january-2012

IMAGE©GETTY
Previous page: Lady
Serena Linley in the garden.
Right: with husband
David, Viscount Linley,
who takes a keen interest in
the lavender harvest
soap suited to the softened water you fi nd on yachts (Tara
Getty has chosen the soap for her yacht, Blue Bird), where
you fi nd you can never rinse off the lather. Linley has also
created a soap which works perfectly with the specifi c
qualities of the water on a private jet, as well as products
that complement the diff erent waters of diff erent countries.
For example, Skibo Castle in Scotland commissioned her to
create an exclusive soap that matched their needs. Linley
can even personalise products with initials or a motto. In
fact, she had just been to stay at Skibo with friends, who
made her laugh when they asked her if she’d mind if they
took her complimentary soaps and lotions from the hotel
bathrooms. ‘Please do!’ she enthused.
Th e bespoke soap and perfumery idea came about after
a long lunch (and possibly a few glasses of rosé) at the
Linleys’ French home, Château d’Autet in the Luberon part
of Provence, with their neighbours, Sally Aga Khan and
Philippe Lizop. Th e Linleys had been trying to decide what
to do with their land; the soil was poor quality and the only
good thing there was the lavender. Th e house was bought
after a chance conversation with A Year in Provence author
Peter Mayle, and is what they describe as ‘the smallest
château in France’, but it suits them perfectly for being far
away from everywhere, and it is here that they go to relax,
have guests, and farm the ingredient for all their products.
It took several years to bring to life the plan they made
that day; three were solely spent summoning life from the
‘I love the small things
about Provence, like
cracking open a pine cone
and smelling the scent’
lavender beds. ‘It was a rational use of
everything there, and growing the
lavender is the most wonderful process.
You sit on a mini-tractor and feed the
baby plants in upside down, then it puts
soil on top. I love it – the excitement of
seeing the lines come up – then there’s an
artisan factory where the oil is distilled…’
Linley has a palpable passion for her
project. She was also lucky enough to fi nd
an experienced chemist, and then more
time was spent having the creams she
makes tested around the world. ‘I’m now
very proud of these products,’ she says.
Th e brand has investment from sleeping
partners. ‘It’s a great responsibility, but
I’ve found it thrilling.’
A particular high point was
‘spending hours in laboratories in Grasse
[the scent capital of France]’. Th ere her
nine-year old daughter, Margarita, chose
the ingredients for the perfume that was
then named after her, which has gone on
Fifty-Three
to become the shop’s bestseller.
Margarita’s enthusiasm for the project
doesn’t stop there: she often steps behind
the counter at the shop when she isn’t at
school, while her brother, Charlie, who’s
12, spent his holidays exploring new
packaging options. ‘It is one of the
biggest surprises to me, that all the
family has been so involved and so
enthusiastic about it.’ She remembers
fi nding notes on her desk saying ‘come
on mummy, you can do it’. Margarita is a
tomboy – ‘I struggle to get her out of her
combat trousers,’ smiles her mother – but
a sweet-smelling one.
On a personal note, Linley adds that
she is ‘pushing myself quite a bit, which
is fun, and pushing my nose (I don’t have
a trained nose) to great lengths’. Th e
most challenging part, she says, has been
learning how to give an interview; her
low-key persona means she has never
interacted with the press if she could