This column makes no bones about the fact that it is fond of glasses and former interior designer Iris Apfel is one woman who gives good frame. She also has a pair of these saucer-style babies in red, which she wears with matching lipstick. The rest of Iris’s look is a marvellous treat. Her tunic-style top in block yellow is a triumph and she wears it with simple, wide-leg trousers – as discussed last week, this tunic-trouser look is making a comeback. Then there’s her approach to jewels: pile them high and let it all just happen. Last but by no means least, Iris sports a silver pixie crop. Rocking. Photograph: Andy Kropa/Getty Images North America
When the fashion desk sniffed Owari, a unisex fragrance from New York fashion store ODIN, there were unanimous mutterings of “gorgeous”. This does not occur often. Its elegant citrus whiff, which features green mandarin from Japan, has a little bitter kick. For reasons unknown, it reminds The Briefing of a wearable salad dressing, but don’t let that put you off. There are three other fragrances in this family, including Petrana, a green vetiver. Go forth and inhale.
£99 for 100ml, available 26 May, from Liberty, liberty.co.uk Photograph: PR
Next month is all about discovering the next big thing as graduate fashion fills the calendar. If you fancy an hour or so of pure energy, hopefully with a side of bonkers, buy a ticket to the Royal College of Art’s MA show on 1 June. At the college that trained Ossie Clark, Burberry’s Christopher Bailey, Erdem and Chloé’s new creative director Clare Waight Keller, the talent-spotting should be top notch. Zara Gorman, a 2010 graduate, wowed with her sculptural, witty head pieces (pictured), which now sell at Harrods.
www.rca.ac.uk/fashiontickets, 020-7590 4566 Photograph: PR
Come May don’t you find yourself fantasising about designer beach towels? Well, The Briefing does. This year’s towel of dreams is by Ralph Lauren Home and features a rather wonderful giraffe. Though if you’re not a giraffe person, the label also has cheetah and a zebra.
£80, ralphlaurenhome.com Photograph: Vertis Communications/PR
Boxy handbags are not going anywhere. That statement is based on extensive research into a very fashionable genre. This Raoul version is miles ahead of its rivals because it walks the fine, navy-blue line between Margaret Thatcher and any given fashion editor with aplomb. Plus, it’s called Janice, which sounds fabulously subversive.
£230, raoul.com Photograph: PR
