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282
Portobello Road
W10 5TE
Londen
Co-owners Claudia Vispi and Paul Caren are
style veterans.
282 provide classic quality vintage while
focusing on English sartorial elegance.
Leather, tweed, fur, recycled wax, tail
coats, ballgowns, and quality footwear. A range of new English handmade fur felt hats and
tweed caps also stocked.
Styling and etiquette is all part of the
282 experience.
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IN
CONVERSATION: Claudia Vispi, co-founding owner of ‘282 Portobello Road’
In the
myriad of shops and stalls in Portobello Road, there is nothing quite like the
one situated below the Westway. With its
enticing cerise shop front and prêt-a-porter vintage on display, you are
immediately transported into a portal of sartorial history. Aptly named 282, after the door number on the
iconic street, the shop has recently become a haven for collectors, design
houses, dandies, debutants, and everyone else in between; all after that
one-of-a-kind piece for all occasions.
It’s Rude
To Stare recently sat down with co-founder Claudia Vispi for an engaging
conversation about fashion and inspiration. Wearing the finest Edwardian
night-gown, Vispi invited me in to her flat in London’s Chelsea, placed the
Jack-Russell on her lap, poured us both a warm leafy tea and continued as such…
What is the
concept behind 282?
It was a
natural evolution from our previous project; we’ve always made something
beautiful out of nothing. By ‘we’, I mean myself and my business partner Paul
Caren, we made beautiful garments out of natural, recycled fabrics. We’d use odd fabrics for simple silhouettes.
The hunt for those fabrics would inevitably lead us to find other wildly
beautiful things, and here we are with the boots, the leather and the fur, the
tweed, the Gentry style.
And may I
ask, what is the fascination with the English history, and adherence to British
style?
Well, it
probably stems from my surroundings, something as very simple as being born in
Chelsea to Italian parents, you know? I totally absorb my environment. I spent
a lot of my youth just hanging out in the V&A, developing an eye for
beauty.
Was there
ever a particular time when you were consciously aware of the impact that
clothes make?
I was very
lucky enough, growing up, to be living next to the most incredible people. It
was the punk era, and they were musicians, producers, lyricists, and though I
was too young to be a punk, I found it utterly fascinating. I used to get a
thrill from watching them. And then there was New-Wave after that; so music was
my first influence. This period in particular, when it was all happening and
everything became more expressive. I was VERY lucky, in fact.
Was there
anyone in particular that stands out from that period that has inspired you in
any way?
Oh, without
a doubt, Viv. I mean, you know? The design is an art form; I’m talking about
the early days of Vivienne Westwood. The clothes had feeling, it was fantastic.
See, that’s cutting-edge as opposed to classic, but what I do now is put
classic things on cutting-edge people. When you place clothes out of context,
it makes for sublime style.
And who are
your regular clientele?
The
fabulous, the rich in life, the fearless, the individual, the creative; from
rock-stars to Earls, they all stop by.
What was
the last thing that made you stop and stare?
I don’t
know if I can answer that, I see amazing things all the time. In restaurants,
in my shop as they come in, the wonderful people of the Portobello Road. It
doesn’t often happen, but I like it when I’m shocked. Like when I see an
upstanding member of the community being rather louche. It happens often. Other
than that, it’s usually the beautiful
things that come across my eyes every day.
282
Portobello Road
London, W10
Hours:
Monday –
Sunday
12pm-5pm
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