Happy February and welcome to our new issue! As the first glimpses of Spring appear on the horizon, we’re fully embracing the lighter mood and celebrating all things colourful and happy-making. From our edit of all things craft -inspired (we’re currently lusting after anything by craft -centric brand Bode and Connor Ives’ folk-inspired T’s), to the new brands and initiatives that you need to know about. Meanwhile, Emma Sells talks to the creative force and trailblazer Hillary Taymour founder of Collina Strada ahead of her show at NYFW; and we’ll also be bringing you reports from the upcoming fashion weeks as seen through our Calendar lens. With award season almost upon us, Sarah Bailey talks to some industry insiders who and changemakers, who are making a more green approach to red carpet dressing a reality And on the subject of brighter days ahead… for a glow-boosting, post-winter skin pick-me-up, we’ve put together a roundup of the best beauty serums out there; all with a responsible focus. On the travel front, if you are on the lookout for a getaway that you can take your beloved four-legged companion to, Travel Director Susan Ward Davies’ guide to dog-friendly eco-stays is a must-read! And we’ll also be delivering our bi-monthly newsletter, so if you haven’t already signed up head to our link-in-bio for updates and curated content straight to your inbox. Wishing you a wonderful month ahead and here’s to fashioning the future and always finding the joy.

When Chanel recently launched their No 1 de Chanel clean beauty range, it was a given that eco enthusiasts and beauty experts would be equally delighted. The collection boasts a range of extraordinarily covetable – and similarly effective – makeup and skincare essentials, ready to quickly become staples. A jewel in the crown is the brand’s red camellia-spiked revitalising cream, developed to target signs of ageing with 95% naturally directed ingredients. The silk-like texture means you’ll want to smooth it onto your skin for as long as the pot allows, then instantly repurchase and, to top it all off, the rouged glass jar makes a worthy dressing table ornament. HB

After a greyscale January, February calls for something a little more colour-saturated. Enter: craft – the multi-patterned aesthetic that pairs mixed-and-matched prints with a high-impact colour palette and DIY sensibility for a look that’s equal parts stylish and effortlessly undone.

In this Calendar edit, we’re bringing you our selection of slow fashion pieces that are full of crafting spirit. From made-to-order denim to riotous patchwork-ed jackets and shirts, all have a sustainable twist, and are sure to carry you through ’til warmer days.

Click here to shop the edit

The biggest names in the Surrealist movement are on their way to the Tate Modern, and the resulting exhibition is set to be a must-visit. Rather than focusing on a particular time or place, the curators have collected works from around the globe – including from cities such as Cairo, Buenos Aires, Lisbon, Seoul and Tokyo – for a once-in-a-lifetime selection that’s sure to delight art aficionados.

Prioritising dreams rather than everyday normalities, the movement began in 1924 and birthed a generation of creatives who made often poetic, sometimes humorous, works. With more than 150 artists on display – with works by everyone from Max Ernst to Ted Joans on view – you’ll journey through the exhibition and, simultaneously, discover the strings that tied artists across the globe together.

Expect rarely seen pictures by Cecilia Porras and Enrique Grau – Colombian artists who defied the country’s conservative mentality – photographs by Hans Bellmer focusing on the female body juxtaposed with Ithell Colquhoun’s double image spotlighting female desire and narratives framing Surrealism as a weapon for political and social freedom. In need of a weekend art fix? You’ll want to grab a ticket…

Surrealism Beyond Borders opens at the Tate Modern on 24 February

This season’s Copenhagen fashion week was a heady celebration of creativity, innovation and inspiration with, as ever, a strong focus on sustainability. These are our Calendar highlights, from the conscious minimalism of Skall Studio to the life-affirming, crowd-pleasing joy of Ganni, and the new and super-sexy, zero-waste silhouettes from Jade Cropper.

Click here to read the full article

When designer Mozhdeh Matin founded her label Mozh Mozh in 2015, there was only one road to take. Based in Peru, she quickly connected with local artisans to form a network of expert weavers. The motivation? To preserve traditional Peruvian techniques and, at the same time, create brilliantly colourful looks that add small doses of joy to every kind of wardrobe. Each piece is hand-knitted in Matin’s home country, using alpaca, cotton and wool yarns (also from Peru) with an expert appreciation for pattern. From blue camouflage separates to vivid striped dresses, the designs are versatile and the resulting looks are standout. Whether you choose a solo knit to pair with an all-black base, or opt for head-to-toe cosy and colourful maximalism, you’ll never not feel cheered up by Mozh Mozh’s unique aesthetic. HB

Collina Strada was the pitch-perfect choice to open New York Fashion Week in September last year. The brand’s kaleidoscopic use of colour, print and craft, magnetically eclectic casting and easy, effortless silhouettes, all unveiled in a sun-soaked roof-top garden, was brilliantly joy-filled and uplifting, setting just the right tone for the city’s first physical show in 18 months. The only question now is, how will the label top it this season? “There’s nothing I love more than to put on our shows,” says Hillary Taymour, founder and creative director of the label, as we speak a fortnight out from the unveiling of her AW22 collection. “But the stress of it; I put the most pressure on myself to do the best show possible. And it’s my own shit, it has nothing to do with industry. It’s just me feeling that I have to do better and better and better. Or else why am I doing this? Which is not sane but also makes for a great show every season.”

Collina Strada (christened after the nickname given to Taymour by a friend at fashion school – collina means ‘little hill’ in Italian) has been injecting its off-kilter sense of fun and playfulness into the New York fashion scene for more than a decade now. What started as a leather bag brand in 2009 has quietly evolved into a global force to be reckoned with that counts Rihanna, Halsey, Lorde and Hari Nef amongst its dedicated followers, and whose success has really kicked up a gear over the past three years thanks to a nomination for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and a spot in the line-up of Gucci’s first Vault project. The once-radical approach that Taymour has been steadily championing for years – thoughtful decision making, sustainable practises and wide-ranging inclusivity – have finally become the zeitgeist and, as a result, the label is getting the love and attention it deserves.

Click here to read the full interview

For February’s Lover Forever guest, we were thrilled to speak to writer, speaker and author Otegha Uwagba. Otegha wears her much loved and worn leather jacket from Beyond Retro. Proof that well chosen pieces really do stand the test of time.

“I bought this leather jacket for £40 from Beyond Retro in my early twenties. I remember trying it on and not being quite sure about it – but then I spent the rest of the day thinking about it and rushed back the next day to buy it. I’ve lost it twice over the years, once at a party and another time on my way to the airport and it’s somehow found its way back to me both times.”
Otegha Uwagba. Writer and Speaker.

Travel is back (praise be), and if you’re one of the many people who welcomed a puppy into their family during lockdown, you’re probably now wondering how to plan a holiday with a four-legged friend in tow. Be warned: dogs and designer interiors do not a restful weekend make but, with a little preparation you can avoid potential pitfalls, no matter how naughty your four-legged friend might be. Check the rules before booking: some properties won’t let you leave pets alone in the rooms, many ban dogs on beds (uh-oh), or from the restaurants, leaving you to lock them in the car or order room service. If your pet is likely to be non-compliant with all the above, go armed with lots of blankets to cover the furniture, or you may find a nasty surprise on the bill.

We have sniffed out some of the most stylish pet- and planet-pleasing hotels, cottages, cabins and even a treehouse – just see the link in bio.
Susan Ward Davies, Calendar Travel

Click here to read the full article

The Gabriela Hearst show unveiled this week as part of NYFW was a heart soaring affair. Melding her love of nature and craft with sustainable practises (as ever there was a strong focus on recycled and upcycled materials), as well as stand out structured tailoring, joyful colour pops and a fresh approach to the concept of gender fluid dressing – we’re here for all of it.

If pre-owned luxury is your sartorial soft spot, you’re about to become enamoured with a new platform on the resale scene. Founded by veteran stylist Clare Richardson, Reluxe is a carefully created online consignment boutique selling a selection of second-hand designer pieces. For would-be sellers, it’s a no-brainer – from photography to shipping, the platform will take the reins to produce beautiful, editorial-style campaigns. For shoppers, it’s an endlessly scrollable experience you’ll quickly start opening on auto-pilot. With names such as Amber Valletta, Bella Freud, Zinnia Kumar and Carolyn Murphy involved, it’s already got fashion insiders excited, and we’re very much on board.

“I love buying pre-owned clothing, but I was feeling frustrated at the lack of a luxury experience resale sites offered,” says Richardson. “From the beginning, I wanted to create a resale platform that is an edited, curated and luxury experience. My hope is that it will genuinely celebrate a return to a slow fashion movement. To help change our shopping behaviour, and create a guilt-free and accessible way for us all to indulge in our love of fashion, and to refresh our closets, but in a more considered and sustainable way.”

London Fashion Week is go! Wishing everyone involved the best of luck for the days ahead. Prepare for creativity at its most impressive and inspirational moments galore…see you there!

The Whitechapel Gallery has always been a blazing beacon of cutting-edge art. Opening its doors for the first time in 1901, bringing art to the community in the East End of London; it played host to Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ in 1939 when the Spanish master’s anti-war epic was shown for its first – and only – visit to the UK. As powerhouse curator Iwona Blazwick OBE announces her decision to bow out from her two-decade stint as the gallery’s Director in April, the big spring opening is an expansive group show, ‘A Century of the Artist’s Studio: 1920-2020’, exploring the relationship between artists and the spaces in which they create, with over 100 works including Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Pablo Picasso, Lisa Brice and Kerry James Marshall. It is a fitting finale for the redoubtable Blazwick and an absolute must-see. (24 Feb–5 June, 2022)

Conner Ives, the American born, London-based designer who’s already a firm Calendar Magazine favourite, made his incredible catwalk debut yesterday. His show, entitled ‘Hudson River School’ after a Mid 19th century art movement, was a glorious riot of Y2K-inspired silhouettes and archetypal American women, from Laurel Canyon hippies and Bob Fosse hoofers to gap year girls. Upcycled vintage sequin blouses, deadstock silk charmeuse and spandex made from recycled from plastic bottles were conjured into drawstring dresses, fringed skirts, bias-cut slips and oversized fleeces worn by Edie Campbell, Paloma Elsesser and more. It was innovative, uplifting and the perfect way to kick off London Fashion Week.

Ahead of @bethany_williams_london unveiling her new collection as part of the incredible LFW line up this season, we’re revisiting Calendar fashion director Emma Sells’ insightful conversation with the designer. As mentioned in the interview, describing Williams as simply a fashion designer doesn’t feel like it comes close to doing her justice. Instead, she is a pioneer, setting the blueprint for how a modern fashion brand can operate with sustainability at the heart of it’s vision. Stay tuned for Calendar’s highlights of LFW up soon.

Renewed energy, optimism and boundless creativity were the hallmarks of a thrilling LFW which saw a new wave of talent rule the London runways, displaying innovation, joy and a bold new approach to dressing up again. Also a creative approach to making fashion more sustainable was in evidence and beautifully so. We were thrilled to see talents such as Harris Reed, Priya Ahluwalia and Connor Ives incorporate vintage upholstery fabrics, responsible materials and upcycled looks from seasons past.

Click here to read the Calendar Magazine edit of standout moments. 

Awards shows have been in semi-hibernation in the past 24 months while we have been in the pandemic’s grip. But that’s not to say there have not been notable flash-bulb-popping moments at film festivals, openings and socially-distanced soirees.

What’s evident is an interesting shift in big-night dressing, with actors and stylists breaking out of the usual formula of ‘hot-off-the-runway power gown + borrowed big-name rocks’, and experimenting with outfit choices that tell a different story.

From Angelina Jolie and her daughters in hand-me-down showstoppers, to ‘upcycled and reworked’ having a high watermark moment and elevated vintage seemingly never hotter, could we be seeing a more sustainable approach to event dressing on the red carpet. And as things get back to normal this awards season, will this new, radical wave continue?

Read the full story here.

Are you ready to recharge your skincare for spring? Serums – often described as the powerhouses of skincare – have formulations to supercharge every routine. Whether you’re in need of plumping hydration or a protective antioxidant boost, our Calendar edit of brilliantly effective serums with a responsible focus is here to help you find your perfect match.

Click here to learn more.

Newly launched Sourcey, an interior design consultancy and shop, is our new favourite homeware destination. Founded by former magazine executive Jacqui Cave, it combines Cave’s passion for eclectic interiors with a keen editor’s eye, resulting in a beautifully curated collection of items sourced from around the globe. Expect an emphasis on responsibly produced wares and mood boosting colour combinations – happy making home inspo options galore!

We’re signing off the month with this powerful quote from Aristotle on courage. We support and stand with the people of Ukraine.🇺🇦