Claridge’s Hotel—and Paul Mescal—Star in the Rolling Stones’ New Music Video
It doesn’t get more British than this! The Rolling Stones found an inventive way to film a music video for their previously unreleased track “Scarlet” in recent months. The video, which premiered on August 6, was shot entirely at Claridge’s, one of London’s most celebrated hotels, and shows actor Paul Mescal having what looks to be a smashing good time rocking out to the song. Because Claridge’s was temporarily closed at the time of filming due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Mescal was able to have free rein of the empty hotel, which features a mixture of classical and Art Deco design elements, including opulent ornamental moldings on many of the walls, and a Foyer room made over by Thierry Despont in 1996 using the building's ’20s and ’30s design elements as inspiration.
The premise is that Mescal is making a breakup video for a former lover, so a large portion of the video is made to look as though it were shot from a precariously balanced laptop or handheld phone. He, at turns, rolls around on an unmade bed in a corner suite, dances in the marble bathroom, and talks to himself in the wood-paneled dressing room. When he leaves the suite, he runs down the carpeted hallways and has an impromptu dance session in an old-fashioned cage elevator.
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments, however, comes when the Normal People star hops down the hotel’s iconic grand staircase, which has seen the likes of Hollywood stars and British royalty ascending and descending its steps. Audrey Hepburn, Bing Crosby, Diane von Furstenberg, Jackie Onassis, Kate Moss, and Queen Elizabeth herself are among the boldfaced names who have graced the staircase—von Furstenberg’s first interiors work was actually commissioned by the hotel. In behind-the-scenes stills shared to the Rolling Stones’ Instagram account, Mescal can be seen in a white undershirt and black trousers, admiring the sweeping staircase and Claridge’s lobby, with its glossy black-and-white-patterned marble floors. He also, at another point, waltzes into the foyer where Claridge’s renowned afternoon tea is held, doing pirouettes and twirling throughout the hallowed space.
“Scarlet” was originally recorded in 1974 with Jimmy Page and Traffic’s Ric Grech, and will appear along with other unreleased tracks on a box set called Goat’s Head Soup 2020 (an updated release of the Stones’ 1973 album), due out in September.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
