August 2017 Issue

UPSCALE ™

AUGUST 2017

ANDREA BOCELLI l if e s t y l e ■ fa shion ■ l u x u r io u s watc he s ■ ya c h ts ■ r e a l e s tat e ■ pr i vat e j e ts ■ w ine s + spir i ts ■ e pic u r e Luxury Lifestyle

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E x p e r i e n c e T h e Di f f e r e n c e w w w. u p s c a l e l i v i n g m a g . c o m

D E PA R T M E N T

LIFESTYLE FASHION

CULINARY

21

70

Style Her - Accessory Guide for Summer

24

Style Picks for Summer

26

Ermanno Scervino, Design Genius

SPIRITS 86

JEWELRY 22

Making her mark with a shimmering legacy to live up to, Shalini Kasliwa now leads the US operations in Sanjay Kasliwal

28

Beautiful Jewelry Must Have’s

Hungry in East Hampton Upscale Living Magazine enjoys the last lick of summer East Hampton style

Marc Newson creates bold new statement for Hennessy X.O. Decanter

HOME DECOR + ARCHITECTURE 30

The Art of Craft - Product Designer Anna Rabinowicz on creating modern-day heirlooms

BEAUTY

39

The Big Boom in Korean Beauty

LIFESTYLE | TABLEWARE 46

Throw a Party!

Ten Delightful Designer Plates

TRAVEL 54

Vacation at the World’s Most Luxurious Castles

64

Azura Selous, Tanzanian Gem

REAL ESTATE 62

Elegant Living in the Heart of Coconut Grove

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D E PA R T M E N T

14

Andrea Bocelli

22

Linda Barker

Lovin’ La Vie & La Musique in Provence!

40

Exquisite Baths

South Africa

80

Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge

On Top of the World

Sabi Sand, South Africa

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P R O F I L E

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ANDREA BOCELLI On Top of the World | By Angela Sara West

H

e has performed for four US Presidents, three Popes, the British Royal Family and many world leaders, in venues ranging from NYC’s Central Park and London’s Royal Albert Hall to the Pyramids in Cairo and under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

As one of the most significant artists of our times, he has sold an incredible 80 million-plus albums worldwide.

But his journey to the top wasn’t an easy one... Who would have thought he struggled to achieve such heights of fame?

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W

orld-famous tenor, Andrea Bocelli, talks to Angela Sara West about his inspiration, the highlights of his glittering career, his world tour, his philanthropy and performing at Pavarotti’s wedding.

So, what’s the secret to his outstanding success? “Success follows inscrutable paths. Were it not so, we could build a career just by planning it in advance. Besides, success may be on your side today and leave you tomorrow. It seems I can touch people’s hearts through my singing and I am the first to be astonished (and grateful) for the kindness I receive from the public in every part of the world. To succeed in my field, it’s necessary to have, at the very least, a pleasant voice. But a pleasant voice is only one of the necessary ingredients; you also need willpower, spirit of sacrifice, stamina, and even a pinch of narcissism.”

Elizabeth Taylor famously stated that his voice brought her out in ‘golden goose bumps’, while Céline Dion, with whom he’s collaborated, said “If God had a singing voice, he would sound like Andrea Bocelli.”

He says, for him, singing is a ‘sweet privilege’. “To perform in front of an audience – whether it comprises heads of state or family and friends, 100,000 people or a small group of children – is a way to share a gift that Heaven has given me. It is the simplest, and most direct, way to have a relationship with others, to win their affection and give back as much and as intensely as possible.”

And the accolades just keep rolling in... Andrea has won countless coveted awards, been made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and been named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most-Beautiful People. Astronaut Umberto Guidoni included Andrea’s ‘Bocelli’ album in his seven kilos of baggage allowance for his shuttle mission into space, and Andrea himself has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records and even been honored with a sought-after star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

So, how did it all begin? The Italian tenor says his first ‘musical hero’ was Beniamino Gigli, the Italian opera singer and ‘hero’ of passionate stories Andrea was told by an uncle, who greatly admired the most-famous tenor of that generation. “He was soon followed by other greats, Mario Del Monaco, Enrico Caruso, Giuseppe Di Stefano and Mario Lanza... and, of course, Franco Corelli, who was, and still is today, my greatest source of inspiration,” Andrea tells me.

Andrea grew up on his family’s farm in the sun-soaked hills of Tuscany.

Discovering his passion for music at an early age, he realized he had a very special talent when he was just seven years-old. “I could instantly recognize all the famous voices of the time,” he explains. “I used to listen and learn the great arias, and then tried to emulate the great interpreters, singing loudly with them in our living room. I was always told I had a pleasant voice by relatives and friends, who often asked me to sing for them. Their insistence led me to think that singing might, one day, become my profession.”

Self-taught from a very young age, he says he started to deal seriously with the discipline of singing as a young adult. At 14, he enjoyed his first success in a singing competition, performing the famous song, O Sole Mio. “As a teenager, I used to play the piano, singing what I loved most.

My studying became more systematic and serious when I entrusted myself to the Italian composer, Maestro Luciano Bettarini. Years later, I had the honor of perfecting my craft with Franco Corelli.”

From the courtroom to the stage

To fund his singing lessons, Andrea would perform in piano bars. He studied law at university and went on practise it, but the stage still beckoned, despite the knockbacks. “I came to fame late, at 35 years-old, after experiencing many doors closed in my face and many dashed hopes.”

Andrea is now the biggest-selling artist in the history of classical music.

From Tosca and Carmen to Madame Butterfly and Roméo & Juliette, the opera king has covered them all and more. With such humble beginnings and so many disappointments, did he ever think he would one day become a world-famous tenor and achieve the phenomenal success he has today? “I never abandoned the dream of making music my profession, even when I was at university and singing in bars... But reality, in my case, has exceeded a thousand times even my rosiest fantasies!”

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The eternally-humble tenor says the numerous accolades he receives can put on the pressure. “Receiving honors is both a reason for satisfaction and embarrassment because prizes have to be deserved, and the more you receive, the higher the expectation on the part of the public.” He says the biggest challenge of his career is meeting those expectations. “The main challenge is to put all of myself at the service of music, using my voice at its best through continuous technical and interpretation refinement.”

He reveals the most rewarding aspect is the love and support from his fans.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, it is the affection of my audience.”

The globally-renowned star says singing is the only way he feels able to express himself fully. “My primary school teacher once warned me, ‘Always remember, Andrea, that God has given you a gift, and of this gift you have no merit’. Over the years, I have tried to honor my gift with much dedication, seriousness, and with honesty and conscience. But life is also about other important aspects. So, I try to be a good father, a good companion and a good person who expresses his ethical convictions with simplicity in daily life, even beyond music.”

A very modern tenor… with old-fashioned training

The self-described ”modern but old-fashioned tenor” has performed at prestigious events including the Oscars and the UEFA Champions League Final, and has collaborated with the crème de la crème of the music world, including Jennifer Lopez and Céline Dion. Along with classical music, Andrea also records pop albums, with the album Cinema among recent recordings, and has taken to the stage with other contemporary artists, including former Pussycat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger and Mary J. Blige.

“I have been singing duets with my colleagues all around the world for around 20 years. When two voices are intertwined, they reciprocally enhance the expressive qualities of the interpreters. When this intimate and deep alchemy takes place, something magical happens... it’s an artistic practice that gives me much satisfaction.”

With a diverse talent embracing such different music genres, who would be this classical crossover artist’s top choice for a duet? “There are too many names to mention! And I would not want to run the risk of forgetting some of them... To sing together, both in opera and in pop, is a very gratifying and intense experience. Among the new generations, there are many talented artists with whom I hope to be able to share the stage sometime in the future.”

The legendary tenor is currently on a world tour, with his North America leg seeing him take to the stage in Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and New York City this December. “Every concert is special. Each time I am on stage, I try to give my best to all those who

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honor me with their presence, trying to offer them a moment of joy and celebration. I have been singing around the world for over 20 years, and yet – and I am saying this without being rhetorical – every stage thrills me. I live every concert with apprehension and, above all, with the joy of an important moment and a unique encounter.”

Andrea reveals he has many ‘dream’ operas he likes to perform. “All the compositions by Giacomo Puccini, a good selection from Verdi and Pietro Mascagni, and many of the French 19th-century works.”

He also adores performing Christmas classics such as White Christmas, which he has sung with fellow tenor, José Carreras. With the US stage of his tour taking place so close to the Christmas holidays, it will offer a festive frisson for both Andrea and his fans. “It will be an even more exciting and joyful occasion to celebrate together, warming hearts and conveying Christmas wishes through music. The structure of the concerts sees a first half showcasing some of the most-loved pieces, mainly from an operatic repertoire, followed by a second half dedicated to pop classics and to the songs that, as I often say, my audience ‘anticipates’.”

When in Rome…

Andrea’s no stranger to hobnobbing with Hollywood heavyweights. He once fulfilled his ‘American dream’ when he staged a concert in front of the Statue of Liberty to an audience including Leonardo Di Caprio, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Cameron Diaz.

His forthcoming ‘benefit trip’ and Celebrity Fight Night event in Rome this September is set to be another star-studded event not to be missed.

“After considering Florence, the ‘headquarters’ of Celebrity Fight Night (CFN) for the first three years, we decided to move the event this year to the Eternal City. It will see me joined by Sir Elton John, and many other friends in the world-famous Colosseum.”

He says the highly-anticipated evening, which raises funds for the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, Barrow Neurological Institute and the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, has the credentials to express a step change in the history of philanthropy in Europe. “Very few initiatives stand out so strongly for the excellence of motivation and for the extraordinary location... Personalities we have had the pleasure of hosting for the first three Celebrity Fight Nights include Queen Rania of Jordan, Sharon Stone, Sophia Loren, Nicolas Cage, George Clooney, the famous conductor Zubin Mehta, Lionel Richie and many others.”

Andrea absolutely raves about Rome... What does he love most about the city? “Rome is an immense open-air museum. It is the historical, artistic and institutional heart of my beloved Italy, and is an inexhaustible treasure trove of wonders... even culinary ones!”

As for his favorite places and venues around the world, he says each context has its own advantages. “I appreciate operatic theaters because of their acoustics... They are magical places, where humanity is told and where its values are expressed. They offer the possibility of avoiding using electronic amplification devices. Nevertheless, I appreciate large arenas because I always perceive a very intense wave of positive energy from such vast audiences and such spaces allow me to disseminate my music preferences on a large scale.”

A Hollywood star

Alongside the tour, there’s a movie in the making… Based on Andrea’s amazing life, The Music of Silence features an all-star cast, including Antonio Banderas and Game of Thrones star, Toby Sebastian, and is accompanied by songs which Andrea composed as a young boy.

“Sometimes, it seems a paradox to me that my life may be considered so interesting to the point of making it into a movie! The film is currently being edited and I’m feeling confident about the quality of the result, given the esteem I have for the director, Michael Radford, the author of 17 Upscale Living Magazine |

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great masterpieces like Il Postino: The Postman, and for the actors that this project has brought together.”

He says the film was inspired by a book he wrote at the end of the 1990s.

“It was when I felt the need to rearrange my memories and retrace my existential adventure, from my childhood to the beginning of my international career, to better understand its meaning. Naturally, the language of the film had to synthesize the plot and take some liberties.

But, like the book, even the film carries a strong message for the viewer.

It contains some songs dating back to my youth, which were perhaps a little naïve, but are dear to me. I hope people find them nice to listen to.”

Performing for Pavarotti

A particularly fond memory for Andrea is his performance at his late great friend Luciano Pavarotti’s wedding ceremony, where he sang a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria. “It was a marvelous, generous, brilliant, cheerful and touching wedding ceremony... just like the groom. Although there were over 600 guests, it was intimate and worldly. It was a concert of feelings, in his home city, Modena. The fact that Pavarotti chose me to perform at such a delicate and important moment of his life was, for me, a further testimony of his esteem and of his genuine friendship. Although ten years have elapsed since his death, I still miss him very much.”

Time out in Tuscany

As for Andrea, home is a spectacular villa in Forte dei Marmi on the Tuscan coast, just north of the city of Pisa. Spending most of the year abroad for professional purposes, he says this is his ideal spot for a vacation. “I love spending my rare moments of rest in the country village where I was born, or simply staying in my house by the sea with my wife and my children.”

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Despite being born with poor eyesight, and becoming blind in a football accident when he was 12, audacious Andrea lives life to the full and adores an adventurous lifestyle. Along with singing, his passions include horseriding, skiing and surfing. “That’s right! Although I have had to moderate my taste for challenges and strong emotions that, in my youth, made me quite daring, above all in the field of sports. When I have time to unwind, I love the sea, I love sailing on my boat and swimming, too. I am a football fan and also love boxing, I am an avid reader and am fond of writing poems and playing chess.”

And it looks like Andrea has inspired a couple of his children to follow in his footsteps. “I hope that they will live a peaceful life and that they can realize their aspirations. Amos and Matteo have been playing the piano for many years now, while little Virginia has started to take an interest in music in recent months. The eldest, Amos, is a university student at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, while Matteo seems to have a voice with interesting potential and is starting to address singing seriously, but for it become a profession, there is room for a thousand variables...

Knowing and playing music, the art of sounds, even like an amateur, is always the source of an inner wealth and consolation for everybody.”

The ABF’s Voices of Haiti

Andrea supports not only his own children, but underprivileged kids around the world. The prolific philanthropist is committed to spreading messages of positivity, hope and perseverance and set up The Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) in 2011, giving the less fortunate a better future.

The ABF comprises many different people from all over the globe, united on a mission to fight poverty in developing countries and to empower

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personally and professionally. “For many years now, I have tried to honor this extraordinary miracle which is life, in the desire to always stay on the path of ‘good’ and to cultivate faith, which I consider the greatest gift.

My life, like that of most people, is not free from mistakes, but I have no particular regrets.”

Tips from a top tenor

Andrea has witnessed many changes in the music world and says we are now in a period of transition. “The ever-increasing ease of exchange of information and experience has, in recent years, stimulated creativity that, in some cases, has already given important results. Even music technology has made remarkable progress, and potentially, if well employed, may represent great assistance in artistic production. Everything is destined to evolve, and even the world of culture and entertainment is facing radical transformations and new challenges. I am always optimistic because, as history has extensively shown, good music will not die.”

The magnificent music maestro has lots of advice for readers thinking about going into the music business. “Be humble but determined and competitive. Count on your potential; be strict with yourself and proceed with optimism and with a healthy curiosity. Above all, never cease to believe in your passions.”

people from poor communities. Andrea and his ABF recently created The Voices of Haiti choir, offering children the rare opportunities to perform with famous artists. “This is a recent challenge but it is a winning one.

The study of music, and of singing in particular, is, in my opinion, a fundamental instrument for making every soul fruitful, including the bright souls of the children of Haiti, who live lives totally different from ours.”

He says he strongly believes that solidarity is the only intelligent response to inequality. “This belief has led me to create a foundation conceived like a living laboratory, where every drop has its weight in everyday action, and where even the smallest contribution must be enhanced,” he explains.

With his favorite motto ‘Do no evil, have no fear!’, Andrea is a strong believer in faith. He admits that life has been very generous to him, both

He says it’s fundamental and important to follow your dreams. “Always believe in your own potentialities and, above all, understand that everybody’s contribution, though a small one, is essential to transform every person of goodwill’s common dream into reality… that is, a world with no wars, where good will win over evil.”

Finally, what can we expect next from the wonderful Andrea Bocelli? “I hope to go on singing as long as our Lord will want it, and to continue, along with the foundation bearing my name and with the many friends that support it, to offer my little contribution to make the world a better place.”

“Music is my daily bread. It is a need, a passion, a joyful elation. It is a vital élan towards beauty and a way to make life lighter. Good music is fatally connected to good, because it has a strong influence on our conscience, contributing to our spiritual evolution and, therefore, making us better people!” 19 Upscale Living Magazine |

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F A S H I O N

| By Smitha Sadanandan

Seraphim Amulet Collection (watch accessory), Mary Ching

Theogony Collection, Lamperti Milano

Pineapple Fashion Earrings, Elsa O

Origami Bag, Purificacion Garcia

Wheel Charol Bag, Inés Figaredo

Geometric Backpack, Lala Queen

Stone and Wood Earrings, Xenia Bous

Green Matrix Gold Column Pendant, Lily Kamper

Lotus Sutra Clutch, Tarini Nirula

Swing Feather Necklace, I Don’t Have A Sister

Fashion Necklace, En Inde 21 Upscale Living Magazine |

Soraya Pumps, Zvelle AUGUST 2017 www.upscalelivingmag.com

J E W E L R Y

MAKING HER MARK With a shimmering legacy to live up to, Shalini Kasliwal now leads the US operations of Sanjay Kasliwal.

| By Smitha Sadanandan

An eighth-generation descendent of the lustrous Indian jewelry house, The Gem Palace, Shalini Kasliwal moved to New York three years ago to join her father’s eponymous label – Sanjay Kasliwal. Known for making jewelry for Maharajas, international royalty and Hollywood’s elite, for the past seven generations, The Gem Palace has exclusively been run by male members of the family. Rather than let it intimidate her, Shalini charted her own course.

“I have always loved jewelry and with my father’s encouragement, I have now become the first daughter in our family to forge a career in the business.”

With a shimmering legacy to live up to, she now leads the US operations of Sanjay Kasliwal.

Shalini made a crossover from law to jewelry; a circuitous route, no doubt. Her background in law, however, proved helpful during the launch of their boutique in NYC. “The laws, regulations and marketing are very different. So, law has actually put me in a very strong position. I’m able to look at things very critically, which helps when you’re launching a business in another continent,” she explains.

Spurred by an entrepreneurial spirit, Shalini took her first tentative steps in the retail business. “The biggest challenge for me at the beginning was talking to people in a professional setting in a language that wasn’t my first. Now that I’ve been here for a while, I feel much more confident; but this was definitely something I had to overcome,” she adds. “Also, I’ve never lived away from my family, and all of the rules about running a business were completely different here. I needed to learn everything from scratch and I needed to do it quickly. But now I can finally say our team’s dedication is paying off. The 22 Upscale Living Magazine |

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brand continues to grow and American jewelry connoisseurs are becoming familiar with our signature designs.”

The marketing and sales strategy in New York is completely different from India, admits Shalini. “In India it’s a ‘little’ bit easier for us. When you’re the oldest family jeweler…word gets around. But when you move to a different culture, you start from scratch and have a lot of ground to cover. I’ve been here for three years now and understand that you need to be incredibly attuned to trends and focus on presenting collections in a way that people can easily visualize how to integrate the pieces into their wardrobes. We are also building our stylist relationships and we understand editorial is key.”

Perhaps, the most important strategy the brand has adopted is the pop-up shows held across the country. “We get to learn about what might be our next best market and introduce people to our brand,” she points out.

Forging partnerships She has taken the brand from strength-to-strength by collaborating with “forward-thinking” retailers, including Jeffry in Atlanta and NYC, Just One Eye in Los Angeles. “Online retailers like Moda Operandi offer a more global perspective, when it comes to what they curate. In that regard, we

ng

om he nt en bly ple are y.” up ur

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have a very a good partnership with Moda and love to sell our jewelry through them. I love their marketing strategy,” says Shalini. Additionally, the trunk shows on Moda received such great response that the jewelry brand bagged a permanent space online.

Melding her Indian heritage with her Italian one, Shalini brings forth a fresh perspective to the brand: introducing new collections and redefining the classics, and curating pieces for the Madison Avenue boutique and retail partners.

Design at Sanjay Kasliwal is a family effort with both Shalini and her brother, Samir, (GIA alumnus) working with their father. “My dad’s designs blend Indian and Italian aesthetics.”

With the workshops and artisans located in Jaipur, Shalini divides her time between Asia, U.S. and Europe. “I’m in love with my city Bologna! Whenever I go home to visit, I realize how lucky I am to have grown up there,” she adds. Italy’s rich culture and heritage has had a profound and timeless influence on artists, designers, jewelers and everyone with a creative bent of mind. Shalini’s Italian grandfather used to design jewelry and often traveled to India to buy gemstones from her Indian grandfather.

“That was how my parents met and got married – my dad met my mother, when she accompanied my grandfather on one of his buying trips.”

Truth be told, Shalini grew up in the midst of gems and jewelry. “I never knew my Italian grandfather or saw him work, but I do remember seeing my Indian grandfather and my dad work together.

They were always agonizing over selecting stones for their designs. I remember thinking this was the most boring thing in the world an adult could possibly do…until I had to select stones for my own collection.” With an unbridled passion, she goes through every bag to make sure she doesn’t lose an opportunity to use the perfect gemstone in a piece of jewelry. “It is a dream come true to be working with my dad on my first collection,” says Shalini, gearing up for a 2018 design debut.

th ne ore

we

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) $ 6 + , 2 1 Mott scallopedged swimsuit.

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Collins Avenueembroidered vintage shirtdress.

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Serenella wicker basket. Sophie Anderson

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Top-handlel knitted tote.

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Lolita pompomembellished suede sandals. Figue.

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Thembi drawstring-top basket bag. KhoKho

Tisa embroidered dress. Vita Kin

Ahmed raffia sandals.

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F A S H I O N

ERMANNO SCERVINO Designing Genius | By HelĂŠne Ramackers

T

he self-taught prowess of designer genius Ermanno Scervino is renowned the world over. Born in the fashion capital of the world, Milan, he spent a fair amount of time between the beautiful city of Florence and the Italian town of Cortina. His professional training took him to Paris, which was his second home and then to the bustle of New York City. Treasures came in the form of boho-chic in Ibiza to London’s trendy styles.

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He finally settled in Florence by choice so that he could dress the most beautiful women in the world.

Proudly teaching himself the ropes of design, he embarked on the studying of architecture in Italy and educated himself in everything he knows from his Italian mentors in the field of luxury goods and fashion design.

His unique outlook on glamour merged his experience in architecture with the world of

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fashion, where his originality took centre stage.

Sporty couture jackets came with an evening twist and lacy numbers were snapped up by Italian women like hotcakes. The sophistication and rarity of his designs were paramount in his success.

His first catwalk show was a runaway success, with orders flooding in. He had captured the spirit of the times with his revolutionary and state-of-the-art luxury.

Once he had launched his own label, there was no stopping Ermanno Scervino. In 2002, the men’s collection was launched and a year later in 2003, the fashion line’s women’s collection

debuted at Milan Fashion Week with the Fall/Winter 2003/04 collection. In 2004, the Ermanno Scervino Junior collection was created. 2007 saw the creation of the Ermanno Scervino Lingerie and Beachwear line and in 2013 he launched Scervino Street, a line of leather accessories.

In a 2016 interview with Tiziana Cardini, when asked what the inspiration behind his fashion show was, his very polite and succinct answer was ‘Beauty’. ‘Beauty is the only thing that inspires me,’. www.ermannoscervino.it

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J E W E L R Y

| By Smitha Sadanandan

Nature Inspired British jeweler Ming Lampson’s belief that the “beauty of jewelry goes all the way through it, from its aesthetic allure to its construction” underscores the aesthetics of all her hand-made pieces.

Precious metals, finest gemstones, skilled lapidary and meticulous detailing add allure to Ming’s oneoff jewels and bespoke pieces. Nature is a great source of inspiration as are gemstones. Bright green tsavorites and palm fronds spurred the designer to come up with the Palm Tree necklace and cuffs. Set with tsavorites, a row of diamond-shaped motifs – in 18k yellow gold – huddle together to make up the delightful design. Get inspired by nature. www.mingjewellery.com

ideal greenery DRAPE IT!

ON POINT

Crystalline Jewellery’s new collection Point and Line, comprising earrings and brooches, draws upon the works of Vassily Kandinsky – noted abstract painter. As the name suggests, the designs interact with points and lines to form eye-catching geometric and abstract shapes with the pieces set in natural stones and accented with gilded metal. With nature and modern art being designer Elena Kosenkova’s main source of inspiration, the new range melds the two together through simple lines in this trendy collection. www.crystalline-jewellery.com

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Love fashion, texture and fabric? Then, Andre Marcha’s Drape Collection will weave a fashionable spell over you. Luxury fabrics, patterns and noble materials like silk, satin have provided the creative spark for the Lebanese designer’s ‘ode to haute couture.’

Playfully accented with icy diamonds tassel, the Pashmina cashmere brooch – adorned with honey-colored diamonds on 18k yellow gold – evokes the fabric’s lightness, while the greydiamond encrusted Tartan earrings, informed by the tradition and history of a particular Scottish clan, feature criss-cross lines dotted with rubies and black diamonds. Truly, fashion unfolds in a jeweled way. www.andremarcha.com

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Goshwara’s Gossip and Naughty collections featuring earrings and rings, in18k yellow gold, set with lemon quartz, peridot, prasiolite and diamonds are just what you add to add some Pantone-inspired greenery to your jewelry trunk.

Designer Sweta Jain’s creations primarily feature luminous gemstones in delicious candy colours and bright hues. With gems taking centre-stage, these pieces in soothing green are lovely jeweled companions for tropical getaways. www.goshwara.com

An Ode To The Lily

Buccellati’s Milanese heritage shines through in each of its designs – everything is engraved. If you are crazy about detail, you’ll love the new Macri Giglio collection. Featuring the stylized lily, which is repeated along the contours of the jewel, this elegant new declination of Buccellati’s iconic Macri line is an ode to the sublime love and purity symbolized by this flower. The silken surface features the openwork technique that highlights the blossom motif. Diamonds form the central motif lying at the heart of the lilies, while shiny handcrafted beads dot the rigato engraved surface of the Macri Giglio collection. www.buccellati.com

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A R C H I T E C T U R E With a Masters Degree in Design and Engineering from Stanford University, Anna began her career by designing prosthetic knees and devices for cardiac bypass surgery. “My professional interest has always been to improve people’s lives. My intention has never wavered, simply the manifestation. The link between the two parts of my career is biological inspiration. I loved creating medical devices, and a prosthetic knee that I designed is still widely utilized for total knee replacements.

In the case of designing medical devices, the biological inspiration is obvious – it involves deeply understanding the actual biological piece or function, and then attempting to directly replicate it through design,” she explains.

“If people walk up to my designs, and feel an ineffable desire to possess them, then I have done my job.”

As time passed, Anna gravitated towards designing bowls, cake platters, trays, bottle openers and lifestyle products under her brand Anna New York. She launched her first home collection for RabLabs in 2002. Although the products are high on the luxury quotient, Anna’s creations marry function and aesthetic. “The usability of my designs is of paramount importance – I am always thinking about how people will use our items. It is part of my DNA as a Stanford-trained product designer – my training in both art and engineering necessitates a focus on improving people’s lives.”

The Art of Craft Product Designer Anna Rabinowicz on creating modern-day heirlooms | By Smitha Sadanandan

New York-based product designer Anna Rabinowicz brings her creative thinking and skills to craft functional, luxurious objects made 1f semi-precious stones, no less – accented with pure gold and sterling silver.

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t was on a travel to Spain, muses Anna, that she found her true calling and decided to follow a career in design. When she was 20, Anna lived in Florence for six months, as part of a university exchange program.

During one of the school breaks, she traveled to Barcelona and visited Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. “I climbed one of the spires of his church at dusk, looked out over the organic, undulating tiles of his unfinished masterpiece, and lost my heart.” Anna returned home, and told her parents – who were hoping that she would become a neurosurgeon – that she had found her passion and path in life.

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Alabaster is the medium of choice for Anna’s Tondo collection, while pyrite stones accent her wooden bosque boxes. A fragment of shell, a crystal formation or even an organism, like the sea fan (which inspired the Espera collection), can spark off her imagination. Unlike most product designers, Anna prefers to work using amethyst, crystal, rose quartz, lapis lazuli, malachite and tiger’s eye, among others. Why? “It’s critical that the designs that I work on will last forever. Using these materials ensures that they not only feel precious, but that they look and feel the same today, as they will many years in the future,” says Anna.

“If people walk up to my designs, and feel an ineffable desire to possess them, then I have done my job.”

To craft her elegant, luxury products, Anna works with artisans in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul region (south of the country). It is the geographical epicentre, she adds, for many of the materials – and an industry of craft has sprung up around the places within which these materials are found.

“Also, the mentality of the artisans we work with in Brazil is a very good fit for my company – we share attributes like integrity, focus on quality, the desire to bring beauty into the world, the importance of building close relationships,” she points out.

Imparting Knowledge Taking time off her busy design career, Anna also worked as a full-time professor at Parsons for ten years. She fondly remembers the many professors who she had and who were (and are still) so “impactful” in her “professional trajectory, and life.” Anna takes mentorship seriously.

It is a goal, she admits, to provide the same for her star students. “Now, I periodically teach classes within the d.school (design school) of Stanford University, my alma mater. I love the intoxication of being in the classroom, and the privilege of imparting knowledge that I have gained over the years to groups of students.”

What is the latest design you are working on? “I am working on our spring 2018 home-object collection, as well as our next furniture collection. The focus of the home object line is on gracious home entertaining – and may involve some surprise materials,” says Anna.

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BARKER Lovin’ La Vie & La Musique in Provence! | By Angela Sara West

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rom designing luxury lodges and cruise ships’ firstclass cabins to starring in Celebrity Masterchef and the Celebrity Jungle, leading TV presenter and interior designer, Linda Barker, has her talented fingers in many projects, both on and off our screens. Ten years ago, she and her husband, Chris, jointly bought a Roman-style villa in the tiny village of La Môle, just west of the French Riviera’s fashionable hotspot, St. Tropez, with close friends, Vanessa and Mike Wilderink.

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Linda talks to Angela Sara West about her longstanding love affair with the South of France and how she and Chris have transformed their €1.4m bolthole from a basic B&B into a barefoot luxury retreat, filled with friends, family and elegant French furniture from the markets of Belgium and France.

love them! Often, I leave these pieces just as I find them as I love the combination of old and new, and a genuine bit of rust or chipped enamel is hard to resist. Other times, I might paint and wax a plain piece of brown furniture to bring it up-to-date. I’m always looking out for good hardware.”

Her high-end hideaway here in Provence inspired Linda’s château-chicinspired Villa Verne collection. “Although that’s not something I do anymore, it was very much about that look, that very French contemporary look... soft greys and natural materials.”

Poolside glamour

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rovence is a wonderful part of the world that Linda has always loved visiting. So much so, she purchased a Provençal property, which she has lovingly treated to a modern French makeover.

“We used to rent a friend’s house near Grimaud, between le Plande-la-Tour and la Garde-Frenet, and it was always really nice going back to the same house,” she tells me. “But our friend decided to sell up, and we thought, ‘Well, maybe the four of us should invest in our own property… Let’s just do it!’ We started looking around and found the house we now own together quite quickly.”

In the heart of the Var region, this particular area of Provence appealed because Linda and Chris knew it so well. “It was its proximity to where we were holidaying before… knowing where to eat, where to shop, the great food markets etc. It was just so lovely to keep coming back to all those places. So, we looked at a map and drew a circle with a 15-mile radius around the area that we knew, took a drive around and looked at properties in estate agents. We searched quite intensively and viewed 10-15 properties before we flew home. Mike and Vanessa stayed on and Mike then found Villa de la Verne. They sent photos and we thought, ‘Yes, that’s great!’.”

Elegant & natural contemporary French design As the ultimate “do-er up-er”, Linda has very successfully combined a typical Provençal/French feel with an elegant contemporary twist, transforming Villa de la Verne from its humble beginnings into an up-to-theminute haven of luxury. “It was a very neat house with the lovely Provençal-tiled roof… it just needed decorating, really. It had been a B&B and was typically Provençal; heavily decorated with strong blues and yellows and lots of tiles. We took it from that to a much more modern Frenchstyle of living.”

The pair did a lot of painting to pare it down, to get to the bare bones of the house so that they would be happy here. With Linda’s on-trend eye for detail, the couple has created a contemporary-French-look way of living that feels very natural. “We didn’t do a lot structurally as it’s quite a new house (1980s build), although it looks older than it is. I’ve used a very easy palette of soft greys and natural materials… linen, pale stone and terracotta. It’s very clean and quite relaxed. It’s a gentle approach which reflects the very natural area that we are in, here on the hillside.”

They also introduced lots of timber decking. “That’s the business that Chris and Mike are in, supplying tiles and decking to interior designers and architects through their company, Alfresco Floors. So, we created lovely sun decks and tidied up the garden.”

With long, refectory-style tables for dining and gorgeous, big chandeliers from Belgium, the glamorous villa positively oozes the English designer’s impeccable style and taste. Linda loves scouring the antiques markets, vide-greniers (attic sales) and brocantes (flea markets) to furnish her stunning home and reveals a few of her other favourite finds. “Candelabras, tables and chairs, plus a few other bits and pieces. I love going to the MAISON&OBJET trade show in Paris and I’m a great one for looking around all the attic sales in France and the antiques markets are great - I

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Surrounded by beautiful, oversized lanterns, the colonnaded swimming pool is a striking feature and the villa also boasts a boules court and BBQ courtyard, plus a pond full of fish and turtles. “The arches around the pool were actually filled in, which was kind of strange, so we opened them all up and put timber decking down over the crazy paving floor. Our beautiful pond is home to carp, or large goldfish, I think, which are huge now, so they’ve kind of grown up with us and the turtles make an appearance every summer.”

In this part of the world, barbequing outside in the summer months is banned due to the fire risks, especially here, in the middle of woodland.

Linda’s dedicated BBQ area is, therefore, the perfect answer for alfresco dining. “With it all being contained in the courtyard, it makes a lovely place to sit around the fire and have dinner.”

Off-the-beaten-track monasteries & mountaintop villages…

With fabulous views over the French countryside, the villa is fairly remote and very private, surrounded by vineyards and rivers. It’s home to numerous hidden gems, including delightful hilltop villages. Linda’s favourite things to do? “We take long, long walks… there are some great ones around the hills above the house and a four-hour walk away up into the hills, there’s a beautiful Carthusian monastery, called La Chartreuse de la Verne. There are bikes here at the house, so I cycle quite a lot. We also have lovely decks for yoga… it’s a very healthy place. Another of the many wonderful things here are the clear night skies, which are perfect for stargazing and satellite spotting.”

Although it’s secluded, and hidden up in the hills, La Môle is a great gateway for visiting the more touristy areas of the Var and beyond and Linda and Chris enjoy exploring. “Last year, we went up to the Gorge du Verdon, which is incredible. All those little villages around there, such as Cotignac, are really beautiful. We’re less driven to visit the big cities; it’s more about exploring the mountain-top villages, the little villages of Ramatuelle and La Croix-Valmer… all of those places are amazing; I love it around there. They’re off the beaten track and absolutely gorgeous. I also love Toulon and Port Grimaud.”

St. Tropez… a French Riviera hotspot Put on the map by Brigitte Bardot in the 50’s, the nearby village of St. Tropez has attracted the A-list for decades. “We’re just 20 km from St. Tropez, which is REALLY exciting… I love it! It’s a very beautiful place and is well known for all that money and that lavish lifestyle, but I think it’s got a fabulous Bohemian edge to it as well, which is hugely appealing to me. That lovely kind of wafting around with your floaty dress and sandals, carrying your straw Provençal bag, wandering around the market…

I love the St. Tropez market, every Saturday and Tuesday, and just enjoy people watching. I think it’s such a special place.”

Although it’s just a tiny fishing village, St. Tropez is a hotspot for celebs, who head here for the hedonistic lifestyle every summer. “It’s kind of trapped and can’t really expand, which is part of its charm,” says Linda.

“So, you can dip into all that energy and lavishness, the boats over the

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P R O F I L E summer, then a quick, half-hour drive brings you back into the countryside and hills, so we have the best of both worlds.”

The jaw-droppingly beautiful Côte d’Azur coastline boasts numerous world-famous beaches, including those of star-studded Cannes and the capital of the French Riviera, Nice, but Linda prefers the lesser-known stretches of sand. “What’s wonderful about where we are is that it’s an easy drive to all the beaches and bars. The beaches are beautiful. We don’t tend to go to the ones in St. Tropez… there’s Pampelonne beach if you want it, and we sometimes go there, but those beaches get very busy in the summer. We frequent beaches like Le Rayol (our nearest - literally up and over the hillside), Le Lavandou and Cavalaire…. It’s a very rugged coastline and we enjoy exploring it.”

Wining & dining… French style As a keen cook, Linda loves French cuisine and enjoys shopping at the local markets for mouth-watering ingredients. “There are great food markets and the food is SO fresh. Local shops sell delicious tomatoes, melons… they probably have around 15 different types of tomato! It’s so nice.”

She loves entertaining and often hosts at the villa. “I love the Provençal way of life and have a big family and it’s very much about shopping at the market and bringing food back and we’ll all cook at home, as it’s much easier when there are 16-18 of us in the house. We’re all cooks and we like it that way. I’d love to grow my own fruit and veg, but we’re not here often enough to look after them.”

Her favourite dishes include the tapenade and something that’s very typical of the area, the anchoïade. “It comes in a big pannier (basket) or on a piece of cork. It’s full of fresh vegetables, usually a whole cauliflower or whole pepper or boiled eggs, and arrives as a big kind of table piece with an anchoïade dip for all your fresh vegetables.”

She also loves the local soups. “Especially fish soup with rouille and Emmental cheese, and, of course, they do fish so well here, the sea bass… we love doing simple cooking on the barbecue and the chicken is just wonderful here, too. I enjoy going to the fish market in St. Tropez, but the local supermarkets all have their promotions on the catch-of-the-day.

Géant Casino at La Foux in Gassin and E.Leclerc in Cogolin are the big ones. We also have the most fabulous, award-winning boulangerie in La Môle. Their bread is extraordinary and people travel from miles around to buy it. We have a tiny market with farmers selling local home-grown produce, too. It’s usually just three stalls on a Thursday, with vegetables, salamis and saucissons (sausages).”

When it comes to wine, it’s rosé territory here and Linda and Chris visit lots of local vineyards. “We found a lovely guy called Bruno, who has a vineyard on the way to Cogolin. He’s also bought a strip of land on the road up to our house from La Môle. His wine, Val d’Astier, is lovely. He’s a wonderful gentleman and we’ve got to know him quite well. They’re passionate about le terroir (the soil) in this region and Bruno harvests grapes during a full moon and carries out all that kind of agricultural practice that many people have forgotten about. It’s fabulous!”

Presidents & princesses… in La Môle!

The couple has several local go-to eateries, one of which is a particularly special find. “There are some sweet little places to dine at in the village and it has one of the most beautiful restaurants, L’Auberge de La Môle, which is very successful and very famous. All the presidents eat there and Princess Diana ate one of her last meals in France there. It’s good home cooking, a set menu and all cash! The president has a residence at Brégançon beach, and the auberge is en route to his summer residence, so lots of people stop there. It’s really on the map for people who want to eat very well, in a very country kind of way.”

Learning the lingo…

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Having studied French at school, Linda loves brushing up on the language whenever she’s here. “I get by on that kind of ‘restaurant’ French. I try to hone a bit of new vocabulary every time I come here. I’m always a bit rusty before I arrive, but the more you use it, the better it gets, and everyone loves it when you have a go. So, it’s nice to cycle down to the boulangerie and local veg markets for a chat with the guys who run them, because if there are 18 of us in house, that’s 36 croissants!!”

She loves socialising with the locals and often gets involved in local fêtes.

“It’s lovely because there’s a tiny 3km track road up to the neighbours’ house, so we walk up and down early in the morning and you pass people on the road. It’s not a touristy village, it’s very French and everyone here’s working, so you meet a lot of people and it’s nice to have a chat as you go.

That sense of community is very strong.”

La Môle has a fête, Cogolin has vides greniers and Grimaud has regular antiques markets, which are all on Linda’s agenda. “They’re really good fun.

La Môle also has a newsletter, so if we’re around when there’s something going on, whether it’s music or art, we’ll go.”

Linda uses the villa as a vacation home and also rents it out. “We come out of season and early in the season, Easter time, to open it up, clear away the cobwebs and steam clean from top to bottom to make sure it’s beautiful and looking at its best, ready for guests.”

La Môle has a tiny airfield, which can be reached by private jet or helicopter transfer from Nice and Marseilles airports. “You can fly with CityJet from London’s City Airport direct to Toulon, or from Southampton direct to Toulon, but going out of London now, we fly to Nice or Marseilles.

We’ve never helicoptered in, but that would be an absolute joy!”

Partying in Provence… Woodstock style!

The highlights of her times here? “Oh, the big parties… my husband’s 50th, my niece’s 18th… the house does parties very well. I’m from a big family and, along with my daughter, Jessica, my brother and my sister come and my nieces and nephews. They all love it here. It’s a very robust, very strong six-double-bedroom house that can look after a lot of people… it’s not precious at all. We’ll be dancing at midnight… it’s so private, you can pretty much put the speakers outside and blast your music out.”

Linda particularly loves le jour le plus long on 21st June, when France celebrates La Fête de la Musique. “You’re allowed to play music as loud as you want, all night long, and let rip… and we do! My family is very musical and my niece is a musician, so we have lots of live music. We have our own version of Woodstock, which we call “Molestock”! We even have t-shirts printed up for it! Our music festivals have seen friends from Grimaud and even our estate agent, who helped us purchase the house and is also a musician, come from Saint-Raphaël with his band, and a friend from Cogolin came once and played the mandolin… Really amazing times...”

It sounds totally idyllic… Are there any downsides to life here? “It’s wild boar territory, so we’re occasionally woken up by wild boar coming across the property with their piglets, which is lovely, but they dig up the lawn for roots and wreak havoc! We’ve put a ring, what we call a ‘pig fence’, around the house to stop them coming in. We see their little footprints around occasionally.”

Your very own slice of life on the French Riviera…

Linda has lots of advice for readers thinking about purchasing a property in Provence. “It’s wonderful! It doesn’t necessarily suit everyone, but buying with our mates has been a fantastic experience. It’s lovely to be able to share lots of things and travel together with friends. A lot of people are perhaps put off by that, and people did warn me against buying property with friends, saying, ‘It’s not your family and you’re not going to agree on everything and you might fall out…’, but it has actually been the most

wonderful, positive experience. It has meant that we’ve been able to get a bigger property than we would have been able to afford, in a very glamorous location.”

She says the purchase was straightforward and they have never experienced any problems here. “It’s been a great house for us and it’s a very safe place to live. The house is really special and Vanessa and Mike have become a part of our family and a part of how Chris and I live our lives.

So, it has created a different experience and has been amazing.”

As for the rental market for the villa, she says it’s a very short window for renting a place out in St. Tropez. “People essentially only want the season, to only be here in July and August, which is crazy, because it’s so beautiful out of high season, at Easter time and in September and October.”

She says they have six weeks of bookings this year, which is normal. “The villa sleeps 12 and we usually rent it out as self-catering, but it can be booked fully staffed. We have someone to do the housekeeping and turn around the property if we’ve had people in, making sure it’s ship shape, and then we put it to bed at the end of the season and make sure everything’s locked up and tidy.”

Since it’s a large property, Linda says if it’s a Saturday turnaround all hands are needed on deck. Guests leave at 10am and the new party arrives at 4pm. “So, it’s quite a lot of work and we have local people who look after that side of things and let guests know about things like pool alarms, what to do if the power blows (which it often does in France), or if there’s a storm.”

So, what’s next for Villa de la Verne? “I find Carol Drinkwater’s books about life on her olive farm in Provence hugely inspiring. I adore them and just fell in love with her writing! I can almost FEEL her house, the lemons and the olives... She’s hugely inspiring and has made me want to plant some olive trees!!”

Dreamy days in St. Tropez…

Linda’s perfect day in Provence? “It would have to involve going to St. Tropez market, wearing my sandals and something light and ‘linen-y’ over a bikini, traipsing around the market, buying local tapenade dip and some fresh veg, then sitting on a beautiful, tiny, rugged beach like Le Rayol to eat it, followed by some swimming then back to the house. We’d have lots of people round, so there’d be the sound of everyone getting ready for dinner, with everybody mucking in… My daughter, nieces and nephews, they’d all be cooking, while others would be preparing the apéritifs, setting the lovely thick, wooden tables and putting candles everywhere, and someone would be picking flowers from the garden to display… all very simple. Then, we’d have a wonderful dinner, with music and dancing.”

When it’s finally time to hang up the paintbrush, does Linda think she might retire here? “I’d like to spend more time here, but I’ve definitely got my feet in the UK. To share time here and there is what really resonates with me. A couple of months here would be magical… That would be an amazing thing to do!”

FACTBOX Linda is the Creative Director for Wren Kitchens. Check out her recipe for anchoïade on her video blog for Wren: www.wrenkitchens.com/blog/ linda-loves-spring-salad/. To rent Linda’s villa, visit: www.villadelaverne. com. It can also be rented via Owners Direct: www.ownersdirect.co.uk/ accommodation/p8059637. A private chef and transfers can be arranged on request. Alfresco Floors Ltd: alfrescofloors.co.uk

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B E A U T Y

The Big Boom in Korean Beauty | By Debbi K. Kickham

The rising popularity of Korean beauty products – commonly called K-Beauty – is exploding all over the USA, and all over the world. And it’s easy to see why. The South Koreans have a different perspective on how to care for their skin, and we found out all about it from Dr. Craig Kraffert, a board-certified dermatologist and president of Amarte – and also the founder of DermStore! http://www.amarteskincare.com/products What makes K-beauty so different? According to Dr. Kraffert, all Koreans – men too but especially women – “view the care of skin as something to savor and enjoy….When it comes to daily skincare regimens, the ‘sense of urgency’ and compulsion to hurry and finish are typically absent.” In other words, the Koreans love to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the skincare process, and they view it as a privileged activity of indulgence, enjoyment and respect.

Quite a difference from we rushed Americans, who typically eat breakfaston-the-go and apply lipstick in the passenger seat in the car.

Amarte is a leader in Korean skincare, and is famous for a few of its cult products. The first is the Amarte Natural Finish BB Cream, which moisturizes with argan oil, brightens with elemental sulfur, protects with broad spectrum SPF 36, and tints with fine mineral pigments.

The Koreans love to layer! Another trending Amarte beauty product is Overnight Express Therapy, which uses a silk fibroin that is a sponge-like nanomatrix, to deliver retinol and peptides to your skin while you sleep.

Sweet dreams! The Amarte Ultra Veil is another showstopper – probably the most elegant sunscreen you will ever wear.

Another Korean line with fantastic skincare is Laneige. Says Chinae Kim, LANEIGE Senior Marketing Manager, “Without a doubt, K-Beauty products are in high demand now and we don’t expect this trend to slow down any time soon. In addition to potent ingredients and effective products that provide multiple skincare benefits, K-Beauty products appeal to US consumers with their innovative delivery forms, creative packaging and engaging marketing campaigns.”

Furthermore, the ombre/gradient makeup category is growing fast in Korea. Laneige has brought this innovation to the US with the recent launch of Two Tone lipstick products that will be available on Sephora. com in June. The lipstick’s fashionable high gloss and semi-matte formula combines two curated shades in one sleek tube.

One of my favorites from Laneige is its Water Bank Moisture Cream, which is enriched with mineral water, Biogen technology and minerals to impart nutrients to your skin. This remarkable product has won more than seven Global Beauty Awards. www.LANEIGE.com/us. I’m also in love with the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask that delivers intense doses of moisture to your dermis while you cozy up under your comforter and snooze. It’s also infused with apricot and evening primrose. (One is sold every 12 seconds worldwide.) Last but not least, Laneige has a complementary Lip Sleeping Mask that is like putting fresh strawberries on your smackers – but also contains hyaluronic acid and minerals. You’ll wake up to wonderful, kiss-worthy lips – and who doesn’t love that?

For baby-soft skin, consider Tatcha’s Balancing Ritual for normal to oily skin. There are four steps: Purifying with camellia oil; Polishing with rice enzyme power; Softening with anti-aging superfoods (I’m all in for that!); and Moisturizing with the water cream. Dermatologist tested and formulated without mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, sulfate detergents, urea – and the other so called “dirty 30” you don’t want to use on your skin. www.Tatcha.com From Catherine Jinn comes Pro Bio-Placenta Essence, a skin rejuvenating serum with five unique peptides to support thin, fragile skin. Parabenfree, this serum from Korea minimizes the appearance of expression lines and wrinkles, and mimics the benefits offered from human placenta. Try it to pamper your way to porcelain, perfect skin. http://catherinejinn. com/#s-about-us And just when you thought you could only turbocharge your car, now comes Vitabrid C12, from Hyundai IBT Company in Seoul. Their star product, Vitabrid C12 FACE Brightening Powder, is a transdermal Vitamin C that you mix with water or your favorite skin cream, to revitalize, brighten, and rev up your facial skin cells. It’s also a COSMOPROF “Trendsetting Award Winner” whose Vitamin C is bound to stimulate collagen production. This summer, the time is ripe to try it. www. vitabrid.com Now go out there and show off your peaches-and-cream complexion!

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SOUTH AFRICA

| By HelĂŠne Ramackers

The ritual of bathing started centuries ago. An age-old tradition, bathing is the washing of the body with a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution, or the immersion of the body in water. Bathing can take place in any situation where there is water, ranging from warm to cold. It can take place in a bathtub or shower, or it can be in a river, lake, water hole, pool or the sea, or any other water receptacle. Upscale Living sourced the most Exquisite Baths in some extraordinary locations in South Africa.

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OCEAN HOUSE, DE HOOP NATURE RESERVE, CAPE PROVINCE The luxury 4-bedroom oceanfront house is the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding fynbos and the added benefit of seasonal whale watching. Here, in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, you are surrounded by 88,957 acres of coastal reserve, with a 31 mile stretch of beaches and the gratifyingly warm water of the Indian Ocean.

Ocean House is the perfect escape throughout the year as the house is luxuriously furnished with all the trimmings that you can expect from a 5-star property. Proudly ‘off the grid’, the eco design’s innovation is powered by solar energy, reducing environmental pressure while sustaining all the modern conveniences on offer. With a ‘no schedule’ motto, you are free to sand board off the dunes, embark on a marine hike or savour the mouth-watering cuisine expertly prepared by your own private chef.

From your bathroom window, you can take in the incredible view of the ocean stretch while relaxing in the fragrant bubbles of your Africology product of choice. You might even spot a feathered friend coming to greet you from the outside windowsill in this birdwatchers paradise.

For the naturalist, immerse yourself into the soothing suds in the original Dutch Tub manufactured by Weltevree. Up to four people can bathe here while the water temperature is maintained by wood fire.

From this unique setting surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature, the only question beckons – did you remember the Champagne? http://www.morukuru.com/places/ocean-house/

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LONDOLOZI PRIVATE GRANITE SUITES, SABI SAND GAME RESERVE The contemporary flair and elegance portrayed at Londolozi’s Private Granite Suites bears testament to the raw beauty that is evident in the surrounding area. A mixture of silver, charcoal and elephant grey used in the interiors, maximise the bold features of the expulsion of granite rocks bordering the lodge.

Large doors and windows allow unparalleled vistas of the wildlife roaming freely in the unfenced property while added emphasis is placed on space, light and privacy. Discerning travellers have a choice of only three suites, making it the perfect place for an exclusive getaway.

Bathing at Granite Suites is a real treat as guests are pampered with the 1926 Londolozi Fragrance range, lovingly created by ‘the mother of Londolozi’, Shan Varty. The ingredients are inspired by Africa’s seasonal abundance and promise the signature Londolozi Scent. It is created with pure essential oils, big citrus aromas and early undertones.

The local herb, Wild Basil (Ocimum Can) gives an attractive aromatic quality while avocado oil as a main ingredient is high in vitamins A,D and E. All ingredients used are bio-degradable and natural. The range is presented in deep amber glass vials, which are fully recyclable. Guests enjoying this river view bath witness the running waters of the Sand river folding its way off the granite rocks. https://www.londolozi.com/en/accommodation/private-granitesuites/

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andBeyond PHINDA MOUNTAIN LODGE, KWAZULU NATAL This Big Five safari destination will capture your heart the moment you arrive at andBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge. Boasting some of the best landscapes views in the world, the variety of unique adventure safaris accessible from here makes it a truly magical place to rest your head.

Home to 1 000 hectares of Africa’s remaining rare dry sand forest, the reserve is situated in close proximity to the unspoiled beaches and spectacular coral reefs of the Indian Ocean, offering an unmatched combination of bush and beach adventures.

With wraparound views of the spectacular Ubombo mountain range and the surrounding Zululand bush, andBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge is a dramatic safari destination. It boasts 16 suites, three family cottages and the exclusive family suite that crest the mountain’s edge, offering breath-taking raptor’s eye views of the reserve below.

An incredible panorama unfolds each time you open the doors to your magnificently positioned suite, where sweeping vistas make you feel that you’re soaring like an eagle. Notwithstanding the never-ending blue expanse of the South African sky mottled with an endless supply of twinkling stars.

In your beautifully appointed bathroom, you become one with nature while feeling on top of the world. Your freestanding bath is positioned to maximise your viewing pleasure and while you sink into the warm confines of your tub, take a moment to enjoy what this spectacular property has to offer. http://www.andbeyond.com/phinda-mountain-lodge/ 43 Upscale Living Magazine |

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MORUKURU OWNER’S HOUSE, MADIKWE, NORTH WEST PROVINCE Setting foot in the oversized dwelling at Morukuru Owner’s House, you will feel perfectly at home. Built as a private retreat for the owners, they decided this two- bedroomed home was too good not to share. A perfect escape from the hustle and bustle, peace is evident when you are encircled by the Morukuru trees and nature’s bounty.

An architectural masterpiece, African and European styles are intertwined to create an oasis of modern excellence. Whether reclining by the infinity pool or taking some me-time in one of the hidden nooks, you will feel wholly restored at Morukuru Owner’s House.

Ideal for honeymooners, couples or a small family, Morukuru Owner’s House is nestled between the Morukuru trees, surrounded by decks and balconies, offering plenty of peaceful nooks to hide off alone, or to gather for wonderful al fresco meals. Whether reclining together by your infinity pool, or alone in your private elevated sala, or just lying in bed with the doors wide open, the combination of dappled shade and the sound of nature is deeply recuperative.

With privacy being the operative word, you are encouraged to make the most of the beautiful freestanding bath on your wooden veranda.

Tree branches form a canopy to shield you from the curious glances of vervet monkeys, wondering if they could join you while you soak to your heart’s content. Lanterns cast just enough light to add to the aura of romance while Africology products add to the sensory delight of a star-spangled sky up above. http://www.morukuru.com/places/ownershouse/

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THE OYSTER BOX, KWAZULU-NATAL Overlooking the glorious Indian Ocean, The Oyster Box has found its most precious ‘pearl’ in the opulence of the Presidential Suite. You will find yourself in the lap of luxury when your butler ushers you into your luxurious accommodations, which is split over two levels, ensuring you are undisturbed with private access and a lift.

The seamless flow of your ground-floor suite links the living room and dining areas together and includes a bar and well-equipped kitchen where your personal chef can prepare something for you to feast on.

Here you can entertain ten guests in your own dining room or poolside along your private rim-flow swimming pool. For the even greater feeling of space, the Suite offers and additional bedroom downstairs.

The pièce de résistance is the upstairs master bedroom, with a comfortable seating area and cosy study. Furnished with marble and white Caesar stone, the cooling interior creates a feeling of calm and tranquillity.

Two lavish marble bathrooms - his and hers - with hers offering unsurpassed sea views for luxury and serenity beyond compare. With a Vanity desk, hairdryer, magnifying and make-up mirrors as well as a walk-in closet, you might never want to leave.

Your magnificent freestanding bath overlooks the ocean and you can feast your eyes on the incredible sunsets while sipping on your glass of chilled champagne. If you don’t feel like running your own bath, your bath butler will oblige and fragrance it with the fabulous B|Africa range, exclusive to Red Carnation Hotels in South Africa. https://www.oysterboxhotel.com/

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Throw a PARTY! 10 delightful designer plates | By Smitha Sadanandan

Channel a contemporary aesthetic with an inspired new collection of designer tableware at your next dinner party.

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Rose and Gold, Suite One Studio 48 32 Upscale Living Magazine |

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Madeira, Costa Nova 50 Upscale Living Magazine |

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Dolce Vita, Bernardaud

Marie Daâge Belle de Nuit, Bonadea 51 Upscale Living Magazine |

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I’m Off To Join The Circus, Nimerology

La Linea Décor, Vetrofuso

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Crane, Catchii

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Vacation at the World's Most Luxurious

Castles

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| By Tim Cotroneo

id you know that you can vacation in an authentic medieval castle? We’re talking a castle worthy of royalty.

Does residing in a castle prompt images of Sleeping Beauty, the Royal Family, or even Harry Potter?

Luxurious castles, dating back centuries, are available for your next five-star vacation. It’s just a

matter of matching the right castle to your personal wishes.

Discover castles with legendary stories, interiors worthy of a king and queen, and grounds that make you feel like you’re stepping into a real-life fairy tale.

Whether your dream involves Scotland, Ireland, or Italy, there’s a castle waiting to treat like a member of the noble family.

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Skibo Castle Dornoch, Scotland It’s easy to namedrop once you’ve stayed at Skibo Castle. Andrew Carnegie transformed this 13th century estate into a residence he called, “Heaven on Earth.” Since Carnegie infused his millions into Skibo’s 8,000-acres of Scottish Highlands, this Edwardian castle has played host to Ecclesiastic Bishops, Sean Connery, and Madonna’s wedding ceremony.

Diversions abound at this castle overlooking beautiful Lake Louise. When you’re not luxuriating in one of Skibo’s 21 guest rooms, you can indulge in horseback riding, spa treatments, boating excursions, or golf on the 18-hole Carnegie Links.

Skibo’s unique atmosphere blends ancient Scottish history with today’s latest technology. From the moment you enter the castle’s ornate great hall, you’ll find this land of heather and hill to be an unforgettable vacation experience. http://www.carnegieclub.co.uk

Skibo Castle The Carnegie Club Dornoch, IV25 3RQ, Scotland Tel. +01862 894 600 55 Upscale Living Magazine |

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Duns Castle Edinburgh, Scotland If getting married in a castle is your romantic ideal, then reserve Duns Castle, one of Scotland’s preeminent sites for nuptials. With 12 bedrooms and a tower dating back to the 1300s, this sublimely kept residence is where romance and history become one.

Owned and operated by the Hay family since 1696, Duns Castle burst on the hospitality scene this year when Disney offered a free stay as part of their Beauty and the Beast movie promotion. The fortress is considered the closest to a fairy tale existence in all of Scotland.

Voted a finalist for Scotland’s Romantic Wedding Venue of the Year, the 1200-acre Duns Castle surroundings feature stunning woodlands, gardens, and two man-made lakes. The Duns area scenery is so colorful that the castle is a favored spot for art workshops throughout the year. http://dunscastle.co.uk/

Duns Castle Estate, Duns Berwickshire, Scottish Borders, TD11 3NW Tel. +441361883211 56 Upscale Living Magazine |

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Ashford Castle Cong, Ireland The most award-winning castle in all of Ireland is the Ashford Castle on the shores of Lough Corrib.

Dating back to 1228, this 83-room palace is situated on 350 acres of Irish woodland.

John Lennon, Robin Williams, and Princess Grace have all vacationed at this five-star retreat that includes a stone gate, 1,350 chandeliers, and its own falconry school. This storied former home to the Guinness family was the scene of the 1951 movie Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.

After a recent $75 million restoration, Ashford now features a new 30-seat cinema, billiards room, cigar terrace, and a spa which offers Pure Flow Technology for optimizing blood flow. Ashford’s breathtaking landscape includes a Sunken Garden, a Velvet Garden, a Walled Garden, and a Terrace Walk. https://www.ashfordcastle.com/

Ashford Castle Estate Cong, Co. Mayo F31 CA48, Ireland Tel. +353 94 954 6003 57 Upscale Living Magazine |

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Inverlochy Castle Fort William, Scotland

By Medieval standards, the pristine Inverlochy Castle is just a babe with a birthright dating back to 1863. What the 17-room Inverlochy lacks in castle longevity, it makes up for in luxury.

Inverlochy is home to exquisite culinary options, an award-winning wine list, and scenery so poignant that Queen Victoria wrote, “I never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot'.

Inverlochy makes sure that getting to this castle seated amongst the foothills of Ben Nevis is a memorable vacation chapter. The castle staff will arrange for transport via Rolls Royce chauffeur, helicopter, or by rail in a Caledonian Sleeper Car. Inverlochy has played host to Elton John, Robert Redford, and Queen Noor. Dining is one of Inverlochy’s supreme attractions thanks to Albert and Michel Roux, their legendary father and son chef team. Inverlochy’s setting is a great place to work up an appetite, as the Ben Nevis area is Ireland’s top skiing locale. During the summer season, you’ll find golfing and whitewater rafting nearby. http://inverlochycastlehotel.com Inverlochy Castle Torlundy, Fort William PH33 6SN, UK Tel. +44 1397 702177 58 Upscale Living Magazine |

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Petroia Castle Gubbio, Italy For a castle experience that is truly one-of-a-kind, consider Petroia Castle in the Umbria province of Italy. Dating back to the 1300s, this 13-room castle features rooms that catapult you back through the centuries. Each room features fresco ceilings, wooden beams, and stone arches.

The 800-acres surrounding Petroia Castle include a 10-kilometer walking path that bridges the biblical towns of Assisi and Gubbio. For an Italian adventure you’ll never forget, go truffle hunting with local farmer Cesare and his mushroom sniffing dog Stella.

Castle Petroia features a fine dining Michelin Chef, rolling hills for horseback riding, and The Silencea legendary quietness that permeates the Gubbio hillside.

It’s Time for Your Castle Vacation So whether you prefer to vacation in Scotland, Ireland, or Italy, you can expect royal once-ina-lifetime experiences at Skibo, Duns, Ashford, Inverlochy, and Petroia castles. http://www.petroia. it/pagine/petroia-castle Petroia Castle Loc. Petroia - 06024 Gubbio (PG) - ITALY Tel. +39 075 920287 59 Upscale Living Magazine |

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ARCHITECTURAL PLANNING J. Armando Leyva 253-653-6815

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Coconut grove Elegance Living in the heart of Coconut Grove

The two-story, single family home is located at 1641 S. Bayshore Drive in the Coconut Grove neighborhood in Miami.

The 10,684 square-foot residence encompasses six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two partial baths, office, family room, and Florida Room.

Features include 24 foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling impact windows, marble and wood flooring throughout. An elevator gives residents direct access from the six-car garage to the common areas or the master bedroom. A heated infinity pool and a summer kitchen with a built-in grill complete the 30,375 square foot lot. Click here to see the video.

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Blackstone Ranch A magnificent ranch nestled in the mountains of Taos, New Mexico

AVAILABLE FOR SHOWING | A STUNNING 30 BEDROOMS 190 ACRES RANCH | OFFERED AT $55 MILLION This 27,300 sq ft ranch is nestled in the mountains of Taos, New Mexico, and sits on 190 acres of sustainable farming land. The Blackstone Ranch was built for the adventurer, the artist, entrepreneur, visionary and anyone looking to escape to paradise. Constructed in 2004, the ranch is fully furnished with hand-crafted designs, boasts 30 bedrooms, 4 kitchens and event capacity of 150. Property includes 15 buildings total, private drive, an orchard, greenhouse, outdoor gardens, a horse barn, a livestock barn, and a view that is as breathtaking as it is unbelievable. This magnificent property is like no other and is waiting to welcome you home. Visit www.bsrtaos.com for extensive information regarding the Blackstone Ranch and your opportunity to experience tranquility.

For buyer information contact Laura Guncheon | 814.528.9024 email: LGuncheon@eriemg.com | www.bsrtaos.com

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AZURA Selous Tanzanian Gem | By HelĂŠne Ramackers

Azura Retreats are synonymous with style, comfort and exclusivity. With only three properties dotted over the Eastern side of Africa, you will have to search far and wide to find resorts with more flair.

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W

hen owners, power couple Stella and Christopher Bettany decided to switch from pinstriped suits to beach attire, a dream was born. Their idea was simple – find something so remote that you have no alternative but to relax entirely, was fraught with ‘where should we start looking’.

Hailing from the incessantly chilly British climate and after numerous visits to Mozambique, they recognised the enormous potential of this undisturbed jewel off the East Coast of Africa.

For them, establishing a resort in Africa was a no-brainer; Stella loves diving and Christopher loves fishing; they were always going to start with the islands.

“The Mozambique Minister of Tourism put us in touch with Gabriel, our local partner to be, who needed to upgrade his backpackers to a 5-star tourism establishment,” Stella recalls. “After many challenges and countless visits to find the ideal location, we comprehended the significance of an island location and somewhere with community goals, like building a school before starting construction on the hotel.”

Their perseverance, clever business plan and a signed agreement in place, saw the foundations being laid for their very first property - Azura Benguerra in 2007, followed by Azura Quilalea in 2011.

Things don’t always go according to plan when starting a business, especially one involving construction in such a far-off setting that you eventually have no choice but to manufacture your own bricks. “The logistical challenges are enormous,” Stella remembers. “The most important part is to acquire a site and have the right paperwork to start operating, which is usually a two year process due to consultations with the community and dealing with different levels of government. Coming from the banking world, we like to do things by the book. Building and operating remotely come with huge obstacles.

At Azura Benguerra, we made all our own bricks - everything came in by boat, apart from sand.

In all our properties we have to create our own power and water before we even get started.”

Community involvement is a core aspect at Azura and rather than bring in outside contractors with no benefit to the local community, they trained the local islanders in vital building skills which will enable them to find new employment in the booming construction industry going forward. They built Azura by hand, using just one cement mixer and one truck in the construction - with everything other than sand for the building coming in by fleets of local dhows to aid the community.

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made locally, the roofing jekka obtained from local women who Azura established in their own business to supply them.

With two Indian Ocean Island properties faring swimmingly, they set their sights further into Africa – to be more specific the untouched jewel of Tanzania.

“We were looking for somewhere to twin with Azura Quilalea, as so many of our clients have the desire to do a bush and beach holiday,” says Stella. “Selous is the closest game reserve to Quilalea that ticks all the Azura boxes. It is the oldest game reserve in Africa, older even than Kruger National Park and a Unesco site. Due to its limitlessness, it provides a sense of space and isolation on safari which is very rare to find in this day and age. I think it’s priceless. We looked at several new opportunities, but fell in love with an existing camp in a remote area of the Selous, where we could create a very private game safari experience. It had the blueprint to be an Azura, with spacious villas and private plunge pools, and an amazing location overlooking the hippos of the Great Ruaha River. I love space. A feeling of being totally on your own with Africa.

With no camps nearby, and a vastly varied terrain to discover, that’s exactly what you get at Azura Selous, plus we are predator central with our lions and wild dogs. My children loved the guides, who are just brilliant with kids. They see themselves as mini-guides and spend hours chatting away with them, before falling asleep to the sway of the Land Rover and being gently carried back to their beds by the guides. They begged us to buy it and make it an Azura.”

The African country of Tanzania has always been on my bucket list. Not only because of the animal attraction, but for the liberation of one’s mind when met by the overwhelming expanse of wilderness. After an extensive renovation at Azura Selous followed by an invitation to visit, I start preparing for the trip.

Packed and raring to go, I board the plane from Cape Town International Airport, winging my way to O.R. Tambo International Airport. A delay at the airline causes a ripple effect, landing me at Dar Es Salaam over an hour late. Thankfully the Auric Air flight has not yet departed and the friendly pilot and two very irate copassengers have been waiting for us. The Cessna Caravan is our transport from Dar Es Salaam to the Sumbazi Airstrip and in the capable hands of Captain Ehrard Opperman, we set off over Tanzania. I occupy the seat next to the pilot and am awe-struck by the enormity of the 56,400 square mile landscape that is all around me. The sun is setting over the escarpment and 55 minutes later, we land to a very warm welcome by the Azura Selous team.

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The reception at the lodge is even happier; everyone greets us with smiling faces and friendly handshakes. Our guide for the duration of our stay is Vitus, our hosts are Kashimili and Hassan and my housekeeper is Witness. After a debriefing of the facilities at Azura Selous, I am shown to my Villa, Villa number 6. The very luxurious tented dwelling has a feature entrance and is elephant themed. My large bedroom is to the left with a view of the river and is exquisitely furnished in shades of white, green and beige. My bathroom is to the right and the stone finishes add to the ‘letting the outside in’ element.

The double vanities overlook the Ruaha River and from my glass enclosed shower cubicle with Hans Grohe amenities, I hope I am able to spot a hippo frolicking in the distance during the daytime.

It is time for dinner and tonight we dine overlooking the river. With a choice of cream of pumpkin soup or feta and spinach parcel with walnut cream sauce for Starters, Main course consisting of Grilled local fish with pineapple relish, deep fried calamari ball, red pepper emulsion, julienne greens, pumpkin puree or Grilled lamb chops, caponata vegetables, onion puree, fondant potatoes and jus and Dark chocolate tart for dessert, it was a delicious evening to say the least.

After dinner, we relax in the lounge area where you can end the evening with your drink of choice while uploading pics on Instagram, Facebook or just checking your e-mails.

The Askari (Maasai warrior) is waiting to escort me to my room. You are not allowed to wander around on your own after dark or before sunrise as chances are you might encounter an animal in camp. Not sure who would get the bigger fright!

After a cleansing shower, I retire to my turned down bed with the dropped mosquito netting and the ceiling fan cooling the room down. The sound of the river lulls me to sleep and before nodding off completely, a hippo grunts, sending me to dreamland.

We are scheduled for an early morning game drive and once my Askari has walked me to the game drive vehicle, we depart to see what we can find. The radio communication between Vitus and Joseph sounds very animated and at that very moment, I wish I can understand Swahili.

We spot a ground hornbill in the bare branches of a tree, a colourful lilac-breasted roller and an Impala ram.

Suddenly Vitus tells us to ‘hold on’ as he speeds up the vehicle, intent on getting us to where Joseph has directed him. He turns the corner and slams on the brakes. The pungent stench fills the

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gazpacho, beetroot, brie & roasted red onion salad, fish cakes with coleslaw and lemon tart.

‘Time at leisure’ has me taking a stroll to my room, where in the heat of the day, I want to try the outside shower, but instead opt for the private plunge pool with its refreshing water. It is wonderful just lounging in the water, enjoying the facilities Azura Selous has to offer.

early morning air. Then we see the first one and hear the sound of bones breaking. It’s a pack of African Wild Dogs feasting on an Impala they had just killed. There’s a skirmish as they fight for the last morsels and before long, the vultures swoop in and make their presence known.

Breakfast is set up next to the Ruaha River and from my seat I can see the mother hippo walking about on the exposed sandbank, with a baby hippo following her. Glass jars filled with fresh fruit covered in yoghurt and granola is served as well as frittata, sausages and juice.

As we head back to the lodge, the sky is littered with the impressive wingspan of a variety of scavenging birds. A loud squeal pierces the air and then we see them again – the Wild Dogs in playful mode while some are trying to sleep off their meal.

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In the early evening, we make our way to the riverbanks for sundowners. Kashimili opens a bottle of the owner’s French bubbly and ‘cheers!’ are exclaimed as we watch the last rays of the sun sinking into the horizon.

Dinner is on the deck next to the pool and the food is once again delicious.

After a good night’s sleep, we depart on our morning game drive. As the sun makes its appearance, the statuesque shape of a Baobab tree is offset by the moody sky. We spot the usual suspects – Impala, Wildebeest and the beautiful Masai Giraffe. A bush breakfast is followed by a hearty lunch at the lodge after which we are free to do as we wish. A sudden torrential downpour makes everyone scurry for shelter, but the sound and smell of the rain reminds me of the Toto Song ‘Africa’, in which they sing ‘God bless the rains down in Africa’.

Time for a siesta I decide. I wake up at 05:40 am, oblivious to the fact that I had slept right through the fishing expedition and the surprise dinner. Silently ‘kicking’ myself, I decide to join the morning boat excursion on the Ruaha River.

After a quick shower and a radio request for an

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Askari, I am told that the boat cruise is no longer taking place and a walking safari is on the cards for the morning. Disappointed, I sulkily plonk myself down on the lounge cushion while Vitus embarks on his walking safari. Fifteen minutes later, he returns and between Swahili words, all I make out is ‘Simba’. “Let’s go!” he says, followed by “hold on”! Twenty minutes later, we see him – the strangest looking male lion, sitting on his own with what resembles a mohawk. These are the Masai lions and they don’t grow a full mane because of the climate. He gets up and as we follow him, he leads us to his brother who is lying fast asleep in the dry riverbed. They both start walking away, but not before looking us straight in the eye. What a rush!

It is time to pack up and head back home. The ‘bush taxi’ flies over and as the entire staff waits at the Land Rover to bid us farewell, I quietly wish that I could stay a little while longer. | Photos courtesy of Azura Retreat and Heléne Ramackers

Thank you to Lucy Mussett from Nicky Arthur PR for all the arrangements and Azura Selous for hosting us. Views expressed are the author’s own. http://www.azura-retreats.com/azura-selous

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Travel tips:

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Tanzania is a malaria area, so speak to your healthcare practitioner about prophylactics.

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Yellow fever vaccinations may be required for entry into Tanzania, depending on which country you are coming from.

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It never gets cold in the Selous due to the proximity to the Equator.

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Azura Selous is closed in April and May during the rainy season.

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It is advisable to pack light, neutral colour clothing because of the heat.

Tsetse flies are attracted to dark colours such as navy or black as well as metallic colours, shades of blue and bright colours.

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Pack a light jacket in the cooler seasons (June through to September) as it might get chilly on the morning and evening game drives.

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Remember hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, swimwear, cameras and memory cards.

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There is WiFi in the lounge area with limited bandwidth due to the satellite connection.

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If you are not from a SADC country, you will need a Visa.

You are limited by Airport security to only 100 ml of fluid in your hand luggage, be that sunscreen or water. Do not pack anything exceeding that as it will be confiscated. Also do not pack anything flammable as the same applies.

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It is not necessary to pack shampoo or conditioner as Azura Selous provides that.

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They also provide bug repellent, but if you favour a certain brand, do bring that along.

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You are welcome to bring your own currency and VISA Credit Cards are accepted as means of payment.

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HUNGRY IN EAST HAMPTON Upscale Living Magazine enjoys the last lick of Summer East Hampton style! | By Karen Holly Berliner

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ome places are destined for foodie fame. The Hamptons region can be counted amongst them. Accent on the charming village of East Hampton, voted “America’s most beautiful village” by National Geographic with the approach to the area from 27, beginning with a lovely block long pond, flanked by rows of historical inns, green acreage, specialty boutiques and of course the landmark windmill or two.

Premium restaurants add dimension and vibrancy. ...And then there’s the fabulous food...

Fresno is a contemporary bistro with its dining space colored in muted tones and lined with sleek upholstered banquettes, accented by French doors which outlet to a landscaped terrace. A zinc-topped bar completes the look. Co-owners David Loewenberg and Michael Nolan along with Executive Chef Gretchen Menser at the helm, insure a memorable meal.

A few of their signature dishes include the charred Spanish octopus with roasted garlic, white bean puree, pickled fennel, Castelvetrano olives and caper vinaigrette. Top notch entrées such as the cazuela roasted local tilefish with maitake, enoki and shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, rice noodles, lemongrass, dashi and bean sprouts round out the menu. Meals are paired perfectly with fine wines, per the in house expertise offered to guests.

Dopo La Spiaggia is a high-end Italian eatery which recently opened its second location in East Hampton following the success of their South Hampton site. This larger 3,000 square foot space features 136 seats, an outdoor seating area, an indoor fireplace and a sprawling bar. Fans of chef Marfoglia’s southern Italian cooking will recognize many of his locallysourced signature dishes as well as fresh and new menu items. Some

current menu favorites include a shaved Brussels sprout Caesar salad with toasted pine nuts. Couple this with the pan-seared halibut, faro, purple kale and chanterelle mushrooms for a perfect supper. The wine list is exceptional; specialty cocktails are fun and tasty.

The new Springs Tavern in the historic location formerly known as Wolfe’s Tavern. The new tavern features good casual food, live entertainment and a full schedule of sports viewing. The new oak bar here has eight state-ofthe-art HD and 4K televisions with a multi-zone 8-speaker sound system showing the latest sporting events including NFL Sunday Ticket and all MLB game and Premiere League Soccer games. Chef Michael Ruggiero brings his culinary experience from Hamptons hot spots including Nick & Toni’s, Harvest on Fort Pond, Fresno and Montauk Lake Club. He uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients. We start with Tavern wings with honeybourbon sauce, followed by a Tavern steak hoagie with giardiniera, au jus and horseradish cream. A desert treat is the Jackson Pollock plate with berries, pistachios, nougat, and caramelized phyllo, caramel with anglaise and fudge sauces. It is exceptionally satisfying.

Momi Ramen is a lovely dining space which showcases fresh noodles produced in house with a rich pork bone broth (tonkotsu broth). Enjoy the Yasai Gyoza, pan-seared vegetable dumplings with a fragrant house recipe dipping sauce or the deep-fried squid legs topped with seaweed flakes. The pork belly ramen bowl with bamboo shoots, scallions, shitake mushrooms and a soft boiled egg that practically melts into the broth making it velvety smooth and creamy. The textures are diverse and all join together to make for a rich and delightful treat. Finish perfectly with Green Tea Lava Cake.

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Bostwick’s Chowder House with its whimsical seasideinspired décor, its outdoor area featuring several tables with market umbrellas for patrons to relax and enjoy the summer air while dining. A full bar is available with specialty cocktails such as Bostwick Breeze with Mount Gay rum, Malibu rum, pineapple and orange juice and a splash of grenadine or the Lily Pond Lemonade with tea-infused Firefly vodka and lemonade served over ice. A nice selection of beers is available as well, featuring domestic and imported brews and wines by the glass as well as some wines by the bottles.

Start with Manhattan clam chowder and lobster bisque and baked stuffed clams. Continue your feast with their signature lobster roll and an order of the fried clam bellies. Fresh whole lobsters are offered at market price served with corn on the cob, coleslaw and drawn butter. Daily blackboard specials also offer fresh fish entrées such as potato crusted halibut, grilled Mako and beyond.  71 Upscale Living Magazine |

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The : Intimacy within A High-Powered Luxury Resort | By Anthony DeMarco 75 Upscale Living Magazine |

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When the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino opened in 1999, it upped the standard within the decadelong trend toward luxury on the Las Vegas strip.

Modeled after the historic city of Venice, the resort and convention center features a number of statement elements including architectural structures based on Venetian monuments, a canal with gondolas and a shopping center enclosed with a ceiling mural of a blue sky with white clouds.

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ore than 18 years later (an eternity in a town constantly reinventing itself ) The Venetian has not only aged well but has grown to become the world’s second-largest hotel with the addition of a second tower (Venezia), a second resortcasino complex (The Palazzo) and the Sands Convention Center.

Las Vegas is one of the few places on earth where world-class luxury can be delivered on such a massive scale and The Venetian does it better than most. With no fewer than 10 pools; a world class spa; luxury retail; big-name restaurants, bars and nightclubs; and of course a spacious casino, the resort in many ways is similar to other properties along “The Strip.” However, few are able to do it while providing a high level of intimacy. It was the last point that most impressed me and my wife, Maria, during our four-night stay.

Our two-level, 650-square-foot Luxury Suite in the all-suite hotel had a king-sized bed that looked upon a sunk-in living room with a plush couch and chairs, a work desk and a dining table. It had partial views of the 10th-floor pool and the Las Vegas Strip, backed by desert and mountains. The marble bathroom featured twin sinks, separate shower and tub, and a water closet. There’s plenty of room for two people and their belongings where a couple could spend their entire vacation—but you would miss so much.

The dawn of the 21st century began a restaurant revolution in Las Vegas that is still going strong with resort casinos launching scores of high-profiled restaurants often attached with the names of celebrity chefs. Even with all of this competition the offerings at the Venetian are diverse and compelling, particularly the aptly named “Restaurant Row” that borders the casino. The restaurateurs who set up shop there include Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.

The newest restaurant, which opened in May, is a Latin-themed eatery called Chica, crafted by celebrity chef Lorena Garcia, who The Venetian says is the first Latina chef on The Strip. If that is indeed true it’s long overdue. The restaurant is founded by the creators of Yardbird, the popular Southern-style restaurant in Miami Beach with a branch in The Venetian.

The restaurant’s Latin theme is echoed with a neutral background from light wood-tones, handmade vintage tiles and colonial-styled wrought iron, accented with pops of color from large paintings, colorful crafts and colorful seat fabric. A two-sided bar centers the space. Its menu takes its inspiration from Mexico and several South American countries. It specializes in meat and ceviche. Two standouts are the crab and shrimp salpicon and the porchetta with crispy yucca hash. Porchetta isn’t Latino, you say. Who Cares? It is a spicy, slow cooked masterpiece. For dessert you can’t go wrong with churro fried ice cream pops or the lemon bunuelos with wild berry compote and white chocolate dulce de leche.

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ocktail culture is another area of renewed popularity and creativity not only in Las Vegas but throughout the world. The Dorsey provides an appropriate club-like atmosphere for fine drinking and a contrast to the bright lights of the casino floor that it borders. The signature cocktails are well thought out. For those who like a complex whiskey drink, there’s the “A La Louisiane” with rye, Benedictine, Italian vermouth, absinthe and bitters. For those with a preference for fruit and nut with their alcohol, there’s “Let’s Elope,” with gin, fresh melon, lime and orgeat.

If there’s any place in the world with the amount and variety of luxury retail as Las Vegas, I haven’t seen it. The most iconic international luxury brands have multiple locations throughout the strip. It’s nearly impossible to be unique or standout in such an environment. However, there are two retailers in the Palazzo that provide a special experience.

The first is Bellusso Jewelers, a long strip of watch and jewelry boutiques in the Palazzo Waterfall Atrium and Gardens. The store is owned by veteran luxury retailer, Ezra Bekhor of Owner, LV Luxury Holdings, and managed by Rick Moore. Brands at the store include A. Lange & Söhne, Bulgari and Harry Winston.

Its current prized possession is the Greubel Forsey Grande Sonnerie that is expected to arrive any day. The most complicated watch from the specialist watch brand, only five will be made this year. Two are slated for the U.S. but one was presold. This makes Bellusso Jewelers the only store in the country that will be selling the watch, with its estimated price tag of approximately $1.2 million.

The other retailer of note is nearby at the entrance to the Palazzo casino, The Atrium at the Palazzo, a 16,000-square-foot store with a more diverse offering of luxury goods—everything from a blue tooth speaker in the shape of a twin exhaust module to a luxury foosball table. If it reminds you of a luxurious duty free store there’s good reason. It’s owned and operated by the Hudson Group, the largest travel retailer in North America, with 330 specialty retail shops (mostly at airport and train stations) and more than 50 duty free stores. It’s the company’s first attempt at expanding its retail model in hotels. With its buying power and expertise, it is able to 77 Upscale Living Magazine |

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stock the luxury boutique with appropriate signature products. Brands include Burberry, Dior, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tumi, MAC and Tom Ford Among its offerings are the House of Sillage Limited Passion de L’Amour, Louis XIII anniversary edition cognac and several limited edition jewels

by John Hardy. Several watch brands are also included in the product mix, including Franck Muller and Christophe Claret.

Like Bellusso, The Atrium also has a special watch in its stock: The Bovet Recital 18 The Shooting Star. The watch was created in 2016 in a limited edition of 50 pieces. This is the last one left in the world. It is an artistic and mechanical marvel with a five-day power reserve, tourbillon, jumping hours, retrograde minutes, hemispherical universal time and hemispherical double moon phase. It’s valued at more than $300,000.

Morning meals are important and most people when on vacation or working away from home have a big breakfast. However, for those who prefer a simply latte, a quality crescent and a newspaper (if you still read print). The Café Presse fits the bill nicely.

Conventions are big business in Las Vegas and the Sands Convention Center and the adjacent Congress Center ballrooms and meeting rooms.

Totaling more than 2.2 million square feet, it is one of the biggest spaces in the city to hold events. Recently the Congress Center added the “Coworking Lounge,” powered by Internet shoe retailing giant, Zappos, headquartered in Las Vegas. The 1,170-square-foot space in the shape of a glass box with modular capabilities has WIFI access that could be arranged for conferences or individual use. The leather chairs and wooden workstations are furnished by Restoration Hardware and there’s a staff that schedules the space and provides support.

Before leaving The Venetian we were in the mood for ice cream and decided to go to Espressamente Illy, a coffee and gelato bar in the Palazzo Atrium owned by the Illy Italian coffee company. We were happily surprised that the menu included the Affrogato, a wonderful Italian espresso and ice cream drink and were even happier when we discovered it was a mighty fine version. Topped with whipped cream it provided the perfect end to our stay. 

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CHITWA CHITWA Private Game Lodge SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA | By Heléne Ramackers

My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears. Suddenly my daughter shoots a dirty look my way and says through gritted teeth ‘he can sense your fear’. Little does she know it is excitement instead of fear. My favorite predator is making eye contact with me – a majestic leopard is grooming the remnants of his warthog kill off himself while we look on.

We had traversed the Sabi Sand reserve earlier in the afternoon and tracker Betuel Sithole thought he spotted leopard paw prints.

A smell so foul permeates the air that ranger Andries Mathebula exclaims we have just driven over leopard ‘poopy’. Unbeknownst to everyone on the vehicle Mr Leopard, affectionately known as Tingana, has stashed his warthog kill in the entrance to a burrow.

We smell the carcass before we see the leopard. He is having trouble extracting his meal that is stuck and is taking little bites out of the dead animal and re-emerges to chew. After a particularly intense feed where he has blood streaming down his chin, he elegantly starts his fastidious grooming process. We leave the sighting and the now unbearable stench of the decaying warthog.

Let me start at the beginning. Due to a rental car problem, we arrive at Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge much later than anticipated. Assistant general manager Dinho Pelembe arranges that our luggage be offloaded and our ranger will meet us at

reception to join the evening game drive. I am so exultant that my animal FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) would not be jeopardised, I could have kissed him!

Through a cloud of dust, Andries arrives and loads us into the game drive vehicle. ‘There is a special surprise for you’, Dinho joyfully declares. Excitement abounds, we pass by a waterbuck, a brown snake eagle and a nyala into the setting rays of the sun. Across the water from the lodge, the drinks stop is illuminated with fairy lights and is named ‘Hlangano’. This is not your average drinks stop – it is a beautifully displayed food truck containing biltong, samoosas, home-made crisps and the most delicious pizza you can imagine!

All lovingly attended to by the Chitwa Chitwa staff and executed to perfection by General Manager Stefan du Toit.

Back at the lodge, we are taken to our impressive room, Suite 10, which is stylishly decorated in shades of white, charcoal and dark wood. A fire is crackling to ward off the evening chill and a swift diving sound has Dinho scurrying for a torch. Below our deck a hippo is taking refuge and I quietly decide tonight is not the night for an outside shower.

The room is substantial in size, with a very large en-suite bathroom, double vanities, a sunken bath and an indoor and outdoor shower.

Patio doors open onto a view of the watering hole with a comfortable daybed for your indulgence. Here, you can spend your days in the plunge pool and be assured that the only disturbance you may encounter is that of an animal grazing or your butler serving lunch in the privacy of your Suite.

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T R A V E L Our delicious dinner is served by Leah Chauke, consisting of Broccoli Soup, Duck liver & Port paté, Chitwa Oxtail, René’s Lemon & Garlic Butterflied Prawns, Chicken Supreme, Boer pampoen (pumpkin) and concluded with Pear and Almond Tart for Dessert. The food quality and taste is excellent, but what impresses me most is Chef Oscar Marimane coming to every table to ask about the enjoyment of the fare.

After a cleansing shower with the wonderfully fragrant Healing Earth Argan Oil and Lemon Verbana shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, I retire to the oversized mosquito-net clad bed.

In the midst of a dream, I am startled by the ringing phone at 05:30. It is Andries giving us a wake-up call and we hurriedly get moving so that he can escort us to the dining area where a brief caffeine, tea or juice fix and rusks eliminate any sluggishness.

Ready to go, I can make out Andries saying ‘mdoda ngala’ and there he is, fast asleep in the open – the most beautiful male lion.

His full belly and blood on his chest is the only evidence that he must have feasted on something the night before.

Impalas are basking in the warmth of the early morning sunlight and the cutest juvenile elephant is throwing sand over himself to cool down. Up in the treetops, the vervet monkeys are having a skirmish and all of sudden Betuel puts his hand up, gesturing Andries to stop the vehicle. Silence falls as everyone gasps at the magnificence of the exquisite creature that nearly eluded our view.

She walks completely noiseless as the pads under her feet cushion any sound. Splaying herself down in the shade of the camouflaged vegetation, she rasps for breath – this stunning leopard seems in search of refreshment. She pauses by a tree and with the most effortless leap, positions herself perfectly to scan the outer-lying area for prey.

We return to the lodge for a delicious breakfast while being serenaded by the call of an African Fish Eagle. The day has warmed up as we stroll to our Villa to relax and try out the plunge pool.

After lounging in the sun, the water is quite refreshing. We opt for lunch to be served in-room, dining on succulent calamari and fries with delectable vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Our afternoon game drive is eventful, with sightings of a juvenile crocodile, a male lion and the leopard with his warthog kill. The highlight of the day is a Bush dinner, where tables and lanterns are positioned around a huge fire pit. Dinner is a selection of traditional South African barbeque offerings, such as ‘braai broodjies’ (bread toasted on a fire with cheese, tomato and onions), rib eye steak, boerewors (sausage), corn on the cob, vegetables, salads and dessert. The evening ends abruptly as a huge gust of wind wreaks havoc, fortunately after everyone had eaten.

After a good night’s sleep, Andries sets off in the same direction where we had found the leopard with a kill. The smell is unmistakeable. Tungani has hoisted the remainder of the warthog in a tree. Two hyenas are anxiously waiting for scraps to fall, but Mr Leopard is keeping a close eye on them. He does not let on that the only remainder is the skin of the warthog – he will keep them in suspense. | Photography provided by Heléne Ramackers.

Views expressed are the author’s own. Thank you to Chitwa Chitwa for hosting us. For more information, visit www.chitwa.co.za

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DIGITAL EDITION Enjoy reading the latest & most luxurious escapades, upcoming fashion & beauty trends , home trends & latest real estate Getting there Airlink is a privately owned Airline business. The Regional Feeder Airline, offers a wide network of regional and domestic flights within southern Africa and operates as a franchisee to SAA Route Specific Information: Travel extraordinarily to the heart of the African bush, Airlink flies direct from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Nelspruit KMIA and Skukuza Airport.

A short air transfer from the lodge airstrips or Skukuza to Nelspruit KMIA connects you conveniently to Livingstone, Zambia and Vilanculos, Mozambique.

A short 20 minute apron transfer connects you onward to the doorstep of more safari destinations on Airlink’s Lodge Link service, with the Arathusa airstrip being the closest to Chitwa Chitwa.

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S P I R I T S

he “Hennessy X.O 2017 limited edition by Marc Newson” is available from July through September worldwide. The most striking feature of the bottle is a grouping of orderly horizontal lines that nearly cover the entire bottle. They provide both a visual and tactile statement. The design replaces the traditional decorative motifs of grapes and leaves in a corrugated relief. While the overall design effect is refined and minimalistic, it represents a bold statement in the historical context of the iconic X.O bottle, which has been virtually unchanged since 1870.

Newson said his goal was to create a modern interpretation of a bottle that would appeal to an international audience and a younger consumer.

“I would like to think that what we have here is an interesting and successful marriage of something that is very culturally significant and also something very modern because I feel there is a place for this brand and for this product among a new generation of people,” Newson said during a presentation at the Aman Tokyo Hotel. “The opportunity to strengthen the values of this brand among another generation of people and in a geographical sense trying to communicate this product around the world in different places is an important challenge.”

Hennessy representatives said Tokyo was chosen for the Hennessy X.O unveiling because the Asian market is the largest for the brand’s high-end Cognacs. Overall, the U.S. is the largest market in the world for Cognac, including Hennessy’s products. Tokyo also has significance to Newson.

The Australian native called the city home for four years and says it is “one of the most important cities in the world in terms of design and culture.”

Perhaps the boldest design statement made by Newson will be largely unnoticeable to the consumer. He tweaked the shape of the bottle to enhance its modern appeal. The graceful curved silhouette of the Hennessy X.O bottle is its most iconic feature and has never been tampered with.

“We did change the shape and that’s a big thing because we didn’t want anyone to know,” he said. “It’s essentially streamlined. It’s a very subtle difference. They are big things for me and big things for Hennessey but I think the intention was not for it to be revolutionary for the consumer. The fact is that I love the shape (of the Hennessy X.O decanter). It’s one of those very few products that are iconic by virtue of the fact that it is so recognizable. I can’t think of many instances where the shape is so immediately kind of apparent.”

Marc Newson Creates Bold New Statement for

HENNESSY X.O. DECANTER

Newson is one of the most influential designers working today whose expansive portfolio includes projects for aircraft, furniture, jewelry, timepieces and clothing. One of his Lockheed Lounge chairs sold at auction for £2.4 million ($3.1 million), making it the most expensive object ever sold by a living designer. At the 2006 Design Miami fair he produced 12 Chop Top tables, all of which sold out in 20 minutes at a reported $170,000 per table.

| By Anthony DeMarco

Famed industrial designer, Marc Newson, unveiled a bold, modern interpretation of the iconic Hennessy X.O decanter during an event held June 21 in Tokyo. Hennessy hailed the new design, saying that it “breaks with conventions and propels Hennessy X.O toward exciting new horizons.”

This is Newson’s second project for Hennessy. In 2015, the year of Hennessy’s 250th anniversary, Newson created the sleek, clear and contemporary decanter for the “James Hennessy” anniversary Cognac. Wearing a casual pink suit with a powder blue shirt, the designer, known for his seemingly unkempt beard and hair, explained that having worked with the brand previously provided a level of trust that allowed him to take chances with the Hennessy X.O decanter.

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“We already had a successful collaboration so I knew a little bit more about what I was attempting to do with this particular design. I was afforded a little more latitude because it’s a new tradition and I wanted to try to create something that was still tactile that invited the user to want to interact with the bottle itself,” he said. “The lines work to highlight the basic form of the bottle. It refracts the light in a particular way and also is fundamentally modern or more contemporary and that’s something we can only do now after having done our first collaboration.”

Working with glass also created a level of challenges that are not apparent in other materials. “It’s a very old material it’s a very organic material and a very unforgiving material,” he said. “The technology in many ways really limits your flexibility rather than enhancing it. It does very specific things and you have to work with it in a specific way.”

One thing that remains unchanged on the bottle is the Bras Armé, the Hennessy family coat-of-arms that symbolizes the Hennessy brand. The arm and axe refer to founder Richard Hennessy’s military service, earning the Irishman French citizenship and lands in grape growing regions around Cognac.

Another thing that remains unchanged is what’s in the bottle. Hennessy takes great pains to maintain the consistency of its X.O Cognac, which is quite a feat when considering, among other things, the variations in the quality of the grapes, weather related changes and the inconsistencies of the double distilling process the liquid must undergo to be considered Cognac as well as the aging process. The Hennessy Comité de Dégustation (tasting committee) has defined and maintained seven distinct features of Hennessy X.O. They are as follows: Sweet Notes: Flavors of candied fruit and the faint sweetness of oranges fuses with the subtle tartness of apricots.

Flowing Flame: A wave of warmth breaks into immense roundness.

Robust and voluptuous.

Rising Heat: Warm fruit flavors lead into a sensation of rising heat, slowly revealing the complex taste.

“The Cognac region in France completely and utterly signifies the brand. For one thing there’s no mistaking when you go to Cognac why you’re there. The moment you arrive there’s an important sense of history and the history of the product,” he said. “This sense of history is extremely powerful and profound, not only in a physical way but a psychological way…. It’s a wonderfully inspiring place and it’s also a very beautiful place geographically, so it’s an extremely pleasant experience.”

Turning Grapes into Cognac To be sold to the public, a Cognac must have been aged in oak cask for at least two years counting from the end of the distillation period, April 1 of the year following the harvest. Once bottled, a Cognac, unlike wine, doesn’t evolve anymore. Therefore it retains the same age indefinitely.

Cognac is a blend of the distilled beverages (known as eaux-de-vie) from different ages (for larger operations it includes different distilleries and vineyards). This blending of different eaux-de-vie is important to obtain a complexity of flavors absent from an eau-de-vie from a single year, distillery or vineyard. The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BINC) is in charge of controlling the stocks and the age of maturing Cognac. It codified the use of the designations based on the length of ageing of the youngest Cognac in the blend.

The most widely used designations are as follows:

Chocolate Lull: The familiar, well-rounded flavor of a rich, dark chocolate.

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Spicy Edge: A strong spicy note with distinct peppery overnotes.

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Wood Crunches: The striking sensation of oak notes interlaced with vanilla makes its presence felt and then subsides.

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Infinite Echo: Evanescent oak notes leave a long, omnipresent finish, echoing the subtleties of each flavor and the complexity of Hennessy X.O’s blending and long aging process.

Generally speaking, Cognac master blenders use eaux-de-vie that are much older than the minimum requirement for their blends, according to BINC. In fact, the most prestigious designations may have aged for dozens of years in oak casks before being presented to the public.

Newson said what is perhaps his greatest influence in his design is his visits to the factory, the town of Cognac and the grape-growing region that surrounds the town.

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V.S. (Very Special) or *** (3 stars): Cognacs whose youngest eaude-vie is at least two years old.

V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale), Reserve: Cognacs whose youngest eau-de-vie is at least four years old.

Napoléon, X.O (Extra Old), Hors d’âge: Cognacs whose youngest eau-de-vie is at least six years old.