Brands

Chanel beauty in the red



 Chanel Creation La Palette Caractere lip palette

Red is a key colour for Chanel global creative make-up and colour designer, Lucia Pica. It was the focus of her first makeup collection for them; she considers it the colour of life and it’s also the colour of the delicious new limited edition Chanel no 5 bottle (which makes the classic scent seem suddenly seductive and animalic).

The Chanel Christmas makeup collection is also big on full-bodied reds. The standout is a car paint-esque crimson nail polish called ‘Flamboyance’, perfect on short nails to elevate a tuxedo-pant-and-silk-shirt look. (I’m thinking Isabelle Huppert at a Christmas eve supper). (more…)



Buy it now: the Dieter Rams handbag



Dieter Rams handbag for Tsatsas

Fascinating fact: in 1963, Dieter Rams (of iconic Braun alarm clock and Vitsoe shelving fame) designed a handbag for his wife, Ingeborg. A classic, boxy piece with a simple curved handle, it was not unlike the kind of bag more recently designed by Valextra or #oldCeline.

45 years later, the ‘931’ bag is being reproduced for public consumption (more…)



A walking portrait of my hood



Folk Navaz Batliwalla

My Facebook feeds are currently full of friends waxing lyrical about the joys of coastal living, having fled London for the simple life. Me? I’m not quite there yet. London’s where I was born and grew up and as a West Londoner I’ve not strayed far from my childhood stomping ground.

In particular I’m passionate about the pocket of London where Portobello meets Golborne Road. This little local stretch is relatively unknown by the masses. You won’t find hordes of tourists and bloggers descending here for their selfies and outfit posts, but you will find a genuine melting pot of character and style.

You can people watch in the flea market, pick up an antique mirror from Les Couilles du Chien, delight in the curiosities of Kokon To Zai, and make a pilgrimage to Rellik, the famous vintage store that specialises in collectable Westwood, Galliano and Comme. Foodies can enjoy a Palestinian feast at Maramia, fish & chips at George’s or queue up for a pastel de nata at Lisboa, the Portuguese coffee shop that’s a local institution.

I gave the folks at Folk a little local walking tour of my hood a few weeks ago (more…)