Lavish Durham hotel provides backdrop for fashion shoot

Durham’s lavish new hotel, the theatrical and imaginatively themed Fallen Angel, in Old Elvet, has been used as a location for a fashion shoot for some of the most exquisite shoes on the market. Edgy, young shoe designer, London-based Janan Leo, checked out the opulent hotel and decided it was a perfect location in which to take photography for her new Autumn/Winter collection of exquisite CocoRose London foldable, ballerina pumps. These are shoes that rescue damsels in distress suffering the pain of high heels and needing a quick, yet stylish, footwear swap.

The new shoe collection, Cocktails in the Boudoir, took the fashion trade by storm when unveiled for the first time, at the Autumn Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. Janan Leo has since taken the shoes to an event held during London Fashion Week and has again received rave reviews.

When she realised the Fallen Angel has a room named Le Boudoir, full of rich red velvet to support a mood of sheer decadence, she felt there could be no better place to take shots destined for the fashion pages of leading glossy magazines.

A number of strange coincidences also suggested fate played a hand. As well as the boudoir connection, the Fallen Angel’s most theatrical room, themed as Cruella, was a perfect choice for CocoRose London’s outrageous Dalmatian shoes – part of the stunning Spring 2009 collection.

The latest shoe range also features a beautiful, foldable wedding ballerina pump – ideally showcased in the Fallen Angel’s wonderfully romantic Russian Bride suite, themed around Dr Zhivago.

Fallen Angel owner, John Marshall, says: “To be chosen as a fashion shoot location, even before we have opened, is fantastic. The CocoRose London collections are stocked by some of the most upmarket boutiques in London, as well as being retailed online. They have been praised by fashionistas on publications as diverse as The Guardian and Marie Claire and we are delighted this imaginative, high quality brand saw a synergy with the Fallen Angel.”

This is likely to be the first of many such requests to film or photograph at the simply fabulous hotel - a totally transformed Georgian Grade II listed townhouse, featuring ten extraordinarily themed, luxurious rooms on which no expense has been spared.

Cocktails in Le Boudoir are more than possible at the Fallen Angel, unless guests prefer to sip champagne in their private hot tub, or beside the gold Rolls Royce.

Janan Leo says: “CocoRose London’s motto is ‘Slip into Something More Comfortable’. Having travelled to many parts of the world, I’d say it’s hard to imagine finding anywhere more comfortable or indulgent than the Fallen Angel.”