Spoilt for choice in London to celebrate another year on the planet and in the capital... and The Keeper's House has been on my wishlist since it opened a couple of years ago, so La Teen and I opted for its early evening, pre-theatre supper. The restaurant combines fine dining with fine art within the walls of the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly.
I decided to put on my 'alternative' tea-dress, in a lively African print in feral greens and browns, by Osika; my patent-leather green jacket by BCBG Max Azria; and brown velvet heels by Robert Clergerie. The clutch - a Hong Kong original from the '50s - but purchased in Lewes, East Sussex, featured in my Belair posting. Vintage jewellery and a Mongolian lamb scarf, in baize green, happily complemented the interiors, created by acclaimed architect, David Chipperfield RA. Didn't realised subterranea could be so seductive!
A delicious birthday dinner... roll on another year.
Where to go for a celebratory supper? Quaglino's, of course, which positively pulsates with glamour. Secreted away in St James', at 16 Bury Street, the sweeping staircase to the restaurant is like descending the stairs of a great ocean liner, albeit one anchored in Mayfair. For the occasion, there was only one dress to wear: a mid-century satin number weighed down with beads and pearls. A hand-made piece, purchased in Pimlico's Cornucopia (long-gone but one of my very favourite shopping haunts), this gown never fails to make me feel that I'm "Puttin' On the Ritz" - coincidentally just around the corner. Worn with brown satin heels, a deep-red vintage fur, and a statement pearl ring from Jessica Walker, plus a perfect dining companion (my daughter), in an Isabel Marant for H&M metallic dress.
There's nothing quite like a bit of Georgian architecture to uplift the spirit and a lovely local example is Belair House: Bar, Dining and Social, at 1 Gallery Road, Dulwich. Putting the long and the short of it together, I opted for a long suede coat and fringed scarf for cover, and my shortest skirt by Paul Smith, with garden florals to suit the bosky surroundings. A dash of red in the Chinese-style Equipment top and favourite Dior lipstick, Dolce Vita, gave me a decent dash of tomato to complement the colours in my '50s Hong Kong clutch, bought this summer at Cliffe Antiques Centre, East Sussex. The charming vintage shoes by Joseph have a distinctly Georgian look whilst the Prada sunnies are decidedly Rococo.
Pop this in your diary: from November 2nd, Belair House will be holding a history exhibition, 'Through the Ages', including funny, happy and interesting memories from local residents.
What better proposition on a Sunday afternoon, in south London, than to embark upon a safari? A Garden Safari, that is, celebrating 'hidden gems and unexpected delights' within the environs of Sydenham Hill. A handful of charming private gardens opened their gates to the paying public, in aid of Dulwich Helpline & Southwark Churches Care*. I found perfect resting spots in each one, between woodland and herbaceous border, 'twixt organic vegetable patch and free-range chicken run, at the end of which I enjoyed a cup of tea and a home-made cake. Sporting a 'wild-life' dress from Timberland, (last seen in 'It's a jungle out there... or rather in here'), I wore more green accessories from the livid African beads and floral enamel ring, to a favourite pair of forest-green wedges from Menorca's c doux, purchased at Stella C. The clutch is '50s Hong Kong, adorned with an embroidered dragon and elephants in bone, and a recent purchase in Lewes, from Cliffe Antiques Centre.
*DHSCC provides friendship, practical help and emotional support to isolated older people in the community
