From London to Florence, this week has all sorts of VIP cultural appeal.
London’s next‑level glow treatment just landed in Mayfair (the most talked‑about facial in the city’s high‑tech spa circuit). There’s a beautifully bound coffee‑table book drifting onto collector lists. This is the place to gather with your friends at this exciting new opening. And when it’s time to leave the map behind, book a new Florence hideaway at this restored Renaissance‑turned‑retreat. This is what we’re loving in this week’s Citizen Femme hotlist.
VISIT THIS Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham
The results are in … Beamish, The Living Museum of the North in County Durham is the deserving winner of Art Fund’s annual Museum of the Year awards! These awards spotlight leading galleries, museums, and institutions across the UK, who are each commended for placing their local communities at the heart of their work. Each of the nominated galleries focus on getting new visitors through the door (art buffs or not!) via community-focussed projects, excellent gallery teams, and exciting programmes of exhibitions and beyond. Beamish, The Living Museum of the North in County Durham is something closer to a movie set than a traditional gallery: it’s an immersive, interactive re-imagination of how local communities lived across the Edwardian, Georgian, and Second World War periods (and more!). Each space has been carefully designed in line with historical stories from people who have lived here throughout time. – Ella Mansell.
STAY HERE W Florence, Italy
W Florence makes its debut in the heart of the Tuscan capital, in the restored Grand Hotel Majestic on Piazza dell’Unità Italiana. The hotel is anchored by 119 purposefully designed rooms (including 16 suites and a penthouse), framing Florence’s extraordinary skyline from the rooftop garden. The property has been designed to blend Tuscan heritage architecture with W Hotels’ bold lifestyle ethos and signature Whatever / Whenever service. With Tratto open now and the Zefiro Rooftop and Akira Back venues arriving later this summer, the hotel follows the opening of W Rome, Prague and Budapest. Steps from the Duomo, Basilica Santa Maria Novella and best of Florence’s shopping, W Florence is a design‑led gateway for travellers to the stylish city of Italy.
EAT HERE Cafe Murano Marylebone
Cafe Murano Marylebone, the fourth spot from Angela Hartnett OBE, has opened its doors on Marylebone’s charming Dorset Street—bringing her signature, relaxed‑yet‑refined Italian style to breakfast (8–11 am), lunch and dinner, daily. The menu honours Angela’s heritage with cicchetti, hand‑rolled pasta, generously shared plates and changing specials—including two Marylebone exclusives: a crisp, Southern‑Italian Salmoriglio chicken and a soul‑warming Rigatoni al ragù bianco inspired by Tuscan home kitchens. Light antipasti like octopus with potato and aioli or zucchini panzanella open the meal, followed by seasonal primi such as basil‑tomato risotto or chard‑ricotta tortelli with walnut sauce, and hearty secondi like lamb ossobuco or Chicken Milanese. The drinks menu offers classic Aperol and Campari spritzes, Italian and English wines (featuring Angela’s Tuscan producers), by glass or bottle. Inside, soothing pink-and‑green tones, a curved reception bar, Murano‑glass lighting and personal touches—from framed Italian cookbooks and portraits of Angela’s dogs to sunlit south‑facing banquettes—create a welcoming space that will likely be filled with locals and worth a taxi ride for visitors.
TREAT YOURSELF TO THIS Claridge's Spa x Teresa Tarmey
Claridge’s Spa has welcomed London’s renowned “Super Facialist,” Teresa Tarmey, for a year‑long residency—delivering her blend of precision and tech‑driven treatments. With over 27 years and some 50,000 hours hands-on experience, treatments include signature facials and body treatments, all allowing guests to access the spa facilities during their visit. Teresa is introducing a brand new, innovative and highly unique skin treatment exclusive to Claridge’s for complete rejuvenation, the Skinmaster Plus™ by Brera, a cutting-edge ultrasonic exfoliation and infusion system with low level ultrasound. You know whatever treatment you choose, you’re guaranteed to leave with a lifted, renewed and firmer appearance, with zero downtime.
GIFT THIS Vacheron Constantin: Time is Art
Out this week on 7th August, Vacheron Constantin: Time is Art is a sumptuous, oversize coffee‑table book born of an official collaboration with the Geneva maison to mark its 270th anniversary. With 280 pages and over 200 colour illustrations, it spotlights seventy pivotal timepieces—from 18th‑century pocket watches to contemporary métiers d’art creations—grouped into four themed sections that trace the Maison’s relentless pursuit of engineering innovation (from miniaturisation to technical complications) alongside its dedication to artistic decoration (fine finishing, enamel, gemwork and original displays). Lavishly photographed and precisely edited, it reads as both a visual feast and an authoritative chronicle of horological ambition—opening it feels like stepping into the atelier of the world’s oldest continuously operating watchmaker, where every page reveals why time itself can be considered art.
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