As Amanda Clutterbuck and Ian Paton lose their attempt to reclaim £14 million worth of Kensington and Chelsea properties that they signed over to the ‘Vamp in the Veil’ Sara Al Amoudi, we suggest all three are nothing but tawdry (more…)
Tag: perfume
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Where have all the gentlemen gone?
Matthew Steeples laments the loss of one of what once set London apart: Manners and gentlemen (more…)
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The Ark of Brompton Cross
Playboys swarming the streets of SW3 have turned Brompton Cross into the Arabian answer to Oxford Circus (more…)
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A summery tea
Alexandra Naylor reviews the InterContinental Park Lane London’s ‘Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea’ (more…)
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A fond farewell to Juicy Couture
Claire Rubinstein laments the closure of Juicy Couture’s US stores
When I heard the news that the clothing brand Juicy Couture – famed for the much maligned rhinestone bedazzled tracksuits – had shut down all its US Stores at the end of last week I was somewhat surprised. (more…)
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Fool’s gold
Claire Rubinstein attends a party but doesn’t strike gold
The invite read: “Fashion Brands Viewing & Party At LFW – PRESS INVITE – must RSVP”. Surely, I thought, this must be something exclusive. (more…)
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The problems of perfume
“Alleged Saudi princess” claims to have spent £1 million on perfume in just two months
Sara[h] Al Amoudi is perhaps an ideal illustration of the words of Coco Chanel who once said: “A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting”. (more…)
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Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan (1971 – 2007 and 1966 – 2007)
Their story is a modern day equivalent of that of Romeo and Juliet and Vanity Fair chronicled their deaths as The Golden Suicides. “Handsome” Blake, a digital artist and painter who worked with Malcolm McLaren and Fox Searchlight, and “sexy” Duncan, a writer, game designer and filmmaker best known for the “girl-centric” game Chop Suey, were the toast of New York but became obsessed with those they felt threatened them and their works. Personally wounded by a rejection from the post-modern rocker Beck to work with her on making a film out of one of her scripts, Duncan blamed his church, the Church of Scientology, and stated: “They are furious because he valued our way of life far more than Celebrity Center sex trash”. As more rejections came, this talented pair who “supported one another totally” became more and more irrational and in July 2007, a week apart, both committed suicide. -
Gaspard Ulliel
Best known for a brilliant performance in the 2007 prequel Hannibal Rising, this talented Frenchman is to play a young Yves Saint Laurent in an unauthorised forthcoming biopic of the designer’s early career. Having attempted to ride a doberman like at horse at the age of six, he was attacked and claims the resulting scar improves his emotional acting abilities. It hasn’t harmed his modeling career either as he has contracts with both Chanel and Longchamp. -
Jo Malone MBE
This dynamo opened her first store at 154 Walton Street in Chelsea in 1994 and admits she had no money and made every error in the book whilst starting out. It all paid off as the Jo Malone brand that was created in her kitchen was sold to Estée Lauder in a multi-million pound “deal of a lifetime” in 1999. Malone grew up in a council flat in Bexleyheath and readily admits she’s a “merchant at heart.” She’s now moved into television presenting and also launched a new fragrance brand, Jo Loves, in March 2011.