books

Trend report: What to wear for SS23



WWD backstage at Jil Sander SS23

Let’s say it now, there’s not a lot of newness around at the mo. The world’s in flux, designers are scared for their jobs, no one’s taking risks and the big brands especially just wanna sell. Who can blame them? BOF’s Angelo Flaccavento was maybe a bit harsh with his ‘clothes to die from not for’ (lol) summing up of MFW SS23, but he had a point. It’s a commercial season, so let’s just get that out of the way. Honestly, I’m not sad about the black-everything revival, I can’t complain about the loafer love-fest and as a New Luddite, it’s great to see women’s watches in the spotlight. Read on for my round-up of what I’ll be wearing and doing this season… (more…)



Keith McNally: I regret almost everything



Keith McNally memoir I regret Almost Everything

Wishlisted: I Regret Almost Everything*, Keith McNally’s memoir. Not an Instagram post goes by without someone telling McNally, “you should write your memoir”. Well, little did we know, he already has. McNally’s story as a restauranteur is fascinating. He regularly dishes up anecdotes of personal and professional misdemeanours as the founder of such illustrious eateries as Balthazar, Pastis and Lucky Strike, to name just three. (more…)



Can Ladbroke Hall turn Notting Hill into an art destination?



Michele Lamy and Loïc Le Gaillard at Ladbroke Hall by Tom Jamieson for FT

“We want to use the language of a foundation or a museum; moving away from the idea of being a gallery. I want everybody to feel they can come in and educate themselves about design. We want diversity, not only in the artists that we work with but the people that visit us, whether that’s a local school or someone from fashion, the arts or design. We’ve been very successful as a business and now want to give back. We’re seeding things here – we’re not sure what, but we know something beautiful will grow.”
Loïc Le Gaillard, Financial Times

News just in: Ladbroke Grove is getting a very zhuzhy arts hub for SS23. (more…)



How to publish a book



La Maison Steidl - Hermes book by Koto Bolofo

This brief interview between Scott Shuman and Koto Bolofo is a rather wonderful eye-opener into the world of photo book publishing. Or to be more precise, the rarefied world of Steidl book publishing. I seem to have quite a few Steidl books, including the eleven-volume example that Bolofo refers to here.

It’s his series on Hermès, which came out in 2011, but I remember waiting two years for as the publication date kept moving! (I blogged about it here and here and someone recently emailed asking if I’d be interested in selling it. Answer: no thank you!) (more…)