JERMAIN DEFOE Thinking On His Feet - Mayfair Times

JERMAIN DEFOE
Thinking on his feet
£3
May 07

Contents
31
Mayfair Times
now in its 21st year
www.mayfairtimes.co.uk
24
32 20
16 Defoe’s dream
Spurs and England striker Jermain
Defoe talks about his life on and
off the football field
6 News
Choc ball raises charity cash, Jag
roars in at Austin Reed... and sex
academy opens in West End
10 Events
Fine art fair, auction of rare books,
Falklands war remembered, and a
Sotheby’s course on wine
12 Art
Chinese turn the body into an art
form… and Colour Field painter
Frank Bowling makes the big time
22 Food & drink
Chef Angela Hartnett shares
some of her secrets of traditional
Italian cuisine at its best
20 Vroom, vroom
Where to find the latest dream
machines to put you in the
fast lane
26 Health & beauty
Mayfair Man gets a chance to
pamper himself with special treats
and some new smells
30 Fashion
Comfort, sophistication and bags
of style in the menswear spring
and summer collections
32 Business
The rights and wrongs of private
equity is the subject of this
month’s great debate
35 Property
We explain just why Mayfair has
become such an attractive haven
for the super-rich from abroad
58 Meanderings
Stars shine at St James’s... and
some clues to solving a modern
murder mystery
14
Cover
Jermain Defoe, see page 16
Cover photo Luz Martin.
Pictures taken at The Dorchester
Editor Selma Day
T 020 7259 1052
E mayfair.times@pubbiz.com
Art Sophie Bishop
Food & drink Selma Day
Events Lucy Brown
Fashion, health & beauty Selma Day
Business Erik Brown
Property Lucy Denyer
Sub-editor John Moore
Designer Andy Lowe
Publisher & editorial director
Erik Brown T 020 7259 1053
E erik.brown@pubbiz.com
Publishing director Adrian Day
Advertisement director
Sam Bradshaw T 020 7259 1051
Advertisement managers
Katie Boyle T 020 7259 1059
Gemma Huston T 020 7259 1054
Printed by Stones.
© Publishing Business Ltd 2007
Mayfair Times is produced by Publishing
Business in partnership with Grosvenor
Publishing Business Blandel Bridge House
56 Sloane Square London SW1W 8AX
T 020 7259 1050 F 020 7901 9042
5

6
news
Chocoholics coin it in Bargain hunters stampede
ACTRESS MISCHA BARTON (pictured) was among
the celebrities who attended this year’s Chocolate
Ball at the Dorchester. The event raised £150,000 for
children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.
Other guests included former Chelsea Football
Club manager Gianluca Vialli, chef Tom Aikens and
artist Grayson Perry.
Sam Young, DJ at the Volstead club on Swallow
Street, played at the event, while stars of BBC 1’s
Strictly Come Dancing entertained the crowd.
At the auction, fashion designer Karen Millen won
a private swimming lesson with actor-turned-Channel
swimmer David Walliams and a dancing lesson with
Strictly Come Dancing stars Vincent Simone and
Flavia Cacace. Another auction item – a ticket for the
premiere of Keira Knightley’s next film and after-show
party – went to a mystery bidder for £2,200.
Facelift for The Connaught
THE CONNAUGHT HOTEL, which recently hosted the launch party for
the Marc Jacobs Mount Street store, has closed for a multi-million
pound refurbishment. It is expected to open again in November.
A new wing will be added which will house 33 more guest rooms
and suites, a state-of-the-art spa and pool, and meeting facilities.
The restoration will involve technological improvements and the
redesign of bedrooms and public spaces. But guests who have known
The Connaught of old will be pleased to hear that the overall feel of
the hotel will remain the same.
“It’s important to respect the heritage of the hotel and ensure that
the warmth and feeling will still be there when we reopen,” says
general manager Antony Lee.
“But it’s going to be absolutely wonderful. It will give us another
100 years of life and put The Connaught back on to the world stage.”
Ballet brilliant
PAINTINGS of the Kirov and Bolshoi
ballet companies made over a 20year
period were unveiled recently at
the InterContinental hotel in Park
Lane. The exhibition, by British artist
Alan Halliday, also featured
landscapes of St Petersburg painted
while he was working with the ballet
companies in Russia.
The InterContinental already
represents Mr Halliday’s work. Six of
his designs are cut into marble panels
and inlaid with glass, illuminating the
new entrance foyer of the hotel.
LEFT: ACTRESS CAMILLA RUTHERFORD
TURNED UP TO THE EVENT AT THE
INTERCONTINENTAL WEARING
£10 MILLION WORTH OF DIAMONDS
FROM GRAFF, ONE OF THE SPONSORS
OF THE EVENING
POLICE AND SECURITY GUARDS had to restrain thousands of
bargain hunters when Primark opened its new store on Oxford
Street. One of the company’s largest shops in the country, the
70,000 sq foot premises (pictured) are on two floors and stock
womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, shoes and homeware.
All the latest spring/summer trends can be found at knockdown
prices, including a range of organic cotton T-shirts.
The company has also introduced eco-friendly paper carrier
bags to reduce the use of non-recyclable plastic bags.
US fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch also attracted long
queues of fans when it opened its European flagship store on the
corner of Burlington Gardens and Savile Row. The shop has been
developed as a sensitive restoration of a Grade II listed building,
originally constructed as a home in 1725.
So far, the good-looking staff have attracted as much
publicity as the clothes, which are described as “casual luxury”.
Galaxy of star writers
THE GALAXY BRITISH BOOK AWARDS, held at the Grosvenor
House hotel, brought together a mix of established authors,
celebrity writers and new talent.
The awards, also known as the Nibbies, were hosted by
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
Jed Rubenfeld won one of the most coveted awards – Richard
& Judy’s Best Read of the Year, based on the couple’s television
book club. Jed’s literary thriller The Interpretation of Murder
reached number one in the paperback fiction charts.
John Grisham picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award, and
Ian Rankin won the BCA Crime Thriller of the Year Award for his
novel The Naming of the Dead. Victoria Hislop won the title of
Waterstone’s Newcomer of the Year for her first novel The Island.
Other guests included Francis Ford Coppola, Simon Callow,
Cherie Blair, Sir Bobby Charlton and Sophie Dahl (pictured left).
Sexed up
AMORA – The Academy of Sex and
Relationships – opened recently just off
Piccadilly.
The world’s first visitor attraction
dedicated to love, sex and relationships
explores everything from first flirtations to
fantasy and fetish, sexual health and
well-being and erotic pleasure.
It’s open from 11am until midnight, for
the over-18s only.
Jag roars into Reed’s
STRATSTONE OF MAYFAIR recently showed off the
latest Jag – the XKR – at the Austin Reed shop in
Regent Street. The car is capable of hitting 155 mph
and can accelerate to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds.
Brian Millin, dealer principal at Stratstone, said:
“Austin Reed, Jaguar and Stratstone are brands that
are instantly recognised by discerning customers
and are each famed for their rich heritage. We are
therefore delighted to showcase the new XKR at this
fantastic event.” For further information on the
Jaguar range, visit the dealership at 18 Berkeley
Street or call 020 7629 4404.
7

86
8
news
Members-only zone Ball kicks off
MADDOX CLUB is the latest addition to the
Mayfair members-only nightclub scene.
Run by Fred Moss, the man responsible for
the likes of Chinawhite and Aura, the club is set
on two floors at 3-5 Mill Street. The ground floor
bar offers an impressive cocktail list, while the
second bar on the lower ground floor offers table
service only.
The Maddox dining experience will be
informal, offering a simple Italian menu and, in
the summer, seating outside in The Courtyard.
BELOW: JADE JAGGER WITH FRIENDS AT THE
MADDOX CLUB LAUNCH.
News in brief
HOTELS IN MAYFAIR will have
welcomed the government’s
decision to rule out the imposition
of a bed tax. The Lyons inquiry
into local government funding
proposed a tourist or bed tax as
an extra source of income for
councils. But the government said
there was no evidence to suggest
that such a tax would be viable.
ESTATE AGENT Knight Frank has
appointed Neil Batty as national
head of new homes investment
sales. Mr Batty previously headed
residential sales at Montagu
Evans, and before that he was
head of the residential investments
department at Savills. Based in
Knight Frank’s Hanover Square
office, he will work alongside the
company’s investment teams
throughout the country.
THIS YEAR marks the start of a
new award for members of staff at
The Stafford Hotel in St James’s
Place, in memory of a previous
employer, Tim Haddock-Mackay,
who passed away last year. The
trophy recognises excellence in
service, and this year’s winner is
David Milner (above left), pictured
Puma on catwalk
MODEL LEAH WOOD and musician
Lemar made their catwalk debut
together at the launch of Puma’s
French 77 fashion collection.
Guests attending the show,
which was held at Claridge’s,
included Arsenal football star
Freddie Ljungberg (pictured above).
The French 77 collection is
inspired by tennis classics from the
Seventies. The clothing is designed
to be worn on and off the court.
with the hotel’s general manager
Stuart Procter.
HATCHARDS bookshop in
Piccadilly hosted the launch of A
Lizard in My Luggage – Mayfair to
Mallorca in One Easy Move, a
humorous work by Anna Nicholas.
Anna used to run a company in
Berkeley Street before heading off
to live in Mallorca. Pictured below
(left to right): Anna, Ignacio Vasallo,
director of the Spanish Tourist
THIS YEAR’S BSquareB summer ball
will take place in Berkeley Square on
September 27.
Organised by music guru Vince
Power in aid of charity the Prince’s
Trust, the ball has become a highlight
of Mayfair’s social calendar.
This year, chefs Tom Aikens,
Richard Corrigan and Bryn Williams
will oversee the menu, while Nobu
Berkeley will host the bar.
For further information or to book
tickets, call 020 7287 3834.
FROM LEFT: RICHARD CORRIGAN,
AMBER NUTTALL, TOM AIKENS,
EDITH BOWMAN, VINCE POWER
AND BRYN WILLIAMS AT THE
LAUNCH OF BSQUAREB 2007
AT NOBU BERKELEY
Office in London, Countess Casa
Miranda and her husband, the
Spanish Ambassador Señor Don
Carlos Miranda.
GARY RHODES will open a new
restaurant on May 18 at Great
Cumberland Place. The 42-seat
Rhodes W1 Restaurant is
designed by Kelly Hoppen, her
first restaurant project. The menu
will be a combination of classical
French and modern British.
LIBERTY HAS launched a bespoke
tailoring service with Ray Stowers,
former head of bespoke tailoring at
Gieves and Hawkes. Mr Stowers’
past clients include Jude Law and
Robbie Williams. The service will
be complemented by a made-tomeasure
offer from Bruton Place
tailor Timothy Everest.

10
what’s on events
what’s on music
THURSDAY MAY 10
Objects of Desire: LAPADA Fine Art
and Antiques Fair
6 Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly, W1.
11am-8pm; May 11-12 11am-7pm;
May 13 11am-6pm.
Luxury fair with 70 dealers selling pieces
from ceramics to furniture to jewellery,
with experts on hand to offer opinions.
Info: 01636 702 326
www.lapadalondon.com
MONDAY 14
Sotheby’s Wine Course
Sotheby’s Grosvenor Galleries, Bloomfield
Place (off New Bond Street), W1. Monday
evenings 6.30pm-8pm, £240 (course of
six sessions). Runs until June 25.
Learn more about wines from different
regions, including Bordeaux, Italy,
Champagne and the New World. Each
session is hosted by a different expert.
Info: 020 7293 5727
www.sothebys.com
Beauty Week: Pure Massage
Fenwick, 63 New Bond Street, W1.
Monday-Saturday 10am-6.30pm,
Thursday until 8pm. Runs until May 19.
Pure Massage offers free hand massages
at its in-store clinic, with owner Beata
Aleksandrowicz personally conducting
them on May 16 and 18 (3pm to 6pm).
Info: 020 7629 9161
www.fenwick.co.uk
TUESDAY 15
Total Recall: A Unique Experiment
into the Mystery of Human Memory
Waterstone’s, 203-206 Piccadilly,
W1.10am, free. Also on May 16 and 17.
Professor Richard Wiseman launches his
THURSDAY MAY 10
Kitsch Lounge Riot: Joe Stilgoe
The Pigalle Club, 215 Piccadilly, W1.
Tickets £15 (show only), £40 (show and
two-course meal), £45 (show and threecourse
meal).
Jazz pianist and singer Joe Stilgoe, son
of West End lyricist Richard Stilgoe and
opera singer Annabel Hunt, performs.
Info: 0845 345 6053
www.vpmg.net/pigalle
Stephen Fretwell
St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1.
7.30pm, tickets £12.50.
Plus guests.
Info: 08700 600 100
www.ticketweb.co.uk
SATURDAY 12
Belmont Ensemble
St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1.
7.30pm, tickets £16, £12.
Peter G Dyson directs a programme
including popular works by Vivaldi,
Bach, Mozart and Handel.
Info: 020 7839 8362 (St Martin-in-the-
Fields box office)
www.sjpconcerts.org
SUNDAY 13
Glyndebourne Series:
Handel and Glyndebourne
Handel House Museum,
25 Brook Street, W1. 3pm,
tickets £13, £11 concessions.
book Quirkology with an experiment in
which volunteers in a glass laboratory look
at 10,000 photos to test their memory.
Info: 020 7851 2419
www.waterstones.com
WEDNESDAY 16
The Falklands: 25th Anniversary
Exhibition
Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road,
SE1. Open daily 10am-6pm, free
admission. Runs until December 31.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the
Falklands conflict, this exhibition gives an
insight into the war through first-hand
accounts and personal items, including
diaries, medals, letters and drawings.
Info: 020 7416 5320/5321
www.iwm.org.uk/Falklands
SUNDAY 20
Poppy Walk
Starting from Victoria Embankment
Gardens, WC2. 11am (individuals and
Tenor Nathan Vale and soprano
Katherine Manley from the
Glyndebourne Chorus and
harpsichordist Julian Perkins perform.
Info: 020 7399 1953
www.handelhouse.org
THURSDAY 17
Glyndebourne Series:
Heavenly Pleas
Handel House Museum,
25 Brook Street, W1. 6.30pm,
tickets £9, £7.50 concessions.
Soprano Sarah Moule and
harpsichordist Bridget Cunningham
perform arias pleading for divine
intervention.
Info: 020 7399 1953
www.handelhouse.org
SATURDAY 19
Purcell Singers:
There is Sweet Music
St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1.
7.30pm, tickets £12.
Works by Tallis, Purcell and Elgar.
Info: 020 7381 0441
www.st-james-piccadilly.org
WEDNESDAY 30
Karen Louise
The Pigalle Club, 215 Piccadilly, W1.
7pm, admission free before 10pm,
£15 afterwards or £10 members.
Singer Karen Louise performs.
Info: 0845 345 6053
THURSDAY MAY 31
Rare Photobooks
Christie’s, King Street, SW1, 10.30am.
Christie’s second auction of rare
photobooks follows on from the
success of the inaugural sale last
year, which realised a total of
£643,832. Around 200 lots will
represent more than a century of
photography. The sale will feature the
work of many leading figures in the
field including Eadweard Muybridge,
Fox Talbot, Anna Atkins, Henri Cartier-
Bresson, Man Ray, Ed Ruscha and
Richard Prince. Individual estimates
range from £500 to £30,000.
what’s on film
ORIGINAL IMAGE FROM ‘COWBOY KATE’ BY SAM HASKINS (1965)
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES
families), 11.30am (groups). The Royal
British Legion requests that walkers aim to
raise £100 per person/family. Please book
in advance.
Join the Royal British Legion in a 10-mile
charity walk. Follow clues and questions
that can only be solved by doing the walk,
and enjoy refreshments along the way. The
route is suitable for everyone and there are
prizes for each entry category.
Info: 020 7302 7124
www.britishlegion.org.uk
TUESDAY 22
Chelsea Flower Show
Royal Hospital, SW3. Royal Horticultural
Society members only on Tuesday and
Wednesday. Tickets must be booked in
advance. Show ends 5.30pm Saturday,
May 26. Sale of display plants starts 4pm.
Visit the world-famous flower show.
Info: 0870 906 3780 (member bookings),
0870 906 3781 (non-member bookings)
www.rhs.org.uk
Fracture (15)
Wily Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins)
pits his wits against young star
prosecutor Willy Beachum (Ryan
Gosling), after shooting his unfaithful
wife. Already looking forward to a
lucrative new job in corporate law,
Beachum is keen to rush through his
last open-and-shut criminal case, but he
quickly finds his evidence unravelling.
The strength of this cat-and-mouse
tale is in the witty script and the
performances by Hopkins and Gosling. A
few one-liners raise laughs in spite of
iViva! 13th Spanish and Latin
American Film Festival on Tour
Curzon Mayfair, 38 Curzon Street, W1.
Sundays May 6-27, tickets £6.50.
Originally based at the Cornerhouse,
Manchester and toured by the
Independent Cinema Office, this is a
chance to see top Spanish and Latin
THURSDAY 24
Thomas Keneally
Waterstone’s, 203-206 Piccadilly, W1.
7pm, tickets £3.
The author of Schindler’s Ark reads from
his new novel, The Widow and Her Hero.
Info: 020 7851 2400
www.waterstones.com
MONDAY 28
Africa Day
Trafalgar Square. 12 noon-7pm, free.
Listen to African music, sample traditional
food and watch a procession.
www.london.gov.uk/mayor/culture/africaday
WEDNESDAY 30
All Tomorrow’s Pictures
Institute of Contemporary Arts, 12 Carlton
House Terrace, SW1. Runs until June 8.
Exhibition of photos on the theme of
“tomorrow” by 59 high-profile figures.
Info: 020 7930 3657 (box office)
www.ica.org.uk
the subject matter, and banter between
the two men keeps the film entertaining.
Hopkins borrows unashamedly from his
Hannibal Lecter role, but the fun he has
with his winking, grinning, goading
villain makes his performance a
pleasure. Gosling plays Beachum with
humour and charisma. But Beachum’s
romance with Nikki (Rosamund Pike) is
an unnecessary distraction. Or perhaps
that’s the point, because the plot
doesn’t stand up to close inspection.
Which is a shame, because it’s a wellacted
and funny film. Lucy Brown
RYAN GOSLING (LEFT) AND ANTHONY HOPKINS IN ‘FRACTURE’
American cinema, from coming-of-age
tales (7 Virgins) to the impact of the
Falklands War on Argentinians
(Iluminados Por El Fuego) to dark
comedy (Crimen Ferpecto). Contact the
cinema for more information.
Info: 0870 756 4621 (box office), 020
7495 0501 (recorded information).

12
art
art events
Body of work from China
CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY from China is on show at
Rossi & Rossi. Legacy brings together conceptual works by six
established and emergent artists.
The exhibition explores significant developments in Chinese
photography through two distinct themes. First, the appropriation
of classical Chinese culture into highly contemporary idiom
through the use of diverse materials. And, second, the
representation of the artist’s body within photography as a
powerful by-product of performance art.
Highlights include Bai Yiluo’s work Calligraphy Flies, in which
flies’ legs have been arranged as calligraphic signs to form an
apparently classical composition. And Sheng Qi’s nostalgic Hand
series, showing the artist’s hand with one severed finger, a tiny
passport photo in the palm, against a pure red background.
Legacy runs until May 25 at Rossi & Rossi, 13 Old Bond
Street. T 020 7355 1804.
RUNS UNTIL MAY 12
Jan Dibbets: Perspective
Collections
New large-scale photographic
works by pioneering Dutch artist
Jan Dibbets.
Alan Cristea Gallery, 31 Cork
Street. Tel: 020 7439 1866.
RUNS UNTIL MAY 17
Twelve Luminograms: Rob
and Nick Carter
“Paintings with light” by the
Carter photography duo.
The Fine Art Society,
148 New Bond Street.
Tel: 020 7491 9454.
RUNS UNTIL MAY 19
DLA Piper Art Award 2007
Paintings by the seven finalists
of the DLA Piper Art Award for
graduate artists.
Sarah Myerscough Gallery,
15-16 Brooks Mews.
Tel: 020 7495 0069.
RUNS UNTIL MAY 26
Anya Gallaccio: Three
Sheets to the Wind
New works by celebrated British
installation artist and past Turner
Prize nominee Anya Gallaccio.
Thomas Dane Gallery,
11 Duke Street, St James’s.
Tel: 020 7925 2505.
RUNS UNTIL MAY 26
Jack Smith: New Paintings
Vibrant abstract paintings by
Jack Smith.
Flowers Central, 21 Cork Street.
Tel: 020 7439 7766.
MAY 10 – JUNE 1
Greek Art Today
Group show of 12 contemporary
artists from Greece.
Belgravia Gallery,
45 Albemarle Street.
Tel: 020 7495 1010.
MAY 10 – JUNE 5
Simon Gudgeon
New works by British wildlife
sculptor Simon Gudgeon,
launching the gallery’s new
Natural History, Wildlife and
Sporting Gallery.
Halcyon Gallery,
29 Bruton Street.
Tel: 020 7647 8327.
MAY 16 – JUNE 7
Alberto Morrocco
Selling exhibition of paintings by
distinguished Scottish artist
Alberto Morrocco.
The Fine Art Society,
148 New Bond Street.
Tel: 020 7629 5116.
MAY 16 – JUNE 8
Midwinter Sun
Paintings and drawings by Sarah
Gillespie that explore Slapton
Ley nature reserve in Devon.
Waterhouse & Dodd, 26 Cork
Street. Tel: 020 7734 7800.
MAY 16 – JULY 2
Andrew Grima
Exhibition dedicated to
renowned jeweller and designer
Andrew Grima.
Partridge Fine Art,
144-146 New Bond Street.
Tel: 020 7629 0834.
MAY 23 – JUNE 2
Nadine Lundahl
New still-life paintings.
Messum’s Fine Art, 8 Cork
Street. Tel: 020 7437 5545.
LEFT: ‘TO ADD ONE METRE TO AN
UNKNOWN MOUNTAIN’ BY BEIJING
EAST VILLAGE COLLECTIVE
BELOW: ‘SKULLDUGGERY’
BY GARY SIMMONS
Smudge it and see
SIMON LEE GALLERY is holding the inaugural London
solo exhibition of New York-based artist Gary Simmons.
Simmons creates compositions in white chalk that
are then partially erased and smudged by the artist’s
hands. Issues of race are central to much of his work.
The show consists of images of skulls that were
painted in white pigment and then partially erased and
blurred. The works explore the theory surrounding the
relationship between skull size, intelligence and racial/
gender identity that was prevalent in the 19th century.
The title of the exhibition, The House of Pain, is
borrowed from the Seventies cult movie The Island of
Dr Moreau, which in turn was based on the sci-fi novel
by H G Wells. Issues of community, identity and
Darwinism are at the core of the book. These themes
are further explored in the show, with Simmons evoking
the anarchy and sense of chaos that breaks out at the
end of the story, as a result of the artificial manipulation
of society.
The House of Pain runs until June 6 at Simon Lee
Gallery, 12 Berkeley Street. T 020 7491 0100.

14 15
art
True
colours
In May 2005, the celebrated Colour Field painter Frank
Bowling became the first black Royal Academician. His
election was a landmark in the Royal Academy’s 239year
history, and a long-awaited sign of recognition for
the artist. “It was 40 years coming,” says Frank, “but
when it did come it blew me away.”
Born in Guyana in 1936, Frank came to London
when he was 15. His interest in art began in 1953
when, as a teenager completing his National Service in
London, he explored the National Gallery and Victoria
and Albert Museum. “I knew nothing about drawing or
painting, but I was hooked,” he says.
Several years and various art schools later, he
graduated from the Royal College of Art, alongside
David Hockney, R B Kitaj, Allen Jones and Derek
Boshier. The year was 1962.
Things went well, and in 1964 he exhibited at The
London Group exhibition at the Tate Gallery. But then
everything went quiet. Excluded from British group
shows and under pressure to exhibit at the first World
Festival of Negro Art in Senegal, he began to feel
“distressed”.
“I started feeling that what I was having to deal with
was the ‘black artist’ tag,” he says. “I wasn’t just an
artist or a British artist: I’d been pigeonholed, and it
began to really worry me. How does somebody like
me, being black, leap over these hurdles? There
seemed to be no way.”
For the next few years he travelled between
London and New York in a bid to find “circumstances
that would allow me to flower”. He was met with
resistance. And, although a fellowship at the
Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1967 gave him a
solid, more confident footing in America, he still felt
stifled by the “black artist” label.
Around that time, he was approached by the Art
Magazine to come on board as a writer – an offer
Frank saw as “an opportunity to express myself about
what was happening to black people in the art world.
“I went in to bat for them,” he adds, “and also for
myself, of course.
“It was a very peculiar time,” says Frank of his
writing days. “There was a feeling among the black
artists that I wasn’t for real. You know, ‘How can a guy
who paints also write?’ sort of thing. They were cruel.
Always suspicious. But I stuck it.”
A solo show at the Whitney Museum in New York in
1971 presented a welcome interruption to the drought
of exhibitions of his work. “And then I got lucky,” he
says. “I met Clement Greenberg.”
Frank forged a strong friendship with the renowned
American art critic, simultaneously absorbing
Greenberg’s thoughts on abstract art and modifying his
own painting style and approach.
“In 1971, I became an abstract artist,” Frank says
matter-of-factly. Attracted by the structure that was
central to abstract art, he created works that combined
vivid colour with strict geometry. Then, in the mid-
Seventies, he went on to experiment with his poured
paintings, to which his current show at The Arts Club
in Mayfair is dedicated.
The poured paint series was an experimental time
for Frank, when he explored “the conjunction of
chance with structure”. Although nervous about their
direction, he felt he was “on the right track… And, as I
got more confident, the paintings became what they
are now.”
His mature works combine the vibrancy of palette
of his early Colour Field paintings with seemingly
mundane plastic objects such as jam-jar tops and
vitamin-pill containers, which are embedded into the
canvas. “I chuck these things in because I feel they’re
part of my life,” he explains. “All these works serve as
an autobiography. It’s my life and everything that
concerns me goes in.”
Based on this premise, his paintings from the past
two years should be pretty exciting. Since his election
to the Royal Academy, Frank has been taken on by
ROLLO Contemporary Art – the curator of The Arts
Club show – and there is a second solo exhibition of
his works running simultaneously in New York. He
recently held a solo show at the academy. And he will
take part in a public “conversation” with the art critic
Mel Gooding at the Tate Britain on May 9.
Frank is also on the selection and hanging
AFTER YEARS OF
RELATIVE OBSCURITY,
FRANK BOWLING IS
FINALLY GAINING
THE RECOGNITION HE
HAS LONG CRAVED.
ELECTED THE
FIRST BLACK ROYAL
ACADEMICIAN IN 2005,
THE 71-YEAR-OLD
ARTIST IS NOW
BEING CELEBRATED
IN A SERIES OF
INTERNATIONAL
SHOWS. SOPHIE
BISHOP MEETS HIM
PANDORA’S BOX, 1975
committee for this year’s Summer Exhibition at the
Royal Academy – a process he has found somewhat
draining. “But I love being a member of the RA,” he
adds, “and I hope and trust that my energy sustains.
“I’m in my 70s, and I do feel that this new situation,
whereby I’m showing work in England more and more,
tends to be hard on my diminishing resources as a
human being. My mental and physical energy is being
taxed and I hope I don’t fall off the edge of the world
before I’m really satisfied with how things are going.
“If I had a big wish to whoever makes one’s wishes
come true, it would be that over the next short while
things will become satisfactory so that I feel I’ve
achieved whatever it is that I first set out to achieve.”
As I am leaving Frank’s Pimlico flat – a stone’s
throw from Tate Britain – he airs a second big wish:
that someone, somewhere in England will see right
and give him a much deserved and long-awaited
retrospective exhibition.
Frank Bowling: Poured Paintings runs until June 1
at The Arts Club, 40 Dover Street, Mayfair.
T 020 7499 8581. View by appointment only.

16 17
people
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
AND ENGLAND
FOOTBALLER JERMAIN
DEFOE IS GENTLE
NATURED, EASY GOING
AND GOOD HUMOURED –
AT LEAST OFF THE
FIELD. AND HE HAS A
HOME IN MAYFAIR. HE
TALKS TO SELMA DAY
Spurs and England striker Jermain Defoe is no stranger to
luxury hotels. From the minute he walks into the plush suite at
the Dorchester for our interview, he makes himself at home,
happily tucking in to the chocolate biscuits in the room.
The first thing you notice is how small he is – which
probably accounts for his agility on the pitch – and he comes
across as being quite shy. But it’s not long before his bubbly
personality begins to shine through as he smiles and jokes
his way through the interview and photo shoot.
At first glance, it would seem that Jermain fits the
footballer stereotype. He has all the right credentials – the
designer suit, flash car (Aston Martin if you’re asking) and a
£3.5 million pad in Mayfair. Plus there’s the beautiful blonde
fiancée Charlotte Mears, who recently appeared in the
television series WAGs’ Boutique.
But delve deeper and there’s a lot more to the 24-yearold
than meets the eye. For one, he’s a committed Christian.
“My faith is important to me,” he says. “At the end of the
day, I’ve got a gift and I’ve just got to try and use it.”
It was his faith that got him through the disappointment
of not being picked for the World Cup squad last summer.
“Yeah, it was difficult but you’ve got to be strong,” he says. “I
just took comfort in my ability. At the time, I thought I should
have been there so I just kept that at the back of my mind
and I was OK. But I’ve got over that now.”
Going to church on Sundays is difficult because of match
commitments, but he does pray at home. “It’s difficult for
people who aren’t religious to understand, but if you pray you
feel so much better, not only in the bad times but also in the
good times.”
Being a Christian within the culture of football can’t be
easy. “I don’t think people realise but there’s loads of
Christians in football,” he says. “I’ve seen all different
religions. At Spurs there’s a load of boys who are quite
religious and before a game you see certain players praying.”
He believes footballers are given a bad press and
criticised unfairly.
“Footballers have this reputation of being bad boys, with
too much money and always going out,” he says. “I think it’s
a little bit harsh, to be honest. You can’t judge everyone that
way if you don’t know them. Everyone’s different at the end
of the day.”
Jermain recently did a documentary for MTV to try and
shake off the image that all footballers are yobs. “I’m glad I
did it,” he says. “When you do something like that, people
get to see your personality and what you’re like off the pitch.
When you’re playing in a match, people don’t see that.”
Jermain considers himself to be a role model for young
kids. “I remember when I was growing up and watching
football, I had my idols, people I used to look up to.
Obviously at that age you never think you’re going to be in
that situation and be a role model. Sometimes you have to
think about it and behave in a certain way because kids look
up to you.”
As a child, Jermain didn’t support one particular club. “It’s
strange because I grew up in east London and the nearest
club to me was West Ham but I wasn’t one of those kids
who was passionate about one team,” he says. “I used to
just like players more than anything.”
The player Jermain looked up to most was Paul
Gascoigne. “I remember watching him and he was
unbelievable,” he says. “When he was on the pitch everything
just went through him. When he used to get the ball, he used
to create things from nothing. For me he was one of the best
England players ever – his buzz, love and passion for the
game, just everything about him.”
As for the world’s best players, he rates Pelé and
Maradona. “A few days ago, I was watching a clip of
Maradona,” he says. “His balance was brilliant and he used
Thinking
on his feet

18
people
“Footballers have this
reputation of being bad boys,
with too much money and
always going out. I think it’s
a little bit harsh to be honest.
You can’t judge everyone
that way if you don’t know
them. Everyone’s different at
the end of the day.”
to win games on his own. Every time he got the ball he used
to run with it and beat everyone. He had so much energy. It
was unbelievable. To do it at that level as well – it’s difficult.”
Nowadays, Jermain says his perfect strike partner would
be Thierry Henry. “I like Thierry because, although he’s
scored so many goals, he’s not selfish. If you play with
Thierry he’ll set you up as well. I like a lot of strikers like Van
Nisselroy but I think they are too much like me. When they
get in the box all they see is the goal.”
So far, the highlight of Jermain’s career has been his first
start for England in a World Cup qualifier game against
Poland back in 2004.
“I wasn’t expecting to start,” he says. “I didn’t find out
that I was actually playing until the day of the game. I quickly
had to phone my mum and tell her to get a flight over to
watch. But she missed it. I scored after 37 minutes and she
missed my goal. That was probably the highlight of my
career because it was a massive game and my first start so it
was special.”
But he says there have been many special moments
along the way. He scored on his debut for West Ham when
he was just 17, scored in his debut for the England under-
21s squad and then again when he made his debut for
Spurs.
He’s only played for London clubs other than a short spell
on loan to Bournemouth. Would he ever consider a move
away from the capital? “I haven’t really thought about it,” he
says. “To be honest, when you’re happy at a club you don’t
really think about moving – but then you never know with
football.
“Anyway, my mum won’t let me go anywhere. I’d miss
London and my mum’s Sunday dinners – they’re
compulsory.”
Jermain is every inch the family man. He recently got
engaged (on Valentine’s Day) to his girlfriend Charlotte at
Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. He even got down on one knee
to propose before presenting her with a huge diamond
engagement ring. “I was so nervous,” he says. The couple
hope to get married in 2009, although if Charlotte had her
way it would probably be sooner. “She’s picking wedding
dresses already,” laughs Jermain.
Charlotte’s love of shopping was what prompted the
couple to buy a flat in Green Street earlier this year, so they
could be close to Bond Street and Oxford Street.
“Green Street is nice, quiet and classy – and the
apartment is amazing,” says Jermain. Designed by Superna
Sethi of Green Street-based Manhattan Properties, it is fitted
out with all the mod cons you’d expect: plasma screens
throughout, motorised speakers, under-floor heating, Lutron
lighting and a Crestron portable screen, which controls TV,
audio, lighting and blinds.
And luckily for Charlotte, who loves to cook, the Italian
kitchen is huge, complete with six ovens, two huge wine
coolers and a massive American fridge.
But they also enjoy eating out. “I love my food,” says
Jermain, whose favourite restaurant is the Mirabelle in Curzon
Street.
His other passion is music and, had he not been a
footballer, he says he would probably have been a dancer.
Street dancing was his thing and he even entered
competitions. “Man, you should have seen me when I was
little,” he says. “I even got a few medals.”
He still occasionally struts his stuff in clubs around
Mayfair. “A few weeks ago, it was one of the boys’ birthdays
and we went to Chinawhite,” he says. “It’s a good
atmosphere in there – nice people and good music.”
Jermain, who is often snapped at parties, premieres and
award ceremonies with Charlotte, admits he enjoys the glitz
and glamour that goes with being a football star.
“When you’re young you don’t realise,” he says. “You play
football and that’s it. But now – yeah, it’s good. I can’t
complain to be honest – and I wouldn’t change it for the
world.”
So how does he see his England chances? “Good,” he
says. “I feel I’ve worked hard for the team, got a few goals
and I don’t feel I’ve let anyone down. I’ll just stay in the
frame, get a few starts and, hopefully, get a few more goals.”
JERMAIN DEFOE SCORING FOR
ENGLAND AGAINST ANDORRA
IN THE EURO 2008 QUALIFIERS
MATT ROBERTS / REX FEATURES

20 21
cars
LOOK, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE
BLOKES’ ISSUE, SO IT’S TIME WE GAVE
IN TO A BLOKISH FANTASY. EVERY CAR
ON THIS PAGE IS AVAILABLE IN MAYFAIR.
ALL YOU NEED IS A FREE LUNCH HOUR
... AND A VERY, VERY FAT WALLET
Sexy
beasts
Clockwise from top left: Rolls-Royce Phantom
Drophead Coupé
0-60 mph: 5.7 seconds
Top speed: 149 mph
Price: £260,000
Rolls-Royce, 15 Berkeley
Square, 020 7491 7941.
Lotus Exige S
0-60 mph: 4.1 seconds
Top speed: 148 mph
Price: £33,995
London Group, 118-127
Park Lane, 020 7629 7020.
Morgan Aero 8
0-60 mph: 4.5 seconds
Top speed: 160 mph
Price: £55,000
London Group,
118-127 Park Lane,
020 7629 7020.
Bentley Continental GTC
0-60 mph: 4.8 seconds
Top speed: 195 mph
Price: £130,500
Jack Barclay, 18 Berkeley
Square, 020 7629 7444.
Audi S5
0-60 mph: 5.1 seconds
Top speed: 155 mph
Price: £39,725
Audi Forum, 74-75
Piccadilly, 020 7318 2230.
Aston Martin V8
Vantage Roadster
0-60 mph: 4.9 seconds
Top speed: 175 mph
Price: £91,000
Stratstone of Mayfair,
Park Lane,
020 7235 8888.

22
food
Cooking with books
THE INTERCONTINENTAL Park Lane recently opened its
main restaurant, Cookbook Café. Overlooking Hyde Park,
the atmosphere is casual and comfortable, while the menu
includes British comfort food and international favourites.
Tepenyaki-styled cooking stations allow chefs to show
off their skills and interact with customers. Another highlight
is Sunday brunch, which includes everything from pastries
and cereals to wood-fired pizza and Eggs Benedict.
Cookbook Café, which features more than 200 original
cookbooks from the 19th century to today, will also host
events such as book launches and wine tastings.
Galvin’s Armand
wins Roux prize
ARMAND SABLON, a young chef who
works at Galvin at Windows at the
London Hilton on Park Lane, battled with
five other finalists to win the title of Roux
Scholar 2007.
Judges for the competition, now in its
24th year, included four members of the
Roux family, along with Gary Rhodes,
Brian Turner, Heston Blumenthal, David
Nicholls and Andrew Fairlie.
Armand’s interpretation of the classic
dishes Escoffier Tournedos Rachel and
Roux Bordelaise Sauce, together with a
macaroni soufflé, clinched the award.
Armand also won £3,000 cash, three
months’ training at a three-starred
restaurant in Europe, as well as trips to
New York, Champagne and Milan. After
being presented with his award by Michel
Roux at a ceremony at the Mandarin
Oriental Hyde Park, Armand said: “This is
the most fantastic point in my career. I am
just so thrilled and I look forward to every
aspect of the year ahead.”
Byrne’s British is best
AIDEN BYRNE, who recently joined The Grill Room at the Dorchester,
has devised his first modern British menu. Aiden (pictured) has a
distinctive cooking style that has evolved from his time working at
Tom Aikens’ restaurant in Chelsea as head chef and at Adlards
Restaurant in Norwich, where he won a Michelin star at the age of 22.
Alongside classics such as roast rib of beef – carved from the
trolley – are dishes such as Dublin Bay prawns with broccoli purée,
ricotta dumplings and caviar; braised trotters with Clonkilty black
pudding and prune purée; and squab pigeon with pickled cabbage
and sweet garlic butter sauce.
The dessert menu features bread and butter pudding, spiced
bread mousse and vanilla butter cream, and orange and olive oil cake
with orange sorbet and candied celery.
And the wine list, which now includes 30 wines under £30, is
overseen by sommelier Jason McAuliffe (previously at Chez Bruce).
To book, call 020 7629 8888.
THE BRIAN TURNER restaurant at The
Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square is now
open for Sunday lunch between 12.30 and
2.30. Aimed at families, it features a traditional
Sunday roast alongside the a la carte menu.
TO MARK the launch of a summer à la carte
menu at The Ritz, executive chef John Williams
has devised a five-course champagne dinner to
be held on May 15. Priced at £180, the meal
will be accompanied by wines from the House
of Ruinart. To book, call 020 7300 2562.
THE PARK LANE HOTEL, Piccadilly, has
launched a fragrant Rose Afternoon Tea,
available at its Palm Court restaurant until the
end of June. The tea costs £35 and includes
Palm Court Crush Cocktail, potted shrimps
and melba toast, scones and smoked salmon,
sandwiches, scones with jam, and rosecoloured
pastries. To book, call 020 7290 7328.
To be featured in
the Mayfair Times
restaurant directory
call Gemma, Katie
or Sam on
020 7259 1050
restaurant directory

24
food
Angela Hartnett was born and brought up in Kent but her heart lies
in Italy. It’s the country from which her mother and grandmother came
originally and it provides the inspiration for her first book, Angela
Hartnett’s Cucina.
Angela says the book “contains three generations of Italian
cookery, which we’ve brought up to date”. The recipes are based on
the food she grew up with – classic Italian dishes. While most are
simple, there are some that require a little more time and patience.
For instance, there’s a dish called Mostarda – preserved fruits –
which cook in their natural juices, sugar and mustard essence. “You
leave them for three weeks,” says Angela. “It’s basically an oldfashioned
way of pickling – and they’re great served with cold meats
and cheeses. Yes, some stuff takes time, but I don’t think you need to
dumb down food.”
Angela spent most of her teenage years helping her grandmother
cook the family meals. “These years of shopping and cooking for
Nonna taught me to understand what great Italian food is all about.
Start with the very best raw ingredients and do very little to them. Just
let the ingredients speak for themselves and make the best of their
natural flavours and textures.”
That advice stood Angela in good stead for a career as a chef.
She became chef-patron at The Connaught in 2002 after training with
Gordon Ramsay and launching his restaurant Verre in Dubai. She has
since become a household name, having appeared alongside Gordon
in Hell’s Kitchen and taken part in Great British Menu last year. And,
to top it all, she picked up an MBE from the Queen earlier this year. “I
was amazed – completely flabbergasted,” says Angela.
The current closure of The Connaught for refurbishment couldn’t
have come at a more suitable time for Angela. “My book’s coming
out, so that’s going to take a big part out of my schedule,” she says.
She’s also just opened Cielo, another Gordon Ramsay-backed
restaurant at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida.
“I’m just going to take time out,” she says. “It’s very rare in this
career to say you’ve got six months off. But I need to go to the office
every day because I need structure. I can’t just sit at home – that
would do my head in.” Angela is looking forward to returning to The
Connaught when it reopens in November. “I’ll be getting things
organised and writing a new menu,” she says.
Although The Connaught restaurant is part of the Gordon Ramsay
empire, Angela is pretty much left to run it her own way. “Gordon is
always there, and you feed into that support as much or as little as
The Italian
touch
you need,” she says. Angela is one of the few female chefs to have
won a Michelin star and she has managed to hold her own in a maledominated
industry. “Because there are so few women around, you
stand out a lot, so I don’t think it has been a disadvantage,” she says.
“And, when you’re working with 10 guys thinking of you as their
sister, there’s such respect. If I was stranded at three in the morning,
there’s not one guy in the group who wouldn’t be there to help.”
Angela admits that Gordon can be a difficult boss. “He’s tough but
very fair,” she says. “It annoys me when people think he’s an ogre.
He’s not at all. I’m one of his longest-serving members of staff and I
wouldn’t work for the guy if I thought for one minute he was a total,
utter arse.”
And then there’s the issue of boyfriends. “It’s been a bit slow on
that front,” she laughs. Surely it must be pretty daunting to take her
out on a date or to invite her to dinner? “If people know me, they
aren’t worried,” she says. “Also, my friends know that I can eat shit
like the rest of them. I’ll buy white sliced bread, I’ll eat crisps and
happily have a takeaway or eat burgers.”
What really gets up her nose is bad service and bad value.
TV CHEF ANGELA HARTNETT’S NEW
BOOK CELEBRATES THREE
GENERATIONS OF ITALIAN COOKING
IN HER FAMILY. SHE TELLS SELMA
DAY WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ONE OF
THE FEW WOMEN AT THE TOP OF
HER PROFESSION
“I’ll pay anything for food,” she says. “I’ll happily fly places to eat
but I get peed off if you don’t get value for money. And that’s from fish
and chips or a burger to eating in five-star hotels. You’ve got to
deliver people’s expectations.”
Last year, Angela competed in Great British Menu but didn’t make
it through to the second series. “As everyone said to me, including
Gordon, ‘you might have made an effort. You might take these things
a bit more seriously’,” she says.
“I did enjoy doing it and without a doubt I do regret not making a
bit more of an effort – I would like to have won, of course.”
Still, as a result of the programme, Angela and chef John Burton-
Race will be headlining their own TV series later this year. In BBC 2’s
Kitchen Criminals, Angela and John will be competing to turn groups
of kitchen no-hopers into culinary whizz kids.
Although Angela says the latest programme has been good fun,
she doesn’t intend to follow Gordon down the TV route. “I think
Gordon is superb on TV – he’s a natural,” she says. “I would never be
like that – it’s not my nature.”
For now, Angela seems content to concentrate on her restaurants,
do a bit of TV and see how the book goes. “I think I’ve pretty much
achieved what I want,” she says. “I would like – ridiculous as it might
seem – two or three stars because I’d like to be the first woman to do
that, but that’s a long slog. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
When she’s not working, Angela enjoys spending time with family
and friends. “I love sitting around eating big bowls of pasta and salami
with really good wine,” she says. “I’m not interested in lobster, caviar
and all that nonsense.”
“To me, it’s not all about food. I can sit
and eat a ham sandwich in the park as
long as I’m with some great friends and
we’re having fun. It really is about the
whole experience.”

26
health & beauty
EVEN BLOKES ARE
ALLOWED TO PAMPER
THEMSELVES WHEN
CITY LIFE TAKES ITS
TOLL. HERE ARE SOME
OF THE SPECIAL TREATS
MAYFAIR HAS TO OFFER
Groom
service
Best foot forward
WITH THE SANDAL SEASON around the corner,
now’s the time to make sure your feet are looking
their best.
Geo F Trumper offers a professional chiropody
service at its flagship store at 9 Curzon Street.
Resident chiropodist Marc Metcalf says: “The
service enables gentlemen to improve their health
and well-being as well as maintain their personal
appearance and grooming.”
A consultation includes a health assessment of
the feet, which can pick up symptoms resulting from
a variety of conditions such as diabetes. Nail, fungal
and bacterial conditions are diagnosed and treated,
corns and calluses removed and ingrown toenails
treated. The consultation ends with a foot massage
and a hot towel scented with Trumper’s West Indian
extract of limes.
Customers are also advised on how to take care
of their feet, from cutting toenails correctly to
avoiding ailments such as warts and athlete’s foot.
A session in a private wood-panelled cubicle
costs £40. To book, call 020 7499 1850.
Nights on the town
IF YOU’RE PLANNING a night out with a mate, you
might like to know that the Metropolitan Hotel in Old
Park Lane has launched a special Boy About Town
package. On arrival in the room, you’ll find two bottles
of Proof beer on ice, Kettle Chips and a free lifestyle
magazine, while a concierge will be on hand to help you
plan your evening.
You’ll also receive a gift certificate to Gentlemen’s
Tonic in Bruton Place where you can choose from a wet
shave, bespoke hand treatment or rejuvenation facial.
If you’re feeling a little rough the next morning, you
can enjoy a lie-in as check out isn’t until 4pm.
The package, based on single occupancy in a City
room, costs £299 per room per night and includes
breakfast for two.
Cut the sneeze factor
THE RECENT mild weather means that the hay fever season
has started early. If you are one of the hundreds of
thousands of sufferers, you might like to know that
Gentlemen’s Tonic at 31a Bruton Place has introduced the
Revitalise and Refresh Eye Treatment which helps to alleviate
hay fever symptoms.
The treatment involves massaging key pressure points to
speed lymphatic drainage and reduce puffiness around the
eyes. Through massage, the sinuses are cleared, and the
eye area is cleansed and hydrated. All traces of pollen and
allergy-provoking dust are removed, leaving the eyes
refreshed and restored. The treatment costs £48 and lasts
45 minutes. To book, call 020 7297 4343.
Chocolate treat
IF YOU LOVE CHOCOLATE but are
worried about piling on the pounds,
you might like to try the Nil by Mouth
Chocolate Treatment at Wholeman,
67 New Bond Street.
You can indulge in pure
Venezuelan chocolate without feeling
guilty as it is applied on your body to
help combat fatigue. Not only that,
but cocoa is rich in anti-ageing
polyphenols, skin-tightening tannins
and rejuvenating fatty acids.
The treatment starts with a scrub
of cocoa butter and chocolate nibs
to remove dead skin cells and
stimulate circulation. Cocoa butter
and pure cocoa are then painted
onto your body to hydrate, repair,
rejuvenate and brighten dull skin.
Priced at £85, the treatment lasts
one hour. To book, telephone 020
7629 6659.

28
health & beauty
GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN
MEN USED TO STICK TO
ONE FRAGRANCE. NOW
THERE ARE A VARIETY OF
SCENTS TO SUIT DIFFERENT
OCCASIONS, MOODS
AND SEASONS
A scent
of man
DUNHILL PURSUIT combines peppery and citrus notes
with cinnamon and sandalwood. It’s “an oriental spicy
fragrance, which evokes the spirit of adventure”. The
aftershave lotion is priced at £30, and the eau de toilette
costs £30. Dunhill is at 48 Jermyn Street and Selfridges.
TO MARK the first
anniversary of its fragrance
for men, Hermès has
brought out a limited-edition
bottle of Terre D’Hermès.
Containing the key
ingredients of grapefruit and
peppers, the woody
fragrance is available at
Hermès, 155 New Bond
Street, and department
stores. The eau de toilette is
priced at £48 (100ml).
CHOPARD, which has a store
in Old Burlington Street, has
introduced Chopard pour
Homme, a classic woody,
oriental fragrance with top
notes of crisp Yuzu and spicy
notes of cardamom and star
anise. Eau de toilette: £36
(50ml) and £43 (75ml).
COURVOISIER has been
preparing fine cognacs for more
than 200 years. The company
has now turned its attention to
fragrances. The idea is that the
blender and perfumier play
similar roles in producing fragrant
palettes and bouquets. The
woody-oriental eau de parfum is
available exclusively at John
Lewis at £80 for 75ml.
BULGARI has introduced a limitededition
version of AQUA Pour
Homme. The unusual packaging has
the bottle framed by a mirrored green
background. The fragrance itself is
fresh, with notes of tangerine
combined with amber. £49 for 100ml,
from Bulgari at 168-169 New Bond
Street and at department stores.
FLEUR DU MALE is the latest men’s
fragrance from Jean Paul Gaultier. Based
on orange blossom, which is traditionally
used in women’s fragrances, Fleur Du
Male is available from department stores
priced from £27 (40ml) to £47 (125ml).

30 31
fashion
AT EMPORIO ARMANI, the look is
slim but relaxed. Traditional Armani
fabrics come in small patterns, Prince
of Wales checks, close weaves and
chalk stripes. These are all set off by
a thread of silk in unusual shades of
grey or inky blue mixed with white
and vibrant red. Knitwear is also
patterned throughout in red and
white. Emporio Armani is at 51-52
New Bond Street.
LACOSTE HAS taken the relaxed
elegance of the Thirties French Riviera
and funked it up. Creative director
Christophe Lemaire has translated
the comfort of home wear into streetsavvy
staples, with bright colours and
patterns all mixed together. Lacoste
is at 42 South Molton Street and at
233 Regent Street.
THE KEY TO MEN’S DRESSING
THIS SEASON IS COMFORT
WITH SOPHISTICATION – AND
DON’T BE AFRAID TO PUNCH
IT UP WITH A SPLASH OF
COLOUR. HERE ARE THE
LEADING LOOKS THAT
APPEARED ON SPRING/
SUMMER CATWALKS
Bright
boys
DIESEL USES a touch of gold to
glamorise bomber jackets, jeans and
nylon tops. The spring/summer
collection is light, with denim a key
theme, from pure and untreated to a
touch of wash, in white, red and even
striped. The silhouette is volume on
top, narrow below. Diesel is at 132
New Bond Street.
PAUL SMITH menswear for
spring/summer is a very English
collection, inspired by Savile Row
tailoring. Shirts are slim fitting and
come in soft, washed-out colours –
pale blue or pink with highlights of
orange and yellow. Trousers come
in a selection of shapes, while
casual tailoring is in linen, twill and
canvas in soft colours for a worn
look. Paul Smith menswear is
available at Selfridges and at
Browns, 23-27 South Molton Street.
“I WANTED the collection to feel tailored and
refined but to have the effortless attitude of a pair
of jeans and a T-shirt,” said Christopher Bailey of
his spring/summer line for Burberry Prorsum.
Fabrics range from lightweight mohair to washed
leathers. Burberry is at
21-23 New Bond
Street and 157-167
Regent Street.
SIMPLICITY IS the key
to Aquascutum’s latest
collection. The silhouette
is straight but with
relaxed proportions, with
all garments handfinished.
Colours are
muted, such as moss
green, while fabrics
range from deluxe linen
voiles to cotton lumi
blends. Aquascutum is
at 100 Regent Street.
THE SPRING/SUMMER look at
Jaeger London Menswear is
“Riviera playboy”. The collection
features cool summer fabrics,
slim tailored cuts and graphic
patterns inspired by Fifties’ and
Sixties’ casual wear. Low-slung
cotton chinos and striped
slimline jeans are paired with
collared jersey T-shirts and
polkadot fitted shirts.
For a night on the town, the
collection includes linen cotton
suits with narrow trousers and
peaked lapelled jackets in dusty
grey, neutral muted check and
navy combinations.
The Jaeger store is at
200-206 Regent Street.
COLOUR IS PREVALENT in Crombie’s
spring/summer collection. Suits come with
fuchsia and soft pink lining, while shirt colours
range from khaki green and baby blue to pink
striped. Perfect for this season is the navy
trench coat, matched with a fuchsia polo
shirt and washed jeans. You’ll find Crombie
at 99 Jermyn Street.
Look
sharp
PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND takes its inspiration
from the chic and glamorous style of David
Hicks and Terence Stamp during the late
Sixties and early Seventies. The collection has
two recurring stories: the first sees dove greys,
sea and sky blues mixed with black or white,
while the second uses a warmer, neutral
palette of taupes, sandstone and brown mixed
with cream, gold and sun-bleached pinks.
Key fabrics include lightweight cashmere and
super-fine wool. Pringle of Scotland is at
112 New Bond Street.

32 The Allied Irish Bank (GB)/Mayfair Times Business Forum
33
business
ARE PRIVATE EQUITY COMPANIES
“CASINO CAPITALISTS”, AS SOME
TRADE UNIONISTS CLAIM, OR
ARE THEY THE SECRET TO
UNLOCKING VALUE IN BRITAIN’S
TIRED AND FLABBY PUBLIC
COMPANIES AS WELL AS A
POTENTIAL NEW SOURCE OF
FINANCE FOR THE PUBLIC
SECTOR?
AT THE FOURTH ALLIED IRISH
BANK (GB)/MAYFAIR TIMES
BUSINESS LUNCH AT THE
MILLENNIUM HOTEL IN
GROSVENOR SQUARE, EXPERTS
FROM THE PRIVATE EQUITY
SECTOR DEBATED THE ISSUES
WITH A GROUP OF INVITED
GUESTS AS SOME OF BRITAIN’S
BEST-KNOWN COMPANIES –
INCLUDING BOOTS AND
SAINSBURY – EMERGED AS
POTENTIAL TAKEOVER TARGETS
A
moving
target
The term PRIVATE EQUITY relates to
private equity funds: tax-efficient
investment vehicles with a limited life,
most often of 10 years. Necessarily, then,
they are buy-to-sell investors usually
employing high-powered expert
managers who buy businesses, manage
them hard and sell them on. A fund’s
managers make their money in two ways:
they charge investors a management fee,
and take a percentage of net profits on
future sales. Private equity funds have
been around for a long time. KKR, the
company involved in the Alliance Boots
bid, was formed 30 years ago.
Businesses that have been owned, or are
still owned, by private equity funds include
Google, New Look, Toys R Us and
Debenhams. Critics have accused firms of
borrowing too much and saddling
businesses with debt as a result. Unions
have accused them of asset stripping.
Even the Financial Services Authority has
observed that a large number of publicly
quoted companies slipping into private
hands could reduce capital market
efficiency. Supporters argue that listed
companies have become over-cautious
and over-scrutinised in the wake of the
dot.com collapse, and that private equity
can shake value out of timidly managed
businesses.
Jennifer Harris pulled no punches in her introduction to the
private equity debate.
“There doesn’t seem to be a day that passes without either
the media or the unions launching a fresh assault on the private
equity industry,” she said. “Private equity doesn’t seem very
private any more, and the unions would argue that it’s not
particularly equitable either.
“So, my first question to you would be: who is telling the
truth? Are you really just about buying viable businesses and
hollowing them out to satisfy your greed, or are you about
bringing dynamic business models into play for the betterment of
British society as a whole?”
Bryan Vaniman suggested the very fact that private equity was
private – and therefore not exposed to public scrutiny – had led
to a whole series of misconceptions about what private equity did
and the value it helps create.
The truth is that, whether a private equity company provides
venture capital to a business or aims for a high-profile buy-out, its
job is to create value. “If we haven’t established that platform for
future growth, we’re not going to be able to generate returns for
ourselves. It’s a message that just needs to be delivered more
effectively.”
Jonathan Lass said that much of the current media coverage
is ill-informed. Asked whether the media coverage mattered,
Vaniman said he didn’t lose sleep over it. Media coverage, fuelled
by inaccurate preconceptions, tended to focus on the short term.
But in the real world it may be necessary to deal with those
short-term issues that are inhibiting growth in order to create a
business that is more profitable, a business that can invest and
grow on its own account.
Julian Wheatland suggested that private equity was actually
addressing an inefficiency in the public markets. Jonathan Lass
had pointed out that private companies are not under the same
pressure to deliver results on a quarterly or half-yearly basis that
public companies are, and Wheatland observed that “sometimes
it’s hard for public companies to drive efficiency in the business,
which is the basis of capitalism”.
The question that was being lost in the media clamour, he
said, was this: who is the value being created for?
“The value is being created – in exactly the same way as it is
in the public markets – for the pension funds and the insurance
companies, which are investing in these funds,” he said. “And,
yes, there are a few individuals managing [those funds] that are
doing nicely, but there are a lot of pension funds that are doing
very nicely as well and without an incentive nobody’s going to
bother. It’s simply not going to be worthwhile.”
Lass observed that there are trade unions whose own
pension funds have invested in private equity companies to
enhance returns. “Those sort of facts need to get out into the
public domain,” he said. “I think that’s very important.”

34
business
The Allied Irish Bank (GB)/Mayfair Times Business Forum
Ken Dytor argued that the government can’t afford to do
without private equity. The government is committed to improving
public services and cannot raise taxes much further to fund those
improvements. Private equity represents an income stream from a
good and stable background. “The public sector and the private
equity market need to work together because actually the
advantages to both parties are immense,” he said.
Tim Duffy agreed that there was work to be done on the
private equity sector’s reputation, but said the tone should be
positive and aggressive rather than defensive.
“The great thing to me about private equity,” he said, “is that it
can take decisions that existing managers or shareholders or
structures can’t, and at some point you’ve got to face up to that.
Big decisions sometimes can’t be taken by existing
shareholder/management groups.”
The current argument, Jennifer Harris said, was that the
private equity sector lacks transparency and needs regulation.
Perhaps the real problem is that listed companies have too much
transparency and too much regulation, which inhibits them in
making longer-term decisions.
Ricky Knox said that, in any event, the size of the deals
involving private equity businesses was still relatively small. Private
equity could still only afford the bottom 10 companies in the
FTSE 100 and “there’s still a vast slew of companies in the UK
and the US that are completely out of reach of private equity”. It’s
still a small industry.
Yes, said Rod Sparks, but it’s set to grow for sure. The
allocation that pension funds make to hedge funds and private
equity firms is small relative to their size – but it’s set to grow
because of the perceived value these active managers can bring
to a business.
In her opening comments, Harris had said that there were
$600 billion earmarked for, but not yet committed to, private
equity. “That’s equivalent to the total sum of assets globally that
are currently invested in private equity. So, a bullish forecast
would seem a plausible one.”
Ah, said Vaniman, but it has been an incredibly favourable
investment market over the last three or four years, the economy
has been great and there has been ample access to debt to fund
acquisitions. “If we think that that environment’s going to continue
over the next four to five years, we could very well be kidding
ourselves.” Private equity companies bidding higher multiples for
businesses in the face of competition had better be sure they’re
going to be able to drive that value.
“So, arguably the growth of private equity will be its salvation,”
Harris said, “because you can’t just buy something for financial
restructuring. You have to add value because the financial
restructuring is valued into the acquisition price anyway – and if
you have to add value to the underlying asset then you’re not
quite the bad boys people make you out to be. As competition
increases for the acquisitions you make, you have to get better at
the business of doing business in those acquisitions.”
Competition would drive innovation, Dytor said, as private
equity sought new markets.
Even so, the sector’s battered reputation is a problem. What
is really needed, Duffy said, was a human face. “Because Richard
Branson has a beard and wears a jumper, the general public
doesn’t think that what he’s doing is bad. It’s that superficial.
People forgive a lot if there’s a human face…”
HOSTS
Peter Brophy, Allied Irish Bank (GB)
Chris Harris, Allied Irish Bank (GB)
Erik Brown, Mayfair Times
Selma Day, Mayfair Times
CO-HOST
Jennifer Harris, JRBH Strategy Management
GUESTS
Tim Duffy, M&C Saatchi and Accelerator
Ken Dytor, Regeneration Investments
Ricky Knox, Hexagon Partners
Jonathan Lass, Davenport Lyons
Rod Sparks, Hedge Fund Management Journal
Julian Wheatland, Consensus Community
Bryan Vaniman, Active Private Equity
40 UPPER BROOK
STREET AND 24
CULROSS STREET
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED in last month’s Mayfair
Times our advert for the sale of 40 Upper Brook
Street and 24 Culross Street. Following a great deal
of interest from potential buyers, contracts for the
sale have now been exchanged.
The property is well-suited for conversion to a
family home and the mews building features a
working clock tower – one of only two examples in
Mayfair. The house had been in office use for 70
years before the sale and illustrates a trend to return
office space in period buildings to residential use. A
steady increase in the residential population is
undoubtedly bringing more life and diversity to the
neighbourhood.
In the period immediately following the Second
World War, a number of residential properties were
left vacant owing to changing demographics, with
many families opting to remain in the country after
the Blitz. These properties were granted planning
permission for temporary office use and typically
housed companies that had to move from the City
because of bomb damage. Most of these temporary
permissions ran for 50 years and expired in the early
1990s, at which point many properties were
converted back to residential use.
The sale, in 2000, of Grosvenor’s former
headquarters at 53 Davies Street, which we had
occupied since 1836, continued the trend. Much of
the site was sold for residential use. And, with
residential property currently enjoying a period of
high value growth and office occupiers looking for
open-plan floors, the conversion of large period
buildings back to residential seems set to continue.
A more recent example is the American Navy Annex
in Grosvenor Square which is now for sale and looks
very likely to be converted back to residential use.
Grosvenor is committed to enhancing Mayfair’s
status as a prestigious residential location. We hope
to achieve this by improving the quality of our
residential stock and the services we provide to our
residents. Regular readers of this column will also
be aware of our particular focus on public areas and
open spaces as well as the provision of cuttingedge
retail streets and local amenities.
Mayfair is a great example of a genuinely mixeduse
neighbourhood. More residents in the mix are to
be wholly welcomed.
Returning to residential Peter
Vernon
UK Investment Director

50
property
LONDON HAS BECOME A
MAGNET FOR THE WORLD’S
SUPER-RICH – BUT IT’S NOT
JUST BECAUSE OF THE
BEAUTIFUL HOUSES AND
CULTURAL DELIGHTS THE
CAPITAL HAS TO OFFER.
LUCY DENYER REPORTS
The
national
wealth
service
Ever wondered why there are so many foreigners living in
London – particularly in prime areas such as Mayfair? Data
from Knight Frank’s Mayfair office shows that, in the last two
months, only three buyers locally have been British – the rest
have been Indian, Kazakhstani and Greek. Meanwhile
property availability in the capital’s most exclusive enclave is
almost half of what it was last year, according to Peter
Wetherell, managing director of the eponymous estate agent.
London – especially expensive and beautiful areas such
as Mayfair – has become a haven for the super-rich. Of the
23 billionaires in London, only 12 are British. Forbes, the
house magazine for the rich and powerful, has identified a
large part of London’s appeal as deriving from the taxation
system. Forbes.com’s Paul Maidment has described this as
“a magnet for the world’s billionaires”.
Among those who call Mayfair home are Anil Agarwal, an
Indian worth £1.4 billion who moved to Britain in 2003, and
James Packer, son of Kerry Packer, the late media mogul,
who reportedly paid £15 million for a newly converted flat set
across three floors at 44-46 Park Street.
It’s not just the beautiful houses, cultural delights and
convenience of prime central London that draw in residents
from overseas. While Mayfair and other areas like it certainly
offer all these things, foreigners who decide to make a home
in the UK also enjoy significant tax breaks.
It all turns on the concept of domicile. This is the place an
individual regards as their permanent home – not the same
as residence, which merely denotes physical presence. Nondomiciled
UK residents make huge savings through the
unique tax breaks they enjoy by being based here.
Allowed by virtue of their status to shift savings outside
the UK, they do not have to pay tax on this money as long
as it is not brought into the country. Similarly, “clean capital” –
money earned before they moved to Britain – is also exempt.
Indeed, it is possible for foreign-domiciled residents to
plan their affairs to minimise the incidence of UK tax to the
extent that some avoid it altogether.
Carole Cook of Mayfair law firm Forsters, which
specialises in property law, says 70 per cent of her clients are
non-domiciled. It makes sense, she says – on a portfolio
worth even as comparatively little as £500,000, keeping the
money outside the UK saves 40 per cent on capital gains
and interest.
The question of whether this is fair or not has long been
raised. After all, UK-resident and domiciled individuals have
to pay British tax on their worldwide income and gains.
But London is currently enjoying a strong position as the
world’s leading financial centre, and there is no doubt that
wealthy non-domiciled residents are contributing to that
success in no small way.
“Possibly without the tax break, London would not have
become the global economy it has,” says Ms Cook. “Nondomiciled
beneficiaries bring huge benefits to the economy.”
It would seem that the government is taking the same
stance. Although papers from this year’s Budget say that the
tax rules are being reviewed, the government has not
delivered on its commitment to publish a consultation paper
on the subject.
So, while Gordon Brown’s Budget will have reminded
some of Mayfair’s wealthy residents just how much money
they pass on to the government, others will have been
relieved that the Chancellor seems to have dropped the issue
of tax reform.
Which means that Mayfair’s position as being highly
attractive to all wealthy individuals – no matter where they
hail from – looks set to remain.

54
property
Andrew Murray is the quintessential bloke. He’s a builder, for a
start, he likes to hang out on site wearing a hard hat and eating
bacon sandwiches, and he also likes to “wing” things.
But he also happens to be rather successful at doing so.
Andrew is not just any old builder – he heads up top-end
development company Morpheus and is responsible for some of
the smartest pads around.
His company has completed 17 projects in Mayfair in the past
13 years, as well as numerous other schemes in the prime central
London area. And Andrew is currently working on what look set
to be the best two penthouses in London. The project is a joint
venture with Charles Street Estates and also involves designer
Nicky Haslam. And already there are offers of around £3,000 a
sq ft floating about.
Just down the road, meanwhile, Morpheus is drawing up
plans to transform the Thomas Goode building, redesigning the
shop floor and creating nine flats above it.
Not bad for a guy who fell into the trade in a manner that he
describes as being “a little accidental”.
Public-school educated Andrew, now 36, left university with a
degree in economics, a bit of experience at painting and
decorating for friends in the holidays, and a lot of confidence.
“I persuaded an architect to let me do a whole house – a halfa-million-pound
job,” he explains. “I literally did it with a DIY
Collins manual and I rewired the whole thing – I met some quite
interesting people along the way. That was a kind of baptism of
fire.” And, he adds guiltily, “it was all cash”.
Whatever his motivation, Morpheus – named for the
company’s ability to change things – was born. And it’s been
growing ever since. Andrew jokes that nowadays he doesn’t get
out of bed for a one-bed flat job, and admits that the company
“tries to stick with top-end stuff”.
He explains: “I had the benefit of having had 10 years in the
industry to know what does and doesn’t work. I came into
developing with my tastes tuned.
“So now I’m trying to steer Morpheus away from all this fad
stuff – to concentrate on craftsmanship and finishes, keeping it
very classical and timeless.”
In practice, this translates into the very sleekest houses and
apartments – “not poncy and wooden and traditional”. So
Building
on
success
THERE’S NOTHING PONCY
ABOUT THE APARTMENTS
ANDREW MURRAY BUILDS –
THEY’RE SLEEK AND
CLASSICAL AND PACKED WITH
THE LATEST GADGETRY.
LUCY DENYER MEETS HIM
kitchens will come in white gloss rather than the latest, on-trend
blue or aubergine, and exteriors remain classical, even though
their interiors might be more up to the minute.
Andrew is not averse to technology, saying the key is to “get
as much in as you can”. But he says it’s important to make sure
there’s two types of interface – one that’s easy to use and one for
the super-techno geek. “There’s no point in selling a house with
so much gadgetry that everyone gets scared,” he says. “You
want Granny to come and stay and be able to turn the lights off.”
Granny is not Morpheus’s typical client, however – after all,
this is the company that finished a house in Mayfair a couple of
years ago complete with gun room, wet bars, a cigar room and
beds that “floated” on glass. One of the guest rooms even had a
bath in the bedroom, next to the fireplace.
Bathing by firelight, floating in bed – it’s all the kind of thing
that makes Andrew Murray tick. “I love designing things,” he says
simply. “People’s reactions when they go in there – that does it
for me. When someone comes into the best thing you’ve done
and they’re blown away by it – that’s awesome.”
As surely any man would agree.
ANDREW MURRAY FOUND
HIS DREAM JOB WHEN
HE STARTED MORPHEUS –
AND THE DEVELOPER’S
CHARLES STREET
PENTHOUSES LOOK SET
TO MAKE THE BUYERS’
DREAMS COME TRUE

58
meanderings erik brown
Stars at St James’s
ACTOR ANTHONY ANDREWS – who won worldwide
acclaim and a BAFTA for his portrayal of Sebastian
Flyte in Brideshead Revisited – was the surprise star
guest at a fundraising concert in aid of St James’s
Church, Piccadilly, a few weeks back.
Ticket holders were expecting to see and hear
actors Sir John Standing, Edward Fox and Dame
Diana Rigg, and in fact did. But Mr Andrews was an
unexpected substitute for the church’s restoration
appeal committee chairman, Rupert Hambro,
who was scheduled to read part of a speech by
William Pitt.
The concert also featured a young classical
guitarist, Michael Cook Spear; a splendid choir,
directed by Susan Digby OBE; an early-music group
called Florilegium; and the Brilliante Brass Band.
But it was an 18-year-old who stole the show.
World Youth Harmonica Player Philip Achille’s
rendition of James Moody’s Little Suite on chromatic
harmonica was simply startling.
The evening ended with William Blake’s mystic
hymn Jerusalem: appropriate since Blake was
christened in the Christopher Wren-designed St
James’s Church, which is now in need of at least
£3.5 million worth of urgent repairs. It looks as if the
concert raised around £30,000.
If you want to chip in to help save the only Wren
church outside the City of London, contact the
appeal office on 020 7292 3785.
Speed writing
from Sixsmith
FORMER BBC newshound Martin Sixsmith must have
worked furiously to rattle out his latest book The
Litvinenko File, given that the subject was buried just four
months before it hit the streets. It’s a gripping read, and a
remarkable piece of journalism that provides a real insight
into the Mayfair assassination – going so far as to identify
the most likely murderers, and the organisations behind
them. More later, but if you want to read the story for
yourself it’s published by Macmillan at £16.99.
Mediterranean Mayfair
THE MOST bizarre fact to emerge out of Westminster Council in
recent months, to my mind, is the news that Mayfair has its own
olive grove.
In a release about exotic trees, the local authority revealed
that 10 years ago it had planted a row of olive trees in Brooks
Mews behind Claridge’s as an experiment. Today, they are not
only thriving, they are fruiting – see above.
What’s more, there’s an Australian mimosa in Carlos Place
and a dozen different species of palms on the roundabout at
Marble Arch.
“The sight of palm and olive trees flourishing in Westminster
should serve as a warning to people to take climate change
seriously,” says the chairman of the council’s Go Green Board,
Alan Bradley. Quite.
A sign of the times?
HAS THE US Embassy already
moved from Grosvenor Square?
Fans of Google Maps might
think so. Go to google.co.uk.
Click on maps above the search
description box. Enter “American
Embassy London W1” and when
the map loads you’ll see that the
embassy is apparently now
located north of Oxford Street in
a Royal Mail Sorting Office near
Rathbone Place. Click satellite
and expand the view and you
can see the red post office vans.
We puzzled over this for a
while, and came to the
conclusion that it must be some
kind of security measure: the
modern counterpart of all those
false signs put up in the Home
Counties during World War II to
confuse the Nazis.
Naturally, we became
concerned for the safety of the
post office workers – until, as a
test, we entered “The
Dorchester Hotel London W1”
and discovered that that too
was on the post office site. At
least the posties have decent
room service.
If embassy officials really are
now contemplating a move, we
wouldn’t blame them. Web
researches unearthed a number
of events and activities targeted
at the embassy over the years
including a naked bike ride,
apparently in protest against
motor vehicles, and a mass spy
in, in which groups of pranksters
dressed as spies gathered in
small groups near the embassy
and looked at it through holes
cut in newspapers. Must have
been quite disturbing.