Speakeasy Style
London
The new going-out trend among the hip crowd, it seems, are these pop-up speakeasy-style venues where, to be let in, one has to be totally and authentically done up in late 1920s-style clothes and makeup (which might explain all the men I've been seeing with handlebar mustaches). Having scored an invite to one such event this week, I went out in search of slipdresses of the non-lacy, non-clingy, non-grungy variety —which I've found nearly impossible to track down in the States.
But at the Antique Clothing Shop, which is stuffed to the brim with early twentieth-century pieces and hidden behind a line of street vendors above Portobello Market, I discovered two silk dresses that were exactly right. They were cut straight across at the top, then loose through the body, and brilliantly were only $40 each. The long black one —which has contrasting nude straps and these ingenious metal washers hidden in the seams (one on each side at the hip and the hem) to tame the volume —I wore to the event with my long hair pinned up into a bob and dark, smoky eyes; and again all the next day with beat-up brown leather boots and chunky wood bangles. It's the perfect slipdress. The second, in a peaches-and-cream color with a scalloped hem, I'm saving for when the weather turns cold and I can pair it with a long superfine cardigan (I've got my eye on one from 3.1 Phillip Lim back home: It's heather gray with black lace insets).
The shop's owner, Sandy Stagg, has recently launched a bridal service downstairs which houses the most gorgeous, vintage, non-bridey gowns that I have ever seen.
282 Portobello Road, London W10. Tel: 011-44-20-8964-4830
The new going-out trend among the hip crowd, it seems, are these pop-up speakeasy-style venues where, to be let in, one has to be totally and authentically done up in late 1920s-style clothes and makeup (which might explain all the men I've been seeing with handlebar mustaches). Having scored an invite to one such event this week, I went out in search of slipdresses of the non-lacy, non-clingy, non-grungy variety —which I've found nearly impossible to track down in the States.But at the Antique Clothing Shop, which is stuffed to the brim with early twentieth-century pieces and hidden behind a line of street vendors above Portobello Market, I discovered two silk dresses that were exactly right. They were cut straight across at the top, then loose through the body, and brilliantly were only $40 each. The long black one —which has contrasting nude straps and these ingenious metal washers hidden in the seams (one on each side at the hip and the hem) to tame the volume —I wore to the event with my long hair pinned up into a bob and dark, smoky eyes; and again all the next day with beat-up brown leather boots and chunky wood bangles. It's the perfect slipdress. The second, in a peaches-and-cream color with a scalloped hem, I'm saving for when the weather turns cold and I can pair it with a long superfine cardigan (I've got my eye on one from 3.1 Phillip Lim back home: It's heather gray with black lace insets).
The shop's owner, Sandy Stagg, has recently launched a bridal service downstairs which houses the most gorgeous, vintage, non-bridey gowns that I have ever seen.
282 Portobello Road, London W10. Tel: 011-44-20-8964-4830
September 27, 2007
Towering above the bustling streets of New York's fashion Mecca and in celebration of its Fifth Anniversary, uptown swank gets a retro resurgence as Alison Nelson unveils Chocolate Bar at Henri Bendel. Located within Manhattan?s legendary Fifth Avenue boutique at 712 Fifth Avenue between 55th and 56th Street and situated on the 3rd floor atrium, this sleek new dining destination incorporates the best of fashion, art, style and food into a rich atmosphere that is fresh and inviting, playful and serene, eclectic and chic. Crafted with a nod to the ever-changing caprices of fashion and the inventiveness of the woman who dons the latest trends but mixes them up with flair, Chocolate Bar at Henri Bendel adds mischief to manners with its modern take on high-society savoir faire. If it?s time to introduce a new location to your cultural repertoire, look no further than the artfully curated interior and equally enticing menu at Chocolate Bar at Henri Bendel. Chocolate Bar at Henri Bendel is a devilishly sophisticated playground, where the staff is exclusively and fashionably attired in a chic, cap sleeve mini dress by one of Bendel?s favorite designers, Stacey Bendet for Alice + Olivia. Enter a world of irresistible influence and edgy refinement, where indulgence is only a teacup or designer dress away. For more information please visit www.chocolatebarnyc.com