NEWSLETTER 08
August 2024: High-waisted trousers, a Norfolk escape and a family orange cake recipe.
STYLE: HIGH WAISTED TROUSERS
One style identifier I’ve been developing these past few years is high-waisted trousers. Hitting at or around the natural waist, I find them creating a more flattering silhouette as they elongate the legs, and more comfortable as they tend to offer more room around the thighs.
My first high-waisted pair were grey flannels from London tailors Anglo-Italian in 2021; and by now pretty much all my trousers feature a mid-to-high rise - jeans and relaxed chinos included.
For guys and girlfriends out there curious to try something different, I’ve listed out below a few brands that I recommend for trousers with higher rises.
Anglo Italian: the OG for me, for tastefulness of design, quality and service. You simply can’t go wrong with their tailored trousers, flat front chinos and denims.
Natalino: a smaller London brand that has been growing fast these past years, they offer good fitting trousers and jeans at a more approachable price point. They now have a store in Fitzrovia, which makes trying things on easier.
Berg & Berg: based out of Sweden; they make excellent trousers. For me their Antonio cut is great, slightly wider than the above. Their online sale is still on, worth a look.
Casatlantic: also from Sweden, they replicate the cuts of vintage chinos with excellent quality/price point. For the extra tip: they’re set up by the good people of Göteborg’s Broadway & Sons - probably Sweden’s best vintage store (debate).
Kit Blake: a London online brand that solely does tailored trousers, and does them well. I just wished they offered a smaller waist than 30 inches!
Personal picks only - obviously not intended as an exhaustive list and there’s a ton more out there.
KITCHEN: AUNTIE PAT’S ORANGE CAKE
While in Canada this summer we managed to obtain a coveted invite for afternoon tea at long-time friend of the family, Auntie Pat’s. Auntie Pat and her sister, Kathy, were some of my earliest inspirations to go into fashion as Thursday night dinners at theirs would always include glamorous stories of modelling for Halston (Pat) or partying in Studio 54 (Kathy). Among her many accomplishments, Auntie Pat is also an exceptional baker, known for her simple yet flavourful recipes. One of the highlights of being in town during Christmas is eagerly awaiting Auntie Pat’s delivery of freshly baked bread on Christmas Eve, a tradition she has lovingly carried on from her grandmother. Orange bundt cake is a staple in Pat’s repertoire and can convert nicely to a breakfast cake the day after (if you have any left).
Auntie Pat guards the recipe but this one from Pretty.Simple.Sweet comes pretty close:
Ingredients
2 ½ cups (350g) all-purpose flour, sifted
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240 ml) canola or vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
Orange zest from 3-4 oranges (same amount of oranges used for the juice)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Beat eggs and sugar together.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Slowly add oil, orange juice, zest, and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into greased loaf or Bundt pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for 40-50 minutes.
Cool.
ART: MAGDALENE ODUNDO AT HOUGHTON HALL
Houghton Hall in Norfolk is already enough of an art destination in itself: featuring a collection of contemporary sculptures (think James Turell, Jeppe Hein, Philip King) nested within the park of this incredible 18th century family mansion, complete with white deers roaming free.
This summer, the Hall welcomes the Kenyan-born British potter Dame Magdalene Odundo, for an exhibition of her ceramics. She’s exhibited in museums around the world, but seeing the juxtaposition of her minimal pieces framed within the setting of the ornate historical home is pretty special. The grand Stone Hall in particular never ceases to amaze. On until September 29th.
TRAVEL: SCULTHORPE MILL IN NORFOLK
Whilst in Norfolk, we thought we’d share a gem of a country pub perfectly located close to Houghton Hall and Hokham Beach in North Norfolk. Sculthorpe Mill is set in a renovated 18th century water mill and operates as a pub since the 19th century. Today, it is run by two sisters who took it over after it closed as a Greene King after the pandemic.
Of course you could just stop for a fresh pint in the sunny back-garden by the Wensum river. You could also do much worse than staying longer and treating yourself to dinner or a Sunday roast: they have been awarded a Bib Gourmand for three years in a row since opening in 2021. They also earned special kudos for letting us BYO a bottle from our wedding as we celebrated our anniversary that day! To wrap it up, we stayed the night in one of the seven rooms upstairs, and went for a run in the morning to the Georgian town of Falkenham nearby.