Immodesty Blaize on the real burlesque - Mayfair Times

SHOWING THE WAY
<strong>Immodesty</strong> <strong>Blaize</strong>
on the real burlesque
JOHN CLEESE
Art and alimony
BLITZ ON MAYFAIR
War in the West End
£3
November 10

Contents
20
15
Mayfair Times
Mayfair’s house magazine
now in its 23rd year
www.mayfairtimes.co.uk
www.mayfairpa.com
30
22 Cover story
International showgirl <strong>Immodesty</strong>
<strong>Blaize</strong> on her love of burlesque
25 Blitz spirit
A new website reveals the damage
suffered by Mayfair during the Blitz
6 News
Horses on Regent Street, Playboy
Bunnies on Park Lane and a tiger
at Bonhams
12 Events
Get in the pre-Christmas spirit with
ice skating and decoration-making
15 Theatre
Glee star Jonathan Groff survives
Deathtrap in the West End
20 Art
Sir Peter Blake pays homage to
his favourite artists
30 Food
Get full of beans at Ristorante
Semplice’s Festa del Fagiolo
36 Fashion
The London boutiques that defined
the 1960s and 1970s
26 The art of good
humour
John Cleese sells his art, hits the
road – and keeps his spirits up
38 Health & Beauty
The safe way to exercise during
and after pregnancy
40 Mayfair PA
All the best features and offers
from mayfairpa.com
43 Business
Dealmaker-for-hire Clive Rich on
the art of negotiation
70 Property
Why Chinese buyers mean
business in Mayfair
72 Interiors
A feng shui makeover could bring
harmony to your home
78 Meanderings
Erik Brown follows the flock to
Savile Row
38
26
Editor Selma Day
T 020 7259 1052
E selma@pubbiz.com
Art Sophie Bishop
Business Erik Brown
Events Lucy Brown
Fashion, Food & drink,
Health & beauty Selma Day
Theatre, Property, Interiors Nuala Calvi
Sub-editor Nuala Calvi
Designer Andy Lowe
Publisher & editorial director Erik Brown
T 020 7259 1053
E erik.brown@pubbiz.com
Publishing director Adrian Day
Advertisement director
Sam Bradshaw T 020 7259 1051
Advertisement manager
Katie Thomas T 020 7259 1059
Printed in England by
Precision Colour Printing.
© Publishing Business Ltd 2010
Mayfair Times is produced by Publishing
Business in partnership with Grosvenor
Publishing Business Blandel Bridge House
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T 020 7259 1050 F 020 7901 9042
Publishing Business is a member of
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and observes the PPA Code of
Publishing Practice
5

6
news
Mount Street’s
road to success
THOSE FINDING the public-realm improvement
works along Mount Street frustrating and wondering
when they might end (we’re told the end of this year)
should take heart from the recent transformation of
Elizabeth Street in Belgravia.
The Duke of Westminster officially unveiled the
new-look street to around 700 guests, including
retailers and residents, at a party to thank them for
their patience and support during the improvements.
Peter Vernon, chief executive of Grosvenor, told
Mayfair Times: “We are delighted with the end result
in Elizabeth Street, which has really transformed the
retail and pedestrian environment.
“We hope that the results in Mount Street will be
equally transformational and we are working very
hard to achieve completion by the end of the year.
“I realise how disruptive the work has been but I
am confident that the results, which will endure for a
very long time, will make the effort and disturbance
very worthwhile for this beautiful Mayfair street.”
Club in store
AUSTIN REED has launched a private members’ club
at its Regent Street store. Called the Q Club, it offers
contemporary style in a relaxed environment
complete with sofas and bar, Sky Sports on highdefinition
TVs, wireless internet and a concierge.
The service also provides membership to
Q Bespoke, Austin Reed’s new made-to-measure
service; Q Hirewear, a formal hire service; and
Q Corporate, the brand’s corporate arm.
The club is open during normal store hours, with
the exception of special evening events such as wine
tastings and speakers’ evenings. Membership is
£275 per annum and by invitation or referral only.
A month
in Mayfair
BROWNS FOCUS
launched a Pamela Love
pop-up store during
London Fashion Week,
featuring a selection of the
jewellery designer’s pieces
including one-off vintage
items. Pictured from left
are: Pamela Love, Joan
Burstein and Alexa Chung.
THE FACES OF Q CLUB
AT THE LAUNCH PARTY:
FROM LEFT: ALASTAIR
COOK, LEWIS MOODY,
ANDREW STRAUSS AND
COURTNEY LAWES
Bunnies bounce back
LONDON CLUBS International Limited
(LCI) has announced that the legendary
Playboy Club is coming back to Mayfair,
complete with Playboy Bunnies. Set to
open in the first half of 2011, the new
gaming and entertainment venue will
feature a restaurant, cocktail bar,
members’ lounge, table games and
high-limit salon privé gaming rooms.
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner said:
“When we first opened the Playboy Club
Hot-to-trot fashion
THE EARL AND Countess
Cadogan (pictured) were guests
at the launch of the book Say
Hello To Sally For Me at the
Athenaeum hotel in Piccadilly.
Written by Lynda Berry, it is an
account of the life and
adventures of the late Sally
Bulloch, executive manager of
the hotel for 26 years.
in London, it was one of my favourite
times for the brand. With Playboy more
popular than ever, I look forward to our
return to London and again sharing the
notions celebrated in the magazine, the
concept of good food and drink, pretty
girls and exciting entertainment.”
The original Playboy Club opened in
1966 at 45 Park Lane, attracting the
likes of Sean Connery, Michael Caine,
John Cleese and Roger Moore.
THIS YEAR’S Regent Street Festival – A Mile of Style
was dedicated to fashion and lifestyle. A fashion
catwalk installed in the middle of the street featured
models wearing the latest collections from Regent
Street brands, while Ascot Park Polo Club set up a polo
arena. Visitors also enjoyed in-store activities, live music
and fashion-inspired menus in Heddon Street and
Swallow Street.
THE PICCADILLY ARCADE
held a birthday bash to
celebrate 100 years of
business. Hendrix Gin served
guests and shop owners a
specially created Piccadilly
Centenary Punch. Pictured is
English shoemaker Jeffery
West, pouring his wife a cup
of the punch.
Connaught has a
change of head
More of Keeler on show
THE MAYOR GALLERY presents
Christine Keeler – My life in Pictures
from November 3–December 17, a
17-year-long project assembled by
art dealer James Birch.
The collection includes images of
Keeler never before seen by the pubic,
contact sheets from photo shoots and
letters written by her during her ninemonth
stay in Holloway prison.
The exhibition reveals two aspects
of Keeler: the showgirl bravado with
MAYBOURNE HOTEL GROUP has
announced that Nathalie Seiler-Hayez is the
new general manager of the Connaught
hotel in Carlos Place.
Formerly general manager of the
Regent Grand Hotel in Bordeaux, France,
Seiler-Hayez’s previous experience includes
extensive work in Paris and New York for
companies such as Rosewood Hotels and
Resorts, Concorde and Regent.
She replaces Anthony Lee who, after 31
years at the hotel, left earlier this year and
was appointed general manager of The
May Fair hotel in Stratton Street in
September.
which she is most commonly
associated, and a more serious and
vulnerable side unknown to the public.
It also displays works by 1960s
artists Jean-Jaques Lebel and Bob
Stanley, who created collages inspired
by Keeler’s public life, and two portraits
by Stephen Ward, the man responsible
for introducing Keeler to her former
lovers John Profumo, a British war
minister, and Yevgeni Ivanov, a Soviet
naval attaché.
Cole makes Promise
CHERYL COLE recently unveiled her new Promise
ring, co-designed for New Bond Street jeweller De
Grisogono with its founder Fawaz Gruosi.
Guests who attended the party at Nobu Park
Lane included Arun Nayar, Louis Walsh, Sir Philip
Green, Tyrone Wood and Florence Welch.
The ring is designed to be worn on the little
finger and features rose gold and blackened silver,
delicately cut to spell the word promise.
Rob Ryan
cuts it
TAG Fine Arts is presenting a
major exhibition of new
papercuts and screen-prints by
artist Rob Ryan at The Air
Gallery in Dover Street from
November 1-20.
To coincide with the
exhibition Rob Ryan – The Stars
Shine All Day Too, Ryan’s
papercuts are also illustrating
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy’s
new book The Gift.
His work is also the focus of
a Lulu Guinness fan bag to be
launched at the exhibition, while
Brown’s Hotel in Albemarle
Street is offering a series of
exclusive Rob Ryan promotions
LUXURY MOBILE PHONE company Vertu
unveiled its first smartphone, Constellation
Quest, at a stylish party at Lancaster
House in St James’s. Guests, including
Kevin Spacey (pictured with Vertu brand
ambassador Seal), Nick Candy, Ben Fogle,
Tom Parker Bowles and Olivia Inge,
enjoyed cocktails by The Connaught Bar’s
Erik Lorincz, who was recently named
Best Bartender in the World.
from November 1-20.
They include special arts
cocktails, an accommodation
package and a range of Rob
Ryan gifts.
7

86
8
news
Pop up and see the art
HOUSE OF VOLTAIRE pops up between November 11
and December 4 at Upstairs At Rupert Sanderson, the
new studio space above the Bruton Place shoe shop.
Conceived by south London contemporary arts space
Studio Voltaire, the fundraising initiative offers the
opportunity to produce and sell one-of-a-kind artworks,
fashion and novelties. Visitors will be able to buy works
from emerging artists, along with homeware, clothing and
accessories, ranging in price from £10 to £10,000.
Highlights include a collaboration between artist Linder
and fashion designer Richard Nicoll, London-themed
sculptures by Phyllida Barlow, a series of unique drawings
by Pablo Bronstein and T-shirts by Mark Leckey.
Throughout the month familiar faces from the arts and
fashion worlds will be fronting and staffing the shop, with
various ad hoc events taking place.
Michelin party stars chefs
DEREK BULMER, former editor of Michelin
Guides for the UK and Ireland, hosted a party at
Brown’s Hotel in Albemarle Street to announce his
retirement.
Guests at the party included chefs Heston
Blumenthal, Tom Aikens, Marcus Wareing, Alain
Roux, Gary Rhodes, Michel Roux Senior and
Pierre Koffmann, as well as restaurateurs Marlon
Abela, Russell Norman and Will Smith.
After 30 years with Michelin, Bulmer is to act
as consultant to MyJam Communications.
FROM LEFT: PHIL HOWARD, HESTON BLUMENTHAL,
MARCUS WAREING, DEREK BULMER, PIERRE
KOFFMANN, GARY RHODES, ATUL KOCHHAR, TOM
KITCHIN AND SRIRAM AYLUR PHOTO: GAVIN BOND
Emin’s on the shelf
LOUIS VUITTON is presenting The Curated Shelf by
British artist Tracey Emin until November 30. This is
the second in a series of artist-curated temporary
exhibits inaugurated in May at the opening of the new
Louis Vuitton Bond Street Maison, with Marc Quinn’s
selection of 15 books.
The Curated Shelf allows the customer to engage
with the mind of the artist through understanding the
background and thought process behind their work.
The artist is invited to fill the shelf with books that
have contributed to their work, their thinking or their
persona. These may be books by the artist, but
could also be books they loved in their childhood,
eccentric choices that have influenced them or works
that have provided inspiration.
Emin’s selection includes Wuthering Heights by
Emily Bronte, Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman
Capote, My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca by Daphne
de Maurier, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert,
Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov and her
own autobiography, Strangeland.
ABOVE: THE CURATED SHELF BY TRACEY EMIN. LOUIS
VUITTON MAISON, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON
© LOUIS VUITTON PHOTO: JAMIE MCGREGOR SMITH
Oxford Street
sparkles
JEWELLERY BRAND Swarovski held a
party to celebrate the opening of its new
flagship store on Oxford Street, with DJ
sets by Coco Sumner and Sophie Ellis-
Bextor. Guests included TV personality
Mary Portas, pictured (far left) with Nadja
Swarovski (centre) and Swarovski creative
director Nathalie Colin. The store has been
designed using the brand’s Crystal Forest
design, originally created by designer
Tokujin Yoshioka.
Rough
sleeping
BUILDING ON the success of its
£1 per table restaurant
campaign for the homeless, the
team behind restaurant charity
StreetSmart has announced the
launch of new charitable
initiative SleepSmart.
The scheme runs alongside
StreetSmart during November
and December, with guests in
participating hotels asked to
add a voluntary £1 on their final
hotel bill for charities that help
the homeless.
Hotels signed up so far
include The Stafford and Dukes
in St James’s, Brown’s Hotel in
Albemarle Street and Sanctum
Soho in Warwick Street.

86
10
8
news
Eyes on the tiger
at Bonhams
TO COINCIDE with Bonhams’ Indian and Islamic
sale, trustees of the charity Jaisalmer in
Jeopardy hosted a fundraising event at
Bonhams’ New Bond Street saleroom.
Following a champagne reception and private
view of the Indian and Islamic sale lots, former
UN deputy secretary general and Indian MP Dr
Shashi Tharoor and film-maker Waris Hussein
talked about India’s contribution to art and
cinema. Guest of honour was Indian
contemporary artist MF Husain.
The highlight of the sale was a gold and
gem-encrusted tiger head, the Tiger of Mysore
from the throne of Tipu Sultan, which fetched
£434,400.
FROM LEFT: ANWAR SIDDIQI AND MEHRA DALTON
(JAISALMER IN JEOPARDY TRUSTEES), MF
HUSAIN, SHASHI THAROOR AND WARIS HUSSEIN
News in brief
THIS IRON DRAGON (right)
is the highlight of a
Japanese fine-art sale taking
place on November 11 at
Bonhams in New Bond Street.
The dragon is a stunning
example of jizai okimono –
naturalistic, fully articulated iron
animal figures, whose bodies and
limbs can be moved to
replicate their real-life
counterparts. The 133cm
creature is estimated to sell
for £120,000-£130,000.
THE ANGLO-BRAZILIAN
Society, based in Green Street, is
organising a black-tie/fancy dress
Christmas carnival ball on
December 3 at the Hurlingham
Club. Proceeds raised will be
donated to charities in Brazil.
Tickets are £145 per person
including reception, dinner and
dance. For further information, visit
www.anglobraziliansociety.org.
CAT DEELEY is pictured (top) with
Mayfair-based fashion designer
Matthew Williamson at a cocktail
party to launch the autumn/winter
campaign for Links of London.
Guests at the event, held at The
Club At The Ivy, included Mayfair
shoe designer Rupert Sanderson
and Tyrone Wood, who runs the
Scream Gallery in Bruton Street.
LUCIA VAN DER POST, author
and style commentator, will be
Liberty’s sew good
THE HABERDASHERY and fabrics department at
Liberty in Great Marlborough Street has nearly
doubled in size. There is now an even greater
selection of fabrics, including the iconic Tana lawns,
Varuna wools, silks and cottons in both prints and
plain colours, as well as a collection of printed fabrics
from shoe designer Manolo Blahnik.
The revamped department will also host a series
of sewing classes over the autumn aimed at all
abilities. They range from introduction, patchwork,
learn-to-sew and millinery Christmas classes to
making a Christmas stocking. Call 020 7734 1234.
PHOTO: RICHARD CANNON
hosting the next Literati event at
The Grosvenor House Book
Club on Thursday December 2.
She presents Celebrate: The Art
of the Special Occasion – an
opportunity to gain first-
Arty party
THE GREAT and the good from the art
world descended on Mayfair in October
for what has become known as Frieze
Week.
Top parties included Blain Southern’s
low-key launch on Dering Street, Hauser
& Wirth’s opening on Savile Row (which
attracted almost 5,000 people) and
Berkeley Square’s Pavilion of Art and
Design, where VIP guests included Frank
Cohen, Dasha Zhukova, Larry Gagosian
and Simon de Pury.
The week ended with Art Review’s
party at Almada, where American gallerist
Larry Gagosian was crowned the most
powerful figure in the art world in this
year’s Power 100 list.
FROM LEFT: SHALA MONROQUE, LARRY
GAGOSIAN AND DASHA ZHUKOVA AT THE
PAVILION OF ART AND DESIGN PREVIEW
© DESMOND O’NEILL FEATURES
hand tips on how to create fun,
stylish and memorable occasions
to suit all budgets. The event kicks
off at 6.30pm with cocktails and
canapés inspired by the book.
Tickets cost £20, including a
copy of the book, welcome
drinks and canapés. For
further information, visit
www.grosvenorhosueliterati.co.uk.
TO COINCIDE with the Royal
Academy of Arts’ Treasures from
Budapest: European Masterpieces
from Leonardo to Schiele
exhibition, The Dorchester is
offering a Discover London,
Discover The Dorchester package
including an overnight stay for
two, and two tickets to the
exhibition. From £305 per night, it
is valid until December 12. To
book, call 020 7319 7147.
NEWS: Selma Day
selma@pubbiz.com

12
what’s on music what’s on events
what’s on film
SATURDAY 6
Jason Atherton:
Master Chocolatier
Ground floor, Fortnum & Mason,
181 Piccadilly, W1. 11am-4pm.
Visit Fortnum & Mason’s Food
Hall to taste Michelin-starred chef
Jason Atherton’s new range of
chocolates, with ingredients
inspired by his travels.
Info: 0845 300 1707.
www.fortnumandmason.com
Live a Little Vintage
Dukes, St James’s Place, SW1.
2-6pm, £95 including pink
champagne and canapés,
afternoon tea and a vintagefashion
masterclass.
Ooh la La! Vintage’s fashion
expert Tara Munro and Madame
Tra La La’s vintage tailor Alice
Prier lead a masterclass on
vintage glamour, including a talk
on fashion over the decades and
the chance to try on clothing from
a bespoke private boutique.
Info: 020 7491 4840.
www.dukeshotel.com
SATURDAY 6
Mysterious Creatures:
Family Day
Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street,
W1. 10.30am, adults £10,
children £8. For ages five-plus.
Explore Roald Dahl’s story The
Toad and the Snail, draw the
creatures you meet and create
music to enhance their special
powers. Share your ideas on
stage at the end of the day. Led
by Kate Newell.
Info: 020 7935 2141.
www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
THURSDAY 11
Composer-in-Residence
season: House Music
Handel House Museum, 25 Brook
Street, W1. 6.30pm.
SATURDAY 13
Peeping Tom 50th
anniversary: In conversation
with Martin Scorsese, Thelma
Schoonmaker and Columba
Powell
Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury
Avenue, W1. 5.20pm, contact the
venue for ticket details.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary
of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom,
Curzon Cinemas is holding a
special screening of the film. It will
be followed by film-maker Martin
Scorsese, acclaimed editor Thelma
Schoonmaker (who was married to
Powell until his death in 1990 and
has worked with Scorsese ever
since Raging Bull) and Powell’s
son, Columba, in conversation. The
event is hosted by Francine Stock,
presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The
SATURDAY 20
Cheese and wine masterclass
St James’s Hotel and Club, 7-8 Park Place, SW1. 12pm-3pm,
lunch approximately 1pm, £75 including glass of champagne, a
wine degustation, three-course lunch including matching wines
and a goodie bag with a Paxton and Whitfield cheese sample to
take home.
Jermyn Street cheesemongers Paxton and Whitfield and the
St James’s Hotel and Club team up for a masterclass, with
executive chef William Drabble presenting a three-course menu
incorporating cheeses. The dessert showcases a selection of
four British cheeses paired with matching wines.
Info: 020 7316 1616.
www.stjameshotelandclub.com
PEEPING TOM
Walk around the rooms in Handel
House to experience different
performance spaces. Music
ranges from period to
contemporary electro-acoustic
works, with new pieces by Sound
and Music-shortlisted composers,
performed by ensemble-inresidence
Spirituoso.
Info: 020 7495 1685.
www.handelhouse.org
SUNDAY 14
Alfred Brendel Lecture:
Does Classical Music have
to be Entirely Serious?
Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street,
W1. 3pm, tickets £15.
Pianist Alfred Brendel has retired
from performing concerts, but
returns to give lectures for
Wigmore Hall’s 110 anniversary
season. He shares his thoughts in
both words and music.
Info: 020 7935 2141.
www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
THURSDAY 18
Composer-in-Residence
season: juice
Handel House Museum, 25 Brook
Street, W1. 6.30pm.
Experimental a cappella trio Juice
perform music which explores the
range of the human voice,
including the premiere of a new
work by composer-in-residence
Duncan MacLeod, commissioned
by Handel House.
Info: 020 7495 1685.
www.juicevocalensemble.net
www.handelhouse.org
WEDNESDAY 17
Edible Christmas
wreath classes
John Lewis, 300 Oxford Street,
W1.10-11am, also runs
November 18.
Learn how to make festive
wreaths with a tasty twist.
Info: 020 7629 7711.
www.johnlewis.com
FRIDAY 19
Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park. Open 4-10pm, then
open daily 10am-10pm (except
Christmas Day) until January 4.
Free entry, but the ice rink, circus
shows and observation wheel
require tickets, which can be
booked in advance.
Rides require tokens, bought on
the day. See website for details
and prices.
Attractions include Zippos Circus,
Cirque D’Hiver, Angel’s Christmas
Market, Santa Land, London’s
biggest outdoor ice rink and a
giant observation wheel.
Info: 0871 620 7064.
hydeparkwinterwonderland.com
THURSDAY 25
Blake
St James’s Church, 197
Piccadilly, W1. 7.30pm, doors
6.45pm, unreserved £27.50
centre and £25 side.
Classical boyband Blake, with
the Southern Sinfonia.
Info: 08444 771000.
www.ticketweb.co.uk
www.blakeofficial.com
SUNDAY 27
A Ceremony of Carols
St James’s Church, 197
Piccadilly, W1. 7.30pm, tickets
£15, concessions £12, under-19s
free. Tickets available on the door.
The Amici Chamber Choir, with
guest conductor Hilary Campbell,
baritone Charles Pott, organist
TUESDAY 23
Tiffany & Co presents
Skate at Somerset House
Somerset House, Strand, WC2.
Runs until January 23.
Daytime sessions (10am-
4.15pm): adults £10.50, children
(12 or under) £7.50, family ticket
£30 (one adult and three children
or two adults and two children).
Evening sessions (5.30-10.30pm):
adults £13, children £8.50, family
ticket £36. DJ nights on
November 26 and 27 (£15).
Breakfast with Tiffany morning,
November 27, 8.45-9.45am: free
entry for one child with every
adult – everyone gets a Tiffany
cupcake and a free hot chocolate
or glass of champagne. Breakfast
with Tiffany ticket-holders can
enjoy 20 per cent off the brunch
menu at Tom’s Kitchen at
Somerset House, plus the
opportunity to learn how to ice the
perfect Tiffany cupcakes. On
November 27, chef Tom Aikens
will be there in person to pass on
his culinary expertise.
Info: 0844 847 1520.
www.somersethouse.org.uk
Simon Hogan and harpist Melanie
Jones, perform works including
Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols
and Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia
on Christmas Carols.
Info: 020 8861 1590.
www.st-james-piccadilly.org
TUESDAY 30
Apollo’s Fire: The Cleveland
Baroque Orchestra
Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street,
W1. 7.30pm, tickets £24, £22,
£16, £12.
Concert exploring myths of love
and betrayal, including Purcell’s
Dido’s Lament from Dido and
Aeneas and Rameau’s Phèdre’s
Aria from Hippolite et Aricie.
Info: 020 7935 2141.
www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
Film Programme.
Info: 0871 703 3988.
www.curzoncinemas.com
MONDAY 29
Double Bill: The Goonies and
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the
Lost Ark
The Prince Charles Cinema,
7 Leicester Place, WC2. 6.30pm
The Goonies, 8.55pm Raiders of
the Lost Ark, double-bill tickets
£12 non-members, £7 members,
single tickets £6.50 non-members,
£4 members.
Double bill of the 1980s favourites.
Info: 020 7494 3654.
www.princecharlescinema.com
EVENTS: Lucy Brown
lucy.brown@pubbiz.com

SIMON RUSSELL BEALE AND
JONATHAN GROFF IN DEATHTRAP
THEATRE: Nuala Calvi
nuala@pubbiz.com
Before he makes it to stage door, Jonathan Groff has to deal
with a gaggle of excited teenage girls who have been anxiously
awaiting his arrival at the Noël Coward Theatre and squeal
delightedly as he poses for pictures with his arm around them.
Inside, he admits, await “two giant stacks” of fan mail that
have collected since the previews started a few days ago for
Deathtrap, the Ira Levin play in which he is appearing. This 25year-old
American may be sharing a billing with Simon Russell
Beale, but to his devoted fans, he is clearly the star attraction.
The adoration largely owes to his recent part in the US TV
phenomenon Glee – the story of a high-school show choir,
complete with energetic music-and-dance numbers, that has
pulled America and in turn Britain by the heartstrings and
spawned an army of obsessive followers. Even for the
programme’s villain – the rival choir leader Jesse St James, whom
Groff plays – the so-called Gleeks take their duties very seriously.
“When I got here I found I was pretty consistently stopped
every time I walked down the street,” says Groff. “They’re great,
they’re really respectful, really nice – they give me gifts. I’ve
gotten balloons, cupcakes, T-shirts, stuffed animals, cards...”
What really galvanised the Gleeks, however, was Jesse St
James’s relationship with the show’s leading lady, Rachel. “I was
at stage door the other night and this girl said to me, ‘I have to
know – does Jessie really love Rachel?’ I said, ‘I think he does.’
She was like, ‘Oh thank God – because I could never tell.’”
The recognition that involvement in such a cult hit brings is
undeniable – Groff now has two movies under his belt, Taking
A role to
die for
JONATHAN GROFF, STAR OF HIT US TV
SHOW GLEE, ALWAYS DREAMED OF
APPEARING IN THE WEST END. NOW,
AS THE VICTIM OF SIMON RUSSELL
BEALE’S MURDEROUS WRITER IN THE
THRILLER DEATHTRAP, HIS WISH HAS
COME TRUE. BUT CAN HE SURVIVE
THE HOARDS OF ‘GLEEKS’ OUTSIDE?
Woodstock and the forthcoming The Conspirator – but top of his
wish list was to come here, to the West End.
“Doing a play in the West End is one of those dreams you put
on a pedestal and think, ‘Well, that will never actually come true,’
so this is a really exciting thing for me,” he explains, looking every
inch the all-American kid in his baseball cap, tucking into burger
and fries. “I grew up watching Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and
Broomsticks, so London has a very romantic meaning to me.”
Groff’s choice of play is perhaps a surprising one – a revival of
a 1970’s comedy thriller about an ageing playwright running out
of hits, who toys with the idea of bumping off his aspiring writing
student to steal his play. But the director is Matthew Warchus –
who successfully made the dated farce Boeing-Boeing cool again
– and then, of course, there’s Russell Beale.
When he learned he had secured the part, the first thing Groff
did was get on a plane to see his prospective co-star’s
performance in London Assurance at the National Theatre – and
15
theatre

16
theatre
play the adoring fan himself. “I was totally blown away,” he
gushes. “Afterwards, he gave me a tour of the theatre and we
hung out in his dressing room.”
Though there are parallels to be made in the relationship
between their onstage personas, Sidney and Clifford – the mentor
and the up-and-coming star – Russell Beale, it seems, was
reluctant to play the part in real life.
“The first thing Simon told me when I got here was, ‘I’m not a
mentor – it freaks me out when people say mentor,’” Groff recalls.
“He’s very humble, very self-effacing. ‘What do I have to teach
you?’ is what he keeps saying. In actual practice he had a great
deal to teach me, and I’ve learned so much from him.”
Part of the learning curve has been keeping up with Russell
Beale’s nightly changing performances. “He’s very visceral in the
way he approaches the character and it’s very introspective and
self examining – so the performance on stage is vastly different
night to night, based on his headspace and where he’s at in the
moment,” Groff says. “Last night several of our scenes played in
a way they’d never played before because of the energy he was
bringing to the scene and the way that he was driving it.”
“Doing a play in the West End is one of
those dreams that you put on a pedestal
and think, ‘Well, that will never actually
come true,’ so this is a really exciting
thing for me”
Jonathan Groff
It sounds rather terrifying for a young actor making his West
End debut. “It’s not scary,” Groff insists. “It’s invigorating actually,
because I feel safe with him as well. I absolutely trust him.”
Groff also has his own experience on stage in New York to fall
back on – he previously spent two years in the hit musical Spring
Awakening, opposite Glee’s Lea Michele (Rachel). Having moved
to the big city aged 19, propelled by a childhood obsession with
singing and acting to leave his safe, horse-rearing Pennsylvanian
family to wait tables and scout for acting jobs, the show provided
him with his big break. From a 150-seat theatre, the rock-music
adaptation of a 19th century German play about schoolkids
discovering their sexuality became a surprise hit, transferring to
Broadway and winning eight Tony Awards.
Groff went on to star in Hair in Central Park, though he
decided not to join the show when it transferred to London –
fortuitously, as it turned out, since it closed early here.
Coming to the UK on his own now instead, in a play that
does not showcase his singing and dancing talent, is a brave
move – as is appearing in a show that relies on laughs as much
as frights to pack a punch.
“We rehearsed it so many times without any laughter or
screams, so for a while we didn’t know if it was as funny as it’s
playing to the audience – or as scary,” he admits.
“Also when I first came here everyone was telling me that
West End audiences are more reserved than New York
audiences, so I was preparing myself for silent houses. Maybe it’s
just this specific play, but I’ve found that to not be the case. The
audiences are extremely vocal over here – laughing and
screaming and all of that – so it’s been really fun.”
Deathtrap is at the Noël Coward Theatre. Tel: 0844 482 5140.

20 21
art
art events
Pop-culture vulture
FIVE YEARS AFTER he announced his retirement, Sir Peter
Blake is back once again with a major exhibition of 50 new
works at Waddington Galleries.
A prodigious collector, Blake has long drawn inspiration
from his ever-growing hoard of pop-culture and found
objects. This latest exhibition gives credit to some of the
artists who have helped inspire his works, as well as those
who have interested or excited the artist during his 60-year
career.
Homage 10x5 – Blake’s Artists is dedicated to ten artists:
Joseph Cornell, Sonia Delaunay, Mark Dion, Damien Hirst,
Henri Matisse, Jack Pierson, Robert Rauschenberg, Kurt
Schwitters, Saul Steinberg and HC Westermann. Each is
honoured with a series of five works, in which Blake has
taken the artist’s own style and played with it to create a
piece of his own.
“These pieces are my nod of appreciation,” says Blake,
“a way of saying thank you to artists whose work I like.”
Homage 10x5 – Blake’s Artists runs from November 16-
December 11 at Waddington Galleries, 11 Cork Street.
Tel: 020 7851 2200.
UNTIL NOVEMBER 20
Sold Out: American Pop Art
from the 1970s to the
1980s
Group pop-art exhibition
featuring works by Andy Warhol,
Robert Rauschenberg, Tom
Wesselmann, Keith Haring,
Robert Longo and Frank Stellar.
Olyvia Fine Art, 17 Ryder Street.
Tel: 020 7925 2986.
UNTIL NOVEMBER 27
Angus Fairhurst
Posthumous show featuring key
drawings and sculptures from
the artist’s 20-year career.
Sadie Coles, 69 South Audley
Street. Tel: 020 7493 8611.
UNTIL DECEMBER 12
Treasures from Budapest:
European Masterpieces
from Leonardo to Schiele
Over 200 works on loan from
the Museum of Fine Art,
Budapest. Artists include Da
Vinci, Raphael, Rubens, Manet,
Monet, Schiele and Picasso.
Royal Academy, Burlington
House. Tel: 020 7300 8000.
UNTIL DECEMBER 18
Jason Rhoades 1:12 Perfect
World
The gallery’s first posthumous
show of Jason Rhoades’ work,
featuring the installation 1:12
Perfect World – a scale model of
BELOW: HOMAGE TO ROBERT
RAUSCHENBERG: CHILDREN’S
GAMES 1, 2010. © PETER BLAKE
his groundbreaking 1999
exhibition.
Hauser & Wirth, 196A Piccadilly.
Tel: 020 7287 2300
UNTIL DECEMBER 21
Heinz Mack/Lucio
Fontana
Bringing together Lucio
Fontana’s monochrome white
paintings and a selection of
Heinz Mack’s most significant
paintings and sculptures from
the years 1957-1966.
Ben Brown Fine Art, 12 Brook’s
Mews. Tel: 020 7723 8888
NOVEMBER 11-
DECEMBER 18
BELOW LEFT: HOMAGE TO DAMIEN HIRST,
THE BUTTERFLY MAN: HOLLYWOODLAND,
2010. © PETER BLAKE
Colin Self: One Thousand
Sketches
Presenting 1,000 sketches by
acclaimed pop artist Colin Self,
spanning 50 years.
James Hyman Gallery, 5 Savile
Row. Tel: 020 7494 3857
NOVEMBER 17-
DECEMBER 23
Adam Fuss
New work by photographer
Adam Fuss, including a new
series of large-scale Snakes and
Ladders prints and a selection of
recent daguerreotypes.
Timothy Taylor Gallery,
15 Carlos Place. Tel: 020 7409
1316.
ART: Sophie Bishop sophie@pubbiz.com
NOVEMBER 24-
JANUARY 8
Gregory Crewdson:
Sanctuary
Black-and-white photographs by
Gregory Crewdson, which
capture the deserted Cinecitta
studios in Rome.
White Cube, 25-26 Mason’s
Yard. Tel: 020 7930 5373
NOVEMBER 30-
JANUARY 29, 2011
Nicolas Provost
The first UK solo show of the
award winning Belgian artist and
film-maker Nicolas Provost.
Haunch of Venison, 6 Burlington
Gardens. Tel: 020 7495 5050.
India in miniature
ASIAN ART IN LONDON returns to Mayfair from
November 4-13.
This year’s event brings together 40 dealers,
auction houses and institutions for a series of
specialist exhibitions and events taking place
across London.
A highlight of the series is Francesca
Galloway’s exhibition of Indian miniatures from
the collection of acclaimed American film director
James Ivory. The selection of 100 works hails
from the Hindu courts of Rajasthan, the Hill States
and South India, as well as paintings made under
East India Company rule.
Indian Miniatures from the James Ivory collection
runs from November 4-December 17 at Francesca
Galloway, 31 Dover Street. Tel: 020 7499 6844.
Asian Art in London runs from November 4-13.
For a list of participants and events visit
www.asianartinlondon.com.
BELOW: BLUE (LA RÉSERVE), 2010 BY
BRIDGET RILEY. PRIVATE COLLECTION
© BRIDGET RILEY, 2010. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED. COURTESY KARSTEN SCHUBERT, LONDON
Wall of sight
RECENT WORKS by the queen of Op Art, Bridget Riley, are on
show at the National Gallery.
The Sunley Room exhibition presents new paintings and
drawings by the artist, including two works that have been
made directly onto the walls of the exhibition space.
Composition with Circles 7 has been created especially for
the longest wall of the room, while the second, Arcadia, is a
larger-scale version of a work last seen at Riley’s major 2008
retrospective at the Musée d’Art Modern de la Ville de Paris.
At Riley’s request, the exhibition includes two paintings
from the National Gallery’s collection: Mantagna’s Introduction
of the Cult of Cybele to Rome and Raphael’s Saint Catherine
of Alexandria. An accompanying film in which Riley discusses
her lifelong artistic relationship with the National Gallery
collection is also being screened in the adjacent Sunley Room
cinema.
Bridget Riley: Paintings and Related Work runs from November
24-May 22, 2011 at the Sunley Room, the National Gallery,
Trafalgar Square. Tel: 020 7747 2885.
ABOVE: RAWAT RAGHO DAS OF DEVGARH
HUNTING BOAR DEVGARH, ATTRIBUTED
TO BAGTA, C.1780
BELOW: SUPERVEILLANCE, 2010,
BY MAT COLLISHAW.
© MAT COLLISHAW, COURTESY BLAIN SOUTHERN
Blain Southern launches
FORMER HAUNCH OF VENISON founders Harry
Blain and Graham Southern have launched their
new gallery on Dering Street with an exhibition of
works by Mat Collishaw.
Creation Condemned presents a mix of new
video works and lithophanes that explore themes of
creation and destruction, beauty and torture.
Collishaw is just one of the big names who
jumped ship from Haunch of Venison, following the
announcement of Blain and Southern’s departure in
June 2010.
According to Harry Blain, the new venture is
very much a continuation of their work at Haunch of
Venison – the gallery founded by the dynamic duo
in 2002 and which they went on to sell to Christie’s
in 2007.
Artists on board at Blain Southern so far include
Bill Viola, Rachel Howard, Anton Henning and
Jeroen Verhoeven, and a larger gallery space is
expected to open in Mayfair in 2011.
Mat Collishaw: Creation Condemned runs until
December 17 at Blain Southern, 21 Dering Street.
Tel: 020 7493 4492.

22 23
profile
QUEEN OF BURLESQUE IMMODESTY
BLAIZE HAS DAZZLED AUDIENCES FROM
MAYFAIR TO VEGAS, PERFORMING FOR
CLIENTS RANGING FROM DIOR AND
CARTIER TO GORDON RAMSAY AND
DAMIEN HIRST. SELMA DAY CAUGHT UP
WITH HER IN THE VOLUPTUOUS
SURROUNDS OF THE RED ROOM IN
HAMILTON PLACE
What is burlesque?
The dictionary definition of burlesque is to parody or send up
something, and that translates into burlesque as erotic and
ironic cabaret. Classical burlesque was based in the art of
satirical plays, commenting on whatever was going on
socially or politically at the time. Now, people’s perception of
burlesque is entirely governed by striptease, but it’s important
to remember that comedy is an important part and whatever
you do on stage has to have some wit – because it’s about
being tongue-in-cheek.
How and why did you get into burlesque?
When I was very young my mother showed me the film
Gypsy (about an American dancer Gypsy Rose Lee) and I
think that planted the seed – maybe in the back of my head
I was thinking, ‘I want to be just like her.’ But it’s not the kind
of thing you say when you’re five years old, that you want to
be a burlesque star. I actually started off working in films,
writing and creating things behind the camera.
What was the turning point for you?
It started about 12 years ago, as performance art. At the
time, there wasn’t really much general awareness of what
burlesque was as a genre, so I had to work hard to educate
people about what burlesque was and what to expect.
Working with Goldfrapp marked a turning point for it
becoming mainstream.
Why has burlesque become so popular?
They say that burlesque rose from the ashes of the
Depression in the 1930s, and I’d say there’s an element of
that now. Certainly when I started performing I noticed that it
was moving away from the clubbing experience into a more
intimate, beautiful environment. I have a 12-piece big band in
my show and backing dancers – it’s a piece of escapist
theatre.
What do you like about burlesque?
The reason I love the performing is because I get to do
everything that creatively inspires me. I design my own
costumes, I write music with my band – we create original
scores – and I get to include all my cultural influences, from
Italian and Spanish art and cinema to camp Hollywood
movies and Parisian and Vegas showgirls, so it’s the ideal job
for me.
Who are your role models?
The people who inspire me are quite an eclectic mix, from
Ava Gardner, who would be the ultimate for me, to Liberace
to Grace Jones. They are very strong, developed personas,
because that is what burlesque is about – just having a
personality. I loved the showmanship of Liberace, and what I
loved about Ava is that she was just elegance personified but
she had this incredible persona off screen too – she was
quite naughty but powerful.
<strong>Blaize</strong>
of glory
Do you feel like someone else when you are on stage?
No, I am always <strong>Immodesty</strong> – with just a few more feathers.
I’m just thinking about my audience when I perform in the
way any good actor, I suppose, has to portray something.
Have you always felt comfortable with your body?
Well, nobody is perfect – we all have hang-ups – so my
philosophy is to concentrate on the good bits, find and work
with your strengths and polish them. Find your USP – the
thing that makes you unique.
Half of your audience are women. What is the appeal?
They love the live music and the glamour – they want to take
refuge in a glamorous past that seems safer than the world
we’re living in now. It’s also a chance to perhaps see a more
retro idea of what’s glamorous – how women used to be
when they were girl shaped and not having to be size zero
and starving ourselves. I also think women like to get in
touch with their own inner bombshell. Men like the titillation.
Do your women friends ever feel threatened by you when
their partners are around?
God, no – they just want to rifle through my wardrobe.
How would you describe your personal style?
I like the bombshell style. I wear mostly Italian labels because
they are cut for my kind of shape – tall with an hourglass
figure. I love the whole 1960s, Sophia Loren look, but I like
modern designers as well such as Vivienne Westwood, Dolce
& Gabbana and Alexander McQueen – he had this amazing
collection inspired by Hitchcock. I love that icy blond look.
You’ve just released your second book. Why did you decide
to write novels?
When performing, I don’t speak – so this gave me a voice.
You look around you and think, if only dressing room walls
could talk. I guess it’s something I wanted to share with
people. Books have allowed me to do what I do on stage,
which is to exaggerate reality and create a bit of escapism.
What was it like speaking at the Oxford Union?
I was slightly nervous because I don’t speak on stage, so it
was a very different kind of performance for me. I was
debating on whether 1984 was upon us and I was quite
intrigued as to what people’s reactions would be towards
me, given that they possibly weren’t expecting me to have
any kind of academic outlook. It was a fascinating experience
and one that I really enjoyed.
Where’s home?
I live on the edge of Mayfair but grew up in Hertfordshire, so
I’m a Home Counties girl. I went to a Catholic boarding
school which was strict. I guess I was fulfilling the cliché
when I became what I am.
Do you use Mayfair?
I go to Morton’s and La Petite Maison – I love that for a
Sunday lunch. And Claridge’s Fumoir – I love that room, and I
love tea at Claridge’s. I have to indulge. If I go to Claridge’s,
I’ll definitely do an extra hour in the gym the next day – it’s
the Catholic indulgence followed by punishment. I shop, of
course, at Rigby & Peller and I always stop by at Charlotte
Olympia in Maddox Street. Charlotte (Dellal, the owner)
named a berry satin shoe after me – it’s called <strong>Immodesty</strong>.
Have you had any standout performances in Mayfair?
I’ve performed many times in Mayfair – at the Pigalle Club
and recently at the Red Room at Les Ambassadeurs. It’s a
beautiful room. One of my showgirl acts I’m on a huge
rocking horse wearing an entirely red costume, so it was
great that the venue matched my costume. I also performed
at the Berkeley Square Ball before James Brown came on
stage. He was amazing – he had such star quality.
What’s next?
I am always going to be creating shows – whether or not I
dance in them myself. I have an Australian tour after
Christmas and I will be debuting my new material, which I’m
very excited about. As long as people are enjoying my shows
– and as long as I’m pert – then I’ll still be performing.
Ambition by <strong>Immodesty</strong> <strong>Blaize</strong> is out now (Ebury Press,
£6.99).

The Blitz started in September 1940 and lasted until March
1945, killing almost 30,000 people. While the first few weeks
saw the East End targeted, the West End soon followed, and
shelters in back gardens, trench shelters in parks and
squares, tube stations and the basements of department
stores and hotels provided refuge from the raids.
Some of the more upmarket places to take cover were
the Dorchester’s basement shelter and The Ritz’s ballroom,
deep underneath Piccadilly – now The Ritz Casino Club –
where people kept on dancing as the bombs fell. In Mayfair,
Green Park station was damaged, Berkeley Square was hit
by a V1 rocket and the Naval & Military Club at 94 Piccadilly
lost the top two floors of the west half of its façade.
The City of Westminster Archives holds a huge collection
of civil-defence records, photographs and a detailed local
authority bomb map. Its West End at War website, put
together to mark the 70th anniversary of the start of the Blitz,
puts some of these on display and gives people a chance to
tell their own stories. Here are some of the Blitz stories from
Mayfair and the surrounding area. To find out more, visit
www.westendatwar.org.uk.
SAVILE ROW
On September 16, 1940, a high-explosive bomb destroyed a
house at 7 Savile Row. 21a Savile Row was set ablaze by
incendiaries and then hit by a bomb on September 24, 1940.
West End Central Police Station and nearby offices were
damaged. A parachute mine then hit the corner of Savile
Row with Boyle Street, near the police station. Glass
fragments caused injuries and the Auxiliary Fire Service
fought fires overnight. New Burlington Street and Savile Row
Blitz spirit
SEVENTY YEARS AFTER
THE START OF THE
BLITZ, A NEW WEBSITE
REVEALS THE DAMAGE
CAUSED BY THE
BOMBING IN MAYFAIR
AND THE WEST END.
LUCY BROWN REPORTS
ABOVE: BRUTON STREET AND NEW
BOND STREET
LEFT: SAVILE ROW, OPPOSITE THE
POLICE STATION
BELOW: ST JAMES’S, PICCADILLY
were blocked and ambulances worked in relays to treat 30
casualties. Several policeman were hurt and three died.
JOHN LEWIS, OXFORD STREET
On September 18, 1940, John Lewis’s West House was hit
by an oil bomb, and the fire spread to East House, across
Holles Street. Although no casualties were reported among
the staff or the 200 people sheltering in the store’s basement,
three firemen were killed. Oxford Street was sealed off and
30 fire engines tackled the blaze until September 20. It broke
out again on September 25. Undaunted, department
managers set out tables in front of the site to sell goods.
SELFRIDGES, OXFORD STREET
In the same raid that destroyed John Lewis, Selfridges was
hit by a high-explosive bomb and several incendiaries,
damaging the roof gardens and closing them forever. The
ground-floor windows were bricked up until the war’s end.
Incendiary bombs hit the store again on April 17, 1941,
devastating the Palm Court Restaurant. One of Selfridges’s
sub-basements was used to house a secret communications
system that scrambled phone calls between Winston
Churchill and President Franklin D Roosevelt.
ST JAMES’S, PICCADILLY
The 17th-century church was struck by bombs on October
14, 1940. The stained-glass east window was blown out and
the incendiary bombs ignited the roof, which collapsed. The
interior burned and the steeple fell. The Verger and his wife
were trapped for more than 12 hours – the rescue team
drilled through blocks of stone and walls to reach them but
both died. Work to restore the building still continues – see
www.st-james-piccadilly.org/restoration.html.
NEW BOND STREET
A high-explosive bomb struck the south-west corner of New
Bond Street and Bruton Street on May 11, 1941. 165 and
166 New Bond Street were damaged and the street blocked
by debris. Rescue teams searched for people and three were
pulled to safety, but the gas main was on fire and one person
had to be left until it was shut off.
JERMYN STREET
Jermyn Street, St James’s Palace and the London Library
were seriously damaged on February 23, 1944.
23
history

26 27
profile
AT 71, JOHN CLEESE IS ON
THE ROAD, PERFORMING
HIS ALIMONY TOUR TO
KEEP UP WITH THE
PAYMENTS TO HIS EX-
WIFE – AND NOW HIS ART
COLLECTION IS UP FOR
SALE, TOO. DESPITE IT
ALL, HE REMAINS
SURPRISINGLY UPBEAT,
FINDS SELMA DAY
Monty Python star John Cleese, 71, calls me from his tour bus
somewhere in the middle of Scandinavia. He seems relaxed and
happy to chat. “I have nothing else to do except look at the
scenery, which is mainly pine trees,” he says.
“We’re going to a place called Jönköping. It’s the Christian
capital of Denmark and the local newspaper asked me for a
suggested headline and I said, ‘Come and see the first coming of
JC.’ I don’t know if they used it,” he laughs.
Cleese has been on the road since May on his Alimony Tour –
a reference to his expensive divorce settlement, following the split
from his third wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger in 2008.
“Actually, it’s called Alimony Tour Two, darling, because I’ll still
be paying alimony until I’m 76,” he adds. “If you have alimony of
$1 million a year, that doesn’t come to you if you sit at home
twiddling your thumbs. Still, if you’ve got to earn money, this is a
very pleasant way of doing it.”
The art
of good
humour
ABOVE: FLYING FISH BY LUCY WILLIS
LEFT: PHOTO OF JOHN CLEESE BY
SEAMUS RYAN, CAMERA PRESS LONDON
The one-man comedy show, which comes to the UK next
year, is basically about the life and times of John Cleese. “There’s
a certain amount of autobiographical stuff in there, then we get
into how I got into show business,” he says.
“I trace through the various shows that I did – Cambridge
Circus which I was in on Broadway after the West End, then a
musical on Broadway, then back to The Frost Report, then writing
for Peter Sellers, At Last The 1948 Show, then Python and
Fawlty Towers. I explain the difficulties and pleasures of making
the shows.”
Like his shows, Cleese’s life has had its ups and downs and
one of the casualties of his latest divorce was his London home,
which he was forced to sell, along with various other houses
around the globe. And now, with “a heavy heart and a dodgy
knee”, he has decided to sell his art collection – acquired over a
long period through art dealer Chris Beetles, whom he met when
the two were performing in The Secret Policeman’s Ball in 1979.
“Chris said, ‘Your wife got all the wall space in the divorce,’
and I think that’s true,” laughs Cleese. “I just don’t have anywhere
to hang it – it’s as simple as that. When I married Alyce Faye, I
had a big house in Holland Park and masses of wall space and
was able to hang everything. But now I have the tiniest flat in
Bath and a dear little cottage in Santa Barbara where none of this
English art works so well. So the stuff has been in storage for
about two years and I now feel others should have the chance to
enjoy them.”
The 80-strong collection of paintings and drawings will be
sold through Chris Beetles Gallery in St James’s and features
mainly 18th-21st century British paintings, including 22 pieces by
Cleese’s favourite painter, Albert Goodwin. Then there are
paintings by William Fraser Garden, whose work Cleese
describes as “breathtaking and the finest watercolour work I’ve
ever seen in my life”, and works by Ralph Steadman and Gerald
Scarfe.
“There’s also a wonderful watercolourist called Lucy Willis,”
says Cleese. “I got Lucy to do a couple of strange pictures for
me that involved fish – it was around the time of A Fish Called
Wanda. They are almost like very high-class cartoons.”
Cleese says he’s managed to hold on to one or two pieces by
Rowland Emett and Ronald Searle. “I love having those in my
office,” he says. “It’s British humour of the very finest era, around
the time of Ealing Studios [best known for their run of classic
comedies from the 1940s-1960s].”
On the subject of his own work, Cleese admits he still enjoys
watching old clips of Fawlty Towers. “There’s a particular clip of
the fire-drill scene that I watch every night when I’m doing the
shows, because it’s as good as anything I ever did,” he says.
“When I look back on it, it surprises me how good it was
because we never finished a dress rehearsal – it was just one
crazy rush. There wasn’t time to enjoy it, because there was so
much to learn in the very short period that we had. The average
BBC sitcom is 65 pages long, and the average Fawlty Towers
was 140 pages, so it was always a bit frantic.
“But it was the best time to be working in television. Now you
have a breed of executive who is rather egotistical – they want to
be known themselves. In my day, the executives simply got out of
the way and let the creative people do something interesting.”

28
profile
Cleese rarely watches television these days. “It’s pretty much
rubbish,” he says. “I haven’t watched any comedy or television
for some time.
“My daughter in America occasionally educates me by telling
me I should watch this or that. She introduced me, for example,
to Will & Grace and recently to Entourage – I was invited to do an
episode, which was great fun. But no, I don’t watch a great deal
– the trouble is when you’ve been doing comedy for 40 years,
you switch the television on and you think, yes, it’s okay, but I
don’t want to spend the next hour watching it.”
So what does he find funny? “I think the American Republican
Party right now is about as funny as it gets,” says Cleese. “I’ve
never seen such a rabble. They are half-witted and the trouble is,
they are nasty too – they are just impressively incompetent. And it
says something for the great masses in the middle of America
that they want to support these people. [Sarah] Palin and [Glenn]
Beck are people you would avoid in a bar.
“I’ll tell you the funniest thing that happened to me recently. It
was during a Q&A at the end of a show in Oslo. A young man
said, ‘If you were part of the fuselage of an engine of an
aeroplane, which part would you choose to be?’ I thought it was
the funniest question I’ve ever been asked – it just made me
laugh. I said, ‘The joystick’.”
In between touring, Cleese has several other projects on the
go. With his daughter Camilla, he’s just completed the book of a
musical based on A Fish Called Wanda; he’s translating a farce
by French playwright Georges Feydeau; and he’s working on an
autobiography.
“I do have a rather good story – an outline for a film – but I’m
trying to figure out how I fit that into the rest of my schedule and I
can only do that when I have a little bit of breathing space from
the point of view of income,” he adds.
“And there are television things that I’d like to do. They are
humorous, but more of a documentary nature, and I don’t think
any of the television companies in England would want to make
those films – they are too unconventional. I met the head of ITV a
few months ago and he was a very nice chap but with the sort of
things I was suggesting to him, the dear man just glazed over
after about seven seconds. It was rather depressing. It is a
shame because I came from a time when British television was
the least-bad television in the world – as we used to joke.”
Does he have any regrets? “I don’t think I should have tried to
do Fierce Creatures with the same cast that I used for A Fish
Called Wanda because people inevitably thought it was an
attempt at a sequel, but it was an attempt at a completely
different kind of film which no one seemed to notice. And I regret
“I haven’t watched any comedy
or television for some time …
the trouble is when you’ve
been doing comedy for 40
years, you switch the television
on and you think, yes, it’s okay,
but I don’t want to spend the
next hour watching it”
John Cleese
having set myself too high an income requirement during my
years with Alyce Faye because that meant I was just doing work
for money rather than doing the work that I’m best at.
“Almost everything I’ve done that people know me for, I’ve
written myself, but doing that means stopping for quite long
periods of time and not earning money while you write the damn
thing. But I deprived myself at that time because, as I say, the
income requirement was so high that I was on a plane all the time
just earning what needed to be earned.
“Alyce Faye and I formed an animal between the two of us
that became quite acquisitive – I think I went from owning one
property to owning six or something like that.”
These days, when he’s not touring, Cleese prefers a quiet life.
“I’ve always preferred the simpler life really,” he says. “I love it
when I can just walk around Bath on a sunny day and have lunch
with a friend or read a book,” he says.
“The whole world of doing things and being out there doesn’t
interest me as much as it used to. I think, as you get older, the
simpler pleasures are the greatest ones.”
While many people will remember Cleese as Basil Fawlty, one
of the projects he’s most proud of is a documentary called In the
Wild. “It was a programme about lemurs in Madagascar and if I
had to be remembered for anything, it would be that – it was
informative and amusing and had a certain charm to it. I liked it
very much and I think I would like to have that buried with me.”
PORTRAIT OF JOHN CLEESE
BY JOHN MYATT
The John Cleese Collection is
at The Chris Beetles Gallery,
8 & 10 Ryder Street, until
November 13 (Monday to
Saturday, 10am-5.30pm)
To appear in the
restaurant directory call
020 7259 1050
29
restaurant directory

30
food & drink
Chefs serve up
a festival feast
FANS OF CHEF JASON ATHERTON, formerly of
Maze restaurant, got a preview of what we might
expect at his new restaurant Pollen Street Social
when it opens early next year. As part of last
month’s London Restaurant Festival, Atherton
cooked for two nights only at a makeshift site
provided by Grosvenor on Binney Street, just off
Oxford Street, with all proceeds going to the
charity StreetSmart.
Another highlight of the festival was the
Gourmet Odyssey event. After a champagne
reception at the Met Bar in Old Park Lane,
guests boarded one of four Routemaster buses
and food-hopped their way around some of
Mayfair and Belgravia’s most exclusive
restaurants, enjoying a starter at the first stop,
main course at the second and pudding at the
final restaurant.
Each night during the festival, one capsule of
the London Eye became a private restaurant and
ten guests enjoyed a menu created by a top
chef, including Richard Corrigan, Atul Kochhar,
Angela Hartnett and Gordon Ramsay.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
PUDDINGS AT UMU;
RICHARD CORRIGAN AT THE
LONDON EYE (PHOTO: RICHARD
SIMPSON/ VISITLONDONIMAGES.COM);
JASON ATHERTON;
STARTERS AT THE GREENHOUSE;
AND MAINS AT CORRIGAN’S
MAYFAIR
FOOD & DRINK: Selma Day
selma@pubbiz.com

32
food & drink
Full of beans
RISTORANTE SEMPLICE (10 Blenheim
Street) is celebrating the Italian festival of
Sagra – a celebration of seasonal
ingredients. This month focuses on the
Festa del Fagiolo di Lamon, or Lamon
Bean Feast, when beans that have been
left to dry after the summer are ready for
eating.
There are four varieties of Lamon bean,
which comes from Belluno in the Veneto
region, and Semplice uses the Spagnolet,
which has a thin skin, tastes sweet and
delicate and, according to chef Marco Torri,
is one of the best in Italy.
Dishes include stewed octopus with
Lamon beans and slow-roasted suckling
pig with Lamon beans and fresh chilli.
To book, call 020 7495 1509.
Appetisers
AN EARL-GREY MARTINI is
one of a range of special gin
cocktails on offer at Hilton
London Green Park’s new
Berry Bar & Lounge –
formerly Tiger Green Bar. The
new-look bar is a relaxed
contemporary setting within
an 18th century townhouse in
Half Moon Street. Although
the focus is on gin, you’ll find
the usual wines, spirits and
soft drinks, while the food
menu is made up of tapasstyle
bar bites.
THE BOURBON BAR at JW
Steakhouse is launching a
series of champagne soirées
every Thursday between
Get Gallic
SERVING UP TRADITIONAL Gallic cuisine
in a charming atmosphere, Brasserie St
Jacques (33 St James’s Street) is as
close to France as you’ll get without
catching the Eurostar.
The steak tartare is prepared for you
at the table, as are the crèpe suzettes,
and you can even see co-owner Richard
Weiss, the world’s champion sabreur, in
action opening a bottle of champagne
with a sword. If that isn’t enough to
entertain you, then there’s jazz on Friday
evenings and opera on Saturdays.
And if you’re still looking to book your
Christmas bash, there’s a delightful
private room that seats 18.
To book, call 020 7839 1007.
October 7 and December 23.
Guests will be able to
discover different
champagnes at a reduced
price, alongside the constant
champagne Veuve Clicquot,
which will be charged at £32
a bottle. A bottle of Krüg
1996 will be offered at just
£158. For further details, call
020 7399 8460.
CHOCOLATE WONDERLAND
by Cocomaya at Liberty – a
partnership between the
luxury boutique chocolatier
and the department store –
has now opened. Situated on
the ground floor, the
chocolate shop will sell a
range of chocolates and
sweets including vintage
candy jars filled with oldfashioned
favourites.
MEWS OF MAYFAIR is the
new owner of La Cave (7
Lancashire Court), a boutique
wine store and private-dining
room that previously belonged
to Hush restaurant. The
Cantonese concept
THIS MONTH sees the launch of
Hakkasan Mayfair at 17 Bruton Street.
The venue will complement the original
Hakkasan restaurant in Hanway Place,
bringing its Michelin-starred modern
Cantonese cuisine to a wider audience.
Opened by restaurateur Alan Yau in
2001, the first Hakkasan has since
become one of the world’s most
successful modern restaurant concepts.
Following the sale of the majority shares
to the Abu Dhabi investment group
Tasameem in 2008 and Yau’s subsequent
departure, Hakkasan Mayfair is the next
step in the company’s development
strategy.
Hakkasan Mayfair spans two floors,
with a 145-seater restaurant in the
basement (including a private dining room)
and a 75-seater lounge dining and bar on
the ground floor – both the work of Parisbased
designer Guillaume Richard.
The kitchen will be overseen by
executive head chef Tong Chee Hwee
who, as the culinary talent responsible for
Hakkasan’s menu since the beginning, will
build on the current signature repertoire
featured at Hanway Place.
private room accommodates
up to 16 guests for lunch and
dinner or up to 25 standing.
Along with a specialist wine
collection, you’ll find an
extensive selection of Havana
cigars available individually or
by the box.
THE WORLD’S OLDEST
Champagne house, Ruinart,
has reunited with luxury
fragrance house Miller Harris
to offer the Ruinart and Miller
Harris Sensory Tea at
Firmdale Hotels, including the
Haymarket Hotel. The spread
includes champagne, Miller
Harris-blended tea, cakes
and sandwiches. To book,
call 020 7470 4007.
Your invitation to Bond
Noël is enclosed in this
issue of Mayfair Times.
For additional
invitations and further
information please go to
www.bondstreet.co.uk
advertising feature
HAVE A BOND NOËL
Christmas is an exciting time in the capital.
Colourful lights brighten frosty nights, shoppers
rush from store to store looking for that special
gift for friends and family.
Bond Street in the heart of Mayfair captures this magical time of year
wonderfully. Renowned for its elegant flagship stores, its concentration
of fine jewellers and watchmakers, as well as the most sought after
designer fashion and accessories, fine art and antiques Bond Street has
a wealth of luxury gifts to be cherished.
The festive celebrations start on Thursday
November 18 with the annual Bond Noël
event. A Christmas extravaganza which
sees the street transformed into a snowy
Winter wonderland in aid of The Louis
Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative
Care at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Bond Noël, celebrates the traditional
family Christmas, with snow falling along
the entire length of Bond Street, fir trees
lining the pavements, reindeer, ice
sculptors, carol singers, stilt walkers,
jugglers, fireworks and musicians all
adding atmosphere. The street’s famous
luxury stores offer Christmas hospitality,
gifts with purchases and other festive
delights.
Bond Street will be closed to traffic as the
event gets under way at 5pm, running through until 8pm. At 6pm, on
the corner of Old Bond Street and Burlington Gardens, Bond Street’s
special celebrity guest will switch on the magical Christmas lights,
signalling the count down to Christmas.
Visitors to Bond Noël can enjoy all the fun of the street’s entertainment
as well as hospitality and of course the world’s finest Christmas
shopping in many of the famous stores on Bond Street and the
surrounding area.
There is also a chance to win over £10,000 worth of luxury Bond Street
prizes, in the fabulous ‘Tree of Life’, in aid of The Louis Dundas Centre
for Children’s Palliative Care at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

advertising feature
The House of Adler has been breaking
boundaries since the end of the 19th
Century. The house is now designing
jewels with carbon fibre. Its woven
texture and dark colour is a natural
pairing for bright diamonds. The new
Night Leaves collection features
stunning pieces such as this necklace
and earrings in carbon and white gold,
set with diamonds.
This could be the perfect boxed gift
from iconic British perfume house
Penhaligon’s. The traditional hat box
is adorned with eccentric animals and
contains an array of Penhaligon’s
products from fine fragrances to
complete grooming kits.
The snake has been one of Boucheron’s
favourite “muses” since the house’s
creation in 1858. The intricate yellow
or white gold pieces are sculpted to
recreate the textured feel of a serpent’s
scales and are enticing to the touch.
The evocative circular serpent design
curls round to finish in a pear shaped
“head” that sparkles with delicately set
round diamonds.
BEAUTY &
THE BEST
Just a taste of Christmas treats
from Bond Street
A trip to Smythson of Bond Street is a must
for Christmas shopping, the store is
brimming with beautiful and unique
Christmas gifts. Classic or stylish diaries,
travel wallets and note books, jewellery cases
to backgammon sets and now for the most
up to the minute present a chic leather case
for an ipad.
Over generations Asprey has developed
into the finest British luxury goods
house with a grand tradition of
offering the best in craftsmanship,
quality and design. Now they
introduce the Asprey Londoner luggage
collection. Luxury and durability meet
in this five-piece collection of
beautifully practical suitcases and
trolleys.
Chopard has created the utmost in
discreet luxury with the new imperiale
line, enshrining the quintessence of
style and elegance within a watch.
This beautiful and delicate timepiece is
adorned with fine detail from its
mother of pearl dial, its finely curved
hands, and its lotus shaped crown to
the sensual round form of the case.
Available in rose and white gold or
stainless steel.
The Kate Moss for Longchamp line
is top of many Christmas lists.
Notably the neo-pure design in
ruby and sapphire lambskins.
The spirit is pure Kate –
timeless glamour with a rock
& roll twist.
For further info about Bond Street
Christmas shopping and Bond
Noël go to www.bondstreet.co.uk
Save the date... Thursda Thursday November 18 ... Save the date

36 37
fashion
Boutique London: A History: King’s Road to
Carnaby Street (ACC Editions, £24.95) by Richard
Lester follows the developing fashions of London’s
boutiques in the 1960s and 1970s, profiling the
retailers and illustrating the clothes, interiors and
characters of what became a vibrant epicentre of
the fashion world.
At the heart of it all were the young designers,
whose conviction to make and sell clothes on their
own terms generated an explosion of talent which
lasted more than 20 years and left a mark on
fashion history.
The book follows the journey of the first risktakers
such as Mary Quant, the founder of Bazaar,
to the celebrity salons of Granny Takes A Trip and
Hung on You on the King’s Road, stopping along
the way to include the weird and the wonderful,
the glamorous and the bizarre.
Mayfair boutiques that make an appearance
include Browns in South Molton Street, which was
opened in 1970 by Joan and Sidney Burstein and
showcases the best in design talent; Jeff Banks’s
first own-label boutique in Duke Street; Palisades
in Ganton Street, renowned for having a jukebox
and being the place where Janet Street-Porter was
once an employee; and Anello & Davide in Oxford
Street, the cobbler famous for popularising the
Chelsea boot.
Some of Mayfair’s most influential tailors are
also featured, including Blades of Burlington
Gardens, which adopted new styles for a
discerning clientele; Mr Fish in Clifford Street, who
created a bespoke boutique look; and Tommy
Nutter, who took traditional tailoring into the next
decade with changes in pattern and cut.
FASHION: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com
THEIR DARING
DESIGNS HELPED
DEFINE AN ERA.
NOW A NEW BOOK
CELEBRATES THE
WORK OF LONDON’S
BOUTIQUES DURING
THE 1960S AND
1970S
Style
starters
MICK JAGGER reciting an excerpt from
Shelley’s elegy Adonais during the Rolling
Stones’ 1969 Hyde Park Concert, in
memory of their deceased band founder
Brian Jones. The Mr Fish smock he wore
made the headlines the following day.
Photo: Rex Images
MICHAEL FISH, whose bold and vibrant designs
established a cult following among rock and pop
aristocracy, opened Mr Fish in Clifford Street in
1966. His tailoring career began at Turnbull and
Asser in 1962, but it was a proposal from a
customer that set it all in motion. Barry Sainsbury
suggested the need for a boutique selling
upmarket, fashionable menswear, and said that if
Fish produced the ideas, he would provide the
backing.
Photo: Rex Images
BACKED BY CILLA BLACK and Peter Brown of Apple,
The House of Nutter opened in 1969 at 35a Savile
Row with the aim of introducing bespoke tailoring to
high fashion. A fan of the suit, founder Tommy
Nutter’s approach was to take what already existed in
classic menswear design and refine and exaggerate
certain aspects. Lapels on jackets became extra wide,
combinations of check and dogtooth motifs became
more daring and the scale of pattern repeats became
larger, creating a distinctive Tommy Nutter look. The
Beatles wore House of Nutter on the cover of Abbey
Road. In the mid-1970s, Tommy Nutter launched a
new venture under his own-name label at 19 Savile
Row.
Photo: Getty Images

38 39
health & beauty
Fit for
two
Pete Fraser-Smith, founder of the Pete Fraser
Fitness Personal Training Centre:
“EXPECTANT MUMS will rightly be cautious when
planning the healthiest possible lifestyle for
themselves and their baby, but exercise is an
integral part of promoting health during and after
pregnancy.
Contrary to common belief, exercise is not
known to increase the risk of miscarriage, and
moderate exercise during lactation does not affect
the quality of composition of breast milk.
The main benefits of exercise during and after
pregnancy are that it helps maintain a healthy
body weight and that specific pelvic-floor
exercises postpartum may reduce the risk of
future urinary incontinence. You’ll also feel
healthier and more invigorated.
If you were exercising before your pregnancy,
you can safely continue to do so. If you are new to
exercise, consult your doctor first and progress
slowly.”
DO
� Wear supportive footwear
� Drink plenty of water
DON’T
� Exercise too hard – to the point of exhaustion
or breathlessness
� Compete in sport
� Perform supine (lying down) exercises during
the second and third trimesters, as this could
reduce blood supply to the womb
� Exercise in hot weather
� Overload joints by running or cycling on an
uneven surface
� Take part in contact sports
So what is the best way
to exercise?
A cross-training routine is best: aerobic, strength
and core work. Invest in an exercise ball correct
for your height – when seated on it your knees
should be at 90 degrees. Perform the following
exercises two or three times per week:
HEALTH & BEAUTY: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com
Walking
Walk at a fast pace for ten minutes, progressing to
20 minutes (or run at an easy pace, if already
exercising).
Ball squats
Lean against an exercise ball against a firm wall.
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms on
hips. Slowly sit down, rolling the ball so the knees
reach 90 degrees, then push back up. Repeat
three times, ten seconds each time.
Exercise-ball leg lifts
Sit upright on the ball with the feet hip-width
apart, hands on hips. Grip the abdominals and
extend one knee so the leg is horizontal. Hold for
15 seconds. Repeat three times on each leg.
Superwoman
Rest on all fours. Keep the back flat and look
down. Slowly raise your opposite arm and leg until
horizontal. Hold for ten seconds, then repeat on
the other side. Repeat three times on each side.
KEEPING FIT AND HEALTHY
DURING PREGNANCY IS
IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND
YOUR BABY. A TOP MAYFAIR
FITNESS TRAINER SHARES HIS
TIPS FOR EXERCISING SAFELY –
AND WE ROUND UP THE BEST
CLASSES AND TREATMENTS TO
KEEP YOURSELF GLOWING
BEFORE AND AFTER THE BIRTH
Press-ups
Rest on all fours. Look down, keeping the back
flat, knees together and hands shoulder-width
apart. Bend the elbows until your chins moves
close to the ground and push back up. Repeat
three times, ten seconds each time.
Finish off with three
simple stretches:
� Kneel down and extend your arms over an
exercise ball, keeping your neck neutral. Feel a
stretch through the arms, shoulders and upper
back. Hold for 30 seconds.
� Stand, extend your arms and try to reach the
ceiling with linked fingers. Stretch through the
arms, shoulders and back. Hold for 30 seconds.
� Support yourself against a fixed object and
raise one foot onto a knee-high surface and
straighten the leg. Feel a stretch in the
hamstring and calf. Hold for 30 seconds.
Pete Fraser Fitness Personal Training Centre is at
14 Coach & Horses Yard. www.petefraser.com
Massage cares away Get to the core
THE ELEMIS DAY-SPA in Lancashire Court offers a range of
treatments for mums-to-be, including the absolute motherto-be
ritual, designed to ease the mind and relax the body.
The massage (£175 for two hours 15 minutes) relieves
tension in your lower and upper back, alleviates swelling in
the hands and feet, and finishes with a relaxing facial.
Also suitable for pregnant women are the Tahitian dream
float (£100 for one hour 15 minutes) and the nurturing
massage for mother-to-be (£90 for one hour 15 minutes).
And for post-pregnancy, there’s the ritual for mother and
baby (£150 for one hour 45 minutes), a nurturing and
nourishing treatment for mother and baby.
To book, call 0870 410 4210.
WHETHER YOU ARE PLANNING to have a baby, already
pregnant or struggling to get back into your favourite dress
or jeans following childbirth, the whole process can be
physically demanding. At West 1 Physiotherapy & Pilates
(106 Harley Street), specialist physiotherapists and Pilates
instructors work alongside each other to assist women with
a comfortable pregnancy and help with recovery after
childbirth.
Founder of the clinic Kathryn Thomson says that
physiotherapy can help improve the strength of the pelvicfloor
muscles, which often weaken during and after
pregnancy, leading to problems such as incontinence or
prolapse.
Physiotherapists also use both manual therapy and
specific exercise prescription to alleviate lumbo-pelvic pain
– also common during and after pregnancy – and restore
normal movement.
Pilates, which focuses on flexibility, core strength and
stability, helps the body to cope with its changing shape
and increased demands, while following childbirth it
addresses resultant muscle weakness, which might
otherwise lead to back or pelvic pain. All classes are
tailored to meet individual needs and goals.
Tel: 020 7935 5652.
www.west1physio.com
Cocoon yourself
THE DORCHESTER SPA’S pregnancy treatments are
suitable from the 12th week of pregnancy and for
nursing mothers. They include the pregnancy massage
(£100 for 55 minutes), which focuses on tight, tense
shoulders and swollen legs, while a scalp and facial
massage completes the treatment.
With the nurturing cocoon massage (£110 for 55
minutes), essential oil of damask rose is applied,
which, with its skin cell renewing properties, is ideal for
expanding skin. Moisturising oils and creams are then
layered onto exfoliated skin before the client is
cocooned in a warming wrap, during which the face
and scalp are massaged.
The nourishing new mother cocoon treatment (£110
for 55 minutes) includes an olive-grain body exfoliation,
after which layers of damask-rose gel, oil and cream
are applied. This is followed by an ayurvedic scalp
massage.
To book, call 020 7319 7109.

40
mayfair PA
TIME FOR A CHANGE?
Research shows that autumn is when a lot of PAs
think about a change of scene. With that in mind,
Mayfair PA Jobs went live last month, with vacancies
that secretaries, EAs, PAs and office managers would
die to fill. From first steps into the industry to highpowered
positions that reflect and reward your hardearned
experience, our recruitment section may have
just the opportunity you’ve been coveting.
STYLISHLY SUITED
Of course, if you’re going to invest blood, sweat and
tears in your career, it only makes sense that your
clothes are up to the challenge of working in Britain’s
most stylish postcodes. Nothing says business like
bespoke, but what really counts when you’re having a
ladies’ suit made? Mayfair PA speaks to a Savile Row
tailor to get to grips with autumn/winter 2010 styles
and the basics behind getting suited to perfection.
Top tips
for time
management
Net
benefits
Whether it’s a sneaky glance between tasks, an
escape to a boss-free zone during lunch or some
me-time with a large glass of wine after work, PAs
are logging onto mayfairpa.com. The website has
your days and nights covered with articles on
style, technology, parties, jobs – everything, in
fact, that goes into the life of a Mayfair PA. Here’s
a quick round-up of what’s new online
RECLAIMING THE LOST HOURS
In our psychology section we’ve tackled financial
stress, bosses with ADHD and even procrastination.
Even if none of these are your pressure points, you
might still find that the day gets away from you
without significantly shortening your to-do list. We
gather some top tips for time management, to help
you reclaim the hours you feel like you’ve lost by the
end of the day.
KNOW MORE THAN THE BOSS
ABOUT… CHATTER
Go bespoke
for business
Social media is not only transforming the tools we
work with, it’s changing the very nature of work.
Publicists and virtual assistants have found
unprecedented uses for Twitter, but new software
package on the block Salesforce Chatter is making
strides which may enable companies who install the
platform on their intranet to work more collaboratively
and transparently. It’s been called “Facebook for the
Enterprise”.
DINNER FOR TWO, FREE OF CHARGE
Local businesses continue to show their PA
appreciation by offering our members everything from
50 per cent off food bills to the chance to win a free
dinner for two. Just register, log in, nab the code and
the deal is yours. Treat yourself to Mayfair’s finest.
LET’S NETWORK
Dine
out for
free
While you’re at it, come back and tell us what that
restaurant, venue or service was like in our forum.
PAs need to stick together, and mayfairpa.com is just
the place to make that happen. Meet other PAs in the
forum and swap must-know information. Or you can
do it in real life at our regular Mayfair PA parties. Last
month we enjoyed canapés and champagne at The
Milroy. If you’re feeling really chatty, join our
Facebook page and follow us on Twitter
(@mayfairpa.com).
mayfairpa.com

The negotiator
CLIVE RICH WAS BROUGHT UP IN A
HOUSE FULL OF POP STARS AND WENT
ON TO BROKER SOME OF SIMON
COWELL’S BIGGEST DEALS. NOW, AS A
PROFESSIONAL NEGOTIATOR, HE’S
DEVELOPED AN IPHONE APP –
FOR DEALMAKERS
Clive Rich is thinking hard; really hard. It’s right at the end of the interview, and
I’ve just asked him to think of a deal he had failed to complete successfully. He’s
struggling.
“I’m trying to think of a deal that I haven’t closed,” he says, after a while.
“One of the things I pride myself on, of course, is helping people get to yes,
even when they thought it wasn’t possible. So, it’s very rare for me to not get
it done.”
The best he can offer is a deal he walked away from. He’d been talking
about going into business with a super-rich, Mayfair-based entrepreneur, but he
says “it felt all wrong, it felt very win/lose on the other side … I don’t deal with
win/loses, I’ll always walk away from them.”
He’s a likeable character, Clive. Just turned 50, slightly built and boyish, he
radiates affability, intelligence and, well, common sense. The things he says
about negotiation seem blindingly obvious just after he’s said them, but probably
wouldn’t have occurred to you moments before.
And here’s another thing: he is absolutely certain about his skill set – he is a
professional negotiator, a dealmaker for hire – and he has worked at the top of
one of the world’s toughest industries structuring deals that made millions. But
there’s none of the stardust and bluster you might expect: he isn’t exactly selfeffacing,
but he’s not pompous either. He just comes across as incredibly
competent.
Clive’s father was a crooner – Paul Rich – who had a massive number one
hit in 1946 with Cruising Down the River. You can still listen to it on YouTube.
When rock’n’roll made crooners redundant, he moved into music publishing.
By the mid-1960s, Paul was vice president of the hugely successful
publisher Carlin, which cut deals with UK stars like The Animals, The Kinks,
Genesis, ELO, Roy Wood and Cliff Richard. It also represented Elvis Presley,
Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, Dolly Parton and the entire Tamla
Motown catalogue.
“We had The Four Tops at our house in Ealing when I was a little boy,” Clive
says. “I remember them arriving in their fleet of Cadillacs. It was very unusual in
Ealing to see that … all of the curtains were twitching as they got out of their
cars and trooped into the house.”
Academic and bright, the young Clive was torn between his education – he
went to Latimer and Lincoln College, Oxford – and hanging out with Ray Davies
and Roy Wood. “I found that incredibly alluring,” he says.
He talked it over with his dad and between them they decided that he would
complete a law qualification and get a job in the music business.
“We both knew that those kinds of jobs existed,” he says. “In the States,
lawyers were very important, influential players.”
He got his law degree and became a barrister before joining the K-Tel record
business as a legal manager on a salary of £11,000 a year with an Escort XR3i
thrown in. After a year he moved to Warner, just at the time it was launching
Madonna, Prince and Simply Red. Then he joined the German multimedia giant
Bertelsmann in its music-publishing division.
“We did deals with the Bee Gees while I was there, and Lisa Stansfield,” he
says. “We bought the Roxy Music catalogue. That was an interesting deal. And
43
business

44
business
Clive Rich’s 60-second guide to dealmaking
Have a positive attitude
“You have to feel like you can win. All of the great
negotiators have an expectation that they can win.
But that’s not enough in itself. You have to be
prepared to let the other guy have a win too. If you
create a loser on the other side you’re just storing
up trouble for later.”
Adopt the right behaviour
“It’s about picking the right behaviour for the right
occasion. We all have our favourites but we
mustn’t get stuck and repeat the same behaviour
the less and less it works, which is what people
do. Be prepared to try something different. You
have to be versatile. And you have to be able to
manage bad behaviour on the other side.”
the Lindisfarne catalogue. I was just soaking all this up.”
Clive rose through the ranks and ended up running the group’s legal and
business affairs, first in the UK and then in Europe. Then he became a director,
and that’s when he met Simon Cowell.
“He originally had his own little label called Fanfare and he was making
cheap and cheerful records with Sinita and Sonya and The World Wrestling
Foundation and Zig and Zag, and I’d do his contracts,” he says. “I came to work
fairly closely with him over the years.”
The music industry was changing – evolving and being revolutionised at the
same time by digital media. Clive saw what was coming and got into BMG’s
new-media division as chief executive, responsible “for generating the dosh” as
well as doing the deals.
“I ended up working alongside Simon Cowell as he started out on his TV
adventures – just riding shotgun for him really, and making sure that all the deals
made sense from BMG’s point of view,” Clive says. “Simon needed no help
creatively or virtually in any other way, but he was always in a tearing hurry to go
and do the next brilliant thing. So I just made sure I swept up after him and we
made money out of what we were doing.”
BMG merged with Sony, and Clive ended up running a business unit called
Futures, which was “about everything except selling CDs”.
“I could see that all of the innovation in music was happening outside the
music business,” he says. “Sony BMG suddenly felt a very constrained place, so
I decided to take my courage in both hands and pursue my own career.”
There was a gap in the teaching and practice of negotiation that was not
being addressed anywhere in the economy, he says. “There’s nobody out there
talking about the dynamics of dealmaking, and yet dealmaking is always in the
news – there’s always somebody out there somewhere doing deals.”
He began blogging about dealmaking: he wrote about the Greek bailout and
the prospects for a peace deal in Afghanistan, about Northern Ireland and
BskyB and News International. Before long he was invited onto Radio 5 to talk
with Gaby Logan about dealmaking in the new coalition government.
These days he runs cliverich.com – which is both a website and a brand.
The business has a clear message: it helps companies negotiate better deals; it
provides a new and cost-effective way of settling disputes without expensive
litigation; and it offers business and legal advice. Clive has also teamed up with
the major law firm Olswang, to put some “infrastructure” into his business.
Now he has developed an iPhone app – Close My Deal – to help steer
businesses through tricky negotiations. The first version, Close My Deal Lite, is
free. After that, it will retail at £2.99.
So, I ask, what’s your ambition? Where’s the business going?
“I’m open minded really,” Clive says. “I’m happy to go wherever it takes me.”
He thinks for a while and then adds: “But I would love to sort out the
Israeli/Palestinian dispute.”
And we drift off into a long conversation about what would have to happen
to make that possible.
BUSINESS: Erik Brown erik.brown@pubbiz.com
Get the process right
“You’ve got to know what stage you’re at. People
get the stages mixed up. Some people go straight
for the haggle. But all of the other bits – exploring
needs, climate setting, preparation, coinage … all
of that stuff is incredibly important in teeing up the
bidding and bargaining stage. Preparation,
preparation, preparation. And taking the time to
explore needs on both sides. It’s good stuff.”

46 47
THE CREATION OF
COMMUNITIES IS A SUBTLE
AND DELICATE BUSINESS.
IT REQUIRES VISION AND
PATIENCE. AT ITS HEART IS
THE SELECTION OF THE
RIGHT RETAILERS AND
RESTAURATEURS TO
CREATE A BRAND FOR A
LOCATION AND THE RIGHT
AMBIENCE FOR RESIDENTS
AND VISITORS
Feature sponsored by
Living cities
www.grosvenor.com
The eastern end of Oxford Street, towards Tottenham Court Road, is a
jumble of mobile-phone shops, souvenir shops, leather shops and coffee bars.
In retail terms it is considered a bit of a souk – scruffy and downmarket.
This is so well accepted that the local business improvement district, the
New West End Company, has made changes to the eastern end of Oxford
Street one of its “strategic priorities”.
So, how did part of one of the world’s most famous streets get into such a
mess? The answer is simple and prosaic: the buildings are owned by different
individuals and organisations with different aspirations and values.
Pension funds and insurance companies, for instance, tend to be focused
on returns to their funds. That means they don’t want shops empty for any
length of time at all, and they want to achieve the highest rents possible.
Over the past 20 years, mobile-phone companies have made enough
money to be able to pay higher rents than even some of the high-end fashion
retailers. The same is true of the well-known coffee shops. It would be a brave
fund manager who turned down a high-paying tenant in favour of a long void
and a tenant that is more interesting, but perhaps less financially robust. So,
coffee shops and mobile phone retailers proliferate.
The same is true of most of our provincial high streets – but not necessarily
of shopping centres. High streets are often in multiple ownership and can suffer
from a poor mix of uses, in the way that the eastern end of Oxford Street
suffers. But shopping centres are usually in a single ownership, or at least
under single-company management, which means that the retail mix can be
carefully controlled to improve the shopping experience and increase both the
number of visitors and the amounts they eventually spend.
Managing retail mix is one of the fine arts of commercial property – creative,
subtle and challenging, even when an estate or an entire street is in single
ownership. The choice of tenants over time effectively establishes a brand for a
location, and the owner has to have a clear long-term vision.
Look at the way in which the Howard de Walden Estate transformed
Marylebone High Street into the buzzy urban village it has become, or how the
Cadogan Estate moved Sloane Street and Sloane Square into a high-end
fashion destination to rival Bond Street.
On a grander scale, consider what The Crown Estate has been able to
achieve with Regent Street – once dominated by airline offices and what the
retail industry knows as tartan shops, and now a world-class centre for
aspirational brands.
What’s really noteworthy about these three examples is that as single
owners the landlords have all been able to use retail mix – the careful selection
The magic’s in the mix
of tenants – to develop very different brand identities for their locations and, at
the same time, to improve the value of those locations.
Grosvenor, the global property development, investment and fundmanagement
group, is taking the same approach on an even broader scale
across several streets in Mayfair and Belgravia. Committed to building
communities, Grosvenor aims to get a balance between retail outlets serving
the local community and those that create a special cachet and bring
distinction to the street.
In the past decade Grosvenor has created an exclusive enclave in Mount
Street featuring high-end fashion retailers such as Balenciaga, Christian
Louboutin and Marc Jacobs.
It was never the intention to be “accessible” in the way that, say, Bond
Street is, explains Grosvenor’s retail leasing director, Helen Franks. There were
never going to be hordes of shoppers and tourists sweeping up and down
Mount Street. The vision, in fact, was for something more exclusive than Bond
Street that aimed higher than Regent Street’s mid-range to aspirational brands
– the creation of what Franks calls a Place de Vendôme vibe.
“It’s all about creating a brand,” she says. “In Belgravia, for instance, you’ve
got places like Pimlico Road and Elizabeth Street. You can change the nature
of the location through the tenants you choose to put in there. Hence Pimlico
Road is lifestyle and design and Elizabeth Street is high-end, luxury,
independent retailers, with a scattering of community uses. It builds a
destination that encourages people to visit and shop and dwell, which
fundamentally means they spend more and the retailers – our tenants – make
money and stay there.”
Locational brands can’t be imposed, however, and Grosvenor is careful to
involve the community in the choices it makes. The Mount Street Deli, for
instance, became one of the latest tenants in the enclave after Grosvenor
asked retailers and their employees what they needed.
“The feedback we got was, ‘Where can I get a decent cup of coffee?’”
Franks explains. “We realised we should put something back into the
community and not just keep letting to high-end fashion retailers. I could have
let to a jeweller for a lot more money, but The Mount Street Deli brings a
brand-new customer into the street. We see all sorts of hedge fund and
finance guys sitting in there having morning coffee, and residents or visitors
taking a break from the shops in the street.”
Franks adds: “Likewise in Pimlico Road, I attend the traders’ association. I
might say to the association chair, ‘I’m speaking to this designer about taking
space, what do you think?’ And I will be influenced by her feedback. We do
listen to the views of other stakeholders.”
For Grosvenor, there is another consideration. It is the owner, and continues
to be the developer, of high-end apartments in Mount Street, North Audley
Street and Duke Street – and, subtly, that affects retail mix too. If you’ve just
spent £4 million on a luxury apartment, you don’t really want it to be above a
high-street chain restaurant. When you look out of your window, you want to
see something that matches the elegance and sophistication of your
apartment.
In the creation of communities, high-end retailers provide a high-end
ambience for the residents, which is why Grosvenor is now turning its attention
to the retail and restaurant provision in North Audley Street and Duke Street.
“Our next project is to update Duke and North Audley Streets as a retail
destination,” Franks says, “but we need three catalysts for that to happen. One
is the redevelopment of 30 North Audley Street, which is going to be an
upmarket restaurant with residential flats above; another is the hotel
development on the site of the Avis building in Duke Street; and the third is the
redevelopment of 55-73 Duke Street, which will be two restaurant units, two
retail units and high-end flats above.
“When those three schemes are underway, we’ll have the ability to start
rebuilding those streets as destinations, rather than just streets that feed off
Oxford Street.”
HELEN FRANKS, DIRECTOR OF
RETAIL LEASING AT GROSVENOR
PHOTO: CJ CLARKE

Is it a buyer’s
market now?
IS MAYFAIR RETURNING TO A BUYER’S MARKET? Knight Frank reports
that supply of properties in prime central London is at its highest level
since February 2009, while the number of new buyers coming into the
market slipped 13 per cent in September.
The average price of prime central London residential property also
fell for the third month in a row during September, and has now fallen by
0.7 per cent since June.
“Supply and demand trends have favoured vendors over the past year,
but through the summer the market has begun to shift slowly in favour of
the buyer,” says Knight Frank’s head of residential research, Liam Bailey.
“As we move through the autumn market there is a more cautious
approach from potential buyers, which means that vendors are having to
look very carefully at pricing.”
The impending government spending cuts could be one reason why
buyers have become more nervous, while over the summer the election
and the budget had an adverse impact on the numbers of deals being
done.
Meanwhile vendors have brought property to the market much more
quickly, tipping the balance of supply and demand; the volume of
exchanges fell 15 per cent in September compared to August.
“We noticed that in August we took on a lot of property,” says Peter
Wetherell, of Mayfair estate agent Wetherell.
“It wasn’t that people were all putting it on for the same reason – they
were all personal reasons, unrelated to each other. It’s a bit like buses –
they all seem to come at once. The ones that were priced right have been
sold and the remainder are still in the market for the run up to the
Christmas season. The people we’re selling to in Mayfair are not idiots –
they can spot an over-priced property a mile off.”
Overall, prime central London prices have seen strong growth over the
last year and a half, up 23 per cent on the low they reached in March
2009. But the recent fall in prices is certainly a warning to potential
vendors not to become over-ambitious.
“The price falls were not unexpected – the market got a bit ahead of
itself in terms of pricing,” says Bailey. “Looking ahead, the danger for
vendors is in overly ambitious pricing. Most agents feel that asking prices
are currently five to ten per cent above realistic levels, and until vendors
move to address this issue the market will be slow in terms of the
numbers of sales achieved.”
So what can we expect prices to do over the next few months?
“I’d be surprised if prices rise,” says Bailey. “At best they’ll go
sideways, at worst fall more.
“It’s likely the number of exchanges will begin to rise again because
we’ve got a healthy number of things under offer.
“Expectations are that bonuses will be higher this year than last, so
we may well see some of that money going into London property. It
should be a relatively positive end to the year.”

70 71
property
“There must be an unobstructed flow of energy to the front door,” says Mohamed
Nurmohamed. “If the door faces south, the feng-shui element is fire, so positive
colours would be red, orange, yellow or pink.”
The sales director of Chesterton Humbert’s South Audley Street office has been
learning a lot about feng shui recently. This is no hobby, but an increasing necessity
for Nurmohamed and other Mayfair estate agents dealing with growing numbers of
rich Chinese buyers looking for properties in the area.
“We currently have one very wealthy Chinese party who are looking for a grand,
period building in a prime Mayfair residential or mixed-use area and want to spend
between £10 and £20 million,” says Nurmohamed. “We’ve shown them a few, but
no matter how good the building is or the price, if it doesn’t meet their feng-shui
criteria it will fail.”
Agents often have to accept the presence of feng-shui advisors on viewings, and
buildings may be rejected if their listed status means it will be difficult to reconfigure
the property to fit their recommendations. House numbers, too, have taken on a
new significance. “Four is the number of death in China, so that’s considered
inauspicious,” says Nurmohamed.
Such considerations mean that the process of identifying a suitable property for
Chinese buyers can be demanding: “They have far more boxes that need to be
ticked before committing. But when they decide to buy, they’re very serious buyers.”
Indeed, their share of purchases in the £2 million-plus central London market has
tripled in the last year alone. In the 12 months to September they snapped up three
per cent of all properties, compared to just one per cent in the previous year,
according to Knight Frank. When it comes to new-builds, their influence is even
more strongly felt, with Chinese and Hong Kong buyers representing 10.8 per cent
of purchasers in the 12 months to May – compared to 3.5 per cent or less each for
buyers from Russia, India and the Middle East.
“We have been surprised by the dramatic increase in enquiries from Chinese
buyers in recent months,” says Rob Windsor, associate director of Mayfair estate
agent Wetherell. “The majority of Chinese buyers are typically looking for a onebedroom
flat under £1 million, or two/three bedroom flat up to £3 million. Few are
looking for a property to live in – many simply want to invest in a real-estate market
they perceive as more stable as their own, with the potential of rental income.
“The advantage of buying in Mayfair is that properties here offer good long-term
capital appreciation. However, there is also a richer vein of Chinese buyer coming
into the market, wanting bigger, more impressive statement properties.”
Richard Cutt, head of Knight Frank’s Mayfair office, was among estate agents
invited to a Think London event last month – the first of its kind – arranged for a
China
rising
MAYFAIR HAS SEEN A
DRAMATIC INCREASE IN
CHINESE BUYERS. BUT
GET YOUR FENG SHUI
WRONG AND THEY
WON’T BE INTERESTED,
AS ESTATE AGENTS
ARE DISCOVERING
PROPERTY: Nuala Calvi
nuala@pubbiz.com
LEFT: MAYFAIR’S CASINOS, SUCH AS
THE RITZ (PICTURED), ARE A DRAW FOR
WEALTHY CHINESE VISITORS
FAR LEFT: NEW-BUILD AND MODERNISED
PROPERTIES, SUCH AS THIS MOUNT
STREET PENTHOUSE (£4.5 MILLION
WITH KNIGHT FRANK, 020 7499 1012),
ARE POPULAR CHOICES
delegation of wealthy Chinese investors interested in acquiring high-end residential
and commercial property in London. “They ranged from the owners of companies to
construction industry people to the largest baker in China,” he says, “and they all
paid about £10,000 each for this fact-finding trip.”
So why are so many Chinese people suddenly keen to invest in UK property?
“The first reason is the weakening of the pound – that has had a huge impact,” says
Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s head of residential research. “The other thing that has
pushed investment out of China is that the Chinese property market has become
extremely expensive. A lot of Chinese investors are quite nervous about the market
in their major cities and they’re looking for alternative investment locations.”
Knight Frank’s managing director for Greater China, Colin Fitzgerald, says despite
the general familiarity with the UK, almost all investors buy only in London, and that
the concentration on the capital is partly a legacy of the colonial period, as many
Hong Kong citizens know the city well or have relatives here. “Critically, apartments
must be close to the tube, if they are close to major educational facilities even better
– and well-recognised locations are also in strong demand,” he says.
As an internationally-recognised brand, Mayfair’s attraction is undeniable – and
it’s close to China Town. “Traditionally a lot of Chinese people have liked Covent
Garden because of its proximity to Leicester Square and China Town, but there are
always low levels of property availability in that area,” says Nurmohamed. “Mayfair is
right on the doorstep of those places but it offers a high-quality experience. The
Chinese also love to play the tables, so Mayfair’s casinos are a big draw.”
Anecdotally, new-build or recently refurbished properties in Mayfair have
generated the most interest. “The most sought-after properties tend to be brandnew
and new-build because the luxury housing market back in China is a much
more recent market,” explains Bailey. “If you think back to when Russians first came
into the UK market ten years ago they were much more interested in new-build in
central London – it took time before they took an interest in historic property.”
But with China now boasting more billionaires than any other country apart from
the US, will Mandarin soon overtake Russian as Mayfair’s second mother tongue?
“Chinese buyers are massively important, but I don’t see them overtaking Russian
buyers,” says Bailey. “The Chinese have lot of financial centres on their doorstep –
Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong – whereas from Moscow, London’s a lot nearer.”

72
interiors
The recession is treating Priya Sher well. The feng-shui expert, who
counts Mayfair property owners, art galleries, restaurants and investment
banks among her clients, is booked up six weeks ahead. “I’ve been very
busy recently helping people who’ve lost their jobs or who want to
reactivate their careers,” she says, from her Regents Park practice. “I’ve
also had quite a few people contacting me because they need to sell their
house. Maybe it’s been stuck on the market for quite a while and they
wonder why it’s not selling – I can help them work out what’s going wrong.”
An ancient Chinese method of aesthetics, feng shui is concerned with
harnessing the energy – or Qi – in a home, optimising its flow around the
property and ensuring the five elements (water, fire, earth, metal and wood)
are equally balanced. Each part of a property represents a particular family
member or area of life, so the theory is that if energy in that space isn’t
balanced, it will have a negative effect on the person or subject concerned.
“I recently did a consultation where the client had been in the property
for two years and the husband had got quite sick,” says Priya. “When I
went to do the consultation I could tell what the problem was – the north
west part of the house, which represents the father and the male leader,
was where the toilet was situated, so energy was draining away there.”
Placing plants, which represent the wood element, in the bathroom
helped slow the draining of energy in the room, as did keeping the toilet lid
down, apparently. Similarly, the southeast area of a house represents
finance and money and the north career, so if these parts of the house
contain a bathroom or rubbish bins then energy could be draining away.
Mystic
makeover
“Often in the UK our houses aren’t rectangle or square but L-shaped,
so the southeast or north area might be ‘missing’,” says Priya, whose
consultations start with an examination of a property’s floor plan. “If that’s
the case, I’d need to find ways to activate that part. For activating money,
I’d put a water feature in the southeast section of the house, since flowing
water represents money coming in, or a mirror, which doubles positive
energy. If I need to strengthen an area, I place a Buddha or dragon there.”
The front of a house is particularly important for those concerned about
their good fortune. The front garden represents your future, so must be
kept well looked after and tidy, while the front door is considered very
significant in feng shui. “If you place two plants outside, on either side of
the door, that will attract good energy to come in,” says Priya. “Make sure it
opens smoothly and that the hallway is clear of shoes or other clutter, so
energy can enter and circulate.”
Priya herself was born in India and became a convert to feng shui after
her sister fell ill with chronic fatigue syndrome. The family was advised that
the problems had been caused by the bad energy in the house and, once
they moved, they found her illness disappeared. A management consultant
for KPMG, Priya was so inspired that she left her job to study feng shui
under Master Chan Kun Wah, and has now been an adviser for 11 years.
A consultation with Priya costs from £400 and begins with her first
standing outside the property with a compass to see which direction
INTERIORS: Nuala Calvi nuala@pubbiz.com
FENG SHUI CONSULTATIONS ARE BEING
COMMISSIONED FOR EVERYTHING FROM
LUXURY HOUSES TO INVESTMENT BANKS.
LOCAL EXPERT PRIYA SHER EXPLAINS HOW TO
HARNESS POSITIVE ENERGY IN YOUR HOME
negative energy might be coming from – for example, from nearby power
stations, cemeteries or main roads. She then spends between two and six
hours inside the house, assessing where energy is lacking in each room,
and afterwards gives a full report detailing how to balance the property
using different furniture, artwork, mirrors and colour schemes.
“One place I visited, for example, a member of the family was having
problems with anger,” she says. “I found that the room representing that
person had an excess of fire energy in it – they had painted it red and the
furniture was red. I told them to repaint it and think about buying a sofa in
brown or cream, which represents earth, to balance the fire energy.”
Feng shui doesn’t promise to solve all our problems, but according to
the Chinese the environment we live and work in accounts for 33 per cent
of our luck, the other two thirds being our heaven luck (astrology and birth)
and human luck (self-motivation and the people we mix with). “At least if we
can get the feng shui right,” believes Priya, “we’re some of the way there.”
www.fengshuisolutions.co.uk

78
meanderings erik brown
Sheep and shearful
SO, THERE I WAS, wending my way across the West
End, when I ran into a flock of sheep. Or, to be more
precise, two flocks of sheep: Exmoor horns and
Bowmonts (a cross between Saxon Merino and
Shetland, since you ask). Lovely beasts they were, very
relaxed and placid among the crowds in Savile Row.
Okay, before you get the idea that we’ve all slipped
into a Haruki Murakami novel, let me explain that this
was in the nature of a marketing campaign involving the
Savile Row Bespoke Association and the Campaign for
Wool. If I understand it correctly, the idea was to
establish that wool makes great clothing and is natural,
sustainable and versatile, which in my mind at least was
never in doubt.
In fact, farmer Harry Parker – owner of the Exmoor
Horns – was to be seen wearing an Anderson &
Sheppard bespoke suit, created from Fox’s West of
England Tweeds and made with Exmoor wool, as he
tended his flock that day.
Was I wrong, then, to be slightly more interested in
the fact that the organisers of this splendid event had
managed to turf Savile Row, and that walking through it
was like walking the South Downs Way?
Over the years there have been many plans to
dispense with Park Lane and bring Hyde Park into
Mayfair. They have all failed, of course, but the greening
of Savile Row gave a glimpse of what could be
achieved with a little imagination, and it was really quite
splendid.
• By the way, I’d like to nominate my very good friend
Mark Henderson – deputy chairman of Gieves &
Chucking brilliant!
CONGRATULATIONS TO the team from
Strutt & Parker who raised £22,000 for the
children’s charity Wooden Spoon by
throwing a rugby ball to one another for
24 hours. Rugby superstars Lawrence
Dallaglio and Will Greenwood were there to
lend support, but it was the guys from S&P
who wearily worked their way through the
graveyard shift when the celebs and
visitors had gone – and good on them.
Wooden Spoon is dedicated to helping
underprivileged children and young people
live happier and richer lives.
Black humour
THE ENGLISH LOVE of the bad joke probably baffles
anthropologists, and I often wonder what visitors from
overseas make of the dreadful puns in the English tabloid
press. I confess I have mixed views: I both love them and
hate them. Nevertheless, I stand in admiration of this singular
example from the leisure company Blacks: “Now is the winter
of our discount tents.” Wish I’d written it.
Hawkes and chairman of the Savile Row Bespoke
Association – for the title Cool Dude of the Month. I ran
into him at around 10am recently, and he was wearing a
tailored dinner jacket without a tie. “Going somewhere?”
I asked. “Yes,” he said, “but not until this evening.” He
couldn’t be bothered to carry two suits, he explained,
so he decided to wear the DJ all day. Not only did he
look elegantly natural at ten in the morning, I just don’t
know anybody else who could have carried it off so
well. Were I to wear a cap, I would doff it in your
direction, Mr H.
Picture perfect
MY APOLOGIES to the young and
talented photographer CJ Clarke for
missing his credit off the pictures of
our commercial property lunch, which
appeared in the magazine last month.
By way of recompense, I can heartily
recommend CJ, one of my favourite
photographers, as a man who
manages to be both inspired and
completely invisible in a crowd – a
great trick if you can pull it off. Visit
his website at cjclarke.com for an
insight into his work.