February Lifestyle Edit
From the five-star film to the hottest new restaurant opening, here's the twelve things to have on your radar this month
Eat...
... at Dominque Ansel Treehouse, Covent Garden
He's the French-born pastry chef who dreamed up the fabled 'cronut' amidst the smoke of New York City, and now he brings his stylish bakery-cum-bistro to the very heart of London. Head inside to the ground floor bakery for a freshly baked loaf, or up the stairs into the twinkling, fairy-lit restaurant for dinner. From chicken liver millefuielle with brown butter and mandarin orange confit, to silky ricotta and golden tomato pasta, all tastebuds will be teased.
Read...
...Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth
The author of cult ‘girls behaving badly’ story Animals returns to examine the pressures and pitfalls of the mid-30s. Adults broaches self-interrogation, unflitered emotions, overly filtered Instagram feeds and existential crises with such archly observed accuracy, you can’t help cringing. But Unsworth offsets the satirical home truths with tenderness and warmth.
The exhibition...
... Steve McQueen: 25 Years An Artist, Tate Modern
One of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year opens this month. Bringing together Steve McQueen's immersive film and video installations of the last 20 years, the show at Tate Modern will explore the Oscar winning auteur's output as a video artist. Set to stun.
If you like your art colourful and off the beaten track, carve out time for James Turrell at Pace Gallery, and France-Lise McGurn at Simon Lee Gallery.
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Step...
... Wandler Two-Tone Leather Boots
Pack a sartorial punch with Wandler's oh-so-covetable two tone boots. Fusing feminine style with androgynous minimalism, the brand's designs are the new status quo for well-heeled influencers from Copenhagen to Manhattan. Made for walkin'.
Five-star film...
... Parasite
South Korean master Bong Joon-ho won the 2019 Palme d'Or in Cannes for his riotous, incendiary portrait of a classist world gone mad in Parasite.'The little you know about Parasite, the better, as it's a rollercoaster ride of a watch and a stimulating, damning good time. There's nothing inaccessible about foreign cinema here – it's absolutely essential.' says our film editor. Whispered to be the film of the year.
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For the home...
... BFGF
You'll have probably seen designs from BFGF - the outlandish fashion and homeware brand created by illustrator Lilian Martinez - splashed across your Instagram feed in colourful, tongue-in-cheek crescendos. We have our eye on the softly-hued throws, that score both style and comfort points. Shop online here, or in-store at the unbeatably cool A New Tribe interiors shop in Hackney.
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On Stage...
... Far Away, Donmar Warehouse
Caryl Churchill’s dystopian drama is revived by director Lyndsey Turner at the Donmar this February. The production sees an exciting collaboration with students from London College of Fashion, and broaches subjects from environmental turmoil and to ethnic cleansing. Centred around Joan, a milliner who designs hats for prisoners, it's a dazzling exploration of humanity and the cold that descends when it lacks. A world in chaos.
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Burn...
... Bella Freud's 'Loving' Candle
Bella Freud’s graphic red Loving candle fills your home with the scent of tuberose, amber and sandalwood - a seductive trio to celebrate the month of romance. For lovers, not fighters - and cool boys and girls everywhere.
Road trip...
...Don McCullin Hauser & Wirth, Somerset
Nestled in deepest rural Somerset is Hauser & Wirth gallery - a handsome, modern space that's been carved from the shell of old stone farm buildings. 'Don McCullin. The Stillness of Life’ presents sixty piercingly beautiful landscape photographs, mapping Sir Don McCullin CBE’s intimate relationship with the local landscape. Regarded as one of the most accomplished war photographers of recent times, McCullin has often referred to the British countryside as his greatest salvation.
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Beauty fix...
... Barbara Sturm x Perfect Moment Ski Cream
Skincare demigod Dr Barbara Sturm - dermatologist to the stars and with a cult folowing in tow - has teamed up with Chamonix-based skiwear brand Perfect Moment to create this innovative, intensely nourishing formula to protect skin from the harshness of the elements. For baby-soft skin in the middle of winter, on the slopes or off.
In rainbows...
... Emmanuelle Moureaux: Slices of time at NOW Gallery.
A sea of cut-out coloured paper awaits at Emmanuelle Moureaux's electrictrifying exhibition exploring the flow of time at NOW Gallery. The artist has been delighting global audiences with her rainbow-hued installations from Paris to Tokyo, and now Londoners have the chance to enjoy prismatic colour in all its complexity and simplicity. The show you're bound to see splashed over Instagram this month.
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Break dry January...
... at Smokey Kudu, Peckham
The arrival of South African neighbourhood spot Kudu sent shock waves of excitement around South London's foodie scene last year, with the space quickly becoming the culinary darling of Peckham. Now, it's getting a sister with the opening of Smokey Kudu - a distinctly glamorous cocktail bar nestled into a railway arch.