Between the 26th June and 31st July, Bruce Oldfield is holding a sample sale at his Beauchamp Place showroom where he will offer a selection of couture occasion wear, wedding dresses and accessories.
Bruce Oldfield OBE with his Rhodesian RidgebackPippa and Carole Middleton pictured outside the Beauchamp Place showroom of Bruce OldfieldDiana, Princess of Wales pictured in a gown by Bruce OldfieldInformation about the Bruce Oldfield sample sale
Oldfield, who was brought up in the care of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, is deservedly one of Britain’s top fashion designers. He is renowned for his couture occasion wear and Samantha Cameron, Jemima Goldsmith, Joan Collins, Rhianna, Queen Rania of Jordan, Jerry Hall and Barbara Streisand number amongst his clients. Undoubtedly, however, his best-known customer was the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Mr. Oldfield is a regular sight in the street where I live. Always accompanied by his two dogs, he is a man of exemplary charm and it is for this reason plainly that so many women put their faith in him. The talents of this graduate of St. Martin’s College of Art’s are recognised globally and though couture is his main arena, he even redesigned the staff uniform for McDonald’s in 2008.
Rest assured, ladies, this is a sample sale you most definitely should not miss.
The Manor, Bucklebury: a house that shortly may become home to Carole and Michael Middleton
First reported by The Daily Telegraph’s “Mandrake” columnist Richard Eden in May, the talk of today is that The Duchess of Cambridge’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, have just purchased a Georgian manor house at Bucklebury in West Berkshire.
The exterior of The Manor, Bucklebury, Reading, West Berkshire, RG7 6RPThe eastern side of the house includes a steel framed garden room
The property’s formal gardens with parkland beyond
Currently owned by a Morgan Stanley banker named Justin Mason and his landscape artist wife, Jill, The Manor was subject to a bidding war featuring four parties and has now been taken off the market. Agents Savills have refused to confirm the name of the winning bid but this morning’s Mail Online claims the Middletons, who are said to be worth some £30 million from their Party Pieces empire, have “triumphed” and are paying some £4.7 million for the property. It was last sold in 2001 for circa £1.8 million.
The house’s formal drawing room
The family kitchen complete with full sized AGA
Featuring 7 bedrooms, 5 reception rooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, The Manor is set in 18.9 acres and situated 8.8 miles from Newbury. The Grade II listed house merges “contemporary and traditional styles” of décor and a main feature is a large kitchen that the agents describe as being “the heart of the house.” One could, indeed, imagine Mrs Middleton cooking up a feast fit for a future King in this vast room.
The current Middleton family residence: Oak Acre, The Avenue, Bucklebury, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 6NS
Carole and Michael Middleton on the driveway of their current home
Whilst many and most especially the Daily Mail mock this family, and if indeed they are the purchasers of The Manor, it is most certainly a most fitting residence for them. Their next step on the Monopoly board is much deserved.
For more information on The Manor, Bucklebury contact Michael Gatehouse of the Newbury office of Savills on +44 (0) 1635 277700 or email [email protected]
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Eton educated Gilkes is a club-trepreneur who has made waves in Chelsea and Battersea. He also appeared in The Iron Lady and launched an Italian pizzeria and karaoke bar named Bunga Bunga with a performance by the X Factor star Wagner.
My response to Terence Blacker’s piece attacking Pippa Middleton
Pippa Middleton is not someone I know. I have seen her in bars and at parties but never spoken with her. I do not especially find her derrière attractive and I do not consider her to be one of the world’s most influential people.
Pippa Middleton
This morning, however, I responded on Twitter to a journalist named Terence Blacker about a comment piece he had written for The Independent. In it, he named Miss Middleton a “national embarrassment” and made a factual error in stating:
“She has not used her fame to any charitable effect, but has availed herself of a £400,000 publishing advance for a book, presumably ghost-written, on party planning. In her smiling, dimpled way she has done more harm to the cause of women than any airhead celebrity or Page 3 girl.”
Mr Blacker is wrong: Along with her brother James, Miss Middleton completed a 56-mile cross-country ski race for the Magic Breakfast charity in Sweden in March. At the time she stated:
“My brother and I are raising money for Magic Breakfast, a small registered charity that fights child hunger through breakfast clubs and delivering free breakfasts (bagels, cereal, juice and porridge) to thousands of state primary school children in the UK particularly our inner cities.”
In total, the pair, hats off to them, to date have raised £12,039 for this worthy cause. They have also previously aided other charities, much to their credit.
I would suggest that Mr Blacker ought to correct his error by donating his fee for this article to Magic Breakfast. He can do so by visiting Miss Middleton’s JustGiving page. Instead, in reply to my Tweet pointing out the inaccuracy, all I got in response was:
“Nope, sorry. I really can’t see Pips as an influential role model.”
In turn others responded and I began to understand how Samantha Brick must feel. I’m a big Twitter fan but the barrage of nonsense I received was just tedious. I only pointed out a factual error. I did not say that Miss Middleton had done anything miraculous. The comments included:
“It has nothing 2do [sic] with jealousy, it’s 2do with a young lady doing zero work each day yet living life reilly [sic]… It’s not as if she spends her time doing good, like the Royal Family, she just likes to party.”
Too many in Britain mock success. Our media builds individuals up only to take huge pleasure in knocking them down. The Middleton family represent a remarkable story and we should all celebrate them. Good for Pippa Middleton for enjoying the world she now inhabits but also good for her for using this fame to do good for others. Yes, Miss Middleton has made mistakes, but honestly hold your hands up and admit it: from time to time, don’t we all?
