Annabel's: Old World Discretion

[Music] [Music] [Music] if you wanted to take somebody out to dinner and you wanted to impress some girl you could say let's go to anabas and there was an immediate sort of change of uh gear it was hugely spoiling to be taken there because it was definitely a step up and if you were asked to anals you put on pretty clothes or good clothes or whatever I mean that was you didn't sort of just go that after work with your napsack to go to the bells it was called the Bells all the sort of smart debutant called the I go to the bells tonight and they plan their outfits and have their hair done and look the best they possibly could you didn't go just oh I'm going to go to annabells tonight it was a real destination it was a real excitement to be going for one memorable night Annabelle's lovely British Lester was outshone by Italian Fascinations under white tenting the Roman designer Valentino showed a spring collection of floaty gabas butterfly kulot and melting prints hung with chains the Englishmen loved it so did the florentines Annabel's had never been more Gala all those different worlds were starting to collide headdresses were suddenly equally as famous as duchesses and to the outside eye Annabelle was where all those people [Music] went the John Bo trip tick of Annabel's was commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the club and it's an interesting picture cuz all found a members of that they were all friends which is a significant point I mean each one knew each other James Hansen Harry hambledon George glitzen if you look at Annabelle she's looking across the room past everybody and Mark is just recognizing her but not doing it to positively that was a sort of uh I suppose acknowledgement of their relationship well I first met him at my brother and sisterin-law gave a dinner and he was there and I said to him that I thought the alcoves either side of the bar were actually not really very interesting and he just turned around to me and said well if you think you're so clever course he used an expletive though uh do it yourself so I thought okay okay I will that's very much in Mark's character he he was prepared to take advice only if he registered that the person was absolutely top of what they did one year mark went to Barling in M Street and bought a Buddha and then he asked me what to do with it I must say it was the most peaceful creature you know when it arrived there is something about a Buddha that is just simply amazing anyways we painted the room this fabulous colored red and marked a wonderful collection of BF and Russian pictures which also went in there and I don't think anybody had thought of collecting those before one of the things Mark was this virent about was having really beautiful men's L and they are the best men's l in anywhere and the one of Annabel was particularly good had lots of cartoons among other things very great cartoons but there was also a ticket tape machine that brought the the stock market news from Tokyo and New York and it all the time and people go in and read it and sort of either kill themselves or order more champagne I think he saw the world as a sort of Bricker Brack store where you collected bits and pieces so you'd find a piece of Indian material or Chinese material very modern material he mixed and matched all sorts of things every time he went off to Italy bought a new tablecloth or new set of this all that he adored shopping and loved I mean it was great fun isn't it to shop for something which is making money and you continue to improve it he had the knowledge of paintings wines food just like [Music] jam [Music] [Music] what was great for me is that um I felt very Anonymous there and um having embraced kind of Fame in in the early 70s in quite a big way in England um I felt there were very few places I could go where I could feel relaxed you know I remember the first time that I walked into Annabelle's it was 1970 and I was making my second movie and I'd never been to London and I just I remember going into this club and feeling like I was absolutely transported I remember when it was pointed out to me where it was I thought it was that wonderful Georgian house which was the clamont in fact so it was disappointing when you suddenly realize that you're going down the basement but that was the remarkable thing about it because through the door you suddenly felt that it was more of an Aladdin's cave and it was a surprisingly luxurious space it was like an extraordinarily designed and conceived place where you never really wanted to leave it was warm the colors the Reds it it had this Elegance to it and yet you felt like you could put your feet up it was a very sexy Decor brilliantly done Mark was very aware of the fact that Decor must make people look prettier beyond anything else and his lighting and the light bouncing off the brass it's all kind of smoke and mirrors Department which was brilliant with with these beautiful faces in it you can hear each other speak you can feel it that the lights are beautiful the lighting is fantastic by the way it's not bright that's what I definitely love about it for any woman who wants to go to a place and feel that the lighting is is gifting her something it definitely does in Annabelle I like the little Library room that's by the bar you don't even know it's there and you turn then you go right around and you see this little area where you can sit cozy with your friends before your table's ready you saw Reflections in it slightly you weren't quite sure who was buried where so it became mysterious really the point of anabas was it was romantic and I bet you'll find that a great many marriages were proposed in that room this place this is for romance very romance is all the time going on here and that was the whole point of a night time isn't it I got engaged in anabal I mean I think many thousands of people did I think when when something is put together with that kind of affection it kind of it lasts for you know forever basically

Channel: BellisVintage

Views: 25,585

Keywords: Old World Glamour, Interior Design, BellisVintage, Design Inspiration, Vintage Sartorial Style, Vintage Decorative Style, Annabel's: A String of Naked Lightbulbs (2014), Annabel's Old World Discretion, Annabel's Nightclub, Nicky Haslam, Nina Cambell, Mark Birley, 44 Berkeley Square London, Annabel's, Annabel's Restaurant

Id: Z3UZ3xEOGWU

Length: 7min 54sec (474 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 09 2016