James Andrew at Sotheby's
I have to say I was a bit saddened by my visit yesterday to see a few items from the collection of Albert Hadley at Sotheby’s.
Working with Hadley provided me with invaluable insight into what it takes to make a sublime interior, and seeing so many familiar Hadley pieces on the Auction block really had me feeling that this marked an end of an era. But then I thought—perhaps this is not an end. The opportunity still exists to carry on—to imbue my own interior work with the same spirit that made Parish-Hadley the iconic firm it was for almost half a century. Suitability and comfort; collaboration with world class artisans and crafts people; exquisite workmanship; an unerring eye for detail; and a love for even the most modest of materials to create perfectly understated elegance—all of these characteristics typified the Parish-Hadley approach, and I’d like to think these are still relevant to designers and their clients today!
And so I’m making an effort to temper my sadness, and to actually elicit some joy in the face of things. I continue to owe so much to Hadley’s great legacy, and perhaps the best way to honor this debt is to renew my commitment to uphold the high standard that Parish-Hadley and Albert Hadley Inc. set for us all.
Leaving Sotheby’s, I’m sporting a Tom Ford era Gucci camel hair top coat, aubergine velvet jacket and python belt with silver buckle, Tom Ford dark brown cotton corduroy pants and pink silk pocket square, shocking pink cotton shirt with contrast white collar and French cuffs by Turnbull and Asser, vintage moon stone cuff links, dark brown silk satin tie by Ralph Lauren, aubergine suede “Eton” boots by Yves Saint Laurent, sunglasses by Tom Ford, brown suede gloves by Sermoneta and my fragrance is Eau d’Italie Paestum Rose from our friends the Sersales.
