Polo & More 2014
Polo & More 2014
the things he loved like overstated chairs with swirling
patterns, beautiful lanterns and the centralv focus: an
elegantly dangling candelabra.
Messel House is a modern outfit with vintage trappings.
The illusion of fantasy is achieved with accessories like
big old fashioned trunks suited to the jet setters of the
1920s, and the piéce de resistance: dressing rooms with
rococo mirrors and heavy drapes to resemble a starlet’s
dressing room in a hit London play. Claire has used her
keen vision to set the stage for the most elaborate play,
in which you are cast as the leading lady determined to
find the perfect vestment.
122
Messel, with his fetish of fabrics, would have adored
the breezy Caribbean fashions of cotton and linens so
in style today. Truly the biggest hits in this boutique are
the crocheted garments, now highly en vogue they can
be worn with a sultry slip underneath. There are daring pieces for poolside frolic, pieces for moonlit party
in shimmering gold, bright white and airy for beach or
yacht entertaining. Like social butterflies, the garments
of Messel House flit equally well between day and night,
beach house and club house. The modus vivendi of
Barbados is after all so fluid, twixt the two, it’s imperative that your wardrobe keeps up with your lifestyle.
With the boutique’s antiqued wooden trims, floaty
dresses and seaside accessories, the mollifying floral
display of orchids and the stunning painting watching
the door the furnishings of Messel House have a plane
of authenticity. Chic oversized sitting chairs have seen
years of fussing over this dress or that one, dressing
room drapes appear to have been whisked to reveal
blouse after blouse, each time plucking a gasp of approval from your onlookers like the first rise of the curtain at a London gala. The authenticity of Messel House
is nothing short of that purity you demand from your
fashion.
And, most importantly, whether it’s your first visit or
your hundredth, you are always treated like a star. Shop
this Christmas, and you may just be find yourself treated
to a glass of wine or champagne in store.
One of the greatest art and design museums, The Victoria & Albert Museum, has dedicated the “Making &
Doing” theatre collection to preserving Messel’s magic
with their Oliver Messel Collection of around 10,000 of
his original objets d’art. We don’t need the museum. We
have Messel House, so simply furnished with countless
pieces dedicated to his living legacy and garments only
found in paradise n
123