Issue sIXTY one june 2016
Alicia Vikander Luxury • Culture • People • Style • Heritage
Haute Joaillerie, place Vend么me since 1906
DUBAI: The Dubai Mall - Mall of the Emirates, ABU DHABI: The Galleria, Al Maryah Island 800-VAN-CLEEF (800-826-25333) ABU DHABI: Etihad Towers +971 2 681 1919 www.vancleefarpels.com
Contents JunE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Editorial Editorial director
John Thatcher Editor
Chris Ujma christopher@hotmediapublishing.com Contributing Editor
air
Hayley Skirka
art art director
Andy Knappett designer
Emi Dixon illustrator
Andrew Thorpe
CommErCial managing director
Victoria Thatcher Group Commercial director
David Wade
david@hotmediapublishing.com
Forty Two
Fifty Six
Business development manager
Alicia Vikander is taking the silver screen by storm and while we know her name, how much do we know her?
Inside the world of the master tailoring apprentices being primed as the Savile Row experts of tomorrow
rabih@hotmediapublishing.com
Forty Eight
The Swedish Thing
Commercial director
Rawan Chehab
rawan@hotmediapublishing.com
Rabih El Turk
Glitz of the Ritz As the Ritz Paris re-opens its doors, we open the history books to explore the legends that gave the hotel its aura
ProduCtion Production manager
Muthu Kumar
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Making the Cut
Contents JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Eighteen
Thirty Four
Sixty Six
Seventy Four
A flip through the fascinating book Couture Confessions: Fashion Legends in Their Own Words
Vacheron Constantin travels well: just ask those in possession of a stunning Overseas Collection piece
How the McLaren 570S seizes the road (and how the marque took command of the colour orange)
From the private plane to a private yacht, then it’s onwards to the unrivalled Philippine island of Ariara
From Twenty Four
From Thirty Six
Seventy
Behind the scenes at legendary Art Basel, and the exploits of LA Gun Club are laid bare in London
A 1930s-inspired Van Cleef & Arpels collection, and the tantalising secrets of Harry Winston (man of mystery)
Arresting flavours, 100 per cent organic fare and a Michelin star; Monte Carlo Beach’s bold gourmet icon
Radar
Motoring
Jewellery
Gastronomy
AIR
Art & Design
Timepieces
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.
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Travel
Empire Aviation Group JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Welcome Onboard issue siXTY ONe
Welcome to this issue of AIR – EAG’s aviation lifestyle magazine for our aircraft owners and onboard guests. In this issue, we take a look at the digital transformation of aviation – more specifically, the increasing demand to create a seamless connected flying experience whilst onboard, and also the technology that supports the crew in the cockpit. Today, we all expect to be connected everywhere, all the time; whether it’s at home, , in the office – or when travelling. Technology is everywhere and nowhere more than in the aviation industry as we rely increasingly on hardware, software solutions, services and apps to help ensure that flying continues to be very safe, secure, convenient and pleasurable. When it comes to flying, this means applying technology to the whole passenger journey but the inflight experience in particular must meet the same high standards that business people expect in the office, and that the whole family might expect at home. The technology solutions to create this experience are developing quickly and we are now working with Satcom1, the leader in the field, to introduce their advanced solutions to our entire managed fleet of business jets. The benefits are compelling for aircraft owners, passengers and crew. As EAG continues to grow and we expand our operations across the globe – from the US to Europe, Middle East to Far East, India to Africa – this new relationship with Satcom1 creates access to a new global technology platform, which can enhance the EAG flying experience anywhere in the world. With Satcom1, whether it’s for business or leisure, we will keep you connected for work and play. Aviation technology is also on the move; you may think aircraft wing technology is well established with little opportunity to improve on performance. Our new collaboration with Winglet Technology in the US demonstrates the dramatic impact of innovative technology on aircraft performance. Empire/EAG really does give you wings.
Enjoy the issue.
Steve Hartley
Executive Director
Contact Details: info@empire.aero empireaviation.com 13
Paras Dhamecha
Executive Director
Empire Aviation Group JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Making the right connections Enhancing in-flight services through wi-fi Empire Aviation Group has taken further positive steps to enhance the flying experience with seamless inflight connectivity for aircraft owners and guests across our entire managed fleet, by choosing Satcom1 solutions for the company’s managed business jets. Satcom1 (a Honeywell company) will provide EAG with its full suite of impressive connectivity services and products for the aircraft cabin and cockpit, making the flying experience more seamless than ever for our passengers, as well as crew. By working with Satcom1 and implementing their hardware technologies and airtime services, we can expect to see increased crew productivity, and passenger access to new business and entertainment
options on-board, for the benefit of our business jet owners and charter clients. What’s new? For passengers, Satcom1’s cabin technologies include the AvoiIP cabin router which enables a more reliable in-flight connectivity experience. Meanwhile, pilots will also have access to Honeywell’s Global Data Center in the cockpit where real-time flight support services such as Flight Sentinel and Weather Information Service help increase efficiency, save fuel and reduce delays – all very valuable benefits for our owners, crew and passengers. There is high demand for connectivity solutions that help passengers stay connected in flight and provide pilots with the real-time information they need to enhance the flying experience. Unifying our cabin and cockpit services through one unique provider means we can deliver the highest level of service 14
to our aircraft owners and charter clients, satisfying their appetite for connectivity now and in the future. Empire Aviation Group is now adopting Satcom1’s outstanding technology and services, and the software and hardware capabilities that provide a seamless experience with a “one-stop-shop” connectivity platform spanning routing software, airtime, hardware equipment, avionics and flight support services. This means access to integrated and custom solutions to meet our connectivity needs, with a much greater global reach, as EAG continues to expand operations and support aircraft owners - and charter missions – around the world. As Brian Sill, President, Commercial Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace, says. “Our all-in-one approach to connectivity helps aviation management companies like Empire Aviation Group add value in a market that relies heavily upon the best possible flying experience.”
Empire Aviation is a one-stop shop for integrated executive aviation services, offering aircraft acquisition, aircraft management and private jet charters. Tel: +971 4 299 8444 | Enquiries: info@empire.aero | www.empireaviation.com
Empire Aviation Group JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Empire gives you wings Empire Aviation, our US based aircraft sales operation, is now working with Winglet Technology, LLC under a new agreement which means that we can now offer the Citation Sovereign and Citation X winglet kit and installation options to customers, from more installation locations across the US. Winglet is making a real impact; todate, 30% of Citation X owners have chosen winglets for their aircraft, and the winglets have become standard equipment on the Cessna Citation X+.
According to Gary Wright, Director of Empire Aviation USA, Winglet Technology has developed the most innovative winglet design in the world, and has an outstanding reputation for customer service. Robert Kiser, co-founder and President of Winglet Technology, said: “Our unique elliptical winglet design provides unsurpassed productivity, style, and performance for aircraft. This new agreement with Empire Aviation USA will ensure we are able to reach deeper into the US and world market through a team of highly respected and experienced aviation experts.” 16
Winglet Technology is a Wichita, Kansas, based company founded in 2001. The company has extensive experience in engineering, quality, program management, supplier management, integration, composite technology, airplane and component testing, and certification. Winglet Technology’s unique winglet design ensures that lift distribution closely matches optimum elliptical lift distribution along the span of the wing. The elliptical winglet design offers better aerodynamic performance benefits while minimizing the increase in wing loading.
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Radar
AIR
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Pamela Golbin, acclaimed chief curator of fashion and textile collections at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs, is a woman well versed in high fashion. Having created exhibitions on countless fashion royalty, from Chanel to Dior, McQueen to Balenciaga, her intimate knowledge of the legends responsible for defining haute couture is second to none and that’s precisely what makes her latest hardback an inimitable must-own. Couture Confessions: Fashion Legends in Their Own Words, sees Golbin draw from the rich information left behind by eleven of the world’s most iconic fashion idols to create ingenious posthumous interviews where she crafts insightful questions then answers them using the designers’ own documented words. A ‘real-life’ interview between Golbin and Vogue’s Hamish Bowles discusses the inspirations for this original work, which is remarkably accompanied by striking portraits from renowned illustrator Yann Legendre. rizzoliusa.com
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Critique JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Film The Shallows Dir: Jaume Collet-Serra A great white shark attacks surfer Nancy just 200 yards from shore; her survival is the ultimate contest of wills. AT BEST: “A taut thriller… the concept itself is exciting, and knowing it’s directed by Collet-Serra just adds icing to the cake.” Bloody Disgusting AT WORST: “Maybe describing it as ‘Jaws for a new generation’ is a bit presumptuous…” Screencrush
X-Men: Apocalypse AIR
Dir: Bryan Singer With the emergence of the world’s first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction-level plan. AT BEST: “The lineup isn’t short on talent or charisma, and the addition of series newcomers only bolsters the ensemble’s appeal.” Variety AT WORST: “Messier and heavier… this is not so much the next step in the X-Men’s evolution as a failed callback to past glories.” Empire
Alice Through the Looking Glass Dir: James Bobin Alice returns to her whimsical Wonderland world, travelling back in time to save the Mad Hatter. AT BEST: “The film is a feast to look at, even if it sometimes feels like you’ll get gout in your eyeballs from the overwhelming CGI lushness of it all.” Entertainment Weekly AT WORST: “...The end result is a less-than-mediocre follow up with a small handful of interesting ideas.” Cinemablend
Swiss Army Man Dir: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Trapped on a deserted island, Hank spots a corpse… His saviour? AT BEST: “It’s coarse and stupid, but thanks mostly to the two good performances and some stylish use of music and editing, is a little bit moving.” The Guardian AT WORST: “The result… might be called “indifferent cinema” – wildly iconoclastic personal visions without concern for commercial fate.” Variety 20
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Theatre “T
here are two types of audience members attending Ivo van Hove’s The Crucible: those who wonder when the curtain rises, Why’s it set in a classroom? and the other half… that nods and thinks, Of course it’s in a classroom,” says Time Out New York’s David Cote, on the stage production of Arthur Miller’s partially fictionalised story of the Salem witch trials in 1600’s Massachusetts Bay. “The production avoids overt reference to contemporary headlines, but resonances with today’s religious hypocrisy and xenophobia are hard to ignore… The country beyond the walls of the Walter Kerr may be damned, but inside, Van Hove is wrestling with the angels.” Marilyn Stasio at Variety.com believes the narrative is “too big, too complex, too philosophical to deconstruct and reduce to its ‘essence’… There are so many levels of meaning to the play that the directorial options seem infinite. But whatever van Hove had in mind remains abstruse.” Whichever emotion is evoked in theatregoers, it has certainly roused the critics. Alexis Soloski at The Guardian thunders, “Work like this is mesmerising to watch and the nearly three hours spent at the theatre are rarely dull. Yet much of the play’s tragic intensity has somehow slipped away and the whole lacks any real sense of moral hazard or horror. The devil may be alive on Broadway; The Crucible isn’t quite.” It will continue to divide opinion until July 19, at Walter Kerr Theatre. Staying on Broadway, American Airlines Theatre hosts Long Day’s Journey Into Night – a play that caused Roma Torre of NY1 to write, “The beauty of this production is the perfect balance – both in the writing and performances – that speaks to the emotional interdependence defining so many American families. Like the scarred Tyrones, we fight, we cry, we love and amid all the sadness, we manage to survive.” There is passion in performance,
Above: Show Boat
no doubt, but it is for the better? Ben Brantley at The NY Times observes, “Voices are raised, lapels are grabbed, fate is cursed, backs are turned, shoulders are squared, and bodies are sent tumbling to the floor. Yet you can’t avoid the feeling that this tempestuous climate is artificially controlled. All of the leading performers in this production are proven powerhouses. They all have at least moments of the probing intensity that they’ve shown in their previous work. And Mr. Byrne serves one of the most subtle, fine-grained slices of theatrical ham on record.” Jesse Green at Vulture delightfully surmises that, “imbalances do not at all sink the production. Long Day’s Journey needs every minute, even if its plot can be summarised in just a few words. The relentless repetitiveness of the characters… is part of the point: Liars eventually lie themselves to death.” Ending on a lighter note at New London Theatre, 21
Time Out says of Show Boat, “It’s a cliché to say it, but they really don’t make ’em like this anymore. It’s just so far away from what you expect from a big commercial show… no reheated pop songs, no glib pop culture references, no star names, no bombastic special effects… it meanders as gently as the Mississippi River.” Neil Norman at The Express concurs, writing, “the beautiful set captures the gaudy, otherworldly, ephemeral nature of the theatrical boat and gives the huge cast plenty of space... The ensemble is near perfect and well choreographed… no sequence outstays its welcome.” It shows until August 27, meaning there is plenty of time to experience “the plangent refrains of Ol’ Man River and more upbeat philosophy of Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man [that] thread their silky way through the show. Don’t miss this Boat,” urges The Evening Standard’s Fiona Mountford.
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Art
AIR
M
assimo Vitali’s London exhibition runs until June 18 and showcases work from the latter part of the photography titan’s career in a colourful montage that coincides perfectly with the onset of summer days. The artist is wellregarded by David Paw of Wallpaper, who writes, “As far as the careers of photographers go, Massimo Vitali’s has been quite exceptional by any measure; a fact now being celebrated in the new London exhibition – his first UK solo showing in five years – at the Ronchini Gallery in Mayfair.” And it’s a sentiment that is shared by Jesc Bunyard, art critic and contributor at The Plantation Journal, who describes how the exhibition “Presents him [Vitali] at his best; taking detached leisure scenes, with a refreshingly cool palette. Within his work, Vitali demonstrates the voyeuristic potential of photography. A must see.” Across the pond, New York’s Museum of Modern Art has turned to French Impressionism in Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty. Organised by Jodi Hauptman, the exhibition displays until July 24th and sees MoMA’s first-ever Degas showcase focus on the artist’s innovative monotypes. For Karen Wilkin of The Wall Street Journal, the most unexpected element of the showcase is Degas’ landscapes. “Made in the early 1890s, and sometimes based on shadowy second pullings, they are unusual for using color and astonishing for their economy and directness. Some – even those with “clarifying” pastel additions, such as “Pathway in a Field” (1890, Yale University Art Gallery) – verge on abstraction.” This unheralded element is echoed by Roberta Smith for the New York Times who writes that the work “Brings a new logic and coherence to Degas’s experimentation. It also reveals his monotypes as early signs of the 20th century’s waves of nonacademic figuration – from the Fauves to German Expressionism
Above: Massimo Vitali, Lampedusa, 2012, chromogenic print on Diasec, courtesy the artist and Ronchini Gallery.
to American artists like David Park – and abstraction itself. Most of all, it makes the past feel alive and useful, perhaps the most you can ask of any historical show.” With Degas one of the world’s most highly celebrated impressionists, Wilkin concludes firmly that “This exhibition reveals him afresh as an artist who experimented early and often with materials and mediums.” A year ahead of an impending exhibition at the Tate Modern, Alberto Giacometti’s showcase at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Swiss artist’s death and examines his influence in both Paris and Britain in the Post-War Era. A Line Through Time garners acclaim from critics. “Giacometti, it’s clear, belongs to that exclusive club of alpha modern artists, alongside Picasso and Matisse, whose work endlessly fascinates gallery-goers,” 22
denotes Alastair Sooke, Art Critic for The Telegraph. Replete with several spectacular international loans, A Line Through Time praises the artist’s intent portrayals of the modern condition and sheds new light on the artist by its focus on specific themes. Indeed, adds Sooke, “the best part of the exhibition… is the finale, which focuses upon Giacometti’s influence upon post-war British art. The satisfaction of this final gallery is that it showcases a generation of British artists who were brilliant in their own right.” This sentiment doesn’t appear to be universal with Alex Matchett for Spears stating that the “exhibition seeks to place its subject in a richly detailed setting. This is successful in illustrating the dialogue Giacometti took from artistic sources, and how that in turn spoke to his British contemporaries, but the purely artistic references make the existentialist labels heavy ones.”
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Books “I
t’s summer in North Dakota. Landreaux Iron stalks along the edge of the property bordering his own. He shoots with easy confidence – but when the buck springs away, Landreaux realizes he’s hit something else, a blur he saw as he squeezed the trigger. When he staggers closer, he realizes he has killed his neighbor’s five-year-old son.” Louise Erdrich’s literary masterpiece LaRose hauntingly details the aftermath of this terrible accident, as the shooter turns to Ojibwe tribe traditions to find a way forward in this tale of atonement that Vanity Fair calls “a magnificent, sorrowful tale of justice, retribution, and love.” What are striking are the undercurrents of humour in such a serious tale. When the senior residents in the story’s assistedliving home tamper with a villain’s medicine, giving him undesired symptoms that send him scurrying to the bathroom, it’s hard not to chuckle. And yet, this is a book about the shooting of a 5-year-old boy. It’s why Mary Gordon commented on the importance of “this serious novel’s unexpected comedy.” Meanwhile, Priscilla Gilman for The Boston Globe denotes the story is simply, “Remarkable…As the novel draws to a conclusion, the suspense is ratcheted up, but never at the expense of Erdrich’s reflective power of meditative lyricism.” Such comedy undertones also run unexpectedly through the latest offering by author of Brokeback Mountain and The Shipping News. Annie Proulx’s Barkskins sees her return to the literary scene with a tale that has been ten years in the writing. Set in 1963, in the forests of New France, what unfolds in Barkskins is a tale of a taming of wilderness spanning three centuries. Detailing the lives of two indentured French servants and those of their descendants, the story also poignantly traces the fortunes of the forests and their indigenous inhabitants.
As usual Proulx’s storytelling is masterful, and draws readers into the complications of inimical cultures. While Publishers Weekly initially raised an eyebrow at the books’ daunting 736-page-length, reconciliation came hastily, “Despite the length, nothing seems extraneous, and not once does the reader sense the story slipping from Proulx’s grasp, resulting in the kind of immersive reading experience that only comes along every few years.” Cressida Leyshon for The New Yorker comments on the “dark humour [that] threads through these pages,” adding “the novel as a whole often combines the tragic and the absurd.” Meanwhile, Kirkus Reviews deem the latest offering from the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author “Another tremendous book… sure to find and enthrall many readers.” In the realms of non-fiction, American historian Hugh Howard presents another detailed account of architectural achievement throughout history, this time turning his attention to two of the biggest names of the twentieth century. Tracing the historical threads that connect Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson and their work, Howard offers readers a unique perspective 23
on the era that both architects so enlivened. Featuring many of the structures that defined modern space, from Wright’s Fallingwater in Pennsylvania to New York’s Seagram Building by Johnson, this page-turner also details the intertwined lives and rivalry between two of the most influential architects of all time. Architectural Digest denotes that,“[Howard] paints an expert picture of the relationship, during which the architects challenged each other and ultimately produced some of the nation’s most enduring architectural works.” The book sheds new light on both designers by means of a delightfullytold story. Philip Kennicot of The Washington Post warns, “It isn’t easy to weave together two biographical threads when one figure is so obviously greater than the other.” In keeping with this thought, the final chapter of Howard’s work quite clearly commends Wright’s “genius” over Johnson’s. Yet, Kennicot warms to the book, concluding that it is, “An appealing primer in 20thcentury American architecture, with myriad insights into the vanity and interpersonal politics of the two men who dominated American architecture for a century.”
Art & Design JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
AIR
The Ambition of Art Art Basel is the annual art renaissance beside the Rhine, showcasing the creatives whose name should be on your lips, and whose work should be in your portfolio WORDS : CHRIS UJMA
I
f you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. That’s the title of one of artist Christian Andersson’s past collections, and when it comes to describing this event, he is equally succinct. “It is perfect to have my exhibition opening and to be participating in the fair within the same week. Art Basel is the most respected fair in the world, and being ‘on the ground’ to soak up the atmosphere is a fantastic way to keep an eye on other gallery’s works, spot trends, and map the current tendencies of the art world.”
Stockholm-born Andersson is one of many leading talents exhibiting in Switzerland this June, but his sentiments capture the overall mood toward this event; if you want your finger on the pulse of what is cuttingedge in art, you need to make your way to this annual summit of aesthetics. Art Basel’s reputation as a platform for featuring work of the highest quality has attracted the leading international gallerists and collectors, offering visitors the annual opportunity to see exceptional artworks of every type. The Fair has built a firm reputation over four decades, and 98,000 art24
loving annual attendees can’t be wrong. Exhibits are organised within eight sectors: paintings, sculptures, installations, film and videos, multiples, prints, photography, and live performance. Combined, they encompass a range of artistic mediums. Statements, for example, presents solo projects by artists and puts them in contention for the Baloise Art Prize. Edition enables leading publishers of rare, editioned works, prints, and multiples exhibit the results of their collaborations with renowned artists. Unlimited is Art Basel’s pioneering exhibition platform for projects that
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transcend the classical art-show stand, including massive sculpture and paintings, video projections, large-scale installations, and live performances. There’s also Parcours, Film and Magazine sectors, though it is the Galleries sector that anchors proceedings, and the premier European art event engages dozens from around the globe. Among those appearing is a gallery from right on Basel’s doorstep – von Bartha’s – which is very much woven into the historical fabric of the fair. Shares Director Stefen von Bartha: “Our gallery has participated in Art Basel since the very first fair. In the early years, my parents shared a booth with Carl Laszlo, and since 1976 they have had their own von Bartha booth. Since then, the gallery hasn’t missed a fair.” They’ve two locations in
It has built a firm reputation; 98,000 art-loving annual attendees can’t be wrong Switzerland: S-chanf is located in the barn of an old patrician house in the midst of the Engadine Alps, and the other Basel-based venue is a 850 sq.m. converted-garage that, “has been used to great effect to present large-scale installations by gallery artists.” Stefan provides a tantalising peek into how a gallery prepares for the eyes of the world. “There are many challenges, but the biggest is the amount of tasks that we have to resolve in a short time frame. There are over 30 shipments coming in over the next few weeks, we are in contact with nearly every artist in the programme, we have to uninstall the current – and install the new – shows, organise a full week of events for the fair and more. It’s the best fair in the world though, so our aim is to perform all of these tasks at the absolute highest level.” He highlights a balance that many galleries have had to contend with; how to bring contemporary and modern works together, side-by-side? “We’ve always displayed modern and contemporary artwork. In the past, maybe 10 years ago, there 26
Opener: Stefan von Bartha, gallery director From Left: Installation view, John Wood and Paul Harrisson at von Barth Gallery; Bob and Roberta installation at von Bartha Garage
was a world-trend which separated galleries into hosting only historical or strictly contemporary art. I never did understand this approach, because it limits a gallery’s possibilities. There are a number of contemporary artists who have been strongly influenced by modern artists, for example, in their last show at von Bartha, Superflex referenced work by Brion Gysin from 1964 and once we exhibited a Bicho by Lygia Clark next to Daniel Robert Hunziker, and that really excited him. This connection between works really interests us.” Dedication from curators to give contributing artists the best platform leads to lasting relationships being forged between them. In Andersson’s case, he had his first solo exhibition with von Bartha in 2012, titled The Great and Secret Show, and they have been working together ever since. His latest Art Basel-outing “explores my interest in science, reality and fiction through new and recent works such as a large scale piece made of paper called Column Shred, which hangs in the space from the ceiling, creating an 27
illusion of architectural columns. It is an ambitious collection which really uses the area within the gallery. I’m interested in investigating the space that exists on the periphery of our everyday experiences.” It was back in 1970 when the trio of local gallerists Ernst Beyeler, Trudi Bruckner and Balz Hilt concocted the idea for Art Basel, and there has been constant innovation ever since to allow the best and brightest to flourish. Art Basel’s success, thanks to its collaboration with lead partner UBS, has made its impact felt in the US (in Miami Beach, next there in December 2016) and in Asia (Hong Kong, March 2017). The event is known (among other curiosities) for asking ‘what’s next?’, and, moreover, ‘who’s next?’. Being there, and being ahead of the curve, means savvy collectors can procure works from the periphery, investing in artists who have the potential to become part of our everyday discourse. The Swiss iteration of Art Basel takes place from June 16-19. For further information and the event calendar, visit artbasel.com
Art & Design JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Moving Targets AIR
British photographer Jane Hilton has spent a career documenting American culture; her thought-provoking new exhibition, LA Gun Club, could leave a hole in your soul
WORDS : CHRIS UJMA
G
iven the choice, would you rather a high-powered camera lens or the barrel of a custommade, silver-plated AK47 were aimed in your direction? You’d likely be more shocked were it the latter, and more surprised once discovering which of the two was cheaper to procure… It’s one piece of an information barrage that hit Jane Hilton on her visit to the shooting range of LA Gun Club; so compelling was the encounter, she chose to document the (quite literal) aims of those pulling the trigger. “I was given a ten-minute induction, put the ear cans on, and was absolutely terrified. ‘Are these dead bullets?’ I asked, and they simply laughed and said, ‘no, these are live rounds.’ At the Club you could watch people arriving with their firearms, carefully choosing their target posters… I was blown away
by the whole experience and I couldn’t stop thinking about the targets, the firearms, and the fact that to maim or destroy a life was a reality within reach,” Jane reveals.
This brush with the legal pastime set her creativity in motion, and Hilton returned to document an important piece of cultural fabric. Though, “instead of opting to photograph the people – going to their house, sitting in their kitchen with all the guns they own in front of them – I felt that by peering through the gaping bullet holes in these non-PC paper targets, it had the impact and gravity to stop the viewer dead in their tracks.” It is a logical chapter in Hilton’s successful photography series, 28
which captures the ordinary lives of remarkable individuals she meets in America (her acclaimed collection Dead Eagle Trail depicted cowboys in the homes where they ‘collect accoutrements of their heritage and culture, to preserve their way of life as the ranches struggle to survive’). Her USA love affair began when, “growing up I got used to seeing it on TV, and had the fortune of going there professionally to Tucson, Arizona, as a fashion photographer’s assistant.
I asked ‘Are these dead bullets?’ and they simply laughed and said ‘no, these are live rounds’
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I was enthralled by the vast expanse of space, the amazing sunsets and the people too… Back in the 1980s I got to know the enigmatic Walter Swan – bedecked in cowboy hat, sunglasses, dungarees, and rising to One Book Bookstore fame – and he was quite magical, so I’m sure he might have sold the USA to me. Every time I go back, I notice something different that I haven’t seen before.” Bullet-ridden targets fall into such category, and are the aesthetic focus of her June exhibition at London’s Eleven Gallery. They’re curious works of art: visually-arresting, detailed, and oh-so humanised. “The character and beauty of the target posters took me by surprise, and it is a bizarre paradox that people are shooting live ammunition to destroy them. Once you see the photographs looming in actual size at the gallery, with the bullet holes backlit, you can’t help but discuss the meaning of what you see”.
There is a definite ‘Only in America’ feel to the collection, especially when you learn who made the puncture marks: “A cross-section of shooters from all walks of life. There were a few bodyguards – like an ex-LAPD cop I met – who were used to guns, and they had an understanding of the firearm needed in a given scenario. But there were also kids no more than 18 years old, out on a date and who had never shot a gun before in their life, going out for the night as though it were the bowling alley. Other patrons were avid gun people, and some just wanted to have guns to look at and hold because after all, they’re very tactile objects.” Asked which of the target posters stand out in her mind, Jane replies, “they all certainly make an artistic statement, and each is visually strong. One of my favourites though, because of the back-story, is an orange silhouette (Target K). It is less figurative than the other posters, but it belonged to a biology schoolteacher who frequently visits the gun club with his fellow teachers, in order to destress, after a tough day at work…” It so happens that the personalised Kalashnikov AK47 mentioned in the opening paragraph carries a mere USD1,400 pricetag. For the 30
There were kids no more than 18 years old, who had never shot a gun before in their life USA though, the value of its second amendment constitutional right to bear arms – against the cost of its slain, from gun accidents and incidents – is an incredibly complex and far more emotional calculation. While this exhibition allows you to gape at the precise holes made by aimed ammunition, the cultural context – of the land where the posters were blitzed – is less-clear to look through and comprehend. LA Gun Club shows at Eleven gallery in London until June 18. Jane Hilton’s book of the same name (containing thoughts by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford) is available from the gallery, in a limited edition print run of 100. elevenfineart.com 31
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
OBJECTS OF DESIRE
Master craftsmanship, effortless style and timeless appeal; this month’s must-haves and collectibles
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
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BULGARI
SERPENTI whITE gOlD EaRRINgS
An emerald stare, full pavé-set diamonds and the hypnotic snake-design that is so synonymous with Bulgari: these earrings are a choice piece from the new Serpenti Eyes on Me collection, which focuses on the power of the so-called ‘hearts of the head.’ The snake has long been
Bulgari’s spirit animal, and it’s looking to add another chapter to the legend with a selection of precious rings, bracelets, and necklaces. There’s a nod to the past here too – the designs are inspired by 1960s-70s Bulgari serpents which used the hexagonal scale pattern. 1
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
E RIZZOLI
BEllISSIma!
Fix your gaze on the 1955 Chrysler Streamline X Gilda, which evokes daydreams of a watershed era in motoring when sleek, concept cars captured the imagination of an industry and sparked a design revolution. This vehicle – and other masterpieces from the likes of Ferrari,
Maserati, Lamborghini and Alfa Romeo – are compiled in the book BELLISSIMA! The Italian Automotive Renaissance, 1945 to 1975, published by Rizzoli. The coffeetable tome has 144 pages beautified by 200 colour illustrations of vintage autos. Available now from rizzolibookstore.com 2
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ROL L s ROyce
ThE wR aITh-INSPIRED luggagE COllECTION
A leading marque in bespoke vehicle design, Rolls Royce has turned its hand to crafting a suite of elegant handcarrys that complement its powerful Wraith. The carbon fibre collection – inspired by the car’s silhouette – comprises two Grand
Tourer valises, three Long Weekender bags and one Garment Carrier, and can be commissioned to a customer’s exact specifications. They’ve ideal ergonomics, distinct ‘double R’ visual references, and take luxury luggage to new realms. 4
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BeRLUTI
B O N z I N I Ta B l E F O O T B a l l
The question of which national team will lift the Henri Delaunay Trophy in Paris at Euro 2016 will be answered next month, but this by-order-only table football set is itself a coveted prize. To produce it, Berluti collaborated with Bonzini, a manufacturer
of gaming tables. All the Berluti touches are present here: the football has been stitched entirely by hand from Venezia leather, while the table’s legs were crafted using the same techniques applied when crafting bespoke shoes. 5
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m eRcede s BenZ
a R R O w4 6 0 – g R a N T u R I S m O
Not content with conquering the roads, Mercedes-Benz (the Style divison) has taken to the water to showcase its engineering prowess. The Silver Arrow of the Seas recently made waves on its majestic maiden voyage on the Cote d’Azur. 14-metres long and with 960-
hp, the Granturismo is a crossover yacht that accomodates ten, and combines the advantages of an open boat with those of a hull cabin cruiser, suitable for day trips and overnight stays on board. Loaded with technology and design features, this marine machine is a true object of desire. 7
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O T I s B AT T e R B e e
C O B a lT C R a v aT S l I P P E R S
Celebrating its seventh year in luxury lifestyle, Batterbee returns this season with a premium collection of nightwear that draws inspiration from Savile Row. This particular pair of slippers hails from from the Cobalt Cravat line; across
the men’s collection, in-house prints are inspired by vintage cravats and ties, as geometric prints jostle for space next to classic herringbones and Prince of Wales check upon dressing gowns, pyjamas, and matching eye masks. 8
Timepieces JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Dashing Heroes of the Skies TArIq MALIk
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n my line of work I’m forever looking at watches and discovering their stories. Just recently I was browsing online when I noticed a vintage A. Lange & Söhne pilot’s watch for sale at auction. Then I noticed the headline: “Grandfather’s WWII watch being sold for daughter’s college fund”. I pictured the scene: it is the year 1945, two hours before sunrise, and a Luftwaffe bomber is limping home over the Alps. Greasy smoke billows from the second engine, icy wind rushes through bullet holes in the fuselage, and fuel is running out fast. Any minute now the Weisshorn could appear between the clouds. In the cramped, greenhouselike cockpit of the Heinkel He 111, ‘Grandfather’ is navigating. (Of course he’d be in his mid-twenties, then). Checking over his map and his calculations, he consults the 55mm dial of the Luftwaffe standard issue pilot’s watch on his arm for the tenth time. Will he ever get the chance to give his prized Beobachtungs-uhren (Observation watch) to his family? Well, by the graces of fate and helped along by his very accurate watch, he did get the chance. There’s something nostalgic and intriguing about that era, and about the artefacts like the watch you can still find online from time to time. The big dials and vintage styling of these genuine pilot’s watches experienced a recent renaissance, and watchmakers are responding. A. Lange & Söhne were not the only manufacturers during the war years to produce the B-Uhr’s either. Wempe,
Lacher & Company, Durowe (Laco), and Walter Storz (Stowa) were at the forefront, and of course IWC was there too. IWC is perhaps the most well-known brand where it comes to WWII watches, and the company produced them for both sides during those turbulent years. In 2006, IWC released a special edition watch to commemorate a classic by the French cultural hero Antoine de St. Exupery, who wrote The Little Prince (an inspiring story about a pilot who crashes in the desert, based in part on the author’s adventures on the Toulouse-Casablanca-Dakar mail route. Wearing a trusty aviator watch from the same era). I’ve spoken before about the IWC B-Uhr watches, as well as two other aviator heavyweights – the Longines Linbergh and the rolex GMT. But IWC have upgraded their range – their new line includes the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch offered in both 48 and 55mm and also a Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII. 33
Breguet is a brand that I don’t typically associate with pilot’s watches – more often it’s a dress watch or something highly complicated, but they are in the list too. Type XX and Type XXI watches were produced in the 1950s, according to a military specification from the French war authorities. Breguet stopped production for some time, but re-launched again around 1995, and they are still made today. Finally, any article about pilot’s watches isn’t complete without Zenith. In 1909, Louis Blériot was known as the ‘Crash king.’ He was flying monoplanes when everyone else thought that it was madness, but his daring sense of adventure carried him across the English Channel – and on his wrist was a Zenith. It was a milestone for the brand, and they’ve honoured it ever since. In 2012, Zenith made the Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 as a limited edition of 250 pieces. Sized at 57.5mm this isn’t made for a dainty wrist, and the design stays true to the time when these wristwatches were based on the pocket watches that preceded them. Still, for the true vintage pilot’s watch enthusiast, that means there’s simply more to love. You might opt for a brand new watch that just looks like a vintage, or perhaps prefer the original that was made during the war years. Either way, you’ll be wearing a little piece of the story on your wrist. Tariq is the co-founder of the UAE’s only vintage watch boutique, Momentum. momentum-dubai.com
Timepieces JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Time Traveller AIR
Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters, no matter where in the world we may be, something Vacheron Constantin has captured with its reimagined Overseas Collection
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oasting 250 years of uninterrupted history, Swiss watchmakers Vacheron Constantin recently commissioned photographer Steve McCurry (he of the blue-eyed ‘Afghan Girl’-image fame) to spend a year travelling the world, seeking out extraordinary locations and capturing them with his camera. Intended to coincide with the redesign of the manufacturer’s iconic Overseas collection, the creative feat also serves as a nod to the extensive travels of Francois Constantin. After partnering with the Vacheron family in 1819, Monsieur Constantin made it his aim to spread the company’s name far and wide by travelling comprehensively. A cursory glance at the 19th-century notebooks now held in Vacheron’s comprehensive archives reveal details of many of the exotic destinations he reached. From China to the US, Brazil to Russia, and as far as India and beyond, overseas voyages played a central role in the Vacheron tradition. Fast-forward to the present, and McCurry’s journey retains many of this custom. Ancient buildings and old temples, abundantly lush gardens and abandoned railway stations from the furthest flung corners of the Earth are represented in his work, which perfectly captures the ‘Spirit of Travel’ for Vacheron. The result is a beautiful presentation of twelve unexpected locations, paralleling the 12 hours denoted on a timepiece. Having long been marveled as some of the very first luxury sports watches in the world, appearing just five years after Audemars Piguet introduced the genre to the market, the reimagined Overseas collection also aims to capture the attention of modern-day travellers. Comprising five new models including chronographs and ultra-thin timepieces,
changes are subtle but significant. Gone are the guilloche dials and large-scale date aperture but the intricacy of the details remain constant with Vacheron tradition. The collection embodies the new generation of self-winding timepieces and plays host to three new in-house calibers; the Calibre 5200, Caliber 5100, and the small caliber 5300. Each proudly bestowed with the Hallmark of Geneva, the brand triumphantly celebrates 100 per cent certification of its mechanical products this year: quite an achievement in the world of watchmaking. Perhaps the star of this nomad show is the Overseas Chronograph Calibre 5200. The result of a five-year development process, this 263-component calibre is fitted with a column wheel coordinating the chronograph start, stop and reset functions, as well as a vertical coupling clutch preventing any jerking of the hand when the chronograph starts. The highly distinctive bezel of the original has been matched with a contemporary case with refined bevelled edges and a strong masculine shape. Probably the most noteworthy addition is the innovative strap changing system, which Vacheron has somehow managed to make effortless; a simple twist and turn that’s easy to master and simple to use. A deployment clasp allows wearers to change the length of their timepiece by up to 4mm while still wearing it; clearly with this design, usability is key. Vacheron’s long history serves as a vault from which the manufacturer can draw inspiration to develop existing ideas that remain true to traditions. The Overseas collection works as an unassuming example of this beautiful evolution; simply perfect for those with a real lust for adventure. 34
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Jewellery JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
The d’Or Touch AIR
Rich heritage and intricate motifs grace Van Cleef & Arpels’ timeless Bouton d’Or collection
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hink of the jewellery artisan at the Place Vendôme-based Maison as a skilled conductor, orchestrating a rousing symphony; such is the degree of required precision and technical skill, that every movement must be absolutely perfect to achieve (aesthetic) harmony. And when it comes to the Bouton d’Or collection, Van Cleef & Arpels devotees will be able to pick out familiar notes of a distinctive past masterpiece: the latest composition revisits the fluid lines of the Paillette motif from 1939. Explains Catherine Cariou, Heritage Director at the Maison, “The motif first came to prominence in the 1940s, and visually celebrated the post-war spirit of liberation. It appears in two curved forms, both concave and convex, and was utilised on imposing necklaces, on single or crossed bracelets, and on tutus of the successful Ballerina clip”. With the foundational inspiration chosen from the archives, careful consideration was then paid to the stones that would make up the nonfigurative jewellery designs. Bouton
d’Or appropriates a palette of delicate pink rose and buttery yellow (the gold), crisp whites (mother-of-pearl), apple green hues (chrysoprase), deep black (onyx) and passionate reds (carnelian); all are gathered using Van Cleef & Arpels’ strict stone selection. Lest not forget the glittering round diamonds, which are D, E or F colour,
Successive polishing is a delicate process for the pastilles and Internally Flawless (IF) or VVS in clarity. The Maison reveals, “for the hard stones, the Maison has been particularly attentive to the homogeneity and vivacity of their colour. The mother-of-pearl used offers a regular surface and a luster of the highest quality, while its diamonds are selected according to the Maison’s standards. Thus they enhance the beauty of materials that 36
have themselves been hand-polished to magnify their radiance. To ensure the complete harmony of each piece, the pastilles are carefully matched.” These materials are meticulously assembled into the bold triple row and circle patterns (with their glittering centres). Once the various gold pieces have been shaped by hand, they undergo successive polishing, which is a particularly delicate process for the concave and convex pastilles. The glitter of the precious metal must be revealed, while carefully preserving the form of the motif. Continues the Maison: “To ensure the pieces’ suppleness and flexibility, these motifs are carefully attached together: the process calls for a precise and agile hand, since hundreds of components – up to one thousand in the case of a necklace – must be joined together. The end result is then carefully examined to guarantee that it meets stringent criteria for quality and finish.” What emerges is a blend of modernity, tradition and class; a design that is testament to a truly attentive process. 37
Jewellery JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Keeper Of Secrets From glittering blue diamonds steeped in mystique, to concealed entrances and hidden vaults inside a private office, the House of Harry Winston has many secrets to share
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WORDS : HAYLEY SKIRKA
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elebrated Welsh author Roald Dahl once commented,“The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.” And, should you take a trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., you can rest assured that an entirely unexpected secret awaits you. There, in an entrapment of sparkling blue beauty, The Hope Diamond rests shrouded in countless tales of intrigue, tragedy and secrecy – very much like its final owner, Mr. Harry Winston. The legend goes that this very diamond brings misfortune to whomever owns it and while the museum gratefully states that it “appears to have maintained the Hope curse-free” and scholars have discredited some of the mystery surrounding the stone as mere embellishment, it would be a downright indignity not to tell the tale. The story begins more than 300 years ago when a French diamond trader by the name of Jean Tavernier supposedly stole the original diamond from a Hindu idol, before smuggling it
out of India. Thought to have weighed around 112-carats in its rough form, Tavernier then sold the stone to King Louis XIV in exchange for a title and a fortune – the majority of which was soon squandered by the gemologist’s son. Louis XIV had a 69.03-carat stone cut from The Hope, only to die from smallpox. Louis XV loaned the stone to one of his mistresses, and she was later beheaded in the French Revolution. The diamond passed onto Louis XVI, and was worn by Marie Antoinette who – in keeping with the curse – was also beheaded. After disappearing during the French Revolution, a smaller version of the stone was believed to have surfaced in London in 1830, when Lord Henry Philip Hope purchased it and minted the Hope name. It passed through two generations of the family before ending up in the hands of Francis Hope, the 8th Duke of Newcastle who was later left bankrupt and then abandoned by his wife, American actress May Yohe. In 1908, Sultan Abdul Hamid II of Turkey purchased the stone for over 38
Mr. Winston was forbidden from ever showing his face in public
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$400,000 and, so the story goes, gave it to the favourite of his four wives. However, her husband – who was subsequently dethroned and received not a dirham for the stone he was trying to sell – later, had her executed. American socialite Evelyn Walsh McLean became the last private owner of the Hope Diamond and openly scoffed at the legend surrounding it. Her laughing ceased when her son was killed in a motoring accident, her husband passed away and her daughter overdosed on sleeping pills. Shortly after her death, Harry Winston purchased her entire jewellery collection, presenting the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institute as a gift to the nation. And it certainly seems a fitting donation for a man
In homage to Winston’s clandestine nature, each design also reveals a hidden secret who was renowned for having a true penchant for secrecy and intrigue. Indeed, Mr. Winston was a man of marvellous secrets himself, from the diamonds he carried hidden deep within his pockets, to the private vault concealed within his office walls where he kept his most precious treasure, to the secrecy surrounding his very identity. Thanks to an ironclad clause in his insurance policy, Mr. Winston was forbidden from ever showing his face in public, and often appeared in photographs as a mysterious silhouette. Retaining levels of privacy well above a Banksy-level of secrecy, the first time many people saw what the jeweller looked like was when was when the New York Times ran a portrait picture with his December 1978 obituary. Yet while his face may have been unknown, his jewellery creations were, and remain, legendary. Following the same craftsmanship and design standards that Mr. Winston pioneered, the house of Harry Winston continues to astound, with the introduction of the Secrets collection capturing perfectly the house’s craftsmanship and the founder’s penchant for magical mystique.
Upon first glance, the collection which includes 29 exquisite pieces, is a stunning example of the house’s most celebrated designs. But, dig a little deeper, and in homage to Winston’s clandestine nature, each design also reveals a hidden secret. The Secret Cluster showcase sets the stage for a series of unexpected surprises. From the web of diamonds that conceal a delicate perfume bottle, to the round, pear-shaped marquise diamonds that open to reveal a hidden locket, the collection is crafted beautifully in platinum and adorned with some of the world’s finest diamonds. The locket necklace contains a notable 530 diamonds and is designed to be worn in its entire splendour in various configurations. Drawing inspiration from the House of Winston’s iconic cluster motif, the necklace elegantly transforms into the hidden locket allowing the wearer to keep her most precious treasures close to her heart. For stunning medallions set with a starburst of round and pear-shaped diamonds, look to the Secret Wonder showcase. The reversible cocktail ring is crafted with nine round 40
brilliant sapphires, four pear-shaped aquamarines and 349 marquise diamonds that, of course, has a hidden tale to tell. With a gentle rotation, it is instantly transformed into a symphony of round and pear shaped diamonds, set elegantly in platinum. Meanwhile the Secret Combination series contains stunning bracelets and necklaces that wearers can change to create endless arrangements of styles, through detachable strands of fancycut diamonds that can be artfully assembled to suit any occasion. With each of the pieces handcrafted using only the finest quality diamonds and created using traditions and standards that have kept the House of Harry Winston at the forefront of the jewellery business for hundreds of years, the collection is a stunning example of what are quite possibly the most captivating pieces in existence. In 1954, Winston famously said: “I’m going to keep this quiet. I want to keep it to myself.” And while we understand why Mr. Winston felt this way about many of his captivating gemstones, the Secrets collection by the House of Harry Winston is one secret that is simply too delicious not to be shared.
Opening Page: Mr. Winston in his former office at 7 East 51st Street in New York City. Left: Secret Wonder reversible cocktail ring. This Page: Secret Cluster diamond earrings; Secret Combination diamond necklace. 41
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THE
SWEDISH
THING She’s been an Ex Machina, the woman from U.N.C.L.E, starred opposite The Danish Girl, and is soon to be reBourne. But who’s the real Alicia Vikander? WORDS : SHERYL GARRATT
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t’s 8.15am, and Alicia Vikander – Louis Vuitton’s latest style ambassador, and possibly the hottest young actress in the world right now – walks into a café near her home in north London, and orders a coffee and chia porridge. She’s 15 minutes early for our meeting, clearly planning to have breakfast before I arrive; except I’d had the same idea. She laughs, though, when I suggest we ignore each other for a while, saying we’ll have more time to talk before she has to leave for work. “I’m such a morning person,” she says in a low, slightly husky voice with barely a trace of her native Swedish accent. “Which is helpful, because you normally start at 5am if you’re filming.” Today she’s recording additional dialogue in a sound studio, make-up free and dressed casually in trainers, a short skirt and oversized white V-neck. Even so, she is astonishingly beautiful, and it’s a tribute to her talent that her striking looks are not generally the first thing you notice on screen. Vikander inhabits a role completely, utterly convincing whether she’s playing a middle-class Brit whose life is derailed by the First World War in Testament of Youth, or an intelligent but unmistakably mechanical android in Alex Garland’s thoughtful directorial debut Ex Machina. This summer will see Vikander star in Jason Bourne, where Matt Damon reprises the title role, while last year we witnessed her star in her first blockbuster: Guy Ritchie’s stylish reworking of the 1960s TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. “Seeing one of the big-name franchise movies have such a strong female character is quite rare,” she reflects. The latter film was also the first time she’d been asked to act in a comedy, which she says was scary – although she adds that fear tends to be what drives her. One of the film’s funniest moments involves her character, Ava, doing a drunken dance in a hotel room, and she says that wasn’t in the initial script: it grew out of weeks of rehearsals at Ritchie’s home. “It was a nice, collaborative vibe and [Ritchie] made me improvise – which, when it’s not in my native language, got me even more terrified! But then you start to trust each other and to have fun. It was
a revelation when somebody actually laughed at something I did.” Vikander’s parents separated when she was a baby, so she has no memory of them together. Her childhood was spent mostly in Gothenberg with her mother Maria, a successful theatre actress, but she also regularly visited her psychiatrist father Svante, who went on to have five more children. She’s often asked if it was difficult, shuttling between two very different environments. But much to the contrary, she says, “I got so much love. Children are very adaptable as long as
This year her hard work culminated in Oscar glory they feel safe. With my mum, I lived in a very urban, cultural environment and I got to be the only child, then every second weekend I was part of this huge family in a much smaller town, going to the lake during the summer months.” Despite acting on stage as a child, Vikander’s main focus was always dance, and at the age of 15 she moved to Stockholm to study at the Royal Swedish Ballet School. That taught her self-reliance, but, she admits, was tough at times. “At first you were high on the fact that you lived in your own little flat, and it was fun prepping the dinner or doing the laundry. But once the term started, it got quite lonely: a 44
lot of homework, long hours, six-day weeks. But most of the members of my class were in the same position. Some came from Iceland, Denmark or Finland, so we’d meet up and make dinners together on Sundays.” She says that having the focus you need to be a dancer has served her well ever since, as well as an awareness of movement that she uses to good effect when building her characters. She trained hard, and suffered injuries – “I still have a back injury that’s never going to be fully recovered” – but ultimately came to realise that she didn’t want it as badly as some of the other girls. “I could see that they had some twinkle in their eye that said it was fun being up at 5am with all the injuries. They loved it.” Giving up ballet was one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made, but it led her back to acting. After a couple of TV roles, she applied for drama school – and got rejected, two years running. So she decided to study law instead. She’d already bought her books and was ready to start her course when she was offered the lead in Pure, a low-budget indie film that in 2009 won her a Guldbagge Award – the Swedish equivalent of a best actress Oscar. More Swedish roles followed, and then she was asked to audition for the lead role in the 2012 Danish historical drama A Royal Affair. It was the first time she’d been to Denmark, and she didn’t speak the language at all.
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So when director Nikolaj Arcel spoke to her afterwards, she didn’t understand him: he had to repeat himself in English before she realised he was giving her the part. It says a lot about her determination that when filming began weeks later, her Danish – considered the hardest of the Scandinavian languages to master – was good enough to see her through the project. The film was nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar, and soon after finishing it she came to the UK for her first English-speaking role, playing the naive Kitty in Joe Wright’s imaginative reworking of Anna Karenina. Since then, she’s made films back-toback. She has spoken English with a German accent in the Wikileaks film The Fifth Estate, as well as beautifully enunciated RP English in Testament of Youth, where she gives a moving central performance as Vera Brittain. She prepares intensely with a voice coach for each role, and says that when Guy Ritchie asked her to use her own accent for The Man From U.N.C.L.E., she was lost: “I have no idea what my own sounds like any more!” Earlier this year, Vikander’s hard work culminated in Oscar glory - Best Actress in a Supporting Role – for The Danish Girl. Opposite Eddie Redmayne as the first man to undergo gender reassignment surgery, Vikander played his artist wife and described it as “one of the most sincere and complex love stories I’ve ever read”. Her work schedule has meant that she lived mainly in hotel rooms, but she started to notice that when she did have a few days off, it was London she went back to. “Stockholm is a gorgeous city, but very few of my friends still live there. They’re in LA, New York, London and Paris. Which is great, because I see them a lot – just not back home in Sweden.” While making The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in 2013, she decided to put down roots in north London, buying and refurbishing a place between location shoots in Naples. Although chatty and open with a raucous laugh that at one point brings the whole coffee shop to a halt, Vikander dislikes talking about her private life – especially relationships. She met Michael Fassbender while filming The Light Between Oceans in
Australia and New Zealand, and says there are so many photographs of them out there now that it is pointless to deny they are a couple. It must be hard, particularly in those fragile early weeks and months of a new relationship, to have it dissected so publicly, accompanied by photographs of moments you’d thought were private. She knows it comes with her job and says she thought she was prepared for the attention – but it was still a shock to meet up with friends, then days later see a picture of you all, sitting outside a café, splashed across the media. “You realise that someone was there, watching, while you were having a coffee with your friends. And you just feel violated,” Vikander says. “It’s a strange feeling. But also, I totally know how privileged I am to be doing what I do, and it’s hard to talk about the downside because the upsides are so amazing.” It’s different, she says, when she knows she’s going to be photographed at public events, when she’s prepared. As a teenager, she remembers seeing pictures of the annual Met Ball in New York, where all the top designers arrive with their current muse. So attending it this year with Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière (whilst wearing a headline-grabbing sleeveless dress featuring red leather bustier top, asymmetrical embellished skirt and Louis Vuitton combat boots), was both surreal and enjoyable. “He’s a very visual, artistic person and very inspiring”, she says of Ghesquière. He has introduced me to a fashion world that doesn’t feel that far away from my job,” she says. “His shows are not just about a new collection – they’re an experience. It felt like I was on a film set and I was actually part of a little journey, with the music, the models he’d chosen. And I could see references from old sci-fi and fantasy movies that I love.” She still vividly remembers the first time she wore couture, at the Cannes Film Festival the day after wrapping A Royal Affair. “We had a heck of a party that night and stayed out until 6am, then got a flight to Cannes to do a press conference,” she says. She had packed nothing but, at the last minute, she was invited to a premiere and ended up having to borrow a Valentino gown. 47
Seeing one of the big franchise movies have such a strong female character is quite rare It was made for a tall catwalk model and there was no time to alter it to her more petite 5ft 4in proportions, so she wore it with impossibly high heels, taking them off during the film. Then, as the credits rolled, she realised that her feet had swollen and she couldn’t get the shoes back on. Walking out barefoot with her overlong gown hitched up around her waist wasn’t really the image she was trying to project for her first Cannes red carpet, so she ended up marooned in the cinema while her agent ran to get replacement shoes. She hoots with laughter telling this story. And so to starring in Jason Bourne, of which she can’t hide her excitement. “I’m a big Bourne fan,” she says. “When I first lived in London with my girlfriends, if we didn’t have anything else to do on Sundays, we’d just watch the Bourne films again. So I think I’ve seen them all about 10 times!” The poster-tagline for 2016’s chapter of the lethal CIA-agent saga is ‘You Know His Name.’ With Vikander delivering award-winning acting and making stylish forays into high-fashion, it’s safe to say we know hers, too.
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Ahead of it’s reopening this month, we take a look at one of Paris’ grandest dames, the 118-year-old Ritz Paris and all the pomp, circumstance and scandal from its notoriously glamorous past WORDS : HAYLEY SKIRKA
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PUTTING ON THE
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iguring magnificently in world events, the Ritz Paris is one of the world’s top hotels, brought to enchantment by its namesake hotelier, César Ritz. Having played host to countless stars over the years, from Coco Chanel to Ernest Hemingway, the gossip-filled lobby was the background to a web of high society secrets, scandal and history. Despite this, in 2011 the Ritz was uncouthly excluded from the list of palaces compiled by the French tourism ministry, a feat that compelled Mohamed Al Fayed, the hotel’s current owner, to lock up the gates of this wondrous ode to history, and upgrade. Now, four years and an estimated USD227 million later, the newly swathed Ritz is set to reopen on June 1. Under the watchful eye of Thierry Despont – the same designer responsible for The J. Paul Getty Museum and New York’s The Plaza – the renovation has witnessed one French icon coming face-to-face with another. Fortunately, Despont was wholly aware of what was at stake when designing such a celebrated ode saying, “Everywhere I go, people accost me: What are you going to do there?! If I don’t do a good job on this one, I’ll have to flee to Patagonia!” Having been restored well beyond her original glory with updated infrastructures and loftier luxurious suites, the revival of the Ritz is keenly anticipated. And while the hotel’s additions – including magnificent new gardens and an underground tunnel to deter paparazzi – are noteworthy, according to general manager Christian Boyens, there remains a welcome air of familiarity. “The Ritz will stay the Ritz. We preserved many small historic details; the natural daylight in the bathrooms, the signature golden swan fixtures on the sinks, the cords to call for the valet and maid...All the historic furniture and equipment were stored in some 124 containers.” Thus whether descending the carefully-restored winding staircases, or marvelling at
the refurbished crystal chandeliers, the Ritz-design virtuoso can breathe a heady sigh of relief. When the Ritz opened back in 1898, success was almost instantaneous. Arguably a museum in itself, with all the clandestine history that unfolded behind those grand doors, its biography covers periods of great social change, from the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age, through the Depression and the Post-War Era. Complemented by a visitor book akin to a Who’s Who of the twentieth century, it’s no bombshell that The Spectator columnist, high-life observer and commentator-of-taste Taki Theodoracopulos would claim the Ritz was, “The best hotel in the world. I’ve been to a few good ones in my time, but this one takes the proverbial cake.” And take the cake it certainly did. The Ritz was the place where most people saw their first real bathroom. It was one of the first Parisian sites liberated from Nazi occupation at the end of the war. It was a place where scandal, espionage and stolen artworks were commonplace and where forbidden love bloomed behind closed doors. And it was also the stage for so many of the world’s most prominent characters, not least César Ritz himself who had always spoke of owning “a house that I 50
will be proud to carry my name.” This extraordinary man went from being the youngest son of a Swiss shepherd to a prominent hotelier who spent his days cavorting with royalty and famous beauties from the world over in his namesake palace. Joining the charismatic owner in his Parisian citadel were countless icons, many of who checked in and were reluctant to ever check-out. Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel made the hotel her home for 37 years, residing for the most part in a three-room suite that overlooked the Place Vendôme. When the Germans took Paris in 1940, they ordered the Ritz to remain open and booked several floors, kicking Chanel out of her suite
We preserved many historic details, like cords to call for the valet in the process. Unpredictably – other than commanding the best rooms – the soldiers remained respectful of the hotel: weapons were checked into a kiosk outside, uniforms were disbanded and the dining areas were declared neutral territory. Over white-linen tablecloths and
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Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel made the hotel her home for 37 years
Previous Page: Coco Chanel in her suite at the Ritz. These Pages, clockwise from top left: Signature golden swan fixtures remain; The concierge team at the Ritz, circa 1969; A legend in progress; Applying finishing touches to a Ritz suite. Next Page: A chaueffeur waits outside the Ritz in 1968.
Serendipity cocktails, high-ranking German officers, affluent French civilians and American residents mingled with ease, flouting the war unfolding outside the hotel doors. Chanel chose to remain at the Ritz, relocating to a smaller suite on the other side of the hotel. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with one of the German officials, Hans Günther von Dincklage, a senior officer who was 13 years her junior and reported directly to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s secondin-command. Chanel’s love for von Dincklage lasted ten years, and was survived by her love for The Ritz where she died in her suite at the grand age of 87. Since then renovation works have uncovered more facets of history, with the discovery of a 17th-century painting by artist Charles Le Brun hanging in Chanel’s suite. Since then, the painting has been given a pre-sale estimate of almost USD600,000. Gianni Versace, another face of fashion royalty, notably showcased his collections at the Ritz and these shows were known throughout the industry as the stuff of fashion legend - think supermodels, fountains, sequins and audiences chock-full of Hollywood A-listers. His last Parisian show ran in 1997, just a few days before he was tragically murdered at his home in Miami. Donatella, Gianni’s sister and now Vice President of the Versace empire, has since hosted her own show at the hotel, bringing the latest in flamboyant Italian couture to Paris just a few months before the Ritz closed its doors for renovation. 53
Of all the famous names to have enjoyed life at the Ritz, perhaps the most glamorous is that of Marcel Proust. His epic best-seller, A La rechere du temps perdu [Remembrance of Things Past] had Paris abuzz with its intimate portrayal of the inner workings of privileged society and it’s generally accepted that one of the book’s characters was inspired by Olivier Debescat, maître d’hotel and the essence of a Ritz man. Proust would often eat in a private room at the Ritz, served only by Debescat. The pair would also take long summer walks together and it would be a foolish mind that fails to notice any correlation between Proust’s scandalous stories and Debescat’s connections to the Parisian upper-crust society. On his deathbed, the author’s last request was for a bottle of iced hops from the Ritz. The bottle was sent, but unfortunately arrived too late for the illustrious novelist to drink. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the writer who defined the Jazz Age, spent his most glorious years in Paris where he made the Ritz his literary playhouse, immortalizing it in the pages of Tender is the Night. After penning The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald relished the high life and, with his wife Zelda by his side, thoroughly enjoyed playing the golden couple of the twenties. The pair could often be found having afternoon drinks at the Ritz before spending evenings dancing, drinking and flirting among the cabarets of Montmatre. In fact, the Ritz is of such status that even some of its long-serving staff
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The cocktail bar too became fabled and a firm favourite with Ernest Hemingway
make it into the history books. The hotel restaurant was run by César Ritz’s compatriot, August Escoffier, and very quickly became synonymous with haute cuisine. Today, the namesake cooking school is known across the world. The cocktail bar too became fabled and a firm favourite with Ernest Hemingway. Its legendary barman was Frank Meier, author of cult book The Artistry of Mixing Drinks. Serving drinks to the likes of Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw and a millionand-one aristocrats, Meier was the ultimate host, expert barman and – so he claimed – inventor of the sidecar cocktail. Today, cocktails at the Ritz remain an experience, with offerings such as the $1,500 Sidecar, a refreshing beverage crafted from bottles of fine Champagne and Cognac that were hidden from the Nazi’s throughout the occupation. The antics at the Ritz during World War II were often shocking – Adolf Hitler’s second-in-command, drug addicted, cross-dressing Hermann Göring lived in its grandest suite. When the Americans came to liberate the city at the end of the occupation, the hotel’s corridors portrayed a scene of chaos. Ernest Hemingway claims he personally liberated the hotel’s bar by placing an order of 73 Martinis – the largest order in the bar’s history and possibly necessary for the writer, who
had just been discovered cheating on his wife with another member of the press corps – a woman who was renowned for going braless under tight sweaters. Meanwhile just down the corridor, Hollywood actress Ingrid Bergman was bed-hopping with celebrated war photographer Robert Capa, in an affair that was later immortalised on-screen by master director Alfred Hitchcock. Possibly the most famous guest in the Ritz history books is Diana, Princess of Wales who was dating Dodi Al Fayed, the current owner’s late son. Hotel security footage captures the loved-up couple’s final fateful moments exiting the revolving door at the rear of the hotel just moments before their driver crashed into the side of the Pont De l’Alma attempting to elude paparazzi. Diana may be the most recognised, but she was certainly not the only royal to be charmed by the Ritz. Monarchs have been staying at the property since the days of King Edward VII – who reportedly got stuck in a Ritz bathtub with his lover and had to be prised out of the tub, naked, of course. King Alfonso of Spain was another frequenter and enjoyed a quart of Dom Pérignon and a dozen strawberries whenever he visited the hotel bar. In the same year as the tragedy of Princess Diana, Pamela Harriman, the English-born American socialite, 54
met a watery end while swimming in the Ritz pool. Best known as a woman who snared some of the world’s most eligible men – she was married to William Harriman, Leland Hayward and Randolph Churchill – Harriman was a favourite of Winston Churchill (her first father-in-law) and named her son after the British Prime Minister. She established a glittering place for herself in Parisian high society and became a frequent visitor to the Ritz. It was there that the socialite had a clandestine rendezvous with her second husband, and celebrated the liberation of Paris with her lover at the now-called Hemingway Bar, making the hotel a poignant setting for her last breath. While praise for the Ritz is universally positive, its entitled clientele also posed some challenges. As the first hotelier in the world to introduce en-suite bathrooms, Oscar Wilde reprimanded César Ritz for doing so, declaring, “Who wants an immovable washing basin in one’s room? I do not. Hide the thing. I prefer to ring for water when I need it.” And while Mr. Wilde would probably not be in favour of the renovations which include the instalation of experience showers in every room, the hotel remains a favourite with celebrities – David Beckham, Anna Wintour, Elton John, Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss all having made it on the guest list. According to Boyens, the hotel’s reinvention will “ensure that future guests continue to look to the Ritz Paris as the epitome of French art de vivre.” In the bustling heart of Paris, the Ritz captures the imagination like no other hotel can – evoking images of a glamorous era where women wore satin evening gowns and smoked from long cigarette holders, while men in fedoras exuded valor. It remains to be seen whether the palace can continue to play the same role in this century as it did in the previous, but it goes without saying that the incredible adventures, illicit liaisons and tales of political intrigue that unfolded here are something worth hanging onto. After all, while time marches on, history can never be replicated, and where better to look for the next batch of stories than this tapestry of elegance in the beautiful Place Vendôme.
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MAKING How the next generation of elite tailors are primed to become the best in the bespoke business, and to guard a proud legacy WORDS : Stephen Doig
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Medici considered painters, philosophers, blacksmiths and tailors all artists in their own right, the disciplines sitting alongside each other
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n Monday, as the bells of the local campanile ring in the morning across the mistglazed Abruzzo hills, it’s double maths then buttonholes. After lunch, sleeves are on the timetable, before English. As teenagers bearing the usual adolescent hallmarks – jeans slung low, iPhones in hand – shuffle through the unassuming doors of the Brioni tailoring school in the sedate hilltop town of Penne in southern Italy, it could be the start of any secondary-school regime, except that the fingers tapping screens will soon take up needles and thread. Inside the faded baroque splendour of the Chiesa Sant’ Annunziata, hangs another suggestion as to the curious nature of this educational outfit: a fresco of Saint Homobonus, patron saint of tailors. Fitting then that his stern eye is cast
towards the school opposite, for it’s here that a new generation of tailors is being trained by the Roman house renowned for impeccable men’s suiting. “When Mr Fonticolo [Brioni’s cofounder] decided to move production from Rome to Penne in the 1950s, he looked at the tailors who were working here – all men in their late forties and fifties – and realised they would be retiring soon,” says school coordinator Emidio Fonticoli. “He worried about how their skills and expertise would be passed on, so he set up a school to ensure those techniques didn’t die out.” The particular locale of Penne, a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Rome through mountainous national parks, was well chosen; the region is steeped in needlework tradition, there’s barely a family without an uncle working in 58
a local tailoring factory or a nonna who isn’t a whizz at embroidery. And what began as an informal mentoring and training scheme was given the stamp of officialdom in 1985 when the Scuola Superiore di Sartoria Nazareno was born, a government-recognised initiative that combines a secondary school curriculum with mastery of the skills that go into making one of Brioni’s impeccably tailored jackets. Inside, it’s Hogwarts meets Savile Row; instead of calculators and chalkboards, deconstructed jackets in various stages of production line the walls and sewing machines rattle under windows that offer sweeping views of the spellbinding Abruzzo countryside. “There’s no other place like this, it’s something very different,” says Fonticoli, by way of understatement.
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Every three years, 16 students aged between 14 and 15 are enlisted on the course. Youth is a specific entry requirement, explains Fonticoli. For this is the time of life at which there’s the highest degree of sensitivity in the hands and fingers, a crucial part of developing the tactile sixth sense that, by the end of the three years, can detect the thickness of a thread or the tenacity of a piece of fabric from touch alone. A large part of the working day is focused on practical experience; perfecting the art of a buttonhole (one of the more challenging aspects of tailoring), learning how to sew the arms of a jacket onto a sleeve hole, developing the artisanal excellence that goes into making a Brioni piece. The
simplest jackets require 7,000 hand stitches; the client will see 18 per cent of those. Cutting is a different beast entirely, one they’ll learn only if they’re selected to work in the factory at the end of their studies. When the students graduate, according to their talents, Brioni will endeavour to house them somewhere within its global operation. Most aim to be taken on in the Brioni factory, honing their skills as tailors or cutters, while others may be offered positions in Brioni stores across the world, and some in the Su Misura bespoke arm of the company. “I moved away from my family to study here,’” explains one of the rare pupils who does not hail from Abruzzo. “I feel very loyal to Brioni because they 60
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This is as it was done 100 years ago. Everything is done by hand: the only thing mechanical nowadays is the pressing
have taken time to teach me. They are helping me build my future.” Anyone ready to write off today’s youth as idle would do well to take a tour of the school, where 15-year-olds can stitch a collar or peak lapel with a skill and intensity that puts them on par with the best in Savile Row. “There’s been a renewed interest in learning this trade,” says Fonticoli, “the students are very engaged with their work. Watch them when they speak about it; their eyes shine.” That sense of providing the future generation with a recession-proof skill – one that will stand the test of time against the ebb and flow of technological change – was also a factor in founding the Brunello Cucinelli School of Craft. It is based within the design giant’s fairytale hamlet in the hills of Perugia a few hours north of Abruzzo, a honey-stoned medieval enclave dotted with cypress trees that Cucinelli uses as his HQ, home and the hub of his educational endeavours. It’s an enchanting environment, one that the students at the school – all in their late teens or early twenties and enrolled for two years to learn the precise art of Brunello Cucinelli tailoring – don’t take for granted. “It’s a very beautiful place, very well looked after,” says student Giampaulo Broccatelli, who gave up a career in dance in New York to study here. “It makes you very appreciative, the company really has welcomed us in the best possible way and teaches us from the very basics upwards. The first lessons are in just how to hold the needle correctly.” The students work while reclining in armchairs beside a flagstone fireplace, bales of cloud-soft Mongolian baby-goat cashmere spilling from sacks like sumptuous candyfloss. 63
Run in partnership with the Association of Industry in Umbria, both parties share the cost of paying the six students per year a small wage, and the brand is devoted to instilling the value of heritage and tradition in them. “This is as it was done 100 years ago,” says master tailor Antonio Ciampi. ‘Everything is by hand. The only thing mechanical nowadays is the pressing.” Students work from 8am until 1pm on developing their skills alongside two teachers, focusing – like those at Brioni – on the complexities of creating a blazer. The rising popularity of the school – applications flood in via the Cucinelli website when a “call to tenders” is announced – has come as a surprise to Mr Cucinelli himself, who founded the school in 2013 as a place for students to take a formal qualification in tailoring. “I wasn’t sure if anybody would apply. But in the past decade there’s been a reawakening of the importance of manual work, a tribute to craft.” Cucinelli – whose office is lined with philosophical tomes by Seneca and Socrates and who installed a bust of German philosopher Immanuel Kant at the heart of Solomeo – wanted to evoke the mindset of 15thcentury nobleman Lorenzo de’ Medici in his melding of craftspeople and students in one environment. “Medici considered painters, philosophers, blacksmiths and tailors all artists in their own right, the disciplines sitting alongside each other. In the village we built a theatre with schools for music, drama and dance.” Pupils from the tailoring arm of the business therefore break bread (or share arancini) with MDs and factory workers in the enviable, communal canteen, complete with Cucinelli-
can from them: a pinpoint transfusion of knowledge about the cut of a hemline, the intricacies of lining up a pocket flap with the herringbone or the check on a jacket just so. “We do things differently from other tailors,” says Heywood. “We’ve found the best way for anyone to learn is to do so totally from scratch. School leavers come to us with no experience; look around,
Think 10, 20 years ahead. It takes a long time to perfect these techniques everyone here began as an apprentice.” He cites the soft-spoken master tailor John Malone as an example. Malone came to the company in 1971 and now teaches younger generations. “It’s good to know you are giving them a skill for life,” he says. “It’s given me a charmed life and hopefully it will continue that way.” Anderson & Sheppard currently employs eight apprentices, who account for 18 per cent of the workforce. Student Matthew Borkowski is in agreement. It was watching his father’s tailor nip and tuck the proportions of his suits that prompted him to apply to Anderson & Sheppard. “I was meant to go to university but eventually I deferred the offer because I fell in love with tailoring. But you quickly learn that as much as it is about learning the craft, there’s a whole other side to it that is about people skills. The fitting room is a sanctuary and working with someone’s body is an intimate process.” As dusk descends and the howling of wolves echoes across Abruzzo, Fonticolo is wrapping up the Brioni school day. It’s a two-way dialogue between the luxury house and its students, he explains. “They learn from us, but we also learn from them. They bring new ideas, energy and enthusiasm. It’s exciting and important to have that.” 64
All photography by Christopher Simon Sykes. All images shot on location at Anderson & Sheppard
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branded olive oil. It’s a seductive offering at any age, and understandably most graduates stay within the company. “We’ve hired around 70 people from the school, and we provide a certificate that demonstrates the level they’ve achieved. I wanted them to experience the great life that’s offered here – to be surrounded by beauty, to be able to gaze out over countryside so that if they get bored they can feel inspired again.” Easy as it is to be lulled into Cucinelli’s bucolic, cashmere-cocooned vision of the world, this course is no rose-tinted Italianate dream. “You might not have manual skills but you need a great deal of passion to be selected. We need to make sure this trade doesn’t disappear and you have to think 10, 20 years ahead. It takes a long, long time to perfect these techniques, long after graduation.” It’s a sentiment echoed at Savile Row’s Anderson & Sheppard, which opened in 1906 and has acted as tailor of choice for Prince Charles, Fred Astaire and Marlene Dietrich. Of all the apprenticeship schemes offered in the area, it’s perhaps Anderson & Sheppard’s that’s become the most prized thanks to its famous graduate, Lee “Alexander” McQueen, who started out as a cutter in the workrooms. Its scheme, run as part of the Savile Row Bespoke Association, divides into two categories; those who learn trouser making and those taught to craft coats and blazers. Each apprenticeship lasts at least four years, “although that can easily extend into five; we don’t have a cut-off point,” says MD Colin Heywood. “It really is a case of when we feel the person is ready and capable of handling a client on their own.” Instead of the school-room set up at Brunello Cucinelli and Brioni, there’s something charmingly antiquated about the way Anderson & Sheppard operates, with one student working under one master (who is deferentially referred to as such), learning all they
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Gastronomy Motoring APRIL JUNE 2016 2016 :: ISSUE ISSUE 61 59
Orange Is The New Black Their most attainable car to date is big on usability and even bigger on charisma: we get to grips with the McLaren 570S in the British carmaker’s favourite colour, on the winding roads of Jebel Jais
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WORDS : HAYLEY SKIRKA
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pproaching the Armageddonlike speed bump, I flick the nose-lift lever and wait for the reassuring ‘ping’ telling me that the hump has been rendered innocuous. Edging slowly forward, I breathe a sigh of relief as I cross the bulge; it’s incredible the fear that such innocent objects can instill when you’re sat at the wheel of a beautiful machine. And what a beautiful machine this is. McLaren’s 570S is undoubtedly a sensual car; flowing and organic with a lot of gorgeous curves yet where every detail serves a purpose. Boasting a twin turbo 3.8-litre V8 that makes 562-hp, a dramatic broad nose, sequential sevenspeed gearbox and a top speed of 328 kph, it’s also swathed in a mesmerising orange body. As historic as it is striking, orange has been McLaren’s signature colour since (almost) the very beginning, at the dawn of the 1960s when Bruce McLaren partnered with fellow-Kiwi Denny Hulme to scoop five of the six 1967 CanAm races, taking McLaren’s first title in an orange car. Not only did the colour provide a spectacle for racing fans, it was also visible around the track and looked great on the new coloured TV’s popping up across the States at the time. Unsurprisingly, the colour has become McLaren’s livery. After slipping off the radar for a few decades, orange returned spectacularly in celebration of McLaren’s epic victory at Le Mans in 1995. Since then,
it is indeed the new black, with the succulent shade featuring prominently in everything McLaren does. Ferrari has red and Jaguar has green, but McLaren are the gatekeepers of orange – in papaya, fiery volcano, tarocco or any of the dozen shades in-between. One thing’s for certain, cruising Ras Al Khaimah in a salient orange McLaren 570S does little to deter attention. While impressive cars in the UAE are somewhat mainstream – let’s face it, spotting a Lamborghini, a Bugatti or even the odd McLaren isn’t rare - when a rainbow-hued procession of seven 570S cars are thundering down the E11, it’s something else entirely. Traffic slows, windows are lowered, horns honked and other drivers almost run us off the road in their desperation to secure smartphone footage for their Instagram account. McLaren doesn’t shy away from attention. The 570S is part of the sports series, which sits under McLaren’s Super and Ultimate Series’. Yet with specs like 68
McLaren are the gatekeepers of orange – in papaya, fiery volcano, tarocco or any of the dozen shades in-between
this, when McLaren says sports over super, we’re talking minute details. In fact, I can’t help but think that calling this car the least powerful McLaren is somewhat akin to calling the Brown recluse spider – an arachnid with venom that causes ulcers, scarring and requires surgery to recover from – the least poisonous spider. The seven-speed dual clutch powers the rear wheels with ease and the car seems to intuitively trace my intention, navigating corners effortlessly and offering steering that’s startlingly alert. Whizzing around Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE, it floats over blind summits and speeds around hairpin bends with a sense of calm. It brakes downhill; the tail devotedly following its nose, and tackles the snaking roads at full tilt, without any drama. One of the amazing things about driving on this desert mountain road is the complete lack of interference. Excuse the occasional mountain goat and you’re left with
winding roads, stunning ridges, bright blue skies and a distinct lack of other Homo sapiens – it’s the perfect playground for a convoy of McLarens. Driving the 507S is a total body experience, overwhelming to all the senses and taking you places you’ve never been. That said, this model is pitched as a car that you could essentially commute to work in and, to that end, the ride is mind-bogglingly smooth. Butterfly doors make for easy entry, and the designers have helpfully added some everyday necessities like a glove box and cup holders. But it’s not all sense and sensibility. When the weekend hits, switch the car to Track mode, thumb the stability button and feel the intensity of the engine at your feet. She purrs louder, responds to even the most cotton candy of touches, flaunts non-hesitant paddle shifters and displays an exhilarating dashboard that’s a replica of exactly what Jenson Button ogles when he spins around world-class racing tracks. 69
The technology-obsessed engineers at McLaren have come into their own in creating the sports series. Since the 570S, they’ve unveiled the 570GT, set up for long-distance driving and boasting an incredible amount of storage. Even without their impressive driveability, both models leave lesser sports cars trailing in the dust and are a testament to the company’s aim to be ‘The Iconic Sports Car Company’ – a sentence that surprisingly took McLaren’s zungies in England months to come up with. As the baby of the family, the 570S plays its role perfectly. This is a car that’s beautiful, without being fussy. Effortlessly fast, without being demanding, and the gorgeous colour options are simply the cherry on top. With a starting price of just Dhs740,000, what you get for your money is decades of engineeringknow-how, motoring expertise and handcrafted machinery; essentially an incredible slice of car.
Gastronomy
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JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Cuisine Royale Having achieved global renown and been bestowed with a Michelin-star, The Elsa is proof that a 100% organic restaurant was no gamble at Monte-Carlo Beach
WORDS : CHRIS UJMA 70
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ettle in for pure theatre, of which the Principality’s local opera house Salle Garnier would be proud. The stage is picturesque Monaco, where society’s crème de la crème enjoy the best life has to offer. The resplendent backdrop for this Michelin-star enclave is as perfectly composed as its all-organic fare, protected by a steep rock-face and surrounded by the crashing Ligurian that glitters around the coast. The main performance, directed by Executive Chef Paolo Sari, takes place under umbrella-shade on a sun-soaked terrace at 1930’s-styled Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel. As for Elsa’s protagonists… well, let’s delve into their character. All ingredients are natural, each having been thoughtfully sourced, and the restaurant’s journey to Ecocert ‘Organic’ certification was driven by its creative Venetian chef. His dedication to organic dining is unrivalled; “I wanted to change our approach to purchasing food. I wanted to know where the deliveries came from: the meat from the abattoir, where the squid were caught, the provenance of the sage, grey shallots and green garlic. The truest cuisine is wholeheartedly transparent and constant.” The idea for this niche trendsetter was relatively simple, business-wise. Explains Paolo, “Organic eating is a philosophy of life that I always had, and pre-Elsa I enjoyed organic products for my own personal nutrition. Over time, I began to introduce it professionally in my menu preparations. At MonteCarlo Beach I was able to ‘go beyond’, and develop the cuisine as never before. I arrived in 2012 and when I proposed the idea of a restaurant with a firm organic and health impact to SBM [the hotel owner, the leading employer in Monaco, and a core Group who orchestrate a range of MonteCarlo luxury hospitality and lifestyle endeavours], they provided all the support I required.” It’s a comfortable, contemporary setting on Avenue Princesse Grace, delighting guests with perfectly executed courses and impeccablypaired beverage accompaniments. Diners opt for one of three seasonallyenergised menu compositions: Farmer’s Market, Tasting, and nine Mediterranean-inspired dishes called
Organic produce improves aromas, the taste and, mostcrucially, health
Inspiration.“To uphold health and local well-being, the menus favour vegetables and wild fish. A good ingredient is a good ingredient. If it is organic, then even better. My cuisine is a fascinating kaleidoscope of flavours and colours; I use the beauty of the nature, the hues of the world and the peace of the soul to achieve sensible culinary art. Organic improves aromas, the taste and, mostcrucially, health,” Paolo enthuses. His approach crystallises in the dish ‘Bio Sama’ (an homage to the Japanese expression of respect toward what the Earth has provided). “The combination of vegetables and raw herbs with Camargue salt is an ode to local products and also to the farmers who cultivate them. It’s the pinnacle because this dish is prepared with vegetables taken from the garden early every morning.” Other Sari-Signatures from his kitchen: raw red shrimps from Sanremo, with crunchy baby fennel, scent of citrus, and sturgeon eggs; spaghetti pasta with sea eggs sauce, dried mullet egg paste, sea urchin eggs, and a touch of caviar; gold risotto with saffron pistils, delighting with its smoke, juice, herbs, and grains; green pea cream soup, with smoked ricotta 72
cappelletti; local red mullet, roasted as per the Riviera tradition, with fava bean puree and garden baby vegetables. The dessert, meanwhile, ensures a final course with a flourish: the floatylight and moreish Elsa soufflé, made with Sicilian almonds. “Working with organic ingredients is an enormous pleasure. I seek those that nature and the seasons offer, then create the menu accordingly. Freshness, integrity, simplicity and respect are everything…. I do not need to emphasise the taste, my job is just to reveal it,“ he expresses. Chef Paolo proudly extols the MonteCarlo Beach restaurant portfolio over which he presides. The Deck is “the most colourful and tasteful brasserie in Monaco”, La Pizzeria is “the only organic pizzeria with an olive wood oven and a three-time Pizza World Championship champion”, Monaco Cabanas are “a Napoli twist with inrestaurant haute couture, from the chef to your private dining room”, and La Vigie is “where simplicity is the ocean, the perfume of the pines, dreams of the waves, and tasty food”. Elsa, though, remains the jewel in the hotel’s culinary crown, where excellence is maintained and “regular, 73
loyal customers are surprised week after week, thus becoming ambassadors for the organic concept.” The restaurant is well-placed – both in the upper echelons of fine-dining and geographically. Imparts the passionate kitchen-maestro, “We are in a magnificent destination because this is the intersection of the agriculture and gastronomic art of Italy and France. The region is a natural destination for talented chefs, though it is not they who inspire me. It is Monte Carlo, a beautiful creature, that seduces and inspires me; its breath, its colours, its oceans, and its mountains.” The Elsa urges you to unwind, yet with all the sophistication of exquisite service – waistcoated waiters silently synchronise the lifting of glass-domed plate lids, releasing the aromas of the delicate fare underneath. Then you are left in peace to savour the flavor spectrum, as tastebuds tingle and your mind swims in the surroundings. Falling in love with Elsa is a gentle romance; you’ve blessings from her guardian Mother Nature, and clink glasses in a toast to wealth and goodhealth. With organically prepared dishes like these, the latter is assured.
Travel JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
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Ariara Island Resort, Phillipines AIR
journeys by jet
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“T
here ain’t no rules around here – we’re trying to accomplish something.” Thomas Edison’s words could easily have been written for Ariara, one of the last undiscovered islands in the Calamian Archipelago. At this 125-acre self-indulgent playground, nothing is too much trouble and the only rule is that there are no rules. Filipino architect Jorge Yulo effortlessly captures a sense of contemporary style that is impressively complemented by a strong sustainable focus. Opt to stay in a stilted Jungle Villa, in one of four Beach Cottages, or at the cove-hugging North Beach Villa; either way you’ll enjoy a sense of island elegance with huge free-standing bathtubs and private terraces scattered with hanging chairs and hammocks. When it comes to dining, the isle is abundant with bananas, mangoes, papaya and coconuts and local fishermen arrive daily with catches plucked fresh from the ocean. Allow the resident chef to craft bespoke menus for you and your guests and whether you opt to take breakfast on the beach at noon, or have a moonlight midnight barbecue under the stars, everything is served with a smile. Ariara is about indulgence without limits. Set sail on the fully-crewed yacht, take a spin in a speedboat or spin around on a jet ski. Visit deserted islands, venture into limestone caves or enjoy a diver’s paradise-found with a private reef teeming with marine life and the ghosts of WWII shipwrecks. Get to know the islanders of the Tagbanua Tribe then delve into nature, tracking indigenous lizards across the jungle or trekking to the island’s peak, a penchant for Palawan sea eagles. With an air of intimacy, Ariara gets personal. It’s more authentic, more remote and offers more adventure than you could ever hope to accomplish in one visit. Land your jet at Busuanga Airport, from where you’ll be transferred to Coron port and a private yacht, which will take you to Ariara.
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What I Know Now
AIR
JUNE 2016 : ISSUE 61
Lee Maen
Founding partner oF innovative dining group (idg)
I
had just graduated from college and was working in commercial real estate as a broker. I’m 22-years-old, wearing a cheap suit, walking through Beverly Hills and I run into a friend of the family who was a very wealthy and successful businessman living in Malibu. He walks up to me and he said: ‘Lee, let me give you a piece of advice. One day you’re going to do the biggest business deal you’ve ever done, and you’re going to be wearing a t-shirt.’ He was telling me that I didn’t need to dress a certain way to make a business deal. I just need to be myself.
My father was an entrepreneur and rose from nothing to being pretty successful. He had a saying that when he walked in the room it’s ‘show time’. He wasn’t in the movie business, but that was his attitude.
is tiny. People are very demanding. You have a very short period of time to capture someone. You only really have an hour and a half in Hollywood to capture the right people at just the right time.
When we started our company we adopted this perspective and looked at each opening as if it were a movie opening. We want to show our guests a great time. The music’s always on and the lights are always bright. My business partners and I grew up Los Angeles where people’s attention span
To be successful, you have to be really passionate. At IDG, we put ourselves in the mind of our guests. There’s no room for ego. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Brad Pitt sitting there or a secretary. We treat the rock stars like regular people and the regular people like rock stars. That’s why people come.
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AFRICA
ASIA
EUROPE
L AT I N A M E R I C A
MIDDLE EAST
NORTH AMERICA
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For more information please call +971 4 414 0000 or visit jwmarriottmarquisdubai.com
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