Today is the 20th and we’ve finally taken off after wing de-icing required due to the first proper snow storm in Moscow. I’ve been in Russia for a week taking the Seven Deadly Sins rings for their first outing to the north east. 

November started for me far from any kind of precipitation, in LA. I was there for the fifth time this year checking on the progress of our now imminently opening US flagship store. No. 2 Rodeo Drive.

The contractors can only work from midnight till 7am. Not because they are owls but because Beverly Hills doesn’t like to see work taking place which explains a lot about the area to me. On top of that ridiculous rule, the amount of permits required would fill a good size book. For example anything within 6 feet of your window is considered an advert so basically everything visible through your windows even on the third floor needs to be granted city approval and each time there is a substantial fee. I am sure if a customer gets a bit close we may have ask if the city approves of them.  

The plan had been to open on Halloween but that came and went some time ago. The last estimate was December 1^st. The space looks amazing and we have a great young team so we are still hoping to catch a little pre Christmas action.  

My next big gig was speaking at the International Herald Tribune luxury convention, chaired by the most respected person in fashion, Suzy Menkes.

I prepared well in advance for this one as the event not only draws a 700 strong crowd from all walks of luxury each paying 2K to pick up some pearls of wisdom, but the line up of speakers is as heavy weight as any title fight. Karl Lagerfeld, Paul Smith, Christopher Bailey and Angela Ahrendts, Victoria Beckham, Alber Elbaz, Tommy Hilfiger, loads of others and me. Most speakers really tell you what’s going on and I try to make them laugh. Actually so did Paul Smith. This has a great impact on a crowd who are sitting through 10 presentations a day for two days.

I found the event very interesting. The way these brands have each addressed and as a result, survived the crisis; mainly it’s about being a strong brand and staying focused on what you do best.

With that out of the way I had my usual frantic few days with the design team; working on the Christmas windows for both Garrard and Stephen Webster; approving the new catalogue and having meetings about our Christmas parties.

Then it was off to Russia; this time we started in St Petersburg, my wife Assia’s home town. There are always family things to do there which involves a lot of food and of course, a lot of vodka. It’s impossible to say no to either even after 8 courses and already having drained the first bottle, ‘Niet spaciba’ just doesn’t register when used in the context of either of the above.

The next day the rest of the team arrived and it was down to work. We have a beautiful shop in one of the oldest shopping malls on Nevsky prospect, the main shopping street in St Petersburg. Funnily the first Sin sold was Gluttony, the same as the first one in the US. How the world has changed.

After a two day visit we were moving on to Moscow. After meeting all the press, I was excited to see how our friend Roxanna who for years has taken the theme of the jewellery and produced some of our best parties. This year obviously very inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins, she pulled out all the stops and generated one big camp visual sin. The models being Russian were amazing but the scenes she had created around each sin were genius. We had a great night with a good deal of sin had by all.

My first interview with Russian Vogue at 1pm the next day was slightly dodgy but we made it through. The translator helps; it’s almost like a filter between me and the journalist. I should really have one even if both parties are British. 

The next day falls under what I refer to as my Gulag tour. The sorts of places where dissident soviets were once sent by Stalin but now have the money and the enthusiasm for the finer things in life. Last year Kazan; the year before Yekaterinburg and this year, the ever more popular resort town of Krasnodar. 2 hours flight from Moscow on the very green (in colour not sustainability) S7 airlines. Russia’s answer to sleazy jet.

The money in Krasnodar comes from potatoes and the governor famously declares all of his vast wealth and pays the full amount of tax (unlike the Moscow mayor of 18 years who has just been impeached for doing the opposite). The airport had the old style of toilet, or so I was told, for both men and women where you just stand above a ceramic hole in the floor.

This was going to be an adventure. Got to sell jewellery in this town. 

Jaguar had kindly laid on a new XJ and driver to pick us up and whisk us off to Noir, the store that sells SW in Krasnodar. It’s a typical old Russian town that is showing all the traits of new money; tumbledown wooden houses lining the roads and old fashioned shops alongside something big and modern either being built or just finished. A bit like Pearly Way in Croydon.

We arrived at the brand new mall Krystall, home to Noir. Out came Julia who is not only beautiful but was wearing her new Alexander McQueen union jack dress for the occasion. Straight up to the roof top restaurant for a very posh lunch of crab from Vladivostok, steak from Argentina and potatoes from over the road.

Then the interviews about how did I start, which celebrity do I dream of dressing and how did I meet my Russian wife.  

Then it was the party. The jewellery looked great and the customers were dressed to the nines, young and very excited to meet SW (poor buggers don’t get to meet many real celebrities). More importantly most of the 130 or more guests were wearing SW jewellery.

We rushed out at 9pm then it was Jag XJ; S7; Moscow and the after party of our great friend, Russian designer and supplier of glamorous dresses to Cheryl Cole; Chapurin. He had been showing his Spring Summer collection earlier in the day which I missed but Assia as one of his muses had to stayed to watch. I hit the sack at about 5am; our last day was spent at the amazing Garage gallery before facing the gridlock that is Moscow traffic; the snow and the flight home.

Vienna next. 

SW