Hunter Regent Street 83 – 85 Regent Street, W1B 4EW

Rubberized trench-coat by Hunter. Sweater – COS (similar). Trousers – Zara (similar).

Wearing: Rubberized trench-coat by Hunter. Sweater – COS (similar). Trousers – Zara (similar). Sneakers – Isabel Marant ‘Bart’

One of the few things that London teaches a newcomer is the staggering power of WEATHER as a conversation topic – no matter how awkward your new uni friends are, or how deep an armpit you’ve already found yourself lodged in on the Tube, mention the magical words of ‘It’s horribly grim out there’ and watch friendship blossom. Even with armpit dude. London is notorious for being the butt of all international weather jokes (snow – don’t get me started on that one), famous for raining on parades, and for a long time I assumed the slanted strokes of the Union Jack flag symbolized the typical angle the rain pours in this city. You know, like how the Uruguayan flag carries a smiley-face sun (it makes ALL the sense). And no umbrella is built for sideways rain – not even the ugly, functional ones – so you get wet in all the wrong places… then make friends with strangers. The truth is, the weather on this island is exactly where the cheeky, self-deprecating British humour stems from, the very reason why the new Hunter flagship on Regent Street resembles a barn, and why a flash mob alighted a number 88 bus and ritualized the opening wearing neon-trimmed ski-hats and rubberised trench coats, serving backflips to Singin’ in the Rain remixes. I mean, the store elevator is lined with grass! Rainwear is given a Hunter ‘do, championed by the steely-eyed new Creative Director Allaisdhair Willis, designed to be worn not just to take cover from the elements, but to anticipate with a tune whistled. If you’re into shaking fists to the sky here in London, you might as well make it a dance move and enjoy it.

This reminds me, I just counted the number of umbrellas in my doorway and they add up to a grand total of nine. But do I stick my head out the window before leaving? I do not, because I am a badass Londoner and can fight the rain with my bare fists.

In collaboration with Hunter; outfit photos with the help of my lovely Sarah.

Top – ASOS. Jeans – Topshop x Marques’Almeida. Bag – Saint Laurent. Belt – Vintage LV. Necklaces – Monica Vinader.

Watch – Larsson & Jennings. Key clip – Whistles x Moxham. Rings – Monica Vinader. Case – Casetify. Bag – Saint Laurent ‘Lulu’

Top – ASOS. Jeans – Topshop x Marques’Almeida. Heels – Tamara Mellon. Bag – Saint Laurent. Belt – Vintage LV. Necklaces – Monica Vinader.

The thing about working from home is that spending the whole day with a crow’s nest for a head, wearing a denim diaper/mum jeans and perpetually smelling of last night’s takeaway is all fine and dandy until the moment there’s a need to step out the house. Suddenly there’s a tremble of confidence when faced with the challenge of having to join civilization: the I know exactly what I’m doing, with, can I use Febreeze as deordrant?, and you’re stumbling out the door with an outfit that is an awkward morph of hobo and put-together. I suppose this may be how the normcore trend came to being – a bunch of freelancers dragging ‘home-shoes’ Birks around the streets of Dalston (or more likely, the narrow corridors of the intranets, seeing as how nobody seems to be able to pinpoint the exact origin) in pursuit of a fresh new pack of post-its or Coconut water and whatnot. Of course, the survival of the fittest theory still seems to apply with said scenario because last time I checked, my 90’s car-thief/soccer mom get-up has yet to be a global trend. Well, until Merriam-Webster gets in touch about using one of these pics to illustrate the word ‘Awkward’ in a new edition of the English dictionary, that is. In which case Tinseltown, here I come.

Bag – Marni. Perfume – Jersey by Chanel. Key clip – Whistles x Moxham. Coin pouch – gift from mum.

Coat – Charlie May. Cashmere sweater – Uniqlo. Trousers – Zara. Heels – Gianvito Rossi. Bag – Marni. Earrings – Dior. Watch – Larsson & Jennings.  Necklaces – Monica Vinader.

Numbered are the days I will be able to rely on the blinding morning sunlight as a slap on the face and get out of bed like a normal human being. Cue what I call the spinning beachball of death syndrome, wherein I try to convince myself, way past the 14^th snooze, that life does exist outside the micro-climate that is under my duvet. The clocks went back over the weekend and we had one of the most beautiful Sundays I’d seen in a while. I hit the flower market, prepared it’d be my last this year, and bought a bunch of dahlia’s for a tenner. By the afternoon I had managed to cross town to the V&A, wilting flowers in tow, which only confirmed the power of weather-influenced stamina, one that we were about to be deprived of, shortly.

Alas, the season of overpriced eggs benedict breakfasts ‘at that hipster place’ for the sake of a sunny morning is coming to an end. That, and a run around the block at random times in the day (because the weather is nice), which ultimately does nothing, really, for your diet. Try running on a morning that looks like stupid-o’clock in mid-November, then you can put ‘jogger’ back on your Facebook profile. My personal challenge is getting up at 7am this quarter, and limiting longing looks towards the bed down to one hour. What’s yours?

Photos with Mr. Tripod

Bag, shoes, Wallet by Louis Vuitton (available at Harrods); Hat – Hoss Intropia (similar).

There’s something inexplicably frustrating about city life that promises infinite freedom yet binds us with such firm tempo that one foot out the line can seem deadly. I should know, my off-tempo singing in the shower have caused many a neighbour to abandon the building. It takes a certain kind of bravery to wake up one morning and deciding, instead of going down to fetch coffee and the newspaper, to pack a decent-sized bag and leaving everything familiar, to escape.

Now, I personally cannot pride in being one of those ultra-brave-hearts, my own little departure ripened over some weeks of first, flirting with the idea, then some scattered hours here and there to mold a general plan in place. All it would need is a breath of life. Mostly, I was dying to shoot a travel piece, and wanted to work with a brand that I love and equally treasured Travel as part of their DNA. Coincidentally, Louis Vuitton had just launched a shoe-only boutique in Harrods Shoe Heaven, and it was the perfect starting point.

The Art of Escape is all about finding an enabler, whether it be an object or person. Mine was a good friend, Brian Leavy of Born Explorers, who knew the wheel and the road; and Louis Vuitton, a small selection of handsomely-crafted shoes that I believed appropriate to escape in.

It’s my hope that this story will encourage you to find your own enabler, and experience your own little escape.

Supported, but not sponsored, by Louis Vuitton;
Photography – Shini Park & Brian Leavy; Art Direction & layout: Park & Cube.

Luggage and boots – Louis Vuitton; White jeans – 7 for All Mankind (Similar)

Luggage and coat – Louis Vuitton

There is no better feeling than gliding down an open road with the muffled sounds of the outside lapping against the windshield. It’s a bit like being back in the womb actually. Only if it had an umbilical hose for breakfast…

Sunglasses – Louis Vuitton

Coat, Sweater, Luggage, shoes – Louis Vuitton (available at Harrods); Jeans – DL1961

While I don’t trust myself with a full cup of coffee even when stationary, you must agree that breakfast always tastes better reading/watching something. In this case, the scenery between London and Oxford, it’s got a good plot…

Call in advance and book, if possible, but a table tends to free up quite quickly if you don’t mind having a wander around the grounds. Brian claims that the ½ Woolley Park farm chicken with lemon mayonnaise is life-altering. My beef sirloin is satisfying on a similar level.

Brogues – Louis Vuitton (Available at Harrods)

Coat. bag – Louis Vuitton; Top – Zara

City of academia, and dream to many aspirational tweens and Asian mothers alike. Also known for filming ground for Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry.

Walking aimlessly can actually be a decent tour strategy in this city. Make sure to see Christchurch, Bodlian Library, Radcliffe Camera, and tea on the roof of the Ashmolean museum.

Brogues – Louis Vuitton; Jeans – James Jeans

Sure, it’s a disappointing notion, but make it something that’s as important as the journey out. Take an exit from the motorway and explore the country roads a little, park by a bit of land and turn off the engine for a while.

All Louis Vuitton shoes are available at Harrods Shoe Heaven

Inside the Studio with Harrods & Antonio Berardi

When it comes to fashion designer studios, the general mood is that of a fickle thing – usually determined by a studio manager at the end of one international call or another or the designer him/herself – bolstering studio-wide optimism with a silent, grave smile; and sometimes an intern, if a box of assorted beads happens on the ground. I don’t even have to explain what fashion week does this equation.

I arrived at the Harrod’s shoot for Inside the Studio with Antonio Berardi only days before their show in London, bracing myself as I was dropped into what should have been a red alert flurry of model fitting and castings, pinnings, deliveries and last minute everythings. But the mood was eerily calm. Perhaps it was that I arrived with the rackety elevator when the crew were still interviewing (cue a chorus of ‘SHhhh’) and the floor was on audio-lockdown, but I am certain there wasn’t a single panicked face or tip-toe racing to the steam iron in the background; not to mention a ‘SOS’ signal made of beads and scrap fabric.

Rails and rails of jewel-coloured pieces formed narrow corridors in the centre-stage, ethereal silks in deft tailoring and glittery beads, jostled alongside precision embroidery. The collection hung complete, with a spare change or two. This was in true Antonio Berardi style, the confidence of design and the well-oiled machine that is his decade-long collaboration with Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, muse of Berardi and Creative Director of the brand. A small army of veteran tailors holding their ranks in the far side of the studio completing the picture.

It’s all about the woman on a pedestal, sensual but strong, with a wink of quirky urban lifestyle – you’ll see in the video. That afternoon I found new hope for kooky creatives with weakness in discipline – a structured, efficient, inspired workplace does exist afterall! We can now turn the engines over in our careers. And turns out, not all deadlines are met in the busride to school..

A big thanks to Harrod’s for allowing me to be a part of the Inside the Studio campaign. Make sure to click through to see my own edit of AW14 at Harrod’s and more peeks Inside the Studio of Antonio Berardi.
All photography & edit by Park & Cube