BORN FROM EXTRAORDINARY OAK CASKS
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Please savour responsibly
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contents on the cover 17
Bag it up Trade in your drawstring gym bag for something more befitting of a City big-hitter 20 Big breakfast Fuel yourself properly with one of the City’s most powerful power breakfasts 22 Four Seasons at ten trinity square Four Seasons arrives in the Square Mile, opening in the ex-HQ of the Port of London Authority 40 Inside SIHH 2017 The hottest timepieces from the first watch show of the year 68 Jacket up All blazers bright and beautiful 76 Ross Kemp: Life on Earth Actor and award-winning war reporter Ross Kemp discusses his most disturbing documentary to date 82 Plug-in baby On the road with Porsche’s latest Cayenne hybrid 86 Urban warrior Harley-Davidson locks on to man-about-town millennials 98 City of God How tech start-ups and a pulsating nightlife scene is changing the face of Jerusalem
DRESS LIKE A BOSS
How Hugo Boss is tailroing the future
p66
Regulars 12 20
40
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39
The Edit commodities and consumables raising our interest The rates this month The Social Arts awards, anarchic pizza, and roast chicken delivered to your door
COLLECTION
Boardroom to beach Baume & Mercier’s new Clifton Club collection 46 Diamonds and pearls J ewellery brand Kamushki’s latest opulent offerings pay tribute to late music pioneer Prince 52 56
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CITY LIFE
STYLE
The First Lady of fashion With the release of Jackie, it’s clear Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy’s timeless style is still in vogue United Tastes F rom romantic florals to statements evening wear, try the latest trends out for size
OUT OF OFFICE
Keith Milow An introduction to another artist that should appear on your agenda 97 Le Palais Rhoul, Marrakech Our hotel of the month is a palatial residence inspired by nomadic chiefs
HOMES AND PROPERTY
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THE CITY MAGAZINE | March 2017
104 Property news The latest trends in the residential sales and lettings markets
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issue no.
113
M AR C H 2 0 1 7
from the EDITOR Instagirls and Influencers
O
n 2 March, Brand Exchange, a private members’ club just off Bank, will host a lecture on ‘Donald Trump the brand’*. This follows a month in which Brand Beckham took a bludgeoning, and the fashion industry summoned a circus of the most-followed social media stars to the front rows of its international trumpet blasts.
From New York to London to Paris to Milan, off went millennial models Kloss, Hadid, Hadid,
Gerber, Jenner, Delevingne and Richie, followed in tow by the bloggers, vloggers and blaggers savvy enough to have cultivated the largest online fan base. Influence is everything. Brands want reach. What have the past few weeks done for the brand value of Beckham and Trump? And how do you calculate the worth of an Instagirl’s social media presence in real world terms? This month, we report from the Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie (p40). By the last week of January, the watch industry’s second largest trade show had been hashtagged on Instagram well over 50,000 times. Yet, as noted by industry website WatchPro, three weeks after Richemont had paid for the flights and accommodation of hundreds of journalists – an increasing number of bloggers among them – the 10 most recent #SIHH-tagged images had amassed just 38 likes between them. What, exactly, is the value of that? Social media may have broken down the barriers of stardom, but strangely it may have elevated the concept of celebrity in the process. Now that anyone can be one, we’re even more obsessed. Before Christmas, each member of our editorial team committed to paper a hit list of the people they’d most like to interview. Ross Kemp was at the top of mine. I thought he’d make for an interesting chat. On page 76, you’ll see that he did.
Richard brown, editor
Correction: Last month, The City Magazine’s front cover image was incorrectly accredited to Ferrari. The image was actually supplied courtesy of bespoke Savile Row tailors Richard James (29 Savile Row, richardjames.co.uk). *For tickets, email bookings@brandexchange.com
Other titles within the RWMG portfolio
Cover Image (80): BOSS Made-to-
Measure, image courtesy of HUGO BOSS, p66
A website. A mindset. A l ifest yle.
w w w.luxurylond on. co .uk
Editor-in - C h i e f Lesley Ellwood
Edit o r
Contributors
Richard Brown
a ssistan t E d i t o r Bethan REES
Editorial a s s i s ta n t david taylor
Senior De s i g ne r GRACE LINN
B RAND CONSISTE N CY Laddawan Juhong
Gen eral M a n a ge r Fiona Smith
Produ c t i o n Hugo Wheatley Alice Ford Jamie Steele
Pro pert y D i rec t or Samantha Ratcliffe
Ex ecutiv e D i rec t or Sophie Roberts
Managing Di r ect or Eren Ellwood
Kevin Pilley
Alexander Beer
Jeremy Taylor
London-born fashion, sport and advertising photographer, Alexander shoots for a wide range of publications and brands, including GQ, Esquire, Purdey and Richard James. This month, Alexander gets a team of six models to take us through fashion’s latest trends (p.56)
Jeremy is a freelance features writer specialising in motoring, travel and celebrity interviews, and a regular contributor to the Financial Times and Sunday Times Magazine. On page 82, Jeremy tests the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid SUV, to discover whether it can overtake its diesel sister.
Kevin is the former chief staff writer of PUNCH Magazine. A former professional cricketer, his work appears worldwide. He is also – allegedly – the UK’s most published travel writer. Read Kevin’s advice on how to beat a boastful cruise-bore on page 25.
Slim-fit floral-print voile shirt, £210, MCQ Alexander McQueen, mrporter.com
Classic chronograph limited edition, £550, Porsche, shop.porsche.com
Bulldog sea side rapids swim short, £225, Orlebar Brown, orlebarbrown.com
Published by
RUNWILD MEDIA GROUP
One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AX T: 020 7987 4320 rwmg.co.uk Members of the Professional Publishers Association
Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to
Mark Hayes-Westall
Nick Savage
Sara Lawrence
Mark is editor-in-chief of online art and culture magazine FAD and our regular source of information about interesting artists. On page 90, Mark introduces us to the abstract Keith Milow, an artist interested in “the illusory effect of artistic materials”.
Editor of specialist concierge service Innerplace, Nick has the low-down when it comes to London’s most luxurious haunts. Turn to page 23 to see the list of eateries that have helped make Clerkenwell one of the most exciting culinary quarters of the capital.
Sara Lawrence is a published author, has a literary column for the Daily Mail, and writes about travel for a wide range of magazines. For The City Magazine, Sara discovers how Jerusalem became a vibrant, diverse city thanks to tech start-ups and a re-energised night life scene (p.98)
The Frequency of Red, 2016, Keith Millow, courtesy of Dadiani Fine Art, dadianifineart.com
ECF01 espresso coffee machine, £279.95, Smeg, johnlewis.com
Stow country boot, £390, Tricker’s, trickers.com
change and Runwild Media Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved. Subscriptions A free online subscription service is available for The City Magazine. Visit the subscriptions page on our website: rwmg.co.uk/subscribe
GIVE THE GIFT OF LUXURY FOR MOTHER’S DAY For the woman who has always been there for you, this Mother’s Day, treat her to a hand-picked gift from the ELEMIS range at The House of ELEMIS, Mayfair
Speak to an ELEMIS therapist about our Gift Vouchers. The House of ELEMIS 2 Lancashire Court, Mayfair, London, W1S 1EX, UK T: +44 (0)20 7499 4995
Gift Cards available online ELEMIS.COM/houseofelemis timetospa.co.uk
City Life MARCH 2017
Indian Opulence The flagship British hotel from India’s luxury hoteliers showcases the best of both worlds As the first overseas hotel from luxury Indian group Lalit Suri, The Lalit London blends the richness of Indian culture with the tradition of Victorian England. The hotel is based in a Grade II-listed property that used to house St Olave’s Grammar School and Lambeth College, and the scholastic influence has been used to good effect throughout the hotel. The 70 bedrooms are all individually designed, with rooms on the top floor featuring 30ft-high ceilings. The former Great Hall is now home to The Lalit’s pan-indian restaurant, Baluchi, decorated with royal blue, hand-blown Hyderabadi chandeliers, and handmade silk tapestries. Baluchi offers dishes from a huge range of Indian states – Kashmir, Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Delhi – with highlights including Suroor e Shorba (Keralan-style lobster bisque, coconut and cognac) and Teen Ka Meetha (carrot fudge, salted chilli chocolate marquise and cardamom brûlée). The hotel also hosts the award-winning Rejuve spa, offering Ayurvedic treatments and therapies, and a 24-hour gym. 181 Tooley Street, SE1, thelalit.com/the-lalit-london
the hotel CASTADIVA RESORT & SPA, lake como
the architecture Originally built in 1895 along the Singapore River as part of the Strait of Malacca trade route, this ex-warehouse and one-time illegal distillery opened as The Warehouse Hotel in January this year. The building was adapted by local practice Asylum, which has drawn from the premises’ colourful history (it was a nightclub during the 1980s) to create a boutique hotel with 37 rooms. Exposed brick, iron beams and polished concrete floors lend an industrial feel, while artful lighting and designer furniture keep things contemporary. from £160 pn, thewarehousehotel.com
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mab onsu c d n nth es a oditi es this mo m m o The c erest rat nt our i
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ising
Once the residence of 19th-century opera singer Giuditta Pasta, CastaDiva Resort & Spa is an exclusive retreat set on the shores of Lake Como, one of the world’s most beautiful expanses of water. The sixand-a-half-acre estate includes 73 rooms and suites, two private villas, a fine dining restaurant overlooking the lake and a world-class spa with features such as chromotherapy showers and a Himalayan Salt room. Once named best chef in the world (at the 2008 Merano Wine Festival), Enrico Derflingher is joining the hotel for 2017. from £312 pn, castadivaresort.com
The Campaign
Salvatore Ferragamo
The latest Spring/Summer 2017 campaign from Salvatore Ferragamo distils the spirit of southern Italy in a series of images titled Among Friends. Shot by Peter Lindbergh in the hilltop town of Taormina on the east coast of Sicily, models Lily Aldridge, Andres Velencoso (pictured) and McKenna Hellam showcase ready-to-wear collections clearly inspired by the Mediterranean setting; loose trousers and relaxed shirts reflect Ferragamo’s buzz phrase, “lo splendore della vita” (the splendour of life), and the brand’s attempts at marrying Italian heritage with contemporary European design. ferragamo.com
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The Shaving Set British brand Thomas Clipper adds some sturdy luxury to your morning shave. Solid metal razors are accompanied by the heritage shave brush and bowl, made from naturally felled 300-year-old British chestnut. The set is complete with frankincense oil, juniper soap and a hot cotton flannel. ‘The Perfect Shave’ set, from £239, thomasclipper.com
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the watch
Vacheron Constantin x Hodinkee
Watch website Hodinkee has teamed up with Vacheron Constantin to co-create the first ever stainless steel Cornes de Vache, which features a slate grey dial and pulsation scale. Vacheron introduced the modern Cornes de Vache (‘cow bells’ in French, owing to the shape of the watch’s lugs) in platinum in 2015, adding a rose gold model in 2016. Only 36 of the steel version will be produced. Yours for approx £33,000. sebastianirarrazaval.cl
the wish list
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McKinnon jacket, £350, Canada Goose, canadagoose.com 1915 Chicago Whales cap, £55, Ebbets Field Flannels, mrporter.com
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4 Bradley leather backpack, £995, Tumi, tumi.com
Hopewell watch. £875, Farer, farer.com
the BIKE “The rocket upon which I lie and clutch should explode, rumble and hiss beneath me, as it propels me through the countryside, all the while reminding me it’s a combustion engine that moves me… To me, a Café Racer such as this is the essence of the fascination between man and machine, and one of the last possibilities to experience it.” Kaffeemaschine owner Axel Budde is a passionate man, and his enthusiasm is reflected in the unique café racers and custom builds he handcrafts for two-wheel fans across the world. kaffee-maschine.net
Stendhal tortoiseshell sunglasses, £460, Jacques Marie Mage, mrporter.com
the SHIRTS f rom l e f t: Bird s of prey silk-twill shirt, £610, Gu cci , matchesfashion .com; Elephant-print voile shirt, £ 400, Gu cci , matchesfashion .com; Hibiscus-print short-sleeved shirt, £ 475, S aint Laurent, matchesfashion .co.uk
the ART
Nine37 watch prints
Love watches? Love posters? Nine37 is a small design studio that produces beautifully illustrated posters of iconic timepieces. So far, posters have depicted Rolex Submariners, Tudor Heritage Black Bays and Omega Speedmasters. The company will be taking custom orders soon. from £32 + international shipping, nine37.com
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Technology for your world, your way. With Crestron automated technology at the heart of your home, you’ll know the meaning of luxury. Where your space responds to your every need, where total control comes at the touch of a button. We make smart homes for smarter living.
crestronshowroom.com | Where technology starts
All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. Š 2016 Crestron, Ltd.
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urve the c f o d a g ahe keepin r o f us parat ial ap t n e s Es
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Competitive Edge
There’s a reason the S7 Edge still features at the zenith of every Top 10 round-up worth its salt. In a significant upgrade to the S6 Edge, the unrivalled looks have remained, with small changes such as a curved back improving its feel in the hand, and a screen that reaches even further around the sides. The beauty is much more than skin deep, though. The camera has been noticeably improved, and the entire phone is water resistant to a depth of 1.5 metres. Battery life now lasts more than 24 hours between charges. Samsung has taken an already high-quality phone, recognised its faults, and ironed them out. The Galaxy S8, expected to launch later this year, has a lot to live up to. £639, samsung.com
best of the rest
iPhone 7 Plus
Enough of an improvement from the iPhone 7 to warrant an upgrade, thanks to a huge amount of power to help performance speed. Apple, as usual, will likely shift an enormous amount of units. From £719, apple.com
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OnePlus 3
OnePlus was already popular in its homeland, China, before the phone company started making waves in western smartwatch waters. Once again, the OnePlus 3 is a quality piece of kit, delivered at an attractive price. £329, oneplus.net
Google Pixel
The tech giant has pulled it out of the bag with the Pixel, its first proper smartphone, which boasts an incredible camera and lightning fast processing, making it close competiton to the Galaxy S7 Edge. From £599, store.google.com
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Celebrating 100 years of
D E AR BO EI N G , HAPPY 1 0 0 T H AN N IVER SARY. DO E SN ’ T TIM E FLY. The Boeing 100 mechanical watch, limited to only 300 timepieces, recognises Boeing’s leading position as a defense and commercial aircraft manufacturer. The watch is manufactured from Boeing aviation-grade Ti 6-4 titanium, a special metal that is significantly stronger than commercial titanium. It also features carbon fibre composite from the historically significant and technologically advanced Boeing Dreamliner flying testbed aircraft, ZA004, which can be found integrated into the crown of each timepiece.
Mayfair Boutique · 29 South Audley St, London, W1K 2PE · Tel: +44 (0)207 493 5150 City Of London Boutique · 12 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LQ · Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 7134
Bremont Boeing100_City Mag 210x297.indd 1
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diggity it ing f ut, No o k r o fight w u u o o y y keep e way ks to I like th d tric
p u t i Bag ips an the t
1. Cronos leather holdall, £399, Ted Baker, tedbaker.com 2. Wright duffle bag, £75, Carhartt, carhartt-wip.com 3. Dalton holdall, £195, Gymtote, gymtote.co.uk 4. Contrast webbing barrel bag, £75, Fred Perry, fredperry.com
One stop supplement shop Supplement and demand
Fish oil
BCAAs
Protein powder
Pre-workout
Your grandparents had a point. Omega 3 fatty acids provide a wide range of health benefits, including reducing inflammation, strengthening bones and improving cardiovascular ability. It also improves mental performance as an added bonus. Omega 3-6-9 fish oil, £9.99, My Protein, myprotein.com
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) help gain mass, but also assist in keeping that mass when on a calorie-deficient diet, meaning dieting and building muscle is possible. My Protein’s version also contains B6 and B12, boosting energy and increasing alertness. My Amino Boost, £24.99, My Protein, myprotein.com
An obvious one for those who want to either bulk up or just get in shape. Whey protein is an essential part of muscle growth and repair, and USN’s is also gluten free, to make sure there’s no unwanted ingredients or related bloating. Gluten free pure protein, £36.95, USN, uk.bodybuilding.com
To get the best and quickest results from training, a good pre-workout formula is an important factor. Reflex Nutrition includes a cocktail of ingredients for optimum workout performance. It also comes with or without caffeine. Muscle Bomb pre-workout shake, £52.99, Reflex Nutrition, reflexnutrition.com
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london
20 GRAFTON STREET UK.HOLLYHUNT.COM
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ts coun that e id s in hat’s e It’s w s u a c , be ware caruso sofa home t u o stand This sofa looks like it could tell a story or two. The naturally scarred and grained leather gives an industrial look to a room, and will effortlessly fit in with any design theme. Caruso outback leather sofa in tan, £1,929, Barker and Stonehouse, barkerandstonehouse.co.uk
wall coverings
CUSHION COVERS
An easy way to customise a room without too much hassle, is with a wall covering. These examples by Koket make a bold statement – and are made out of feathers. Choose between iridescent peacock, quail or pheasant. Instantly, the texture of the feathers makes a wall come to life. Wall coverings, Koket, from £1,424
A dull cushion makes for a dull sofa, which makes for a dull living room. These pieces are sure to liven up a settee. Don’t be afraid to mix and match colours and textures. Dipped-Fringed cushion cover in quince (top), £195, Kalgan lamb cushion cover in mouse, £150, The Conran Shop, conranshop.co.uk
per metre, bykoket.com
FINISHING TOUCHES Bash family
Appropriately named, the Bash collection by design stalwart Tom Dixon is a family of bowls, trays, platters and vessels formed from a single brass sheet. Hammered into shape by hand, they take a crumpled form. Bash family collection, from £180, Tom Dixon, tomdixon.net
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n O R M 03 L AMP sh ad e Bring a bit of th e swinging sixties into y our hom e with thi s lamp shade by Dani sh design innovator Normann Copenhagen . Its Vien etta-style cur ves make for a striking focal point for a room . Norm 03 L amp Shade, £105, Normann Copenhagen , amara .com
Rollins plate
A traditional piece of table wear, the charger plate is used in more formal settings and isn’t actually used to serve food on – it’s the larger underplate that acts as a server to the main dinner plates. Embossed leather in an alligator-style pattern, this one from Ralph Lauren will be the talking point of any dinner party. Rollins leather charger plate, £195, Ralph Lauren, ralphlauren.co.uk
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Hopscotch, E8
Brick Lane’s Hopscotch has a new head chef in the form of ex-Patty & Bun head of development, Luke Findlay. After time at restaurants such as Yotam Ottolenghi’s Nopi and Tom Kerridge’s Hand and Flowers, Luke brings his varied experiences to the table in a diverse menu. Highlights include smoked eel with rye toast; pit-roasted aubergine with tahini and pickles; and smoked goat bun with Urfa mayo and slaw. 202 Brick Lane, hopscotchldn.com
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Big breakfast The perfect day starts with a hearty meal
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the ZES Y CRA ed WITH AR h IN is r CUL ou s and ure n nche e epic u h a t l G t tes KEEPIN e’s La re mil a u q s
Temple and Sons, EC2 This British grill produces all the classics, but also dishes such as Lake District onglet steak with black pudding, Lyonnaise onions and fried Cornish chorizo. Hair of the dog options are also comprehensive, with the Bloody Mary using bacon-infused Ketel One vodka. 22 Old Broad Street, templeandsons.co.uk Hawksmoor Guildhall, E1 Bacon chop, sausages, black pudding, bubble and squeak, grilled bone marrow, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and dripping toast. You’re welcome. 10 Basinghall Street, thehawksmoor.com
Clockjack City
Making the most of the current food delivery app craze, free-range rotisserie chicken brand Clockjack has launched a restaurant kitchen dedicated to delivery only, with no front-of-house operation. Based near Monument station, orders from within a two-mile radius placed with Clockjack or on Deliveroo can be delivered within half an hour. Coverage extends from the Square Mile, out to Islington, Clerkenwell, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel and Wapping. The kitchen delivery hub offers ethically reared, free-range rotisserie chicken on the bone, or in salads and wraps, alongside hearty sides and desserts. Portions aren’t something to worry about, either: The City Magazine tried Clockjack for itself and struggled to get through the mountain of food delivered.
Yauatcha, EC2 Yauatcha City’s Supreme Saturdays features some of Yauatcha’s best dishes, accompanied by a selection of signature and classic dim sum, half a bottle of wine and preand post-meal cocktails. Yauatcha City, yauatcha.com/city Plum + Spilt Milk, N1 The Saturday a la carte brunch menu comes with a bottle of Billecart-Salmon Champagne and coffee. There’s a wide range of options, from smoked haddock kedgeree with soft poached egg, to a full English. Great Northern Hotel, plumandspiltmilk.com
clockjack.co.uk
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Borough Plates, SE1 Borough Market’s Borough Plates aims to showcase the very best of the market. Based in the old trustee’s building, and running until the end of March, the restaurant brings together resident traders and farmers to create a seasonal menu with ingredients sourced solely from SE1’s famous greenhouse. Alongside dining experience company Cuisson, chefs from some of London’s most exciting restaurants have been invited to collaborate with market traders each week. Plates are priced from £6-16, including charcuterie from Cannon & Cannon, red mullet caught by Sussex Fish served with seared scallop and rainbow chard, Beaufort cheese courtesy of Mons Cheesemongers, and a raw milk panna cotta from dairy farmers Hook & Son. 1 Cathedral Street, boroughmarket.org.uk
Radio Alice, N1
Artskickers Awards, EC2
At the end of the month, new Shoreditch development, The Stage (right), will host and sponsor The Artskickers Awards, a project founded to highlight the unsung heroes of East London’s art scene. The awards will recognise and reward artists and organisations whose dedication and passion inspires the communities they live and work in. There are six categories to enter, covering areas from business owners, arts teachers, galleries and the future of art in East London. Entry deadline is the 6 March, with the awards taking place on the 29th. The judging panel includes Olivier Awardwinning actress Denise Gough and John Mulholland, editor of The Observer. 29 March, 2-4 Fairchild Place, artskickersawards.com. Follow #artskickers for more information
Hoxton Square’s latest restaurant is introducing a slice of rebellion to the area. Inspired by the anarchic radio station of the same name, started in Bologna in the 1970s and closed down by police, Radio Alice’s founders, brothers Salvatore and Matteo Aloe inject a bit of fun and freedom into their contemporary pizzeria. Sourcing ingredients from traditional slow food producers in Italy and Britain, topping combinations include anchovies, red onion, lemon zest and tomato; as well as prosciutto di Parma, burrata, orangeinfused oil and fiordilatte. Organic Italian vineyards make up the wine list, with a highlight being Libera Terra, a co-operative set up on land liberated from mafia control. Buon appetito. 16 Hoxton Square, radioalicepizzeria.co.uk
Alpha Beta Bar, EC2
The Modern Pantry’s new cocktail bar, named after the Alphabeta building it’s housed in, has a menu developed by the award-winning mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana of the Mr Lyan Group. Inspired by chef Anna Hansen’s use of wide-ranging and bold ingredients, concoctions include a distilled cream gin, strawberry and cardamom sorbet blitzed with grapefruit and tonic. The bar serves small dishes from the Modern Pantry restaurant, alongside new plates such as Kashmiri masala marinated pork, and Cornish crab rarebit donut. The Alphabeta Building , 14 Finsbury Square, themodernpantry.co.uk
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S N ASO E S R U FO y t i c e h t n i s e v i arr
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ast year marked 30 years since the Big Bang, when Thatcher’s reforms opened the City to free-market economics, bonus culture and boxy Armani suits. In the three decades that followed, the Square Mile went from the watering hole of the barrowboy-turned-broker into one of London’s most dynamic dining districts. Testament to this transformation is the breadth of top-quality restaurants you can now, literally, lob a rock at from Liverpool Street station – depending on which exit you leave. From Heron Tower’s Duck & Waffle and SushiSamba, to South Place’s Angler, and Worship Street’s HKK, it’s possible to stumble from Bishopsgate upon some of the finest fusion, seafood, Japanese and Brazilian grub the capital has to offer – and that’s to ignore the uber-chic confines of Italian L’Anima, the French masterclass that is Galvin la Chapelle and the first-rate British fare that’s served up at Merchants Tavern and Jason Atherton’s City Social. The bar at Rotunda
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hard bro
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And yet, while restaurateurs have fought for a slice of the Square Mile pie, the area has always lacked a proper, bona fide, big-name hotel. Yes, there’s the very good Threadneedles, the excellent Andaz (gotta love The George) and super-suave South Place, but, until now, none of Park Lane’s big boys had ventured downriver and set up in a postcode beginning with an E. Until now. In February, Four Seasons opened in Ten Trinity Square, that Beaux-Arts-style, Portland-stone building directly behind the War Memorial at Tower Hill.
Designed by Sir Edwin Cooper and opened by Prime Minister David Lloyd George in 1922, the building was once the second tallest in London, trailing only St Paul’s. Originally home to the Port of London Authority, it became the European HQ of insurance broker Willis Faber Limited, before being fully acquired by Reignwood (owners of Wentworth Golf Club) in 2012. The Thai-Chinese investment group has subsequently transformed the premises into a not-too-shabby hotel.
Enter through Corinthian columns and a cavernous, white marble foyer gives way to a spectacular, sunken circular space that dominates the hotel’s ground floor. Beneath an Art Deco domed ceiling is Rotunda, a lounge bar and restaurant with which Four Seasons hopes to entice City folk for after-work drinks. A million miles from Scarfes Bar at The Rosewood, or the bar at Berners Tavern in London Edition, the vibe here is classy cocktails and live piano. You can, however, lower the tone by ordering a burger. We did and it was superb. Generating as much buzz as the hotel itself, was the news that Ten Trinity Square would house the first London restaurant from Anne-Sophie Pic, the only female French chef to hold three Michelin stars. Renowned for her left-field flavour combinations, Pic has created a menu where beetroot is paired with coffee, pigeon is smoked with liquorice, and a seam bream starter will set you back £26. The tasting menu at La Dame de Pic (£95) is more a journey than a meal.
La Dame de Pic
Upstairs, the pentagon-shaped building hides 100 bedrooms, 41 private residences, a private members’ club and an extraordinary, wood-panelled function room, which, in 1946, hosted the first meeting of the United Nations. Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square transports you to a gilded age of luxury, its unique architectural features dropping you onto the set of The Crown. Its competition in the City? It really doesn’t have any. Lead in rate from £344 per night until 28 April, 10 Trinity Square, EC3, fourseasons.com; ladamedepiclondon.co.uk
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Our man-about-town, Innerplace’s Nick Savage, gives you the insider lowdown on LONDON’S most hedonistic haunts
IS CLERKENWELL London’s most exiting CULINARY quarter?
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n the 1850s, Clerkenwell was known as Little Italy due to the large number of Italian immigrants settling in the area – largely due to the close proximity of St Peter’s Italian church. Over the years, a number of repair trades became well established, including watchmakers, and many of the most enduring businesses were Italian – specifically delicatessens. Today, that lives on with two of the biggest restaurant openings of the winter being Italian restos in Clerkenwell. Stevie Parle has gone from strength to strength in opening his first three restaurants: Dock Kitchen, Rotorino and Craft. His newest spot – Palatino on Central Street – is an all-day trattoria honing in on cucina Romana – Rome-style cooking. The open-plan kitchen boasts a stone oven, wood-fired grill and pasta machine, all of which are visible from the dining room and are put to good use in creating classic dishes that you might happen upon in Monti. Luca is the other flagship Italian opening on St John Street. Spearheaded by Michelin-starred The Clove Club’s Isaac McHale, Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis, the restaurant will introduce the concept of ‘Britalian’ to hungry Londoners with a menu that combines Italian techniques
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neighbourhood on the map as a promising area for high-end restaurants (although St John and Club Gascon led the way in early days). As Jason Atherton’s first foray into Japanese dining in the Big Smoke, the modern izakaya has been quite a hit, luring in a host of City bigwigs with its excellent fare, and slick and exciting atmosphere. Also, Seven Tales, its secret weapon dive bar for those that get deep in the sake and aren’t ready to head home, helps its popularity, I imagine. However, Clerkenwell Innerplace wouldn’t be itself without is London’s personal lifestyle concierge. Membership the breezy, laidback cafés provides complimentary access and lunch spots that have to the finest nightclubs, the best made it such a popular restaurants and top private members’ destination for weekend clubs. Innerplace also offers priority strolls. The Exmouth bookings, VIP invitations and updates on the latest openings. with seasonal British Market Grind – opened Membership from £50 a month. ingredients. The restaurant by David Abrahamovitch innerplace.co.uk is a sight to behold – paying and Kaz James who launched homage to Italian modernist their first, wildly popular coffee design of the 1950s. shop Shoreditch Grind in 2011 – However, it’s not only Italian cuisine have put together an eclectic food offering that is garnering extensive queues. inspired by Melbourne café culture. Breddos Tacos has made the now wellOver on Fetter Lane, Bel-Air has trodden transformation from street-cart opened its second restaurant dishing pop-up to bricks-and-mortar permanence. up Californian-inspired feel-good fast The team has brought over its very food ideally suited for the overworked own volcanic stone mill and Mexican denizens of the City. Founded by Andrew tortilla machine, which is used to create Bredon, the kitchens pay homage to the pioneering dishes like cherrystone clam melting pot of cultures that make the Los and sea urchin aguachile tostadas, as well Angeles food scene so dynamic. It looks as more traditional fare like Baja fish tacos. like Clerkenwell’s 19th century deli culture Sosharu was one of the first is still in rude health – even if it’s a far cry restaurants to open last year and put the from the food shops of yesteryear.
Top left Breddos Tacos Above, from left Exmouth Market Grind; Breddos Tacos; Breddos Tacos
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London’s most exclusive jet-set lifestyle event
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NEW COLUMN
Sparring Partners Some say he’s the world’s most published travel journalist; he says he was once tortured on a cruise ship by a cabaret. All we know, is that Kevin Pilley is The City Magazine’s newest columnist, and that each month he gets embroiled in a game of one-upmanship, with himself. This month, it’s cruises
CRUISE-DROPPING ABOVE A seal on Deception Island, Antarctica BELOW Monemvasiae in Lakonia, Greece; Saint Barth Beaches, French West Indies
S
ince 71 per cent of the earth’s surface is water, it is no surprise that nearly three-quarters of all human conversation is about travelling over it. Humans are very attached to water. They are composed largely of it. It will be very likely that at some time in your life – maybe even soon – you will be approached by a cruise bore. One of those floppy-haired, Gawd-help-us types who make you bite your bottom lip and draw blood when he says, “I’m in software routing.” At his side, abusing the orange juice and radiating a tremendous lack of sex appeal, will be his sour-faced, round-shouldered drone of a wife who can only be described as whatever the opposite of ‘bon vivant’ is. It’s fingernails down the blackboard time. You are looking at them with grave intensity pretending that what they are saying exerts a powerful fascination over you, when all you are really thinking is, “Step on a landmine, mate.” So, what do you do? Masking tape is impolite. A headlock is anti-social. As is saying, “Let me introduce you to someone who suffers fools gladly.” The answer is: BEAT THEM AT THEIR OWN GAME. Pretend you have been on more cruises than them and they will soon go away. So when they say: “There are five oceans and 112 seas in the world and we’ve done them all.” You say: “I am very fond of the Wendell. Off west Antarctica.” When they say: “You can’t say you’ve cruised until you’ve done the land-locked seas. The Caspian and the Dead Seas.” You say: “And central Asia’s Aral. All 1,534 islands of it! Both north and west basins! Between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. One of the world’s great unsung endothermic destinations.” If they say “the Timor Sea”, you return with “Laccadive, Inida” or “Marmara, Turkey”. Perhaps even “the Prince Gustav Adolf Sea, Canada” or “the Sodruzhestvo Sea, Southern Ocean” – and look at them as if they are on a pedalo in Chessington World of Adventures. Keep quiet if they move on to straits, bays and gulfs. Let them blow themselves out. Bide your time. When they bring
ABOVE A cruise ship in Dubrovnik, Croatia. IMAGE: MikeDotta / Shutterstock, Inc. BELOW Komodo National Park in Indonesia; Padar Island in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia; Santorini in Greece
If they say “the Timor Sea”, you return with “Laccadive, Inida” or “Marmara, Turkey”. Perhaps even “the Prince Gustav Adolf Sea”
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above Franjo Tudjman Bridge in Dubrovnik, Croatia. IMAGE: Fotokon / Shutterstock Inc. BELOW A penguin and its chick; Beach on the island of San Cristobal in Galapagos
up “The Brando” near Tahiti, nonchalantly bring up your five-day stay on the Alfonso Islands off the Seychelles. Try to avoid Ventnor. And Largs. When they breathlessly say : “We have snorkelled with whale sharks in Mexico’s Bay of Cortes; zodiac-ed around Belize; kayaked through glaciers in Alaska; enjoyed two Tall Ship sailings and walked among the blue boobies of the Galapagos Islands,” you nod and say: “So have I.” When he says: “I’ve been on rum cruises and Adriatic yoga cruises,” you say: “Me too. Very dull. Apart from the beautiful single women.” At this, he will wince at his wedding day and that awful honeymoon cruise when she got diarrhoea in Jamaica. When she says: “I’ve climbed the Ua Pou mountains as a shore excursion,” you say, while looking at her as though she reminds you of an Irrawaddy river dolphin: “I’ve climbed Hiva Oa. And walked around east Bali’s Mongo island. And loved the Nusa Tenggara islands. Unforgettable shore excursions them all.” When he says: “We loved Lake Vattern. And the Göta Canal between Stockholm and Gothenburg,” you shiver and say: “Too many midges.” When they say they adore the French West Indies, you declare your love for the British Virgins. By this time the wife’s hair will no longer look alive. When he slips in Monemvasia, you slip in Murmansk and Réunion Island. When she asks your favourite port you say you prefer little-known, under-the-radar private moorings. Especially in British Colombia, coastal Washington State and the coastal Pacific West, where you have many friends. Tell them that you think ports are just cultureless, duty-free shopping malls. And watch them squirm. If he brings up Spitsbergen, you say it isn’t what it used to be, adding, “But the Society Islands will never change and never be spoilt.” And when he asks, “Where are they?” You reply: “Exactly.” His face will become stiff. Her skin will look refrigerated. When she shows off about being entertained by Jane Macdonald, you say you have been entertained by one of the founding members of the New Seekers who became a godmother to your youngest. Also mention the pianist with the fire-retardant toupee on your second Hawaiian cruise. They should be inching away by now, their eyes scouting for fresh prey. Go in for the kill and talk about the Musandam Peninsula, Tonlé Sap lake in Cambodia, the glorious Marquesa Islands in French Polynesia and eating fresh Sant’Erasmo artichokes on the Venice lagoon cruise. They will become loudly silent, meaning they are avoiding confessing to a Dutch Bulbfields cruise. She will then heave a big sigh and say, “Oh well, one must mingle.” At which point you give them your number, ‘225282’, and laugh, “which just so happens to be the tonnage of the Oasis of the Seas!”
above Romantika ferry in Riga, Latvia. IMAGE: GenadijsZ / Shutterstock, Inc. Left Muynak ship graveyard in Uzbekistan BELOW Lifeboats, decks and cabins on a cruise ship; Kuta Beach in Lombok, Indonesia; Jönköping, Sweden, at night
Talk about the Musandam Peninsula, Tonlé Sap lake in Cambodia, the glorious Marquesa Islands in French Polynesia
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polar express 15 July 2016, Greenland ice sheet
This aerial shot of a melting arctic polar ice cap was captured by Timo Lieber for an exhibition titled Thaw, which ran at Bonhams London in February 2017. lieber hopes to highlight the impact of Arctic warming and the fragility of our planet. Thaw prints are available from bonhams or the photographer’s website. photo: timo lieber, timolieber.com
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| FEATURE |
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| FEATURE |
PostmoderN
masterpiece or ill-conceived
eyesore
?
Even before its arrival in 1997, James Sterling’s spear-headed, rose-pink No 1 Poultry was dividing opinion, but, as illustrated by a new exhibition, the site could have been home to even more contentious construction Words: Jack Watkins
left No 1 Poultry © Janet Hall RIBA Collections
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n the heart of the City, where eight streets meet near the Bank of England, the buildings shout a litany of architects’ names from the past. Sir John Soane, though much of his work was later destroyed, is indelibly associated with the bastion-like Bank itself (though the bank we see today was actually designed by Sir Herbert Baker and built between 1925 and 1939). Just across the road on Cornhill, Sir William Tite, better known for his railway stations, designed the Royal Exchange (1844), its dauntingly massive Corinthian portico bringing a dash of pagan Rome to the streetscape. Close by, George Dance the Elder’s Palladian-style Mansion House (1752), built for the Lord Mayor, seems almost tame. On Poultry, Sir Edwin Cooper designed what is now the National Westminster building, next to Sir Edwin Luytens’ Midland Bank HQ (now HSBC), a pair of sober neoclassical essays from the 1920s. And lurking round corners are masterworks by two giants of church architecture: Nicholas Hawksmoor’s St Mary Woolnoth (1727) and Sir Christopher Wren’s St Stephen Walbrook (1687). It’s no wonder, then, that when the multi-millionaire property developer, Peter Palumbo, first conceived of a plan for a grand new building in the area in the 1960s, he knew it would take a contemporary big-name architect to pull it off. The schemes of the two figures he came to employ is the subject of a new exhibition by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): Mies van der Rohe and James Stirling: Circling the Square. The show puts the spotlight
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clockwise from top left Areil view of No 1 Poulty, photo by Richard Bryant; Miesdesigned proposed tower block for Mansion House Square scheme © John Donat RIBA Collections; Seagram Building, NYC, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe; Mansion House, 1837; Mappin & Webb building by John Belcher, 1902; Mappin & Webb building in 1993, Derek Voller
Last year, No 1 Poultry was given Grade II listed status – the country’s youngest ever listed building on the contrasting design methods of the pair rather than the battles that Palumbo faced in trying to realize his dream. These centred around one of the most furious conservation campaigns of the past six decades, and prompted Prince Charles to enter the fray on behalf of traditional values in architecture. Ambitious new buildings in built-up areas invariably involve demolitions of older structures. In previous eras, they were less squeamish about it. Tite’s Royal Exchange, for instance, required the destruction of a Wren church, St Benet Fink. By the latter decades of the last century, however, the conservation movement had sharpened up its act. When it was clear that Palumbo’s plan would mean bulldozing several listed buildings, including the distinctively turreted neo-gothic branch of the crown jewellers Mappin & Webb, there was widespread opposition. Palumbo would have to go through two public inquiries before his final victory. Ironically, last year the structure that was the ultimate outcome, James Stirling and Michael Wilford’s No 1 Poultry, was given Grade II listed status, making it the country’s youngest ever listed building.
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A lot of people have made sniffy remarks about No 1 Poultry. Prince Charles himself likened it to “a 1930s wireless set”, and others have simply moaned in the way some people do about anything that is new. What’s certain is that, had the original Ludwig Mies van der Rohe plan gone though, we’d be looking at something very different now (top right). One of the founding fathers of the modernist movement, the German-born architect had settled in the US from 1933, where he found the widest opportunities to develop his ideas. Although his critics accused him of ushering in the era of formulaic monotony in design, and putting up vast corporate structures that showed complete indifference to the surrounding landscape, his own work was always superbly proportioned and elegant. His most famous creation was the 38-storey New York skyscraper, the Seagram Building on Park Avenue. One of the most remarkable aspects of this was the way that Mies, in apparent disregard for the economic considerations of his patrons, made generous provision for a large public piazza, replete with fountains, trees and marble benches. The prestige of having a building in London designed by one of modern architecture’s founding masters was not lost on Palumbo. He first approached the architect in 1962, and in 1967, after carefully studying of the site and then working up a plan in his Chicago office, Mies brought over his scheme for a 19-storey bronze-clad tower with an underground shopping centre, and accompanying public square. In the year Mies died, 1969, planning permission was given, but it was subject to Palumbo gaining possession of the entire site. Including 13 freeholds and 348 leasehold interests, this wasn’t secured until 1981, by which time new planning permission was necessary. By 1980, a reaction had set in against ‘high rise’ architecture. Despite the commitment to urbanism in the form of the plaza, there was a general feeling that Mies’ Mansion House tower was both out of place and out of scale. Rejected at a public inquiry, Palumbo went back to the drawing board, and turned to James Stirling. ‘Big Jim’ as he was known in professional circles, was an exuberant Scotsman who, by the 1980s, was just about the highest profile architect in Britain. In his days as a student, Mies van der Rohe had been one of his idols, but by the 1980s Stirling was regarded as a post-modernist, even though he personally loathed the term. What made Sterling the man for the age was that his plan for No 1 Poultry rejected the severity of modernism with its boxy straight lines and strict functionalism and, recognizing the need for something a little easier on the eye, brought back the curve. To call it pretty would be stretching it, but it had enough playfulness to appeal to the layman who knew nothing about buildings. With its bands of pink and cream stone, and its corner tower like a
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| FEATURE |
‘Big Jim’ as he was known in professional circles, was an exuberant Scotsman who, by the 1980s, was about the highest profile architect in Britain ship’s prow it’s a building that takes the eye at street level even if you don’t climb up for the view from its rooftop restaurant. It also respected the pointed corner of the Poultry site, just as the Mappin & Webb building had done. That wasn’t enough to please everyone though, and Stirling had been dead five years by the time the wraps came off the complete structure in 1997. Now it is listed, and therefore officially ‘OK to like’, but the RIBA exhibition asks us to stand back from all the sound and fury that was generated over the years and consider how both these great architects tried to respond to the still hotly debated matter of urban design. According to Marie Bak Mortensen, RIBA head of exhibitions, Mies van der Rohe and James Stirling: Circling the Square showcases “one the most impressive architectural models ever made, which is on display for the first time in over thirty years”. The show, Mortensen continues, “encourages reflection on each project’s contribution to its own epoch, as well as their place in the continuum of architectural change and the workings of the City.”
Mies van der Rohe and James Stirling: Circling the Square runs from 8 March-25 June 2017 at the Architecture Gallery, 66 Portland Place W1B, architecture.com/whatson
No 1 Poultry
A symbol of the City Although perhaps not obvious, No. 1 Poultry is rich in historical architectural references and allusions, much like many other postmodern buildings (such as the 1930s industrial modernist inspired MI6 Building ). Above one of its entrances is a terracotta frieze (a classical entablature, usually a decorative border) which was salvaged from a demolished building on its site. Created by a sculptor in 1875, the frieze depicts a procession that once went past, featuring King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. In the sharp apex of the building is a keyholeshaped opening which leads to a rarely seen Scala Regia – a majestic-style staircase such as the one connecting the Vatican Palace to St Peter’s Basilica – which leads to a goldleafed terminus in the heart of the building. Also, the glazed two-sided clock on the front of No 1 Poultry is a direct reinterpretation of the facist-era post office in Naples, Italy. Heavily criticised in its design, that hasn’t stopped the building becoming a symbol of new London architecture.
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Business AS usual? H
aving spent four decades in finance, including as director general of the Association of British Insurers, a former member of the Regulatory Policy Committee, and, for the previous five years, as head of policy at the City of London Corporation, Mark Boleat has the ear of the City’s big hitters. It’s his responsibility to represent the views of the City in Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels. While Mr Boleat admitted that the referendum result took him by surprise, he is upbeat about life in the postBrexit Square Mile.
It’s business as usual in the City. At least, that’s the outlook of Mark Boleat, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee. As the government prepares to trigger Article 50, The City Magazine was granted an audience with the Corporation’s political chief WORDS: David Taylor
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CITY: As the UK negotiates its exit from Europe, what’s the risk of the City losing power to other financial hubs? MB: The City will lose some business – but we always lose some, gain some. Britain not being in the European Union reduces the attractiveness of London as a financial centre. But by how much will depend on what we negotiate. People don’t spend time saying ‘Oh, this is terrible’. They say: ‘We’re leaving the European Union and the single market. So what do we need to do in business terms?’ CITY: How important to the City is maintaining EU passporting rights? MB: What we would like is continued access to the single market, with a say on the rules. Whether that’s achieved through passporting or another mechanism doesn’t matter. The worst case scenario is out of the single market, and strict controls on immigration. CITY: Is the uncertainty caused by Brexit harming the Fintech sector?
MB: Yes, because it’s heavily dependent on people from other countries, the European Union particularly – from where people can arrive without an income but with an idea. Berlin, generally named as the obvious alternative, is now looking more attractive. However, London benefits from being the centre of government, regulation, finance and technology. You don’t have that in Germany. The government is in Berlin, the finance is in Frankfurt, and technology is anywhere. That’s a huge advantage for London. CITY: How do we use our relationship with the US to our advantage once we’ve left the EU? MB: I’m not certain it is to our advantage. The expectation is that Trump will reduce regulation as far as he can without repealing the major legislation. They’ll also make some sensible tax changes; the American corporate tax system is irrational. That could make New York more attractive. CITY: When you say irrational… MB: They have a very high rate of corporation tax, with a whole load of exemptions such that nobody pays it. Also, if you’re an American company earning money abroad, if you don’t remit it to the US it’s not taxed. So there are trillions of dollars around the world that American companies have earned that have not been remitted. If Trump reduces the tax rate from 38 to 15 and gets rid of a lot of the exemptions, we could see money that is currently here going to America. CITY: How long will it take to leave the EU? MB: I think the negotiations will be settled
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| INTERVIEW |
©Andrew Cline / Shutterstock.com
next year, hopefully by the autumn. In a way, they’re not difficult. If you’re going to leave the EU, the single market, the customs union, what are you negotiating? You’re actually negotiating the transitional arrangement – the bill when you leave. CITY: Do you think the ramifications of leaving the EU were over-egged? MB: By some people, yes. Not by us. We didn’t use too many figures. The ones we tended to use were from PwC. A senior economic adviser at PwC we work closely with thinks it’ll roughly be what they said it would be – the economy to be 2.5-3 per cent lower by 2020. There was some scaremongering, at least by the chancellor and some other people. Equally, the other side were hardly honest. CITY: How likely is a recession? MB: Unlikely, but you never know. A lot of the forecasts predicted a downturn last year, but that was on the assumption that
Article 50 would be revoked immediately and that the Bank of England would take no action to try to mitigate the risk. So where the economy has not seemingly reacted, the view is that that’s just been pushed back. If we retain access to the single market, and adopt liberal policies on immigration – which seems unlikely – then the economy could recover quickly: PwC reckons that by 2030, we’ll be back where we were. On the other hand, if we become protectionist, don’t allow in talented people from around the world, and seek not to trade with Europe, then we could have a recession. CITY: What do you think about EU nationals being allowed to work in London, but not in the rest of the UK? MB: We proposed that with PwC as a bit of a think piece, and it’s been highly successful. I’m not saying it’s the answer, but London’s got the highest proportion of immigrants in the country and yet there seems far
less concern about it. Some UK regions are clear they don’t want immigrants, fine, but why should that stop us? The government hasn’t given us a clue as to how it intends to restrict immigration in the future. CITY: What did you make of Jeremy Corbyn’s claim that the Tories would “turn Britain into a bargain basement tax haven on the shores of Europe”? MB: That’s unlikely to happen. But, equally, the government talk of ‘when we’re out of the EU, we’ll be free to set our own taxes’ – well, we’re free to set our own taxes now. Almost certainly the government went too far in imposing the bank levy, and that caused business that might’ve been done in Britain to be done elsewhere. I think they may have gone too far in stamp duty – transactions have fallen, prices have fallen and they’re
“Almost certainly the government went too far in imposing the bank levy, and that caused business that might’ve been done in Britain to be done elsewhere” getting less revenue. As we leave the European Union, [the government] needs to think very carefully about what sort of country we want to be in terms
Image courtesy of Brookfield
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| INTERVIEW |
of attracting business, and that applies to tax and to regulation. CITY: Accounting for 47 per cent of UK exports in Q4 2016, the EU is our largest trading partner. Will we be forced to fight for scraps from elsewhere to make up the deficit? MB: A country doesn’t do trade deals. Whenever you hear that the Prime Minister’s travelled to China and signed a trade deal, it’s complete nonsense. All the country can do is have the right framework and infrastructure for trade to take place. The most important theory of trade is what is called the ‘gravity theory of trade’, where you trade with people close to you, and there are fairly obvious reasons for that. I run my own consultancy business. Would I go to New Zealand and do a project for a week? No. Would I go to Brussels? Yes. CITY: Should we establish trade deals with America?
from one extreme to the other. At the moment, we would say that there’s an uncomfortably small supply. It may be that in two years there’s an uncomfortably large supply. Will it be a disaster? We’re not expecting that. CITY: Is London doing a good job at educating its youngsters? MB: From the evidence we’ve got, by the age of five, a child from a disadvantaged background is getting on for one year behind. By the age of 11, they’ve almost had it. Education in London has, however, improved amazingly in the past 20 to 30 years. A year ago, we had a careers fair for all
“The City has been successful partly because it has seized opportunities that other countries have not – the French and Americans to some extent” MB: We could, provided we let the Americans write them. The Americans would be giving our 60 million people access to their 300 million and we’d be giving their 300 million access to our 60 million, so to be an equal trade deal we’d need to give them five times as much. What is it that they’d want to export to us? Food products – that might not please our farmers. CITY: Has Brexit put paid to any of the skyscrapers planned for the City? MB: 22 Bishopsgate is going ahead, the biggest building in Europe, and it’s speculative – it doesn’t have any tenants, and it’s still going up. There’s very little vacant space in the City. You look at the share prices of the developers – is the market anticipating they’re going to be in deep trouble? No. CITY: If all the planned towers get built and then we fall into recession, will the City be flooded with an oversupply of office space? MB: Well, that’s what normally happens in a market cycle – you go
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of the 14-year-olds in Hackney. That wouldn’t have been contemplated 10 years ago. We had the big investment banks, the law firms, the accountancy firms, all looking to recruit. We also run programmes that get 11-year-olds into City businesses. It’s mainly about leaving them with the thought that, actually, this might be a place for them. CITY: Are inner city schools an untapped resource for City firms? MB: If you take a 21-year-old graduate who’s been to Westminster School and then a Russell Group University, you’re getting them at perhaps 95 per cent of their capacity. If you take somebody who’s been to Hackney Academy and then Wolverhampton University, you’re getting them at maybe 70 per cent. What they’re lacking is the communication skills, the social capital, the ability to network, which they will learn. It means an employer can get people with a capacity to develop. CITY: Why has London boomed in the 21st century, while other financial centres have floundered? MB: The City has been successful partly because it has seized opportunities that other countries have not – the French and Americans to some extent. With the French, Paris potentially could be a big rival to London. It is the centre of France, it’s very well connected, and has a big finance industry. The regulator is OK, they’re merely stuck with employment laws and taxes that make it uneconomic. The notion that nobody can rival the City is true in the short term. In the long term, cities are looking at us: Singapore has developed very well, the infrastructure can be built up over time. Businesses go where the people are, but also people go where the businesses are. It’s two way. And Frankfurt, I’m told, is a very nice place.
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The one unmissable trendsetting show for the entire watch and jewellery industry, where all key players unite to unveil their latest creations and innovations. Be a part of this premier event and experience passion, precision and perfection in action.
MARCH 23 – 30, 2017
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aume & Mercier is strategically positioned to provide access to what marketeers like to call ‘accessible luxury’. With mechanical watches, that generally means anything that sails under the £3K mark. Bringing prices back down to earth at January’s SIHH watch show in Geneva, was the brand’s new, go-anywhere Clifton Club collection. The line of sports watches comprises five references in three colourways: black, white and blue, all with orange accents. The 42mm stainless steel pieces are waterresistant to 100 metres and have been tested for shock resistance to 550G. The brand also unveiled the latest timepiece from its Shelby Cobra collaboration. Inviting Shelby Daytona Coupe creator, Peter Brock, to collaborate with B&M’s design director, Alexandre Peraldi, yielded a timepiece with a half blue / half silver dial, mirroring the split racing stripes on the Daytona’s flat tail. Other design details include push buttons in the shape of Daytona Coupe’s foot pedals and a red seconds hand sculpted in the shape of the Cobra logo. The timepiece comes with a 1:43 scale model of the ’60s pin-up. RB Clifton Club 10340 (pictured), £1,750, Baume & Mercier, baume-et-mercier.co.uk
boardroom to beach
it’s city to surf with baume & mercier’s new clifton club collection
Image courtesy of Baume & Mercier, as part of the Shleby Cobra partnership, see previous page for details
Show TIME What can January’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, or SIHH, one of the watch world’s two major trade shows, tell us about the changing landscape of luxury? WORDS: Richard Brown
W
atch Land is in a state of flux; after many of the industry’s power players derided the smartwatch, TAG Heuer has announced it shifted 50,000 of its Connected watches last year, helping increase revenue by 10 per cent. Elsewhere, Audemars Piguet announced turnover of almost £720 million in 2016; while Richard Mille has just unveiled another watch that reaches the million-pound mark.
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And yet, overall, for the past 18 months Swiss watch exports have been in steady decline, with brands forced to buy back £1 billion of unsold stock in the first 10 months of last year. So, what can we glean from the wares of the 30 brands that exhibited at the first major watch show of 2017? For some, it was about consolidation, for others, it was a case of: “Crisis? What crisis?”.
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| Collection |
A Return to Reality
In 2015, Switzerland unpegged its currency from a fixed exchange rate with the euro. The Swiss franc soared. Coupled with a downturn in China, as well as across much of Europe (the UK excluded), it meant that annual exports were down 9.9 per cent in 2016. The decline is greater still in the fine watch sector, where timepieces have an export price of CHF 6,000 (£4,800) or above. Faced with slumping sales and inventory-heavy markets, manufacturers are sticking to the tried and tested; they’re playing it safe and making more of what they know they can sell. This means line extensions of entry-level pieces and lots and lots of (cheaper) steel. Last year, to celebrate its 225th anniversary, GirardPerregaux reintroduced the Laureato in a limited-edition run. Debuting in 1975, the original Laureato arrived in the decade of the steel sports watch, landing three years after Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and one year before Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. This year, the Laureato becomes a permanent collection, delivered in four sizes: 34mm, 38mm, 42mm and 45mm. Master Control Jaeger-LeCoultre has announced its new most accessible model: Laureato 42mm, Tonda 1950, £7,950, Date, £4,800, the Master Control Date features an in-house automatic movement, £7,400, Girard-Perregaux, Parmigiani Fleurier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, girard-perregaux.com parmigiani.com a date display and a solid gold winding rotor visible through a jaeger-lecoultre.com sapphire crystal case back. High spec for a watch that costs £4,800. Parmigiani Fleurier also lowered its entry-level price point by presenting the first ever steel version of the ultra-thin Tonda 1950. It’s now possible to become a Parmigiani punter for £7,950. Elsewhere, Montblanc’s TimeWalker Date Automatic includes a unidirectional black ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal and a smart and sporty perforated black rubber strap. The watch is water resistant to 100m, is subjected to 500 hours of tests during production Today, innovation in watches is as much about and beats with an in-house movement. It punches materials as it is movements. In the battle to improve above its weight at £2,565. the resilience and accuracy of their timepieces, brands have moved away from traditional watchmaking materials – gold, silver and various non-precious metals – and are inventing space-age composites of carbon, ceramic and silicon. Cartier, Ulysse Nardin, Jaeger LeCoultre, and even that paragon of traditionalism, Patek Philippe, have all embraced the anti-magnetic qualities of silicon. No watchmaker, though, has harnessed the potential of carbon quite like Panerai. Stealing the spotlight at this year’s ‘Paneristi’ will refershow, the brand announced that it has ence the green-dialled created a calibre comprised of “lowPAM 382 of 2011 as maintenance self-lubricating and the precursor to the dry-lubricating materials”. current bronze trend. In Both the silicon escapement 2016, the brand follows up and two mainspring barrels of with the Submersible 1950 the Calibre P.3001/C have been PAM 671, £11,600, Panerai, 3 Days Automatic Bronzo, finished with a layer of diamondpanerai.com or PAM 671. The 47mm like carbon (DLC), while its bridges timepiece features luminous and plates are made from a low-friction hour markers and a stately blue dial that looks tantalum-based ceramic. As a result, the razor-sharp against its bronze case. movement requires In 1998, Montblanc owner Richemont acquired only four jewels, or bearings – alleviating the Minerva, a movement maker with a stored past in need for oils, and overcoming one the greatest precision instruments. Minerva now operates as hurdles to accurate timekeeping. part of Montblanc, a partnership that’s been celebrated Panerai has housed the movement in the brand in the 1858 collection. new LAB-ID, a watch offered with a previously LAB-ID, approx. Named after the year in which Minerva was founded, unheard of 50-year guarantee. £42,500, Panerai, the range comprises three new bronze timepieces, each On the exterior, the carbon treatment continues. panerai.com a reinterpretation of a 1930s Minerva chronograph. Of The LAB-ID also features a case milled from the three, the entry-level, time-only 1858 Automatic ‘Carbotech’, a carbon-fibre weave conceived by Panerai (£2,900) is the most attractive on the wrist. Its clean, in 2015, and a dial consisting of carbon nanotubes, black face is complemented by beige hands and Arabic which, by reflecting almost no light, makes for a face numerals, identical to the original models. Bronze is that’s impossibly black. Fifty pieces will be produced, used on the bezel and crown. each priced at €50,000 (approx. £42,500).
Panerai’s Carbon Potential
Bronze Age
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Da Vinci Automatic, £31,500, IWC, iwc.com
Women’s Watches
Da Vinci Automatic, £9,250, IWC, iwc.com Panthère collection, from £3,200, Cartier, cartier.co.uk
Looking back on 18 months of slumping sales and forward towards a luxury landscape that appears about as smooth as the Swiss Alps, watch industry execs have been brainstorming ways of creating new revenue streams. The buzzword on their whiteboards ringed with the largest circle and followed by the most exclamation marks is ‘women’. Ladies’ watches got a lot of airtime at SIHH 2017, with presentations of some of the biggest brands anchored around their Royal Oak Frosted new, or updated, women’s collections. IWC announced the return of its Gold, from a sellection, Da Vinci line, presenting five new models, two of which are specifically for Audemars Piguet, women. Restored with round, rather than barrel-shaped, cases (the Da Vinci audemarspiguet.com range has always been one of IWC’s more under-loved lines, and round watches are far easier to sell), the Da Vinci Automatic 36 is offered in four variations, while the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 comes in three. There was also a pared-back Automatic, which, at 40mm, can be classed as unisex. Cartier, the biggest brand at SIHH by revenue, reintroduced the Panthère, a decadent, square-faced family born in the 1980s. Marketed as a piece of ‘jewellery first, timepiece second’, the extensive quartz range arrives in two sizes, 22mm or 27mm, and a total of 17 styles. Choose between white, yellow or pink gold, as well as steel and a steel-gold hybrid, with or without diamonds. The Panthère de Cartier collection will be available from June. Within Piaget’s new Altiplano collection is the supremely elegant 34mm 60th Anniversary model. It is only available with a pink dial and strap, and houses a manually-wound movement that’s just 2.1mm thick. There’s also the Altiplano 34mm, which is delivered with two dial options: turquoise or opal. The former features an 18-karat white gold case; the opal alternative sits within a pink gold case. Both are set with 72 brilliant-cut diamonds. Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak ladies’ line celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and has been updated with the use of frosted gold – where gold is hammered by a diamondtipped tool to create tiny indentations that sparkle. The dazzling, diamond-free timepieces come in either 18-karat pink gold or 18-karat white gold, in either 37mm or 33mm cases.
Royal Oak Frosted White Gold 37mm, from a selection, Audemars Piguet, audemarspiguet.com
Altiplano 34 mm, £44,600, Piaget, piaget.com
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| Collection |
RM 50-03 McLaren F1, £996,500, Richard Mille
Astronomical Grand Complication 3600, POA, Vacheron Constantin In 2015, Vacheron Constantin presented the most complex watch ever made. The Reference 57260 boasted 57 complications. It was also 131.7mm high and 50.55mm thick, meaning that for anyone other than Flavor Flav, it hardly constituted a piece of wearable tech. Far more practical is the one-ofa-kind Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600. It clocks up 23 (mainly astronomical) complications thanks to a calibre containing 514 components and six spring barrels. Remarkably, all of this is packaged within a wrist-friendly 45mm case.
Weighing less than 40 grams, strap included, Richard Mille’s RM 50-03 is the lightest mechanical chronograph ever created, thanks to a new material that earned its creator the Nobel Prize in physics. Richard Mille took graphene, a substance first isolated in 2004 at the University of Manchester, and introduced a carbon composite to create Graph TPT, a material that’s six times lighter than steel, and 200 times as strong. Each of the 75 pieces produced will come with a 1:5 scale model of the McLarenHonda Formula 1 car.
vacheron-constantin.com
Elsewhere at
SIHH…
richardmille.com
Grande Sonnerie, £1.1m, Greubel Forsey Even by Greubel Forsey’s own bar-setting standards, the Grande Sonnerie it launched this year represents a new level of watchmaking. As both a grande sonnerie and a minute repeater, the watch will chime the hours, quarter-hours and minutes of the day, a technical feat that only a handful of industry heavyweights can achieve. What makes Greubel Forsey’s creation even more spectacular is the inclusion of a tourbillon in a case that measures just 16.13mm in height. greubelforsey.com
Roger Dubuis X Pirelli Tourbograph Perpetual ‘Pour le Mérite’, approx £410,000, A. Lange & Söhne Walter Lange, resurrected his family’s business after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Sadly, the father of modern-day A. Lange & Söhne passed away aged 92 during this year’s show. Fittingly, for a man of such ambition, Lange’s passing coincided with the launch of the Tourbograph Perpetual ‘Pour le Mérite’, a watch that unites five grand complications within a platinum case: a fusée-andchain regulating transmission, perpetual calendar, chronograph, split seconds function and tourbillon. alange-soehne.com
Drive ‘Extra-Flat’, from £6,300, Cartier Building on the hugely successful launch of the Drive last year, Cartier has borrowed a base-calibre from Piaget to deliver a slimmed-down version of the handsome dress watch. One of the few criticisms that could be levelled at the original timepiece was that it felt a little cumbersome under a shirt sleeve – an issue that’s resolved in the 6.6mm-deep Drive de Cartier ‘Extra-Flat’.
Roger Dubuis has partnered with Pirelli to produce two limitededition timepieces, each featuring rubber inlays from winning Pirelli tyres. The 88-piece Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton (£61,500) comes with an invitation to a range of local Pirelli events, whereas owners of the eight-piece Excalibur Spider Pirelli Double Flying Tourbillon (£278,000) get access to a two-day VIP motorsport programme organised by the tyre manufacturer. rogerdubuis.com
cartier.co.uk
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creedfragrances.co.uk
| COLLECTION |
JEWELLERY
an update dedicated to the fine, rare and precious
Words: OLIVIA SHARPE
Rock Star
L ady Gaga almost stole th e show at thi s year’s Sup er B ow l , not simply for h er live half-tim e p er formance, but for h er app earance in Tif fany & Co.’s lat est ad campaign , w hich aired during th e gam e. Despit e having craft ed th e Vince Lombardi Trophy since 1967, th e Am erican jeweller had n ever before aired an ad during th e big gam e – and in thi s debut, th e pop star di scussed h er love for th e brand . Th e campaign app ears ah ead of th e release of th e company ’s n ew jeweller y collection , Tif fany City HardWear, w hich will be available from lat e April . Watch thi s space for furth er detail s. Tif fany & Co., 145 Sloane Street, SW1X, tif fany.co.uk Tiffany & Co. Legendary Style campaign, photography: Hanna Besirevic, images courtesy of: Tiffany & Co.
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| COLLECTION |
Diamonds and Pearls The ability to reinvent oneself and move with the times is key to success. The founders of jewellery brand Kamushki, Mariam and Dania Sawedeg, recognise the importance of staying relevant in the constantly evolving world of design and have therefore based their latest collection on one of the masters of reinvention, the late music legend Prince. Drawing on the art of transformation, the pair have taken their signature fish motif – a symbol of protection in Libyan culture – and reinterpreted it in a collection of diamond and pearl pieces, modelled by DJ and presenter Zara Martin. This is the first time they have cast freshwater pearls, sourced from Japan, into their designs, and they provide a touch of sophistication to the otherwise edgy and modern range of chokers, rings and earrings set in 18-karat gold. Diamonds and Pearls, from £360 for rings to £3,500 for earrings and chokers with diamonds, available at Browns, W1, brownsfashion.com
About Time
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Pierre Hardy as creative director of Hermès’ fine jewellery division. It is little wonder, then, that the concept of time became Hardy’s main preoccupation when designing the brand’s latest collection. Named HB-IV Continuum, in reference to this being Hermès’ fourth haute bijouterie collection, it comprises three sets based around the themes of time and space –
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featuring strong, graphic lines, an abundance of colour and the use of gold, diamonds and pearls. Hardy comments: “This year, I wanted to talk about the idea of the dynamics and movements of time... This pushed me to explore all the different shades of reflected light through the colours of the stones.” Two years in the making, it was worth the wait. HB-IV Continuum, POA, Hermès, hermes.com
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astron. the world’s first gps solar watch. As Novak Djokovic travels the world, his Astron GPS Solar keeps him on time, adjusting automatically to his time zone at the touch of a button and using just the power of light. With dual-time display, Astron is simply the world’s finest GPS Solar watch.
*If there are changes in the region / time zone, manual time zone selection may be required.
For stockists call: 01628 770988 | www.seiko-astron.com
the
fa s h ion s ho w t ime s F r i d ay 3 1 M a r c h Canada Place 12pm / 2pm / 5pm / 7pm Jubilee Place 1pm / 4pm / 6pm
S at u r d ay 1 A p r i l Canada Place 12pm / 2pm / 4pm / 6pm Jubilee Place 1pm / 3pm / 5pm
S u n d ay 2 A p r i l Canada Place 12pm / 2pm / 4pm Jubilee Place 1pm / 3pm / 5pm
spring
L i v i n g a n d w o r k i n g i n C a n a r y W h a r f h a s a lw ay s h a d i t s p e r k s . N o w, t h e s a r t o r i a lly i n s p i r e d c a n c o m e a l o n g t o t h e S p r i n g F a s h i o n e v e n t, w h e r e s h a d e s a r e b r i g h t e r a n d t e x t u r e s l i g h t e r
Wave cut-out top, £135, Sandro Paris, Jubilee Place Pleated-effect lurex top, £120, Maje, Jubilee Place
monsoon s/s17 Skirt in multicoloured tulle, £209, Maje, Jubilee Place
Silver metal sunglasses, £180, Bimba Y Lola, Jubilee Place
Breton stripe travel wallet, £22, Cath Kidson, Jubilee Place
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righten up a ny to b t e ou ck t
fi t
o n -t r e n d b o mb n an i er st
j
Sienna cloud pink heels, £225, L.K.Bennett, Jubilee Place
stripes of spring From wide and colourful to slender and simple,
White diamond infinity pendant, £400, Goldsmiths, Canada Place
stripes were all over the S/S17 catwalks and are now all over the Canary Wharf shopping malls. At the spring fashion event, from Friday 31 March
ve
until Sunday 2 April, you can find out exactly how Linen stripe bomber jackets, £195, Whistles, Jubilee Place
in
canarywharf.com
to wear the trend in all its forms; bright and bold in skirts and tops and in the details of shoes and bags.
@yourcanarywharf
@canarywharflondon
Blue pattern heels, £315, Sandro Paris, Jubilee Place
some sh or ts
to you
r w ar dr obe,
Navy spor t swim shorts, £95, Orlebar Brown, Jubilee Place
the sun
shades, made appearances across most catwalk shows this season. Explore the mammoth variety of blue pieces you can add to your wardrobe from the stores at Canary Wharf and pick up a few mix and matching tips from Canary Wharf ’s
Chinos, £64.95, Massimo Dutti, Cabot Place
Spring Fashion Event.
Rough jeans tee, £25, French Connection, Jubilee Place
Jersey Woven Breton stripe dress, £99, Jaeger, Cabot Place
Westbury slim-fit Chinos, £110, Reiss, Jubilee Place
Evelyn Cuff, £25, Hobbs, Canada Place
Blue wave bag, £209, Sandro Paris, Jubilee Place
Persol sunglasses, £225, David Clulow, Cabot Place and Jubilee Place
Marlin crew neck jumper, £95, Ted Baker, Canada Place
Indigo suede ‘Gerald’ Chelsea boots, £200, Paul Smith, Cabot Place
hugo boss s/s17
for
The colour blue, in all its glorious
Birdseye Polo, £55, Levi’s, Canada Place
dy
hues of blue
re
Leather effect jacket, £59.99, Zara, Cabot Place
a
fa s h i oe vn ent
add
Four seasons
US MASTERS 2015
arrives in the square mile
Mcilroy
vs watson
LIFe on eartH
whO’s your mOney On?
Ross Kemp On his mOst distressing dOcumentary tO date
Hell &
HigH Water
InsIde the OxfOrd and CambrIdge bOat raCe
Also inside
the best gym bags, sPring blazers & POwer breakfasts in the city
A Cut
above
LOndOn’s best barbers UnCOVered
InsIde sIHH
the hOttest watches nOw in the wOrld right The Man behind The Mask Vinnie Jones on his antics on and off the pitch
Plug-In BaBy
On the rOad with POrsche’s latest cayenne hybrid
Frank sinaTra
celebrating the centenary of one of style’s greatest icons
urBan WarrIor
harley-davidsOn lOcks-On tO man-abOut-tOwn millennials
seize The day Trip
how to get the most out of the continent this summer
CIty of god
hOw a Pulsating nightlife scene is changing the face Of Jerusalem
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STYLE MARCH 2017
Style driven Navy herringbone silk bow tie, £75
White pleated cotton dress shirt with classic T&A collar, £225
Revisit the golden age of Formula 1 with Turnbull & Asser’s S/S17 collection Turnbull & Asser’s Spring/Summer 17 collection looks back at the heady days of 1970s Monte Carlo, inspired by the characters racing and risking their lives in the most glamorous Grand Prix on the F1 calendar. The extroverted side of those ’70s drivers comes out in the collection through warm shirt colours – orange, copper, lilac – and sharp graphic lines taken from Formula 1 designs. The jackets are made with ultra-light wool and active stretch cotton for added comfort and versatility in summer. The collection is rounded-off by a series of custom crash helmets, each with unique decorative bubble visors by motorcycle helmet manufacturer Davida. turnbullandasser.co.uk
Fortis silk smoking jacket, £145
Navitimer Chronograph Stainless Steel Watch, breitling
Classic navy wool evening trousers with satin stripe, £395
Breitling cemented its reputation as specialists of technical wrist wear in 1952 when it launched the now iconic Navitimer. Its slide rule was so complex that a pilot could use it to calculate how much time he had left before falling out of the sky from a lack of fuel. Today, it’s the industry’s oldest continually produced chronograph. breitling.com
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The First Lady of
STYLE FILE - THE LOOK
fashion
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The release of Jackie, a biopic documenting the story of Jacqueline (Jackie) Kennedy Onassis, provides a timely excuse to celebrate the enduring style of the most fashionable of First Ladies WORDS: BETHAN REES
1 Boyd vanity bag in amber velvet, £783, Eddie Borgo, eddieborgo.com
THE CITY MAGAZINE | March 2017
2 Embellished poppyrosette silk-organza blouse, £1,030, Gucci. matchesfashion.com
Handblocked Cossackstyle in velour, £495, Philip Treacy, philiptreacy.co.uk
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Astrologie pois maxi twilly scarf in twill silk, £220, Hermes, hermes.com
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| style |
J
ackie Kennedy Onassis was one of the most loved First Ladies of all time. Despite only holding her role in the White House for just under three years (before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963), her influence and legacy has lasted decades. Treasured for her amiable character, Kennedy was admired most for her fashion sense. Although the biopic Jackie (released in January 2017 with Natalie Portman playing the role of the First Lady), is dedicated to the tumultuous years that followed the assassination of her husband, the film also recreates some of her most iconic looks. These include the strawberry pink Chanel suit (and matching pillbox hat) that she famously refused to take off, despite being covered in her husband’s blood, the glorious green dress with white long-sleeved gloves she wore to a classical music concert, and the red suit she
Nude patent Elinda heels, £396, Salvatore Ferragamo, ferragamo.com
5
OPPOSITE PAGE A still from Jackie. Photo by Pablo Larraín. © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation TOP FROM LEFT A still from Jackie. Photo by Pablo Larraín. © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Jackie Kennedy and family in Hyannis Port by Cecil W. Stoughton; Jackie Kennedy on her wedding day; Jackie Kennedy throwing wedding bouquet by Toni Frissell LEFT A still from Jackie. Photo by William Gray. © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
sported while giving a tour of the White House for CBS television in 1962. Her style influence can be seen in every matching suit, elbow-length glove, neck tie, oversized glasses and small, vintage-style handbag – seen today in both high street and high fashion. Gucci even named a bag after her – the Jackie bag. Most recently, Melania Trump wore a retro-style, powder blue suit, with matching gloves for President Trump’s inauguration in January, just as Jackie had done at JFK’s inauguration in 1961. Kennedy’s style is enduring, unforgettably fashionable and set the bar for all future First Ladies.
RIGHT Stills from Jackie. Photos by Stephanie Branchu. © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
6 Rose gold pink sapphire and diamond earrings, £11,700, William & Son, williamandson.com
7
Embellished silktaffeta gown, £1,846, Oscar de la Renta, net-a-porter.co.uk
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Appliqué dog tweed jacket, £2,420, Tweed a-line skirt, £795, Gucci, harrods.com
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| style |
MADE IN THE SHADE
This spring, hide a multitude of sins while making a style declaration with a pair of statement sunglasses – Victoria Beckham eat your heart out
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1. Palm beach horn with pink mirrored lenses, £190, Illesteva, illesteva.com 2. BV15 limited edition, £1,295, Bottega Veneta, bottegaveneta.com 3. Can Eye sunglasses, £369, Fendi, fendi.com 4. So Real sunglasses in blue and green, £410, Dior, dior.com 5. 02SS in azure and hazelnut, £224, Miu Miu, sunglasses-shop.co.uk 6. Arthur Arbesser for Silhouette in glossy purple, £250, Silhouette, silhouette.com 7. Kurt sunglasses, £198.60, Sunday Somewhere, sundaysomewhere.com 8. 1227 sunglasses, £390, Cutler & Gross, cutlerandgross.com
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| STYLE |
BEAUTY QUEEN
Pool at ESPA Life at Corinthia Hotel
As spa and beauty brand ESPA celebrates its 25th anniversary, The City Magazine retraces its story, from face creams to global success WORDS: BETHAN REES
E
SPA is one of those brands that has been around for as long as I can remember. Founded by Susan Harmsworth Susan Harmsworth MBE in 1993, ESPA not only sells beauty and skincare products (everything from scalp masks to bath oils, salt scrubs to tinted moisturisers) but also has a spa brand too. “Today we’re in around 600 spas spanning 60 countries,” she tells me. “I’ve had a passion for health since childhood,” she continues. Her grandmother was a herbalist and her mother worked in medicine – which are two main cornerstones of ESPA, so the products include natural extracts. Harmsworth began her career in health and beauty journalism, which is where her interest in spa therapies stems from. She headed to Toronto and opened a day spa before moving to France to manage a thalassotherapy spa (using seawater). She returned to the UK in the early ’80s and managed a wellness resort. Then, in 1988, with 20 years of experience under her belt, Harmsworth opened her own spa
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company. Five years later, ESPA was born. “I had a vision of combining health and beauty, mind and body, natural and scientific. It sounds so straightforward now, but back then it was quite revolutionary,” she recalls. The business’s approach is holistic; “it’s all about helping you look and feel your best, for you to have naturally beautiful skin and a renewed sense of inner calm.” This can be achieved, says the brand, through a strict skincare regime using ESPAs products, and by heeding the advice of the company’s staff, who happily share information on what works best for them. Where I think ESPA especially stands out, though, is in its spas. I recently visited its flagship location, ESPA Life at the Corinthia, near Embankment, to experience the Mindful Menu – one of the newest innovations of the business. Harmsworth says she was inspired to launch the treatment menu after seeing so many people arriving at spas with so much stress and tension, and knowing that a quick-fix massage wouldn’t do the trick. The six mindfulness therapies comprise:
Spa Lounge ESPA Life at Corinthia
mindful massage, mindful facial, mindful breathing and meditation, mindful sleep, and two mindful fitness sessions. I tried the mindful massage which works on focussing the mind and body so that you can concentrate on being in the present. After starting with guided breathing and visualisation techniques, the masseuse started a deeply therapeutic massage, working on one side of my body at a time, right to left. The session finished with a scalp massage using warm, rose-quartz crystals. ESPA has come so far on its health and beauty journey – and I know it’s got a lot more up its sleeve. As for Harmsworth? She’s the most energetic and inspiring septuagenarian I’ve ever met – she looks decades younger than her age and tells me she acts about half of it. If there was ever a walking advert for ESPA, she’s it. espaskincare.com
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FROM LEFT FARHIYA WEARS Dress, £930, Red Valentino, redvalentino.com; Heels, £560, Andrew GN, matchesfashion.com REMY WEARS Jacket, £1,495, trousers, £495, shirt, £125, Gieves & Hawkes, gievesandhawkes.com; Pocket square, £70, Drake’s, drakes.com; Sandals, £630, Giuseppe Zanotti, giuseppezanottidesign.com NELL WEARS Shirt, £540, Emporio Armani, armani.com; Bra, £POA, Max Mara, maxmara.com; Skirt, £550, KALITA, matchesfashion.com; Sandals, £715, Valentino, valentino.com
UNITED TASTES
Sharp tailoring, safari-inspired silhouettes, romantic florals, bold prints and statement evening wear. Try the latest trends out for size PHOTOGRAPHER ALEXANDER BEER | STYLIST GRAHAM CRUZ
JAMES WEARS Crewneck, £240, Emporio Armani, as before; Shirt, £129, trousers, £199, BOSS, hugoboss.com; Loafers, £256, Just Cavalli, justcavalli.com; COCO WEARS Dress, £POA, Luisa Beccaria, luisabeccaria.it; Bag, £6,200, Ethan K, ethank.com PAUL WEARS Shirt, £135, Hackett, hackett.com; Trousers, £300, Emporio Armani, as before; Sandals, £395, Bally, bally.co.uk LUGGAGE Leather Diplomat stowaway suitcase, with brown leather straps, £615, Steamline Luggage, steamlineluggage.com
NELL WEARS Top, £380, Marni, marni.com; Trousers, £360, Emporio Armani, as before; Shoes, £995, Charlotte Olympia, charlotteolympia.com JAMES WEARS Blouson, £2,275, Loewe, loewe.com; Shirt, £175, Sunspel, sunspel.com; Trousers, £170, A.P.C., apc.fr; Boots, £475, Crockett & Jones, crockettandjones.com; Belt, £140, Emporio Armani, as before COCO WEARS Top, £259, DAKS, daks.com; Trousers, £545, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, preenbythorntonbregazzi.com; Sandals, £480, Aquazzura, aquazzura.com
FARHIYA WEARS Dress, £860, A.P.C, as before; Boots, £1,350, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before PAUL WEARS Jacket, £750, Qasimi, harveynichols.com; Shirt, £250, Canali, canali.com; Trousers, £POA, Loewe, as before; Sandals, £340, Emporio Armani, as before REMY WEARS Jacket, £512, Tonsure, tonsure.eu; Shirt, £445, Trousers, £225, Pringle of Scotland, pringlescotland.com; Shoes, £410, Crockett & Jones, as before
PAUL WEARS Blazer, £1,380, trousers, £460, Pal Zileri, palzileri.com; Shirt, £165, Chucs, chucs.com; Shoes, £565, Christian Louboutin, christianlouboutin.com NELL WEARS Dress, £POA, Alexandra Long, alexandralong.com; Shoes, £875, Christian Louboutin, as before FARHIYA WEARS Dress, £690, Alexandra Long, as before; Harness, £POA, Antonio Berardi, antonioberardi.com; Sandals, £750, Sergio Rossi, sergiorossi.com
JAMES WEARS Double-breasted suit, £815, pocket square, £55, Richard James, richardjames.co.uk; T-shirt, £125, Gieves & Hawkes, as before; Shoes, £795, Christian Louboutin, as before REMY WEARS Jacket, £1,095, Bally, as before; Trousers, £110, Brooks Brothers, brooksbrothers.com; Shirt, £105, BOSS, as before; Shoes, £400, Crockett &Jones, as before COCO WEARS Dress, £1,295, Peter Pilotto, harrods.com; Jacket, £POA, Dsquared2, dsquared2.com; Platforms, £565, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before LUGGAGE Whiskey leather Pioneer carryon suitcase, £875, whiskey leather Pioneer stowaway suitcase, £970, Steamline Luggage, as before
JAMES WEARS Jacket, £POA, trousers, £POA, Dsquared2, as before; Shirt, £195, John Varvatos, johnvarvatos.com; Shoes, £189, BOSS, as before NELL WEARS Dress, £POA, Dsquared2, as before; Shoes, £445, Christian Louboutin, as before COCO WEARS Top, £1,030, Sportmax, sportmax.com; Dress, £1,145, Red Valentino, as before; Shoes, £565, Charlotte Olympia, as before REMY WEARS Two-piece suit, £530, BOSS, as before; Shirt, £300, Pal Zileri, as before; Shoes, £410, Crockett & Jones, as before
FARHIYA WEARS Jumpsuit, £1,795, Temperley London, temperleylondon.com; Boots, £820, Andrew GN, as before PAUL WEARS Blazer, £1,890, Dunhill, dunhill.com; Roll neck, £398, Billionaire, harrods.com; Trousers, £POA, Gucci (vintage), 1stdibs.com; Trainers, £220, BOSS, as before LUGGAGE Red vegan leather Entrepreneur stowaway suitcase, £385, Steamline Luggage, as before
NELL WEARS Jacket, £840, Trousers, £580, Paul Smith, paulsmith.co.uk; Bodysuit with collar, £270, Body Editions, bodyeditions.com; Boots, £399, JF London, jflondon.net REMY WEARS Three-piece Suit, £POA, Dsquared2, as before; Shirt, £620, Berluti, berluti.com; Shoes, £945, Christian Louboutin, as before COCO WEARS Blazer, £675, trousers, £395, DAKS, as before; Blouse, £685, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, as before; Heels, £660, Salvatore Ferragamo, ferragamo.com
MODELS: Paul Sculfor, James Rousseau, Remy Clerima, Coco Knight, Nell, Farhiya Shire, all @ Select Model Management HAIR: Brady Lea at Stella Creative Artists using ColorProof MAKE-UP: Jonas Oliver using MAC pro PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: Radi Konstantinov and Bradley Polkinghorne STYLIST’S ASSISTANT: Sophie Whitmore and Carmen Hudges SET DESIGN: Dom Chinea
FARHIYA WEARS Jacket, £1,165, trousers, £560, Vionnet, vionnet.com; Shirt, £845, Valentino, as before; Mules, £565, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before JAMES WEARS Jacket, £1,495, trousers, £395, Gieves & Hawkes, as before; Waistcoat, £POA, Caruso, mrporter.com; Roll neck, £159, DAKS, as before; Shoes, £625, Bally, as before PAUL WEARS Jacket, £2,500, Trousers, £1,100, Billionaire, as before; Sweater, £190, John Varvatos, as before; Scarf, £385, Drake’s, as before; Loafers, £805, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before
STYLE brieF Look the part, feel the part, from Breakfast to boardroom to bar
BOSS The new BOSS made-to-measure service takes the technology of tailoring up a level. During the cutting phase, a machine scans fabric with a high-resolution camera to identify pattern, stripe and texture, and plans the best way to place and cut each piece of cloth. Another machine imitates a hand stitch, the watermark of a high quality suit, but provides for a higher level of accuracy. Each suit also comes with the owner’s signature, replicated using laser technology and stitched into the interior of the jacket and inner waistband. from £1,500 for a two-piece suit, hugoboss.com
Pocket Rockets
Navy with red polka dot pocket square, £55, Drake’s, drakes.com
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Printed silk pocket square, £55, Lanvin, mrporter.com
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Printed cotton and silk blend pocket square, £130, Tom Ford, mrporter.com
Dotted pocket square, £50, Paul Smith, farfetch.com
Line and spot chequerboard pocket square, £70, Turnbull & Asser, turnbullandasser.co.uk
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| style |
The Checklist Greet March with a spring in your step 1
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Trunk Tailoring
Trunk Clothiers, the high-end west London store that stocks hard to find pieces from brands such as Boglioli, Drake’s, and Common Projects, has launched a tailoring made-to-measure service. Offering fabrics from Ariston, Loro Piana, Fox Brothers & Co and Holland & Sherry, jackets start from £700, and suits from £900. After the initial fitting, delivery takes six weeks, and alterations can be made by Trunk’s experts to your specifications. 8 Chiltern St, W1, trunkclothiers.com
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Jimmy Choo
The usual Jimmy Choo flair meets a modern functionality in the shoe brand’s pre-autumn collection. Coming from a navy slant, creative director Sanrda Choi’s aesthetic for the collection shows its nautical side through official insignia and sea-faring accessories such as semaphores and the points of the compass. Alongside a collection of loafers and espadrilles (within which a blue and scarlet tassled loafer is The City Magazine’s favourite), are a wide selection of trainers and formal shoes. jimmychoo.com
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1. Calthorpe frame, £125, Cubitts, cubitts.co.uk 2. Huntsman-2 Blackwatch umbrella, £23, Fulton, fultonumbrellas.com 3. Swallow print linen collarless shirt, £75, Fitz & Fro, fitzandfro.com 4. Kensington mid-length heritage trenchcoat, £1,364, Burberry, farfetch.com 5. Indigo ribbon trim knit jumper, £570, Stella McCartney, stellamccartney.com 6. Slim-fit cotton-twill chinos, £145, Freemans Sporting Club, mrporter.com 7. Big Target/ Square Mile socks, £16, Peper Harow, peperharowlondon.com 8. Tanner suede loafers, £250, Duke + Dexter, dukeanddexter.com
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Jacket up
spring forward into the new season with a display of sartorial flair
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1 1. Lightweight cashm ere tailored jacket, £1,195, Burberr y, uk.burberr y.com 2. S lim-fit wool blazer, £1,085, Alexander McQueen , mrport er.com 3. R ust Harri s Tweed jacket, £685, Richard James, richardjames.co.uk 4. F loral silk jacket, £1,895, Gieves & Hawkes, gievesandhawkes.com 5. T hree-button blazer, £815, Massimo Alba , farfetch .com 6. F lap pockets blazer, £1,357, C aruso, farfetch .com
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Milano: Galleria V. Emanuele
ITALIAN TRAVEL BAGS SINCE 1952
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LUXURY BODY BUTTER IN WHITE CASHMERE FROM THE BATH & BODY COLLECTION
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| style |
The
Bald Truths
Faced with the prospect of developing a ‘Friar Tuck’, more men are doing a ‘Rooney’. So, asks The City Magazine, are male hair transplants set to become as commonplace as boob jobs for women? Words: Richard Brown ©Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com
Have they or haven’t they? You won’t find proper celebs posing for before-and-after transplant shots at the bottom of The Sun’s sports pages. They’ve got enough money to spare the embarrassment. Goochie, Warnie and Platty have all blagged themselves new hair dos. Ditto James Nesbitt, Rob Brydon, Louis Walsh and Calum Best. About every other suspiciously lion-maned movie star, F1 driver and celebrity chef, we can only wonder. If you’ve sailed into your fourth decade with a hairline that still stretches from temple to temple, congratulations, you smug, Alpha male lady-killer. Chances are, you’ve never even heard of the Hamilton– Norwood scale. Nor have you Googled ‘Jude Law aged 30’. For those of us cultivating an ever growing wall of slaphead, solace is sought in online forums. A stupid place to search, frankly, given the sort of whack-jobs who post in forums. Far better to turn to a trichologists – a professional trained in the science of the scalp. Thank us later.
Steven Goldsworthy
©Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
ABOVE Shane Warne LEFT Calum Best BELOW Freddie Ljungberg
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Founder of Steven Goldsworthy Tichology (10 Harley Street, W1) and associate member of the Institute of Trichologists, stevengoldsworthy.com
Why do we lose our hair? SG: Some testosterone can be converted into the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This causes hair follicles to miniaturise, shortening the lifespan of each hair. Usually, this is genetically determined. Can certain hair products contribute to hair loss? SG: Nowadays, most products are water soluble. If a new hair is trying to get through it might struggle if the follicle is clogged up, but it will come through eventually, like weeds through concrete. Is it possible to predict how much hair someone will lose? SG: If you’re in your early 20s and are already receding on your temples and crown, you are
©DFree / Shutterstock.com ©Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com Top right Jude Law ABOVE Lewis Hamilton RIGHT Tana & Gordon Ramsey BELOW Hamilton with exgirlfriend Nicole Scherzinger
probably going to lose your top area. After 50, hair loss slows down. There are two types of medicine proven to halt hair loss; minoxidil (used in Regaine) and finasteride (sold as Propecia). How do they work? SG: Finasteride, taken in tablet form, blocks the production of DHT. Minoxidil is applied as a liquid or a foam and doesn’t actually prevent DHT. Minoxidil appears to work by widening the hair follicle, causing a thicker strand of hair, and by prolonging the anagen stage of hair growth. Hair loss will resume after both forms of medication are stopped. Neither is available on the NHS. Minoxidil is available over the counter. Finasteride is prescription only. Which medicine is most effective? SG: About one third of minoxidil users find it produces re-growth, a further third report no further loss and the unlucky remainder report no response. In a five-year study, nine out of 10 finasteride users showed visible results, with 48 per cent reporting hair re-growth and 42 per cent reporting no further loss.
©Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
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©Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com from TOP Wayne Rooney; Kylie Minogue’s ex joshua Sasse; Jason Statham with fiancé Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley
©Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
HAIR TO STAY Bio Follicle Complete Hair Support System Bio Follicle contains only natural vegan products. The shampoo increases blood circulation in the scalp, awakening the tissue and stimulating hair regrowth. Comes with a free money-back guarantee if you see no difference in 60 days. £43, Bio Follicle, biofollicle.com Regaine for Men Extra Strength The household name for minoxidil. Massage the foam into the scalp twice daily. Contains 5 per cent minoxidil. Noticeable results in 60 per cent of users. 3 Month Supply, £69.99, Regaine, boots.co.uk Viviscal Professional Drug-free dietary supplement. One of the most researched hair growth supplements in the industry. Contains key nutrients needed for healthy hair, including Biotin, Apple Extract and Vitamin C. Prices vary, stocked in The Refinery, harrods.com
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Can minoxidil affect healthy hair? Can it do more harm than good? SG: It shouldn’t cause healthy hair, in its ‘anagen’ phase, to fall as it’s in its active growing stage. If the hair is due to fall – in its ‘telogen’ phase – then it will continue to do so, with the next new anagen hair following through. Google says the side effects of finasteride can include impotence and decreased sperm count. What percentage of men are affected? SG: The manufacturers approximate 30 per cent, but having spoken to hair transplant surgeons who have patients using finasteride, they have experienced very few patients who have experienced side effects. I believe the stats show that less than 2 per cent noticed a small reduction in their, err-hum, ‘load.’ Can you imagine hair transplants becoming as popular as boob jobs? SG: Yes. Twenty years ago boob jobs were rare, now we are all used to seeing them. I don’t think you need to put up with going bald anymore. How do transplants work? SG: There are two types: FUE ( follicular unit extraction) and FUT ( follicular unit transplantation). FUT is where a strip of scalp from around the back of the head that doesn’t get affected by DHT is removed and follicles are then placed into the area of hair loss. FUE is where individual follicles are taken from the donor site, leaving small pin prick scarring, which are placed into the area of loss. If someone is thinking of having their temples filled in this could be anything from 1,200 to 2,000 follicles. How much does it cost? SG: It will depend on the surgeon, and whether it’s FUE or FUT. FUE takes longer to extract the individual follicles so will be around £5 per follicle. With FUT, most surgeons will work on a sliding scale of approximately £4 per follicle for the first 1,000, then maybe £2 per follicle thereafter. How long will the new hair last? SG: Once it’s done, that should be it, those strands won’t fall out again due to male pattern loss, but if the rest of your hair is going to suffer, you might end up with an amazing looking hairline and a thinned-out crown. How do you rate Rooney’s transplant? SG: When you think of how much hair he had lost, and that the only time we see him is when he’s on a football pitch, hot, sweaty and wet, I think the fact he’s still got a full head of hair is pretty impressive.
Lilly Dillon
Trained trichologist and head barber at Ruffians (Covent Garden, WC2), shampoo haircut £50, ruffians.co.uk
What works better, minoxidil or finasteride? LD: They are totally different. With Minoxidil you can visibly see results in six months. However, minoxidil can make your hair worse before it makes it better. Why would you recommend one over the other? LD: Those who travel a lot may prefer the tablet form of Finasteride, for convenience. How worried should men be about side effects? LD: Check with your doctor about the ingredients and seek proper professional opinion from a trichologist if you need any further reassurance. How best to hide a receding hairline? LD: Taking the fringe back is one of the best styles to counteract a receding hairline. Having a long fringe will accentuate the M-shape hairline. The ideal solution is to take the hair a lot shorter at the sides and slightly longer on top. This will balance the cut as it’s growing out. What advice do you give chaps who are worried about losing it on top? LD: Confidence comes from within. If you feel really uncomfortable with thinning hair or going bald, then there are treatments, styles and tips you can employ. However, if you notice you’re balding, you will simply be delaying the inevitable – so it’s important to come to terms with it. If you’re comfortable and confident, that’s going to be far more attractive – so try and embrace it sooner rather than later. What are the best products for thinning hair? LD: Steer away from any heavy wax or heavy duty products that you have to scrub vigorously. Treat your scalp gently and use a good water-based product that is easy to shampoo out. Hairspray is also excellent for extra hold, another thing men tend to shy away from!
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out of
office MARCH 2017
WRITINGS IN THE
WALL
jerusalem is a thriving modern-day city where sacred traditions stretch back centuries
Constructed from blocks of limestone in what is now Jerusalem’s Old City, the Western Wall was originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple by Herod the Great between 537 and 516 BC. While it is not the holiest site in the Jewish faith, the Western Wall is the holiest place that Jews are permitted to pray. According to Jewish law, one is obligated to grieve and rend one’s garment upon visiting the site and seeing the desolate site of the Temple, abandoned 70 AD. Attributed to Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (1696-1743), there is a practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers into the crevices of the Wall. More than a million notes are placed each year, with the opportunity to email messages now offered by a number of organisations. Today, it has become customary for visiting dignitaries to place their own notes in the wall, too. BR
Page 98: Sara Lawrence discovers how tech start-ups and a vibrant nightlife scene are changing the face of 21st-century Jersusalem
Image ©VanderWolf Images / Shutterstock, Inc.
Life on Earth Shot at by ISIS snipers, ambushed by Papua New Guinea tribesman, goaded by scores of the most contemptible characters imaginable, Ross Kemp has come face-to-face with the darkest sides of humanity. Yet, even by Kemp’s standards, the situation he encountered in Libya for his most recent documentary stands out as one of the most desperate WORDS: Richard Brown
| INTERVIEW |
“The country is basically in freefall, on the verge of becoming a failed state. Migrants are entering a country where there are no laws, virtually no army and there’s around 200 different militias”
F
rom Best Actor at the British Soap Awards to Bafta-winning war reporter – it’s hardly the most conventional of career trajectories. But, having swapped the Queen Vic for Camp Bastion, Ross Kemp has spent the past decade making the dangerous documentary genre his own. Since 2004, Kemp has shot three series with British troops in Afghanistan, spent five years embedded with the most lethal gangs on the planet, and has recently announced a sixth series of Extreme World. He’s also produced documentaries on the ecological issues facing the Amazon basin, modernday piracy, and has travelled to the frontline in the war against ISIS – where he and his crew were shot at. Most recently, Kemp and his production company, Freshwater Films, became the first Western journalists to gain access to Southern Libya, documenting the plight of African migrants attempting to reach Europe through a country that has collapsed into anarchy since the removal of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011. CITY: How does an actor go from Albert Square to documentary-making in places like Afghanistan? RK: While under contract with ITV, I was asked to stand in and do a documentary on America’s relationship with guns. I met a guy called Bloodhound in Compton who’d been shot 27 times. That evening, after the American crew had left, I stayed in his house. He was bright, a good conversationalist, we hit it off. He was the antithesis of the sort of gangster you see on TV. His life was poverty, desperation and fear. The next morning I phoned the UK and said ‘I’ve got an idea for a show: Ross Kemp on Gangs.’ CITY: What do you hope to achieve when making a film? RK: To tell the truth about topics that are
All images courtesy of Freshwater Films and Sky
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difficult to understand. To deconstruct issues and make them digestible to a larger audience. CITY: How affected do you become by what you report on? RK: If you carried around all the baggage, you’d never get up in the morning. But you’re never going to be not affected by what you’ve seen. If you’re not, there’s no point in doing the job. The style in which I work is not one where I’m not emotionally involved. I wear my heart on my sleeve. CITY: Which experiences have most disturbed you?
RK: Congo stayed with me for a long time. Women being brutalised, having their arms cut off, being gang-raped and tortured with burning sticks. We heard the same things in Papua New Guinea. But to be confronted in Libya by a country that was once so organised, even though it was run by a despot, for it to have fallen so far that there’s no law and order, and now, on top of that, to have one of the biggest migrant crises Europe has ever faced – there was nothing that I saw that was encouraging. CITY: What situation has scared you the most?
“Going into the detention centres and meeting a women who’s saying ‘help me, help me, help me,’ and there was nothing I could do... I’m going home and I’m going to live and you are not” RK: A lot of the time when you’re in a dangerous situation, you don’t realise until after. When we’ve come out the other side and the interpreter says ‘They were just about to handcuff you to a radiator.’ CITY: When have you felt most helpless? RK: Going into the detention centres in Libya and meeting a women who’s saying ‘Help me, help me, help me,’ and there was nothing I could do. I’m leaving you behind and I’m going home and I’m going to see my wife and family and I’m going to live and you are not. CITY: Your most recent documentary follows African migrants travelling through Libya, now the most popular route into Europe. What sort of country did you find there? RK: The Arab Spring got rid of Gaddafi, but
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| INTERVIEW |
in turn it also removed the infrastructure that he had created over 30 years, along with the people that operated it. So there’s no one to pump oil out of the country, once the richest country in Africa. There’s no lighting, no electricity, it’s affected water supplies. The country is basically in freefall, on the verge of becoming a failed state. Migrants are entering a country where there are no laws, virtually no army and there’s around 200 different militias. CITY: You gained access to a Libyan detention camp. How do migrants end up there? RK: They may have been an economic migrant when they left Lagos [ for example], but by the time they’ve gone through experiences like rape, witnessing murder, torture, beatings, being held hostage, paying ransom three of four times over, by the time they’ve gone through that, their status has changed – they’ve become a refugee and they end up in detention centres controlled by militias acting under the guise of the government. CITY: What’s life like in a detention camp? RK: In a refugee camp, you at least have access to medicine, you might have the chance of contacting home to let them know you’re safe, and you’ll get food that’s nutritious enough to keep you alive. None of those things are happening in those detention centres. The ones they sent us to are the best ones they’ve got. CITY: What was the purpose of this particular documentary? RK: To try and understand what these
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migrants are going through. It isn’t about whether you want migrants coming from Africa to Europe. If you’re looking into the eyes of a woman who has just given birth to a baby in a toilet and didn’t have a knife to cut the umbilical cord and who’s now bleeding out, you’ve got a human responsibility to try and change that. That doesn’t necessarily mean opening your doors to migrants, I’m not saying that. CITY: Is the mainstream media doing a good enough job of reporting the migrant crisis? RK: I don’t think the mainstream media has been able to get where we got to. They couldn’t. All you’re seeing is the bodies piling up on the beaches during the summer. CITY: Will the situation get worse? RK: Yes, nothing is being done to remedy the situation. If you start putting embargoes on people trying to get into countries, they panic and try to get in before the door closes completely. CITY: What’s the solution? RK: We have to have dialogue with whatever government is in control of Libya, or sure-up a government that we can trust. And then you have to start implementing laws that stop smugglers. At the moment there’s nothing to stop them. There’s everything to be gained. The government on the ground needs to talk to smugglers and militias and say ‘You are in for a stake of whatever the pie of Libya is, if you stop doing this.’ You also have to get the migrants’ countries to make people aware that they are potentially taking a lethal journey, that will possibly involve being abused numerous different ways before they die. CITY: You’ve meet plenty of scumbags, have you ever lost your rag? RK: I did once in Afghanistan, but that was because someone interrupted a person who was talking about the death of his friend. His close friend had just been blown up and the sound man asked him to speak up. But I lost it after the interview. There was also the time I interviewed a guy we’ll call ‘Mr Khan’, who openly admitted to killing 300 to 400 girls he’d trafficked in India. CITY: Who or what is the greatest threat to international peace? RK: We’re at a very interesting stage; we’ve been here before in terms of populism. It’s not as bad as in the ’60s, where we were close to nuclear meltdown, we’re not at that level yet. The media has a very important role in not making things worse. CITY: What were your thoughts on Trump’s now-repealed travel ban? RK: Short term, it would have been very
popular with the people that voted for him. I can understand why he tried to do it. I think it would have caused fear and division and, also, ultimately, if it was to prevent terrorism, I don’t think it was going to help. If people want to get into your country, they’ll get in. You’re better off being able to vet them coming in than them coming in under the radar. CITY: Are you religious? RK: To the extent that I have faith. CITY: Has that faith wavered? RK: At points. CITY: Do you believe in God? RK: I believe in God. CITY: Has that changed? RK: No. CITY: What’s the story you’d most like to report on next? RK: Ross Kemp: Dessert Hideaway. With the wife and kids. Ross Kemp: Libya’s Migrant Hell is available on Sky catch up now.
The crisis in Libya –
What’s happening? In 2016, a deal was made between Turkey and the EU to stem the flow of migrants entering Europe through Greece. As a result, the route between Libya and Italy has became the main migrant route into the continent. More than 180,000 migrants reached Italy from North Africa in 2016 – an 18 per cent increase on 2015. Of the 5,000 migrants who died at sea in 2016, 90 per cent died making the crossing from Libya – a rate of 12 every day, according to figures collected by the International Organisation for Migration. Even more are thought to be dying in the Sahara desert before they make it to the Libyan coast. In 2008, three years before the Arab Spring, Libya’s then ruler Muammar Gaddafi made a deal with Italy known as the ‘Treaty of Friendship’, promising to forcibly return migrants to Libya in exchange for investment and foreign aid. The deal halted the flow of migrants from Africa to Europe but that ended after Gaddafi was ousted in 2011. In the five years since, Libya has descended into conflict and is currently divided between rival governments in the east and the west of the country, is fighting an ongoing war against Islamic extremists and is on the verge of economic collapse. The governments have limited control on the ground with most of the power lying in the hands of armed militias. Exploiting the chaos and lack of border security, people smugglers have now established a business that the EU estimates is worth $346 million a year in coastal towns alone.
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Mad Max 10 December 2016, Atacama Desert, Chile
Far from his Tyrolean home, Markus ‘Max’ Stöckl conquers a mountain in chile’s Atacama Desert on a Summum Carbon monDraker mountain bike. His top speed of 104.1MPH (167.7 km/H) sets a new world record. Photo: Philip Platzer/Red Bull
Is the latest Cayenne hybrid better than its diesel sibling? It all depends on where you drive it, writes Jeremy Taylor
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uying a Porsche used to be all about hairychested performance and how fast it races to 60mph – the only problem was persuading your partner that it really is possible to squeeze two children into the back of a 911. Not so any more. The rash of hybrid petrol-electric models creeping through the range means you now need a calculator and an understanding accountant to decide on which model works best for you. Take the third incarnation of the Cayenne E-Hybrid SUV, for example. It costs £64,512 on the road, emits a lowly 75g/km and accelerates to 60mph in 5.9 seconds. The 416bhp drivetrain will average around 34mpg, thanks to the electric motor mated to its 3.0-litre petrol engine. The S diesel version costs only £1,000 more, emits 215g/km but accelerates to 60mph in just 5.4 seconds. It averages about the same mpg, even though that 4.2-litre diesel unit has lashings of overtaking torque to play with. Which one would you choose? Well, the answer depends on where you intend to drive your premium brand 4x4. I put 1,000 miles on an E-Hybrid over the course a week-long tour of Scotland and it definitely performs better in some places than others. On the motorway north, the Cayenne averaged just under 30mpg – hardly anything to write home about considering the hybrid’s eco credentials. I tweaked between driving modes as much as possible – battery power in traffic jams and back to V6 on the high-speed stretches. But nothing could persuade the Porsche to stop sipping petrol at an unimpressive rate. When I reached Edinburgh city centre, that all changed. Suddenly the Cayenne’s electric motor took over and all was well again. The electric range seemed to vary between 12 and 22 miles but it still feels cool driving any hybrid in silent EV mode. Porsche claim that the SUV is capable of as much as 83mpg using battery power alone but the truth is you won’t manage anywhere near that. Even though the lithium-ion battery can be charged via a mains plug socket at home in three hours, the mpg savings versus a diesel are minimal. Of course, where company car drivers will save is on their monthly tax bill. These figures may not be as exciting as a tyre-screeching 0-60mph time but compared to the diesel Cayenne, the hybrid will save more than £400 a month. I’d be lying if I said the E-Hybrid drove just the same as a diesel or petrol version. It doesn’t. The main problem revolves around the drivetrain and its transition from petrol to electric power. The jerk from one power source to the other was so bad at one point that I thought the Porsche had been rear-ended. It was the same with acceleration and braking at low speed in town – the smoothness is missing. At least inside the E-Hybrid feels like a ‘standard issue’ Porsche. The buttons and dials are shared right across the range but it’s also very easy to bump up the price with a few ‘must have’ extras. These include a DAB radio, which isn’t standard. The dashboard is a pleasing mix of premium plastics and leather which all have a suitably expensive feel. Porsche has fitted grab handles on the transmission tunnel, just in case you are crazy enough to think about taking such an expensive vehicle off-road. There is just enough room in the back for three adults
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Porsche claim that the SUV is capable of 83mpg using battery power alone – the truth is you won’t manage anywhere near that
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but unlike the hybrid Volvo XC90, there is no seven-seat option in the Porsche. Shoulder room is a bit tight but you can run the back seats fore and aft to increase legroom. It’s very easy to get comfortable in the driver’s seats and the infotainment system doesn’t require a science degree to operate. I did have an issue with the centre armrest, which needed a full-on wrench to open. E-Hybrid is equipped with automatic boot opening, auto wipers and lights, climate control and cruise control. You have to pay extra for satellite navigation, Bluetooth and DAB, of course – which seems more than mean. Road noise is intrusive in the Cayenne, mainly because of the wide tyres needed to put all that performance to good use. But it is also the only sound you will hear when the Porsche is running in electric mode. Cayenne styling has improved dramatically since it was first introduced in 2003 – it now looks like an SUV that wants to be a sports car. However, not everybody approves and the latest XC90 is more imposing in the metal. It’s always a joy to drive any Porsche but it has to be said that stop-start driving in Cayenne E-Hybrid takes some getting used to. Then you need the consumption figures to stack up – and that really depends on how the car is used. Those faced with long motorway journeys and lengthy commutes to work should really consider a diesel model. The E-Hybrid is really for commuters who live in the city and have a relatively short drive to the office. That way you can keep the accountant happy and fully benefit from all that extra technology on tap. Cayenne S E-Hybrid, £64,512 OTR, porsche.com
CAYENNE S E-HYBRID
What The Cayenne Has To Beat…
THE VITALS RPM For Max Power 5500 Maximum Power hp/PS 416 Maximum Torque Nm 590 RPM For Maximum Torque 1250 Number Of Speeds 8 Driven Wheels 4x4
Range Rover 3.0 HEV (£103,000) Land Rover’s first production hybrid is as plush and refined as any Range Rover can be. Supersmooth performance and a technology showcase that proves you can power a massive SUV perfectly well with a diesel-electric mix. It’s just a shame the price is so high. landrover.co.uk
Max Speed mph 151 Max Speed km/h 243 Acceleration 0-62 mph 5.9
Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine (£64,555) The latest XC90 is a revelation. Most will choose from a range of diesel motors but the T8 petrolelectric is by far the most desirable. Hugely practical, comfortable and very safe, there’s little to distinguish this model from other versions – apart from discreet badging and a flap covering the plug-in socket. It’s faster than the Porsche, too. volvocars.com
BMW xDrive40e (£56,705) The X5 is hugely popular in diesel form – but the petrol-electric drivetrain in this latest SUV will tempt buyers because of the price alone. It’s another plug-in that wears the hybrid badge discreetly but demands to be taken seriously. However, the XC90 beats it for performance and practicality. bmw.co.uk
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Urban Warrior With the CVO Pro Street Breakout, Harley-Davidson has a new market in its crosshairs – man-about-town millennials for whom style means as much as performance. So, how does it cope on the streets of the capital? Words: Hugh Francis Anderson 86
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hen William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson wheeled out their first production motorcycle in 1903, little did they know that they had founded a company that would one day reign as king of the motorcycle industry. During Harley-Davidson’s illustrious history, it has produced motorcycles for both World Wars, set land speed records, won
At nearly 2.5 meters long and weighting 332kgs, the bike’s physical presence is enough to make you weak at the knees
When I collect the CVO, one bitterly cold winter day, I immediately understand what all the hype is about. It’s vast, and I’m initially concerned with how it will handle on London’s busy streets. But I’m itching to jump on. The all-new 110 cubic inch Screamin’ Eagle® engine, which displaces a staggering 1,800cc, is, on paper at least, a stomach-churning powerhouse, and at nearly 2.5 meters long and weighting 332kgs, the bike’s physical presence is enough to make you weak at the knees. I start the brute, feel the pistons reverberate beneath me, pump the throttle a few times, and shoot off towards London.
myriad endurance and road races, been the motorcycle of choice for celebrities including Presley, Pitt, Clooney and Becks, and today produces the second largest number of machines in the world (behind Honda). Harley-Davidson has a dark side, too; the brand is associated with outlaw motorcycle gangs and is often the bike preferred by the bad boys of Hollywood films. The ‘new-phase’ Harley-Davidson is targeted at the young, inner city man, someone who wants to feel the rumble of the iconic V-twin between his legs; a man who wants to commute, undertake the occasional road-trip, or cruise in style; a man who embodies what it means to be an urbanite. And so, Harley-Davidson’s new offering, the CVO Pro Street Breakout, proffers all of the above, and then some.
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I’m surprised at just how nimble the CVO is, needless to say it accelerates like a rocket ship, but it’s loose under the hands too. Its narrow width makes filtering an easy task, and, even on a two-hour motorway cruise, I’m pleasantly comfortable throughout. The CVO is, in its essence, a futuristic motorcycle. Its cruiser-cum-racer styling, with hand-painted details and jet-black finishes, makes it appear like something Batman or The Terminator would ride, and it’s safe to say that part of you does feel like a movie star while you’re on the road. But what causes it to stand out is the technology incorporated into its uncluttered body: cruise control, a vastly novel idea on a street bike; keyless ignition, which automatically alarms the bike when you walk away; and state-of-the-art ABS so you never feel a loss of control under heavy breaking. As a biker, the addition of such elements is both rewarding and a little dissatisfying. Purists will loathe the 21st-century spec, bemoaning the fact that it detracts from the raw nature of a motorcycle, and, although I had expected to fall into this camp myself, the features pleasantly surprise me. And they certainly favour the new ‘urban-rider’. Riding through the City, even at rush hour, I find the traffic so easily manoeuvrable that it almost ceases to exist. Surely this is the reason why you would ride in London; distances that would take an hour on public transport, and even longer by car, suddenly become minutes on the CVO. It pulls when you need it to pull, and weaves when you need it to weave. It does have its drawbacks, though. Out on the open road, when you want to push it a little harder, you find that cornering becomes increasingly cumbersome. Sure, you may never buy a Harley-Davidson for speed and cornering, but for all the visual and ergonomic pizzazz of the low-profile, enormous 240mm rear tyre, combined with the miniscule 120mm ground clearance, taking corners at speed is nighon impossible. And then comes the price, which sits way above its competitors at £20,995. For a stock motorcycle, this is about as steep
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as you’re going to get. Triumph’s Rocket III Roadster, for example, comes in at just over £14,000; BMW’s R Nine T is under £12,000, as too is the reborn Indian Scout. But while all of these motorcycles do perform well, they simply don’t exude the raw, unadulterated aggression of the CVO. Nor do they come with that famous Harley heritage, again, reflected in the price. The CVO, it must be said, is not a bike for the first-time rider. Those considering spending £21k should do so in the
Those considering spending this amount on a bike should do so in the knowledge that they’re buying a Harley-Davidson with a twist knowledge that they’re buying a HarleyDavidson with a twist. Most new riders will seek out the Iron 883 or the Forty-Eight, a few might pick up a Low Rider or a Fat Boy. The CVO is the next level. It’s HarleyDavidson for millennials, rather than for men going through a mid-life crisis. It’s a statement of intent and might just represent the direction in which the planet’s most famous motorcycle manufacturer is heading. And to guess where HarleyDavidson’s new vision will take it, is a very exciting prospect indeed. All images Freddie Haines
CVO Pro Street Breakout, £20,995, HarleyDavidson, harleydavidson.com
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It is what it is
Mark and Hannah Hayes-Westall have been working in, and writing about, contemporary art for almost 20 years. Each month they introduce an artist who should appear on your agenda
This month: Keith Milow
RESOLUTION, 2016 ŠKeith Milow, courtesy Dadiani Fine Art
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What’s so interesting? The invention of the printing press marked the first time in history where the amount of information available to most people exceeded their capacity to take it on board. It was a signal moment; the first opportunity ordinary people had to be selective in their understanding by choosing to acquire, or ignore information, on any given subject. Until humankind developed systems to use the sudden glut of information, it resulted in continent-wide conflict and the loss of many thousands of lives – from events like the Hundred Years’ War, which was a result of printed religious ideologies spreading across the world. Clearly then, there are strong motivations to get to the truth at the heart of a subject as quickly as possible and it’s in this respect that Keith Milow is both an important, and a (peculiarly) overlooked artist in a great tradition of truth seekers. The statistician and pollster Nate Silver has noted that data scientists develop systems, or models, to understand the world and when, at frequent intervals (presidential elections, for example) they discover the models are flawed by unconsidered, inbuilt assumptions, they set out to create new models. In art, different movements of artists have likewise set out to create systems (like impressionism, minimalism, or abstract expressionism) to enable them to get at the truth of a subject, often discarding previous approaches and starting afresh. Forging a new way to understand the world and building a rigorous intellectual underpinning is hugely challenging, and Milow’s art is courageous in its determination to find a different, truer vision.
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FIND the work
Dadiani Fine Art 30 Cork Street, W1S dadianifineart.com
from top Titanium, 2015; Ipatiev, 2016; It, It, It, It., 2016; Man’s Art, 2016 ALL IMAGES ©Keith Milow, courtesy Dadiani Fine Art
At first glance, Milow’s art appears to be encoded; different stages in his career see him deploy patterns of lines, spots, squares and spaces. Seemingly determined to move beyond symbolism and the pre-existing ideas we might have about an object or image, Milow instead draws on and abstracts the shape, space, colour, texture and material to capture the pure essence of a subject, finding beauty in the pure forms he creates in this way. Milow has said that he is interested in “the illusory effect of artistic materials” and his work in both painting and sculpture blurs lines between the two disciplines, connected throughout by his ongoing exploration of a system with which to represent the world. Yet there is a dichotomy at the heart of his system that he appears to recognise, and indeed, embrace. Shakespeare wrote of his Julius Caesar’s failure to interpret the signs of his downfall: “Men may construe things after their fashion / Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.” Milow appears to be recognising this human tendency towards unwitting bias within his recent work. In pieces such as LIKE HIM LIKE HIM (2016), under the rigor of the thickly combed stripes of paint he layers the chance element of gestural painting, as if building human fallibility into his system. Working on a large scale, Milow mixes heavily applied textured paint with panels of MDF, creating planes and volumes on which his systems play out. Frequently referencing the Latin cross, his works are often described as monumental, with a lasting presence. It is perhaps no surprise to find that Milow’s circle has included such luminaries as Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, and indeed it was Warhol with whom he exhibited in 1971 at London’s ICA, just three years after leaving the Royal College of Art. His early years were marked by triumph with work included in the Tate’s 1967 exhibition Young Contemporaries whilst he was still at college. Two years later he was one of just six artists shown as 6 at the Hayward alongside notables including Michael Sandle and Barry Flanagan. Also, in 1970 his first solo show, at the Nigel Greenslade gallery in London, sold out, with pieces acquired by the Tate for its collection. Following this he had a career largely spent in New York and Amsterdam, with pieces appearing in major exhibitions in institutions including MOMA New York, Guggenheim New York, and also the Tate. In addition to the above, pieces by Milow can be found in collections including the British Museum, The Henry Moore Foundation and the National Gallery of Australia. It may seem extraordinary that an artist recognised so widely by the art world is so little known outside it but such are the vagaries of the commercial art world. As interest in the artists of the 1970s avant-garde resurges it seems unlikely that Keith Milow’s light will remain hidden under a bushel for much longer. A new show of his recent work at Dadiani Fine Arts is his first London solo show in nearly 20 years, and seems destined to draw more attention to an artist in whom the spirit of enquiry and the search for a greater understanding lives on.
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Puttin’ on
the Ritz
In the world of hospitality, the name The Ritz-Carlton carries serious currency. But where did it all begin? Bethan Rees discovers a story that spans centuries and reaches across the globe
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orn in 1850 in Niederwald, central Switzerland, César Ritz gained an apprenticeship aged 16 at the Hôtel des Trois Couronnes et Poste in VeveyMontreux. Soon after, the patron of the hotel said to the teenager: “You’ll never make anything of yourself in the hotel business. It takes a special knack, a special flair, and it’s only right that I tell you the truth – you haven’t got it.” Unperturbed, Ritz became the floor waiter of one of the most luxurious hotels on the continent, Hôtel Splendide, on the Place de l’Opéra in Paris. Here, he gained a talent of selling vast quantities of very expensive wines. In his book Great, Grand & Famous Hotels, Fritz Gubler notes a conversation between Ritz and his then manager. “The Château-Lafite 1848 is going extraordinarily well,” says the manager. “I have recommended it,” replied Ritz. “I have made it clear to my clients that it is the surest antidote to the doubtless poisonous waters of the Seine, Sir.” Fast-forward to 1889 and Ritz had taken on the challenge of building up the Savoy Hotel in London, where he worked
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with Auguste Escoffier, known as Britain’s first master chef (despite being French). “Escoffier put a love of great food at the heart of modern Britain,” remarks chef Michel Roux. The Ritz Paris opened in 1898, by which time Ritz had a controlling interest in at least nine other restaurants and hotels. The Carlton Hotel in London was added to the portfolio in 1899. The London Ritz opened in 1906, a year before its founder’s retirement. Ritz had longed planned to lease out his name to North American hotel companies – his style of service had made such an impression on American travellers, that his name had become a commodity in the world of luxury hospitality. The Ritz-Carlton Investing Company was founded by Albert Keller in the early 1900s, who bought and franchised the name in the United States. The first Ritz-Carlton hotel was opened in New York in 1911, designed by Warren & Wetmore, architects of the new Grand Central Terminal. The RitzCarlton Philadelphia followed in 1913, but the hotel that really put the brand on US map was the Boston property.
ABOVE l-r César Ritz, image courtesy of Schweizerische Verkehrszentrale ; The construction of The Ritz London, image from Fireproof Magazine October 1905; The Ritz London ©mikecphoto / Shutterstock.com right The tea lounge at The Ritz-Carlton Berlin
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the REVIEW
THE RITZ-CARLTON BERLIN The skyscraper-style buildings on Potsdamer Platz in which The Ritz-Carlton sits, feel out of place in lowlying, edgy Berlin – the skyline being more Manhattan than contiental Europe. Inside the hotel, however, I’m transported back centuries. On entering, it’s impossible not to notice the baroque chandeliers, marble staircases and Art Deco furnishings. It makes for a grand entrance, and the opulence extends to the hotel’s brasserie and two elegant bars. The guest rooms are super chic, awash with calming beiges and browns. They also come with contemporary creature comforts like touch-screen room controls, flatscreen TVs, and, brilliantly, a pillow menu. Within walking distance of most of Berlin’s major museums and landmarks, this is the perfect stay for the culture vulture. from £192 per room, per night, 0049 3033 7777, ritzcarlton.com
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Edward N Wyner, a Boston developer, was asked by Mayor Curley to build a world-class hotel. In 1927, the Ritz-Carlton Boston was born with a room rate of $15. A smart dress code was enforced for all guests, and a private bath was put in each room. White tie and apron uniforms were given to the waitstaff, black tie for the Maître d’, and morning suits for all other staff. The Ritz-Carlton Boston served as the benchmark for RitzCarltons worldwide. In 1983, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was formed, and within two years the group had opened five hotels in the USA, including its Atlanta and Naples, Florida, properties. Within the decade, the company had expanded to 23 properties, and earned its first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award – a hugely important award for the service industry. It has subsequently won a second award, the only company to date to do so. The group diversified into Asia in 1993, when it opened in Hong Kong, before it was acquired by Marriott International in 1995. The hotel group’s newest openings includes Haikou, the capital of China’s island province Hainan; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Los Cabos, Mexico; Langkawi, Malaysia; and Koh Samui, Thailand. The Ritz-Carlton made its name and has spent the last century stamping it all over the world. “Never say no when a client asks for something,” said César Ritz. “Even if it is the moon.”
Q&A
Lisa Holladay
Global brand leader and vice president The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
CITY: What attracted you to The Ritz-Carlton brand? LH: I’ve been passionate about travel since an early age, so when the opportunity arose to join The Ritz-Carlton, I couldn’t let it pass. Not only is it an iconic, globally recognized, luxury brand, but the culture is extraordinary and not like anything I’ve witnessed anywhere else. Our motto is ‘We are Ladies and Gentlemen, serving Ladies and Gentlemen’ and this sense of genuine respect underpins us. CITY: How do The Ritz-Carlton properties incorporate their surroundings into their designs? LH: We look to create hotels that blend unique elements of local culture, history and heritage with our renowned intuitive individual service standards. For example, if we take Mandapa (Bali), our latest Ritz-Carlton Reserve, guests can enjoy everything they would expect from one of our properties, whilst being 100 metres above the Ayung River and set in the Ubud Forest. It’s a unique way to experience authentic Bali. CITY: What’s your earliest memory of a The Ritz-Carlton hotel? LH: I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, and The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia, was regarded as the epitome of luxury in the part of the world where I lived. My first experience of visiting a luxury hotel was there and I loved every minute of it. CITY: What does the future hold for The Ritz-Carlton brand? LH: This year, we have a number of new properties opening, including Geneva and Astana (Kazakhstan). I’m excited about the Ritz-Carlton Langkawi, which will open its doors in July. Built using local materials to blend seamlessly into the surroundings, it’s set between the Andaman Sea and lush rainforest.
the REVIEW
The Ritz-Carlton Naples
Watching the sun descend beyond the oceanfront from a private balcony, glass of wine in hand, is the sort of picture painted by a tour operator commercial. The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Florida, offers this each and every day. Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, nestled on three miles of pristine white beaches, this U-shaped hotel is home to 450 guest rooms and a world-class spa. It’s a real foodie haven with seven dining options – I recommend the casual option, Gumbo Limbo, on the beachfront, which is also another great spot from which to watch the sunset. With the menu offering dishes such as Floridian conch chowder and coconut shrimp, it’s a great taster of the South Coast’s passion for seafood, too. For golf-lovers, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, is only a 10-minute complimentary shuttle ride away. from £386 per room, per night, 001 239 598 3300, ritzcarlton.com
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| TRAVEL |
hotel of the month: Le Palais Rhoul & Spa, Marrakech Hidden beneath the palm trees is Le Palais Rhoul & Spa, a far cry from your usual luxury hotel with its opulent tents and Greek-style architecture WORDS: bethan rees
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here’s a reason why Le Palais Rhoul & Spa was named the number one wedding destination in Morocco at last year’s World Luxury Hotel Awards – it is unbelievably romantic. The five-star palatial residence is set within five hectares of gardens and is located on the outskirts of Marrakech, within easy reach of the city centre and the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, a buzzing public space filled with traditional merchants and entertainers. Driving from the airport (which is less than 30 minutes away), I am struck by my surroundings, which are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Waving palms sway above the tops of buildings, which represent a handful of tucked-away resorts. It all feels a million miles away from the bustling centre of Marrakech. Pulling up to Le Palais, you instantly feel the love in its dusky salmon pink colouring. The hotel was designed by architect Aziz Lamghari and is said to be inspired by the residents of Potnius Pilate in Galilee, so it’s Roman influence is palpable. The property has two main focal points: the main salon in the middle, which is strewn with artistic masterpieces, antiques and Art Deco
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Le Palais is located in the Palmeraie, a palm tree oasis that spans 54 square miles IMAGES Photography by Alexander Beer
chandeliers, and the outdoor pool which is dotted with flower petals. The building is supported by Corinthian-style columns of Greco-Roman influence, reflected in the basin pool, which makes it an ideal place to watch the sun set while sipping a Moroccan mint tea – the Moroccans love tea almost as much as the British; indulge yourself with as many infusions as possible. Le Palais was owned by the Rhoul family from Oujda (the capital city of the oriental region of Morocco, towards the border of Algeria) before it became a private dwelling open to visitors. Sacha Rhoul, the host of the property, describes Le Palais as an “earthly paradise where the spirit reawakens, the soul is appeased and the body finds repose”. The property’s 12 rooms and suites all have great views over verdant gardens or the pool, and are all decorated in rich earthy colours of traditional North African tone. For an unforgettable experience, stay in one of its luxury tents (don’t let the word put you off ). Private and opulent, each tent has a large bed with a patio and a fireplace, and is a contemporary interpretation of the sleeping quarters of nomadic chiefs. The spa smells as decadent as you’d expect, filling the nose with argan and rose oils and orange flower water. You can’t leave Le Palais without enjoying the pleasure of a massage as part of the traditional Hammam by its resident master masseuse, who cleanses and exfoliates the skin, aligns posture and leaves you feeling renewed, relaxed and revived. Le Palais Rhoul & Spa is a perfect balance between grandeur and familial intimacy, and makes for a stimulating stay in the cultural gem of North Africa. Rates start from £247 for a double room, palais-rhoul.com
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City of God Attacked, besieged, destroyed, reborn; the story of Jerusalem is the tale of civilisation itself. Today, tech start-ups and a vibrant nightlife scene is breathing new life into this ancient city WORDS: Sara Lawrence
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Although I couldn’t have imagined the scale or grandeur of the ancient architecture that dominates Jerusalem, I did expect beautiful buildings made of honey-coloured stone. I also expected tonnes of observers of the world’s three major religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, on pilgrimages to their shared holy land. All of these are here, of course, but what defied my expectations about Israel’s biggest city were the trendy hotels, the hipster bar scene and incredible restaurants that dish up plates of modern Mediterranean food that look like works of art. I was equally clueless about the growing tech start-up community snapping at San Francisco’s heels thanks to a unique combination of readily available venture capital, strong government support and the highly academic research background of the city’s three campuses of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Established in 1918, the first board of governors included Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud and in the last decade, eight alumni have won the Nobel Prize. There is not only an appealing absence of confrontation between the holy and the secular but also a totally sexy tryst between the old and the new. The ancient highways and byways of King Herod, Solomon and the Ottoman Empire, memories of Jesus and the Mount of Olives, mosques and orthodox Russian churches with gold spires, make for a deeply reflective and exciting backdrop for glitzy cocktail bars and high-end food spots bustling with models and socialites.
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The luxury Mamilla Hotel is a case in point. Located in the heart of the city with magnificent views of the Tower of David, the Old City walls and Jaffa Gate, the minimalist Moshe Safdie architecture and uber-trendy Piero Lissoni interior not only dovetails seamlessly with the 3,000 yearold surroundings but seems the perfect place from which to admire them. There is a Waldorf Astoria and the old-school King David Hotel down the road, but you could be anywhere at the former, and, since the latter is where heads of state bed down, it feels a bit stuffy. My advice is to stay at Mamilla or Herbert Samuel, a small, sleek and quiet boutique in the heart of the city which opened in the summer of 2016. Since kosher food rules stipulate that meat and dairy cannot be eaten together and restaurants in the city serve eitheror, Mamilla cleverly has one of each on site. Happy Fish is a stylish all-day dairy restaurant on the first floor and Rooftop is Church of the Holy Sepulchre
a contemporary terrazzo-style meat dining spot on the spectacular indoor/outdoor top floor, providing a breathtaking heritage backdrop. Eating in contemporary urban settings with ancient history in front, and a DJ playing pumping house tunes, might sound incongruous but makes for an unforgettable night. You’ll be in good company too - Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Bar Rafaeli are regulars here when they’re in town. Brilliant as hummus and olives are, there is so much more to the food in this tiny corner of the Middle East. Anna is a downtown dairy and fish restaurant located in the historic Ticho House serving up huge sharing plates of fresh local produce such as antipasti and bowls of parmesan-heavy pumpkin risotto and pasta arrabiata to follow. Carnivores need to visit Hachatzer near the buzzing First Station, a renovated train station reminiscent of New York’s High Line, and consume steak in all the divine ways it’s possible to prepare it. The slow-cooked asado is next-level and something I’m still dreaming about. Chocolate fondants come with soy ice cream, solving the ‘no dairy’ rule. Foodies wanting to investigate the endless array of treats on offer should head straight to Machane Yehuda Market, referred to as ‘The Shuk’ by locals, in the centre of the city bound by Jaffa Road to the north and Agripas Street to the south. In and around the market are approximately 250 vendors selling pastries, halva, falafel, shawarma, baklava, kebab and shashlik, plus juice bars, cafes and restaurants. It’s busy, bright and noisy and fires up all the senses. For the best experience download a new Jerusalem-developed app called Bitemojo, set your personal preferences and follow the self-guided food tour which uses Google Maps and identifies points of
Church of the Holy Sepulchre © mikhail / Shutterstock, Inc.
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Orthodox Jews stand in front of the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem
Take a tour of the biblical City of David, marvel at the centuries-worn slabs under your feet and the living history all around interest and information about the vendors along your chosen route. Make sure you’re hungry when you start, as for a very small price you will taste so much food and drink you might need a lie down at the end. Press pause on the tour at any point if you want to linger longer somewhere and even stop it and start again the next day if you simply can’t fit in another mouthful. You rate each vendor using a star system on the app and gain extra credits for each rating which you can convert towards more bites. This super-user-friendly start-up launched in Berlin in 2016 and is coming to London this year. When darkness falls and the business of selling ends, serious socialising begins. By night The Shuk transforms into one of the coolest, most vibrant and diverse party places in the world, stuffed full of liberal students, older hipsters, a true melting pot of cultures and religions. At one end they play indie pop, at the other bhangra house is banging out and there’s everything in between. Thursdays and Saturdays are the busiest nights while Friday is always quiet due to Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. Israelis are incredibly good-looking and Ha Schena (‘the neighbour’ in Hebrew) on the outskirts of the market, plays host to an extraordinary number of hot people
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soaking up the fun atmosphere. Craft beers are another growing industry and the Beer Bazaar in the market is the place to try a few. The Embargo from Jerusalem’s own Herzl Brewery is dark with hints of tobacco and is moreish in the extreme. You cannot come to Jerusalem and not visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial museum a 15-minute drive from the Old City on the Mount of
©Fotokon Shutterstoc, Inc.
Monarch operates year-round flights to Tel Aviv from London Luton and Manchester airports with fares, including taxes, starting from £103 one way (£158 return). For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, visit monarch.co.uk
Remembrance, an intensely moving experience you will not forget. Afterwards, take a five-minute drive down the hill to the photographer’s paradise suburb of Ein Kerem. The boutique hotels, alternative music scene, coffee shops and bohemian atmosphere can’t help but take the edge off extreme emotions and generate a feeling of peace. Hotel Alegra is a deliciously picturesque spot in which to hole up for a couple of days’ chill time. Take a tour of the biblical City of David, marvel at the centuries-worn slabs under your feet and the living history all around. Ask the guide to recommend the best kebab in the Arab Quarter and the best hummus in the Jewish Quarter. Stand in front of the Wailing Wall, God’s own address, and leave a tiny folded letter to the almighty among the millions of others in one of the cracks – God’s own postbox. Go to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and see the slab Jesus was laid out on – you can even lay your hands on it. Visit the Israel Museum and gaze at the Dead Sea Scrolls. Do all this because it would be sheer madness not to, but please don’t leave without experiencing the newness too. It’s too radical, too exciting, too joyous and too wonderfully mind-expanding to ignore. Jerusalem is an ancient city rooted in the past but for the people who live here, it’s all about the future. For more information about the city of Jerusalem, visit itraveljerusalem.com. To book The Herbert Samuel Jerusalem, visit herbertsamuel.com or call +9722 5600 600
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LONDON HOMES &
PROPERTY Covering THE CITY, Wapping, Shad Thames, Shoreditch & Islington
On the market
the experts give advice on Where to buy now, for the future
IMAGE A recent project by Callender Howorth in the Exchange Building, Shoreditch, callenderhoworth.com
PROPERTY NEWS
Keep tabs on the market, whether you are living or investing in the capital
SALES LEE O’NEILL, head of sales at Knight Frank Wapping, comments on the trends in the residential sales market We’re now firmly in 2017, so I am determined not to mention trigger phrases like ‘2016’s Stamp Duty Land Tax increase’ and the ‘EU referendum’. I did set out to not mention the election of Donald Trump too, but it seems he loves a headline, as much as I love an exchanged contract. January brought several new instructions and with that we have seen a refreshing amount of new enquiries and agreed a healthy number of sales. This is a good sign; we finished 2016 in a very good position and we’re hopeful that it was a result of hard work and the good advice we had given, not the slice of luck that many agents feel they are due. With new instructions, good offers and agreed sales, I feel confident we have a really good gauge on the market and can continue through 2017 confidently. Towards the end of January, I heard a new phrase that is the heir apparent to last year’s SDLT raise and EU referendum: ‘the triggering of Article 50’. I heard whispers that some people were waiting until this triggering was well under way before stepping back into the market – why? Let us recap. There has not been a credit crunch-esque crash to the housing market. Sure, we have seen adjustments made but there are buyers wanting to buy, they’re making good offers, and sellers are agreeing to sell. A good and knowledgeable agent will advise you that the world is changing, whether it’s the EU, Donald Trump’s presidency or currency exchange rates; But what remains is that this is the City of London and ‘bricks and mortar’ have, and will continue to remain, a sound investment, plus, more importantly, provide a great home at the same time. So choose your time to enter the market but do it with an experienced agent who has the best tools to aid your property requirements. Knight Frank Wapping 020 7480 6848 knightfrank.co.uk
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There’s an estimated £54 billion worth of roof space in London. - Haroon Bhatti, investment director of London-based development firm Apex Housing Group
Groove is in the art
British homewares brand Brissi’s S/S17 collection sees a colourful transition for the company. Switching from its usual neutral tones, the range introduces bright pinks, greens and blues. Inspired by trips to the Mediterranean, the bold collection includes wall art, textiles and everlasting flowers. These paintings are a really simple way of livening up a wall and an easy introduction of art into your home. Ripples artwork (above), £389, Pink Anemone Part One (right), £179, Brissi, brissi.com
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| PROPERTY |
pump it up
LETTINGS JON REYNOLDS, lettings manager at Knight Frank Tower Bridge, comments on the trends in the residential lettings market
Fresh off the production line, these Ruark MR1 Mk2 wireless desktop Bluetooth speakers feature a real wood cabinet with a soft grey or real walnut finish. The sleek design will fit into any interiors scheme. The British, family-run brand has been creating loudspeaker systems for 30 years, so you’re in safe hands. MR1 Mk2 speakers, £329, Ruark, ruarkaudio.com
desk jockey
good in the hood Cooker hoods may not be the most exciting of appliances, but that doesn’t mean they have to look boring – they can add a design element to a room. The Wing cooker hood by Air Uno is an elegant addition to a kitchen, with its sleek lines and curves and it also features integrated LED lighting. The hood also has a B-class energy rating, which means it’s pretty efficient. The best thing about the Wing cooker hood? It comes in 61 colours. So whether you want to make an impression with a bold colour such as citrus orange (pictured), or keep it neutral in clay, the choice is yours. Wing cooker hood in citrus orange, £1,520, Air Uno, airuno.co.uk
The Sol 4 desk is a versatile piece of furniture. It can be a free-standing fourlegged desk, a wall-mounted two-legged desk or a wall-mounted hallway shelf, and that’s just the beginning. The leather-covered writing surface can be pulled out to extend space and inside the desk is a power socket with a USB connection. It also has Qi wireless charging technology so you can charge smartphones and tablets. Sol desk, from £2,623, Aye chair, from £1,469, Wharfside, wharfside.co.uk
The advent of spring traditionally signals an uplift in the lettings market. This year, it’s also likely to bring with it a number of new regulations that will impact our market place. For example, the changes to tax relief on mortgage interest, the introduction of inheritance tax for overseas landlords and the banning of letting agency fees. The wider UK economy is also likely to be affected by the triggering of Article 50 to commence the UK’s exit from Europe. At the time of writing, a draft Brexit bill is making its way through parliament following a Supreme Court ruling that an Act of Parliament is required before the government can trigger Article 50. The bill is expected to be approved before the end of March and is therefore unlikely to delay the process of triggering Article 50, but what the full Brexit package will look like still remains unclear. This year has also seen Donald Trump taking on the role as president of the United States and the signing of a number of controversial executive orders, but it will take time to see how the global economy responds to his presidency. The rest of this year therefore looks set to be another rollercoaster ride, but that’s not to say that the lettings market should be viewed negatively. Last year, it was widely expected that a vote for Brexit or a vote for Donald Trump would be a vote for economic doom and gloom, but what people failed to consider was that for all those who voted for Brexit and Donald Trump, the result was obviously not a negative one and therefore consumer confidence helped the economy grow. Certainly, we have observed a very busy start to 2017, with both applicant and instruction numbers up on the previous year. However, there is a greater bias towards instruction numbers, which means that landlords need to get the pricing and presentation of their property right or face a void period. Once a tenant is found, it would be wise to sign a longer term tenancy and provide some security during otherwise uncertain times. Knight Frank Tower Bridge 020 3837 1520 knightfrank.co.uk
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SOVEREIGN COURT A beautiful neo-Georgian development, set around a tranquil landscaped garden square, providing easy access to the City and Docklands.
AVAILABLE NOW
A variety of studio, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom apartments now available to rent.
PRICES FROM £250 PER WEEK For more information or to speak to our lettings team, please contact us on +44 20 8022 4380
wappinglettings@knightfrank.com
)0 , # ( f)/,. All potential tenants should be advised that as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property. Please ask us for more information about other fees that may apply or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges
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FOUND Your perfect tenant. Let with Knight Frank. Our local expertise and global network mean that we can find a reliable tenant for your property; and with an average tenancy of nearly two years, Knight Frank not only helps you find them – but keep them as well. Call us today on 020 8166 5366 to arrange your free market valuation. Guide price: £650 per week
Trafalgar Court, Wapping E1W
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A spacious duplex flat overlooking the basin. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large open plan reception/dining room with balcony overlooking the river, wooden floors and parking. EPC: F. Approximately 106 sq m (1,138 sq ft). Available furnished or unfurnished. wappinglettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 8166 5366
All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 will apply when renting a property. Please ask us for more information about other fees that may apply or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
Guide price: £575 per week
Capital Wharf, Wapping E1W A lovely bright apartment with impressive views of the river and Tower Bridge. 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, reception room, kitchen, terrace, guest WC, underground parking and 24 hour porters. EPC: C. Approximately 78 sq m (836 sq ft). Available furnished or unfurnished. wappinglettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 8166 5366
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297h 210w Mayfair Mag
22/02/2017 12:36:07
MOVE FASTER SELL WITH KNIGHT FRANK
We pride ourselves on exceptional serviceand unrivalled market knowledge, with a global network of 417 offices across 58 countries that can showcase your property to the widest possible audience. KnightFrank.co.uk/Riverside Riverside@knightfrank.com 020 3597 7670
Guide price: £2,300,000
Albion Riverside SW11 Completely renovated to the highest specification, this stylish, contemporary flat, with views of the river and Chelsea Embankment is one of the most desirable flats on available on the river. Approximately 136.6 sq m (1,470 sq ft) Riverside@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3597 7670
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
Guide price: £2,250,000
NEO Bankside SE1 A beautiful riverside flat for sale in NEO Bankside with sensational views of the river Thames and The Tate Modern gallery. In a contemporary style and in excellent condition, this riverside apartment is well located for the city and all the many local amenities. Approximately 164.4 sq m (1,770 sq ft) Riverside@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3597 7670
City Mag March Issue Sales
22/02/2017 12:59:21
Cit
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Londinium Tower, Aldgate E1 A three bedroom two bathroom apartment for sale in Londinium Tower This apartment offers a wonderfully bright south and west dual aspect reception room, which gives access to a spacious terrace providing fantastic views towards Tower Bridge. The property features 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a separate modern kitchen which benefits from integrated appliances and parking. EPC:C. Approximately: 77.34 sq m (832 Sq ft) Leasehold: approximately 980 years
Guide price: £749,950
KnightFrank.co.uk/aldgate aldgate@knightfrank.com 020 3544 0712
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/ALD160023
City Magazine March 2017 1 page (79 Londinium)
07/02/2017 18:08:26
FOUND Your perfect tenant. Let with Knight Frank. Our local expertise and global network mean that we can find a reliable tenant for your property; and with an average tenancy of nearly two years, Knight Frank not only helps you find them - but keep them as well. KnightFrank.co.uk/aldgate aldgatelettings@knightfrank.com 020 3823 9930 Guide price: £600 per week
Charles Hayward House, Bethnal Green, E2
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Bright and airy 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment located in the brand new Mettle and Poise Development. The property is located moments from the famous Columbia Road and a short walk to Shoreditch. The new apartment comprises two spacious bedrooms, a large open plan lounge with brand new fully fitted kitchen and a private balcony. EPC: C.
Guide price: £825 per week
Catalina House, Aldgate, E1 A brand new 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with 2 large balconies to rent in Catalina House, phase two of the luxury Goodman’s Fields development. This apartment comes with access to the onsite gymnasium, swimming pool and spa, plus 24 hour concierge and private cinema room. EPC: B.
All potential tenants should be advised that as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property. Please ask us for more information about other fees that may apply or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
Computer Generated Image of Canaletto
ELEVATED LIVING, EXCEPTIONAL LIFEST YLE Luxurious 3 Bedroom Apartments with Extensive Views Over London from ÂŁ3.2m. These Outstanding Apartments are Ready to Move into and the Exquisite Amenities Include a Pool, Full Spa Facilities, Treatment Rooms, Gymnasium, Private Cinema, 24 Hour Concierge, Leisure Lounge and the Exclusive 24th floor Club Canaletto. Beautifully furnished apartment available for viewing. For an appointment please contact: +44 (0)20 7608 1825 | 257 City Road, EC1V 1AD | sales@canalettolondon.com | www.canalettolondon.com
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ZEST HOUSE, E8 ● ● ● ●
3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms Approx. 890 sq ft (91 sq m) Balcony
● ● ● ●
Fully fitted kitchen 24 Hour concierge Located in zone 2 EPC: B
£665 per week Furnished For more information, call Neil Short 020 3183 5949 or email Neil.Short@eu.jll.com
Potential tenants are advised that administration fees may be payable when renting a property. Please ask for details of our charges.
16-17 Royal Exchange London EC3V 3LL
jll.co.uk/residential
SLOANE APARTMENTS, E1 ● ● ● ●
3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms Approx. 965 sq ft (88.8 sq m) Balcony
● ● ● ●
City skyline views 24 Hour concierge Located in zone 1 EPC: B
£950,000 Leasehold For more information, call Barry Monaghan 020 3183 5949 or email Barry.Monaghan@eu.jll.com
16-17 Royal Exchange London EC3V 3LL
jll.co.uk/residential
Mayfair Showroom 66 Grosvenor Street, London, W1K 3JL 28 offices in Central London and over 60 across London
Camden Road, N7 ÂŁ3,500,000
This former tram shed has been converted into a truly unique freehold house. The property has a spectacular open plan kitchen/living and dining room with direct access to a south facing roof terrace, five double bedrooms three of which have en suite bathrooms, two separate family bathrooms and a private garage, energy rating c. Dexters Tufnell Park 020 7267 5500
Weymouth Street, W1W ÂŁ2,750,000
An attractive second floor flat in this impressive portered mansion block on Weymouth Street. Recently refurbished, the property has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious reception room and separate kitchen with breakfast area and access to a lift, energy rating c. Dexters Marylebone 020 7224 5544
dexters.co.uk
St James’s Place, SW1A
Clink Street, SE1
An elegant Grade II Listed townhouse which is presented in excellent condition throughout. There are three reception rooms, five bedrooms, five bathrooms and a patio terrace, energy rating e.
A three bedroom riverside apartment within a warehouse conversion. The property has a large reception room/kitchen and a private balcony, energy rating d.
Dexters Mayfair 020 7590 9590
Dexters London Bridge 020 7483 6390
Hoxton Street, N1
Ada Street, E8
Set within a historical red brick building is this unique two/three bedroom duplex apartment. The property benefits from a private decked balcony and is ideally situated in the heart of Hoxton, energy rating e.
A stunning three double bedroom penthouse apartment in Hackney. Split across two levels, there is a large reception room/kitchen, three bathrooms and an elongated balcony, energy rating b.
Dexters Shoreditch 020 7483 6372
Dexters Hackney 020 7483 6396
£3,500 per week
£1,600 per week
£2,200 per week
£775 per week
Tenants fees apply: £180 per tenancy towards administration, £60 reference fee per tenant and £144 towards the end of tenancy check out report (all inc VAT).
LETTINGS
1
£495 pw | £2,145 pcm
1
Fusion Court, Sclater Street, Shoreditch, E1 • 615 sq ft • Floor to ceiling windows
• Access to communal roof terrace
• Walking distance to Shoreditch High Street and Liverpool Street stations
LETTINGS | SALES | MANAGEMENT | SERVICED APARTMENTS
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EPC: B
For more information call our Tower Bridge branch on: 020 7234 0666
SALES
1
£660,000
1
Great Suffolk Street, Southwark, SE1 • 740 sq ft
• Communal courtyard
• 3rd floor
• Moments from Southwark station
EPC: D
• Secure underground parking
For more information call our County Hall branch on: 020 7620 1600
liferesidential.co.uk
20/02/2017 17:35:03
Beckenham 020 8663 4433 Bromley 020 8315 5544
Chislehurst 020 8295 4900 Locksbottom 01689 882 988
Orpington 01689 661 400 West Wickham 020 8432 7373
Farnborough Park BR6
Shirley CR0
A unique opportunity to acquire an exquisite family home, set in one of Kent’s finest private estates.
Four double bedroom detached family home, ideally located for excellent schools and transport.
£2,595,000 F/H
£1,150,000 F/H
Four bedrooms
Four bathrooms
Four bedrooms
Three bathrooms
Three receptions
EER C
Two receptions
EER D
Contact Locksbottom 01689 882 988
Contact West Wickham 020 8432 7373
Bromley BR1 Stunning detached family home built by renowned luxury house builders Shanley Homes in 2009.
£1,250,000 F/H Five bedrooms
Three bathrooms
Two receptions
EER C
Contact Bromley 020 8315 5544
The Acorn Group, incorporating:
langfordrussell.co.uk
T H E G R E A T E S T O U T D O O R S
COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGES. PRICES CORRECT AS AT TIME OF PRINT.
BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR L I V I N G S PAC E S , M O M E N T S F RO M C A NA RY W H A R F
A PA RT M E N T P R I C E S F R O M £ 6 1 7, 5 0 0
VISIT THE SHOW SUITE 020 3627 9561 WA R D I A N .C O M
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DEVELOPMENT SHOWCASE Gardens in the sky
EcoWorld Ballymore brings botanical beauty to Canary Wharf with Wardian London
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coWorld Ballymore, one of London’s most prominent property developers, is currently selling units in both the West and East Towers of Wardian London, the new riverside development located moments from Canary Wharf. As well as being one of Europe’s leading financial and business employment clusters, Canary Wharf is a major retail destination that includes five shopping malls and new leisure development, Crossrail Place. Wardian is just a threeminute walk from Cabot Square and includes one and two-bedroom apartments and penthouses situated in two tall towers rising to 50 and 55 storeys. This impressive development is designed by Glenn Howells Architects, with the first residents estimated to move in during 2019. The living population of Canary Wharf is projected to increase by 40 per cent between 2013 and 2028, creating a demand for places for people to live. The area already enjoys great transport links to areas across London, links which will be noticeably improved by the opening of the Crossrail high-speed train line in 2018. This will dramatically cut travel times across London and will link the Canary Wharf area to the capital’s other key areas of business and wealth creation in the City and the West End. The Wardian homes are perfectly placed to benefit from this improved connectivity and there are currently homes available for sale in both the East and West Towers with prices starting from £736,000 for one-bed apartments and £970,000 for two-beds. Wardian London is inspired by the Wardian glass case, created in the 19th century in East London by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward to transport exotic plants around the world. Overlooking South Dock with stunning views of Canary Wharf and the City, this botanically-inspired scheme offers extensive private ‘sky gardens’ that are up to 37.2 square metres. Every resident
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therefore has their own tranquil oasis to escape to. This aims to create outside-in living as part of London’s movement to engage further with its green space. In keeping with the design roots of the building and its namesake, Blackdown Horticulture – leading experts in roof gardens – has collaborated with Wardian
London to make innovative sky gardens available to all buyers. The Gardener, a bespoke indoor and outdoor landscaping service, will provide an assortment of plant packages and comprehensive garden maintenance, tailored to fit residents’ lifestyles. These plant collections will display a seasonal variety, which allow the elevated outdoors to move with nature’s rhythms. There will also be a florist on-site and The Gardener will be bringing the exceptionally rare Wollemi pine to Wardian, as well as a collection of more than 100 species of other succulents, rare plants, trees and flowers to provide high style and a thick, verdant landscape floor to all communal areas of the development. The West Tower will feature the serene Western Garden – a large landscaped area extending to four storeys, on the western side of the building and the development will include a vibrant rooftop observatory bar, two restaurants, a cinema, gym and 25-metre open air swimming pool set within a flourishing tropical environment. Every resident will become a member of The Wardian Club, allowing access to these first-class facilities. As with all its properties, Ballymore manage development after completion so that residents will experience excellent services including a 24-hour concierge. Prices at Wardian London start at £736,000 for a one-bed apartment. First completions are scheduled for 2019. For more information call 020 7436 1222 or visit wardianlondon.com
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A world famous view only a few will call home Discover London’s new riverfront address The Dumont is the centre-piece of Albert Embankment Plaza, London’s most prestigious new riverfront residents quarter. Soaring 30 storeys it affords unparalleled views over the most famous stretch of the River Thames and a lifestyle without equal. Facilities include ten-pin bowling, games room, cinema, 12th floor lounge, dining room and roof gardens. Along with a state-of-the-art gym, infinity pool, spa and 24-hour concierge service. A collection of suites, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments with elegant interiors are available.
Prices from £595,000 Coming soon – to register your interest please call 020 3740 2695 or email dumont.london@stjames.co.uk To discover more visit www.thedumont.co.uk or the Marketing Suite at 21 Albert Embankment. Sales & Marketing Suite open daily 10am to 6pm. Prices and details correct at time of going to press. Computer generated image is indicative only.
www.thedumont.co.uk Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies
YABSLEY STREET, CANARY WHARF, LONDON E14 9BH
B R O A D E N YO U R H O R I Z O N S AT T H E H E A R T O F C A N A R Y W H A R F
An exclusive collection of penthouses set within a striking waterside development, each with its own dramatic views across the London skyline.
TWO LUXURIOUS PENTHOUSES READY TO MOVE IN NOW • BREATHTAKING VIEWS • THE SUMMIT OF LUXURY • HIGH SPECIFICATION • A WORLD CLASS LOCATION • RESIDENTIAL GYMNASIUM • 24HR CONCIERGE • STRONG INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY • EXCELLENT CONNECTIVITY
Priced from £1.425m to include parking
020 3538 5619 horizons@telfordhomes.london
www.horizons-apartments.co.uk
Photography of Horizons. Price correct at time of going to press.
| PROPERTY |
Insider Knowledge
the post-brexit market diana alam, head of residential development sales, jll
T
he question of how Brexit has impacted the London property market still lingers, and, in truth, the national and London market has responded to the referendum outcome in a more favourable way than most commentators expected. London’s market weaknesses pre-date the referendum and are largely borne out of changes to stamp duty, which impacted high-value properties. The immediate aftermath of Brexit was a turbulent time for the London residential property market and the longterm impacts are yet to be seen, but in the short term we expect relative price and rent stability. In prime London, the perceived threats to the financial services sector have exacerbated the negative impacts from higher stamp duty changes announced in 2014 and 2015. However, a devalued pound has opened up a large buying opportunity, notably from the dollarpegged currencies of the Middle East and Asia. Paradoxically, prime London may be the one housing market in the UK to see upward pressure on price as a result of the referendum decision. London developers have been forced to curb activity post-referendum in response to rising costs and slowing price growth. A greater exposure to high-density schemes that require bigger financial commitments
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London developers have been forced to curb activity post-referendum in response to rising costs also represents too great a risk for some. This will have a knock-on supply impact and ultimately place upward pressure on new-build prices. However, strong rental demand continues and this will support the conversion of some ‘for sale’ schemes to the burgeoning build-to-rent market, where institutional investment demand continues to strengthen despite the referendum outcome.
City & East Market Update When we look to east London, Q4 of 2016 remained stable in the Canary Wharf residential sales market. There is still a wide choice of available stock in the E14 area, ranging from properties that would suit first-time buyers to large penthouses. Most of the activity has been below the £600,000 bracket, but Q4 demonstrated some positive signs that this is increasing, with several sales agreed around the £900,000 to £1.25m price point. Meanwhile, in the City, the market showed encouraging signs of recovery with a strong finish to Q4 2016 and a flurry of exchanges following a tense few
weeks post-Brexit. The weakening sterling has brought an increase in overseas activity, which in turn has increased ‘UKbased’ interest. There is a good selection of both offplan and completed stock in the City, with prices ranging from £500,000 to the higherend apartments in excess of £2m. There is still uncertainty in this area, but with news of large City-based companies ‘un-freezing’ their hiring, we hope to see more investors taking advantage of strong rental demand, and increased levels of owner-occupiers returning to the market. East London is still an attractive option for buyers and east London locations are at present offering the best value for money, as well as strong growth stories. We think areas such as Hackney will benefit from Crossrail as commuters can travel into Liverpool Street and then quickly on to Canary Wharf or the West End. We therefore predict these areas will become more attractive to a wider group of working Londoners. For more information, please call 020 7337 4004 or email diana.alam@eu.jll.com
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The PENTHOUSE
COLLECTION E XQUISITE PENTHOUSE APARTMENTS OF E XCEPTIONAL SIZE , FE ATURING CUTTING EDGE DESIGN BY AWARD WINNING ARCHITECTS SQUIRE & PARTNERS
‘The Penthouse Collection’ occupies the tenth floor of Wyndham Apartments, The River Gardens’ third phase. Interiors sensitively considered to create sophisticated, contemporary living. Commanding spectacular far reaching views on London’s skyline, Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory. Two and three bedroom penthouses range from 990 sq ft to 1421 sq ft with expansive terraces perfect for entertaining and creating a sense of space. Complete and ready to occupy.
The River Gardens at Royal Greenwich is a vibrant new quarter stretching 300m along the banks of the Thames. Ideally positioned, around four beautifully landscaped garden squares within a 12 acre site, adjacent to historic Greenwich Village and close to the world renowned O2 Arena. All this combined with excellent leisure facilities, secure underground parking and transport links makes The River Gardens a very special place to live and a prime investment opportunity.
PRICES FROM
£915,000
Call for more information 020 3747 6111 or email sales@therivergardens.com
therivergardens.com Computer generated image indicative only.
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO Best of both worlds
Spring is in the air and there are some great investments to be made on the London property scene. These developments share great amenities, location, design and landscaping Queenshurst, © Swinson Berkeley Group
Queenshurst, © Swinson Berkeley Group
Queenshurst, kt2
A new phase of 93 homes has now been released at Berkeley Homes’ Queenshurst in Kingston upon Thames. The contemporary collection features a blend of Manhattan suites and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, all available to purchase off-plan and finished to Berkeley’s premium standard and superior specification. The homes will be ready for occupation in the latter half of 2017. Queenshurst is perfectly positioned for residents to enjoy the vibrancy and regeneration of this fashionable district of London, as well as train journeys of as little as 31 minutes into the centre of the city. Designed with busy lifestyles in mind, Queenshurst provides residents with exclusive and convenient use of an on-site gym, cinema room, Wi-Fi lobby and business suite. The new homes frame a private landscaped courtyard and linear park,
while a restaurant and commercial space to the east of the development provide further leisure facilities, reflecting Berkeley’s ethos of high-quality placemaking. Demand for phase two is expected to be high, according to Vita De Vita, project sales manager at Queenshurst. She says, “Professionals make up a large proportion of our purchasers. These buyers are looking to upgrade their home but want to remain in Kingston for the fantastic connections to the city and extensive amenities in the area. The tranquillity of the nearby River Thames and two of the largest royal parks, Richmond and Bushey, coupled with Kingston’s excellent education establishments, make it an ideal move for families, too.”
From £445,000 for a Manhattan suite
queenshurst, kt2 020 3393 9886 queenshurst.co.uk
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| PROPERTY |
thirty2, nw3
At Thirty2, Fairview New Homes has combined wellconnected, stylish city living with Hampstead village life. Part of Fairview’s Prestige collection, only 56 apartments will be sold within this boutique development, housed within one striking building on Lawn Road. Buyers can choose from luxury studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with a specification that includes integrated appliances, fitted wardrobes and oak veneer doors. Thirty2 is close to Hampstead Heath, where residents can head for a stroll to take in the sprawling green open space and stunning views over London, and is a short walk away from Belsize Park Underground station, placing Tottenham Court Road just 11 minutes away on the Northern Line. It is also close to Hampstead Heath station. From £500,000 for a studio apartment
The Dumont, © St James Group
Albert Embankment, se1
Albert Embankment by St James (part of the Berkeley Group) is a trio of iconic mixed-use developments, including The Corniche, which has 252 apartments; Merano Residences, which offers 40 homes; and The Dumont, a collection of 186 high-specification apartments designed by David Walker Architects. Launching later this spring, The Dumont will complete the riverside destination between Vauxhall and Westminster with an elegant 30-storey tower that both complements and contrasts with its neighbouring developments. It will also present the final chance for buyers to be part of one of central London’s most sought after waterfront communities, which, once complete, will be a thriving neighbourhood that can be enjoyed by residents, visitors and workers alike.
The Corniche, © St James Group
From £595,000
albert embankment, se1 020 8246 4190 berkeleygroup.co.uk
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thirty2, nw3 080 8149 7287 fairview.co.uk
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LAWN ROAD | HAMPS T E AD NW3 2XU
BRAND NEW A PA R T M E N T S I N
HAMPSTEAD H AV E N E V E R B E E N EA SIER TO REACH
S TA M P D U T Y PA I D
*
S T U D I O, 1, 2 & 3 B E D R O O M A PA R T M E N T S FROM £500,000 MARKETING SUITE & SHOW APARTMENT OPEN DAILY, 10AM – 5PM
CALL
0808 250 8843 TODAY
www.fairview.co.uk *Stamp Duty paid on selected plots only, for sales completed before 31/03/17. Not applicable to investors, second home and buy to let purchasers. Please speak to a Sales Advisor for more information. Price and details correct at time of going to press. Image representative only.
*Price correct at time of going to press.
All apartments benefit from the use of the residents’ private dining room overlooking the Dan Pearson designed courtyard garden
STAY HOME FOR THE BEST OF CITY LIFE
When it comes to an address, King’s Cross has it all – right at the heart of London. Unbeatable connections, the historic Regent’s Canal, beautiful parks, gardens and squares, education, shopping, eating, culture, its very own Everyman Cinema and Paris in just over two hours. Three bedroom apartments from £1,800,000*, available for immediate occupation.
Visit the show apartment and marketing suite Monday to Saturday, contact us on 020 7205 4246 14-15 Stable Street, London N1C 4AB plimsollkingscross.co.uk
| PROPERTY |
Blackwall Reach
More than just a new development – a brand new destination
L
aunched on 18 February at the Canary Riverside Plaza Hotel, Blackwall Reach, from award-winning developer NU living, is a fresh, fashionable and, above all, different development. As one of London’s largest regeneration projects, it will eventually provide more than 1,500 new homes. This exciting first phase, with a stunning 24-storey tower at its heart, will offer one, two and three-bedroom contemporary apartments and penthouses, many of which will provide stunning river or city views. Formerly a pioneering urban estate of the 1960s, Blackwall Reach will completely transform this whole area with the provision of enhanced open spaces, new shops and community facilities, setting a new benchmark of quality in a location steeped in seafaring and shipbuilding history. Ideally located adjacently to Blackwall DLR Station, the West End, Canary Wharf, Stratford and the City are all just minutes away. And with the new Canary Wharf Crossrail station due to begin operations in 2018, it will be even quicker to travel across the capital. Every one of the apartments at Blackwall Reach will offer the same high specification, to deliver luxurious comfort. This is evident in the handleless, matte-finish kitchens with under-unit LED lighting and a full range of integrated energy efficient appliances. A quartz worktop with matching upstand is complemented by a stylish glass splashback. The bathrooms are no less opulent and feature large format porcelain wall tiling with a tiled bath panel and a range of contemporary white sanitaryware. The specification also includes a thermostatic bath/ shower mixer, a mirror cabinet and chrome-heated towel rail. En-suites also benefit from a chromeframed glass shower enclosure with a low-profile shower tray.
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Other features include underfloor heating via an eco-friendly centralised boiler system that will supply heating and hot water, engineered timber flooring and the provision of flexible winter gardens to all apartments. A unique addition, the winter gardens are accessed via sliding or opening doors from the living/dining area and master bedroom. Designed to be more multifunctional than a traditional balcony, this space has downlights and underfloor heating beneath porcelain floor tiles to provide you with a versatile space that can be enjoyed all year round. Additionally, the spacious interior lobby creates an environment that is as inviting as it is exclusive. Working from here, the concierge will offer residents a full range of essential services to help make London living comfortable and stress-free. Prices start from £420,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. For more information, call 0203 151 7058 or visit blackwallreach.co.uk
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A CALM S PA C E IN A VIBRANT PLACE
Prices and details correct at time of going to press. Computer generated image is indicative only and subject to change. Walking times source: *walkit.com
Queenshurst - Phase 2 Now Launched A new collection of Manhattan suites, one, two and three bedroom apartments and duplexes just 5 minutes walk* from Kingston’s train station and town centre. A private residents’ gym and concierge add to the range of leisure facilities nearby, giving residents a truly enviable lifestyle.
Prices starting from £445,000. Call to book your appointment 020 3468 3251. Sales & Marketing Suite: Sury Basin, Kingston, KT2 5NZ. Open daily 10am – 6pm (Thursdays 8pm).
www.queenshurst.co.uk
Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies