Londoner’s Diary
There’s a new redhead on the block: Rachel Reeves has dyed her hair an Angela Rayner shade of copper. The Chancellor of the Exchequer looked thrilled to debut her autumnal ‘do after meeting with trade union bosses at Downing Street yesterday.
Reeves is no stranger to a makeover. At last year’s Labour Party Conference she had her hair cut into a sharp power-bob, the hairstyle du jour for Labour women.
Copper hair was a big trend in 2022, with celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya opting for the shade. Could Reeves champion its comeback?
Merch wars
Outside horse James Cleverly has become a favourite in the Tory leadership contest after his well-received speech at the party conference. Cleverly clearly had a spring in his step when he stopped for an interview with chancellor-turned-podcaster George Osborne. “Now I am the frontrunner,” he declared. Cleverly reckons he has pulled ahead thanks to his mantra, “you can be a winner without being a bastard”.
He added that the other leadership contenders didn’t cut the mustard because they didn’t have enough experience with things like running a merch stand at conference. “Delivering the stand and the merch and that kind of stuff” requires “an accumulated repository of experience,” apparently. Cleverly’s merch included “power to our members” portable chargers and “no leaks” water bottles. Meanwhile Kemi Badenoch was mocked for her lo-fi offering: green apples with “Kemi” stickers on them.
Barbour jacket turns 30
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Barbour celebrated the 30th anniversary of their Liddesdale Quilt Jacket with an intimate champagne cocktail reception and dinner hosted by the brand’s chairman, Dame Margaret Barbour, at the Nomad Hotel. Among the guests were writer Raven Smith, model Laura Bailey, and David Gandy.
To commemorate the anniversary, Barbour has released five limited edition redesigns of the jacket, all with the signature quilt design, and is hosting a pop-up exhibition in Covent Garden. It showcases the history of the Liddesdale alongside thirteen redesigned jackets, created by friends of the brand including Sir Paul Smith, Ganni, David Gandy and Roksanda.
