So Grazia Daily met Gwyneth Paltrow last night, and we are completely besotted (as the photos show).
Mainly we loved her orange Lanvin dress 'my second orange dress in a week - my new favourite colour!', and the fact that she paired it, not just with a pair of cherry red Jimmy Choo ankle boots (colour blocking like a real Grazia girl) but also with a majorly fashion forward Sixties-style dogtooth check coat. LOVE.
This almost made up for her scruffbag husband, Coldplay's Chris Martin, who accompanied his missus in a 'darling-are-you-really-going-out-like-that' ensemble of hoodie, anorak and horrible sporty trousers. The woman is a saint. Anyway, Gwynnie looked resplendent, and who better to be the new "face" of our obsession of the moment - Coach bags, which we've been drooling over on net-a-porter.com for weeks. The New York heritage luxury bag brand has long been the go-to label for pared down all-American style. The Coach Classics collection features five iconic bags reissued from the 1970s achives, which were originally designed back-in-the-day by sportswear legend Bonnie Cashin, and are just the perfect styles to go with this season's wide legged trousers, A-line skirts and silk blouses. Meanwhile, designer Reed Krakoff whose own-label luxe minimalist ready to wear has been sending fashion editors into a spin for seasons, is now creative director at Coach. And this year the brand is celebrating its 70th anniversary, and it's giving London a birthday present - a shiny new flagship store, the UK's first, on Bond Street, no less.
Anyway, the never-ending dinner at chi-chi The Arts Club in Mayfair was almost enough to distract us from gawping at Gwynnie (and Mario Testino, and Thandie Newton): not only were there gorgeous crayfish and oysters, roast chicken and lamb chops, and amazing desserts (we nearly exploded) but the napkin rings were wicked grey leather Coach wristbands - how cool? - even Gwyneth left wearing hers.
