From top left: trail bike, from £3,000, Salsa
Cycles, at Seabasscycles.co.uk. Boots, £415,
Tricker’s. Dress, £1,080, Chopova Lowena,
at Browns. Earrings, £975, Grainne MortonClockwise from above: dress,
£2,600. Belt, £395. Both Loewe.
Slides, £550, Jil Sander. Ring,
price on request, TaffinAbove: Rye’s Alex
MacArthur Interiors,
an appointment-only
antiques troveTRENDS
Where will you be for the holidays?
In Rye – just two miles from the sea and only an hour and a
half from London, it was recently dubbed “London’s Long Island”.
With its jumble of cobbled medieval streets, huddled cosily around
a hilltop, and a roaring log fire in every pub (or microbrewery) grate,
it’s as picture-postcard perfect as it gets for the festive season.
Where will you be staying?
Shortlisted for the World Architecture Awards,
St John Rye is remodelled from a 1950s ambulance station.
It’s a sensational, tucked away conversion that you can rent.
Plus, its enclosed exterior courtyard is ideal for entertaining.
Do you know what you’ll wear on Christmas Day?
A Chopova Lowena dress with a pair of Grainne Morton’s
one-of-a-kind earrings, which are made entirely from
found objects and precious metals.
What are you most looking forward to?
A dip in the sea on Christmas morning, and an early evening
bike ride round Rye Harbour Nature Reserve – a flask of hot toddy
with extra cinnamon and cloves to hand – before watching the
fishing boats sail home up the estuary. I also love the expansive
hot-pink sunsets setting the late December sky on fire.Where will you be for the holidays?
On a road trip, zigzagging between the Pacific and
Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua. Known as the land
of lakes and volcanoes, its lush landscape feels like
one sprawling nature reserve ripe for adventure.
Christmas Day will be spent at El Coyol (below
left), a secluded villa on one of the world’s smallest
private islands, overlooking Lake Nicaragua.
What will you be packing?
A very streamlined wardrobe that will work 24/7 –
cool day dresses from Loewe and embellished sandals
from Jil Sander. I’ll leave room in my suitcase for all
the ceramic souvenirs I’m likely to bring home.
How are you spending New Year’s Eve?
Quad biking around Ometepe, a volcanic island in the
middle of Lake Nicaragua, searching for waterfalls
for an all-day celebratory picnic. QWHAT DO YOU WANT
FOR CHRISTMAS?
A mountain bike.Naomi Smart
Shopping editorPoppy Kain
Senior contributing
fashion editorWHAT DO
YOU WANT FOR
CHRISTMAS?
A piece of jewellery
from James de
Givenchy’s Taffin, or
a sculpture lamp from
Carmen D’Apolloni.GETTY IMAGES12-19-FOB-Trends-EditorsdoChristmas.indd 101 14/10/2019 15:07