#96: Field Notes.
A week in event-going; outfits I liked at Frieze.
October has already felt like such a full month, with fizzy highs and panicky lows. Things have been going at such a clip, it feels like they haven’t slowed since fashion month. I’ve been spread a bit thin (a turn of phrase that always conjures that Bilbo Baggins line: “butter that has been scraped over too much bread,”) but luckily for newspaper writing purposes, I am also full of notes to share.
Below are some shiny things I’ve magpied from around town.
My whining aside, I often find myself at incredible events that remind me how lucky I am to do what I do.
Last Wednesday, it was the surreal pleasure of touring a candlelit Sir John Soane’s Museum, at an event hosted by the Egyptian lifestyle brand Anut Cairo. We were guided through the new exhibition, ‘Egypt: Influencing British Design 1775 - 2025,’ including a diptych by the brand featuring Soane’s prized possession: the Sarcophagus of Seti I, which was lowered into the museum’s Sepulchral Chamber in 1824 through a dismantled sky light. The exhibition confronted how Egyptian artefacts looted and smuggled to countries like the UK left a lasting mark on cityscapes and design more broadly.
I liked that they confronted this legacy head on, and especially enjoyed the reading by artist Sara Sallam of her audio work ‘Eyes that Weep, Eyes that Pierce,’ which takes the POV of Egyptian sky goddess Nut and questions the act of showing Seti I’s open sarcophagus to centuries of visitors.
We sat down to dinner (an incredible Egyptian meal cooked by founder Cruz’s personal chef, no less) on a 10-meter-long Anut table cloth, which managing director Nevine brought over personally in her suitcase. The table cloth centred a blue river Nile, on which they placed papier mache boats and serpents by artist and collaborator Georgina Sleap, and Anut candle holders carved from alabaster, the same material as Seti I’s sarcophagus. I’ve never seen anything like it; this was tablescaping on a whole new level and I couldn’t stop playing with the objects (in my defence we were encouraged to by the artist).
Ivan and I then spent a wholesome weekend in Suffolk with our friends Daphne and Marcel, which ended up being the ideal fall escape. We glimpsed fiery foliage on a walk around the grounds of Ickworth House; ate the best fish and chips (and first curry sauce!) of my life at Hendo’s; sampled a square of Dubai chocolate (even the dark was too sweet); and played ‘Would I Lie to You’ on the floor by a fire.
On our way back to London, we stopped at Cambridge for dumplings at Zhonghua Traditional Snacks—where diners opened and closed the door for a distinguished black cat that routinely surveyed the kitchen—and finally visited Kettle’s Yard, which has inspired me to collect more pebbles.
I especially loved Jean Bourgoint’s ‘Boy with Cat’ (1926), which was tucked away by the reading table, and reminds me of Ivan and Ilya.
Sometimes you need to be reminded of the obvious: that getting out of the city for two days is very good for you.
On Tuesday, Ivan and I stopped by Mount Street Festival’s Fitzcarraldo Editions pop-up twice: once for a breakfast talk featuring their associate publisher Tamara Sampey-Jawad and creative director, Ray O’Meara, and then again for champagne in the evening to celebrate the week’s festivities, which include an exhibition by the lovely Walid al Damirji (whom I interviewed last year, and was the nicest), and a new semi-permanent outpost by Nordic Knots, which I stopped by this morning for a talk. (Both artist Kesewa Aboah and Nordic Knots co-founder+creative director Liza Laserow said the colour that’s been on their minds and mood boards is pink. Liza elaborated that she is especially infatuated with Japanese pink; take from that what you will.)
At the book pop-up, Ivan bought two books from Fitzcarraldo’s marbled special editions, which they’ve printed 1,000 of each (they feel like collectibles and are priced accordingly, at £70 for two). I wanted to get Sheila Heti’s Alphabetical Diaries—a decade’s worth of journals she put in a spreadsheet and ordered alphabetically—but held off as I remembered the to-read cairn I’ve been neglecting at home.
In between Tuesday’s two Mount St gatherings we saw Sentimental Value, the new Oslo-based feature by Joachim Trier, at London Film Festival.
Trier’s The Worst Person in the World is, on the surface, much more relatable: its antiheroine Julie doesn’t know what she wants from life professionally nor romantically (I related more with the professional part). Sentimental Value’s Nora is professionally successful, but ‘80% fucked up’ by her parents’ divorce, which shaped her into someone who holds relationships at arm’s length. Despite it being less accessible (or maybe because of it; we’re more critical of performances of things we know best), I was more moved by the new film, but I’m also putty in the hand of a good family drama.
Lastly, we popped into Frieze yesterday (Wednesday) eve for a wander and champagne, which went straight to my head. As is always the case, I found the art wholly discombobulating, and instead had my eyes glued to the outfits. So, I took some sneaky-ish photos, and have compiled a bit of a Frieze style report for you. Lots of lovely shirts, clever layering, eye-catching details peeking out under coats and cuffs. Had fun shooting these!
Until next week,
Zoe xx
Discombobulating is so the word for Frieze! In love with the outfits though - a truly eclectic array! The Egypt-inspired dinner looks gobsmacking - reminds me of a French show about art and cuisine (Carême) which you may enjoy! 💙
So into the denim hem snip, might try it