FASHION

J’adore: Emma Hill

Mulberry designer Emma Hill’s obsessions.


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Following the release of its new coffee-table book, Mulberry will open a SoHo flagship in September, its third retail outpost in Manhattan. Add to that an anniversary (40 and fabulous!) and through-the-roof sales, and the British luxury accessories brand has much to celebrate. Leading the cheer is creative director Emma Hill, a devout music fan, who recently threw a pool party during the Coachella festival. We asked her about her current obsessions.

HURTS A friend of mine introduced me to this two-man British band, and they’ve since been on back-to-back replay on my iPod! They sound a little Eighties, but not pop-y. They sort of remind me of my angst-filled youth. And I love their style, with their suits and side-slicked hair.

MISS PIGGY’S GUIDE TO LIFE A really dear friend gave me this book for my birthday. It’s from the early Eighties and out of print and just so genius. Every section is her guide to something: entertaining, manners, dating. I love the fashion section, which has a photo of Piggy wearing an Yves Saint Laurent cocktail dress and tips on how to mix and match. I live by her advice!

DIPTYQUE Paris FEU DE BOIS CANDLE It’s such a delicious scent and has been my signature home smell for years. And Diptyque has made it even more brilliant now in a new superjumbo ceramic pot.

MY NEW BLACKBERRY TORCH IN WHITE I love white, and I’m an Apple girl, so everything I use is white. But at Mulberry, we have to use BlackBerrys, so I was excited when this gorgeously glossy white phone came out. Plus, you can use apps on it, so I finally feel caught up with the rest of the world. I’m obsessed with Shazam, which tells you what song is playing, and that fat app that makes everyone look overweight. The aging one I find not so funny.

LUCAS’S PAPAW OINTMENT I use it for everything—burns, bites, as lip gloss. It comes in this hippie-dippie packaging, and you can get it only in Australia, which in this day and age is sort of lovely. I was recently there and stocked up.

MINIATURE SCHNAUZERS I so want a puppy and was into getting a French bulldog for a long time. But last season we sent a schnauzer down the runway, and I just fell in love with it. They seem very English to me.

SOLANGE AZAGURY-PARTRIDGE’S CHINESE ZODIAC RINGS I’m not a big jewelry kind of person, but I just think Solange is amazing. I even wrote her a note to tell her. Her pieces are gorgeous and high end, but she has a fun and relaxed way of doing it. I already have the Pig, the Rooster, and the Rat. Now I’m working on getting the Dog, which is my son’s sign.

Hill: courtesy of Emma Hill