Designer Jean-Pierre Braganza adds another covetable accessory to his Spring/Summer 11 collection at London Fashion Week…the Braganza Barclays bike!
Opening the first day at London Fashion Week with his SS11 Incendiata show, in association with Barclays, Jean-Pierre Braganza pays tribute to the partnership by designing a limited edition print to feature on a select fleet of cycles.
Known for their uniform blue frames, Jean-Pierre Braganza has injected some cool London style into the Barclays Cycle Hire bikes and no doubt there will be queues to ride a Braganza bike up and down Kingsway, come fashion week.
Jean-Pierre Braganza says: “I’m genuinely excited to be part of this initiative. As a very keen cyclist in London, Barclays Cycle Hire offers the freedom to explore the city worry-free.”
He adds: “By customising a bike for London Fashion Week I hope to indicate the inspiration travel has provided in my work, and highlights that everyone can, and should, explore and discover our city.”
Jean-Pierre Braganza has even cited “mystical bikes” as inspiration for his upcoming collection, alongside “legends of ravens and Heavy Metal whispered softly by faeries.”
I’m curious to see how the collection will connect with the free-spirited idea of voyaging and exploring that is made possible through cycling. With such an innovative collaboration, Jean-Pierre Braganza’s opening show at ON/OFF is set to be one of the highlights of the schedule.
There’s only one thing that could possibly upset the London Fashion Week schedule and that event would be….the designer shoe sample sale!! Not just any old sample sale, but the Rupert Sanderson Factory Sale, no less.
State-of-the-art samples and past season’s stock will be heavily discounted, with prices starting at just £75.
London-born designer Rupert Sanderson’s shoes are known for their luxury Italian quality (made by artisans in the Apennine Mountains) with a cool, feminine and individual style.
The seductive, exquisitely-designed shoe often come in sumptuous velvet, suede or metallic leather textures in deep berry and bold shades. They really are investment pieces that will last you a fashion lifetime.
To gain access to the exclusive sale, you MUST register at sale@rupertsanderson.com and you’ll be sent a flyer to print out.
Rupert Sanderson Factory Sale will run from 17-18 September at The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, London W1 5AB.
Opening times: Friday 8am-8pm / Saturday 10am-6pm
It’s been the talk of London fashion circles all summer and finally, YoungBritishDesigners.com is here for us to shop to our hearts content.
As the same suggests, Young British Designers is dedicated to working with emerging designers who will really benefit from the support and exposure as they try to expand their labels.
Young designers can often be at a disadvantage, as customers just don’t know where to source their pieces, or the boutiques that stock them can be off the main shopping circuit.
So what better than to bring together all our fave new designers and showcase their clothing and accessories on one beautifully crafted and accessible website!
The first retail experience of its kind, Young British Designers backs designers in the formative years of their label and from different fashion pathways.
It showcases designers who have made their names through NEWGEN, ON | OFF, Estethica, Fashion Fringe, Vauxhall Fashion Scout, London Fashion Week and Arising.
Established womenswear designers include Danielle Scutt, Felder Felder, Kinder Aggugini, Olivia Rubin, Felicity Brown, LP.BG and Jasper Garvida.
Young British Designers also promotes up-and-coming labels such as Ada Zanditon, Alice Palmer, Emesha, Simeon Farrar, Viking Wong, Minna, Jena.Theo, Julian J Smith and many more…
Accessories are a great way to invest in a new designer and the collection of jewellery, bags and leather goods at YBD are sure to make it onto a number of wishlists this season.
I love this embellished swallow necklace by Minna and am plotting ways to bag ever piece by Cabinet and Fannie Sciavoni’s oxidised steel ring body jewellery.
YBD’s shoe collection is covetable enough to rival Manolo and Louboutin. Bionda Castana create elegant heels using the most luxurious materials, Sophie Gittins takes inspiration from architecture and Kinder Aggugini’s shoes were created exclusively for his catwalk show.
The website is easy to navigate, with pieces divided into categories, and there is a dedicated designer section with detailed bios.
YBD highlights the fact that they are all emerging designers and you can sort through by fashion organisation such as Arise, LFW and Estethica. Making the experience even more interactive, YBD promotes its designers’ presence at London Fashion Week.
Some of the prices may be more than you would expect to pay for new designers, but the cost reflects the amount of work, fine detail and craftsmanship. There are a number of affordable pieces so you can have something unique and special without spending a fortune and support new design talent.
The Cookbook Cafe at the InterContinental London Park Lane has been on my wish list since visiting for a Greek cookery demonstration earlier in the year. Their abundant Weekend Brunch (including a roast on Sundays) with unlimited Champagne are legendary, but I had my sights set on the more modest Market Lunch Table.
Included in the lunch deal (£15 per person) is a bowl of soup, unlimited trips to the self-service Market and dessert table and a choice of tea or coffee.
The Cookbook Cafe is refreshingly bright, airy and relaxing with a calm atmosphere and zen soundtrack. It’s almost like being in a spa retreat in the Med and most of the diners adopted a suitably subdued attitude (thank goodness, no one like a buffet hog).
The Market Lunch table is a foodie’s dream with an abundance of charcuterie, artisan cheeses, specially prepared salads, pasta, fresh seafood and a decadent dessert section.
We were shown to our table by the waiter who took our drinks order and explained the contents of the market table and that it was self-service. So of course, we took our plates and got stuck in.
I started with a plate of Spanish Lomo cured ham, roast turkey, Wiltshire ham and a selection of cheeses including Emmenthal, Caerphilly and a type of red wine cheese.
For the next helping, I hit the salad bowls and tried roasted pumpkin, tandoori chicken pasta, new potatoes with pine nuts and red onion, carrot and cauliflower salad and mixed leaves with a bit French and Caesar dressing with croutons and shaved Parmesan.
There was also a good selection of seafood; marinated and fresh king prawns, anchovies and smoked salmon. Accompanying the dishes was a variety of chutneys, sauces, dressings and savoury jams. There really was everything you could possibly desire for a filling, wholesome lunch.
After arriving back at our table, our waiter offered us a bowl of the daily soup special, carrot and orange. The soup came piping hot and served in a petite bowl topped with large croutons. We filled a plate with crusty white bread and a side of French butter to accompany the soup.
Each time we got up to sample more of the Market Table delights, the waiters discreetly removed our used plates from the table ready for us to start again. They also anticipated when we were finished with our savoury courses and prepared our dessert cutlery.
As we were sipping our soup, we spotted ex-boxer Chris Eubank arrive fully suited and booted and carrying a Louis Vuitton folder – ever the dashing gentleman about town. Needless to say his plate was stacked high and full of salad and couldn’t resist a double helping of desserts, like the rest of us.
The greatest thing about a healthy lunch of soup and salads is being able to indulge at the dessert table! The selection of tapas size cakes, brownies, mousses and tarts was impressive and ranged from light and fruity to downright decadent.
I don’t dare admit to how many I actually sampled, but I absolutely loved the almond chocolate brownies, Valrhona chocolate mousse shots, blackberry cheesecake slice and mini meringue with cream, topped with a strawberry and a hidden centre of white chocolate.
The desserts are just the right size, so you can sample a few mouthfuls of each and enjoy a variety of flavours. We ended our meal with a delicious, rich roast cappuccino and another cheeky trip to the dessert table.
The Cookbook Cafe is a wonderful urban retreat and a refreshing change from the bustle of Soho’s packed eateries or the more stiff, conservative Mayfair haunts. The market table lunch is of a superior standard and it is a world away from the usual connotations of a buffet or salad bar.
Perfect for a business lunch or a refuelling after a morning of shopping, The Cookbook Cafe offers versatility, relaxation and impeccable service at a reasonable price. It’s like having lunch and afternoon tea in one go and you can choose to go healthy or really treat yourself.
The Cookbook Cafe will be hosting Colombia Gourmet (from 23 September to 3 October), a fortnight dedicated to the cuisine, music, art and culture of Colombia.
Two guest chefs from InterContinental Medellin will be joining Executive Chef Paul Bates and native Colombian pastry chef Luis Meza, to create an authentic Colombian menu, bringing some Latin heat to the Cookbook Cafe.
The festival will also include live acoustic from Colombian music groups, Colombian art from artists such as Nena Geigner, Enrique Ruiz and Maria Peragan, and an exhibition of pre-Colombian gold jewellery from Galeria Cano.
Some of the Colombian specialities will include Ajiaco Santafereno (chicken and potato soup), Bandeja Paisa (ground beef, fried egg, chorizo, pork belly, corn cake and plaintain), fried snapper a la Cartagena (pieces of deep fried red snapper), seabass and coconut sauce and caramel pudding with farmhouse cheese.
During the Colombia Gourmet festival, the Market Lunch Table will be £18 per person and includes a glass of wine. A regional hot dish can be added for a total of £30 per person.
Every Parisarrondissement tells a different story, but the most exclusive and desirable is the 8th, with its grandiose embassies, sweeping Haussman avenues and global fashion houses.
Staying in Paris’ most elegant, refined neighbourhood for the first time certainly added a spring to my step and I couldn’t help wearing those rose-tinted glasses while dashing around the city.
The hotel has a strong jazz heritage, dating back to the 1960s, when Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington performed a legendary impromptu concert from their adjoining balconies with their orchestra below. The social scene may be a less boisterous these days, however La Trémoille still attracts a starry crowd that favours quiet luxury and comfort.
Arrival
It was surprisingly easy to find Hotel la Trémoille and it is just a short stroll from either Franklin D.Roosevelt or Alma Marceau metro stations. On arrival, I was immediately relieved of my heavy bags and greeted by the warm, courteous staff at the reception.
The Suite
I was shown to my room, on the second floor, and had the various room features explained to me, which cut back on time spent searching for the air-conditioning switch. My bags followed a few moments later.
To call my new abode a mere ‘room’ is an understatement, as it was more like a mini apartment, with the bedroom and bathroom on the mezzanine level and a separate living room. The charming dark wood stairs and railings show the hotel’s sympathetic approach to maintaining the building’s original features and gives it a more homely feel.
The living area features white Haussman style panelled walls with Art Deco lighting and is decorated in elegant camel shades (appropriate for the Autumn/Winter 10-11 trends). It also boasts a traditional wrought iron Haussman balcony overlooking the incredibly chic streets – perfect for a spot of people watching.
Every home comfort is taken care of, as the room is technologically wired up with complimentary high-speed wifi, two flatscreen TVs, a radio DVD player and an iPod base.
Having easy access to the internet in your hotel room is such a blessing, as you can just look up all the fabulous addresses you researched and forgot to jot down, although the Clés d’Or Concierge at La Trémoille would be happy to make any reservations for you.
For the ultimate hideaway stay, the living room has a built-in hatch, so you can have your breakfast, room service or laundry silently delivered while still lounging in your bathrobe.
Bedroom
The bedroom was simply stunning and beautifully designed. Opulent silk drapes frame the tactile flocked velvet wall and are accented with a statement leopard print headboard.
The Queen-size bed was incredibly luxurious, with fine quality linen and a stylish throw – needless to say I slept extremely well that night!
The bedroom also had a flatscreen TV and it own balcony, although the street view could be shaded a night by the heavy mohair curtains. There is also a telephone next to the bed, so you won’t have to stumble down the stairs to answer your wake-up call.
Bathroom
The bathroom was also suitably elegant and carefully considered, with the utmost attention to detail. A stylish mix of wood and marble, the bathroom features a large bath with a powerful shower and an impressive collection of wall-mounted Molton Brown toiletries.
This is the first hotel I’ve stayed in that offers a choice of no less than four bath and shower gels, varying from relaxing to invigorating, and two different types of shampoo. There are also small bottles of Molton Brown conditioner and body lotion to use and take away with you.
Also provided are packets of cosmetic cotton wool, face cloths, a full range of fluffy towels and luxurious embroidered bathrobes. For single travellers, it’s reassuring that there is a telephone in the bathroom, just in case of any emergencies.
When I came back at night after dinner and cocktails at Hotel Amour, my room had been given the full turn-down service. The lights were dimmed, soft French chansons played on the radio, my bed had been made ready to slip into and a cotton mat was placed down next to my bed.
A Welcome Treat
Best of all, waiting for me on the table was a handwritten note from the General Manager Olivier welcoming me to the hotel and the most perfect lilac box containing four exquisite Ladurée macarons. A long, relaxing shower followed by a macaron in bed was the blissful end to a perfect day, catching up with my best friend and my favourite city.
Waking at 8am from a prompt call wishing me a ‘good morning’, I really could have done with a few extra hours in that heavenly bed, but Yves Saint Laurent was waiting and fashion waits for no gal, however tired she may be.
Breakfast
The thought of an indulgent breakfast is motivation enough to get ready and start the day. I headed down to Le Louis², the hotel’s bar and restaurant and I had the entire room to myself.
The breakfast was presented as a buffet and offered a hot tray of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms and a good continental selection of patisserie, petite baguettes, pancakes and maple syrup, cereal, yoghurt and juices.
American-style hot breakfasts in Paris hotels can be a bit hit or miss, but everything was well-cooked and the scrambled eggs were buttery and delicious. I was also given a generous pot of freshly brewed coffee and a jug of hot milk, which I was able to take up to my room to finish, as I was pressed for time.
At 35 Euros per person, the breakfast will set you back the cost of a dinner, so you’d have to be particularly hungry with enough time to relax and enjoy it to make it worth splashing out.
If I’d stayed longer at La Trémoille, I would have love to try the inventive cuisine and cocktails at Le Louis² bar and restaurant and unwind at the spa, with its sauna and multi-jet shower.
Le Louis²
Head Chef Yann Frohn (previously from Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée) has created a seasonal market menu of contemporary French dishes and comfort food with an artistic flourish. Le Louis² also offers lunch and dinner set menus and is a lunchtime haunt for the well-heeled Avenue Montaigne set.
La Trémoille’s forte is the fine attention to detail and those extra touches that make your stay so memorable. Staying in such a refined, classic hotel is an exclusive neighbourhood really is an indulgent experience. Its exceptional facilities and luxurious bedrooms make it much more of an urban retreat than just a base for exploring Paris.
London, you are really spoiling us with fabulous fashion exhibitions this season! To coincide with London Fashion Week, renowned British fashion illustrator Blue Logan will be exhibiting a selection of his exquisite work for the very first time at the SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED flagship store.
Quick sketching from the front row, Blue Logan captures the beauty and movement of the collections and takes a playful view of the coterie of fashion folk. Most exciting are his portraits of fashion luminaries Suzy Menkes, Anna Piaggi, Roberto Cavalli, Mario Testino and Diane Pernet.
Nephew of artist and designer Andrew Logan, Blue’s unique vision of the fashion world has been shaped by his experiences growing up in the colourful backgrounds of Alternative Miss World, Kinky Galinky, Zandra Rhodes and among artists such as David Hockey and Brian Eno.
In between fashion weeks, Blue Logan also documents the hottest parties and gigs, sketching the likes of The Cazals, Mark Ronson and Q-Tip. His work has featured in Vogue Russia, Marie Claire USA, NYLON, Le Rogue and many more.
Blue Logan has created a stunning limited edition tote bag for SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED, which will be gifted with any purchase over £60.
Blue Logan Exhibition will run from 17-22 September 2010 at SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED, 24 Great Marlborough St, London W1F 7HU.
Central London is set to become a fashion wonderland tonight amidst a flurry of shopping bags and cocktails at Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out.
Almost every department store and boutique is hosting a fabulous party to showcase their new Autumn collections, show some love to us loyal fashionistas and keep the fashion industry booming. There are so many exciting events, you’ll have to co-ordinate your plan of attack! Here is the Chérie City guide to the highlights…
London’s hottest young designers will be getting out their haberdashery kits at Harvey Nichols, where they will be customising Vogue Fashion’s Night Out t-shirts. It’s a rare opportunity to get a bespoke creation from the likes of Erdem, Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Markus Lupfer and Vogue’s Emma Elwick-Bates, at a snip of their usual prices.
There will also be Rough Trade DJs, an exclusive peek at Christopher Kane Jeans for J Brand, a pop-up Shu Uemura lash bar and a Harvey Nichols Photobooth.
Maison Louis Vuitton on New Bond Street will be hosting one of the most anticipated parties of the night, with model Alice Dellal treating guests to an exclusive 2 hour DJ set. There will also be two photo booths in which guests can strike some Vogue poses with bespoke props created especially for the event out of Vogue magazines by designer Fiona Leahy.
Liberty of London will be a hub of fashion frolics with the grand opening of the Manolo Blahnik ‘store-in-store’, The World of Manolo. At 6.30pm, Manolo and close friend Yasmin Le Bon will officially open the doors to a room full of shoes, candles, accessories, stationery and bow ties designed by Manolo exclusive to Liberty.
On the ground floor, Vogue’s Emma Elwick-Bates will be demonstrating how to perfect the art of tie a scarf. There will also be a Liberty photo booth, a free expert lash application with every purchase of Shu Uemura lashes and a competition to win the entire contents of Liberty’s designer goodies-laden window display.
Richard Nicholl will be showing off his Autumn/Winter 10-11 collection live with the gorgeous Josephine de la Baume alongside his J Brand 5×5 jeans. Buy a pair of the limited edition jeans and Richard will treat you to a pair of tickets from Frieze Art Fair. All this will set to a glorious Motown and Soul soundtrack by DJs Richard Sloan and Farrah.
Just a stone throw away from the Liberty festivities, up-and-coming designer Holly Fulton will be presenting her latest catwalk looks at Swarovksi Crystallized from 6-9pm. Meet Holly and marvel at her stunning, oversized geometric neck candy.
Fall down the rabbit hole at Christian Louboutin where the shoe emporium will be transformed into a wonderland with a Mad Christian Louboutin tea party. NARS will be on hand for consultations on finding the perfect red lippy and there will be goodie bags and a DJ set courtesy of London Guns.
Charlotte Olympia’s Mayfair store will be open for POP Bakery treats, nails by WAH Nails, champagne and canapes. There will also be a personal appearance from Charlotte herself and a chance to preview the new Fall 2010 Collection.
Finish off your shopping evening at Cherie City’s favourite haunt, Cafe Luc in Marylebone with their special Vogue Fashion Menu. Head Chef David Collard presents a decadent, market fresh 3 course menu (£24.50) including lobster, foie gras, truffles and of course, Champagne.
On the night, Cafe Luc is launching its Bag Valet service, so you can relax while the attentive staff guard your new purchases.
Even the most seasoned London shoppers will find the sheer number of FNO events overwhelming, so Vogue have made it easy to plan the night with an online shop directory, where you can add events to your list and print it off, or share with friends. You can even locate the stores on a map and plan your schedule down to the last minute. What can be better than that?
Where will your fashion crawl take you tonight? Cocktails with Manolo? Tea and cakes with Christian? Share your fashion itinerary…
After the success 0f the Ruinart Afternoon Tea at the Mayfair flagship store, Miller Harris has teamed up with Melrose & Morgan to offer a savoury yet typically fragrant lunch, served for just four days in the tea room.
One of perfumier Lyn Harris’ favourite haunts, Primrose Hill grocery and kitchen, Melrose & Morgan will be providing a lunchtime selection of mouth-watering seasonal salads, a choice of main courses and artisan desserts, accompanied by Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne and Miller Harris fragrant tea.
Melrose & Morgan have specially designed their menu to feature Miller Harris’ own blends of fragrant olive oils, including Citron, Poivre and Sauvage olive oil.
There will be a selection of delicious lunch combos to choice from, so it’s almost like having a Berkeley Square summer picnic, but without the pesky flies and pigeons or the threat of rain!
While you’re there, but sure to take a peek at Miller Harris’ new botanical print wallpapers by designer Karen Beauchamp, which have just been launched.
Also, for Vogue Fashion’s Night Out tomorrow, the Miller Harris Mayfair store will be transformed into ‘Miller’s Market’, where guests are invited to sample their pick ‘n’ mix of perfumes. Present will be designers Clements Ribeiro and Paris homeware specialist, Astier de Villatte.
Lunch will be served from 12noon to 3pm on 14th – 17th September in the Miller Harris Tea Room, 21 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QD.
At last, Autumn is drawing near and with the changing season comes rich jewel and Bloomsbury shades, velvet, tweed and heavy knit textures.
Binbin McNiven’s covetable label, t.b.a has come into its own this season with some coquettish velvet doll dresses with lace collars, high-waisted trousers, peter pan collar shirts, princess coats and metallic gold shorts.
What sets t.b.a apart from other ‘cool girl’ labels is the attention to detail – contrasting collars and pockets, delicate pompoms and flashes of velvet.
Undoubtedly luxurious, t.b.a is also very reasonably priced, given the individual look of the pieces, the most expensive piece being an illustration printed silk pleated dress with pompoms at £180.
As you may have already guessed, Alexa Chung, Tennessee Thomas, Chloë Sevigny and Maggie Gyllenhaal are among Binbin’s style muses, so get their awkward gamine look by styling up the pieces with brogues, berets, satchels and knee socks.
Style icon, filmmaker, author and vintage collector Liz Goldwyn used to be an LA skater girl Unexpectedly, Liz has an equal penchant for vintage couture and Vans sneakers and has high school journals filled with skate stickers, fanzines and t-shirts.
Bringing together the worlds of fashion and skate culture, Liz has designed a limited edition skateboard for Opening Ceremony. Liz is in good company, as she joins fellow skater girl and friend Chloë Sevigny as a designer for the brand.
A nod to her love of the ‘golden age’, the deck features a late 1940s sketch by Rex Huntington, an American burlesque costume designer.
Liz says: “I wanted to make a deck that a skater would think was hot and that a non-skater could appreciate as an object of art and design.”
The skateboard is available at OCNY and OCLA. Read more Q&As with Liz on her Opening Ceremony collaboration here.
Look out for the paperback release of Liz Goldwyn’s first book, Pretty Things: The Last Generation of American Burlesque Queens in December. Christmas wishlist, anyone?
Hands up, who loves Byredo! The Stockholm-based fragrance house has collaborated with French creative partnership, M/M (PARIS) on a new eau de parfum, M/MINK.
The collaboration came about in a truly unconventional way, with M/M (PARIS) design duo Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak presenting their own concept to Ben Gorham, of Byredo.
Their chosen images included ‘a block of solid ink purchased in Asia, a photograph showing a Japanese master practising his daily calligraphy and a large utopian formula that Mathias drew on Korean traditional paper.
Their objective was to create the scent of an image (a kind of synaesthesia), firstly evoking the smell of ink and developing to signify the ‘idea’ of ink.
Along with renowned perfumier Jerome Epinette of ROBERTET, Ben distilled these ideas of traditional eastern craftsmanship and created a unique, intriguing scent.
The fragrance opens with Adoxal and has a heart of incense and a dry down of patchouli leaf, clover honey and amber.
Michael and Mathias established M/M in 1992 as a means of working across all creative mediums, including art, fashion and music. Byredo is the niche, luxury perfume house responsible for modern classic scents such as Baudelaire, Fantastic Man, Rose Noir and Pulp.
The M/MINK campaign will feature existing images of photographers Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin covered in smudged black ink, creating a series of artwork.
M/MINK will be pre-launched on 12th September at colette and will be available from October 2010 at .
The fragrance will be available in 50ml and 100ml sizes. A collector’s set containing a series of postcards designed by M/M (PARIS) will be available in limited quantities at launch at selected retailers.
Quick sketching from the front row, 
