Londoner's Diary: Shiny happy people get set to go mainstream

Shiny Happy People: Beyonce's Met dress
Mark Sagliocco/Getty
4 May 2016

New York, Paris, Milan … Holloway? Monday’s Met Gala saw a glittering cosmos of silver screen and runway stars attempt to scale a sky-scraping staircase while remaining Vogue-ready. The last to arrive was Beyoncé, who was fashionably late in a flesh-coloured Givenchy Haute Couture latex gown designed by Riccardo Tisci.

Strict haute couture diktats imply that a true couture dress must be made in a Paris atelier with a minimum of three fittings, traditionally achieved by the white-gloved petite mains (little hands, to us Brits). But it seems an unsung hero has emerged in the form of Atsuko Kudo, the Japanese designer loved by rubber fetishists, who has quietly been running her eponymous boutique on Holloway Road over the past decade.

Ms Kudo has catered to latex fans such as Kim Kardashian and Dita von Teese — she’s also the designer behind the scarlet latex number Lady Gaga wore to meet the Queen in 2009. She received a call from Mr Tisci a couple of weeks ago, asking to create the latex design he had in mind for Bey. “We’re not based in a major shopping destination so it was a bit of a surprise when Riccardo and the Givenchy team came to the shop with their sketches and toiles,” says Kudo, who insists that the singer would have been able to sit and eat thanks to her precise tailoring. “We worked to a body stock specifically tailored to her measurements and had about three days to make the dress and apply the pearl embellishments.”

Perfectly content in N7, Kudo is excited to see latex go from a subcultural symbol to cultural benchmark, adding: “It’s my mission to make the world a shinier place.” Would Anna Wintour raise an eyebrow, we wonder? In those sunglasses, it’s impossible to know.

We see Jezza here, we see Jezza everywhere

Who said Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t support small businesses? A picture of the Labour leader busy doing some photocopying appeared online today, and a detail stuck out: on the wall is a tote bag, adorned with a drawing of ...Jeremy Corbyn.

Some internet sleuthing revealed that the bag had come from online shop Fat Hen and Flo. “I sent Jeremy Corbyn’s office a package of my goodies just before Christmas,” designer Susan McKenna told us this morning. “Just last week I had an email from his office saying the items were dotted about [the office].”

McKenna also revealed that she’d sent Jezza some temporary tattoos of his face. Could they become part of Seumas Milne’s summer look?

Brum’s the word for Peaky Polly

Tomorrow night, fans of Peaky Blinders, the period drama set in Birmingham’s 1920s gang scene, will settle on the sofa to watch the new series. But The Londoner enjoyed an early glimpse last night alongside cast member Helen McCrory. “Polly has been let out of the paddock,” she said onstage of her character’s potential for romance this series, before stopping herself from spilling plot secrets. “I’m trying to speak without saying anything,” she smiled. “My husband would say I do it daily.” Her husband, actor Damian Lewis, remained wisely silent.

Greta would go Labour if she could

It was down to Bafta’s Piccadilly HQ last night, where the PrimiDieci society named its top 10 Italians at a spirited gala dinner. Set up by the society’s founder Riccardo Lo Faro, the initiative seeks to toast the international success of Italians in various fields, with Citi Holdings CEO Francesco Vanni d’Archirafi and the Royal Opera House’s Antonio Pappano among those honoured.

Actress Greta Scacchi, meanwhile, was effusive. “I’m delighted to win this award,” she told us, but regretted that her international status restricts her participating in London staples such as elections. “Ah, it’s difficult for me to answer that,” she said when we asked who she would vote for in tomorrow’s mayoral battle. “I have an Italian passport so it’s not something I get to vote in anyway”. It didn’t take long for her make her mind up, though, adding: “I definitely would go for the Labour mayor.”

Scacchi could, in fact, have registered online as an EU passport holder and voted but we understand she’s been busy: she recently starred as Countess Natalya Rostova in the BBC’s acclaimed War and Peace. Containing somewhat more sex than Tolstoy’s tome, it was nevertheless screened in the family-friendly Sunday evening slot.

“I think it was very fitting for Sundays,” Scaacchi smiled. “We want to titillate the grandmothers.”

***

Zac Goldsmith was on LBC radio yesterday, comparing himself to new Premier League champions Leicester City. After the show we hear presenter Nick Ferrari unbuttoned his attire to reveal a Leicester strip, and asked Zac for a photo. “Sorry,” he said, “but it could be worse. Gary Lineker is doing Match of the Day in his pants …” Goldsmith’s reply? “Thank goodness this is radio.”

Linley’s box of delights

The Londoner usually returns from holiday with a stick of rock and a case of sunburn, so we’re rather jealous of David Linley who came back from a 2015 trip to the Persian Gulf with enough inspiration to fill a shop.

The result — a treasure chest patterned with blue and gold Islamic tile patterns — was showcased in Pimlico at a party to toast the 30th anniversary of Linley’s store last night, where guests included Heather Kerzner and Viscountess Serena Linley. Coinciding with the launch of London craft week, the chest was displayed alongside 3D-printed vases and hand-crafted sculptures. Coming in at £75,000, however, The Londoner may have to stick with a key ring.

Dish of the day: Vote Leave’s head of media Robert Oxley celebrated his birthday last night with a meal at ... Frenchie. British cuisine not good enough?

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