Down Under & Other Travels

Just back from Australia, can't sleep so thought I would write my blog, which is sure to send me to sleep if not you.

I have been travelling a fair bit these last few weeks. It kicked off with a Eurostar trip to Le Touquet, a charming seaside resort popular in the 1930s with the likes of Noël Coward, HG Wells and Cecil Beaton. The reason I was in Le Touquet was to celebrate the opening of a new Hackett shop close to the five star Westminster hotel, a grand hotel in the traditional style with an almost untouched Art Deco interior and where I spent a comfortable night after our opening party. We were privileged with a visit from The Lord Mayor who conferred on me the honour of the freedom of the Town and presented me with a gold medal with the words that Tony Blair had been the last person to have had the honour bestowed on him so depending on your politics, I was in good company. In Paris, the next day, I took the opportunity to check out our shops and it being Saturday I was pleased to see that they were buzzing.

Interior of the Westminster hotel Le Touquet

Lunch at Sumers General Store

 I then flew to Madrid for the Spanish GQ awards where I was to be presented with Man of Style award, they obviously have never seen me on a Sunday morning the worst for wear after a night on the town. At the event I sat next to David Gandy,  who picked up Man of the Year award, I barely recognised him with his clothes on.

Needing a break from all the glamour of the awards I headed to Australia to visit family in Melbourne. Now, this is the thing with the fashion business you never really switch off. I arranged to have dinner with a long standing customer Henry Bucks, the best Menswear business in Melbourne followed by a visit to their Collins  St store and the Hackett department; I still find it  a bit odd to travel thousands of miles and to be confronted with Hackett products. I then looked up my friends who have a shoe business called Double Monk and probably have the most comprehensive selection of English shoes in Australia.

Somers General Store on the Mornington Peninsular

View from the beach house towards Philips Island.

My office in London had very kindly organised a telephone interview with The Financial Times, because of the time difference it was scheduled for 11.30pm, which after drinks with dinner with Henry Bucks (and still feeling jet lagged) I only hoped I didn't  slur my words. I then received an urgent email requesting my answers to a number of questions for a London magazine. Determined to make the most of my short holiday I travelled down to the family beach house on the Mornington Penninsular for the day before making the long trek home. And if you are not sleepy after reading that, I am and I'm going back to bed, sweet dreams.

 Jeremy Hackett