Рубрика: General

From experimental lighting debuts and collectible furniture to meeting the leading craftspeople of tomorrow, this is what not to miss during Northern Europe’s leading design festival. 

As Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100, a major new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery looks beyond the blonde bombshell stereotype to reveal a savvy image-maker who understood fame long before the age of influencers. 

A century after her birth, Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most recognizable faces on the planet – a woman whose image has been endlessly reproduced, often to the point where the person herself seems to disappear beneath the iconography. Now, a major exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery, running until September, seeks to reverse that process.

Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, staged in association with the Marilyn Monroe Estate, celebrates what would have been the Hollywood legend’s 100th birthday by examining her life, career, and enduring cultural legacy through portraits created by some of the most influential photographers and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries (Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, and Marlene Dumas to name but a few). 

The exhibition promises more than a parade of famous images. Instead, according to curator Rosie Broadley, it seeks to understand Monroe as an active collaborator in constructing one of the most powerful celebrity identities ever created.

“This exhibition explores Marilyn through portraiture. We really wanted to think about how she is not just a subject for photographs,” Broadley explains. “We’ve become so used to seeing her image everywhere – proliferating on merchandise, for example – but we wanted to get back to those key images and how they were made, who made them, and what Monroe’s role was in making them happen.”

The exhibition reveals a woman far more strategically involved in her own representation than popular culture often allows. “Many photographers talk really interestingly about working with Marilyn,” Broadley notes, “how she understood the camera, how she understood how to pose, how she understood the technology and the techniques behind it, the lighting, all of those things.”

Alongside the photography, the exhibition examines Monroe’s influence on artists, charting how she evolved from movie star into cultural symbol. While many visitors will immediately think of Warhol’s famous silkscreens, Broadley was surprised to discover that artists were depicting Monroe while she was still alive. “Those [pieces of art] attest to the fact that actually in her lifetime, she was a pre-eminent cultural figure,” she says, noting how Monroe’s rise coincided with the emergence of Pop Art and a rapidly expanding media landscape.

The exhibition’s journey begins with its most intimate object: a tiny photo booth self-portrait taken when Monroe was just 15 years old and still known as Norma Jeane Mortenson. “There’s no photographer there,” Broadley explains. “It’s entirely unmediated. It’s Marilyn on her own.” The image captures a teenager experimenting with glamour, testing a future persona without yet knowing the global phenomenon she would become.

On the opposite wall sits a late Warhol portrait, produced towards the end of the artist’s career and striking contrast to Monroe’s own self-portrait. “It’s almost as far away from a little girl as you could possibly get,” says Broadley. “[Warhol plays with this] idea of the mask of celebrity that Marilyn seemed to embody.”

The wider exhibition follows the transformation of Norma Jeane into Marilyn Monroe, the machinery of fame that helped make it happen, and ultimately, her death.

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Yet for all the discussion of celebrity and mythmaking, the exhibition repeatedly returns to the human being behind the legend. “We hope that you begin and end with something really joyful,” Broadley says. “Because that was one of Marilyn’s amazing abilities and qualities, was that whatever was happening in her life, she was always able to express this amazing sense of joy, even in spite of the challenges.”

To reinforce that humanity, the exhibition includes a selection of personal belongings, including scripts, shoes, and dresses. Among them is a costume worn in The Prince and the Showgirl, filmed in Britain, as well as a glamorous gown that Monroe adopted for public appearances after it went unused on screen.

“It’s nice to always remember that behind these images is a real person and a woman with a beating heart,” Broadley reflects.

The irony, however, is difficult to ignore. Having spent an entire exhibition encouraging visitors to look beyond the icon, the National Portrait Gallery deposits them straight into a sea of Monroe merchandise in its gift shop. Tote bags, postcards, and collectible books await, reminding us that Marilyn remains one of the most marketable faces in modern history. If the exhibition reveals anything, it is that the woman and the myth remain inseparable. Everyone wants to know the real Marilyn – provided she comes printed on something tangible.

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Honey, I shrunk the watches! 

Galeon’s popular 700 Sky has been given a stylish makeover. Galeon’s popular 700 Sky has been given a stylish makeover.

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Paddock style expert Carlotta Constant shares how to dress stylishly – and authentically – for this weekend’s Formula 1 race. 

Each year, the Monaco Grand Prix brings a heightened sense of anticipation to the principality, not least because of its challenging street circuit and unforgiving barriers. Alongside the racing, celebrities, athletes, and luxury brands descend on Monte Carlo, appearing trackside, portside, and at exclusive after-parties, making the weekend one of the most glamorous on the sporting calendar.

Style during the Monaco Grand Prix has never been more prominent. The fashion stakes trackside continue to rise, accelerated by the growing A-list presence of Formula 1’s WAGs and the increasing number of drivers establishing themselves as style icons. Mercedes-AMG Petronas even made headlines last year by appointing an in-house stylist, and Gucci recently announced it will become the title sponsor of Alpine F1 Team from 2027 onwards.

Few people are better placed to decode Monaco style than Carlotta Constant. The London-based fashion stylist and creative consultant has worked with some of sport’s biggest names, including Lewis Hamilton, David Beckham, and Anthony Joshua.

See more: The Best Hotels in Monaco

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More recently, she has become closely associated with Monegasque Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and his wife Alexandra Leclerc, working on their looks for race weekends, commercial campaigns, red-carpet appearances – most recently at the Cannes Film Festival – and their wedding in Monaco.

“There’s an unspoken understanding that Monaco is one of the most glamorous weekends on the calendar, and people most definitely rise to the occasion,” says Constant. “Monaco is Formula 1’s fashion capital, and people embrace that.”

The stylist has noticed Monaco’s fashion scene becoming increasingly individual, reflecting Formula 1’s growing relationship with style. “People are expressing themselves much more now than they did a few years ago. There’s a greater willingness to experiment and use fashion as part of the spectacle of the weekend,” she adds.

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“That’s something we’ve seen across Formula 1 more broadly, and I think a lot of that can be attributed to drivers like Lewis Hamilton, who have helped push fashion further into the spotlight within the sport.”

When it comes to paddock style, Constant advises against chasing seasonal trends. Monaco, she says, remains rooted in a more timeless approach to dressing. “Think crisp tailoring, beautiful fabrics, timeless pieces.”

Unlike many sporting events, race weekend in Monaco rarely involves a single destination. Guests might begin the day in the paddock, spend the afternoon on a yacht, and end the evening at a restaurant, hotel terrace, or private party. As a result, Constant believes versatility should be the foundation of any outfit. “You need an outfit that works everywhere and can transition effortlessly throughout the day,” she says. 

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Footwear, she adds, is one of the most overlooked aspects of race-weekend dressing. “Comfort has to be part of the conversation and if you’re boarding yachts, you’ll also need footwear that’s easy to remove. Elegant flats, chic sandals, or comfortable block heels are more practical than sky-high stilettos.”

Practicality, however, should never come at the expense of personal style. “I always think the biggest styling mistake is wearing something because it looks good on someone else, rather than because it feels authentic to you,” she says. “The most stylish people at Monaco are usually the ones who look completely comfortable in what they’re wearing.”

Constant argues Monaco style is about looking considered, without appearing as if you’ve tried too hard. For women, she recommends leaning into the pared-back Riviera aesthetic: “A beautiful midi skirt paired with a chic top always works.” For men, the formula is equally simple. “A relaxed polo shirt, a beautifully tailored trouser, and a great loafer are hard to beat.”

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A trust pair of sunglasses also makes a difference. “They’re one of the few accessories you’ll genuinely wear all day, and they can completely elevate a look.” 

Asked who best captures Monaco’s aesthetic, Constant points to Charles and Alexandra Leclerc: “They embody what Monaco style should be: effortless, elegant, and never overdone. 

“Perhaps I’m slightly biased because I get the opportunity to work alongside them, but they represent the essence of modern Monaco dressing. Neither looks like they’re chasing trends. They simply understand the balance between sophistication and ease, which is exactly what the Riviera style is all about.”

Architect Maxime d’Angeac and Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin speak to Elite Traveler on board the luxury sailing yacht. 

The elite tier represents an unprecedented level of recognition for Hilton’s most frequent guests. The elite tier represents an unprecedented level of recognition for Hilton’s most frequent guests.

Along with a travertine-clad swimming pool, because why not. Along with a travertine-clad swimming pool, because why not.