QUINTESSENTIALLY | Insider | Style

That’s right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. The Warhol Foundation has given permission for Dom Perignon to specially bottle a limited number of Andy Warhol labels and boxes. As you can see, they come in three vibrant colours: red, yellow and blue.

This is a significant moment as it’s the very first time that Dom Perignon has allowed an outside influence to alter their label. Not only are these bottles a work of art in themselves, they are housing the yet to be released 2002 vintage Dom Perignon!

Since the harvest 8 years ago, many Champagne houses have been singing praises about the near perfect vintage conditions and juice that beggars belief (albeit, there was a brief hot spell which affected some of the Chardonnay crop). So it was with very high expectations that I tried this new vintage and it most certainly delivered. This is a step up from the delicious 2000 and a leap on the 1999; it has the power of the 1996 and 1990, but also the finesse of the 1995.

Please note: the 2002 vintage has not been released as of yet so all these bottles are still at their cellars in Champagne. They will be available mid to late September, 2010.

“The 2002 Dom Perignon is at first intensely floral, with perfumed jasmine that dominates the bouquet. With time in the glass the wine gains richness as the flavors turn decidedly riper and almost tropical. Ripe apricots, passion fruit and peaches emerge from this flashy, opulent Dom Perignon. The wine’s volume makes it approachable today, but readers in search of more complexity will want to cellar this for at least a few years to allow for some of the baby fat to drop off. Geoffroy describes the vintage as very ripe and adds that some of the Chardonnay showed the ill-effects of the hot growing season in it the somewhat burned, dehydrated fruit that came in that year. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2009. To be released summer 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2032”

96 points, Antonio Galloni – Parker’s Wine Advocate

For further information, please contact ben@quintessentiallywine.com.

In an effort to counteract the inevitable, everyday exposure to toxins, chemicals and pollutants – the unfortunate consequence of living in a great urban metropolis like Hong Kong – I headed to emmanuel f. – Hong Kong’s first green hair salon and spa. They use exclusively natural and organic products in their pampering hair and body treatments, minimising your contact with any synthetic chemicals in the salon.

I tried out their lymphatic drainage massage and manicure, both carried out by the lovely and skilled Pam. The lymphatic drainage massage was a first – after ‘opening’ some key lymphatic drainage points on my body, Pam used light, fluttery motions to push the toxins away from my limbs. I wasn’t sure how effective this was going to be, until she massaged one leg and not the other and asked me to lift both; my right leg went shooting up, while my (untreated) left leg felt heavier. After going over my whole body, I felt truly refreshed and relaxed – and then it was time for my very thorough manicure, which used products free from parabens, formaldehydes and a host of other contaminants.

I was treated to a complimentary ‘flash’ make over using Couleur Caramel products; a service only available to Quintessentially Members who book a hair or beauty service. Made from 100% natural and plant-based active ingredients, and with no mineral oils, petroleum by-products or PEG, Couleur Caramel really is the line for those who worry about what they’re applying directly onto their skin.

Friends who’ve had cut and colours there have left with subtle highlights and classic styles that promise to grow out well, a sign of a great haircut and no need for a trim after just two weeks. Their emphasis on eco-friendliness isn’t just restricted to their products, the spa is decorated using recyclable and natural interior design materials to minimise its impact on the environment, making emmanuel f. the ideal place to enjoy a guilt-free respite from humid Hong Kong.

emmanuel f.
211-213, 2/F Nexxus Building,
41 Connaught Road Central
+852 2167 8280

http://www.emmanuelf.com/home/

Make sure you catch the private view of Deep and Meaningful by BFA Ruskin graduate Oliver Beer this Thursday.  Fusing film, photography, music and performance – Beer has an encompassing practice and excitingly original and articulate means of expression.

Since his selection as winner of Saatchi’s ’4 New Sensations’ 2009 exhibition, Beer has been living it up in Paris but has come back to the UK with an almighty and strikingly beautiful new body of work as part of his ongoing ‘Resonance Project.’ Quick breakdown for you: ‘The Resonance Project’ consists of films, sound pieces and performances that use the human voice to stimulate architectural spaces to reverberate at their resonant frequencies, transforming them into vast architectural instruments. Every room, every space, has its own particular frequency, ie. a room can approximate the synthy song of a finger tracing a wine glass rim.

This series has led Beer to work in extraordinary architectural and social contexts, from the transparent skyline-tunnels of the Pompidou Centre to the austerity of a Renaissance monastery; and most recently a Victorian sewer network in Brighton resulting in Deep and Meaningful. For which Beer, in Pied Piper style, led a group of chanting choristers beneath the sunny seaside town echoing their way through the ancient maze of tunnels. The result, both audio and visual, is extraordinary. Uber-collector Anita Zabludowicz has been prowling after him amongst others. See and listen for yourself what Oliver Beer is all about.

Location: Upstairs Galleries at 20 Hoxton Square

Date:  1st July

Time: 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm

Exhibition will last until 24th July

For more information check out www.murmurart.com

To festival or not to festival, that is the question…

Definition: ‘To festival’ – to spend at least three days of my life being completely embedded in mud, with blackened finger nails and using some seriously dubious bathroom facilities!

But does it have to be this way? Some hardened festival goers will tell you a resounding YES! It isn’t a festival without the ever present threats of rain, tent collapse and the inevitable bout of trench foot.

I however, say NO and although I will now probably be banned from Glastonbury for evermore, I truly believe it is possible to have a festival experience with a bit of added luxury.

So it was only a matter of time until we bright young things – clad in our Jimmy Choo Hunter Wellies and vintage Barbour jackets – demanded a type of festival more befitting our luxe status and need for urban comforts.

And so the boutique festival was born… If you thought Shoreditch House was exclusive, think again. This summers’ hottest festivals are strictly invite only, with locations so secret you won’t know where you are going until your ticket arrives! I’m placing my money on this year’s Winterwell festival, an event so intimate only 1500 guests will be arriving at the hush-hush Circenster location – so there is no danger of me losing my tent, friends or my mind!

But what can I expect from such a small and select gathering? Well, lets just say that three of last years bands have gone on to perform on the legendary Jools Holland Show.

And if my ears should tire from the onslaught of new music, why then I can simply retire to one of the vintage tea rooms for a refreshing cup of Rosie Lee, watch a saucy burlesque show or show these young musical upstarts how its done by indulging in a spot of ‘Rockeoke’ (Karaoke accompanied by a live rock band) – Debbie Harry eat your heart out! And when the sun goes down, I will retire to the Absolut Vodka tent for an ice cool martini, and watch an aurora of neon fall upon the midnight revelry.

With only one week to go until the party begins, make sure you secure your ticket so you to can ‘glamp’ it up at Winterwell…

www.winterwell.co.uk

As every fashionista knows; cupcakes, macaroons and cookies do not a Miranda Kerr doppelganger make. Thanks to the current heat wave, this thought has never been more prevalent in my mind as the sun forces my body out of its winter hibernation. My summer wardrobe is now a horrifying reality and this thought alone is enough to make me reach for the carrot sticks, leaving the delectable, Jason Wu belted mini dress mocking me on its hanger.

But what if I said that the Jason Wu mini dress was not made from (scarily) scanty silk, but was in fact fashioned from delicious poppy-seed dough, embellished with ruffled purple icing? Well, at The Berkeley this summer, you can find Jason Wu, Christopher Kane, YSL and Chanel all elegantly served up on a plate, thanks to their spring/summer inspired Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea.

This sugared sartorial indulgence has been created by head pastry chef Mourad Khiat, a trend-setter that drops in on London Fashion Week to inform on his delicate patisserie creations. His top selection for Spring/Summer 2010? The hat – which is why the current Prêt-à-Portea collection is representative of this “statement accessory”: one outfit finds Paul Smith orange, papaya and pink lavender bavarois smiling beneath a jaunty chocolate bowler hat.

Other trend-infused delights include the must-have clog biscuit, adorned with chocolate brown studs and white leather glaze, a Christopher Kane pink almond macaroon filled with white chocolate and elderflower ganache and the decadently dark Erdem chocolate cake, laced with passion fruit.

Prêt-à-Portea is served in The Caramel Room at The Berkeley from 1-6pm every day, and the über fashion-conscious can opt for a glass of couture Champagne with their treats. It all just confirms what we already know – you have to eat, sleep and breathe fashion. Just be careful not to end up with cake on your face – even if it is Chanel.

To find out more, please go to www.the-berkeley.co.uk/fashionista_tea.aspx.

Sun + Summer = Happy days in London Town. Time to relegate tights and trenches to the back of the wardrobe, reaching instead for delicious florals and petal-like chiffons.

Must be said that I’m always a bit heartbroken to see the loyal winter staple – my trusty leather jacket – back on its hanger; she who has sheltered me from bitter winter winds on Bond Street and warded off hypothermia as I stand shivering in my LBD outside the bar.

Worn to death and possibly too often – let’s be honest, my poor jacket is torturously abused – this single piece of clothing has stood the test of time and trend. It seems a shame to bid her adieu for the summer months ahead. Imagine my surprise at learning that the fabric du jour for Summer 2010 is none other than…

Leather?!

Before you recoil in horror at the thought of spending your days wrapped in a leather cat suit in 30 degree heat, allow me to shed some light on the situation:

This summer’s leathers are buttery soft, wafer thin, in a palate of muted mochas, etoupe and various shades of nude, and thankfully can be found in collections from our favourite designers: Alexander Wang, Phoebe Philo for Celine and Yves Saint Laurent.

The eternal question: How to sport this rather eccentric trend? A few suggestions: A leather skirt can take on a feminine edge when teamed with a delicate silk blouse; pair a leather tee shirt with roll-hem khaki shorts or your faithful Daisy Dukes! For the uber fashion-forward: opt for a leather shift dress, showcasing your tanned pins in a pair of killer Nicholas Kirkwoood’s or Burberry’s strappy summer wedges.

My thoughts: Leather is the new lace; feminine, smart and forever sexy. Not a hint of Hell’s Angel in sight.

Now there’s no excuse for an unkempt coif in the morning: Percy and Reed’s blow-dry breakfast service offers a ‘quickie’ fix which guarantees to have you groomed and fed, and out of the door – all within forty five minutes. The favourite salon of Sophie Dahl, it offes a classy but relaxed atmosphere, with chic design elements and kitsch effects, including coiffeur-butchered Barbie dolls peering out from behind shampoo bottles.

I’m met by a bonny girl called Lacy who I immediately fall in love with after she offers me a black coffee and an energising tea tree shampoo head massage. Very soon, her magic hands leave me feeling like an altogether different person from the dishevelled sloth who arrived on the doorstep less than twenty minutes before.

Whilst my considerably bountiful mane is tamed into shiny tresses, I’m brought the porridge I ordered from the breakfast menu of the delicatessen across the road, Villandry, which offers a range of pastries, hot drinks and other indulgent breakfasty treats. It’s normally a diet coke on the way into work but to hell with it – this is what pampering is all about.

I cannot praise the service enough-for putting a spring in my locks, as well as my step.

Prices for the breakfast blow dry start at GBP 25, and the salon uses Shu Uermura and Bumble and Bumble products, with Kérastase set to come in at the end of the month.

For more information, visit http://www.percyandreed.com.

It was with mild trepidation that I made my way to Bliss Spa in Chelsea to undergo a lash treatment where I was promised fluttering lashes that no man could resist. These would be glued to each of my individual lashes, banishing the need for falsies, or even the compulsory lick of morning mascara. My primary fear was that I’d come out looking a cross between a llama and a Las Vegas show girl. Voicing my concerns to my beauty ‘therapist’, she assured me that these would look both natural and striking, offering me a range of lengths and colours.

Prior to making my way downstairs for my lashoptomy, I caught a glimpse of women in reclining chairs, with pedicurists fervently scrubbing away as clients relaxed in front of screens showing Sex and the City. This is taking luxury to new heights, I thought.

I’d been told that the procedure would take an hour and a half, hence my secondary cause for concern. As a compulsive fidgeter, the prospect of one and a half hours of daylight spent lying prostrate leaves me itchy-footed, to say the least.Yet as I lay back on my cushy towelling bed, gently heated for optimum relaxation, with the dulcet tones of Ray Lamontagne and Otis Redding serenading me (a welcome break from the new age whale calls so prominent in salons these days) my angst dissolved as I drifted into a light doze.

I was gently awoken to the reassuring words ‘all done.’

The moment of truth. Would I look like a street-walking alpaca? To my delight – the result was as promised – striking but natural. The men haven’t exactly been falling at my feet, but no sooner was I back in the office then several of my more astute colleagues noticed my screen goddess lashes.

If you do book a treatment, I would recommend taking the rest of the afternoon off. The procedures don’t run overtime, but it’s well worth indulging in the spas relaxation room, well stocked with cheese and biscuits for a little light sustenance.

Semi-permanent false lashes cost £150 and last for 2 weeks.

For more information, visit http://www.blisslondon.co.uk/

Jean Cocteau once said that art produced ugly things that became more beautiful with time and that fashion became more ugly.

Gresham Blake launched his bespoke menswear and clothing company in 2000. Re-imagining Cocteau’s dictum for the 21st century, Blake aimed to devise a sartorial solution for people who could take centre stage in the cocktail party, important business pitch or boardroom.

Specialising in Savile Row inspired tailoring with a rock star twist, Gresham Blake epitomises classic British tailoring with a playful, subversive edge. Blake officially opened his tailoring outfit and store in 2000, rapidly earning himself a cult following from the cognoscenti by re-positioning stereotypes of ‘Britishness’ .

Blake’s bespoke, made to measure and ready to wear suits and product range hold universal appeal and somehow he unifies the white-collar plutocrat with the stylish anarchist. Combining floral designs or witty linings with quality tailoring, the suit itself may be sober and cut to perfection but carries a dandyish element. With bright patterns or other quirky embellishments, such as a gold or silver button on the sleeves, Blake delivers conformity and eccentricity.

Oscar Wilde once remarked that fashion was a form of ugliness so intolerable that it needed to be altered every six months. Blake’s tailoring disproves this theory. Despite the typical brand embellishments found in Blake’s ready to wear collection, he will dispense with some of the edgier details if the client wants a more understated option. “Tailoring is a personal business,” he says. “You have to psychologically weigh up the customer and listen to them, rather than tell them what they want. We don’t instill a house style.”

To paraphrase Giorgio Armani, the difference between style and fashion is quality. Blake’s loyal following includes Jimmy Page, Norman Cook,Nick Cave, Tracey Emin, Steve Coogan and Christian Slater. Edgier and more in tune with the spirit of the times that some of the more traditional English tailors, Gresham Blake bends the conventions while paying the greatest respect to the craft.

Email customerservices@greshamblake.com for more information, or call + 44 (0)1273 609 587. www.greshamblake.com

Just because our Easter Eggs are decorated with florals doesn’t mean you have to be. The hottest trend from the Spring/Summer catwalk collections is military chic. Pale hues of khaki and skin tones made various appearances on the catwalks of Balmain, Stella McCartney and Celine emphasising power heels twinned with military-style shorts, and layered neutral colours. The parka jacket is also making a comeback and but is a far more stylish affair than the hooded grunge look of the 80s.

Silk and satin parkas with ribbon detail are popping up everywhere and are the perfect accessory for that uncertain Winter/Spring crossover when the weather plays havoc with the best laid of style plans. Neutral shades and straight cuts are perfect for an understated but smart look, and just think – the lesser the detail on the clothes, the greater the opportunity for statement shoes!

Boots by Guiseppe Zanotti pictured above.

Contact Quintessentially Gifts for all your purchasing needs at www.quintessentiallygifts.com