Showing posts with label Richard Burton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard Burton. Show all posts

Friday, 2 August 2013

Sloane Street Seduction

Working in Interior design I obviously have an interest in the finer things in life but this has never extended to designer clothes and accessories. While I have no problem shelling out hundreds of pounds for a giant hindu statue ( totally happened ) there is no way I would drop the same amount on a pair of Prada trainers ( not ever ).







This being said I have always had a weakness for a certain Mr Ford and not just his brooding good looks but actually his products. I've long been a Tom Ford aftershave devotee and always had a sneaking suspicion that I might be prepared to abuse one of my credit cards to own one of his suits.




Well that suspicion was confirmed this week when I took myself off to visit his newly opened London store. Normally the thought of spending time in a Sloane Street store having my bank balance mentally sized up by the staff is my idea of hell, but I was too determined to have a good look around to be put off by such things.




I breezed through the door with all the confidence of a person with a Centurion Amex in their pocket and headed for the fragrances - a safe place to start. There was a hilarious moment of confusion when both of the sales associates drew a blank when I said I was looking for aftershave; some quick explanation that I meant Tom Ford aftershave finally hit home - evidently I was the first person to have asked for the cheapest item they stock.




By now I had realised that I was the only customer in the store - just me and about 25 impossibly well dressed and good looking associates who all said a rather surprised good morning as I circulated round what is quite frankly the most beautiful retail space I have ever been in.


It's pure Tom Ford; dark, luxe and a little bit disco - disco as in the hedonistic glamour of studio 54 not school disco. The whole atmosphere is of seduction and I'm afraid that like a true floozy I was seduced. I even found myself, normally totally anti fur, having a conversation about a Beaver coat that only Richard Burton could carry off, and thinking 'well there are lots of beavers, aren't there?'



It was time to make a hasty exit with my aftershave and my credit card only slightly burned. If I had stayed longer I have the most terrible feeling I would have ended up compromising my credit rating and my morals to buy something much more extravagant. 

Don't get me wrong though, I'll be back to run the gauntlet of gorgeous things vs my financial ruin. Foolish perhaps, but thanks to Tom Ford being bad has never looked so good.

Thursday, 25 July 2013

Burton and Taylor

Anyone who has read this blog will know I'm a big fan of la Taylor. Last night I finally got round to watching the BBC 4 production Taylor and Burton which recounts the story of the couple during their run together in Noel Cowards Private Lives.




Since Liz died there have been many attempts to dramatize her life and relationships - most notoriously in  the Lindsay Lohan car crash Liz and Dick. However with the always fantastic Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West in the title roles this was clearly going to be of a different calibre.







I thought that this was a truly enjoyable watch, beautifully filmed and very well written. However, despite their considerable talents Bonham Carter and West fail to consistently bring the power of this pairing to life. There are a few moments of brilliance - when Burton and Taylor have dinner together, there is real chemistry between them and Elizabeth suddenly comes to life in a passionate out burst that is pure Taylor. The brilliant script makes this final hoorah of the great pairing truly touching. The age old adage 'can't live with them, can't live without them' rings eternally true here as Elizabeth tries and fails to reclaim and then let go of her true love.




They also look much better than the real Burton and Taylor who were definitely showing the effects of their years of excess by the time they took to the stage in Private Lives as can be seen in the photo above.

This was a great production and showcases what the BBC does best. Its a crime that funding for drama like this has been cut and yet there is money for Eastenders and Bargain Hunt! I'd like a refund on my TV licence please.