The Primavera Issue

Volume two | Issue SEVEN | FREE

The Primavera Issue Spring Cle aning: Inside and Out Out with the old, and in with the new cultural trends of the Spring season.

James Butterwick Russian and European Fine Art

Alexander Bogomazov (1880-1930)

‘Locomotive’ (1915) Charcoal on paper, 30 х 26 см

jamesbutterwick.com

Welcome to the latest issue of Kensington & Chelsea Review. Filled with art, auction, culture and luxury, Kensington & Chelsea Review is the magazine for the rather discerning resident of the Royal Borough.

Cover image: FAVN by Jaime Hayon Courtesy of Republic of Fritz Hansen Sofa in the colour combination light gray designed by Jaime Hayon. Back and base in Divina Melange, cushions in Hallingdal and Remix.

Other products: Arne Jacobsen table in walnut, Egg in light gray Devina melange upholstery and swan in moutarde upholstered in Hot. Kaiser idel floor lamp 6556-F black Danskina rugs www.fritzhansen.com page. 3

Made in england

There is nothing so beautiful as a thing well made www.marshallandstewart.com 0800 311 8199 Crawford Street, London w1H 2Hn

Ed’s letter April is the cruellest month, at least as far as T.S. Eliot was considered. Clearly, the infectious excitement of the arrival of Spring was far too jovial for such a serious man, but here at KCReview, we’re overjoyed. This issue we are celebrating new beginnings by taking a look at the latest trends in fashion, interiors and technology. We’re taking this opportunity to ‘Spring Clean’, and we hope you’ll join us.

In Tech, our resident expert gets to grips with Google Glasses, while in Fashion, stylista Sarah Andrews catches her breath between catwalk shows to tell us about next season’s trends. Our guest writer this edition is Michael Kilkelly of interior design firm The Hub, who’ll be giving us an exclusive insight into the ever-changing world of interiors in an everything you need to know guide to the hottest developments.

There’s still the same analytical eye on culture as we look at the two big museum offerings of the season and Theatre Editor Alan Fielden heads out of borough to meet the creative director behind London’s newest development- The Park Theatre. Finally, whatever might be happening outside, in Books we’ll be looking at the latest releases riffing upon the theme of ‘heatwave’ and above all, watching out for that host of golden daffodils.

Publisher Talismanic Media Founder and Managing Director Sid Raghava

Coco Khan Editor

Contents

Editor Coco Khan art Director Max Wilson of O.W.H. Creative Publishing Director Stephen Slocombe Advertising Sales Zoya Berkeley

6.

News News curated from the worlds of art, culture and intrigue.

10. Museum

Musings

An in-depth into the two big museum exhibitions of the season - at the Wellcome Collection and British Museum.

15. Theatre Featuring an exclusive interview with Jez Bond (Park Theatre) and Ed’s Picks.

News Editor Stefan Nicolaou

16. From

Christies, With Insight

The latest instalment in Christie’s monthly column with tips for buyers.

Books Editor Danny Arter

20. It’s

a Heatwave!

In Books we review two releases set during an Indian Summer.

Theatre Editor Alan Fielden

25.

Tech Taking a long hard look at Google Glasses.

Tech Editor Tamlin Magee

26. Restaurant

Reviews

From Chez Gerard to five-star mall court dining.

Illustrations Clara Gomez

29 . Running

in Heels

Sarah Betty is already thinking ahead- to fashion’s next season.

Office Manager Lee Marrero

32 . Spring

Cleaning

Everything you need to know about the latest trends in cutting edge interiors.

Writers Claire Coveney, Ben Osborn, Linda Cooke, Maria Kivimaa, Sarah ‘Betty’ Andrews, Michael Kilkelly, Adrian Foster

41 . Travel Founder Sid Raghava suns it up in Gibraltar.

42 . Motoring All material in Kensington and Chelsea Review is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission of the publishers. Colour transparencies and photographs submitted for publication are sent at the owners’ risk and while every care is taken, neither the publishers nor their agents accept liability for loss or damage however caused. The publishers can accept no liability whatsoever of nature arising out of nor in connection with the contents of this publication.

Opinions expressed within the articles are not necessarily those of Kensington and Chelsea Review and any issue arising there from should be taken up directly with the contributor.

Taking Alfa Romeo’s MiTo for a spin.

page. 5

N EWS

Read All About It A rundown of London news from the worlds of arts, culture and the plain intriguing, all handpicked for the Royal Borough resident. writers: Stefan Nicolaou, Coco Khan

First-class travel for garments

City by Mood

Unsightly bloated bags and shredded ribbons are unfortunate sights in the arrivals lounge. In collaboration with Globe Trotter, The Goring Hotel in London has released a line of luggage one would be reticent to hand over to the bell-hop.

Globe-Trotter opened its doors to the refined jetsetting public in 1902. The handmade cases and holdalls are joined with leather and reminiscent with the romantic era of Casablanca and Brief Encounter before EasyCramp got the Lion’s share of the market. In a similar court of luxury The Goring Hotel is lined with plush silks and dainty, plush drawing rooms.

Combined the cases are formed from Ivory vulcanised fibreboard, with The Goring colours of Navy and Burgundy being used for the leather trim – lined with a rich damask silk. The Globe-Trotter and Goring Hotel collection will be available in nine sizes including 13” Vanity Case, 21” Trolley Case and 33” Extra Deep Suitcase with Wheels.

Every suitcase in the series is handcrafted at the GlobeTrotter factory in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, using original Victorian machinery.

For a mix of the quaint and stylish for the ethetic and intrepid explorer prices start from £485 for a 9” Mini Utility Case, and will be available to purchase from July 2013 at the Globe-Trotter flagship store: 54-55 Burlington Arcade, London.

The du jour of Boujis Carlo Carello reignites the Ignite Group to exclusive nightclub boujis as Ignite Group plan global expansion.

Nightclub marketer extraordinaire Carlo Carello is returning to the ranks of nightclub boujis. His reentrance into the Thurloe St private members club sees him gain wider responsibility as Director of Ignite Business Development from April 2013.

Carello has spent the time away polishing and preening Morton’s 2 & 8 Club in Berkley Square. His tenure is off for a fitting start with exclusive Polo and Formula 1 –partnered experience as the bouji club. The aim is to create more than a dark destination for canapés and cocktails, but a throng of activities for the gregarious clientele boujis.com Amp up the Artful Badgers No Spring news page would be complete without a quick look forward to the festival season. Having scanned the line-ups, offerings, and general ambience of the plethora of options, we felt compelled to give a quick shout out to Secret Garden Party. Occupying a wonderful place between music, arts and gardening festival (we’re very serious about our gardening here), Secret Garden Festival is a four day fiesta whose antibranding standpoint makes it unique in the current festival landscape. Don’t think for a minute that this suggests any skimming on quality. All day theatre from a number of upcoming and established site-specific theatre companies, eco-friendly family areas, and a classically trained beauty (Regina Spektor) headlining to boot. www.secretgardenparty.com

Out of the kilns: Ceramic Art London 2013 A busy collection of everything from Eastern-inspired art to abstract forms demonstrate a range of design voices, crossing the borders between curios, functional and decorative. For the keen-eyed enthusiasts there is a programme of talks, demonstrations and films geared to elucidate the process of ceramic design and manufacture.

Eschewing the need for antique-hunting, ceramists such as Lisa Hammond have found a niche in recreating relics of the ancient orient using Soda Glaze. Decorative kitchenware is cooked to a blemished, rusted-looking finish - occasionally misshapen and mysterious. Inspired by their heritage, ceramicists’ Shinobu

Hashimoto, Siu Kwan Wong and Akiko Harai also present designs that are true to the simplicity of the era they are replicating.

Closer to home Annie Turner will exhibit sculptures linked to modern day Suffolk. Turner recreates the countryside’s estuary networks and seasonal sensitivity. Mette Maya Gregerson similarly seeks to sculpt energy and movements with his decorative pieces.

All works displayed will be available to buy. The show runs at the Royal College of Art, 15-25 Howie St, SW11 4AS between 12th to 14th April. Tickets are £12 for a day pass and £25 for the entire run. page. 6

We’re intrigued by the new exhibition from Paul Robinson, REDACTED, a new series of work that opens at Roberta Moore Contemporary on 22 April. Hailed as lyrical and dreamlike, Robinson’s work combines and layers images in this abstract, painterly series. REDACTED incorporates several integrated works –from metropolises worldwide – creating a mesmerising series evoked by cities all over the world. Finding inspiration in global travels, Robinson exhibits regularly in the UK, the US and Asia. Capturing the ‘moods’ of cities and the spirits of their people – from Paris, London, Rome and Florence to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Bangkok – multiple exposures combine architecture, portraiture, landscape, light and texture on a single image. The culmination, or so we are told, is a panorama of lyricism, poetry, mystery and intrigue.

Paul Robinson: REDACTED, 22 until 27 April, Roberta Moore Contemporary, 28 Cork Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 3NG. www.robertamoore.co.uk

Scenic Route Run To Monaco was conceived as the ultimate Grand Prix experience for those already in the express lane. A fleet of 30 super cars cruise to Monaco from London, finishing with a lap of honour around the Grand Prix circuit chauffeured by an F1 driver. The high-throttle scenic route to the continent has been announced. A lavish pilgrimage across the French countryside and a program of pampering pit stops.

After a figure-of-eight race in Brands Hatch the entrants will abscond the city via a private Eurostar to Calais stopping for a Michelin Star lunch at the restaurant Chateau de Bealieu then across the vines of the Champagne region, following on to Burgundy the next day.

Emerging from the forests of Yonne, lunch will be served at the ‘Dijon-Prenois’ racetrack for a chance to drive the Radical SR8 RX. Crossing tracks across the alps and sharing the Tour De France and Monte Carlo rally the attendees will pass the 1000 mile mark.

Participants then will be whisked by helicopter over Monaco to the Royal Riviera in St Jean Cap Ferrat. The tour de force ends in “The Champions Lounge” at the Monaco Grand Prix, elevated above the track before finally taking the virgin voyage around the Monte Carlo Street Circuit. As part of the Run To Monaco family, applicants have the enviable chance to lap the closed Monte Carlo Street Circuit. All cars will be transported home whilst guests will be flown back to the UK by private jet. therunto.com

We’ve got London Life Covered Stay at one of the finest addresses in London. Regency elegance with a delightful touch of contemporary style combine with discrete service and spacious elegance.

109-113 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5LR

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The Harbour Re-opens...

Objects of Desire Always a cordial host to craft and adornment, The Kensington Conference and Events Centre welcomes the Desire Jewellery and Silversmith Fair. Organisers Craft in Focus have relocated the contemporary jewellery exhibition and buyers market following a triumphant run in Richmond.

Desire Fair features bespoke jewellery innovations with leather, acrylic, ceramics, paper, glass, copper and wood designs, as well as staple silver, gold and platinum designs with gemstones, pearls, beads and enamelwork. Work can be viewed and purchased at the event with the opportunity to speak with the jewellers, allowing a discovery of the stories and making process of the items.

Under the auspicious banner ‘Festival of Silver’ modern silversmithing will be endorsed at the fair. The ‘Ones to Watch’ section fulfills Craft In Focus’ support of up and coming designers who are exhibiting amongst the 120 hand-selected jewellers.

Desire Fare will surely find itself at home among the appreciative residents of Kensington with its ample selection of bespoke and mixed media jewellery.

The event will run 15-17 March, 10am – 5pm at The Kensington Conference and Events Centre, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX. Entry free

The near-desolate Thames was once the dock for the surge of indulgent morsels voyaging from the far reaches of the globe. Relais & Châteaux is an exclusive collection of more than 520 of the finest hotels and gourmet restaurants in 60 countries, first established in France in 1954.

On Monday April 22nd in keeping with the port-town heritage, illustrious chefs will unite at the Relais & Châteaux’s ‘Diner des Grands Chefs’. An émigré from Versailles and New York, the event will indulge in the very best of British produce in the heart of the city at Old Billingsgate Market.

A charitable dinner themed “The World’s Kitchen by the Thames” will take 600 guests on a gastronomic voyage. The Grands Chefs – including Claude Bosi (interview next edition) and Andrew Fairlie – will form an enchanting trove separated into teams of three. Each team will prepare a different course of the gala dinner, championing the finest British ingredients and celebrating their provenance. The result will be fifteen different, personal and never seen before menus, paired with the finest vintage Pommery Champagne. Each guest will be catered for as if by a private chef.

The evening will also feature a live and silent auction set to thrill foodies and connoisseurs of all tastes, raising funds for Relais & Châteaux’s chosen charity, Action Against Hunger, a cause close to the Grand Chefs’ hearts.

For more information visit: dinerdesgrandschefs.com

City by Mood We’re intrigued by the new exhibition from Paul Robinson, REDACTED, a new series of work that opens at Roberta Moore Contemporary on 22 April. Hailed as lyrical and dreamlike, Robinson’s work combines and layers images in this abstract, painterly series. REDACTED incorporates several integrated works –from metropolises worldwide – creating a mesmerising series evoked by cities all over the world. Finding inspiration in global travels, Robinson exhibits regularly in the UK, the US and Asia. Capturing

the ‘moods’ of cities and the spirits of their people – from Paris, London, Rome and Florence to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Bangkok – multiple exposures combine architecture, portraiture, landscape, light and texture on a single image.

The culmination, or so we are told, is a panorama of lyricism, poetry, mystery and intrigue.

Paul Robinson: REDACTED, 22 until 27 April, Roberta Moore Contemporary, 28 Cork Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 3NG. www.robertamoore.co.uk

Something Saatchi, Something Shared, Something British, Something New In keeping with a dedication to contemporary art the Saatchi Gallery, Kings Road hosts its 25th ‘British Art Today’ this April. Accurately prefaced with ‘New Order’ the 17 emerging artists offer their fresh interpretations and fledgling practises.

The appeal of exhibiting purely emerging artists is a voice not properly enunciated. The artists, many of whom have only recently graduated from the local Royal College of Art, are still trialling their response to a constantly shifting world. The artwork embraces incoherent forms addressing the zeitgeist at home and internationally.

American minimalism, harks back to British caricature, industrial materials, traditional paints and photographic essays are used to express reactions to year of loaded nationalistic sentiment.

The Royal Wedding to the 2012 Olympics are depicted in their spectacle and very nature of transmission: symbolism, archival in the digital age, and multi-disciplinary commentary.

New Order: British Art Today opens to the public on the 26th April at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY. Entry is free. Visit saatchi-gallery.co.uk for more details. page. 8

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This page: Shoichi KOGA, "Seitenmodoki" (Ganesha Nandikeshvara) Credit:Credit: Collection of the artist, image © Wellcome Library, London Righthand page (clockwise from left): Photographs of the Souzou exhibition Credit:Wellcome Library, London Shota KATSUBE, Untitled Credit:Wellcome Library, London Daisuke KIBUSHI, “Midori Harukani” Credit:Collection of the artist. Photograph (c) Satoshi TAKAISHI

E x hibi t i o n r e vi e w s

Museum Musings Two high profile exhibitions. Two high brow critics. We take a look at this season’s biggest museum offerings page. 10

Familiar Aliens Souzou: Outsider Art from Japan The Wellcome Collection 28 March to 30 June 2013. Free.

Curated by Shamita Sharmacharja.

Organised in association with Het Dolhuys (Museum of Psychiatry), Netherlands and Aiseikai (Social Welfare Organisation), Tokyo.

The title of the Wellcome Collection’s new exhibition, souzou, has no direct translation in English due to its dual meaning: written one way (創造) it means ‘creation’; written another (想像) it means ‘imagination.’ Combine this with its subtitle, ‘Outsider Art from Japan’ – ‘outsider art’ itself being an approximation of Jean Dubuffet’s theory of art brut (‘raw art’) – and there’s already a wealth of critical ideas to deal with before I’ve even walked through the doors. Is this work notable because the relationship between the act of imagining and the act of creating is so immediate? Is this immediacy a result of a ‘raw’ status, lacking the cooking-process of some kind of cultural oven? Or the result of an ‘outsider’ status – an estrangement or rejection of societal influence?

These questions about the context of the art aside – and I find I put them aside as I walk in, actually – the art is just really good. It’s rare for me to go to an exhibition of even a single artist and be consistently impressed; to see an exhibition of more than 300 works by 46 different artists and feel continually intrigued, often excited and sometimes moved is quite something. There are eery, introspective works like Takanori Herai’s hieroglyphic diary, where kanji giving the date and temperature are disguised within an intricate pattern of pencil shading. There are weird utopian optimisms in the form of imaginary streetmaps and architectural blueprints. There is a real enjoyment of material and craft, utilising bin-bag ties, cardboard, felt-tips and off-cuts of material. There is an intense sexuality that shifts between edenic naivety and trippy violence. And – probably the element I found most striking – a pervasive, even obsessive exploration of popular culture products and media, like M.K.’s dreamy representations of magazine spreads, Daisuke Kibushi’s recreations of postwar movie posters (drawn from memory) and Hiroyuki Komatsu’s detailed explanations and illustrations of daytime TV dramas and news shows.

Such an impressive variety of work that is still held together as one idea is typical of the Wellcome Collection.

Their previous exhibition, Death: A Self-Portrait, showcased th rare prints by famous artists alongside drawings from 17

century medical textbooks (among many, many other things). It was extremely popular. If anything, though, this exhibition is even bolder in terms of what’s on show – particularly because this isn’t actually an art gallery.

Which brings me to the idea of context, both the context that the art is seen in and the context in which it was created.

To speak in broadly factual terms: there’s been a welldocumented mutual fascination-imitation game going on th between Japan and the West since the late 19 century.

Japanese art has been a huge influence on European modernism from the Impressionists onward, just as Japanese poetry was to influence Pound, Rexroth, Kerouac and many others since in the development of modern literature. In the other direction, Western mystery and horror stories have had a massive impact on Japanese writing via the wave of magazine writing in the 1930s (see, for example, Edogawa Rampo, who named himself after Edgar Allen Poe), while more recently American inventions like the comic book, animated cartoon and computer game have become central to Japanese popular culture, most extreme within the otaku subculture.

This exhibition definitely caters to that Western fascination with Japan: there’s a lot here that feels recognisably Japanese (that familiar alien-ness). Re-imaginings of language by artists like Toshiko Yamanishi, Mineo Ito and Ryoko Koda, for example,

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could be compared to the Buddhist hitsuzendo practise, which uses calligraphy as a means of spiritual expression. Similarly, Shota Katsube’s army of tiny action figures – styled out of twist-ties – bear the clear influence of ‘Gundam Wing’ type manga. Of course there’s always a danger, when seeing an exhibition like this, of making presumptions or of perceiving a false homogeneity. But the very fact that I’m drawn to making observations about cultural influence is interesting: there’s a tendency for ‘outsider art’ to be seen as appealing because it comes so directly from the individual, interior imagination (in the same way that some critics have seen, say, William Blake as existing separate to his culture). But here I’m encouraged to see the exterior influence on these works, to see the way these artists respond (sometimes quite directly) to cultural influences. It’s refreshing: the artists aren’t mythologized as individuals, but neither are they seen as cultural commentators.

Which leads me to the second aspect of context that’s important here: the ‘outsider’ status. Internationally, the term ‘outsider art’ refers to work by artists with little or no tuition, producing work without an audience in mind and usually themselves marginalised figures. The artists in this exhibition have been diagnosed with various disorders or mental illnesses, and are either residents or outpatients of specialist care institutions. At no point are we given the nature of any of the artists’ disorder or illness, or the nature of the institution that cares for them; instead the curators have avoided a biographical approach altogether, organising the show thematically with segments on ‘Language,’ ‘Making,’ ‘Representation,’ ‘Relationships,’ ‘Culture’ and ‘Possibility.’ The one concession to biography is a series of documentary clips at the end, showing the artists creating and discussing their work. This approach is rewarding, allowing for an exploration of ‘outsider’ status without drawing oversimplified conclusions about disability and mental illness. Having said that, it’s part of the achievement of this exhibition that it’s not a wholly comfortable experience. I’m aware, as I’ve said, that this is a museum and not a gallery; there is an element of anthropology as well as art here. I’m looking at products from people who are marginalised; does my looking at them overcome their marginal status or enforce it?

Am I allowed to empathise or forced to see difference, ‘otherness’? Am I allowed to see difference or forced to ignore it? It sounds silly, but I can’t shake these questions and I’m glad that I can’t; they go beyond how I look at pictures, after all.

Words: Ben Osborn

This page: ‘Venus of Lespugue’. Copyright Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris Righthand page (clockwise from left): Engraved drawing of a young male reindeer, found at La Madeleine. Foot bone from a reindeer. © The Trustees of the British Museum The Lion Man sculpture - Photo Thomas Stephan, © Ulmer Museum Spear thrower made from reindeer antler, sculpted as a mammoth. Found in the rock shelter of Montastruc, France, c. 13,000–14,000 years old. © The Trustees of the British Museum

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Frozen in Time Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind The British Museum, £10 Curator: Jill Cook Now until June 2nd Upon entering the exhibition, the first thing to notice is how quiet it is; this is not to suggest that the exhibition is not buzzy, this surprise hit on the cultural landscape is still currently selling out daily, despite having opened several months ago. What is apparent however is the power that these pieces of art seem to have on the viewer, if the way they seem to command their attention is anything to go by. These objects are between 13,000 to 40,000 years old, figures that are hard to comprehend, especially when one considers the craftsmanship, time and energy that must have gone into the creation of them at a period of time when one would assume that outrunning a lion would have been a higher priority. The show consists of the earliest ceramic figures (including the first nudes to appear in human history in Europe, thousands of years before the Ancient Greeks) incredibly detailed etchings, and sculptures made from ivory, stone and bone.

Curator Jill Cook has stated how she did not want this to be an archaeological exhibition, ‘what would you call these objects if not art?’ she asks the viewer in her layout of the displays and piece descriptions. The space looks like it could have been designed with the White Cube in mind; white walls and plain glass cases are what you are met with upon entering the exhibition, with simple lighting and the objects generally displayed in order of theme rather than chronology (unheard of for an exhibition made up of archaeological finds). The labels are subjective in their content, mainly due to the fact that for many of the pieces, we can only

speculate their ‘purpose’, but also so that we can appreciate them without preconceptions.

This emphasis on the artistic merit of the pieces in their own right is highlighted by the first object, a 23,000 year old sculpture only a few inches tall, the Venus of Lespugue as she is known. Made from mammoth ivory, this ‘cubist’ female figure, we are informed, demonstrates a visual brain capable of abstraction, ‘the essential quality needed to acquire and manipulate knowledge which underpins our ability to analyse what we see.’ Picasso was indeed a huge fan of this beautiful object, although there is no direct claim made in this exhibition that suggests that this figure, or indeed any single piece from this time, directly influenced him or the Cubist movement; he did however keep two copies of this particular figure in his art studio, and although it is not quoted in the exhibition, Picasso is meant to have famously said upon viewing the incredible cave art in Lascaux, ‘we have discovered nothing new in art in over 17,000 years’. When viewing the refined and considered shape of this conceptual figure, with her huge buttocks, bulbous hips and face humbly gazing downwards (a common trait in the female figurative sculptures in this exhibition at least), one can appreciate, if not necessarily agree, with this theory. However, to put this period of creativity in the same bracket of what we now consider to be ‘art’, and subsequently compare these pieces to modern art works, is not something this exhibition is attempting to do, despite the addition of modern pieces scattered amongst the show. These pieces deserve their own place in the general public psyche however, rather than just tacking them onto existing tired notions of ‘art history’.

Although the title of this show suggests that the advancement of the human brain is an important factor in the narrative, an extremely interesting concept in its own right (and perhaps somewhat overwhelming to the page. 13

less scientifically minded amongst us) is not intended to remove emphasis from the pieces. Learning about how the brain had begun to develop the capacity for expression in the first part of the exhibition is nevertheless fascinating; apparently due to new stimuli at the time of the last Ice Age, including the takeover of fully modern humans from the Neanderthal population when they migrated to Europe from Africa. However, the curator really does trust the objects to do the majority of the groundwork.

The Lion Man is a good example of how the brain had developed to the point of analysis and imagination; a fascinating piece of sculpture that has received a lot of attention within the press campaign for this show, and a giant in comparison to most of the objects that feature, standing at an enormous 9 inches tall, made skilfully from a mammoth tusk. His notoriety stems from the fact that he is a 40,000 year old example of imaginative thought, an upright human figure with the flat-skulled feline head of a lion. It is also worth noting that it has since been proven that it would have taken the sculptor hundreds of hours to create; this dedication is so extraordinary, that it has even been suggested that examples such as this might demonstrate that artists at this time were in fact commissioned to create such objects.

The attention to detail is all of the pieces in this exhibition are astonishing, although be warned, these objects are small, so you will have to fight to get to them amongst the crowds.

By the time I leave the exhibition, I fully understand why I was met with a hushed silence on entering the space; a feeling of the uncanny is quite overwhelming, and the sense of familiarity that these ancient objects instil is almost eerie.

These pieces smash all boundaries between time and history, and for that, a quiet respect is surely deserved.

Words: Claire Coveney

THE LEADING FAIR FOR CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART LONDON Friday 12 – Sunday 14 April 2013

ADMISSION Adult £12, Concession £9, Three-day pass £25 All tickets include a full-colour catalogue, and entry to events programme

Now in its ninth successful year, Ceramic Art London is the international showcase for makers of contemporary ceramics.

A unique event of excellence in an expanding world market with opportunities for new public, gallery and trade contacts.

Exhibitors are supported by a major PR and marketing initiative targeting existing and new audiences.

FURTHER DETAILS Online: www.ceramics.org.uk Email: organiser@ceramics.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 3137 0750 page. 14

Presented by the Craft Potters Association at the Royal College of Art, London

Myung Nam An

OPENING TIMES Friday 12 April, 10am-6pm Saturday 13 April, 10am-6pm Sunday 14 April, 10am-5pm

T H EAT R E

The Big Ask: Jez Bond It isn’t everyday a new, built for purpose theatre opens in London, and it isn’t everyday that theatre’s luminaries gather to support such a venture.

But that’s exactly what happened at last year’s Park Theatre Gala, hosted by Ian McKellen and attended by Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Poliakoff, Tom Stoppard, Patrick Stewart, Romola Garai and Rupert Goold. With the Park officially opening its first season this May, Alan Fielden talks to Artistic Director about building starting from scratch What is it like to start a theatre from the ground up?

It’s daunting, exciting, fun, stressful and impossible to ever predict.

London is one of the global hubs of theatre, and busy at that. What are you hoping to bring to the capital with the new Park Theatre.

Park is about excellent theatre and community. Our aim is to welcome everyone whether they’re a theatre lover or have never set foot inside a theatre before. We want to invite people to come here and try something new and to see some of the best creative talent on our stages. A key thing for us is the intimacy of the experience, hence our auditoria themselves are designed so that every seat is close to the stage. We would like everyone we engage with to have a personal service: we’re a family and everyone is welcome in to our home.

Some would imagine this is a difficult time to start a new theatre, how have you found it?

In this financial climate people are keen to believe in something positive. The support we’ve received is overwhelming. Although you hear it a lot from charities nowadays, really, none of this would be possible without our supporters’ passion, excitement, donations and generosity. From local residents to famous actors the commitment to us and their belief in what we are doing means so much. The area has been crying out for a creative space for a long time so everyone from the local council to people walking past on the street is excited to find out what’s going on and support us.

We’re also offering a welcoming building to come and hang out in throughout the day – and we’re committed to keeping our prices affordable compared to central London; so that Park Theatre and its café bar can be a good social destination.

Park Theatre was designed to have two full-time performance spaces, how do you see them working together?

The state-of-the-art technology of our building means there are no acoustic issues between our different spaces. Park 90, our flexible studio space, is a place for newer work, upcoming companies and experimental work. Park 200, our larger auditorium, will present more established companies and plays. We also have The Morris Space, which can be used for workshops, education work and rehearsals.

We will produce a lot of shows ourselves and we will also work with guest companies.

The entire artistic programme is curated so any guest companies who work with us are of an excellent caliber. This is vital as the quality of our audience’s experience is paramount.

You’re a strong proponent for an open book accounting policy. What is its importance to you?

Many venues don’t insist that companies who are visiting their space have an open book policy in place with their team – at Park Theatre we do. It’s vital that people are treated fairly and not exploited. If an actor or lighting designer wants to take on a job for less than Equity minimum that’s their choice – and there are often genuine, and varied, reasons why that might be the case. In the United States you are simply not allowed to work for less than the union rates. This has the danger of restricting creativity as fringe theatre (which is usually where these rates cannot afford to be paid) is a valuable training ground for new talent. Having an open book policy is step towards protecting our right to make the choice and helps protects the people who are making that decision from getting taken advantage of by a rogue producer.

How has it been to program the Park's first season?

It’s been, in many ways, the most exciting part – and the bit we’d all been waiting for! We had some difficult choices to make both in the work that we wanted to produce ourselves and in the work that was proposed to us by guest companies (we were inundated with proposals).

We’ve already programmed for the majority of 2013 and every day there are many more companies getting in touch. We’re very supportive of proposals that might not be quite ready yet, offering feedback and workshop opportunities.

Do you have any highly admired performance spaces worldwide?

Park Theatre in many ways is a response against theatres where there seems to be very little connection between the stage and the auditorium. Park Theatre is a ‘same room auditorium’ - the actors and audience are in the same one room, breathing the same air.

The spaces like that I admire include smaller spaces such as the Almeida and Young Vic to the large Olivier stage at the National. Intimacy is not about size it’s about the design and shape and feel of a space.

How do you hope people will feel at the Park?

Welcome! Park Theatre is a place you can come and spend time, feel at home, meet friends, and be moved. www.parktheatre.co.uk

page. 15

T H EAT R E E d’s p ick s Othello National Theatre, now until Aug 18th Olivier nominated Adrian Lester takes the title role in this exceptional Hytner production of Shakespeare’s mega-riff on jealousy and pride. Coupled with a convincingly psychopathic Rory Kinnear as Iago and continual rave reviews, this is one coveted ticket.

The Weir Donmar Theatre, now until 8th June “There’s no dark like a winter night in the country.”

Conor McPherson’s supernatural, folkloric yarn with Artistic Director Josie Rourke at the helm. 1997 winner of the Evening Standard, Critic’s Circle and Olivier award for Best New Play and tied with Beckett’s Endgame at 40th in an NT poll of the 100 most significant plays of the 20th Century.

Not I Royal Court, 22-24th May Speaking of Beckett. This 2013 performance by Lisa Dwan marks 40 years since the UK premiere of Sammy’s monumental, otherworldly one-woman piece. “A disembodied female mouth floats eight feet above the stage and delivers a stream of consciousness, spoken, as Beckett directed, at the speed of thought.” A unique chance to experience a truly extraordinary theatre experience. #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei Hampstead Theatre, until May 18th Old hand Howard Brenton lends his pen to this reconstruction of the dissident Chinese artist’s 81-day arrest in 2011. Avoiding sentimentality, and based on Ai’s own account, the play touches on the more surreal, blackly comic aspects of Ai’s relationship with his (not entirely unsympathetic) captors. iTMOi Sadler’s Wells, 28th May–1st June in the mind of igor is Akram Khan’s first full-length ensemble piece since Vertical Road in 2010. Inspired by the music of Stravinsky, “iTMOi explores the human condition and the way in which Stravinsky transformed the classical music world by evoking emotions through pattern, rooted in the concept of a woman dancing herself to death.”

THEATRE REVIEW

Children of the Sun Words: Alan Fielden National Theatre, until 14th July It’s said that Maxim Gorky, a deeply political writer who attempted suicide at the age of 19, became more optimistic in his later years. Writing Children of the Sun in prison, incarcerated for anti-government beliefs, you might expect the play to be truer to Alexei Peshkov’s chosen pseudonym of Gorky, in English, ‘bitter’. Instead it is warm-hearted, forgiving and sincere. And whilst it does inevitably all go to hell, the shadow of revolution hanging over everything, it isn’t so black & white.

Children of the Sun, set amidst an 1862 cholera epidemic, centres on the grand (and busy) home of Protasov, an idealistic, visionary ‘scientist’ whose blinkered obsession with a future utopia has blinded him to immediate concerns, of which there are numerous. His wife, genuinely devoted yet exasperated by her husband’s dedication to extra-marital chemistry has turned to Protasov’s ‘friend’ for company, a pompous artist of considerable ego. Protasov’s sad sister Liza (acutely illustrated

by Emma Lowndes), burdened with prophetic visions of revolt and singularly aware of the plight of the workers, combusts and shies from the love of Paul Higgins’ sardonic local vet.

All together their ‘new middle-class’ miseries and ineffectual

yearnings lead towards at times humorous, often miserable confusions and miscommunications.

These aren’t insouciant aristocrats, they’re each of them striving. It’s to Gorky’s credit, writing as he was just years after Russia’s Bloody Sunday and the deaths of a great many peaceful protestors that this play is compassionate.

As pathetic as the characters are in their colossal self interest (save Liza, alone in her conscientiousness and all the more heart-broken for it) there’s the feeling throughout that there is something very sad, very unfortunate missing from their lives – that if they would all just stop and listen for a moment...When it’s suggested that Protasov’s experiments are polluting the town’s water supply the dread clarity dawns, no man is an island.

The latest in Howard Davies Russian outings, including The Cherry Orchard, Gorky’s Philistines and The White Guard, there’s certainly the sense of a justifiably confident hand at work here, the cast performing with a seemingly age-old mutual weariness. Bunny Christie’s breath-taking design sets the scene with great flair. This is a fierce, volatile satire, warm, relevant and (literally) explosive. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/children-of-the-sun

Culture with Christie’s Chairman of Christie’s South Kensington, Nic McElhatton returns to Kensington and Chelsea Review for Christie’s monthly instalment of insight into their world of auction After a snowy start to the year, spring is finally emerging and with it comes a spectacular season of sales at Christie’s South Kensington. Bringing us to warmer climes, Asian Art Week from 14 to 17 May will build on the ever-popular trend for items from across Asia, with three sales, one focusing on Japanese art, another on Chinese art and a third Chinese Interiors sale. Our Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles sale on 17 May features more than 300 lots spanning over one thousand years of Chinese art from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) through to the 20th century.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2013 is the year of the snake, so I’m particularly excited about a 19th/20th century carving of a white jade snake (estimate: £2,000 - £3,000) from a Private East Asian Collection of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-192) dynasty works. The Asian Art Week sales at South Kensington offer an array of furniture, jade carvings, porcelain, paintings and textiles at all price points, which will undoubtedly inspire interior designers as well as established and new collectors. www.christies.com

Images courtesy of Christie’s A White Jade Snake, 19th/20th century. The coiled serpent is carved in the round with the body spiralling towards the head. The stone is of an even pale tone, with very light russet inclusions.

2.1/4 in. (5.8 cm.) long Estimate: £2,000-3,000 page. 16

Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles: 17 May at 10.30am & 2.30pm, Christie’s South Kensington - Bid via Christie’s LIVETM From A Private East Asian Collector (D.1994) (Lots 1517-1527 Inclusive)

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Regent’s College London announces major new partnership with the Kevin Spacey Foundation Launching Kevin Spacey Foundation Scholarships – Kevin Spacey Foundation to audition applicants and run a series of master classes for emerging actors As part of an exciting new partnership the Kevin Spacey Foundation is supporting Regent’s University’s innovative BA (Hons) in Acting and Global Theatre. From 2013, six Kevin Spacey Foundation Scholarships will be available to successful applicants.

In spring 2013 applicants will be invited to auditions, in either London or New York, led by the Kevin Spacey Foundation.

Regent’s University is also delighted that Kevin Spacey has agreed to run a number of master classes at Regent’s University for all students on the degree course during the academic year.

By 2015 the number of scholarships available will rise to 18 new or continuing scholars studying acting within a global context. Over ten years this equates to a minimum investment of £2.3 million in new acting talent.

The Kevin Spacey Foundation was particularly keen to work with Regent’s University to deliver the degree course as it situates its theatre teaching in a university setting, enabling creative collaboration across academic subjects and engaging students in international dialogue and study.

As well as supporting the audition process, Kevin Spacey intends to commit his time to enhancing the learning experience for actors on the course. He will lead two master classes per year for students, and the Kevin Spacey Foundation will create additional learning events per year with high-profile artists and practitioners.

Future plans include extending the scholarship programme to the London School of Film, Media & page. 18

Performance’s other flagship undergraduate courses: • BA(Hons) Screenwriting & Producing • BA (Hons) Creative Industries • BA (Hons) Film, TV & Digital Media Production The Foundation particularly identified the holistic approach to performance at the London School of Film, Media & Performance, Regent’s University, integrating acting with production, writing, film television and digital media. Additionally the University’s unique focus on entrepreneurialism and internationalised teaching has created a stand-out suite of courses for would-be actors, creative industry professionals and academics.

Developing TalenT WiTh The lonDon School of film, meDia & performance Students benefit from small class sizes, a central london location and hands-on experience — — — — —

acting foundation course (January and September start dates) Ba (hons) acting & global Theatre Ba (hons) creative industries Ba (hons) film, Tv & Digital media production Ba (hons) Screenwriting & producing

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE AttEnd OuR nExt OPEn dAy 7 MAy

T 020 7487 7505 e exrel@regents.ac.uk W regents.ac.uk/lsfmp

Books

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”

Borges

Instructions for a Heatwave Maggie O'Farrell Tinder Press

Meeting the English Kate Clanchy Picador

Maggie O'Farrell's sixth novel, Instructions for a Heatwave, follows her Costa-winning, highly acclaimed The Hand That First Held Mine – a hard act to follow, but one which the novelist negotiates.

The book's plot isn't as absorbing as some of O'Farrell's former fare, but Instructions is still a hugely enjoyable read.

Robert Riordan goes missing from his Highbury home one morning in 1976 (amidst the titular heatwave), leaving his wife Gretta – a devoutly Catholic, obsessively ritualistic Irish matriarch – bereft. Perhaps the novel's languidity in terms of plot is because Robert's disappearance happens so early on; his character is not particularly well-established, and nor does it become so. It could well be that the fact the catalyst (both in terms of character and event) is a little limp allows the reader to enjoy O'Farrell's prose more, as a consequence of knowing very little about the disappearer.

In fact, such a criticism is only valid because of O'Farrell's style. Her characters are never exposed directly, they seem to be sparsely described, and yet they feel overwhelmingly human. The writer is an expert in accruing detail, and characters are revealed thus - not explicitly but subtly. Behavioural tweaks and quirks are noted, and unlock characters – it could well be that this is the reason Robert feels so (literally) distant; only when his children are rummaging through his drawers are aspects of his persona given depth. Instructions is a demonstrable example of the heralded mantra of creative writing courses – 'snow not tell' – yet it has a refreshing lack of pretension, and feels fluid, rather than slavishly crafted.

Instructions, devoid of its catalyst, instead focuses on his children: Aoife, Michael Francis and Monica. The latter two are resident in London, while Aoife fled to New York. She is estranged from her once-close sister Monica, a ghastly secret at the heart of their impasse.

Michael Francis harbours a dark past too,

When gangly Scot Struan Robertson answers a wanted ad ("literary giant seeks young man to push bathchair") handed to him by his English teacher, he is unaware its consequences will see him caring for the author of one of his school's set texts. Philip Prys, a playwrite who has suffered a stroke, is wheelchair bound; his numerous claimants are queuing up to cash in on his estate.

Kate Clanchy's debut novel Meeting the English is a comedy of manners, with Struan at its heart. He moves from Cuik in rural Scotland to Hampstead Heath, and is paid with his lodging – in Prys' son's bedroom – and a measly weekly sum on top. It's 1989, and a heatwave is sweeping london. The soaring mercury is the backdrop for a comic series of misunderstandings and lliasons. The supporting cast – all of whom neglect Philip's condition, despite their proximity to him – make the novel a pacy read; all have their own motivations and claims to Philip's fortune.

There's Myfanwy, Prys' overweight ex-wife, who has embarked upon a career as a property developer. To great comic effect, she envisages every object (especially property) in fiscal terms, and weights human relationships accordingly.

Her relationship is strained with Shirin, Philip's new, younger wife, and the object of Struan's desire. She, too, has her own reasons for marrying an older man, one who can provide for her so exuberantly, but her situation is more complex than it first appears. Like Myfanwy, she prioritises her career over her role as carer; she paints in the bathroom, and is working towards exhibiting a biographical series of images.

Philip's more immediate heirs, children Jake and Juliet, are equally dismissive of their father's needs. Jake, hardly studying at university, is the thespish wanderer of the novel, supposedly spending a summer in Edinburgh. He is actually couch-hopping in Hampstead, attempting to seduce his father's wife, and assaulting his father's carer. And sleeping with his sister's anorexic best-friend Celia.

and is battling to save his marriage. And the trio's mother, outwardly the model Catholic and matriarch, is not exempt from deception. O'Farrell's triumph is in negotiating and extracting the ligaments of family dynamics; in Instructions she does so expertly, all the while challenging the concept of the nuclear family. None of its participants adheres entirely to their roles; family isn't what it used to be.

The novel really picks up once the family exhaust their avenues of investigation in London and broaden their range, following a couple of clues that seem to tease at a murder mystery-style goose chase. Instead the novel – and its oppressive heat – builds to a claustrophobic climax, propelled by the characters which make Instructions such a joy. O'Farrell's flirtation with a murder mystery manner of problem solving may in fact be a problem for some readers: the climax in question rather neatly annexes the issues raised – be it Robert's disappearance, his daughters' quarrel or Aoife's crippling (undiagnosed and interiorised) dyslexia.

Such a move seems a little out of tilt with the rest of the novel, built as it is on nuances, subtleties and shading; but it detracts little from a hugely enjoyable offering.

Words: Danny Arter

page. 20

She isn't the only one with body issues.

Juliet - more congruent with her mother's frame than Celia's - longs for a slender frame, going so far as to take medication which makes her hair fall out. It's a plot which allows Clanchy to flex her sizeable wit, but there's a more serious message at issue, too. Juliet's character development is considerable; her affection for Struan is obvious, and brings her closer to both her father and a form of redemption, albeit via a rather cringeworthy pairing with Struan's former english teacher, Mr Fox. Readers may find Struan's vernacular a little irksome – as a literary trope, it's almost exclusive to his dialogue. The relationship between Philip and Struan also feels a little under-cooked; the teenager's family and career history make him a tender, compassionate carer, and his interplays with Philip provide some of the novel's finest passages. but despite this, Clanchy's first novel is impressive, blooded by a maturity which has accrued with miscellaneous collections of poetry.

Yet it's not just her language which propels the book; it's powered by wry observations and dry humour, and manages to feel both light-hearted and morally fibrous in the same breath.

Words: Danny Arter

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Grand Designs Place 2 Studio is West London’s design secret. Offering a full design and construction service, the studio’s projects range from the creation of small custom made furniture to overseeing large scale developments Place 2 studio provides architectural, interior and garden design solutions for commercial and residential developments, refurbishments and renovations.

The firms offers a range of professional services including but not limited to: • new build, extensions, conversions • interior design • garden design • product design • construction, renovations, refurbishment • joinery • project management • free design consultation • property development • property finding • planning permissions

Place 2 Studio was founded by Anya (an experienced interior and garden designer) and Renato (architect engineer, project manager and contractor).

As a creative duo, they are always looking for new and exciting challenges and ways to apply their years of experience in innovative ways. Place 2 Studio was set up as a fully integrated business which provides not only design, but construction and furniture making services. The result is a fully fledged creative space that boasts design as well as acting as an innovative lab with ample construction services.

Being property developers themselves and knowing just how difficult it is to find a property that is just right, Anya and Renato do all the work for you. They go through all the planning and building stages, and they are able to take care of a project from concept (sourcing the property itself) to completion. page. 21

Their passion and expansive knowledge of surfaces and design has also set them on a path of creating their own range of surfaces and products (They prefer to work with reclaimed and industrial materials), for a truly unique and bespoke service. Finally, their ability to speak English, Italian, Greek and Russian gives them opportunity to work with a bigger range of clients and cater to the brightest lights of Kensington and Chelsea.

Contacts Studio: 020 8969 6292 Anna: 07927005789 Renato: 07766402427 Email: hello@place2studio.co.uk Website: www.place2studio.co.uk Address: 41L Fifth Avenue, London,W10 4DL

Rachel Reilly

Rebecca Joselyn

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Desire Fair Showcases Fresh Innovative Designs In Jewellery and The Best of British Silversmithing mesh, precious metals and paper with textile techniques such as pleating and smocking. Also included is Nicola Crawford’s jewellery consisting of random letters with hidden messages.

Her debut collection ‘Lost Words’ was inspired by the lost art of letter writing, after finding a letter written during World War II in an antiques shop. Visitors may like to speak to her about her bespoke service where she is able to create a special piece with a message hidden in one of her spheres or perhaps someone’s name.

The show also includes innovative work by a number of silversmiths under the banner of ‘Festival of Silver’ aiming to raise the awareness of modern contemporary British silversmithing to the public. Of note to view within this area is the work of Rebecca Joselyn whose work is inspired by everyday packaging and has been collected by the Duke of Devonshire, and Rachel Wood whose equine collection captures the essence of her close relationship with horses both domestically and within their natural environment.

With so many exhibitors and with such a stunning and distinctive mix of work this really is an event not to be missed. www.desirefair.com Show opening times: 10 am – 5 pm daily Admission: £5 Venue: The Conference and Events Centre (next to Town Hall), Hornton Street, Kensington, London, W8 7NX

The London Desire Jewellery and Silversmithing Fair will be opening its doors to the public from 15-17 March at the Conference and Events Centre in Kensington situated next to the Town Hall and just a two minute walk from High Street Kensington Station. Visitors will be able to see and purchase work from over 120 exhibitors working in leather, acrylic, ceramics, paper, glass, copper and wood as well as more traditional silver, gold and platinum jewellery featuring gemstones, pearls, beads and enamelwork. Choose from a range of contemporary designers who are not afraid to push the boundaries of what is expected, to those who create classic pieces that will not date.

The event this year also features talks by selected makers so visitors can discover the inspiration and creative processes involved in some of the work and, on Saturday and Sunday, The London Jewellery School are running workshops to help engage and inspire visitors to have a go at making their own jewellery.

A further feature at the event this year is the “Ones To Watch” gallery, featuring new designers and recent graduates.

Included within this section is work by Petra Stelzenmueller with her sculptural, kinetic pieces in silver with smatterings of gold leaf and mixed media described as “daring you to touch, demanding you to wear”. Karen Fox is another new designer maker in this area. Her work combines stainless steel page. 22

Purchase direct from the UK’s leading designer makers

CONFERENCE & EVENTS CENTRE Next to Town Hall •

Signposted

KENSINGTON 15-17 March

Hornton St, two minutes walk from High St Kensington Station

10.00am - 5.00pm Daily • Admission £5.00

All have been selected for their superb and innovative craftsmanship and have a genuine passion for the work they create.

Many of the designer makers exhibiting will also create bespoke designs for those wishing to commission a special piece.

www.desirefair.com

Ov er pl 12 us 0 Le Exh ct ib ur it es or s

Desire has become firmly established as the “must visit” event for its stunning collection and unrivalled choice of contemporary jewellery and stylish silverware. The fair will present around 120 highly talented exhibitors, from emerging British talent to more established designer makers.

Photographer AP Wilding, MUA Chloe Widera

As featured exclusively on My Flash Trash (the achingly cool online jewellery boutique founded by Made in Chelsea’s and Vogue’s Digital Power list nominee, Amber Atherton) as well as rave reviews on hip style blogs Girl In The Lens and Jones Loves, Mei-Li Rose handmade designs are proving to be the must-have accessory for 2013 Entrepreneur with a BA in Jewellery & Silversmithing from Birmingham’s School of Jewellery, Mei-Li Rose is a creative tour-de-force, crafting aesthetically bold and distinctive pieces that your friends would want.

Mei-Li Rose evolves classic structures such as the historically, mathematically and religiously significant triangular form and gives it a prominence and defined raison d’être in our ever changing contemporary world. Jewellery is an art form and Mei-Li Rose’s striking and beautiful designs are no exception.

From the attention-grabbing Navajo slave bracelet to the timeless triangle trio, this is a unique jewellery collection that wows each and every time. Pioneering the knuckle ring concept which recently took centre stage at the hottest shows of London Fashion Week 2013, Mei-Li Rose brings the catwalk concepts to life making them accessible and very wearable whilst maintaining the highest quality.

Each piece of jewellery is handmade, using traditional methods of wax carving and hand piercing. All designs are produced in sterling silver, with the option of 22 carat rose page. 24

and yellow gold vermeil plating and coloured enamels.

But don’t fret; if Navajo or triangles aren’t your bag, there’s always a skull or cat shank to take your fancy. Isn’t it time you got involved?

Mei-Li Rose is offering readers of Kensington & Chelsea review 15% off web purchases on www.meilirose.com using code KANDC valid from 03.05.13 to 30.06.13 www.meilirose.com Follow: @Mei_LiRose Like: www.facebook.com/MeiLiRoseJewellery

TE C H

Seeing is Believing There have been whispers for years about the formal coming together of fashion and technology in a collaboration that could surpass our dreams of science fiction.

Unsurprisingly, first to the post is Google with their wearable and interactive shades, Google Glass. Tamlin Magee discusses what the arrival heralds I'm fairly sure one of the reasons 3D cinema hasn't taken off enormously in the home is that you still need to carry the burden of ridiculous specs on your head to get the full effect: silly enough when you're home alone and no one can see you but downright obstructive for a get-together. Get rid of the glasses, significantly improve the tech, and 3D will boom. On the other hand, wearable electronics rather than accessories threaten to become a serious trend, kick started by rumours that Apple and Samsung will be developing smart watches - and cemented when Google confirmed it's deadly serious about its space-age futurist project, Google Glass.

Google Glass - a thin pair of glasses - will be a way to augment information from the web and other software or apps directly over what you see. They will be able to provide directions when going for a walk and it's likely there will be social features too. You will be able to take photos and record sort-of-high-res 720p HD video and even understand voice commands, all from your specs.

Just exactly how useful the Glass project will be remains to be seen. At the moment it is in testing. To many of us,

we are already living in an ultra-connected world, with our smartphones practically glued to us and always able to access the internet. In a way, bringing technology into your clothes was going to be the next logical step - even if it breeds a generation of accidental Google nodes, talking to themselves as they bump into each other on the street.

Anyone who relies on Google Maps can probably remember narrowly missing oncoming double deckers – precision directions, of course, not accounting for oncoming traffic.

But even designer Diane von Furstenberg couldn't manage to make them chic when she foisted Google Glass prototypes onto her runway models at New York Fashion Week, Spring 2012. Technology conglomerates may know a trick or two about getting us to spend big but flare for fashion is a different matter entirely to the nuanced nature of iconic design. Apple's Jonny Ive has been lauded for his sleek designs - with the iPad et al - and even microprocessor giant Intel had a go when its main announcement at a major European technology conference were leather laptop bags. Some of the more famous figures in tech, however, have favoured 501s and the black page. 25

turtleneck, or the humble oversized jumper. Blue jeans and sports jackets or Corporate Grey.

Perhaps it's good, then, that some companies are seeking advice from the likes of London College of Fashion.

Peratech approached LCF to figure out ways to integrate its sensor technology into clothes, believing that one day, it will potentially be possible to make areas of cloth touch sensitive or respond to pressure - even displaying keyboards on the back of a glove or on a sleeve. This uninvasive approach may not be right around the corner, but with wearable electronics firmly on the way, it seems like the most sensible path to take. By integrating electronics into clothing Google or any of the others wouldn't have to worry about clunky or cumbersome kit that threatens to turn otherwise OK outfits into real-world examples of what the world thought the future would be... in 1975.

For now, though, we can expect a slew of new devices depending on what the big tech bellwethers think best. Whether that's the Casio watch: revisited or the invisible frames of Google Glass, we'll be closer than ever to our technology.

R e sta u r a n t R e vi e w s

Gilgamesh

Tapas Revolution Westfield London, W12 7GE www.tapasrevolution.com words: Linda Cooke It was with a great deal of trepidation that my friend and I embarked on a journey involving the notoriously useless Hammersmith and City Line on a very cold Thursday evening recently. We were at Westfield Shopping Centre bound to check out Tapas Revolution, a new tapas restaurant on the balcony, and neither of us were very happy about it.

The unabating British winter conditions precipitated the somewhat stronger desire to throw ourselves on the sofa with a plate of some sort of red wine infused beef stew and Breaking Bad on DVD. Despite the good things I’d heard, there seemed to be no getting away from the quietly dissatisfying fact that Tapas Revolution is located in a giant shopping mall. I really shouldn’t have been so worried; everything made sense once I got there. Having made it through The Village credit cards unscathed, the evening was off to a good start. We then performed the perfunctory reconnaissance lap around the bar and found the counter alive with activity. Wide eyes and expectant mouths ready for a feast awaited terracotta small plates, which were furiously being put down in front of them.

Comforting wafts from the kitchen started to tickle our nostrils.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as we’d thought. We picked a nice spot at the bar, threw off our full winter regalia and started sizing up the succinctly chosen menu.

Chef owner, Omar Allibhoy, who incidentally was eating at the counter next to us with some pals, is a 28 year-old Spaniard touted as his country’s answer to Jamie Oliver. He has been making quite a bit of a splash in the UK in recent times. He trained under Ferran Adria of the world famous El Bulli restaurant and arrived here 8 years ago as a fresh-faced youngster to take the helm at El Pirata de Tapas, also in West London. He’s also done a bit of telly. Tapas Revolution was borne out of Allibhoy’s desire to bring Spanish cuisine into the hearts and homes of Britain, starting with a motorbike tour up and down the country in the shape of a big ‘T’ cooking his food for people he met along the way and now, opening his two shopping centre tapa bars. Soulless this place is not and that is down to Omar. Even the napkins, telling the story of the tapa, are a really lovely touch. His warm personality permeates everything in his brand.

We received a charming welcome from the Galician manager, David, who sorted us out with a glass of vino tinto pronto (Lagrimas de Garnacha, Navarra - £13.95 for 500ml), which served to simultaneously thaw us out quick-smart and

transport us to a tapas bar somewhere in Pamplona. I could almost feel the sunshine beating down on my back. We asked David to select some dishes from the menu for us and then added a couple of our own choosing for good measure.

What we ate was a revelation. To say that I was not expecting that level of quality is an understatement.

There in the food court of one of London’s biggest (and gastronomically vacuous) shopping malls lays an experience everyone should have. Having started with a glass of fruity, heady wine to whet the appetite, we followed up with a selection of meats (acorn-fed Iberian ham, Iberian pork loin with paprika, salami and cured Iberian pork loin) and a plate of excellent Manchego cheese with a large sliver of quince jelly. The produce just sang from the plate. We had everything we needed; we never wanted to leave.

Pan con tomate was just how you want it to be: garlicky, crisp and sweet. It wasn’t long before David and the funloving chef on duty came back with something hot; ham croquettes, chorizo from the oven, fried calamari and seafood Paella. Every morsel we ate was cooked to perfection; crispy calamari spritzed with lemon, juicy chunks of dark amber chorizo, a perfect crumb and a delightful consistency to the filling of the croqueta and a lovely mix of well cooked and seasoned seafood in the Paella. The tortilla de patatas was no Barrafina tortilla de patatas but I’ll you something; it was not bad at all. It tasted homemade and was quite delicious.

We also tried the asparagus with romesco sauce, which was light and fresh, perfect for spring eating (well it will be if spring ever gets here).

Just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore, David suggested we try the very traditional Galician octopus dish, Pulpo a la Gallega. Do it. It is wonderful and unusual and you’ll want to bring your friends so they can try it too. Slithers of boiled octopus are sprinkled with olive oil, paprika and rock salt and a few sliced cooked potatoes are dotted in around the plate. Moreish, yes, and you can understand exactly why pilgrims are so delighted to sit down to a restorative plate of this at Santiago de Compostela, where vats of octopus are prepared daily to feed the throngs. We rounded off the evening with a small helping of freshly fried, light and fluffy, sugar crusted churros with silky chocolate sauce.

Prices here are unbelievably reasonable coming in at an average £5 per tapa and there are also two set menus for you to choose from, which of course encourage sharing, at £11 and £15. Takeaway is also available. Once you’ve tried his food, it doesn’t take long for you to understand that happiness is a plate of Omar Allibhoy’s tapas. If you needed a reason to move to W12, here you have it - on a plate (or five). page. 26

The Stables Market, NW1 www.gilgameshbar.com words: Coco Khan Gilgamesh is the name of an ancient king. His story, known as the Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest surviving works of literature, and whilst drawing a comparison between the ancient lands of Babylonia and Camden might be stretching it a bit too far, there is an air of an unfurling tale at it’s celebrity hangout. Perhaps it’s the unavoidable reputation of the place. A regular appearance in papped shots of Kate Moss falling out of places, and previously a favoured haunt of Amy Winehouse, Gilgamesh has become synonymous with that specific brand of fame that simultaneously screams power and vulgarity. If this is the kind of thing to turn you off, I can’t be much clearer, don’t come here. But if you’re someone who wants to see and be seen, who likes the idea of young professionals with cash to burn, few inhibitions but demand good food, outside of Chelsea this is a contender for London’s best.

Gilgamesh is kitted out with a kind of North African decor (probably homage to the eponymous Gilgamesh) but it’s clean and fresh Pan-Asian food that inspires the menu.

I’m there for a quick spin, sampling bits and bobs from the menu tapas style. The dining hall, which feels more like a large lounge, each table fitted with a booth for privacy and comfort (two values Gilgamesh appear to take seriously), is packed tonight. The staff could stand to be perhaps a bit friendlier but they can be forgiven simply for the sheer scale of the operation. Gilgamesh really is a very big place.

The food I sample arrives swiftly and with ceremony.

We’ve left it to the chef to choose and he sends over a variety of quintessential dishes including dim sum and spring rolls but don’t be fooled by the familiarity. We’re being prompted to try from the ample fish/seafood range and I don’t blame them. It’s bloody tough to get star quality fish in the city and as devoted disciples of the Orient, the skill demonstrated in the fish separates Gilgamesh from your average Camden destination. No wonder they’re so keen to show it off. It’s playful too, my sashimi arrives on a smouldering plinth, dry ice underneath the platter, drawing eyes from the dining room. With a decor that cost £18m, Gilgamesh love a bit of showiness, and they do it unashamedly.

I wind down with a drink in the bar a few steps away.

The drinking area doesn’t feel forced or imposed upon the restaurant, and before I know it I’m late – an hour has disappeared with the blink of the eye. It’s amazing what a contented appetite, chairs to sink into and a view onto the twinkling canal can do.

K10 K10, 20 Copthall Avenue, EC2R 7DN K10, 3 Appold Street, EC2A 2AF www.k10.com The mobile-buffet of conveyor belt eateries is scarcely regarded as fine dining. Inspired by the Tokyo staples of speed, convenience and compression, restaurants such as YO! Sushi have founded an empire on fast -albeit delicious - food. Incipient member of YO! Sushi Christopher Kemper jumped belt and founded K10 with Maurice Abboudi. The original venue on Copthall Avenue in the financial district merged the conveyor - or ‘Kaiten’ - concept with the attentive service – a gourmet buffet where exquisite food comes in small packages. A sister K10 Restaurant has recently opened on 3 Appold Street, Moorgate.

It’s easy to see why K10 has become a magnet for city-workers fine-combing plans over lunch or unwinding with sake over dinner. K10 has some rather sublime perks for those with a palate yearning for food more adventurous than the identikit chain fare. K10 is an undulating delicatessen suitable for light meals, take-away snack boxes and a gorging of

Chez Gerard 64 Bishopsgate, EC2N www.chezgerard.co.uk words: Sid Raghava Hail the return of a 70’s icon! Chez Gerard opened its doors in 1975 to a pre-Thatcherite Britain and introduced London to it’s popular variety of ‘ultimate steak frites’.

Now in its new guise, under new ownership, in its shiny new location in the heart of the City, Chez Gerard aims to reignite the crowded Steakhouse and Bar scene.

So you step into the Bishopsgate establishment with the Shard smugly peaking out in the near distance and you enter a rather stylish brasserie with a formal dining hall upstairs. If you think you might need to answer the call to nature at an imminent juncture, you might be advised to head to the basement as there are no toilets on any of the other levels and no lifts - elevators if you’re American. Not much of an issue but thought it would be an idea to be made known. The upstairs resembles a 1950’s train complete with windows overlooking city landscapes.

The bar is well stocked and ready to fire to your heart’s desire with a vast selection of

spontaneous delights. The menu is lengthy and seasonally variable to the point where even printing a menu anymore has become superfluous. Over 100 dishes are selected and adapted according to seasonal availability.

Among the parade of tasty staples of ceviche and sushi rolls, menu highlights include the aubergine salad – an ambrosial plate of richly dressed miniature aubergines; a delicious salmon nigiri that hits the delicate balance between meaty and pureed; and my personal favourite – the Salmon Sashimi.

If it all gets too overwhelming in a blur of layer upon layer of leaf-vegetables and finely cut fish, the knowledgeable staff are always willing to guide the novice and the intrepid. A made-to-order hot food list available, which is sautéed, skinned, rolled and wrapped in the public kitchen central to the dining area.

The myriad combinations of fish, vegetables and modes of presentation is reason enough to prop up a stool at K10.

Whether a sushi-foodie, a fan of gluttony or variety (there is an array of sake on offer), the restaurant provides a canteen method of eating with the rich flavours and attentive service of a fine-dining restaurant. Basic setting, sumptuous sushi.

mostly French wines, a plethora of spirits and some rather off-the-beaten-track cocktails.

The service is keen and relaxed. On to the food and the Caesar Salad, in keeping with the quirky cocktails, replacing smoked bacon with smoked herring topped up with some red pepper. This combination recommended by the kindly gentleman who rolled up his trolley to serve works quite well. But better still try the Deep fried crispy St Loup Goat’s cheese and Chilli Relish- and then move on to the Boston Trimmed Rib, a delectable, well presented corker of a main. The steaks, entrecote and Porterhouse included, are all pasture-reared and sourced from the West Country after being hung to perfection for 28 days. All of the while the needs of the diner get attended to and the flow of good wine oils the gustatory perception to a prime. Finish off with a Pistachio soufflé and chocolate ice cream to top off a rather impressive comeback.

Yes, it’s back and it’s good. And for you lunchies out there, try the Steakhouse Express option with sirloin, special sauce, salad and bottomless fries. Breakfast starts at 7.30 on the bar area with Full English, Butties, Pastries and some rather good coffee on offer.

Supperclub 12 Acklam Rd, W10 5QZ www.supperclub.com words: Maria Kivimaa The Amsterdam-originated Supperclub claims to be an overall sensory experience as well as a restaurant. The challenge is big, at least in London in 2013, where an immersive ‘experience’ requires a tad more than a pop star tribute act, and a quality ‘restaurant’ should always keep the food in the brightest limelight.

Located under the Westway in the middle of nowhere in Ladbroke Grove, we arrived at 7.30pm, as instructed, and spent the first 45 minutes in a small bar sipping cocktails and eyeing up the other, rather well-groomed diners - most of whom seem to analyse stocks or hope to marry a footballer for living - before the big wall opened, and we were herded into the main room and to our table, which was actually a mattress.

The menu is kept secret and food slightly overshadowed by the all the experimental fuzz, but on our visit the culinaristic part played its role very satisfyingly. The starter soup tasted more of coriander than carrot, but the subsequent courgette and cheese risotto was balancing delightfully between gentle and palate-ass-kicking. The lamb assiette aimed high with its half-a-dozen accompaniments and landed a bit all over the plate, nevertheless the meat was succulent and nicely complimented by the garlic and onion purees. The dessert, warm apple and pear tart with butterscotch ice-cream would easily outdo that of high street coffee shop in taste but not imaginativeness.

During eating we were disrupted by short acts, such as a half-naked drag queen covered in leaves mimicking Lady Gaga inside a glass box, or a gymmnast in a jumpsuit and massive helmet hanging from the ceiling.

These acts, bar staff in lab coats or kinky black leotards, blindingly white and soulless warehouse, Ibiza-esque cheesy house music and beds as dining tables would have been more arousing ten years ago, when Carrie Bradshaw was hailed as the new jesus and Meatpacking District the epitome of all things cool. But today they depict slightly half-hearted and outdated avant-garde, that is more plain strange than edgy, more awkward than surreal.

The Supperclub does have its place,

page. 27

maybe as a trip down the Millennial memory lane or a place to entertain visitors from lesser-happening cities, and could result in a fun night if taken with a pinch of salty irony. But hard-boiled Londoners have seen it all from dinners in pitch black to Eyes Wide Shut -styled orgies, and are notoriously hard to please, let alone amaze.When in 1977 Pierre opened his first restaurant ‘La Tante Claire’, Michel and Albert became the backers, along with Michael Caine. The restaurant went on to top the gastronomic league, after receiving a total of 3 Michelin stars in it’s heyday.

With the roaring success that was La Tante Claire, Pierre moved the venue to the Berkeley in 1998 where it became the resident restaurant until it closed in 2003.

Pierre then officially retired, although he continued to focus on a number of consultancy projects for the Bleeding Heart, Brasserie St Jacques and the Royal Opera House. However, he found the lure of the kitchens too much to hang up his apron strings for, and returned to the spotlight yet again when Koffmann’s opened at the Berkeley in 2010.

Koffmann is widely acclaimed for translating good, simple honest fare into sophisticated offerings without becoming a slave to trends. He considers the rewards of a chef in simply granting pleasure to his customers. Not one, for succumbing to the whims of creating experimental concoctions that claim column inches, he remains a master of doing what he does best: classic cuisine – and doing it well.

An evening at the Berkeley can’t fail when it comes to an unforgettable experience of traditional elegance reminiscent of a bygone age. The customer is treated with courtesy that often gets overlooked in today’s rushed world. Truly a trip back to the Gatsby era, where the excesses of the idle rich were pandered to, whatever you want and whichever way you want it done.

On our visit, we found the clientele to be mostly filled with business travelers and couples staying at the hotel. The menu was quite a script to study. It took us beyond our starter to actually make our minds up.

I opted for a starter of Langoustines and Scallops in a coconut and coriander broth delicately infused with its complementary Pan-Asian flavours (this is as far from Classic French that Pierre will venture).

My companion’s choice was directed by a yearning for the snails simmering in garlic butter in a cocotte, topped with

Memorable Dining, Desirable Drinks Spend an evening to remember in the stylish surroundings of Aubrey Bar & Restaurant. Sip cocktails from our award winning mixologist Alessandro Pizzoli and experience British cuisine with a French influence.

109-113 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5LR at the

For more details please visit doylecollection.com/kensington

fa s hi o n

The Lions, the Riches, the Wardrobe It might feel a little bit early to start thinking about next season’s wear, but given the weather and the ‘think ahead’ rule of thumb for any serious fashionista, Sarah Andrews indulges in some forward fashion thinking. Having been running in heels through February’s fashion week, she makes her recommendations for A/W 13 Felder Felder www.felderfelder.com Autumn/winter was a focus on bowler hats, latex dresses and metallics for design duo, Felder Felder. Inspired by the rebellious attitudes of the Zephyr boys (the original skaters from the 70s), this show was certainly one of the standouts from the season.

But of course, rebellion never looked so sophisticated, with a smattering of sheer skirts and thigh high splits, which were accessorised to perfection with coats worn as capes, and belted waists.

Of particular note was the panelled cashmere and woolblend trench coat, which would brighten even the greyest of winter days. The pastel coloured dresses, were given a sensual element with a thigh split, which would look perfect on the next season’s red carpet.

Velvet took us back to the decade the collection was inspired by, making appearances in a trouser suit, and in embossed details across a number of garments.

Models danced down the catwalks to the beat of Dr Dre, which really added a fun element to the show, something that is quickly becoming associated with the fashion label’s personality.

But the piece de resistance was very much the white and grey shaggy Mongolian coats, which were belted to add a feminine silhouette. Worn with a great pair of heels on the catwalk, these coats would be the ideal accompaniment when off the slopes in Verviers, or when on the trot to the office Christmas party.

Nicole Farhi www.nicolefarhi.com With the 30th anniversary of luxury British label Nicole Farhi, the fashion house decided to shake things up by appointing designer Joanna Sykes as Creative Director earlier this year.

This season, Sykes focused on an unstructured silhouette with a nod to traditional fabrics, featuring distinctive patterns such as stripes and herringbone.

Masculine tailoring and androgyny were put under the spotlight, reimagined through playful proportions. Big collars and extended lengths were the perfect example of this, giving traditional tailoring a twist.

Outerwear in particular was inspired by the boyfriend’s wardrobe, with boxed shoulders, big collars and a military themed appearance. Coming in a range of mid-to-long lengths, the jackets and coats were displayed in grey and plummy-brown hues.

The cigarette trousers had a sports luxe feel to them, and worked perfectly when paired with the laid back design of the silk shirts, which in some cases draped beautifully over the top.

Stand out items include the long, cream coat featuring a downy fur overlay and the consistency of layering black patch-worked knits over white, to create a statement. These details are what sets Farhi apart for the new season and under the helm of Sykes, it seems this is one new fashion partnership that just may endure.

Felder Felder

page. 29

Nicole Farhi

These details are what sets Farhi apart for the new season and under the helm of Sykes, it seems this is one new fashion partnership that just may endure

Maria Grachvogel www.mariagrachvogel.com Loose designs, draped in all of the right places were what Maria Grachvogel focused on for autumn/winter. Apronfronted trousers and shirt dresses, were inspired by forest scapes in earthy hues of browns and greens.

It was back to nature for this collection, and the neutrals which encompassed most of the collection only served to make the rare bright colour pop. Digital prints of trees and woodlands added to the overall effect, creating beautiful patterns on flowing dresses, which are perfect for making a statement in the colder months.

The changing seasons were captured perfectly as the flowing silks highlighted the fluidity of summer melting into autumn, with sheer fabrics billowing beautifully on the

catwalk. Classically tailored pieces, including blouses and suits would make for the perfect choice for office wear, with the soft greys and burgundys being the perfect colour base to build an outfit on.

Maria Grachvogel certainly captured an earthly elegance with this collection and in particular, the digital prints helped to break up a muted collection.

Orla Kiely www.orlakiely.com Orla Kiely is always one of the fashion crowd’s favourites at London Fashion Week. Known for her creative presentations, this season was no exception.

Models sat ala Mad Men in a 1950’s type setting, at tables typing at typewriters and going about their business. This page. 30

was all done whilst adorning beehives, and sweet little dresses with nipped in waists and Peter Pan collars. White tights and t-bar shoes were paired with pencil skirts in neon yellow shades and beautiful knits.

Fifties-shaped dresses flared out as the models walked around, and came in monochrome and brights, showing some of summer’s trends will transcend into autumn/ winter. Pinafores sat beautifully over soft, chiffon shirts in bright and clashing patterns. Maroon a-line dresses featured contrasting white panelling, showing Orla’s eye for detail once again.

Overall, this was a fun collection, taking us back to a decade of glamour, which some say fashion was at its best.

If the white tights are not for you, then the pencil skirts and bee-like dresses will be.

Fa s hi o n

Toe to Toe Shula Pannick meets luxury shoe designer Aruna Seth for a tete-a-tete of the footwear variety Every discerning shopper knows that the purchase of an exquisite pair of shoes comes at a price. And it’s not necessarily your Mulberry wallet that will end up feeling the pinch. With the luxury shoe sphere causing aches and pains aplenty, renowned shoe designer Aruna Seth is making it her business to change the way women feel in their footwear.

Whether you deal in dresses or diamonds, stilettos or shoulder-bags, every designer dreams of ‘that’ moment; the celebrity endorsement that will change the nature of the game. For Aruna Seth, the celebrity sighting in question couldn’t have been played out on a greater global stage. With the world’s eyes fixed firmly on that famous derriere, Pippa Middleton chose to wear the Aruna Seth Lynn Silver Shoes to complement her emerald green Jenny Packham dress for the post-wedding party at Buckingham Palace. Whilst already established as a brand, Aruna has no qualms in recognizing this as a turning point in her career. ‘The Pippa Middleton connection definitely affected my sales’, she notes.

‘It was because of that sighting that I ended up being stocked in Harrods and, even now, clients ask to buy the ‘Pippa Shoe’ or want to see it for themselves’.

Of course the Royal connection was just one milestone in a career founded on a fascination with that elusive combination of comfort and style. Growing up as the second generation of a veritable shoe-design dynasty, Aruna was inspired from an early age by her father Geoff Seth; the man behind the Ascot trainer brand. In fact Seth has been designing shoes since she was 6 or 7, and working at her father’s footwear factory in Surrey.

“I suppose you could say shoes have always been in my blood’ she explains. ‘The entrepreneurial spirit was strong in me from a young age so every summer I went to work with my father. It meant I became well versed in every aspect of the business, whether designing, packing boxes, or dealing

with sales and warehouse accounts. That experience really did teach me how to run a business.”

But whilst she was surrounded by shoes, Aruna was already leaning towards thoughts of dreamy decadent designs rather than the practical, affordable, sports samples her father specialised in. And, with her father as her ‘main mentor’, Aruna was, ‘able to build my brand as a natural progression of what I’d learnt early on’. So, after a university business degree, and three years at an investment bank, Aruna returned to her sole soft spot.

Aruna’s intention was always to gift a clientele used to the very best, with a uniquely glamorous shoe that would amaze by way of comfort as well as appearance. This started with a rejection of the popular premise that a great looking shoe must be an uncomfortable one So, Aruna added a characteristic flourish of cosiness to her design. This by way of a specially designed sock containing a plush Italian nappa leather cushioned padding, providing cashmere comfort for the foot. She explains, ‘I also strategically placed certain pads throughout the shoe and that’s why I’m big in the bridal industry. Every bride want to be on their feet from morning until 2am, without having to take their shoes off!’. But the strategic design goes beyond the padding. Aruna designs with a focus on the lines of each shoe, ensuring she elongates the legs to change how the foot and silhouette looks.

Knowing the shoe-world inside out, and with compromise out of the question, Aruna knew exactly where to go to set the standard of her brand high. ‘I wanted to make the best shoes in the world, the most luxurious shoes in the world, so I knew I had to go to North Italy,” she says. “It’s very hard to get into the factories there, as they want to know you’re going to stay, not just going to make one season of shoes.

So it’s almost like an interview process. In this unique area, they pride themselves in a real artisan form of craftsmanship which is what I knew I needed, and everyone from YSL to page. 31

Jimmy Choo come to North Italy to get the best results’.

Each Aruna Seth creation is a fairytale find, tempting savvy shoppers with luxe leathers, supple satins, and eyecatching crystals to bewitch its way from shop-shelf to wardrobe. And so Aruna is perfectly poised to cater for the red carpet, bridal, and special occasion sectors that laud her every design. From Kate Hudson to Katherine Heigl, starlets are clamouring to get their hands on a super-stylish pair of Seths of their very own. So Aruna is keen to keep up with the fashion-forward and set trends of her own to boot.

With an Indian father and Jamaican mother, she explains ‘I’m constantly picking up ideas in different countries. So it would be nice to develop the fashion side of my design to combine my concentration on shapes with new and emerging trends’.

But, for Aruna, despite all the glitz and the glamour, she’s emphatic that the business is what drives her. “From the beginning, I’ve always been quite business-focused,” she says. “I love being a designer, but I think 80pc of it is actually running a business - and I think that’s why you see a lot of designers coming and going”. And so, with her market and clientele firmly in mind at all times, Aruna’s eyes are on considered expansion of the brand. Asia and the USA will be key markets over the course of the next year, and she’s looking forward to branching out into accessories such as handbags, hair accoutrements and brooches.

Citing Oscar de la Renta and Elie Saab as her design inspirations, there’s no doubting that, for Aruna Seth, quality is what counts. With this in mind, Seth currently offers her customers a bespoke shoe service where clients will be assisted in selecting and designing their perfect pair of shoes.

“For me, it’s about creating the ultimate in luxury footwear,” she says. “I want people to be wearing their Aruna Seth shoes in 20 years time and for them to still look amazing.

Months of design goes into every pair of shoes and that’s because they are built to last.” And built to be loved.

Surfaces:Cemile panels from Giles Miller Studio | brass (left), copper (right)

S p rin g Tr e n d s

It’s what’s inside that counts Creative director and founder of London-based interior design studio The Hub, Michael Kilkelly, guest writes this issue’s Spring Cleaning feature looking at the latest interiors trends urging you for a makeover page. 32

I like the old saying that ‘Home is where the heart is.’ As an interior designer, I tend to live by that. It’s important to reflect who we are in the clothes we wear, the people we associate with and the places we frequent. None of these is more important, of course, than our very own homes.

Our dwellings are such and intrinsic part of our identity that they should communicate something very personal about us, whether individuals, couples or families. My message to you, dear reader, is this: be daring, be bold and do not be afraid to let your personality shine through in your interiors. Trust me, its fun! That’s why I love it!

Perhaps these wonderful examples might provide some inspiration to get you started in 2013.

Surfaces Surfaces are the framework around which your rooms are created. Imagine the possibilities of using these rather fantastic and glamorous brass Cemile panels from Giles Miller Studio. These get me particularly excited when it comes to creating bespoke surfaces. The Spitalfieldsbased studio fashions and angles small cut tabs to create beautifully shimmering textured imagery and patterns.

Exciting ideas could be expressed with this feature! I can see these enveloping entire grand walls in entrance halls and reception rooms, being something to talk about for years to come.

Lighting: Crystal Bulbs by Lee Broom materials can be slotted together, creating anything from a home workspace to delightfully simple kitchen storage. The charm of this system is that it can be slotted in anywhere it is required and, very importantly, is scalable and adaptable to the needs of the individual as well as to the space. I love it - and so should you.

Competition

Lighting Lighting, of course, is an essential part of any interior space, but can so often sadly be overlooked. Huge consideration Storage: String Furniture

Win a Home MOT worth £600 HomeFix Direct, the London-based property repairs and maintenance company, pride themselves on their ability to recondition and modernize habitats ranging from the tiniest studios to the largest houses.

So why not invest in your property and get those odd jobs done with peace of mind? Whether you have a leak, faulty boiler or defective wiring HomeFix Direct can sort it out for you. No job is too big or too small - HomeFix Direct can deal with any household maintenance query and get the job done. All work is carried out efficiently and reasonably by specialised and trustworthy tradesmen specialising in plumbing, gas-related maintenance by Gas-Safe registered engineers, central heating, NICEICaccredited electrical work, handyman repairs, decorating and general refurbishments.

One lucky Kensington and Chelsea Review Reader will get the chance to win a ‘Home MOT’ courtesy of HomeFix Direct. This will comprise an energy performance certificate (EPC), gas safety certificate and fixed wiring test, plus a day’s worth of room decorating worth £600 in total.

Colour Schemes: Farrow & Ball Colour Schemes Let me make a point which I believe isn’t stressed nearly as much as it ought to be: do not be afraid of colour. So often, interior designers and architects shy away from the use of anything beyond bone white or charcoal grey tones on walls, ceilings and woodwork. I find people often have a fear of using deeper, richer tones as they feel they may perhaps be too oppressive or intense.

Take a look at the many examples on Farrow & Ball’s website – these effectively show that the use of intense colours can convey a strong sense of sophistication, when done correctly. While it is a simple measure, decorating your home can make or break your vision. Choose wisely your colours and the team of workmen. Remember, God is in the detail!

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize answer the following question: Name one area that HomeFix Direct specialise in?

Send your answers to: competition@homefix-direct. com by 1st July 2013 Terms and Conditions Only one entry per household is allowed. Room decoration includes walls and ceiling, size not to exceed approximately 15ft x 15ft. Woodwork/doors not included; can be priced separately at a 25% discount for FTB readers. Distance restrictions apply, available to greater London only defined by the M25. Appointments required and subject to availability. Merchant cancellation / rescheduling policy of 48 hours applies.

Storage Storage, storage, storage. We all need it - but isn’t it nice to display our treasured belongings in a way which does them justice? A firm favorite of mine is the wonderful String shelving system, which offers a hugely diverse and intriguing storage solution. Its purpose is to allow individuals to create adaptable and stylish storage solutions for themselves within this beautiful framework that Swedish designers String Furniture have created.

Numerous units of varying sizes, shapes, colours and page. 33

Furnishing: Republic of Fritz Hansen

should be taken to choose the right lighting for the right spaces to create a mood that’s – well, just right.

Take these rather luxuriant handcrafted crystal bulbs by Lee Broom, who was awarded ‘Designer of the Year’ at the 2011 British Design Awards. A contemporary classic, in my opinion - and a fascinating feature ideally suited to the warmer, more social areas of the house. Imagine a cluster of these crystal bulbs perhaps suspended above your dining area, or even acting as a lighting feature in an entrance hall. Rather enchanting.

Furnishing To me, furniture in the home is the icing on the cake. It’s a joy to create themes and mood boards to showcase which different furnishings will work with each other to tie the space together with both style and comfort.

I’ve recently had the pleasure of checking out one of these rather fantastic easy chairs over at Republic of Fritz Hansen on Margaret Street. To me, it looks rather masculine - but at the same time, reminds me somehow of a ladies high-heeled shoe.

And While We’re At It…

Possibly not surprising, since Spanish designer Jaime Hayón has dipped his toe into the shoe-making business previously. I particularly love the attention to detail on this wingback chair with its rounded, brushed aluminum ‘heels’ and clever use of multiple textiles which are, nevertheless, colour matched.

For more information or advice from The Hub Design visit www.thehubdesign.co.uk or contact Michael himself on 07815432711 or mike@thehubdesign.co.uk

Long the norm in other European (and some American) cities, an apartment no longer spells compromise. Whether this is the result of an influx of people from less stable European nations, or a desire for the “lock up and leave” convenience sought in the original pieds a terre I couldn’t say, but I am sure the owners of apartments in One Hyde Park do not feel they “settled”.

We asked Adam Edgell-Bush of Mayfair residential real estate firm Fenton Whelan the big three questions at the top of any home-improver’s agenda as they look for a big change How far would you say architectural structure of a house limits an interior design? Are there any examples you have in mind?

London’s luxury residential market has been performing very well, but this has not meant that high-end architects, interior designers and property developers have been able to relax.

Far from it. Today’s (super)prime property purchaser has exacting standards and is extremely well-versed in the best available around the world. They may already own principal or holiday homes in other locations, and expect that a global city such as London should allow them to maintain (or surpass) the standards set elsewhere. This applies to the silk in the carpets of Fenton Whelan’s latest property at 235 Knightsbridge through to the curated art on the walls, done in collaboration with House of The Nobleman.

When looking to satisfy clients’ or purchasers’ requirements Fenton Whelan often focus on subverting the functional (such as pipes and cables) and emphasizing the flourish (whether this be high-gloss bespoke joinery or natural silk curtains). Our clients are not used to compromise, and while we cannot rewrite the laws of physics (we can’t, we tried) we will always focus on doing whatever possible to minimize negative impact on the quality of the spaces we create. The most desirable properties in Kensington and Chelsea such as those on Addison Road, Holland Park or even Kensington Palace Gardens were built when things were a little different. When CAT-6 cabling and Lutron lighting systems; water boosters and underfloor heating were beyond comprehension. Of greater importance was having a floor that could support a grand piano. Clients today might still want that grand piano. But they also want the home automation and the grandeur of 4-metre ceilings. This is the challenge for today’s designers, and one that we deal with (and relish doing so) every day.

Where do you see the next phase of home design going, both architecturally and within interiors?

Even on a smaller-scale however, the increasing sophistication and awareness of homebuyers has dictated design trends. For many, luxury is space. Rather than the emphasis on quantity that seemed to typify prior periods, we have moved to a more cultivated style – perhaps sacrificing quality for quantity, but allowing signature pieces to ‘speak’ (and understanding what they have to say).

As London gets more populated, the apartment/flat has become an increasing norm. How has this affected the trends of interiors?

page. 34

AD V E RTO R I AL

Agaclean Houseproud entrepreneurs Stuart and Karen Nelson spotted a needed niche in the market when they couldn’t find anyone to clean their beloved Aga Cooker properly. Taking on the task themselves with near perfect results, eleven years later, they’re still doing it. But it’s other people’s Agas getting the star treatment The couple realised there was a gap in the market for somebody to provide a professional, nationwide oven - cleaning service dedicated purely to the UK ‘s Aga lovers. So the couple established Agaclean (after all what else could they call it?) and have never looked back.

The operation now covers the whole of the UK ‘so we can find ourselves in deepest Devon and the Highlands the next’ said Stuart. ‘But one thing all our customers have in common is that they treat their Aga as if it were one of the family. So, when we bring back its original sparkle, the reaction we get is always one of the job’s highlights.

People can’t really believe the difference a professional clean makes’.

Agaclean uses a steam-cleaning process that removes all the baked-on fat and grease that builds up over time on the

various surfaces of the unit. The inside of the ovens receives both the steam-clean and a wire brush treatment to bring it back to its former glory.

Other ancillary services can include touching up chip marks and topping up the insulation around the cooking rings together with steaming cleaning the tile surrounds as necessary.

Charges are £95.00 per hour including VAT, with the average two oven Aga normally taking about two hours to deep clean. The larger four oven Aga takes approx half an hour longer to complete.

Certainly much more cost effective than buying a new Aga! For further details or an instant quotation, call Stuart on 07815 475856 or visit at www. agaclean.co.uk page. 35

AD V E RTO R I AL

Live Local, Think Global onefinestay has been redefining city travel since 2010. Guests live like locals by staying in a distinctive home while the owners are out of town, enjoying a service which offers the convenience and comfort of a hotel. For the homeowners, or hosts, it’s a chance to benefit financially from a house or apartment which would otherwise stand empty, without having to lift a finger onefinestay guests are looking for that charm and distinction that’s seldom found in a standard hotel room.

With homes in Kensington and Chelsea proving ever so popular with discerning guests, it’s the perfect opportunity to earn more money, by putting your home to work while you are out of town. Everything is taken care of by

onefinestay, from insurance and marketing through to preparing your home for guests and meeting them at the door. onefinestay hosts also enjoy benefits such as a 30% discount on stays in New York.

If you own a lovely London home and would like to find out a bit more about onefinestay, then visit onefinestay.com/hosts page. 36

and complete a short questionnaire to find out how much you could earn from your home. If it looks like onefinestay might be a good fit then one of our new members team would be more than happy to pop round for a cup of tea and a chat about how onefinestay membership could work for you. It could be a very lucrative cup of tea indeed.

urn your home into a boutique hotel.

Without even having to fold your toilet paper.

If you own a distinctive home it could now become a boutique hotel while you’re out of town. We offer a hassle free service which allows you to earn extra income from guests while your home would otherwise sit empty.

Find out more at oneďŹ nestay.com/hosts or call 020 7097 8948

AD V E RTO R I AL

Gibraltar A honey pot for those who want a Mediterranean lifestyle combined with Rock Bottom Tax Gibraltar has for some time now, been attracting High Net Worth Individuals “in the know” to become Tax Resident on the Rock. This is known as Category 2 Tax Residency and for those that qualify, it means that they only pay income tax on their first £80,000 of earnings per year, meaning that their tax is capped at £29,800. To qualify for Category 2 Tax Residency, there is no minimum amount of time you have to spend in Gibraltar but you will need to demonstrate that you have, at least, £2million of Net Assets, have a Category 2 approved property to stay in and have private medical cover.

The luxury properties in Buena Vista Park Villas which are due for completion by the end of 2013 will comfortably qualify for category 2 approval. Finding private medical cover is also simple and Gibraltar has excellent medical facilities.

Gibraltar is English speaking, so no need to learn another language and the currency is pounds Sterling, which is arguably safer than the Euro. Gibraltar also has excellent education and legal facilities based on the British system.

Gibraltar’s economy is strong and stable and the country is virtually debt free, meaning that taxes are likely to remain friendly. Apart from the very attractive Category 2 cap on income tax, all tax residents in Gibraltar benefit from Zero Capital Gains Tax, Zero Inheritance Tax, No Wealth Tax and No VAT. Even Corporation tax is low at just 10%.

UK TAX*

On Income over £80k

40%

0%

On income over £150k

50%

0%

Corporate Tax

23%

10%

Inheritance Tax

40%

0%

Capital Gains Tax

18-28%

0%

VAT

20%

0%

*Public tax rates on record. Individual cases may vary.

page. 38

Gibraltar TAX CAT 2 Tax residency

Gibraltar compares very favourably with other European “low tax jurisdictions” as these other countries all have either, higher income tax, or VAT, or higher stamp duty on property purchases and most have a requirement to spend a certain amount of time in the country.

Gibraltar provides a very simple and clear low tax location without restrictions.

A new International Airport with daily flights to the UK from a number of airlines mean you can easily get back to England in about 2.5 hours.

The new Statutory Residency Test in the UK, which comes into force in April 2013, means that it will be much easier to establish how many days you can spend in the UK without being considered tax resident . A combination of “connecting factors” (ties) and number of days spent in the UK will determine residency. The rules haven’t been ratified yet but are expected to be as follows: Day in UK Up to 182 days

Max 0 UK Ties

Up to 120 days

Max 1 UK Ties

Up to 90 days

Max 2 UK Ties

Up to 45 days

Max 3 UK Ties

Up to 15 days

All other cases

Connecting Factors (ties) 1. Dependent family (not including children in boarding school) 2. Accommodation that is available to use in the UK for more than 91 days per year 3. 40+work days in the UK 4. 90+ days in the UK in either of previous 2 tax years 5. More days spent in the UK than any other country Discover Gibraltar Gibraltar is not just about the tax, it is a unique and fascinating place to live. Gibraltar has beautiful marinas with yachts of all sizes, smart restaurants, bars, shops and a new casino. Just over the border in Spain is the lavish marina of Puerto Banus and numerous flawless golf courses.

Ocean Village Marina, Gibraltar Buena Vista Park Villas is located in the quieter Southern district of Gibraltar, where the climate is even better than the rest of Gibraltar, with in excess of 300 days of sunshine a year. Buena Vista Park Villas is a private gated development that is currently under construction. The properties are high quality luxury villas and townhouses that are currently being sold off-plan.

The views from all the properties are truly remarkable with views in a single panorama across the Bay of Gibraltar and across the straits to North Africa.

If you have any questions about Buena Vista Park Villas, Gibraltar or Category 2 Tax residency, contact Robert Martin; Email:Robert@BVhomes.gi or telephone, 00350 6066 6661

page. 39

Luxury living in a European offshore location with over 300 days of sunshine per year

Attractive Fiscal benefits in Gibraltar: • NO VAT • NO Capital Gains Tax

GIBRALTAR IS A BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY, where the language is ENGLISH, the currency is STERLING £ and education and law are based on the British system.

• NO Inheritance Tax • ZERO Income Tax* *Zero Income Tax applies to Category 2 Tax Residents on their income over £80,000 per annum.

BUENA VISTA PARK VILLAS, provides luxury, high quality 3,4 & 5 bedroom properties, with amazing sea views of the bay and straits of Gibraltar.

Contact:

For more information contact us.

Robert Martin Sales Manager BV Homes Ltd

Tel: +350 6066 6661 Email: Robert@BVhomes.gi

www.buenavistaparkvillas.com

DEFINING LUXURY LIVING IN GIBRALTAR

t r av e l

Rock the Casbah: An Introduction to Gibraltar KCReview’s Founder Sid Raghava travels to the Rock of the Mediterranean, and gets to grips with Europe’s unsung travel hero These days I often wake up in the middle of the night pondering upon second home options – just for the hypothetical fun of it. ‘Npowered’ as I may be, a glance outside at the frozen droplets on the window pane reinstates my urge to relocate temporarily to warmer climes whilst London ices up and thaws.

I hate winters. I know a lot of us are bound to a particular part of the world by work, lifestyles or nativity. Thankfully, I am more of a free bird. I’ve had visions and dreams of climbing a tortuous mountain and then once atop, stretching my wings to glide across a dusty land cornered by glowing sea with a shimmering horizon in the background – all that with a huge smile across my sated face. I think I might have found my potential second home in Gibraltar.

Let’s get a few tick-offs towards this second home quest. Tax Free virtually – check. Part of Europe and therefore central to my travel needs - tick. Sort ferry ride away from Africa – check.

Home to some very friendly people from all across the world – check. Right next to Spain - check. Homely British Pubs and Pound as legal tender – tick. Beach/Ocean/Sea - check. And let’s not forget the warm Mediterranean weather, the whole raison d’être behind this exercise.

It is quite exciting when you peer across the sea on a clear day from Europa Point and notice the African mainland peeking back at you. The ‘fast ferry’ will get you to the dark continent in no time. If you fancy sailing around the coastlines of Spain, Portugal or Morocco, Marina Village and Queensway Quay Marina come good on Gibraltar’s reputation as ‘Gateway

to the Mediterranean’. These marinas are full of the choicest restaurants, shops and bars. The main street in Gibraltar will remind you of a high street in UK but stray off it and you’ll find quaint Franco-Spanish streets that zip you around the foothills of The Rock. If you’re looking for a little bit of history, there are miles of tunnels through limestone rock which constitute an underground city complete with hospitals, hotels and barracks.

The Second World War came and went and The Rock stood strong and it is only fair that it forms the centrepiece of this 6.2 square kilometre British Overseas Territory. There is the option of driving up the mountain for stunning views of the Mediterranean sea, Spain and the surrounding area or it can also be scaled by foot. Cable car is the other option although you might feel a bit queasy if it dangles for a bit at Ape’s Den, the intermediate stop up the mountain. We were condemned to perch awhile at the den just so that a poor tourist could disembark to have her broken hip examined by emergency medics. It’s highly unlikely that they encounter broken boned tourists on a regular basis.

Most of all, banally speaking, it is the people which make Gibraltar. It’s the Gibraltarians and the resident Brits and Spanish along with the Moroccans, Jews, Italians, Indians and several other nationalities and ethnicities that lend this wonderful little peninsula its identity – The Gibs as they like to be called. A little Britain in Spain across the sea from Africa in a tax free land where the monkeys roam free and wild and the rock stands tall and strong page. 41

Gibraltar Airport Most Extreme Airports on the History Channel ranks it as the fifth most dangerous airport in the world and the most dangerous in Europe. More than that, it has the most picturesque landing strips safe in the shadow of the Rock. gibraltarairport.gi Sai Darbar Arguably the best Vegetarian/Indian takeaway in the western world. Run virtually singlehandedly by a saintly man who conjures up the most wizardly of gastric creations. 6a Prince Edward Road +350 2006 1312 | saidarbargibraltar.blogspot.co.uk Rock Hotel A decent hotel splattered upon the mountain face.

Newly renovated in the early part of 2013. Yoko Ono and John were married here. rockhotelgibraltar.com +350 2007 3000 Barbary Macaques If they leave, the Brits leave as the saying goes. Going by numbers sighted, they’ll be around for a while and they’ll keep us all entertained.

For more information please visit visitgibraltar.gi Gatwick Express runs between London Victoria station and Gatwick Airport every 15 minutes, with a journey time of just 30 minutes. Save 10% on tickets bought online at www.gatwickexpress.com If you’re booking online, don’t forget to download an exclusive 30 minute soundtrack for your journey created by Benga, The Milk and Philip Sheppard!

m oto rin g

Purrfect for Cruising Adrian Foster waxes lyrical about the Jaguar XJ 3.0L Diesel Portfolio SWB Many years ago, in the days when the powerful Tipo 158 Alfetta racing cars were sweeping all before them on European race tracks, these Grand Prix monsters carried a green four-leaf clover on the cockpit sides as a symbol of good luck and success in competition. With this illustrious history in mind, does Alfa’s MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde deserve such an accolade?

Some have argued that the MiTo was designed with the female buyer in mind and those ‘sad puppy’ headlamp eyes probably helped. It’s much more than a pretty face, though. The Quadrifoglio Verde is an incredibly striking supermini with a punchy turbo-charged MultiAir engine, dynamic suspension and a wealth of options, and we think it looks attractive from all angles. Is it masculine or feminine? It’s impossible to tell, but it certainly received admiring glances and comments wherever we went.

Cosmetic upgrades Alfa Romeo has equipped its range-topping MiTo with a raft of cosmetic upgrades. Subtle updates include wing mirror and headlight surrounds now finished in a pearlescent material as well as those Quadrifoglio Verde badges above the front wheel arches. Among the more distinctive changes are larger alloy wheels, up from 17-inches to 18-inches, and front air intakes are enhanced by new fog light surrounds designed to mimic the 8C Competizione. The MiTo’s sports seats are now backed with carbon fibre to reduce weight and are trimmed in leather and Alcantara suede,

with the carbon fibre theme repeated on the dashboard. Additional equipment as standard includes Bluetooth, cruise control, attractive looking aluminium kick plates and sports pedals as well as a rear spoiler, chrome exhaust pipe and rear parking sensors.

Little missile We found much to like about Alfa’s little missile. The high-performance Quadrifoglio Verde 167bhp version that we tested was as eager as a terrier and in our opinion the best Alfa we have tested for a long time. The five-speed transmission suits the engine’s power delivery well and the change is fast without being notchy. Small changes to the chassis have improved the MiTo’s lifeless steering, but that dead centre stodginess remains in part, which means motorway journeys are still conducted with constant small corrections which can become tiresome on long journeys. However, the chassis control is altogether brilliant, feeling sporting and capable of being exploited but without a payback in nervousness. Alfa’s Q2 traction control system reins in excesses without the abruptness of some rivals, while the Fiat Punto-derived brakes are powerful and well up to the job.

Manufacturer’s recommended On the Road price: from £18,760 For information visit: www.alfaromeo.co.uk/uk/#/car-models/mito

page. 42

ABTA No.88888

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