Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…
1. ALEXIS MARTIAL TO CARVEN
I loved what Alexis Martial did at Iceberg so I’ll be interested to see how he develops Carven. This week we heard that Martial and Adran Caillaudaud (most recently at Givenchy) are the new co artistic directors at Carven, with Martial focusing on RTW and Caillaudaud on accessories. (more…)
Should you ever arrive in London for a short staycation, you’d be advised to disembark at Victoria mainline station then follow the blue line, helpfully taped to the floor. It leads to the rather unglamorous passport office on Belgrave Road at which point you veer off course for another five minutes, along Eccleston Square towards Cambridge Street. And there you’ll arrive at a secret little nook of delight – AKA the Artist Residence Hotel.
This is the route our model Maddy took, arriving in a typical London torrential downpour to the comfort of the Grand Suite, where we had commandeered the bed, chairs and bathroom for my latest Disneyrollergirl fashion shoot. The hotel is the third in the Artist Residence chain of boutique stay-overs and its period rooms are a masterclass in eccentric but luxurious London charm. They’re furnished with reclaimed gems from some of London’s best secret sources, juxtaposed with contemporary artworks from art fairs and independent galleries. To make you feel really at home there’s the downstairs cocktail lounge, all velvet sofas, rustic logs and table football, and the 64 Degrees restaurant (think proper cooked breakfasts and inventive tapas-style sharing plates).
And although it’s not immediately obvious, the location is in fact, the height of fashion, a stone’s thrown from the London HQs of Burberry, Tom Ford and Jimmy Choo. Position yourself just so by Ebury Bridge, and you’re afforded an unexpected vista of Battersea Power Station.
Allow us to take you on a little tour – just follow the blue line…
CREDITS
Photography: Vanessa Jackman
Words: Navaz Batliwalla
Styling: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl.net
Hair: Patrick Forini using Bed head by TIGI
Make-up: Emma Broom
Model: Maddy Elmer at Storm
With thanks to the team at Artist Residence London, 52 Cambridge Street, SW1V 4QQ
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Why have a show? That’s the 64 million dollar question that continues to circulate fashion week season after season. The answer is still elusive – is it an industry insider event or a public spectacle? – but I think if you’re going to have a show, make it a show. Make some element of it surprising, delightful, emotional, weird or thought provoking. It’s not like there isn’t a ton of options at your disposal. There’s the set, the music, the choreography. Or the casting, styling, make up…take your pick.
Carven’s Paris show was staged at the elegant Galerie Des Gobelins – a collection of youthful tailoring with collage-y placements and crystal embroidery that nodded to the art of Man Ray and Blumenfeld. (more…)
I’m not a fan of sale shopping for the sake of it. I prefer to shop with a purpose so my sale strategy tends to be around useful pieces or one-of-a-kind things you’ll never see again.
Of the sale buys I’ve spotted already, the distinctive Miu Miu coat is only worth buying if you absolutely adore those spots (as I do) because it’s such a season-specific piece. But it’s a great standby for weddings etc and will look as good worn casually unfastened as primly zipped.
The Carven jacket is a good price for the quality and versatility (the faux fur collar comes off so you’ll still be wearing this come spring. Plus click on the picture and you can get another 10% off when you use the code XMAS10). And although the Dolce & Gabbana jewelled heels are still quite pricy, they’re worth it to me as it’s rare to find walkable evening heels that are such a dramatic talking point.
