HTSI editor’s letter: an ode to Debo

What is it about Chatsworth, the Duke of Devonshire’s ancestral seat in Derbyshire, that continues to inspire? Is it the sheer size of the house, a great hunk of neoclassical sandstone as was de rigueur in the 17th century? Or is it its star turn at the centre of so many adapted fictions: from Brideshead to Pride and Prejudice? Perhaps the romance is driven by its landscape, the majestic Peaks in which it sits? Or perhaps we simply love the fact the house remains inhabited: and we just love a châtelaine. 

Of all the duchesses of the modern era, Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, was the queen. “Debo” died in 2014, but her name is still evoked as the essence of country chic. One of the least notorious Mitford sisters, she still embodied the small eccentricities that Anglophiles adore: admired as much for her curious rosebud beauty and ballgowns as for her love of chickens and muddy-gumboot common sense. 

Of all the duchesses of the modern era, Debo was the queen

Debo has become a byword for a certain era of postwar grit. She lived through a period of huge upheaval in which there were great shifts in society’s tectonic plates. She steered the reinvention of Chatsworth as a public institution, while also settling there with her family. In doing so she helped create an almost mythic narrative about country living that endures to this day. Erdem Moralıoğlu is one of many designers to have been bewitched by Chatsworth and the effects of the late Duchess: his SS24 collection drew generously on her wardrobe (and curtains), and this month sees an exhibition, Imaginary Conversations, in which he has staged a series of “interactions” in its guest bedrooms. For HTSI, he has shot a portfolio of images to commemorate the event. As he tells Beatrice Hodgkin in an exclusive interview, the house is not simply a historical monument but a “living, breathing thing”.

As the newest inhabitant of the Palazzo Malipiero in Venice, the billionaire Nicolas Berggruen is also breathing new life into a mythic home. Malipiero dates from around the 11th century, and was home to Alvise Malipiero, a mentor to Giacomo Casanova, who also lived in the palazzo in the 18th century until he was banished for being a very naughty boy. 

Berggruen’s investment is one third of a trio of buildings that comprise a new Venetian hub. In recent years, the former playboy has put his energies into the annual Berggruen Prize – a $1mn award for philosophy and culture that aims to rival the Nobel. He explains his grand plan for “global thinking” to James Reginato from his garden perch on the Grand Canal: it’s all part of an effort “to acknowledge that philosophical ideas are just as important as physics or chemistry”. Whatever it is, it has meant he’s now got an extremely tasty portfolio of properties. James meets this modern-day Medici to find out more about his thought-leadership vision.

As has been noted by many analysts – and consumers – prices have been getting out of hand. I found a shoe in my wardrobe the other evening: it came from a celebrated Marc Jacobs collection in 2004, and still had its price tag of £250 – once considered to be the gateway price point for first-time buyers of luxury. These days, you can’t even find a fragrance for much less than £250. Rosanna Dodds has investigated the vogue for this new tier of high-end perfumes. Why are they so expensive? 

Lastly, a confession. I’m not a huge ice-cream fan. This is considered to be a sign of unconscionable foolishness by many, for whom ice-cream is the ultimate in treats. Nevertheless, I am intrigued by Ajesh Patalay’s adventures with homemade varieties as found in Terri Mercieca’s new ice-cream book. So, if he were to offer me a wattleseed caramel sundae, I would happily indulge. 

@jellison22

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