JUNE

MADAM FABULOUS
AMBASSADOR SUMMER
The female face FASHION
of modern Get ready
diplomacy to go out

HOW TO
OPTIMISE
YOUR
HEALTH
AT HOME

BILLIE
Eilish
“It’s all about what makes you feel good”
chanel.com
 SOME ENCOUNTERS YOU WEAR FOREVER.
RINGS AND EARRINGS IN BEIGE GOLD, WHITE GOLD AND DIAMONDS.
Paula’s Ibiza, 2021
 loewe.com
CASA LOEWE London
41 - 42 New Bond street
 CONTENTS
Regulars
30 Editor’s letter
34 Notices
Behind the scenes of the issue
102 Checklist
This summer’s sizzling styles
200 ON THE COVER
Forces for Change
Diplomacy is no longer a man’s world.
Olivia Marks meets five women
representing Britain abroad.
Photograph by Greg Kahn.
Styling by Patrick Mackie
211 Stockists
Vogue trends
42 Hard candy
Sweet staples meet edgy accessories
44 Go all out
The re-emergence of glamour
46 Head over heels
You’ll totally fall for Etro’s sandals “How best
47 Army base to enhance the
Khaki: the foundation of your wardrobe
glow-giving
48 Vivid detail
LWDs served with shots of colour power of
49 Sheer leaders
Diaphanous chiffon dresses to applaud
summer?
50 Piece of the action
Powders and
Swimwear plus shorts equals holiday
vibes. Wherever you are
crèmes bring
52 Seaside trip
the extra
magic”
LACHLAN BAILEY

Bohemian dresses are making waves

54 An act to follow Golden days, page 182
Turn your attention to authentic
influencers, says Dana Thomas

59 Vogue darling 70 Green room

Actor Ann Skelly Yasmin Sewell’s London home
is alive with botanical colour,
Jewellery & watches discovers Ellie Pithers
COVER LOOK 61 New rave neon 74 Outside influence
Billie Eilish wears Fluoro jewellery is the life of the Expert tips on setting the scene for
custom-made satin corset
and latex skirt with lace
party. By Rachel Garrahan a glorious garden gathering
trim, Gucci. Lace bra, £95.
Knickers, £45. Both Agent Arts & culture Viewpoint
Provocateur. Latex gloves,
customised by stylist, £200,
Atsuko Kudo. White-gold and
62 Queens of noise 78 I am because we are
diamond earrings, price on A riotous new series is set to smash Leading humanitarian Elizabeth
request, Anita Ko. White-gold
stereotypes, finds Radhika Seth
and diamond bra chain, from
£13,090. White-gold and
Nyamayaro reveals the tenet at the
diamond finger bracelets, 64 Life studies root of her career
from £6,390 each. All Jacquie
Summer reads full of fresh
Aiche. Get the look: make-up
by Hourglass Cosmetics. perspectives, selected by Olivia Marks Archive
Eyes: Scattered Light Glitter
Eyeshadow in Burnish and 81 Making the cut
Blaze. Lips: Unreal High Mr Vogue Robin Muir on a Clifford Coffin
Shine Volumizing Lip Gloss
in Prose. Skin: Vanish 67 King of New York image of Henri Matisse creating his
Seamless Finish Liquid
Foundation. Hair by Aveda. Scottish actor Thomas Doherty takes papiers découpés, Vogue June 1949
Aveda Speed of Light Blow
The Big Apple. By Hayley Maitland
Dry Accelerator Spray.
Hair: Benjamin Mohapi.
Tech
Make-up: Robert Rumsey. Living 82 Calling the shots
Nails: Tammy Taylor.
Set design: Stefan Beckman.
Styling: Dena Giannini.
69 Life & style Black Is King co-director Kwasi
Photograph: Craig McDean Julia Sarr-Jamois’s edit of bright buys Fordjour’s digital must-haves > 26

21
 LENNY KRAVITZ
YSLBEAUTY.COM
Y, L’EAU DE PARFUM & THE NEW INTENSITY
CONTENTS

Steal the show,

page 109

Weddings special
117 Super-chic bridal inspiration.
Edited by Naomi Smart
Fashion & features
144 ON THE COVER
“It’s all about what makes you
feel good”
Pop superstar Billie Eilish talks
“Debut novelist transformation and taking charge. By
Natasha Brown’s Laura Snapes. Photographs by Craig
McDean. Styling by Dena Giannini
blistering take on
156 Creative thinking
the British elite Olivia Singer introduces this
heralds the year’s BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion
arrival of a bright Fund shortlist and winner.
Photographs by Charlotte Wales.
new talent” Styling by Poppy Kain
Class act, page 96
168 One of a kind
Emma Thompson lends unique
drama to couture. Interview by Giles
Hattersley. Photographs by Juergen
Teller. Styling by Poppy Kain
Above: Natasha
Brown wears
Arts & Culture special
top, £395, Raey, 182 Golden days
at Matches
85 Your ticket to the season’s creative The best swimwear accessory?
fashion.com. highlights. Edited by Giles Hattersley Radiant skin from dawn till dusk.
Trousers, and Olivia Marks Photographs by Lachlan Bailey.
£540, Alaïa, at
Mytheresa.com. Beauty & wellness Styling by Clare Richardson
Belt, from
a selection, 109 Steal the show 188 Landmark moment
Frame. Ring, Valentino’s new make-up line promises For her debut British Vogue shoot,
Natasha’s own.
Right: plan runway glamour. By Jessica Diner Lila Moss turns tourist in her home
town. Photographs by Angelo
HILL & AUBREY; BEN WELLER; PIXELATE.BIZ

your perfect
day with 110 ON THE COVER Pennetta. Styling by Julia Sarr-Jamois
Vogue’s Silver lining
Weddings The future of at-home wellness tech 204 Swimming in jewels
special,
page 117 is now, finds Lauren Murdoch-Smith Actor Laura Harrier dons some lavish
poolside sparkle. By Rachel Garrahan.
113 Bronze work Photographs by Amanda Charchian.
Powders that lend a sun-kissed glow. Styling by Dena Giannini
Curated by Twiggy Jalloh
Vogue asks
114 Beauty musings
Get summer-ready with this month’s 244 What would Alberta Ferretti do?
launches. By Lauren Murdoch-Smith The Italian designer takes our quiz

26
Subscribe to Turn to page 80 for our fantastic subscription offer, plus free gift
 Right: Billie Eilish,
this month’s
cover star, is
photographed
and interviewed
on page 144

The phrase
“voice of a
generation”…
Lila Moss makes
gets thrown around a lot these days, but it would fantasy, we went to work. Billie collaborated her British Vogue
be hard to argue that Billie Eilish isn’t literally closely with the team here, led by style director debut on page 188.
Minidress, £880,
that. Boundary-breaking musician, high Dena Giannini, to commission designers from Nensi Dojaka,
priestess of Generation Z, and an artist who Gucci to Alexander McQueen, Valentino to at Selfridges.
has redefined her industry like no other: as she Burberry, on a series of custom looks. Mules, £595,
Jimmy Choo.
is poised to release her second album, the world I think it’s safe to say the result is Billie Eilish Earrings, £220,
is on tenterhooks – a fact Billie understands all as we’ve never seen her before – but as always Shape of Sound
too well. In March came a change of hair – with Billie, it goes deeper, and it is the story
goodbye green, hello blonde – and a reveal selfie behind the transformation that is key. That
that effortlessly broke the internet. But as you Billie is 19, is often hailed as the antidote to
will discover, she isn’t stopping there. toxic tropes for women in pop, and has been a
Our cover star this month wanted nothing reluctant icon of body positivity (a term she
short of a transformation – and, as has been has a complicated relationship with), as well
the way throughout Billie’s extraordinary as, of course, a feminist thought leader for her
career, it’s her depth, intelligence, humour and fans, makes this an intriguing change of gear.
self-awareness that underpin her choices. So As the foremost musical star of her generation
she came to Vogue with an idea. What if, she on social media, she lives in a world of snap
wondered, she wanted to show more of her judgements and harsh comments, a place where
body for the first time in a fashion story? What a layered thought process can get lost. She
if she wanted to play with corsetry and revel in knows the stakes are high whenever she puts
the aesthetic of the mid-20th century pin-ups herself out there. But, as you will read in her
she’s always loved? It was time, she said, for interview with Laura Snapes on page 144, it
something new. Having learnt her fashion was a moment she wanted to embrace. She has

30
 EDITOR’S LETTER

things to say about personal choice, about fear, Left: actor Emma
about fun, about women’s bodies, about consent Thompson turns
and above all about confidence. “Don’t make me model, on page 168.
Silk-crêpe dress
not a role model because you’re turned on by with silk-taffeta
me,” she says. As ever with Billie, I am in awe. stole. Leather boots
In March, I had the great pleasure of co- with trompe l’oeil
jewellery. Oversized
chairing the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion earrings. All to order,
Fund panel alongside British Fashion Council Schiaparelli Haute
chief executive Caroline Rush. The annual Couture. Gold and
diopside cuff. Gold
shortlist of the most exciting up-and-coming and diamond cuff.
talent in the industry is always a privilege to Gold and chrysoprase
ring. Gold, amethyst-
oversee, as well as an important responsibility. crystal and diamond
This year it felt markedly so. To say recent ring. Gold, opal and
times have been hard on designers – and young diamond ring. Gold,
pearl and diamond
designers especially – is an understatement. ring. Gold and
The resilience and creativity of all the finalists pavé-diamond ring.
was humbling to see. All Grima. Scarab
fly ring, £7,851.
This year, I am pleased to announce Bethany Pop art ring set
Williams as the recipient of the £200,000 with multicoloured
sapphires, £7,907.
grant and industry stewardship. Bethany is an Both Bibi van der
extraordinary talent who brings a depth to her Velden. Far left:
process that is nothing short of inspirational. members of the BFC/
Vogue Designer
On top of her substantial gifts as a designer, Fashion Fund panel
she has rethought the way her collections are at work. Below:
made, working with women who are homeless designs by winner
Bethany Williams
or in prison, among others, using her business
to bring training and support. Coupled with
her work with fellow fashion creatives in the perfect for warmer days and for seeing more
Emergency Designer Network last year, of each other. I find it so heartening to see some
making PPE at the height of the first Covid happiness out and about in the world again.
wave, she really is a marvel. Speaking of which, on page 168, we have a
Of course, there’s all the best of the season’s special treat: the incandescent Emma Thompson
fashion, too. As the country finds its feet again starring in a 14-page Juergen Teller couture
MERT ALAS AND MARCUS PIGGOTT; CRAIG McDEAN; ANGELO PENNETTA;

for what we hope will be a freer summer, we extravaganza in Trafalgar Square. From her
headed to the sunny streets of London to performances to her activism, I’ve been so
celebrate the world coming back to life a little. inspired by Emma over the years, and the
I’m so pleased to have Lila Moss make her warmth of her wit and wisdom in the
modelling debut for British Vogue, on page 188, accompanying interview makes my heart sing.
photographed by Angelo Pennetta, in easy pieces Here’s to a brighter summer for us all.
JUERGEN TELLER; CHARLOTTE WALES; BFC

31
NOTICES

Model Lila Moss makes her British

Vogue debut, on page 188, in a fashion
story celebrating the capital. “London is
special to me,” she says of her home
town. “There are so many places that
give me a warm, nostalgic feeling.”

In her Viewpoint,

MEET &
on page 78,
Elizabeth
Nyamayaro

GREET
– former United
Nations senior
adviser and
author of new
memoir I Am
a Girl from
Africa – reaffirms Introducing
an ancient
philosophy with the faces
the power to heal
the world. behind this
month’s
issue

On page 96,
in this month’s
Arts & Culture
special, Zing
Tsjeng speaks
to debut author
Natasha Brown
about her
blistering new
novel, Assembly,
and finds a new
literary star
in the making.

Anok Yai models Juergen Teller photographs actor

beachwear Emma Thompson, on page 168, in a
and big hair couture extravaganza in London’s
in a sizzling Trafalgar Square. “I would work
shoot styled by with her every day,” he says.
Clare Richardson,
on page 182.
Richardson says,
“We were both
so excited to do
her hair like this.
It was raining
EMMANUEL MAYNE; JUERGEN TELLER; BEHIND THE CAUSE

outside but Anok

was a true
professional
COMPILED BY AMEL MUKHTAR. LACHLAN BAILEY;

while freezing
in swimwear.”

Journalist Laura Snapes profiles our

cover star Billie Eilish, on page 144.
“My preview stream of two new
Billie songs only lasted 48 hours,” says
Snapes, deputy music editor at
The Guardian, “but they stayed stuck
in my head for weeks afterwards.
It’s a good sign.”

34
Enjoy responsibly. Over 18s only.
 EDWARD ENNINFUL
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 Right and below:
cardigan,
£860. Trousers,
£935. Both
Proenza Schouler.
Far right:
necklace, £325,
1017 Alyx 9SM,
at Ln-cc.com.
Earrings, £1,165
each, Eéra, at
Net-a-Porter.com

Above: dress, £320,

Self-Portrait. Below: dress,
Dress with chain £995, Stella McCartney
detail, from £3,010.
Crossbody bag, from
£1,550. Crystal G
earrings, from £425.
All Givenchy.
Hoop earring, £830.
Ear cuff, £3,060.
Stacking rings, on
model’s right index
finger, from £2,660
each. White-gold
bracelet, £6,030.
Pavé-diamond
bracelet, £9,450.
All Repossi, at
Selfridges. On model’s
left index finger:
white-gold and
diamond band, £3,150.
White-gold and
diamond wire ring,
£1,850. Both Tiffany

Above: earring, £210,

Ambush, at Farfetch.com.
Right: bag, from £340,
By Far. Far right: ring,
£140, Steph Metal
 TRENDS
Towelling dress,
£2,370. Necklace, Edited by Donna Wallace
£930. Bracelet,
£1,330. Ring,
Styled by Poppy Kain
£685. All Bottega
Veneta. Elongated
bar earrings,
£1,675, Tiffany.
Hoop earrings with
detachable beads,
£1,375, Noor Fares

“Bold, bright
jewellery or
chain-link touches
will update
even the prettiest
summer dress”

OLIVIA SINGER,
FASHION NEWS DIRECTOR
HAIR: SHIORI TAKAHASHI. MAKE-UP: CELIA BURTON. NAILS: LOUI-MARIE EBANKS. SET DESIGN: THOMAS BIRD. DIGITAL ARTWORK:
TOUCH DIGITAL. MODEL: GEORGIA PALMER. SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

Hard
CANDY
How to toughen up a sweet
palette? Add industrial-inflected
accessories with punk edge.
Photographs by Nadine Ijewere

43
TRENDS
Dress with feather
trim, £6,650, Saint
Laurent by Anthony
Vaccarello. Sandals,
£610, Gucci. Drop
earrings, £1,595.
Hoop earrings with
detachable beads,
£1,375. Ring, £2,450.
All Noor Fares

Go
ALL OUT
Make the most of summer nights
NADINE IJEWERE; PIXELATE.BIZ

and garden gatherings dressed

in head-to-toe opulence
Left: sandals, £469, Nodaleto.
Right, from top: sandals, £1,500, Valentino
Garavani. Earrings, £550, Grainne Morton.
Bag, £2,690, Fendi. Ring, £4,320, Pomellato

44
 “Sequined pieces
shimmer best in sunlight
– let Valentino’s
chocolate dress prove it”

LAURA INGHAM,
FASHION MARKET DIRECTOR

Dress, £14,000,
Valentino. Sandals,
£605, Lanvin.
Hoop earrings with
detachable beads,
£1,375, Noor Fares
Body, £615,
Salvatore Ferragamo.
Jeans, £490, Celine
by Hedi Slimane.
Sandals, £630, Etro

Head over
HEELS
NADINE IJEWERE

Etro’s scarf-print sandals

will elevate and enliven your
summer style
Clockwise from right: top,
TRENDS
£150, Pleats Please Issey Miyake.
Mules, £300, Manu Atelier.
Vest, £80, Totême. Bag, £565,
MCM. Trousers, £500, Jil Sander
by Lucie & Luke Meier, at
Matchesfashion.com

Army BASE
Command attention in khaki trousers
that pair perfectly with your go-to staples

Clockwise from left: panelled

trousers, £295, Marques Almeida,
at Matchesfashion.com. Cargo
trousers, £975, Balmain. Shirt,
£265, Margaret Howell. Mules,
£99, Kurt Geiger London

Top, £764. Trousers, £730. Belt,

£685. Large criss-cross cuff, £412.
All Chloé. Shoes, from £670, Francesco
Russo. Earrings, £2,300. White-gold
and diamond T ring, £1,850. Thin gold
T bangle, £5,350. All Tiffany. Rose-gold
band with pavé diamonds, £3,330.
Multi-row ring with diamonds, £6,210.
Multi-row bracelet with diamonds,
£15,120. All Repossi, at Selfridges

47
 Tweed dress, £12,450,
Chanel. Earrings,
£4,700, Robinson
Pelham. Smoky-quartz
and multicoloured
gemstone ring, £2,450,
Noor Fares. Pink-
sapphire stacking ring,
£1,200, Annoushka.
Pearl ring, from £770,
Delfina Delettrez

Rings: above,
from top, gold and
turquoise, £1,290,
Irene Neuwirth.
Moonstone and
diamond, £630,
Theodora Warre.
Both at Matches
fashion.com
MIU MIU
GABRIELA HEARST

Rings: above,
from top, pink
jadeite and garnet,
£275, Baroque
Rocks. Pink
sapphire and
tourmaline, £6,000,
O Thongthai, at
Browns. Pearl,
£4,420, Tasaki.
Below: enamel
NADINE IJEWERE; OLIVIER CLAISSE; GORUNWAY.COM

and quartz, £825,

Charms Company

Vivid DETAIL
Flashes of embellishment or unexpected colour take the
ROKH

LWD (little white dress) from great to extraordinary

48
 TRENDS
Left: sandals, £460, Aquazzura.
Below, from top: pink dress,
£4,310, Gucci. Orange dress, £435,

Sheer
Mara Hoffman, at Matchesfashion.
com. Sandals, £235, Tory Burch

LEADERS

ALBERTA FERRETTI
A long chiffon dress works from
noon to night when worn with

VALENTINO
barely-there make-up and flats

Dress, £9,200.
Beaded necklace
with pendant,
£1,250. Both Dior.
Earrings, £475,
Annoushka.
Ring, from £840,
Delfina Delettrez

49
Piece of the
ACTION
Make a splash from the
beach to the streets by slipping
swimwear under shorts

Swimsuit, £635,
Louis Vuitton.
Shorts, £155,
MSGM, at Matches
fashion.com. Hoop
earrings, sold with
detachable beads,
£1,375, Noor Fares
 TRENDS

From top:
swimsuit,
£245, Louisa
Ballou, at
Browns.
Shorts, £820,
Dior. Bikini
top, £530 as
part of set.
Shorts, £495.
Both Etro

Extended caption
in this type face.
For one column
only Ulluptaepudi
verunt id ma se dit
molume necusdae
rerum, utem iscipis

Swimsuit, £365.
Belt, £600. Hat,
£795. All Hermès.
Shorts, £330, Etro.
Gold hoop earring,
£150. Heart charm, From top: swimsuit,
£260. Diamond £180, Sian Swimwear.
hoop earring, £450. Shirt, £600. Shorts,
Alphabet charm, £580. Both Casablanca
£280. Both
Loquet London

“Nothing says poolside glamour

quite like a chic swim ensemble, go
matchy-matchy for the win”
SARAH HARRIS, DEPUTY EDITOR &
FASHION FEATURES DIRECTOR

Sunglasses:
left, £340,
Celine by
WEAR with
Hedi Slimane.
Right: £230,
Balenciaga Sunglasses: below,
from left, £190,
Isabel Marant.
NADINE IJEWERE; PIXELATE.BIZ

£285, Tom Ford.

£165, Aspinal
of London

51
TRENDS
From far left:
bracelet, from
£3,270, Almasika,
at Net-a-Porter.
com. Tote, £395,
Yuzefi. Pendant
necklace, £3,380,
Brent Neale, at
Net-a-Porter.com

DIOR
Seaside TRIP
Homespun fabrics and a
scattering of shells will give
you that holiday feeling,
wherever you are
KENNETH IZE

Clockwise from
left: bag, £450,
MICHAEL KORS

Loewe. Fringed
COLLECTION

dress, £650,
Wales Bonner, at
Selfridges. Crochet
dress, £3,350,
Gabriela Hearst

Above, from top:

earring, £330, Stella
McCartney. Tote
bag, £620, Emilio
Pucci. Clogs, £550,
Chloé, at Matches
fashion.com

52
 Tunic dress,
£2,200. Sunglasses,
£245. Both Gucci.
Large hoop
earrings, £3,800,
Annoushka.
Hoop earrings
with detachable
beads, £1,375,
Noor Fares. Shell
necklace, £550,
Celine. Mother-of-
pearl and diamond
pendant necklace,
£2,550, Tiffany. “This summer, bohemian
Gold and diamond
revolving pendant
chic means adding
necklace, £6,800, elevated craft elements to
your wardrobe”
Loquet London

DONNA WALLACE,
FASHION & ACCESSORIES EDITOR
NADINE IJEWERE; ALESSANDRO LUCIONI/GORUNWAY.COM
 AN
ACT TO
FOLLOW
Authentic, creative
and purpose-driven
influencers are on the
rise, says Dana Thomas

T
here are influencers and influencers, to influencer stardom in January when, at Joe Miu Miu coat over a burgundy Batsheva dress
and it’s nearly a joke term these days. Biden’s presidential inauguration, she recited – a look put together by Los Angeles-based
There’s the curvy brunette who’s The Hill We Climb. Watchers also zeroed in on stylists Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson.
famous for being famous and lives her outfit: a sunshine-yellow Prada coat, which Searches for both items soared. In turn,
larger than any of us will come close to. There’s triggered a 1,328 per cent surge in searches for Emhoff ’s Instagram following jumped from
the glossy blonde from the OC who will talk “yellow coat” overnight, and her puffy Prada 50,000 to 300,000. Until now, influencers
about her skincare regimen while downing scarlet headband, which led to a 560 per cent peddled aspiration – “holidays, an idolised
caviar and champagne. There’s the fabulous, increase in “headband” searches, according to image,” says Lucie Greene, founder of the Light
flat-tummied fitness guru who assures you that, the global fashion platform Lyst. Additionally, Years forecasting consultancy – which is what
if you follow her diet and exercise plan, you’ll Gorman’s two forthcoming books shot up to boomers, Gen X and millennial consumers
be as fabulous and flat-tummied as she. bestseller status on Amazon. And within 24 wanted to see, what they bought.
And then there’s the new sort of influencer hours, she had two million Instagram followers. During the pandemic, the need – and the
– one who is stylish, but that’s beside the point. Or think of Ella Emhoff, Vice President patience – for such influence has collapsed.
She’s winning us over with her talent, with her Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter, art student and This was in part because there were very few
accomplishments, with the good work she does aspiring sustainable fashion designer. The red carpet events, and for those that did take
in her spare time. Think of the 23-year-old 21-year-old also caught public attention at place, celebrities such as Cate Blanchett and
American poet Amanda Gorman, who rocketed the inauguration by wearing a jewel-encrusted Tilda Swinton re-wore vintage pieces from
 TRENDS

Influencers jumping
on private jets to
tropical paradises were
seen as tone-deaf

surrounding mental health; the latter built

skincare brand Squish Beauty, which disavows
retouching and impossible beauty standards).
TikTok star Sienna Mae Gomez has 15
million followers. “She is a big body-positive
Clockwise
from above: advocate, inspiring women to be comfortable
Billie Eilish, in their own skin,” Zhong says. There’s also
Ella Emhoff, Deja Foxx, a Columbia University politics
Amanda
Gorman student, reproductive rights activist and Ford
and Yara model who, at 19, joined Kamala Harris’s
Shahidi are
all perceived
campaign social media team. Then, of course,
by Gen Z there is Billie Eilish. “She is so dope. She
as talented doesn’t care what you think of her,” Zhong
creators
worth says. “She has such strong confidence, betting
emulating on herself. She’s very much Gen Z. Not a
and typical engineered pop star, ever.” Greene
supporting
adds, “And if you are into fashion and you are
cerebral, you are seen as a connoisseur, like
their own wardrobes, rather than ordering and the article they click on, and they are doing curators of culture.”
something new; and in part because most of so now more wisely,” Picardi says. This shift in what Gen Z perceives as a
us were sitting at home in comfy clothes – no “Gen Z are mission driven and are challenging worthy follow is behind Gorman and Emhoff ’s
need to trot out cocktail dresses when parties big corporations on how things used to be rapid popularity. Gorman had been a rising
are verboten. Influencers jumping on private done,” says Tiffany Zhong, 24-year-old founder star in literary circles for some time, having
jets to tropical paradises and hawking high- of Islands, a San Francisco-based platform that been named America’s first National Youth
priced luxuries were seen as tone-deaf and helps creatives monetise their consumer reach. Poet Laureate at 19, but her five-minute
suffered a serious backlash, with follower “Gen Z will cancel your brand if you don’t work reading at President Biden’s inauguration, and
numbers tumbling. with ethical sourcing.” What’s more, she says, that Prada statement look, propelled her into
The greatest change, however, is generational: the notion of influencer is over, replaced by the mainstream. “Prada is quite an intellectual
Gen Z is coming of age, which “is having outsized that of creator. Gen Z-ers “want to create things choice,” Greene points out. “The thinkers’
influence and driving trends,” says Greene. – not influence people by telling them what to fashion label.”
They want an influencer culture that’s meaningful do,” she says. “Even if you’re a top Hollywood “I’m not surprised by Amanda Gorman,”
and purpose driven. They’ll patronise “brands actor, you can’t convince someone to buy Zhong says. “She is the epitome of what
that have values they share and seek to emulate,” something anymore simply because you have Gen Z stands for. She is very eloquent and she
says Anita Balchandani, fashion and luxury fame and say it’s cool. And being famous for is able to put all of these topics into her poem.
expert for McKinsey & Company. being famous? Gone are those days.” It is awesome to see her represent Gen Z.”
Such purpose could be sustainability in “a What we have now is what the consultancy While studying fine art at Parsons School
broader definition of the term,” says Balchandani. firm Bain & Company calls “think-fluencers”: of Design in New York, Emhoff had been
“Not just pollution, but also fairness and justice creatives who report back to brands exactly making a bit of money selling quirky sustainable
for everyone the industry collaborates with,” which marketing messages come across as knitwear, designed and produced in her
she says. “People are thinking harder about soulless or off-key. And what Greene describes Brooklyn home, via Instagram and her website.
what they buy – choosing things that last, rather as “the slash/slash generation”. People such Interest in her work was so great after her
VENETIA SCOTT; SHUTTERSTOCK; GETTY IMAGES

than disposable pieces; a rise in resale.” Or the as Willow Smith, “who shares her poetry and social media spike that she stopped taking
purpose could be diversity and inclusion. “What music, and sees herself as a multidisciplinary, commissions. Instead, she, as well as Gorman,
we consume stands for who we are,” says and very engaged, creative,” Greene says. signed with IMG Models. Emhoff made her
Balchandani. As a result, influencing is “going Or actors such as Rowan Blanchard and New York Fashion Week runway debut at the
away from a numbers game to a quality game”. Yara Shahidi, who, as Picardi notes, use Proenza Schouler show at the Parrish Art
Phillip Picardi, the former editor of Teen their platforms to call attention to voter Museum in February, wearing a sharply tailored
Vogue and host of the podcast Unholier Than disenfranchisement and sexism in Hollywood. pine-green trouser suit, her natural curly hair
Thou, concurs. In the “attention economy”, as Models Adwoa Aboah and Charli Howard slightly tamed. “There’s a cheekiness and a joy
he calls it, “our attention is our currency. Where use theirs to advocate for mental health and she exudes,” Ivan Bart, the president of IMG
do you feel good spending your money? This body positivity respectively (the former set Models, told The New York Times. “She’s
is a key question. We are experiencing a cultural up Gurls Talk, a community organisation communicating fashion.” That’s influence if
awakening. Consumers choose who to follow dedicated to eradicating the stigma there ever was it. n

55
Discover more at mango.com/sustainability
Dear
Planet,
79% of our garments already
have sustainable properties.
By 2022, it will be 100%.
LONDON
DUBAI
SHANGHAI
Midi London Tote in Ivory Pebble
 VOGUE DARLING
“I’ve been watching a lot of Avatar:
The Last Airbender (I’m intrigued
by the idea of lost worlds) and
Studio Ghibli films.” “Tata Harper’s
Hydrating Floral
Mask [£83] and a
Diptyque Feu de
Bois candle [£49] lit
after a bath are my
ideal night in. One
day I’d love to own
groovy Olivia von
Halle pyjamas, too.”
Silk pyjamas, £460,
Olivia von Halle

“My fair skin freckles

easily, and Ren Clean Screen
Mineral SPF30 [£32] is the
only sunscreen I’ve found that
I can wear under make-up.
I also love a refreshing
midday spritz of Caudalie
Beauty Elixir [from £12].”
“I use the
seal lying on
his side emoji
a lot. He’s
optimistic,
gets you
thinking and
isn’t your
run-of-the-
mill emoji.”

“My next
pay cheque is
going to be
spent on every
colour of
this knitted

Ann Skelly
slip dress.”
Dress, £98,
RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT. ALAMY; EVERETT COLLECTION; PIXELATE.BIZ

House of Sunny
HAIR: ISSAC POLEON. MAKE-UP: LAURA DOMINIQUE. NAILS: MICHELLE HUMPHREY. SOCIAL DISTANCING

Back in 2019, Irish actor Ann Skelly, then 22,

wished in her dream journal that she would
star in an HBO series. Two months and two
auditions later, she landed the role of gifted
inventor Penance Adair (alongside Laura
Donnelly as Amalia True) in the network’s
Chantilly lace corset dress, upcoming sci-fi drama The Nevers. “That was
£11,500, Alexander McQueen. supposed to be my 10-year dream,” she laughs.
Bracelet, £170, Tilly Sveaas.
Photograph: Christina Ebenezer. Skelly and Donnelly – “a female Butch and
Styling: Hanna Kelifa Sundance: Penance the mind and Amalia the
fists” – lead The Touched, a group of mostly
women with unusual abilities fighting for
their place in Victorian London society.
“Two Irish women leading an HBO series?
It’s really cool,” says Skelly, who grew up in
“Learning about County Wexford and left school at 17 to start
ancient history her career. After TV work came films, such
relaxes me.
At the moment, as Kissing Candice and Rose Plays Julie, and
I’m listening to two Irish Film & Television Academy Award
the audiobook
of Kindred, by nominations. So what does Skelly dream of
Octavia E Butler doing next? “Working with Bong Joon-ho.”
– it’s about “Helena Zengel, who stars in News of the World She may not have to wait long. Soey Kim
Neanderthals with Tom Hanks, is one of the most amazing actors
and their I’ve ever seen. She makes every second and moment The Nevers will air from 17 May on Sky Atlantic
culture.” matter. I’d want her to play me in a film.” and Now

59
 JEWELLERY

1 2

NEW
RAVE
12
NEON 4

11

el i g h t ,
e lim
g i ng
5
13

o th
b ri n
int
a re
e ry
os

el l
or

f lu
jew

se is
an

o u v
d- h i-
h

i h 6
ra

A c a r
e lG
a ch
a y sR
s
10
9

1. Gold, enamel and diamond ring, £605, Yvonne Léon, at Matchesfashion.com. 2. Amethyst, enamel and gold earrings, from £1,285,
Bea Bongiasca. 3. Gold and laquer ring, £950, Alice Cicolini. 4. Gold, white-onyx, multicoloured-sapphire and pink-topaz earrings,
£4,730, Harwell Godfrey, at Net-a-Porter.com. 5. Gold, tsavorite, tourmaline, agate, carnelian, onyx, rubellite and diamond
earrings, Chaumet. 6. Gold, enamel and pink-opal ring, £2,065, Never Not. 7. Coated white-gold, pearl and diamond earrings, £16,500,
Sarah Ho London. 8. Gold, coated silver and diamond earring, from £1,220, Eéra, at Threads. 9. Fire opal, sapphire, ceramic
plate, lacquer and gold ring, Solange. 10. Platinum, titanium, green-beryl, tourmaline and diamond earrings, Chopard. 11. White-gold,
diamond and lacquer earrings, Dior Joaillerie. 12. Yellow HyCeram, red-gold and amethyst earrings, G by Glenn Spiro. 13. Gold,
diamond and enamel ring, from £6,100, Melissa Kaye. Prices on request unless otherwise stated. For stockists, see Vogue Information

61
 Queens of noise
A new comedy series about an all-female Muslim punk band is set to
bring the house down. Anjana Vasan, one of its stars, talks to Radhika Seth.
Photograph by Laura Bailey. Styling by Jessica Gerardi

O
n the morning of her Vogue shoot, Anjana Vasan joins me That came in a production of A Doll’s House at the Lyric Hammersmith,
on Zoom from her home in north-west London. Flanked though it was in An Adventure at the Bush Theatre that Vasan caught
by houseplants and bathed in the dappled sunshine of Manzoor’s eye. Manzoor was casting Lady Parts, the 14-minute pilot
early spring, the 34-year-old actor is a picture of serenity. that helped get the project commissioned to series and went on to
Thoughtful and assured, she is a world away from the hilariously become one of Channel 4’s most-viewed Comedy Blaps. “I was amazed
jittery, fast-talking, husband-hunting, east London-dwelling student by the breadth of her talent,” explains Manzoor. “After she auditioned,
she plays in Channel 4’s We Are Lady Parts, a riotous comedy that’s I googled her and saw that she plays guitar and is into all the music
unlike anything you’ve seen before. that I’m obsessed with. It was fate.”
The brainchild of the writer-director Nida Manzoor, the six-part Vasan acknowledges that, at the start of her career, she never thought
sitcom centres on an all-female Muslim punk band who are in she would do film and TV. “Theatre felt like a subversive place where
desperate need of a lead guitarist. It hinges on a quintet of note- I could be anyone,” she explains. “Growing up, I didn’t feel like there
perfect performances: Sarah Impey as Saira, a grungy butcher- were many brown women on screen. Even in Bollywood, the women
turned-singer; Juliette Motamed as Ayesha, a surly drummer who you see are all really fair and beautiful. It seemed like an impossible
moonlights as an Uber driver; Lucie Shorthouse as band manager standard to live up to.” But with Lady Parts, she had no doubts. “This
Momtaz, who vapes from behind her niqab and has a day job in is a show about a diverse group of women and for it to be about joy
a lingerie shop; and Faith Omole as Bisma, a bassist and purveyor of feels radical,” she asserts. “We’re so used to seeing characters like these
feminist graphic novels. having their stories tied to pain or oppression.”
They find what they’re missing in Amina, a PhD student and Manzoor agrees. “When I was a new writer, I was repeatedly being
sometime musician brought to life with giddy comic brilliance by asked to write about honour killings and forced marriages, as though that
Vasan. “In other shows, you’d think it was incredible just to see one was what it meant to be a Muslim woman,” she recalls. “It was frustrating
of these characters, but here, it’s all of them,” says Vasan, whose because this idea that we were passive didn’t reflect my experience or that
sparkling brown eyes and general exuberance make her seem at least of the women I knew. I come from a family of funny women and I’d never
a decade younger than her years. “I never thought the part of a brown seen Muslim women explored much in comedies.” Her response was to
nerd who loves folk and country music would exist for me.” write a show that “explored this aspect of my identity, but with music,
Born in India and brought up in Singapore, she had a brief stint as humour, female friendships and a lead character whose journey towards

LAURA RADFORD/CHANNEL 4. SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT
a club singer before moving to the UK for drama school (“I got my becoming confident enough to express herself kind of mirrored my own”.
indefinite leave to remain this year,” she later beams). Roles on stage In the past, British sitcoms about the Muslim community have tended
– A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe in 2016 – and screen – Sex to reinforce existing stereotypes. Manzoor tears them down. In Amina’s
Education, Mogul Mowgli – followed, though Vasan admits she got world there are strict parents, liberal parents, strait-laced graduates,
used to playing supporting parts. “I’ve done the understudy thing and anarchic rockers and soft-spoken, submissive men, all secure in their
a play that literally dozens of people saw,” she adds, laughing. “It was identity as Muslims. There are punchlines – not plot points – about
only over a year ago that I had my first lead part.” honour killings and marrying jihadis, and a flurry of fantasy sequences
that are part La La Land, part Bollywood epic.
Then there’s the music: hysterically funny, rage-filled punk anthems
with titles such as “Kill My Sister”, “Voldemort Under My Headscarf ”
and “Bashir with a Good Beard”. Manzoor crafted the lyrics with her
siblings and it was “emotional” for her to see the actors performing their
songs. “I cried a lot,” she says with a grin. “To have written the show
from such a truthful place and see it realised felt cathartic.”
Rehearsals began months before shooting to allow Anjana and her
co-stars time to learn their instruments and bond as a band. Production
was delayed by the pandemic, but when they finally arrived on set, the
sense of sisterhood was palpable. “There was a moment during the first
weeks of filming that I looked around and realised I hadn’t seen a man
yet,” notes Vasan. “It was mind-blowing.”
It makes you wonder why it’s taken so long for a show like this to
arrive. “I just think the world is ready,” says Manzoor. As for Vasan, it
is her star is born moment – but she’s taking it in her stride. “When
people say they want to see more representation, that’s not about putting
a brown face here or a black face there,” she says. “It’s about telling
better, more complex stories.” n
We Are Lady Parts will air on Channel 4

62
 ARTS & CULTURE

“I never thought the

part of a brown nerd
who loves folk and
country music
would exist for me”

Opposite: Anjana Vasan

(far left) and director
Nida Manzoor (centre
front) with the cast and
Lady Parts band
members, from second
left, Sarah Impey,
Juliette Motamed, Lucie
Shorthouse and Faith
Omole. This page: Anjana
wears blouse, £940,
Miu Miu. Trousers, £650,
Gucci. Both at Mytheresa.
com. Boots, £470, Manu
Atelier. Ring, £815, PI
London. For stockists,
see Vogue Information.
Hair: Carolyn Gallyer.
Digital artwork: Mark
Arrigo. With thanks to
The Portobello Hotel, W11
ARTS & CULTURE

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

FOR A GIRL by Paris Lees
Nothing is off-limits in this
unputdownable memoir, which
begins at the turn of the
FILTHY ANIMALS millennium, when Paris Lees was
by Brandon Taylor a bullied 13-year-old, desperate
Booker-shortlisted Brandon to escape Hucknall, a mining town
Taylor returns with a collection in the East Midlands. As Lees
of exquisitely interlinked short – now a trans rights campaigner
stories. At their centre is Lionel, and Vogue contributing editor
newly discharged from hospital, – discovers nightclubs and new
who becomes entangled with friends, life opens up. Her wit and
two dancers. As they navigate expert storytelling soften some
their relationships, Taylor heartbreaking experiences.
reveals the tensions between Published on 27 May
our outer and inner worlds, and (Particular Books, £20)
the fine line that separates
violence and love. Published on
21 June (Riverhead Books, £20)
SECOND PLACE
by Rachel Cusk
On the English coast, a married
woman invites a once-brilliant
male artist to live in the “second
place” on her land. Thus, her life is
thrown into turmoil. What follows
is a thoughtful study of middle
age, the need to be seen and the
legacy of male privilege.
Out now (Faber & Faber, £15)

Life
studies
Explore new perspectives
with summer’s best reads,
says Olivia Marks

GROWN UPS
by Marie Aubert
“Other people’s children,
always, everywhere,” says
Ida on the opening page THE FORTUNE MEN
of Norwegian author by Nadifa Mohamed
Marie Aubert’s debut Tiger Bay, Cardiff, 1952:
novel. Single and 40, Ida Mahmood Mattan, a dapper
has never been more aware young Somali father, is
of her childlessness than at arrested for the murder of
her mother’s 65th birthday a Jewish shopkeeper. Based
party – the backdrop for on a true story, Nadifa
this comic, painfully human Mohamed’s richly evocative
story about what it means novel paints a vivid picture
to be an adult when you of life in this notorious
don’t have a family of neighbourhood as she
your own. Published on revisits a forgotten
2 June (Pushkin Press, £13) miscarriage of justice.
Published on 27 May
(Viking, £15)

64
VOGUE PARTNERSHIP

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£610. All Ralph
Lauren Purple
Label. Grooming:
Lacy Redway and
Misha Shahzada

King of
New York
Thomas Doherty is ready
for his Gossip Girl moment,
says Hayley Maitland.
Photograph by Justin French.
Styling by Patrick Mackie

D
espite being a product of Disney’s
teen heart-throb factory, with roles
in the musical series The Lodge
and a lead part in its Descendants
film franchise, Edinburgh native Thomas
Doherty remains delightfully unfiltered.
Mostly, a bit “pished” is how the actor
recalls playing a shirtless, whisky-swilling
musician in Zoë Kravitz’s 2020 High Fidelity
remake. “That’s when I fell in love with
New York,” the 26-year-old says, voice a little
roguish, as he heads to set in Manhattan.
And what’s he filming today? Nothing
less than a star turn in HBO Max’s hysteria-
inducing Gossip Girl reboot, set eight years
after Dan Humphrey shuttered his acid-
tongued blog. The 10-episode series will
see Doherty play Maximus Wolfe, a classic
Gen Z Upper East Side playboy decked in
Gucci, Bode and Burberry. “He’s from a very,
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

very wealthy family,” he emphasises.

His own teenage years in Scotland were
lighter on glitz. “Today, 17-year-olds act like
they’re 30. It makes me so sad, because when
I was 17, I was, like, 17 – shocking haircut,
terrible clothes, spots. It was just not cute.”
Also set to be a major discussion point of
the show? Max’s pansexuality. “He’s not all
about the orgasm, he’s about the experience
of a sexual encounter. It’s been a really
interesting character for me to play.”
When I ask what he hopes viewers will
take from Gossip Girl 2.0, he turns pensive.
“I would love for it to represent a step forwards
in terms of exposure for the LGBTQ+
community. This is the world we’re living in
now, and we’re just reflecting that on screen,
but in a way that’s expensive, heightened and
fun. Honestly, I’m buzzing.” As are we. n
Gossip Girl is on HBO Max this summer

67
FORCES for CHANGE

THE POWER OF THE

COLLECTIVE VOICE
IS BEING HEARD
EDWARD ENNINFUL

Official partners
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69
Yasmin Sewell and
Pizza the cavapoo
in one of her front
rooms. Opposite: from
top, Caroline Popham’s
Give Shape To The Air
Between hangs in
the kitchen; a vintage
Tiffany-style light
illuminates artwork
by Jordy Kerwick.
Hair and make-up:
Terri Capon. Sittings
editor: Gianluca Longo.
Design creative
direction: Cavendish
Studios. Floral artist:
Geraldine Casey.
Digital artwork:
Jonathan Kitchen

GREEN ROOM
Fashion multi-hyphenate Yasmin Sewell has revamped her
Dalston home – and her career and wellbeing – with a fresh coat
of paint, she tells Ellie Pithers. Photographs by Dylan Thomas
 LIVING

“The house represented

healing and energy
and colour, which are
things I really believe in”

C
an a colour change your life? For Yasmin Sewell, a few tins
of Pale Egyptian Green seem to have done exactly that. In
2019, Sewell painted the front rooms of her east London
terraced house in bold Papers & Paints hues on the advice of
her interior designer friend Joel Bernstein. “I told him I was feeling
green. It’s a very healing colour,” she recalls. “Then he proposed these
greens – plus insisted we paint the ceiling – and I freaked. But then
I sat with it and realised he was totally right.”
The result is a living space that could have ended up jangling, but
instead feels wholesome and restorative – no mean feat, given that in
certain lights the green walls, panelling and ceiling, which are trimmed
with turquoise, are more of an absinthe than an avocado shade. Such
daring has also inspired a significant career rethink. Sewell, an Australian-
Lebanese 45-year-old single mother of two young boys, and a front-row
fixture with an impressive CV that includes stints as a fashion buyer at
Browns and vice president of style and creative at Farfetch, as well as
spells running her own consultancy business and co-founding loungewear
brand Etre Cécile, is stepping away from fashion. “Taking time out and
YASMIN WEARS TOP AND TROUSERS, PETER DO. BOOTS,
YASMIN’S OWN. JORDY KERWICK; CAROLINE POPHAM

the process of doing the house took me on a journey, and I started to

realise that I wanted to make a shift,” she smiles. “The house represented
healing and energy and colour, which are things I really believe in. It’s
been a sanctuary over Covid. I’ve had the time to just sit and think.”
She never intended to go quite so wild on the interiors front, she
admits. When she moved into the quiet Dalston square six years ago,
the house was white, a little sterile and unloved, but perfectly charming.
In previous homes she’s favoured industrial, pared-back style, pouring
all her energy into her work and her wardrobe, which is known for being
eclectic and full of bright colours, dramatic silhouettes and need-to-know
emerging designer names. Then, in 2018, having left what she refers
to as her “last big job in fashion”, at Farfetch, she took a career break to
be with her sons. “I knew it was time for a change – I thought, I’ve >

71
 Right, from top: the
custom-made headboard
in Sewell’s bedroom is
covered with coral velvet;
dark blue Moroccan tiles
line the living room
fireplace, above which
hangs The Space
Inbetween by Australian
artist Miranda Skoczek.
Below: citrus fruits
grow in the colourful
garden. Opposite:
Entwined (2019), a
pastel piece by Christabel
MacGreevy, hangs in
the master bedroom

Yasmin on the steps to

her garden, which is
strung with festoon
lights and enlivened
with ferns

Sewell, who also caved and got her sons a cavapoo puppy just before
Britain’s first lockdown last year. “His name is Pizza Hairy Chainsaw,”
she sighs, mock wearily. “He’s been the best thing I ever did. Although

MacGREEVY; MIRANDA SKOCZEK. SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT
he has weed on The Rug Company rug a few times, which I find

YASMIN WEARS JACKET, BALMAIN. T-SHIRT, WALES BONNER. JEANS, COMMISSION. SHOES, PETER DO. CHRISTABEL
devastating. I don’t want to be that person who is precious about their
rug, but…” In normal times, she loves hosting friends for Lebanese
feasts, Ayurvedic curries, barbecues and margaritas in the garden. “It’s
quite magical sitting out under the festoon lights on summer evenings.”
got the time, I’ll do a new paint job.” One call to Bernstein later – a The redecoration, then the pandemic, have given her the impetus and
man she credits with teaching her how to be a fashion buyer, and who space to recalibrate. “It’s really been a time of thinking about this next
conceptualised her first boutique, Yasmin Cho, which she opened in the thing, thinking about where I want to go, what I want to do, who I want
late 1990s in Soho at the age of 22 – and she was swimming in green. to work with,” she says. Wellness, rather than fashion, will be her new
As we sit on her sofa nursing an imported Australian chai tea, Nina focus – not that she likes that word. “There are so many words that are
Simone on the radio, the smell of Lyn Harris’s Ash candle infusing the overused now, ‘wellness’ has lost its power, ‘healing’ and ‘affirmation’,
room, she recalls “a wonderful six months” with her old friend. Together too,” she says. She laughingly admits to being “totally woo-woo, a hundred
they scoured Kempton market for 1970s bamboo cabinets and Tiffany- per cent. I have to just own it now.” But she is aware that the world of
style glass lampshades, and Alfies Antique Market, where she snagged alternative therapy can be off-putting for some. She is careful to frame
a 1980s chandelier that once hung in a Bulgari boutique in Italy. She her insight as emotionally led, guided by intuition. “I was always intuitive
invested in some design classics: a green Utrecht armchair for Cassina as a buyer, I was an intuitive creative director. I was always feeling stuff.”
and an Ekstrem lounge chair by Terje Ekstrom. Then there was the happy She knows what she’s doing, too. She’s been practising Vedic meditation
afternoon spent in a warehouse picking through marble offcuts with since her twenties, has studied reiki and Integrative Quantum Medicine
Marble Partners, who made her dining table (fans of Phoebe Philo’s (a form of energy healing), is clued up on chakras, mantras, crystals and
Céline will detect the subtle homage to the multicoloured marble floors moon cycles, and makes a mean – or should that be serene? – chai tea.
that used to decorate the stores under her tenure), which is flanked by With Vyrao, the line she’s launching on 20 May at Selfridges, she’s
traditional rattan Maison Drucker chairs, ordered directly from Paris. starting with five fragrances that aim to boost your mood. To the
She painted the hallway turquoise and acid yellow, and installed a sceptics, she has this to say: “Everyone understands what it feels like
luminous yellow runner on the stairs. Even more daringly, she let her when you walk into a room and it has a bad vibe. Everyone understands
sons, Knox, 9, and Renzo, 6, choose the colours for their bedrooms. what ‘trusting my gut’ is. People say, ‘Oh, I met that person and I didn’t
Knox plumped for Yves Klein blue with a coral red bunk bed and yellow get a great feeling.’ What’s that feeling? This is all about connecting
carpet. Renzo chose green, like his mother. “It was a bit of a punt, to with energy and sense. That might freak people out, but I think,
do as much as I did, but it sort of paid off for my mental health,” says believing in a bit of magic – it’s much nicer!” n

72
LIVING
 OUTSIDE
INFLUENCE
This summer’s hottest party destination?
Your back garden. Three experts
reveal how they set the scene

ANGELA MISSONI fashion designer

A
s the person who is always in charge of the food, my advice
is to plan a menu that’s seasonal, big on colour and means
you can start preparing in advance – that way, you can take
it easy on the day. At any of my parties at home in my
garden, you might find plates of cuore di bue (juicy beefsteak tomatoes)

HILL HOUSE VINTAGE; MISSONI; NOA GRIFFEL FOR TORY BURCH; SIMONE LEZZI
cut into slices and dressed very simply with basil, salt and olive oil. Or
cherry tomatoes cut into pieces and served alongside a big piece of
mozzarella; finely chopped celery topped with shaved bottarga; a large Top and right:
dish of anchovies with bread and butter; zucchini from my kitchen Angela Missoni’s
garden, cut into finger-sized pieces and boiled quickly in water and Brunello garden
vinegar, then mixed while still crunchy with capers, garlic and chilli. A
salty Sicilian salad of orange and fennel is always good, as are onions
roasted with oregano, served warm or cold. Let everyone help themselves.
But my main tip? Make sure you have enough seats. And glasses
and ashtrays, too – everybody still seems to smoke at parties, and even
the most polite people will stub out their cigarettes in your garden. I am somebody who never throws things away. Last year, I turned
The lighting is very important, as is the atmosphere, which is why I clear glass bottles that I had saved over the years into lights. I like to
prefer parties at night to day – the magic of the stars means half of use different decorations for every party, so each occasion stands out
the decor is already there. in people’s minds.
And music! Don’t forget the music. Find a good DJ in the family How do you know it’s been a success? When the kids are still there.
– I let my son, Francesco, handle it, while my daughter, Margherita, Missoni parties are always a mix of generations, and when the young
makes cocktails. She takes a watermelon, scoops out the flesh, juices ones don’t want to leave, it’s been a good night. That’s what I love about
it, mixes it with vodka and ice before pouring it back into the shell, hosting – creating an atmosphere where people can enjoy themselves
ready for guests to ladle into their glasses. and remember that they feel good. It makes me feel like a magician.

74
 LIVING

PAULA SUTTON
Writer & stylist

T
he garden furniture may have
been gathering dust in our
sheds, but as we tentatively
contemplate hosting more than
our pets and partners, what are the perfect
ingredients for a longed-for summer of outdoor entertaining?
Let’s start with the table – if you have enough space, then don’t
scrimp on size. Vintage wooden trestles are my favourite. Narrow
and long, they are the perfect stage for a garden feast. The linens
are where you want to spend your money. I buy mine from
independent shops, such as Birdie Fortescue and Projektityyny,
and I’m not averse to scouring markets and haberdasheries for
bolts of fabric sold by the metre.
The trick to good-looking tables is deciding on a colour and
being guided by a tonal theme. It needn’t feel matchy-matchy –
even the wildest-seeming kaleidoscope is often more co-ordinated
than you think. Top your table with wicker and glass carafes
from The Cornrow (filled, naturally, with Pimm’s or rum punch),
colourful ceramics (try Matilda Goad) and flowers – the simplicity
of a line of posies in jam jars along the centre can work perfectly.
Of course, one must always have a showstopping pudding
– all parties call for a treat that causes a pause in conversation.
Trust me: a Skye McAlpine triple-decker summer berry pavlova
will induce ecstatic spasms of joy. And after limited contact
with other humans, we all need a bit of that. Add candles from
Halcyon Naturals and Tori Murphy throws on the backs of
chairs for when the sun disappears. Lastly? Take a moment to
look around and be grateful. The garden at
Hill House, Paula’s
Hill House Living: The Art of Creating A Joyful Life by Paula Norfolk home
Sutton (Ebury) is published this October

TORY BURCH fashion designer

At her home in

I
Antigua, Tory’s outdoor
table is laid with her am truly looking forward to entertaining again,
Lettuce Ware collection
and a garden party feels like the perfect way to
start – being outside will make people more
relaxed, especially after the year we’ve all had.
A memorable drink is always a good idea, and
I am known for my Southsides (gin, lime juice, sugar
syrup, mint) and perfect Bloody Bulls (vodka, tomato
juice, beef broth).
I always like the guest list to be a mix of new and old friends
– there’s nothing more interesting than meeting new people and,
of course, spending time with those you have not seen all year.
After a few drinks it is time for lunch. I like to serve poached
salmon, chilled soups – delicious things that aren’t over-
complicated. Local vegetables for mixed salads are light and
work for all kinds of guests. As often as we can, we use fresh
produce from our own garden. Many of the tips I stick to today
I inherited from my mother, Reva – she has an extraordinarily
green thumb and has been gardening organically since the 1970s.
When it comes to setting the table, I always mix plates from
my brand’s homeware collection with vintage pieces handed
down from my mother. The eclectic look is why it works – nothing
is perfect or too samey. Flowers are essential and best when not
overly arranged. I love to put things together that seem strange
at first, but really work. It often sparks a great conversation. n

75
 Take a dip in one
of Maxx Royal
Kemer Resort’s
many pools –
or just sit back,
relax and soak
up the sun

DAYDREAMING ABOUT
sipping poolside cocktails at a new
vibrant holiday destination on the
continent has been a pastime for
many of us these last 12 months.
With so much time to let our
imaginations run wild and an ever-
growing desire for that sunny
escape, it’s been an ideal opportunity
to create a must-visit list for future

SUMMER LOVING
holidays abroad.
Now, in 2021, and with a far-
flung trip feeling like the ultimate
luxury, Turkey is the perfect location
to visit for a fusion of opulence,
relaxation and a touch of adventure. There’s one all-inclusive idyll on the Turkish coast
From its sprawling pine forests and
mountains to its crystal-clear waters, that’s worthy of anyone’s travel wishlist this year:
Maxx Royal Kemer Resort is the Maxx Royal Kemer Resort
absolute best spot to take it all in.
But it’s not just the paradisiacal
backdrop that draws in adventurers and tranquillity seekers, of activities right on your doorstep. For those after
the destination’s all-inclusive concept makes it a superb some rest and relaxation, the resort boasts three beaches
sanctuary setting, too. Not to mention that the resort has – Middle Bay, Long Beach and Tangerine Beach – to enjoy
received a Safe Tourism Certificate, thanks to its meticulously the sights of the calming sea. Or see the glassy blue
high hygiene standards. waves from the resort’s majestic infinity pool. And for kids,
Situated on the country’s panoramic coastline, Maxx Royal the Aquapark offers multiple daring slides, plus there’s
Kemer Resort’s wood-clad architecture blends in beautifully a designated pool that caters exclusively to children’s
with its natural surroundings. This boutique resort keeps aqua activities. Maxxiland also puts on special shows,
privacy in mind with its secluded, individualistic villas that cinematic experiences, educational activities and outdoor
open up to natural surroundings and the soothing sounds themed games to keep kids endlessly entertained. The
of wildlife. Decorated in a palette of harmonious hues, the teenage club, meanwhile, is filled with tennis courts, table
villas – from suites to the presidential villa – are furnished football, laser tag and much more.
with a touch of understated opulence. An ideal getaway isn’t complete without delicious
Should you wish to engage in something that’s thrill- dishes to tuck into one evening after the next. Thankfully,
seeking, then step out of your decadent villa for an abundance Maxx Royal Kemer Resort serves up worldly cuisine that
 VOGUE PARTNERSHIP

Above: set against a feels limitless. From local, traditional Turkish plates
stunning cliff-side to perfectly grilled steaks and light sushi platters, the resort
backdrop, the Black
Diamond nightclub has a plethora of places to dine with family and friends.
is the place to This summer, following on from last year’s outstanding
be after dark
collaboration, Michelin-starred chef Alfredo Russo has
once again created a menu for restaurant Emerald, which
sounds mouth-wateringly good. As for afters? There’s
an ice-cream parlour, exotically colourful fruits to try,
a chocolatier and delicious pastry delicacies to pick from,
too. And if you’re not quite ready for sleep, come sundown
the rhythm of the night kicks into action with table
entertainment and a Black Diamond nightclub for dancing
the night away in an unforgettable way. If that doesn’t
quite sound like an evening well spent then sip on arty
cocktails at the Emerald Bar or soak up the atmosphere
at Jay Lounge.
Because the resort knows how to perfect the art of
Above, from top: Azure Japon serves the finest sushi and flavours
escapism, a range of treatments can be found at its ultra- from the Far East; sample Michelin-starred chef Alfredo Russo’s
luxurious spa. With a handful of experienced therapists menu at the Emerald restaurant. Below: the villas – from suites
to the presidential villa – are furnished with understated opulence
to choose from, you can truly unwind with a
traditional Turkish bath, Rhassoul mud therapy and
plant-based treatments to leave your troubles behind.
TO BOOK YOUR STAY, EMAIL [email protected]

You can even ask for an in-room pampering session,

too. And if the notion takes you, there’s a gym for
you to let off some steam in Zumba and Pilates
classes – or feel at peace and completely calm with
some fellow yoga-lovers.
With change on the horizon, an idyllic escape at
Maxx Royal Kemer Resort is the type of envy-
inducing trip everyone deserves. It’s easy to see why
with its tranquil views and sun-drenched beauty
spots, it’s a bona fide real haven. Is it any wonder
then that a third Maxx Royal Resort in Bodrum is
coming in 2022? n
For more information visit Maxxroyal.com
 I am because we are
Humanitarian Elizabeth Nyamayaro shares her journey from
near-starvation to the world stage – and the lesson she brought with her.
Illustration by Matt Williams

I
climb up the steep stairs out of the hot and Association” – is, in fact, an independent In London, I cling on to these ubuntu values
stuffy London Underground, emerging on organisation established to promote the work knowing that achieving my dream will also
to a busy street in Bayswater. Commuters of the UN. My days become as gloomy as the improve the lives of my community in Zimbabwe.
flow in and out of the Tube station’s weather. I spend them pounding the pavement So, I persevere until finally I get a job working
entrance like ants rushing in and out of a nest. in the continuous drizzling rain, looking for for a recruitment agency, then enrol at
For just a moment, I forget that my fingers work and stretching the little money I have to university, then secure an internship with the
have gone numb after clutching the plastic keep me off the streets. Still, I fail to find a job. United Nations Association. Three long years
handle of my small green suitcase for so long. As I settle into my new world, I quickly learn after arriving in the city, my dream eventually
I forget about the throbbing blisters inside my that people hold preconceived notions about comes true. When the UN establishes a new
tight new shoes, and the damp yellow dress my continent and our people, which are in project office in London for an initiative
clinging to my back. The year is 2000. I am complete contradiction to who we truly are. addressing the HIV/Aids pandemic on the
25 years old. I can hardly believe that I have When some managers hear that I am from African continent, I apply and get hired –
finally made it to Britain. Africa, they don’t see the beauty of my village, finally becoming the girl in the blue uniform.
I couldn’t sleep for the length of the flight. or the hard-working and generous nature of Today, having spent more than two decades
Leaving my home country of Zimbabwe and the people who raised me. Instead, they see as a humanitarian, I have been blessed to have
the African continent for the first time, and images like the ones featured in fundraising worked in communities around the world. My
literally flying into the unknown, I peered commercials that depict Africa as a country, UN role in London led me to roles at the
through the window into the darkness and and portray our people as lazy, helpless and World Health Organization in Geneva, the
listened to the whirring engines. I felt anxious, waiting to be saved. These dehumanising World Bank in Washington DC and finally
remembering that I had no friends or family pictures negate the reality that, in our to the United Nations Headquarters in New
in Britain, and only £250 to last me until I got communities and lives, we are the protagonists York City. Throughout my humanitarian work,
a job. But then I also felt ecstatic. After much of our own stories; that we come from a vibrant I have witnessed first-hand how sustainable
struggle and hard work, I was finally taking and culturally diverse continent that is home change is possible when individuals embrace
the first big step to fulfil my dream to work to more than 1.2 billion people, across 54 their ubuntu and come together as a community
for the United Nations. I had a plan, a purpose. countries, speaking more than 2,000 languages. to uplift themselves and those around them.
When I was eight years old, I encountered As Africans, we pride ourselves on taking care I have seen how healing and effective ubuntu
a girl in a blue uniform. A severe drought had of each other – as was my experience in my can be in addressing social inequalities,
hit my small village in Zimbabwe, where my small village, where we shared our food, enabling us to build allyship and work towards
gogo (grandmother) was raising me. For two bartering and trading with each other for things a common goal that benefits everyone – as
years, the rain had refused to come, leaving us we didn’t grow. It is this strong sense of my witnessed in South Africa’s anti-apartheid
with the sun’s punishing heat, which killed African identity that anchors me. movement. In the face of division, ubuntu
everything in its path and left us with nothing When I was young, my gogo taught me what teaches acceptance and forgiveness based on
to eat or drink. One day, I was so weak from it meant to dream as a child of the African soil. our shared humanity. It challenges us to
hunger that I was unable to move. In my young She explained that a dream is a shared, inclusive examine our innate biases, making it easier to
mind, I thought I was going to die. But then vision for all, rather than just an individual show compassion towards those whom we may
a girl in a blue uniform, an aid worker with the ambition or desire – that my dream needed to perceive as “the other”. At its core, ubuntu is
UN, found me. She gave me a bowl of porridge be big enough for all – because of our ubuntu. about compassion – our will and desire to
that literally saved my life. This encounter Gogo taught me that ubuntu was the essence alleviate others of their suffering as if it is our
stayed with me throughout my childhood. of who we are as Africans, a lesson we learnt own. When we embrace our ubuntu, we allow
Inspired by her, I dreamt of one day working from our ancestors that recognises the oneness ourselves to see the humanity in others.
for the UN where I, too, could uplift the lives of our humanity. Ubuntu means I am because In 2014, in my role as United Nations senior
of others, just as my life had once been uplifted. we are, and is the inescapable truth that our adviser on gender equality, I had the incredible
As I excitedly weave my way through the humanity binds us, connecting us to each other opportunity to do just that – to invite all genders
crowded sidewalk in Bayswater, heading as part of a greater whole. It is the understanding to join the struggle against gender inequality.
towards the youth hostel which will be my that what impacts one of us, will eventually Up until this point, gender equality had been
home until I get a job, I am unaware that my impact all of us. These values guided my largely seen as a women’s issue, led by women,
dream is about to completely fall apart. To upbringing and, in particular, my understanding for women. Yet, because of our shared humanity,
my dismay, I will soon find out that the UN that a dream represents your hopes for the I knew that when everyone is involved and
doesn’t have a London office, and that what I people you love, for your family, for your entire everyone is invested in creating change, greater
thought was the UN – the “United Nations community, for all of us. progress can be made, and more quickly.

78
 VIEWPOINT

Ubuntu is about compassion –

our desire to alleviate others of their
suffering as if it is our own
So, with the support of my colleagues, we And now, as the whole world grapples with to my unlikely path to the United Nations,
created the HeForShe movement, and invited the fallout of Covid-19, I am convinced that and working in communities around the globe
all genders, especially men, to be allies in ubuntu can provide healing and hope at a time to create real and lasting change – all of this
creating true societies of equality. The response when we need it most. The pandemic has work has been driven and inspired by this
was phenomenal. Within the first five days of reminded us of this singular truth – one that philosophy. It is my firm belief that ubuntu,
HeForShe’s launch, at least one man in every Africans have always known – that we are all the very essence of our African cultures, could
single country in the world had joined the in this together. be the remedy that enables all of us to see the
movement, generating more than 1.2 billion When I reflect upon my own journey, and humanity in each other, allowing us to heal
online conversations – culminating in HeForShe on all the experiences that I have witnessed as a collective. n
becoming one of the largest solidarity movements to arrive at this place in my life – from I Am a Girl from Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro
for gender equality in the world today. narrowly escaping death at the age of eight (Scribner, £20) is out now

79
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 ARCHIVE

Making
the cut
Robin Muir looks back
at a Clifford Coffin
photograph of
Matisse “drawing”
with his scissors,
Vogue June 1949

W
hen Vogue visited Henri Matisse at home at Villa le Rêve, Vogue found Matisse at work halfway through the project, making
in the hilltop town of Vence, not far from Nice, the great cut-outs for a model of the stained-glass windows – some completed
artist was in his 80th year and in bed, cutting out shapes examples can be seen in this image, lying in a tray at the foot of his
from sheets of painted paper and coloured cellophane. bed. Photographer Clifford Coffin said of the elderly artist that he was
He was in poor health but had embarked upon an unusual and unexpected “extremely cordial and he permitted me to take what pictures I liked”.
project. It would be the final fanfare of a long life and remarkable career. In the article accompanying Coffin’s photographs – which announced
Ranging in scale from modest to almost mural-sized, papiers découpés Matisse’s grand scheme to the world – Rosamond Bernier set the scene:
had long been Matisse’s creative tool, but he did not consider his cut-outs “I found him in the sunny living room, a benign figure of Edwardian
works of art in themselves until 1946. He called this way of working elegance sitting up in a red bed in a faded turquoise sweater and tie.
“drawing with scissors”, and in 1947 produced the large-format, limited- Next to him, an ingenious construction epitomised his passion for
edition Jazz, a book of 20 paper collages on a circus theme. order: a combination of bedside table, revolving bookcase and cabinet,
A more surprising departure came at the end of 1948, however, when which he designed himself.”
he agreed to design a new chapel for Vence’s Dominican convent, the The chapel was finished and consecrated in 1951, but by then Matisse
Chapelle du Rosaire. For nearly four years he immersed himself in the was too infirm to attend the ceremony. Later, the self-confessed atheist,
commission, designing frescoes and murals, panels for a Stations of the born a Catholic, would write to the Bishop of Nice, saying of his design,
Cross, stained glass for windows, and even the priests’ liturgical robes. “Despite all its imperfections I consider it my masterpiece.” n

81
TECH

“Balance is key for me,

so I incorporate items
that allow me to thrive
during both work and
personal adventures.”
M10-R Digital
Rangefinder Camera,
£7,100, Leica

“I need music to
function. The Sonos
Move speaker
[£369] allows me
to set the vibe
wherever I am.”

“When I’m stressed

or need a break,
I love to play
Nintendo Game &
Watch: Super
Mario Bros [£35].
I aspire to give the
people the same
feeling when they
view my work.”

“Virtual reality takes

sketching and
sharing concepts to
a whole new level.”
Quest 2 headset,

CALLING
£200, Oculus

“This temperature-control
smart mug is the perfect
WFH accessory – and
very convenient if you
THE SHOTS
need to sit and focus
for a couple of hours.”
Mug2, £100, Ember Kwasi Fordjour, creative director and
co-director of Beyoncé’s Black Is King, reveals
his digital assets. Edited by Dena Giannini

“On the iPad Pro

[from £769], it’s easy
to share and sketch
ZERINA AKERS; JUAN VELOZ

designs with the

program Procreate.
“The Apple AirPods Max The Apple Pencil
[£549] are a must-have for [£119] also helps
introverted creatives who my ideas come
sometimes just want to be to life. Plus, it
“Great sound quality, good vibration resistance, alone with their thoughts. means I can show
sleek design… this turntable is excellent.” They allow me to escape presentations at
Orbit Plus Turntable, from £210, U-Turn Audio while conceptualising.” any time or place.”

82
 “THIS LEGGY BLONDE
Visionaries class. It’s one of the pieces of advice she was given by Stella McCartney when comes bouncing up the stairs, smiled
the TV presenter launched her own fashion label, Alexachung, in 2017. and made us all melt,” recalls hairstylist
Alexa’s is the second of eight videos from the new Vogue Visionaries series in Sam McKnight in his Vogue Visionaries
partnership with YouTube, which sees experts from fashion, beauty, music and more class, of meeting Diana, Princess of Wales
help aspiring creatives break into their chosen industries. In her class, Alexa has for the first time on a Vogue shoot in 1990.
plenty of wisdom to impart. First up? Make sure you understand the business The resulting black and white image would
aspect. “I suffered from not being clear on that side of things at the beginning,” mark the beginning of a long working relationship
Alexa says. She has also learnt how to delegate; to make sure you’re and friendship between the pair, and the start of
transparent with your team; and to be able to give constructive criticism. his four-decade career with British Vogue.
When it comes to forging a strong aesthetic identity, it’s crucial In his class, he delves into what he’s learnt along the
to start with the piece that epitomises your vision. For Alexa, that way and the secrets to his success, from tool kit essentials
was a trench coat “because it represents what I wanted to achieve, to advice for perfecting your craft (“practice on your friends”),
which was a brand that was classic, had heritage, and was a and how to recreate some of his most-loved looks. One of the
fresh take on something old.” most difficult things to master? “Knowing when to stop,” he says.
As someone who’s built a career and brand on her Whether it’s devising incredible styles for the catwalk (pastel-hued
personal style, Alexa reveals she initially didn’t have choppy bobs at Chanel’s Versailles couture show in 2012 or the 53
herself in mind when designing. Now, though, she hand-dyed bowl-cuts at Fendi in 2019), cutting and styling natural hair,
embraces “the idea that if I don’t like it and I or creating iconic editorial looks, McKnight has this advice for all aspiring
wouldn’t personally wear it then it won’t make hairstylists: “I think it’s really important to learn a skill. For me, learning that
the cut. It’s actually really simplified things. skill at a very early age from a very humble beginning has brought me to places
Even though it sounds narcissistic, the I never imagined I’d be. The only thing that brought me here was my work.” n
muse is me.” For more invaluable advice
from Alexa, watch the full class at Watch every Vogue Visionaries class for free at British Vogue’s YouTube Channel. For more
British Vogue’s YouTube channel. information and updates on when each video will be released, sign up at Vogue.uk/visionaries

in partnership with
 Summer sounds,
uplifting art,
dream tickets
Edited by Giles Hattersley &
Olivia Marks. Photograph
by Hill & Aubrey

MEET
NATASHA BROWN
YOUR NEW LITERARY
OBSESSION
NATASHA’S OWN. STYLING: ENIOLA DARE. HAIR: ALFIE SACKETT. MAKE-UP: CIARA O’SHEA
NATASHA BROWN WEARS DRESS AND SHIRT, HERMES. BOOTS, MARTINIANO. RING,

OFFICIAL SPONSOR
ARTS & CULTURE special
Originally set to open in 2020 to mark the 20th anniversary of Tate
Modern, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms will at last be unveiled this
month for a year-long exhibition. First conceived in 1965, this is a rare
Ideas around opportunity to experience the 92-year-old artist’s magical installations,
colonialism and the which invite the viewer to step inside a dark room covered with countless
slave trade are at the LED lights that create the illusion of infinite space. Unmissable. From 18
centre of Ellen Gallagher’s May for Tate Members, and June for the wider public, to May 2021
exhibition at Hauser &
Wirth London, which will Below: Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life (2011/2017)
display new paintings and
cut-paper works by the
American artist.
From 21 May to 31 July

Right: Paradise Shift (2020)

Eileen Agar, born in 1899 in Argentina, was one of the few women
artists to be recognised in the Surrealist movement. Now, more than
a hundred artworks from her nearly 70-year career will be exhibited
at Whitechapel Gallery. From 19 May to 29 August

Below: Dance of Peace (1945)

At London’s Victoria Miro

Gallery, British painter
Chantal Joffe takes her Montserrat-born
mother as subject for a sculptor Veronica Ryan
new series that explores came to prominence in
ageing and motherhood. Britain in the 1980s.
From 4 June to 31 July At Spike Island in
Bristol, she presents
Below: Self-Portrait Naked new works that
with Mum I (2020) look to the natural
world to comment
on identity and the
environment. From 19
May to 5 September
Right: Entanglement
(2019)

ART

The first major retrospective of Nina Hamnett’s

career is going on display at Charleston in
OFF THE WALL
Sussex. It will feature pieces from her time For a new frame of mind,
mixing in the artistic and literary sets of the
1910s and ’20s. From 19 May to 30 August explore the freshest
Above: Acrobats (1910) exhibitions of the season
86
 TELEVISION

OPEN BOOK
As she takes the lead in Barry
Jenkins’s upcoming adaptation of
The Underground Railroad,
Vogue meets Thuso Mbedu

For those who haven’t read the novel by Colson Whitehead,

THE SCENE
what is The Underground Railroad about?
It’s a story of perseverance and resilience of African
Americans, and of the history of enslavement in the United

IS SET
States. I play Cora Randall, a young slave on a Georgia cotton
plantation. She is strong, brave and rebellious but has put up a
wall of protection around herself that also acts as a prison.

Did you know much about the true history of the

Underground Railroad before you started filming?
Planning an unforgettable summer?
JOFFE/VICTORIA MIRO; YAYOI KUSAMA; MAX McCLURE; TONY NATHAN; BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

I had an idea, but not in-depth knowledge. Barry

sent me material to read and audiotapes to listen to, and
Take your cue from the best new
ESTATE OF EILEEN AGAR; BRIAN BOWEN SMITH/AUGUST; LINDSEY BYRNES; CHANTAL

I found a lot of other stuff online in an attempt to educate

myself. It was an illuminating process mixed with heartache
and the deep need to find hope for a better future.
books, sounds, shows and more
Did you feel any pressure bringing Whitehead’s
story to life on-screen?
After I read the book, I jumped into the shower and wept MUSIC
until I couldn’t breathe. The story broke my heart – it is
a direct commentary on the fact that there is yet to be a
resolution to the race war against people of colour. I was
GUITAR HEROES
doubtful about whether I could rise to the challenge and tell In the early 2000s, pop-punk and indie rock reigned
the story the way it deserves to be told, but this was the fuel supreme. Inextricable from the sound was the look:
I needed to push me beyond what I thought I could give. kohl-lined eyes, flat-ironed hair – and the palest
possible skin. In the last decade, guitar music gave
What is the lasting memory you will take away from filming? up its throne, but of late it’s enjoying what you might
The ability to say “let’s play” to my co-workers, and call a “comeblack”. Fueled By Ramen – label home
to find magic in the most arbitrary ways, which would inspire to bands including Paramore – recently signed
Barry to go and tweak other moments in the script to suit Meet Me @ The Altar (left). Then there’s KennyHoopla,
the offers we made. That is truly unforgettable. who creates nostalgia-laden scream-songs, recently
collaborating with Blink-182’s Travis Barker.
What’s next for Thuso Mbedu? In the UK rises Malady, a group whose music is
Everything is so unstable with Covid right now. reminiscent of Bloc Party’s, one of the few bands
All I can do is prepare for my dream role – something that who peppered the scene with diversity 15 years ago.
would allow me to do my own stunts and kick some butt. Representation has been long overdue, but these
The Underground Railroad airs on Amazon Prime from 14 May new musicians are proving it’s been worth the wait. >

87
 Jean-Michel
Basquiat’s look
encapsulated
both his wild
creativity
Above: artist Jack Whitten and also his
experience of
in 1974. Right: Self Portrait
with Fried Eggs (1996)

homelessness
by Sarah Lucas

FASHION

LIVING
ART
A new book explores our
fascination with artists’ wardrobes.
By Charlie Porter

F
rom Barbara Hepworth to Gilbert & George, artists
have long been admired for their style. Aside from
inspiration for our own dressing, what more can we
learn from their clothing? What can it tell us about
the artist’s life, as well as their work and their times?
These were the questions that guided my new book, What
Artists Wear. It led me to looking through the rails of clothing Left: Jean-Michel Basquiat walks
the s/s ’87 runway for Comme des
in Louise Bourgeois’s still-preserved New York home,
uncovering in her diaries the memories of emotional Hepworth at work in 1948.
abandonment that she connected with her garments. It led Below, from left: Martine Syms,
in a sheer blue dress; Life
to stylist Karen Binns reminiscing to me about her close (1984) by Gilbert & George
friend Jean-Michel Basquiat, and how his look encapsulated
both his wild creativity and also his experience of homelessness.
Through interviews with artists, as well as with friends
and families of artists who have died, patterns emerged.
Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe’s penchant for tailoring
symbolised a stand against the patriarchy; Agnes Martin and
Derek Jarman’s love of functionality helped free them from
societal constraints. For Jack Whitten, growing up in racially
segregated Alabama, his smart, homemade clothing was a
point of pride, shedding light on his experiences of oppression;
Yayoi Kusama’s provocative clothing-as-art countered the
sexism and racism she faced in New York.
There is art in getting dressed, too. LA-based artist Martine
Syms shared her love of the daily act of dressing, which she
regularly records in selfies; Sarah Lucas told me about the
Thai fisherman’s trousers and oversized tees she wears at
home in Suffolk; and Cindy Sherman talked of thrift-store
shopping to find pieces to wear in her character-driven self-
portraits. Fashion can be art, after all.
What Artists Wear by Charlie Porter (Penguin, £15) is published
on 27 May

88
 ARTS & CULTURE special

THEATRE

OUTDOOR PURSUITS
During the Second World War, a bomb in woodlands not far
from Southwold in Suffolk left a crater that formed a natural
amphitheatre. Eight decades later, a community of theatre-makers
– many out of work because of the pandemic – have come
together to transform it into an outdoor venue. Seating about
350 people, the Thorington Theatre (below) will launch next
month with a string of summer shows, starting with The Tempest.
East London is also gaining an open-air performance space
with the opening of Arcola Outside (left), a 90-person theatre
and bar constructed using repurposed shipping containers,
scaffolding boards and ladders. It will, according to designer
Jon Bausor, “reimagine an Ottoman nomadic tent”. Used for live
JON BAUSOR/ARCOLA THEATRE; BOWNESS; COMME DES GARCONS; GARETH GRAY; SARAH LUCAS/COURTESY

performances, installations and screenings, Arcola Outside will

SADIE COLES HQ, LONDON; MARTINE SYMS; TATE, LONDON/GILBERT & GEORGE; THORINGTON THEATRE;

open with Today I’m Wiser: a festival of performances inspired

by the present and “fuelled by our collective desire for change”.
Meanwhile, south of the Thames, a dormant venue is being
given a fresh lease of life. The Crystal Palace Bowl (above),
established in 1961, was once the site of the legendary Garden
Party concerts, where up to 15,000 people would flock to the
magical surroundings to listen to some of the biggest names in
music – Pink Floyd, Jimmy Cliff, Elton John and Bob Marley
among them. Having fallen into disrepair in recent years, this
August it will be revived with South Facing festival. The line-up
of events, spread throughout the month, will see Dizzee Rascal,
JACK WHITTEN ESTATE/HAUSER & WIRTH; PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

Max Richter, The Streets and English National Opera all

perform. Happy watching. >

FILM

HORROR SHOW
Supernatural sequel A Quiet Place Part II, starring
Emily Blunt, finally gets its release this June, while in
Old – M Night Shyamalan’s new thriller – a dream
day at the beach turns into a nightmare when a family
realise they are rapidly ageing. Still not scared? Try
The Night House, in which a widow, played by Rebecca
Hall, uncovers her dead husband’s disturbing secrets.
89
 A Scene from
“The Beggar’s
Opera” VI
THEATRE (1731) by William
Hogarth

CENTRE STAGE
What do you get when you take
two breakout TV stars and cast
them in a show about one of the
juiciest scandals of recent times?
Summer’s must-see play
This July, the Harold Pinter Theatre will be home to
Anna X, Joseph Charlton’s 2019 play about the
ambitions of real-life fake heiress (and convicted con

A
artist) Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey, and tech
entrepreneur Ariel. A riot of fashion shows, private silk skirt swishing on a aesthetic trappings, the constant
views and endless parties, Anna X explores what it marble floor; the image of emotional tension and the drama of
takes – and costs – to climb to the pinnacle of a wax candle flickering in a transition. I, for one, cannot resist it –
New York’s elite social scene. Fresh from her gilt looking glass; botanical and have written a book about a maid
award-winning stint as Princess Diana in prints and organza at Erdem, with of honour at the Georgian court called
The Crown, Emma Corrin takes the role of Anna, Nelson’s mistress Emma Hamilton as Elizabeth Chudleigh, “the Duchess
while Industry’s Nabhaan Rizwan (above) will muse; puff sleeves at Loewe; corsets at Countess” as she was called, in order to
star as “invite-only dating app founder” Ariel. Alexander McQueen and Givenchy; examine it in detail.
“I love people who strive and strive for their dreams long gloves at Prada; baroque jewels at The long Georgian period, which
their whole life, and either don’t get there, or they Dolce & Gabbana; and toile de Jouy lasted from 1714 to the 1830s, has a style
realise what they were looking for was in the palm at Dior… Perhaps it is no surprise and frothiness to it that boasts perfect
of their hand,” Rizwan tells Vogue of what attracted that as we come out of the greyness of proportions in its neoclassical architecture
him to the role. “I find that incredibly poetic. And house arrest, the dazzle of the Georgian – from Bath’s Royal Crescent to Downing
often, even if we do achieve the thing that we want, era is more irresistible than ever. The Street and Chiswick House – and
we don’t feel happy – that yearning never ends.” fashion revival was stirring even before exquisite decadence in its chandeliers,
The play doesn’t sound too far from the morally we were glued to Bridgerton and The ballrooms and portraiture. For the first
murky, high-stress finance world Rizwan inhabited
Great (both of which have promised time, people outside the aristocracy had
as tragic graduate banker Hari in Industry. “It’s easy
future seasons), and the empire-line enough disposable income to spend on
to archetype the kind of nerdy guys that work in
those kinds of businesses,” he says. “But this has a dresses and feathery headbands of the fripperies and fabrics, and a consumer
completely different flavour.” Anna X forms part of Regency returned in triumph to shake culture was born. And what glorious
the new Re:Emerge season, brought to the Harold off our grim dependence on joggers things they commissioned: jewellery,
Pinter by Sonia Friedman Productions, which will and trainers. A time of bling, dancing, carriages, fireworks, gardens and villas.
give a platform to new writing and talent. Rizwan adventures, masquerades, gossip, There was an explosion of arts, crafts and
describes both himself and Corrin as “newcomers” upheaval and wars – if ever a period was originality. Take James Cox, friend and
to theatre. Naturally, he’s feeling trepidatious, the antithesis of lockdown, it must be confidant of my protagonist, who made
but excited, too. “We want to bring a fresh the Georgian era. jewellery and “automatons” – clocks and
perspective,” he says. “It’s a new adventure.” Our draw to this fantasy realm decorative objects with moving parts
Anna X is at the Harold Pinter Theatre from July endures for three reasons: the spectacular so ornate and beautiful that they were

90
 ARTS & CULTURE special

ERDEM

DIOR
In style and
on-screen, the
allure of the
CULTURE
18th and 19th

GEORGIANS centuries has

never been so

ON MY MIND irresistible, says

Catherine Ostler

sought after from Peking to Saint word a reputation dies,” wrote Alexander
Petersburg. People were so intrigued that Pope in The Rape of the Lock.)
he even had his own museum. The beauty had its beastly side: the
The Georgian period was also a poverty, the disease, the infant mortality.
permanent romcom. Marriage was The birth pains of the Enlightenment
shifting from a matter of the head to meant dramatic social change: the fight
a matter for the heart. Grand families for independence in America, revolution
ALEXANDER McQUEEN

wanted their offspring to marry to forge in France, the growth of empire and
alliances, and among commoners, the abolition of the slave trade here in
the stakes were just as high, because Britain. Just as now, the frivolous and
MOSCHINO

women’s options were so limited. This the serious co-existed.

might be a Hogarthian match: his While the dresses of Brock Collection,
Marriage à-la-Mode series shows the LoveShackFancy and Emilia Wickstead
ADAMA JALLOH; YANNIS VLAMOS/INDIGITAL.TV; ALEXANDER

Earl of Squander marrying his syphilitic tap into all the romance of the Georgians,
son to an alderman’s daughter – a typical so television proffers up a new series of Golda Rosheuvel
as Queen Charlotte
exchange of lineage for money. Or it 1810s period drama Taboo, another film in Bridgerton
might be a joyous one, such as that of adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion
McQUEEN; MOSCHINO; NETFLIX; TATE, LONDON

Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta and a version of the 18th-century novel
of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, who was the Tom Jones, written by Henry Fielding,
mistress of my book’s subject, Elizabeth who was Elizabeth Chudleigh’s cousin
Chudleigh. Worse still, perhaps, was by marriage. Fielding wrote his comic
not to be married at all, and for one’s work while founding London’s first
fate to be decided on by relatives. police force, the Bow Street Runners,
Marriage was a battle for survival – or and campaigning against the gin craze.
at least dignity. Any scandal was carried Light and dark: here we are again. n
entertainingly in the press. Reputations The Duchess Countess: The Woman who
rose and fell on publication, just as they Scandalised a Nation by Catherine Ostler
might now on social media. (“At ev’ry (Simon & Schuster, £25) is out now

91
 Stand out from the
crowd with the
100 per cent
electric Ford
Mustang Mach-E.
This page: Faye
wears dress, £630,
Cecilie Bahnsen, at
MyTheresa.com.
Shoes, £540. Socks,
£55. Both Shu Shu
Tong. Earrings,
£150, Margaux
Studios. Opposite,
top left: dress, £865,
Kika Vargas, at
Matchesfashion.com.
Boots, £650, Shu Shu
Tong. Opposite,
top right: dress,
£1,975, Bora Aksu

XXX
 VOGUE PARTNERSHIP

LIKE THE VAST MAJORITY of young

creatives, Faye Wei Wei has felt a decided shift in
her artistic practice over the last year. Yet, even
when reflecting the collective grief and emotional
tumult of a pandemic, the 27-year-old’s covetable
works remain achingly beautiful.“I felt so deprived
of touch,” the art-world darling recalls now from
her south London studio. “That definitely came
out in the flowers in a lot of my paintings. You
can see them reaching, but never quite touching
each other. Some are earthbound, while others are
floating – their heads tilted upwards towards the
sky. To me, they represent this feeling of deep
longing that we’ve all been experiencing.”
Such a romantic depiction of life – even in its
darkest moments – is typical of Wei Wei’s work.
The Slade School of Fine Art graduate has always
used her paintings as a sort of diary – translating
her emotions to her canvases with an arsenal of

ARTISTIC
romantic symbols. Sea urchins, ribbons, Madonnas,
daggers and crescent moons populate her ethereal
works, while her friends often serve as models for
her androgynous figures. “That’s really the joy of
doing art as a degree,” she tells me. “I just had pure

LICENCE
freedom, and that resulted in the sort of distinctive
language I use now. I could create without any
external pressures, which is a real luxury.”
Like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Wei Wei’s
unique and distinctive style quickly resulted in her
moving to the forefront of her industry – landing
her first solo exhibition, Anemones and Lovers, at
Cob Gallery within a year of graduating. Over Faye Wei Wei is one of fashion’s favourite artists. So, what
the course of lockdown, she worked on a yet-to- better match for her than the Ford Mustang Mach-E – the
be-revealed line of ceramics, in addition to perfect blend of classic design and cutting-edge driving?
releasing Hooker’s Green Lake, a staple-bound
collection of exquisite works on paper, with French
publisher Editions Lutanie. Among her influences Photographs by Brendan Freeman. Styling by Rachel Bakewell
for the latter? Cy Twombly’s Green Paintings from
the ’80s and Blue and Green by Virginia >
Dress, £1,540,
Simone Rocha, at
MyTheresa.com.
Shoes, £540, Shu
Shu Tong. Tights,
stylist’s own
 VOGUE PARTNERSHIP

Left: dress, £495, Shrimps, at MatchesFashion.

com. Loafers, £610, Gucci. Earrings, £130,
Margaux Studios. Socks, £55, Shu Shu Tong

Woolf – one of many writers to have shaped her her Vogue shoot. “The energy of these works is really
creatively. “At school, I had to learn to recite poetry, special,” Wei Wei reflects. “There’s Young Eros, Double
and it just enriched my life so much,” she explains. Day, a large canvas in olive green, which I did for
“I still remember most of the verses. You can be my first solo exhibition. Then there are some smaller
waiting at a bus stop, and having a poem in your works, which feel really intimate – like a private
mind makes the experience golden. It’s like having object that someone might sit with on their lap and
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

a beautiful shell to turn over in your pocket forever.” just cherish. I also love the painting with a red heart
Today, she draws inspiration from sources as in it. It feels quite naughty to paint a love heart in
diverse as the works of Cuban-American artist Ana an artwork, because it’s considered less ‘serious’, but
Mendieta to Chinese director Wong Kar-wai’s 1997 I find it really beautiful.”
film, Happy Together. Then there’s her curiosity-filled Her recent collaborations with some of British
studio – as silent and peaceful as the Ford Mustang fashion’s brightest talents are just as exciting.
Mach-E’s interior – whose myriad objets frequently Wei Wei first partnered with Shrimps’s Hannah
make their way into her paintings. (She credits her Weiland for the latter’s spring/summer 2018
father, an antiques dealer, with inspiring her love collection, making backdrops for her bold faux-fur
of trinkets.) “Recently, I bought a horn-shaped wine coats. More recently, she modelled in Simone
funnel made from silver – this beautiful slither of Rocha’s blockbuster H&M campaign, designing
an object – and this really tiny gold reliquary box pop-up invitations for the collection. “I’ve always
with one candle in it. It used to be carried on people’s loved fashion,” she muses. “The way that designers
belts at nighttime. It’s less that I directly incorporate create entire worlds out of symbols and textures
these sorts of treasures into my paintings – more and materials, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do
Above: dress, £355,
that their presence makes itself felt subconsciously.” as well. In the end, it’s about making a space where Ulla Johnson, at
During our conversation, her most recently painted people can retreat and breathe and dream, no matter MyTheresa.com.
works are on their way to twin exhibitions abroad: what’s going on in the world.” n Sunglasses, £240,
Zimmermann. Hair:
Sun in Tokyo and Moon in Vienna. She has, however, To explore and tailor your all-electric SUV, search Ford Jamie McCormick.
kept some of her favourite canvases with her for Mustang Mach-E or visit Ford.co.uk Make-up: Jose Bass
ARTS & CULTURE special

CLASS ACT
Debut novelist Natasha Brown’s blistering take on the British elite
heralds the arrival of a bright new talent. Zing Tsjeng meets her.
Photograph by Hill & Aubrey. Styling by Eniola Dare

N
atasha Brown was young – “not even in secondary school” has all of those things – let alone is dissatisfied with them. I wanted to
– when she first read Wuthering Heights. She’d crept down say, ‘We can have a dissatisfaction story, too.’”
to her grandparents’ basement, looking for a book to put Brown grew up in London and was a big reader as a child, spending
her to sleep. “I started reading it and I stayed up all night,” summers at her grandparents’ and dawdling over their huge bookshelf.
she laughs. Today, the very same copy of Wuthering Heights peeks out She joins a select group of authors – David Foster Wallace and Thomas
from a shelf behind her in her Mile End home. “I pinched it,” she Pynchon among them – to have studied mathematics. Her parents met
confides, turning the yellowing book over in her hands. at college in America (“we’re all big readers and talkers”), and her father
Brown, 31, is only a couple of years older than Emily Brontë was when encouraged her to take up the subject at university, where she was
she published that tale of wild and windy moors, but she is poised to cause particularly delighted by pure mathematics, thought to be one of the
similar uproar with Assembly, a scorching portrait of the British class system hardest fields of human knowledge, and which Brown, with typical
and its poisonous relationship with race, immigration, work and sexual understatement, describes as “not having much of a real-world application”.
politics. The book – clocking in at a slim 112 pages – was a sensation at Brown and her friends graduated in the “post-2008 world – you didn’t
the Frankfurt Book Fair, commanding a six-figure sum from British feel like you could be all that fussy”. She ended up in a city job with all
and American publishers. Bernardine Evaristo called it “astonishing”; its typical issues. “It’s kind of hard to describe because it was the only
it is already being hailed as the literary debut of the summer. place I really worked,” she says of life at a firm she’d rather not name,
It is also the first book Brown has ever written. Up until now, the adding that she deliberately kept the details sparse in Assembly so more
Cambridge graduate’s career has been in finance, and writing was people could relate to it. “I think there’s kind of a generic, big-corp
something she did in her spare time. When she won a place on the experience that you can kind of evoke on the page.”
annual London Writers Awards development programme last year, she She claims Assembly isn’t autobiographical – she was more likely to
was able to finish Assembly, a fact that will likely drive anybody with a pinch details from her loved ones’ lives (“one of my friends recognised
half-finished lockdown novel to despair. “It’s a bit terrifying,” she says of her baby’s high chair”). She is characteristically mild-toned about her
publication day, not looking terrified at all. “Exciting, but also terrifying.” experience of being a black woman in these notoriously white and posh
Brown’s unnamed protagonist is a successful, Oxbridge-educated spaces: “I felt it was a really interesting opportunity to just observe people
black British woman working in the “ruthless, efficient money-machine” – I suppose that sounds a bit creepy – but to understand how language
of a blue-chip bank, so removed from life that her soul seems almost varies; how confidence varies; and how different people’s experiences
fully detachable. Her cool gaze takes in everything – the micro- and upbringings, when they’re all in the same situation, pans out.”
aggressions of overbearing colleagues, the Occupy hippies protesting The plan was always to take a career break at 30 – a sabbatical that
outside her office and her hapless upper-middle-class boyfriend (“did became the proving ground for Assembly. Brown worked on the novel on
I prefer this to sleeping alone?” she deadpans). Anyone who has watched a notepad, the same way she once puzzled out theorems. The experience
the BBC Two drama Industry, about the lives of status-hungry graduates of debuting a book in a pandemic isn’t “too bad,” she smiles, and she’s
trying to make it in the cut-throat world of investment banking, will already picked up her notepad again. “I’ve been playing around with
have a clear picture of the environment Brown evokes. sentences,” she says. “I wouldn’t go as far as anything concrete about
Her prose is razor-sharp, wielded like a paring knife. The portrait of it.” As unlikely as it seems, she doesn’t rule out returning to her old job.
her best friend Rach, a “Home Counties, Kate-loving, Jaeger-shopping, It would be a pity. Her arrival brings with it an exciting new point
Lean In-feminist” will make your face burn if, at any point in your life, of view. At Cambridge, she was fascinated by how the same concepts
you have fangirled over Sheryl Sandberg. But at the heart of Assembly translated between disparate branches of mathematics, the solution to
are compelling existential questions – what does it mean to be black, a problem emerging with crystalline precision, all depending on the
British and alive while institutional racism rages on? How much control angle you looked at it. It’s tempting to draw conclusions about how
are you willing to give up, and how much agency can you claw back? literature might solve seemingly intractable problems, such as racism
These are the thoughts Brown’s narrator probes as she faces a life-or- or misogyny, where conventional politics has failed. But Assembly is far
death decision while readying herself for a garden party at her boyfriend’s too subtle and elegant to pander to our desire for quick fixes.
Chipping Norton-esque family estate. The Get Out parallels are as patent Much like its author. “What does it mean to subvert expectations?”
as the Industry ones, but Assembly is less genre-horror or sexed-up TV she asks. “By subverting them, you’re pointing to them, so is it really a
than it is a slow-motion reveal of what happens when you are the rare true subversion? I feel making a case for having that meta-discussion
person of colour to ascend, only to find you are also horrifyingly unhappy. and discussing the language itself is going to be a necessary part of how
“I feel we read so many books about a guy or a woman who has it we break out of these expectations and stories. If I’m trying to make
all, but still isn’t totally happy,” Brown says. “As people of colour, we any point, it was that one.” n
don’t get that narrative, because it’s so rare we even see a character who Assembly by Natasha Brown (Hamish Hamilton, £13) is published on 3 June

96
 Cotton shirt, £940.
Silk trousers,
£1,940. Both The
Row. Hoop earrings,
£65, Daphine.
For stockists, see
Vogue Information.
Hair: Alfie Sackett.
Make-up:
Ciara O’Shea
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT
ARTS & CULTURE special

A MATTER
OF ROUTINE
A trio of top creatives talk Vogue through their
artistic processes. Illustration by Sophie Glover

Raven Leilani Bimini Bon-Boulash Olivia Cooke

WRITER DRAG QUEEN ACTOR
It’s important to acknowledge that whatever The key to a good day of gigging is creating On shoot days, if I’ve got a dramatic hairstyle,
works, works. Process is highly individual and, an atmosphere of peace to get into a Positive pick-up is 5am. Changing in my trailer on set,
for me, it’s usually a by-product of conditions Mental Attitude. I wake up between 6 and 7am, I go over my lines, examine the acne migrating
beyond my control, such as time, disposable have a glass of lemon water, take my dog for across my face and try not to obsess. If I’m
income or whether winter has completely a walk through the marshes, run or do yoga, short on time, I’ll be eating scrambled eggs
obliterated my natural serotonin levels. practise gratitude and meditate. Ideally, I’ll while I’m in make-up and, if I’ve got a big
My process developed around a series of have three or four hours to get into drag. I like scene, I might be muttering lines to myself.
jobs. I wrote at nights, weekends and during to play BBC Radio 6 Music or, if I’m feeling Filming is quite a strange process. When I’m
the precious moments I could escape the smart, Radio 4. If I’m lip-syncing a new song, doing the acting bit, it’s lovely and a bit of an
surveillance of my supervisors. I outlined on I’ll play it over and over to get it in my head. out-of-body experience, but it only lasts five
receipts when I worked as a barista. I drafted For my new music, I’ll be singing Britpop with minutes at a time. The rest of the day, I take
in e-book templates when I worked as an a Blur/Lily Allen/Sex Pistols vibe. I write bossy every opportunity to have a cup of tea, talking
archivist for a publisher. I wrote in my Notes bars with social commentary on gender, fragile with the crew and cast. Now that everyone
app during my commute – and I still do when masculinity and a middle finger to anyone who wears masks, you have no idea what anyone
a blank Google Doc freaks me out. If I’m in ever took the piss out of me. looks like. You’ll imagine a face, and when they
the shower and an idea comes to me, I’ll get I like to look like a punky tart – with fashion take the mask down, sometimes you gasp. Not
out, write it down and then get back in. I have references. My creative partner, Ella Lynch, is in a mean way – although sometimes your
a terrible memory. It’s why I gravitate to my best friend, and we’re always coming up imagination is kinder.
extreme repetition (shows, music) and also with looks. If I’ve got nothing to wear, my go- I don’t really have a process. I didn’t go to
why my Notes look like this: onions, ginger, to is to make a top out of two pairs of fishnets drama school, I’ve always gone off intuition.
X has to die at the end. and style it out with whatever I can find. I hope it’s worked out OK and I’m certainly
I’ve tried writing in cafés, but my awareness Pre-pandemic, I’d do up to six gigs a day very proud of Sound of Metal. I play Lou,
of other people comes out in the prose. I prefer around London (double brunch, early evening bandmate and girlfriend of Ruben (Riz
to be totally alone, in bed, with my headphones gig, two late ones). Here’s a tip: always be early Ahmed), a musician who is losing his hearing.
on. I can only get to that vulnerable, unguarded or on time, and look in the mirror and remind After filming all day, I’m usually back at the
place when I’m by myself. Once I’m in the yourself that you’re a bad bitch. My acts are hotel at about 8pm. I’ll get a delivery because
document, time doesn’t exist, and neither does packed with burlesque, pole dancing and politics. sleep is so precious. Whatever is quickest to
my body. I forget to eat and drink, and my They take a day to compose and another to the door and in my mouth. Sometimes I have
boyfriend will come around with a glass of rehearse. I’m at my happiest on stage. I used a bath – hot as possible like a lobster – with
water if he hasn’t seen me in a while. to beat myself up after a bad gig, but you’ve Epsom salts and a musky tobacco-scented
Unfortunately, that time has almost no got to remember, even Madonna’s had those. candle for ambience. Other evenings, I stick
bearing on how many words make it to the Right now, I do a lot of virtual shows – which on some low-stakes reality TV – something
page. I’m a slow writer, and I revise as I go, so are so exhausting. I didn’t start drag to be doing like First Dates usually does the trick.
if a sentence doesn’t feel right, I’ll grapple with Britney Spears in the corner of my bedroom. In bed, I go over my lines. Because I’ve been
it for as long as I have to (sometimes days) until And they’re over so quickly, so you’re left sitting doing this for almost a decade, I can look over
I can go on. I wish that weren’t the case, but I there like the meme of Tiffany Pollard on the the words three times and they’ll be in. But
remind myself that every word, even the ones bed. If I’m being good, post-gig I’m asleep by even if I’m not worried about my lines, panic
you erase, get you there. And if I’m really stuck, 11pm. It can be hard to decompress because sometimes finds me and I’ll stay up fretting
I’ll pick up a book I love for guidance, even if you’re high from the adrenaline. I’ll switch off about whether the note the director gave me
the content has nothing to do with my project. my phone, do my AlumierMD skincare, then means they hate me and will probably fire
A surprising turn of phrase, an apt description follow a guided meditation or watch a ’90s me. My therapist tells me to bat away those
– it gives me something to aspire to. film. Other nights, I’m out with the girls. negative thoughts, so my last moments are
Luster by Raven Leilani (Pan Macmillan, £15) I don’t feel as great the next day, but sometimes usually me trying to do that: “It’s all all right.
is out now you just need to let loose. Shh, shh, night-time now.” n

98
RAVEN

BIMINI

OLIVIA

99
ARTS & CULTURE special
Right: Shuggie
Bain, by Douglas
Stuart (Picador,
£15). Below:
The Catcher
in the Rye, by
JD Salinger
(Penguin, £13)

Above, from left: Robert De Niro

in Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull
(1980); Berlin, Gemma’s favourite
cultural capital. Right: Electric
Warrior, T Rex’s 1971 album

The Roundhouse, NW1

THE BIG
PICTURE
PHILIP GAY/ART PARTNER; AMAZON; EVERETT COLLECTION; GETTY IMAGES
From the film that broke her heart to the book she recommends to all her friends,
actor Gemma Arterton shares her cultural highlights
If you could own any painting in the world, Tell me the last novel that made you laugh. What’s the one song that says summer to you?
which one would it be? Even though it’s very moving and at times bleak, “Cosmic Dancer” by T Rex.
Au Bal – Marguerite de Conflans en Toilette there are moments of real humour in Shuggie Is there a skill you wish you could master?
de Bal by Edouard Manet. It’s so simple and Bain by Douglas Stuart. I adored that book. To play the piano.
much smaller than you would think. And one you always recommend to friends. Name London’s best hidden gems.
What was the last film to make you cry? The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. The Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill, Battersea
Rocks. D’angelou Osei Kissiedu broke my heart. Which director do you currently admire? Arts Centre, Islington’s Union Chapel for live
In terms of culture, what’s the best city? I’ve been blitzing Martin Scorsese’s back music, and The Photographers’ Gallery in Soho.
Berlin. You find wonderful theatre and music catalogue. There is so much freedom and Who would be on your dream
all over the place. Everywhere you go, any time precision in his films. music-festival line-up?
of day and night, there is something happening. You’re going on a date – what would Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine,
There is a real respect for art and culture. make the perfect evening out? Radiohead and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
When you’re looking for inspiration, Dinner at Noble Rot in Bloomsbury followed Did you pick up any new talents in lockdown?
whose work do you turn to? by a live gig at the Roundhouse in Camden. I finally learnt how to paint properly! I’ve been
Gena Rowlands – my favourite actor. Do you remember the last play you saw? taking fine art classes. n
She’s so free and authentic, and reminds Afterplay by Brian Friel, days before we went Walden, starring Gemma Arterton, is at the
me to have fun in my work. into the first lockdown. Harold Pinter Theatre later this month

100
BEST FOOT FORWARD
What better way to step into the season
than with a pair of architectural mules from
Salvatore Ferragamo. The open toe lends a
summery feel to the design, while the sculpted
heel, inspired by the brand’s famous F wedge,
promises comfort without compromise.
Shoes, £565, Salvatore Ferragamo

Paradise CITY
Make the pavement your catwalk this summer,
with the hottest looks of the season.
Edited by Itunu Oke. Photographs by Kenny Whittle
 CHECKLIST

Bracelet,
£4,530,
Chaumet

Top, £230,
Max Mara

Bag, £275,
Sway London

Sunglasses,
£280, Loewe
Paula’s Ibiza

Sandals, £265,
Paul Smith

Vogue, May 2018

Bag, £395, Nails Inc
Aspinal of London Gen Yellow
Nail Polish,
£15, as part
of a set

Shorts, £2,350,
Brunello Cucinelli

Loafers, £580,
Ermanno
VENETIA SCOTT

Scervino
 Byredo Open Earrings, £10,
Sky eau de Lemlem & H&M
parfum, £138

Cocktail
Porter
Paloma
Chanel Bag, £290, Michael Picante
Rouge Coco Michael Kors Petite Kit,
Bloom £30
Lipstick in
Blossom,
£33

Sandals, £365,
Ulla Johnson

Sunglasses, £250,
Tom Ford

Sandals, £845,
Bottega Veneta

Shirt, £650,
Prada

Bag, £490,
Miu Miu
KENNY WHITTLE; CRAIG McDEAN
Vogue, December 2017
 CHECKLIST

Step CHANGE
Christian Louboutin’s So Kate has had a
celebrity makeover, just for charity

WALK OF LIFE
Christian Louboutin’s classic So Kate heel is
getting a serious makeover, thanks to the designer’s
collaboration with Idris and Sabrina Elba. What’s
more, one hundred per cent of the proceeds from
sales of their shoe – which is emblazoned with a
birds of paradise print symbolising freedom – will
be split between five charities.
Shoes, price on request, Christian Louboutin
 BEAUTY EDITOR: JESSICA DINER. HAIR: ANNA COFONE. MAKE-UP: NAMI YOSHIDA. NAILS: MICHELLE HUMPHREY. MODEL: GISELLE
NORMAN. DIGITAL ARTWORK: DTOUCH LONDON. SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

Photograph by Felicity Ingram

NATURAL
WONDER
Prepare to be awed by this month’s
glow-giving beauty and wellness news.

107
BEAUTY
Edited by Jessica Diner
 BEAUTY
From top: Rosso Valentino
Striking Matte Lipcolor in 22A, £40.
Dreamdust High Impact Glitter, £26.
Eye2Cheek Dual-Use Blush &
Eyeshadow in 1 Born in Roma
(with brush), £45. V-Lighter Face
Base & Top Coat in Rosa, £46.
Go Clutch On-The-Move Perfecting
Powder, £150. All Valentino Beauty

STEAL
THE SHOW
The latest beauty line from a couture
house is as joyfully individualistic as
you could wish for, says Jessica Diner

G
ilded lips, showstopping lashes, glowing skin,
full-on plumes of glitter on the eye sockets –
watching a Valentino runway show, you take notes
on the make-up as much as on the clothes. It has
long been a house with beauty written into its DNA, but
never more so than now, on the brink of the launch of a full
194-product make-up collection, dreamt up by creative
director Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Far from it being a token extension of the fashion label,
Piccioli saw this beauty line (and its existing fragrance
counterpart, Born in Roma) as intrinsic to the house’s values:
“I thought a lot about the idea of introducing a make-up
line,” he explains. “Couture is about the excellence of
execution but it also evaluates a very personal approach, so
when it came to deciding the intention of this line, it had
to match with everything I stand for and that we stand for
as a brand: the celebration of self-expression.”
The make-up range is indeed an extension of this bold
couture spirit. Housed in the label’s vivid red enamel Rosso
Valentino packaging, with its signature V logo, standout
products include the Go-Clutch palette that was, in fact,
All looks from Pierpaolo first teased on the s/s ’17 catwalk, which holds a Mini Rosso
Piccioli’s 2020 Valentino pocket-sized lipstick and face powder; the V-Lighter fluid
Couture collection
luminiser that makes skin sing; the Rosso Valentino lipstick
in shade 22A, a suits-all red named in homage to the Maison
Valentino at 22 Piazza Mignanelli in Rome; and the
Dreamdust High Impact Glitter – because, of course, a
Valentino make-up line needs glitter.
Alongside staples such as a full-lash effect mascara and
brow pencils, the range is also deeply inclusive on multiple
fronts, with 40 shades of foundation and 50 of lipstick. More
KEVIN TACHMAN/TRUNK ARCHIVE; PIXELATE.BIZ

than simply a numbers game, it is very much a something

for everyone approach. The products are designed to be used
in multiple ways (for example, the Eye2Cheek powders are
neither an eyeshadow nor a blush but whatever you want
them to be), textures are fluid and buildable, and all packaging
is refillable. Versatility is the theme that runs throughout:
“I wanted everyone to have the possibility to play with our
products, matching not only their skin but also their emotions,”
muses Piccioli. “I am not proposing an aesthetics diktat – this
line welcomes all beauties and it is made for everyone who
wants to embrace its – and their – own uniqueness.” n
Available at Selfridges Corner Shop from 31 May

109
 SILVER
LINING
A rare positive to emerge from
the past year is a wave of hi-tech
wellness innovations for use at
home. Welcome to the future,
says Lauren Murdoch-Smith

1 CLEAR
THE AIR
Dyson’s commitment to
improving home air quality
has gone up a level. Along
with purifiers updated to capture
99.95 per cent of particle
pollution, there is also a new
addition to tackle formaldehyde.
The Dyson Purifier Hot & Cool
Formaldehyde, £599 (left),
destroys the colourless gas
pollutant emitted by new furniture,
paint and cleaning products
to keep the air that you breathe
as clean as possible.

LIFE CYCLE
Not only is the Angell, £2,690
(left), one of the chicest electric
bikes around, it is also incredibly
smart: built-in software collects
data to help the bike upgrade and
evolve, making it obsolescence-proof.
What’s more, the Angell has three
cycle modes, is super-light, charges
in just two hours and has brilliant
safety features – including integrated
HERB RITTS

front and rear turning signals and a

fall alert that will contact a person of
your choice should you need help.

110
 WELLNESS

3
4
DIGITISE YOUR
DIGESTION HOUSE PROUD
Augment your at-home wellness
The FoodMarble Aire, £149 (below), routine with these smart buys
has been designed to eliminate invasive tests
for digestive intolerances with a simple CBD EPSOM SALTS
pocket-sized gadget. The device works like a AT-HOME WholyMe Relief
Salts, £14, contain
breathalyser to measure the hydrogen levels
in your breath (a method used in hospitals CERVICAL hemp seed oil to give
to indicate fermentation levels in the gut), TESTING your post-workout
bath an upgrade.
and is linked to the FoodMarble app, which The THC-free
analyses the data and reports back on any According to blend, which also
ingredients that could be causing an issue.
The app’s Fodmap program also means you gynaecological cancer includes arnica
and eucalyptus, will
can test for lactose, fructose, sorbitol and charity The Eve Appeal, ease muscle aches
inulin and your response to them. and aid relaxation.
28 per cent of women
called for cervical
screening last year missed
their appointment.
Currently, the YouScreen
research study is being
trialled in London to
make HPV tests available 3D YOGA MAT
at home. Offering women Lululemon’s Take The Form yoga
mat, £108, has been designed with
a more acceptable and 3D cushion zones mapped out to
guide your body into positions that
accessible “self-sampling” have been identified as the most
kit could prove a difficult to grasp.
life-saving innovation.
Smallc.org.uk

5
ENAMEL-PROMOTING TOOTHBRUSH
Regenerate, the toothpaste that reverses
THE FIRST FLUSH enamel erosion, has launched a toothbrush,
£8. The brush has 5,904 ultra-thin filaments
to strengthen tooth enamel and is made of
Toto – maker of one of Japan’s most famous hi-tech loos 93 per cent “regenerated” plastic.
(think seat warming, music, inbuilt bidet and automatic
opening) – has announced its next innovation: the Wellness MUSCLE PATCHES
Vitabiotics Jointace Patch, £9 for eight,
Toilet. Launching in the next few years, its state-of-the-art now means targeted muscle relief for up to
technology will analyse skin and stool samples to deliver dietary 12 hours. The blend of essential oils,
menthol and chondroitin means it can soothe
and health reports on the corresponding app. Toto.com aches without the need to take a pill.

ROWING MACHINE
Newly launched in
Britain, the Hydrow
machine and subscription,
from £2,295, offers an
immersive, on-demand
rowing experience taught
by world-class athletes
and filmed at locations
such as the Thames and
New York’s Hudson River.

111
VOGUE PARTNERSHIP

Fondant
Hydratation
Essentielle
Conditioner, £28

CURL & COIL

POWER
How to make the most of your curls with
the new Curl Manifesto by Kérastase
Masque
Beurre Haute
Nutrition, WHETHER YOUR HAIR is coily, wavy or curly, it’s time Gélee Curl
Contour,
£36.40 to embrace your natural texture – and it pays to get acquainted £28.30
with the latest products that help enhance, protect, nourish and
strengthen each strand. Enter: Curl Manifesto by Kérastase, a
luxury professional haircare regime that caters to the curly girls.
Helping to hydrate, strengthen and define each curl, the
Below: haircare range (which comprises seven different products, from
Crème de Jour a hydrating shampoo and nourishing mask treatment to a curl-
Fondamentale,
£28.30
defining gel-cream) is inspired by skincare ingredients such as
Manuka honey, ceramide and glycerin. The result? Formulas

*INSTRUMENTAL BREAKAGE TEST USING: BAIN HYDRATATION DOUCEUR + MASQUE BEURRE

HAUTE NUTRITION + REFRESH ABSOLU. ALL PRICES AT THE DISCRETION OF THE RETAILER
scientifically designed to deliver up to 87 per cent stronger
curls*, and a scent as luxurious as your hair will feel.
Every product in the range is, quite simply, fabulous. They
deliver myriad benefits and work alongside an in-salon Fusio
Dose treatment delivered by hairdressers for shiny, bouncy curls. Bain Hydratation
For everyday curl care, look to the gentle shampoo Bain Douceur
Hydratation Douceur and lightweight conditioner Fondant Shampoo, £23.50
Hydratation Essentielle to detangle and nourish. Follow
with the Crème de Jour Fondamentale, an intensely
moisturising and smoothing leave-in treatment that,
crucially, won’t weigh curls down. You can also consider
your weekly intensive mask a done deal thanks to the
Beurre Haute Nutrition Masque, which pampers your
curls so they feel silky soft and elastic. As for styling,
the Gélee Curl Contour and Huile Sublime Repair Oil
both help to amplify your curls’ natural shape (without
making them feel crunchy) and shine, while the Refresh
Absolu is a second-day lightweight mist spray to freshen
Right: Refresh up curls in the morning. Wash-day ritual: sorted n
Absolu, £28.30 Learn more about the Curl Manifesto line, along with hair
tips and tricks during British Vogue’s 5 Days Of Beauty. For
Huile Sublime
details, visit Vogue.co.uk. Tickets available from 28 April Repair Oil,
£39.90
 BEAUTY

BRONZE WORK
DIGITAL ARTWORK: JAN CIHAK

There is an art to applying bronzer, and it begins with the finest materials.
By Twiggy Jalloh. Photograph by Coppi Barbieri
Clockwise from top left: By Terry Brightening CC Palette in Beach Bomb, £42. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Illuminating Powder in Sunset, £47.
YSL Beauty Sahariennes Bronzing Stones in Jasper, £36. Gucci Beauty Poudre De Beauté Eclat Soleil in 03, £46, at Selfridges. Tom Ford Soleil Glow Bronzer
in Gold Dust, £55. Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Highlighting Powder in Seduction, £34.50

113
 MAKE AN
APPOINTMENT

AMERICAN
DREAMS

N
ew York-based Milk
Makeup has released
the Sunshine Skin Dr Barabra Sturm‘s new flagship
Tint, £39, a light boutique and spa in London’s
SPF30 that has inherited the Mayfair will offer facials,
addictive scent of its tint-free including the latest Myolift
counterpart. With 14 shades and microcurrent treatment, as well as
refillable packaging, it’s a must for a chance to discover the brand’s
all seasons. Meanwhile, Jen Atkin, skincare collection. Drsturm.com
LA-based celebrity hairstylist and
founder of Ouai haircare, has
collaborated with Elf Cosmetics.
Their easy-to-use make-up
products include the Let’s Elfing
Do This Palette, £14 (below), and
the Eyes Up Here Kit, £12, for
smoky eyes and brushed-up brows.

Oskia, the clean skincare brand,

has partnered with the spa at the
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park to
offer six incredible treatments.
Mandarinoriental.com

BEAUTY
MUSINGS
Refresh your routine with
summer’s most enlivening updates,
says Lauren Murdoch-Smith
Dr Alexis Granite is taking up a
residency at the Sarah Chapman
Skinesis Clinic in Chelsea, giving
clients access to aesthetic
ELEMIS PRO-COLLAGEN RETINOL RELOAD
2
treatments – as well as
RENEWAL SERUM, £70, uses a Chapman’s fabled facials.
smart retinol alternative, and can The super-ingredient retinol has vastly Sarahchapman.com
be applied morning and night. improved, including new retinol alternatives
for sensitive skin. Here are five of the best...

1
L’OREAL
PARIS
REVITALIFT
LASER PURE
FOR
SENSITIVE CLINIQUE SMART
4 5
FOR
SENSITIVE
SKIN
RETINOL NIGHT CLINICAL
SKIN
3
NIGHT MD MULTI-
SERUM, DIMENSIONAL
£25, which REPAIR
took 22 TREATMENT, £56,
years to BEAUTY PIE OVERNIGHT combines hydrating
perfect, SKIN PERFECTOR 2.0, FROM ingredients, such as
targets deep £10.50, is a fresh take on the vitamin E and BAREMINERALS AGELESS
wrinkles for much-loved original. Expect a niacinamide, with PHYTO-RETINOL FACE CREAM, £52,
results in four gentle, slow-releasing retinol a pure form uses a botanical retinol alternative,
weeks. treatment that also moisturises. of retinol. proven to be effective with no irritation.

114
 BEAUTY

GREAT LENGTHS
This summer, haircare has had an overhaul – starting with your in-shower
experience, now elevated thanks to hairstylist extraordinaire George Northwood
and his comprehensive new range. Meanwhile, super-brand Redken has
harnessed in-salon treatment technology to create a three-step hair-bonding
system. Speaking of treatments, Vernon François’s Scalp Nourishment spray is a
lightweight, hydrating mist that works similarly to a face serum. When it comes to
styling, look to GHD’s wet-use products, Frédéric Fekkai’s relaunched vegan line
or the curl-defining powers of the Kérastase Curl Manifesto collection. JD

Above, from left: GHD Bodyguard Heat Protect Spray, £18. Redken
Acidic Perfecting Concentrate Leave-in Treatment, £24. Kérastase Curl
Manifesto Refresh Absolu, £28. Vernon François Scalp Nourishment Braids
And Locs Spray, £17, at Net-a-Porter.com. L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary
Oil More Than Shampoo, £7. Undone by George Northwood Unpolluted
Shampoo, £12, at Boots. Fekkai Brilliant Gloss Perfecting Cr•me, £20

TAKE NOTE

W
hen two fragrance juggernauts
come up with updates like
these, the news is too good not
to share. Firstly, Jo Malone London has
teamed up with renowned set designer (and
SOPHIE DELAPORTE/TRUNK ARCHIVE; ALASDAIR McLELLAN

British Vogue collaborator) Shona Heath

to create a unique collection of home
fragrance accessories, such the Petal Head
Candle Holder, £343 (far left), and the
Lesser Spotted Zebra Diffuser, £336 (left).
Meanwhile, Diptyque is celebrating its
60th anniversary with some new additions
inspired by its history. Orphéon eau de
parfum, £125 (above left), for example,
takes its cue from the nightclub next to
the brand’s first Paris store. The unisex
fragrance recreates the venue’s atmosphere
in cedar, patchouli, Arabian jasmine, amber
and musk. Très chic. n

115
 Cuvée Rosé, chosen by the best.

Illustrated by Quentin Blake

Kerridge’s Bar & Grill

Corinthia Hotel
London
N E D
OPE
S T
JU

MAISON FAMILIALE INDÉPENDANTE

champagnelaurentperrier www.cuveerose.com Photo credit: Iris Velghe / Illustration credit: Quentin Blake
 POOJA MOR WEARS EMBELLISHED DRESS, MIU MIU. RED- AND WHITE-DIAMOND DROP EARRINGS AND LARGE DIAMOND
EARRING, CARTIER. STYLING: JULIA BRENARD. HAIR: ROKU ROPPONGI. MAKE-UP: NINNI NUMMELA. NAILS: ROBBIE TOMKINS

Edited by Naomi Smart

Photograph by Ben Weller
REVIVAL
ROMANTIC
Weddings
self-portrait-studio.com
 Below right:
WEDDINGS special
rings, from top,
gold, lapis and
diamond,
Isabella Roux.
Gold, diamond,
emerald and
green sapphire,
Emma Franklin,

:
at Indtl.com. Gold
and diamond,

I DOS AND
Azlee, at The Cut
London. All
prices on request

DON’TS
The vows to make ahead
of curating your wedding.
By Naomi Smart

CONSULT AN
ENGAGEMENT
RING
CONCIERGE
It makes the matchmaking
process of ring-finding far less
daunting. Kate Baxter,
founder of The Cut London,
guides couples towards the
best bespoke designers,
while Beanie Major from
In Detail is the cupid of the
jewellery world – insurance,
storage, cleaning and
BOOK A WEDDING PLANNER resizing are all part of the
concierge package.
We love Liz Linkleter – the ex-Alexander McQueen PR who oversaw Erdem’s nuptials
– and the elegant events she curates (above). Then there’s GSP Events, the go-to for
the fashion, film and art worlds, who recently produced an immersive four seasons
wedding – exactly the kind of challenge that founder Emma Gold thrives on.
BE BEHOLDEN TO AN
ENORMOUS WEDDING
SCRIMP ON THE MUSIC Do you really need 150 guests? If the idea of an
intimate ceremony feels liberating, then embrace
You get what you pay for, and it will make or break your
it. A small civil service, followed by a big party
party. Nothing clears a dancefloor like a cheap band. Far better
at a later date? We’d certainly RSVP to that.
to secure the DJ who packs out your local bar, or who hosts
that NTS morning radio show you love. Vibe tip: make sure the
smoking area, bar and dancefloor are all close to one another
– a bar in another room is an instant mood killer.

LOOK LOCAL
Don’t automatically assume you have to go abroad to find otherworldly locations.
LIZ LINKLETER; ALAMY

If Portofino is your thing, look up Portmeirion (right) – the pastel-hued, Italian-inspired

village with sub-tropical gardens on the coast of North Wales. Indian palace?
Sezincote in Oxfordshire. Caribbean island? On a sunny day, you can’t beat the
fine white sanded beach of Porthcurno in Cornwall. Just next door – built into the
cliffs overlooking the Atlantic – The Minack Theatre boasts a breathtaking
open-air backdrop that will make for the most unforgettable wedding pictures.
JENNY PACKHAM FLAGSHIP, 3A CARLOS PLACE, MOUNT STREET, MAYFAIR, LONDON, W1K 3AN
JENNYPACKHAM.COM
 WEDDINGS special

CONSIDER A HONEY-
MOON HOUSE PARTY
Extend a honeymoon invite to the people you’ve missed most
in recent months – after all, you’ve just spent a pandemic
locked up with only your beloved (congratulations to those still
getting married). Welcome Beyond offers an exceptional
array of rental villas to suit all tastes. Welcomebeyond.com LOOK TO YOUR
FAVOURITE
STOP DANCING DESIGNERS
AT MIDNIGHT Wedding dresses are no
longer the preserve of stuffy
“We’re going to be like pressure cookers ateliers or frozen-in-time
popping once we’re allowed to party again, shops: British designers are
now applying their own
so don’t book anywhere with a curfew or perspective to the category.
grumpy neighbours,” says Emily FitzRoy of Starring embroidered lace
and pearlescent accents,
Bellini Travel, who also recommends Loyd & Simone Rocha’s long-
Townsend Rose’s private UK estates and castles awaited bridal collection
for luxury-level seclusion. Bellinitravel.com for Mytheresa.com is a
distillation of her
quintessential modern
romance. Also look to
Erdem’s official bridal
offering The White
Collection and 12 joyous
designs from Molly
Goddard. I do, I do, I do!

Laila Gohar wears a piece

from the Simone Rocha &
Mytheresa bridal collection

SEEK A SOMMELIER
Approach your local bottle shop to consult on your wine,
or contact a subscription company such as Oranj Wine –
whose monthly delivery is guest-edited by sommeliers from
institutions such as Noble Rot and P Franco – they’ll
SIGN UP TO offer you the keys to their kingdom (and cellar).
THE TITLE
This new monthly newsletter by Satin and feather BE SPARING WITH
stylist Robyn Maber is bursting
with inspiration. “Make your
shoes, £535,
Malone Souliers THE TABLESCAPE
own traditions,” says Maber, Extend your enthusiasm for interiors to your table
who’s challenging the concept and set the scene with captivating items from
of “bridal”. It’s also a creative Maison Margaux, where you can rent everything
consultancy, so if you like the from bamboo cutlery to painted crockery and
idea of a wedding outfit styled elegant glassware. Maisonmargauxltd.com
by a fashion editor, or need
help bringing your moodboard
to life, then look no further
than Thetitle.co.uk. IT RIGHT WITH ACCESSORIES
Be true to yourself – bridal doesn’t have to mean white
and frilly. Go for colour or print if that reflects your
taste, and make sure to buy something you’ll wear again.
123
 ON SALE 4 JUNE
Next month, Mini Vogue returns to British Vogue’s pages with
the most inspiring guide to pregnancy, motherhood and more
 VOGUE PARTNERSHIP

AFTER A YEAR of restrained

minimalism, breathtaking weddings are
finally back on the cards. Now more than AFFAIRS of
THE HEART
ever, it’s essential for any couple throwing
a major event to have the best guidance.
Step forward GSP Events, with its well-
deserved reputation for producing weddings
that are elegantly refined, effortlessly stylish
and highly personalised over the course of If there were ever a moment to
more than 25 years in business. celebrate love, it’s now. Enter
Within the UK alone, founder Emma Gold
has staged a wedding in the fragrant orangery
GSP, global events specialists
of Sezincote House in the Cotswolds; whose romantic celebrations
organised a mesmerising firework and video are never short of spectacular
projection show with Highclere Castle as the
backdrop; and transformed
Claridge’s ballroom into an
autumnal forest for a reception,
complete with lush trees and
vines. Beyond creating visual
spectacles and Instagram-perfect
From Kensington moments, it’s the attention to minute details that
Palace to a Puglian
beach, a superyacht
sets GSP events apart. From exquisite tablescapes
off the Côte d’Azur to preparing a Bloody Mary-fuelled brunch for the
FOR EVENT ENQUIRIES, CONTACT [email protected] AND [email protected]

to an Israeli citadel, morning after, Gold and her team are meticulous
the sky’s the limit
when it comes to in their 360-degree approach.
GSP’s wedding Of course, that also holds true for the events
locations that GSP stages abroad. The team has put together
remarkable ceremonies in France, Italy and beyond
– from transporting guests to a private island off
the Côte d’Azur to arranging a five-day wedding
celebration at a 12th-century Sicilian abbey.
Among Gold’s most incredible coups? Holding a
wedding in the ancient citadel of the Tower of
David in Jerusalem, and planning a Gstaad
reception that saw guests arrive via chairlift. Today,
France and Italy are like second homes to the GSP
team, with a network of exclusive suppliers across
the world, so no matter where you choose to hold
your special day, you’re guaranteed the best possible
quality across every element of the event. Who
knew wedding planning could be so fun? n
For more information, visit Gsp-uk.com and
@Gspltd on Instagram
 Channel Bianca Jagger
and turn to tailoring –
and the louche refinement
of Ralph Lauren.
This page: silk tuxedo suit,
to order, Ralph Lauren
Collection. Leather shoes,
£610, Gucci. Pearl and
diamond hoop earrings,
£4,500. Diamond stud
earrings, £17,500. Both
Jessica McCormack.

The bigger the better:

Molly Goddard is serving
up princess tiers with a
twist via this dream dress
for a modern bride.
Opposite: hand-gathered
tulle dress with train, to
order, Molly Goddard Bridal.
Pavé-diamond hoop earring
and diamond ear cuff,
Ana Khouri. Diamond stud
earring and platinum and
diamond rings, De Beers

126
 WEDDINGS special

DIVINE
POWER
Seeking eternal love? Look no further than the season’s
heavenly gowns, seraphic suiting and swoon-worthy veils.
Photographs by Ben Weller. Styling by Julia Brenard
WEDDINGS special

Add a touch of the avant-

garde to a slinky Jenny
Packham slip with a fabulous
floor-sweeping veil.
This page: satin gown,
£1,540, Jenny Packham.
Veil, made by stylist using
silk veiling fabric, £7.50
a metre, Borovick Fabrics.
White- and pink-diamond
ring, David Morris.
Floral headdress, to
order, Rebel Rebel.

Celia Kritharioti’s ivory silk

two-piece offers a gloriously
compelling alternative
to the traditional gown.
Opposite: crêpe top and
skirt, to order, Celia
Kritharioti Couture.
Leather gloves, £335, Paula
Rowan. Satin and crystal
sandals, £795, Jimmy Choo.
Tulle veil, to order, Molly
Goddard Bridal. Diamond
necklace, De Beers
129
130
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT
 WEDDINGS special

If there is ever a time

to invest in ornately
embellished Chanel, it’s
most assuredly now.
Opposite: cotton-macramé
and lace dress, £5,490. Tulle
and grosgrain headband,
£635. Both Chanel. Tights,
from £15, Emilio Cavallini.
White-gold and diamond
earrings, Cartier. Bouquet,
to order, Sage Flowers.

Christopher Kane’s
feather-fringed coat
presents the perfect
example of fashion-forward
bridalwear that will last
long past the big day.
This page: duchesse-satin
coat with feather trim.
£1,995, Christopher Kane,
at Matchesfashion.com.
White-gold and diamond
earrings, Piaget.
Prices on request
unless otherwise stated.
For stockists, all pages,
see Vogue Information.
Hair: Roku Roppongi.
Make-up: Ninni Nummela.
Nails: Robbie Tomkins.
Digital artwork: Grain Post
Production. Model: Pooja Mor
WEDDINGS special

LOVE YOUR LOOK

Whether you’re planning a small, intimate wedding or
one that embraces relaxed restrictions, Vogue’s directory
of detail-oriented beauty services will ensure you’re
ready for your close-up. Photograph by Ben Weller

Consider laser hair

removal as one of the
more stealth beauty
treatments to invest in
during the run-up to
Nail art is a great the big day. Mallucci
way to add something London employs the
special to your bridal Cynosure hair removal
manicure. DryBy London, method, which is one
known for its delicate, of the top machines for
subtle designs, also offers successfully removing
bridal styles and custom fine fuzz as well as
artwork. Consider opting darker unwanted hair.
for a Shellac manicure £540 for a course
to ensure no chips and of six treatments,
glossy nails well into your Mallucci-london.com
honeymoon. Dryby.co.uk

ARTWORK: GRAIN POST PRODUCTION. SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT. PIXELATE.BIZ
STYLING: JULIA BRENARD. HAIR: ROKU ROPPONGI. MAKE-UP: NINNI NUMMELA. NAILS: ROBBIE TOMKINS. MODEL: POOJA MOR. DIGITAL
If there’s a brand
You’ve planned your synonymous with bridal
hairstyle and mapped out make-up, it’s Bobbi
a hair colour schedule, Brown. From products
now it’s time to make it that last the day to
shine. Kérastase’s K Water ensuring that your skin
in-salon treatment, £15, is glowing rather than
will give hair an instantly shiny, its nationwide
glossy topcoat thanks to team of artists can
the gel-like mask’s ability advise you on the
to smooth hair fibres. If you best make-up for you.
want to improve its health It’s currently offering
and strength, try Redken’s complimentary virtual
Acidic Concentrate one-to-ones, how-tos and
System, £15, which works live chats, so you can
to visibly reduce surface create your own bridal
damage and return hair look with a pro artist.
to its former glory. There’s also a virtual
Cropped wool/silk
jacket, to order, try-on to help you choose
Alexander McQueen lip and eye shades.
Bobbibrown.co.uk

For a needle-free
pre-wedding lift, try
Ultherapy. A single, GET THE GLOW
no-downtime treatment, A two-pronged approach when it comes to skin treatments is a sure-fire way to wedding-day radiance
it uses ultrasound
energy to stimulate THE FACIAL THE AESTHETIC TOUCH-UP
collagen production and
The Signature Bespoke Facial at facialist Sarah Mesolift from Dr Dray’s clinic delivers a hyaluronic acid,
restore plumpness, with
impressive results. Chapman’s Skinesis Clinic – a favourite with celebrities vitamin, mineral and antioxidant solution under the skin’s
and the fashion crowd alike – combines hi-tech lasers surface via a microneedle mesotherapy gun that smoothly
From £400 for eye/
with Skinesis products and its extensive manual passes over the face, neck and décolletage to stimulate
brow treatment and
“gymnastics” massage for rejuvenated skin and notably collagen and rejuvenate from within. No downtime
£800 for face and neck, luminous results. £170 for 90 minutes, Sarahchapman.com required, ultimate glow achieved. From £200, Drdray.co.uk
Dr Sebagh Clinic

132
Discover the dry body oil which delivers hi-tech skin care benefits and
a touch of golden sparkle. Dr Sebagh Shimmering Body Oil deeply
nourishes and moisturises, instantly soothes (after sun exposure, for
example) and provides antioxidant protection. A unique blend of
pearlescent pigments leaves skin bronzed with a hint of glittering gold.

Available in-store and at drsebagh.com

VOGUE PARTNERSHIP

Lucknam Park’s
grounds are an
idyllic setting for a
country wedding

The Vow FACTOR

Edenic grounds, world-class service and exquisite
dining… Lucknam Park is a wedding venue like no other
THERE ARE MANY reasons to celebrate this the light-filled outdoor Sanctuary by the
summer – not least the return of weddings. And fragrant lavender gardens. Taking care of the
while Britain has its fair share of rural venues in wedding menu? Executive chef Hywel Jones,
which to say “I do”, few compare with the refined whose exquisite dishes have earned him a
elegance and natural beauty of Lucknam Park. Michelin star at the hotel’s restaurant. Whether
A picturesque 20-minute drive from Bath, this couples are keen to host an intimate dinner or
restored Palladian mansion is surrounded by 500 a lavish banquet, Jones and his team cater to
acres of parkland, with visitors arriving via a mile- all gourmet requests.
long beech-lined driveway. Behind the stately As for the planning, the Lucknam Park team
façade are 43 luxurious bedrooms, each decorated offers dedicated support at every stage,
in a unique country-house style, including a pair including helping to incorporate personalised
*SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY

of Grand Master suites filled with glittering details into the ceremony on the day. One
chandeliers, plush four-poster beds and claw- particularly sweet option? Planting a tree in
footed bathtubs. Consider it the most romantic the grounds bearing the newlyweds’ initials.
haven possible for a pair of newlyweds. Let the wedding season begin. n
Meanwhile, brides and grooms can choose Wedding packages at Lucknam Park are available
between holding their nuptials in the intimate from £195 per person through December 2022*. The outdoor Sanctuary (above),
Walmesley Room, the spacious Music Room, or For more information, visit Lucknampark.co.uk close to the lavender gardens
 WEDDINGS special
1. White-gold and diamond band,
from £3,390. Gold chain ring
with diamond, from £3,390. Both
1 Nikos Koulis. 2. Gold, tourmaline
and diamond ring, £4,500. Gold
band, £550. Both Minka Jewels.
3. Gold and diamond ring, top,
£17,250. Gold and diamond ring,
bottom, £17,250. Both Sophie
Bille Brahe, at Dover Street
Market. 4. Gold, sapphire and
emerald ring with gold bands,
Hattie Rickards. 5. Platinum and
pavé-diamond ring set with a
round diamond. Platinum and
pavé diamond band, £11,800.
Both Tiffany. 6. Gold and
diamond ring. Gold and
multicoloured- diamond band,
£7,500. Both Roxanne Rajcoomar-
Hadden. Prices on request unless
otherwise stated. For stockists,
see Vogue Information

EACH
SET DESIGN: LISA JAHOVIC. DIGITAL ARTWORK: IMGN STUDIOS

OTHER
Find your perfect match
with bridal ring sets
that fit together seamlessly,
says Rachel Garrahan.
Photograph by Thomas Brown 6

135
INTRODUCING
 WEDDINGS special

Consider the impact of

your honeymoon via
mindful travel platform
Trippin. Co-founder Kesang
Ball advises lightening your
load: “The heavier your
cases, the more CO2 will
be emitted powering the
plane.” She also suggests
taking items that can be
used by local communities
– Packforapurpose.org has
helpful lists. For hotels,
Regenerativetravel.com
selects resorts based on
their eco and social
impact. Trippin.world

Take your pick of

the best flowers
at Belcombe’s
cutting garden in
Bradford-on-Avon

ECO-CONSCIOUS For sustainable blooms, visit

BRIDE
florist Kitten Grayson (known
CHARLOTTE SAYERS for her work at Heckfield
ANTIQUE JEWELLERY is Place), who recently started
a treasure trove of exquisite her first flower farm, The
heirlooms, including rings.
Sustainable tips – so our planet can live Cutting Garden, in Bruton.
“Centrepieces can also be
happily ever after, too. By Naomi Smart replanted,” she says. “Jasmine
from a recent wedding now
climbs the newlyweds’ home.”
Georgian venue Belcombe
will also grow to order and
give you honey pollinated by
bees in its garden. Flowers
The one-wear wedding dress From The Farm maps the best
is over, and London-based local cutting gardens – or try
upcycling label Wed is disrupting sowing your own.
the bridal market. “A dress that
BEAR BROOKSBANK involves huge amounts of fabric
offers pre-loved pieces and that’s designed to be worn once
repurposing of antique seems completely out of touch for
stones for bespoke designs. the sustainability conscious,”
explain designers Amy Trinh and
Evan Phillips, who are alumni of
Louis Vuitton and Simone Rocha
respectively. “We rework
heirloom and vintage dresses for
our clients or create designs made
from antique deadstock fabric.”
This circular approach extends
to pieces that will serve you past
your wedding day, too. You’ll It goes without saying that paper
wear a tailored Christopher Kane should be recyclable, but you can also
suit or a Galvan slip dress again customise old posters or postcards. Or
GETTY IMAGES

ELMWOODÕS is a and again -- or give them a new why not print on to fully biodegradable
boutique auction house, lease of life on resale or loaning seed paper -- what could be more
which means it’s the perfect sites such as My Wardrobe HQ, satisfying than planting invitations
WED

place to pick up a bargain. By Rotation and Rotaro. into soil and watching them grow?

137
 Necklace, £4,150,
David Yurman

Ring, price
on request,
Buccellati

Earrings,
Necklace,
£1,475,
£6,860, Tasaki
Sophie
Bille Brahe

Earrings,
£4,500,
Jessica
McCormack
Pearly queen Vogue, May 1956

Accent your dream dress with the most

precious of jewels. Edited by Itunu Oke

EMMA SUMMERTON; EUGENE VERNIER

Earrings,
£475,
Ring, price on Annoushka
request, Mikimoto
 WEDDINGS special
CHECKLIST

Tata Harper
Resurfacing
Mask, £57

Ren Summer Limited

Edition Daily AHA
Tonic, £28

111Skin
Exfolactic
Cleanser,
£45

Drunk
Elephant
Protini
Powerpeptide
Vogue, June 2020

Resurf
Serum, £69

READY, SET
Kiehl’s Glow
Formula Skin
Hydrator, £31.50

GLOW Dr Sebagh

Products to ensure you Luminous Glow

Cream, £72
– and your skin – look
radiant on the big day Dr Dennis Gross
Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting
& Refining Serum, £68
 Vogue, June 2020
Eye mask,
£50, Slip
Jo Malone
London
Orange
Blossom
Lace Design
Cologne,
£105

Bag, £750, Amina

Muaddi at Dress, £360,
Matchesfashion.com
Self-Portrait

Down to
Cuvée Rosé Champagne,
£60, Laurent-Perrier
the details
The must-have edit of bridal accessories

Shoes,
£475,
Malone
Souliers

Estée Lauder
Bronze
Goddess Matte
Glow Bronzing
Charlotte Tilbury Trio, £34
Look of Love Lipstick
in Nude Romance, £28

Bra, £155, Agent

EMMA SUMMERTON; TIM WALKER

Provocateur

Earrings,
£45,
Pandora
 WEDDINGS special
CHECKLIST
Earrings, price on
request, De Beers

Sunday Riley Fairy Godmother

Shimmering Body Oil Gel, £38

Headband,
£1,260, Jane
Taylor London
Shoes, £775,
Jimmy Choo

Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant

Fluid Foundation Natural, £110

Slip, £515,
La Perla

Bobbi Brown
Vitamin
Enriched Face
Base, £45

Armani Beauty
Neo Nude
Melting Colour
Balm, £32

Vogue, December 2013

Fan, £55,
Fern Fans
 Lila Moss
wears woven
leather
waistcoat,
£1,700, Emporio
Armani. Canvas
trousers, £405,
Marni. Beret,
£55, Lock
Hatters. Badges,
on hat, stylist’s
own. Hoop
earrings, £49,
Wolf & Gypsy.
Personalised
necklace, from
£495, Laura Lee
Jewellery

En
plein
WORDS: VICTORIA WILLAN. PHOTOGRAPH: ANGELO PENNETTA. STYLING: JULIA SARR-
JAMOIS. HAIR: SYD HAYES. MAKE-UP: PETROS PETROHILOS. NAILS: AMA QUASHIE

air
EVEN IN THE DAPPLED SHADE of a cherry tree, it’s not hard to spot the similarities between model Lila Moss
and her mother, Kate. But the 18-year-old, who for her first British Vogue shoot re-explores the landmarks,
riverscapes and parks of her home town of London, is her own person, shaping her own future in the spotlight.
Which brings us neatly to this month’s cover star: Billie Eilish. The American singer-songwriter, now 19, found
her voice – on record and in the world at large – at just 13, and has become a woman who still has much to say.
Of course, there is something undeniably wonderful about the self-assurance of youth, but what of the confidence
that comes with life lived? That je m’en fou feeling that only grows with the passing years? Oscar-winning actor
Emma Thompson illustrates the point perfectly, when she heads out to the open space of Trafalgar Square
swathed in haute couture. Seems to us that, whatever your age, it’s time to step into the light.

143
 “IT’S ALL
ABOUT
WHAT PHOTOGRAPHS BY CRAIG McDEAN
STYLING BY DENA GIANNINI

MAKES
YOU FEEL
GOOD ”
Voice of a generation. Avatar of internet mega-fame. Icon of body
positivity. A lot rests on Billie Eilish’s 19-year-old shoulders.
The pop superstar speaks up about her latest transformation,
new music and living life on her own terms. By Laura Snapes
144
 Custom-made mesh
catsuit, satin and
mesh corset, and sheer
slingback shoes,
Mugler. White-gold
and diamond earrings
and rings, Anita Ko
Custom-made
layered top, bra
and skirt in
monogrammed net,
Gucci. White-gold
and diamond
earrings, Cartier
 HER NEW LOOK PUTS THE ONUS
ON THE VIEWER TO CONSIDER
THEIR BAGGAGE. “DON’T MAKE ME
NOT A ROLE MODEL BECAUSE
YOU’RE TURNED ON BY ME,” SHE SAYS

he fans knew it was a wig. The parting While most 19-year-olds dye their hair with impunity, those rabid
was off. Some amateur had misaligned the green and black gradient. fans know that for Eilish, a new look means a new album. For her
She stopped flipping her hair and started wearing a suspicious number Vogue shoot, she is indulging a fantasy by embracing a “classic, old-
of hats. Underneath it was red, they swore. One girl posted an 18-part timey pin-up” look inspired by Betty Brosmer, Horst’s illusionist
TikTok investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, Billie Eilish sweated, beauty shots and the stockinged models of Elmer Batters. When we
literally and figuratively, ruing the day she committed to spending first speak, the shoot is imminent. Although it was entirely her idea,
months cosplaying as herself to hide the look of her second-album era. Eilish is apprehensive. “I’ve literally never done anything in this
Before her custom hairpiece arrived, a last-minute video appearance realm at all,” she says, dropping her jaw in exaggerated horror, chewing
forced her to buy a Billie Eilish Hallowe’en costume from Amazon. gum rolling past her tongue. Then a smirk: “Y’know, besides when
“I’m not putting on that f**king wig one more time!” Eilish whoops I’m alone and shit.”
as she appears on Zoom in late February, her face surrounded by A teenage pop star baring all to telegraph her maturity is nothing
a shaggy butterscotch halo. (When she officially unveils her hair on new. But Eilish has a point to make. Her new look, plus a comeback
Instagram a few weeks later, the photo becomes the fastest post single that confronts abusers who exploit underage girls, puts the onus
to reach a million likes: six minutes. Within two days, it’s the third on the viewer to consider their baggage. “Don’t make me not a role
most-liked post ever.) Hiding at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, she model because you’re turned on by me,” she says.
can be free. Even on-screen, her relief is visceral: wearing a black, Her body “was the initial reason for my depression when I was
diamanté-embellished Très Rasché hoodie, the 19-year-old spends younger” – a situation worsened when she quit dancing at 13 due to
our first hour together absent-mindedly stroking the silky layers, injury. Hence the baggy clothes. Then fame made that image into a
besotted by the novelty. It took four dye sessions to erase the signature flashpoint. “Billie represents something completely new,” says Gucci
jet black and lurid green she’s worn for 18 months. She was “ready creative director Alessandro Michele, who has regularly collaborated
for it to suck”, but it’s been transformative. “I feel more like a woman, with Eilish. “She is a continuously evolving artist with a new vision
somehow,” she says, surprised. and interpretation of herself in terms of femininity. Billie is exactly
We’ve watched her get here, ever since her viral breakout at 13 with where she means to be without prejudice. That’s why working with
the delicate synth-pop song “Ocean Eyes”, recorded with her older her is so stimulating – she forces me to think differently.” More
brother, Finneas O’Connell, in their bedrooms. The colourful family simplistic interpretations of Eilish’s aesthetic saw her hailed as an icon
bungalow in north-east LA, where they were homeschooled by their of body positivity and a good example compared with female pop
parents, working actors Maggie May Baird and Patrick O’Connell, stars who wore less. She never claimed to stand for any of it. In
turned into an anchor and a hive of “good people” as this gothy teenager October, a paparazzi picture of her in a form-fitting vest sparked a
became an era-redefining pop star. She and Finneas recorded her media cycle rife with negativity and misjudged sympathy. “It made
debut album there, 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, me really offended when people were like, ‘Good for her for feeling
without label interference. Eilish’s career is a parade of achievements, comfortable in her bigger skin,’” she says, curling her lips in mockery.
mostly concerning her age: she’s the youngest winner of the Grammy “Jesus Christ?! Good for me? F**k off!” She splutters with frustration.
for Album of the Year (an accolade formerly held by Taylor Swift) “The more the internet and the world care about somebody that’s
and to helm a Bond theme (“No Time To Die”, written for Daniel doing something they’re not used to, they put it on such a high pedestal
Craig’s final 007 gig), and is the first artist born in the 21st century that then it’s even worse.”
to have an American number one. Her debut is Spotify’s eighth She knows that corsets (among the most controversial garments in
most-streamed album ever. More lastingly, her mysterious, broken the history of fashion) will rile people. Although Eilish wanted to
sound rewired pop. explore their beauty – the shapes, lacing, design – she was also drawn
Her successes still feel personal to her fans. They don’t have a name to their original restrictive function. “If I’m honest with you, I hate my
(like Swifties) – Eilish’s stardom reflects the contrary teenage aspiration stomach, and that’s why.” She thinks that’s “shallow”, I disagree. It’s
to be validated for your differences. She created an instantly identifiable hard enough for anyone to negotiate the conflict between intellectually
silhouette in capacious, rap-influenced couture that made a mystery rejecting patriarchal beauty standards and hardwired personal frustration,
of her body. Her interests reflected the wide splatter of the teenage-girl let alone when you’re one of the most scrutinised teenagers in the world
heart: horror films, Justin Bieber, sports cars, Peggy Lee, gross-out and your body is, as Eilish calls it, your “deepest insecurity”.
humour, racial justice. Unlike previous generations of teen pop stars Michele says that the visual references Eilish sent for the shoot
deprived of control over their identity, she sanitises nothing, singing chimed with the ideas that he had been working on for his own
of dying friends, suicidal ideation and the climate crisis. “I don’t think collections, “referencing Hollywood, a world that fascinates me a lot.
there’s ever been such a young pop artist to write songs that are so She is extremely meticulous in the way she reinvents herself.” Eilish
personal,” Elton John tells me. “Billie Eilish’s songs come from within predicts one side of the response to the shoot: “‘If you’re about body
her. She reminds me of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan – a totally old positivity, why would you wear a corset? Why wouldn’t you show your
soul from a vocal point of view. She doesn’t sound like anybody today.” actual body?’” She raises her eyebrows. “My thing is that > 154

147
 Custom-made
bustier dress and
sleeves with
cotton-satin lacing,
Balmain. White-gold
and diamond ring, on
left ring finger and
nearest the nail,
from £910. White-gold
and diamond finger
bracelet, on right
hand, from £6,390.
Both Jacquie Aiche.
All other white-gold
and diamond rings,
Anita Ko. Hold-ups,
stylist’s own

148
 “‘WHY WOULD YOU
WEAR A CORSET?’”
SHE RAISES
HER EYEBROWS.
“MY THING IS THAT
I CAN DO WHATEVER
I WANT”

Custom-made
cotton-gaberdine
trench coat and
corseted body,
Burberry. Custom-
made stocking
boots, Mugler. Tulle
gloves, from £260,
Thomasine. White-
gold and diamond
rings, Anita Ko
“I’VE GROWN SO MUCH
AND GOTTEN SO MUCH BETTER
IN MY VOICE, IT’S CRAZY
TO THINK ABOUT. I THINK
CHANGE IS ONE OF THE BEST
GIFTS IN THE WORLD”
 Custom-made
satin bustier dress,
bra, and macramé
mules. All Dolce &
Gabbana. Sleeves,
made by stylist.
Suspender belt, £75,
Nearer The Moon.
Stockings, £12, What
Katie Did. White-
gold and diamond
earrings, Cartier
 Custom-made
FSC-certified moire
corset dress,
customised by stylist
with vintage lacing,

“YOU SHOULD BE
Andreas Kronthaler for
Vivienne Westwood.

EXACTLY WHO YOU

Custom-made
reworked vintage

FEEL LIKE YOU ARE

sleeves, Sororité. Bra,
from £55, Marie Mur.

AND WANT TO BE IN
Suspender belt, from
£45, Coco’s Retro

THAT MOMENT”
Closet. Custom-made
monogrammed
stockings, Dior
Custom-made panelled
corset dress with
draped skirt, Alexander
McQueen. Latex gloves,
£200. Latex suspender
belt, £120. Latex
stockings, £130. All
Atsuko Kudo. Satin
sandals, to order,
Andreas Kronthaler
for Vivienne Westwood
& Gina. White-gold
and diamond short
necklace, from £4,280.
White-gold and
diamond crescent
necklace, from £7,640.
White-gold and
diamond bra chains,
from £13,090 each.
White-gold and
diamond body chain,
from £5,640. White-
gold and diamond
finger bracelets,
from £6,390 each.
All Jacquie Aiche.
White-gold lariat
necklace with
marquise-cut diamond,
from £3,750, Anita Ko

153
 “IT WAS VERY SATISFYING TO
SCREAM. THERE’S SO MUCH ANGER
IN THOSE SONGS – ANGER AND
DISAPPOINTMENT AND FRUSTRATION”

I can do whatever I want.” Confidence is her only gospel, she says, The subject is a composite. “It’s an open letter to people who take
yet that intent has been spun into “a lot of weird miscommunications”. advantage – mostly men,” Eilish says carefully. It’s now the morning
She clears it up: “It’s all about what makes you feel good. If you want after the Grammys, where she won Record of the Year for the second
to get surgery, go get surgery. If you want to wear a dress that somebody year running. Today’s setting, a relative’s house, is as grounded as last
thinks that you look too big wearing, f**k it – if you feel like you look night was “super-surreal and ridiculous”, Eilish’s Gucci swapped for
good, you look good.” another black hoodie, adorned with a buxom anime illustration.
The celebration of her in opposition to more scantily dressed pop As for her desired response, Eilish says, staring straight at the
girls concealed a nasty, misogynist (sometimes racist) subtext. It also webcam, “I would like people to listen to me. And not just try to figure
hurt Eilish, negotiating her own dawning womanhood. “Because of out who I’m talking about, because it’s not about that. It’s really not
the way that I feel that the world sees me, I haven’t felt really desired,” at all about one person. You might think, ‘It’s because she’s in the
she says, then sighs. “But that’s really my whole life, though, so I don’t music industry’ – no, dude. It’s everywhere.” She flings her head back.
know if it’s anything to do with fame.” She’s noticed a TV trope where “I don’t know one girl or woman who hasn’t had a weird experience,
as soon as a “classic hot girl” enters a relationship, she undergoes a or a really bad experience. And men, too – young boys are taken
personality transplant. “She’s this completely different character of advantage of constantly.”
wifey,” Eilish says, baffled. “It really f**ked me up. Everybody’s like, In the song, Eilish also asks: “How dare you?” It reminds me of
‘You can’t make a wife out of a hoe’ – and it’s like, you’re attracted to Greta Thunberg’s 2019 speech to the UN (“She’s f**king amazing,”
that person, though. You created that person.” If those are the terms, says Eilish) and of how teenage girls are conveniently upheld as mature
Eilish is out. “Suddenly you’re a hypocrite if you want to show your moral arbiters while exploitative men can lean on the plausible
skin, and you’re easy and you’re a slut and you’re a whore. If I am, then deniability of “not knowing” how old a girl is. “Absolutely,” she says.
I’m proud. Me and all the girls are hoes, and f**k it, y’know? Let’s turn “It’s an insane thing. Young women, we’re expected to know and do
it around and be empowered in that. Showing your body and showing everything, and be everyone’s mom when we’re like, 15.”
your skin – or not – should not take any respect away from you.” At that age, Eilish says she wouldn’t have grasped the perspective
Eilish is not the first to say it (she admires that multidimensionality in “Your Power”. “I used to not understand why age mattered. And,
in Megan Thee Stallion), though it’s striking to watch a young of course, you feel like that when you’re young, because you’re the
woman get here on her own timeline. And depressing that she still oldest you’ve ever been. You feel like you’re so mature and you know
has to. “I really think the bottom line is, men are very weak,” she says. everything.” But you shouldn’t have to know everything then, she says.
“I think it’s just so easy for them to lose it. ‘You expect a dude not to The expectation creates space for exploitation. “People forget that you
grab you if you’re wearing that dress?’ Seriously, you’re that weak? can grow up and realise shit was f**ked up when you were younger.”
Come on! Go masturbate!” She often thinks about a line in her 2019 single “When I Was

W
Older”: “I’m still a victim in my own right/But I’m the villain in my
hen the global pandemic hit at the beginning of last own eyes.” “I wanted to say that it doesn’t matter who you are, what
year, Eilish was just three dates into her extensive your life is, your situation, who you surround yourself with, how strong
world tour. She thought she might get two weeks off you are, how smart you are,” she says. “You can always be taken
before it restarted. Nope. The unplanned year off gave advantage of. That’s a big problem in the world of domestic abuse or
her and Finneas, 23, the chance to make a new album in the basement statutory rape – girls that were very confident and strong-willed finding
studio of his new house. With no deadline, they swam and cycled and themselves in situations where they’re like, ‘Oh my god, I’m the victim
fought and ordered Taco Bell, surrounded by their dogs, and wrote here?’ And it’s so embarrassing and humiliating and demoralising to
songs about coming of age and realising your worth. Eilish kindled be in that position of thinking you know so much and then you realise,
a love of songwriting, which once tormented her, and learnt to engineer. I’m being abused right now.”
She’s proud of the work. “I’ve grown so much and gotten so much It happened to Eilish when she was younger. The details are hers.
better in my voice, it’s crazy to think about,” she says. “I think change (I am later told it wasn’t a music industry figure.) To fixate on it as
is one of the best gifts in the world.” exceptional would undermine her point about the systemic nature of
I hear two songs. One starts tenderly and ends with Eilish screaming. abuse. Scrutiny has left her fluent in anticipating criticism: she predicts
“It was very satisfying to scream,” she says. “Because I was very angry. the objections to the combination of this song and Vogue’s shoot.
There’s so much anger in those songs – anger and disappointment “‘You’re going to complain about being taken advantage of as a minor,
and frustration.” The single “Your Power” is forcefully quiet. Acoustic but then you’re going to show your boobs?’” She tilts her head and
guitar underpins Eilish’s steady address to an abuser who has taken widens her eyes in a slow charade of contemplation. Then she swivels
advantage of a minor, claiming to be oblivious to her age and counting back, points straight at me and laughs. “Yes I am, motherf**ker! I’m
on privilege to protect him. “She said you were her hero,” she sings. going to because there’s no excuse.”
“You played the part/But you ruined her in a year though/Don’t act As startling as the confrontation in “Your Power” is the common
like it was hard.” understanding she tries to establish with the perpetrator. > 210

154
 Custom-made lace
top and tulle corset.
Both Valentino Haute
Couture. Knickers
with lace detail, £40,
Agent Provocateur.
Suspender belt, £75,
Nearer The Moon.
Stockings, £12,
What Katie Did.
Satin shoes, £465,
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

Roger Vivier. Tulle

gloves, customised
by stylist, from
£260, Thomasine.
Prices on request
unless otherwise
stated. For stockists,
all pages, see Vogue
Information.
Hair: Benjamin
Mohapi. Make-up:
Robert Rumsey.
Nails: Tammy Taylor.
Set design: Stefan
Beckman. Production:
Honor Hellon
Production. Digital
artwork: Gloss.
With thanks to
Jill Demling,
entertainment
director-at-large,
Hubble Studios,
Los Angeles,
Ashlie Johnson and
Wendi Williams-Stern
BFC/VOGUE DESIGNER FASHION FUND

Once again, the finalists for the BFC/Vogue Designer

Fashion Fund showcase the groundbreaking work
that the £200,000 award has always celebrated.
This year, though, there is a newly introspective mood, as
designers consider more deeply the industry
itself and its wider responsibilities.

CREATIVE
THINKING Olivia Singer introduces 2021’s winner,
and the shortlist of rising stars shaping the future
of fashion with a shared moral imperative
as well as their own unique aesthetics.
Photographs by CHARLOTTE WALES.
Styling by POPPY KAIN

156
 BETHANY WILLIAMS
THE WINNER
Bethany Williams has reconfigured what
fashion’s relationship with philanthropy and
sustainability could look like by structuring
the foundations of her business as a social
enterprise. Building long-term partnerships
with grassroots organisations, spotlighting
issues ranging from homelessness to the
prison system while raising much-needed
funds for charities working in these areas,
or training marginalised communities in
new skills, she is modelling a new vision
of environmental responsibility and
community engagement. “As designers,
we are problem-solvers,” she explains.
“We want to provide an alternative system
for fashion production, as we believe
fashion’s reflection upon the world
can create positive change.” >

Corset top,
£594. Pinstripe
trousers, £783. Both
Bethany Williams, at
Galerieslafayette.com
and Terminal27.com

157
 Reflecting on the intersectionality of her personal
identity, 33-year-old Supriya Lele takes the elegant
1990s minimalism and insouciant grunge that she
was fixated by throughout her British upbringing,
and explores it through the lens of her Indian
heritage. She eschews the conventional tropes
SUPRIYA LELE

of embellishment and print, instead leaning into

drapery techniques and abstracted traditional
motifs. “I want to create a modern perspective
on Indian aesthetics,” she says. What results is a
remarkably cool, covetable take on modern dress
– and a slinky sensuality that has found favour
with everyone from Dua Lipa to Gaia Repossi.

CHARLOTTE WALES; WILL GRUNDY

Silk dress, £850,

Supriya Lele. Leather
mules, £495, Malone
Souliers. Headpiece,
to order, Philip Treacy

158
 You’d have been hard-pressed
to tour the Vogue offices any
day of the (pre-pandemic) week
and not find an editor decked
out in the designs of Rosh
Mahtani. The jeweller, who

ALIGHIERI
first rooted her brand in the
narratives of its namesake,
Dante Alighieri, has, in just
five years, established her work
as a fixture in fashion circles.
Beloved for her intentionally
imperfect, talismanic designs –
“I want them to feel like they’ve
been dug up from the ground,
excavated, ready for their next
adventure,” she says – as well
as the community values she
champions through her localised
production chains and
philanthropic endeavours (in the
past year she has raised more
than £70,000 for Refuge, and
£60,000 for The Trussell Trust),
she has in recent seasons
extended into new categories,
from shoes to homeware. >
CHARLOTTE WALES; AMIE MILNE

Gold-plated earrings,
£280. Necklaces, from top:
silver, £1,150. Gold plated,
£850. Gold plated, £850.
Gold plated, £850.
Gold-plated rings, from
£210 each. Bracelets, from
wrist to elbow: gold plated,
£500. Pearl, £210. Gold
plated, £420. Gold plated,
£350. All Alighieri.
T-shirt, £86, Baserange
COMPLETEDWORKS

CHARLOTTE WALES; EKATERINA BAZHENOVA-YAMASAKI

Anna Jewsbury’s artful eye has been

the foundation for Completedworks, which
translates warped, romantic minimalism
and off-beat concepts into remarkably
chic jewellery and ceramics. “We’re not
interested in a polished geometry,” she
notes, “but are championing a sculptural
aesthetic that – transcending both seasons
and trends – aspires to be permanently
Gold-vermeil and
relevant in a changing world.” The result? pearl earrings, £255,
Gloriously modern heirloom pieces. Completedworks
 HALPERN
In recent years, women seeking
high-impact glamour with a
modern twist have turned to
Michael Halpern, whose eye
for 1970s-inflected sequins and
sparkle is unparalleled. “It’s
about harnessing the power of
fashion,” the designer says of
his brand. “About the escapism
and fantasy that clothing
can bring to someone’s life.”
Rarely has that sentiment felt
so profoundly necessary.
“The way we see getting out
of a terrible situation is
through hope and optimism,”
he muses on fashion’s role post
pandemic. “I can now see the
light at the end of the tunnel,
and it is bright as hell!
The future looks colourful.” >
CHARLOTTE WALES; MICHAEL HALPERN

Draped lamé
bustier top, £1,670.
Lamé skirt, £690.
Both Halpern.
Embellished satin
shoes, £895,
Manolo Blahnik

161
ASAI

A Sai Ta’s clothes are “created

to give a fierce strength to the
individual wearing them,” he says.
Serving as a bridge between the
designer’s Eastern heritage and
his London-based upbringing, his
pieces – ranging from his Hot
Wok tie-dye bodycon, a global hit
favoured by the likes of Rihanna, to
a handbag inspired by nunchucks
– offer an irony-laden reflection on
stereotypes as well as a fabulous
wardrobe for a generation that
already considers his designs cult
classics. “The core value of Asai
is inclusivity: looking at the ways
in which people’s similarities
are highlighted rather than the
differences,” he says. “Asai is
bigger than a consumed product
– it sparks conversation and is
a symbol of unity.”

CHARLOTTE WALES; WILLIAM SCARBOROUGH

Bandage minidress, £395.

Leather and feather sandals,
to order. Both Asai

162
 Velvet dress, £3,010,
Richard Malone

RICHARD MALONE
Irish designer Richard Malone
has built his brand through
experiments in sculptural
pattern-cutting and sustainable
production, and in doing so, he
has found a coterie of private
clients as besotted by such
methods as he is. “I’ve worked
with real customers to develop
codes, signatures and fits based
on real feedback,” he says –
which explains why his avant-
garde showpieces tend to be
machine washable and to
incorporate practical pockets
and fastenings. “I’ve never
tried to imagine a customer
CHARLOTTE WALES; RICHARD MALONE

or pinpoint a demographic;
I haven’t chased a wholesale
model or excessive expansion,”
he continues. “I’ve worked
closely with real women and
men to make clothing for them.”
His is a radical reworking of the
fast-paced, mass-market fashion
cycle – and it offers a blueprint
for doing things differently. >
 Launching in 2018 “with the sole
purpose of creating something new
out of material that already existed”,
Anna Foster has made a name for
her brand, ELV Denim, by turning
salvaged denim – one of fashion’s
ELV DENIM

most polluting fabrics – into a sleek,

chic range of zero-waste pieces
designed and produced in east
London. “I believe in recreating
what has become undesirable as
something beautiful,” the designer
explains, “rather than accepting the
notion that an upcycled garment
has to have a ‘craft’ look.”

Jacket, £275. Flared

jeans, £285. Both
ELV Denim. T-shirt,
from £185, Gerbase

164
 CHOPOVA LOWENA
Ever since Emma Chopova and Laura
Lowena collaborated on their final project
for their Central Saint Martins degree
show – which united signifiers of
sportswear (think rock-climbing carabiners
and equestrian chains rather than tracksuits)
with Chopova’s folkloric heritage (using
fabrics sourced through Bulgarian eBay) –
their brand has developed a devoted
Silk shirt, £405. following besotted by their weirdly
Wool miniskirt, wonderful juxtapositions and punk-inflected
£1,040. Leggings eccentricity. Rigorously sustainable, their
£108. Checked
socks, £54. All practice has deadstock textiles at its very
Chopova Lowena. heart. “We aim to give new life to vintage
Embellished leather traditional textiles but also a new context,”
shoes, £495, Jimmy
Choo. Tulle, worn in the duo explain. “To make craft modern,
hair, stylist’s own and to showcase its beauty.” >
OLUBIYI THOMAS

With zero-waste production at

the heart of his design process,
Olubiyi Thomas transforms
antique and deadstock
materials from across Britain,
India, Japan and West Africa
into contemporary pieces that
pay homage to the codes of
historical dress. “Reimagining
the links between traditional
British men’s tailoring and
African cultural history,”
Thomas explains, his artisanal
aesthetic is determined to
“deconstruct and reform ideas
of what it means to be wholly
contemporary men or women.”
Deeply considered design with
an elegant ease: Olubiyi Thomas
is certainly one to watch.

Jacquard jacket,
£1,188. Reversible
halterneck top, £375.
Crinkled-cotton
trousers, £567.
All Olubiyi Thomas.
Velvet hat, to order,
Philip Treacy.
Shoes, as before
“Kwaidan Editions envisions
a world where women can

KWAIDAN EDITIONS
experience true freedom from
conventional boundaries,
constructs, and expectations,”
explain Léa Dickley and Hung
La, respectively the creative
director and the CEO of the
brand. “The intention is to
provide the wearer with the
visual language to reflect their
own personal exploration of
what it means to be a woman
in today’s society.” Materially
manifesting through rigorously
disciplined silhouettes with a
fetishistic twist, that sentiment
has a polished, pristine allure
that is making waves in modern
fashion – and women’s
wardrobes – across the globe. n

Viscose shirt,
£740. Wool trousers,
£740. Both Kwaidan
Editions, at Ssense.com.
For stockists, all pages,
see Vogue Information.
Hair: Eugene
Souleiman. Make-up:
Lynsey Alexander.
Nails: Pebbles Aikens.
Movement director:
Anders Hayward.
Models: Xue Huizi,
Janet Jumbo, Misty Kyd

167
 “I fancy a bit of fun,”
says actor Emma
Thompson, as she
steps out in this
season’s couture.

This page: cady kaftan

embroidered with satin,
chiffon and silk threads.
Tulle corset dress
embroidered with
organza and velvet
flowers. Embellished
gloves. All to order,
Dolce & Gabbana Alta
Moda. Jewelled satin
mules, £995, Manolo
Blahnik. Amethyst,
spessartine, pink-
sapphire, tsavorite and
tourmaline choker,
Chopard. Velvet turban,
£2,550, Philip Treacy.

If there’s a better way

to set off an Armani
gown than a party hat,
we’d like to hear it.

Opposite: crinoline
dress, to order, Armani
Privé. Embellished
suede shoes, £775,
Manolo Blahnik.
Yellow- and white-
diamond earrings,
David Morris.
Headpiece, made
by hairstylist

168
ONE OF
 When the world
is about to
see her play
sartorial
sensation
Baroness von
Hellman in Disney’s
Cruella, who
better to
bring
theatrical
appeal to the
season’s high
fashion than the
inimitable
Emma
Thompson?
Interview by
Giles Hattersley.
Photographs by
Juergen Teller.
Styling by
Poppy Kain

A KIND
A shimmering
silver suit gets the
couture treatment:
hand-embroidered
with pearls and metallic
shards for extra sparkle.

Hand-embroidered
suit, Azzaro Ateliers.
Satin and crystal
shoes, £888,
Mach & Mach, at
Luisaviaroma.com.
Crinoline and sinamay
hat, £2,625, Edwina
Ibbotson Millinery.
Gold tulip ring set
with gemstones.
Double flower ring set
with gemstones. Gold,
opal, pearl, sapphire
and tsavorite Galaxy
ring. All Bibi van der
Velden. Gold and
tourmaline ring.
Gold and diamond
ring. Gold, opal and
diamond ring. All
Grima. Diamond,
ruby and pink-
sapphire flower ring,
£1,420, Anabela Chan
 EMMA STONE CHECKLISTS THE THOMPSON
ALLURE: “UNAPOLOGETICALLY HERSELF,
AUTONOMOUS, FREE, UNBELIEVABLY
INTELLIGENT AND DAMN FUNNY”

S
ometimes, Emma Thompson will enter a room and burst ignored me. They just thought I was a drag act on my way home after
into tears. “This year and last year, the times I’ve really the last performance.” She pauses wistfully. “I love London.”
cried is when I’ve walked into a space my daughter used Just as well. In honour of her upcoming turn as the capital’s most-
to be in and she isn’t there anymore.” The scene, featuring feared fashion maven, the weekend before we speak, Vogue had taken
one of cinema’s top blubberers, is easy to picture – Thompson to Trafalgar Square with suitcases of spring haute couture
afternoon light, a little dust in the air, untouched bed, and pieces from the s/s 2021 collections for our shoot. She won’t mind
“and tears like a river,” says Thompson, who on top of me mentioning that she wasn’t keen on having a sleek, po-faced style
seeing her grown-up daughter, Gaia, move out last summer, turned 60 moment. “I am uncomfortable trying to look slim and fashionable
a couple of years ago and has been feeling a bit “limbo-ish” ever since. because I am not, and now it’s allowed that I am not,” she wrote in a
“I have gone,” she says, that famous voice as smart and self-pillorying pre-shoot email, the merry-but-firm tone typical of her correspondence.
as ever, “a tad on the existential ticket.” She didn’t want to pose; she wanted to perform. “I fancy a bit of fun.”
It is an early afternoon in late winter, and London is going about So fun is what she got, striding the pavements of WC2 in the season’s
its business in what feels like a bowl of cold potato soup. Thompson most eye-catching creations “welded to my post-menopausal body and
is in her office at home, three miles away from me, yet in the shared looking like a Christmas pony,” she says happily. She leans back in her
gloom a strange intimacy builds through our screens. Perhaps it is the chair, considering how many of her past insecurities have recently
low-level insanity of these dog days of lockdown? Or, more likely, the evaporated. Turning 60 was “a watershed,” she says. “I think what
ever-present personal charisma of ET (as she signs off her clever, I feel principally now is free.”
rambling emails). As interview subjects go, the 62-year-old double- “I’m not really scared anymore,” she continues. “Well, I get scared.”
Oscar-winning Dame does not disappoint. Though mostly it’s the small stuff. Not, for example, death. “I feel like
Certainly, it’s hard to get enough of her signature vanity rejection. I could die at any time,” she says breezily. “Then Covid turned up. I’ve
“Hang on,” she booms, “I absolutely have to cover the bit of the screen had pneumonia, so I thought I’d better be careful, but no one’s through
that shows me.” Cue the sound of masking tape being ripped as she the woods yet. Anyone could die of this thing.”
affixes a strip to her laptop. “There we go. Otherwise, I can’t bear it,” “I feel interestingly impermanent,” she continues, so delighted with
she says of the modern ordeal of staring at one’s own pixels, throwing the little phrase that a smile dances upon her lips. “Which is odd given
in a comedy “blurk!” for good measure. How’s it been going at home? I’ve been a permanent fixture here for decades.” She is talking about
Thompson lives in West Hampstead, on the same street where she her corner of north-west London suburbia, but could just as well mean
has lived since she was seven, now with her actor husband, Greg Wise, her place in the cultural consciousness. Thompson’s is a fame forged
and across the road from her actor mother, Phyllida Law. “Well, I tried pre-internet, the sort that has crept into the marrow of the nation,
to do Dry January, which was a total disaaaaster,” she drawls. “It got lodging her in minds less as a working actress than as a favourite aunt.
wet so quickly, I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror.” When did The daughter of Eric Thompson and Law, beloved actors themselves,
you crack? The 10th? “The fifth.” she exploded out of Cambridge University in the early 1980s, a rare
Say what you like about Thompson – and people say plenty, especially woman in the Footlights, and into a showbiz career that saw her take
the British tabloids, who for 35 years have flip-flopped between thinking the West End (15 months in 1985’s Me and My Girl) and blaze across
her delightful or delusional – but she will always be a delicious ham. TV screens (1987’s Fortunes of War, an eponymous sketch show,
She’ll be in full force this summer. At the end of the month, Disney Thompson, in 1988), before bouncing to Hollywood, Howards End (1992),
is serving up its latest live-action confection, Cruella, a punky, zesty The Remains of the Day (1993) and onwards into Love Actually (2003)
origin tale about what sent the young villainess dotty for Dalmatians. and the Harry Potter franchise. A case worth of awards followed – her
Thompson plays Baroness von Hellman, the chic, mean overlord of 1996 Oscar for Sense and Sensibility makes her the only actor to win
London’s 1970s fashion scene, who mentors Emma Stone’s young De for both screenwriting and performing – and, in 2018, a damehood,
Vil with life advice such as, “You can’t care about anyone else, everyone picked up at Buckingham Palace, in Adidas by Stella McCartney trainers.
else is an obstacle,” while wearing a selection of towering wigs. Naturally, all this was on top of the normal wear and tear of life –
“The wigs,” sighs Thompson, seated at her desk, mane streaked with divorce, depression, IVF – and some unusual pressures, too. The paparazzi
silver, in a comfy blazer and cream dungarees. The dungarees are another tailspin during the Kenneth Branagh years was pretty intense, not least
ET hallmark. Stone, who had a hoot with her on Cruella, checklists when she married him at Cliveden in a knee-length, fuchsia-ikat wedding
the Thompson allure for me: “Unapologetically herself, autonomous, dress. Her activism also wound people up – still does – though an
free, unbelievably intelligent and damn funny. And on a more surface excoriating interview on Newsnight in 2017, when the extent of Harvey
level, she’s my inspiration to wear overalls much more often.” Weinstein’s sex crimes had been made plain, briefly took her to saint
“Love her,” says Thompson, for whom mutual thesp appreciation is a status. “This has been part of our world… since time immemorial,” she
moral imperative. She tells a story from her months filming Cruella in told Emily Maitlis, with captivating, clear-headed rage. “What we need
London, where, having been “heaved” into an elaborate creation by costume to start talking about is… the crisis of extreme masculinity.”
designer Jenny Beavan and done up to the nines at the film’s base in a But, boy, does the press not let her have a moment for long. She has
South Bank car park, she had to get to a location across the river. “There campaigned to bring attention to the climate crisis for decades, and in
was a demonstration and we got stuck,” she says. “The worst thing you 2019 spoke at an Extinction Rebellion rally in London, having come
can do on a film set is be late, so I said, ‘We’ll get out and go by Tube. straight from working in America, hosting Saturday Night Live, which
It’s fine. It’s Sunday morning, it’s 9am.’” She quivers. “It was rammed. had booked her flight back. Although she hadn’t flown first class for
I was on the Tube in a dressing gown, Ugg slippers, a wig 3ft high, seven years – “Are you f**king kidding me?” she sighs – there she found
eyelashes out to here. And do you know what? Everyone completely herself. The press went wild. “They said I’d flown in for the > 180

171
 Pierpaolo Piccioli’s
palette applied to
luminous volumes –
colour therapy
at its best.

Faille trench coat,

fluorescent skirt and
platform shoes, to
order, Valentino Haute
Couture. Rubellite,
tourmaline, agate,
tanzanite, amethyst,
spessartine and
tsavorite necklace,
Chopard. Opal,
diamond, sapphire,
onyx and turquoise
ring, Van Cleef &
Arpels. Cocktail rings,
on left middle finger
and ring finger,
Anabela Chan.
Multi-gemstone ring,
on base of left ring
finger, Dior Joaillerie
A firm reminder
that black will never
go out of fashion:
Chanel’s ruffled tiers
and Edwina Ibbotson’s
blooming rosettes.

Rollneck sweater, to
order, Azzaro Ateliers.
Embellished organza
and silk-tulle skirt,
to order, Chanel Haute
Couture. Tights, £23,
Falke. Shoes, as before.
Silk and pinokpok-
straw hat, £5,875,
Edwina Ibbotson
Millinery. Rubellite,
diamond, onyx and
tourmaline earrings.
Gold, tourmaline
and yellow-sapphire
necklace. Both
Chaumet. Gold
and onyx necklace,
Van Cleef & Arpels.
Gold, pearl and
diamond ring, Grima
Dior’s exploration of
Renaissance aesthetics
and tarot mysticism
manifests in hand-
painted, gilded robes
destined for glory.

Embroidered coat.
Hand-painted lamé
and devoré-velvet
dress. Both to order,
Dior Haute Couture.
Beret with gold-leaf
feathers, to order,
Victoria Grant. Ruby
and lapis earrings.
Yellow- and white-gold,
ruby and diamond
cuff. Both Buccellati.
Ruby and diamond
necklace, Bulgari.
Emerald and diamond
necklace, David Morris.
On right hand: gold,
tourmaline and
diamond rings. Gold
and chrysoprase ring.
All Grima. On left
hand: multi-gemstone
cocktail ring, Anabela
Chan. Scarab fly
ring, £7,851, Bibi
van der Velden
 Disney prints and
plastic shrouds
designed to “disrupt the
spirit of couture” – in
the PPE age, Rei
Kawakubo’s vision
appears profound.

Mickey Mouse-print
coat and oversized
skirt, to order, Comme
, at
Dover Street Market.
Pearl, pink-sapphire,
amethyst and tsavorite
earrings, £11,935,
Bibi van der Velden
 Crafted from a vintage
patchwork, Viktor &
Rolf’s cape elevates
upcycling to exquisitely
realised terrain.

Cape and
asymmetrical
ballgown skirt, to
order, Viktor & Rolf
Haute Couture.
Rollneck sweater, to
order, Azzaro Ateliers.
Silk-faille hat, £1,260,
Stephen Jones
Millinery. Orange-
sapphire, turquoise,
amethyst and diamond
earrings, £2,890,
Anabela Chan

176
Giambattista Valli’s
layers of bus-red tulle
deserve to be put on
a pedestal.

Pleated ballgown with

organza embroidery,
to order, Giambattista
Valli Haute Couture.
Pink-sapphire,
pink-tourmaline and
diamond earrings,
£2,990, Anabela Chan.
Amethyst, rubellite,
sapphire and lazulite
cuff, Chopard.
Rings, as before
“You don’t need a
special occasion to
wear something
extra,” said Charles
de Vilmorin of
his hand-painted
psychedelia.
Point proven.

Top with padded

shoulders and cage
skirt, to order,
Charles de Vilmorin.
Black oversized skirt,
.
Velvet turban, £2,790,
Philip Treacy. Pearl
and diamond earrings,
Van Cleef & Arpels.
Yellow- and white-
diamond necklace,
David Morris.
Shoes as before
 Noir Kei Ninomiya’s
beribboned nylon
gown presents a
multifaceted femininity.

Pink dress with bows

worn over a black
oversized long dress,
to order, Noir Kei
Ninomiya. Pop art ring
set with multicoloured
sapphires, £7,907, Bibi
van der Velden. Ruby,
diamond and pink-
sapphire ring, £1,420.
Green tourmaline and
multi-gemstone ring,
£1,190. Amethyst and
multi-gemstone ring,
£1,290. All Anabela
Chan. Gold, opal and
diamond ring, Grima.
Floral headdress,
made by hairstylist
 “WE TELL OURSELVES SO MANY LIES ABOUT
MOTHERHOOD… ABOUT SEX… ABOUT
DEATH,” SHE SAYS, AND SHE DOESN’T WANT
TO LIE ANYMORE

demo, which was bollocks. I’d come home from work, was all. I’m used unseen or forced into hiding – for self-protection – must be fought for
to tabloid treatment but I really don’t like it when they lie,” she says. and upheld just like any other.
(She now has it in her contract that she is never to be booked first class.) “My passion for women’s rights has driven me all my life,” the message
“I fully expected the shitstorm,” she says. “If you’re transgressive in continues, “and so, of course, I am bewildered when women of my age
any way, and you’ve also been lauded or feted, you will get shit. My are insulted and threatened and fired because they haven’t said the
transgression was commensurably greater because of my age and station, right thing. I fear that kind of event. So both feelings are true – trans
and I needed to be punished. That’s how it is in this country. There’ll rights are as incontrovertibly necessary and desirable as women’s rights.
be a wave of shite, and then it sort of dies away, then there’s another.” The space in which we discuss and put these rights into process must
She doesn’t believe a stiff upper lip is healthy, so it’s sad to see hers be made safe for everyone. I guess that’s the bottom line, or at least
hardened by cold experience. “You think to yourself this will be a six one of them. Onwards.”
monther or a yearer,” she says. “Your resentment takes longer to process The wakeful nights when you’re both a mother and a daughter in
and get rid of. And your rage. You have all the normal human reactions.” late middle age are certainly relatable. For all her acting and activism,
It would be tempting to never answer a question again, yet remoteness Thompson’s great emotional focus has always been her family, and she
has never suited her. Thompson adores a chat. How did your marriage is prone to taking long periods away from performing. (There was yet
fair in lockdown? She chuckles warmly. “My mum said to me once, more media fuss when she took her daughter out of school to travel
‘The first 20 years are the hardest.’ I know that sounds funny, but Greg the world for a few months in her mid-teens: “Ridiculous!” she honks.)
and I have been together for 26 years now and I would say the last six In March last year, having finished Cruella, she was in Venice with
years have definitely been the best. I feel very, very fortunate. But, again, Greg, fulfilling a long-held wish to learn Italian, when the pandemic
there’ve been shitstorms,” she says, with an old-fashioned look, “so you broke. The family bolted to their Scottish hideaway.
get through them and do the work.” She smiles, “Annoyingly, it mostly “It was eight months with three generations of my family, with my
turns out to be work you have to do on yourself.” mum and looking after her, and my daughter, who was looking after
We talk a little about politics. Being half-Scottish – she has a house us, really. I suppose I properly slowed down. My mum is 88 now and
in Argyll, on the banks of Loch Eck, where she decamps for long she’s got Parkinson’s, so there’s quite a lot of care. You know, once a
summers – what’s her take on independence? “Inevitable,” she says week managing to get her into the shower, which was a challenge.
evenly, at least eventually, later adding that she doesn’t think either To which she rose very brilliantly, actually,” she adds, smiling at the
result would be a disaster. In 2019, she was one of scores of women – importance of small victories. Thompson made periodic trips south
including politicians, lawyers and academics – to sign an open letter to for her charity work – including to Manchester to film with “wonderful”
The Herald in support of trans rights. Since then, in the wake of author Marcus Rashford. But mostly, “I didn’t think about anything except
JK Rowling’s comments on transgender issues, which offended some walking up the hill and seeing what the heather was doing.”
people, it has become routine for celebrities connected to the Pottersphere In short, it was the pandemic reset some got, and many more yearned
to have their opinion on trans rights sought. Is it something that she for. It left her with a renewed desire to do film work that matters.
(Thompson played Professor Trelawney in three of the Harry Potter “We tell ourselves so many lies about motherhood… about sex… about
films) has discussed with Rowling? death,” she says, and she doesn’t want to lie anymore. Of her upcoming
She is quiet for a moment. “I have lots of thoughts on it, which I projects, which include playing Miss Trunchbull in the movie-musical
talked to lots of people about, which I’m not going to bring up in this,” adaptation of Matilda, she sounds most excited by Good Luck to You,
she says, carefully. “The forum and fora in which it’s been discussed Leo Grande, in which she will play a widowed teacher who, after a
have been filled with such horrifying violence, on both sides.” She tells stable but stale marriage, books a twentysomething sex worker (played
me the rare place she finds “succour” is with her 21-year-old daughter, by Irish actor Daryl McCormack) for a night. “It’s one of those ones
Gaia. “She’s streaks ahead of me and I have very interesting conversations where I read the script and thought, ‘I really want to see this movie.’”
with her friends who are gay or who are trans or who aren’t sure, and Slowly the gloomy day has begun to brighten, so she hoicks me from
there I find great nourishment and love.” her desk and takes me on a little office tour. Bookshelves filled with
Initially, I was going to leave all this out of the interview – it felt easy fiction; photos with family, including her informally adopted
wrong to chuck a fearful Thompson unwillingly into the toxic Twitter grown-up son, Tindy Agaba, and trips with ActionAid or to Downing
waters (she doesn’t do social media), and how necessary were the Street; a knitted Nanny McPhee that a fan made sits on her mantelpiece.
thoughts of another cis celebrity anyway? But it says something about It is cosy. Safe. But life can always blindside you, even when you think
her character that a worry persists that she hasn’t said enough; that a you know what’s coming. She recalls the day Gaia moved out, last
matter of societal importance has been raised and a show of empathy, summer. “I came down to London with her to move her into her flat,
and a point of view, have not been forthcoming. which is very close and it was very exciting,” she says. Then she looks
A couple of days later, an email pings in: “I have too much in my properly sad for a second. “She’s grown up. She’s left. You don’t expect
head at the moment to sleep very well and have been pondering the it. But grief of any kind is like that, isn’t it? It just leaps upon you.”
nature of human rights and my relationship with same,” she writes in Thompson believes life works in 30-year cycles, and she is intrigued
her fast, fluid style. “I like using the word tools now – for what we call by what her final one will bring (“if I’m lucky enough to see some of
rights I think are merely the tools that we need to conduct ourselves it”). Mostly she is thankful to feel less scared. “I don’t mind about any
through life in a healthy and humane fashion. So trans rights, which feeling now,” she says. “Feelings are what pass through us, you know.
to some have come out of the blue and seem staggeringly strange – but It’s our internal weather. It will always be there and it will always pass.”
which of course have always been needed because like female intelligence She smiles, her eyes squinting wisely. “That’s the nature of it.” n
and homosexuality, transsexuality has always been there but hidden or Cruella will be released on 28 May

180
 While exploring
American archetypes,
Sterling Ruby’s
hand-crafted tailoring is
imbued with artful
eccentricity.

Jacket, from £2,630.

Trousers, from £950.
Both SR Studio LA
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

CA, at Ssense.com.
Leather loafers, from
£440, Pierre Hardy.
Rubellite, pink-
tourmaline, ruby
and diamond
necklace, Bulgari.
Earrings and
rollneck, as before.
Prices on request
unless otherwise stated.
For stockists, all pages,
see Vogue Information.
Creative partner to
Juergen Teller: Dovile
Drizyte. Hair: Syd
Hayes. Make-up:
Miranda Joyce.
Nails: Adam Slee.
Production: MAI
Productions. Digital
artwork: Catalin Plesa
at Quickfix Retouch.
With thanks to The
National Gallery Café,
WC2, and Tom Ortiz
GOLDEN
DAYS
How best to enhance the
glow-giving power of summer?
From sunrise to sunset,
shimmering powders and
the subtle sheen of
nourishing crèmes will bring
the extra magic.
Photographs by Lachlan Bailey.
Styling by Clare Richardson
Prepare to greet the day
with soft sweeps of Estée
Lauder Pure Color Envy
Sculpting EyeShadow
5-Color Palette in Fiery
Saffron, £43.

Swimsuit, £435,
La Perla

183
Shine on: apply
a shimmering body
lotion from head to
toe to make skin glow.

Swimsuit, £360, Fendi

 Go for gold:
amplify and enhance
hair’s natural texture
with the argan-rich
Pantene Pro-V Gold
Series Hydrating Butter
Crème, £8.

Swimsuit, from
£180, Anemos

185
 SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

Lend skin a jewel-

like luminosity with
the peridot-infused
Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv
Ultra Radiance Liquid
Makeup SPF 20, £80.

Swimsuit, £720, Chanel

From dawn till dusk:
protect skin from
the sun’s rays whatever
the time of day with
a good SPF.

Bikini top, £260.

Bikini bottoms,
£115. Both Hermès.
For stockists, all
pages, see Vogue
Information.
Hair: Shay Ashual.
Make-up: Mark
Carrasquillo.
Nails: Alex Jachno.
Production: Iris.
Digital artwork:
Wildhack Pictures.
Model: Anok Yai.
With thanks to
Chateau Marmont,
Los Angeles

187
 Midriff flossing gets
a polished upgrade,
courtesy of Alaïa’s
lashings of leather.

This page: bra top,

£1,820, Alaïa. Belted
wool trousers, £1,350,
Ralph Lauren Collection.
Leather slingbacks,
£575, Manolo Blahnik.
Hoop earrings, £200,
Shape of Sound.
Personalised signet
ring, from £495, Laura
Lee Jewellery.

The beret is back – but

with punk-spirited badges,
it takes a turn away from
Left Bank bohemia.

Opposite: woven leather

waistcoat, £1,700,
Emporio Armani. Beret,
£55, Lock Hatters.
Badges, on hat, stylist’s
own. Personalised
necklace, from £495,
Laura Lee Jewellery

As we ease back out into the world

at last, Lila Moss celebrates her
Vogue debut with a tour of London,
all youthful urbanity and cool confidence
in the city she loves.
Photographs by Angelo Pennetta.
Styling by Julia Sarr-Jamois
188
LANDMARK
MOMENT
 Louis Vuitton’s little black dress presents the epitome of summer chic.

Leather and mesh dress, £4,200, Louis Vuitton. Sunglasses, £175, Isabel Marant. Silver anklet, worn as bracelet,
£173, Tom Wood. Gold-plated anklet, worn as bracelet, £50, Feather & Chain. Ring, as before
Slouchy tailoring
offers inbuilt insouciance.
Celine’s is as cool
as it comes.

Wool/cotton jacket.
£1,850. Asymmetric
silk top, £2,950. Wool/
cotton trousers, £690.
Leather bag, £1,950. All
Celine by Hedi Slimane.
Studded leather mules,
£595, Jimmy Choo
 Only Prada could make
a clutched cape feel
practically a necessity.

Gaberdine cape,
£1,760. Gaberdine
top, £810. Gaberdine
trousers, £920.
Leather bag, £1,540.
All Prada. Leather
shoes, £548, The Attico

192
Nobody does leather
like Hermès. Such finesse
clearly extends to butter-
soft bandeaux.

Leather jacket, £5,600.

Leather bandeau top,
£870. Stretch-cotton
trousers, £1,100. All
Herm•s. Slingbacks
and ring, as before
 The perfect oversized
shirt is a wardrobe staple.
The Row always has
the answer.

Cotton/cashmere
shirt, £1,260, The Row.
Cotton trousers, £335,
Paul Smith. Slingbacks,
as before

194
It’s been a while since we had an excuse for feathered fringing. We suggest wearing it as often as possible.

Velvet dress with feather trim, £3,505, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
 How to elevate the 1990s
resurgence? With a touch
of graphic logomania.
Thank you, Chanel.

Silk-jersey top, £1,315.

Cotton-jersey skirt,
£2,160. Both Chanel.
Personalised necklace,
£73, Adina’s Jewels.
Earrings, as before

196
Saint Laurent’s steel-
tipped stilettos are the
shoes you never knew
you needed.

Coat, £1,184. Skort,

£950. Both Ermanno
Scervino. Cotton-
knit tank top, £225.
Cotton shirt, £325.
Both Margaret Howell.
Socks, £19, Pantherella.
Leather slingbacks,
£660, Saint Laurent by
Anthony Vaccarello.
Leather clutch, £1,520,
Michael Kors Collection.
Organdie headscarf,
£58, Edwina Ibbotson
Millinery. Ring, as before
Achieve salon-smooth hair and an ultra-glossy finish with the BaByliss Platinum Diamond 235 Straightener, £100.

Leather jacket, £890, Drome. Poloneck body, £166, Wolford. Leather skirt, from a selection, Tod’s.
Beret, £55, Lock Hatters. Slingbacks, as before
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

Michael Kors serves up

an outfit worth flashing.

Linen coat, £1,505.

Linen bandeau top,
£235. Linen shorts,
£395. All Michael Kors
Collection. Belt, from
a selection, Emilia
Wickstead. Silver signet
ring, £277, Tom Wood.
Mules, as before.
For stockists, all pages,
see Vogue Information.
Hair: Syd Hayes.
Make-up: Petros
Petrohilos. Nails:
Ama Quashie.
Production: Farago
Projects. Digital
artwork: Output
Jacket, £349. Belted
dress, £319. Both Boss.
Tights, £32, Wolford.
Mules, £490, Gianvito Rossi.
Jewellery, Karen’s own.
Hair: Janice Kinigopoulos.
Make-up: Alexis Arenas.
Production: Barrie Creative.
Digital artwork:
Taylor Strohmeyer

“In Washington,
what’s in the air
is power. And I really
like that”
 FORCES for CHANGE

DIPLOMATIC
COUP
In the traditionally male field of diplomacy,
women are taking their place at the top,
representing Britain abroad with a distinctly modern
mix of tact and tactics. By Olivia Marks.
Photograph by Greg Kahn. Styling by Patrick Mackie

I
t was a summer’s afternoon in New York, leather jacket,” she bristles. “I don’t own a
and Karen Pierce, then Permanent leather jacket.”
Representative of the United Kingdom Pierce doesn’t consider talk of clothes
to the United Nations, was hosting a party reductive – she famously wore stilettos during
to mark the Queen’s official birthday. her posting to Afghanistan as “sometimes it
In the garden of the UN headquarters could be really unpleasant and frightening,” but,
in Manhattan’s Midtown East, a trestle table she says, straightforwardly, “it’s a way of holding
heaved under 500 cupcakes arranged in the on to who you are”. Perhaps the bigger question
shape of the Union Jack, while military attachés is: why don’t we expect our diplomats to look
mingled with senior officials over drinks and like Pierce? After all, in the past three years
music. “But the standout,” recalls Pierce she has occupied the two most prestigious jobs
proudly, “was the Brazilian drag queen.” in British diplomacy, punching through the
That year, you see, Her Majesty’s birthday so-called glass ceiling not once, but twice: as
celebration coincided with the city hosting the first woman in her role at the UN, and then
WorldPride, and the spicier than usual event again when she was named British Ambassador
was made “even more delicious” when a to the United States in February 2020.
downpour forced partygoers – and performers Today, she is one of the crucial players in
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

– inside to the Sputnik Lounge, a Russian- ensuring that the UK’s “deeply rooted,
sponsored part of the UN foyer. “And the profound” special relationship with America
Russians are not helpful, to put it mildly, on not only persists under Joe Biden, but thrives.
LGBTQ rights,” says Pierce with relish. “It “I do find myself every so often hankering
was one of those great occasions where there’s for a bit of New York glamour,” she says from
a mini crisis and everyone mucks in, but it also the smart Lutyens-designed ambassadorial
sent a really serious message about diversity.” residence in DC, a sunset-hued silk scarf lifting
It is an anecdote that typifies the flamboyant a black suit. “But in Washington, what’s in the
style that Pierce, at 61, has gained a reputation air is [and here she narrows her eyes, drops an
for over her 40-year career as a diplomat, both octave] power. And I really like that.”
at the negotiating table and in what she wears Pierce may have blazed one particular trail,
to it. The feather boa and leather jacket she but she is far from the only woman in the
donned to accuse Russia of turning a blind eye Foreign Office leading the charge for Britain
to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, just on the world stage – nor the only one who has
days after she confronted Russia’s UN envoy broken barriers. Women now make up more
over the Novichok attack in Salisbury, have than 30 per cent of all heads of missions around
become renowned – as has the way she the globe, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe,
KAREN PIERCE referenced Sherlock Holmes to make her point and this year, for the first time, all of the UK’s
British Ambassador in their barbed back-and-forth. But she wants ambassadors to the P5, the permanent members
to the United States to clear up one thing: it was a blazer, “Not a of the UN’s security council (America, >

201
 CAROLINE WILSON the EU, she insists, “The UK is now coming
British Ambassador out of what was quite an introspective period
to China during Brexit into a period where people are
feeling our global presence and our global
“I have to say that it was
leadership again.”
a shock for some members
of the community.” How so? She points to the prestige events that Britain
“Well they called me ‘sir’, is hosting this year as proof: next month the
for a start” G7 summit will take place in Cornwall, with
an emphasis on building a more prosperous,
greener future after the pandemic; that will
be followed in November by the climate
change conference COP26 in Glasgow, which
is expected to be the largest ever gathering in
Britain of foreign heads of state. John Kerry,
the US climate envoy, has solemnly described
it as the world’s “last best chance” to avoid
climate catastrophe.
All the ambassadors are in agreement that the
priority is bringing the world together to save
the planet. “Every single country has to step
up,” says Bronnert from her fabulously ornate
working residence on the bank of the Moskva
River, opposite the Kremlin Palace. “Russia is
Russia, China and France, on top of the UK) during Mugabe’s reign, while Caroline Wilson, the fourth largest global emitter, it’s also got
are women. In a game of diplomatic musical 50, was the first woman to be British Consul 20 per cent of the world’s forests, so it has a
chairs, Pierce vacated her seat at the UN for General in Hong Kong. “And I have to say,” big contribution to make.” The question is, can
Barbara Woodward, who in turn was superseded recalls Wilson from her office in Beijing, “that Russia – can we all – be relied upon to step up?
in China by Caroline Wilson last September. that was a shock for some members of the When Biden re-entered the Paris Agreement
Deborah Bronnert has been in her role as community.” How so? “Well they called me hours after being sworn in as president, the
Ambassador to Russia since January 2020. By ‘sir’, for a start,” she says, laughing. “So it took world breathed a collective sigh of relief. Not
the time Menna Rawlings takes up her post in them a while to get used to me. But in the only was it a sign that the US was once again
Paris this summer, breaking the exclusively end, it turned out to be a great thing. Sometimes committed to tackling the climate emergency,
male run of ambassadors, she says, “18 of 26 as a woman you have a higher profile, which but it symbolised America’s return to a foreign
top diplomatic posts will be filled by women. is problematic if you’re not doing a great job, policy defined by liberal internationalism. Is
And that,” Rawlings tells me, “is extraordinary.” but great if you are.” the mood lighter with Trump’s departure?
It is. Particularly when you consider that until “I would say it is,” nods Pierce, who
1973, the “marriage bar” meant women in the AS SENIOR diplomats in 2021, these women described the storming of the Capitol in
Foreign Office were forced to resign from have their work cut out. Their to-do list January as “shocking and distressing”. She
their emissary roles once they wed. Until then, includes shaping the UK’s international continues, “To be honest, America has been
the choice between having a personal life and reputation, building allegiances, and making subdued for several years. This is not
a professional one was stark: you had either a its stance clear on global issues from human particularly about President Trump,” she
career or a family, but you couldn’t have both. rights and the climate crisis to the rise of clarifies. “I just think it has been. To hear what
Well into the 1980s, a woman in the Foreign China, the Russian threat, cyber security and President Biden says about American
Office could find the state of her marriage – and coronavirus. Added to this, of course, is the
her spouse’s attitude – commented on in her fact that Britain is at an extraordinary crossroads DEBORAH BRONNERT
formal annual appraisal. in its own story. Post-Brexit, as we seek new British Ambassador to Russia
The generation since has been dismantling trade deals and new friendships, and to reassert “We have very profound differences, on human
this legacy. Menna Rawlings (a “diplomum” our influence, the fear in some corners has been rights, on the way we see the world, on our values”
as she refers to herself on Instagram) has that the UK’s prominence will be undermined.
brought up three children between Accra, Tel It is up to these women to ensure that it is not.
Aviv, Washington and Canberra. Now 53, From her office at the British Consulate
she joined the Foreign Office in 1989, aged General in Manhattan, Barbara Woodward
21, brimming with wanderlust after a seems distinctly untroubled by any idea that
childhood of holidays in Wales; Barbara the UK’s position may have been weakened.
Woodward, 59, had already settled on a career Having ascended to her current position via
in diplomacy by the time she sat her A-levels. China and Russia – one of the proudest
Most ambassadors are career diplomats like moments of her career was securing the
these women, working their way up the ranks peaceful release of British hostages from “pretty
of the Foreign Office, and hopefully, eventually, lawless” Chechnya in 1998 – this is the first
being appointed to the top jobs by the foreign time she has ever worked in an office where
secretary and the prime minister (the Queen the level of security actually allows windows:
must also approve all appointments). the views of Roosevelt Island and the East
All have broken the mould. Deborah River are, she says, smiling, “spectacular”. While
Bronnert, 54, was the first female envoy to there has been some gentle “ribbing” from her
Zimbabwe, where she represented the UK new UN colleagues about our departure from

202
 FORCES for CHANGE
leadership, about human rights, the support “Lecturing from the Brits is not necessarily
for allies and for Nato, about coming back the best way to achieve your outcomes,” admits
into the Iran deal, and the plan to build back Rawlings. “An important thing to remember,
better after Covid – I find it energising.” as a Brit, and as a British diplomat, is that
Having worked in Washington under both we have a lot of baggage in quite a lot of
Trump and Biden, how would she categorise the places.” In Rawlings’s previous role, as High
main differences between their administrations? Commissioner to Australia, she personally
“America is America,” she says, smiling, ever officiated many same-sex marriages in the
the diplomat. “So one should always bear that British Embassy, in the period when it was
in mind. It would be wholly wrong to think it’s legal in the UK but still unlawful in Australia.
going to be a lot easier just because President It was a fine line to tread: “It was their decision
Biden is in office. America is very, very good to change the law,” says Rawlings. “We were
at looking after her national interests and never telling them what to do.”
defining what those interests are.” She does at Rawlings knows that, when she begins her
least concede with brilliant understatement that role in France, there will be some “fences that
“this administration is more predictable in the need to be mended. But I think what we’re
way it goes about its business”. finding is that there is a willingness on their
This isn’t a description that you would readily side as well to focus on a fresh chapter in the MENNA RAWLINGS
use for Vladimir Putin’s government. “Look, relationship. We have had bumpy times in Newly appointed British Ambassador to France
we’ve got a really difficult relationship with recent months and years, but essentially, when
“An important thing to remember is that we
Russia now,” Bronnert says frankly. “We have the chips are down, we really lean into each have a lot of baggage in quite a lot of places”
very profound differences, on human rights, other. Our values are incredibly closely aligned,
on the way we see the world, on our values. and that leads us to work together on all sorts rapidly, and the environment for foreign
But it’s really important that we’re not here to of issues, be that the situation in places like journalists, in particular for British journalists,
has been so repressive, that in the end I came
to the conclusion that I had to speak out.
It’s all very well to talk about values, but you
have to espouse your own.” Indeed, since we
spoke, Dominic Raab has confirmed that four
Chinese officials will be sanctioned by the UK
over the “appalling violations” of human rights
against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, which
he has described as “one of the worst human
rights crises of our time”.
At the time of writing, Wilson remains in
her role. But when Kim Darroch, Pierce’s
predecessor in Washington, described President
BARBARA
Trump’s government as “dysfunctional” and
WOODWARD
“inept” in leaked private correspondence to
Permanent Representative colleagues, he was forced to resign. Certain
of the United Kingdom to commentators have posited that Boris
the United Nations
Johnson – once described as the “Britain
“The UK is now coming Trump” by Donald himself – should have
out of what was quite an condemned the former president’s actions in
introspective period during some areas more vociferously than he did.
Brexit… people are feeling Pierce doesn’t agree. “There will always be
our global presence and our
disagreements of policy between any American
global leadership again”
administration and any British one, doesn’t
JAVIER LIZON/POOL/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK; FCDO; GETTY IMAGES

interfere with other countries – it’s how you Myanmar or Hong Kong, or conversations matter who’s in power on either side of the
can engage and influence in a respectful way we have on a very deep and private level about Atlantic,” she says. “It’s the fact that those
that hopefully enriches everybody.” the rise of China. We’re almost always on the disagreements don’t disrupt the relationship,
That said, “There are limits,” she continues. same side.” that is the special part. And certainly Boris
“Things like the use of chemical weapons, Meanwhile in Beijing, a couple of days before Johnson, Dominic Raab, me – we have all
that’s not something that I’m talking about we speak, Caroline Wilson made headlines for pushed back on Trump policies where we
respecting. As a diplomat, I have to be really an article she had written in Mandarin about disagreed with them. Theresa May, for example,
conscious of the need to keep our country safe. the dire need for a free press – a cause China was very firm on his treatment of migrant
Standing up for that in a way that is clear and is, how shall we say, less than supportive of. children, and we took a very different view over
respectful is a really important part of the work The content was distinctly tame to British eyes, Black Lives Matter.”
here. And even if that can be a bit uncomfortable but it so infuriated the Chinese that Wilson It is no secret that Biden is not a fan of Brexit.
for those of us sitting in Moscow, I’m not going was summoned by the Foreign Ministry and Does Pierce think that will impact a trade deal
to apologise for that.” But Bronnert has past given a stern dressing down. Does she think between Britain and America? “No, I don’t
form on standing up to formidable male she overstepped the mark? “No, Olivia, I don’t,” think that’s a problem at all, to be honest.
leaders: her first meeting with Robert Mugabe she says with an exasperated chuckle. “It’s a Boris Johnson was the first European leader
ended up being a 90-minute confrontation topic which has become so important and President Biden called when he was elected.
about British involvement in Zimbabwe. where the situation has been deteriorating so They are both very affable politicians, > 210

203
 The beauty of diamonds?
They’re waterproof.

White-gold and
diamond ear clips,
Vhernier. White-gold,
rubellite, diamond
and onyx necklace,
Cartier. Bikini top,
£170, Stella McCartney

SWIMMING
Slick back your hair
and match your kiss-
curls to Ana Khouri’s
sweep of diamonds
around a gobstopper-
sized emerald.

Diamond and
emerald earrings,
Ana Khouri. Bikini
top, £86, Jade Swim

Actor Laura Harrier channels Elizabeth Taylor’s

poolside glamour, dripping in precious gems.
Follow suit, says Rachel Garrahan. Photographs by
Amanda Charchian. Styling by Dena Giannini

IN JEWELS
 This Cartier bib of
coral, mother-of-pearl
and diamonds was
inspired by the
glistening scales of a
crocodile as it rises
from the water.

Rose-gold, mother-
of-pearl, coral and
diamond earrings
and necklace, Cartier.
Citrine, ruby and
diamond ring, Hanut
Singh. Bikini top,
£175, Eres

206
Multiple strands
of De Beers diamonds
provide all the
coverage you need.

White-gold, sapphire
and diamond earrings,
Piaget. White-gold
and diamond necklace,
De Beers. White-gold,
sapphire and diamond
ring, Buccellati

207
127
 Van Cleef & Arpels’s
twisted rope of gold
emerges from beneath
the surface to perfect
that poolside glow.

Yellow- and white-gold,

aquamarine, jadeite
and diamond necklace.
Gold and diamond
dome ring. Both Van
Cleef & Arpels. Pear-cut
yellow-diamond ring,
Anita Ko. White- and
yellow-gold, golden-
beryl and sapphire ring,
Buccellati. Bikini top,
£151, sold as part of
set, Leslie Amon, at
Net-a-Porter.com

208
 Poolside becomes
your best side when
combining white
diamonds with this
season’s white
SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES WERE FOLLOWED THROUGHOUT THIS PHOTOSHOOT

swimwear.

White-gold and
diamond earrings,
Louis Vuitton.
White-gold and
diamond necklace,
Messika. White-gold
and diamond ring,
Vhernier. Bikini top,
£240, La Perla.
Prices on request
unless otherwise stated.
For stockists, all pages,
see Vogue Information.
Hair: Lacy Redway.
Make-up: Holly Silius.
Nails: Natalie Minerva.
Set design: Heath
Mattioli. Local
production: Rhianna
Rule. Digital artwork:
Cristian Buonomo.
With thanks to
Baldwin Virgin

209
 < 154 BILLIE EILISH < 203 DIPLOMATIC COUP

they believe in personal relationships and work

hard at them. So far, the calls they’ve had have
been very warm.”
When we speak, Pierce has met Biden only
once, at his inauguration (“I’d never seen Lady
Gaga in the flesh before, that was fantastic”).
Covid has curtailed opportunities to meet in
person, which has added another obstacle to the
job. “Diplomacy is a contact sport,” says Pierce.
“Washington is very much the sort of place that
does thrive on these big dinners, where a huge
amount of business gets done.” Without them,
she says, “relationships become transactional.”
It is still, perhaps, the image of a cigar-smoking,
whisky-drinking John le Carré character we
go to when we picture an official embassy
dinner. Part of the reasoning for upholding the
marriage bar was that it was inconceivable that
a woman could do business in such a set-up,
or that a man would want to follow his wife
around the world and look after the children,
even now. “There have been times when people
“Try not to abuse your power,” she sings. that’s a good thing to think about in some cases, have come through the door and assumed my
“I know we didn’t choose to change.” She is but I also think you shouldn’t try to be a person husband is the big cheese,” says Menna
aware that complaining about fame is that your old self would like, and you shouldn’t Rawlings. “They make a beeline for him.”
unrelatable, but with fame, she says, and try to be a person that your future self is going “We took a really early decision to go with my
especially for men, “There’s all these people to be. You should be exactly who you feel like career because, frankly, it was more exciting than
who are incredibly vulnerable and would you are and want to be in that moment, his,” she continues. “But it didn’t stop people
honestly do anything you say. That’s a crazy otherwise you’re going to go insane.” asking him, ‘What are you going to do?’ And he’d
feeling. Nobody should be given the power that Eilish, in this moment, is an early riser, after say, ‘Well, I’m looking after the children because
we’re given.” years of sleeping past lunch: “It makes the day Menna’s working incredibly hard.’” Of course,
Elton John bets on her impact. “Look at so much longer.” Her love of retina-scalding moving children around the world is no walk in
Kesha, [Lady] Gaga – they’ve all spoken out neons yielded to soft pinks, sage greens and the park. “I guess it’s like a lot of parenting,” says
about this abuse of power. The more people earth tones. Her body, once a boneyard of Bronnert, who has two young sons, philosophically.
that write about it, the better. It’s been swept persistent injury, has healed after a year of rest, “You just have to keep talking to them and
under the carpet since music began. Billie is though she knocks on wood three times as she explaining and compromising where you can.”
the torch for this new generation of people recounts her extensive rehab efforts. Post- If impressive gains have been made in the
who say, ‘I’m not putting up with this anymore.’” pandemic, she’s never turning down social Foreign Office for working mothers and the
There will be people invested in the status invitations again, although she’s dreading seeing progression of women into senior roles, there is
quo who hear “Your Power” as a chiding from the friends who flaunted their lockdown- still a long way to go to reach the Government’s
an ungrateful girl who should shut up and enjoy breaking on Instagram. “We’ll see if I still hate goal of a Whitehall that looks like the country
being famous. But Eilish, flush with the all these people when I can see them again!” it serves. As a schoolgirl in Preston, it was a
revelations of growth, is a reminder of the She’s establishing boundaries. The only photograph of the African-American diplomat
pleasure and privilege of deciding what kind question that Eilish shrugs off is whether she Eleanor Hicks that first inspired Pierce to
of person you want to be. By taking a definitive has a horse. (As a child, she worked weekends pursue a career as a diplomat. But it was only in
statement on her ethos, she’s hoping to neuter at a stable to earn the lessons her family couldn’t 2018 that the first black British woman,
the hold anything can have over her. “It’s about afford.) “Maybe, maybe not, who knows?” she NneNne Iwuji-Eme, was appointed as a High
taking that power back, showing it off and not says with cartoon bluster. “That’s a whole part Commissioner, to Mozambique. “We need her
taking advantage with it,” she says with a of my life that I’m not interested in anybody not to be quite so remarkable,” says Pierce
matter-of-fact pout. “I’m not letting myself be having any info on.” She wishes she could tell seriously. “There’s a saying that you can’t be what
owned anymore.” fans everything but she’s reached the limitations you can’t see, and I wouldn’t like anyone to think,
In domestic terms, Eilish is her own woman. of the expectation of transparency placed on ‘I can’t do it because there’s no one like me.’”
All she had ever wanted was to turn 18 – then the mega-famous. “It’s too much for them and Pierce’s two grown-up sons have left home,
she spent most of her first year of adulthood it’s too much for me and it’s not healthy.” and she now has what she describes as a
in pandemic-induced limbo. Her independence But she’s pretty good, happiness-wise, “commuter” relationship with her husband,
is taking shape (though she’s only got petrol a state of mind grounded by the knowledge Charles Roxburgh, who works in the Treasury.
alone twice). Her parents, constant companions that neither darkness nor joy is a fixed “We always had this philosophy,” she says,
in her career, will step back a bit. She calls her state. “Everything comes in waves,” she says. “that we would go the extra mile to find the
team her best friends. “I think we are all aware She thinks back on a darker time in her way to make careers and family work, rather
of me being like [she switches to a sober, life. Unable to sleep, she would turn on a than one of us not take a job.”
reassuring voice], ‘OK, I’m a grown-up and I meditation app and listen to a pragmatic Our time is up, but I have to know: if it weren’t
can do things on my own.’” Australian guy reassuring nervous insomniacs for the pandemic, would Pierce have already
CRAIG McDEAN

Eilish sees the process as almost transcendent, that, with time, everything fades. It made her thrown one of her renowned parties? “You can’t
even if it’s hard when fans cling to how they feel like a weight was lifted and still does. print this, otherwise the Foreign Office will
first loved you. “People always say, ‘How would “Even permanent things can be undone,” says sack me,” she says. “But I would have thrown
your younger self feel about you now?’ And Eilish, bright with optimism. n one a day.” Washington, get ready. n

210
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 B R I TA I N | P R O P E R T Y

DREAM GARDENS
What better way to reconnect with nature than in the comfort of
your very own garden? From city gems to grand country estates,
these properties all come with plenty of outside space

THE RUSHES, OXFORDSHIRE

Set in the rolling Chiltern Hills, this property is
easily accessible to London – 28 minutes by train
to Marylebone – yet is in the heart of bucolic
countryside. The gardens are spectacular, from the
wisteria climbing across the main house to the
pond surrounded by willow trees. £3.75 million. detached, stucco-fronted townhouse currently above is The Rushes, a country house set in
Savills: 020 7016 3713
for sale with Russell Simpson has an a pretty location in rural Oxfordshire, with
exceptionally private and spacious garden eight acres of land. Mature gardens surround
for such a prime part of London. An alfresco the nine-bedroom house and its outbuildings,
dining area is accessed the breakfast room

A
s the days get longer and summer while the planting provides year-round
approaches, a beautiful garden – complete with a kitchen and fire pit – with interest, with clipped hornbeam hedges
rises to the top of everybody’s steps leading up to a lawn and secondary and colourful, well-stocked borders. Paved
wish list. ‘People used to want seating spot. Mature trees and shrubs give the terraces at the front and rear of the house
an extra room, but now everyone aspires to whole garden a leafy feel, as well as shielding provide a choice of spots for sitting outside
have a garden,’ says Simon Rose, of Rose & it from any views of the neighbouring and enjoying the tranquil setting, and there’s
Partners. ‘We’re also seeing that indoor and properties, while thanks to the the westerly also a large pond surrounded by willow trees.
outdoor spaces are becoming more linked aspect, there’s plenty of sunshine throughout It’s the perfect retreat for families, with an
– people want their gardens to be easily the afternoon and into the evening. all-weather tennis court and outdoor pool,
accessible, so they can be used as an extension Outside of London, the scope widens as well as stabling, paddocks and an exercise
to their living space in warmer weather.’ when it comes to outdoor space, with bigger arena for horses.
This is certainly the case at Cottesmore gardens and room for amenities such as Another property for sale with Savills is Ash
Gardens in Kensington, where a semi- tennis courts and swimming pools. Pictured House in Cheshire, a country estate with an
 GLANTON PYKE, NORTHUMBERLAND
Located down a long driveway and on nearly 18 acres, this Grade
II-listed Georgian manor has far-reaching views across the rolling
countryside, which forms part of Northumberland National Park.
The well-maintained grounds include a large walled garden, and a
maze made from purple beech trees. POA.
Strutt & Parker: 01670 516123

COTTESMORE
GARDENS, W8
This six-bedroom,
stucco-fronted house in
Kensington was completely
rebuilt in 2009 and
upgraded again in 2015.
There’s a grand entrance
hall, a cinema room and a
gym, but the best feature
is the private rear garden,
complete with an outdoor
kitchen. £18.75 million.
Russell Simpson:
020 7225 0277

VANBRUGH CASTLE, SE10

Set on the edge of Greenwich
Park, this four-storey apartment
comprises a substantial part
of an 18th-century castle. There’s
a private roof terrace with
views across the park and the
city, and two-and-a-half acres
of communal gardens, which
include the remains of a historic
amphitheatre. £2.75 million.
Nest Seekers International:
020 7190 9737
 TULLS LANE,
HAMPSHIRE
Dating back to the 15th
century, this Grade II-
listed farmhouse has a
separate party barn, and
is surrounded by mature
gardens that are a mix of
formal lawns and terraces.
There’s an office building
and workshop set within
a sunken garden, and a
wooded area with an
adventure playground.
£3.25 million.
Knight Frank: 020 7861 5390

ASH HOUSE, CHESHIRE

With a helipad, cinema and spa, this country estate is a private residence with all award-winning, 25-acre garden. The house
the amenities of a luxury hotel. The property spans 9,500 square feet, and has five itself dates back to the 17th century, and has
bedrooms – the master suite includes two dressing rooms and a balcony been gradually added to over time, with the
overlooking the landscaped gardens. £7.5 million.
Savills: 01565 632618
most recent wing completed in 2015 in order
to accommodate an array of leisure facilities,
including an indoor pool, gym and games
room. The house also features a cinema
room, a wine cellar and a large, open-plan
kitchen, complete with an Aga. However, it’s
the grounds that are most impressive. The
extensive gardens are laid out as a series of
‘rooms’, each with its own set of specimen
trees and plants. There are numerous sitting
and dining areas, and a charming kitchen
garden with a large greenhouse. At the
heart of the scheme is a large pond flanked
by a series of fountains, with views through
wrought-iron gates towards the parkland
beyond – a truly romantic place to while
OLD DAIRY FARM, KENT away long summer evenings.
This Grade II-listed property near Edenbridge has been completely
refurbished while retaining its original features, from wood beams to
vaulted ceilings. It’s set on five acres, with extensive grounds including
a formal garden and plenty of outdoor seating areas. £5 million.
John D Wood: 020 8819 3604
 A L AT E R
LIFE LESS
ORDINARY

Auriens is redefining later living.

Luxury residences now
available to lease.

AURIENS CHELSEA
OPENS SUMMER 2021

S H O W A PA R T M E N T
NOW OPEN

Call 020 3870 7970

or visit auriens.com
Beachfront
Algarve
From €239,900

Established in 2005, Benoit Properties International is the

trusted source and number one choice for property
acquisition across a range of global markets.

www.benoitproperties.com | +44 (0)161 250 5300 | [email protected]

 NOTEBOOK
A round-up of the latest property news,
at home and abroad

WESTCOUNTRY WONDER
Enjoy some of Dorset’s finest coastline with this rare development
opportunity, which has panoramic views over Studland Bay, Poole Harbour,
Brownsea Island, Sandbanks and National Trust countryside. Located just
south of the village of Studland, Blue Waters is a 1950s house set centrally
on a third of an acre. Currently occupying 1,719 square feet, it has the
potential to be turned into a much larger property, set over two or three
levels, giving buyers the chance to create their ideal house and make the
most of those spectacular views. POA.
For more information, visit alburyandhall.co.uk
SUNSHINE STATE SPLENDOUR
Set on southern Florida’s sunny Treasure Coast, Windsor is a private
residential community, where residents can enjoy an idyllic way of life.
Founded by the Weston family – and named after their English home in
Windsor Great Park – the resort occupies a stunning location next to
the Atlantic Ocean. As well as the beach, there’s an 18-hole golf course,
an equestrian centre with a polo field, a tennis club, an art gallery and
world-class dining. A wave of recent refurbishments include the Beach
Club’s new open-air Cabana Bar. Properties from $2 million; plots from
$750,000. For more information, visit windsorflorida.com

IN THE KNOW
The process of finding and
buying a house is fraught with
stress and pitfalls, which is why it
often makes sense to engage a
buying agent to help streamline
the process and identify those A GREENER OUTLOOK
elusive off-market properties. Having advised clients on property projects in London, the
Tim Page-Ratcliff, formerly a UK and overseas, RedBook Agency is expanding its services
partner at Strutt & Parker, is an to include pre-purchase advice to clients as well as property
independent search agent and aftercare. RedBook started out advising on the best interior
property consultant, specialising designers and architects for refurbishments or newbuilds.
Now it’s also addressing the common question of how to
in country properties across
build ‘greener’ properties, by adding two environmental
Sussex. With over 40 years’
experts to its advisory board – Charlie Burrell, who
experience as an estate agent,
pioneered England’s rewilding movement on his 3,500-acre
he’s able to draw on his many Knepp Castle estate in West Sussex, and Pooran Desai,
industry contacts, as well as his who has helped form sustainability strategies for major
extensive knowledge of houses international property developments. ‘Giving exceptional
in the region, to help you find service is the essence of what we do, and we are excited to
your perfect home. have broadened the range of our expertise,’ says RedBook’s
For more information, visit founder, Sandy Mitchell.
tprpropertysolutions.co.uk For more information, visit redbookagency.com
 For your masterpiece

MOSCOW, RUSSIA
12, Presnenskaya Embassy
$35,000,000 USD
Property ID | ZB8EK5
SothebysRealty.com
Moscow Sotheby’s International Realty
Natalia Kurganova
[email protected]
+7 495.128.59.56

EXUMA, BAHAMAS
220 Acre Private Island
$60,000,000 USD
Property ID | F2REG8
SIRbahamas.com
Damianos Sotheby’s International Realty
George Damianos
[email protected]
+1 242.424.9699

OLD WESTBURY, NEW YORK

Groton Place
$22,000,000 USD
Property ID | 7MQE3D
GrotonPlaceOldWestbury.com
Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
Meredyth Hull Smith
Christina Porter
Lois Kirschenbaum
[email protected]
+1 917.696.8411

© MMXXI Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC fully supports the principles
of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Sotheby’s International Realty and the
Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC.
sothebysrealty.com
VOGUE ASKS
Describe
your everyday
beauty routine.
“I stick to the
essentials: serum
and moisturiser.
My favourites are
Dr Barbara
Sturm Hyaluronic
Serum [£235]
and Augustinus
Bader The Cream
[£205].”

If you could raid anybody’s

wardrobe, whose would it be
and what would you take?
“Peggy Guggenheim’s, for all
the eccentric pieces.”

Which up-and-coming artist

should I look out for?
“Tina Orsolic Dalessio.”
Which
holiday outfit
are you most
looking forward to
getting to wear?
“Any chiffon
dress from my
spring/summer
collection.”
Dress, £1,910,
Alberta Ferretti

What would
What’s
your scent
of choice?
Alberta Ferretti do?
“Something
floral that
resembles Advice on life, beauty and style from the celebrated
summer.”
Carthusia Italian fashion designer
Gelsomini di
Capri eau de
parfum, £80, Is there a key to dressing like an Italian? When does a bride-to-be know that she’s found
@TINAORSOLICDALESSIO; GETTY IMAGES; PIXELATE.BIZ

at Liberty A satin slip dress. the perfect wedding dress?

London
INTERVIEW BY TIMOTHY HARRISON. LUIGI & IANGO;

How can I be more productive at work? It must make you feel strong and special.
More espresso! How should I handle someone copying my style?
What is the best way to deal with Appreciate it for what it is.
people who complain too much? Where do you buy your favourite jewellery?
I would recommend yoga. Antique earrings from Gioielleria Pennisi in
Do you have a greatest-ever fashion buy? Via Manzoni in Milano.
A vintage kimono in Kyoto. What would you bring back from the 1970s?
What do you do if someone is late? Delicate tunics and suede minis.
Come back tomorrow. Where should I go for a chic dinner in Milan?
Name a book that everyone should read. The Giacomo Arengario. The view never
The Florios of Sicily: A Novel by Stefania Auci. ceases to amaze me.
Where’s the first place you’ll visit post-lockdown? And the last film you saw. Do you prefer flats or heels?
“Let’s start with Capri.” I rewatched 8½ by Fellini. Heels. Is that even a question? n
louisvuitton.com