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contents Off to a good start 60
10 IRON MAIDEN
37 wishlist
As the fifth season of Game of Thrones hits our screens, we meet actress Lena Headey, who plays the malevolent Cersei Lannister
14 CHAMBER OF SECRETS
The Langham, London marks 150 years of luxury
18 it's shoe time
98
Scene
Best known for his figure-hugging frocks, Roland Mouret also heads up footwear brand Robert Clergerie. The creative director talks shoes and summer sojourns
Boodles and the Royal Opera House join forces
24 jewellery news
Affordable Art Fair Hampstead
42 shelf improvement
Meet the panel for this year's Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction
Style
Victoire de Castellane's new fine jewellery range for Dior and Chanel's quilted Coco Crush
The latest must-have releases
Interiors
71 wishlist
Beach separates from Heidi Klein
Channel ethereal nudes, dusky pinks and smoky greys for a softer summer look
54 forever rochas
60 best of beauty
Ian Schrager, in your home
72 INTERIORS INSPIRATION
45 WISHLIST
Nautical accessories to love
As the Osborne Samuel 64 walker on the wild side Gallery hosts a new Henry Moore exhibition, we look back on the Karen Walker's debut scent sculptor’s life in Hampstead
48 at first blush
23 wishlist
40 moore & more
Collection
58 that riviera touch
Sophie Rochas talks about her father, the Rochas fashion house founder, and the account she’s given of him in her new book
Liberty is inspired by The Secret Garden and Rubelli Casa launches
75 shape shifters
Local highlights from the London Festival of Architecture
Health & Family 79 Wishlist Tennis gear from Ralph Lauren
80 nursery news
Miffy turns 60
Food & Drink
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87 wishlist
Vintage Salt at Selfridges
88 foodie favourites
80
Taste of London comes to town
90 heard it on the
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grapevine Wine tasting like a Rothschild at Waddesdon Manor
Travel
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95 WISHLIST Vila Vita Parc, Portugal
72 46
98 the dane attraction
Weekending in Copenhagen
102 sand dunes & skyscrapers
The two sides of Dubai
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From the editor
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hether you’re an avid ‘Thronie’, or feel a night spent absorbed in medieval fantasy sounds like hell, you can’t have escaped the revolution that is Game of Thrones. From her taste for sadism to her incestuous affair with her twin brother Jaime, the queen regent both fascinates and horrifies. As the fifth season of one of the most successful television shows of all times hits our screens, Liz Parry meets actress Lena Headey, who plays the malevolent Cersei Lannister, to talk motherhood, life in her forties and strong female roles (p. 10). In other news, we are raising the style stakes with a slew of fashion industry experts. Best known for his form-fitting frocks, Roland Mouret also heads up heritage footwear brand Robert Clergerie. We chat shoes, summer sojourns and growing older gracefully (p. 18). Elsewhere, I get an insight into the inspiration behind quirky designer Karen Walker’s three debut scents (p. 64), and as French couture house Rochas turns 90, Sophie Rochas opens up about her father, (the fashion house founder), and the touching account she’s given of him in her new book (p. 54). With a history dating back 150 years, The Langham, London has its fair share of hotel secrets. Lauren Romano finds out how the glamorous landmark will be celebrating a century and a half of luxury (p. 14), before heading to another prestigious property. While bankers-turned-wine makers barely raise an eyebrow today, back in 1853, when Nathaniel de Rothschild bought a vineyard, it was a more avant-garde move. She traces the family’s link with Bordeaux to Waddesdon Manor, where she enjoys a glass of Caro in the cellars (p. 90). And Jack Watkins picks his highlights for this year’s London Festival of Architecture (p. 75). If you’re still scouring Daunt Books for a gripping read before jetting off for a season of Instagram-worthy shorelines, then let the panel of this years’ Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction guide you (p. 42): they filter through this year’s finalists for the Kari Colmans ultimate summer shelfie. Read on... Editor Follow us on Twitter @VantageNW
Iron Maiden, p. 10 Runwild Media Group Publishers of: Canary Wharf, The City Magazine The Kensington & Chelsea Magazine The Mayfair Magazine
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12/05/2015 13:03
As the fifth season of Game of Thrones hits our screens, Liz Parry meets actress Lena Headey, who plays the darkly malevolent Cersei Lannister, to talk about motherhood, life in her forties, and more strong female roles
iron maiden A
s the twisted and manipulative Cersei Lannister in HBO’s hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones, actress Lena Headey plays one of the most formidable and controversial characters on TV. But away from Westeros and back in the real world, Headey is congenial, with a disarming smile that belies a very British, very sharp sense of humour. Today, she’s resolutely maintaining a cheerful demeanour during an intense promotional schedule for the new season of Game of Thrones, and appears dramatically different to her on-screen alter ego. Headey’s loosefitting sleeveless blouse and midi skirt flatter her figure – she is expecting her second child later this year (more on which later). It’s a decidedly softer, more approachable look than that of the intimidating ice queen she plays on the show. From her taste for sadism to her torrid, incestuous affair with her twin brother Jaime, the queen regent has both fascinated and appalled audiences in equal measure. But in spite of her many on-screen ‘qualities’, actress Lena Headey has a fondness for the power-hungry monarch. “Cersei is one of the greatest characters you can imagine playing,” she says. “And she’s not really dark – she’s tormented and trying to hold things together. She’s filled with terror and paranoia as she tries to ignore the hurricane around her. There are so many layers to consider and you become swept up in her struggles and
everything she’s had to face,” she adds, thoughtfully. “I see her as a woman who’s suffered through a terrible childhood and her adult life is a reflection of that pain and confusion. She’s a survivor.” Actors often talk of relishing the challenge of a part they can really get their teeth into, and the role of Cersei is certainly that. Those who have yet to lose whole weekends and countless evenings transfixed by the series might want to look away now. Everyone else who is already up to speed with the drama’s many tumultuous twists and turns will know that season four saw Cersei’s beloved son Joffrey murdered, and as the latest episodes unravel, her world begins to fall apart. The once formidable queen is no longer quite so menacing, it seems. “I’ve always said that Cersei is a backwards puzzle and with each season you see how all the pieces fit together in retrospect while different strands of her existence are simultaneously torn apart,” Headey reveals. She’s not giving too much away, but she does add that the fifth series is going to be “brutal” for her character. “This season Cersei gets involved, wrongly, with people she thinks are going to be her allies and she’s not prepared when things turn against her. At the beginning of the season she thinks she’s in a good place and that now she holds power she can do as she likes. But as events unfold she’s going to learn some severe lessons that are the result of the very poor choices she’s made.
“I’ve always said that Cersei is a backwards puzzle and with each season you see how all the pieces fit together”
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Š s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
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“After her son is murdered, her world begins to collapse around her. She’s a broken woman whose imperious façade is stripped away and you see what a mess she really is. She no longer has her father to advise her, and she’s so consumed by hatred that she begins making some questionable decisions,” she says, trying to suppress the hint of a smile. “It’s very exciting!” Headey has played the role of Cersei since the series premiered in 2011 and has been involved in some of its most controversial storylines, most notably the queen’s relationship with her twin brother Jaime, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. “It’s a very conflicted relationship,” she admits. “They have this intense bond between them. But now Cersei is confused about her feelings for Jaime; when he went away she had to take charge of matters and in the process gained strength and confidence. When Jaime comes back, she’s not sure how she’s going to deal with him. She also views him with disdain because he’s returned with only one hand. Ultimately the man she loved is now deformed and less interesting to her. “She’s very childish and utterly selfish,” Headey goes on. “She wants to control everything to suit her needs. I always think of Cersei as a wayward 15-year-old who’s never had any real parenting. She presents herself as this image of perfection, when underneath there’s deep paranoia. She has no one to trust now.” Based on George R R Martin’s epic fantasy novels, Game of Thrones has proved to be a huge global hit, but it’s portrayal of female characters and shocking sexual violence has seen the series condemned by some as misogynistic. However, Headey thinks that its strong, feisty female characters are something to be celebrated. “I think the best female roles are being created now,” she tells me. “There seem to be great lead roles for women and you don’t necessarily have to be a young woman [Headey is 41]. Suddenly, we’re realising that women are interesting, and they can also be weird and crazy and mean. That’s why Cersei is such a gift. There is everything in there to be had. I think times are changing.” Headey was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, where her father, a British police officer, was on temporary assignment. The family moved to Yorkshire where Headey developed a passion
for acting, landing her first screen role in the 1992 film Waterland. This led to parts in The Remains of the Day, Mrs Dalloway, The Brothers Grimm and two 300 films in which she played Queen Gorgo. Headey also went on to play the title role in the TV series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which ran for two seasons. The last few years have been tough for the star, who has gone through a public divorce from her ex-husband Peter Loughran, with whom she has a five-year-old son, Wylie. The actress recently admitted that the matter caused her “massive grief”, but it seems that life is once again looking up. She is currently in a relationship with her former Game of Thrones co-star Pedro Pascal, who played Oberyn Martell, and she has also confirmed that she is pregnant with her second child, although she has not revealed who the father is. Now in her 40s – a big milestone in any woman’s life – Headey admits that she feels more confident and in control than ever before. “I’ve never felt better about my life than I do now,” she confesses. “I went through a difficult time with my divorce but you learn to move forward and I’m really happy about things. I was a bit all over the place in my twenties and I was struggling to figure out who I was. Then in my thirties I started to feel
“I’ve never felt better about my life than I do now”
Above: Headey attending the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Image © Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com Game of Thrones © HBO. Images courtesy of Sky
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steadier, not giving a damn about what other people thought. Turning 40 has taken that process one step further and I wonder why I wasn’t able to have that confidence earlier – it would have made things much easier! Playing Cersei has changed my life and I look at this as a stepping stone to a lot more great roles ahead of me. I’m much more excited about my work now than ever, mainly because I’m not weighing myself down any more.” With her second child due this summer there are further challenges ahead. However, the actress approaches this with the same enthusiasm as her acting roles, referring to motherhood as a “blessing”. “You focus on your responsibilities as a parent and your love for your child and stop worrying about yourself so much,” she says. “It’s freeing in that respect. You don’t ever remember what your life was like before you became a parent because so much changes when you no longer have the luxury of indulging in your anxieties and other issues which just don’t seem important any more. Looking after my son is the most wonderful part of my life.” n
Watch Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic Mondays at 9pm
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Chamber
of secrets The Langham, London turns 150 this month. Lauren Romano goes behind the scenes with managing director Duncan Palmer to find out what the future holds
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harles Dickens was partial to breakfast in the dining room, Oscar Wilde often dropped by and Arthur Conan Doyle set some of his Sherlock Holmes stories here; The Langham, London was where the 19th-century literati liked to come and go. More recently, a 20th-century fly on the wall might have spied the likes of Winston Churchill, Noël Coward and Wallis Simpson in the check-in queue. Built in 1865 as Europe’s first grand hotel, it survived a Blitz bomb, which wrecked much of the west wing, and the demolition plans of later owners, the BBC, who wanted to make way for an office block designed by Norman Foster. But a number of BBC journalists who stayed at the hotel during the corporation’s three-decade tenure were not so unscathed. According to reported sightings, room 333 is a popular haunt for a number of ghosts, while Napoleon III is said to stalk the basement. It’s lengthy history has had many twists, but this year, on 10 June, The Langham, London turns the ripe old age of 150, a momentous occasion which won’t pass by without a fuss, if managing director Duncan Palmer has anything to do with it. Rather than settle for cutting a cake and throwing a party, Palmer and the team are gearing up to launch three major new projects. First up, there are the 47 new rooms of The Regent Wing. Next, the hotel is poised to open the largest suite in London: the Sterling Suite; a sprawling 450 sq m space with up to six bedrooms, filled with bespoke furniture, artwork from fashion photographers Tim Walker and Norman Parkinson, a media lounge and a personal butler on call to second-guess your every need.
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Top row, L-R: The hotel’s wine cellars; the bar of the BBC Club; the drawing room, circa 1909 Bottom row, L-R: Artesian bar; Roux at The Landau; the master bedroom in the Infinity Suite
Lastly, The Langham Club Lounge will also open this month. Inspired by the private clubs of the Victorian era, the space is a private sanctuary, complete with a library, a business zone and a butler’s pantry serving everything from breakfasts, right through to evening canapés. “As the original grand hotel of Europe we have always done things on a grand scale,” Palmer says, with a ‘what can I say?’ shrug of the shoulders. Thinking big is how The Langham, London rolls, and with such a landmark anniversary on the horizon, celebrating the hotel’s heritage is top of the agenda. The latest renovations are part of an ongoing plan that Palmer has been working on ever since he was appointed as managing director in 2004. “First of all I did an historic audit on the building and put forward a plan for how a hotel should work,” he tells me. To make The Langham, London an extension of home he insisted on a new glass door and reconfigured the entrance hall to ensure the arrival experience is the “grand” imposing one guests can expect from such a property. The g-word is his favourite adjective, and one which he applies liberally to the elegant Palm Court, famed for Cherish Finden’s awardwinning afternoon teas, and the striking Artesian bar (voted the world’s best) with its speciality rum cocktails.
Today’s luxury market is arguably more competitive than when The Langham, London first started out. Back then, as an old hotel guide reveals: ‘one thousand pounds of meat [were] cut up daily, while eight hundred pairs of boots [were] cleaned every morning by an army of forty shoeblackers.’ “It’s more like a thousand eggs and hundreds of innovative cocktails now,” Palmer laughs. “Today luxury is about people having their expectations surpassed. It’s not necessarily about just having 350
“It’s an evolution not a revolution when you have to deal with something of such an historic nature” thread-count linen any more – the luxury element comes from bringing a certain style, or an extension of personality. Our maître d’ at the Roux at The Landau worked at the Savoy Grill for 25 years. He has a certain clientele that follows him. It’s not simply about the food; guests are attached to the people too.” It’s a pull that Mr Palmer knows all too well, having been seduced by the cogs of the industry on a family holiday when he was 13 years old. “Coming to the breakfast room with white tablecloths and endless glasses
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of orange juice, as a young boy I was always fascinated about how they brought it all together,” he tells me. Since then his distinguished career in hospitality has taken him from the Savoy and the Connaught to the Mandarin Oriental in the Far East. During his time at the Langham Hospitality Group he has helped establish two new hotels, including the Langham, Chicago. On the question of famous faces he is understandably less forthcoming, vaguely alluding to royalty and “some characters”, by which I discover he means Lady Gaga. “She loves the front steps and the hall, she sees it as her stage, marking her residence in London, and she has a soft spot for the Infinity Suite,” he reveals. If the devil is in the details then Palmer has an almost saintly devotion to finishing touches. “It’s an evolution not a revolution when you have to deal with something of such an historic nature,” he concedes. “We haven’t arrived yet and we never will arrive, there’s always something to do, or to fine tune.” He’s kept awake at night by everything from push plates on doors to cloakroom tags (“What’s this, a piece of paper? We need a leather tag, beautifully embossed.”) Looking to the future, the hotel is embarking on an exclusive partnership with Chez Roux, set up by the culinary father and son team Albert Roux and Michel Roux Jr. Roux protégé Chris King, who has been head chef at Roux at The Landau since its launch in 2010,
will now oversee all the hotel’s gastronomic exploits. “The offering further elevates the hotel to the next echelon of luxury,” Palmer says. “Not only can you sample the Roux culinary delights at Roux at The Landau, you can have the chefs do the catering for your wedding, or even order Roux food from the room service menu.” No doubt Chris King and the team will be in charge of the food for the 10 June celebrations, the details of which the managing director is being characteristically coy about. “There will definitely be some activities planned and lots of personalities staying in house,” he teases. “The Langham, London will be the place to be from noon till dusk.” In the meantime, staff are busy asking former guests for mementos to add to an on-going archive. “If the Langham wasn’t perceived to be relevant today then I guess Lady Gaga wouldn’t stay here,” Palmer declares when I ask how he plans to embrace the past and salute the future. “You can come to enjoy eggs and soldiers like Charles Dickens and catch forty winks à la Gaga.” There are not many other hotels that can say that. n
1C Portland Place, Regent Street, W1B, langhamhotels.com
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It’s shoe
time Photography / Rob Cadman
Best known for designing the most flattering frocks money can buy, Roland Mouret also heads up French heritage footwear brand Robert Clergerie. The creative director talks shoes, summer sojourns and growing older gracefully with Kari Colmans
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y most accounts, Roland Mouret has mellowed. Vantage first met the famed French fashion designer, best known for his form-hugging (and indisputably enhancing) Galaxy dress back in March 2013 with the launch of his bridal range, the White Collection. Though perfectly amicable, if not a little PR managed, we weren’t won over by quite the same Gallic charm offensive then as I was this time around. Strolling into the Wigmore Street-based Robert Clergerie shoe store a whole 15 minutes early for our scheduled interview and shoot, the debonair Mouret is in a good mood. Dressed in a mix of his own-brand shirt and jacket, coupled with a pair of Gap chinos and, of course, Robert Clergerie brogues, he leaps straight into talking about his great love affair with the French shoe dynasty; a relationship that budded through directing its ad campaign in the 1980s, only to fully bloom in 2011 with his appointment as creative director. “Back then, when I first met Robert Clergerie himself, [it was my job] to work on the profile of the shoe like a portrait,” he says with a smile, as the photographer continues to click away in order to catch his off-duty, softer-looking side. “He allowed me to think about the visual side of the product and not the technical side of it.” Fast forward to today, and Mouret has a lot more to contend with, splitting his time between London and Paris to manage his two fashion babies. Is there ever a conflict of interest, I ask? “Clergerie is completely separate to my own brand, which is a great thing,” he says. “I had never believed that a designer could be the creative director of two houses at the same time. But I was able to because the world of Clergerie and the world of Mouret are totally separate. When I go to Robert Clergerie I totally change hats, which allows me to have a different, fresh vision as I’m not trying to make a version of a Mouret product. The Mouret brand is really based around the red carpet. Clergerie is the street carpet. It’s for people who want to
“I wanted to bring the Clergerie brand back to being a label that any woman would want and need in her wardrobe” have shoes for their private life. I like the fact that I have these two sides to capture.” Since making the partnership official around four years ago to the day, Mouret has worked his magic by bringing the Clergerie brand’s more modern shapes to the fore with increased industry exposure and kudos while, of course, still relying on the heritage cuts that have their roots in the brand’s first ever workshops in Romans-sur-Isère, south of France, in 1895. “I’ve kept the DNA of what I loved about Clergerie, but I wanted to bring the brand back to being a label that any woman would want and need in her wardrobe,” he says. He also has big plans for “the digital side of things” and the future of e-commerce relating directly to the website, although Clergerie is already stocked on the likes of Net-a-Porter. Visiting the factory twice a year, Mouret takes the opportunity to “interact with the artisan” and “really push them to achieve what I am expecting. The brand should stay in the 21st century. I’m a big servant of all social media and e-commerce. To bring the factory to
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this level, it’s not just to say ‘oh you have to understand it’ because now you have to understand how people buy. For me, I had to understand the rhythm [of the house, and the buyer], in order to bring it to the next step.” And as well as concentrating on modernising the female footwear range and how it is consumed, he will also be focussing on male and ‘communal’ models (which after receiving a lengthy explanation, I can only describe as unisex, despite Mouret’s insistence that this isn’t what ‘communal’ actually means). “I’ll give you an example,” he goes on, patient at my incompetence on the intricacies of the semantics; perhaps it’s being lost in translation. “When men discovered stretch in shirts, which came from womenswear, they thought ‘oh that’s fantastic!’ We are doing the same thing here with communal shoes for men and women; we are bringing more ease into the fit, which we learnt from women’s shoes. But it’s also understanding the difference between the two, which is in the shape of the foot, the volume.” Both assessing our choice of footwear for the day – aforementioned on-brand brogues for him, pink neon Nikes for me – I ask if he thinks you can tell a lot about a woman from her shoes. And his answer surprises me: “Erm, I would love to say yes... but no. However, I think
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Robert Clergerie
you can learn how society has moved on from looking at shoes. The concept of trainers has made the general fit larger. We have a different approach about how we like our shoes to fit us nowadays. We went through a phase in the 1990s of wearing really high heels, so uncomfortable! You can read society from shoes. I remember the first pair I ever bought myself. The seventies platform in brown; I was maybe 13 or 14. That was when I realised that clothes and fashion can change you.” With the sunshine pouring through the window as we chat, talk soon turns to summer holiday plans. Sporting a subtle tan, having just returned from Greece, Mouret smiles as he talks more about his private life and returning to Cephalonia in just a couple of weeks. “I’ll be in Greece for my 10day holiday this summer. I’m lucky to go with a good friend of mine who is Greek and you become part of a nice family moment. I’ve done it for four years now. It’s brilliant.” He’s also surprisingly selective
when it comes to packing a suitcase. “I really like to travel with just one bag. I pack shorts, T-shirts, two trousers and three cotton shirts. I like to have a mix of my own clothes and high street. I will go with some Clergerie and a pair of sandals, maybe a pair of flip-flops. But I pack light.” And while he’s made a name for himself by creating flawless, figure-hugging silhouettes through his gowns (earning him a cult following among female and male fans) he’s pretty laid back about his own health and fitness regime and is happy to age gracefully. “I eat healthily at home. My husband has the same approach. We cook everything ourselves. There is no takeaway, no junk food. We like to cook from scratch, starting from raw ingredients. That’s my culture, I’m French. I do Pilates every week. I’ve been doing it for five years now and I love it. I don’t drink a lot and I sleep eight hours a day. Age is [a natural] process; the body moving on. You have to find an acceptable compromise with yourself. And, for some, I hope my dresses are part of the remedy!” As soon as we are done chatting, Mouret jumps up to rearrange almost every shoe in the store, something he’s clearly been agonising over since he first walked in. Between the jaunty Edith Piaf tunes, seeing Mouret lost in animated motion – position shoe, stand back to look, hand on chin, reposition shoe – reminds me of a scene from an old silent movie, until, that is, he starts issuing the shop manager with a list of instructions in French, which even though I’m unable to understand a word, don’t sound wholly positive. He shoots me a grin, having done so well in the mellow department so far. “What can I say? I know I am a pain in the arse.” n
“You have to find an acceptable compromise with yourself. And, for some, I hope my dresses are part of the remedy!”
Robert Clergerie, 67 Wigmore Street, W1U
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www.bachet.fr
collection
wish list
TURNING POINT In a unique collaboration between British jeweller Boodles and the Royal Opera House, the very essence of dance has been translated into a fine jewellery collection. Head designer Rebecca Hawkins has been fascinated by ballet since childhood and has indulged her passion by exploring the physicality of this art form, working with The Royal Ballet’s associate director Jeanetta Laurence. The inclusion of kite-shaped diamonds, sourced by Boodles’ head of precious gemstones Jody Wainwright, evoke the geometric forms of dancers in a pas de deux, along with pairs of Ashoka diamonds, which have been designed to balance on a single fine point (echoing the balletic movement). Photographer Charlie Dailey went behind the scenes at the Royal Opera House to capture the ballet dancers in action.
Pas de deux: inspired by The Royal Ballet, available from June; boodles.com Photography by Charlie Dailey
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collection
jewellerynews Gone with the Wind
Live for the Moment Fine jewellery should no longer be worn just for special occasions but should be part of your everyday uniform. This is the message from Buccellati in its new campaign shot by photographer Peter Lindbergh, who has used his renowned lens to capture the magic of everyday moments. The series of black-and-white images, starring actress Elisa Sednaoui, speak to the Italian jeweller’s rich heritage, having been shot where the maison was founded in Milan in 1919. Pictured here sporting pieces from the Hawaii collection – characterised by gold wheels, crafted by artisans who twist the gold thread into circular shapes by hand – the campaign also presents Macri and Iconi, as well as the brand’s coveted, one-of-a-kind cocktail rings.
buccellati.com
Cutting Edge The iconic quilted pattern, also known as matelassé on Chanel’s legendary handbags was first created in February 1955. Said to have been inspired by a number of different sources, from a jockey’s riding coat to cushions in Coco Chanel’s Paris apartment, it has this year resulted in the birth of a new fine jewellery range, Coco Crush, encompassing rings and a cuff-bracelet.
In its simplicity, the radical and resolutely contemporary spirit of the Coco Crush collection expresses all the values of modernity and refinement that have distinguished Chanel fine jewellery since its origins
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Coco Crush, from £1,400 chanel.com
This month marks an exciting moment for Dior; Victoire de Castellane has released her first complete fine jewellery collection in almost three years. Wanting to “capture the history of the house”, the line has been based around an iconic symbol relating to the brand’s founder; the Rose des Vents is an eight-branch star motif which Dior first discovered in his childhood summer home in Granville. This has been reinterpreted into a series of bracelets and necklaces featuring a medallion-style pendant with a reverso concept; one side has a precious gemstone (choose from turquoise, mother of pearl, pink opal or lapis lazuli), while the other features the diamond star pattern. With prices starting from an affordable £1,100, this is the perfect summer holiday accessory.
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Round the Bend So used are we to seeing bright colours emanating from De Grisogono’s fine jewellery collections that we were quite taken aback at this year’s Baselworld when we previewed its latest offering. In a dramatic turn around, the Geneva-based jeweller’s Vortice collection comprises rose gold jewellery pieces whereby the focus is solely on the intricate, intertwining design; each of the volutes making up the earrings and rings is composed of spring-shaped coils that wrap around the wearer’s skin to create the dynamic, free-flowing movement. But of course, it wouldn’t quite be De Grisogono if there wasn’t a smattering of diamonds to finish it off.
Vortice collection, from £4,700 (non-set rose-gold ring) to £43,300 (full diamond-set earrings in white or rose gold) degrisogono.com
C E L E B R AT I N G 3 0 Y E A R S
Aurora Inspire romance with this 0.86ct Fancy Intense Australian Argyle Pink Diamond Ring, reflecting the warm, vibrant and fiery hues of its extraordinary and ancient origins. A highly prized, rare and collectable jewel.
To receive the beautiful Calleija brochure, please contact us The Royal Arcade Old Bond Street London london@calleija.com +44 (0)20 7499 8490
The Westin Martin Place Sydney sydney@calleija.com.au +61 (0)2 9233 6661 calleija.com
Marina Mirage Main Beach Gold Coast mirage@calleija.com.au +61 (0)7 5528 3666
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Take a dip into the ocean with a wave of vivid blue gemstone pieces and jewel-encrusted sea creatures
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1 Rivière de l’Eridan ring, POA, Ornella Iannuzzi, ornella-iannuzzi.com 2 Wave ring, POA, Palmiero, palmierogioielli.com 3 Octopus pendant, POA, Lydia Courteille, lydiacourtelle.com 4 18-karat white gold, opal slice and diamond bracelet, £11,500, Amrapali, 55 Beauchamp Place, SW3 5 18-carat white gold blue sapphire Columba pendant, £32,850, Shawish Geneve, 143 Fulham Road, SW3 6 Coralline Reef dangling earrings, from £250, Ornella Iannuzzi, as before 7 Crystal bead necklace, £197, Night Market, farfetch.com 8 18-karat white gold and diamond Anchor pendant, £1,290, NOA Fine Jewellery, noafinejewellery.com 9 18-karat white gold Oursin ring set with diamonds and sapphires, POA, Boucheron, 020 7514 9170 10 Happy Fish watch, POA, Chopard, chopard.com 11 14-karat gold, silver, turquoise, moonstone and blue sapphire earrings, £1,650, Amrapali, as before 12 Opal, sapphires, green garnets and gold ring, from the Deep Sea collection, POA, Lydia Courteille, as before 13 Beaded necklace, £821, Lanvin, farfetch.com 14 Octopus bangle, £440,000, Shawish Genève, as before 15 The Tempest tanzanite ring, POA, Wallace Chan, wallace-chan.com 16 Jellyfish earrings, £3,900, Pippa Small, 201 Westbourne Grove, W11
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Photography by Leonardo de Vega
F In full
BLOOM Carolina Herrera de Báez presents her first jewellery collection, Falling Jasmine, a tribute to her mother – fashion designer Carolina Herrera. Olivia Sharpe reports
or most women, turning into one’s mother is something to be avoided at all costs. But when your mother is Carolina Herrera – the celebrated fashion designer and business mogul who has built her own retail empire – it is something to aspire to. Carolina Herrera de Báez is one of four daughters of the Venezuelan designer and, along with inheriting her name (not to mention her natural elegance and poise), the 45-year-old beauty has also followed in her footsteps when it comes to her career. She first began working with her mother in 1996, when she was asked to collaborate with her on a new perfume for the house (which would eventually become its signature fragrance, 212), whilst living in New York. Accepting the job, and believing it would only be a temporary position, 18 years later Carolina finds herself to be an indispensable member of the family business, currently creative director of Herrera’s House of Fragrances. Saying that, she has by no means stood in her mother’s shadow; she has been widely credited for bringing her own fresh take to the brand’s CH line (offering sportswear for men, women and children),
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and this year, she has launched her first ever jewellery collection. Christened Falling Jasmine, it comprises 10 pieces – ranging from earrings to a tiara – each of which captures the delicate flower through the use of white enamel. Speaking to Carolina, she explains how it was her upbringing which, in many ways, sowed the seeds for her latest collection, stemming from her childhood love of this flower. “It is my first olfactory memory. Growing up, the garden in my home in Caracas was full of jasmine and I remember my mother blending the oils of tuberose and jasmine to create her own perfumes when I was a girl.” It is because of these childhood memories that jasmine has since become an essential ingredient in her fragrances. The perfumer has always “loved the mystery, allure and romance of making perfumes. There are no formulas. I think what I most appreciate about them is that they appeal to a sensual and olfactory memory, and for each person, that can be different.” While she cannot deny her love of fragrance, Carolina has always known that she would one day do something in jewellery. Like so many women, her earliest jewellery-related memory is wanting “to steal my grandmother’s and mother’s jewellery” and to this day, she confesses, “I still ‘borrow’ from my mother all the time”. She sentimentally picks out a pair of paste earrings that her father gave her when she graduated from college as well as the 1940s and 50s vintage bracelets her husband has been gifting her since they got married, as her favourite pieces of jewellery. The 20th century ‘art nouveau’
jewellers, including the likes of Cartier and Verdura, have evidently had an effect on the modern jeweller, who has included more traditional pieces such as a brooch and a tiara in her line. Working on Falling Jasmine also enabled her to combine her passion for art and design. She partnered with renowned Argentine artist and close friend Grillo Demo to create the collection, and those who are familiar with his work will know that jasmine has similarly been a profound influence upon him. “I love his vision,” remarks Carolina. “Grillo is an artist with a great amount of sensitivity and creativity. We talk about everything, we laugh a lot, we like the same things and the truth is that his ‘office’ (his home in Ibiza) is full of jasmine. It’s a little piece of heaven there.” Although Demo painted the sketches for each piece, Carolina was still heavily involved in every aspect of the design and creative direction. For their collection, the duo wanted to create “easy-to-wear pieces that can be worn day or night”, and the fruits of their labour have clearly paid off. The beautiful white enamel pieces perfectly capture the flower’s delicate grace and femininity, while setting them in gold plate gives them a modern edge. “The beauty of Falling Jasmine is that any woman can wear the collection”, she comments. “It’s made up of separate pieces that can be mixed and matched according to each person’s tastes. The jasmine can also be combined with other jewellery. I’ve worn the ear cuff with an amazing 19th century pearl and diamond drop earring.” By designing 10 pieces, Carolina wanted to create the illusion that, if you were to wear all of them together, it would appear as though the flowers are falling from the head (the tiara) down to the hands (the ring). Ultimately, Falling Jasmine was a tribute to Carolina’s mother. A constant source of inspiration to her, she tells me they have the perfect working relationship (something which I could not imagine all of us could say if we worked with our mothers): “Working with her is the easiest thing in the world! It’s great because there is a relationship of mutual respect and confidence. I love her taste, values and opinions because I know she will always tell me what she’s thinking but she also gives me lots of freedom to work on new ideas.” While evidently idolising her mother for her success and achievements, at the end of the day, she is also just her mum: “I was my mother’s daughter before she was a well-known fashion designer. Of course everyone asks if I will follow in her footsteps but if there is one thing she has taught all her girls it is to have their own lives.” n
Falling Jasmine collection, from £60-£250 CH Carolina Herrera, 2 Fulham Road, SW3 carolinaherrera.com
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watch news Fully Charged
i spy
Deviating from its customary squarecased creations, Bell & Ross presents this, the Vintage WW1 Edición Limitada. Handsome to the hilt, the timepiece is intended to honour the craft, colour and celebrity of Cuban cigars. Thanks to a double barrel power reserve, the 42mm watch will run for five days before it needs winding. It comes housed in a case of Makassar ebony and rare and precious kaya wood, which can be transformed into a humidor for 50 cigars complete with humidifier and hygrometer.
Proving itself a promoter of small, independent watchmakers, Harrods has become a supplier of MeisterSinger, alongside Speake-Marin, for which it acts as exclusive UK stockist. The former is a German brand, unique for being the only watch company to make exclusively singlehanded watches. The latter is the creation of English watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin. A green dial version of MeisterSinger’s Salthora Meta has been made exclusive to Harrods. For £2,375, you get an attractive jumping hour watch with an automatic movement and sapphire case back. The Edwardian-inspired Speake-Marin collection comprises perpetual calendars, tourbillons and minute repeaters. Find both brands in Harrod’s Fine Watch Room.
Vintage WW1 Edición Limitada, £15,000, Bell&Ross, bellross.com
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Boutique Bonanza one to watch Allun Michaels, store manager at Fraser Hart in Brent Cross, selects his watch of the month:
“Chopard’s Happy Diamonds collection with the unique floating diamond design is an icon in the jewellery industry. We love this Happy Sport watch on a white rubber strap; a fun, feminine piece for summer” 30
Happy Sport, £3,220, Chopard Fraser Hart, Brent Cross, 020 8732 8459 BrentCross@fraserhart.co.uk @FHBrentCross
In less than a year, horological heavyweights Blancpain, Bell & Ross, IWC, Richard Mille and Patek Philippe have turned Mayfair into a Mecca for watch aficionados. The latest Swiss export to stake their claim on W1 is JaegerLeCoultre, which opened a boutique at 13 Old Bond Street last month. Enthusiasts are invited to learn about the history of the company, and fine watchmaking in general, through a closeup look at historical treasures rarely revealed to the public, including instruments invented by Antoine LeCoultre, historical pocket-watches, emblematic high jewellery pieces and legendary Atmos clocks.
Jaeger-LeCoultre 13 Old Bond Street, W1
history in the
making As the globally venerated masterpiece-maker that is Patek Philippe celebrates its 175th anniversary, Annabel Harrison takes a closer look at the Watch Art Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition London, taking place from 27 May until 7 June at the Saatchi Gallery
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hen I held that watch, I felt its power reverberate through my entire soul… It was like holding a living heart… something organic, something that’s alive.” Ahead of Sotheby’s sale of Patek Philippe’s Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication pocket watch in Geneva, which took place in November 2014, Daryn Schnipper, chairman of Sotheby’s International Watch Division, recalled her first encounter with this world-renowned watch and its sale at Sotheby’s in 1999. “We valued it at $3-$5 million. As we got closer to the sale, the excitement started to build... [On the day] there were six bidders up to $6 million and all of sudden there were two new bidders.” It went for $11 million. “A ‘Supercomplication’ is more than a horological work; it’s beyond a watch. It is a masterpiece.” It was sold again just 15 years later, for a remarkable price of $24.4 million. Schnipper’s passionate words encapsulate what many watch
Left: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175
enthusiasts feel; that their precious timepiece is so much more than an inanimate object exchanged for equally inanimate cash. Purchases are often far more subjective and emotional than horological philistines might imagine. This is what came into play at both the 1999 and 2014 auctions. Smart, informative catalogues showcased the wares on offer, in particular this renowned Supercomplication, and objective price estimates were given. Despite the most careful, calculated planning and thorough, expert research, there is always a chance of an estimate being thoroughly trumped because once emotion comes into it, everything can change. This Patek Philippe timepiece, on the day of the 2014 auction, aroused such emotions. In addition to being able to lay claim to having created the world’s most expensive, and therefore valuable timepiece, the company has one of the most emotive and familiar advertising straplines in the watch industry: “You never actually own a Patek. You merely look after it for the next generation.” In black and white images of happy family units, the people take centre stage, and the watch plays second fiddle. Because it’s certainly not just a watch. It’s a family heirloom, made up of as many memories and feelings as parts and pieces. In purchasing one, you consider generations past, present and future. In fact, I find summing up neatly the worldwide appeal of, and reverence for, Patek Philippe almost as difficult as I would assembling the 900 parts of this Supercomplication from scratch. As Nick Foulkes, author of an authorised biography about the brand’s history says: “Patek is almost a religion for some people and there are as many ideas of what Patek Philippe is really about as there are collectors of its watches”. This, it seems, is exactly what the brand aims to explore in its upcoming exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery which, incidentally, with its bright white walls and starkness will provide a contemporary environment in which to
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Clockwise from top left: Tableclock in the shape of a cage with five singing-birds and music, c.1830; Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175; The Duke of Regla Minute Repeating Pocket Watch; Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175 with Honorary President Mr Philippe Stern and President Mr Thierry Stern
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showcase more than 400 historical timepieces, both decades and centuries old, across more than a dozen themed areas. The Watch Art Grand Exhibition will bring to a close the expansive Patek Philippe 175th anniversary celebrations, which started on 1 May last year. As such it will incorporate the commemorative timepieces which were presented in October and “celebrate Patek Philippe’s tradition of high-precision watch manufacturing [by giving] an insight into the company’s 175-year history as well as its heritage in the domain of haute horlogerie”. Mark Hearn, the managing director for Patek Philippe UK, adds that “visitors will be able to learn about horology generally, the history of watchmaking and also find out interesting information about this fascinating industry, which is not only composed of watchmaking but also rare handcrafts techniques”. Visitors will be able to see for the first time in London iconic and historical timepieces such as the first Swiss wristwatch, made by Patek Philippe in 1868 (from yellow gold, enamel and diamonds) and sold to a Countess of Hungary. The exquisite Duc de Regla Grand Complication pocket watch from 1910 will also be on show; it has a Grande and a Petite Sonnerie that plays the Westminster melody as well as a minute repeater. Mark Hearn explains that the exhibition’s objective is to “inspire and help visitors to understand and appreciate watchmaking”; we suggest you visit and do so yourself. n
Watch Art Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition London 2015; 27 May – 7 June, Saatchi Gallery, SW3. The exhibition will be open to the public, free of charge, 9am-7pm (weekdays and Saturdays) and 10am-6pm (Sundays). No bookings or tickets are required. Guided tours will be available on a daily basis and in different languages
From top: The Duke of Regla Minute Repeating Pocket Watch; The first Swiss wristwatch, 1868; Antoine Norbet de Patek’s Pocket Watch, 1839-1842
Movement Room Showcasing the entire movement current collection from the Patek Philippe manufacture, this gallery will allow you to experience a 360° view of some of the most intricate Patek watch movements ever created.
Historical Film Theatre Room The Patek Philippe historical movie will be shown here.
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TIME TO EXPLORE
The Museum Room
Immersion Room This room has been created to inspire and immerse visitors in the world of Patek Philippe. A short introductory film will be shown on a 10-minute loop.
Very much like the Museum in Geneva, this room will be divided into two sections. In the first there will be some of the greatest historical timepieces spanning the last five centuries, including the earliest watches ever made. In the second section, historical Patek Philippe timepieces dating back to the 1830s, including some of the earliest Patek Philippe watches, will be on display.
Napoleon Room Be transported to the magical Patek Philippe Salon on the Rue du Rhone in Geneva.
The Grand Complications Room This gallery is dedicated to the rarest and most complicated timepieces created. Minute repeaters, Sky Moon Tourbillons and Chronographs will be on display.
The Current Collection Room This gallery showcasing the current collection is designed to replicate the Patek Philippe Historical Salon on the Rue du Rhone in Geneva.
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ART AND CRAFT Hampstead has always been known for nurturing aspiring artists, and it continues to do so today. If you have an eye for art and are looking to invest in something more personal than stocks and shares, or if you just want to inject a unique splash of colour into your home, then head to the Affordable Art Fair Hampstead this month. Showcasing more than 100 galleries and over 1,100 artists all in one place, the works span an eclectic variety of styles and mediums with all pieces priced from £100-£5,000. Exciting artists to note this year include Carl Melegari from Edgar Modern (pictured), Ysabel Le May from Four Square Fine Arts and Romina Ressia from Arusha Gallery.
11-14 June, tickets from £10 Lower Fairground Site, East Heath Road, NW5 Nicola by Carl Melegari, courtesy of Edgar Modern
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all’s fayre Lashings of community spirit come courtesy of Marylebone Summer Fayre this month, hosted by the Howard de Walden Estate. The village fête is always a local highlight, with live music performances, food stalls and plenty of children’s activities (including a petting zoo) in and around Marylebone village and nearby open spaces. As well as being a celebration, the Summer Fayre also raises money and awareness for charity Kids Company.
28 June, Marylebone High Street, W1U
on good form Our fascination with beauty has long been reflected in art – not least by the Ancient Greeks, for whom the human body was an object of splendour and meaning. Defining Beauty at The British Museum explores the relationship between the Greek world and the human form in an exhibition showcasing various depictions of beauty throughout time. From abstract prehistoric figurines to the marble sculptures characteristic of Alexander the Great, head over to catch a glimpse of the world’s most important collections of sculpture first hand.
Until 5 July, Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, Great Russell Street, WC1B Apoxyomenos. Bronze, Hellenistic or Roman replica after a bronze original from the second quarter or the end of the 4th century BC. © Tourism Board of Mali Losinj
Green fingers You’ve mowed the lawn and dusted the cobwebs off the patio furniture, but if your back garden still looks a little uninspiring, then head to contemporary garden fair Grow London, which returns to Hampstead Heath this month. 100 exhibitors will showcase everything from stylish garden chairs to hand-forged tools and pots and planters, so there will be plenty of ideas on how to spruce up your foliage.
From 19-21 June, Hampstead Heath, NW3
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Bitter Sweet
Alexander James, Vitrious Love
Alexander James, Grace
British artist Alexander James pays homage to the still life works of the 17th century Dutch Masters in Cob Gallery’s latest exhibition, Vanitas. Central to the genre is the theme of the transience of life and earthly pleasures: flowers wither, fruits decay, and material objects cannot be taken beyond this life. James perfectly captures this tragic beauty in a series of photographic still life paintings, showcasing his masterful eye for colour and striking accuracy.
Until 31 July, 205 Royal College Street, NW1
The real Greek This month Jessica Brown Findlay (better known for playing Sybil in Downton Abbey) will be making her stage debut in the Almeida Theatre production of Oresteia. Radically reimagined for the modern stage, Aeschylus’ famous play tells the story of the house of Atreus – a family thrown into conflict in the bloody aftermath of the Trojan War. Nearly two millennia after it was initially performed, the revival, directed by Robert Icke, remains true to the original vicious circle of murder and reprisal, with a stellar performance from Lia Williams in the role of Lady Klytemnestra.
Love & Loss The newly merged JW3 and London Jewish Cultural Centre will present the work of renowned Jewish artist Julie Held at Ivy House this month, with an exhibition of portraits that focus on the themes of familial love and loss. Images of Held’s father Peter will be featured, alongside a series of paintings dealing with the illness and death of her late mother Gisela. While the subject matter may be tragic, Held’s use of vibrant colours and exuberant brushstrokes create a celebration of her subject’s lives and result in a series of truly moving portraits. Portrait of my Father
Until 26 June, 94-96 North End Road, NW11
29 May – 18 July, Almeida Street, N1 Lia Williams who will appear in Oresteia, courtesy of the Almeida Theatre ©David Stewart.
Speaking out Catch a range of previously unseen Ernst Haas photographs at the Atlas Gallery this month, chronicling the difficult post-war years of 1949-1951. Known for depicting London with an energy, humour and progressiveness that is unusual for the period, Haas’s work sheds a rare light on this challenging yet transformative period of the capital’s history. The exhibition will also showcase a selection of works entitled Speakers Corner; a witty series of photographs depicting the changing social face of Britain.
Until 4 July 49 Dorset Street, W1U Top to bottom: ERNST HAAS, Queen’s Coronation Street Party, London, 1952; ERNST HAAS, Speaker’s Corner, London, 1949
The Window
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moore more I t’s been said that admiration for the work of Henry Moore isn’t quite what it was. Outside of the fine arts’ inner circles, I doubt if that is the case, and in terms of public recognition, he remains one of the few sculptors whose name is still widely familiar. But if it is true, then a new exhibition at the Osborne Samuel Gallery can only be timely, coming as it does the year before the 30th anniversary of the Yorkshireman’s death. The Osborne Samuel show features never previously exhibited work from the collection of Moore’s sister Betty Howarth, as well as significant items from across his long career, from early sketches which show his prodigious talent was surfacing even as a teenager, to lithographs and prints, and sculptures and maquettes. As well as some of Moore’s most significant work from the 1940s, such as the Madonna and Child and Family Group, it will include drawings from his famous wartime London Underground Shelter Sketchbooks.
As the Osborne Samuel Gallery hosts a new exhibition of the work of Henry Moore, Jack Watkins looks back on the sculptor’s life in Hampstead
An earlier boost for the Moore profile came last year with the unveiling of his 1974 bronze sculpture Large Spindle Piece in the forecourt of the newly renovated King’s Cross Station. And as the gallery points out, Moore’s public commissions can be seen in university campuses, parks and major cities in 38 countries around the world, and his works still command high figures at auctions. But the siting of Large Spindle Piece in such a high profile location as King’s Cross is surely as symbolic a statement of his contribution to modern British culture as is the recent placing of a statue of Sir John Betjeman on the concourse of the neighbouring, similarly revitalised, St Pancras Station. Hampstead dwellers are in little danger of forgetting Moore’s name, anyhow. High up on the Heath, on the meadows of Kenwood House, above the lake, is his Two Piece Reclining Figure No 5. The location is appropriate in its inappropriateness. Few would describe the terrain of Hampstead’s
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Opposite page, clockwise: Seated Nude, 1929, pen and ink wash on paper; Three Female Figures, 1949, pencil, crayon, ink and gouache on paper; Baby’s Head, 1926, cast concrete, unique This page, L-R: Two Seated Women and a Child, 1945, bronze, edition of 7; Maquette for Draped Reclining Mother and Baby, 1981, bronze, edition of 9 All images courtesy of Osborne Samuel
“northern heights” as rugged. The views here are Arcadian, dating back to the time of the English Picturesque garden movement of the 18th century. There are trees and rolling hillocks, the only missing element nowadays being some sheep to complete the rustic effect. Moore’s lumpen shapes are contrastingly rugged, almost uncouth; two swear words at a vicar’s tea party. But outcrops of rock have a way of occurring in the most beautiful landscapes and, rather than jarring, they create drama by offering contrast. And one of the earliest experiences Moore recalled of the landscapes of his boyhood in Yorkshire was the huge lump of rock on some crags not far from Leeds. Moore later described it as a “big bleak lump of stone set in the landscape, and surrounded by marvellous prehistoric trees. It had no feature of recognition, no element of copying naturalism, just a bleak, powerful form, very impressive.” That description might be applied to the Kenwood House figures, and much of his work; primitive, silent, uncompromising, enduring. “Sculpture is an art of the open air,” he once explained. “I would rather have a piece of my sculpture put in a landscape, almost any landscape, than in or on the most beautiful building I know.” Moore, the son of a coal miner, had arrived in Hampstead in the late 1920s. Having won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, he settled at 11a Parkhill Road, marrying Irina Radetsky, a painting student he’d met at the college. A blue plaque marks their former residence at the property today. Down a nearby alley was a series of ateliers known as the Mall Studios, which included among their occupants two fellow sculptors Barbara Hepworth and John Skeaping. Before coming to London, Moore had attended the Leeds School of Art. Hepworth, who was also from Yorkshire, attended the same school and the pair had been friends. Now their friendship flourished once more in an area that writer Herbert Read described as “a nest of gentle artists.” Among residents who flitted in and out of this circle were the painters Paul Nash, John Piper, Piet Mondrian and Graham Sutherland, the Modernist architects Wells Coates, Walter Gropius and Serge Chermayeff, the art historian Kenneth Clark, and poets such as T.S. Eliot, Stephen Spender and Geoffrey Grigson. It was while in Hampstead that Moore received the first of what would be many public commissions, a relief titled West Wind for the new headquarters of the London Underground. The carving in portland
stone can still be seen on the edifice of Charles Holden’s striking Broadway House above St James’s Park Underground station – one of London’s tallest buildings when completed in 1929. And it was in Hampstead, too, that he really became a national figure, though at the same time he was also accused by some of promoting a ‘cult of ugliness’. Just after the Second World War was declared, the Moores left 11a Parkhill Road for 7 Mall Studios, after Hepworth, now married to Ben Nicholson, moved to Cornwall. It would not be their home for long, after the studio was damaged by bombing in 1940. But Moore knew only too well the hell of the Blitz. It was on their way back from a rare night out in the West End that he and Irina had arrived at Belsize Park tube station and looked out of the carriage window to see the crowds of blanketed poor lining the platform, taking refuge during a bombing raid. Moore’s shelter drawings arose from this experience, and while they are appropriated by some as a symbol of British stoicism in the face of the Luftwaffe attacks, others have suggested they were an indication of Moore’s disgust at the failure of the government to provide secure shelters for the more vulnerable side of the population. Soon, the Moores would depart for the securer terrain of Hertfordshire, but it was in the Hampstead years that Henry Moore’s reputation as a rarity among British artists, a leading member of the avantgarde, was secured. n
It was while in Hampstead that Moore received the first of what would be many public commissions
Henry Moore: Sculpture and Drawings is a part selling-show at Osborne Samuel Until 27 June, osbornesamuel.com
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From L-R: Laura Bates, Cathy Newman, Shami Chakrabati, Helen Dunmore, Grace Dent
Shelf improvement With the winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction due to be announced this month, one of the judges – founder of the Everyday Sexism Project Laura Bates – tells Lauren Romano why female authors traditionally garner fewer literary gongs than their male counterparts
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leanor Catton, Hilary Mantel, Emma Donoghue: over the last few years a number of best-selling female authors have cropped up on The Man Booker Prize shortlist, but just a couple of decades ago, books penned by women were demonstrably absent. When not one female writer was shortlisted for the 1991 award, a group of journalists, agents, publishers and booksellers met in a London flat and decided that something had to be done. And that something turned out to be the Women’s Prize for Fiction. “Everyone at that ad hoc first meeting was puzzled that, despite the ratio of books by men published to books by women being 60/40 in women’s favour, the leading literary prizes nonetheless often seemed to overlook accomplished, challenging, important fiction by female authors,” says the award’s co-founder, novelist and playwright Kate Mosse. The facts made just as compelling reading as the fiction: “By 1992, only 10 per cent of
novelists shortlisted for the Booker had been women,” Kate continues. “Did it matter? The group decided it did, since prizes are an influential way of bringing outstanding writers to the attention of readers.” Eventually set up in 1996, the Women’s Prize for Fiction celebrates work by any woman writing in English, regardless of her nationality, and places emphasis on excellence, originality and accessibility. In its time, the winning bronze statue, known as a ‘Bessie’ has been awarded to the likes of Zadie Smith, Téa Obreht, and most recently to Eimear McBride for A Girl is a HalfFormed Thing. After a 17-year association with Orange, the prize partnered with Baileys in 2013, and following months of deliberations (and a lengthy 150-book reading list) the winner will be revealed on 3 June. “The judging process has been both an absolute joy and a huge challenge!” admits writer and judge Laura Bates. Better known as the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, which encouraged
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contributors around the world to document their own negative encounters, Laura penned her first book Everyday Sexism in 2014. Together with her fellow judges, human rights activist and director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti, Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, columnist Grace Dent and novelist Helen Dunmore, the panel have had their work cut out to narrow down such a broad cannon to a shortlist of just six titles: Outline by Rachel Cusk, The Bees by Laline Paull, A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie, How to be Both by Ali Smith, A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler and Sarah Waters’ The Paying Guests. The prize has been running for almost 20 years; is it still difficult for female authors to gain recognition for their work, I ask? “You only have to look at the statistics,” Laura says soberly. “The annual VIDA count reveals that women are still enormously under-represented among both the reviewers and authors of reviewed books in many of the major literary publications.” The situation is improving, but progress is painstakingly slow and it doesn’t help that female writers in her view have to battle stigma and sexism too. “You often hear people say that they don’t particularly ‘like’ books by female authors, when it would sound ridiculous to say the same of male writers,” Laura asserts. “A man can write a domestic drama and have it hailed as a literary masterpiece, when women writing on very similar themes are often consigned to the label of ‘chick-lit’.” Perhaps the question of why is a harder one. Laura points to out-dated stereotypes as being a possible root of the problem. “It is evidence of how far we have yet to go that so many female authors, like JK Rowling for example, still consider using a pen name that doesn’t reveal their gender,” she says.
“Society is slow to catch up to women’s achievements and ingrained assumptions about what women can and can’t write ‘well’ about die hard”. Laura’s bookshelves are filled with paperbacks by Malorie Blackman, Jane Austen, Nora Ephron and Rosemary Sutcliff, and she talks with enthusiasm about one of her earliest memories of standing at her teacher’s desk aged six or seven and reading aloud from Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome and pretending to understand what the long words meant. Peter Duck paved the way to Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses series, which she devoured in her teens. The set of books first introduced her to powerful ideas about prejudice and social justice, something which she harnesses in Everyday Sexism, a culmination of women’s untold stories. “I think what drove me to write was a strong sense that there was a gulf between the widespread societal belief that we have achieved equality and the reality of women’s lived experiences of prejudice, discrimination and sexual violence. I desperately wanted to bridge that gap.” With a second book due to be published by Simon & Schuster next spring (“a sort of survival guide for teenage girls”), Laura is looking forward to tackling her ‘to read’ pile, which was usurped by the Bailey’s list for several months. She plans to unwind this summer with Emer O’Toole’s Girls Will Be Girls. But before that there’s the small matter of the final judging meeting to deal with, as the panel has yet to decide on a winner. “It’s going to be very difficult indeed,” she concedes with a smile, “every one of the shortlisted books is near-impossible to put down.” n
“So many female authors, like JK Rowling, still consider using a pen name that doesn’t reveal their gender”
The winner will be revealed on 3 June womensprizeforfiction.co.uk
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ALL ABOARD Few women know the secret to the perfect high-summer beachwear compilation quite like Penny Klein and Heidi Gosman. With a chic showcase of lavender crochet, modish monochrome and of course, some staple Heidi Klein nauticals, the SS15 collection takes inspiration from around the world; from the sunsets of Greece to Mexico’s rugged shoreline. As well as mix-and-match bikini separates and supportive one-pieces, you’ll find a host of boho-chic kaftans, Ibizaready maxis and ‘I just threw this on’ oversized boyfriend shirts, as well as an ever-expanding accessories range.
heidiklein.com
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STYLE Update Here Comes the Bride So many designers now seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to launching bridal collections. And next in line is loungewear designer Olivia von Halle, whose first collection has just launched on Net-a-Porter. Taking inspiration from “the idea of starting your marriage afresh with a beautiful collection which sees you through your wedding day, honeymoon and into married life”, von Halle’s modern take on a traditional wedding trousseau includes decadent chemises, pyjamas and nightgowns crafted in rich Italian silk and hand-corded lace; everything a bride could possibly need to kick off the honeymoon in the right way.
net-a-porter.com
Best Foot Forward Described by Salvatore Ferragamo as the ‘ambassador of unspoken elegance’, the round-toed ballerina shoe was first made famous by Audrey Hepburn back in 1954. Now, some 60 years later, the humble ballet pump remains a staple for many of our summer wardrobes and has received a modern makeover in Ferragamo’s newest collection. Expect everything from nautical stripes to glossy reds and even shiny, summery sequins.
From £235, ballerina.ferragamo.com
Car Park Couture London Fashion Week is waving goodbye to Somerset House and moving to Soho for spring/summer 2016. The newest location for the internationally esteemed event is set to be Brewer Street car park – a decision that reportedly echoes a wider transition in the fashion world. According to Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, the move will allow designers to showcase their work in “one of London’s most vibrant, diverse and creative hubs”. Soho, not the car park that is.
Brewer Street Car Park, W1F
Summer Sophistication It’s rare a thing for a bag to achieve sophisticated status while remaining playful and young at heart. However, Mulberry’s Bayswater collection is proving to be an exception to the rule by injecting a splash of colour into our summer work wardrobe. With several eye-popping shades, from satsuma orange to jungle green, the bag's internal straps allow you to adjust compartment sizes depending on the amount of junk in your trunk.
£995, mulberry.com
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Summer Blues Set on the seashore between the dunes and the beach of Santa Barbara, Emporio Armani’s SS15 campaign will have you longing for the sun to make an appearance, so you can get your nauticals on. The high summer range features shimmering blue metallics, graphic stripes, and sheer boxy knits, ideal for evenings in the urban heat or late afternoons under the Mediterranean sky.
armani.com
High & Mighty shoot, American Vogue, February 1995 (model Nadja Auermann) Dolce & Gabbana suit, 1995 © Estate of Helmut Newton Maconochie
Suit Up Having gained a reputation for producing some of the finest lux yet laid-back designs, Nicole Farhi invites you to invest in a grown-up ensemble that can take you from day-tonight with the launch of its latest summer suiting range. Offering relaxed tailoring and smart separates, we recommend the Shantung Blazer for a touch of deconstructed eighties style. Shantung silk thread is woven into fine Italian fabric to give an added touch of luxury, helping to make your smart attire feel that little bit more fabulous.
From £125, 27 Hampstead High Street, NW3
No Pain, No Gain The V&A is indulging our passion for heels with a new exhibition examining the transformative power of extreme footwear. Showcasing more than 200 pairs of shoes from across the globe, visitors can expect Invisible Naked Version to find everything from Andreia Chaves, 2011, the sublime (think Ancient Photo by Andrew Bradley Egyptian sandals coated in pure gold leaf) to the downright torturous – beautiful yet agonising lotus shoes from 19th-century China. Shoes: Pleasure and Pain will also feature special editions from more than 70 named designers and promises to be the hottest ticket in town for shoe obsessives everywhere.
13 June – 31 January, vam.ac.uk
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at first
blush Channel ethereal nudes, dusky pinks and smoky greys in tulles and silk for a softer summer look Photography / dominic nicholls stylist / Hayley Caine
Layered silk tulle dress with gathered front, sand and dark brown, ÂŁ6,400, Giorgio Armani, armani.com; Pink and white diamond earrings, ÂŁ57,500, Boodles, boodles.com
ABOVE Ivory drape dress, £1,499, Christopher Kane, harrods.com; Platinum and diamond drop earrings, £27,000, Boodles, as before
LEFT Chiffon dress, £2,399, Alberta Ferretti, albertaferretti.com; Lamba sandals, £625, Jimmy Choo, jimmychoo.com
ABOVE Nude tulle and white brocade dress, £1,500, tulle gloves, £350, and pumps, £700, all Simone Rocha, simonerocha.com; Woodland diamond hoops, £1,200, Asprey, asprey.com
RIGHT Satin midi dress, £1,225, Stella McCartney, stellamccartney.com Diamond feather earrings, £12,000, Asprey, as before Attila shoes, £395, Jimmy Choo, as before
HAIR & make-up: Lou Box @ S:Management using Kevyn Aucoin and Redken MODEL: Arabella @ Elite Model Management photographer's assistant: Inna Kostukovsky Shot on location at: the Royal Opera House, London, 020 7304 4000; roh.org.uk
forever
rochas French couture house Rochas turns 90 this year. Kari Colmans talks to Sophie Rochas about her father, the fashion house founder, and the touching account she’s given of him in her new book
style From L-R: Hippocampe evening gown in black Dent de Lyon, decorated with a black feather bird with a rhinestone beak. L’Officiel de la mode, no. 152, April 1934. © Studio Dorvyne/Collection Sophie Rochas; Advertisement for the perfume Femme. © Collection Sophie Rochas; Hélène and Sophie Rochas wearing identical designs by Marcel Rochas, in the garden of the house on rue Barbet-de-Jouy, 1953. © Collection Sophie Rochas All images courtesy of Marcel Rochas: Designing French Glamour
“A
couture studio is like a painter’s atelier,” writes Sophie Rochas in the preface of her glossy new tome Marcel Rochas: Designing French Glamour. “When you visit it at a young age, the designs, colours and smells imprint themselves on you. You can simply close your eyes and let your memory wander, to recapture the images and sensations, ever intact. They stay under your skin and in your soul for the rest of your life.” A number of years in the making, Sophie’s research sprang from only one other book written about her father, supplemented by hours spent poring over library archives. The decision to release Marcel Rochas’ story – the youngest couturier in Paris at the age of 23 (before Yves Saint Laurent came along) – came from “a growing desire to give rebirth to him” she explains over the phone in charmingly emphatic Franglaise. “It is a story of love for my father who died when I was only 10. I wanted a beautiful story and it has been a journey of love to keep his memory alive. It is a portrait of a man, a father, a perfumer and a couturier.” The legacy of this “famous unknown”, has, unlike those of contemporaries Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent, become a blind spot in the narrative of fashion history. Each period, Sophie writes, “tends to embody itself in a figure whose name and marks stay in our memory. Chance plays its role here, as ever, governing our memories and their wanderings and awakenings… His name is familiar, his legend remains, but often the impression is vague, uncertain… My father is numbered among those dead poets whose work has dissolved like footprints in the sand.” Born in 1902, at first Marcel Rochas seemed destined to practice law, but after assisting a fabric manufacturer in order to pay for his bar studies, “the seeds of fortune had fallen on fertile ground”, and he switched careers upon his first marriage to Yvonne Coutanceau in 1924. “While other people may say that as children they always wanted to be a president, pilot, doctor, teacher, fireman or priest, my father became a couturier not by the grace of God, but by the grace of a woman,” writes Sophie. Setting up his own couture house in August 1925, he wanted to move away from the tomboy garçonne look of the time towards more feminine, sporty clothes for younger women. By 1927 he was employing cubist elements with pointed cuts and geometric designs, while maintaining flowing feminine lines. Over the next 30 years, he would continue to explore his art with audacity. “The man who
confessed… that he was more interested in innovation than in selling, proved his ability to combine lines, forms, material, and colours, with a boldness that inspired the names of one of his first perfumes, Audace,” Sophie surmises. After the rippling devastation of the Wall Street crash in 1929, Rochas showed a real eye for the market; while many houses cut back, he adopted a high-price policy and targeted a select clientele, charging on average 3,000 francs for a dress. In 1931, he played with printed fabrics dotted with birds and multi-coloured flowers, contrasting with Chanel’s head-to-toe black and French couturier Jean Patou’s dark blue periods. In 1934, inspired by 20th century painter Georges Braque, he had the idea of placing a white gull or a blackbird on the shoulder of a dress. And thus another of his signature designs, the Oiseau gown, was born. A keen traveller, he drew inspiration from Spain, Brazil, Hollywood and New York, and during the war he continued to launch collections in an occupied Paris
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From L-R: Over 15 years, Marcel Rochas developed his bird motif. “Birds lend themselves as graceful ornaments on the designs of Marcel Rochas. A white dove spreads its wings over the bodice of a plain black dress, while two blue birds perch on the shoulders of a youthful, pastel-blue evening ensemble.” La Femme de France, April 1934; Lambswool cape and skirt in “Tchouklap” by Rodier, worn with a striped sweater matching the lining and a two-tone scarf. Harper’s Bazaar, October 1934. © Courtesy Harper’s Bazaar (UK); Sablier evening gown in black tulle and velvet, embroidered with motifs in jet, 1948. © Tom Keogh All images courtesy of Marcel Rochas: Designing French Glamour
from 1940 until the liberation. He released his first three perfumes, lipsticks and face powders in 1939 and his most famous scent, Femme, in 1944. Rochas died prematurely in 1955 while French society and fashion were in the throes of change; although he dreaded the age of ready-to-wear, he nevertheless was one of the first to understand the commercial viability of producing branded accessories and cosmetics in order to create an alluring window into which consumers could catch a glimpse of the life of a Rochas lady. And while Sophie goes into great detail about her distant and often tempestuous relationship with her mother Hélène – Rochas’ third wife and the last Madame Rochas – it is nevertheless impressive that she became the first female CEO in France at the age of 33, taking over the helm after her
husband’s untimely death and steering the brand in a whole new direction, including presiding over the launch of the perfume Madame Rochas. “For nearly 60 years, the beauty and elegance of the famous couturier’s window shaped a new legend,” Sophie writes, “to the point, sometimes, of eclipsing the memory of Marcel Rochas.” But there’s little evidence that Rochas would have been opposed to this direction, moving with the times in order to stay relevant. During his three-decade career, Rochas opened two couture houses, employed an army of skilled workers, and created innumerable pieces considered to be milestones in the history of couture. He wrote in 1943: “There is without a doubt an avant-mode – a pre-fashion that precedes and proposes, a fashion that consecrates; and an après-mode – a post-fashion,
“His writings were both literary and poetic. I have always been thankful to him because he passed down his skills to me”
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discovering this similarity between my father and me because I didn’t know we shared the same talents and weaknesses. His writings were both literary and poetic. I have always been thankful to him because he passed down his skills to me,” she says. Indeed, she often quotes her father throughout the book, and the similarities in their prose (or perhaps the translation) is stark. “To love beautiful things and to love only them, to have an instinctive feel for what’s authentic and what’s fake, to choose the best among the worst, is a real gift from the fairies that fortunately falls to the poor as well as to the rich,” he said. “There is something that one either has or doesn’t have and that cannot be learned: a sense of proportion… quality and proportion are, to my mind, the two most important factors in design.” Aside from providing a somewhat whimsical perspective on her father’s vision and ventures (as well as those not so rose-tinted observations about her mother), the book is also visually inspiring, full of exclusive archived material of Rochas’ iconic perfume bottles, objects and creations. “Marcel Rochas produced masterpieces,” writes Sophie. “Readers will choose their own favourites among the designs shown in the page of the tribute. Timeless, unrivalled, and unpredictable, Marcel Rochas continues to haunt the work of his house.” n
Marcel Rochas: Designing French Glamour by Sophie Rochas (with photography by Francis Hammond), £60, published 8 June by Flammarion Paris and distributed by Thames & Hudson
which, in its very excesses, condemns and paves the way for the advent of the following one.” An influential figure in Parisian life, Sophie Rochas has had an interesting career herself, moving between interior design (she decorated the ÉlyséeMatignon, a luxury nightspot between 1974 and 1985) and journalism, working at Elle magazine at the start of the 1960s, not to mention her adventures as the queen of Paris nightlife. While providing a fascinating perspective on her father’s business and the couture industry, Sophie says it’s more what she wasn’t able to discover that interests her. Through her research she found by chance her father’s school report from where he studied at the Lycée Condorcet, a school founded in 1803 in Paris whose alumni include the poet Paul Verlaine and novelist and critic Marcel Proust. “Thanks to this unexpected document, I discovered that my father was very good at French literature but also very bad at mathematics. I was particularly moved
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That riviera touch Photography / IAN WALSH styling / VANISSA ANTONIOUS
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From L-R: Sandals, £410, Marni, mytheresa.com; Shoes, £890, Aquazzura, aquazzura.com; Bag, £3900, Christian Dior, dior.com; Silk scarf, £190, Mulberry, mulberry.com; Bag, £435, Emporio Armani, armani.com; Sunglasses, £165, 3.1 Phillip Lim by Linda Farrow Gallery, lindafarrow.com; Shoes, £410, Gucci, netaporter.com; Cuff, £495, Aurélie Biderman, netaporter.com
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BEauty June
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1. Burberry is drawing inspiration from English country gardens for its latest make-up line: Lip & Cheek Bloom. The six colourful complexion enhancers have been designed to match every skin tone, providing buildable colour from delicate floral shades to vibrant rouges. Our favourite is the soft yet striking Orange Blossom tint. Simply dab the colour to your lips or cheeks for an effortlessly chic look.
£24, Burberry, uk.burberry.com 2. In developing its new Pop Water line, YSL wanted to create a lip gloss that embodied both the lasting quality of a stain and the sophistication of a lipstick. The result: 12 vibrant shades of translucent colour reminiscent of bold pop-art tones. Boosted by a 10-hour hydration effect, Pop Water glosses leave lips feeling moisturised and ensure lasting colour. The line also includes a range of bold nail polishes and metallic eye shadows.
£26, YSL, yslbeauty.co.uk 3. Say hello to Sisley’s new Super Soins Solaire collection, launched just in time for summer. Each of the four sun care products contain UVA-UVB protection and new active ingredients work to protect skin cells and their DNA in order to prevent proto-aging. Not only does the non-greasy formula melt into skin, creating a comfortable matte finish, but the creams also ensure that tans look more radiant and are longer lasting.
From £83, Sisley, sisley-paris.com 4. Stylish sunglasses brand Oliver Peoples has teamed up with fragrance house Byredo for a collaboration that explores sight and smell. Snap up the limited edition set of shades, sold in two colours, and the complementary fragrance, available in either an indigo, champagne or green bottle to correspond with the chosen lens.
£400 for box set (also sold separately), Byredo and Oliver Peoples, byredo.com 5. Eyes to Mesmerise is the new cream eyeshadow range by Charlotte Tilbury. Available in six lustrous shades, the shadow is described as one-minute, no-mirror make-up, creating smoky eyes in seconds. The glide-on formula allows the cream to be applied easily to the delicate eye area and soft-focus illuminating pigments smooth over lines and wrinkles to provide a youthful finish.
From £22, Charlotte Tilbury, charlottetilbury.com
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It’s never too late...
LUXURY BODY BUTTER IN WHITE CASHMERE FROM THE BATH & BODY COLLECTION
www.lilouetloic.com
beauty Update It Girl International model and designer Poppy Delevingne is adding another high-profile credit to her CV this year as Jo Malone’s first ever ‘London Girl’. Better known for her impeccable wardrobe and quintessential Britishness, the Londoner is also a long time devotee of the brand and claims that she couldn’t be happier about the appointment. Delevingne’s role as ambassador will see her curate a series of special events and lend her insights to various upcoming projects. Details are being kept on the down-low for now, but you can follow her story on Instagram using the hashtag #JoMaloneLondonGirl.
jomalone.co.uk
helping hand Acclaimed foot expert Margaret Dabbs (our toes are always thankful for a visit to her Marylebone foot spa) steps into new territory this spring with the launch of her first ever anti-aging range for hands. The products, which utilise organic emu oil (yes, you read that correctly – it’s an ancient aboriginal remedy) and natural plant extracts, help turn back time by maintaining moisture in your skin and preserving youthfulness. Scented with geranium and mandarin, the creams more than pass the smell test, and come in handy handbag sizes too.
From £12 7 New Cavendish Street, W1G
Citizen Kane Renowned designer Christopher Kane and international cosmetics brand NARS both share a bold and unapologetic aesthetic, making their recent cosmetic collaboration a match made in heaven. From 1 June, the limited edition Neoneutral range will focus on bold neon colours and the nude hues that complement them. Pair shocking purples and bright magenta tones with soft creamy shades to create a catwalk-ready look.
From £19, selfridges.co.uk
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Balancing Act In our constant struggle to find the perfect work-life balance, Aman Spa’s complimentary lunchtime meditation classes sound like an ideal retreat from paperwork and flooded inboxes. The classes are designed to encourage guests to ‘renew their mind and spirit’ by switching off their phones and observing their emotions. Classes take place on weekdays at 1pm for 20 minutes and bookings must be made in advance.
The Connaught Hotel, Carlos Place, W1K
strike a posy MAC cosmetics has joined forces with celebrated designer Giambattista Valli to create a collection of neutral, elegant lip colours. The collaboration will feature five matte lipsticks in a variety of rouge shades, from a pale pink to a dark cherry with delicate blue undertones as well as a crystal glaze gloss with a subtle multicoloured pearlescence to give your lips a touch of luminosity. The range will be available to buy exclusively at Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols from the start of July.
From £17, maccosmetics.co.uk
Crème de la creme
Treat your Talons As the gloves and boots come off in preparation for the sun’s tentative summer debut, the newly opened Soholistic Nail Bar arrives at Ham Yard Village. A welcome addition to the Firmdale Hotel group, the bar invites you to sit back and take in its signature Kit Kemp interior while your chipped nails are polished to perfection. As well as the usual manicures and pedicures, visitors can opt for some striking nail art and there are also threading, waxing and tinting treatments should you wish to take your pampering to the next level.
For years loyal Crème de la Mer users have sought the brand’s coveted benefits in a foundation-like formula. Now the wait is finally over thanks to the new Reparative SkinTint SPF 30. Unlike ordinary BB and CC creams, the new tinted range actively protects skin and visibly softens signs of ageing, and will be available in a variety of shades. Renowned for its unique miracle broth formula, the tiny will also leave skin feeling silky and renewed: as to be expected.
£65, cremedelamer.co.uk
34 Great Windmill Street, W1D
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Walker on the wild side Kari Colmans meets New Zealand-born fashion designer Karen Walker as she launches her three debut fragrances A, B and C. She talks beauty regimes, handbag essentials and not taking herself too seriously
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’d been thinking about launching a fragrance for about 10 years, but we only started working on it around 18 months ago. I travelled to Grasse in the South of France, which is recognised as the birthplace of fragrance. I worked closely with the oldest perfume house in the world, Charabot, which was established back in 1799. I loved learning about the history of the area, the heritage of the fragrance business and how it works today. It was great being able to go into the old factory that’s been there for 200 years, but also to the new factory, where there’s only one man and a line of robots: romance meets high-tech. The partnership is a perfect combination of traditional craft and modern attitude: we brought our New World sensibility to the mix, and voila. I really got involved in every single detail. Testing 20 different pumps, the design of the bottle, which was created by world-renowned fragrance bottle creator Pochet du Courval. It all came across my desk. When it came to the juice itself, we set the brief for the noses to capture the essence of the Karen Walker brand – optimism, energy and enthusiasm in a bottle, along with a list of my favourite flowers. I tested around 200 different fragrances, and each of these three have been reworked around six times. A, B and C are all quite different but they share a commonality, an energy. I love them all but I ran out of A first. I think that’s because we’ve just come out of summer back home in New Zealand and I just wanted that sparkly green excitement every morning. My own beauty regime is based around getting the groundwork right. It’s not about make-up to cover the flaws; it’s about diet, sleep, exercise and skincare, especially when I travel, which is a lot. I fly about 250,000 km a year, so when I’m on and off planes and between time zones I’ve really got to focus on staying healthy. You’ll find a fairly minimal number of products in my makeup bag: a little powder, lipstick, some lip balm. I have lip balm in
every pocket, every bag, every room and every draw; no matter where I am, there’s always one there. I like Lucas Papaw but I’m not loyal to one particular kind. On my skin I only use Osmosis Skincare, especially the Mineral Hydration Mist. I never get on a plane without the brand’s little travel sets. The first thing I do once I’m on board is take all my make-up off, get into my travel clothes, and moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. I put my make-up on again just before I land. I drink lots and lots of water.
“I always try and make my campaigns fun. I think fashion can be guilty of taking itself a little too seriously sometimes” My yoga teacher said to me once, ‘Every minute you spend upside down in a yoga pose, takes a minute off your face’ and I quite like that idea. Inversion for some reason is really good for your skin. I can’t stand the gym; I haven’t been in 25 years, but I love yoga. I try to do an hour a day, even though I haven’t in the past two days… or is it three… I have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies when it comes to the KW brand; fashion, sunglasses, homeware and now fragrance. I’ve got eight fingers and two thumbs, so
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once those are all being used then I’ll stop. We only take on projects or products that we think will work with the brand’s personality. And it has to be something I’m genuinely interested in. We don’t do lots of things. It’s not about popping out back-to-back products, although we are already developing two more scents: D and E. I always try and make my campaigns fun. I think fashion can be guilty of taking itself a little too seriously sometimes, but I guess if that’s what’s right for the brand, then that’s what’s right for the brand. I think everybody should have their own point of view, and if it doesn’t speak to you as a consumer, then there are millions of other brands out there. You’re never going to get something that every single person can relate to. The important thing is to have a unique point of view yourself, and if that’s a serious one, then that’s absolutely fine. The KW woman is an interesting person looking for interesting ideas. I think fashion is so fragmented now, nothing’s in and nothing’s out. It all depends on how you put it together and who you are. There are a million trends at any given time, the high-low, the oldnew, it’s a free-for-all. Now, more than ever, it’s down to personal interpretation. It’s not about dictates by designers anymore; it’s about your individual version. I’m wearing all KW today – shoes, trousers, shirt, necklace, earrings, but my watch is Omega. Sometimes I mix it up, but today I’m all KW. Other days it might be Prada, Dior or Balenciaga, or even Topshop matched with vintage pieces. When I’m shopping, if I like it, I buy it and figure it out later. I’ve got a lot of style icons but I think Jarvis Cocker’s probably my favourite. He’s got the best taste of anyone on the planet. I get asked a lot about what it means now that women are getting more top jobs in the industry but for me,
I don’t really care too much if it’s a man or a woman doing the job – I just care about whether the work is interesting or not and whether or not it speaks to me. Is it new, ground breaking and engaging? I live in Auckland full time – when I’m not on a plane that is. I come to London about once a year, which isn’t actually that much. I try to stay close to where I need to be as I don’t like wasting time in black cabs. I always try and check out Harvey Nichols and I love Bond Street. Eating-wise, I have my little favourites, like Andrew Edmunds in Soho and Zuma, which is sensational. I do love a hotel afternoon tea, especially with a cup of Earl Grey. I like the way the city of London looks. I find it uplifting because there’s so much beauty. I love the buildings and the parks and the heritage, but also what I love about London is that it makes such a stand for ideas and creativity culturally. In terms of being a consumer, there’s always newness, there’s always something to surprise and delight. n
A, B and C eau de parfum 50ml, £65 each and 100ml, £85 each. Exclusive in the UK to Harvey Nichols; harveynichols.com
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The Midas Touch Kari Colmans trials the award-winning Gold Hydrating Facial, exclusive to the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane
“I
was waiting especially for you,” says the doorman with a smile, as I breeze into the lobby at the Four Seasons Hotel London, door opened before I can even extend my arm. This is followed by the same service as I reach the lift, and I’m taken to the 10th floor. “I’ll escort you inside” continues the next footman. I bet they say that to all the girls. I’m immediately taken in by the view of Hyde Park below as I step into the glasswalled oasis. Here to test drive the Gold Hydrating Facial, a treatment exclusive to the hotel, it has been awarded best anti-
ageing facial by Harper’s Bazaar, so I’m expecting great things. It uses a range of the divine Omorovicza anti-ageing mineral products, which hail from Budapest, and get their name from the Omorovicza family-owned Racz Bath, which was built atop a medieval healing spring renowned for its curative water in the 1800s. Boasting a patented Hydro Mineral Transference technology system at its core, the range is also lightly fragranced with natural scents crafted in Grasse, in the south of France, which heightens their luxurious appeal. Before entering one of the nine smart treatment rooms, where I’m given the
option of leaving the curtains open or closed (I choose to let the light filter in through the floor-to-ceiling windows) I dip my toes into the warm bubbling massage pool, and am quickly enticed to flop in further to lie on the railings for a full-body water-jet pummelling. Following that, a state-of-theart steam and shivitz are a perfect precursor, and I fall asleep in the waiting area before I’m even called, warmed by the fire and a fresh cup of Jasmine tea. Once the therapist-client formalities are over (although there’s absolutely no sun-exposure, alcohol-intake guilt-tripping here), the facial starts with a gentle copperenriched lactic acid peel along with a moor mud mask for a deep clean. At this juncture, I choose to boost my treatment further by adding on a foot massage (you can also choose from hand massages and scalp treatments while your mask soaks in for a supplementary £20), and I slowly drift in and out of a slumber. After the welcomed interlude, an anti-ageing gold serum is rubbed into my skin, ideal for brightening and healing, and then a lifting facial massage using plumping cream to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Feeling suitably silky and tranquil, I finish off my afternoon by extending my nap further, curled up in an individual relaxation pod, followed by a second cup of tea with a pot of nuts and yogurt-coated oranges tucked into the crook of my dressing gowned-elbow, my sample sachets safe in my pocket. I’m hoping that if the office starts wondering where I’ve got to, that neither of the footmen remembers my face. n
Gold Hydrating Facial, £175 for 80 minutes (with extra £20 for supplementary treatment) Hamilton Place, W1J
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DESIGN RIGHT Beginning with the illustrious Studio 54 nightclub and moving through several generations of hotels, Ian Schrager has made both design and social history over the last four decades. In a new tome published by Rizzoli titled Ian Schrager: Works, the reader is taken on an insightful journey from the Sanderson and the Delano through to the evergrowing portfolio of EDITION hotels, complete with a range of stunning photography. As friend Paul Goldberger surmises in the book’s foreword: “There is no better way to describe Ian Schrager than to say that he knows what he aspires to. He wants to make places that are memorable, filled with energy, joyful to be in, and different from what has come before – and he wants to use cutting-edge design to make them.”
Ian Schrager: Works, £50, published by Rizzoli, rizzolibookstore.com
Palladium ®Tim Hursley, courtesy of Ian Schrager: Works
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Interiors inspiration
The secret garden Liberty has taken inspiration from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel The Secret Garden for its latest homeware collection. The colourful range of fabrics, cushions and wall coverings are adorned with beautiful floral designs reworked from old prints unearthed from the brand’s extensive archive. Textile artists have used sumptuous silks and velvets and a series of innovative techniques, such as flower hammering to release natural pigments and bring the motifs to life.
Fabrics from £90 a metre, cushions from £150, Regent Street, W1B
Design debut Venetian textiles master Rubelli recently launched its first furniture collection, Rubelli Casa, at Milan Design Week. The range includes upholstered seating and accessories, all in keeping with the historic brand’s timeless style. Carnivalesque elements are fused with sleek shapes across the range, which boasts a number of fabrics and finishes, so each design can be adapted to suit your sitting room.
Barbacan chair from £2,580, Forcola bar cabinet from £6,150, rubelli.com
Rose gold The rare Rose de Mai might be worth its weight in gold (£32,000 per kilo to be precise), but that didn’t deter perfumer Roja Dove. Nor did the fact that a kilo of the oil requires as many as 308,000 roses picked at dawn before the sun rises and causes the volume of oil within the buds to dramatically decrease. Thankfully those purchasing Roja Parfums' new candle will have longer to savour its delicate, summery sweetness, thanks to the 45-hour burning time.
From £75, available at Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, W1A
interiors
Sweet dreams Recently opened on Hinde Street, luxury linen label Yves Delorme is the place to head for delicate floral bedding, soft fleecy towels and robes. Highlights from the SS15 collection include the pretty leaf and flower print-adorned Ailleurs collection of linens, or for a more contemporary twist, the Voguer range offers graphic zig-zagged designs in pastel and sorbet shades. A personalisation and monogramming service is also available at the brand’s other outpost on the second floor of Harrods, so you can add a bespoke touch to bath linen, or even a cashmere throw and travel bag to take on your summer holiday.
Bedding sets from £185, monogramming from £12, 13 Hinde Street, W1U
Midsummer lights Lighting designer David Trubridge sailed the Caribbean and the Pacific Oceans before he arrived in New Zealand and fell in love with its abundance of natural beauty. Taking the unspoilt surroundings as his cue, Trubridge reconfigures natural forms to create unusual light fixtures. His delicately cut pendants are fashioned out of timber from sustainably managed plantations, and the organic looking finish brings a hint of the outside in. From the bulbous Coral designs to the slender oval of the Hinaki lanterns, light is scattered to create a gentle and atmospheric glow, perfect for summer evenings after the sun goes down.
Fruits of labour The late Oscar de la Renta might be best known for his glittering ball gowns, however, his eye for design was not reserved exclusively for haute couture. In the latter part of his life he had his feet firmly planted in both the fashion and interior design industries; his collections were always a masterful mix of luxurious and exotic, and this is still the case for the brand’s latest SS15 collection, which includes ornate brass and silver pineapple candlestick holders and striking royal blue bowls and jugs inspired by the flower buds of an artichoke.
From £25, oscardelarenta.com
Coral pendants from £500, Hinaki pendants from £510, available at Made in Design, 78 York Street, W1H
Sofa surfer British furniture makers Halo started life as an antiques business back in 1976 and the family-run company continues to place an emphasis on classic styles, hand crafted using traditional techniques. Inspired by its heritage, the latest button-backed Mogeo design is available as a two-seater sofa upholstered in either linen or leather chosen from the extensive range of antique and gently distressed finishes available.
Mogeo two-seater sofa in white galata linen with weathered oak feet, £1,550, Stonyhurst lamp table in brushed steel from £1,225, haloliving.co.uk
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Shape shifters Jack Watkins looks ahead to the local highlights of this year’s London Festival of Architecture, and out across the capital’s increasingly congested skyline
A
n exhibition at last year’s London Festival of Architecture bore the title London is Growing Up! It certainly is. Everywhere you look, new towers are shooting skywards, some sleek and slender, some bulbous and bendy. Within a decade, the character of some parts of the capital has changed drastically, and not always for the better. Lines of high buildings are turning the place into the windy city, Chicago-style. Not only is it a curse for those of us who prefer not to enter a building looking as if we’d just been on the top deck of a boat in a force 10 gale, but once treasured streetscapes and views across the London skyline are being destroyed. Wren’s city of church spires has changed into a landscape of shouty exclamation marks. You can hear a lot of money jangling, but it shreds away the soul.
Some have reservations about proclaiming the eleventh staging of the Festival – which this year runs from 1-30 June – too heartily. Architects can be a sensitive lot, full of the best intentions, but the fact is that it is the rest of us who have to live with the consequences of their ideas. A design for a single building may look exciting taken on its own merits – and when looked at from the point of view of those who will use it – but the matter of its impact on the surrounding terrain, on the casual passer-by, is frequently forgotten. Still, negativity is a dead-end street, and some of the ugliest buildings in modern London are those that were thrown up in the 1960s and 1970s. Many of the more recent buildings are elegant by comparison, and even if it’s still permissible to grumble about the dehumanising scale of these structures, a lot of thought has clearly gone into their design. And you can’t
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Clockwise from top left: Serpentine Pavillion, night view, © Selgascano; ID2015, New Horizon, Yellow Pavilion © Hall McKnight; Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Hackney Wick, yard shot © Hawkins/Brown (top); Temple Baths View West from Victoria Embankment © Picture Plane Studio Octopi (below); Architectural Association, A Projects Review © Sue Barr
interiors
blame architects for not trying to reach out. One of the best initiatives of the Festival is the Open Studios programme, which involves architectural practices across London opening their doors to the public. It’s billed as a chance to “gain behind the scenes access to practices, with a chance to see great work and newly commissioned projects”. Among the practices with offices in north-west London to be taking part is Farrells in NW8. Sir Terry Farrell’s long, interesting career mirrors the distance the British ‘built environment’ has travelled in the years since he formed a partnership with Sir Nicholas Grimshaw in 1965. As young men, the pair were responsible for the 11-storey block of flats at 125 Park Road, near Regent’s Park, now listed as a supreme example of High-Tech British modernism. Exceedingly plain to look at, it was no worse than the depressing industrial shed approach Grimshaw adopted for the Sainsbury’s supermarket frontage that greets you on Camden Road. By this time Grimshaw had gone his separate way, however, and while Farrell’s building for the TV-am headquarters on Camden Lock was, at best, something of a curiosity, he quickly developed a reputation as one of the finest architects working in the kinder, more playful postmodernist style. Among the most striking examples of his work in this fashion are two adornments to the Thames riverside: the MI6 building at Vauxhall and the headquarters to Charing Cross Railway Station. More recently, as well as opening an office in Hong Kong, he has played a lead role in new thinking on urban design schemes which play greater
heed to the context of their surroundings. Like Farrell’s, another of the participants in Open Studios, KSR Architects, has an international profile. But its specialist expertise in high-end residential design has involved working on many projects closer to home in Hampstead. These have included the renovation of a 1920s period property overlooking the Heath, and proposals for family housing on a disused site in New End which, having gone to planning appeal, was commended by the inspector for its sensitivity to Hampstead’s local heritage. The 2015 Festival will also expand the international content of its programme. A central plank has been a focus on the Serpentine’s temporary summer pavilion, which each year is designed by an international architect who has never previously completed a building in Britain. The pavilion has become one of the top ten most visited architectural and design exhibitions in the world. This year the pavilion design is from the Spanish architects José Selgas and Lucía Cano, the pair having created a remarkable chrysalis-like structure “as organic as the surrounding gardens” in Hyde Park, according to the directors of the Serpentine Gallery. Visitors will be able to enter and exit the pavilion at different points, passing through a “secret corridor” into an interior holding a remarkable stained glass effect. Linking up with Irish Design, a year-long international celebration of the country’s design, the new International Focus aspect of the programme of events at the festival will include workshops and platforms promoting the efforts of emerging Irish architectural practices. Of course, buildings are for living and working in, as well as looking at. So the keynote event at this year’s festival will be ‘The Changing Face of the Workspace’, examining how new technology and communications have “brought a new dynamism and speed to our working lives”, transforming what we consider to be the traditional “office space”. And as a bit of light, but relevant relief, two feature films are being screened at the Royal Institute of British Architects in Portland Place, both introduced by experts in architecture and design. Office Space is a 1999 comedy directed by Mike Judge and starring Jennifer Aniston, centred on employee unhappiness in a software company and satirising the cubicle-based workspaces common at the time. The other film is the Jacques Tati classic from 1967, Playtime, which is a satire of the glass-andsteel world that took the comic ten years to make. The brutality of progress was a recurring theme in Tati’s work, but it’s a reminder that before some of us get too het up about the impersonal nature of the modern urban scene, that the subject has been a matter of national obsession for many generations before this one. n
“Buildings are for living and working in, as well as looking at”
London Festival of Architecture runs 1-30 June londonfestivalofarchitecture.org
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The Emilia
Classic, Elegant & Sophisticated
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ONE LOVE Ralph Lauren will mark 10 years as the official outfitter of Wimbledon this month, designing uniforms for all on-court officials. As if we needed an excuse to sport a bit of WASPish RL, we will be getting into the swing of the summer sporting season with cute polo shirt dresses, smart blazers, and white midlength skirts, while the men embrace green and blue striped belts and ties, cable-knit tank tops and emblazoned T-shirts.
The Polo Ralph Lauren Wimbledon collection is available at select Ralph Lauren stores and online; ralphlauren.com
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nurserynews In Bloom Dolce & Gabbana is going bold this season with its new collection of dresses that are part of what promises to be a go-to range for girls' summer fashion. Striking reds, floral motifs and monochrome polka dot prints are all high on the agenda and some of our favourite pieces are even available in newborn sizes.
From £195, melijoe.com
Happy Birthday Miffy! Our favourite bunny is celebrating her 60th birthday this month, and to celebrate Steiff is launching a limited edition five-way jointed Miffy bear. Perfectly capturing her charm and innocent appeal, the special edition Miffy is crafted from pure white mohair and features a sweet handstitched nose and eyes. Hop over to Steiff to get yours while stocks last.
£169, steiff.com
Creature Comforts In celebration of Petit Bateau’s 50th anniversary, the enchanting l’école des loisirs creatures will be popping up on the brand’s iconic white cotton T-shirts and underwear line. Characters set to make an appearance include Blaise, Claude Ponti’s mischievous chicken; Achille, Dorothée de Monfreid’s greedy crocodile; and Emile, Tomi Ungerer’s very brave Octopus. Fantastique!
Available from 1 June, from £10, petit-bateau.co.uk
fa m i ly
Make a Splash This summer Platypus Australia is on a mission to keep your kids stylish and safe from the sun. Its latest swimwear line provides maximum sun protection with a UPF 50+ rating that is guaranteed to block out more than 97.5 per cent of harmful UV rays. It’s not hard to see why the brand has already achieved a loyal fan base of celebrity mums (think Charlize Theron, Molly Sims and Alessandra Ambrosio) with trendy choices to pick from in a range of bright summer colours.
Blast Off
From £14.95, platypusaustralia.com
For its newest summer range Angel & Rocket is taking inspiration from children themselves. From their sense of adventure to their individual and innate sense of style, each item of clothing captures the essence of young, contemporary fashion. Boys can expect an assortment of smart-casual pieces featuring a soft colour palette and graphic prints, while the girl’s collection will include plenty of lace, vintage-inspired florals and pompom trims.
From £22, angelandrocket.com
Spellbinding Sleep
Bear Necessities
The Baby Cot Shop’s bespoke range of fairy tale cots and bunk beds are sure to make any new arrival in your life feel like royalty. For a truly magical sleep look no further than the beautiful Cinderella Cot (fairy godmother not included). But if you really feel like splashing out, then opt for a bespoke castle bunk fit for a king. Complete with gold-tipped turrets, castle doors and ample storage space, you can guarantee that you won’t find beds like this anywhere else.
Tired of an endless sea of pinks and blues, Leanne Mckeever and Ruth Cozens were inspired to create quirkier alternatives to the children’s homeware selections already on the market. Their newest enterprise Tobias & the Bear offers stylish bedding for boys (and tomboys) featuring futuristic animal designs and bold contemporary colours. We love the fox print cushions, but the geometric elephants are spot on too.
POA, thebabycotshop.com
From £12, notonthehighstreet.com
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health&fitness
health & fitness TAKING SHAPE Whether you’re a seasoned gym bunny, or you just enjoy looking like you could be, Rebecca Minkoff’s debut ‘Athleisure’ collection covers all the style and performance bases. Opt for dark grey spandex, dazzling metallics and black neoprene for a monochrome workout palette, or slouchy miniskirts, sweatshirt dresses and statement jackets, complete with leather trims and reflective silver foil, for a sporty day-to-night look. Having made a name for herself with the famed Morning After Bag, it’s fair to say that nobody does transitionwear quite like Minkoff.
From £40, available from June rebeccaminkoff.com
GREEN PARTY Your shelves may already be heaving under the spiralized weight of ‘health food made pretty’ cookbooks, but here’s one more to add to the pile. Known for her nose-to-tail meat ethos, chef and restaurateur April Bloomfield has now turned her attention to “perfectly sweet peas” and “bright bunches of radishes” for her new summer cookbook, A Girl and Her Greens. Indulge in Swiss chard cannelloni, roasted onions with sage pesto, kale polenta and roast leek crumble for veggiecentric entertaining ideas, as well as an array of more carnivorous treats. To quote her biggest fan – none other than Jamie Oliver – “This chick cooks like a ninja”.
£25 hardback, canongate.tv
mind the bump The first brand that comes to mind when thinking about soothing oils is Aromatherapy Associates: but not everyone is au fait with the Knightsbridge boutique and treatment parlour, where we have discovered a maternity massage to relieve even those with the biggest of bumps. Choose between three scented oils, each safely formulated to be used during pregnancy, for a treatment that nourishes and cares for your expanding skin, while also relieving stress and tension. End one of the most heavenly hours of your life with a relaxing and rejuvenating scalp and facial massage. Then happily clasp your takeaway pot of revitalising rose oil as you get to take a little bit of the ‘me’ time home with you.
Ultimate Rose Pregnancy Massage, £90 for 60 minutes 5 Montpelier Street, SW7
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health promotion
Calling
the Shots With Wimbledon on the horizon, Mr Giuseppe Sforza, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Wellington Hospital, discusses tennis related shoulder injuries and how to prevent them Modern tennis has evolved from the days of wooden rackets to the current fast-paced sport that relies on power, strength and speed. Playing tennis involves powerful, repetitive movements, which put added pressure on your musculoskeletal system and increase your risk of acute and overuse injuries.
coordination and motion between them. Problems with your back, hip and abdominal muscles can result in injuries in your shoulders and elbows. • Equipment – follow professional advice to choose the best materials and technology for you.
Shoulder injuries are the second most common complaint after elbow injuries (20 per cent) and account for 15 per cent of injuries in When a tennis player develops a shoulder problem, there recreational athletes. In most cases, problems are caused are several surgical techniques that can be used to by overuse, which can lead to tendon degeneration, treat common injuries such as cartilage damage or meet the whereas in lower limbs, acute injuries such as a rotator cuff tendon tears. Cartilage damage can specialist sprained ankles are more prevalent. occur when a huge strain is applied to the biceps Mr Giuseppe Sforza MD is a Consultant muscle and the tendon attaching it to your joint Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Wellington As the sport has become more competitive, socket. The cartilage can be repaired with Hospital in St John’s Wood intensive training begins at a younger age, sutures and anchored into the bone to allow He has worked at hospitals around the UK and and continues for longer. Combined with the for good healing amongst younger players. Italy and is a member of the European Society introduction of different surfaces the sport is of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery played on, this has increased the risk of shoulder When rotator cuff tendons stop functioning, His special interests include shoulder, elbow injuries in both amateur and professional players. it causes a conflict with the joint, resulting in and wrist surgery, sports injuries and severe pain and weakness in the shoulder. In arthroscopic surgery On average, sports injuries require 30 days these cases, keyhole surgery can be performed, without competing for tennis players to heal. There allowing you to return to sports after a four to six is evidence to suggest around 50 per cent of injured month rehabilitation process. players will experience some recurrence of their symptoms if not treated adequately. The aim of the healthcare community is to continue scientific study of professional training alongside preventative fitness Taking the following steps should help prevent shoulder injuries: training, to reduce shoulder problems in tennis. This allows us to develop surgical techniques better adapted for the treatment of • Warm up for more than 10 minutes – jogging and sport-specific professional and amateur tennis players. movements like side steps and forward-back runs are a good start. • Stretching on a regular basis increases the range of motion and flexibility of your joints, allowing greater movement and decreasing the risk of injury caused by stiff muscles and joints. Stretching after taking part in sports can decrease soreness and speed up recovery time. • Strengthening your muscles is important so they can support your joints, but endurance is more important. Through exercising, muscles and tendons increase in size and strength. Damage can occur if they are overused without having the opportunity to recover after exercising. • Use correct techniques to avoid straining your joints. There is a kinetic chain linking your limbs to your core muscles that transmits For further information or if you would like to arrange an appointment at The Wellington Hospital, please contact the Enquiry Helpline on 020 7483 5000 or visit thewellingtonhospital.com
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More than just a name, Snow Lepoard vodka was created to help save this beautiful creature from extinction. 15% of profits from the brand are given directly to Snow Leopard conservation projects. Award winning Snow Leopard vodka is the first luxury vodka to be made from the Spelt grain, which provides a unique and distinct, nutty fresh taste. Available from Selfridges, Hedonism Drinks and Fortnum and Mason
www.snowleopardvodka.co.uk
food&drink
wish list
WORTH ITS SALT Kicking off Selfridges’ Great British Outdoors campaign, restaurateur Des McDonald has turned his attention to one of central London’s most stylish rooftops for the third time running. Inspired by a Cornish fishing village, On the Roof with Vintage Salt is offering punters an open-air seaside dining experience throughout the summer, complete with a wooden beach hut bar, deckchairs and contemporary art. An array of fish and seafood dishes cover Jersey rock oysters, Camden Hells fish and chips and smoked haddock kedgeree, while quirky desserts include a chocolate burger and a Vintage Salt cigar. Monitor the capital’s elements with a daily forecast printed straight onto the menu, so you can choose to weather the storm inside or outside.
Selfridges Rooftop, 400 Oxford Street, W1A
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Foodie favourites A TRUFFLING MATTER If your taste buds have ever had the good fortune of being taken to trufflecentric restaurant Tartufi & Friends while travelling in Rome or Milan, then they’ll already be tingling at the news of this new opening on the lower ground floor of Harrods. Serving everything from beef tartare with quail eggs and fresh truffle, to mildly flavoured Martinis and cleverly infused ice cream, you can also purchase a range of branded goods, including white truffle olive oil, chocolates, honeys and salts.
87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X
PARLOUR GAMES
HUNTER GATHERER Named after the 1950s dialling code for Marylebone, Hunter 486, located within boutique hotel The Arch London, is fighting for a place on the foodie map with a brand new menu curated by head chef Gary Durrant and award-winning food writer and broadcaster Henrietta Green. Inspired by best of British recipes, diners can expect the likes of crispy oxtail salad with horseradish; potted duck with fruit chutney and sourdough; and peppered loin of venison with beetroot puree, as well as a range of specialist dishes served steaming hot from the stone oven.
50 Great Cumberland Place, W1H
If you’re racking your brain for the ultimate Sunday afternoon pub, then allow us to suggest Parlour, which is owned and run by Jesse Dunford Wood. Aside from housing a cracking beer garden with wooden booths and heaters for those chillier summer evenings, the food, drink and service offering really is second to none. Begin with piping hot soda bread straight from the oven (which tastes more like cake) followed by chestnut hummus and McTucky’s popcorn chicken nuggets, with cow pie or chicken kyiv for mains. Importantly, follow our lead and save room for one of the fantastical desserts: a toasted marshmallow Wagon Wheel, an arctic roll, or a DIY Eton ‘tidy’.
5 Regent Street, NW10
IN GOOD TASTE A stalwart of the culinary calendar, Taste of London will this year embrace a ‘flavours of the world’ theme, encompassing modern British cook Marcus Wareing, Le Gavroche’s Monica Galetti and Indian food pioneer Atul Kochhar. Add to the mix Nuno Mendes (of Chiltern Firehouse fame), The Palomar, Lima Floral and L’Anima, and you could be eating your way around the capital’s best restaurants with just a single booking.
17-21 June, Regent’s Park, NW1
food&drink
Restaurant Review
The top table
I
Lauren Romano meets the chef behind the menu at 108 Brasserie’s Table Nine
n an age of no reservations, having a favourite table at a restaurant is a bit redundant. After standing in a mile-long queue or having to settle for dinner at either 5.30pm or after 10pm, getting a spot on the edge of a communal bench in direct collision course with waiters precariously balancing bowls of scalding soup from the kitchen feels like a small victory. Thankfully, over on Marylebone Lane, 108 Brasserie not only takes bookings for a particular time, but from this month it lets you select a seat at Table Nine, AKA the Chef’s Table. The table, which actually seats eight, is overseen by executive chef Russell Ford, who appears from the kitchen to announce each course and answer any questions the diners may have. The scenario sounds like a MasterChef episode where contestants with unmopped brows flap about perfecting foams for scrutiny by a waiting table of professionals, which is pretty much the full picture, except here, you are the judge. Russell emerges from the kitchen all smiles, his tea towel still tucked into his apron like a trusty talisman. Here is a man with a lot on his plate; as well as overseeing the regular eats at the all-day dining venture, which opened toward the end of last year after an extensive refurbishment, this latest concept offers a number of tasting menus. Three courses start at £45, but for £120, you can go all out with a fivecourse menu that comes with wine pairings. For the sake of research, we took the latter. Table Nine is usually reserved for private dining parties, however, tonight protocol is out of the window and three pairs of complete strangers have been invited. As everyone starts sizing up the group, furtively sniffing out any potential evangelical ‘the spiraliser changed my life’ types, the starter proves to be a bit of an ice-breaker – as is the English Nyetimber Classic Cuvée NV. A poached black-headed gull’s egg marooned in a miniature bowl of grass-green watercress soup arrives,
and Russell talks us through the provenance. Gathered by licensed collectors, or ‘eggers’, who keep the locations of the nests a closely guarded secret, the gull’s egg is the most expensive avian variety you can buy and is considered something of a delicacy. Speaking as someone whose head has more than once been a target for winged seaside menaces, I can’t say the thought of
It’s richer than a hen’s egg and is complemented with slivers of smoked haddock eating a gull’s egg is particularly appealing, but it’s actually rather pleasant, and erupts like a creamy yolk fondant when prodded with a spoon. It’s a richer taste than your average hen’s egg and is well complemented with slivers of smoked haddock. Seared yellow fin tuna is up next surrounded by a neat grid of East Sussex heirloom tomatoes, packed tightly like Lego bricks and matched with a deliciously crisp Domaine Chotard Sancerre. By course three, chef Ford still looks
unflappable, arriving to introduce a beautiful plate of roasted line-caught sea bass with seared Isle of Skye scallop, with ‘sea vegetables’ and shellfish sauce. The hoki-coki continues with my highlight of the evening, a medley of new season Cornish lamb (rack, sirloin and breast) with peas, broad beans and wild garlic. The cuts are tender and melt in the mouth, but I personally find the Lo Zoccolaio Domini Villa Lanata Barolo too spicy an accompaniment to such rich, bold flavours. Come dessert, it takes restraint to avoid shoving a whole crisp homemade doughnut into my mouth before Russell has even finished his blurb. The stodgy pillows are accompanied by a seasonal Yorkshire rhubarb, custard and sorbet. I’m merry enough at this point to follow the recommendation of a Balvenie 12-year DoubleWood whisky to accompany the cheese board. I have never been a whisky lover and, sadly, even served alongside the best cheddar I have ever tasted (Keen’s) and an obscene amount of potent Cote Hill Blue smeared on crackers, my mind isn’t changed. Round up friends, colleagues, or seven strangers and take them to Table Nine; it is, after all, the best seat in the house. n
108 Marylebone Lane, W1U For Table Nine bookings call 020 7969 3900; 108brasserie.com
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grapevine heard it on the Chris Campbell
Bankers turned wine makers; it’s a career trajectory that would barely raise an eyebrow in the Square Mile today, but back in 1853 when Nathaniel de Rothschild bought a vineyard, it was arguably a more avant-garde move. Lauren Romano traces the family’s link with Bordeaux’s most famous wines to Buckinghamshire where she enjoys a glass of Caro in the cellars at Waddesdon Manor
food&drink Main image: The south side of Waddesdon Manor Below: Lafite, 2015; Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (Rothschild Family Trusts) © Joana Vasconcelos. Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor
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hat does a country manor house in the Home Counties have to do with a couple of the most prestigious premier cru classified vineyards in south-western France? It’s a question I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of while poring over the Rothschild family tree on my train journey from Marylebone to leafy Aylesbury. I’ll keep the back story brief: The Rothschild family’s fortune began in Frankfurt’s Jewish ghetto when Mayer Amschel Rothschild sent his five sons out to make their mark on the financial capitals of the world. From Vienna to Paris, London and Naples, the brothers formed an unshakeable European banking conglomerate and became immeasurably wealthy and successful. They also acquired a taste for the finer things in life and earned international fame as the greatest art collectors of the 19th century. Then in 1853, at the height of the family’s power and influence throughout Europe, Nathaniel de Rothschild decided to take a break from crunching numbers to crushing grapes. He bought the established Château Brane-Mouton in the Haut-Médoc region, which he renamed Château Mouton Rothschild. The Rothschild winemaking credentials were cemented in 1868 when his cousin Baron James bought the adjoining Château Lafite, ranked in first place among the ‘big four’ famous Bordeaux wines. Both have since been passed down through the family, and more recently other vineyards – on the continent and further afield – have been added to the prestigious portfolio, including Château Clarke, established by Baron Edmond in 1973. Cue Waddesdon Manor. Built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 1870s as a rural weekend retreat, the turreted French Renaissance-style abode is now run by the National Trust in collaboration with the family. Some 380,000 visitors a year come to explore the impressive art collections displayed throughout the house and grounds, including the estate’s latest commission, a pair of seven-metre tall candlesticks made by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos out of empty Château Lafite Rothschild magnum bottles. And there are plenty more where those came from down in the cellars. “It’s a question of provenance,” CEO of Waddesdon Wine – Rothschild Collection Chris Campbell explains as my eyes adjust to the low lighting. “Waddesdon Manor is the only official importer of the entire Rothschild Collection. All our customers know that the wines they buy from us here and through our wine shop have come directly from a Rothschild estate.
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We can absolutely guarantee origin and quality,” he affirms, not that I need much assurance on that score. I’ve heard that HM the Queen is partial to a Rothschild tipple and that the family-owned vineyards pique palates from Buckingham Palace to Michelinstarred restaurants. Modelled on the private cellars at the prestigious Château Lafite Rothschild, the space holds an impressive catalogue of more than 15,000 bottles produced over the last 150 years. Precious historic collections are also found lining the carefully stacked shelves, including Lafite vintages from 1868. “I think the elitist connotations that come with appreciating fine wines are gradually being dispelled,” Chris says as we admire a signed bottle served at a party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne. “The explosion of the food and drink industry is making it an exciting time.” Some of the most prized bottles stored here might have a couple of zeros too many on the price tag for the average enthusiast (some can fetch up to £1,000), but the large collection of varietals, many served in gastro pubs and bistro chains, are much more accessible and Chris is an
advocate of drinking what you enjoy, which doesn’t necessarily mean opting for the most expensive bottle. Although I’m the kind of person who when asked what my favourite wine is replies, “um, red?”, Chris is, thankfully, undeterred. “I don’t know what my favourite is either,” he confesses. “It changes all the time and there’s always so much more to try.” Getting into the spirit of things, he cracks open a bottle of Château Coutet, Opalie, 2012, without a hint of ceremony, before adding matter-of-factly: “You’re the first person in the UK to try this.” No pressure then. “Wine is supposed to be enjoyed,” he says with a mischievous smile, as I get tongue-tied trying to find adjectives other than “crisp” and “nice” to describe it. “I’m starting to collect myself,” Chris reveals,” but every year my wife and I throw a party at Christmas for our neighbours and friends and we always crack open a few cases. “It’s funny because although the Rothschild vineyards produce some of the most exquisite – not to mention expensive wines – there is a quiet confidence to the wine makers, particularly at Château Lafite. There aren’t any airs and graces; the team will greet you in their work clothes rather than stand on ceremony.
“I think the elitist connotations that come with appreciating fine wines are gradually being dispelled”
food&drink
Clockwise from left: The Waddesdon wine cellars house Lord Rothschild’s private collection of 15,000 bottles of rare vintage wine dating back to 1870; the Rothschild family archive housed in the converted dairy barn at Windmill Hill
I’ve been to concerts down in the cellars at Lafite, where you can enjoy a glass while propping up the barrels to listen to a classical recital. They say the music helps imbue the wine with culture and passion,” Chris laughs. Inheriting the legacies of such historic vineyards is a heavy burden to shoulder, but both have always been forward thinking. A reminder of this comes from the label artwork running along a wall of the cellars. During the Second World War a German garrison was stationed for the entire length of the occupation at Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild. The Rothschild family properties were confiscated and placed under public administration. It is ironic perhaps that in spite of this international turmoil, 1945 turned out to be a stellar growth. In fact, Mouton Rothschild 1945 has since become the world’s most expensive wine after a lot of 12 bottles went for $290,000 at a Christie’s auction in Beverley Hills. To celebrate the allied victory and his return to his estate, Baron Philippe asked artist Philippe Jullian to illustrate the Mouton Rothschild label with a V for Victory symbol. Ever since, a contemporary artist has been
commissioned to create a label for each vintage, and among the framed collection I spot the penmanship of Picasso, Miró and Bacon. But the Rothschild’s were ever ahead of the times. Inside the manor, the extraordinary collection of art and furniture encompasses priceless Francesco Guardi paintings, Savonneries carpets, including one initially made for the Long Gallery in the Louvre and Sèvres porcelain, while pieces of contemporary art are dotted around the 6,000 acre estate as part of a programme developed at the request of the current Lord Rothschild. A large-scale, post-box red carriage by Xavier Veilhan catches my attention, charging through a flowerbed, while Sarah Lucas’ Perceval, a life-size Suffolk Punch sculpture tugging a cart of marrows, appears on the horizon as we approach the Rothschild Foundation at Windmill Hill. A renovated dairy farm that houses the family archives, it looks like the sort of modern building you might find nestled in the sundrenched hills of Hollywood. “The family has always been about changing the status quo, whether that was in the 1870s or today,” Chris remarks as I ask what the future holds. A Tracey Emin in the state bedroom or Damien Hirst designing wine lables? Who knows. The Rothschild’s like to keep everyone guessing. n
waddesdon.org.uk
NEED TO KNOW Waddesdon Manor‘s new food festival Feast takes place 20-21 June from 10am-5pm. Inspired by Ferdinand de Rothschild’s Baron’s Treat, guests can take their place at the 150-seater table with a picnic or pick their lunch from a range of artisanal food stalls. There will also be a number of theatrical acts ready to entertain. Visit waddesdon.org.uk for further information and to book tickets. Informal and formal wine tasting sessions with the Master of Wine at the manor’s cellars can be arranged for up to 60 guests. Packages start from £1,000. For more information email events.waddesdon@nationaltrust.org.uk or call 01296 653294
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CLIFFTOP CALM If you’re in pursuit of guaranteed sunshine, the Algarve in Portugal can boast of more than 300 sunny days annually. Just 35 minutes by car from Faro airport is Vila Vita Parc, in a prime clifftop location with panoramic sea views and access to a secluded beach. Across the resort are 180 rooms, suites and villas, many of which are newly renovated, and you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to wining and dining; there are eight restaurants, including the two Michelinstarred Ocean restaurant, six bars and a wine cellar. Adventurous types can sail (on the hotel’s 72-foot yacht, available for private charter), golf, bike or swim, while spa junkies can enjoy treatments by celebrity podiatrist Margaret Dabbs and the Hypoxi studio.
Monarch operates flights to Faro from London Gatwick and London Luton monarch.co.uk; vilavitaparc.com
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TRAVEL in style HOT SPOT in June
Stockholm, Sweden Raise a toast to the lighter evenings at the Swedish pagan festival of Midsommar Schnapps, pickled herring and a dance around the maypole: the swedes definitely know how to throw a party and the celebration of the summer solstice, which falls on 19 June, is the nation’s liveliest public holiday. Stockholm’s huge open-air museum Skansen pulls out all the stops for the occasion with traditional festivities, costumes (think pinafores, knee britches and flower crowns) and folk music continuing well into the night. The sun doesn’t usually set until 10pm, so pack a picnic to soak up all the fruit-flavoured liquor before heading to the city centre to catch an open-air concert and browse the stalls lining the waterfront. For a boutique crash pad a stroll away from the chic Stureplan district and the characteristic old town (the Gamla Stan), the Ett Hem hotel has every creature comfort you could need after a long evening of revelry. With just 12 rooms and suites to choose from, visitors will feel as though they have the entire Arts and Crafts residence at their disposal. There’s also a spa, a library and a garden, so you can recover in peace, before sitting around the kitchen table to sample the delights of the daily changing menu which specialises in using local ingredients.
From £298 a night for a double deluxe room; etthem.se, slh.com
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Wide blue yonder With New Zealand hosting the FIFA U-20 World Cup this month (30 May – 20 June) what better excuse do you need to visit? Hire a car and explore to your heart’s content, but always factor in extra journey time because every ‘scenic attraction’ is staggeringly beautiful. In the North Island, explore urban Auckland, hit the beach on the Coromandel Peninsula, pose in front of hobbit holes in Matamata and bungy into a canyon in Taihape, before taking the ferry to the South Island. There, marvel at turquoise lakes, trek to the highest point in Queenstown for the best view of lightning-shaped Lake Wakatipu and be blown away by the West Coast’s glaciers and Mount Cook. Photography © Zain Hirani
newzealand.com
The more the meze Recently opened on the Greek Halkidiki peninsula, Ikos Oceania resort offers the best of both worlds: relaxation and exploration. Waiter service to your sun lounger and the string of on-site restaurants serving Pan Asian, Italian and French cuisines will appeal to those who want to fly and flop, while visitors hoping to get some local flavour are pointed in the direction of the best Greek cuisine as part of a dine-out experience. With Mount Athos and the caves of Petralona on the doorstep, there’s plenty to explore, as well as eat, outside of the resort too.
Rooms from £235 a night; ikosresorts.com/oceania
A dip by the Duomo
winter Sun and spa winners
SHORT HAUL
Sixth sense Characterful Andalusian bolt hole Puente Romano Beach Resort in Marbella will be adding to its relaxation potential when its new ocean-front spa opens this month. The Six Senses Spa will offer wellness retreats for guests who want to make the most of the hydrotherapy pool, heat and ice showers and herbal steam room. Set in a traditional whitewashed building, the blue-tiled interior has a number of treatment rooms where a range of natural products from The Organic Pharmacy will be used in signature massages and facials.
From £190 a night; puenteromano.com
LONG HAUL
Take the plunge With suites that appear to float in the air above the sea, a mangrove junglecum-wildlife sanctuary and oceanfront infinity pools, the set-up at the Hyatt Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is attuned to rest and relaxation. Scheduled to open this month, the hotel will also include a Cenote-inspired spa, complete with a series of distinctive natural swimming pits often found on this part of the Yucatán Peninsula. The treatment menu reflects the natural surroundings with restorative Mayan massages and alternative healing therapies.
From £140 a night; hyattplaya.com
Not far from the gondola congested Grand Canal, JW Marriott Resort & Spa celebrates its grand opening this month from its own island, surrounded by 40 acres of immaculately manicured gardens. If the private church for weddings and the largest spa in Venice (complete with an acqua-tonic pool and a hammam) wasn’t enough, the rooftop infinity pool overlooks the lagoon to the famous St Mark’s Square, so you can sightsee between leisurely lengths of breast stroke. Meanwhile down by the water’s edge, guests can learn Venetian rowing, go sailing, or take a private boat from the dock to the historic centre in only 15 minutes.
Rooms from £285 a night including breakfast; jwmarriottvenice.com
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The lobby at Hotel d’Angleterre
The
dane
Lauren Romano heads to Copenhagen and sips her stay away in coffee shops, watching impeccably dressed Danes cycle past
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The colourful Nyhavn
“E
veryone’s just so healthy looking there,” my friend informs me on a rainy Sunday the weekend before my departure to Copenhagen. Having been to Roskilde Festival in Denmark the year before, she gives me a crash course on Nordic nationality: they are tall, they ride bikes and make exceptionally well-designed chairs. The reality isn’t far off. Arriving at the Hotel d’Angleterre thoroughly exhausted from my 5am wakeup call, my suitcase is dispensed of by a porter with the subtlety of an accomplished pickpocket and the chair I am ushered towards is sink-in comfortable. Stirring sugar into a frothy cappuccino I can’t help but notice that the floor-to-ceiling window in the restaurant looks out onto the regal Kongens Nytorv square, and, if you squint, the stretch of harbour that inspired a thousand postcards – the rainbow coloured Nyhavn. The scene is a blur of cyclists zipping by and many of them do, I can confirm, look of statuesque build. One of the oldest hotels in Europe, d’Angleterre underwent an extensive three-year refurbishment, reA superior guestroom at Hotel d’Angleterre
The breakfast buffet at Hotel d’Angleterre
opening in 2013 with 90 rooms, 60 suites and (more recently) a Michelin-starred restaurant, Marchal. The overall aesthetic emanates traditional charm and comfort. The old brass pendants hanging in the corridors have been silver coated to match the new colour scheme, and the original chandeliers in the suites, banqueting hall and ball rooms have been artfully restored. Our superior guestroom is spacious, with carpets so thick you want to kick off your slippers and skip along barefoot. The separate sitting room means plenty of space to spread out, and there’s something very selfsatisfying about snapping shut the sliding doors to the grand bathroom, with its huge shower. After another reviving shot courtesy of the Nespresso machine, we venture outside to explore. The nearby Strøget, the longest shopping street in the city, is the main arterial route and there is plenty to distract along its tributary avenues. The Danish capital is not short of quirky homeware shops, and after a quick browse I nearly walk away with a set of mottled earthenware coffee bowls, which I veto when I remember past pottery and suitcase disasters.
“The floor-to-ceiling window in the restaurant looks out onto the regal Kongens Nytorv square” Talking of coffee, Copenhagen has countless pitstops where you can linger over a cup of Joe, and most of them are decked out with the sort of angular furniture and minimalist aethetic that grace glossy magazine covers. Add to that the fact that the clientele look like they have either stumbled from a model casting, an architecture lecture or the headquarters of a cutting-edge design firm – and you’ll find the peoplewatching potential is a far cry from a London Starbucks. I fritter away countless crowns on lattes during my three-day sojourn, but my favourite place to do so is the laid back Café Paludan opposite Copenhagen cathedral. A mismatch of furniture, adorned with shabby chic upholstery is crammed into countless nooks between bookshelves of well-thumbed volumes, and visitors can swing by for all-day eats like smoked salmon and avocado on chunks of dense rye bread. Come evening we decide to avoid the crowds congregating along the waterfront at Nyhavn and the famous Tivoli amusement gardens (like a more idyllic, super-sized Winter Wonderland, minus the reindeer), and head to the lesser known neighbourhoods of Nørrebro and Vesterbro in search of real ‘local’
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hangouts. But the Danes are early eaters: if you rock up at 9pm, as we did, you might feel somewhat like you’ve missed the party. That said, it’s nice to be able to enjoy a night out which doesn’t involve queuing/booking 18 months in advance – except, of course, if you want to pull up a chair at the likes of Noma. When it comes to Michelin-starred eateries, diners are spoilt for choice. If you can’t get a seat at the world-renowned restaurant, there are another 14 to choose from. I keep things closer to home by lunching at d’Angleterre’s Marchal, which usurped Geranium as best restaurant of the year in Denmark last year. The fried zander with pearl barley risotto and lumpfish roe, and the caramel ice cream with milk snow, cooked by head chef Ronny Emborg, are works of art. I had high hopes, though, from the moment I sat down to my first breakfast at the hotel. You can tell a lot about the calibre of someone’s cooking from their eggs, and those I sample could, I suspect, give Delia a run for her money. My short stay in Copenhagen turns out to be the most relaxing city break I’ve ever been on. There are galleries, castles, a brewery and sites aplenty to see, but these don’t feel as obligatory as waiting in the hour-long queue for the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, or standing on tip-toes to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre; for the sightseer Copenhagen is a less daunting prospect. Of the places of interest we did visit, I would recommend the National Gallery of Denmark. Spanning 700 years of art from across Europe, the magnificent old museum building dates back to 1896 and boasts an impressive modernist glass extension. The Torvehallerne food market isn’t too far away either, so head there afterwards to eat cinnamon buns like a local – albeit one that will be addressed in word-perfect English by everyone you meet before you barely even open your mouth. The best way to get a real sense of the geography of the city and how it has evolved over the centuries is by boat. Guided tours take in the numerous sights dotted around Copenhagen’s shoreline. The biggest
disappointment is actually the famous Little Mermaid statue, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s legendary fairy tale, which is disappointingly small. Not even the filter-power of Instagram can make it look impressive. If you’re feeling intrepid, hop off at Christianhavn for a trip to Christiania, a kaleidoscopic hippy commune founded in 1971. For an eye-opening experience, take a walk along the community’s socalled Green Light District. The rest of Christianhaven island is a pretty grid of canals. I recommend popping into Lagkagehuset bakery to sample some traditional Danish pastries or, for something more substantial, the open sandwiches and Danish beer on offer at the quaint Rabes Have, Copenhagen’s oldest pub, make it well worth hunting out. If I had to describe the city in a nutshell, I’d veer towards laidback, but with an efficient streak. The land of Lego, Bang & Olufsen and Carlsberg has the work-life balance down to a T. Little wonder then that Copenhagen has scooped the title of most liveable city, awarded by Monocle magazine, three times. And, as I reflect on my journey to the airport – a painless 15-minute metro ride from the station, 30 seconds from the hotel – Copenhagen is the hardest (but easiest) place to leave. n
NEED TO KNOW Rooms start from £290 per night for a deluxe guestroom and include breakfast +45 3312 0095; dangleterre.com; lhw.com For more information about Copenhagen, visit visitcopenhagen.com If you plan on visiting lots of attractions, get a Copenhagen Card which gives you free admission to 75 museums and sights, as well as metro, train and bus travel within greater Copenhagen, copenhagencard.com
ChalLeng
yo ursElf to be n
Iro nma Public entry is now sold out across all UK Ironman events but you can still get your hands on a place with Macmillan. Ensure you are on the start line and sign up for a place today. The extreme challenge consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and a 26.2 mile run. Not sure you are quite ready for an Ironman event yet? If not, Macmillan has places in two Ironman 70.3 events – that’s half the distance. Every stroke, pedal and step you can will help to ensure no one has to face cancer alone.
For more information and to join Team Macmillan visit macmillan.org.uk/ironman
Ironman Ironman Ironman Ironman
70.3 Staffordshire 14 June 2015 70.3 UK Exmoor 28 June 2015 UK 19 July 2015 Wales 13 September 2015
Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604).
Sand dunes
skyscrapers Karen Bowerman marvels at folklore tales in the desert and has tea in the highest building on earth in Dubai
Above: The view of the desert oasis from Al Maha boutique hotel Far right: The bar terrace at Al Maha
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here was once a place in the desert where water rose from the sand in an endless spring. It was, people said, the spring of life. People called it Al Maha,” my host Mira tells me gently, pausing to offer me some gahwa (Arabic coffee). Pouring it from a height with a discreet flourish and just the hint of a smile, I watch as she tilts the slender, ornate pot so that its silver, beak-like spout rests over a tiny cup balancing in her palm. “Here, take it,” she urges, as the dark, aromatic brew reaches the rim. “It's a Bedouin greeting, so you must accept.” We don’t need much persuading to carry our coffee through the courtyard to the majilis, a room traditionally reserved for entertaining guests, where, above rows of red and yellow cushions, ceremonial swords arch across whitewashed walls. Mira is momentarily distracted, pointing out a coarsely-woven rug of camel hair, patterned with triangles and dyed with ochre and crushed nuts. Some 250 years ago it wound its way round ghaf trees (the national tree of Dubai) to form the sides of a Bedouin tent, I learn. “It's incredible when you think about it,” she says. “Despite the searing heat, people were still compelled to beautify their environment.
“Al Maha was a wonderful place, named after the Arabian Oryx that used to live in the dunes,” she continues, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “But a selfish man diverted the water, the spring was lost and the oryx disappeared.” I can’t help but smile at the sobering tale, or indeed the unlikely set of circumstances: here, at Al Maha, a boutique hotel in the only oasis in the Dubai desert, a Croatian is telling a Brit about the legends and customs of the Arabs. Then again, maybe my introduction to the country is perfectly apt,
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The Bedouin Suite at Al Maha
Arabian Oryx
given that Dubai is such a multi-cultural society these days, and, I soon discover over the course of my trip, a land of the unexpected, the extraordinary and the extreme. With all the bling that entails. My first night passes in a whirl at the luxurious Jumeirah Emirates Towers. Never before have I been lost in a hotel suite. Doors seem to lead everywhere (my favourite opens onto a sunken bath set at skyline level); I am Alice in my own wonderland. From my day bed, amid a canopy of skyscrapers, I spy the offices of his highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (the ruler of Dubai and vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates) on my left, and his royal stables on my right, while Tom Cruise (who filmed Mission Impossible IV in the city) has stayed on the neighbouring floor. “Cruise ran past us a thousand times” the manager of Al Nafoorah, the hotel's Lebanese restaurant, reveals as we chat in the Towers’ boulevard, where designer stores offer bejewelled antiques and gold-plated iPads. I’m curious to know if he regularly spots stars, but he shakes his head, telling me it’s too difficult. “Everyone’s famous here,” he laments, “so everyone blends in”.
At.mosphere Lounge
The nights are even more spectacular since nature choreographs the show On his recommendation I set out on my own mission impossible, to see as much as possible, until someone else helpfully suggests high tea at At.mosphere at the Burj Khalifa. At 2,722 feet high, it's the tallest building on earth. Over mini tartlets and macaroons shaped like perfume bottles with hazelnut stoppers flecked with real gold, I have a chance to take in the vast, sun-bleached city, which looks as if it is waiting to be coloured in. Pinnacles the height of my Champagne flute rise out of the heat, like the towers of a gothic castle emerging from the mist in a fairy tale. The Arabian Gulf is a splash of silver, the sky a sweep of blue. But the best view of all is at dusk, when tiny lights on the skyscrapers start blinking, each to their own rhythmic beat, as if the entire city is pumping out an unfathomable Morse code. At Al Maha, an hour's drive away, the nights are even more spectacular since nature choreographs the show, packing the sky with millions of stars that glitter over the floodlit watering hole and the burning torches of the terrace. This is the other side of Dubai – secluded,
The conical lift at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers
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This image: Al Diwaan restaurant at Al Maha Below: The Royal Suite
soothing and relaxing; a cluster of luxurious suites, each with its own pool, in the deep orange sands of the desert. I wake up every morning to bee-eaters flitting through the oasis, gazelles grazing, butterflies tumbling and a mynah bird with bright yellow eyeliner holding court on the decking outside. By noon, the desert seems to sleep, but even in slumber shadows sculpt the sand, spiny-tailed lizards pattern it with tracks, or a momentary shower, fine and warm, sends a handful of grains rolling delicately down the dunes like tiny russet ball bearings. When I take shelter one afternoon under the prickly branches of a fire bush, I am joined by an odd-looking insect with a peppermint coloured head and a crazily striped abdomen. Moments later, as the wind sweeps across the plains, mimicking the sound of the sea, a couple of white dots appear on the horizon. I’m told that it is the oryx that the desert had lost, but that Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (the uncle of the ruler of Dubai) has introduced again. Sheikh Ahmed built Al Maha, and the presidential suite now favoured by John Travolta and Naomi
Campbell was once the royal family’s holiday home. I am surprised to discover that my Bedouin suite is almost as grand, with its richly woven rugs, deep chaise longues and antiques from the royal collection. Admittedly, I don’t have a courtyard, servants' quarters, or indeed servants for that matter, but I do have my own butler, Alvin, and field guide, Darren, so arranging any activities (falconry, horse riding and camel treks) is a breeze. And then, of course, I have Mira, with her daily offer of coffee and the final twist to the Al Maha tale. On my last morning she tells me that generations later, when hope was lost, the oasis was rediscovered and the oryx returned. Today, the symbol of Al Maha plods contentedly through the desert, with spear-like horns and a bit of a bulge in its belly. “The Sheikh gets us to feed them,” Darren says, as we spot a herd one evening. “He doesn't want to lose them again.” n
NEED TO KNOW Al Maha Resort & Spa: Bedouin suite from £460 per night. A choice of two activities is included per person, per night. Activities include archery, falconry, camel trekking, nature walks and guided jeep tours, al-maha.com Jumeirah Emirates Towers: Chopard Ladies room from £160 per night, jumeirah.com At.mosphere at Burj Khalifa: Champagne tea from around £60 per head, atmopshereburjkhalifa.com For more information on Dubai visit definitelydubai.com
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Property Listings See below for estate agents in your area
Arlington Residential 8 Wellington Road NW8 9SP 020 7722 3322 arlingtonresidential.co.uk
Hanover Residential 102 St John’s Wood Terrace NW8 6PL 020 7722 2223
Laurence Leigh 60 Queens Grove NW8 6ER 020 7483 0101 laurenceleigh.com
49 Welbeck Street W1G 9XN 020 8128 0675 hanover-residential.com
Marsh & Parsons 35 Maida Vale W9 1TP 020 7368 4458
Aston Chase 69 / 71 Park Road NW1 6XU 020 7724 4724 astonchase.com
Globe Apartments 45 Chiltern Street London W1U 6LU 020 7034 3430 globeapt.com
RUNWILD MEDIA GROUP
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91 Salusbury Road NW6 6NH 020 7624 4513 marshandparsons.co.uk
Knight Frank 5-7 Wellington Place NW8 7PB 020 7586 2777
Parkheath 208 Haverstock Hill NW3 2AG 020 7431 1234
79-81 Heath Street NW3 6UG 020 7431 8686
8a Canfield Gardens NW6 3BS 020 7625 4567
55 Baker Street W1U 8EW 020 3435 6440
192 West End Lane NW6 1SG 020 7794 7111
60 Salusbury Road NW6 6NP 020 3815 3020 Unit 49
148 Kentish Town Road NW1 9QB 020 7485 0400 parkheath.com
Savills 7 Perrin’s Court NW3 1QS 020 7472 5000 15 St John’s Wood High Street NW8 7NG 020 3043 3600 savills.co.uk
savills.co.uk
Hamptons International 99 St John’s Wood Terrace NW8 6PL 020 7717 5319 21 Heath Street NW3 6TR 020 7717 5301 hamptons.co.uk
ian green residential 28 De Walden House Allitsen Road, NW8 020 7586 1000 iangreenresidential.com
PHILLIPS HARROD 85-87 Bayham Street NW1 OAG 020 71234 152 info@phillipsharrod.com
TK International 16-20 Heath Street NW3 6TE 020 7794 8700 t-k.co.uk
55 Baker Street London W1U 8EW 020 3435 6440 knightfrank.co.uk
If you would like to appear within the property pages of VANTAGE, contact Friday Dalrymple, property manager, on 020 7987 4320 or f.dalrymple@runwildgroup.co.uk
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With 17 years’ experience selling properties in northwest London, Daniel Daggers, partner in Knight Frank’s St John’s Wood office, explains how his local knowledge benefits high-net-worth individuals looking for a property
n my time at Knight Frank I’ve managed a billion pounds’ worth of transactions,” Daniel Daggers, partner in the Prime Central London Team begins. “I started off selling studio flats and now I’m involved in transactions worth millions across the globe.” It’s a bold introduction, but after almost two decades selling properties in north-west London, his experience is definitely not in dispute. And from this month Daniel will be adding a new string to his bow when he joins the ranks of Knight Frank’s Prime Central London Team, or PCLT, which helps match both domestic and international high-net-worth individuals with their perfect home. Daniel isn’t boasting when he says he has access to the highest calibre of property in London either; the 15,600 sq ft Hampstead home that he is currently marketing is compelling proof. “This floor is 5,500 sq ft alone,” he says, from a cream leather armchair in the palatial drawing room. “I’m not sure that you’d find another house in central London with this amount of lateral living on one floor. I can definitely see a super-prime central London buyer coming here and being blown away by this. Initially they might not have considered living in Hampstead, but it’s only a 20 minute drive from Mayfair,” he says. Daniel’s new role will see him collaborate with two other Knight Frank partners, Richard Cutt and Tim Wright; “the dream team” as he puts it. The strategy is simple: to help super-prime buyers find the right property or investment. Daniel explains that after the credit crunch hit, Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2015 revealed that highnet-worth buyers were still attracted to the capital where they continued to focus their property searches in the traditionally attractive postcodes of SW7 and SW3. However, a lack of developers in the marketplace at the time meant that there was limited stock that met these buyers’ ‘turn-key’ requirements. “People naturally had to migrate out of these neighbourhoods
and this became a regular occurrence,” Daniel explains. “We decided that we would act as a conduit for these clients and give them a service whereby they would be able to source the right property and not just the right location – in other words we wanted to start a more product specific search tool. Over the past six years we have seen buyers’ wants evolve from location specific to product driven.” With a proven track record within the north-west London market, Daniel naturally gravitates to the leafy enclaves of Hampstead, Regent’s Park and St John’s Wood and points his high-net-worth buyers in that direction too. “The USP here is that it’s a neighbourhood in central London where you can buy a detached house, with a driveway and a garden,” he elaborates. “Lots of our buyers are new to the capital, so we want to show them what else is on offer. And that’s where I come in.” Over the last five years the international market in London has thrived and the number of transactions over £10 million has increased. Knight Frank’s global reach means that the agency is more than equipped to offer its services to an increasingly international audience. From Monaco to Miami, Daniel’s business as a global partner takes him all over the world. “We have expanded our reach in the USA with our new partners, Douglas Elliman Fine Homes, which enables us access to both buyers and sellers from the US. The Knight Frank Wealth Report says that New York and London are two global hubs for high-net-worth individuals, so if we have a foot in each camp, then we have a far better chance of working with the key people. It’s an exciting time.” This month also sees the launch of Knight Frank’s Wealth Report in LA and demonstrates the company’s continued focus to expanding its reach abroad. But while Daniel stresses that many of his clients do have multiple interests in different countries, a lot of domestic clients looking to sell their properties in north-west London want an international reach too.
“Lots of our buyers are new to the capital, so we want to show them what else is on offer”
property Photography © Sarel Jansen
“I took a call from clients who have an awesome lateral apartment. They weren’t only interested in what Knight Frank’s local office was able to give but what we would be able to offer them globally; they want the right pool of buyers to get the best result. “London is such a vibrant city and we get to meet the most interesting people and see the best properties,” he enthuses. And he has seen some amazing things, from in-house bowling alleys to shark tanks. “A steady number of Asian buyers have also been dipping their toe in the water here,” he adds, revealing that he has recently been involved with two transactions in north London for buyers worth a total of £40 million. “We have seen an increased demand for basement car show rooms and karaoke rooms so I predict that media suites will no longer just be about a cinema. Nothing amazes me anymore!” The allure of north-west London is proving strong, and Daniel has seduced several buyers previously looking for homes in Belgravia and Mayfair to the charms of St John’s Wood in the past 12 months. “You can’t escape me,” he jokes. “I’m on call 24 hours a day because it’s such an international market place. I’m dealing with Asian buyers in the mornings, Americans in the evening and then of course, the Brits are very active at the moment too,” he smiles. He might be working round the world and around the clock, but I doubt he’d want it any other way. n
5-7 Wellington Place, NW8, 020 7586 2777, knightfrank.co.uk
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Kingswood Avenue, Queen's Park NW6 Six bedroom house for sale A rare opportunity to buy a traditional six bedroom house with garden on a highly desirable tree lined street in the heart of Queen's Park. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom, 5 further bedrooms (2 with en suite bathrooms), guest cloakroom, 2 reception rooms, kitchen, study, play room, utility room and garden. EPC: D. Approximately 267 sq m (2,883 sq ft). Freehold
Guide price: £3,495,000 KnightFrank.co.uk/QPK150007
KnightFrank.co.uk/queenspark queenspark@knightfrank.com 020 3815 3020
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
Vantage - June - Queen's Park
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Chevening Road, Queen's Park NW6 Five bedroom terraced house for sale A beautifully presented house in immaculate condition on a highly desirable road in Queen's Park. The property benefits from 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 receptions, open plan kitchen with dining area, play room, utility room and large a garden. EPC: D. Approximately 258 sq m (2,785 sq ft). Freehold
Guide price: £2,800,000
KnightFrank.co.uk/queenspark queenspark@knightfrank.com 020 3815 3020
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/QPK150021
Vantage - June - Queen's Park
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Hamilton Terrace, St John's Wood NW8 Beautiful family home with an extensive garden The house is situated on one of the most sought after roads in St John's Wood. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathroms, draeing room, double reception room, dining room, kitchen, family room, music room, balcony, courtyard, summer house. EPC: D. Approximately 271.1 sq m (2,929 sq ft) including summer house. Freehold
Guide price: £4,995,000
KnightFrank.co.uk/st-johns-wood stjohnswood@knightfrank.com 020 7586 2777
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/SJW140276
11 Hamilton Terrace - Vantage May 2015
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Randolph Road, Little Venice W9 Detached house in Little Venice An exceptional, discreet, low built, detached house built circa 1929 by the respected Scottish architect, Charles Stanley Peach. Peach was famed for his highly elaborate industrial architecture. His character has been optimised here to create a unique and magnificent family home. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room, 4 - 5 further bedrooms (2 with en suite bathrooms) family bathroom, kitchen/breakfast room, 3 reception rooms, swimming pool, gym, steam room, garden, garage. EPC: D. Approximately 560 sq m (6,033 sq ft). Freehold
KnightFrank.co.uk/st-johns-wood stjohnswood@knightfrank.com 020 7586 2777 Aston Chase astonchase.com 020 7724 4724 Savills Savills.co.uk 020 3043 3600
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/SJW140130
Redbrick House - Vantage June 2015 v3
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Daleham Gardens, Belsize Park NW3 Handsome and immaculate detached Victorian House A handsome and substantial detached Victorian family house approaching 10,000 sq ft. Its Victorian grandeur has been embellished with flair and imagination to create a stunning 21st century home of exceptional quality. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room, 6 further bedrooms (5 with en suite bathrooms), family bathroom, kitchen/breakfast room, dining room, 3 reception rooms, steam room and spa, terrace, garden and garage. EPC: D. Approximately 893 sq m (9,607 sq ft). Freehold
KnightFrank.co.uk/belsizepark belsizepark@knightfrank.com 020 8022 5461
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/HAM130056
Victory House Vantage June 2015
12/05/2015 16:06:15
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We are delighted to be joining the Belsize Park neighbourhood with our new sales and lettings office opening at the end of May. Whatever your property needs, our team will be able to help, so pop in when we open or get in touch now on
020 8022 5461 2c England’s Lane, Belsize Park NW3 4TG KnightFrank.co.uk/belsizepark
TEN
WELBECK STREET LONDON W1
A statuesque five bedroom town house with lift
Guide price: ÂŁ7,250,000 Leasehold: approximately 898 years remaining Joint Sole Agents
Sympathetically refurbished to combine original classical features with more modern contemporary design. 5 bedroom suites, 4 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room, study, gymnasium, utility room, laundry room, plant room, 2 vaults, lift, air conditioning, AV touch screen sound and lighting system. EPC: C. Approximately 398.7 sq m (4,291 sq ft).
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020 3435 6440
020 7724 4777
55 Baker Street London W1U 8EW marylebone@knightfrank.com KnightFrank.co.uk
7 New Quebec Street London W1H 7RH ns@jamestaylorproperty.com JamesTaylorProperty.com
05/05/2015 14:41
property
Hotting up for Summer Tom Gladwin, managing director at Parkheath, predicts a summer surge as post-election confidence heats up the London property market
T
he London property market is already warming up for a busy summer as the clouds of pre-election uncertainty disperse. Just hours after the election result was announced, the Parkheath offices were reporting a surge of enquiries. A week later and the number of buyers registering is still rising. We have seen an increase in properties agreed and more homes have already come on to the market. This post-election activity is to some extent a typical trend, but this time I believe it will be robust and with us for the foreseeable future. Pre-election, London homeowners were facing the uncertainty of mansion tax and rent controls and have been cautiously sitting on the fence awaiting the result. Now that those concerns have been laid to rest and a majority government has been elected, homebuyer confidence in the north and north-west London market is returning, making it stronger than ever. Prices, however, seem unlikely to soar. Instead, we should expect a steadier yearly increase of seven or eight per cent. What buyers and sellers should also look forward to is a far more fluid market. Unshackled by the threat of mansion taxes and rent controls, I expect to see a greater number of transactions as the market begins to unclog itself. As supply increases, demand is also set to rise, but I doubt we will experience the drought of properties seen in recent months.
No longer haunted by the spectre of increased business and personal taxes, London will see companies attract talent and expertise from around the world Whereas many areas of the property market will be revived by the end of the election period, another has already been enjoying a steady increase in activity. Throughout this year the demand has been increasing for properties above £7m-£8m. We believe this is due to sellers becoming more realistic about values, or perhaps wealthy buyers seeing an opportunity to buy high-end properties when comparative values are low. Either way, I expect that we will see this activity ripple through to the market below and further increase the number of properties available.
London continues to be highly desirable. A centre for world finance and commerce no longer haunted by the spectre of increased business and personal taxes will see companies attract talent and expertise from around the world. This influx of highly skilled and highly paid individuals will further drive the property market. Those here on short-term contracts require high quality homes to rent and those who choose London for their permanent home often wish to purchase their own piece of this amazing city. ‘Non-doms’, many of whom had been preparing to leave the country due to proposed increases in taxation, are now staying put. So, although the number of properties for sale is likely to increase, those people buying their own homes, or buying investments to satiate the increasing rental demand, will ensure that demand is kept high. I suspect that while Mr Cameron is enjoying a honeymoon period of independent governance, the London property market will also enjoy a year of growth and activity. n
parkheath.com
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SALES | LETTINGS | NEW HOMES
6 9 – 7 1 PA R K R O A D | L O N D O N | N W 1 6 X U | T + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 7 2 4 4 724 | A S T O NC H A S E .C OM
INTELLIGENT, RESOURCEFUL, ENGAGINGLY ENERGETIC
The lively and engaging otter radiates positive energy. Bright and intelligent, this popular, sociable creature has a natural instinct for rising to the challenge and overcoming obstacles. Just like the otter, at Aston Chase our friendly and resourceful team of property professionals has an excellent track record when it comes to problem-solving. We’ve been successfully finding new ways to help our clients achieve the best prices for their properties for the last 30 years, whatever the prevailing circumstances. If you’re looking to sell or let a property in these changing times, you can depend on Aston Chase.
Warwick Avenue
LITTLE VENICE LONDON W9
A Grade ll Listed white Stucco fronted home (4,890 sq ft/454 sq m) with extremely well planned accommodation, a lift servicing three floors and a separate lock-up garage situated in Warwick Place.
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The property has a 95' garden with direct access to the communal gardens, which includes the use of a tennis court and children’s play area. Warwick Avenue is located moments from the amenities of Clifton Road, the picturesque Regent’s Canal and Warwick Avenue Underground Station (Bakerloo line).
Principal Bedroom with En-Suite Bathroom & Dressing Room, Study/Children’s Bedroom, Four Further Bedrooms, En-Suite Bathroom, Shower Room, Reception Room, Drawing Room, Kitchen/Breakfast Room, Conservatory, Dining Room, Self-Contained Guest Apartment/Staff Accommodation with Separate Bathroom and Kitchen, Two Guest Cloakrooms, Utility Room, Boot Room, 95' Garden, Patio Area, Two Balconies, Roof Terrace, Lift Servicing Three Floors, Direct Access to the Communal Gardens, Tennis Court, Children’s Play Area, Separate Long Leasehold, Garage Situated in Warwick Place.
£11,995,000
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Belsize Park Gardens NW3 £1,375,000
In a prime position on this exclusive Belsize road, a beautifully presented garden flat with planning permission granted for a rear extension.
926 sq ft/86 sq m 2 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms 15’9 reception 19’9 kitchen/dining room Walled patio and garden Contact Belsize Park Office 020 7431 1234
South Hampstead 020 7625 4567 nw6@parkheath.com
Belsize Park 020 7431 1234 nw3@parkheath.com
West Hampstead 020 7794 7111 192@parkheath.com
Kentish Town 020 7485 0400 kt@parkheath.com
Property Management 020 7722 6777 pm@parkheath.com
Head Office 020 7794 7111 headoffice@parkheath.com
www.parkheath.com
Belsize Park NW3 £1,700,000
In one of the area’s classic stucco villas, a spacious garden flat ideally located for Belsize Village, Belsize Park and Swiss Cottage.
1378 sq ft/128 sq m 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms 27’ reception Kitchen plus utility room 70’ rear garden Contact Belsize Park Office 020 7431 1234
South Hampstead 020 7625 4567 nw6@parkheath.com
Belsize Park 020 7431 1234 nw3@parkheath.com
West Hampstead 020 7794 7111 192@parkheath.com
Kentish Town 020 7485 0400 kt@parkheath.com
Property Management 020 7722 6777 pm@parkheath.com
Head Office 020 7794 7111 headoffice@parkheath.com
www.parkheath.com
WINNINGTON ROAD LONDON, N2 AN ELEGANT DOUBLE FRONTED DETACHED HOUSE PROVIDING SPACIOUS FAMILY ACCOMMODATION IN EXCESS OF
6,500 SQ FT / 605 SQ M WITH THE POTENTIAL, SUBJECT TO OBTAINING NECESSARY CONSENTS, TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENLARGE. THE PROPERTY STANDS WELL BACK FROM THE ROAD BEHIND A CARRIAGE DRIVEWAY AND SITS ON A VERY GENEROUS PLOT OF ALMOST 0.60 ACRE. THIS FINE HOME HAS BEEN IN THE SAME FAMILY OWNERSHIP FOR MANY YEARS AND IS LOCATED ON A SOUGHT AFTER STREET A SHORT DISTANCE FROM KENWOOD HOUSE AND HAMPSTEAD HEATH.
FREEHOLD
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PRICE UPON APPLICATION
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PENTHOUSE, HIGHGATE LONDON, N6 A RARELY AVAILABLE PENTHOUSE APARTMENT (7TH FLOOR) OF 2,273 SQ FT / 211 SQ M IN A PURPOSE BUILT PORTERED BUILDING SET IN GATED GROUNDS. THE FLAT FEATURES AN IMPRESSIVE RECEPTION ROOM OF NEARLY 60 FT / 18 M WITH A BALCONY OF SOME 55 FT / 16 M WITH FAR REACHING VIEWS OVER HIGHGATE GOLF COURSE AND BEYOND. IN ADDITION TO THE TRIPLE RECEPTION ROOM THE ACCOMMODATION COMPRISES OF 3/4 BEDROOMS, 2 SHOWER ROOMS, STUDY/BEDROOM 4, KITCHEN/BREAKFAST ROOM, GUEST CLOAKROOM. FURTHER BENEFITS INCLUDE A PORTER AND SECURE UNDERGROUND PARKING FOR 2 CARS.
SHARE OF FREEHOLD
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SOLE AGENTS
GUIDE PRICE: £2,450,000
12/05/2015 11:48
Regent Court St John’s Wood, NW8 A truly stunning, interior designed, spacious apartment (991 sq ft / 92 sq m). Benefiting from open plan living, patio doors leading directly to communal gardens, separate office/gym area, double bedroom, spa style luxury bathroom, and intergrated music system. This apartment is uniquely placed being set apart from the rest of the building with no direct neighbours on any side and can be approached either via the main reception or it’s own private entrance. Additional benefits include a reserved parking space, 24 hour porterage and communal gymnasium.
Joint Agent £1,050,000 Share of Freehold
Daleham Mews Belsize Park, NW3 A charming freehold period house currently comprising of two flats being sold together which subject to full planning consent, can be converted back into a single dwelling. The Vendor has pre-application approval from Camden to convert the flats into a single dwelling - further details available upon request. The first flat occupies the entire ground floor and a large portion of the first floor to the rear of the building. The second flat comprises the front part of the first floor and the entire second floor. There is also an integral single lock up garage.
Sole Agent ÂŁ2,650,000 Freehold
West End Office
St Johns Wood Office
49 Welbeck Street, London, W1G 9XN
102 St John’s Wood Terrace, London NW8 6PL
enquiries@hanover-residential.com hanover-residential.com
info@hanover-residential.com hanover-residential.com
020 7486 9665
020 7722 2223
Lawn Road Belsize Park NW3 Price on Application Freehold | Sole Agent | EPC Rating D A classic Victorian semi detached house of over 4,800 sq ft, set back behind a gated drive with garaging and a stunning 90' South East facing landscaped rear garden. The house has been refurbished sympathetically to the highest of standards with the crowning glory being a contemporary double volume stone and glass studio addition designed by the noted British architect Mark Guard.
Fairway Close Hampstead Garden Suburb NW11 ÂŁ4,850,000 Freehold | Sole Agent | EPC Rating F An elegant double fronted five bedroom detached house located in this enviable private close directly opposite the Heath Extension. There is a delightful secluded lawn garden 110ft x 72ft which backs directly on to Hampstead Golf Course. This fine home is presented in good decorative condition throughout and offers well planned family accommodation over three floors.
H A M I LTO N T E R R AC E N W 8
A STUNNING GARDEN MAISONETTE LOCATED ON THIS HIGHLY DESIRABLE AND SOUGHT AFTER TREE LINED AVENUE. The property is found in stunning condition and was subject to a major refurbishment programme recently carried out by its current owners.The property features a fantastic combination of contemporary finishes, fixtures and fittings such as an integral music system, and period features including high ceilings with ornate mouldings to the main reception rooms. The apartment further benefits from an impressive master bedroom suite with dressing room. Features include air-conditioning to every room and a private 120ft south west facing garden. Hamilton Terrace is located within walking distance of the shopping and transport facilities of Maida Vale.The American School in London and Regent’s Park are also close at hand with the amenities and canal at Little Venice a short distance away. ACCOMMODATION 5 Bedrooms • 3 Bathrooms • 2 Shower Rooms • 2 Reception Rooms • Kitchen • Terrace • Garden • EPC Rating C
PRICE ON APPLICATION
FREEHOLD
JOINT SOLE AGENT
SHELL POINT
TRANQUIL ELEGANCE IN TUCKER’S TOWN A private promontory surrounded by a stunning turquoise reef and vistas across Castle Harbour to the Tucker’s Town peninsula, Shell Point enjoys a magical setting comprising 2 acres and 6500 square feet of accommodation between the elegant main house, the guest cottage and apartment. This is one of the most private estates in Tucker’s Town, yet it is within a walk or golf cart ride of the Mid-Ocean and Tucker’s Point golf clubs, their beaches and restaurants. A substantial dock, jetty, boat slip and mooring make this home especially well suited for boaters. Price Upon Request.
WHY SINCLAIR REALTY? As Bermuda’s exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, Sinclair Realty offers the finest cache of properties in Tucker’s Town and island-wide. We look forward to welcoming you to our island with the depth of expertise and ‘above-and-beyond’ service that is the Sinclair hallmark.
Tel +1 441 296 0278 | estates@logic.bm | www.sinclairrealty.com
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THE CHELSTON ESTATE
A WORLD-CLASS PRIVATE BEACHFRONT COMPOUND Overlooking the pink sands and turquoise waters of Grape Bay, the 14-acre Chelston Estate is a beachfront compound of rare magnitude. For 30 years it served as the official residence of the U.S. Consul General, hosting a distinguished list of guests including presidents and foreign dignitaries. Understated elegance defines the 10,000 square foot main house and its three guest houses. The outstanding grounds include a spectacular 75- by 40-foot saltwater pool and pool house, croquet lawn, walled gardens, a beach pavilion and staff accommodation. Offered at US$ 45 million.
Tel +1 441 296 0278 | estates@logic.bm | www.sinclairrealty.com
5/7/15 11:20 AM
The
queen’s nose Sales manager Callum Hodgson and lettings manager Tatiana Neves of Marsh & Parsons’ recently opened Queen’s Park office discuss the area’s merits
I
t might not have the same international kudos as St John’s Wood quite yet, but Queen’s Park is fast giving its more famous neighbours a run for their money. Tucked back behind rows of wellproportioned family homes, its namesake green space is a hidden gem, and on nearby Salusbury Road and Chamberlayne Road, new coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques are fast moving in. “It’s a charming, bustling neighbourhood,” says Callum Hodgson, head of the sales team at Marsh & Parsons’ new Queen’s Park office. “As a result there’s been a natural migration from surrounding areas like North Kensington.” The office might only have been open for a couple of weeks, but the response so far has exceeded expectations. “We feel really welcome,” adds lettings manager Tatiana Neves, who has witnessed first-hand the increasing rise in popularity
of the postcode during her three years at the agency’s North Kensington office. The latest branch is the third in Marsh & Parsons ever-expanding north-west London arm, which also includes an established Little Venice outpost. “We found that our North Kensington office in particular was increasingly dealing with this area,” Callum explains. “People looking to upsize as well as first-time buyers were naturally attracted to what Queen’s Park has to offer, so the time was certainly right to have a greater presence in the area.” As first impressions go, the new Salusbury Road premises has definitely made its mark. Not only is the branch offering zero per cent commission for the first 100 clients who instruct Marsh & Parsons to sell their property, but it celebrated this incentive by handing out ring doughnuts as a tempting reminder. This
property Photo by Rob Cadman
“It’s a lively area, with plenty of amenities, a real sense of community and excellent transport links” memorable marketing strategy wasn’t just an opening gimmick, however, as Tatiana explains that Marsh & Parsons is putting just as much effort into supporting a host of community events, such as the Queen’s Park Day, which saw the office out in force offering face painting and other treats for kids. “We recognise that Queen’s Park is prime territory for families,” Callum says. “It also offers great value for money. Those searching for a family home in the surrounding areas will tend to find that larger period
buildings have been split into flats, whereas around here there is an abundance of semi-detached and terraced period properties.” Tatiana agrees that space and value for money are the main drivers on the lettings side too and she frequently deals with clients who are relocating to Queen’s Park after being priced out of prime central London. “We work with many tenants who are relocating from abroad. Typically they’ll come to London and want to be in Notting Hill because they have heard of Portobello Road, but they soon face the harsh reality that they can’t get very much there for their money. Heading a bit further north is a good option. It’s a lively area, with plenty of amenities, a real sense of community and excellent transport links,” she enthuses. She tells me that the Marsh & Parsons’ corporate and relocation services department works directly with companies from BNP Paribas in nearby Marylebone to Vodafone, which is based in Paddington. Of course, while the set-up is fairly family orientated, it’s not just large homes that are in demand. Many people who want to upsize and get on the next step of the ladder, or, indeed, on the first rung, are also drawn to Queen’s Park and are fuelling the demand for new developments. “We’ve sold several penthouse apartments off-plan recently,” Tatiana adds. Currently the local market is strong, because, Callum explains, “people in Queen’s Park have a natural need to move. You find that families who are having a second child, for example, or who are relocating because they are at a different stage in their life just need to move. This need for people to have an extra bedroom and to take the next step will always exist.” After the positive opening response, the duo are hoping that the summer market with its lighter evenings, better weather and political stability restored will stir more activity. “A lot of people have dealt with us from a previous sale or letting they have been involved with,” Tatiana says, “so the reaction to the brand coming to the area has been great. Long may it continue!” n
91 Salusbury Road, NW6 020 7624 4513; marshandparsons.co.uk
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Bristol Gardens W9 ÂŁ1,900,000 A rarely available three-bedroom maisonette set over the raised and lower ground floor of a stunning stucco fronted period conversion with access to communal gardens. Share of Freehold. EPC=F
Little Venice: 020 7993 3050 sales.lve@marshandparsons.co.uk
Albert Street NW1 ÂŁ1,350,000 A wonderful two-bedroom split level maisonette set within an impressive early Victorian building bursting with charm and character with a beautiful south facing garden. EPC=D
Camden: 020 7244 2200 sales.cam@marshandparsons.co.uk
Maresfield Gardens NW3 ÂŁ1,250,000 A beautifully finished two-bedroom period apartment full of character and charm with access to a lovely communal garden. The property is set on a quiet leafy street close to Hampstead Village. EPC=C
Camden: 020 7244 2200 sales.cam@marshandparsons.co.uk
Spectacular rooftop garden in South Kensington Matching people and property in London for 150 years.