Experience: Reverie, the champagne forest at The Savoy
After the worst 18 months in the history of hospitality, this week feels like the festive season really begins. The Savoy in London has managed the difficult task of creating a world first: Reverie, a multi-sensory experience, constructed by Meredith O’Shaughnessy. Inspired by the works of Kay Nielsen - the Danish illustrator who combined Audrey Beardsley's deviance with the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and Walt Disney - O’Shaughnessy has created a stunning art deco installation featuring hand-carved gold and silver trees inspired by Laurent Perrier. Make sure you also seek out the “moon boat” (pictured above) by Sam Beer and Belinda Bowles, created in association with Nyetimber. The masterstroke? A jolly festive afternoon tea including white chocolate and Morelllo cherry ganache snowflakes.
Afternoon Tea from £85 for weekend bookings. savoychristmas.com
Visit: The largest collection of Fabergé Eggs in a generation
118 years after he opened his first branch outside of Russia, Carl Fabergé is returning to London. A new exhibition at the V&A, opening 20 November, shows how the Saint Petersburg-born goldsmith was inspired by Edwardian high society. Featuring 200 objects including hard-to-buy gifts for the British audience (Sandringham portraits, racehorses, soldiers, cigarette cases and snuffboxes), the exhibition shows how Fabergé became beloved of royalty, aristocrats, exiles, financiers, Mahrajas and socialites.
£18. Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution runs 20 November - 8 May 2022. vam.ac.uk
Shop: Orlebar Brown’s lavish loungewear
Having helped create one of the defining innovations in the world of swimwear - the aspirational men’s short, cut just so, from 2007 - Orlebar Brown are now a full blown lifestyle brand, offering everything from James Bond cosplay to underwear, outerwear and accessories (the “shoes you can swim in” come highly recommended). Their next innovation comes in loungewear, featuring hoodies, cotton pyjamas, oversized towelling dressing gowns and brushed towelled sportswear. Put it this way: when we’re travelling in 2022, the Mathers’ tracksuit will take us from home-to-lounge-to-cabin-to-hotel - and back again.
From £35-£295. Orlebarbrown.com
Drink: A Jean Cocteau Cocktail
How better to celebrate the genius of bon vivant Jean Cocteau than by raising a glass? We’re delighted to report that the LPM Restaurant & Bar in Mayfair has paid tribute to Jean Cocteau, the visionary behind “La Belle et La Bête", "Les Enfants Terribles" and "Orphée". Developed over the past twelve months by Global Bar Manager Tibor Krascsenics, there are 12 new cocktails including Lettre à Coco (a Ketel One and champagne cordial combination) and The Eugene (combining Remy Martin VSOP, Mancino Vermouth Rosso Amaranto and Mandarine Napoleon). One note of caution: trying the absinthe fountain will, in no way, make you as creative as Cocteau and his drinking buddy Charlie Chaplin in the 1920s.
From £13. https://lpmrestaurants.com
Listen: Ignorance (Deluxe) by The Weather Station
If you hear only one album this week, it’s got to be Adele. But if you hear two albums, we’d heartily recommend the deluxe edition of Ignorance by The Weather Station, the elegant new LP from Tamara Lindeman. The Album Of The Year according to Uncut, it is a jazzy depiction of love, loss and resilience. This week sees the release of the double vinyl special edition, including exclusive sleeve notes from its creator.
£34.99, Roughtrade.com
