Vanessa at the mahogany counter of Floris
Sandy balayage, hazel eyes, a bicycle bell and a notebook of words still being learned.
Away until 30 September 2026Back at the end of September
- Age
- 25
- Height
- 173 cm · 5 ft 8 in
- Hair
- long sandy brown, balayage
- Eyes
- hazel
- Build
- slim
- Languages
- English
- Based
- Paddington · W2
On Vanessa
Vanessa collects two things, small bottles of scent and new words, and neither collection will ever be finished. Slim, 173 cm. Sandy brown hair, long, finished in soft balayage. Hazel eyes that brighten whenever she is curious, which is most of the time. She tastes the air before stepping outside and can usually tell you whether it will rain. Her style is understated and coastal: a linen shirt, a slip skirt, a fine cardigan over the shoulders, minimal gold.
Sweet, curious and relaxed, mid twenties, with English that is attentive and slightly amused. Languages are her hobby rather than her talent, she insists, and she studies a little every day for the simple pleasure of it. She cycles across London whatever the weather and keeps a bell on the handlebars that she rings more than strictly necessary. Fragrance is her other devotion. She can talk about a single note, fig, vetiver, cold tea, with real charm and no pretension at all.
Her favourite beginning in St James's is Floris on Jermyn Street, the old perfumer with its polished mahogany cabinets, where she will test three scents on paper strips and ask you to choose between them. The assistants there have learned to hand her the strips before she asks. From there a quiet supper nearby, and a walk back up towards Piccadilly with the paper strips still in her pocket.
Vanessa lives in Paddington and is introduced on Dover Street and around St James's. An hour costs £600; longer bookings appear on rates. Octavia will reply through booking. Early evenings suit her best.
// Octavia's noteVanessa is gentle, curious company and very easy to talk to. Two hours at £1,100 allows a stop on Jermyn Street and a relaxed supper.
Vanessa, by the hour
One ladder serves every introduction on Albemarle Privé. Her journey costs nothing inside fare Zones 1 and 2, and Vanessa receives the fee from you in person on arrival.
| Ref | Length | Fee | Suits | Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R.01 | One hour60 min | £600 | An aperitif and a first conversation, nothing hurried. | Request |
| R.02 | Ninety minutes90 min | £900 | Room for a second glass and a proper exchange of views. | Request |
| R.03 | Two hours120 min | £1,100 | A short supper nearby, or a private view and a drink after. | Request |
| R.04 | Three hours180 min | £1,500 | Theatre and a late table, or dinner without a watch. | Request |
| R.05 | Dinner date4 hours | £1,800 | The reservation, every course, then the slow walk back. | Request |
| R.06 | Overnight10 hours | £3,000 | Dinner through to the morning coffee. A day of notice helps. | Request |
| R.07 | Weekend awayBy arrangement | from £6,000 | A city weekend or a journey, agreed as one sum in writing. | Request |
Journeys past Zone 2, airport hotels and cancellations: see Rates, terms T.01 to T.08.
As Vanessa keeps it
She arrives on foot, having left her bicycle somewhere sensible, and her first question is always about you. Vanessa is curious in the kindest way. She wants to know which town raised you, what your first language was, how a word from your childhood sounds, and she repeats it back carefully until she has it right. If a perfumer is open nearby, you will spend ten happy minutes sniffing paper strips and disagreeing about the best. Dinner is relaxed and unfussy, somewhere with a short menu. She eats with pleasure, laughs softly and listens with complete attention. At some point she will teach you one word learned this week and ask for one in return. It is a gentle, generous evening, and it feels surprisingly personal.
Three questions for Vanessa
A Portuguese word for a longing that feels almost pleasant. I cannot pronounce it properly yet, which is half the charm.
I do not have one. I change with the weather: something green in spring, something smoky once the evenings draw in.
Because you see the city at the right speed. Faster than walking, slower than a taxi, and you notice every bakery on the way.
Notes on Vanessa
No guest notes published yet.A note appears here only after Octavia has read it: a first name, a month, nothing more. Nothing is ever written on a guest's behalf.
Read by Octavia before it appears · a first name and a month, never more · Vanessa can have any note taken down
A message for Vanessa
Already addressed to Vanessa. Fill in the brackets and send it; Octavia answers every line in one reply.
Hello, I would like to book Vanessa on [date] at [time] for [duration]. I am staying at [hotel name], and will share the room number on confirmation.
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From The Notebook
- 5 min readWiltons, where the booths kept secrets long before anyone called it discretionWiltons traces its story to 1742 and a shellfish seller near the Haymarket. What the Jermyn Street rooms are like now, how to order by the season, and why a booth still keeps a secret.
- 6 min readBrown's of Albemarle Street, and an evening that begins at the hearthThe hotel on our namesake street has kept its fires lit since the year Victoria came to the throne. Where to meet inside Brown's, how to pace the evening from its door and who to ask for.
Vanessa, by arrangement
Send a date, an hour and a length. Octavia looks at Vanessa's diary before anything else and answers in writing, usually within minutes.