Much has been made about the fall of Notting Hill.
Its “hip” status has been seriously affronted by the rise of Shoreditch, Hoxton, Dalton et al. In other words, the gritty, mean streets of East London. But some, including us and the newly opened Wolf & Badger, refuse to give up on the quaint neighborhood. Consider the shop Notting Hill’s own Dover Street Market, with an edit that’s as interesting as Rei Kawakubo’s, but different.
While the words “concept shop” are getting to be as annoying as “pop up,”‘ we’re okay with this one, which is an incubator of sorts. Talented and cash-strapped designers can rent a spot in the store for as little as £35 (about $55) a week, which buys them a black and white box to display their wares, and a Web site. The worries about retail space, marketing, sales and PR are left up to the duo behind the idea, Samir Ceric and Zoe Knight, who also mentor the designers.
Author
Elaïza Tucker
Posts by Elaïza Tucker
Officially, Mayumi Tamieko, 24, is in London for a language course.
Unofficially, she’s here as a self-described Dover Street Market (DSM) groupie. “I love everything that Rei Kawakubo does,” she says in halting English. “But you have to understand — Kawabuki-san is a legend in my country.”
And a legend in the Ol’ Blighty as well. Most retailers, especially in this climate, would shudder at the thought of closing their store for four days and losing out on those sales, but Kawakubo does so each year post-Boxing Day. It’s called Tachiagari “beginning” in Japanese, and Kawakubo takes that concept very seriously, completely clearing out the old and adding new, interesting designers to her world famous Dover Street Market. This week, the store re-opened with a refreshingly slick new look, and without a single sale rack of sad leftovers.
Erin Wasson already has a few slashes in her job title: model/designer/jewelry maker.
Now, you may have varying opinions about her abilities and/or creativity at the last two there. But soon, you’ll have something new to critique. In a completely unoriginal move, Ms. Wasson has said she’ll soon be trying her hand at acting.
Hey, maybe that’s good thing and she’s going to be the next Cameron Diaz or Halle Berry. Or maybe she’s going to do a movie like that horrible Cindy Crawford vehicle, Fair Game. We’ll have to just wait and see.
In the meantime, looks like she’ll also be hard at work on the jewelry front, creating a lower priced version of her goods.
Busy lady. Hopefully this will keep her mind off the Phi news.
Accessories designer Aleksandra Olenska’s CV makes our heads spin.
The London based stylist trained under the legendary Camille Bidault Waddington, and has since created accessories for designers like Peter Jensen and Roksanda Ilincic as well as bespoke pieces for Kylie Minogue, Heatherette and Bjork. She also styles for magazines like Vogue and Exit, teaches at Central St Martins and, in all her spare time, consults for Vanessa Bruno and Topshop.
Phew. We are tired just thinking of it.
We’re not, however, too tired to attend the class she’s teaching next Wednesday, December 2nd at Frame Dance Studios. What’s she teaching? How to create the perfect headpiece. For £20 Olenska will offer her DIY wisdom. They’ll provide materials: bands, beads, feathers, crystals and advice on how to choose the perfect colors which is perfect for those of us (most of us) lacking the budget for a whole new holiday outfit.
That £20 includes wine and gossip, naturally. Click through for details!
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