As the Fashion Director of The Times since 2015, London-based Anna Murphy has become a formidable voice (and eye) in fashion, renowned for her insightful commentary and rare ability to bridge high fashion with everyday style. This yoga-loving journalist is also an accomplished author, her books—How Not to Wear Black and Destination Fabulous: Finding Your Way to the Best You Yet—offer readers practical, witty guidance on personal style and embracing life and style with confidence.
Residing in Islington, North London, Murphy thrives in the city’s vibrant, creative atmosphere and rebellious spirit, which serves as a constant source of inspiration. That’s not to say that more often than not, she is found traipsing around the globe, or in fashion capitals like Paris, Milan, New York.
Beyond editing, writing and fashion journalism, Murphy’s explorations have led to engaging travel pieces for the newspaper, reflecting a love for exploring diverse cultures and locales. “I gain so much from visiting new places around the world,” she says. “But I always feel so grateful that London is where I get to come back to.”
Favourite local restaurant?
Much as I love to experiment, Italian food will always be my happy place. Luckily some of the best Italian cooking in the capital is just around the corner for me, at Trullo.
But I have to give a shout out too to Jikoni, in Marylebone, which serves up food as interesting as you might imagine from a chef who was born in Kenya of Indian parentage and grew up in London.
And then there’s Norman’s Cafe, in Tufnell Park – sadly closing very soon. It’s a brilliantly upscale retool (it uses top-notch ingredients) of the classic British greasy spoon. Make mine a fried egg with bubble and squeak, plus a Negroni.
Your go-to neighbourhood ritual?
I love my weekly trip to the Dusty Knuckle van on Highbury Fields. I try to stay off all bread apart from rye these days – so much easier on my stomach. But this isn’t any kind of hardship now I have discovered this cult Hackney bakery’s banging (there really is no other word for it) rye loaf.
A hidden gem in Islington?
That I, Italophile that I am, have a world-class collection of Italian art on my doorstep – the small but perfectly formed Estorick Collection – is quite some serendipity. Staring at a Morandi or two always relaxes me.
Favourite museum or gallery in the UK?
Given that I have just name checked a favourite in the capital, I am going to take the liberty of mentioning one somewhere else. Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge is nothing short of magical, an at-the-time visionary melding of world-class mid-century-modern British art (from Ben Nicolson to Jacob Epstein) with everything from antiques to beach pebbles. The way the art collector Jim Ede styled his home in the middle years of the last century has to have influenced a million interiors since, not least my own.
Where do you go for a dose of nature?
My grandparents used to live in Coverdale, in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s not only my favourite dale but that of the ultimate expert, the late James Herriot, author of All Creatures Great and Small. There is nothing more happy making than the purple of a heather-covered moor in summer. Also: Coverdale cheese. If you know, you know. Think Wensleydale, but better.
Where do you go when you need a creative reset?
A trip to the sea blows away my metaphorical cobwebs like nothing else. A stay in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast is the ultimate re-boot. We rent from www.aldeburghcoastalcottages. The wide vista – uninterrupted bands of beach, sky and sea – is like a humongous Rothko painting made manifest.
Where do you shop for unique gifts?
Either one-off boutiques or art-gallery shops. In the former camp are two Japanese operations in London, ki:t’s, which has a quirky line up of socks to scalp brushes, and Gallery Eclectic, which sells unusual studio ceramics. Favourite art-gallery shopping options include Tate Modern in London, the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, the M+ Museum in Hong Kong (the jewellery is beyond); and the Broad in Los Angeles.
Favourite hotel, anywhere in the world?
The Colombe d’Or in St Paul de Vence in the South of France has to have the world’s best pool – not to mention the world’s best lunch on the terrace. Order the hor d’oeuvres and you get a myriad of different small plates of deliciousness. Plus seeing all that premier league art in situ makes it akin to staying in a gallery.
Spa, health or wellness spot you swear by?
I love the Lanserhof clinics, which combine a pitch-perfect take on warm minimalism with the Mayr-originated approach known as “inner body cleansing”; this is designed to rest the digestion and give the body the bandwidth to heal — game changing. It’s hard to choose which is the best Lanserhof location, but for me it’s probably Tegernsee in Germany, because it’s surrounded by nature.
In London it has to be my yoga studio, Mission E1, home to an amazing (and intense) practice called Rocketbeats (think lots of getting upside down, plus techno!), plus the two best yoga teachers in town – step forward Imi Wiseman and Alan Ellman, who also run retreats across Europe and beyond.
Fashion brands you love for travelling?
I love my Longchamp personalised carry-on bag – I went pink and red with giant initials; no danger of me leaving that behind. And I always wear my Birkenstock 1774s – bright pink or green; are you spotting a theme? – on a long haul flight, with socks on hand for when it’s cold. I like Bonne Maison’s artistically patterned socks, which look as if they should be hanging on a wall.
Then there are my cashmere wraps from the sadly now defunct boutique British brand Thread Tales. I don’t go anywhere without one of those. Joan Didion famously kept to hand a list of everything she needed for a last minute travel trip which included one “mohair throw”. If it mattered to her, it matters to me. Though I don’t follow her lead on also packing a bottle of bourbon. As I said, make mine a Negroni, thank you very much.
Most inspiring city for art you’ve visited recently?
I was blown away by Vienna. I have long been fascinated by the phenomenon of the so-called “Kunstkammer”, or wonder room, and the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna has the most celebrated in the world. The Kunstkammer was an assemblage of rare curios – natural or manmade – that became a trend among the super-rich of northern Europe during the Renaissance. This particular kammer – or rather kammers – was created by members of the Hapsburg family, so you can imagine how spectacular it is. It encompasses everything from embellished ostrich eggs to automata.
Top 3 cities for fashion?
I love cities that have produced a distinctive aesthetic, so both Antwerp and Tokyo are standouts. Yet London takes the crown (of course!) for the way it encompasses – and celebrates – anything and everything. It’s where you really do see it all.
Travel splurge you’ll never regret?
My long-ago trip to Mongolia remains one of the most special experiences I have ever had. Aside from the beauty of this vast, wild country, it was so thought-provoking. To bear witness to a nomadic lifestyle – to what is important to you if you aren’t rooted to one place – was fascinating. Almost everything people owned was functional, and what wasn’t was tiny. I bought two beautiful carved animals, a horse and a sheep that – I was told – would have functioned almost as talismans for a household dependent on their livestock for survival. They are among my most prized possessions.
Dream vacation, not yet fulfilled?
I would love to do a cruise of Antarctica. Finally going on a cruise of the Galapagos a couple of years ago was a mind bending experience in the best sense. My mind’s ready for some onboard bending once again!
