Absolutely Fabulous
Joanna Lumley, whose character Patsy Stone in “Absolutely Fabulous” loved nothing more than shopping and Champagne at Harvey Nichols, switched sides on Thursday, sweeping into Harrods for a cocktail to mark the opening of Burberry’s Knight Blue takeover.
Lumley attended alongside other great British actors, TV personalities and celebrities, including
Olivia Colman, Mary
Berry, Naomi Campbell, Eleanor Tomlinson, Lennon Gallagher and Ed McVey, who plays the teenage Prince William in “The Crown.”
Guests were in a lighthearted mood, with Berry describing Burberry with the sort of adjectives she normally reserves for her toffee pear pudding or raspberry parfait.
“To me, Burberry is sheer luxury — it’s the very best,” said the doyenne of British cookery and star of the “The Great British Bake Off.” Berry also revealed that she’s working on a new BBC TV series, although she didn’t give any details.
The evening’s mood was certainly luxurious. Guests at the cocktail, which took place in Harrods’ newly refurbished Harrods dining hall, grazed on Wagyu beef hors d’oeuvres, sushi and mini fish- and- chips, while wine, Champagne and cocktails flowed.
A giant ice sculpture in the shape of the Burberry knight dominated the room and there was a special performance by Ezra
Collective, the British jazz quintet.
As part of the takeover, which runs until Feb. 29, Burberry has transformed multiple aspects of the store with a luxe camping theme in the brand’s signature blue hue.
For the next month Harrods’ “green men,” who stand at the entrances and greet customers, will be wearing Burberry’s new “knight blue” check introduced by designer Daniel Lee for spring 2024.
By night, the store’s Brompton Road facade will also turn blue following a years- long project to install thousands of LED lights. Going forward, the light installation will allow the store to turn any color it wants — and create different displays.
The Burberry takeover is the first major event in in Harrods’ 175th anniversary year.
It has also created dedicated pop- up shops, a 40- piece capsule collection exclusive to Harrods, and a camping corner offering British hiking accessories, including a bespoke Burberry knight bottle opener; a limitededition orienteering map of Knightsbridge; and Romney’s Kendal Mint
Cake, a popular confection among explorers and mountaineers.
— SAMANTHA CONTI
Pure Beauty
In keeping with her spring 2024 aim to exalt women’s essence and beauty, Genny’s creative director Sara Cavazza Facchini channeled candid femininity for the season’s ad campaign.
Lensed by Italian photographer Giampaolo Sgura, black and white and color imagery features model Anne Vyalitsyna in candid poses, with no- makeup makeup and beach-waved hair. Clad in the designer’s feminine concoctions styled by
Alex White, including a narrow pantsuit coated in a shimmering but sophisticated liquid- looking silver finish and a white gown cut on the bias with a ruched top, she stands against a grayish backdrop lit with cinematic light.
After tapping into celebrity models and social media personalities for recent campaigns, including Georgina Rodriguez and Sara Sampaio, Cavazza Facchini resorted to the experienced Russian model, a fixture of the Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated for 10 years. She follows in the footsteps of Karolina Kurkova, who appeared in the fall 2023 Genny ad campaign photographed by Dario Cattelani.
As reported, last fall, Genny opened its first boutique Stateside with a 2,700- square-foot unit in Beverly Hills. The brand only operates two additional
stand- alone stores in Italy — one in Milan and one in Capri. Also last year, Cavazza Facchini marked her 10th anniversary at the creative helm of the company.
— MARTINO CARRERA
Appy About It
Dazed Media is rolling out a dedicated social networking application tied to its membership offering, Dazed Club, which was first introduced in 2022.
First reported by WWD last May, the app, which launches on Monday, encourages users to share their creative work — be it films, imagery or links to their portfolios, to connect with collaborators and seek new opportunities.
Users can also explore and join groups, ask questions, and receive advice from industry experts. They can also access event listings and editorial content from Dazed.
Jefferson Hack, chief executive officer and cofounder of Dazed Media, the publisher of Dazed, AnOther and Nowness,