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CONTENTS November 2016 Regulars
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10 Editor’s letter 12 Five minutes with... Shing Tat Chung, co-founder of cult street food restaurant BAO 14 The agenda A cultural round-up of what to read, see and do this November 76 Check mate Forget all things traditional, as tartan gets a modern makeover in this month’s fashion shoot
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Features 18 The tastemaker Following the launch of his new book, Sir Terence Conran reflects on his life in design 22 The Great British potter Emma Bridgewater on reviving the craft and finding other passions
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118 30 26 The Assouline aesthetic Interiors as envisioned by the luxury publisher 30 Off the charts Bold colours and clashing prints are topping interiors trends
62 The Asian equation The collectible heights of sought-after contemporary artists 70 Fashion conscious Bottega Veneta celebrates its 50th anniversary 106 Sugar and spice Chef and Cook in Boots writer Ravinder Bhogal opens her debut restaurant 118 The modern age Mid-century modern highlights on a trip to Palm Springs
34 Collection
67 Fashion
94 Health & beauty
116 Travel
55 Art & antiques
87 Interiors
104 Food & drink
123 Property
Decadence Defined
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EDITOR’S LETTER
MARYLEBONE
& FITZROVIA NOVEMBER 2016 s ISSUE 006
Acting Editor Lauren Romano
editor
From the
Assistant Editor Melissa Emerson Contributing Editors Hannah Lemon Camilla Apcar Collection Editors Olivia Sharpe Richard Brown Editorial Assistant Marianne Dick Editorial Intern Jacinta Ruscillo Sub Editor Francesca Lee-Rogers Brand Consistency Laddawan Juhong Senior Designer Daniel Poole Design Intern Paris Fielder Production Hugo Wheatley Jamie Steele Danny Lesar Alice Ford General Manager Fiona Fenwick Executive Director Sophie Roberts Managing Director Eren Ellwood
Proudly published by
“The designer’s job is to imagine the world not how it is, but how it should be” Sir Terence Conran Sir Terence Conran’s aesthetic first infiltrated our homes more than 60 years ago. As the man who bought duvets, flat-pack furniture and coffee pots to the UK via Habitat and later The Conran Shop, the tastemaker has earned his place in the design hall of fame. So we can think of no one better to kick off our interiors-themed issue; read more on page 18. Elsewhere, we meet Emma Bridgewater, the potter who has been keeping our kitchens stocked with polka-dot crockery since 1985 (p.22), and embrace hibernation season by making a case for the home library with a little help from Assouline’s new ‘cultural lounge department’(p.26). And lastly, we investigate the colours making headlines in interior design circles (p.30) and find out why we’ll all be painting our living rooms kale come spring...
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REGULARS
5 MINUTES WITH...
I got into food at a very early age. My first ever food
BAO CO-FOUNDER SHING TAT CHUNG (CENTRE) WITH HIS SISTER WAI TING CHUNG (LEFT) AND WIFE ERCHEN CHANG
memory is making instant noodles, and thinking that using an Oxo vegetable stock cube instead of the one supplied in the packet was a genius idea.
Working with family has it pros and cons, but the good outweighs the bad. We feel at
My parents are from Hong Kong and used to run a restaurant business. My sister Wai Ting and I both helped out there when we were young. My sisters would work front of house but I was at the back washing pots. I have always looked up to my mum, she taught me everything I know.
My partner Erchen was born in Taiwan and food is a huge part of the culture there, especially street food. Most social occasions are focused around
light and fluffy. I could eat dumplings forever.
SHING TAT CHUNG The co-founder of Taiwanese street-food restaurant BAO talks working with family and why Fitzrovia was the perfect location for its latest bun haven
ease together, we can trust each other and we’re on a similar wavelength when it comes to things like style. Wai Ting manages the floor and Erchen and I are the chefs, but I also designed the interiors at BAO in collaboration with Article Studio. We all put in more than a 100 per cent.
People are open to more unusual cuisines in London compared to other places. I don’t know if we would have been able to get away with dishes like pig blood cake or crispy prawn heads in some other cities. My favourites on the menu are the lettuce gem or the smoked chicken broth, but if you haven’t tried any of the baos, then definitely go for the classic pork. The new Cod bao at Fitzrovia is proving to be a favourite, too.
I used to study at UCL, and back then I would always go to Fitzrovia to eat. When we first eating. With BAO, we really wanted to bring the best of the country’s delicious food to London. Taiwan has become a much more popular tourist destination in recent years and we hope that we can help enlighten people thinking of visiting the country.
After doing a Masters at the Royal College of Art we all went on a long pilgrimage throughTaiwan. Erchen showed us her home country and we all wanted to learn the secret of bao buns and how they get them so
saw the BAO site, we fell in love with the large windows and the corner plot on Windmill Street. We’re a bit isolated from the other restaurants nearby – Charlotte Street is packed with dining options – but that’s what I like about it. ABOVE: THE NEW FITZROVIA BRANCH ON WINDMILL STREET LEFT: SIGNATURE BAO BUNS
“I don’t know if we would have been able to get away with dishes like pig blood cake in some other cities”
In my spare time I try to eat out at restaurants I haven’t been to. My favourite place in the capital has to be the Barbican, but if I really want some time to myself, I would have to head out of London with a phone that’s run out of battery.
BAO Fitzrovia, 31 Windmill Street, W1T, baolondon.com
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LITERARY ITINERARY
EXHIBITION
The great outdoors Thompson’s new exhibition celebrates the richly textured and colourful work of landscape painters James Harrigan and Mike Healey, both graduates of the Glasgow School of Art. With a passion for depicting the Scottish coast, Harrigan brings a human touch to his landscapes, featuring distant figures, boats or dwellings, while Healey is known for his plein air – painted outdoors – scenes, and counts one of his works in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s collection. 9-27 November, 15 New Cavendish Street, W1G, thompsonsgallery.co.uk NOCTURNE COLOURS, TOBERMORY, ISLE OF MULL, MIKE HEALEY
The agenda Local news and events from in and around the area WORDS: MELISSA EMERSON LEFT: UNTITLED, C.1958, SIGNED, CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY BRUSH INK AND WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER, 35.6 X 77.6 CM BELOW: UNTITLED, 1960, SIGNED AND DATED, CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY BRUSH INK AND WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER, 35.7 X 77.5 CM
EXHIBITION
Spotlight on China Following its participation in Spotlight at October’s Frieze, a part of the art fair which focuses on rare or under-valued bodies of work by 20th century artists, Richard Saltoun Gallery is hosting a solo retrospective of Li Yuan-chia. As a pioneer of conceptual art and a founding member of the rebellious Ton-Fan group, the artist eschewed strict traditional practices and experimented with Chinese calligraphy and abstraction. His work spans painting, photography and sculpture and mostly features white, black, red and gold, representing purity, the origin and the end of all things, blood and life, and nobility respectively. Until 25 November, 111 Great Titchfield Street, W1W, richardsaltoun.com
LET THE SEASON BEGIN From the most dedicated off-piste daredevils to tentative beginners and those simply drawn to the spectacular mountain scenery and cosy chalets, skiing is a hugely popular winter pastime, and has become as much of a lifestyle as it is a sport. Gabriella Le Breton, expert skier and author of The Stylish Life: Skiing rounds up the luxuries of the sport, both on and off the slopes, in her new wintery coffee table tome The Ultimate Ski Book - Legends, Resorts, Lifestyle & More. Featuring ski nostalgia, enviable locations and spectacular runs, and the stylish fashions and accommodation that goes hand in hand with the sport, it’s the ultimate guide to living the ski life stylishly this season. £45, teneues.com © THE ULTIMATE SKI BOOK - LEGENDS, RESORTS, LIFESTYLE & MORE BY GABRIELLA LE BRETON, TO BE PUBLISHED BY TENEUES IN OCTOBER 2016, TENEUES.COM, JEAN-CLAUDE KILLY AND ANNIE FAMOSE AT THE ALPINE SKIING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN PORTILLO, CHILE, 1966, PHOTO © AFP/GETTY IMAGES
REGULARS
EXHIBITION
A parallel universe
NEW BOUTIQUES
LEVI VAN VELUW, CONTAINER II, 2016, CHARCOAL ON PAPER, 51 X 73 CM
The Foundation, hosted by Fitzrovia’s Rosenfeld Porcini gallery, is to be the first solo exhibition in the UK for Dutch multi-disciplinary artist Levi Van Veluw and brings together his latest body of work. Using large-scale installations, drawings, video, sculpture and photography, Van Veluw creates a sense of unease and mystery, by exploring concepts of fantasy and the tensions that lie between order and loss of control. Until 26 November, 37 Rathbone street, W1T, rosenfeldporcini.com
THE COLLABORATIVE STORE After a number of pop-ups, The Collaborative Store has opened its first permanent boutique in Marylebone. Focusing on niche, independent and artisan labels such as CRU London, it stocks fashion, accessories, furniture and home fragrances in a modern space, where its whitewashed floors and minimalist floating shelves are contrasted with punchy expressionist street art by Anna Laurini. 58 Blandford Street, W1U
OUT & ABOUT
Christmas comes to Chiltern Street A calendar highlight for Marylebone, Wednesday 23 November sees Chiltern Street’s array of boutiques stay open until 9pm for a Christmas shopping evening – complete with promotions, complimentary festive drinks and nibbles in stores. Cadenhead’s will be offering a free whisky tasting, while By Appointment Only Design is hosting a free Christmas wreath-making workshop, but if you can’t make it on the night, a competition on Chiltern Street’s Facebook page is offering a prize of a hamper worth more than £800. 23 November, 5pm-9pm, chilternstreetw1.co.uk s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
ANNA CORONEO Artist Anna Coroneo, who is originally from Sydney but studied in New York, has now put down roots in London in the form of her first standalone store. As well as exhibiting her artwork from paintings to photography worldwide, she also translates her artwork onto lifestyle products including scarves, stationery, and home décor. Botanical and marine life themes frequently pepper her collections and colours are bright and bold. 27B Devonshire Street, W1G, annacoroneo.com 15
REGULARS
SPOTLIGHT The Gallery of Everything
LEFT AND ABOVE: JOURNEYS INTO THE OUTSIDE, THE GALLERY OF EVERYTHING, LONDON, PHOTO: DAMIAN GRIFFITHS BELOW: JAMES BRETT (LEFT) AND JARVIS COCKER (RIGHT), PHOTO: JOAS SOUZA BOTTOM: GALLERY EXTERIOR, PHOTO: JOAS SOUZA ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE GALLERY OF EVERYTHING
THE MUSEUM OF Everything, a non-profit organisation founded in 2009, is dedicated to advancing and integrating artists and creators from all backgrounds, and providing a platform for those on the margins to enter mainstream cultural events. It has collaborated with the likes of Selfridges and art fair Frieze, and has now opened a commercial gallery on Chiltern Street in a former barber’s shop (look out for the eye-catching striped awning). James Brett, founder of The Museum of Everything, describes the gallery as “a secret space in the heart of Marylebone, for private art made public,” and admits that he’s long been a fan of the area and “its bounty of boutiques, eateries, concept stores and curiosity shops”. The gallery will focus on the untrained, and even the unintentional, artists who don’t necessarily have a public profile or professional standing. Accordingly the inaugural exhibition, Journeys into the Outside, is inspired by the ’90s TV documentary series of the same name. Produced by filmmaker Martin Wallace and musician Jarvis Cocker, it explores unusual art environments and practices and the 16
visionaries behind them, and will be screened alongside the exhibition. Some of the featured artists have been driven by personal obsession, such as German carpenter Karl Friedrich Junker who devoted decades of his life to building a detailed two-storey timber house and filling it with incredibly intricate wooden furniture and carvings, and some – like American preacher Howard Finster – by religious zeal. Exhibitions at the gallery are scheduled to change every couple of months and proceeds from works sold will support the non-profit activities of The Museum of Everything. 4 Chiltern Street, W1U, gallevery.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
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The
tastemaker Sir Terence Conran has influenced the design preferences and culinary palates of the nation for more than 60 years. Following the release of his latest book My Life in Design, he reflects on his many milestones with Lauren Romano
T
he British public has a lot to thank Sir Terence Conran for: flat-pack furniture for one, duvets for another. When he opened his first Habitat store on the Fulham Road in 1964, he brought Bauhaus-style modular furniture, woks, beanbags, garlic presses and espresso machines to our attention for the first time. As a retailer, restaurateur and designer, the Conran lifestyle brand he created stood in stark contrast to the tired fabric of post-war Britain. After a spell studying for a textiles degree at Central School of Art and Design, Conran went on to work for a time with Dennis Lennon, an
SIR TERENCE CONRAN IN HIS TREASURED KARUSELLI CHAIR, IMAGE COURTESY OF JULIAN BROAD
architect commissioned to create the Homes and Gardens Pavilion at the Festival of Britain in 1951. He opened a workshop in Bethnal Green soon after and sold his flat-pack innovations to retailers, founding Habitat when he discovered no one was displaying his furniture properly. The Conran Shop came later in 1987 with a flagship in Michelin House on Fulham Road. Among Conran’s many other achievements, there has also been the not so small matter of authoring more than 40 books – many of which, including his latest memoir, are published by Octopus, a company he co-founded with Paul Hamlyn. He has opened countless restaurants over the years (not least Marylebone favourite the Orrery), and back in 1989 established the Design Museum, which moves to its new home at the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington this month. His latest book, My Life in Design, released to coincide with the opening, tells the story of the Conran brand so far…
INTERVIEW
I’ve been interested in design for as long as I can remember. Both my sister and I can thank
IMAGE CREDIT: DAVID CONSTANTINE
our mother Christina for that – we were a fairly impecunious middle class family and she taught us very early on that simple things can make a big difference to the quality of people’s lives. The light in a room, the use of colour, the objects you have around you – she shaped the way I looked at the world and I shall always be grateful for that. She also provided me with the tools and space to set up a decent workshop at our home in the country, so from a very early age I was making furniture, throwing pots, welding bits of metal. It is terrifically important to be involved in the design process; unless you know how things are made, how can you be a successful designer?
It has been a long career with many defining moments. Creating Habitat and the thrill of seeing all our hard work and enterprise a decade earlier coming to fruition was very special. Opening the Design Museum was fantastic and seeing it move to the Commonwealth Institute this year is even better – it’s a life’s dream come true.
I’ve always been thrilled at finding architecturally interesting buildings in out of the way places that have been slightly neglected and making them work. I find the whole idea of breathing new life into an old building very seductive. Transforming the old horses stables at what was then looked upon as the ‘wrong end’ of Marylebone High Street into the Orrery and The Conran Shop was very special indeed. I’ve always thought that if you put something attractive and interesting in a place then people will make the effort to see what you’re doing. Before you know it, the enthusiasm spreads and other businesses move into the area. I think that has provided me with the greatest satisfaction in my career.
The question I have been asked more than any other is ‘what is good design?’ but I always end up tying myself in knots trying to answer it. I prefer to call it ‘intelligent design’ because good design can mean different things to different people. The most accurate definition I
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have ever heard came from a ten-year-old boy who told me simply that “design makes us think about problems and solve them with our own ideas.” Why hadn’t I thought of that?
The belief that my generation had is that design can improve the quality of life for everybody. Design has changed so much during my career – there’s a design industry now for starters, but when I was a young man in the UK, there was just a small collection of us called ‘industrial artists’ – but the fundamental principals have not changed. Creativity and innovation are the defining characteristics of a good designer, whose role is to create inspired solutions to the problems of contemporary life.
Habitat captured the mood of the time and with our own frustrations we were able to tap into that. Young people were emerging from the dreary, austere years immediately after the war with their own ideas of how the world might look, and most importantly they had a bit of money in their pockets. I’d seen the Sunday Times launching the first colour supplement and the booming success Mary Quant had had with her Bazaar and felt that people would want to express their personalities in their homes just as much as through their clothes. I was also
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inspired by the cookery writer Elizabeth David and feverishly read through her wonderful books and began to understand how she had created a revolution in people’s minds and was awakening the appetite for food and cooking. But you couldn’t buy any of the equipment she talked about that was used in French kitchens so I thought well, why not open this shop and sell our furniture in a proper way too?
In the simplest terms, I could perhaps attribute most of my success to having a keen and discerning eye – a visual certainty and a strong conviction in my instincts. I can see something and say immediately “that’s good”, “that will work” or “that will sell” but perhaps best of all: “that’s really beautiful.” I also know that a large part of our success has been down to the wonderful teams I have always had around me. Putting together my most recent book really made me realise just how much the designers, architects, managers and creative minds I have worked alongside have contributed to the four design businesses I have headed up over the last 60 years. I owe them all so much and I hope they realise that.
I’ve been fortunate to receive so many pearls of wisdom, but it’s the lessons I’ve learned along the way that have been more important than anything. Perhaps the earliest and most important was when I was a small boy. I became frustrated making a book case and hurled it down the stairs where it completely disintegrated, sending my mother into a fury. “Pick up all the pieces and go back upstairs and don’t come down until it’s finished,” she said. That is exactly what I did and the joy of actually finishing this bloody bookcase made me feel ecstatic, which was the start of me as a designer. Seeing a finished product on the shop floor, or a new restaurant opening still gives me an almost childish delight. This incident also sewed the earliest seeds of my bloody minded tenacity that has served me pretty well throughout my career.
British design is in very good health and there are a lot of hungry young designers making an impact on the industry. Our design and architecture schools are thriving and that is one of
INTERVIEW
“While we must embrace computers, we must not become slaves to them; the best ideas always start with an HB pencil and a sheet of plain paper”
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: SIR TERENCE CONRAN IN THE OFFICE; AT HOME WITH HIS COLLECTION OF BUGATTI PEDAL CARS, BOTH IMAGES COURTESY OF JULIAN BROAD; THE DESIGN MUSEUM, IMAGE COURTESY OF LUKE HAYES
the great indicators for me. I find there is a sense of optimism and the smell of determined ambition in the air. With the opening of the new Design Museum in Kensington we now have the perfect vehicle to really promote our design industry around the world. I desperately hope that our new government can see the value in British design and support us accordingly.
Ever since I can remember I have owned my favourite chair – the Karuselli. I now have three of them. I treasure my collection of glass
pieces that includes industrial glass, laboratory glass, 18th century drinking glasses and agricultural pieces. I love its transparency, lightness and the traditional shapes the craftsmen have formed. I also have 19 Bugatti pedal cars that I have hung in the entrance hall of my home in the country. The French collector from whom I acquired them took some persuading that I would give them a good home. They somehow remind me of beautiful hawk moths and always make me smile.
When I look around the dinner table and see everybody with their heads and minds buried away on their phones, I feel slightly depressed about our obsession with technology. Don’t get me wrong, I like technology and all the optimism about what we can do with it, but I don’t want to forget the past – I want to learn from it and in the process make the future better. While advances in technology have undoubtedly improved the way we live, I think we have lost some of the immediacy and spontaneity in the way we communicate and interact with each other. ‘Eye to hand’ is still the most fundamentally important part of the design process because this is where creative ideas are generated. While we must embrace computers, we must not become slaves to them; the best ideas always start with an HB pencil and a sheet of plain paper.
Plenty of people are probably expecting me to retire, but I have lots on the go to keep me busy and happy. I am looking forward to building the small, personal restaurant business that I run with Peter Prescott further and growing Benchmark, our furniture making company too. As long as my health is good and my passion for design and food burns brightly then I will continue working and designing for years to come – it stops me from becoming old and grumpy! TERENCE CONRAN: MY LIFE IN DESIGN, £30, OCTOPUS PUBLISHING, OCTOPUSBOOKS.CO.UK
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: EMMA BRIDGEWATER, MARYLEBONE HIGH STREET; HOLLY WREATH DESIGN; EMMA BRIDGEWATER; OWLS AT NIGHT DESIGN; EMMA BRIDGEWATER, MARYLEBONE HIGH STREET
OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM L-R: WALLFLOWER SMALL PERSONALISED TEAPOT, FROM £29.95; ORANGES 6 PINT JUG, £85; BLACK TOAST 4 CUP TEAPOT, £59.95; WALLFLOWER MUM ½ PINT MUG, £19.95; WALLFLOWER 6 PINT JUG, £85; POLKA DOT 4 CUP TEAPOT £49.95; LONG HAIR GINGER CAT ½ PINT MUG, £19.95
INTERVIEW
The
great
British potter
Emma Bridgewater talks to Melissa Emerson about revitalising the craft in Stoke-on-Trent, her literary endeavours and why we should all be planting trees
N
ot many of us go out in search of a gift and instead come back with a business, and although it didn’t happen quite that easily, Emma Bridgewater’s eponymous pottery brand was certainly born in the ‘if you want something done right, then do it yourself’ spirit. When looking for a gift for her late mother’s birthday in the ’80s, Bridgewater was stumped. “I think china’s often a present women give to each other because it has that nice sort of intimate invitation to sit down and have a chat,” she begins, and as fate would have it for the entrepreneurial Bridgewater, nothing was suitable. “I stood in this china shop and it was all so irrelevant for my mother’s colourful, chaotic and non matchymatchy kitchen, and I just thought: I could make my own.” After creating a series of drawings, a friend directed her to a model maker in Stoke-on-Trent – where her factory is now based – and the first Emma Bridgewater mug, jug, bowl and dish were born. And although her mother’s response wasn’t overly enthusiastic – “she was always delightfully distracted and wasn’t the kind to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’,”
as Bridgewater puts it – she is fondly remembered as the foundation of the business. “Thirty years on it’s probably as inspired by [my husband] Matthew and mine’s kitchen as hers, but that’s where it started, with the feeling of home.” Despite the dramatic decline of the pottery industry in the last century, Bridgewater wasn’t phased. “Energy, exuberance and optimism trump ignorance, and if you want to learn about something you can learn.” Meeting husband Matthew Rice – also a talented painter and illustrator – gave her a business partnership as well as a romantic one and the pair spent many years figuring things out at the helm together. “We both worked flat out full-time, each taking a stint running the business for eight or nine years. Neither of us is running it now and there is a world of difference between carrying that load and just doing your bit within it,” she says. The focus today for the pair is on design. From colourful shapes and detailed animal illustrations to Christmas wreaths, robins and stars, the duo create most of the designs themselves, following their own inclinations – Matthew has a keen
“I stood in this china shop and it was all so irrelevant for my mother’s colourful, chaotic kitchen”
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interest in architecture – as well as listening to what fans want. “It’s about balancing the recognisable and noticing the successful, and then dreaming up the new,” says Bridgewater. When it comes to inspiration, “a stamping, long walk in the country” is often the answer, as is experiencing other countries and cultures. “It’s not that you’re picking up direct inspiration; it’s the feeling of really getting into a different life that’s not unrelated to your own, and you transfer it laterally.” And if she had to pick a favourite collection she says: “Toast and Marmalade, because it goes with everything.” It’s also an apt representation of the pair’s collaboration. As well as their personal studio in their Oxfordshire home – a handy halfway point between London and Stoke-on-Trent – the factory houses a professional studio for around 70 decorators, who are kept busy around the clock bringing the drawings to life. “We introduce newness continuously, and what they’re working with was originally drawn by Matthew or me in most cases. We do sometimes work with other designers from outside the company and it’s becoming more and more professional in this way as we get bigger. It feels like the company is growing up as well as growing.” As for production rates, Bridgewater’s most recent estimate is astonishing. “It was cracking on for two million a year – we’re not quite at that yet but that’s where we’re heading with the rate of growth. When people said you couldn’t do it in England any more, that’s so much hokum.” With a training program also in place to help secure the factory’s future, attention turned recently to renovating the Marylebone store. A testament to the British appeal of the brand, Bridgewater admits passers-by often stop to take selfies in front of its Union Jack-themed window
displays. The renovation has also created a much lighter and brighter space to showcase the festive lines now hitting the shelves, which she finds a little hard to admit. “Personally I quite like holding Christmas back a bit, but we do acknowledge that people are starting to do their planning,” she adds. Perhaps holding it off has something to do with Bridgewater having to share the festivities with another occasion. “My birthday is on the 23rd so we tend to put the Christmas tree up and decorate then. We drag a lot of the outdoors indoors – holly and bay leaves – and light a lot of candles,” she says, creating quite the calming scene. As for the Christmas feast, “Matthew’s
INTERVIEW
FROM FAR LEFT: KNIVES & FORKS DESIGN; EMMA BRIDGEWATER; WALLFLOWER; POLKA DOT DESIGN
saying is that it’s ‘only Sunday lunch with knobs on’ so we try not to get too fat and full, and we’re always keen to get outdoors to offset the eating.” Bridgewater has even transformed her love of the great outdoors into an extracurricular activity, as the new president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. “Were it not for them, London would almost certainly be bigger than Los Angeles and stretch all the way from Southampton to Felixstowe, because before the organisation, there was no legislation at all, no reason not to build in all directions,” she explains, clearly proud of the organisation’s history as she takes her place in it. “The previous president Andrew Motion’s pitch was to save the landscape that inspired so many of our great writers, whereas mine, coming to the party with my experience of Stoke-on-Trent, is to give more momentum to their campaign for building on previously developed or derelict sights, before we develop a virgin field.”
“I’ve always stressed the fact that our domestic life is quite messy and disorganised. I’m not somebody who has the Ocado man on speed dial” As well as encouraging people to join the CPRE, Bridgewater believes every little helps when it comes to being green-fingered. “If you have any kind of ground in which you can plant a tree, and you can make that happen, it’s indescribably important. Trees look after us – they’re converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.” Bridgewater and her husband even planted apple trees at the factory,
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teaching someone a valuable lesson in the process. “Several were pulled up by their roots, but we re-planted them, and Matthew hung up a notice saying: ‘dear apple thieves, don’t be stupid, let the tree grow and steal the apples later’.” The trees are still standing, and – add in a few hay bales – and the factory becomes the perfect location for an annual literary festival, of which Bridgewater is a trustee. “For me the world of books has always had a real lustre to it. I read English at university and thought I would go into publishing or be a literary agent, so it’s very nice 30 years on to touch base with that world again,” she says, adding that she’s also responsible for recruiting writers. “Almost anyone you ask says yes. We opened with Nick Hornby in June this year who was so inspiring, and Mary Beard was a riot.” The festival has also hosted the likes of Joanna Trollope, Simon Schama and Kirsty Allsopp. “There’s a real warmth in the audience; they aren’t offered a wealth of such events in Stoke so they come with enormous excitement and real openness.” It seems Bridgewater has found more than one way to revitalise the town. As for juggling her many commitments over the years, including bringing up a family alongside the business, she has always been refreshingly honest about the difficulties. “I’ve always stressed the fact that our domestic life is quite messy and disorganised. I’m not somebody who has the Ocado man on speed dial,” she says, admitting that returning to the local Co-op for the third time in a row for something she’s forgotten is more her style. Although her children are now flying the nest – the eldest are 27 and 25 – there is the question of who might take on the business. “Over the next ten years or so we want to free the business from our dominion, because it would be a mistake to cling on. I see in the children a dawning of an enthusiasm for it, but I feel very strongly that they should be under no pressure to do the family thing. I just want them to consider it for now, and they are.” Whatever the business’ future, Bridgewater’s revitalisation of Stoke-on-Trent’s rich, industrial heritage has left a legacy of her ceramics in British homes, and with her dedication to both environmental and literary causes, she has done far more for Britain than put china back on the map. 81A Marylebone High St, W1U, emmabridgewater.co.uk
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The Assouline
AESTHETIC For bibliophiles and tastemakers alike, a library designed by Martine and Prosper Assouline is the ultimate in home improvements. Camilla Apcar steps inside the power couple’s world
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side from the late Melvil Dewey perhaps, no one understands libraries quite like Prosper and Martine Assouline do. The husband and wife team have been publishing the smartest of tomes since 1994 (1,500 and counting), and after opening its first international flagship on Piccadilly, Assouline has spent the past two years formalising another aspect of its empire: interiors. The idea behind Assouline’s ‘cultural lounge department’ was kindled by demand from those visiting the London bookshop asking for their own private library designed in the same impeccably stylish way. Little wonder: huge armchairs are set beside low tables, tempting escape to another realm for those with even five minutes to sit and read, while bookcases are surrounded and topped by intriguing antiques, sculptures and memorabilia. Upstairs, every object on display is for sale – from a miniature golden statue of a rhinoceros to tribal masks – each sourced by the couple themselves on their travels. Prosper’s most beloved find was an embroidered Chinese chinoiserie chair made in England in 1852 that had been kept in a Japanese city of temples. “You can feel the quality of the English craftmaker,” he enthuses, lapsing in and out of French in his excitement. “It had been a donation from a pharmacy in Kyoto in the early 19th century.” Other pieces at the Piccadilly bookshop-cumlibrary come from two furniture collections of the
MARTINE AND PROSPER ASSOULINE
INTERVIEW
Piccadilly’s Maison offers a taste of what can be created for one’s own home – a contemporary, cultural cabinet of curiosities Assoulines’ own design, Allure and High Society (both from £585). Red or cream lacquered bookcases tower alongside coffee tables and sofas with plenty of hand-applied gold leaf, red leather and bronze detailing. Best of all is a three-panel wood screen (£9,685, pictured left) wrapped in leather and embossed with Assouline’s signature Didot typeface – one side in gold and the other in silver – and similarly type-set carpets made from New Zealand wool (£42 per sq m). Martine’s favourite is the X bookstand (£3,185, pictured left). “It comes in lacquered beige and dark bronze and different type of woods,” she says. “It’s like a sculpture and is very elegant. FROM TOP: HIGH SOCIETY AT MAISON ASSOULINE PICCADILLY ©OLIMPIA CASTELLINI; DIDOT SCREEN; ALLURE X BOOKSTAND
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INTERVIEW
CALEDONIA ASSOULINE CULTURE LOUNGE
HIGH SOCIETY AT MAISON ASSOULINE PICCADILLY ©OLIMPIA CASTELLINI
“Prosper and I were visiting the oriental section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and discovered an old wooden bookstand carrying a 16th-century book. I fell in love and he designed a 21st-century version of it.” The Assoulines’ London ‘Maison’ offers a taste of the cultural lounge that can be created for one’s own home. Under the couple’s personal guidance, each project is designed to capture the spirit of the existing house. “It’s not just about bringing in designer furniture, but mixing the furniture and objects [like] a contemporary cabinet of curiosities,” says Prosper. The essentials for every cultural lounge of course include “a good chair to sit on with a good book,” he says. “You also need a globe, because it makes you daydream about travelling.” Martine agrees: “a great table or high bookstand, and a very comfortable armchair or sofa bed with the most important thing – good light!” “I want people to feel comfortable and calm,” says Prosper. “My first reference is a public library, where you don’t have a phone or television: it’s the most peaceful place in the world because you’re surrounded by culture.” The pair have also developed a set of five scented candles – Paper, Culture Lounge,
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Leather, Wood and Havana (from £32) – to complement their interior designs. “We smelt something like 3,000 books and found just three that we felt were right,” says Prosper. These were then analysed to create the scents. For those enamoured by the Assouline aesthetic and dreaming of an entire home designed by their hand, it may come as a disappointment that other residential rooms are not on the agenda at present. “To tell you the truth, I don’t want to move away from the library,” says Prosper. “The dining room is something that interests me a lot – but if I do one, I will design it like a library. To have dinner surrounded by books with a ladder and a chandelier would be amazing.” Assouline also works with property developers and hoteliers. Its projects have included a threefloor apartment in Miami, as well as properties in Beijing, Dubai and Houston. The Patina hotel in Singapore will soon open featuring an Assoulinedesigned lobby, rooms and shop. The pair recently worked on a big development at The Four Seasons in Miami. “The old part of the building dates back to the 1920s, and they asked us to design a private suite at the Surf Club,” describes Prosper. “I created it completely in the spirit of Hemingway, including a replica of his boat.” It is a time-consuming endeavour and not every interior project is taken on, as Assouline’s primary focus remains on publishing. “We need to understand people’s interests – whether they are more art or fashion-led – because we put in a lot of our own books, as well as vintage ones,” Prosper continues. To wit, a house with 5,000 volumes has just been finished, each ready to be plucked from the shelves. “To create a book, an object or a piece of furniture is extremely different,” says Martine. “The only common element is taste, and strangely enough, Prosper and I share exactly the same taste.” A flawless sense of style seems intrinsic to the Assoulines. Cultivating it, Martine says, is not unlike training to be a runner or a dancer. “The more you practice, the stronger you are. Taste goes the same way.” interiors@assouline.com, 196a Piccadilly, W1J, assouline.com
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OFF THE
CHARTS Bold colours and clashing prints are putting neutral palettes in the shade this season. Anna Thornhill turns to the designers embracing interiors’ new hues
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here’s been plenty for the pigment boffins at Pantone to pat themselves on the back about this year. Rose Quartz, the company’s colour of 2016, has been catapulted from the catwalk to the high street, with everything from coats to cushions available in the blush pink shade. Dictating what direction our home décor will take is not all a matter of aesthetics though. Trend forecasting is tapping into the business of
mindfulness too. Over at Pantone HQ, the brand, which first set out to solve the lack of colour standardisation back in the ’50s, employs chemists and psychologists to examine the way different hues makes us feel. Its colour wheel has gone from a dozen shades to thousands today. After all, why go for magnolia or Battleship Grey when you can have Lapis Blue or Primrose Yellow? We talk to some of the experts setting the tone for the most on-trend home interiors this season and beyond…
FEATURE
New season shades Pantone’s colour of the year 2017 won’t be unveiled until next month, so in the meantime we’ll have to make do with its spring 2017 Fashion Colour Report, which was released to coincide with S/S17 catwalk collections. Not content with infiltrating our salads, kale is now – if the trend predictions are to be believed – making its way into our wardrobes and onto our walls. Joining the legume shade in a living room near you, look out for muted Hazelnut tones and pops of bright primary colours such as the aforementioned Primrose Yellow and Lapis Blue. “We refer to Kale as ‘oxygenating’, or taking a breath of fresh air,” comments Pantone’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman. “Reminiscent of the hues that surround us in nature, our Spring 2017 Fashion Colour Report evokes a spectrum of emotion and feeling. From the warmth of sunny days with Primrose Yellow, to the invigorating feeling of breathing fresh mountain air with Kale, and the desire to escape to pristine waters with Island Paradise, designers applied colour in playful, yet thoughtful and precise combinations to fully capture the promises, hope and transformation that we yearn for each spring.”
OPPOSITE PAGE: LAVALIERS – LOW WAVE, £61 PER ROLL; PINES – ASH PINE, £71 PER ROLL; FERN – SAGE BLUE, £71 PER ROLL; BORDER: CAMELLIA – SMALT, £61 PER ROLL, ALL LITTLE GREENE THIS PAGE: MAIN PICTURE: WALL: ROYAL NAVY, SKIRTING: SLAKED LIME DEEP, £38 FOR 2.5L ABSOLUTE MATT EMULSION; PARADISE – FEATHER (C.1940), £131 PER ROLL, WOODWORK: LOFT WHITE (222), WALL: ROLLING FOG PALE (158), £38 FOR 2.5L ABSOLUTE MATT EMULSION; SAKURA – YELLOW LUSTRE (C1936), £82 PER ROLL, ALL LITTLE GREENE
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MAIN PICTURE: YEABRIDGE GREEN, NO.287; INSERTS: VARDO, NO.288; INCHYRA BLUE, NO.289, ALL FROM £39.50 FOR 2.5L, FARROW & BALL; MARIINSKY DAMASK, PETROUCHKA, £140 PER ROLL; LANDSCAPE PLAINS, JASPE, £65 PER ROLL; FORNASETTI II, ACQUARIO, £150 PER ROLL, COLE & SON
Heritage hues Farrow & Ball – the brand that brought us paints named Elephant’s Breath and Dead Salmon – looks to its archives when making new editions to the colour wheel. Founded in 1946, this year is the company’s 70th anniversary and to mark the occasion, nine new shades and a 1940s-inspired collection of wallpapers have been released. “With our vast connections in heritage wallpapers and historic colours, we can’t help but be influenced by the past, but our customers are modern and forward-thinking, looking to us for the latest in colour combinations and trends,” says head of creative Charlotte Cosby. “We are very inspired by the colours we see and experience, for example Yeabridge Green, a leafy, verdant green was originally found in an 18th century Georgian Hamstone farmhouse in Somerset, when the original gun cupboard was removed. Then there’s Vardo, a rich teal that was named after a traditional Romany wagon. It brings a flamboyant shot of colour to the home.” Shauna Dennison, creative director at wallpaper specialists Cole & Son, also has a vast archive dating back to 1875 at her disposal. “Some of our older papers are still popular,” she says. “Woods, Palms and Hicks Hexagon were all produced in the 1950s and continue to be among our top sellers. Neutrals still do well, but whereas ten years ago creams and magnolias were popular, nowadays we’re selling more grey and old white. Greens are on trend at the moment too, probably because of all the foliage designs around.” The key to making blasts from design’s past work today is down to the colourways used. Cole & Son’s range of damask prints – the Mariinsky collection – for example, are based on designs that originated in silk mills in the 1800s, yet reimagined in striking jewel-like colours, from indigo blue to shimmering black, they continue to look very much at home in the 21st century.
FEATURE
Set the tone Florals are all the rage over at Little Greene in Marylebone, where lavish flower designs have made their way onto wallpaper. As for paint, unexpected colour combinations are coming to the forefront. “Dark, moody wallpapers with flashes of bright paint colours used as highlights – or the reverse of this – pretty, pink wallpapers with woodwork painted in dark tones, create a bridge between traditional patterns and contemporary colours,” says Ruth Mottershead, the brand’s marketing director. “Like fashion, everything is on a cycle. At the moment, the trend for soft pinks is very strong, but several years ago pink wasn’t as popular. I think it’s the same with patterns, but this is determined more by the colours that the patterns are printed in. Take our latest wallpaper, Paradise. Re-coloured for our new Pink Collection, this wallpaper was originally produced in the 19th century, but its popularity has never waned, and has peaked since it was relaunched in a beautiful, lustrous rose.” The Little Greene approach considers the mood enhancing properties of colour too. “For some, romance may come in the form of soft pinks and heather tones, for others passionate reds and deep purples,” continues Mottershead. “A good starting
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ULTRA BLUE (264), £49 FOR 2.5L; BRICKWORK: CONFETTI (274), CUPBOARDS: LAMP BLACK (228), FAR WALL: SALIX (99), FROM £54.50 FOR 2.5L INTELLIGENT EGGSHELL; GREAT ORMOND ST – PARCHMENT (C1890), £82 PER ROLL, ALL LITTLE GREENE
point is to think about what you want the colours to do to you in a room. Do you want to be energised, or soothed? Create a talking point, or a sophisticated backdrop for your treasures?” Once you’ve decided this, the next step is to pick up some sample pots and rolls and get experimenting. Whether you opt for a subtler tone or pattern on the walls and add accents of a darker, contrasting colour to create an eyecatching statement, or go bold with a monochromatic scheme, there are a multitude of ways to mix and match this season’s most popular pigments and prints. And if you’re still stumped on what shade to go for, there’s always kale... Farrow & Ball, 64-65 Paddington Street, W1U, farrow-ball.com; Little Greene, 3 New Cavendish Street, W1G, littlegreene.com; Cole & Son, stocked at Liberty, Regent Street, W1B, cole-and-son.com
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Fit like a
GLOVE K
arl Lagerfeld has his fingers on the pulse at Chanel, especially with the brand’s latest watch model. The black-and-white J12 XS collection emulates the creative director’s famous monochrome aesthetic, and includes a limited edition range of fingerless lambskin gloves – onto which the watch can be strapped – that references Karl’s own style signature. One of the most impressive pieces is the large watch cuff (pictured), which fuses high-tech black ceramic, steel and diamonds. The most notable thing about the J12 XS, however, is its size. The model has been whittled down to 19mm – dainty, but full of attitude. From £3,775, chanel.com
IMAGE COURTESY OF: CHANEL
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Urban Jurgensen Advert - RWMG 333x235mm.indd 2
22/04/2016 14:07
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Watch news WORDS: RICHARD BROWN
Setting sail for the America’s Cup
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rom 18-20 November, the city of Fukuoka in Japan will host the ninth and final leg of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. Skippered by Sir Ben Ainslie, British challenger Land Rover BAR tops the leader board, ahead of cup defender Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand. The 2013 America’s Cup saw Ainslie and the Oracle team claw back a seven point deficit by winning eight consecutive races, in one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history. Acting as the event’s official timing partner, Bremont has announced two new additions to its America’s Cup collection. Both the Regatta AC and
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Regatta OTUSA chronographs feature a date window and 12-hour counter at six o’clock and 5-minute countdown timer at 12 o’clock. The sportier Regatta OTUSA model also boasts an additional 15-minute countdown display and is available in titanium (£4,995, pictured above right), whereas the sleeker Regatta AC version is delivered in either polished steel (£4,995) or rose gold (£11,995, pictured above left). The winner of the 35th America’s Cup will be determined in Bermuda next June, the leading challenger having emerged from the Qualifier and Playoff rounds that follow the initial nine-leg Series. bremont.com, americascup.com 37
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In pursuit of the perfect pilot’s watch As the sporty sister brand to the more classic Frédérique Constant, Alpina has cornered the market when it comes to entry-level action watches. Its latest innovation, the Startimer Pilot Automatic Chronograph, is a distinctly ergonomic piece with highly-legible sub-dials and luminous indexes. Military dial colours come in either black, petrol blue or dark green. Alpina’s distinctive red triangle sits at 12 o’clock and a date window is found at 3 o’clock. Fans of early pilot watches will appreciate the large 44mm case, oversized screw-in crown and chunky leather strap. £2,090, alpina-watches.com
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW The meteoric rise of Tudor after its 2014 re-release onto the UK market has sparked not inconsiderable interest in the brand’s creations of yore. So much so that Burlington Arcade’s David Duggan has become the first retailer to stock both vintage and new models side by side. Present-day Black Bay pieces (from £2,120) and Pelagos dive watches (from £3,200) sit next to their vintage counterparts: Tudor Submariners from the 1960s and 1970s (pictured below, from £7,750). Also on show are rare early versions of the original Advisor watch, the Oyster Prince Submariner (pictured above, POA) that became the timekeeping instrument of choice for the US Navy and the Marine Nationale Française. Burlington Arcade, W1, tudorwatch.com
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Farer’s mechanical debut While in recent years we’ve witnessed an explosion in home-grown ‘fashion watches’ (think Olivia Burton, Shore Projects and Sekford), you can still count the number of British brands producing serious numbers of mechanical watches on one hand. Bremont, Christopher Ward, Schofield and Pinion will get you to four; Farer will now take you to five. Until recently, Farer sat firmly within the fashion watch sector, but has now announced its first collection of automatics. As with all UK mechanical watch brands, Farer is reliant on Switzerland for its self-winding movements (the ETA-produced Calibre 2824-2, in this case), but names such as Beagle and Endurance nod toward decidedly British underpinnings. The three 39.5mm timepieces are designed to be unisex. Each comprises a stainless steel case and a sapphire crystal case-back, through which an engraved oscillating weight is visible. £875, farer.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
M ANUFACTUR E DE H AU TE H OR LOGER IE
TONDA CHRONOR ANNIVERSAIRE
Rose gold case Rose gold openworked movement Integrated split second chronograph Big date at 12 h Hermès alligator strap Made in Switzerland parmigiani.ch
ATELIER PARMIGIANI 97 MOUNT STREET, MAYFAIR, LONDON W1K 2TD, TEL. 020 7495 5172 LONDON SELFRIDGES, THE WONDER ROOM | WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND | FROST OF LONDON HARROGATE & YORK ODGEN | SCOTLAND AND NEWCASTLE ROX DIAMONDS AND THRILLS
Parmigiani_HQ • Visual: Tonda Chronor Anniversaire • Magazine: Mayfair 26_10_16 (GB) •
Ready for take off: ONBOARD WITH THE BREITLING RACING TEAM
The Red Bull Air Race World Championship is designed to push the planet’s best pilots to the limit. As the season reaches its conclusion, Holly Fradley discovers just what that means, courtesy of official timekeeper Breitling
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word of warning. If you suffer from generalised anxiety disorder and one day someone invites you to experience the fastest motorsport on the planet, from a pilot’s seat, rather than the spectator stands, do not seek solace from the internet. As with any undiagnosed medical affliction, Google’s search results are not the most reassuring. My invitation came courtesy of Breitling, official timekeeper to the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, an event designed to provide the most advanced aerial challenge in any stunt pilot’s calendar. Nervous didn’t come close. Breitling has been involved with the Championship since 2007, its entrants in the 2016 season taking the form of France’s François Le Vot and legendary British aerobat Nigel Lamb. You don’t have to overhype the synergies that exist between a low-level, high-speed aeroplane competition and a company that has cultivated its image around precision. Aviation is Breitling’s thing. Inventors of the first wrist chronograph in 1915; the first
BREITLING’S EMERGENCY NIGHT MISSION, THE WORLD’S FIRST WATCH WITH AN IN-BUILT DUALFREQUENCY PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON, IS NOW AVAILABLE WITH ORANGE OR YELLOW ACCENTS, £15,340
chronograph to feature an independent pushpiece in 1923; and the first company to subsequently present a two push-piece chronograph in 1934, Breitling spent its early years conceiving devices that proved particularly practical for pilots. The brand cemented its standing in the aviation industry with the 1952 launch of the Navitimer. The watch’s complex slide rule allowed pilots to calculate fuel consumption with a glance towards their wrist. Think of it as the world’s first smart-watch. It’s a sunny Sunday morning in August at Blackbushe Airport, Surrey, and my heart is in my mouth. This afternoon, the 14 pilots that make up the Red Bull Air Race Masterclass will compete in the Ascot leg of the World Championships. Before that? A taster session in a two-seater stunt plane and speeds of up to 200mph. “You must remember to keep communicating with me throughout the flight,” says Francis Barros, my pilot for the day and three-time winner of Brazil’s National Aerobatic Championship. “I will need to know that you are still conscious.” The cockpit before me has pedals and a
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joystick. “Avoid touching them at all costs,” says Barros. In front, a Garmin camera is positioned unflatteringly close to my face. We begin with an airport flyover and some turns at speed through a series of 25 metre-high air-filled pylon gates. So far, still conscious. Next, a couple of barrel rolls, some loops and a stall turn. We’d agreed beforehand that a thumbs up from me meant that I was comfortable for Barros to go faster. Surprisingly, I found that both of my thumbs were up. Then, astonishingly, I was allowed to take control of the joystick. Ten minutes, 5Gs and one breathtaking experience of a lifetime later, I was back on the ground, the blood beginning to find its usual route around my body. Barros, the flight, and the Ascot race that followed were incredible. The Garmin video of my face under g-force, not so much. Following the cancellation due to high winds of the final race in Las Vegas in October, Germany’s Matthias Dolderer was named the 2016 Red Bull Air Race World Champion. Breitling’s Nigel Lamb and François Le Vot finished fourth and 12th, respectively. redbullairrace.com; breitling.com MAIN IMAGE: NIGEL LAMB OF GREAT BRITAIN PERFORMS DURING THE TRAINING OF THE FIRST STAGE OF THE RED BULL AIR RACE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ON 10 MARCH 2016, PHOTOGRAPHY: PREDRAG VUCKOVIC; ALL IMAGES ©RED BULL MEDIA HOUSE
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Reach for the stars Bridal and ready-to-wear designer Jenny Packham has created an exclusive fine jewellery collection for Goldsmiths. It comprises three engagement rings – Gloria, Aurora and Étoile – and each style arrives with matching earrings and a pendant to complete the bridal suite. The brilliant-cut Art Deco Gloria ring was inspired by the 1920s Hollywood starlet Gloria Swanson, while both Étoile (a brilliant-cut single halo) and Aurora (an oval double halo) were inspired by the night sky. From £600-£7,800, goldsmiths.co.uk
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WORDS: OLIVIA SHARPE
Two by two
HEART OF GOLD The modern trend for rose gold engagement rings has now been given a timeless appeal thanks to Tiffany & Co.’s latest collection. As part of the celebrations to mark the 130th anniversary of its famous Tiffany Setting that lifts the stone above the band (first introduced in 1886 by founder Charles Lewis Tiffany), the jeweller has reimagined this classic ring – featuring six platinum prongs that elevate the central stone above the band – in contemporary 18-karat rose gold. It also comes with a matching rose gold and diamond pavé wedding band. From £1,150, tiffany.co.uk
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The animal kingdom has once again been brought to life in the world of high jewellery by Van Cleef & Arpels. From elephants and giraffes to parrots and penguins, each creature in this menagerie-inspired line comes in the form of precious clips (presented as a pair or singularly). The eternal faithfulness of penguins, which are known to mate for life, has been illustrated in a tender composition featuring diamonds, black onyx and two shades of coral on the base to represent their icy homeland, while the allure of the mythical phoenix (pictured) has been depicted in golden mother-of-pearl and diamonds. Noah’s Ark collection, POA, vancleefarpels.com
True colours An engagement ring should be a reflection of one’s personality, and when it comes to Fabergé’s new collection, it certainly does just that. In tribute to its colourful creative history, the house has replaced the traditional white diamond with emeralds, rubies and sapphires. Within each engagement ring and wedding band there is an additional concealed gemstone of matching colour to symbolise an unbroken bond between the couple. From £857, faberge.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
C H R I S T M A S AT T H E R I T Z
www.theritzlondon.com/christmas Mayfair November16 issue.indd 1
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With the holiday season fast approaching, get your brain in Christmas shopping mode with these luxurious gift ideas for him and her
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Raise a glass The best thing about a whisky connoisseur is that they’re always the easiest member of the family to buy for when it comes to choosing a gift. The only decision to be made, then, is between two of The Macallan’s single malts. The Macallan Gold Limited Edition Gift Tin brings to life the natural beauty and quality of the oak used to make the casks with beautiful photography, making it a decorative and eye-catching keepsake for whisky enthusiasts. But if you’re looking to go the extra mile, choose The Macallan Rare Cask, which sees soft notes of opulent vanilla and raisin pique the nose, giving way to a sweet ensemble of apple, lemon, and orange. A single malt produced through meticulous dedication to wood – with some of the casks used to age the whisky from sherry bodegas no longer in existence – it is the perfect gift for those who are fans of craftsmanship and quality. As Mark Twain once said: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough.” The Macallan Gold Limited Edition Gift Tin, £38; The Macallan Rare Cask, £200, themacallan.com
Rituals and relaxation Roasting chestnuts. Spiced gingerbread. Mulled wine. Nothing has the ability to evoke an emotion quite like our sense of smell. And while the heady aromas of Christmas are just the ticket around December, everyone needs a scent to see them through the rest of the year, too. Step forward the new luxury gift sets from Rituals, with their unique blend of home and body products; a great gift idea for almost anyone. Available in small, medium, large and extra large, choose between The Ritual of Dao, The Ritual of Sakura, The Ritual of Laughing Buddha and The Ritual of Ayurveda for a special lady in your life, and either The Ritual of Samurai or The Ritual of Hammam for a man who prides himself on looking sharp. Bursting with shower foams and scrubs, body creams, muds and oils, the extra large gift sets contain a unique combination of home and body products. What’s more, the new environmentally-friendly packaging can be reused as a keepsake box for your jewels or mementos. Rituals new Christmas Gift Sets, small, £19.50; medium, £29.50; large, £39.50; extra large, £65, uk.rituals.com
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All that glitters Hailing from Beirut, jewellery house Yeprem’s story goes back more than 50 years when Lebanese-born Yeprem Chakardemian’s mother gave him a gold bracelet. Having re-moulded his inheritance into a pristine ornament, he knew he was destined to create luxurious jewellery. Inspired by the female form, each piece truly works as a sculptural extension of the body, be it a bangle, a necklace, a ring or an ear cuff. As truly standout works-ofart, each design is best worn as a centerpiece with little or no other adornment. Just as beautiful but totally different in style is Noudar, whose founder and designer Noor Al Fardan was always fascinated with watches and the mechanisms behind the art of watchmaking. This greatly influenced Noudar’s jewellery by emphasising the importance of movement and flexibility: mosaics, cameos and edgy rings are meticulously crafted to wrap around whichever body part they are designed to adorn. Finally, for a gift with star quality, choose an item from Jade Jagger’s Stellar collection, which includes white gold star pendants, rings and bangles. Wear each piece on its own for a simple, chic look, or stack for a more eclectic image. After all, life is too short to wear boring jewellery. yepremjewellery.com, noudar.com, jadejagger.co.uk, kovadi.com
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: TELL ME YOUR STORY EARRINGS, MARIA KOVADI, £2,700; STELLAR BANGLE, JADE JAGGER, £16,272; LACE RING, NOUDAR, £20,500; CLEAVAGE RING, YEPREM, £7,200
Perfect scents For a foolproof Christmas gift, the perfect scent always makes perfect sense. An encounter between two symbols of excellence – Maison Baccarat and Maison Francis Kurkdjian – Baccarat Rouge 540 fuses the ethereal facets of jasmine and the radiance of saffron, carrying with it ambergris mineral notes and woody tones of freshly cut cedar. Or for a more floral choice, Luxury by Mizensir – the fragrance house founded by Alberto Morillas, one of the world’s most renowned perfumers – magnifies the natural scent of the skin with a splash of orange tree flower and a touch of iris, combined with notes of benzoin, vanilla and tonka bean. For that special man in your life, choose Creed’s Aventus, a heroic fragrance that is for the bold, spirited and confident: top note blackcurrant blends with bergamot from Italy, while apple and pineapple mingle with the middle notes of birch and jasmine, and base hints of oakmoss and vanilla. As the bottle motif suggests, Aventus’s roots are very classic, yet the fragrance is contemporary, forceful and roaring with energy. Creed available from Creed Boutique, 99 Mount Street, W1K, creedfragrances.co.uk; Maison Francis Kurdjian and Mizensir available from Black Hall Perfumery at Harrods, harrods.com
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LEFT: LUXURY FROM MIZENSIR, £165 CENTRE: BACCARAT ROUGE 540 MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN ICONIC BOTTLE, NATURAL SPRAY, 70ML, £195. ALSO AVAILABLE IN A LIMITED AND NUMBERED BACCARAT CRYSTAL EDITION, 100ML, £3,000; RIGHT: AVENTUS FOR HIM, FROM £99-£490
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An oud to tradition There are few perfumes with a history so ingrained in a region’s culture as oud. Famed for its talismanic heritage, Arabian Oud sources its elixir from the most expensive scented wood known to man. The Agarwood tree, from which the wood originates, is indigenous to only a few remote regions in India, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and Brunei, and the trees are left to mature for hundreds of years before the perfume is extracted. If you’re looking for a truly precious gift to give, the House’s Kashmir scent is an ideal choice for men, with its fruity top notes of Japanese yuzu, blackcurrant and plum; heart notes of oud, rose and jasmine; and earthy base notes of white musk, Kashmir oud and vanilla. Meanwhile, women will adore Madawi with its combination of Eastern and Western aromas. Expect softer top notes of peach and apple blossom, but the signature base notes of wild rose, musk and patchouli. If you’re left wanting more, then head online, or to the European flagship store on Oxford Street. Set over two floors, the lower floor is reserved for VIP customers by appointment only. Kashmir, £175; Madawi, £160, 435-437 Oxford Street, W1C, arabianoud.co.uk
Swiss precision What to buy for the tech fan who has everything? Swiss start-up SIRIN LABS has just the answer with its first product, SOLARIN. Launched this May, the smartphone already boasts an A-list clientele and is the result of more than two years of intensive research and development. SOLARIN is pioneering in both appearance and function, offering superior features such as an industry-leading camera, a screen of unbeatable clarity, the richest sound system, unrivalled global connectivity and WiGig (the WiFi of the future), all of which are safeguarded by state-of-the-art cyber-threat protection. This is further enhanced by the military-standard 256-bit AES (aka super strong security software), which ensures that your private information stays, well, private. The result is the best of both worlds: a top of the range handset with an unrivalled level of privacy that can’t be found outside of the agency world. As well as online, SOLARIN can be bought from its Bruton Place boutique and Harrods’ Technology department. The specialist teams based in each store offer clear consultation, full joining assistance and will provide on-going support to the lucky receiver. It certainly beats another pair of novelty socks. From £9,500 + VAT, 34 Bruton Place, W1J, 020 7495 8572, sirinlabs.com
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Hidden gem An exceptionally rare jewellery experience awaits you in the heart of Mayfair’s Royal Arcade, where international awardwinning jeweller Calleija has opened his brand new multi-level boutique. One of the world’s leading jewellers, Calleija is renowned for meticulous attention to detail, skilled craftsmanship, carefully curated coloured gems and spectacular diamonds. Most notable are the Australian Argyle pink, brilliant white and striking yellow diamonds and, of course, the brand’s signature stone, the Glacier®. Dedicated to creating personalised bespoke gifts of the highest quality, Calleija encourages one’s personal style to be expressed through the exquisite wonders of each jewel. Each design is bespoke from start to finish and is both drawn and crafted by hand, a process that is mastered by Calleija’s dedicated team of artisans, who will assist you in creating the perfect gift. As one of the most well-renowned Australian jewellers in the world and with more than 35 years’ experience in the industry, the brand’s founder John Celleija is notorious for his relentless quest to create spectacular masterpieces from the finest diamonds and gemstones, making Celleija the go-to boutique for jewellery that will no doubt be passed down through generations. Remember: diamonds are forever, not just for Christmas. 28 Old Bond Street, No. 7 The Royal Arcade, W1S, calleija.com
LEFT: ‘THE AUDREY’ RING, 6.53CT DIAMOND, ROSE GOLD AND PLATINUM BANDS, ENCRUSTED WITH RARE PINK AND WHITE DIAMONDS. RIGHT: ‘MINI BELLARINA’ NECKLET, WHITE DIAMONDS AND ROSE GOLD
One man’s treasure While you won’t find anything that resembles ‘trash’ on the super stylish pre-owned luxury clothing portal Vestiaire Collective, you may just find some treasure. Featuring only the most coveted brands – from Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Céline to Burberry, Hermès and Gucci – the site, which can be accessed online or through the easy-to-use app, attracts a community of more than five million fashion lovers who buy and sell. If you weren’t hot off the mark the first season around, or if it’s vintage you’re after, you’ll find more than 400,000 pre-loved items for sale: from accessories to clothes and interior finds, all of which have been vetted for authenticity and style by the in-house quality control team. If your mantra is ‘out with the old and in with the new’, then why not try the highly efficient concierge service, which provides a complete end-to-end selling facility to the London area. It’s a one-stop treasure trove of gifting ideas. vestiairecollective.com
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As Loïc would have it We’re huge fans of British lifestyle brand Lilou et Loïc, which offers a range of luxury scented home fragrance, bath and body products. Decadent oversized bath foam decanters in handmade glass are filled with luxurious scented bath foam for the perfect present. Refillable, they will be the centrepiece of any bathroom. Or gift the Luxury Body Butter, which nourishes and hydrates the skin. Presented in a beautiful handmade glass jar, it can be refilled or reused throughout the home. Other gift options include scented candles, stylish room diffusers, or oversized Emperor candles. The fragrance library has been developed to offer an extensive range of scents that appeal to both sexes, such as Ginger & Saffron for some festive ambience or Black Amber & Saffron for Middle Eastern opulence. Candles make the ideal treat for party hosts or a special teacher at school. To top it off, everything is stylishly packaged in its signature grey and white striped cylinder gift boxes, to eliminate any Christmas shopping stress. All products are developed and manufactured in the UK and are paraben free. From £30, lilouetloic.com
Off the wall If your walls are begging for a standout vintage find, then nothing says New York loft quite like an Art Deco poster. Pullman Editions designs striking original limited-edition posters, and its latest pieces feature glamorous travel destinations from around the world, winter sports in the European Alps, and the greatest historic automobiles. With the finest vintage posters reaching as much as £30,000 (on the rare occasions they become available), Pullman Editions produces new artworks to provide a modern alternative to the costly period originals. Hand-painted by leading poster artists, each with their own unique signature style, its editions combine originality with the quintessential heritage and dramatic imagery of vintage posters. Available in strictly limited editions of 280, they are printed using traditional techniques on 100 per cent cotton fine art paper, and are signed, hand-numbered and bear Pullman Editions’ embossed stamp of authenticity. An ideal gift for a house-proud friend or loved one, choose a monochrome frame against a feature wall for that magazine-perfect look. £395 each (unframed), 94 Pimlico Road, SW1W, 020 7730 0547, pullmaneditions.com
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Perfect skin – the perfect gift The Laser Treatment Clinic, located on London’s renowned Harley Street, has been helping both women and men achieve their beauty and grooming goals since 2000, and the clinic has been effectively treating all types of unwanted skin lesions for the past 17 years. It offers advanced skin rejuvenation treatments for acne, scars, stretch marks, pigmentation, unwanted tattoos, sun damage, thread veins, rosacea and black skincare concerns. The Laser Treatment Clinic uses its own brand of highly natural and highly effective advanced Marine Skin Care products, in synergy with cutting-edge laser treatments to achieve amazing results. It’s never too late to start looking after your skin, and this is one of the best places to start. Take advantage of the Christmas offers by booking a free consultation with a skin specialist or simply purchase a laser treatment or skincare product gift voucher, for someone special. Christmas special offer: up to 50 per cent off laser skincare treatments (for a limited time period) The Laser Treatment Clinic, 1 Harley Street, W1G, 020 7307 8712, thelasertreatmentclinic.com
A sweet deal For that one person who is impossible to buy for, we suggest a trip to chocolate aficionado Leonidas for something simply irresistible. Having celebrated its centenary three years ago by receiving a Royal Warrant from His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium, even the fussiest of foodies will delight in the Snow Queen chocolate box with its four delicious Christmas tree treats. The milk chocolate is filled with oozing dulce de leche, a caramelised milk cream; the white with speculoos, a spiced Belgian biscuit; the dark with a mandarin ganache and the dark Christmas tree with Indian black Assam tea, mixed with fruits and spices. With a story that began in 1910, when Leonidas Kestekides represented Greece at the Brussels World Exhibition, winning the bronze medal for his artisanal confectionery, and then gold at The International Exhibition in Ghent, these prize-winning luxuries are as highly revered today as they were when first created. Crafted using the finest fresh ingredients – real Belgian chocolate, vanilla from Madagascar, oranges from Valencia and almonds from California – each is blended by a maître chocolatier with more than 100 years of Leonidas family knowhow under its (elasticated) belt. leonidas.com
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N E E D • T O • K N O W For our readers, Leonidas is pleased to offer a free 150g gift box filled with a selection of chocolates (worth £7.35) for all purchases over £22* during November 2016 in the following participating stores only: Formosa Flowers & Chocolaterie, 2 Formosa Street, W9 1EE. Leonidas, The Arcade, 20 Liverpool Street, EC2M 7PN. Leonidas, 125 Kensington Arcade, Kensington High Street, W8 5SF. Leonidas, 12 Oak Road, Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre, W5 3SS. Manon Café, 43-45 Eastcheap, EC3M 1JA. Manon Café, 85 King William Street, EC4N 7BL. Manon Café, 110 Fleet Street, EC4A 2AF. Manon Café, 21 Copthall Avenue, EC2R 7BP. Leonidas, 132 St John’s Wood High Street, NW8 7SE. Leonidas Harrods (Chocolates & Confectionery, Ground Floor). *Terms and conditions apply: offer limited to one free gift box per transaction, per day and per customer
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LEFT: FORTNUM & MASON CLASSIC CHRISTMAS HAMPER, £165
After more than 300 years making Christmas merrier, Fortnum & Mason has merry-making down to a fine art. Nobody does the festive season quite like Fortnum’s. The famous shopfront window displays are always a treat, but it’s inside where the real magic happens. For friends near and far, hampers are packed from bottom-to-brim with yuletide delights. In the extraordinary Food Halls, there’s food and drink enough to cover every inch of your festive feast. And in The Christmas Shop there are beautiful decorations, show-stopping crackers, personalised stockings for people and pets, and advent calendars – including one filled with tea. The man in red himself even stops in every year to read a Christmas story and take last-minute present requests. With gift personalisation and worldwide delivery in-store and online – and with a selection of travel-ready gifts at their St. Pancras and Heathrow Terminal 5 stores too – Fortnum’s has Christmas all wrapped up like pigs in blankets. All you need to do is make your list and check it twice. 181 Piccadilly, W1A, fortnumandmason.com
It’s a date
FROM LEFT: PATEK PHILIPPE LADIES’ MECHANICAL SELF-WINDING ANNUAL CALENDAR WITH MOONPHASE IN WHITE GOLD (REF 4948G) AND IN ROSE GOLD (REF 4948R), BOTH £51,030
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The Christmas countdown has begun and those looking for a gift that will stand the test of time should look no further than Patek Phillipe. The brand’s Annual Calendar offers a fusion of tradition and innovation that has proved popular with watch connoisseurs and enthusiasts ever since it was patented in 1996. Created with the idea that the calendar only needs to be adjusted once a year on 1 March (to accommodate the variable duration of February), this technical timepiece automatically displays the month, the day of the week and the correct number of days for each month, but must be manually adjusted when it comes to a leap year. This year marks the Annual Calendar’s 20th anniversary, so there’s no better time to purchase this watch. There are a number of styles and designs to choose from, including the Ref. 4948G that features a minimalist charcoal grey dial and Breguet-style numerals. For those with a penchant for sparkle, Patek Phillipe has combined technical mechanism with refined beauty to produce the rounded Ref. 4947, which stands out thanks to its wave-shaped band and graduated Top Wesselton diamonds. The Haute Joaillerie Model, Ref. 4948, is another that will appeal to magpies, with no fewer than 388 diamonds set in its case and a striking mother-of-pearl dial. From £36,220, patek.com
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Available exclusively in fine wine shops and in the best restaurants. www.champagne-billecart.com
Signe d’exception
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All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. Š 2016 Crestron, Ltd.
ART
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he late American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe would have turned 70 this year. In celebration of his life’s work, Alison Jacques Gallery is mounting an exhibition of his stylised black and white images, curated by Juergen Teller – the German talent lauded for his own star-studded fashion photography. The show will demonstrate how Mapplethorpe flitted between capturing fetishes and floral fancies on camera, not to mention the downright bizarre: eight frogs sat on a white plate, for example. Teller on Mapplethorpe, 18 November – 7 January 2017, 16-18 Berners Street, W1T, alisonjacquesgallery.com
A telling
TALE FRENCH VOGUE, 1986, SILVER GELATIN PRINT, ©ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE FOUNDATION, NY, COURTESY ALISON JACQUES GALLERY, LONDON
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director and partner of Skarstedt gallery
Art news WORDS: CAMILLA APCAR
Friends in high places As post-war Italian art continues to pour into the market (thanks in large part to the creeping up of Italian legislation that requires an export licence for any work more than 50 years old), Mazzoleni Art is showing two significant artists – and friends – side by side. Lucio Fontana was a leader of Arte Povera and remains so at auction today (his Concetto spaziale, Attese achieved £1.4 million at Christie’s in October and examples in white, blue and copper are among the works in this exhibition). Fausto Melotti’s sculptural reputation is perhaps less well known, but as Mazzoleni illustrates, both artists explored the great industrial changes taking place in Italy through their masterful use of space and form. Fontana/Melotti: Angelic Spaces and Infinite Geometries, until 18 November, 27 Albemarle Street, W1S, mazzoleniart.com
Leading the fine print The late Brooklyn-born graphic artist Peter Paul Piech spent the majority of his working life in Britain, creating socio-political woodcut and linocut prints – some in editions of 75, others featuring entirely unique typesetting. Waterhouse & Dodd is bringing more than 60 to light in a rare exhibition that includes prints celebrating the words of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. 22 November – 17 December, 47 Albemarle Street, W1S, waterhousedodd.com
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What inspired the gallery’s recent move to Bennet Street? After four successful years on Old Bond Street, we were looking to build on what we had established and to present more comprehensive historical exhibitions. With three interconnected galleries, the new space is an exciting platform for our artists. Why did you choose Cindy Sherman and David Salle for your latest exhibition? Salle’s Tapestry Paintings and Sherman’s History Portraits were both created between 1988 and 1991, and are widely considered to be among their most accomplished work. Both were key figures in the New York ‘Pictures Generation’ movement of the mid-1970s and 1980s, a period that is key for us, and both draw upon existing imagery – Renaissance portraits, and 16th or 17thcentury tapestries. How does your London clientele differ from that of your New York gallery? London has always been Europe’s art capital for international collectors, a global hub that attracts international buyers including Americans. Perhaps the main difference is that there is more emphasis on the historical. Who is the latest artist to join your roster? We are delighted that Eric Fischl, a contemporary of David Salle, joined the gallery at the end of last year. Cindy Sherman and David Salle: History Portraits and Tapestry Paintings, until 26 November, 8 Bennet Street, SW1A, skarstedt.com
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: LUCIO FONTANA, CONCETTO SPAZIALE, 1962, COPPER, 57.5 X 83.2CM, COURTESY MAZZOLENI ©FONDAZIONE LUCIO FONTANA, MILAN; DAVID SALLE, BACKDROP, 1990, OIL AND ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 243.8 X 309.9CM, ©DAVID SALLE, COURTESY OF SKARSTEDT; PAUL PETER PIECH, COLOUR IS THE PLACE, 1977, LINOCUT PRINT, 64 X 45CM, ©OF THE ARTIST, COURTESY OF WATER-HOUSE & DODD; FAUSTO MELOTTI, TRE TEMPI, 1971, BRASS, 60 X 60 X 15CM, EDITION OF FOUR, COURTESY MAZZOLENI ©FONDAZIONE FAUSTO MELOTTI AND HAUSER & WIRTH
with BONA MONTAGU,
Ming Polychromed Bodhisattva, 1368-1644 AD, Wood, China
B A R A K AT Galler y THE WORLD’S FINEST ANCIENT & CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTION
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ART
Prize lots LEFT: JEAN ROYÈRE, SOFA AND PAIR OF ARMCHAIRS, 1950S, WALNUT-VENEERED WOOD, FABRIC, SOFA: 77 X 222 X 93CM, EACH ARMCHAIR: 74 X 90 X 90CM, THE DESIGN SALE AT PHILLIPS, 21 SEPTEMBER, PHILLIPS.COM, IMAGE COURTESY OF PHILLIPS
SOLD: £221,000 E S T I M AT E : £ 4 0 , 0 0 0 - £ 6 0 , 0 0 0
Sofa and pair of armchairs, Jean Royère “This fine example of Royère’s work exemplifies what collectors focus on – design that evinces quality, beauty, excellent condition and provenance. All these factors can determine the value of the object, and the burgeoning demand for remarkable works has established a competitive market where exceptional prices are being achieved. The Royère pieces in our design sale had conservative estimates, which attracted greater bidding competition in the saleroom.” – Alexander Payne, worldwide head of design at Phillips UPCOMING
Beautiful, hallo, space-boy painting, Damien Hirst with David Bowie, 1995 David Bowie was a bright, powerful force within the worlds of music and fashion, but perhaps less sensationalised was his presence in the art world. In 1996 he described Damien Hirst’s kaleidoscopic spin paintings as “unconcerned with the savageness of life. It’s optimistic, it’s here and it’s now”. Hirst was inspired to create the whimsical spin paintings by an episode of Peter, and in 1995 he Blue Peter and Bowie created Beautiful, hallo, space-boy painting together. This collaboration between two cultural icons is among the works coming up for sale from the David Bowie collection at Sotheby’s, including furniture by Ettore Sottsass and the Milan-based Memphis group. Estimate £250,000-£350,000, Bowie/Collector – Part I: Modern and Contemporary Art, Evening Auction at Sotheby’s, 10 November, sothebys.com 58
RIGHT: EDVARD MUNCH, TWO HUMAN BEINGS. THE LONELY ONES (W. 157; SCH. 133), 1899, WOODCUT PRINTED IN TURQUOISE-BLUE, BLACK, REDDISHORANGE, YELLOW, BROWN AND GREEN FROM THREE BLOCKS AND A STENCIL FORMING THE CENTRAL PART OF THE FOREGROUND AND PRINTED IN BROWN AND GREEN IN THE MANNER OF A MONOTYPE, WOLL’S STATE V OF VIII, SIGNED IN PENCIL, PRINTED BY THE ARTIST OR NIELSON C.1917, ON CREAM WOVE PAPER, PRINTED WITH RELIEF VERSO, FRAMED, PRINTS & MULTIPLES SALE AT SOTHEBY’S, 27 SEPTEMBER, SOTHEBYS.COM, IMAGE COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S
LEFT: DAMIEN HIRST WITH DAVID BOWIE, BEAUTIFUL, HALLO, SPACE-BOY PAINTING, 1995, SIGNED BY DAMIEN HIRST, SIGNED WITH INITIALS AND DATED 95 BY DAVID BOWIE, HOUSEHOLD GLOSS ON CANVAS, DIAMETER: 213.4CM, IMAGE COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S RIGHT: A MAGNIFICENT AND VERY RARE LARGE FAMILLE ROSEENAMELLED TURQUOISEGROUND ‘BATS’ VASE, QIANLONG INCISED AND GILT SIXCHARACTER SEAL MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795), 68.3CM HIGH, IMAGE ©CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LIMITED 2016
SOLD: £1.6 MILLION E S T I M AT E : £ 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 – £ 6 0 0 , 0 0 0
Two Human Beings. The Lonely Ones, Edvard Munch “Munch is universally recognised for his innovations in printmaking, pushing the medium to its greatest effects. The notable provenance of this exceptional impression of Two Human Beings made it all the more appealing to collectors: it was acquired directly from the artist in 1942. A striking combination of colours give the work an ethereal quality, making it one of the most desirable prints by Munch to have come to auction in recent years.” – Séverine Nackers, head of prints at Sotheby’s Europe UPCOMING
Famille Rose-enamelled turquoise-ground bats vase, Qianlong period In our Western culture bat imagery tends only to appear around Halloween, whereas in China they are said to symbolise health, prosperity, virtue and a tranquil, natural death. The word for bat – fu – sounds the same as the word for happiness, thus they appear on many Chinese works of art. This piece from the Qianlong period (the peak of Chinese ceramic production) features opaque enamels and bright hues. Estimate £700,000-£1 million, Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art at Christie’s King Street, 8 November, christies.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
Picasso in portrait
Both a biographical and an artistic study, Jack Watkins enjoys the National Portrait Gallery’s latest exhibition on the 20th-century Spanish master
“A
picture lives a life like a living creature,” Pablo Picasso once remarked, “undergoing the changes imposed on us by our life from day to day. This is natural enough, as the picture lives only through the man who is looking at it.” People have been looking at Picasso’s pictures for decades, but the National Portrait Gallery’s new exhibition – which includes more than 75 portraits in various media – includes oft-lauded masterpieces like Self-Portrait with Palette as well as examples previously unseen in Britain. All phases of the artist’s career are covered, though it would be unwise to describe the show as tracking his stylistic evolution. Picasso simply didn’t operate like that. Frequently quizzed on the matter, he replied that to him, there was no past or future in art. “If a work of art cannot always live in the present, it must not be considered art at all,” he once said. “The art of the Greeks, of the Egyptians, of the great painters who lived in other times, is not an art of the past; perhaps it is more alive today than it ever was.” Picasso was a superb portraitist, not least because his skill was honed by looking at and copying the Old Masters. “They say I can draw better than Raphael,” he told his friend Gertrude Stein years later. “And they’re probably right.” One of his first self-portraits, painted in 1900 when he was at art school in Barcelona, Self Portrait with a Wig (pictured far right), clearly echoes the 18th century. By 1904 he had settled in Paris, with lodgings and a studio in Montmartre. Among his friends there was the poet Guillaume Apollinaire. He
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: PABLO PICASSO, PORTRAIT OF OLGA PICASSO, 1923, PRIVATE COLLECTION ©SUCCESSION PICASSO/ DACS LONDON, 2016; PORTRAIT OF LEE MILLER AL’ARLESIENNE, 1937, THE PENROSE COLLECTION ©SUCCESSION PICASSO/ DACS, LONDON 2016, IMAGE: ©ROLAND PENROSE ESTATE, ENGLAND 2014, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; SELF-PORTRAIT WITH WIG, 1900, MUSEU PICASSO, BARCELONA, MPB 110.053, ©SUCCESSION PICASSO/ DACS, LONDON 2016; SELF-PORTRAIT WITH PALETTE, 1906, PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART: A. E. GALLATIN COLLECTION, 1950 ©SUCCESSION PICASSO/ DACS, LONDON 2016; PHOTOGRAPH AND DIGITAL IMAGE ©PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART ©ESTATE OF PABLO PICASSO/ ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS) NEW YORK
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would later produce a pencil drawing of Apollinaire, while he was recovering from trepanation following a head wound sustained serving in World War I. Picasso recoiled from the still espoused Academy view that portraiture should adhere to a fixed, conventional representation of beauty, and look ‘finished’. Indeed, some of the caricatures in the exhibition, first created to amuse relatives, were also a subversive reaction to the stylistic straightjacket his teachers had tried to impose. Even so, he did not entirely give up classical drawing and painting from life, shown in Portrait of Olga Picasso, his first wife (pictured left). “We are heirs to Rembrandt, Velázquez, Cézanne, Matisse. A painter always has a father and a
depiction was “undoubtedly her, but with none of the conventional attributes of a portrait”. Another close friend in the show is writer, artist and film director Jean Cocteau. He introduced Picasso to the Russian ballet director Serge Diaghilev, and provided him access to Parisian high society. Also featured is a Cubist painting of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, an early champion of the artist’s work. Picasso added the suggestion of eyes, an ear lobe and clasped hands to help the viewer find some element that could be understood, sustaining their interest and encouraging them to look more closely at the overall effect. This wouldn’t be a true Picasso exhibition without some pictures devoted to his lovers. These include Marie-Thérèse Walter, Françoise Gilot and his second wife Jacqueline Roque. Gilot, an artist and critic, published her controversial Life With Picasso in 1964, creating an image of the artist as a manipulative, sadistic seducer of a young girl – he was 62 and she was 21 when they met. Picasso tried to prevent the book’s publication but failed. It sold over one million copies. How true a picture that was we will never know, but it certainly hasn’t dimmed the appeal of his art. Picasso Portraits, until 5 February, npg.org.uk
Frequently quizzed on the matter, he replied that to him, there was no past or future in art mother; he doesn’t emerge out of nothing,” said the painter who, by his 90s, had come to consider himself as the last great classical master. Picasso had absolute creative freedom. He did not paint to commission and tended only to depict those within his circle of intimates. His oil painting of the photographer Lee Miller (pictured above) incorporated elements of caricature, and was created just after he had completed his 1937 mural masterpiece Guernica. Miller’s husband, the Surrealist Roland Penrose, said that the yellow-skinned, green-haired
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The
Asian equation Scholarly representations of rocks and the natural world occupy the work of the most sought-after contemporary Asian artists. Camilla Apcar explores the market’s collectable heights and inky depths
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s Asia’s wealth continues to grow, so does the region’s art market. Asian artists are achieving record prices at auction, and galleries around the world are representing a record number in response to collectors’ interests – and Mayfair is no exception. “South Korean artists represent our five bestselling artworks at the moment,” says Jean-David Malat, director of Opera Gallery. “Sculptors like Seo Young Deok or innovative mixed
media artists such as Ran Hwang have now entered collections alongside renowned international artists.” The gallery will host a group show of Asian art next year including Hwang, who brings tiny buttons, beads and pins together to form intricate Buddhas, blossoms and birds on vast panels, inspired by natural motifs and Zen Buddhism (pictured above right). Malat also holds works by Lee Ufan, perhaps one of the best known practicing South Korean artists. Ufan’s £1 million With Winds chased the hammer prices achieved by Gerhard Richter
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and Jean-Michel Basquiat at Sotheby’s this October, and Opera Gallery currently holds a smaller scale example from the same monochrome series. This ever-increasing appetite for Asian art has also encouraged new spaces to flourish on the continent itself. Fifth-generation dealer Fayez Barakat has just opened a new gallery in Seoul (pictured below), joining his spaces in Mayfair, Beverly Hills and Abu Dhabi. “By choosing a modern city with such a profound history and dynamic future,” says the dealer, “we are taking a step further in our vision of integrating ancient art in contemporary times.” It’s true that at Sotheby’s October contemporary sale in Hong Kong, which totalled about £8.5 million, household names such as Kusama Yayoi, Nara Yoshitomo and Ai Weiwei continued to lead the pack. Yet another sale dedicated to contemporary ink art brought in nearly £3 million and presents a group of living artists revitalising ancient traditions. “From calligraphy to watercolour, Daoist paintings to
porcelain, ink is and always will be what defines Asia in artistic history,” says Mayfair gallerist Ben Brown. “It’s a pretty small category compared to the rest of the contemporary Asian art market, because it appeals to a very select group of collectors who are generally also interested in classical Chinese ink paintings and history,” says Mee-Seen Loong, Sotheby’s worldwide head of contemporary ink art. Although growing slowly, ink represents a sound market that is still in its early stages – and indeed collectible. Works might start at a few thousand pounds at auction, like Chen ChiKwan’s charming Autumn Colours (pictured overleaf) that sold for £6,306 at Sotheby’s sale. It also boasts a broad visual spectrum. “Many of [these] artists are very scholarly, so will choose subjects linked to the literati: landscapes, studies of rocks and flowers,” Loong describes. “There is another group that I would consider diarists, recording everyday life and some portraits. Then there’s a group that tends towards abstraction.” A common thread are those who were born in China but have lived in the United States for some years. Among the most popular at auction is Liu Dan, whose representations of scholar’s rocks (pictured below) are particularly sought-after. These stones with unusual shapes have inspired Chinese literati about the wonders of nature for over a thousand years, representing a ‘microcosm of the universe’ upon which to meditate. One such piece by Dan sold for £431,852 at Sotheby’s, the second-highest
OPPOSITE PAGE: KAZUKO SHIIHASHI, MAPLE, 2015, JAPANESE HANDMADE PAPER CRUSHED AND GLUED ON WOOD PANELS, GOLD LEAF, NATURAL MINERAL PIGMENTS, 90 X 90CM, COURTESY OF KAMAL BAKHSHI MODERN ASIAN ART. THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: RAN HWANG, ODE TO SECOND LOVE B/W, 2016, BUTTONS, PINS, AND BEADS ON PANEL, 120 X 200CM; BARAKAT GALLERY SEOUL; LIU DAN, SMALL YING STONE, 2014, INK ON PAPER, 142.7 X 367.1CM, COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S
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price achieved at October’s ink sale, followed by the artist’s Sunflower (£163,962) that features a calligraphic inscription of a letter from Vincent van Gogh. Other big names include C.C. Wang and Xu Bing, while works by Zao Wou-Ki continue to stun at all levels. The late Chinese-French artist’s work straddles Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism, as seen in Sotheby’s beautiful evening sale headliner Paysage dans la Lune that sold for around £4.6 million (pictured above right), and smaller ink works for upwards of £43,000. From 3 to 12 November, the 19th edition of Asian Art in London will bring together more than 60 dealers, auction houses and museums across the capital. Mayfair specialists will open their doors until late on 7 November and stage exhibitions to coincide with the event – and the prevailing popularity of ink art can be found here too. Gallery Elena Shchukina will present Returning Home, an exhibition of contemporary ink wash and oil paintings by Paris-based Chinese artist Chen Jiang-Hong from 3 November. It is influenced by his time living between two cultures, and merges colourful abstraction with the practice of ancient Chinese calligraphy. Elsewhere, Eskenazi on Clifford Street will show paintings by modernday literati champion Zeng Xiaojun until 25 November. He has created ten pieces especially for the show – mainly bonsai trees and twisting roots (pictured above right) – that are not only astonishingly detailed, but hauntingly realistic. Away from the cross-capital event, Rossi & Rossi’s roster includes Ma Desheng, a self-trained woodblock craftsman from Beijing. His monochrome prints depict the human condition under Chinese Communism during the 1970s, and the gallery holds a strong collection of his large-scale nudes created in the decades after he had relocated to Europe. Meanwhile, Hong Kong-based artist Nicole Wong uses ink in an altogether different manner in Until I Get It
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FROM TOP: ZAO WOUKI, PAYSAGE DANS LA LUNE, 1954, OIL ON CANVAS 117 X 88.5CM, COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S; ZENG XIAOJUN, BONSAI VI, 2016, INK AND COLOUR ON PAPER, 138 X 180CM; CHEN CHI-KWAN, AUTUMN COLOURS, 1986, INK AND COLOUR ON PAPER, HANGING SCROLL, 33.5 X 44CM, COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S
Right, made up of thousands of dates stamped – just like in library books – in uniform columns beginning with the artist’s date of birth in 1990 and ending in 2014. Among the artists that Ben Brown Fine Arts has exhibited this year is Qin Feng, whose silk cotton and linen paper works either use ink or borrow heavily from the tradition in acrylic. At Sotheby’s, two of his ink, coffee and tea on linen paper works were estimated from £20,000. “Collectors are gaining access to a lot of great artists as yet unheard of in the West,” says the gallerist. “With ink, contemporary artists are looking to reshape this ancient medium and transform it into something completely innovative.” asianartinlondon.com, barakatgallery.com, benbrownfinearts.com, eskenazi.co.uk, galleryelenashchukina.com, operagallery.com, rossirossi.com, sothebys.com
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Candy shop
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he new REDValentino store on Sloane Street is a delicate shade of pink. Yet this is not such a revelation, perhaps, for those that already know that RED is an acronym for ‘Romantic Eccentric Dress’, rather than an allusion to the colour. The 170 sq m space was envisaged by architect and designer India Mahdavi and Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli as an intimate, dreamlike space: a concept reflected in the foamy walls and giant white Rubik’s cubes. You may also recognise the bubblegum-hued chairs with backs that resemble sponge fingers from the well-documented Gallery at sketch, another Mahdavi masterpiece. REDValentino, 133 Sloane Street, SW1X, redvalentino.com
IMAGE COURTESY OF REDVALENTINO
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IMAGE CREDIT: BILLY & HELLS
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Bloody Mary The House of Tudor was a ruthless, decadent but well-dressed dynasty. In his new collection – The Golden Age – Christian Louboutin takes style notes from powerful leaders such as Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, who draped themselves in layers of embellished velvets and lavish embroidery. Expect inky crimson, jade and violet hues with details including studs and chains, and of course, those blood red soles. From £495, 17 Mount Street, W1K, christianlouboutin.com
Style update WORDS: MARIANNE DICK
STORIES ON SILK
Shoe-stopper
Inspired by anything from Star Wars to Abstract Expressionism, Emma J Shipley draws her fantastical prints by hand before they are brought to life on technicolour scarves, bags and cushions. A recent collaboration with Aspinal of London ondon has seen the creation of this ethereal Pegasus print, an addition to the brand’s latest pearl-themed autumn to winter collection. From £25, Emma J Shipley x Aspinal of London, 25 Brook Street, W1K, aspinaloflondon.com
This year marks a decade of unwavering success for the musical Wicked Wicked. To celebrate this milestone, shoe designer Lucy Choi has created a limited edition capsule collection inspired by the production’s two main characters. Gold and black beading cascades over Glinda’s spellbinding stilettos, while Elphaba’s pumps are a devilish combination of black and emerald leather. £225, 18 Connaught Street, W2, shoplucychoilondon.com
Posh pyjamas Nightwear is no longer a bashful affair as brands like Olivia von Halle reignite the desire for chic lounging à la Mademoiselle Chanel. Starting on Halloween, Harrods will host a threemonth pop-up flaunting von Halle’s slinky two-pieces and slip dresses, which can be monogrammed or made-tomeasure in true atelier style. Pyjama set, £345, Olivia von Halle, available exclusively at Harrods, harrods.com
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THE FASHION EVENT FRIDAY 25 - SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER
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Fashion conscious As Bottega Veneta celebrates its 50th anniversary, Marianne Dick asks creative director Tomas Maier about his highlights from 15 years at the helm of the industry’s most considerate brand
TOMAS MAIER PHOTOGRAPHY: COLLIER SCHORR
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his year has marked many milestones for Bottega Veneta. Founded 50 years ago in Vicenza by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro, it quickly became a name associated with craftsmanship (the brand’s name translates literally to ‘Venetian workshop’), understated style and a unique intrecciato leather weave. After Taddei and Zengiaro retired in the 1990s, Bottega Veneta’s sales drastically declined. It even began introducing ‘BV’ logos to its collections to keep up with the labelobsessed consumers – a big taboo since its company motto was (and still is): “when your own initials are enough”, in a nod to its trademark lack of unnecessary ostentation. In 2001, Gucci Group (since acquired by Kering, the luxury goods behemoth) took over the label and recruited Tomas Maier, a former womens’ ready-to-wear designer at Hermès, to take the reins as creative director in an attempt to return the brand to its glory.
“When I joined the house it was losing its identity and roots, so I instituted our four cornerstones of outstanding craftsmanship, timeless yet innovative design, contemporary functionality and the highest quality materials,” says Maier. “Once these principles had been defined, I went on to develop Bottega Veneta into a full-range luxury lifestyle brand. This philosophy continues to drive everything we produce today.” It quickly became clear that Maier was the right man for the job: the first bag he designed was the Cabat, the sort of open tote that requires skilled craftsmen to weave leather strips in the intrecciato style (pictured below), a process that takes two days. The bag is revamped every season, making this year the 15th anniversary of both Maier’s leadership and the bag that established his career as creative director. “This item is iconic because it represents everything Bottega Veneta should be and transcends seasons: timeless and unique. I wanted it to be unlined, as beautiful on the
CREATING THE CABAT BAG AND INTRECCIATO WEAVE. OPPOSITE: LOOKS FROM THE S/S17 ANNIVERSARY SHOW
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“Design is about creating items that combine craft and functionality” inside as on the outside and to reflect Bottega Veneta’s philosophy of understatement, luxury and contemporary functionality,” explains Maier. The designer is influenced by a range of sources that spread far wider than the brand’s heritage or industry trends. In 2002, Maier introduced his ‘Art of Collaboration’ campaign, which has since seen an enviable list of photographers – including Juergen Teller, Alex Prager and Erwin Olaf – interpret the company’s ethos and collections in their own way, resulting in dramatically different shots each season. “I have always been inspired by and passionate about many things: art, architecture, photography, music, the places and things I have discovered on my travels and throughout my life,” he says. “Each of them enriches my life and feeds my creativity in different ways.” One of Bottega Veneta’s most deep-rooted values is its craftsmanship, and it is something that Maier has taken care to nourish and cultivate. One of Maier’s favourite moments was when he first met the artisans: “I was very moved by their incredible passion for their work, even then when the company was struggling to survive.” A second highlight came in 2013, when the new atelier was opened at the restored 18th-century Villa Schroeder-Da Porto in northern Italy. “It took seven years of planning and construction, and I couldn’t have been more proud.” It is here – surrounded by a 55,000 sq m park – that the magic really happens. The site serves as a base for the craftsmen and houses the school that trains future generations of leather workers. The headquarters is also a pioneering example of environmental sustainability, and was the first in the fashion and luxury sector to be awarded
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the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certificate at Platinum level in the New Construction and Major Renovation category. “Sustainability is an important priority for the company and ties into our philosophy. We want to have the least harmful environmental impact because it is our heritage to protect – both people and place,” says Maier. Today the brand also stretches across the fragrance, jewellery, furniture and home accessories sector – this year also marks the tenth anniversary of its homeware collection. “From the beginning I had in mind a vision for Bottega Veneta that would encompass different categories, creating beautiful pieces with a very precise aesthetic, to remain objects of beauty for years to come,” says Maier. “Design is about creating items that combine craft and functionality, and complement an outfit or space without calling attention to themselves.” The recent S/S17 anniversary show in Milan Bottega Veneta featured long, fluid silhouettes and stark, simple shapes, as well as butterfly prints and wedge heels that are so emblematic of the label. Fifteen new bag styles were presented alongside 15 beloved designs from the archives including the boxy Knot clutch with its engraved metal clasp. Touchingly, a red intrecciato clutch was carried by Lauren Hutton, who famously wore it in the 1980 film American Gigolo, as she walked arm in arm with model du jour Gigi Hadid in the show’s finale. I ask Maier about the best sartorial advice he has ever been given. “Jean-Louis Dumas at Hermès once said to me, ‘Always think, there needs to be passion and patience’,” Maier recalls. “I think that is a great piece of advice, especially in the market that we are in, in this luxury world. I think it’s not only about the passion for what we create and what we put out there, but also the patience to let the product come to life and to let the product be understood.” Suddenly, Maier’s approach at Bottega Veneta seems to fall into place. It is not just a brand for those who are conscious of fashion – it is a brand for those who really understand it. 14 Old Bond Street, W1S, bottegaveneta.com
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Basic
instinct Famed for its simple separates, fashion brand Goat is marking 15 years this month with a key edit of its cult wardrobe essentials. Kari Colmans gets down to business with founder Jane Lewis
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ane Lewis hasn’t slept all week. She’s got three pre-teens, the youngest of which has tonsillitis. It’s only 11am, although for her it feels like it should be bedtime already. But despite the fuzzy head, she looks effortlessly chic, guided as she is by an innate style compass. Dressed simply
JANE LEWIS
in a black, long-sleeved shift dress that stops just above the ankle and black slip-on loafers (despite it being the hottest September day on record for more than 100 years), her hair is shoved into a messy bun revealing big gold hoops, and there’s just a hint of mascara on her top lashes. “As a working woman with three children I spend as little time as possible getting ready in the morning,” she says, as she very much switches ‘on’ for our interview. “I have items in my wardrobe that I turn to whatever the season. I dress for the life that I live. Most days I’m in the studio in jeans and a T-shirt. I’m constantly running around and I don’t have time to think about fashion for long.” We’re meeting in Lewis’ Marylebone-based office, while the rest of the team rushes around us, offering herbal teas and clearing away the piles of glossy fashion tomes and reels of fabric that scatter Goat HQ. Having started out in the art industry with the intention of becoming a dealer, Lewis made a sideways move to work for a runway fashion brand before deciding to launch her own label. She had no training – “I just fell into it” – but within only five minutes I can see that as a businesswoman, she would have succeeded in whatever she’d set out to achieve. “My vision was to launch a brand,” she says, “brand being the key word. Because establishing a brand versus launching a fashion company are two
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“I’ve achieved what I set out to do in as much as I’ve created a brand with a very loyal following”
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“Goat is the kind of brand that spans all ages. You wear it: it doesn’t wear you”
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very different things. The original vision was to create a tightly edited, key capsule collection. I wanted to produce pieces that were the best of their kind, to hone down the perfect crew neck, a really good pair of fitted trousers, a great coat. These sound very basic, and they are, ostensibly. But simplicity done well is very hard to achieve.” Marking 15 years since its inception, the brand launched Goat 15 in October, a concise selection of hero pieces from the archives. “The process of choosing them has been really fun and nostalgic; a trip down memory lane,” says Lewis. “Part of Goat’s ethos is a belief in style over fashion. We turned to those pieces that have withstood fashion trends. If something is as near to perfect as it can possibly be, and it has survived a fashion cycle to become noteworthy for its own style, then you’ve created a modern classic. You can’t improve something that’s already perfect.” Lewis called upon her own team as well as notable members of the fashion press, trusted buyers, industry insiders and long-time supporters to help her cherry-pick the items for the range, although she won’t give any famous names away, in keeping with her overall philosophy of discretion. “For me though, we had to have a Lola dress (a wool-crepe shift), which I have in many colours, and the Anthem top (a cocoon-shaped long sleeve top). It’s the kind of thing I throw on with my jeans and trainers and wear all the time. It’s super versatile. They’re my personal favourites.” In a way, Goat 15 represents the fruits of the brand’s labour; a postscript to the last decade and a half. “It’s stood the test of time,” Lewis says, proudly. “I’ve achieved what I set out to do in as much as I’ve created a brand with a very loyal following. We are the go-to for core wardrobe pieces. The market is so saturated, there’s almost too much choice. Goat is the kind of brand that spans all ages. You wear it: it doesn’t wear you. It’s my greatest hope that people wear Goat according to their own style and their own life demands.” I ask how the affordable luxury market has developed since she started out, as there are now far more brands offering beautiful basics than 20 or so years ago. “Fashion has become more extreme at both ends of the market and luxury has become such an overused term,” she concedes. “And I think in a way it has created
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stagnation; we are all caught in the headlights of this continuous and ferocious cycle. People are considering their purchases more than ever, as a result of too much choice, investing in an annual wardrobe as the seasons have become almost obsolete. They are honing in on quality and longevity because that’s the real meaning of value and luxury. Fashion is fleeting and transient, it burns itself out before it’s even begun. Stylish pieces withstand it all. It’s preferable to have style over fashion.” In terms of the future, she’d love to venture into accessories, as well as growing the online business and launching in the US. “I’d like to build on where we are,” she says. “Ultimately, I’d just like to be around in 15 years and to be part of the future.” Lewis is extremely articulate, and quite intimidating for a decidedly tiny person, but her whole persona softens as the conversation moves from work to play. With a family home just around the corner in Bayswater (as well as another in Tel Aviv), she loves being based in Marylebone. “This is my patch,” she smiles. “I live near here, I went to school near here: I’m a West End girl at heart.” Her favourite places to grab a quick lunch are Defune, a little Japanese restaurant on the corner of George Street or Il Baretto on Blandford Street for Italian food. She’s also choosing to spend the holiday season in England: she loves London at this time of year because it’s “eerily quiet and so easy to get around”, although she and the family will be venturing to Sussex for Christmas. “Once I’m decamped and settled, I’m just as happy with a roaring log fire watching an old film. The quiet life suits me too.” And when she gets a rare moment alone, she loves nothing more than to lose herself in a good book, following the advice of her book club. She recommends A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, which she loved, and Exposure by Helen Dunmore. “I have a raft of books ready for half term,” she says wistfully. “I read obsessively or not at all. I can’t dip in and out. If I’m invested in something, then I’m invested 110 per cent.” That I can believe. The Goat 15 collection is available now both online and in-store. 4 Conduit Street, W1S, goatfashion.com
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Topcoat, £3,630, jumper, £1,295, and trousers, £1,990, all Ralph Lauren Collection, ralphlauren.co.uk
CHECK
MATE Throw out the heavy woollen blankets and Scottish kilts, tartan has had a makeover this season with oversized coats, tailored trousers and flared midi skirts P h o t o g r a p h y : H E L E N E S A N D B E RG S t y l i n g : K AR E N M U N N I S
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FASHION
LEFT Jacket and skirt, POA, both Lisa Redman for Holland & Sherry, lisaredman.co.uk; blouse, £1,140, Ralph Lauren Collection, as before; socks, £10, Falke, falke.com; shoes, £350, Robert Clergerie, robertclergerie.com; bag, £1,395, Jimmy Choo, jimmychoo.com
ABOVE Fitted rib tube top, £440, bustier, £1,050, and skirt, £1,350, all Victoria Beckham, victoriabeckham.com; gloves, £129, Dents, dents.co.uk; socks, just seen, £10, Falke, as before
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FASHION
ABOVE Coat, £395, Harris Wharf London, available at Workshop, 19 Islington High Street, N1; dress, £480, Toga Pulla, available at matchesfashion.com; socks, £10, Falke, as before; shoes, £120, Underground, underground-shop.co.uk
RIGHT Coat, £2,295, and dress, £1,995, both Burberry, burberry.com
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CREDITS Hair: Adam Garland using Cloud Nine and Oribe Make-up: Shama at One Represents using MAC Cosmetics Model: Lucy Evans at Select Model Management Photographer’s assistant: Max Barlow Stylist’s assistants: Sarah Akinola and Holly Lissack
23 K EN S I N GTON PAR K ROAD , W 11 2EU S U N S P E L .C O M
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12/09/2016 16:06
HUNTSMAN, IMAGE CREDIT: HARRY SOAMES
FASHION
Town and country Too often, fashion can become a lacklustre and serious affair, which is why we need dandy designers such as Simon Carter to spruce things up. His A/W16 collection is inspired by the idea of town versus country: bumpkins can flaunt their favourite root vegetables, mushrooms, insects and fauna on their shirts while city boys peacock in historic hats and quirky robot prints. And for the most extraordinary evenings, only a paisley printed velvet dinner jacket – with matching lining, of course – will do. From £25, 34 Shepherd Market, W1J, simoncarter.net
Style spy WORDS: MARIANNE DICK
My M/G Mark Giusti Farhat really is a cosmopolitan man. The designer was born in Lebanon, grew up in Africa and is now based in London, where he creates beautiful bags that are handmade by Italian artisans. The influence of his diverse background blossoms through his designs, which are often embossed and lined with intricate prints inspired by Byzantine mosaics. For truly one-off pieces, the brand now offers My M/G: a bespoke service that offers the addition of initials, names or serial numbers. Cambridge briefcase, £580, markgiusti.com
New knits It may come as a surprise that Richard James Mayfair – the diffusion line from the Savile Row suit maker – has only just introduced knitwear into its collection. These winter warmers come in two classic shapes, perfect for layering under sharp tailoring. The textured merino wool crew neck comes in either burgundy or navy, while roll necks are a little more daring in grey or blue ombre. In-keeping with the tailor’s ethos, these new pieces fuse Savile Row classicism with the flamboyance of the modern gent. £110, Richard James Mayfair, houseoffraser.co.uk s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
MR PORTER’S APOTHECARY L’Officine Universelle Buly is a French perfumer and apothecary inspired by Jean-Vincent Bully’s original 18th-century shop full of curious tonics and scented vinegars. Current owners Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac-Touhami reinvented the brand in 2014, yet carefully retained its bohemian charm with illustrated packaging and eccentric products such as badger hair toothbrushes, combs for all occasions and natural blends like the famous crème pogonotomienne. While the Paris store is certainly worth a visit, the products are thankfully now available to buy via Mr Porter. From £24, mrporter.com, buly1803.com
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PROMOTION
A new way of seeing Eyewear designer Tom Davies shares the secret to producing his striking frames and reveals plans for the new Carbon Horn collection with Lauren Stevens
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o British eyewear designer Tom Davies, sporting an ill-fitting or poorly manufactured pair of glasses is practically an offence, a notion that inspired the birth of his eponymous eyewear label. With three bespoke optician stores in London and a new boutique in The Royal Exchange opening in November, Tom Davies is one of the most respected in his field – attracting attention from the likes of Angelina Jolie, Henry Cavill and, most surprisingly, Carrie Fisher’s dog. “As a thank you for all her frames, Carrie invited me to be her date at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiere. I didn’t want to give her loads of glasses in return, so I thought I would make her dog a pair,” he says matter-offactly. “I sat in my workshop and thought, ‘What can I do that’s nice for Carrie? How can I make a pair of dog glasses fit?’ I had to really think about the size and everything. He tolerated them for about three seconds and then threw them off.” The eyewear designer’s own workshop employs more than 100 people. Another factor that sets Davies apart from the rest is the level of skill and precision that goes into making each pair. For example, highly-trained experts are called in to use a pantograph, a device that creates bespoke frames. “It’s not something I can teach anybody – actually, I can’t even do it – and it’s not something that you could learn in two or three months. If you’re a pantograph master you need to have ten years’ experience. We could hire anyone who can use a pantograph, but we only hire masters.” And with such great demand for Davies’ eyewear, it’s little surprise that he requires the best of the best. For some clients, a personalised frame means a completely new design. “Firstly, we take a series of measurements and photographs. These then go to the design studio where the eyewear is designed and then sent to the workshop to be made,” Davies explains. “We produce all of our own frames so that every step of the process can be carefully controlled. This ensures the highest level of quality and craftsmanship.” The Carbon Horn collection is the best-selling across all three of the designer’s stores in Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Canary Wharf. The unusual layering of Buffalo horn with
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carbon fibre (which took Davies two years to perfect) has proved to be his best invention to date. “I liked the way the carbon fibre was shining through the horn on the inside, so rather than hiding it, I made it a feature. The horn is also very light, and thin frames are very fashionable. People are buying them all over the world,” he says. “On my desk at the moment are 12 more designs for my next Carbon Horn collection, which I’ll hopefully be launching in January. I think the range could well be one of my signature pieces; I could imagine selling them for the next ten years.” 54 Sloane Square, SW1W, tdtomdavies.com
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INTERIORS
U
northodox furniture brand RhubarbLondon is the brainchild of Shaun Brownell: a self-taught designer who originally trained as an aeronautical engineer. Brownell acquires vintage chairs and restores them using old clothing – most effectively, tweed suits and military uniforms. This particular recliner is an early 20th-century French mahogany frame that has been re-upholstered in two Dunn & Co Harris houndstooth tweed jackets, with plaited tan leather arm supports to enhance the equestrian ensemble. To finish? Some well-placed pheasant feathers. An ideal feature piece for your library or study. The Dapper tweed armchair, £6,290, RhubarbLondon, 1stdibs.com
Seated and
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INTERIORS
From house to home No other members’ club quite reaches the realms of laid-back luxury like a Soho House, with their squishy leather armchairs, mismatched vintage furnishings and understated lighting. The group has now launched Soho Home: a stylish e-store where you can buy your favourite pieces from any of its clubs, including the Little House Mayfair and Dean Street Townhouse outposts. The chunky Barwell glassware and trademark stripy beach towels are at the top of our wish list. From £6, sohohome.com
Interiors news WORDS: MARIANNE DICK
SUAVE SCENTS Tom Ford’s Private Blend Eau de Parfums are not scents that can easily get lost in a crowd. The designer has now introduced candles based on six of his most popular blends, so your signature aroma can stay with you throughout the day and into the night. We recommend the Tobacco Vanille for a deeply warming accompaniment to a romantic evening indoors. Tobacco Vanille candle, £165, Tom Ford, tomford.com
Modern classic Vladimir Kagan – one of the most prolific interior designers of the 20th and 21st centuries – also passed away this year, at the age of 88. His sensual, pioneering and anatomically-inspired designs hold a vintage appeal reminiscent of post-war fashion (Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol were just two of his A-list customers), and are still coveted by homeowners today. In celebration of Kagan’s legacy, Holly Hunt upholstered and showcased some of his designs in a limited collection during September’s London Design Festival. The pieces, including the curved Barrel chair and the Serpentine sofa, are now available to buy from the showroom. POA, Holly Hunt, 20 Grafton Street, W1S, hollyhunt.com
Crystal architecture A new VIP name has been added to the Burlington Arcade runway, nestled between its antique jewellery treasure troves and fragrant perfume emporiums. Lalique – so suited to the arcade that we couldn’t believe it wasn’t already there – announced its arrival last month with a glamorous party and the unveiling of the Fontana bowl. Inspired by the dynamism of water, it is the latest addition to the Crystal Architecture range by the late award-winning architect Zaha Hadid – a collaboration that began two years ago. £7,500, Lalique, 42 Burlington Arcade, W1J, lalique.com
THE HOLLY HUNT SHOWROOM PHOTOGRAPHY: ED REEVE
PROMOTION
GOING FOR
GOLD Ross Norman, CEO of gold bullion and precious metals broker Sharps Pixley, talks to Jacinta Ruscillo about the business, the accessibility of gold trading and its unique benefits
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ith the recent Brexit upheaval, the US presidential elections and the instability of the Chinese economy, the final quarter of 2016 seems to be concluding with a rather uncertain future. But this brings financial volatility for the stock market, and with its inverse correlation to gold, it also means that the necessity for insurance is increasing. Demand for the yellow element is on the rise. Sharps Pixley knows more about this than most with its all-encompassing brokerage that puts tangible bullion on the market for investors of all sizes – investments start from just £40. Buyers and sellers can enter the St James’s Street showroom and benefit from the complete package: authentication, information, competitive pricing and storage. As CEO Ross Norman describes, Sharps Pixley is “an old name with a modern twist”. The company dates back to the 18th century, when William Sharp started with diamond brokerage in 1778, but is now owned by German parent company Degussa and has become a disruptive force in international gold trade. But why should we buy gold? Although it can be compared more to an insurance asset rather than to an active yielding share price, it offers an unmovable store of value in the
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long-term. Money may be a great trading commodity, but gold has and will always retain its value. “Gold is not an Armageddon asset,” explains Norman. “Rather than buying gold as a response to the economic climate, it’s more effective to have it as a permanent insurance asset in stable times too, which will always protect wealth from currency weakness.” Everyone’s financial situation is different so there is never one way to advise people on gold allocation. Norman’s golden rule is “to be well-informed before investing”. So Sharps Pixley provides an online, real-time information platform of everything relating to the gold and metal markets. This gives the best overview for investors to make informed decisions on diversifying a portfolio as well as assessing the risk for their individual wealth. As well as buying and selling services, the company also specialises in storage vaults and deposit boxes for discerning clients’ valuables. There’s no doubt that Sharps Pixley is a safe pair of hands – a wealth management haven for the unpredictable future. Sharps Pixley, 54 St James’s Street, SW1A sharpspixley.com
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Walking
water
on
At the Monaco Yacht Show, David Taylor tours a multi award-winning superyacht and explores the next step for luxury life on the ocean
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nteriors are hard to get right at the best of times. Every piece of furniture, every fitting, has to work perfectly with the room, its surroundings and the people who live there. That’s without mentioning other factors such as outside light and changing seasons. Imagine, then, having to work through all of these considerations, but with the added problem of your house floating on the sea. This is the challenge that faces the interior designers of superyachts. At the Monaco Yacht Show, any designer worth their salt plies their potential customers with champagne and promises – yours will be the biggest, the fastest, there’ll
be a helipad. It’s only when the yacht has been bought that owners begin to think about what to put in it. “There is a behaviour that is very unique to the boat world, and particularly to the superyacht world, where we will have a conversation with a customer, and they will really focus heavily on the base price of the yacht itself,” says Kiran Haslam, marketing director of Princess Yachts. “It might mean six or seven consultations, over a period of seven months to a year, before we finally arrive at an agreement. Then, all of a sudden they start selecting different specifications for the interiors without questioning the price.
INTERIORS
They might very quickly accumulate four or five million pounds of options. The cost for the décor is never a discussion point – it’s what they want.” This is writ large on the final night of the Yacht Show, when I step onto the Galactica Super Nova (GSN), built by Heesen Yachts and designed by Espen Øino’s Andrea Bonini. The 70-metre beauty won Finest New Superyacht at the show, and it’s easy to see why. The exterior is sleek and bold without being garish, and has unbelievably clean lines. This theme continues once I step aboard. It’s difficult to describe just how immaculately put together the living spaces are: the decks wouldn’t look out of place in a Mayfair mansion. Bonini takes me round the boat as we set off for Nice, amid a cacophony of horns signalling the end of the show. This is no ordinary superyacht (if there is such a thing): there’s a six-metre swim-jet infinity pool with a waterfall, glasspanelled bottom and spa jets; 92 square metres of entertaining space; a foredeck that can be transformed into a touch-and-go helipad or outdoor cinema; a sumptuous indoor living and dining area; a master bedroom as big as my flat; and a fully-fledged lift to access all three floors.
ABOVE: 70M GALACTICA SUPER NOVA ©GUILLAUME PLISSON TOP RIGHT: ACE BY WINCH DESIGN ©KLAUS JORDAN RIGHT: 70M GALACTICA SUPER NOVA INTERIOR ©DAVID CHURCHILL
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“We’re starting to get a lot of high-end expectations and demanding requests”
All of this, and decorated to the highest standard. As Bonini walks past a small table, for instance, he explains that they developed technology enabling them to bend teak so that the table’s surface design remains consistent. The level of detail and dedication shown by the designers, and by association, the owners, is second to none. This personal, unique touch is ever-more important when the money involved reaches new heights. Andrew Winch, founder of Winch Design, believes that yacht designers are at the height of their powers: “I was in Paris visiting about six different artisan studios, and I had the best day ever. There are some fantastic craftspeople. “We’ve made furniture for yachts that is totally unique. It might be a coffee table that’s also a planetarium. We do bespoke everything, down to carpets, sofas, table linens, and china. “Who wants their yacht to look like someone else’s? It’s got to be unique.” Haslam agrees: “Everyone is pushing more for a service-oriented interaction with the manufacturer. On a 40-metre boat, you might interact with the Princess design studio and say, ‘My daughter’s favourite teddy bear is pink – I want that to match the carpet.’” “Customers really know what they want – it’s a lot to do with the digital age and how they interact with the world around them. They see a lot of things on Pinterest, lots of inspirational pictures, and say this is the look and feel that I want. We’re starting to get a lot of high-end expectations and demanding requests.”
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FROM TOP: 44.8M FLYING DRAGON; 56M PANTHALASSA, BOTH Y.CO
Although owners are submitting more elaborate requests, the purpose of these spaces seem to be changing, with a generation of young millionaires bringing a new focus to the water. The ease of moving from dining table to jet ski is becoming ever-more important. Charlie Birkett, co-founder and CEO of yacht charter company Y.CO, sees this as a good challenge: “It shows that we’re moving with the times. It challenges young and even established yacht designers to move away from the conventional approach. “A new tier of clients are looking at yachting in a completely different way. They are young, very active: they like watersports, they want to be on the water. They design their boats in a way where there’s more focus on having one-deck living space. It’s about having fun on the water rather than just sitting there in a penthouse: you’re in a beach house.” A sumptuously decorated beach house that can go to any shore in the world. There are worse places to be.
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IMAGE CREDIT: ©GUERLAIN
HEALTH & BEAUTY
What lies beneath
Beauty news WORDS: MELISSA EMERSON
Dream a little dream Fashion photographer Sarah Moon has teamed up with NARS for a limited edition collection launching on 1 November. The looks – inspired by classic cinema and Moon’s trademark ethereal, dreamy images – include bold red lips and smoky greys and purples for eyes. The Give In Take Dual-Intensity Eye and Cheek Palette, exclusive to Space NK, is an ideal all-in-one gift. From £13, narscosmetics.co.uk
HYDRATING HEROES The latest products to join Liz Earle’s skincare range are the Superskin Dry Oil For Body and Treatment Oil For Body – a hydrating duo made with a powerful combination of plant oils. Cranberry seed is rich in omega three, six and nine, while British borage helps skin retain good levels of moisture. Rosehip oil, with its high levels of essential fatty acids, similarly boosts moisture retention and keeps skin smooth. The Dry Oil comes in spray-on form and dries quickly (so you can dress straight afterwards), but for a more indulgent ritual, take some time out to massage the rich Treatment Oil into your skin. £35 each, uk.lizearle.com
Complexions can vary with changing seasons and climates, but your skin’s undertones are a more constant indicator of its colour. Guerlain was guided by 44 women of different ages and skin tones to settle on the shades for its new Lingerie de Peau foundation, which has six degrees of intensity – from porcelain to ebony – and three undertones (cool, neutral and warm). Its ‘micro-mesh’ texture entwines correcting pigments with natural silk and linen fibres for seamless and undeniably radiant coverage. £38.50, houseoffraser.co.uk
An all-day glow Constructed like a fragrance (with top, mid and base notes), Suqqu’s Extra Rich Cream Foundation is designed to evolve throughout the day for longerlasting wear. ‘Reflexion Oil’ sits at the surface to give an initial dewy glow, then later breaks down to reveal a milky ‘Glow Liquid’ of pearl pigments that boost shine and keep skin looking velvety by controlling natural oil levels. Finally, natural extracts such as cherry tree leaf and Japanese kelp extract help to hydrate. £65, selfridges.com
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06/10/2016 09:39
PROMOTION
Starry nights Light up winter evenings and celebrate Christmas with Rituals
T
here are festivals throughout the world that celebrate light, from Diwali to Hanukkah, and this winter Rituals is celebrating Christmas with its new, limited edition The Ritual of Light Collection. Inspired by sparkling Christmas trees, candles in churches, and roaring fires on cold winter nights, Rituals also hopes to remind everyone to kindle their inner light this festive season. The collection encourages people to take a moment to reflect, and not only offer gifts but their time, attention and love to family and friends. The range of comforting and indulgent home and body products includes candles, shower foam, and tea, to promote an atmosphere of peace and serenity, and all the products are scented with classic orange and cinnamon notes for a festive feel.
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Take some time out to indulge in a decadent bath by soaking in the Rituals creamy bath foam, and use the body scrub with its organic sugar and soothing jojoba and sweet almond oils to give dull skin its glow back. Complete the scene with the metallic scented candle, which is also available in an extra large size with three wicks and 70 hours of burning time as a statement centrepiece. Finally, add fragrance sticks to extend the scent throughout the home. From December, sets of six fortune crackers will also join the range – perfect for an elegant touch to table settings. Each contains a quote or saying and either a miniature Fortune shower oil, The Ritual of Dao Stress Relief serum or The Ritual of Ayurveda hand balm. From £8.50, uk.rituals.com
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STRONGER. SLIMMER. FIRMER. FITTER. in six week s ta k e 5 i nches off your waist, los e a s tone, doub le you r fi t nes s
“LOSE WEIGHT AND GAIN FITNESS IN RECORD TIME. WITH THE BODYDOCTOR’S WORKOUT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE” The Sunday Times Style Magazine
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
S PA R E V I E W
The pharaoh effect September’s diamond facial review is trumped by this month’s gold – a recent trend on the beauty scene promising the ultimate skin brightening. Jacinta Ruscillo puts it to the test at The Dorchester
A
side from being the last pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt and having famous love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, Cleopatra was well known for being a timeless icon of female beauty. It’s no surprise then that she has been the subject of extensive historical research; her beauty regime is said to have consisted of milk and honey baths, almond ointments and, most excitingly, a golden face mask that she wore every night while she slept. Wandering into The Dorchester on a sunny but noticeably autumnal afternoon, I feel optimistic that the Pure Gold and Collagen Facial by Carol Joy London might just give me the pharaoh effect. A welcoming receptionist greets me at the spa, a serene and floral underground labyrinth of therapy rooms, steam rooms and relaxation suite. I follow her into a treatment room dressed in a fluffy robe and sink into the bed while my skin consultation is carried out.
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Using Carol Joy London products, containing refined golden millet oil, my therapist performs a massaging ritual onto my skin and décolletage before steaming and extractions. The collagen treatment includes a firming and plumping mask followed by a myofascial massage, which involves gently pinching the skin to lift and tone. Then, with the precision of a master jeweller, my therapist lays the pure 24-karat gold leaf onto areas prone to ageing, including the eye area, smile lines and forehead. As the gold works its magic, I enjoy a soothing acupressure head massage. After 60 minutes, it’s over with a spritz of 100 per cent collagen and as I glance in the mirror to see the results, I am suitably impressed. My complexion looks strikingly plumper and re-energised as a result of the regenerative properties of gold. A glass of Laurent-Perrier and a pistachio biscotti in the relaxation room is the perfect way to end my treatment and although my regular beauty regime may not resemble that of an Egyptian queen, I am made to feel like one. Carol Joy London Pure Gold and Collagen Facial, from £220, The Dorchester Spa, 53 Park Lane, W1K, dorchestercollection.com
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There are approximately
12.5 MILLION
neurological cases currently in England
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Wising up to headaches We all get headaches every now and then, but what should we do when they become more severe or persistent? Dr Bal Athwal, Consultant Neurologist at The Wellington Hospital talks us through the treatments available at a specialist clinic
PROMOTION
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eadaches account for more than five per cent of GP visits, yet despite their frequency, doctors can struggle to effectively help headache sufferers, even where treatments are available. This can be due to a lack of specific training or the fact that there are often many potential causes of pain. Severe headaches with sudden onset could indicate a more serious problem, so doctors often focus on excluding these. This should be followed with rapid diagnosis and effective treatment. The head and neck are complex structures, so sometimes a broader approach is required to diagnose what is causing the pain. In these situations, it is critical for a multidisciplinary team of experts to be on hand. The following cases demonstrate how patients may be helped by visiting a specialist headache clinic: Patient A is a 39-year-old housewife and mother with a long history of headache episodes that were usually self-limiting, or easy to treat with simple painkillers. She developed what seemed like a typical headache, but when it would not settle, she saw her GP and was sent to the headache clinic. An MRI showed a blood clot in a cerebral vein that needed a prolonged course of anticoagulants. She has recovered, but without diagnosis her condition may have deteriorated to a dangerous level. Patient B is a 55-year-old property lawyer who suffered extremely severe headache attacks for decades. After seeing numerous doctors, multiple tests, scans and treatments plans, he could not find a solution. He then visited a headache centre where he was diagnosed with variant cluster headache. He was reluctant to start treatment at first following many earlier false starts, but after further consultation he talked through his concerns before starting treatment and has suffered hardly any attacks since. The Headache and Facial Pain Clinic at The Wellington Hospital brings together experienced neurologists to diagnose and manage headache treatment. They are supported by an ophthalmologist to see patients with pain relating to eyes or vision issues, and an ENT consultant for conditions involving the throat, mouth, and ears and other relevant specialties, where required. Headache treatment starts at the best possible diagnosis and should take into account the patient’s concerns, needs and preferences. While some conditions may be curable, the majority of
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The Headache and Facial Pain Clinic at The Wellington Hospital brings together experienced neurologists to diagnose and manage headache treatment headache treatments usually involve managing the condition to make it less intrusive and disruptive to life. It is important to identify any potential lifestyle triggers that may exacerbate the symptoms. Medication may be taken either to counteract headaches when they occur, or on a longer term basis to suppress episodes before onset. Incorrectly or overusing painkillers can lead to a stubborn and persistent headache known as a medication overuse headache, so it is important to discuss your treatment with a specialist. Ongoing support is vital to maintain well-being for individuals affected by headaches. Nurses with expertise in treating and counselling headache sufferers are available to provide a ready point of contact in case of questions or difficulties. Although patients with persistent headaches might lack hope, with good management most patients are able to regain their quality of life. For further information or if you would like to arrange an appointment at the Headache and Facial Pain Clinic at The Wellington Hospital, please contact the hospital Enquiry Helpline on 020 7483 5000 or visit thewellingtonhospital.com
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LUXURY BATH & BODY AND HOME FRAGRANCE COLLECTIONS MADE IN ENGLAND
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Food & drink news W O R D S : J A C I N TA R U S C I L L O
A recent dinner at Marylebone private members’ club Home House – which serves more Moët than anywhere else – was a fitting location for the launch of the label’s new Grand Vintage: 2008. With vibrant, floral notes in the Blanc and a fruity zest to the Rosé, the flavours complement those of the Grand Vintage 1988 and 1998, and can also be purchased as a trio. £44 for Blanc and £59 for Rosé, uk.moet.com
Modern day Lima The curious combination of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine has proven to be popular with Londoners, so the opening of Pisqu is a welcome addition to Fitzrovia. The authentic yet modern Peruvian food from the Andes and the Amazon, is nuanced with Japanese, Chinese and Spanish influences for an eclectic twist. Expect to be served aji peppers, Inca corn and yuca alongside other superfoods sourced straight from Peru, for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. 23 Rathbone Place, W1T, pisqulondon.com
IMAGE CREDIT: ALEX SALINAS
MOËT MOMENTS
Known for its partnerships with guest chefs, Carousel London’s latest pop-up is now providing the perfect opportunity for guests to experience Cambodia’s native Khmer cuisine. Sophat Hing, head chef at Song Saa Private Island, will take the reins for a fortnight, using modern techniques to present traditonal flavours. Dishes will include red snapper curry served in a banana leaf with coconut cream and wok-fried mud crab with Kampot peppercorns. 15-26 November, 71 Blandford Street, W1U, carousel-london.com
LEFT: SOPHAT HING, IMAGE CREDIT: NICHOLAS HOPPER
Marylebone meets Cambodia
Sake and sushi Opening this month, Sakagura is a Japanese restaurant with a distinctly different concept. It houses its own sake cellar and on-site sake sommelier, while in the kitchen executive chef Kanji Furukawa and head chef Jin Yackshin create delectable sushi, bento and skewers. The two chefs advocate washoku – a UNESCO-recognised set of skills, knowledge and preparation – and this informs their meticulous attention to detail in taste, texture, presentation and commitment to seasonal ingredients. 8 Heddon Street, W1B, sakaguralondon.com
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Peruvian promise After the team travelled to Peru earlier this year in search of inspiration, Melissa Emerson has high expectations of LIMA Fitzrovia’s all-new menu
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IMA Fitzrovia has elevated Peruvian cuisine to new fine dining heights in London, and when my guest and I dine here, it’s easy to see why it has retained its Michelin star, first awarded in 2013. Championing authenticity and innovation at the restaurant is chef and head of culinary development Robert Ortiz, who travelled to Peru this summer with a team from the restaurant and its sister establishment, LIMA Floral. Discoveries from the trip are to be found on the new menu, which launched in early October and includes white and blue sweet potatoes, types of seaweed native to the country’s shoreline, the racacha root (most similar in flavour to carrot and celery) and coffee that boasts unusual hints of banana and beetroot. My seafood loving guest begins with a razor clam variety of tiradito – a raw dish that can only be described as the child of sashimi and ceviche, but as a true British potatolover, I’m keen to explore some of the thousands of varieties native to Peru. I opt for one of the causa dishes, causa being bite-size mashed potato dumplings. A simple but well-flavoured dish, here they come mixed with either asparagus, king crab, or Andean cereals. I try the latter, which arrives daintily topped with leaves and avocado uchucuta (a form of salsa) and spicy rocoto pepper sauce. The green, yellow, pink and purple shades of potato are an artistic sight to behold. Presentation is excellent across the board and perfectly complements the bright new wall murals in the downstairs bar by artist Bluey Byrne, part of the recent interior refurbishment. Next up is a main of beef pachamanca that has been marinated in spices and seared with the aid of traditional hot stones. It’s cooked two ways and served with yellow potato
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puree and Andean root vegetables. The unfamiliar roots and the kitchen’s creativity with them make ordering beef feel much more adventurous than usual. My guest meanwhile opts for the lamb with lavender, coffee and pomegranate, and both dishes surpass our starters thanks to the complex but perfectly balanced flavours and skilfully cooked meat. After a toast to the meal with our sommelierrecommended Chilean wine, we finish with alfajores and ice cream. Portion sizes are designed so you can easily make it to dessert, and these soft, biscuity, dulce de leche-filled sandwiches, somewhat resembling a macaron, are a common South American snack. Topped with golden crumbs of bee pollen, the dish delivers a sweet ending to our tour of a cuisine that LIMA is doing a superb job of representing. 31 Rathbone Place, W1T, limalondongroup.com
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ALL IMAGES BY RAHIL AHMAD
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Nicknamed the diet disaster in her beauty journalism days, chef and Cook in Boots writer Ravinder Bhogal has just opened her debut restaurant Jikoni in Marylebone. She talks to Kari Colmans about her love affair with the capital
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onsidering she’s been cooking since the age of five, it’s surprising that British chef and food writer Ravinder Bhogal ever considered doing anything else. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, she grew up among an extended family. As there could be between 15 and 20 people for lunch on any given day, she was always made to help out in the kitchen with her siblings, learning from her mother. “Everyone was always expected to muck in,” she recalls fondly, as we catch up only a week into the opening of her debut restaurant Jikoni. “I was podding peas and forking pastry before I could even reach the kitchen counter. I remember standing on a stool trying so hard to get my pastry to puff up.” Bhogal moved to London aged seven when her father decided to take British nationality following Kenya’s independence. “At the time I was very young and nobody actually told me we were moving for good,” she says. “Before then the idea of England had been this wonderland of Fortnum & Mason and Hamleys. Suddenly the reality was very different. It was cold and I was homesick for a long time.” But she still found comfort in cooking, although now it was more British classics than the East African food of her mother’s Kenyan kitchen. “I was about
eight years old when I cooked my first meal from scratch. I think I made a shepherd’s pie for my family. Very English!” Fast-forward a few years, and Bhogal found herself pursuing a career in fashion and then beauty journalism. Her mother was a tailor, and the creative side of the job always appealed, but she quickly realised it wasn’t for her. “While I was a beauty journalist I always cooked, and was constantly bringing in food for people in my office. I was known as the diet disaster.” A stylist friend then saw an advert for a cookery competition with Gordon Ramsay and convinced Bhogal to enter. “She said she had this overwhelming feeling that if I entered I’d win. And I did. I had been writing a cookery book – Cook in Boots – for about a year before that anyway, just for myself, and within three months I had a book deal with HarperCollins.” Despite winning the competition to find Britain’s new Fanny Cradock on Ramsay’s The F Word in 2007 (“he was charming to work with,” she claims) the 35-year-old has still had to earn her stripes the old-fashioned way, before stepping up to the plate solo. Describing herself as “a creature of really simple tastes”, the ultimate comfort food can be anything her mother cooked, such as dahl with rice and homemade pickles, to suppers of linguine with clams, or penne with aioli and half a block of
“What I wanted to create was an un-restaurant, a kitchen with chairs and tables; an extension of my home. The food is very nourishing, very maternal, very soothing”
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parmesan grated over it. It’s a fair reflection of her warm and engaging personality – homely, inviting and fuss free – and while you won’t find any seafood pasta at her new restaurant, the ‘food for the soul’ sentiment is very much the same. “Jikoni means kitchen in Swahili and it’s a mixed heritage menu, a nod to my East African, Indian heritage. But it is also reflective of London and the diverse way in which Londoners eat. There are flavours from everywhere. What I wanted to create was an un-restaurant, a kitchen with chairs and tables; an extension of my home. The food is very nourishing, very maternal, very soothing.” Indeed, it is as Bhogal describes, and you get the sense of eating in your best friend’s lounge,
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albeit a very stylish one. Tablecloths are patterned and kitsch-colourful and the knick-knacks strewn around the room speak of young, eclectic, Pinterest-friendly tastes. The food is a tasty mish-mash of Asian, African, and British flavours, like the smells of a street food festival all combined into one or two dishes. I particularly love the hearty mutton sloppy joe, prawn toast scotch egg and cauliflower popcorn. But above all there is a warm, charming buzz about the place; be it the food or Bhogal’s ever-smiling face behind the service counter. “I grew up in the Sikh faith, where service to your community is one of the tenets, as is an open kitchen,” she says. “They have free kitchens where
“I grew up in the Sikh faith, where service to your community is one of the tenets, as is an open kitchen” anybody can come in and have a meal. Whether you’re an emperor or a pauper you can sit side by side; all the service is voluntary, all the food is donated, and it is always delicious. It’s wonderful for me when I go to these spaces and see people of all backgrounds, colours, creeds and castes sitting together. Now my community is my restaurant, my guests and my team.” A Londoner “through and through”, Bhogal now can’t imagine living anywhere else. While she used to be based in south-east London, she recently moved to the north-west suburb of Stanmore to be with her fiancé. “I moved for love!” she laughs. “I have a complete love affair with this city.” And even before deciding on Blandford Street for Jikoni, she’d always chosen to hang out in Marylebone. “It feels villagey, like a local neighbourhood should. And within just a few weeks of opening we have had residents returning regularly.” When she’s not whipping up lobster khichdi and spiced scrag end pie (you’ll have to visit to find out more), she loves to get out to the local culinary haunts. “La Fromagerie is a Marylebone institution,” she says. “It’s been here so many years but still feels really special after all this time. I admire that. The same goes for The Ginger Pig next door, which sells fantastic meat. I like hanging out at Fischer’s too; the service is impeccable. It feels like a neighbourhood place. It’s open late so sometimes if I haven’t eaten and want a late bite, then I hop over for a pudding after service. The lighting is just right, so it makes you want to linger.” And while in these early restaurant days Bhogal hardly gets a moment to herself, when she does, she loves nothing more than to sit down in front of a cookery show. She’s a huge Nigel Slater fan: “I really engage with his shows,” she says. “He always makes me very hungry.” And, like most, she loves The Great British Bake Off. “It’s so lovely to have TV shows that are family orientated and are about showcasing real talent and inspiring people. I encourage that.” 19-21 Blandford Street, W1U, jikonilondon.com
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Raise a
GLASS Discover the history behind The Macallan and the time-honoured cask process still used today
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ever has a drink caused such a sensation as the Martini did in 1964, when Sean Connery’s James Bond first uttered the phrase “shaken, not stirred”. But avid fans of Ian Fleming’s novels will know that the character often favoured a whisky over a cocktail, a fact that film buffs finally cottoned on to in Skyfall, when Daniel Craig cracked open a 50-year-old bottle of The Macallan’s finest. While Bond may have been slow on the uptake, the rest of the world has been enjoying the distillery’s liquid gold for a little while longer – 192 years, in fact. Founded in 1824 in Scotland by farmer Alexander Reid, who leased eight acres of land from the Earl of Seafield, The Macallan’s distillery was one of the first in Scotland to be legally licensed and is still located on the same grounds today as it was when it was first established. Nearly two centuries later and the brand is still committed to the original founder’s dedication to high quality spirits, and many of its older single malts have become highly-coveted collectors’ items – in 2014, The Macallan M Imperiale 6-litre Lalique decanter sold at auction in Hong Kong for $628,000. Today the barley used to create each batch is still grown in the grounds surrounding The Macallan Estate, and the spring water used is drawn from its very own springs that are located on site. The warehousing process, on the other hand, is decidedly more international: while still located in the Scottish distillery, the wooden casks used for maturation are made out of wood from forests located in both America and Spain. “We use two types of oak: Quercus Alba, an American white oak, and Quercus Robur, a European oak,” The Macallan’s Master of Wood, Stuart MacPherson, explains. “These two varieties give us different styles, characteristics and colours, which complement a number of our products.” The American oak is sourced from forests in Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri, whereas the European oak mainly comes from the north of Spain. The production for each cask is a lengthy process and can take up to six years to mature. “After cutting the logs in the north of Spain, we leave the wood to dry naturally for a period of time to reduce the moisture before transporting it to the south, where we leave it for a further two years to dry,” MacPherson says. “You then have
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the cask construction and seasoning process – we season with dried sherry – and that takes an average of 18 months. Then we deliver the casks to the distillery in Scotland.” At this moment in time, more than 250,000 casks are maturing at the distillery. The quality and type of oak used is fundamental to the creation process, with 80 per cent of each whisky’s characteristics and 100 per cent of its colour coming from the wood itself. “The Quercus Alba cask will give you a much lighter colour and more vanilla and citrus flavours, while the Quercus Robur will create a much darker shade and a flavour of dried spices, chocolate and citrus,” MacPherson says. “The combination of these two types of casks and what it creates gives us more opportunities.” While MacPherson jokes that he wasn’t around in 1824, he affirms that the maturing process is likely to be very much the same as it was 192 years ago. “Like most industries today, machinery has taken over some of the more arduous tasks, but fundamentally a cask that has been made now would have been the same in the 17th century.” Almost two centuries down and still counting, what does the future hold for The Macallan? “I think The Macallan as a brand has grown significantly in the last 15 to 20 years. It’s probably one of the largest single malts in the Scotch industry now,” MacPherson says proudly. “I like to think that with the popularity of the brand and the new emerging markets that there are worldwide, the brand will hopefully go from strength to strength and that consumers from all over the world will have the opportunity to sample our whisky. Things are looking very positive for the growth of The Macallan for the future.” Cheers to the next 192 years. themacallan.com T H E M ACA L L A N R A R E CA S K A single malt produced through meticulous dedication to wood, The Macallan Rare Cask is aged exclusively in sherry oak casks. This unique expression sees soft notes of opulent vanilla and raisin pique the nose, giving way to a sweet ensemble of apple, lemon and orange. £200, available at Harrods
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GABRIEL AND MARCELLO BERNARDI ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF PAUL WINCH-FURNESS
FORTUNES It’s been just over a year since the Bernardi brothers Gabriel and Marcello opened their eponymous restaurant on Seymour Street. They tell Lauren Romano about their take on contemporary Italian dining
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here are no empty chianti bottles stoppered with red candles, wildly gesticulating waiters theatrically wielding oversized pepper mills, or faded black and white photos of actors tucking into spaghetti carbonara on the walls at Bernardi’s. The neighbourhood Italian, opened on Marylebone’s Seymour Street a year ago by design-minded Melbourne-born brothers Gabriel and Marcello Bernardi, has a more contemporary vibe than your average local trattoria. “When we were pitching the concept, we used the term ‘Italian casual sophistication’,” says co-founder Marcello, an advertising guru by day and key strategist for brand Bernardi’s by night. “We wanted to be a social hub because that’s what the restaurants in Italy and Australia are like – a place where you go for more than just the food, to hang out for the afternoon.” They’ve succeeded. With brother Gabriel (founder of interior and architectural design company Coote & Bernardi) in charge of the décor, the career moonlighting siblings have hit their ‘casual sophistication’ nail on the head. The concept has been translated into an elegant
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colour palette of stonewash light grey walls, with marble tables and slouchy chocolate leather booths. It’s an aesthetic that complements the contemporary style of the menu, which isn’t constricted by region or tradition. “We have a good instinct for cooking, but we’re not trying to be a museum of Italian greats, this isn’t a homage to classic Italian food, because it’s not who we are. We want to be inventive. If something doesn’t work, we take it off the menu,” says Gabriel. The brothers have both had some practice in the restaurant business. When they left Oz for London at the end of the ’90s, they found the food scene over here more depressing than the weather. In a mission to recreate a version of the laid-back dining concept prolific at home, Gabriel, with help from Marcello, co-founded the Cubitt House group, responsible for Belgravia establishments The Thomas Cubitt, The Pantechnicon Rooms (now The Alfred Tennyson) and The Orange. They both agree that the capital has upped its game in the culinary stakes over the last few years, in many respects even overtaking Melbourne. “In my opinion dining out has become a little bit weird in Australia,” Gabriel confesses. “Having a restaurant is all about being hospitable. The food has to be very good, but it’s not all about that.” “Everyone’s trying super hard to do new fads,” adds Marcello. “Over here it’s different though. When you see places like BAO opening in Fitzrovia, I like that because the whole model is small. It’s not about getting the place filled with 300 covers. I live literally next door and I can’t even skip the queue.
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“We’re not trying to be a museum of Italian greats, this isn’t a homage to “The one annoying thing about London is that any legitimate dining operation now is done with the mind-set of expansion. And what that does is it takes away the beauty of why people dine out at a certain place. At Bernardi’s our customers come specifically to have food cooked by our chef Sabrina [Gidda], or to meet us. We want to try to keep things local and small in spirit.” The phrase chalk and cheese springs to mind when describing the Bernardi brothers. Gabriel seems to have inheritated the innately Italian trait of theatricality, while Marcello is more calm and collected. They might poke fun at each other constantly, but I imagine the gentle digs are more for my benefit. The family dynamic clearly works. “If we argue it’s for about a minute,” Gabriel says. “We’re kind of like a tag team”. Marcello is involved in more of the branding, visual communication and marketing, while Gabriel takes a bigger hand in the overall operation of the day-to-day business. “It’s definitely a shared workload,” he adds.
MARCELLO (LEFT), WITH CHEF SABRINA GIDDA AND GABRIEL
The pair might maintain that the food isn’t the sole recipe to their success but Sabrina Gidda’s cooking begs to differ. She came highly recommended by the former Murano general manager Zoe Charlton-Brown, (who incidentally went on to become Bernardi’s consultant operations director), and her homemade focaccia, creamy burratina with heritage tomato and olive pesto and prawn ravioli with courgettes, chilli and wild rocket, is the stuff that last meals are made of. “The funny thing was before we interviewed Sabrina we trialled some chefs from Italy. We were really excited, they had great CVs, Italian names… but they cooked some of the weirdest food we’ve ever tried. One was like an Italian Heston – all dry ice and no risotto,” recalls Marcello. The pair grew up with pan-regional Italian cuisine, cooked by their Treviso-born father. Do they spend much time behind the stove at home? “Gabriel does his little omelettes now and then,” retorts Marcello.
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classic Italian food, because it’s not who we are. We want to be inventive.” “I can cook!” Gabriel protests. “But cooking for one is a pain and I’m here so often in the evenings.” On the days he ends up working, he’s partial to Sabrina’s spinach and ricotta gnudi. And if he’s not on the restaurant floor, you’ll catch him downstairs at the low-lit basement bar, The Dog House, which opened in the summer. The brothers have been trying to market the space as a chicer alternative to a pub, complete with table service and a series of colourful art commissions. One half of the room is dominated by a giant “cheeky mafia themed” collage. “I think we could do with a marble bust of us somewhere over there on a pedestal,” Gabriel suggests when I ask what finishing touches the pair have in mind. “Don’t say that, we’ll sound like the most self-obsessed owners of all time,” Marcello reprimands him. Joking aside, the duo try not to lose too much sleep worrying about what food critics write about them and the restaurant. “Grace Dent is a comedienne, she’s funny, I respect her,” Marcello says. “Sometimes AA Gill
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is spot on too. He once reviewed The Thomas Cubitt and said something sneering about the Farrow & Ball shade we’d gone for: ‘It’s probably called Duke’s Snot’. It made us laugh.” And if the reviews are anything to go by, it’s been a successful first year. The restaurant’s general manager Gabor Papp arrives to talk about the one-year anniversary celebrations as we wrap up. The date also coincides with Gabriel’s birthday, which is as good an excuse as any to throw a party. The theme, Gabriel tells me, tongue in cheek, is ‘Riviera Sexy’. He’s planning to wear an adaptation of the John Paul Gaultier sailor outfit, while Marcello’s sticking to a classic white T-shirt and jeans combo. “I’m getting ready for all the: ‘You’re not Gabriel’s brother are you?’ comments,” Marcello jokes with mock disbelief as they both erupt with laughter. Chalk and cheese they may be, but a little sibling rivalry hasn’t done them any harm so far. 62 Seymour Street, W1H, bernardis.co.uk
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Down to
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he detoxing bandwagon doesn’t usually get rolling until January, but those who want to recharge before the festive period should take note of Yeotown health retreat, nestled on the dramatic north Devon coast. Here indoor and outdoor fitness training sessions on the five-day ‘yeotox’ programme are bookended with brisk coastal hikes, yoga classes and daily massages, as well as the chance to bed down for the night in the recently opened eco residence. The new Love and Be Loved Cottage is a carbon neutral crash pad, complete with everything you need to unwind in style. There’s a swaying meditation pod, a contemplation couch and inspirational talks, audio books and guided meditations available to download at the click of a remote. Inner peace not included. The Yeotown detox programme staying at Love and Be Loved Cottage from £3,000 per person including accommodation, meals and activities, yeotown.com IMAGE CREDIT: GUY HARROP
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Through the keyhole
Travel news WORDS: ANNA THORNHILL
Off piste For those who can’t decide between hitting the slopes or the sand, El Lodge Ski & Spa Resort has made the decision easy by partnering with its sister property, the Marbella Club Golf Resort & Spa. The Ski & Sea package offers the best of both worlds: perfect your moves on the Maribel and Águila runs directly accessed from El Lodge’s restaurant deck in the Sierra Nevada mountains, before retreating to the beachside Marbella Club to even out any dodgy ski-goggle tan lines. Just remember to pack your thermals – and your swimsuit. Ski + Sea packages from £1,444 per person, ellodge.com; marbellaclub.com
Renting a home away from home is hardly a new concept, but trawling the net to find a pad that ticks all the right boxes can be a lengthy process. That’s why father and son team Nick and Richard Cookson has narrowed down the search by curating the finest selection of villas to rent directly from their owners in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Among the most striking is Villa Cetinale (pictured), a beautiful 17th-century abode situated on the outskirts of Siena that boasts a stunning garden brimming with citrus trees and vine-covered pergolas. Villa Cetinale from €25,000 a week, villacollective.com
NEW HEIGHTS Miami’s trademark mid-century modern style is well represented at Nautilus South Beach hotel. Originally designed by famed architect Morris Lapidus, the ’50s resort reopened on Collins Avenue last year, recently adding a number of oceanfront suites. Inside retro architectural details await in abundance, but our favourite design feature is the direct access the suites enjoy to a spectacular rooftop terrace, where the views are best enjoyed with an icy Piña Colada. One-bedroom suite from $2,500 a night, sixtyhotels.com
An instant hit Get your holiday snaps sorted with the new Leica Sofort instant film camera. Its compact size makes it packing and sightseeing friendly without compromising on function. Once you’ve got to grips with the range of modes available, master the art of the selfie too, thanks to the rectangular mirror on the front. From £215, leica-camera.com s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
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From the Palm Springs Post Office to Frank Sinatra’s estate with its pianoshaped pool, Ellen Alpsten picks out the many mid-century modern highlights along the Pacific Highway
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he rigid layout of Palm Springs, 100 miles east of Los Angeles, belies the swing of the city that once attracted Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and the rest of the Rat Pack. Back in the ’50s and ’60s architects were commissioned to design ultra-modern vacation pads where the Hollywood elite could escape to and soak up the desert sun. The resort arguably lost some of its sparkle for a time in the ’80s, when golfing retirees dressed in checked Bermuda shorts took over – but a revival was always on the cards. Weathered volcanic rock continues to loom over shifting sand dunes; mountains still shimmer in hues of rich mustard and vibrant pink; hot springs spurt from the desert’s deep belly. Given this scenic backdrop, it’s hardly surprising that a whole new generation of artists, travellers and celebrities is falling in love with the landscape and the city’s retro charms. Palm Springs is not short of mid-century style hotels, the liveliest of which is the Ace Hotel & Swim Club with its two kidney shaped pools (one stays open until 2am), fabulous kitchen and bohemian furnishings. Situated near to Joshua Tree National Park, and within biking distance of downtown, it’s an ideal place to base yourself during your stay – and it offers a good introduction to mid-century modern design. Despite its clean lines this is not the easiest of architectural languages. The emphasis is put on form rather than ornament and structure and materials take precedence. Above all, the use of space is important – no wonder that this movement flourished in the US in the ’30s, after the turmoil of the roaring ’20s. Palm Springs now has the largest concentration of spectacular mid-century buildings, perhaps because of the wide open spaces afforded by the
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desert landscape, or the fact that the backdrop complemented the stark, sleek visions of steel and glass that the movement came to epitomise. Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen have since taken their seat in the architecture hall of fame, and their legacies still stand in bricks, mortar, steel and glass, ready to be admired. If you miss the city’s annual Modernism Week, which takes place every February, hire a classic car and explore the terrain for yourself.
The drive to the famous Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, designed by Albert Frey and Robson C. Chambers dates from 1963 and leads you past the Bank of America building, built in 1959, as well as the fabulous Palm Springs Post Office. Inspired by Le Corbusier’s chapel in Ronchamp, France, it’s a compelling reminder to send a postcard or two. Look out too for the Wexler Steel Houses – only six of them are preserved in the US – as well as at the smart Racquet Club Road residential estate and its
TRAVEL
LEFT: THE ACE HOTEL & SWIM CLUB THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: THE ACE HOTEL & SWIM CLUB; PALM SPRINGS VISITOR CENTRE, IMAGE CREDIT: ARTHUR COLEMAN; THE PIANO-SHAPED POOL AT TWIN PALMS ESTATE; THE KAUFMANN HOUSE; ELVIS HONEYMOON HIDEAWAY, ALL COURTESY OF PALM SPRINGS BUREAU OF TOURISM
characteristic bungalows. Further north you then roll past the Visitor Centre, which is housed in the famous Tramway Gas Station. The building itself looks like something out of Star Trek, with its kite-shaped roof jutting out towards the craggy lines of the surrounding mountains. To get a different perspective on the lie of the land, take the Aerial Tramway. The rotating cable car climbs 8,000 feet and offers a bird’s-eye view of the wild vastness of the Coachella Valley. Back on the ground, make a pitstop at the Kaufmann House. Designed by Richard Neutra and built for the department store tycoon Edgar J. Kaufmann, the five-bedroom villa is said to be one of the most important houses in the US and regularly features in Vogue shoots. Just a stone’s throw away is the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway. Following their Las Vegas nuptials, the King carried Priscilla Beaulieu over the threshold to begin their honeymoon in the polygonal glass bedroom floating beneath a bat-winged roofline. Last but not least, make sure you stop by at Twin Palms Estate, aka chez Frank Sinatra. He put Palm Springs on the global map, and his influence is still keenly felt in the house, which is available to rent as a vacation home (complete with its pianoshaped pool). It bore witness to the fieriest battles between him and actress Ava Gardner: a crack in one of the bathroom basins allegedly dates from when he threw a bottle at her. As Gardner wrote in her autobiography: “it was the site of probably the most spectacular fight of our young married life, and honey don’t think I don’t know that’s really saying something… the house has seen some pretty amazing occurrences.” Go see it for yourself. Modernism Week takes place 16-26 February 2017 for more information, visit: modernismweek.com Ace Hotel & Swim Club, from $200 a night, acehotel.com/palmsprings
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PROPERTY
Property Listings See below for estate agents in your area
ASTON CHASE 69-71 Park Road NW1 6XU 020 7724 4724 astonchase.com
KAY & CO 20a Paddington Street W1U 5QP 020 7486 6338 kayandco.com
ROBERT IRVING BURNS 23-24 Margaret Street W1W 8LK 020 7637 0821 rib.co.uk
CBRE Henrietta House 8 Henrietta Place W1G 0NB 020 7182 2000 cbre.co.uk
KNIGHT FRANK 49 & 55 Baker Street W1U 8EW 020 3435 6440
ROKSTONE 5 Dorset Street W1U 6QJ 020 7486 3320 rokstone.com
HUDSONS PROPERTY 24 Charlotte Street W1T 2ND 020 7323 2277 hudsonproperty.com
5-7 Wellington Place NW8 7PB 020 7586 2777 knightfrank.co.uk
SOTHEBY’S REALTY 77-79 Ebury Street SW1W 0NZ 020 3714 0749 sothebysrealty.co.uk MARSH & PARSONS 94 Baker Street W1U 6FZ 020 7935 1775 marshandparsons.co.uk
For estate agent listings please contact Sophie Roberts at s.roberts@runwildgroup.co.uk
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HOMES SHOWCASING THE
finest HOMES & PROPERTY FROM THE BEST ESTATE AGENTS
ELEGANT & EXCLUSIVE The latest prime properties
Image courtesy of Knight Frank
Portland Place, Marylebone W1 A four bedroom lateral apartment on the sixth floor of a mansion block A well proportioned four bedroom apartment which benefits from a passenger lift, day porter and video entry system. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom, 3 further bedroom suites, spacious drawing room with interconnecting dining room with an exceptionally bright aspect, second reception/family room, large kitchen and breakfast room with beautiful views of the park, balcony that runs the entire length of the property. EPC: C. Approximately 229.7 sq m (2,472 sq ft). Leasehold: approximately 998 years 2 months
Guide price: £5,950,000
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone marylebone@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7938
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/MRY160076
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Great James Street, Bloomsbury WC1 Development opportunity to acquire a five storey listed period townhouse
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone marylebone@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7938
Planning was granted in 2013 for the internal and external works to create a single dwelling-house, including replacement ground floor rear extension with first floor external terrace. The proposed planning comprises six bedrooms each with en suite bathrooms, spacious kitchen, dining room, reception room and study. Further benefits include special architectural and historic features. Approximately 395.2 sq m (4,254 sq ft).
Freehold
Guide price: £2,950,000
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/MRY160113
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Chiltern Court, Marylebone NW1 Outstanding lateral apartment in a period building Immaculately presented four bedroom apartment comprising master bedroom with en suite bathroom, 3 further bedrooms, 2 further bathrooms, spacious reception/dining room, which is perfect for entertaining with large windows allowing for an abundance of natural light, separate fully fitted kitchen, herringbone wood flooring, neutral decor and porter. EPC: D. Approximately 161.2 sq m (1,735 sq ft). Leasehold: approximately 95 years 8 months
Guide price: £2,750,000
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone marylebone@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7938
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/MRY160137
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Faster. Sell or Let with Knight Frank. Our understanding of the ever-changing market enables us to price properties accurately. So whether you’re looking to buy or sell, let or rent; you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving. Knight Frank Marylebone 55 Baker Street London W1U 8EW 020 3641 7938 marylebone@knightfrank.com
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone
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Connaught Place, Hyde Park W2 Exceptional penthouse apartment with uninterrupted views across Hyde Park A magnificent interior designed penthouse of grand proportions located in a prestigious Grade II listed building with far reaching views across Hyde Park. 5 bedrooms (all en suite), reception room, dining room, media room, study, kitchen, utility room, staff area, roof terrace, direct lift access, comfort cooling, Mercury lighting system, full audio/visual system. Approximately 500 sq m (5,386 sq ft). Leasehold: approximately 124 years remaining
Guide price: £14,875,000
KnightFrank.co.uk/hydepark hydepark@knightfrank.com 020 3544 6140
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
KnightFrank.co.uk/HPE140240
Mayfair Mag November 2016 - 5, 12 Connaught Place
12/10/2016 19:04:16
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FOUND. Your perfect tenant. Let with Knight Frank. Our local expertise and global network mean that we can find a reliable tenant for your property; and with an average tenancy of nearly two years, Knight Frank not only helps you find them – but keep them as well. Call us today to arrange your free market valuation: KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings marylebonelettings@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5853 KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings hydeparklettings@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7941 Guide price: £1,150 per week
Hyde Park Gardens, Hyde Park W2
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A beautifully presented two bedroom apartment on the fourth floor in a Grade II listed building. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, lift, porter, communal gardens and parking. Approximately 85.8 sq m (924 sq ft). hydeparklettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 7941
All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 will apply when renting a property. Please ask us for more information about other fees that may apply or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
Guide price: £4,250 per week
Luxborough Street, Marylebone W1 A unique top floor three bedroom lateral apartment interior designed throughout. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, open plan kitchen/reception room/dining room, utility room, guest cloakroom. EPC: C. Approximately 246 sq m (2,652 sq ft). marylebonelettings@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 5853
Mayfair Mag October 2016
12/10/2016 10:27:02
Duplex Apartment On A Prestigious Garden Square Montagu Square, Marylebone, W1
• 2 Bedrooms • 2 Bathrooms • Reception Room • Kitchen • Wooden Floors • Energy Rating: D
£1,350 Per Week Furnished or Unfurnished
Kay & Co Marylebone & Fitzrovia Lettings
020 3394 0027
marylebone@kayandco.com kayandco.com Letting fees apply. Please visit our website for further details: www.kayandco.com/lettings/lettings-charges
Stunning Newly Refurbished Town House Thornton Place, Marylebone, W1
• 3 Bedrooms • 2 Bathrooms • Kitchen • Reception Room • Wood Flooring • Garden • Energy Rating: C
£1,500 Per Week Unfurnished Kay & Co Marylebone & Fitzrovia Lettings
020 3394 0027
marylebone@kayandco.com kayandco.com Letting fees apply. Please visit our website for further details: www.kayandco.com/lettings/lettings-charges
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Classic Marylebone Mansion Flat
Kay & Co Marylebone & Fitzrovia Sales 20a Paddington Street, London, W1U 5QP
3 Bedrooms • 2 Bathrooms • Kitchen • Reception Room Dining Room • Energy Rating: E
020 3394 0027
York Street, Marylebone, W1
£2,150,000 Share of Freehold
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marylebone@kayandco.com kayandco.com
14/10/2016 11:44
Tranquility in the heart of the city. What sets this penthouse apart is its two spacious, of the London skyline. In the heart of the city, feeling like you’re on cloud nine.
To explore our luxury property portfolio, visit www.sothebysrealty.co.uk.
Vauxhall Bridge Road, Victoria SW1V - ÂŁ3,995,000
0
sothebysrealty.co.uk
Chesterfield Gardens, Mayfair W1J
£1,450,000
Enviably situated in a quiet cul-de-sac north of Curzon Street, Chesterfield House is one of Mayfair’s premier buildings. Recently refurbished to a high standard, this large one-bedroom apartment is located on the first floor and has a spacious reception room. The building has a lift and benefits from a 24h concierge service. This tranquil apartment would make an ideal pied a terre or rental investment. Approximately 650 sq. ft. EPC rating D. Eat in kitchen | 24h concierge service | Prime Mayfair location | Recently renovated to high standard | Quiet cul de sac
Share of Freehold
77-79 Ebury Street, London SW1W 0NZ sothebysrealty.co.uk +44 20 7495 9580 | london@sothebysrealty.co.uk © 2016 UK Sotheby’s International Realty. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty is a registered trademark licensed to UK Sotheby’s International Realty in the UK. Each offïce is independently owned and operated. All information non - contractual, approximate and subject to error, change and withdrawal without notice. Rent excludes administration fees. Please contact our offïces who can provide this information.
London’s West End property experts
Ridgmount Gardens WC1 ÂŁ750,000
www.hudsonsproperty.com
Charming mansion flat | Portered block | Communal gardens | Upper floor with lift
Property is personal
Call us now on 020 7323 2277
Corner House, W1 To Let ÂŁ1,000 per week
Two double bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Dual aspect reception room | Underfloor heating
24 Charlotte St. London W1T 2ND
E. info@hudsonsproperty.com
Property news PrimeResi brings you the latest news in prime property and development in London IMAGE COURTESY OF KAY & CO
Back on the A-list:
The remarkable revival of Regent’s Park How the redevelopment of British Land’s former HQ triggered an ultra-prime renaissance
S
ome very big names have been snapping up mansions in Regent’s Park recently, further validating the remarkable resurgence of this formerly overlooked area. The grand Nash-designed properties around the park have lately attracted A-list purchasers including Tom Ford (York Terrace), Damien Hirst (Hanover Terrace), Stefano Gabbana (Regent’s Park Road) and real estate luminary Christian Candy, who you may have heard is currently converting a row of former offices on Cambridge Terrace and Chester Gate into a £200m giga-mansion. Considering that back in 2005, around a third of the property in
PrimeQResi Journal of Luxury Property
Regent’s Park was used as commercial premises, and values averaged £1,000 per square foot for best-in-class stock, this marks an extraordinary turnaround. According to new research by Kay & Co, prices in the Regent’s Park area have risen by 123 per cent since 2006, while the rest of prime central London managed 105 per cent. Separately, Knight Frank has recorded a nine per cent boost since 2014 and tipped both Regent’s Park and Marylebone to join Chelsea, Belgravia, Kensington and Knightsbridge as future ‘golden postcodes’ for super-prime development. Average residential values now range from £2,500 to £3,000 per square foot in Regent’s Park.
Historically the area had suffered from short term leases, but when the Regent’s Park freeholder decided to start supplying new 150 year leases – a big improvement on the 60-year offerings of old – everything changed. Unmodernised properties suddenly became attractive to developers, investors and ultra high net worth purchasers, with Oakmayne’s superprime conversion of the former British Land HQ on Cornwall Terrace proving the watershed moment. The concept quickly spread to the other terraces. Kay & Co calculates there has been a 13.4 per cent drop in the number of dwellings over the last decade, as flats have been converted to houses. The average size of properties sold meanwhile has risen by 22 per cent since 2011.
PROPERTY
DAMIEN HIRST, SKULL, 2009, IMAGE COURTESY OF AMAZON PROPERTY
Grade I-listed mansion on Fitzroy Square hits the market A 1792 Robert Adam masterpiece goes on sale for £19.5m
G
Art on the crescent £100m worth of Regent’s Park residences showcase £100m worth of art
rade I listed Robert Adam mansions don’t come up for sale very often. Indeed, in 11 years’ working at the top end of the market in central London, Knight Frank’s Christian Lock-Necrews tells us No.3 Fitzroy Square is the first he’s dealt with. The position in the middle of the favoured east terrace – part of the original square laid out by the great architect in the 1790s – means classic Portland stone frontage, a westerly aspect across the gardens, with an adjoining mews house to the rear. Spanning a monumental 10,403 square feet, the five-storey mansion has everything the Adam aficionado would be looking for and more, with four-metre high ceilings on the first floor and a vaulted full-height cantilevered stone staircase with iron balusters running – unusually – all the way to second floor level. There’s also planning in place to replace the existing mews house with a 21st century interpretation, delivering a pool, some more living space, plus a passenger lift in the main house from the basement to the second floor. Unsurprisingly, there’s already been plenty of interest, says LockNecrews, including from some “significant and well-known figures”.
A
mazon Property went all out on the launch of its flagship £200m scheme, The Park Crescent, securing a £100m art collection for the big reveal to tie in with Frieze Week last month. More than 200 pieces of art were flown in from around the world to adorn six of the marquee residences, which also happen to be worth a combined £100m. Sourced from official partners Alon Zakaim Fine Art and Lawrence Van Hagen, along with private collectors from around the world, some of the works – namely ten Marc Chagalls and 30 Alexander Calders – were exhibited together in the UK for the first time. Clients of the curators were invited to attend a launch party on 6 October. Each property had a different curatorial theme: collections of Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí were displayed in a four-bed residence with an interior designed by 1508 London; a three-bedroom duplex featured major abstract pieces by Victor Vasarely and Yayoi Kusama. Prices for the residences range from £3.95m to £20m (through Knight Frank and Aston Chase). IMAGES COURTESY OF KNIGHT FRANK
primeresi.com
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FORMOSA STREET, W9 A well-presented, bright and spacious house that’s boasts a contemporary design while maintaining many period features. There is a sunny south facing patio garden, ideal for outdoor dining and entertaining that leads from kitchen. The kitchen boasts a chef island, underfloor heating and a Sonos integrated sound system. There is also a remotely controlled lighting system, which also covers the outside space. Upstairs the master bedroom is further complemented by a dressing room and en-suite bathroom, a guest suite and 2 further bedrooms. The location is ideal with Regents Park within walking distance. Warwick Avenue underground station is within a short stroll, and Paddington Station, with its mainline rail, underground station and Express Links to Heathrow Airport is a short walk away. Viewing is essential and highly recommended.
020 7580 2030 WWW.ROKSTONE.COM 5 Dorset Street, London, W1U 6QJ enquiries@rokstone.com
Price: £4,750,000.00 »»Fully refurbished »»Close to Paddington station »»Four bedrooms »»Garden »»2,863 sq. ft.
RESIDENTIAL SALES £825,000
£1,300,000
Denman Street, W1
Oxford Street, W1
We are delighted to launch to the market this stylish and chic Soho apartment which sits proudly on the second floor of a small period building on the ever fashionable Denman Street.
We are delighted to launch this magnificently decorated two bedroom, two bathroom apartment on Oxford Street.
£1,790,000
£1,100,000
Bourlet Close, W1
Drury Lane, WC2
Robert Irving Burns are delighted to present this brand new two/three bedroom duplex apartment situated in this striking yet pretty cobbled mews street.
An impressive two bedroom, two bathroom apartment located on the second floor of this Victorian building.
020 7927 0616
sales@rib.co.uk
23-24 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8LF
6594 - RIB - Marylebone and Fitzrovia Magazine Ad Oct 2016.indd 1
www.rib.co.uk 18/10/2016 16:57
Forward thinking David Caldeira, residential director at Robert Irving Burns and Julia Garber, head of residential lettings explain why business is on the up and Fitzrovia’s future is looking bright
R
obert Irving Burns has been in business and based in Fitzrovia since 1962. During that time the property landscape has shifted beyond all recognition, but despite the changing local community, the company’s values haven’t altered. “The ethos has always been about service,” explains David Caldeira, who oversees the new homes and residential arms of the business. Today he’s giving a tour of a local apartment that has recently been let. The industrial-style mews property is an apt testament of how the agency’s superior service has built lasting associations. Robert Irving Burns sold the current landlord the property 20 years ago and is now letting it out for him in its newly renovated form. “What makes us different is that we’re multi-faceted, so we can deal with everything from a commercial enquiry or lease extensions, to residential sales and lettings, including AST management, as well as block/building management,” Caldeira adds. This means that clients have access to a range of specialists across all areas of the property spectrum, which in turn has helped to foster relationships. It might have once been considered the poor relation of surrounding areas like Marylebone and Mayfair, but Fitzrovia has come a long way, as the wave of new developments in the neighbourhood confirms. After spotting a gap in the market and recognising the potential of the postcode, Caldeira set up Robert Irving Burns’ new homes department five years ago. This department continues to offer clients the combined services of its agents, who attend meetings with their clients’
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: DAVID CALDEIRA AND JULIA GARBER IMAGE CREDIT: SAREL JANSEN
PROPERTY
architects and planners, contributing ideas and adding value where they can. Caldeira believes that the catalyst for change in Fitzrovia is down to the imminent arrival of Crossrail at Tottenham Court Road, which in turn has seen droves of domestic and overseas purchasers snapping up properties in the vicinity. Media types are also moving in thanks to the arrival of the Facebook headquarters, meaning the area is becoming increasingly popular with buy-to-let investors. “I used to walk down Great Titchfield Street and Great Portland Street on the weekends and I’d bump into people I knew. Now it’s a lot quieter because many residents use the properties as pied-à-terres,” Caldeira says. “But then again that appeals to those who didn’t want to live in the area before, because you’re so close to Soho, Covent Garden and the buzz of the West End, yet it’s still nice and quiet.” The enclave’s beautiful period conversions mean that Fitzrovia is also an attractive prospect to Marylebone residents looking to downsize, as the area offers better value for money – although Caldeira admits that the price per square foot gap is narrowing between the two locations. The new-build developments popping up throughout the area meanwhile are attracting a generation of renters who might not previously have considered Fitzrovia. Julia Garber has recently joined Robert Irving Burns to head up the lettings team. “We’re taking full advantage of the fact that we have access to the expertise of our various different departments, as well as Fitzrovia’s amazing location, which has come up from the ashes,” she says. Garber’s mission is to ensure that the same level of service honed by the sales team is replicated in the lettings arena, especially to meet the demands of growing numbers of tenants who are becoming increasingly discerning and demanding about what they expect from a property, and what they are prepared to pay a premium for. “In my experience tenants pay extra for a high quality finish,” she says. “If they walk into a place
s L U X U RY L O N D O N . C O. U K s
WELLS STREET, W1 £1,350 PER WEEK
and it offers a representation of how they want to live, or be perceived to be living, they buy into that. Having said that, they’re also very discerning when it comes to price. They know what’s out there and they are following the markets much more closely than previously.” Between stamp duty increases and Brexit it hasn’t been the easiest of years, however the mood at Robert Irving Burns is optimistic. Garber, who joined last month and brings with her more than 20 years’ experience working in Marylebone and Fitzrovia, is one of several new staff who have recently joined the growing team. Further expansion is on the cards at the office, which now occupies almost all of its eight-storey premises. There’s also a new streamlined website that has just gone live and collates all of the agency’s various services in one user-friendly domain. Caldeira believes that despite being based in Fitzrovia for many years, the company hasn’t always been as vocal as it could have about how much of an authority it is on the local area – but that’s about to change. With a team of more than 50 employees and counting – all of whom are experts on what Fitzrovia has to offer – Robert Irving Burns has found its voice. 23-24 Margaret Street, W1W, rib.co.uk
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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
WATERSIDE H OMES FAS HI ONED FOR CIT Y L IFE CANALSI DE COLLECTI ON LAUNCHI NG 17 NOVEMBER Become neighbours with Central Saint Martins, Louis Vuitton, Everyman Cinema and the new Thomas Heatherwick designed shopping destination, Coal Drops Yard. Be part of London’s best connected neighbourhood. Studio apartments from £810,000.*
* Price correc t at time of going to press .
Brilliant exteriors, breathtaking interiors.
RSVP to attend the launch enquiries@gasholderslondon.co.uk or by phone +44 (0)20 7205 2166
THE ART OF MOVING UK RESIDENTIAL, EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS
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Number One, London.
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WATER Ways LONDON’S HISTORIC WATERWAYS HAVE MADE THE CITY WHAT IT IS TODAY. YOU TOO CAN ENJOY LONG, PEACEFUL WALKS NEXT TO THE WATER THROUGH SOME OF LONDON’S MOST BEAUTIFUL DISTRICTS – A SHORT WALK FROM YOUR HOME AT CARLOW HOUSE, NW1. THE WATERWAYS PEACE AND TRANQUILITY MARRY TO THE VIBRANCY AND DYNAMISM WITHIN CAMDEN; SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE YOU’RE IN LONDON. THIS IS YOUR LEGACY, YOUR CAMDEN – YOUR HOME.
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astonchase.com astonchase.com knightfrank.co.uk knightfrank.co.uk www.theparkcrescent.com www.theparkcrescent.com
+44 +44 (0)20 (0)20 7971 7971 7681 7681 astonchase.com astonchase.com
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