Studio Nicholson

Random recs: Shreeji News, Studio Nicholson, L’etiquette, Christo at Gagosian and more



Allure face lift

A few snippets of digital ephemera and IRL recommendations I’ve enjoyed lately…

1/ Is SHREEJI NEWS the boujiest corner shop in London? Back in pre-Covid times, I remember Shreeji News was your average newsagent. A decent selection of mags but hardly a ‘destination’. Now, since a major glow-up from Gabriel Chipperfield and associations with Chiltern Firehouse, Air Mail and all manner of fashion and luxury brands wanting to use its store as a pop up ‘space’ to launch products and brand zines, it’s become a small phenomenon in its own right (below). As entry level luxury items have become so expensive, it seems magazines themselves have become luxury products. So it makes sense that some people would rather invest in a collectible magazine – enjoying the smell, feel and time taken to enjoy it – as their indulgence of choice. The Nod has the low down (with a little input from me.)
Shreeji News

2/ Congratulations STUDIO NICHOLSON on ‘going global’ with the first runway show in Paris. “You’ve got to know when to put the pencil down!” says Nick Wakeman on her design philosophy. Read the interview and watch the show here.

3/ CHANEL opened a heritage art house cinema. We can ridicule performative reading but what’s the harm if it puts the spotlight on books? Likewise, I’m all for getting more bums on cinema seats and Chanel is helping the cause by sponsoring the renovation of Paris’s Cinéma Saint Germain des Prés. Decorated with original art deco furniture and Picasso and Cocteau artworks, it’s a subtle nod to Coco Chanel’s days of schmoozing with artists and cinema luvvies. Plot twist: France actually registered 77 million cinema ticket sales in the first five months of 2026, up 20% on last year. It’s no surprise fashion brands want to align themselves with cinema and culture – witness the (lushly-costumed) YSL-funded Father Mother Sister Brother, which I loved! – it’s a way to embed themselves in the wider pop cultural discourse outside exclusive boutiques and the runway while showing support for creative talent.

4/ We’re all better without META eyewear. People are freaking out about tastemakers selling out to META. And the dystopia of surveillance eyewear. Obviously, I don’t blame them. I get that young people don’t have the luxury of being selective about paid work, they just want to pay their bills. But in META’s case it’s not like they chose rando influencers; they’ve partnered with very successful businesswomen who are presumably not desperate for money. And yet it just goes to show, everyone has their price.

5/ Re-upping my summer beauty survival kit. The Summer Friday lip butter minis are a success! This Peep Club dry eye spray is a summer saviour. And I’ve rediscovered the Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist, with its soothing orange blossom and rose scent. Here’s the travel size*.

6/ What I watched. From the grim opening scenes of every episode to the brutal, anxiety-inducing penultimate scene of the final episode, Russell T Davies’ Tip Toe is Channel 4 at its hard-hitting-with-a-side-of-humour best. The story of male relationships and modern-day issues (Brexit! Pronouns! Only Fans!) is worth the watching-through-your-fingers moments. Meanwhile, affecting in a different way, Jon Snow: A Last Big Story starts as a documentary about TV broadcaster Jon Snow’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but ends in unexpected journalistic triumph.

7/ Oh, L’ETIQUETTE women’s magazine is launching its English language edition in September! (Thanks Fashion People for the intel, and this interview with L’étiquette’s Marc Beaugé is worth a listen.)
L'Etiquette Women's Magazine

8/ This article on what facelift recovery is really like is classic ALLURE (top). Fascinating and gruesome in equal parts – read it here.

9/ CHRISTO: AIR is being shown for the first time. No, the title doesn’t relate to the arctic air conditioning in the Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill gallery, but to the wonderfully engineered ‘Air Package on a Ceiling’ (until August 21, below) that hovers between ceiling and just above visitors’ heads. Exploring ‘wrapped air’, the transparent, rope-knotted 16 x 10 metre polyethylene sculpture continues Christo’s (with wife Jeanne-Claude) exploration of ‘making the invisible tangible’. In the next room is a wrapped Volvo (unseen for 30 years), plus fabulous vitrines of drawings, studies, letters and prep photos.
Christo AIR at Gagosian
Christo AIR at Gagosian

WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Allure; Shreeji News; L’etiquette; Christo/Disneyrollergirl x 2
NOTE: Most images are digitally enhanced. Some posts use affiliate links* and PR samples. Please read my privacy and cookies policy here.



Random recs: Lucian Freud’s drawings, Peter York talks, smells like Studio Nicholson, Blank Street for Fashion Week and more



Lucian Freud Portrait of a Young Man

A few snippets of digital ephemera and IRL recommendations I’ve enjoyed lately…


1/ LUCIAN FREUD’s ink brush drawings
, scrawly illustrated love letters, etchings and early paintings are a major highlight of Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting (above and below) just opened at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition is huge and the best bit is no wire barriers to trip over, letting you get super close to examine Freud’s meticulous hatching technique. P.S. the merch is fab (below); I’m going back for the mini daffodil tray. Bella Freud’s tees and totes are fun too.
Lucian Freud love letter (more…)



Random Recs: Uniqlo’s secret sauce, Studio Nicholson, craft influencers, a secret Negroni Salon



Fantastic Man Autumn 25

A few snippets of digital ephemera and IRL recommendations I’ve enjoyed lately…

1/ Craft influencers. In a backlash to flattening algorithms and A.I. slop, young creatives are finding value in the imperfect qualities of analogue, tactile pastimes. Vogue Business reports on the craft creators transforming niche hobbies like scrapbooking (hi!) and journalling into fledgling brands and media platforms. (more…)



Shop the post: summer sale picks



Studio Nicholson shirt

OMG OMG it’s actually happening. That rarer-than-rare event. A proper, more-than-one-day sweltering heatwave! In London! This calls for a rethink of my ‘Tods Girl Summer’ wardrobe since the ‘summer knits’ and waterproofs don’t quite fit the 30-degrees-and-rising brief.

Thankfully, the sales are starting, so I’m here to help with a couple of hot-in-the-city pointers. While the multi-brand sites aren’t great for sale purchases did everyone freak out ahead of the tariffs and panic buy? there are some good discounts if you persevere. (more…)