At the Station of Arrival

The Lisbon launch of

Natalie Turner’s debut novel,

The Red Silk Dress

A literary-cultural evening of story, art, place and conversation at The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.

The Lisbon Launch

On Friday 27th March, The Red Silk Dress was celebrated at The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia in Lisbon, a hotel set within Portugal’s oldest railway station still in operation.

The evening brought together readers, friends, artists and guests from across cultures for a salon-style celebration of story, longing, transformation and place. Alongside readings and conversation, the launch featured seven original paintings by Swedish artist Ingela Johansson, created in response to the novel’s emotional turning points.

Watch the Highlights

A glimpse of the evening: the red dress, the readings, the art, the conversations, and the guests who gathered for the launch of The Red Silk Dress.

The Evening in Pictures

Browse through highlights from the evening, following the story of the launch as it unfolded at The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.

The Editory Riverside Hotel A historic Lisbon setting for the arrival of The Red Silk Dress.
Walking towards the launch. A quiet moment before the evening began.
The Red Silk Dress at Impulso Lounge waiting to meet its readers.
Natalie with her husband, Carl Hinds, host and emcee for the Lisbon launch.
Catarina Castanho, designer of the red dress created for the launch of The Red Silk Dress.
Natalie with Catarina, in conversation about dress, identity and creative collaboration.
Natalie with Swedish artist Ingela Johansson, whose RED Collection brought a visual language to the launch.
The RED Collection, seven original paintings by Ingela Johansson inspired by the emotional thresholds of The Red Silk Dress.
“Sovereign in Red”, “Ask Me Anyway” and “Heart Unbound” three paintings from the RED Collection, created in response to turning points in The Red Silk Dress.
Ingela with her partner, Per Westberg.
Natalie beside “Between Holding and Letting Go”, one of the emotional thresholds of the novel.
Carl beside “Sovereign in Red”, one of the RED Collection paintings created for the Lisbon launch.
Natalie with her sister, Caroline Slark, to whom The Red Silk Dress is dedicated and who helped edit the novel.
Natalie with Joana Almeida, Marketing Coordinator from The Editory Hotels Group, celebrating the cultural collaboration behind the evening.
Natalie with Lucy Musk of The Portugal News, media partner for the Lisbon launch, home to Natalie’s regular column, and an early endorser of The Red Silk Dress.
Carl Hinds, host and emcee, opening the Lisbon launch of The Red Silk Dress.
Guests gather for the opening of the Red Silk Salon at The Editory Riverside Hotel.
Joana welcomes guests and shares about the importance of culture, hospitality and the arts to The Editory Hotels Group.
Joana reflects on the shared cultural vision behind the collaboration between Natalie and The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.
The room gathers around story, art and the first public celebration of The Red Silk Dress.
Lucy Musk of The Portugal News shares how The Red Silk Dress moved her as an early reader and endorser of the novel.
Guests listen as the story behind The Red Silk Dress enters the room.
Carl reflects on what it meant to witness Natalie carry The Red Silk Dress through eleven years of writing.
Guests listen during the opening salon conversation.
Natalie shares the story behind The Red Silk Dress.
In the historic Impulso Lounge, The Red Silk Dress moved from manuscript into shared experience.
Beside “Sovereign in Red”, Natalie stands in the creative sovereignty the novel helped her reclaim.
A show of hands from guests who had already entered the world of The Red Silk Dress.
Natalie reads from The Red Silk Dress as the novel moves from page into voice.
At the edge of the room, guests remain absorbed as the story continues to unfold.
Carl introduces Ingela and the RED Collection inspired by The Red Silk Dress.
Ingela shares how The Red Silk Dress moved her to paint the emotional thresholds of the story in the RED Collection.
Ingela and Natalie reflect on “Heart Unbound” and what the painting revealed to them as painter and writer.
Guests gather in the Impulso Lounge as the RED Collection became part of the evening’s conversation.
Bettina von Stamm, creative visionary, reads her endorsement of The Red Silk Dress.
Bettina and Natalie reflect on courage, creativity and the deeper invitation of the novel.
Guests listen as the evening moves through story, art and reflection.
A moment of applause for the voices that helped bring The Red Silk Dress into the room.
Wine served as the salon opens into celebration.
A moment of celebration beneath the station lights of The Editory Riverside Hotel.
A tender moment with a close friend who helped carry the book into the world.
Natalie embraces Bettina, thanking her for her friendship and endorsement of The Red Silk Dress.
Friends from Johor Bahru, Malaysia, reunite in Lisbon for the launch.
Close friends sharing in the joy of the evening.
Beneath “Holding and Letting Go,” the evening softens into conversation.
Ingela shares the stories behind the paintings, including “Her Own True Colours”.
Natalie and Ingela beside “The Living Current”, the painting that most moved Natalie in her response to the RED Collection.
Two close friends celebrating a night that marked many years of writing, friendship and support.
Ingela celebrating the RED Collection with her partner, Per Westberg, and guests.
Conversation beside “Her Own True Colours”, a painting from the RED Collection.
An early endorser of The Red Silk Dress with the RED Collection catalogue, created to accompany Ingela Johansson’s paintings.
Guests in black tie and red, carrying the elegance of the evening.
Guests gathered beneath the Art Deco-inspired bar, where the station architecture echoed the evening’s themes of movement, arrival and return.
A conversation beside “The Temple of Tomorrow”, where the RED Collection became part of the evening’s exchange.
Natalie and Carl in conversation with guests.
Carl with guests beneath the station-inspired lights of Impulso Lounge.
A tender moment.
Sharing the warmth of the evening.
Guests gather around Natalie to celebrate the publication of The Red Silk Dress.
Conversation beside “The Living Current”.
Natalie with her sister, Caroline, to whom The Red Silk Dress is dedicated.
Natalie signs copies of The Red Silk Dress at the close of the evening.
A signed copy of The Red Silk Dress, carrying the story beyond the room.
Natalie with a close friend, early reader and endorser of The Red Silk Dress.
Natalie presents Ingela with a copy of the novel that inspired the RED Collection.
Natalie and Carl with guests at the close of the Lisbon launch.
Copies of The Red Silk Dress, signed and ready to be carried home.
The red guest book holding the names and memories of the evening.
The room after The Red Silk Dress entered the world.

Press & Reflections

Following the Lisbon launch, The Red Silk Dress appeared in my personal column for The Portugal News and was featured in Forbes Portugal, marking the novel’s arrival as both a literary moment and a wider story of reinvention, place and creative sovereignty.

The Portugal News

A personal reflection on place, arrival and launching the novel inside The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.

READ THE COLUMN

Forbes Portugal

From leadership to fiction: Natalie Turner makes her debut as a novelist with “The Red Silk Dress”

A feature on Natalie’s transition from international leadership and innovation adviser to debut novelist.

READ THE FEATURE

With Gratitude

With thanks to The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia for holding the evening with such care; to Ingela Johansson for bringing the novel into colour through the RED Collection; to Carl Hinds for hosting the salon; to Bettina von Stamm and Lucy Musk for their generous reflections; to Catarina Castanho for the red dress; to Caroline Slark for her quiet support behind the book; and to everyone who gathered in Lisbon to celebrate the arrival of The Red Silk Dress.

In creative collaboration with

The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia, Lisbon
The Portugal News
Ingela Johansson and the RED Collection
Catarina Castanho

The launch was only the beginning.

The Red Silk Dress continues its journey through readers, salons, conversations and the places where stories gather meaning.

JOIN THE RED SILK CIRCLE

At the Station of Arrival

The Lisbon launch of

Natalie Turner’s debut novel,

The Red Silk Dress

A literary-cultural evening of story, art, place and conversation at The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.

The Lisbon Launch

Watch the Highlights

A glimpse of the evening: the red dress, the readings, the art, the conversations, and the guests who gathered for the launch of The Red Silk Dress.

The Evening in Pictures

Browse through highlights from the evening, following the story of the launch as it unfolded at The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.

The Editory Riverside Hotel A historic Lisbon setting for the arrival of The Red Silk Dress.

Walking towards the launch. A quiet moment before the evening began.

The Red Silk Dress at Impulso Lounge waiting to meet its readers.

Natalie with her husband, Carl Hinds, host and emcee for the Lisbon launch.

Catarina Castanho, designer of the red dress created for the launch of The Red Silk Dress.

Natalie with Catarina, in conversation about dress, identity and creative collaboration.

Natalie with Swedish artist Ingela Johansson, whose RED Collection brought a visual language to the launch.

The RED Collection, seven original paintings by Ingela Johansson inspired by the emotional thresholds of The Red Silk Dress.

“Sovereign in Red”, “Ask Me Anyway” and “Heart Unbound” three paintings from the RED Collection, created in response to turning points in The Red Silk Dress.

Ingela with her partner, Per Westberg.

Natalie beside “Between Holding and Letting Go”, one of the emotional thresholds of the novel.

Carl beside “Sovereign in Red”, one of the RED Collection paintings created for the Lisbon launch.

Natalie with her sister, Caroline Slark, to whom The Red Silk Dress is dedicated and who helped edit the novel.

Natalie with Joana Almeida, Marketing Coordinator from The Editory Hotels Group, celebrating the cultural collaboration behind the evening.

Natalie with Lucy Musk of The Portugal News, media partner for the Lisbon launch, home to Natalie’s regular column, and an early endorser of The Red Silk Dress.

Carl Hinds, host and emcee, opening the Lisbon launch of The Red Silk Dress.

Guests gather for the opening of the Red Silk Salon at The Editory Riverside Hotel.

Joana welcomes guests and shares about the importance of culture, hospitality and the arts to The Editory Hotels Group.

Joana reflects on the shared cultural vision behind the collaboration between Natalie and The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.

The room gathers around story, art and the first public celebration of The Red Silk Dress.

Lucy Musk of The Portugal News shares how The Red Silk Dress moved her as an early reader and endorser of the novel.

Guests listen as the story behind The Red Silk Dress enters the room.

Carl reflects on what it meant to witness Natalie carry The Red Silk Dress through eleven years of writing.

Guests listen during the opening salon conversation.

Natalie shares the story behind The Red Silk Dress.

In the historic Impulso Lounge, The Red Silk Dress moved from manuscript into shared experience.

Beside “Sovereign in Red”, Natalie stands in the creative sovereignty the novel helped her reclaim.

A show of hands from guests who had already entered the world of The Red Silk Dress.

Natalie reads from The Red Silk Dress as the novel moves from page into voice.

At the edge of the room, guests remain absorbed as the story continues to unfold.

Carl introduces Ingela and the RED Collection inspired by The Red Silk Dress.

Ingela shares how The Red Silk Dress moved her to paint the emotional thresholds of the story in the RED Collection.

Ingela and Natalie reflect on “Heart Unbound” and what the painting revealed to them as painter and writer.

Guests gather in the Impulso Lounge as the RED Collection became part of the evening’s conversation.

Bettina von Stamm, creative visionary, reads her endorsement of The Red Silk Dress.

Bettina and Natalie reflect on courage, creativity and the deeper invitation of the novel.

Guests listen as the evening moves through story, art and reflection.

A moment of applause for the voices that helped bring The Red Silk Dress into the room.

Wine served as the salon opens into celebration.

A moment of celebration beneath the station lights of The Editory Riverside Hotel.

A tender moment with a close friend who helped carry the book into the world.

Natalie embraces Bettina, thanking her for her friendship and endorsement of The Red Silk Dress.

Friends from Johor Bahru, Malaysia, reunite in Lisbon for the launch.

Close friends sharing in the joy of the evening.

Beneath “Holding and Letting Go,” the evening softens into conversation.

Ingela shares the stories behind the paintings, including “Her Own True Colours”.

Natalie and Ingela beside “The Living Current”, the painting that most moved Natalie in her response to the RED Collection.

Two close friends celebrating a night that marked many years of writing, friendship and support.

Ingela celebrating the RED Collection with her partner, Per Westberg, and guests.

Conversation beside “Her Own True Colours”, a painting from the RED Collection.

An early endorser of The Red Silk Dress with the RED Collection catalogue, created to accompany Ingela Johansson’s paintings.

Guests in black tie and red, carrying the elegance of the evening.

Guests gathered beneath the Art Deco-inspired bar, where the station architecture echoed the evening’s themes of movement, arrival and return.

A conversation beside “The Temple of Tomorrow”, where the RED Collection became part of the evening’s exchange.

Natalie and Carl in conversation with guests.

Carl with guests beneath the station-inspired lights of Impulso Lounge.

A tender moment.

Sharing the warmth of the evening.

Guests gather around Natalie to celebrate the publication of The Red Silk Dress.

Conversation beside “The Living Current”.

Natalie with her sister, Caroline, to whom The Red Silk Dress is dedicated.

Natalie signs copies of The Red Silk Dress at the close of the evening.

A signed copy of The Red Silk Dress, carrying the story beyond the room.

Natalie with a close friend, early reader and endorser of The Red Silk Dress.

Natalie presents Ingela with a copy of the novel that inspired the RED Collection.

Natalie and Carl with guests at the close of the Lisbon launch.

Copies of The Red Silk Dress, signed and ready to be carried home.

The red guest book holding the names and memories of the evening.

The room after The Red Silk Dress entered the world.

Press & Reflections

The Portugal News

A personal reflection on place, arrival and launching the novel inside The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia.

The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia, Lisbon
The Portugal News
Ingela Johansson and the RED Collection
Catarina Castanho