Style : Carlton Drew

East Coast style in LA : Carlton Drew

 I discovered Carlton Drew on Instagram (@carltondrew) and eventually, on a recent trip to Los Angeles I was able to visit the shop itself. Carlton Drew brings East Coast style with a modern edge to Los Angeles - my kind of shop.

 Naturally, I had on my best modern prep outfit... Louis Vuitton Success brogues in Navy Canvas / Leather mix, Embroidered Anchor Shorts by Bank Fashions, Striped shirt by Vivienne Westwood, Shades by Tom Ford.

 Carlton Drew had posted on Instagram some days earlier the new line of 'Lemon & Line' cord bracelets he had just received - naturally I made a beeline straight for these

 I also picked up a couple of tees from 'Declaration' and some shirts from 'Shades of Grey by Micah Cohen'  (With Carlton Drew very kindly throwing in a freebie - thanks!)

 Carlton Drew is a very well curated shop with a great selection East Coast preppy style product, located at 8016 Melrose Avenue, just up from Fred Segal - it's a great location in a very up and coming area.

Carlton Drew,
8016 Melrose Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA 90046
(323) 782 - 1434

Website : Carlton Drew

Style : Outfits

Outfit shots

 

 Chris' Outfit

 Pastel sheen colour block shirt - 'Bläck' at McQ, Stockholm
 Pale denim skinny jeans - 'Zumo' at Fittz, Prague
 Slip on brogues in Cognac - 'Melrose Loafer' by Louis Vuitton
 Leather / Stainless Steel H belt - Hermes
 Orange 'Clic Clac' enamel bracelet - Hermes 
 Leather and 18ct white gold love bangle - Cartier
 Tortoiseshell sunglasses - TF236 'Olivier' by Tom Ford

 Paul's outfit

 Grey marl jersey with woven collar polo - 'Josef Sloboda' at Fittz, Prague

 Skinny jeans - 'Max Le Light' by Acne

 Jacquard satin slippers - 'Spotlight' by Louis Vuitton

 Leather / Enamel H belt - Hermes

 Brown tortoiseshell sunglasses - TF197 'Leopold' by Tom Ford

Style : Outfits

Outfit shots

 A new feature on this blog - I'm going to start posting some more outfit shots. Hope you enjoy. 

 Paul's Outfit

 Green Deco Pattern Blazer : Reiss
 Cotton jersey polo with silk collar : Alexander McQueen
 Black skinny jeans : 'Max Cash' by Acne
 Black patent leather slippers with ponyskin moustache :  'Watson' by Christian Louboutin
 Green polka dot pocket square : Tom Ford
 Black Sunglasses : TF97 'Arnaud' by Tom Ford

 Chris' Outfit

 Cobolt Blue Blazer : Reiss
 Blue pinstripe shirt with rounded collar and collar bar : Reiss
 Blue twill cotton trousers : Reiss
 Navy perforated suede slippers : 'Spotlight' by Louis Vuitton
 Black and Grey geometric pocket square : Tom Ford
 Black sunglasses : TF236 'Olivier' by Tom Ford

Instagram : The last month

Photo update

I realize it's been a month since I've posted - it's been busy. This is what I've been up to:

 L-R: Damien Hirst at The Belvedere, Holland Park; Sunday outfit - A new Tom Ford pocket square and Louis Vuitton Electric boots; Patum Peperium 'The Gentleman's Relish' Ltd Ed porcelain cases at Partridges; Food Heaven at The Belvedere, Holland Park

 L-R: Snowy Days on my Vespa; Snowy Rooftops - A view from my apartment; Goyard on Mount Street - My new shopping destination street; Cable Knit - A new deep green cable knit with toggles from Joules

 L-R: Boulevard - in Paris for trade fairs, watching the sunset from the hotel; Folies Bergere - Stumbling across Art Deco Icons whilst shopping in Paris; Desert Retreat - Some relaxing time at Qasr Al Sarab, Liwa Desert, UAE; Dune Bashing - some adrenaline driving in the desert

 Follow me on Instagram : @opulentscrawls

 http://instagram.com/opulentscrawls

Style : Cocoa Juvenate

Hotel Chocolat Beauty : Cocoa Juvenate

 I've had a fondness for all things 'Hotel Chocolat' since my visit to the Rabot Estate in St.Lucia last year (see post Attend:Hotel Chocolat Rabot Estate) So I was excited to hear about a new beauty range launch from the chocolate house; 'Cocoa Juvenate'

  The Cocoa Juvenate candle is described as being "inspired by the beautiful blend of natural scents all around the Cocoa Juvenate Spa, set amongst the cocoa groves of Rabot Estate, Saint Lucia"
 It sounds like the ideal candle to beat these miserable, dark winter days - and the rest of the range sounds just as uplifting.
 The scheme will also work perfectly in my new bathroom : Bathroom Interior

 Hotel Chocolat - Cocoa Juvenate 

Louis Vuitton's Writing Room

Writing Collection : Louis Vuitton

After re-inventing the art of travel, Louis Vuitton have turned their hand to re-vitalizing the art of writing, a refreshing change in this current technology obsessed day. The label announced a new writing collection inspired by literary greats and their own heritage of trunk closures.
 I'm obsessed by this Louis Vuitton envelope with embossed detailing:

In the Louis Vuitton writing collection, notebooks and paper products feature alongside luxury pens & pencils, including small trunks to hold your writing equipment.
 The collection launches at Louis Vuitton's writing room : 'Le Cabinet d'Ecriture Louis Vuitton', a pop up shop at 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, France on December 13 2012.

Louis Vuitton : Website

Jalousie Plantation : St Lucia

Jalousie Plantation, Sugar Beach, St Lucia - Viceroy Hotels

I'm enjoying staying at The Viceroy Sugar Beach hotel, formerly Jalousie Plantation, in St.Lucia.

The hotel is situated in stunning rainforest surroundings in a UNESCO world heritage site. The famous Pitons, two volcanic spires rising side by side from the sea, are either side of the resort.

The classic French colonial style individual villas are nestled into the lush rainforest, with large wrap around terrace and plunge pool with views towards the sparkling Caribbean sea of Piton Bay.

 
A full review and photos will follow, but here are some shots from around the villa.

Sugar Beach : A Viceroy Resort
UNESCO : World Heritage List

Colour : Copper

Copper coloured interior accents

A new trend in interiors; 'tones of copper'
I love the idea of a simple, fresh, white based room with accents of copper - from a industrial style copper pendant light, to a little candle in the corner. The copper ikat fabric could make interesting lighting effects when used as a blind.

Scent Candle London : Tom Dixon Eclectic
Solid Copper Ceiling Tile
Vision Ikat Copper : Wilman Fabrics
Industry Pendant : Habitat

P.S : Posts have been a bit thin on the ground recently as I've been doing up my bathroom, re-tiling, wallpapering, re-decorating and the rest. Hopefully it'll be finished this week so photos should be up towards the end of the week.

Must try : Champagne

Newly discovered Champagne

 Discovering some new Champagnes; 'Beau Joie' - a copper armor clad bottle of a Champagne, and the new trend of White label Champagnes - 'Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial' and 'Lanson White label'.

'Beau Joie' is a relatively newly launched Champagne, and yes it's mainly about the show off bottle; a copper wrap that is claimed to keep the Champagne cool out of an ice bucket, but really I think it just looks incredible.

 On the actual Champagne side, it is a 'grower' Champagne, and a 'zero dosage', both of which are emerging trends in the Champagne market (as I discovered at 'Battleground Champagne')

The other emerging trend is the new 'White Label' -
 Moet & Chandon were first of the mark with 'Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial' designed to be drunk over ice from a balloon glass. Exclusively available poolside, so I've yet to find this in a shop
 'Lanson White Label' is described as fresh, zesty and refreshing - a more informal style of Champagne, again recommended to be served in a wine glass rather than a flute, it's more suitable for day drinking (I like!) and ideal for the addition of fruit, to further enhance the flavors.

 Hopefully I'll write more when I've tried them!

Links:
Beau Joie Champagne
Moet & Chandon
House of Lanson

Chase and Wonder : Shopping

Chase and Wonder : Fine design with British Personality 

 A while back I discovered the brand 'Chase and Wonder' at Pulse, London. (see previous post here)

 Recently, I spotted a street scene on a TV trailer for the 'London 2012 Paralympics', it was old London style with a beautiful green wood 'Paul Smith' store on it. I searched it's location down to be Park Street in South London, near to Borough Market.

 This Paul Smith store is a kind of concept store, quite unique in it's design and the goods it sells. To my surprise I found a 'Chase and Wonder' pencil case - the first time I had seen their goods for sale out of the trade show.

 I quickly snapped it up, starting up a conversation with the store manager about the brand - it had been selling well, and after our bigging the brand up, she said she'd be straight on the phone to the buyer to secure more stock!

 Park Street is a wonderful slice of old London town, with fresh produce shops, restaurants, wine bars and a couple of trendy shops.
 Immediately adjacent to Borough Market, and overlooked by the ultra modern 'Shard' building - it's a great cross section of London life.

 Pencil Case : Chase and Wonder
 Stockists : Paul Smith

Private Blend : Tom Ford 'Jardin Noir'

Tom Ford Private Blend Perfume : Jardin Noir

 The latest perfume releases from Tom Ford are the 'Jardin Noir' collection. A new 4 piece range that fits into the existing Private Blend catalogue.

 The four perfumes are; Cafe Rose, Lys Fume, Jonquille de Nuit, and Ombre de Hyacinth

 Revealing the hidden dark side of four classic blooms; rose, lily, narcissus and hyacinth - the perfumes subvert the savor of these classic scents with the expected Tom Ford style and flair.

 According to Tom: “When you showcase their darker and less innocent aspects, flowers can become so thrilling and beautiful, they could almost ruin you. That was the sensation I was after.”

 The range is released at Selfridges London on 4th September 2012

 Website: Tom Ford 
 Stockists: Selfridges

Stay : Hotel Reviews

New photos added to 'pod - Camps Bay'

 

Newly added photos to the hotel reviews section : 'pod - Camps Bay'

 

 To see the full review and all the photos - go to the 'Stay : Hotel Reviews' button on the right hand side.

 Or, click here for 'Stay : Hotel Reviews - pod, Camps Bay'

Vintage Art Deco Rolex Travel Clock

 I just recently purchased this vintage Rolex piece.
 It's a stunning Art Deco travel clock. This is Swiss made by Rolex and features a manual wind movement. There's very few about, so naturally it's quite rare to see these- especially in such good condition.

 The casing is silver and features enamel inlay, with initials 'ELT' again in the silver, on the front in classic deco writing. The back features some intricate pattern detailing.
 There is a very clever mechanism for opening this up from pocket fob style to travel clock - by pressing the button on side, the clock face slides up from it's casing and then turns and rests back on itself to stand as a travel clock.

It's a beautiful example of a vintage Rolex piece and a welcome addition to the collection.

Instagram : My Style

Instagram : mrpaulcharles

Some summer outfits from my Instagram feed:

Louis Vuitton Cup - 2012 collection

Some new loafers for the collection...

Maison Louis Vuitton, Bond Street, London.

Whilst in India last week, I received a call from our lady at 'Maison Louis Vuitton' - she was about to receive some new shoes that she knew we would love (major LV loafer obsession - which I'll cover at some point!)
 On Saturday, we popped in to see her and find out what it was all about:

 In a nutshell, The Louis Vuitton cup is a yachting competition connected to The America's Cup. The Louis Vuitton is used as the selection for the challenger to The America's Cup.
 Louis Vuitton release a capsule collection in association with this competition - it's seen as Vuitton's sports line, is inspired by yachting, and produces modern interpretations of classics. 

 The said shoes that our lady knew we would be interested in are seen below from their press release:

Blue with white stitch trim, laces, and sole.

White with blue stitch trim and laces & white sole.

 So, we've duly made our appointment for Thursday, (the day before their general release on Friday 1st June) hopefully up in the 'Apartment' with some Champagne...
 I hope they look as amazing in real life as the press shots do.