FOREWORD. >>> Instead of my usual ramblings, I am prompted by a recent conversation I had to talk about something different in this foreword. Over dinner one evening, someone raised the question: Does exclusivity exist anymore and does the luxury market cynically exploit the customer’s desire to be different to line its own pockets? What followed was an interesting and engaging debate; several anecdotes were shared that would suggest the curse of the “limited edition” is killing true exclusivity. One such story that was delivered during the meal outlined the tragic tale of three Kuwaiti ladies who travelled to separate corners of Europe in search of the perfect dress for a lavish wedding they were all due to attend. Sadly, as women of great taste, they all ended up buying the same “exclusive” party frock, of which, they were told, there were only five in existence. An obvious sartorial faux-pas ensued and three former friends now only speak of each other in hushed, scathing tones. There was once a time when the creations served up by many revered luxury houses would be genuine one-offs, whether they were a dress, a bag or a piece of jewellery. These days, however, the same famed market leaders favour the “limited edition,” which can range in number anywhere between two pieces to the low hundreds. This means that, in the worst case, the item you have forked out a significant chunk of your hard-earned cash for is owned by at least one other person on the planet. A relatively exclusive club, you might say, but isn’t the fundamental meaning of “exclusive” that it is the only one of its kind? It means that, if the true luxury value of a product is its exclusivity, the makers are able to ask a premium price, but the customer gets half the value. Such practice has prompted a shift in the paradigm of luxury consumerism, whereby the truly wealthy have to take more and more extravagant measures in order to assert their status. This is why you can now buy a TV that is made from a million-year-old meteorite, replete with real T-Rex bits (so you know it’s good). Even this is “limited” to five pieces! Is that good enough for you? Isn’t it time we started demanding our money’s worth? For those of you who agree, flip to For Your Eyes Only (page 39) and check out Steve McQueen’s Porsche and the Ruwa Halal Beverage. One of these items is the epitome of the truly unique; the dying breed of one-offs. The other is indicative of the where the luxury market is headed. Personally, I think it is time to start reclaiming “exclusive” for the privileged few, before it is too late to stop the sublime from becoming the ridiculous.
I would love to hear your opinion. Email me at j.mccarthy@firefly-me.com James McCarthy Regional Managing Editor
• sur la terre • foreword •
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sur la terre
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seNiOR editOR Steve Paugh s.paugh@firefly-me.com FashiON & style Sophie Jones-Cooper s.jones-cooper@firefly-me.com CONtRibutORs Ilaria Maggi
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FiReFly COMMuNiCatiONs Yasmin Le Bon, draped in the styles of Stephane Rolland and the jewels of David Morris, stands before an original Christofle Objet d’art. Images provided by MoDa’s Touch and Christofle.
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• sur la terre • details •
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out of the box market place fashion between the lines
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Sur la Terre is published bi-monthly. © 2011 Firefly Communications. All material strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Firefly Communications, is strictly forbidden.
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• sur la terre • contents •
the list
The Scene
Globe trotter
Revue
for your eyes only
Style confidential
IN FOCUS
art & culture
“Miraj” by shahriar ahmadi
When: Until June 11th Where: Gallery Etemad, Dubai, UAE What: Starting May 9, the new Etemad gallery in Dubai will host its second ever show, this time to celebrate the works by acclaimed Iranian painter Shahriar Ahmadi. The harsh, disturbingly colourful world of Ahmadi truly comes alive in this collection, which he has dubbed “Miraj.” Exploring the sometimes shaky marriage between the sacrosanct traditions of the past and the contemporary developments of modern day, Ahmadi uses a visual voice that is congealed in the textured echoes of heavy, laboured brushstrokes. Having previously exhibited at the Etemad spaces in Tehran, China, Switzerland, the UK and Kuwait, his is an internationally-recognised, tangible tale of viscous history through palpable modern art, with a keen perspective via the incorporation, yet not saturation, of Islamic motifs. Thankfully enjoying a month-long running time until June 11, this is an exhibition that simply should not go unappreciated. www.galleryetemad.com
saadiyat island Cultural district exhibition
When: Until May 28th Where: Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi What: If you’re not familiar with Saadiyat When: Until June 27th Island in Abu Dhabi, you should be! Back Where: Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2006, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority What: If you would rather get a glimpse of the past than the future at the Saadiyat (ADTA) reclaimed the natural island just Island Cultural District, head to the “Splendours of Mesopotamia” exhibit, which runs 500 metres offshore from the capital, and until then end of June. Taking place at the Manarat Al Saadiyat venue on the island, developed it into one of the most forwardthe exhibit explores the evolution of Mesopotamia through its three great centres thinking and progressive places in the GCC to of civilisation. In Sumer, we explore the growth of not only Mesopotamian society, explore and propagate what the ADTA calls but the foundation of its connection with others. From there, you continue your “environmentally sensitive philosophies” and journey through Assyria and Babylon, exploring as you do the knowledge that culture. Boasting a plethora of internationally has been passed from the ancient to the modern world in the areas of science, recognised institutions, such as the Zayed communication, art and literature, particularly as it affects the region now National Museum, the Guggenheim Abu known as the United Arab Emirates. All of the artifacts are on loan from the Dhabi and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat British Museum and Al Ain National Museum, and will excite and amaze Island is sure to be a bastion of the arts for all history buffs. Better hurry, though, because this exhibition, too, will years to come. To showcase that future, the soon be history. It ends on the 27th of June and is open daily from 10am Saadiyat Cultural District Exhibition will give to 8pm. Entry is free. www.saadiyat.ae/en a glimpse of the cultural plans for Abu Dhabi, exhibiting architectural designs and concepts behind the museums mentioned above. Take a free look at the future by heading to the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi between 10am to 10pm, and get ready to get a load of greatness! www.saadiyat.ae/en
splendours of Mesopotamia exhibition
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• sur la terre • the list •
aquaventure Water Park
When: Anytime Where: Atlantis Hotel, Dubai, UAE What: Things are getting hot outside... okay, maybe “hot” is a bit of an understatement. However, with so much to do in Dubai, it’s hard not to be drawn there, and try as you might, you’ll probably be outside for a lot of it. So, why not cool down and see one of the city’s most amazing attractions at the same time? The marine and waterpark at Dubai’s amazing Atlantis The Palm is stuff of new legend in the GCC, and rightfully so, given all of the things you can do there. Take, for example, its Dolphin Bay area, a four-and-a-half hectare natural habitat for dolphins, wherein you can meet and play with these amazing creatures. If you’re not into flipping around with Flipper, just head to the Aquaventure waterpark, which boasts 42 acres filled with speedslides, rivers and rapids, not to mention its own private beach. Finally, if neither of these excite, how about exploring the lost ruins of Atlantis in The Lost Chambers underwater maze! All of these options, along with the PADI 5-star dive centre, are sure to make a splash with everyone in the family. ww.atlantisthepalm.com
lifestyle
Renaissance hotel
When: July 2011 Where: Doha, Qatar What: Two exciting new accommodation concepts will soon be opening up here in Doha, the Renaissance Doha City Centre Hotel and the Courtyard by Marriott. The When: June 22nd to July 31st Renaissance presents the sleek business side Where: Various Locations, Dubai, UAE of things, but without being stuffy. Offering What: Known on the streets simply as “DSS,” the Dubai Summer Surprises not only state-of-the-art tech and mindis the city’s, and arguably the region’s, most popular entertainment and boggling amenities in all of the 257 rooms shopping festival throughout the year. Even though the temperatures and suites, but also instant access to Doha’s during the event are mind-meltingly hot, you’ll be sure to find some City Centre Mall, this one is well placed to amazingly cool shopping deals, family entertainment options and become a popular space to rest your head. even giveaways worth in excess of millions of dirhams. This is the Then again, with over 1200 square metres of fourteenth straight year that Dubai has hosted the event, and the room for events and 17 meeting halls, you city has become exceedingly good at offering itself to visitors that might not get the chance, or want to sleep flock there for the event, opening the doors of its spas, malls at all! The Courtyard by Marriott is the party and entertainment venues for a cavalcade of commerce and end, especially thanks to its new restaurants recreation. Just remember to keep hydrated and follow the and night spots, which include Ipanema, crowds during the event, which happens from June 22nd to the Brazilian Churrascaria restaurant with July 31st. That’s a whole month of craziness to enjoy! To find endless meat; a branch of the world-famous out more about the event, head over to the website. You Champions sports bar and the french might want to start training now, so that at the end of your brasserie Centre-Ville, just to name a few. epic shop, you won’t, in fact, drop. Added within both of these hotels will be www.dubaievents.ae amazing spa facilities, fitness centres and a shared (and amazing) outdoor pool. Thanks to Marriott, staying in Doha just got a bit more interesting. www.courtyarddoha.com www.renaissancedoha.com
dubai summer surprises 2011
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entertainment
the beach Restaurant, Oman
byblos international Festival
When: June 28th to July 22nd Where: Byblos, Lebanon What: Even with the legendary Lebanese love of libations When: Until June 16th and partying, it’s still pretty impressive that the Byblos Where: The Chedi, Muscat International Festival has become such a huge institution What: If you’ve never been to the Chedi in the short years it has been around. Originally Hotel in Muscat, Oman, then you, sir and/ conceived in 2003 to promote tourism, art and or madam, are missing out on one of finest music throughout Lebanon, it now stands as a examples of luxury accommodation in the key stop on the international concert/festival tour. world, never mind the GCC! If you’ve always This year’s event, which takes place from June wanted to go, but never had a good excuse, 28th to the 22nd of July, will be no different, and then you just haven’t been looking hard in fact increases the impressive scope of the enough; we’re here to help with that. For the annual show even more. Some of the biggest better part of the past 12 months, the Chedi names appearing at the 2011 event will be has been offering amazing seafood nights at Thirty Seconds to Mars, France’s Florent its atmospheric Beach Restaurant. Offering Pagny, Moby, the operatic Les Mystères massive seafood platters and dishes with an When: July 7th to 26th Lyriques and a band that needs no Asian fusion flair, the Beach Restaurant is as Where: Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi, UAE introduction, the almost mythic good a reason as any to check out one of the What: If you’ve lived in the Gulf for any Scorpions! With such big names, best hotels we have ever stayed in, whether period of time, or have even just visited, along with some less mainstream you are going to crash for the night or not. then you will have sampled some of the bands and performers, the Byblos The motivating factor here is that this deal is region’s finest fruit: the humble date. As a Festival’s reputation just went up soon to run out, only lasting up until the 16th small yet iconic symbol of the Middle East, a notch, and it’s a sure bet that of June. So, if you want a taste of the Gulf of the tradition of date farming continues to be it will once again live up to Oman like you’ve never experienced, make held in high regard, and is still celebrated today. the hype. the short trip over to the Chedi today! The annual Liwa Date Festival held in Al Gharbia, www.byblosfestival.org www.ghmluxuryhotels.com/ChediMuscat the western region of Abu Dhabi, is one such celebration, and probably the most famous of its kind throughout the UAE. While there, you will learn all sorts of interesting things about this desert gem, like the fact that there are over 120 different types of dates in the UAE alone! This annual festival covers 17 days and has everything from informative lectures on agriculture, traditional poetry readings and various Islamic cultural celebrations that you just will not see anywhere else. There are also great spectator sports, like camel and horse and even falcon racing! Of course, in the end, this thing is all about the date, so don’t miss out on the daily date basket auction, which has been known to bring in prices of more than Dhs 40,000! Now that’s what we call expensive tastes! www.algharbia.ae
liwa date Festival
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• sur la terre • the list •
global gatherings
LA Film Festival
When: June 16th to 26th Where: Los Angeles, US What: Now in its 17th year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is one of the most anticipated events during the year. The 2011 festival runs from June 16 to 26, and will screen over 200 feature films, shorts and music videos from across the United States and the world. In fact, over 30 countries will be represented this year. While still yet to be decided, the opening and closing night films are sure to impress, as will the ever-present star-studded galas and more intimate conversations with Artists in Residence and other special guests. The first round of selections have officially been chosen by the committee out of a whopping 5,025 submissions from filmmakers around the world. When compared to the 4,700 from last year, that shows an impressive growth in the festival, and will surely mean a wider pool of talent. If you want to see how a true film festival is done this year before seeing our own Doha Tribecca Film Festival, this is a great place to start rolling! www.lafilmfest.com
RM Monterey Auction
Osheaga Festival
When: July 29th to 31st Where: Montreal, Canada What: Sur la Terre will officially be attending this year’s Osheaga Festival, which takes place from July 29th to the 31st, and with a new Qatar Airways direct flight to its host city of Montreal, Canada, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be there, too. Osheaga has been a mainstay in Montreal since it was first sung into life in 2006, and has continued to gain prestige ever since, with an increasingly A-List set of performers each year. This year’s event will be headlined by none other than Eminem, with a holy host of musical acts beside, like Elvis Costello, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, Cypress Hill, Broken Social Scene, Beirut, Kid Cudi and The Tragically Hip, just to name a few. We could not be more excited for this one to play out, and will be having a full round-up in our next issue. However, if you want to see all of the musical mayhem for yourself, give the website a hit and get your tickets today. See you there! www.osheaga.com/en
When: August 18th to 20th Where: Monterey, USA What: Created in 1991 as an offshoot of Rob Myer’s RM Auto Restoration and RM Classic Cars, RM Auctions has ever since been breaking records in the automotive auction world, first with its sale of a legendary 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa for $12,402,500, and then in May 2010, turning over $45 million US in total sales at its debut Monaco sale. In the forthcoming auction in Monterey, California, there lies the promise of further broken records, thanks mostly to the presence of the already announced star of the show, the iconic 1970 Porsche 911S that Mr. Steve McQueen himself drove in the classic Hollywwod film, Le Mans. If that’s the litmus test for the type of vintage car that will be present at the show, then we can only assume great things in Monterey. All petrol-heads need to get ready and get set to go, because the 2011 RM Monterey Auction, which takes place from August 18th to 20th is sure to rev your engine. www.rmauctions.com
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• sur la terre • the list •
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1. Angela Poyle & Sue underwood 2. Chrylsania Goh Sorensen & Niels 3. The company’s Brigitte Bardot bag 4. Robert and Theo 5. Making an entrance
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Lancel Opening La Maison Lancel, the 135-year-old French leather goods emporium has brought its classic French master craftsmanship to Qatar. Slap bang in the middle of Porto Arabia, the purveyor of fine leather goods is now bringing its St Tropez style to Doha’s finest.
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1. Joseph Washbourn of Toploader enjoys Sur la Terre backstage 2. Keyali Mayaga rubbed a little bit of funk on the proceedings with her Dudes 3. Mashrou3 Leila brought a bit of Beirut to Doha 4. Hoobastank rock out
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5. Toploader dance in the Moonlight 6. Hoobastank’s Dan Estrin meets super fan, Shannon “Panther” Peiris 7. Cronkite Satelite makes a point
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8. Big Mouth had a lot to say 9. united Rhythm Band were a crowd favourite 10. Jessica, Natalie, Wilma & Emelie 11. ASWAD shone like stars 3
12. The Exiles head-banged their way through a classic set 13. Teja Jaganjac & Raja Bou Said 14. Michelle, Carol & Friend 15. Luke Longley & Kimberly Horan Photography: Andrew S J McCarthy & Herbert Villadelrey
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The Big Day Out Festival season hit Qatar hard in April when Vodafone and Global DJs teamed up to bring the Big Day Out to Doha’s music lovers. Despite a cloudy sky, thousands turned out to cheer on a plethora of local talent from Cronkite Satellite, United Rhythm Band and The Exiles. The cherry on top, though, was a host of international star names, including Lebanon’s Mashrou3 Leila, Britpop veterans, Toploader and American punk rockers, Hoobastank.
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3. Laurent Martin 4. The store is a colourful addition to The Pearl 5. Evelyne de Croutte (L) with Mr & Mrs Gentil
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Bisazza Opening Bisazza is one of the latest boutique openings at The Pearl. The Italian designer and manufacturer of decorative glass tiling and home furnishings showed off its glamourous wares to an equally glamourous public to celebrate the opening of its first Doha store.
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1. Abdulah Khalfan & Saad Al Saad 2. DJ Kinky D 3. Tzoulios Tzouliou & Linda McGlaghlan 4. Jonny Saba & Mohammed Rihawi 5. James McCarthy & Rushan from Rivoli Group 6. Perry Oosting, President & COO greeting the guests 7. Vertu phones on display
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Vertu Launches Constellation Luxury mobile phone company, Vertu, along with Rivoli Group, held an exclusive party at the W Hotel in Doha to launch its new smartphone, the Constellation Quest. With the prices for the devices starting at QR20,000 and upwards, the quality of the company matched the exclusivity of the phones on show.
• sur la terre • the scene •
globe trotter
Maison Martin Margiela Where: Milan, Italy GPS: 45° 28’ 09.32” N, 9° 11’ 54.00” E
Sh o pp in g
Launched in Paris in 1988, Maison Martin Margiela opened the doors to its white space shopping experience with a hugely successful women’s ready-to-wear spring/ summer collection. Since then, the reputation of the stylish boutique chain has grown along with the product offerings of this artisticallyminded and cleverly-branded designer. In September 1994, the brand extended its reach to the Italian fashion capital with the opening of its Milan boutique, a secretive yet stunning design concept store hidden away on the Villa del Spiga. These days the store
offers everything from handcrafted bags and shoes, to the Martin Margiela’s latest clothing lines. Some of its top sellers, however are ligne 13, a limited series of objets d’art, and
ligne 3, the collection de fragrances, which is currently made up of one phenomenal scent called (untitled). www.maisonmartinmargiela.com
Number One
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refurbishment by Olga Polizzi, Director of Design for The Rocco Forte Collection. The rich-red lacquered walls, shipped directly from Hong Kong, are impeccably accented by the impressive golden-velvet banquettes and art pieces directly commissioned from former graduates of the Institute of Art in London. The welcome sensory overload at Number One is quite frankly unmissable, and after a short meal, you’ll understand why its name is not just an idle boast. www.restaurantnumberone.com
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If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in Scotland’s capital city, and you’ve got a hunger to try the best food in town, making a stop at the now legendary Number One restaurant at the bottom of the iconic Balmoral Hotel is an absolute must. Led by Executive Chef Jeff Bland and Head Chef Craig Sandle, Number One serves up an unforgettable taste of the “auld alliance,” offering a contemporary peppering of piquancy to classic Scottish and French flavours. There’s a reason that Number One has retained its Michelin Star since 2003, not to mention its three AA Rosettes. Of course, the taste at Number One transcends that of just the dishes, and owes its exquisite environs to a previous
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Where: Edinburgh, Scotland GPS: 55° 57’ 10.38” N, 3° 11’ 22.33” W
Villa Kennedy Where: Frankfurt, Germany
GPS: 50° 05’ 49.65” N, 8° 40’ 10.51” E
Where: Barcelona, Spain
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the spectacularly appointed Presidential Suite sits atop two of them. Every window in the suite is bulletproof and the modern and stylish interiors are a draw for the highliving, high profile people that bed down there. Designed by London-based Martin Brudnizki, all the furniture and lighting have been carefully chosen to deliver a sumptuous, yet stylish feel. For those looking to relax, the spa offers a 15-metre indoor pool with raised relaxation area, sauna, steam room, yoga studio, gym and eight treatment rooms. www.villakennedy.com
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When looking for hotels in Frankfurt, the name Villa Kennedy stands out, mostly because it is a very un-German name, but also because this Rocco Forte property is simply a cut above the rest in terms of style, elegance, service and comfort. A five star member of the “Leading Hotels of the World” group, Villa Kennedy is built around the existing 106-year-old Villa Speyer. While this grand old building houses the reception area and some of the ultra-modern suites, the three other wings are seamlessly joined to enclose a tranquil inner courtyard, while
Not content with having the best restaurant on the planet, Michelin-starred super chef, Ferran Adria, along with his brother, Albert, has made a move into the cocktail trade. Ferran’s restaurant El Bulli was famously indemand, with a limited opening schedule that made the waiting list for reservations extremely long, meaning that a meal at El Bulli was a very exclusive one indeed. However, after more than half a century, the brothers have shut the doors on El Bulli with a view to establishing a creative foundation for the development of gastronomy on the site. In its stead comes 41 Degrees, an up-market cocktail bar in the centre of Barcelona’s theatre district. The idea is to make El Bulli’s wonderfully crazy gastronomy, such as honey and peanut biscuits, acid yogurt pistachios, crunchy algae with quinoa and parmesan ice cream, more accessible within a more casual environment. 41 Degrees also offers an unusual yet innovative menu of cocktails, virgin and otherwise, all of which will include the Adria touch of creative culinary genius. However, this is very much a bar for the patient patron as, just like El Bulli before it, the waiting list for a reservation stretches from weeks into months. www.41grados.es
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How to Avoid Being
Killed in a War Zone
by Rosie Garthwaite
revue book
SLT Rating: 4.5 Pearls
A great roadmap on your highway to the danger zone! >>> Regular readers will notice Garthwaite’s name from her contribution to the last issue of Sur la Terre with a great article on her journeys to Myanmar and Laos, but her first foray into journalism was anything but luxurious, having initially cut her teeth as a stringer for Reuters in Basra after the 2003 Iraq War. Having since gained further experience as a freelancer for the BBC and The Times newspaper in London, as well as in her current role as producer for Al Jazeera English, Garthwaite knows what it takes to survive, and indeed thrive, under fire. We mean that quite literally. How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone, which was officially launched at the Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival in Doha on April 23rd, is the culmination of that experience, all put together in a handbook of the situations one might experience in a war zone, with a plethora of helpful advice on how to deal with them. Utilising her vast rolodex of media contacts, all of whom chime in at one point or another during the book to recount their own danger zone anecdotes and antics, Garthwaite gives the reader keen insight on a gamut of experiences, from things you might expect to those you would never consider. She covers everything from the difficulties of arranging safe and reliable transportation, to dealing with flash riots as well as avoiding bombs, land mines and artillery, and even how to keep a cool head after getting kidnapped. Some of our favourite bits of advice also include useful things like how to make a fire, how to make a proper tourniquet, how to build your own underground igloo and, of course, how to draw and quarter a bear, should the need arise... which it will.
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It’s an unfortunate truth that sometimes in life, we have to deal with war. For most of us, that means partaking in couch-potato punditry as we watch from the safety of our sofas, keeping an eye on the news and tut-tutting over our frozen dinners. For war journalists like Rosie Garthwaite, however, dealing with conflict is an experience that’s often a bit more... intimate. Garthwaite shows in this, her first book, that she has an impressive knack for telling a story through harrowing firsthand accounts and expert advice, but also that she can approach a subject this heavy with an at times much-needed lightness. There are many points in the book wherein she deftly jumps from respectfully reporting on the terrors of war, to literally making you laugh in the face of death with a great injection of gallows humour. With all of the well-told stories and well-intentioned tips, many of which are accented by helpful diagrams, How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone is a captivating read, whether you choose to do so, as we did, from cover-to-cover, or in its intended purpose, as a go-to handbook. Should you ever find yourself at war, or simply want to read about those who already have, this is an integral addition to your kit.
• sur la terre • revue •
Body Slam-Alaikum!
revue sports
Senior Editor Steve Paugh wrestles with his past, wins and then reviews the recent WWE show held at Qatar Sports Club Stadium. SLT Rating: 3 Pearls
WWE will, WWE will rock you!
>>> I have something of a “history” with World Wrestling Entertainment. It’s in the same way that you might have history with an ex... or perhaps a nicotine addiction. Long were the hours during my formative years that I sat watching WWE (then WWF) grapplers ply their treacherous trade within the gladiatorial pit of the squared circle. I worshiped the larger-than-life, leviathan-like legends of the wrestling world. Mythical men like the Ultimate Warrior, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and KoKo B. Ware, these were my heroes... which probably explains a lot. During those years in my deep obsession with greased-up muscle men sporting moustaches, skin-tight unitards and hair styles which could best be described as crimes against humanity, I would do just about anything to go see a live show. Once, for example, a like-minded compatriot and I raided his family’s communal spare change jar for enough loot to go see Hulk Hogan wrestle Ric Flair at a show just outside of Washington DC. We paid in coins!
Never did I realise that a taste of those good ol’ days would return in Doha, Qatar. However, for two days at the end of April, return they did, not only to the dark turnbuckles of my memory, but for the first time in 10 years, to the sandy shores of Doha, thanks to a partnership between the WWE, Qtel and Golden Relations in a very special event called The WrestleMania Revenge Tour! This event brought something different and unique to Doha. After all, it’s not every day you see almost 20 grown men pretending to fight each other in the desert. We’ve become jaded to things like tennis matches, football games and Lebanese pop stars, and I for one believe that pro-wrestling is a fun little change. For that, I salute the organisers! However, what takes two pearls away from this review, is the lack of organisation at this event. Even with pre-arranged tickets, getting through the gates was like escaping a figurefour leg lock, thanks not only to the throng of fans clambering savagely over each other to get in, but also to the event security, in whose
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case “inept” is too nice a word. Finding your seats was even more difficult a feat, as was convincing those that were already sitting in them that they were in the wrong spot. Still, when things finally settled into a semblance of order and most members of the sold out audience were in their seats (or at least standing in the aisle next to them), the show went on, and you could tell that each performer was giving it his all. My favourite part of the night, however, was not in the ring, but rather from my friend’s son, who sat next to me and supplied me with a steady stream of wrestling advice (“He needs to hit him with the metal chair!”) and high-fives all night. Watching him pray, with all of his little heart, for his hero John Cena to pull out a victory was well worth all the frustration of getting into the event. It was like watching me 20 years ago, and for that priceless moment alone, this event gets its hand raised in victory. Hopefully, the WWE will make good on its promise to come back sometime near the end of 2011!
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revue food
S howdown at La Maison
du Caviar SLT Rating: 4 Pearls
DIY-licious!
Things get spicy as Steve Paugh serves up a dash of competition at La Maison du Caviar in the W Hotel, Doha >>> When you’re an internationally celebrated luxury lifestyle writer like me, you tend to meet quite a few high flying PR reps on the way to researching stories. For the most part, these meetings result in polite chit-chat and a few gracious giggles before getting down to business. There are those rare times, however, when you meet the immovable public relations object to your unstoppable editorial force, or vice versa, as the case may be. I first met Lauren Fryer, the Managing Partner of Qanect Communications, about two years ago. Then the Director of Public Relations at the Ritz-
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Carlton, Doha, she had invited us to get a taste of Porcini, the hotel’s premier Italian restaurant. Since that night, our relationship has consisted of back and forth salvos of witty repartee, friendly ribbing, breakdance fighting and ridiculous challenges. However, never before were the lines so distinctly drawn between us as they were one balmy March evening during a get together at La Maison du Caviar. Lauren had invited myself and Regional Managing Editor James McCarthy to dine on and delight in the delectable new menu from executive chef Remy Lefebvre (which you really must try, by the way). At the end of the evening, she told us about an upcoming cooking class hosted by La Maison du Caviar and subsequently challenged me to a cook-off. Needless to say, I accepted. This countertop encounter had, after all, been a long time coming.
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The Menu: Starter: Tuna tartar millefeuille and Ratatouille
Things remained “dicey” past the red onions, tomatoes, aubergines, bell peppers and courgettes that the recipe called for, with Lauren (I am loathe to admit) finding her food cutting footing more quickly than me, and with increasingly greater precision. My ham-fisted attempts at smaller cubes made more of a mush than a good impression, but I chalk that up to a lack of patience rather than lack of skill.
Main: Sea Bream w/ golden skin, mashed potatoes, green asparagus and a poached egg Dessert: Panacccota a la Framboise It was long about high-noon as I swaggered self-assuredly into the W Hotel lobby. “I was beginning to think you’d given up,” Lauren said with a smile and a raised eyebrow as I approached her confident, armsfolded frame. Behind her stood a long table with six place settings, each boasting a large chopping board, a decorative chef’s hat (which had trouble fitting over my prominant noggin) and various utensils. Because of the complexity of the dishes, as well as the somewhat surprisingly “cozy” nature of La Maison du Caviar’s kitchen, my contest with Lauren would not be decided over any actual cooking. Instead, we had to settle our quarrel the old fashioned way... with knives! “The chef will show you how to chop,” said our old friend Chef Remy, “so just watch him and follow.” Remy was referencing Chef Rachid Maftouh, who was visiting from the Naoura Barriere Hotel in Marrakech and was our special instructor for the day. Our first course was a tuna tartar ratatouille, and apparently, the way you dice the ingredients is very important to the end result. Fine, almost miniscule cubes are preferable to larger ones. After studying Chef Rachid slice into the butter-soft yellowfin tuna, Lauren and I were off, with Chef Remy acting as the independent adjudicator of our skills. Equally as important as greasing pans, in any contest, is to grease a few palms. While I distracted Lauren with deft cutting flourishes and a few shiny objects, Sur la Terre’s opportunistic photographer Herbert Villadelrey tried to slip a handful of blue notes into Remy’s hand. Not willing to be bought out, however, Remy remained firm in his unwavering resolve to judge fairly. Apparently, I would have to try another tactic, one that did not come naturally: Playing fair.
You see, I’m one of those people who loves fine dining, but actually taking part in its preparation is, for me, a bit boring. However, taking part in a class like this actually made cooking kind of, dare I say it, fun! I honestly never knew learning about cooking, and then implementing that knowledge, could be so entertaining. I also learned a bunch of useful tricks, like how to properly hold a knife while chopping and how to approach and properly cut a fish filet. I even learned simple things that you wouldn’t initially think about in a kitchen, like how to arrange yourself and your food before preparing it - it’s surprising just how much space it opens up, for example, when you bring the food to you rather than maneuvering yourself around it. I could go on about the tricks I learned in the kitchen, like how to properly time the cooking of various vegetables together, how to maintain the consistency and texture of flattened puff pastry or how to properly set and garnish panaccotta into some of the best I’ve ever tasted. However, if I did, I would rob you of the fun of learning, and you’d have no reason to partake in one of these events and that would be a real shame. Do yourself a favour and even if you’re not a natural born griller, contact La Maison du Caviar to see about timings and availability for these classes. I guarantee even the clumsiest cook will have a blast. In the end, given the communal nature and fun atmosphere of the cooking class, it was impossible to say who won between Lauren and me (So it was Lauren, then. - M.Ed). The thrill of competition soon lost out to just the experience of two friends having a good time preparing food together, which is, I suppose, the point. I guess we’ll just have to settle the score another way. I’m thinking a beard growing contest is fair. Chin up, Lauren. Let’s DO this!
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revue tech Regional Managing Editor, James McCarthy, tests the firepower of the top new tablets in town with a good ‘ol fashioned shoot-out.
A Fistful Of
Tablets
>>> Tablet fever hit this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with a wagon train of companies hoping to emulate the gold rush of Apple’s first iPad effort. Smartphone giant, RIM, was the first to swagger into town with the Blackberry Playbook, while old-timer, Motorola had the hammer cocked and ready to fire with the Xoom. Standing in their path is the tablet equivalent of The Man With No Name, the iPad 2. With these three gunslingers all keen to assert their dominance, and very little science involved, what follows is purely the way I see the odds in this stand-off. Shutter the windows and lock the doors, ‘cause it’s high noon at Sur la Terre towers, and first to fire is the current Sheriff of Tablet Town...
Apple iPad 2 SLT Rating: 5 Pearls The iPad 2 works intuitively and straight out of the box. Compared to the original iPad, there is hardly a world of difference. It’s a little lighter, a little faster and a little slimmer. It really trumps its predecessor with the built-in front and back cameras, finally allowing users to Facetime and, eventually (hopefully) use full-on Skype video calling. This is the true selling point, and one that will see the millions of iPad users rushing to upgrade. The stunning Retina display is lucid, vivid and gorgeous to look at, another definite one-up on its near perfect predecessor, as well as the entire segment. There has been a lot of talk about the faster and more powerful A5 processor. I tested this by importing a full HD, feature length movie into the free VLC Player app, which on my original iPad results in a prompt, suggesting that it might not be fast enough to process the
film correctly. It lived up to its promise, as I could not get the film to play further than three minutes before it crashed the app. The iPad 2 displays the same message, but apart from a little bit of colour separation on the darker scenes, it runs perfectly in all of its amazing high-def glory. Score one for the A5 chip. The real winner though, and this is true for most Apple products and what really sets them apart, is that it is easy to get started. It is just a case of plug and play, and then unplug and play. With the iPad you have the luxury of thousands of apps; there is a world of games, music making and productivity. The choice is nearly endless. For business-oriented users, there are myriad pdf readers, presentation tools and document creation apps It is an incredible device, slightly improved on the original iPad, but - and here is the negative bit - still lacking Flash support and Bluetooth capability for data transfer. Maybe the latter will appear on the iPad 3, but don’t hold your breath for Flash.
My Verdict:
It’s fast, though you won’t see any Flash. Apple drew first blood in the market and it’s going to be hard to shoot down. It is still the top dog by a long shot.
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Blackberry Playbook SLT Rating: 3 Pearls When you open the box of the Playbook, the presentation is great. While not as slick as Apple’s all-white uber cool minimalism, the presentation of the device is incredibly appealling. Sitting in its moulded plastic bed, already enclosed in its neoprene case, the Playbook is considerably smaller than the iPad; more in the style of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, which is perhaps its true competitor. As a business tool, it is a slightly less functional version of the BB. You cannot make calls on it, while this is a standard feature of the Galaxy TAB. This, however, is also a limitation of the Apple and the Xoom, which puts these three on a level footing. However, in terms of app functionality, it is equipped with the latest Documents to Go Microsoft-compatible office suite, but keys on the touch keyboard are small, and with the slight lag on the touchscreen, does not make for particularly easy typing. Given its smaller size, you can’t rest it as easily on your lap to type either, meaning that you have to uses the “two-thumb” technique perfected by BB users on their
smaller phone keypads, this doesn’t transpose as well immediately to the Playbook though. With time, you could probably get used to this and in the worst case we could all end up evolving as a race with six inch thumbs. One area where the Playbook wins hands down is connectivity, if you have a Blackberry, that is. The company has introduced something called Blackberry Bridge, which allows you to continuously sync the Playbook with your BB, and this is the best bit, to enjoy access to the internet through your mobile, meaning no extra telco accounts required. As a leisure device for apps like games, youtube, movies and music, it can be a useful time waster. The camera is good, but the built-in video conferencing software is proprietary and only works between Playbooks. At least Facetime can communicate with iPhones, iMacs and other iPads, giving it a broader scope, while the Android-based tablets also offer more standardised video chat options.
My Verdict:
Definitely the runt of the litter in terms of size, but despite that, it’s just too clumsy to be effective. It will probably give the Samsung Galaxy TAB a run for its money, but it’s by no means an iPad killer.
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The Motorola Xoom SLT Rating: 4 Pearls This could be Motorola’s return to mobile greatness. After losing the cell phone war to Nokia in the late nineties, the big M had seemingly been left out to pasture. However, much like Rambo, all that time in peace and solitude has just made it madder. Enter the Xoom. Based on the Android 3.0 operating system, this is the most likely competition to the iPad. With a very Minority Report interface, it gets all the boys-toys juices flowing. To unlock the screen, you don’t just swipe a finger, you have to trace a circle with your finger which is followed by Tron-esque glowing blue lines. It has a similar form factor, though just a little thicker. It also has a longer, thinner screen than its rival, but overall there is very little different between the two. Like Apple, Motorola has gone for minimalism, with a single power button on the back and volume control on the side. The front of the device is clean and all navigation is done through touch. When I received the Xoom, the automatic orientation was locked to horizontal, and given the placement of the volume control, it would suggest that Motorola intended it to be used that way most of the time, unlike the Apple, which is the opposite. Functionality-wise, it took a little getting used to, as I am a BB and iPad guy by day and don’t have much experience with Android. However, after a few minutes you get a feel for the system and, while not as intuitive as the iPad, it is pretty slick once you get comfortable. Much like the iPad, it works straight out of the box, and has the bare minimum apps installed. However, that can be easily rectified by following the little robot to the Android Market, the Xoom’s equivalent of the iTunes App Store. There are plenty of free apps to choose from, including the ubiquitous Angry Birds, but not all are of the same quality. Apps like Documents to Go can be downloaded free as a “lite” version that allows the Xoom to read documents imported from your computer, but to create and work on documents, you have to buy the full version. This leads me to the keyboard. I really don’t like the onscreen keyboard of the Xoom. Motorola has tried to stop it from taking up most of
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the screen, but the keys do not seem to be comfortable proportions for quick input. The number of misspellings and accidentally-added characters became quite infuriating after a while. One of the selling points on Motorola’s website, is the Xoom’s ability to play, record and edit HD video, and here it doesn’t disappoint. Through the Mac interface, it was simple to add content, and playback through Mobo Player, which was downloaded from the Android Market, as the Xoom doesn’t come with a built-in movie app equal to anything the iPad 2 offers.
1 The Apple iPad 2 2 The Blackberry Playbook (with included neoprene case) 3 The Motorola Xoom
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A KasKade of Class >>>
Are they fascinating decorative objects? Futuristic sculptures? Architectural works of art? These are the questions raised by Christofle with its new line of Haute Orfèvrerie, designed by Karim Rahid. All bound by a golden thread, the collection makes you question perspectives and revel in the functionality of art. Each piece is limited, with just 20 of the KasKade bowl (pictured) being made, ensuring the rartity of the conversationstarting centrepieces. The KasKade underscores the collection’s spectacular and architectural aspects. With its curving contours, KasKade comprises three layered strips, resulting in a mirror effect. You and your dinner guests can admire the KasKade’s perspective beauty for just $44,350. www.christofle.com
What’s New, Pussycat >>> On the 50th anniversary of the greatest Jag ever built, Swedish design house, Vizual Tech, has re-imagined that manliest of motors the E-type - for the 21st century. Better still, Swiss manufacturing firm, Classic Factory, has agreed to put the beast into production under the moniker “Growler E.” In the summer of 2012, men with rakishly slanted caps, pencil-thin moustaches and driving gloves will once more freely prowl the streets in this 592bhp beast. Power will come from a 5.0-litre
V8 (based around the Jaguar XKR), which will deliver 0-100kp/h in around four seconds. Interestingly, through the use of carbon fibre, The Growler E will sit 200kg lighter than the car it’s based on, tipping the scales at 1,550kg. This much style, however, will not come cheap. It is expected that the hand-built cars will cost somewhere in the region of $730,000 when small-scale production starts. www.classicfactory.ch
• sur la terre • for your eyes only •
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Pricey Potation >>> As always, Sur la Terre is here to slake your thirst for what we playfully refer to as “ridiculux.” Once again we have come up trumps with Ruwa, the world’s most luxurious and expensive non-alcoholic halal beverage. A drop in the ocean at $5.5m, Ruwa Original is produced by the Luxury Beverage Company of Manchester. The burgundy-coloured drink is not carbonated or diluted and offers the imbiber a hint of elederflower and a dash of rose to create a “good, strong flavour.” The price of the potation is pumped up by the bottle, which boasts over 8,000 diamonds, almost 200 rubies and the equivalent of two bars of white gold, all covering a fine English Crystal decanter. Refills for this gilded gourd are available, but the truth of the matter is that this really is a tipple for those with expensive tastes. If you’re thirsty for more, a Ruwa Special Edition which retails for $730,000 is also available. www.ruwa.co.uk
Case Worker >>> The future of remote working is here, and it is stylish! Enter Pinel&Pinel’s I-Trunk, a $60,000 mobile office that includes space for everything you will ever need to work away. The beautifully crafted trunk, built on a sturdy wooden frame and covered in fine leather, is hand built in Paris and can be delivered in up to 51 different colours. It has space to fit a 20” iMac desktop complete with wireless keyboard & mouse, JBL multimedia sound system and Canon colour printer. The I-Trunk also offers ten fitted-out drawers, 10 leather suspension files, a fold-away keyboard tray and loads of compartments for stationery storage. This 100kg travel companion also has a built-in power transformer to make sure you don’t fry your tech. www.pineletpinel.com
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• sur la terre • for your eyes only •
Le Man’s Racer >>> Let’s face facts. The late Steve McQueen was not just “Le Man,” he was THE “King of Cool.” He was handsome, tough, a great actor and a fearless racer - all qualities he brought to bear in a number of movies, from Bullit to The Great Escape, but in none more so than Le Mans. In the lengthy opening sequence of the epic Hollywood movie, a 1970 Porsche 911S features prominently as star racing driver Michael Delaney, portrayed by McQueen, drives through the French countryside in preparation for the famous 24-hour endurance race. After filming, the 911S joined McQueen’s personal stable of extraordinary motor cars. Now, however, RM Auctions is offering the car up for grabs as one of its top lots in the annual Monterey sale, to be held in California in August. McQueen memorabilia usually fetches a high price; his Tag Heuer “Monaco” watch, also worn in the film Le Mans, sold for $87,600 in 2009. While you can expect to lay out considerably more for his pristine Porsche, the envious glances of your neighbours when you fire it up for that Friday afternoon spin will be truly priceless. www.rmauctions.com
Lighter Than Air >>>
It’s time to face facts - we will never have a flying car. Yes, while there are a few crackpot inventors who strap wings to a Smart Car and say it is possible; having to get a pilot’s license, drive to the nearest airport and sign up for a take-off slot seems, well, less convenient than we were promised in Back To The Future II. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun in the air and sea, especially now that FlyNano is in business. The FlyNano single-seat fun flyer was officially launched at Aero 2011 in April. With three basic variants; the electrically-powered series E 200, a petrolpowered Series G 240, and the up-rated racing models Series R 260/300. The FlyNano has a maximum take-off weight of 200kg, a speed range of 70 to 140 km/h and can soar to heights of up to 3km. You’ll need some experience with flying to break the surly bonds of earth in the FlyNano, so learning the simple rules of the air is a must. Prices start from $37,000 and an optional trailer-cum-storage box will cost $7,850. www.flynano.com
• sur la terre • for your eyes only •
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style confidential
top
fashion from the
GEORGE CHAKRA
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MOSCHINO CHEAP & CHIC
GEORGE CHAKRA
shoe designer (Gianmarco Lorenzi)
2.
Gianni Renzi
fashion designer
1.
Georges Chakra
Five of the hottest names on the international fashion scene share their summer style secrets…
Accessories can brighten up any outfit. Pick a fabulous pair of bold coloured heels with beautiful details like crystals, satin and lace to give your look real impact and wow-factor.”
My style advice for summer is to go for bright colours, prints and plenty of sparkle and glitter.”
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Beachwear designer Cristina Ferrari of Italian label, Fisico, tells us how to look just as good on the beach as on the streets…
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FISCO
Invest in a kaftan… Always have a coordinated kaftan to match your bikini. You can go from the beach to the bar by wearing it over your swimwear. It’s also perfect if you want a bit more cover-up from the sun.”
CH BY CAROLINA HERRERA
This summer I will be wearing white shirts, cotton skirts and high heel sandals.”
Know your shape… Pick a swimsuit that suits your body type. If you have a big bust, make sure you choose a balconette style bikini with underwire, if you have shorter legs, then be sure to pick a high cut bikini bottom to elongate them and if you have wide hips, stay away from boy short bikini bottoms and opt for string ties to bring the attention away from the area.”
FISCO
fashion designer
4.
Carolina Herrera
FISCO
JIMMY CHOO
ISSA LONDON
For me, this summer is all about coloured dresses, nude chunky high heels and, to finish it off, Chanel No5.”
5.
Cristina Ferrari
fashion designer
Karen Karam
3.
Up the glam levels… Exude glamour every moment of your summer. Invest in some beautiful bright pieces and wear them with confidence.”
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the
onsetof autumn
Sophie Jones-Cooper looks forward to the season ahead and reveals what British designer Matthew Williamson has in store for our autumn wardrobes Photographer Lottie Ettling
>>> Matthew Williamson, the perennial purveyor of British bohemian rhapsody may have recently launched a capsule collection at Macy’s in New York (exclusively for the US, unfortunately) as well as a stunning bridal line; but it is his up and coming Autumn/Winter 2011 collection that has really caught our eye… The seasonal show, which moved back to London from New York in 2009, has become one of London Fashion Week’s most revered events and once again, Matthew did not disappoint. Although a long standing master of hippy hedonistic fashion, this season the designer turned his inspirational compass in a new direction, skirting the island spirit of Ibiza on a journey into the folk lands of Russia. “I was inspired by a Russian artist that puts these amazing mirrored sculptures into the wilderness,” explains Matthew. The result – a beautifully crafted collection of geometric and ethnic prints, delicate sequined, feathered and fringed dresses and skirts - and even some city slick leathers - all wrapped up in Mongolian furs and heavy wool coats: “A sort of nomadic element mixed with an urban, more luxurious feel,” Williamson suggests.
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• sur la terre • style confidential •
Alexa Chung
Twiggy
what Alexa will be wearing come autumn, if her excitement over Matthew’s white and grey Mongolian lamb fur jacket (pictured) was anything to go by. We predict this will be a new season sell out. “That is amazing – I love it,” exclaimed Alexa, as it snowballed past her on the catwalk. Also avidly watching from the front row were former modeling greats Twiggy and Andrea Dellal alongside current hot property, Poppy Delevigne.
Olivia Palermo
Poppy Delevigne
>>> With a bevy of A-list beauties waiting on his every sketch and stitch, Matthew Williamson has attracted a firm following of British style stars, including Sienna Miller, Cat Deeley and Alexa Chung, the latter of which took her front row seat at the show alongside the gorgeous American socialite and actress Olivia Palermo. Alexa wore summer’s faithful stripes and a trench, while Olivia embraced the maxi trend, teaming a pleated maxi skirt with a chic fitted polo neck. We all know
Andrea Dellal
THE CELEBRITIES
Sur la Terre’s style team was at the show to bring you the highlights and this is what we saw from our front row seats…
THE AW 11 COLLECTION
t
The trousers Matthew’s autumn trousers, whether skinny leathers, sleek cigarette pants or relaxed and belted, all follow a similar theme - a lower waist than summer, a cinched ankle and often sporting a skinny belt.
p
The print Electric graphics and a nomadic and tribal approach to prints is a bold signature throughout the collection on skirts, trousers, dresses and coats.
c
The coats Beautifully contrasting against sheer blouses and delicate dresses; mohair, marabou and Mongolian lamb fur in neutrals or monochromatic tones with oversized and draped heavy printed wool coats, are the way to wrap up.
d
The details Taking the hippy into the city is an array of luxe detailing, including sequin and feathered skirts, as well as swishing tasselled and fringed mini dresses.
m
The maxis It wouldn’t be a Matthew Williamson show without a breezy bohemian maxi dress or two. For autumn, vivid and graphic prints ooze a sophisticated confidence for the haute-hippy.
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In focus
Qatar’s
Call to Action Seventeen years ago, Ian Silverstein was 23, and found himself looking for a job in the middle of a recession. So, he started his own business. Since then, Creative Action Design has put together an impressive portfolio of international clients. Its latest and arguably greatest accomplishment to date was helping to brand the successful Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Bid by creating its voice, tone and visuals. With over ten years’ experience in the GCC, Ian shares his views of what it takes to be successful in the region. >>> For us, it’s all about people, not necessarily brands. When you leave a restaurant or a cafe, you’re not always going to remember the experience as a brand, but you’ll probably remember the person that served you. That’s why the philosophy of my business is all about people. If you find good people and good business, the rest takes care of itself. That’s why it’s important to set up programmes and initiatives that bring them together. Networking We arrived in the Middle East in 2000 and went on a two year networking frenzy! Because we focused on building connections, we’ve become one of the major players in the creative scene, and are now in a position where we have a substantial business. All of the major organisations in Qatar pick up the phone and call the London office, when actually, there’s an office right here. For example, the 2022 bid, which was without a doubt the most high-profile piece of branding in Qatar, was all done by a Qatar-based company! Why go to London? It’s all here!
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That’s why we’ve created The Creative Forum. A lot of the corporations in Doha don’t believe there is creative talent here, but there is. Via LinkedIn, we invite creative people to submit their CVs and case studies to The Creative Forum. This is a great and very specific way for creative people to express themselves, as well as communicate with other creative people. Of course, it’s also a great way for Creative Action to generate a talent pool where we can go when needed. We also want to get like-minded people together from the creative community to share problems, to share challenges and to share resources. That’s why we’ve started our Creative Lunches initiative. We want to help the creative leaders here communicate with each other. The short term aim of this is to create an advisory board for the creative community in Qatar, while the long term goal is to have a Qatar-based creative awards ceremony. It’s important to showcase the talents here, and show all of the major companies here that there is a growing creative community in Qatar.
• sur la terre • in focus •
within the past five years. Sur la Terre has helped, too. Three years ago, nobody would have understood something like this magazine unless they came from somewhere else. Now, people are starting to get it. That’s testament to Sur la Terre for hanging in there; its quality of content and writing has made its mark. We still have another journey to make before Qatar gets internationally recognised, but strong brands like these, and international ones like the 2022 bid and Virgin are educating the design community here. The Future Qatar is making a name on two levels: high profile bids and business. The smart players in this country are going through very strategic purchases. They’re making moves everywhere. However, what they NEED to do is come up with “Brand Qatar,” giving the nation its own tone of voice. Qatar has to be careful not to create bad press, because it has what everyone wants. It has brand protection, but no brand at this point. Qatar Airways, for example, is great, but the country itself needs a look, a feel and a voice, and it needs all of the big companies supporting and investing in it.
Competition We have to stop worrying about protecting our privacy. I would rather know and celebrate competition. You are going to get some agencies that won’t do that, and that’s fine, but at some point they’ll have missed the boat. There are a lot of agencies coming into Qatar right now, and I for one welcome that. The more agencies, the bigger the voice and the stronger the reputation Qatar will have. Challenges Everyone talks about being conservative here in the GCC, and yes it is a challenge, but anywhere you do business has its conservatism. I mean, even in the US and UK, it shows. They’re logistical nightmares with things like health and safety and political correctness. Qatar has challenges, but with all due respect, there are challenges everywhere in the world. The design business is all about making things smooth, recognising those challenges and then finding a way to guide yourself around them. Change The community is starting to catch on. Look at something like The Gulf Times. The look and quality of advertising has improved so much
• sur la terre • in focus •
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UP CLOSE & personal
feature
trends confidential
look book
ORIGINS
CAROLINA & CAROLINA herrera
a faMiLy affair
Famed fashion designer Carolina Herrera and her daughter speak exclusively to Sophie Jones-Cooper about their unique family collaboration, where fashion and fragrance are riding high on the front line.
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• sur la terre • up close & personal •
up close & personal passion >>> For over 30 years, fashion designer Carolina Herrera has defined the way we dress. Her simple take on modern glamour not only unleashed the style of fashion icon Jackie Kennedy, but women around the world. Where would we be without her signature white shirts, which have revolutionised chic daywear and her beautifully tailored evening wear?
only had one fragrance, Carolina, you launched your fashion label back Carolina has not only captivated the world of fashion, but delved into other design Carolina Herrera, Classic. arenas, expanding her empire into menswear, bridal-wear and of course the world I accepted, thinking that in 1980, and now the of fragrance. Back in 1997, Carolina enlisted the help of her daughter (also named it would be a temporary Carolina herrera label Carolina), and together they have become quite the mother-daughter collaboration job and that it could be has become a multiwith one of the world’s most notable fragrance lines, of which Carolina Jnr is interesting and fun to faceted lifestyle brand. Fragrance Consultant. discover something new how do you manage it? and to learn something Carolina H Snr: Whether I Sur la Terre caught up with the mother and daughter duo ahead of their different. Twelve years later, I deal with a new fashion show, a Autumn/Winter 2011 catwalk show in New York to get a sneak am still here and very happy to new collection or a new fragrance preview of the up-coming collection as well as finding out what be part of the Carolina Herrera launch, all and each of them will makes this such a successful family affair… fragrance team. always be my main focus. It’s not about splitting myself many ways, but having wonderful teams that support me on each aspect of the business. What is it like working so closely with your mother? I have a passion for work and a marvelous and professional team. Carolina H Jnr: Working with my mother is the easiest thing in the world. We never fight about anything. She trusts me and I always learn Why did you decide to expand the brand beyond fashion? a lot from her. Carolina H Snr: We felt we were missing a segment of the business, and I wanted to diversify the collections and be able to create more of a lifestyle What does your daughter bring to the brand? and why do you line. That’s how CH Carolina Herrera was born in 2001. think you work so well together? Carolina H Snr: I love her eye, her ideas and her vision. I know she will Why do you think you have managed to be so successful in so always tell me the truth, and this is very important when you run a business. many different areas? Carolina H Snr: Quality, distinctiveness, uniqueness, elegance, do you have any input in the ready-to-wear collections or luxury and a subtle sophistication. These values are key in any advise your mum with the fashion line, as someone of a Herrera product. younger generation? Carolina H Jnr: I usually arrive the day before the fashion show, so I your team includes your daughter Carolina. Why did you want have no input in the collection, although I think my mother is probably her involved? influenced by all of her daughters (there are four sisters). Carolina H Snr: I asked Carolina to start working on the fragrance division nearly 15 years ago, when we launched 212. We needed the ideas So your sisters are involved in the family business… of someone young who had nothing to do with the fragrance industry. Carolina H Jnr: My younger sister works with my mother in NY, mostly She did it so well and she loved it so much that she finally decided to on special projects and the collection. stay in the business. Carolina Snr, tell us about your latest a/W11 collection and what are you proud of what your daughter has achieved within inspired the designs… the business? Carolina H Snr: There’s no special inspiration… I wanted to focus Carolina H Snr: I’m very proud of her work. We love to share ideas and on linear structures and shifting proportion through defined waists, I know that she will respect the brand values in every aspect of every sleeves and sculpted necklines. project she gets involved in. What woman did you have in mind when designing So, Carolina Jnr, how did it feel moving into the family business? the collection? Carolina H Jnr: Well, I was living in New York at the time, in 1996, and Carolina H Snr: She is a feminine, elegant and chic woman. She my mother asked me if I wanted to collaborate with her in the creation knows what she likes and she doesn’t follow trends, but brings her of a new perfume which would eventually become 212. At that time she own style to her wardrobe.
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Carolina Jnr, what do you think of the collection and what are your favourite pieces? Carolina H Jnr: I love all the dresses. I love their femininity. You have opened a store in Doha. How important is the Middle East market for you? Carolina H Snr: It is very important. Middle Eastern women are very sophisticated and feminine, and they love the brand. Thanks to them we are growing in the Middle East. In Doha we found the perfect partner and it was the right time, in business terms, to open a store there. Why do you think the designs and perfumes are so popular in the Middle East? Carolina H Jnr: Because they are beautiful, feminine, classic, yet modern and the perfumes smell delicious. They are wonderfully packaged and they last on the skin. Middle Eastern women also have a long, beautiful tradition of understanding fragrances and essences. What is it about fragrances that give you so much pleasure? Carolina H Jnr: I love the mystery, allure and romance behind making perfumes. There are no formulas. Fragrances appeal to a sensual and olfactory memory, and for each person that can be a different thing.
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Do you have plans to visit Doha and the Middle East any time soon? Carolina H Snr: Most probably, but I still don’t know exactly when. I will let you know whenever I do!
Carolina H Jnr: Yes, I am planning to go soon. It is a market I would like to visit. And finally Carolina Snr, you have said in the past that it is imperative for women to know what looks good on them. How do women learn this? What advice do you can give to Sur la Terre’s readers? Carolina H Snr: Just be yourself and wear what makes you feel good. If you feel comfortable and attractive then you will look absolutely fantastic. It is about simplicity, not being excessive and always being aware of your age. A full length mirror will always be your best friend!
• sur la terre • up close & personal •
up close & personal
RENZO ROSSO the JeanS genie
passion
He was named by uK-based Select magazine as one of the 100 most important people in the world who will contribute to the shape of the new millennium. In 2005, his company was awarded the “Premio Risultati” award from the prestigious Bocconi Institute in Milan for being the “Best Italian Company of the Year.” Now, Renzo Rosso, co-founder and owner of the Diesel fashion brand sits with James McCarthy to talk about dressing down, his rebellious streak and running away to Diesel Island.
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When you started out in 1978, it wasn’t just to make a better pair of jeans. How did you first get involved in clothes design and what was your philosophy and vision? I was 15 when I made my first pair of jeans with my mother’s sewing machine and they were a great success. All of my friends liked them, and I ended up stitching jeans at home every night for them; that was my beginning. By the time I was 22, I had my own business. I did everything, from the design to the stitching, it was fantastic. However, I never thought my business would grow to the size it is today; I thought I would work hard at my small company and that is it.
Set sail for Diesel Island...
Sick of corrupt politicians, the global economic crisis and cracked nuclear reactors? Go help set up the “Land of the Stupid and Home of the Brave” on Diesel Island: www.diesel.com/island Who knows, one day you might Diesel is about more than just selling Jeans, it sells a lifestyle. be president. It is almost a cult. How did this come about, was it planned or was it an organic evolution? The company was filled with my DNA, my feeling, and as it started to grow, the world started to change and people started becoming fanatical about the things we were producing. I had a group of friends who would constantly ask for something different, so I started to develop collections. From there I started designing collections for women, because up until then it was mostly male clothing. After my children were born, I designed some clothes for them, and when they would see my children at school, the other mothers would go crazy for their clothes and asked me to make some for them. That’s how I started developing children’s lines. Step by step, my collections started to grow. From there we developed shoes, belts and other accessories and the big explosion came in around 1990 when I started advertising. You have a new advertising campaign, “Diesel Island,” which is very irreverent, rebellious and a little anti-establishment. There is clearly a lot of your personality and philosophy in there, but maybe you can explain the thinking behind it? These days “Me” is actually a group of like-minded people. While it is my philosophy, I share it with that collective. Together we have more power to achieve our goals. We wanted this campaign to be innovative, fresh and brave. The result reflects very much myself, but I am not alone. It represents the group as a whole. There are a lot of problems in the world - look at Bahrain, Libya and Afghanistan - so we asked ourselves why not create an island where all fans of Diesel can write the laws they want, create the society they want and even get the opportunity to be president?
It really is a fantastic concept. However, some of the themes and content are quite edgy and, some might suggest, a little risque for such a conservative region as the GCC. Did that occur to you during the creative process and does that bother you? Today, thanks to the internet, this generation share so much information and so many views from so many places in real time. I like to have a unified message and not treat Diesel’s customers in different ways, I do not want to put limitations on society. I do not want to say, “you are from here, so I will treat you differently to my customer over here...” For me, everyone is equal, everyone is the same. Everyone is welcome on Diesel Island. Going back to the clothes, what is your creative process and how do you manage to keep things fresh? We never stop with research. Even though I am here, I am always looking for inspiration. I was at the Museum of Islamic Art and I took a picture of a silver plate that is 1,000 years old. I encourage all my people to do the same; to look for inspiration in everything. We are sixty people, so to plan a collection, we research. After a period of time, we all sit again to share our findings, ideas and inspirations, and whether it is a candy wrapper or a 1,000-year-old plate, we decide on a direction and develop the collection from there. As a trendsetter yourself, what do you see the trends being in Autumn Winter 2011. The market is becoming less high-fashion and more low-fashion. A dressed down retro look from the sixties and seventies is the direction I see us going, with more emphasis on the build quality of the clothes and looks that can be worn for longer, than on the fashion crazy items.
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LEONELLO BORGHI
up close & personal passion
it’S in THE Bag, Baby 56
• sur la terre • up close & personal •
you once said, “the feeling of leather got me hooked,” but what is it about this world that truly ignited your passion and continues to inspire you? Why is this the best venue for you to create your designs? Once I started to appreciate leather, it became intoxicating, addictive. It touched my senses, and it didn’t let go. The moment I find a certain material, I can visualise a style. It’s almost like the leather tells you HOW to be treated. Some have a stronger character that you need to work in a different way, while others are softer. I have a strict philosophy to understand the material. After that, it’s up to us to create in the spirit of Lancel.
the pillars of La Maison de Lancel. I also focus on colour, because a woman should not be afraid of colour or to express herself. However, for me, it’s all about natural beauty. I don’t like anything too fake, or anything too constructed, and I don’t make “it” products. I HATE the “it” world, because it’s a way of making fun of customers. We’re telling you you’re cool because you buy this bag, but then totally uncool unless you buy that bag? I believe in creating products with a real story that will last for longer than “the moment.” Let’s talk about bags specifically. What makes a bag “iconic?” for example, why have Lancel’s elsa Bucket bag from 1987, the premier flirt or the adjani survived the test of time and why are they still admired today? What separates them from that “it” culture you were talking about earlier? These bags you mentioned come alive with a specific story, like the Premier Flirt for example. Before Madame Lancel made the bucket bag in 1900, it didn’t exist. She was a visionary in using crazy materials. At that time, she was using shark skin, crocodile skin - I mean for 1900, that was crazy! Premier Flirt personifies that ultimate bucket bag, but there is also that sense of humour, that wittiness. We never do things by formula; we add an element of surprise, and the customer is drawn to that.
Leonello Borghi has been a part of the fashion design world since he was 19, having worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Armani, Ralph Lauren and Prada. In his current role as the Artistic Director for Maison Lancel, Paris, Borghi sat down with Sur la Terre to discuss his affinity for telling stories through design, his hate of the word “it” and his love for Brigitte Bardot.
Which sense do you relate with the most? you’ve said, “i have to fall in love with the material first, the design always comes next.” how do materials speak to you in this way, and when they do speak, do they say different things? The first thing is the touch, even more than the first look. At the touch, right away you’ll understand what you’re dealing with, like the kind of tan or how it will age; there is a technicality in that moment. Then, there is something that happens almost visually, and you can immediately see what it will become. From there, you instantly associate the feel with the attitude of a woman. I work with that attitude rather than using one person as a basis. A person can change over time, but attitude never changes. It is attitude that helps me create a collection.
What does the spirit of Lancel say to you as a designer, as opposed to some other houses you have created within? We define our spirit at Lancel in one single phrase, légèreté. This is an art of living, the joy of life. This kind of philosophy was fashionable in the 1800s, and Madame Lancel had this spirit when she created the company in 1876. When you think back, there were really only a few people doing things with bags back then. You had Louis Vuitton with luggage and Hermes doing harnesses for horses, but she had this philosophy that bags were the beginning of a woman’s seduction.
The story of the Brigitte Bardot bag is the same; it’s another “story.” A few months ago, “BB” was having a big expo in Paris. Afterwards, a friend of hers told us to write her a letter; three weeks later, she wrote us back. She said she would be delighted to do something with us, but she had a condition: she wanted to be part of the creation process. Every element you see on the BB bag comes from her, and are inspired from pictures of her. The body of the bag itself, for example, is based on her body - that classic hourglass shape. For the strap, we actually used the strap that comes from her iconic headband that she used to wear all the time. For the other strap, we used the strap from her guitar (she LOVES to play the guitar).
So what does Leonello Borghi bring to Lancel? Since I’ve been here, I have focused on making the line more compact; in a sense purifying it. I want to get rid of anything extra, and focus on
See, we don’t create products, we create stories, so our guests (I don’t like to call them customers) are getting content. Even when they come into our stores, they ask, “Do you have any new stories?”
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feature
Design
Miami Creativity and culture relocate across the ocean every year at the beginning of December, when leading art and design events come together and show their best side among the palm trees and beaches of East Coast Americana. Text Ilaria Maggi >>> It all began when Art Basel, the world’s most prestigious art fair, decided to launch a satellite event in the New World, a fair that would take place in the US in winter and complement the main fair that takes place in the heart of Europe every summer. Art Basel Miami Beach is now in its tenth year and offers an insight into the best of the international art scene from its beachside location in sunny Florida. The links with its sister event are still strong and, more than a counterpoint to the Basel fair, the Miami Beach event works as its extension and ideal complement.
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• sur la terre • feature •
Over 250 galleries from North and South America, Asia, Africa and Europe attended this annual creative gathering last year, and brought with them the works of over 2,000 artists. As it is one of the most influential platforms for contemporary art, taking part is considered a privilege, one that allows entry into the contemporary art world’s Hall of Fame. The art galleries section is the place not only for famous exhibitors, but also emerging talents, and offers the best in contemporary art.
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Some 180 designers, selected by an international jury, attended last year, many for the first time. New trends in the art world were represented in the Art Nova section, in which 50 emerging and established galleries promoted the latest works by two or three artists, with 131 artists represented in total. Among them was Turinbased gallery Franco Soffiantino, participating in this section for the second year running. A year prior, the gallery showed German artist Michael Beutler and his Alternative Carpet site-specific project; while last year, it brought three young artists to the fair: Melanie Gilligan, Josh Tonsfeldt and Andrea Nacciarriti.
Here, as at the art fair, the focus is on quality and all that is contemporary. Now in its sixth year, Design Miami is one of the leading contemporary design events in the world today, celebrating new and old work. Last year’s event took place in a new temporary structure designed by Moorhead&Moorhead, which is physically and conceptually close to the space occupied by Art Basel Miami Beach. It has moved close to the beach and in so doing increased attendance to this burgeoning new design district, where designers, curators, collectors and influential critics gather to celebrate the culture of design.
Paris-based Galerie Kreo, New York’s Sebastian + Barquet and Seoul’s Seomi Gallery were all here, and visitors were invited to see all of their installations, listen to the opinions and discussions between designers and curators in the Design Talks series, or catch one of the live design performances, in which a group of artists illustrated how their work was conceived. If the 2010 shows of both Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami were any Art Kabinett presented small exhibitions by different indication, then this year’s events will once again prove that these are not just fairs for art and galleries that all followed a clear curatorial theme, while design connoisseurs, but also for those delving into this fascinating world for the first time. Art Positions offered a platform for young galleries to profile the personal projects of a single artist. Finally, Art Basel Miami 2011 takes place from December 1-4, 2011 while Design Miami takes the Art Public section, curated by Patrick Charpenel, place in June from the 14th to the 18th. proposed the works of world-famous artists selected from the various proposals submitted by the galleries taking part in the fair. Last year also saw the return of the Oceanfront, a temporary structure designed by architects Phy Hoang and Rachely Rotem that was launched in 2009. The Oceanfront overlooks the beach, as its name suggests, and hosted a series of groundbreaking arts and visual performances, with concerts and more exhibitions in the evening. A short walk away, you are catapulted into the wonderful world of design. This is where design is at its most futuristic and ground-breaking, and where the best of world production is represented.
Fendi rhymes with design, but inlimited edition
Last April saw fashion house Fendi create a sort of experimental workshop and design performance using waste materials at Milan’s furniture fair. It was called Craft Punk and was quite a show. Fendi also took part in Design Miami in collaboration with New York-based architecture firm Aranda\Lasch, creating a direct link with the artistic performance that took place at the end of August during the 12th Architecture Biennale. Piles of rocks that looked like islands were scattered around the entrance of the Biennale, creating a sort of microcosm, an alternative world (or way) of using furniture. This evocative installation – appealingly entitled Modern Primitives – was made of foam structures that were composed of microscopic minerals that can be made into bigger blocks and placed on top of or next to one another. Technology, craftsmanship and tradition all came together in a productive dialogue in this installation, which reached its climax during Design Miami. www.fendi.com
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Art Basel Miami Beach Miami Beach Convention Center www.artbaselmiamibeach.com
Design Miami
Meridian Avenue & 19th Street Miami Beach Convention Center P-Lot, Miami Beach www.designmiami.com web.miamibeachfl.gov
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1. Gagosian Gallery, New York. Dan Colen “The space between her belly button and her breast”, 2010. © MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd. 2. Mitterrand + Cramer booth at Miami Design 2009. 3. Karsten Greve Gallery, St.Moritz. Louise Bourgeois “Heart”, 2004 © MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd. 4. Lehman Maupin Gallery, New York.Tony Oursler “H2Out”, 2006. © MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd. 5. Hauser & Wirth Gallery, Zurich. Paul McCarthy “White Snow Dwarf ( Sleepy)”, 2010. © MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd. 6. Patrick Seguin booth at Miami Design 2009.
• sur la terre • feature •
s Trendential d confi
The Capsule
Wardrobe >>> Fifteen or 20 kilos? That was the first question I was faced with when packing to go on my latest European adventure. Now, this was clearly not a question of how many inches I may add to my hips after two weeks of Spanish chorizo, sangria and paella, but a decision based around my wardrobe choices for the next 14 days of what I hoped would be style-drenched bliss. Admittedly, I was travelling on a budget airline, and as many frequent travellers around Europe may know, this can be the most economical way to travel. Like many a frugalista, I prefer to save my Euros for those oneoff fashion finds at the local market or bohemian boutique, rather than a guaranteed seat and complimentary snack. Of course, apart from the madding crowds, the main downside of this style of jet setting is the problem we face when compacting our walk-in-wardrobes into a condensed suitcase sized capsule.
Looking effortlessly chic on holiday requires some serious packing skills. Sophie Jones-Cooper has firsthand experience…
Fitting the required holiday attire, be it for a beach break, a chic city encounter or a country retreat, requires a degree in the art of packing if you are to minimise your wardrobe into a mere 10 or so kilos. Well, once the array of mundane must-haves are in the bag – beauty essentials and toiletries, guide books, a novel, your hair “machinery” and those all important accessories; there is little room left for clothes, shoes and bags. A pair of Louboutin Anemone pumps alone weigh in at 1.5kilos, and likewise does a Chloé Paddington handbag. So it is a no brainer: Pay up and weigh in to the maximum.
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• sur la terre • trends confidential •
Whatever happened to the glorious days of travelling in style with stacked flat-top Louis Vuitton trunks and staff on hand to get you and your luggage from A-B stress free? Back in the 19th century, suitcases were a sign of wealth and status and embossed with initials or family crests, rather than an embarrassing “heavy” sticker or garish plastic wrap. Gorgeous paper labels indicated your far-flung destination and there was a distinct air of sophistication associated with travel of all kinds. Nowadays, we may still witness the occasional Louis Vuitton monogrammed suitcase showing its presence on the conveyor belt, but it doesn’t quite have the same effect, especially when more often than not it is a “fake.” Aside from the luggage itself, we have turned into a society of style purveyors who, even on holiday, still demand our full creature comforts, including a full wardrobe perfectly suited to our particular destination. Today the world is our oyster, and we can travel wherever takes our flight of fancy, but we want the right to be able to choose exactly what we wear every day. Just because we are abroad, does not mean our style credentials should slip.
MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
MOSCHINO
CELINE When faced with this enforced limited wardrobe selection, there are additional dilemmas to take into account. Do we opt for the versatility of nude or black wedges? Hair rollers or straighteners? We are simply left with no choice but to show fashion favouritism to our light weight chiffon maxi dresses over our richly tailored wide legged trousers (which I might add, would look just the ticket on the streets of Barcelona) and heavy stacked heels are left behind for slim line counterparts.
So if we are to condense, just what do the catwalks tell us we should be packing for that summer holiday capsule wardrobe? City ChiC When it comes to stepping out in any city this summer, keep things simple and stick to three basic style paths – tailored whites, stripes and bold bright separates. These will all work as equally beautifully on their own as they will together; throw into the mix a plentiful scattering of statement accessories and you will have the ultimate summer city wardrobe. It’s all about mix and match. Take inspiration from Stella McCartney’s crisp all white trouser suits and Celine’s perfectly tailored head-to-toe whites and team with a Prada-esque striped T-shirt or a bold, brightly hued Gucci silk blouse, while a pair of vivid MaxMara Capri pants will work beautifully with a crisp white shirt. When it comes to the accessory department, a panama hat, a pair of stacked heels, neutral shaded flats, a tan shoulder strap handbag and oodles of gold accessories will do the job very nicely. BeaCh BLiSS Whether hitting the rustic Italian Amalfi coast, the uber style conscious French Riviera or the sun drenched hippy beaches of Ibiza, the easiest way to have versatility with your wardrobe is to “max” it out. Think Dior’s tropical and vivid floor length chiffons, Matthew Williamson and Pucci’s Ibiza-ready billowing maxi gowns. For the evening, slip into a Marc Jacobs seventies-esque silk jump suit or Celine’s slinky pyjama pants.
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GUCCI DIOR CaroLina herrera’S City: neW yorK As one of the top names on New York’s fashion scene, who better to tell us where to shop and what to do on a luxe break in the Big Apple than Carolina Herrera… My favourite pLaCe to Shop in neW yorK “Bergdorf Goodman. You can find anything there, it has the best cosmetic department in New York. You can also find weird things, less expensive ones, books, restaurants, kids’ clothes, beauty salons, new designers brands, and designers’ boutiques. I also love Taffin for jewels designed by James Givenchy at 75th street with Madison. They have some really unique pieces.” top Shopping tip “Go to Soho. If you only have a few hours, you can find anything you wish… shops, fun, restaurants, cinemas, museums and all sorts of entertainment. You can also experience many cultures and lifestyles in one space – it is uptown and downtown all in one.”
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These lightweight options mean there is allowance for more of your wardrobe and if you want hand luggage that screams beach luxe, nothing beats Louis Vuitton’s new “Allieurs” canvas tote beach bag complete with palm trees, blue sky and white sandy beaches. Corsages are huge for summer and will give the beach goddess look instantly while a pair of Giorgio Armani retro tortoiseshell round shades will finish off the more haute-hippy style. Keep it simple with your shoes; go for pretty ankle tie flats and tropical embellished sandals by day and bold woven raffia or wooden wedges once the sun has gone down.
Country CLaSSiC A retreat to the Tuscan hills or the chateau in Provence calls for a sophisticated yet casual attire of effortless feminine elegance. D&G’s garden party florals lend themselves perfectly to country day wear, as do simple yet graceful neutrals. Think Chloé’s ballet inspired collection, and team delicate silk and chiffon beiges and dusky pinks with ruffles, pleats, fringing and tassels for a hint of texture, and of course summer’s ubiquitous country road footwear – brogues, buckled flat leather sandals or ballet flats. Both girly florals and textured neutrals can be easily transformed for al fresco evening wear with the addition of a ruffled or lace cropped jacket, a compact box clutch and pair of wooden wedges. Silk printed scarves weigh nothing and will become your best country companion, as will your hand luggage - Etros’s country-ready woven straw bag or Hermès’ wicker Kelly.
My favourite reStaurant “Indochine on Lafayette Street. It continues to be superb, beyond its fame. It has an excellent atmosphere, has not become old-fashioned and the food is continually exquisite and delicious.” the BeSt Way to Spend a day in neW yorK iS… “At the NY Central Park Reservoir. It’s a lake, and the best time to go is in spring as all the cherry trees have flowered. It’s impressive if you walk from east to west. It starts on one of the 80s streets; we enter in the 90th, that’s the main entrance. It has a jogging circuit and even a horse riding path.” do not MiSS… “The boat house in Central Park during the spring and summer. It is like being in the countryside but you are actually in the middle of the city. It’s peaceful and quiet and you can spend hours there with your family, with your dogs and with friends.”
• sur la terre • trends confidential •
Bold & Beautiful Look book
>>> Choose your print or combine them all for a daring summer style statement
Top tip >>>
Don’t be afraid to clash your prints. Try stark stripes with intense florals, or animal print with dizzy graphics.
Catwalk moment: Matthew Williamson’s head to toe billowing maxi and Sarah Burton’s structured mini for Alexander McQueen prove that print works both on both short and long.
DRESS River Island, DRESS Next, DRESS Urban Outfitters, SCARF Vivienne Westwood, SKIRT New Look, PONCHO Etro at Net-a-porter.com, BIKINI Urban Outfitters, PLAYSUIT Diane Von Furstenberg, SWIMSUIT Biba at House of Fraser, DRESS Lipsy London, DRESS Mary Katrantzou at Boutique1.com
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• sur la terre • look book •
Keep Your Cool >>> Summer’s laid back luxe calls for casual linens and breezy cottons in off-white shades of grey and beige Images: House of Fraser
Look book
Top tip >>>
Get the required level of elegance vs. casual by turning up your shirt sleeves and upping the hemline of shorts
“Sand, white, grey and blue hues will be the main colours to be seen in this summer. These muted colours blend effortlessly for a classic style” Gianni Renzi, Shoe Designer
Catwalk moment: Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana
LINEN BLAZER Jil Sander at Boutique1.com, LINEN SHIRT Hartford at MrPorter.com, SUNGLASSES Persol at MrPorter.com, ESPADRILLES Red Herring at Debenhams, SHORTS Urban Outfitters, TRILBY Next, SHORTS Next, BELT Tommy Hilfiger, MOCASSINS Office, BAG Giorgio Armani
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origins
Trussardi:
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The Fantastic
Text
Ilaria Maggi
Fashion, furniture, contemporary art and a Michelin-starred restaurant - Trussardi is now a four-ringed circus. As it celebrates its 100-year anniversary in 2011, this family business continues to mix its strong sense of tradition with an intrepid ability to look into the future.
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• sur la terre • origins •
1 >>> Beatrice Trussardi has a watchful gaze, elegant posture and is as dynamic as she is composed, very much like the venerable greyhound that was chosen as the brand’s logo by her father Nicola when he took over the reins of the North Italian leather glove-making house from his father. His idea was to enter the sparkling world of prêt-à-porter and transform the business into the high fashion house that we all know
today. Over the years, the company has experienced peaks of glory and valleys of crisis (first within the family and then within the business), but has come out of the latter with the grace and poise of a greyhound. How? This is what anyone who has the pleasure of meeting the group’s top woman, Beatrice Trussardi, asks her. She entered the firm at a very young age and became President and CEO in 2002 with clear ideas, innovative projects and determination in spades. To start with, she divided the brand into four worlds that coexist and are closely linked, yet all have their own identity. “I sought out talented collaborators who would be up to the task of transforming those principles into excellent products,” explains Beatrice. “That’s how the Nicola Trussardi Foundation with Massimiliano Gioni came about, the Trussardi Restaurant at the Scala with Andrea Berton, and, of course, our collaboration with creative director Milan Vukmirovic.” Trussardi’s entrance into the world of high fashion dates back to 1983, whereas its entry into the worlds of food and art came about at the behest of father Nicola. “It was not so much about diversification, as it was proposing and promoting the highest quality projects and products in every area that Trussardi is involved. It’s certainly been a challenge, but you can’t be a pioneer without risk. You need to be brave to be visionary.” This change of course was necessary for, “reclaiming the original values of the brand – the leather, the lifestyle, the relationship with the city – and using them to express a new Italian style,” explains Beatrice. Thus did the company arrive at its 100-year mark. “A century of tradition but also of engagement in innovation,” says Trussardi enthusiastically. “The spirit of innovation that my father, grandfather and greatgrandfather had is present in everything we do and undertake today. The pioneering spirit that is behind the small and large revolutions within the company in the past 100 years is a source of inspiration for all our future projects. When we asked ourselves what would be the most fitting way of celebrating our centenary, we thought that it was not so interesting to blow out a set of candles and look back to the past, but rather to have a series of events that lasted throughout the centenary year and looked to the future and new scenarios. Our history should only be a base on which to build the future.”
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Celebrations started in January at Pitti Immagine in Florence where Trussardi was the event’s guest of honour and was given the Stazione Leopolda venue in which to show off the best of all it does. Art was represented with the “8½” show of collected works by 13 international artists who have done solo shows and spectacular public art projects in Milan for the Trussardi Foundation from 2003 to the present day. Fashion came in the form of catwalk shows featuring the upcoming men’s autumn/winter collection, while food was served throughout the day, with tasting events open to the public. “It would have been difficult to think of the Florence project taking place elsewhere. Pitti is the first appointment of the season and we were interested in starting this important year with an international fashion event,” says Trussardi in response to the many who asked “Why Florence?” Trussardi HQ is still Milan’s Palazzo Trussardi alla Scala, which looks out on to the famous piazza of the same name. This is where one can find the design offices of the brand, the boutique (there’s another one in Via Sant’Andrea) and the group’s other feather in its cap, the restaurant on the first floor whose simple but seasonal cuisine has won two Michelin stars under the direction of executive chef Andrea Berton. This is where the projects of the Trussardi Foundation are discussed. With no fixed address, the foundation has found its ideal home (or homes) in some of Milan’s most hidden and unknown venues and spaces. The foundation is Beatrice’s baby, created after she was called back from New York (where she had gone to study art) to run the family company. “Contemporary art has always been one of our family’s great interests. What was new was the desire to bring art to a wider public by inventing a new model that has transformed this passion into a daily commitment that works along side artists. The Foundation is a nomadic museum that makes art available to everyone, teaches new perspectives and posits an unusual and innovative cultural model.” Trussardi is loath to draw a balance sheet of the foundation’s work and contribution so far because, as she says, “I tend always to be thinking about the next project, product or event, rather than look back. In the meantime, Trussardi’s younger brother Tomaso has also joined the business, a natural development since, “the family is the business, it’s in our DNA. We are a very tight-knit group and we all have the same values.” With the 100-year celebrations set to continue, she concludes by saying, “Trussardi is a committed and engaged brand and that’s why we always get involved in medium- or long-term projects, and not single events that come and go in the space of an evening or a week.” Here’s to the next 100 years!
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Trussardi Foundation
A converstation with Massimilano Gioni
Like any good commander-in-chief, Beatrice Trussardi has surrounded herself with good men. Massimiliano Gioni has been at the helm of the Nicola Trussardi Foundation since 2003, and in this time has put on major exhibitions that have got the art world (and the wider public) talking. One example was the Cattelan installation in 2005 of three children hanging from a tree in Milan’s Piazza XXIV Maggio. What makes the Foundation unique is its international scope and flavour, and the fact that it has no fixed address, something that allows it to be infinitely flexible in terms of time and venues. As an important part of the complex Trussardi organisation, the Foundation took part in the Florentine festivities with a retrospective entitled 8½ (after the number of years the Foundation has existed, but undoubtedly also after the Fellini film). The show brought together all the artists and projects the Foundation has presented and supported over those years under one roof. It may have something surprising in store for the Milan celebrations, too. “What’s exciting is to start from scratch every time; that’s what incites us to do something different and to do it even better,” says Massimiliano Gioni, who we reach on the phone in New York. He was recently named Associate Director of the New Museum of Contemporary art in New York, a prestigious post that he will fulfill on top of the role he already has at the Trussardi foundation. We asked him to talk about how this great machine for promoting and supporting contemporary art came about, and how it works.
3 SLT: Let’s start by talking about the 8½ exhibition you put on to mark the centenary in Florence. Was it an opportunity to assess what the foundation has achieved so far? Massimilliano Gioni: We didn’t want to put on a self-congratulatory exhibition, but rather to collect together all the works we have produced and presented and offer them up like a gift. In the past, the Foundation has put all its resources at the service of the artists; on this occasion we reversed this. It was the artists who displayed their works to celebrate the 100 year birthday. More than a time for assessing the foundation’s state of health, it was a moment of celebration, a playful Carnival-style affair.
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5 SLT: When you set up the Foundation, did you determine some basic guidelines with Beatrice Trussardi? M.G: When we started to work on it, we decided that it was important to give a strong sign of change, so we decided to follow a new path. We didn’t want it to have a permanent base, and we wanted to take contemporary art into public or forgotten spaces, or to symbolic and historic venues in Milan. This was the very strong stamp we gave to the Foundation from the outset. It was quite drastic, but the complexity and scale of the project has grown more gradually since 2003. Beatrice is a person, a director, who seconds and understands change and this was fundamental for the Foundation. The Foundation’s uniqueness and difference is thanks to the fact that it changes venue each exhibition. So it’s in continuous movement but always rooted in the rediscovery of cultural roots, of history, of tradition, because we take contemporary art to places that are rich with layers of history. This seemed to us to reflect what the Trussardi universe stands for; the idea that innovation can cohabit with an aim to rediscover the past and our cultural traditions. SLT: Have you already identified the next venue in Milan? M.G: We’ve been doing this for eight and a half years now and we have never repeated ourselves, or used the same space twice. This ensures that every exhibition is a unique adventure. Each time it’s getting a bit more complicated though because Milan is big but it does not have an endless supply of venues! This too is all part of the challenge! SLT: Was the recent exhibition in Florence a try-out as a possible option for the future? M.G: It’s something we’ve been thinking about. We have made small forays outside Milan with diverse initiatives. We have brought works to the Biennale in Venice; we have worked in London; not on the scale of a proper exhibition, though. Florence was undoubtedly a test to understand how we might do things outside Milan.
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SLT: The Foundation seems to have found its place and its audience… M.G: The central tenet of the Foundation, and this is what we discussed at the start with Beatrice, was to take art out of conventional museum spaces. We felt that there was already an audience for this kind of thing in Milan, but it was only a potential audience, made up of people who went round art galleries and were curious about art. So we said to ourselves: why don’t we bring art to the public rather than the other way around? This has been an interesting shift that has created a wider audience, because if you put art among people and in their way, then they are necessarily confronted with it and automatically go and seek out other art. I believe it’s a sort of virtuous circle; when you place art in the midst of everyday life, then life needs to deal with art. SLT: Especially in Italy, where contemporary art has always been somewhat sidelined and overlooked… M.G: We wanted to offer an educational and didactic side to contemporary art but without resorting to teaching lessons. The idea was that the art should explode into the public space, I am thinking of Maurizio Cattelan. We wanted the educational aspect to be transmitted through direct experience with art, and so impose contemporary art as a subject for debate that needs to take place in the city, in the media, and so on… We are part of a select number of private foundations that have done a lot for contemporary art, such as the Sandretto (Re Rebaudengo, editorial note) and Prada foundations. The most interesting aspect of all this is that the Trussardi Foundation was created in 1996 by Nicola Trussardi, and at that time none of the other fashion houses had any foundations so it was a very innovative move. He was far-sighted in understanding the importance of culture and the relationship between culture and fashion.
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SLT: Any future projects? M.G: They are still in the planning stages. Flexibility is another of the Foundation’s characteristics, as is not having a schedule or timetable. We work at a more or less fixed pace, but the flexibility of venue means that there is flexibility in the timetabling too. We’ll be announcing the next exhibition in a few months. www.fondazionenicolatrussardi.it www.trussardi.it www.trussardi1911.it www.trussardiallascala.it
1. Pawel Althamer, Balloon, 1999 – 2007, photo: Marco De Scalzi, Courtesy Pawel Althamer; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw 2. Urs Fischer, House of Bread, 2004, photo: Marco De Scalzi, Courtesy Urs Fischer; Il Giardino dei Lauri, Città della Pieve, Perugia 3. Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Short Cut, 2003, photo: Giulio Buono, Courtesy Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset; Galleria Massimo De Carlo, Milan 4. & 5. Restaurant Trussardi Alla Scala
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IN MOTION
HORIZONS
LIFESTYLE
In motion
Agent Orange:
On the Verge with the Virage Senior Editor Steve Paugh gets colourful with the new Aston Martin Virage.
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• sur la terre • in motion •
Still, even though I appreciate the lineage and importance of the Virage moniker, I have to admit that I had another word in mind when I approached my given Virage at the very special “Two hearts/ One Soul” driving experience to which Aston Martin invited Sur la Terre in March. It was undoubtedly the event’s host country of Spain that inspired the language of the word, which reared its head from under a long-forgotten quagmire of failed high school Spanish study. “Anaranjado,” it whispered. “Anaranjadooooo,” it continued, I thought, a bit over-dramatically. Scholars maintain that the original transliteration of Anaranjado was lost centuries ago, but that its closest meaning in English today is “he who wrestles the anaconda,” and was a title bestowed to only the most intrepid... okay, it means “orange”. Maybe it was the eponymous hue given off by the orange trees dotting the scenic landscape of the Málaga province during my trip in and around the city of Ronda that made me repeatedly (and creepily) whisper the Spanish word for orange as I addressed the Virage, but more likely, it was the eye-burning starburst shade of the car itself.
>>> Car marques are big on names. More to the point, they seem to enjoy revelling in the meaning placed behind the handles they give their cars. These can be meant to evoke an austere presence, like the Lincoln Continental, or hint at ethereal grace and mystery, like the Rolls Royce Phantom. Alternatively, brands will implement a sort of “nom de grrrr,” if you will, like Plymouth did with the old Fury, or Lamborgini’s Diablo. Other times, I think these guys throw out titles that they just think sound cool and intimidating, like the legendary Shelby Cobra, the fangorious Dodge Viper or the imposing Reliant... Kitten. Wait, what?
Given the, shall we say, “unique” exterior styling choices so stereotypical of many luxury car owners in the Gulf, my co-pilot (a South African living in Dubai) and I thought the colour choice was an inside rib from the boys at Aston. It turns out, however, that it was just a fun little coincidence that brought us to the loudest, brashest Virage of the bunch... not that we were really complaining. After all, if you’re going to drive something as elegantly aggressive as the Virage, why not go whole-hog and rock around in the most flamboyant colour possible?
Anyway, with names like “Vanquish” and “Rapide,” Aston Martin is no stranger to saturating its cars in a certain sobriquet-laced gravitas, and with its newest line-up, the brand’s addiction to cool-sounding, yet appropriate, V-based monikers continues. “Virage,” I am told by the ad-wizards at Aston, is French for “bend, turn or curve,” or given another translation, can also mean “change” or “shift,” depending on the particular Frenchman or woman to whom you are speaking. Of course, anyone of a certain age familiar with the brand will remember hearing the name, which was coined for the literal driving force of the company in the late eighties, and was only last uttered over a decade ago when referencing the eight model-limited V8 Vantage Volante (another great name).
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Here’s an interesting segue: 20th century Russian painter and art theorist Wassily Kandinsky didn’t just have a silly name. He also had a lot to say about the colour orange, which also probably means he didn’t have a girlfriend. “Orange,” he once remarked in Russian, “is red brought nearer to humanity.” In a way, the Virage does the same thing, but instead brings Aston Martin a bit closer to the driver. Like orange, which sits between the regal nature of red and the boppy fun of yellow, the Virage straddles the two very differently-coloured worlds of the DB9 and the DBS, mixing the refined dignity of the former with the jacked-up sportiness of the latter. At its heart, the Virage is meant to be a Grand Tourer, which is a feeling Aston Martin wanted to get across, not necessarily when you first see it, but from the moment you sit inside. That attention shows in the seventy hours of craftsmanship that goes into the interior of the Virage, much of that being spent on hand stitching and stretching seven Bridge of Weir leather hides across its optional 2+2 or 2+0 seating arrangement. However, the rear of the cabin is, in a word, useless, only barely able to contain a couple of journalistic rucksacks. By contrast, in front, the Virage is comfortable and spacious, not to mention more organic than its older brothers. Although, I do have one gripe, which is with the omnipresent and unchangeable paddle shifters that are all the rage these days. Give me a manual gearbox, man! Still, with large, conforming seats up front, an intuitive Garmin navigation system and, for the first time in an Aston of this class, the reduction of the gorgeous, yet sometimes overwhelming choir of rumbling engine angels that drown out the amazing 700W audio system, it’s possible to tour through life without even nudging the undercurrent of vast power reserves in the Virage onto the road. Of course, this IS an Aston Martin, and such things are just not meant to be. If you can believe it, this actually brings me back to wrestling anacondas. Bear with me. Doing battle with snakes is exactly what it felt like to drive around the countryside of Málaga, which has roads as curvaceous as they are endless and beautiful, but in the Virage, you are
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given the tools with which to handily vanquish them. The hand-built, mid-mounted 6.0-litre V12 engine is, like Málaga, a thing of surreal beauty when properly beheld. On the few straights we were able to hit on unnamed stretches of Spanish highway, it was easy to see how the Virage could leap from 0-60 in under 5 seconds. Of course, that doesn’t mean that its 490 bhp, 420 lb. ft of torque can’t be reigned into a sort of civilised precision. I don’t know if it’s the easy, smooth distribution of raw power through the truly effortless six-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission, the much-touted adaptive damping system which has been re-tweaked from its days in the DBS to help add another measure of subtlety, the safety you feel knowing that the standard carbon ceramic discs with sixpiston calipers just will not fade (no matter how many times you jam on them) or if it’s something more, for lack of a better word, “spiritual” with the Virage. Whatever it is, it makes the car an absolute joy to drive. “Wow,” said my co-driver on the last leg of our multi-hour trip as I was careering easily around tight turns and sudden Spanish swerves, “you’re in the zone.” It’s easy to get a bit lost when you’ve found something this good, and in no other car in recent memory has this happened to me. It may have taken a couple of miles to come to grips with the in-between, “orange” nature of this resurrected trendsetter, but once I did, the carpets of bright green and canopies of sky blue that swelled in the Málaga countryside suddenly became less enticing to what was going on inside the Virage. Indeed, as is implied in its foreign vocabulary namesake, I was beginning to “change” and “shift” to deeper appreciation the more “bends” and “turns” I took. Sometimes, coalescing two different worlds can be tricky, and will often result in a collision rather than the birth of a solid, singular identity. However, as is true with the colour orange, and even Málaga, for that matter, which has for years enjoyed the complementary marriage of Spanish and Arabic cultures, the new Aston Martin Virage seems to be comfortable, not with a foot in either the DB9 or DBS world, but by standing tall in a new world all its own.
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Riding [a] Shotgun
In motion
Steve Paugh (almost) test drives the 2012 Nissan GT-R, and gets a taste of its raw, unbridled power (from the passenger seat)... and is now a bit more cautious about calling shotgun. >>> As a rule, we here at Sur la Terre like to get behind the wheel of a car before we write about it. There is no better way to write about a particular car’s velocity virtuosity, after all, than to experience its poetry in motion. Plus, it’s just how we roll, yo.
at the circuit). Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), Nissan was a bit cagey about letting we, the titillated members of press, tackle the track in the GT-R without the presence of the properly cordoned-off routes that were earlier removed to let the GT1 car blast about the circuit.
Regardless of our proclivity for punching it in person, there are the rare times where silly little things like “health and safety” get in the way of our motoring merriment. Such was the case when Nissan and the Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana company invited us to a VIP racing event at the Losail International Circuit last April.
This would normally mean that the day was a wasted wash, but while we were not allowed to grasp the wheel, that doesn’t mean that we didn’t come to grips with its insane power. Let me just say this: taking to an MotoGP track in a brand new 2012 GT-R being piloted by a professional (and probably certifiably insane) GT1 driver gives new meaning to the term “riding shotgun.” Hence, the clever title.
Hosted by one of the world’s top GT1 racing teams, Sumo Power, we were not only going to be able to test drive the new GT-R, but also watch as the team pounded the Losail pavement in their GT1 car (a first
It’s a bit like going into war with one of those berserker Vikings, who used to defrock and go wild before descending into demented destruction.
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This was naked power without fear, not to mention the normal moral compunctions that allow you to sleep at night. Simply put, even if I were to personally test drive the GT-R, it would have paled in comparison to the experience that rattled the very foundation of my soul. Since its last model, the Nissan GT-R has undergone some startling, if not subtle changes that have, for all intents and purposes, made it into a different sort of beast. The most notabe of these is definitely the increase of horsepower in its VR38DETT twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine. What once was an impressive 485 hp has now increased to a frankly quite frightening 530, with an amped-up torque that has similarly swollen from 434 to 448 lb-ft. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a lot of power... and it shows, even from the passenger seat. The Nissan GT-R is able to jump from 0-60 in the butterfly kiss of 2.9 seconds, with a top speed maxing out at 197 miles per hour, which is up four mph from its 2011 showing. Now, I’m not sure I felt more than the potential of this climactic speed while drifting around hairpin turns at Losail, but the GT-R’s aggressive urge to lurch into the range of its top marks was unquestionable. Do I also believe it can make the under three second jump? Yes, because I was in it when it did. Of course, the enhancements to the jewel in Nissan’s crown, particularly in terms of drivability, are more than just engine-related; in fact, they are much more dynamic... aerodynamic, that is. The shifts in the sinew of the GT-R are subtle, but there is no denying the output they produce and surefooted safety they inspire. The improvements,
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which include a more furrowed, rigid brow, a reshaped chin spoiler, an enlarged front fascia, altered grille openings and updated canards, allowing a steadier, safer feeling of adhering to the road, even when your personal GT1 driver isn’t necessarily adhering to most driving laws... or the basic rules of physics, for that matter. The front intake also helps with cooling down the brakes, which is always a plus when riding in cars with crazy men. The look of the GT-R remains largely the same, which is to say, amazing. There are a few tweaks, like the LED running lights and a few of the aforementioned curves and contours, but it’s mostly the same as the 2011. The special 2012 Nissan GT-R VVIP edition (another name for the appropriately titled “Egoist” edition in Japan) is exclusive to the GCC market and offers some interesting little add-ons. These include a 24-carat gold-plated front grille and some similarly gilded accents along the side. There is also a specially made GT-R badge on the interior made in the traditional Japanese style of lacquerware called Maki-e, which, for some reason (probably magic), turns colour with age. Unlike the base GT-R models, the VVIP also allows its driver to choose from around 12 different colour and material variations for the interior. From what I could tell, squealing though I was in equal parts pleasure and fear from the passenger seat of the 2012 Nissan GT-R, this is a fun car to drive. Its power is absolutely ridiculous, and it has an imposing (albeit not unapproachable) presence to match. I look forward to wrapping my mitts around one soon, and will relish in terrifying whomever feels brave enough to call shotgun.
• sur la terre • in motion •
James McCarthy gets starry-eyed as he takes a trip to Tinsel Town.
>>> “Isn’t that Paris Hilton?” I ask my erstwhile travel partner, Abdulla Alnouri, as I nudge him with more enthusiasm than is probably cool, while pointing excitedly across the dancefloor. It turns out it is, but my attempt to get close enough to coax her into giving me an interview is met with a stoney resistance from her hefty minders, one of whom is holding what looks like, in the dim lighting, a disgruntled looking Chihuahua, though it could just be her handbag. I return to my table to find Abdulla in deep conversation with a man who he is convinced is Johnny Depp. While Paris was real, if somewhat unapproachable, it turns out that “Johnny” is actually “Hank” and no longer as interesting.
This is what (probably) passes for a normal evening in Los Angeles, especially if, like Abdulla and I, you are enjoying the hospitality of Playhouse, one of the city’s top nightspots and a notoriously difficult velvet rope to bypass - unless you are Sur la Terre, that is. I am in the City of Angels, courtesy of Turkish Airlines, which invited SLT to experience its inaugural flight linking Istanbul with the entertainment capital of the world. That, of course, is exactly what Los Angeles is: The epicentre of the pop culture universe. Los Angeles is unique insofar as it is a city where you can be completely lost, but know exactly where you are, simply because you will recognise nearly every street, landmark or building. The entire
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place is a movie set, meaning that wherever you find yourself, you will be standing in a location from any one of the hundreds of movies and myriad TV shows that we, as an entertainment-hungry population, visually consume throughout our lives. This, for many, is the major draw to the city and there is plenty to cater for those in search of a little stardust from the world of the silver-screen. That is exactly what we got on our first day there, thanks to the carefully-planned itinerary put together by our hosts. Teaming up with Starline Tours, we took to the streets of L.A. for a full city tour, starting from our Hollywood Hotel and finishing at Universal Studios. Our tour guide, Jason, a former paparazzi and soon-to-be TMZ TV presenter, was not only incredibly well-versed in Tinseltown’s rich cinematic and cultural history, but pretty knowledgable about the darker side of this sometimes unforgiving city as well. With stories of seedy Mafia-run speakeasys to lurid accounts of scandal, blackmail and murder, the plot-line that has guided L.A. from rural village to global entertainment hub is as enthralling as any tale that Hollywood has transposed to celluloid over the last 100 years. It truly is a perpetual tale of art imitating life imitating art and there is legend oozing out of every pore of this wonderfully surreal place. But that is just the touristic side to this sun-drenched Californian metropolis. Behind the Hollywood veneer is a great lifestyle destination that really must be experienced at least once and, if possible, for an extended period of time. With Hollywood’s A-list comes fine dining, more high end shopping than you can shake a Birkin Bag at and, of course, high-walled, gated palaces that populate plam tree-lined boulevards. These were my next ports-of-call, as I was to be given a tour of some of the most sought after sanctuaries in town by realtor to the stars, Greg Moesser. Greg has been selling houses to the wealthy residents of L.A. for more than a decade and his company, L.A. Classic Estates (under Rodeo Realty International), has some of the city’s most desirable dwellings on its books.
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The Real(tor) Deal It was obvious from the outset that Greg is good at what he does, if not from his affable demeanour, then by the stunning dark blue Bentley Arnarge in which we ascended the Hollywood Hills. “I don’t think prices will get any lower than they are right now,” he tells me as he steers his beautiful luxo-barge around a tight corner on a steep incline. “With the infrastructure we have here in L.A., it makes for a great investment.” He explains that the “low” prices are the result of some lean years on the back of the global economic crisis. “I would think that prices have dropped about 20 to 25 percent from the peak of the market, but it has been pretty level for the last six months, so there is a feeling that we have hit the bottom.” Luxury housing, though, is doing really well, Greg explains. He tells me that the market for houses in the over $10 million category has nearly doubled since the middle of last year. “We are seeing a lot of international clients coming in and buying properties, in fact. I would say around about 50% of our deals these day are cash transactions.” He adds that there is a steady interest from the GCC, with regular inquiries from places like Saudi Arabia. “I think it’s because they love the weather here and it is such a sound investment,” he notes as we pull into the driveway of a stunning “Italian” villa high above Hollywood.
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Called the “Le Dome” Villa, it is easy to see where it gets its name when you enter through the large front door. The ante-room is beautiful in its simplicity, perfectly circular with just a Grand Piano to share the glory of a stunning domed and skylit roof. The Villa was designed by Italian Architect Pierluigi Bonvicini and is stunningly appointed throughout by prestigious local interior designer Tracy Butler. All around its 7,800 square feet, there are Italian accents, from the imported Bisazza tiles to the Murano Venitian chandeliers. As well as its breathtaking minimalist design, this $6.5 million property also offers a state of the art gym and a professional home theatre system. The master bedroom is simply gorgeous, with its spectacular en-suite bathroom, complete with free-standing tub, adding that extra “wow” factor.
As if the interior isn’t breathtaking enough, the Italian-style gardens will definitely blow you away. Not only is there the obligatory California infinity pool and hot-tub combo, but the wonderfully landscaped three-quarter acre grounds also boast a rose garden, Koi pond and an orchard. It truly is a staggering property and no surprise that several of Hollywood’s elite have shown an interest, among them criticallyacclaimed director, Guy Ritchie. The only thing that must have put him off making the investment in this amazing piece of real estate was probably the huge art-canvas print of his ex-wife, Madonna, hanging above the guest bed.
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From the Hollywood Hills, we head to Beverley Hills and the Montage Hotel & Residences, situated in the uber-fashionable shopping district next to Rodeo Drive. The minute you pull into the courtyard, you feel the kind of quality that resides here. In one corner is a 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo lined up next to a brace of beautiful Rolls Royce Phantoms. It was hard not to feel at home climbing out of Greg’s Arnarge. We were here to see the amazing condominiums that Montage residences had to offer. It is a concept that will not be alien to readers living in the Gulf. Opulently furnished (with singly the biggest walkin wardrobe I have ever seen), the apartments are are fully serviced by the hotel. As well as exclusive access to all the hotel’s facilities, there is a fantastic rooftop restaurant and family area, situated around an azure blue pool and offering possibly some of the best views of Beverly Hills and the Hollywood area. Among the five-star services, which are no more than an elevator ride or phone call away, is a stunningly designed Turkish Spa, with its perfectly tiled, sun-lit pools and attentive staff ready to customise your experience to the “nth” degree.
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A library/tea room, two bars (offering some seriously delicious signature cocktails) and Scarpetta, one of L.A.’s hottest restaurants, make the Montage one of the city’s most complete living spaces and lifestyle destinations. By the time we had finished sampling all of the delicacies that Montage had to offer, the sunlight was dropping behind the hills and it was time to meet Abdulla. Friday night is the time to explore the after-dark playgrounds of the privileged. Epic Mealtime Before we hit the town, though, dinner was on the cards as I had been cordially invited to sample the flavours of Scarpetta. It is a very earthy, yet modern Italian restaurant and, while all the trappings of luxury dining are present, perhaps the best seats in the house are in the heart of the workshop. There is a chef’s table right in the middle of the cooking space as well as a bar skirting the perimeter of the kitchen which allows inquisitive diners to enjoy their food while watching Chef Scott Conant’s team preparing another epicurian masterpiece. For starters, Abdulla and I we were both seduced by the Roasted Sea Scallops. This is one of the wisest food choices I have ever made.
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I am pretty sure that the scalding white porcelian plate these glstening white medallions arrived on had done most of the cooking. With a texture like butter in the mouth and an explosion of flavour on the tongue, they were simply sublime.
I wanted to create an adult playground; to take the inner fun of my clientele and give them a space where they can go crazy,” Vinokur explains. “Before I got here, if you wanted to go crazy, you had to go to Vegas.”
Opting for something a little less simple for my main, I waded straight in with the somewhat extravagant choice of Duck & Fois Gras Ravioli with marsala reduction. Truly an exceptional plate, the home-made ravioli was lighter than you might think, given the richness of the filling - a real palette pleaser. So too was the Aged Sirloin of Beef with roasted baby potatoes, forest mushrooms and barolo reduction. With occasional sighs of pleasure and moans of delight, it was heartily being shovelled away by an equally rapturous Abdulla.
“We have state-of-the-art everything, we are a unique venue in the city. We have the best lighting, the best sound system and only the best international DJs come and play here. Every night of the week is different at Playhouse.”
I finished up with the panna cotta, which anyone who knows me will attest, is one of my favourite desserts. However, the Coconut Panna Cotta with guava soup & caramelised pineapple that was laid in front of me was perfect to the point of being otherworldly. While I was savouring every spoonful of my epiphanic sweet course, Abdulla was being dwarfed by the fruit plate he had chosen.
You enter through a thin mirrored hallway with a very low ceiling. The muted bass beat pulsates hypnotically through the walls and the odd sliver of a strobe light cuts through the gloom. Just when it starts to get uncomfortable, the corridor opens up into a massive, multi-level space. The music comes into sharp focus, you are bathed in coloured light and below you a vast dancefloor is like an undulating human sea. Skirting the sides of this soup of rhythmically throbbing humanity are raised platforms with VIP and reserved tables where the bold and the beautiful of L.A. sit sipping on their drinks in designer-clad perfection.
So engrossed were we in the fabulous repast, Scarlett Johansson could have been sat right next to us and we would not have noticed, though while sipping on coffee, Abdulla was pretty convinced the gentleman dining behind me was “that guy from The Breakfast Club.” Playtime Nightlife in L.A. starts late. If you are hitting the dancefloor before midnight, you will have acres of space to throw your shapes. There is plenty of choice in the city, but many of the top spots are located in Hollywood and our blacked-out Escalade was headed for the city’s hippest after-dark hangout, Playhouse. The brainchild of nightlife veteran, Rob Vinokur, Playhouse is one of the most unique offerings on Hollywood Boulevard and was recently voted the fourth best nightclub in the world in a Reuters poll. Think Ibiza meets Las Vegas and you are only just scratching the surface. “When I got to L.A. in 2004, there were no big clubs, just lounges.
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“This was an old theatre, so it’s great.” Vinokur says, “The designers, who are friends of mine, and have designed some of the top restaurants and clubs in New York, helped to create a space that no matter where you stand, you can see everything that’s going on in the club.” Behind the DJ booth, a set of steps leads you up to a second room, a more loungy space populated by beautiful people with matineeidol good looks. The cherry, quite literally on top, is the retractable roof above the dancefloor, allowing the fresh California air to cool the room and starlight to mix with the strobing lasers. Every few minutes, waiters and waitresses, clad in Star Trek-esque attire take to the stages, cages or, in some cases, even the ceilings to perform daredevil acts of acrobatics, or circus-style feats of entertainment for the baying crowds. “Every member of the team is employed because they have a performance skill, not just because they can serve food or pour drinks,” notes Vinokur. “Some of them do some pretty crazy stuff. We have a waitress who is a contortionist. She gets up does her stuff for ten minutes and then goes back to serving drinks.” I can just about see one such display taking place above a serving station through the jets of Ozone that are being pumped onto the dancing masses to cool them off. If you are a VIP, and you want in, Vinokur will arrange a car to discreetly come and pick you up from your digs and drop you at a special entrance, away from prying eyes and paparazzi lenses. He will meet you personally at the door and give you the royal treatment. In fact, I think everyone who meets him feels like a VIP. It’s testament to his years in the hospitality business in New York, one of the world’s most demanding cites, because he has the uncanny ability to make you feel like you are the most important person in the room. You will regularly see him walking around the club, chatting, laughing and shaking hands with his patrons. With a huge smile and a hearty handshake, he goes off to do just that, disappearing into the crowd in a flurry of handshakes and smiles, leaving Abdulla and I to enjoy the ambiance of Tinsel Town’s coolest club.
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Starstruck This is where we came in - the disappointment of mistaken identity and no nearer to getting the intellectual opinions on the world’s ills from Paris Hilton. I look around me as Hank departs and Abdulla just shrugs and starts nodding his head to the beat of the music. I chance a glance at my watch to see that the hands have swept around, inexorably, to 3am. We spill out onto the Boulevard with the rest of the club’s patrons and, as Paris’ car speeds past with a small dog’s head hanging out of the rear window, Abdulla and I take to one of the world’s most famous pavements and start the short walk back to the hotel. The greats of entertainment past and present pass by underfoot with every step down the walk of fame, and I reflect on what a truly unique place L.A. and, more specifically, Hollywood, really is: A glittering city of dreams and contradictions, where the one real truth is making fiction, and where luxury is the lifestyle, regardless of means. It is also the only place on earth where even the street sweepers have stars in their eyes.
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LA Confidential
Property
Where To Hang Your Hat: Montage Hotel and Residences Beverly Hills 225 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills www.montagebeverlyhills.com
If you want to check out some of L.A.’s hottest properties, then Greg’s your guy. Charming and affable, he will happily take the time to show you some of the city’s finest properties for long term lease and sale. He is a full one-stop shop and has attorneys on staff to deal with the legal stuff. If you need to move money internationally or if you need financing, he can sort that too. Most importantly, though, he has access to every property on the market, so you only have to work with one broker. Greg Moesser, ACA - +1 310-770-9014 www.LAClassicEstates.com
W Hollywood 6250 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood www.whotels.com Where To Eat: Scarpetta 225 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills www.scarpettarestaurants.com The Original Johnny Rockets 7507 Melrose Ave., Hollywood www.johnnyrockets.com Where To Hang Out: Playhouse 6506 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood www.playhousehollywood.com
Shop Till You Drop If it’s the high end of haute couture and the top labels you’re after, then Downtown L.A. or Rodeo Drive is where you need to be heading. However, for some unique chic, check out the boutiques on Melrose Avenue. For lots of Boho and street fashion that you won’t get anywhere else (and a What Not To Wear makeover experience you won’t forget either), look for Flasher and Speed. Clothing genius, Cosmo, will have you sized-up (with superhuman accuracy) with a single glance. In a flurry of clothes, footwear and diva arm waving, he will create a look in minutes that will have even the most jaded Hollywood fashionistas throwing you a second glance. Flasher - 7609 Melrose Ave., Hollywood +1 323 655 3375
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lifestyle
THE ROYAL FLUSH Senior Editor Steve Paugh gets invited by Hansgrohe, quite possibly the world’s leading bathroom fitting designer and producer, to visit its company headquarters in the Black Forest in Germany. What he found there unplugged his senses.
>>> “My colleague and I were running around the place showering together.” Even in the factory of one of the world’s foremost luxury bathroom designers, this is not a sentence you expect to hear. But hear it I did, gigglingly so by the girl beside me during our tour of the Hansgrohe plant in Offenberg, which was otherwise spent learning about the finishing techniques of shower heads and the tensile strength of hoses. Needless to say, this was an interesting conversational juxtaposition to our somewhat prosaic tour of the plant, so I was happy for her to continue. “It was crazy and a little weird, but SO much fun,” she remarked pointedly over a barrel of otherwise uninteresting plastic bits. Well, one would have thought so.
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I should probably mention now that, although it was how I painted her experience in my mind, she wasn’t actually describing a bit of formative fun with friends after university volleyball practice, or reenacting the scantilyclad antics usually associated with the opening credits of a low-budget slasher flick. Instead, her anecdote recounted an afternoon spent in what has been described as, “probably the largest bathroom in Germany.” You know, I was hoping that description would make this whole story seem less odd. Not so much.
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of one of their award-winning taps, giving a lecture on the best forms of shower head maintenance or discussing the functional inspirations for the designs. In all cases, surprisingly so in the first instance (unless washers and/or nuts are your thing), that passion inspires interest in the product, of which Hansgrohe have are many. Indeed, if Hansgrohe was a card player, its hand of products would be aces-high, making it, of course, a Royal Flush. Get it? Let’s move on. Even though Hansgrohe has become the gold standard for upping the luxury ante in accommodations around the world, particularly with the up-market AXOR range, each one seems specifically catered for the individual. I never knew before visiting the brand’s famed headquarters nestled in the darkly beautiful surrounds of the legendary German Black Forest region, that things like faucets could be so diverse and precise.
Apparently, lurking behind the still waters of the Hansgrohe Aquademie in Schiltach, Germany, there is something called Showerworld, which allows grown men and women to don their favourite swimsuits and frolic about gaily with friends, associates and acquaintances as they sample all of the newest Hangrohe bathing technologies that are making a splash on the scene. It sounds like one part factory testing centre and two parts adult waterpark. Whether you want your “mixers” (as taps are called in the industry) slanted, straight up, with a handle In case even something called Showerworld doesn’t on top or one to the side, rounded and high for a crank your tractor, you can also book one of Hansgrohe’s deep sink, angled and low for a shallow one or some “Shower Trucks,” both models of which contain 20 other kind of derivation, Hansgrohe is usually able to independent showering units, perfect when satisfying accommodate. Such is the prowess within the stable the needs of on-the-go or festival showering. As you do. of designers that work with Hansgrohe. Huge names like Antonio Citterio, Patricia Urquiola, the Brothers Seriously, what’s with this Hansgrohe? What inspires Bouroullec (of Ligne Roset fame) and of course, the them to build huge shower-testing centres in their Iron Man of bathroom design, Philippe Starck, have factories, or retrofit Optimus Prime with mass cleansing all worked with the brand, and have helped make capabilities? What is it that makes them a certifiable its offices awash with over 300 different awards for “commode-ity” in places like the Queen Mary II luxury design and technical excellence. ocean liner, the monolithic Burj Khalifa over in Dubai, the German Chancellor’s office in Berlin and the Masdar Despite what you may think, the competition for such City Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi? awards isn’t just a trickling spigot, but rather a deluge of design. While Hansgrohe was nice enough to show At the risk of using the upcoming word in an article about us around their “homes,” they also gave us a glimpse bathrooms, the folks at Hansgrohe have this almost of probably the biggest and most highly anticipated “infectious” passion when it comes to their craft. It comes industry showcase in the field of bathroom design; of through whether they’re telling you why they used a course, if you’re going to get excited, I suppose it’s certain washer/nut combination during the construction best to do so at a bathroom convention.
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4 Hosted by oddball German illusionist, Jean Garin, who used a series of large screens to celebrate his love of the loo, the Duravit Design Days was out to prove that it was the bathroom, and not the bedroom, where the magic happens. The exhibition was positively overflowing with new and amazing products, like the Starck-designed St. Trop steam shower and the remote-controlled, almost infinitely functional SensoWash toilet, which looked and acted like something RoboCop might use. Still, while all of these bells and whistles might impress the masses, Hansgrohe adopts a much more pragmatic approach to the privy, with a more focused attention to clean and modern, yet timeless lines, minimalist appreciation and even ecological sensitivity. With groundbreaking advancements in water conservation, efficiency and reuse, Hansgrohe has built up a solid reputation as an industry leader.
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This is particularly true thanks to the brand’s revolutionary EcoSmart flow control technology, which helps to regulate overuse of both energy and water. Interestingly, it’s this same functionality that allows for what could be called a side-effect innovation, particularly in things like the actual aesthetic flow of the water, which, and I never thought I’d notice this, does actually look great, plus it all but negates the possibility of the dreaded crotch-wettening splash-back so common in public and hotel restrooms. Bonus! Visiting the Hansgrohe plant in Germany was an eye opening experience for me, not only because I was shown the advancements being made by the company and given a special insight into a world I had previously known little-to-nothing about, but also because I now look closer at the way bathroom fittings and layouts SHOULD work. Unfortunately, I notice that many marques fluster and bubble in all the wrong places and, even more simply, just do not work properly. Speaking now from personal experience, however, the ones that do work have “Hansgrohe” etched on the front.
1. Hansgrohe Metris bathtub 2. Axor Urquiola bathtub 3. Sensowash Toilet 4. Hansgrohe Metris Faucets 5. Axor Massaud Wash Bowl 6. Bouroullec brothers-designed basin set 7. Raindance Shower set
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7 If we’ve whetted your appetite, you can make a splash with your own water-logged escapade at Showerworld by visiting the brand website at www.hansgrohe-int.com , or by making reservation by calling +49-7836 51 3272.
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lifestyle
Village Of The Brands
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When you think of fashion, the cities you tend to think of first are London, Milan and Paris. What these all have in common is a certain romantic, European sartorial flair that is sought-after throughout the world. That is why James McCarthy is re-discovering Europe, one Chic Outlet Shopping village at a time. >>> I find myself on a bargain hunt, about an hour’s drive out of Milan. This is my third European city in a little over four days on a whistlestop tour of the continent, from north to south, to experience the Chic Outlet Shopping concept.
Add to that the VIP 10% discount card you get if you are a Sur la Terrean and the fact that you can claim all the tax back when you leave continental Europe, and you are able to buy more of the best for your buck (or Euro, as the case may be).
Dreamt up by Value Retail, it is the shopping model that is changing the face of big brand consumerism throughout Europe. The idea revolves around a network of out-of-town shopping villages dotting the map, each one a stone’s throw from some of the world’s greatest cities, in a bid to create a “retail tourism” culture, that attracts not only the locals, but high spending shopaholics from abroad; mainly the GCC, China and Russia.
Currently, Value Retail manages nine such villages, all taking their design cues from traditional local architecture and culture. I am in Europe to visit just three of them, Wertheim Village in Frankfurt, La Roca Village in Barcelona and Fidenza Village in Milan. All of these are on direct flight routes from the Gulf, as are Las Rozas in Madrid, Bicester in London, La Vallee in Paris and Maasmechelen in Brussels (the latter is located to serve Antwerp and Cologne as well).
Think Villaggio or Mall of the Emirates, but outdoors, less than an hour’s drive from a major fashion capital and with stores like Versace, Ralph Lauren, Boss, Paul Smith, Dior, Givenchy, Burberry and Armani (among a myriad of others), all selling their wares for up to 60% shy of the actual retail price.
The Chic Outlet Shopping villages attract over 26 million discerning shoppers to its collective 900-plus boutiques, and I was the latest to enjoy the experience.
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2 Werteim Village, Frankfurt Let’s start at the beginning. On a beautiful spring morning, I arrived at Wertheim Village, which takes its inspiration from traditional Franconian architecture, with boutiques that line an immaculately-kept, open-air boulevard in one of Germany’s most affluent regions. While I was more curious to see the offering than to shop for myself, I was tempted by some of the things on offer, but my wallet stayed planted in my pocket.
La Roca Village, Barcelona Barcelona is a must-visit city, with its azure blue seas and wonderfully laid-back Catalonian approach to life. It is a city vibrant with art, culture and a mischievous social side that needs to be experienced for more than just a couple of days. Make time while you are there, though, to visit La Roca Village, a completely different, yet comfortably familiar, experience to Wertheim.
I spent two-hours wandering past over 110 boutiques and brands. Along with the obvious German architectural touches, the geographical location also plays a part in the selection of the brands, with German high-end names such as Aigner, Baldessarini and Birkenstock happily mingling with the internationally renowned marques of Furla, Versace, Tumi, Valentino and Tod’s.
I was excited to get stuck in to La Roca, because from the moment the minivan pulled into the car park, I had spotted a personal favourite, Ralph Lauren. Instead of making a beeline for the store, I took my time to enjoy the different feel of La Roca, complete with Gaudiesque decorative elements, which in the Spanish sunshine bathed the boulevard with colour and life.
Window shopping can be as tiring as pounding the plastic, so I took the weight off my feet to answer some emails on my Blackberry and do some people-watching at Ferry’s Bistro, one of the several food and beverage outlets in the village. This one offers hearty Franconian favourites such as the German “Bratwurst” sausage and “Apfelkuchen” apple cake, which was the perfect antidote to the cravings of my credit card.
Children frolicked happily in the adventure playground and their laughter followed me straight into Burberry, where I soon parted with a few Euros for a gorgeous scarf for my fiancee. Her eyes would have popped if she had seen the price on the label, and her heart would have leapt with joy at the heavily discounted digits that were now being totted up by the smiling assistant.
After a couple of hours of exploration, I rejoined my travel companions, who had been a little more liberal with the lucre and were laden with bags embossed with high-fashion logos, for the next leg of our odyssey.
With my first purchase in hand, I happily gave in to Hackett, revelled in Ralph Lauren and dallied in Dolce & Gabbana. I was now as laden as my colleagues were at Wertheim the previous day. I avoided Tag Heuer, and enjoyed a nibble at the Chocolate Factory, before once again striking off for another destination.
La Roca Village, Barcelona
Werteim Village, Frankfurt
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3 Shopping Trip If you are planing a European vacation to one of the many destinations where Chic Outlet Shopping villages are located, you can get VIP discount cards, arrange personal shoppers and a whole range of other tailored services if you contact them in advance. Visit www.chicoutletshopping.com for a full list of destinations, brands and further information.
Fidenza Village, Milan Definitely footsore, but not shopped-out just yet, as Milan is one of THE shopping capitals of Europe. Arriving at Fidenza, I got that same feeling of deja vu that I had in La Roca. Fidenza Village is located in the Emilia Romagna region and situated exactly between Milan and Bologna. While it maintains a similar layout to its German and Spanish relations, the look and feel is a distinctly Italian one, with an architectural design inspired by stage sets from the operas of local Maestro, Verdi. With the ABC of Italian heavyweights, Armani, Baldinini and Cavalli, all calling out for my cash, I managed to restrain myself long enough to reach a British classic: Paul Smith. The assistants rallied around to fulfill my requests and I ended up walking out with a chic black jumper, before heading off to one of the many Italian tailors to explore fine shirts and silk ties. I didn’t leave empty handed either, and I started to get concerned that I was enjoying this shopping lark far too much. It was time to evaluate my purchases and let the card cool off, and in Italy nothing does that better than a proper Gellato ice cream. With my appetite for bargains and refreshment sated, my European shopping spree came to an enjoyable end with a night of cool jazz at Milan’s famous Blue Note club, before jetting back home a few bags heavier.
Fidenza Village, Milan
1. Barcelona is a magical Mediterranean city 2. The cosmopolitan German city of Frankfurt 3. The Italian fashion capital of Milan
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out of the box
MARKETPLACE
fashion
BETWEEN THE LINES
out of the box
This is one we have been looking forward to for some time, and it looks like the anxious waiting in breathless anticipation is finally nearing its end. Set for a grand opening at the tail-end of 2011, the Al Gassar Resort Residences and St. Regis Hotel are finally coming to Doha.
>>> In case you don’t know exactly what we’re talking about, Al Gassar is that impressive and imposing series of domed structures ever nearing completion on the West Bay skyline. You know the ones we’re talking about - it kind of looks like a cool mix between a basilica and a fortress, and if the literature on the forthcoming waterfront property is any indication, Al Gassar is set to be a divinely arresting institution indeed. At the fulcrum of this swingin’ structure is the St. Regis Hotel. Founded over a century ago with its first location in New York City by the royal-sounding John Jacob Astor IV, St. Regis has since established itself as a name synonymous with up-market luxury and an elegance of service that rivals, and indeed surpasses, most other names in the industry. You can just ask anyone who has stayed at a St. Regis property in any of its numerous locations in the world, which include, to name but a few, Bora Bora, Beijing, Hawaii and Osaka, with a further planned expansion into places like Buenas Aires, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
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Being the indulgent beings we have become in the Gulf, one of the most exciting things we’re looking forward to at the St. Regis is the butler service, which is world renowned for its pampering prowess and will mark the first of its kind in Qatar. We are also told that the facility will have a Rolls Royce service, private pool cabanas, an amazing 1,000sqm Remede Spa and a holy host of other amenities. It is reported to have 336 guest rooms, which will include, 70 suites, all of which will come bedecked in the custom-made trappings of lavish luxury. If you run out of things to do in the hotel, which you will probably have a hard time doing, you could always just nip over to the Katara Cultural Village, The Pearl Qatar or just to Doha City Centre mall, all just a stone’s throw away. For the more business-orientated, the St. Regis will also offer around 5,000sqm of meeting and conference space, that, once officially announced, will blow the lid off of the Doha accommodation scene. Whether you’re at the business or party end of the societal spectrum, St. Regis is ideally placed. Not only does it have beach access right on the Arabian Gulf, but it’s a short hop from the exhibition centre and of course, the West Bay area, which is our happy little hub for all things, whether you’re feeling corporate or just like carousing. Of course, Al Gassar Resort boasts more than just a 5-star hotel, as it is also set to become Doha’s premium long-term accommodation area, with an attention not only to great real estate, but also to lifestyle. The residential side of Al Gassar fits within the three grand towers, and
promises to offer a unique living experience to residences that reflects the same luxury services offered by the St. Regis. The residences will be comprised of a range of executive apartments, from business bachelor pads to opulent family homes with as many as five bedrooms. Some of the other facilities include a large pool with a sunbathing area, tennis courts, landscaped gardens, a children’s area and a fullyequipped gym. There will also be a selection of restaurants dedicated to providing in-room and dine-out services, as well as a range of shops and service counters. The management and developers of Al Gassar are staying pretty tight-lipped about what will be available at the hotel and resort, but having recently made a splash at the Arabian Travel Market exhibition, it’s sure that it will set a new standard for the accommodation sector going into the big build-up for 2022.
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out of the box
When Barwa Bank approached Sur la Terre about featuring the new “physical branding” branch design concept that the company recently started using, we were a bit dubious. What does a bank, regardless of its golden reputation, have to do with luxury lifestyle...?
>>> Fortunately, Mattia Stabile, the Middle East executive for Crea International, the company behind Barwa’s supposed transformation, dropped by SLT towers to answer our questions and offer us a glimpse into the future of finance. As you can see from the images on this page, the new Barwa design looks more like something out of a new Star Trek series than it does a financial institution. Liquid-smooth lines curvaceously trace themselves around touchscreen tabletops, quasi-futuristic fixtures and other atmospheric elements in an open, welcoming white space that is clean without succumbing to the cold, clinical feelings of most other banks. At the same time, the branch creatively mixes modern cool with an Arabesque ethos, particularly in the backlit, almost calligraphic, shapes that shimmer subtley on the walls. It is form married with function, as the large, glowing flower on the ceiling, through colour-coded light displays, points clients in the right direction based on the transactions they need to make. It is truly a miracle of measured mixing, as colours, themes and shapes, inspired by Qatar, marry with a minimalism that will evolve, at very least, the visual and tactile nature of banking in this region. Of course, Crea is already well-known on the international architectural scene,
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having applied its patented “Physical Brand Design” philosophy to a vast array of corporations within the telecommunications and banking sectors. With Crea, each project begins with a story, and the Barwa project was no different. Using the iconic Barwa flower as the basis of its imaginative bloom, Crea envisaged the branch concept as a sort of morphing treasure chest, luminescent and new, growing organically in a barren desert of otherwise archaically beige ideas. The concept, thus, does not just end on the facade, as the story Crea has written permeates the spirit and services of the Barwa branch. Each client, for example, will be welcomed by a butler rather than the surly security guard you might be used to at other banks. That client service carries through to interaction with your teller. Instead of facing your clerk like one would a parole officer, you may now sit next to him or her on a cascading couch and together review your finances paperlessly on one of the large interactive table screens. What Crea has achieved with the Barwa branch concept is something we never thought we would see: banking that is actually kind of fun, if not comfortable. This is what the future of finance will look like, and that’s something you can take to the bank.
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MarKet
PLACE >>> Welcome to the slt Marketplace. a go-to guide of the hot products you should be buying, available in the local market now.
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1. vertu Constellation Quest Smartphone, available through Rivoli Groupand VERTU Boutiques at Villaggio Mall in Doha, Burjuman Centre in Dubai and Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi 2. St dupont Magic Wishes lighter and pen, available through Paris Gallery and Salam Stores in Qatar, Tanagra Burjuman in Dubai and Tanagra Abu Dhabi Mall 3. natuzzi Surround Sofa from the Spring/Summer 2011 Collection, now available at the Natuzzi store at Al Mana Towers in Doha, Qatar
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4. hermes roulis Bag in alligator, available from Herme’s outlets in the UAE from July 5. david Morris’ 58-carat “amira” platinum Crossover finger Bracelet, available at Dubai Mall, Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewellery at Royal Plaza in Doha, and Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewellery at City Center in Riyadh 6. Mont Blanc “tribute to the Mont Blanc” cuflinks, pen and pouches, available from Mont Blanc boutiques and Salam Stores region-wide 7. Chaumet Montre Watch for the “Bee My Love” collection, available from Alfardan Jewellery in Qatar 8 Ligne roset pLouM Sofa by the Bouroullec Brothers now available through Jaidah Furniture in Qatar, AATI Zabeel in the UAE and Ligne Roset showrooms in Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia 9. dunhill travel Cufflinks, available from Dunhill boutiques region-wide 10. richard Mille rM025 available in Qatar from Ali Bin Ali Jewellery
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of the vanities
With striking silhouettes and glaring jewels, supermodel Yasmin Le Bon sets the new season’s haute couture ablaze.
Creative direCtion Mohieb Dahabieh produCtion Christian Helland Ouff photoS and Coordination MoDa’s Touch www.modastouch.com ModeL Yasmin Le Bon @ Models 1 (London) www.models1.co.uk david MorriS JeWeLLery available in the Middle East at Dubai Mall (Dubai) and Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewellery (Doha & Al Riyadh) eLie SaaB available in the Middle East at Dubai Mall (Dubai) and Elie Saab (Beirut) georgeS ChaKra available in the Middle East at 51 East (Doha), Harvey Nichols (UAE), Silhouette Fashions and Saks Fifth Avenue (Al Riyadh) Jean pauL gauLtier available in the Middle East through Al Tayer Group (UAE) Stephane roLLand available exclusively from the Salons Haute Couture in Paris www.stephanerolland.com Stephen JoneS MiLLinery available in the Middle East at Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Dior outlets (Dubai) www.stephenjonesmillinery.com vaLentino available in the Middle East at Moda Mall (Manama), Villaggio Mall (Doha), Saliha Complex (Kuwait) and Burjuman Centre (Dubai) Zuhair Murad available in the Middle East at Glamour (Doha), Saks Fifth Avenue (Manama), Al Boushiya (Abu Dhabi) and Black Al Boushiya (Kuwait)
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fashion
Jumpsuit and shoes, STEPHANE ROLLAND HAUTE COUTURE Headpiece, STEPHEN JONES MILLINERY Jewellery, DAVID MORRIS
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Gown, GEORGES CHAKRA HAUTE COUTURE Jewellery, DAVID MORRIS
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Gown, ELIE SAAB HAUTE COUTURE Shoes, STEPHANE ROLLAND HAUTE COUTURE Jewellery, DAVID MORRIS
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Dress, VALENTINO HAUTE COUTURE Headpiece, STEPHEN JONES MILLINERY Jewellery (including necklace worn on head), DAVID MORRIS
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Gown, ZUHAIR MURAD HAUTE COUTURE Shoes, JIMMY CHOO
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Gown, STEPHANE ROLLAND HAUTE COUTURE Jewellery, DAVID MORRIS
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• sur la terre • fashion section •
Coat, JEAN PAUL GAULTIER HAUTE COUTURE Jewellery, DAVID MORRIS
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• sur la terre • between the lines •
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can put a value on Now you
real luxury...
In order to continue our evolution and to deliver the quality that you, our valued readers, have come to expect over the last three years, your favourite luxury lifestyle magazine will now come at a price. From September, Sur la Terre will no longer be available free of charge, but will be sold at specially selected locations. We will publish a full list of licensed retailers in our July edition, which will be the last complimentary issue of Sur la Terre. For more information contact info@surlaterre-me.com
While some might say that you can’t put a price on the exclusive products, in depth-features and forward-facing fashion coverage that Sur la Terre delivers every two months, from September 2011, elite luxury editorial will have a value.
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Existing subscribers (subscriptions received before September 1st, 2011) will get the September and November issues of Sur la Terre free of charge (postage costs still apply).