HTSI editor Jo Ellison
HTSI editor Jo Ellison © Marili Andre

The holiday issue, which we start to work on in August, remains one of my favourite editions of the year. The gift guide pages, with their tiny cut-outs and recommendations, are so compelling; I just love poring over each person’s choices and then making judgements about their taste. 

And yes, I realise I am putting myself in the hot seat for your criticism, since my list is as greedy as it is long. But if it gets me any closer to a painting by Jockum Nordström, you may be as mean about me as you wish. 

Lara Menezes wears Chanel tulle and sequin jacket, £9,420, cotton iridescent shorts, £2,290, and leather bag (on right shoulder), £5,020
Lara Menezes wears Chanel tulle and sequin jacket, £9,420, cotton iridescent shorts, £2,290, and leather bag (on right shoulder), £5,020 © Lara Angelil

We’ve also found other gift inspiration – from power trikes to rough diamonds, and from super-scents to sexy underwear. Apparently, after the pandemic shift to ginormous knickers, there’s been a swing back to G-strings and basques. I’ll be sticking to my Tekla pyjamas; my sexy knicker era was at least 20 years ago. That said, I’m taken by our fashion story “Party looks to shine in”, in which our stylist Benjamin Canares and photographer Lara Angelil make a case for maxed-out, seductive party style. I’m in love with the gold Chanel tuxedo jacket, especially when worn with a throng of golden chains about the throat. Party style should be bold, shiny and metallic; this is the season when resembling a bauble is the point. Those who shrink from too much tinsel, however, should consider our made-in-Scotland feature. The least you can do is don a festive Argyle and a kilt. 

From left: Rachael wears Dior mohair Check’n’Dior jumper, £1,550, metallised-cotton Dior Roses skirt, £3,500, J’Adior velvet slingbacks, £850, and satin sponge headband, £540. Falke virgin-wool Airport socks, £18. Slim Barrett crystal and silver Regal oval-drop earrings, £1,800. Onyinyechi wears Roksanda bespoke chiffon Tempana dress, £15,000. Erdem leather boots, £875. Sophie Bille Brahe gold and freshwater-pearl Promenade de Jeanne earrings, £1,650 for pair, and (in right ear) gold and freshwater-pearl Wrapped earring, £1,150. Jordan wears Alaïa nylon hooded body-shirt, £1,410, lace skirt, £1,490, and la Cage wedge bootees, £1,410. Gillian Horsup diamanté-stud earrings, £75. Louis wears Officine Générale velvet Giovanni jacket, £575, and wool Nash trousers, £360. Ralph Lauren Purple Label cotton poplin shirt, £550. John Lobb velvet and leather Manchester derby shoes, £1,650. Cartier gold, tsavorite-garnet and onyx Panthère de Cartier pocket gem pin, £7,050
From left: Rachael wears Dior mohair Check’n’Dior jumper, £1,550, metallised-cotton Dior Roses skirt, £3,500, J’Adior velvet slingbacks, £850, and satin sponge headband, £540. Falke virgin-wool Airport socks, £18. Slim Barrett crystal and silver Regal oval-drop earrings, £1,800. Onyinyechi wears Roksanda bespoke chiffon Tempana dress, £15,000. Erdem leather boots, £875. Sophie Bille Brahe gold and freshwater-pearl Promenade de Jeanne earrings, £1,650 for pair, and (in right ear) gold and freshwater-pearl Wrapped earring, £1,150. Jordan wears Alaïa nylon hooded body-shirt, £1,410, lace skirt, £1,490, and la Cage wedge bootees, £1,410. Gillian Horsup diamanté-stud earrings, £75. Louis wears Officine Générale velvet Giovanni jacket, £575, and wool Nash trousers, £360. Ralph Lauren Purple Label cotton poplin shirt, £550. John Lobb velvet and leather Manchester derby shoes, £1,650. Cartier gold, tsavorite-garnet and onyx Panthère de Cartier pocket gem pin, £7,050 © Laurence Ellis

Meanwhile, HTSI spends a night at the museum on the eve of the National Gallery’s bicentennial. The celebrations will kick off in 2024 with a total rehang of the institution and a grand tour of its greatest works. Beatrice Hodgkin meets the gallery’s leaders as they try to raise the final funds to underpin the project, while photographer Laurence Ellis and stylist Louise Ford are given entry after hours to capture the magic behind the scenes.  

The bar at Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay
The bar at Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay © Matthieu Salvaing

There’s magic also at the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, a Cistercian abbey visited by kings and queens, and former home of the Rothschilds, now reconceived by Laurent de Gourcuff as a French country escape. The CEO of the hospitality group Paris Society, de Gourcuff first set eyes on the Abbaye in winter 2019. Now, after a long, careful renovation, he is revealing the hotel for the first time. In the UK, such country excursions have been a burgeoning business for some time. Part Hogwarts, part Soho Farmhouse, the Abbaye will mark a departure for Parisians seeking boating lakes, plein air and promenades.

The Veeraswamy restaurant on Regent Street in 1973
The Veeraswamy restaurant on Regent Street in 1973 © Getty Images

Lastly, my favourite story in this issue celebrates Diwali, which more than a billion people will mark this weekend. For Ajesh Patalay, the occasion is a moment to champion the Indian restaurants frequented by his family and other migrants; finding pockets of a city where one can eat the dishes of one’s childhood is a beautiful and nostalgic thing. Sadly many of these establishments, often set up by first- or second-generation immigrants, are being forced to close owing to increasing costs and higher rents. Ajesh takes us to Drummond Street, in London, where his parents would visit in the late 1960s, to “eat whole feasts for less than £2 and stock up on pickle from Patak’s and gulab jamun from Ambala Sweets”. His family still goes to Drummond Street for special occasions – and it’s still a treat. The piece is a tribute to those places where a newcomer to a city might feel welcomed, put down roots, and sometimes find their one true love… 

@jellison22

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