The Diary: An intimate evening with George Russell and AMAFFI

There are worse ways to spend an evening than being guided through the olfactory secrets of one of the world's most exquisite fragrance houses, particularly when Mary Charteris is on the decks and the Ruinart hasn't stopped flowing since the late afternoon. AMAFFI's new Sloane Street flagship (a considered step across the road from its former home, as though the brand simply outgrew its old postcode) played host last Thursday to a heady mix of luminaries, fragrance devotees and friends of the house, each whisked on their own immersive scent journey through the gleaming new space. The real headline, however, was the unveiling of AMAFFI's newest ambassador: Formula 1's George Russell, whose arrival lent the evening a certain high-octane glamour.

After lively in-store drinks, a fortunate cohort of VIPs including Stanley Zhu, Greg Williams and Azzi Glasser slipped into waiting cars and were swept around the corner to The Emory Hotel, where a champagne reception gave way to an intimate fireside conversation between Russell, AMAFFI Managing Director, Didier Ambroise and the inimitable Natalie Pinkham, before a superb dinner (courtesy of abc kitchens) rounded off a thoroughly stimulating, multi-sensory evening.