If you want honest advice on the latest wellness, skincare and nutritional movements, speak to Irene Forte. As the daughter of famous hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, Irene now heads up the group’s wellness offering as Group Project Manager. The self-confessed fitness fanatic admits that working long hours is easy when the work you do is a passion project too. Pictured in Brown’s Hotel, in the recently revamped suite that is named after British writer Rudyard Kipling (who is said to have written some of The Jungle Book within this very room), Irene shares her own favourite books, as well as her beauty wisdom.

Irene wears the Aurora Dress in Fuchsia Vintage Flowers

I travel a lot for work, often going from the airport straight into meetings…they are the type of dresses that I can travel in and wear to a work event or dinner party too.

My role is very mixed

So I’m running around a lot. I need to be comfortable but I’m always in heels. I love high-waisted silhouettes and flares. I’m quite conservative in terms of shapes but I love colours and prints, which probably comes from my Italian heritage and from my mother, Aliai – she’s a designer who hand-makes everything and does amazing prints.

I love Borgo de Nor

Because the silhouettes are modest but unique, and I love the prints. Even though they are statement pieces, they are really versatile. I travel a lot for work, often going from the airport straight into meetings, and they are the type of dresses that I can travel in and can wear to a work event or dinner party too.

I’m drawn to crazy costume jewellery

So I styled my Borgo de Nor dresses with statement earrings. As the fuschia Aurora Dress is so colourful I chose gold earrings by my aunt Irene Danilovich, and with the black Mina Dress I added a little more colour with some Mercedes Salazar floral earrings.

Irene styles the Mina dress with supersized statement earrings

My next big project is

The launch of my own skincare line at the end of October called Irene Forte Skincare. It’s formulated using ingredients that we grow at our resort in Sicily, such as olive oil, almonds, hibiscus and prickly pear.

If I could recommend one skincare ingredient

It would be high quality, plant-derived hyaluronic acid because it’s already in our skin and it decreases as we age – I think that’s really important to keep your skin plump and alive looking.

I’ve ran a marathon,

But right now I like to mix up my exercise regime with high intensity classes at Equinox, Tabata, reformer Pilates and Barrecore.

I love reading

I recently finished Red Notice by Bill Browder in 48 hours, he set up the first foreign hedge fund in Russia and the story is insane, it reads like a thriller.

Irene wears the Mina Dress in Black Surreal Wheat

INTERVIEW BY: GILLIAN BRETT
PHOTOGRAPHY JESSICA MAHAFFEY
STYLIST: KENDAL BOYLE
HAIR & MAKE-UP: CLAIRE DE GRAFT

The Mina Dress is available to buy at Selfridges, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Fenwick.

The Aurora Dress is available to buy at Aerin, Aishti, Bergdorf Goodman, Boutique 1, Le Bon Marche, Ottodisanpietro, Serenella, and Tiziana Fausti.