Hot Brands Cool Places - The Fashion Issue Feb 2012

HOT BRANDS COOL PLACES The Fashion Issue

FASHION CULTURE LIFESTYLE

FEBRUARY 2012

EDITOR’S LETTER Welcome to our Fashion Issue, full of fabulous Spring fashions. We also have fascinating interviews with Kelly Doust, author of Minxy Vintage, and Nicholas Ayoub and Harry Beattie, Founders of OPUMO Ltd. If you have been inspired by Heston Blumenthal’s recent television series we review his very creative Heston Blumenthal at Home. Plus we start our countdown to Mother’s Day with some fabulous beauty and pampering products. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to visit our website as we have lovely new companies joining our Directory every week. Also if you want to make sure that you are first to receive our weekly newsletter and our monthly magazine why not add your name to our subscriber list. http://www.hotbrandscoolplaces.com/ Picture Credits:

Front and inside cover images courtesy of kew.159

http://www.kew159.com/

Images throughout the magazine supplied by the various companies, or publishers featured.

Please Note All information about products and services are supplied to us by the individual organizations, or agencies acting on their behalf. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, it may be subject to change. Please check with individual organizations for the latest information about all events, products, or news items.Inclusion in this feature does not imply endorsement by Hot Brands Cool Places. Hot Brands Cool Places does not accept responsibility for the content of any external site.

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KEW.159 Previously known as Kew, kew.159 was re-launched and re-branded in August 2011. The British brand focuses on beautiful, great quality and affordable clothes and accessories for real women that take you from season to season and from day to evening effortlessly and in great comfort and style. The Spring 2012 collection features a gorgeous array of bright and pastel colours, easy-to-wear shapes and soft tailoring in luxurious fabrics and classic styles.

The exclusive print dresses are wardrobe essentials and the statement jewellery is to die for. http://www.kew159.com

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Hot Brands Cool Places chatted with Kelly Doust , Author for an exlusive interview.

INTERVIEW

You have been very productive since we last interviewed you, how have you managed to create so many fabulous books, how have you found the time and the inspiration?

It’s fairly easy when you write about subjects you’re passionate about. Fashion, craft and vintage are more than just interests. They’re a lifestyle, really. I split my time between being looking after my three-year-old daughter, writing, and indulging in all of the above. I’m inspired by so many things; talented friends and designers, art, films, delicious fabric and trimmings, nature, novels and the lost sewing and tailoring techniques found in vintage clothing.

In your latest book Minxy Vintage you talk about the joys of creating new and modern outfits from vintage pieces, do you have a favourite period?

I’m a bowerbird for all vintage bits and bobs but my favourite pieces for the exceptional beading and detail work are 1920s and antique evening wear – from frocks and shrugs to scarves, coats and clutch bags. But they’re often too delicate to wear and usually only available in small sizes, so I opt for fifties and sixties pieces for special occasions – they create such drama. During the day I tend to wear seventies kaftans around the house or to the beach, and fitted sixties ‘Wiggle’ dresses when I have a meeting.

What has been your most exciting vintage find?

Too many to remember, but my heart skipped a beat when I found a pair of retro black suede Chanel pumps in a Battersea charity store for eight pounds. Ten years later I’m still wearing them, and they’re one of the most treasured items in my wardrobe.

Has your love of vintage clothing been incorporated into the interior of your home?

Absolutely. While I think you should always buy the best you can afford, I always maximize a budget by buying the best second-hand pieces first. Apart from a few utilitarian items from IKEA, all the furniture in our house is vintage. My most-cherished piece is a 1920s sofa, which I found for a pittance at auction and transformed with professional reupholstery.

You have lived and worked in different places around the globe if you could time travel, describe a perfect day for you.

What an exciting question. I’d wake at dawn in Paris to scour the Porte de Clignancourt markets, then whisk over to Paul Bakery in London for pastry and pot of tea with my best friend, slipping in an exhibition at the V&A. A late morning stroll through the galleries, boutiques and sights of New York’s Soho would be followed by a drive through the Tuscan hills with my husband and daughter, winetasting and feasting on pizza and pasta along the way. We’d share cheeky cocktails with friends on the roof of Saigon’s Rex Hotel while watching the sun set, then we’d fly home to catch an old Hollywood film at the Open Air Cinema on Sydney Harbour, riding home on our scooter through the balmy evening. That would just about cover it.

What’s next for you, do you have any exciting projects planned?

I’m working on another book about vintage, as well as a novel. Plus a couple of pet projects with my friend Jess, a designer and vintage clothing dealer. The biggest obstacle is finding the time to pursue everything. I often wish for more hours in the day. http://thecraftyminx.com.au/ 5

Minxy Vintage -How to Customise and Wear Vintage Clothing-Kelly Doust Synopsis: Do you browse through vintage or retro clothes at flea markets and wish you had the knack to breathe new life into the dated frocks, skirts and smocks?

Whether you’ve been trotting out in vintage forever, or you’ve come late to the vintage trend, quality vintage pieces are a modern staple of every woman’s wardrobe for their unique beauty and flair. But how do you find the best vintage pieces, or know them when you see them? And how can you customise and wear them, without looking dated?

Crafter, fashionista and vintage vixen Kelly Doust delves through her wardrobe and scours flea markets far and wide to bring together a fabulous collection of delectable vintage finds.

This is not just a book about loving vintage fashion: it’s about seeing the wonderful possibilities for updating all old clothes, and how to look fabulous doing so, no matter what your age, location or budget.

“Kelly Doust introduces readers to her wonderful world of reviving and customizing vintage pieces, with tips on how to find, buy, clean, repair and salvage vintage clothing. I think that Minxy Vintage is great guide for anyone who wants to bring their crafting and sewing skills to create personal and individual pieces from budget vintage finds, while bringing a modern and unique twist to wearing vintage clothes.” - Dita Von Teese Hot Brands Cool Places Verdict We love Kelly’s books here at Hot Brands Cool Places, whenever a new one lands on our desks you can guarantee it will be uplifting and inspiring and Minxy Vintage is no exception. This book is an absolute joy, beautifully illustrated, full of handy hints, and Kelly’s enthusiastic commentary and guidance about how to customize vintage pieces. The contents burst with fabulous ideas including include, How to get Started, Crafty Repairs, followed by Seriously Fabulous Frocks, Nice Day for a White Wedding, Gorgeous Jackets and Coats , Too-Chic Tops and Blouses, Sweet Skirts, None-Too-Nanna Knits, Foxy Accessorising Boudoir Basics and Saucy Shapewear, as well as thoughts on style.

Kelly has an intuitively natural creative style, and when coupled with her love of fashion, this book is an absolute joy and delight, we loved it. Highly Recommended! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Minxy-Vintage-Kelly-Doust/dp/1742666426

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CRUMPET Crumpet is an edgy-cool knitwear brand that creates stylish staples in a number of luxurious yarns. From super soft cashmere to jersey basics, Crumpet provides the fashion loving woman with must have wardrobe essentials. In delectable ditsy floral prints and a plethora of eye popping colours, Crumpet’s contemporary staples are perfect for looking simply chic. www.crumpetengland.com

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DENISONBOSTON Denisonboston’s signature look of colour, pattern and materials; the denisonboston collection is co-ordinated, distinctive array of modern formal accessories for the contemporary gentleman.

All presented in innovative denisonboston presentation packaging. Available from www.denisonboston.com

PEONY AND MOORE Peony & Moore are British designers of luxury handbags providing practicality and timeless shapes to suit the modern woman for whom both fashion as well as price is very important.

British Design without Designer Prices. www.peonyandmoore.com

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Hot Brands Cool Places talked with Nicholas Ayoub & Harry Beattie, Founders, OPUMO Ltd for an exclusive interview

INTERVIEW What inspired you to start OPUMO? The concept for OPUMO came from our own frustrations at not being able to find a destination that was solely dedicated to men’s accessories that were great quality and well designed. To find accessories you had to go to each big brand individually and see what they offered and if you knew of any of the smaller brands there was no way to really purchase most of them in the UK. Accessories were often just an afterthought on clothing websites and no one really specialized in or had a passion for them. We started finding smaller brands that we loved on websites and blogs dedicated to men’s fashion. On our travels we also came across some amazing brands that just weren’t accessible in the UK. With the men’s accessories market growing we could see that there was a gap in the market so we wondered if there was a reason that there wasn’t a site sourcing and retailing unique, fine men’s accessories but we came to discover that it simply hadn’t been done before and so we decided to launch OPUMO. How did your previous experience help you with developing the brand?

We knew that we would buy these things if we could and that other people would too. In our professional and personal lives everyone was dressing very well but frequently had run of the mill accessories, mainly because that’s all that was readily available. The more we explored the idea we realized that people were always asking around for ideas for accessories to buy for themselves and for the men in their lives. We really approached this from the point of view of the consumer because that’s what were and who we still are. We listened to what our friends and family were saying they were looking for and went from there.

What is a typical day in your life?

Our days at OPUMO are wide and varied, we could be doing one of a million things. We’re constantly searching for the best in men’s accessories – that could mean we’re at trade shows, scouring blogs or talking to style leaders about what they think is going to be popular.

We’re often debating the merits of various brands or products that catch our eye; we feel as though once a brand is represented on the site we’ve really recommended it to the OPUMO customer and given it our stamp of approval so we have to make sure that it’s right. Social media and its addictive nature means that we spend a lot of time on our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest accounts – they’re really great for connecting directly with our customers and finding out what they’re loving. Occasionally we find the time to go to the odd party, we’re certainly enjoying entering the fashion world and telling people all about OPUMO.

What are your plans for the future, how can you see OPUMO developing?

At the moment we’re placing orders for AW12 so we are developing a clear idea of how OPUMO is going to look in the near future. We want to continue to be accessible to men at all stages of their life in terms of style and price point. We’re working on developing our offering and expanding the range of products that we currently retail. We’re searching for the best in books, fragrances and gifts to bring our customers. There’s the possibility that we’ll be looking at some extremely fine footwear as well as Nick has a particular obsession! At the end of the day we’ll be trying to respond to what our customers are requesting and we’ll be lead by them.

In the long term the goal is for OPUMO to become THE worldwide destination for people looking for accessories that are new, special and different, accessories that no one else has.

What advice do you have for someone thinking of setting up their own business?

We’ve learnt that it takes much longer than you think! We set ourselves crazy deadlines initially – we first came up with the concept in January 2011 and we wanted to launch in August but it actually became February 2012. We didn’t want to rush it and we’re glad we didn’t because we wanted to get it absolutely right.

Along the way we’ve taken advice and assistance from many people and we’d recommend it to everyone.

The relationships we’ve cultivated with the brands are central to OPUMO. We really want our customers to understand the philosophy behind each brand and so we’ve spent our time getting to know them so that we can pass this knowledge on.

In this issue we have been asking the question about time-travel, if you could time travel anywhere in the world, describe a perfect day for you.

Our perfect day would be spent at the elegant tea rooms in Bath in the eighteenth century with Beau Brummell, the arbiter of men’s fashion in Regency England who is credited with inventing the modern man’s suit, worn with a tie. It was he who, by introducing and establishing as fashion understated but fitted tailored clothes including dark suits and full-length trousers, adorned with an elaborately knotted cravat. He claimed he took five hours to dress, and recommended that boots be polished with champagne. A true game changer for the future of men’s fashion and the man responsible for the introduction of some of the modern man’s most essential accessories. www.opumo.com

GIL FOX gil fox is a UK based accessories designer. Initially just designing cloche style hats, each one has been individually hand dyed and shaped to create something unique. She has now expanded her range to include fascinators, veils and rose corsages. www.gilfox.com

MOLLY BROWN Gobstopper - Displaying fresh and unique pieces, Molly Brown London retain their status as the UK’s leading designer girls’ jewellery brand with the regular introduction of new exquisitely designed pieces. The Gobstopper bracelets feature a choice of four brilliant colours in sparkly enamel covering the sterling silver balls, aligned gracefully on an adjustable sterling silver bracelet. www.mollybrownlondon.com

Perfect Mother’s Day Gifts Unwrap Clinique’s Best Kept Secret - Perfect for Mother’s Day After many years of only being available in Harrods London, you can now buy Clinique’s ‘best kept secret’ online at Clinique.co.uk and selected stores nationwide A favourite amongst those in the know, Clinique WRAPPINGS has developed a cult following with those who love a crisp, fresh scent. It was designed to be a truly enveloping and original scent that ‘wraps’ it’s wearer in an aura of warmth that lasts.

Clinique Gift Wrappings 25ml RRP £40.00 Available exclusively at House of Fraser Glasgow, Fenwick Newcastle and nationwideat www.clinique.co.uk from 15th February 2012 Mother’s Day with The Body Shop Mother’s Day is a time for families to unite and show gratuity and appreciation for mothers, grandmothers and key figures alike. Dining, gift-giving and celebration come at this time of year – so why not treat your mum to some of these great gifts courtesy of The Body Shop?

WHITE MUSK LIBERTINE EDT (RRP £9.00 / 30ML) MOROCCAN ROSE BODY BUTTER (RRP £12.50) WILD ROSE HAND CREAM SPF 15 (RRP £10.00 / 100ML) VITAMIN E MOISTURE CREAM (RRP £9.00) NATRULIFT SKINCARE KIT (RRP £28.00) www.thebodyshop.co.uk/_en/_gb/index.aspx

Spoil Your Mother with an Indulgent Gift from Crabtree & Evelyn Designed for Mothers…

Crabtree & Evelyn introduces a collection of Mother’s Day gifts in a Limited Edition Spring Print. Inspired by English daises and spring colours the print was created by American designer, Yana Beylinson, famed for her botanical illustrations. Choose from delicate Rosewater scented soaps, colourful cosmetic bags, and our cult best-selling Hand Therapy creams. With their bright and colourful design Crabtree & Evelyn’s beautiful gifts will delight everybody’s mother on this special day.

Limited Edition Floral Hand Therapy Collection: £10.00 This beautifully presented set of three award winning Hand Therapy creams is the ideal gift for a mother’s hard working hands.

Contains: Lavender 25g Hand Therapy, Rosewater 25g Hand Therapy, Iris 25g Hand Therapy Cosmetics Bag: £12.00 This pretty cosmetics bag is great for storing makeup essentials and ideal for trips away. Fill with her favourite fragrance or Hand Therapy for an extra special gift.

Soap Box: £10.00 A sleek box containing three pink heart shaped Rosewater soaps – what better way to treat your mother? The triple milled soaps are a luxurious marble texture and will create a soft lather.

Contains: Three triple milled Rosewater soaps Gardeners Manicure Tin: £14.00 Pamper hands and nails with this delightful manicure kit. Decorated with the colourful limited edition print this set will leave hands scrubbed, buffed and beautifully moisturised.

Contains: Gardeners 25g Hand Recovery, Gardeners 25g Hand Therapy, Nail Clippers and Nail Buffer. www.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk

ANISE CASHMERE The Ultimate in Understated Elegance- luxurious 100% pure cashmere wraps. Ageless and timeless these versatile cashmere wraps simply slip over the head making an easy solution for any chilly occasion! www.anisecashmere.com

BY ELISE The stones and pearls have been sourced, created and designed by Elise and hand strung here in the UK which makes them relatively unique in the luxury jewellery market.

This integrity ensures each piece is crafted from the finest stones whilst designed to capture a woman’s individuality. Her silver steering wheel clasp allows for infinite variety with or without detachable pendants so as to best suit the clients mood and preference. www.byelise.com

REVIEWS Heston Blumenthal at Home Synopsis: Until now, home cooking has remained stubbornly out of touch with technological development but Heston Blumenthal, champion of the scientific kitchen, is set to change all that with his radical new book. With meticulous precision, he explains what the most effective techniques are and why they work.

Heston’s instructions are precise and easy to follow, with lots of helpful tips, and each chapter is introduced with an explanation of Heston’s approach.

Recipes include Green bean and radish salad; Prawn cocktail; Roast chicken; Shepherd’s pie; Sea bass with vanilla butter; Liquorice poached salmon; Carbonara; The ultimate cheese toastie; Strawberry sundae; Liquid centre chocolate pudding and Raspberry sherbert. And, of course, Heston’s famous Triple-cooked chips.

Heston Blumenthal at Home will change the way you think about cooking forever - prepare for a culinary revolution! http://www.amazon.co.uk/ Hot Brands Cool Places Verdict In Heston Blumenthal at Home, Heston gives details of his favourite recipes, plus background information, which is delivered in a very natural conversational style, just like having Heston in your kitchen!

The comprehensive contents include 1) Stocks 2) Soups 3) Starters 4) Salads 5) Meat 6) Fish 7) Sous-vide 8) Pasta and grains 9) Cheese 10) Sides and condiments 11) Ices 12) Desserts and sweets 13) Biscuits, snacks and drinks.

This is a sumptuous book, beautifully produced, with mouth-watering recipes and stunning photography. It would make fabulous gift either to keep for yourself, or to give to anyone who wants to take a creative approach to home cooking. Highly Recommended!

STRAWBERRY SHIRTS Strawberry shirts has really taken off in the last 8 months offering designer quality at accessible prices. Feedback from both men who have bought as gifts and women seeking elegant yet casual look seem delighted with the fabulous cotton and linens. Spring is still a little chilly and our shirts offer warmth with the Tattershall checks in brushed cotton, freshness in the red and white and blue and white stripes with their smart white collar and cuffs. www.strawberryshirts.com

OPUMO Opumo is the new online destination for unique men’s accessories from bags, wallets and belts to cufflinks, sunglasses and ties. The curated collection features pieces sourced from exclusive brands across the globe all with traditions of fine craftsmanship, innovative design and distinctive heritages. www.opumo.com

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Oiseaux Amoureux from the new High Jewellery Collection Couleurs de Paradis : The set offers a new interpretation of the transformable jewel, one of the Maison’s signature themes. The sautoir holds a female bird on a perch, framed by a curtain of turquoise beads. The detachable clip, adorned with a heart-shaped spinel, and the necklace can be worn separately. http://www.vancleef-arpels.com/en/van-cleef.html#/home/