SEPTEMBER 2018
THE STYLE ISSUE | RALPH LAUREN
ONE ONE OF OF A KIND. A KIND.
All Shamballa All Shamballa Jewels bracelets Jewels bracelets are one of area one kind.of a kind. The one The you one see here, you see however, here, however, is in a league is in aofleague its own. of its It isown. a bespoke It is a bespoke creation,creation, made from made carefully-selected from carefully-selected faceted solid faceted diamonds, solid diamonds, beautifully beautifully braided with braided with our signature our signature pavĂŠ andpavĂŠ Star and of Shamballa Star of Shamballa beads. No beads. two Shamballa No two Shamballa Jewels Jewels pieces are pieces the same; are the they same; are they all unique are alland unique stunning and stunning in their own in their ways. own ways. But someBut aresome moreare special morethan special others than others
Price: Price: $165,000$165,000
shamballajewels.com shamballajewels.com
MM M AA A M UM UU A RA RR IUT IUIT RT IRU IIIU ITU S TS IS IUUSS SS TST ATA R A SR T S T RTT A T CA R C O C R T O LO TL L CLL C EO LE C O E LC T L L CT IL E T N IE C N IG N C T GG T IYN IY O N Y G O U O GU R Y UR Y O R B O U B EU B R E SE RS TB STB E T ME M SO M S TO M T OM E M M E O NEO N M TNM T SE TSE N S ON O TN O T SNS NOO NN WW W WW W W W W W .W W B .W B .EW BE A W E.A C B A .C B H E CH E C A HC A O C CO C H M OH M C B M C B O EB O E R M ER M .B R C.B E C .O C E R O M O R .M C .M C OO MM
Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa Picture taken at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
Where Where Where Where Where Where Where Where the the the Where Where the Beauty the Beauty Beauty the the Beauty the Beauty the Beauty the Beauty Beauty of of Beauty of Beauty the of the of the the of place the of place of place the of the place of the place the place the inspires place inspires place inspires place inspires place inspires inspires inspires inspires inspires inspires the the the the Beauty the Beauty Beauty the the Beauty the Beauty the Beauty the Beauty Beauty of of Beauty of Beauty the of the of the the of heart the of heart of heart the of the heart of the heart the heart the heart heart heart heart
Contents SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
EDITORIAL Editorial Director
John Thatcher Managing Editor AIR
Faye Bartle Editor
Chris Ujma christopher@hotmediapublishing.com Sub Editor
Salil Kumar
ART Art Director
Kerri Bennett Designer
Jamie Pudsey Illustration
Leona Beth Forty Two
Polo YOLO
Fifty Four
Hidden Depths
Ralph Lauren reflects on five decades – with ideas that are certain to resonate with a social media-savvy audience
A San Francisco style showcase shares the personal stories of women who opt to dress modestly
Forty Eight
Sixty
Burn, Baby, Burn An exhibit of Audrey Hepburn stills reveal her natural side, acting with class in candid captures 8
COMMERCIAL Managing Director
Victoria Thatcher Group Commercial Director
David Wade
david@hotmediapublishing.com Commercial Director
Singular Beauty
Rawan Chehab
Cathleen Naundorf’s analogue photography technique gives her one shot to capture Chanel couture
PRODUCTION
rawan@hotmediapublishing.com
Production Manager
Muthu Kumar
Contents
AIR
SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Eighteen
Sixty Six
Driven by superheroes, sportsmen and on sneaky heists, Lamborghini has an explosive on-screen history
How the perfectly formed Portofino clocked up yet another style awardtriumph for Ferrari
Twenty Eight
Seventy
Dare to dream with Fabio Salini, who has ripped up the high jewellery rulebook (to stunning effect)
Anne-Sophie Pic talks of fusing familial Michelinstar pedigree with her own innate ability for fine taste
Thirty Four
Seventy Four
Connoisseurs expect the Earth from fine watchmakers; Greubel Forsey has duly delivered
Viceroy Los Cabos is an architectural dreamscape in Mexico, where pristine hues meet calming blue waters
Radar
Jewellery
Timepieces
Motoring
Gastronomy
Travel
Thirty Eight
Art & Design The V&A has put on a cultural blockbuster in London, compiling the artwork and treasured possessions of Frida Kahlo 10
Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in AIR.
Service and detail that shape your journey. Immerse in the luxury of rich experiences at the JW Penthouse Suite and Marquis Penthouse Suite, spread across two levels of impeccably designed space with a touch of traditional Arabic design. Each 624sqm suite features two separate bedrooms with two separate living rooms. Additional benefits include complimentary airport transfers, private check-in and check-out and access to the award-winning Executive Lounge on the 37th floor. Enjoy celebratory dining in more than 15 restaurants and bars, and pampering at the luxurious Saray Spa.
JW MarriottÂŽ MarquisÂŽ Hotel Dubai jwmarriott.com/DXBJW Sheikh Zayed Road, Business Bay, PO Box 121000, Dubai, UAE | T +971.4.414.0000 | jwmarriottmarquisdubailife.com
Welcome Onboard SEPTEMBER 2018
Welcome to AIR, your personal guide to Al Bateen Executive Airport, its people, partners, developments, and the latest news about the only dedicated business aviation airport in the Middle East and North Africa. We wish you a safe journey wherever you are going, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to Al Bateen Executive Airport to experience our unparallelled commitment to excellence in general, private and business aviation.
Al Bateen Executive Airport Contact Details: albateeninfo@adac.ae albateenairport.com
Cover: Ralph Lauren. Photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren
13
Al Bateen
AIR
SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Welcome to World-Class
14
From humble beginnings in the 1960s when it served as Abu Dhabi’s first main airport, Al Bateen Executive Airport (ABEA) is now the only exclusive business aviation airport in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region – a world-class luxury aviation service facility aiming to meet and exceed the expectations
of business travellers from all around the world. With the 1982 opening of Abu Dhabi International Airport just 32km outside the city centre, ABEA underwent its transformation into a military air base the following year. Military operations continued until 2008, when Abu Dhabi Airports took
www.albateenairport.ae
Al Bateen SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
over its operation and developed it into a world-class executive airport. Over a 50-year timespan, ABEA’s wealth of experience, under both civilian and military management, facilitated its smooth transition to what European Business Air News (EBAN) named the Second Best Executive Airport in the World in 2013. The award – and the many accolades since then – mark a remarkable ascent for the airport, which enjoys a strategic position within reach of major businesses and leisure facilities at the heart of Abu Dhabi city. With a stand capacity for up to 50 private jets served by efficient 16
turnarounds, ABEA upholds its excellence in air traffic and ground management operations through its partnership with Munawala, a proprietary fixed-base operations (FBO) service provider. This unique offering provides a single point of contact for all requirements and a full range of competitively priced FBO services. ABEA maintains an unwavering commitment to delivering a worldclass passenger experience. As the region’s only exclusive business aviation airport, it always welcomes travellers from across the globe to its unrivalled location with warm Emirati hospitality.
THE BEST JUST GOT BETTER How do you top having the world's best-selling light jet for six years running? You make it even better. More spacious. More ergonomic. More technologically advanced. And more phenomenal. Now, the world’s fastest, longest-range single-pilot aircraft is also the most intuitively luxurious light jet in all of business aviation. Introducing the Phenom 300E – the new standard in value and customer experience.
executive.embraer.com
Radar SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
AIR
Lamborghini is a cinema style icon: this Miura, for example, starred in The Italian Job, bursting into a fireball. Come to think of it, Bruce Wayne caved-in his Murciélago as off-duty Batman, and Dr. Steven Strange destroyed his Huracán, too. A new exhibition in Italy mercifully treats these supercars with more reverence, using mint condition models to chart the marque’s memorable movie moments. Film Emotions – Lamborghini and the World of Cinema is on display at the Museo Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese until 31 October
18
19
Critique SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Film Colette Dir: Wash Westmoreland Marrying a successful writer vaults Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette from rural France to the heart of artistic Paris AT BEST: “A period film that’s more than ready for 2018, it embodies the power of thinking forward in more ways than one.” Roger Ebert AT WORST: “Inspiring and empowering... it’s only a shame that such an intriguing and wellintentioned story couldn’t have been told more adventurously.” FT
Cold Skin AIR
Dir: Xavier Gens A ship lands on a remote Arctic island far from shipping lanes. It’s a world with a deserted cabin, trees, rocks, rasping sea – and creatures AT BEST: “ A chilly, restrained horror drama that has a few surprises amid its familiar tropes.” Crooked Marquee AT WORST: “It is left to fall back on the sincerity of its beliefs, and the sense of place evoked by its Icelandic shooting locations. Still, those virtues are enough to carry the film over the finish line.” indieWire
Operation Finale Dir: Chris Weitz
AT BEST: “Despite clichéd depictions of atrocities, it persuasively evokes, with its wealth of details, the slender threads on which historical events – and historical truth – depend.” The New Yorker AT WORST: “A film that doesn’t have the philosophical depth to back up its analytical ambitions.” The Guardian
Kusama: Infinity Dir: Heather Lenz Charts the rise of prolific Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who at the age of 80 still enjoys international acclaim AT BEST: “Even after this comprehensive account of her life and career, she remains an enigma that can never be fully explored – which is itself a rather Kusama-ish idea.” Winnipeg Free Press AT WORST: “Sporadically interesting but mostly tedious... is ultimately a for-fans-only endeavour.” Reel Film 20
Images: Bleeker Street; Kanzaman Films; MGM; By Tomoaki Makino, courtesy of Kusama
Centres on an audacious overseas raid, 15 years after the end of World War II, to capture a notorious Nazi general
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. GULFSTREAM.COM
NICOLAS ROBINSON | +44 7950 885 967 | nicolas.robinson@gulfstream.com
Critique SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Theatre
AIR
G
irl From the North of the Country hits the Public Theater in the East Village of New York, following a successful showing on the West End. “The great Irish playwright-director Conor McPherson goes American with a tale of Minnesota life and strife in the Great Depression, set to songs by no less an American icon than Bob Dylan,” writes Time Out New York. “Not ver y of ten, a piece of theatre comes along that radiates an ineffable magic. McPherson’s musical play is one such show,” wrote Claire Allfree in The Telegraph, when the drama showed in London. “It’s not a perfect piece by any means, but the rare alchemy with which McPherson fuses a dustbowl drama set in Depression-era Minnesota with the keening mysticism of Dylan’s back catalogue makes it almost glow,” she adds. “Orchestrator Simon Hale has reworked the songs in surprising ways,” praised Henr y Hitchings in Evening Standard. “Instead of the harsh rasp or highpitched pleading of Dylan’s voice, there’s a gleaming brightness or haunting melancholy... The mix of songs is bold. Some are the Six ties gems any fan would expect – such as I Want You and Like A Rolling Stone. But others are more obscure... when Jack Shalloo’s man-child Elias has his big moment it’s a glorious rendition of Duquesne Whistle, which dates from as recently as 2012.” Alan Bennett is back with Allelujah! and “Hospitals make good theatre. Shor tly af ter he made his playwriting debut in 1968 with Forty Years On, Peter Nichols wrote The National Health in which a crumbling Victorian Gothic ward became a metaphor for contemporar y Britain. Now Bennett echoes Nichols’ device... by using a hospital as a way of dissecting the problems with the body politic, writes Michael Billington for The Guardian. It is “par t play, par t revue: a sitcom really, but with serious intent,” writes Matt
22
Girl From the North of the Country. Photo by Manuel Harlan
Trueman for Variety of the play, which shows until 29 September. “Though loosely strung together, its scenes sit like sketches and between them, patients spring out of their seats into quaint song-anddance numbers.” Henr y Hitchings in Evening Standard adds, “It’s also angr y, animated by disgust at the erosion of the NHS and at the complacency of those who imagine that British institutions can sur vive without skilled and eager immigrants... There’s a mix of thematic heav y-handedness and improbable contrivance, and... it’s refreshing to see a new play so replete with par ts for older actors.” “You may have heard that the recessive gene for red hair will be gone by the end of the centur y. Not true: The rumour appeared to originate with a company testing for genetic ancestr y, followed up by research from a cer tain Oxford Hair Foundation, which turned out to be backed by Procter & Gamble, a manufacturer of hair products,” writes Elisabeth Vincentelli for New York Times. “That foundation
is actually mentioned in the aggressively mediocre new musical R.R.R.E.D. which imagines a future where those with fier y manes must battle for their sur vival so that they and the descendants of Ed Sheeran and Jessica Chastain have a fighting chance.” R.R.R.E.D., “One of the most annoying show titles for anyone who has to type it out, refers to the Redheaded Revolutionar y Evolutionar y Defiance, a secret society of revolutionaries,” quips Samuel L. Leiter for Theater Pizzazz. “Redheads thus band together at secret meetings like this not only to celebrate the beauty of redness but to promote the bir th of more carrot tops.” Over the course of its 85 minutes “that vacillate between dead seriousness and unfunny camp, it follows what happens when two people take it upon themselves to save the soon-to-be ex tinct recessive gene that causes their hair colour,” explains David Gordon for Theater Mania. It keeps flame at DR2 Theater in New York until 20 October.
Critique SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
AIR
Art
“T
he future is scar y – ecological disaster, the technological singularity, destruction, annihilation… But the future’s always been scar y,” quakes Eddy Frankel for Time Out, in his review of Thomas Cole: Eden to Empire. “Back in Britishborn American painter Cole’s day (1801-1848) it wasn’t ar tificial intelligence or atom bombs that struck fear, it was the unstoppable force of industrialisation. His body of big, bold, adventurous landscape painting is a warning against greed, modernism and unchecked industrial progress.” Cole was known for his “epic vistas, dramatic natural settings, and imaginative landscapes... His paintings... ser ve as a cautionar y tale about the use of natural resources in an increasingly industrial age,” explain ArtAntiques-Design, of the National Galler y show that displays until 7 October. “It’s difficult not to feel uplif ted, even when looking at depictions of ruins, dark cumulus
24
The Course of Empire: The Consummation of Empire by Thomas Cole © Collection of The New-York Historical Society, New York / Digital image created by Oppenheimer Editions
clouds, or threatening storms,” muses Milène J. Fernández for Epoch Times. “When we look and contemplate longer, different emotions are awakened ever so gently. A sense of expansion, of peace and resolve, and of awe...” “Art can arise from the strangest of circumstances,” posits Time Out New York of Charting the Divine Plan: Orra White Hitchcock, at American Folk Art Museum until 14 October. “One case is that of America’s first women botanical and scientific illustrators. The wife of Edward Hitchcock, a professor of natural sciences at Amherst, she created drawings that were used for her husband’s publications and classroom lectures. The results, which in some instances seem to meld into pure abstraction, are visually stunning.” The exhibition “traces Hitchcock’s development from her schoolgirl projects to her career as a teacher and her work as an artist in partnership with her husband... Highlights include pen and ink on cotton renderings of fossil footprints left by five kinds
of ornithicnites, meaning stony bird tracks, a field innovated by Edward Hitchcock and that we know today were made by dinosaurs,” says Antiques and The Arts. The New York Times deems it, “Mushrooms, magma and love in the time of science.” Mark Wallinger: The Human Figure in Space at Jerwood Gallery, Hastings until 7 October, contains “Ingeniously manipulated images and films of people trying to fly or stay airborne, giving a humorous twist to the Icarus myth,” says The Guardian’s Laura Cumming. “[One of the] works recalls the method developed by [1800s photographer] Eadweard Muybridge for capturing instantaneous motion picture, by photographing subjects moving in front of a grid of white thread,” reveals Apollo Art Magazine. “Also on display is Birdman – a series created with cropped images of contestants at the International Birdman competition. The artist explains, “Isolated against the sky, these would-be aeronauts conjure with myth and wilful slapstick, bathos and pathos.”
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THAI-INSPIRED LUXURY ON DUBAI’S ICONIC PALM JUMEIRAH.
Whatever your vision of the perfect vacation – be it a fun family beach holiday, honeymoon romance or just relaxing in beachfront exclusivity Å&#x; $QDQWDUD 7KH 3DOP 'XEDL 5HVRUW RijHUV D XQLTXHO\ OX[XULRXV HVFDSH inspired by Thai exoticism and the heartbeat of Dubai. Unwind in an enchanting Beach Pool Villa, with your very own private LQıQLW\ SRRO 6RDN XS WUDQTXLO $UDELDQ *XOI YLHZV IURP \RXU 2YHU :DWHU 9LOOD 6WHS VWUDLJKW IURP \RXU URRP LQWR WKH FU\VWDO FOHDU ZDWHUV RI RXU VTXDUH PHWUH ODJRRQ SRROV &XOLQDU\ MRXUQH\V H[FLWH ZLWK D PHODQJH RI PRXWKZDWHULQJ IJDYRXUV 7KH SUHVWLJLRXV VDQFWXDU\ RI $QDQWDUD 6SD UHMXYHQDWHV DQG UHQHZV IURP D UDQJH RI LQVSLUDWLRQDO WUHDWPHQWV WR LQGXOJHQW ULWXDOV LQ WKH 7XUNLVK +DPPDP
LIFE IS A JOURNEY. Visit anantara.com
ANANTARA THE PALM DUBAI RESORT P.O. BOX 71607, EAST CRESCENT, PALM JUMEIRAH, DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES T +971 4 567 8888 E resdubaipalm@anantara.com
Critique SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Books
AIR
“B
illy Wilder said Marilyn Monroe was ‘a puzzle without any solution,’ but biographer and novelist Charles Casillo has dug deep with his ex traordinar y biography and finds answers to questions that have haunted Monroe fans for decades,” writes Shelf Awareness of Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon. “This sympathetic biography, with its ex tensive bibliography and detailed notes, is a solid addition to the already vast librar y about the legendar y star,” writes Publishers Weekly. “Casillo occasionally overreaches when applying modern expectations to a different era, but he provides readers with a well-written examination of the mystique of a woman who still fascinates decades af ter her untimely death.” Casillo, say Kirkus Reviews, “focuses a good por tion of the book on her fragile emotional state in these remaining years. She had an obsessive fear of aging and losing her appeal. While not offering much new information, the author thoughtfully re-examines the facts and my ths surrounding the events leading to her death... It is a compelling exploration of a beguiling film icon’s life... and a significant if not quite definitive addition to the ever expanding Monroe literature.” “A field biologist seeks to understand how creatures living in the planet’s ex tremes are coping with climate change,” summarises Kirkus Reviews of Extreme Conservation: Life at the Edges of the World, by Joel Berger. “The author seeks to understand the myriad ways in which animals adapt to change, which ones are successful and which are not and why – and what can we do about it. There is a note of guarded optimism in the final chapter, in which Berger cites conser vation successes while bemoaning the general apathy...
26
For armchair conser vationists, it’s an exper tly guided trip into remote landscapes that will hopefully spur much-needed action.” Publishers Weekly concurs with the opinion of the book’s easy appeal – and its deep impact. “In language by turns lyrical, despairing, and hilariously funny, conser vation biologist Berger relates stories from a life spent studying littleknown animals... His experiences while wearing a bear suit to get closer to the musk ox, to pick one par ticularly delightful example, are pure slapstick. Informative and impassioned, this will be enjoyed by adventurers and environmentalists alike.” Asser ts Steve Donoghue for Open Letters Review, “He is a passionate, eloquent guide to the hinterlands and their suddenly endangered signature inhabitants... describing a world on the cusp of altering beyond recognition – and the ‘ex treme conser vation’ that will soon be necessar y ever ywhere.” Of Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault, Scott F. Parker writes in Minneapolis Star Tribune, “Arsenault’s Ashe is too large a character to be contained in a mere spor t. Tennis, for Ashe, was a means to a rich, engaged life of culture, politics and social reform... Readers will find a rare perspective on a professional athlete in which the spor t does not make the man.” Writes Kirkus Reviews, “The author cracks the puzzle of why Ashe became obsessive about starring in a spor t usually limited to white countr yclub players. In fact, rarely has a biographer unear thed so much detail about a subject’s life during childhood and adolescence.” The Library Journal considers the book, “Masterful... Arsenault’s effor t to document Ashe’s full life in one volume is commendable and will ser ve as the standard work on Ashe for some time.”
EXCEPTIONAL, INDIGENOUS, EXPERIENCE. Experience the alluring, golden desert landscape, the captivating silence of nature, the free-roaming wildlife in the reserve, all enjoyed from your private suite and pool. Indulge in a luxurious desert adventure with camel treks, horseback riding, falconry, archery, dune drives and more.
HOTELS THAT DEFINE THE DESTINATION FOR RESERVATIONS, PLEASE CALL 971 4 832 9900 OR VISIT THELUXURYCOLLECTION.COM/ALMAHA
AIR
Capturing the Imagination Think of any material to combine with a precious gemstone, and the innovative Fabio Salini can make it a contemporary jewellery reality – by appointment only, of course WORDS : CHRIS UJMA 28
Jewellery SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
“I
t isn’t that useful to create jewellery in a traditional way,” declares Italian jeweller Fabio Salini, a man who is passionate about his craft – yet methodical, too. “It’s akin to a painter creating a duplicate of a Raphael masterpiece. If I want to buy a painting that looks like a Raphael, I would invest in an original; jewellery is a form of art, and each piece of art should be conceptual and contemporary. I find that collectors and those who buy jewellery already have traditional pieces in their collection, and are seeking something daring.” One particular post on Salini’s company Instagram account highlights his philosophy. Among the images (that showcase his one-of-a-kind creations) is a short video from Masterpiece Art Fair in London earlier this year. The clip opens on what appears to be a pair of delicate, droplet emerald earrings – before the camera pans to a side profile, revealing a carbon fibre half disc into which the emeralds are set; a high jewellery optical illusion. It is this kind of elegant creation – fine jewellery pieces that challenge expectation – that is emblematic of Salini’s daring creativity, which has garnered homogenous praise from all quarters as being ‘strong; innovative; bold; capolavori (a masterpiece).’ The man behind the pieces first studied geology, specialising in gemmology, and became “hooked by the world of precious stones”. He began his career in the design department of Cartier in Paris, before moving back to his homeland to work for Bulgari. “At that time [the late 1980s/early 1990s] the brand was especially innovative, bold and different – the opposite of Cartier, which represents French tradition with a focus on conservative and classically designed high jewellery,” he outlines. “Bulgari represented an opportunity to work with a brand that was independent, and with a freedom to experiment. I love that Italian craftsmanship and dedication, but after seven years decided it was time to start my operation, in order to express my own tastes and artistic vision. I immediately wanted to be an alternative to the larger brands. When one looks at my jewellery creations, freedom of expression is my signature style.”
Salini’s first collection was unveiled in 1999, and in 2004 he opened an atelier on Via di Monserrato 18 that is located away from Rome’s commercial area, citing a desire “to bring back the experience of obtaining a piece of a jewellery”. The approach he took two decades ago “was unusual at the time – the status quo was to have the typical glass counter – but you can now see an industry-wide emergence of the exclusive experience; a bespoke journey between the client and the designer”. His proficiency means Salini is also sought out for jewellery and gem advice, and he can apprise a jewellery investment or curate a client’s personal collection – that’s aside from purely creating jewellery pieces tailored to their tastes. His avant garde ideas are
fluid, and ever-evolving – as is his business, with plans to open a London based studio, to welcome clients “into his world” when visiting the UK capital. But creative flair is what brings clients to his doorstep in the first place. For a Fabio Salini client, embarking on a personalised journey begins ‘by appointment only’ – however his first high-profile patron reversed that traditional sequence. “It was Queen Rania of Jordan,” he explains. “At that time I was creating jewellery as a hobby, because I had one foot planted in the family’s construction company as I contemplated my next move; in Italy, the family business has a strong influence. However, my family went to Jordan for a high-profile wedding, and 29
When you have to respect someone else’s ideas, you push beyond your own imagination and boundaries AIR
Queen Rania spotted my sister-in-law wearing my jewellery, and enquired about the piece. You could say I embarked on this path because of her.” The best yardstick of his innovation is to contemplate the array of materials he has deployed across his two decades of craftsmanship. “I have combined fine gems with varied combinations such as leather, wood, ceramic, silk, crocodile or stingray leather, ebony, oxidised copper or titanium.” Lately he has worked with carbon fibre – his “latest protagonist” – which Salini explains is much lighter, less fragile and more versatile to work with. “Ordinary pieces would not raise any interest,” he admits with a laugh. “When you create a reputation for crafting special jewellery, the ‘marketing strategy’ becomes word of mouth, communicated by a clique of high society clientele that enjoy a pleasant creative experience. This is how I reached my best clients.” Said clients are aristocratic, high society or royal family members, and the founder admits to being “spoilt” because he only works with the select few – “but that fosters a close kinship; I cultivate those relationships.” These hush-hush projects do not trample across his creative ambitions; on the contrary, Salini reveals that 30
working closely with discerning clients has nourished his output. “I’m sensitive to cultural and artistic events that take place around me, that is a constant pulse,” he notes. “But I am truly inspired by my clients. Thanks to them, I am drawn into creating something that are not solely centred around my vision. The bespoke process has been a continual challenge that has enriched my knowledge, and I have to admit that some of my most intelligent pieces have emerged from my collaborations with clients.” How so? “When you are free, in a way you are limited by what only you can see,” he says, sagely. “When you have to respect someone else’s ideas, you push beyond your own imagination and boundaries – and the results can turn out to be spectacular.” Salini is an artist who is fervent about sharing the story behind each of his creations, and there is no such thing as a ‘past’ or ‘current’ high jewellery collection at his atelier. “Jewellery is the final aesthetic piece that one chooses when assembling an outfit,” he muses. “We’re obligated to wear clothes, but the same isn’t true about jewellery, so each creation must represent a way for the wearer to be unique, and to add a flourish of their own personal expression.”
31
OBJECTS OF DESIRE FINE JEWELLERY
Our pick of the exquisite haute joaillerie showcased at Paris Haute Couture Week 2018
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
MESSIK A
THE K ASHMIR COLLECTION Get a glimpse of these oval cut diamonds up close, and the flowing nature of the design weaves its spell. This collier from the Kashmir Collection is akin to a cloth of diamonds, that drapes seductively around the neck and mimics the free-
flowing nature of garment fabric – a trilliant cut diamond on the side of Valerie Messika’s design even mimics a brooch holding folds of material in place. This is the shape of class – showing off all of its seductive contours. 1
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
LOUIS V UITTON
REGALIA
This high jewellery suite from ‘LV’ dons its crown, encapsulates in its 60 pieces all of the attributes that are associated with royal power. Evocative shapes and forms will be spied by keen observers, who will note the ‘V’ that recurs throughout the set
– the letter symbolising Volute as well as Vuitton. Inlaid diamonds communicate the delicate floral pattern, and the collection continues the art-deco spirit that has been present in collections from Louis Vuitton – one of the gems of Place Vendôme. 2
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
CHANEL
COROMANDEL The Coromandel collection is a high jewellery dynasty. Pieces are inspired by coromandel room dividers once beloved by Coco Chanel herself, upon which were depicted mystical details from Eastern lands. The exotic flora and fauna is
recreated, for example, with this RECTO / VERSO bracelet – crafted from white and yellow gold, and embellished with yellow diamonds, white diamonds, sapphires and onyx. It’s a hint of France meeting details from lands afar. 3
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
PI AGE T
SUNLIGHT ESCAPE Piaget has turned its eyes skywards for its latest high jewellery offerings, summoning the beauty of natural elements such as a starry night, rays of golden sunlight and a celestial parade for the stunning adornments. The earrings above pay
tribute to the aurora, in 18k pink gold set with a cushion-cut greenish-blue tourmaline, green tourmalines and 82 brilliant-cut diamonds. Wood marquetry is also deployed, with 60 individually sawn pieces completing the heavenly effect. 4
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
DIOR
DENTELLE GUIPURE Dior, Dior, Dior is the name of the collection to which this ring belongs, but may well be uttered when seeing this piece up close. Presented at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the pieces have silken-like threads that illuminate
beautiful central stones. “I wanted to capture the sensation of ethereal lightness and the haute couture signature of lace which, like ribbons, silk and draping, is essential to the Dior lexicon,� mused designer Victoire de Castellane. 5
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
BOUCHERON
E TERNAL FLOWERS Boucheron opened its first boutique in 1858, and an anniversary gives rise to a timely celebration of the maison’s ‘free spirit, creation and innovation’. Design processes are a guarded secret, yet the ethos results in pieces such as Eternal Flowers – a collection
that reaffirms nature as inspiration for the jeweller. The beauty and fragility of a fresh bloom are elegantly preserved in pieces like this ring, crafted from titanium, pink gold, black spinel and a mix of padparadscha, purple and orange sapphire. 6
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
C H O PA R D
G I A M B AT T I S TA V A L L I / C O U T U R E W E E K A D O R N M E N T Chopard presents its Haute Joaillerie creations at Paris Couture Week as ‘to highlight the synergies between these two artistic crafts’, says the maison. This season, Giambattista Valli’s models were adorned with Chopard high jewellery,
as a result of a long-standing friendship with Chopard’s artistic director Caroline Scheufele. Among the adornments was this necklace, which incorporates 17 rare, non-oil Colombian emeralds – the largest of which is an 20ct pear-shaped gem. 7
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
VA N C L E E F & A R P E L S
L E P R I N C E E T L’ O I S E A U Hello, who is this gallant prince? A knight, no less – the protagonist of a Van Cleef & Arpels’ figurine that represents a tale of heroism. A congratulatory golden bird is perched on a purple sapphire of 3.18cts, while
the returning victor has mirror polished gold armour, adorned with diamonds using a little-known technique called hammer setting. This enabled artisans to set the stones directly into the metal, resulting in a smooth visage. 8
Timepieces SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Time Travel TARIQ MALIK
S
uitcase packed, passport tucked into your breast pocket, you’re ready to go. There’s only one last detail to consider: Which watch are you going to travel with? The perfect travel watch is versatile enough to wear in both formal and casual settings and, most importantly, has to have a GMT complication – allowing you to conveniently keep track of more than one time zone. There are plenty of fine GMT watches out there, but as a frequent traveller (and a lover of fine watches), as far as I’m concerned the list can be narrowed down to these four choices. Rolex GMT Master II 2018 This timepiece first appeared on the wrists of Pan Am jetliner pilots in 1954. At that time, transcontinental flights were becoming an everyday occurrence, and fliers found themselves in need of a watch that could keep time in different zones. Enter the GMT Master, which became one of the most well-known watches in the world, and has remained popular with discerning jetsetters for decades. At this year’s Baselworld Fair, the ‘Big Crown’ released a brand new GMT Master II with the iconic ‘Pepsi’ bezel style (made with Cerachrom these days, which is far more durable than the original material). The case is stainless steel, with an updated in-house movement; you’ll have to go a long way to find a better GMT complication. Patek Philippe Aquanaut Traveltime 5164 While many consider the Nautilus when it comes to Patek Phillipe,
8605 movement – plus, of course, the GMT time zone function. The colour tones are inspired by the palette of the ocean, and the timepiece is available with an interchangeable classic stainless steel bracelet or a sporty blue rubber strap. Another eye-catching element of this particular Seamaster is the curved crystal and reflective elements on the dial. It provides a nice touch of class to the overall Seamaster ‘diver’s watch’ design ethos. As an added touch, Omega is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this watch to funding projects that preserve the mangroves and seagrasses of Southeast Asia.
there is something to be said for the Aquanaut. While subtly maintaining the famed ‘porthole’ look, the case of the Aquanaut is rounded, and its dial features a dual time zone indicating ‘local’ and ‘home’ time with day and night apertures (white for the day and dark blue for the night), plus a second hand for the ‘local’ travel time. The brushed finish on the bezel – together with the black embossed dial and gold hour markers – provide added elegance. Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT The original Seamaster from 1948 looked more like a dress watch than a dive watch. After 1957 we started to see the now recognisable Seamaster design, and the Planet Ocean series is equipped with Omega’s in-house calibre
The New Tudor GMT Fans of Tudor’s famous Black Bay were delighted to see the new release featuring a GMT function that keeps track of local time, as well as that of two other time zones. Fitted with the Manufacture Calibre MT5652, the watch features a distinctive burgundy and blue bezel. Its overall design is inspired by the brand’s 1950s models, continuing a trend of celebrating all things vintage and authentic. Luminescent hour markers and signature ‘snowflake’ hands provide good legibility even in dim light, and it’s a nice aesthetic touch. As always, Tudor provides plenty of watch for the investment. Dubai’s DIFC is home to Momentum, Tariq’s co-founded vintage watch boutique. momentum-dubai.com 33
Timepieces SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Blue Planet The artisanal GMT Earth has emerged from the Swiss atelier of Greubel Forsey – where this independent watchmaker is getting the attention of the horology world WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
A AIR
dmiring the fantastically modern timepieces by Greubel Forsey, the last place one expects it to have been dreamt up is within a quaint, 17 th century-listed rural farmhouse in La Chaux-de-Fonds. A combination of stone and wooden beams, the heritage building seems better suited to savouring fine cheese with a glass of fine wine, rather than fine watchmaking. That’s before you take a stroll outside. At the rear of the rural building soars cutting edge architecture –a cavernous glass wedge that rises at a 25 degree angle out of the earth; with a gleaming façade and a grass covered, upwardly sloping roof. The juxtaposed architecture captures the ‘past meets present’ ethos that is emblematic of the Greubel Forsey narrative: respectful of the craftsman who have gone before them, but intent on writing their own, modern chapter. ‘The Art of Invention’ is the company tagline, and to hear the origin stories of its founders is to understand that it is a mantra they live by. “My father was an independent watchmaker, and it used to fascinate me to watch him concentrating at his workbench in the evenings,” regales Robert Greubel. “His painstaking work, aiming for absolute perfection, very quickly kindled a desire in me to become a watchmaker”. Adds Stephen Forsey, “For me, it was the notion of time, and being able to measure it that had me hooked from a young age. Watchmaking is a remarkable combination of mechanics, science, and art that you don’t find in any other discipline.” There was paternal influence for Forsey, too. “My grandfather was an automotive engineer, and my dad is a historic car enthusiast, so my environment was very technical and mechanical as I was growing up. The great masters of watchmaking from the 17 th to the 19th centuries are also a constant source of inspiration for me.”
34
Greubel goes a step to further to cite the late Günter Blümlein as a prominent inspiration. “He was a visionary leader in the watchmaking industry, who influenced me the most. His rare work ethic and strong character meant that he was – and always will be – my mentor,” he says, touchingly. “I met Robert for the first time in 1992 when I joined his team at Renaud & Papi,” explains Forsey. “Even then, he demonstrated unbridled passion and great creativity. We realised that we shared the same spirit and vision regarding the future of fine watchmaking.” When the pair embarked upon their own venture in 2004, the choice to become an independent watchmaker – rather than backed by a conglomerate – was the natural path for them to take. “I’ve always been driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, and I wanted to be completely free to bring my ideas to life in concrete form – that’s the only way forward if you want to create authentic and uncompromising timepieces,” says Greubel. Forsey concurs. “I’ve often heard it said that everything’s already been done in watchmaking. That’s not true at all, and Robert and I have focused on innovation and research ever since we started. We knew it would be an uphill struggle, and staying independent was the only way we could reach our goals.” The space-age Atelier is mission HQ for those creative endeavours. “It is an indispensable ‘tool’ for all our developments,” explains Forsey. The Atelier was conceptualised as a big, open space from the outset. “All the teams are housed here under one roof: researchers, mechanics, hand-finishers, watchmakers, and the Unique Piece workshop,” he elaborates. “This open structure helps forge a strong team spirit by encouraging dialogue and exchange, and it
35
Timepieces SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
AIR
We took up a significant challenge to create a comprehensive, three-dimensional view of the globe makes both horizontal and vertical transfer of knowledge and skills much smoother and easier.” It is the birthplace for timepieces like the GMT Earth – a stunning 36.4mm timepiece with three patents, limited to just 33 in existence. Echoing Forsey’s earlier remark, Greubel Forsey’s latest act of wonder certainly has not ‘been done before’ in watchmaking. “We took up a significant challenge with the GMT Earth,” explain the founders, “which was to create a comprehensive, three-dimensional view of the terrestrial globe, from the North to South Poles.” The extraordinary 360° view of the world was achieved by “judiciously recreating a new architecture for both movement and case,” while extensive use of sapphire crystal allows for easy admiration of the visual complexity. “Working with this complex material takes consummate skill, which we have acquired over many years of research and practical application”, they explain. It’s also possible to see three separate time zones simultaneously to within a quarter of an hour; on the movement side of the timepiece, 24 time zones are displayed with the summer and winter times to complement the universal time indicated by the globe – which is not the only three-dimensional element in the timepiece. 36
This visual engagement first appears at the highest point of the dial, with the hour, minute and small seconds indications. The gaze then glides gently downwards, taking in the GMT indication with its triangular red hand, followed by the power reserve indication displayed by a long, slender hand. Finally, the observer’s eyes come to rest on the lowest part of the mainplate, which shows the globe alongside its heartbeat – the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, which is Greubel Forsey’s third invention (it has seven, thus far). “A true luxury object is at the top of what Man is able to do artistically, intellectually and manually at one point,” says Forsey, and the tourbillon is certainly representative of that, using a fast rotation speed and inclined angle to solve the problem of critical positions of the oscillator in relation to gravity. It is a prime example of how his co-founded company packs in plenty to please both the pioneer (technically sophisticated watchmaking) and the purist (a twist on classic movements such as the tourbillon, and an exquisite approach to traditional hand-finishing). In a time where watchmaking connoisseurs clamour for innovation and fresh instances of awe, Greubel Forsey has delivered the world on a mainplate.
37
Art & Design SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
The Making of Frida An exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London promises an “intimate insight” into the life of celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
AIR
WORDS: OLIVIA CUTHBERT
F
rida Kahlo’s face, familiar from her self-portraits and for many as much a part of her art as the paintings she produced, is visible across London this summer. Book shops, art stores and high-street fashion outlets have emblazoned her image across shop windows – on posters, T-shirts, coffee mugs and cushion covers – feeding the craze for all-things Frida from a public eager to embrace the artistic icon. It is 64 years after she died aged 47, and Kahlo’s legacy as Mexico’s most famous female painter sits alongside her cult status as a feminist rulebreaker, someone who made an art form of subverting convention, on canvas and in life. It’s the latter that has been brought to the fore in a new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in West London, where a display of clothes and artefacts from the Blue House, her home in Coyoacán, Mexico City, offer a deeper insight into the world of Kahlo. “She is someone who really embraced life and was not afraid to show herself as she wanted to be,” says Ana Baeza Ruiz, the exhibit’s research assistant. That much is evident from the 200 38
items on display; beginning with her prosthetic leg, its laced leather boot a vivid reminder of her refusal to be defined by injury, and the corsets she wore to support her spine, each elaborately decorated by her own hand. A cabinet filled with stoppered glass medicine bottles and packets of painkillers is showcased alongside symbols of the life she seized and celebrated – her Shalimar perfume, Revlon lipstick and crimson nail varnish offering a glimpse into the physical identity she cultivated. In the next gallery, pieces of Kahlo’s jewellery glint behind glass, the chunky jade stones of one necklace smattered with paint from her brush and her colourful dresses triumphantly displayed on a podium in the centre. This is the first time many of these items, locked away for 50 years after her death in 1954, have been exhibited outside Mexico and the rush on tickets is testament to the thirst for a fresh perspective on Kahlo’s personal life. Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up allows visitors access to “visual evidence of the life of the artist, 3D objects that tell her story”, says Ruiz. These are things we’ve read about in books or seen
in photographs, but are only now on display half a century later, she adds. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, six weeks after it opened in mid-June, the exhibition is still heaving and even with staggered time-slots, viewers have to queue for a close look at the photographs chronicling her early years. There’s Kahlo as a chubbycheeked toddler, beribboned and clutching a doll, followed by her as a teenager, graceful in a sleek satin shift, and more beautiful than she ever portrayed herself in paintings. Even as an awkward teenager, her demeanour is arresting. Meeting her some years later in the US, photographer Edward Weston observed: “She causes much excitement on the streets of San Francisco. People stop in their tracks to look in wonder.” Her much-discussed monobrow, picked out in the self portraits, is often cited as the defining feature of her androgyny, but Kahlo’s gender fluidity was more variously expressed. “In general, I have the face of the opposite sex,” she said, contrasting the features she found masculine with ornate gold jewellery and full-skirted dresses one day, a three-piece suit the next.
39
AIR
Opening pages: Frida Kahlo in blue satin blouse, 1939. © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives Opposite: Frida Kahlo on a bench, carbon print, 1938, photo by Nickolas Muray. © The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20 th Century Mexican Art and The Verge,Nickolas Muray Photo Archives
Clothes were important to Kahlo and she used them as a means of social and cultural commentary, often choosing the traditional costume of the Tehuanas, a matriarchal Mexican society, to emphasise her independence and support for indigenous peoples. The display of these and other items from her wardrobe forms the centrepiece of the exhibition – bold ensembles that draw on her proudly publicised mixed heritage. Her enthusiasm for elaborate outfits was not always for an audience; she often dressed up when she was stuck at home, suffering from the injury and illness that dogged her life, first as a child with polio and later in bus crash that almost killed her. Kahlo was travelling back from school in 1925 when a streetcar collided with a trolley, causing a metal handrail to pierce her abdomen, shattering her pelvis and leaving her in chronic pain for the rest of her life. It was during her convalescence, confined to bed for months on end, that she began to paint in earnest, using a specially made easel with a mirror overhead. Throughout her life she underwent 32 operations to try and fix the damage, spending long periods recovering in her room. “I paint myself because I am so often alone and 40
because I am the subject I know best,” she once said. Kahlo channeled her suffering into art, using painting to transform her everyday reality. Even the orthopaedic corsets she wore – rigid, suffocating structures to support her weakened frame – became canvases, which she refashioned with drawings and objects from her life and imagination. This was a time of turbulence in Mexico, following the ousting of dictator Porfirio Diaz in 1910 and the rise of a revolutionary government that promised to bring about better lives for ordinary working people. Kahlo voiced her support for these ideals through the art she collected – narrative pieces known as votive paintings or retablos, which were popular alternatives to the high art of the privileged classes and the avant-garde movements sweeping through Europe at the time. The new Ministry of Education argued in favour of “a Mexican art, public and accessible to all”, and endorsed the rise of a new movement known as the Mexican muralists, whose leading light Diego Rivera was the man Kahlo would marry. A photograph of the couple on their wedding day in 1929 shows Kahlo aged 22 next to the overweight 43-year-old Rivera, accompanied by her father’s description of their union
as “the marriage between an elephant and a dove”. Though madly in love, the couple’s stormy marriage brought Kahlo much pain and she later said “I suffered two grave accidents in my life… One in which a streetcar knocked me down and the other was Diego.” Art became a way of processing those experiences: “Art and life were not separate things for her,” says Ruiz. “There was an intensity with which she embraced life and I think art was one expression of that.” For much of her career, Kahlo stood in the shadow of her famous husband and it wasn’t until 1938, about 12 years after she began painting, that she participated in her first exhibition. Part of her contemporary appeal stems from this struggle to assert her talent independently. “She had to fight for her place as an artist in a world that was very much dominated by men,” Ruiz says, pointing to the frank, unflinching way she portrayed issues affecting women in her paintings. “She was someone who dealt in her paintings with imagery that spoke about women’s experience in ways that no one had attempted before… it’s no surprise that she has been embraced by feminists and especially the younger generations today.”
41
42
Photo by Richard Corman, courtesy of Ralph Lauren
AIR
The Original Influencer
The 50 th anniversary of Ralph Lauren is a time of proud reflection, says its suave brand founder. Yet in sharing the success story, his timeless style philosophies become #goals for a new generation WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
I
t began not with his famed Polo shirt, but with a set of neckties. Even at 16, Ralph Lauren had an entrepreneurial spirit: working in a department store in New York, the young man from the Bronx approached his boss about designing a line of ties. “The world isn’t ready for Ralph Lauren,” his superior retorted. “I never forgot that,” says Lauren. “I took it as a compliment.” Five decades on, his global empire is celebrating its half-century anniversary, and a major milestone is always a pertinent moment to revisit the building blocks of a brand’s success. However, laced into the Ralph Lauren tale, one can recognise the DNA that will carry the company into the digital era. Every major fashion house is navigating the same uncharted terrain of social media, and Ralph Lauren is no different, seeking to organically entice a new legion of followers the way it has appealed to an existing client base. It is no exaggeration to note that the style sensibilities of Generation X have evolved with the brand’s own growth; Ralph Lauren’s lifestyle offerings have provided them a wardrobe of brand apparel for every occasion and environment – be it laid-back, sports focused or more refined.
“At the height of the ‘Casual Friday’ phenomenon when men started dressing down, I decided there should be a new level of luxury in men’s fine tailoring, sportswear and furnishings,” he explains, in our exclusive interview. The Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt was the game changer, created in 1970, and so named because it alluded to an elite lifestyle (also because the sports-mad founder “couldn’t call it basketball”, he has joked). It is a wardrobe staple, “worn by everyone from royalty to rappers. It’s become an icon of classic American style and everyone has their personal story”, says the founder. The company comprises a number of divisions – the high end Purple Label, for one, “created to stand for the best of the best. I chose to appear in the launch advertising campaign in 1994 because I felt it expressed my personal commitment to that kind of quality”, he discloses. The womenswear line was launched in 1972, while he became the first fashion designer to launch a home collection. Each of his lines has been refreshed and revamped over time, and an aspirational ethos underpins every Ralph Lauren project – ‘taking inspiration from New England’s rusticity, the West’s natural beauty, and Hollywood’s glamour’. 43
AIR
A tidy tale of triumph it may be, but Instagrammers and their ilk are independent, expressive trendsetters, who recoil at being labelled a ‘target audience’ – plus a brand’s legacy isn’t a mitigating factor when it comes to accruing precious ‘likes’. Yet despite the six decades that separate an everyouthful Ralph Lauren from the new wave (he was born in 1939), his brand can communicate on 2018 terms. How? Well, it is looking to appeal to a younger audience, but unflappable Ralph Lauren is not looking to sell his company’s soul – and the founder’s authenticity is precisely what fosters brand loyalty. “I have never chased specific customers,” he remarks. “I have always created the things I believed 44
in and shared them through my design aesthetic, unique retail experiences and special marketing messages.” His confidence in creating a strong narrative for classic clothing with functionality is what makes the brand one of the most reliably relevant. Ralph Lauren is a visionary, and while his success story took slightly longer to unfold than an Instagram story, his style mantras are ubiquitous; the RL ideology remains relevant – and over 10 million followers on social media would seem to agree. “I am always aware of what’s happening. You have to listen, watch, and be thoughtful about what’s going on in the world,” he muses. “On the other hand I do believe in my instincts and will never forfeit
what I believe in for the trends of the moment. It’s not about what’s going on, it’s about where it’s going.” The founder cites the launch of Ralph Lauren Country in the early 1990s as an example of his ethos. “I ran with an image of a romantic white barn. I felt it stood for the spirit of the collection. I have always been about creating a world and inviting all kind of people to share in it.” That lesson translates to today, he explains, because “the influence of ‘streetwear’ seems to be replacing any one designer’s message, particularly to the younger consumer. Well, I have always been inspired by living, and by the way people live and dress uptown and downtown. Living the best life you can is what matters most to me.”
45
46
AIR
On that front, Ralph Lauren’s own realm is downright desirable, often typified as The American Dream. The rags to riches fable means he is down to earth: his philanthropic commitments know no end, he is a dedicated family man, and though his Colorado-based Ralph Lauren Ranch could invoke some serious Insta-envy, he remains private. Moreover, he always looks so damn cool – and to rub salt in the wound, his effortless taste is seemingly innate. “The sense of ‘what looks good’ evolved for me over time, but I had a sense of style in the way I dressed which was very different from my friends that I grew up with in the Bronx,” he reveals. “Early on I was wearing buttondown shirts with the sleeves rolled up and cuffed jeans with lace-up shoes. I was always drawn to the beauty of utility in both clothes and objects and eventually cars. I liked quality and timeless style – things that had an intrinsic integrity in their design.” Who did he hold admire, fashionwise? “I was inspired by people that I met, like my English professor who wore tweed jackets with elbow patches and smoked a pipe, or Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who I passed on the street when I was in my twenties and was awed by the sophistication of every detail of his look. I’m inspired by movies, and music and places that I travel to, but sometimes those places were just in
my imagination. I developed an eye for what looked good to me and it was always about things that last, things that get better with age – style, not fashion.” Ralph Lauren has successfully translated these idiosyncratic notions to a multinational corporation. “I have great teams of employees all over the world, led by passionate individuals who work in design, retail, marketing, publicity, finance and operations who understand and share my vision to inspire a better life through authenticity and a timeless kind of style,” he praises. And though he stepped down as CEO in 2015, Ralph Lauren works with them “every day, to make sure everything we do – our collections, our stores, our advertising shares our world. To be celebrating our 50th anniversary with all of them and all of our customers around the world is evidence of our commitment and love for what we do”. When pressed for a sentence to define each 10-year portion of success so far, “It would be the same for each decade,” Ralph answers, without missing a beat: “Stay true to yourself.” It is a simple yet enduring concept that can define 50 more years of style – and it is a belief that will resonate with a new generation of individuals, intent on honing their own personal ‘brand’. After all, consider choice fragments of Ralph Lauren’s interview answers: “I had no idea what a designer was, but
I have never chased specific customers. I have always created the things I believed in and shared them through my design aesthetic, unique retail experiences and special marketing messages I always knew I had something to say”; “I had a passion inside of me. At an early age I couldn’t have defined what it was and where it would take me”; “Believe in yourself and the world will always be ready for you.” They could easily be the lofty mission statements of a fearlessly fashionable (self-aware) social media emergent. But they are self-assured remarks from an accomplished, inspirational style icon, with multiple awards and five decades of authority. He has been there, done that, got the Polo shirt. Make no mistake, internet: Ralph Lauren is the original influencer. 47
Beyond the Screen
To the public, progressive acting roles, stylish sensibility and humanitarian endeavours define the legacy of Audrey Hepburn. Yet to those who knew her, she was just as entrancing behind-the-scenes
AIR
WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
48
49
AIR
T
erry O’Neill is a pre-eminent 1960s photographer, and given all he has witnessed (and documented) of the style and celebrities from that trailblazing decade, a conversation with the great man is an assurance of anecdotal dynamite. Yet, as is the case with his most recognisable works, today the focus is not on O’Neill himself. (That suits him just fine; “I’m a reportage photographer, and I just like fading into the background,” he admits). On the agenda instead is one particular person of interest from the illustrious coterie of stars whom he photographed. Over the years, O’Neill has worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Roger Moore, Michael Caine and Brigitte Bardot, yet it is Audrey Hepburn who was the protagonist for some of the memorable captures in this photographer’s career portfolio. His photographs of her are justly being revisited this month, as part of a new exhibition – Audrey Hepburn: Beyond the Screen, showing at Proud Galleries in London; contributing photographs also include those of photography experts Douglas Kirkland, Mark Shaw and Norman Parkinson. “I first met and worked with Audrey Hepburn on the set of the film How to Steal a Million, which originally was called How to Steal a Million Dollars and Live Happily Ever After, directed by the great William Wyler and costarring Peter O’Toole,” recalls O’Neill of his first encounter with Hepburn in 1965. He settles into storytelling mode. “By that time, I was quite familiar with the workings of a film-set and knew what the papers wanted. She never had a problem with having photographers around – she is probably one of the most photographed actresses in history, after all. Shortly after, I was on the set of her next film, Two for the Road, which co-starred Albert Finney.” Nearly a decade separated them in age, and by then Hepburn was no fledgling actress; by the point she had already won the Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday, and had already portrayed Holly Golightly in the memorable Breakfast at Tiffany’s; “By the time I worked with her in the mid 1960s, she was already well familiar with working with photographers,” he
50
says. “Some of Parkinson’s photos at this Proud exhibition are from the early 1950s, after all.” Yet she was far from done and dusted in terms of her visual legacy; among O’Neill’s photographs of her are some that are best remembered as being ‘quintessential Audrey’. Listening to O’Neill’s insight, it is clear that the candid photos arose from their excellent rapport. “She was a real professional, a true star. But she did have a very fun side, too – and I was able to capture images of Audrey ‘at play’, if you will. The impromptu cricket match we had on the set, a game of table tennis, that sort of thing. She was a lot of fun. It was easy to make her laugh. She was a wonderful person – and it is true – she couldn’t take a bad photo.”
It was easy to make her laugh. She was a wonderful person – and it is true – she couldn’t take a bad photo Opening pages: Audrey at Home on the Sun Lounger, 1954 by Mark Shaw Below: Hepburn getting into the Paramount Studios car, 1953, by Bob Willoughby Opposite: Hepburn in 1955, by Norman Parkinson
51
AIR
This observation is evident once you begin to pore over O’Neill’s infamous snaps of Hepburn: playing with a makeshift cricket bat in front of driftwood stumps; in a portrait with director William Wyler; elegantly lounging poolside in a 1950s fluffy swimcap; the epitome of purity, with a white dove perched on her shoulder. “A story springs to mind about that last photo,” he smiles. “I was on the set of Two for the Road, and they were filming a scene when suddenly a dove landed perfectly on her shoulder. It was all unplanned – it just landed there,” says O’Neill, with delight. “Now, normally you’d shoo the bird off straight away, as an impulse. But Hepburn instinctively knew she was being photographed and stood still
52
for a few seconds (snap), looked up (snap), and smiled (snap) and then the dove flew away. Of my photos of Audrey, these are my favorites; Audrey understood what makes a great image.” I ask O’Neill what he believes set his portrayal of her apart from the photographs taken by others at the time. “Parkinson and Douglas Kirkland have their terrific portraits of Audrey,” he explains, “And I think my photos represent her life on-set, in front of two cameras – both mine and the film directors. She was very relaxed in front of the camera and always knew when a lens was pointed in her direction. She responded to the camera with great ease.” O’Neill’s impeccable timing is another major component to the pictures’
success, though; his captures of her mannerisms seldom look staged, and while he has his share of polished shots from the studio, there are also enlightening ‘real life’ stills too. Candind moments such as Hepburn splish splashing about in a swimming pool between takes, tongue mischievously sticking out, her pixie bob ruffled and slightly damp. “Everything has changed. It’s not the same anymore – there is no accessibility to celebrity and when there is, you still have to go through 100s of rounds of approvals and retouching,” O’Neill says, putting into context the visual gold that mark of photo is for us to behold. “When I started, celebrities, whether that was a musician or actor, really counted on photographers like me to help them get their pictures in the papers or magazines. When a new band had a new song out – for example – I’d be called to take some photos to run in the papers to help promotion. That’s how people found out about new records or new films. Now it’s very, very different. I don’t think I’d enjoy it today so much. I was lucky… I was at the right place at the right time,” he considers. The images are a window into the life of a cultural icon ‘beyond the screen,’ as the exhibition title posits. “I always thought of myself as a journalist with a camera who happened to work with stars,” O’Neill remarks, when considering the cultural resonance of his snaps. “I was trying to tell stories with my pictures – to get behind the scenes, out to the streets, backstage, or when the film-cameras weren’t rolling – to capture the moments I was witnessing. I think the images today – when you look back at my work – and my fellow photographers work – from the 1960s especially, show a very happy and carefree decade, when young people were all given the chance to make their mark.” Happier or not, it is undeniable that the era is a zeitgeist of style, with fashionistas looking back on the time as a source of inspiration and invention. Audrey Hepburn is one of the leader’s of that vanguard, exuding her effortless aesthetic (and charm) – “She was as elegant as they get,” O’Neill enthuses. Hepburn was ever the dreamer, and though she is looked up to for her stylish
Opposite: Hepburn With Dove, in 1966, by Terry O’Neill Left: Audrey Hepburn, 1955 by Norman Parkinson
The beauty in a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair,’ she once said. ‘It is reflected in her soul’
aplomb, it was a concept she readily dismissed; “The beauty in a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair,” she once said, when alive. “The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart; the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring... that she shows, and the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years,” is another sentiment Hepburn expressed over the years, in different ways. “I think she has become a timeless icon because, in many ways, she always
was one. There was something just very natural about her – the way she was on-stage or on film – she had a mass appeal, for people of all ages, both men and women,” O’Neill adds, sincerely. “She had a very elegant sense of style and she stood by that elegance her whole life. It is hard to come across anyone who doesn’t love Audrey.” Audrey Hepburn: Beyond the Screen showcases photographs of the style icon by Terry O’Neill and others. It shows at Proud Central, London, until 30 September. proudonline.co.uk/exhibitions 53
54
AIR
Hidden depths
The beauty of modest style is viewed through its cultural nuances at Contemporary Muslim Fashions in San Francisco – and the exhibition dissolves a few stereotypes about this style segment, along the way WORDS : CHRIS UJMA
55
AIR
T
here’s a fascinating sequence of photographs that opens the accompanying catalogue for de Young’s Contemporary Muslim Fashions exhibition in San Francisco. The symbolic visuals show a variety of Muslim women in contrasting scenarios: snapped on a city sidewalk, wearing funky palazzo pants teamed with a baseball cap that is perched atop a headscarf; sitting at the bow of an abra on a river crossing, securely fastened hijab billowing in the wind; styled for a Vogue photoshoot in resplendent, yet modest, couture; a young girl engaged in sport, hoisting a javelin while covered in flexible athletic garb. In two pages, this collage captures the pervasive nature of modern-day modest fashion, and shows the versatility of the emergent, stylish clothing – be it worn to walk down the jetty onto waterborne public transport, or to confidently strut the fashion week catwalk. “There are about two billion Muslims around the world right now, half of whom are women – so we obviously couldn’t include each of their stories in this exhibition,” says co-curator Laura Camerlengo, with a laugh. “We have chosen to snapshot the genre, detailing what’s happening in modest fashion now, with a focus on the areas of the world where consumers are wearing high fashion modest garments.” Globally the apparel industry is worth around USD2.4tr, cites Camerlengo, and global brands have awakened to the size of the market for modest fashion – “around USD44bn per year, or 18 percent of the USD243bn spent by all Muslim consumers on clothing”. In the past decade, the combination of highly stylish dress has combined with varying degrees of body coverage to become one of the most pervasive international fashion stories. “It was something that was interesting for us to track as researchers as far back as several years ago,” Camerlengo admits. “We set up Google keyword 56
Niendandit invendem facit fugitiis alibus dignimp oreped quiatur? Qui amentota quid molupti omnimi, nobitiberum core alerts, and you could see the exponential increase in press coverage of the topic every single day.” Her co-curator, Jill D’Alessandro, has spoken of “the great symbiosis between international/mainstream fashion and modest fashion. The fashions now being showcased in magazines are designs that could be adapted by people who are interested in modest fashion. We see the trend for oversized power suits, floor-length coats, long-sleeve flowing gowns and also that big trend for gender neutral clothing and swaddling layers”. Coverage of the body is nothing new, of course. Camerlengo points out “the long history of clients, particularly from the Middle East, going to the couture houses and asking for designs that are adapted to their needs. This has been especially noticeable since the second half of the 20th century. It is true to the spirit of haute couture that there’s a willingness to modify garments to suit clients, and we also see its effects through top European and American design houses, which are curating clothing to suit the needs of young professional women.” Top designers around the world not only offer select modest pieces, but have adapted current styles – “altering the hem or neckline, closing a slit in a skirt, adding sleeves, or
substituting sheer fabric with an opaque fabric. And houses like Oscar de la Renta, for example, release limited edition collections for the holidays of Ramadan and Eid, she cites. The way that modest fashion has been covered in the media, though, is a real seismic shift – not only due to it popularity, but for its rich cultural narrative and multiple story arcs. Mainstream media is playing catchup in this case, though; the Muslim community broke the story first. “In the early 2000s, pioneering Muslim bloggers told me that they began sharing their thoughts on social media because mainstream media outlets lacked the diversity to cover the topic,” Camerlengo explains. “What we’re seeing now is that along with the increased diversity of the fashion industry, social media and blogs are used as a personal medium for discussion about contemporary fashion, and as a positive tool for social change. The women I spoke to use their style choices to comment on gender, racial and religious inequalities, issues in sustainability and ethical production, and other concerns. It is interesting how the fashion can be an interpolator for all of these issues.” The exhibition deftly manages to communicate the cerebral, thought-provoking side behind the aesthetic – and that the showcase is hosted in a Western country also carries some significance. “From an American or Western perspective, the modest fashions worn by Muslim women have often been painted as a monochromatic picture. However, Islam is a multiethnic religion shaped by diverse and changing cultures,” Camerlengo enthuses. “So I’m hoping that people come away from the exhibition with an appreciation for that diversity and for the creativity among the designers.” This message is gently diffused simply by walking the gallery, to admire the garments on display.
57
Opening pages: Melinda Looi for Melinda Looi, photography by Sebastian Kim Previous pages: Faiza Bouguessa, twoTone Crepe Snood, 70˚ Collection 2014, courtesy of the artist; photography by Langston Hues, Untitled, Putra Jaya, Malaysia, 2013 - 2015. Courtesy of the artist Left: Raşit Bağzıbağlı for Modanida, ‘Desert Dream’ ensemble SS18, image courtesy of Raşit Bağzıbağlı and Modanisa Opposite: Mary Katrantzou skirt and shirt, Malone Souliers shoes, December 2017, Photo by Brian Daly, Worn by Raquel Pascual at Milk. All images courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
AIR
Gender, racial and religious inequalities... It is interesting how modest fashion can be an interpolator for all sorts of issues “The first room shows beautiful high fashion looks in tones of black and white: we are being very up front to an American audience that this show will challenge the conventional notion that pervades our popular culture and press: that all women who cover are clothed in dark swathes of fabric,” she says. “This room is the first touchstone with these glamorous, defying looks from around the world.” Not every Muslim woman around the world covers, and the exhibit addresses this point well, primarily through photography – including documentary and fashion photography as well as artist responses. “Ours is a broad survey for observers to get a sense of how diverse Muslim communities are, and what the various styles of covering are,” the curator explains. Modest fashion indeed serves as a canvas; a sleek, black abaya (discreetly embellished with rhinestones) from the Middle East could not contrast more with a kaleidoscopic version of baju kurung – a Malaysian female’s national dress. “Designs respond to mainstream fashion trends but are also influenced by their regional aesthetics. One area of the exhibition focuses on Indonesia, which is the largest Muslim majority country in the world, with a rich 58
textile heritage such as batik dying and weaving. Designers there opt for modesty – long sleeves, long fabrics etc – yet incorporate national motifs and fabrics from Indonesian culture really beautifully,” Camerlengo details. “Another example is the Middle East, where designers live transcontinental lifestyles and have been educated in the United States and Europe. As such, they draw from a variety of influences and offer new interpretations of the abaya. You can see international trends such as the materials of French couture, blended with the tradition of diverse folk costume. It is modest fashion being interpreted in new ways.” The ever-evolving landscape is shaped by these acts of individuality, and it led to Camerlengo and her colleagues to shun the retrospective, instead putting on a show that pulses with sociopolitical life. For that, the de Young experts immersed in the community when piecing the project together; the Bay Area itself has a sizable Muslim audience of around 250,000. “A lot of the designers in the exhibition are women between their mid-20s and mid-30s, and it has been really nice to see what my peers all around the world are creating,” she says. “But aside from international conversations, we reached out to the
Muslim community in the area and it was especially interesting to learn of their experiences being Muslim women in the United States.” Did Camerlengo, a New York native, learn anything new in these discussions – despite her topical expertise? “Style secrets,” she says with a smile. “Modest fashion can be viewed from the more serious academic level, but there’s an enjoyable dynamic of getting to know people with an interest in beauty and fashion, who share tips on where they’re shopping or ideas for putting together a ‘look’. That bonding was refreshing, for an academic who spends a lot of time in the library,” she laughs. It is clear that the organisers have taken a respectful and inclusive approach – very much like the fashion itself. “Central to the exhibition is this idea that modesty, and the way the body is dressed as presented as modest, is being defined by the individual,” Camerlengo emphasises. “As curators we aren’t deeming ‘this is modest, and this isn’t’. The participants in the exhibition are the ones selfidentifying as a modest dresser, based on their own barometer of modesty.” Contemporary Muslim Fashions shows until 6 January 2019 at de Young Museum in San Francisco. For more information, visit deyoung.famsf.org
59
AIR
SINGULAR BEAUTY Chanel couture takes months to painstakingly craft, exudes timeless elegance and is utterly unique. Entrusting Cathleen Naundorf to document its archive was an inspired move by the maison: her analogue photographs radiate with the very same aura WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
‘M
agic’ is a word that Cathleen Naundorf utters multiple times in conversation, when talking about Chanel (and her French-German accent twist adds further fancy, when such a moment occurs). It’s little wonder that the photographer reaches for the word so often, to quantify the je ne sais quoi of her craft; mystical backdrops, ethereal gowns and precision timing are the ingredients for alchemy in Naundorf’s visual fairytales. For 15 years, the photographer has been afforded exclusive access to select from Chanel’s couture archives, handpicking gowns that she then depicts against theatrical – “magical” – backdrops of her own design. Chanel keeps an archive of each of its unique, handcrafted efforts – that is, if a prestigious client has not yet swooped in to acquire the piece from the back catalogue. Its vault is a thread that runs through the history of the maison. “There’s a value in dresses that were made 10, 20, 30 years ago,” she says. “One mustn’t think of couture as ‘last season’, therefore it is not relevant. There’s a timelessness; a beautiful dress is always and forever a beautiful dress.” The maison allowed her to photograph any dress she wanted to, anywhere she wanted to. It was “a big
60
opportunity,” she admits. “I was given permission to take important, historic pieces – some of which that had never been photographed or documented.” Faced with decades of artisanship could have proved daunting, but Naundorf was well-prepared, having spent two decades in Paris “as an ever-present at fashion weeks, meaning I knew Chanel’s collections very well. Yet I still had to dive in to really understand the house,” she coyly admits. Poring over a portfolio of the resulting visuals (which one can do, with the publishing of Women of Singular Beauty: Chanel Haute Couture, by Rizzoli), it is surprising to learn that initially, fashion was not her photographic vocation. “I’m not a fashion photographer; I’m a photographer; a storyteller,” she says, breezily. “I began as a photojournalist who travelled to Mongolia, lived with Kazak people, visited tribes hunting with eagles and learned of shamans living in Siberia – so I don’t see myself as limited to fashion.” It was the tutelage of photography great Horst P. Horst that channelled her toward documenting fashion, and shaping her storytelling ability to the nuances of couture. Horst himself photographed Madame Coco Chanel in
61
AIR
the 1930s, when working for French and American Vogue – and he turned Naundorf on to the large format photography technique that sets her apart in the field. “I work with a large format camera, and Polaroid material – there is nothing digital,” she explains. “My classic, analogue approach produces one picture; each Polaroid is singular; meaning there is just one photo of a scenario, not a reel. It harks to back to the time of Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and Horst – my mentor.” The starkness between digital photography and analogue “is like the difference between Prêt-à-Porter and haute couture, or between something that is natural or something plastic,” Naundorf says, with slight disdain. “If you go to a tailor and they make your outfit, then it is made for you by hand, where the folds created by a human, and the soul of the work are evident. You have to take time to discover beauty, and when you’re in front of an original Polaroid photograph you see that reality.” Naundorf’s unique photography approach – combined with purity for communicating the beauty of Chanel couture – is what has forged a lasting relationship with Chanel’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld. She believes she speaks to his own imagination. “Chanel has given me the luxury of time – a rarity nowadays. That patience derives from trust, and Karl’s confidence that for every dress and each photograph, I will uphold the ‘code’ of Chanel in the resulting image.” She admits to being closer to the designers and the embroiderers in the atelier “than fraternising with those on the frontline of ‘bling’.” Her affinity with these artisans derives from the designers “understanding that I am there for the dresses, and am passionate about every aspect. Haute couture represents freedom for designer, using the dress to depict their dreams, knowledge, and know-how”. A good picture should tell that story, she says, and is the reason she takes command of everything, from set design, hair and makeup, to crafting drawings of the storyboard. “To be honest I am actually more akin to a film director,” Naundorf says with a chuckle. 62
One mustn’t think of couture as ‘last season’. There’s a timelessness; a beautiful dress is always and forever a beautiful dress
Opening pages: Magico, 2008 Above: Homage to Horst P. Horst, 2008 Opposite: The White Garden, 2009. Overleaf: The Mirror I by Cathleen Naundorf 2008, Chanel haute couture; Cathleen Naundorf’s Chanel Diary, page 2
63
64
AIR
As such, a photograph of hers can take years to come to fruition. “Each dress from the archive fits a ‘story’ that I have written in my mind, yet it can take up to six months to hand paint the set design backdrops.” Naundorf is obsessive with details. Each of her scenes is meticulously pre-planned: “It begins with my sketch book, a collage of drawings and ideas, before evolving into a mood board that details every precise element of the scene and its occupants. When the details are pulled together on set, the magic takes over. When a series of tweaks are combined, the result is a “trick in the moment”; the ideal image. I compare it to cinema; it is a long run to create one great series of moments.” The chapters of the Rizzoli
book are replete with such narratives. ‘Golden Times’, for example, shows the photographs of a gold collection that was inspired by Russia, relating to the 1920s and the golden era of Coco Chanel. Another set of images pair the dresses with the backdrop of the Grand Palais – from the rooftop, no less. In all, it has been a perfect, lasting partnership, where Naundorf has not been hemmed in by instruction, and the maison has been rewarded with the beautiful imagery such freedom bears. “Chanel is a dream house; the house of legend,” she remarks. “For all who work there, style is a way of life, and a passion. They are not working for just a ‘brand’. For 15 years, I’ve shared that passion.” Her worldwide group of high-profile collectors is diverse, including both
museums and individuals, yet they share a common love for Naundorf’s work – the clear symbolism between her signature technique and the subject matter. “The haute couture dress is only one-of-a-kind, as is the one photograph,” Naundorf says. “For art collectors, the appeal is being able to obtain an original Polaroid handprint. A black and white print, for example, takes six weeks to produce – and that’s before it is retouched by pencil. You could say that the handcraft continues, from a haute couture dress to my haute couture photo print.” The book Women of Singular Beauty: Chanel Haute Couture by Cathleen Naundorf is published by Rizzoli. An exhibition of Naundorf’s work shows at Beirut Art Fair, hosted at Elie Saab Building, from 20-23 September
Chanel is a dream house; the maison of legend. For all who work there, style is a way of life and a passion
65
Motoring SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
The Birth of Venus The Ferrari Portofino won the Red Dot: Best of the Best design award, deemed ‘the most beautiful production car being built today.’ Here’s how the Prancing Horse crafted its latest style triumph
AIR
WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
66
67
AIR
P
ortofino is a picturesque little fishing town in Italy with a big reputation. Located on the Italian Riviera, its high-end boutiques and superyacht-filled harbour allude to the star power that this panoramic Genoa town wields; since the 1950s, off-duty celebrities have flocked here for a sun-kissed summer, and the village basks in prestige. By naming its newest release in homage of this locale, you almost sense Ferrari licking its lips at the word association – when aligning yourself with an elegant high-society hideout, one needs to strike the right chord. The marque’s confidence is understandable. The Maranello-based manufacturer has a long heritage of sculpting road/art icons: among them, the 250 GTO, the Enzo, the 458 Italia, the 512BB, the 250 Testa Rossa, the 308 GTS (hi Tom Selleck). Those with passing interest in motoring may not be au fait with the monikers, but would certainly recognise the silhouettes. The Portofino has been introduced as a successor to the California T – a 2+2 seat Grand Tourer that was produced from 2008-2017, and became one of the most commercially successful Ferraris of all time. Nevertheless, the Portofino was built from the ground up and Ferrari consulted client focus groups to ensure it was on-point. This athletic steed is a front-engine GT powered by a beastly twin-turbo V8, and its 591hp makes it hellishly fast. It is practical, too: a generous cockpit and ready-for-allseasons retractable roof are two aspects that tease its position as a usable daily driver. Prior to buyers hearing its fierce bark from an engine roaring into life, prerelease hubbub centred on salivating over its looks. Its styling was dreamt up in-house by Ferrari Design and auto architect Flavio Manzoni, in close collaboration with the aerodynamics department – what emerged was a supermodel supercar that looks stunning and is content-rich. From a pareidolia perspective, the Portofino’s aggressive ‘face’ wears a wicked grin, and its creased body panels are sculpted – evoking a visual link to Ferraris of old, and there is a three-dimensionality to its visage: light plays off its concave and convex surfaces, and the protruding diffuser 68
and cut-out brake lights add visual depth from the rear. Said contours, of course, lend to performance, aiding air flow – such as with the two intakes next to headlights, for example, which channel air from the front mudguards to the wheel arches, reducing drag. Narrow vents concealed on the fringes of the (newlydesigned) headlamps are performance enhancing, dissipating any heat from the front brakes to allow for shorter braking distances. Ferrari says that a significant challenge in designing the Portofino was the size of a retractable hardtop. This was solved to impressive effect – so much so, that at first glance one might not even notice that the sloped roof is convertible. “The key point was to make it look beautiful even with the roof closed, turning it into a real fastback, which is
The key point was to make it beautiful even with the roof closed, turning it into a real fastback
something that nobody has so far been able to achieve with this type of twopart retractable roof,” Manzoni details. “Usually the roof panel is short and clumsy, the rear long and majestic. The roofline is now perfect. And when it is open, two clearly visible boot spoilers lighten the profile.” The Portofino’s aesthetic arsenal put the ‘Rosso corsa’ on course for a date with Red Dot – the sought after, independently judged style award, that is revered as an international seal of outstanding design quality. True to its pedigree, Ferrari has triumphed here before, taking home the ‘Best of the Best’ award for three consecutive years. This July, the Portofino made it four. “Embodying an impressive evolutionary advancement, the Ferrari Portofino fascinates with an exciting design language,” purred the panel of Red Dot judges in their adjudication. “Sports cars of the superlative like those by Ferrari with their strong association with racing are constantly sounding out new possibilities in technology and design… Following the Ferrari design philosophy, the aim was to hone every aspect to perfection, in particular its lines and the cockpit. The result showcases an impressively sculptured modelling that gives shape to the body.” They deemed the model ‘an evolution to perfection’: “The haunting elegance is further underscored by the uncompromising quality in material and workmanship. The Portofino is the perfect embodiment of novel approach that points to the future”. The stylish Portofino is a drop top adventure that affords drivers dynamic, sporty driving combined with the pleasures of taking the car for a more relaxing spin. It’s time to pack a weekend bag and head for the coast, then – in an award-winning car that need not go fishing for compliments. 69
Gastronomy
AIR
SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Picture Perfect It takes a lot to faze Anne-Sophie Pic, France’s three-Michelin-starred chef, yet she deemed opening La Dame de Pic London in London “the ultimate challenge”. Would the city’s gastronomes really resist her sublime cuisine? WORDS: ELFREDA POWNALL
70
71
AIR
D
ressed in chef’s whites – with her hair scraped back into a ballet-dancer bun – AnneSophie Pic is leaning over the counter in her brand-new, all-white kitchen, preparing soft-boiled eggs with wild mushrooms and a ginger-and geranium-infused consommé. It is a beautiful place to work, with one glass wall overlooking a Japanese garden. This is no shouty, scary kitchen – though busy, everyone greets you with a smile. The restaurant, Anne-Sophie Pic – within the hotel Maison Pic, in Valence, southeast France – is part of French culinary history, and AnneSophie Pic herself is a legend, the only woman in France in 50 years to hold three Michelin stars. She is also a chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (the equivalent of receiving a knighthood), and has two further stars for her restaurant at the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel in Lausanne. Despite these accolades, she is open, friendly and unassuming – a rare bird in the high-octane world of top chefs. Pic’s is the only family in France in which three generations of chefs have each gained three Michelin stars. The story starts in 1889, when her great72
grandmother, Sophie Pic, started cooking at the family inn, L’Auberge du Pin, at Saint-Péray, in the hills above Valence. There followed Anne-Sophie’s grandfather, André, a great provincial chef, who won three Michelin stars and bought a site in town, on the famous Route Nationale 7; his restaurant became the fashionable stopping place for motorists on their way to the Côte d’Azur. He became ill and lost two stars, which were won again by AnneSophie’s father, Jacques, a generous chef in the era of nouvelle cuisine and tiny arrangements on large plates. The reality of three-star restaurants today is similar to that of highfashion houses: the haute couture gets the attention and sets the style, but they have to diversify to pay the bills. Anne-Sophie Pic has published nine cookbooks, has three other food businesses in Valence, and in 2012 opened a restaurant in Paris, La Dame de Pic – a play on the phrase ‘queen of spades’, as well as on her own situation as the woman in charge of the venerable Maison Pic. She faced her greatest challenge at 27 years old. As a teenager, she had escaped Valence to attend business
school in Paris, and had lived in New York and Japan, where she met her now husband, David Sinapian. In 1992, aged 23, she returned to Valence and told her father she had decided to become a chef. “He wept with happiness, though he did worry for me – he knew it was a hard, physical job,” she says. “We had just those two months together, talking about cooking, and about life. We talked the whole time.” Jacques died suddenly that year of a heart attack, aged just 59. Grief and shock were followed by another blow three years later, when the restaurant lost its third Michelin star. “The takings dropped by more than a third immediately,” Pic says. “Losing that star was as if my father had died all over again; he’d fought so hard for it.” With the backing of her mother, in 1997 Pic walked into the kitchen and said she was taking over. She had been a very sensitive and protected child; as an adult, she was showing a core of steel. In France, commis chefs, the juniors of the kitchen, have to serve a three-year apprenticeship and pass a certificat d’aptitude. The ambitious ones then do the rounds, cooking
in the kitchens of grand hotels and restaurants, picking up inf luences and ideas as they go. Pic has done neither. She was facing a kitchen full of men who had worked under her father, and she had to get them to teach her to cook. “Some were fine, but quite a few were very aggressive with me. It was a hard, inhumane time,” she says. She discovered she had one advantage, a sort of “perfect pitch” of taste and smell. In her childhood, the family f lat was above the kitchen; the cooking smells wafted up the stairs, and she tasted little bits of dishes as she walked through the kitchen every day – it was the only way out of the f lat. Once she had taken over, with her supportive husband Sinapian in the front of house, she worked for 10 years to develop her own style of cooking, with very light, intensely f lavoured sauces that combine unexpected
f lavours. “This is France, sauce is the key!” she urges. Whereas her father served his sea bass in a rich cream sauce and coated it with caviar, hers comes with a light mushroom, ginger and rose-geranium sauce, its scents and f lavours revealing themselves one at a time, then melding into a satisfying whole. Complexity of f lavour is her aim, and she discusses ingredients not with other starry chefs, but with top ‘noses’ from the world of scent such as Christopher Sheldrake and Francis Kurkdjian. In 2007, she was rewarded with her third Michelin star and voted chef of the year by her peers. “I immediately thought of David, and of course my father,” she says. It gave her the confidence to open another restaurant in Valence, André, named after her grandfather, which serves his dishes and those of her father. The Thursday after we spoke she opened the London La Dame de Pic
at the Four Seasons hotel, Ten Trinity Square. “Like Paris, it is a chic place, but more casual than Valence,” she explains. During a recent lunchtime at the Paris restaurant, near the Louvre, there was not a single spare place. But Pic was under no illusions: “London is bold and daring in the food it likes – opening there is the ultimate challenge; it’s a very competitive cooking world. I want to give myself a challenge,” she says. Well, the first step of the challenge has been safely navigated: her venture was awarded a Michelin star in the London guide – such acclaim is familiar territory for the chef. Walk into the foyer of Maison Pic’s modern, almost minimalist establishment, past a stainless-steel sign with the letters ‘PIC’ 10ft high, and you see a glass-topped display case arranged with editions of the ruby-red Michelin guide book dating back to the 1930s. The name Pic is in every one.
She discovered she had one advantage, a sort of ‘perfect pitch’ of taste and smell
73
Travel
AIR
SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
74
32 JOURNEYS BY JET
Viceroy Los Cabos Mexico
I
ts architecture may look like a dream scene conjured three layers deep in the movie Inception, but this is actually the latest slice of style from the Viceroy luxury portfolio. Minimalism is the order of the day at this conceptual hotel, designed by Miguel Angel Aragonés and located on the Baja California Peninsula, with the property located mere steps away from the beach. This is less a feast for the senses and more a triumph of tranquility: the theme of water shimmers throughout, while hues are pristine white and subdued creams. In the suites, this ensures that a visual statement is made by commanding views of the Sea of Cortez seen from panoramic windows. The prized suite is the Sky Two Bedroom, which Viceroy calls a ‘private dreamscape’; two king beds, a living space and a furnished balcony are calling cards of this dramatic abode, with its adjustable interior mood lighting, for nightfall.
The distinctive latticed wooden structure provides visual punctuation, and it harbours a restaurant named Nido – translated as nest – that serves up fine fare derived from Spain, Mexico, and Peru. To arrive there, guests stroll along elevated walkways that appear to f loat on water. They certainly do things differently here: in charge of curating experiential, one-of-kind activities for guests is the hotel’s Head of Vibe, who will tailor anything from excursions out on the ocean such as surfing or f luorescent night dives, through to pinpointing key colonial architecture and local art to admire with a dip into Downtown San José del Cabo. The less adventurous can always opt to retreat to the resort’s cinema room for a movie screening. The sleek, scenic Viceroy Los Cabos evokes a feeling of being on cloud nine – both in terms of a unique luxury experience, and visually. The hotel is a luxury Escalade ride from Los Cabos International Airport. viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/loscabos 75
What I Know Now
AIR
SEPTEMBER 2018 : ISSUE 88
Bernard Chandran COUTURIER , MALAYSIA’S ‘KING OF FASHION’ I set out to be an inventor, never wanting to become just one of the many creators in the fashion industry. To succeed on this path, one needs to learn how to listen to their inner voice – especially when thinking up untested designs. You must have an internal confidence when reinventing a classic motif or approaching new ways of modernising traditional wear – two of my hallmarks. It is important to be innovative and take risks, to introduce new concepts and styles and as I always say, believe in what you do, work and rework, and you will gain success. Staying true to my roots is important. The edge that my Malaysian heritage has given is that ‘modesty fashion’ is woven into our cultural DNA – and that 76
demure look is coveted in high society couture around the world.
when clients enter situations feeling confident in what I’ve created for them.
Origins are an important foundation, and I have expressed Malaysia’s heritage through fashion, enabling it to be seen in a new, modern light. For instance I have deployed textures and materials such as the ‘songket’, a traditional brocade textile that is usually handwoven in silk or cotton, intricately patterned with gold or silver threads, favoured mostly by royalty.
I learnt to harness my creative flair through observation – it is the best learning tool that one can use. I became attracted to creative designs and beautiful things, and to this day I study how others approach fashion and contemplate ‘given the same outfit, how would I approach it differently, according to my signature style?’
I realised that traditions which may be deemed too mundane for the couture world can be given fresh perspective by creating a ‘nouveau’ sense of modernity and an independence of style that punctures the accepted international standard. I believe that fashion is for all sizes and ages, and I feel proud
Design should be profound; for instance, when the Palais Galliera hosted the Margiela exhibition, I was stopped in my tracks by the way he pushes garments to extremes – deconstructing them by exposing the insides and the unfinished parts. His thinking inspires me to consider the endless possibilities that can be applied to style.
0 _-0b 0o-v|v - |u;-v u; |uo ; o= 1 Ѵ| u;ķ f v| -bঞm] |o 0; 7bv1o ;u;7ĺ uol b|v ub1_ _bv|oub1 |u-7bঞomv |o b|v b0u-m|ķ 7 m-lb1 -u|v v1;m;ĺ uol - ;-Ѵ|_ o= vr;1|-1 Ѵ-u vb|;v _b1_ o@;u - bm7o bm|o |_; past, to - 1-Ѵ;m7-u o= ouѴ7Ŋ1Ѵ-vv ; ;m|v b|_ 1om|;lrou-u b]o uķ |u-7bঞom -m7 _;ub|-];ĺ Now, all of Abu Dhabi’s cultural heritage is in one place for you. 0 _-0b Ѵ| u; bv -m ;-v Ŋ|oŊ v; rѴ- oul o@;ubm] |_; = ѴѴ 0u;-7|_ -m7 7;r|_ o= 0 _-0bĽv 1 Ѵ| u-Ѵ bm=oul-ঞomķ ub]_| -| o u Cm];uঞrvĺ rѴou; ; ;u _bv|oub1 |orb1ķ h;;r rŊ|oŊ7-|; b|_ ; ;u 1-Ѵ;m7-u ; ;m|ķ 0uo v; o u Ѵ-|;v| r_o|o]u-r_ -m7 b7;o]u-r_ Ѵb0u-ub;vķ ou ]o ; rѴoubm] b- |_; -ѴhŊ|_uo ]_v -m7 bm|;u-1ঞ ; l-rvĺ
Breguet La Marine
Équation Marchante 5887
BREGUET BOUTIQUE – DUBAI MALL
DUBAI (UAE)
+ 9 7 1 4 3 3 9 8 7 5 6 – W W W. B R E G U E T. C O M