A M B E R ❤: My Life

Entries Tagged as 'My Life'

Adventures with Martini Royale!

20.07.13

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This time last week I was sitting in a vintage F1 car at one of the world’s biggest car festivals. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a glorious 3 day occasion of non-stop motoring and decadence, celebrating the life of the automotive. I was down there not only to revel in engine noise and lust over Maseratis, but to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sassiest of drink brands, Martini.

The Italian house of vermouth is infamous for its cocktail glamour specifically the Martini Royale ( half MARTINI Bianco (70ml) and half MARTINI Prosecco (70ml) in a wine glass full of ice. Squeeze a lime wedge, drop and garnish with fresh mint- sublime) the chicer version of an Aperol Spritz. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve drunk this year already, on the balcony of Soho House West Hollywood to a terrace in Porto Fino, or even Buck Pal ( below) where I found myself once more sipping Royales in the royal gardens. #hardlife

Above At Buckingham Palace, wearing Escada, for the Coronation Festival- The Martini Terrazza was vibing (below) Read More about my Buck Pal Adventures in my HELLO! mag interview here!

Martini the company started in the mid-19th century, in the wonderfully underrated Italian city of Turin, with three men businessman Alessandro Martini, winemaker Luigi Rossi and accountant Teofilo Sola, In 1992 Martini & Rossi merged with Bacardi and to this day the brand is ranked the world’s fourth most powerful “spirit” brand. This year as the brand celebrates 150 years in the biz, they made a return to racing, having previously sponsored Ferrari and Porsche, they’re back in the game with their badder than bad logo. (below)

I’m not sure what I like more, the drink or their company slogan ‘LUCK IS AN ATTITUDE’.

See www.martini.com for more…and follow my adventures later this year with the brand.

Behind the Doors of Van Cleef & Arples L’Ecole

14.07.13

You could not pay me to put my school uniform back on – those itchy blue sweaters and heavy long kilts – but when I was invited to a class at Van Cleef and Arpels’ new L’Ecole, I’d have pulled that jumper on faster than you can say detention. Of course that was not required: oh no, the pupils here were in head-to-toe Savile Row, gripping Montblanc pens and ready to take on the challenges of gemology with an enthusiasm unknown to my old chemistry classroom.

Located a short walk from Place Vendôme in Paris, Van Cleef’s grand school was opened in 2010 in an effort to educate customers new and old about the secretive fine jewellery industry. This is the place to learn where and how precious gems are formed and sold, why you should never buy rubies in the afternoon (yellow light distorts the gem’s true clarity) and how those stones, once found, are cut.

Arriving off the Eurostar, I dashed over to class in a new kind of uniform – Escada mesh dress – to join my fellow students: an Arab prince, a Japanese businessman and two very keen Texan women. When I asked them why they were here, the Texans excitedly replied that they wanted to turn their shopping habits into a hobby. “And also just to sound more intelligent when someone compliments my ring or earrings!” they explained.

The inquisitive Arab man was definitely there to learn the trade, but at the end, when I asked our teacher Isobel if opening the school would be USP suicide, giving away their brand secrets and all, she laughed. “No, of course not. We want to grow the fine jewellery market. We are the wise old teacher, we have unique cuts and a history that will never be crushed by competition. ”The Japanese businessman was thrilled that the school will open as a pop-up of sorts in Tokyo this year. An interesting move, I thought – why not China? But with a playful sense of design, characterised by eccentricity and feminine whimsy, it’s easy to see why Japan is one of their biggest markets.

As we broke for afternoon tea in the lavish mini-Versailles sitting room (a far cry from my common-room cereal bars), I pondered over a macaroon what the Americans had said about turning their shopping habits into a hobby. By providing an education and insight into their brand and industry, Van Cleef have created a new, dedicated army of ambassadors. Experiential retail is the key to attracting customers offline and into stores. Embracing honesty and education in the retail experience is the way to acquire and retain loyal customers, and excite a brand passion that mere product alone cannot offer.

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That being said, as we put down our magnifying glasses and the diamonds went back into the safe, it was the product I was desperate for. And so without any pressure or expectation from our teachers, I made a beeline for the store. I left not only with my first piece of Van Cleef, but the most memorable retail experience I have ever had.

3 Reasons Why You Should Doubt Yourself

10.07.13

Famous for her incisive photomontages, artist Barbara Kruger has always turned my head. From her most recognisable piece ”I shop therefore I am” her work often addresses the conflicting perceptions of democracy, power, and belief in society. Kruger says she’s “interested in introducing doubt.” I take this statement as a positive- one should…

1) Doubt your peers vision of normality 2) Doubt your teacher’s vision for your future 3) Doubt your own notion of what you think you can achieve.

Because whilst we are all prone to that feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction, in reality

doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.

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The Secrets of Santa Maria Novella

08.06.13

Founded in Florence, Italy, by Dominican Friars shortly after 1221, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, situated behind the famous church of the same name, is one of the world’s oldest pharmacies. With the apothecary originally serving the church’s monks ,little by little the products made their way into the public domain, and in 1700 the pharmacy became an open retail location, with its balms and ointments in international demand even as early as the 18th century.

Now with over 25 stores worldwide from London to Taipei, how has this centuries old brand remained relevant? And what lessons can retailers learn from their Florentine flagship store?

Through word of mouth 4 or 5 years ago, Santa Maria Novella came onto my brand radar via a conversation I had about soap with a very glamorous woman in the south of France. Ever since, I have noticed it, so whilst finding myself in Florence the other weekend I had to make a trip to the flagship. The entrance to SMN is as low-key and humble as the products themselves. Located on a side street behind the church square, the anticipation and sense of true local discovery is already building positive emotions in the consumer mind. A great wooden door leads you into a marble entrance hall to a buzzing, renaissance atrium of activity.

What’s interesting about the retail set up of this quasi-luxury brand is its balance of church like reverence and serenity, museum like importance, and the trust traditional apothecary retail brings. Split into four decandtley decorated rooms, the main foyer houses the vast majority of products behind curiosity like antique cabinets. The sheer volume and diversity of merchandise was initially daunting – there is no clear journey to take, but this is not a grab and go style shop. The focus is on immersing the consumer soothingly into all manner of lotions and potions.

The decision to place interactive digital screens in every corner has definitely worked to their advantage, helping consumers find the item they may need, and indeed it was the touch point I noticed many asian consumers used ,rather than talking to staff. Restaurant like menus in over 10 languages are stacked in neat wooden racks that list the products and prices, again emphasising the freedom of consumers to wonder through to say, the candle and fragrance room, or the tea shop and museum, literally with all the information they need to hand.

When one wants to buy an item, you are handed a plastic card to take with you to the till room – this separation between product discovery and conversion is the most interesting part of the shopping experience. Indeed the ‘payment room’ as it were, has a calming sense of affirmation and medicinal security, even religious faith, to instil in you the divine belief that the 20 euros you are about to spend on a tiny soap is definitely worth it.

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