Indulge your inner vanity queen February 11, 2010 WHEN Claridges launched an ultraglamorous package last year that revolved around having a vintage Christian Dior dressing table in the room, alongside a “dressing table service” (a Frank Sinatra CD, a room service cocktail and more), it was official. Dressing tables are back. In our harried world, taking the time to sit before a mirror [...]
Firth shines in fashionable drama February 11, 2010 Film A SINGLE MAN Cert: 12A Fashion designer – and world’s most stylish dude – Tom Ford makes his directorial debut with A Single Man, and boy won’t he let you forget it. An adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel about a day in the life of a college professor named George who is grieving [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND February 11, 2010 FILM The wolfman Ropey remake of the Sixties classic, with Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Adventure flick for teenagers. pretty woman 25th anniversary re-release for the rom com that made Julia Roberts’s name. DVD The time traveler’s wife Weak adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s romantic tearjerker. The [...]
When quiet love and death collide with the noisy banalities of money February 10, 2010 THE OTHER FAMILY by JOANNA TROLLOPE Doubleday, £18.99 by Zoe Strimpel Trollope’s fifteenth novel starts from a rock-solid premise – that is, one guaranteed to stir something in most people’s bosoms. Richie Rossiter, a musician just a bit past his prime, suddenly dies. In London, he’s got three daughters with Chrissie, a beautiful blonde and [...]
OUT OF OFFICE February 10, 2010 VALENTINE’S AT PARAMOUNT CLUB Sitting on top of the Centre Point tower at Tottenham Court Road, the Paramount Club is one of London’s most glam private members’ clubs. This Saturday, however, it’s opening its doors to non-members – just for the afternoon, mind –?to allow couples to enjoy the view over a romantic Valentine’s lunch. [...]
What to cook your Valentine February 10, 2010 SHANE PEARSON, THE ARCH LONDON HOTEL “I will be focusing on simple, easy-to-make dishes – I want to spend more time with my partner enjoying their company than in the kitchen. Consider sharing food – for example cook a Chateaubriand. Consider food that looks great, and seems special with minimum effort such as a selection [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS February 10, 2010 LUXX CLUB TO OPEN London gets a swanky new club in the form of Luxx, from Luca Maggiora, the man behind celebrity-studded club Maddox. Designed by Italian architect Rossella Stina, Luxx’s interiors will be minimalist yet elegant, with a glass runway of light which will stretch through the front to the back of the club, [...]
Life coach February 9, 2010 I’m thinking of adding an extension to my house, but have never dealt with building contractors. Where do I start? Tom, 26, analyst. WHEN it comes to hiring reliable builders, the best thing you can do is get referrals from people you trust. But you’ll want options. Tiffany Walker of Ten Lifestyle Management (www.tenuk.com) recommends [...]
Out of office February 9, 2010 REALLY OLD, LIKE FORTY FIVE This new play by Tamsin Oglesby is an imaginative and rather moving look at the issue of old age. While Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art addresses ageing from a different angle in the National’s Lyttleton theatre next door, Oglesby takes a queasy look into a future in which people [...]
The lasting legacy of Toyota’s Prius problem will be more green cars February 9, 2010 WHAT do Salma Hayek, Prince Charles, Brad Pitt and Donny Osmond all have in common? The answer is that they are among the celebrities to have bought a Toyota Prius. Since it was unveiled in the late Nineties, the car has been the must-have status symbol for celebrities to prove their environmental credentials. This has, [...]