When this French brand opened up in Sloane Street two years ago, there was a sigh of relief. At last a slice of Paris had been brought to London. Now with successful retails in Westbourne Grove, St John’s Wood and Richmond, Zadig is aiming to build on that reputation and plans to open a handful more this autumn.

Branded as the “affordable luxury” line with their chic and subtle, yet easy to wear collection, Zadig &Voltaire have managed to cater for a wide spectrum of ages. Founder Thierry Gillier is the reason behind the success, her approach of adapting to the customer’s lifestyle as opposed to the other way round means that the clothes are targeted towards an “industrial chic” market and her use of cashmere, wool and silk only adds to her popularity.

This Christmas will see openings in Selfridges, Hampstead and new retail centre Westfield. With effortless glamour and style constantly created each season, from Elvis winged waistcoats to simple yet elegant jumpers, Zadig & Voltaire looks set to extend its firm London following.

www.zadig-et-voltaire.com

Saturday 6th December is a definite date for the diary. Angel Costumiers, the family dynasty now in its sixth generation supplying fabulous costumes to major motion pictures and TV productions, is hosting their Big Vintage Clothing Sale to make room for newly-acquired BBC resources.

Held in the Angels Wembley warehouse, a 160000 square foot facility holding 8 miles of clothing rails, the Sale will be a bargain-hunter’s dream – items are not individually priced, but instead sold by the bag, a medium-size costing £10, a supersize going for £20. Indeed the bag can be filled with a huge variety of wares spanning the life and breadth of the Angels’ career – 30s Dior? Second World War surplus? A little something from Joe Wright’s Atonement? Well…yes.

Angels was established in 1840 by Morris Angel, who opened a second-hand store in Seven Dials. When an actor enquired if he could rent rather than buy a suit, the now familiar concept of hiring attire was born. The business expanded rapidly as stage managers from the West End started using Angels for their shows, with notable names including Showboat and The Girl Friend. Their first award came in 1948, for Lawrence Olivier’s Hamlet – since then, Angels have picked up many more, in 2008 having supplied the costumes for all five nominees in the category for the Oscar for Best Achievement in Costume Design. With such glowing credentials and the sheer amount of vintage goods, it would be hard not to pick up a gem.

Saturday 6th December 9am – 5pm, Angels Warehouse, 1st floor, 3 Boundary Road, East Lane Business Park, Wembley HA9 7ND

http://www.angels.uk.com/sale.html

In an act of dedication to her late brother Gianni, Donatella Versace is launching an ultra exclusive new fragrance from their Couture division.  This will be the first perfume from the Couture line and the limited edition scent will be available only by order through Versace boutiques or Harrods.

With citrus, mandarin and red berries blend, the fragrance is very feminine and has been especially shaped by perfumer Sophie Labbe.  Concentrating on extreme detail in this product Versace has designed the scent to come in a white leather bottle and a lid which has diamond-like facets creating a spectacular interplay of light and reflection.   Placed inside a hand-stitched, soft white leather train case, giving it a unique and glamorous touch, Versace states: “Seeing it was such a special one-of-a-kind fragrance, we wanted to offer a one-of-a-kind packaging that can be used again for one’s jewellery or as a hope case.”

However, the exclusiveness comes at a price.  At £1,200 for 100 ml, the scent is certainly aimed at the luxury end of the fragrance market.  Yet, with only 100 bottles being produced, the detailed workmanship and allure – which is a nod to the past centuries of glamour and grace – might simply be too hard to resist.

Girard Perregaux has just launched his latest ladies watch, the Cat’s Eye Annual and Zodiac Calendar. Made of just about everything that could make a girl go weak at the knees- diamonds, gold and mother of pearl- the luxury Swiss brand is inspired by the signs of the zodiac and manages to synthesize both the lunar and zodiac cycle together.

Perregaux shows there’s no end to his extravagance, placing 68 diamonds circling the face of the watch and using mother of pearl to guide the signs of the zodiac. There is a selection to chose from, amongst them a pink gold case with a dial of dark mother of pearl or another with white gold case and a dial of dark or white mother of pearl.

As one of only a handful of companies to design and manufacture its own movements, Perregaux continues to produce watches of the highest quality. They may seem to some to be on the slight gaudy side but the Cat’s Eye line has been hugely popular since it was launched in 2005. So, if that sparkle has captured your eye then go and visit his website for some very indulgent shopping.

www.girard-perregaux.com

More news from the Italian fashion house, in the form of Gucci’s latest campaign for UNICEF. It is the fourth year that the luxury goods giant has committed to the cause, described as the most extensive philanthropic partnership in the company’s history. UNICEF is a huge and wide-reaching charitable effort whose programs benefit children affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, through providing healthcare, protection, clean water and education. Since 2005 creative director Frida Giannini has designed an exclusive annual collection which is marketed in the holiday season, making the accessories both luxurious and charitable gifts.

As is seen in Vogue’s December issue, the range is modelled by pop princess Rihanna, who was chosen for the campaign after performing at a UNICEF benefit, showing the cause to be close to her own heart. No doubt her own popularity and influence will boost sales of this collection, which features the tattoo heart motif on a white version of the Hysteria bag. The design cleverly incorporates the traditional Gucci elements of the horsebit and web, whilst the heart, according to Giannini, is “a permanent mark that you can wear with pride that stays with you”.

The collection will be available in Gucci stores across 20 countries, from November 19 through to January 31, with 25% of each sale supporting UNICEF programs. Register now at gucci.com/unicef for reminders and updates.