Issue seventy FIve august 2017
Elizabeth Olsen
Luxury • Culture • People • Style • Heritage
TREVOR ESLING | +44 7802 262562 | trevor.esling@gulfstream.com
SAVOR SAVOR EVERY EVERY MOMENT MOMENT A special A special place gives placecomfort gives comfort no matter no matter the task theattask hand. at In hand. yourInfavorite your favorite room, room, you can you study can the study latest the business latest business deal, unwind deal, unwind from a from day on a day the on go the go or just or indulge just indulge in quietinreflection. quiet reflection. The cabin The experience cabin experience aboardaboard a a Gulfstream Gulfstream aircraft—tailor-made aircraft—tailor-made just forjust you,for byyou, you.by you. GULFSTREAM.COM GULFSTREAM.COM
A library-quiet cabin. A ride beyond ultra-smooth. Space so expansive, so generous, it offers you more than 30 interior layouts from which to choose. You’ve never experienced anything like it. The new, ultra-long range Falcon 8X. Falcon. The world’s most advanced business jets.
EmbraerExecutiveJets.com/unconventional
Contents auGuSt 2017 : ISSUE 75
Editorial Editorial director
John Thatcher Managing Editor air
Faye Bartle Editor
Chris Ujma christopher@hotmediapublishing.com
art art director
Kerri Bennett designer
Jamie Pudsey illustrations
Vanessa Arnaud
CoMMErCial Managing director
Victoria Thatcher Group Commercial director
David Wade
david@hotmediapublishing.com Commercial director
Rawan Chehab
rawan@hotmediapublishing.com Sales Manager
Noorain Jehan noorain@hotmediapublishing.com
ProduCtion Production Manager
Muthu Kumar 8
Forty One
Fifty
Fifty Six
Design fables of Christian Dior are famed, but the details of his years spent entranced by art are untold
Forget those famous siblings – Elizabeth Olsen has a Hollywood career arc that eclipses comparison
Louis Vuitton spellbound the elite, forging a path for brand success and ensuring the esteemed would travel in style
Maison Masterpiece
Sister Act
Packed With Spirit
JW MARRIOT T® MARQUIS DUBAI
Stay Longer and Save at the world’s tallest hotel. This summer take advantage of the complimentary shuttle service to The Dubai Mall, or take a trip up the Dubai Water Canal adjacent to the hotel. MARRIOTT REWARDS MEMBERS SAVE 30% ON ACCOMMODATION AND PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS, PLUS A BONUS 30% OFF THEIR NEXT STAY. For reservations or inquiries, please visit jwmarriottmarquisdubai.com or call +971 4 414 0000
Ǥ ơ ͙͘ά ͙͘ά Ǥ ͚͘ check out. Advanced reservation is required and minimum length stay applies.
Contents
AIR
AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Eighteen
Sixty Two
Witness a season of the Croatian cultural canon through a calendar of theatre and dance in Dubrovnik
Luxury sportscar makers Eagle adopted the Jaguar E-Type as a muse, soaring to new automotive heights
Twenty Eight
Sixty Six
European jeweller Mellerio has royal standards, and each bespoke experience is a personal coronation
A century of dining theatre has put The Ivy in a league of its own; its Director shares some tasty society secrets
Thirty Four
Seventy
Six stunning Submersible novelties from Officine Panerai plunder the depths of its dive heritage
Inkaterra primes guests for adventure; an unrivalled luxury retreat that sits on the Machu Picchu reserve
Radar
Jewellery
Timepieces
Motoring
Gastronomy
Travel
Thirty Eight
Art & Design With his Room With a View of the Ocean, British talent Andrew Salgado is seeking solitude by the sea
10
Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in AIR.
At Mayo Clinic, our world-class experts work together to provide comprehensive care for patients with the most complex conditions. That means each patient gets the exact care they need. Learn more and request an appointment at mayoclinic.org/arabic or mayoclinic.org.
Phoenix / Scottsdale, Arizona | Rochester, Minnesota | Jacksonville, Florida Š 2017 Mayo Clinic
THE SCIENCE AND ART OF LONGEVITY
Discover our new Master Detox program.
Come over and join the club.
Clinique La Prairie - Rue du Lac 142 | 1815 Clarens-Montreux | Switzerland | +41 21 989 34 66 info@laprairie.ch www.laprairie.ch
Welcome Onboard AUGUST 2017
Welcome to AIR, your personal guide to Al Bateen Executive Airport, its people, partners, developments, and the latest news about the only dedicated business aviation airport in the Middle East and North Africa. We wish you a safe journey wherever you are going, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to Al Bateen Executive Airport to experience our unparallelled commitment to excellence in general, private and business aviation.
Al Bateen Executive Airport Contact Details: albateeninfo@adac.ae albateenairport.com
13
Al Bateen
AIR
AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Welcome to World-Class
14
From humble beginnings in the 1960s, when it served as Abu Dhabi’s first main airport, Al Bateen Executive Airport (ABEA) is now the only exclusive business aviation airport in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, a world-class luxury aviation service facility aiming to meet and exceed the expectations
of business travellers from all around the world. With the 1982 opening of Abu Dhabi International Airport just 32km outside the city centre, ABEA underwent its transformation into a military air base the following year. Military operations continued until 2008, when Abu Dhabi Airports took
www.albateenairport.ae
Al Bateen AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
over its operation and developed it into a world-class executive airport. Over a 50-year timespan, ABEA’s wealth of experience, under both civilian and military management, facilitated its smooth transition to what European Business Air News (EBAN) named the Second Best Executive Airport in the World in 2013. The award and the many accolades since then mark a remarkable ascent for the airport, which enjoys a strategic position within reach of major businesses and leisure facilities at the heart of Abu Dhabi city. With a stand capacity for up to 50 private jets served by efficient 16
turnarounds, ABEA upholds its excellence in air traffic and ground management operations through its partnership with Munawala, a proprietary fixed-base operations (FBO) service provider. This unique offering provides a single point of contact for all requirements and a full range of competitively priced FBO services. ABEA maintains an unwavering commitment to delivering a worldclass passenger experience. As the region’s only exclusive business aviation airport, it always welcomes travellers from across the globe to its unrivalled location with warm Emirati hospitality.
Exuding European grandeur and urban glamour, discover a space that mirrors your sense of style. Visit Dubai this year and live the iconic Versace lifestyle in a cosmopolitan city that echoes the charms of tradition. Explore our family, business, honeymoon and other stay offers at www.palazzoversace.ae/specialoffers
Radar
AIR
AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival is not just a slice of Croatian culture – it’s practically the entire cake. Ingredients for the 68th annual showcase comprise 80 instances of opera, ballet, art, literature and folklore, to be savoured across the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’. Circle on the calendar an interpretation of Victory Over the Enemies (originally by homegrown Renaissance playwright Marin Držić); Dramaturged by Hrvoje Ivanković and directed by Ivica Boban, it’s a rousing drama ideal for a balmy summer evening in Luka Sorkočević Art School Park. Of note, too, is Miroslav Krleža’s three-act classic Messrs Glembay, hosted at the Museum of Modern Art. The festival is a month-long repertoire of delights, and be they performed al fresco or beneath Baroque gables, each brings visitors a step closer to Hrvatska’s cultural heart. Until 25 August. dubrovnik-festival.hr
18
19
Critique AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Film Dunkirk Dir: Christopher Nolan A historical retelling of the Allied troops during World War II – set to a soaring Hans Zimmer score At Best: “Technically awe-inspiring, narratively inventive and thematically complex, it reinvigorates its genre… both harrowing and smart.” Globe and Mail At WoRst: “Out of the depths of man-made horror, he’s created a gripping tale of human resolve.” Detroit News
The Last Face AIR
Dir: Sean Penn The love story of an international aid organisation director and a relief-aid doctor is set against the backdrop of a war-torn Liberia At Best: “By the time [it] wraps things up with a sententious speech about how dreams are more important than oxygen, both have been completely sucked out of the theatre.” AV Club At WoRst: “It should not exist. There is not a single thing about this film that makes logical sense on paper.” Film School Rejects
Wind River Dir: Taylor Sheridan A rookie FBI agent joins forces with a community game tracker to investigate the murder of a local girl At Best: “This bitter, visceral, and almost parodically intense thriller knows what it takes to survive.” indieWire At WoRst: “Sheridan wants us to know these people, this terrain; to feel the bite of the cold and the lonely sting of their lives.” Variety
England Is Mine Dir: Mark Gill An unofficial Morrissey biopic that charts the early years of The Smiths’ eventual Master of Melancholy At Best: “A suitably abrasive study of one of British pop’s spikiest characters.” Screen International At WoRst: “Struggles to… bring its tantalisingly enigmatic subject into satisfying focus.” Hollywood Reporter 20
Promotion AUGUST 2017
Stop the Clocks W
Serenity meets royal treatment upon Velaa Private Island Maldives
atching the sun dip below the horizon from your Romantic Pool Residence vantage, you’ll gaze across the expanse of blue and feel like the only person for miles. It’s a reality. While reminders of civilisation – a private chef or personal butler – are but a heartbeat away, this ultra-private one-bedroom abode is accessible only by boat. So while your every whim will be catered to, you’ve as much isolation
as you crave, and endless time to savour your new Maldivian ‘home’. Velaa Private Island Maldives is a welcome wave of sensory bliss, and this villa embodies the resort’s finesse. Suspended above a crystal clear lagoon and boasting uninterrupted vistas, it’s thoughtfully designed. All rooms open onto the terrace sundeck, where time melts away in the Jacuzzi, pool, or sunken bath. In-residence is your own personal gym and spa treatment rooms.
Should the urge to leave this sanctuary prevail, unearth treasures such as sensational fine dining experiences, a spot of golf (on a champion-designed course), first-class Clarins wellness offerings to invigorate the senses, and water-based activities upon and within breathtaking azure waters. Velaa is one of the Indian Ocean’s best-kept secrets, so cherish discovering an island where no-one will discover you. velaaprivateisland.com 21
Critique AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
AIR
Books
A
“
lthough Winston Churchill and George Orwell never met or even corresponded, the American military historian Thomas E Ricks has linked them in a book subtitled The Fight for Freedom,” writes Andrew Roberts for Evening Standard. “He fully accepts that they were ‘vastly dissimilar men, with very different life trajectories’… that Orwell chose ‘Winston’ as the hero of 1984, and that Churchill enjoyed it so much he read it twice, but is that really enough of a connection to justify an entire book? Perhaps surprisingly the answer is yes because, as Ricks points out, both men’s ‘dominant priority, a commitment to human freedom, gave them common cause’”. In The Chicago Tribune, Mary Ann Gwinn admits that, “Ricks... finds the iron core of each man... [but] doesn’t try to make connections where none exist – the men lived parallel but separate lives… [However] both Churchill and Orwell alerted the world to the clear and
22
present danger of authoritarianism in all its forms… Readers of this book will realise, if they needed reminding, that the struggle to preserve and tell the truth is a very long game.” It is, say the San Francisco Chronicle, “An elegantly written celebration of two men who faced an existential crisis to their way of life with moral courage – and demonstrated that an individual can make a difference.” New York Review Books is republishing a classic – The Violins of Saint-Jacques – and the island is well worth a revisit. “A sojourn in the Caribbean inspired a travel book and a novella, set in 1902 on an island in the Antilles, about love and intrigue in the over-blown and over-mannered society of the French aristocracy... [It’s] a masterpiece in the minor mode,” penned Brian Vincent for The Globe and Mail. It was Patrick Leigh Fermor’s only novel: “An elegant rococo fantasy about a volcanic eruption on an imaginary Caribbean
island is just close enough to reality to raise a genuine shiver – possibly even a genuine tear,” a moved Phoebe Lou Adams wrote in The Atlantic. James Ferguson praised the book in the bimonthly Caribbean Beat: “Filled with lush imagery and elaborate historical reconstruction, [it] deserves to be more widely known.” A young man’s life is upended by a device that purports to tattoo a description of your true self on your arm,” reports Kirkus Reviews of The Epiphany Machine by David Burr Gerrard. “The narrator has an unfortunate judgment tattooed on his arm: ‘Dependent on the Opinion of Others’. That message has been delivered via the epiphany machine, a sewing machine-like device that its cryptic, charismatic owner, Adam, has been deploying in a Manhattan apartment since the 1960s… How doomed is he to be acquiescent because of his tattoo? How much trust do we put in one person’s (or machine’s) judgment?” Gerrard’s second novel is “superb”, say Publishers Weekly, “And has an exhilarating premise: what if there were a machine that could reveal your deepest secret – the uncomfortable truth about yourself you choose to overlook – by tattooing it on your forearm? The novel raises questions about privacy, destiny, responsibility, and truth. Gerrard’s deft command of character, humour, and metaphor keep this intricate, philosophical novel fast-moving, poignant, and fun”. Sarak Karasek at Odyssey Online scribed, “The slogan of the epiphany machine is ‘Everyone knows the truth about you, now you can know it, too.’ I believe that if the epiphany machine tattooed The Epiphany Machine it might just read ‘cult classic’ (in a cool tattoo font, of course).”
Critique AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Art
AIR
“
C
omplete uplift: that is one way to describe Rose Finn-Kelcey’s most enduring work, a photograph of the artist performing a perfect handstand on a beach,” writes Laura Cumming for The Observer. “It is a jubilant scene, immediately stirring the same impulse in the viewer. And yet it is also mysterious, for the pleated skirt she wears seems to fall upwards, covering her torso and head like a vast paper fan so that her identity is concealed. An image of exhilarating spontaneity turns out to emerge from close deliberation: that is one revelation of this enthralling survey. Finn-Kelcey (1945-2014) needs and deserves a lifetime retrospective. She was an artist of evergreen originality.” Well she has one; Life, Belief and Beyond, that shows at Modern Art Oxford until 15 October. It focuses on “explorations of power, performance, belief, spirituality and perceptions of the self,” says Galleries Now. “Her work is conceptually powerful, profound and is characterised by a dry wit – the works are presented alongside photographs, collage, performance documentation, sketches in progress and preparatory materials which have never before been exhibited.” Explains an inspired Sarah Kent for The Arts Desk, “Women artists of our generation were routinely ignored, dismissed or patronised; many gave up and those who persisted often felt isolated, as if they were talking to themselves… [She] addressed the issue in Divided Self (Speaker’s Corner) – a pre-photoshop black and white photograph of herself sitting on a park bench – talking to herself. The idea is incredibly simple, yet it continues to resonate across the decades as it encapsulates the experience of being a woman at a time when female voices usually went unheard.” “Emma Hart’s strange cast of ceramics heads – all funny little noses, doleful eyes, and jaunty patterning – seem cute, in a Sanrio sort of way at first. On second glance, they have slightly darker 24
Glory, 1983. Photograph courtesy of the Estate of Rose Finn-Kelcey
connotations: pantomimic cutlery blades spin around, cutting the faces off below the nose. There’s a… sense of performativity: to see the patterns inside the head, the viewer has to stand almost completely inside them,” says Creative Review of Emma Hart: Mamma Mia! At Whitechapel Gallery. “Hart’s new exhibit combines multidisciplinary media with ceramic sculptures, presenting with wit and perceptiveness explorations of how feeling and experience are interpreted, or misinterpreted… Various emotional states such as paranoia, fear and rage, the works seem to be probing deep seated internal psychological motivations and patterns of behaviour, writes Catherine Sedgwick for The Up Coming. “You could cut the tension in this room with a knife. And Hart does, and with a fork and spoon too,” slices Eddy Frankel for Time Out London. “Giant cutlery swishes slowly through the air like a ceiling fan in her first major show; the result of her winning the Max Mara Art Prize for Women… Once the nasty tension of the room creeps its way into your psyche... you may need to call your therapist.” “Like that of Edward Hopper, the work of Alexander Calder is a mainstay of the Whitney’s collection,”
writes Time Out New York of Calder: Hypermobility, at The Whitney Museum of American Art until 23 October. “Every few years, the museum trots out another exhibition that attempts to put a new spin on one of these two warhorses. (In fact, it held joint shows of Calder and Hopper only three years ago). This year’s model focuses on Calder’s use of movement, the defining quality that cemented his sculptures’ place in art history,” Joseph R Wolin adds, in the magazine. Daniel McDermon penned for The New York Times, “A delightful feature of many Calder works is that they can move. His dangling mobiles can twirl and shake in air, making their shadows dance... But in the years since his death in 1976, the need to preserve and protect his works has often meant keeping them still. [This show] promises to change that.. [with] one-time displays of rarely seen works... as well as motorised sculptures that haven’t been seen in motion for decades.” The ‘happy experimentation’, “presents Calder as a genre-defying modern master, who wields an influence today that’s every bit as profound as that of his wily friend Marcel Duchamp – who coined the term ‘mobile,’” explains The New Yorker.
Treat yourself to paradise
at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa. In a world of its own, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa is luxury found, where all experiences are bespoke and tailored to suit your passions. Getting to our resort by Private Jet is a spectacular arrival experience like no other in Maldives. Arrive in style as you land at Gan International airport, with onsite immigration at the Executive Lounge for a smooth and personalised process. Retreat in one of our private villas perched atop the emerald green jungle, or strung along the turquoise shoreline. The luxury of space makes them a perfect haven for couples and families alike. Memorable experiences await in the heart of extraordinary physical beauty. Indulge in tranquility at CHI, The Spa, explore the luscious tropical forest, treat yourself to sumptuous gastronomic experiences, or embark on an ocean adventure with multiple water sport activities.
For more information and reservations Tel: +960 689 7888 slmd@shangri-la.com shangri-la.com/male/villingiliresort
Critique AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Theatre A
“
haunting [classroom-based] rendering of a panic attack provides the strongest moment in Pipeline, Dominique Morisseau’s passionate but frustratingly unresolved play about a family struggling to outrun social prophecy,” writes Ben Brantley in The New York Times. “It’s a scene that captures the wrenching sense of helplessness that pervades this intensely acted production… She bravely and repeatedly dives into the muddled shadows of social issues often presented in cold statistics and cleanly drawn graphs.” Adam Feldman reviewed for Time Out New York that, “Morisseau lays out that… the challenges facing young AfricanAmerican men – and posed by them – are less a single pipe than a whole semi-hidden network of frustration, resentment and bias. Attempts to stop the flow… might only reroute it through different channels to the same destination.” Says Exeunt Magazine, “At its center… is a teacher who works tirelessly to enrich the minds and improve the lives of her inner city high school students…. [Its] elements make for a finely oiled production, but I could not help feeling that [the director]… does not fully convey how [these] experiences confirm the harsh truths faced by far too many young people in the American education system.” At Mitzi E Newhouse Theater until 27 August. Download some iTunes with The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, playing at the Santa Fe Opera venue until 25 August. “Mark Campbell is one of the most prolific and celebrated librettists in contemporary American opera. But not everyone thought his latest project was a good idea,” writes NPR’s Naomi Levin. He told Levin, “I’ve had a number of socialist friends of mine saying, ‘Why would you write an opera about Steve Jobs? He was the worst capitalist!’ My response? ‘Reach in your pocket – you probably have an iPhone there’”. In her piece for The Ringer, Alyssa Bereznak penned, “Thematic
26
Karen Pittman in Pipeline. Photograph by Jeremy Daniel
compatibility aside, [it] is centred on new, enchanting technology. Jobs’ ability to transform personaltechnology-challenged Bates and his collaborators to upgrade many traditional elements of opera – like its music, narrative, and set – to better fit with the subject matter.” Chloe Veltman opined, in The Guardian, “While operatic heroes are usually played by tenors, this one’s a baritone – a darker, more nuanced voice. Edward Parks plays Jobs – equally tall but more heavyset than the emaciated Jobs, the performer cuts an imposing, intense figure on stage.” “In his opening line of Anna Karenina [Tolstoy declared that] ‘every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way’. It feels like we’ve been deluged with tales of dysfunctional families ever since,” writes Frank Sheck for Hollywood Reporter of Napoli, Brooklyn. “The latest [is] Meghan Kennedy’s drama set in 1960, concerning a working-class Italian clan struggling under the
rule of its violent patriarch. [It] feels both thematically overstuffed and undernourished.” Says Zachary Stewart for Theater Mania, “[It’s] a strange play. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Kennedy’s script might benefit from a warmer embrace of its weirdness. This is especially true of its most unexpected element, which will blindside audiences at the Laura Pels Theatre [until 3 September]… The shocking event that closes the first act injects the play with a shot of adrenaline that carries it through to the end.” Three sisters are looking to escape the clutches of an overbearing father and cross the Atlantic; says Jesse Green for The New York Times, “The acting is terrific across the board, but you can probably sense the way Kennedy has overentangled her characters, like an anxious sailor making redundant knots. Great plays are freer than that… They are more like ships heading across the ocean, with us as the stowaways.”
FA B L E D S A N C T UA RY, B E D O U I N S O U L AL MAHA DESERT RESORT & SPA THE LUXURY COLLECTION DUBAI DESERT CONSERVATION RESERVE PO BOX 118887 DUBAI, UAE
Jewellery AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
AIR
Reign Droplets Much in this world can be obtained for the right price, but ‘heritage’ is not among such assets. Founded in 1613, Mellerio dits Meller is the oldest family-owned business in Europe – and they’ve a royal legacy to uphold WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
A
sure sign of a brand’s prominence is when its name is lent to a defining term within its niche. As the oldest familyowned company on the continent, the sobriquet of 400-year-old Mellerio dits Meller is attributed to the patterned Mellerio diamond cut: a 57-facet jewel cut, shaped as an oval within an ellipse. And when that same company was formed in a time when Shakespeare was alive to see his plays performed, they’ve had relative aeons to influence the European jewellery sphere. Rest assured, Mellerio has fully decorated the centurieswide canvas afforded to them. Some of the most powerful bluebloods on the continent have plumped for Mellerio on Royal Warrant, as gem historian Vincent Meylan outlined in his book about the maison, Jeweller to the Queens. He traced the fascinating 28
saga through the company’s private archives, detailing the countless instances of prestige, such as bespoke pieces for Marie-Antoinette; brooches for Princess Mathilde Bonaparte; tiaras for the court of the Netherlands; the early endorsement from thenQueen of France Marie de’ Medici. Laure-Isabelle Mellerio is the current Artistic Director and, in a broader sense, the custodian of a storied legacy. Yet as she contends with a chronicle written by 14 generations before her, each contemporary-era collection she shapes writes a new page. She is liberated, though, not lumbered by the expectations of a glittering past. “Before beginning design jewellery for the house, I spent almost one year in the archives, just to immerse myself in understanding the Mellerio style,” she explains. “Now I can design modern and contemporary
jewels, which will always be in the style of Mellerio, remaining loyal to the style but taking the concepts further in another direction. Our archives are unique – we have tens of thousands drawings, covering many art history periods. Very precious.” Her owns tastes encompass, “coloured stones, and shaping designs around different kinds – ornamental, precious and semi-precious – because I appreciate the contrasts of colours, materials and transparencies (transparent, translucid, opaque),” she utters. “Our artisans have an array of time-trusted jewellery techniques, specially applied to our bespoke jewellery,” she explains. The exclusive Collection Privée is one example of a modern Mellerio interpretation that can proudly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with
designs from the vault. The artistic director says of this particular high jewelley strand, “I was very freely inspired by all the centre stones I unearthed in the collection of the house. Beautiful rubellites, yellow diamonds, angel skin coral… there were so many different choices which were tucked in the safe, waiting for an opportune moment to shine.” Laure-Isabelle selected 11, and, imagined a specific design around each, to emphasise the intrinsic beauty of its cut, colour, shape and qualities. “My inspiration also came from some antique designs from the 1950s that I found in the exceptional archives mentioned earlier. We have carefully compiled all the designs from 1825, and all the clientele preferences dating back to 1775.” The records are not for mere posterity but, in many
29
cases, provide certain clientele with a family tree Joaillerie, of sorts. “Many of our customers are the descendants of former customers, so they are faithful to Mellerio; loyalty is upheld through generations,” she discloses. The new-guard, meanwhile, is a crop of customers who are, “Young, and seeking a very personalised jewel, to be the first and the most symbolic of their lives. They’ve come to learn that Mellerio is an institution in France; a place that has developed a reputation as being a chic, go-to maison where one can procure a jewellery gift.” This can involve resetting a precious heirloom, as Mellerio accepts the personal stones of clients, which they often have an emotional attachment to – precious gems handed down from grandmother, to mother – finding a new lease of life within a new and contemporary setting, “We are the last ones in Place Vendôme to do so,” Laure-Isabelle proudly asserts. Mellerio’s penchant for names piques interest – not just the royalty roll call that pulses through their story, but also the collections themselves. “For these ‘cocktail’ jewels, we wanted to evoke the spirit of jet set but pay homage to destinations which are not as famous as, say, Saint Tropez or Capri. Our selections are equally chic but more confidential and discreet – revered by those who have discovered them,” she reveals, adding, modestly, “A bit like Mellerio.” 30
Some names were chosen according to the origin of the stone (Likoma, for instance), or the style of the jewel (Cape Cod, in reference to the art deco qualities of the ring). Porto Ercole was so named because the style of the ring finely mimics the crafted style of Italian ornaments, and Paratii was so called due to the rubellite centerpiece derives from Brazil. Attention to detail is emblematic of a bespoke Mellerio experience. Says Laure-Isabelle, “We are the right place for highly discerning customers whose desire is for a historic, family-owned house with a rich backstory to create their jewellery. Such a connection for customers is crucial, now, more than ever.” She pauses, then adds with a smile, “Our clients feel at home in our boutique and also with us. They often tell us so – and the trust they invest is the best compliment ever, isn’t it?”
The attraction to David Morris lies not only in the flawless and original designs of our creations, but also in the very gems that are each handpicked for every piece
Many of our customers are the descendants of former customers; loyalty is upheld through generations 31
OBJECTS OF DESIRE
Master craftsmanship, effortless style and timeless appeal; this month’s must-haves and collectibles
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
Be r na r dau d
Image Š Jeff Koons
B a l l O O n D O g ( M a g E n Ta ) Jeff Koons’ monumental Balloon Dog fetched USD58.4 million at auction, and the 10ft-tall art piece was shaped out of precision-engineered mirror-polished stainless steel. The American elected to collaborate with Bernardaud, to recreate
the magic in this porcelain limited edition of 2,300. Walk away with your 10.5in version of a classic in one of its three optional hues: magenta, yellow or orange. Available at The Dubai Mall Boutique and in Tanagra stores in the GCC (upon request) 1
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
christofle
24CT MOOD gOlD SE T From the design studio of the master silversmith emerges a piece to create the perfect mood: a 24ct gold touch has been gilded into this exceptional flatware collection with matching, opulent couvert. Opening the elegant chest unveils its
contemporary contents, but opt to keep it closed and it doubles as a decorative object which is a surefire table-centre talking point. The quintessence of ‘fine dining’. Available at The Dubai Mall and Boulevard Jeddah Boutiques and Tanagra stores in the GCC 2
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
christofle
P a n T H E R- O R l I n S K I For the first time, French artist Richard Orlinski presents an animal sculpture in sterling silver, playing with the reflection and shine of the raw (or perhaps ‘roar’) material. Each of the metre-long pieces is part of limited, numbered edition of
12. The decorative piece captures the incredible talent of the Christofle Haute Orfèvrerie workshops, bestowed with the prestigious ‘Meilleurs Ouvriers de France’. Available at The Dubai Mall and Boulevard Jeddah Boutiques and Tanagra stores in the GCC 3
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
85 x 144 x 91cm
l l a dró
Ca RnI va l In v E nICE Exquisite handmade porcelain – shaped with utmost complexity – brings The City of Bridges’ famed ‘carnivale’ to life. The limited edition piece took 35 artists 22,000 hours to accomplish, and similiar time can be allotted to pore over the painstakingly recreated details of the
scene. The gondolier, two lovers nestled in his floating vessel; the Harlequin, playing violin for his masked lady admirer on the steps... 450 perfectly-combined fragments transport you to a city in celebration. Available at The Dubai Mall Boutique and in Tanagra stores in the GCC 4
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
Venetian canal details, up-close
5
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
j ay s t r o n g wat e r
WaSHIngTOn gR anD E aglE FIguRInE The drama and majesty of a powerful eagle in flight has been captured by the master model makers at Jay Strongwater. They carved this figurine from clay, after which molds were made, and multiple pewter castings were poured and finished in 18k
gold. The New York-based artisans then spent days applying layers of enamel to each bird of prey, before hand-setting over 2,000 crystals. It’s an especially rare breed, with only 350 of the figurines in existence. Available in Tanagra stores in the GCC 6
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
j ay s t r o n g wat e r
va lE RIE ORCHID va SE Elegance blooms in every detail of this optic swirled, blown glass vase with gold edging. The base of the orchid comprises solid brass with antique pewter components, all plated in 14k matte gold. The final look of the flora vase is achieved
with layers of translucent enamels in vibrant shades of pinks and verdant greens, which are applied before the piece is completed with Swarovski crystals in shades of rose, fuchsia, and white opal. Available in Tanagra stores in the GCC 7
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
Be r na r dau d
va SE aux CHRyS a nTHè ME S First imagined as far back as 1880, this large vase is a representation of Bernardaud heritage, crafted using skills passed down through generations. The striking colour occurs due to cobalt oxide – one of the rare enamels that is able to withstand
a blistering 1,400°C firing temperature. The floral pattern, meanwhile, comprises multiple layers, carefully hand-applied. Each vase is one-of-a-kind, limited to 20. Available at The Dubai Mall Boutique and in Tanagra stores in the GCC (upon request) 8
Timepieces AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Dwell on the Past TaRIQ MaLIk
J
une 1967 marked the infamous Summer of Love. New social behaviours were forming, and trippy fashions were being (peacefully) paraded. The Beatles still ruled the pop charts, releasing their experimental LP, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and with the Vietnam War coming to an end, a new political age was dawning. In horology, meanwhile, an entirely new kind of watch was being developed within the depths of Rolex HQ in Switzerland. Master watchmakers were hard at work perfecting the world’s first helium escape valve, effectively tripling the submersible depth limit of the first ever water-resistant watch case – Rolex’s very own Oyster. In 1967, Rolex would successfully unveil a new breed of diving watch, in a very limited series: the SeaDweller (ref. 1665). The 1960s was a boom-time for deep-sea exploration in the offshore oil industry, and brave men were diving deeper into the blue than ever before. Rolex, a brand ever drawn to the drama of conquest and exploration, saw it as an opportunity. Jacques Cousteau, considered to be the father of scuba diving, had been working with Rolex since the early 1950s to develop the Rolex Submariner. On his world-famous explorations (and while making underwater documentaries of international acclaim), he and his Rolex had successfully navigated down to 200m. The goal was to create a watch that could withstand the immense water pressure at depths of up to 610m. The escape valve was there
to prevent the watch from exploding during decompression. Tiny helium molecules could get trapped inside, under the pressure and, unless there was a way out, they would pop the crystal right out of the watch. There are no official figures to prove it, but it is rumoured that only around 100 of the first Sea-Dwellers were ever made. Presumably, many of them were given to deep sea divers for testing. Today these are extremely rare, and are called the ‘Single Red Sea-Dwellers’. They typically fetch upwards of half a million dollars at auction. By 1968, the ‘Mark II Double Red Sea-Dwellers’ were released. These models featured two lines of red writing, and most of them now have what’s known as the ‘smudge crown’. The lacquer used on the dials reacted with UV light, which made the black dial turn chocolate brown over time.
as years ticked by, Rolex continued to perfect the Sea-Dweller, finally reaching a depth rating of 1,220m in 1978. The Sea-Dweller ref. 16660 was fitted with a sapphire crystal, a bigger helium release valve, and the changes in design improved the maximum depth rating tremendously. The last vintage Sea-Dwellers were made in 1988 (the ref. 16600), and these were powered by the modern calibre 3135 movement, with solid end-links on the bracelet and a glossy-finish dial. after decades on the wrists of divers, the Sea-Dweller was discontinued in 2008. So when the 50 th anniversary rolled around this year, Rolex fans were delighted to learn that the new release celebrated everything that they loved about the original watch from 1967. The 2017 model bears the Sea-Dweller insignia in red – a clear reference to the 1967 model. The case is bigger, measuring 43mm when compared to the original 40mm size. It has a winding crown protected by a crown guard – an integral part of the middle case. The most obvious change is to the crystal: a new Cyclops lens at three o’clock allows easy reading of the date. Other than that, it’s almost identical to the original. The golden anniversary edition of the Sea-Dweller made its appearance at Baselworld earlier this year, and it finds a unique niche – being larger than a Submariner but not as bold as the Deepsea. It makes a welcome return to the Rolex family. Momentum – Tariq’s co-founded vintage watch boutique – can be found in Dubai’s DIFC. momentum-dubai.com 33
Timepieces
AIR
DECEMBER AUGUST 2017 2016 : ISSUE : ISSUE 7567
34
Ode to the Sea The Submersible collection from Officine Panerai comprises six novelties created for epic enterprises – professional dive watches galvanised by decades of conquering the depths WORDS : CHRIS UJMA
35
Timepieces AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
AIR
A
chapter of every watch collector’s quest is dedicated to acquiring a vintage timepiece with the timeworn grace of patina – an irreversible oxidisation process that affects the metal, changes with age, and lends a touch of personality. The result is a unique maturation that adds imitable charisma to a wristwatch and aficionados can witness the metallic theatre gradually unfold with one of Officine Panerai’s coveted new novelties. Such is the case with the handsome PAM 671 Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo, pictured opposite. ‘Bronzo’ is the key word in respect to the patina; a Panerai trademark tin and copper alloy mix (developed in 2011) that submits to the eventual weathered effect of this 47mm piece. The visible signs won’t become apparent, however, until it has gulped a few months of open air. Visually-elegant ageing is the superpower of this deep blue-dialled model, but it is just one of six, limited edition pieces in Panerai’s intriguing new Submersible collection. For it, the watchmaker has subtly sought to tick the boxes of existing Paneristi, and also entice newcomers. For example, switch to another of this niche range – the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic ‘Acciaio’ (available, alternately, in ‘Oro Rosso’, a red gold with a contrasting black ceramic bezel insert) – which was designed to win new fans. Panerai is synonymous with a ‘go big or go home’ approach – and arguably influenced the trend – and the substantial size of their watches often hovers close to 50mm. So its stance has been softened in a piece that clocks in at a relatively ‘miniature’ 42mm; smaller, sporty, and more appealing to those perhaps previously dissuaded by the brand’s sizeable on-wrist presence. Design-wise, Panerai has a faithful familiarity; rarely radical but always classic, and certified to perform in underwater extremes – they are beautiful tools. The Luminor 1950 case specifically has a bold heritage, first developed by the brand for commandos in the Italian Navy. But such loyalty to history doesn’t translate to the materials Panerai uses. While Bronzo does exude a relic-like charm, Officine Panerai knows how 36
This Submersible family draws inspiration from the history of Panerai, yet also looks toward the future to push the boundaries to Marianas Trench-like tech extremes. Composite Carbotech, for example, (first seen on a previous release: the Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic) is bang up-to-date. They’ve another material bookending the spectrum in the advanced BMG-TECH – Bulk Metallic Glass – found in the 47mm Submersible called the 1950 BMG-TECH 3 Days Automatic. Thanks to the material, the watch has been branded “stronger than nature”, and Panerai cites BMG as possessing a uniqueness at a compound level: “It’s a metallic glass with excellent characteristics of strength and durability, which enable it to preserve its appearance over time,” share the experts at Panerai Laboratorio di Idee. “The secret of this material lies not so much in its appearance – which is similar to that of titanium but darker grey in colour – as in its atomic structure, which provides a range of very useful qualities for an underwater watch: extreme resistance to wear, high strength and great lightness,” they add. Milvin George, Managing Director for the Middle East, Turkey and India, weighs in, saying, “When it comes to revolutionary innovation, the BMGTECH Luminor Submersible is the watch to own. The secret lies in the new material used in this masterpiece, which makes the case, the bezel, the winding crown and the associated protection device, which guarantees long lasting perfection over time.”
There’s a chaos involved in the very formation of BMG, where zirconium, copper, aluminium, titanium and nickel are subjected to a high pressure at a high temperature. The metals are then cooled in mere seconds, meaning the atoms do not have enough time to become arranged in an ordered, regular structure. What emerges is an ideal material to cope with the pressures of the underwater realm – as well as resistance to magnetic fields and corrosion (call it the ‘AntiBronzo’), in-hand with the ability to cope with external shocks. Between the Bronzo, the Accacio/ Oro Rosso and the BMG are two other equally important novelties: the 47mm Luminor Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanium (which deflects the flux of magnetic fields) and the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Titanio (with its titanium case). “We are delighted to present an excellent suite of technical solutions in our 2017 Submersible collection,” says George.“This Submersible family draws inspiration from the history of Panerai and its seafaring roots, yet also looks toward the future with its exceptional innovations. Such factors make this model a classic.” There’s plenty of faces in the cushion-shaped line-up to beguile the buyer into procuring a Panerai ‘Sub’ – a collection of desirable divers that not only look good, but are assured to perform under pressure.
Opening pages: Officine Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Oro Rosso Left: Luminor Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanio PAM01389; Submersible 1950 BMG-Tech 3 Days Automatic PAM00692 This page: Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo PAM00671
37
Art & Design AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Alone With Everybody Andrew Salgado is living up to Saatchi’s estimation as “one to invest in today”. Seeking solitude by the sea, Salgado invites observers into his private world once again – this time in Zagreb WordS: Carû SandErS
A AIR
ndrew Salgado could be considered an anomaly in the art world. He has made his name in London, a city considered notoriously unrelenting to young artists from the British Isles, harder even for an outsider to crack. The blue-chip scores are well documented and will decorate every Candy & Candy apartment or Sotheby’s auction. Resolutely British provocateurs make it big in London, scoring the headlines, whether they’re a Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Banksy or Grayson Perry, all offer a dialogue that manages to be global and international at once. Salgado, however, has been making some serious headlines as a current affairs commentator through his work. Hailing from Canada he has managed 11 sell out shows by the age of 34. He started water-painting classes aged 12, alongside middle-aged hobbyists. He continued and ditched his academic studies for art, forgoing a scholarship at Central Saint Martins, to follow in the footsteps of his art hero, Peter Doig, at the Chelsea College of Art. His 12th – and current – exhibition in Zagreb, Croatia is his biggest show yet. Bigger even than his retrospective at Canada House, the Canadian Embassy in London, who invited him to hold his ‘review show’ last February. The banners of his decade-long journey in the art world bristled in Trafalgar Square, opening in a rare London blizzard, next to the National Gallery.
38
Only two months prior, his 11th show The Snake at Beers London gallery – a Shoreditch ‘zeitgeist’ destination established by curator and Taschen author Kurt Beers. Salgado has come a long way since being attacked and left for dead at a music festival in 2008 – an experience which informed his work and put him on a ‘serious artist’ trajectory. Now he announces his biggest solo show yet entitled A Room With a View of the Ocean, which is as much a bold leap into conceptual art as it is a firm reminder of his prowess as one of the UK’s leading young figurative painters. After his autobiographical compositions, stretched colourfully across hand-stitched canvases, he’s having a ‘Garbo’ moment, somewhat inspired by a break in the tropics and the need to be near the ocean. The idea was sparked by a quote from one of his favourite writers, Henry Miller (via Kurt Vonnegut and Rimbaud), whose famous passages include: “I need to be alone. I need to ponder my shame and my despair in seclusion; I need the sunshine and the paving stones of the streets without companions, without conversation, face to face with myself, with only the music of my heart for company.” Following his November 2016 solo exhibition The Snake, which allowed Salgado to shed his artistic skin and reputation for creating thematically heavy art, A Room With a View of the
39
AIR
Ocean has enabled him to undertake a more crude and abstract approach to his art-making. Capitalising on Lauba Art House’s considerable 13,000 sq ft space, the narrative includes 75 individual artworks, created over the course of seven months, including a variety of site-specific installations designed by the artist himself to showcase his work. The installation unfolds as a journey through four distinctive chambers, painted in bold colours, extending beyond a 360-degree set. The resulting environment is created as a slightly hallucinogenic, immersive multimedia landscape, complete with furniture, video projection, and ethereal soundscapes. Salgado explains, “I think I have always channelled my focus through my head and my hands, and the notion of art-making is quite private and selfdirected, so it feeds into that personal pursuit toward betterment. As a child I was always art-making, and this followed me into my formative teenage years... I mean, I was a proficient student, and I even began university in sciences, but that wasn’t my world. I let the course of my life be determined by my passion for art... I often say that without art I’m a person without definition, and I believe that. Art defines me.” Salgado’s sprawling spatial statements engulf the viewer. The mode is participatory and of course included are Salgado’s instantly recognisable bold portrait paintings, which see the artist wholly and intuitively embracing textile-art to include hand-dyed and hand-stitched canvas as a structural and formative technique. As our desire for provenance and knowledge of how something is created or grown increases, immersion becomes a physical and virtual connection between two worlds. The large-scale paintings in the first chapter feature canvases lovingly and laboriously hand-stitched by the artist. Salgado also hand-dyes his own materials and created his own chaise lounge that he wants viewers to perch on as well as push the paintings that swing from the rafters, or peek through their many ‘see-through’ parts. In short, the show is about a single day and evening. Sunset, moonlight, 40
The notion of art-making is quite private and self-directed, so it feeds into that personal pursuit toward betterment sunrise, and culminates with an eight metre projection of an ocean view that charged the work as much as the writers and influencers sparked the idea of a recording a personal moment. He says, “Of course, there are deeply personal issues that transpired to create this body of work, but the message is direct and profound and people will draw their own conclusions. I think the show is conceptual purely based on the fact that I did over 70 works. There are rooms that operate more on sensation than individual works. Again, I go back to the 24 works on paperback... the fact that I spent three weeks alone sewing together an individual work. It’s not a run-ofthe-mill portrait exhibition, and the readings are not so simple either.”
A Room With a View of the Ocean sees the artist eager to challenge both our expectations of figurative art and also what we come to expect from a single body of work by a solo artist. But the title refers to a sense of peace – aspiring towards calm – both personal and professional. As the word ‘immersive,’ along with ‘creative’, starts to lose its meaning through overuse, Salgado summarises what he wants the beholder to experience. “It’s simple really,” he says by way of a one sentence explanation. “I want them to feel like they’re inside the work.” A Room With a View of the Ocean shows at Lauba Art House in Zagreb, Croatia until 20 August – in collaboration with Beers London
Beauty
and the best To achieve Richard Mille’s goal of absolute perfection in a timepiece, every detail is of equal importance. No design or technical solution that is worthy should be easy to come by. It is an ethos that sets its watches apart: the best in technical innovation, the best of artistry and architecture, the best at channelling the heritage and culture of fine watchmaking. The Richard Mille women’s collection is a perfect marriage of mechanical hypertechnology and feminine codes. It is a daring, visually arresting encapsulation of the brand’s distinctive spirit made beautiful.
2
AIR
Opening page: RM 033, with diamonds Opposite: RM 023, White Gold Medium Set This page: RM 037, White Gold Tahiti Mother of Pearl Diamond Dial
RM 037, White Ceramic Jasper Diamond Dial, with Plain Red Gold Gourmette
4
5
These pages: RM 037 White Gold Medium Set, Full Pave Dial Centre Set, White Gold Medium Set Bracelet
7
PHOTOGRAPHS : MANBUTTE STYLING : ADRIANA BULGAC MANICURE : SISTERS BEAUTY LOUNGE ART DIRECTION : ANDY KNAPPETT
AIR
FLOWERS BY FOREVER ROSE
RM 023, White Gold Medium Set 8
“I wanted to be considered a good craftsman. I wanted my dresses to be constructed like buildings, molded to the curves of the female form, stylising its shape.�
41
AIR
ArchItect Christian Dior wove ‘The Dream’ for generations of haute couturists, yet myriad influences shaped the mastermind himself – paintings, furniture, objets d’art and more. An exhibit at Musée des Arts Décoratifs illustrates the fabrical legacy of the Maison, while exploring the foundations upon which his inspiration were built WORDS: Chris Ujma
42
43
C
AIR
hristian Dior had a God-given, pre-destined talent for couture, and almost in utero sensed what his inspiring career would eventually become. This is not true, of course, but it’s how we tend to construct our cultural heroes. The thing is, once an understanding of how Dior honed his prodigious ability is acquired, his impact can be more sincerely lauded; more greatly appreciated and respected. The Frenchman was mortal, and how he drank-deep from a well of art and design influence – fuelling his creativity – is an understated and littleknown narrative. “As many a well-known name, Christian Dior has a rich and long history that many people have forgotten or do not really know; they can believe that they are aware of the facts, but the historical reality of his life and his house is larger than life,” says Olivier Gabet, Director at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. “The name of Christian Dior is very widely known, but I think there are many things that are not so well known about the history of the house – and the man himself.” Such details are being unpacked at a game-changing showcase: the Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve exhibition in Paris, which has a secondary purpose, serving as a lavish celebration of the 70th year of the House of Dior. The retelling of that history encompasses the man himself, plus the six couturiers who succeeded him; Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and, currently, Maria Grazia Chiuri. “Many of the items are from the Dior Héritage archives and have never before been seen in Paris,” Gabet explains. “Additional garments are on loan from institutions including the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent.” A fascinating wrinkle, though, is that some of these couture creations are being exhibited alongside the classical busts, Renaissance artwork
44
and surrealist sculptures that inspired their design; pieces loaned from such institutions as The Louvre, Versailles and the Pompidou Center. “It’s a subject which is very natural to speak about – once you’ve been immersed in Dior’s history,” says Florence Müller, the Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Fashion at Denver Art Museum, and co-curator of the exhibit. “To the uninitiated, though, the fundamental link for Dior between art and fashion is not so commonly known.” Of his formative career years, she discloses, “His first job was director of two art galleries, and during his 20s his intention was to show art from already famous names like Picasso, Miro and Braque etc, but also he wanted to create a platform for talents who were a similar age – Giacometti, Dalí, Calder, Leonor Fini, Christian Bérard and Co.
Previous page: Christian Dior, circa 1960 Below: Dior his atelier in Paris, taken around 1940 Right: Fitting and adjusting a dress to Dior standards
To the uninitiated, the fundamental link for Dior between art and fashion is not so commonly known
45
46
AIR
His dialogue with the arts was a permanent one Left: Dior’s junon dress Above: Dior haute Couture. Both dresses being exhibited during Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve at musée des arts Décoratifs. images © Nicholas alan Cope
This new generation was unknown at that time, and it was his ambition to help them.” Gabet says that, “From the art nouveau and the Ballets Russes to the surrealism that he exhibited in his art gallery, from 1910 Christian Dior lived at the centre of the Parisian cultural life – surrounded by all the influences it contained.” This gallery era, where Dior’s mind romped through the fruits of avant garde art, was relative light years away from him becoming a couturier, and was a time of uncertainty – a test of Dior’s moral fibre. “At that juncture, Dior was not an artist himself – though he had some ambition, wanting to be an architect, or composer. But he discovered he was not talented enough for such ventures, so Dior turned his hand to helping his peers,” Müller says.
The art historian injects some sobriety into proceedings. “The idea of learning fashion design arose to earn a living – the economic downturn meant that, simply, it was not sustainable to continue his gallery activities. He was miserable, having been very rich and then subsequently poor,” Müller truths. “It was an artist friend who gave Dior the idea that when you have a strong knowledge of the history of art, and you know how to create a drawing – as he did – then that is enough for the beginnings of a fashion collection.” Despite two decades of teaching art history, she still finds it fascinating how he, “discovered his talents totally by chance”. Gabet reassumes the baton: “Christian Dior paid tribute to the established and up-and-coming artists whose work he used to exhibit in his galleries by designing dresses inspired by them. This close relationship to the art world has always marked the history of the House of Dior, and he was very much inspired by impressionism,” the Director reinforces. How is this tightly knit marriage communicated throughout the stunning, elaborate set (dreamt up by Interior Architect Nathalie Crinière)? “Christian Dior had a very thorough artistic culture, and the dialogue with the arts was a permanent one – and we did not want the artworks to simply stand as illustrations,” Gabet says. “Sometimes the link is clearly identified; sometimes it is a poetic evocation of a moment in his life and his culture. For instance, the influence of China and Japan is shown in the fabrics he used, the way he cut them and some of his collection themes. But above all, the French 18th century (with Watteau and Vigée Le Brun) was an inspiration that we can see in his repertoire of forms, with very tight waists and lavish patterns.” One particular exhibition room uncloaks the artistic brain trust that Dior fraternised with during the 1920s, such as senior clock-melter Salvador Dali, ‘Rayographer’ Man Ray, movingmobile mastermind Alexander Calder, and post-War-trauma sculptor Alberto Giacometti. He was a close friend of Christian Bérard, Jean Cocteau, Emilio Terry and Max Jacob; a true humanist, Dior was the friend of painters, writers 47
AIR
and musicians, and the inspiration flowed between both sides, creating “an idea of liberty and joyous invention,” estimates Gabet. When the House of Dior was inaugurated in 1947, it was not journalists or media in attendance, but a crowd of influential artists and collectors clamouring to admire the new looks created by a figure they’d crossed paths with over the years on the art gallery circuit. His eventual atelier, too, was an early indicator of his refined artistic tones – an interior recreated for visitors at this exhibition, as the official literature elaborates: ‘Arriving on the other side of the neo-Regency façade, visitors find themselves in a world of muted elegance, made up of white beading and Trianon gray paneling, neo-Louis XVI medallion chairs, and frames decorated with Fontange bows, where harmony and restraint reign supreme. The artist Christian Bérard, Dior’s friend and artistic alter ego, brought his feel for sumptuous but unpretentious design to the ground-floor Colifichets boutique.
48
The entire House, from salons to corridors and fitting rooms, is bathed in a luminous and airy atmosphere, in homage to The Enlightenment.’ Throughout the exhibition, proof abounds that Dior’s artistic grounding was a major factor in his seeing matters through a different prism. The postWar Paris his fashion would re-energise was depleted and pared back –“austere and masculine with wide shoulders, short skirts and practical shoes and bags for cycling”, as per Gabet’s assessment. Dior turned the capital on its head by, “Reinventing the codes of femininity with smooth shoulders, a thin waist and an underlined chest,” Gabet defines. “His concept of the ‘femme-fleur’ speaks of lightness and smoothness and he celebrated beauty and freedom. He wanted women to look like princesses and to be able to dream. The then revolutionary ‘New Look’, with its freshness, was both a triumph and a scandal, even though it seems very clean and simple to us now. But rationing was still an issue in 1947 and
Below: Christian Dior, Essence d’herbier dress; Christian Dior, Opéra Bouffe gown. Both images courtesy of musée des arts Décoratifs, and © Nicholas alan Cope Right: Christian Dior during a tour of scotland in 1955
Moving from the art world to the fashion world was like a rehearsal for the influence he would have once opening the House of Dior
the length of fabric needed for a single ‘bar’ suit was considered as extravagant and shocking,” he illustrates. Pick out select words from that expertise – ‘Triumph’… ‘scandal’… ‘extravagance’… ‘shock’ – and they can be just as effectively transposed to a critique of art itself. Aside from an ability to able to cast aside convention, another byproduct of Dior’s transition, Müller believes, is that, “Moving from the art world to the fashion world gave him a huge cultural reservoir to draw upon. He was close to so many influential people through his activities – journalists, collectors and such – it was like a rehearsal for the influence he would have once opening the House of Dior.” Müller unearthed another unheralded aspect of his talent while curating, reading countless letters between Dior and Jacques Rouët – the general manager of the house. “It’s important to communicate that he was not just a fashion designer, but he also a very accomplished
businessman, skills learned from his father. I knew it already, but it became more apparent when reading correspondence that he took care of all sorts of details – deeply involved in the management of the house, with a hand in every aspect.” Using his business accumen and the years of artistic immersion as a springboard, Dior become the architect of a design dream. Each couture piece stands as a towering example of ambition and accomplishment; the creative foundations of his Maison are built on strong and sturdy convictions, and refined tastes. His ‘New Look’ had artistic cadences, and the former gallery-man can be considered equal to the Modern Masters he celebrated – just in his own realm of fashion, being that he chose the feminine form as the canvas for his own masterpieces. Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve is at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris until 7 January. lesartsdecoratifs.fr 49
50
AIR
She saw what fame did to her elder twin sisters and wasn’t impressed. But with heavyweight Hollywood acting stints and a vocal, anti-mainstream personality, Elizabeth Olsen risks attracting a serious amount of attention WORds: RichaRd Benson
51
W
AIR
hen Elizabeth Olsen was 18, she tried to escape from the shadows of her famous older sisters by moving from the family home in LA to study serious theatre at New York University. It didn’t quite work out. The Manhattan media joked about the arrival in town of the ‘third Olsen twin’. Students in her hall of residence knocked on her door pretending to be lost, and then just stood staring at her. When she auditioned, producers said they didn’t want her because they assumed she’d be ‘too upbeat’. The Olsen family, however, is famously determined. Her elder sisters are the twins Mary-Kate and Ashley, now 31, the child actresses who, after starting out in the sitcom Full House in 1987 as babies, amassed a combined USD100m fortune as stars of their own movies and owners of a production company. Since then, they have become successful fashion designers; their multimillion-dollar label the Row, featuring minimalist white shirts at hundreds of dollars a throw, is worn by Michelle Obama and Julianne Moore. They weren’t an easy act to follow, but ‘lil sis’ has used her own tenacious approach to carve a niche for herself: arthouse Olsen. While still a student, she worked as an understudy offBroadway, spent a semester studying Russian theatre in Moscow, and finally got herself a lead role in a film, playing the mentally ill cult escapee Martha in Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011). That film’s success made her reputation and earned her a degree of celebrity she says she sought to avoid. “I wanted to be an actress, but felt it was such a cliché,” Olsen, 28, says. “I thought if I could make it more of a 52
pretentious theatre experience, I could justify it. But celebrity and fame are so odd to me, I just don’t have any desire for it.” Unusually, she backs up her professed shyness with action: she avoids unnecessary public appearances and, like her friends Rooney Mara, Shailene Woodley and Jennifer Lawrence, belongs to that new generation of Hollywood stars who shun social media. Today, though, as she sits in the restaurant of a Soho hotel wearing black cashmere and breakfasting on smoked salmon and avocado, she is on duty, and on the movie promotion trail. She is one of those actresses who is radiantly pretty on screen but quietly good-looking off it, in real life more a young Diane Keaton than a Jolie or Theron. Small at 5ft 5in, minimally made-up and with pensive green eyes, she vibes theatre intellectual rather than Hollywood, she enters into detailed discussions with the serving staff over the best kind of bread for toast (wholemeal), and leaves a clean plate. The fash pack love her, but you wouldn’t call her fashiony; later that evening, she is due to receive an actress of the year gong at a magazine awards ceremony, and she mentions choosing dresses and “trying to squeeze into sample sizes”. She says these are the only times she feels pressure about her body. “I try to stay relevant, looking for the new thing before it hits stores, but that means you have to wear things that don’t come in normal sizes. So you’re squeezing into things that are made for a model’s body, and that doesn’t feel good. I’m sure if I had a waif-like body, I wouldn’t be as stressed.”
Celebrity and fame are so odd to me, I just don’t have any desire for it
53
AIR
I never saw it as something special, it was work. That has meant I have quite a healthy relationship with the industry
One might wonder if, given that her body is notably curvier than those of her fashion-designer sisters, this was ever an issue. It seems unlikely. “It’s not like I’m super confident,” she says, “but I exercise a lot because I’ve always been a dancer and an athlete. I think I’m a pretty thin person, but I’m definitely not actress thin, that’s a whole other world. I don’t know how to do that healthily. And I don’t think I care to figure it out.” The Olsens grew up in Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley, the quintessential LA suburb that is the spiritual home of the Valley Girl stereotype. Elizabeth (‘Lizzie’) was the youngest of four: besides the twins, there is an elder brother, Trent, a screenwriter (“The most talented of us all,” Olsen says). Their parents, Jarnie and Dave, have always defended themselves against accusations of pushiness by saying they knew nothing about TV and movies, and put MaryKate and Ashley’s careers in the hands of experts but, according to Elizabeth, this is only partly true. In reality, she says, the whole family is compulsively driven. Dave worked in property, but was an obsessive golfer who almost turned pro. Jarnie worked hard to become a ballet dancer before retiring to look after the family. MaryKate, a keen horse-rider, is said to be as focused as a professional when she enters equestrian events. When the kids were younger, living between their parents’ houses after they divorced in 54
1996, everyone did so many classes and activities that there were no set mealtimes. In her teens, Elizabeth, who took acting classes from the age of eight, usually got in at about 10.30pm after training to become a volleyball pro. “My parents’ whole thing is like, ‘Do what you want to do, but pick it and work hard at it,’” she says. She is fairly close to Mary-Kate and Ashley – they all live in New York and she drops in to grab clothes from their Tribeca studio when she needs them, or they visit her on set – but it’s clear the twins have always had that closedoff twin thing. As kids, she has said, she watched them completing each others’ thoughts and looking after each other, while she was happy playing on her own, and “taking the blame when things went wrong”. At school, she would often be picked up at the end of the day and taken to the sets where her sisters were filming, occasionally being given small roles herself. As a result, she “saw what they did as a job. I never saw it as something special, it was work. That has meant I have quite a healthy relationship with the industry”. The effect of their exposure as gossip-mag regulars has left a lasting impression, though; when Mary-Kate was hounded over her eating disorder in 2004, Elizabeth, also being pursued by paparazzi, briefly gave up on the idea of acting altogether. “They did experience a lot of pressure as kids, but now, with social media,
everyone is experiencing that. I think that’s another reason why I don’t want to do all that, because I want to just be. I’d rather disappear into my breakfast nook and read the news and drink coffee than flick through Instagram.” Despite this, she is becoming a media fixture; she’s looped into the promo circuit again this month with her star turn as an FBI agent in Wind River. But Olsen is a woman who has seen the warped world of modern celebrity up close, and decided the best way of dealing with it is to not deal with it at all. The world of Mary-Kate and Ashley, you feel, isn’t for her. She is fulsome in her praise of them as people and fashion designers, but this is the only time when Hollywood gush intrudes on her tendency to understatement, and it feels somewhat like a polite tribute delivered across a cultural divide. “I think my sisters are such amazing, evolved women,” she says. “I am impressed by their work ethic and by their amazing… I mean, they are amazing fashion designers. They have brilliant eyes and great taste, and I’m so impressed by their skill level.” When she says that their main inspiration for her now is “as businesswomen”, you suspect that, yes, they get on fine, but that there’s something being left unsaid along the lines of, “They’re lovely, but their world isn’t the one I choose to live in, thank you very much. Now, could we talk about my interest in Chekhov instead?” The third Olsen twin she ain’t.
55
AIR
For The LV oF TraVeL
Early explorers of new worlds; silver screen icons; the Café Culture clique; royalty on sojourn. Wherever society’s shapers dared tread, Louis Vuitton built the consummate lifestyle companions that the elite simply couldn’t leave home without WORDS: Chris Ujma
56
57
AIR
S
o confident were Louis and Georges Vuitton of their patented five-lever combination lock that, in 1868, they challenged none other than Houdini himself to pit his escapology wits against their luggage, as part of his world-famous act. He declined. Perhaps the great escapist simply didn’t want to get locked into a savvy marketing ploy by the father/son tag-team. But the security afforded by Louis Vuitton’s boxes proved a formidable-enough deterrent for thieves, and, consequently, for invaluable trust to engender among an aristocracy with valuables to protect. Of late, the luxury goods-maker – now sleekly operated within the LVMH conglomerate, rather than by a family of humble milliners in Paris – has been celebrating its lineage with a revival of the 1980s ‘L’Âme du Voyage’ (The Spirit of Travel) campaign. The delicious dive into detail highlights a legacy that, at first glance, appears forged by having being perched on the arm (or carriage) of seemingly every notable person of influence. While hanging on the shoulders of giants certainly helped, the early technicality of superbly made travel trunks was really the key differencemaker. The rags-to-riches tale of Vuitton Sr is worthy of its own weighty tome (for which Fergus Mason duly obliged, with the exceptional Vuitton), but in short, the riches were deserved thanks to his competition-beating innovation. Teenage Louis arrived in an intellectually liberating and hedonistic Paris in 1837, and undertook a 17-year immersion in the highly regarded craft of boxmaking and packing, under Opening page: The alzer on its travels These pages, from left: The retiro Noir has arrived; Georges Vuitton, who introduced the brand’s monogram; The ‘speedy Forever’ commemorative shoot
58
the tutelage of Monsieur Maréchal. His respected sensei’s boutique was located near the once-grand (now destroyed) Tuileries Palace, home of French monarchs. Even in apprenticeship, ‘LV’ was never far from society’s most-prominent. He struck out alone with his first store on 4 Rue Neuve des Capucines in 1854, and the location was as well placed as a monogram on leather. The area was swimming with influence: he’d grand hotels and the Opera on the doorstep, and was in close proximity to the boutique of Charles Frederick Worth – the inventor of haute couture. In the brand’s own ‘Spirit of Travel’ literature, they frame the 1850s as such: “The decade was distinguished by a taste for opulence and a casual eclecticism, equally apparent in the decorative arts, in fashion and in dress. Just think of crinolines, those bizarre cages made from linen thread and horsehair that became an integral part of women’s wear... And it was not just the volume and weight of these extraordinary lengths of satin, faille, tulle and lace that posed a problem: they also had to be transported to various different locations made fashionable by court custom, new methods of travel and changes in the pace of social life.” Adventure was pulsing through the veins of European influencers, who were no longer content with limiting their stomping grounds, and the aim of the game became how far-flung one could get. The Guardian, in a piece outlining The Birth of Tourism, explained that, “By the 1850s, photography was beginning to make the world feel a smaller place. For the first time, accurate and
59
60
AIR
Clockwise from top left: An LV trunk stars with Audrey Hepburn in Love Afternoon; Lady Gaga, clutching her dog Fonzi and a Vuitton; Speedy and President (with Jane Fonda and Roger Vadim); JC travels with LV – Joan Collins with the Alzer and a Keepall
trustworthy representations of distant lands and peoples, unmediated by the artist’s hand, were enthusiastically explored in parlours and drawing rooms across the western world.” The upper classes were mobilising (for pleasure, not power), and industrial bourgeoisie was on the rise. Louis had his finger on the pulse. He abandoned the then-standard model of a ‘malle’ – with its dome-shaped top – and developed a box with a flat top, ideal for stacking. These trunks – made of the strong, lightweight poplar wood he had mastered the manipulation of – were covered with stretched hemp cloth, then sealed with Trianon grey oil paint and varnishing iron. Inside were carefully planned partitions and compartments, with the aforementioned unpickable closing system protecting the treasures it housed. It was innovation at its simplest, but most effective – and he would further refine the high-quality yet utilitarian cases in subsequent, award-winning models. The attention of great explorers was piqued. Prior to traversing the immense Congo basin to chart new frontiers, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza was one to visit LV in Paris to procure trunks that would survive the test. The company produced dust and damp resistant zinc and copper efforts, as well as what would become known as the ‘Brazza trunk’– a Louis-designed trunk-bed with an articulated frame, that folded into the narrow box’s own footprint. Brazza would order several more when embarking on future odysseys – especially his redeployement to the same region in 1905. It was a journey from which, sadly, he would not return, but the trunks did make it home – and the company was promptly summoned to the Ministry of Overseas Territories. The government was unable to find a way into impregnable secret compartments filled with confidential reports and papers. Only the Vuittons had the know-how. 1892 marked Louis’ passing, and Georges Vuitton took the helm as the brand surged into a new century, with his grandiose dreams propelling the company further into being considered a worldwide luxury corporation. Experts at LV Trunks explain that, in honour of his father, “It was Georges who introduced the signature LV Monogram canvas. The symbols, namely the graphic flower and quatrefoil, echo the Oriental design trend of the late Victorian era”. The company was the first luggage-maker to produce its own catalogue, such was the breadth of its travel offerings, and with so many versatile, bespoke concepts, one could easily find a piece that fitted to fit their travel requirements. As such, the maison became entwined with reputations that swirl with grandeur: the Maharajah of Baroda, who requested a grained leather tea case with silver and porcelain utensils; princesses Elizabeth and Margaret of England,
A ‘signature’ piece, it was perfect for a weekend dash to Saint-Tropez or Deauville at the wheel of a sports car with their suitcases to protect a set of ‘France and Marianne’ dolls gifted to them. There was King Farouk of Egypt and his famous twelvedrawer desk trunk, while Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Alphonse XIII of Spain (and similar ilk) regularly placed orders. LV then became linked – rather organically – with the Carnegies, Fords and Guggenheims of the world, finding its products at the heartbeat of the early 20th century’s cross-continent Café Society culture. The leisured social classes and the fashionable were the exclusive movers and shakers of their day – and when they ‘moved’, their mostvaluables were encased in a precious LV. Continued reinvention ensured the star-studded spotlight and alignment with the aristocratic jet set endured; some of Hollywood’s most famous figures became powerlessly enthralled with these practical travel status symbols, and lent endorsement. ‘Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and Marlene Dietrich were approached by Maison Louis Vuitton, becoming de facto ambassadors for the brand,’ LVMH says in its official history. The soft monogram canvas developed in the late 1950s, for example, ‘answered all the needs of the New wave film stars,’ they add. ‘Treasured as a “signature” piece, it was perfect for a weekend dash to Saint-Tropez or Deauville at the wheel of a sports car, a sense of freedom perfectly captured in the films of the period. Think of Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut and Jacques Rivette.’ Ever-inventive, the maison has continued to add silhouettes to its pantheon of icons, which include the versatile Speedy city bag that allured women of the 1930s; the elegant Gaston-Louis Noé bag, which could robustly accommodate five bottles of the finest bubbles; the Gabonese okume and polar wood Alzer suitcase from the 1950s; the Papillon of 1966, with its grained leather handles like wings, that bewitched Twiggy; the feminine, flared soft leather Lockit from 2006, that captures the unmistakable LV DNA. For an ever-enterprising clientele, a Louis Vuitton carries both their belongings and their lofty lifestyle expectations. The monogram has become a celebrated cultural symbol, and whichever impeccable luxury item is graced by those famous initials, ‘The Spirit of Travel’ journeys on. 61
62
AIR
Motoring AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Eagle has Landed
British company Eagle builds bespoke luxury sports cars, but look closely and you may notice something distinctly familiar about them WORDS: ChrIS AndErSon 63
AIR
E
very now and then a car comes along that captures the imagination like no other, achieving legendary status for the charm and enjoyment it brings. The Porsche 911, the original Mini and the Aston Martin DB5 are often thought of in this way, but to some even more iconic is the Jaguar E-Type. Upon its release in 1961, Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car in the world”, and today an example remains on permanent display at the New York City Museum of Modern Art, such is its value to contemporary culture. Its looks were not the only reason for its popularity either. “It’s an extremely good car in many other respects,” says Paul Brace, technical director at Eagle, a motoring company in East Sussex, England, just south of London. “It’s durable, comfortable, quick, and it responds incredibly well to upgrades without diluting the original spirit of the car.” Notice that Brace talks about the E-Type in the present tense, as to him the car remains alive and well. Despite only being built until 1975, its continued popularity meant that in 1984, Brace’s long-time friend, Henry Pearman, decided to set up Eagle, specialising in the restoration and maintaining of the E-Type, which it continues to this day. “Jaguar made 70,000 in total, so there are plenty to keep us busy,” Brace explains. “The numbers are much lower for the highly-sought-after variants, but there are still plenty about.” The E-Type was released as a twoseater and four-seater coupe, as well as an open-top roadster, with low drag and lightweight variants made too. After working on the cars for a time, Pearman hit upon an idea – to introduce Eagle’s own enhancements to the E-Type, launching its first rebuilt and upgraded version, the Eagle E-Type, in 1992. Brace had joined the company a few years earlier, and had long desired to move beyond simple restoration work. “The Eagle E-Type is a compromisefree restoration to the highest possible standards, using the best processes and materials,” says Brace. “The cars are bespoke, and most clients choose high levels of upgrades. It’s about retaining the authenticity, but improving on the original, and we’ll 64
Opening pages: Eagle Speedster, Special Edition These pages: Eagle Spyder GT
source the best possible donor E-Type to help us do it. Visually, the Eagle E-Type roadsters and coupes are the same as Jaguar’s, except for the wider wheels that most owners ask for.” Meeting the customer to discuss their needs is a fun and important part of the process, says Brace. They explain how the car is intended to be used – such as the likelihood of track days, expected touring trips, typical terrain and driving style – with the specification tailored to suit. At its converted farm facility in the Sussex countryside, Eagle has separate workshops dedicated to engines, fabrications, bodywork, painting, trimming, assembly, design and development that work in harmony to bring the car together. Modern technology and expertise are sure to enhance the reliability and driving experience of the E-Type, but from 2006 onwards Eagle has been experimenting with the aesthetics as well. “The first special evolution was the Eagle Speedster, a dedicated open roadster restyled to exaggerate the original’s curves and purify the detail – a caricature, if you like,” says Brace. “Then we launched the Eagle Low Drag GT, an all-aluminium coupe that takes its styling from a one-off racing E-Type that Jaguar built in 1961 called the Low Drag Coupe – a visual homage, with superior comfort, reliability and performance. “The Eagle Spyder GT is our latest creation. It has the open-topped styling of the Speedster, but adds the versatility of a convertible top.” Brace explains that the building of the steel-bodied cars, such as the Eagle E-Type roadster and coupe, takes around 4,000 hours, with up to 6,000 for the Low Drag GT. “Every part is handcrafted individually, or at best in tiny batches,” he insists. “There are countless bespoke items. For example, all four pieces of glass on the Low Drag GT are made exclusively for that model, and we even manufacture our own all-aluminium 4.7-litre engine, if requested. Our air conditioning
systems, electric speed-sensitive power steering and sports seats are also designed and manufactured in-house. I don’t think even some of the major manufacturers can claim that.” The price of each model varies, but takes into account the cost of a donor car. “We have Jaguar E-Types of the highest standards within our showroom, starting from around USD227,000,” says Brace. “The Eagle versions start at USD550,000, with the Low Drag GT being our most expensive at just over USD1 million,” he adds. Despite offering its own version of the E-Type since the early 1990s, Eagle has still only built around 60 cars so far, shipping them all over the world, with a few reportedly in the Middle East. How is the Eagle version received by E-Type purists, and by Jaguar itself? “Even the most dedicated E-Type enthusiasts, including respected marque historians, understand what we do and appreciate it,” Brace reveals. “We have a great relationship with Jaguar too. If you think about it, we’re rescuing E-Types that are otherwise likely be scrapped.” But why stop at the E-Type? Why not have Eagle apply its restoration and modification skills to a different classic? “We’ve had requests to work on other cars, but have politely declined,” says Brace. “We want to maintain our focus on the Jaguar E-Type. Being specialised and dedicated to one model pays dividends for the company in terms of efficiency, and the customer also gets the best results possible.” When asked if it can ever get boring working on just one model, Brace laughs. “Definitely not,” he says. “How could you get bored surrounded by these beauties? We’re so busy, there isn’t time to get bored, but we’re also constantly evolving, developing and getting better at what we do. We’re currently working on another very special aluminium evolution that we’re calling the Lightweight GT – watch this space.” 65
Gastronomy AUGUST 2017 : issUE 75
Corner Classic AIR
A dining and social scene showstopper since 1917, The Ivy is a grand old institution celebrating its centenary. Incumbent Director Fernando Peire is ideally placed to share some secrets from the Covent Garden icon WORDS : Chris Ujma
I
n theatre, the ‘prompt corner’ is the place from which the Stage Manager controls the show. The Ivy – located on the corner of Litchfield and West streets in the centre of London’s Theatreland – has been pulling the social strings in a similar manner since 1917. Take in a pre-show meal, and you’re certain to be cast in a unique enactment of your own – finely orchestrated, culinarily, but without a scripted dialogue. And over the decades, anyone who is anyone has hunkered down at a table, poised for a night of fine British food and clandestine conversation. When Ivy was but an ingénue back in 1929, Abele Giandolini’s unlicensed Italian café was moved into the purpose-built building she still occupies. The heady years that followed the move were when the Sir Winston Churchills, Giacomo Puccinis and Noël Cowards of the world would frequent. Across a century of maturation, what has emerged is an exceptional 66
menu, broad beverage selections and consummate service; combined with a prime location, these factors have fortified The Ivy’s enduring appeal. As restaurants go, it’s the place to be seen and, conversely, the place for your stature to be refreshingly understated – particularly since the restaurant’s relative renaissance in the early 1990s. “I was recently told by an immensely famous actress that what she most liked about The Ivy is that she is treated, ‘Like a civilian’,” shares Fernando Peire, the one-time Senior Maître d’ at the establishment, who returned to take the mantle of Director at the restaurant (and offshoot private member’s club). “What she means by that is she does not get fussed over or bothered, and can enjoy her time while being looked after like the other customers. I’ve noticed in my two decades here that famous people like being recognised and acknowledged – they even quite like bumping into other famous people – but what they don’t want on a private
67
AIR
night out at a restaurant is sycophants, signatures or selfies.” Of the key names to have set foot in the hallowed restaurant, one of the most important brings dining finesse, not folly and frivolity. Gary Lee – executive head chef at The Ivy – makes a daily beeline for the enormous basement kitchen, as opposed to sashaying to the hottest table. “Of his dishes, those I would recommend bring three key elements of the Ivy’s food: the Asian, the classic and the theatrical,” shares Peire. “If you’re in town for just one night, I’d advocate a starter from the Asian section of the menu – which showcases his particular skill with Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese flavour heritage. Opt for the colourful and zingy mixed sashimi, which explodes with taste in the mouth. For the main course it would have to be a serving of our legendary shepherd’s pie, best sprinkled with Worcestershire sauce – it’s a classic Ivy dish and one that we never take off the menu.” Of the ideas to mark the 100th year, one is edible: a beautiful new dessert called ‘A Window to The Ivy’, designed to look like the iconic windows of the restaurant. (For the epicure, it’s a rich chocolate mousse and chocolate sponge, which is filled with a velvety cherry centre). Another of Peire’s preferred final flourishes is the Baked Alaska with black cherries, which is “set alight at your table and creates a memorable stir every time it is served”. A major facelift transpired in 2015 and the biggest changes were the installation of a central dining bar, and a large number of antique finished mirrors. Peire explains of the modifications, “The additions meant that the most notable aspect of The Ivy’s interior is more celebrated than ever: the diamond shaped stained glass windows. We added new colours to the palette – bronze, pink and lime green – and new textures too, incorporating mohair and silk with the wood and leather. The new bar glitters like a jewellery box in the middle of the room.” Habitually effusing smooth sophistication, The Ivy performs with unfaltering aplomb. Well, aside from the rare blip. “I’d just come back from two years in Spain, and one night I took a call 68
from someone who wanted a table for Beyoncé,” says Peire, casting his mind back to ensnare one of many golden anecdotes. “I’d admittedly never heard of her and I thought with a name like that she must be somebody from [reality TV series] Big Brother, so I turned her away. When I told the staff about the table request, they said excitedly, ‘Beyoncé? What time’s she coming?’ I said ‘No, I turned her away’. Then they told me how famous she was. We’ve welcomed her since, though.” Setting the standard for unfaltering service has been Peire himself – and his approach when handling the ‘front line’ encapsulates how The Ivy has repeatedly tempted the great and good through its doors. “The truly great maitre d’ knows how to create the atmosphere that ensures a great night. Think of him as a combination of sergeant major, psychiatrist, bon viveur and political strategist,” he details. “Attention must be given when it’s needed; a courteous distance maintained when it’s not. Get all the elements right and negotiate your way through a complicated game of three-dimensional chess with the pieces that come your way during the evening, and you have the beginnings of a great party.” One that could last, say, at least 100 years more.
Clockwise from right: What Peire describes as the “glittering jewellery box”; The centenary special dessert entitled ‘A Window to The Ivy’; The revamped interior; A portrait of Fernando Peire, by Jake Eastham
69
Travel AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
19
journeys by jet
AIR
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, Peru
70
B
eing pampered in luxury at 35,000ft cultivates a taste for the high life among the clouds. In Peru, there’s an exotic highlands hotel where you don’t exactly need to come back down to earth to enjoy the spoils. Sited at 9,800ft in Valle Sagrado, Hacienda Urubamba is one of Inkaterra’s Cusco-based luxury lodge trio, and the main draw of this altitude-heavy Andean enclave is its geography – sitting on the cusp of the historic Machu Picchu reserve. A contemporary hotel with colonial inspiration, the standalone luxury castias are spread across 100 acres of lush countryside, and each affords a breathtaking view of the misty valley. Colonial furniture, authentic Inca masks and handcrafted woodwork add to the charm of each abode. Since 1975 the host company has been committed to scientific research and conservation – for example, the hotel has a 10-acre organic plantation, for an earth to table dining concept. It’s undoubtedly the array of tailored itineraries that are at the heart of any sojourn to this South American gem, and Inkaterra promotes local biodiversity and culture through immersive travel experiences. There’s the opportunity to conquer the summit of Apu Machu Picchu; hike Wanya Picchu, with its bird’s-eye view of the Incan citadel; trek along the Vilcanota River into the Mandor Valley, to spot rare birds and bathe under a secluded waterfall; visit the open-air market at Machu Picchu Pueblo, to obtain Andean curios and clothing. Then, after each adventure, return to the comfort of a premier hotel, to dream of all you’ve just seen. Both the sacred Incan valley and this hotel’s unforgettable excursions crown a region that is off the radar to many. It’s a destination where charter travel removes its cufflinks and tie to don rugged boots, poised to explore one of the wonders of the world. Fly into Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, followed by a hotel-arranged private transfer. inkaterra.com
71
What I Know Now
AIR
AUGUST 2017 : ISSUE 75
Fabian Cancellara cycling legend And TWO-Time Olympic gOld medAllisT
I’m happy that, with my wife Stefanie, I have a strong woman behind me. It’s been necessary too. As a dad, I’ve been away a lot. Often decisions had to be taken while I wasn’t there. As the children got older, I saw that it was harder for my wife to make those decisions alone. I became aware that she was increasingly in need of my support, as a father, as a husband. That certainly had an impact on my decision to quit at the age of 35. And I noticed that I began to race differently. I took fewer risks, avoided falling more than ever, was no longer so keen to win at all costs... I’ve always tried to strike a balance between my family and my bike. Top athletes are often very selfish and don’t take their families into account. I’ve never 72
been like that and I never will be. If I had, Stefanie would have left me a long time ago and my kids wouldn’t be so proud of their dad. Those things mean more to me than my career does. Until a rare defeat in Mendriso in 2009, I’d always won my races by bending and then breaking the opposition. That day I learned that the strongest man in the race doesn’t always win and that sometimes you have to be cunning too. Everyone rode against me. It sounds strange but, thanks to the defeat, I was able to win races like Harelbeke and the Tour of Flanders the following year – something I hadn’t managed before. Mendrisio was by far the most instructive defeat of my career. Although I was massively disappointed at the time, it gave me the key to win in subsequent races.
There’s nothing like an Olympic medal. I’ve achieved a lot of great victories in my career, but Rio 2016 will always be the best; Olympic gold is better than anything else. Cycling history is written in races like the Tour of Flanders and ParisRoubaix, but sporting history is written at the Olympic Games. There wasn’t a single season of my professional career when I didn’t achieve a victory, and I’m proud of that. Over the years, I’ve always offered the fans something to remember, with my time trial victory in Rio being the last – and for me, the absolute – highlight. Quotes from ‘Fabian Cancellara’, by Fabian Cancellara, Marco Pastonesi and Guy van den Langenbergh. By arrangement with © Bloomsbury Publishing
Take a left, follow the trees, and there, through the rocks. Paradise found.
From amazing restaurants to cultural experiences and breathtaking sights, Platinum Concierge can supply a little inspiration wherever you find yourself. Get your Platinum Card with renewed travel and lifestyle privileges. Visit | americanexpress.ae/airmag Call UAE: 800 4482 International: (+973) 1755 7788
Applicable for residents of UAE | Kuwait | Bahrain Oman | Jordan | Lebanon | Egypt This Card is issued by AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C.(c) pursuant to a license from American Express. American Express is a registered trademark of American Express. AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C.(c) – Emirates is regulated and licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE. AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C.(c) is regulated and licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain as a Financing Company.