Kensington & Chelsea Magazine January 2017 by Runwild Media Group

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CONTENTS 14

Into the Wild

Out of Africa

Ahead of the Adventure Travel Show at Olympia this January, four female explorers reveal what it’s like to live life on the edge

Travel connoisseur Geoffrey Kent tells Lauren Stevens about growing up in the wild and founding Abercrombie & Kent

Halle of Fame

Sun Worship

Olivia von Halle talks travel, trends and tracksuits following the release of her Missy range and partnership with Mr & Mrs Smith

Pay tribute to the dusky landscape of Morocco with floaty bohemian dresses from this season’s Resort 2017 collections

Top Wellness Retreats 2017

Game of Stones

Our experts discover the European spas and fitness resorts championing wellness for the mind, body and soul this year

Ellen Millard meets Lara Bohinc to discuss the designer’s new collection with long-term collaborator Lapicida

This magazine is distributed throughout the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, including Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill and Holland Park, and parts of Belgravia, Fulham and Hyde Park

On the Cover... 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Donatella Versace taking over her brother’s fashion house as creative director. Now a tour de force in an industry where familyrun businesses are few and far between, the designer has released a new book celebrating the brand’s heritage and her influential role in its trajectory from an independent boutique to global powerhouse. With photography by Steven Meisel, Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, Donatella Versace cuts a striking image of her life at the helm of her business and her status as a 21st-century fashion icon. Discover more on page 53.

Cover image: Versace by Donatella Versace, Maria Luisa Frisa and Stefano Tonchi, £60, rizzoliusa.com; photography: Rahi Rezvani

34 Blancpain

90 Namibia

94 Vietnam

J A N U A RY 2 0 1 7 s i s s u e 0 5 9 Editor Olivia Sharpe Assistant Editor Ellen Millard Editorial Assistant Lauren Stevens Senior Designer Catherine Johnson Design Intern Paris Fielder Production Hugo Wheatley Danny Lesar Alice Ford Jamie Steele Client Relationship Director Friday Dalrymple Executive Director Sophie Roberts General Manager Fiona Fenwick Managing Director Eren Ellwood

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Editor’s Letter

Fashion

Drinking & Dining

102

Collection

Local News

Art & Antiques

Home & Garden

Health & Beauty

Travel

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Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Ltd. takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

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From the EDITOR With everything that happened in 2016, there were times when I seriously considered leaving the UK. If you too shared my sentiments, then I hope this issue – dedicated to all things travel - will inspire you to seek new adventures in 2017. Geoffrey Kent, founder and CEO of luxury travel specialist Abercrombie & Kent, is a well-travelled man. Born and raised in Africa, his spirit for adventure was nurtured from a young age and was what later led him to found a company dedicated to offering people once-in-a-lifetime holiday experiences. The real-life Indiana Jones-meets-James Bond speaks to Lauren Stevens about his pioneering exploits (p.46). When it comes to a jet-setting lifestyle, Dsquared2 founders and identical twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten are similarly well-versed on the subject. (Of course, their chosen mode of transport would likely be a private jet, not a safari Jeep.) As the fashion duo launch their first ever skiwear collection, they discuss their winter sport hotspots, suitcase essentials and favourite hotels in the world (p.14). While we have spared you from the ‘new year, new you’ mantra that journalists love to spout at this time of year, we have incorporated some wellness into this issue to get you feeling fresh and rejuvenated for 2017. Top beauty and spa experts offer their advice on the best health retreats in Europe to visit, from medispa La Réserve Genève to the celebrated Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo. Visit pages 23 to 27 for the full run-down. Someone else who knows all about luxury travel is Olivia von Halle. The glamorous trend forecaster-turned-designer recently partnered with boutique hotel concierge company Mr & Mrs Smith on a limited-edition gift card and her latest Resort 2017 collection has been inspired by Morocco’s exotic Marrakech. Now, as her brand moves steadily into ready-to-wear with the recent launch of her tracksuit range, she sits down with me to discuss trends, travel inspirations, leisurewear and PJs (p.18). Finally, over in our dedicated watches section, Richard Brown delves into the depths of Blancpain’s diving watch history as it launches its new conservation-driven charity timepiece (p.34). I pray that this issue will motivate you to seek new horizons in 2017. I feel certain we could all do with it.

Editor

Olivia Sharpe Follow us on Twitter @KandCMagazine or email KCeditor@runwildgroup.co.uk with any comments

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Wild

Into the

This January a bumper crop of seasoned explorers take a break from their travels to host a series of talks, seminars and celebrations at the Adventure Travel Show at Olympia. Ellen Millard speaks to four of the inspiring women attending about their experiences out in the wild Images courtesy of: Rebecca Stephens

Moving Mountains Journalist-turned-mountaineer Rebecca Stephens MBE explains how she accidentally became the first British woman to climb Mount Everest

It was journalism that took me to the Himalayas. One of the climbers going on the expedition had remembered that I was a writer and invited me to report on a climb up Everest’s north-west ridge. It still have to pinch myself when I think how I was able to do it; it was just such an exciting assignment. There weren’t any other British women who tried to climb Mount Everest before me – it’s extraordinary. I suppose it has to happen to somebody, but I was incredibly lucky that it happened to me. It was something I badly wanted to do and then I found myself with this label. Unquestionably, the most challenging part of the climb was when we missed the first opportunity to make the summit bid. Retreating off the mountain back to camp was absolutely heartbreaking. The only reason I was able to turn around was because two Sherpas came back up the mountain and were in

a position to climb with me. Even then we didn’t think we were going to make it by a long way; the weather forecast was so bad. There was one moment during the descent that should have been scary, but wasn’t at all. We were retreating from the summit and the weather closed in. We couldn’t see anything and we daren’t move, so we just had to sit there and wait to see what would happen. What fascinated me was that I felt totally and utterly at peace. We have an adrenal gland that pumps adrenaline around our body if there’s something to fight or fly away from, but, because there was nothing to fly away from and nothing to fight, we were beyond that stage and in a place of acceptance. For four consecutive years I’ve taken students from the Erasmus University up Mount Kilimanjaro and it’s tremendously rewarding. You see people who might normally be in a business setting in a totally different environment. On one trip, over half of them had never slept in a tent before, which was rather alarming. What I love is experiential learning, where you’re not just telling the story, but triggering stories in people’s own lives. rebeccastephens.com

feature Image courtesy of: Ness Knight

Going Solo Adventurer Ness Knight discusses her latest expedition in Namibia and her plans to set a new world record as the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean

Photography: Ross George

Namibia was incredible. I took all of the most extreme bits of the previous expeditions I’d done – the terrain, pushing my endurance limits and the heat – and tried to up the level, as it were. I thought I knew what to expect and it blew me away; it was even harder and tougher than I expected but it was the most incredible expedition. I took a fat bike out there and tested it to its absolute limits, and took my mind and body to new extremes, too. I definitely reached both limits. As much as possible it was a self-supported expedition, but it is absolutely impossible to go through remote wilderness and carry enough water in a country where there is no water. I went through hundreds of riverbeds and all of them were dry. Where I could, I would get water from natural resources, but I also planned ahead and cached water and food where I could. There were quite a few days where I suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration. On one of those days I was actually a couple of hundred metres away from a fresh lion kill that had happened the day

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before and I completely blacked out. I was found by the lion warden unconscious by the side of the road. It was a postcard that inspired me to quit my nine-to-five job. I worked in digital marketing and it was really fulfilling, but I didn’t want to sit behind a computer for the rest of my life. I found this postcard that said, ‘What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?’ I stuck it to my screen at work and never paid much attention to it until one day I was fed up and for the first time took hold of what it meant. I wrote down what I would do if I knew I wouldn’t fail, and that was to go out and find my passion in the outdoor wilderness. Preparation for my solo row across the Pacific Ocean is in earnest. At the moment I’m focusing on raising sponsorship for it and the next step is to get the boat built. In a funny way I think it’s probably going to be harder to get to the start line of the expedition than out on the ocean. You can plan all you like with Google Maps on your computer at home, but it’s nothing compared to being out there. That’s what draws us in as explorers; it’s a way to test yourself when you’re going into the unknown. There’s no way I can prepare myself for what to expect on the Pacific Row, but I will find out when I get out there. nessknight.com

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Photography: Natalia Cohen

Making Waves Natalia Cohen, one sixth of the Coxless Crew, the first allfemale team of rowers to cross the Pacific Ocean, reveals what kept her motivated on the water

I saw an advert for the expedition on a website. I had just finished a contract managing a safari lodge in Tanzania and I was having a look to see what opportunities were around. The fact that I’d never rowed before was a consideration, but in my heart of hearts I always believed that the expedition would be a 90 per cent mental journey. The training was very intense. We did a lot of practical training because we wanted to be as prepared as we could so we aligned ourselves with experts in every field. We did sea survival skills, a capsize drill, a 48-hour row, and lots of strength and conditioning training. It was a mental journey and as individuals we all very much had our own inner struggles and demons that we battled. We had to return to shore after 10 days of being out to sea because we had a contained fire that affected one of our batteries. We needed to make a decision as to whether to continue with one battery or return to land. Within five minutes of making the decision to carry on the second charge controller blew. That was really demoralising and devastating, but I think it was an incredible lesson.

I think women have a stronger, natural empathy and compassion for one another. That was very evident out on the ocean because we had this mutual respect for each other. There’s an incredibly special bond of sisterhood that women have and that was something I was quite interested in. We saw so much wildlife. In the first week we had a humpback whale breach metres from the boat, which was mind-blowing. We saw sharks, which we named after Spanish men. I loved Fernando, he followed us for two weeks and we don’t know why. There was a Galapagos shark during leg three that we called Eduardo and he would visit us at night, which was quite special. I’m coaching others through the Best Year Yet programme and helping them to cross their own Pacific. One thing that we really believe is that we may have crossed our literal Pacific, but everybody has their own ‘Pacific’ to cross and challenges that they have to face. There were so many wonderful insights that were reinforced when we were out on the ocean and I really want to prove to everyone that we can do anything that we set our minds to. coxlesscrew.com

feature Image courtesy of: Laura Bingham

Wheels of Fortune At the ripe old age of 23, Laura Bingham has already sailed the Atlantic Ocean and cycled the breadth of South America with no money. Here she describes how she survived on the kindness of strangers

The founder of charity Operation South America had told me a story of two girls who were so used to eating one meal every other day that they didn’t know they were supposed to actually eat three times a day. I was just so shocked by that story that I wanted to raise money and awareness for them. I also wanted to learn what it must feel like to be them and to be able to empathise with them a little bit better, so I set about trying to do the expedition without any money to learn what real hunger and true desperation is. It was bloody difficult. The start was 20 times harder than the end; we started in Ecuador in the Andes and I learned what that feeling of desperation was like. I would go to bakeries crying and asking for stale bread and I managed to get just enough food to make it through, whereas by the end in Argentina I was having to tell people to stop giving me food because I had too much and couldn’t carry it. At one point I’d been cycling for two days with a flat tyre and I hadn’t realised. I was trying to figure out what to do and this couple stopped and offered to help. They took me to a bike shop but it didn’t stock the right tyre type so I had to go to another town that was a seven-hour journey away. The couple let me stay with them for the day and the night, paid for my bus ticket to the next town and a hotel room and then they took me to the bike shop, paid for the tyre to be fixed, paid for a new tyre and then paid for a bus to take me back to where they found me. It was really incredible. If there’s one thing I learned out of the whole thing, it’s how important smiling is. When you see people on the street, even if you don’t have any change, the kindest thing you can do is smile at them and register that they’re there and that they’re a human. I’ve got 87 things on my travel bucket list. There are weird things like stomping on grapes and learning another foreign language, swimming with sharks, visiting Antarctica, going to the carnival in Rio de Janeiro, seeing a solar eclipse, learning to tango and going on a cruise – I’ve always wondered what that was like. Everything has its charm and I just want to learn and know what everything feels like. laurabingham.org

The Women at the Edge panel will be hosted by Rebecca Stephens MBE and will include Ness Knight, Laura Bingham, Natalia Cohen, Justine Gosling and Paula Reid, 21 January, 12-12.30pm. Tickets for the Adventure Travel Show are on sale now, £8, 21-22 January, Olympia, W14, adventureshow.com

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This page: Vita Zayna silk nightshirt set, ÂŁ310, The Marrakech collection; all images courtesy of: Olivia von Halle

Halle With the launch of her recent tracksuit range and various collaborations afoot, Olivia von Halle is on the fast track to becoming a staple British brand. Olivia Sharpe meets the designer who has put glamour back into nightwear and leisure into sportswear

interview

few weeks ago, Gigi Hadid was caught by Daily Mail spies walking the streets of New York in tracksuits, trainers and a long white coat, which was trailing on the floor and collecting dirt. This unremarkable piece of news didn’t fail to attract the attention of Olivia von Halle who, because of it, had a very good day in the office indeed. For Hadid wasn’t rocking just any old pair of joggers, but the nightwear designer’s new Missy range, launched for A/W16. I happen to meet von Halle on the day of this press announcement, at the launch party of her collaboration with Mr & Mrs Smith. As expected, she is in high spirits. “Did you see Gigi wearing them this morning?” she says excitedly as we sit down. “The Daily Mail seems to write just about anything on those girls.” ‘Those girls’ to whom von Halle is referring are models Jourdan Dunn, Cara Delevingne and Suki Waterhouse, all of whom are also keen supporters of her brand. The designer recently partnered with Mr & Mrs Smith on a limited-edition gift card inspired by her Marrakech Resort 2017 collection. With von Halle’s love of travel and luxury going hand in hand, the boutique hotel concierge couldn’t have hoped for a better ambassador. Launched in 2011 as a British nightwear brand specialising in silk pyjamas, Olivia von Halle has quickly garnered an international following. She is constantly travelling across the globe as her brand increases its presence in the Middle East, Japan, Russia and America – the latter of which has just taken over the UK as its most important market. The brand has also taken off in major Asian cities, including Shanghai (where von Halle visits several times each year to monitor productions), Seoul and Hong Kong. The designer’s jet-setting lifestyle is what sparked the creation of her newest tracksuit line, having wanted to create the essential travel piece.

Each colourway has been named after a major city, with understated grey representing London’s urban landscape, refined ivory for Moscow, and so on. However, like she did with her coveted pyjama range, she has elevated the humble tracksuit and transformed it into a staple wardrobe item. “So many of us are wearing tracksuits to the office now,” she comments. “So about three years ago I suddenly thought, ‘Gasp – I need a tracksuit that I can wear all the time under an overcoat.’ They are beautiful trousers because they’re loungewear, but they have a glamorous edge to them.” The designer has done away with the product’s traditional synthetic fabric and replaced it with cashmere sourced from Outer Mongolia and Chinese woven silk. These exquisite fabrics have been cleverly juxtaposed with an oversized, slouchy cut, giving the overall piece a modern, casual look. Traditional tracksuit design elements, such as a long stripe running down the side of each leg and a drawstring bow, also feature. As a result, her Missy tracksuits are no longer restricted to the skies as the perfect plane get-up, but, as highlighted by the likes of Hadid, have hit the ground running, showcasing the burgeoning trend for loungewear as daywear. Von Halle admits how casual clothes have never really interested her – “I’ve never been a jeans and jumper kind of girl” – as is evident when I meet her. Channelling her fashion icons Daphne Guinness, Isabella Blow

This page, clockwise from top right: Remy raspberry silk nightdress, £310, The Marrakech collection; Zahra eyemask and bag, £65; Remy plum silk nightdress, £310; Capability Soumaya full-length silk-robe, £650

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and 1920s starlets, she is wearing an elegant white floor-length dress by Italian designer Alessandra Rich, which she has paired with a Céline oversized metallic clutch, Jessica McCormack jewellery and a vintage Cartier ruby ring she inherited from her family. Von Halle possesses a rare ability of being able to foreshadow fashion trends ahead of the industry, a talent she discovered as young as 14. “I’m not trying to say I have some magical gift,” she says, laughing, “but I remember becoming obsessed with one particular product and then two years later it would become the thing that everyone wanted. It’s all about being able to spot the beauty in things that other people find ugly.” After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in fashion and textiles management, she put her talent to good use and became a trend forecaster, helping international brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Lamborghini stay ahead of the luxury game.

“It’s all about being able to spot the beauty in things that other people find ugly” In 2008, she moved to Shanghai with her husband (who is now the company’s financial director) and continued working as a forecaster. In a city where the average height for women is 5ft 3, 6ft tall von Halle found it impossible to find clothes to match her stature and so had to rely on a tailor to replicate designer dresses. It was then that she came obsessed with men’s silk pyjamas and so set about creating the perfect pair. In so doing, von Halle tapped into the now ubiquitous concept of nightwear as daywear before many of her peers, foreseeing the market for bedtime glamour. “For ages it was such an ignored category and brands were releasing nightwear that didn’t fit alongside their normal collections at all,” she explains. “It felt as though no one was really putting the effort into it as a product category so that’s what we’re trying to do: to make it the best it can be by using amazing ready-to-wear techniques.”

Now that the rest of the industry has woken up to the ready-to-wear pyjama trend (S/S16 catwalks were filled with sexy slips, Noël Coward-esque dressing gowns and printed PJs), von Halle is going one step further as she slowly manoeuvres her brand into ready-to-wear. “It is something that excites me and is definitely where we’re headed, but it’s all a bit hush-hush for the moment,” she says. While not wanting to give too much way, von Halle hints that she will be expanding the tracksuit line as the trend for luxury athleisure shows no sign of tiring. The designer’s collaboration with Mr & Mrs Smith is not her first. Having always been a fan of the group’s hotels (she and her husband stayed at the Maia Resort in the Seychelles for their honeymoon), she jumped at the chance of creating a collection of eye masks for the travel company last year for its Up All Night campaign. “It has been such a dream working them because it has always been our first choice,” she says. “In the Seychelles, we had our own villa and this amazing bath which our butler would run for us every night with rose petals and champagne. The trouble is that Hugo [her husband] says that it has ruined me for life because every other hotel is now a disappointment!” Last year, von Halle partnered with luxury online retailer Net-a-porter.com on a bridal capsule collection,

L-R: Perminova silk gown in navy, £595; Alba Zahra silk nightshirt set, £310; Bella Alba silk camisole set, £195

interview

Missy New York silk cashmere tracksuit, £950

Perminova silk gown in oyster, £595, The Marrakech collection

Missy tracksuit, photography: James Wright

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encompassing robes, camisole tops, pyjamas and chemises in Italian silk and finished with ivory lace. She also offers bespoke commissions to clients, including monogramming pieces courtesy of embroiderers Hand & Lock, as well as a made-tomeasure service. Special requests have included an American client recently commissioning her to make 10 pairs of matching pyjamas for her and her girlfriends to wear at her baby shower. Travel is a huge inspiration for the designer, as highlighted by the most recent Marrakech range, which captures Morocco’s exotism. Always ready for a new adventure, next on von Halle’s holiday bucket list is South America, particularly São Paulo in Brazil and Cartagena in Colombia. Her suitcase essentials include an Alessandra Rich dress (“In case I meet someone fabulous, which never happens”), white Superga flatforms and, and of course, she wouldn’t be caught dead on the plane without her Missy tracksuits and eye mask. Having recently given birth to her son Hieronymus (Hiero for short), 33-year-old von Halle is for the moment very content at home with him, her husband and their dog Bathtub. With her studio just down the road, she can call up her nanny to bring him round when she misses him, which she tells me as a first-time mum is a godsend. “Having that flexibility of having your own business is amazing,” she says. “My friends who are hotshot lawyers are now having to go back to work full time and so only get to see their kids at the weekends, and that’s really tough.” Living and working in Marylebone, I ask the designer why she settled on Chelsea as the location of her first popup store and, like everything else to do with her brand, the decision wasn’t random. “We considered very carefully about where most of our customers live and a huge percentage of our orders are from SW3, so it just made sense for it to be around there,” she answers. “I also really love Pavilion Road; it has a lovely village feel.” Von Halle’s journey to success has been fairly plain sailing. In just five years, the brand has received many awards for its unique business model, including Walpole’s Brand of Tomorrow in 2013 and The Leap 100 fastest growing and most exciting businesses in the UK. Her company is reportedly expanding at a rate of 50 per cent a year and is currently stocked in some of the most prestigious retailers, including Harrods, Moda Operandi and Bergdorf Goodman. Watching her come on in leaps and bounds, I am looking forward to seeing what von Halle has up her silk sleeves next. Missy tracksuits, from £950, 190 Pavilion Road, SW3, oliviavonhalle.com

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FEATURE

TopWellness retreats 2017 From the best massage to the most advanced medical treatments, and nutritional and fitness programmes, our experts share their top spa and wellness retreats in Europe in 2017 s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

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Vivenda Miranda By Scarlett Russell

Best for… Holistic Wellbeing

One of the most popular European holiday spots is Portugal. Known favourably as ‘the Pearl of the Algarve’, Lagos is a quiet town peppered with rough cliffs and beautiful beaches. Those seeking a truly tranquil break with a heavy dose of luxury should stay at the Boutique Hotel Vivenda Miranda. The hotel’s ethos is cosy and casual, with a focus on sustainable living and holistic wellbeing. Though patrons can opt to stay for as long as they like, the real draw is a number of themed weeks kicking off from March. I try three days of the normally seven dayRegenerative Yoga Retreat, which includes a Royal Ayurveda Massage. The ancient Indian treatment uses warm almond oil and slow, relaxing hand movements. The spa is a cosy candlelit space with two rooms and rustic stone walls. It’s also the only hotel outside of the UK whose spa (and rooms) uses organic Neal’s Yard products. Ninety minutes later, my stiff shoulders and tight hamstrings have disappeared and I’m left feeling fully rejuvenated. I’m told this particular massage is great for postural realignment, strengthened immune system and serves as an anti-depressant. The next morning I awake at 8am for an invigorating outdoor yoga session atop a cliff on the hotel grounds. The teacher gives various options for those at different levels, so that everyone feels stretched out, challenged and oh-sozen an hour later. However, I should warn very advanced yogis that the classes are still rather on the basic side. Dinners are included in the retreat and all food served in the restaurant is freshly prepared and superhealthy. There are numerous vegan and gluten-free options. Expect local, freshly farmed Mediterranean ingredients at all times. If you’re looking for a nutritious and relaxing break, Vivenda Miranda is for you. Currently undergoing a slick refurbishment, its doors will reopen on 2 March, but we advise booking immediately for the break you have been waiting for all of 2016. Rooms at the Boutique Hotel Vivenda Miranda start from €150 per night in a double room including breakfast based on two sharing. Fly to Faro from Luton/Gatwick with Monarch, £35 one way (£60 return) including taxes. See vivendamiranda.com and monarch.co.uk for more information

FEATURE

Best for… Weekend City Detox

Mandarin Oriental, Prague By Ellen Millard

It seems to be a rite of passage that, when January rolls around, the world and his wife don the latest Lululemon garb and knock back a green juice en route to Pilates. Meanwhile, the rest of us attempt to cope with our decision to partake in Dry January (what were we thinking?) and try to come to terms with the fact that we may have eaten a mince pie too many this Christmas. Luckily for us, the Mandarin Oriental in Prague has found an altogether more relaxing way for us to repent our festive sins. The hotel group is renowned for its spa treatments, but the Prague branch stands out not only for its array of remedial therapies, but for its unique location. Set within a former monastery, the hotel has gone to great lengths to preserve the building’s history, so much so that when it was renovated in 2006

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a team of archaeologists as well as the Czech Republic’s ministry of culture oversaw the process. The result is striking, featuring the monastery’s 16th-century walls and a glass floor that reveals what’s left of the original entrance, which no doubt provides an interesting downward-dog-view for the yoga class that takes place there each morning. My treatment, the spa’s signature Oriental Essence massage, focuses on relieving tension in the shoulders and neck (perfect for tired travellers or those with a desk-bound job) and combines aromatherapy with eastern and western practices, along with a mix of acupressure and stretching. My therapist begins by asking me about my sore spots and offering an array of Aromatherapy Associates oils from which to choose. I select a citrus-based scent with lavender, neroli and mandarin, which I’m later told was created for “busy people”. Cynicism takes over when my masseuse chimes the start of the treatment with a small gong, but then my muscles begin to relax in time with the

ringing sound and all doubts are laid to rest. The treatment is a full-body massage, but my therapist delivers on her promise and focuses her efforts on my upper back, even managing to loosen a knot that a previous masseuse had tried but failed to undo. For the rest of my body, the stress points are the focus, with particular attention paid to the legs and feet (which, if you’ve been exploring the city, will surely be in need of some major TLC). Post-treatment I feel revived, with any signs of a 4am airport run well and truly banished. I am left in the tea room with a herbal concoction beneath what would have been the site of the monastery’s original altar, feeling smug that I’ve found the remedy to stress and weary muscles. Outside, the rain hammers against the spa’s glass windows and I decide to lap up my time in here instead of venturing outdoors. The heavens have spoken, after all. The Oriental Essence Massage is available at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Prague, £90; from £230 per room per night, mandarinoriental.com/prague

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Best for… Most ive Progress Spa

Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo By Jo Foley

This luxury spa, frequented by the most elite sports stars, has garnered as much of a reputation for its world-class treatments as it has for its celebrity following. So when it decides to refashion, rework and rethink its spa offerings and programmes, you can bet it does so with the lavish abandon for which it is famed. Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo is a glass-encased palace devoted to health and wellbeing. Following its recent refurbishment, it now comes with a host of new treatments. (Stay at Hôtel Hermitage, which has direct access to the spa through its own private walkway.) The latest acquisition to help regain the body beautiful, reduce inflammation and help alleviate any aches and pains on tired or over-stressed muscles – as well as helping to oxygenate skin so much so that it glows – is the Cryotherapy treatment. It starts in what is quite literally an ice box, which you step into wearing very little except clogs on your feet, a band round your head and ears, and a few wraps around your most vulnerable areas. The first stage lasts precisely one minute in a small chamber where the temperature is -60˚C, after which you open a door and dive into the coldest place you’ll ever experience in your life at -110˚C. The cold is so extreme it literally takes your breath away, but you are advised before entering to keep breathing, slowly and steadily…it’s also a good idea to

keep moving, clap your hands, stamp your feet, wave your arms about. The good bit is that there is no need to panic because the therapist is watching you the whole time, reminding you of the passing seconds. The joy experienced when you hit two minutes is profound. And although you can leave at any time, the euphoria you feel on release is ecstatic – you’re also massively energised. Cryotherapy is just one aspect of the new four-day anti-ageing and silhouette package available – the other is a detox and performance one where diet and exercise play a major part. Both include a medical consultation and assessment alongside a bespoke package of hydrotherapy and other treatments. All begin with a detailed questionnaire divided into six different sections, involving everything from brain function to the digestive system. Best to get this online and fill in before arrival, where the gorgeous Dr Duhem will advise and guide you on what you and your body needs. Other treatments, including state-of-the-art ultrasonic and electrostimulation techniques, are also available, alongside a wide choice of massages, scrubs, wraps and beauty treatments. Sybarites will love the Dead Sea mud wrap, while masochists will opt for La Grande Douche − the pressurised water massage with a hose. Panic not, it’s all over in 10 minutes. Should you need any further tests, from blood to hormone levels to dodgy knees, Monte Carlo has experts on all these in its clinics and hospitals (including a huge centre for sports medicine) and Thermes Marins has access to all. Four-day package from €1,500 excluding accommodation; rooms from €239 per night, thermesmarinsmontecarlo.com

FEATURE

La Réserve Genève

By Angelina Villa-Clarke Think of Swiss spas and you’ll no doubt conjure up images of stark, all-white treatment rooms with a team of matronly therapists on hand to poke and pummel you. Turning the cliché on its head is La Réserve Genève – widely regarded as one of Switzerland’s, if not Europe’s, best spas for its soft-focus approach to medical therapies. While results are firmly at the forefront of its Better Ageing approach, it also delivers when it comes to the all-important cosseting and pampering that is key to the spa experience. Set on the shores of Lake Geneva, outside you’ll discover fresh air and clear vistas. Step inside, however, and it’s a different matter. Jacques Garcia’s African game reserve-inspired decor is rich and decadent. Deep red velvet armchairs, black lacquered walls and animal print carpets give a moody, cocooning feel, which is echoed in the subterranean spa, where the Nescens Better Ageing magic happens. Devised by Professor Jacques Proust, an expert in the science of biological ageing, the programme analyses guests’ lifestyles, fitness levels and biology to give a full 360˚ approach to feeling better and looking younger. Whether you choose the four-day, seven-day or the full-on two-week stay, your first stop is a session with the in-house osteopath Sébastien Ducasse, who can detect a desk slouch from a mile off. After a full lifestyle assessment (discussions range from sleep patterns to examining how you sit at your desk) and body measurements taken, he goes on to advise your own personal trainer, who will create a bespoke exercise regime for your stay and beyond. Then it’s on to the nutritionist, Julie Augustin, who talks through your diet. The spa chef will then create dishes according to her nutritional guidelines, and, invaluably, you will receive tips on what you can improve when you are back at home. Wonderfully practical, there was none of the demonising that can often occur around food choices. “Everyone needs carbs, but maybe just not at the end of the day,” says Augustin. “I don’t believe in

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Best for… Lifestyle Assessment

cutting things you love out. If you want a dessert, have a small one – just don’t overdo it. Life is too short.” After the medical one-on-ones are out of the way, the jam-packed treatment programme kicks in, based around Nescens’ cosmeceutical line of products. Each day you will have a massage according to how you feel. One, for instance, incorporated lymphatic drainage (be warned: it can hurt); others address quality of sleep. Another highlight is the bespoke menu on offer at the uber-chic, organic spa restaurant, Café Lauren. From the John Dory with vegetable risotto to the baby squid served with a tomato broth and Thai rice, everything is exquisitely presented and sublimely tasty. Best of all, you can tuck in knowing that this is seriously healthy fare. Rates at La Réserve Genève start from CHF 550 per room, per night including breakfast. The Nescens Better Ageing four-day programme starts from CHF 3,200; lareserve.ch/en

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Heart’s Desire Graff Diamonds made history last year when it unveiled the largest D Flawless heart-shaped diamond in the world. Weighing in at 118.78 carats, the Graff Venus (as it has been dubbed by the jeweller) was cut from a 357-carat rough diamond discovered in 2015 at the Letšeng mine in Lesotho. Up until that point, this type of cut had never been attempted before and the process therefore required the world’s most skilled and experienced diamond craftsmen, and took a total of 18 months from discovery to completion. Responsible for having cut and polished more than half of the world’s top 20 largest diamonds in the past century, the British jewellery house was well placed to take on the challenge. graffdiamonds.com

Image courtesy of: Graff Diamonds

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Dane When it comes to auctions, it’s all about pedigree, and Urban Jürgensen is a purebred watchmaker whose stock is skyrocketing, writes Richard Brown At its most productive, Urban Jürgensen currently manufactures just two watches a day. The company has produced fewer than 600 timepieces since the 1970s. Few of the brand’s watches ever make their way to British shores. So, unless you’ve somewhere down the line acquired an invested interest in the loftier end of the Danish watch industry – and I’ll wager here that you haven’t – it’s probable that you’ve never heard of Urban Jürgensen. This isn’t the case for the rest of the world. The company is particularly popular among the Japanese, says president and CEO Søren Jenry Petersen. In Japan, he explains, “people appreciate the similarities between handmade Urban Jürgensens, and the sort of skill required to make samurai swords.” Other admirers include James Madison, the fourth President of the United States – the chap who drafted much of the U.S. Constitution, whose watch Petersen’s team is currently restoring – and at least one well-to-do aficionado at a Geneva auction last May. There, eight months ago, an Urban Jürgensen pocket watch sold for just shy of half a million quid – more than 12 times the catalogue estimate. It is thought to be only the third time a private collector has outbid the Patek Philippe museum. “Everything connected with Urban Jürgensen has skyrocketed,” explains Petersen. “People no longer know how to value our watches – they go for 10 times the estimates.” So, why the sudden soar in stock? In part, it has a lot to do with what happened in November 2014. Having entered its Ref 11 Chronometer Detent Escapement Central Second watch into Geneva’s Grand Prix d’ Horlogerie – more colloquially known as the ‘Oscars’ of the watch world – Urban Jürgensen’s timepiece scooped the award for ‘Best Man’s Watch’, which is just about the highest accolade a wristwatch can win. The prize propelled the watch manufacturer from relative obscurity into the collective consciousnesses of the wider watch community.

Above: Reference 2340 WG, £37,800 Left: Reference 2240 WG, £25,500

“You could argue that we did a good bit of business there,” laughs Petersen, an ex-Nokia director, who, along with four fellow Danish investors, had acquired the brand just a few weeks previous. “We certainly got a lot of marketing equity out of that little award.” Having ridden out a tumultuous few decades, in which the company passed between various shareholders – including the celebrated watchmaker Peter Baumberger who revived the brand in the 1980s – Urban Jürgensen is now in full-blown resurgence. “We’ve been managing this legendary company for almost two years,” says Petersen. “We brought out one new collection in 2015, the 1140 range, which was based on new cases and new dials on an already existing in-house movement. In 2016, we brought out a slightly more contemporary collection, the Jules, where each watch is equipped with an in-house perpetual calibre. “We make our watches by hand so we can only do one or two a day. We aim to raise that number, but it’s not all about how quickly we can get to 400 retailers and 10,000 watches. We are not about what I call ‘Swatchification’.” Urban Jürgensen’s entry-level watch, the Ref 1140L RG, will set you back CHF 27,900. That’s around £21,700. For that, you could get a yellow gold Patek Philippe Calatrava. Or a steel and everose gold Rolex Yacht-Master II, plus change. Surely you’d be mad to plump for the plucky Great Dane over the established Swiss industrialists? “Patek and Rolex are marketing-type brands, they’re everywhere,” argues Petersen. “People who want something special look towards independent watchmakers – they understand the intrinsic value. For a lot of people, when they’re spending upwards of £10,000 on a watch, they want to know they are buying something that’s actually rare.” It’s true, the likelihood of ever eyeing another Urban Jürgensen down the golf club is almost nonexistent. But haute horology isn’t a space that’s short on

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Rewriting the History Books The Ref 11 Chronometer Detent Escapement Central Second

maverick watchmakers pandering to the nonconformist. What separates Urban Jürgensen? “We are a product company, not a marketing company,” says Petersen, gesturing, perhaps, towards certain avant-garde independents who invest heavily in sport sponsorship and celebratory ambassadors. “There’s so much unconstrained product marketing these days, where you get these very forced stories: ‘We are working with this Formula 1 Racing Team, and we’ve taken a piece of titanium to produce this ultimate titanium Formula 1 watch’. It’s forced. People know that.” You could buy an entire mechanical watch for less than it costs to make some of Urban Jürgensen’s dials. The brand is also nearly unique in manufacturing its own hands – a process which is so laborious, that any business that’s motivated purely by bottom line simply wouldn’t bother with. “Most moon discs in the industry are gilded discs, or gold discs, with a template-printed blue sky and stars. We take a steel disc, drill out the holes for the moons, stamp the indentations for the stars, then melt gold into the star holes and press fit solid gold moons. Then the whole disc is thermally blued. After around 28 operations, you have an Urban Jürgensen moon disc.” While Urban Jürgensen has been making watches almost continuously since 1773 – sandwiching the age of the brand between such esteemed watchmakers as Vacheron Constantin (1755) and Girard-Perregaux (1791) – Petersen only stumbled across the brand in 1993. He had entered a jewellers in Copenhagen with the view of purchasing a Patek Philippe – he left with an Urban Jürgensen. Twenty-one years later, when the opportunity arose, he purchased the watch company outright. How, then, does Petersen hope to future-proof Urban Jürgensen for another two-and-a-half centuries? He uses Picasso to explain: “He never used a spray can, even though it was invented half way through his career. He was at the top of his game, he could have done whatever he wanted, but he never picked up a spray can. Urban Jürgensen shares this devotion. We are inspired by the old crafts, the original. We are dedicated to the honest way of doing things.” urbanjurgensen.com

In 2009, Urban Jürgensen filed a worldwide patent for a new in-house movement in which it incorporated a ‘detent escapement’. In the battle to improve chronometric precision, the detent escapement sits alongside the tourbillon in a watchmaker’s arsenal of regulating tools. Whereas Audemars Piguet had found a way of integrating the tourbillion into a wristwatch last century, it took until the 21st century for Urban Jürgensen to shrink the detent escapement to a similar size. Traditionally, the intricacy of the movement had rendered it suitable for use only in marine clocks. “The watch industry had tried for a couple of hundred years to get this escapement fitted in the normal confines of a wristwatch,” says Petersen. “Only Urban Jürgensen succeeded in doing it.” “A normal lever escapement,” Petersen explains, “releases the energy from the escapement wheel by way of two pallet forks, which go back and forth via two levers that look like an anchor, hence the term ‘anchor escapement’. The detent escapement does away with the forks and lets the escapement wheel deliver impulse directly on the balance axel. It’s much more efficient, much more precise.” So accurate was the resulting Ref. 11 Chronometer Detent Escapement Central Second, that when Urban Jürgensen submitted the timepiece for testing at the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, or COSC, the facility’s technicians asked for more units to test. “They didn’t trust the measurements,” says Petersen. “They didn’t believe the precision. We have it verified that the accuracy of the detent escapement is about 40 per cent higher than a normal chronograph movement.”

Above: Reference 1140C RG, £43,000 Right: Reference 1140L RG, £24,500

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WORLD

of WATCHES BY RICHARD BROWN

Zenith’s reinvents showstopper For some, watches simply serve as status signifiers – hence Rolex’s years-long waiting lists. Mostly, though, we purchase watches because of the way they look. We’re primates, after all, and our primitive brains are programmed to feel certain urges towards pretty things – in the case of Zenith’s latest looker: lust. Like so many of last year’s most handsome timepieces – see Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato and Piaget’s Polo S – the Heritage Cronometro TIPO CP-2 is a reinvention of a historic forebear. The original TIPO CP-2 is a design classic from the 1960s. Produced in a 2,500-unit run for the Italian armed forces, the watch was supplied through Rome-based distributor A. Cairelli, who name appears on the dial. Today, these ‘A. Cairelli’ timepieces have crossed into iconic status territory and achieve suitably lofty prices at auction. Journalists were given a glimpse of the modern TIPO CP-2 at Baselworld 2016, but it’s only now that the watch is finally available in the UK – though you’d better hope your local dealer got their order in quick, as only 1,000 of these handsome timepieces will be rolling off the production line. The TIPO CP-2 is powered by Zenith’s legendary El Primero movement – famed for being the first chronograph movement capable of measuring time intervals to the nearest tenth of a second. Like its predecessor, the Heritage Cronometro TIPO CP-2 is 43mm in diameter, features two highly legible counters, and comes with a solid, stainless-steel caseback – something that’s sure to please purists, but irk anyone hoping to view the watch’s beating heart inside. £6,200, zenith-watches.com

Harry Winston reopens London flagship Following a nine-month renovation, the doors to Harry Winston’s New Bond Street showroom have reopened. The salon facade was restored in accordance with the guidelines for historical buildings. It features Portland Stone – a hallmark of Mayfair’s Georgian buildings – and replicates the archway of the brand’s Fifth Avenue boutique. Inside, the ground floor is dedicated to Harry Winston’s bridal and fine jewellery collections, while the second floor stocks the company’s growing collection of timepieces – including the supremely elegant Midnight Date Moon Phase, seen here (£21,600). 171 New Bond Street, W1S harrywinston.com

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UK a beacon of light for ailing Swiss watch industry Last year may have been something of an annus horribilis for the Swiss watch industry at large – exports were down 11 per cent in the first 10 months, with some companies down by more than 20 per cent – but 2016 saw Britain’s luxury watch sector soar. The latest available data from retail analysts GfK points towards a strong end of year, with premium watch sales in October up by 53.5 per cent, compared with October 2015. And despite Rolex, LVMH and Richemont Group hiking their prices – a response to the falling pound – sales of watches worth more than £1,000 increased by 25.1 per cent in the 12 months to October 2016. gfk.com

Purdey partners with Panerai Gun and rifle makers James Purdey & Sons has partnered with Officine Panerai to produce a limited-edition series of safari-themed wristwatches. The collection comprises 80 numbered Luminor 1950 Sealand timepieces, with casebacks engraved with the Big Five game animals. The outer edges of each case feature gold inlay and a pattern inspired by African art. The watches house Panerai’s calibre P.9000, an automatic in-house movement that provides a three-day power reserve. Tan, calf leather straps complete the bushman look. The collection is on sale in Purdey’s Mayfair boutique and online now. Luminor 1950 Sealand 3 Days Automatic Acciaio, £20,500, purdey.com

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Larger than Life, William Winram

Dancing WITH SHARKS

To illustrate its passion for diving and underwater preservation, from 2008 to 2020 Blancpain is producing an annual limited-edition publication showcasing 12 pictures by four different underwater photographers. On the launch of the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest charity-driven timepiece, Richard Brown speaks to vice president Alain Delamuraz, and presents some of the most striking shots captured so far

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Orange Balloon, Chris Newbert

When does a watch become an icon? After shifting a particular number of units? Once it has celebrated a certain birthday? Perhaps as it begins to achieve six-figure sums at auction? Whichever way you cut it, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms has acquired legendary status. The watch may not be what the Royal Oak is to Audemars Piguet, or what the Nautilus is to Patek Philippe – indeed, the Fifty Fathoms still gets outsold by dressier sister collection, the Villeret – but the diver’s watches has, almost by proxy, become Blancpain’s most emblematic timepiece. Commissioned by the French Navy in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms beat both the Rolex Submariner and the Omega Seamaster to become the world’s first bona fide, modern-day dive watch. More than six decades later, the timepiece continues to set the tone for almost all underwater tool watches. In 2014, following years of ocean conservation commitments, Blancpain reorganised its underwater initiatives under the Blancpain Ocean Commitment. Since then, the brand has co-financed 10 major scientific expeditions, helping to add three-million sq km to the total area of marine habitats protected across the world. In October 2016, at the Royal Institute of Great Britain, Blancpain unveiled the Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II. It is the second line of limited-edition timepieces created as part of Blancpain’s commitment to the underwater world. Funds from the first watch were awarded to the Gombessa Project, a new study that is currently documenting the pack-hunting behaviour of grey reef sharks along the Fakarava atoll, French Polynesia. Post-press conference, Blancpain vice president, Alain Delamuraz – a man who has served the brand since 2001 – kindly spoke to The Kensington & Chelsea Magazine... Five or six years ago, during Baselworld, the CEO of Tissot came to me and said, ‘I’ve just met a guy who you need to meet’. I said, ‘no I can’t, I’m too busy’. He said, ‘no, trust me, you must meet this guy, the world of diving is the domain of Blancpain.’ The guy’s name was Laurent Ballesta. He showed me two pictures and immediately I knew I was in trouble – they were beyond beautiful. I knew then I had to talk to Mr Marc Hayek [president and CEO of Blancpain, Breguet and Jaquet Droz], it became my moral mission to show him these two images. When I did, he decided to meet Laurent immediately. They spent hours together looking at hundreds of his pictures. He knew straight away that we must work together. Laurent was honoured to become a Friend of the Brand. Marc Hayek is an experienced diver and also very passionate about what he does so this was natural

Dance of Life, Imran Ahmad

for them. Laurent’s work was published in Edition Fifty Fathoms that year [2012]. We are a real manufacture; we never buy movements from other watch companies. We sell half of our products to other brands when we exchange movements. In our manufacture you have the raw material arriving and we produce the tools that we need to make the pieces. From A-Z, we do everything in-house. We invented the first divers watch in 1953, so we wanted to make an impact in that field; we wanted to help fund expeditions that would leave our oceans in a better condition for our children. We trust institutions like National Geographic to choose how to use our money to achieve concrete results. We have doubled the size of the oceans being protected. The Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II is the first time that someone has managed to make a watch case in blue ceramic. We’re not talking about covering the ceramic with a blue finish; we actually added blue pigment into the ceramic to cause

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a chemical reaction. The collection is limited to 250 pieces. For each timepiece sold, €1,000 will be donated to scientific expeditions. For the first months of the year, 2015 was quite strong. After that, demand flattened a bit; the second half was not good, as it was affected by the [terrorist] attacks of 13 November. Comparatively, 2016 was the opposite: the beginning of the year was not very strong because of the effect of the attacks. However, the end of the year saw growth. That is compensating for the disappointing start of the year, but not entirely. At the end, 2016 will be below 2015, but still we will be eight times above 2001! Consequently, we can’t complain about the situation.

chefs say ‘this is a catastrophe, we must react.’ I say, ‘you should study what the new chefs are doing; don’t do the same, but watch the way they are cooking the egg.’ It’s the same with the connected watch or the Apple Watch. It’s great, it’s new. It means that watches are moving forward. Electronic products live and die. The first TVs, the first quartz watches, you can’t use these anymore. The art of watchmaking will never die. As long as you have a brain and two hands and a heart you will be able to repair and redo a mechanical watch. Our product is a type of art – more expensive [than other watches], less accurate, but it will always remain an art form. Suspicious Eyes, Martin Strmiska

Overall, our growth is strong in China – by double digits. Hong Kong is likewise recovering. Thanks to China and Hong Kong, the second half of 2016 will show recovery measured against the first part. Blancpain entered the Chinese market very early on. Too early, as we were among the first to establish ourselves there. Today, that beginning is bearing fruit because Chinese buyers respect that. We have begun with the same type of trajectory in India. For the moment we are taking a risk as the market is struggling to take off. In gastronomy, you have the traditional style of cooking, and then you have the molecular approach, where you destroy and reconstruct. Some of the traditional

Blancpain Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe Chronograph Limited Edition II Diameter 43.6mm Case All-blue ceramic movement Blancpain Calibre F385 Production run 250 pieces Cost £14,000 (€1,000 of which will go to supporting the Blancpain Ocean Commitment)

Stubborn Character, Martin Strimska

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JEWELLERY BY OLIVIA SHARPE

Audemars Piguet x Carolina Bucci When one considers the founding fathers of watchmaking, not to mention the male masters who monopolise the world of horology today, it is little wonder the watch industry is seen as a masculine preserve. Because, of course, it is. However, that isn’t to say women aren’t involved in the business and this has become more apparent in recent years, with the likes of Carole Forestier-Kasapi (head of Cartier’s fine watchmaking), Rebecca Struthers (coowner of Struthers London) and Selynn Blanchet (master watchmaker at Vacheron Constantin) representing the new feminist movement. This year, Audemars Piguet pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of its ladies’ Royal Oak timepiece with a limitededition version, created in collaboration with Florentine jeweller Carolina Bucci: the Royal Oak Frosted Gold. Jacqueline Dimier was responsible for its initial creation in 1976, having had the difficult task of evolving Gérald Genta’s original Royal Oak into a woman’s wristwatch. The defining feature of the latest model – available in both white and pink gold – is its shimmering sparkle, which was achieved using an ancient gold hammering technique, otherwise known as the Florentine technique. This unique finish has been employed in Bucci’s workshops for decades, but it was nonetheless a painstaking process for Audemars Piguet’s craftsmen to alter the surface of the gold so that it sparkles, while also retaining the flexibility of the Royal Oak bracelet. After months of trial and error, this delicate alchemy was achieved. Bucci, who has been an AP woman since her husband bought her a 1983 Royal Oak for her 35th birthday five years ago, couldn’t be prouder of the partnership: “Watchmaking has always been a male-dominated world and this collaboration has been a revelation, I think, for both parties,” she comments. “It was an honour and inspiration to meet Jacqueline who for decades had been at the forefront of watch design, and yet maintained a feminine touch and grace to her designs. I hope the wider discovery of her role at not just AP, but also Rolex and Patek Philippe, just as much as this new Frosted Royal Oak, will encourage women to pursue their ambitions within the industry.” About time, too. Royal Oak Frosted Gold, POA, audemarspiguet.com

“I hope this new Frosted Royal Oak will encourage women to pursue their ambitions within the watch industry” Carolina Bucci

COLLECTION

True Colours Jewellery designer Ece Sirin explores the science behind colour in the latest collection of talismanic pieces for her brand Bee Goddess. The kaleidoscopic range of drop earrings, necklaces and stacking rings sees striking graphic shapes set with intense pavé-coloured rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds. In many ancient cultures, each colour was believed to have a different energy and healing power that affects our bodies, from red – the colour of power, passion and prosperity – to blue – the colour of eternity, truth and spirituality. Soul Colours collection, £375-£6,470, available at Harrods, harrods.com

Below the Surface We love it when two great luxury brands join forces, as more often than not, this creative fusion results in innovation. Case in point, Georg Jensen and Gemfields’ latest collaboration. Gemfields – one of the world’s leading suppliers of gemstones – sourced rubies from its mine in Mozambique for the new five-piece, contemporary jewellery collection created by Georg Jensen. The minimalist, concave designs in silver have been based on the jeweller’s iconic Mobiüs shape from the 1960s and are now available to buy. Twenty per cent of the profits will go towards the Niassa Carnivore project, an organisation that works to conserve lions and other large carnivores in Mozambique. From £350, exclusive to amazon.co.uk/georgjensen

M’ama Mia

Fares Game It’s fair to say that Noor Fares has had luck on her side. Before the age of 30, the Lebanese-born designer has carved out a reputation as one of the most influential jewellers of her generation. Spiritual motifs, mathematics and the cosmos play a big role in her collections, as can be seen from her latest, Navratna (meaning nine gems). The final instalment in the collection Akasha (meaning space), Fares has reinterpreted this ancient Indian talisman into a modern range of pieces handcrafted in 18-karat yellow gold and featuring a myriad of precious gemstones. From £310 for drop hoop earrings to £2,495 for crescent earrings in yellow gold and diamonds, coming soon to net-a-porter.com

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Pomellato invites all women to partake in a game of grown-up ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ with its new M’ama non m’ama 2017 collection. First launched in 2009 with nine rings in nine colours (representing different emotions), each delicate, round piece featuring petit cabochon stones was designed to be stacked, assembled and reassembled in whatever arrangement the wearer saw fit. The newest range sees five new gemstones added to the ever-expanding line of rings, earrings and pendants, including amethyst, peridot, London blue topaz, moonstone and garnet, with a pavé of white diamonds. For the first time, the collection sees bangles introduced in five coloured stone variations. From £1,120 for rings, £1,280 for bangles, pomellato.com/gb

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spotlight

Aisle Be Damned Central Saint Martins graduate Gaurav Gupta cut his teeth working with the likes of Hussein Chalayan before becoming the youngest ever judge on the Mittelmoda Fashion Award’s panel. More than a decade later and the industry stalwart has made a name for himself in the haute couture world, championing his Indian heritage through his intricately detailed designs. This January he joins South Asian fashion heavyweights at the Aashni + Co Wedding Show – an annual event set up by the Notting Hill boutique that showcases the best in Indian and Pakistani bridal and occasion wear. Look out for Gupta’s stunning creations alongside exquisite pieces by Anamika Khanna and Monisha Jaising. £30, 8 January, The Dorchester, W1K, wslondon.com

Image courtesy of: Aashni + Co Wedding Show

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Man about Town Sixteen books down and counting, photographer Andrew Wilson is gathering an impressive knowledge of some of London’s prettiest districts. Ahead of the launch of his latest Notting Hill and North Kensington-based tome, he tells Ellen Millard about the discoveries he’s made and honing his skills behind the lens Notting Hill Gate

View from high-rise building in Shepherd’s Bush

Grand Union Canal

spotlight Photography: Andrew Wilson Little Wormwood Scrubs

What would you do if, at 11am on a weekday morning, a stranger with a camera knocked on your front door and requested access to your apartment? I imagine it wouldn’t be what one resident of a high-rise building in Shepherd’s Bush did, who, wearing nothing but a towel, welcomed photographer Andrew Wilson and the building’s security guard into her home. It was a triumph for the shutterbug, who’d been trying to gain access to the building for some time; he tells me that the view from the top is one of the best of London that you can find. But don’t take Wilson’s word for it – the photographer’s latest book of snaps, Wild About Notting Hill & North Kensington, opens with a striking image of the vista, from which you can see the chestnut and lime trees that line St James’s Gardens, the looming Brutalist masterpiece that is the Trellick Tower and, in the distance, the lofty spires of the Shard, the BT Tower and One Canada Square. Charming his way into strangers’ homes is all in a day’s work for Wilson, who first started his now 16-strong series of photography books in 2010 with a focus on wildlife in the city. The Barnes-based photographer went on to create another on his own locale and his collection now includes Putney, Wimbledon and Shepherd’s Bush, to name a few. His latest tome is a bit of a departure from his usual stomping ground, but spurred on by his friend and colleague Caroline MacMillan – a historian who pens the books’ factual content – the photographer delved into the depths of Notting Hill and came out with a collection of snaps that showcase the area’s richly diverse and multicultural nature. “I suppose I was ignorant of what Notting Hill was about,” he admits. “The project turned out to be a wonderful exploration of the area. I casually mentioned to Caroline that I was thinking about it as the subject of my next book and within a week she had walked every street in the area and sent me a spreadsheet of all of the ones that had a historical fact or was a photographic opportunity – I felt duty-bound to do it.” The book covers everything from Portobello Market to Holland Park Avenue, Little Wormwood Scrubs to Kensington Memorial Park and Notting Hill Carnival to the Grand Union Canal. Wilson’s favourite discoveries were of a Banksy at the top of Portobello Road, a pair of stone basset hounds perched on the porch of a house on Bassett Road and an unusually futuristic public lavatory in

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Avondale Park. Along with buildings, Wilson aims to capture the wildlife in each area, using macro photography to produce highly detailed images of local flowers and insects. “I describe myself as being someone whose photography is nature in an urban environment, so I will always strive to capture the nature within what I do,” he tells me. “London is a wonderful city and when you think about every little village, they’re little microcosms of communities with distinct boundaries and characters and I try to bring that out in the books. Notting Hill has a lot of special architecture, but also a lot of greenness, so I wanted to bring out both of these aspects.” Along with beautiful imagery, the book suggests three routes to follow on a walk around west and east Notting Hill and North Kensington, a feature that Wilson included in order to inspire people to discover more about their area. The walks take you past some of London’s iconic locations, such as the private garden on Rosmead Road that famously featured in Richard Curtis’ Notting Hill, the Coronet on Notting Hill Gate (also featured in the film) and Ernő Goldfinger’s Trellick Tower, as well as lesser-known sights such as a cattle trough from 1878 on Clarendon Cross and the Community Kitchen Garden on St. Quintin Avenue. “It’s all very well providing a book with lovely photographs, but if you really want to bring the area alive to someone then you should take the reader out of the book and into the place itself,” Wilson explains. “I’ve discovered so much, and the walks allow you to delve a bit deeper. Hopefully, this book will help people to discover stuff that they didn’t even know existed.” When he’s not snapping away in a newly discovered London location – springer spaniel Josie in tow – Wilson runs his own photography club in Putney, and recently returned to the source of his knowledge, the Putney School of Art and Design, to teach a class. Next on the agenda is Richmond, an area that Wilson is yet to photograph, along with an updated version of his Barnes book and perhaps a venture into Clapham. “I like to think that my photography has moved on a bit; I’ve only been doing it for six years but every year I try to introduce something new, whether that’s creativity or in this case night shoots,” he says. “On a nice day I can be out walking and taking pictures, and I’m working. To be able to make a living out of this, I’m just lucky as hell. Thankfully, people seem to like what I do.” Wild About Notting Hill & North Kensington is out now, sponsored by Winkworth, £21.99, unity-publishing.co.uk

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Illustration: Mai Osawa

LOCAL LIFE

Garratt, Red Boat, Autumn Turn

The Art of Punk

Back by popular demand, author of Creative Fashion Illustration: How to Develop Your Own Style and former Vivienne Westwood studio assistant Stuart McKenzie returns to the Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising on 28 January to host another workshop on his craft. The masterclass is back and running for a second year, offering participants the opportunity to learn new and experimental drawing techniques. This year the workshop will have direct reference to last year’s Graphics of Punk exhibition – perfect for aspiring designers, artists or punk lovers. £20, 28 January, Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising, 111-118 Lancaster Road, W11, museumofbrands.com

Noble, Black Rocks Cromford Moor Approaching Rain

Bon Voyage

Land and sea are the focuses of Thackeray Gallery’s major annual exhibition. Inspired by historical masters of art, The Land and Sea III presents works by 13 artists who have created their own interpretations of land and seascapes in a range of styles, including impasto oils, acrylic paints and watercolours. Browse over 70 works of art across both of the gallery’s floor spaces. 17 January – 3 February, 18 Thackeray Street, W8, thackeraygallery.com

Images courtesy of: Stuart Mckenzie and the Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising

spotlight on the royal borough of Kensington & Chelsea: news, events, reviews & local interest stories

Moving Mountains The winner of the inaugural Through the Lens photography award has been announced: Brian McCready won for his shot taken on the summit of Slieve Corragh in Northern Ireland. Showcased at the awards event that was hosted at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel, the shot was described by judge Ian Gazzard as a “wonderful moment of dramatic light translated honestly in processing, creating a fascinating engaging sense of location”. Run by Millennium Hotels and Resorts group, the annual competition not only celebrates the beauty of Britain, but also aims to develop British photographic talent. millenniumhotels.com

Mourne Light, photography: Brian McCready David Bowie Aladdin Sane Classic, 1973, photography: Brian Duffy, ©Duffy Archive & The David Bowie Archive ™

The Dream Team Proud Chelsea’s latest exhibition pays tribute to photographer Brian Duffy and David Bowie – two of Britain’s most innovative artists. Duffy was known for redefining fashion photography in the ‘60s and ‘70s, having worked for the likes of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Bowie by Duffy will showcase signed original prints from the duo’s dynamic partnership between 1972 and 1980, including the photographer’s striking shot that was featured on Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album cover – an image that later came to define Bowie’s career. 6 January – 5 February, 161 King’s Road, SW3, proud.co.uk

The Sound of Music

Photography: ©Alex MacNaughton

Winter Wonderland Visit Chelsea Physic Garden for the Snowdrop Days display this winter, where head gardener Nick Bailey and his team will be rearranging the delicate plants into innovative arrangements for visitors to enjoy. As well as experimenting with colour, the exhibits will also allow you to get up close and examine the intricate detailing of the winter plant. A team of guides will be available to take visitors around the snowdrop trail, which follows the garden’s collection of more than 120 species. From £6.95, 28 January – 3 February, 66 Royal Hospital Road, SW3, chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk

Image courtesy of: Chelsea Physic Garden

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Cadogan Hall for the Symphonic Soundscapes series in January and March. Led by conductor Alexander Shelley, the orchestra will be accompanied by guest musicians to perform a variety of symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev and Jean Sibelius. For the first time in Europe, the audience will be able to use the new Octava app, a smartphone-friendly programme aimed at those who want to learn more about live orchestral music, providing a performanceenhancing and educational experience. From £15, 25 January, 29 January and 30 March, Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, SW1X, cadoganhall.com

covering kensington, chelsea, knightsbridge, holland park & notting hill

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Africa

out of

Geoffrey Kent, the founder and CEO of leading luxury travel specialist Abercrombie & Kent, tells Lauren Stevens about growing up in the wild and how it helped shape his world-renowned business

Geoffrey Kent IS a well-travelled man. So much so that I wonder whether he ever gets mistaken for a secret service agent every time he goes to the airport. Born in Africa, his spirit for adventure was nurtured from a young age, with much of his childhood spent roaming the great outdoors and playing on his family’s farm, where leopards, elephants and buffalo took the place traditionally held by cattle and sheep. His life has been a series of pioneering exploits, including being the first to ride a motorcycle from Nairobi to Cape Town at the age of 17 and advocating the philosophy, “Shoot with a camera. Not a gun.” Here, the man often compared to a real-life Indiana Jones describes his journey from childhood adventurer to luxury travel connoisseur. Did you enjoy adventure stories when you were small? Most children have adventure stories read to them by their mother at night. I would tell my mother about the adventures I’d had during the day. She would often tell me to be more careful. If you could be one animal, which would it be? A powerful black mane lion in the Maasai Mara.

What has been your most notable adventure? My motorbike trip from Nairobi to Cape Town when I was 17 and when I flew in an English Electric Lightning aircraft to the edge of space. What’s one of your worst travel memories? When I turned 15, my parents arranged for me to go on a hunt, where I ended up tracking, shooting and killing an elephant. It was an experience that affected me profoundly and actually ended up changing the course of my life. From the moment I watched the most magnificent beast I’d ever laid eyes on fall, I was heartsick and made a vow to myself and to Africa that if I was ever to shoot an elephant again, it would be with a camera and not a gun. Do you think safaris have become less exciting? Although today we shoot with cameras instead of guns, you can still get the same sense of excitement on a walking safari. We also have WiFi and power outlets in our vehicles, so guests can share their pictures as soon as they take them. Zambia offers a diverse range of environments with prolific wildlife, which is relatively unknown outside of

spotlight

Africa. If you’ve only seen animals from inside a vehicle, you’ll find walking with them a thrilling experience. Night drives are also a specialty, as you get to see more elusive nocturnal species, including the leopard.

A&K Chief’s Camp

How does Abercrombie & Kent focus on sustainability in terms of both communities and environments? We work in partnership with local communities to protect and preserve the cultures, wildlife and ecosystems in the countries where we operate. We’re also committed to integrating sustainable practices, such as reducing water and electricity usage, and recycling waste. How has the travel industry evolved over the years? The definition of luxury has changed over the past decade. It has become much more flexible and there’s more of an emphasis on experience and personalised service rather than the mere physical trappings of luxury. International travel is also more accessible to more people. Back then, only the very wealthy could afford to go on safari, which typically consisted of 30 days spent driving through Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and alternating stays between tents and spartan lodges. Today, there is a much wider range of choices, from luxury lodges to mobile tented camps.

Baby gorilla, Uganda, Africa

How would you describe a typical A&K experience? We connect our guests to interesting people, places and cultures in a very personal way. Our guides are always local people who have lived in the area for decades, if not their entire lives, and their beyond-the-guidebook knowledge gives guests a deeper insight into the culture. Our boutique hotels are also locally or family-owned, reflecting the distinctive character of the destination. The level of luxury we offer is often unexpected, especially for remote destinations. Photography: Sanctuary Olonana; Game Drive, ©2000, ®Harvey Lloyd

What trends are you noticing in the travel industry? People are starting to travel in larger groups – 11 per cent of reservations are for five people or more, which has increased from eight per cent back in 2010. Rather than taking two or three holidays a year with or without the kids, families are going on multi-generational trips, usually to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. How do you envision the future of the travel industry? These days it is often more about imagination and creativity than anything money can buy. To provide a dinner with a local family is not expensive for a tour operator, but it requires creativity and the ability to think outside one’s comfort zones. With consumers demanding ever more unusual experiences, there is a growing challenge to come up with better ways of delivering enriching experiences to guests. abercrombiekent.co.uk

Sanctuary Baines’ Camp

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ART ANTIQUES by rebecca wallersteiner

Out of Africa The African savannah comes to Chelsea this winter, when Box Galleries presents new paintings by South African artist Cobus van der Walt, aka ‘Cab’, depicting cheetahs, leopards, elephants, zebras, among other wildlife. “My pictures capture moments that reflect not only my vision of the landscape, but the essential magic of the African continent itself – an environment of seemingly boundless proportions that merges total aridity with brimming fertility,” he comments. “When I pick up my brush, I am seeking to interpret both the immediacy of my own experience and the sheer energy of the African plains.” His intricately detailed portraits perfectly capture the spirit and movement of these magnificent beasts. Wild, 5-26 January, at Box Galleries, 402 King’s Road, SW10, boxgalleries.com

Images courtesy of: Box Galleries 2016

Walpole Society

Images courtesy of: The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, 2017

Expect to rub shoulders with the design crowd at the 32nd Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair. This year, the event draws inspiration from Strawberry Hill, a fantastic gothic mansion built by Horace Walpole in 1749. If you want to spruce up your house for the coming year you will find plenty of unusual pieces. The fair’s highlights include a lovingly made English gothic-style oak table presented by Nadin & Macintosh, along with arts & crafts dealer James Miles’ beautiful 1950s gold and lilac Murano glass vase by Seguso. Don’t also miss seeing the special foyer display, which weaves a gothic design fantasy for modern times. 24-29 January, Battersea Park, SW11. Courtesy shuttles shared with the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair run from the Sloane Square Hotel to the Marquee around four times an hour, decorativefair.com

Artist of the

month

Philipp Rudolf Humm Days of the Raj Revisit the decadend rule of the British Raj at the V&A this winter – with an exhibition honouring architect, designer and journalist John Lockwood Kipling (1837-1911), father of renowned writer Rudyard. An influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, Lockwood Kipling began his career as an architectural sculptor at the V&A and his terracotta panels can still be seen on the building’s exterior. Later, he moved to India and Pakistan, where he spent 28 years teaching and campaigning to preserve traditional Indian art. Notable items include an exquisite bracelet, inset with precious jewels, first shown at the Great Exhibition and made in Rajasthan in c.1850 and a lovingly crafted wedding chest. The exhibition marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of modern India and Pakistan. Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 14 January – 2 April 2017, held in collaboration with the Bard Graduate Center in New York, vam.ac.uk

Image courtesy of: Kensington Palace

From 31 January, Knightsbridge-based artist Philipp Rudolf Humm will unveil fresh works in Urban Portraits, an exhibition that tackles the great human questions and men’s changing roles in society. “The works are a contemplation of that eclectic, materialistic and superficial world in which tragi-comic male figures and mannequin women act out parables of 21st century excess,” says Humm. When he was younger, he met many affluent individuals who had undergone drastic plastic surgery, leaving their faces so devoid of expression they resembled waxworks. The fictional people in his paintings are composites, with their faces made up from different sources and caught in the moment left open to the imagination. Humm creates playful mise-en-scènes that are often satirical, but never censorious, allowing the viewer to engage freely with each work. The artist employs a palette that blends exuberant colour with rich Italianate lustre that lends a dramatic element to his work. Among his influences, he references pop art, Der Blaue Reiter, Paul Delvaux and the surrealist movement. Philipp Rudolf Humm, 31 January – 4 March, CNB Gallery, 32 Rivington Street, EC2A, cnbgallery.com Images courtesy of: CNB Gallery

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He’s Behind You! Rid yourself of post-Christmas blues by dropping into Panto and Performance at Kensington Palace, on the morning of Saturday 14 January. Over a glass of Buck’s Fizz, historian Kate Howard will demonstrate the raucous Victorian world of pantomime, music hall and performance. You can learn about crossdressing actors and backstage shenanigans. Charlie Chaplin drew inspiration for his slapstick silent films from his early experiences of pantomime in the music halls of London’s East End. With the dreaded Dry January now upon us, taking part in this event will no doubt add some much-needed cheer to the month. 11am-12.30pm, Saturday 14 January, Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, W8, hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace

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& ANTIQUES Images courtesy of: The London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair

ART

Fit For A Sultan Now in its sixth year, the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair (LARTA) presents Europe’s greatest selection of antique carpets, tapestries and textiles that would delight the most demanding Ottoman sultan. Highlights include a ravishing contemporary Liberty Oriental silk rug, priced at £15,350, which was woven by disabled women in Laos to original Liberty designs; James Cohen will bring a fantastically colourful 19th-century silky South Caucasian rug, priced at £16,000, and C. John Gallery will show a highly collectible Art Deco wool carpet, designed by Albert van Huffel in 1922 and priced at £25,000. Fortunately for non-members of the aristocracy, a range of affordable pieces will be available, too. 24-29 January, Battersea Evolution – The Marquee, Battersea Park, SW11. Courtesy shuttles shared with the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair run from the Sloane Square Hotel to the Marquee around four times an hour, larta.net

Clockwise from top left: Martin Peikert (19011975), Les Diablerets, c. 1950, estimate: £4,0006,000; Alex Walter Diggelmann (1902-1987), Gstaad, 1934, estimate: £20,000-30,000; Martin Peikert (1901-1975), MOB, 1946, estimate: £3,000-5,000; Emily Cardinaux (1877-1936), Zermatt, estimate: £8,000-12,000; Roger Broders (1883-1953) Sports d’Hiver dans les Vosges, c.1930, estimate: £6,000-8,000 Images courtesy of: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2016

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If you love snow, frost and ice, then don’t miss seeing 100 stunning vintage posters advertising famous ski resorts in Switzerland, Norway, Germany and America, at Christie’s South Kensington. Highlights of the auction house’s Ski Sale this month include a boldly coloured 1950s poster depicting glamorous skiers, designed by Martin Peikert for the Swiss resort of Les Diablerets (estimate: £4,000-6,000). Another gem is a rare Art Deco poster for Gstaad, by Swiss artist Alex Walter Diggelmann (1934), estimated at £20,000 to £30,000. Interiors including the Ski Sale, 11 January. Viewing dates: 6-11 January, Christie’s South Kensington, 85 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, christies.com

Pattern Recognition

Image courtesy of: Asma Ghanem

On The Slopes

This winter, The Mosaic Rooms welcomes six young Palestinian artists from around the world working in video, graphics and installation. They will present their stunning work shortlisted for the 2016 A.M. Qattan Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year Competition, curated by Nat Muller. The winners were selected by a jury of internationally respected artists and writers. Featured artists include Noor Abed (first prize winner), Somar Sallam (second prize winner), Inas Halabi, Majd Masri, Majdal Nateel, Ruba Salameh and Asma Ghanem, who will perform her live sound piece on 24 February. Each of their thought-provoking works examine Palestinian history and fractured identity in today’s turbulent world. Pattern Recognition: Young Artist of the Year Award (YAYA15), 20 January – 18 March, The Mosaic Rooms, 11am-6pm, TuesdaySaturday, free entrance, 226 Cromwell Road, SW5, mosaicrooms.org

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Technology for your world, your way. With Crestron automated technology at the heart of your home, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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. ÂŠ 2016 Crestron, Ltd.

Milano: Galleria V. Emanuele

ITALIAN TRAVEL BAGS SINCE 1952

Available at Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis and caseluggage.com

fashion Woman of the hour Donatella Versace gives us a rare insight into her renowned Italian fashion house in her new book, Versace. The illustration-heavy volume serves as both a contemporary and historical archive of everything from Versace runway images to backstage shots, alongside more intimate moments behindthe-scenes at the brand’s design studio. Readers can enjoy photography by Steven Meisel and Mario Testino, as well as written essays by some of the fashion industry’s most respected voices, including W magazine editor-in-chief Stefano Tonchi. £60, rizzoliusa.com

Photography: Rahi Rezvani

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Breeze In When Kate Moss posted a picture of herself on Instagram wearing a pair of striped silk pyjamas while on holiday in Turkey last year, we knew the readyto-wear pyjama trend was here to stay. If you wish to channel Moss’ effortless nightwear as daywear look, then look no further than Morpho + Luna’s S/S17 collection. Made entirely in Italy, the range of silk, cotton and linen pieces come in midnight colours, pastel shades and gingham checks. Opt for a powder pink silk playsuit for night-time sophistication, or a pair of cotton and silk devoré pyjamas – so elegant you can sport them during the day. From £148, morphoandluna.com

Paws Off Aside from designing Fendi’s women’s accessories, Marco De Vincenzo has been busy refining his eponymous brand’s new Resort ‘17 collection. A continuation from A/W16 is the Griffe bag, which is available in an exclusive new colour palette for this season. The unique accessory marked De Vincenzo’s first handbag collection under his own name and features bear paws on the flap, giving the sophisticated design a playful edge. Beautifully crafted in Tuscany, the soft calfskin bag is available in different sizes – so take your pick! From £1,090, matchesfashion.com

HER STYLE By lauren stevens

Blade Runner Described as ‘the red carpet’s best-kept secret’, footwear designer Cesare Casadei (whose designs have been worn by A-list celebrities Beyoncé, Victoria Beckham and Penélope Cruz, to name but a few) has opened up his first UK flagship store in Mayfair. The design concept for the Milan and Rome stores has been developed for the new 110 sq m boutique, which showcases the full daywear, evening, bridal and signature ‘blade’ heel collections. A second, velvetdraped room is dedicated solely to the most exclusive collections, including a selection of styles that will be available in London ahead of their global release. Pictured here is our sneak peek. 48 Albemarle Street, W1S, uk.casadei.com

Image courtesy of: Erdem

Patch Work Coach has brought a slice of the Big Apple to London’s Regent Street with the world’s first ‘Coach House’. Creative director Stuart Vevers teamed up with designer William Sofield to create an aesthetic imitation of New York City in the heart of London. The mini metropolis stocks Coach’s 1941 ready-to-wear collections, accessories and exclusive styles reinterpreted with London-centric varsity patches. A craftsmanship and made-to-order bar is also available, where Photography: Melvyn Vincent shoppers can personalise their items and view a curated selection of archived bags. 206 Regent Street, W1B, uk.coach.com

Photography: Petra Van Raaij

Lost in Translation Inspired by a visit to Japan, the Erdem Resort ‘17 collection is heavily influenced by a decade of cultural exchange between the East and West. The range’s take on military uniforms is inspired by Italian opera Madama Butterfly, while staple pieces including a floral-embroidered trench coat and cotton poncho draw reference to a traditional Japanese wardrobe. The lightweight collection is also characterised by an assortment of lace and floral Japanese motifs, while the line of footwear comprises velvet ballerina flats, mules, loafers and strappy sandals. From £475, erdem.com

Sea Change Those of you who are lucky enough to be escaping to somewhere hot this winter should look to resortwear brand Evarae for suitcase inspiration. Newly launched last month by former Topshop and Reiss designer Georgia Thompson, the range comprises a selection of classic bikini separates and one-pieces, while kaftans, dresses and palazzo pants make for the perfect transitional day-to-night outfits. With an emphasis on design, cut and fit, key features include quilting, laser-cutting, metalwork and fine embroidery. From £85, evarae.com

Snowed In Never lose your friends on the slopes thanks to Jaeger’s first Après Ski collection – a range of bold winter warmers that revive colourful memories of 1960s skiwear, comprising classic pieces inspired by retro designs. Turtlenecks, jackets, leggings and knitwear are among the traditional slope attire that has been redesigned in contemporary colours and shapes. With sporty fastenings and fabrics such as cashmere, boiled wool and bonded jersey, the new collection offers ultimate comfort and practicality, so you can hit the slopes in style. From £89, 145 King’s Road, SW3, jaeger.co.uk

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Image courtesy of: Jaeger

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Sun

Worship Those heading for warmer climes this winter should look to the Resort 2017 collections for wardrobe inspiration. Discover the latest bohemian designs by Zimmermann, Just Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana that will keep you cool when the temperature rises Photographer: Alexander Beer

Dress, ÂŁ586, Zimmermann, zimmermannwear.com; Lace bra, ÂŁ405, La Perla, 163 Sloane Street, SW1X, laperla.com

Stylist: Graham Cruz

Above / Wool kimono shirt, £195, Cacharel, cacharel.com; Silk scarf, £95, Jessica Russell Flint, jessicarussellflint.co.uk; Hat, £80, Jess Collett, jesscollettmilliner.com

Right / Maxi dress, £740, Just Cavalli, 20-22 Sloane Street, SW1X, justcavalli.com; Rose gold Siren ring with grey agate, £225, Monica Vinader, 71-72 Duke of York Square, SW3, monicavinader.com

Above / Lennox jumpsuit, £1,610, Gabriela Hearst, net-a-porter.com; Pineapple scarf in silk, POA, Dolce & Gabbana, dolcegabbana.com; Compliments interchangeable ring, £78; Castor cocktail ring, £65, both Dyrberg/Kern, dyrbergkern.com

Left / Palm print kaftan, £805, Kalmar, matchesfashion.com; Trousers, £245, Tara Jarmon, tarajarmon.com; Silk scarf, £95, Jessica Russell Flint, as before; Invidia sunglasses, £180, Taylor Morris, taylormorriseyewear.com; Hat, £80, Jess Collett, as before; Aurora ring, single row, £99; Spectrum ring, double row, £50; single row, £43, all Joubi, joubi.com

Above / Jacquard top in coupé silk blend, £790, Giorgio Armani, 37 Sloane Street, SW1X, armani.com; Organza maxi skirt, £1,500, Alexandra Long, alexandralong.com

Right / Seersucker jumpsuit, £1,150, Pringle of Scotland, pringlescotland.com; Pineapple scarf in silk, POA, Dolce & Gabbana, as before

Model: Gia Johnson-Singh @ Models 1 Make-up & Hair: Marian Filali for Dior Shot on location at Le Palais Rhoul & Spa, Marrakech, palais-rhoul.com

Urban Jurgensen Advert - RWMG 333x235mm.indd 2

22/04/2016 14:07

Image courtesy of: Orlebar Brown

Swallows and Amazons Arthur Ransome’s adventurous children’s series was the starting point for Orlebar Brown’s Cruise collection. Whether your travels take you to azure blue seafronts or crystal clear lagoons, the brand’s latest line of aquatic attire is sure to blend in perfectly. This season, a specialist collection of illustrated designs by New York-based artist Richard Haines and a photographic range of panoramic prints by Slim Aarons capture the world’s beauty at its finest, sure to inspire a sense of wanderlust in even the most stubborn of homebodies. From £65, orlebarbrown.com

HIS STYLE By Dorothy Musariri

Game Changer In 2016, exciting news broke that Stella McCartney would be branching out into menswear, the first wave of which hits the shelves this January. The made-tomeasure collection was first unveiled in November, when the designer forewent the traditional S/S17 fashion show format for a presentation of both men’s and womenswear. Crediting both her father, her husband and London’s musical history as inspiration for the line of sporty, youthful and edgy pieces, the designer presents a collection of mac coats, embroidered silk shirts and chunky, oversized knits for the new year. From £155, 91-95 Fulham Road, SW3, stellamccartney.com

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Sole Good Put your best foot forward in Jimmy Choo’s new Cruise 2017 collection, which has been designed with a modern gentleman’s shoe wardrobe in mind. A range of loafers, trainers and brogues are on offer, embellished with studs, monochromatic croc prints, velvet fabrics and exotic skins in shades of red, brown and black. New styles include Scout, a stylish hiking boot; Penn, a formal brogue with contrasting tweed and leather textures; and Sloane, an evening shoe in embroidered velvet. From £425, 32 Sloane Street, SW1X, jimmychoo.com Image courtesy of: Jimmy Choo

Modern Classics If you’re going to take style advice from a celebrity, David Beckham is surely your best bet. Following in his wife’s stylish footsteps, the former footballer is now a powerful force in the world of fashion and has collaborated with Kent & Curwen’s creative director Daniel Kearns in a bid to modernise the label’s classic pieces. The British brand has stuck to its roots by making the range as British and sporty as possible, with classic cricket jumpers, jersey polo shirts, T-shirts and rugbies having been given a modern update. Finally, the English rose appears on patches and on hems as a tribute to our heritage. From £150, kentandcurwen.com

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All she wants for Christmas...

LUXURY BATH & BODY AND HOME FRAGRANCE COLLECTIONS

www.lilouetloic.com

lifestyle legends of the wall Stylish, elegant and classic – you can’t go wrong with leather. Which might explain why, with the luxury material at the core of its product range, Studioart is aesthetically unrivalled in the world of modern interior design. Offering everything from leather cushions to rugs, the Italian design house prides itself on being versatile and providing interiors with a rich and contemporary feel. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, designers Massimo Brancati, Giorgia Zanellato and Elaine Yan Ling Ng have reinterpreted the key product Leatherwall, experimenting with different shapes and colourways to extend the acclaimed range of wall coverings. From £979.05 per sq m, Design Centre East, Chelsea Harbour, SW10, studioart.it/en

Photography: Piero Gemelli

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All images courtesy of: Lara Bohinc/Lapicida

of stones game

As she launches a new line of marble home accessories with long-term collaborator Lapicida, jewellery designer Lara Bohinc tells Ellen Millard about her background in industrial design, setting up shop on Golborne Road and her fascination with the intergalactic

Clockwise from top right: Sun and Moon ring,,£470; Lara Bohinc portrait; Half Moon dining table, £22,500; Solaris Kinetic table, £45,000

LIFESTYLE

he 18-carat gold-plated frame of Lara Bohinc’s Sun and Moon ring doesn’t look strong enough to hold the colossal orbs that it supports. Cubic zirconia (a synethic diamond) sparkles from one side of the smaller sphere (the moon), while the larger of the two (the sun) is seemingly mid-eclipse with a glossy black onyx face. They’re vast compared to the thin angular stem on which they perch, but there’s no disputing its strength, as the ring’s designer – whose education includes industrial design and metalwork – knows a thing or two about manipulating alloys. Born in Slovenia, Bohinc moved to London more than two decades ago after a part-time job making costume jewellery for theatre shows spiked her interest in the craft. She did her master’s degree in jewellery design at the Royal College of Art before setting up her eponymous brand in 1997, the same year that she was awarded the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN Design Award. Now, the designer’s twisting metallic creations glimmer at the passers-by of her Golborne Road boutique, where I eye up her latest line of magpie-enticing designs as I wait to start our interview. She bounds up the stairs to see me, fresh-faced and stylish in a black Preen jumper and studded trainers, achieving that perfect off-duty look. But there’s no off-duty for Bohinc, whose busy schedule has kept her on her toes ever since she left university. “Jewellery just happened. It’s a very easy thing; you can start at your kitchen table,” she tells me, her Slavic accent still strong, but with the occasional imitation of English diction. “I came out of college and before I knew it I was making lots of jewellery for fashion shows.” Since then her career trajectory has rocketed from a snippet in British Vogue about her graduate collection to a star-studded clientele that includes the likes of Claudia Schiffer and Samantha Cameron, as well as an MBE for services to the fashion industry in 2012. The aforementioned Sun and Moon ring is part of her famed Solaris collection, a range of spherical earrings, rings and bracelets inspired by the solar system. In fact, most of Bohinc’s designs are influenced by outer space and the cosmos, with which she has a bit of an obsession. “It’s just a fascination with something that’s so far away,” she explains. “It’s always there, but it’s unknown and it’s eternal.” Her love of the universe continues in her collaborative collections with stonemason Lapicida, with whom she first partnered on a range of homeware at the Wallpaper* Handmade Project in 2014 and has continued to work alongside ever since. The latest line of marble accessories incorporates Bohinc’s much-loved celestial theme with a Stargazer candle holder that was inspired by an orrery (a model of the solar system)

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LIFESTYLE

Full Moon table, from £11,250, Lunar collection 2015

and hexagonal Constellation bowls made from five different types of stone. The new line is a continuation of the pair’s Lunar collection; launched in 2015, it comprises dramatic angular side tables in gold, copper and marble styles. “Because metal and stone are materials I know a lot about, I wanted to do something on a much bigger scale,” Bohinc explains. “It takes the same amount of time to design a ring as it does to create a table; it’s just a question of scale. With jewellery, you go really into detail and with the table the detail is just enlarged. It’s very similar and uses the same techniques.” Despite the similarities, the designer has revelled in the learning curves each new creation has given her. “Every time you realise something new. That’s the great thing about designing a product,” she says. “When you design jewellery, it needs to work on the body in a certain way and it needs to be comfortable, but when you design objects, every object is for something else, so every time you start a new one, you’re learning from scratch.” While Bohinc’s craft may traditionally revolve around people and the way each design moulds to the body, her passion for shape and form often takes precedent. It was metalwork that drew her to jewellery in the first place, so it’s little surprise that structure is high on the agenda when it comes to designing a new collection, jewellery or otherwise. “I don’t really design around people; I design around objects. I don’t have a muse like fashion designers do; I design around abstract themes that involve shapes or materials.” Her enthusiasm for all things structural continues in her inspirations, namely art, architecture, nature, industrial techniques and the latest technologies. In another life she would have been an artist or an architect, but if she couldn’t work in the creative industry, she says she would have liked to have been a patisserie chef – unsurprising given the trade’s similar obsession with structure and precision. “Form takes over,” she enthuses. “Sometimes you see these little cakes and they look like sculptures. The taste obviously has to be good, but you can do a lot with the shape.” When she’s not cooking up new designs in her studio below her Golborne Road boutique, Bohinc tries to visit her family in her hometown Ljubljana three times a year, but admits that she’s always happy when she returns to the UK. “London is just so great,” she smiles. “Every time I come back I feel so lucky to be here. It’s one of the most international cities and it’s very open; anything goes. It’s very rare that you see so many different communities all on the same street like you do on Golborne Road. This feels like real London.”

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Next on the agenda is launching the S/S17 jewellery collection, a three-part range that includes Butterfly, a line of sterling silver, 18-carat gold-plated and rhodium clusters of butterflies on rings, earrings and necklaces, and expansions of her Eclipse and Stenmark collections in black rhodium and diamond styles respectively. The former is somewhat of a departure from her traditionally space-themed pieces, but is equally striking with stacks of butterflies snaking up silver chains and dangling from delicate earrings, interlocked by their delicate wings. Bohinc is dismissive of New Year’s resolutions (“I make decisions every day, so every day is a resolution of some sort”) and is hesitant to discuss her future plans, but reveals that she is working on A/W17 and is looking forward to seeing what’s around the corner. She’s collaborated with interiors brands and created her own line of scarves and shoes in the past, but jokes that it’s “too much” and that she needs to focus on what she’s got before expanding the brand further. That being said, her ambition is palpable, and my guess is that Bohinc and her space rings will continue on a fast track to infinity and beyond. The Lara Bohinc for Lapicida Lunar Collection Accessories are out now, from £330, 60 Golborne Road, W10, larabohinc.com Stargazer candle holders and Constellation bowls, Lunar collection 2016

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not all privacy is created equal SOLARIN is the ultimate mobile phone that combines the latest advanced technologies with the highest levels of privacy and the most elegant of designs.

34 Bruton Pl, Mayfair, London W1J 6LD | Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7XL www.sirinlabs.com

& GARDEN

HOME

BY Lauren Stevens

In Bloom Standing Ovation is the new wallpaper collection by design studio Harlequin. Maintaining its tradition of producing beautiful feature wall-coverings, the design house presents a colourful, pattern-rich couture collection, completely on trend for S/S17. Drawing on both the brand’s original artwork and bestselling products, nine designs are available across a range of 40 options – including Coquette, a concoction of silhouetted flower stems, florals and leaves in monochrome. From £50 per roll, harlequin.uk.com

Celebrate in Style Charlotte Olympia loves to entertain, a fact made evident by her playful shoe and handbag collections – which is why Paperless Post has called on her for its latest spotlight series. In one of its most stylish collaborations yet, the online greetings company has asked Olympia to design seven Hollywoodinspired event invites, from afternoon tea invitations to birthday bash RSVPs. The fashion illustration-inspired artwork is complete with signature Charlotte Olympia prints and there’s even a different design for each day of the week, so you can celebrate in style whenever you want. From a selection, paperlesspost.com

Take the Heat Joining an area renowned for its thriving interior design market, luxury radiator specialist Castrads has opened a store on Chelsea’s Fulham Road. The Manchester-based family business has 10 years of experience in creating unique and timeless cast iron radiators with signature finishes. Marking the brand’s second London store, the luxury showroom – which has been decorated with original pieces by artist Katy Kirbach – will offer classic styles in a variety of polishes, lacquers, moulds and paints. Signature finishes include leather, stone and a unique marble effect crackle paint. 247 Fulham Road, SW3, castrads.com

Snug as a Bug The Danish concept of ‘hygge’ (pronounced ‘hue-gah’) is centred on wellbeing, especially when fighting off the January blues post-Christmas. Described in English as cosiness or togetherness, hygge recommends quality family time and those extra two hours in bed – and it’s with this in mind that Brissi has designed its new faux fur range. Taking inspiration from Danish living, the collection arrives in a neutral colour palette of grey, taupe and cream to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The Chamonix faux fur cushion adds an Alpine chalet feel to beds or sofas, while large blankets have been designed for beds and smaller throws for snuggling on the sofa. From £34, 196 Westbourne Grove, W11, brissi.com

Handmade in Italy The Venetian island of Murano has long been renowned for its beautiful and colourful handmade glassware, crafted using the skilful technique of glassblowing. Contemporary Murano glass specialist La Murrina was established by a group of glass masters in the 1960s and has since grown from a small factory into an experienced leader in glassware and lighting, priding itself on production and innovation. The brand also collaborates with a number of designers, combining the traditional technique with modern design to create pieces that bridge the gap between classic and contemporary. From a selection, lamurrina.com

Photography: Jake Curtis

Shabby Chic

Simple Things Iconic British brands Anglepoise and Paul Smith collaborate again for Edition Three of the Anglepoise® + Paul Smith lamp. Influenced by artist Piet Mondrian and the Dutch artistic movement De Stijl (which will celebrate its centenary in 2017) the abstract art-inspired desk lamp is a simple yet stylish addition to the home. Taking Anglepoise’s unmistakable form and Paul Smith’s quirky design style, the classic lamp is a vibrant contrast to its first and second editions – using Mondrian’s accent colours of red, white and blue to create a season-neutral piece. £160, 120 Kensington Park Road, W11, anglepoise.com

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The new fabric collection by Olivia Bard, Burnished Grandeur, fuses tradition with modernity, rediscovering heritage with its abstract prints and striking textures. Inspired by old-world French elegance, steel blues are fused with pearl undertones, accentuated with hints of gold, pewter and ruby to create a classic and indulgent colour scheme that has been tailored for a modern interior. The different prints and materials go hand in hand to create a rough luxe look – perfect for upholstering everything from sofas to feature cushions. The fabrics can also be teamed with the accompanying collection of tiebacks and curtain poles to create beautiful window displays. From £33 per metre, oliviabard.co.uk

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Scents of

Security

For discerning noses, candles by perfumers offer the finest in home fragrances. Camilla Apcar speaks to the olfactory masters who are burning the midnight oil and turning their attention to wax in a market overwhelmed with fragranced candles – released each season by interior designers, homeware stores and mass-market influencers alike – it is those translating their olfactory expertise from liquid to solid form that truly stand out from the pungent throng. Heavyweight perfumers have long since taken to the realms of wax: Frédéric Malle’s mammoth Cafe Society (£60) conjures Parisian dinner parties and drawing rooms; the Penhaligon’s range of classics continues to expand; Creed’s Green Irish Tweed (£85) is just as verdant as its original spray from the 1990s. Niche creators, too, are noticing an increased desire from their loyal followers to diversify. “About 15 years ago, the demand for fragranced candles was tiny,” says perfumer Azzi Glasser. “You just had Glade air fresheners back then. I think people are more aware of smell now, and what it says about them. And if the candle looks great, it’s like an ornament as well.” Having spent many years as a nose for the likes of Jasper Conran and Agent Provocateur, Glasser launched her own brand – The Perfumer’s Story – in 2015. Often asked about the fragrances that would suit certain rooms at home, in October Glasser developed the idea of Perfumed Architecture: five candles each intended for a different living space (£49 each). “Black Moss is for the entrance hallway or living room area, because its patchouli and oud give a kind of wow factor,” she describes. For kitchens or dining rooms, where a more subtle fragrance is required, Fig Ambrette is based on Corsican fig with hints of amber and green leaves. The

lifestyle

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lifestyle

Clockwise from left: Rosa Mundi, Diptyque; White Narcissus, Tom Daxon; Spirit Lamp, D.S. & Durga; Hope for courage, Agonist; Black Moss, Azzi Glasser. Previous page: BeauFort London’s Night Watch collection

go-to scent specialist for Helena Bonham Carter, Jude Law and Stephen Fry (to name just three), Glasser’s next venture will be to mirror her bespoke eau de parfum service with made to order candles. Working with wax poses a different set of challenges for perfume experts – both technically and creatively. “The fragrance you would choose to wear isn’t always the same as you would want in your home. It has to be more neutral, to a certain extent,” says young British talent Tom Daxon. Glasser agrees: “with a candle, it’s about designing it around your environment.” Leo Crabtree, founder of BeauFort London, says it’s worth remembering that the wax version of a beloved perfume may be very different. Indeed, he has used faithful reproductions of BeauFort’s eau de parfums for his three Night Watch candles (£39 each), but because of the medium “they work very differently, smoother somehow”. Deep and dark, they are full of tea, tobacco and gunpowder scents. “We spent a lot of time experimenting with different wicks, different glass and various types of wax,” he continues. “It’s essential to get the candle to burn evenly all the way down, ensuring even distribution of heat and scent.” This can take many months to perfect: “particularly as we use various natural compounds in very high concentrations that burn at different rates. Even the colour of the glass makes a difference.” Certain ingredients won’t work in fragranced wax, as the flame burns the oil and forces molecules to react and release their scents in different ways. Sandalwood, for instance, makes for a light smell – but paired with other finely-tuned ingredients it will become accented. “It’s like a form of manipulation,” says Glasser. The popularity of smoky candles endures, cherished for recreating the atmosphere of old wood-panelled rooms with a log fire burning in the grate. Brooklyn perfumer D.S. & Durga has just released its first collection (£58 at Liberty), a trio that draws on the smoky theme each in their own way. Portable Fireplace is perhaps the most straightforward (cedar, pine and oak ash swirl around birch tar). “This one obviously works best in the cold months,” says co-founder David Seth Moltz. “The idea is that you can enjoy the ambience of a roaring fire even if you don’t have a chimney, which many modern apartments do not.” Next, Spirit Lamp is a curious mixture of peach water, white ginger, coconut milk and

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smoky black tea. “It actually reminds me of sitting in the garden on warm summer evenings, but works very well indoors in chilly weather,” says Moltz. The third and arguably the best, ’85 Diesel, takes its name from the perfumer’s 1985 Mercedes Benz 300Turbo Diesel, all leather seats, walnut dashboard and diesel smoke. Elsewhere, Ideo Parfumeurs’ Esprit de Kadisha candle excels (£35 at Liberty), with oriental wood and incense coming together in a striking Lebanese-inspired combination by the husband-and-wife team behind the brand. Yet there are those making a move away from the fireside. In October Roja Dove launched H – The Exclusive Black Tier at Harrods (a hedonistic blend of rose, raspberry and suede, £95), while Swedish perfumer Agonist collaborated with compatriot fashion brand Hope to create three candles (£50 each at Avery Perfume Gallery) inspired by themes of individuality and strength. Hope for Diversity sits floral notes over leather and a woody base; Hope for Courage brings cinnamon and nutmeg together with rosemary and vanilla; Hope for Freedom tops musky undertones with lime. Unlike Leo Crabtree, Tom Daxon – who grew up in Buckinghamshire but spent his summers in Grasse – felt that his existing perfumes didn’t work quite as well as candles. “You don’t get the same expression of a fragrance in a candle as you do in a spray. It’s not as precise, and you’re dispersing it over a larger area,” he says. “Candles have to be simpler and stronger.” His latest, White Narcissus (£55), is crisp but set against smoky woods. “The idea was to create a wintery candle that wasn’t a Christmas cliché,” says Daxon. “It’s what I think of as a floral bouquet in the winter: quite green, with a cosiness and warmth underneath.” As spring approaches, so does a fresh host of waxy delights for the new season. This month Diptyque will release Rosa Mundi (from £28), a limited edition that perfectly captures the idea of a candle as an object of beauty. Two roses – Damask and May – are complemented by blackcurrant and bergamot, lychee and geranium, as well as by hand-printed floral paper around the glass. Its charming design is part of a revival of domino paper, a craft made popular in the 18th century and used to cover books, walls and boxes with colourful prints. Similarly, Linari’s new Onice candle (£53 at Harrods) offers a musky, tonka and lavender scent swathed in deep black velvet. What Glasser notes holds true – a candle really can serve a feast for all the senses.

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CHARLOTTE RHYS CAPE TOWN Indulge yourself in our unique formulations. A fusion of silky textures, luscious fragrances and precious natural ingredients.

NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK CHARLOTTE RHYS is proudly vegan & eco f r i e n d l y a n d e n d o r s e d b y B e a u t y W i t h o u t C r u e l t y.

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HEALTH BEAUTY BY alicia Osborne-crone Images courtesy of: Christian Louboutin

Fix Up, Look Sharp This January, Christian Louboutin has brought a new level of shine to your nails with a limited-edition mini trio of chrome polishes inspired by specchio – a kind of laminated leather with a mirror-like quality. The Loubichrome Nail Colours are highly pigmented and infused with light-reflecting pearls, resulting in a beautiful iridescent finish. Available in violet, rosy red and a bright yellow shade with hints of lime, carry some much-needed sparkle and vibrancy with you this January wherever you go. From £23, available at Selfridges from 1 January, eu.christianlouboutin.com

Jumpstart January As part of the relaunch of its beauty department at the end of 2016, Neville salon has introduced a variety of unique treatments and services. Along with FaceGym and The Fresh Face, a notable newcomer is Venus Versa, which will be offering a range of in-demand aesthetic treatments that are perfect for a January detox. Cleanse yourself of that one-drinktoo-many with Varipulse technology, which uses lymphatic drainage to improve skin's appearance, while treating bloating and cellulite. Alternatively, opt for reflexology, an ancient technique used on the feet for relieving tension; it only takes one session to improve circulation, eliminate toxins and rebalance your systems. From £50 for 30 minutes of reflexology, 5 Pont Street, Belgravia, SW1X, available from 24 January, nevillehairandbeauty.net

Made You Blush With bright pinks and corals, YSL is fusing the vibrancy of spring with the stark monochromes of city streets. The collection includes nail polishes and an eyeshadow palette, contrasting striking orange with smoky asphalt grey, along with lipsticks, glosses, eyeliner and blush. Most notably is the new ‘Kiss and Blush’ duo stick – a complex two-in-one colour balm that glides effortlessly over lips, cheeks or both. Go subtle or intense; add just a hint of colour, or work a more daring duo-toned look. £26, available from 1 January, yslbeauty.co.uk

Line Up Our faces carry years of emotions and experiences – don't they deserve a break? La Prairie’s day and night formula works in multiple ways: during the day, the cream protects the skin from harmful UVA and IRA rays, while preventing stimulus pathways from forming fine lines. The night formula is focused on regenerating and repairing. Used together, the Power Duo counteracts the daily impacts of life: stimulating the production of collagen and elastin, all the while optimising skin renewal. Creating visible results in just 14 days and 14 nights, be prepared to head into 2017 face on. Available from 24 January, £244, Peter Jones, SW1W, johnlewis.com

beauty Round-Up Let’s Glow Offering a choice between a compact powder or liquid formula, Chanel's Le Teint Ultra Tenue is a new generation of foundation, promising to provide a perfect complexion for women on the go from morning through to evening. Designed with newly developed technology, it provides a long-wearing, flawless finish that is able to withstand extremes of temperature and humidity. Lastminute winter sun escape? Chanel has you covered. Available from 13 January, from £37, chanel.com

Salon Finish You plan new ways to improve your health and body at the start of 2017, so why not do the same for your hair? This season, the new Hari's salon in Notting Hill will celebrate the brand's 40th anniversary as one of London’s most renowned hair and beauty destinations. Unwind in the hands of skilled stylists and indulge in the exclusive new Oyster & Chili Shot Blow Out, designed by expert biochemist Nausheen Qureshi, which uses Japanese oyster and chili extract to transform tired tresses into glossy, revitalised locks. Blowdries from £30, Colour and Styling from £60, 41 Ledbury Road, W11, harissalon.com

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Top 3: Winter Elixirs Don’t let the miserable wet and windy weather take a toll on your complexion as well as your mood this January. Revive and reawaken dry and lacklustre skin with our pick of the top three newest products Photography: styling by creative director Craig Taylor and colour by Salvadore

Clockwise from top: Orchidée Impériale 4th Generation Cream, £295 for 50ml, guerlain.com; Revitalizing Hydrating Serum, £145, cremedelamer.co.uk; Multi-Active Eye Cream, £35, clarins.com

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LIFESTYLE

Lessons

Life

Life coach Victoria Macpherson is trained at helping her clients unlock their inner potential and motivating them to achieve their career goals. Olivia Sharpe writes as we live longer and the state pension age continues to rise, our working lives have taken on much more meaning. Particularly for women who have had children young and are returning to jobs after a long absence, work seems to have greater significance than ever before. As a trained life coach specialising in leadership and career coaching, Victoria Macpherson has noticed a shift in her female clients’ attitude towards their careers. “Women want more out of their careers now than I think the previous generation did,” she argues. “Very often, after they’ve had children or their children have grown up, they still have that drive to do something. It’s either the empty-nest approach or the fact that they’re capable, but they’re not being stretched at home.” The challenge of returning to work after a long absence is a daunting one to face, especially if you’re also having to juggle children, households and social lives. The constant negativity fed to us by the press about the lack of opportunities for women in the working world once they’ve had children, also doesn’t help matters. What Macpherson offers, therefore, is the support they need to help boost their confidence and to have a ‘can do’ approach. “They’re often very motivated, but they’ve just lost sight of where to put that motivation,” she comments. “I think it’s about women having the confidence to say, ‘this is what I’ve done, this is what I’m good at’ and going from there. They’ve identified that they want to go back to work, but what I do is help them figure out what they want to do.” For those of you who are unsure exactly what life coaching is, let me explain. Typically, it involves a series of sessions where someone sits down with you to discuss what your goals are, how to achieve them and what strategies you need to put in place. Macpherson doesn’t offer therapy or consulting, but rather works as a personal and impartial counsellor. We all have fears and concerns and it is Macpherson’s job to help alleviate them. “They use me as a sounding board,” she says. “Often, my clients don’t know what they’re good at and I’m here to help them explore it.” Having spent 10 years in investment banking before becoming a headhunter, Macpherson is well-versed on the subject of high-pressured working environments and what it takes to be a desirable professional candidate. While

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she enjoyed headhunting, she found that the industry was losing its value as it was becoming all about “putting bums on seats”. Through her role as a life coach, Macpherson feels fulfilled as she can relate to clients on a more personal level. “Now I’m working with clients with whom l can show a softer side to help build that trust,” she says. Macpherson meets her clients on a one-toone basis, but her sessions are conducted in a very conversational, relaxed style. Blessed with a naturally reassuring manner, she gently provokes her clients to delve into their thoughts and feelings so that they figure out for themselves what it is that they want. “I ask questions that allow them to think slightly differently, or to look at something differently so although you’re not offering solutions you’re sort of pin pricking them. You’re helping them to dig through the layers.” This ‘pin-pricking’ approach is the key to Macpherson’s success as, by unravelling her clients’ feelings, she helps them get clarity and focus, and only then will they be able to determine in which direction they need to go. As mindfulness is set to be a buzzword for 2017, Macpherson notes how many companies are now investing in life coaches in order to get the best out of their staff. Along with working with clients on a personal level, Macpherson is also called upon by businesses for team and leadership coaching, utilising the tried-andtested Hogan Psychometrics assessment which looks at value drivers and the ‘dark sides’ of one’s personality that can derail you. We have all worried about how we come across to our team and colleagues and the same insecurities apply to both men and women: “‘Am I being too aggressive? Too brusque? I don’t like conflict.’ These are the common things people come to me with.” Macpherson upholds author and educator Charles Swindoll’s philosophy that “Life is 10 per cent what happens to you and 90 per cent how you react to it”. In other words, we are all in charge of our own attitudes and as Macpherson observes, people worry too much about the decisions they make and whether they were good or bad, but this is the wrong way to look at it. “The more they understand, ‘Why did I make that decision? Why did I do that?’ That’s better and there’s no regret. And that’s a powerful thing.” victoriamacpherson.co.uk

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Kids KINGDOM BY Alicia Osborne-Crone

Arnold & Friends Discover the touching story of Arnold the pigeon in the first children’s book by Unity Publishing. The story follows a lonely pigeon who overcomes his sadness through daring acts and makes new animal friends during his explorations around Barnes pond. Arnold & Friends includes a colouring-in spread and a guide to the local birds of Barnes pond, making it not only a lovely story, but an interactive and creative experience, too. Arnold & Friends, £8.99, by Amy and Andrew Wilson, illustrated by Jeremy Wilson, unity-publishing.co.uk

Image courtesy of: Stella McCartney

Club Tropicana Featuring fearsome crocs, palm trees, flowers and musical notes, Stella McCartney has brought the vibrancy of the tropics home for her new collection of kids’ and baby wear. Perfect for a winter escape, the collection also includes an extended swimwear line, with matching swim tees, bottoms and cover-ups with a UPF of 50+ for ultimate sun protection. In keeping with McCartney’s commitment to sustainability, the designs will feature fabrics made from organic fibres and sustainable materials, and two of the T-shirts, available in both baby and kid sizes, have been designed for the Meat Free Monday campaign. From £31, stellamccartney.com

Get Set, Lego Style, convenience and fun have been brought to you by the modern children’s online shop Nubie, in the form of Lego. No more stepping on painful little bricks; these colourful blocks are super functional. Use them for play or storage, and as they have the same design as the original pieces, you can stack them up afterwards for space-saving and trendy Lego towers. From £18, nubie.co.uk

Cool Kids Merging classic styles from Adidas Originals and the creative hand-drawn prints from Mini Rodini, the two brands have partnered to create a yearlong collection that will be released throughout 2017. Dedicated to imagination, creativity and the imprint left by children, the playful collection of leisure wear is truly unique. All items will have high sustainability values, such as organic cotton and recycled polyester, so kids can be kinder to the planet – while looking totally trendy. From £60, minirodini.com

On Your Bike

Photography: Chris Brock Photography

The Karbon has established itself as one of the lightest balance bikes in the world, weighing in at just 350g. Designed to teach children how to cycle without the use of stabilisers, the Karbon has a sleek and sporty design that is available in either matt or glossy black. It has been crafted entirely from carbon, with the exception of its gel saddle, which allows your child’s weight to be evenly distributed to provide ultimate comfort and balance. £999, kiddimoto.co.uk

PET’S

Travelling First Class

Playroom Patterns Jennifer Manners has introduced quirky and contemporary style to children’s bedrooms. The bespoke online store specialises in handmade rugs, each of which carries beautifully detailed geometric designs that will continue to look sophisticated as time goes by. Adding on years to their lifespan, the new children’s collection of handwoven rugs is also reversible. That embedded crayon wax stain that refuses to come out? Out of sight. Arabesque Dragons rug (pictured), £295/sq m or £,1275 for 1.8m x 2.4m, jennifermanners.co.uk

C OR N E R

This contemporary bed bag is the perfect item to ensure that you always travel with your pet in style and with ease. Handcrafted in Spain and made from 100 per cent natural wool, the bag unfolds to provide total luxury for your faithful friend. Not only is it soft and insulating, but it also includes a convenient pocket to store any essential treats and toys. Beautiful as a shoulder bag on its own, it is available in either pink, grey or taupe. Bow-wow. £150, styletails.com

Image courtesy of: Vilebrequin

Sun, Sea and Surf Shorts Melt away your post-Christmas blues with Vilebrequin’s Winter Suns collection, made especially for fathers and sons. Each item reflects whimsical memories of childhood, ready to whisk you away to a place where bears dance on ice and snowboarding bunnies reside. Shake off the seasonal cobwebs, pack up your shorts and sunglasses, and escape to a sunny paradise. From £80, 56 Fulham Road, SW3, uk.vilebrequin.com

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high life Cloud Nine We all make resolutions at New Year – often involving being healthier and living life to the fullest. Shakti Himalaya’s new Head in the Clouds journeys can fulfil both of these; with silent walks, morning meditation, mindfulness sessions, healthy eating and daily yoga. You will be accompanied by a personal yoga and meditation teacher through remote villages – they will organise strategic breaks in order to give you time to meditate and take in the surrounding tranquility. Shakti also offers trekking and camping for those looking for a more active experience. The trip will end at the luxury 360° Leti hotel, where you can take comfort in your newfound sense of enlightenment. From £4,702 per person for eight days; private mediation and yoga teacher start from £260 per day, shaktihimalaya.com

Image courtesy of: Shakti Himalaya

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Travel

THE WORLD By Alicia Osborne-Crone Photography: andyparant.com

Closer to Home

Sneak Peek Always exploring new ways of enhancing one’s skiing experience, Consensio Chalets has ensured that this winter is going to be an exciting one. A new partnership with Duck and Waffle has resulted in an exclusive breakfast menu; produced by head chef Tom Cenci, it features signature dishes created with the finest seasonal ingredients. Meanwhile, two alpine apartments and a new Chalet Calistoga have been designed with sophistication and quality in mind. This season, Consensio is set to fulfil the desires of seasoned skiers. Chalet Calistoga from £17,500 based on 10 guests sharing five rooms on an all-inclusive basis; Etoile Filante apartment from £5,100 based on nine guests sharing four rooms with self-catering, consensiochalets.co.uk

The Secret Gardens

When in Tuscany

Arabian Nights Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara has opened a gateway into luxury, culture and history in southern Oman, situated on the shimmering edge of the Arabian Sea. Introducing its first luxury pool villa resort, Anantara boasts three dining venues offering exquisite flavours from around the world, and the world-acclaimed Anantara Spa, which delivers rejuvenating treatments using indigenous ingredients. With pristine beaches, tranquil gardens, ancient ruins, heritage sites and the vibrantly beautiful wadis (valleys) of Oman, Al Baleed Resort Salalah can fulfil any traveller’s desires. Nightly rates start from £264 on a bed & breakfast basis in a Premier Sea View Room, salalah.anantara.com

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Experience the striking beauty of Val d’Orcia for the first time this winter from the warmth and serenity of an 18th-century farmhouse villa. Many plan to visit Tuscany during the summer, famed, as it is, for its sunshine; however, the region’s rolling hills and cypress trees are just as, possibly even more so, captivating during the winter. A number of seasonal activities and vibrant festivals await – taste Tuscany’s regional produce of olive oil, wine, chestnuts and mushrooms while being dazzled by festive lights and music. Prices start from €1,000 per villa, per night, rosewoodhotels.com Photography: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco

Located within the scenic grounds of Sibton Park and a stone’s throw from Suffolk’s picturesque coast and villages, the Walled Garden and Garden Cottage are perfect for those looking for a breath of fresh air. With thousands of acres to explore preserved wildlife and beautiful woodland, this getaway is the perfect combination of luxury and nature. Each property features underfloor heating and open fires for chilly nights and, if rented together, there are 12 bedrooms in total. Surrounded by wildflowers, secret gardens and rustic stone walls, these two properties promise a truly magical country experience. Prices at the Walled Garden start from £1,040 per night and the Garden Cottage from £244 per night. Prices for The Walled Garden & Garden Cottage combined start from £1,056 (all based on a seven-night stay), wildernessreserve.com

Photography: Will Pryce

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12/1/16 4:59 PM

Spell Sun

Whoever said you had to lose weight before a holiday? Olivia Sharpe discovers an effective weight loss and nutritional programme while sunning herself in vacation hotspot Marbella

It has always baffled me that people would voluntarily go to a health retreat. Forgive me, but the thought of being locked away in what is effectively a prison for the over-indulged – forbidden carbs, sugar, alcohol and cigarettes – just seems rather masochistic. However, living and working in London, I can appreciate how hard it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and, indeed, one’s figure – particularly in my line of work, where there is a canapé and champagne do to tempt me almost every night, should I so wish. And that is why I recommend Healthouse Las Dunas, where you are guaranteed to leave a few pounds lighter (if that’s what you want to achieve), not to mention healthier, but without feeling as though you have been starved for the past week. The five-star medical spa has made a name for itself through its pound-shedding, seven-day weight loss programme. What is refreshing about Healthouse is that unlike some medispas where guests are banished to the middle of nowhere (no doubt to purge them of their sins), Healthouse is located in Marbella, the glamorous Spanish vacation spot. The grounds feature lush,

sprawling gardens, a swimming pool, and the beach right on your doorstep. Far from feeling like you’re checking into a prison, the luxury hotel is light, airy and welcoming, with terracotta tiles, marble floors and beautifully decorated suites. On arrival, each guest is given a consultation by a nutritionist, who weighs you, calculates your BMI and takes your measurements. I live a fairly healthy lifestyle, but my vices are wine, cigarettes (directly related to drinking) and salt. I explain how I carry my weight on my stomach and can suffer from bloating, which she puts down to my high salt intake as this causes fluid retention. Next, she prescribes me various weight-loss supplements, including Levanat Plus – a natural diuretic that helps to kickstart the metabolism – and Vivat Digest, meant to reduce bloating. All of the supplements recommended can be purchased from the Natur House store in Notting Hill as well as at the hotel, and are meant to be taken alongside the carefully controlled diet of 1,300 calories a day (for the more intense programme, guests are restricted to 900 calories).

travel Images courtesy of: Heathouse Las Dunas

Healthouse meals have been carefully devised by Michelin-starred chef Tim van Buchem, whose fourcourse breakfast, lunch and dinner menus are certainly inventive, but I cannot say delicious. Breakfasts are the most depressing, as one’s rumbling tummy is only permitted a piece of toast and three slices of anaemic ham. Lunches and dinners are slightly more exciting, with steamed croaker cooked in a fig leaf, tuna tartare and a dessert of yoghurt made from soya with cinnamon flakes being some of the highlights. Another is the warm bread rolls which remarkably tastes as light and fluffy as dough, but are made from apples. You’re only permitted one of these per day and no amount of begging (or flirting, a desperate tactic I attempted on the second day) with the waiters will get you more. This regime, while it may seem cruel, is very effective and forces you to rethink your day-to-day diet at home and look at how you can lead a healthier lifestyle. While you’re initially hungry, you soon learn to curb your hunger pangs by occupying your mind with different things and, fortunately, there’s plenty to keep you busy, from daily treatments at the beautiful Ekilum spa to gentle yoga and Pilates classes.

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Although maintaining such a strict diet is virtually impossible in your daily life, visiting Healthouse has naturally made me stricter on my diet (I now consume far less salt and alcohol) and for those who need to slim down fast, it is the perfect weekend retreat.

more information The Healthy Weekend package from €1,125 per person based on three nights’ full board accommodation in a Deluxe room with sea view. The programme includes a consultation with a nutritionist and psychologist, daily spa treatments and yoga/Pilates/Aquagym sessions, a personalised individual plan and access to the Ekilum spa; healthouse-naturhouse.com Monarch operates flights to Malaga from London Gatwick, Luton, Leeds Bradford and Manchester airports with fares, including taxes, starting from £54 one way (£100 return); monarch.co.uk

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SandsTime of

With its unearthly vistas, magnificent coastline and exceptional wildlife, it is little wonder Namibia is one of the most photographed places in the world. Annie Biziou journeys across the country’s vast and wild terrain in a trip of a lifetime

“Namibia’s beauty lies in its stark emptiness,” a friend told me days before I left London. “If you can’t appreciate that, you’ll never understand why people love it.” The producers of 2015’s Hollywood blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road certainly saw something in this country when they immortalised it on the silver screen, so, setting out in search of Namibia’s otherworldly vistas with self-drive specialists Safari Drive, I’m expecting the extraordinary. My partner and I begin in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. Fresh from a night spent holed up in the city’s most heavenly hotel, The Olive Exclusive, we hop into our Land Rover Defender, which is packed to the brim with kit for the road, including a bow drill – hello Bear Grylls – and camping equipment for those who are that way inclined. We’re admittedly partial to a little more luxury, so we speed off to Okonjima Reserve, following in the footsteps of now ex Hollywood royal couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Home to the AfriCat Foundation, Okonjima has a variety of accommodation options, but we pitch up in the Grand African Villa – a magnificent private abode sleeping up to eight guests with an infinity pool overlooking a watering hole and a bevvy of staff. Here, we get a larger-than-life look at AfriCat’s beating heart. The team is in the process of conducting an annual health check on the resident cheetah, many of which have been saved from the hands of farmers protecting their livestock in the surrounding region.

A heady half-day drive the following morning takes us to the eastern edge of Etosha National Park, Namibia’s prime wildlife destination and Africa’s largest saltpan; so large, in fact, that it’s visible from space. A night to rest our dusty, windblown heads in one of Mushara Outpost’s cavernous tented suites and we’re off on our own once more, navigating the full breadth of a park that surely served as inspiration for Farrow & Ball’s paint chart.

travel Photography: Oli Anderson

For instance, clouds of Cornforth White chalk dust mute the panoramas, the great pan a fine shade of Pavilion Grey edged with Chapel Green brush and backed by a Lulworth Blue sky. We see handsome ostriches dressed in thick shiny plumage to rival any carnival costume, feisty zebras with doe-eyed calves, giraffes and wildebeest in their dozens competing for a drink at watering holes flecked across our map. Pushing west, we reach Ongava Tented Camp and drag ourselves from a sun-scorched stupor for an afternoon outing in the leafy private game reserve, where our guide conjures up a pride of lions lolling in the shade and a stocky black rhino grazing among acacia trees.

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The next day heralds an electrifying journey as we weave through blood-orange boulders in Damaraland, where the Brandberg Mountain, Namibia’s highest peak, is always in sight. Our Defender is put to the test on a bone-shaking track to the recently opened Sorris Sorris Lodge. Nine glassfronted suites tier down a hill beneath the main lodge, where an open-air dining area and geometric pool look straight at the Brandberg. The lodge’s owner, Namibia Exclusive, is due to open three more properties over the next year in various off-the-beaten-track locations; I’d hazard a guess that they’ll be just as impressive as Sorris Sorris. An early morning departure takes us through the abandoned mining town of Uis, where the few remaining

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locals haggle over crates of rough-cut amethyst, garnets and quartz. We drive until red mounds melt into ashen oblivion stretching towards the coast. Our next stop is a sand bar on the outskirts of Walvis Bay, home to Pelican Point Lodge; a disused lighthouse that was recently converted into an unusual boutique hotel. Quirky and colourful on the inside, the lodge has mammoth windows looking out onto windswept sands inhabited by flamingos, jackals and seals. To one side lies the roaring Atlantic, to the other, a misty lagoon laced with tankers syphoning natural gases from the ocean floor. After a night wrapped up in front of the fire with the wind wailing outside, we drop our car at the nearby town of Swakopmund and take to the skies in a couple of 1970s Cessna planes for the final three nights of our journey. The Schoeman family pioneered this unusual and intimate skyward adventure; one that always elicits thrilled whispers from seasoned safari enthusiasts. We join brothers Henk and Bertus for a truly unique perspective on the Skeleton Coast, flying low over desolate coastline and bizarre rock formations by day and bedding down at unique private camps by night. Accommodation is simple compared to our self-drive lodges, but – as the family of self-confessed Aman junkies joining us agrees – each charming camp reflects the roughand-ready, intimate luxury of what the Schoemans offer. Travelling with the knowledgeable brothers and hearing their lifetime of anecdotes is like exploring coveted spots in the company of old friends. We feel a heightened sense of privilege, and, at times, like the only people left on earth. In just three days, we soar over land creased with mountains, chasms and ridgelines, land on utopian plains cloaked in golden grasses, trek across chilly beaches strewn with whalebones and sculptural shipwrecks mauled by a ferocious combination of fog and treacherous sea. We visit the Himba tribes of the far north, who coat themselves in red ochre and live nomadically on the border of Angola. On occasion,

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we spot Kaokoland’s other inhabitants; herds of zebra scouring the chalky floor, stately oryx scaling crimson dunes and sturdy desert elephant sucking water from long dry riverbeds dotted with pungent mustard plants. As dusk laps up the light on our last day, we sip gin and tonics and Bertus points out the constellations. “There’s the backbone of the sky,” he tells us, indicating towards the Milky Way, “the San Bushmen said that it holds up an old animal hide to shield the sun, and the stars are just holes worn into the skin.” Back in London, I dream in an impossible spectrum of colours, of silky dunes caught in the silver cachet of afternoon light, crystalline rivers lined with yellow flowers and bubblegum pink lakes crusted with salt. There’s something undeniably curative to be found in Namibia’s boundless horizons and vivid hues; it’s a true tonic for the city-struck soul.

more information A 14-day Luxury Namibia itinerary with Safari Drive (safaridrive.com) costs from £10,785 per person based on two guests travelling, including accommodation, vehicle rental and a three-night Schoemans flying safari on the Skeleton Coast

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travel

HEAVEN

on Earth

Olivia Sharpe gets a taste of authentic Vietnamese cuisine and the country’s rich culture during her brief stay at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

I am lying on a sunbed, allowing the tropical heat to envelop me in a blanket of warmth. There’s not a cloud in the sky and beneath me, pristine golden sand stretches for miles along the unspoilt coastline of Vietnam’s Son Tra Peninsula. From all appearances, everything is right with the world. Until I tune into the heated conversations being had around me. A middleaged man in swimming shorts pontificates vocally and despairingly about the UK’s financial peril, while his beautiful bikini-clad girlfriend unconvincingly pretends to listen as she suns herself. To put this into context, it is the day after the EU referendum and the dramatic news that Britain had voted to leave Europe has travelled across the globe to our secluded beach in Vietnam. I am disappointed, not to mention a little sheepish. I had spent the whole of the previous night telling my companions (a group of argumentative British journalists) loudly over cocktails that there was no way Brexit could ever happen. All fool me. However, far away from Europe and all of its troubles, not even the Twitter trolls can dampen my spirits. After all, I’m in heaven. Not literally, you understand. I am staying at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort and the clifftop hotel’s rooms and suites are divided into tiers, from the lowly Earth and Sea levels right up to Sky and Heaven, reached via a funicular railway. At the top levels, guests who’ve paid top dollar can expect 360° views of the mountainside resort and sweeping tropical coastline. The luxury resort is the perfect example of how Vietnam has come up in the world as a luxury destination, now rivalling the likes of Thailand and Malaysia. Unlike Thailand – a country that has partly been spoilt by the destructive backpacker brigade – visitors can still enjoy Vietnam’s natural beauty and ancient heritage sites, while also experiencing the pinnacle of luxury.

Opened in 2012, the five-star InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula was designed by acclaimed Bangkok-based architect Bill Bensley, who has masterfully drawn inspiration from the Vietnamese landscape for its design. The striking black-and-white colour scheme and subtle motifs throughout the hotel – including lotus flowers, hanging lanterns and arched windows – reflect traditional Buddhist temples, while showerheads constructed from real hill tribe baskets recall local village customs. Seasoned travellers can expect the very best facilities, including an award-winning spa, excellent restaurants, boutique shops and even an in-house tailor. While many people come to Vietnam to enjoy its empty beaches and fascinating history (both worthwhile pursuits), my main reason for visiting is to sample the food, which for some is considered to be the best in the world. All of the hotel’s restaurants pay tribute to authentic Vietnamese cuisine with the exception of La Maison 1888, the renowned French fine dining restaurant. Up until last year, it was run by Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux, but it has since been taken over by Pierre Gagnaire. On our first evening my friends and I have dinner at Citron; situated on the highest level of the resort, it boasts the best views of the bay. From the Non La (traditional conical hats that guests are also given complimentary in their rooms) shaped booths to the animal graffiti adapted from earliest known cave paintings, every aspect of the restaurant design honours the country’s heritage and the same goes for the food. You will find regional differences in Vietnamese cuisine if you choose to travel across the country, the north being less spicy due to the colder weather limiting production, while the central mountainous terrain (where we’re based) is known for its abundance of spices. Citron’s menu showcases these regional differences, having separate sections for dishes popular in northern

Vietnam has come up in the world as a luxury destination, rivalling Thailand and Malaysia

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and central Vietnam. For starters, steamed clams are prepared with a bouquet of fresh green herbs, including lemongrass and Vietnamese basil (ubiquitous in Southeast Asia, it has a profound aniseed-like flavour), accompanied by a sweet papaya salad with an oomph of chilli. Vietnamese cuisine is all about the balancing of flavours – in keeping with the yin-yang principle – and this is apparent in the sweet and sour fish soup. The perfect harmony of these two flavour combinations, the aromatic soup is both comforting and thrilling. Next, we’re served sambal stingray; an authentic Malaysian seafood dish, the fish is typically barbecued, but in this case, it was roasted in a banana leaf and topped with a sambal paste infused with chilli. Opening up the leaf, I am immediately hit with an eruption of aromatic spices that have enhanced the flavour of the beautifully moist fish. Finally for dessert, the pineapple soup with fresh mint and a healthy hit of ginger is the perfect enlivening palate cleanser, while those ready to carry on the night should opt for the profiteroles soaked in an awakening shot of Vietnamese coffee. To get a real taste of Vietnamese food, I would highly recommend paying a visit to Hôi An. The former trading port’s beautiful architecture and cultural landmarks – complete with pagodas, temples and the stunning Japanese bridge (dating back to the 16th and 17th century) – thankfully have remained intact due to the town being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrive mid-downpour, but this doesn’t detract from the old town’s charm or activity. As we Brits stand huddled in one of the shops to escape the rain (you’d have thought we’d be used to this kind of weather), the locals carry on as usual, judiciously kitted out in plastic ponchos as they ride past on their bikes. Fortunately, downpours don’t last long in Vietnam and after enjoying a fearsomely strong Margarita in a nearby café, the rain has subsided and we’re able to venture out again. At night, Hôi An comes into its own, lit up with colourful lanterns which float down the river, said to bring good luck and happiness. We stop for dinner at Morning Glory restaurant. Portions are generous, but I urge you to sample as many dishes as possible as they all bring something unique and delicious. Highlights include the crispy whole snapper (which is so fleshy that I almost mistake it for meat) and the house stir fry packed with garlic. You must also try white rose – a name given by the French in Vietnam because they resemble flower petals – these delicate white dough parcels filled with shrimp or pork are akin to dumplings, only lighter and non-greasy.

After dinner and bursting at the seams, we stroll leisurely down the streets lined with shops famed for their express tailoring. In 10 minutes, I am sized up for a bomber jacket (to rival the one sold at Zara that has possibly been sported by every woman in London), while my companion buys himself a rather jazzy suit, delivered to our hotel the very next day. If only DHL was as good. Having satisfied our Asian food cravings, our last night is spent dining at the hotel’s famed La Maison 1888. The French colonial-style restaurant has become a gastronomic institution in Vietnam due to it being the first to be headed up by a Michelin-starred chef. Through his menu, Gagnaire has masterfully bridged the gap between the essence of haute French dining and the spirit of Vietnam, as classic French dishes have been infused with local products and flavours. To start, crawfish jelly is seasoned with ‘the Bay perfumes’, while fresh Turkish morels come with vibrant green asparagus sourced from Dalat. For main, its Wagyu beef; the tender meat has been roasted and then poached so that it melts in the mouth and is accompanied with a rich and creamy gratin dauphinois. This is followed by an absurdly decadent, but wholly justifiable, Reblochon foam served with Chantilly of truffle, chestnut cream and vegetables. It is dessert, however, that is Gagnaire’s real triumph; he has created an array of mini pastry delights that cater to all sweet tooth preferences. Minus this decadent culinary affair, Vietnamese food is predominantly very healthy, but you may feel you need to work off some of your meals nonetheless. If so, then a walk up the mountains to see the 800-year-old banyan national heritage tree is certainly a calorie-burning activity. True, I’m pretty sure locals think we are mad as they drive past us on Vespas, truly mystified as to why a group of profusely perspiring journalists are trekking in 37ºC heat. But that’s the British for you. After two hours of hiking, we arrive panting, but fully appreciative of the 22-metre tree, currently the largest in Vietnam. Another worthwhile trip is to the Marble Mountains, a pilgrimage site with caves, tunnels, pagodas and Buddhist sanctuaries. The mountains have historical significance, as Vietnamese troops would use this as their vantage point to spy on US soldiers relaxing on My Khe Beach below. With its wonderful food, culture and luxury, Vietnam is waiting to be discovered. Just make sure you beat the hordes of backpackers to it. A night at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort starts from USD400 based on two people sharing a Classic King Room. Book online at danang.intercontinental.com

La Maison 1888 restaurant has become a gastronomic institition in Vietnam

travel Images courtesy of: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

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& DINING

DRINKING

BY Ellen Millard Photography: John Carey

In the Mix From a man who knows his Martinis from his Margaritas comes a helpful book of mixes, measures and step-by-step recipes for cocktails to impress. Balthazar’s bar manager Brian Silva has used the experience gained over his 30-year career as a cocktail connoisseur to pen Mixing in the Right Circles. This comprehensive guide to bar equipment, glassware and garnishes, as well as an insight into his own personal experience in the industry, from the rare spirits he’s collected to the bars he’s made his own. £20, available from Balthazar London, 4-6 Russell Street, WC2B, balthazarlondon.com Image courtesy of: Balthazar London

Team Work Italian and Japanese cuisines aren’t two that you would often group together, so it came as somewhat of a surprise to learn that Monte Carlo-based Twiga restaurant and sushi specialist Sumosan were joining forces. Located in Knightsbridge, the aptly named Sumosan Twiga offers the best of both cultures with a menu of maki rolls, sashimi, tuna tartare and furikake-crusted rack of Devon lamb. 165 Sloane Street, SW1X, sumosan.com Photography: Elena Heatherwick

Against the Grain Look out, Paul Hollywood – there’s a new master baker in town: Borough Market’s dough Mecca, Bread Ahead, has opened its second bakery and school on Pavilion Road. Savoury and sweet treats (including the venue’s famed doughnuts) will be available, along with workshops and bakery courses, during which you can make your own sourdough loaf, pizzas, Middle Eastern flatbreads and New York bagels. Elasticated waistbands are advisable. 249 Pavilion Road, SW1X, breadahead.com

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DRINKING Images courtesy of: Geronimo Inns

DINING

review

The Builders Arms It may be a bold statement, but I genuinely believe that I have found the best baked camembert in London. The Builders Arms is tucked behind the King’s Road and, along with a cosy interior and a cheerful pub landlord, it houses a cheesy triumph. Peppered with confit garlic and rosemary and served with toasted soldiers and a truffle honey dipping sauce, the creamy concoction is a medley of tantalising flavours that, on my visit, led to a battle between me and my guest over the last bread baton. The fromage feat would be reason to visit alone, but there’s plenty more carb-friendly delights to be had. It wouldn’t be pub grub without some sort of pie and, for those who need more than a wheel of camembert to get their cheesy hit, the Billingsgate fish medley comes highly recommended. Cod, king prawns and salmon swim in a buttery sauce beneath a blanket of the world’s cheesiest mashed potato and a baked egg, making for the perfect comfort food on a cold winter’s day. For the carnivores among you, you can’t go wrong with a steak. Take your pick from fillet, sirloin, rib eye or rump cuts, all served with your choice of sauce and chips. My guest opted for the latter – medium rare and with a peppercorn dressing – and devoured it instantly. When it comes to dessert, it seems rude not to order the pub’s specialty: the chocolate scotch egg. The dish is essentially two large chocolates, which may disappoint someone after something more substantial – but for those who are feeling the strain on their waistbands, it’s the perfect post-meal treat. Stomachs full, there’s little else to do, but kick back with a glass of wine (try the Cloof Very Sexy Shiraz – it tastes better than it sounds) and toast to the new year. Cheers! Ellen Millard 13 Britten Street, SW3, thebuildersarmschelsea.co.uk

Winter Warmers Shelter from the winter weather in two of Chelsea’s snazziest pubs, which have been redesigned in time for the new year

The Chelsea Ram The Chelsea Ram is relatively hidden among the back roads of Chelsea and seems particularly secluded when I visit on a dark and quiet Tuesday evening. Judging by its location, I guess that it will be a favourite amongst the locals, so the buzz that greets me when I step inside comes as little surprise. After a long day, my guest and I are grateful to be seated towards the back of the pub, where there’s a little more peace and quiet. The recently refurbished interior is the perfect blend of modern and antique design, with cerulean blue walls that provide a contrasting backdrop to the rustic furniture. We are presented with a glass of Bordeaux while we browse the menu, which includes a good balance of meat and fish dishes. I choose the smoked salmon to start, which is served with pickled beetroot, while my guest opts for the smoked haddock, cooked to perfection and beautifully presented with a poached egg on top. We agree that it would be rude not to pick the pub classics as our mains, and so I order a burger with melted cheese and extra bacon, served with crispy golden French fries that are so good, I can’t quite keep my hands away from the bowl. My guest sets on the classic fish and chips, which comes as a generous portion. Relatively full after two courses, we are tempted into ordering the lemon cheesecake, which is soft, light in flavour and complemented by a raspberry puree. Each dish is delicious, and I conclude that, whether it’s for a quick lunch or an evening affair, there’s something on the menu here for everyone. Lauren Stevens 32 Burnaby Street, SW10, thechelsearam.co.uk

review

Image courtesy of: Events in the Sky

bEYOND THE KALE Those succumbing to the annual January detox needn’t fret: the Royal Borough is serving up a medley of healthy eats for the new year

Om Nom Nom Practise your best downward dog before toasting to your flexibility with a breakfast cocktail at Kensington Place, where Equinox Kensington will be hosting a series of yoga classes every Saturday from 14 January. Post-child’s pose, there’ll be a chance to sample the restaurant’s new brunch menu of revitalising tastes, such as soft shell crab sandwiches, pumpkin soup and, for those with a sweet tooth, the eatery’s signature waffles. From £30, 14-28 January, 201-209 Kensington Church Street, W8, kensingtonplace-restaurant.co.uk

Flight Mode In-flight cuisine is not usually something worth shouting about, but this July delectable dining reaches new heights when London in the Sky returns for a third year, this time to our very own Chelsea College of Arts. Tickets are available now for the hair-raising event, which sees diners suspended 100 feet above ground for breakfast, lunch and dinner with an unparalleled view of Chelsea Embankment. A series of chefs will be cooking in the pop-up kitchen, including Michael Reid, Jeremy Page and Calum Franklin, who will be serving their signature dishes. From £50 for breakfast, 19-30 July, Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground, Chelsea College of Arts, SW1P, eventsinthesky.co.uk Image courtesy of: Kensington Place

Photography: Matt Russell

Keeping up with the Joneses If your Christmas was focused more on mince pies than Brussels sprouts, head to Harrods this January when it will be launching its first ever vegetarian range in collaboration with its new chef of the season, Anna Jones. Expect to find lemon, lentil and kale soup and seeded pistachio and squash galette as well as a range of sweet treats, such as banoffee pie and chocolate and black bean cookies. If you’re feeling inspired, visit Harrods’ website where the meat-averse chef will be hosting a series of master classes for those who need a few more greens in their lives. 3 January – 28 February, Harrods Food Halls, harrods.com

Image courtesy of: Natoora

Fruits of the Loom Jamie Oliver aside, London’s top chefs are rarely found rummaging through Sainsbury’s fruit and veg section for perfect produce with which to wow a Michelin inspector. Instead, they look to places such as Natoora, a wholesale company that supplies many of the capital’s best restaurants. Luckily for us, the brand has set up shop on Sloane Square, where burgeoning Pierre Koffmanns can pick up chestnuts from Mount Amiata in Tuscany, Calabrian bergamots and Sicilian pomegranates. Bon appétit. 245 Pavilion Road, SW1X, natoora.com

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Photography: Morgan O’Donovan Narmina Marandi & Darius Sanai

Emilia Wickstead & Sarah Harris

In Good Stead What: Emilia Wickstead’s Christmas Cocktail Party WHEN: 28 November WHERE: 162a Sloane Street, SW1X Who: Eddie Redmayne, Sarah Harris, Laura Bailey, Erin O’Connor and Charlotte Olympia Dellal Why: As well as creating beautiful womenswear, Emilia Wickstead certainly knows how to throw a party, as proven by her recent festive cocktail party held in her newly refurbished Sloane Street flagship store. A live brass band greeted guests with Christmas classics as they entered the boutique redesigned by Fran Hickman, which had been decorated for the occasion with floral arrangements provided by London florist Flowerbx. Pink champagne was enjoyed along with signature Cîroc cocktails, while toasted cheese sandwiches, Emilia Wickstead-branded chocolate bars and mince pies were on the menu.

Emilia Wickstead & Fran Hickman

Emilia Wickstead & Erin O’Connor

Book Club What: Rugby Portobello Trust’s Annual Christmas Fair WHEN: 15 November WHERE: Rugby Portobello Trust, W11 Who: Sebastian Faulks, Jeremy Paxman, Emma Chichester Clark and Ellie Asiri Why: For its 27th annual celebration, the Rugby Portobello Trust hosted a festive fair, which was sponsored by Strutt & Parker. This year, the organisation’s home turf was transformed into a winter wonderland filled with boutique stalls and Christmas gifts. Jeremy Paxman and Emma Chichester Clark were among the authors signing their new books on the night in partnership with Notting Hill bookseller Lutyens & Rubinstein. The event raised a staggering £20,000 for the charity. Tom Hooper, Hannah Bagshawe & Eddie Redmayne

Alice Naylor-Leyland

Photography: Michael Wheeler

House of Denim What: Diesel Flagship Store Launch WHEN: 1 December WHERE: 73 Brompton Road, SW3 Who: Nicola Formichetti, Rosie Fortescue, Conor Maynard, Nicola Hughes and Phoebe-Lettice Thompson Why: The new Diesel store on Brompton Road was a hotspot for London’s social scene on 1 December, with the likes of Made in Chelsea stars Oliver Proudlock and Rosie Fortescue rubbing shoulders with singer Conor Maynard, all of whom were there to celebrate the opening with the brand’s artistic director Nicola Formichetti. The store has been designed in keeping with the brand’s new retail strategy in a collaborative effort between Formichetti and Japanese architecture firm Wonderwall.

Elizabeth McGovern & Vanessa Kirby

Norman Mitchell & Michael Palin

A Christmas Carol Elizabeth McGovern & Norman Mitchell

Michael Palin & Vanessa Kirby

Michael Palin

What: Cancer Research’s Carol Service WHEN: 6 December WHERE: Royal Hospital Chelsea, SW3 Who: Elizabeth McGovern, Vanessa Kirby and Michael Palin Why: More than 400 guests gathered at Chelsea’s Royal Hospital Chapel for an evening of Christmas carols and readings to raise money for the Institute of Cancer Research. This year’s list of readers represented the best of British television, including actors Elizabeth McGovern, Vanessa Kirby and Michael Palin. The service was followed by a drinks-and-canapés reception in the main hall.

LONDON LIVING Photography: Lane McLean and Claire Kramer Black Mountain Smokery food stall

Jazz Cigarettes

CanapĂŠs

Elizabeth Brooks & Miles Meacock

Jeremy Paxman signing books

Mariana Nelson. Dinah Mayes & Caroline Ryan

Alexandra Abbattista, Federica Sturani & Annick Huber

Photography: Darren Gerrish Nicola Formichetti & Oliver Proudlock

Mekel Bailey

Oliver Proudlock & Rosie Fortescue

Conor Maynard & Wallis Day

Nicola Hughes

Nikita Andrianova

Alice Chater

Nicola Formichetti & Cora CorrĂŠ Rafferty Law

Will Best

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The Concierge What is it you require, sir? How may I help, madam? The Concierge is here to help with every need, whim or wish, however great or small Apparel

For the Home

Repairs & Cleaning

FurniturE, SOFT furnishings APPLICANCES & design

The Chelsea Day Spa

April Russell Design

69a King’s Road, SW3 4NX 020 7351 0911 thechelseadayspa.co.uk

Jeeves of Belgravia 123 Fulham Road, SW3 6RT 020 7589 9229 jeevesofbelgravia.co.uk

89 Larkhall Rise, SW4 6HR 020 7720 0046 aprilrussell.com

Sloane Tailors & Dry Cleaners 69-71 Lower Sloane Street SW1W 8DA 020 7824 8644

Precious Pieces

Katharine Pooley 160 Walton Street, SW3 2JL 020 7584 3223 katharinepooley.co.uk

Jewellery Valuation & repair

Ligne Roset

Hawkes and Son

23/25 Mortimer Street, W1T 3JE 020 7323 1248 ligne-roset.co.uk

50-52 Walton Street, SW3 1RB 020 7589 2523 hawkesandson.com Watch Repair

Beauty Salons & Spas

Nina’s House 281 King’s Road, SW3 5EW 020 7751 5827 ninashouse.com

216a Kensington Park Rd, W11 1NR 020 7727 2570 hydrohealing.com

12 Raddington Road W10 5TG 020 8962 0635 portobelloclinic.com

Strip Wax Bar

Haute Cuisine

112 Talbot Road, W11 1JR 020 7727 2754 stripwaxbar.com

Dining

Urban Retreat at Harrods 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL 020 7893 8333 urbanretreat.co.uk

129 Fulham Road SW3 6RT 020 7952 2730 thewatchgallery.co.uk

Sub-Zero & Wolf

Cadogan Street Dental Office

251 Brompton Rd, SW3 2EP 0845 250 0010 subzero-wolf.co.uk

47 Cadogan Street, SW3 2QJ 020 7581 0811

Pampering & Wellbeing

Vintage Watch Sellers

Watches of Knightsbridge 64 Knightsbridge SW1X 7JF 020 7590 3034 watchesofknightsbridge.com

2 Lower Sloane Street, SW1W 8BJ 020 7763 9100 chelseaconsultingrooms.com

Hairdressers

Medicare Français Hari’s 305 Brompton Road, SW3 2DY 020 7581 5211 harissalon.com

3 Harrington Gardens, SW7 4JJ 020 7370 4999 medicare-francais.co.uk

Smile Style Dental Care Richard Ward 82 Duke of York Square, SW3 4LY 020 7730 1222 richardward.com

WANT TO SEE YOUR BUSINESS LISTED HERE? If you are interested in promoting a service on these useful pages, please contact Sophie Roberts for more information s.roberts@runwildgroup.co.uk 020 7987 4320

Bar Boulud Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA 020 7201 3899 barboulud.com

Bibendum Medical & Dental Services

Chelsea Consulting Rooms The Watch Gallery

42 Pembridge Road W11 3HN 020 7229 5542 42thedentalpractice.com

The Portobello Clinic Hydrohealing Spa

Cartier 143-144 Sloane Street SW1X 9BL 020 7312 6930 cartier.co.uk

42 The Dental Practice

146 Holland Park Avenue W11 4UE 020 7727 5810 smilestyledental.co.uk

81 Fulham Road, SW3 6RD 020 7581 5817 bibendum.co.uk

The Cow 89 Westbourne Park Road, W2 5QH 020 7221 0021 thecowlondon.co.uk

Electric House 191 Portobello Road W11 2ED 020 7908 9696 electrichouse.com

Gaucho 89 Sloane Avenue, SW3 3DX 020 7584 9901 gauchorestaurants.co.uk

CONCIERGE

The Ledbury Restaurant 127 Ledbury Road, W11 2AQ 020 7792 9090 theledbury.com

The Mitre 40 Holland Park Avenue, W11 3QY 020 7727 6332 themitrew11.co.uk

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay 68 Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HP 020 7352 4441 gordonramsay.com

Drinking

Childcare

The Botanist

Kensington Nannies

Abels Moving Services

7 Sloane Square, SW1W 8EE 020 7730 0077 thebotanistlondon.com

3 Hornton Place, Kensington High Street W8 4LZ 020 7937 2333 kensington-nannies.co.uk

UK Residential, European and International Removals & Storage 01842 816600 info@abels.co.uk, abels.co.uk

Boujis 43 Thurloe Street, SW7 2LQ 020 7584 2000 boujis.com

Chelsea Arts Club Scalini 1-3 Walton Street, SW3 2JD 020 7225 2301 scalinilondon.co.uk

143 Old Church Street SW3 6EB 020 7376 3311 chelseaartsclub.com

Umami

The Sloane Club

100 Cromwell Road SW7 4ER 020 7341 2320 umamilondon.co.uk

Lower Sloane Street, SW1W 8BS 020 7730 9131 sloaneclub.co.uk

Delicatessens

computer & technology help

La Bottega

Richard Darsa

65 Lower Sloane Street, SW1W 8DH 020 7730 8844 labottega.co.uk

78 Cadogan Place, SW1X 9RP 07768 200 551 richard@darsa.net

Ottolenghi Delicatessen 63 Ledbury Road, W11 2AD 020 7727 1121 ottolenghi.co.uk

Partridges 2-5 Duke of York Square, SW3 4LY 020 7730 7102 partridges.co.uk

PICTURE FRAMER cleaners

Frame Set & Match Hillside Clothes Care

Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Clubs

Business Affairs

118 Kensington Park Road W11 2PW 020 7243 6900 hillsidedryclean.co.uk

Infusion Haberdashery and Dry Cleaners 3 Chepstow Road W2 5BL 020 7243 8735 infusion-haberdashery.co.uk

95 Notting Hill Gate W11 3JZ 020 7985 0903 purplebone.com

Little Luxuries Nikki Tibbles Wild at Heart 222 Westbourne Grove W11 2RH 020 7727 3095 wildatheart.com

White Circle Collection

59 Ledbury Road, W11 2AA 020 7727 5030 meltchocolates.com

71 Walton Street, SW3 2HT 020 7989 9890 whitecirclecollection.com

specialist services BUILDERS AND DECORATORS

Lethbridge London Ltd Building & Decorating Specialist 020 3609 1918 lethbridgelondon.co.uk

William Curley

William Gaze Ltd

198 Ebury Street, SW1W 8UN 020 7730 5522 williamcurley.co.uk

Basement, Loft & Extension Specialist 020 7078 8874 williamgazeltd.com

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

1 Montpelier Street, SW7 1EX 020 7591 0288 londonland.co.uk psychotherapist

07770 378791 suzannethomas@suzannethomas.co.uk suzannethomas.co.uk

Selena Courier Service

Melt Chocolates

London Land Management

Purple Bone

Suite 86, 235 Earls Court Road SW5 9FE 020 3643 5410 selenacourier.co.uk

london lifestyle service

pRIVATE HOME SERVICES

Suzanne Thomas

Flowers

Chocolatiers

111 Old Brompton RoadSW7 3LE 020 7589 7635 framesetandmatch.com

Pets

Couriers

lifestyle services

moving services

security services

Westminster Security Ltd 34 Buckingham Palace Road SW1W 0RH 020 7123 4544 / 0755 4000 300 westminstersecurity.co.uk SHORT-LET RENTAL MANAGEMENT

Easy Rental Services aurelie@easy-rental-services.com 020 3567 0604 easy-rental-services.com EMOTIONAL WELLBEING THROUGH WRITINg

Ease your emotional baggage through writing. Sit with a writer and, using a specially developed format, write out your traumatic event or problem to release it. To book 60 or 90 minute appointments email info@lilybass.com or call 07733 112333, lilybass.com

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CHELSEA £2750 per ft² CADOGAN TATE £1 per ft² WHEN YOUR SPACE IS WORTH A PREMIUM, MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY SQUARE FOOT

STORE YOUR ART COLLECTION WITH US Place your collection under the care of our experienced art technicians. Choose from a range of storage options that link with our global art shipping network. View your collection online with our photographic inventory – iLive. Then select items for delivery to your home in Chelsea or any global destination

Family heritage – Store valued furniture and family heirlooms, preserving them for future generations

Wine storage – Keep your fine wines on tap. One click and we deliver that case of Margaux for your next dinner party

Having a party - We remove selected items for a party or special occasion and carefully reinstall after the event

Seasonal wardrobe – As snowdrops emerge in the spring we deliver your summer wardrobe to your door and remove your winter collection

Experience the ultimate managed storage in secure private lockers, rooms and containers from £10 per week

Art Storage 020 8108 4109

Home Contents Storage 020 8108 4302

For our full range of Moving, Storage & Shipping services visit cadogantate.com

HOMES showcasing the

finest HOMES & PROPERTY from the best estate agents

Key to Success

Knightsbridge welcomes rare multi-unit turnkey scheme for 2017

Image courtesy of

Featured Estate Agents NOTTING HILL 301 Westbourne Grove W11 2QA 020 7717 5311

chestertons.com douglasandgordon.com 1stasset.co.uk CHELSEA 7–9 Tryon Street SW3 3LG 020 7014 3800

aylesford.com

CHELSEA 60 Sloane Avenue SW3 3DD 020 7594 4740 KENSINGTON 116 Kensington High Street W8 7RW 020 7937 7244 NOTTING HILL 30 Ledbury Road W11 2AB 020 3040 8585

440 King’s Road SW10 0LH 020 7351 2383 crayson.com

bodensresidential.com CHELSEA 102 Draycott Avenue SW3 3AD 020 7589 2000

NOTTING HILL 10 Lambton Place W11 2SH 020 7221 1117

CHELSEA 45 Sloane Avenue SW3 3DH 020 7225 1225 KENSINGTON 172 Kensington Church Street W8 4BN 020 7792 1881 KENSINGTON GATE 22 Gloucester Road SW7 4RB 020 7581 1152 NOTTING HILL 299 Westbourne Grove W11 2QA 020 7727 7777 SOUTH KENSINGTON 25-27 Harrington Road SW7 3EU 020 7581 8888

dominiclondon.com carterjonas.co.uk HOLLAND PARK & NOTTING HILL 8 Addison Avenue W11 4QR 020 7371 1111

KENSINGTON 38 Gloucester Road SW7 4QT 020 7581 0154

domusnova.com BAYSWATER 78 Westbourne Grove W2 5RT 020 7221 7817

century21uk.com

NOTTING HILL 17 Kensington Park Road W11 2EU 020 7727 1717

NOTTING HILL 10 Clarendon Road W11 3AA 020 7229 1414

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 37 Alexander Street W2 5NU 020 7908 9338

PIMLICO & WESTMINSTER 50 Belgrave Road SW1V 1RQ 020 7717 5315 SLOANE SQUARE 7 Lower Sloane Street SW1W 8AH 020 7717 5317

CHELSEA 5 Hester Road SW11 4AN 020 7350 5640

john-taylor.com MAYFAIR 48 Berkeley Square W1J 5AX 020 3284 1888

harrodsestates.com CHELSEA 58 Fulham Road SW3 6HH 020 7225 6700

johnwilcox.co.uk

KNIGHTSBRIDGE 82 Brompton Road SW3 1ER 020 7225 6506

HOLLAND PARK 13 Addison Avenue W11 4QS 020 7602 2352

hamptons.co.uk CHELSEA 134 Fulham Road SW10 9PY 020 7717 5291 HAMPTONS COUNTRY HOUSE

KNIGHTSBRIDGE & CHELSEA 47 Beauchamp Place SW3 1NX 020 7584 7020

hutchison-whampoa.com PADDINGTON 4c Praed Street, W2 1JX 020 7717 5313

8 Chertsey Street, Surrey GU1 4HD 01483 339740

KENSINGTON 8 Hornton Street W8 4NW 020 7937 9371 KNIGHTSBRIDGE 168 Brompton Road SW3 1HW 020 7584 2044

henryandjames.co.uk BELGRAVIA 1 Motcomb Street SW1X 8JX 020 7235 8861

hlrlets.com CHELSEA 117 Sydney Street SW3 6NR 020 7351 7822

joneslanglasalle.co.uk KENSINGTON 375 Kensington High St W14 8QH 020 7087 5696 WEST END 30 Warwick Street W1B 5NH 020 7201 6699

kfh.co.uk EARLS COURT 243 Old Brompton Road SW5 9HP 020 7740 2020 FULHAM 825-827 Fulham Road SW6 5HG 020 3486 2280

KNIGHTSBRIDGE 60 Sloane Avenue SW3 3DD 020 7591 8600 NOTTING HILL 298 Westbourne Grove W11 2PS 020 7229 0229 SOUTH KENSINGTON 157 Gloucester Road SW7 4TH 020 7871 4111

Kensington 9 Kensington Church Street W8 4LF 020 7368 4450 North Kensington 136 Lancaster Road W11 1QU 020 7313 8350 Notting Hill 2-6 Kensington Park Road W11 3BU 020 7313 2890 South Kensington 29 Harrington Road SW7 3HD 020 7590 0800

FULHAM AND CHELSEA 29 Effie Road SW6 1EN 020 7731 0051

W11 4UE 020 3542 2111 SOUTH KENSINGTON 29 Harrington Road

londonland.co.uk 1 Montpelier Street SW7 1EX 020 7591 0288

SW7 3HD 020 3040 6370

malverns.co.uk knightfrank.co.uk BELGRAVIA 82-83 Chester Square SW1W 9JH 020 7881 7722

KENSINGTON Malvern Court Onslow Square SW7 3HU 020 7589 8122

marshandparsons.co.uk

FULHAM 203 New King’s Road SW6 4SR 020 7751 2400

Chelsea Rawlings House 2a Milner Street, SW3 2PU 020 7591 5570

Hyde Park 1 Craven Terrace W2 3QD 020 7871 5060

Earls Court 246 Old Brompton Road SW5 ODE 020 7835 0620 Holland Park 57 Norland Square W11 4QJ 020 7605 6890

KENSINGTON 54-56 Kensington Church Street W8 4DB 020 7938 4311

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

CHELSEA 196-200 Fulham Road SW10 9PN 020 7578 9000

KNIGHTSBRIDGE 66 Sloane Street SW1X 9SH 020 7235 9959

KENSINGTON 145 Kensington Church Street W8 7LP 020 7535 3300

NOTTING HILL 303 Westbourne Grove W11 2QA 020 7221 1111 SOUTH KENSINGTON 90 Old Brompton Road SW7 3LQ 020 7581 7000

miltonstone.com

Notting Hill 168 Westbourne Grove W11 2RW 020 7727 5750

waellis.co.uk

KENSINGTON 18 Astwood Mews SW7 4DE 020 7835 2888

SLOANE STREET 139 Sloane Street SW1X 9AY 020 7730 0822

KNIGHTSBRIDGE 174 Brompton Road SW3 1HP 020 7306 1610

nicolasvanpatrick.com KNIGHTSBRIDGE 20 Montpelier Mews SW7 1HD 020 3770 3474

CHELSEA 352a King’s Road SW3 5UU 020 7349 4300

savills.co.uk

KNIGHTSBRIDGE 188 Brompton Road SW3 1HQ 020 7581 5234

HOLLAND PARK 128 Holland Park Avenue

KENSINGTON 103 Kensington Church Street W8 7LN 020 7938 3666

sothebysrealty.co.uk BELGRAVIA 77-79 Ebury Street SW1W 0NZ 020 3714 0749

Kensington 118 Kensington Church Street, W8 4BH 020 7727 1500 Knightsbridge & Chelsea 289 Brompton Road SW3 2DY 020 7589 6616

russellsimpson.co.uk Chelsea 5 Anderson Street SW3 3LU 020 7225 0277

winkworth.co.uk

struttandparker.com CHELSEA 43 Cadogan Street SW3 2PR 020 7225 3866 WEST CHELSEA 140 Fulham Road SW10 9PY 020 7373 1010

Notting Hill 178 Westbourne Grove W11 2RH 020 7727 3227 South Kensington 123a Gloucester Road SW7 4TE 020 7373 5052

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MOVE. Faster. Sell with Knight Frank. Our understanding of the everchanging market enables us to price your property accurately, so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving. Call us today for a free market appraisal of your property.

Price on application

Fernshaw Road, Chelsea SW10 A wide and substantial family house that has been fully refurbished behind the original facade. Master bedroom with dressing room and en suite, 3 further bedrooms, shower/steam room, drawing room, library, kitchen/dining/family room, cloakroom, garden, terrace. EPC: C. Approximately 365 sq m (3,936 sq ft). Chelsea@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 5903

Knightfrank.co.uk/chelsea Chelsea@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5903

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

Guide price: £2,999,999

Oakley Street, Chelsea SW3 A stunning maisonette that has been recently refurbished with an extraordinary level of finish. Master bedroom suite, double bedroom with en suite, reception room, dining room, kitchen, guest cloakroom, roof terrace. EPC: D. Approximately 132 sq m (1,431 sq ft). Chelsea@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 5903

Ken & Chel - Dec 2016

06/12/2016 12:31:41

Northumberland Place, Notting Hill W2 Unmodernised four bedroom family house A delightful unmodernised four bedroom terraced house situated in this sought after area on a quiet tree lined street in the heart of the Artesian Village. 6 bedrooms, bathroom, 2 shower rooms, reception room, 2 kitchens, garden, balcony, vault. EPC: D. Approximately 191 sq m (2,056 sq ft). Freehold

Guide price: £2,950,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/nottinghill nottinghill@knightfrank.com 020 8166 5449

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/NGH160172

K&C January 2016 Northumberland Place

06/12/2016 11:56:44

SOLD

Lennox Gardens, Knightsbridge SW1X Guide price: £5,950,000

SOLD

Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge SW1X Guide price: £8,950,000

DPS LHP_343406_KF KensingtonChelsea_Jan.indd 1

SOLD

Trevor Place, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £7,250,000

SOLD First Street, Knightsbridge SW3 Guide price: £3,625,000

SOLD Pelham Crescent, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £9,250,000

Knights House, Cheval Place, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £8,350,000

Thurloe Square, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £12,500,000

SOLD

Princes Gate Mews, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £5,750,000

Cadogan Court Gardens, D’Oyley Street, Chelsea SW1X Guide price: £1,225,000

SOLD

SOLD Sloane Street, Knightsbridge SW1X Guide price: £6,495,000

SOLD Cranmer Court, Whiteheads Grove, Chelsea SW3 Guide price: £2,895,000

SOLD

Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea SW3 Guide price: £3,950,000

06/12/2016 14:35

DPS

EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS IN 2016 LET

Milner Street, Knightsbridge SW3 Guide price: £4,000 per week

LET

Cheyne Terrace, Chelsea SW3 Guide price: £5,750 per week

To arrange a free market appraisal of your property for sale or to let please contact us KnightFrank.co.uk/knightsbridge knightsbridge@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5913 KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings knightsbridgelettings@knightfrank.com 020 3641 6019

LET

Egerton Crescent, Knightsbridge SW3 Guide price: £12,950 per week

LET

Kings Court South, Chelsea SW3 Guide price: £450 per week

14:35

DPS RHP_343406_KF KensingtonChelsea_Jan.indd 2

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

South Lodge, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £1,250 per week

Trevor Place, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £5,500 per week

LET

LET Rutland Street, Knightsbridge SW7 Guide price: £1,950 per week

Kings Road, Chelsea SW3 Guide price: £795 per week

Paradise Walk, Chelsea SW3 Guide price: £875 per week

LET

Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge SW1X Guide price: £2,450 per week

06/12/2016 14:35

EXCEPTIONAL LOCATIONS We pride ourselves on exceptional service and unrivalled market knowledge, with a global network of 411 offices across 59 countries that can showcase your property to the widest possible audience. If you are considering selling your property please contact us. KnightFrank.co.uk/southkensington southkensington@knightfrank.com 020 3641 6122

Guide price: £2,850,000

Brechin Place, South Kensington, SW7 A wonderfully spacious apartment with front to rear double aspect reception room, offering open views along Roland Gardens. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, kitchen, roof terrace. EPC: D. Approximately 151.3 sq m (1,629 sq ft). southkensington@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 6122

Guide price: £3,595,000

Queen's Gate, South Kensington SW7 This simply stunning penthouse apartment has been meticulously refurbished to an impressive standard throughout. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, kitchen, roof terrace, lift, porter. EPC: B. Approximately 153.5 sq m (1,652 sq ft). southkensington@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 6122

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

property

Tricks of the Trade Discover the buzz about your postcode with Knight Frank’s myPropertyGenius, a handy new tool that reveals the trends behind London’s property prices Above/ xxxxx

Knight Frank has created a unique digital tool that gives property owners the latest local area trends that are driving property values in their postcode, 24/7. A combination of numerous types of property, area, lifestyle and social data provides a knowledgeable picture of the user’s local area, which they can share through social media channels. “Trending – that’s what it’s all about today,” comments Caroline Foord, partner at Knight Frank’s Notting Hill office. “MyPropertyGenius is an insightful and fun snapshot of our local market, which can be shared through social media channels. Never before has a property consultancy brought together this unique combination of data to provide such detailed local area insight; it’s very compelling and powerful.” The tool is divided into three categories: Property Trends, Area Trends and Lifestyle Trends. Property Trends provides the user with property market and Knight Frank insight, such as the average asking price, property value growth over time and how quickly Knight Frank tends to sell properties in that area. Area Trends provides knowledge about retail, property development and school catchment areas that reflect and affect property values, such as an increase in independent retailers and loft conversions, and the popularity of local schools and the likelihood of getting in. Lifestyle Trends reveals the hot topics that are trending on social channels and key lifestyle factors that exert an influence over property

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

values, such as eating and drinking fads, the number of gyms versus the number of craft breweries, and the most popular social conversations going on in the area. It’s a handy way for those who are interested in moving to a new postcode to get a good idea of what’s on offer there, a factor that Rupert des Forges, partner at Knight Frank’s Knightsbridge office, believes will be particularly beneficial for foreign investors. “As Knightsbridge is a multicultural centre and an internationally recognised address, it attracts many international residents. Our overseas property seekers can use Knight Frank’s unique online tool to get detailed and important information about the local area,” he explains. “It allows buyers to gain an immediate understanding of all the ‘in-the-know’ local information at the click of a button, so that buyers are well informed without the hassle of having to ask every local person in the area for their insider knowledge.” The data gets refreshed on a monthly basis so it is always up to date. For example, a recent search on the site revealed that house prices in SW3 are up by 40%, while property values in W10 have rocketed by a staggering 62%. The insights that the tool offers ensure that myPropertyGenius provides an informative and enjoyable experience for anyone interested in property. What are you waiting for? mypropertygenius.co.uk

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Bricks & More 020 7221 1117 www.crayson.com

10 Lambton Place London W11 2SH

Based in London, few property advisors have ears closer to the ground â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or have built up a better understanding of the prime central London property market. Our exceptional personal service, discretion and knowledge of the market has transformed our name into bywords for trust and transparency. Come and talk to us today and see how we can help deliver the very best returns on your most important assets. In the manner to which you are accustomed.

Christmas has come early Blenheim Crescent Notting Hill W11 Old-school Notting Hill – a big family house to which you could do all or nothing 2,323 sq ft/ 216 sq m Freehold Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Guide Price £4 million

020 7221 1117 www.crayson.com

10 Lambton Place London W11 2SH

A stylishly presented mews house with beautiful private garden

Matching people and property in London for over 160 years.

EssexVillas VillasW8 W8£11,500,000 £11,500,000 Essex magnificentdetached detachedperiod periodproperty propertywith witha aprivate privategarden, garden,five fivedouble doublebedrooms bedroomsand and A Amagnificent high ceilings throughout, situated in the desirable Phillimore Estate next to Holland Park. Freehold. EPC=E high ceilings throughout, situated in the desirable Phillimore Estate next to Holland Park. Freehold. EPC=E Fivebedrooms bedrooms• •Approx. Approx.4,100 4,100sqft sqft••Next NexttotoHolland HollandPark Park••Prime Primelocation location • •Five

KensingtonSales: Sales:020 0208033 80339025 9025sales.kns@marshandparsons.co.uk sales.kns@marshandparsons.co.uk Kensington

Alexander Square Square SW3 £7,850,000 Alexander beautifully-presented five-bedroom five-bedroom Georgian Georgian townhouse townhouse located located on a private AAbeautifully-presented Knightsbridge road, with allocated off-street parking and stunning garden views. Freehold. Knightsbridge road, with allocated off-street parking and stunning garden Fivedouble doublebedrooms bedrooms••Grade Grade IIII listed listed period period townhouse townhouse • Off-street Off-street parking • Prime location ••Five Chelsea Sales: Sales: 020 020 0803 0803 3904 3904 chs@marshandparsons.co.uk chs@marshandparsons.co.uk Chelsea

sothebysrealty.co.uk

Golden Cross Mews, Notting Hill W11

£950 per week

Located on a quiet and secure street just moments from the buzzy Portobello Road, is this two bedroom mews house with off-street parking for one car and private roof terrace. The corner property is designed with air and light in mind, with the reception room opening up on to a juliet balcony, and the master bedroom leading onto the roof terrace. EPC rating C. Approximately 1,626 sq ft (151 sq m). Reception room| Kitchen | Two bedrooms | Bathroom | Shower room | Juliet balcony | Roof terrace | Off street parking | Secure gated development

Furnished or Unfurnished

77-79 Ebury Street, London SW1W 0NZ sothebysrealty.co.uk +44 20 7495 9580 | london@sothebysrealty.co.uk © 2016 UK Sotheby’s International Realty. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty is a registered trademark licensed to UK Sotheby’s International Realty in the UK. Each offïce is independently owned and operated. All information non - contractual, approximate and subject to error, change and withdrawal without notice. Rent excludes administration fees. Please contact our offïces who can provide this information.

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10/11/2016 13:33

A beautifully refurbished, three-bedroom mansion block apartment Cadogan Court, Chelsea SW3 • Fifth floor with lift • 3 metre ceiling heights • Retained period features Guide price £4,250,000

• Over 1,561 sq ft living space • Enviable views across Chelsea • EPC rating C

HARRODSESTATES.COM

CHELSEA OFFICE: T: 020 7225 6700

mark.greenway@harrodsestates.com

Share of Freehold

A SPACIOUS TWO-BEDROOM APARTMENT IN AN ATTRACTIVE PERIOD BUILDING Holland Park, W11 • Two en-suite bedrooms • Large reception • Open plan kitchen Guide price £1,100,000

• Patio • 983sq ft / 91sq m • EPC rating D

KENSINGTON OFFICE: T: 020 3650 4600

nicholas.shaw@harrodsestates.com

Leasehold: Approximately 96 years

HARRODSESTATES.COM

AUBREY WALK, KENSINGTON, W8 An impressive, freehold, Art Deco and beautifully refurbished 7 bedroom, 5 reception room and 7 bathroom house arranged over five floors featuring a blue plaque for Dusty Springfield. An unusual lateral space is created by joining two neighbouring houses together on a hill top close to both Holland Park and Notting Hill Gate. State of the art luxury conveniences include Lutron lighting and underfloor heating. The lower ground floor provides your own private spa a 35’ swimming pool, separate gym, sauna and Jacuzzi. The property opens up in summer for combined indoor and outdoor garden entertaining. In addition a roof terrace has far reaching views. There is a good separation of entertaining areas for the larger family, and off street parking for two cars. Located well for the city with the underground Central Line from Holland Park providing direct access. Local restaurants are great for eating out and the fashionable shopping of High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate are close by. Approx. 7200 Sq Ft. EPC Rating C.

GUIDE PRICE: £15,500,000 FREEHOLD

AIX-EN-PROVENCE • BERLIN • BROOKLYN • CANNES • COURCHEVEL • DOHA • GENEVA • GSTAAD • LAKE COMO • LONDON • MADRID • MALTA • MANHATTAN • MAURITIUS • MEGEVE

www.john-taylor.com

John Taylor UK 48 Berkeley Square, London W1J 5AX Tel: 020 3284 1888 Email: london@john-taylor.com MERIBEL • MIAMI • MILAN • MONACO • MOSCOW • PALM BEACH • PARIS • ST JEAN-CAP-FERRAT • ST PAUL DEVENCE • ST TROPEZ • THE HAMPTONS • VALBONNE

www.john-taylor.com

QUEEN’S GARDENS BAYSWATER W2

£1,999,950 share of freehold

www.century21uk.com/nottinghill

nottinghill@century21uk.com

MELBURY ROAD HOLLAND PARK W14

Â£3,150,000 freehold

10 Clarendon Road London W11 3AA

020 7229 1414

THE ART OF MOVING UK RESIDENTIAL, EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS

Abels.

Masters of the art of moving.

• UK Residential Removals • Worldwide Relocations • Weekly European Removals • Storage Services • Car Transportation & Storage • Office & Commercial Moving • Antiques, Fine Art Packing, Storing & Moving Telephone: 020 3773 5796 E-Mail: enquiries@abels.co.uk www.abels.co.uk

Memb No: A001

Crate 297x210mm NEW.indd 3

FS 23942

198656

01/09/2016 10:33

ENNISMORE MEWS, KNIGHTSBRIDGE SW7 A unique four storey house located in this peaceful and highly sought after Knightsbridge mews. Redeveloped and architecturally designed to a high standard the house features three double bedrooms and measures approximately 2,127 sq/ft. Reception room. Spacious kitchen / dining room. Master bedroom with en-suite bath/shower room. Two further double bedrooms. Shower room. Cloakroom. Garage. Balcony.

PRICE: ÂŁ3,950,000 Freehold

020 7591 0288 | info@londonland.co.uk | www.londonland.co.uk

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Beaufort Gardens living room

The Stamp Duty Stranglehold Tim Macpherson, head of London residential, Carter Jonas, considers the crippling effects of stamp duty on the UK housing market and calls for reforms in 2017

Turnkey Suites Delivered in Knightsbridge A rare multi-unit turnkey scheme has been launched in Knightsbridge, promising some pretty healthy-sounding returns. The 37 Beaufort Gardens project – developed as a joint venture between Executec Limited and AR&V Investments Ltd – has delivered nine apartment suites (sized between 397 and 582 sq ft) behind a period facade and just a couple of blocks away from Harrods. Richard Lankester of Londonbased consultancy RLDC has been commissioned to design the interiors. The units are ready to go and feature engineered oak plank and herringbone parquet flooring, Jacaranda’s Willingdon carpets, bespoke kitchens, living areas dressed with “soft creams and grey furnishings with statement bronze accents”, and en suite bathrooms with Mandarin Stone mosaic marble flooring. The spec also includes air-con, underfloor heating, video entry, integrated Sonos music systems, and some pretty ingenious storage solutions (think built-in slots for Brompton bicycles). Some have terraces and on-street parking is available via the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea permits. Prices range from £975k to £1.725m – which works out at between £2,500 and £3,200 per sq ft – and estimated current rental yields are said to be approaching 4%. Beauchamp Estates and Harrods Estates have been instructed and expect the proposition to attract investors and owner-occupiers alike. Beaufort Gardens bedroom

2016 was dominated by headline-making news surrounding Brexit, the election of Donald Trump as US president, and Philip Hammond’s inaugural Autumn Statement. However, for those of us immersed in London’s luxury property, our attention has been focused primarily on stamp duty. With reports in September highlighting how stamp duty receipts were down 2.5% to £7.3bn, it’s clear that the reforms made by the former chancellor George Osborne are taking their toll on UK property. In London, there has been a significant reduction in the number of transactions of highvalue properties due to the tax hike, directly impacting both prime central London and the core market which hovers between £1m and £3m. While a 2.5% reduction might seem minimal, this figure would have been minimised by the rush of landlords who purchased a slew of properties ahead of the stamp duty increase on buy-to-let properties. Furthermore, to fully appreciate the ramifications of the 2.5% reduction in stamp duty revenues, it is crucial to evaluate market performance by price bracket and review both stamp duty earned and volume of transactions. Unofficial figures indicate that while Kensington and Chelsea contributed 7% of the total stamp duty revenues in the year to 31 March, the number of homes sold was down 12% over the same period, following an 11% decline in 2015. A reduction in transactions often precedes a market slowdown, and without stamp duty reforms, we expect to see a further decrease in transaction volumes in 2017. Current stamp duty rates are evidently stifling the top end of the market and it is worth remembering that multi-million-pound properties do not operate in isolation; if they’re not selling, there will be a ripple effect throughout the market. This leads us to question why our new chancellor – who reportedly made his fortune through property – bypassed a prime opportunity in the Autumn Statement to revise stamp duty fees, both on properties priced over £937,000 and on buy-to-let investments. As it stands, stamp duty is prohibitively high. A £2million purchase commands over £150,000 in SDLT charges, and it is the only negative stalling the market. With vendors reluctant to adjust the asking price of their property and an emerging reliance on overseas money to inject liquidity into the market, we are edging dangerously close towards cultivating a toxic backdrop for London’s residential property market. With transactional friction so easily resolved by stamp duty reforms, we welcome any opportunities to restore the market’s former buoyancy. Carter Jonas, 127 Mount Street, W1K 3NT, 020 7493 0676, carterjonas.co.uk

Albert Court, Prince Consort Road, SW7 2,928 SQ.FT/272 SQ.M

An elegant and beautifully appointed apartment with 3 en-suite bedrooms and impressive entertaining space. Recently undergone an extensive and meticulous program of refurbishment and Interior designed Jane Churchill. Albert Court is one of London’s most prestigious mansion buildings with 24-hour concierge/porters, adjacent to The Royal Albert Hall and a short walk to Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park.

Price £7,950,000

SHARE OF FREEHOLD 020 7590 9339

Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, SW7 5,080 SQ.FT/472 SQ.M

An exceptional, interior designed house with six bedrooms, each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom/shower room. Superbly located opposite Hyde Park in a private gated road with 24 hour security. Accommodation:

Queen’s Gate Terrace, SW7

Reception Room : Dining Room : Kitchen/Breakfast Room : Study : Media Room : Cloakroom/W.C : Laundry Room : Master Bedroom with En-Suite 630 SQ.FT/58 SQ.M Bathroom, Dressing Room & Private Roof Terrace : Five Further Bedrooms with En-Suite Facility : Roof Terrace : Passenger lift: Parking For Two Cars. A fabulous one bedroom, raised ground floor flat with an impressive reception room, en-suite shower room and guest cloakroom. The specification includes a B&O entertainment system, Lutron lighting, VRV comfort cooling system and underfloor heating.

Price: £13,800,000 Price £1,250,000 020 7590 9339

FREEHOLD

SHARE OF FREEHOLD 020 7590 9339

38 GLOucESTER ROaD, Sw7 38 GLOUCESTER ROAD, SW7

www.DOMinicLOnDOn.cOM WWW.DOMINICLONDON.COM

SaLES@DOMinicLOnDOn.cOM SALES@DOMINICLONDON.COM

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

Drawing of St Dunstan-in-the-West by SPAB Scholar Ptolomy Dean

Founded by William Morris, the SPAB protects the historic environment from decay, damage and demolition. It responds to threats to old buildings, trains building professionals, craftspeople, homeowners and volunteers and gives advice about maintenance and repairs. Since 1877 countless buildings have been saved for future generations.

Information about maintaining your home is available through events, courses, lectures, publications and telephone advice. To support our work why not join the SPAB? Members receive a quarterly magazine, our list of historic properties for sale and access to our regional activities.

www.spab.org.uk 020 7377 1644 A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales. Company no: 5743962 Charity no: 1113753 37 Spital Square, London E1 6DY

20 Montpelier Street Knightsbridge London SW7 1HD

CHEYNE WALK, SW10SW7 CRANLEY GARDENS, LYALL MEWS, SW1X

4 Bedrooms | 4 Bathrooms | Entrance Hall 2 Bedrooms |2 | 4 Bedrooms | 4| En Suite Bathrooms WC | 3 Receptions | Kitchen | Bathrooms | Kitchen/Reception Guest Cloakroom | 2 Reception Rooms| Office/Bedroom | Utility | Room | 718 sqRoom ft | Lift | EPC ERoom | Kitchen/Dining | Laundry Plant Room | 2,953 sq ft | Balcony | 2,418 sq ft | Integral Garage | Garden | EPC E Additional off-street Parking | Access to Belgrave Square Gardens | EPC C A delightful Grade II* listed house idyllically An excellently proportioned and bright two positioned on Chelsea Embankment, offering double bedroomfreehold apartment, within the An end-of-terrace mews houseand magnificent aspects of the River Thames heart of South Kensington. Positioned on situated in arguably one of Belgravia’ most excellent family accommodation within sthis rarethe second floor (with lift) of this attractive desirable locations. built house to-the-market property.This Thislow beautifully presented period building, the flat benefits from was disassembled; comprehensively home has been meticulously refurbishedrebuilt and wooden floors in thisbenefitting stunning from semithe open and fully modernised modernised to an exceptional standard whilst plan living room with fully-fitted kitchen. latest technology airrespecting many ofadvances the periodincluding features; uniting The apartment further comprises a master conditioning, Lutron lighting, motorised archetypal sash windows with newly-fittedblinds, with modern en suite bathroom, abedroom built inand entertainment system, underfloor skylights as a result providing an abundance second bedroom and additional heating fully fitted The kitchen withshower Miele of naturaland lightathroughout. principal reception room. The property is flooded with natural and Gaggenau appliances. The property also rooms situated on the ground and first floors face light, offering an east-west exposure and enjoys private use of an integral garage as the River and deep front garden, whilst lodgings dualasviews over Evelyn Gardensinalongside well additional off-street the mews to the back enjoy views overparking the phenomenal Chelsea’s roof tops. and access to the prestigious Belgrave Square 77ft. long garden. gardens, subject to separate negotiations.

£2,350 Per Week £1,550,000, STC £6,750,000 STC

Unfurnished Leasehold (121 years remaining) Freehold

GODFREY STREET, SW3 CLAREVILLE GROVE EATON PLACE, SW1X MEWS, 3 Bedrooms ||22Bathrooms WC | Entrance HallSW7 Bedrooms | 2

Reception Room |En Kitchen |Bathroom 961 sq ft|| Bathrooms (1 en|Suite) | Kitchen/Dining/ Two Bedrooms Suite Patio Space | Roof Terrace D| Reception Room 855 sq ft || EPC Basement Shower Room ||Guest Cloakroom Storage Room | Shared Terrace | Access Reception/Dining Room | Kitchen | A charming cobalt coloured house positioned to Belgrave Square Gardens Utility Roomon|the915 sq ft southern | EPC border E end-of-terrace preferred of this prime Chelsea Street. The accommodation An elegant flat with plentiful charm, occupying comprises twomews doublehouse bedrooms, fully fitted A charming idyllically approximately 855 sq ft of lateral space on the bathroom separate room, positionedand in this quietmodern cobbledshower cul-de-sac, third floor of this well-located handsome period third bedroom/study, additional cloakroom, within the heart of South Kensington. building. Arranged over the full width of the reception roomiswith workinginfireplace and an The property presented immaculate building, the principal reception room is flooded interlocking kitchen/dining Thedesigned property condition and has been room. carefully with natural light from its south-facing aspects isthroughout beautifully presented wooden with Italianwith solid woodfloors floors over the street. In addition to the expansive throughout and includes a pretty terrace perfect and contemporary furnishings. This attractive sitting area, the room boasts a bespoke for entertaining, with westerly over house additionally benefits outlooks from south integrated kitchen and space for dining; perfect Chelsea’ rooftops and beyond. Godfreylight. Street westerlys aspects plentiful natural for open-plan entertaining. The apartment isClareville peacefullyGrove located off Chelsea Green, close to Mews is a secure gated awards admission to a superb shared terrace, the green and open of St of Luke’ s Gardens lane, located at thespaces north end Clareville positioned to the peaceful rear of the first floor, and between South Kensington (Piccadilly, Street, moments from the bountiful amenities overlooking Belgrave Mews. Occupiers’ can Circle & District lines) Sloane Square for. (District & and restaurants, the&area is famous also enjoy exclusive access to Belgrave Square Circle lines) underground stations. gardens, subject to the usual consents.

£1,100 £1,250 Per PerWeek Week £1,900,000 STC

Unfurnished Furnished (174 years remaining) Leasehold

T: +44 +44 (0)20 (0)20 3770 3770 3474 3474 T:

info@nicolasvanpatrick.com info@nicolasvanpatrick.com

=AG GINNY TIARKS HICKS SOPHIE

SYDNEY STREET,LONDON, LONDON SW3 020 7351 7822 FAX:M: 020 7351 2274 117117 SYDNEY STREET, SW3 6NR 6NR TEL: TEL: 020 7351 7822 07530 689536 e-mail: ginny@hlrlets.com website: e-mail: sophie@hlrlets.com website:www.hlrlets.com www.hlrlets.com

Eaton Mews West, SW1W

Rose Square, The Bromptons, SW3

Fabulous architect designed house which has been beautifully interior designed by its owner to a high standard. The house has a wonderful ground floor kitchen/dining/family room the kitchen area being equipped to a very high standard. There is a first floor double reception room which offers excellent entertaining space and south facing windows. There are two double bedrooms and a third bedroom/study. The property has wood floors thoughout and is offered in immaculate condition.

A beautiful and unique tower apartment which is situated in one of the most prestigious developments in South Kensington. The flat consists of two / three bedrooms, large reception room for entertaining, three bathrooms, fully fitted eat in kitchen, 24 hour porter service, underground parking and a roof terrace.

- TWO DOUBLE BEDROOMS - THIRD BEDROOM/STUDY - DOUBLE RECEPTION ROOM - KITCHEN/DINING/FAMILY ROOM - EN SUITE BATHROOM - SHOWER ROOM - GUEST CLOAKROOM - UTILITY ROOM - PARKING

- TWO / THREE BEDROOMS - TWO RECEPTION ROOMS - THREE BATHROOMS - EAT-IN KITCHEN - 24 HOUR PORTER - UNDERGROUND PARKING - ROOF TERRACE - SWIMMING POOL - GYM - FURNISHED / UNFURNISHED

£1,695 per week

Furnished

£2,500 per week Furnished/UNFURNISHED

Hollywood Road, SW10

Milner Street, SW3

A fabulous mid-terrace family house located in a very popular area of Chelsea close to ‘The Beach’ and the many amenities of the area. The house has a wonderful ground floor kitchen/dining /family room which is ideal for families and a well proportioned first floor reception room. Overall the property is light and spacious with excellent storage and a pretty garden.

A fabulous and light corner house which has been totally refurbished throughout to an exceptionally high standard with air conditioning, Lutron lighting and Crestron sound system. The ground floor reception leads out to a large terrace overlooking a pretty paved garden and the well-designed open plan kitchen incorporates a dining and family living area.. Wooden floors and neutral decoration give this house a modern feel while at the same time retaining many of the original features. Ideally situated within easy reach of the schools, shops, restaurants and transport of Chelsea and Knightsbridge.

- 6 BEDROOMS - 3 BATHROOMS - 2 RECEPTION ROOMS - BREAKFAST ROOM - KITCHEN/DINING ROOM - GARDEN - EPC RATING D - UNFURNISHED

- FIVE DOUBLE BEDROOMS - THREE BATHROOMS - DOUBLE RECEPTION ROOM - KITCHEN - FAMILY ROOM - GUEST CLOAKROOM - TERRACE

£1,950 per week

UNFURNISHED

117 Sydney Street London SW3 6NR Lettings: 0207 351 7822 or info@hlrlets.com

£2,950 per week

Unfurnished

LEW1068 MAL K&C JAN17_OL.indd 1

02/12/2016 09:45

Property News PRIME RESI provides us with a comprehensive monthly round-up of key news about the local luxury property market

Chart by Transparency International UK and Reuters

New Year, New Horizons With 2016 now firmly behind us, Elena Dimova, managing director of CENTURY 21 Sophia Elena, considers what’s in store for the property market in 2017

What does 2017 have in store? On the home front, Brexit negotiations will continue to dominate political news and impact the pound compared to the US dollar and the euro. Internationally, we have a new US president, a French presidential election and Dutch general election in the spring, political uncertainty in Italy, and a German federal election in late summer. The shape and leadership of Europe are changing. This has implications for Brexit negotiations, as it may take some time for us to have clarity on what deals are to be struck on trade with our European partners. The US economy is improving, which would typically be a leading indicator of how other regions will perform. Having said that, we are hearing protectionist noises being made by politicians in Europe and across the pond. If that were to become the new paradigm in world trade, we should see decoupling of economic performances of the different regions around the globe. Where does prime central London property fit in the grand scheme of things? In times of uncertainty, investors look for safe havens and to identify opportunities. For international investors, London property is enjoying a substantial discount in both US dollar and euro terms in comparison to this time last year. Property ownership rights in England are long established and protected for local and international owners, which make our market attractive in bull and bear times. The market is short of stock, and sellers marketing properties at competitive prices are attracting buyers and achieving sales. By the end of 2017, we should have a much clearer picture for Europe and there will be winners and losers. One thing is for sure: no one can predict the future. Ultimately, the vast majority of us move from one property to another, as our lives change. When selling, it is crucial to present the property in the best light and price it sensibly to maximise results and, when buying, to find the most suitable property we can afford for the next chapter. At the end of the day, what counts is our timing when we are looking to achieve our life goals. Regardless of what happens, the world will keep on spinning. CENTURY 21 Sophia Elena, 10 Clarendon Road, W11 3AA 020 7229 1414, century21uk.com

Calls for Transparency in Offshore Investment There is no data available on who are the real owners of more than half of the 44,022 London land titles held by 23,653 unique overseas companies, with 91% of these properties being bought via “secrecy jurisdictions” (such as those named in the Panama Papers), according to a report by Transparency International and Reuters. The gist of the research – which looked into ownership structures of real estate titles across London boroughs – is that “wealthy individuals from overseas are continuing to be able to buy up London property anonymously,” and that a majority of foreign firms that own London property are registered in the world’s more opaque tax jurisdictions. While such ownership structures may just be the result of sensible tax planning, campaigners are worried that more nefarious ends could be in play.

Prime central London is a top location of choice for tax- or publicity-aware, or just shy, buyers Only 54% of companies in the Land Registry could be matched to a company record (using the three main company databases). This lack of data means it is extremely difficult to ascertain any links between these companies and any individuals with political influence (“politically exposed persons” or PEP), who are believed by Transparency International to cause the greatest corruption risk. Researchers found 986 land titles definitely owned by PEP-related companies; more than 75% of these companies are registered through either Panama or the British Virgin Islands. They couldn’t, however, reliably determine whether the properties owned were commercial or residential. Prime central London is a top location of choice for tax- or publicityaware, or just shy, buyers; 52% of land titles owned by anonymous companies in London were in the City of Westminster (31%), Kensington and Chelsea (16%) and Camden (5%). The average value of land titles held by these companies was £1.9m, with the most expensive being more than £86m. It’s worth remembering, however, that former prime minister David Cameron raised his concerns about the failure to prevent fraud or money laundering and has committed the UK to a public register of foreign companies purchasing UK property by April 2018.

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Christmas Orange nick crayson, founder of Crayson, considers the varying segments of the UK property market

What a strange year. I’m

Wilton Place, image courtesy of: Harrods Estates

Wilton Place Townhouse Hits Market One of the tallest original houses in Belgravia has hit the market at £14m. The 4,243 sq ft towering freehold on Wilton Place spreads over seven storeys, which is a couple more than most of its neighbours. Just down the road from the Berkeley Hotel and with views over St Paul’s Church, the handsome property went up in 1825, during the housing boom that followed the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Internally, the first-floor drawing room is the pièce de résistance, with high ceilings and doors leading out onto a west-facing terrace, and there’s an open-plan kitchen/living room below with access to a patio, complete with marble pillars and trompe-l’œil murals. Each of the five bedroom suites (bar one) has its own floor, and there are plans for a passenger lift. “The trend of converting townhouses into apartments, embassies, offices or hotels is finally reversing,” said Shaun Drummond of Harrods Estates, which is marketing the property, “with many of Belgravia’s grand townhouses being redeveloped back into single-family homes. However, this can mean that these grand examples of Georgian architecture have lost their ornate original features along the way. Wilton Place is a truly unique home that is filled with features that would struggle to be replicated today.” Wilton Place, image courtesy of: Harrods Estates

s lu x urylondon . co. uk s

not going to mention all the now heavily clichéd events that have rocked our world, but rather focus on the positives. Having eaten an unhealthy amount of oranges during this Christmas period, I thought it might be appropriate to discuss all the varieties of our miniature orange friends: tangerines, satsumas, mandarins and clementines. Personally, I get quite confused about what differentiates all the varieties when I’m buying, but I think I have now figured out a way to categorise them. For instance, a clementine (otherwise known as an Algerian tangerine) is juicy, sweet and with a mid to rich flavour. They are medium-small to medium in size and are usually seedless. The rind is deep orange to orange-red, smooth and glossy and peels easily. The one thing that clementine oranges should have in common is that their peel or skin easily pulls away from their flesh and their segments are easily separated and, theoretically, they’re seedless – though having just chomped my way through a box of organic clementines from Daylesford I was disappointed to find an average of three seeds per unit. Then there’s the Dancy tangerine. These are rich and have a more spicy flavour. They are dark orange-red, with a smooth and thin rind. They peel easily and the flesh is deep orange. Smaller than mandarins and seedy. When considering all these different types of small oranges, I started to notice some similarity between them and the vagaries of our beloved property market. There is pith and there is skin, some are easily separated from the flesh, and then of course, there is the level of seediness. The property, the client, the buyer, the fee, the offer – each part is directly related to aspects of these delicious – sweet or tart, pithy or otherwise, easily separated or not – objects which are consumed in their thousands at this time of year. No stocking is complete without a pip-less clementine at the toe end – always a bit of a disappointment – but refreshing nonetheless. The potential juxtapositions abound. Can a seller be easily separated from his or her home? What is likely to get in the way – pithily said – is the flesh sweet or bitter? Verdict on the final shape of 2016? It’s all gone orange. Enjoy! Crayson, 10 Lambton Place, W11 2SH, 020 7221 1117, crayson.com

141

Cheyne Court, Chelsea SW3

£1,250 per week* Unfurnished

Chelsea 020 3813 9547 chelsea@struttandparker.com * The following Tenant charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inv VAT) Credit Reference per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded and other associated services.

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Palace Street, Westminster SW1

£4,995 per week* Furnished

Knightsbridge 020 3813 5116 knightsbridge@struttandparker.com * The following Tenant charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inv VAT) Credit Reference per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded and other associated services.

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea SW3

ÂŁ1,495,000 Leasehold

Chelsea 020 3813 9448 chelsea@struttandparker.com

JSA: Nicolas Van Patrick 020 3770 3474 60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Winchendon Road, Fulham SW6

ÂŁ3,000,000 Freehold

Fulham 020 3813 9231 fulham@struttandparker.com

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Camera Place, Chelsea, SW10

ÂŁ3,000,000 Freehold

Chelsea SW10 020 3813 9587 Chelseasw10 @struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Beaufort Gardens, Knightsbridge SW3

ÂŁ3,750,000 Share of Freehold

Knightsbridge 020 3813 9270 knightsbridge@struttandparker.com

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

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Decadence Defined

Crafted to showcase complexity and depth, Rare Cask is drawn from the broadest spectrum of casks, 16 different types, ever identified by the Master Whisky Maker. Far less than 1% of those casks maturing at the distillery have been identified as fitting to bestow the Rare Cask name. With rarity at its core, this is a whisky crafted from casks so rare they will never again be used in any Macallan whisky. Combining Spanish and American sherry seasoned oak casks, a high proportion of them first fill, gives rise to an exquisite whisky with a splendidly rich hue, and an unmistakable woody whisky. This is a single malt which captures a true decadence; its creation goes beyond any other Macallan whisky and its rarity is absolute. It is a single malt of such diversity and intricacy it challenges the very conventions of whisky creation.

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