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James Nicholson, Dreweatts auction house

Hand-crafted, luxury experiences curated by our team—speak to our concierge to learn more

Dreweatts, a leading auction house since 1759, is located in the beautiful Donnington Priory in Newbury.

The Sybarite spoke to James Nicholson, Deputy Chairman of Dreweatts and International Head of Jewellery, Silver and Watches. James has over 30 years experience in the jewellery industry, and gave The Sybarite some incredible insight into the world of Dreweatts auctions. We spoke to James about some of the most unique pieces he has come across in his career, the younger audience attracting luxury goods at...

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Dobrik and Lawton, the young tailors spicing up London’s...

The Sybarite spoke with the founders of Dobrik and Lawton on how they got started in tailoring, their favourite bespoke piece and what the future holds for them. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself. We are both Savile Row trained cutters. That is to say we specialize in creating the geometry of a suit and drawing the shapes of the panels needed to achieve perfect fit in a garment. Along our journey into the trade, we both also learnt how to make the garments we design and cut, allowing us full creative freedom over the pieces we make.

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Alexandra Wood, one of the few female tailors on Savile Row

The Sybarite speaks to Alexandra on how she got started in tailoring, what it's like working in a male dominated industry and her greatest accomplishments.  Tell us a bit about yourself - your background etc.  I worked in luxury retail, while studying Design and Professional Pattern cutting at The London College of Fashion. One of the places I worked for was Shanghai Tang, Sloane Square. Here I fell in love with Imperial tailoring, luxurious fabrics and the creativity of designing exclusive pieces and had the pleasure of designing for Royalty, celebrities and high profile women and eventually men. Two years later I was asked to join their bespoke department as their Tailoring assistant and within two days was promoted to the role of the Tailoring Manager at the age of 21.  I then moved on to opening my own business - Alexandra Wood in 2007, I’ve had the pleasure of designing suits for a whole host of high-profile men. I helped then politician Chuka Umunna land successive placings in GQ’s Top 50 Best Dressed list and being described by best-selling author and GQ journalist, Tony Parsons as the “tailor of the 21st century,” which was super exciting!

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Who is Rachel Carrasco: The Girl Boss Behind RACHE

Through resilience and taking the pandemic in her stride, her company RACHE has finally become exactly what she initially intended it to be. The Sybarite speaks to Rachel about the importance of experiences over products, her charity work, her love for bacon and what it takes to work hard to achieve your dreams. 

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Blanca Padilla, the Spanish Model discovered on the...

How are you? What impact has covid had in both your personal and professional life?  A break like this is really uncomfortable and it stirs a lot of unrest in a society which is not used to not stopping for a second. I think it has affected all of us in one way or another, and it has taught us to put our lives in perspective. From the little day to day things, to the bigger picture of redirecting our focus and energy, to what we want to make of each day. And in the long term, it has helped us think - where are we going? What is our true purpose? What are the things that make us feel good? And on a larger scale, we have the chance to reflect on how our society works, the world we have created, how it has reacted to such a situation and how solutions are implemented and the long term traces that all this will leave... In my opinion, all discomfort and pain will leave its mark, but it can also bring very beneficial and necessary structural changes if we are brave enough.

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Chopard’s Latest Unique Piece Perfect to Celebrate...

February 12th 2021 marks the beginning of the Year of the Ox. An Earth sign, emblem of the twelfth lunar month, the ox represents a period conducive to both nature and agriculture. This generous animal ensures prosperity and is a symbol of strength of the coming year. To honor the occasion, each year since 2013, Chopard has created exceptional L.U.C Haute Horlogerie timepieces, with an artistic interpretation of the Chinese Zodiac. Faithful to the tradition, Chopard has consistently worked with the best Japanese lacquer artisans who craft dials using the historic Urushi lacquer technique. The result is an exquisite edition of 88 dials produced by the workshops of the century-old Yamada Heiando company and made by master lacquer artist Minori Koizumi. The unique craftsmanship of Maki-e technique is used and captured between the layers of lacquer drawn from the sap of the Toxicodendron vernicifluum tree, gold flakes illuminate a background that features a golden ox with straight horns and an abundant coat, harnessed to a wagon.

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Discover Aveda’s Nutriplenish hair care system at this...

Just this year Suranne Jones, Dame Mary Beard, Dame Joan Bakewell, Sue Perkins, Sharlene Spiteri and Anna Richardson have walked through the doors and walked out looking fabulous! And in February it was transformed into a picture-perfect Christmas scene for a set in Dame Maggie Smith's latest film which will be out next Christmas.  My experience was once again lovely and relaxing, my colour rich and my cut perfect.  This year has also seen the launch of their newest product line - Nutriplenish Hair Care System. Nutriplenish is by far one of Aveda’s most innovative and luxurious product lines yet - it is nutrient-powered hydration at the highest level. If you’re on the hunt for serious moisture and hydration, then this is the product line for you. This six-piece system has something for everyone and every hair type, so it’s versatile and customizable. If you have fine to medium hair like me then the light moisture option is for you. If you have medium to thick hair, then the deep moisture option will be perfect for you.

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Christmas gift guide for her

Finding Christmas gift ideas for the woman in your life can be a difficult task whether it's your sister, mother, wife or best friend. If you fancy treating her to something extra special this year, then take a look at some of the fabulous ideas below that are sure to put a smile on her face this festive season.

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Give your locks a shiny new lease of life

However, if you are anything like me, then you’re probably guilty of using the same old hair products day in, day out and not really giving your hair the care as it deserves. Well, if you need a little inspiration, here are some fabulous hair products which will certainly help give your hair a new lease of life.

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Frugi Organic Clothing - it’s the way forward!

Since discovering the brand it has been a solid staple in the wardrobe of both my little angels. In 2008 the company changed its name to Frugi, meaning ‘Fruits of the Earth’ in Latin, it was at this point that the collection grew to also include gorgeous clothing for older children and breastfeeding wear for mums.  The clothing is all organic, pure, soft and snuggly. It is kind to babies and young children’s delicate skin and there are no harmful chemicals or dangerous dyes. Plus organic cotton is durable and long-lasting meaning you can hand it down for generations. Also all of Frugi’s outerwear, backpacks, lunch bags, pencil cases and coin purses have been made from post-consumer recycled materials - using all of those plastic drink bottles that are thrown away in household waste.  Frugi take great pride in the relationships they have developed with the companies and people who supply their goods. They regularly visit their suppliers to make sure that everything is in ship shape and working to the Frugi code of conduct.