The Mayfair Magazine September 2016 by Runwild Media Group

SEPTEMBER 2016 s ISSUE 060 s £5.00

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What’s trending for A/W16, sculptures by Nicole Farhi and Fendi’s 90th anniversary

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Couture designs through the ages from master fashion illustrators

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CONTENTS September 2016

Regulars 10 Editor’s letter 12 Five minutes with... Fashion designer Vanessa Gounden 14 Couture culture The worlds of fashion, film and art collide in September’s cultural round-up 58 Autumn sleeves Haute designs for this season and beyond 103 Remembering Mayfair Discover the untouched Georgian grandeur of Lancaster House

Features

94 18

18 Back to the drawing board Lauren Romano explores a new exhibition of fashion illustration at Gray M.C.A

46 The hands of time Nicole Farhi is relishing her new life as a sculptor, Camilla Apcar finds 76 Fashion houses Marianne Dick examines Bond Street’s influx of design-led boutiques 80 Earle of wisdom Hannah Lemon learns a life lesson or two from beauty maven Liz Earle 94 The house that Versace built The Dubai fashion hotel is set to make waves, reports Katy Parker

22 The design dynasty Simon Burstein, son of Browns founder Joan, talks to Elisa Anniss about branching out on his own 30 Stroke of genius Josh Sims steps behind the scenes of Hermès’ Parisian atelier

34 Collection

51 Fashion

78 Health & beauty

93 Travel

41 Art

72 Interiors

89 Food & drink

106 Property

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EDITOR’S LETTER

editor

From the SEPTEMBER 2016 s ISSUE 060

Acting Editor Hannah Lemon Deputy Editor Camilla Apcar Contributing Editor Lauren Romano Jewellery Editor Olivia Sharpe Watch Editor Richard Brown Editorial Assistant Marianne Dick Editorial Intern Lucy Jones Brand Consistency Laddawan Juhong Senior Designer Daniel Poole Production Alice Ford Danny Lesar Jamie Steele Hugo Wheatley General Manager Fiona Fenwick Executive Director Sophie Roberts Managing Director Eren Ellwood

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“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” Oscar Wilde From the Hermès handbag that only holds an apple to velvet’s comeback on the catwalk, the fashion industry is a world prepared for every personality. This month we meet designers, models, and Mayfair’s stylish elite who have a few secrets to share. Simon Burstein talks about life after Browns and what’s been keeping him busy (p.22), but he’s not the only one who has a history with the luxury department store. Ian Griffiths, creative director at MaxMara, reminisces about working there on Saturdays as well his eclectic taste in ’80s music (p.70). And for those who didn’t make it to the ‘frow’, get close to the action with a peek inside Palazzo Versace Dubai (p.94), Hermès’ Parisian workshops (p.30) and the jewellery boutique on New Bond Street run by ex-model Vania Leles (p.26).

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CAROLINA HERRERA RESORT 2017, PHOTO CREDIT: MARIO SIERRA (SEE PAGE 51)

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18.07.16 13:52

REGULARS

5 MINUTES WITH...

What was your childhood like in South Africa? I used to help my family prepare roses for sale to local florists. Despite the male-dominated era, my mother encouraged me to be independent and fend for myself.

Were you affected by apartheid?

What got you into fashion?

My family was forcibly removed from our rose farm in the 1960s to a dormitory township with minimal facilities. We were cut off from our livelihood. The experience made an indelible impression on me and formed my political consciousness.

I grew up watching my mother sew our own clothes. I admired how creative she was with remnants of fabric.

What’s happening at Vanessa Gounden this month?

What did you go on to do? In 1994 I was selected to serve the Nelson Mandela administration and tasked with directing change within the old apartheid police force. A tough task, indeed, as they were all inherently racist.

What is your biggest success? My greatest achievement is my family. My husband, Sivi, and I are extremely close to our two children – I am so proud of who they have become.

VANESSA GOUNDEN From rising up against apartheid to launching her eponymous boutique in 2011, the businesswoman, fashion designer and political activist talks about her struggles against adversity

What do you do now? Sivi and I started HolGoun Investment Holdings in 1999; now we employ more than 5,000 people. It is truly empowering – and of course what keeps me up at night.

Favourite piece of clothing? My signature trenchcoat. Strangers always come up to me to admire it.

Favourite place in Mayfair? Sketch – across the street from my store – is a fabulous meeting place. And my husband and son are big fans of John Varvatos.

London’s best-kept secret? The Vanessa Gounden flagship.

Favourite memory of the city? The wedding of Princess Diana to Prince Charles.

Where do you live? CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: VANESSA GOUNDEN; SKETCH AFTERNOON TEA; JACARANDA TREE-LINED STREET IN PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA; VANESSA GOUNDEN DIANA DRESS; A STAMP CELEBRATING PRINCE CHARLES AND LADY DIANA SPENCER’S WEDDING ©CATWALKER / SHUTTERSTOCK

“My mission statement has always been: nothing is impossible” 12

I am hosting an exhibition called Stitch in Time at the Conduit Street store in collaboration with renowned South Africa artist Amita Makan. It will run from the start of London Fashion Week until the end of September.

I’ve lived in Pretoria since 1994. My home overlooks the Union Buildings and is a two-minute drive to work.

Would you change anything? I love my life. I have no regrets.

What drives you forward? My mission statement has always been: nothing is impossible. s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

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The biannual London Fashion Weekend returns this month to the Saatchi Gallery, providing the ultimate insight into the fashion industry, with catwalk show previews, curated shopping galleries and style presentations. Sibling will showcase its A/W16 collection, Daisy Lowe will return as ambassador and the catwalk will be hosted by presenter Laura Jackson and model Jack Guinness. As a taster for London Fashion Week, the four-day event offers front row seats and interaction with designers – without having to sneak past any barriers. London Fashion Weekend, 22-25 September, londonfashionweekend.co.uk

IMAGE COURTESY OF LONDON FASHION WEEKEND

AGENDA

BEVERLEY KNIGHT IN THE BODYGUARD. PHOTOGRPAHY BY PAUL COLTAS

Couture culture

THEATRE

The Bodyguard

everley Knight returns to the role of Rachel Marron in a limited sixmonth run of The Bodyguard at the Dominion Theatre, three years after she graced the stage of the Adelphi in the celebrated debut production directed by Thea Sharrock. Based on the 1992 Oscar-nominated film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, The Bodyguard explores the highs and lows of a relationship between an A-list superstar (Knight) and her minder (Ben Richards). The musical features all

the hits including Queen of the Night and I Will Always Love You, which will have your feet tapping one minute and eyes watering the next. This time around The Bloomsbury Hotel is offering a special package, A Slice of the City, which includes an overnight stay, VIP treatment and exceptional seats at the Dominion. The show starts with a bang, ends with a boogie and doesn’t let your attention waver for a single minute. Until 7 January, from £335, Dominion Theatre, nederlander.co.uk, doylecollection.com

LITERARY ITINERARY

The Berkeley’s Prêt-àPortea is perhaps the most fashionable dining experience in London, with treats directly inspired by the catwalk and hottest looks of the season (turn to page 98 for our review of the hotel’s latest suite). S/S16 brought to the table a vanilla Manolo Blahnik biscuit emblazoned with red polka dots, and a chocolate shortbread figurine clad in a turquoise Heidi Klein bikini. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the hotel’s head pastry chef Mourad Khiat is sharing the secret recipes of more than 20 of the most popular creations. The book also features profiles of the designers who have inspired this ever-stylish twist on English tradition, including Anya Hindmarch, Burberry and Christian Louboutin. The perfect read for aspiring bakers and fashionistas alike. Prêt-à-Portea: HighFashion Bakes & Biscuits, £12.99, published by Laurence King, the-berkeley.co.uk

IMAGE COURTESY OF ICON FILM DISTRIBUTION

REGULARS

TOP PICKS Fashion Week essentials Luxury must-haves for the perfect look

FILM

Anthropoid

ritish filmmaker Sean Ellis invites us to consider a significant but lesser-known part of World War II, shining light on the fate of one of the Nazi regime’s supporting members. Based on astonishing true events, Anthropoid follows the 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, who was third in command after Hitler and Himmler, nicknamed The Butcher of Prague.

#1 Lipstick, £26, Yves Saint Laurent, yslbeauty.co.uk

Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Inception) and Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey) star as two soldiers in Czechoslovakia’s army-in-exile, assigned to a top-secret operation to rid their homeland of Hitler’s likely successor. It is an eye-opening reminder of the consequences that came of the real-life operation, which changed the entire course of the war. Anthropoid is in cinemas from 9 September

#2 Silk-satin scarf, £245, Alexander McQueen, net-a-porter.com

#3 Earrings, £340, Dior, dior.com

#4 The Editor’s Tote, £850, Aspinal of London, aspinaloflondon.com

Atkinsons limited-edition 24 Old Bond Street cologne, complete with Silken Flavours matching neckerchief, is sure to be the best-dressed bottle this season

#4 Cashmere Compact, £40, Burberry, burberry.com

24 OLD BOND STREET, £140, ATKINSONS1799.COM

s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

Local news Bright young things Following 29 successful years, Art for Youth London returns to The Mall Galleries to continue the vital work that it does for charity. In aid of national charity UK Youth, the event is designed to be an opportunity for up-and-coming artists in central London to exhibit their work, while fundraising for disadvantaged young people aged nine to 25. A special project will be on show – In England We Dream of Gardens – as a tribute to the 300th anniversary of Capability Brown’s birth. Expect high-quality pieces at affordable prices, all for a good cause. The Mall, SW1, artforyouth.com

FROM LEFT: CURLEWS & RED TABLE BY ANNABEL FAIRFAX; WHITE HORSES BY ELISABETH DE CHERISY

FITNESS AL FRESCO

A Fiennes affair

IMAGE COURTESY OF THOMAS GRAHAM

There’s something about exercising in a group that makes it easier to stay motivated, especially in the beautiful surrounds of Brown Hart Gardens. Fortunately, Grosvenor has launched Fitness in the Community, a series of outdoor exercise classes consisting of circuit training and pilates, led by luxury workout expert White Room Fitness. Early in the morning and late at night, the sessions allow busy city workers to find time to keep fit, while enjoying the great outdoors. Brown Hart Gardens, W1K, grosvenorlondon.com

On 19 September, Sir Ranulph Fiennes will be the next speaker in Mr Fogg’s Explorer series, following the likes of Bear Grylls and Levison Wood. Learn about expeditions that took the adventurer all over the world and the stories that earned him the Guinness Book of Records title as world’s greatest living explorer – and arrive with questions at the ready. Drinks on offer from a specially-designed menu include the Arctic-ulated Victory and The Man Who N’Everests, as inspired by Fiennes’ numerous record-breaking achievements. 15 Bruton Lane, W1J, mr-foggs.com

In Association with The Residents’ Society of Mayfair & St James’s Committee Members

CHAIRMAN

Lois Peltz (Policy & Traffic)

SECRETARY

Richard Cutt (Crossrail & Finance)

PLANNING APPLICATIONS Ronald Cottee (Planning)

REGULARS

MARK HIX CARVING MASTERCLASS AT BROWN’S HOTEL, MAYFAIR

HIX THE SPOT

IMAGE COURTESY OF TULLY FILMER

The quintessential British roast isn’t complete without a designated carver, which usually means an unlucky family member rendered responsible for making or breaking the meal. Fear no more: Mark Hix’s exclusive carving masterclasses at Brown’s Hotel are back in response to popular demand. During the two-hour interactive session, the celebrated chef shares culinary anecdotes from his 27 years of experience, before teaching the best and easiest carving techniques. Problem solved. 33 Albemarle Street, W1S, roccofortehotels.com

Ritz and glamour To mark its 110th anniversary, The Ritz is celebrating in appropriately spectacular style. The grand hotel’s Big British Birthday will offer guests a champagne reception, an impressive array of delectable food stations and a one-hour performance from The BBC Big Band in the magnificent Ritz Restaurant. For those who are footloose and fancy-free, the night will continue with swing dancing in The Music Room and live music from Elle & The Pocket Belles. 23 September, £350, 150 Piccadilly, W1J, events@theritzlondon.com

MEMBERSHIP

Howard Evans (Events & Membership)

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Noteworthy newcomers

Exciting new things are coming to Flemings Mayfair, as the boutique hotel prepares for the opening of its much-anticipated Ormer restaurant. At the helm is Michelin-starred chef Shaun Rankin, who brings the fresh taste of the south coast to London with a menu inspired by the original Ormer in Jersey – expect lobster ravioli and hand-dived scallops fresh from the Channel Islands. As part of the hotel’s recent refurbishment, the restaurant has been designed to suit its city setting, infused with enough 1930s glamour and sophistication to make a most memorable dining experience. Half Moon Street, W1J, flemings-mayfair.co.uk

TRAFFIC Lois Peltz

POLICE

Marie-Louise Burrows

LICENSING

Derek Stratton

LEFT: RENÉ BOUCHÉ (1905-1963), RED SUIT, CONDE NAST, JANUARY 1950, WATERCOLOUR & GOUACHE ON PAPER, SIGNED VERSO, 58 X 35.5CMS BELOW: SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK FOR CONDE NAST, 1950, WATERCOLOUR & GOUACHE ON PAPER, 63.5 X 47CMS, BOTH RENÉ BOUCHÉ (1905-1963) RIGHT: CARL ‘ERIC’ ERICKSON (1891-1958), BALENCIAGA, US VOGUE, OCTOBER 1954, INK & WATERCOLOUR, SIGNED & DATED, 65 X 50CMS

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD As London Fashion Week gets underway, art dealer Gray M.C.A. considers an era before the photographer with its annual exhibition of fashion illustration. Lauren Romano reports

FEATURE

picture speaks a thousand words, so the saying goes. And nowhere has the attentiongrabbing power of an image held such a monopoly than in the fashion industry. For decades the pictorial language that came to define and translate the moods and trends of the time was the product of the draughtsman’s pen and ink. Fluent in fashion, these illustrators played an integral role in shaping the business of style.

“For many years photography and illustration went hand in hand,” art dealer and curator Connie Gray of Gray M.C.A. explains. “Fashion illustration complemented photography and vice versa. It’s a misconception that photography killed illustration. For instance, the legendary illustrators Kenneth Paul Block and Antonio Lopez worked throughout the 1970s and 1980s to huge acclaim. Of course photography dominated, but illustration never lost its power as a commercial tool, it just stepped into the shadows for a while.” Gray is currently putting the finishing touches to the third instalment of her successful Drawing on Style exhibition, an annual showcase of fashion illustration to coincide with London Fashion Week. This year’s offering will shine a light on the masters of the genre from post-war ’40s to the ’70s, displaying original and previously unseen works by the likes of Vogue illustrators Carl ‘Eric’ Erickson and René Bouché, as well as Dior Beauty’s artist-in-residence, Bil Donovan. Far from falling into obscurity in recent years the medium of illustration has been resuscitated by a new wave of illustrators and the fashion power houses have been quick to catch on. Gray has collaborated with photographer Nick Knight and his pioneering fashion film website SHOWstudio to add a contemporary dimension to this year’s show, with work by illustrators Gill Button, Blair Breitenstein and Fahren Feingold, who have illustrated A/W16 collections for Valentino, Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood. “With illustration you start with nothing, just a blank canvas. It’s the opposite with photography, which starts with everything and through lighting and movement reduces the information to provide a summary of the essence of clothing,” Knight says. “A fashion illustrator adds only the information that interests them about that particular garment. They only show the things they love or are excited about.” But how do you refresh such an established genre – is it a matter of technology, of pixel over paint? For today’s practising fashion illustrators the landscape is shifting. Rather than distributing their work in printed publications, the medium of

“We are so used to seeing heavily edited visuals that the true tradition of an artist with pen, ink or paint and paper makes a startling impact” In fact, the pen wasn’t knocked of its perch until post World War Two with the introduction of Christian Dior’s New Look – a movement that kickstarted the concept of ready-to-wear as we now know it. Hot on its heels came the invention of high-speed cameras and colour film. Even so, Vogue didn’t run its first photographic cover until 1932, so the advances in technology didn’t sound an immediate death knell to the medium.

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pen and ink is being disseminated through social media channels. For example, Donald Robertson, head of creative development at Bobbi Brown, has risen through the ranks since posting his first fashion illustration on Instagram in 2012, to drawing for Giles Deacon and amassing a legion of famous fans along the way. “It’s a huge change in the relationship between the illustrators and their audience,” Knight explains. “Before, their main platform was magazines, but now they are able to express themselves on their own terms. On SHOWstudio we encourage artists to be expressive and to show how the clothing makes them feel. That freedom of expression energises illustrators.” Both Gray and Knight agree that in the digital age the simplicity of sketches holds even more sway because it goes against the grain. “That is precisely why fashion illustration has such a bright future,” Gray says. “Conversely it brings a fresh and exciting new

“There was so much elegance in just a few graceful lines. They drew me in every night as I lay in bed and very often found their way into my dreams” dimension to portraying fashion in the 21st century. We are so used to seeing heavily edited visuals that the true tradition of an artist with pen, ink or paint and paper makes a startling impact.” In the wake of this, original works by renowned illustrators are finally getting the

recognition they deserve. Drawings by René Gruau whose work for Balmain, Lanvin and Christian Dior epitomised the glamour and grace of the ’50s have previously gone under the hammer at Christie’s for £20,000. Of course the price tags don’t command nearly as many zeros as works by the great masters, but it’s a sign that collectors are starting to take the medium more seriously. It had been much maligned in the past, Gray believes because it was mistakenly labelled as commercial rather than fine art. “Tragically many illustrations were often destroyed or lost following publication due to this commercial tag. Yet these beautiful works captured the very essence of each generation.” Gray’s love of illustration comes from her father who collected original works in the days when they weren’t really considered art. The walls of her childhood bedroom were plastered with sketches by Bernard Blossac and Pierre Mourgue, rather than posters of pop stars. “There was so much elegance in

FEATURE

pretty special, especially as the woman who contacted me remembered watching Bouché at work as a little girl in her father’s office. I got goosebumps. They were so beautiful and I immediately recognised them from the pages of Vogue in the 1950s.” Ultimately fashion illustration began as a marketing tool – and this advertising potential has not disappeared. Its timeless ability to entice and tempt is as strong as it ever was, providing a gateway into the ever-changing fashion realm of catwalks and seasonal collections. As Knight puts it: “The fashion world is built of dreams. And it is the artists within that world that make those dreams visible, whether they are the designers, the models, the photographers or the illustrators.” Drawing on Style, 15-20 September, Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St James’s, SW1Y, graymca.co.uk

just a few graceful lines. They drew me in every night as I lay in bed and very often found their way into my dreams,” she says. Today a series of illustrations for Christian Dior’s first collection in 1947, including his first wedding dress, hang along 20th century textiles by British artists William Scott and Ben Nicholson in the Somerset home she shares with her husband. As so few original fashion illustrations survive today, uncovering a work by one of the masters of the genre is a momentous occasion. Last year Gray was contacted by the family of a former Saks Fifth Avenue director who had a number of original works by René Bouché that had been commissioned for Saks’ advertising. “That was

s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: RENÉ GRUAU (1909-2004), MODEL IN STUDY, INDIA INK ON BOARD, 42.5 X 35.5CMS; KENNETH PAUL BLOCK (1924-2009), GLORIA GUINNESS, 1968, WATERCOLOUR & FELT TIP ON PAPER, 61 X 47.5CMS; RENÉ BOUCHÉ (1905-1963), WOMAN IN PINK SUIT, WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER, 63 X 48CMS; CARL ‘ERIC’ ERICKSON (1891-1958), EMPIRE COAT BY SCHIAPARELLI, VOGUE 1936, WATERCOLOUR & GOUACHE ON PAPER, SIGNED, 55 X 33.5CMS; BIL DONOVAN, FUSCHIA

INTERVIEW

THE DESIGN

DYNASTY Simon Burstein, son of Browns co-founder Joan Burstein, sold the multi-brand boutique to Farfetch last year and branched out on his own. Elisa Anniss meets the entrepreneur at The Place, his Connaught Street concept stores

or Simon Burstein, the only son of Joan Burstein – of Browns boutique fame – it was his beloved Bristol Blenheim 3 car that led him to choose Connaught Street as the location for The Place, the men’s and women’s concept shops he has opened in the last ten months. As the sun streams through the large windows illuminating the women’s store, Burstein perches on a Victorian chair upholstered in the same sumptuous velvet as the mid-century pieces at the entrance of his newly minted men’s outpost, next door but one. “I live in Notting Hill and Connaught Street was always my shortcut through to Browns,” he explains. Of all things it was “an excellent hand car wash” for his Blenheim that compelled Burstein to stop here on a regular basis. “While I was waiting for the car, I’d grab a coffee from Cocomaya and notice the mix of galleries, independent shops and the local customers.” Burstein is part of London’s fashion royalty. Having co-founded Browns with her late husband Sidney in 1970, his mother is credited with many things, including introducing Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren to the UK and helping to launch the careers of British talents Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. “My mother discovered so many designers during her 45 years at Browns,” he says. “My earliest recollection was Ossie Clark with his fabulous prints by Celia Birtwell in

“The Place is a fashion retail concept that values talent, curation and service”

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transparent silk chiffon.” Other great memories include buying Missoni for the first time, working at his mother’s side in Giorgio Armani’s apartment and at Chloé in the days when Karl Lagerfeld designed the collection. Over the years Mrs B, as she is fondly referred to in fashion circles, has received a string of accolades including a CBE and the médaille de la Ville de Paris for her services to the fashion business. Although she’s a hard act to follow, her multitasking son – now in his early 60s – is clearly cut from the same cloth: there’s Alice Archer, the fashion designer and embroidery specialist he is seeking to establish as a women’s luxury label. There’s his newly launched men’s clothing collection by Leathersmith of London. And, of course, the shops at 27 and 31 Connaught Street.

“The intricacy and craftsmanship of Alice Archer’s hand embroidery, combined with her use of print, is totally unique” From the age of 17 Burstein worked at his parents’ first venture, Feathers, then at Browns from 1970. In 1983 he moved to Paris where he operated an offshoot of Browns, and married the daughter of French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, with whom he has three daughters. In 1985 he joined Sonia Rykiel as its vice-president, growing the brand and business with great success over the next two decades. In 2008, after his marriage had come to an end, he returned to London and for the following seven years was at the helm of Browns. During this time he says his proudest achievement was “weathering the storm and not making any of our 100 employees redundant during the recession”.

INTERVIEW

CLOCKWISE FROM CENTRE: ALICE ARCHER’S AUTUMN COLLECTION; CAROLINE, SIMON AND JOAN BURSTEIN, COURTESY OF SIMON BURSTEIN; THE PLACE PREVIOUS PAGES: SIMON BURSTEIN, COURTESY OF SIMON BURSTEIN; ALICE ARCHER’S AUTUMN COLLECTION

In May 2015 Burstein sold the multi-brand boutique to fashion e-tailer Farfetch. “Of course, it was a difficult decision,” he admits. “But in hindsight it was the right one for the company and shareholders. Though we had built a good online business, we were trailing our competitors and lacked both the financial resource and know-how to take the web to another level. “So it was a very good fit when José Neves [CEO of Farfetch] approached me. Now, Browns is part of a multi-million pound business and has a new chapter in its life.” The family hasn’t severed links with Browns altogether. Burstein, his mother and sister Caroline all sit on its board as non-executives. The entrepreneur also turned to Browns as one of the first stockists for his chic linen-covered Charfleet Book Bindery notebooks (from £12), manufactured on Canvey Island. There are clear parallels between Browns’ five connected townhouses and The Place’s two shops that double up as showrooms (of sorts). “The Place London is a fashion concept store that values talent, curation and service,” says Burstein. “I want customers to have a great experience when they come in.” Like Browns, the women’s shop has an elegant salon atmosphere and a sense that everything has been carefully selected. It was initially to showcase Alice Archer’s creations that Burstein opened his first Connaught Street shop last October, honouring a commitment he had made to her while at Browns. A graduate of Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art, Archer worked on embroidery projects with Tracey Emin and bespoke shoemaker Caroline Groves before launching her eponymous collection. Burstein first saw the designer’s work at the Best of Britannia fair in 2013. “I was working as an embroidery designer at Dries Van Noten at the time, but Simon left his card,” says Archer. “When I came back from Dries six months later I contacted him and we met the next day at Browns.” As Burstein leads me through a warren of rooms underneath the women’s shop, there are samples of denim, satin and leather garments to be found on every surface, featuring elaborate and mostly floral embroidery. “The intricacy and craftsmanship of the hand embroidery, combined with her use of print, is

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totally unique,” he describes, as he opens a door that reveals a large digital embroidery machine. The device then communicates Archer’s distinctive patterns with specialist embroiderers in Italy and India. Her autumn collection has just launched, and next summer’s pieces will be unveiled at a London Fashion Week presentation on 16 September. As well as Archer’s striking botanical embroidery (£290-£2,600), The Place also offers Elwin London cashmere jumpers (from £425), Uzma Bozai sweaters embroidered with zodiac motifs (from £150), Baird sneakers (£295) and an apothecary with its own line of scented candles (£30). Alongside leather bags by British maker Brady (from £190) and a few pieces by the Belgian designer Sofie D’Hoore (from £200), the men’s outpost houses another of Burstein’s projects: a men’s fashion collection with a classic, continental feel (from £120). Leathersmith of London is manufactured in Portugal and Italy, and includes timeless jackets, smart trousers, socks and belts. “Simon is carrying on his mother’s tradition of supporting new designers and has been a constant support, sharing his expertise and endless positive energy,” brims Archer. “It’s infectious.” 27-31 Connaught Street, W2, theplacelondon.co.uk

Ex-model Vania Leles worked her way from the bottom of the jewellery industry to launch VanLeles Diamonds. Mike Peake finds the Mayfair fine-jewellery brand giving some of the area’s big-hitters a spirited dose of competition

t started with a heist – not a dramatic one, admittedly, but there were missing diamonds followed by mild panic and then an awkward confession to the ‘authorities’ (mum and dad) before everyone could go home again. This is Bond Street jeweller Vania Leles’ first memory of precious gemstones. It actually has more to do with a then ten-year-old girl’s desire to show off her mother’s diamond ring to her school friends than any criminal wrongdoings. “I totally forgot that I’d left the ring in my schoolbag, and when I got home I saw everyone frantically searching for it,” winces Leles. “I snuck into my mother’s bedroom and put it back, but then suspicion turned on the workers at our home so I came clean and told mum everything.” Leles has come a long way since these unintentionally nefarious beginnings. Today her first-floor atelier opposite Graff Diamonds is awash with beautiful jewellery she can rightfully call her own – or at least until a client snaps them up.

ZANZIBAR 18K GOLD, DIAMOND AND PARIBA TOURMALINE RING AND EARRINGS

INTERVIEW

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FROM LEFT: MUSSULO OCEANA 18K GOLD, DIAMOND AND SAPPHIRE RING AND EARRINGS; ENCHANTED GARDEN 18K GOLD, DIAMOND AND SAPPHIRE DOUBLE FINGER RING

There are extravagant multi-jewelled earrings designed to look like the map of Africa, bejewelled dancing butterflies and scintillating pink sapphire flowers. And that’s before we get to the bespoke pieces Leles makes for discerning clients who have been inspired by her commitment to the ethically sourced stones that form the backbone of her work. “You can actually see my old desk from this window,” says Leles, looking out over Bond Street at the stately Graff building, opposite. It was right here that her jewellery career began. The story, however, goes back a little further. “I grew up in West Africa, in Guinea-Bissau, where I lived until I was ten. Then I went to Portugal,” says Leles. She later moved to Paris after studying sociology at university in Lisbon. It was in the French capital that she first got a taste for fashion, which only intensified when she moved to London in 2000 to learn English and was ‘spotted’ by Select model agency. Global modelling assignments for an assortment of fine jewellery brands followed, but after a few years in the fast lane Leles had a hunger for something else. “What I really wanted was to work as a jeweller,” she says. “When I told my parents they said, ‘OK, give yourself ten years to learn the trade, and then maybe we’ll help you open your own boutique.’ I thought, ‘Ten years!’ but I love to defy them – in a good way – and I went to the GIA (Gemological Institute of

INTERVIEW DIDO BELLE 18K GOLD DIAMOND AND GEMFIELDS EMERALD NECKLACE, RING AND CASCADE EARRINGS

America) and learned all about gems, jewellery design and business.” By the time she had returned to London, she had decided that Graff was the best jeweller in the world and started to learn everything she could about them. After sending in her CV no fewer than 15 times – “It was Graff or nothing,” laughs Leles, “I really didn’t want to work anywhere else!” – she finally received the phone call that would change her life. Leles worked at the high-end jeweller for three illuminating years, before she was headhunted by De Beers, and then scooped up by Sotheby’s jewellery department. She really couldn’t have scripted her career any better. After being involved in the sale of one of the world’s most sought-after diamonds – the 24.78 carat Graff Pink, which Sotheby’s sold for a then-record-breaking $46 million in 2010 – she realised that she had a pretty good handle on the industry. That isn’t to say that Leles’ leap into the unknown world of start-ups in 2011 was easy.

“I’m definitely ambitious. I want to look back in five years and see my collections in Harrods” “In one way I was lucky, because I already knew a lot of the suppliers, the mines, the dealers and the workshops, and I had some clients as well,” she says. The flipside – which continues to be a daily battle – was that she had to fight with all of the big houses for the best stones. One helping hand during those tentative first years came from a kindly diamond dealer she had known for almost a decade. She was lent eight beautiful diamonds under the agreement that she would design a small collection of engagement rings and settle the bill when she’d sold them. One by one the rings found buyers and Leles was on her way. She has the air of a woman who will always be heading somewhere more exciting. “I’m definitely ambitious,” she laughs. “I want to look back in five years and see my collections in Harrods or Neiman Marcus and go, ‘Wow!’”

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Everything seems to be going to plan. VanLeles Diamonds is proving popular in the press and the brand has attracted a discerning group of jewellery lovers who share Leles’s passion for ethically-sourced gems. The company adheres to the strict policies of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) to guarantee that all the diamonds originate from conflict-free areas and legitimate sources. The legal trading of African diamonds is worth a staggering $8.4 billion and schemes like this ensure that money is fed back into education, healthcare, clean water and food for the African populations working in the industry. In every consultation at VanLeles, a client is shown a certificate of their chosen diamond, produced by a team of trained gemologists, detailing the analysis of dimensions, clarity, colour, polish and other characteristics. “I’ve not re-invented the wheel, I just do what I believe in. We have great craftsmanship and I try to get the very best stones,” she says. “Some people don’t really care where their gems come from, but I think most of my clients really do.” It may have been some years since the day of the lost diamond ring, but Vania Leles’ passion for the finest sparkling jewels has far from diminished. By appointment only, 174 New Bond Street, W1S, vanleles.com

STROKE OF

Josh Sims goes behind the scenes of Hermès’ atelier in Paris where the brand’s sought-after, made-to-order pieces are created

GENIUS

FEATURE

here is no fanfare. No special sign. Fail to pay attention and you could easily walk straight past it. Yet high up inside an inconspicuous Parisian building, five craftspeople work on special projects for French luxury goods maker Hermès. From a guitar case in crocodile skin, canteens for sports cars, cufflink boxes and photo frames to official gifts from the Élysée Palace to mark state visits; from a basketball to a Bible cover, apple carrier and, of course, lots and lots of handbags – this is where the house produces its one-off, made-to-order pieces. “The people who order something from here are looking for a dream product and often a very personal one,” explains Kerry Hollinger, development manager for custom-made objects at Hermès. “It’s something they can’t find, but that fits the functionality they require – a pocket in a certain place, or, as we made for one customer, a perforated dog bag so that she could take her pet into restaurants that don’t allow them. Or even just a new design idea they want to pursue.” Such a product, unsurprisingly, doesn’t come cheap – although Hermès will only talk figures with the client. Nor is it a fast process. Once a design has been agreed on (after a back-and-forth conversation that may take as long as six months) and a canvas mock-up is approved, it may be a further six months before a leather item is completed, depending on the workshop’s schedule. Then it is made by one craftsperson alone, from start to finish. “There’s a lot of pride in that,” Hollinger notes. “There’s the sense that, ‘This is my project. I made it and it’s a reflection of my skills.’”

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“The materials are special and the skills of the craftspeople who make them are rare now” Hollinger stresses that this is not a bespoke design service, rather the chance to own a unique, but still quintessentially Hermès, item. But not too much Hermès, despite some customers asking that the branding be writ large. “We won’t do that,” she says. “Nor will we mess with the classics – the Kelly or the Birkin bag, for instance. We don’t have an actual list of rules for the projects we will and won’t accept, but we do know the ones that are right for us. Some of the ideas may be off the wall, but that doesn’t mean they’re not right. We recently did a beautiful American football for one client as a gift for his father.” The designs (all approved by the artistic director) are certainly inventive and striking. One customer who wanted her date of birth in large numbers across a handbag had to make do with a more subtle and playful way of displaying

FEATURE

these figures – via the dimensions of exterior pockets. More recently, the workshop put 200 hours of work into making three small, minimalistic trunks in tin-coloured leather, with delicate drawers, sections and handles made from multiple layers of compressed leather. These three special trunks are for L’Odyssée D’un Roi – a collaboration exhibiting the craft of venerable French silversmiths Puiforcat, historic crystal-makers Saint-Louis and Rémy Martin’s prestigious Louis XIII cognac. Each one is due to be auctioned later this year for The Film Foundation, with bids starting from £70,000. “All of the workshop’s products are costly. We say that, rather than ‘expensive’, because the materials are special and the skills of the craftspeople who make them are rare now, which is why in many cases they’ve been with us for decades,” explains Hollinger. “The results achieve a standard that the main collection pieces perhaps don’t attain. They’re costly too because we’re making them here amid the rooftops of Paris, but that allows clients to be sent up from our stores, and to visit us when they’re next in the city.”

The workshop takes on a few hundred projects per year, though it receives requests for many more. Hollinger stresses that taking on additional orders would go against the ethos of the whole operation. With this set number, Hermès is able to ensure that immaculate attention to detail – such as the use of saddle stitch or the coating of edges with beeswax and dye – is bestowed on each individual product even if this exhaustive detailing is lost on some of the clients. “As we’re in Paris, many customers come to the workshops and see it all happening,” Hollinger says. “They leave with an understanding of everything that goes into the special kinds of things we make here.” uk.hermes.com

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Hellenistic Head of Alexander the Great, 323- 31 BC, Marble, Greece

B A R A K AT Collection THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FINEST ANCIENT & CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTION

London

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58 Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 5DT

941 N La Cienega Blvd, CA 90096

58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu

44 20 7493 7778

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82 2 730 1949

fter Keira Knightley’s stunning performance in Anna Karenina (in which she sported a necklace from Chanel’s timeless Camélia collection), it was only a matter of time before the French fashion house enlisted the actress to front its fine jewellery range. And considering Knightley is already the face of Coco Mademoiselle and Rouge Coco, it is by no means new territory for her. In the latest campaign shot by Mario Testino, she sports the Coco Crush collection. Launched in 2015, each piece is dedicated to the brand’s matelassé quilt, rendered on chunky gold rings and glossy bracelets. Coco Crush collection, POA, chanel.com

KNIGHTLEY

STORY

PHOTOGRAPHY: MARIO TESTINO, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY X CHANEL FINE JEWELLERY CAMPAIGN

COLLECTION

Branching out For A/W16, British fashion designer Peter Pilotto has created his first jewellery collection for Atelier Swarovski, with his partner Christopher de Vos. The design duo have brought together a collection that explores the creative versatility of crystal through a range of necklaces, earrings, rings and a hairpin all inspired by the architecture of nature. Atelier Swarovski by Peter Pilotto Arbol collection, from £69, atelierswarovski.com

THE THREE CS

Jewellery news

WORDS: OLIVIA SHARPE

Fit for a king Known as the ‘diamond king of India’, Nirav Modi is bringing his eponymous jewellery empire to the capital in September with his first UK flagship boutique on Old Bond Street. Set over four floors, the store will house the brand’s signature Embrace bangles as well as an extensive range of diamond pieces (examples of which have been worn by the celebrity likes of Kate Winslet and Naomi Watts). Its innovative, stretchable design of more than 700 parts and 1,600 diamonds was inspired by Modi’s daughter’s elastic toy bangles. Nirav Modi opens on 1 September, 31 Old Bond Street, W1X, uk.niravmodi.com

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Anyone who knows anything about diamonds is familiar with ‘The 4 Cs’. Created by the Gemological Institute of America to certify a diamond’s quality and value, they comprise colour, clarity, cut and carat. However, we imagine few readers will yet be aware of Lady Dalit Nuttall’s personal interpretation of the concept. The founder of Saqqara Jewels has redefined the traditional notion of a sliced diamond’s value in order to showcase its charisma, character and cachet in two new pieces. The Double Butterfly and White Gold Long Meadow rings both reflect the brand’s expert use of sliced, naturally shaped diamonds and love of organic forms. From a selection, saqqarajewels.com

NEW TO DIOR September sees Dior land its second Archi Dior collection in stores. Launched last year, Archi marked the brand’s first diffusion jewellery, offering a more wearable and attainable range of high jewellery. Designer Victoire de Castellane has once again sought inspiration from the house’s haute couture archive and transformed Christian Dior’s architecturallyinspired, sculptural dress designs into a line of jewellery. “I wanted to create each piece with the same mindset that Christian Dior had in creating dresses like an architect,” she says, “as if the jewellery were made of fabric that is sculpted, gathered, pleated, belted or draped.” Available from 1 September, from £1,950, dior.com

MAD, MAD

WORLD Carving an uncompromising path through the typically reserved world of haute horology, Roger Dubuis has been the industry’s enfant terrible for the past two decades. As the brand took over Harrods this summer, Richard Brown sat down with creative director Mr Alvaro Maggini

very January, the watch houses owned by luxury holding company Richemont – Montblanc, IWC, JaegerLeCoultre and Cartier, to name but four – are among those to descend upon Geneva for SIHH, or, to give it its full name, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie.. Here, brands reveal to the press what wonders they’ve been working on during the previous 12 months. Amid an expansive exhibition hall, one stand is constantly more conspicuous than any other. Like everything else about Roger Dubuis, the brand’s temporary home in the Palexpo centre makes a bold statement. Whether it’s thanks to life-sized cuckoo clocks or giant fibreglass birds of prey swooping from the ceiling, the stand declares that Roger Dubuis is different, and that it does far more than just make watches. Since 2011, the brains behind the spectacle have belonged to creative director Alvaro Maggini. With a background in microtypography and high fashion – he previously devised creative strategy for Dior and Chanel – Maggini isn’t your typical watch industry suit, which, he says, is the reason he found himself working for Roger Dubuis.

At the brand’s most recent creative initiative (a pop-up exhibition and window display at Harrods), we asked Maggini if Roger Dubuis is too loud for the UK watch market and how his brand can justify asking £15,000 for its entry level timepiece.

What is the primary purpose of a creative director? To provide continuity and make sure the brand is recognisable. Don’t change your brand image and your ideas all the time. The next most important thing is to make yourself current, to make sure you are relevant. It doesn’t matter if people like the brand. Your job is to provide consistency.

COLLECTION

traditional things. It’s wrong. Why is Lamborghini or Maserati successful? Why has Rolls-Royce made a comeback? Twenty-five years ago, Gucci was finding its place. Look at it now. These brands are sexy, they are new, they are doing something different. Our watches are crazy, but actually the British are also eccentric. They are very fashionable, very design-focused, very creative. British people are all about obsessive extravagance. They can be very quiet, very shy, but they are very eccentric. In the street, I can recognise who is 100 per cent British.

What is the primary purpose of the creative director of Roger Dubuis? To think ‘opposite’, to not be afraid. Don’t do anything that has already proven successful for other brands. Do the absolute opposite. That doesn’t mean doing white just because everyone else is doing black. My job is to prevent the brand ever becoming boring, which means taking risks.

Why doesn’t Roger Dubuis invest in celebrity ambassadors? We prefer to invest in the product and in customer experiences.

How important is having one recognisable product?

Your entry level timepiece costs around £15,000. Why spend that much on a watch?

It’s everything. Everyone that knows the brand recognises Excalibur. It is by far our most important watch family, it is our Nautilus, our Portofino.

For exclusivity. When you buy a Roger Dubuis, you are buying something that is unique. Our watches are pieces of art. You don’t need a watch. You don’t need a painting; you can have a print. But it’s always nice to have the painting.

Who is your closest competitor and how do you distinguish yourself from them? As a brand, Richard Mille is a young athlete, a body builder, very sexy, full of testosterone. What we try to do with Roger Dubuis is pilates. We prepare our body, we preserve our inner muscles to stay in shape and stay healthy. Our internal muscles will help us survive for longer.

Is the UK market too conservative for Roger Dubuis? It is short-sighted to think that people only like

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EXCALIBUR QUATUOR WITH FOUR SPRUNG BALANCES, £795,000

If Roger Dubuis was a car manufacturer, which would it be? Lamborghini. Definitely Lamborghini. It’s edgy. We’re talking about the same sort of client.

What statement is someone making by purchasing a Roger Dubuis watch? “I am different. I am assertive. I don’t care if you know the brand or not. I like it. I don’t need to be reassured.” rogerdubuis.com

Watch news

FROM TOP: RADIOMIR 1940 3 DAYS ACCIAIO, £7,300; LUMINOR 1950 3 DAYS GMT AUTOMATIC ACCIAIO, £7,000; RADIOMIR 1940 10 DAYS AUTOMATIC ORO ROSSO, £29,500

WORDS: RICHARD BROWN

Ocean wonder C

elebrating its links with the sea, Panerai – which formerly supplied watches to the Italian Navy and today sponsors the Classic Yachts Challenge – has unveiled a series of four timepieces in the colour of the ocean. Blue dials may have been a recurring theme at watch fairs for some years now, but Panerai’s latest collection really does stand out from the azure-coloured crowd. The series comprises a 42mm Luminor with a three-day power reserve, a 44mm Luminor with a 10-day power reserve and an elegant, albeit portly, 47mm Radiomir (which also has a three-day power reserve). The star of the fleet, however, is the Radiomir 1940 10 Days Automatic Oro

Rosso: its red gold case houses Panerai’s first skeletonised automatic movement, which allows for a second time zone function and an am/pm indicator. All four watches feature an in-house calibre and are waterresistant to 100 metres. From £7,000, panerai.com

COLLECTION

BULLETPROOF Value for money is a prickly issue in the watch world, a result of the industry having had to reposition itself as the epitome of luxury after the 1970s quartz crisis. The upshot is that it’s hard to tell what you’re getting for your dosh. This makes Oris’s Divers Sixty-Five something of a revelation. Offering retro looks and an automatic Swiss movement for just over £1,000, it made waves when it launched last year. Debuting on a black rubber or NATO fabric strap, the 40mm timepiece is now available on a stainless steel bracelet. According to Oris, the Sellita-produced calibre inside is bulletproof – it’s the first time we’ve heard that claim in watchmaking. £1,250, oris.ch

Best in show England’s got Goodwood; America’s got Pebble Beach. Established in 1950 and typically held on the third Sunday of August, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance brands itself as the most opulent motor show on Earth. Rolex has lent its services as the event’s official timekeeper since 2007. Each year, it presents the winner of the Best of Show with an Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 (pictured below). Rolex’s motorsport heritage dates back to the 1930s, when it strapped a watch to the wrist of Sir Malcolm Campbell during his successful world land speed record attempts at Daytona Beach, Florida. The partnership helped spawn the release of the brand’s renowned timepiece, the coveted Cosmograph Daytona, three decades later. rolex.com

TIMER SAVER Breguet purists who admired the Hora Mundi of 2011 but found its less-thanclassic map motif somewhat ‘off-brand’ will be pleased to learn the timepiece is now available with a silvered, 18-carat gold guilloche dial and a more slender 12.6mm height. The Hora Mundi became the world’s first mechanical timepiece to feature an instant ‘jump’ time-zone display, allowing its wearer to switch between cities and automatically adjust the date, city indicator and 24-hour indicator all with the push of a single button located at 8 o’clock. From £49,000, breguet.com

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Breitling’s all-blacks Breitling revealed its dark side this year by launching all-black versions of a series of its most famous timepieces. Versions of the Avenger 45mm (£6,480), Colt 44mm (£3,910 – pictured), Chronomat 44mm (£7,110), Navitimer 46mm (£7,030) and Superocean 44mm (£4,260) all received the black, carbonbased coating treatment, elevating each piece to a whole new level of masculine. All the watches feature robust screw-lock crowns and rotating bezels. While most Breitling watches are born to fly, the Superocean 44 Special Blacksteel will operate at depths of up to 1,000m, while the Avenger II Seawolf Blacksteel can notably descend for a further 2,000m. Breitling is the only watch brand to submit every one of its collections to the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, the industry’s leading precision-testing facility. From £3,910, breitling.com 39

ART

ENSNARING THE SENSES

ull of hyperreal detail and poetic fantasy, an exhibition of new work by British artist Nigel Cooke will land at Pace London in September. Among the pieces on display, this painting is inspired both by Henri Regnault’s 1870 Salomé and Cooke’s experience of the Andalusian city Córdoba. The artist allows Salome’s seductions to lurk at the boundaries, but steers clear of any 19th-century femme fatale interpretation. “A sense of ambiguity surrounds her,” describes Cooke, “innocence and malice blurred, callow intentions manipulated. This freedom to update Salomé led to the audience of carrion crows, embodying an ominous sense of waiting danger and mob judgement.” Roman Willow, 21 September-22 October, Pace London, 6 Burlington Gardens, W1S, pacegallery.com NIGEL COOKE, SALOME, 2016, OIL ON LINEN BACKED WITH SAILCLOTH, 230 X 220 X 5.2CM, ©2016 NIGEL COOKE, COURTESY PACE LONDON

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Q&A with…

Art news WORDS: CAMILLA APCAR

Kaleidoscopic wonder At first glance, contemporary Spanish artist Pedro Paricio is a master of collage or perhaps champion in screen-printing. But on closer inspection, his geometric patchworks reveal thick layers of paint and barely a brushstroke to be seen. An exhibition of new work at Halcyon Gallery delves into the collective subconscious and the inextricable relationship between art and identity – and on no small scale, as Paricio’s paintings are often a metre tall or wide. Reflect, but do so at a distance. Pedro Paricio: Dreams, 6-25 September, halcyongallery.com

Exploring Laing’s legacy On the fifth anniversary of his death, The Fine Art Society has curated a retrospective of almost 60 paintings and sculpture that illustrate Gerald Laing’s Pop Art legacy. Laing was a British contemporary of Lichtenstein and Warhol (both of whom he met in the early 1960s), and his painting of Brigitte Bardot – a black and white depiction that captured the Swinging Sixties as well as the artist’s initial fame – sold for £902,500 at Christie’s in 2014. Examples of other early paintings that mimicked modern machine printing will be on show, plus bold sculptures that Laing created at his Scottish studio and bronze foundry in later years. Gerald Laing, 19 September-13 October, thefineartsociety.com

Q: What inspired this body of work? A: I wanted to show a lot of variety in my subjects. Why do I care about having a story for each picture? Too many times I go to an art show and it’s really the same picture over and over again: beach scene, geometric abstraction, portrait of the artist – whatever! Too much of one subject is boring, even if it’s well painted. The main thing is that the picture will be interesting enough to look at in the outside world, after it leaves the artist’s studio. Q: How did the Surrealist movement influence you and your work? A: The actual Surrealist movement wasn’t much fun, as far as I can tell: a bunch of quarrelsome artists getting mad at each other for obscure reasons. But as an idea of how to think while you’re painting a picture, it’s simply terrific. Let any thought occur and it’s absolutely okay. Dalí was the very best. His images still make me laugh with amazement, decades after first seeing them. He’s always been my main influence. Q: What is the reason behind your intense use of colouring? A: The purpose of the colour is to glamorize the subject, make it rich and seem real. Just because it’s cartoony doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. Colour, and the way it’s applied, gives energy to the subject. Peter Saul: Some Terrible Problems, 23 September-5 November, michaelwerner.com

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PEDRO PARICIO, PROMISED LAND, 2015, ACRYLIC ON LINEN, HALCYON GALLERY; PETER SAUL, ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST STILL LIFE, 2016, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS; GERALD LAING, CONCEPTION, 1977, BRONZE, COURTESY OF THE FINE ART SOCIETY & DAVID KNIGHT; PEDRO PARICIO, THE ARTIST, 2016, ACRYLIC ON LINEN, HALCYON GALLERY

American painter Peter Saul, whose new work will be shown at the Michael Werner Gallery from 23 September

ART

PRIZE LOTS 1. A 1932 Lines Brothers Vauxhall 30/98 children’s pedal car The Lines’ company was founded during the Victorian era and, under the name Tri-ang Toys, became so successful that in 1931 they bought out Hamleys Bros. Ltd. (which had by then run into financial difficulties). This mint condition car was restored by a model engineer for his grandson but then decided it was just too good to play with. Estimated value £3,000-£4,000, The Transport Sale at Donnington Priory, 28 September, dreweatts.com

2. Look, the Queen’s Coming! by Helen Layfield Bradley Not only do each of Helen Bradley’s Lowry-esque oil paintings tell a story, but her artistic career makes an enticing tale in itself. The Oldham-born artist had a penchant for art as a teenager but only began to paint seriously when in her 60s, in order to illustrate to her grandchildren what her life had been like as an Edwardian child. Estimated value £40,000-£60,000, Made in Britain at Sotheby’s, 28 September, sothebys.com

3. A superb fancy intense blue diamond ring A miniscule 0.004 per cent of all diamonds mined are blue, making them some of the most desirable gems in the world – especially when they have no modifying or secondary colour, like this 3.81-carat fancy intense blue diamond. The rare stone has now been mounted on a ring and is set to headline Bonhams’ autumn fine jewellery sale. Estimated value £1,300,000-£1,800,000, Fine Jewellery at Bonhams, 20 September, bonhams.com

4. Set of four keys on a brass fob, RMS Titanic Christie’s annual Out of the Ordinary sale includes a time-capsule of treasures from the Titanic, including this set of four keys belonging to Samuel Ernest Hemming, the vessel’s lamp trimmer. Hemming helped load lifeboats as the ship sank, and survived after he was picked up from the icy Atlantic waters. Estimated value £7,000-£10,000, Out of the Ordinary at Christie’s, 14 September, christies.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

#1 IMAGE COURTESY OF DREWEATTS & BLOOMSBURY AUCTIONS #2 SIGNED WITH FLY INSIGNIA, FURTHER SIGNED, TITLED, INSCRIBED AND DATED 1971 ON THE ARTIST’S LABEL ATTACHED TO THE BACKBOARD; OIL ON CANVAS LAID ON BOARD; 59 X 89.5CM. IMAGE COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S #3 IMAGE COURTESY OF BONHAMS #4 ©CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LIMITED 2016

PREVIEW

LAPADA Berkeley Square welcomes the fair’s eighth edition, full of antique curiosities and multi-disciplinary pieces to pique collectors’ interest. Camilla Apcar reports

n eclectic balance of exhibits is to be found at this year’s LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair, which will land in Berkeley Square on 13 September. All the classic elements will be present – a signature drawing by Miró at Fairhead Fine Art Limited, a portrait minature of the Duke of Wellington from Philip Mould and works by Buffet and Dufy from Willow Gallery. But a wave of intriguing, unusual curiosities will also be on display. Across the fair a playful and multi-disciplinary theme is apparent: a celebration of creatures great and small. At Waddington Custot Galleries, Peter Kinley’s Seven Geese parade across a mossy canvas (£14,000, from Horton London), while Beaux Arts London honours man’s special equestrian relationship through a bronze edition of Awakening by Anthony Scott (£11,500). Feline fantasy comes from The Book Keeper (£2,950, pictured, right), an oil on panel by Peter Layzell, whose contemporary paintings borrow much from the Flemish Renaissance and Van Eyck. An appreciation of water dwellers continues in sculptural realms. J Baptista will show a remarkably detailed pair of freestanding silver lobsters created in Portugal (pictured, bottom right); while Kevin Page Oriental Art will exhibit both a silver duck incense burner (£22,500) and a fun trio of miniature tortoises that have been finely carved from boxwood (£18,500, pictured, above right). From the 20cm bronze Sarah Bernhardt by Harald Sorensen Ringi (£3,785 at Garret & Hurst) to the larger than life Silent Contemplation from Muse (pictured, top right), sculptures of the human form are poised to bewitch. More than 100 members of the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers

FROM TOP: SILENT CONTEMPLATION, THE SCULPTURE COMPANY, FROM MUSE; VERY FINE BOXWOOD CARVING OF STACK OF LIFELIKE TORTOISES, 9CM, SIGNED, FROM KEVIN PAGE ORIENTAL; PETER LAYZELL, THE BOOK KEEPER, 30 X 20CM OIL ON PANEL, FROM PORTAL PAINTERS; SILVER LOBSTERS, PORTUGAL, C. 1990, FROM J BAPTISTA. OPPOSITE PAGE: A FINE MULTIMETAL INLAID KORO DECORATED WITH A CROUCHING SAMURAI ON ONE SIDE AND A CROW TO THE OTHER, SIGNED MASAYOSHI, 14CM, FROM KEVIN PAGE ORIENTAL

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are set to show art, antiques, design and decorative pieces. New dealers at the eighth edition include St James’s 20th-century expert Whitford Fine Art. “Joining LAPADA was an easy decision,” says Whitford gallery manager Gabriel Toso. “It has grown into the major opening event of the art calendar, inaugurating the busy autumn season, and its location in the heart of Mayfair is unrivalled.” Whitford will exhibit pieces by artists including Clive Barker, Alexander Calder and Frank Avray Wilson – one of the first British abstract expressionists. LAPADA’s offering of Asian art – a category that will be celebrated again during November’s ten-day Asian Art in London event – is particularly strong this year. Kevin

Page will exhibit rare pieces from the Meiji Period, the era between 1868 and 1912 when Japan’s industrial revolution occurred. Perhaps the most striking is a silver and metal inlaid incense burner (POA, pictured, left), which stands at 14cm tall with vivid, intricate reliefs of a crouching samurai and a crow. “We sell Chinese and Japanese antiques, and have noticed that Chinese collectors are increasingly looking at, and comparing, the quality and workmanship of the Japanese works to their native ones,” says Page. “They say that if the Japanese items were Chinese, the value would be in the hundreds of thousands and even millions of pounds.” 13-18 September, Berkeley Square, lapadalondon.com

FA I R F I N D S

Phil Shaw, The Special Relationship, 2015 Every spine in this hyperreal print has been taken from a book in Washington’s Library of Congress and references towns in the USA. In a process the British artist likens to “digital painting”, the titles – each designed by hand – are relocated to their places of origin in the British Isles, celebrating our shared cultural heritage with the US. Archival print, 197 x 147cm, £6,500 from Rebecca Hossack Gallery

Clive Barker, Brains, 2015 The British Pop artist’s reinvention of a memento mori questions not death, but our fragility in an age when medicine and science play an important role in experimental research. Polished bronze, 10.8 x 12 x 14.6cm, unnumbered edition of three, signed and dated underneath, £26,000 from Whitford Fine Art

A pair of George III giltwood sofas, c. 1775 With leaf motifs and carved beading, these English sofas are now upholstered in silk damask. “In the manner of John Linnell, they epitomise the neoclassical taste for elegant simplicity,” says Mackinnon Fine Furniture director Charlie Mackinnon. 203 x 85 x 95cm, £68,000 from Mackinnon Fine Furniture

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Nicole Farhi sold her fashion brand five years ago and hasn’t looked back. Now dedicated to sculpture, she speaks to Camilla Apcar about her artistic lease of life in clay and second solo exhibition

he human hand has fascinated – and frustrated – artists for centuries. Da Vinci and Michelangelo’s sketchbooks were littered with anatomical studies; Van Gogh, Degas, Matisse and Warhol all undertook the challenge in their own epoch. Just as expressive and no less difficult to master than the human face, hands will be the subject of Nicole Farhi’s second exhibition at Bowman Sculpture on Duke Street in September. To describe Farhi as fashiondesigner-turned-sculptor might ABOVE: NICOLE FARHI, PHOTOGRAPHY: BILLIE SCHEEPERS; RIGHT: DAVID’S HAND, BRONZE, 9CM, EDITION OF NINE

seem unjust: she has been sculpting for more than 30 years. However it was only when she sold her eponymous fashion brand in 2011 and left the company in 2014 that sculpture became her primary occupation. Farhi had been introduced to the medium by sculptor Elizabeth White – “suddenly it clicked that sculpting was what I wanted to try and do”. After taking some classes, Farhi later met Eduardo Paolozzi, who became her tutor. The then-designer used all her free time to sculpt and took a day off during the week to work on her clay creations. “I was a fashion designer working every day at the factory and was not entirely satisfied with my life. Something was missing.”

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“I was working as a fashion designer and not entirely satisfied with my life. Something was missing”

Yet as long as she was a designer, Farhi didn’t want to show her work: “Fashion and my company came first, and I didn’t want people to be confused about who I was and what I was doing.” Her first exhibition was a selection of portraiture shown in 2014 at Bowman Sculpture gallery. Unlike Rodin’s hands hewn from bronze, stone and marble, all of Farhi’s work is made from clay. “Clay is the first medium ever used when people started sculpting,” she says. “It comes from the earth and allows you to leave all your imprints – it’s extremely personal to work with, and really

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comes from your guts. You can use tools, but I often use just my fingers and nails.” Moving on from facial sculpture, Farhi’s new subject matter is portraiture of a different kind. “The hands never lie and are such an important tool that allow us to create,” she describes. Farhi chose subjects whose hands are key to their creative professions: a baker, a conductor, a pianist, a dancer. Instead of positioning them in her studio, she visited them at work, took photographs and arranged just one or two sittings afterwards.

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“When I saw the dancers at work, there were gestures that arrested me and I later asked if they could move back into those expressive poses of power,” she says. A more unsuspecting subject was her glazier, the “power” of whose thumb while changing a window inspired a larger than life study of that single digit. It took two years to bring this body of work together, and Farhi watched a number of films about anatomy to inform it. The exhibition will also include some of her first ever work; sculptures of David Rothschild’s hands; her playwright husband David Hare’s; her 100-year mother’s and a study of Paolozzi’s hands, which she created around 15 years ago.

“It doesn’t matter if people don’t like it. What’s important is that you do exactly what you want” While working in fashion gave a sense of community, sculpture is different, Farhi says. “When you sculpt, you work alone own all the time, except at a foundry to make a bronze. The creative style is totally your own.” It has, in a sense, been a liberating move for the 70 year old – and one well away from the commercial imperatives of the fashion world. “When you create a piece of art, you never think that you might sell it,” she explains. “It doesn’t matter if people don’t like it. What’s important is that you do exactly what you want.” Farhi has no regrets about having left the fashion industry. The sculptor hasn’t yet considered her next exhibition (the relentless pace of creating one seasonal collection after another is far behind her), but will stick to the same subject matter in some way. “It’s an incredible source of ideas – the human body and human being. Whether [my next exhibition] will be more abstract or not, I don’t know. I can’t say until I start doing it.” The Human Hand, 13-30 September, Bowman Sculpture, 6 Duke Street, SW1Y, bowmansculpture.com

FROM TOP: JEU D’EAU, BRONZE, 33CM, EDITION OF NINE; DANCER ETOILES, BRONZE WITH WHITE PATINA, 40CM, EDITION OF NINE; VIOLINIST, BRONZE, 34CM, EDITION OF NINE. PHOTOGRAPHY: COLIN MILLS; COURTESY OF NICOLE FARHI AND BOWMAN SCULPTURE

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Decadence Defined

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18/08/2016

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A MODERN

CLASSIC

arolina Herrera is celebrating 35 years in the fashion business this year, however her focus is firmly fixed on the future of her elegant brand. For her Resort 2017 collection Herrera has tapped actress Kiernan Shipka: most recognisable from her role as Sally Draper in the successful and stylish television series Mad Men. Shipka brings a youthful irreverence to the labelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic, feminine silhouettes and modern couture techniques. In the rest of the collection, Herrera plays with proportion: fashioning super high-waisted, billowing trousers with sharp peplums, and contrasting sugary tulle with bold monochrome polka dots and thick, vivid stripes. carolinaherrera.com

PHOTO CREDIT: MARIO SIERRA

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Baker street The cinematic new lookbook from Ted Baker tells a sultry tale of spying and sleuthing, against a provocative backdrop of shadowy hotel rooms and misty alleyways. The collection’s sharp silhouettes and monochrome accessories make for a ruthlessly slick wardrobe with a touch of that definitive Ted Baker daintiness. Fit-and-flare dresses and asymmetrical hems are updated with prints of lemons and roses, frayed bouclé and embroidered detailing. 54 South Molton Street, W1K, tedbaker.com

Style update WORDS: MARIANNE DICK

The bright side Roksanda Ilincic is rarely spotted without her signature crimson lipstick – an empowering, feminine statement for any woman. This attitude exudes from her clothing line too, which has won the hearts of high-profile fashion icons such as the Duchess of Cambridge. The Serbian-born designer has now introduced handbags to her colourful, creative repertoire; architectural shapes and creamy pastels contrast with burgundy velvet and gilded flourishes in this covetable collection. 9 Mount Street, W1K, roksanda.com

From Los Angeles to London Anine Bing is more than a fashion designer, she’s a modern-day lifestyle guru. The Dutch ex-model documents her world via her popular blog, curates her own in-store playlists and hangs portraits of her sartorial idols – mostly nonchalant 1960s models – on her brilliant white shop walls. Her new Harvey Nichols boutique is a haven for effortless, well-designed basics and shiny one-offs, with new pieces introduced weekly rather than seasonally. harveynichols.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

FEMME FATALE The inspiration behind A/W16 Agent Provocateur is a smorgasbord of pin-ups including Bettie Page, Liv Tyler and Madonna, resulting in a spectrum of styles from minimalist scalloped edge two-piece sets to lavish flapper-style embellishments. The pared-back, monochrome campaign – shot by Mario Sorrenti and starring supermodel Abbey Lee Kershaw – is reminiscent of Helmut Newton’s timeless and alluring photography, another key influence on the coming season. 1-3 Grosvenor Street, W1K, agentprovocateur.com

THIS PAGE: MODEL LINDSEY WIXSON IN THE FENDI SPRING/SUMMER 2015 ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN © KARL LAGERFELD; OPPOSITE: © ASSOULINE

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WHEN IN

ROME This month, a new Assouline book celebrates 90 years of luxury fashion house Fendi. Kari Colmans traces the brand’s legacy through fashion, family and female empowerment

t seems somewhat ironic that one of the most matriarchal fashion houses in the world has a name that derives from ‘effendi’, which means lord. Established in 1925 by Edoardo Fendi (the son of a lady in waiting to Queen Margherita of Savoy) and his wife Adele Casagrande, the maison has been steered by and designed for powerful, intelligent and glamorous women for 90 years. With its family motto “nothing is impossible”, the impact of the luxury fashion house on Italian

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life is observed and admired through a number of windows in new coffee table book Fendi Roma, from theatre, film and opera, to art and architecture, as well, of course, as the international fashion stage. From the outset, it was Adele who enlisted the help of Rome’s master saddlers to create the quality of leather goods she desired. After opening their boutique in 1926, it was six years before the husband and wife team presented their first collection of luxurious leather handbags – named Selleria, modern designs of

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: OVER FIFTY YEARS, KARL LAGERFELD HAS MADE MORE THAN 50,000 SKETCHES FOR FENDI © FENDI ARCHIVES; TREVI FOUNTAIN, ROME © FENDI ARCHIVES; SKETCH BY KARL LAGERFELD FOR THE FALL-WINTER 1970-71 COLLECTION © KARL LAGERFELD/ FENDI ARCHIVES; FUR ATELIER ARTISANS IN FRONT OF THE PALAZZO DELLA CIVILTÀ ITALIANA © FENDI ARCHIVES; TOOLS BY FENDI ARTISANS © FENDI ARCHIVES; “BIG BANG” PATTERN FUR TABLET, SPRING/SUMMER 2013, PRINTED CALF, MINK, FOX, KIDASSIA © FENDI ARCHIVES

which are available today. After passing the baton to their five daughters (Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda) in the late 1940s, it was these determined and talented women who made the brand synonymous with fur, and garnered a following that permeated all cultural avenues in Italy. At a time when even the thought of a woman working was contentious, the Fendi sisters were making waves. As the book highlights, from one generation to the next, the Fendi women have successfully “invented and reinvented” the house’s narrative “without ever losing the original thread”. Among the sisters, it was Paola who really had the eye for fur. Not only was she responsible for revolutionising the tanning process, she infiltrated a once fusty area of the market with young and chic designs. In 1950, Fendi presented its first fur capsule collection at the Grand Hotel in Rome. In 1965 the sisters approached a then up-andcoming designer named Karl Lagerfeld. “We met in Via Borgognona,” Lagerfeld recalls, “in a former cinema that had been converted into a boutique and fur atelier. It looked like a Luchino Visconti set. When I saw them I thought they were a good mix of personalities. I love being surrounded by women when I work!” In the same year, Lagerfeld’s emblematic double F logo (which signified ‘Fun Fur’) became a defining fashion moment for the decade, making fur more accessible for the fast-changing ready-towear market. As the authors surmise, Fendi “diametrically changed the history of the material, altering the very idea of it”. The legend that is Lagerfeld has been a constant presence ever since. “My 50-year collaboration with Fendi may be the longest in the history of fashion,” he says. “And it might seem strange, but I’ve never become tired of it. Actually, I think my work is

better now, because my vision is clearer and more focused. My relationship with Fendi has developed independently, like an open marriage.” Adele, who died in 1978, is remembered fondly as an industrious and glamorous matriarch, characterised by a string of pearls around her neck and a walking stick. “She was definitely not your typical Italian grandmother who stayed at home and cooked,” recalls her granddaughter Silvia Venturini Fendi. “She didn’t need to impose her authority. She was the authority.”

At a time when even the thought of a woman working was contentious, the Fendi sisters were making waves Although Silvia’s career first began with an appearance as a model in an advertising campaign for the A/W67 unisex collection, shot by Lagerfeld, she didn’t officially join the family company until 1992, becoming director of leather goods and accessories two years later. Most notably she designed the wardrobe-defining baguette, and more recently the Peekaboo bag, both of which sparked an instant cult following.

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There’s a handy timeline at the back of the weighty illustrated compendium, which takes you through the brand’s history (1985 marks its first fragrance; 1987 the launch of Fendi Casa; 1988 luxury timepieces; and 2001 its joining with LVMH). It’s the more in-detail stories at the end of the book which make for a better read, under the A Family Affair chapter. Many pages are also given to the brand’s involvement with the cultural fabric of the country, specifically its love affair with Rome. Committed to the restoration and conservation of the city’s artistic heritage, Fendi for Fountains remains the brand’s most well-known funding initiative. The foundation’s venture has transformed Rome’s Trevi Fountain. Responding to the city council’s plea, Fendi pledged €2.18m to restore the marble sculptures within it to their former glory. Other film and theatrical involvements are relatively vast, illustrating the extent to which the Fendi name is entwined with Italian history and nostalgia. While today fashion films and fashion-as-art exhibitions are still seen as cutting edge and ‘new’, Fendi paved the way decades before its contemporaries. The first fashion house to stage an entire collection (Lagerfeld’s ready-to-wear debut) in a film named Histoire d’Eau, it was described in the December 1977 edition of Vogue Italia as “the new idea-capsule for choosing a mink or… a swimsuit”. The 15-minute film also featured a cameo by the then 17-year-old Silvia. She says: “Karl is never banal, and with him, nothing is ever the same as the last time. He is crazy about new technology, which he consumes avidly. He is extremely serious but also knows when to be lighthearted, when to be ironic and

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poke fun at himself. He has such a strong sense of humour, and he’s a master of the quick-fire response, the perfectly timed punch line. To us, he’s just Karl.” Silver screen collaborations are endless (many Italian, but also international), but British audiences will recall the more trite cultural reference of Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) in Sex and the City correcting a mugger while held at gunpoint screaming, “It’s not a bag, it’s a baguette!” Silvia Venturini Fendi may be referring to living outside the old-school style capitals of Paris and Milan when she says “we feel like – and want to be – outsiders” but it is also a philosophy for the brand’s legacy, and, perhaps, its future with the fairly recent addition of the word Roma to the brand name. Fendi is a celebration of more than just clothes, shoes and handbags. Current chairman and CEO, Pietro Beccari, summarises it succinctly: “People do not want to just buy products. They want to hear beautiful stories… and Fendi has plenty to tell.” Fendi Roma, text edited by Carlo Ducci, Lella Scalia, and Erika Langlois, published by Assouline, £130, available for purchase this month at Assouline and Fendi boutiques, Maison Assouline, 196A Piccadilly, W1J, 020 3327 9370, assouline.com

LEFT: Jacket, £3,050; Dress, £1,650; Trousers, £610, all Céline, 103 Mount Street, W1K, celine.com; Shoes, £495, Jimmy Choo, 27 New Bond Street, W1S, jimmychoo.com

RIGHT: Dress, £3,860; Boots, £1,030; Belt, £1,200, all Hermès, hermes.com

Autumn sleeves From buttercup coats by CĂŠline to lace maxi dresses by Temperley London and pencil skirts from Dior, swot up on the latest designer offerings for a wardrobe that will see you through this season and beyond P H O T O G R A P H Y: P H I L L I P W AT E R M A N S T Y L I N G : D AV I D H A W K I N S

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ABOVE Dress, £1,295, Temperley London, temperleylondon.com; Boots, £1,145, Paul Andrew, paulandrew.com; Necklace, £7,750, Stephen Webster, 130 Mount Street, W1K, stephenwebster.com

RIGHT Coat, £ 3,630; Shirt, £1,140; Tie, £147; Boots, £668, all Ralph Lauren Collection, ralphlauren.co.uk; Trousers, £332, DVF, dvf.com

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LEFT Jumper, £760; Skirt, £960; Bag, £1,950, all Dior, 31 Sloane Street, SW1X, dior.com

ABOVE Dress and jumper, POA, both Phillip Lim, 31philliplim.com; Bag, £2,495, Jimmy Choo, as before; Ring, £19,400, Stephen Webster, as before

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ABOVE Jacket, £940; Trousers, £495; Shoes, POA; Bag, £795, all Mulberry, mulberry.com

RIGHT Coat, £3,995; Dress, £1,595; Bag, £1,295, all Burberry, 2 Brompton Road, SW1X, uk.burberry.com

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CREDITS Model: Sonya Derviz and Tijana Tamburic from Select Model Management Hair: Bettybeehair using Unite Eurotherapy Make-up: Molly Portsmouth Stylist’s assistant: Annie Ounstead Photography assistant: Kiti Swannell Shot on location at ME London, the flagship hotel for the ME by Meliá brand. Designed by Foster + Partners, ME London is one of the leading hotels in the capital and is home to the renowned Radio Rooftop Bar, which offers panoramic views of the city’s skyline. Rooms from £285, ME London, 336-337 The Strand, WC2R, melondonhotel.com

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3.1 Phillip Lim

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Bottega V eneta

Mulberry

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Chloé

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Tweed, Prince of Wales check and paisley prints decorated the catwalk this season, with brands from across the world embracing British heritage chic. 3.1 Phillip Lim stole the show with its take on a classic tweed blazer, using the traditional fabric to create a smarter, more sophisticated version of the everyday parka.

Opt for a classic shearling coat this autumn – practical, stylish and, when the temperature dips, near-on essential. If you missed out on Acne Studio’s signature aviator style, don’t worry: this season offers a wide range to choose from, including an all-over number by Chloé.

Tomm y Hilfiger

Balenciaga

FEELING SHEEPISH

We may be nearing the finale of another British summer, but there’s no reason to feel blue when there are so many gorgeous new garments on the horizon. Seasonal favourite velvet is having a bit of a moment: coming in all shapes and colours, it remains elegant with the potential to be eccentric. Outerwear is firmly focused on shearling, and as the nights draw in earlier, one’s dark side is encouraged to come out to play in sheer fabrics and delicate embroidery. Whatever your style, our A/W16 trend report will make sure you aren’t left out in the cold. Words: LAUREN STEVENS

Roberto Cavalli

V etements

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Rag & Bone

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WORK IT OUT

BARE NECESSITIES Miu Miu

Roksanda

Luisa Becc aria

Valentino

Alberta Ferretti

Erdem

Giambattista Valli

Valentino

Balmain

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It looks as though journalist Kirsty Wark knew exactly what she was doing when she presented Newsnight in a pair of high-end tracksuit bottoms, as the trend for athleisure shows no signs of slowing down in the fashion industry (no doubt partly due to the recent Olympics). Get the look with a smart-casual mix from Rag & Bone, or opt for a fully tailored tracksuit, such as the ones that Vetements and Amanda Wakeley are currently sporting.

For yet another year, velvet made a strong appearance on the catwalk and we are now spoilt for choice with the variety of shapes and colours available. Luisa Beccariaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple gowns radiate elegance, but perhaps one might be more inclined to try a tailored suit by Alberta Ferretti. Regardless of preference, the silky soft material is sure to add a stylish touch to your wardrobe.

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SOFT TOUCH

Designers are clearly having some fun with sheer material, combining it with lace and delicate embroidery to give evening gowns a romantic edge this A/W16. Be prepared to flash the flesh with one of Valentinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alluring dresses, or dare to bare all in a see-through sequin design by Roberto Cavalli.

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Magnum opus

IMAGE : PAOLO PELLEGRIN FOR BELSTAFF

Belstaff’s latest collaboration showcases both the superb design and everyday utility that the rough and ready brand is best known for. This time it has taken the advice of Paolo Pellegrin – a member of the illustrious artist’s cooperative Magnum Photos and the eyes behind the campaign shoot – to create an essential accessories line. The Magnum weekend bag is ideal for separating all your vital tech kit, yet easily converts into a casual holdall for a weekend away. £750, Belstaff, 135-137 New Bond Street, W1S, belstaff.co.uk

Style spy WORDS: MARIANNE DICK

The brilliant bomber

COVETED CUFFS Regarded as England’s oldest family jeweller, Deakin & Francis immerses itself in its heritage. To celebrate the company’s 230th anniversary, a limited-edition capsule of gold-plated cufflinks will sport emblems such as the age-old skull and crossbones or the Royal Britannia. From £75, deakinandfrancis.co.uk

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This season, look to Berluti for a selection of cashmere, shearling, wool and suede bomber jackets to see you through the bracing winter months. The elite Italian label has taken inspiration from the drama of the desert: with shades of scorpion black, burnt ochre and stark salty white causing quite a stir. We’re lusting after this deep sea-green leather number complete with an embroidered graphic snake motif designed by A-list tattoo artist Scott Campbell. Scott bomber, £3,500, Berluti, 43 Conduit Street, W1S, berluti.com

Choos like Jagger

IMAGE COURTESY OF JIMMY CHOO

Jimmy Choo is resurrecting rock and roll this autumn with a campaign fronted by Mick Jagger’s son, James. Creative director Sandra Choi describes the young actor as having a “rebellious gentleman spirit”; contemporary and edgy yet retaining that thrilling flamboyance spearheaded by musicians such as his father. The collection flaunts star-studded green suede, tasselled patent loafers and our favourites – and James’s too – the bold, black suede Kurt boots. Kurt boots, £695, 35A Dover Street, W1S, jimmychoo.com

IAN GRIFFITHS

I always loved fashion. But when I was at school the arts weren’t considered suitable for intelligent kids. Architecture was the only ‘acceptable’ face of design so I studied that. I loved it but I kept drifting back to fashion, even while I was at architectural school in Manchester.

My friend showed me how to use her sewing machine. I made outfits from cheap lining fabric – it was the ’80s, so the idea counted for more than the execution. I had no formal training at that point. I taught myself by taking apart vintage clothes.

I spent a couple of years partying and hanging out with bands. Ian Brown (from The Stone Roses) lived next door and Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) was just along the street. Then, I enrolled at Manchester Polytechnic to study a degree in fashion. I was extraordinarily lucky to have Ossie Clark as a tutor and he encouraged me to go on to the Royal College of Art.

It was all happening at the RCA. Anna Wintour would call you into Vogue to see your work, and there was always a chance that Princess Diana would ask you to make something for her.

My tutor, Anne Tyrrell, who sadly passed away last year, always gave me the most precious advice. It was

The Max factor Before Ian Griffiths arrived at MaxMara, he was partying with Mick Hucknall, listening to ’80s new wave and chatting to Anna Wintour. The creative director spills the beans on the fashion industry

thanks to her that I got the job at MaxMara after graduation. She taught me to imagine a woman walking down the street in my designs. When I’m mentoring young students I always ask them, “Who would wear it?”. If they can answer the question, I’m happy.

I was content to put up with squalid living conditions and zero money back then. I worked at Browns on Saturdays. Founder Joan Burstein taught me that commercial

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rules apply to the luxury market, not only the high street.

Like many of my generation, David Bowie was my lifelong inspiration. He showed us that you can stay creative by keeping your ear to the ground. Never stand still.

I was really caught up in the new wave scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s. I worshipped Elvis Costello, Ian Curtis and the phenomenal Tony Wilson who created Factory Records and the legendary Haçienda nightclub.

MAXMARA A/W16

Lunch. I love the strict pencil skirts with their floppy pleated hems, fishnet tops and studded belts. It gives an edgy, dark glamour to our classic coats.

My mother has always loved fashion. She used to make her own clothes and I would spend hours watching her cutting and sewing. When I started at MaxMara, she was delighted. She now has a bulging wardrobe and all her friends are mad with jealousy. When I’m designing, I always have my mum at the back of my mind.

When Grace Jones published her memoirs it prompted us to revisit her sleek, powerful style. We had great fun exploring that in our resort collection, which hits stores late 2016.

At MaxMara, we think like architects: clothes that will last need the best quality materials. Knowing what a fabric will or

MaxMara helped define the image of the working woman in the ’80s. In those early days, there was a kind of conformity – women were in completely new territory.

won’t do requires years of experience and a certain sensitivity. Our designers know how to select the right fabric to execute different designs, silhouettes or lines.

MaxMara always follows the same basic principle: real clothes for real people

Architecture is never far away. I nearly always have some kind of project on at one of my homes in Islington, Suffolk or Spain. Some people are traumatised by building work, but I can’t get enough of it.

I loved putting together our pre-fall collection. I always admired the smart, sardonic style of poet Dorothy Parker. I spent a few happy afternoons by the fire re-reading her work and it dawned on me that she was an archetypal punk, 50 years ahead of her time. For the collection, I fused her look with the style of punk queens Siouxsie Sioux and Lydia

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MaxMara always follows the same basic principle: real clothes for real people. There MAXMARA PRE-FALL

will always be camel coats, but from season to season there is a different message. Our heritage is precious to us, but we don’t want to overplay it or become predictable. Like Bowie showed us, never stand still. MaxMara, 21 Old Bond Street, W1S, gb.maxmara.com

INTERIORS

POP MUSIC A

s technology becomes an inherent part of our daily ritual, it’s only right that it should integrate seamlessly into our chosen living aesthetic. The Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A9 is already one of the sleekest sound systems around, with its statement circle design and striking presence when displayed freestanding or mounted on a wall. Interior designer Maurizio Pellizzoni has dreamed up a special cover for the speaker, which will be available exclusively in the B&O section in Harrods. Inspired by the films of Federico Fellini and sirens such as Sophia Loren, Pellizzoni’s sultry image of a pair of parted scarlet lips exudes both the glamour of Italian cinema and a bold Pop Art attitude. From £1,999, cover available separately from £300, exclusive to Harrods, harrods.com

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T H E B E A U T Y I S I N E V E R Y D E TA I L

w w w. t h e r i t z l o n d o n . c o m / r i t z - r e s t a u r a n t

A winter’s tale As we approach the final meteorological act of the year, Roberto Cavalli Home presents its winter garden-inspired collection, which debuted at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in April. Deep midnight blues and forest greens create a dramatic, moonlit setting and a new outdoor furnishings line makes an intriguing addition to the range. Kings of Chelsea, 387 King’s Road, SW10, kofc.co.uk

Interiors news WORDS: MARIANNE DICK

Culti classic Italian brand Culti is said to be the originator of the home diffusion technique that uses rattan sticks to carry a scent into the atmosphere. Founded in 1990 by Alessandro Agrati, the company has since explored the worlds of perfume, spa products and textile accessories. This year Culti modernised its bottle designs and launched a selection of new fragrances. The classic citrusy Aramara remains one of our favourites, at a generous full litre size: its blend of bitter orange, bergamot and sandalwood creates a fresh yet sensual aroma. Aramara diffuser, £93, culti.com

THE BEAUTY OF BESPOKE

Everything and the kitchen sink Rossana kitchens are custom-built according to the size and shape of the space available, allowing architects and interior designers to exercise greater creativity when choosing a model. The brand has launched a service called Atelier that offers an extended range of materials and finishes. The options can be combined in any way – with a particular focus on beautifully-finished sinks, doors and worktops – to create a completely bespoke arrangement. rossana.it

If you find yourself in need of a foldaway picnic set complete with a full-length mahogany table or a miniature toothbrush that retracts into a gold case, Asprey remains the premier choice for the weird, wonderful and bespoke – even after 235 years. The Venice collection is no exception: each piece is composed of five parts, handmade using a technique that dates back to the 15th century. The Venice Collection, from £995, asprey.com ALI WALKER FOR ASPREY

PROMOTION

Ahead of the game ‘T

he box’ was a term coined when televisions resembled clunky pieces of machinery. Thankfully, those days are long gone – as illustrated by the new LG OLED TV (E6). An aesthetically remarkable piece of technology, the device has an ultra slim 2.57mm OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panel that has been bonded to a glass plate, ensuring a super sleek finish. Unlike most other screens where a backlight dims entire sections, the OLED technology means that each pixel switches on and off independently. This results in crisp viewing for all your favourite high-definition films, with images displayed in the deepest of blacks alongside vivid colours. This revolutionary television has Ultra HD 4K resolution and supports HDR with Dolby Vision to bring incredible detail, colour and contrast to your living room. The incredible contrast and colour reproduction of OLED, coupled with HDR 4K capability are key factors in the entire 2016 OLED range being awarded Ultra HD Premium Certification. To complement this incredible cinematic picture, the sound quality has also been excellently designed. A unique, integrated ‘sound bar’ speaker – engineered by the audio experts at harman/kardon – directs sound forward, enhancing the multi-sensory experience. As consumers continue to customise their viewing schedules more and more, LG’s

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exclusive smart TV webOS is also included – now featuring All 4 and ITV player. “By upping our OLED TV game every year, we are driving innovation in the TV space so that more consumers will see and hear about the benefits of owning an OLED TV,” remarks Brian Kwon, president and CEO at LG’s Home Entertainment Company. It appears that LG’s TV will be a game changer for years to come. To experience the best in TV home cinema viewing then look no further than the LG OLED TV 4K range. lg.com

FASHION

HOUSES As an influx of interior design-led boutiques arrive on Bond Street, Marianne Dick looks at the sleek stores leading the fashion pack

t is said that Mayfair’s Bond Street flourished significantly as a luxury retail destination in the late 1700s when socialite and darling of the beau monde the Duchess of Devonshire led a boycott against shopping areas in Covent Garden because the residents had voted against one of her dalliances, Britain’s first Foreign Secretary Charles James Fox. This coincided with the rise of the ‘Bond Street Loungers’ – an upper class division of society who would strut around the city flaunting their wares. While there has been much rebuilding and renovation since, the street still retains a certain charm in many of its narrow, lofty townhouses. In the past year international fashion houses have flocked to make it their address in the most wonderful and imaginative of ways.

INTERIORS

In April, Valentino joined the catwalk of buildings on Old Bond Street. Creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli teamed up with none other than worldrenowned British architect Sir David Chipperfield to re-imagine the store concept. “We’ve tried to reflect the history of Valentino – a history wrapped up with Rome, glamour, and, in a way, another time. The challenge has been to make it contemporary without losing the essence of the brand,” explains Chipperfield. “In the Bond Street store we wanted to find continuity with the architecture of the street rather than make the building a fashion store billboard. The new five-storey façade engages with the surrounding historic streetscapes. For example, the doorways, which are framed in Portland stone, provide consistency with the geometry of neighbouring buildings.” The same month, Bulgari reopened its New Bond Street boutique showcasing a new architectural design concept developed by flamboyant American architect Peter Marino. The brand’s heritage emanates through the fine marble, Italiandesigned furniture, and the magnificent Carlo Scarpa-inspired staircase, which is surrounded by bronze latticework based on the floor pattern of the Pantheon in Rome. Exceeding expectation, as always, Marino also included a gesture to British heritage in the ceiling vaults, which are inspired by the neoclassical architect Sir John Soane.

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“Living in a house that doesn’t reflect who you are is akin to wearing someone else’s clothes”

OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: BULGARI, COURTESY OF MASSIMO LISTRI; CHANEL; DIOR; MONCLER THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: BULGARI, COURTESY OF MASSIMO LISTRI; CHANEL; VALENTINO

Another impressive feat from Marino, basking in a pastel glow at 160 New Bond Street, is the Dior flagship. The four-storey emporium is a beacon of French elegance, which exudes the fanciful spirit of Paris’s Hôtel Particuliere while staying faithful to the character of the original building. It’s a palace that you can imagine Dior himself residing in. As the couturier himself once said: “Living in a house that doesn't reflect who you are is akin to wearing someone else's clothes.” That’s not all that has kept Marino busy. He revamped the Chanel watch and fine jewellery boutique last November, basing it on Gabrielle Chanel’s Parisian townhouse and her apartment at 31 Rue Cambon. It is a lavish yet intimate space filled with contemporary art, antiques and at the centre: a stunning Goossens rock crystal and bronze staircase, which encircles a glass lift. It’s been a busy year for Bond Street and it shows little sign of slowing down, underpinned by the recent opening of the three-storey ‘haute montagne’ Moncler flagship designed by the Gilles & Boissier architecture studio. What seems to prevail throughout these interior concepts is the fusion of a brand’s heritage with the prestigious location’s rich history. These timeless elements still have us strutting around the city flaunting our wares like true Bond Street Loungers.

A touch of rouge Since its first makeup collection launched in 1924, red has been a core lipstick colour for Chanel. But Lucia Pica – the new global creative designer for makeup and colour – has led the brand out of its comfort zone for her first collection. From orange and rosebud to shades of brick and burgundy, crimson undertones run throughout the fall 2016 collection. Try the Rouge Radical polish, which gives nails a jelly-like coat of transparent colour. From £17.50, chanel.com

Beauty

news

THE ONE AND ONLY

The family jewels Founded by her grandson, the fragrance house that bears Diana Vreeland’s name has launched a trio of scents inspired by her fearlessness. Each is a pure parfum absolu presented in bold jewel-toned glass: Simply Divine offers sultry sandalwood and tuberose, while Outrageously Vibrant is a dark floral with punchy patchouli and oud notes. Daringly Different completes the set in smoky style. £250 each, harrods.com

Perfumer Linda Pilkington has created an exclusive scent for Selfridges to mark her brand Ormonde Jayne’s arrival into the store. The bespoke gender-free fragrance, One, is set to form a trilogy. The result is an opulent but smooth palette with cardamom absolute, bergamot and sandalwood notes that stand out. We can’t wait to welcome Two and Three. £235, selfridges.com

ABOVE: KRISTEN STEWART PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARIO TESTINO, COURTESY OF CHANEL

WORDS: MELISSA EMERSON

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Painted perfection Suffering from a severe case of chipped nail varnish and unkempt toes? OPI has teamed up with Elemis to make The Speed Spa at The House of Elemis the ultimate antidote for hands and feet in need of a little TLC. With a treatment menu that offers both signature and GelColor manicures and pedicures, you can be sure to be pampered, even if half an hour is all you have to spare. For those with a little more time, the paraffin wax treatment is an unusual manicure add-on. Hands are immersed in gloves filled with the hot wax which, when it sets slightly and is removed, leaves skin feeling enviably soft. 2 Lancashire Court, W1S, elemis.com

SCENTS WITH SECRETS Penhaligon’s new Portraits collection pays tribute to the British aristocracy, with four character-based fragrances for men and women. A social butterfly with a dangerous bite, Lady Blanche is a refined and delicate green floral, while the Duchess Rose’s woody undertones hint at hidden indiscretions. Great as a gift, each is topped with a gold spirit animal stopper and encased in an illustrated box designed by Icelandic artist Kristjana S Williams. £178 each, penhaligons.com

A splash of basil Following the success of its signature lime, basil and mandarin scent – launched in 1991 – Jo Malone is venturing back into the herb garden with its Basil & Neroli collection this September. The fragrance performs like a green floral, with the herby, peppery edge of the leaf freshened up by neroli and white musk (and it works well when layered with other Jo Malone scents, too). The classic cologne can also be enjoyed as body crème or body and hand washes – alternatively, light the candle as the autumnal evenings begin to draw in. From £28, 101 Regent Street, W1B, jomalone.co.uk s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

EARLE OF WISDOM With more than two decades of experience in the beauty industry, Liz Earle knows her stuff. She talks to Hannah Lemon about hard graft, life in the West Country and motherhood

iz Earle founded her eponymous company in 1995 with her friend Kim Buckland to offer affordable beauty products and first-class customer service. It was a formula that worked and their wares were soon snapped up by Avon in 2010 for an undisclosed amount of several millions (subsequently purchased by Walgreens Boots Alliance for £140 million in 2015). Unsatisfied with an early retirement, Earle has since kept herself busy launching a book SKIN as well as the Liz Earle Wellbeing website and magazine. She continues to consult for Liz Earle Beauty Co (she has been working on new skin treats that are set to launch next year) and attends regular events as a beauty spokesperson, including for Kirstie Allsopp’s The Handmade Fair this month. Based at a farm in Wiltshire with husband and filmmaker Patrick Drummond, it seems that there is nothing this mother-of-five can’t achieve.

“My working mantra has always been: build it slow to build it strong” Why did you start your brand? Back in 1995, skincare was very polarised. You either shopped at over priced department store counters or inexpensive self-selection chemists and supermarkets. My co-founder, Kim Buckland and I spotted a gap in the market for affordable, premium quality, botanical beauty products – and so the Liz Earle beauty brand was born.

Where did your passion for natural ingredients stem from? My father was a great botanist and I used to spend hours with him in the garden weeding, sowing and planting. He is an engineer and

HEALTH & BEAUTY

loves functional plants that do things, either edible or practical, so I think that’s where my early passion started.

of my beauty career. I have a lot of respect for their use of genuine essential oil blends and their therapeutic effects on mind and body.

Why did you decide to move to the West Country?

Are your children set to follow in your footsteps in the beauty industry?

I’ve always loved country living, and with my children growing up, I wanted them to have a bit more freedom and outside space to play. It seemed the perfect way to buy them a bit more childhood. Plus, I love being able to see the horizon as well as notice the changes in the seasons. My Liz Earle Wellbeing publishing and TV studios are in Battersea, so I enjoy the best of rural and urban living.

My eldest daughter Lily is a fully qualified primary school teacher but she has taken time out of teaching to work as digital editor for Liz Earle Wellbeing. She also has her own beauty column in the east London magazine E1 Life, so I guess she might be following in my footsteps.

What do you like to do when you’re in London? I do the things I can’t do in the countryside – go to the theatre, try out a new sushi restaurant, visit a gallery and catch up with my city friends.

What is your cleansing regime? That’s an easy one. Twice a day, every day, I use my most awarded creation: the Liz Earle cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser. It’s so automatic now, it’s a bit like brushing my teeth – only much more of a treat. As a working mother of five I really don’t have much time for hype or faff.

What other beauty brands do you admire? I’ve always liked Aromatherapy Associates and used to work with their founders in the early days

How difficult is it to balance motherhood with a challenging career? It’s never easy for any parent, but I do think modern technology is a huge help. When I’m travelling, I use FaceTime and Skype to join family suppers or help with homework. Having that daily face-to-face connection is such a huge improvement on the phone call.

What was it like receiving your MBE? Meeting Her Majesty The Queen was one of the most memorable moments of my life. The whole day at Buckingham Palace is ‘awesome’ in the proper sense of the word. I feel incredibly fortunate to have received this award and am very grateful for it.

What helped get you through the challenges of setting up your own business? My working mantra has always been: build it slow to build it strong. Crawl, walk, then run to build a business that will stand the test of time. You must have an absolute passion for what you do, as running a business will consume your life. 16-18 September, Kirstie Allsopp’s The Handmade Fair (sponsored by Hobbycraft) at Hampton Court. Liz Earle will be at the Fair on 17 September, thehandmadefair.com

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

S PA R E V I E W

Shine bright like a

DIAMOND As the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park adds two indulgent spa treatments to its menu, Marianne Dick finds out if diamonds are your skin’s best friend

decide that it must be the old-world glamour of the grand Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park that makes me feel far away from London – or even England – as I descend the stairs to the lower ground floor spa. Without a smidgen of telephone signal or Wi-Fi access, I relax in the aromatic vitality pool at the heart of the cavernous oasis before my Carita Precious Diamond facial, the latest addition to the hotel’s treatment menu. Clients can opt for either the holistic-style facial or the Cinetic Lift Expert treatment – a high-tech process often chosen as an alternative to surgery. I try the holistic approach, which begins with a gentle back and shoulder massage that serves to ease away the day’s mental and physical tensions. Both the Precious Diamond and Gold Perfection facials include Carita’s renowned Rénovateur scrub: an exfoliating blend of sunflower seeds and essential oils created by the French Carita sisters in 1956. My therapist Tanuja applies the product in gentle motions and then massages my face, focusing on the jawline and cheekbones. I can feel the blood flowing and my skin waking up. The cooling Diamond of Beauty mask is then applied thickly and while it works its magic on my

complexion, I am treated to a hand, foot and scalp massage. The Diamond of Beauty range contains concentrates of plant and gem extracts with key ingredients such as radianceenhancing diamond and tourmaline powder, and a red algae extract that boosts cell energy. After around an hour and a half, the treatment ends. It’s not just my face that feels rejuvenated – my entire body feels lighter. I’m told the facial is a good introduction to other Carita therapies and that the anti-ageing Gold Perfection facial is the next step. Tanuja recommends that I leave the remaining product on overnight, assuring me I will notice a difference in the morning. She is absolutely right: when I wake, the tiniest of lines have disappeared and my skin feels like it’s so luminous that it’s sparkling. Carita Precious Diamond Facial, from £220, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X, mandarinoriental.com

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A question of time With more than 17 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience as a specialist, Professor Ellis Downes, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at The Wellington Hospital, discusses the symptoms of and treatments for urinary leakage and prolapse

UROGYNAECOLOGY SERVICE AT THE WELLINGTON HOSPITAL The Wellington Hospital runs a nurse-led Urogynaecology Service, accepting referrals from women seeking advice, investigations and treatments for pelvic floor problems, including incontinence, urinary leakage and prolapse.

PROMOTION

p to 40 per cent of women, at some stage in their lives will experience symptoms of urinary leakage or prolapse (uterus descends into the vagina). Historically, many women used to ‘put up with it’ believing that these miserable symptoms were a normal part of the ageing process, or that they couldn’t be helped. Over the past few years there has been a revolution in the way we treat urinary leakage and bladder symptoms, and for the vast majority of women, significant improvement can be made. Women nowadays are much less likely to ignore their symptoms and will see their GPs who can refer them on for specialist assessment and treatment. The main cause of urinary leakage is childbirth, specifically vaginal delivery. Damage can be sustained to the bladder neck causing – immediately, or years later – stress incontinence (leaking when coughing or exercising), urgency (needing to rush to urinate), getting up at night to urinate or needing to void frequently. Stress incontinence is generally treated with lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or smoking cessation, and pelvic floor exercises taught by a specialist women’s health physiotherapist. This helps the majority of women with urinary leakage. In some cases, surgery called a sling procedure is required, which generally has a low complication rate and a high success rate. Women who often ‘can’t wait’ and rush to the toilet may have a condition called detrusor over-activity, where the bladder muscle is over-active. Again, pelvic floor exercises and biofeedback monitoring can be helpful. Sometimes oral medication is prescribed to relax the bladder, or tiny amounts of Botox are injected into the bladder to relax it, which avoids many of the side effects of the oral medication, such as dry eyes and a dry mouth. Some women are aware of a ‘lump in their vagina’ caused by either the front or back wall of the vagina prolapsing, or the uterus itself prolapsing. This is easily diagnosed and treated with a combination of exercises, sometimes pessaries to support the prolapse or a vaginal repair surgical procedure, which may include a

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Women who often ‘can’t wait’ and rush to the toilet may have a condition called detrusor over-activity

hysterectomy. Surgery is generally straightforward with good results. A number of women may have a combination of bladder and prolapse symptoms that need a careful assessment to formulate an individual treatment plan that is right for them. The good news is that the majority of women with miserable bladder and prolapse symptoms can have a significant improvement in their quality of life with appropriate treatment. The initial step is to recognise the issue and address a small problem before it becomes bigger. The GP is the first point of call, who can then arrange referral to the appropriate specialist for further assessment and treatment. Professor Ellis Downes is a highly experienced obstetrician and gynaecologist whose particular focus is treating menstrual problems, urinary leakage and prolapse. If you’d like to arrange an appointment at The Wellington Hospital, please contact the Enquiry Helpline on 020 7483 5004.

2016

here are many new things in Mayfair this year, and as a relative newcomer myself, I have loved getting to know the area and its stunning boutiques, restaurants, art galleries and public spaces. The postcode has welcomed exciting young designers, plush renovations, contemporary exhibitions, charitable initiatives, and communal events for residents and business owners to enjoy in equal measure. Alongside this, the area’s rich heritage is thriving through the tailors of Savile Row, family-run jewellers and hordes of talented craftspeople.

It is this mix of old and new that we are celebrating for the fifth year at The Ritz, with an evening to showcase the best exhibitions, best initiatives and best boutiques. A panel of knowledgeable figureheads, including our headline sponsor Pastor Real Estate, has selected a shortlist of six in each category. Now you, our readers, can have your say on who should win these coveted awards. We look forward to announcing the winners on 25 October.

Hannah Lemon

Acting Editor, The Mayfair Magazine

The judging panel

ANDREW LOVE

DAVID LEE

LORD BRUCE DUNDAS

KEITH BAILEY

Chairman of The Ritz Club and Deputy Chairman of The Ritz London

Head of Sales at Pastor Real Estate

Chairman of The Bond Street Association and Managing Director of Buccellati

Location Director for Mayfair at Grosvenor Britain & Ireland

MARK HENDERSON

JENN Y PACKHAM

HÉLÈNE DARROZE

DR AMIN JAFFER

Chairman and Co-founder of The New Craftsmen, and Chairman of Gieves & Hawkes

Fashion Designer at Jenny Packham

Cuisinière at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught

International Director of Asian Art at Christie’s

HEADLINE SPONSOR

VENUE SPONSOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

The 17 categories Best exhibition at an art gallery Yayoi Kusama at Victoria Miro Gallery David Hockney RA: 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life at The Royal Academy of Arts Miró’s Studio at Mayoral Edouard Martinet at Sladmore Contemporary Horses, Rulers, and Victory at Kallos Gallery Hiro at Hamiltons

Best interiors boutique The Mayfair Design Studio The New Craftsmen Colefax and Fowler Baxter at Anna Casa Holly Hunt Christian Liaigre

Best PERFUMER Ormonde Jayne Creed Roja Parfums Penhaligon’s Avery Frederic Malle

Best independent fashion boutique Wolf & Badger Amanda Wakeley Mr Hare Jenny Packham Chalayan Temperley London

Best HOTEL SUITE Royal Suite at Claridge’s The Apartment at The Connaught Gormley’s ROOM at The Beaumont The Green Park Suite at The Ritz The Kipling Suite at Brown’s Hotel Schiaparelli Suite at The May Fair Hotel

Best independent jewellers Buccellati Jessica McCormack David Morris David Marshall Hancocks Stephen Webster

BEST SHOWROOM DESIGN Dior Bulgari de Grisogono Chanel Watch and Fine Jewellery Victoria Beckham Holland & Holland

BEST COCKTAIL bar Mr Fogg’s Coburg Bar at The Connaught The Fumoir at Claridge’s The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel The Arts Club The Luggage Room

BEST PUBLIC SPACE Mount Street Gardens Grosvenor Square Garden Brown Hart Gardens Berkeley Square Shepherd Market St James’s Square

Best restaurant experience Sexy Fish Scott’s Bellamy’s Bonhams Restaurant Park Chinois The Ritz London Restaurant

best display of craftsmanship Kathryn Sargent William & Son Asprey S J Phillips Smythson Mount Street Printers

Best LOCAL EVENT Mount Street Garden Party St Mark’s Liz West installation Grosvenor Film Festival Brown’s London Art Weekend Mount Street Christmas Lights The Grosvenor Series for London Craft Week

Best CHARITABLE INITIATIVE Staff at Dukes London charity run for Hospitality Action Emma Willis’s work with Style for Soldiers Vanessa Gounden’s Artivism for Breast Cancer Octavia Foundation Tea Dance Party at Summer in the Square The Chesterfield Mayfair’s work with The Starlight Foundation and Great Ormond Street Hospital Belgravia Gallery’s art sales for The Sebastian Hunter Memorial Trust

BEST NEW OPENING Manolo Blahnik Gormley & Gamble Sophia Webster Jérôme Dreyfuss Chalayan Aquazzura

vote online for: Best Sustainability Initiative

Associate Sponsor

Local Hero Award

Associate Sponsor

Outstanding Contribution to Mayfair Award

MEDIA PARTNER

champagne Sponsor

“Mayfair’s best kept secret”

info@hush.co.uk Telephone: 020 7659 1500 Fax: 020 7659 1501 No.8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, London, W1S 1EY

FOOD & DRINK

Fifty shades of blue Following in the footsteps of your teacher is never an easy task, but architect Robert Angell has done it with aplomb by restoring David Collins’ Blue Bar at The Berkeley. The Parma Violets-shaded room is decorated with dramatic white marble, majestic red tassels and dark crocodile-print navy leather. This rainbow of colour filters on to the cocktail menu, which is labelled green, yellow and red in order of potency, and blue for favourites. Indulge in the Smoke & Mirrors for a sensory explosion of bitter, floral and oaky flavours. Wilton Place, SW1X, the-berkeley.co.uk

Food & drink news WORDS: HANNAH LEMON

Whatever the weather

WINE & WHISKY

Make the most of the final days of summer with Hush’s seasonal menu. The Dorset crab makes a classic starter, followed by smoked haddock and cod fishcake with parsley sauce for a main or, one of our personal favourites, the truffle cheese burger. Wash it down with the restaurant’s signature cocktail of Russian vodka, violet liqueur and Taittinger Brut. Enjoy the bright menu before us Brits start talking about the weather again. Lancashire Court, 8 Brook Street, W1S, hush.co.uk

Just desserts Whether it’s fashion or food, Burberry is renowned for quintessentially British creativity. Thomas’s dessert menu upholds this reputation with a fresh offering for September. One dish in particular is sure to be a favourite: the peach Melba. Invented in the late 19th century at The Savoy, the dessert was made to honour the Australian soprano Nellie Melba, who was performing a Wagner opera in Covent Garden. Years later, we still can’t get enough. Thomas’s at Burberry Regent Street, 5 Vigo Street, W1S, burberry.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

Highland single-malt whisky-maker The Dalmore has taken its latest expression to new heights. Challenging the boundaries of traditional methods, the company searched a Californian vineyard for five different wine casks in which to finish the liqueur. Following maturation in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, the whisky was split across casks that had held zinfandel, pinot noir, syrah, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. The result? A masterpiece. £1,000, available at Hedonism Wines and selected whisky retailers

FOOD & DRINK

REVIEW

School of Roka It’s been number one on most people’s restaurant bucket lists, and Ella Harris can see why, as she finally delves into Roka’s seafood selection

ast summer, spilling out from a pub and on to the road, glass of wine in hand, I was approached by a Japanese tourist who enquired why myself and so many others were gathered on the pavement drinking. Was it a national bank holiday? Had the pub just launched? I couldn’t say anything in return that would fully explain why hordes of city folk congregate in such a manner on a Friday night. “It’s just what we do in Britain,” was my reply. The only equivalent the Japanese have to our watering holes is izakaya, an informal venue that serves sake and sharing plates – dubbed ‘Japanese pubs’. Locals usually head here for a post-work drink and a few rounds of raw fish. It is on this model that Roka is based. Since it opened in 2014, a keen following has lapped up its ice boats layered with pastel-pink sashimi and fillets of sirloin steak with wasabi ponzu sauce. The design of the restaurant is ideal for a relaxed evening of constant chatter – the kind of atmosphere not dissimilar to our very own public houses. In the centre of Roka Mayfair is the robata grill. Chefs dash back and forth cooking up a storm, giving flavour to seafood and meat over hot charcoal – perfect for all-day dining or an evening meal. Perched on the periphery are the diners, who peek into the whirlwind in front of them ready to see what is churned out. Firstly, the tempura. The rock shrimp variety is a golden art form; its batter is both crunchy and fluffy, and the fish succulent. It’s comforting and more-ish, in contrast to the zesty yellowtail sashimi with yuzu truffle dressing, mizuna and pickled vegetable, which is delicate and refreshing. The litmus test of Japanese fine dining in London seems to be black cod with miso. Order it here and the marinade is made with more yuzu (citrus fruit) and hajikami (ginger

pickled in vinegar), and the overall taste is a familiar, slightly sticky sweetness that can characterise Asian cooking. I am content with the spicy tuna maki, slivers of octopus and thick-cut salmon – the fish is so fresh and light that you get full in a gradual, glorious way. Definitely try a steak too, medium-rare for tenderness and perfectly seasoned. Next up, the dessert platter arrives with more colours and flavours. The team are deservedly proud of the black sesame ice cream and cherry blossom macarons. Once you’ve been inaugarated into the polished breed of Roka diner, make the most of the cocktail bar and order a potent espresso martini. Or why not return for Roka’s pairing meals with wine, sake and even shochu (£90 per person; the next is on 31 October). Just make sure you don’t spill out on to the street clutching a wine glass. That sort of behaviour is reserved solely for the British drinking house. 30 North Audley Street, W1K, rokarestaurant.com

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‘...beef just got bigger, thicker and juicier.’

‘This is meat eating of the highest order; book your table immediately.’

‘I’d go back in a heartbeat, for that burger alone.’

‘A steakhouse to end all arguments’

‘...one of the best steaks we’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.’

The Adelphi Building, 1-11 John Adam Street, WC2N 6HT London

Bookings: 020 7321 6007 | www.smithandwollensky.co.uk

SWTatlerFP_May2016_210x297.indd 2

19/05/16 13:47

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“LOSE WEIGHT AND GAIN FITNESS IN RECORD TIME. WITH THE BODYDOCTOR’S WORKOUT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE” The Sunday Times Style Magazine

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW SHAW

TRAVEL

The haute heights of Saigon Ho Chi Minh City may not be one’s first port of call for a style splurge, yet a new three-night experience from The Reverie Saigon makes a compelling case. It is headlined by three hours of personalised shopping arranged by a private guide. Hit the designer boutiques by all means, but guides are set to advise on where to find the best traditional áo dài Vietnamese dresses, too. Guests will also receive three treatments at the hotel’s spa. From £1,132, thereveriesaigon.com

FROM PITTI TO PUCCI

Travel news WORDS: CAMILLA APCAR

Diving straight in A fashionable pop-up has landed at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa in Crete. Throughout the summer, US designer Melissa Odabash’s latest creations will be on sale at the resort’s Isola Beach Club, where daybeds scatter the white pebble beach and DJs play by day and night. Odabash’s collection is full of Aegean blue and white, but these two pieces (pictured, from left, Casablanca swimsuit, £210; Tampa swimsuit, £200) provide a splash of their own. From €293 per night, bluepalace.gr

Set alongside the Arno river, Villa La Massa – the Florentine sister of Villa d’Este – is to celebrate the glamour of Italian fashion in September. A five-day itinerary will include visits to the costume gallery at Palazzo Pitti and the Roberto Capucci museum, where the designer’s sketchbooks are on display. Most special of all, the terraces of Palazzo Pucci – a botanical wonderland created by Pucci’s nephew Giannozzo – will open especially for an afternoon tea. 13-18 September, from €5,355, villalamassa.com

IMAGE COURTESY OF VILLA LA MASSA

Ride in style – and for a cause Sartorially-inclined owners of classic café racers, scramblers and sidecars will come together one Sunday in September to raise funds for the Movember Foundation and testicular cancer. More than 50,000 riders across the globe, from London to San Salvador, will ride through cities for the fifth edition of The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride – and it’s not too late to sign up and don your finest tweeds, neckwear and brogues. Last year’s 37,000 participants raised more than $2.3m for prostate cancer research, and distinguished ladies are very much welcome too. 25 September, gentlemansride.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

the house that

Versace built The latest in a slew of fashion hotels, the Palazzo Versace Dubai is set to make waves when it officially opens at the end of the year. Katy Parker reports

he announcement that another hotel is opening in Dubai is hardly news. Ever since the desert metropolis emerged as a global city and the financial hub of the Middle East, luring in business travellers and tourists alike, hotels have sprung up with the proverbial frequency of mushrooms after rain. One name, however, that may give cause to sit up and take notice is this: Versace. Following the trend for fashion hotels (the past six years have seen the launch of a Bulgari hotel in London and Armani hotels in

both Milan and Dubai), the brand this year unveiled Palazzo Versace – a palatial tribute to this behemoth of Italian fashion. The hotel is in fact the second of its kind: Versace’s first branded outpost opened 16 years ago on Australia’s Gold Coast, with 200 rooms and 72 privately-owned apartments. The new property is situated at the heart of Dubai’s Culture Village – one of the city’s more up-and-coming areas – which, when completed, will comprise a harbour in addition to cultural and exhibition centres. The lobby gives a first taste of the opulence synonymous with the brand and it continues

TRAVEL

Chief designer Donatella oversaw the conception of the entire hotel herself throughout the hotel. Case in point, a gargantuan chandelier hangs overhead, crafted from 3,000kg of hand-blown Bohemian glass. Versace’s design influence is evident everywhere – from the patterns on cushions to staff uniforms. Most of the furniture was created exclusively for the hotel; some pieces are replicas of items that founder Gianni Versace once displayed in his villas. Depending on how much of a Versace aficionado you are, specific patterns may call to mind certain fashion collections or a particularly iconic gown. The green-and-white leaf pattern that decorates the all-day dining Giardino restaurant, for example, is reminiscent of the dress that stunned the world when worn by Jennifer Lopez to the Grammy Awards in 2000. This all comes as no surprise when one learns that Donatella herself oversaw the conception of the entire hotel. The chief designer’s personal touch can be found on the hallway walls (look out for sketches of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell sporting Donatella’s own couture creations). In the suites upstairs, which are decked out in striking hues of turquoise or salmon, exquisite Versace artworks line the walls and stunning mosaics sit over the bathtubs.

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If you’re looking for the last word in luxury and unobstructed views of the ever-developing Dubai skyline, reserve one of the two Imperial suites, which offer 360-degree vistas, as well as private patios, pools and jacuzzis. The Palazzo’s superlative offering also extends to its fine dining. A total of eight restaurants and bars offer a range of international cuisines. The gastronomic pièce de résistance is Enigma. With a rotating roster of world-class chefs, the restaurant seeks to offer immersive dining at the highest level. Every three months a new Michelin-starred chef will arrive at the restaurant, with a new team, a new concept and a new menu. This may sound like a logistical nightmare, but in a city like Dubai – one that never stands still – this may be exactly what its restaurant scene needs. Just don’t arrive expecting your average three-course meal and wine pairing – this is experiential dining at its most shocking and exciting. An evening might

This is experiential dining at its most shocking and exciting

involve appetisers that resemble pebbles, starters served on dry ice and a theatrical dessert course during which diners are plunged into darkness, served by waiters wearing bull masks. Next on Enigma’s line-up is Vladimir Mukhin, whose restaurant White Rabbit in Moscow currently sits at number 18 on the list of the world’s best. When it comes to relaxation, there are two swimming pools, both of which overlook the

IMAGES: ©ANTONIO SABA, COURTESY OF PALAZZO VERSACE DUBAI

Dubai Creek and echo the neoclassical style found throughout the Palazzo. But there’s more to come, and soon. The hotel will unveil the world’s first Versace spa in October, with 11 treatment rooms, men’s grooming services and a hair salon. No Versace spa would be complete without an exquisite mosaic, and this one – carved from mother of pearl – looks primed to top the lot. Palazzo Versace Dubai will “officially” launch amid much fanfare at the end of the year with a star-studded event hosted by Donatella. It will no doubt be an opulent and lavish celebration, which is just what we have come to expect from fashion royalty such as Versace. From £575, palazzoversace.com

TRAVEL

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Suite dreams THE BERKELEY WORDS: BETHAN REES

s the capital becomes enthralled by all things sartorial during London Fashion Week (16-20 September), it’s not just the catwalks that are showcasing the finest pieces on the global style stage. There’s a stylish

Hermès cuff and a Dior necklace, and trot off to dinner in the Collins Room, the hotel’s recently renovated dining room that pays tribute to the late Irish interior designer David Collins. The trunk’s wonders are also available to purchase upon check-out, should the thought of parting with them prove to be all too painful. Once I have relinquished my designer delights, I take in the rest of the room. The Grand Terrace suite is one of the first-floor rooms that have been

The Grand Terrace suite offers more outdoor space than any other London celebration waiting to be discovered at The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, too. As I enter the hotel’s Grand Terrace suite, I’m welcomed by a bespoke white steamer trunk handcrafted by Norton MacCullough & Locke, filled to the brim with vintage designer jewellery, from Chanel to Christian Lacroix. The idea was launched in partnership with online fashion boutique Vestiaire Collective. Guests staying in suites can request the chest for the evening and borrow some of the rare accessories held within. I pick a tasseled gold Yves Saint Laurent bag, an

newly revamped by acclaimed architect and interior designer John Heah (who has worked on hotels the world over, from Bali to the Dominican Republic), bringing contemporary flavour to this most traditional of British hotels. The Grand Terrace suite offers more outdoor space to guests than any other London hotel, The Berkeley claims. The terrace itself runs the length of the 915sq ft room, with its own low outdoor table and dining chairs. In the winter months, heaters and Moncler blankets mean staying warm can be achieved in style.

TRAVEL

Despite being just around the corner from the hustle and bustle of Knightsbridge and Hyde Park, it feels utterly calm – thanks in no small part to its minimal, Asian-inspired interior. There’s a polished and sustainable teak floor paired with muted tones of cream and brown as well as curved accents throughout, which feel fresh out of Kyoto. The postcode is of course SW1, and looking out towards the terrace my eyes are drawn to St Paul’s Church on Wilton Place. This suite has timeless yet fashion-forward character: its simple palette is punctuated by beautiful flowers, artworks and a well-curated selection of books including Assouline’s Jonathan Becker: 30 Years at Vanity Fair. Hanging in the wardrobe is a Burberry trench, gifted to me for the duration of my stay – another example of The Berkeley’s high fashion credentials. Then there’s the afternoon Prêt-àPortea, which changes theme every six months to reflect the latest catwalk collections. This summer, a striped Stella McCartney dress inspired a pistachio and lime sponge, while a pair of Manolo Blahnik stilettos took to the cakewalk as a polka-dotted vanilla biscuit. As part of its eight-month refurbishment, the hotel now boasts a glass and carbon fibre façade designed by Richard Rogers, and the Blue Bar occupies a glass extension at the front of the hotel. Its lighter space is the perfect spot for pre-dinner cocktails, and the list not for the faint hearted. I recommend The Classic B: a concoction involving Hennessy Fine de Cognac, Grand Marnier, Berkeley bitters and Laurent-Perrier.

hotel, and utterly timeless character Whether it’s a savouring three-, four- or even five-course dinner at Marcus Wareing’s eponymous restaurant (which has been awarded two Michelin stars), a late-night swim in the hotel’s rooftop pool or the chance to peruse a treasure trove of rare vintage finds, The Berkeley has all bases covered. This suite is like a good pair of loafers: classic and timeless, constantly reinvented to the highest contemporary standard. £2,700, Wilton Place, SW1X, the-berkeley.co.uk

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[CITY BREAK ]

city of wide boulevards and dramatic statuary, Hungary’s capital Budapest thrills with youthful buoyancy and optimism. This ‘pearl of the Danube’ offers picturesque Belle Époque architecture, beneath the auspices of which you’ll find bohemian cafés, palatial public spas and some serious retail acreage. There is a sense of living history in Budapest: there’s much of Hungary’s fascinating and frequently bumpy past to be discovered, and no building looms over 96 metres, commemorating the arrival of ancestral Magyar tribes to the Carpathian Basin in 896. Geographically, Budapest is best thought of as two cities, as it was before Buda and Pest were fused in 1873. It’s a wonderful walk on both sides of the river, with flat Pest offering urban variety to hilly Buda’s quaint traditionalism. An obvious first Pestian stop might be the commercial corridor of Vaci Street, but perhaps more engaging is the capital’s own Champs-Élysées, Andrássy Avenue. Here you’ll find historical throwbacks like the gilded Book Café, where you can sample the grandeur of the city’s former Viennese-style café culture. One of Europe’s most handsome opera houses is just a few minutes down the street – although if you’re seeking Liszt, the finest acoustics are reportedly to be found at the Erkel Theatre. Hurry past the dismal 1960s façade to enjoy its recently updated interior. Make time for the VIII neighbourhood, where you’ll discover hip boutiques like Szputnyik; the Ateliers Pro Arts gallery, which supports promising young Hungarian artists; and the Urania National Movie Theatre that screens arthouse Hungarian films (with English subtitles). Budapest is something of a year-round destination. Summer brings balmy temperatures and lively music festivals, while the city’s famed Christmas market and piles of Hungarian pastries are sure to stave off the winter chill. Whatever the season, this is a city that feels alive, as if constantly making up for lost time.

BUDAPEST Hungary’s elegant capital is a year-round destination, where Chris Allsop is captivated by its architecture and living history

RITZ-CARLTON BUDAPEST

TRAVEL

Where to stay Set within a listed 20th-century building that is close to just about all the city’s best sights, the new Ritz Carlton – Hungary’s first – offers 200 stylishly appointed rooms. Light, creamy and ethereal, its interior offers serene grandeur. Norbert, the hotel’s knowledgeable concierge, is thorough in his recommendations and top of the list is a trip to the nearby Etyek wine region (Hungary’s own Tuscany), only half an hour’s drive from the city. ritzcarlton.com

SUITCASE E S S E N T I A L S

#1 Tie, £135, Ermenegildo Zegna, mrporter.com

Where to eat

PHOTOGRAPHY: HUNGARIAN TOURISM, AND COURTESY OF RITZ-CARLTON

The Ritz-Carlton’s own Deák St. Kitchen, with its beaten copper flourishes and leather-clad bar, offers a smart casual bistro vibe. If you prefer to venture out, pop around the corner to Borkonyha Winekitchen, one of the city’s few Michelin-starred restaurants. Superb contemporary Hungarian cuisine is allied with probably the best domestic wine list in Budapest (the country is particularly known for its sweet Tokaji wines), alongside the domestic speciality foie gras. borkonyha.hu

#2 Boots, £955, Gucci, matchesfashion.com

#3 Backpack, £245, Rose Hovord, rosehovord.com

Mayfair recommends

MARGARET ISLAND

Forget the ominous name: ruin bars might have started life as a kind of upcycling of condemned buildings around the turn of the century, but today there’s enough money flowing in that any structural issues have (hopefully) been resolved. Mostly located in the Jewish Quarter, the bars come in a variety of shapes, sizes and attitudes, unified by a sense of the theatrical and, more often than not, a leafy open courtyard. Try the attractive Mazel Tov for an upscale introduction to the concept. Explore ruins of a medieval kind with a trip to Margaret Island, which sits in the middle of the Danube. mazeltov.hu

#4 Dress, £695, Erdem, net-a-porter.com

#5 Perfume, £95 for 50ml, Bella Freud, fenwick.co.uk

APEST

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2016 Where is your favourite cocktail mixed to perfection? Which boutiques do you return to time and again? Who hides in the shadows but deserves the limelight? From top hotel suites and restaurants to the best exhibitions and displays of craftsmanship over the past year, The Mayfair Awards 2016 will raise a toast to the area’s finest establishments and shine a light on its unsung local heroes.

THE PRIZE Vote for your favourite Mayfair establishments and you will be entered into a prize draw to win:

A three-night stay at Palazzo Versace in Dubai and a threecourse dinner for two at Vanitas, the hotel's Italian restaurant.

A Frederic Malle fragrance of your choice and a consultation at the perfumer’s private consulting room in Burlington Arcade, led by a scent expert.

A weekend brunch at steak and seafood grill restaurant 34 Mayfair in Grosvenor Square, and tea and cakes to the value of £50 at The Mount Street Deli.

HEADLINE SPONSOR

VENUE SPONSOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

For full terms and conditions, please visit www.themayfairawards.com

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

MEDIA PARTNER

CHAMPAGNE SPONSOR

REGULARS

Remembering

MAYFAIR Lancaster House WORDS: LUCY JONES

ancaster House has enjoyed a long, illustrious history as an exclusive hub of political and social life, and it remains one of the 19th century’s few untouched private palaces. It is unique in London for its imposing Georgian structure, which has established the mansion’s status as one of the most impressive locations within St James’s and Mayfair. The house was originally designed for Prince Frederick, perhaps better known as the ‘grand old’ Duke of York and Albany, as a suitably lavish residence when he became next in line for the throne. The chosen architect, Benjamin Dean Wyatt, promised the Duke a manor that rivalled Versailles, in the style of Louis XIV; however the royal patron died before it was finished, leaving behind an incomplete project and an enormous debt. What started as York House became Stafford House after it was sold to the second Marquess of Stafford. It was eventually completed in 1840, 15 years after construction began. Its outstanding décor attracted many notable guests, becoming a prominent venue for musical entertainment and prestigious society events, as well as a hub for political activity. The Italian politician Garibaldi stayed at the house in 1864, and Chopin recited a Mozart duet in 1848 for Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort in the grand hall. Lancastrian businessman Sir William Lever bought the house in 1912, and renamed it again in honour of his home

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county. The building was used as a meeting place in 1944 for the European Advisory Commission; and in 1979 was the location for the agreement of Zimbabwe’s independence from the UK, known as the Lancaster House Agreement. More recently it was the venue for G7 Summit meetings in the 1980s and 1990s, for which a 35-foot table was erected in the Long Gallery. The palace is now used regularly as a filming location in place of Buckingham Palace: you can spot it in The King’s Speech and The Young Victoria. London Fashion Week has hosted shows and receptions within the mansion, and various balls take place in the grand hall, confirming the fact that its magnificence is just as remarkable as it was almost two centuries ago.

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A centenary to celebrate Field Marshal the Lord Walker of Aldringham GCB CMG CBE DL, president of UK veteransâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; charity Stoll, looks forward to a special night at The Savoy to commemorate the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heroes

FEATURE

t is unlikely that World War One’s centenary has passed you by. The key battles have been marked with memorial events and, rightly so, Remembrance Sunday this year carries even more significance than usual. We must remember those who fought for our country, and with the utmost respect. I myself joined the army in 1966, so this is an issue close to my heart, as I am sure it will be for many other veterans and civilians. This year also marks 100 years since one of the UK’s oldest veterans’ charities was founded. Stoll is the leading provider of support and housing for the veterans’ community and has supported the nation’s ex-servicemen and women since 1916. I am privileged to be the charity’s president and to witness, at first hand, the incredible work Stoll does to provide housing and support across London for vulnerable and disabled veterans as well as their families. The accommodation offers a safe, secure and tranquil setting for those have struggled to adapt to civilian life since leaving the armed forces. Stoll has an outreach service team that supports veterans in London who are either about to leave the forces or left some years ago, by helping them to reorder their lives. In partnership with the Royal British Legion, Stoll runs the Veterans’ Nomination Scheme, which finds social housing in England and Wales to allow veterans to live independently. The charity also runs a diverse programme of activities designed to promote veterans’ health and wellbeing and to enhance their independence. These include a monthly drop-in with partners from a wide range of organisations; IT training and qualifications; help into employment; and one-to-one support for those with mental health needs or addictions – all reinforced by a number of social activities and clubs. Yet there is much more to be done to support those leaving the armed forces. There is an urgent need for more

social housing and tailored support for this special cohort of people who have been prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Over the next five years at Stoll we hope to raise £25m for these much needed resources. To kickstart the fundraising drive we are holding a one-off gala dinner. The Stoll Centenary Gala Dinner will take place at The Savoy hotel on 14 November, and includes a champagne reception, fine dining, a silent auction with a range of one-off prizes and live entertainment from the 22-piece Vince Dunn Orchestra. Stoll’s unusual and fascinating history is the inspiration for this very special event. The charity was founded by theatrical impresario Sir Oswald Stoll in 1916. His true passion was the theatre: he left school at an early age to help his mother manage the Parthenon Music Hall in Liverpool and was instrumental in presenting the Royal Variety Performance. In 1918 he set up his own production company, and created some of the UK’s most well-known theatres including the London Coliseum and Hackney Empire. One hundred years ago at The Savoy itself, Sir Oswald ran a very similar event to our gala dinner in November – and we want to recreate the evening in all its glory. The sacrifice that our veterans have made for this country is easy to forget, but this spectacular one-off event will be a true recognition of our debt to them. At the same time, it will raise essential funds for those facing enormous challenges as they transition into civilian life. What better way to show support for Stoll and help carry on its vital work for the next 100 years than to buy a table and enjoy an evening of entertainment in the splendid setting of London’s Savoy hotel.

Stoll’s unusual and fascinating history is the inspiration for this very special event

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Table packages from £2,500, all funds raised will go towards housing and support services for veterans in England. 07802 658 145, sarah.skinner@stoll.org.uk

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PROPERTY

Mayfair estate agents Marylebone & Fitzrovia ASTON CHASE 69-71 Park Road NW1 6XU 020 7724 4724 (astonchase.com)

CRAYSON 10 Lambton Place W11 2SH 020 7221 1117 (crayson.com)

KNIGHT FRANK

Mayfair 120a Mount Street W1K 3NN 020 7499 1012 (sales & lettings) (knightfrank.co.uk)

Hyde Park BEAUCHAMP ESTATES 24 Curzon Street, W1J 7TF 020 7499 7722 (beauchamp.com)

CARTER JONAS

DEXTERS 66 Grosvenor Street W1K 3JL 020 7590 9590 (sales) 020 7590 9595 (lettings) (dexters.co.uk)

London, Mayfair & St James’s 127 Mount Street W1K 3NT 020 7493 0676

London, Hyde Park & Bayswater 44 Connaught Street W2 2AA 020 7402 1552 (sales) 020 7371 3377 (lettings)

London, Marylebone & Regent’s Park 37 New Cavendish Street W1G 9TL 020 7486 8866 (carterjonas.co.uk)

CHESTERTONS

Mayfair

47 South Audley Street W1K 2QA 020 7629 4513 (sales) 020 7288 8301 (lettings)

Westminster & Pimlico 10 Gillingham Street SW1V 1HJ 020 3411 8386 (sales) (chestertons.com)

22 Devonshire Street W1G 6PF 020 3527 0400

Sloane Street 139 Sloane Street SW1X 9AY 020 7730 0822 (savills.co.uk)

1 Craven Terrace W2 3QD 020 7871 5060 (sales) 020 7871 5070 (lettings)

Marylebone 55 Baker Street W1U 8EW 020 3435 6440 (sales)

SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY 77-79 Ebury Street SW1W 0NZ 020 7495 9580 (sothebysrealty.co.uk)

HARRODS ESTATES

Knightsbridge 82 Brompton Road SW3 1ER 020 7225 6506

Mayfair 61 Park Lane W1K 1QF 020 7409 9001 (harrodsestates.com)

PASTOR REAL ESTATE LTD 48 Curzon Street W1J 7UL 020 3195 9595 (pastor-realestate.com)

STRUTT & PARKER

London Head Office 13 Hill Street W1J 5LQ 020 7629 7282

ROKSTONE 5 Dorset Street W1U 6QJ 020 7580 2030 (rokstone.com)

Knightsbridge

SAVILLS

WETHERELL 102 Mount Street W1K 2TH 020 7493 6935 (wetherell.co.uk)

66 Sloane Street SW1X 9SH 020 7235 9959 (struttandparker.com)

JOHN TAYLOR 48 Berkeley Square W1J 5AX 020 3284 1888 (john-taylor.com)

Mayfair & St James’s 36 North Audley Street W1K 6ZJ 020 7578 5100 (sales & lettings)

For estate agent listings please contact Sophie Roberts at s.roberts@runwildgroup.co.uk

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SHOWCASING THE

finest HOMES & PROPERTY FROM THE BEST ESTATE AGENTS

The magic moment Competitive bidding returns to Mayfair

IMAGE COURTESY OF WETHERELL, WETHERELL.CO.UK

[ HOT PROPERTY]

Half Moon Street, W1J

alf Moon Street’s cultural history is as star-speckled as its name suggests. The road is, indeed, the very address of the irreverent Algernon Moncrieff in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, whose decadent morning room is “luxuriously and artistically furnished”. When one looks up at the white stucco façade of number 14, it is easy to imagine the fictional bachelor peering out from one of the bay windows. A few minutes away from the lights of Piccadilly and the spoils of Mayfair village, the Grade II-listed building has been refurbished as an opulent four-bedroom property.

The generous 5,017sq ft townhouse stretches over seven floors and includes a private cinema, steam room and gym. A sleek Nero Marquina approach to the front door sets the tone for the interior: marble features are offset by crystal chandeliers, period fireplaces and dark wood throughout. The entire second floor is home to the master suite, where the bedroom is connected to a large dressing room complete with its own pantry for preparing drinks and light meals. The suite’s bathroom features a sunken stone tub with jacuzzi jets, a grey Armani marble shower room and twin sinks.

PROPERTY

The third floor guest suite provides nearly the same amount of space as the master – and its soft mother of pearl palette, silk wallpaper and antique mirrors are just as desirable. Its bathroom has a stunning bookmatched Breddica Capriaia marble feature wall that frames a contemporary “egg” bath. A focal point of the property is the fourth floor: a cosy family room opens out onto an east-facing private terrace, where Copper Repoussé Tree – a specially commissioned art installation by Cornish metalsmiths Thrussell & Thrussell – lends the piazza a bespoke backdrop.

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Another influential character recently took inspiration from the street. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic was once headquartered at number six, and consequently the road leading up to Spaceport America in New Mexico was named in honour of Half Moon Street – a fitting address for a property that is quite out of this world. £14.95m (freehold). For further enquiries contact joint sole agents Knight Frank, 120a Mount Street, W1K, 020 7499 1012, knightfrank.co.uk or Wetherell, 102 Mount Street, W1K, 020 7529 5566, wetherell.co.uk

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A flying start to the summer The Brexit cloud has lifted for Knight Frank in Mayfair, with six apartments under offer in the past two weeks. Camilla Apcar speaks to specialist negotiator Chelsea Whelan

t’s Tuesday morning, and since Friday Knight Frank’s Mayfair mid-market team has done a roaring trade. A property on Green Street that has been on the market for some time is under offer, as are two flats in Whitehall Court, and the team is close to agreement on flats in Chesterfield and Bedford Houses. Chelsea Whelan is a negotiator specialising in properties up to £4.5m in Mayfair. She joined Knight Frank in April, having spent two and a half years at an agency in Notting Hill. The market was “quite stagnant” in the run-up to Brexit, with buyers adopting a wait-and-see approach before they made any firm decisions. But since the result was announced, the market has picked up significantly, Whelan reports – even if it was not the outcome buyers had hoped for.

“It’s a special market, at any one time there’s probably a maximum of 200 properties available across the area” “In the past two weeks we’ve put six apartments under offer,” Whelan says. “Interestingly, August tends to be a quieter period because people are away on holiday, so it’s been quite a good start and busier than usual.” One of the properties Knight Frank has just brought to the market in the area is a third-floor flat in Grosvenor Hill Court, for £4.35m. The building, tucked behind Berkeley Square on Bourdon Street, was bought as a project by a gentleman who has refurbished it himself. “This building is one of my favourites in Mayfair,” Whelan describes. “It offers beautiful views across the city, which you don’t often get here – it’s quite a low rise area and a lot of buildings are listed.” The master bedroom has direct views of the London Eye and the Gherkin, there’s a walk-in wardrobe, fully integrated iPad

PHOTOGRAPHY: SAREL JANSEN

PROPERTY

FROM TOP: LIVING AREA; MASTER BEDROOM. OPPOSITE PAGE: THE VIEW FROM THE MASTER BEDROOM

control and audio-visual systems in every room. “No one has lived in it in this state,” says Whelan. “It’s a classic Mayfair finish, ready to move into. Many people have busy lives, and a refurbished property works nicely as a turnkey investment.” Buyers looking for these apartments are often international: Whelan herself is working with clients from the United States, India, Turkey and Qatar alike. In many cases, potential purchasers would prefer to buy a property that has already been refurbished, despite the premium at which this comes. In Mayfair there is never quite enough supply to meet demand, but Whelan remarks that this is no bad thing as the area is not at risk of becoming over-polluted by property as in other patches of central London have done. “It is a special market: at any one time there’s probably a maximum of 200 properties on the market across the area.” There is a particular lack of refurbished properties such as the Grosvenor Hill Court example, particularly in the mid-market range, but Knight Frank reports limited supply even at £1m. “We have quite a lot of demand at the moment for one-bedroom properties,” says Whelan. “We’ve put four separate one-bedroom flats under offer since Brexit. I think a lot of people are in London at the moment looking for a base, a pied-à-terre.” According to Whelan, £1m to £1.4m can afford a good one-bedroom refurbished flat in Mayfair. “We have a beautiful one in Carrington House at the moment, with a lift and a porter. Closer to £1m is likely to need some refurbishment, and St James’s tends to be a little more competitively priced.” Potential purchasers are looking either for themselves as a pied-à-terre or as investment properties. “While the market is slightly uncertain in other locations, Mayfair remains a stable and safe investment,” says Whelan. “Our research department reported that sales in the Mayfair market were up 0.8 per cent in July.”

s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

In comparison, £4m can afford a two- to three-bedroom apartment that is between 1,300 and 2,000sq ft in total, within a property that requires refurbishment. Knight Frank experienced a strong start to the summer and whether this will continue once Article 50 is eventually served remains to be seen. Whelan is optimistic: “The problem may be that a lot of EU nationals will be unsure of their status living here, which would deter them from purchasing. “But Mayfair has a much more international audience, so it won’t necessarily impact us as much as it might do other markets. This special area has global appeal.” 120 Mount Street, W1K, 020 7499 1012, knightfrank.co.uk

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Charles Street, Mayfair W1J Family town house with adjoining mews and garage A spacious freehold family town house with an interconnecting mews property, benefiting from air conditioning, lift access, a sophisticated security system and garage. Master bedroom suite, 4 further bedroom suites, drawing room, dining room, 4 additional reception rooms, kitchen, study, balcony, 2 terraces, lift, 1 bedroom mews house, garage. EPC: E. Approximately 696 sq m (7,488 sq ft). Freehold

Guide price: £19,950,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/mayfair mayfair@knightfrank.com 020 8166 7484

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/POD150469

MM september 23 Charles St

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3398

MOVE With confidence. Our understanding of the ever-changing market enables us to price your property accurately so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving. Call us today on +44 20 8166 7484 to arrange your free market valuation.

SOLD FOR A RECORD PRICE South Audley Street, Mayfair W1K

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Guide price: ÂŁ10,750,000

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Arlington Street, St James's SW1 A stunning two bedroom apartment in an award winning development A beautifully presented, duplex turnkey apartment located within a new luxury development in the heart of St James's. The property has been expertly designed and includes a bespoke Italian kitchen, Lutron lighting, Crestron controls and secure CCTV entry. Master bedroom suite, bedroom 2 with en suite shower room, reception room, kitchen, guest WC. Approximately 152 sq m (1,632 sq ft). Leasehold: approximately 139 years

Guide price: £4,250,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/mayfair mayfair@knightfrank.com 020 8166 7484

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/WER160059

MM September G Ryger House

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3398

SOLD Park Street, Mayfair W1K

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Guide price: ÂŁ6,500,000

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Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park W2 Luxurious three bedroom property with private terrace overlooking Hyde Park An exceptional second floor apartment offering fantastic ceiling heights, an abundance of natural light and a south facing private terrace, extending to approximately 192 square feet. This recently refurbished property is situated within a beautiful Grade II listed period conversion with lift access and day porter and provides superb living accommodation throughout. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, reception/dining room, Bulthaup kitchen, sunroom, terrace, guest cloakroom, underfloor heating, climate control air conditioning and heating system. Approximately 158 sq m (1,692 sq ft). Share of freehold

Guide price: £4,950,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/hydepark hydepark@knightfrank.com 020 3544 6140

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/POD160196

Mayfair Mag- 6, 106 Lancaster Gate- September Issue 2016

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LETTING HOMES LIKE YOURS ALL YEAR ROUND

We pride ourselves on exceptional service and unrivalled market knowledge, with a global network of 417 offices across 58 countries that can showcase your property to the widest possible audience. To arrange a free market appraisal, call +44 20 8166 7799 or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/mayfair Guide price: £1,450 per week

St George Street, Mayfair W1S

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A newly decorated modern two bedroom duplex apartment in a superb location at the heart of Mayfair. Along with its beautiful presentation and furniture, this apartment benefits from air conditioning, excellent storage, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, kitchen, 2 terraces and optional parking. EPC: C. Approximately 1,196 sq ft. Available furnished. mayfairlettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 8166 7799

All potential tenants should be advised that as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property. Please ask us for more information about other fees that may apply or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

Guide price: £2,950 per week

Mount Street, Mayfair W1K Benefiting from the greenery of Berkeley Square, this impressive apartment is located in a beautiful period building. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 reception rooms, fitted kitchen and lift. EPC: E. Approximately 1,927 sq ft. Available furnished. mayfairlettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 8166 7799

Mayfair Magazine - August - Lettings

15/08/2016 16:49:11

LETTING HOMES LIKE YOURS ALL YEAR ROUND To arrange a free market appraisal of your property please contact us: KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings marylebonelettings@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5853 KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings hydeparklettings@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7941

Guide price: £2,950 per week Short Let: £4,500 per week

Cleveland Square, Hyde Park W2

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This beautifully presented, Grade II listed, split level apartment benefits from its own private entrance and direct access to the award winning gardens of Cleveland Square. 4 bedrooms (2 en suite), 2 family bathrooms, 2 reception rooms, fully integrated open plan kitchen, guest cloakroom, terrace, patio. Approximately 248 sq m (2,670 sq ft). hydeparklettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 7941

All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 will apply when renting a property. Please ask us for more information about other fees that may apply or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

Guide price: £1,495 per week

Shouldham Street, Marylebone W1 A newly refurbished three bedroom family house which has been finished to an exceptionally high specification throughout. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, 2nd reception/dining room, kitchen, courtyard. EPC: D. Approximately 144 sq m (1,545 sq ft). marylebonelettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 5853

Mayfair Mag September 2016

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savills.co.uk

SECOND FLOOR FLAT IN MODERN PURPOSE BUILT BLOCK IN DISCREET COURTYARD LOCATION masons yard, sw1 Entrance hall ø reception room ø kitchen ø bedroom ø bathroom ø lift ø 48 sq m (519 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Guide £1.25 million Leasehold

Savills Mayfair & St James's Katie Hopkins khopkins@savills.com

0207 578 5100

WELL PRESENTED ONE BEDROOM FLAT WITH UNDERGROUND PARKING SPACE rose & crown yard, sw1 Entrance hall ø reception room ø kitchen ø bedroom ø bathroom ø lift ø underground parking space ø 61 sq m (652 sq ft) ø EPC=C

Guide £1.295 million Leasehold

Savills Mayfair & St James's David Turner dturner@savills.com

020 7578 5100

ESTATE AGENTS

T S OF CHANGE We’re not estate agents. We’re agents of change – at a time when things need to change: For example, estate agents giving clients off-target, unrealistic prices – just to get their instruction. Our way is to be accurate on pricing – right from the start. This way, clients get the best possible price without being subjected to the time-wasting and soul-destroying process of having their expectations lowered. With the preventable disappointment when a more realistic price is realised in the end. For a smarter, more considered approach to buying and selling, give us a call. It’ll be a real change.

020 7221 1117 www.crayson.com

10 Lambton Place London W11 2SH

Campden Grove Kensington W8 Take a dilapidated terraced house in a great little street and give it the architectural version of serious Botox... A traditional Victorian house that ticks all the boxes. A great house and location for teenagers or those with a growing family â&#x20AC;&#x201C; walk right in.

020 7221 1117 www.crayson.com

10 Lambton Place London W11 2SH

Double reception room Kitchen/ Dining room/ Family room Master bedroom suite Three further bedrooms Two further bathrooms Dressing room Utility room Cloakroom Media room Gym, garden & terrace 3,233 sq ft/ 300.4 sq m Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea EPC rating band C Sole Agent Freehold Guide Price ÂŁ6.75 million

With 850 offices worldwide, your buyer or tenant could come from around the corner or around the globe. Global reach, local expertise. 77-79 Ebury Street, London SW1W 0NZ T: +44 20 7495 9580 E: london@sothebysrealty.co.uk

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© 2016 UK Sotheby’s International Realty. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty is a registered trademark licensed to UK Sotheby’s International Realty in the UK. Each office is independently owned and operated. All information non - contractual, approximate and subject to error, change and withdrawal without notice. Rent excludes administration fees. Please contact our offices who can provide this information.

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www.sothebysrealty.co.uk

Simon Tollit Sales Director +44 20 3770 1246 simon.tollit@sothebysrealty.co.uk

13:12

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Olivia McSweeney Head of London Lettings +44 20 3714 0754 olivia.mcsweeney@sothebysrealty.co.uk

12/08/2016 13:13

Upper Grosvenor Street

Mayfair W1K

leasehold

This beautifully redecorated apartment boasts an oversized double reception room with 5 large floor to ceiling windows overlooking Grosvenor Square. The apartment benefits from a modern kitchen & 3 double bedrooms, 2 of which have en-suites, both finished with Italian marble. The property has the use of a communal garden that can be accessed through the building & further benefits include a porter & lift. EPC rating C

chestertons.com

ÂŁ6,750,000

Mayfair

020 7269 4513 sales.mayfair@chestertons.com

Fountain House

Park Street W1K

£5,000 per week /

A simply unique & luxurious triplex apartment in one of the most sought after Mayfair blocks with 24hr porter service & lift, plus a large private west facing terrace with stunning views of Hyde Park. The apartment has been finished to and excellent standard & benefits from a number of bespoke fittings, one of which is the glass staircase connecting all 3 floors. Extending to approx. 3,609 sq ft, the property has a private entrance leading to a large hallway, a large bedroom, a vast reception room with an open plan kitchen, fully fitted with Miele appliances & a large double bedroom with dressing room & en-suite bathroom.

£21,667 per month

EPC rating D

Mayfair

020 7288 8301 lettings.mayfair@chestertons.com

Additional tenant charges apply: Tenancy agreement fee: £222 (inc. VAT) References per tenant including credit check: £60 (inc. VAT) References per guarantor including credit check: £60 (inc. VAT) Inventory check (approx. £100 – £250 inc. VAT dependent on property size) chestertons.com/property-to-rent/applicable-fees

Mayfair Showroom 66 Grosvenor Street, London, W1K 3JL 28 offices in Central London and over 60 across London

Cheyne Place, SW3 ÂŁ12,500,000

This impressive seven bedroom period home with close to 7,000 sq.ft of wonderful living space is located between the Kings Road and the River Thames. There are three grand living rooms, separate staff accommodation, a walled garden, roof terrace and a fabulous swimming pool in the basement, energy rating d. Dexters Mayfair 020 7590 9590

Bourdon Street, W1K ÂŁ3,200,000

Ideal for entertaining, a recently refurbished fifth floor open plan apartment, with a bright open westerly aspect situated on the fifth floor of this modern development in the heart of Mayfair. There are two double bedrooms, a lift and access to the second floor roof garden, energy rating d. Dexters Mayfair 020 7590 9590

dexters.co.uk

Farm Street, W1J ÂŁ4,000 pw

A recently refurbished and interior designed four bedroom townhouse close to Berkeley Square. This attractive property is arranged over five floors and makes the perfect family home with a private patio garden and many period features throughout, energy rating c. Dexters Mayfair 020 7590 9595

Charles Street, W1J ÂŁ2,150 pw

A refurbished three double bedroom apartment arranged over the top two floors of this attractive period building with direct lift access. The apartment is bright with a contemporary design, wood flooring, audio system and comfort cooling, energy rating f. Dexters Mayfair 020 7590 9595

dexters.co.uk

FOR SALE CHESTERFIELD GARDENS, MAYFAIR W1J

£2,160,000

A 2 bedroom apartment on the 8th floor of this sought after Mayfair block. Chesterfield House is quietly located off Curzon Street between Park Lane and Berkeley Square and sits within easy walking distance of Bond Street and Green Park tube station. Extending to 828 sq ft (77 sq m) the property comprises: entrance hall, reception room, two double bedrooms, bathroom and a fully fitted kitchen. Features include 24 hour porterage and entry phone system. Share of Freehold.

FURTHER DETAILS:

FOR SALE CURZON STREET, MAYFAIR W1J

£1,575,000

This 2 bedroom apartment with lift is ideally positioned to benefit from all that Mayfair has to offer being within easy walking distance to the open space of Green Park, the world class shopping of nearby Mount Street and Bond Street as well as many of London’s Michelin-starred restaurants. Extending to 739 sq ft (69 sq m) this ideal pied-a-terre, comprises: entrance hall, reception room with dining area, master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, second bedroom with separate shower room. Leasehold.

FURTHER DETAILS:

Simon Green T +44 (0)20 3195 9595 E sales@pastor-realestate.com

PASTOR REAL ESTATE 48 CURZON STREET, LONDON, W1J 7UL • T +44 (0)20 3195 9595 F +44 (0)20 3195 9596

www.pastor-realestate.com

TO LET CURZON STREET, MAYFAIR W1

£995 PW

TO LET SACKVILLE STREET, MAYFAIR W1 £1,200 PW

Superb 2 bedroom duplex penthouse with roof terrace, lift and concierge close to Green Park and the tube station. Solid wood flooring, master bedroom with en-suite and balcony, second double bedroom, shower room, reception/dining room, open plan kitchen and roof terrace. Parking by separate negotiation.

Impressive 1,238 sq ft (115 sq m) 3 double bedroom 6th floor apartment close to Old Bond Street. Reception/dining room, fully fitted kitchen, en-suite master bedroom with dressing area, two further double bedrooms, shower room and utility. Air conditioning, wood flooring and additional basement storage room.

TO LET CURZON STREET, MAYFAIR W1

TO LET HAYS MEWS MAYFAIR W1

£1,250 PW

Well presented interior designed 2 bedroom behind a beautiful period facade in the heart of Mayfair. Entrance hall, reception/dining room, master bedroom with en-suite shower and dressing area, second double bedroom, bathroom with shower, fully fitted kitchen, solid wood flooring and lift.

£1,200 PW

Attractive 3 bedroom apartment in Mayfair Village moments from Berkeley Square. Quietly located with a private entrance: split level reception, fully fitted eat-in kitchen, private patio, double bedroom with marble en-suite bathroom, second double bedroom, single bedroom/study, bath and excellent storage throughout.

FURTHER DETAILS FOR ALL LETTINGS: Spencer Taffurelli T +44 (0)20 3195 9595 E lettings@pastor-realestate.com

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

Drawing of St Dunstan-in-the-West by SPAB Scholar Ptolomy Dean

Founded by William Morris, the SPAB protects the historic environment from decay, damage and demolition. It responds to threats to old buildings, trains building professionals, craftspeople, homeowners and volunteers and gives advice about maintenance and repairs. Since 1877 countless buildings have been saved for future generations.

Information about maintaining your home is available through events, courses, lectures, publications and telephone advice. To support our work why not join the SPAB? Members receive a quarterly magazine, our list of historic properties for sale and access to our regional activities.

www.spab.org.uk 020 7377 1644 A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales. Company no: 5743962 Charity no: 1113753 37 Spital Square, London E1 6DY

WILLIAMS MEWS, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, SW1X This smart one bedroom flat is located on the ground floor of a building in Williams Mews, and benefits from its own front door. The high quality finish of the apartment includes brand new hardwood floors laid throughout. The porter service provided by the building, makes this apartment the ideal pied a terre, or rental investment. The mews itself is located just off Lowndes Square and has daytime controlled security at the entrance and non-designated offstreet parking for all residents. Notably though, this property benefits from its own secure, private, underground parking space. EPC Rating C.

£1,295,000

SHARE OF FREEHOLD

ELIZABETH STREET, BELGRAVIA, SW1W A fabulous bright and light second floor lateral two bedroom apartment on the prestigious Elizabeth Street in the heart of the Belgravia village. A rare eat-in kitchen for entertaining. The apartment is charming, mixing old world decor and pretty sash windows with a modern makeover.

W1K

FOUNTAIN HOUSE, MAYFAIR, W1K

th floor apartment in this prestigious building with 24 hour concierge services and lift. entrance hallway, formal sitting and dining rooms, kitchen, room, three in this prestigious building with 24 hour concierge services and lift. With panoramic views of Hyde Park,fitted on Park Lane, family a 6th floor apartment d a guest cloakroom. Long EPC the Rating C. JSA Savills, Mayfair. In need of Leasehold. refurbishment, apartment has a large entrance hallway, formal sitting and dining rooms, fitted kitchen, family room, three double bedrooms, staff bedroom, three bathrooms and a guest cloakroom. Long Leasehold. EPC Rating C. JSA Savills, Mayfair.

£1,375,000 PRICE: £6,950,000 LEASEHOLD

John Taylor UK 48 Berkeley Square, London W1J 5AX Tel: 020 3284 1888 Email: london@john-taylor.com

LEASEHOLD John Taylor UK John Taylor UK 48 Berkeley Square, 48 Berkeley London W1JSquare, 5AX London W1J 5AX Tel: 020 3284 1888 Tel: 020 3284 1888 Email: london@john-taylor.com Email: london@john-taylor.com

DOHA • GENEVA • GSTAAD • LAKE COMO • LONDON • MADRID • MALTA • MANHATTAN • MAURITIUS • MEGEVE AIX-EN-PROVENCE • BERLIN • BROOKLYN • CANNES • COURCHEVEL • DOHA • GENEVA • GSTAAD • LAKE COMO • LONDON • MADRID • MALTA • MANHATTAN • MAURITIUS • MEGEVE ACH • PARIS • ST AIX-EN-PROVENCE JEAN-CAP-FERRAT • ST PAUL DEVENCE • ST TROPEZ • THE HAMPTONS •GENEVA VALBONNE • COURCHEVEL • DOHA • GSTAAD • LAKE COMO • LONDON • MADRID• •STMALTA • MANHATTAN • MAURITIUS • MEGEVE MERIBEL • MIAMI •• BERLIN MILAN • •BROOKLYN MONACO• •CANNES MOSCOW • PALM BEACH • •PARIS • ST JEAN-CAP-FERRAT • ST PAUL DEVENCE TROPEZ • THE HAMPTONS • VALBONNE MERIBEL • MIAMI • MILAN • MONACO • MOSCOW • PALM BEACH • PARIS • ST JEAN-CAP-FERRAT • ST PAUL DEVENCE • ST TROPEZ • THE HAMPTONS • VALBONNE

www.john-taylor.com

www.john-taylor.com www.john-taylor.com

The market to play for David Adams, John Taylor’s managing director, tells Camilla Apcar that the cure for the property industry is tax reform and suspending stamp duty PHOTOGRAPHY: SAREL JANSEN

ith the Brexit result through and negotiations to come, it’s an interesting if not exciting time for the UK – and its property industry. David Adams, managing director of international estate agent John Taylor, is somewhat enjoying the current market. Having compared the number of enquiries received by its London office during the months before and after 22 June, John Taylor found a 1,200 per cent increase in property enquiries, 80 per cent of which came from international phone numbers. Adams believes this level of foreign interest will continue as long as the pound is down against the US dollar, and that the currency

window will itself remain until the consequences of the Brexit negotiations become apparent. “The issue is that most of the English purchasers have disappeared, due to the level of stamp duty imposed by George Osborne in December 2014,” Adams describes. “Since then, sales volumes have collapsed across London by nearly 50 per cent at the top end, and people are simply choosing not to move, rather than pay the tax. In 2015 the stamp duty changes led to a 15 per cent price correction in the prime market, and the same correction is now cascading into London’s mid-market, despite its not being taxed as harshly. This correction is not Brexit-related, it is tax-related.”

PROPERTY

The agent’s offices across Europe have evidenced that many English clients are buying abroad, instead of selling a property to trade up or down on the ladder. “Our office phones right across France have lit up,” Adams continues. “Most people who would have upgraded from a £3m terraced house or moved to a £6m house have decided instead to buy something for weekends in France, where the stamp duty is 5.8 per cent instead of 12 per cent.” Yet back at home, the influx of foreign investors does not “make up a market” or replace the number of English investors now looking elsewhere, says Adams. “It just means that we are able to trade a little more, and that prices at the top end don’t have to fall further. That will remain so until we have tax reform.” The market is therefore a recovering one: with lower sales volumes than a “normal” year like 2012, but enough transactions are going through to sustain house prices. John Taylor has seen buyers coming from US-backed currencies, many Middle Eastern, with strong demand for three or four-bedroom flats at £5 to £10m. Lateral flats are in high demand, but houses remain a harder sell. “It’s Europeans who are mostly buying houses, and they’re still waiting to see what Brexit means.” Adams reports that Brexit also caused many from Commonwealth countries to consider the business potential of London, and for the first time has seen an uplift from Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders. “It’s a marked increase. Before Brexit I might have seen one a year; I’m now seeing a number every month.” These buyers are looking for £2m, two-bedroom flats as pied-à-terres when in London on business, and for their children studying in the capital. Adams also reports competitive bidding between Middle Eastern and Chinese clients on a

four-bedroom flat. “We haven’t seen competitive bidding in Mayfair since early 2014, before the stamp duty changes. We have two more flats this week with multiple bids.” Much of the industry’s fate will lie in the hands of politics in the coming months. Adams says the solution is to suspend stamp duty for a year, as former Chancellor Lord Norman Lamont did in the 1990s. “That quickly fixes a lot of problems: first, you get massive supply, because everyone upgrades. It creates a boom in the volume of sales, which is what the economy needs. In a year’s time you can bring in a new regime, having Brexited.” He then suggests the existing stamp duty rate should remain for foreign purchasers, and a “far cheaper” rate for English buyers. “This increases your volumes of sales, gets people trading again, and feeds into all the political correctness of not wanting foreign buyers driving up prices in London. Presently you can’t introduce that legislation as it’s against EU policy to differentiate taxation. But having Brexited, you can.” Between now and the close of the currency window, Adams predicts “some sort of tax reform by the government, in order to prevent a retail recession derived from falling volumes in the housing market. If the tax reform is sensible, you will probably see recovery in the volumes of sales. If it’s not sensible, and I think there’s a very high chance of that, we will continue to see pressures on economic growth.” But what makes Mayfair an enduringly desirable area to invest in, he says, is its comparatively crane-free skyline and limited supply – making for greater potential for capital growth. “Mayfair will be fine, for that reason and many others.”

Competitive bidding has returned to Mayfair, between Middle Eastern and Chinese clients on a flat

s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s

48 Berkeley Square, W1, 07876 545 986, john-taylor.com

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BEBE LVLV E DE EDE R ER EG AGRADE R DE N SN S L A UNCHING L A UNCHING 2 9 T2H9 TSHEPSTEP EMBER T EMBER Belvedere Belvedere Gardens Gardens is a beautifully is a beautifully designed designed building building of just of just 97 apartments. 97 apartments. From From its its commanding commanding position position on the on south the south bankbank of of the Thames the Thames it offers it offers the most the most enchanting enchanting views views of London. of London.

Prices Prices starting starting from from ÂŁ1,050,000 ÂŁ1,050,000

Computer generated image is indicative only. Prices are correct at the time of going to press.

R E GRI SE TG EI SR TNE OR WN O W W W W .WS WO U. STOHUB TAHNBKA- NP LK A- PC LE A. C OE M. C O M

+44+44 (0)20 (0)20 7001 7001 3600 3600 A development A development by by Braeburn Braeburn Estates Estates Limited Limited Partnership Partnership

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Property news PrimeResi brings you the latest news in prime property and development in London

IMAGE COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGE

Supreme style in the heart of Venice A 15th-century palazzo for sale on the Grand Canal

s the city’s 73rd film festival fast approaches (31 August-10 September), a piece of fashion history has come up for sale on Venice’s Grand Canal. Although Sotheby’s International Realty has an office in Mayfair itself, a classic Byzantine palazzo that Sophia Loren used while attending the festival in 1955 is being offered through Venice Sotheby’s International Realty at €5.9m (around £5.1m). The photograph above was taken of Loren on the balcony in the same year, when she starred in The Sign of Venus, The Miller’s Beautiful Wife, The River Girl and Scandal in Sorrento – although the

PrimeQResi Journal of Luxury Property

prize for best actress was not awarded to anyone that year. The five-bedroom property dates from the 15th century and is located behind the Palazzo Fortuny, moments from Campo Santo Stefano, Teatro La Fenice and Rialto Bridge. It is decorated in classic Venetian style, and extends to around 4,305sq ft with another 1,184sq ft of magazzini (store rooms). Each of its three main reception rooms look on to the Grand Canal and across to the Aman Hotel, while the third-floor apartment has a water gate, boat mooring, private lift, sunny terrace and courtyard entrance.

Ernest Hemingway was also house habitué during his Venetian “lagoon duck hunt” periods, described in his book Across the River and into the Trees, in which one of the characters, Baron Alvarito, is believed to be based on the Palazzo’s then-owner, Baron Franchetti. Afdera Franchetti, the Baron’s sister, married the Hollywood star Henry Fonda in 1957, who continued to stay at the Palazzo even after their divorce in 1961. Available through Venice Sotheby’s International Realty at €5.9m, viewings by appointment only, +39041-522 0093, venicesothebysrealty.com

PROPERTY

Getting in on the crowd

IMAGE COURTESY OF CAPITAL RISE

Grosvenor Square developers and former Wonga chief launch property crowdfunding platform

Rooms with a view Admiralty Arch residences hit the market

new property crowdfunding platform, created by the founders of London developer Finchatton and Wonga.com’s former head of product, raised £1m for its first project – an £8.15m apartment on Eaton Square – within eight days of launching. A second project, on Grosvenor Square, went live shortly after. CapitalRise enables “everyday” investors with as little as £1,000 to invest directly into some of the world’s finest real estate, alongside heavyweight property developers. The platform has been created by Alex Michelin and Andrew Dunn of Finchatton, the firm behind more than £1bn-worth of super-prime developments including the former US Navy building on Grosvenor Square, and Uma Rajah, who spent six years running consumer and business products for Wonga Group. The Eaton Square debut was a homegrown Finchatton project to extend and renovate a three-bedroom apartment. The developer was looking to raise an extra £1m, offering a 10 per cent annual return to investors. The £1m fundraise for a project at 18 Grosvenor Square, with a post-development valuation of £18.8m, cemented the platform’s commitment to super-prime opportunities.

esidences in the much-anticipated reimagining of Admiralty Arch – the gatehouse to Buckingham Palace – have come up for sale, with the potential to create the largest serviced apartment in London. Spanish developer Rafael Serrano of Prime Investors Capital is turning most of the Grade I-listed building into a 100-room hotel, spa and private members’ club, after buying the 250-year lease from the government for a reported £60m in 2012. The first and second floors will contain some residential units. Final designs for these spaces are being left up to the buyers, but it seems that options include either one 15,000sq ft unit with 12 bedroom suites or four separate flats ranging from 1,700sq ft to 7,100sq ft, with completion due in 2019. All residents will have access to the hotel’s amenities, including a 24-hour concierge service and security; private off-road valet parking service; private entrance and lift to the residences; and a lifetime membership to the private members’ club.

IMAGES COURTESY OF PRIME INVESTORS CAPITAL

primeresi.com

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Photography is indicative only. Prices and information correct at time of going to press. Estimated completion in 2018.

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A development by Ronson Capital Partners in association with Derwent London

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Weth

Charles

Street MAYFAIR W1 An important Grade II Listed Georgian residence of approximately 4,623 square feet, built over five floors with planning permission to expand. Accomodation 3 Reception Rooms • 4 Bedroom Suites Professional Kitchen • Wine Cellar

Freehold

•

£10,750,000

Sole Agent

102 Mount Street, London W1K 2TH T: 020 7529 5566 E: sales@wetherell.co.uk

wetherell.co.uk

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PROPERTY

After a fashion Supreme views of Mount Street Gardens add to the charm of this perfectly placed pied-à-terre

ount Street has become a rousing subject of Mayfair mutterings since its multi-million pound transformation by the Grosvenor Estate in 2010, which led to the opening of numerous luxury retailers including Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Moynat. Historically, the area was a hub for artisans – the site where number 113 now sits was home to a cobbler’s workshop in 1720 – and gradually became more fashionable around 1800 with the arrival of several milliners and wig-makers. A regeneration proposed around 1886 by the Duke of Westminster and designed by architect James Trant Smith marked the arrival of the now familiar redbrick and terracotta Queen Anne façades. As a part of this revamp, a sophisticated shop front was constructed for the leather workshop, with a purpose-built apartment at the back. By the early 1900s it was given an new lease of life as a ladies’ handbag and accessory retailer.

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The building has now been remodelled as a covetable Mayfair pied-à-terre. The property is charmingly located across the road from The Connaught, but tucked away from the main street. Access is gained through a tranquil pedestrian piazza. The 651sq ft studio is available to let fully furnished from sole agent Wetherell at £1,550 per week (plus fees), offering dual aspect views of the picturesque Mount Street Gardens. The spacious main area is elegantly divided into an airy living space and a more enclosed bedroom. Its modern, understated separate kitchen includes sleek integrated appliances. Located on a site with such rich local history, this apartment is both an ideal city base and a peaceful retreat from its hustle and bustle. Wetherell, 102 Mount Street, W1K, 020 7529 5588, wetherell.co.uk

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Park Lane - £5,000 per week Unique and luxurious three bedroom triplex apartment

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Upper Grosvenor Street £2,500 per week Two bedroom penthouse with large private roof terrace

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Luxury two double bedroom apartment in a prestigious new development

Two bedroom apartment with pretty roof terrace

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102 Mount Street, London W1K 2TH T: 020 7529 5588 E: rentals@wetherell.co.uk Park Lane - £3,500 per week

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