We go weak at the knees for the heavenly scent of Bruce Oldfield perfume, a divine fragrance from the great British couturier. Famed for dressing Princess Diana as well as a whole host of glamorous Hollywood types, Oldfield studied at Central St Martins and received an OBE for services to the fashion industry in 1990.
WIN ONE OF THREE BOTTLES
Bruce has kindly given us three bottles of his intoxicating elixir to give away, for your chance to win just leave a comment on this blog! Be sure to leave your email address and please note that this will not be made public. Entries close 6pm on Thursday 15th March.*
What’s more, Bruce also conceded to answering a few of our questions, enjoy!
You are renowned for creating beautiful wedding and eveningwear collections – what made you want to have your own fragrance too?
Creating my own fragrance has always been on my list of things to do and for some reason, I never got around to it. Then in 2010 I turned 60, the Bruce Oldfield label had its 35th birthday and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to mark the occasion and do something a little bit different. I think it turned out pretty well!
Can you describe the scent in 3 words?
Fresh. Opulent. Playful.
If we were to choose one fragrance from the Liberty Fragrance Hall, why should it be yours?
My scent is perfect for those looking to be whisked away from the day-to-day, taken to somewhere more exciting and luxurious. For me, it’s very evocative of the time I spent in the South of France in the 70’s with Charlotte Rampling, who was my muse at the time, and in a way still is. The fragrance conjures up scenes of blue skies and warm, decadent evenings in Cap d’Antibes – times of lavish glamour and endless fun. I’ve tried to recreate that feeling in my scent using a mixture of ingredients such as mimosa, ylang ylang, bergamot and the African rose. I find it offers something a little different, a unique, modern twist on the elements of tradition.
What kind of woman would wear the Bruce Oldfield fragrance?
CharlotteRampling, Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightly – these personify the type of woman I love to design for. They’re chic, feminine, playful and sexy whilst at the same time extremely sophisticated and intelligent. They keep the glamour alive in a world that’s so demanding and instantaneous. I love that. I envisage those characteristics in the women who wear my fragrance.
What fragrance do you wear yourself?
I wear Acqua di Parma because it’s fresh, light and clean. I don’t like fragrances that are too overpowering, you shouldn’t be able to smell someone coming before you can see them. Subtlety is key. Acqua Di Parma is subtle and so I’ve stuck with it for a long time.
Are there any plans to expand the range, or is 1 the magic number?
At the moment I’m concentrating on the couture side of the business so there aren’t any developments on the fragrance front as of yet. Hopefully sometime in the (not too distant!!) future I’ll be taken to some glorious far-flung corner of the world and it’ll inspire something new. You never know!
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HealGel is an advanced rescue formula to speed recovery and solve a wide range of skincare problems. It was launched by Heal Care Products in the mid noughties by five of the world’s leading plastic surgeons, and a renowned biochemist. They combined decades of research in skin anti-ageing, anti-oxidants, healing and the nanotechnology of delivery systems to bring a product to the public that actually works. Gill Sinclair interviewed Norman Waterhouse, one of the brains behind this revolutionary product:
There are many ‘doctor’ brands out there. What makes yours different?
Really, we simply wanted to ensure that our patients were taking the best possible care of their skin after treatment. Many of our patients divulged that they were using products that we knew to possess only placebo value. Looking at what was then available, we identified a need that was not being met; a single effective treatment for post operative skin. We spent three years refining the formula, to address all forms of compromised skin conditions. To begin with, it was used exclusively by our patients, but we became progressively aware that it was being applied for all kinds of complaints from blemishes for teenage skin to rosacea, which as you know is often difficult to treat.
How did you form your team?
As five friends and colleagues, we came together at an exciting time to make a difference in an industry. Because we love what we do, and were able to offer a combined industry perspective of over 70 years, we knew we could make a product that could stand out in an already crowded market. We have an unrivalled collective publishing history on a broad spectrum of key areas from free radicals to delivery systems, anti-oxidants, to specialist procedures such as complex wounds.
You describe yourselves as being five of the world’s leading plastic surgeons. Tell me a little more about your different fields of specialism.
I’d like to start with the late Martin Kelly, a great friend and colleague at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Professor Peter Butler currently heads the UK Facial Transplantation Research Team based at the Royal Free Hospital. Like Simon Withey, he specialises in complex wounds and has produced an extraordinary number of peer reviewed papers in this area. Patrick Mallucci works at an equally international level, teaching, advising, and practicing, and also acting as a spokesman for the profession in the media. As well as continuing to develop my work with Facing the World, I run a private clinic inHarley Street.
So what next?
It has been really encouraging seeing the response to HealGel. We love getting feedback from those that benefit from it, in a really surprisingly wide range of ways. It is great to think that it is as useful for a teenager with spots to a pensioner with dry, itchy skin. There have been some really touching accounts of patients with serious post-op issues, people that have been given immense relief from use of the gel. And of course, girls who just want firmer skin around their eyes for a special event. The anecdotes hale from Hollywood to Hampstead. If we’ve had a single criticism it has been that the jar is too small!
Last week rising star Lou Dalton presented her Autumn Winter 2012 menswear collection to a full-to-capacity audience at London Fashion Week. Lou took some time out from her hectic schedule to answer a few of our questions…
Tell us about your inspiration for AW12
There is a narrative with pretty much everything I do, and this season was no exception. As a child I spent a lot of my time growing up in and around my grandmother’s farm. During the 2nd World War an army base was built there, which became the foundation of the story: a young GI comes over from the states to serve his country, falls in love with a land girl and decides to go AWOL. This, along with a nod to the play “A taste of Honey” and the film “My own Private Idaho“, was the key inspiration behind the collection.
Do you have a favourite piece from the collection?
There are several: we continue our working relationship again this season with the fabulous Yorkshire mill Bulmer & Lumb. The cloth we used from these guys made up so beautifully and was very much in keeping with the aesthetic. In addition to this there is a Shetland tweed biker jacket that is something quite special.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Oooo there are lots: Macintosh, Gloverall, John Smedley, G-Shock & Liberty of course.
How do you think your tailoring apprenticeship has influenced your work?
Very much so, it’s important to understand construction to be able to articulate design thoroughly; working for Pardie Clothing all those years ago was very much the foundation of who I am today.
Are you excited for London Collections: Men in June?
Yes of course, it is a great incentive, I just hope we do not lose the dynamic that’s been created with the Men’s Day.
Which other designers have most inspired you?
Dries van Noten has been a constant; when I was a student he was relevant then and is still very much so now. Charlie Allen, Bespoke Tailor Designer – Charlie was my mentor whilst I was a student at the RCA. The determination & passion of this man is infectious, he’s such a champion of Menswear, one of the best.
Lou Dalton Spring Summer 2012 is available now on the lower ground floor.
In November we told you about our new Art & Design Print department on the fourth floor. This year the collection has continued to grow with the introduction of Emma Cowlam, a Chelsea Art School textile graduate whose work is both prize-winning and internationally exhibited.
“Emma is so talented, and her success is in not over complicating the work and sticking true to her design style. We’re thrilled to be stocking her work.” Michelle Alger, Buyer for Home, Liberty
As her gorgeous prints arrived in store, we caught up with Emma to find out more about her unique illustrative style…
How would you describe your work?
My work comprises of hand stitched and hand drawn illustrations, often figurative, on paper. Each illustration takes on a very strong and definite sense of its own identity. They are heavily inspired by my daily life and the images I see around me, becoming a visual record of my everyday.
How did your personal style evolve?
I graduated from Chelsea Art School in July 2009 having studied for a BA in Textile Design. I chose to study at Chelsea as not only did they offer a fantastic course in London but there was also the opportunity to complete a 5 month exchange placement at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan during the second year, which luckily I was successfully awarded a place on. Whilst in New York I was able to take various classes other than those related specifically to textile design, of which illustration was one. Having always been passionate about drawing and image, the foundation of all my design work, I was truly inspired by this class and spent my time whilst in New York concentrating on developing and refining my illustrative style. The tutor of my class was truly wonderful, continually encouraging me to create a beautiful and captivating image. She advised us to use mediums to draw with that we were not familiar with and were not traditionally thought of as drawing materials. With textiles being my background I obviously had lots of thread! I feel so fortunate that I am still in contact with her now and she continues to inspire me.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I get inspiration from all over the place. I might sit and draw in a café in my sketchbook or sometimes I see an image in a magazine and straight away I just have to draw it. I buy a lot of magazines and seem to spend my life tearing our pages of images which I keep to illustrate. I can’t define precisely what it is that makes me captivated by an image; it might be the clothing and its detailing or the context that the figure is in. I am very selective though and if I am not immediately drawn to an image I don’t select it. My favourite illustrations that I have done are where I have turned the page and my heart has done a little jump at how much I am inspired by the image. For me each image that I am drawn to conjures up a little story in my head – it’s almost as if I know all about them and their lives, when really they are just my imaginings.
Do you have a favourite print or one with a particular story behind it?
I have 2 ultimate favourites in my portfolio. One is ‘NY Bike Lovers’ and the other is ‘Saturday Morning Market’. I particularly like ‘NY Bike Lovers’ as it captures such a moment in both the image and reminds me so fondly of the hot summer I spent living in Manhattan in 2010. The image for the illustration was printed in a newspaper which was found abandoned on a subway train. The other illustration is ‘Saturday Morning Market’. It is of a girl who has an entire life in my imagination and one which I want to be living! She lives in a beautifully shabby London mews house located along a cobbled street lined with geraniums of clashing colours in terracotta pots and enjoys nothing more than pottering around London on gloriously sunny mornings.
What’s your favourite place in London?
My favourite places in London tend to be places that are very well known, many museums and galleries etc. I particularly like The Mall and St James’s Park with its rental deck chair system that is great on a summer afternoon and then to hide from the sun you can walk to the big bookshop in Trafalgar Square and browse the books for hours.
What do you love about Liberty?
I love everything about Liberty! I love the historic old building with its iconic Tudor stripes. I love the old staircases and wooden panelling which continually reminds me of the grandeur of my old boarding school. I love the range of homeware products that Liberty stock and I will one day buy for my very own mews house. I love the scarves, of which I one day hope to own many. And mostly I love the way that Liberty always feels so lovely and cosy on a cold winter day in London.
Where would you most love to see one of your pieces hanging?
In a house with a studio of my very own which of course would be the beautifully shabby London mews house of ‘Saturday Morning Market’!
Illustrator Rory Dobner produces exquisite and intricately detailed pen and ink artworks, which are available as framed originals or printed onto gifts such as his much loved alphabet tiles. We met Rory in his beautiful Hampstead studio to find out more about his inspiration for these incredible pieces, which varies from everyday objects to situations captured in his travel journals.
If you’re after something extra special and a little unusual for your Valentine, Rory will be in store to personalise his illustrations, tiles and scrolls:
FRIDAY 10th February
12pm – 3pm
4pm – 8pm
SATURDAY 11th February
12pm – 3pm
A limited number of customers will also be able to work with Rory to create a bespoke coat of arms and illustrations of their pets (time permitting).
If you can’t make it to store, you can also order one of his ‘Heart’ tiles online. Simply place your order online before 12pm tomorrow, tell us the message you’d like scribed on the back, and we’ll make sure your tile is delivered to your loved one in time for Valentine’s Day.
