Now the temperature has dropped by 5 degrees in the past few weeks, it’s clear skimpy jumpers will no longer suffice, meaning the cashmere guru, Brora, is beckoning.

This year their clothes are even more appealing, going to town with endlessly covetable accessories.  Their trademark fingerless glove wristwarmers come in multiple shades, including truffle and thunder, and are the rare kind that neither bobble nor hole, and this year are on offer at only £22 when you buy anything else. This won’t be hard. The whole store exudes stylish comfort and not only are they still doing their bed socks but have introduced the long marl socks – a combination of Scottish cashmere and nylon and beyond luxury.

Whether it’s cable and moss stitched scarves or at last some attractive thermals, Brora never swaps aesthetics for quality, so the durability is unbeatable.   The queen, however, has to be the snood.  Brora have taken the latest fashion essential and with the help of their material and tailoring, the snood is not only soft and unbelievably warm but beautifully detailed with a subtle finish.

The best thing about Brora is that they don’t fall prey to passing fashion trends but stick to what they excel at, which is making very warm classic clothes which manage to last for not only one Christmas.

www.brora.co.uk

Beefeater 24 is Beefeater Gin’s new super premium expression infused with green tea.  Tannins help to combine the flavours of anything with which they are mixed so they blend with the different botanicals already present in the the gin for an infinitely smoother and fresher flavour.

The brew launched with a stellar party for 400 VIP guests at the magnificent Syon House themed on the old Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens – a stone’s throw from the location of the Beefeater distillery today.

But even better, the brand has joined forces with maverick molecular mixologist, Tony Congliero of 69 Colebrooke Row whom it’s commissioned to create a series of cocktails utilizing the new expression.

And true to form, Congliero has come up trumps.  He’s just launched his Beefeater 24 Martini.  But of course there’s a twist.  The Vermouth has been distilled with grape seeds – which to dry out the mouth so it produces more saliva making for for a super-enhanced taste sensation.

But even more creative turns are planned for the new year.

First up there’s the Japanese Serve.  24 infused with extra green tea (this all takes place in a still in the laboratory above Number 69), Tony’s special blend of green tea bitters and a squeeze of fresh lime.  It will be served as per the Japanese Tea Ceremony on a black tray with slices of green tea infused bean curd on the side (please don’t eat these, they’re not very nice – sorry Tony).  The glass itself is a conical-shaped tea cup which means the drinker has to lift it with both hands – giving the creation a real sense of occasion.

Next is the gin fizz – 24 distilled with lemon and served in a mixer style bottle opened at your table by bar staff.  During a tasting session in his lab last week, Tony told me that for him, it’s not enough for a cocktail to look and taste great – it should engage – or confuse – as many of the senses as possible so when the bottle opens – without a fizz as it goes – this rocks the expectations of the
drinker.  The fizz, you add yourself via a little file of soda powder served on the side.  It’s like a DIY alcopop – so wrong yet so right!

Finally, the piece de resistance is Tony’s Silver Phantom – named after the classic Rolls Royce.  In another twist on the martini theme, Tony has added a sprinkling of liquid silver.  He is currently experimenting with a new metallic taste sensation (move over umami) which isn’t half bad (Robert Pattinson fans will dig its similarity to blood) and the drink actually sparkles with minute particles of the precious metal.  Don’t worry it’s perfectly safe!  Silver is actually a powerful antiseptic – hence the real meaning of the phrase ‘born with a silver spoon in your mouth’. 

Lastly with another nod to the Phantom, the drink will be served on cardboard beer matts impregnated with the aroma of leather.  This harks back to a time when the sales of Rollers were flagging so boffins put leather scented card under the seats in the automotive equivalent of baking cakes when you’re trying to sell a house. 

Apparently this worked a treat and it’s rumoured that other manufacturers followed suit – especially where their seats were actually made of plastic.  

Someone should tell Primark to do the same with their leather look handbags – it might make a killing.  Actually it already is.  Oh well.

www.69colebrookerow.com
www.beefeater24.com

London has a new pretender to the cupcake throne and this patisserie princess means business.

26 year old New Yorker Michelle Husserl, one time party girl and personal shopper to the Big Apple’s ladies who lunch at Barney’s department store has turned her fashionista talents to baking divine cupcakes. 

Having spent a year at London’s prestigious Cordon Bleu cookery school, she’s now unleaching her culinary magic with her MyChelle’s Baketique – a cross between a bakery and a boutique, don’t you know – opening mid December in the brand new Rafayel eco hotel on Battersea’s Left Bank. 

Michelle inherited her love of baking from her grandmother and great grandmother and would always whip up delicious treats for her friends after school, however, it was only recently that she tired of the Gossip Girl lifestyle and decided to follow her heart. 

The Baketique is all brightly coloured stools and vibrant chandeliers which perfectly compliment her intricately decorated creations.  “I hate pastels,” she told me in disgust, “so my cakes are crazy colours like turquoise, purple and hot pink”.  She hasn’t left her fashion training behind completely though and derives much of her culinary inspiration from the collections.  “I’ll see somthing on the catwalk (cakewalk?) and rush home with a design for a new cake in my head”. 

And although we love Marc Jacobs as much as the next person, you can’t eat it, now, can you? 

Trademark creations include Michelle’s cupcake cones, loaded cupcakes and she’s also big on mini versions:  “You can try like, five different options instead of just the one.”   But oh, how we wish that were true of Vuitton’s spring/summer handbags.

Michelle is also sensitive to the dietary requirements of the style set and her range includes low salt, low fat, sugar free, wheat free and vegan recipes.  Hell, if you want the frosting without the cake, that’s fine as well.  She even sells shot glasses of icing for the ultimate sugar fix favoured by LA’s size zero brigade. 

And good news for hotel guests with the midnight munchies too.  They can order from MyChelle’s via room service. 

MyChelle’s Baketique, Rafayel on the Left Bank, Falcon Wharf Building, 34 Lombard Road, London SW11 3RF, www.baketique.com

Josh Wood and Belle Cannan have been running Real hair for ten years now and have mounted up the longest list of high profile clients imaginable. Specialising in transforming clients’ manes into any shade they desire, there are endless miracles that go underway in the Real Salon, and their latest is the new Brazilian Keratin permanent blow dry.

Although salons all over London are tuning in to this new phenomenon, Real seem to have stolen the prize for the highest quality treatment. Layered onto freshly washed hair, the keratin treatment, which comes in a variety of fragrances, is spread over sections of your damaged hair. It is used on specific manes only: coloured, dry, frizzy are all ideal problems for the formula to give the best results. You are then blow dried and the hair is straightened to seal in the product. This can take up to two hours due to the amount of moisturizer in the hair. After that it’s no washing for 48 hours (a lot shorter than other permanent blow dry treatments) and then it’s smooth, soft and manageable hair for four to six months. Real also include keratin shampoo and conditioner in their service, which helps to maintain the product’s effect during washes.

The science part to the trick is that it contains protein which is a major component in hair and by giving your hair an extra layer of protein, it will become healthier and splitting will be prevented. It works by gently bonding the hair and forming a protective coating, which in turn removes the frizz. The treatment is however, neither a relaxer nor a straightener as both of these contain chemicals and the trump card to the keratin treatment is that it is actually good for your hair, rebuilding it and also strengthening it. Because it is a natural treatment, the more you wash your hair the shorter the product will stay and eventually your hair will return to its natural form.

Although pricier than other salons, the results are far better. Hair can be left to dry naturally and still produce goldilock tresses, making it the perfect every girl’s secret for the Christmas season.

Real Hair

6-8 Cale Street

London SW3 3QU

www.realhair.co.uk

Changing your silhouette drastically, by means of nips, tucks, and all that other gory stuff, is rarely encouraged. Changing it via a trick of the eye, however, is a whole different ball-game. We are welcoming with open arms the new designer collaboration collection at high street stalwart Oasis, who have snapped up LCF graduate Rosalind Keep and her stunning trompe l’oeil pieces.

The collection will launch in select Oasis stores and on their website on Monday 7^th December (race you), and is made up of all our favourite loungey staples, from casual dresses to big tees and racerback vests, all adorned with sketchy white lines which fool spectators into thinking you are fashioning some super-sharp tailoring. Success has clearly sprung quickly on the talented young grad, but if this is a sign of things to come then British fashion should get a bit excited. All eyes on www.oasis-stores.com