxyde 17, the latest candle from Le Labo, is intoxicating. Woodiness and jasmine petals bring this creation to life. lelabofragrances.com

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Pinpoint Accuracy PORTRAIT BY KRIS HUMPHREYS. WORDS: JESSICA DINER

Claridge’s welcomes Ross J. Barr, the acupuncturist favoured by the A-list

f you take the lift down three floors from Claridge’s lobby, awaiting you is a sumptuous subterranean spa that hosts one of the UK’s most sought-after wellness specialists – acupuncturist Ross J. Barr. Known for his dapper style (he is always accompanied by his vintage leather doctor’s bag that has become his brand logo), he is one of the new experts on rotation at the Mayfair destination. With a roster of clients that includes royalty and celebrities as well as fashion and beauty editors, he is bringing his expertise in fertility support and overall health optimisation to guests at Claridge’s Spa, via in-clinic treatments and his range of supplements and patches.

What were your first impressions of Claridge’s Spa? You walk in and feel happy; every detail has been considered. Whether you’re a regular guest or someone who has saved up for the experience, you’ll feel special here. It’s lovely to be part of the history and heritage of this place, practising the ancient medicine that is acupuncture. How will sleep-deprived or stressed guests benefit from your guidance? When visiting a hotel, sleep is the priority. Acupuncture is wonderful at helping the body go from a place of stressed-out adrenaline rushes to a place of peace. I don’t know many other treatments that have such a positive effect on sleep or stress. Why are your wellness patches so revolutionary? They have herbs and oils that give an olfactive boost. The acupuncture point they’re applied on is ideal at calming the neural pathways. Claridge’s has the Calm patches in the spa’s lockers and the room mini-bars. You can buy the range of supplements and patches in the spa, too. Your old-school doctor’s bag has become a conversation topic. What’s inside it? It was given to me by somebody who was hugely influential after my father died. It’s about 110 years old and has been with me since I started. Inside is a collection of things that most acupuncturists would have: some moxa or needles, some Calm patches, tiger warmers and incense. What’s next from you? My aim is for the range to cover female and male health from start to finish. My business model is to surround myself with as many amazing women as possible: do what they tell you to do and everything will turn out fine – that’s my motto. For more information, visit claridges.co.uk/spa

Hannah Betts being pampered by Marta Lewandowska, Danielle ‘Bunny’ Wetherell, Jason Sutton and Marley Darnell-Francis from the Josh Wood team

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In Case of Emergency,

Call Josh! A-list hair colourist Josh Wood has opened an in-house salon at Claridge’s Spa. Hannah Betts meets the man whose team can transform your look from daytime to night, desk to dancing Photography by

SEBASTIAN NEVOLS

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Wood is the man who created David Bowie’s kaleidoscopic hair colouring in the 1990s and is a presence on the speed dials of such notables as Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan

pril, as T.S. Eliot said, is the cruellest month. It bursts with blossom as if to shame us about not feeling quite as blooming ourselves while we totter off to parties and premieres. For some, there will soon be that most glittering of occasions to enjoy the coronation. For the events, attendees must not merely scrub up but coruscate with Cullinan Diamond-like conviction, for the eyes of the world will be upon them. So what’s a girl to do, especially if she prides herself on being a woman about town? When my seasonal crisis hit, I, like The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki and Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, knew there was only one man to call. I dialled the concierge at Claridge’s

and issued a cry that has been ringing out for more than three decades: ‘Get me Josh!’ The hotel’s new spa is presenting us with a global first, set to revolutionise the realm of five-star beauty. Behold, celebrated British hair genius Josh Wood has taken up residence here in his first Mayfair setting, ready to transform visitors via his dream team of stylists. Wood’s glamorous ensemble will be available to create occasion-ready tresses, make-up, nails and brows, not to mention anything else you would like to throw at them, such as steers as to which jewels should accompany which outfit. Wood has been in and out of Brook Street’s suites for years, attending to royalty and film stars. Now he and his grooming gurus will

be on hand to metamorphose the rest of us; unless it’s the Oscars weekend, that is, when our hero will be flying a team of 20 over to La La Land. But even then, a deputation will remain at Claridge’s to tend to guests’ needs. To say that residents’ reactions have been ecstatic would be an understatement. As one legendary glamour puss purred: ‘The world’s greatest hairdressing, seconds from your suite? Darling, what could be more Claridge’s?’ Wood created David Bowie’s kaleidoscopic hair colouring in the 1990s and is on the speed dials of such notable twentysomethings as Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan. ‘Hairstyling in hotels has traditionally been treated as some improvised afterthought,’ Claridge’s General Manager, Paul Jackson,

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JOSH WOOD OUTSIDE CLARIDGE’S PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTINA NORTON. ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID DOWNTON

says of his coup. ‘We wanted to reimagine what it could be for the 21st century. And to take charge of glamour in Claridge’s first ever spa, there could only be one candidate.’ Although he has a modish salon in leafy Holland Park, Wood’s international clientele carries him all over the globe. His customer base makes him a mobile hairdresser in the most luxurious sense, ferried about the planet by private jet, helicoptered onto superyachts or required to wield his rollers in a Roller. Whether it’s G7 world leaders, Tinseltown’s celestial bodies or the world’s glossiest magazine models, anybody who is anybody craves Wood’s signature brilliance so their hair can be transformed to the point at which it is utterly gorgeous. Prior to the Christmas season, Wood will likely find himself burnishing blondes in Gstaad and St Moritz. Come January, he will be off to St Barts. Spring is awards season, of course, and then, in the summer, summonses will be issued from Italy and the South of France. Elle Macpherson, Tilda Swinton and Victoria Beckham might declare their love for Wood’s talents loud and proud, but others are necessarily more discreet, making him, to quote The Times: ‘The hairdresser whom every national secret service would like to recruit.’ The concept is elegant in its simplicity. Wood’s team can visit your suite with a repurposed ‘beauty bar cart’ featuring a full range of different products for treatments. Even if you’re not staying at Claridge’s, you can arrange to visit Wood’s salon to prepare yourself for the night ahead, a vastly more civilised option than an awkward quick change act in the office or at home. Treatments vary between 30 minutes and one hour and four are currently on offer – ‘The Glam Squad Glow’, ‘The Eyecon’, ‘The Bond Street Bombshell’, ‘The Claridge’s Muse’ – as well as bespoke treatments on request.

Josh Wood has handpicked an A-list team of stylists for his salon at Claridge’s, which opened in 2022. With only two chairs, he offers a tailored, private service and a VIP experience

‘To take charge of glamour in Claridge’s first ever spa, there could only be one candidate in the world’ For Wood, it is simply an extension of the hotel’s desire to elevate guests’ experiences. ‘Claridge’s is the great British institution that anticipates all possible desires,’ he says. ‘Guests come on holiday not to Britain, nor even to Mayfair, but to Claridge’s itself. Guests want to feel part of the landscape, whether they are off to some fashion bash, hosting a business meeting or sipping a Martini in The Fumoir. My services are the finishing touch, the icing on the exquisite Claridge’s cake. ‘This isn’t a salon, but an atelier devoted to getting every strand immaculate, every lash perfect,’ he continues. ‘The best of the best. “No” is not in our vocabulary. Nothing is too much to ask. We’ll devote 30 minutes or three hours; longer, if you’re

after full body paint and crystals. Whatever it takes to make you feel your most fabulous.’ Wood has his own memories of Claridge’s when, newly arrived in the capital from Barnsley, he would race to London’s art deco jewel on Friday evenings to blow his wages on the perfect cocktail. It is important to him that his services are available to guest and non-guest alike, carrying fans from desk to dance floor as much as boudoir to banquet, or spinning machine to stock exchange. Wherever one is headed, one will be ready to face the world after a detour to Claridge’s. M To book your own visit from Josh Wood’s ‘glam squad’, head to claridges.co.uk/thespa

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Paul Mescal

Kerry Condon

Odessa Rae

Paul Mescal

GUEST LIST

Brendan Fraser

From a reception for the Academy Awards to LA’s Frieze, it’s time to drop in on the year’s most elegant parties

OSCAR NOMINEES at Claridge’s

Deanne Bray and Troy Kotsur

A trio of winners at this year’s Oscars – Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser – were at this nominees’ reception in Claridge’s Ballroom, while Paul Mescal certainly looked at home: he was last seen in the hotel shooting the music video for Scarlet by The Rolling Stones.

Michelle Yeoh

Lili Sumner

Colin Farrell

Ana de Armas

Angela Bassett

Brendan Gleeson

Ke Huy Quan

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Kathleen Lynch and Casey Fremont

Joel Mesler and Georgina Cohen Sarah Harrelson, Camilla Marcus, Noora Raj Brown and Claire Khodara

FRIEZE IN LA at The Maybourne Beverly Hills

A week of art events began with an alfresco rooftop dinner marking Joel Mesler’s new installation Hopes & Dreams. With food by Dante Beverly Hills and centrepieces inspired by Mesler’s Artist Plate Project, it attracted a starry crowd partying late into the night, including Henry Taylor, Jennifer Guidi and Michelle and Jason Rubell. Later in the week a special lunch was held on The Terrace, hosted by Christine Messineo and Casey Fremont, in aid of Art Production Fund and Frieze Projects.

Autumn Breon and Yvonne Force Villareal

OSCARS AT CLARIDGES AND HARPERS: DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES. FRIEZE LUNCH: JOJO KORSH/BFA.COM. FRIEZE DINNER: ZACK WHITFORD/BFA.COM. BELGRAVIA AWARDS: EDWARD LLOYD/ALPHA PRESS

BELGRAVIA AWARDS at The Berkeley

Alex Israel

Marcus Wareing got a rapturous reception for his Lifetime Achievement Award, which he accepted from fellow industry legend Anton Mosimann.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Lake Bell, Robert Russell, Lisa Edelstein and Dinos Chapman

Tulip Siddiq

Aimee Lou Wood

HARPER’S BAZAAR at The Connaught Marcus Wareing and Anton Mosimann

For the magazine’s annual International Women’s Day event at The Connaught Ballroom, an elegant ensemble enjoyed Veuve Clicquot champagne while hearing inspirational discussions from Cabaret star Aimee Lou Wood, author Naomi Alderman and MP Tulip Siddiq, who led the fight to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

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Bloom Service Flawless floral installations greet every guest on arrival: Clare Coulson examines the meaning of the bounteous bouquets while Luciana Bellini meets the teams behind them

MCQUEENS FLOWERS

rom the first blossom emerging in spring through the abundance of summer and beyond, flowers give us lifeenhancing moments to wonder at the beauty of nature. They are a potent reminder of the seasons, connecting us with the unstoppable progress of time. Flowers are an integral part of celebration and ritual – arriving at moments of happiness and sometimes sadness, but always lifting the spirits. We are hard-wired to revel in their exquisite forms, which are loaded with symbolism. There’s a scientific underpinning to our weakness for beautiful blooms. In the 1980s, environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan developed Attention Restoration Theory, in which they found that looking at nature restores and soothes our minds by immersing us in its beauty. Many flowers hold our attention through their rhythmic design of visually repetitive shapes and patterns, called ‘fractals’, that occur throughout the natural world. Furthermore, flowers can help release a trio of potent brain chemicals – dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin. A moment with nature reboots your brain as it unleashes a potent cocktail of colour, scent and texture. But more than this, they simply bring us joy. As floral design has exploded over the past decade, Maybourne Hotel Group has set the stage for floral artisans to create ever-more elaborate displays that not only embellish its spaces but add to the mystique of the most luxurious sleepovers. These designs capture the essence of the season and the location, amplifying architectural details and playing off its hotels’ heritage. The exuberant towers of jaw-dropping delphinium spires or hydrangea heads that take centre-stage in the foyer of Claridge’s, for example, chime with the art deco grandeur of the space. Here, McQueens’ opulent arrangements provide the perfect counterpoint to Dale Chihuly’s eye-popping chandelier. At The Connaught, the rich combinations of English garden flowers, artfully arranged by Moyses Stevens, sing to the elegant classicism of the winding staircase that frames them. At The Berkeley and The Maybourne Beverly Hills, floral designs bring a stark modernity, a sculptural focal point in a contemporary space, delighting guests as they provide a moment to stop and stare. It’s hard to imagine life – or one of these hotels – without them.

CLARIDGE’S FLOWERS BY MCQUEENS FLOWERS

Above and previous spread: McQueens flowers in Claridge’s The Foyer & Reading Room. Below: When Claridge’s hosted NHS workers, McQueens provided displays to match.

Since its humble beginnings as a small shopfront in Shoreditch three decades ago, McQueens Flowers has become renowned for its bold, boundary-pushing take on floristry. ‘McQueens has its own aesthetic, synonymous with luxury and elegance,’ says its CEO, Berenice Rogombe. The company’s installations are always a talking point at Claridge’s, whether contrasting the hotel’s iconic black-and-white chequered floor with a romantic spray of pink tulips, or bringing a touch of spring to an elegant corner. ‘Claridge’s is one of the most prestigious luxury hotel brands in the world,’ says

‘It is a wonderful opportunity to create something unique and visionary’ Rogombe. ‘It’s an institution synonymous with British heritage.’ Fittingly, McQueens’ vision for the hotel is to focus on sustainably sourced British flowers, arranged to create a ‘wow’ effect. When Claridge’s hosted NHS workers during the pandemic, McQueens filled the lobby with beautiful blue hydrangeas and white delphiniums – the colours of the NHS. There are plenty of special moments to mark throughout the year, from St Patrick’s Day to Wimbledon, where elaborate arrangements are picked out in purple, green and white. ‘At Claridge’s, everything is planned and executed with precision,’ says Rogombe. ‘Nothing is left to chance.’ Not only does McQueens compose wonderful displays of fresh and seasonal flowers to showcase such recurring calendar dates, but memorable one-offs, too. Next up is the King’s coronation. ‘It is a wonderful opportunity to create something unique and visionary,’ says Rogombe. mcqueensflowers.com

THE CONNAUGHT

FLOWERS BY MOYSES STEVENS

When it comes to creating the spellbinding flower displays at The Connaught, the team at Moyses Stevens have its work cut out. They only have one square metre to work with when creating floral magic, centred around the base of the hotel’s famed mahogany staircase. They install displays between 4am and 6am, so as not to disturb the guests in the bustling lobby. The colourfilled results are designed to bring a touch of the great outdoors into the intimate space, brightening the rich wood with seasonal arrangements reminiscent of a classic English garden. For Larissa Petean, Moyses Stevens’ Artistic Director, the most impactful displays are the ones that delight all the senses. Her personal favourite was an arrangement created using vibrant yellow-flowering mimosa, housed in a spectacular stone urn. ‘It was a simple arrangement but so expressive,’ says Petean. ‘When mimosa is in season it’s just full of flowers and the scent is amazing too.’ Other highlights over recent months include a Valentine’s Day display of more than 350 stems of roses, including one particularly striking fuchsia variety called ‘Pink Floyd’, and the regal arrangement created to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II last September. ‘It was a beautiful display with tall white delphiniums. We wanted to use something simple and white, but with a royal composure.’ Looking ahead, Petean is most excited about working on this year’s Chelsea in Bloom display at the hotel. Last year, the eye-catching arrangement featured an array of plants and flowers grown in the UK, ranging from sunflowers and hydrangeas to snapdragons. Watch this space for this year’s display, set to be even more spectacular. moysesflowers.co.uk

THE BERKELEY

FLOWERS BY LARRY WALSHE STUDIOS

@ANDYOURSTORY

From top: a bold display in The Berkeley lobby; Larry Walshe; Moyses Stevens’ Mayfair outpost; The Connaught’s dramatic foliage

Largely self-taught, Larry Walshe honed his passion for flowers while growing up in the Lake District, where he was surrounded by luscious gardens and idyllic scenery. His eye for design, meanwhile, was inherited from his father, who was a painter. ‘My father used to tell me that one day all his gardening books would be mine, and aged 10, I couldn’t think of anything worse,’ says Walshe. ‘Now, I love and treasure them. He was right, they did come in rather useful!’ After spending his childhood evaluating his father’s watercolours, he learnt to love colour and texture in all its forms, something that’s abundantly clear in the effortlessly luxurious arrangements he creates at The Berkeley. The devil is in the detail with Walshe. As soon as the last bauble has been packed away after Christmas, Walshe and his team settle down to start planning the schedule for the following year. Their in-house watercolourist renders the looks his team are picturing and then, once signed off, they start sourcing all the required elements. ‘To us, every visual detail is as important as the next, so we often make, paint and source props and original pieces to add a further layer of detail and authenticity,’ he says. That’s doubly true for the hotel’s iconic Snowfall installation at Christmas, which last year Walshe and his team transformed into a winter wonderland forest, complete with a canopy of twinkling lights. As for his favourite flowers to work with, Walshe says he’s particularly drawn to anything sculptural, like a vanda orchid. ‘I consider myself an artist who uses flowers as my medium, so any flowers that allow me to work in a creative, conceptual manner will always be top of the list.’ larrywalshe.com

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THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS

From top: striking spring displays in The Maybourne Beverly Hills. Inset: Whitney Bromberg Hawkings admires her beautiful blooms

When Whitney Bromberg Hawkings launched Flowerbx in 2015, she revolutionised the flower game. After nearly 20 years working with Tom Ford, she understood more than most that in the fashion world, flowers are currency. ‘Miuccia Prada’s flowers would come in and it would be pale pink roses, nothing else. Then Karl Lagerfeld’s flowers would come in and it would be white orchids, nothing else,’ says Bromberg Hawkings. ‘I thought, “The most fabulous people in the world know that these really simple single-stem bouquets are the chicest thing. How come the rest of the world hasn’t caught on?’’’ And so Flowerbx was born. Bromberg Hawkings describes the brand’s signature style as ‘the best quality flowers you can buy, in single stem bunches, and loads of them. That to me is just the most beautiful thing.’ She started working with the team at The Maybourne Beverly Hills last summer, transforming the lobby with

‘We had this really elaborate cornucopia of fruits and flowers down the centre of the table – it was spectacular’

Flowerbx’s bright, captivating displays. For Valentine’s Day, the marble space was filled with an impressive pool of red blooms, while for Christmas they went all out with a traditional display, featuring clusters of Christmas trees, festive garlands and a giant bow covering the whole front of the hotel. But her favourite installation to date was for a rooftop lunch held during Frieze LA on the rooftop of The Maybourne Beverly Hills. ‘We had this really elaborate cornucopia of fruits and flowers down the centre of the table – it was spectacular.’ Next up is peony season, a flower that happens to grow particularly well in California. ‘Pink peonies are the prettiest, but we also have some really dramatic red ones that turn 15 different colours throughout their life. We’re going to have a lot of fun with peonies in that lobby. Because it’s such a neutral palette in there, we can go very punchy with colour and really experiment.’ flowerbx.com

STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES FOR EMILIA WICKSTEAD X GOOP. SARAH BRICK

FLOWERS BY FLOWERBX

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THE MAYBOURNE RIVIERA

FLOWERS BY LES FLEURISTES

‘As florists, we sell flowers, but we also try to share emotions’

BILLIE SCHEEPERS

It’s not for nothing that Les Fleuristes counts the chameleon as its logo. The company’s ability to adapt its floral style to a client’s needs while still ensuring it stands out from the crowd has made it one of the most sought-after florists in all of France, and the obvious choice for The Maybourne Riviera. Les Fleuristes’ extravagant sculptural arrangements take centre stage in the sun-filled lobby, featuring a symphony of blood-red roses one week, a tower of exotic heliconia the next. ‘As florists, we sell flowers, but we also try to share emotions,’ says Zinedine Ayadi, Events Manager at Les Fleuristes. Ayadi and the team take an ecoconscious approach to their designs, using local plants wherever possible. Every week you’ll find the team liaising with their expert growers around the country or scouring the hundreds of stalls at the Marché d’Intérêt National in Nice, tracking down the finest varieties of tulips, anemones and peonies. Thanks to the grandeur of the hotel’s lobby and that famous golden light on the Côte d’Azur, the team has been given free rein with its fantastical florals, which come in everything from tropical brights and sweet pastels to stark monochrome. Ayadi is particularly excited to work on the installation designed to coincide with this year’s Monaco Grand Prix at the end of May, which will be an elaborate and bold creation in black, red and white. Magnifique! lesfleuristes.fr M

From top: flamboyant displays from Les Fleuristes in the lobby of The Maybourne Riviera

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across Maybourne Hotel Group

Jim and Michelle Mackey Engineering father-daughter double act, known for tackling the toughest tasks and agreeing on precisely none of them.

Michelle Wu Maybourne’s Head Of Design, tasked with future proofing the 21st-century design for Claridge’s, including the sculptural dorma rooms transported from Northern Ireland.

Tom Newsom Having spent most of his working life installing local swimming pools, Newsom was entrusted to meticulously oversee the priceless features of Claridge’s Penthouse.

Now on BBC iPlayer, The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild documents the extraordinary processes involved in the seven-year transformation of Claridge’s, including building an additional five floors below Mayfair and three floors up, all without closing the hotel. Enjoy the ‘most audacious hotel upgrade ever attempted’ and look out for a glimpse of the exclusive penthouse created by designer Rémi Tessier as well as the following cast of characters… bbc.co.uk

Lindsey White The crane operator lifted huge structures, such as the 10-metre glass window, even when receiving advice from six concerned men.

Andrew Ewing The creative ‘aquatect’ tasked with realising the ornamental lake on the rooftop, complete with ripples and reflections, next to the piano room where Chris Martin from Coldplay tinkled the ivories.

Inge Theron Even when her new spa was briefly underwater, Theron was unflappable. No wonder she convinces everyone to try the FaceGym High-Performance EMS Mask.

THE GARDEN PRODUCTIONS LTD/LATEEF OKUNNU/BBC

Check Out... The latest news and views from

Mayfair’s Most Wanted

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THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY CHILLS Where better to properly relax than the biggest indoor spa in Beverly Hills? The new Rest and Retreat overnight package includes Kari Gran skincare, EviDenS de Beauté goodies, a hike through the Hollywood Hills or a private fitness class of your choosing and then a spa treatment. After breakfast on The Terrace you’ll enjoy a fresh sense of perspective for the week ahead... maybournebeverlyhills.com

Roland Fasel We talk marathon running, pop art and London’s best sushi spot with Roland Fasel, Maybourne Hotel Group’s newly appointed Chief Operating Officer. Where did you find your passion for hospitality? I grew up in a small hotel near Fribourg in Switzerland – 15 rooms, two restaurants, 20 minutes from a ski resort. Most memorable journey? Travelling from Amanfayun in Hangzhou to the heavenly place called Shangri-La is an extraordinary journey with stunningly beautiful landscape.

BIRDS OF PARADISE Two aluminium turtle doves have roosted in the lobby of The Berkeley. Created by renowned French sculptor François-Xavier Lalanne, ‘Paire de Fauteuils Tourterelle’ are located just outside the Collins Room. the-berkeley.co.uk

WORDS: ANDY MORRIS. DANTE ARTWORK BY RILEY SHEEHEY. ROLAND FASEL: @LATEEF.PHOTOGRAPHY

Five Minutes With...

Best advice when travelling? You need to have iron discipline about not getting stressed. Eat before you get on the plane. Don’t get distracted in the lounge! Cocktail of choice? I like a traditional, classic Negroni: gin, vermouth, Campari. Favourite London restaurant? I love the Coal Office in King’s Cross, for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food.

A WARM WELCOME Meet our new California culinary team heading up the kitchen at The Maybourne Beverly Hills. Executive Chef Shaun Anthony and Executive Pastry Chef Brooke Martin are working on flamboyant new dishes, extraordinary canapes, decadent main courses and delightful desserts. Beverly Hills’ best team behindthe-scenes just seriously upgraded their culinary credentials. maybournebeverlyhills.com

Chef we should look out for? Endo Kazutoshi at The Rotunda in White City. Already a great culinary force with his outstanding omakase sushi experience, I believe we will see more great things from him. How do you keep a clear head? Marathon running. It’s really about overcoming the fact that every day you have to put on the shoes to train. Who is your favourite artist? Sir Peter Blake. His studio is like stepping into his Sgt Pepper’s cover. I saw him backstage at The Rolling Stones: we were shooting the breeze while Mick Jagger was running around on stage!

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Under the watchful eye of Agostino Perrone, one of the world’s finest bars is just getting better. ‘Synergia’, the new cocktail menu at the Connaught Bar, is inspired by hospitality, sharing, unity and empathy. The menu is divided into three chapters – ‘Self ’, ‘Other’ and ‘Synergy’. Our pick is Daydreaming: a Negroni Sbagliato variant created with Brugal 1888 Rum, Apostoles Sherry, Connaught Bar Sweet Vermouth and Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Champagne. the-connaught.co.uk

CLUB CLASS

Raising The Bar Fresh from entertaining the Prince of Monaco at an immersive dinner at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco, Ceto, the rooftop restaurant at The Maybourne Riviera, is due to have a spectacular summer. This May, the Ceto bar reopens with one of the best views of the Mediterranean in the whole of the region – and a cocktail list inspired by myths and legends. Try The Sirens, which is served straight up, rather than on the rocks like its namesake. maybourneriviera.com

CHRISTIAN BANFIELD. FLORENT PARIZI. MARION BUTET STUDIO. M DAGNINO

This summer, guests at The Maybourne Riviera will get the chance to experience Maybourne La Plage, a restaurant and sundeck open until 24 September. Located in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, accessed by road or sea, book ahead to secure one of the coveted day beds and a reservation for lunch with a menu devised by Mauro Colagreco. maybourneriviera.com

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WORDS: ANDY MORRIS. *SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. TRAVEL AVAILABLE WITHIN A FIVE MILE RADIUS OF THE BERKELEY. BERKLEY SUITE: JAMIE MCGREGOR SMITH. @LATEEF.PHOTOGRAPHY. JUSTIN DE SOUZA

Care Package

For some luxurious down time, try the new Self Care Sunday Sleepover at The Berkeley. Open the mini-fridge for skincare, green juice and Champagne, slip on your monogrammed robe and enjoy a 111Skin spa treatment. Wake up to a sunrise swim, Cédric Grolet croissants and the ultimate Monday self care commute – the hotel’s electric BMW i7 to your office.* the-berkeley.co.uk

BLUE MOVE Good news for anyone who enjoys Marcello Cauda’s mixology at the Blue Bar at The Berkeley – he and the team have conjured up a brand new vibe for the summer months. Think new cocktails (ours is the long and refreshing High Season), DJs playing vinyl-only sets Thursday to Saturday, and new must-order bar snacks. Try the Manchego and truffle churros or the steak tartare crumpets. the-berkeley.co.uk

CAFÉ SOCIETY After a day exploring the hottest new sights of 90210, take a moment to chill with the Maybourne Café gelato trolley for a perfect pick-me-up. Experience the vibrant zing of house-made lemon gelato, elderflower sorbet, lavender-infused lemonade, cookies, cold brew, iced tea or an affogato. maybournebeverlyhills.com

Going Swimmingly This summer, The Berkeley’s ninth-floor rooftop pool will be decked out with lush greenery, parasols and a new sun deck, all in a colour palette inspired by the Hyde Park treetops that the pool overlooks. Come evening, the pool will open as a rooftop bar for residents and guests alike. See you there for generous glasses of rosé, Côtes de Provence Sangria and vibrant 06 Vodka cocktails. the-berkeley.co.uk

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David Downton draws

LESLIE CARON

ne of the last links to Hollywood’s Golden Age, Leslie Caron became a star through her first film, the 1951 musical An American in Paris. Thereafter, she flourished: Caron is the only person to have danced with Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. She is a double Oscar nominee and has won two Baftas and a Golden Globe. We met several years ago at a supper and I became a ‘friend for life’ when I rescued her from too large a portion by stealing a sausage from her plate. Since then, we’ve had regular lunches in Claridge’s Reading Room, a thrill for me as she indulges my curiosity about the mythical names of cinema who she has known and worked with. Thank heaven for Leslie Caron. M David Downton is Claridge’s Artist-inResidence. His Talking Heads gallery is located on the ground floor.

CHOSEN BY THE BEST

champagnelaurentperrier www.laurent-perrier.com

Photographer: Iris Velghe / Conception: Luma

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