Eagle Eye exists to explain the gaps—between how we dress and how we live; between the spaces you’re drawn to and the coat you keep reaching for. Each month, London-based designer and creative director Alex Eagle will tap her roster of friends and experts to explore the “why” behind a certain theme—why we’re drawn to certain things, and how those instincts quietly form over years without us really noticing. It’s a column rooted in interior design, with many branches (and, of course, a curated edit of shoppable products to boot).
You may notice a theme in my last couple columns. So much of life feels accelerated, digital, that endlessly replaceable, and lately, I find myself craving the opposite. These are the objects that have taken time to make and the homes that tell stories; style that isn’t built through novelty, but through memory and affection. There’s something romantic about wearing pieces until they’re softened by time and keeping pieces around just because they remind us of someone we love.
For me, this version of romanticism is intertwined with a distinctly British point of view. “When I think of classic English style, I think of romantic rooms and a mix of formal and relaxed elements,” says artist and designer Luke Edward Hall. “I think of layered patterns and textiles; antiques and soft lighting.” The designer Emilia Wickstead agrees: “There’s an appreciation for heritage, craftsmanship, and tradition, but also an ability to reinterpret those references that feels contemporary. It’s never about perfection—it’s about character,” she explains. “Romance today is much more nuanced than it once was. It isn’t defined by overt femininity, but rather by emotion and a sense of authenticity.”
I spoke with Hall and Wickstead (along with de Gournay director Hannah Cecil Gurney, whose eye for creating whimsical interiors definitely falls into the category of romantic) to dig deeper into the key points of this style. What follows is less a strict guide than a set of foundational principles—a palette that’s softened, a playful eye, and pieces designed to be worn until they become heirlooms.
Dior
Addict Glass Lipstick Case
Zara
beaded ruffle shorts
Jimmy Choo
Jenn slingback sandals
Ginori 1735
Oriente Italiano dinner plate
de Gournay
Portobello gilded paper
Human Touch
The human hand is a small act of resistance against automation and artificial intelligence. “There’s something reassuring about craftsmanship, about taking the time to create something with care and intention,” says Wickstead. Proof of a person, not a machine. For Wickstead, romance here means sentimentality with a purpose—a handmade embroidered tablecloth passed down until it becomes part of a family’s tradition.
Look for pieces that put craftsmanship front and center. Inès Bressand’s Bell bag, handwoven and hand-shaped; One Of’s Frans bloomers, made to order from deadstock European fabric; mosaic Murano glasses, created using the Italian millefiori technique—each glass is one of one, distilling centuries of craft into a singular vessel.
Alex Eagle
mosaic murano glasses
Inès Bressand
N.42 large bell bag
Borgo delle Tovaglie
Eden table linen
Simone Rocha
lace-trimmed bralette
Future Heirlooms
Lean into sentimental favorites—Wickstead keeps a set of embroidered table linens that belong to her mother, sourced from Italian markets. “They immediately transport me back to long lunches in the garden with family and friends,” she says.
After all, there’s romance in the marks an item accumulates, rather than how it photographs. “A sofa worn down on one side by the family dog, ring marks on the bedside table from the cup of tea brought to me each morning… these imperfections show the human side of an interior,” says Gurney. “They show that a house is loved and enjoyed.” And while some such pieces are inherited, others are heirlooms of our own making, bought new and treated like they will outlast us. For example, a vintage coffee table. This circa-1950s one from Eagle and Hodges bears small imperfections and, with time, will develop a rich patina.
Manolo Blahnik
Voluptia 70 mules
Completedworks
No Rush earrings
Christofle
Albi ice cream spoons
Métier
x Fernando Jorge Ease clutch
Manolo Blahnik
x Emilia Wickstead Maysli pumps
Eagle + Hodges
vintage coffee table
