What to shop for AW12

Something rather wonderful happened to me recently and it took me by surprise. I went for my first ever facial at The Refinery - something I would never have considered before - but is definitely something I will find time and money to do again.

The Refinery is a comfortable, discreet little spot to relax and unwind hidden behind a Georgian facade on Brook Street. The friendly, attentive and professional care from Deborah, the enthusiastic General Manager, and Justine, the therapist with the magic hands, left me feeling amazing inside and out. I was revitalised and relaxed at the same time; a floating feeling that only a few pleasures in life can leave you with. And from grooming - who would have thought?

The treatment I went for was the SkinCeuticals City Recovery Facial Treatment which is specifically designed to address the issues of "city living" on male skin. The full treatment lasts 75 minutes, which flew by all too quickly. I had never considered grooming as something for me but I have to confess to enjoying every minute of it; even the minutes of 'extraction' and 'dermabrasion' as my city grime and I were separated. And it made a difference too; the next day more than a couple of people remarked that I looked well and, to this day some weeks later, my skin is in amazing condition.  

This may have something to do with the SkinCeuticals products Justine used which promise to "correct and prevent damaged skin caused by environmental aggressors and dehydration." Though she extolled the virtues of each one as she applied the whole range, from peels to masques, she rightly gathered that I'll never be one for a morning regime myself beyond the traditional 3 S's and a little eau de cologne. So, rather than foisting the whole lot on me, she sent me off with just one: Phloretin CF Gel. I have been slightly self-consciously applying this every morning since and I have to say I think it is having an effect. That is to say, there is an effect and it can't be down to anything else. My skin looks brighter and feels firmer.

So I leave you, especially the skeptical amongst you, with three recommendations: The Refinery, the Phloretin CF Gel and Justine. Give them a try. You won't be disappointed and you may even be converted.

Oliver Forder

Men's brands have been vigilant in promoting the bag as a central component to a modern wardrobe, and the pattern of rising sales of men's carryalls suggest that their ubiquity on the spring/summer runways for 2012 wasn't a one-off. Bottega Veneta's woven leather totes have been a logo-free statement of luxury for women since they were introduced in the 1960s, but creative director Tomas Maier recently began offering a range of them to men. Their refined luxury has now been supplemented by a whole suite of more assertively modernist designs and finishes for bags like the one you see here. Here in the UK, Mulberry has quietly been growing its men's bag business for several years, with help from its celebrity fans and Louis Vuitton, now under the creative direction of British designer Kim Jones, is having a major push towards its designer luggage. From totes to festival-focused knapsacks, the gear designed by Jones stresses refined luxury and stylish practicality. With Burberry's brisk sales of its men's bags, Barbour making some eye-catching offerings and the low-on-branding, high-on-luxe Jas M.B. (who is interviewed elsewhere in this issue) swinging from the hip in London again, homegrown names are getting plenty of the action too.