Jacques-Henri Lartigue brings so much pleasure to all who encounter his sublime pictures of the Belle Époque. Who does not fall in love with the timeless elegance of René Perle? Who can fail to be seduced by the parade of beautiful cars and wonderful scenery that was the backdrop to his privileged early life?
Aesop’s biggest shop in Europe has paid a fitting homage to James Bond and don’t be surprised if 007 himself slides down one of its unfurling clay pillars which apes the opening sequence of the spy thrillers.
“That’s from Eric,” a British Red Cross volunteer at London’s best-connected charity shop on Chelsea’s Old Church Street cajoles a customer contemplating a black shiny down Moncler jacket, a snip at £300. ‘Eric’ is legendary rock guitarist, Eric Clapton, 73, who lives nearby and co-owns Cordings of Picaddily famed for its traditional English tailoring comprising clothes for country pursuits. The singer bought 50% of the label when it faced closure and regularly donates entire collections to the shop. He said at the time of his acquisiton:”I am a big fan of English traditional tailoring and have always been intrigued by the balance between functionality and style in the development of men’s fashion. “I wanted to help preserve Cordings for myself so I could continue to shop there.” Clapton’s spirit, looms larger than life here; in an inscribed penny loafer with the Wonderful Tonight crooner’s name and Cordings’ hunting suits, monk skins, corduroys, waistcoats and many other expensive attire. A Dolce and Gabbana wool overcoat spotting a gold chain label has been donated by David Beckham …
His most memorable goal was a solo lung-bursting run from his team, AC Milan’s penalty area beating almost all the Verona players before dispatching the ball into net. Twenty-one years later former Chelsea star George Weah has won Liberia’s presidential run-off elections.
Parsons Green? When news filtered in of an ‘incident’ at a west London train station, you had to do a double take to be sure it was actually the same idyllic neighbourhood with the ample green park families seem to luxuriate in every time harried neighbouring Fulhamites rushed past . The hustle and bustle from the butt-end of the King’s Road is drowned out by the civilised mellow pace of life in this genteel part of town. Well, it turned out to be southwest London, although it really was just a quirk of geography due to its close proximity to its west London neighbours Fulham and Chelsea. TO BE CONTINUED…