Our talented team has scoured the globe to bring you the ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ but never at the expense of ensuring the products and people showcased endure and remain true to both style and sustainability.
The showstopping colours of this season are stunning as we enter Autumn and will last long beyond.
I simply adore Ruby’s article and who better on the planet to teach us how to have beautiful 'Feline Eyes' and get make-up ready in our new mask wearing world.
Once again Marcella Martinelli showcases many beautiful objects of desire in 'My Personal Luxuries' And our stunning cover model, Megan Williams –international model and entrepreneur – where does she find the time to do both! Look out for her new brand HUNU, you will want one.
“He was an accountant but had an obsession with smart shoes and clothes and looking quite sharp,” says Camilla, whose father Nicholas sadly died when she was aged 16. “I was never someone who was casual. I would get dressed up as a girl – any outing was like an occasion. At one point I wanted to get into fashion but I felt more of a compulsion to go for shoes and accessories first as they gave me the most excitement.”
Her instinct clearly proved correct as she’s managed to establish herself as one of Britain’s most exciting young shoe designers since launching her eponymous brand six years ago. Her signature feminine and fun footwear is worn by the likes of Alexa Chung, Kendall Jenner, Chloe Moretz, Laura Whitmore and Canadian comedian
Katherine Ryan. Her witty and whimsical Pez shoe, with its candy dispenser-inspired heel, has achieved virtual cult status, and her Silver Lining metallic ankle boot with gold arrow detail remains a bestseller.
Unsurprisingly, it was that original sugary sweet heel that first brought Elphick to the fashion world’s attention when it was shown as part of her graduate shoe collection at Cordwainers at the London College of Fashion, and led to orders flooding in - before she’d even had a chance to think about setting up shop.
“The response was amazing,” she says. “I remember waking up to hundreds of emails from press and stores. I was quite shocked as I didn’t think it would be so sudden.”
One of the first to spot that early potential was quirky shoe doyenne Charlotte Olympia, for whom Elphick had been interning at the time and who offered to produce the prototype Pez shoes in her factory, even ordering a pair for herself. “Charlotte was so helpful,” acknowledges Elphick, who also interned for Nicholas Kirkwood, Sophia Webster and Paul Andrew (at Donna Karan in New York during her year out while studying at Cordwainers). While she praises Andrew for being exceptionally helpful, she got a taste of just how maledominated the industry was when he asked her what she wanted to do after her stint with him. “I said I wanted to work with Charlotte Olympia and start up on my own, and he just laughed at me,” she says. It never occurred to her that she wouldn’t succeed.
“From the beginning, I was so focused on getting into stores, I didn’t consider the idea of not doing it,” she says. “I was offering something different and I was quite persistent. I never really worried about reaching out to people; I would turn up to a store and ask who was the best person to talk to. I was relentless.”
Elphick’s persistence paid off, with her brand quickly gaining a prestigious retail foothold in the likes of Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Luisa Via Roma in Florence, one of her all-time favourite stores, as well as
“The response was amazing,” she says. “I remember waking up to hundreds of emails from press and stores. I was quite shocked as I didn’t think it would be so sudden.”
being carried by stockists in Russia and across the Middle East.
Ironically, though, it was the sheer volume of orders and associated production costs, that led to her move three years ago towards an online-only model. She was also conscious of wanting to make her designs more accessible without compromising quality – one of her original goals –and is pleased that she has since been able to bring the price point down, to under £300. “There was the potential for investment to scale it up and go higher end, but that’s not what I started out to do,” she explains. “None of my friends were interested in buying [the shoes] because they were too expensive. They all shopped online. Where we needed to be was in the mid-range, premium luxury bracket, like Rixo or Missoma.”
Her timely pivot to online meant that Elphick, 31 at the end of September, was also better placed than others to cope when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, although lockdown was certainly not without its challenges. She closed her Ladbroke Grove office and relocated lock, stock and proverbial barrel to her fiancé Hugo’s parents’ Fulham house, where she worked solo on fulfilling orders and handling customer services, having furloughed her one full-time staff member. She momentarily panicked when the factory making her shoes in Portugal began to experience supplier delays, but with the agility of a small business owner, was able to quickly adapt.
Sustainability is also key. “As a brand, we focus our efforts on minimising leather waste, reducing our energy footprint and producing our packaging in eco-friendly materials, such as recycled cardboard,” she says. Each collection is designed according to a theme with three different looks to appeal to the brand’s broad customer base: effortlessly cool and cutting edge, quirky and playful and elegant and classic. Along with ankle boots and sneakers, other bestsellers include the Lover Flats with heart detail and diamante gold embellished buckle; the Alicia sling-back flats, featuring an oversized pearl buckle, another Elphick signature, and the new Maya pearl-embellished buckle slides.
Have high heels had their day? “In the last few years, there’s been a move towards people wanting to be more comfortable,” the designer concedes. “But there’s still a market for high heels. I am 5ft 4in and mainly wear them for events, where I want to have a presence. They make me feel better about myself. I also feel like people will want to dress up a bit more and make more of an effort, even if it’s just going out for dinner.”
To that end, Elphick is bringing back one of her most popular styles, the Lover Kitten Heels, with a new on-trend curvaceous and slightly higher heel and featuring crystals, leopard print and mirrored pinks and metallics. “They are quite out there,” she says, delightedly. “We are ramping everything up from now on.”
It’s shoes with an enduring “feel-good” factor that typically do well, such as her ultra-flattering two-tone sling backs, which Elphick recently reintroduced with updated pearl buckle detail. She’s also debuting a range of more youthful styles in October, including a chunky Chelsea boot with crystal embellishment on the back, lace-up sneakers with arrow detailing, and a “sassy” high heel knee-high boot featuring chain work. “It’s a bit more fashion and sexier; tapping into people who want something a bit more stand-out,” adds Elphick, who hasn’t ruled out bringing back the Pez when the time is right. She’s planning to launch a bridal collection in January after being besieged by bespoke orders last year. There will be four designs, ranging from a classic pump (with a twist, naturally) to a high heel sandal with ankle strap for dancing.
And that’s not all. Elphick’s enforced time at home has also inspired her to design a small jewellery collection. “They’ve all got our signature hearts or arrows and will fit nicely with our shoe styles,” she says, adding that candles and other “little [homeware] treasures” are in the pipeline. With her wedding shoes sorted, has she got a date set for her own nuptials? Like many couples, she and Hugo, a medical education co-ordinator, had planned to marry this year, only to have their wedding derailed by the pandemic. They met seven years ago at a charity rugby match and got engaged while on a llama trek with their dog Lulu in Surrey over Christmas. “He wanted to do something different,” laughs Fulham-raised Elphick, whose mother Denise runs pet concierge travel service PetsPyjamas, which organised the trip. “It [the proposal] was a complete surprise, but I was hoping it was coming soon.” Now, they’re planning to wed in Porto, Portugal, next June.
Lockdown, reflects Elphick, has given her time to refine her brand and to relax. “It’s done me some good to be at home,” says this petite powerhouse. “Now I feel very revived and ready to get back into the swing of things.”
www.camillaelphick.com
Product photography MARTA FERENC
THE ACCESSORY FILES
''Seasontoseason, country.''
Dior
“Don'tbuy
Saint Laurent
CROCODILE
Saint Laurent
THE JEWELLERY FILES
Mix
High Jewellery Collection
Piaget
BVLGARI ALUMINIUM
diamonds
Vashi
Stephen Webster
Stephen Webster you are the Rock' n roll Jewellery designer par excellence, what do you give a man that has everything?
By the very nature of the term, it is of course, almost impossible to know what to give to a man that has everything. However, I believe that having something made uniquely for you and possibly being involved or witness to the creative process, still provokes excitement, no matter what he’s got. We live in a time of ‘less is more’, but people are people and find pleasure and enjoyment in the things that people create, often way beyond intrinsic value. My favourite ‘material’ things are those that have either been around for a long time and therefore I am merely the custodian, or things that I have been given or had made, (or indeed made myself) that ‘will’ be around for a long time, placing me at the start of the journey.
Tell us of an unforgettable place that you have travelled to?
Jewellery has taken me all over the world, down mines, up mountains and off the beaten track. I’m so grateful for the variety of places my work has taken me However, my unforgettable place is where we have a home, perched on the top of the White Cliffs of Dover, looking out over France. Our local pub is the closest pub to France and Europe. I was born not so far away in the same county if Kent, our kids (now 21 and 28) have grown up there and we spent lockdown all together there. Those 10 weeks were my most unforgettable time in our unforgettable place.
What is your biggest indulgence?
My biggest indulgence are my old cars and motorbikes. The two cars, both 1959 (the year I was born) Ford Thunderbirds, I keep in the US. I drive one when I visit our home in Miami, the other is with my friend in Upstate New York. We go on a road trip every year, usually in the US but once or twice in Europe. We have taken the slow lane to so many places.
My motorbikes are equally as old or older. 1957 Ural with a sidecar my wife bought for me in Siberia for my 50th birthday and my latest a 1949 Norton. I ride them around the country side near where we live in Kent.
Designer
Activist
Ethical
Jewellery
TÉgérie
THE FASHION FILES
£2490
Shades Pink
LANVIN
MEGAN
Inpre-loved
that cases of domestic violence increased dramatically during lockdown and I was very conscious of the disparity between my own experience of this period and the misery that others were going through.
Choosing to wear second-hand clothing is becoming an urgent environmental imperative is this something that has always been important to you even before we all became more aware of it?
I have worn second hand clothing for as long as I can remember!
The first pieces of clothing I ever bought as a young teenager in the 70’s were from Oxfam in the days when you could still get things from the £ 30 and £40 pounds.
Charity shop purchases and jumble sales were a way of life.
In the late 70’s and early 80’s my clothes were either home made of bought from flea markets, I was going to art school in 1930’s tea dresses and victorian capes, like everyone else during the dressing up years of the new Romantics.
As much as I love contemporary fashion I have recently tried to make a concerted effort to repurpose what I already have and if I do buy something new make sure I donate something in its place!
Ifew months, a time before we shopped online, and yet it's only been 20 years since Natalie Massenet founded the groundbreaking fashion e-tailer, net-a-porter.com (amid widespread scepticism). The rest, of course, is history with 70% of luxury shopping now being done digitally. Etailers have come a long way since those early days, becoming slick, go-to, and sometimes behemoth operations.
But these past 20 years have also seen another significant shift in focus for the fashion industry - namely to the more serious matter of its environmental and humanitarian impact. As these issues have come to light, sustainability, cruelty free, eco friendly and ethical practices are standards that customers are increasingly
By Fashion Contributor Clare Laza
demanding standards that customers are increasingly demanding from our modern e-tailers. Despite several fast fashion giants appearing to remain tone deaf to this shift, most luxury e-tailers have listened to their audience's concerns and are making responsible decisions to deliver the best in ethical practices, whilst maintaining their standards of great design and fashionability.
Ever the forerunner, Net-a-Porter.com launched their 'Net Sustain' category in June 2019. Shop cool, envirofriendly trainers from Veja (made from recycled and organic materials) and Good News' organic high-tops. Or browse Bite Studios for sustainable timeless classics, plus eco-friendly luggage by Paravel. Matchesfashion.com introduced 'The Responsible Edit' in March this year, with sub sections dedicated to brands supporting charities, artisanal processes, ethically sourced materials and responsible supply chains. Check out cool basics from their exclusive, consciously produced label, Raey.
Also last year, Brownsfashion.com initiated 'Browns Conscious'. The section features vegan leather by Nanushka, organic cotton pieces by Ganni, plus of course, the trailblazing Stella McCartney. And Farfetch.com now features a 'Pre-Owned' category offering lovingly preserved pieces from high end designers such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior - the ultimate in luxury recycling.
One silver lining to this 2020 lockdown has been the significant reduction in harmful emissions globally, due to declining air travel and manufacturing. And whilst the internet has allowed us to indulge our retail therapy needs throughout, perhaps this is a 'stop and think' moment - a chance to decelerate the frenzied way we used to shop, to reduce overproduction and consider the environment with more discerning shopping practices. In which case these environmentally aware e-tail categories are a welcome addition to the ever expanding e-tail landscape. Hopefully this will be an ongoing movement that others will follow. With luxury e-tailers doing the groundwork for us and taking responsibility, maybe e-tail therapy needn't be a guilty pleasure.
Black, White & Red
Lanvin
JManager. This was followed by seven years in marketing at LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), during the last four of which he was Marketing Manager for TAG Heuer watches.
In 2007 he joined Finch & Partners, as Head of their Press Division and in May 2010, he established the Massey Partnership's Luxury Goods division, focusing on providing discrete and high level one-to-one press representation to the finest brands in the world.
employees. She aims to disrupt the beauty industry with innovative solutions, and build an ethical skincare brand that is based on honesty and transparency. She devotes her time to manage the teams in Asia and Europe, and works on promoting women’s education and fighting for gender equality, with scholarship programs to motivate and inspire women to pursue science.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from University College Dublin, a MBA Luxury Brand Management from IFA Paris, a Masters in Luxury Brand Management from Polimoda and a MSc Digital Marketing & e-Business from INSEEC Paris.
Kristin currently divides her time between Tokyo, Paris and Singapore.
IRÉNSkin's
industry?
products?
This has always been what triggered me to create skincare products. My aim is to develop customizable solutions for the everchanging skin conditions, products that would cater to specific skin concerns, and of course be transparent and honest about it.
How did IRÉN come about?
Back in the days when access to information was much more limited, I used to spend a lot of time studying ingredients and the correlation it has on the different skin conditions. I was very intrigued by the science of skincare and the difference in eastern and western beauty cultures. When I have decided to create my own brand, I took my decadelong of research and approached several scientists to convince them of my plan to create a beauty brand that would be very ingredients-focused, with visible results backed by science. I envisioned an innovative concept that would transcend cultures, customizable to cater to different skin conditions, and clean from toxic ingredients. I am blessed to get the support of many scientists, and we eventually formed our own R&D team and started our development of products.
What sets IRÉN apart from the other skincare brands?
Even though we are based on a playful concept of customization that looks fun and colourful, we are actually very serious about our formulas. We are strong believers of science, and we are one of the few indie brands that have their own R&D team, with strong support of scientists. We do not believe in trends or hypes, our formulations and ingredients choices are based on clinical tests and scientific analysis. Our products not only fulfill the promise of being ethical, honest and transparent, but most importantly, it is results-driven and powered by innovation.
Our unique patented technology, the Ziplock Encapsulation, enhances our products by optimizing the penetration level of active ingredients, allows mixing of active ingredients without any contradiction, and with a time-release effect that would ensure active ingredients have travelled well into the deeper layers of the skin before it breaks and releases the nutrients, for faster and better results.
McQueen’s photo shoot pre-empted a surge of interest in Ivy League in the UK as many original Modernists, appalled by the antics of their younger more violent counterparts at the Mods and Rocker riots at Brighton over the Whitsun Bank Holiday of 1964, turned back to the less accessible Ivy League style as worn by their older brothers.
‘We were the first to stock Barracuta and Brooks Brothers as style items in the UK in late 1966,” states Simon. “ At the time the program Peyton Place was huge on TV. Ryan O’Neal played Rodney Harrington and wore a G9 in the show so I put one in the window with a ticket saying, The Harrington Jacket, and the name stuck .The first to buy the jacket listened to jazz, ska and soul, wore really sharp mohair suits and based themselves on McQueen in the 1963 film Love with a Proper Stranger. What he wore in that film was the last word in Ivy.”
What follows was yet another even odder peculiarity in the Ivy league Story. By 1967 Simons opened the Squire shop in Brewer Street Soho selling undiluted Ivy.“ We sold heavy wingtips and plain cap brogues
undiluted Ivy.“ We sold heavy wingtips and plain cap brogues or GIs namely the, raincoats, cardigans, crew neck jumpers and Levis both sta-prest and 501’s all imported from the US “ explains Simon, “To former mods who weren’t into the hippy stuff.”
Initially, known as ‘peanuts’ somehow these stylefixated youth became lumped in with the more violent skinheads and their Ivy clobber misappropriated.
“This was because some guys used to crop their hair, but it wasn’t a skinhead thing like the media reported it was Ivy, ” says Dexy’s Midnight Runners singer Kevin Rowland who wore such back in 67. “They wanted to look like conservative and Middle American - like an astronaut or a serviceman. The style that was so subversive because it was so Ivy League and so conservative compared with all the hippy fashions that were around at the time. We all danced to ska and we all dressed to the nines. The hair was like a short back and sides, the shoes were these thick soled Gibson’s, the Harrington was the jacket while older boys wore Sinatra style trilbies a nd Macintoshes.”
even today, one might find a young football hooligan fascist in the Ukraine wearing a Harrington- the quintessential Ivy League garment that was a favourite of Miles Davis -the great black jazz musician who was above all fervent advocate of Afro American civil rights.
A guise sported by lawyers, doctors, presidents, jazz musicians, A list stars, the Ratpack and thugs, Ivy has travelled from Harvard to jazz clubs in Harlem to modernist clubs in Soho to the skinhead clubs of provincial Britain. It certainly is unique.
And why is it back amongst the style mongers? Maybe after the bling, overtly brash designer kit of late men, just as the jazz cats did, want to back off from ostentation and look understated and wear a style with legacy, history and quality.
“ I have worn it constantly since I was 12,’ says Madness singer Suggs (51). ‘And even though people have criticised me for other things no one has ever had a go at my style of dress. Ivy League is classic, stylish and beyond fashion.”
Of course, if one wants to dip into the look, there is only one shop in the UK that matters and that is John Simons in Chiltern Street in Marylebone that, stocks a plethora of excruciatingly fine Ivy League kit, which your average common or garden UK style monger would kill for .
John Simons Est. 1955 46 Chiltern Street, London W1U 7QR Tuesday to Saturday: 11am to 6pm Sunday and Monday closed Tel: +44(0)20 3490 2729 info@johnsimons. co.uk
“One week I did Iggy and the next Lou Reed ” chuckles Rock, “Both were shot at the Scala Theatre in Kings Cross and both became seminal covers- Raw Power and Transformer- I then covered the rise and fall of Ziggy followed by Mott the Hoople and suddenly I’m all over that scene running around with a bit of blusher and a bit of kohl and right in there with the bend over brigade .Any thing that looked a bit limp wristed I shot it- The Sweet, Roxy, Queen, Steve Harley, Lindsay Kemp, Rocky Horror –I had them all darling.”
By 1975 glam was over and Rock had moved on to become Lou Reed’s official photographer endlessly crisscrossing the states on tour. “ In the end I moved to New York.” remembers Rock ruffling his infamous expanse of hair. “That was 1977. New York was dirty, devilish and dangerous and I absolutely loved it. I was right in there in the thick of the punk thing; I shot The Talking Heads, The Ramones, Blondie- all of them- and I partied hard. But New York sucked me in and spat me out. We fought and I lost and ended up with a massive cocaine problem. I didn’t eat or sleep, I was unreliable and my work suffered; then in ’ 97 even though I’d slowed down my heart finally gave out and I was rushed to hospital for a quadruple bypass.”
Today, the now tea total, drug free, vegetarian Rock is again on the up. “ I’ve recently done Perry Farrell, Kasabian, Michael Stipe and Kate Moss and have had big exhibitions all over the world,” admits the almost surprised photographer. “It’s as if after blowing my first chance by being silly someone upstairs gave me a bloody good slap on the bottom ” he chuckles after a significant pause.“ But now because I’ve been a good boy I’ve been given me another chance. And do you know what ? I won’t waste this one.”
The sale of every hand-illustrated ‘Pouch for Purpose’ (£28) will provide two bottles of specialist milk to feed a rescued orphan elephant at the famous Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nursery in Kenya. Best-known for its Orphans’ Project, the first and most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation programme in the world, the Trust has raised 262 baby elephants to date. This everyday essential works beautifully as a clutch, travel bag or makeup pouch and follows the success of Elizabeth Scarlett’s Watamu Turtle design, sold in support of Kenya’s Local Ocean Conservation. Sold exclusively at www.elizabethscarlett.com
experiences hair loss at some point in their life. Hair loss can affect both men and women for a variety of reasons, be it genetic, medical or resulting from damage caused by excessive use of products on the hair. Whatever the reason for hair loss, for many the outcome is the same, they are left feeling distressed and less confident. As hairdressers, we, of course, enjoy creating dramatic and fashionable colours, cuts, and styles for our clients. However, nothing could be more special and rewarding than being able to help someone naturally regain their desired hair in length, thickness and general hair health.
In regard to hair loss people are (understandably) quick to panic, and often assume that they will never be able to naturally increase hair growth from their scalp again. However, in order to achieve thick, healthy hair, you have to find the root of the issue, which is always in the scalp. In its simplest terms, trichology is the study of the hair and scalp. CRLab Italy, invested in the study of trichology to create a product line to support and rejuvenate hair for those suffering from dandruff, hair loss and sebum (oily hair). Anyone suffering from any of these ailments should book a Tricotest consultation at our salon. This test is a microscopic analysis of both your scalp and hair to identify common issues, such as styling
product build-up, dirt, bacteria, fungus, DHT enzyme symptoms, excess sebum, and poor hair nutrition. The Tricotest is designed for both men and women, and the system is simple, easy, and convenient. After the test, you will be recommended a course of treatments, which will specifically target the cause of your hair loss.
CRLab embraces a formulative philosophy based on 'dermophytocosmesi', their products are made high quality raw materials, which have undergone a refined productive process, in order to grant an excellent efficacy level. The synergy of essential oils, plant stem cells and oligoelements, is the starting point for their treatment lines and products, whose primary target is the health of your scalp and consequently your hair.
Malassezia furfur is a microorganism which caused dry and greasy dandruff and skin dehydration, sebum hyperproduction, the presence of toxins and free radicals.
Inanch London are excited to announce the launch of CRLab’s Trichology & Tricotest at our flagship salon in Fitzrovia, London.
The alpha-hydroxy-acids have a deep regenerating effect due to strong "keratinolytic" activity Hydrolysed collagen restores the scalp connective layer and provides moisturizing action. Rhododendron plant stem cells: this provides regenerating capability. They selected for this line the Diamond Gemstone: it purifies the scalp due to its exfoliating properties.
Inadequate tissue oxygenation are causes of hair loss and thinning hair; these are all conditions in which we can fight only through the synergy targeted products and a serious and complete protocol, because single products cannot act alone.
People suffering from unexplained hair thinning would be given the Hair Loss Prevention treatments, which includes a pre-shampoo which rebalances the scalp by protecting the scalp from oxidative stress formation thanks to a special blend of essential oils. Avocado oil
extract also counteracts the activity of the 5-alphareductase, while apple stem cells and hydrolysed yeast protein supports the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle. Ruby dust particles exfoliate the scalp and at the same time supplies iron and chromium minerals.
The CRLab Hair Loss Prevention Shampoo, rebalances the scalp thanks to a special blend of essential oils, these oils also purify and sooth the scalp from impurities. Hydrolysed yeast proteins strengthen hair follicles, hydrolysed rice proteins nourish the hair and apple stem cells support the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle. And finally, a hair loss protection lotion. This special mix of essential oils and extracts purifies the skin and sensitively stimulates the microcirculation favouring the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicle.
The hair loss prevention lotion has high antioxidant properties and effectively counteracts hair loss, maintaining the correct balance of nutrients within the hair bulb. Thuja oil has purifying and protective properties that help strengthen hair. Calendula (rich in saponins and flavonoids) strengthens the capillaries improving microcirculation. Sage provides tannins, phenols, flavonoids and organic acids.
CRLab products are dermatologically tested by the Italian University, following the GMP indications. All of their products are formulated and made in Italy using the most innovative, safe, and certified high-quality raw materials.
Below Millie Cooper's hair is being tested by Inanch Emir and was sent home with the Sebum Regulating Protocol treatment, which provides strength to the hair. Millie states: ''Since my course of treatments with the Sebum set my hair has become stronger, shinier and so much less greasy and I am so happy with the results...THANK YOU INANCH.''
