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Designers, Fashion, London, Shopping, Stores

Dover Street Market Tachiagari SS11

January 19, 2011 by cheriecity

Comme des Garçons superstore Dover Street Market prepares for a brand new year with a complete overhaul and the arrival of the Spring/Summer 2011 collections.

Meaning ‘beginning’ or ‘start’ in Japanese, DSM has a bi-annual Tachiagari, when the store shuts down for three days to change direction and make room for fresh installations, newly invited designer and a thoroughly different mood.

The new season additions are meticulously overseen by Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo and husband Adrian Joffe.

A major coup for DSM is the Egg space on the fourth floor, as they have always wanted to work with the London brand, headed up by former Issey Miyake designer Maureen Doherty.

The clean, structured and voluminous pieces are custom-made and tailored to your body. Summer raffia hats are also available with the bespoke service.

Comme des Garçons have also collaborated with Dr Martens on two limited edition pairs of airwair Mary Janes.

New season Comme des Garçons Play cashmere cardigans and tees….

On the third floor, Stephen Jones has created a unique installation featuring his exquisite millinery with quirky topiary, perfectly embodying the feeling of Spring…

Alber Elbaz personally curated the Lanvin display exclusively for Dover Street Market.

Jewel shaded silk dresses feature next to metallic gold and caramel pieces and his signature luxury embellished tees.

There is also a treasure cabinet for bags, accessories, mother and daughter figurines and illustrated stationery – a more personal display than you would find in a regular department store.

Hussein Chalayan…

Christopher Kane…

Erdem…

Comme des Garçons…

Comme des Garçons has collaborated with Paco Rabanne to reissue le69, an iconic futuristic handbag as worn by Brigitte Bardot, Françoise Hardy, and Catherine Deneuve.

Rei Kawakubo has re-imagined le69 using different materials and created a limited edition collection of 9 designs.

Le69 is exclusive to Dover Street Market has takes pride of place on a conveyor belt in the front window.

New sneaker space…

For more information and to see the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, visit: www.doverstreetmarket.com.

Are you loving Alber’s chessboard Lanvin space, or is le69 top on your accessories wish list? What are you favourite pieces for Spring/Summer 2011?

Photos by Chérie City

Beauty, London, Shopping, Stores

Black Afgano Perfume by Nasomatto

June 13, 2010 by cheriecity

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Black Afgano by Nasomatto is the holy grail of perfumes and its allure is so intoxicating that it sells out pretty quick among those in the know. So coveted is this scent, that Selfridges only have a massive display bottle and if you’re lucky, they’ll give you a spritz from a tester under the counter.

After scanning the Nasomatto fragrance collection and continually finding Black Afgano to be missing, imagine my delight to find that Harvey Nichols is now stocking the illusive scent!

Not to be confused with hemp, Black Afgano encapsulates the mysterious scent of hashish – smoky and spicy with hints of cedar wood, vanilla, amber and patchouli. It’s very strong and full-bodied, so you can expect it to last for hours and hours.

The liquid itself is a deep, inky black and apparently it is said to arouse the effects of temporarily bliss – as a perfume addict, I can wholly believe that!

At £98 for 30ml, it’s something of an investment buy, but then again you probably wouldn’t spritz on Black Afgano to go and do your laundry, so it will last.

If you need to wait to put Black Afgano on your Christmas wishlist, there some slightly more affordable niche scents that have that intoxicating, midnight aroma.

Comme Des Garçons Red Series

Comme Des Garçons Red Series are made up of five fragrances with red elements (obviously), all centred around peppery florals and spicy woods. My absolute favourite is Palisander – a woody, aromatic scent with a hint of raspberry jelly and sherbet (although the official sweetening note is actually myrrh).

Series 2 Red Comme Des Garçons Palisander, edt 100ml, Harvey Nichols

Visa Robert Piguet, edp 100ml, Harvey Nichols

Juliette Has A Gun Midnight Oud, edp 100ml, Harvey Nichols

Robert Piguet Visa

Another favourite is Robert Piguet Visa – a dark, smoky vanilla-infused scent that is a million times more appealing and modern than its iconic sister fragrance, Fracas. Visa was created in 1945 by Germaine Cellier, but was brought bang up-to-date by Givaudan’s Aurelien Guichard, who gave the perfume a revival while staying true to the original fragrance.

Dior and Daphne

Also worth a mention are Dior Midnight Poison, a mixture of black rose, bergamot and patchouli with a slightly menthol scent, and Comme Des Garçons Daphne, created by the formidable Daphne Guinness with notes of Tunisian jasmine, amber, bitter orange, oud and saffron. It evokes the heavy incense aroma of a mysterious old Moorish church and is an intense, seductive evening fragrance.

Have you tried Nasomatto’s Black Afgano perfume? What are your favourite fragrances?

Designers, Events, Fashion, London, Shopping, Stores

It’s almost here…Dover Street Market MARKET

April 29, 2010 by cheriecity

The bank holiday weekend just got even more fun with the prospect of heavily reduced Comme des Garçons at the Dover Street Market MARKET, held in a warehouse location in N1 for three glorious days.

Throughout the sale, there will be samples from Christopher Kane, Raf Simons, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Margiela, Lanvin Mens, Sacai, Undercover and many more. As the deliveries arrive, Dover Street Market will be adding new items to the sale over the three days, so there’s no pressure to get up and queue at 5am on your day off.

Also present will be selected food stallholders from London’s weekend markets providing coffees, juices, bacon sandwiches, pastries, cupcakes, salads and ice creams for some much needed energy and shopping clarity. I’ve already spotted that cupcake company, Crumbs & Doilies will be there serving up mountains of mini cupcakes and if you were sent a voucher by email, you can grab a dozen box of mini cupcakes for just £7.

Dover Street Market in Mayfair is like a fashion wonderland in which I could quite easily spend the afternoon away (especially over tea and cake at Rose Bakery), and is an exemplary of what the perfect concept store should be. The samples sales are legendary and are guaranteed to be busy, but it’s well worth a look.

Finally, some wise words on the act of shopping from Fashion East’s Lulu Kennedy – don’t bother carrying a handbag, just bring your credit card and a compact mirror in your back pocket – so simple yet genius.

Dates:

Saturday 1 May – Monday 3 May
10.00am to 7.00pm

Location:

The Old Depot
1-3 Wenlock Road
London N1 7SL

Nearest Tube Stations: Angel and Old Street.

Exhibitions, Fashion, News, USA

Daphne Guinness opens her wardrobe to New York

February 26, 2010 by cheriecity

Haute couture collector Daphne Guinness has one of the most enviable wardrobes in the world and now we can take a peak at her sartorial treasures.

Daphne will be exhibition 80-100 pieces from her extensive collection at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Comme des Garçons, Dolce & Gabbana and Azzedine Alaïa.

F.I.T’s chief museum curator Valerie Steele will work with Daphne to highlight her signature styles through the garments, so expect plenty of neck ruffs, hats, jewel encrusted ribbons, pristine white shirts and House of Harlot patent leather Mary Jane platforms.

For those of us who can’t just hop on a plane to NYC, an accompanying coffee table book will be published by Yale University Press.

Daphne oftens describes herself as “a work in progress”, from her ‘Cruella De Vil’ striped hair to her various fashion and art projects. She certainly has a compulsive attitude towards fashion, making it her life’s work to create the perfect white shirt or find just the right height and shape for her trademark platform heels.

I adore Daphne Guiness mostly for her fearless embracing of the future. She’s had the kind of charmed, bohemian past that most people could only dream of – growing up in artist colony Cadaqués with the likes of Dali, Duchamp and Man Ray, hanging out with Andy Warhol in New York and sailing around the Med with millionaire ex-husband, Spyros Niarchos.

However, she started to make a name for herself assisting friend Isabella Blow on fashion shoots, becoming a muse to her designer friends and creating her first scent, Daphne, with Comme des Garçons.

The exhibition promises to include the most impressive selection from Daphne’s wardrobe, especially as she weeded out the ‘chaff’ two years ago, auctioning off over 260 lots in aid of Womankind, a charity to help women in developing countries.

The exhibition runs from September 2011 to January 2012 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Designers, Fashion, London, News, Shopping, Stores

A.P.C… easy as YMC

September 4, 2009 by cheriecity

Following the pre-recession trend of investing in simple, classic pieces, London fashion has gone back to basics. Luckily, the leaders of the utilitarian revolution have set up camp in London, just in time to supply us with some cosy autumn knitwear.

British label YMC (You Must Create) opened their new loftspace a few days ago in Soho and French fashion house A.P.C (Atelier de Production et de Création) have made themselves at home close to Dover Street Market in Mayfair’s most minimalist neighbourhood.

YMC store front

YMC has been delivering well-made classics with a twist since 1995, but is having a bit of a ‘moment’ right now, with devotees Alexa Chung, The Horrors and Claudia Schiffer championing the label. Their Spring/Summer 09 collection was awash with twee embroidered knits, sailor girl dresses, patterned playsuits and a multitude of stripes – mixing folk and prairie chic with a good old dose of Northern Soul. The store is now stocking their Autumn/Winter 09/10 collection, but if birdwatching chic isn’t your thing, then it’s still worth a gander round the shop.

YMC inside

YMC’s loftspace is like an old curiosity shop with victoriana artefacts, retro gym equipment and some creepy taxidermy. You’ve got to be impressed by a two-headed crow, but I can imagine A.P.C owner Jean Touitou’s gallic lip curling at the sight of such antiquated articles of yore.

A.P.C’s new London flagship store is a much sleeker affair, and has just been officially launched, despite being already open this summer. The interior is just as unfussy as A.P.C, with smooth wooden shelving and plenty of natural light.

A.P.C

A.P.C are best known for their innovative denim, but their Autumn/Winter 09 collection is all about checks, bright statement colours and marine-inspired tops – so, not that far away from YMC, then.

While a £100 plaid shirt doesn’t feature highly on my new season wish list, it’s good to know that it’s now a lot easier to find a decent winter coat to go with the coral angora mittens I’ve got my eye on!