by Claire Etchell | 7th May 2018 | Blog, Feature
Sintra is a sparkling jewel in Portugal’s crown; a place of history, mystery and vibrant colour. It has the ability to make modern, white washed, marbled life look rubbish, and instead it has made me yearn for pattern, detail and rainbow hues. Here’s my guide to a...
by Claire Etchell | 4th January 2018 | Blog, Feature
Almost three years ago I went freelance in the most haphazard clumsy way imaginable. I have made all the mistakes, fallen spectacularly into all the pitfalls and (so far) have survived to tell the tale because I am working and living in London with lots of lovely...
by Claire Etchell | 7th July 2017 | Blog, Feature
Italy is colourful and passionate and wonderful. It has fresh sharp lemons and the juiciest oranges and brightest flowers. It has narrow coastal roads that have been nicknamed Mamma Mia from the shock visitors express on their first experience as they overlook sharp...
by Claire Etchell | 4th June 2017 | Blog, Feature, London
Kew Gardens has such a special place in my heart – I mean flowers and gardens – what is not to love? It is in Richmond and has it’s own picturesque train station with a delightful looking pub right next to it. Kew Gardens itself, or Royal Botanic...
by Claire Etchell | 3rd June 2017 | Blog, Feature
It was in April 2011 when Vogue hailed the Kimono the new Spring Jacket as they fell for the kimono’s liquid-silk allure. This might have been, erm, years ago but sometimes things bob around being micro-trends, before, well Zara makes an epic one and BOOM –...
by Claire Etchell | 14th May 2017 | Feature, London
You’ll have seen Notting Hill a thousand times. On TV and film and most of all, on social media, ESPECIALLY the image friendly platforms of Instagram and Pinterest (hello pastel houses).. I’ve been living in Notting Hill for around five months now and...
by Claire Etchell | 26th February 2017 | Blog, Feature
My Claire & The City blog and business is all about honesty and going behind the smoke and mirrors of the PR & Marketing industry… But today I find myself in unfamiliar territory and am looking to a relationship guru to share his secrets instead. Who is...
by Claire Etchell | 15th February 2017 | Blog, Feature
How to Influence an Influencer Spilling secrets is fast becoming something that LornaLuxe and I excel at. Especially if it is combined with an audience, an agenda about digital and each other (and possibly a bottle of Champagne if it is after 5pm soz 7pm – tee...
by Claire Etchell | 28th October 2016 | Blog, Feature, Interview
The thing is…I’m not a film expert which, when you’re in a cinema full of movie fans at the BIFA Central Picturehouse watching Michael Sheen being interviewed for Time Out London can be a bit of a daunting realisation. BUT I have seen five Michael Sheen films, oh yes....
by Claire Etchell | 5th September 2016 | Blog, Feature, London
St Paul’s Cathedral, where I’m sitting right now, is literally blowing my mind. The very famous London landmark was built by Christopher Wren and accessoried (shall we say) with intricate mosaics after Queen Victoria called it ‘dull, cold, dingy and...
by Claire Etchell | 4th July 2016 | Blog, Feature, London
If you had to pick one fashion designer for a cracking night out, I would suggest Henry Holland. Firstly, from what I have gleaned, from last Friday evening while he was in conversation with Kinvara Balfour. He is exceedingly charismatic, funny, honest and I’m...
by Claire Etchell | 28th May 2016 | Blog, Feature, London
What’s a flipping silver gilt when it’s at home? Why does a show garden differ from a artisan garden? Do I have to wear white linen trousers to get in? Will they know the only flower I’ve successfully kept alive is a Flaming Katie from Tesco? These...
by Claire Etchell | 23rd May 2016 | Blog, Feature, London
RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a huge event in London with thousands of people descending on the capital each May to see the fabulous blooms on display. This year is no exception and the surrounding retailers take part in ‘Chelsea in Bloom’ which this year has...
by Claire Etchell | 1st May 2016 | Blog, Feature
Beyoncé is a Lycra and Swarovski crystal covered marketing dream, a sparking stick of dynamite with so much business sense I think she could actually run the world – B for president? Introduction for Beyonce’s Ivy Park Anyway, Queen Bey has been busy in...
by Claire Etchell | 21st April 2016 | Blog, Feature
In PR and marketing terms, underwear is dynamite. It can make you thin, get you laid, define your abs, give you a bigger butt, enhance your cleavage, say ‘hello boys’, impress the girls, you know the drill. As I talked about in my blog ‘Who Sells You...
by Claire Etchell | 24th March 2016 | Blog, Feature, London
I am a London Time Out Tastemaker. Intrigued? This doesn’t (sadly) mean that I work for Time Out writing witty and entertaining copy about London every day, nor does it mean (even more sadly) that I am wafting around Poppy Delevingne style and party-hopping on a...
by Claire Etchell | 27th January 2016 | Blog, Feature
As a relative novice in menswear, this was my first visit to Chester Barrie’s LCM show, but boy they knocked my socks off. The venue was a sublime room at the Waldorf Hilton which was so grand, I could have just stayed there forever. It had much the red carpet...
by Claire Etchell | 26th January 2016 | Feature, London
Turnbull and Asser are the classiest of menswear brands; established 1885, received their first Royal Warrant from Edward VII, make a lot of bespoke pieces, made in England, tally ho chaps! Their SS16 LCM launch was an in-store only affair which was small but...
by Claire Etchell | 12th January 2016 | Blog, Feature
For last LCM, Belstaff took their SS16 range off to the dessert. Well to be factually accurate, they moved sand dunes into the Old Billingsgate where models stood under hot lights where outside stood an army vehicle with The Shard and Tower Bridge creating an imposing...
by Claire Etchell | 7th December 2015 | Blog, Feature
Why are we obsessed with our clothes being magical? Just as costume designer Sandy Powell discussed, the power of clothes to shape and transform an image is ever-present in our culture and history. Now we’re going one step further with designers turning to...
