Dawn to dusk this group of nearly twenty women and one patient husband persevered, never letting exhaustion, hunger or fabric fatigue  dampen their will to enter just one more shop.

Dig, dig, dig, that’s what you have to do in these shops, said Fine to me, the obvious weak link in the pack. Always haggle! And of course, you should NOT get things made but I Do it as I can’t resist. Sometimes it works and it is fabulous.  Sometimes I cannot believe just how they screwed up!! I have a true love hate with the process. I think the key is to make pieces, have them in time before you leave so you can make alterations if necessary.

Like an archeologist on the scent of an old bone, this group of women – many working in the design world – somehow knew that under that pile of random materials, lay the perfect quilt, bedspread or tea cosy that they’d been hankering after for years.

It’s a textile frenzy, insanity but it’s worth it, said Fine, who has been to India over fifty times in the last 19 years.

While Fine may live between Dallas and Manhattan, her heart is firmly based in the exotic east, where she draws much inspiration for her covetable textile line.

Fine and the Texan athletes flaunted their purchasing prowess in Rajasthan’s shopping mecca Jaipur. We flew to Jaipur at the crack of dawn from lake-filled Udaipur and spent the day visiting several of Fine’s favorite haunts, never bothering to check in to our hotel, put our feet up, lie by the pool, sit. No, we had work to do.

 I always go to Anokhi, the Zara of India with blockprint designs at dirt cheap prices, said Fine. And I love the carmelized onion, Gorgonzola pizza, orange cake and fresh pomegranate juice for lunch at the Organic Cafe next door.

For the sheer quantity of choice and range of colors, Fine likes two Jaipur spots, blockprint nirvana Ridhi Sidhi

and antique fabric and vintage retailer Saurashtra Textiles. Below is Fine’s Dallas bedroom with a bedspread from Saurashtra Textiles. Her digging paid off. The paintings in her bedroom are by Sunita Kumar , a close friend and confidante of  Mother Teresa.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, for those who like small, less overwhelming places (ME!) Fine recommends Brigitte Singh where we saw blockprinting in action.

We spent the afternoon dazzled by jewels at the renown Gem Palace, Munnu and Gem Paradise – all within spitting distance of each other. I did quite well at Gem Paradise where I thought their prices beat the competition.

Time for a tea break? Hardly. Next shop til you drop was Hot Pink, where I bought some chic linen men’s shirts and a few oversized beach bags for my daughters.

In that same complex Fine pointed us to a new designer Ayush Kasliwal where I stocked up on original presents for the home- bronze shaped gheckos that double as bottle openers, wood carvings, pretty ceramics. We then went to buzzy Bar Palladio for a deserved cocktail

and what I foolishly thought would be the conclusion to our day. Hah!

Fine has the energy of a Labrador puppy. She  took the diehards to her favorite outdoor dining spot – the restaurant at Oberoi-owned Rajvilas, about half an hour outside of town. Remember we rose at 5am, took a flight and had not stopped touring, spending and yakking all day. I needed a vacation from my vacation.

That’s my favorite hotel. Mr Oberoi really gets it. It’s all very simple, cottons, made in India. It’s very luxurious, but sort of humble too. It’s not trying to be European, explained Fine.

And for lunch the next day we ate on the old style terrace of this two hundred year-old haven  Samode Haveli.

It’s charming and not over-designed, Fine said.

Note to gem enthusiasts: Lisa’s absolute favorite jewelry shop is in Delhi, not Jaipur.

If you want really fine things, my friends the Bharany’s are the best.  The father was a great antique textile designer. They have the best jewelry, the best.

While in Delhi Fine likes to visit the restored, sprawling  Bikaner House spread over eight acres in Lutyen’s Delhi and with interesting exhibitions.

You can see inside great mansions, how people actually lived. So many former maharajah places are government-owned and in disrepair, but not this one.

And for fashion she has her eye on up and coming Parisian designer Cecile Dascali. A final top tip from the chief:

I  think it is important to go some place rural. The main cities have grown so much and with the rise in tourism and the growing Indian middle class you really don’t see the traditional India as much in cities today. Go some place off the radar or difficult to get to. I recently went to Gwalior and Orcha.  After over 50 trips to India, that was as exciting as my first trip.

 January, 2018

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I have selected four one-off, unusual sales/shops to buy things for that choosey friend where a scarf from Harvey Nick’s, a hamper from Fortnum’s or a candle from Jo Malone just won’t do, the kind of friend where you must prove your devotion by the effort and originality you expend. These friends are demanding, but we’re, I mean, they’re worth it.

Top on my list is this jewellery sale tomorrow at 61 Victoria Road from 11am-6pm …

For those who don’t know Elie Top, he was accessories designer at Lanvin for 15 years, collaborating closely with Alber Elbaz. Inspired by 18th c. French and Italian Renaissance, Top, who launched his own label last year,  is known for his large metal pendants inlaid with precious stones and diamonds.

If, on the other hand, your discerning  friend is into funky town beads, Indonesian head dresses or pompoms sported by the flamboyant flamingoed Iris Apfel, then head to Peter Adler’s Pebble London Christmas sale this weekend where everything is 10% off.

Bead lovers need never despair again with Adler’s Cave of  hanging treasures. Fancy some Afghan tribal trinkets …

or perhaps something still vibrant but a tad more conventional …

…

Not feeling colourful? No problem …

Now if your someone special devours Pinterest, gets excited by tangerine roses in a bud vase, a new coloured moleskin journal, you know the type (Kate, Lauren, thinking of you), then interiors shop Pentreath & Hall on Lamb’s Conduit Street is just the ticket.

Recently featured in NYT’s T Magazine, the shop is owned by the multi-talented Ben Pentreath, who in addition to being decorator to William and Kate, is a skilled architect, interior designer and blogger. These alphabet pots above make organising fun – especially for you know who (Kate, Lauren, party time!)

Fuchsia hued Merino wool coasters will make your design-devotee pal blush …

while  decoupage plates and slick lacquered trays will send them to the moon.

What’s more, today only (Thursday, December 1st) from noon to 8pm all the quaint shops on both Lamb’s Conduit and Rugby Street are offering a 10% discount.

Final stop on Secret Santa’s mystery tour is for that friend who’d prefer  something on the wall to something on the bod.

Pop-up House of Voltaire on Cork Street

is selling a cornucopia of artist donated pieces. With over 150 artists and designer contributions including Carsten Holler, Simone Rocha, Phyllida Barlow, Michael Craig Martin, Chris Offili, Ed Ruscha and a host of others. From limited-edition prints by the likes of Belgian superstar Luc Tuymans …

and Trafalgar Square’s Forth Plinth artist David Shrigley

to a festive lambswool blanket by Jonas Wood …

or a  prison tray by London-based Argentine artist Pablo Bronstein (my personal fave),

there’s a lot to choose from for that certain visual someone.  House of Voltaire runs until December 18th. Money raised goes to the London-based arts charity Studio’s Voltaire gallery and education programs.

Happy Hunting!

December, 2016

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Last night at the opening dinner Tate Director Nick Serota got a well-deserved standing ovation,

 and I got a selfie and  some chocolates.

I want to go back and explore, just not this weekend. Mob scenes aren’t my thing.  If Switch House and Boiler House (the original Tate Modern next door where the art has been completely rehung) are Britain’s cultural cathedral then I’ll visit Mecca when the path clears.

In the meantime, there are two shows which promise to please and be a tad more relaxing. For the city mouse,  don’t miss terrific Nigerian fashion designer Duro Olowu’s curated “Making & Unmaking” opening this weekend at the Camden Arts Centre.

How, you might ask, do I know Duro’s show will be great when it doesn’t open until tomorrow?

Simple, I answer, his dresses make me feel fabulous.

(My horoscope told me not to overthink things.)

Duro delights in blending bold pallettes of pattern and color into beautifully-cut, flattering dresses. Image below is from Duro’s shoebox size, treasure trove of a shop in Mason’s Yard near Piccadilly.

Similarly, Duro is mixing it all up in Camden – antique West African textiles and Bauhaus tapestries are placed alongside contemporary works and new commissions. He has selected over sixty international artists that inspire him from household names like Fernand Leger and Brice Marden to lesser known talents like Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou’s Untitled (Musclemen series)

and Wangechi Mutu’s Panties in a Bunch.

For the country mouse, we move from edgy Camden to cosy Cotswolds, where On Form, a biennial exhibition of sculpture in stone  at Asthall Manor has just opened.

Once owned by writer Nancy Mitford’s family, Asthall Manor is set in gorgeous  gardens designed by Isabel Bannerman  whose green thumb has worked its magic on Highgrove and Arundel Castle. Her stunning botanical photographs are being exhibited at On Form and can be purchased through her London dealer Jonathan Cooper.

Asthall Manor owner Rosie Pearson explained to me how she hopes On Form will make sculpture accessible.

I want people to touch the works, explore them and not be put off by over intellectualisation.

 About 270 stone sculptures are scattered throughout the property.

as well as is in the Ballroom …

This was my favourite by Tom Stogdon.

The Cotswolds can be very social. Asthall is no exception. My hosts Sebastian and Thomas Gibson (below from the left) seemed to know everyone there. Meanwhile, I bumped into my son Thomas (right), who was there with friends. Thomas has always operated on a needs-to-know basis.

Also at Asthall are the Mad Hatter bookshop with a packed schedule of events and  the Potting Shed Cafe with a guest chef  every  Saturday night until the sculpture show closes July 10th.

June, 2016

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Young Bright Things (YBT) which opened last night and runs until May 13th features ten artists – a mix of  sculptors,  jewellers,  graphic, textile and fashion designers. Above are Petra Palumbo, Annie Morris and Jordana Yechiel. Ages range from 19 year old potter Tancredi di Carcaci – who was influenced by a trip to Cordoba,  icons of the Virgin Mary and 18th c. Baroque decorations …

– to the cool and coquettish 32 year old shoe designer Charlotte Dellal. Mondrian, Lichtenstein and Picasso give Dellal’s Charlotte Olympia brand heels an arty kick . The painted velvet tote bag is also by  Charlotte Olympia.

All the works in the show are either one-off’s or limited editions for David Gill

W’s Contributing European Editor and curator of  YBT Gianluca Longo says the show is about craftsmanship.

I come from Italy and I love stuff that is hand-made with a lot of passion and history behind it.

He adds that the idea for the show came to him and gallery owner David Gill at a wedding.

David and I were at a wedding last year surrounded by young creatives. He said ‘Oh my God, I would love to have them all in my gallery’. And I said, ‘Why don’t we just do it? And that’s how it started.

Pretty straightforward? Only if you can overcome dealing with chilled millennials.

Oh, you need it now? imitates Longo of his relaxed participants. ‘But I’m skiing in Gstaad’ or ‘But I’m with my grandmother.’

Luckily, Longo prevailed, the artists delivered and the show looks fab.

Fresh-faced illustrator and textile designer Luke Edward Hall

created a dinner set for six inspired by Greek mythology …

Longo with Palumbo below who makes hand-painted inspired embroidery for her family label Tapisserie. She collaborated with artist Rhys Coren and designer Francis Sultana to make these stools below.

Longo with Tudor-mad jeweller Yechiel …

Yechiel’s JY Shields get a  Rock n’ Roll twist

I love the Tudor period, the court life, the richness, the extremities. They were so bling, these women with their outfits, their dresses and bodices. It was just so decadent…Shields are not only protective armour, but symbols of who you are and where you come from.

Or go for something softer, delicate and very wearable with Noor Fares’ delectable chains below …

If a modern take on a classical marble bust is your thing, Nick Hornby is your man….

Walk around the bust and observe the different profiles as they appear.

Going to a show of Post-Modernist works? Brazilian-American designer Alexander Lewis’s lilac PoMo sweater is  the one to don.

Be bold with this pigment stack sculpture by Annie Morris …

Or blow your friends away with a hand-blown sensual work by  French-Lebanese artist Flavie Audi …

April, 2016

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