It’s coming: Balthazar Boulangerie
I won’t quite believe this ’til I see it with my own eyes, but here goes anyway. The opening of Balthazar, the London chapter is imminent (so we’re told), but first we’re getting Balthazar Boulangerie on February 6th. That’s next week!*
According to Zagat.com, the famous New York brasserie will open its bakery next Wednesday selling oven-warm goodies to take away. Situated next to the main restaurant in Russell Street, this will keep us fed until Balthazar proper opens it doors. I’ve been holding my breath for years for Balthazar London so this will bring it a little closer. And just in time for LFW too…
*UPDATE: Opening delayed until Monday 11th. what a tease!
Balthazar Boulangerie, 8 Russell Street, London WC2B 5HZ. Weekdays: 7am – 8pm. Saturdays: 11am – 6pm
[Image of New York Balthazar Boulangerie via Zagat]
Beauty buy: Dries van Noten X Frederic Malle
Twitter has been all aflutter this morning at the announcement by WWD of a Dries van Noten fragrance coming this month. Digging further, the fragrance is an ‘olfactory portrait’ of Dries van Noten, as opposed to a brand fragrance and is created by Frédéric Malle’s Editions de Parfums. The notes are a concoction of citron, sandalwood, guaiac wood, saffron, Spanish jasmine, tonka beans, Cashmeran/blonde woods, vanilla and musk. Something tells me it will be a bit of a unisex scent.
This is what the bottle looks like…
I think this is going to be another addition to my ‘fragrance library’, alongside the Marni, Tom Ford Noir, Chanel Jersey and Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir currently on rotation. It will be available on February 15th.
UPDATE 27th Feb: It’s been spotted in Liberty so I’ll be heading down there for a sniff. In the meantime, here’s a video of Frederic Malle and Dries van Noten talking about the collaboration…
Dries Van Noten by Frédéric Malle from EDP FM on Vimeo.
M’oda ‘Operandi: pre-tail to etail
Pre-tail site, M’oda ‘Operandi has been going for quite a while now and even though I’m still a novice online shopper when it comes to fashion (honestly, I can count my total clothing purchases on two hands), I do think it’s a clever concept.
For me it works as a research tool. It bridges the gap between seeing things on the runway (styled to the hilt as per the designer’s vision) and seeing them on a rail in store. We get to see clothes ahead of season styled in a more wearable way, including those by some of the lesser known designers. This week’s ‘trunk shows’ (the M’O name for its limited-time pre-order sales) includes Bouchra Jarrar’s winter couture collection (a designer I love, who was shortlisted for the Balenciaga gig and M’oda ‘Operandi’s first ‘couture’ designer) and J.W. Anderson pre-fall.
But like a lot of start-ups, it seems the plan is to develop the concept beyond its original, well, moda operandi. Since December, the site has also offered conventional, in-season etail in its ‘Boutique’, giving the M’O consumer the option to buy their favorite pieces and wear them the next day. As CEO Aslaug Magnusdottir says, “We want to better serve our current customers and reach a new customer base. We’ve been able to establish a name in various pockets of the world and we want to take advantage of our positioning and build our market share quickly.”
You can pre-order Bouchra Jarrar’s winter couture collection until 5th Feb and J.W. Anderson Pre-Fall 2013 until 4th Feb. Happy shopping!
Bouchra Jarrar
J.W. Anderson
Beauty buy: Olympia le Tan for Lancome
Oh I do love a logical brand tie-up. For Valentine’s Day, Lancome has worked with Olympia le Tan to create 100 felt appliquéd ‘book clutch’ minaudiers, stuffed full of Lancome product. Le Tan chose six Lancome Rouge In Love lipsticks and Vernis In Love nail polishes – in pinks and reds obvs – to package inside the handmade clutch bags.
They go on sale exclusively at Harvey Nichols (in store, £995) from Monday.
If you’re a fan of Le Tan’s work, check out her Tumblr, which often shows the vintage books she uses as inspiration…
UK Vogue launches Miss Vogue: Why this is interesting…
The Twittersphere went mental last Friday, at UK Vogue’s announcement of the forthcoming launch of Miss Vogue (first issue to be sold with the June Vogue). I’m thrilled too. I love Vogue, I love Teen Vogue, I love teenagers, I think I’ll like Miss Vogue. But from a news point of view, this is why it’s interesting…
1) It’s youth-focussed
My background is in teen mags. I had the funnest time of my life working in the ‘young women’s market’ but towards the end, we found young people just weren’t buying our magazine. Or any teen mag. J17, Elle Girl, Sugar all tried to last in print but couldn’t. Partly because we found that teenagers just read their mum’s mags (Grazia, Heat, Vogue) or weren’t reading magazines at all, they got all their information online.
2) It’s a print mag
Magazines are dying! Oh no they’re not! Vogue launching a new print magazine is news indeed. I always maintain that young people don’t have the ‘nostalgia’ of print and instinctively gravitate to online, especially now with such incredible mobile platforms. If Vogue is launching a magazine for young people, I’m sure the package will include web and mobile apps. But I really hope they can prove that young people are interested enough in print too.
3) It’s a new launch
You’d think the fashion content market was saturated by now, especially with all the blurring going on between editorial publications and commercial publications. With ASOS, H&M and Topshop all regularly producing excellent, free magazines, what more can Miss Vogue possibly have to offer?
I guess the important thing here is Authority. I’ve just been watching this great 2000 documentary on Anna Wintour in which she maintains that Vogue stands for excellence. Vogue is known as the authority on fashion – even now. And as the media and fashion worlds have become democratised, suddenly everyone has a voice and a point of view. While other young women’s magazines like Look and Company have embraced bloggers and readers’ input, Vogue is still very much about the editors’ view. And I think there is still a place for that. Maybe more so than ever before.
First look: M&S launches Made In Great Britain heritage menswear for AW13
Hands down, one of the biggest menswear trends for AW13 is all things traditional, homespun and British. So think Harris tweeds, Scottish cashmeres and Savile Row-style tailoring using textiles from our oldest mills. Nicely timed then, is Made In Great Britain from Marks & Spencer, its heritage line that will be launching in selected stores in the autumn. Continue reading
Juergen Teller at the ICA plus some other 2013 exhibitions to diarise
Opening today at the ICA is Juergen Teller’s ‘Woo’ exhibition. I’m desperate to see it, in particular his landscapes that I’ve only recently discovered. Here’s a clip I found (above) of him shooting Helena Bonham Carter with his two Contaxes. And here’s another one (below) of him shooting Kate Moss. (Venetia Scott makes an appearance too)… Continue reading
Nail news: Spring nudes and the perfect pedi pink
On the nail front, the general consensus is that nude nails are in, and that includes the so-out-it’s-now-in French mani. I haven’t had a French manicure for years but I did go through a phase of having an American (the more subtle version) at Topshop every week. For doing it yourself though, it’s all a bit of a faff. The lazy-girl option could be Dior’s new, one-step clear Nail Glow. According to Vogue, it enhances white tips with one sweep of the brush. Continue reading
Mmmm is for MARNI’s first fragrance
Please take a look at Marni ‘s first fragrance, complete with its USB stick-holding mascot doll, ‘Bambolina’. isn’t is the funnest thing ever? I love everything about this, from the design of the bottle (incorporating playful Marni signatures like curved edges, polka dots and the red bottle cap that closes with a lovely, audible click), to the scent itself which is a delicious, fresh-but-spicy blend of ginger, cardamom, cedarwood and black rose.
I think I’ll be alternating it with Jo Malone London’s Blackberry & Bay – it has a similar grown up ‘juiciness’. It comes out next month (exclusively at Harrods) along with a shower gel, body lotion and body creme.
Who is Aries?
Aries is a new name on my radar, although the names of its creators are not. Sofia Prantera was (one of) the brains behind Silas, the cult casualwear brand that made up quite a chunk of my late nineties/early noughties wardrobe, while Fergus Purcell’s Tonite label was equally influential at the time. Continue reading
