LOCO FOR THE LOGO

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT VERSACE FW21 COLLECTION; GUCCI ARIA COLLECTION; BALMAIN; GUCCI ARIA COLLECTION; BALMAIN

Loco

for the Logo

CHARTING THE RISE AND FALL OF FASHION’S ULTIMATE STATUS-SIGNIFIER

Words: Anna Solomon

In 1925, Coco Chanel did something that had never been done before. She took her initials, interlocked them in an immortal embrace, and put them on her clothes. Something about the monogram, like an artist’s signature on a painting, imbued the garments with a kind of magic. So began the cult of the label.

Logomania was in full swing by the 1960s. Fendi’s double-F insignia was conceived not long after Karl Lagerfeld took the helm in 1965, and Dior’s Marc Bohan wasn’t far behind, introducing the Oblique monogram in 1970. Valentino Garavani released pieces featuring inverted columns of Vs around the same time that Elizabeth Taylor and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were photographed wearing Gucci’s iconic GG.

In the United States, logo mania reached fever pitch in the 80s, driven almost single-handedly by one man: Harlem-based designer and haberdasher Daniel Day, aka Dapper Dan. Day began screen printing goods with designer logos, and dressed the likes of Mike Tyson, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, SaltN-Pepa, P. Diddy and Run-DMC in his monogramheavy ensembles. He took rarefied labels away from their squeaky-clean European roots, making them desirable – and accessible – to a new audience.

Visible logos were no longer the preserve of Hollywood doyennes and First Ladies – they were for platinum rappers and Upper East Side It-girls. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie drowned in Dior; Louis Vuitton’s Neverfull totes hung from arms everywhere; and Juicy Couture released its infamous diamante tracksuit. The logo reigned as a status symbol in an era of true monogram mania.

During the decade that followed the 2008 financial crisis, the supremacy of the statement label waned. Flashing one’s cash felt out of sync in a world where so many had lost so much. Austerity took over both in governments and in fashion, and the idea of monogramming suddenly became gauche.

But, as we’ve learned, trends are ephemeral. In 2017, Demna Gvasalia of Vetements launched a tongue-in-cheek collaboration with DHL – splashing the courier’s mundane logo across tops and raincoats – and Christopher Bailey rebooted one of fashion’s most recognisable motifs: the Burberry check, which had been all but abandoned after being hijacked by ‘chavs’ and football hooligans in the early 2000s.

Logomania had been reignited, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Alessandro Michele’s maximalist revolution regularly features the interlocking Gs, often overlaid with motifs of flowers or animals. In 2021, Versace took inspiration from its Medusa monogram with a collection entitled ‘La Greca’. Billie Eilish has been an ambassador for logomania – appearing on red carpets in head-to-toe Gucci, Chanel and LV – as has the Kardashian clan.

But what does the monogram mean today? When Eilish sports tiny coupled Gs on her fingernails, she isn’t motivated by the same things as Paris Hilton – the woman who once wore a tank top saying ‘Stop Being Poor’ (OK, apparently that image was photoshopped, but the point still stands). Nowadays, sartorial unsubtlety is less of a status symbol and more a kind of irony.

At the root of it all is the fact that a good monogram works. It is the visual equivalent of a catchy song: succinct, appealing, timeless. Trends may fluctuate, but a designer logo is back in style. For now.

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MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

MEET TEMPUS – THE BELGRAVIA CLINIC PIONEERING BEAUTY FROM THE INSIDE-OUT, AND THE OUTSIDE-IN

Once upon a time, aesthetic treatments were something that people did but rarely talked about. Increasingly, however, they are nothing to hide – simply a way to look and feel your best. With more clinics popping up around London, all claiming to have the secret to eternal youth, how does one distinguish between them?

The answer lies in the adage that beauty is more than skin deep. Belgravia-based Tempus is not just an aesthetics clinic, but an aesthetics and wellness resource. By spanning the disciplines, the practice is truly a one-stop-shop for face, body and mind.

“We wanted to create a centre that could treat anything that the patient wanted tweaking, enhancing or improving, whether that be facial aesthetics, gut health, nutrition, hormones, or body and mind,” says Dr Nadine Hachach-Haram, who co-founded Tempus with Dr Veerle Rotsaert, Dr Nada Soueidan and Dr Kuldeep Minocha. “We offered a whole body approach to self-improvement that was not available in London at the time.”

Tempus’ holistic approach includes a large number of treatments. But there’s no need to feel overwhelmed – visitors undergo a consultation with one of the team to explore the most effective, and safest, treatment options and create a bespoke care plan.

This could be an anti-ageing treatment, laser hair removal, or intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy – a way to improve the colour and texture of skin without surgery. Perhaps a FRAX facial, which uses a laser to resurface the skin, is right for you – or a high-intensity-focused ultrasound (HIFU) facial, another noninvasive treatment for facial ageing. Tempus also offers radiofrequency micro-needling, body contouring and bio-identical hormone therapy, which can improve symptoms of menopause.

A package called the Ultimate Non-Surgical Facelift, which combines treatments, is hugely popular, according to Dr Nadine. “We start with a HydraFacial for a deep cleanse. Then, a course of HIFU and radiofrequency micro-needling, followed by antiwrinkle injectables and either skin boosters or Profhilo,” she says. “We are seeing fantastic results.”

When it comes to Tempus’ cuttingedge technologies, Dr Nadine is particularly excited about the Focus Dual, which is a combination of radiofrequency micro-needling and HIFU. When they come together it achieves maximum results for re-texturising and lifting skin. “Our newest laser, Nordlys by Candela Medical, is fantastic for treating a broad range of skin concerns, including resurfacing, pigmentation, vascular lesions and rejuvenation,” she says.

Ultimately, all treatments are tailored to the individual, and the team at Tempus will find the best route to achieving a healthy glow “from the outside-in, and the inside-out”. Treatments are suitable for all ages, ethnicities and genders, whether you’re in your twenties and looking for a skincare regime, hitting your thirties and need assistance with anti-wrinkle injections, or looking to add hydration at forty-plus. “Whether it’s rejuvenation, hormone therapy, or adding volume, we have a treatment plan for you,” says Dr Nadine.

West Halkin Street, Belgravia, SW1X 8JL, 020 8037 3265 tempusbelgravia.co.uk