Brown’s Hotel is my favourite hotel in London, with an incredible history. The service is impeccable. I find it private and discreet and somewhere to get away from the hustle and bustle of Central London. Where else in the world can you sit, sipping an Old Fashioned or Gin & Tonic, by the same fireplace that Winston Churchill sat by during WWII?
Love tradition? Love Fashion.
I adore the traditions of Mayfair, Savile Row, St James’ and Jermyn Street. I’m not sure if it’s a ritual but I always have my shoes shined in Burlington Arcade every time I’m in Mayfair.
London is the most diverse and exciting fashion capital in the world. It has the heritage brands on Savile Row, but mixes this with fashionforward, exciting young designers, on top of huge international brands such as Burberry. No other fashion capital can really offer this.
An accessory to the look?
My ties and handkerchiefs are usually from Thom Sweeney or Drakes. I also have a watch collection, many of which come from Watch Club in the Royal Arcade in Mayfair.
So if you're looking good, where's good to look?
Wander along Embankment at sunset and past the Houses of Parliament. I truly think it is one of the best and most iconic views in the world.
Other fashionable favourites?
The Riding House Cafe for lunch. 34 Berkeley Square for dinner. The National Portrait Gallery for culture.
Discover how to make the most of a long weekend in London, Florence and Rome, pairing celebrated landmarks with experiences beyond the city. A few days offers just enough time to settle into a destination’s rhythm, while still leaving space for a thoughtfully chosen day trip further afield.
To understand Baroque, you have to understand its ambition. To fully appreciate it, you have to go to southern Italy. Emerging from the Counter-Reformation in early 17th-century Italy, the movement harnessed drama, ornamentation and light in service of devotion – art designed to engage the senses as much as the intellect.
Some travellers fall in love with a city all at once. Others come to know it gradually, season by season, until they understand not just where to go, but, perhaps more vitally, when. London, with its Royal parks and cobbled courtyards, layers of heritage and history, rewards the latter handsomely.
