LE KAP - Spring 2016 edition

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AUDREY HEPBURN

‘a timeless style icon’

UMAID BHAWAN PALACE ...

MEN IN HATS

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editor-in-chief l Steve Swanepoel automotive lifestyle editor l Richard Webb multimedia editor l Stephanie Swanepoel creative l Le Mag Publications Group proofreaders l Moira Theart l Marion Pfeiffer photographers l Various wine correspondents l Jean Vincent Ridon l Jörg Pfützner international research & correspondents Howard Linsee-Tutill l Liz Webber advertising enquiries l sales@lemagpublications.com

CONTENTS

editorial enquiries l info@lemagpublications.com event enquiries l info@lemagpublications.com website l Warren Richardson editorial contributors l Marion Pfeiffer, Lesley Miles, Anne Wheeler, Steve Swanepoel, Jean-Vincent Ridon, Keri Harvey, Sylvia Sibbald, Nicolene Richards, Stephanie Swanepoel, Daniel Snyman, Ruth Cooper, Kisha van Vuuren, Sean O’Toole, Richard Webb, Hennie Loubser, Daphne McFarlane, Diane Stadler, Madeleine Philips, Ever Duminy publisher l Le Mag Publications Group editor l editor@lemagpublications.com email l info@lemagpublications.com web l www.lemagpublications.com tel l 021 829 7120 l 021 829 7205 fax l 086 554 5580

FRONT COVER l AUDREY HEPBURN

08 FROM THE EDITOR 10 AUDREY HEPBURN 16 THE DEFINITION OF LUXURY 18 SLOW CRUISING THE DANUBE RIVER 24 ELIE SAAB

COPYRIGHT © 2015 l 2016 - LE MAG PUBLICATIONS GROUP The opinions and views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Le Mag Publications Group. The publisher and editor regretfully cannot accept any liability for omissions or errors contained in this publication. The ownership of registered trademarks is duly acknowledged. No part of this publication or any of its content may be reproduced, digitally stored or transmitted in any format without the express and written permission of the publishing editor.

30 THE LEOPARD 45 36 WHITE NIGHTS - ST PETERSBURG

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86 Breguet and the art of Guilloche

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CONTENTS CONT ...

BY JEFFREY S. KINGSTON

42 THE COST OF CAVIAR

66 MEN IN HATS

44 SIX CLASSIC FASHION LOOKS TO OWN

70 CLASSIC NOVELS ARE BETTER WITH WINE

48 BRAVE NEW WORLD

72 UMAID BHAWAN PALACE

52 ROBERT HODGINS

78 WALT DISNEY

56 THE 3D PRINTED MOTORCYCLE

82 VINTAGE JEWELLERY

58 HORSE RACING SYNDICATES

86 SADIQ KHAN

62 HOME AUTOMATION

88 SUPER SOMMELIERS

64 ASSET ALLOCATION & THE MADNESS OF MEN

92 THE FARMS NEXT DOOR

FOLLOW US ON THE ELIE SAAB MAGAZINE / THELIGHTOFNOW.COM

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FROM THE EDITOR

Spring is by and large considered as the season of hope and revitalisation, and I cannot think of a more dynamic way to celebrate it other than with the release of this spring edition of Le Kap. To enable us to compile this edition, with its diverse range of editorials, our editorial contributors literally traversed the globe.

During July of this year, Nicolene Richards travelled to Saint Petersburg, Russia and shares her experiences with our readers on page 36. Nicolene, the proverbial globe trotter, is a seasoned traveller and once again, she has left our shores. She is currently in Moscow and will share her experiences in the Russian capital with our readers in a future edition.

On page 18 Keri Harvey gives our readers insight into the delights of riverboat cruising after her recent journey, cruising the Danube River, on board the luxury ‘AmaSerena’ Riverboat.

Richard Webb, our ‘Automotive Lifestyle Editor’, travelled to Munich early in September to join in the celebrations of BMW’s 100th anniversary, before continuing onward to Italy to attend the Concorso d’Eleganza, held annually at Villa d’Este (see page 48).

Steve Swanepoel CEO & Founder Le Mag Publications Group

Richard also recently visited Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., the luxury sports car and SUV manufacturer, based in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy. We shall share Richard’s experience of his visit to Lamborghini with our readers in the summer edition of Le Kap. On page 88 our wine expert, Jean-Vincent Ridon, travels to Mendoza in Argentina to support Gareth Ferreira in the ‘Best Sommelier of the World’ competition.

To add to the international flavour of this edition we look at the history of the Indian Royal family and their home, the Umaid Bhawan Palace, one of the largest private homes in the world on page 72, while Marion Pfeiffer writes about the new Mayor of London on page 86, providing an interesting exposé of this inspiring man.

In keeping with the spring season, we celebrate the magnificent Spring 2016 Couture Collection by the famed Beirut-born couturier, Elie Saab, on page 24.

We hope you are as enthusiastic about this spring edition of Le Kap as we are in presenting it to you.

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Audrey Hepburn ‘a timeless style icon’

By Marion Pfeiffer

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udrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993) was an iconic awardwinning actress, model and humanitarian, recognised as a modest, kind and charming person who lived by the belief of putting others before herself. This is particularly evident in her devotion to her work for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) towards the end of her life. Her waif-like elegance, height and wistfulness combined with a striking and somehow unusual air of unhappiness got her noticed.These characteristics could have led her to a career with roles playing some of cinema’s perpetual victims. However, she was too thoughtful and careful in the roles she chose to allow this to happen. Audrey was tougher than she appeared to be and this was her grace and her art and, during the war, gave her the ability to survive. She had a flare for languages and spoke English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian fluently and was a natural dancer, giving her poise and elegance. She maintained enough control over her choices to follow some advice given to her by another leading lady, who stated that to stay desirable she should make herself scarce as the public can get tired of seeing the same celebrities again and again.

Success in early roles in films such as ‘Roman Holiday’ (1953), when she was only 23, starring with Gregory Peck, led to her winning the 1953 Academy Award for Best Actress. Audrey later stated this to be her favourite movie. Her next role in ‘Sabrina’ (1954) clearly revealed her sparkling talent. In 1954, she returned to the stage as the water sprite in ‘Ondine’ with Mel Ferrer, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress and confirming her reputation as a star. She married Ferrer later that year and their son Sean was born. She co-starred with Fred Astaire in ‘Funny Face’ and with Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper in ‘Love in the Afternoon’. In the ‘Nun’s Story’ during 1959 she played a Belgian doctor’s daughter who is called to treat the impoverished people of the Congo and reveals the reality of day-today life in a convent. The film received a lot of attention, while also being filmed with sensitivity to the contradictions and complications of a nun’s existence. It was Audrey’s personal favourite.

In ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961), a film inspired by one of Truman Capote’s short stories, she was chosen by Paramount over Marilyn Monroe for the role of Holly Golightly who was obviously a call girl from New York . This role was to become one of the most symbolic in 20th Century American film. Hepburn knew her limits and Audrey was born in Belgium; her father was an English banker and her stated, ‘I can’t play a hooker’ and she managed to make this fact mother a Dutch baroness. Her parents separated before the start of ambiguous. Holly’s character was impish and feminine, so that the World War II and her father left the family while she and her mother audience was never quite sure. The little black dress, black gloves moved to Arnhem in the Netherlands, which was promptly occupied and a foot-long cigarette holder became icons of this century - a by the Germans. She often mentioned that parody of elegance with sex appeal. ‘Charade’ the loss of her father at this time was one (1963), with Cary Grant, followed before her How shall I sum up my life? I of the most traumatising events of her life. famous role as Eliza Doolittle, the exasperating think I’ve been particularly lucky.

Schooled in England, Audrey had to adopt cockney girl in ‘My Fair Lady’ (1964) – although Does that have something to do a Dutch persona and pseudonym, Edda criticised as another example of a film studio van Heemstra, for the duration of the war throwing money into the production to make with faith also? I know my mother and this could be considered the start of it successful. In fact, Hepburn was not a strong always used to say, ‘Good things her acting career. Lack of food during this singer, but even she did not know until after aren’t supposed to just fall into time, when many people starved to death the film was completed that Marni Nixon had your lap. God is very generous, in the Netherlands, led to her suffering been hired to replace her singing voice! Roles from malnutrition and health problems. Her in ‘How to Steal a Million’ (1966), with Peter but he expects you to do your experience during the war as a teenager O’Toole, and Robin and Marian (1976), with part first.’ So you have to make created a strong character in the young Sean Connery, followed soon after. Many of that effort. But at the end of a girl and was to influence and shape her life these leading men became very close friends bad time of a huge effort, I’ve and values. Once the war was over, Audrey with her. always had – how shall I say it? – and her mother relocated to London and she studied ballet on a scholarship. She In 1967, after 15 celebrated years in film, the prize at the end. My whole life was extremely talented, but was told that Hepburn chose to act less frequently, choosing shows that. - Audrey Hepburn to turn down roles that did not suit her, for her height (5’7”) and weak constitution example, refusing the role of Anne Frank would make becoming a prima ballerina unattainable, so she changed her focus to concentrate on acting. because she felt that it should be done by a teenager. This choice may also have been related to the roles she was offered – she was Her film debut was playing the part of an air stewardess in Dutch a fine actor, dancer, comedian and yet, producers approached her in ‘Seven Lessons’ in 1948, an educational travel film. A series of small roles in musical theatre revues followed, before her first major with roles she felt were not representative of what she had already achieved. After her divorce from Mel Ferrer she married Italian supporting role as a ballet dancer in ‘The Secret People’ in 1951. In November 1951, she was chosen to play the leading character in psychiatrist, Dr Andrea Dotti, and had a second son, Luca. After the Broadway play ‘Gigi’, winning a Theatre World Award for this separating from Dotti, in 1976, Audrey appeared in ‘Robin and Marian’ that was not particularly successful, followed by another performance with a successful six-month run in New York. comeback in 1979 in ‘Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline’, however, this film was a failure. Her last starring role was with Ben Gazzara in the During her career in Hollywood she was romantically linked to modern comedy production ‘They All Laughed’ (1981), a hip and various leading stars, however, she remained essentially extremely breezy film. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by the murder of private about her personal life. It is rumoured that she was not as one of the other actors, Dorothy Stratton and was not a hit. In 1987, much of an innocent as she led her fans to believe and many allege she co-starred with Robert Wagner in made-for-television film, that this was part of her secret. Her lovers remain mostly unknown.

‘Love Amongst Thieves’. This TV-film was not very well received and She differed in her path from most actresses at the time, in her she was quoted as saying she had appeared in it ‘just for fun’. Her conscious choice of becoming a fashionista. Today, an association last role was a cameo appearance as an angel in Steven Spielberg’s like this is quite usual, but she appears to be one of the first to take ‘Always’ (1989), which was a rare Spielberg fizzle, although the few on this role, becoming known as Givenchy’s muse.

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scenes shot with Hepburn retain her legendary magic, and was taken out of theatres. She decided to spend more time with her family and close friends.

care of children has nothing to do with politics. I think perhaps with time, instead of there being a politicization of humanitarian aid, there will be a humanization of politics.’

Audrey’s marriage to Dotti lasted 13 years and ended in 1982.

Audrey would have been 87 this year. She passed away from cancer in Switzerland at the age of 63. Although it seems that much of She met Robert Wolders through a friend in the late stages of her her life has been documented, there are many lesser known facts marriage to Dotti and after her divorce had become final they started surrounding this glamorous movie star. She their lives together and remained together until the time of her death. Soon after Audrey’s last ‘Living is like tearing through a was part of the Resistance movement in film, she was appointed as special ambassador Holland during the war although both her museum. Not until later do you parents were Nazi sympathisers. Like many to UNICEF, and she and Wolders planned the really start absorbing what you other children at the time, she would act as a UNICEF trips together. She had been involved saw, thinking about it, looking it courier as it was believed that the Nazis were with UNICEF since the 1950s, but this was a far more dedicated role and many believed it was up in a book, and remembering more unlikely to search children for hidden a result of her belief that she had been so lucky - because you can’t take it in all packages containing documents or provisions for those hiding in the nearby forests. It is in surviving Nazi occupation during the war. at once.’- Audrey Hepburn most likely that her sweetness and charm Those who knew her well say that the thoughts would have managed to persuade anyone of dying, helpless children occupied her for who stopped her that she was an innocent little girl. Her parents’ the rest of her life and Audrey travelled to African and South Asian racist ideology was kept secret for many years, as it would have countries to assist with the aid programmes wherever she could.

She devoted herself to increasing knowledge and understanding of affected her image and she emphatically rejected their views. the problems related to conditions in these countries and worked Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe’s images were entirely in tirelessly for UNICEF and various related causes until the end of her opposition to each other. Audrey was sophisticated and elegant life. During one of her final trips in 1992, she once again asserted while Marilyn was the voluptuous, ditzy blonde sexpot. What they that compassion for children, the sufferers of war is universal. ‘Taking

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did share, was that they had both dated JF Kennedy, Audrey before his marriage and presidency and Marilyn was his mistress during that time. Audrey’s beauty was not threatening to other women, unlike Marilyn’s obviously sensual beauty that was so seductive to men. Audrey had a universal appeal, women wanted to be like her and men wanted to be with women like her.

followed and written about throughout the following decades. She was also cited as being one of the key fashion figures who made being slim fashionable. She chose a minimalistic style with simple silhouettes, monochromatic colours and statement accessories. Flat ballet-style pumps, slim black trousers and a delicate black jersey was one of her signature looks and, the little black dress, of course.

Audrey was an EGOT. EGOT is a term used for those rare individuals who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. She is one of only 14 who have managed to do this. In 1990, a new hybrid tulip was named after her, the Audrey Hepburn Tulip, according to the Netherlands Flower Information Society as a tribute to her career and work for UNICEF.

In contrast to the on-screen ‘sex goddesses’ of her time, Audrey had a more natural beauty and aura of innocence and refinement. She had ‘star quality’ in the old fashioned sense, at a time when the idea of a movie star was changing fast from glamorous to introducing a rough realism to the screen. Many describe her look as elfish and some say her continued popularity so long after her death can be attributed to not only her international fame, but her status as a symbol of classic and classy femininity. Many aspire to reach this level of success and fail, so how did she do it? Some say it was her unique and extraordinary beauty, charm, brains, talent, luck, real compassion and character.

Her legacy continues to endure after her death and she has been the recipient of numerous posthumous awards. She completed a total of 31 high-quality films. Her image is often used in advertising campaigns and her son, Sean Ferrer, founded the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund in memory of his mother. She remains a style icon, remembered for her grace, her fashion choices and distinct style, short hair, slim body and gamine look. In 1954, Cecil Beaton, a fashion photographer stated that she was ‘the public embodiment of our new feminine ideal’ in Vogue and her style was

Audrey does not endure because of the roles she played, but rather because of who she was. Her move into semi-retirement at the height of her career in 1967 boosted the mystery around her life, a gracious yet guarded woman, easy to like but only close to a few.

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THE DEFINITION OF LUXURY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

By Sylvia Sibbald

As defined by the Collins Dictionary ‘luxury’ means the ‘indulgence in and enjoyment of rich, comfortable and sumptuous living, something considered an indulgence rather than a necessity, something pleasant and satisfying’. Truly, it is a divisive or contentious word in our times. Traditionally, luxury is something enjoyed by some and not by others, in other words, a privilege that is the property of the elite and inaccessible.

quality and enjoy it. A treasure found in a thrift store, a superb glass of wine, a day on the beach or unfettered time spent with family are not the celebrated ideas of self-indulgent luxury sought previously, but more the newly valued investment of the appreciation of luxury today. It is an intentional celebration of the beauty and joy that surrounds us, to be embraced and lived as well as possible.

In considering this idea, it would seem evident that the luxury However, luxury today seems to be changing in its meaning, industry is experiencing an unexpected upheaval, requiring a more on the acquisition of experiences than that of material reinvention of enormous proportions. For luxury brands in all areas, possessions. In our generation, this alters this demands a reorganisation of previously the whole idea into a new light in that we Traditionally, luxury is something followed methods of branding and business still desire beautiful and exciting items and models and many are in a state of rapid enjoyed by some and not extravagances, but we also realise that the transition while others continue to resist the by others, in other words, a acknowledged definition of luxury is now inevitable changes. Before now, luxury was too simple. Our personal quality of life rather an inflexible notion, similar to a castle privilege that is the property is gaining importance, not to just collect with high walls where only the elite (whoever of the elite luxurious items but to see and experience they were) had access permitted by power, and inaccessible. things, to understand the beauty of art and status and wealth. It maintains its position innovative design of technology outside of over consumers of these opulent goods and our surroundings. Societies are more cognisant of the significance services - if you can afford it, you can have it. of quality, artistry and culture, and we have more access than ever before, through the internet in the search for knowledge.

So, those who were successful became self-made and competent individuals and the majority of the world’s wealthy with access to So, is luxury now the enjoyment of the best things in life, that an opulent lifestyle and here, the ultimate challenge, in that luxury which inspires us, related to beauty, understanding and humanity, brands became endorsed by consumers as much as the brands the sweetness of our existence? It could simply be the sunrise validated their success. Another question is whether a luxury label over a crystal clear lagoon, a perfect meal, a walk in the forest or is defined by heritage and innovation – its power as an influence of a photograph that brings back memories of a pleasurable time. lifestyle and something to aspire to afford.

In these terms, luxury can be defined as anything that reminds us to wonder at our existence and not just accept it, but consume it Today, the customer experience of these sophisticated and enthusiastically and not waste a moment. In the current economic expensive goods must be super-extraordinary to maintain a loyal climate it is feasible that this change in the context of luxury to client base. The importance of artisanal skills, superb materials, enjoyment is a result of the challenges faced in living in our world defined style and enduring fashion trends have become of chief today. Many have chosen to sacrifice income and even stability importance. Methods of marketing have had to accelerate as in the traditional sense (vehicles, large homes, technology and the internet and its related forms of advertising will become the jewellery) to follow the less conventional route, changing priorities standard for the luxury market in the next few years. Word of mouth from these to those that entail a conscious decision to discover and referrals have become vitally important and, in fact, the ultimate

LIFESTYLE

form of marketing as these clients will discuss their satisfaction with friends and will be heard online and offline via social networks, becoming an authenticated endorsement from real customers in an area cluttered with brand noise in all its forms.

photos : courtesy Aman Residences

The global downturn has accentuated unethical and illegal activities, angering many wealthy consumers by their loss of wealth and the negative effects of those truly in need, together with environmental issues, making them more socially aware and even appropriately socially conscious. For luxury goods that are not a necessity, this means it will be crucial to prove their social responsibility through, for example, being eco-friendly in their approach. Up till now, the luxury industry has been able to dictate tastes and terms to its customers.

However, one has to return to the definition of luxury – is it a matter of semantics imbued in the US with authenticity, freedom, customisation and comfort while in Europe related to craftsmanship, materials, taste and security? Words, the manner of the positioning, point and spin relating to the luxury products available, are becoming crucial when consumers of today, who have acquired thrifty habits during arduous times, favour online shopping and are acquiring experience over more luxury goods. Meetings and summits with influential individuals involved in luxury brands and

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products are now regularly taking place to meet the changing face of the luxury world. The times, indeed, are changing the meaning of luxury. Discussions have resulted in some defining decisions, such as turning shopping, online or in stores, into an experience within an entertaining environment.

Some companies have changed their approach by converting areas into VIP lounges where luxury consumers can enjoy champagne, good food or just relax as they make their selections and purchases.

Some fashion designers have online boutiques, which allow the member to purchase designs straight off the runway. This also gives a very strong indication as to how successful the new collection will be.

Market trends and research indicate that younger shoppers appear to prefer browsing online for their luxury items and share information and their online experiences with friends. Companies, with this target audience in mind, attempt to create a closed feedback loop where they can communicate with their customers as friends. Luxury brands are hence required to be highly ethical in our world, and be seen as being philanthropic by aiding those in need, as well as maintaining a social conscience so that when viewed by their super-rich clientele they are seen as socially responsible while providing quality and maintaining their luxury status.

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‘Slow Cruising the Danube River’

By Keri Harvey

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he most relaxing way of experiencing the picturesque landscapes and elegant old world cities of Europe has to be a cruise on a luxury riverboat. Time is spent absorbing the diverse views along the way or relaxing on board, while gently sailing down the river. If you choose the Danube River for your journey, you’ll be enchanted all the way.

We’ve just arrived in Budapest. For over 2 000 years, people have been living on the site of this spectacular city. Originally, there were two settlements named Buda and Pest with the Danube River, the longest river in Europe, running through the centre; today, Budapest is the combination of these, with majestic and artistic bridges spanning the waterway. The Buda side is hilly and an obvious position for the vast convoluted castle and fishermen’s bastion – with great views across to the flat Pest side, the area where the Houses of Parliament and many of the iconic attractions known by tourists today would have been easier to build.

‘That’s paprika schnapps,’ says the smiling shopkeeper as we stare at a terrace of honey-coloured bottles, as she leans against the doorway and continues, ‘Paprika is in everything in Hungary, not

just in the food’. Her shop is in one of the local markets in Budapest and she sells only paprika products. The aroma is tantalising and mingled with wafts of smoked salami and freshly baked pastries from nearby stalls. Being lunchtime, we browse from shop to shop, buying some of the traditional flavours of Hungary, such as paprika cheese, cured meats and orange marzipan chocolate. The winner emerges as Tura Rudi, the traditional snack of sweet curd covered in chocolate.

The history of the city is as vibrant as the food. Stephen I, known as King St Stephen, founded the Hungarian state and ruled as king from 1000 AD until his death in 1038 AD. Decades later he was canonised and today remains known as the patron saint of Hungary.

His name is sprinkled across churches, streets and squares – and he is still adored by the people. We visit the imposing St Stephens Basilica, stroll across spacious Heroes’ Square and marvel at the majestic Opera building. However, it’s the buildings of parliament with their elegant spires that are the most appealing to us. They resemble a little bit of the style of London in Hungary. Furthermore, there are the broad tree-lined avenues reminiscent of Paris, the grand architecture that is also found in Vienna, along with an >

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atmosphere similar to that in Dubrovnik - and with a smattering of opulence comparable to the grandeur of St Petersburg.

Budapest Market

In the afternoon we board the AmaSerena riverboat, one of the new AMA Waterways ships – known for their advanced design and this is the newest in their fleet. We settle into our luxurious suite with its private balcony and all the technology required for entertainment and communication. However, above all, the level of comfort, luxury and attention to detail in the room is striking. During our week-long cruise, we enjoy the outstanding service and friendliness of the staff, the decadent cuisine available at every meal, as all of these will make for lasting memories of an extremely pleasurable experience.

In the evening, we cruise along the Danube River while enjoying dinner aboard and marvel at the elegance of this stately city at night. Budapest is simply breathtaking and at night, with the city lights, she is dazzling. Before turning in to sleep in our lavish suite, we play a game of chess on our private balcony – just because it’s virtually the national ‘sport’ of Hungary and is even taught to students in the schools. As we sleep, our riverboat travels quietly towards Slovakia. Tomorrow we’ll be in Bratislava, without the fuss of packing or passport control. That is another fact that is great about cruising. There are none of the usual frustrations involved in travelling.

Durnstein, Austria

In Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, we walk the cobbled streets of the 18th century old town known for its lively bars and cafes. There’s the distinct aroma of citrus and cinnamon from garlands sold on the square, along with intricate handmade lace and colourful glassware.

Quirky street art makes us smile and remember the day vividly.

Firstly, a metal man emerges from a manhole, followed by live art in the form of a bearded bronze statue who winks at us flirtatiously.

Austrian folk are more reserved and deeply stylish and the countryside is well-ordered and picturesque. Our riverboat draws up alongside the bank in the village of Durnstein, where apricots are always the flavour of the day. From soap to wine, all things apricot can be bought in the quaint cobbled street village where cascades of flowers add blazes of colour to shops and homes. Further along the river, the boat stops in Melk and we walk for what feels like miles to a butter-coloured Benedictine abbey to marvel at ancient jewelled relics and crosses. Monks still live and work here while the tourist entrance fees help to maintain the monastery. In Vienna, we disembark in search of the famous and beautiful Lippazaners – the white Spanish dancing horses, which incidentally can also be seen performing in shows close to Johannesburg. Today, while we visit, they are in their stables, so we only glimpse them, before continuing our sightseeing tour and travel on the red trams around the city.

Arriving in Passau is a great welcome to Bavaria. This is rainbow Germany with buildings painted in bright and pastel hues. We sit in >

Bratislava, Slovakia

The River Cruise Difference Peaceful and scenic, river cruising offers a smooth, gentle ride along the world’s most remarkable waterways. Supreme comfort and convenience make it the premier way to experience magnificent cities, historic villages and little-seen enclaves.

Celebrate the magic of the holiday season, stopping to visit some of the charming towns where many beloved Christmas traditions originated. Wander the stalls of Europe’s most traditional and enchanting Christmas Markets, shopping for handcrafted toys and gifts, sipping hot mulled wine and inhaling the fragrance of gingerbread and roasted chestnuts. Experience colorful local traditions in such picturesque locales as Vienna and cruising in Budapest, which offers its own festive take on the holiday.

EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS SAILINGS

Cruise Fare Includes: - Complimentary WiFi and Infotainment - Complimentary in-room Internet access - Gourmet Dining - Unlimited fine wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner - Complimentary bottled water, specialty coffees and teas throughout - Enriching shore excursions with expert guides in every port - Bicycles for exploring on your own or on a guided bike tour

Highlights: Budapest; Budapest; Bratislava; Vienna; Weissenkirchen; Linz; Passau; Vilshofen

The Romantic Danube

7-Nights onboard AmaViola Highlights: Vilshofen; Vilshofen; Linz; Weissenkirchen; Vienna; Bratislava; Budapest; Budapest Sailing Date: 29 December 2016

From: R34 800 per person sharing Melodies of the Danube

7-Nights onboard AmaSerena Sailing Date: 25 December 2016

From: R26 100 per person sharing Christmas Markets on the Danube

7-Nights onboard AmaSonata Highlights: Nuremberg; Nuremberg; Regensburg; Passau; Melk; Vienna; Budapest; Budapest

Sailing Date: 19 December 2016

From: R25 200 per person sharing

AmaWaterways River Cruises is proudly represented by Cruises International in South Africa.

Contact: 011 327 0327 / reservations@cruises.co.za / www.cruises.co.za Terms & conditions apply. Fares are a guide only based on lowest lead in categories, are per person sharing and subject to exchange rate fluctuations. Departure dates, itineraries and fares are subject to change, capacity controlled and can be removed at any time. Fares are Cruise Only and excludes approximate compulsory port charges of $168 per person.

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Passau, Germany

Charles Bridge, Prague

Buildings of Parliament, Budapest

Lunch on board the AmaSerena

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the town square – reached by walking through the charming cobbled streets - and watch Bavarians going about their lives, buying bread and sausages for supper and beer, of course. Just a short hop further down the Danube, which is not blue, but clean pale green, one finds Vilshofen where we disembark from the AmaSerena for the last time. The luxurious and tranquil week, travelling on board, will be a sharp contrast to our independent travel plans in Prague in the Czech Republic Here in Bohemia, after a week of fine dining, we eat the ‘street style’ food of smoked pork and potatoes, catch the metro and trawl the cobbled streets, listening to audio guides providing details about the old gothic capital where the good King Wenceslas once lived.

The astronomical clock of ‘clocks within clocks’ in the old town is fascinating, as are the legal cannabis shops, but the crazily coloured Bohemian crystal is the biggest attraction. Rainbows of cut crystal glasses, ornaments and beads twinkle in shop windows and remind us that all that glitters is not gold. In Prague, it’s crystal!.

Travel Tips: Pack clothing that can be layered, plus a set of warm clothing and an umbrella, unless you are travelling mid-summer.

Don’t miss: Being out on the deck as you depart elegant Budapest, to see the reconstructed Bratislava castle in Slovakia, as you dock alongside the scenic village of Durnstein in Austria, when you approach the picturesque Bavarian town of Passau in Germany. The Wachau Valley is postcard beautiful. En route AmaSerena passes through 12 locks, mostly at night, but it’s well worth waking up for the experience to admire the captain’s navigating skills.

Remember to taste: Paprika crisps and cheese in Hungary, Apfelstrudel and the renowned sachertorte in Austria, the delicious cured meats and salamis in Germany and marzipan chocolates everywhere!

Planning your trip: Getting there: There are flights from Johannesburg to Budapest, via Frankfurt, with faultless connections, then back to Johannesburg from Prague with just as little effort. You can catch the bus and metro from Budapest airport into the city and an airport bus departs from Prague main station to the airport every half hour, making these transfers extremely easy...

Visas: South African passport holders require a Schengen visa to enter Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

This visa is available from the Embassy of the country of your first entry, or the country of longest duration of stay.

Useful websites: For information on Cruises International, please see: www.cruises.co.za

Cocktails in the AmaSerena onboard swimming pool Erlebnis Chef’s Table Restaurant onboard AmaSerena

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ELIE SAAB

By Stephanie Swanepoel

E

lie Saab is considered to be one of the Arab world’s most prominent and celebrated designers and known by some as the undisputed king of Middle Eastern fashion and also, currently the darling of the red carpet! Born in Beirut, he is the eldest son of a wood merchant and is selftaught. He began sewing as a child and by the age of eight, he was already focused on style and fashion, cutting patterns out of newspaper and using his sister as a model for his projects.

In 1981, Saab relocated to Paris to study fashion for just one year and returned to Beirut the following year, opening his first atelier at the age of 18 and employing 15 people to work for him. Initially, his focus was on bridal wear, using rich and lustrous materials, but as his reputation developed, he began dressing women who lived in his area and was soon sought-after as a designer for high society wealthy women. He is known for his style–a unique fusion of western and eastern culture, using luxurious and extravagant materials combined with more flowing and lighter fabrics. In 1997, his first collection outside of Lebanon appeared in Rome and in 1998 he started to produce ready-to-wear fashion in Milan.

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He gained popularity in the fashion world as his work gathered a following of admirers and was the first Lebanese couturier to design a dress worn by an Oscar winner. This was Halle Berry, during 2002, who wore his very glamorous burgundy gown to the Oscar event and his name quickly became associated with beautiful haute couture internationally. His main workshop remains in Lebanon with additional workshops in Milan and Paris. He is an established designer among royalty, including Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Madeleine of Sweden. One of his most famous creations was a dress with detailed and heavy embroidery that reportedly sold for USD 2,4 million.

Today his brand owns boutiques all over the world – London, Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai, amongst others, and also, over 100 retail outlets.

Saab is known to have a particular style of design and to date, he has stayed with this signature style–a monochromatic look with shimmery tone-on-tone embroidery–with his collections blending from one into the next. Saab believes firmly that every designer must work hard to create his identity and that talent is the most important requirement for anyone seeking to work in the world of fashion. Perseverance and ambition he considers vital to success and overcoming obstacles while maintaining a style that is simple, yet extremely glamorous. This designer finds inspiration all around him and uses it in his creations. He states, ‘An Elie Saab Woman is every woman who likes my designs and longs to wear them’. So, it is not surprising that his collection for spring this year was an event attended by many celebrities seeking something new and notable for their trendsetting wardrobe - he did not disappoint.

In the presentation of this Spring 2016 Couture Collection at Paris Fashion Week, Elie Saab announced his new couture collection this year with the statement ‘Enter India’ revealing that his inspiration is the Englishwoman travelling to the subcontinent. He asserted that his ideas arose from the journey to Delhi Durbar in 1911 of an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, Lilah Wingfield, with the result that this collection was created by combining Victorian elements with traditional Indian style. ‘India is her backdrop and her inspiration for a new blend of formalism and ease, opulence and elementary lines’.

This continues along the lines of his romantic runway style designs, but he introduced new ideas such as bomber jackets layered over embellished dresses and slim and boyish tops tied with ribbons for a chic effect, rather than his signature look of lavish evening gowns.

The collection began with his pre-Fall line-up that offered a younger, fresher appearance with decorated metallic ‘Wellington style’ boots and reflected his inspiration for change with sturdy lace-up leather boots, backpacks and belt bags in metallic leathers. Styles like these are not the norm in haute couture where accessories lean towards delicacy and the exotic, however, for instance, matched with elevated ankle hems on beaded dresses, these were an instant success.

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The Spring 2016 Couture Collection offered a beautiful dream of delicate styles. Sparkling fashion included light and breezy mini dresses, loosely draped trousers, chiffon shorts and floaty gowns, suggestive of the traditional Indian sari. The runway was alive with exquisite and unexpected styles from this designer. High-necked dramatic dresses echoing the Edwardian style with high-necks in shades of metallic grey, blue and blush-coloured muted colours were prominent with flowing silhouettes combined with slightly edgy fringes and lace, as well as his signature florals. Not only did this glittering display of pieces catch the eye but there was more.

Unusual accessories included cross-body and belt bags, combat boots or lug soled sandals and chunky headpieces. The mixture of hard and soft created a stunning feminine collection designed to delight any fashionista.

Fabrics enhanced these soft hues with the use of silk chiffon, crepe georgette while appliqued lace and beading added to its ethereal look. Mini dresses with ruffled skirts, full-length dresses with sashes, created from materials flowing diagonally and across the body formed eye-catching shapes decorated with layers of lace in differing tones, some with dipped hems, sheer lace on the back and flowing trains. More traditional delicate lace outfits cinched at the waist with ornamental belts contrasted with chunky leather boots.

Some of the layered styles in metallic hues were presented with intricate beading, somehow reminiscent of metal work across the body, while the skirts flowed into a gauzy lace and chiffon creation.

Ornate headpieces, tightly fitting beaded hats and intricate beadwork on Nehru-styled jackets matched with loose trousers or skirts in a simple style. One of the models took to the runway in rock ’n roll regalia with jewelled trousers stuffed into boots, a sparkling translucent camisole and matching floor-length coat.

The studio in Beirut remains closest to his heart–although it has been destroyed several times in this capital beset by conflict. Each time it has been rebuilt and continues to thrive and rival those in European capitals. He is married to Claudine and they have three adult sons Claudine remains his constant sounding board and advisor. They move between their three homes – one in Beirut, one in Geneva and one in Paris. Saab Couture House has signed, with Beaute Prestige International, a ten-year perfume and cosmetic licence to add the creation of perfume to his couture home. In 1997, Saab was appointed as the first non-Italian member of ‘Camera Nazionale Della Moda’ and in 2003, he became a member of ‘Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture’, the industry that governs French fashion and the highest honour awarded to a non-French designer.

This celebrated designer continues to create collections that demand attention and are creative and incredibly glamorous, for example, the Spring-Summer Collection 2016 and there is no doubt that his star remains on the rise.

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THE LEOPARD 45 PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF CATAMARAN DESIGN

By Daniel Snyman

Leopard Catamarans holds true to its global reputation for high quality seaworthy yachts. All are hand-built by master craftsmen, in the renowned Cape Town boatyard, by Robertson and Caine.

The impressive heritage of the award-winning Leopard Sailing Catamaran Range currently consists of the Leopard 40, the Leopard 48, the Leopard 58 and now, the brand new Leopard 45. In addition to the sailing fleet, Leopard Catamarans also produces superior power catamarans, the Leopard 43 PC and Leopard 51 PC, which are both contemporary and economical.

Robertson and Caine is one of the biggest manufacturers of sailing catamarans worldwide, dominating the North American market and the most renowned catamaran cruising grounds of all; the Caribbean. With the combination of 25 years of experience and expertise in yacht building from Robertson and Caine and naval architecture by Simonis & Voogd Yacht Design, it is not surprising that

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the newest member of the catamaran fleet, the Leopard 45, is built on the greatest attributes of the current catamaran range. The new Leopard 45 Sailing Catamaran, founded upon the ethos of continuous innovation and feedback from cruising clients, represents astute value, elegant lines and satisfies blue water passion.

The new Leopard 45 Sailing Catamaran delivers uncompromised, exceptional build quality throughout, new sleek styling, a sensible and practical layout, sailing comfort in all sea states and features innovative technologies and multiple entertainment areas. Michael Robertson, the Design Engineer at Robertson and Caine, promises an unprecedented and seaworthy catamaran, explaining, ’We have ensured that all of the best features from our previous designs, as well as customer feedback, have been rolled into this new design. She has a fresh new look, a really comfortable interior and she sails well.’ >

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Two immediately noticeable areas of innovation are the exterior styling and interior accommodation. The latter has been thoroughly overhauled to improve comfort levels and space, as well as enhancing the ambiance, by adhering to simple, clean joinery lines backed up by upmarket jewel-like trim features. The finishes are all in neutral shades, allowing the owner to add his or her preferred soft furnishings. More natural light has been created by adding an overhead skylight to the saloon and by increasing the size of hull windows and port lights. After dark, the interior is illuminated by subtle hidden lighting, with individual spotlights highlighting specific areas.

The exterior styling has evolved from the more curvaceous deck features in the current Leopard range into a sharper, more angular look, topped by a sleek new saloon hardtop, which extends from aft

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cockpit to forward cockpit. Importantly, it retains a number of traditional Leopard features to ensure that it is recognised as originating from the line of Robertson & Caine catamarans.

Franck Bauguil, Leopard’s Vice President of Sales and Product Development, explains how this new model is built upon the success of her predecessor, ‘The Leopard 45 is the logical evolution of the Leopard 40. With side to side sliding doors opening between the aft cockpit and the main saloon, it creates a large, well-ventilated living area during clement weather and two well-protected areas while at sea. Panoramic views of the ocean have been improved with larger and sharper windows, giving a full view forward from the aft cockpit.

Despite its larger living areas and its higher level of sophistication, the Leopard 45 is faithful to its pedigree of robust, easy to maintain, easy to manoeuvre, blue water catamarans.’ >

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Principal Specifications: Length Overall

45 ft / 13.72 m

Hull Length

42 ft 11 in / 13.07 m

Beam

24 ft 2 in / 7.35 m

Draft

5 ft 1 in / 1.55 m

Sail Area

1328 sq ft / 123.4 sq m

Engines

2 x 45 hp

Fuel Capacity

185 US Gal / 700 l

Water Capacity

206 US Gal / 780 l

Berths

8 + 1 in optional forepeak, or 6 + 1 in optional forepeak

The forward cockpit is accessible via a weathertight door and a raised helm station provides excellent visibility while still well protected.

Ease of on-board entertaining is accentuated with the open plan saloon area, including ample dining facilities and forward facing L-shaped seating, allowing direct communication with the forwardplaced galley. The interior has an elegant, light finish accented with grey contrasts. True to form, the design is modern and fresh with a focus on the quality of finish and materials. The stylish interior is designed for ample headroom, with an ergonomic layout and delivers safety and comfort at sea.

The Leopard 45 is a cruising catamaran designed for private ownership and suitable for cruising with three or four couples or a family. She features a three cabin-3 head and a four cabin-4 head layout. The three cabin layout includes two cabins in the port hull, leaving the starboard hull entirely dedicated to the owner’s suite, complete with workstation and large private washroom. She also comes with a multitude of unique features and available upgrades.

In 2017, in addition to private ownership through Leopard Catamarans, this yacht will be available for ownership through the ‘Sunsail Yacht Ownership Program’, as the Sunsail 454, and when acquired through the ‘Moorings Yacht Ownership Program’, it is known as Moorings 4500. Evolving from 40 years of customer feedback, Leopard Catamarans pooled their expertise with builders Robertson and Caine to design the Leopard line of blue water cruising catamarans. As the worldwide dealer, we’re proud to say that over 1,500 Leopard cats have now been delivered all over the globe.

For more information and pricing on the Leopard 45, please visit www.leopardcatamarans.co.za or send an e-mail to southafrica@ leopardcatamarans.com.

Displacement

31,967 lbs / 14,500 kg

Heads

3 or 4

Showers

3 or 4 + Transom shower

Welcome the newest addition to the award-winning fleet

40 | 43PC | NEW 45 | 48 | 51PC | 58

+27 21 200 1825 www.leopardcatamarans.co.za southafrica@leopardcatamarans.com

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WHITE NIGHTS, TSARS AND AN IRON CURTAIN ...

By Nicolene Richards

F

or many years, this cultural capital of Russia conjured up images of White Nights, tsars and the Iron Curtain, but with the fall of communism, it has become very accessible as a travel hotspot. There are a generous amount of billionaires living here and it is flourishing as the most westernised capital city in Russia. The decision to move it up the bucket list of travel destinations was not difficult, albeit it for only a brief visit.

treasures. Here, one can absorb the beauty of art created by Leonardo da Vinci, Cezanne, Renoir, Van Gogh and many other famous works created by different artists. As an indication of the sheer volume of the gallery; rumour has it that it will take 11 years to see all of the art, should one spend only one minute staring at each work of art. So, make sure not to be rushed when meandering down the grand passages and halls.

We visited Saint Petersburg during the end of July, so we could experience the phenomenon of ‘White Nights’, when the sun never really sets, but gently recedes to the horizon where it illuminates the sky. Unless you are a night owl, it is advisable to ensure that your hotel has blackout curtains if you wish to get a good night’s sleep.

During winter, it changes to the fabulous and elusive kaleidoscope of the Aurora Borealis flirting with you during the absolute darkness.

The luminous summer nights allow you to make use of the long evenings and take a romantic stroll along the banks of the Neva River, a mighty mass of water, or perhaps a cruise down the waterways of the city, giving you an entirely different perspective of its beauty and charm.

Saint Petersburg is not easily navigated on your own unless you are familiar with the Russian alphabet. English is widely understood, but most of the signs are, understandably, in Russian. Most hotels will be able to provide you with a concierge service to recommend a guide to accompany you to the fascinating places, with the added advantage of being shown the hidden gems not always visible to most tourists.

The city is dotted with numerous mansions and palaces, many of which are now used as museums–there are more than 200 of them. A bewildering amount of treasures can be found at the world famous Hermitage Museum complex, where viewing the highlights alone, will take a considerable time. The palatial architecture is aweinspiring, with the extravagance and opulence of the tsars near overwhelming. This museum was the winter palace of Russian tsars since the 1760s. The neoclassical Marble Palace is located on the shore of the Neva River. Standing tall with its imposing Baroque façade and painted in Filigree Green, this magnificent museum contains 1 057 halls and rooms. One can just imagine the entourage of staff required to keep it in pristine condition. Peter the Great had a penchant for opulence and lavish construction and built the palace for his daughter, Empress Elizabeth. Sadly, the empress died before its completion leaving it to Catherine the Great to enjoy its splendour and the delights of living in this creation.

The Hermitage is the largest gallery in Russia and one of the most impressive museums of the world. Even the Louvre in Paris pales in comparison to its massive proportions and formidable collection of

Today, this city oozes opulence and luxury with the likes of Cartier and numerous other international brands available, and is flourishing with the ever increasing number of wealthy citizens. Taking a stroll down the Nevsky Prospect, the main avenue, will give you a decent glimpse of the most famous buildings and sights and spoil you for choice. Don’t forget to drop by the Gostiny Dvor department store located next to the imposing Grand Hotel Europe, where you can surrender to its glorious collections of merchandise, perhaps even splurging a little. This impressive store extends over an entire street block, an area of 53 000 m2, so be prepared as only a platinum sized budget will see you leaving with a few shopping bags.

I have not yet discovered Russian cuisine that tantalises my taste buds despite its diversity, but one to sample is the Russian Borscht, a cold beetroot soup with a distinctive red colour served with a hot potato floating in it. Restaurants are plentiful and it takes some creative expertise to make your choice as menus translated into English are hard to find, so best to brush up on your Russian before you embark on an epicurean adventure. One Russian delicacy I find hard to resist is the all famous Blini, a dainty snack consisting of a mini flapjack served with sour cream and a soupçon of caviar, with luck it might just be Beluga. Don’t forget to expose the taste buds to Russian Vodka and if your liver can withstand the attack, swallow the Blini down with a mouthful of firewater for a more invigorating experience. >

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Channel Griboyedov

No visit to Saint Petersburg is complete without enjoying an evening of grandeur at the historic Merenski Theatre that opened in 1860 and continues to hold some of the world’s best opera and ballet performances. Take your opera glasses and enjoy the beauty and glamour of the balconies from afar, including the splendour of patrons in their chic designer gowns. Russia’s most celebrated performers like Anna Pavlova and Rudolf Nureyev graced these stages, so add this to your memoirs and appreciate the luxury of watching one of the renowned operas or ballets, and let the music take you away.

If you are not completely exhausted from your visits to the splendour of the Hermitage and the breath-taking beauty of the Merenski Theatre, continue with a stroll to the spectacular Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. It has a rather gruesome history, with Tsar Alexander II having been assassinated here in 1881, hence the name in remembrance of the emperor. In spite of having introduced considerable relief to the oppressed, his steps to counter-revolutionary and anarchistic movements led to his death. The church, built in a medieval Russian style, is adorned with magnificent onion domes, and the interior lavishly clad with over 7 500 sq m of intricate mosaics depicting various scenes. The

Bolsheviks did not favour religious matters and during the Russian Revolution, it was badly damaged, then closed in 1932. The church remained closed for many years and reopened in 1997 after restoration work lasting 27 years.

Saint Petersburg has more than its fair share of splendour and a quick visit can only provide a taste of its historical beauty. A visit to the Imperial Peterhof Palace estate, sometimes referred to as the Palace Versailles, a series of palaces and gardens recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Situated on the outskirts of the city, this starts with a gentle meander through the gardens, with the very impressive water feature including 64 fountains on the approach, to the magnificent Bolshoi Kaskad or Peterhof Palace. Here the golden statue of ‘Samson Fighting the Lion’, placed in the semi-circular fountain-lined pool where all the fountains meet, will bring you to a halt to admire this example of the beauty and scale with which the tsars chose to decorate their gardens. In summer, the palace can be approached by hydrofoil, which has the added advantage of viewing it from the water. The Grand Palace was badly damaged during WWII but with careful and painstaking craftsmanship, it has been restored to its current splendid condition. Along the route of the Grand Cascade fountains is the beautiful pavilion used

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Peterhof Palace

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Hermitage Museum

Mosaic pillars, Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood

Tsarskoye Selo

traditionally by wedding parties for photographs, as it offers a spectacular view of the river and inspirational gardens as a backdrop. Be mindful of the display of fountains on your way, as you might just get caught in the middle of a water feature cooling you down from the midday heat. One will always find a gathering of tourists with umbrellas here, waiting to enjoy the ceremony of the fountains spraying the footpath. It makes for a stunning display and will cause you to linger while allowing you to catch your breath.

If time permits, move on to Tsarskoye Selo, also known as Pushkin, another palace situated south of the city that demands considerable time to value its beauty and splendour. If you arrive early, you will be able to enjoy the beauty at your own pace, as it can get pretty crowded after noon. It’s well worth taking a look at the interior of the palace, with numerous arched windows and frescoes depicting Russia’s conquests. The daughter of Peter and Catherine the Great, the Empress Elizabeth, later Catherine II of Russia, chose this as her summer residence, extending the palace to its current grandeur.

The interior is as grand and extravagant as the exterior, with gilded walls and numerous intricate frescoes. Despite many of the precious works of art removed by German troops during WWII, the magnitude

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of embellished carvings, amber panels and dĂŠcor on display in the Amber Room leaves one speechless.

Saint Petersburg has some luxurious hotels, varying from small boutique style establishments to more extravagant hotels where excess is the norm. One of the most impressive hotels is the fivestar Corinthia Hotel, built in the 19th century, and still holding its own in a modern world. It’s well situated close to the main street in the city, the Nevsky Prospect and a short stroll from most main attractions. This hotel is a stately monument with a classical interior and offers all the modern facilities expected from a trendy establishment but in an imperial style.

The metro or underground rail system opened in 1955 with five lines and 67 stations transporting 2.3 million passengers per day and may be considered as a mode of transport to the masses. However, for a visitor, it is an essential excursion for the pleasure of revelling in the beauty of these elaborately decorated underground galleries where murals represent a permanent art exhibition. The experience of taking a stomach churning plunge deep into the belly of the city by escalator is quite astounding, as it is one of the deepest metro systems in the world. The experience of getting lost here is more like discovering treasures–you may well find yourself lingering in the underground railway system with your gaze fixed on the many typical Soviet designs, intricate artworks and bronze and marble Baroque inspired columns. One could easily imagine some of these stations as the grand foyer of a well preserved Imperial Hotel, as they were designed to reflect the prosperity of the Soviet Union with multiple marble pillars, carved arches and bas-reliefs.

To complete your visit to this splendid city, just stroll along the river and marvel at the sights. However, no matter how much time you spend here, you will leave rewarded and slightly out of breath from the experience of trying to absorb all that surrounds you.

Golden gates at Catherine Palace Jordan staircase, Hermitage Museaum

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THE COST OF CAVIAR

By Marion Pfeiffer

The highly prized luxury food caviar is one of the most celebrated of exotic and expensive foods that continues to appear on the tables of the affluent and famous individuals internationally, coveted for its flavour and also as a status symbol. So, what is it about these mystical tiny black pearls that make them so desirable that people will pay exorbitant amounts of money for just the smallest portion.

At first taste it appears to be merely salty and fishy, materialising as a little black heap on a pancake or piece of toast, accompanied by possibly a creamy spread – it has even been known to adorn the humble hamburger! After several attempts to achieve that which so many have described as extraordinarily delicious, most of us will get it, and there’s the problem – we would like to have more of this delectable food and lots of it!

caviar remains sought after by those who seek the finest of gourmet foods and is the scarcest and costliest of all caviar. Serving caviar with the correct utensils is vital as any metallic material will pass on a metallic taste to this delicate treat. Usually, special spoons known as caviar spoons made from mother of pearl bone or any other nonmetallic material are used. The most expensive caviar, Beluga, is typically served on toast, unlike other less expensive caviars that are served in different ways, such as on scooped out new potatoes, on a blini or embellished with sour cream, minced onion or hard boiled eggs. Any of these can be served together with Beluga as palate cleansers. Traditionally, caviar was eaten directly from the skin, being held between the index finger and thumb, then rolled gently around the mouth and popped to release the flavour.

Historically, caviar has been the food of royalty for centuries – ancient Greeks, Romans and Russian tsars feasted on this luxury.

Caviar was also prescribed to relieve depression, as it contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which was also believed to assist in increasing libido. During the Middle Ages, in certain parts of the world, laws existed that ensured that the finest caviar was reserved for the monarchy and this was known as reserve caviar. Today, reserve

Why is caviar so expensive? Originally, caviar was harvested by the Russian and Persian fishermen in the Caspian Sea and referred to the unfertilised salt-cured fish eggs from different species of sturgeon, including Ossetra, Seyruga and Beluga. In fact, about 26 different types of sturgeon have been used for caviar. The main factors are that it is rare, non-renewable and in high demand. The caviar or eggs are harvested from a Beluga sturgeon, believed to have a

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lineage of over 250 million years, is now a protected species, and this fish takes a long time to mature and produce eggs - more than 20 years and often weighs nearly 900 kg. Beluga caviar has large, firm and glossy eggs and a smooth buttery flavour and considered to be the best caviar in the world. Unlike poultry that continues to lay eggs time after time, sturgeon of the correct age must be killed to extract the eggs, the same eggs that would produce more caviarproducing fish. The age-old law of supply and demand appears here, high demand and low supply cause prices to rise. Included in making caviar a prized commodity is a busy black market trade, a species close to extinction and a politically charged climate in source countries. However, due to demand, the development of advanced methods in aquaculture, particularly domestically, is making farmed caviar more available and less expensive. In the 19th century, lake sturgeon was found to be plentiful in the US, providing a new and cheaper source.

As such an exclusive product, caviar is carefully examined for quality. Not all caviar tastes similar and it is vigilantly categorised according to size, uniformity, colour, maturity, separation, fragrance, translucence or gleam and firmness. A simpler description for the new consumer would include; larger, darker, mushier, firmer and from mild tasting to that which bursts in the mouth with flavour.

Younger caviar is considered of lower quality, with its darker colour and less intense fishy flavour, this often being a good starting point for those new in acquiring a taste for this celebrity food. The finest, most expensive caviar appears lighter in colour and is produced from older and larger eggs. An interesting fact is that it has a good shelf life when stored in a cold refrigerator and it should remain fresh for about a month. Also, salmon roe often found on sushi, is not caviar. The process of grading caviar is carried out by carefully selected professionals who must have a musical ear. When these fish eggs rub together the sound of this friction is audible and superior caviar will generate a distinct sound that could be considered as similar to a cat’s purr.

Many of the species of sturgeon are now listed as an endangered species as they have been overfished for years according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Sustainable fish alternatives recommended are the US farmed white sturgeon and

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paddlefish roe. Beluga is still on the menu in many countries, but since 2005 it has been deemed illegal in the US, as a vanishing species. In a controversial move, Russia lifted the ban on the export of Beluga caviar and sturgeon caviar to Europe only. However, with set quotas and carefully organised breeding centres, Beluga caviar is now available for sale once again in Europe. Furthermore, new techniques are being studied to enable the caviar to be extracted from the sturgeon, without killing the fish, which can then be returned to the water and two years later may be ready to spawn again. If this is successful, some have suggested it will lead to an oversupply, with the related decline in prices, sure to delight many caviar junkies.

The most expensive caviar ever recorded was sourced from a 100-year-old Iranian Beluga fish, known as Almas caviar, and was sold at approximately USD 35,000 per kg or USD1,000/oz). Almas caviar is only produced from the eggs of a rare albino sturgeon found in the Caspian Sea, which is believed to be less polluted, and aged between 60 and 80 years old. Beluga caviar is on the market at present, priced at USD 7,000 to USD 10,000 per kg. However, a new way of presenting these rare albino fish eggs has developed, believed to be the most expensive food in the world, known as ‘white gold’ and fetching an incredible figure of 200,000 pounds per kg (27,000 pounds a teaspoon), and made from these rare eggs laced with 22-carat gold. This brand new product will be available to the super-rich and those who can afford to indulge at some of the most exclusive and trendsetting restaurants internationally - from Monaco to Dubai. This caviar, called Strottarga Bianco, appears slightly powdery and was invented by an Austrian fish farmer and his son who state that the price is not just because of its uniqueness and remarkably fine taste, but also because of the health benefits it offers.

These fancy fish eggs called caviar continue to represent gastronomic decadence and fascination to those discerning individuals whose refined and expensive tastes allow them to continue to seek and savour sophisticated culinary delights. Even if we choose not to partake of this delicacy, we must admit it has a mystical glamour that has retained its extraordinary status over many years.

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CLASSIC FASHION LOOKS TO OWN ...

By Kisha van Vuuren

Much like a great red wine, such as KWV Roodeberg, a 67 yearold blend steeped in history, these classics never go out of fashion.

Here we look at something old from a new perspective that will help you remaster these classic fashion looks to be on trend in 2016.

1. Rediscover the classic LBD The classic ‘little black dress’ is a wardrobe essential. Ditch the stagnant classic look by flirting with some alternatives.

Runway spring collections show international designers cheating on the LBD classic look, but it will always remain timeless, essential, iconic and continues to age gracefully.

‘When a little black dress is right, there is nothing else to wear in its place.” Coco Chanel’

2. Revival of the boot cut jean Boot cut jeans are officially back! The often forgotten ‘90s look needs to make a revival into your wardrobe.

They are flattering, lengthening and perfect for those who don’t love the high-rise flares inspired by ‘70s revival. For the third time since the early ‘90s all the skinny jean haters can get out their white T-shirts, heeled boots and black blazers for the revival of jeans, made famous by Britney Spears and Halle Berry.

3. The return of the high-heel Even though the past three years have seen record breaking sales of sneakers and flats, women will need to remaster the art of high-heel endurance if they want to be trendy because the high-heel is back in a big way and being rediscovered as a must-have fashion staple evident on runways around the world.

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‘I’m like every other woman: a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear. So I wear denim.’ - Cameron Diaz

4. Classic anti-establishment denim jacket Cool, classic and always appealing, this item of clothing has been trending for almost 130 years and has made a comeback in a big way this year.

The first denim jacket was created circa 1880 by denim legend Levi Strauss and from James Dean’s ‘50s rebellion to Rihanna’s deconstructed versions we see today, this classic still epitomises anti-establishment cool. Pull yours out now and wear it with almost anything.

5. The trench coat heritage is the new luxury Originally an item of clothing for army officers in the First World War, the classic trench coat has remained fashionable since World War II, and because of its chic shape and timeless appeal, investing in one is a must. There are a number of ways to rediscover this classic; wear it with jeans and sneakers, alluring slit skirt, classic trousers and blouse or simply layer it with the sleeves turned up.

6. Classically elegant - white dress shirt Every girl and guy needs a stable of white dress shirts. If Don Draper kept a drawer full of them in his office and Victoria Beckham has her own brand range of them, there is no reason not to take this Victorian classic and include it in your 2016 look ‘from winter to summer’. Popular since the 1880s this ultimate classic fashion look can be dressed down with jeans and sneakers or worn with black skinnies and heels - the perfect subtle, sophisticated and understated celebrity chic look.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Join the conversation on Twitter @KWVWines #redisocoveraclassic

SSBR/449691/B

A classical masterpiece that never goes out of style.

The harmony between the master’s original composition and today’s up-beat blends. Delivering the same quality with an ever-evolving taste. Vintage after vintage. Roodeberg.

Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

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BRAVE NEW WORLD ‘As with all things in life, the only constant is change. And nowhere is that more obvious than in the mercurial automotive sector, it simply must embrace innovation consistently,’ says Richard Webb

T

he ethos behind a successful design can be all about aesthetics or it can be about art. Sometimes it’s both. My recent journeys to Munich and Lake Como culminated in me getting a glimpse of the history and future of the designs of mobility. It seems we are in for a bit of a treat in the combination of both of those ethos.

This year is BMW’s 100th anniversary and to get into the spirit, I celebrated this milestone with a visit to the BMW Museum in Munich for a look at their 100 Masterpieces exhibition. I wanted to see if the last century has any relevance to the next century in terms of how mobility was and possibly get a glimpse of where it will be heading for the likes of you and me.

One hundred masterpieces from 1916 to the present day were selected to represent the company in various epochs. The ability to ponder the vehicles, the aircraft engines, the achievements and the milestones in motor racing made for a very special experience. This exhibition was much more than just a celebration of the output of a successful manufacturer though.

It spoke directly to the development of mobility, as we know it today, with all its ups and downs, innovations and courageous choices.

Steve Jobs once said, ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.’ It was then time to head 400 km south-west to the impossibly stylish Lake Como in Italy and the Concorso d’Eleganza, held annually at Villa d’Este, to

find clues as to whether the dots for the future of motoring will line up in the next century.

It’s here on the banks of the super-swanky Lake Como where the world’s most jaw-droppingly beautiful, silly-money collector’s cars are shown at the annually, along with the concept cars that could be pointing the way to the future.

I first met with BMW Group Senior Vice President: BMW Design, Adrian van Hooydonk, to find out how concept cars could tackle key trends like connectivity, autonomous driving and hyper-efficiency in the future. After all, design isn’t just how something looks and feels; it’s also about how it works. ‘With Vision Next 100, our objective is to develop a future scenario that people want to engage with.

Technology in the next five years will make even bigger leaps than those seen in the last 20 years’, says van Hooydonk.

He believes successful technology will be as intuitive as possible, so that the future relationships between machines, humans and their mutual surroundings will be seamless. ‘Vision Next 100’ shows how we intend to shape this future, by showing how driverless technology might work alongside a manual driving experience,’ he says. ‘We’ve focused our efforts on the interior, so that it fits the occupants like a glove. The car can become autonomous or hands-on at a stroke.

Ease mode is the fully autonomous mode, transforming the car into a relaxing space, while Boost mode puts the driver in control – but keeps them informed at all times.’ >

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‘Vision Next 100 shows how we intend to shape this future, by showing how driverless technology might work alongside a manual driving experience’ - Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design.

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BMW 328 Hommage concept car at Concorso d’Eleganza

I then met up with the Head of BMW Design, Karim Habib, to ask what the key messages are from the company’s latest concept, launched at the Concorso this year. ‘The 2002 Hommage celebrates 50 years of the 2002 turbo, which sat at the top of the range at the time and was the first series-produced car anywhere in Europe to sport turbo technology’.

‘The BMW 2002 Hommage is our way of raising a glass to all these achievements,’ says Habib. Since the 2002 Hommage is built using the already in production M2 platform, I speculate we’ll see this car reach very limited numbers, and they’ll all be snapped up before they ever reach a dealer.’

As is the tradition, the priceless selection of historic cars competed for coveted trophies. Public visitors chose the winner of the ‘Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este, however, the Trofeo BMW Group Best of Show, was chosen by expert judges. This year, the Coppa d’Oro went to a 1933 Lancia Astura Series II that captivated spectators with its flawless and spectacular styling and fascinating history. The famous

Castagna of Milan created this car’s coachwork – by instruction of Benito Mussolini’s son, Vittoria – 18 months after it was first registered.

Then there was the 1954 Maserati A6 GSC, owned by Timm Bergold – a resident of Monaco – that won the Trofeo BMW Group Best of Show. ‘I am overwhelmed to have won this prize,’ he told me.

‘As a boy, this Maserati was my dream car.’ Interestingly this was the actual vehicle that was first presented at the Paris Motor Show and also had lined up for the start of the Mille Miglia in May 1955.

Although we know that history matters and that it can be absorbing and fascinating, I can’t help but wonder if we are about to witness some of the most extraordinary leaps and bounds ever seen around the concept of personal mobility as van Hooydonk had predicted.

At a time when we are increasingly seeking access to mobility, rather than ownership, and with the intrusion of Google and Apple into the mobility sector, we may well see vehicles become as much an interactive platform as a means of mobility. It’s a brave new world, and concept cars are again showing us the dots and the ways to the future, as they always have done.

Robert Hodgins, A Cadet Watching TV R600 000 – 800 000

Important South African and International Art, Decorative Arts and Jewellery AUCTION IN CAPE TOWN 10 OCTOBER 2016 | PREVIEW 7-9 OCTOBER | ENQUIRIES +27 (0)21 683 6560 | straussart.co.za

The global leader in the South African art market

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ROBERT HODGINS ‘The Old Man Mad About Painting’

By Sean O'Toole

W

hen he was 66, Robert Hodgins, then recently retired from his life drawing position at the University of the Witwatersrand, wrote a letter to painter Mark Hipper. Hodgins discussed his upcoming retrospective exhibition at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. ‘By next year, this time, I’ll be the most famous (more likely the most detested) painter in South Africa,’ offered Hodgins.

‘But, of course, only in SA. No real big deal.’

Hodgins wasn’t far off with his guess. A year later he was adjudged the overall winner of the prestigious AA Life Vita Art Now Awards Exhibition. But there was no heavenly assumption, no angels blowing trumpets, no neon signs declaring his beatification along the N1 highway. As things turned out, it took a lot of extra slog – including lots more oil paint on canvas – to become the much-loved painter he is today.

In 2002, Hodgins was the subject of a detailed monograph. The book’s contributors included Kendell Geers, a former rabble-rouser with far greater intelligence than his detractors allow him. In his essay cheekily titled ‘Undiscovered at 82’, Geers remarked, ‘Despite the fact that he has been producing significant works for more than half a century, his works still do not enjoy blue-chip status, either in terms of the marketplace or the proverbial art historical canon’.

Don’t misunderstand Geers. Hodgins wasn’t poor. His blue work overalls, which he wore even when he wasn’t painting at his Midrand studio, were routinely stuffed with rand notes. He would generously haul out a wad to settle lunch bills whenever I met with him in Pretoria. But Geers is right that Hodgins never enjoyed the financial success and critical appreciation that Irma Stern or Walter Battiss enjoyed during their lifetimes. It arrived belatedly.

Hodgins died in 2010 at age 89. Two years later, veteran auctioneer Stephan Welz knocked down a Hodgins painting for R900,000 at a Strauss & Co auction in Johannesburg. With commissions, the sale totalled just over R1 million. It was a record for the painter.

The market for Hodgins has grown steadily since. In March 2015, at a Strauss & Co sale in Cape Town, his portrait of the infamous

Captain Alfred Dreyfus, entitled J’accuse (1995-96), sold for R2.5 million establishing the current world record for the artist.

The market buzz, which endures, is not without irony. Hodgins didn’t hide the details of his difficult beginnings. A passage from his selftitled 2002 monograph captures the stark reality of his early years, ‘I was born in England, 27 June 1920 – the illegitimate son of a working woman, by a Canadian who lingered in London from World War One, was a married parent back home, and wasn’t interested in further fatherhood.’

Banished to an orphanage, Hodgins found a modicum of happiness in the countryside, with a family that wanted to adopt him. Mother Hodgins interceded. So, it was back to London at age ten. Four years later, he was yanked out of school – because learning was an affectation and cash paid the shared bills.

‘I had a very lonely childhood with few friends and a completely philistine background,’ Hodgins told me in 2007. Books, he added, were his only refuge. ‘I quite early on at school discovered literature, which was my first form of discovery of art, something which entranced me, that was quite pointless, quite useless.’

His first job was as a delivery boy for a newsagent in Soho. Two and half years later he found a job answering phones. At age 18, his great-uncle in South Africa offered him a means of escape. Hodgins worked as an insurance clerk in Cape Town. It was a brief reprieve. In late 1940, Hodgins joined the army transport division, ending up in Egypt. It was in the deserts of North Africa that he first encountered the poetry of WH Auden.

‘Who is ever quite without his landscape?’ wrote Auden in 1937. It is a rhetorical question, but one that nonetheless helps explain why Hodgins opted to return to England after the war. London, after all, was home and home, as Auden wrote, is ‘the centre where the three or four things that happen to a man do happen.’ Back in the ‘grey block’, as Hodgins described London, he took up a job teaching art at a school in London’s East End. >

INVESTMENT ART

J’accuse - sold for R2 500 960

Et in Arcadia Ego - sold for R1 002 600

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For many years Hodgins buttered his bread, sugared his tea and paid his rent with money from teaching - first in London, then later, after studying painting at Goldsmiths, in South Africa. He joined the teaching staff at Pretoria Technical College (now Tshwane University of Technology) in 1954. Pretoria was ‘like heaven’, wrote Hodgins in 2002. Its virtues included good cheap food, clothes, cigarettes, wine and a circle of artist friends.

But, as he got to know the country, he recognised that ‘everything was not as kosher as it looked’. His paintings began to reflect this. His once-handsome figures became ‘cumbrous’ and ‘heavy’ and ‘distorted’. He was tentatively and very slowly moving in the direction of his mature style. Hodgins was intensely interested in portraying power and human frailty. His treatment of his subjects is whimsical. Human subjects emerge out of the very material of his paintings rather than present themselves as fully defined marks on its surface. In 1956, Hodgins held his debut exhibition with Johannesburg dealer, Henry Lidchi. Nothing much came of his early attempts. After an intense burst of activity in the late 1950s when, for example, he showed alongside Alexis Preller at the Pretoria Art Museum, his career stalled.

‘One was constantly showing, and because it wasn’t terribly remunerative, you didn’t make much money out of it, you had to earn your living doing teaching or something else’, Hodgins told me in 2009. ‘There wasn’t that big excitement about South African art there is now, even in South Africa’.

In 1966, he joined the staff of Wits University. This little distraction kept him busy for 17 years. Hodgins enjoyed teaching. ‘I loved it, I must say, he told me. But the art school’s bureaucracy wasn’t easy.

He bumped heads with the ambitious young head of department, Alan Crump. ‘He was so nasty to me that he made me leave. I am very glad he did, he didn’t realise what a favour he did to me’.

When Hodgins left Wits in the early 1980s, he was a retiree with a paintbrush and modest track record. The future looked dim.

Hodgins turned things around with his cartoonish paintings of roguish military men and big shots in suits. Even his torturer was impressed. Writing in the catalogue for Hodgins’s 1986 retrospective in Grahamstown, Crump favourably compared him to Battiss, Wolf Kibel and Irma Stern. It was not false praise.

It took a while though, more than two decades all counted, for serious collectors to take note. It is safe to venture that Hodgins is now a blue-chip artist. Strauss & Co, which holds all the top ten sales

results for works by Hodgins, is offering a selection of noteworthy works by the painter at its October sale in Cape Town. They include three works painted during the prolific final decade of his life.

The earliest work, from 2001, is titled Ek sal jou so ‘n klap gee! (I’ll whack you!). It portrays two barely differentiated figures locked in a domestic quarrel. Painted a year later, A Golem Couple presents clearly delineated male and female subjects. Each is topless and wedged into blue jeans against a homogeneous pink background.

Hodgins would occasionally create luridly pink paintings. His recurring use of pink was partly informed by his love for the work of Canadian-born American painter Phillip Guston, who ditched pure abstraction in favour of existentially fraught, yet politically sharp figurative painting informed by comic book traditions – often executed in pink.

A Cadet watching TV, from 2007, saw Hodgins return to a favourite subject; ostentatiously decked out military men. The work includes areas of black spray-paint. Hodgins was interested in the popular appeal of street art, notably Banksy, and began incorporating new materials into his later paintings. All these works carry a high estimate of R800,000.

Strauss is also offering two paintings that explore a recurring character in Hodgins’s work, the fictional French king and crackpot revolutionary Ubu. This overweight and greedy icon of French theatre fascinated Hodgins. He served as a prototype for Hodgins’s unflattering portraits of people in the serious business of politics, greed and idle leisure.

Hodgins’s interest in Ubu saw him work on a collaborative print portfolio, Ubu Tells the Truth (1996-97), with artists Deborah Bell and William Kentridge. Recalling his friendship with Hodgins, Kentridge in 2014 described him as a model of an artist. ‘Robert was someone who made the meaning from the work outwards’, Kentridge told me. ‘He took enormous pleasure and comfort from the daily activity of painting’. It was a pleasure that Hodgins intended to share, which is why he chose a time-honoured medium that is both portable and easily transferable; paint on canvas.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Important South African and International Art, Decorative Arts and Jewellery Auction on Monday, 10 October 2016. Venue: The Vineyard Hotel, Newlands, Cape Town - Preview: Friday 7 to Sunday 9 October, 10am to 5pm – Walkabout: Saturday 10 October at 11am. Enquiries and Catalogues: 021 683 6560 or 078 044 8185 - www.straussart.co.za

INVESTMENT ART

A Cadet watching TV - R600 000 – 800 000

A Golem Couple - R 600 000 - 800 000

Ek sal jou so ‘n klap gee! - R600 000 – 800 000

Ubu’s Wedding Night - R80 000 – 120 000

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THE FIRST 3D-PRINTED MOTORCYCLE ...

By Anne Wheeler

Could you imagine a motorbike that features an ‘organic exoskeleton’ inspired by nature? This revolutionary item looks amazing, the world’s first 3D-printed motorbike, named the Light Rider, which weighs in at a mere 35 kg, and is ‘probably the world’s lightest motorcycle’. Produced by German Airbus subsidiary, APWorks, whose focus is on cutting edge engineering and state of the art technologies, introduced the Light Rider in May 2016.

APWorks was launched in 2013 and has led the way in an industry referred to as additive layer manufacturing (ALM) and since then has been producing bionically optimised metal parts for a wide variety of businesses, from aerospace to automotive, medical prostheses and robotic parts. As expected, when a company of this calibre takes on the challenge of urban mobility, they will not disappoint.

In basic design, the Light Rider is similar to a conventional motorcycle but is clearly not a close relation as it is somewhere between the normal electric bike and a low-end well-developed motorcycle. This new ultra-light speedy motorcycle has been made by lacing together an intricate web of APWorks’ Scalmalloy® material, enabling its light weight and has a 6kW electric motor, driving it from 0 – 80km/h in a few seconds. Consider it to be a lightweight street-legal runabout that bears no resemblance to anything else you may see on the road and it will easily thrash any regular city moped.

The battery offers a distance of 60 km on a charge and one can keep extras to be inserted when the need arises. This first ever 3D-printed electric motorcycle is 30 % lighter than conventionally manufactured e-motorcycles as the printing technologies have transformed the design and manufacturing practice of its assembly and aesthetics.

APWorks used an algorithm to develop this enhanced structure to minimise weight but still ensure that the frame is capable of handling the stresses and strains of daily driving scenarios. ‘The complex and branched hollow structure couldn’t have been produced using conventional production technologies such as milling or welding’, said Joachim Zettler, CEO of Airbus APWorks GmbH. ‘Advances in additive layer manufacturing have allowed us to realise the bionic design we envisioned for the motorcycle without having to make any major changes. With these technologies, the limitations facing conventional manufacturing disappear.’

Each 3D-printed part of the motorcycle is produced with the use of selective 3D laser printing systems that melts millions of aluminium alloy particles together and is crafted from thousands of layers measuring 60 microns each in thickness. With the use of the innovative printing technology, the frame parts are hollow instead of solid, permitting incorporated cables, piping and screw-on

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points in the final structure, keeping the look clean and sleek. This also results in a 30 per cent weight reduction compared to traditional motorbikes.

Furthermore, APWorks has used their trademarked material, ScalmalloyÂŽ for the construction of the frame. This substance is a corrosion resistant aluminium alloy powder similar in strength to that of titanium and with the capability of being created in an extremely slim form with exceptional levels of ductility. It is ideal for the manufacturing of incredibly fine structures as by fusing the thin layers with the use of lasers the powder is melted into its finished form. The unique qualities of ScalmalloyÂŽ makes it advantageous and applicable for use in the manufacturing of parts for lightweight robotics, automotive and aerospace applications.

Although it is not ready at this time for cheap mass production, the opportunity of riding this futuristic motorcycle is not too far in the future, as a limited production run of 50 Light Riders is on offer for sale at a price of 50,000 euros each. With its light weight, if you decide to acquire one, you may find a variety of uses for those curly metal swoops like attaching your personal gear or bike lock to secure your ultra-expensive easy to lift motorbike wherever you leave it alone.

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THE FUN-FARE AND FAST FACTS OF HORSE RACING SYNDICATES

By Lesley Miles

If you’ve ever envied the elegant folk tarrying under the oak trees in the parade ring on race day as their jockeys, dressed in their colourful silks, approach to greet them, or wondered what it feels like to watch your horse cantering down to the start, thinking that you couldn’t possibly afford it, you could be wrong. Although headline race days, such as the Queen’s Plate and the Met, are ‘de rigueur’ for social movers and shakers, one of racing’s best kept secrets is that owning a racehorse, or rather, owning a share in a racehorse, is easier than imagined.

Although ‘Ubuntu’ may be the current catchphrase, people have been getting by with a little help from their friends for centuries - in horse racing this is known as ‘syndication’. It is also said one should never invest in something that eats while one sleeps and for that reason alone, owning a racehorse outright can be a daunting and expensive exercise, especially for the first time owner, or even for those wanting to try without too much committment.

Enter the world of horse racing syndicates, where the cost of buying and keeping a horse in training is split amongst as many people as necessary. Syndicates can consist of any number of people who feel like getting together to share in the fun. Members can choose the level of financial commitment with which they are comfortable to reduce the costs.

The best news is that even though joining a syndicate comes at a fraction of the price, you will still experience a 100 per cent of the thrill and there will always be someone with whom you attend races.

Being part of a syndicate affords members the unique opportunity to soak up the glamour and excitement of race day whilst rubbing shoulders with South Africa’s racehorse owning fraternity, including the likes of Chad le Clos, Mr and Mrs Wittstock – the parents of

Charlene of Monaco, Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste, Investec cofounder Bernard Kantor, Lady Christine Laidlaw and Jessica Slack, granddaughter of the late Sir Harry Oppenheimer.

As the owner of 2016’s J&B Met winner, Smart Call, Jessica Slack is well positioned to advise would-be racehorse owners and she recommends joining a syndicate as a great way to learn the ropes whilst getting a taste for the fun and excitement of owning a racehorse.

Comments Slack, ‘As a first time horse owner, I would recommend spreading the risk. Buy a horse with a group of friends, one only needs to buy the smallest percentage of a horse to experience the thrill of ownership. Racing with friends is also great fun, a group of people to enjoy a lunch with at the races, or meet for breakfast at the training centre. It is also lovely to have a team to celebrate with, it makes the winning all the more exciting and lessens any disappointments.’

Typically purchased at auction, such as those held by the Thoroughbred Breeding Association’s sales arm - Bloodstock South

INVESTMENT

Africa (BSA), racehorses sell from anywhere between R50 000 to into the millions, depending on a variety of factors including pedigree, presence, balance and athleticism. However, a high price tag does not necessarily guarantee success.

‘The great thing with horses is that even the cheap ones can run. Don’t be conned into thinking that, ‘it was expensive thus it must be good’.

Often the best athletes can slip through the nets and so I recommend a good bloodstock agent with a good track record and lots of experience. Rags to riches stories with horses are the best’, says Slack.

Once purchased, racehorse owners are responsible for their Thoroughbred’s training, upkeep and racing costs, such as veterinary bills and jockey retainers. Co-founders of ‘Imagine Racing’, Catherine Hartley and Sandy Wilson, who offer a syndicate management service, advise horse owners to be able to set aside at least R10 000 a month to cover the general expenses of their horse, with an additional provision for veterinarian bills, race nominations and acceptances. However, as a member of a syndicate, you would only be responsible for the percentage you own in the horse which is based on what you can afford. >

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While owning a racehorse is exciting and an unrivalled thrill, typically the costs outweigh the financial gains and, therefore, it’s best to think of it as a lifestyle experience and an exhilarating hobby - rather than a financial investment. However, if your Thoroughbred proves competitive the rewards can be enticing. Racehorse JJ The Jet Plane was purchased at a BSA auction for R70 000 and has generated earnings of over R26 million locally and overseas.

Similarly, The Apache was purchased for R80 000, also at a BSA auction, and has gone on to generate earnings of over R18 million locally and overseas.

Nuala Gage, a performance solutions manager from Johannesburg, owns a share in a horse, with five others, through ‘Imagine Racing’.

For successful racehorses, prize money isn’t the only reward and Thoroughbreds that perform well at the races also have a significant breeding value. Top international stallions will cover on average 100 mares a year, with some at a cover fee of over £150 000. Fillies that have decent pedigrees and perform well have potentially great paddock value too.

Another syndicate member, property director Davey Mabotja, part owns a filly called At Sunset through a syndicate. He says his love of racing and horses via syndicate membership is a dream come true.

While racing is open to anybody who would like to get involved, there is a lot to learn and syndicate managers can be a huge help in terms of explaining how things work, the costs that are involved and even structure an arrangement for a set monthly fee, alleviating any fears of unforeseen expenses. Some horse racing trainers also operate as syndicate managers, offering syndicate members their industry expertise. Syndicate managers can guide you step-bystep through all aspects of the racing experience. This includes selecting a horse, lodging the necessary paperwork, choosing a trainer, managing the accounts, being involved in all the ’behind the scenes’ fun of morning gallops and of course, letting you know when it’s time to go racing.

Sandy Wilson, co-owner of ‘Imagine Racing’, comments, ‘ ‘‘Imagine Racing’’ is passionate about helping new people become involved in the exciting lifestyle of racehorse ownership. Our main focus is on shared ownership, between 4 and 10 individuals per horse. We offer a complete service - guiding and enabling your experience without you having to deal with the complexities involved. Syndicate members are kept up to date with the progress of their horse, racing plans and arranging to see the horses at the yard on a regular basis.’

Nuala says, ‘Everything is done for me, from managing stable and training fees, veterinary and farrier interactions, race notifications and communications. As a part owner in Scott’s Pine, I receive regular updates on how he is doing, when he is racing, what his results are and how he pulled up after a race. ‘Imagine Racing’ shares all sorts of interesting information on their Facebook page too, from racing fashion to all general information within the industry.’

Davey remarks, ‘I chose syndication over full ownership because this is my first experience of horse racing and hence I preferred a shared ownership option.’

There are several ways to purchase a Thoroughbred, with most people opting to select a horse at a public auction, such as the previously mentioned auctions held under the auspices of the National Breed Society, the Thoroughbred Breeders Association (TBA) of South Africa.

Such auctions provide a choice of ‘Yearling Sales’ (which means buying a horse at the age of around 18 months), ‘2-Year-Old Sales’ (where horses are a little more mature and nearly ready to go into training) or ‘Ready-To-Run Sales’, which are for late two-year-olds that have already been backed and have had some preliminary training.

Sales may mean serious business, but are also an opportunity to get to know breeders, bloodstock agents, trainers and owners, with the added advantage that they are often fun social events as well.

Whether you own a tail hair, a hoof or a whole horse, the ‘winning high’ feels the same and is even more rewarding when shared with friends. A shared interest means there’s always a reason to go to gallops, or better yet, racing on the weekend to experience the mutual ups and downs that build friendships that last for life.

Your World. Your Way. Your Moment.

HOME AUTOMATION

HOME CINEMA

AUDIO VISUAL

INTEGRATED SECURITY

011 023 7662 I 073 172 0362 I sales@bnctechnology.co.za

www.bnctechnology.co.za

BNC Technology is proudly accredited by

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HOME AUTOMATION ‘THE NEW FRONTIER IN CONVENIENCE’

By Ruth Cooper

S

martphones were introduced into the market not long ago and for many it is almost incomprehensible to imagine life before their arrival. Figures reflect that a staggering 91.7 per cent of all phone users in South Africa own a smartphone. In fact, it may be considered unfashionable if you do not own one. One of the next technology trends making its appearance in South Africa is the smart home. At this stage, the smart home technology is still very much reserved for those with deeper pockets, however, as the home automation movement continues to develop, it is safe to say that smart homes may become almost as prevalent as smartphones in the not too distant future.

In this fast-paced and ‘connected world’, systems that simplify or remove administrative tasks from our daily lives are increasingly more attractive. Much like smartphones, smart homes aim to make everyday tasks less time-consuming and less complex for the user.

Imagine an intuitive home that seemingly senses what its owner needs from the home entertainment system to lighting or security, easily controlled and monitored by one system. For example, closing blinds, switching on lights and heating, and settling down to a surround sound movie, all of these simply activated with a push of a few buttons. Home Automation or the ‘smart home’ function through a centralised electronic system, which with one touch can dim lights, stream high-resolution music, turn up the heat, lock doors and arm the security system. Climate control, lights, appliances, electronic locks, cameras and monitors can all be added to a home automation system and be controlled from anywhere within the house or even remotely when one is away from home.

As Netflix, a company that provides streaming media and video via the internet, is now officially available in South Africa, the trend for

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home cinemas is developing rapidly, with many choosing to create more luxurious home entertainment areas including features such as immersive audio (dolby atmos or Auro 3D) and massive, immersive screens, all controlled from one device. BNC Technology, a South African company specialising in upmarket home integrated technology, is seeing this trend emerging more frequently.

‘The need for smart homes with fully integrated home automation, home cinema, acoustic solutions and the like have been catching on over the last couple of years’. says Nick Caripis, trend observer and founder of BNC Technology.

In the US, it is reported that there has been a 12.4 per cent increase from 2014 to 2015 in home automation sales. As the number of South Africans investing in luxurious properties are continually increasing, the need for high-end home automation increases. ‘ “Smartening” your home by adding a home automation system to it also greatly increases its market value. More and more potential homeowners are looking for homes that offer them convenient and effective security systems and efficient energy consumption practices. Home automation offers this and more. Not only will the addition of home automation to your property make it far more appealing to prospective buyers but it can increase the market value up to 3-7 per cent,’ says the Alot Living Team.

All in all, if it is within your reach, turning your home into a smart one with the use of home automation makes sense on so many levels - adding security, efficiency and value to your property. Home automation is, without a doubt, the new frontier in convenience.

EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information on home automation please visit: www.bnctechnology.co.za

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ASSET ALLOCATION AND THE MADNESS OF MEN ...

‘I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men’ - Isaac Newton

By Hennie Loubser

The tremendous volatility seen in commodity, currency, energy, real estate and stock market prices in recent years is not a new phenomenon. Public markets have gone through booms and busts ever since our modern financial system started to take shape in the wealthy cities of Renaissance Italy around the 14th century. These public markets provide a rich backdrop for fascinating stories of human hubris, greed and folly through the ages. It is best that investors take note of the investment mistakes of the past, otherwise they may be condemned to repeat it.

The Dutch Tulip Bulb Bubble of 1637 remains one of the most bizarre financial bubbles ever. Tulip mania began when the prices of tulip bulbs increased as the plant grew in popularity. Soon speculators entered the market and at the height of the mania, the prices of some bulbs reached that of a small farm. The most prized tulip of them all was the Semper Augustus, a white tulip with purple or red streaks. Unknown at the time was that the impressive colouration of the flowers was actually caused by a disease. Bulb prices rose very quickly over a period of a few years, only to collapse abruptly in February 1637.

Another early example of an excessively optimistic market is the South Sea Bubble, in reference to the British joint-stock company founded in 1711. The company was granted a monopoly to trade with various South American colonies in exchange for assuming England’s war debt. As fanciful tales of the South Sea’s riches began to fuel the market’s herd behaviour, the share price increased rapidly from a modest 128 USD in January 1720 to 1,050 USD in June of that year, only to collapse to 150 USD by September. During the market’s frenzy, the scientist Isaac Newton remarked that ‘I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men.’

The bank panic of 1907 resulted from an unusual combination of economic conditions and events, as many financial panics do. After Figure 1: Dot.Com Bubble

an earthquake struck San Francisco in April 1906 and almost levelled the city, relief shipments of gold from New York City and other countries were sent to aid the damaged city’s recovery. The drain on gold reserves resulted in increased interest rates, putting further pressure on an already slowing economy. Despite this the stock market continued to move ever higher. Speculation flourished and culminated in the failed attempt to corner the shares of the United Copper Company, using a significant amount of borrowed money. When the share price of the company eventually crashed in October 1907, it set in motion a domino effect that resulted in a run on the Knickerbocker Trust, the second-largest trust company in the United States. At the time, the United States did not have a central bank to act as the lender of last resort and the entire financial system Figure 2: Global Financial Crisis

would have collapsed had it not been for the efforts of famous banker J. Pierpont Morgan. The United States finally established a central banking system with the passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. During the panic, the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index collapsed by almost 50 per cent from the peak reached in January 1906 and it took more than a decade to breach that high.

These examples of market cycles seem to belong to a different time and a different world. However, in spite of all the advances in the global monetary system, improved information services and fancy new tools for managing risks, the global economy is still not immune to crisis. One only has to look at the more recent dot.com Bubble in 2000 and the global financial crisis in 2008 (Fig. 1-2). It seems almost certain that crises and panics are as much a part of our future as our past.

Investors looking for a remedy against the wealth-destructive swings of public markets only have to heed the advice of Warren Buffett, one of the investment greats of our time, who once noted that as an investor it is wise to be ‘fearful when others are greedy

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The famous Wall Street Bull in the Financial District in Manhattan, New York City stands as a symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, The 3,200 kg charging bull portrays an aggressive and unpredictable force on the move.

The theme depicts the energy, strength and unpredictability of the stock market.

and greedy when others are fearful.’ And yet, investors often follow a static asset allocation strategy independent of market valuations and economic developments. Such a strategy maintains virtually the same exposure to risky assets immediately after a big market correction as it holds after a multi-year bull market. This is clearly not a sensible strategy for wealth creation.

investment value or the American investor who invested in the Nasdaq Composite Index in March 2000 and had to wait 15 years before she made her money back (Fig 4).

Figure 4: NASDAQ Composite Index

Asset allocation is the investment process that apportions a portfolio’s assets across the three major asset classes being equities, fixed-income products and cash. Each of the three assets classes have very different risk and return profiles causing them to behave very differently, depending on the market and economic forces at play. As we are entering a period of heightened uncertainty and volatility, investors will do well to be reminded that asset allocation remains a key determinant of long-term investment success.

The counter-argument against a dynamic asset allocation investment strategy is the old adage that ‘It’s about time in the market, not timing the market.’ In response to that, consider the Japanese investor who invested in the Nikkei 225 Index (Fig. 3) towards the end of 1989 and to this day lost more than 50 per cent of his Figure 3: Nikkei 222 Index

No financial cycle is ever the same. Some are caused simply by irrational exuberance, some are credit-induced, some involve currencies, others real estate. Whether we will add an excessive amount of liquidity to this list, in reference to the unprecedented amount of conventional and unconventional monetary stimulus that the global economy has witnessed after the global financial crisis, remains to be seen. What they all share is that boom always turns into bust and exuberance always turns into regret.

When markets peak they do not produce a ring a peal of bells, instead they blow a soft whistle. Investors who are in a greedy state of mind when that whistle sounds, will almost certainly miss it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The author is an investment analyst with Mosaic Invest (Pty) Ltd, a specialist investment management firm, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Authorised FSP #46319. For further information contact Mosaic Invest on: client.services@mosaic.co.za

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MEN IN HATS

By Steve Swanepoel

H

ats, today, are part of fashion. Recent trends set by celebrities such as musicians, models, actors and other leading jetsetters in the fashion world are making the hat a desirable item once again, as a fashion item for every occasion and not simply for practical reasons. The definition of a hat remains that of a head covering worn for different reasons, such as protection against the weather, religious beliefs, safety and as an accessory to a stylish ensemble. Traditionally, most uniforms related to the military and police force include in their attire a distinctive hat related to rank and activity and then, of course, there are ceremonial hats for graduation or related to your profession. Another example is a toque worn by a chef – the latter has 100 pleats representing the hundreds of ways in which eggs can be prepared. London black taxies were designed so that the interior was tall enough for a gentleman to be able to ride in them without removing his top hat. Hats have been around for centuries–the first painting depicting a hat was found in a cave at Lussac-Les-Chateaux in Central France believed to date from around 15 000 BC. In 1797, it is said that when John Hetherington wore one of the first top hats, he was arrested for frightening people and ended up in court and paid a fine of 50 pounds sterling – a considerable amount at that time. There have been hatless periods in men’s fashion when wigs replaced hats but in the 19th century, hats grew in popularity. After World War I new ideas, contemporary infrastructure and the car caused the demise of hats. After World War II, young men wanted to be completely unlike those from the previous generation, alongside the change in social values.

However, the pendulum of fashion continues to swing and hats are here again–should you wish to explore the reason for fashion changes in headwear, the historical and social development in each era must be understood.

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‘Why do you always wear a hat?’ - ‘Cause it fits my head.’

- Robert Redford

Hats are in vogue now and are in demand for modern gentlemen – for some this may remind you of a time when a man would not leave the house without his hat! A hat is more than just a piece of clothing; it is a cerebral fashion extra that will define your personality, social standing and lifestyle. Some styles seem to be the same but there are minor alterations between styles that a genuine hat maker or ‘hatter’ and aficionados of hats notice immediately. Men have moved away from the usual baseball cap and some traditional styles have returned along with the new, offering a hat for every occasion and these are on offer from most international fashion houses, as well as celebrity designers internationally.

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In reviewing current styles, one of the first that will come to mind for many of us is the Fedora or gangster hat of the 1920s and 1950s and favoured by the mafia and similar types, so allocated a rather thug like stigma–it was originally designed for women, but now worn by both. Most were made of straw or felt and had a dent in the length which pinched at the front, with a flexible brim that could be moved up or down and worn at a slight angle and is always well matched with tailored suits and overcoats. With this hat, if you are going to wear one, make sure it’s the real thing, as cheaply made imitations do not pass. A Pork Pie hat is an iconic headpiece made famous by Walter White in Breaking Bad. It is named after its shape, narrower than the fedora and turned up at the edges all the way round the brim and made from a stiff material. Recently it has also been called the ‘hipster hat’ and rocks with a leather jacket and blue jeans or more formally with a slim-fitting suit.

The classiest hat is, of course, the Homburg, regarded as the dressier cousin of the Fedora and suitable for a good business look.

Also made of felt or straw, but stiffer than the Fedora as the brim is turned up all the way, rounded and cannot be moulded according to the wearer’s choice - it is the perfect accessory for that formal event as it provides just that extra special touch of class. Next, the Trilby which leads the way to the more informal style of hat wear, with a short and narrow brim made of felt or straw, turned down at

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PHOTOS 01 Harrison Ford, wearing a Fedora 02 Brad Pitt, with a Newsboy cap 03 Bill Murray, sporting a Homburg hat 04 The classic Panama hat

the front and up at the back and more often seen during summer.

Hugely popular in the 1960s and 70s and associated with the upper and middle class–or those who liked a good single malt and a bit of racing– until they became seen as nerdy in the 80s but now this has changed again to become more preppy, matched with casual wear.

The Boater is a formal summer hat always made from stiff straw, with a flat top and wide band that is usually coloured. Paired with a summer blazer or three-piece suite, the Boater is the perfect accessory often glimpsed at weddings and boating regattas.

The Newsboy or flat cap is often referred to as the ‘working man’s hat’ as these were more commonly worn by working men from all classes, bandits and artistic types, with jeans and boots. Recently, trends have allowed this hat to move in smarter circles as fashions allow casual styles to mix with smarter ones, providing a modern tailored look.

Wool, tweed and cotton are common, although leather or corduroy may also be used. The Baseball hat is often regarded as ‘immature’ or a hat for teenagers but they can be as stylish as they are practical – particularly if you leave the snapback with its stickers at home!

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The Beanie is the simplest style, designed to keep you warm and it does. Mostly created from wool or cashmere, these are now being seen worn with more tailored outfits, carefully intended to retain the simple look.

Finally, here is the Panama hat, which does not come from Panama but Ecuador and is regarded as a summer hat to protect you from the sun. There is a huge variety of styles and colours available, but the most popular are the regular white/straw. If you would like to own a decent Panama hat, you must invest in it as the cheaper variety is made of low-quality straw and remain stiff and uncomfortable.

Similar in shape to the Trilby, the brim comes down at the front and up at the back. The real thing, a Panama hat from Ecuador is rarely available today, replaced by those made by quality brands such as Italian designer, Borsalino, Christy’s of London, Nike, Christian Dior and many others.

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Rediscover Six Classic Novels That Are Better With Red Wine ...

By Kisha van Vuuren

It is not only good food and wine that make the perfect pairing, a classic novel paired with an iconic red wine is a match made in heaven.

Here are six classics to rediscover while enjoying Roodeberg, a 67- year-old blend steeped in history.

Just as these books were written by some of the greatest writers and re-mastered by some of the greatest filmmakers the world has ever seen, so has Roodeberg been skilfully blended and enjoyed the world over.

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1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll Any novel that has been around since the 1800s, and is still being adapted in modern times, is a shining example of how influential the characters and imagery from this story have been in popular culture.

A number of film adaptations have been produced but in 2010 Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton, allowed people of all ages to rediscover this classic. More recently, this year in fact, the movie Alice Through the Looking Glass followed.

2. The Stand by Stephen King The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror fantasy novel originally published in 1978 and re-released in 1990 as a complete and uncut edition. It is considered to be one of King’s finest works. A four-part miniseries was also released in 1994, which starred the writer himself in one of the lead roles.

The story takes you into the new world, the day after the world ‘ends.’ Either you choose sides or are chosen. Grab a glass, light the fire and settle in to meet some unnerving characters.

3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The novel chronicles the ‘Jazz Age’ era and focuses on bootlegging, unscrupulous behaviour and the Prohibition period. It’s perfect to delve into the 1920s Fitzgerald world on a cozy winter evening. This classic was re-mastered into a film in 2013

by Baz Luhrman.

Made famous by its innovative style and infamous for its controversial subject Lolita makes for a heavy read as the protagonist, Humbert Humbert, becomes obsessed and sexually involved with a 12-year old girl named Dolores Haze. The movie directed by Adrian Lyne became a classic in 1997 when it was released onto the silver screen. A glass of wine is needed to calm the nerves.

4. The Little Prince by Antoine de SaintExupéry This classic novel is the fourth-most translated book in the world and was voted the best book of the 20th century in France. It is a poetic tale about a pilot stranded in the desert where he meets a young prince who had fallen to earth from a tiny asteroid. This charming tale was rediscovered as a movie last year by director Mike Osborne who took this 1943 French novel and turned it into an animated film which became the most successful French animated film of all time abroad.

6. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens This was Dickens’ thirteenth and his penultimate completed novel. This book takes you on the journey of personal growth and development of the orphan nicknamed Pip. Set in Kent and London in the mid-19th century it delves into themes like; wealth, poverty, love, rejection and the triumph of good over evil. This masterpiece was classically revived in film by the box office hit directed by Mike Newell in 2013.

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UMAID BHAWAN PALACE ‘a marvel of the Rathore dynasty in Jodhpur’

By Daphne McFarlane

F

or centuries India, with its mystical history, cultural variations across the country and diverse cuisine has been regarded as a place to visit to acquire knowledge about spiritual beliefs, attend retreats for meditation and yoga and to be exposed to some of the marvels of past eras steeped in tradition and history. Today, the melee that meets the eye of the tourist on arrival in the cities is quite bewildering. Sacred cows wander along the roads, causing unbelievable traffic jams. The degree and extent of poverty, the enormous population, from the very wealthy to the destitute, and the fast increasing numbers of rich and powerful businesses that are emerging in its economy is difficult for most of us to appreciate.

India has been witness to abject poverty, the opulent lifestyles of the royal families, ruled by Britain as part of its colonial empire, and subjected to violent small and large wars fought for various religious, political and land rights. The country must be admired for the vast areas inhabited by many millions of people, enduring traditions and customs followed by the different cultures that make up this population.

Here we examine the history of the Royal family of Jodhpur whose home, the Umaid Bhawan Palace, is one of the largest private homes in the world. It is an architectural splendour and the youngest palace in India and now a heritage hotel, with one-third of the expansive building operated by the famous Taj Group of Hotels, offering a genuine royal experience to its guests.

In the Indian state of Rajasthan, Jodhpur is the second largest city, visited by numerous tourists curious to explore this fascinating place with its ancient history, revealing the fluctuations in times gone by that have left their influence. The city was established during the 8th century AD and belonged then to the Rathore clan of Rajputs, descended from the Rashtrakuta solar dynasty who ruled in the Deccan plateau for 14 centuries before being expelled in 1194. From 1250 to 1049 Jodhpur State was the largest princely state in the Marwar region, covering an area of 90,554 km2. Led by a series of dynasties in the area, in 1459 Jodhu founded Jodhpur.

Rao Jodhaji had 14 sons and 23 brothers from whom descended the royal family of Jodhpur, as well as those of several other states in India. It was considered as the largest royal dynasty in India and in British times, the largest and most progressive state. Contracted marriages between families in these kingdoms increased their powerful alliance and they were one of the first Rajput families promoted to hold the status of Maharaja. The increasing power of the Mahrathas in the 17th century threatened the city, resulting in approaches to the opponents of the Mahrathas, the British and vice versa.

After many unproductive attempts at an alliance, a treaty was established in January 1818, and the Jodhpuri house recognised as one of the steadiest allies of the Crown, with their military forces eventually serving in both world wars, frequently led into battle >

DESTINATIONS

“If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India� Max Mueller

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by the current Maharaja. After Indian independence from British colonial rule in 1947, they joined with other states to form the Rajasthan Union in March 1949. Despite his title no longer being recognised by the government in Delhi since 1971, the Maharaja of Jodhpur holds a revered place in the regard of his people.

Maharaja Gaj Singh, appointed as Maharaja in 1953 when he was four years old, after his father’s death in an air crash, is the present king of Jodhpur and under his leadership today the family is reaching a new height of popularity. He attended Eton College, followed by Christ Church, Oxford graduating with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. In 1973, he married Hemalata Ralye, daughter of the Raja of Poonch, and they have two children.

Apart from a few forts and palaces, this royal family owns the world’s largest private residence consisting of 347 rooms – the Umaid Bhawan in Jodhpur.

The building of the majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace began in 1929 under the instructions of Maharaja Umaid Singh (37th Rathore ruler and grandfather of the present Maharaja and after whom it is named). He commissioned the building of this magnificent residence in the fashionable Art Deco Style of that time to provide employment to the many thousands of people who were suffering from the desperate famine in the region at the time. He appointed the Edwardian architect, Henry Vaughan Lanchester, who patterned the building on the lines of the New Delhi building complex, adding the theme of domes and columns, resulting in an extravagant mixture of western technology and Indian architectural features.

During construction, it was known as the Chittar Palace as stones from the Chittar Hill were used for its creation, on that same hill where the palace is located with views of the historical Blue City, sand dunes and the rather intimidating Mehrangarh Fort (the previous palace of the Maharaja). Construction work finished in 1943. However, it did not become a fully functioning palace for some years, as Umaid Singh died after only four years of living in the palace, being succeeded by Hanumant Singh who died soon after taking up residence.

This edifice is breathtakingly impressive. There is a central interior dome above the sky blue inner dome and this inner vaulted dome is a major attraction, rising at the apex to 31 m in the interior while the exterior dome, a majestic cupola, influenced by the Renaissance, reaches a further 13m in height. Lavish proportions feature in this building, with its two wings, and an exterior of golden-yellow sandstone. Makrana marble, Burmese teak, gilt furniture and exotic murals by the self-exiled Polish artist, Stefan Norblin, furnish the interior. Upon entry, the coats of arms of the Rathore royal family decorate the walls while the floor is constructed of polished black granite.

The lounge area has floors created from pink sandstone and marble.

There is a throne chamber, a private meeting hall and the Durbar Hall for meeting the public, a stunning vaulted banquet hall that accommodates up to 300 people, private dining rooms, a ballroom and a library. Several courtyards, an indoor swimming pool and spa, billiards in the panelled recreation room, four tennis courts

DESTINATIONS

and two squash courts constructed of marble for the pursuit of leisure activities, are also to be found. There are 15 areas of carefully maintained gardens, set in an area of 26 acres.

In 1971, when the constitution of India was changed to deprive all the royal families of the privy purses, including titles, privileges and all official symbols, Gaj Singh II decided to convert part of the palace into a hotel. Currently, the building is divided into three sections – one wing as the principal residence of the royal family where they live privately, the other wing managed by the Taj Hotels since 2005 as a heritage hotel and a museum dedicated to its 20th century history. Taj, with its international legacy of luxurious hospitality, was

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the perfect choice to uphold the traditions of the beautiful palace and offers a royally indulgent experience to its guests. Conveniently placed 20 minutes from the airport, a stay at this stunning palace hotel will allow you to absorb some of the history that forms an important part of India’s inheritance.

The banquet hall has been converted into the Risala Restaurant where you can savour the authentic Rajasthani and Indian cuisines from across the country while enjoying the spectacular views. Risala means ‘cavalry’ and life-sized royal paintings gaze upon each diner, with the amusing feature where the shores of the portrait point at any diner from any location within the restaurant. Fine wines, both domestic and imported, numbering more than 210, are available for the connoisseur. The Trophy Bar has hunting-themed décor and guests are surrounded by artefacts and wildlife trophies collected by past Maharajas during their tenure. It is also extremely wellstocked with an extensive drinks menu, Cuban cigars and a variety of snacks and finger food. Pillars, situated on the colonnaded verandah on the western side of the palace, offers a choice from an array of Rajasthani delicacies, meals, snacks or teatime treats.

The Sunset Pavilion is an olde worlde hangout offering the royal barbeque and drinks to guests and the highest point where you can enjoy a drink in Jodhpur. Ascending via the 1940s elevator with its carved wood interiors, guests are taken through the ‘Whispers’ Gallery featuring unique and rarely viewed picture frames. Elegant fine dining to delight any gourmet and an array of fine wines from various countries are available.

The Jiva Grand Spa with its centrally heated indoor pool and perfectly preserved zodiac mosaics below the rotunda used to be the private sanctuary of the royal ladies. A variety of rejuvenating and pampering treatments are on offer, or you can choose to calm your spirit with yoga and meditation creating a new lifestyle spirit that is both internal and external. The most popular massage is the traditional Indian Signature Pehlwan Malish, known to reflect the efficacy of the powerful massage traditionally enjoyed by Indian wrestlers. The state of the art sports complex with its gymnasium is simply amazing. Walks throughout the gardens with their lush green lawns bring a bygone era back to life through some majestic memorials.

The Museum contains several unusual and extraordinary exhibits such as stuffed leopards, a large symbolic flag, gifted by Queen Victoria in 1877, and a quirky collection of clocks in a variety of shapes, including windmills and lighthouses. Part of this private museum is dedicated to classic cars, glass and porcelain and various memorabilia also form part of the display together with information about the palace construction. The Darbar Hall, also part of the museum, has elegant murals, miniature paintings, armour and household paraphernalia popular in the 1930s and not available in India.

Umaid Bhawan Palace manages to be both the home to the Maharaja of Jodhpur and a luxury hotel in the heart of the region of Rajasthan, a very special place for connoisseurs seeking luxury accommodation surrounded by history from one of India’s most fascinating eras.

SSBR/449691/A

An ageless recipe that has stood the test of time.

Inspired by the undeniable pairing between the master’s original blend and modern revolution. Serving only the fullest flavour for today’s ever-evolved taste palates. Time after time. Roodeberg.

Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

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WALT DISNEY (1901-1966) ‘Adults are only kids grown up, anyway’ - Walt Disney

By Marion Pfeiffer

In the history of cartoons, Disney remains the central figure, particularly in the US where he is recognised as a national cultural icon. Most of us are familiar with some, if not all, of the animated films founded on his creations. The question remains as to why Disney films have an appeal for both children and adults. There is a variety of reasons. For the older audience, the recognition of amusing innuendos causes a chuckle and for some reason, lines that may be regarded as perhaps unfair and stereotypical, are not.

Disney has the power to transcend the child/adult divide and at the same time, they tackle serious themes and reinforce important messages. His stories are cleverly constructed by combining some parts of the world of adults and children together and storytellers such as Disney have the ability to restore order with imagination – this is, without question, a unique type of magic and presents powerful versions of timeless stories delightfully portrayed.

For nearly 100 years, The Walt Disney Studios formed the basis of what is known as The Walt Disney Company today, bringing movies, music, stage plays and theme parks to countries all over the world. Walt Disney changed the world of entertainment through his technical advances and associations with governments and companies; he created a multinational leisure business giant from a minor studio with a little-known form of communication. From 59 nominations Disney received 22 Academy Awards and won the largest number of individual Oscars in history.

Born in Illinois in 1901, Walter Elias Disney was the fourth of five children, four boys and one girl. He grew up in Marceline, Missouri where, from an early age, he began selling paintings, drawings and pictures to family and friends in his neighbourhood. The family moved to Kansas in 1911 where Disney developed a love for trains, encouraged by his uncle who was a train engineer and the young Walt worked summer jobs on the railroads. He attended McKinley High School in Chicago, studying drawing and photography and

contributed cartoons for the school paper while at the same time attending night school at the Chicago Art Institute.

At 16, Disney left school to join the army but was rejected for being underage, so joined the Red Cross and went to drive an ambulance in France. He returned from France in 1919 and moved back to Kansas City to work as a newspaper artist. After being introduced to cartoonist Ubbe Eert Iwerks by his brother, Disney took a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio and went on to work at the Kansas City Film Ad Company where he produced commercials based on cutout animation, although he soon concluded that cel animation was a more promising method. He started to experiment with a camera, doing hand-drawn animation and decided to open his own business as the Cauger did not want to use cel animation. Fred Harman was his first employee. They concluded an arrangement with a local theatre, the Newman Theatre, to show their cartoons named Laugh-o-Grams, which proved very popular and Disney created his studio with the same name. They produced a series of seven-minute fairy tales, combining live action and animation called Alice in Cartoonland, but by 1923 they were forced to declare bankruptcy.

Disney and his brother, Roy, decided to move to Hollywood and Iwerks relocated to join them soon after and the three men began the Disney Brothers’ Studio. Their first contract was with New York distributor Margaret Winkler to distribute their Alice cartoons, followed by a character they called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In 1925, Disney hired an ink-and-paint artist, Lilian Bounds, and they soon got married. Some time later Disney discovered that Winkler and her husband had stolen the rights to Oswald, along with all of Disney’s animators. Disney immediately produced three cartoons based on a character he had been working on - Mickey Mouse.

Mickey, it is believed, was possibly inspired by a pet mouse that Disney had owned. The first cartoons were Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Gaucho, both silent films that failed to be distributed. >

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When sound became available in the movie industry, he created a third sound-and-music equipped short called Steamboat Willie with Walt as the voice of Mickey which was an instant success. After completing this film, Disney signed with Pat Powers of Universal Pictures to enable the use of the Powers Cinephone recording system and Cinephone became the new distributor of Disney’s work.

In 1929, Walter created Silly Symphonies for which he hired a professional composer and arranger, Carl Stalling, and these introduced Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto. Flowers and Trees Silly Symphonies was the first of his cartoons to be produced in colour and won an Oscar. Disney and Powers clashed over ideas of how to trim costs from the practice of animating every cel to a more efficient technique of drawing key poses and allowing lower paid sketch artists to draw in the in-between poses. They could not agree and Powers left taking Iwerks with him, thinking that Disney would fold. However, Disney studios then signed up to Columbia Pictures to distribute the Mickey Mouse Cartoons that were gaining international fame. During the Great Depression, Disney produced The Three Little Pigs (1933) in colour and the title song ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf’ became a popular refrain.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, his first full-length animated film, premiered in Los Angeles in 1937 and earned an unthinkable USD 1,499 million and won a total of eight Oscars. He developed the multiplane camera around this period, which allowed drawings to be set on pieces of glass, creating the illusion of depth. A string

of films followed in the next five years, Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942). In 1939, a new site for the studios was opened in Burbank, but this was followed by a major setback with a strike by Disney animators and resignations from many. In addition, there was a decline in revenues in Europe due to World War II and it was some years before the company recovered from these losses. Also, at the beginning of the 1940s, Disney and Roy started the first public stock offering. In the mid-1940s, Disney created ‘packaged features’ - short films grouped together to run a feature length - but by 1950 he returned to full-length animated films. Cinderella (1950), a live action film Treasure Island (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and 101 Dalmatians (1961). The studio produced more than 100 films.

Due to the underperformance of some of his recent films, by 1944 the company had debts of over USD 4 million, but the then current chairman and founder of the Bank of America, Amadeo Gianni, persuaded his executives that they should relax and give Disney time as his films were good. Warner Bros and Metro-GoldwynMayer had entered into the animation market in competition and Disney’s brother Roy suggested that they should produce more combined live-action and animation films. In 1948, Disney initiated a series of live-action category.

Disney was one of the first to take advantage of television as an entertainment medium. The Zorro and Davy Crockett series gained

PERSONALITY

popularity quickly, followed by The Mickey Mouse Club which featured a variety show with a teenage cast called the Mouseketeers.

Walter Disney’s Wonderful World of Color was watched by many every Sunday night and he used this to start his expansion into the amusement park industry, promoting the first major theme park.

The last major success that he produced was Mary Poppins (1964), combining live action with animation.

In 1955, Disney’s USD 17 million Disneyland Theme Park opened in Anaheim, California with Ronald Reagan (an actor at the time) presiding over a ceremony broadcast on ABC Television, reaching 70 million viewers and within a year it had attracted 3,6 million guests. The opening was rather chaotic, but it quickly became known as a place where children and their families could spend time exploring, enjoying the rides and meeting characters from the films.

This first park grew at an extraordinary rate and entertained international tourists, with the result that Disney has expanded its parks internationally over the years - to Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai and a sister Californian property opening in 2001. Disney started the proposals for a new theme park and Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow in Florida and this was still under construction when he died in 1966. His brother, Roy, completed the park which opened in 1971 with the name of Walt Disney World. His film work endures, presented and modified with the high standards he expected, while the amusement parks continue to attract visitors.

Despite the demand for his attention on non-studio projects, Disney

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continued to work on film and television plans. Privately, Walt Disney was almost painfully shy, self-deprecating and somewhat insecure but he developed a warm and outgoing public persona.

His biographer, Richard Schickel, argues that ‘Disney played the role of a bashful tycoon who was embarrassed in public’ and recognised that he was doing so. He expected high standards from those with whom he worked and gave little praise, instead giving high performing staff financial bonuses. His phrase ‘That’ll work’ was recognised as an indication of approval. His marriage to Lilian was apparently happy although she challenged him and she had little interested in films or the Hollywood social scene. They had two daughters, Diane in 1933 and Sharon who they adopted in 1936 and they took great care to keep their daughters out of the public arena. In 1949, the family moved to Holmby Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles, where he built a miniature live steam railroad in his back garden, naming it the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. However, a few years later after a series of accidents involving visitors, Disney put it into storage.

The Walt Disney Family Museum notes that Disney, along with some of his staff, received more than 950 citations internationally. Disney Stores all over the world continue to attract enormous numbers of customers shopping for clothing featuring cartoon characters, stationery, crockery, toys, books and numerous other items on offer.

The movies and theme parks are now an integral part of our world and so is the individual that created them, Walt Disney.

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VINTAGE JEWELLERY

By Diane Stadler

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hat is the charm of vintage jewellery today when modern jewellery designers can produce whatever your heart desires, in precious gems and metals of your choice, made to your instructions with their sophisticated manufacturing machinery and wealth of ideas? Vintage jewellery maintains its appeal and the basis for a good purchase is quality, condition and names, such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Marcel Boucher and Miriam Haskell continue to hold their value. There is much to learn about vintage jewellery, where and when it was made, its style and how it relates to the time and the various techniques and materials used for its creation. Jewellery classified as antique was crafted more than 100 years ago while vintage refers to a distinct era, including Georgian and Victorian periods, as well as those like Art Deco, Retro, Mid-Century, Modern and Contemporary. The term estate jewellery denotes that which is usually inherited and was owned by someone else. The beauty of all of the above is that, unlike most modern styles today, it is not available in enormous quantities and has distinct characteristics of workmanship, uniqueness and rarity, valued by collectors and stylish customers alike. Also, it is often less expensive than comparable new jewellery.

Authentic vintage jewellery is defined by the year it was made.

A modern piece created in an old fashioned style is not vintage.

In vintage fine jewellery, platinum, gold and silver were used as armatures and frames for gemstones such as rubies, diamonds and emeralds. However, in vintage costume jewellery, which dates back to the 1930s, the base metal holding the glittering rhinestones and sparkling pieces of paste together was called white of pot metal, an inexpensive alloy of mostly tin and lead. World War II changed this, forcing costume jewellery designers to stop using tin or lead as this was required for the war effort, and change to silver. People were suffering the effects of the Great Depression and this created a need for finely made costume jewellery, which was affordable.

However, silver was more expensive and prices for pieces by designers such as Trifari and Coro increased substantially as many of their manufacturing tools had been melted down for the war effort.

In some cases, they had to again begin using traditional lost-waxcasting methods, further increasing the costs. It is not surprising that after the war, manufacturers wished to return to using cheaper base metals and Trifari started advertising their ‘revolutionary’ Trifarinium, the name for their new non-silver metal with a no-polish rhodium finish. Vermeil has its place in the World War II costume jewellery story – silver, plated with gold. The centre of their products was sterling silver. As a result, pieces from the 1940s, particularly by Coro and similar designers, are especially collectable.

Historically, inexpensive jewellery had been crafted since the early 1700s when paste and glass were used, often to duplicate exquisite

pieces that were considered to be too valuable to be worn by their owners. Another reason for the popularity of vintage jewellery is that, whether it is made of gold, silver or is costume jewellery, it is well made and has lasted nearly 100 years and is on its way to becoming antique. Pieces made between 1929 and 1980 are considered vintage, although many seek items created before 1960, due to the exceptional quality and craftsmanship. Every era had its particular style and with careful research its age can be detected.

Many countries had producers of costume jewellery and it was imported/exported but one country that made its mark at the time was Austria. Most pieces are marked ‘made in Austria’ on the back and are beautifully made of fine crystals in gold or silver tints and continue to look new today.

1920-1930s - Costume jewellery became hugely popular in the 1930s and was made in large quantities as inexpensive disposable jewellery, worn with a particular outfit but not necessarily to be handed down through generations. It was expected to be fashionable for a short period, become outdated and then replaced with a new piece to fit another outfit or fashion style. Vintage jewellery of this time is considered as Retro style, also called ‘cocktail style’, and the start of costume jewellery that is regarded as vintage jewellery today, possibly using precious gems. Retro jewellery is characterised by curved designs and feminine motifs using bows, ribbons and ruffles, but always on a grand scale.

At this time, Art Deco pieces tended to be geometric, streamlined and chic with squares and sharp-edged rectangles, with the first plastics appearing as a suitable substance for costume jewellery.

Some of the items created, such as dress clips, were fashionable in the 1930s but by the 1950s had disappeared. Celluloid, new at the time, was the first to be used for beads, floral and bow brooches and earrings, together with cabochons and other components. They were a must-have. It was lighter than glass and could be crafted into many different styles through carving, moulding and colouring. The large and vibrant bangles and brooches moulded with flowers were sometimes tinted in pastel colours and are some of the prettiest made at that time. Bakelite, another celluloid, was introduced and provided another inexpensive material, quickly becoming popular with designers as it could be vividly coloured, producing dramatic and fun jewellery. Stunning beads, brooches, multi-coloured bangles and figurative rings were manufactured from bakelite.

Due to the war in Europe jewellery took on a more American style as many European jewellers had shut down and styles became more glamorous and sophisticated, often influenced by the movies of the time. Furthermore, items with a military theme appeared, becoming more in demand in the 1940s once America was involved in the production of these pieces overseas. Rhinestones were particularly

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in demand in Europe, but these were not available to the American market until the 1940s. Many of the pieces of this era feature an abundance of metal and a single or large cluster of tiny rhinestones.

Jewellery of the 1930s is particularly in demand for those who aspire to dress in the vintage style dresses of that era and most sought after as demonstrated by auction results. Intricate designs, animal and floral shapes, long pendants, dress clips, brooches and bracelets were fashionable in the 1930s and fans of this style seek these items in shops, estates sales and markets.

In the 1940s, a time considered as Retro as well, vintage jewellery was very similar to the 1930s style. A new plastic, lucite, as a manufacturing material was produced, which was very similar to bakelite, but spun lucite created a pearly sheen and remained popular until the 1960s.

In pure form, lucite is translucent like rock or crystal, can be dyed in a wide variety of shades and is water-resistant and easy to carve and polish. The 1940s styles were more dimensional and changed from Art Deco to what would become known, due to World War II, as Retro Modern, as well as the continuing popularity of delicate Victorian Revival jewellery. Furthermore, towards the end of the 1940s high-end designers like Christian Dior started to produce costume jewellery, frequently using Swarovski’s aurora borealis rhinestones in their pieces. Trifari’s chief designer at the time, Alfred Philippe, trained as a fine jeweller at Van Cleef & Arpels, was another top trendsetter bringing his imperceptible setting technique to smoothed non-precious stones. Trifari launched menagerie brooches known as Jelly Belly – each animal had a lucite plastic belly in a pearl-like shape, set in sterling silver or gold plate and these were imitated by many other designers. Miriam Haskell produced detailed handmade floral jewellery that was the toast of the Manhattan socialite scene and loved by Hollywood stars. She incorporates gilt filigree, faux pearls, Murano blown-glass beads and rose monees–pre-cut crystals mounted on a silver setting.

In the 1950s, new designs materialised, with a treasure trove of vintage glass beads in the form of multi-strand bead necklaces, using much larger beads than those of the faux pearls of previous years. This was a period when matching twin sweater sets were fashionable and women wanted their jewellery to match, so costume jewellery was produced in ‘parures’ with matching pieces.

There was also a revival in the sentimental Victorian era charm bracelets, worn by Jacqueline Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor and naturally, costume jewellery followed this trend with charms to signify meaningful moments in their lives. Copper, silver, Bohemian, Venetian and Murano were utilised. Lucite thermoset inserts were used in a soft solid state as these would set into a permanently hard form and these became in high demand along with Confetti Lucite and inserted lucite jewellery.

During the 1960s, Art Deco style with clear rhinestones was in fashion, offering a richer, glitzier look. Floral forms and huge cocktail rings in weighty gold-tone coloured metals set with dazzling faux gems and in the mid 60s, space age styles appeared in psychedelic-

inspired pieces. Despite the crises caused by the economic depression and war, jewellery from this era became bolder and more exciting, not restrained and minimalist as one might have expected.

Women sought pieces that were eye-catching and unusual, as it was Hollywood’s golden age and the jewellery needed to reflect the glitz and glamour seen on the big screen.

1970s - An Art Nouveau revival in the late 1960s continued into the 1970s, continuing the colourful, psychedelic theme and including cloisonné butterflies, dragonflies and lady motifs. Inventive body jewellery and huge stainless steel pendants were created for both men and women. This Art Nouveau style also occurred in the print and home design industries of this period. The metals used for costume jewellery included sterling silver, aluminium, copper, rolled gold, gold-filigree, gold- and silver-plated metals, brass, pewter and pot metal, the latter sometimes appearing in an enamelled form. They are usually easy to identify as most are marked on the back of the item.

1980s - By the 1980s, the newest or youngest pieces in vintage lines produced with chunkier pieces without the extreme rhinestones and fashion designers started to work with jewellery design and logo-mania arrived. Fake gold bangles, feathers, baubles and beads, for example, in the style of Chanel’s double ‘C’s’ became popular, worn with power suits. A huge variety of materials was used to add colour, texture and design interest to costume jewellery.

Some of those which are more common are seashells, plastic pearls, amber, ivory, mother of pearl, wood, bone and coral. Leather became predominant from the 60s onwards, occasionally textiles such as ribbon, cording and even straw were added, but these were not successful, as they were too fragile. As the years passed, the costume jewellery was made with less workmanship and cheaper materials, including imported plastics and metals, but these are still considered vintage. Most were only worn a couple of times and can be found in excellent condition.

Today things are not so different – fine, semi-precious and costume jewellery is available and the latter is extremely fashionable, leading to modern day reproductions. Vintage costume jewellery is no longer just collectable but in style and chic. When looking for vintage jewellery the most important things to look for are particular designers and condition. Top designers include Alice, Coro, Trifari, Japan, Lisner, Giovanni and Weiss, amongst many others. Furthermore, it is a good idea to identify the era and type of design of the jewellery. Any purchase must be carefully examined to determine what is fake vintage and what is not. Sellers are offering remakes of real vintage pieces and these are not vintage. Look for hallmarks and metal marks, the back of the piece should always be smooth as rough backs did not appear until the 70s. In earrings, screw backs were used until the 1950s when it switched to clips.

Vintage jewellery has history, for each beautiful item purchased is unique and one can only wonder for whom this sparkling treasure was designed and know that it will not be seen all over town.

su no co m co be

To jew lea is fo pa Co ot de de re ha sm sc

Vin un wa

bespoke design. superior craftsmanship.

Morningside Sandton (011) 523 6600 Lynnwood Bridge Pretoria (012) 368 1490 info@jennaclifford.com www.jennaclifford.com

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SADIQ KHAN

By Madeleine Philips

‘the most powerful Muslim politician in Europe’

PERSONALITY

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ver the last 50 years most South African families have had to accept that a member or members of their family have left South Africa to seek their future in another country for a variety of reasons. The USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and of course, the UK seem to have been the most popular choices, however, for many South Africans, with British ancestry, the UK has been their destination. This year, 2016, has seen several major upheavals in the UK, the vote to leave the EU, followed by the resignation of the Prime Minister David Cameron, the appointment of Theresa May as his replacement and the appointment of the new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan in May 2016 replacing Boris Johnson of the Conservative Party.

Khan is London’s first Muslim mayor and the first British Asian mayor of a major western capital in history. Khan is now the most powerful Muslim politician in Europe. Khan and the London voters have revealed a new era in London as this has shown that a moderate Muslim, functioning within the current political arena, can attain power, influence and popularity. Khan secured the election with a landmark majority, the greatest mandate of any London mayor to date. This fact has enormous emotional significance for him, not to mention the international effect, even if this seems rather modest at this time.

So, who is Sadiq Khan and what is behind his rise to power in one of the most influential capitals of the world? Truly, it is a rags to riches story. He is one of eight children born to Pakistani bus driver, Amanullah Khan and seamstress Sehrun Khan, who moved to London in 1970, and grew up on the Tooting council estate in south London. He attended a local comprehensive school, Ernest Bevin College, and soon gravitated towards politics, joining the Labour Party at the age of 15. In these early years, Khan like many others, faced racism and violence within his community and his fighting spirit and resolve to defy the odds could be said to have started from a young age. He attributes Naz Bokhari, who was headmaster and the first Muslim head teacher at a secondary school in the UK, for his realisation that ‘skin colour or background wasn’t a barrier to making something of your life.’ His faith is important to him and one of the principles that he has mentioned in his speeches is ‘if one sees something wrong, one has the duty to try to change it.’ He studied at the University of North London as a human rights solicitor and became a partner early in his career at the firm, Christian Fisher.

He left in 2004 to stand as an MP. Khan has been married to his wife, Saadiya, a lawyer herself, for 22 years and they have two daughters.

He is a keen runner and uses this time to reflect and review his week’s activities. It would seem his life so far has been one of beating the odds – his new position clearly reflects this.

In 2005, Khan won the marginal seat in Tooting for Labour, one of only five ethnic MPs elected that year. He was regarded as extremely bright and very persuasive, with the ability to connect to his audience and keep their attention. At the same time, he remains low key in his personal life, although he may be forced to change this due to his new position. When Gordon Brown took his place at Number 10, Khan was given his first position in government as a whip, followed by a post at the Department of Transport and >

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became the first Muslim in the Cabinet. In the 2010 election, Labour was out of government for the first time in 13 years and Khan showed his true colours when he cleverly aligned himself with what was believed to be a lost cause in a role as campaign manager for Ed Miliband and was active in assisting him in achieving an unexpected leadership election victory. His reward was the position of shadow justice secretary and this, as well as this other brief of shadow political reform minister, were not particularly successful as his views at the time were not well accepted. Khan was no favourite when Labour politicians announced themselves as running for mayor last year and it seems this follows the path of his career to date, that of coming from behind. The 2015 elections were a disaster for Labour and Miliband resigned quickly and a week after this he announced that he would seek the Labour nomination as mayor.

He was recognised as a possible candidate, but he had astutely refused to be drawn into a debate on the topic while he explored his options and possible support available in private. To the surprise of many, he came out as top Labour choice, a remarkable victory.

The campaign that followed was fierce. Many question whether he is capable of this role and the sound judgement required, but he asserts that his position is one that represents all Londoners and that he seeks to confront discrimination in the city and he has the chance to prove this. One of his allies has stated that he represents the future and he focusses on results for London and is anxious to make good on his election promises. Kahn faces the same dilemma as that faced by Boris Johnson in how to navigate between cooperating with the Conservatives while aligning with the Labour Party’s views. He promises to improve intercommunity cohesion but some criticise his willingness to meet with staunch Islamist clerics and this has caused him to receive security threats from both sides. His support for the same-sex marriage equality bill is not well received by many Muslims, but at the same time he makes it harder for Islamists to make out that ‘it’s us vs them.’ This is the real challenge – his ethnicity and religion will continue to be seen as the most interesting thing about him, and give him the scope to achieve important and useful things.

Some of his views are apparently clear at this early stage. He does not like foreign investors purchasing homes in London for investment purposes only and leaving them unoccupied – this followed the investigation by the Guardian that revealed that more than 60 per cent of foreign-owned homes were empty most of the time. His verbal confrontation with Donald Trump is gaining momentum, particularly after Khan referred to Trump as ignorant while the latter challenged him to take an IQ test. He spurned Trump’s suggestion that he would be the exception to Trump’s proposed policy on banning Muslims from entering the US. He has challenged the Labour Party saying that they are not doing enough to respond to the concerns of ordinary voters. A recent occurrence is his stance against Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn. Previously they had supported each other, and some have taken this very seriously seeing it as a Judas movement, but Khan remains the most stable part of the Labour Party right now.

We have heard a lot about this man over the past few months and clearly, there is a lot more to learn.

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SUPER SOMMELIERS ‘It was a unique chance to rub shoulder with the best of the best, knowing that the ‘Best Sommelier of the World’ competition only takes place every three years. To me, it was like qualifying for the wine Olympics.’

By Jean-Vincent Ridon

On January 2016, the South African Sommeliers Association organised the inaugural Best Sommelier of South Africa competition.

My decision to compete was not an easy one, as a sommelier would represent South Africa at the Best Sommelier of the World championship for the first time in Mendoza, Argentina. It was a unique chance to rub shoulders with the best of the best, with the knowledge that the Best Sommelier of the World contest only takes place every three years. To me, it was like qualifying for the wine Olympics.

However, all did not work according to my plan. My effort secured me the coveted title of vice-best sommelier of South Africa, but second place was simply not good enough and crushed my dream to be the candidate to represent South Africa in Argentina. The defeat is not entirely bitter because the Best Sommelier of South Africa flew specially from London, where he works at the 67 Pall Mall Club, to claim the national title. On this day, Gareth Ferreira was untouchable and I had to admit that he was the best candidate for the first participant as a South African sommelier to the World Competition.

As Gareth Ferreira lives in London, I could always alleviate my disappointment by saying that if he was the Best Sommelier of South Africa, I was the Best Sommelier in South Africa.

What makes a sommelier a champion? Very often sommeliers are seen as super wine stewards, but there is much more behind the name than just pouring wine without spilling it on the table! They are trained and educated wine experts, specialising in all features of wine service, sometimes even responsible for the creation of the wine list, and in some countries are regarded as having a role similar to that of the executive chef. In South Africa, being a sommelier is a very new profession and only the best restaurants pride themselves on including one in their team. Although I did not qualify to compete in Mendoza, nothing was going to prevent me from supporting Ferreira at this event, no hesitation. I had to what makes a sommelier a world champion and to witness and understand this, I had to go to Mendoza and I did!

In the capital of the Argentinean wine industry, sommeliers from 58 countries sought to win the crown held by Paolo Basso while TV crews from around the world filmed the event. The question was, ‘How is the decision reached to choose the winner?’

Since becoming a sommelier involves a combination of training and education, all competitors were subject to a detailed testing process. The first round consisted of a complicated theoretical test related to wines from around the world; from obscure cultivars from Greece to the regulation on sweet wines from Austria. Questions included all beverages, such as tea, coffee, beers, mineral water, spirits, sake and also chocolate and cigars, because the role may be broader than that of only working with wines. The sommelier must understand how all of these pair with food and the individual requirements of diners. An imperative part of the process is not only for the sommelier to have an in-depth understanding of food, but also to have a comprehensive understanding of which beverages to pair it with.

On the practical side, candidates were required to serve champagne according to the correct etiquette and identify unknown wines and spirits served to them. Even the most seasoned candidate appeared stressed. So much was at stake….

After the first eliminations, there were more theoretical tests and very precise role-playing, placing the competitors in real situations that involved food pairing, client management, planning for groups, facing demanding customers who insisted on selecting an inappropriate wine and all of these at an efficient speed as necessary in the hospitality industry. These tests aimed to select the top three candidates who would have the privilege of competing at the finals in the fully-booked historic theatre of Mendoza, with cameras broadcasting the event live all around the world!

Between each intense session, there was time to explore the beauty of Mendoza and the food and wine culture of Argentina. At the foot

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of the Andes, South Africa had serious challengers when it came to the art of ‘braaing’ (barbecuing). An Argentinean BBQ surpasses any other internationally, in fact, it is worthy of detailed description and the Argentinean wines are world class companions for the exquisite local grilled meats.

Argentina is famous for its Malbec grape, a red spicy cultivar originally from Cahors in France, but now the flagship wine of Argentina, alongside less famous grapes like Bonarda or Torrontes.

The most typical characteristic of a Malbec wine is its deep red colour and a burst of fruity flavours, depending on where and when the grapes are harvested. Exciting wines are produced from Salta in the north to Patagonia in the south, with a range reflecting many micro climates from the Atlantic seaboard to the foot of the majestic Andes. Argentinean wines are not just for export markets, and much of it is drunk locally. Wine has been declared ‘National Beverage of Argentina’, an official proof that for the Argentines, wine is more of a culture than an alcoholic drink.

Wine is part of the Argentinian lifestyle, so the 61 candidates felt at home at each of the estates they visited. They formed a global wine family and welcomed newcomers like Mauritians, Taiwanese and South Africans.

On the day of the finals at the grandiose Teatro Municipal de Mendoza, the 61 candidates walked onto the stage and the results of the elimination rounds were announced. The South African candidate received a warm applaud for finishing 15th, a great ranking considering the quality of the competitors. The three finalists were invited to remain on stage for the last stage of the competition, David Biraud for France, Arvid Rosengren for Sweden and Julie Dupouy for Ireland.

Candidates had to identify errors on a wine list or recognise vineyards around the world from just a picture. Perfect service techniques were essential while serving the different tables set on stage and the clients in this role-play mostly consisted of former best sommeliers of the world. This is definitely called being judged

by your peers. The experienced judges did not make it easy for the three candidates. Questions included asking for champagne that does not exist, identifying rare spirits, or pairing a 1945 vintage wine that is notorious for being a fake. They had to make cocktails, answer guests’ questions about the wines served and finally, pour a magnum of champagne into 15 glasses and ensure all the glasses were equally full. The candidates were not permitted to return to any glass already filled and the bottle had to be empty after the challenge. All had to be done within a pre-set time.

Eventually a winner emerged from this very tough competition, which is a combination of skill, knowledge and talent. Swedish born sommelier, Arvid Rosengren, aged 31, who works in New York, achieved the highest score and he was crowned Best Sommelier of the World with David Biraud from France, in second place. A phenomenon in this male-dominated profession is Julie Dupouy, from Ireland, who made her way onto the podium in third place and Paz Levison from Argentina who took the 4th place, with Elyse Lambert from Canada in 5th position. Never in the history of sommellerie have so many women been present at the top of the sommelier hierarchy, with no less than four ladies reaching the semi-final. In South Africa, this trend is becoming evident where we find an increasing number of talented young women managing the wine list in the best restaurants.

As you may imagine the great Argentinean wine industry embraced this opportunity to celebrate the occasion. The ‘after party’ for all the sommeliers, winemakers and chefs upgraded the word fiesta to an unforgettable status. As a consequence the return flight, using four different airlines, went unnoticed and my mind was fascinated by the extraordinary performance of Arvid Rosengren. The level of the competition was extremely high, but as in the Olympics, the importance is not about winning, it is about the participation.

Personally, I have been motivated and will train harder to ensure that I qualify for the world title competition in 2019. This occasion is to take place in Antwerp, Belgium, so there is little doubt that Belgian beers will be on the menu, alongside the wines of the world. Dreams are made to be reached, even for a sommelier….

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PHOTOS THIS PAGE 01 Teatro de la Independencia de Mendoza.

(The venue for the championships) 02 Arvid Rosengren, crowned The Best Sommelier in the world 03 Sommeliers during the competition 04 (from left to right) Jean-Vincent Ridon, Gareth Ferreira and Arvid Rosengren (at the back)

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05 Julie Dupouy, from Ireland, pouring 15 glasses

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THE FARMS NEXT DOOR

By Ever Duminy, CEO - Cape Town Tourism

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here is so much more to Cape Town than just Table Mountain and the surrounding picturesque coastline, as the many suburbs and regions of the Cape Metropole yield a rich diversity of views and possible experiences. Three distinct wine routes are tucked away in between these secluded areas, adding an element of peri-urban splendour that has a neverending appeal to locals and visitors alike.

Wine tourism was accredited with contributing R6 billion to the economy in 2015 and shows no sign of declining in popularity.

Estates are recording an increase in visitor numbers annually and continue to seek innovative ways to provide the ultimate in experiences for their guests.

Here we take a closer look at these three suburban wine routes – what makes them interesting, what is there to do and, of course, why should visitors to the city choose these places to spend some of their time?

The oldest vine that continues to grow in Cape Town is situated in the heart of the CBD at the Heritage Hotel in Heritage Square and was planted in 1771. This revered vine still flourishes and is capable of producing small, exclusive quantities of wine. The grapes were formerly called Cape Riesling, but in reality, they are Crouchen Blanc

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Groot Constantia

- similar to that which made the Paarl and Theuniskraal Rieslings popular in the 1970s and 80s. A recent harvest by Jean-Vincent Ridon, the owner of Signal Hill Vineyard, produced approximately 20 litres of wine. Signal Hill Vineyard is recognised as the only urban winery in South Africa, in fact, the only city winery in the centre of a capital of the world, sourcing and producing their wines just a few 100 metres from where they were first grown in the country in the 19th century.

Although Durbanville is located in the northern suburbs, the Helderberg region in the south-east and Constantia-Steenberg in the south, all of these regions offer a similar lifestyle to those with a taste for an upmarket and exclusive way of life.

Durbanville can be considered as the gateway to the rolling farmlands of the Boland and is a multifaced neighbourhood.

Known as an IT hub, it is home to tech-savvy business people and conference centres and is situated only minutes away from the Tygervalley Shopping Centre, which hosts many interesting shops and a variety of restaurants. One minute you could be passing rows of neat houses with colourful gardens, the next you are surrounded by rolling hills with their neatly laid out rows of vines. Within this suburb lies another gem, known as the Durbanville Rose Garden, an extensive 3.5ha garden that contains 500 varietals and 4,500 rose >

Signal Hill Vineyard

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bushes, as well as trial beds used by many international nurseries for the purpose of developing new types of roses. In the garden, one may glimpse families and friends posing in their wedding finery for official photographs, enjoying the lush nature reserve and seeing riders cantering along the paths on their horses. A golf course adds to the relaxed nature of the area, but it is the wine farms that provide an extensive playground for visitors.

The 12 prestigious wine farms in this valley offer visitors a prescribed wine route for ease of exploration while each farm offers its individual brand of charm and country elegance, excellent wines and exciting cuisine, offering delicacies frequently created from their produce. These estates are Altydgedacht, Bloemendal, D’Aria, De Grendel, Diemersdal, Durbanville Hills, Hillcrest, Klein Roosboom, Meerendal, NiTida, Phizante Kraal and Signal Gun. These farms also offer a series of events throughout the year, such as music festivals, food fairs and a variety of markets, enticing locals to come and enjoy the day at their vineyards and while tasting the intense, fruit-driven wines is an obvious priority, there is plenty of entertainment available for families too. Apart from wine at Signal Gun, for example, there are olives, chocolates, toffees and even craft beer and biltong tastings.

The Durbanville Wine Valley is conveniently close to the airport and main routes leading to the beaches of Bloubergstrand and Melkbosstrand, as well as the inner CBD of Cape Town.

The towns of Somerset West and Gordon’s Bay are somewhat unique in that they can exist in isolation and yet, they officially remain part of Greater Cape Town. This unusual combination of relaxed urban living, rolling farmlands and world-class beaches, successfully appeals to both locals and visitors. The area offers luxury accommodation, restaurants with superb style and comfort, and many hidden gems await discovery. The extensive and wellknown Somerset Mall in Somerset West provides a variety of stores to satisfy every customer. Clothing, jewellery, sportswear, beauty products and many other specialities are on offer here. In addition to this, the area is a haven for golfers, with the Erinvale, Strand and Somerset West Golf Clubs providing marvellous facilities, set in beautiful surroundings.

The Helderberg Wine Route around Somerset West encompasses more than 20 wine farms and is located at the base of Sir Lowry’s Pass – the gateway to Cape Town, and the region is known for its red wines, Chardonnays and sparkling wines. The older renowned farms reveal the history and memorials of the early days in South Africa. Vergelegen, Morgenster, Waterkloof and Lourensford Farms add to the charm of this area and many of the old manor houses have been converted into attractive and sophisticated guesthouses and lodges. Wine farms along this route also host regular markets, festivals and orchestrated events, including music recitals, classical and opera, with appearances by well-known talents, throughout the year. Restaurants are also in abundance.

The Helderberg Nature Reserve extends from the gardens of the last houses on the boundary of the town and up over the Helderberg Mountain that overlooks False Bay. There are multiple walking trails through the fynbos, along the slopes of the mountain and a variety of delightful picnic spots. The reserve has a wealth of visitor >

THE MORE YOU USE IT THE BETTER IT LOOKS www.kitchenaidafrica.com facebook.com/KitchenAidAfrica • twitter.com/kitchenaidsa • instagram.com/kitchenaid_africa • pinterest.com/KitchenAidAfri

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information available and is known for the valuable natural resources it provides to school children for their projects and themes.

The Constantia-Steenberg Wine Route is stunningly placed between the world-renowned homes of the suburbs and the gentle lower slopes of the Table Mountain Range. Here, the oldest, still operational, wine farm in South Africa has its home.

Groot Constantia approached through a long avenue of oak trees, offers a sense of a gracious and noble time enjoyed by those who lived in and visited this tranquil and elegant home in earlier days.

The wines produced here have been famously enjoyed by many prominent individuals, for example, Napoleon, who sampled the famed Grand Constance wine. The estate has a large carefully preserved building which acts as a museum for housing artefacts and treasures of a bygone era–the building alone is admirable for its elegant Dutch-style architecture. Wine and chocolate pairings are presented, several different restaurants offer attractive meals, with or without cellar tours, but it’s also pleasant to stroll around the grounds amongst the vineyards while admiring the panorama that lies in front of you.

Further afield, there is a Green Belt, a lush, verdant spot enjoyed by families walking their dogs, horseback riders and runners. The impression is of being deep in the countryside. However, it is just a few minutes away from Constantia Village, where the local jet-set do their shopping and socialise over tea and cake. It is a desirable and modern upmarket suburb for people who enjoy an active lifestyle with a variety of leisure activities which include running, hiking and mountain biking.

On Sundays, when the weather is pleasant, vintage and sports car fanatics will be seen cruising through the avenues of this suburb while enjoying the breeze and views. Almost without noticing, after a few minutes, one enters the wine estates at Steenberg, where the vineyards are placed close up against the Tokai Forest, as well as near to the luxurious Steenberg Golf Estate and Westlake Golf Club.

In each of the three regions nature reserves connect the cultivated vineyards and farms to the mountain fynbos and the wildlife that continue to live close to and in amongst the suburbs.

For visitors, there are shuttle tours, buses and easy access to these wine farms, with the added advantage that one does not have to travel for hours to enjoy them. However, there are so many scenic delights to enjoy along the way that it can take a surprising amount of time to explore these areas. There is detailed information regarding these areas and what is available on websites such as that offered by Cape Town Tourism. This enables visitors to make the most of the experience of visiting these wine farms and surrounds. < www.capetown.travel > Food and wine go hand in hand and many estates have restaurants where visitors can enjoy some gourmet cuisine. If not, the range of places available to satisfy your culinary expectations is infinite. Cape Town was recently named Number One Food City in the world and not without reason, as skilled chefs are creating a variety of menus from exciting fusion delights to farmhouse comfort food. Without doubt, there will be something available to delight and satisfy your discriminating gourmet requirements.

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