BlackBook Magazine

Londoners often fancy a dram. Which is another way of saying they live to drink in large amounts (according to Brit and Supper Clubber-about towner Tamsin Lonsdale, their alcoholic thirst far exceeds our own). And while pub culture and the proverbial pints get most of the attention, we wondered what the city's more elegant watering holes have to offer. To that end, we sent BlackBook's London guide editor Rufus Purdy on a mission to find two proper cocktails one might encounter at a pair of the city's elegant hotel bars.

The force behind two of the hottest bars in Paris -- the Experimental Cocktail Club and the recently opened Curio Parlor -- Romee de Gorianoff abandoned a golden banking career to pursue his true love: the cocktail. His contemporary speakeasies are packed nightly with an almost exclusively word-of-mouth buzz, full of interesting types serious about their liquor.

Point of Origin: A graduate economics student from Dauphine University in Paris and Bocconi University in Milan turned entrepreneur in Paris in the bar business. I was supposed to start a year ago trading in a brokerage firm in London the week before I found out about the location that was to become the Experimental Cocktail Club. Between being a finance guy and an entrepreneur, the choice became very evident for me!

It’s been a big year already with regard to the canonization of supermodel Kate Moss. And it’s about to get even bigger. Not only are rumors flying that Ms. Moss and her hard-partying London counterparts will inspire a not-yet-written film by the gang behind Forgetting Sarah Marshall, thanks to cast member Russell Brand’s interest in the crew’s socializing and catfights. On top of that, Angela Buttolph's Inside the World’s Most Famous Wardrobe: Kate Moss Style, was released yesterday by Random House. But what about that statue, eh?

"aPOPcalypse" is not any kind of caveat warning of the pre-release buzz surrounding this particular pop song across the UK -- although the buzz is overwhelming, and a mite frightening. Rather, it's the current London-based show by artist D*Face, who's made a name by taking popular iconography of American advertising art and, err, defacing it. His latest work -- a collection of 20 paintings, street installations, etchings, and sculptures -- goes beyond the basic Manichaean balancing act between good and evil, delving into a world where good has finally triumphed over evil.

New York
● Mr. Jones (East Village) - Japanese with no sushi. What?
● Aspen Social (Midtwon West) - Acid etched forests
● Archipelago (Soho) - French sushi. Oui.
● 1 2 3 Burger (Midtown West) - Burgers, shots, beers
● Pinche Taqueria Dos (Nolita) - Tacos. Muy bien.

Diesel XXX -- not be confused with that unfortunate chrome-domed actor and his unfortunate secret agent movie -- is segueing from industrial clothing brand to international party starter, with a 24-hour global shindig on October 11. The intercontinental soiree will begin in Tokyo and successively stumble to Beijing, Dubai, Athens, Amsterdam, Milan, Zurich, Munich, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Oslo, Helsinki, London, and Sao Paulo. No New York unfortunately, except for the 5,000-person grand finale we've been granted along Brooklyn's scenic waterfront, hosted by that Mistress of Seduction, Joey Arias, and featuring performances from M.I.A., N.E.R.D, and Hot Chip.

At the SS09 shows at New York Fashion Week, sheer was evident as far as the eye could see, which was pretty far. A full breast (albeit an accidental one) even made an appearance on Jill Stuart’s runway. Meanwhile, in London last week, nip shots were inescapable -- "from the transparent tops at Ossie Clark to the near-naked dress at Osman Yousefzada. And let’s not forget the entirely topless look at Vivienne Westwood Red Label.” After the jump, PG-13 examples.

From September 22 to October 19, designer Marc Jacobs will be invading London taxicabs. In promotion for his floral fragrance Daisy, Jacobs will be adorning black cabs in London with the flower, as well as outfitting the cabs’ interiors with faux daisy fields. The idea being that each cab is part of a daisy chain -- kind of like the ones you made during recess in elementary school, except much chicer.

London Fashion Week launched this weekend without a hitch. Diane Von Furstenberg herself would have been envious, as the shows thus far have been "unprecedentedly punctual." For all of those not entirely fuel-less after an exhausting New York Fashion Week, there was plenty of 80s-inspired garb (a recurring theme in the English capital) for the ogling. Peter Jensen's show channeled Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, Vogue UK says, while the Katie Grand-styled Topshop Unique presentation featured "pastel-hued romper suits and zip detailed white mini dresses with ... floppy across-the-head bows." Grand told the magazine, "I styled it on myself circa 1985. It was very how I used to dress when I was 15."

'Tis the season to launch e-commerce sites in London. Topshop may not be opening its doors in the States until 2009, but it will launch an American e-commerce arm on September 9 in conjunction with the debut of Kate Moss' seventh (yes, that's 7th) collection for the Brit behemoth. But Topshop isn't the only London-based boutique with an online outlet. Knightsbridge's legendary denim shop Donna Ida (which sells the likes of 18th Amendment and Stella McCartney) was slated to start stocking its goods in a virtual boutique on September 1. While the site hasn't launched yet, Donna Ida promises it'll be up and running soon.