Issue seventy sIx september 2017
The Style Issue Luxury • Culture • People • Style • Heritage
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Contents SEPtEMBEr 2017 : ISSUE 76
Editorial Editorial director
John Thatcher Managing Editor
Faye Bartle Editor
Chris Ujma
air
christopher@hotmediapublishing.com
art art director
Kerri Bennett designer
Jamie Pudsey illustrations
Vanessa Arnaud
CoMMErCial Managing director
Victoria Thatcher Group Commercial director
David Wade
david@hotmediapublishing.com Commercial director
Rawan Chehab
rawan@hotmediapublishing.com
ProduCtion Production Manager
Muthu Kumar Forty Two
Fifty
After Dark
Out of This World
Fifty Six
Sixty Four
Yves Saint Laurent was married to Paris, but he found a love affair with Marrakech equally inspiring
In the late 70s, anyone who was anyone partied at Studio 54. A new book spills the nightclub’s secrets
Since enigmatic Alessandro Michele took creative charge, every Gucci ad campaign has struck visual gold
With creative prowess and social awareness, Zoë Kravitz is the perfect choice to front YSL Beauté
A Tale of Two Cities
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Contents
AIR
SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Eighteen
Seventy
Christie’s allows Hepburners to obtain a precious Audrey curio from the late star’s private collection
Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille combines high society, high fashion and highly-sought automotives
Twenty Eight
Seventy Four
Lorraine Schwartz is the goto for gems, and her list of frosted clients reads like a ‘who’s who’ of celebrity
At our five chosen stars of the culinary world, the décor is a sumptuous component of the dining experience
Thirty Four
Seventy Eight
H. Moser & Cie is a proudly Swiss manufacture – and defends its roots in the most imaginative of ways
Beside the glittering Creek, Palazzo Versace Dubai promises a stylish stay befitting its brand prestige
Radar
Jewellery
Timepieces
Motoring
Gastronomy
Travel
Thirty Eight
Art & Design Allured by both fear and art, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett opens his crypt of horror movie posters
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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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Empire Aviation Group SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Welcome to this issue of AIR, Empire Aviation Group’s aviation lifestyle magazine for aircraft owners and onboard guests. In this issue, we highlight a growing trend from customers for longer-range business jets with spacious cabins and state-of theart onboard connectivity. Our charter fleet covers the super-midsize category which includes the Dassault Falcon 7X, Dassault’s best-selling flagship business jet. We currently manage two Falcon 7X’s, one of which is available for charter – offering a configuration with 14 seats. This aircraft has been very popular especially for charter passengers with longer route requirements.
Welcome Onboard iSSuE SEvEnTy Six
The spaciousness, comfort and onboard facilities are all features that our team recognises as key benefits for travelling passengers. The 7X offers outstanding long-range capabilities, spacious stand-up cabin and is well-equipped for onboard dining requirements, with two or three zones that allow for club seating with work space, dining, and a quiet, private sleeping area. Along with the large cabins come large galley and washrooms. The fully accessible baggage storage area can be a tremendous advantage for passengers. Perfect for those long-haul flights. Our 7X charter passengers enjoy a raft of business and relaxation tools in cabins packed with technology to meet the demand for onboard connectivity and entertainment. The cabin management systems include seamless Wi-Fi and integrated solutions to enhance the onboard experience, whatever the distance and flying time. Today, over 200 Falcon 7X aircraft are in service across 32 countries and the fleet has accumulated more than 250,000 flight hours with excellent dispatch reliability. The 7X provides good range allowing it efficiently to serve destinations as far apart as New York or Tokyo – in fact linking a good selection of the most desired international city pairs. Enjoy the read.
Steve Hartley
COvER: Zoë Kravitz portrait courtesy of YSL Beauté / ©Elodie Daguin
Contact Details: info@empire.aero empireaviation.com 13
Paras Dhamecha
Empire Aviation Group SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
A short history of the Dassault Falcon
Meet the Falcon 7X
T
he Falcon 7X is the flagship model of the Dassault business jet range and is a popular aircraft amongst owners, operators and business travellers in the Middle East. It incorporates a unique bundle of advanced technology, based on Dassault’s aviation heritage. The tri-engined Falcon 7X features long and flexible range, large, quiet and comfortable cabin interiors. With a range of 5,950nm, the aircraft can comfortably connect 95 per cent of commonly used business aviation city pairs worldwide. The 7X really can take you places – connecting New York to
Dubai, Jeddah to Recife, and Riyadh to Perth. Its versatility means it can land on short airfields and access challenging airports such as London City Airport (the only business jet in its category to meet the demanding requirements of the airport, with its steep approach and noise restrictions). The 7X is an outstanding aircraft and offers an attractive package of range, comfort and efficiency for the owner and for the corporate and leisure charter market. It is backed by Dassault Falcon’s local service and support, which is so important and reassuring for owners. 16
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he history of Dassault can be traced back to 1915 when founder Marcel Dassault built the famous Eclair propeller for the Spad fighter in the First World War. His vision and passion for aerospace spawned hundreds of models and over 8,000 airplanes – from fighter jets to Falcons. Marcel introduced the first Falcon in 1963 winning the praise of Charles Lindbergh and launching one of the most successful business jet programs in history. Dassault Falcon is now the global leader in the large-cabin business jet segment having delivered over 2,100 Falcons to more than 70 countries worldwide.
BEST IN CLASS A new paradigm of flight is about to take off. Designed for discerning travelers, the G500â„¢ can fly at more than nine-tenths the speed of sound while surrounding you in a spacious, luxurious cabin. Make the most of your time. Make it a Gulfstream. GULFSTREAMG500.COM
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Radar
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SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
The family of Audrey Hepburn has released a cache of personal delights into the care of Christie’s auctioneers, and this month bidders can procure a memento from one of Hollywood’s most resonant style icons. Wardrobe ensemble pieces, jewellery trinkets, annotated scripts and even private portraits scribed with personal messages – such as this 1956 photograph by Bud Fraker – can all be acquired. The collection will be showcased via an auction at Christie’s King Street headquarters in London on 27 September, while an online sale – open for bidding from 19 September until 3 October – means you can plump for a treasured possession before you’ve even had breakfast. christies.com/audreyhepburn 18
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Critique SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Film American Made Dir: Doug Liman A film based on the real life drama of morally flexible CIA operative (and smuggler) Barry Seal At Best: “Flying high in aviator shades and getting shown plenty of money, Tom Cruise takes on the role of Seal… making ample use of his usual charisma, urgency, grin and gift of the gab.” Screen Daily At WoRst: “A sweatslicked, exhausting but glibly entertaining escapade.” Variety
Goon: Last of the Enforcers AIR
Dir: Jay Baruchel An ice hockey hopeful had surrendered the dream for a desk job – but glory comes calling again in this sequel At Best: “Violent and really funny, [it] works for the same reason the original worked – you will love the characters.” Toronto Sun At WoRst: “The unlikely project doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original, which found surprising pathos in Doug’s tale of sweet good guy to brutal goon.” The Globe and Mail
Trophy Dirs: Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau A documentary that explores the impact of Big Game hunting on African wildlife – for better and for worse At Best: “Unearths layers of an issue much more complex than even the filmmakers initially believed.” indieWire At WoRst: “Footage of majestic animals being captured and killed is shocking [but the directors] take the right approach – they chronicle instead of judge.” RogerEbert.com
Viceroy’s House Dir: Gurinder Chadha Lord Mountbatten and his wife Edwina are dispatched to New Delhi, to oversee India’s transition to independence At Best: “As a memorial, this is compassionate and heartfelt; as drama, it begs a lot of forgiveness.” Time Out At WoRst: “What the film doesn’t misrepresent, it trivialises.” Hindustan Times 20
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Critique SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Theatre
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hespian he is not, but that’s not stopping Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore rousing audiences with his cultural commentary in The Terms of My Surrender, at Belasco Theater. Says Marilyn Stasio in Variety, “Standing alone in his signature sneakers and beat-up baseball cap – and with a giant American flag at his back – he fires up the faithful to revolt against the… indignities of our mad, mad world. But for someone who thrives on righteous political indignation he makes his revolutionary pitch with surprising sweetness.” Steve Suskin mentions in Huffington Post, “In this age of political correctness and political incorrectness, he doesn’t mince words… Moore goes through 15 set-pieces, most drawn from his life adventures. These turn out to be fascinating and engrossing; many of the strongest sections of the evening, which runs an intermissionless two hours or so, are about the author.” The high point of the show,” says Jake Nevins in The Guardian, “is a diatribe about the Flint water crisis, a cause close to Moore’s heart, that offers an allegory for the perils of governance... By and large, [the evening] is more about a) Moore and b) Us than it is about the president. Yes, Trump looms large over the whole production… but it’s neither a polemic against him nor a blueprint for the resistance.” Off Broadway, Curvy Widow “looks for love among the older set,” says Anita Gates for The New York Times. “I wish I had Bobby Goldman’s faith that New York is filled with attractive, charming, emotionally stable older men looking for relationships. In Ms Goldman and Drew Brody’s energetic one-act musical at the Westside Theater, there’s a guy like that around every corner.” Raven Snook at Time Out New York was unseduced: “Nancy Opel is so appealing and funny as the musical’s fiftysomething title character, who learns to let go 22
Nancy Opel and the cast of Curvy Widow. Photography: Matthew Murphy
and lust again [after the untimely passing of her husband] thanks to online dating, that you can almost forgive the linen-thin narrative and cavalcade of hoary humour, caricatures and mis-rhymed lyrics.” Praised Xaque Gruber for Huffington Post, “Yes, this [has] grief at its core, but there’s nothing maudlin about it… One of its triumphs is the refreshing fact that we now have an original and smart musical featuring a cast where everybody is over 50… This is a survival story delivered in a ‘Wham Bam thank you Ma’am’ 85-minute package, relatable for any adult no matter how far away middle age may be. It reminds us that life is never black and white. but an everchanging mosaic of emotion.” “Although Ian Rickson’s production is well-acted, it’s tonally uncertain, and (writer) Christopher Shinn’s intentions aren’t easy to decipher,” writes Henry Hitchings in Evening Standard of Against – at London’s Almeida Theatre until 30 September.
“Satirical scenes at the expense of campus politics and creative writing courses feel as if they’ve been squeezed into the play, and more nuanced ideas about… the way corporate cynicism can masquerade as wisdom are underdeveloped.” Says Michael Billington in The Guardian.“Ben Whishaw is a highly sympathetic actor. That is just as well, since in Shinn’s ambitious new play he embodies a messianic character – a mix of Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Jesus Christ: in short, a Silicon Valley billionaire with a mission to save the world. But while the play raises big, urgent questions, it comes up with cryptically simplistic answers.” The Independent’s Paul Taylor believes, “Rickson directs a lucid, strippedback production that keeps you intrigued... But the play still comes across as bitty and insufficiently focussed. [In all] from such an accomplished, on-the-ball writer as Shinn, this is a disappointment.”
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Critique SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Art
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ffortless glamour for the ages is showcased in sepia tones – captured by The late Duchess of Carnegie Hall in Photographs by Editta Sherman (at New-York Historical Society Museum until 15 October). “Royalty photographs royalty, and everyone looks grand,” pens Holland Cotter in The New York Times. “The subjects facing the camera included some of the pop culture sovereigns of the 1940s and 50s: Carl Sandburg, Tyrone Power, Leopold Stokowski. The person behind the lens was, though more discreetly crowned, no less lofty a luminary, as she probably would have been the first to say.” Adding context, Raquel Laneri says in the New York Post, “When Sherman first moved with her family to studio No. 1208 above Carnegie Hall, she was a 37-year-old struggling photographer, a scrappy naif compared with the building’s more-glamorous tenants, such as Leonard Bernstein and a young Marlon Brando. That was in 1949. By the time she left in 2010 – kicking and screaming, to make way for commercial and educational space – she was the building’s grand dame, its foremost chronicler and most eccentric resident. When she died in 2013, at the age of 101, the city mourned the passing of one of its last great bohemians.” Untapped Cities explains her technique of, “dodging and burning, or manipulating the exposure time of portions of the image to produce lighter or darker passages in the photograph,” which playwright W Somerset Maugham affirmed, “We see that Editta has caught a few hard grains of time itself. Life is something pinned down by light and time. Her portraits are forever.” “One day in 1942… Henri Matisse fell in love,” writes Alistair Sooke, in The Telegraph. “He was passing an antique shop in Nice, when he experienced what his countrymen call a ‘coup de foudre’ – love at first sight. The object of his affections, though, wasn’t a woman. It was a chair.” Visitors can find it in the first section of Matisse in the Studio, a new exhibition at the
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Safrano Roses at the Window, 1925. Photo © Private collection, © Succession H. Matisse/DACS 2017; Painting inspired by Vase, Andalusia, Spain, early 20 th century. Former collection of Henri Matisse. Musée Matisse, Nice. Bequest of Madame Henri Matisse, 1960 . Photo © François Fernandez
Royal Academy of Arts. “If ever we required confirmation that love moves in mysterious ways, this is proof,” Sooke continues. “There are many spellbinding moments like this [in the exhibit] which displays around 35 objects once owned by the artist, alongside 65 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, and cut-outs.” Says The Guardian’s Jonathan Jones, “When we think of the artist in the studio… We picture human drama, creative turbulence, the agony and the ecstasy. [This] exhibit pictures the artist’s studio as a place where inanimate objects are gracefully arranged by an artist more interested in interior decor than existential anguish.” His cherished items can be explored until 12 November, where, “You are forced to see what extreme departures he makes from simple copying. The tie-ups are not all straightforward,” claims Matthew Collings in Evening Standard. “It encourages you to use your imagination in something like the way Matisse used his.” “First of all, thanks are due to any artist canny enough to situate an orange juice machine in the middle
of an installation,” zips a zesty Lori Waxman in Chicago Tribune of Helio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium, at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Second of all, kudos to the institution brave enough to accede to that artist’s wishes… Tangy fruit juice is not all that’s available to revive tired senses in boisterous survey of the late Brazilian artist… Have I mentioned the pair of parrots and the billiards table?” Howard Halle observes in Time Out New York, “In the late 1960s, Oiticica began creating expansive environmental installations… a number of cabana-like enclosures containing various things to be experienced by exploring viewers… Implicitly political in their breakdown of both aesthetic and social hierarchies, these constructions radically reimagined the possibilities of art.” Explains Kerry Cardoza of Oiticica, in the Chicago Reader, “He didn’t consider a work finished until someone was interacting with it [and] though [this] exhibit may not give you a ‘suprasensorial’ experience, it will expose you to one of the 20 th century’s most brilliant innovators.”
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Critique SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
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Books
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f Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style, Errin Haines Whack penned for Seattle Times, “Seven years ago, Shantrelle P. Lewis was consumed by the negative images of young, black men being depicted in media... Most looked nothing like the black men she knew: in her family, her social circle, from her college days at Howard University, or from living in New Orleans, New York or Philadelphia. In response, the curator, filmmaker and historian launched The Dandy Lion Project: a touring photography exhibit focused on black men in cities around the world with an aesthetic that incorporates European and African influences.” Columnist Elizabeth Welling wrote for Philly.com, “Gorgeous black men styled to the max in vivacious suits, matching vests, contrasting pocket squares, and spit-shined shoes generate crazy amounts of clicks on street-style blogs and websites… So it makes sense that New York publishing house Aperture is releasing a coffee-table book overflowing with glossy photos of bloggers and celebrities clad in all manner of
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delightfully vivid pinstripes, florals, and African prints.” The Cut explains how Lewis has, “collected images from around the world celebrating the ‘well-dressed trickster-rebels’ of what she calls a global street-style movement. Dandyism, [she writes], is more than dressing up: ‘A Black dandy is deliberate about letting you know exactly who he is, rather than who you want him to be.’” Beyoncé is allowing fans to peek behind the sacred curtain of successful album-making, with How to Make Lemonade. The momentous 600-page, limited edition coffee table tome is part of a Lemonade vinyl box set. Explains Vogue, “It offers an in-depth look at each element of the album’s visual presentation, putting the project’s many influences, collaborators, and cameos on display. Through collages and photographic juxtapositions, Beyoncé’s it-takesa-village method of creativity comes into full view… each aesthetic detail is now featured and given greater context. Many of these fashionforward touches register as merely stylish in music video format, but
are in fact imbued with deeper meaning.” Says Billboard, “It makes Lemonade come even more alive: the photo book includes lyrics from the record and personal essays in Beyoncé’s handwriting penned across the pages, a forward written by Dr Michael Eric Dyson and poetry from Warsaw Shire. [It’s] a comprehensive look at the themes of the album.” “If you love 1960s fashion, you’ve probably seen James Moore’s iconic photography for Harper’s BAZAAR during the boundary-breaking era of style,” posits Jennifer Algoo of James Moore: Retrospective 1962-2006. “Moore had a significant influence on modern-day fashion photography, shaping many of trends during the 60s and beyond. With art director, Alexey Brodovitch as his mentor, he shot impeccable images showcasing the most beautiful fashion of the era in a new, avant-garde way.” Lena Rawley summarised in The Cut that, “Marvin Israel took a chance on the young fashion photographer James Moore and hired him to shoot photos for the magazine. At the time, Moore had little published work, but he had studied under Bazaar’s former art director Alexey Brodovitch. His intuition about Moore’s talent proved correct, launching the photographer’s decadeslong relationship with the magazine.” For Art Book, Anna Skrabacz ponders, “Looking at the breadth of fashion photographer Moore’s work you might wonder why his name doesn’t sound more familiar, given its signature poise and 60s glamour... During his lifetime he worked under the famed Richard Avedon – Diane von Furstenberg herself sorted his photographs with white gloves – and yet somehow James Moore does not even boast his own Wikipedia page. Damiani’s beautifully printed monograph introduces Moore to the digital generation.”
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Jewellery SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
The Queen of Bling From the USD7.7m gems Miranda Kerr handed over to the US government to Kim’s stolen ring, Lorraine Schwartz is the world’s most talked-about jeweller
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WoRdS: GILES HATTERSLEY
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ho would guess that Lorraine Schwartz, a charming, mumsy delight of a woman, would be the queen of huge jewels that get you into big trouble? It was Schwartz who made the original USD1.55m anvil-sized Kardashian/ West diamond engagement ring and its even crazier USD4.5m upgrade that was stolen at gunpoint from Kim’s hotel room in Paris last October. And in June, poor Miranda Kerr had to hand over to the US government USD8.1m in gems that she had been given by a former squeeze called Jho Low. Alas, this wasn’t a fabulous hybrid of J.Lo and Jude Law, but a Malaysian financier who bought Kerr gorgeous trinkets such as a USD3.85m Lorraine Schwartz diamond pendant with money allegedly stolen from the Malaysian government. So it’s off to Harrods to meet the world’s most intriguing jeweller. Last year, Schwartz opened her first concession outside America in the fine-jewellery hall of the Knightsbridge department store, her hot-pink display cases sitting opposite Harry Winston and Graff (which gives you an idea of how big she is). She doesn’t do many interviews, as so much of her business is client-based – and boy, what a client list. Aside from all the billionaires, her “true friends” include Barbra Streisand, Angelina Jolie, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, P.Diddy, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively and, of course, the late Elizabeth Taylor. Perhaps her most enduring friend/ client is Beyoncé, who has worn fistfuls of Schwartz gems over the years, including the Single Ladies glove and USD12.9m worth of diamonds and emeralds in one night at the MTV Video Music Awards last year. (One imagines if a “push present” from Jay-Z was required when Queen Bey gave birth to twins in June, it would have been a Schwartz piece). Of course, my diva radar is set to ‘nightmare’, but Schwartz is terrific. Wrapped in caramel cashmere and wearing a almost a million dollars’ worth of daytime jewellery, she finds me standing slack-jawed in front of a display cabinet of her candycoloured baubles and whisks me off to the restaurant upstairs for lunch. ‘Now, Lorraine,’ I say gravely, ‘surely Kim K’s 20ct upgrade is the
She doesn’t do many interviews, as so much of her business is clientbased – and boy, what a client list most famous piece of jewellery in the world – if someone wanted to fence it, wouldn’t you have heard whispers in the diamond world?’ But apparently the only rumour is that it has been sold on as a complete piece. “The thing about that ring is it was perfect,” she says. “It’s not like they can take a stone like that and get a better grade. It was perfect. Perfect! D flawless, type 2A, the best. Kanye was so excited. There was so much love to that ring.”
The robbery was devastating for Kim, of course. Where was Schwartz when she found out about it? “I was at home, and my sister got a call from Kanye.” She says the press then “went crazy” and she was besieged by “a thousand calls”. But of that, much like the recent shenanigans with Kerr’s jewellery, Schwartz says: “It’s none of my business.” In fact, there is no one better connected in the world of ‘major stones’ than Lorraine Schwartz. “The biggest brands in the world are paying hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars for a celebrity to wear their jewellery,” she scoffs. “Most of my celebrity clients buy from me.” But they get a good price, surely. “Am I selling it to them at retail? No. They could get it for free somewhere else, but they want the best of the best.” To be fair, if it’s modern-looking megabling 29
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you want, Schwartz and her small team are “it” right now. The majority of her business is built on bespoke design and personal relationships. “I don’t even have a PR.” Kim and Kanye are your PR, I say. “They can have anything — and they choose you!” she cries merrily. Born and raised in New York City, Schwartz is a third-generation diamond dealer. At college, she displayed a flair for marketing and used to run fashion shows at Studio 54, but was pulled into the family business where it was assumed she would do the admin. “But I sold a 10ct diamond on the first day.” She got her break in celeb-ville selling a ring to Iman’s best friend. “So when David [Bowie] and Iman got engaged, they came to me. I’ll never forget the first time I met David. He was recording in the studio, and I was so excited, I missed a step and fell right on top of him. He was so nice. They invited me to the wedding, but I didn’t go,” she says, aghast at this youthful misstep. Success wasn’t overnight, but things really kicked off when she met Pharrell Williams in 2001. She was all over the cresting hip-hop scene, and was in LA visiting Hype Williams, king of music-video directors. “It was the era of bling-bling, and I was trying to teach them that if they had a bit of money 30
to put it into stones,” she says, full of common sense. “Pharrell is one of my best friends in the world today. He is like a brother. True family.” He then introduced her to Justin Timberlake “who was madly in love with Britney, so he bought her some pink diamonds, and she loved them so much that she called me. Then it just exploded. Halle Berry wore a necklace I had made to the Screen Actors Guild awards in 2002. I did the wedding episode of Monica and Chandler [on Friends].” During this period she was introduced to Elizabeth Taylor in LA. “Did you know Elizabeth?” she asks me. Um, no, Lorraine, not so much. She sighs. “It wasn’t even about selling her jewellery, because she had so much. I could have sold her a lot more. It was the friendship. I loved her. She was one of the most generous people I’ve ever met.” At the huge jewellery auction after Taylor died, Schwartz bought back several of her own pieces “for my provenance”, but also a pair of famous earrings Michael Todd had given the actress. “I felt her kicking me, saying, ‘Oh, just buy them.’” Then there’s Beyoncé. “She has been my muse since I met her in Vegas in 2002. She was still in Destiny’s Child. I had these bangles with diamonds, and she bought those and some rings. But we weren’t really ‘close’ close. Then she went solo and started to wear the jewellery in the videos. Now she’s my number one!” I nod along happily, then catch myself. It’s really another world. For lunch today, Schwartz is wearing a 15ct stud on each ear and a selection of chunky daytime diamonds on her fingers, including two 10ct whoppers. Somehow they look weirdly nongaudy on her. Her trick, she explains, is colour. Schwartz is the undisputed master of “nude” diamonds, a light pink champagne colour, in modern settings. This has allowed her to wear serious stones on a weekday afternoon without even a hint of Ivana Trump. “Those who know, know. But it’s understated.” Hmm. She looks wildly expensive, but also gorgeous and tasteful. Mission accomplished, I suppose. No wonder her jewel-crazed addicts run the gamut from Taylor to Kardashian. “London, Paris, Asia,” she smiles. “They’re spending like crazy today.”
It was perfect – D flawless, type 2A, the best. Kanye was so excited. There was so much love to that ring
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OBJECTS OF DESIRE
Master craftsmanship, effortless style and timeless appeal; this month’s must-haves and collectibles
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
a. lange & sĂśhne
1 8 1 5 C h R O n O g R a p h W aT C h W I T h B l a C k D I a l
The Saxony-based high end watchmakers have reinvented a classic that, previously, was only available in silver with a white dial. Within the 39.5mm casing of this tasteful timepiece sits all of the technical expertise one would expect from the German masters; it’s powered
by the manually wound Caliber 1951.5 movement, has a 60-hour power reserve, and the finishing is nothing less than perfect. Collectors will relish the arrival of this jet black-dialled dark knight; a watch that was born to peek out from beneath a tuxedo cuff, inviting inquisition. 1
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
b u c c e l l at i
MaCRI gIglIO BIg CuFF BR aCElE T This handmade piece from the Icona Collection is crafted from 18k yellow and white gold, and constrasted by Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds laid into openwork. Its relative in the Macri Giglio set – which takes design cues from a stylised lily – is a slimmer, 1.5cm band width bracelet, but
for the ultimate statement go ‘Big’ and opt for this 3cm cuff. The lily has resonant symbolism for Buccellati, with the flower upon the crest of Florence – the birthplace of the Renaissance, a historical period that is a main source of inspiration for the atelier’s designers. 2
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
lubiam
lu IgI B Ia nChI M a nTOva C OllEC TIOn Behold a sartorially sublime composition from the latest Lubiam lookbook; a Milanese tailor dedicated to men’s elegance since 1911. It’s known for producing some of the most sought-after soft coats in the genre, yet away from made-tomeasure magnificence the Luigi Bianchi
Mantova line (named after the founder) is a dedicated lifestyle offshoot. These smart-casual suits are exquisitely crafted in Viale Fiume HQ, and it’s a range that ensures you’ll comfortably touchdown into each new city, while upholding a curated reputation of class. 3
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
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bentley / mulliner
g a l E n E E D I T I O n – I n S p I R E D B y ya C h T I n g
When it comes to style, Bentley is never one to follow the latest trend – it’s too busy setting the curve for others to follow. The design of this limited number Continental GT Convertible is influenced by noble maritime pastimes, named in honour of the Greek goddess of calm seas, and features a
Glacier White exterior that ‘captures the iridescent sparkle of crystal clear waters.’ It was created in collaboration with luxury British manufacturer Princess Yachts; Mulliner, of course, is Bentley’s bespoke division, who will customise a car with any detail that, well... floats your boat. 5
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giorgio a r m a n i
a R 6 0 61 a R M a n I E y E W E a R Two strong features set these SS17 women’s eyeshades apart: the sophisticated leafshaped motif on the temple, and the acetate top that surmounts the front – running like a wave across the top of the the sharp-cut lenses. There are three enviable colourways: streaked grey with
pale gold frame and grey gradient lenses, black and yellow Havana with a gold frame and dark grey lenses, or this eyecatching version in streaked purple with a pale gold frame and pink gradient lenses. Custom fit and made in Italy, they’re delivered in a dedicated presentation pack. 6
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
m o u awa d
R aRE JEWElS / lE SOlEIl SuITE The Swiss-Emirati high jewellery house has channelled the power and might of the sun in its latest Rare Jewels offering – one that radiates with sophistication. Le Soleil is ‘reminiscent of a sunrise’, the company says, ‘as each of its pieces foregrounds a rare fancy intense diamond in yellow,
surrounded by icy white diamonds.’ The necklace’s emerald-cut golden stone weighs 62.34cts, and once the piece is combined with the accompanying ring, collar and earrings from the suite, the wearer will bask in the glow of an unrivalled 429.82cts of finely-cut majesty. 7
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
c h o pa r d
happy OCEan
Chopard is known for on-land elegance, yet it has happily laced beauty into a timepiece built for the water. The NATO strap is the first sign of its submersible intent, and a 40mm steel case is replete with a unidirectional rotating bezel (in either two-tone blue-turquoise or
blue-raspberry). Five floating diamonds within the sapphire crystal mimic oxygen bubbles, while lume on the markers glows blue in the depths and the dark, in unison with the colour scheme. Combined, they promise the avid diver both legibility and luxury, 300m below the surface. 8
Timepieces SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
A Pocketful of Style TArIq MAlIk
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ave you the suave magnetism necessary to carry off the pocket watch look? If so, you’re in good company. James Dean had a particular penchant for a gold-plated Elgin pocket watch from 1889. He can be seen with his typical smouldering persona and his “lucky” pocketwatch in the Hollywood classic, East of Eden. But Dean isn’t the only fan. Johnny Depp is regularly seen wearing pocket watches, both on and off screen. Some might view it as oldfashioned, but it’s a timeless look. Those looking to pull off the pocket watch look need to know one or two things. For starters, they need to know the right way to wear one. A pocket watch can be attached to a belt loop on jeans, for the casual look, or from a lapel buttonhole with the watch sitting in your breast pocket for more formality. The classic look is achieved when the chain (called an Albert chain) is slung across a waistcoat. The T-bar is inserted into the vest button hole, allowing the chain attached to the pocket watch to drape softly into the vest pocket. Either pocket will do. There is also a version of chain called “The double Albert” where the second chain is made to hold your keys. In this case, both pockets are used. More importantly, though, is choosing the right pocket watch. There are two varieties – the ‘Open Face’ watch, and the ‘Hunter’s Case’ – which has a lid.
Many elegant specimens can be found at antique dealers, or online (for a remarkably good price), but this approach has its risks. You’re better off visiting a specialist watch boutique, to acquire something truly worthwhile. Surprisingly, some of the finest models to be had are not Swiss, but American. Waltham, Hamilton and Elgin all made some remarkable pocket watches during the years of
the steam power revolution, between 1850 and the Second World War. They were designed to be very accurate, and to withstand the rigors of the railroad; work watches. Many are inscribed with the word ‘adjusted’ which means that it has been tested under stringent conditions, fit for use by railroad officials. Unlike their Swiss counterparts, American pocket watches were massproduced, affordable, and many of the models had interchangeable parts. The American watches are also known for their intricate plate decoration, and luxuriant damascening technique on the cases and lids. While most of them have a fairly ‘standard’ railroad watch look, some are quite magnificent, like the oneof-a-kind Hamilton 992, which was made some time around 1930. It’s transparent, skeletonised and has plates and bridges made of lucite. For something a little more up-todate, you can’t go wrong with the new roger Dubuis Hommage Millésime (representing ‘vintage’) – the first in a unique series of twenty, made to commemorate the watchmaker’s 20 th anniversary. Of course, in whichever way you choose to wear it, and whichever pocket watch you choose, always make sure you have the gentleman’s grace that will allow you to pull off the look with aplomb. Momentum – Tariq’s co-founded vintage watch boutique – can be found in Dubai’s DIFC. momentum-dubai.com 33
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Timepieces SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Switzerl&
Each H. Moser & Cie watch is a piece of handsome horology with a narrative. When it comes to matters of taste at this proudly Swiss manufacture, classic sophistication meets symbolism WORDS : CHRIS UJMA
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he ‘Very Rare’ tagline adopted by H. Moser & Cie does not only apply to its timepieces. In a time of buttoned-up press statements and tempestuous Twitter backlashes, this independent manufacture has a refreshingly bold opinion, and is not afraid to voice it. Take its recent seismic conversation delicacy – the Swiss Mad Watch, created to defend the values of watchmaking. In short, the watch casing is made of Swiss cheese. Yes, cheese. But there’s a profound maturity to its release. The reclassification of the term ‘Swiss Made’ compelled H. Moser to make this protest piece. (Of a watch’s value, 60 per cent – including research and development costs –must come from Switzerland, up from the previous 50 per cent, following complaints). There is still, believes CEO Edouard Meylan, the ability to circumvent the rules even within the increase: “The Swiss Made label has lost all credibility, despite the Federation’s attempt to reinforce it,” said the ‘rebel watchmakers’ in a Star Wars-style video announcement. So H. Moser churned up ‘The most Swiss watch ever created’ – with a cowhide strap, Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese bezel, and CHF1,081,291 price, in reference to the founding date of Switzerland (1 August, 1291). “It has become meaningless,” says a resolute Meylan, of the ‘Swiss Made’ stamp. “That’s why we have launched our campaign ‘Make Swiss Made Great Again’. At H. Moser & Cie, we produce watches that are truly Swiss; timepieces that are steeped in watchmaking tradition and centuries of experience. We are no longer ‘Swiss Made’ – we are Swiss. From 2017, the label no longer appears on our dials.” Keen to linger on the mischief? In the Concept series is the ultraminimalist Alpwatch Zzzz, which – interesting nomenclature aside – is tongue-in-cheek with serious subtext, just as the ‘Mad’. A glossy black dial that lacks indices or a logo could be mistaken for a smartwatch in standby mode, inspired by the debate around ‘connected’ tech watches. “Watchmaking is a world awash with aggressive branding and marketing strategies, which is the reason why we have decided to go back to basics,” 36
Opening pages: Pioneer Perpetual Calendar in steel Clockwise from above: The Heritage Perpetual Calendar– a tribute to the art of grand feu enamelling, and an upholding of watchmaking tradition; Swiss Alp Watch on the Rocks, ‘mimicking ice cubes cracking between teeth’; The cheeseless Venturer Swiss Mad
We produce watches that are truly Swiss; timepieces that are steeped in watchmaking tradition Meylan says. “With our Concept Series watches, we come back to absolute purity, turning the spotlight back onto a distinctively human luxury which remains true to the central aim of watchmaking: indicating the time.” H. Moser is a compact outfit, with a team of 50, and a stripped-back creativity process for each creation: one person each from sales, marketing and production alongside the CEO, to avoid the dilution of the ideas and to keep the watches provocative and edgy. More people are obviously involved in the final perfection inspection. “Behind a logo lies the work of talented watchmakers and we wanted to respond to the cold electronics of connected watches by opposing with the soul of mechanical watchmaking. Look a little closer, and it reveals itself to be a living watch, with a heart and soul,” compels a passionate Meylan. Regard such pieces as inspired genius, not point scoring. But what
gives Moser the gumption to be so bold is self-assured watchmaking legitimacy – producing a mere 1,200 watches per year is a statement in itself, after all, and its portfolio is bolstered with examples of horological excellence. From the Pioneer collection, the Perpetual Calendar is one of the classiest dress watches around, and can comfortably charm its way into your day-to-day watch rotation, too. A rugged steel case is one appeal to secure this, as well as 120m waterresistance – an unusual trait for a Perpetual Calendar-bearing watch. The 42.8mm timepiece is legible – the giant date window is slimmed down to mere digits, with a miniature ‘third’ pointer serving as the month indicator; the leap year gauge is on the rear, movement-showing side. The Swiss Alp Watch on the Rocks – a stunning showpiece with 232 baguette-cut sapphires, paved in squares – is a tribute to gem-setting.
Even the Swiss Mad has a more sober relative – the Venturer Swiss Mad – dairy-free in white gold and with a less headline-grabbing price. “The details elevate a piece. To be truly exceptional, the aesthetic must reach perfection, achieving a perfect balance: precise proportions, harmony of form, depth of colours, high-calibre finishes. We work to reach excellence in every single aspect,” says the CEO. It goes deeper still. “What we are offering,” Meylan continues, “is human watchmaking, with a focus on the product and the people behind it. All our watches play between traditional watchmaking (in terms of finishing and movements) and sexy design.” Haute horology is a serious luxury sphere and, at times, H Moser & Cie softens the mood by not taking itself too seriously, opting for creativity to spear home an underlying comment: “Traditional watchmaking is the future, and I’m simply trying to stick to my convictions,” says Meylan. The joke’s on any detractors, though, because in possessing the deft skill to underpin the provocation, H. Moser is taken very seriously indeed. 37
Art & Design SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Monsters, Ink AIR
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett has obtained quite the collection of bone-chilling movie posters, and his admiration for the macabre even finds a way into his music. His new book It’s Alive explores how exploiting fear became an art-form WORDS : CHRIS UJMA
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hen it comes to horror, it’s not so much the hauntingly conveyed ideas that get you spooked, but the silence; the implied sense of doom. Take Tod Browning’s chilling Dracula from 1931– the first spoken adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. A well-meaning yet bumbling solicitor ignores villager cautions and journeys to a creepy castle in Transylvania. Undeterred, he makes it to the bat-ridden property, shuffling though a dusty lobby to arrive at the foot of a sweeping staircase. Caped actor Bela Lugosi smiles down, ominously. You can hear a pin drop (or a rat scuttle) for what seems an eternity. “I… am Dracula,” he delivers with accent and eerie menace, punctuating the quiet. 38
In countless horror flicks from the heyday of horror – the 1920s to the 1950s – the shadows, wisped smoke and silence play to the imagination. Fingers splayed over eyes, the mind cranks into overdrive, fearing the worst – but nerve-wracked audience members had only themselves to blame for getting to this stage of proceedings. The posters drew audiences in: before the 1950s television boom, the movie theatre was the place to be scared. In that era, movie posters were an audience’s first peek of the carnage awaiting their eyeballs on the theatre screen. They had been warned – and the haunting style of these precursors was imitated time and again. It is a familiar sight: a creature – who represents evolution or a science experiment gone awry – with fearful
burly men (and obligatory damsel) quaking in their collective boots at the frightful reality. In all, it’s a curious genre of imagery – an articulation of man’s worst anxiety. Yet it is an obsession that grips many a collector, and Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett is one of the most well known admirers of gothic memorabilia. Hammett is sharing the treasures from his collector’s crypt (with an exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum in a Massachusetts, and with It’s Alive, by Rizzoli), “Because of the cultural history that lives inside my collection, the world needs to see it. I feel like it’s part of the world.” The fear invoked by the imagery was also ‘part of the world’, believes Daniel Finamore in his extended essay from the book. He explores the psychology of
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Opener: Dracula (1931), produced by Universal Pictures Left, clockwise from top: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), produced by Universal Pictures; Reynold Brown, Creature From the Black Lagoon, (1954), produced by Universal Pictures; Attributed to Karoly Grosz, The Mummy, (1932), produced by Universal Pictures and printed by Morgan Lithograph Company
horror, believing the ghouls operate as “an emotional touchstone for a distant world that we fear exists, but which we have no evidence for in everyday life,” adding that, “images of threats arriving from distant lands are also rife with political overtones”. Finamore elaborates, “The 1931 poster for Dracula, depicting the Transylvanian count leaping menacingly from an arriving ship in pursuit of a defenseless man, forms a visual analogy that made easy sense to an American public that had recently passed laws to limit Eastern European immigration.” Similarly, he says, “In the years following the invention of the atomic bomb, the aliens that appear on earth in droves, marching relentlessly toward global domination. Yet the spaceships wreaking havoc in the poster for 1953’s The War of the Worlds may just as well be Russian tanks, and the towering green aliens in the poster for Invaders from Mars in the same year may as well be a military vanguard of Communist China.” Hammett has spent three decades acquiring pieces to decorate his home and their aesthetic enchantment has been inspiration for his music, not depcitions of political invasion. On his experience of seeing Metallica live at countless gigs over the decades, Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life writer Steve Almond recounts in It’s Alive, “The[ir] songs were horror movies: brooding and frenzied, awash in images of entrapment and predation. The song Enter Sandman struck me as especially emblematic of the band’s ethos. It was about a little boy who fears sleep because the terrors of his imagination will overtake him.” Years later, Hammett would explain his allure for horror, sharing with Almond that, “It’s a very, very dark universe when we shut our eyes at night. My whole goal, when I play, is to take a listener into that darkness, to a place they’ve never been. And whether by route of angels or by route of devils, I’ll do anything to get the listener to that zone. That’s what all great art is about.” The posters have a further curiosity: many were produced before the actual film was even made. Experiments
They’re emotional touchstones for a distant world that we fear exists, but have no evidence for in everyday life in alchemy, they were on-paper imaginings of sketchy yet grotesque ideas, used to ‘sell’ the concept. Many posters exist for hellish ideas that never made it to production – remaining unresolved in the imagination. Well, aside from those produced by Universal Studios. Working with Morgan Lithograph Company, its posters were more ‘honest’, they said at the time, assuring, “There is not a drawing for a poster made that is not based on some scene actually in the film the public will see, thus eliminating the lithograph junk with its cheating and lying situations that never appear in the film.” Universal carefully curated the imagery as part of its promotion and distribution strategy, ensuring that these timeless illustrations depicted a fear that became realised. And for collectors such as Hammett? The posters are paper that lures like the vampire himself. It’s Alive: Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Movie Posters From the Kirk Hammett Collection, is now available from rizzoliusa.com 41
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Cultural Saint Two destinations had a profound effect on Yves Saint Laurent; the Moroccan medina of Marrakech was his creative retreat, and from Paris he changed the fashion world. He is revered in both, and the opening of two new museums reinforce the mark he left on the cities, as well as the reciprocal influence they had on him WORDS: Chris Ujma
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Opening page: Yves at his desk, an object that is part of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris experience Left: An homage – in dress form– to Pablo Picasso
He not only designed this modern women’s wardrobe, he had an influence on a social level
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or some time now, 5 Avenue Marceau has been cloaked in secrecy. Fifteen years after the haute couture house closed, the nowheadquarters of Fondation Pierre Bergé -Yves Saint Laurent has undergone immense renovation. The outcome: to make it the first fashion museum of its magnitude, named Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris. Unprecedented in scale is correct, but it’s not the only of its kind. The upcoming opening in France will coincide with the inauguration of a brand new Yves Saint Laurent museum in Marrakech – a city that served as an adopted second home of sorts for the designer. In this North African medina he found peace, inspiration, and solace; serene Marrakech was a balm, the Moroccan yin to his whirlwind, pressure-packed Parisian yang. Both institutions debut this autumn, and although they’re at different moments in their history – rebirth and birth – they share a singularity. Visitors will discover a common love for Yves Saint Laurent: his musings, his maison and his oeuvre. It’s an emotion that he returned – not to the museums, of course, but the cities in which they stand. Located 2,500km apart, each destination imprinted a distinct semblance of artistic expression on the man.
Capital Gains In The City of Lights, Yves set the fashion world alight. Passions about his work run deep; bold claims about him are the norm. The Paris museum’s director Olivier Flaviano says as his definitive opening gambit, “I believe only two couturiers really shaped 20th century fashion: Chanel in the first half, and Yves Saint Laurent in the second half.” Not only did Saint Laurent revolutionise couture
(officially adorned with his name), but another revolution he sparked from France was ready-to-wear. Back in 1966 – when he opened his first Saint Laurent Rive Gauche boutique – there were no boutiques bearing the names of couturiers, but Saint Laurent always said that if haute couture was only to design garments for rich clients, that was a shame. “By creating the rive gauche label, it made Saint Laurent accessible to all women, and he paved the way to what fashion is today,” says Flaviano. “This is another reason why Yves Saint Laurent takes a proud place in 20th century history. He not only designed this modern women’s wardrobe, but he made it accessible to a broader public, and had an influence on a social level.” The building from which his bespoke Big Bang emitted is the site for the museum. It is a veritable treasure haul and holds all the documentation related to the creation of a haute couture collection. “We are able to explain what his process of creation was, and how haute couture garments were designed for a way of living that does not exist anymore,” says Flaviano. “The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris will then not be only a fashion museum, but also a history museum.” Interior designer Jacques Grange has accumulated a list of star-studded clientele – Princess Caroline of Monaco, Valentino, François Pinault and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola – and the décor he styled for YSL has been kept intact, with visitors also able to enter Yves’ original studio. “Besides the garments and documents, we also have all the furniture and objects, including his desk and personal items laid on it, his blouse, his pencils, and even his glasses… I’m truly sure that the public will be able to feel his presence and 45
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I would like my dresses and my drawings to be studied in a hundred years
moreover, they will have a better understanding of a haute couture house in the second half of the 20th century.” Not just any house. Yves kickstarted the androgynous look with Le Smoking, starred in his own fragrance campaign, liberated the form through sheer organza, championed diversity (with Iman, Rebecca Ayoko and Katoucha Niane cited as muses), and mined the art world for inspiration – like his Mondrian short cocktail dresses designed in 1965, in tribute to the works of the Dutch painter. “The technique is quite amazing as he and his workshops succeeded in encrusting the jersey to make the stitching completely disappear – just like the delineating lines in Mondrian’s gridlike paintings,” muses Flaviano. “The modern-women wardrobe that he created within the first ten years of his house (the tuxedo, the pantsuit, the peacoat, the jumpsuit, the trenchcoat) still resonates in styles seen across fashion today. By making use of male dress codes, he brought women self-assurance, audacity and power while preserving their femininity. Presenting them in a museum context, beside showing their beauty and modernity, will tell how Yves Saint Laurent played a key role in women’s emancipation,” Flaviano recaps. Weighty social expectation was put upon the mind of this design genius, who delivered. But even the greatest of minds needed the occasional holiday. The Great Escape If beside the Seine was where he reigned, then Yves was more passive in Marrakech, allowing the city and its aura to wash over him. Lauded icons are often asked ‘what inspires you?’, to obtain the ingredients of their success. For him, 46
Right: Yves saint Laurent in the studio
it was not ‘what’ inspired him but ‘where’: Jardin Majorelle, in Morocco, a landscaped garden hideaway in Marrakech that was not only cherished by the designer but rescued by him. On a vacation to the city with Pierre Bergé in 1966, the two-acre haven entranced the pair with its natural splendor; striking ‘Majorelle blue’, diverse flora and divinely calm aura left them, “seduced by this oasis where colours used by Matisse were mixed with those of nature,” they said. They were mortified to learn it was being sold and turned into a hotel by a developer. Interjecting, they halted the desecration by buying and restoring the haven, endearing Yves to the region. Director of Musée YSL Marrakech (mYSLm) Bjorn Dahlström says, “He is perceived as a son of Marrakech. He developed lifelong friendships and visited often until his passing in 2008. His name and Marrakech are often associated, referring to an era of freedom and creation – especially the 60s and 70s, which the public is particularly curious and nostalgic about.” Influences outside the garden walls seeped into Laurent’s fashion. The designer would retreat to Marrakech for the first fifteen days of December and June to draw his collection; this was where he would sketch out his newest ‘looks’ – “In Morocco, I realised that the range of colours I use was that of the zelliges, zouacs, djellabas and caftans,” Dahlström recounts the couturier saying. “The boldness seen since then in my work, I owe to this country, to its forceful harmonies, to its audacious combinations, to the fervour of its creativity. This culture became mine, but I wasn’t satisfied with absorbing it; I took, transformed and adapted it.”
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This culture became mine, but I wasn’t satisfied with absorbing it; I took, transformed and adapted it
Left : Polyptique scenography by Christophe martin Above: Yves saint Laurent in jardin majorelle Below: Yves saint Laurent in Place Djemaa el-Fnaa © reginald Gray
Dahlström cites in the designs, “the use of traditional hats like the ‘tarboosh’ – known here in Morocco as the ‘Fez’ – reinterpreted by the couturier, the accumulation of jewellery the way the Berber women combine it, the use of stunning colours – for example with a beautiful bougainvillea haute couture cape inspired by the Jardin Majorelle, displayed here.” mYSLm offers such peace and educational opportunity, one wonders if a studious future designer will emerge from the solitude. Like a tranquil day in the lush Jardin, it’s a sanctuary in which to lose track of time: a permanent exhibition space of the designer’s works will be presented in a scenography by Christophe Martin; while there’s space for temporary exhibitions, a 130-capacity auditorium, a boutique, as well as a research library containing 5,000 volumes. Work on the building began three years ago. Now complete, local terracotta and earth-coloured terrazzo combine with locally sourced brick, which adorns the exterior. The setting of the bricks evoke the warp and weft of fabric – architects Studio KO met Bergé’s expectations of designing a building that was simultaneously contemporary and Moroccan. Contrasting curves and cubeshaped volumes combine, while the predominance of rose hued ‘granito’ set alongside those red bricks harmonises the building with Marrakech – oft referred to as the ‘Ochre City’. “There is something free, generous and sensual in people’s morals [here], and I think it was that sensuality, that freedom, and that sophistication… with its cuisine, artisans, culture, refined architecture – that really inspired him,” shared film director Jalil Lespert with The Telegraph, after shooting scenes in the country for his 2014 film Yves Saint Laurent. When quizzed about posterity, “I would like my dresses and my drawings to be studied in a hundred years,” said Yves in 1992. Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent has curated an ideal platform for such contemplation to take place, and the designer’s wish will be fulfilled in both of his spiritual homes, at museums akin to fashion cathedrals; pilgrimage points for the YSL devout. 49
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The heartbeat of New York’s party scene in the 1970s, Studio 54 was a glorious enclave for liberation. For all its celebrity clout, though, claims of elitism were misplaced. The nightclub was an inclusive social dancefloor that coaxed allcomers into letting down their guard – and made going with the flow en-vogue
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entleman” begins an ominous piece of correspondence, addressed to the Studio 54 owners and bearing a very official stamp from The City of New York Department of Health. “It has come to the attention of this Department that a leopard and a panther were present at a party in your establishment on or about December 13, 1977. You are hereby advised that this incident was in violation of two different sections of the New York City Health Code…” A historic hoot the letter may be, but rattling the establishment was par for the course in Studio 54’s heyday. The above concern, formally expressed by the Bureau of Animal Affairs, is just one piece of evidence (in a new book, Studio 54) that indicates a wild point: during the zenith of this nightclub – the birth of the disco era – absolutely anything was possible. Character witnesses add to the case in the coffee table tome by Rizzoli. The book is a timely visual soundtrack, 52
published 40 years after the club first opened its doors. It’s the first officially endorsed publication about the venue, pieced together by sifting through foggy post-party anecdotes, more precise caught-on-camera moments and memory-sharp newspaper clippings. It’s a fond recollection of a venue that meant so much to so many; within the book’s pages is an accurate pulse-check of a New York zeitgeist destination. Ian Schrager (who co-founded and co-owned the club alongside the flamboyant Steve Rubell) was involved in the editing process of this nearly 400-page revisit, and lends context; a method to the madness. Because at a club of this magnitude, an organiser could leave nothing to chance, and crowds were purposefully cultivated rather than chaotic; a balanced cocktail of personalities was blended, as opposed to relentless shots of brashness. Naturally, the bulk of infatuation with the Studio centres on the glitterati, for they are the main gravitational
pull. Attend as a guest on any given night you’d rub shoulders with ‘names’ – those who only need one moniker to be recognised. Travolta. Elton. Schwarzenegger. Minnelli. Lagerfeld. Wonder. De Niro. Von Furstenburg. Gere. Jagger. Warhol – who was an almost permanent fixture, and created versions of his trademark silkscreens based on a Studio 54 complimentary drink ticket design. The den – first a theatre, a CBS TV studio, then made into this glittering nightclub – was selected by Calvin Klein to play host to his daughter Marci’s Sweet Sixteen; for Giorgio Armani’s 1980 gala; for the Grease premiere party; for Martha Graham honouring Halston; for YSL’s Opium launch after-party; as the go-to venue for a memorable New Year’s Eve. “Oh the beautiful people…” waxed Frederic Weiss, in an edition of his East Side Express column from 1978. “Studio 54 has gone from an empty theatre to the hottest place in New York in less than a year,” he remarked. “If
you want to watch the Superset [this] is the place,” said Sunday News magazine of ‘The Super Scene’. They’re two remarks from wordy opinion-pieces galore; ‘Morning After’ articles penned by writers dispatched to document hallowed ground – a photography-film and showbiz-headline haven. The club was an instant hit on opening, and the only cliché that could be attached to it being ‘right place, right time’. Its founders ensnared the energy of 1977 and Saturday Night Fever. Studio was located in a unique part of the city, as many other nightclubs were establishing a foothold in the downtown or on the east side – areas known for taking a slower social pace at night. Schrager and Rubell enhanced
the buzz in the heart of New York’s theatre district. Said Schrager to Paul Goldberger, in a conversation that prefaces the book, “I think there was like an underground tom-tom drum when there was a new club that was opening. Everybody wanted to go to the latest and greatest club. There was a lot of buzz and gossip around Studio and about the people working on it. It was definitely different and it became a groundswell. It went viral, as they say today. Nobody knew what to expect from a couple of unknowns.” They would not remain unknowns for long. “Paradise Lost, Regained. Lost and Regained. Lost and Regained,” was how former Vogue editor-at-large
Left: Jerry Hall, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Paloma Picasso, in close counsel Below: Stevie Wonder (on piano) jams with Steven Stills (with the drum), Stephanie Mills and Teddy Pendergrass (behind Wonder) for his New York secretary, Mary Ann Cummings, and 300 guests on her birthday at Studio 54
Where could more gossip be gathered? Where could one see more stars, more real stars, and so fabulously unfettered, in those days before iPhones and Internet and Twitter?
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Elizabeth Taylor’s Birthday Party, 6 March, 1978
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The key of success of Studio 54 is that it’s a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor André Leon describes the efforts of the duo. “There never has been nor will there ever be a nightclub like it. The culture was totally diverse in the mix of delicious society froth… The whole world stopped by 54 after dinner. Rubell was unique in that he was the ringmaster to a world that blew up on the dance floor. One lived for this artificial paradise.” A more pertinent quote, though, may be a musing from ‘The Grand Dame of Dish’ Liz Smith: “The glamorous Studio 54 nights informed my burgeoning career as a gossip columnist. Where could more gossip be gathered? Where could one see more stars, more real stars, and so fabulously unfettered, in those days before iPhones and Internet and Twitter?” More social, less media; extrovert personalities unspooled, and freedom – not cloying cameraphone intrusion – weaved through the tangled crowd. Yes, within the Rizzoli book’s pages you’ll spot Michael Jackson tucked in the raised sound booth with house DJ Ritchie Kaczor; Diana Ross in visceral boogie, surrendered to a beat; Liza Minnelli in unchoreographed anti-ballet with Mikhail Baryshnikov; Keith Richards, James Brown and John Belushi broadly beaming; a scintillating Grace Jones, putting on Studio 54 – edited by Ian Schrager and published an energy-fuelled show; by Rizzoli – is out now. NBA hero Magic Johnson rizzoliusa.com holding court the night his Lakers trounced the Knicks at Madison Square Garden; teenybopper Brooke Shields with an eye on the clock, tomorrow likely being a school day. However, they are just fleeting snapshots from an entire evening’s repertoire of fun. Between these perfunctory, posed Press courtesies were hours of shared secrets, clandestine canoodling, unappraised dance moves. Between who? Shh... Because despite occasional strobes of light emit that from the darkness –
anecdotes, fondness and a Rizzoli book – for the most part, revellers’ privacy and confidence is firmly kept. What happened in Studio 54 remains within this ‘magical cocoon.’ But while the co-owners cosseted beloved stars, they equally welcomed those whose private preferences were deemed socially unsavoury. The venue “broke down classes and economic distinctions”, Schrager shared with Goldberger, and it made the ‘powers that be’ angry. “[It] gave rise to a kind of institutional resentment towards us,” he admitted. “It was really because of the door policy… the fact that people who were normally big shots or rich meant nothing at Studio. They thought what we were doing was undemocratic, unAmerican and elitist. But in actuality, it wasn’t elitist at all. We were just trying to exercise the same discretion you do when you have a private dinner party at your home… create a good mix of people.” Attention beamed out, and from the scrutiny on the owners the taxman emerged, licking his lips. The lights were turned on and a mere 33 months after opening, the party was over. For three years, though, Studio 54 acted as a glorious pressure valve; a place to cast aside buttoned-up decorum and exist ‘in the moment’, no matter your calling. Creating a platform for such openness to transpire was an exact science; almost a chemistry calculation to mix the ideal blend of personalities. Expectant crowds had an insatiable appetite, craving the night of their life (every night). “The key of success of Studio 54 is that it’s a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor,” volunteered regular Studiogoer Andy Warhol, when speaking of the club’s spellbinding social formula. Schrager, Rubell and their Studio cohorts perfected the fine art of party – not only for VIP leopards and panthers, but for the kings and queens who prowled the 1970s society jungle. 55
Renaissance man AIR
Since assuming the creative reins at Gucci in 2015, Alessandro Michele has obliterated the fashion blueprint. And with each unveiled collection, accompanying advertising is also unfurled to further evolve his sensational, nostalgia-fuelled design narrative. These eyecatching Gucci photoshoots are cast in Michele’s (self-confessed) “crazy” curious mind, then distilled through the lens of expert photographer Greg Luchford. Take a bow, Signor Michele, as we strut through imagery from your eclectic, inspired campaigns
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Right: Michele tore up the Gucci rulebook for his awakening campaign – ditching glossy studios for the great outdoors, shunning exotic destinations for the authentic smoke and smoulder of city hideaways, and deploying relative modelling unknowns in place of superstars. The cast for the designer’s inaugural shoot traipsed NYC in his RTW, as Greg Luchford married Michele’s FW15 glamour to the mundane: waiting on subway platforms and riding the public bus. Ordinary met the stylistically exceptional in the dawn of a recurring concept: vintage soul juxtaposed with city chaos, colliding at street level. Below: Michele’s geek chic took flight in PF16 under the glass dome of a tropical aviary. A flock of pink flamingos mingled with models while admiring Michele’s floral-inspired prints, nature motifs and vintage designs that flourished admist the wild plants (and even wilder inhabitants).
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Next page: Carefree hedonism blended with the eccentricity in the suburbs of Tokyo for FW16, where traditional met hypermodern in tea houses, bustling neon streets, cherry blossom gardens or on Harajuku road crossings. Subtitles denoted the flurry of sound, in a series of photos akin to movie stills.
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Below: Michele planted a firm foot into the surreal, and Luchford’s photographic impressions brought the vision to life. Rome was chosen for SS17, continuing the Gucci travel odyssey. Predatory cats nonchalantly roamed the romantic city alongside the campaign protagonists, with a giraffe fed grapes as the characters dine al fresco and lions and tigers welcomed into homes as the models watch TV. Right: Referencing artist Malick Sidibe, this PF17 ‘Soul Scene’ party campaign showcased an all-black cast of models; the backdrop, meanwhile, fused the youth culture nightlife of Malick’s Malian hometown with a dose of the British ‘Northern Soul’ underground music movement.
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These pages: A sci-fi inspired campaign was in the stars for FW17, as Michele shifted creative muses from the sensuality of philsophers, artists and thinkers to a parallel universe populated by the likes of Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, Robby the Robot and the Creature From the Black Lagoon. Gucci beamed extra-terrestrial beings, robots, droids and dinosaurs into a psychedelic outer space setting, to fraternise with fantasically fashioned humans.
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Left: FW17 image courtesy of Gucci by Universal Studios Licensing LLC Above: Courtesy of Gucci by TM & © 2017 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are properties owned by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved All images courtesy Gucci © Gucci – except for photograph on opening pages, from Getty Images
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All images: Courtesy of ySl Beauté, from a photoshoot to accompany the announcement of zoë as its brand ambassador. © Elodie Daguin
Expectations from having a rock star father? That’s all the media’s making. Zoë Kravitz is a coolly collected generational role model and she’s focused on her own legacy, without anxiety from her weighty surname InteRvIew: Suzy Maloy / AddItIonAl woRdS: ChriS ujMa
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Growing up, as a teen, hearing music, lyrics, that kept me sane, it kept me grounded. It always reminded me that I am not alone in the world
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n April, Zoë Kravitz made her third televisual foray in the mini-series Big Little Lies. So adeptly acted and accomplished was her performance as the unexpected heroine, that the public fell into a familiar, seductive entertainment trap: that Zoë and her character, Bonnie Carlson, are one and the same. “It’s not how I dress,” she says. “A lot of people watching the show thought I was playing myself. But that’s not the case at all. I think Bonnie is wonderful, but I wouldn’t wear what she wears.” People judge a book by its cover, she finds. “There is a stereotype aspect to all these characters. You think you know who these people are by just looking at them and what they wear. But then you find out they are not like that at all. It’s almost a beautiful trap we set up for the audience,” Zoë soothes, adding, “It’s a great reminder. We all do that. You wear a sweater and I think you know who you are. We all make the same mistake.” Evidently, her organic sense of style – in reality – was alluring enough for Yves Saint Laurent, which appointed Kravitz as the face of YSL Beauté in late July. “Their ability to combine the chicest of styles with a raw edge has always been to me one of the best ways to express yourself through fashion and beauty,” she shared, in harmony with the announcement. “Nothing is forced, nothing is fake but everything is bold, strong and unafraid.” Being the daughter of an iconic singer/songwriter leads observers into making another logic leap about Zoë’s existence – conflating the fame of her father, Lenny, with a desire to emerge from his shadow.
It’s a concept she dismisses, saying, “I don’t even think of it as a negative thing to get out of anybody’s shadow. I love my dad, and I love his famous friends. They are all like family to me. It’s always been like that. I am my own person. I am lucky to have been around talented and inspiring people to help me develop my own sense of art. It’s been a great ride for me. I don’t see being the daughter of Lenny Kravitz as a dark shadow”. True to this sentiment, she has genre-defying musical output on her resume. Zoë fronted New York trio Lolawolf, who released two EPs and an album (Calm Down) on the Innit Recordings label, and were tasked with opening for Lily Allen and Miley Cyrus on their respective tours. “I still sing and make music and I do have a band,” Kravitz says. “It’s hard to balance the two professions. Music to me is almost like therapy. It’s a great way to spend my free time. It’s putting something positive into the world.” On the calming nature of song, she confesses, “Music is always positive. And growing up, as a teen, hearing music, lyrics, that kept me sane, it kept me grounded. I think that’s therapeutic. It’s a very comforting feeling. It always reminded me that I am not alone in the world.” Acting is the field in which she ploughs a furrow now, though. She secured roles in the Smith family sci-fi After Earth, played Christina in The Divergent Series, and was Toast the Knowing in Mad Max: Fury Road. “I think I realised I have to make a conscious choice of what I want to do with my life,” Zoë muses of
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her current focus. “Everybody else was going to college, and I was still contemplating what I wanted to do. I realised that acting was what I wanted to do. I went to college for acting, got an agent – it all happened very organically. I don’t know what else I would be doing. I love it. I always wanted to do it. In school I was in drama club, I was in all the plays, I put on shows in my grandparents’ house.” Now that it’s serious business, her dynamic is ever evolving. “My relationship with acting is always changing. When I was young I liked being dramatic, I liked the attention. It made me feel good. The older I get, I realise it’s the beautiful meditation on human beings, it’s a great opportunity to learn that there is something bigger than me. That’s the best gift of acting – to learn about people, to understand people. Right now, we need to understand how other people think.” Her father is a man of many artistic talents – is talent itself something she feels can be inherited? “Sure, why not? There is something in human nature, where we just follow what our parents or grandparents have done before us, because they were good at it, and you might give it a go, because the talent is there.” Any innate ability was blended with her education, where she was schooled in the art. “I did learn the most by watching other actors. What is it about the performance, why do I feel a certain way? Fearlessness and humour are the biggest tools of an actor. Gene Wilder is my favorite actor of all times: his balance of comedy and drama is where I want to live; that thin line between comedy and despair.” On set, she has been surrounded by such acting heavyweights as Nicole Kidman (Lenny’s former flame), Charlize Theron and Reese Witherspoon, which is not pressure, she says, but an honour. “It was great to watch them work. I did think at times when we had scenes together that they would look at me and say what the heck are you doing here. I don’t know if I get even close to what they do. But they were very warm and helpful.” The switched-on generation she spearheads holds her to a different 68
There is a stereotype aspect to all these characters, and you think you know who these people are by just looking at them. It’s almost a beautiful trap we set up for the audience standard and, honestly vocal, she’s a positive voice for the millennial wave. “Being kind to yourself and kind to others is very important,” she zens. More steeled, she adds, “There is a great imbalance in the world with power. Women have to work twice as hard to be as successful as men. We are taught to be jealous of each other, and that’s just dumb and dangerous at the same time. If you can get past the competition with other women, it opens up a whole new playing field. The bonds I had with other women and with my mother is where we really thrive. Competition and jealousy holds us back. Once we go past that and see compassion and love for ourselves, we cannot be beat.” Is she making an argument why women should rule the world? “It makes so much more sense to run the world,” she says, “We are mothers, we take care of people. That is our nature. We should be in the White House, we want to take care and not corrupt. We don’t want to control.”
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Motoring
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SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
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Collector’s Item The Richard Mille-endorsed Chantilly Arts & Elegance nurtures a wealth of high-society keepsakes; an annual countryside rendezvous of sophistication and unrivalled motoring moments WORDS : CHRIS UJMA
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here’s weighty expectation on the shoulders of automobile restorers who choose to take their pride and joy to a Concours d’Elegance. When it comes to breathing new life into vintage motors, the goal is to remain true to original mint condition-prestige, to tease points from keen-eyed judges and to please motoring purist peers. Concours’ summits sweep the high-society calendar, and while the Swiss, Aussies and Belgians put on their own notable versions, Italy’s Lake Como (in May) and California’s Pebble Beach (in August) are the flagship destinations – along with Chantilly. Of this main trio, the French host may feel the closest affinity with those avid car restorers, as France is the spiritual home of Concours. There is, perhaps, a comparable expectation to cultivate a product worthy of its proud heritage. “France is forever known for arts, architecture and gastronomy; its production of fine grape, automobile and couture,” says Patrick Peter, whose own Peter Auto organises the annual Chantilly fair. The nation was the cradle of Concours in the 1920s – it was the initiator of these very highly valued events in which exceptional cars of the era (often personalised by renowned coachbuilders) were on display, accompanied by elegant women wearing the latest fashions created by the great names in French couture. “First dreamt-up – then held – here during the 20s, it brought together the best of couture and French coachbuilding bodywork. It’s this spirit that the modern Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille (CAER) was created to reflect – but now with an international flavour,” Peter explains. An annual motoring staple since 2014, CAER marks the marriage of fashion and the motorcars of the future. Peter proclaims, “Which other location has a royal château, equestrian stables, unique gardens designed by famous Le Nôtre, a grand dinner prepared by famed chefs, and a museum with a collection of paintings more modest in size – but as culturally rich – as Le Louvre? And, furthermore, is located a pleasant drive of 59km from Paris and 25km from Paris International Airport? Only Chantilly.” 72
There are multiple courses to this delicious fine motoring feast. Concours d’Etat honours the crème de la crème of the car world. A step further, the International Federation of Historic Vehicles (FIVA) handpicks a ‘Queen of the Day’, honouring one particular vehicle’s authenticity, appeal and heritage; previously crowned royals include a 1937 Delahaye 135M cabriolet Figoni et Falaschi (in 2014), and collector Jon Shirley’s 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Berlinetta Touring. The genteel Collectors Rally, meanwhile, meanders through quaint regional towns (taking in a spot of lunch at La Plage de Lys, on the banks of the Oise, along the way), while the higher-octane Supercars Rally tempts 30 limited-production sportscars to a parade of their powerful prowess.
At the fair’s manufacturers village, the likes of Bugatti, McLaren, Aston Martin and Mercedes are among the evocative marques on show. They’ve an even deeper element of style, too, highlighting aesthetic associations with couturiers like Armani, Balmain, Hugo Boss and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Peter Auto has secured a number of appearance coups. “There was a Maserati Boomerang in attendance last year, for example, and at this edition we’ve 30 Ferraris [in honour of the Prancing Horse’s 70th anniversary] plus a Bugatti Royale [of which there are only six in existence]. In 2017 alone, we’ve enough grace to fuel several years of Concours,” he says, excitedly. This noble rendezvous celebrates motoring lineage, but refreshingly the weekend is not only anchored by
honouring on-road epochs gone-by. For admirers, the future is also at the fore. “We’ve concept cars in attendance every year, that are basically the cars of the future. This year, for example, we pay tribute to one of the most promising energies in motoring with ‘A Century of Electrical Cars’ celebration,” he says. Tesla, then, sits comfortably beside a beloved enthusiast classic. One cannot mention ‘admirers’ (nor innovation) without doffing a hat to watchmaker Richard Mille, whose eponymous brand aligns with CAER. “He is a faithful friend and partner with whom we share the successful Le Mans Classic experience,” details Peter, adding, “Richard is very enthusiastic about every aspect of luxury automotives, and he’s a great fan of beautiful cars. You see in
many ways that he does not forget the close relationship between cars and watches, and their synergy relies on the most precise technology.” What if Peter could assemble his own dream car garage? “For me the ideal collection would start with Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, the McLaren F1GTR… But to me, elegance is encapsulated by sobriety, harmony and, most of all, coup de cœur.” Of the latter emotion, Peter needn’t worry. His careful planning means that, come 10 September, there’ll be plenty of prestige parked upon the lawns of this Nonette valley chateau to accelerate heartrates to love-like levels. The fourth Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille takes place over the second weekend in September. chantillyartsetelegance.com 73
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Looks Good Enough to Eat Five restaurants that serve up style
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Gastronomy SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Asiate New York
In truth, so iconic is the view of Central Park in summer – a swathe of pea green, like a lawn laid between the high-rise buildings in the middle of Manhattan – that no matter what décor Asiate was dressed in, the Central Park vista it bestows from two sides would steal all available thunder. As it is, the interior is itself arresting. Hanging
from its ceiling is a spectacular treebranch sculpture, a nod to Central Park in winter. Artistic direction extends to beautifully presented plates comprised of carefully-sourced ingredients, producing bold flavour combinations and ranking Asiate among the city’s must dines. mandarinoriental.com/new-york
Berners Tavern London
Pollen Street Social may well still lead the way in terms of pure gastronomic endeavours, but elsewhere in Jason Atherton’s ever-expanding restaurant portfolio, Berners Tavern trumps all when it comes to overall dining experience. Such is the decadence of the dining room – walls filled top to bottom with gold-framed art, chandeliers inspired by those in the Beaux Arts Grand Central Station, stucco ceilings as high as a cathedral – you half expect Marie Antoinette to serve you cake. Atherton’s latest venture, The Clocktower in New York, mimics the style, but nothing compares to the original. bernerstavern.com 75
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée
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Paris
The high regard in which Alain Ducasse is held by his fellow chefs, and the Michelin stars he’s accumulated in his long career, are both born of the meticulous care he applies to every aspect of his restaurants. Such duty saw him temporarily close this restaurant, his f lagship, to reinvent everything from the focus of the menu – now meat-free – to the design, with a huge deconstructed chandelier at its heart. It hangs in individual pieces, suspended on hidden wires, above f lying saucer-like chrome banquettes. But beneath the statement pieces is, of course, the detail: cutlery from the 1970s modernised exclusively for the restaurant; decorative pieces sourced by Ducasse from the city’s f lea markets and spruced to elegance. Everything here is considered. alain-ducasse.com
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Sexy Fish London
The only element of subtlety at Sexy Fish occurs with the superb service, with dishes stealthily and swiftly delivered to your table before your eyes have had time to take in all but a third of the restaurant’s unapologetically f lash décor. Of it, Damien Hirst has created three site-specific works, including a pair of blue mermaids, posing either side of the bar. Frank Gehry serves up a glittering, 13ft black crocodile, while Michael Roberts ensures your gaze continues north with his coral-patterned linen panels, which make a spectacle of the ceiling. Downstairs, private dining in The Coral Reef Room seats guests aside two, six-metre wide tanks of multihued tropical fish. It’s just as well the quality of the food is such that it actually vies for your attention. sexyfish.com
At Sexy Fish, the look and feel is mid-century glamour and opulence Aragu Velaa Private Island, Maldives
No expense was spared to make Velaa Private Island the Maldives’ most exclusive multi-villa resort, but even when armed with that knowledge, much of this intimate island still takes the breath. Aragu, the over-thewater restaurant, is one such feature. Open at all sides to encourage the sea breeze to pass through, tables are set around a circular cut of ocean, lit to illuminate passing fish. Flying up above, an abundance of silver and gold fish suspend from the ceiling as if frozen mid-swim. At its side is Cru, for pre- and post-dinner drinks, where cushioned seats are stretched along a wooden platform just a few feet above the ocean. A spectacular setting in a location worthy of it. velaaprivateisland.com 77
20 journeys by jet
PalazzoVersace
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Dubai
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s Dubai cultivates its legacy as a fashion capital of the world, the signature of one brand in particular graces the emirate, lending its stylistic prestige: Versace. With the grace of a model, Palazzo Versace Dubai cuts a commanding presence beside the Creek. And while this waterfront property evokes the mood of a 16th century Italian palace, it heralds a new era in extravagance. Accomplished service harmonises with tasteful gardens and bespoke architecture, while each interior nuance (from carefully chosen fabrics to sumptuous furniture) is tailormade by Versace. A royal aura flutters throughout regal Palazzo – through its cluster of curated dining enclaves, through the acclaimed spa, and laced into divine guestrooms. This regality is no more apparent than in its distinguished Imperial Suites, which are testament to Versace’s creative vision. Guests are ensconced in suites adorned with Rocco and Baroque décor, punctuated by inspiring artwork. The duplex abodes boast panoramic views that overlook the glittering creek or Culture Village; vistas best viewed from a Jacuzzi vantage, upon your private terrace with outdoor pool.
It’s artful majesty all round, from those first impressions of the Suite’s noble lobby entrance, to padding across parquet floor, reaching spacious living and dining areas or Carrara marble-tiled bathrooms (to don Versace embroidered comfortwear). Here, ‘imperial’ represents stylish reposal. Versace placed Medusa upon his brand motif, depicting her in a golden-haired heyday when onlookers were spellbound by her beauty and charm. In the striking Palazzo lobby, a 1.5 million-tile mosaic of the temptress emits a similar aura: step inside this hotel, and a lasting bond is formed. This splendid palace has elegance and impeccable sophistication woven into every seam – testimony that grandeur is always in fashion. Arrive in utmost comfort with a chauffeur-driven airport collection in one of the hotel’s fleet. When style cravings arise during your stay, Versace Home is located in the Palazzo’s West Wing for tasteful interior design acquisitions, or request a complimentary service to whisk you to The Dubai Mall for those couture indulgences. palazzoversace.ae 79
What I Know Now
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SEPTEMBER 2017 : ISSUE 76
Jiri Smejc
OWNER/FOUNDER OF VELAA PRIVATE ISLAND MALDIVES When I was a small boy, my parents told me, “The more you know, the better off you will be – because knowledge is the one thing nobody can ever take away from you.” It may seem trite, but later, when life thrust me into a completely unexpected role, I often looked back on those words. It was quite possibly the best advice I ever received. I always strive to keep learning. This was true in the 1990s, when I began doing business with just a few crowns in my pocket. And it is just as true today, when I have the honour of managing a company with global reach. It is always worth making the effort to look around, to listen to others, and to try to do things better. Sometimes I tell myself that if I ever look back 80
and see that I have not gotten anywhere in the last five years, I will stop what I am doing. Another important thing to finding success in any field is surrounding yourself with the right people. Without them I would never have been able to transform what was originally a family company into a multinational corporation. Without them, I would never have gotten where I am today. Yet it takes relatively little to put such a team together: you need to have a vision, to be empathic, and to resist arrogance or a feeling of your own genius. I actually consider my greatest success in business to be the fact that, in the last twenty years, not one of my direct subordinates has voluntarily left me.
It would never have occurred to me that one day my business activities could include the building of a luxury resort on the Maldives. This was another of those unexpected challenges that life produced and, to be honest, one of the most demanding. Yet today I am proud that Velaa Resort exists; that it is successful, respected and also, in my opinion, beautiful. I have never understood the word ‘luxury’ to mean something ostentatious, or something that a person should show off. It is more of a state of mind, when you find yourself in a pleasant environment and you are taken care of so that you don’t have to worry about a thing. I feel that way at our Velaa Resort – and that makes me happy.
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