Even though Gareth Pugh has decided to set his next show at the Paris Fashion Week,  he has not abandoned London altogether.  He will be collaborating with Moet and Chandon  in creating the interior for the fourth season of The Moet Room.

The 26-year-old budding British designer, whose fashion pieces mix bondage-fetish and gothic-glamour, has created a quiet sanctuary for VIPs to take time out away from the frenzy of the fashion shows.

On the collaboration Gareth said: “It’s very interesting to be able to translate what I am doing on the runway into an interior space. The Moët Room will give an abstract hint to what I will be showing in Paris this season. It will most definitely be looking forward – very modern and sharp with clean lines and a tinge of the darkness which seems to permeate my fashion shows.”

Watch this space for more details on London Fashion Week coming soon.

Chaos

Donna Karan is relaunching its iconic “Chaos” perfume.  Brought back by popular demand, the spirited cult-classic was discontinued in the early 2000s but had a band of avid followers who helped this legendary scent reach almost mythic proportions and fought hard for its return. 

So now it’s back and it’s to the all important question. Has Karan managed to recapture exactly the same distinctive woody, spicy fragrance of the original?  First reports from the devotees  appear to indicate it has – though there are suggestions that it may be  just a little lighter.  One disappointment though seems to be the packaging.  Although the newly designed  sleek black bottle is elegant enough it just hasn’t the same eye catching appeal and beauty of the original, which was designed by Donna Karan’s late husband, Stephan Weiss.

If you want to find out if this phoenix has truly risen from the ashes, then Chaos is at present available exclusively at Harrods, and will be going nationwide in mid September. Then you can judge for yourself if it’s worth all the hype.

The fast growing super premium vodka sector has a new contender in its midst.

Oval Vodka the only structured vodka in the world – is being launched in the UK and will be available exclusively at all four Selfridges stores come September.

Oval is one of the many new luxury vodkas targeting the lucrative high-end section of the market and it will be joining the likes of d’Uluvka, Elit and Belvedere which already have a foothold.  Like its competitors, Oval lays claim to a unique distillation process – in this case a new production method which strips out all the impurities– and has created a stunning, award winning, tetrahedron shaped bottle to match its rivals’ elegant designer packaging.

Still, it remains to be seen whether this super deluxe vodka from Austria can make an impression on increasingly sophisticated palates in what is now a highly competitive and tightly fought market.

News is out that Nick Valentine, co-founder of The Cuckoo Club, is to open a new private members’ club and restaurant in Molton Street.  While Valentine has an impressive track record with the Cuckoo club still in the ascendant, he will have to work hard to stand out in the well-saturated private club scene.  However, there’s certainly enough potential in the space of Molton House to move it above the opposition. 

Spread over 4 floors, Molton House includes a cocktail bar with a sunken DJ booth, a restaurant serving modern European cuisine and a nightclub in the basement, with the third floor reserved for an events space. Blacksheep, the team behind Hermes London headquarters, have designed all the interiors.

Due to open in October, Tracey Emin, Simon le Bon and Sadie Frost are amongst its membership committee.

Rum is the drink of the moment and Mahiki has jumped on the band wagon.  The world famous Mayfair club, has created its own range of premium rums in an attempt to tap into the fast growing market for exotic cocktails. 

Mahiki’s blend of rums was created by Papa Jules, who manages the tiki themed rum bar at the Mayfair club.   Each blend of Mahiki rum has its unique flavour.  Distilled, blended and bottled in Barbados (the world’s oldest rum producing island,) the line consists of three different rums, Mahiki white rum, Mahiki Gold rum and Mahiki cognac cask rum.

While there are some who may wonder whether Mahiki isn’t getting too big for their boots with an own label range, there is no doubt that Mahiki, famed for the super indulgent Treasure Chest cocktail knows this business.  However, it will still have its work cut out to dominate the flurry of new high quality brands such as Elimates 8, which have hit the market at the same time.

Why not decide for yourself.  At present they’re exclusively available in Selfridges but are expanding to further outlets in the autumn.