Be prepared to be officially gobsmacked by Estee Lauder’s exclusive solid perfume compacts for Harrods. Estee Lauder is famous for its inventive compacts but these have to be the best yet…
‘Beautiful’ golden horseshoe solid perfume compact, £120
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There are gift sets and there are gift sets. One for the design-o-phile in your life, these Aesop kits tick the style-meets-function box. Based on the Italian Futurist movement, the graphic typography and bold colour palette are pure packaging porn. And the product inside is just as appealing. There are six sets in total but these three are my favourite, Intensity, Alacrity, Agility…
The best place to buy Aesop is surely from one of its standalone stores, each one designed to engage with its geographical surroundings in some way. The newest one on Marylebone High Street uses artists Francis Bacon and Lucio Fontana and indigenous UK ferns as its unique stylistic references. Alternatively, you can buy from Aesop.com and Liberty.
Is this the ultimate in upcycling? For the next eight days, you might get a shock if you amble into Hermes’ New Bond Street store for a silk tie or scarf. The entire ground floor has been hijacked by ‘Petit h’, the luxe, upcycling arm of Hermes, for a unique selling exhibition. (more…)
Are fancy scented candles passé ? I hope not ‘cos I’m still not quite done with them. In particluar Astier de Villatte‘s which come in paper-thin ceramic pots, available from Liberty, Designers Guild, The Conran Shop and Couverture.
Two notable ones are collaborations. The latest (above) is from John Derian, the New York decoupagist. His Provincetown candle is a tribute to the Cape Cod artists’ enclave and gives off an evocative whiff of sea mist, cedar and wild berries inspired by the local marshlands. Perfect for the weekend cottage (real or imaginary) mantlepiece, no?
The other collab is the Commune De Paris candle (below) that came out last year. I’ve been consumed with this cube pattern for months (I want my bathroom tiled in it) – especially the Gallic colourway. All Astier de Villatte’s candles are Paris-made from vegetable wax with cotton wicks and are based on olfactory journeys to faraway places. One for the self-gifting pile, I’d say…
