2 February, 2013

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]

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments News, Retail concepts Balthazar, London life, news

1 February, 2013

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…

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Beauty, Brands, Designers, News beauty news, Dries Van Noten, fragrance, Frederic Malle

31 January, 2013

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