House prices slip in August September 13, 2011 House prices in England and Wales fell in August and transactions slipped to levels last seen during the recession in 2009, a survey showed on Tuesday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ seasonally adjusted house price balance inched down to -23 from -22 in July, in line with the median forecast in a Reuters poll. [...]
A man’s shoes are as crucial as his suit September 12, 2011 THERE’S an old saying that if you want to know if a man’s well-dressed, look down. It’s absolutely true: good shoes make an outfit and bad ones stand out terribly, and that’s especially true of the City. So what should you be looking for in a good pair of English lace-ups? First, if you’re going [...]
OUT OF OFFICE September 12, 2011 DEGAS AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY The great French Impressionist artist (though he rejected the term) is the latest Master to receive a retrospective at the Royal Academy. Opening this weekend, the exhibition focuses on Degas’ most famous subject matter: ballet dancers. In pastels, drawings and paintings, Degas explored the capacity for movement and expression of the [...]
Minimalism meets France’s Ancien Regime this autumn September 12, 2011 1. Brows If your eyes are the windows to your soul, then your brows are the curtains. This season eyebrows are big and bold, which apart from lending a more masculine look, also defines your eyes. Blinc do a wonderful Brow Mousse that not only defines them and builds body, but holds their shape wherever [...]
Episode 27: What to wear for the awards dinner? September 12, 2011 HOW about this one?” asks Noel, hauling a capacious green item into view. It resembles a hefty tarpaulin from my boy scout days. Emma looks at me. I’m idly fingering a rail of backless, ivory silk dresses. “Well?” she asks. “Darling, I don’t know why you want to come. I mean, I’d love you to [...]
Get inspired by Bloomberg’s City relay race September 12, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT TTHIS Thursday, the fifth annual Bloomberg Square Mile Relay is happening. This race is a little bit unique in that you get to race against rival businesses, in relay, right on your doorstep. I love the combination of the competitive edge with the fitness bit with this event. And the fact [...]
Dukes: it’s no longer just for martinis September 12, 2011 Thirty Six Dukes Hotel, St James’s Place, SW1A 1NY 020 7491 4840 www.dukeshotel.com FOOD **** SERVICE ***** ATMOSPHERE ** Cost per person without wine: £60 DUKES Hotel, which lies in one of those impossibly cute courtyards off St James’s street, has for aeons been famous for one thing: martinis. Its bar, a cosy nest of [...]
THREE OTHER ST JAMES’S RESTAURANTS September 12, 2011 AVENUE A huge, bright place with tables as far as the eye can see – you can tell this used to be a Conran gaff. The Finnish chef does pretty decent things with classic, ultra-fresh British ingredients. 7-9 St James’s St, SW1A 1EE. www.avenue-restaurant.co.uk WHEELER’S OF ST JAMES’S A darkly sumptuous place with some rather [...]
The New Forest’s star keeps on rising with this new low-key gem September 11, 2011 THE New Forest is having something of a moment. Thanks to one of Britain’s most insightful hoteliers, in late 2009 it gained the glamorous five-star country house hotel and spa Lime Wood, which was bang on the money for today’s metropolitan weekenders; and now its sister hotel The Pig has opened this summer to much [...]
TRAVEL NOTES September 11, 2011 Snowy winter relaxation in the Pyrenees Classy Spanish boutique hotel specialist Hospes Hotels has launched a new winter package at its hotel in the mountains, Hospes Villa Paulita. An original 19th century art nauveau family mansion, it sits above the Pyrenees snowline on the shores of a beautiful lake, and is equipped with its own [...]