Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this week

As London Fashion Week approaches, here's how the Wallpaper* editors have been keeping busy this week.

Bill Prince, Editor-in-chief

'Impatient for a semblance of sunshine this week, I took myself off to Mayfair to toast the arrival into London of Il Pellicano for a one-week pop-up at Claridge's. Those long-familiar with this Tuscan hideaway's particular appeal may remember a similar set-up a few years back at Harry's Bar – when the Scio family's hotel played anything but second fiddle to Mayfair's original 'dining club'. This time the setting was in the no less salubrious (if considerably larger) surroundings of Claridge's restaurant, where the spirit – and spirits – remained intact, Il Pellicano's famed barman, Federico Morosi, serving up his own take on the timeless Negroni – a perfect aperitivo ahead of chef Michelino Gioia menu of specialties from the region.'

Ellie Stathaki, Architecture & Environment Director

'This week I spent a few lovely sunny days in snowy Helsinki, exploring some of the city's new design and architecture offerings. I stayed at a timber hotel, got a tour of the renovated Finlandia Hall's newly opened bistro (designed by design agency Fyra and with furniture by the Finnish Design Shop), checked out new eaterie Bouchon Carême (also by Fyra) and sweated at the sauna at Löyly.'

Hannah Tindle, Beauty & Grooming Editor

On Thursday during my lunch break, I headed over to the Victoria Beckham flagship store on Dover Street to test drive the Eye Wardrobe eyeshadow palette, a new product from the revered Victoria Beckham Beauty line. Eye Wardrobe comes in four colour variations designed to complement the brand's Satin Kajal Liner collection - Olive, Navy Noir, Night Flash and Victoria - with each quad of pigmented shadows spanning matte, shimmer and metallic textures. Beckham's personal make-up artist Francesca Abrahamovitch was on hand at the event, using the Eye Wardrobe in Victoria, Satin Kajal Liner in Cinnamon and Vast Lash mascara on me. I left via neighbouring gallery Sprüth Magers to see the current Joseph Kosuth exhibition through a freshly smoked-out pair of eyes.

victoriabeckhambeauty.com

Gabriel Annouka, Senior Designer

'A highlight of my week: Prem Sahib’s Documents of a Recent Past at Studio Voltaire, where nightclub debris became forensic relics, freezing movement into stillness. A film plays in a darkened room, its seats worn by past visitors. Scratched mirrors, toilet doors, and every surface once slick with sweat, touch, and fleeting glances now stand preserved, like traces of a fading landscape.'

Anne Soward, Chief Sub Editor

'Twenty years after getting my first tattoo (a messy, painful, noisy experience somewhere in Camden Market), I plucked up the courage to get another. To find the right person involved losing countless hours to the internet and social media, but I was very drawn to @exp.haus, a minimally elegant Hackney tattoo studio, located on the banks of the Regent’s Canal, and to the Latvian-born @kirii.lines, a tattoo artist who specialises in graphic and fine line tattooing. No courage was needed this time as the experience went like a dream. Very little mess, almost no pain, and just a gentle hum from the needle. Afterwards, a second skin was applied, which meant the healing process seemed unnoticeable - just a little bruising on day three. Last time I was recommended to smear with haemorrhoid cream, this time it was organic coconut oil. I’m already planning my next one.'

Hannah Silver, Arts, Watches & Jewellery Editor

'This week I enjoyed hearing from Theaster Gates, who walked us round his new exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey. A considered tribute to the late journalist, Ei Nagata, and his partner, Haruhi Ishitani, the show honours their life's work, detailing their efforts in preserving Malcolm X’s legacy by translating his speeches and correspondence into Japanese following his assassination.

I also attended Noah Davis' exquisite retrospective at the Barbican. Davis created an extraordinary and moving body of work before his untimely death at age 32. A must-see if you're in London.'

Melina Keays, Entertaining Director

'I have been spending cold winter evenings at the cinema - my absolute favourite being The Curzon Mayfair. Designed in the 1960’s in the innovative modern style of the time, this beautiful auditorium has been described as the finest surviving cinema of the post-war period, and its grandeur and glamour enhance the viewing experience manifold. Nothing compares to seeing a great film for the very first time, on the big screen. I am feeling very pleased with myself for having viewed both of this year’s big Bafta winners; The Brutalist, and Conclave, at this remarkable cinema.'

Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

'I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Self Esteem's Rebecca Taylor about her upcoming stage shows. Taylor is a wonderfully open book and her third album A Complicated Woman (out April 25th) is a refreshingly raw pop record which doubles down on her aphoristic approach to songwriting.'

Anna Solomon, Digital Writer

'I experienced ‘office envy’ at a dinner thrown by interior design studio Pirajean Lees – the brainchild of husband-and-wife powerduo Clémence Pirajean and James Michael Lees – at its Chelsea HQ. The studio feels more like a living room than an office, complete with a turntable playing smooth jazz. Over a spread put on by the team behind Louie London, whose space was designed by Pirajean Lees, we learned about the power of ‘narrative design’, whereby a design is anchored to a story told through anything from an object to a poem or, in the case of the revamp of Bono’s ex-hotel The Clarence, a newspaper published specially for the occasion.'

pirajeanlees.com

Sofia de la Cruz, Travel Editor

‘I’ve been slowly reading Zsofia Kollar’s Object-Oriented Identity, a deep dive into how cultural belongings from the past shape our identities. The book, published by Art Paper Editions, is structured like a catalogue and unpacks humanity’s deep-rooted need for consumption. Through detailed stories of everyday objects – from a pair of Chuck Taylor All-Stars to a MAC lipstick – Kollar reexamines their origins and their cultural relevance today.’