Words: Joseph Bullmore
Photography: Phoebe Rolls
Last night, Ziani, that bastion of Italianness in Chelsea, played host to a celebration of another... well, bastion of Italianness in Chelsea. Luca Faloni, whose genius has always been in bringing the very best of his home country to this green and pleasant land, has now opened a beautiful store on the nearby King’s Road – and about time, too. The site of Luca’s first pop-up, as it happens, was not far from here at all – and since the great cashmere-and-linen merchant departed for the shores of Marylebone and Piccadilly, the cheek-kissers and oh-hello-ers of Chelsea have been feeling generally bereft and dismayed. All is now mended, however. And, so, guests, including Daisy Knatchbull, Levison Wood, Alex Ikonn, Alex Heerema, Lawrence Van Hagen, George Blandford, Jemima Cadbury, Pia Hauch, Max Hurd, Stanley Zhu and Luca Faloni himself piled into the beloved Ziani to celebrate in high spirits and with little regard for the neighbours. The tortelloni and penne went down an absolute treat, as did the industrial quantities of very lovely veal milanese – and there was even time for an impromptu (and, sometimes, actually funny) speech from host and Gentleman's Journal founder Harry Jarman. What’s the Italian for ‘rollicking good time’ again?
Gionzy Damiani, George Blandford and Max Chilton
Luca Faloni's new Chelsea store
Luca Faloni and Rosi Walden
Max Hurd
Matteo Atti
Constantin Rojahn and Lawrence Van Hagen
Lucy Donovan and Rosi Walden
Max Hurd and Violet Manners
Levison Wood and Sam Browne
Max Chilton and Alex Heerema
James Gartshore Boulter and Taylar Powell
Lucy Donovan and Toby Corban
Max Hurd, Daisy Knatchbull and Harriet Dalmeny
Daniel Daggers
Alex Heerema and David Tollemache
Chloe Chilton and Jemima Cadbury
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