Skip to content
Vanity Fair Fashion
Fashion

The Supper Club to Launch Our First Beauty Issue Was So Chic—Here's What Happened

By Swedan Margen

The Supper Club to Launch Our First Beauty Issue Was So Chic—Here's What Happened
supper club may
Nadia Araujo, Aarti P, Hannah Almassi, Ruby Hammer and Jacqui Burchell

On the same day that we launched Who What Wear UK's first-ever Beauty Issue, we celebrated its arrival with a boujee dinner at Mimi Meifair, London's most opulent and fabulous Chinese restaurant. Nestled in the gloriously eclectic confines of the private dining room resplendent with coral-red lacquer woodwork, charming frescos, extravagant chandeliers and our very own bar serving the most summery Strawberry Spritz cocktail from Sipsmith, we assembled an intimate guest-list of beauty's leading figures, a slew of London's coolest talents and our editors.

"Celebrating our inaugural beauty issue with some of the industry’s most esteemed experts and personalities was such an honour," says beauty director Shannon Lawlor. "We spent all night chatting about everything from skincare and fragrance to hair and makeup, and generally bringing the joy of our beauty issue into the real world over delicious food and drink in the most beautiful setting. It was a total privilege for us to host this event, marking such a monumental moment for Who What Wear UK Beauty.”

supper club beauty launch
A snapshot of a great evening fuelled by dim sum, Sipsmith cocktails and Penfolds wine.

Although technically no dress code, this moment at the end of a hot day in London clearly marked a summer-has-begun turning point for beauty director Shannon Lawlor and editor-in-chief Hannah Almassi who both showed up in a flurry of ruffled, bohemian chiffon: mimosa-yellow for Hannah in Queens of Archive and soft lilac from & Other Stories for Shannon. With our subtle glam looks catered for thanks to Bobbi Brown's pro MUA Hollie Olivia Burke, the colours and softness of our outfits, makeup and setting neatly reflected the strong pastel hues of our cover shoot with Leomie Anderson.

supper club may
Mimi Meifair's stunning interiors.

First, after our goblet-sized glasses were filled with Penfolds wine, we shared dim sum platters (wow—the scallop siu mai) while chatting about the surprising amount of SPF you really need to use (three whole fingers' for just your face!) and discovered that the British Beauty Council is fighting this week for the tax to be taken off SPF products by the government—too right, and we wish them the best of luck in getting this through.

For the main course, we tucked into the most delicious clay-pot black bean aubergine dish and sanpei chicken with a mountain of jasmine rice, finishing off with a light vegan coco-mango sundae. Delicious!

Image 1 of 15

supper club may
Beauty director Shannon Lawlor (centre) with Katharine Mackenzie Patterson and Julia Diogo.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Sipsmith's signature Strawberry Spritz—heavenly!(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Nadia Araujo, Dorit Lee, Aarti P and Ruby Hammer.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Therica Wilson-Read.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Editor in Chief Hannah Almassi.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Estée Lalonde/(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Betty Bachz.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Sophia Hadjipanteli.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Rhea Cartwright.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Hengheng Zu.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Meghan Settle.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
may supper club
Penfold's wine.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
supper club may
Beauty director Shannon Lawlor.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)
may supper club
Bao buns and dim sum.(Image credit: Kirstin Sinclair)

More Fashion

The Supper Club to Launch Our First Beauty Issue Was So Chic—Here's What Happened - Vanity Fair Fashion