Marylebone & Fitzrovia Magazine March 2017 by Runwild Media Group

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CONTENTS March 2017 Regulars 10 12 14 64

Editor’s letter Five minutes with... Accessories designer Álvaro González on his eponymous Marylebone boutique The agenda A cultural round-up of what to read, see and do this March United tastes Try the latest trends out for size with sharp tailoring and safari- inspired silhouettes

Features 18

A stitch in time The newly-reborn House of Schiaparelli regains its haute couture status

22 22 26

Making the cut The future of tailoring in the hands of Chiltern Street’s English Cut Green is the new black Championing a more sustainable era of fashion

31 Shoe business Sole searching with footwear designer Tracey Neuls 50 Facing forward Contemporary portrait artists capturing the human face on canvas 60 Grand bazaar The young Turkish fashion designers bringing an artisanal aesthetic to London 80 At first blush How to recreate this season’s hottest catwalk trends at home 89 Eastern promise Authentic cuisine at Marylebone’s historic Oriental Club 100 Cabin fever One private jet, two European destinations

35 Collection

55 Fashion

85 Health & beauty

94 Travel

47 Art

78 Interiors

86 Food & drink

107 Property

editor’s letter

MARYLEBONE

& FITZROVIA M A R C H 2 0 1 7 s iss u e 0 1 0

Editor Lauren Romano

editor

From the

Assistant Editor Melissa Emerson Contributing Editors Hannah Lemon Camilla Apcar Kari Colmans Collection Editors Olivia Sharpe Richard Brown Editorial Assistant Marianne Dick Brand Consistency Laddawan Juhong Senior Designer Daniel Poole Junior Designer Paris Fielder Production Hugo Wheatley Jamie Steele Alice Ford General Manager Fiona Smith Executive Director Sophie Roberts Managing Director Eren Ellwood

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“In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous” Elsa Schiaparelli For all its frivolity, fashion is forever making history and headlines. As the new season looks debuted at London Fashion Week make their way from catwalk to high street, we applaud the trailblazers carving their own style. We find out what it takes to make a suit fit for the 21st century with the tailors at English Cut (p.22); suss out boots that really are made for walking at Tracey Neuls’ Marylebone Lane store (p.31); and investigate the material world with Selfridges’ celebration of sustainable living (p.26). Hot on the heels of Anna Wintour and co, we also board a private jet bound for Milan (p.100), before escaping the fash pack at the Ferragamo family’s sprawling Il Boro estate (p.95), where zero energy dwellings and biodynamic farming are in vogue. According to the Ferragamos, green is the new black...

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On the

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R u n w i ld M ed i a G r o u p

Twiggy in her London Flat. 1965, By Ron Falloon, read more on p.47

luxurylondon.co.uk A website. A mindset. A lifestyle.

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Regulars

5 minutes with...

I developed my skills at Valentino, Jimmy Choo and Valextra. My own label started

IMAGE ©Kim Andreolli

when the Mr Porter team came to dinner at my house in Florence one summer. I donned some sandals I had made, and my husband Nick and I were both wearing belts that I designed using crocodile offcuts from Jimmy Choo bags. Mr Porter were sure they could sell them, so we produced some and made our first delivery the following summer.

What I love most about my work is the creation process, and seeing the product worn. Actually, thanks to Instagram, we get to see some of our clients wearing their purchases, whether male or female, they’re all so chic. Men are becoming more open in their accessory choices; their lifestyle is changing them.

Home is Marylebone and Florence. I am so lucky that some

My approach to the new store’s design has been very personal. It has the same feeling as the porch in our Florence garden. All the furnishings including tables and chairs are pieces I have collected from fairs, vintage stores and markets as well on my travels. Hunting for beauty in flea markets is a hobby of mine.

I combine simplicity and Latin soul in my designs.

Álvaro González The founder of the eponymous accessories label on his Marylebone store, new season designs and favourite local haunts

of the best factories and tanneries are ten or 20 minutes away from Florence – and the city itself, its scale, its art, the weather and the food all make it special.

All the names of the pieces start with the letter A, for Álvaro. I started naming our accessories after women and men I know or admire.

The latest collection is about gold and colour. We always use feathers and pom-poms each season in a new way. For spring/ summer, we added raffia across many women’s styles. For men, we have introduced two-tone sandals in blue and black or tobacco and black. The result is simple but not minimalist.

Going away for the weekend is a guilty pleasure. I like to

“Maria Lemos has such a great edit at Mouki Mou and I love Fischer’s and La Fromagerie”

visit different beaches in Italy during June and July – Positano is a favourite – and we always escape somewhere warm at Christmas.

Marylebone is the heart of London. Maria Lemos has such a great edit at Mouki Mou in Chiltern Street and I love Fischer’s and La Fromagerie. Plus Trishna and Jikoni for delicious international cuisine, as well as Perfumer H in Crawford Street for fragrance that we use in the store.

Álvaro González, 6 Nottingham Place, W1U, alvarogonzalez.co

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GIVE THE GIFT OF LUXURY FOR MOTHER’S DAY For the woman who has always been there for you, this Mother’s Day, treat her to a hand-picked gift from the ELEMIS range at The House of ELEMIS, Mayfair

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Images ©The WALlace collection

Portraits and pianists The winners of the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year competition will be on display at The Wallace Collection from 7 March. To celebrate, a concert, Composers and Writers as Portraitists, will explore how musicians paint pictures with notes. Expect music by Couperin, Schumann and Poulenc. £30, 10 March, 7.30-9pm, Manchester Square, W1U, wallacecollection.org

The agenda Local news and events from in and around the area W O R D S : m e l i ss a e m e rso n

Cocktail hour

OUT & ABOUT

As Google reveals the most searched for cocktail of 2016 was sangria, closely followed by a martini, Cocktails in the City is about to celebrate its fifth anniversary. This year’s event will be held at One Marylebone with 25 pop-up bars, food from Mac and Wild and a series of how-to sessions including gin blending and rum punch making. Make ours a sangria. £15 (one cocktail included in price), 30 March – 1 April, 1 Marylebone Road, NW1, cocktailsinthecity.co.uk

Images courtesy of Tom Elms

literary itinerary Unsung hero of Vogue She may not be as infamous as Anna Wintour, but Phyllis Posnick, American Vogue’s executive fashion editor since 1987, is responsible for some of the magazine’s most striking beauty imagery and revealing portraiture. This compendium shows her bold creativity, with shoots featuring models posing with fresh meat and bathed in paint among other unusual set-ups. It also acts as a who’s who of top photographers, with photos snapped by the likes of Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Mario Testino, Tim Walker, and Bruce Weber. Some of Posnick’s personal memories and a foreword by Anna Wintour add further context, giving a glimpse into what goes into the collaborative process and production of these iconic shots. Stoppers: Photographs from My Life At Vogue by Phyllis Posnick, published by Abrams, £45, waterstones.com

Regulars

smell of Harare 4, 2015, Moffat Takadiwa, found spray tops, diameter 50 cm, image ©the artist and Courtesy of Tyburn Gallery

EXHIBITIONS

Salvage hunter A solo exhibition by Zimbabwean Moffat Takadiwa goes on show at Tyburn Gallery this month. Born in the capital Harare, the artist is a founding member of the country’s First Floor Gallery, which supports and displays the contemporary work of local creatives. Takadiwa’s London exhibition focuses on a series of installations crafted from discarded materials such as plastic bottle tops and electrical items that give the viewer a new perspective on what they throw away. 16 March – 13 May, 26 Barrett Street, W1U, tyburngallery.com

Conflict zone The Tipping Point is a solo exhibition of large-scale paintings by French-American artist Jerome Lagarrigue, a former teacher at New York’s Parsons School of Design. Inspired by unrest around the globe and approaching the works as if “directing a film”, Lagarrigue presents scenes of conflict with a blurry perspective and no particular narrative, toying with themes of anonymity and confusion in the collision between people and natural elements. 3 March – 13 April, 11 Rathbone Place, W1T, lazinc.com

Italian master draughtsman Lanfranco Quadrio and Chinese artist Ruozhe Xue have their work displayed side by side this month at Rosenfeld Porcini gallery’s new exhibition The Politics of the Void. Quadrio works on canvas and paper and a large installation depicting social and political turmoil and human fragility – his own interpretation of Dante’s Inferno – also fills one whole room of the gallery. Xue similarly explores the human condition with his dark-toned paintings, while his ‘Clothes’ series explores the mystery between drapery and the body that lies beneath. Until 13 April, 37 Rathbone Street, W1T, rosenfeldporcini.com

A Foreshortening Cliff, 2016, Ruozhe Xue, oil on canvas, 200 x 250cm

BESIEGED, 2017, Jerome Lagarrigue, 250 x 190cm, oil on linen

Double act

Donau Wasser, Tears of SorRow (LEFT) and Donau Wasser, tear of Joy (RIGHT), 2017, Nils Alix-Tabeling, Papier-mâché 40 x 40 x 50cm

Once upon a time Named after Angela Carter’s collection of reimagined fairy tales, The Bloody Chamber at the Koppel Project brings together work by Justin Fitzpatrick, Lucia Quevedo and Nils Alix-Tabeling. Fitzpatrick’s paintings explore the relationship between the inside and the outside of the body and largely focus on the idea of animal consciousness, while RCA graduate Alix-Tabeling presents a film Melusine, where the viewer is represented by a latex head which the protagonist spills his secrets to. Until 18 March, 93 Baker Street, W1U, thekoppelproject.com

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Regulars

SPOTLIGHT Erik Madigan Heck

Clockwise from top left: Florals, 2012; Guinevere Van Seenus, 2014; Surreal Planes, 2011; Junya Watanabe, 2015; all Erik Madigan Heck

Fashion’s favourite photographer Erik Madigan Heck has caught the attention of media giants and sartorial behemoths with his chromatic snaps. Now, he is launching his fourth book, Old Future, a compendium of his photographs edited down to just 100 highlights, showcasing his influences in the art, fashion and photography worlds. “It’s a brief survey of the past decade of my work. My friend and I painstakingly placed all of my photographs on the

floor as little prints, and over two weeks we narrowed these down from almost 1,000 pictures to 100,” he tells Marylebone & Fitzrovia. “My favourite is the first picture in the book of a woman in a blue hat that I made for Rodarte. It was the first colour photograph of mine that I fell in love with.” Vibrant snaps from fashion campaigns for Mary Katrantzou – whom he describes as “a sculptor of colour” – Dries Van Noten and Giambattista Valli are featured in the tome. That’s alongside essays by Susan Bright, the former assistant curator at the National Portrait Gallery, and editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar UK Justine Picardie – for whom he recently photographed a

campaign marking the publication’s 150th anniversary. When he’s not snapping models, his subjects range from politicians to celebrities, such as Adele whom he shot for TIME (“She’s absolutely wonderful”), but fashion is where his focus lies. His ability to probe the boundaries of fashion and painting, by combining camera effects with digital post-production gives a vivid and futuristic twist to his portraiture, so it’s little wonder that the brands he collaborates with – Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Haider Ackermann – are ones that are similarly daring. As long as fashion continues to thrive, so will Madigan Heck, and we can’t wait to see what he’ll do next. Old Future by Erik Madigan Heck, £28, thamesandhudson.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

A stitch in

time As the newly reborn House of Schiaparelli regains its official haute couture status, Kari Colmans explores its 90-year history and looks ahead to a new reign under Bertrand Guyon

“F

ashion is born by small facts, trends, or even politics, never by trying to make little pleats and furbelows, by trinkets, by clothes easy to copy, or by the shortening or lengthening of a skirt.” As an icon celebrated for her wit and sass as much as her dresses, Rome-born fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli’s influence is hard to hyberbolise. The daughter of an aristocrat and a scholar, herself a poet, rebel and adventurist, Schiaparelli established more than just a fashion house. At the height of her career between the two World Wars, she was pioneering the use of new fabrics and silhouettes and inventing colours, contouring and illusions that had never been seen before. Indeed, in 1934, TIME magazine wrote: “Madder and more original than most of her contemporaries, Mme Schiaparelli is the one to whom the word ‘genius’ is applied most often.” Influenced by the French couturier Paul Poiret, who pioneered a freer form in women’s clothing, as well as other pivotal names on the art scene such as her friend and short-lived colleague Man Ray, it was in Paris in 1927 that Schiaparelli created her first hand-knit pullover. With its surrealist trompe-l’œil motif

of a scarf draped around the neckline, Vogue declared it an immediate success, and it was adopted by the celebrities of the day. These iconic and instantly recognisable knitwear collections were soon complemented by beach pyjamas, swimsuits, tweed sportswear ensembles, ski suits and evening dresses, as well as a fragrance named ‘S’, a letter that prefixed the name of every scent to follow. Schiaparelli was a smart, plucky businesswoman as well as an artistic visionary, and two years on from her debut sweater, she anticipated the concept of fashion licences and was granted one in the United States for printing clothing. From the use of visible zips to strongshouldered coats and suits, she had the foresight to file an early patent for a onepiece swimsuit with an integrated bra. The invention of integrated brassieres – called ‘falsies’ – was later extended to evening gowns and day dresses. In 1930, she introduced the first wrap dress in haute couture as well as the first evening jacket – a white number wrapped around the waist of a long black dress that hailed a new trend. Schiaparelli was an early feminist and strived to make everyday clothes more practical for women. “In difficult times, fashion

By 1953 as many as 18 million items bearing the Schiaparelli name were sold

Elsa Schiaparelli, 1 January 1937 ©Time & Life Pictures by Getty Images

FEATURE

THIS PAGE AND NEXT: SCHIAPARELLI S/S17 CATWALK

is always outrageous,” she once said and certainly her ‘divided skirts’ (an early version of culottes) caused a scandal in England when they were first released. Her notoriety clocked up column inches and in 1934 she was the first female fashion designer to land the cover of TIME magazine in which the corresponding article presented her as “one of the arbiters of ultramodern haute couture”. While inventing new fabrics all the time, from crushed rayon crepe to rhodophane, a material as transparent and fragile as glass, perfumes and accessories continued to drive sales. In 1935, the House moved to Hôtel de Fontpertuis, 21 Place Vendôme, where it is still based today. Collaborations with her friend and fellow surrealist Salvador Dalí followed the move, the most memorable of which included a powder compact in the shape of a phone dial and coats and suits with bureau-drawer pockets. In 1937, Dalí painted the Lobster Dress, a white silk evening gown adorned with a large crustacean. The garment was immortalised by Wallis Simpson, who caused a stir when a series of photographs shot by Cecil Beaton appeared to show the lobster crawling between her thighs. Undeterred, Schiaparelli continued to push the new social boundaries by sending short evening dresses down the catwalk for the first time.

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The real test will be to make the name Schiaparelli

An artist as much as a designer, she had a penchant for themed collections, with names such as Le Cirque, Music and Cash and Carry – the latter of which comprised jumpsuits adorned with large zips and maxi pockets roomy enough to hold the contents of a handbag, as well as stylish yet practical Siren Suits that could be thrown on during air raids. These androgynous all-in-one designs went on to influence her signature, military-inspired jackets.

“In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous” Following a five-year hiatus during World War II, Schiaparelli returned to the drawing board in 1945, releasing a lightweight travel wardrobe that anticipated the emancipation of women and an increased freedom of movement. Further experimental designs continued to play to the new social paradigms brought about by war. The creation of the Forbidden Fruit evening dress for example, flirted with controversy as lingerie appeared to peep out from the asymmetrical strapless silhouette. After earning a ready-to-wear licence in the United States in 1950, Schiaparelli expanded into lingerie and sunglasses, and by 1953 as many as 18 million items bearing the Schiaparelli name were sold. Although looking back it would seem the house closed at the height of its success, in reality it struggled with the austerity of harder times, finally coming to an end in 1954, the same year that the designer’s great adversary Coco Chanel returned.

Elsa Schiaparelli, February 1951 ©Time & Life Pictures by Getty Images

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resonate today as it did nearly a century ago

Looking ahead In 2012, six years after being acquired by Italian tycoon Diego Della Valle, the couture house reopened where Schiaparelli had left it. With an ambassador in model and muse Farida Khelfa, the return of the brand made waves throughout the fashion world. That summer the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opened its Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibition and a unique haute couture collection designed by Christian Lacroix the following year also paid tribute to Elsa.

Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador DalÍ, 1949 ©Archives Snark

Creative director Marco Zanini took the reins for a brief spell (it was said he spent too much time looking backwards and not enough on the future) to work on the first haute couture runway show since 1954 in 2014. Design director Bertrand Guyon, whose CV includes working closely with Hubert de Givenchy, Alexander McQueen and Valentino, is now running the show and last month, the house finally reclaimed its official haute couture status. “Elsa Schiaparelli is an enchanting couture house,” he says. “I have always been fascinated by its exceptional legacy, its luminous and intimate story, its quirky and poetic world, its ultimate chic and its endless creativity. I feel honoured to be part of Schiaparelli today and develop it further, respecting its heritage and tradition while adding a contemporary and modern take, something Elsa Schiaparelli has always demonstrated.” Accordingly the S/S17 haute couture show sought to fuse the past with the present, nodding to the iconic style of the House of Schiaparelli while continuing to pioneer the new. Beautiful designs included appliquéd stars, flowers and disembodied hands as well as a hint of signature shocking pink and the famous lobster motif; a subtle, droll nod to the late, great designer. With all eyes looking closely to every iconic reference, Guyon’s challenge will be the same as for any established fashion house with a heritage as rich and celebrated as Maison Schiaparelli. Indeed, the real test will be to make the name resonate today as it did nearly a century ago. In Schiaparelli’s own words: “One has to sense the trend of history and precede it.” schiaparelli.com

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This page and overleaf: Photography: Michal Pudelka Creative Direction: Document Studios Art Direction: Charlotte Heal Styling: David St John-James

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As made-to-measure and tech innovations help fortify the tailoring industry, Melissa Emerson finds out what it takes to make a suit fit for the 21st century

he trend for personalisation – from customisable NikeiD trainers to Burberry’s monogrammed, well, everything – doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, but are tailor-made clothes an exception to the rule? English Cut doesn’t think so. The tailoring house, founded in 2001 by former Anderson & Sheppard head cutter Thomas Mahon, has just opened its first stand-alone store in London on Marylebone’s Chiltern Street. The spiritual home of tailoring might be Savile Row, but Mahon isn’t of the opinion that the historic Mayfair address is necessarily the be all and end all of suiting. He first launched English Cut in Cumbria, where the bespoke arm of the business is still based. “The mechanics of our line of work mean that if you walk in and order a suit today we might not be in touch again for a month, so I realised I didn’t have to be in town all the time,” he says. “I used to operate from a lovely old stately home on the river called Warwick Hall, which weirdly enough made our atelier a bit more exclusive.” Today Mahon splits his time between a rural workshop in the Cumbrian market town of Brampton and the new bricks and mortar shop in Marylebone. “I don’t dispute Savile Row’s place in history,” he explains. “That said, if you walk down the road there are shops where you’d be lucky if an individual could sew a button on for you. It has been used as a destination to give some businesses a bit of kudos, when they’re just retailers.”

Thomas Mahon in the English Cut boutique, image courtesy of Nick Andrews

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Rather than being a slave to tradition, Mahon believes standing on his own reputation is more important, although it helps that Chiltern Street is a hotspot for elegant boutiques. “It’s certainly a destination street. Some people might not know how central it is or that they can walk here easily from Bond Street, so I suppose we’re educating them and are part of the revolution. Marylebone is where it’s at – Mayfair’s so yesterday,” he laughs. Mahon chose to open a permanent shop to enable him to expand his business beyond the bespoke offering. His vision for the future hinges on English Cut’s made-to-measure service. As well as being quicker to produce, it is “a lot more cost-effective” and only takes around six weeks as opposed to the average three months a client will wait for a bespoke garment. “Bespoke is an old 17th or 18th-century term,” he continues. “Tailors used to have full bolts of cloth in the store, and people would claim that cloth had ‘been spoken’ for, but the term has been abused. Everything seems to be ‘bespoke’ now. We wanted to be more honest. Made-tomeasure is not bespoke, but I’ve been in the trade for 33 years and our heritage means we can bring the standard of made-to-measure up, not just in the talk, but in the walk.” English Cut’s MTM Code is more than four years in development, and its three price tiers range from £595 to £2,250 (as opposed to an average £4,000 for bespoke), with variations in style, cloth and finishing. The idea is set to bring accessibility to the service at a time when sales across the board look weak. “Menswear in general is outperforming womenswear in terms of sales lifts. However tailoring is working against that trend and in general, sales have really suffered in recent years,” says Emily Gordon-Smith, head of fashion at innovation research and trends service Stylus. Despite the increasing prominence of madeto-measure services like those offered at English Cut and Taliare – another Marylebone-based clothier – if tailoring is bucking the trend when it comes to menswear as a whole, it’s more than a question of finances. “The ongoing casualisation of the workplace and in broader social culture has impacted menswear sales with a shift away from more formal attire,” Gordon-Smith adds. “The whole idea of the more

flexible approach to the workspace and an increase in freelancers and home workers has also contributed to the decline.” Trying to adapt too quickly could alienate older, loyal customers however, so balancing modern appeal with tradition is key. “Tailoring’s importance to British heritage is immense. One of the key singularities of great individuals in British history has often been their dress,” says Mahon. “The shears I use now were handed down through my old company. They’ve cut suits for some of the best dressed men in the world, including Fred Astaire and Cary Grant, so we always say ‘I hold Excalibur’ when using them,” he laughs. As for reinvention to suit a younger millennial audience, the scope for change may be limited, as Luca Solca, chief luxury goods analyst at Exane BNP Paribas, said in an interview with The New York Times: “The complication in menswear is that the formal suit is a relatively mature category”. Yet some innovative attempts at re-engaging Generation Y are being made. P. Johnson Tailors, founded by Australian Patrick Johnson, has trialled high-powered magnet closures on some of it suits, while Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group has experimented with embedding electronics into textiles to facilitate various gesture and touch interactions and connect the user to their mobile and apps. So far, Google has only partnered with Levi’s to create a jacket aimed at commuters, but its potential is tantalising. Male or female, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of those with an interest in keeping the craft alive. Kathryn Sargent established her eponymous tailoring house in 2016, after becoming the first woman to hold the position of head cutter on Savile Row at Gieves & Hawkes, while Fitzrovia’s The Disguisery also has two female cutters – Becky Philp for menswear and Edita Grazeviciene for womenswear. Back in Marylebone, Mahon says he is inundated with enquiries and apprenticeship applications. Who knows, perhaps Chiltern Street really will be the new Savile Row.

“One of the key singularities of great individuals in British history has often been their dress”

58 Chiltern Street, W1U, englishcut.com; stylus.com

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Pantone has announced Greenery as the colour of the year and Selfridges is exploring the global impact of clothes. Marianne Dick looks at the brands championing a new era of fashion

he world is going green in 2017, literally. Global authority on colour Pantone announced in December that Greenery – a ‘tangy yellowgreen’ – would be the colour of the coming year. According to Pantone this verdant choice will encourage us to “take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate”. Pantone’s prediction came at around the same time as Planet Earth II was dominating our screens; the Danish lifestyle concept ‘hygge’ was the word on everyone’s lips and practising ‘wellness’ and ‘mindfulness’ was encouraged as part of one’s daily routine. It was a reaction to a chaotic, tech-obsessed world. Greenery, as a simple shade, has already been noticed more on the catwalks – from Balmain to Boss – but now it’s connotations appear to be influencing the fashion industry’s moral approach too.

Positive Luxury “I think the challenge is to marry long-term thinking with this very fast moving environment,” says Diana Verde Nieto, co-founder and CEO of Positive Luxury. The company (“Fairtrade for luxury but totally interactive,” according to Verde Nieto) aims to inspire people to ‘buy better’ and INSET from top: all clothing Community Clothing by Patrick Grant, from £4.95 to £129; Vyayama Kalablak collection, leggings, £130, vest, £105; Tengri, double-sided knitted tie, £90; Community Clothing by Patrick Grant, as before MAIN IMAGE: Vyayama Kalablak collection, leggings, as before, cropped top, £85, all available at Selfridges, selfridges.com

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measures businesses on their ethical practices: if a brand meets 80 per cent of the criteria it is awarded a Butterfly Mark, which demonstrates transparency to consumers. In turn, Positive Luxury can capture and relay consumers’ concerns to brands. It has a council that reviews and updates the assessment process, and publishes intelligence reports twice a year. The most recent of these shows that, in an uncertain world, brands must be seen as having a stable and positive impact. Positive Luxury is serious about sustainability, Verde Nieto however, has a slight issue with the term. “Sustainability is not a sexy word.” She affirms, “It’s so loaded with this idea of climate change and incomprehensible stuff.

“People want better quality; they want to slow things down. They care about all the little bits that make up what sustainability is” “Fast fashion is absolutely massive – whether it’s luxury or high street – but people want better quality; they want to slow things down. They care about all the little bits that make up what sustainability is.” Retailers appear to be switching on to changes in buying habits, so much so that Verde Nieto aims to expand to the United States and Asia in the next three years. While sustainability may not necessarily be ‘sexy’, it’s certainly becoming more prominent and with the support of Selfridges: fashion forward.

Selfridges: Material World The department store has kicked off the year with a UK-wide campaign called Material World, which celebrates sustainable living through brand launches, pop-ups and events. Eight Selfridges Bright ambassadors (Bright New Things is a platform that focuses on new creative talent) have taken over the window displays of the London store to showcase their innovative use of textiles. Established names are also involved in the celebrations, from author of the bestselling book The Shepherd’s Life, James Rebanks, to The Great British Sewing Bee judge, Patrick Grant.

Community Clothing “Ethical business needs long-term relationships, trust and understanding, and amid the frenzy that is fast fashion that’s never going to happen,” says founder and creative director of Community Clothing, Patrick Grant. These kinds of relationships form the basis of Grant’s Community Clothing enterprise, which is travelling around UK-wide Selfridges stores in a series of two-week pop-ups. As the owner of Savile Row tailors Norton & Sons and creative director of E. Tautz, Grant noticed gaps in the production schedules of many British factories as well as a lack of affordable British-made clothes. He seized the opportunity to create a widely beneficial solution to these two problems, by linking them together. “[At E.Tautz and Norton & Sons] we have always been completely transparent about our approach to a product and its manufacturing,” says Grant. “We’ve always been about product that’s made well, in the best UK factories, from the best materials. So much so that we bought one of our key suppliers in Blackburn to keep them in business.” Community Clothing brings Grant’s Savile Row quality and reputation to a mass audience by cutting out the middle man and creating seasonless design classics, from perfect white T-shirts to made-to-last grey jumpers. Three quarters of Community Clothing’s profits are also pledged back into re-skilling projects in the community.

Tengri While Grant is taking care of things at home, Selfridges Bright ambassador Nancy Johnston’s concerns lie further afield. The CEO and founder of ‘yakshmere’ brand, Tengri, was inspired to set up her business during her time spent living with a yak herder family in Mongolia. “Nomadic herder families in Mongolia supply the world’s top fashion brands with luxury fibres, contributing to the €9 billion global cashmere market,” says Johnston. “But many nomadic herder families live on subsistence wages of around £1 per day.” Tengri works directly with cooperatives that represent 4,500 nomadic herder families, ensuring they receive a fair income while establishing herders’ land rights. The benefits of this type of farming don’t stop there.

feature

Vyayama

mAIN IMAGE: Haze-print vest top, £120, Vyayama INSET FROM BOTTOM: Tengri x Harry Stedman, ‘The Mariner’ quarter-zip sweater, £750; Community Clothing by Patrick Grant, as before; Tengri, Insignia coat, £1,150; Community Clothing by Patrick Grant, as before, all available from Selfridges, selfridges.com

“Tengri specialises in ‘noble yarns’, so named for their superior quality and performance,” says Johnston. “In Mongolia I discovered the amazing properties of yak fibre: it’s as soft as cashmere, warmer than merino wool, hypoallergenic, resistant to water and odours, and is also more resistant to pilling than other luxury fibres.” Compared to non-indigenous cashmere goats that rip out grassroots when they eat (contributing to widespread environmental damage), yaks consume only the top of the grass when they graze, promoting biodiversity. Fibres are then spun in a family-owned mill in Yorkshire. The entirely transparent supply chain produces delicate, undyed sweaters, coats and accessories, and works in collaboration with brands, such as Savoir Beds and Nile & York.

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While yak wool has been at our disposal for centuries, boutique yoga clothing brand and Selfridges Bright member Vyayama has brought an entirely new fabric to the table. “We don’t believe being mindful has to be separate from enjoying fashion. The desire was to design clothing in line with our yogi values that could also become an integral part of our fashion wardrobe,” says design director Anette Cantagallo. “We set out to make natural-based fabrics the norm rather than the alternative and to integrate sustainability into all our business practices. After a lot of research Tencel was our answer.” Tencel is a new type of viscose made from Lyocell fibres that are produced via a closed-loop process (meaning that almost all solvents from the process are recycled) by Austrian company Lenzing. It’s made from wood sourced from sustainably harvested forests that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Tencel doesn’t need the added chemicals synthetic fabrics do to transport moisture from your skin or to stop bacteria growth on garments. The fabric used for the range of black staples for the Vyayama collection is a blend of Tencel and Italian elastane, which Cantagallo describes as “soft and smooth, yet sculpting and supportive”. It is biodegradable, non-toxic, skin PH neutral, naturally breathable and hypoallergenic. “Verbiage and scientific references show the weightiness of the subject, but how do we make responsible fashion sound sexy, fun and appealing?” asks Cantagallo. “It has to be the big brands, with a platform in fashion and a large audience, who lead and take a stand first to help inform people.” Diana Verde Nieto echoes this opinion: “Luxury and sustainability are two sides of the same coin, there is an inherent investment into luxury meaning that you’re never going to throw away a Louis Vuitton bag, and if you do, tell me where!” With Diana Verde Nieto, Patrick Grant and Selfridges on board, perhaps sustainability’s sexy rebranding isn’t as far off as some might think.

“We set out to make naturalbased fabrics the norm rather than the alternative”

selfridges.com

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INTERVIEW

Shoe business Staying ahead in the shoe industry is a test of style and substance. Luckily, Tracey Neuls’ timeless footwear is made for life, as Lauren Romano discovers when she joins the designer for some sole searching in her Marylebone Lane boutique

he last time Tracey Neuls wore shoes that weren’t really made for walking, she was nine-years-old and tottering around town in homemade cardboard sandals. “I’ve always loved shoes,” she tells me when we meet at her Marylebone Lane store, Bobo the French bulldog sprawled by her feet. “When I was little, I remember making them out of toilet paper rolls and Kellogg’s cereal boxes, with the odd staple coming through.” Now a seasoned footwear designer, you won’t find empty boxes of blister plasters in Neuls’ handbag; you could walk for miles in her shoes. “Comfortable is such an ugly word,” she concedes, as she absent-mindedly twirls shoes that dangle from ribbons attached to the ceiling. “I want women to be individual and unique, but most importantly, comfortable.” With all this at the forefront of her mind, there are no six-inch stilettos on display here – nor orthopaedic-chic mules that octogenarians alone could pull off. Instead, her lace-up sporty, rubbersoled Geek shoes vie for attention with sculptural Boy pumps that flick up at the toe, arch at the heel and end in a compressed, bouncy point. Today, Neuls is sporting a pair of Oli boots that are so cushioned they could give Nike Airs a run for their money. “The leather gets better with age,” she says. Everything is a little offbeat: a heart-shaped toe here, a curved heel there, but somehow it works and has

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earned Neuls a fan club whose devotion borders on evangelical. During our interview, a woman who has travelled from Bristol arrives to try on some Pert Discos after being inundated with compliments about a similar pair she purchased three years earlier. It’s a long way to go for pumps. Neuls receives the praise graciously, with a smile. Even after more than a decade in the business, she evidently enjoys interacting with customers on the shop floor. She bought the premises in 2005 having been attracted to Marylebone Lane because “it wasn’t overtly high street like. Since we opened, we’ve had such lovely customers,” she beams. “I think people like that we offer something a bit different.” There’s certainly an element of the unexpected to Neuls’ intelligently crafted footwear, and this is echoed in the design of her shop, where the shoes are suspended from the ceiling rather than displayed on shelves, and interactive installations – it has been transformed into a childhood den and a school classroom in the past – give the space a playful feel. In the early days she tells me that she used to bake bread in the back, so it would add another dimension to the retail experience. It’s no surprise that ‘queen of shops’ Mary Portas is a fan. A distinct lack of footwear colleges back home in Canada meant that Neuls ended up taking a sideways step into fashion before moving to the

UK in 1997 and enrolling at Cordwainers College, where alumni include Sophia Webster and Rupert Sanderson. She launched her eponymous label in 2000 after winning the New Generation prize at London Fashion Week. “The course was wonderfully practical,” she enthuses. “I considered a number of other schools but they placed emphasis on sketching these big whimsical designs. If all you’re focusing on is the sketching, the likelihood of the shoe actually functioning is pretty slim. I always try to have equal proportions of style and substance.” She admits it takes quite a confident woman – or man, as she’s started dabbling in men’s

INTERVIEW

shoes – to wear her designs, and although creative types are the most common customer through her door, she has found footwear to fit the bill for high-powered bankers, too. In place of a pointy court, Neuls proposes her Bigtop high heel (pictured below, far right) – a sculptural shoe with a 3D circle design, it has a single piece of Italian calf leather pulled over the heel to create a silhouette that follows the natural contours of the leg. It was sculpted, like all her creations, from plasticine before being presented to the factory in Portugal. “I drive the artisans crazy: ‘You’re making clothes for feet!’ they say to me, but I like to bring elements from the fashion side of my background into the collections.” Neuls designed the Bigtop 15 years ago and it still remains a strong part of her signature. “I really love the idea of an Eames chair getting better with age, and the same goes for shoes,” she explains. “I want customers to have an emotional connection and attachment to what they walk away with.” The aforementioned heart shape toe on the Oli boots is an homage to her first collection in 1998; the Geek meanwhile is her longest standing

shoe, which has gone through numerous iterations, including as an innovative, reflective cycling version that was nominated for the Designs of the Year award in 2014. “It bothers me that you can go from shop to shop and virtually see the same styles in different colours. You could just knock down all the walls in between,” she laments. Fortunately, there’s no danger of Marylebone Lane becoming homogenised – individuality continues to thrive. Neuls has a second shop on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, near where she lives with her husband, daughter Viola and Bobo (who is now napping by the heater), but she says the sense of community in Marylebone is unrivalled. “When we were setting up, people would pop in to find out how it was going. I couldn’t believe how friendly they were. A man stopped his bike one day to ask if I’d seen an article about me in the paper. The next day he returned with the cutting,” she smiles. “My proudest moment isn’t a design as such, it’s this little community that we found to grow.”

“I really love the idea of an Eames chair getting better with age, and the same goes for shoes”

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29 Marylebone Lane, W1U, traceyneuls.com

collection

he term ‘diva’ carries negative connotations, typically applied to women with a heightened sense of importance and capricious nature. However, through its Diva collection, Bulgari sought to redefine this meaning, with a fine jewellery range inspired by women who sported the brand in the 1950s and 1960s, including Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Sophia Loren. Evoking these powerful female figures, the jewels exude glamour, sophistication and charisma. The collection has been updated every year since its launch in 2013, but the original design remains. Its Art Deco fan-shaped motif, as pictured in these earrings, was inspired by Taylor’s dramatic make-up in Cleopatra. Diva earrings in white gold and diamonds, POA, bulgari.com

Photography: Turi Løvik Kirknes; Stylist: Gemma Jones; Model: Sheena Liam; Make-up: Katharina Brennan; Hair: Adam Garland Post-production: Alina Kovban

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Fan club 35

What can January’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, one of the watch world’s two major trade shows, tell us about the changing landscape of luxury? W o r d s : R I C H A RD B RO W N

Grande Sonnerie, £1.1m, Greubel Forsey

atch land is in a state of flux. After many of the industry’s power players derided the smartwatch, TAG Heuer has announced that it sold 50,000 of its Connected watches last year, helping increase revenue by ten per cent. Elsewhere, Audemars Piguet announced turnover of almost £720 million in 2016; while Richard Mille has just unveiled another watch that reaches the million-pound mark. And yet, overall, for the past 18 months Swiss watch exports have been in steady decline, with brands forced to buy back £1 billion of unsold stock in the first ten months of last year. So, what can we glean from the wares of the 30 brands that exhibited at the first major watch show of 2017? For some, it was all about consolidation, for others, it was a case of: “Crisis? What crisis?”

collection

A return to reality Laureato 42mm, £7,400, Girard-Perregaux

In 2015, Switzerland unpegged its currency from a fixed exchange rate with the euro. The Swiss franc soared. Coupled with a downturn in China, as well as across much of Europe (the UK excluded), it meant that annual exports were down 9.9 per cent in 2016. The decline is greater still in the fine watch sector, where timepieces have an export price of CHF6,000 (£4,800) or above. Faced with slumping sales and inventory-heavy markets, manufacturers are sticking to the tried and tested; playing it safe and making more of what they know they can sell. This means line extensions of entry-level pieces and lots and lots of (cheaper) steel.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has announced its new, most accessible model

Master Control Date, £4,800, Jaeger-LeCoultre

Tonda 1950, £7,950, Parmigiani Fleurier

Last year, to celebrate its 225th anniversary, Girard-Perregaux reintroduced the Laureato in a limited-edition run. Debuting in 1975, the original Laureato arrived in the decade of the steel sports watch, landing three years after Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and one year before Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. This year, the Laureato becomes a permanent collection, delivered in four sizes: 34mm, 38mm, 42mm and 45mm. In the flesh, the blue-dial versions are most beguiling. Jaeger-LeCoultre has announced its new, most accessible model: the Master Control Date features an in-house automatic movement, a date display and a solid gold winding rotor visible through a sapphire crystal case back. High spec for a watch that costs £4,800. Parmigiani Fleurier also lowered its entry-level price point, by presenting the first steel version of the ultra-thin Tonda 1950. It’s now possible to become a Parmigiani punter for £7,950. Elsewhere, Montblanc’s TimeWalker Date Automatic includes a unidirectional black ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal and a smart and sporty perforated black rubber strap. The watch is water resistant to 100m, is subjected to 500 hours of tests during production and beats with an in-house movement. It punches above its weight at £2,565. girard-perregaux.com, jaeger-lecoultre.com, parmigiani.com, montblanc.com

Panerai’s carbon potential Today, horological innovation is as much about materials as it is movements. In the battle to improve the resilience and accuracy of their timepieces, brands have moved away from traditional watchmaking materials – gold, silver and various non-precious metals – and are inventing space-age composites of carbon, ceramic and silicon. Cartier, Ulysse Nardin, Jaeger LeCoultre, and even that paragon of traditionalism, Patek Philippe, have all embraced the anti-magnetic qualities of silicon. No watchmaker, though, has harnessed the potential of carbon like Panerai. Stealing the spotlight at this year’s show, the brand announced that it has created a calibre comprised of “low-maintenance self-lubricating and dry-lubricating materials”. Both the silicon escapement and two mainspring barrels of the Calibre P.3001/C have been finished with a layer of diamond-like carbon, while its bridges and plates are made from a low-friction tantalum-based ceramic. As a result, the movement requires only four jewels, or bearings – alleviating the need for oils and overcoming one the greatest hurdles of accurate timekeeping. Panerai has housed the movement in the brand new LAB-ID, a watch the brand is offering with a previously unheard of 50-year guarantee. On the exterior, the carbon treatment continues. The LAB-ID features a case milled from ‘Carbotech’, a carbon-fibre weave conceived by Panerai in 2015, and a dial consisting of carbon nanotubes, which, by reflecting almost no light, makes for a face that’s impossibly black. Fifty pieces will be produced, each priced at €50,000 (approx. £42,500). panerai.com

LAB-ID, approx. £42,500, Panerai

collection

Bronze age

1858 Automatic, £2,900, Montblanc

The 47mm PAM 671 features luminous hour markers and a stately blue dial that looks razor-sharp against its bronze case

Thanks to the launch of Tudor’s Heritage Black Bay Bronze, Oris’s Limited Edition Carl Brashear and U-Boat’s Chimera Net, bronze emerged as a bona fide watch trend last year. The theme continued at SIHH. ‘Paneristi’ will reference the green-dialled PAM 382 of 2011 as the precursor to the modern ‘bronze age’. In 2016, the brand follows up with the Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo, or PAM 671 (£11,600). The 47mm timepiece features luminous hour markers and a stately blue dial that looks razor-sharp against its bronze case. In 1998, Montblanc owner Richemont acquired Minerva, a movement maker with a storied past in precision instruments. Minerva now operates as part of Montblanc, a partnership celebrated in the 1858 collection. Named after the year in which Minerva was founded, the range comprises three new bronze timepieces, each a reinterpretation of a 1930s Minerva chronograph. Of the three, the entry-level, time-only 1858 Automatic (£2,900) is the most attractive on the wrist. Its clean, black face is complemented by beige hands and Arabic numerals, identical to the original models. Bronze is used on the bezel and crown. A cognac-colour aged calf-leather strap, and a case engraved with the Minerva manufacture add to the historic aesthetic. panerai.com, montblanc.com

PAM 671, £11,600, Panerai

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Da Vinci Automatic, £31,500, IWC

Women’s watches Looking back on 18 months of slumping sales and forward towards a luxury landscape that appears about as smooth as the Swiss Alps, watch industry execs have been brainstorming ways of creating new revenue streams. The buzzword on their whiteboards ringed with the largest circle and followed by the most exclamation marks is ‘women’. Ladies’ watches got a lot of airtime at SIHH 2017, with presentations by some of the biggest brands anchored around their new – or updated – women’s collections. IWC announced the return of its Da Vinci line, presenting five new models, two of which are specifically for women. Restored with round, rather than barrel-shaped, cases (the Da Vinci range has always been one of IWC’s more

Elsewhere at SIHH…

Panthère collection, from £3,200, Cartier

Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat, from £6,300, Cartier

Drive ‘Extra-Flat’, from £6,300, Cartier Building on the hugely successful launch of the Drive last year, Cartier has borrowed a base-calibre from Piaget to deliver a slimmed-down version of the handsome dress watch. One of the few criticisms that could be levelled at the original timepiece was that it felt a little cumbersome under a shirt sleeve – an issue that’s resolved in the 6.6mm-deep Drive de Cartier ‘Extra-Flat’. cartier.co.uk

Astronomical Grand Complication 3600, POA, Vacheron Constantin Astronomical Grand Complication 3600, POA, Vacheron Constantin

Roger Dubuis X Pirelli Roger Dubuis has partnered with Pirelli to produce two limited editions, each featuring rubber inlays from winning Pirelli tyres. The 88-piece Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton (£61,500) comes with an invitation to a range of local Pirelli events, whereas owners of the eightpiece Excalibur Spider Pirelli

Double Flying Tourbillon (£278,000) get access to a two-day VIP motorsport programme organised by the tyre manufacturer. rogerdubuis.com

Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton, £61,500, Roger Dubuis

In 2015, Vacheron Constantin presented the most complex watch ever created. The Reference 57260 boasted 57 complications. It was also 131.7mm high and 50.55mm thick, meaning that for most, it hardly constituted a piece of wearable tech. Far more practical is the one-of-a-kind Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600. It clocks up 23 – mainly astronomical – complications thanks to a calibre containing 514 components and six spring barrels. Remarkably, all this is packaged within a wrist-friendly 45mm case. vacheron-constantin.com

collection

Royal Oak Frosted White Gold 37mm, from a selection, Audemars Piguet

under-loved lines, and round watches are far easier to sell), the Da Vinci Automatic 36 is offered in four variations, while the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 comes in three. There was also a pared-back Automatic, which, at 40mm, can be classed as unisex. Cartier, the biggest brand at SIHH by revenue, reintroduced the Panthère, a decadent, squarefaced family from the 1980s. Marketed as a piece of ‘jewellery first, timepiece second’, the extensive quartz range arrives in two sizes, 22mm or 27mm, and a total of 17 styles. Choose between white, yellow or pink gold, as well as steel and a steel-gold hybrid, with or without diamonds. The Panthère de Cartier collection will be available from June. Within Piaget’s new Altiplano collection is the elegant 34mm 60th Anniversary model. It is only

RM 50-03 McLaren F1, £996,500, Richard Mille Weighing less than 40 grams, strap included, Richard Mille’s RM 50-03 is the lightest mechanical chronograph ever created, thanks to a new material that earned its creator the Nobel Prize in physics. Richard Mille took graphene, a substance first isolated in 2004 at the University of Manchester, and introduced a carbon composite to create Graph TPT, a material six times lighter than steel, and 200 times as strong. Each of the 75 pieces produced will come with a 1:5 scale model of the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 car. richardmille.com

available with a pink dial and strap, and houses a manually-wound movement that’s just 2.1mm thick. There’s also the Altiplano 34mm, which is delivered with two dial options: turquoise or opal. The former features an 18-karat white gold case; the opal alternative sits within a pink gold case. Both are set with 72 brilliant-cut diamonds. Audemars Piguet is another manufacture taking women’s watches seriously. Its Royal Oak ladies’ line celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and has been updated with the use of frosted gold, where the precious metal is hammered by a diamond-tipped tool to create tiny indentations that Altiplano 34mm, sparkle. These dazzling, diamond£44,600, Piaget free timepieces come in either 18-karat pink gold or 18-karat white gold, in either 37mm or 33mm cases. audemarspiguet.com, cartier.co.uk, iwc.com, piaget.com

RM 50-03 McLaren F1, £996,500, Richard Mille

Tourbograph Perpetual ‘Pour le Mérite’, approx. £410,000, A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Perpetual ‘Pour le Mérite’, £410,000, A. Lange & Söhne

Grande Sonnerie, £1.1m, Greubel Forsey Even by Greubel Forsey’s own barsetting standards, the Grande Sonnerie it launched this year represents a new level of watchmaking. As both a grande sonnerie and a minute repeater, the watch will chime the hours, quarterhours and minutes of the day, a

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technical feat that only a handful of industry heavyweights can achieve. What makes it even more spectacular is the inclusion of a tourbillon in a case just 16.13mm in height. greubelforsey.com

Grande Sonnerie, £1.1m, Greubel Forsey

Walter Lange resurrected his family’s business after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Sadly, the father of modern-day A. Lange & Söhne passed away aged 92 during this year’s show. Fittingly, for a man of such ambition, his passing coincided with the launch of the Tourbograph Perpetual ‘Pour le Mérite’, a watch that unites five grand complications within a platinum case: a fusée-and-chain regulating transmission, perpetual calendar, chronograph, split seconds function and tourbillon. Fifty will be produced. alange-soehne.com

About time

Lady Gaga almost stole the show at this year’s Super Bowl – not simply for her live performance at half-time, but for her appearance in Tiffany & Co.’s latest ad campaign, which aired during the game. Although the American jewellery brand has crafted the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the winners since 1967, it had never screened an advert during the National Football League championship before. The campaign appears ahead of the much-anticipated release of the new jewellery collection, Tiffany City HardWear, which will be available from late April. Watch this space. Tiffany & Co., 25 Old Bond Street, W1S, tiffany.co.uk

Jewellery

news

WORDS: OLIVIA SHARPE

Lustrous beauty Mariam and Dania Sawedeg, the founders of jewellery brand Kamushki, recognise the importance of reinvention to stay relevant. Taking the late music icon Prince as inspiration, the pair have reinterpreted their signature fish motif in a collection of diamond and pearl pieces, modelled by DJ and presenter Zara Martin. This edgy range is the first time they have used Japanese freshwater pearls, which are cast in chokers, rings and earrings set in 18-karat gold. Diamonds and Pearls S/S17 collection, from £360, available at Browns, 47 Maddox Street, W1S, brownsfashion.com 42

Coco avant Chanel It’s hard to believe there was life in fashion before Chanel. The legendary French brand’s latest high jewellery collection, unveiled at Paris Couture Week, pays tribute to its founder, Gabrielle Coco Chanel, and the women who inspired and supported her before her fashion house achieved worldwide fame. Its 11 suites feature lace and ribbon patterns – two guiding elements of Coco Chanel’s style – and signature motifs of the house, including camellias and birds. Morganite, pearls, moonstones and Padparadscha sapphires, blended with diamonds, all make an appearance. The Jeanne brooch (pictured) is beautifully set with pink sapphires, grey spinels and white diamonds. Coco Avant Chanel collection, from £1,825, chanel.com

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ROCK STAR: Tiffany & Co. Legendary Style campaign, photography: Hanna Besirevic, images courtesy of: Tiffany & Co. DIAMONDS AND PEARLS: Photography: Andrew Hobbs

Rock star

This year marks Pierre Hardy’s 15th anniversary as creative director of the Hermès fine jewellery division. Fittingly, the concept of time – and space – was his main preoccupation for the brand’s latest collection, HB-IV Continuum. It is the brand’s fourth haute bijouterie collection, comprising three sets with strong, graphic lines, an abundance of colour, gold, diamonds and pearls. Two years in the making, it was well worth the wait. POA, hermes.com

March 23 – 30, 2017 Basel – switzerland

Witness the

DAWN OF TreNDs Baselworld is the single-most important trendsetting

market and witness the start of a new trendsetting cycle

show for the world’s watch and jewellery industry.

for the year.

What makes it unmissable is the fact that only here will you find all the key players representing every sector

Seize the unique opportunity to experience the interplay

of the industry together under one roof. Baselworld is

of passion and precision to create perfection. We

where the most prestigious international brands

invite you to join us at Baselworld, where you will be

unveil their innovations, creations and new collections

awe-struck by the spectacular pavilions, amazed at the

in the presence of world-class buyers and the global

new collections, and be amongst those who are a part of

press, all of whom unite here to take the pulse of the

history in the making!

See you at Baselworld 2017

Baselworld.coM

With a new collection, a store opening in Hong Kong and online expansions all taking place this year, Annoushka Ducas MBE is still very much ahead of the fine jewellery game, writes Olivia Sharpe

ccording to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the luxury goods market in Asia, particularly China, is set to grow significantly, accounting for 50 to 60 per cent of luxury revenue within the next few years. This stems from the ongoing rise of the global middle classes – increasing to 3.2 billion by 2020, according to Mario Pezzini, the director of the OECD Development Centre (leading experts in analysis of global economic and social development policies) – and the fact that the bulk of this growth is predicted to come from Asia (again, largely China). Good news, then, for the likes of Annoushka Ducas MBE, who has just opened her first store in Asia for her eponymous luxury jewellery label, located in the five-star Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. “We see a huge amount of Asian clients coming through our various concessions in London, whether it’s Harrods, Harvey Nichols or our own standalone stores,” she comments. The Hong Kong store, which opened at the end of January, is modelled after

the existing two boutiques in London (the studio boutique is situated in Chelsea’s Cadogan Gardens, while the flagship is on Mayfair’s South Molton Street). The Art Deco-inspired design features fluted gold ceilings, brasstrimmed mirrors and a glittering crystal chandelier as the centrepiece. While she believes there is little difference in her Eastern and Western clients in terms of tastes, Ducas stresses the difference in sizing as Asian women tend to have smaller hands. With her first jewellery company, Links of London (which she sold in

COLLECTION

Annoushka Ducas MBE

2006 for roughly £50m), and her second Annoushka, founded in 2009, Ducas has been a pioneer in the fine jewellery industry, offering wearable and affordable luxury. However, the jeweller’s reasons for launching a store in Asia aren’t purely commercial; Ducas lived there for three years and it was where she first realised her passion for jewellery design. Her mother had been running a successful fish company and one day rang up her daughter to ask what she could gift her chefs. It was then that Ducas, who at the time was working for an estate agent, commissioned a local silversmith to make cufflinks shaped as fish. Ducas approached Harvey Nichols with the idea of creating a line and the store was immediately hooked, buying the collection under the condition that Ducas would design additional pieces, to which she agreed. However, her mother’s sudden death in 1989 left Ducas juggling businesses, and her then boyfriend (now husband), John Ayton, encouraged her to get a loan from the bank in order to set up her own jewellery company. Links of London launched in 1990 and the rest, as they say, is history. Like Links, Annoushka has been extremely successful, with two stores, 11 concessions and a reported annual turnover of £10 million. Does Ducas see more stores on the horizon? “No, I don’t think so,” she answers. “It’s nice to have a stronghold in Asia, but living now in a world of digital it’s no longer necessary to have stores across the globe.” The global jewellery market is capitalising on the benefits of reaching a larger audience through e-commerce. A report by McKinsey & Co. predicts that the luxury jewellery market’s online sales will double from six to 12 per cent by 2020 and that 18 per cent of luxury sales will be made online by 2025. Annoushka appears to have made the transition seamlessly, with digital and online sales growing 50 per cent last year and projected to hit £1million in the next year. Ducas has always had her fingers firmly on the fashion pulse when it comes to her contemporary jewellery pieces. “I’ve always thought it strange when designers treat jewellery differently to clothes,” she says. “Clothes can go with anything; you can wear colours with other colours. There are no strict rules in fashion, and I think jewellery

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“It’s more about an attitude, a way we approach our lives, rather than a trend” is becoming like that.” Ducas mixes metals and creates pieces to be worn in unconventional ways. This forward-thinking approach can be seen in her latest collection of rings, Crown. The jeweller has evolved the stacking ring trend, creating five new designs inspired by the shape of a crown. They come in five different variations – ranging from white gold with white diamonds to rose gold with brown diamonds, and yellow gold with white diamonds – which can can be arranged in whatever way the wearer sees fit. “I’m interested in the attitude of people and how they wear things,” she comments. “Things have become more casual, whether it’s because we bang off a quick email or a quick text, as opposed to writing a letter or picking up a phone. Our lives have changed, and so has the way we behave, and that has filtered down to fashion and jewellery. It’s more about an attitude, a way we approach our lives, rather than a trend.” Crown collection, from £2,500, Annoushka Studio Boutique, 1 South Molton Street, W1K, annoushka.com

Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exclusive jet-set lifestyle event

11TH - 13TH MAY 2017 LONDON BIGGIN HILL AIRPORT

Tickets are limited. Book your place at www.theelitelondon.com

Ron Falloon, valentino coat, MID-1960S

art

he name of the late Ron Falloon, who passed away in January, might not be a household one, yet his photography is instantly recognisable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and on view at Shepherd Market in March, as well as on our cover this month. A young Falloon was offered a job as an assistant to David Bailey and Terence Donovan, but just as the sixties began to swing, he opened his own studio on Drury Lane. He worked on assignments for Biba, Dior and Mary Quant, and shot Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy, Cilla Black and The Monkees. Falloon is survived by his partner Colin Corbett and their three cats. 20-25 March, 54 Shepherd Market, W1, and on view at zebraonegallery.com

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Forgione Director of The British Antique Dealers’ Association How will BADA 2017 compare to the fair in previous years? To celebrate our 25th anniversary we’ve taken a fresh approach. There will be a Quintessentially concierge service throughout the fair, and an event for interior designers and design industry experts in partnership with the British Institute of Interior Design.

Art news words: camilla apcar

A close knit relationship Fashion exhibitions have been some of the most popular in the past decade: the Victoria and Albert Museum has led the way with The Golden Age of Couture; The Glamour of Italian Fashion; and stylish pepperings in blockbusters such as David Bowie is. Heading north to The Hepworth Wakefield, March will see a new collaboration with Jonathan Anderson: an exhibition of the British designer’s responses to the museum’s own modern British art collection. Disobedient Bodies: J.W.Anderson at The Hepworth Wakefield will start on a high with Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure set in front of a series of black and white photographs of models encased in knitwear – turning the live human form into something strangely sculptural. Elsewhere, Louise Bourgeois, Alberto Giacometti and Constantin Brancusi’s work will collide with pieces by Issey Miyake, Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Paul Gaultier. Avant-garde? Undoubtedly. 18 March – 18 June, hepworthwakefield.org

What can visitors expect to discover at the fair? It will bring together contemporary and modern objects with the antique, and visitors will find a mix of styles and periods in carefully considered presentations from over 100 of UK’s leading experts in fine art, design and antiques, individually selected for their expertise, integrity and exceptional stock. Have you seen a shift in collectors’ interests in the past few years? Seventeenth-century European furniture is very much in vogue, due to the popularity of the BBC’s historical drama Versailles, in much the same way that Downton Abbey triggered demand for Edwardian pieces.

Figures and forms Borrowing from Pre-Raphaelites as much as the pre-war School of Paris, there’s more than meets the eye at Chinese painter Wen Wu’s exhibition of ‘literary’ paintings at Riflemaker. Each human figure is in the shape of a Chinese syllable, imbued with a hazy mysticism that makes her work challenging on more levels than one. 6 March – 7 April, riflemaker.org

15-21 March, badafair.com

clockwise from top: The Thinleys, 2015 ©Jamie Hawkesworth; Isaac Nickals, George II japanned quarter-striking moonphase longcase clock, England, C.1735, 113 cm, Courtesy Howard Walwyn Limited; Bronze of Fujiwara no Yasumasa the famous musician playing the flute, Japan Meiji Era (1868-1912), bronze, 16x30x12cm, Courtesy BADA 2017 ©Laura Bordignon; Wen Wu, Rapunzel, 2016, oil on canvas, 25 x 35cm

Marco

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Prize lots SOLD: £353,000 e s t im a t e : £ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 - £ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0

Anyanwu, Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu MBE, 1956 SOLD: £5,500 E s t im a t e : £ 7 5 0 - £ 9 5 0

Panthère de Cartier bracelet, Cartier “This was a wonderful lot, entered to the sale with an attractive price. We see consistently good results for designer pieces across our three monthly jewellery auctions. This is due in large part to brand recognition and the sheer quality of workmanship that goes into producing the pieces. Designers such as Cartier are renowned globally as being exceptional jewellers, and that is no different in the secondary market.” – Stephen Whittaker, managing director at Fellows

UPCOMING

Bauerngarten (Blumengarten), Gustav Klimt, 1907 A garden near Litzlberg on the shore of Lake Attersee – where Gustav Klimt would retreat most summers with his friends, family and lifelong companion Emilie Flöge – served as the inspiration for this vibrant canvas. He painted its wild blooms during his golden period in 1907: the same year as his shimmering portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Bauerngarten was displayed the following year at the seminal Kunstschau in Vienna, an art show organised by Klimt and his artist associates that coincided with the diamond anniversary of Emperor Francis Joseph I’s reign. Two years later the piece was snapped up by the National Gallery in Prague, where it remained until 1968. It was the central work in Painting the Royal Garden at the Royal Academy of Arts last year, and this sale will be its first in more than two decades. Estimate in excess of £35,000,000, Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, 1 March, sothebys.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

“Ben Enwonwu was the first important Nigerian artist to reflect the sculptural traditions of his people in his work, as is clearly and spectacularly evident in Anyanwu. For the artist, the statue was a visual manifestation of the new Nigeria, culturally confident and proud of its heritage. I’m not surprised that it has commanded such a high price at auction.” – Giles Peppiatt, director of African Art at Bonhams

UPCOMING

sold, from left: Cartier, Panthère de Cartier bracelet, the seated panther with black enamel spots, tsavorite garnet eye and brilliant-cut diamond collar, gripping the brilliant-cut diamond hoop and line terminal polished link bracelet, signed and numbered Cartier, 60231C, estimated total diamond weight 0.25ct, length 16cm, weight 20.6gm. Antique & Modern Jewellery, 9 February 2017, Augusta House, fellows.co.uk, image courtesy of Fellows Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu MBE, Anyanwu, 1956, 236 x 71 x 45cm. Africa Now at Bonhams New Bond Street, 15 February 2017, bonhams.com, image courtesy of Bonhams

upcoming, from left: Gustav Klimt, Bauerngarten (Blumengarten), 1907, signed Gustav Klimt (lower right), oil on canvas, 110 x 110cm, image courtesy of Sotheby’s Michelangelo Pistoletto, Particolare della deposizione, 1974, silkscreen on polished stainless steel, 125.3 x 125.3cm, image courtesy of Phillips

Particolare della deposizione, Michelangelo Pistoletto, 1974 Pistoletto was a leading artist of the Italian Arte Povera movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite translating as ‘poor art’, it actually experimented with materials beyond the norm of traditional practices, for example using soil, biro pens and twigs (rather than relating to any lack of financial funds). Pistoletto used stainless steel to create a series by printing photographs onto mirrored surfaces, placing the viewer and their own surroundings within the compositions. This modern biblical recreation – showing Christ’s descent from the cross following the crucifixion – is widely regarded as having been created at the peak of Pistoletto’s mirror series. Estimate £500,000-£700,000, 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, 8 March, phillips.com 49

Facing forward Contemporary portrait artists are capturing the human face on canvas in increasingly unusual ways – making a commission all the more daring. Camilla Apcar reports

n many a mind’s eye, portraiture is about a stiff, posed figure gazing out into the middle distance. Elevated during the 17th and 18th centuries by noble court painters like Anthony van Dyck, portraiture was later considered a tradesman’s occupation, commissioned by courtiers and businessmen as a status symbol. Yet it was not until the 19th century that more experimental attitudes truly found their way onto the canvas. Reaching the work of contemporary portrait artists requires fast-forwarding past Joshua Reynolds, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, John Singer Sargent, Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso. Some of these celebrated painters inspire today’s talents – whose increasingly

unusual methods are calling for assumptions about portraiture to be reconsidered. “As a medium, portraiture is much more respected now than it has been since the time of Charles II or van Dyck,” says Ralph Taylor, Bonhams’ director of post-war and contemporary art. Not all artists work to commission, and with varying degrees of involvement from the sitter. “Something that’s interesting is the intent with which a portrait is painted,” says Taylor. “It might be a loving rendition as part of a commission, a deferential painting of someone famous, or a slightly provocative and mischievous examination of someone’s personality.” Falling under the first category, British artist Kelvin Okafor’s photorealistic pencil drawings are astonishingly true to life (pictured above). Since the age of eight “what interested me was how in one single shade of lead, I was able to create texture and the illusion of colour,” he says. “I’ve always been fascinated with the human mind and with people’s stories.” Okafor’s hyper-real

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portraits take about 120 hours each, so he works mostly from photographs. “If I put pencil to paper, it’s important for me to get to know the person… it’s not just making a replica of a photograph or the person sitting in front of me,” says the artist, who is represented by Albemarle Gallery. “Because I work on a very detailed level, I look at the flaring of the nostrils or the slight glimmer across the mouth – all those little things tell a deeper story about that person.” Accurate in its own way, Graham Fink’s methods are entirely 21st-century. Two years ago, the chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather China co-designed a piece of software that allows him to draw in a continuous line using just his eyes. A pair of infra-red lights reflect in Fink’s retina, track the movement and convert it into lines of varying thickness. He tends to use black, grey or dark blue. “Over the years that I’ve painted, drawn and photographed [the human face], the one thing that always bothered me was that my arm and

clockwise from top left: Kelvin Okafor, Nawell’s Interlude II, 2016, graphite, charcoal and black coloured pencil on archival paper, 76 x 57cm; seung-hwan oh, Impermanence_ Untitled_DavidHyun, 2013, Pigment print, 150 x 150cm; Seung-Hwan Oh, Impermanence_ Untitled_Kyu, 2014, Pigment print on photographic paper, 150 x 150cm, courtesy of Gallery Elena Shchukina and the artist; mike dargas, ride the lightning, 2016, oil on canvas, 180 x 130cm

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hand seemed to get in the way of capturing what I was seeing,” he describes. An exhibition of his work is on view until 2 March at Riflemaker. Just as Leonardo da Vinci once sketched the human body, Korean artist Seung-Hwan Oh’s technique is inspired by the scientific. He wanted to realise entropy theory – the second law of thermodynamics – as a photographic concept (pictured above). Later, he says, “what became more important was to evoke an existential pathos in the viewer”. Using colour reversal film, he distorts images by putting homegrown bacteria on the emulsion side

from left: paul wright, The dealer, 2014, oil on canvas, 120cm x 100cm; nick gentry, autumn, 2015, Film negatives, microfilm, acrylic paint and plywood in LED lightbox, 150cm x 150cm; david kim whittaker, Self portrait Four, Jewel Box (The Broads, Thundery Showers, A young Girl in Reflection...), 2011, oil and acrylic on canvas, 160 x 160cm; Federico URIBE, Listener, Mixed media with colour pencils and felt tip pens, 183 x 122cm

of the developed film. “It involves some experimentation in controlling the humidity and temperature to increase the chances of producing the desired effect,” he explains. “Once the film is put in the incubator with microbes, it is out of my control.” Seung-Hwan Oh waits patiently, checking on the photographs every fortnight: “the most difficult and frustrating part is that the possibility of a satisfactory image is 0.2 per cent.” The process can take six months – or even years. For this reason he does not work to commission, but would like to “of course, if it’s interesting and something I can do with reasonable condition”. Commissioning one’s own portrait involves placing trust – and power – in the artist’s interpretation. Paul Wright’s daring and explosive canvases are less about faithful accuracy than a sense of drama (pictured below). “Part of it is being brave enough to allow an artist to take your face and interpret what they see,” he says. The British painter also works mostly from photographs. “I think there used to be a tradition of the portrait painter drawing out the essence of the personality. I actually don’t believe that’s

possible,” he says. This detatched approach permits him to “make them slightly more obscure and unusual”. Both Wright and Seung-Hwan Oh are represented by Gallery Elena Shchukina. The intensely personal nature of portraiture renders it something of an anomaly at auction, however. “You’ve always got this strange glass ceiling on the potential value of portraits,” says Taylor. Case in point is Andy Warhol: “his self-portraits, and the ones of Dolly Parton or even Barbie are worth huge amounts. But those of his unknown patrons are worth a fraction”. “If you’re commissioning a portrait, the audience is very subjective – it’s probably just you. The value is built on a collaboration between the

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sitter and the artist,” says Taylor. Yet it is a different story when it comes to anonymous figures, he continues. “The human body and face are the most universal of all subjects, relevant across all linguistic and cultural boundaries.” Indeed, Cornish talent David Kim Whittaker takes oil to canvas to create beautiful and intense cutaways of the human mind, blurring utopia and dystopia in a psychological haze (pictured below). His portraits are at Opera Gallery, alongside photorealistic painter Mike Dargas, who also uses oils to blend empirical truth and the avant-garde. “I hope my art builds a bridge between traditional

“The human body and face are the most universal of all subjects, relevant across all linguistic and cultural boundaries” and recent portrait painting,” he says. “I have always been inspired by the Old Masters. The perfection of Dalí’s Surrealism and Caravaggio’s Realism have fascinated me since childhood.” Each of Dargas’ series reflects his own state of mind – from his dark early paintings to a honey series that focussed on femininity, beauty and

fragility (pictured previous page). “The [honey] imitates the various masks we use in our everyday life to hide and protect ourselves.” His current series, Transformation, questions humanity’s search for identity. “It explores the process of change – a fundamental and inevitable circumstance of life,” he describes. Opera Gallery represents two other artists whose portraits focus on medium rather than subject matter. Colombian-born mixed media artist Federico Uribe creates faces from everyday objects, and those made from electric cables are particularly striking. From a distance they appear woven, but up close they resemble something like three-dimensional Pointillism. Meanwhile, London artist Nick Gentry uses recycled objects and ‘retro’ technology such as 35mm film negatives, VHS cassettes and floppy discs to form skilfully layered shapes (pictured top left). An exhibition of paintings by Spanish painter Secundino Hernández will be held at Victoria Miro from 1 April to 6 May. His work is at times abstract or linear; elsewhere featuring overlaid shapes in wild colourful forms. The exhibition will include a number of ‘invented portraits’ that combine various techniques – from washing to chiaroscuro. Sometimes, one must look to the past to look to the future. albemarlegallery.com, galleryelenashchukina.com, operagallery.com, riflemaker.org, victoria-miro.com

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Single-breasted checked suit, £745, Polo shirt with contrasting collar, £195, Paul Smith S/S17 collection

ow that winter is almost behind us, it’s time to start planning summer escapades – and we can’t think of anyone better to kit us out for adventure than Paul Smith. For his S/S17 collection, Smith reflects on the sunny days of his youth when he used to travel to London from his home town of Nottingham. “It was an amazingly energetic time to be in West London – there was bright colour everywhere you looked and all these influences from all over the world,” he says. Signature stripes have been updated in Caribbean-inspired colour combinations, a tropical tartan has been introduced and the brand’s characteristic 1960s tailoring given a new lease of life with an exuberant citrus palette. Let the good times rock and roll. 9 Albemarle Street, W1S, paulsmith.co.uk

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Milano: Galleria V. Emanuele

ITALIAN TRAVEL BAGS SINCE 1952

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

fashion

Style

Alithia

Spuri-Zampetti

update

WORDS: Marianne Dick

Paule Ka’s creative director moved to the fashion house from Lanvin in 2015. For S/S17, Alithia Spuri-Zampetti has collaborated with Miles Aldridge – recognised for his saturated film noir-inspired photography – to create a technicolour wonderland.

Colour clash It’s a match made in creative heaven: Paula Cademartori’s expressive patterns and patchwork prints meet the signature plastic of Italian design company Kartell in a truly one-off range of fantastical bags and sliders. Cademartori, who is of Italian-Brazilian origin, looked to the tropical flora and fauna of Rio de Janeiro’s Botanical Garden for ideas – the results of which are certain to firmly shake off any lingering winter blues. From £183, kartell.com

What was the inspiration behind your latest collection? In the 1980s, Serge Cajfinger – the founder of the house – was going to Japan regularly and doing shows in gardens. This was my starting point for the collection. My first visit to Japan was in Tokyo: it’s massive and built-up and you get a bit lost in the culture, but everything is amazingly pure and clean. Afterwards I went to Kyoto and some islands, and that’s where I found a part of Japan that was a lot softer and emotional. I relived my journey through structured minimalism and wrapping, then I slowly worked on Kimono-inspired pieces.

The joys of spring To celebrate the recent opening of Red Valentino’s boutique in Hong Kong, the fashion house has enlisted the Swedish-born, London-based artist and illustrator Monika Forsberg to design works of art for a capsule collection of dresses, T-shirts and knitwear. Forsberg’s heart-shaped motifs are embellished with cheerful depictions of birds and flowers – just what we need to ease us into our spring wardrobe. From £260, redvalentino.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

How would you describe the Paule Ka customer? Evolving. There are a lot of lawyers. They want to look good but not boring, but they can’t go into the office with pink frou-frou everywhere. Not many houses make good, feminine clothes for the daytime – but Paule Ka is really strong at that. 19 Mount Street, W1K, pauleka.com

The art of craft Tod’s has celebrated expert craftsmanship since it was founded – and its limited edition collaboration with London’s most sought-after tattoo artist is no exception

raftsmanship and heritage are bywords of 21st-century luxury, and to be Made in Italy has cemented confidence in quality for decades. In the Venn diagram of leather goods makers, Tod’s sits right at the centre. Tod’s is perhaps best known by a mere glance of the sole for its leather-lined driving shoe with 133 rubber pebbles underfoot. Diego Della Valle, the brand’s owner and CEO, came up with the Gommino concept in the late 1970s, inspired by his travels to the United States. The entirely handmade production process uses 180 steps and 35 pieces of leather. The epitome of smart-casual style, Tod’s popularity has given rise to versions in all manner of leathers and finishes; the women’s style is just as sought-after as the original men’s. In this year’s spring/summer collection, the patent Double T Gommino serves a classic with a twist; a bronze version offers ultra-modern luxe; and in signature vacchetta, is all elegant simplicity. As the grandson of a cobbler who began a shoemaking business almost a century ago – whose workbench and tools are still displayed at

the entrance to the Tod’s factory in Italy – Della Valle has shoes and leatherwork in his genes. Growing up, his father would take him on business trips to New York (where he supplied Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue), and in 1975 Della Valle took matters into his own hands by launching the understated luxury brand as it is known today. It is based in Le Marche, an Italian region rich in shoemaking expertise and more than 600 leather factories. Tod’s now produces full collections for both men and women – bags, shoes, small leather goods and ready-to-wear – and is still owned by the family that founded it.

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clockwise from left: Diego Della Valle at Tod’s factory; the making of the Gommino; the iconic Gommino; Hunjan holding one of the six unique Double T messenger bags; the double t gommino; the hand-tattooed Double T messenger bag

This family affair has allowed decades of tradition and expert craftsmanship to continually marry with innovation. Despite its 16,000sq m factory having become the largest production centre for luxury footwear in Italy, all work is completed by hand or by hand-operated machines. Tod’s five UK boutiques include spaces within Harrods and Selfridges. Last year the brand doubled the size of its London flagship on Old Bond Street, upping the ante to 6,000sq ft over three floors – complete with a vachetta leatherwrapped steel atrium. The expansion has been celebrated with a collaboration between the brand and London-born tattoo artist Saira Hunjan, in the form of six unique

hand-tattooed Double T messenger bags (with Tod’s hallmark Double T logo of two interlocking metal T shapes as the clasp). Hunjan has a waiting list of about two years for a traditional skin-and-ink tattoo. Fortunately, an expanded special limited edition collection of tattoo-inspired Double T messenger bags in white, pale grey and vachetta; matching Gommini; and a leather jacket with Hunjan’s intricate designs are now available in select flagship boutiques across the globe. As ever, the values Tod’s places in art, creativity and craftsmanship shine through. 2-5 Old Bond Street, W1, tods.com

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Young Turkish fashion talents are finding fresh appetite for their craftsmanship and designs in London. Elisa Anniss seeks a taste of the east in the west

new generation of Turkish designers and labels are starting to make waves, the like of which hasn’t been seen since Rifat Ozbek was named British designer of the year back in the 1980s. In February, Dilara Findikoglu, a Turkishborn Central Saint Martins graduate hosted a catwalk show in London. Dora Teymur, who attended Cordwainers, made his debut at London Fashion Week. What’s more, Turkish fashion designers based in Istanbul – whose highly distinctive, luxurious bags, dresses and shoes are now available in London – are just as sought-after as any gem uncovered in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. No wonder then that Turkey’s rich heritage of elaborate embroidery techniques, skilled craftspeople, tailoring expertise and role as a producer of fabrics is now being discussed beyond the confines of the fashion business. An unassuming building on Brook Street might seem like an unlikely place to uncover Turkey’s sartorial credentials, but it’s quite the opposite. Since last March, the Claridge’s-owned building at

clOCkwise from left: safiyaa dress, £1,695; safiyaa bolero, jumpsuit and belt, from £595 each; Manu Atelier Mini Pristine Shoulder Bag, £330; manu atelier standard pristine tote, £455; manu atelier micro pristine tote, £285; sanayi 313 slippers, £855; sanayi 313 slippers, £936; bora aksu dress, £2,800; bora aksu shirt, £390, and skirt, £955

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number 43, which also houses private banks and art galleries, has been home to the showroom of womenswear label Safiyaa, the brainchild of German-born Daniela Karnuts. “I’m very open and tell people all the time that our garments are made in Istanbul, although I do think my set-up is very unusual in Turkey,” she says. Karnuts is referring to her Istanbul-based atelier located in the Levent district of the city where she employs 25 “amazing craftspeople”, including patternmakers, embroiderers, cutters and tailors aged from 45 to 80 years old. Aside from her designs, which include evening dresses that have frequently graced the red carpet on A-listers including Gwyneth Paltrow and Padma Lakshmi, it is her atelier that has helped make her “demi-couture” business so unique. Here in Brook Street, the room is lined with a series of floor-sweeping gowns, many with embellished shoulders and décolletage. Since opening as appointmentonly (Safiyaa also sells off-the-peg in Harvey Nichols), word has spread through personal recommendation. The ability to

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personalise fit and colour, with the promise they will be delivered swiftly within two weeks, is all achievable thanks to the Istanbul atelier. Bora Aksu moved to London more than 20 years ago to study at Central Saint Martins. Although a fixture on the London Fashion Week calendar since 2003, he typically heads to Turkey to source and manufacture traditional handcrafted laces, needlework and crochets. “In Turkey, every household will have someone with amazing handcraft skills,” the designer says. “It could be crochet, needlework, knitting or

“Turkey has always been an inspirational source for creative people” weaving, but these skills never disappoint. I always take these craft elements and turn them into something different.” He continues. “Turkey has the most amazing layers of different cultural and historical backgrounds. It’s always been an inspirational source for creative people. In recent years, the fashion scene has grown vastly; there is a growing number of fashion designers, and Istanbul Fashion Week is finally finding its balance.” Dorateymur and Manu Atelier are both emerging fashion labels available at Browns. Dora Teymur grew up between Istanbul and Gaziantep in south east Turkey. His collection launched in 2012, when he was studying at the London College of Fashion. Browns was his first stockist.

Turkey’s rich heritage of embroidery, craftsmanship and tailoring

His shoes are easily identifiable thanks to the patent uppers and shiny metal hardware on the loafers and mules. “It’s so rare these days to come across a collection that has a unique point of view, while maintaining both an excellent price point and a high quality,” says Ida Petersson, accessories buying manager for womenswear at Browns. “Dora Teymur succeeded on all three counts. Our customers can’t seem to get enough of his loafers or his Sybil Leek ankle boots.” “Manu Atelier is another stand-out brand,” she continues. “Although it has a contemporary price point, it falls under this new category of bags that aren’t defined as designer or contemporary. I’m obsessed with their suede hobo backpack hybrid.” With a studio located on Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue, Manu Atelier was founded by sisters Beste and Merve Manastir. Although neither studied design, the pair credit their father, a leather craftsman, as their teacher. “There has always been something about the smell of leather that has captivated us,” say the sisters. The Pristine was their first signature bag, using one of their father’s designs as its blueprint, in much the same way as they’ve turned the mini backpacks and waist bags they were given as children into modern, miniature handbags. Over the last couple of seasons, Sanayi 313, which specialises in mules and other shoe silhouettes with a rich Byzantine aesthetic, has become the shoe brand to covet. “We loved the artisanal feel of the collection, executed in a very luxurious way,” explains Cassie Smart, footwear and bags buying manager at Matchesfashion.com, the first international retailer to buy Sanayi 313. “We felt it was a time when customers were really engaging with unusual pieces and understanding the provenance of more artisanal techniques. We work very closely with the brand on special exclusive styles, as the collection itself is vast.”

Sanayi 313 is a spin-off of the Istanbul multidiscipline lifestyle store launched in 2015 by brothers Amir and Enis Karavil. They turned to long-time friend Serena Uziyel, a Parsons School of Design graduate who honed her shoemaking talent in Florence and Milan, to create this shoe and bag collection. Uziyel says she begins experimenting with materials and techniques more than with drawings. The result is a highly desirable collection of mostly handcrafted mules, festooned in tassels or with eye-catching embroidery and tasteful, crafty embellishment. “You can see lots of delicate metallic weaving and textures on the kaftans of the Ottoman Empire. We gave this traditional craftsmanship a modern twist,” explains Uziyel, whose

THIS PAGE, clockwise from left: bora aksu dresses, £2,057 and £1,862; gul hurgel jumpsuit and dress, both £643 from matchesfashion. com; Dorateymur Dorateymur Harput Loafers, £375 opposite, from top: saafiya cape and jumpsuit, both £895; cape, bustier and trousers, from £450 each

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is being

discussed beyond the fashion business

experience includes working with Devi Kroell and on projects for Judith Leiber and Escada. “In Turkey, this tradition of weaving is starting to disappear,” she says. Sanayi 313 revives elements of these traditional techniques in its artisanal workshops. Matchesfashion.com was also quick to snap up demure dress label Gül Hürgel. “Her ruffle, off-the-shoulder floral

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embroidered dress really tapped into the trend of last summer in a feminine way,” notes buying director Natalie Kingham. Whether it’s for flounce cuffs or her off-theshoulder Blue Belle, dresses typically use up to five metres of fabric. Most have nipped in waists, wide skirts and a nostalgic air that the designer says channels “Lee Radziwill with her sister Jackie Kennedy in Capri”. Indeed, there’s always a maverick in every fashion movement. From celebrating heroic women to splicing vintage heavy metal T-shirts together and re-working them, Dilara Findikoglu is finding fame for her beautifully-executed but somewhat rebellious pieces. “Dilara is one of the new designers I’m most excited about,” says Selfridges’ buyer Ruth Hickman. “More than a designer, she’s an artist, able to bring together the unexpected and the commercial. I would describe her technical approach as demi-couture, but she teams this level of craftsmanship with a savvy understanding of the current market.” In the weeks leading up to Findikoglu’s second London Fashion Week show, this designer – who is championed by Lady Gaga – was busy with her team working on beautiful corsets, dresses and carefully tailored embellished suits in her Islington studio. The answer to why Turkish designers are enjoying their day in the sun is, to Findikoglu, patently obvious. “When minimalism was the trend, no designers came out of Turkey, because the aesthetic isn’t a Turkish one,” the creative says. Indeed, as fashion tastes have evolved (now shifting towards embellishment and detailed creations), so elaborate artisanal mules, summery linen dresses or rock star-worthy pieces are antidotes to fashion’s extravagant, more individualistic aesthetic. boraaksu.com, dorateymur.com, gulhurgel.com, manuatelier.com, safiyaa.com, sanayi313.com

FROM LEFT: Nell: Jacket, £840, Trousers, £580, Paul Smith, paulsmith.co.uk; bodysuit with collar, £270, Body Editions, bodyeditions.com; boots, £399, JF London, jflondon.net; Remy: THREE-piece Suit, POa, Dsquared2, dsquared2.com; Shirt, £620, Berluti, berluti.com; shoes, £945, Christian Louboutin, christianlouboutin.com; Coco: Blazer, £675, trousers, £395, DAKS, daks.com; blouse, £685, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, preenbythorntonbregazzi.com; Heels, £660, Salvatore Ferragamo, ferragamo.com; Farhiya: jacket, £1,165, trousers, £560, Vionnet, vionnet.com; shirt, £845, Valentino, valentino.com; mules, £565, Giuseppe Zanotti, giuseppezanottidesign.com; James: jacket, £1,495, trousers, £395, Gieves & Hawkes, gievesandhawkes.com; waistcoat, POa, Caruso, mrporter.com; rollneck, £159, DAKS, as before; shoes, £625, Bally, bally.co.uk; Paul: jacket, £2,500, Trousers, £1,100, Billionaire, harrods.com; jumper, £190, John Varvatos, johnvarvatos.com; Scarf, £385, Drake’s, drakes.com; loafers, £805, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before

fashion

United tastes Sharp tailoring, safari-inspired silhouettes, romantic florals, bold prints and statement evening wear. Try the latest trends out for size P h o t o g r a p h y: A l e x a n d e r B e e r Styling: Graham Cruz

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

FROM LEFT: Nell: top, £380, Marni, marni.com; trousers, £360, Emporio Armani, armani.com; shoes, £995, Charlotte Olympia, charlotteolympia.com; James: jacket, £2,275, Loewe, loewe.com; Shirt, £175, Sunspel, sunspel.com; trousers, £170, A.P.C., apc.fr; boots, £475, Crockett & Jones, crockettandjones.com; belt, £140, Emporio Armani, as before; Coco: top, £259, DAKS, as before; trousers, £545, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, as before; sandals, £480, Aquazzura, aquazzura.com; Farhiya: dress, £860, A.P.C, as before; boots, £1,350, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before; Paul: Jacket, £750, Qasimi, harveynichols.com; shirt, £250, Canali, canali.com; trousers, POa, Loewe, as before; Sandals, £340, Emporio Armani, as before; Remy: jacket, £512, Tonsure, tonsure.eu; Shirt, £445, Trousers, £225, Pringle of Scotland, PringleScotland.com; shoes, £410, Crockett & Jones, as before

fashion

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

from left: Farhiya: dress, £930, Red Valentino, redvalentino.com; heels, £560, Andrew GN, matchesfashion.com; Remy: jacket, £1,495, trousers, £495, shirt, £125, Gieves & Hawkes, as before; Pocket Square, £70, Drake’s, as before; sandals, £630, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before; Nell: shirt, £540, Emporio Armani, as before; bra, poa, Max Mara, maxmara.com; skirt, £550, KALITA, matchesfashion.com; sandals, £715, Valentino, as before; James: Crewneck, £240, Emporio Armani, as before; shirt, £129, trousers, £199, BOSS, hugoboss.com; loafers, £256, Just Cavalli, justcavalli.com; suitcase, £615, Steamline Luggage, steamlineluggage.com; Coco: dress, POa, Luisa Beccaria, luisabeccaria.it; Bag, £6,200, Ethan K, ethan-k.com; Paul: shirt, £135, Hackett, hackett.com; trousers, £300, Emporio Armani, as before; sandals, £395, Bally, as before

fashion

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from left: James: jacket, POa, trousers, POa, Dsquared2, as before; shirt, £195, John Varvatos, AS BEFORE; shoes, £189, BOSS, as before; Nell: dress, POa, Dsquared2, as before; shoes, £445, Christian Louboutin, AS BEFORE; Coco: top, £1,030, Sportmax, sportmax.com; dress, £1,145, Red Valentino, as before; shoes, £565, Charlotte Olympia, as before; Remy: two-piece suit, £530, BOSS, as before; shirt, £300, Pal Zileri, palzileri.com; shoes, £410, Crockett & Jones, as before; Farhiya: jumpsuit, £1,795, Temperley london, temperleylondon.com; boots, £820, Andrew GN, as before; Paul: Blazer, £1,890, Dunhill, dunhill.com; rollneck, £398, Billionaire, as before; trousers, POa, Gucci (vintage), 1stdibs.com; Trainers, £220, BOSS, as before; suitcase, £385, Steamline Luggage, as before

fashion

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FROM LEFT: Paul: blazer, £1,380, trousers, £460, Pal Zileri, as before; shirt, £165, Chucs, chucs.com; shoes, £565, Christian Louboutin, as before; Nell: Dress, POa, Alexandra Long, alexandralong.com; shoes, £875, Christian Louboutin, as before; Farhiya: dress, £690, Alexandra Long, as before; harness, POa, Antonio Berardi, antonioberardi.com; sandals, £750, Sergio Rossi, sergiorossi.com; James: Double-Breasted Suit, £815, Pocket Square, £55, Richard James, richardjames.co.uk; t-shirt, £125, Gieves & Hawkes, as before; Shoes, £795, Christian Louboutin, as before; Carry-on suitcase, £875, Stowaway suitcase, £970, Steamline Luggage, as before; Remy: Jacket, £1,095, Bally, as before; trousers, £110, Brooks Brothers, brooksbrothers.com; shirt, £105, BOSS, as before; shoes, £400, Crockett & Jones, as before; Coco: Dress, £1,295, Peter Pilotto, harrods.com; Jacket, POa, Dsquared2, as before; platforms, £565, Giuseppe Zanotti, as before

fashion

credits models: Remy Clerima, Coco Knight, Nell, James Rousseau, Paul Sculfor, Farhiya Shire, all at Select Model Management hair: Brady Lea at Stella Creative Artists using ColorProof make-up: Jonas Oliver using MAC pro photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistants: Radi Konstantinov and Bradley Polkinghorne stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistants: Carmen Hudges and sophie Whitmore set design: Dom Chinea

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Anya Hindmarch S/S17

Fashion’s

FINEST The best bits of S/S17, from theatre-worthy sets to small-scale nail art masterpieces

Ready, set, go Viewers took a vintage road trip with Coach as models circled classic cars that looked like they’d been hauled out of the junkyard, while Anya Hindmarch and Marc Jacobs went futuristic with a white-washed arena and ethereal, low-hanging bulbs.

W o r d s : M e l i ss a Em e r s o n

Rodarte S/S17

Coach S/S17

Marc Jacobs S/S17

Candy crush

NOVIS S/S17

Sam McKnight’s bejewelled hair stole the show at Fendi.

The beauty investment

Work of art

As seen at David Koma and Rodarte, this oil-free cream formula concealer from NARS was a hit in all 16 shades. Soft Matte Complete Concealer, £23, NARS, narscosmetics.co.uk

Nails were tiny canvases at Novis, with minimalist, Cubist-inspired blocks of colour in Christian Louboutin’s Ni Toi Ni Moi and Wherever shades. £38 each, eu.christianlouboutin.com

FENDI S/S17

fashion

Anya Hindmarch S/S17

valentino s/s17

Shrink me

Fendi S/S17

Good things came in small packages this season. Hermès models wore tiny receptacles as necklaces, pom poms nearly outsized the bags at Fendi and you’d be lucky to get a lipstick in Valentino’s matchbox-sized offering.

Anya Hindmarch S/S17

DKNY S/S17

Jonathan SimkHai S/S17 Versace s/s17 Courrèges S/S17

Pyjama party

Ports 1961 S/S17

Last season’s bedroom slip trend might have been a bit more glamorous, but prepare to get extra comfortable this summer with dressing gown draping and silk pyjama suits. Port 1961 will take you from day to night in a blue and white striped number.

Hit the track The athleisure effect is still palpable on the catwalk – models at 3.1 Philip Lim looked track-ready in shorts and bomber jackets, while surfer-chic neoprene stole the show at Courrèges.

martine jarlgaard london S/S17

Tech talk Martine Jarlgaard London debuted at London Fashion Week with a mixed reality fashion show, where holograms of the collection were superimposed onto the presentation space and viewed through a headset. Meanwhile, Hussein Chalayan collaborated with Intel on glasses that capture biometric data such as heart rate and brainwaves, and belts with a built-in projector that display visual representations of the data onto a wall to indicate the stress levels of the wearer.

hussein chalayan S/S17

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fashion FASHION

Clean cut Boasting a style that is strikingly simple as well as meticulously manufactured, Corneliani marches to the beat of its own drum. The brand continues to fuse superb Italian craftsmanship with leading design and technology in its latest collection. Gentlemen can choose from three themes: Sartoria’s focus on handcrafted details such as canvassing and armhole construction; Savor’s smart and casual pieces made in a pure 140 wool thread; or Light Living’s update to the 2005 identity jacket, which includes a removable inner chest piece. This is the sportswear meets tailoring hybrid we’ve been waiting for. 131-132 New Bond Street, W1S, corneliani.com

Style spy

W O R D S : m a ri a n n e di c k

Heading outdoors Tricker’s of the trade Tricker’s, souter of choice for farmers and landed gentry since the 1800s, has modified its sturdy waterproof Malton boot to suit the modern adventurer. The staple seven-eyelet Derby has been adapted for motorcyclists in collaboration with specialist biker outlet Motolegends. Its trademark wide fit – originally designed so farmers could wear thick socks – has been streamlined, and a brogued gear pad change on the toe replaces the usual wingtip. Stomping around in a pair of these will confer some serious street cred. £390, motolegends.com

Grenfell outerwear has long been favoured by exceptional men, Sir David Attenborough among them. Many pieces are still crafted from the Grenfell cloth that was developed in the early 1920s (and named after missionary Sir Wilfred Grenfell), including the Walker jacket (pictured) that has been re-introduced this season. Alongside the Golfer and Shooter jackets, it completes the traditional Grenfell Trinity. £595, available at Cordings, 19 Piccadilly, W1J, cordings.co.uk; grenfell.com

Sunday driver Morgan Motor Company’s classic British sports cars take driving back to its glamorous and exhilarating roots, which is why it often inspires unique sartorial collaborations. The latest is a collection of sunglasses by young eyewear brand Taylor Morris. Their shape is based on 1930s driving goggles, while the design is evocative of the original Morgan 3 Wheeler: the stippled metal on the arms represents the machine’s perforated tailpipe heat guard, and the leather brow bar is a reference to its distinctive interiors. £240, taylor-morris.com 77

Hall

couture

Photo credit: ©Morgane Le Gall

Jean Paul Gaultier perfume advert – usually starring toned Breton-striped sailors and corset-clad models – is as instantly recognisable as the designer’s seminal torso-shaped bottles. His discernible aesthetic has been reimagined for the home in a new wallpaper collaboration with Lelievre, a Parisian company he values for its couture levels of craftsmanship. The prints range from the Japanese tattoo-inspired Horimono and Irésumi, to the more provincial Enlacés and Récréation rolls that are reminiscent of the 18th-century decorative motif, toiles de jouy. Gaultier has updated the prints with his own characteristically playful twists: a closer inspection reveals that the central female figure and some of her cherubs are wearing his trademark marinière stripes. Horimono wallpaper, £110 per 10m roll, Jean Paul Gaultier for Lelievre, lelievre.com

interiors

Future fabrics

photography: Piero Gemelli

Opposites attract in Rubelli’s new Venezia collection. Using modern technology, prints and fabrics, the brand’s archive is reimagined for the 21st century. The art of 3D printing is used to reproduce contemporary embroidery, while digital prints are transformed into trompe l’oeil fabrics, and the Cordoba line fuses contrasting patterns to create a striking patchy and worn effect. In the new campaign (pictured left), a Robin Day easy chair is covered in the Mercurio fabric: a heavy, tactile material in a spectrum of iridescent metallics. Wallcoverings from £96.50 per roll, fabric from £109 per metre, rubelli.com

Interiors news

The lifestyle aquatic Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of Estée, takes inspiration from all things aquatic in her latest accessories and candle collection, Island Retreat. Coastal flora and fauna transform everyday items into chic objets d’art from golden coral-shaped bottle stops to candles that look like sea urchins. We especially love the pebbly shagreen leather range in a faded lagoon shade: the epitome of breezy Hamptons-inspired elegance (pictured above and below). From £78, aerin.com

WORDS: MARIANNE DICK

New Pompeii Another stunning installation will be revealed at Achille Salvagni’s atelier on Grafton Street in March, reinterpreting tragic treasures from Pompeii as symbols of a new beginning. A curvaceous gold-plated bronze console table topped with rosso levanto marble – the collection’s centrepiece – is an homage to a neoclassical painting of the ancient monument of Villa Diomede. €52,000 + VAT, Pompeii, 10 March – 5 July, 12 Grafton Street, W1S, achillesalvagni.com

A new leaf Floris has closed its doors for refurbishment for the first time in more than a century to retain and protect its signature façade and Spanish mahogany cabinets. Not to worry, though, all the exquisite perfumes are available at a pop-up shop down the road, including the new Rose and Peony home fragrance and candle. This feminine scent – with notes of iris and musk as well as spicy cinnamon and clove – launches in time for Mother’s Day. From £25, Floris, available at 68 Jermyn Street, SW1Y, until 89 Jermyn Street re-opens, florislondon.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

As we take a sartorial step forward into S/S17, Kari Colmans notes the catwalk’s biggest trends and shows how they can work in your home, too

Milk bottle, £125, Samantha Sweet, libertylondon.com Tea light holder, £40, Tom Dixon, selfridges.com Cushion cover, £80, CSAO, conranshop.co.uk

Lampshade, £44, Broste Copenhagen, loandbeholdstore.com Diffusing sphere, £355, Fornasetti, matchesfashion.com Candle, £140, Fornasetti, matchesfashion.com

interiors

Pendant lamp, £415, Arturo Alvarez, conranshop.co.uk

Wall light, £140, Old School Electric, oldschoolelectric.com

Bed, £4,095, thesofaandchair.co.uk

Bowl, £89, Jerpoint Glass, libertylondon.com

W Candle, £91, Aqua di Parma, selfridges.com

Candle, £225, L’Object, conranshop.co.uk

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

ith so much time spent poring over our wardrobes and an ongoing facination with next season’s looks, it’s no surprise that the cream of the catwalk crop is filtering into our homes, too. Ruffles and layers made waves from London to New York in the S/S17 ready-to-wear shows: Chloé, Loewe, Erdem, Alexander McQueen and Rodarte presented frills of all colours and textures, with many favouring elegant layers in lightweight, ethereal fabrics. A trans-seasonal staple for a number of years on the trot, we still haven’t fallen out of love with the colour pink: Bottega Veneta, Hermès, Valentino and Balenciaga dared to shock with fuchsia, while Givenchy and Chanel went for softer, candyfloss hues. And of course, florals aren’t going anywhere either: Coach, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and Marques’ Almeida have adapted the versatile print for both punky and pretty looks.

interiors

Teapot, £444, Villari, amara.com

Pouf, £339.90, normann-copenhagen.com

Wallpaper, £76 a roll, cole-and-son.com

Illuminated bedside table, £549, Ibride, madeindesign.co.uk

Sofa, from £4,999, & Tradition, houseology.com

Table lamp, £696, heathfield.co.uk

Cushion, £228, Missoni Home, amara.com

But when it comes to our home, it’s a lot harder to just pick up a look and try it on for size, only to discard it once the season is over. Indeed, we are in it for the long haul, so it’s important to balance boldness with longevity, while still making a sartorial statement. From & Tradition’s sofa in the perfect blush and Fornasetti’s funky floral candles to Arturo Alvarez’s tulle-like ruffle pendant light (all pictured), there are a handful of pieces to bring your home up to speed this season. As the celebrated interior designer Bunny Williams once said: “If you love something, it will work. That’s the only real rule.”

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

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health & beauty

A spring bouquet

Liquid luxury

Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria collection has been an ode to horticultural beauty since its launch in 1999. Like flowers that fade, new scents come and go each spring, with just four now in the permanent collection. This year’s addition – in the collection’s signature honeycomb “bee bottle” – is Bergamote Calabria, a light green scent with zingy ginger and pink peppercorn notes. £48.50, house of fraser.co.uk

Henry Jacques is a ‘blink and you’ll

Beauty news W O R D S : mel i ssa emerso n

Taste of the tropics The new Tropical Spring collection from Dolce & Gabbana is inspired – as has become so perenially typical of the brand – by Sicily, and this time it focuses on the region’s most exotic scenery. Imitate the bloom of hibiscus with vibrant coral lips and complement it with a sun-kissed glow from the new Tropical Pink and Tropical Coral compacts. Finish the look by adorning nails in sparkling gold Beach Sand polish, or for more of a contrast in the evening, opt for the deep Amethyst. From £21, harrods.com

miss it’ perfume house, but intentionally so. Focusing on exclusivity and bespoke scent requests, it was founded almost half a century ago by Henry Cremona. However, the brand recently launched its first permanent collection – Les Classiques de HJ. The entire set of 50 fragrances are now available at its exclusive Harrods boutique. Among the scents is Osara, a fruity blend of mandarin and mirabelle plum. Those with a sweet tooth, meanwhile, might find themselves drawn to the violet, raspberry and vanillascented Kavianca; and the more piquant Jeannice has notes of pepper, cedar and sandalwood. In a nod to tradition, each perfume is designed to be applied directly to the skin. The purity of the liquids, which come in 15 and 30ml sizes, means only a few tiny drops are required. From £410, harrods.com, parfums-henry-jacques.com

Shower in scent L’Artisan Parfumeur has transformed five of its most recognisable scents into paraben and silcone-free perfumed shower gels and body lotions, including the blackcurrant-heavy Mûre et Musc Extrême and fig-scented Premier Figuier. The 300ml bottles in monochrome will give a hotel suite makeover to any bathroom. Spray with the matching fragrance afterwards for longer-lasting intensity. Shower gel, £26; body lotion, £30, artisanparfumeur.com

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

Good sport

ake the weight off your Choos post Fashion Week with a designer caffeine fix courtesy of Ralph Lauren’s first London café. In keeping with the fashion house’s equestrian roots, Ralph’s Coffee & Bar has been decked out with equine artwork, polished brasswear and racing-green billiard cloth, and serves speciality brews and classic cocktails. The saddle leather banquettes might not be FROW seats, but with the brand’s Regent Street flagship next door, there’s no shortage of people-watching opportunities. A word of warning: a Ridgway Margarita or two can encourage excessive spending. 173 Regent Street, W1B, ralphlauren.co.uk

food & drink

Breakfast club Eggs and soldiers are toast at Jason Atherton’s Social Wine & Tapas, where the new brunch menu features tapas-style plates, such as jamon and manchego toasties and roast suckling pig with morcilla croquette. Head chef Frankie Van Loo has also reimagined Atherton’s Pollen Street Social favourite: the full English Breakfast. The fry-up 2.0 comes with tomato fondue, slow-cooked egg, potato foam and smoked pancetta. Pass the mushroom ketchup. Available Saturdays from 12-3.30pm, 39 James Street, W1U, socialwineandtapas.com

Food & drink news W O R D S : l a u r e n ro m a n o

Hot stuff

Italian job The wood-fired pit at Fucina is being stoked for the restaurant’s second venture, Panetteria by Fucina, which opens next door on Paddington Street this month. Headed up by ex-Princi baker Massimiliano Porta, the organic delicatessen will serve pastries, coffees and five different varieties of artisanal bread that can be stuffed with oven-roasted meats; while the shelves will be stocked with the best speciality Italian products, from truffles to olive oils and pestos. There’s also a wine shop and open kitchen downstairs, so shoppers can spy the chefs at work making gelato and pasta. Buon appetito! 22 Paddington Street, W1U, panetteriabyfucina.com

Charlotte Street hasn’t quite had its fill of small plate restaurants, and the latest addition, Lokhandwala, is bringing Indian-style tapas into the mix. Expect traditional favourites such as tandoori lamb chops and sharing dishes that explore the country’s regional cuisine, from Punjab to Southern Tamil Nadu – all with a healthy twist. If the vegan ayurvedic shots sound hard to stomach, opt for a tea-infused cocktail served at both the Hot House bar and the first floor speakeasy. 93 Charlotte Street, W1T, lokhandwala.co.uk

Breaking the ice If the array of drinking vessels at Artesian at The Langham, London is anything to go by, cocktail glasses are so 2016. The new Perception menu, concocted by bar director Dino Koletsas and head bartender Gabor Fodor, has got rid of tumblers and goblets for miniature copper stills and oak barrels. For something cutting-edge, try a Mind Your Step (pictured), made from Ron Zacapa 23 rum, heron aged pisco, tropical soursop and orange blossom, served in a deconstructed glass, garnished with edible shards. 1C Portland Place, Regent Street, W1B, artesian-bar.co.uk

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

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food & drink

Nick Hammond drops by the kitchen of the historic Oriental Club to find authentic Eastern cooking of the highest order

he kitchen is surprisingly small. Every work surface, plate, bowl, utensil and carefully calibrated digital dial is gleaming and in its rightful place. Ready for action. Then comes a frisson of electricity, a gentle hum of anticipation; we are moments away from another lunchtime service at the Oriental Club. Pots begin bubbling and orders are called out to various sections working in harmony. An exhilarating and heady mix of spice fills the air. How many thousands of dishes have been rustled up by chefs in pristine whites and whisked away by elegant serving staff over the years? The history of the Oriental Club, originally founded by the Duke of Wellington nearly 200 years ago, is never far away. Now a place for men

and women to enjoy exclusive facilities (40 club suites, an open-air terrace, meeting rooms, an IT suite, drawing rooms and a members’ bar), it was once a retreat for officers and officials who, on returning from India and the East, wanted to continue indulging in the exotic and wondrous sights they’d grown accustomed to. These Eastern flavours are still found in every subtle recipe. While you’ll find club favourites aplenty on the Oriental menu – steak and kidney pudding or sole meunière – this is also the place to sample authentic Eastern cooking of the highest order. Executive chef Wesley Smalley has no less than three full-time curry chefs working for him, as well as kitchen staff serving a vast range of Western dishes morning, noon and night.

this page: all images ©Paul Winch-Furness

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

head curry chef Dinesh Sharma

“When I arrived at the Oriental Club four years ago, I saw an opportunity to re-introduce its heritage of Indian cuisine,” Smalley explains at the end of service, when whites are no longer pristine and the air rings with clunking pans and the thunder of glass washers. “I began looking for experienced curry chefs who could deliver first-class Eastern cookery. I was convinced that they could pass on their knowledge of spice, and we could use it in every other world cuisine, too. “There were deep discussions with our head curry chef, Dinesh Sharma, and sous chef Chintamani Mamgaim, on how they felt the final dishes should taste. Dinesh felt strongly about serving a real home-cooked style of Indian cuisine,

like he used to get as a child. This has worked perfectly in a private members’ club setting. Many of our members are ex-patriots of the East or often travel to Asia, so they are well versed in what authentic cuisine should taste like.” The very best cuisine of course, depends on the seasons; and Eastern cooking is no different. “[There is] game in the autumn and winter, asparagus, morels and wild garlic in the spring or lobster in the summer – and we try to reflect them and do them justice,” says Smalley. “Once the concept of the dish is together, we then experiment with the marinade process and levels of spice and chilli before cooking and tasting.” This fastidious devotion to flavour has borne fruit. Private dining, banquets and tutored

food & drink

THE ORIENTAL CLUB

Executive chef Wesley Smalley

tastings are packed with enthusiastic participants. Pork cheek vindaloo with white vinegar and chillies; tandoori Cornish gurnard with yellow mustard yoghurt and curry leaves; fish amritsari. These morsels reflect both the past and the innovative present of this famous venue. “On one hand, it’s a challenge to have a kitchen preparing and cooking two cuisines,” says Smalley. “The prep times and finishing of dishes are different. But it’s forced me to design the menu so that they merge, and it has created an integral sense of teamwork from both sides of the kitchen.” The kitchen at the Oriental Club uses several core ingredients, such as tarka (a mix of ginger, garlic, cumin and chilli flakes) that goes into the dal, a staple served with every Indian meal.

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There are two tandoor ovens, where naan and paratha (traditional flatbread) are cooked, as well as gloriously colourful dishes, such as basil and mango salmon or the deeply-flavoured venison marinated in black sesame and yoghurt. The rich scents of jasmine, cumin and cardamom abound. East meets west across this kitchen. It’s hard to imagine a more intriguing blend of flavours and dishes that retain tradition, yet capture a certain forward-thinking flair. And after dinner, when the linen is stripped from the tables and the glassware is carefully polished, there’s always the library for those who want to brush up on a little Club history. Oriental Club, Stratford House, 11 Stratford Place, W1C, orientalclub.org.uk

food & drink

R E S T A U R A N T re v i e w

Masters of mezze Melissa Emerson heads to Fitzrovia’s new all-day dining destination Firedog where brunch traditions are being turned on their head

egean-inspired bar and restaurant Firedog is Fitzrovia’s latest foodie destination. Named after fire dogs – cooking stones used for grilling in Santorini as far back as the 17th century – the restaurant has reinvented the technique and serves up its contemporary Greek and Turkish street food mezze from a grill fuelled by olive wood chips. Three interlinking neon triangles – the symbol for a lit fire – glow on one wall as my friend and I enter and take a seat under the colourful, handpainted pop art-style murals along the other wall. Part of an Aegean mythology mash-up, the design’s dancing skeletons look surprisingly cheery. Other than this punk outburst, the interiors are traditional and muted, with brass detailing and a wooden panelled staircase leading down to a larger dining room, where dinner service begins later this month. For now, all-day breakfast, brunch and lunch are the order of the day. Responsible for pleasing palates is executive chef George Notley, and – fully aware of the official no avocado policy – we trust the kitchen and order the set breakfast mezze. A chunk of glistening honeycomb, made in London our waiter says, is set down with a side of clotted cream. With grilled flatbread to spread it on, it feels like a deliciously alternative afternoon tea. Classic cheeses – think grilled halloumi and feta – come with sides of sour cherry compote, an apple and quince paste and a vibrantly crisp and fresh heap of cucumber topped with lemon zest and poppy seeds. A few English breakfast staples make an appearance, but eggs are scrambled and spiced with harissa paste and the spicy sujuk sausage is

served with a smattering of spring onion for an extra kick. The mixture of pottery, from the blue and green glazed tiles to the uneven edged dishes (some handmade locally), emphasises the overwhelming variety of the food. Eating more than a dozen dishes between us is thirsty work, and in the spirit of turning breakfast traditions upside down my friend trades her staple OJ for a freshly squeezed juice of the purple carrot variety. I opt for a nonalcoholic fruit soda made with a house syrup infusion of plum and mastika, the latter being a resin from the native Mediterranean mastic tree that can also be chewed as a gum. Brunching at Firedog offers a playful initiation to Aegean dining. And if this is how the place starts the day, I can’t wait to put my name down for dinner. 92 Newman Street, W1T, fdog.com

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On the

case

esigned for holidaymakers who struggle to identify their nondescript suitcases, the latest collection of carry-ons and travel accessories from Tumi has taken inspiration from the colours and carnival spirit of Havana. Lightweight V3 cases come in stand-out-from-the-crowd magenta shades and vibrant jungle prints, but our favourite piece from the new season edit is the elegant Tula Tote (pictured) in powder pink, which will take you from desk to departure hall. Tula Tote from ÂŁ995, uk.tumi.com

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Sole mates Septuagenarian shoe designer Manolo Blahnik still has a spring in his step and travels to Milan every few weeks to see his creations come to life on the factory floor. This month he’ll be spending even more time in the city, as an exhibition of his favourite designs opens at Palazzo Morando. To celebrate Manolo Blahnik: The Art of Shoes, the cobbler has teamed up with the Four Seasons, to design custom slippers. Available to those booking the Manolo Blahnik package, the velvet numbers mean guests can put their feet up in style, even if Mr Blahnik won’t. Manolo Blahnik package, including slippers and exhibition entry, available until 9 April, from £715 a night, fourseasons.com

Travel news WORDS: LAUREN ROMANO

Adam and Yves

Real Madrid Rather than a suited-and-booted doorman, the welcome party at the recently opened Barceló Torre de Madrid consists of a giant bear, tipping his top hat in greeting. The zany black and white striped sculpture sets the tone for the hotel, which doubles as a contemporary art gallery. Mid-century era soft furnishings in tangerine and baby pink sit alongside light sculptures and photography inspired by Spanish folklore. But it’s not just the design touches that command attention: the hotel is in the Torre de Madrid, formerly the tallest construction in Spain, which means the views are pretty spectacular, too. From £310 a night, barcelo.com

The Lowell New York gets its final finishing touch this month with the arrival of French restaurant, Majorelle. Named after Jacques Majorelle, the creator of Yves Saint Laurent’s edenic Marrakech gardens, the restaurant merges indoor and outdoor dining with exotic foliage, illuminated fountains and a vibrant colour scheme of royal blue and sunflower yellow. Here, temptation takes the form of Mediterranean cuisine – think foie gras with warm apple sauce or fragrant tagines – and Bleu de Majorelle cocktails served at the next-door Jacques Bar. From approx. £660 a night, lowellhotel.com

Casa Ferragamo Haute couture and hotels have been bedfellows for some time now. In the line-up, there’s the flashy (Palazzo Versace Dubai), the surreal (Christian Lacroix’s Petit Moulin in Paris), and now, the sustainable – in the form of Il Borro, a crumbling medieval village in the Tuscan hills that turned the Ferragamo family into hoteliers. Surrounded by olive groves and cypress trees, Il Borro has been painstakingly restored and the 700 hectares comprise organic farmlands interspersed with historic villas, farmhouses and suites. In recent months the estate has upped its eco credentials too, with zero-energy dwellings, solar panels and ozone air purifying systems. Green really is the new black. Suites from approx. £225 a night, ilborro.it s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

As Chatsworth House prepares to open House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion, Camilla Apcar speaks to Lady Laura Burlington about the exhibitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cast of characters

Deborah Devonshire and Stella Tennant, Chatsworth, 2006 ÂŠMario Testino

feature from left: Mistress of the Robes Coronation Gown, worn by Duchess Evelyn at 1937 coronation and Duchess Mary at 1953 coronation, Painted Hall, Chatsworth, 2016, photography: Thomas Loof, ©Chatsworth; Lord Charles Cavendish and Adele Astaire on their wedding day, 1932, ©Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth

f the walls of Chatsworth House could tell stories, then the clothes of those who have resided there for more than four centuries would certainly have some good tales. House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth will be the largest exhibition ever held at the Peak District manor. Opening on 25 March, historical and contemporary clothes will go on show in a survey of the life and times of the aristocratic Devonshire family. It has taken just over six years to put together, curated by Vogue’s international editor-at-large, Hamish Bowles. One of the driving forces behind the project is Lady Laura Burlington, who is married to William Burlington, the son of the current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. A former contributing editor for Harper’s Bazaar, fashion is in her veins. She also sits on the New Generation board of the British Fashion Council. “I had a very small seed of an idea to invite Hamish to come and look at the collection, quietly in the hope that he might feel there would be an exhibition there,” says Burlington. But she credits the final product to her parents-in-law, Bowles and creative designer Patrick Kinmonth, who was responsible for Vogue 100: A Century of Style at the National Portrait Gallery last year. House Style is not about fashionable fads, but “a way of life”. “It was really difficult to come up with a name,” says Burlington. “For a long time it was Dressing the Devonshires – but then we thought maybe no one would know who the Devonshires were. House Style is more than just dresses.

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“Whenever Hamish finds a dress, he starts looking for a picture of the person who has worn it. That’s very important in this show: it’s a way of telling stories about the family and making people feel closer to the actual characters.” Indeed, some of its cast will be more familiar than others. The exhibition stretches back to the 16th century and the formidable Bess of Hardwick, who persuaded her husband Sir William Cavendish to sell his lands and move to her home county, where they built the first house at Chatsworth. The estate has been home to the Cavendish family and the hereditary dukes ever since. Bess of Hardwick’s Elizabeth I badge – monogrammed ‘E S’ for Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury – will be on display, alongside an account book handwritten by her and her secretary. House Style will then wend its way through the ages – displayed in Chatsworth’s grandest rooms, such as the Painted Hall – right up until the present day. Items belonging to the current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire will include a Givenchy bolero worn by the Duchess on their wedding day.

clockwise from left: Assorted shirts, all Turnbull & Asser, owned by Deborah Devonshire; painted hall; Wool jumpers made by Lords, commissioned by the 11th Duke of Devonshire

“When I first asked [my parents-in-law] to open their wardrobes, there was a sort of deep inhalation of breath,” Burlington describes. “They said ‘oh, we don’t have anything you’d be interested in’… but then it all came out. I hope they’ll be happy with the final result.” Adele Astaire, Fred’s sister and dance partner, married Lord Charles Cavendish in 1932. As Duchess Mary recalled of the family’s first meeting with her son’s fiancé: “All gathered, like stone pillars, in the library… the heavy doors opened and there stood this tiny girl, beautifully dressed. We waited for her to approach us, but instead of walking she suddenly began turning cartwheels. Everyone loved it.” “Their marriage represented a great merging of British aristocracy and Hollywood royalty,” says Pierre Lagrange, chairman of Huntsman. The Savile Row tailor has recreated a pair of riding breeches originally made for the inimitably fashionable Adele, especially for the exhibition. The order was found in the shop’s archives – the dukes were frequent customers – and refashioned using the original model. “Huntsman is known for its menswear, but a lot of elegant women have worn our pieces,” says Lagrange.

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“There’s a humorous thread that runs throughout the exhibition, with rubber chicken handbags and the 11th Duke’s slogan jumpers” There will of course be ballgowns, including an example designed by the House of Worth, but House Style will also include a lot of men’s clothes: livery, uniforms, garter robes and boots. Some pieces have been borrowed from museums, but much will be from the Devonshire Collection (pieces belonging to the family, looked after by the House Trust). The Devonshires’ textile store was opened wide, as well as dressingup cupboards and the family’s wardrobes. “There have been some really exciting discoveries – perhaps quite small to other people, but quite significant to us,” says Burlington. “Hamish found a 1953 Dior gown sort of hanging on the back of a door, with the label missing, which none of us had given a second thought.” Other finds have been more emotional. “Stella Tennant had lost her wedding dress, an incredible Helmut Lang, and I don’t think he made too many. It was extraordinary and very conceptual.

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We were borrowing her mother’s dress – the current Duke’s sister – and tried it on a mannequin. As we were packing it away, at the bottom of that box, we found Stella’s packed in tissue. So there it was, 18 years after she last saw it.” Tennant, the fashion model who was once the face of Chanel with the shortest of black haircuts, is among the exhibition’s most contemporary stars. She is the granddaughter of the 11th Duke and Deborah Mitford – one of the notorious six sisters, who are honoured in their own right. “There’s definitely a humorous thread that runs throughout House Style,” explains Burlington, “with rubber chicken handbags and the 11th Duke’s slogan jumpers. He came up with in-joke designs like ‘Never Marry A Mitford’ or ‘Never Trust A Cadogan’.” Twenty-two will be on display. Burlington’s other favourites include the current Duke’s Mr Fish and Blades suits. “They’re really avant-garde. He must have been very brave and forward-thinking in those days, as he is now, to dress in those clothes.” As with any study of costume, much can be gleaned about life during different eras. “After the war, one of the Duke’s smoking jackets was repaired and repaired. There’s layers upon layers of tweed,” says Burlington. “It was a time when people were much more careful [with their clothes]. It was more ‘make do and mend’.” Surveys of aristocratic fashion, couture and noble living have been undertaken many times before, but this exhibition – set in one of England’s grandest and most treasured houses – will be styled with a thoroughly personal touch. £21.90, entry to exhibition included in Chatsworth House ticket, 25 March – 22 October, chatsworth.org

Cabin

fever Private jets are the only way to travel as Melissa Emerson discovers when she touches down for a city break in Milan before hopping over the border to the lakeside sanctuary of Lugano

he prospect of enjoying the journey as much as the destination always seems doubtful, but when I arrive at the Harrods Aviation private terminal at Luton airport to travel to Milan with JetSmarter – “please, help yourself to champagne and your pilot will greet you shortly” – I start to change my mind. Often referred to as the Uber of the skies, JetSmarter’s subscription-only service for private jet travel has three tiers including private charters, shared charters and JetShuttle. For the latter, members pay around £12,000 a year and are allocated credits to book available seats on existing jet routes up to two months in advance, via the app. After a smooth sunset flight and feeling just a little bit famous in my sunglasses, I disembark from my leather seat at Milan’s Linate Airport private terminal. The lack of security queues and

JET IMAGES COURTESY OF JETSMARTER

luggage hassle means I’m already daydreaming about signing up, as I’m chauffeured to my first stop, Magna Pars Suites Milano. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collective, Magna Pars Suites calls itself the first Hotel à Parfum and is housed in the Martone family’s former perfume factory. Keen to preserve its heritage, the family has opened an artisanal on-site perfume laboratory, LabSolue, where I experience the hotel’s unique olfactory check-in. Greeted on the red carpet, I enjoy a cocktail inspired by a particular seasonal ingredient – pomegranate on my

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visit – before working my way through a variety of scents captured in conical cloches. There are 39 in total, one for each of the hotel’s suites, divided into woody, floral and fruity base notes, and guests have the chance to choose their suite based on the scent they like best, depending on availability, or buy the fragrance to take home. The apricot-scented Nespolo candle encased in green glass is probably my most precious holiday souvenir to date.

My high-ceilinged room, with its wall-to-wall window, is white-washed with just a splash of colour from the red leather sofa and the array of coffee table books, and feels like an artist’s studio, which seems in keeping with the creativity of the surrounding area. Situated just off Via Tortona, the hotel sits in an artistic district where I spy photographer’s studios and stylish artisan shops, as well as Giorgio Armani’s Armani/Silos museum, an archive of the designer’s creations. After stopping by tourist hotspot Duomo di Milano and the historic shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II next door, I head – via a gelato shop – back towards the hotel and to the much newer Mudec, or the Museum of Cultures. The building is an industrial architecture salvage project and the illuminated, curved walls of the main hall are worth the visit alone, but if you have time, do look in at the performance theatre and design store and wander around the fascinating permanent collection of cultural artefacts.

Feeling just a little bit famous in my sunglasses, I disembark at Milan’s private terminal

this page: MAGNA PARS SUITES MILANO

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Back at the hotel, dinner is held outdoors at Da Noi In sheltered by the hotel’s lofty central courtyard garden, where I enjoy an array of innovative dishes. The Caged Egg is a highlight and comes slow cooked inside a cellophane bag with a grana padano cream and white and black truffle. The produce used is predominantly locally sourced and I can’t resist picking up a bottle of the hotel’s home-pressed olive oil after the meal. Although it’s time to leave Italy behind the next morning for part two of my break, I’m heading to Lugano (luganotourism.ch) in Switzerland’s only Italian-speaking region, Ticino (ticino.ch). Known as the sunny side of Switzerland, it’s popular with Swiss holidaymakers, thanks to its lake bordered by palms, parks and promenades. THE VIEW Lugano, another SLH property, offers a chauffeur-driven service, so I enjoy the 50-mile journey over the border from Milan in the back seat of a Bentley. Even the private jet didn’t have a built-in seat massager, I think as we take the scenic route.

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The hotel’s luxury extras however can’t be beaten by its views. All of its 18 suites look out over the lake, and thanks to the marine teak floors, wood and mirror-panelled walls and shiny, black design details, you can almost convince yourself you’re on a luxury yacht. Digital controls for the lights and blind come via a removable iPad on the wall while a pre-check-in menu sent by email gives me a choice of pillow type, sheet fabric, room fragrance, and toiletries – Jo Malone and pink toilet paper if you’re wondering. My first stop after check-in is THE VIEW Spa, where I soon trade proper swimming in the 18-metre pool for lounging in the adjacent whirlpool with massage jets. The pink-hued bricks of the Himalayan Salt Room and the Kneipp circuit – a series of hot and cold water jets you walk through, a method thought to boost circulation – are worth spending some time in. Even my suite is fitted with a chromotherapy shower, designed to impact mood and wellbeing with its changing lighting, and the capacious, egg-shaped bathtub on its raised, spot-lit platform makes a striking feature.

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As well as the spa, the ground floor is home to restaurant Innocenti Evasioni at THE VIEW, where I enjoy aperitivo on the terrace and marvel at the large globe-shaped structures of fairy-lights, before dinner, when a seasonal menu is accompanied by music from a live pianist. The next day, I head down to the lake itself to meet my Ticino guide Monica for a boat trip. We lunch at Grotto San Rocco, stepping right off the boat onto the lakeside restaurant’s steps in Caprino (also charmingly the name for a goat’s cheese). Owner Michel Walser has a casual but passionate approach to dining, and inspired by a flavour thesaurus he works with the best local ingredients and pairs them with accompaniments accordingly. I even observe a few items being freshly plucked from the gardens following my order of quadratino, a small square cheese, wrapped in smoked ham and served with a cabbage salad and a dish of caramelised figs with fresh goat’s cheese. Local Lugano-produced wines also take pride of place on the menu, and Walser lets us peer into the chilly stone cellar in the rocks – one of the town’s many historic fridges.

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Curious about the wines of the region, I later enjoy a tasting at the Moncucchetto winery. Its charming hosts ply me with platters of salami and local cheeses, as I find my favourite: refolo brut, a sparkling chardonnay and pinot noir blend. Down in Lugano itself, which guests can also reach by hiring one of the hotel’s smart cars or electric bicycles, the most striking piece of modernist architecture on the lakeside is Lugano Arte e Cultura or LAC, which opened in September 2015. A centre of music, visual and performing arts, it hosts theatre and dance performances in its 1,000-seat hall, and I stop by for the Paul Signac exhibition. Art is also on the menu at my final stop, Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola, where it is paired with food at its Michelin-starred Restaurant Gallery Arté al Lago. Specialising in lake fish, the restaurant rotates displays of work by local and international artists twice a year. I’m beginning to see why the locals say the region offers the best of Italian culture and food, but with Swiss standards of efficiency just as my Bentley arrives on the dot to whisk me back to Milan and my jet home.

NEED TO KNOW Hotel Magna Pars Suites Milano with Small Luxury Hotels of the World from €270 a night (approx. £232) in a Junior Suite (two sharing) on a B&B basis, slh.com/magnapars; 0800 0482 314 THE VIEW Lugano with Small Luxury Hotels of the World from CHF 706 a night (approx. £569) in a Junior Suite (two sharing) on a B&B basis, slh.com/theview; 0800 0482 314 JetSmarter annual membership from $15,000 (approx. £12,042), jetsmarter.com

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Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Realty 77-79 Ebury Street SW1W 0NZ 020 3714 0749 sothebysrealty.co.uk

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Leasehold: approximately 109 years 8 months remaining

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Bryanston Court, Marylebone W1 An immaculate three bedroom lateral apartment Offering spacious living accommodation this apartment is set within a prestigious mansion block in the heart of the Portman Village. 3 bedrooms (1 en suite), bathroom, reception room, fully fitted kitchen and separate WC. Further benefits include under floor heating, surround sound, black out blinds in bedrooms, ample storage, triple glazed windows, Lutron lighting, 24 hour porter services and lift access. EPC: C. Approximately 156 sq m (1,679 sq ft). Leasehold: approximately 142 years 11 months remaining

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Mayfair Mag March 2017 - Lancaster Mews

09/02/2017 10:35:52

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Upper Wimpole Street, Marylebone W1 A beautifully designed one bedroom apartment located on the ground floor of a Georgian town house and interior designed throughout. Bedroom, bathroom, reception room, dining room and kitchen. EPC: E. Approximately 84 sq m (904 sq ft). marylebonelettings@knightfrank.com Office: 0 2 0 3 6 4 1 5 8 5 3

Mayfair Mag 08.02

09/02/2017 11:07:23

property

Property news IMAGE COURTESY OF GREAT PORTLAND ESTATES

PrimeResi brings you the latest news in prime property and development in London

London’s Fort Knox

All change at Rathbone Square Great Portland Estates agrees sale of flagship Rathbone Square development

reat Portland Estates (GPE) has sold off its biggest ever scheme – the 420,000 sq ft Rathbone Square in Fitzrovia – for £435m. A statement confirmed a company owned by German investor Deka has snapped it up, giving GPE a total capital return of £110m on the project, which is expected to make its way back to shareholders via a special dividend. The sale price was four per cent below a valuation given in September last year. The nearly complete mixed-use venture has delivered for Great Portland Estates though; not only is it due to become the new UK home of Facebook after the internet giant took 242,800 sq ft of office space at the site, but 139 of the 142 apartments have already been sold, and 13,900 of the 25,200 sq ft of retail space is now under offer. As well as confirming the sale, the announcement gave an insight into the developer’s prognosis for the market: “The sale of this mature property and the

PrimeQResi

proposed special dividend reflect GPE’s ongoing commitment to both capital allocation and balance sheet discipline, while also ensuring that GPE retains the significant financial flexibility created over recent years as it looks ahead to a continued period of market uncertainty.” Toby Courtauld, chief executive of GPE, comments: “Rathbone Square is our largest ever development scheme and this sale continues our successful strategy of recycling capital out of assets where we have created significant value. Having purchased the site in late 2011, obtained an attractive planning permission and commenced construction in early 2014, we pre-sold the vast majority of the residential units in summer 2014 and secured one of the largest ever lettings in the West End a year later. This sale is expected to crystallise a whole life capital return of 19.9 per cent and an annualised unlevered internal rate of return of 12.1 per cent.”

Property developer launches super-prime storage concept Luxury property developer Amazon Property has delivered a 10,000 sq ft, three-storey underground superprime storage facility for valuables. The Armitage Vaults are “the capital’s answer to Fort Knox”, says the developer, who has spent five years on the project. The vaults offer high net worth individuals somewhere to store anything from artworks, jewels and wine to documents, luggage and ski paraphernalia. All 135 steel-lined, climatecontrolled storage units in the bank-style vaults are individually alarmed and come encased in metre-thick reinforced concrete, making them fully fire-resistant and water-tight. Units in the Armitage Vaults are available to rent from £20 to £150 a week and Amazon is also offering a complimentary relocation service to collect and deposit client’s valuables. The site’s insurance facility covers stored items typically valued from £50,000 to £150,000, but cover can be extended to items up to £10m in value by special arrangement. armitagestorage.com

primeresi.com

Journal of Luxury Property

114

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

Introducing One Seymour Street, a spectacular collection of new 1, 2 and 3 bed apartments in Marylebone

COMPLETION Q2 2018 REG I S T ER YO U R IN T ERE S T ONE SE YMOURS TREE T@KNIG HTFR ANK .COM 020 7971 7637 O N E S E Y M O U R S T R E E T. C O M

Kay & Co Marylebone & Fitzrovia Sales 20a Paddington Street, London, W1U 5QP

A Grade II Listed Duplex on Marylebone’s Premier Garden Square

020 3394 0027

Three Bedrooms • Two Bathrooms • Kitchen • Reception Room • Dining Room Courtyard • Cellar • Approximately 1,723 Sq. Ft

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Marylebone&Fitzrovia_LHMarch17.indd 1

Montagu Square, Marylebone, W1H

£2,700,000 Leasehold

15/02/2017 09:45

Not just

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09:45

Time to shine There has never been a better time to move to Marylebone, which is why the sales and lettings teams at Chestertons’ Mayfair and Hyde Park branches have joined forces with the Marylebone office to look after the increasingly popular area

ord on the street is that Marylebone is the place to live. While price growth has stalled in other Prime Central London postcodes, Marylebone’s fortunes are looking bright. According to a recently released London Central Portfolio analysis of Land Registry and LonRes data, the statistics are stacked in the area’s favour; prices crept up 19.7 per cent between January and October 2016, in comparison to the same period the year before. Sebastian de Angelis, director of sales at Chestertons’ Mayfair office spotted the surging popularity of the postcode some time ago. “Marylebone has long attracted people from the surrounding areas. It’s more affordable than Mayfair, but a step up from Hyde Park and Bayswater, so it’s a good in-between ground,” he says. “As we noticed an increase in the number of enquiries at both our Mayfair and Hyde Park offices, we decided to support our Marylebone office by combining our expertise to collectively cover the area in the best way possible.” The strategy is paying off, and together the three offices are better equipped to deal with an array of clients who might be drawn to the area because of the relative value for money it offers (the typical price per square foot in Marylebone is £1,750 to £2,000, compared to £2,500 to £3,000 in Mayfair), or its strong sense of community spirit. “Buyers have cottoned on to the fact that Marylebone has a lot to offer. There’s a thriving café culture, excellent restaurants and shops and a welcoming, international feel, which is nurtured by the active involvement of the Howard de Walden and Portman estates,” Dylan James, director of sales at the Hyde Park office, adds. Those looking to put down roots in the area

are spoilt for choice when it comes to the types of property on offer. From well-proportioned lateral apartments, to charming period portered blocks and a wave of new developments boasting concierge services and cutting-edge design, there is something for everyone. Whatever a client’s taste though, only the finest will do. “There’s still that age-old argument that best in class always sells. It’s more of a buyer’s market than a seller’s market at the moment,” says de Angelis, adding that while on average a Mayfair property can be on the market for up to 18 months before it goes under offer, in Marylebone, properties can turn around in just three months. “We’re seeing an increase of good properties coming onto the market and there is momentum, so there’s plenty to be optimistic about. The market is still quite delicate, however, so sellers need to realistic,” says James. “This isn’t the market to be ambitious.”

property

photography by sarel jansen

Getting the price right is equally as important to the lettings team, too. “There’s a lot of choice for tenants at the moment,” explains Hyde Park lettings director Minnie Frangiamore. “We’ve got more than 200 properties currently on our books between the three offices, around 60 of which are in Marylebone. It’s definitely a renter’s market, not a landlord’s one.”

“The London property market is still very buoyant, despite all the changes to stamp duty and the impact of Brexit” “Presentation and price point are key,” says Alina Banionyte, lettings manager at the Marylebone office, who believes that even landlords with the most generously proportioned and well-presented apartments have to be sensible about their pricing as competition is plentiful.

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

“Yesterday I did a valuation for a flat on Upper Berkeley Street that had previously been on with another agent. The vendor hadn’t been able to let it for the figure she wanted, which isn’t surprising as when I looked to see what else was out there, there were 250 properties in the same price range,” says Frangiamore. The team is tackling this saturated lettings market by encouraging realistic rental prices and vetting all applicants thoroughly to ensure eligible, long-term tenants for their landlords. Despite the high levels of stock, there is still plenty of activity and Frangiamore and Banionyte have recently been inundated with enquiries from young professionals relocating for work. “This is one of the busiest starts to the year I’ve had in a long time,” agrees de Angelis. “The London property market is still very buoyant, despite all the changes to stamp duty and the impact of Brexit. There is still security here. The fact that the pound is weak against the dollar is driving overseas buyers, as is the political situation in the US. We’re seeing a lot more Middle Eastern clients coming to us because they feel more welcome. “Chestertons is an international company. We’ve got more than 70 offices globally,” he continues. “Someone can walk into an office in Doha, or Abu Dhabi and within an hour they’re speaking to one of our negotiators here in the UK.” No matter whether domestic or international, all Chestertons’ clients benefit for the company’s long-held expertise. “We’ve had an office in Mayfair for 20 years and Hyde Park for more than 60 years. One of our colleagues, Charles Oliver, has been with Chestertons for 50 years. Everyone knows him – families come back to him time and again,” James concludes. “And when it comes to staying ahead in the popular Marylebone market that level of experience counts.” 56 Queen Anne Street, W1G; 47 South Audley Street, W1K; 40 Connaught Street, W2, chestertons.com. With special thanks to Auberry of London for letting us shoot in its elegant apartment, auberry.co

119

A COLLECTION OF 7 APARTMENTS LOCATED IN ST JAMESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Oceanic House presents the rare opportunity to purchase a unique apartment at the heart of Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West End, in an exclusive new development steeped in history. The imposing former White Star Line headquarters - the booking office of the glamorous Titanic ocean liner - has been sensitively redeveloped to provide six apartments and one two-storey penthouse for private sale.

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£9,950 / week

No tenant fees

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Welbeck Street, Marylebone W1 A beautifully refurbished mid-terrace townhouse located in the heart of Marylebone Village. This substantial five bedroom family home measures approximately 4,585 sq ft in total and is laid out with the benefit of a passenger lift which opens onto the ground, second and third floors. The ground floor comprises an interconnecting reception room and dining room leading into the contemporary eat-in kitchen with Miele appliances, a double height ceiling and a large skylight flooding the room with lots of natural light. There is planning permission for a roof terrace off of the first floor reception room.

020 7580 2030 WWW.ROKSTONE.COM 5 Dorset Street, London, W1U 6QJ enquiries@rokstone.com

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property

Property news Hidden figures Prices in Marylebone are on the up, while deal numbers in Chelsea take a tumble

roperty deal numbers across the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the City of Westminster were 21 per cent lower in the year to December compared to the previous year, according to London Central Portfolio’s (LCP) analysis of Land Registry and LonRes data, but the average price across prime central London nudged up. Lower value, up-and-coming areas saw the most robust levels of price growth, with Marylebone, Fitzrovia and Soho rising 19.7 per cent. Price increases were also recorded for PCL’s other lower value areas, such as Notting Hill & Bayswater (11 per cent), Pimlico (2.9 per cent) and Westminster (2.6 per cent). More established luxury addresses – with average prices topping £2m – occupy the bottom of the league. LCP lays the blame for much of this suppressed price growth on the new build sector. The firm’s research indicates that, with new builds excluded, PCL-wide prices increased by an average five per cent. Belgravia, Knightsbridge and South Kensington, for instance, notably bucked the old/new prime area trend, with price growth of 3.8 per cent; the Land Registry recorded zero new build sales in these areas. Relatively resilient values in the face of declining deal numbers seem to indicate that more vendors are opting to stay put, hoping to ride out the softer market caused by economic uncertainty. The real impact of tax regimes becomes very clear when deal numbers are compared to last year: a rush of buyers looking to beat April’s deadline for the additional rate of stamp duty resulted in more than 25 per cent of all 2016 sales taking place in March. Naomi Heaton, CEO of LCP, comments: “Despite the series of new taxes impacting the market, more up-and-coming areas have remained attractive to buyers, particularly foreign investors, looking for good value in the face of weakening sterling. It is clear that in the current market, London’s centre of gravity has shifted from the traditional, luxury enclaves to the areas with lower entry prices, future growth and gentrification potential.” londoncentralportfolio.com

“The more up-andcoming areas of the market have remained attractive to buyers, particularly foreign investors”

PrimeQResi

Spotlight on lettings Emily Englander, head of lettings at Knight Frank’s Marylebone office, discusses rental values in prime central London “Declines in rental values in prime central London continued to moderate in January, as the rate of supply of available rental properties slowed. While there was a 12 per cent year-on-year rise in new rental properties in the final quarter of 2016, that figure was lower than the increase of 30 per cent recorded over the first nine months of the year. Rental values have been declining since May 2015 in part due to higher levels of rental stock. The fact landlords face a less favourable tax environment from April has contributed to the slowdown in supply to some degree. However, demand continues to strengthen, particularly at the higher and lower end of the prime central London market. Above £5,000 per week, in the super-prime section of the lettings market, demand remains strong among tenants who are uncertain over the short-term trajectory of pricing in the sales market. The number of super-prime deals rose five per cent in 2016 versus 2015. The number of tenancies agreed across prime central London was 20 per cent higher in the final quarter of 2016 compared to 2015, which puts upwards pressure on rental values. For rental properties between £1,500 and £5,000 per week, activity is improving but remains comparatively slower. The Knight Frank Marylebone team has had a busy start to 2017 working alongside our Residential Corporate Services Department to find accommodation for corporate applicants. We anticipate the momentum to continue into spring with a second wave of corporate applicants moving to London with companies whose financial years start on 1 April.”

primeresi.com

Journal of Luxury Property

126

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

RESIDENTIAL SALES £679,950

£750,000

Chiltern Street, Marylebone, W1U

Berners Place, Fitzrovia, W1

Situated on the 5th floor (top) with fantastic roof top views is this one bedroom apartment in an attractive Edwardian mansion block serviced by a lift.

We are delighted to offer this stunning brand new one bedroom apartment which has been recently refurbished to a very high standard and offers a 104 year lease, located on the top floor with a private terrace in the heart of Fitzrovia.

£1,250,000

£1,295,000

Hanson Street, Fitzrovia, W1

Bourlet Close, Fitzrovia, W1

We are delighted to launch to the market this stunning two bedroom, two bathroom lateral top floor apartment located in the heart of Fitzrovia. The apartment has been beautifully refurbished to a very high standard and offers a 106 year lease.

A brand new development of 6 Apartments and two garages in this striking yet pretty cobbled mews street, neatly tucked away among charming Victorian brick facades, occupies a prime location in fashionable Fitzrovia, close to London’s beating heart.

020 7927 0616

sales@rib.co.uk

23-24 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8LF

6740 - RIB - Marylebone and Fitzrovia SALES Ad March 2017.indd 1

www.rib.co.uk 08/02/2017 11:14

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

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Register your interest at gasholderslondon .co.uk or book an appointment +44 (0)20 7205 2166 to vi ew o u r s a l e s g a ll e r y a n d s h ow a p a r tm e nt o n G o o d s Way, K i n g ’s C ro s s N 1 C 4 U R

Hyde Park Sales 020 7298 5900

sales.hydepark@chestertons.com

Haslebury House, George Street, W1

ÂŁ1,995,000 leasehold

A 2 bedroom apartment of approx. 1,036 sq ft with 24hr porterage, beautiful wood flooring throughout, working fireplaces & high ceilings. Haselbury House is centrally located with easy access to a wealth of restaurants, shops & amenities. The nearest underground stations are Marble Arch & Baker Street. EPC rating D

Mayfair Sales 020 7629 4513

New Cavendish Street, W1W

sales.mayfair@chestertons.com

A well-presented 2 double bedroom apartment, set on the raised ground floor of a well-run portered block. The apartment comprises a large double-length reception room, 2 well-appointed bathrooms & a modern kitchen. EPC rating D

chestertons.com

ÂŁ1,500,000 leasehold

Hyde Park Lettings 020 7298 5950

Gloucester Place, W1U

lettings.hydepark@chestertons.com

£1,550 per week / £6,717 per month

A contemporary & immaculate top floor apartment within a beautiful period conversion. Comprising a spacious bright reception room, modern eat in kitchen, a master bedroom with a bathroom suite, 2 further double bedrooms with en-suites & a guest bathroom. EPC rating C

Marylebone Lettings 020 7368 3048

Bentick Mews, W1U

lettings.marylebone@chestertons.com

£995 per week / £4,312 per month

A beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom mews house arranged over 3 floors in the heart of Marylebone Village. The property comprises a large, modern eat in kitchen, bright reception room offering ample entertainment space, 2 generous double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, guest cloakroom & a garage. EPC rating C

Additional tenant charges apply: Tenancy agreement fee: £222 (inc. VAT) References per tenant including credit check: £60 (inc. VAT) References per guarantor including credit check: £60 (inc. VAT) Inventory check (approx. £100 – £250 inc. VAT dependent on property size) chestertons.com/property-to-rent/applicable-fees

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