Harrods Magazine October 2014 by Harrods online

OCTOBER 2014

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE ON THE ROAD TO MONGOLIA: FASHION TRAVELS OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

harrods.com

MAGAZINE DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE MARKETING DEBORAH BEE DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE OPERATIONS BETH HODDER ART DIRECTOR BARNEY PICKARD PUBLISHER DAWN HALL

EDITORIAL

EDITOR JAN MASTERS ACTING ASSOCIATE EDITOR GUY WOODWARD FASHION FEATURES EDITOR LINDSAY MACPHERSON LIFESTYLE EDITOR AMY BROOMFIELD CONTRIBUTING WRITER MARIA MILANO ASSISTANT BEAUTY EDITOR REBECCA BAIO CHIEF SUB-EDITORS LISA HILLMAN, NICOLETTE THOMPSON SENIOR SUB-EDITOR CAROLINE HUNT

ART

DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR SONJA BURRI ART EDITOR NATALIE BOO MOSQUERA SENIOR DESIGNER RACHEL ESCUDIER JUNIOR DESIGNER OLIVER JAMIESON ART ASSISTANT JENNIFER KAY PRODUCER EMILY SELLERS PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKINGS EDITOR WENDY HINTON PICTURE ASSISTANT KIAAN ORANGE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKINGS ADMINISTRATOR LAIDE PITAN

FASHION

FASHION EDITOR VICTORIA GAIGER DEPUTY FASHION EDITOR POPPY ROCK SENIOR FASHION ASSISTANT BECKY BRANCH JUNIOR FASHION ASSISTANT OLIVIA HALSALL

DIGITAL

DIGITAL MANAGER ARNAUD BURTIN DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER CLAUDIA ORRELL HEAD OF DIGITAL DESIGN BOB DEVSI DIGITAL DESIGNER JAIME RIVERA JUNIOR DIGITAL DESIGNER TAK YEUNG CHEUNG DIGITAL SUB-EDITORS JANICE MORTON, ROSE VICKERS

PUBLISHING

MANAGING EDITOR SUZY CHAPMAN ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER RACHEL MONCUR PUBLISHING ASSISTANT PHOEBE FISHER PA TO DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE MARKETING & DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE OPERATIONS

MADALAINE MCCARTHY PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION MANAGER HAYLEY YOUNG PRODUCTION ASSISTANT CAMILLA JOSEPHS

HARRODS STORE IMAGE

GROUP DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS KATHARINE WITTY DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND PERSONAL SHOPPING CHIARA

VARESE

HARRODS MEDIA

MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR GUY CHESTON HEAD OF MEDIA SALES CHARLOTTE MARKS ACTING HEAD OF MEDIA SALES AND MEDIA SALES MANAGER, HOME CHRIS MEDIA SALES MANAGER NICOLE IVASCHENKO MEDIA PROMOTIONS PROJECT EXECUTIVE LARA KELLY

SWEET

MEDIA MARKETING MANAGER KATIE ARNAUD MEDIA MARKETING EXECUTIVE LAURA PARSONS DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE MEI WILSON MEDIA PLANNING & OPERATIONS MANAGER CASSANDRA ASHFORD MARKETING & MEDIA SALES MANAGER, BEAUTY VIRGINIE DUIGOU MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE, BEAUTY LOUISE FISH MARKETING EXECUTIVE, BEAUTY ABIGAIL SEKWALOR MEDIA SALES MANAGER, FASHION & FASHION ACCESSORIES SOPHIE READ MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES, FASHION STELLA BUBEL,

OLIVIA YOUNG & STEFFAN LAING

MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE, FASHION ACCESSORIES LAURA MONTIGIANI MEDIA SALES ASSISTANT, FASHION GABRIELLA INWANG MEDIA SALES MANAGER, FINE JEWELLERY, FINE WATCHES AND LUXURY JEWELLERY LUCINDA ANDREWS MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE, FINE JEWELLERY, FINE WATCHES AND LUXURY JEWELLERY HARSHEEL BAINS MEDIA SALES ASSISTANT, FINE JEWELLERY, FINE WATCHES AND LUXURY JEWELLERY ELISE HAWKINS MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE, FOOD HALLS, RESTAURANTS AND WINE SHOP NATHALIE NÖTZOLD MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES, HOME ADELE BROUSSE, HASHIM JAVAID

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES +44 (0)20 3626 7518/+44 (0)20 7225 5996/5706

VARIUS RUBRACER /////

REPRODUCTION ZEBRA PRINT PRODUCTION WYNDEHAM [ROCHE] LIMITED PAPER SUPPLIERS GOULD PUBLICATION PAPERS UK LTD

HARRODS, 87–135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL Tel. +44 (0)20 7730 1234 • www.harrods.com

Caran d’Ache, Maison de Haute Ecriture, introduces the latest addition to its Varius collection: Varius Rubracer. Intense. Dominant. Determined. The Varius Rubracer exploits the qualities of high-tech rubber with a spirit of sport and urban living that is unmistakably masculine.

The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is sourced from responsibly managed forests, according to strict environmental, social, and economic standards. The manufacturing mill has both FSC and PEFC certification, and also ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation.

Caran d’Ache. Swiss Made excellence since 1915

To discover more, download the digital edition of Harrods Magazine from the App Store or Google Play or visit magazine.harrods.com

The Great Writing Room, Second Floor

All information and prices are correct at time of going to press. We hope you enjoy reading Harrods Magazine. As we are committed to providing the highest level of customer service possible, we would love to hear your comments. Please email magazine@harrods.com

117,776 Period: 1st January 2014 to 30th June 2014

EDITOR’ S LE T TER

Main photo Barney Pickard; cover image Julian Broad

3LM[ ÄLSK 6ă [OL ILH[LU [YHJR ;OPZ TVU[O [OL MHZOPVU [LHT [YH]LSSLK [V T`Z[LYPV\Z 4VUNVSPH [V ZOVV[ [OL IVSK WH[[LYUZ [L_[\YLK ÅLLJLZ HUK [HWLZ[Y` WVUJOVZ PU [OL H\[\TU ^PU[LY JVSSLJ[PVUZ The result transports you to a ruggedly exotic land and makes the coming winter season feel even more exciting. Back home, we’re taking a walk on the wild side with rock-chic leather jackets and lean, mean jeans. The one accessory you need? Attitude. In our special watches section, we reflect on the trend for women wearing serious timepieces with muscular, masculine styling. Pair with a simple white shirt and you’re looking at instant sex appeal. Even the boys are acting tough in khakis with military details that flag up a taste for hard-core adventure. The air, however, becomes far more rarefied as we talk fragrance. And with good reason because this October sees the opening of Harrods’ Salon de Parfums. A sanctuary of scent. A space lined with boutiques that house the most exclusive and innovative fragrances. Rare and precious blends curated by experts – as well as bespoke and personalised creations – for all those who are passionate about perfume. Indeed, as Miss Heaven Scent decrees, while you can search for your very own signature, you don’t have to be a one-fragrance girl (or guy). Indulge in the scent of the new.

Editor

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

CONTENTS

100

NEW THIS MONTH

COVER

Photographer JULIAN BROAD; Grooming LIZ DAXAUER at Caren using Giorgio Armani cosmetics and skincare; Model ENEREL at Mongol Model Agency wearing Roberto Cavalli fur stole, price on request; and Michael Kors dress £4,025

31 TOP 20 Launches, special offers and events for October 35 ZEITGEIST What people are talking about this month 40 WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH... A way with martial arts helped launch Jaimie Alexander as an all-action heroine. Safe to say, she’s ready to reveal her softer side

FASHION 45 RICH PICKINGS This season’s daywear is defined by decoration, as designers embrace statementmaking embellishments and adornments 48 MAKING THEIR MARC Best friends and brilliantly talented designers Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier are bringing a new energy and a touch of British eccentricity to Marc by Marc Jacobs 52 TREND WATCH: SHEARLING From understated to out-there, shearling gilets and coats are tantalisingly tactile for AW14 54 WOMENSWEAR NEWS Russian romance from Fabergé; exclusive gowns from Oscar de la Renta; Victoria Beckham’s whimsical Resort 2015 bags; designer Raquel Allegra’s favourite things 56 SPORTS-LUXE City-smart tailoring takes a touch of inspiration from fluid gymwear. Bold colours and go-faster stripes are right on track 60 WOMENSWEAR NEWS Playful sweaters from Chinti and Parker; Proenza Schouler’s bespoke PS1 and PS11 bags; a limited-edition collection from Annoushka; an interview with Citizens of Humanity’s Catherine Ryu 63 A CUT ABOVE Rare and spectacular designs from the world’s most revered haute-joaillerie houses take centre stage at the Paris Biennale des Antiquaires 68 MENSWEAR NEWS Tweedy country classics from Holland & Holland; the IWC Aquatimer Automatic 2000; Wooyoungmi’s art-inspired AW14 collection; The Grooming Guru dines out on foodie fragrances 70 FEEL THE HEAT Outerwear gets an injection of ultra-luxe texture in the AW14 collections, courtesy of cosy shearling, sleek sable and snug fleece

October 2014

114 72 IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY... This season’s childrenswear is as on-trend as it is cute 75 SMALL PACKAGES Discovering the fun to be had on a miniature scale, the big names in fashion are putting serious time into playful childrenswear 76 CHILDRENSWEAR NEWS Sparkly knitwear from William Sharp; Charlotte Olympia’s new children’s shoe line, Incy; girls’ party dresses from Dior; a children’s jewellery collection from Carolina Bucci; D&G mini fashions 80 AFTER KUBLA KHAN Inspired by the romanticism of Coleridge’s epic poem, international designers have created a Mongolian-style mix of bold patterns with fleeces, furs and feathers 90 LONDON GIRLS Dangerously pointy stilettos, tough leather jackets and lean, mean jeans; the new way to wear separates is all in the attitude 100 ACTION MAN Military details, shades of khaki and a new upscaled proportion give outerwear a sense of adventure 111 NOW YOU SEE IT Decisions, decisions. Is it to be a beautiful bracelet or the perfect timepiece? Watch this space; you really can have it all 112 WATCHES NEWS The latest watches from Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cartier, Breguet and Van Cleef & Arpels are inspired by the heavens 114 ALL OF A FLUTTER Set your heart on a timepiece that makes light of watch design, with decoration as delicate as a butterfly’s wings 116 WATCHES NEWS Ladies’ bejewelled timepieces from Dior, Boodles, Montblanc and Maurice Lacroix 117 DIAMOND LIFE Traditional values meet contemporary style with these sleek diamond watches, set to last a lifetime 119 A PROMISE YOU CAN KEEP Ladies’ watches have been at the heart of Baume & Mercier from its earliest days to the latest Promesse collection 124 THE BORROWERS Masculine qualities have crossed the gender gap as women’s watches adopt bold, muscular styling 130 THE ULTIMATE DOUBLE AGENT Functionality is just one attribute of the latest watch from Backes & Strauss. The

150

157

321 others are green or white and gloriously sparkling

BEAUTY 146 HIGH FIVE Editor Jan Masters reveals her top five beauty treats for the month 148 FRAGRANCE NEWS Bespoke fragrances from master perfumer Roja Dove; Chanel Coco Noir absolute; Dior’s new J’adore bottle; Miss Heaven Scent 150 WEAR WITH CARE Wrap up skin with nourishing products and autumn colours; make-up expert Rebecca Chantrell reveals Shiseido’s latest looks 153 DARK STAR Mysterious and magical, Serge Lutens’ new masterpiece, L’incendiaire, is ready to set the fragrance world alight

FOOD, INTERIORS & LIFESTYLE 157 TASTE SENSATION There are hidden depths to the “humble” Italian olive, with connoisseurs increasingly spoilt by myriad flavours and textures 162 BUON APPETITO Indulge in the flavours of Italy, including olive oil 165 FOOD NEWS Wagyu beef returns to the Food Halls; Sandwich, a new restaurant by Tom Dixon; Sussex-based Chilgrove gin 167 DINING UNDER THE STARS Yearned to try Italy’s best restaurants but never found time on your travels? Fear not; they’re coming to London 171 INTERIORS NEWS The new convection steam oven from Sub-Zero & Wolf; DeLonghi’s Lattissima Pro; Lladró’s Frieze of Archers vase; Loewe’s new Ultra HD 4K Connect TV 173 LIFESTYLE NEWS The new Leica T camera; globes by David Linley; the Tokyo Palace Hotel; five inspirational new cookbooks 174 ISLAND LIFE It has held on to its charm and resisted brash development. Nevis is where the cognoscenti head for total relaxation 178 MY STYLE: MARGHERITA MACCAPANI MISSONI The zigzag maven gives us a lesson in how to wear print and discloses why the last thing she wants to be is trendy HAR RODS M AGAZINE

; 67

3H\UJOLZ ZWLJPHS VăLYZ HUK L]LU[Z MVY 6J[VILY 1. Blancpain Villeret watch

The latest addition to Blancpain’s classic Villeret range has a mother-of-pearl face and a sapphire crystal back. £11,100; exclusive to Harrods. The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

2. Alexander McQueen AW14

Sarah Burton’s new monochrome collection featured rivulets of zips down jackets and kilts. Coat £1,625. Men’s International Collections, Ground Floor

3. Bottega Veneta exclusive offer

From 15th October, buy a Bottega Veneta fragrance of 50ml or more and receive a luxury pouch. One gift per customer while stocks last. The Perfumery Hall, Ground Floor

4. Graff diamond necklace

After five decades in diamonds, Graff knows statement jewels. Cue bold sapphires in invisible platinum settings. Necklace, price on request. The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

5. Dennis Basso childrenswear

For princesses-in-waiting, Dennis Basso has designed party gowns in silk tulle with pearl beading and feather trims. Dress £3,700. Children’s Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

6. Valentino AW14

On the Valentino catwalk, the style was seriously laid back, with embroidered wool coats and loose cashmere suits paired with trainers. Coat £5,350. Men’s International Gallery, Lower Ground Floor

7. Giorgio Armani AW14

Geometric patterns in lime green featured in the latest Giorgio Armani collection. The shade never looked so elegant. Dress £14,750. International Designer, First Floor

8. Brunello Cucinelli AW14

Coats take centre stage in Brunello Cucinelli’s AW14 menswear collection, combining military-inspired looks with refined tailoring. £2,800. Men’s Tailoring, Ground Floor

9. Paul Smith AW14

Inspired by The Doors’ Jim Morrison, Paul Smith has created bohemian coats and sweatshirts with musical motifs. £325. Men’s International Gallery, Lower Ground Floor

10. Montblanc Meisterstück pen

Celebrating 90 years of the Meisterstück, the Skeleton fountain pen is plated in ruthenium and has an engraved red-gold nib. £6,400. The Great Writing Room, Second Floor HAR RODS M AGAZINE

; 67

11. Dolce & Gabbana schoolwear

Whiz kids can now be kitted out in Dolce & Gabbana’s tartan back-to-school line, influenced by Oxford colleges. From £115. Children’s Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

12. Acqua di Parma candle collection

An homage to Italian art, Tiglio, Mogano and Tonka scented candles come in Murano glass holders. £90 each; exclusive to Harrods. The Beauty Apothecary, Ground Floor

13. Chloé Drew bag

The raw edges, sassy hardware and turn-lock opening of Chloé’s Drew bag combine with practical mini pockets inside. £1,675. Luxury Accessories, Ground Floor

14. Louis Vuitton Petite Malle trunk

Nicolas Ghesquière’s Louis Vuitton debut will be remembered as the season he shrunk the trunk – enter the Petite Malle. £2,480. Luxury Accessories, Ground Floor

15. Boodles Maze Collection

The new addition to the Boodles Icon range, the Maze Collection has diamonds cleverly framed in geometric motifs on earrings, pendants and rings. Ring £3,250. The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

16. Givenchy AW14

In contrast to his street-savvy sweatshirts, Riccardo Tisci’s latest collection for Givenchy shows his romantic side, with ladylike silhouettes and luxurious furs. Coat £8,199. International Designer, First Floor

17. The Wine Rooms’ Bordeaux tasting Take an oenological tour of the Bordeaux region. Wine producers will discuss their châteaux, and there will be more than 25 wines to sample. £50 per person. 23rd October, 8pm. To book, call 020 7893 8777

18. Yves Salomon coat

With a fourth-generation Salomon at the helm, the Russian-cum-Parisian fur brand has introduced a reversible coat that mixes shearling and mink. £2,950. Luxury Collections, First Floor

19. Gucci Soho bag

Re-proportioned for mini fashionistas, Gucci’s Soho bag is available in pillar-box red and has a cross-body strap. £395. Junior Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

20. Estée Lauder Nutritious Rosy Prism The Nutritious Rosy Prism range uses pink peony extract to reduce yellow hues in skin tone and restore natural rosiness. Radiant Essence 30ml, £51; exclusive to Harrods. The Cosmetics Hall, Ground Floor

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

PEOPLE & PLACES in the air in October BY

˘ Serkan Eldeleklioglu

FASHION Ece Sirin ¸ of Bee Goddess “Symbols speak a universal language,” says Ece S¸irin, the Turkish-born, Belgium-educated founder of the fine jewellery brand Bee Goddess. A long-held interest in ancient mythology led S¸irin to leave behind a successful corporate marketing career (her clients included Microsoft and Coca-Cola) to launch her own spirituality-inspired jewellery label in 2008. Today S¸irin’s delicate, talismanic pieces, set with diamonds or studded with precious gemstones, are loved by the likes of Kate Moss, Kylie Minogue and Donna Karan. Her designs draw their aesthetic influence from ancient emblems and each is imbued with sacred meaning: a pared-down, 18kt gold ring pays homage to Tanit, the Phoenician goddess, and aims to channel her powers of love, passion, courage and productivity. “I can spend up to two years researching a single motif,” says S¸irin, who now splits her time between Istanbul and London. “Humanity passes its wisdom to future generations through symbols, so I follow their journey through different languages, cultures and mythological systems.” Available from Luxury Jewellery, Ground Floor HAR RODS M AGAZINE

ZEI T GEIST Here Lies Love, National Theatre

THEATRE Here Lies Love

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and Norman Cook – aka Fatboy Slim – bring Here Lies Love to London. Already acclaimed in its New York production, the tale is a historical drama set to an infectious disco beat. The “poperetta” traces the fate of Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines, whose ZOVLHOVSPJ L_[YH]HNHUJL THKL OLY H ÄN\YL of notoriety and scorn. 30th September to 8th January 2015 at the National Theatre

BOOK Finnish Design: A Concise History by Pekka Korvenmaa

Nowadays Finland is a byword for design, but it took a landmark exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1961 – Finlandia – to impress that fact upon Britain. So it’s appropriate that the V&A is publishing this history charting the rise of what was once a backwater of Scandinavia. Leading art historian Pekka Korvenmaa looks at the nation’s design evolution from the 19th century to the present – from Alvar Aalto, who forged what became known as Scandinavian Modern, to the textiles of Marimekko – and considers how the legacy of these designers has influenced the nation’s industry and image. £30. Available from The Harrods Bookshop, Second Floor

MUSIC Hugh Masekela Hugh Masekela and his trumpet first caught the attention of the jazz world more than half a century ago, and it wasn’t long before the young man from South Africa had crossed the Atlantic to play with Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and a host of other legends. Now, aged 75, there’s no sign of his powers or brilliance waning, and his one night at the Barbican is a must for music lovers. Expect a richly entertaining evening, drawing upon his wide jazz repertoire and pop past, in which he’s worked with Paul Simon and The Byrds. 27th October at the Barbican Hugh Masekela

Postscript II by Tris Vonna-Mitchell

EXHIBITION Turner Prize It’s an annual ritual: the Turner Prize shortlist is announced and the usual suspects throw up their hands and ask, “But is it art?!” Meanwhile, the more open-minded simply take it all in and enjoy the suspense before the winner is announced in December. This year’s shortlist features diverse talent. Ciara Phillips reconstructs office spaces to make us look anew at the working environment. James Richards spotlights the foibles of pleasure with photographs of censored books. Duncan Campbell is a playful filmmaker whose work provokes and beguiles. And wall projections and installations by Tris Vonna-Michell will have viewers hunting for answers to his teasing puzzles. From 30th September at Tate Britain

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

ZEI T GEIST

FILM Gone Girl One of those truly unputdownable thrillers that everyone was talking about as it topped the bestseller lists, Gone Girl has now been made into a film created by the cream of Hollywood talent. Behind the camera is director David Fincher – maker of Fight Club and The Social Network – while Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike take the starring roles. Nick Dunne’s wife Amy has vanished after signs of a struggle; is she a murder victim? And could her husband be the killer? Gillian Flynn adapts her own compelling novel, and the makers promise new twists to surprise even those who’ve read the book. Opens on 3rd October in the UK

Timothy Spall stars in Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner

Ben Affleck in Gone Girl

FILM Mr Turner It may not be what you’d expect from the director who gave us the torrid realism of Secrets & Lies and the unsparing social satire of Life Is Sweet. But Mike Leigh’s latest film, portraying the great landscape painter JMW Turner, has been welcomed by critics as an enthralling depiction of the man behind the work. A towering performance by Timothy Spall makes the actor an early favourite for awards on both sides of the Atlantic, as he embodies the curiously rough-and-ready personality who was responsible for the delicate brushwork that captured raw nature. Full of humour and humanity, the film is a rich portrait of the artist at work. Opens on 31st October in the UK

Hugh Masekela Brett Rubin; Frederick Ashton Getty Images; La Belle Iseult by William Morris, 1858 © Tate 2014

EXHIBITION Anarchy & Beauty: William Morris and his Legacy, 1860-1960 He emerged from the Pre-Raphaelites to become the force behind the Arts and Crafts movement, and inspires interior designers to this day. Now, William Morris and his work are documented in an exhibition that also features those who shaped his vision and the artists who followed in his wake. The result is a range of artworks and products that show the best of British design over more than a century. Lovers of beauty will delight at the furniture, jewellery and decor on display. From 16th October 2014 to 11th January 2015 at the National Portrait Gallery

La Belle Iseult by William Morris, 1858

DANCE Frederick Ashton

His name conjures up elegance and innovation; now the works of Frederick Ashton – founding choreographer of The Royal Ballet – are celebrated by the company. ;OL MHI\SV\Z Ä]L WPLJL WYVNYHTTL PUJS\KLZ A Month in the Country, an adaptation of Ivan Turgenev’s comedy of manners, with a score by Frédéric Chopin. Scènes de ballet pays homage to Igor Stravinsky. From 18th October to 12th November at the Royal Opera House

Frederick Ashton (right) with composer Benjamin Britten in 1947 HAR RODS M AGAZINE

SEC TION

High-school wrestling and a way with martial arts helped launch Jaimie Alexander as an all-action heroine. Safe to say, she’s ready to reveal her softer side BY LOUISE GANNON DEPUTY F

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Credits TK Images

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH…

I N T E RV I E W

ometimes you come across an actress whose own story eclipses any role she’s ever played on screen. So it is with Jaimie Alexander. We know her as the superhero Sif in Thor and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as Lucy in Savannah and soon as the impossible snob, Hope, in the film adaptation of Martin Amis’ darkly satirical novel London Fields. We know her for that glamorous Azzaro red-carpet dress that showcased her super-fit figure – all Modigliani long limbs and sleek curves – and for her classic Elizabeth Taylor looks. And for that much-copied tomboy crop. What we don’t know is Alexander herself. But spend one languid Los Angeles afternoon in her company and you feel you have known her a lifetime. “I don’t think I ever thought my life would be like this,” she says as she curls up on a leather sofa to chat. “I mean, I always felt something would happen to me, but I never expected to be as happy as I am now.” For all her beautiful-tough-girl image, Alexander is pure warmth from the moment she arrives laden with chocolate cake, balloons and macaroons for her assistant, Cassie, whose birthday it is. In between posing in a succession of gowns, she changes into cut-off shorts and a T-shirt, and sits cross-legged on the floor to eat lunch and swap stories. Her must-have crop, it transpires, was the result of a hair malfunction. “I had my hair bleached with peroxide for a part, and it basically melted,” she says. “The only solution was to cut it all off. I was in meltdown because I’d always had long hair. I think of myself as this long, lean, flat-chested thing, and I hid behind my hair. I thought it was the most feminine thing about me. And then, bang, everyone loved the new cut. My boyfriend loved it because he said he could see my face. I loved the fact that it was different, because I’m different. I always have been. But it also made me feel like I’d found my style.” Alexander grew up in Texas with two brothers. Her father left them when she was just a few years old. “It was tough for my mother. She worked as many jobs as she could to provide for us,” she says. “But it wasn’t easy. I grew up never knowing what it was like to have money. We had holes in our shoes, there wasn’t always money for things like winter coats, but actually it didn’t bother me. No-one I knew had money. I shared a room with my brothers, wore their old clothes, jeans, T-shirts and sneakers. In a way it set my style – long, clean, dark lines. It’s probably the reason why I love Helmut Newton – that line between masculine and feminine.” Her mother remarried, but her new stepfather turned out to be violent and abusive to his new family. “It wasn’t a great atmosphere for a kid to grow up in,” she says. “It made me incredibly distrustful of myself and incredibly protective of my mother and brothers. But there was always a voice in my head that said, It doesn’t have to be this way. I knew it was up to me to change my life.” At school she took drama classes, until her teacher told her she was wasting her time because she couldn’t sing. “I believed her,” Alexander says. “I thought that was it with acting for me.” Consequently, she looked to make her mark elsewhere. “I pushed myself into sports, and I

“I set up a girls’ wrestling team even though the school coach was dead against it… I won match after match”

THIS PAGE Alexandre Vauthier gown £1,625; OPPOSITE PAGE Ports 1961 gown £2,150

could feel myself getting stronger,” she says. “I liked how it gave me goals. My school had a lot of problems with drugs, badly behaved kids, unhappy families. I saw sports as a way of dealing with it. When I was 15, I set up a girls’ wrestling team even though the school coach was dead against it. Our team turned out to be pretty incredible. It was a channel for all this aggression; it was a discipline. It kept us out of trouble. And we won medals. I was good; I won match after match.” Did she get hurt? “One cauliflower ear and a punched-out eye,” she laughs. “Nothing that lasted, thank God. But the fights made me feel like I couldn’t be hurt. I felt strong and in control. I was already 5ft 9ins, taller than my stepfather – and fearless.” Emotions shift across Alexander’s face as she talks – particularly as she recalls telling her mother to leave her stepfather (which she did, and finally remarried someone Alexander calls “a good man”) when she was 16 years old. The following year, her best friend dropped out of a modelling contest and asked Alexander to take her place. “I had no idea what I was doing,” she says. “I walked a catwalk and then we had to do a little speech. I started joking with a lady in the audience, and everyone was laughing.” She got noticed by a manager, who persuaded her to come to Los Angeles. “He told me I’d be great on screen. I didn’t exactly believe him, but I wanted to try. I wanted to prove myself; it was another challenge.” She took her mother’s old car. The radiator blew; she X HAR RODS M AGAZINE

I N T E RV I E W

“I was put up for these ditzy girlfriend or best-friend roles. People would look at me and start talking about wanting a new Cameron Diaz. That just wasn’t me” fixed it. “I can change oil, swap tyres, the whole works,” she says. And she drove to LA. The happy ending didn’t happen right away. For three and a half years, she slept on the floor of a shared flat and worked four jobs as castings came and went. “I took on waitressing jobs so I could get food,” Alexander says. “I worked at Abercrombie & Fitch and got discounted clothes, and I worked at a gym so I could train. Apart from that, I went to as many castings as I could. I was completely focused, and even though I was hitting wall after wall, I wasn’t going to give up.” Now, looking back, she says she sees why she didn’t fit. “I was put up for these ditzy girlfriend or best-friend roles. People would look at me and start talking about wanting a new Cameron Diaz. That just wasn’t me.” Ask her to describe herself back then and she shakes her head. “A punk. I was so defensive. I liked working in bars and restaurants, but I felt uncomfortable in the agents’ offices and castings, and it showed.” In Abercrombie & Fitch she was spotted by fashion photographer Bruce Weber. “What he wanted was a girl who looked strong and could do martial arts,” Alexander says. “Bruce saw beauty in my strength, and it clicked something inside me. I realised I should push myself as an action actress, like Angelina Jolie. And then things just took off.” In 2011, Kenneth Branagh cast her as the warring

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Alexandre Vauthier gown £1,850

goddess Sif. “It was the biggest deal in the world to me, but I didn’t know how to handle myself,” she says. “I had a screaming fit at Ken when a scene went wrong. I got angry and upset, because I knew I was in the wrong. He was so gracious and kind to me, he absolutely got me. He also taught me so many lessons in expressing myself properly and just trusting.” She pauses. “Can you believe I had no clue who Branagh was? I once confessed to him I’d never been to the theatre. I thought he’d be horrified, but he just said, ‘Darling, you’re lucky. You’ve no idea how many tedious evenings you’ve saved yourself.’” But the real game changer for Alexander was falling in love. The year she filmed Thor, she met actor/producer Peter Facinelli (Twilight, Nurse Jackie) when he cast her in his movie Loosies. “I thought he was a great guy. I thought he was safe because he was married [to Beverly Hills, 90210 actress Jennie Garth] and I was dating someone else,” she says. “Plus, he was 10 years older than me, so I could be myself with him. I came away thinking he was a good man.” Eighteen months later they met again, at a sci-fi convention in Australia. “I was really ill,” she says. “I’d flown in from Africa, and I got sick as soon as I landed. Peter was amazing. He looked after me, took me to the zoo. He was incredibly kind.” Back in LA, they continued to see each other. He was going through a divorce, and her relationship had also ended. “We’d go out on dates, split a blue-cheese burger and go to a comedy show,” Alexander says. “I met his sisters. I wasn’t too sure what was going on. I thought he was too good to be true. He has three daughters, and loves his kids. I was always thinking, There has to be a catch. Most guys I’d dated before were either trouble or ones I could walk away from. We spent a year where I had one foot out of the relationship, and he just patiently, consistently, lovingly hung on in there.” Her olive-green eyes fill up. A few months ago she moved in with Facinelli, and it’s only now she admits her feelings out loud. “I’m totally in love with that man,” she says. “Everything in my life has gone from dark to light.” When, later on, she talks about what makes her happy, it centres around hanging out with his girls (Luca Bella, 17, Lola Ray, 12 and Fiona Eve, seven) cooking dinners, and cuddling up to watch TV. “The girls have become part of my life, and I get to see a man who really loves his children. I’d never known that before. I get to be part of that.” Through falling in love, Alexander has learned to love herself. She has also relaxed into her femininity. “The fact that I’m different is what makes me special,” she says. “Women are different; we shouldn’t try to look the same. I love Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence and Shailene Woodley, who have their own style, their own body shape. My definition of beauty is strength, individuality and confidence. Beauty definitely comes from within, because it’s only recently I’ve started to feel beautiful. It’s taken me time to get here.” HMN Louise Gannon writes for Elle, Grazia and The Mail on Sunday’s Event magazine

SEC TION

Temperley London gown £1,899 Hair MICHAEL SPARKS for Grid Agency using Bumble and Bumble Make-up JEFFREY PAUL at Exclusive Artists using YSL Nails TRACEY SUTTER at Cloutier Remix Photographer’s Assistants KEVIN MCHUGH and PAUL RAE

Credits TK Images

Available from Eveningwear, First Floor; and harrods.com

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

THE LATEST LOOKS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CATWALKS

ich PICKINGS This season’s daywear is deﬁned by decorative motifs as designers embrace statement-making embellishments and adornments BY

Carven coat £1,290 HAR RODS M AGAZINE

Fendi bag £2,770

tthe artistry – it has the same enticing sense of ease. Stella McCartney’s AW14 collection is a masterclass in how well-placed appliqués can add drama to daywear. Multicoloured mountaineering cords curl across shirts, and silver zippers swirl in playful patterns on tailored blouses and trapeze bags. The oversized double-breasted blazers that have become a staple in her oeuvre featured slinky chains snaking down their fronts, and her skinny denims were dotted with delicate crystals. Print maestro Matthew Williamson showed punchy surface detailing that was a departure from his usual style. His adornments were baroque rather than boho, and his execution uncharacteristically pared down. Perhaps this is due to the influence of then head of design Danielle Scutt. Accessory designers also made a convincing case for decorative daytime designs: consider Christopher Bailey’s capacious, hand-painted Bloomsbury bags at Burberry Prorsum or Fendi’s By The Way satchel with its pyramids of precious stones. Conventional wisdom would have you employ these pieces with caution, but the beauty of the new breed of embellishment is in the refreshing absence of rules. Just don’t save them for after dark; this is daywear’s chance to shine. HMN Available from Luxury Accessories, Ground Floor; International Designer, First Floor; and harrods.com

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Carven dress £290

C ven

ec Victo , Victo

Christopher Kane dress £1,550

Each x Other coat £725

Stella McCartney shirt £899

Models backstage Jason Lloyd Evans; sequin background iStock

Stella McCartney jacket £2,025

Victoria, Victoria Beckham dress £1,225

cC tney

Stella McCartney coat £1,099

Matthew Williamson dress £999

Stell

cC tney

Burberry Prorsum bag £23,000

Ch sto he

s game-changers go, a grey sweatshirt seems not just unlikely but downright improbable. Yet when the ultra-adorned statement sweatshirt exploded onto the scene a few seasons ago, it set an interesting precedent, illustrating that even the most humble piece can be elevated to new heights by an abundance of embroidery or a panoply of precious gems. In the AW14 collections, the throw-it-on maximalism of past seasons has matured into a more sophisticated mood; embellishments glisten carefully rather than grab attention, and this time daywear has taken the decorative hit. In Paris, Carven’s Guillaume Henry sent out fit-andflare dresses that could have looked conservative were they not flecked with sparkling embroidery, and Forties-style peacoats that might have appeared sombre were it not for Swarovski-crystal-studded arrows. Some of this season’s silhouettes border on austere, yet embellishment means the designs are far from buttoned-up. At Victoria, Victoria Beckham, exuberantly embroidered bees lend levity to a black A-line shift, and feathers give an appealing frivolity to a cashmere coat produced by the artist collective Each x Other. Christopher Kane has always embraced contrast in his collections and for AW14 he sent out a stark, almost monastic, dress enlivened with constellations of minuscule silver crystals. Like last season’s luxe sportswear, AW14’s embellished daywear has impressive potential and – despite many designs being executed with a demi-couture level of

illi son

FA S H I O N

FA SHION I N T E RV IE W

MAKING THEIR MARC

Best friends and brilliantly talented designers Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier are bringing a new energy and a touch of British eccentricity to Marc by Marc Jacobs By

For two of British fashion’s most influential and buzzed-about figures, Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier are remarkably… unfashiony. For a start, there’s no lingering publicist for our interview. It’s just the two of them (beachy-blonde unbrushed hair, ripped boyfriend jeans) sitting on a picnic bench outside their converted classroom studio in East London’s Rochelle School. The origins of the designers’ most recent collaboration (shared directorships at Marc by Marc Jacobs) seem equally incongruous. “I think we were in the pub when Katie asked if I’d come on board as womenswear design director,” Bartley says. “No, it was in the car on the way to that Pudsey Bear charity event,” interjects Hillier, who has the role of creative director. “It was brilliant. Katie was completely freaking out, saying, ‘I’ve got to say yes, so that means you’ve got to say yes right now!’” Bartley cackles. The designers’ finish-each-other’s-sentences synergy dates back to the 1990s, when their mutual friend, stylist Katie Grand, convinced them they’d get on. They met in a pub, forged an immediate bond, and began working together at Luella, Bartley’s start-up fashion label, the following Monday. “Back then, it was all based on whether you’d have fun working together,” Bartley says. “It sounds really unprofessional, but if you’re having a good time, then your end product tends to reflect that. It was good we got on, as it was pretty much just us and a pattern cutter. We did everything together.” Fun and friendship have always played a pivotal part in Bartley’s career. Even the idea for her design label was dreamed up with her flatmate Grand after one too many drinks. A former fashion editor for British Vogue, Bartley called her first collection Daddy I Want a Pony; it was shown in Pulp bassist Steve Mackey’s front room in September 1999. Her idiosyncratic and spirited brand of X

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Marc by Marc Jacobs top ÂŁ280 and skirt ÂŁ280

FA SHION I N T E RV IE W

off-kilter equestrian cool, British-aristocracy references and rebellious styling was an instant hit, the clever balance of pretty and punk, subversive and sweet, wit and whimsy a breath of fresh air. By 2008, Bartley was on a career high: her company’s turnover was approaching £9m, the British Fashion Council had just named her Designer of the Year and her collections were consistently receiving rave reviews. But the country was on the brink of recession, and when a backer abruptly withdrew its funding, the company was forced into bankruptcy. “Closing the brand was frustrating because, creatively, I felt like we were on a roll,” Bartley says. “But by the end of it, I just needed a break.” She took a four-year sabbatical from design, decamping to Cornwall to spend time with her family (Bartley has three children with her fashionphotographer husband, David Sims). Meanwhile, Hillier – whose partner is Savile Row star Patrick Grant – had carved out an impressive design career, creating accessories for the likes of Loewe, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham, and starting a finejewellery line, which she still oversees. A consultant for Marc by Marc Jacobs since its early days, she was offered the position of creative director when the designer stepped back from the brand to prepare for its upcoming IPO. “My first thought was, I can do this, but only with Luella,” Hillier says. In a stroke of serendipity, her former colleague was already planning a return to fashion, the siren call of design proving too strong to resist. “Taking time out was wonderful, but I had got to the point where I thought, hang on, I’m a creative person – I need to work,” Bartley says. “I had all this fuel and energy.” When the reunion was announced, the reaction from the industry bordered on ecstatic (“the wait is over,” tweeted British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Shulman; “dream team,” declared model Laura Bailey). “I was delighted when I heard,” says fashion designer Giles Deacon. “They’re the perfect choice to bring that girl-gang feeling back to the brand.” “Of course all the support was lovely,” Bartley says. “But you can’t focus on it, because then you think, Where do we even start? I didn’t feel scared, though. Katie’s so solid in the business that I knew it would be great.” Still, the stakes were high. According to Robert Duffy – Jacobs’ long-term business partner and president of the brand – the secondary line accounts for over 70 per cent of the revenues of the entire company; it’s a significant sum, considering the LVMH-backed business generated an estimated $679m in the last year alone. “It is a very big deal,” Hillier concedes. “I think back to when I was studying fashion at university; never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined being offered an opportunity like this.” Despite being crucial to his business’ bottom line, Jacobs gave the designers a surprising amount of creative freedom. “If there was a brief, it was just to make people pay attention and get excited about the brand again – to bring the energy back,” Hillier says. “Marc and Robert were incredibly encouraging and really believed in us. They just let us get on with it. And there’s a huge team of creative people who are absolutely brilliant. We worked right up until the last second this season, but they really stepped up and just made it happen.” After collaborating for over a decade, the designers have a finely honed dynamic: Bartley frenetically

“If there was a brief, it was just to make people pay attention and get excited about the brand again – to bring the energy back”

ABOVE, FROM LEFT

Marc by Marc Jacobs top, trousers and bag from a selection; top £280 and skirt £370

conjures ideas, and Hillier – who sees her forte as creative management – connects the dots. “I love my complete chaos of ideas, but they do all need making into something,” Bartley says. “When I’m feeling totally overwhelmed, Katie will be like, ‘Hang on – let’s go to your house.’ We sit around the kitchen table, drink tea, and bash all the ideas into shape.” For their debut collection, they had such a surplus of concepts – “four years’ worth,” quips Bartley – that their only issue was cutting them down. In the end, their AW14 collection embraced a mishmash of countercultures, referencing everything from motocross to cyberpunk, with riffs on skateboarding, samurai-style obi belts and manga. There was a subtle nod to the label’s creator in the layered plaid and grungy styling, while English skatewear guru Fergus Purcell was commissioned to create edgy BMX-sticker slogans to be emblazoned on padded sweaters, patched onto jeans and striped down tailored grey skirts. “Luella and Katie had a list of words that I worked from… girl power, riot grrrl, empowerment, positivity and action,” Purcell says. “It was powerful and inspiring – like a manifesto.” The Marc by Marc Jacobs girl was reimagined too. In Bartley and Hillier’s hands, she’s a rebellious tomboy with slicked-down pigtails, smudgy black eyeliner and stomping motorcycle boots. The effect – shown on the New York fashion week catwalks last February – X HAR RODS M AGAZINE

FA S H I O N I N T E R V I E W

Trend watch: SHEARLING From understated to out-there, shearling gilets and coats are tantalisingly tactile for AW14 By LA

Bartley (left) and Hillier on the catwalk after the AW14 show in New York last February

was dynamic, irreverent, attitude-packed and, above all, fiercely original – an adrenaline shot for a diffusion brand that had, at times, been accused of diffusing too much. Style.com’s Tim Blanks called the collection sensational, and Jacobs himself (who was sitting in the front row with Sofia Coppola) was first on his feet to lead the standing ovation. “You did great – really, really great,” Jacobs later told them backstage. “Be happy.” Crucially, their designs are being received as well commercially as they are critically, which is partly due to their egalitarian price points, but also down to their wide-reaching appeal. The pieces are designed to resonate equally with the twentysomething party girls the pair were when they first met as with the successful, early-forties career women they are today. “There’s something for every age and attitude,” Hillier says. “We just want everybody to be able to buy into it, to be part of it and to love it.” Since their appointments, the pair have adopted transatlantic lifestyles, splitting their time between the label’s London and New York offices, and have adjusted to the slickness and scale of the international operation. “In the beginning [at Luella], all we were trying to do was create nice things,” Bartley says. “These days we have to have a little bit more of a strategy.” Yet both insist that the company is far from a commerce-focused corporate behemoth. “It’s very free and open, and there’s a willingness to take risks and try things that other big brands just wouldn’t, which makes us excited for the future,” Hillier says. “I’m actually really loving being part of a big company,” Bartley says. “You don’t have to carry it all on your own. And it’s so much more fun doing it together. I mean, if your day job is designing with your best friend – well, what could be better?” HMN Available from Designer Accessories, Lower Ground Floor; Designer Studio, First Floor; and harrods.com

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

TON

When Australian dog breeder Wally Conron set about inventing the Labradoodle in the late 1980s, he was inspired by the simple thought of combining the lowshedding coat of the Poodle with the gentleness and trainability of the Labrador. Unwittingly, Conron and his invention heralded a new velutinous age, a world of cavoodles, groodles, schnoodles and cockapoos. I take this trip down dog-breeding memory lane with you today not because autumn requires a canine accessory, but because you’ll find that wearing this season’s shearling coat has much in common with walking a Labradoodle or one of its oodly brethren. You’ll find that as you parade about town in your black shearling Isabel Marant gilet, you’ll meet with the same effervescent response: wideeyed cooing, bursts of adoration, and the hands of strangers ruffling through your woolly coat. The trick is never to let such admiration grow unruly. Sure, walking into a party in your fulllength white and black Miu Miu coat has the same effect as carrying a fuzzy young pup. But discipline starts early with outerwear. Allow three or four minutes of fussing upon arrival, and thereafter carry yourself more as Labrador than Poodle: less corkscrewed loopiness, more well-trained gentility. There are some exceptions, of course. Belstaff’s handsome shearling parka, for instance, demands a glint of something mischievous beneath its sombre-hued exterior: a raised brow, a kittenish smile – just enough to suggest the wearer might be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Meanwhile, worn the wrong way, Prada’s black and red shearling jacket could have onlookers mistaking you for some kind of Art Deco market trader. Wear this coat with poise, grace and a swanlike demeanour, and on no account when selling carrots or oranges (five for £1!) around Covent Garden. Lastly, Gucci’s pink shearling coat is so thoroughly, gloriously preposterous that one should only wear it in the knowledge that, in doing so, one is performing a public service. As you float through the park, be aware that you will be regarded not as a woman bundled up in her warmest jacket but as the first hopeful glimpse of spring: a soft plume of cherry blossom, joyous against the wintry sky. Available from International Designer, First Floor. To watch a video of this feature, download the Harrods Magazine app Laura Barton is a feature writer for The Guardian. She also writes for Q, The Word, Vogue and Red

FROM TOP Isabel Marant gilet £1,750; Miu Miu coat price on request; Belstaff coat £2,925; Prada coat price on request; Gucci coat £4,070

NEWS

SSIAN romance

While there’s an undeniable delight to be found in gems that sparkle for sparkle’s sake, there’s something even more alluring about jewellery that comes with a story. For those with a weakness for narrative-imbued jewels, Fabergé is the obvious choice. The legendary Russian house’s latest offering, the Rococo Collection, draws inspiration from one of the original Fabergé Easter eggs, the Rocaille Egg, that was commissioned in 1902 by Alexander Kelkh for his wife, Varvara. For 2014, the egg’s intricate swirls are also reimagined as gold arabesques set with multicoloured stones and pavé diamonds, and twisted to form earrings, cuffs and pendants. Interspersed with larger stones, these curlicues also include dramatic emeralds. Fabergé Rococo egg pendant, price on request. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

Oscar winning To enter Oscar de la Renta’s world is to step into a universe of exuberant femininity, uptown polish, Latin-inflected romance and, of course, fairy-tale gowns. De la Renta is now in his seventh decade of designing, and his unabashed embrace of old-school glamour feels as fresh as it does seductive. This season, he introduces a capsule collection of gowns based on signature designs from his illustrious archive. The shamelessly over-the-top pieces each took between 400 and 900 hours to create – a testament to the couture know-how of a man who cut his design teeth under Cristóbal Balenciaga. The silver and gold threadwork, with caviar and pearl beads, is proof that Vogue’s 1975 description of de la Renta as the “King of Evening” is still apt. Left Gown £11,900. Exclusive gowns from £4,699. Available from International Designer, First Floor

QUEEN Victoria

Thanks to her super-chic designs, Victoria Beckham has transformed the fashion pack into card-carrying members of the VB fan club. Now, with her confidence growing as a designer, Beckham’s pared-back aesthetic is loosening a little, with whimsical touches here and there. It’s a change reflected in her bags, too. For the Resort 2015 accessories collection, Beckham has put a fresh spin on some of her signature styles. The Zip Pouch is turned inside out to show off the interior detailing; and the boxy, structured Quincy tote features an abstract wave design, with a pop of orange enlivening the matt buffalo leather. Victoria Beckham Quincy tote £1,195. Available from Luxury Accessories, Lower Ground Floor

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

RAQUEL ALLEGRA

y f vou te things

Californian native Raquel Allegra launched her first collection in 2008. Today her one-of-a-kind cotton T-shirts, which are upcycled using her signature shredding technique, tie-dying and fringing, are loved by the likes of Kate Moss and Mary-Kate Olsen. She talks to Harrods Magazine about the ikat trousers that kicked off her love of second-hand clothing. “My mother was very careful with money when I was a little girl, so I grew up wearing a lot of second-hand clothes. But the piece that really sticks in my mind is a pair of trousers that my dad brought back for me from a business trip to Japan. They were traditional Japanese peasant-type trousers, wide-fit in an amazing indigo-dyed cotton ikat. I was in seventh grade, at that age where kids want to fit in, but I loved the fact that nobody had anything similar. I wore them every day and they became kind of a uniform: the girl in the ikat trousers. “I think that was my first experience of having something that felt unique. I’d just moved to a new school in a new city and it made me realise that there’s something exciting about being different. I wore them so much that eventually they became so fragile they just ripped apart. We buy so few clothes today that we actually wear FROM TOP Raquel Allegra dress £725; top out, don’t we? £320 and trousers £245. “I want to create from Studio, clothes that people can Available First Floor just wear and wear. In the beginning I was taking apart T-shirts I’d found in charity shops and vintage stores and putting them back in ways that I preferred, but when it really started taking off I realised I needed a better source. I came across the LA-based recycling plant that I still use; their T-shirts are made from the softest cotton imaginable and, because we work on them by hand, each one is made with love and is a one-off. It’s kind of beautiful that we can give these pieces a new lease of life.” – By Lindsay Macpherson

FA SHION

The SOCIABLE SWEATER

Miu Miu jacket £815

BCBG Max Azria leggings £155

There’s nothing shy and retiring about these light-hearted, graphic tops

Tibi sweater £315 Bella Freud £275

AQ/AQ skirt £175 Sandro £170

Balenciaga shoes £475

SPORTS luxe

Jay Ahr dress £1,250

City-smart tailoring takes inspiration from ﬂuid gymwear, while bold colours and go-faster stripes are right on track

Être Cécile £110

Antonio Berardi dress £1,325 Zoë Jordan skirt £280

Karl Lagerfeld skirt £235 Proenza Schouler bag £975

Available from Luxury Accessories Pop-Up Area, Lower Ground Floor; International Designer, First Floor; Fashion Lab, Fourth Floor; Harrods Shoe Heaven, Fifth Floor; and harrods.com

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Stylist Olivia Halsall

Gianvito Rossi shoes £655

Maje coat £485

Antonio e

Stella McCartney dress £2,725

PROMO T ION

Full pelt Fine craftsmanship and superlative furs take centre stage in Dennis Bassoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour de force AW14 collection With more than three decades of experience in the industry, Dennis Basso knows a thing or two about creating exquisite furs: his are hand-crafted in New York City by skilled artisans using time-honoured techniques. But despite his age-old production methods, Basso has built his reputation on bringing a new perspective to the most precious of materials. His AW14 collection is a prime example. The designer drew on his love of contemporary American art, contrasting boldly coloured furs with sleek exotic skins, and combining timeless silhouettes with avant-garde textures and opulent embellishments. A Bordeaux-coloured sable coat is elevated by the addition of alligator patchwork pockets, while a broadtail, baby-doll jacket is dyed sapphire blue, then trimmed with chinchilla. Many of the furs in Bassoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection are exclusive or rare. A standout is a coat in sable sourced from the Barguzin Valley in Siberia, a fur so fine that it was once reserved for Russian royalty. Available from Eveningwear and International Designer, First Floor

TOP, FROM LEFT Dennis Basso emerald broadtail with fox trim jacket, and Bordeaux sable coat; ABOVE, FROM LEFT Sapphire broadtail with chinchilla trim jacket, brown sable coat with alligator, and brown Barguzin sable coat; all prices on request

NEWS

An inte vie

Knits EMIXED

CATHERINE RYU

Patterned knits – dare we even call them “novelty” any more? – have had something of a revival in recent years, going from much-maligned fashion faux pas to quirky seasonal staples. Doing their bit for the festive-knit revival are cousins Anna Singh and Rachael Wood of Chinti and Parker, the British label with a reputation for ethically sourced wardrobe basics. Their exclusive new collection features intarsiaknit sweaters with snowflake, heart and Fair-Isle motifs, alongside luxe leggings. In ultra-soft Italian cashmere with a hint of sparkle, the collection delivers cuteness and cosy credentials in equal measure. From left Chinti and Parker sweaters £360 each. Available from Fashion Lab, Fourth Floor

by Maria Milano A self-confessed jeans addict, the Women’s Creative Director of Citizens of Humanity tells Harrods Magazine about the endless possibilities of designing with denim and how London is the source of inspiration this autumn.

Made to order When Proenza Schouler design duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez launched their pared-back PS1 bag in 2008, they declared it an anti It-bag? How ironic. After all, whatever “It” is, the PS1’s got it in abundance. Swiftly adopted by the house’s hip following – girls who are too cool to ever describe themselves that way – it remains a favourite. Now the pair have elevated the PS1 and equally adored PS11 to a new level with the launch of a bespoke service: five versions made by Florentine artisans, in 10 shades of matt and shiny crocodile, with the owner’s initials engraved on a plaque. Proenza Schouler bag from £12,000. Available from Luxury Accessories Pop-Up Area, Lower Ground Floor

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Duc e

Sure there’s a time and place for understated jewellery, when only neat little studs and delicate chains will do, but sometimes all you really want are show-stopping, scene-stealing pieces. Luckily, for those in a more theatrical mood, designer Annoushka Ducas has launched Annoushka/24, an exuberant and unusual collection where each style comes in a limited edition of 24 individually numbered pieces. Take the Dream Catcher earrings, which feature ebony panels as a backdrop to intricate scenes of birds perching on flowering branches. Created from 18kt yellow gold, and set with brown and cognac diamonds, they’re just the kind of dramatic pieces that jewellery dreams are made of. Annoushka earrings £12,500. Available from Luxury Jewellery, Ground Floor

Sweet dreams are made of this

ith

“I own 125 pairs of jeans. Approximately 75 pairs of them are vintage Levi’s, Lees, Wranglers and other denims from the ’40s to the ’80s. I love finding vintage denim at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in LA, Portobello Market in London, and vintage stores across the world. When I wear new denim it’s always Citizens of Humanity, of course. Rihanna always looks amazing in our jeans and she wears them a lot, but what’s interesting to me is how each person styles our denim into their look, whether that be a celebrity or not. Our brand is constantly evolving, and technology and innovation is an exciting part of that. In denim there are few milestones that have really changed the industry in the last 35 years: first came stonewash, then stretch fabrics. More recently we’ve seen the addition of 3-D machines that create FROM TOP Citizens of whisker patterns, Humanity jeans from £285; environmentally jacket £460 and jeans £265. Available from Fashion friendly ozone Lab, Fourth Floor washing and lasers used to create abrasions and worn areas. The Chelsea girl is one of our key inspirations for AW14. It came from a trip to London I took with founder Jerome Dahan. This concept is all about ’90s punk, the East End and Brick Lane. There’s a lot of black and grey denim with strong vintage washes and distressing to give a natural worn-in feel. Designing denim is totally different to designing other garments. Denim is a medium that transforms with each wash. The more time you spend with the material, the more you realise how many design options are available. We have some fabrics in the collection that we’ve used for eight years, but there’s still something new to discover.”

JEW ELLERY

A CUT ABOVE

Rare and spectacular designs from the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most revered haute-joaillerie houses take centre stage at the Paris Biennale des Antiquaires BY

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

JEW ELLERY

“No other exhibition managed quite so successfully to pull off the scale or integrity of the Biennale”

3 4

BOUCHERON The Rêves d’Ailleurs collection retells Boucheron’s history from the viewpoint of the family’s exotic travels to Persia, India, China, Japan and Russia. Inspired by the soul of India, the Fleur des Indes necklace centres on an imposing 188.79ct 17th-century Moghul emerald of Colombian origin. The majesty of Isfahan’s famous mosque is conjured by the Trésor de Perse suite’s blue sapphires, while the ring features a Burmese sapphire that comes from an original piece made by Boucheron for the Iranian imperial family.

ice necklace, right? But is it art? Traditionalists have been claiming a hold on the intellectual high ground for years, stating that the fine arts – i.e. painting, sculpture, poetry – have more integrity than the applied arts – i.e. photography, conceptual art and textile design – which serve a practical function. So where does jewellery fit in? For a time it was considered simply a show of wealth, something to rattle in the dress circle, adding a bit of dazzle to a posh event. But during the 20th century, as haute-joaillerie brands found their style and their stride, jewellery developed its own design hierarchy. Houses like Bulgari, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Chaumet vied for attention with increasingly gob-smacking stones set in increasingly complicated settings. These brands continue to astonish, and there’s no better place to witness their design sorcery than at Paris’ Biennale des Antiquaires. The elegant art and antiques fair is held every two years in the grandeur of the glass-roofed Grand Palais. Originally built for that greatest of international exhibitions, the Exposition Universelle of 1900, the Grand Palais became

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

home to the fair in 1956, which had evolved into a fully fledged biannual art and antiques show by 1959. Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, the Biennale attracted the cream of international society as well as luminaries from the art world with its blend of traditional and contemporary art and design. No other exhibition managed quite so successfully to pull off the scale or integrity of the Biennale. Since its return to the Grand Palais in 2006 (after a move to the Carrousel du Louvre in the ’90s), the Biennale has been all but taken over by the world of haute joaillerie. These days, the main attractions are the elaborate concoctions created by master jewellers, who spend years perfecting pieces that are shrouded in secrecy until the exhibition opens. All the great heritage houses are present; Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Chaumet and Bulgari reveal signature pieces showcasing one-of-a-kind gems. Then there are modern jewellers like Graff, the king of diamonds; Piaget, the famed Swiss watch brand, is another exhibitor, having developed virtuoso jewellery skills in recent years. While couture houses Dior and Chanel have translated the visions of their founders into original pieces.

1 Piaget Extremely Piaget drop earrings; 2 Chaumet Lumières d’Eau necklace; 3 Chanel Broadway diamond cuff; 4 Graff Royal Star of Paris brooch; 5 Dior Archi Dior Ailée Diamant bracelet; 6 Boucheron Rêves d’Ailleurs Fleur des Indes necklace

BULGARI Bulgari’s powerful new MVSA collection shows how the brand always remains true to its founder’s vision with coloured stones in a variety of innovative cuts, arranged in architectural compositions. The quintessential Italian jewellery house has produced nine MVSA pieces that highlight an array of 100 jewels. Signature Bulgari themes are also present including Serpenti, the slithering articulated snake; and Diva, an homage to Elizabeth Taylor’s portrayal of Cleopatra. CARTIER While Cartier has a reputation for innovation, this Biennale the brand is showing its most famous stones sold through history, including Barbara Hutton’s emeralds, Queen Marie

of Romania’s sapphire and the Taylor-Burton diamond. The star piece is a large, lustrous pearl drop that belonged to Queen Mary, now set in a lattice-work collar that converts to a tiara; also marking this “Reign of Exceptional Stones” are Colombian emeralds, a Kashmir sapphire, two rubies from the legendary Mogok mines of Burma, and an African ruby set at the centre of a Belle Époqueinspired multistrand choker of diamonds and rubies. CHANEL Taking a sharp, chic design route, Chanel stirs up the heady atmosphere of Paris in the 1920s and ’30s in its Café Society collection. This was an era that Mademoiselle Chanel often channelled in her eveningwear and accessory collections; it’s now distilled into contemporary jewels of geometric patterns, rich in gems and stylised lacquerwork. CHAUMET Sparkling streams, rain-drenched skies and brilliant shards of ice. At the Biennale, Chaumet reveals Lumières d’Eau, a collection of 53 exceptional pieces inspired by water in all its forms. From the fluid, fountain-like lines of a long necklace to rings adorned with rock-crystal cabochons evoking waves breaking on the shore, the odyssey unfolds in 12 chapters – a symbolic number for the maison, which is located at 12 Place Vendôme in Paris.

DIOR At Dior Fine Jewellery, Victoire de Castellane tells of Christian Dior’s early dream of becoming an architect and his subsequent obsession with the construction of his clothes. It’s a focus that fits well with fashion’s prevailing architectural mood. The Archi Dior collection translates the house’s 1947 hourglass silhouettes. The pieces use contrasting shades to add to the boldness of the designs.

12 11

GRAFF This year the focus at the Biennale is on rare, characterful diamonds and coloured gems, especially those that have a history. Graff reveals the world’s most extraordinary diamonds including the aptly named Royal Star of Paris brooch. The brooch, believed to be the most valuable ever created, holds both the 107.46ct fancy yellow cushion-cut Graff Sunflower Diamond and the 100ct D flawless pear-shaped Graff Perfection diamond. There are other jewels on show that point to a more design-driven emphasis, notably a floral diamond setting studded with Burmese rubies. PIAGET Harking back to the 1960s, Piaget has explored fashion, fantasy and freedom via the Extremely Piaget collection’s wide openwork cuffs, textured gold, and watch dials set with vibrantly coloured stones. The collection, which debuted at the Biennale, reinvents Andy Warhol’s favourite horizontal oval watch and channels casual jetset opulence in gem-set sautoirs and drop earrings. The

brand also recaptures the dynamism of the decade in arrangements of the marquise-cut diamond, which is so evocative of ’60s jewellery design. VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Famed for its narrative jewels, Van Cleef & Arpels draws on a visual language – female figures, nature, romance, couture, amulets – and its renowned Pierres de Caractère, stones of character and charisma, to relate an age-old fairy tale. The Peau d’Âne collection has at its heart a magical tale of three beautiful dresses, reimagined in exquisite gems, to create the indefinable magic of the sun, moon and time. HMN 7 Cartier Reine Makeda necklace; 8 Chanel Café Society Muse earrings; 9 Bulgari Viola necklace; 10 Chaumet Lumières d’Eau necklace; 11 & 12 Van Cleef & Arpels Peau d’Âne brooches

Harrods is celebrating the Biennale with a curated exhibition of masterpieces from the Paris event. From Monday 29th September to Sunday 12th October in The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor Vivienne Becker is a jewellery historian and a contributing editor to the Financial Times’ How To Spend It magazine HAR RODS M AGAZINE

NEWS

The G

Tweed of the day Thoroughly British brand Holland & Holland introduces a collection of country classics for Autumn/Winter 2014. Drawing on its expertise in hunting and shooting apparel – a reputation sealed with two Royal Warrants – the new collection chimes with the brand’s vision to provide appropriate clothing to wear before, during and after a shoot. This season, find technical shooting attire executed in exclusive tweed patterns alongside a new range of knitwear in rich, autumnal shades. Although Holland & Holland might be very serious about the business of countryside pursuits, there’s a typically British sense of irreverence to the collection too. Note the subtle flamboyance of a single-breasted tweed blazer. Holland & Holland jacket £795, shirt £150, hat £110 and scarf £350. Available from Holland & Holland, Fifth Floor

Into the blue

“The first Porsche that can dive” was the slogan featured on IWC’s advertising campaign for the 1982-designed Ocean 2000 watch. Created in collaboration with Ferdinand A. Porsche (designer of the Porsche 911), the Ocean 2000 was the first series-produced titanium model to be waterresistant to a depth of 2,000 metres. The new Aquatimer Automatic 2000 takes its cue from the original 1982 design. Pressure-resistant to 200 bar, the future classic also features an innovative external/internal rotating bezel system for diver safety and has an ultralightweight titanium case. IWC Aquatimer Automatic 2000, £7,550. Available from The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

IN CIRCLES

It makes perfect sense that for Autumn/ Winter 2014 Woo Young Mi should imagine her muse visiting a contemporary gallery; art and architecture consistently shape the detaildriven aesthetic of her modern menswear label, Wooyoungmi. This season, the South Korean designer was influenced by artists Anish Kapoor and Ellsworth Kelly to produce a collection that is at once directional and minimal. In a departure from the linear looks of previous seasons, AW14 sees Wooyoungmi embrace softer, elliptical shapes; cue tailoring restyled with rounded sleeves and shoulders, and simple shirting transformed into a modernist statement courtesy of stark circular prints. Left Wooyoungmi shirt £225; right coat £775. Available from Men’s International Gallery, Lower Ground Floor

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

ng Gu

dines out on foodie fragrances Such is our love affair with food, it’s easy to see why some culinary aromas have found their way into our favourite fragrances. In fact, so popular are notes like vanilla, chocolate and coffee that a whole new fragrance family has emerged based around them: gourmand. Initially popularised by fragrances such as Thierry Mugler’s Angel, gourmand scents are characterised by their use of comforting “foodie” aromas, including everything from almonds (at the heart of Guerlain’s latest fragrance, L’Homme Idéal) to cinnamon, chilli or freshly baked cupcakes. In the same way that a chef might experiment with flavours, perfumers relish the opportunity to mix “edible” notes with more traditional cedarwood, patchouli or bergamot. Floris’ new Honey Oud takes the rich smokiness of oud wood and adds sweet notes of vanilla and honey to create a scent that’s deliciously opulent, while one of my current favourites, Ferrari Vetiver Essence, mixes woody vetiver and juicy grapefruit with the smell of coffee beans. FROM TOP Thierry Mugler King of the Angel 50ml, £64; Guerlain gourmand notes, L’Homme Idéal 100ml, though, has to be £66; Floris Honey Oud 100ml, £160; Ferrari vanilla; it gives Vetiver Essence 100ml, fragrances such as £79; Prada Amber Pour Prada Amber Pour Homme Intense 100ml, Homme Intense £67; Thierry Mugler its characteristic A*Men Pure Wood 100ml, £48. Floris and creaminess. Vanilla is also used Ferrari are exclusive to Harrods. Available from in Thierry Mugler’s The Gentleman’s Lounge, new A*Men Pure Lower Ground Floor; The Beauty Apothecary Wood, giving it a warm, sensual edge. and The Perfumery Hall, Ground Floor; and With a study by harrods.com the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation revealing that men find vanilla irresistible – and since it’s also reputed to be an aphrodisiac – you can see why it’s so popular. So why not explore one (or all) of these? After all, when it comes to fragrances, it’s good to be greedy. Lee Kynaston is the Online Grooming Editor of menshealth.co.uk and has his own blog at groomingguru.co.uk

FA SHION Gucci coat £4,280

Dior Homme coat £4,000

Gucci

Lanvin jacket £1,799

Extravagant fur coats added an edgy contrast to the languid tailoring in Miuccia Prada’s 1970s-inflected AW14 menswear collection.

Diesel jacket £1,425

Feel the HEAT

Outerwear gets an injection of ultra-luxe texture in the AW14 collections, courtesy of cosy shearling, sleek sable and snug ﬂeece

The LUXURY CHOICE

Prada coat £13,100 McQ by Alexander McQueen coat £875

Bottega Veneta jacket £5,310

Fendi

Fendi jacket £25,100

otteg Venet

Fendi jacket £2,770

The CLASSIC BRAND

Dolce & Gabbana coat £7,295

Available from Men’s Contemporary Collections and Men’s International Gallery, Lower Ground Floor; and Men’s International Collections, Ground Floor

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Stylist Becky Branch

The house of Fendi has been experimenting with boundary-pushing fur for almost a century. This season, playful patchworked bomber jackets are the standouts.

FA SHION

GOLD

PINK

Glitter and metallics give occasionwear a new sparkle

MONOCHROME

This season pink is princess-pretty with a sprinkle of embellishment

The classic colour combination gives contrast to cute accessories Moschino dress £325

Simonetta coat £320 Little Marc Jacobs scarf £69.95

Chloé coat £310

David Charles dress £250

Harrods of London cape £999

Monnalisa skirt £120

Christian Dior top from £360 Jean Paul Gaultier bag £67.95

Papouelli boots £115

Stella McCartney sweater from £90

Start-rite shoes £56

Dolce & Gabbana shoes £500 Little Marc Jacobs bag £145

Small PACKAGES

Discovering the fun to be had on a miniature scale, the big names in fashion are putting serious time into playful childrenswear Kenzo hat £39.95

Dolce & Gabbana jacket £300 Papouelli shoes £115 Kenzo sweater £84.95

Paul Smith trousers £110

Harrods of London shirt £14.95 Start-rite shoes £49

Stylist Olivia Halsall

NAVY

Blue makes maximum impact when paired with playful motifs

Barbour jacket £79.95

Christian Dior trousers £270

Harrods of London trousers £120

Armani Jeans hat £49.95 and scarf £59.95 Harrods of London sweater £199

NEUTRALS

Earthy tones and cosy fabrics take their cues from countryside style

Gallucci shoes £145

GREY

Preppy influences are seen in this season’s jackets, scarves and shoes

Available from Children’s Designer Apparel, Children’s Shoes and Junior Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor; and harrods.com

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

NE WS

A SPECIAL

sparkle

Just because you’re not a grown-up doesn’t mean you can’t wear Swarovski Elements. Trained as a milliner at Kensington and Chelsea College, William Sharp is now a womenswear and accessory designer known for decorating his designs with sparkling crystals. He launched his brand back in 2000 with a highly successful hat collection, started designing cashmere knits in 2003 and debuted his first childrenswear line in 2012. The new childrenswear AW14 collection includes ponchos and woolly hats with pompoms, all 100 per cent cashmere. The sweaters in the collection contrast playful motifs such as flamingos, monkeys and aliens with sparkling Swarovski crystals. Equally eye-catching are the dresses, leggings and tracksuits with sparkly stripes, dots and studs. The glamour is further accentuated via the use of colours such as fuchsia, navy, winter white and steel grey. William Sharp poncho £999 and leggings £499. Available from Children’s Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

The cat’s pyjamas Old-Hollywood glamour has inspired the aesthetic vision behind Charlotte Olympia’s brand. Founder Charlotte Olympia Dellal launched her first pair of shoes – towering vintage-inspired platforms – back in 2006. Fast forward a few years, and it’s an internationally renowned label. Her debut children’s line, Incy, delivers the same combination of ’50s-style sophistication and quirkiness. Leopard prints, kitten faces and the popular crystal-studded web motif are produced in the softest suedes, silk satins and velvets. Incy shoes from £75. Available from Children’s Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

PARTY PIECES

“Parties are recommended, necessary, and important,” said Christian Dior in his autobiography. The late designer’s love of parties has influenced the French fashion house’s latest childrenswear collection, which includes delicate dresses made from candycoloured taffeta and separates in soft pink silk. A standout is a special-occasion dress that will satisfy any style-savvy tot. Made from organza, lined with embroidered cotton tulle and embellished with fluffy maribou feathers, the dove-grey frock is both princesspretty and party-ready. Christian Dior dress from £2,250. Available from Children’s Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

Lucky charms Ferdinando Bucci opened a workshop in 1885. After delving into pocket horology, he eventually ventured into jewellery. Carolina Bucci, Ferdinando’s great-grandaughter, has kept with her family’s heritage by working with Florentine goldsmiths to create her trademark jewellery. The brand’s new children’s collection, Bambini, reflects the same aesthetic sensibility, weaving 18kt gold with coloured silks to create a stylish jewellery collection. Arturo the dog and Alice the bunny are just two of the charms that reflect the brand’s playfulness. Carolina Bucci Lucky bracelets £550 each. Available from Children’s Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

CRAFT WORK Before launching their children’s line in 2012, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana spoke to mothers to ensure the designs were as practical as they were stylish. The brand’s AW14 collection reflects the craftsmanship present in its men’s and women’s lines. For girls, there are lace floral motifs on silk satin dresses; the boys have tactile cityscapes embellished and printed on jumpers and coats. It’s all as sophisticated as the adult pieces, but scaled down for mini fashionistas. Dolce & Gabbana dress from £915 and skirt from £595. Available from Children’s Designer Apparel, Fourth Floor

FA S H I O N

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

AF TER KUBLA KHAN Inspired by the romanticism of Coleridge’s epic poem, international designers have created a Mongolian-style mix of bold patterns with ﬂeeces, furs and feathers F

Michael Michael Kors gilet £1,255; Roberto Cavalli shirt £410; Alice + Olivia skirt £345 HAR RODS M AGAZINE

FA S H I O N

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

FA S H I O N

THIS PAGE Roberto Cavalli fur stole,

price on request; Temperley London jacket £1,299; OPPOSITE PAGE Roberto Cavalli fur stole, price on request; Emilio Pucci poncho £1,399; Jenny Packham skirt £3,375

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

THIS PAGE Jay Ahr jacket £1,599; Haute Hippie dress £825; OPPOSITE PAGE Alice + Olivia gilet £725 and

FA S H I O N

Credits TK Images

dress £525; Yves Salomon earmuffs from a selection

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

FA SHION

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

THIS PAGE Hockley stole £1,099; Burberry Prorsum blanket £895; Dolce & Gabbana dress £3,580; OPPOSITE PAGE Versace jacket £3,275; Erdem top £850; Raoul skirt £480

Available from Designer Studio, Eveningwear, International Designer and Millinery, First Floor; and harrods.com Grooming LIZ DAXAUER at Caren using Giorgio Armani cosmetics and skincare Models NORA DAGVA at Unique Models Management Mongolia and ENEREL at Mongol Model Agency Photographer’s Assistant EDWARD BOURMIER Digital Operator ADAM PHILLIPS

LONDON GIRLS Dangerously pointy stilettos, tough leather jackets and lean, mean jeans; the new way to wear separates is all in the attitude HEA

AVELL / F

Credits TK Images

FA S H I O N

Zadig & Voltaire jacket ÂŁ665 HAR RODS M AGAZINE

THIS PAGE Karen Millen coat £350; Sandro top £185; Faith Connexion jeans £255; Prada sunglasses £225; OPPOSITE PAGE Michael Michael Kors capelet £330; Bella Freud sweater £305; Victoria Beckham skirt £300; Prada sunglasses £225; Shamballa Jewels bracelet £20,000; Christian Louboutin boots £995

DKNY jacket £699; The Kooples top £150; Hudson jeans £950; Christian Louboutin shoes £795; OPPOSITE PAGE Karen Millen coat £450; Pierre Balmain dress £675; Falke tights £20.95 THIS PAGE

Available from The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor; Fashion Lab, Fourth Floor; Harrods Shoe Heaven, Fifth Floor; and harrods.com

Credits TK Images

THIS PAGE Reiss coat £1,295; Whistles sweater £175; Armani Jeans jeans £155; Prada sunglasses £225; Shamballa Jewels earrings £19,250; Christian Louboutin boots £995; OPPOSITE PAGE Pierre Balmain coat £725; Maje dress £175; Jimmy Choo boots from a selection

FA S H I O N

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

ACTION MAN

Military details, shades of khaki and a new upscaled proportion give outerwear a sense of adventure F

FA S H I O N

Credits TK Images

Polo Ralph Lauren jacket £300; AllSaints top £30; True Religion jeans £230

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

101

FA S H I O N THIS PAGE Burberry Brit jacket £895; Diesel top £84.95; Zadig & Voltaire trousers £165; Kurt Geiger shoes £150; OPPOSITE PAGE Dsquared2 coat £1,725; Adriano Goldschmied top £74.95

THIS PAGE Brand itemitem £XXXX; Brand itemitem £XXXX; OPPOSITE PAGE Brand itemitem £XXXX, Brand itemitem £XXXX;

M UFA S TS H IAV ON E Zadig & Voltaire coat £440; Miharayasuhiro shirt £399; Missoni sweater from a selection; Vivienne Westwood trousers £220; Falke socks £24.95; Kurt Geiger shoes £140; OPPOSITE PAGE Dior Homme coat £3,700 THIS PAGE

FA S H I O N Vivienne Westwood jacket £699; APC sweater £210; OPPOSITE PAGE Burberry London jacket from a selection; Adriano Goldschmied top £74.95; AllSaints trousers £138

THIS PAGE

Grooming JULIE THOMAS at Terri Manduca using Bumble and Bumble and Clinique Models LOUIS BRAYSON at AMCK and MATTHEW HOLT at Next Fashion Intern TRINA OUTRAM Photographer’s Assistant FRANKIE LODGE Digital Operator NICK RICHARDS Available from Men’s Contemporary Designer, Men’s International Collections, Men’s International Gallery and The Men’s Shoe Salon, Lower Ground Floor; Men’s Fashion Lab, Fifth Floor; and harrods.com

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

107

WATCHES SPECIAL

Photograph Jon Compson

Never knowingly OVERDRESSED Van Cleef & Arpels Day and Night Poetic Complication watch £152,400; and Sandro shirt £155

M U S T- H AV E

NOW YOU SEE IT

Decisions, decisions. Is it to be a beautiful bracelet or the perfect timepiece? Watch this space; you really can have it all

Credits Images Styling TK Emily Sellers

TED HUMBLE-SMITH

ABOVE, FROM LEFT Chanel

Lion Venitien watch £135,000; Harry Winston Emerald Signature watch £44,700; Vacheron Constantin Kalla Haute Couture à Secret watch £762,450. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room and The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor HAR RODS M AGAZINE

111

NEWS

Flying high

Practical MAGIC

Its playful Reverso may steal the headlines but, in horology circles, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ultra-practical Rendez-Vous Perpetual Calendar is equally lauded. The Art Deco-inspired design draws on a heritage of innovation; the company has created 1,242 calibres and filed approximately 400 patents. The timepiece can track the date, day of the week, month, year and moon phase, and is so accurate that it only needs to be adjusted once a century. As if that weren’t enough, the inner workings of the movement are visible through the watch’s diamondencrusted crystal case back, allowing horophiles to gaze upon the 22kt-gold weight oscillating above the hand-embellished bridges. £33,500. Available from The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

When it comes to watchmaking complications, the flying tourbillon calibre is the most complex to create. Not that it’s any problem for Cartier; it has been making Poinçon de Genève-certified complications since the 19th century. Its gently curved Ballon Bleu is just one example of its mechanical mastery. The model features a flying tourbillon with a C-shaped carriage to indicate the seconds. The aesthetics are equally considered: the crown is set with a sapphire cabochon, and the dial is hand-painted in layers of translucent enamel. £82,000. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

DUAL HE ITAGE Given that Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon, it’s fair to say Breguet knows complications. It’s no stranger to artistry, either, having made timepieces for the likes of Marie Antoinette. Now the Breguet Reine de Naples honours both aspects of its horological heritage. A selfwinding mechanical movement powers a balance wheel that rotates every 24 hours, and the bezel and case band are set with 131 diamonds. £87,800. Available from The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

OUT OF THIS WO LD

Astronomical functions have always fascinated watchmakers. But the pursuit of planetary timepieces has perhaps reached its apogee with Van Cleef & Arpels’ Midnight Planétarium Poetic Complication. The watch is both a work of art and a fully functional planetarium: six planets – each represented by a precious stone – revolve around a rose-gold sun in real time. A star that orbits around the outer dials does the more down-to-earth duty of indicating hours and minutes. £150,000. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

M U S T- H AV E

ALL OF A FLUTTER Set your heart on a timepiece that makes light of watch design, with decoration as delicate as a butterﬂy’s wings

Omega De Ville Prestige Butterfly watch £15,860; Graff Butterfly Full Motif watch £263,000; Chaumet Attrape-moi... si tu m’aimes watch £60,200; Van Cleef & Arpels watch £92,900. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room and The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

Styling Emily Sellers

TED HUMBLE-SMITH

NEWS

05;6 ;/, -63+ Inspired by the Dior archives and the intricate Japanese art of paper folding, the 67-year-old house has announced a new facet of its Grand Soir watch collection: Grand Soir Origami. Distinct marquetry is embraced; the folded effect is created with texured motherof-pearl inserts, which are set with precious stones. Similarly, the bezels, finished with tsavorite garnets, sapphires, diamonds or spessartite garnets, are a reflection of Dior’s synonymy with opulent, feminine decoration and bring the allure of a Dior dress to the wrist. As much consideration goes into finishing each piece, with a choice of alligator or satin straps in contrasting colours. Dior Grand Soir No. 28 Origami watch, price on request. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

LA BOHÈME

Since 1924 and the creation of its landmark Meisterstück pens, Montblanc has epitomised masterly craftsmanship. This expertise also extends to horology, notably the Meisterstück Heritage watch line. Now the brand’s Bohème collection showcases a more modern aesthetic aimed at the cosmopolitan woman. Blue steel hands and Arabic numerals give the line its signature look. There’s a choice of alligator, steel or steel-gold strap and plain or diamond-pavé bezel. The rose gold model has a mother-ofpearl and diamond-pavé dial and a bezel set with a further 226 diamonds. Montblanc Bohème watch from £2,625. Available from The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

Petal power In 1865, William Wainwright (the great-greatgreat uncle of Boodles’ current chairman, Nicholas Wainwright) designed and made two pocket watches for his personal use, but it’s only this year that Boodles has released its first watch. Inspired by the house’s Blossom jewellery collection, with its layered floral motifs, the 18kt gold watch has an engraved mother-of-pearl face, holds up to 403 diamonds and comes in two sizes, with or without diamonds. Boodles Blossom watch from £8,000. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

STAR TU NS

;OV\NO H YLSH[P]L UL^JVTLY [V [OL YHYLÄLK ^VYSK VM :^PZZ ^H[JOTHRPUN 4H\YPJL 3HJYVP_ OHZ SLNPVUZ VM KL]V[LLZ HUK OHZ ^VU LPNO[ H^HYKZ ¶ PUJS\KPUN [^V 9LK +V[Z ¶ MVY P[Z PUNLU\P[` HUK HY[PZ[Y` ;OL IYHUK»Z UL^ SHKPLZ» ^H[JO LJOVLZ P[Z Z[YH[VZWOLYPJ YPZL! :[HYZPKL 4HNPJ :LJVUKZ ;OL ^H[JO»Z ZTHSS ZLJVUKZ KPZJ PZ W\UJ[\H[LK I` H IS\L VY [YHUZS\JLU[ ZHWWOPYL JHIVJOVU 0[ HSZV MLH[\YLZ H TV[OLY VM WLHYS KPHS HUK H ILaLS HUK JYV^U ZL[ ^P[O WH]t KPHTVUKZ

Maurice Lacroix Starside Magic Seconds watch £5,850. Available from The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

M U S T- H AV E

DIAMOND LIFE

Credits Stylist Becky TK Images Branch

Traditional values meet contemporary style with these sleek diamond watches, set to last a lifetime TED HUMBLE-SMITH

FROM LEFT Jacob & Co Mystery Pave watch £58,100; Harry Winston Lattice watch price on request; Bulgari Astrale watch £26,400;

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watch £590,100; Breguet Le Volants de la Reine watch £91,500. Available from The Fine Jewellery Room and The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

117

Ladies’ watches have been at the heart of Baume & Mercier from its earliest days to the latest Promesse collection

192

l tine

A promise you CAN KEEP

ul e cie

PROV E NA NCE

BY MIKE PEAKE

eguiled by grand complications, hampered by the pressure to showcase ever more groundbreaking technical prowess, it is easy for a watchmaker to forget half of its potential market. Innovative inner workings are all well and good, but the fairer sex, by and large, are not so easily bedazzled by the notion of a new calibre or the world’s most diaphanous hairspring. What women really want is beauty and elegance wrapped around their wrists. Since the 1920s, acclaimed Swiss watchmaker Baume & Mercier has been committed to making elegant ladies’ watches that not only tick all the boxes when it comes to mechanical perfection, but bring style, sophistication and glamour to the wrist at the same time. The brand has been effortlessly in sync with feminine tastes for longer than some well-known brands have been in existence; in many ways it’s a pioneer of ladies’ wristwatches. Today its range is a veritable museum of graceful timepieces that evoke the spirit of the Roaring Twenties, the Art Decoinspired ’30s, the chic and sexy ’70s and beyond. Baume & Mercier’s story begins with the founding of a family business by brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume in 1830; their watch dealership in Les Bois, a village in the Swiss Jura, quickly came to the attention of aficionados who were drawn to the brothers’ cutting-edge creations. Very early on, the siblings settled on a motto that still echoes around the company’s headquarters: “Accept only perfection – only manufacture watches of the highest quality.” Similarly, they embraced the idea of timepieces for women from the very beginning, too; Louis-Victor gave his daughter Mélina a gold pocket watch way back in 1869. Spotting international expansion opportunities, the company set up a branch in London in the early 1900s to make the most of its growing reputation, and awards flew in from Paris, Melbourne, Zurich, London, Amsterdam and Chicago. But it was the addition to the company in 1918 of art-loving businessman Paul Mercier that was to herald the arrival of a dazzling new era. Not only did Mercier have a strong appreciation of feminine values and aesthetics – thanks, in part, to his mother’s job as a seamstress for a couture house in Paris – but the astute new company director arrived at a time when a woman’s place in the world was changing by the day. The 1920s were a major turning point for the women

195

uise

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Baume & Mercier

Platine watch, 1920; Paul Mercier; Marquise watch from 1950; an advert for the Marquise watch; a 1950s advert for the brand; an advert from the 1920s

of Europe and America. The decade came to represent a breath of fresh air in which women were suddenly able to express themselves in ways that would previously have been unthinkable. Glamour and beauty were in, and Baume & Mercier was along for the ride – as the company’s advertisements from the era attest. One, from 1920, depicts two feminine watches which encapsulate the gilt-edged joie de vivre that permeated the era. The newly liberated attitudes of women became a rich source of inspiration for the brand, and were directly behind the creation in the 1940s of the Marquise, one of Baume & Mercier’s most successful models, which enjoyed many years of popularity through numerous reinterpretations. In more recent years, Baume & Mercier’s two muchcherished ladies’ watch collections, Linea and Hampton, X

esse 2

offer two distinct faces of the brand. The former is feminine, curvy, and easily personalisable thanks to a range of easy-to-change straps; the latter is stylish, assertive and sophisticated. Between them, the two collections offer more than 30 pieces to choose from. This autumn marks an exciting new era for the brand – and the female watch lover – in the shape of a new collection from Baume & Mercier named Promesse. “We have been working on this for a long time – for four years in fact,” says Baume & Mercier CEO Alain Zimmermann, while recognising that this is nothing when compared to the 100 years the company has been seducing ladies all over the world. What Baume & Mercier has done with its Promesse collection is to create a new watch that feels as if it could have been plucked from almost any period in the past 100 years while at the same time retaining a relevant, modern feel all of its own via its alluring, unconventional shape – an oval bezel inside a circular case. The collection upholds the brand’s tradition of contemporary lines taking their cues from a historic model selected from Baume & Mercier’s museum – it is a watch from the 1970s that provides much of the inspiration for the Promesse line. “The ’70s were a special time for us,” says Alexandre Peraldi, the company’s Director of Design. “We really started to explore non-conventional design elements for the women’s collections and moved into uncharted territory of uniquely shaped watches.” The result was something of a creative maelstrom even by the brand’s own standards, climaxing in the award-winning Mimosa and Galaxie models, which became icons of the era. Fittingly, this extra-special period in the Baume & Mercier annals is subtly echoed in the Promesse collection. “Our aim, when we started designing the Promesse collection, was to reinvent the round watch,” says Peraldi. “The inspiration came from Baume & Mercier’s rich heritage of feminine watches, and the piece from the ’70s guided us with the ‘shape in a shape’ concept. It led us to investigate the idea of an oval bezel nestled inside a soft round case.” Even the strap was the subject of countless hours of research and experimentation, with inspiration this time coming from the world of nature. The detailing that forms the bracelet and its beautifully fluid curves reinterprets the ripples produced by a drop of water. No collection is complete without a head-turning, standout model, and the Promesse collection is blessed with two, each set with 61 diamonds in a black or white oval, mother-of-pearl bezel and finished with a glossy black or white alligator-leather strap. The 14-watch collection also features a number of two-tone models,

“The inspiration came from Baume & Mercier’s rich heritage of feminine watches, and the piece from the ’70s guided us with the ‘shape in a shape’ concept”

t dust

PROV E NA NCE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Baume &

Mercier Stardust watch; an advert from 1956; Baume & Mercier Promesse two-tone watch £2,600; white watch and black watch £4,900 each (black watch exclusive to Harrods)

including three composed of steel and red gold-capped steel and a silver-coloured dial. Baume & Mercier likes to say its watches are more than just a way of telling the time, that its watches are a “gift that contains feelings” – a sentiment that certainly reflects the name of the Promesse collection. The line has been created with the modern, independent woman in mind – one who appreciates the ideas of heritage, luxury and a certain refinement, and, perhaps, for whom the idea of promise will resonate. Fittingly, a sculpture of two interlocking hands was commissioned for the launch. Small padlocks, created to lock onto this art installation, mirrored the trend for couples to leave a padlock on bridges and other public places. “By attaching a padlock to the Promesse sculpture, they are creating a lasting moment,” Peraldi says. And creating lasting moments is what Baume & Mercier has been doing for generations. HMN Available from The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor Mike Peake writes for The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian

PROMO T ION

EMERALD CITY In 1963, Karl Scheufele III made an inspired decision: he bought watch manufacturer Chopard. It was an acquisition that married intricate horological skills with exquisite jewellery-making: Scheufele was a German goldsmith and watchmaker whose grandfather had established a successful business crafting jewellery and watches in Pforzheim, the industry’s heartland; Chopard, meanwhile, founded in the Swiss Jura in 1860 by 24-year-old Louis-Ulysse Chopard, was renowned for manufacturing accurate and innovative precision watches. And the latest addition to Chopard’s Imperiale range of women’s watches, the Imperiale Joaillerie Emerald, continues to honour that marriage. The mechanical excellence of the Calibre 01.01-C movement, developed in the company’s Fleurier Ebauches workshops, is matched by the refinement and elegance of Chopard’s haute joaillerie. The design is inspired by the French Empire’s love affair with Imperial Rome: clean lines synonymous with Roman architecture help showcase a dazzling array of emeralds and diamonds, while a green leather strap is fastened by an 18kt white-gold pin buckle set with brilliant-cut diamonds.

FROM TOP Chopard Imperiale Joaillerie Emerald, price on request; haute horlogerie meets haute joaillerie

Available from The Fine Jewellery Room, Ground Floor

Chopard’s Imperiale range of women’s watches was developed in the 1990s by Scheufele’s daughter, Caroline, a trained gemologist, drawing on the craft and creative design skills of the Pforzheim jewellerymaking tradition. Meanwhile her brother (and fellow gemologist) Karl-Friedrich was concentrating his efforts on the brand’s reputation for reliability, performance and precision. The results are such famous designs as Karl-Friedrich’s LUC range (named after LouisUlysse Chopard’s initials) and Caroline’s the Happy Sport – harking back, with its diamonds, to the 1976 Happy Diamonds model. The Mille Miglia collection, meanwhile, takes its cues from motor racing. At every turn, the siblings have reacted to the changing role of the watch. No longer are there rigid lines between day and dress watches, watches for business and those for romance. The Imperiale Joaillerie Emerald is the ultimate in multitasking timepieces. With its classical proportions and abundance of fine gemstones, it can shift the mood from restrained to celebratory by a simple flick of the wrist.

Background Getty Images

The latest Imperiale watch from Chopard showcases an expertise that combines exquisite jewellery with watchmaking of the highest order

The BORROWERS Masculine qualities have crossed the gender gap as womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s watches adopt bold, muscular styling JON COMPSON / F

FA S H I O N

THIS PAGE Chopard LUC watch £17,480; Sandro shirt £155; OPPOSITE PAGE Richard Mille RM 029 Yellow Flash watch £63,000; Eton

shirt £129

THIS PAGE Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days watch £5,500; Eton shirt £129; OPPOSITE PAGE Rolex Daytona Cosmograph watch £25,100; Sandro shirt £155

FA S H I O N

XXXXXXXX

FA S H I O N

THIS PAGE Cartier Tank watch £10,100; DKNY shirt £200; OPPOSITE PAGE A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin watch £16,900; Eton

shirt £129

Hair CHRISTOS KALLANIOTIS at One Represents using Aveda; Make-up LAURA DOMINIQUE at Streeters using Chanel Le Lift serum AW14; Manicurist ZARRA CELIK at CLM; Model SOPHIE HOLMES at IMG; Photographer’s Assistant ROMAN SAKOVICH; Digital Operator LUKE BROWN; Fashion Intern TRINA OUTRAM Available from Men’s Shirts & Ties, Lower Ground Floor; The Fine Jewellery Room and The Fine Watch Room, Ground Floor; Fashion Lab, Fourth Floor; and harrods.com

U LT I M A T E

THE ULTIMATE

DOUBLE AGENT

Functionality is just one attribute of the latest watch from Backes & Strauss. The 321 others are green or white and gloriously sparkling

Is it a bracelet with a handy facility for telling the time? Or is it a watch with the gloriously distracting addition of 80 emeralds and 241 ideal-cut diamonds? Backes & Strauss solves the problem by simply describing The Harrods Princess as a pièce unique. When the brand’s horological experts set their sights on creating a bejewelled masterpiece, they turned for help to the world’s leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones. Living up to its reputation, Gemfields provided a selection of Zambian emeralds – known for their deep green colour – which were hand-set alongside Backes & Strauss’ signature diamonds. The resulting timepiece-cum-bracelet is a star attraction at the Biennale exhibition taking place in-store this month. And we’re guessing that whoever is lucky enough to become its owner will be happy – whatever it is. The Biennale exhibition runs from 9th September to 12th October. Backes & Strauss Harrods Princess watch £240,000

Stylist Becky Branch

TED HUMBLE-SMITH

Photograph Ted Humble-Smith

FRAGRANCE SPECIAL

BE AU T Y

Imagine a world of fragrance, full of rare and precious ingredients and curated by experts. Once inside that world, you can embark on an olfactory journey, and the route you take is tailored to your taste. Its name? Salon de Parfums. Lined with boutiques that house the leading names in fragrance, Salon de Parfums is the all-new sanctuary of scent on Harrods’ Sixth Floor. Try perfumes at your leisure. Revel in the mastery of Roja Dove. Discover his own fragrances or let him guide `V\ [OYV\NO ¸VKV\Y WYVÄSPUN¹ ¶ H ^H` [V KPZJV]LY `V\Y ZPNUH[\YL ZJLU[ 6Y ÄSS .\LYSHPU»Z NPSKLK )LL IV[[SL ^P[O your own bespoke creation; the experts are at hand to show you how. After an amble down the salon’s perfumed path, Miss Heaven Scent is also in the mood for something UL^ ;OPZ TVU[O OLY WPJRZ PUJS\KL (UUPJR .V\[HS»Z ÅH[[LYPUNS` MYLZO HKKP[PVU HUK H ^HYTPUN H\[\TU ISLUK MYVT 3HSPX\L -VY UVZ[HSNPJ [`WLZ )LH\[` 5L^Z [LSSZ \Z Dior has redesigned its J’adore bottle to remind us of the MY\P[` ÅVYHS » Z MYHNYHUJL ^OPSL *OHULS OHZ HKKLK KLW[O [V P[Z JLSLIYH[LK *VJV 5VPY :V ^OH[ HYL `V\ ^HP[PUN MVY& Your ideal fragrance is waiting to be discovered.

High NOTES

With the opening of the Salon de Parfums, the world’s top perfumers have a new showcase for their creations TED HUMBLE-SMITH

CLIVE CHRISTIAN No.1 Passant Guardant

In the pantheon of haute fragrances, Clive Christian’s No.1 perfume is renowned as the world’s most expensive thanks to its complex composition of rare, highly concentrated ingredients, among them Florentine orris, Tahitian vanilla and ylang-ylang. Now the fragrance is encased in a suitably decadent cut-crystal bottle decorated with solid gold and more than 2,000 flawless diamonds. 30ml, £143,000

PROMO T ION

HENRY JACQUES

Originally, French perfumer Henry Jacques was a name whispered by those in the know, producing one-of-a-kind perfumes with the discretion of an haute-couture atelier. Now the house has expanded its repertoire to include a line of prĂŞt-a-porter perfumes that use the finest ingredients, sourced from across the globe, to extend the essence of the bespoke offerings. From ÂŁ370

PROMO T ION

LES LIQUIDES IMAGINAIRES Fortis

The elevated aim of cerebral designer Philippe di Méo is to unlock the sacred elements of perfume through his conceptual fragrances. Among the “scented eaux” making up the Liquides Imaginaires collection is Fortis, an enigmatic composition of saffron, amber and oud. 100ml, £140

ELIE SAAB

La Collection des Essences

Haute couture’s ultimate romantic, Elie Saab, has applied his design expertise to an exquisite new perfume collection: La Collection des Essences. Created in collaboration with perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, it is a series of four beautifully composed, sumptuous fragrances – Rose, Gardenia, Ambre and Oud – that are as faultlessly elegant as Saab’s fairy-tale gowns. 100ml, £160 each

BULGARI Le Gemme

Evoking the precious dimension of high jewellery, Bulgari’s Le Gemme collection is a series of six captivating perfumes, each paying tribute to a unique gemstone. Maravilla, a radiant chypre with sparkling notes of citrus and peach, is inspired by citrine; in Ashlemah, meanwhile, the gentle floral notes of iris, lavender and violet are designed to echo amethyst’s serene qualities. 100ml, £215

PROMO T ION

GUERLAIN

Like a couture gown, custom-made fragrances elevate luxury to a different level. Guerlainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bespoke service makes that dream reality, offering fragrances individually tailored to your tastes. The iconic bee bottle can also be customised â&#x20AC;&#x201C; engraved with initials or a date. And for that finishing touch, it can be adorned with a grosgrain ribbon of your choice. 500ml, price on request

XERJOFF Harrods Emerald Stars Sergio Momoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fragrance brand Xerjoff has acquired a cult following thanks to its unusual ingredients. In the limitededition Harrods Emerald Stars, a sweet and musky base mingles with a fruity, amber heart and top notes of palm date and davana. The flacon is presented in a wooden box with a piece of meteorite for a truly out-of-this-world touch. 100ml, ÂŁ370

PROMO T ION

ROJA DOVE

oja Haute Luxe

The ultimate recommendation for this creation is that perfumer Roja Dove originally composed it for himself, using all the precious raw materials he loves. As both his fragrance house and Haute Parfumerie join the Salon de Parfums, he is sharing its secrets so others may enjoy it too. A sensual chyprĂŠ, it has a floral heart enlivened by top notes of bergamot and imbued with a rich and spicy base of clove, ginger and cinnamon. 100ml, ÂŁ2,500

PROMO T ION

CREED Millésime 1849

Warm and aromatic, Creed’s limited-edition Millésime 1849 is an olfactory ode to Harrods. A fresh burst of Calabrian bergamot gives way to reveal a rich heart of jasmine, patchouli and cedar, underpinned by sensuous notes of Bourbon vanilla, oud, sandalwood and musk. The result is a perfume that’s as sophisticated as you would expect from this classic house. 75ml, £225. Exclusive to Harrods Available from The Perfumery Hall, Ground Floor; and Salon de Parfums, Sixth Floor

BE AU T Y For daytime, moisturisers with SPFs are my priority, but it is at night that I like to dip into different creams to test which best comes to my rescue. This month, I’m very taken with 111 Skin’s Space Anti Age Night Renewal Cream. While lactic acid gently exfoliates, plumping hyaluronic acid helps skin look and feel super-smooth. In short, it adds extra meaning to beauty sleep. 50ml, £170

A fragrance with oriental, woody and spicy aromas, Guerlain’s Santal Royal is spot-on for the new season. Starring the mystical note of sandalwood, with neroli and cinnamon in the top notes and amber and leather in the base, it’s both elegant and sensual, especially with the hint of musk that adds even more warmth to the composition. For me, it’s an evening scent, although I could imagine it cheering up grey days – as if cosying up in a cashmere wrap. 125ml, £125; exclusive to Harrods

HIGH FIVE

This is what I call a base with benefits beyond the cosmetic. Shiseido’s Future Solution LX Total Radiance Foundation brings brightness to your complexion with its Aura Radiance and Time Match powders to diffuse light and transform shine into a beautiful lustre. It also contains anti-ageing ingredients from the skincare range so your complexion is being cared for as well as being perfected. 30ml, £65; exclusive to Harrods

I love travelling. The more exotic or different the destination, the better. And although I try to travel light, I don’t like to I said I was a nightcompromise on skincare. So cream aficionado, so when I saw The Rejuvenating I make no apology for Collection from Crème de la recommending two Mer, I took the opportunity this month. Perricone to stash and carry it. With its MD has introduced Neuropeptide Lifting and Firming Mask, Night Cream and I love the way it Concentrate, Eye Balm Intense fuses such a luxurious texture with and Moisturizing Soft Cream, cutting-edge science, helping skin it proved as action-packed as repair and regenerate during sleep. my holiday. £320; exclusive 74ml, £189; exclusive to Harrods to Harrods

Available from The Beauty Apothecary, and The Cosmetics and Perfumery Halls, Ground Floor; and harrods.com

Sandalwood Alamy; cream smudge iStock

Editor Jan Masters reveals her top ﬁve beauty treats for the month

NEWS

MISS HEAVEN SCENT experiments with fragrance wardrobing

NOIR extrême

To say that the arrival of Chanel’s Coco Noir fragrance two years ago was hotly anticipated is an understatement. To hear that an intensified edition – a parfum – is on its way for AW14 is almost too much. Almost. Each of the key notes, such as May rose and jasmine, is included in its most precious form: as an absolute. It’s deep yet decidedly radiant all at once. 15ml, £165. Available from Salon de Parfums, Sixth Floor

MORE TO ADORE

Who doesn’t adore a little Dior? From 1947’s New Look to last season’s perfect pink lipstick, the Parisian house makes everyone fall in love with it. This month, seduction comes in the form of J’adore Eau de Parfum’s updated bottle, which has had its curves subtly accentuated. Inside, the same fragrance – centred on rose, violet and orchid – is waiting to sprinkle a new generation with a little Diorness. 100ml, £96. Available from The Perfumery Hall, Ground Floor; and Salon de Parfums, Sixth Floor

Air of elegance The Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie has long been celebrated as the destination for fragrance fans on the search for something truly individual, from intriguing niche scents to the ultimate expression: a bespoke fragrance created by Dove himself and presented in a Baccarat crystal bottle. In October, the Haute Parfumerie will move to the new Salon de Parfums; such an elegant space, with its rarefied atmosphere, is surely its spiritual home. Bespoke fragrance prices on request. Available from Salon de Parfums, Sixth Floor

According to Coco Chanel, a woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future. Alarming? Yes. True? Well, she has a point. At the very least, the unperfumed are missing out on an entire facet of sensory fabulousness. Today the unperfumed are few. But the quote made me wonder whether it’s actually the monoperfumed who are missing out. I’m talking about the signature-scent diehards who stockpile their perfume for fear of a production apocalypse. This is not to say a signature scent shouldn’t be cherished. But by dabbling in a variety of scents – fragrance wardrobing – we can stay faithful while also dipping into new-season launches. After all, we don’t wear the same pair of shoes for every occasion, do we? October is an excellent month in which to start. First, there’s My Burberry. Just as the trench coat lends an effortless-cool chic to any ensemble, so does this fragrance. Centred on quince, freesia and geranium, My Burberry is a versatile daytime FROM TOP Burberry My scent that has presence without being Burberry 90ml, £90; Annick overpowering; it means business but has a Goutal Vent de Folie 100ml, soft, feminine finish. A weekday essential. £84; Lalique Sculpteur d’Épices 100ml, £180, Something for free time? Annick available from 4th October Goutal’s new Vent de Folie is fun and and exclusive to Harrods; frivolous. The fragrance is a sunny Narciso Rodriguez Narciso 100ml, £77. Available from Sunday morning in a bottle: bright The Beauty Apothecary and girly, based on the notion of a and The Perfumery Hall, carefree young woman skipping around Ground Floor; Salon de New York City. It’s a floaty slip of a Parfums, Sixth Floor; and scent combining orange, geranium, harrods.com blackcurrant and white musk. For autumn escapes, Lalique’s new Sculpteur d’Épices, created exclusively for Harrods as part of the Noir Premier Collection, balances lightness and clarity (a nod to the crystal house’s heritage) with a velvety depth. The fragrance is as comfortable at the beach as it is on a balmy evening stroll, thanks to sparkly bergamot and pepper leading into a heart of rose and jasmine, made warm and lingering by tonka bean and patchouli. And so to date night. Apparently, a chap once told Narciso Rodriguez that every time his wife puts on one of his dresses, they don’t make it to the restaurant. Understandably, Rodriguez decided he wanted to achieve this effect with a scent; and so Narciso was born. The perfume combines vetiver with the designer’s beloved musk for a scent that’s super-sexy yet surprisingly fresh. Apply with caution... or abandon. – By Fleur Fruzza

PERFECTLY PLUM STEP 1: Cover and protect

Wear with CARE Wrap up skin with nourishing products and autumn colours as make-up expert Rebecca Chantrell reveals Shiseido’s new-season looks BY

“Layering is an important part of the Shiseido philosophy, so prep the skin with the Future Solution LX range of cleanser, softener, serum and creams. While the skin is still dewy, apply Future Solution LX Total Radiance Foundation for a luminous finish. You can apply with fingers for a quick fix, but to achieve light and even coverage, I recommend the Perfect Foundation Brush. Place five dots of foundation on the forehead, cheeks, chin and nose, then stipple into high-coverage areas. Sweep out over areas that require less coverage, such as the jaw and hairline.”

STEP 2: Warming blend “For a feminine, smoky eye, I’ve chosen the Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in Floracouture. Wash orange all over the lid, and add a touch of pink to the inner corner of the eye. Layer burgundy over the orange, stretching the colour out towards the temples and blending up, fading beneath the brow bone. Frame the eyes by continuing the colour beneath the lower lashline. Sweep Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Caviar along the lashline, and for lashes, curl and condition, then coat with Perfect Mascara Full Definition in Black. Finish with a wash of Lacquer Rouge in Ophelia on lips, blotted with tissue.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Shiseido Perfect

Foundation Brush £29, Future Solution LX Total Radiance Foundation £65, Lacquer Rouge in Ophelia PK226, £23.50, Future Solution Total Protective Day Cream £250, Luminising Satin Eye Colour Trio in Floracouture OR316, £32

150

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Shiseido Future Solution LX range: Extra Rich Cleansing Foam £62, Concentrated Balancing Softener £88, Superior Radiance Serum £275, Eye & Lip Contour Regenerating Cream £117, Total Protective Day Cream £250. Eyeshadow Brush £27.50, Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Caviar BK912, £21.50, Nourishing Mascara Base £22.50, Perfect Mascara Full Definition in Black BK901, £23.50

BE AU T Y

ALL THE GLOSS STEP 1: Softly contoured “Follow the application steps from Look 1 to prepare skin using the Future Solution LX Total Radiance skincare range and foundation. For this look, the focus is on lips, so it’s important to balance with blush. Face Color Enhancing Trio in Apple is a three-step solution in one. Work the bronzing shade into the hollow under the cheek for definition. The rosy pink is then applied onto the apple and blended outwards. Finally, dust highlighting powder above the cheekbone and up towards the temple. Add luminosity with additional highlights on the forehead, nose and chin. Blend well with the Face Color Enhancing Trio brush for a softly sculpted effect.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Shiseido Face Color

Enhancing Trio in Apple RD1, £32, Lacquer Rouge in Tango RD529, £23.50, Sheer Eye Zone Corrector £23.50, Eyebrow Styling Compact in Light Brown BR603, £25, and Perfect Mascara Full Definition in Black BK901, £23.50

THIS PAGE Dior dress from a selection; OPPOSITE PAGE AllSaints sweater £118

Hair YOSHITAKA MIYAZAKI Model NATALIE F at Premier Photographer’s Assistants LEONI BLUE FLEMING and OLIVER RUDKIN Digital Assistant LUBE SAVESKI Manicurist AMA QUASHIE at CLM Available from The Cosmetics Hall, Ground Floor; International Designer, First Floor; Fashion Lab, Fourth Floor; and harrods.com

STEP 2: Berry bright “This season, it’s all about healthy-looking lips with a high-shine finish. For an on-trend berry shade, try Lacquer Rouge in Tango; the nourishing liquid formula glides onto the lips to condition, colour, and give a glossy finish. For definition, and to give the illusion of a fuller look, start by outlining the lips with the Sheer Eye Zone Corrector, diffusing the edges with your fingers. Then take your Tango shade and fill in the lips, working up into the bow to make a sharp outline. Keep building until you reach your desired depth of colour. A lick of Perfect Mascara Full Definition in Black and subtle styling for brows using the Eyebrow Styling Compact are the final accents needed to complete the look.” Shiseido Automatic Fine Eyeliner in Black BK901, £25, Natural Finish Cream Concealer £23.50 and Eyelash Curlers £18.50 HAR RODS M AGAZINE

151

BE AU T Y

DARK STAR

Mysterious and magical, Serge Lutens’ new masterpiece, L’incendiaire, is ready to set the fragrance world alight BY J

hrough labyrinthine corridors, I climb stone steps that become ever steeper, flanked by walls that become ever narrower. Eventually, I arrive at Serge Lutens’ laboratory, the place where the perfumer concocts his uncompromisingly individual compositions. Dark and cool, the space doesn’t even begin to hint at the searing heat outside his grand house in the medina of Marrakech. This tiny temple to olfactory greatness is like an alchemist’s cave, full of spices and resins, weighing scales and intriguing potions. Looking closer at bottles sitting inside a cabinet, I even spy one that’s inscribed for royalty. There’s no denying it’s a rare treat to see inside this studio and meet Lutens, a figure who, in the fragrance world, is usually discussed in reverential tones. Because for this man, perfume is an art form. A passion. Perhaps a touch of science. But never a marketing exercise. Indeed, it’s impossible to imagine him basing launches on retail statistics and focus groups. He has a take-it-and-love-it or loathe-it-and-leave-it attitude. He has magicked up such show-stoppers as the regal Sa Majesté la Rose, the soft, suedey Daim Blond and the Arabian amber hit that is Ambre Sultan. He doesn’t care to deconstruct his creations so that everyone can understand their structure. Instead, he’ll tell you the story of the conception. The emotions it

All photographs Patrice Nagel

TOP Lutens’ fragrance laboratory at his home in Marrakech; ABOVE Lutens in one of the courtyards at his home

conveys. In French. Through an interpreter. So when he arrives, I adopt a mind-set of suitable gravitas. It comes, then, as some surprise that Lutens, 72, dressed in a dark suit with a walking cane in hand, is rather playful of spirit. As I compliment him on his black-rimmed round glasses, he removes them so I can try them on. Which prompts me to give him my big geek specs. And he tries them on. We look at each other with new eyes. Perfume, he tells me, like everything we wear, underscores one’s character. “In the morning, you choose your clothes, maybe make-up, jewellery and then perfume. All of this gives you an idea of yourself. During your day, you’re going to forget those things, but they are strengthening your identity.” When Lutens started creating scent for Shiseido back in the early ’90s, it was his successful Féminité du Bois, a sweetly woody perfume, that astonished the fragrance world. Unlike anything else at the time, it quickened the collective pulse and proved parameters could be challenged. “What’s really important for me is the identity in perfume,” Lutens says. “At that time, I wanted to bring authenticity back to perfume... and be a little bit off the beaten track. Because we had a situation where you had to produce something for ‘the working mother’, or ‘the sporty mum’ or ‘a unisex perfume’. We had become a product of the product,” he says. “What’s more, I have X HAR RODS M AGAZINE

153

BE AU T Y

“You smell something and you either love it or you hate it. That’s what a perfume is”

never tried to make niche perfume,” he adds. “If that’s how people wanted to express it or compartmentalise it, that’s another story. I was always being myself. I was always just being Serge Lutens.” Lutens was born in Lille in 1942 and, while young, had to go and live with another family because he was born out of his mother’s adulterous relationship – in those days, a punishable offence. “Later on, my father would marry my mother, but it was too late for me,” he says. “I was already in a situation with two families. That created some independence, but it also created solitude and fear. I was afraid for a long time. I was afraid of other people; I was afraid of almost everything. It wasn’t until I found the antidote – creativity – that I was able to overcome these feelings,” he says. However, he says he doesn’t feel sorry for himself: “Although sensitivity often comes from some accident or tension or some sort of unhappiness, there’s very little unhappiness that doesn’t have some positive side to it in terms of creativity.” Lutens has been a hairdresser; he has worked for Vogue in Paris; he has devised make-up for Dior. He has also travelled to Japan to create cosmetics and orchestrate beautiful shoots for Shiseido. His creative quest continued

154

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

TOP Lutens assesses ingredients in his lab; ABOVE Serge Lutens L’incendiaire 50ml, £380. Available from The Beauty Apothecary, Ground Floor

not just with perfume, but also by building a grand house in Marrakech, a city he had visited in 1968 and made his home. “I have this sort of dual personality,” he explains. “I’m aware of a woman who I have created and have been serving ever since through make-up and perfume,” he says of his muse-like creature. “I even built this house for her.” It has taken him 36 years to create the maze-like building full of carvings, mosaics and treasures that are a tribute to Morocco’s rich heritage and a legacy to its people. But while it is here that he designs his perfumes, ensconced in his laboratory or reflecting in the airy courtyards, Lutens doesn’t live in it. He prefers instead to return every night to an almost monastically simple abode. While Lutens can be both esoteric and poetic, he can also be incisive. “You can only smell perfume for three minutes; the more you keep trying to smell it, the more it’s going to disappear,” he says. Then he asks me to smell his latest creation, L’incendiaire; it is the first from his new collection, Section d’Or, which symbolises a break with the past and a pushing of fragrance to its luxurious limits. “Your nose should really be there as an assessment tool. As a tool for mistrust. You smell something and you either love it or you hate it. That’s what a perfume is.” So what do I make of L’incendiaire? Well, first, I’m struck by the origami-style presentation. Opening it is like participating in a Japanese ritual. An undecorated black box within another box reveals a simple black bottle with a gold label. Inside is a deep, dark brew. Hypnotically incensey. Passionately, mysteriously intense. There is always an air of mystery about Lutens’ works. And often a sense of melancholy. Perhaps this is because his early emotional suffering somehow set his path. Certainly, he agrees that childhood experiences affect all our journeys through life. Then he looks on the bright side: “If it hadn’t been for my experiences, I wouldn’t have done this. You wouldn’t be here in Morocco now. This house wouldn’t exist. You wouldn’t know about me.” He’s right. And I’m glad I do. HMN

Taste sensation There are hidden depths to the “humble” Italian olive, with discerning connoisseurs increasingly spoilt by myriad ﬂavours and textures BY PAT

ICK MCGUIGAN / PHOTOG

APHE FOOD STYLIN

JONATHAN G EGSON ECIPES ALICE HA T

HOMEWARES, FROM LEFT Alessi Tonale Carafe with stopper £39, Glass Family goblet £5.50, Tonale mini cup in black and white £7.50 each, Glass Family red wine glass £5.50, Ku saucer for mocha cup £5.50, Dry mocha spoons £24 for a set of 4, and Platebowlcup dessert bowl £7.50 HAR RODS M AGAZINE

157

FOOD

hether it’s bobbing about in a martini or getting on famously with mozzarella and tomatoes on a pizza, the olive is a social butterfly of the food world. Happy to mingle with all sorts of ingredients, the convivial little green and black fruit often used to go unnoticed, regarded as little more than a garnish. Thankfully, such thinking has now changed. The olive is a special food in its own right, with hundreds of varieties grown across the Mediterranean (and as far afield as Asia and the USA) and a history stretching back thousands of years. “People think an olive is an olive, but its world is actually really complex when you start to go deeper,” says David Dottorini, export manager for Rome-based olive company Ficacci. “Each variety has its own flavour, texture, shape and size, and different cultures make olives using different methods.” A self-confessed olive geek who likes to read up on their history at his local library, Dottorini says his favourite is a small black variety called Gaeta. Nicknamed the black pearl, the olive is grown in tiny quantities and is little known outside its native region of Lazio. “Lazio produces just 0.4 per cent of Italy’s total olives, so the Gaeta is a difficult olive to find,” Dottorini says. “We have to talk to the farmers, who might have just two or three hectares of trees. They won’t sell their olives to just anyone – they’re proud of their product, and only work with people they know and respect.” Resembling a small Kalamata, the Gaeta is picked by hand in March and has a fruity, wine-like flavour with a bitter finish. “It’s a strong olive; it certainly wouldn’t go with a martini,” he says. “I like it with a powerful goat’s cheese and a glass of red wine.” All olives start out green and darken as they ripen. When they’re picked and how they’re processed depends on the variety. As anyone who has made the mistake of eating an olive straight from the tree will know, the fruit in its raw state is incredibly bitter. To make them edible, they must go through a process of fermentation. For the Gaeta olives, a natural method is used that has barely changed for centuries. When the olives have turned a glorious deep purple on the tree, they’re harvested and placed in barrels of saltwater. Brine from last year’s production, containing natural yeasts and bacteria, is added to the mixture to kick-start the fermentation process in much the same way as a “mother dough” is used to make sourdough bread. The olives are then left to soften and mature for eight months. Ficacci’s giant Sicilian sweet green olives are produced using a slightly different method. The fruits are picked when they’ve barely had a chance to ripen and are soaked in an alkaline solution called lye before they’re fermented to remove the bitterness. The resulting olives are very different to Gaetas; they’re sweet, crunchy and quite beautiful with a glass of Prosecco. Another variety that’s perfect with an aperitivo is the Bella di Cerignola – a huge black olive from Puglia that’s almost the size of a small plum. Produced by specialist Di Lecce Nicola in the town of Margherita di Savoia, the olives have a pleasant bitterness that matches the tartness of a “spritz” – a classic Italian cocktail made with Prosecco and Aperol.

158

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

TOP, FROM LEFT Riedel Veritas Champagne glass £55 for set of two; Alessi Tonale mini plate £7.50 and mini cup £7.50, and Glass Family glass £5.50; ABOVE Olives being harvested

Puglia is the olive capital of Italy, with tens of millions of trees – some well over 100 years old – that hug the Adriatic coastline on the “heel” of the country. Giant green Sant Agostino olives, which have a distinct aniseed flavour, are among Di Lecce’s most popular, but there are dozens of others that also grow in the region. “In the north you have Cerignola and Sant Agostino, but in Bari you’ve got Leccino olives and in other areas they grow a type called Peranzana – every area of Puglia has different crops,” explains Elena Iagulli, Di Lecce’s export manager. “Puglia is a beautiful part of Italy; we’ve got art, music, different languages and wonderful food. You can have bread, wine and olives, and your day is done.” The irony is that although Italians are passionate about regional food and will defend their village’s local olive oil to the hilt, they are as guilty as the rest of us when it comes to taking table olives for granted. In fact, as Dottorini explains, most of the olives eaten by Italians are imported: “Italy is the biggest consumer of table olives in the world, but for years we’ve been buying them from Greece because most of our olives are used for oil.” Dottorini is determined to change all that, however, and he’s on a one-man mission to convert Italians to their native olives, taking his prized Gaetas with him wherever he goes. “I always take them to dinner parties, and when I go to see friends,” he says. “They’re starting to understand that not all olives are the same.” HMN Olives available from Food Halls, Ground Floor. Homewares available from Alessi and Cookshop, Second Floor Patrick McGuigan writes for Square Meal, ShortList and Restaurant

Olive-picking Getty Images

SEA TROUT EN PAPILLOTE WITH OLIVES, ARTICHOKES, BASIL AND BROAD BEANS Serves 4 1 lemon, halved 4 small young artichokes (or 4 marinated artichoke hearts in oil, drained and quartered) 4 plump sea trout or salmon fillets (about 175g each) Handful green olives, pitted 100g broad beans, (podded weight) blanched and podded Handful basil leaves 50ml white wine 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

Serve with...

Castell del Remei Oda Blanc 2012, Spain, £14.95

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a mixing bowl and fill with cold water. Pull the outer leaves from each artichoke and use a sharp knife to peel and trim the stem. Cut off the pointed ends of the leaves and use a teaspoon to take the hairy “choke” out of each (very young artichokes won’t have formed a choke). Drop the artichokes into salted, boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes, until tender. Refresh under cool water, drain and quarter. 2 Cut out four 30cm squares of baking parchment. Place a trout or salmon fillet in the centre of each square and divide the quartered artichokes, olives, broad beans and basil among them. Season well with salt and pepper. 3 Fold each square loosely over the fish to make four parcels, allowing extra room for steam. Before sealing, divide the wine and oil among them. The paper should hold if firmly folded, but secure it with string for extra security, if you wish. 4 Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the fish just flakes when pressed. Unwrap the parcels at the table, and drizzle with a little extra olive oil.

Alessi Glass Family goblet £5.50; Villeroy & Boch Oscar cutlery £429 for 12-piece set

160

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

OLIVE FOUGASSE Makes 4 loaves 600g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 15g fresh yeast or 7g fast-acting dried yeast 2 tsp sea salt, plus extra to scatter over before baking 75ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling Coarse semolina for dusting 120g pitted green or black olives, chopped

Serve with...

Juan Gil 4 Monastrell 2013, Spain, £9.95

1 Combine half the flour with the yeast and 250ml hand-hot water in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon (or a mixer paddle attachment) for 3 minutes. Cover with oiled clingfilm and set aside in a warm (not hot) place for 3– 4 hours. The dough will rise and fall during this time. 2 Add the remaining flour, 50ml hand-hot water, salt and oil. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface, or in a mixer using a dough hook, for about 10 minutes, until elastic and smooth. 3 Cover the bowl with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for an hour in a warm place, until the dough has doubled in size. (Alternatively, refrigerate to rise overnight, but remove the bowl from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking.) 4 Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8. Punch the dough firmly and halve it. Lightly oil two large, flat baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with semolina. Knead in the olives and divide the dough into four pieces. 5 On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out to a 3cm-thick oval. Place two ovals on each baking sheet, then cut two short, vertical lines up the centre and three short diagonal slashes up each half. Gently pull each cut apart to form oblong holes. 6 Cover with damp tea towels or oiled clingfilm and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with sea salt and bake for 15 minutes until golden. Cool on wire racks.

FOOD

SEARED SQUID, HERB AND OLIVE SALAD

HALLOUMI, OLIVE AND WATERMELON SALAD

Serves 4

200g cherry or plum tomatoes 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 400g small squid with tentacles, cleaned 100g large green olives, pitted 2 red chillies, finely chopped Pinch of caster sugar ½ lemon, juice only Handful Thai or standard basil leaves Small handful coriander leaves 250g ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced Small handful parsley leaves

Serve with...

Fernando de Castilla Classic Manzanilla sherry, Spain, £14.95

1 Preheat the grill to medium. Toss the cherry tomatoes with ½ tablespoon of olive oil, spread them out on a baking tray and grill for about 5 minutes, turning when halfway done, until the skins begin to char and blister. Set aside. 2 Open the squid hoods out flat by making a cut from top to bottom. Use a sharp knife to score the squid in a crosshatch pattern (or you can ask your fishmonger to prepare the squid for you). 3 Finely chop half the olives and slice the other half (reserve these). Combine the chopped olives with one of the chopped chillies, the sugar, 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice. Finely chop 2 tablespoons of the basil and add this, along with 1 tablespoon of water, to make a dressing. Season to taste. 4 Put the remaining 1½ tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the squid and the remaining chilli. Fry briskly for 2 minutes until the squid has turned bright white and curled up. Season with salt and pepper. 5 Combine the cooked squid with the grilled tomatoes, sliced heirloom tomatoes, whole parsley leaves and sliced olives. Divide among 4 serving plates and spoon the dressing over.

800g ripe watermelon, peeled and seeded 250g halloumi, cut into 1cm-thick slices 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 50g Kalamata or similar black olives, pitted 50g wild rocket leaves 2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

1 Cut the watermelon flesh into chunks. 2 Place a griddle pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Coat the halloumi slices with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry for 1 minute on each side, until they develop griddle marks. 3 Combine the grilled halloumi with the watermelon, olives, rocket, vinegar and remaining oil. Scatter with the pumpkin seeds and season with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Serve with...

Naia Rueda 2013, Spain, £11.95

Alessi Glass Family white wine glass £5.50 and Mami dinner plate £16; Villeroy & Boch Oscar cutlery £429 for 12-piece set

Alessi Tonale plate £16, mini cup £7.50 and set of 4 coffee spoons £23

Wine available from The Wine Rooms, Lower Ground Floor; Homewares available from Entertaining at Home and Villeroy & Boch, Second Floor HAR RODS M AGAZINE

161

FOOD

The OLIVE OILS

Primvs Linguine 500g £6.25

Frescobaldi Asparagus and Truffle Paté 340g, £12.95

Don Antonio Caperberries in Prosecco 180g, £4.95

Frescobaldi Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml, £26.95

Diadema Extra Virgin Olive Oil 75cl, £60

Leonardi Balsamic Gran Riserva Oro 100-Year-Old 68g, £235

Buon APPETITO

Medici Ermete Lambrusco Reggiano Concerto 75cl, £15.95

Indulge in the ﬂavours of Italy, including olive oil, pressed to perfection

Leonardi Balsamic Glaze with Chilli Pepper 210g, £4.95

Leonardi Speciale Balsamic 4-year-old balsamic 100ml, £10.95

Lorenzo No. 5 Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml, £29.95

Primvs Pomodoro Pelati 520g, £10.95

Available from The Wine Rooms, Lower Ground Floor; Food Halls, Ground Floor; and harrods.com

162

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

Olives photograph Jonathan Gregson; food styling Alice Hart

Frescobaldi Arrabbiata 340g, £7.50

NEWS

Feshly sou ced

Lebanese figs The honeyed Middle Eastern favourite is full of texture, with a smooth skin, chewy flesh and crunchy seeds. The syrupy treats are high in fibre and vitamin B.

High steaks As steakhouses have cut an ever wider swathe through London, Wagyu beef has become a staple on exclusive menus. Now this most delicate of meats is being taken to the next level as Japanese Wagyu returns to the UK. The prized beef comes from Tajima-gyu cattle raised in Hyogo Prefecture. The cows graze in small pockets of mountainous arable land that were once used in rice production; this location, as well as the cattle’s high-quality diet, has led to the meat’s unique flavour (full) and texture (tender and extremely well marbled). From £195/kg. Available from Food Halls and The Steakhouse, Ground Floor

Comice pears Among the juiciest of pears, the rounded Comice has a creamy texture bursting with sweetness; it’s the perfect accompaniment to soft cheeses.

In good taste

Figs, pears, porcini and walnuts Alamy; pumpkins iStock

Is there anything Tom Dixon can’t do? The interior designer now has a café to his name: Sandwich by Tom Dixon. To be fair, Dixon isn’t actually making the sarnies; these, plus breakfast bites, sweet treats and cakes, will come from Harrods’ kitchens. But his signature is all over the industrial-chic design, complete with a creative approach to lighting. “London Porker” hog roast in a crusty roll, or brown shrimp mayonnaise with fried capers on seeded brown bread look and taste even better when seated in oversized chairs under upturned-wine-glass lamps. Sandwich by Tom Dixon opens on 5th October on the Third Floor

Local ﬂavour When we think of gin, it tends to be with tonic, ice and a slice. But connoisseurs will revel in Chilgrove’s “gin for all seasons”, launched on World Gin Day this past June. Chilgrove, based in Sussex, is the first gin to be made from a base of neutral spirit distilled from grapes rather than cereals. The craft method results in a much gentler mouthfeel, allowing the delicate flavours to come through in a complex yet refreshing flavour. On a base of juniper berries are notes of coriander seed, angelica root, UK-grown water mint, liquorice root and six other botanicals. 70cl, £34.95. Available from The Spirits Room, Lower Ground Floor

Porcini With a high protein content, a meat-like texture and a strong, nutty taste, the thickstemmed porcini is a flavoursome addition to risottos, soups or sauces.

Pumpkins Not limited solely to Halloween carving, the pumpkin is a great alternative to butternut squash. The flesh can be mashed like a potato, and adds sweetness to soups.

Wet walnuts The wet walnut flavour is mild, milky and sweet without the brittle crispness of a dried nut. Packed with protein and amino acids. Available from Food Halls, Ground Floor HAR RODS M AGAZINE

165

FOOD

CARLO CRACCO

DINING under the stars

Yearned to try Italy’s best restaurants but never found time on your travels? Fear not; they’re coming to London BY GUY WOODWA

he food world is getting smaller. This may seem a contradiction when the cuisines of countries such as Iceland, Peru and South Korea are expanding our culinary horizons. But the flip side is that it’s getting ever easier to taste the food of the world’s great chefs as they export their star status across the globe. Over the next five months, a quintet of Italy’s most celebrated chefs will be taking up a month’s residency in-store at the most starry of pop-ups yet: Stelle di Stelle, which is presented in partnership with culinary organisation Identità Golose.

Herbs and spices iStock

Stelle di Stelle, Lower Ground Floor. For bookings, call 020 7893 8700 or email stelle.di.stelle@harrods.com

Cracco started his career under the renowned Gualtiero Marchesi in Milan in 1986. After training with Alain Ducasse in Monte Carlo and Alain Senderens in Paris, he joined Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence and helped it gain three Michelin stars. From there he set up his own restaurant, Le Clivie, in Cuneo (one star) and then the renowned Cracco-Peck (two stars), which he runs today. “For me, regional products are crucial in creating new dishes and finding fresh inspiration. They enhance the gastronomic and cultural legacy that every Italian region enjoys. Take veal marrow, for example. Traditionally it’s used as a condiment for risotto, instead of butter, but we consider it an ingredient in its own right. I couldn’t live without it. And pig snout. It’s typically found in cassoeula, a traditional Milanese dish, but we use it to make an antipasto with scampi and green tomatoes. We call it ‘musetto’. It’s a very contemporary dish but one that still draws upon tradition and territory. I love it. “Travelling is important to me as a chef, though. When I travel, I bring back flavours, perfumes, memories. These things challenge and inspire me. That’s their role. So yes, we experiment. We have just tried several dishes with a special lemon from Vietnam, as it’s useful to understand there are variations in one single product, even if we don’t end up using them. Ultimately, though, for me, Italian cuisine stays Italian. I am a fan of local ingredients. Luckily, we are blessed with so many in Italy. And even Italians who don’t cook very well are very inquisitive and tend to have creative ideas.” HAR RODS M AGAZINE

167

COOKING MASTERCLASSES

No longer regarded as a mere garnish, olives take their place centre stage this month as international kitchen brands such as Le Creuset, Wüsthof and Vitamix demonstrate how to make breads, salads and tapenade

Vitamix

Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th October, 10am–7pm Using the extraordinarily speedy Professional Series 500, the Vitamix team will show you how to whizz up a smooth olive paste, the ideal accompaniment to grissini.

Wüsthof

Friday 3rd October, 11am–4pm With the help of knife experts Wüsthof, dice, slice and learn how to professionally prepare an olive marinade-based sea trout dish.

Le Creuset

Saturday 4th October, 11am–4pm With more than 80 years at the forefront of cast-iron cookware, Le Creuset knows its pans, and its team will show how to make olive fougasse and a freshly seared halloumi salad.

Miele

Sunday 5th October, 12pm–5pm Efficiency and state-of-the-art cooking techniques are fundamental to Miele, and the team will make a variety of olive loaves to illustrate how the MoisturePlus function on its ovens helps prevent food drying out.

KitchenAid

Friday 17th and Saturday 18th October, 11.30am–4pm Its renowned mixer is the kitchen appliance of the moment, and the KitchenAid team will use the Artisan to create crusty olive bread – which will then be finished off in the Artisan toaster.

Scanpan

Saturday 18th October, 12pm–5pm Danish brand Scanpan proves its roasting dishes and sauté pans aren’t just examples of typical Scandi-cool design, but are also perfect equipment for bread making.

Sage

Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th October, 11am–6pm The Control Grip All in One from Sage by Heston Blumenthal has been dubbed the Swiss Army knife of the kitchen; here it will be put to work making an olive and sun-blush-tomato bread, along with a tapenade.

For more information, please call 020 7730 1234 and ask to speak to The Cookshop. Please note, these are not ticketed events.

NEWS

Frieze frame

STEAMING ahead

It’s not enough these days to be able to whip up a quick Bolognese – we’re all expected to master slow-cooking and sous-vide, not to mention baking for Britain. Fortunately, the good folk at Sub-Zero & Wolf have put all three disciplines within reach via its convection steam oven. Cooking with steam tends to maintain natural Q\PJLZ HUK ÅH]V\YZ LUZ\YPUN KLSPJH[L TVPZ[ textures. From £4,700. Available from Kitchen Appliances, Second Floor

Frieze of Archers is an ancient Persian mural dating back to 510 BC and today housed in the Louvre. The frieze’s beauty and condition have long attracted admirers including Spanish ceramic specialist Lladró, which has created a vase based on the scene. Employing the same coral, khaki and blue tones as the original, and incorporating rich golden hues, every detail has been meticulously reconstructed to celebrate Persian history. £1,500. Available from Luxury Home, Second Floor

Done in 60

SECONDS

For those who can’t function without their morning caffeine, the latest addition to the Lattissima family provides the fix. The compact, countertop Lattissima Pro can brew a cappuccino, latte or macchiato in under a minute, while the latte crema function allows for milk to be heated to the ideal temperature. If that doesn’t make baristas happy enough, this new machine from DeLonghi even has an intuitive touchscreen control that learns your order. Not to mention arguably its most beneficial feature: the auto-clean function. £429.99. Available from Kitchen Appliances, Second Floor

TV on the GO

German electronics giant Loewe is all about firsts: it completed the first electronic film transmission and built the first colour television. The new Ultra HD 4K Connect continues the brand’s technological progress. As well as having picture quality four times clearer than HD, its 1TB of storage means recording and binge-watching TV dramas (in HD or 3D, of course) is just a fingertap away. Plus, if a show comes on, but you have to leave the room, “Smart TV2move” can stream it to your tablet. Available from Loewe Televisions, Third Floor HAR RODS M AGAZINE

171

NEWS A

RECIPE BOOKS

Vorsprung durch Technik

While most cameras by Leica are known for referencing days gone by via a retro look, the latest model is a leap into the future. The brand has worked with Audi Design to create the first camera to be made from a single block of aluminium. The result is the Leica T, a sleek design with a smart matt finish. Functionality-wise, the camera aims to demystify the complexity of professional photography with fewer controls and an easy-to-use multifunctional touchscreen, while its APS-C format image sensor takes sharp pictures at 16.5 megapixels. £1,350. Available from Harrods Technology, Third Floor

Tokyo treat

An elegant hotel with individual touches makes a long-haul journey worthwhile. Though it only opened in 2012, Tokyo’s Palace Hotel is already earning “go-to” status. Overlooking the Imperial Palace gardens, it has everything one could wish for: restaurants, bars, a spa, even a small library. Among the 10 restaurants and bars is Tatsumi – a tempura bar – that sources its produce from the renowned Tsukiji Market. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, the Palace offers little extras too, like the “Transcendent Tokyo” package: a bespoke tour of the city’s impressive art scene. palacehoteltokyo.com

World-class craft High-quality furniture can come from the most modest of beginnings. And while, as the son of the late Princess Margaret, David Linley’s heritage can’t be called that, he founded his brand in far from stately surroundings – above a chip shop, with the desire to uphold craftsmanship while pushing its boundaries. The Linley Globe accentuates the brand’s dedication to design: raised relief adds tactility to mountain ranges; the dark-stained walnut frame shows traditional craftsmanship; popular shipping routes and details of famous explorers’ ships are also drawn across the sphere. Informative, enticing and traditional then – while remaining true to Linley’s original aims from those chip-shop days. £3,250. Available from The Great Writing Room, Second Floor

e coo ng

The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit Every ingredient has an ideal partner. The book highlights four main tastes: meaty, cheesy, woodland and floral fruity. Within these are 99 popular ingredients paired with their perfect companions. £18.99 Green Kitchen Travels by David Frenkiel & Luise Vindahl David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl love travelling. They explore the world and document a plethora of vegetarian dishes in their new book. San Francisco, Sri Lanka and Thailand are a few of the locations to yield recipes. £25 Honey & Co. by Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer Adored by food critics, Honey & Co. restaurant in London has caused quite a stir in the industry, despite the fact that it has only been open for 18 months. £25 Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi With more than 150 recipes, the book is split into sections by cooking methods: grilled, baked, braised and so on. It’s an atypical yet logical approach intended to facilitate more home cooking. £27 Roast Figs, Sugar Snow by Diana Henry The Sunday Telegraph’s renowned food writer, Diana Henry, spent five years travelling to cold climates, mainly across Europe, to create a collection of soulwarming winter dishes. £20 Available from The Harrods Bookshop, Second Floor

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

173

ISLAND LIFE It has held on to its history and charm and resisted brash development. Nevis is where the cognoscenti head for total relaxation BY NIGEL TISDALL

veryone likes the sound of a holiday in the Caribbean, but where did this great idea start? The answer is Nevis, a soaring, rainforestwrapped volcanic island 50 miles west of Antigua that is, for me, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Shaped like a huge green sombrero, its centrepiece is a 3,232ft mountain, Nevis Peak, that is often capped with a quiff of white cloud. This accounts for the island’s name, which derives from the Spanish patron saint Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows). It was here, in 1778, that the Caribbean’s first purposebuilt resort, The Bath Hotel and Spring House, was opened by a local merchant, John Huggins, complete with a ballroom, Italian gardens and thermal spa. The posing and partying that went on during the 18th-century sugar boom seems as lavish as the celebrities-and-superyachts scene that enlivens the Caribbean today. One newspaper

E 174

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

ABOVE Nisbet Plantation Beach Club

reported how the “Clarindas, Belindas and Elviras” of the day would sweep along in flounced petticoats accompanied by “pretty fellows” in top hats and velvet coats with “canes dangling from the fifth button”. A few years later, Horatio Nelson sailed in and married a local widow, Fanny Nisbet, with the Prince of Wales giving away the bride – you can see the marriage record in the nearby St John’s Fig Tree Anglican Church. Nevis has long had aristocratic pedigree and a reputation as a place to which the Caribbean cognoscenti like to slip away. Others may fall for the sporty social whirl of Barbados, the in-crowd chumminess of Mustique or the Gallic glamour of St Barths, but this is where you go for that truly relaxing holiday without the bodyguards and paparazzi. Nevis was where Diana, Princess of Wales, escaped in December 1992, hiding away in the hills at Montpelier Plantation, which is still a dignified country-house hotel with a splendid swimming pool and affable golden labradors who lie at your feet as you enjoy afternoon tea. In 2010, US Vogue editor Anna Wintour spent Christmas in the modest comfort of Golden Rock Inn, a foliagewrapped former sugar estate in Gingerland that has been turned into a style-savvy bolthole by New York-based artists Brice and Helen Marden. Ben Affleck, Meryl Streep, John Travolta – the names spill out of the mouths of local taxi-drivers as fast as the private jets zoom into the island’s tiny Vance W Amory Airport. This is all thanks, in great part, to the presence of a spacious Four Seasons Resort, one of the most inviting in the collection, that is set beside the three-mile white sands of Pinney’s Beach. With an immaculate golf course and top-class tennis facilities, it’s a big hit with active families, while others will want to check out its new bar, stocking 101 rums. Peace, sunshine and a sense of sanctuary are the common link for all visitors. Nevis, along with its sister island of St Kitts two miles to the northwest, was where New York’s firefighters came to recuperate after the trauma of 9/11. It has always been a place for rest and recovery, welcoming everyone from rocked-out rock stars to failed American presidential candidates with its sleepy roads, bewitching turquoise waters and big Nevisian smiles. Part of the appeal is that there are no brash all-inclusives here, or mega-cruise ships disgorging thousands of bum-bagged tourists. There’s a decent villa scene, and a healthy stock of well-established plantation-style hotels adorned with large and luxuriant gardens – or, in the case of Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, set in a grove of coconut palms bordering a well-kept beach. There’s also a charm and character that is being lost on many other islands. Tourism is the lifeblood of the Caribbean, and development is everywhere. On St Kitts, new five-star residences like Kittitian Hill, which opens in December, and Christophe Harbour, where a superyacht marina and a Park Hyatt resort are taking shape, are signs that the luxury real-estate hurricane is now blowing this way. Nevis has its grand projects too, including a hope that geothermal power will save the day, but for the time being its roads remain the unsullied home of dozing dogs and fallen mangos. Charlestown, the capital, is a well-preserved port of Georgian buildings and quaint houses with wooden balconies, where fishermen still summon up custom by blowing on a conch shell. Driving around the island, which is only 36 square miles, takes all of 45 minutes – although

T R AV E L

Golden ock Inn Nigel Tisdall

there are plenty of sights to waylay the traveller, from the ruins of sugar estates to the shell of Cottle Church. Turtles nest on the beaches from March to November, and if you want a workout, try climbing Nevis Peak, a long, muddy struggle that involves hauling yourself up on ropes, rocks and tree roots. You can go horseriding in the hills, and races are held on public holidays at Indian Castle, although these are often low-key due to a dearth of jockeys. And, of course, you can relax. Lie in a hammock reading June Goodfield’s Rivers of Time: Why is Everyone Talking to Philippa? (Matador, £10), an engaging historical novel set on the island, or get liming in the beach bars enjoying grilled fish, reggae beats and knock-you-flat rum punches. The hotels lead the way on fine dining, but there are also several independent spots worth your time, from the Friday night, all-welcome roadside barbecue run by the local Water Department, to Bananas, owned by a talented British chef, that serves local lobster and Caribbean favourites like goat water (spicy stew) and coconut cake. At night, as you sit on your verandah listening to the tree frogs and relishing the tropical warmth, it’s a sure bet that someone will raise a glass and say that coming to Nevis was actually a rather good idea. Over two centuries on from the first Caribbean breaks, the lure is still as strong as ever. Only now we can do it so easily, and in supreme comfort. What are you waiting for? HMN Nigel Tisdall contributes to The Telegraph and is travel editor of Marie Claire British Airways flies from London Gatwick to St Kitts from £640 return. Your hotel can arrange boat transfer to Nevis. For more information, see nevisisland.com. Stay: montpeliernevis.com; fourseasons.com/nevis; nisbetplantation.com. Dine: goldenrocknevis.com; bananasrestaurantnevis.com

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Montpelier

Plantation and Beach Estate; reception at Golden Rock Inn; Four Seasons Resort Nevis; fresh lobster at Bananas restaurant

HAR RODS M AGAZINE

175

WILLIAM MEWS Knightsbridge, SW1X Tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac, this one-bedroom house of approximately 447sq ft (42sq m) has been recently refurbished. The accommodation features a ground-floor open-plan reception/kitchen, with stairs leading up to a first-floor galleried double bedroom with en-suite bathroom. Residents can park on a first-come, first-served basis, and there’s also a patio area at the front of the house. Available immediately on a furnished basis for long-term lets. EPC rating D. Price: £725 per week plus property fees (£180 admin & £160 checkout). References: £42 per person* *http://www.harrodsestates.com/tenants 020 7225 6602 karen.boland@harrodsestates.com

HARRODSESTATES.COM

LANCELOT PLACE Knightsbridge, SW7 Located in a modern, portered block just off the Brompton Road, this beautifully presented threebedroom apartment of approximately 2,702sq ft (251sq m) has a west-facing reception/dining room, three double bedrooms – all with en-suite bathrooms – a kitchen and a utility room. Parking is available by separate negotiation. Available on a furnished basis for long-term let. EPC rating D. Price: £5,500 per week plus property fees (£180 admin & £252 checkout). References: £42 per person* *http://www.harrodsestates.com/tenants 020 7225 6602 karen.boland@harrodsestates.com

KNIGHTSBRIDGE OFFICE: 82 BROMPTON ROAD LONDON SW3 1ER T: +44 (0)20 7225 6506 MAYFAIR OFFICE: 61 PARK LANE LONDON W1 1QF T: +44 (0)20 7409 9001 CHELSEA OFFICE: 58 FULHAM ROAD LONDON SW3 6HH T: +44 (0)20 7225 6700 HARRODSESTATES.COM

MY STYLE

“I consider the adjective ‘trendy’ as an insult if used in reference to me. That’s really what I don’t want to be”

The 6 th C nnes Fil estiv l

Burberry coat £1,195

The Missoni family at the AW14 catwalk show

y style

With gran dmother Rosita an d mother A ngela

In New York for SS12 MercedesBenz Fashion Week

MARGHERITA MACCAPANI MISSONI

The fashion heiress and zigzag maven gives us a lesson in how to wear print and discloses why the last thing she wants to be is trendy

Missoni has a very distinct aesthetic, as do you – how would you describe your personal style? My style is spontaneous and instinctive. It reflects my background, what I’ve seen, where I’ve been and who I’ve met. My aesthetic definitely has a Missoni imprint, but it’s been influenced by numerous other things. Do you wear Missoni all the time or do you mix it with other labels? If so, which other labels? I love fashion and I’m a good client of several of our competitors – it’s important for me to know what the market offers. My favourites include: Alaïa, Proenza Schouler, Charlotte Olympia, Miu Miu, Giambattista Valli, Acne, Céline, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Manolo Blahnik and Hermès. You come from a family of inspirational women – what have you learned about style from them? My grandmother Rosita, my mother Angela and I have different styles, but we share the same taste. Every afternoon after school I used to go to the factory and hang around the atelier, playing with models and pieces of fabric. I picked up a lot just by cruising around, and I learned a little bit from everyone who surrounded me – but mostly from my mother and my grandmother. Colour and prints are two fashion elements at which Missoni excels, but they can scare a lot of people. What advice would you give to monochrome addicts? I personally don’t find it hard to wear colour or prints. It’s something that comes naturally to me – it’s what I’ve seen while growing up. But I do understand that it’s not the same for other people. And I think it’s such

178

H A R RODS M AGA ZINE

a shame, because prints are so much fun to wear! I suggest adding bits here and there, slowly moving up to bigger statement garments. What’s your ultimate fashion splurge? Jewellery – I wear it almost every day. Usually I’ll wear a few pieces over a long period and then change them in favour of a different set. I’m mesmerised by precious stones: diamonds, emeralds, rubies – I crave them. I’ve recently been saving up for this 1940s diamond ring that I can’t wait to see on my finger! Eventually my biggest splurge will be a couture piece. I want to live that experience at least once – but hopefully more than that! What are your wardobe essentials? A good trench coat from Burberry, Aquascutum or 1970s YSL, and a nice Indian pashmina. Do you pay attention to trends, or do you dress more based on mood and function? I’m really into dress codes and themed gatherings; I enjoy dressing for the occasion, but otherwise I always dress for my mood – how I feel, how I want to feel, how I want people to feel about me. I consider the adjective “trendy” as an insult if used in reference to me. That’s really what I don’t want to be. Does your style change from season to season? I think it’s pretty constant, although I’m probably getting more adventurous with trends as I get older, whether it’s body-con dresses or mega-prints. Available from International Designer and Luxury Collections, First Floor; and harrods.com

Zigzag iStockphoto; runway Catwalking.com; Missoni family Getty Images; Cannes Corbis; New York Rex Features