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WATCH SPECIAL The Gentleman’s Journal
J E AN - M ARC JACOT O F PAR M I G IAN I F LE UR I E R By Harry Jarman.
One surprisingly bright October afternoon, I receive an invitation to meet Parmigiani CEO Jean-Marc Jacot at the famous Mosimann’s members club in Belgravia. Running slightly late, I arrive and am whisked through the church-turned-club to the Parmigiani Fleurier room, which I later discover is one of the many luxurybranded rooms at Mosimann’s. There is a press conference going on with James Cook, a UCL student who is men’s captain of the University of London Boat Club and winner of the first Parmigiani Spirit Award. The award is for university rowers worldwide who demonstrate the core values of rowing (teamwork, fairness, inclusivity and endurance) in their social, academic and sporting life and for those who inspire others. While I wait for Mr Jacot, I watch James talk to the press – it’s clear that he’s incredibly modest and understated. After James has finished the press conference, I’m introduced to Jacot and begin chatting to him about the award and the brand’s various sporting and cultural associations and sponsorships. He tells me that Parmigiani is, surprisingly, very low-key with their endorsements, a characteristic that this year’s award-winner seems to share. Having expected some well-rehearsed PR spiel on how watchmaking shares similarity with a particular art or sport (etc. etc.), this surprising honesty is a welcome theme to our conversation. Unlike the rest of the watch industry (or so they’d have you believe), Parmigiani Fleurier is a relatively modern brand, dating back only as far as 1996. Jacot is quick to point that many of the watch brands haven’t been making watches for as long as they claim, instead simply buying established brands with long histories and then putting together a marketing story that, shall we say, embellishes the truth ever so slightly. As he explains this, though, he also gives credit to other brands, mentioning Vacheron-Constantin, which he says is actually the oldest watch maker in the World and has no need to
invent a back-story. For Jacot and Parmigiani, age is not as important a factor as it may be to some other brands; for him and the brand, what counts are the watches they produce today. Jacot begins to explain that on average, Parmigiani make 95% of the watch in-house – again, this is refreshingly honest: I can think of many watch brands that would tell me 100%. Before 1996, Parmigiani’s conviction came from Michel Parmigiani, who until then was a well-respected watch and clock restorer in Switzerland, a service that the brand still offers today. Since the early days, Parmigiani has most definitely earned its place in fine watch-making, creating several in-house calibres, including the two Parmigiani Fleurier eight-day mechanical and self-winding movements. Parmigiani don’t just have a reputation for producing their own beautiful watches, but parts and movements for other well established brands too - no names mentioned! For Mr Jacot and the brand, it’s not the history that matters but the watch-making itself: ‘it’s about having integrity with the customer, being honest and producing the best possible’, Jacot says with pure passion. He goes on to talk about the myth that buying a watch is an investment. In his view, you should buy a watch for pleasure and pleasure alone: ‘Do you need an expensive watch?’ he asks: ‘No. So you have to buy because of a desire and pleasure’. Today, in a market diluted with more and more brands every year, Parmigiani Fleurier seem to be keeping focused and continuing to do what they do best without being influenced by others. This in our view makes them unique, independent, refreshingly honest, and a brand to watch in the future. If I was asked for tips on watches to buy right now, Parmigiani would definitely be in my top three. The brand’s understated design, elegance and manufacturing prowess speak volumes. Winter 2013
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LIFESTYLE
TA X I TO BO N D S TR E E T, PLE A S E? RIGHT: Boodles Opal Peacock Ring, £43,000, www.boodles.com. BELOW: Tiffany & Co 1837 Interlocking Circles Necklace, £6,835, www. tiffany.co.uk
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Whether it’s a grand gesture or something very personal, nothing universally encompasses all that sentiment, thought and love better than a beautiful piece of fine jewellery. Despite changing retail trends - the growth of mass-marketed jewellery or women’s changing role in society - this statement rings just as true today as it did fifty years ago. In fact, world-renowned jewellers Tiffany & Co says that the act of giving jewellery is not only still relevant, it remains the ‘ultimate romantic gesture’. With every woman recalling exactly where she was and what it represented when she received that first jewellery piece, it exudes sentimentality as a work of art to be treasured for a lifetime. Theo Fennell - founder of the eponymous London jewellers — agrees: ‘Every important step should be celebrated with a piece of jewellery that will last. This is the very point of jewellery’. Nothing is as synonymous with significant jewellery than engagement, something that Ritz Fine Jewellery celebrates by offering clients something a bit extra. ‘Choosing an engagement ring is one of the most significant purchases in life. By offering dinner in the world-renowned Ritz Restaurant, we are able to extend a unique service which enhances [the experience] beyond expectations’. It is not just important milestones that warrant the giving of jewellery. Christmas is the perfect time to give your partner something sartorially special- and there will probably be an element of surprise in there, too. James Amos, Director of British high-end retailer Boodles, tells it straight: ‘I think a little box under a tree on Christmas Day always gets women more excited than a big box’. This excitement stems from all the emotional connotations of a piece of jewellery. No other item is so steeped in tradition and symbolism. No other item says so much without words while being so personal at the same time. You get the gist. For such a small package it packs quite a punch. Despite all these grand declarations about the power of fine jewellery, this article is supposed to be making the prospect of buying it less, not more, daunting. So, to get you over your sparkler-spending nerves, we have compiled a guide to selecting the perfect gift for that special person.
REMEMBER, THE JEWELLERS AR E T H E R E TO H E L P YO U The first stage of buying jewellery is getting through the door; sometimes this can be the most intimidating part of the whole process. Just remember, the staff are there to help you and once you're over the threshold, the whole experience can actually be very enjoyable. 'I can understand why men feel pressure about buying jewellery', explains Amos. 'It’s natural because the shops can feel foreboding, but I think the skill is to create an environment that helps [men] to relax'. They are the experts on jewellery — allow them to advise and inspire your choices. What’s more, if you like how the jeweller guides you, it can lead to a personal and advantageous friendship. David Marshall founder of the eponymous luxury British jeweller, stresses that 'if you know the person as a client you tend to get to know what they like so you can better suggest some things'.
PE RSONALISE IT The thought that goes into bespoke jewellery is always incredibly telling in the final product. You might be taking a risk, but the look when she opens it will be worth it. Theo Fennell explains why bespoke jewellery is so special: ‘We try, with our designs, to revive the idea of bespoke jewellery with sentiment to bring back that very personal jewellery that becomes part of its owner. The prevalence of globally available and mass-marketed jewellery has robbed us of the art and appreciation of individual and beautifully made work. However, there is a huge swing back to the bespoke and the unique, which is a joy’.
BE ADVE NTUROUS Diamonds will always have a place in a woman’s heart: cue Shirley Bassey. Rare, beautiful and captivating — the word even comes from the Latin, adamare, meaning “to love passionately”. However, with all the choice in the fine jewellery market, there’s no excuse to play it safe and you can take risks with both contemporary and traditional jewellery. ‘Of course, women, on the whole, are much more adventurous when buying jewellery. There are men who know how to buy jewellery but many opt for the easy route of copying other people or a safe solution like diamond studs. We see a lot of disappointed women this way’, says Fennell. James Amos gives some more specific advice: ‘For the type of woman who has got everything, an opera length necklace is perfect because not everyone wears them’.
IT ’S A COMBI NATION OF INSTINCT AND RESEARCH A little preparation and foresight really do go a long way; this could mean anything from discretely finding out her ring size to asking her sister or best friend to help your decision. David Marshall thinks it is also worth trying to get hints: ‘You can ask things that would give you some leading ideas to come into the store, then see what reaction you get’. The main thing is to be perceptive: ‘It will also put you in a much stronger position in terms of [your] choice in the marketplace, negotiating and everything else’, Amos divulges. Basically, it pays to do your homework, and this is easier than ever now with the development of e-commerce. Use the websites to gain inspiration and explore your options. With all that being said, instinct is equally as important, so don’t allow yourself to be swayed away from your gut feeling. Tiffany & Co states it matter-offactly: ‘A jewellery purchase is very personal. Trust your judgement’.
ABOVE (left to right): Graff Diamonds Diamond Butterfly Cuff, Price on Request, www.graffdiamonds. com, TIFFANY & CO. SCHLUMBERGER Bird on a Rock Clip, Price on Request, www.tiffany. co.uk, Ritz Fine
Jewellery, Tower green tourmaline ring £80,000 www. ritzfinejewellery. com, Cartier Caresse d’Orchidées par Cartier bracelet, £24,100, www.cartier. co.uk
‘B U Y I N G J E W E L L E RY F O R C H R I S T M A S , 9 9.9 % O F T H E T I M E T U R N S O U T T O B E A S U C C E S S ’. These last words from James Amos say it all. You’ve thought it through, put in the effort, considered styles and done your research. You’re making a statement and whatever you choose will be truly appreciated. And if she doesn’t like it? Well, you can just take it back. It’s really no issue at all. By Victoria Gardiner
ABOVE (left to right): Theo Fennell GEMFIELDS EMERALD BEE DROP EARRINGS, £81,000,www. theofennell.com, Boodles CIRCUS LONG YELLOW GOLD AND DIAMOND NECKLACE, £8,000,www.boodles.com,
Van Cleef & Arpels PERLEE BRACELET, YELLOW GOLD, DIAMONDS, £30,900, www. vancleefarpels.com, DAVID MARSHALL Phoenix ring, Price on Request, www. davidmarshalllondon.com
The Gentleman’s Journal LIFESTYLE
Witty, smart and stunningly beautiful our Leading Lady, the amber-haired Olivia Inge, has modelled for the likes of YSL, Givenchy and Vivienne Westwood (or Aunt Viv as she refers to her). Discovered at just 16 by model scouts at her school careers day she was soon walking the runway in front of the likes of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall. We caught up with her to find out a little more about her life, loves and plans for the future...
By Holly McNaughton Olivia Inge @ Models 1 Photo: Elmar Krop @ Stickystuff Styling: Renske van der Ploeg @House of Orange Make-up/hair: Hester van Overbeeke @ERA Mngmt
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First off, can you tell us a bit about your first foray into the fashion world? My first job was for Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label. The show was incredible. It was held in the Ballroom at The Dorchester. I probably looked more like Bambi than a Brazilian Bombshell, but I’ve since perfected the walk and challenge anyone to a walk off!! The experience will live with me forever. It was thrilling to be on centre stage in Aunt Viv’s gorgeous clothes. Compared to my previous stage efforts of playing Man 3 or Background Dancer in school plays, this was a welcome break.
The fashion industry and people within it are constantly shrouded in criticism, how did/d you deal with this and how has it affected you as person? The thing with creative industries like fashion, is that they don’t conform. They set the trends but that is not their incentive. Neither is money. The good ones don’t give a toss about money. It’s all about the art. But the critics don’t understand them so they paint them in a negative light. This, unfortunately, resonates more with the public than the positivity and the beauty that comes from this inspiring art. The only time I’ve felt criticism has been over my weight. When the “size zero” debate was sparked, models were tarred with being responsible for it – I was verbally abused in the streets. It was retarded. Lily Cole bore the brunt of it, she had insane press over her weight, but she was never that skinny. She had a great body which she looked after. We, in the West, tend to isolate fluxes and make them into issues. The only thing we need worry about is being healthy. Fat is modern.
You had a small role in the James Hunt film, Rush – was acting something you had always wanted to break into? It is a well trodden path from modelling into acting, and one that, as an idea, I flirted outrageously with. Working with Ron Howard was a hoot. I felt extremely proud of that film. Although my line was dropped I was still a part of a piece of cinematography that told a touching story that warmed the cockles of everyone I know who saw it. I would jump at the chance at being a part of something that good. Winter 2013
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CITIZEN
BLACK THE STRANGE RISE AND STRANGER FALL OF A MEDIA MOGUL A media mogul, businessman, historian and knight of the realm, Conrad Black could never be accused of lacking ambition. His turbulent rise to power and celebrity makes for a fascinating storyas does his eventual fall. One year after his release from a Florida prison, we take a look back over this most colourful and divisive of figures.
‘You are a criminal! You’re a convicted criminal!’ The scene is a hotel room somewhere in Central London in October 2012. Jeremy Paxman is going in with all guns blazing against Conrad Black, former proprietor of The Telegraph Group, but it’s useless; every new assault augments the drama, redoubles its pugnacity- you can almost feel the spittle hitting your face as Newsnight’s attack dog foams and fumes away on the screen. Black holds firm, raising his voice but eloquently rebuffing Paxman’s patented weave of supercilious disdain and brusqueness. The normally unflappable presenter is becoming bogged down, and the enduring impression is of a man lobbing tennis balls at the walls of a fortress. For one whose name is so tightly welded to the prefix “disgraced media baron”, Black still defends his corner impressively. At the time of the interview, Black- a decade previously chief executive of the World’s third-largest newspaper group- was in Britain for the first time in seven years. The reason for his return was ostensibly to promote his leviathan second autobiography, A Matter of Principle, but many commentators, notably investigative journalist Tom Bower, perceived the trip as a campaign of rehabilitation, an expedition aimed at re-ingratiating himself into the public life of the country in which he is both a citizen andfor the moment, at least- a life peer. Conrad Black needed a charm offensive- only five months earlier, he was seeing out the end of a prison sentence in Florida, where he had served three years for fraud and obstruction of justice. Black was born in Montréal in 1944, to Betty and George Montegu Black Jr. George Black had recently been propositioned to work for E.P. Taylor, a local industrialist who would go on to found the Argus Group, once Canada’s largest conglomerate. For the next fifteen years, Black senior’s rise seemed unstoppable, culminating in a role as president of the largest brewer in the country. Conrad, meanwhile, cannot claim such grand achievements during this period; as a schoolboy, he was withdrawn and rebellious, obsessed with statistics, Napoléon Bonaparte, political oratory and military history. Richard Siklos speculated in his 1995 biography Shades of Black that this was down to ‘a sense of imprisonment’, and retrospective irony aside, his greatest juvenile achievement was the spectacular theft of a cache of end of year exam papers and their subsequent sale to his classmates. It was, as he joked years later, his ‘first true act of Capitalism’. By all accounts, Black middled through his history degree at Carlton University in Ottawa too, preferring to establish contact with the sort of milieu he really wanted to be mixing with- that is, people who looked like stepping stones to power and influence. One of the figures Black met in his time in Ottawa was Peter White, an assistant to a
LEFT: Conrad Black relaxing at home
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J U LI E M E YE R Julie Meyer, originally from Sacramento California, founded the investment firm Ariadne Capital in 2000 and was an early backer of many new media outlets including Skype. Meyer’s financial foresight is about as close to clairvoyance as you’re likely to get, so with half a hope that genius might be contagious, we caught up with her at Ariadne’s Westminster HQ.
What were your interests at school? I was always a straight-A student. I was trying to be the best at everything. But you have to understand what your strengths are as a person. I think that’s what life is about. Do you think everybody has the potential to make a unique contribution or do you think it’s about talent? Every one of the 7 billion people in the World has a unique contribution to make. We can all see how much opportunity they have to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. I think it’s a shame when people don’t recognise how much they’ve been given. What was your first success story? What first interested you in business?
I think I learned a lot about business by playing sports. That team spirit, teamwork, and team fitness is very much what I aspire to do give to the companies that I’m involved with. I’ve been told that lots of women entrepreneurs come from a team sports background. You were on Dragons’ Den.
I saw an opportunity to invest in much more high-growth technology startups, but the BBC were more interested in, like, a new idea for a glass. That’s not what I invest in. I invest in things like Skype. It wasn’t exactly the right fit – but it was fun. What was it about Skype that made you want to get involved?
When you’re looking around and saying ‘why am I doing this, no one else is doing this?’, sometimes you’re way out ahead. But I’ve kind of made a business of being early.
Where did you get the inspiration to write your book? Was it a gap in the market or was it to impart your wisdom to would-be entrepreneurs?
The World is changing but so many of the structures that still govern it today were set up at the end of the War, and I think this crisis is really going to break down banking, government, whatever. So I decided to say, ‘here’s where the puck is going, this is not what’s happening now, this is where the World is going’, and the sooner we get there, if we roll that future back to the present, more people can win. Are there any correlating qualities you see in the companies you invest in?
I don’t discount people based on how they look or where they come from or whatever. When I see people who are not focussed, not persistent, but absolutely obsessed, then I think, ‘wow – I’ve gotta be involved in that, right?’. What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
I would say to them that it’s the most difficult thing you’ll ever do. What’s important is to know yourself. I was a late-bloomer, but I have a high level of ability to take on risk, and sometimes have to remind myself. And finally, what do you do to unwind?
I go to “entrepreneur country” with my friends. I have friends who are entrepreneurs all over the World, who I’ve just clicked with. I value the friendships and relationships I have. I’m still the little girl who is curious about what those people think. By Holly McNaughton Winter 2013
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ART FRAUD A history of fakery
In September in New York, court proceedings unveiled an extraordinary scam that defrauded wealthy art collectors out of up to $80 million. Independent art dealer Glafira Rosales pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit pictures as works from the hands of Abstract-Expressionist pioneers such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Rosales claimed these pictures came from an Eastern European collector who wished to remain anonymous. She sold them to several prominent galleries, who having apparently ignored all the warning signs, sold them on at a profit to their unsuspecting clients. The works were in fact painted by a Chinese artist living in Queens who had been employed by Rosales since he was discovered painting in the streets of Manhattan in the 1980s. Art fraud of this kind is not a modern phenomenon. In 1496 Michelangelo doctored a marble figure of Sleeping Cupid, covering it with acidic earth to exploit a market that placed a greater value on antiquities than his own modern works. The rarest and most beautiful objects created by man have always been keenly sought-after and commanded enormous prices on the open market. By its very nature, a work of art is a one-off creation, meaning that the trade is a unique market that relies on
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ABOVE: Inspecting the Johannes Vermeer forgery by Van Meegeren.
`In even the most perfect reproduction, one thing is lacking: the here and now of the work of art - its unique existence in a particular place’ - Walter Benjamin
expertise and trust, but can often lack transparency. It is therefore ripe for exploitation by shrewd and greedy individuals. The story of Han van Meegeren is a captivating example. Born in Holland in 1889, Van Meegeren developed an early passion for the great Dutch painters of the 17th Century. This was deeply at odds with his father’s will, who strictly forbade his son’s artistic development and often forced him to write the phrase `I know nothing, I am nothing, I am capable of nothing’. After forcibly breaking from his father’s control and moving to The Hague to become a painter, the artist witnessed some encouraging early success. However, the art world of the time was moving fast, and critics in thrall to the radical forces of Cubism and Surrealism soon dismissed his works as pastiches of a bygone era. One critic wrote that he was `a gifted technician who has made a sort of composite facsimile of the Renaissance school; he has every virtue except originality’. These attacks enraged Van Meegeren who felt that his genius had been misjudged. He moved to the South of France where he decided to forge the works of the Dutch masters he so adored, in particular Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). Although now feted as one of the greatest painters ever to have lived, Vermeer was an artist who had faded into obscurity after his death. By the 1930s his paintings had been rediscovered, but for such a prized artist very little was (and still is) known about his life and work. Van Meegeren saw an opportunity; not just to copy Vermeer’s works but to create new compositions in the artist’s style and pass them off as undiscovered masterpieces. Assiduous in his preparations, he bought original 17th Century canvases and mixed his own paints from raw materials using old formulas to ensure that they were authentic. He even devised a scheme that involved using Bakelite to create realistic craquelure on the paint’s surface. In 1937 he sold his first forgery, The Supper at Emmaus, to the Rembrandt Society via an old friend called Dr G Boon for 520,000 guilders (or about $4 million today). The Rembrandt Society consulted expert advisor Dr. Abraham Bredius, who despite initial doubts praised it highly as a genuine Vermeer. Van Meegeren was ecstatic; he had fooled the very same establishment that had earlier ridiculed him. Emboldened by this success he continued to paint and sell more and more newly-discovered “Vermeers”. Van Meegeren’s story came to an extraordinary finale in May 1945, in the aftermath of the Allied
LIFESTYLE The Gentleman’s Journal
victory over the Nazis. In 1942 the artist had sold one of his least convincing Vermeer interpretations, Christ with the Adulteress, to the Nazi banker and art dealer Alois Miedl. Miedl sold it on to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring for 1.65 million guilders (or about $7 million today), who hid the painting in an Austrian salt mine alongside an enormous stockpile of other looted artwork. On 17 May 1945 Allied forces entered the salt mine, where Captain Harry Anderson discovered the previously unknown “Vermeer”. The painting was traced back to Van Meegeren, who was thus suddenly cast as a Nazi collaborator and plunderer of Dutch cultural property, and faced significant prison time over these accusations of treason. Confronted with this bleak future he exclaimed: `the painting in Göring’s hands is not, as you assume, a Vermeer of Delft, but a Van Meegeren! I painted the picture’. He was dismissed as a fantasist and a liar. He counteracted these claims by painting his last forgery, in the style of Vermeer, Young Christ in the Temple, in court, in front of an incredulous audience. As horrified museums around the world discovered the fraud, the Dutch public delighted in his story, particularly in duping war criminal Göring. According to a contemporary account, when Göring was informed that his “Vermeer” was actually a forgery, `[he] looked as if for the first time he had discovered there was evil in the world’. Compared to Van Meegeren’s painstaking efforts, forging modern works is in principle far easier. Abstract art, with its prioritisation of concept and
theory over technical accomplishment, has made the job of the forger a relatively simple task. The art world has thus built up checks, scientific analysis and laws to counteract the problem and most major modern artists have an official accreditation body that give judgement on a work before its sale. This nominally addresses the conflicts of interest and lack of available expertise that allowed the likes of Van Meegeren to slip through the net. It does not, however, address the oft-repeated question of how an object can be so valuable and seemingly unique if it is possible to create a copy that very few can tell apart. To understand why, you must acknowledge that a work of art is not just an object, but an expression of the particular time and place of its creation and its creator’s will. If you were handed a scrap of paper with an indistinct signature on it, you might be inclined to throw it away. But if you were then told it was Napoleon’s or Muhammed Ali’s, it would suddenly assume a far greater importance. The context in which art is created and the inadequacy of fakes is just an extension of this. We are drawn to the process of creation and the way that beauty enhances civilization. It is a cause for celebration that originality, the essence of creation, is prized in society over copying and that so much effort and energy is spent certifying the true source of an object and its place in history. The eventual discovery of Rosales’s practices is a sign that, hopefully, cheats and frauds will always be caught out. It is only if we champion the true creative forces that came before us, that genius and originality in our time can flourish.
THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE: Fake Mark Rothko, counterfeit Jackson Pollock painting, Gloria Rosales (centre) leaving Manhattan Federal Court with her lawyers.
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OBJECTS OF
DESIRE
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1962 FERRARI 250 GTO DASHBOARD
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FERRARI 275 GTB/4 BERLINETTA
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J CRAFT TORPEDO
£395 pullman editions.com
£POA
1 Duck Head Bottle Opener - £700 Duck Head Wine Stopper - £775 www.Asprey.com
2 £100,000+ ronaldphillips antiques.com
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£22,000 cadogan contemporary.com
DUCK HEAD BARWARE ACCESSORIES
Asprey have always produced top-end homeware and jewellery, so if you're stuck for a gift for your mother, look no further. Their Duck Head barware accessories, including this bottle opener and wine stopper in sterling silver, would make fine additions to any dining room over the Christmas season.
FINE EARLY 19TH CENTURY DESK
€850,000+ j-craftboats .com
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a big boss, this one’s for you. Attributed to Gillow, this fine early 19th Century mahogany pedestal desk would be a welcome asset to any great office. This beautiful desk has lobed corners and is cross-branded in mahogany and lined with gold-tooled faded red leather.
BATHERS ON THE STAIRS, OIL ON CANVAS, 60” X 44”
Although Sargy Mann completely lost his eyesight after developing cataracts at 36, it didn’t keep him away from the palette. His paintings are now more acclaimed than ever, with a celebrity following and cult status. They are regularly on show at the Cadogan Contemporary gallery. www.cadogancontemporary.com
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Trying to spice up your pad with a bit of artwork? Pullman Editions, the print arm of London’s Pullman Gallery, is the place to start. Pullman Editions designs, commissions and publishes original luxury vintage posters, like this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Dashboard.
What car shouts “style!” louder than a Ferrari? This particular 1967 model is a USA Platinum Concours award winner, and is reputably one of the best examples of its kind in the World. Finished in Ferrari’s classic Rosso Red, this car would turn the head of even the most committed cyclist. JD Classics have six showrooms all of which are filled with classic exotica. check out the collection on www.jdclassics.co.uk
A legendary name in the boating world, J Craft should need no introduction. The Torpedo should be high on the list of any man who has a passion for the sea. J Craft’s excellence is unparalleled, and it shows in the distinctive style, fine craftsmanship and exquisite materials on display here. J Craft announced a partnership with Rolls Royce in 2013 we’re waiting on the edge of our seats to see the outcome.
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THEO FENNEL On Jewellery, Design and Business
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W
ell, obviously for weeks at a time I sold my body!', Theo Fennell jokes when we ask him the secret to staying in fashion. Modesty aside, Fennell's brand is a true anomaly- a genuinely World-renowned jewellery business patronised by everyone from Helen Mirren to David Beckham that still proudly operates around the principles of traditional craftsmanship and close co-operation. We joined him at his West London HQ to find out how he beat the odds in his own, inimitable style.
How did you first get into the business? What was your starting point? My starting point really was I left art school having studied portrait paintingat which I was incredibly inept- and realised I had to get a job. I had that terrible realisation that everybody else was sort of working for a living and y'know, paying their rent and that one is a useless piece of shit in the great scheme of life. Then a great aunt of mine sent me an advertisement for someone who was looking for a designer- an old, established silver company- and as I had no other offers of employment, I went along- and they offered me the job, to my absolute amazement. When I went down to the workshop I just fell in love with it. And was that why you have your workshop on-site here? Completely. It was obvious to me that you can't design jewellery unless you're intimately involved with the whole process. I find this whole new process of somebody designing things in Geneva and then sending things to the board and two years later some horrible little thing comes out and gets a big name stamped on it and ends up in an airport. That- to me- is just not jewellery.
Tell me about the very cool bespoke cufflinks that you're selling... Do you have a pair? I normally wear buttons - I'm a bad advertisement! It just occurred to us, really, that there's not that much for guys to buy, and that it would be great to do some cufflinks that were genuinely bespoke and to get them really well-made. On the whole cufflinks aren’t well-made, guys put up with some pretty sloppy work. But I think men really want to get involved in the whole process, to see the workshop and know that their cufflinks have been made by a craftsman rather than banged out by a tool in Taiwan- which most cufflinks are. They can have their racing
“I THINK MEN REALLY WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE WHOLE PROCESS, TO SEE THE WORKSHOP AND KNOW THAT THEIR CUFFLINKS HAVE BEEN MADE BY A CRAFTSMAN RATHER THAN BANGED OUT BY A TOOL IN TAIWAN”
colours, on the horse, they can have the view from their yacht, they can have the view from their window. So we have binoculars, we have portholes, we have aeroplane windows. It can be the sights on a fighter plane, it can be the rear view mirror of their car- all hand-painted. The process is three or four really great craftsmen conjoining to make one piece- it kind of goes with the idea of having a suit made, the idea of going to a tailor. There's a huge renaissance in that, and we wanted to offer something of that Savile Row ink. Are men are getting bolder about wearing jewellery? Men will come back from holidays with four or five things that got put on their wrist on the beach and wear them with some kind of pride- because they can give themselves an excuse- they feel justified because they're not being too silly, or too 'artistic', as it were. Guys are much more prepared to wear things now- it's all much more inventive than it was. And somebody who even five years ago wouldn't have thought of wearing jewellery does. Do you identify more with fashion or with art? Essentially I think proper jewellery should be considered closer to an art form than
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fashion, because fashion by its very nature is ephemeral, whereas this kind of thing should last forever. And what's the best piece of business advice you've ever been given, and what advice would you give to someone starting their own business? 'Marry a rich woman'- I think that's probably the best piece of advice I didn't take! The important things in any business are common sense and tenacity. You've gotta keep at it. You've gotta be bright enough to succeed- it goes without saying. Talent is important in a creative businessbut it's not 100%- it's maybe 20%. What's the oddest request you've ever had? I've genuinely had so many odd requests that it's almost impossible to list them. Some of the things that we don't think of as being very odd would, for the
vast majority of jewellers, seem like the weirdest thing they've ever seen. So you've never turned down a request‌ On humanitarian grounds, we might do. And sometimes on good taste, if truth be known‌ Where do you see yourself and the business in five years? I just like to think that in five years we'll be making ever better and more experimental stuff, and that the business will still be working from the inside out. From the heart, which is the studio in the workshop, pumping out really good, creative new things. And your proudest personal achievement, last of all? Throwing a cricket ball, in 1962, when I had a bad hand. I didn't tell anybody, but I was quite brave about it. By Violet Hudson
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theo fennell Cufflinks should be a wonderful way to wear your heart on your sleeve. They can be as chic and understated or as theatrical and complicated as you like. They should be a statement of your personality and bring you joy each time you put them on. We design new cufflinks all the time and make them in our sensationally talented workshop here, above the flagship store, in the Fulham Road... do come and look around.
Opal and Diamond, Diamond Cufflinks
Rock Crystal lightbulb Cufflinks
White Diamond Salamander Cufflinks
Hand Enamelled Plane Cufflinks
Mammoth Bone Skull Cufflinks
Hand Enamelled Salmon Cufflinks
Crystal Carved Intaglio Moon Cufflinks
Hand Enamelled Number 10 Opening Door Cufflinks
Hand Enamelled Swivel Keyhole and Diamond Cufflinks
© theo fennell plc copyright
We also make bespoke pieces from scratch, our extrodinary craftsmen can make pretty much anything and you can oversee the process. These are proper pieces of men’s jewellery, made with huge skill, wit and orginiality to last for generations.
1. Select a Style
2. Find your inspiration
3. And we’ll do the rest
london . 169 fulham road . harrods . burlington arcade . selfridges . royal exchange t +44 (0)20 7591 5000
www.theofennell.com
THE GENTLEMAN’S ETIQUETTE
HOW NOT TO KILL YOUR FAMILLY OVER CHRISTMAS Think rationally — come on, channel your inner Dawkins here! — and reflect on what we get up to at this most expensive time of year; hands up turkeys’ arses, psychotically awful singing and the institutionalised duty to lie to children about an obese man in the chimney — it's less a religious festival, more a particularly disturbing outtake from Apocalypse Now. If it's suddenly starting to seem like some sort of barbaric pagan ritual, remember this and remember it well- that's precisely what it is. Colonel Kurtz's anguished cries ('The Horror! The Horror!') still don't quite approximate the mental state with which even the most gregarious of individuals approach the prospect of spending any more than seven minutes with their extended family. Anyone who claims they've never come down with at least a touch of the Fred Wests over the, ahem, “Festive” season is to be treated with extreme suspicion — not only are they lying, but they're also displaying sure signs of criminal tendencies. But fear not! The Gentleman's Journal is at hand to guide you through the wine-dark days of Advent and beyond. Here, in five familiar and potentially tragic scenarios, we present our guide to keeping your cool when handling sharp and heavy objects around your (usually-) loved ones this Christmas...
SCENARIO If your experience is anything like ours, the preparations for Christmas lunch alone are enough to make you feel empathy with the soldiers at Stalingrad. Every family has two control freaks, who spend most of the year cheerfully (and not a little obsessively) avoiding one another. You think it's sad that you rarely see them in the same room until, on the morning of December 25th, you walk into the kitchen and find you've stumbled into a Mexican standoff. Relative A is politely explaining that, not to worry, he'll just pop on the oven gloves and get on with making his award-winning roast potatoes and World-beating turkey. Great! You say, before Relative B starts to insist that really it's no bother, she can handle everything — and don't even think of laying your hands on those sprouts. She means it, too. The strain is making their
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voices creak, and you can tell they've been conducting these fruitless — indeed, foodless — negotiations for some time. And did I mention they are both holding carving knives? Give it ten more minutes and the gossamer-thin veil of politeness will be ripped to shreds — you have to think fast. You play King Solomon and try to convince them to split the duties, but it's no good — this is all or nothing. You realise with alarm that there is only one option left to you: you must work your way around them and start preparing lunch yourself. They will storm off together the best of friends, united by their new-found hatred for you. A triumph! The food will be rubbish, obviously, but at least you won't find scraps of your uncle's intestinal tract in the bread sauce.
SCENARIO Sometimes a relative (an uncle, always a bloody uncle) will give you or someone else in the family something so inappropriate and/or boring that it borders on the comical. You, of course, will always be tactful enough to excuse yourself before heading next door to laugh your lunch out through the nostrils. What happens, though, when you become that uncle? You can't, after all, rely on your snotty little nieces and nephews to maintain quite the same composure in the face of adversity. Children’s retail is a foreign country to you, and your own memories aren't much help either — isn't everybody always going on about how sophisticated kids are supposed to be these days? You are bound to fail in your endeavour to buy cool presents — that, I'm afraid, is a given. How, though, are you going to react to someone else's five year old bawling into your ear for the rest of the day? Don't do anything too rash like throw cash at them — the ungrateful little pests will bleed you dry. Instead, threaten to call in Gordon Brown to read them a bedtime story later — trust us, it'll shut 'em up good and proper.
THE GENTLEMAN’S ETIQUETTE
SCENARIO Did you get a bonus this December? If so, how big was it? Should the respective answers be something to the tune of 'Hell Yeah!' and 'Maaaaaaaaaaaaassive', you can take it for granted that at least half your family will resent you for it. This presents something of a problem — do you shower them with snazzy presents and cash, or do you play nonchalant? You'll look like a show-off in the first case and a miserable bastard in the second. The only real hope is that you can perform some act of extraordinary heroism on Christmas morning, thereby vindicating yourself in the eyes of all and sundry. 'No-one deserved that bonus more than he did', they will coo, admiringly, as you save a cat from being run over or single-handedly put out the fire that threatened to burn down the church. Should no opportunity to prove your valour present itself, don't worry; just “arrange” for one to happen with your bonus! Why so surprised? You did say it was 'Maaaaaaaaaassive', didn't you?
throbbing and you don't have much time. Think, man, think! As if by divine instruction, you start lying so fantastically that she laughs and says she can't remember where the loo is. You've saved yourself, and however weird you've just made yourself look, you can always claim you were drunk.
SCENARIO Finally! It’s Christmas lunch. If you haven’t already alienated a sizeable percentage of your family whilst turning the potatoes to gloop and incinerating the turkey (see SCENARIO 1), this is supposed to be the nice bit of the ordeal. On no other day of the year do you have carte blanche to get shitfaced on top quality claret and weird alcoholic puddings at lunchtime. Having knocked back your first glass slightly too quickly, you might reasonably ask yourself why people don’t do this sort of thing more often. The question answers itself with remarkable speed; no sooner have you refilled your glass than your normally teetotal father bursts into a very loud rendition of... hang on, what’s he trying to sing? Oh dear God, please, please, please not Cher’s Believe! But it’s too late- he’s even doing the autotune noise. If you dared interrupt, you’d take him outside and throw a bucket of water in his face. But this is too much, even for us at the Gentleman’s Journal. No, there’s only one thing for it- abandon your dinner and run.
SCENARIO You have now been at the family home for a full 48 hours, and those half-forgotten relatives are still turning up in force. You have repeated your answer to the inquiry 'what are you up to at the moment' approximately 7,469 times and you swear that if it comes once more, you'll do something unspeakable with the ornamental mallet your grandfather has mysteriously given you for Christmas... but then your favourite aunt rocks up, runs straight for you and — No! For the love of God, No! — pops the question. You can feel yourself trembling with rage. You have to restrain yourself, but at the same time, one more repetition, you're sure, will send you spare. She's now looking at you rather strangely — you realise that your temples are
By Digby Warde-Aldam Illustrations by Bryn Parry www.brynparrystudios.com
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The Gentleman’s Journal TRAVEL
SLOPE OFF THIS WINTER. KIT ZBÜHE L , AUSTRIA This sizeable and attractive town is at the junction of broad, pretty valleys and flanked by partly wooded mountains. The largely car-free medieval centre is a delightful place to wander around after a day on the slopes. The skiable terrain is huge and the ongoing lift renovations have made it much easier to explore. This season there’s a real focus on the more extreme aspects of skiing and snowboarding, with regular freeriding demos, film nights and week-long lesson programmes with local legend Matthias Haunholder. For more thrills, the 74th Hahnenkamm downhill races will take place between 24 and 26 January 2014. It’s the most exciting course on the world cup circuit, with competitors hitting speeds of 85mph.
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WHAT’S NEW IN THE TOP SKI RESORTS FOR THE 2013/14 SEASON. When the snow began to fall at the beginning of November, dumping unprecedented amounts of the white stuff across the Alps, early indicators suggested that this was going to be another epic season. Last year, European resorts wallowed waist-deep in powder, and pistes in Canada and Japan reported a record-breaking covering- and It looks set to be more of the same this winter. A slump caused by several years of poor conditions and the bite of the recession is happily now a thing of the past and, as tourist numbers pick up, the mountainside destinations have been heavily investing in infrastructure to cope with the demand and to vastly improve the terrain. We take a look at what’s new at five of the world’s top resorts.
Feature by Alex Dalzell, travel and lifestyle writer at Ten Group (and avid snowboarder). Ten is the world’s largest concierge provider, with professional lifestyle managers – including a team of ski specialists – on hand 24/7 to help you get the most out of life by taking on anything that you don’t have the time or inclination to do yourself. Please call 0845 02 05270 or look at www.tenlifestyle. com for further details.
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WH I S TLE R, CANADA A short and scenic drive from Vancouver, the village sits at the foot of two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, which are linked by the glass-floored Peak 2 Peak gondola. Snowfall on both terrains averages 400 inches per season, covering the high open bowls with an incredibly soft champagne powder. An £11.5 million lift extension has been running throughout the summer and is now complete. There has also been huge investment in the snowmaking machines, meaning the mid-mountain conditions will equal the natural snowfall at the summit. Also, with the Sochi Winter Olympics around the corner the resort is celebrating its legacy with a ‘Ski with an Olympian’ programme, which allows visitorsto hire an Olympic athlete as a tour guide for the day.
MÉRIBEL, FRANCE Occupying the central valley of the world-renowned Trois Vallées network, Méribel is one of France’s most tastefully designed purposebuilt resorts. It’s as well known for its family friendly après-ski as it is for its excellent west-facing slopes, which get a consistent dose of snow and afternoon sun throughout the season. There have been a number of improvements made for the 2013/14 season, including the widening of the main piste, Doron, which will make the final run of the day a lot less busy. Those wanting to improve their tricks will benefit from the new plastic steps, ramps and boxes in the Moon Park area. Also, the popular festival Ibiza Rocks the Snow will be taking over the resort’s late night venues for parties throughout the season.
ST MORITZ, SWITZERLAND
VA L D ’ I S È R E , F R A N C E
In the remote valley of En in Switzerland’s Engadin ski area, St Moritz is divided into two resorts- the fashionable main town, and St Moritz Bad beside a sprawling lake. When this freezes over it’s used for activities including horse and greyhound racing, polo, golf and even cricket. The diverse skiing terrain is part of a large interconnecting region which has 350 kilometres of runs and there’s one area entirely devoted to cross-country skiing, sledging and hiking. This season the resort has opened the region’s steepest slope to the public. Usually open for professional tournaments only, anyone brave (or stupid) enough to attempt the 89 per cent gradient piste will now be able to. The resort is also introducing the world’s first ever yoga slope, with four guides on hand to help skiers limber up before a day on the mountain.
The fact that this French resort is the starting point for the first skiing World Cup events in Europe says a lot about its great early season snow cover, and there will be men’s and women’s races taking place throughout the winter. The resort’s wide, high-altitude slopes are accessible by eight major lifts which service every corner of the mountain range. Of all the French resorts, Val d’Isère offers some of the most diverse après-ski options. Of course, there’s the renowned party scene and some of the finest restaurants in the Alps, but it’s the eccentric spectator events that give it the edge. This season the Polo Masters returns between 15 and 18 January and there’s a four-day yoga festival starting on 28 February. Other highlights include the Classicaval music festival and the Frost Gun freestyle ski competition. Winter 2013
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A GUIDE TO THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS THIS PAGE: Birds eye view of Il Sopres Hole. RIGHT (cloclwise): Girls relaxaing on a beach in Necker Island, a festival parade and sailing in the British Virgin Islands. By Digby Warde-Aldam
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By comparison to other Caribbean holiday destinations, the British Virgin Islands are largely shunned by the masses, who choose to schlep out to Jamaica, Barbados and even communist Cuba. We tend to think of them as just another offshore bolthole, like Gibraltar without the monkeys, Monaco without the rappers or the royalty, the Isle of Man without the... the... you get the picture, anyway. Obviously, this is stupid and presumptivecome on, they’re a bunch of stunningly beautiful and mostly uninhabited islands in what is, for most of the year, a climate that is frankly the stuff of fantasy. Richard Branson lives on one of them, for God’s sake... ‘it’s one of the most beautiful places in the World,’ he tells us about Necker, his own little plot of BVI beauty, ‘my wife Joan and I can truly live life to the full here... I’m delighted to be able to call this paradise my home’. By now, it must be glaringly obvious that there’s more to the BVIs, as the locals call them, than palm trees and tax evasion. The BVIs are a chain of 60 islands, of which only about 15 are inhabited. In this part of the World, it’s not uncommon for the constituent islands of such an archipelago to go by eyebrow-
raising names- as good a sign as any that the history can be described as ‘colourful’. The BVIs do not disappoint on this count- a quick scan across the map throws up Prickly Pear Island, Fallen Jerusalem and, rather wonderfully, Deadman’s Chest. The name of the chain itself (along with that of the neighbouring US Virgin Islands) originates from Columbus’s second American voyage, on which he ‘discovered’ it for the Spanish Crown, and in a particular moment of long-winded caprice, named them after St Ursula and her 11,000 virgins. Columbus wasn’t, of course, the first man to set foot on the islands- the Arawak and Carib peoples had inhabited them for centuries before his arrival in 1493. As elsewhere, European colonists had no hang-ups about seizing them for themselves, and the BVIs’ four main land masses- Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada- became valuable strategic prizes for the pirates and navies of Spain, Holland and Britain. The British wrested control of the islands from the Dutch in 1680, and as was so often the case in the Caribbean during the period, the BVIs became a slave economy, with plantation owners bringing in scores of abducted West Africans to
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work in appalling conditions. Emancipation came in 1834 after years of slave revolts, but life on the BVIs remained harsh; the misery wrought by a collapse in the price of sugar- the islands’ principle export- and a series of devastating hurricanes ensured that the BVIs languished in abject poverty for well over a century. It was only in the 1960s, when the airport on Beef Island was built, that money began to roll in again, and the BVIs became a major centre for financial services. By the turn of the century, the islands had the highest per capita income in the Caribbean- and it’s hardly surprising; the chain now plays host to more offshore companies than anywhere else in the World. It would be an understatement to call the BVIs of today ‘tranquil’- crime is virtually nonexistent, the land is unspoiled (to the point where the locals semi-grudgingly refer to it as ‘the land that time forgot’), and- this is the clincher- it’s only particularly clued-up tourists who ever think of visiting. This means no high-rise hotels, no ghastly ersatz pubs and no naff property developments. It’s all extremely refined- and reassuringly expensive. The sailing, fishing and windsurfing are some of the best in the World, the beaches permanently look like something from one of those brochures where everything looks so perfect you can’t help but groan ‘PHOTOSHOP’, and there is a flourishing cultural scene- Virgin Islands Reggae is big here, and local artists including Aragorn Dick Read have exhibited internationally. Tortola and Virgin Gorda are by far the busiest links in the chain, and the only two islands to have cash machines- take solace from the fact that you’re extremely unlikely to be forcibly relieved
“They’re a bunch of stunningly beautiful and mostly uninhabited islands in what is, for most of the year, a climate that is frankly the stuff of fantasy.” of the large wad of dollars (that’s US Dollars, conveniently) in your pocket when straying on to other parts of the archipelago. Annoyingly, there is no way of flying directly to the BVI from Europe, but connecting flights and helicopter services operate from Antigua, Puerto Rico and St Thomas, regularly flying into Terrence B.Lettsome Airport on Beef Island, just off Tortola. You will, at least, get an impressive wodge of passport stamps. The relative isolation of the BVIs is much more a blessing than anything else- particularly given that the hotels and rentable villas are uniformly excellent. Christ almighty. Writing about paradise from a singularly crepuscular London terrace- the rain rattling down and the horror of the rush hour commute in store- is making your correspondent desperate to emigrate.
W H E R E T O S T AY & W HAT TO D O
NECKER ISLAND RESORT Probably the most famous place to stay in the BVIs, Richard Branson’s private island is normally only open to individuals, but at certain times every year- ‘Celebration Weeks’- it’s possible to book individual rooms. For A-list cachet, you could do a lot worse. Check the website for details. www.neckerisland.virgin.com
PE TE R ISL AND Taking up the entire 1,800 acres of its eponymous isle, the Peter Island hotel is about as luxe as it gets in these parts. The conservationist concerns of its owners means that most of it lies untouched, though the marina and hotel facilities are absolutely first-rate. Peter Island offers many holiday packages worth investigating. www.peterisland.com
BIRAS CREEK ( V I R G I N G O R D A) Biras Creek has won strings of awards and was named the No.1 Hotel in the BVIs by the US News and World Services. Biras Creek has pretty much everything you might want, from an outstanding spa to a riding centre- this is without even mentioning that it is only accessible by helicopter. www.biras.com
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The Future of The Ferrari Soul Good news for Ferrari lovers! The dark horse is going to be introducing some significant changes over the next 5 years, and the excitement that surrounds the recent launch of the F70 LaFerrari is manifest. The brand has its new strategy in place; second hand value is going up. There's going to be less production, but global expansion is set to continue even as exclusivity is rigorously maintained. Let me explain‌
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POWER The Gentleman’s Journal
'”Ferrari is like a woman, you desire her, you want to feel her, you will wait for her.” - Mr. Montezemolo
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In 1984, Ferrari brought out the iconic GTO, which opened our eyes to the huge potential of on-road sporting. Just a few years later, in 1987, we saw the birth of the F40 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Ferrari have produced a number of extremely luxurious supercars in more recent times, namely the Enzo and 458, but nothing could have prepared us for what Ferrari had in store for 2013. When asked, Ferrari’s chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo described the LaFerrari as ‘the most beautiful lady in the world’ — with a guarantee. Let me elaborate: upon meeting a beautiful woman, she can seem perfect at first glance; gorgeous, long legged and shiny of hair. However, when meeting the angelic pin-up you invited for dinner, you can’t help but feel a little disappointed on discovering that her personality doesn’t quite match up. With the LaFerrari, we have not only the most beautiful woman in the world, but one who will fulfil her promise during dinner, leaving you more than satisfied afterwards. As it stands, all I can tell you is that Ferrari have brought us
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a boy-toy with a girl’s name. Curiosity got the better of me, so I jumped on a BA flight down to the bellowing echoes of V12s carving up the village of Maranello. From here I began to get a real sense of what this mythical place was really about. Only 499 LaFerraris will be produced in this mortal world. They have carefully combined traditional F1 quality with GT roadfocused consumer requirements. Ferrari have come a long way in recent years, and have some very exciting strategic plans in the works for the immediate future. Let me ask you this: is buying any car a good investment? I suppose the thoughts running through your head are more likely to be financial than emotional. But what does it mean to own one of these goddesses? I started thinking about my perfect women, and walked onto the factory floor to meet my potential future in-laws. For those of you who are keen to add the personal touch, Ferrari have launched their new ‘Tailor-Made’ programme, which is broken down into three