... By Nancy Allison about the most secretive, , selective, jet setter's new private club in London.
" Is it an accident that LouLou's opened near the residence of Bertie Wooster? I don't think so!
I am certain I saw ol’ Bertie and his ‘brilliant’ Mayfair pals yukking it up downstairs at one of Loulou’s fab bars - London’s hot (no not just hot, SCALDING) new club, 5 Hertford Street, which opened this spring In London.
Fictional or not, Bertie Wooster, Jeeves and their creator, P.J. Wodehouse would all agree that Robin Birley’s new club is the new ‘trump card’ among all the new private clubs that are creating London’s energy, sex appeal and god only knows what else among its beautiful young things.
How did we get in you ask? Our friend British Historian, Andrew Roberts, who collects private clubs as any BYT might, made the arrangements. Thank you Andrew. Thank you Robin!
For one thing, as I said, it has Robin Birley, son of Sir Mark Birley and Lady Annabel Goldsmith (as in ANNABEL’S) who clearly knows how to create a place in which simply everyone wants to be seen (more on this later).
Secondly, the lavish interiors are by one of my favorite fashion icons, Turkish born Rifat Ozbek who has designed a series of small dining rooms one leading into another offering an exotic atmosphere of beyond the ropes privilege and intrigue.
The room you are dining in with its dark and sensuous interiors, seems remarkably A List, but one can not help but wonder if the small dining room beyond is even more A List …
Maybe Harry might be seated around the corner, which triggers the obvious; Since you can not see everyone, everyone can not see you, prompting the A list to parade and mill about. A sense of conspiracy and privacy has clearly been built into the experience.
The food is divine, the wines and bar drinks unbelievable, and the tab is exactly what one would expect."
On a phone call last week with head of loulou PR Laurence Jones, when asked what are the requirements to be accepted the answer has been : " We’re fortunate to have a full membership, plus a significant waiting list… and the decision has been made internally and further general publicity sends out the contradictory message that we’re trying to drum up business. Understandably, this makes people upset when they inquire after membership and find out that they can’t get in! In addition to this, we would not want your readers to be disappointed if they read about the club and assumed that they could visit. Unless they are accompanied by a member, this wouldn’t be possible for them. I do hope you understand the reasons for this."
So my dear friends...just wait and check in a few months.
Joelle's Picks:
Loulou- 5 Hertford Street – A PRIVATE CLUB at Loulou’s ( Nancy Allison)
Nancy Ellison, award winning photojournalist and celebrity portraitist, has authored fourteen books of photographs, including "Romeo and Juliet: The Love Story in Dance" and "Starlet". Her latest book is "Wagner's Eternal Ring".
Interiors: http://www.yastikbyrifatozbek.com
Photo Credits: Vanity Fair
Joelle Maslaton Oster
Founder of Joelle Magazine and Studio Joelle, an interior design practice in New York. She writes on art, design and the places in between.
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