OUT OF OFFICE March 10, 2010 LONDON ASSURANCE AT THE NATIONAL Dion Boucicault, the Irish genius of London theatre in the mid-19th century, wrote the hilarious London Assurance in 1841, creating in Sir Harcourt and Lady Spanker two of the great comic roles of the English stage. Starring Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw at the?NT, the action concerns love and [...]
Cadbury cafe chain to be launched April 9, 2010 CADBURY is set to launch a high street cafe chain under new owners Kraft. Up to 60 new outlets called Cadbury Cocoa Houses are to be set up across the UK, serving hot chocolate, afternoon tea and novelty chocolate gifts. The outlets will be up against the likes of Starbucks in the high street cafe [...]
Add a bit of fun to your nursery March 4, 2010 1 Jeeves and Wooster pendant lights by Leigh Harmer, £338.10 at www.leighharmer.co.uk 2 Coco Stylewood baby lounger by bloom, £130 at www.johnlewis.com 3 Pirate chest of drawers by Steve Allen, £299 at www.steveallen.co.uk or www.mydeco.com 4 Spot pillowcase, Cath Kidston, £10, www.cathkidston.co.uk 5 Natural History Museum remote controlled rattle snake, £32.95 at Harrods, www.harrods.com 6 [...]
Live like a modern Victorian in London March 4, 2010 WALKING through London, it is hard to ignore the wealth of wonderful Victorian buildings in the city. Gothic turrets and solid red-crick municipal buildings are everywhere you look. Those Londoners who are forced to live in flimsy new-builds no doubt look enviously at the beautiful – and solid – architecture that made the city the [...]
Season’s hottest sun lotions May 24, 2010 MOST of us will be a bit pink after the last few days. And while the mercury is dropping again, we can only hope this is the real beginning of summer. As soon as it warms up, we run for the parks and beach, begging the sun to singe us. But blocking its harmful rays [...]
Treat yourself to a top tote March 4, 2010 1 Ostrich leather duffel bag, William &?Son, £2650, www.williamandson.com 2 Daria drawstring tote, Mulberry, £795, www.mulberry.com 3 Fabien bag, Jimmy Choo, £925, www.jimmychoo.com 4 Tate paisley-print tote, Marc by Marc Jacobs, £175, www.netaporter.com 5 Large patent Ebury leather bag, Vivienne Westwood, £679 www.harrods.com 6 Miami soft tote, Aspinal, £395, www.aspinaloflondon.com 7 Bretany snake effect tote [...]
CITY PHILANTHROPISTS LURED BY PROMISE OF SOME GOLDEN EGGS May 18, 2010 OFF to the Merchant Taylors Hall on Threadneedle Street yesterday for what has become a stalwart of the City’s calendar – the annual Gulls’ Eggs lunch. This year marked the 22nd anniversary of the affair, which has traditionally used the excuse of what must be the shortest season of any earthly foodstuff to bring hundreds [...]
Cracking eggs for Easter March 10, 2010 FLORAL EGG, COCOMAYA The chic Mayfair chocolate shop has come up with a rather eccentric egg, with a glittery surface decorated with a chocolate medallion embossed with the face of a Roman emperor and three little white marzipan rosettes, all nestled in a straw nest. The milk chocolate is rich and silky with a bit [...]
Smell delicious this summer with a sensual new perfume April 19, 2010 PERFUME houses have leapt upon the new season like never before, releasing dozens of spring/summer scents for 2010. To help guide your choices next time you’re in Duty Free (assuming the ash cloud clears), we spoke to the poetic-voiced James Craven, perfume consultant and archivist of London’s top perfumery, Les Senteurs. “This spring/summer is all [...]
Mulberry says profits to rise with boost from Alexa bag February 17, 2010 LUXURY brand Mulberry has predicted that it is on the way to smashing profit forecasts for the year as its “Alexa” range helped to boost sales. The handbags, named after and designed for TV presenter Alexa Chung have been a hit since their launch last month. “It is clearly very helpful for sales when someone [...]