April, what a tease of a month. Spring abounds, blue bells spill out onto forest floors, and warm sunny days get us all excited about the summer ahead. Or it rains, sporadically but violently, dampening our hopes and getting us reaching for the knitwear we we're about to vacuum seal and bid a fond adieu. We're gunning for the former until reality bites! That's why this month's Register is filled with tasty morsels to gear you up for the warmer days ahead.
A summer of suits
Gentlemen, whether you've a packed social diary this summer, attending more events and weddings than you can shake a stick at, or if you are planning on a decampment to Tuscany or the south of France, one cannot get very far without a good summer suit. We have created some stunning options if we don't say so ourselves, crafted from summer-ready linen cloth that will be right at home attending a British wedding as they will a long boozy lunch on la Pampelonne. For all the details and styling tips, click here.
Shimmer in shantung
We love working with silk. It's such a magical fabric. This season we've created six elegant day dresses from the king of silks, known as shantung. It really is a stunning cloth, with beautiful textural details (not unlike linen actually). Nothing quite beats that slinky shimmer of silk, not to mention the fact that its an excellent fabric in the heat. These dresses are perfect for attending summer weddings or smart lunches and come in a variety of versatile tones. Click here to find out more.
What to do in April in the UK
Spring spoils us here in the UK as the countryside perks up and the city gardens start to spill over with colourful early bloomers. Besides soaking in the natural beauty, it's a busy month for stellar events too...
The Queen's birthday - April 21
While Her Majesty The Queen's official birthday is in June, her actual real birthday is 21 April, which is marked by a magnificent if not deafening 41-gun salute that takes place at midday in Hyde Park. Because of covid restrictions, this will be the first gun salute for her birthday for two years. Why 41 guns? Well, the standard Royal salute is 21-guns and is reserved for Heads of State. When the salute is given from a Royal Park, an extra 20 guns is added. More the merrier.
Last year, the most famous rowing race in the world happened behind closed doors so to speak, moving from the Thames to Ely in Cambridgeshire. This year, the Oxford and Cambridge crews are back on the Thames and battling it out for bragging rights in one of the world's oldest sporting contests. The 167th race stretches over 4.25 miles of the tidal Thames in West London between Putney and Mortlake. Your best bet is to head to Hammersmith and if you're early enough try and grab a space and a bottle or three at The Dove or The Old Ship!!
Much Ado About Nothing - 23 April
William Shakespeare's birthday is celebrated on 23 April, which is as good an excuse as any to head over to The Globe Theatre and kick off the season by watching Much Ado About Nothing. Whether you're jostling in the pit or up in the stands, watching a performance at the Globe is a rambunctious affair and thoroughly enjoyable (although come prepared for the heavens to open).
Canaletto's Venice Revisited - 1 April - September
Art lovers are in for an absolute treat from 1 April as the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich plays host to an incredible curation of no less than 24 Venetian views painted by the great Canaletto in the 1730s. "The works, from the world famous collection at Woburn Abbey, form the largest single commission the Italian artist ever received... Canaletto’s Venice Revisited will reassess Canaletto at the height of his career, looking beyond the broad views he is famous for to also closely examine the features that bring his Venice to life."
Horse races don't get much bigger than Aintree's Grand National, which this year takes place on 9 April. The infamous jump course has played host to some incredible races since the very first in 1839. If you're heading up to Liverpool to watch the race, ensure you dress the part - while there is no official dress code, both ladies and gents are encouraged to dress with elegance (a given for Favourbrook regulars!)
The books we're taking on holiday
If you're anything like us, you dutifully accumulate books with the greatest intentions of reading them, only for life to get in the way. What are holidays for then if not to plonk yourself down for hours at an end and plough through said books without a care in the world?! Here are some amazing titles we're looking forward to reading this year.
The Power Law by Sebastian Mallaby
Whether you're in the venture capitalist world or not, you'll find The Power Law by Sebastian Mallaby an eye-opener to say the least as he goes behind the money curtain to examine what makes some of the world's biggest power players tick. It’s a tale of unbelievable highs, unfathomable lows, played out by a rowdy bunch of eccentrics, weirdos, psychopaths (and the occasional good guy too).
Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood
All too often we travel through the time we call this life without stopping to make sense of it. Now we can leave that task up to the prodigious literary icon Margaret Atwood who, in Burning Questions, turns her gaze on everything from debt to tech via the climate crisis and Trump. Witty, erudite and ultimately revealing about the human condition.
Butler to the World by Oliver Bullough
With the world's spotlight shining firmly in the faces of Russian oligarchs, there is no better time to read Oliver Bullough's Butler to the World - the renowned investigative journalist gets his hands dirty digging up the shady practices that have made London the global centre for any number of unscrupulous dealings.
Truly, Madly by Stephen Galloway
A more theatrical note is promised by Truly Madly (Sphere, March), Stephen Galloway’s account of the passionate, turbulent, captivating romance between actors Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.
The Diaries of Alan Rickman
The late, brilliant Alan Rickman began writing diaries by hand in the early 1990s and never stopped until his death in 2016, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 69. He became a household name for his cinematic turns as the arch villain Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard, the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and as Juliet Stevenson’s dead husband in the 1991 supernatural romance Truly, Madly, Deeply, and his diaries promise to be hilarious, moving, bitchy and inspiring all at once.
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Young Mungo by the Booker Prize winning Douglas Stuart is a tale of forbidden love set in working-class Glasgow. It's a vivid and moving portrayal of working-class life, in which we find two men - Mungo and James - in love but very much in danger. Protestant Mungo and Catholic James live a suspenseful life trying to navigate the violently sectarian world in which they live. The threat of discovery is terrifying and palpable, with many hideous obstacles threatening their life together.
Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes
Literary giant Julian Barnes is back with his 14th novel, which focuses on a teacher, Elizabeth Finch, through the recollections of a former student. The book is a thorough examination of human connection and explores the riches of philosophy in a most poetic way. Vintage Barnes.
