St John's Wood magazine February 2017

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CONTENTS February 2017 Regulars 10 12

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Editor’s letter Five minutes with...

June Kenton, the woman behind Royal- warrant holder Rigby & Peller UK The agenda A cultural round-up of what to read, see and do this February In the frame Greet spring with blossoming florals and bold prints inspired by the art world

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All hail Hockney Celebrating the prolific artist’s 80th birthday and his new exhibition at Tate Britain A Leica less ordinary Looking back at the camera manufacturer’s photography archive

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Home & away Take the hotel home as hospitality behemoths share their interior design secrets The art of speed

Art and motoring collide with the BMW Art Car project

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Features

27 88

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27

30

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Something in the water Where to stay and spa on a city break to historic Bath Here comes the sun A romantic island- hopping adventure in the Seychelles

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Whistles while you wed The brand’s debut bridal collection Mind your manners Decorum, nobility and the future of etiquette with Debrett’s

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35 Collection

59 Fashion

82 Health & beauty

88 Travel

49 Art & antiques

72 Interiors

85 Food & drink

103 Property

editor’s letter

editor

From the F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 s issue 0 0 9

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

Proudly published by

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6th Floor, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AX 020 7987 4320 www.rwmg.co.uk Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Ltd. takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

DISTRIBUTION: The St John’s Wood Magazine is distributed in St John’s Wood and the surrounding areas

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“An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one” George Mikes With the promise of spring lurking just around the corner, February is a month for looking forward – to a time when all things ‘hygge’ can be shelved for another year. It’s also the perfect opportunity to address fallen-by-the-wayside social calendars and throw a party to toast the end of hibernation season. With this in mind, stalwart of social convention Debrett’s is hosting a series of etiquette masterclasses at The Lanesborough London. Brush up on your Ps and Qs on page 30.

Love-it-or-loathe-it Valentine’s Day is nearly here too, so we round-up the best vintage and antique engagement rings for those thinking of popping the question (p.38), and island-hop around the ultimate honeymoon destination, the Seychelles (p.92). Meanwhile, closer to home, we speak with the photography boffins at Leica (p.22), and marvel at David Hockney’s dazzling paintings on show at Tate Britain (p.18). The retrospective showcases his most famous works to date and is well worth a visit – not least so you can drop it into dinner party small talk.

Lauren Romano Acting Editor

On the

cover

Also published by

Runwild Media Group

Gaurav Gupta for Aashni + Co, 47 Ledbury Road, W11, 020 7985 0155, info@aashniandco.com Photo credit: Muse Motion Pictures, read more on p. 61

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Regulars

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I have always had a passion for underwear. I worked in the lingerie department of my father’s shop from the age of 16.

My mother was also a lingerie enthusiast and had everything made to order.

It’s so important that women look and feel like the very best versions of themselves. We believe lingerie is the first layer of confidence; intimate foundations with the power to flatter, reassure and enhance.

Not only does it help a woman’s outerwear look better, but the lift in confidence is amazing. People really have left our boutiques two inches taller.

I have been lucky to serve so many incredible people. For me, the Queen remains my number one client. I was mindblowingly nervous, a shivering wreck, the first time we met, but it remains such an honour.

My most memorable career moment to date was being awarded the Royal Warrant to the Queen in 1982 and then to the Queen Mother in 1993. I’m

I try not to have regrets, just ‘learnings’. And in terms of

June Kenton The woman behind Rigby & Peller UK talks fitting the royals and lunching in St John’s Wood as she puts the finishing touches to her memoirs

just in the process of finishing my memoirs, due to be released in March, and I am so proud of everything that has been achieved. I never dreamt I would be in a position to write my life story, but here I am.

learnings I think it’s always important to listen. Listen to what our clients are saying, or more importantly, what they are not saying.

I spend a lot of time in St John’s Wood, where we have a Rigby & Peller store. I have many dear friends who live in the area, so I’m often visiting them and the boutique. I enjoy the variety of the local high street, as there is such a good mix, from the fellow retailers to delis like Panzer’s, which is a staple. I always stop for lunch at places such as the Delisserie and Richoux, as well as Harry Morgan for a quick salt beef sandwich.

The ladies of St John’s Wood are enlightened and smart.

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“The Queen remains my number one client. I was mind-blowingly nervous, a shivering wreck”

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Your body is constantly changing, and so is your lifestyle, so it is important that your underwear supports that.

Storm in a D-Cup is out in March, £19.99, Rigby & Peller, 23 St John's Wood High Street, NW8, rigbyandpeller.co.uk

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Milano: Galleria V. Emanuele

ITALIAN TRAVEL BAGS SINCE 1952

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

images courtesy of martin abela

literary itinerary Wedding bells

Decades of dior

After a £3million refurbishment, the Grade II* listed Fitzrovia Chapel is now registered with The City of Westminster to carry out non-religious marriages and civil partnerships. Designed in 1891 by a Gothic Revivalist architect John Loughborough Pearson, it is the only surviving part of The Middlesex Hospital and is where Rudyard Kipling was laid in state before his funeral. Seating up to 60 guests, its glimmering gold ceiling and mosaic floor provide a unique backdrop for an intimate ceremony.

2 Pearson Square, W1T, fitzroviachapel.co.uk

To honour the 70th anniversary of the founding of the House of Dior, Assouline is publishing a series of seven tomes, each devoted to a different designer who has taken the reigns, from Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent to Maria Grazia Chiuri, who was appointed on Raf Simons’ departure in 2016.

This initial volume covers the former years from 1947-1957, when Christian Dior himself was building the business, and acts as a chronological treasury of the most iconic designs, photographed especially for the project in museums and private collections around the world by Laziz Hamani. The looks featured range from the ‘New Look’ of the Spring Summer 1947 collection, to the elegant Fuseau line presented for Autumn Winter 1957.

Dior by Christian Dior, £130, published by Assouline, available at Maison Assouline and assouline.com

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

OUT & ABOUT

Rules of engagement Author Lesley Downer describes her passion for Japan as an ongoing love affair, and her fourth historical novel set in the country, The Shogun’s Queen, was published in November 2016. Set in the 19th century, it tells the story of Atsu who rises from relative obscurity to marry the shogun – an important military ruler – and is sent to the Women’s Palace, a harem of 3,000 women under his sole rule. Drawing on her research from the novels, Downer is giving a talk at Asia House this month on love and relationships between men and women in Japan in this period, and will sign copies of her book at the drinks reception.

Tickets from £4, asiahouse.org

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FROM L-R: Alpha House, 2016,Oil and acrylic on mdf board, 28 x 38cm; Chthonic Reverb, installation view at Grand Union, Birmingham 2016, photocopies, marker pen and ballpoint pen on plywood; Frampton Street, 2016, Collage photocopies, marker pen on plywood, 336.4 x 237.8cm, all Laura Oldfield Ford

EXHIBITIONS

Urban planning A new commission by London-based artist Laura Oldfield Ford is being exhibited from this month at The Showroom. The gallery’s surrounding neighbourhood is undergoing significant renovation, and the exhibition Alpha/Isis/Eden takes its name from three housing blocks that are set to be transformed. Plywood and perforated steel structures are interwoven with collages and drawings to provoke thought on the urban landscape and both the public and private spaces within it.

Oldfield Ford also took recordings on experimental walks in the surrounding area and these form a sound piece created in collaboration with sound engineer and producer Jack Latham.

1 February – 18 March, 63 Penfold Street, NW8, theshowroom.org

White Atoll, Lucas Ferreira, 60 x 60cm, ceramic

Concrete poetry

In black and white Jaggedart’s latest exhibition Monochrome brings a number of different artists working in different mediums together. Photographer Stuart Redler shoots exclusively in black and white, producing high-contrast images of a wide range of subjects from animals to landscapes, which he hand prints. Lucas Ferreira on the other hand, uses fragments of ceramics to create geometric and abstract forms, while Rachel Shaw Ashton hand-cuts watercolour paper and groups her cut-outs together to create 3D shapes.

Until 25 February, 28a Devonshire Street, W1G, jaggedart.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

Named after a work of art by Bob Cobbing, Richard Saltoun Gallery’s new exhibition is titled Integration Alone Is Not Enough, and focuses on British concrete poetry from 19601980. Adding visual depth to words, the movement initiated a visual synthesis of poetry, painting, literature, typography and to an extent, philosophy. Counter-cultural language also comes into the mix, and features in never-before-seen work by Peter Mayer. The exhibition is the first in a two-part series curated by artist Andrew Howard. The second exhibition, opening at the gallery in May, will focus on concrete poet and Buddhist monk Dom Sylvester Houédard.

10 February –24 March, 111 Great Titchfield Street, W1W, richardsaltoun.com John FURNIVAL, A Mile Down the Nile, 1974, Titled, signed and dated, Ink drawing and mixed media on wood, 91.5 x 83.8 x 3.5cm image courtesy of the artist and richard saltoun gallery

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Regulars

SPOTLIGHT Emily Filler in blossom

THE FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION

Clockwise from top left: detail from blue hydrangeas; studio shot; blue and white vase, 2016, mixed media on canvas, 122 x 122cm; botanicals, studio shot Images courtesy of the artist and the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery

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of 2017 to show at Rebecca Hossack gallery’s Charlotte Street site is a collection of works by Canadian artist Emily Filler, who still works primarily out of Toronto.

Titled Florilegium, the pieces in the exhibition, many only produced in 2016, are noticeably centred on vibrant floral imagery. A number of Filler’s previous exhibitions (Into The Garden, Fresh Blooms and A Scattering of Blossoms, for example) showcase her continued fascination with the natural world – a passion she has inherited from her father, fellow artist Rick Filler.

A prolific gardener from a young age, he has also led wilderness nature tours into the most remote regions of

Canada and both of these interests are incorporated into his fine art photography today.

Describing her process as ‘painterly collage’, Filler mentally collects images and patterns from various sources, such as books, photographs and fabrics, and interweaves paint with stencilled leaves and photographic transfers of plants in her serene mixed media creations.

She frequently focuses on removal as a technique to finalise her works, stripping back layers of paint to different depths to reveal contrasting layers of colour and texture, after spending hours carefully building them up. Fragments of antique photographs also tie in with her use of this retrospective technique.

The colours revealed range from pastel lilacs to bolder primary shades of red and blue, while checked borders surrounding parts of the paintings and precise dotted outlines are also recurrent, and contrast with Filler’s looser brush strokes to frame her work.

1-25 February, 28 Charlotte Street, W1T, rebeccahossack.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

ORIGINAL, LIMITED-EDITION ART DECO POSTERS

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All hail Hockney As the Tate Britain celebrates David Hockney’s most famous works in a new exhibition, Jack Watkins toasts the artist’s 80th birthday and considers his achievements so far

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avid Hockney is 80 this year and, with his flat cap, braces and baggy suits, the uninitiated might be tempted to regard him as some benign old buffer, sagely regarding the world behind his trademark round-rimmed spectacles, and dispensing pearls of wisdom.

But to view the Yorkshireman as some cosy fireside blast from the past would be a dreadful mistake. Five years ago, the then 75-year-old, who had become the first major artist to have an exhibition of work produced entirely on his iPhone and iPad using painting apps, was given a major show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

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A Bigger Picture was the first UK exhibition to focus on his landscapes, and the artist worked with such unbelievable energy across a number of mediums, from traditional oils and watercolours to digital technology and film, to produce new material for it that his younger assistants were unable to keep up.

Most critics, with a few exceptions, including the rather curmudgeonly Brian Sewell, were swept off their feet by the pictures, but if they thought they were viewing some parting shot, they could forget it.

“I’m still too excited with what I will do tomorrow,” Hockney told his biographer Christopher Simon Sykes. “It’s not the end, it’s another beginning. I’m only just finishing my middle period.”

Although the RA show amply demonstrated Hockney’s readiness to utilise computer drawing tools in the cause of painting – “technology has always contributed to art. The brush itself is a piece of technology isn’t it?” – it was still an unashamed celebration of the old-fashioned

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above from l-r: Domestic scene, los angeles, 1963, oil on canvas; a lawn being sprinkled, 1967, acrylic on canvas, photo credit: richard schmidt; OUTPOST DRIVE, HOLLYWOOD, 1980, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS; MODEL WITH UNFINISHED SELFPORTRAIT, 1977, OIL ON CANVAS, ALL © DAVID HOCKNEY

values of skill and craftsmanship in the creation of art. When one of the posters advertising the exhibition proclaimed: “All the paintings and drawings in this show were personally hand done by the artist himself”, it was a none too subtle poke at conceptualists like Damien Hirst, who often employed students to undertake the painting aspect of their creations.

Traditional values, however, should not be mistaken for conservatism. Tate Britain’s major chronological retrospective reasserts him as “an intelligent and profound interrogator of the essence of art. Over six decades he has questioned the nature of pictures and challenged their conventions. His art is one of the great landmarks of postmodernism, using parody and self-reflection, and playing with presentation and artifice.”

Bradford born, Hockney spent four important years at the Bradford School of Art between 1953 and 1957, learning how to draw and paint from life.

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His technique is one reason you might think his work has remained interesting, but Hockney has always known how to play the media game, too. At the Royal College of Art in London from 1959, he was swept up in the Pop Art scene even while disavowing it. His ‘Love’ paintings were displayed at the Young Contemporaries exhibition of 1961, by which time his reputation was growing, and he became one of the faces of the era, as ubiquitous with his big glasses, fat cigars and white shoes, as The Beatles. The peroxide hair look came from a first trip to the US, where he saw a TV ad for Clairol, which bragged that “blondes have all the fun.”

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But if Hockney was a self-aware ’60s swinger, he also knew the importance of hard work and application. In his Notting Hill studio, where he also slept, he put up a large sign at the end of his bed, so that when he awoke each morning he would see, in capital letters, the instruction: “GET UP AND WORK IMMEDIATELY”.

And while the artist has clearly always felt at home in London, his work has drawn him again and again to California, where the deep blue skies, beaches and swimming pools, inspired him to create his series of now iconic pool paintings. Immensely popular, for many these depictions tapped into a sense of escapist longing for a land of seemingly everlasting sunshine and laziness.

One of the most famous of the pool paintings is A Bigger Splash, completed in 1967. At this point, Hockney, ever willing to experiment, had switched from oil to acrylic paints, which aided his attempts to create rather flat images saturated in dazzling colour. This flatness has been described as “the epitome of stillness”, creating the appearance of suspended animation, though the stilted quality may also be attributable to Hockney’s habit of working from photographs.

When the artist settled in California in 1976, producing works like Self-Portrait With Blue Guitar, he made friends with figures from show business, and they clamoured to have him at their dinner parties. The film director Billy Wilder, whose

portrait Hockney painted, said: “Any Hollywood hostess is honoured to have him at her party – they fight for him because he brings life… he’s always interesting and if he has nothing to say, he just keeps his mouth shut…If you only have one friend and it is Hockney, you are not lost in this world.”

Hockney’s sumptuous use of colour sometimes obscured his development as a landscape artist and his growing interest in the depiction of space, as reflected in Pearblossom Highway (1986), a collage originally undertaken for Vanity Fair magazine. Who, though, could have seen the vigorous late reflowering that resulted in the 21st-century landscapes of his native Yorkshire Wolds? The monumental studies of Woldgate Woods and Going Up Garrowby Hill came about after a series of drives through the countryside of his boyhood on his return to England in 2004.

But if there was irony in that these late works reflected the pastoral values of mid-20th century neo-Romantics such as Paul Nash and Graham Sutherland, figures whom Hockney felt little affinity with as a teenager, typically, they came with a twist. For many of the pieces had been created via Hockney’s iPad, which he loved for its speed, enabling him to capture lighting effects almost instantaneously. He’s an Old Master who’s never been afraid to learn a few new tricks.

“Technology has always contributed to art. The brush itself is a piece of technology isn’t it?”

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clockwise from top left: garden, 2015, acrylic on canvas; 9 canvas study of THE GRAND CANYON, 1998, oil on canvas; RED POTS IN THE GARDEN, 2000, oil on canvas, ALL © DAVID HOCKNEY, PHOTO CREDIT: RICHARD SCHMIDT

David Hockney runs 9 February – 29 May at Tate Britain, tate.org.uk

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Leica has just celebrated its centenary year and upsized its Bruton Street store.

In a slowing market, Marianne Dick finds out what difference that red dot makes

Clockwise from left: Alfred Eisenstaedt, VJ Day, Times Square, New York, 14 August 1945 ©Alfred Eisenstaedt; Christer Strömholm, Nana, Place Blanche, Paris, 1961 ©Christer Strömholm/ Strömholm Estate; F.C. Gundlach, Fashion Report for Nino, Hamburg St. Pauli, 1958 ©F.C. Gundlach, all images courtesy of Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography, published by Kehrer Verlag, edited by Hans-Michael Koetzle, designed by Detlef Pusch; the Leica M9

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here’s no other brand quite like Leica. Countless blogs, societies and Flickr communities are dedicated to this relatively modest camera and sport optics manufacturer.

Leica Camera AG opened its first London-based outpost in 2009 at 34 Bruton Street followed by the more spacious Leica café over the road at 27 in 2012. The store has been due an upgrade for a few years, so looking at its increasing product range, the brand decided to swap the two establishments, both of which reopened at beginning of this year.

“The Mayfair store is one of the most successful stores globally for Leica,” says Leica managing director Jason Heward. “[It’s] a real destination store. It’s far enough away from the beaten track for people to spend time here and not feel rushed, but still central enough for everyone to find.”

According to the Camera and Imaging Product Association, 2016 was the worst for camera sales in more than 15 years. Why is it then, that Leica appears to be expanding its range of models (and stores), despite its notoriously high price tags?

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The company’s first camera protoype – coined Ur-Leica – was constructed in 1914 by Oskar Barnack, an employee in Wetzlar, Germany. The Ur-Leica was the first ever still picture camera for 35 mm perforated film that featured coupled film winding and shutter cocking. The pocket-sized specimen was a revolutionary invention compared to the cumbersome plate cameras of the era (Barnack was reportedly afflicted with asthma, which inspired him to design the Ur-Leica), yet the first edition – the Leica I – wasn’t presented to the public until March 1925 at the Leipzig Spring Fair.

In 1932, the Leica II was launched, which included the integrated rangefinder that became a well-known feature of the brand. The rangefinder camera is held in high regard by photojournalists and street photographers as it has an almost silent shutter and allows the photographer to scan the scene with both eyes due to the offset viewfinder.

The complex controls of the rangefinder camera may seem time-consuming at first, but it inspires users to be more precious with their shots. The exceptional lifestyle photographer and famous Leica user Henri Cartier-Bresson once said: “We must avoid, however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole.”

The rangefinder revolutionised photojournalism, allowing people to discreetly capture high-quality images at the heart of the action. From 1925 to the 1960s, this subdivision of the media enjoyed a heyday, with magazines such as Life providing an insight into the world that many had never seen before.

“If you look at the iconic photographs from the last century, most of them are taken on a Leica because it was the go-to choice for photojournalists and capturing those ‘decisive moments’,” Heward says, quoting Cartier-Bresson.

The photographs Heward refers to document tragedy, euphoria and

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everything in between, and we can conjure many of them easily in our minds. They include Nick Ut’s haunting, grainy picture of children running from a Napalm attack in Vietnam in 1972, Alberto Korda’s seminal image of Che Guevara and Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day snap of a sailor kissing a nurse.

“Because we are a small company and we are different (we make handmade products and can do things that other companies can’t), I think that’s given us a special place in photographers’ hearts,” Heward says, using the Leica M Monochrom that only shoots in black and white as an example.

The Leica M celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2014, the same year that the brand hit the

centenary milestone: an occasion commemorated with a special exhibition and accompanying tome, Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography.

A momentous product for the company, the M branches off into various different models still popular today, including digital versions that offer their own unique Leica formulae. The Leica M10 has just been launched: the slimmest ever digital M rangefinder. It offers the best of both worlds, fusing manual functions with technology, such as integrated WLAN connectivity.

“Leica takes the view that a higher number of megapixels does not equal a better picture and actually what we find is that there’s an optimal equation between megapixels, optical quality and other processors in the camera,” says Heward.

Leica’s unique image quality, intricate technology and aversion to mass marketing makes it enduringly appealing to photographers – a factor that assures a constant stream of consumers.

“The whole practice of Leica photography is less about the camera doing it for you, so you think a lot more about the composition,” says Heward. “We find that people using our cameras have a different style of photography that is commercially very attractive.”

Leica may always appear coolly ahead of the game when it comes to technology, however it can’t be denied that part of its charm lies in its aesthetics and the associations they conjure.

Ellen von Unwerth’s iconic shoot with David Bowie and Kate Moss for Q magazine included a Leica camera as a prop, and filmmaker Stanley

“We find that people using our cameras have a different style of photography that is commercially very attractive”

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Opposite page, clockwise from left: the new Leica store at 27 Bruton Street; Tom Cruise and Carrie Fisher take a selfie at the BAFTAs 2016, by greg williams, ©Greg Williams; Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett at the BAFTAs 2016, by greg williams, ©Greg Williams This page, clockwise from centre: the cover of Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography; the Ur-Leica; John Coltrane, Monterey Jazz Festival 1960, photograph by Jim Marshall, ©Jim Marshall Photography LLC

Kubrick set the trend for mirror selfies with his device in the 1940s. Her Majesty the Queen is regularly spotted snapping away on hers.

The little red dot that is Leica’s hallmark has thus become a symbol within popular culture, yet the company and its avid followers appear to have a love-hate relationship with it. On some models – such as the M-P digital rangefinder – the dot was not included in the design, making it “noticeably unnoticeable”, according to the brand.

Leica has collaborated with names such as Paul Smith, Moncler and Hermès, and more recently with Greg Williams and Sarah Lee. The two shot candid behind-the-scenes photographs at the BAFTAs and the Olivier Awards. Leica is also commissioning photography by Magnum photographers; and the Mayfair store will exhibit a series of photographs by rock’n’roll photographer Jim Marshall in March.

Heward notes that secondhand film camera sales are rising, an advantageous effect of the analogue revolution we appear to be in the midst of.

According to the British Phonographic Industry’s 2016 data, 3.2 million vinyl records

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were sold last year: the highest amount since 1991. While Generation X may be baffled by this retro trend, Heward points out that many millennials and Generation Z-types have never lived in a world without digital cameras – analogue has become an unexplored and exciting avenue.

“We’ve just brought out an instant camera like the polaroid,” says Heward. “When you actually give people physical pictures, they love it.”

Even when Leica reflects on the past, like with the instant Sofort, it still has its finger on the pulse of the present and the future. So, what’s next? Heward doesn’t reveal much, understandably, but envisages that this pioneering brand will “continue to help people create the iconic images of this century as well as the last”.

Henri Cartier-Bresson once said: “shooting with a Leica is like a long tender kiss, like firing an automatic pistol, like an hour on the analyst’s couch”. It’s a thrill, a comfort, a challenge and a companion, and by remaining true to its core values, successfully like no other. leica-camera.com

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INTERVIEW

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF WHISTLES

As Whistles launches its debut wedding dress collection, its creative director Nick Passmore tells Kari Colmans why it’s a match made in heaven

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A

lways the bridesmaid never the bride was a truism that Whistles knew well. One of the few brands that manages to straddle high-end and high street, stocking everything from cashmere staples to grown-up, yet sassy party wear and, of course, perfect wedding guest dresses, it’s one of those shops, as my mother would say, you just can’t go wrong in.

“We’ve had so much interest from customers on wedding attire that we felt the time was right to launch a contemporary collection of dresses for the modern bride,” says Whistles creative director Nick Passmore, who wanted the range to span all manner of matrimonial celebrations from the city, to the countryside, and even somewhere a little further afield.

Currently comprising seven limited-edition pieces, the silhouettes range from stepped hems, strapless, one shoulder and high-neck dresses, with a jumpsuit thrown in for good measure. “I personally love the jumpsuit,” says Passmore, “as it’s feminine and delicate, but its culotte leg silhouette is daring and unexpected as a bridal choice, which appeals to the rebel in me.”

All are created in classic wedding dress fabrics: delicate lace, organza jacquard, embroidered tulle and luxurious silk, with ruffles and scallop edges, tiebacks and detachable trains, as well as the occasional bodice.

However, Passmore says the brand only looked inward for inspiration. “In all honesty, we didn’t take cues from other bridal designers or

INTERVIEW

“We wanted the dresses to have a wit and personality while at the same time be enduring in style” celebrity style icons. The designs were instinctive and came easily once we sourced the beautiful range of fabrications. We were extremely self-indulgent in this project. It was an opportunity for our designers to be extravagant and free with their work. The hardest part was editing the collection down to seven styles, as there were so many ideas to choose from.”

With the bridal collection landing this spring, followed by a few top-ups throughout autumn, brides can now join their guests in flocking to Whistles for the perfect frock. And what’s more, they won’t blow the honeymoon budget.

“We really just adapted the aesthetic of the Whistles dress range to be suitable for a wedding dress collection,” says Passmore. “We wanted the dresses to be contemporary and memorable, but

also to reflect the energy and self-confidence of our customers, to have wit and personality while at the same time be enduring in style, form flattering and have a premium standard of craftsmanship. There is a style to suit every woman.”

From £499-£699, 1 Thayer Street, W1U, to make an appointment with a personal shopper book online at whistles.com

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Debrett’s is one of the most famous names in British social history. To mark its new collaboration with The Lanesborough London and its wedding planning services for 2017, Rupert Wesson, academy director at Debrett’s, discusses decorum, nobility and the future of etiquette with Jennifer Mason

FEATURE

THE WITHDRAWING ROOM AT THE LANESBOROUGH london

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he English philosopher and writer Mary Wollstonecraft once said: “Men and women must be educated, in a great degree, by the opinions and manners of the society they live in.” For almost 250 years, since the first edition of Peerage & Baronetage was published in 1769, English society has looked to Debrett’s as the go-to comprehensive guide for the finer points of British etiquette and, for youthful debutantes, a refined directory of the most eligible bachelors in the country.

But Debrett’s has long since moved on from the days when a person’s social standing was decided by their birth. With its feet firmly planted in the 21st century, the brand has evolved and while the

famous Peerage & Baronetage is still published every four years, more influential these days are the People of Today and Debrett’s 500, both of which celebrate inspiring individuals from all walks of life, living and working in the UK. In recognition of the changing times – but also as a nod to Debrett’s history as an essential tool for socially aware Brits – the organisation has teamed up with The Lanesborough London hotel to offer advice on the niceties of British culture and their enduring importance in the modern day.

The Guide to Social Etiquette & The Season offers a full-day tutorial exploring contemporary British attitudes to dining, etiquette, hosting and seasonal dress codes, with an overnight stay and

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lunch included at the hotel’s newly opened Michelin-starred Céleste restaurant. Debrett’s academy director Rupert Wesson, an ex-British Army officer and learning and development coach, believes the course has great relevance to modern Britain.

“We like to think of the early editions of Peerage as the original social network,” he explains, as we discuss the origins of Debrett’s. “Contemporary references such as Vanity Fair reveal that an entry in Debrett’s was a sign of social standing, so ambitious parents like Jane Austen’s Mrs Bennet might have scrutinised its pages for prospective sons-in-law. In the past century, though, Debrett’s has expanded its catalogue from specialist biography to more general guides on etiquette.”

The Debrett’s Training Academy was established in 2014 as a natural extension of the brand’s expertise in social and interpersonal skills, and has since delivered coaching in networking, personal impact, interview

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techniques and public speaking to companies and individuals around the world.

“The skills Debrett’s teaches through its academy are more relevant than ever,” Wesson claims. “A 2015 report found that these ‘soft’ skills – which include communication, professionalism, leadership and good manners – are worth £88 billion to the UK economy each year.”

Adopting a good dose of traditional politeness goes a long way when it comes to business today and, increasingly, Debrett’s is being approached by international companies seeking commercial opportunities in the UK. But for those of us without the weight of industry on our shoulders, what will the course at The Lanesborough London hold in store?

“Most of what we teach is about how to portray confidence and put others at ease in every situation,” Wesson says.

“This is as relevant for

social situations as it is for business. We look at formal and informal dinners, parties, sporting events and other social occasions.

“In order to help people increase their confidence, we show them what they can expect, as well as how to dress and act. Ultimately, we want people to enjoy these events and to leave a positive and lasting impression on everyone they meet.”

With social influencers like Kit Harington, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Cara Delevingne on its books, it’s clear that Debrett’s is keeping abreast of the times. But with modern manners evolving as rapidly as our social media obsessions, how relevant are these skills to the next generation?

“Many of our courses for young people cover social media and the importance of managing profiles online and monitoring privacy settings,” Wesson explains. “As young people face competition for jobs and universities,

“Society in Britain has become less deferential – some people confuse this with bad manners, but we are, in my view, better for it”

fROM LEFT: THE WELLINGTON ROOM; THE GREAT HALL, BOTH AT THE LANESBOROUGH LONDON

the debrett’s wedding guide

FEATURE

we teach interview skills and networking.”

In 2014, Debrett’s published its contemporary handbook on good manners. The book tackled issues such as when and where it is rude to use mobile phones (during meal times, at the shops, in the cinema, or indeed anywhere where another person is present, in case you were wondering), the subject of blind copying in emails and eating on public transport.

“Nothing stands still, and that includes the way we treat each other,” Wesson says. “Society in Britain has become less deferential – some people confuse this with bad manners, but we are, in my view, better for it. The younger generation is more open-minded and more tolerant.

“If the older generation doesn’t like the way the younger generation acts, they have only one place to look. Manners are contagious and this applies equally to good and bad ones.”

To further highlight the relevance of Debrett’s in the 21st century, the publisher has announced that this Valentine’s Day, it will be launching its own wedding planner app for modern couples.

Sharing 250 years’ worth of expertise, features include a schedule for building a customised checklist of things to do before the big day; a

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wedding day countdown; frequent notifications sending reminders of looming deadlines; budget tracking; and an ‘inspiration’ section whereby you can consult the Debrett’s official guide on topics such as invitations, the guest list, seating plans and dress code.

If you are in need of further advice on how to plan your wedding day, last year Debrett’s launched its Wedding Essentials consultancy services, whereby etiquette experts are on hand to offer the bride and groom answers to any remaining questions they might have. As of this year, Debrett’s has partnered with The Wedding Shop to assist couples in choosing wedding presents they will treasure forever.

Finally, a new edition of the Debrett’s Wedding Guide will be unveiled in March to mark the ten-year anniversary of the first edition. The text largely stays true to the original, but has been modernised and updated to acknowledge changes in wedding culture over the past decade.

Judging by the wide array of social backgrounds and nationalities now benefiting from its instruction, the days of Debrett’s as a handbook relevant only for the upper echelons are long gone. It might still cover the order in which you’re supposed to use the relevant cutlery at dinner, but Debrett’s is also teaching future generations of world leaders about respect, confidence and social skills – and that is most definitely worth celebrating.

A Guide to Social Etiquette & The Season, from £1,875pp, including lunch at Céleste, an overnight stay at The Lanesborough London and a private, six-hour course. A Guide to Tea, from £195 per person for 90 minutes, available for a minimum booking of four people, lanesborough.com/etiquette

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creedfragrances.co.uk

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09/01/2017 10:54

COLLECTION

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haumet is a jeweller steeped in romance. It was founded in Paris in 1780 by MarieÉtienne Nitot, one of the jewellers to Napoléan I, who would commission spectacular pieces for his wife, Joséphine. Fast forward to today and the house is still putting the happiness of couples first. Last year it opened its first boutique dedicated to marriage at 12 Place Vendôme, and has now launched a special Paris city guide app. You, Me, Paris invites couples to rediscover the romantic French capital with recommendations on its best boutique hotels, shops, restaurants, bars and cultural walking tours.

Available to download from the App Store in English, French and Mandarin, itunes.apple.com

From

PARIS with L’Amour à Paris campaign, image courtesy of Chaumet

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Green with Envy

A labour of love Like the Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra pendant or the Bulgari B. zero1 ring, Cartier’s Love bracelet is an iconic piece that every woman should own. Designed by Aldo Cipullo in 1969, this cuff was inspired by ancient cultures and the concept of a chastity belt, and is fitted onto the wearer using a small screwdriver to symbolise eternal love and devotion. The timeless piece has been reinterpreted this year into a more delicate version, with rings now also available, but otherwise remains true to the original design – its classic oval shape punctuated with screws.

From £3,250, 175-177 New Bond Street, W1S, cartier.co.uk

Jewellery news

WORDS: OLIVIA SHARPE

To new extremes Launched early last year, the Extremely Piaget collection has been expanded to include eight new pieces that exemplify the maison’s masterful jewellery techniques. The latest Palm Tree jewels are based on a Piaget emblem and have been brought to life using an innovative goldsmithing technique unique to the house: the Palace Décor.

This engraving process endows gold with a mesh-like texture akin to raw silk and gives the leaves their shimmering, naturalistic quality.

POA, piaget.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

At the end of last year, Pantone announced ‘Greenery’ as the 2017 Colour of the Year – described as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring”. Taking this as their cue, jewellery designers’ 2017 collections are positively bursting with this refreshing shade.

British jeweller Theo Fennell’s latest collection includes a number of green-hued gemstones, such as the new Bee Different pendant featuring a green tourmaline offset with 18-karat yellow and white gold, and the mesmerising tourmaline and diamond Halo Wave ring with 18-karat white gold. Visit the store to discover more.

Green tourmaline Bee Different pendant on 18-inch chain and Halo Wave ring, both POA, Theo Fennell, 169 Fulham Road, SW3, theofennell.com

Merveilles to Behold The new Les Merveilles collection by family jeweller Boghossian introduces a groundbreaking new diamond-setting technique that captures the purest light reflection in diamonds. By setting stones using the smallest amount of metal possible, it permits an uninterrupted flow of light, enhancing the overall brilliance of the diamonds. It has taken Boghossian craftsmen four years of experimentation to achieve and has been highlighted to particular effect in a pair of diamond hoop earrings, which shine vividly, and a reversible necklace that can be worn two ways: one side set with rubies, the other with diamonds.

From a selection, boghossianjewels.com

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above “T

hey don’t make them the way they used to” is a phrase we have all heard the older generation spout. While it may be hackneyed, there is often a lot of truth in it, particularly when applied to antique and vintage engagement rings.

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a modern engagement ring, but there are many benefits to choosing antique and if you’re in the market for a one of a kind, I don’t believe anything else quite compares.

There are various different periods from which to choose. Georgian rings, undoubtedly the rarest and hardest to find, are characterised by their closed-back settings and use of rose-cut diamonds.

Platinum had not yet been discovered, so rings were typically set in 18-karat gold with silver then added on top, as this was the only white metal they had at the time.

“This is why you will often find Georgian rings look quite dark in colour because the silver has tarnished over time,” explains Susannah Lovis, an expert in antique jewellery. Some of the most popular designs included cluster rings, single and double-heart styles, and the five-stone ring (similar to a modern-day band).

Many factors influenced the evolution of the engagement ring in the Victorian period, including the opening of the African diamond mines in the 1870s, the discovery of platinum (which replaced gold and silver settings), and the

this page, clockwise from top centre: Diamond ring with baguette shoulders, £10,500; round brilliant-cut diamond ring with pear-cut shoulders, £24,000; round brilliant cluster diamond ring set in platinum, £65,000; Art Deco-style emerald cut diamond and sapphire ring, £7,400; emerald-cut diamond ring, £26,600; emerald-cut emerald ring with diamond set, £19,900; Art Deco sapphire and diamond ring, £5,500; oval-cut emerald and diamond cluster ring set in platinum, £2,700, all Susannah Lovis. opposite page: French ruby and diamond marquise ring, c.1910, POA, Lucas Rarities Ltd.

Choosing an engagement ring is always difficult, but choosing an antique ring can be a minefield if you don’t know where to look.

Olivia Sharpe speaks to expert jewellers about how to find the perfect piece

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introduction of lower-karat gold alloys.

Notably, the solitaire engagement ring, one of the most popular styles today, made its debut during this time.

Edwardian rings are distinguished by elaborate floral and garland designs, colourful gemstones (used to accent surrounding diamonds), and pearls. The pared-back, clean and geometric lines of the Art Deco styles, meanwhile, are arguably the most recognisable of all.

This is, of course, just a rough guide and only an expert would be able to provide comprehensive insight.

When it comes to finding the perfect antique engagement ring, your best port of call is Burlington Arcade. This vintage jewellery treasure trove is where Lovis has been based for the past 20 years. Her extensive collection includes pieces dating from the Georgian period right up to the 1970s. Lovis explains how the demand for antique and vintage rings has never waned as customers will forever be drawn to owning an original piece.

“You can go and find modern engagement rings on Bond Street in any of the big-name jewellers, but there’s no point in us trying to compete with them,” she says. “Often, our customers see the charm in antique and vintage rings, but they don’t quite understand why they like them.”

Lovis believes the main reason why her clients prefer antique to modern is down to the cut of the diamond, which has changed dramatically over the years due to technological innovations.

“People don’t make them the way they used to, diamond-wise,” she explains. “Diamonds now are cut to perfect proportions by lasers to achieve the ultimate internal reflection of light, whereas diamonds in the Victorian and Edwardian eras were cut by hand, making each one completely unique.” The most notable difference you will spot between an old-cut and modern diamond is its sparkle. The earliest form of a modern

brilliant-cut, old-cut diamonds were purposefully shaped to give off the maximum amount of sparkle under candlelight, whereas today’s cutters prioritise the size of the stone.

Diamonds remain the most popular, even when it comes to antique engagement rings. Grays Antiques Centre in Mayfair specialises in these, having around 40 to 50 different styles in varying prices and sizes that date from 1920 to 1935.

Grays dealer Robin Haydock explains how many of his clients are looking for a traditional four-claw diamond setting, but like the idea of antique because they want something different from the modern machine-made rings that dominate the current market.

“If you were to look around a dinner table at what people were wearing, you’d see quite a lot of uniformity,” he comments. “Most people are concerned about the diamond’s colour and quality, but a piece from the 1920s is going to stand out irrespective of colour or clarity.”

Like Lovis, Haydock notes how all the handwork that went into making engagement rings during this period was extremely detailed and intricate. For example, jewellers would typically hand file the claws, giving them a beautiful lacy pattern that you just won’t see today.

It is finer details such as these that help the likes of Haydock distinguish between a genuine Art Deco ring and an imitation, of which there are many. As a member of LAPADA (the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers), he is obligated to honour its code of practice in offering clients the best advice and guaranteeing with due diligence that he can trace the origins of a piece.

In-depth research and discovering the best stones from around the world are what motivate Guy Burton, the bespoke jewellery director at Hancocks London, also in Burlington Arcade. He and his family bought the jewellery business, first

“Diamonds in the Victorian and Edwardian eras were cut by hand, making each one completely unique”

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Many of Burton’s commissions are bespoke and one of his most recent was a beautiful Art Deco engagement ring featuring a 1.93-carat central stone. “This is how all emerald cuts should look,” he argues. “The hallmark is these really big cut corners that give it its geometric faceted pattern.

Craftsmen wouldn’t do that now because clients’ main concern today is size and retaining as much of the diamond’s weight as possible.”

Another preoccupation is often with colour – the myth being that the whiter the stone, the better it is. But as Burton points out, colour is not a quality test for a stone, but merely a question of how much nitrogen it contains.

Saying that, whiter stones are undoubtedly the more coveted, hence their higher value, but Burton has sourced some beautiful yellower stones, too. One in particular is a 9.66-carat old European brilliant-cut diamond ring; graded M and L on the colour spectrum. Its soft yellowy hue is cleverly offset with an 18-karat yellow gold carved hoop.

While diamonds are the number-one choice for engagement rings, coloured gemstones are also highly sought after. According to Lovis, sapphires continue to be the most in vogue (no doubt partly due to the Duchess of Cambridge’s inherited ring), but emeralds have come back in a big way and she has several dating back to the Victorian period.

Although there is a prevailing myth that these stones make for bad engagement rings due to being brittle, she stresses that this is a common misconception and they are in fact very tough.

This page, from left: LAPADA London 2016, Photography: Plinth Creative; Susannah Lovis store front, Burlington Arcade. Opposite page from top left: 4.34-carat vintage-cut emerald-cut diamond ring with tapered baguette-cut diamond shoulders, POA, Hancocks London; ruby, sapphire and diamond double heart ring, 1860, POA, from Mariad Antiques at Grays Antiques Centre; 1.28-carat fancy yellow diamond old mine cushion-cut ring, POA, Hancocks; 4.09-carat early Asscher-cut diamond in vintage ring with baguette-cut diamond accents, POA, Hancocks; 1970s Oscar Heyman & Brothers ruby diamond platinum cluster ring, £46,000, 1stdibs.com; ruby diamond three-stone ring, POA, from The Antique Jewellery Company at Grays Antique Centre; 4.58-carat vintage cushion-cut Ceylon sapphire ring, POA, Hancocks; 1920s Art Deco Sapphire diamond platinum ring, POA, 1stdibs.com

established in 1849, in 1992 and they have successfully brought antique jewellery into the 21st century with their contemporary approach.

Unlike a traditional antique store (which can often appear cluttered and stuffy), Hancocks is clean and minimal. Burton specialises in sourcing old-cut stones and arranging them in modern settings. However, he refuses to adopt contemporary methods such as CAD design, believing the old hand-craftsmanship methods to be infinitely superior. This is therefore why all the pieces are made in the workshop the company has employed since 1850.

“The easiest way to think of it is like a Savile Row suit,” he says. “You get the best tailors who make the finest suits because it’s the attention to detail. You’re never going to get an old-cut stone that’s 100 per cent symmetrical so a ring can take up to two months to be made properly.”

Burton is passionate about Art Deco stones and prides himself on being able to source the best thanks to his impressive list of contacts, many of whom are based in America (where much of our period jewellery was exported to during the 20th century and where this kind of jewellery continues to hold the biggest market worldwide).

“The antique world is a very small niche and community, and it’s a dealer of passions,” he states. While it’s not difficult to find old-cut stones, the vast majority of them are badly cut so the jeweller must wade through a lot of rough before finding the perfect diamond.

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While diamonds are the number-one choice for engagement rings, coloured gemstones are also highly sought after

Dynamic and forward-thinking antique dealer Sam Loxton, who has been running Londonbased antiques store Lucas Rarities Ltd. for several years, has many rings intended for those looking for something unconventional – including a large number of 20th-century signed pieces by the likes of René Boivin, Suzanne Belperron and Pierre Sterlé.

Along with sourcing period and vintage pieces, Loxton refashions old jewels brought in by clients. Lovis also offers this service: one of her clients recently came in with a five-stone ring that she had inherited but was too big for her to wear, so Lovis instead transformed it into a threestone ring and made earrings from the remaining diamonds.

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To highlight how the antique jewellery world has moved with the times in recent years, you can now also source a vast array of antique and vintage jewellery online at 1stdibs.com, which carries engagement rings dating from the Georgian period onwards.

Lovis believes that our love for reworking something old and transforming it into something new is what has kept the antique jewellery market thriving all these years.

“Women get an idea of what they want as their engagement ring from a young age,” she says.

“If their mother wore a solitaire ring, then that’s what they inevitably want. The idea of vintage and reusing comes from childhood and it stays with us as adults.”

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Thin blue line The quickest way to success is to identify what you’re good at, and then learn to do it better than anyone else. For 60 years, Piaget’s ‘thing’ has been thin watches. In 1957, the manufacture launched the Calibre 9P, the first ‘ultra-thin’ hand-wound mechanical movement at 2mm. In 1960, the Calibre 12P became the thinnest automatic movement at 2.3 mm. Now, 15 years after the Calibre 600P (then the world’s thinnest tourbillon) and three years after the Altiplano 900P (the thinnest hand-wound mechanical timepiece), the brand has unveiled the anniversaryinspired Altiplano 60 collection.

First to join the series are two 18-karat white gold, time-only pieces: a 38mm hand-wound watch and a 43mm self-winding alternative. Expect more additions to land later in the year.

Altiplano 60th Anniversary Collection, £16,100 (38mm), £21,500 (43mm), piaget.com

IN BRIEF APPLE CLOSES SELFRIDGES WATCH CONCESSION Despite launching its second series smartwatch last autumn, Apple is closing its ground-floor watch concession in Selfridges. While Apple leads the smartwatch sector by a considerable margin, the announcement follows lower-thanforecast sales figures.

Watch

news

W O R D S : r i c h a rd b row n

A smartwatch success story TAG Heuer is celebrating a year in which it sold 50,000 of its Connected watches by issuing a new version of the timepiece in 18-karat rose gold. Sales of the smartwatch helped TAG Heuer record ten per cent growth in 2016, a year in which worldwide exports of Swiss watches declined by 11 per cent in the first ten months. TAG Heuer’s chief executive, Jean-Claude Biver, told Reuters he expected sales to increase to 150,000 in 2017.

The water-resistant 46mm TAG Heuer Connected rose gold watch features 4GB memory, a lithium battery for a full day of power, and Google Voice integration.

Original titanium, £1,100, rose gold, £7,500, tagheuer.com 42

SHOCK DEPARTURE OF ZENITH CEO At the start of January, Zenith abruptly announced it had parted ways with former CEO Aldo Magada.

Jean-Claude Biver, watch president at Zenith parent company LVMH, takes over short-term management.

BREMONT BACKS OUT OF BASEL Bremont has decided not to exhibit at the world’s largest watch fair, Baselworld, choosing instead to showcase its 2017 collection on home turf. The Bremont Townhouse takes up residence in London at 33 Fitzroy Square for a week from 27 February.

SWITZERLAND BUYS BACK £1 BILLION WORTH OF WATCHES IN 2016 During a year in which sales slumped across Asia and Europe (the UK excluded), Swiss watchmakers were forced to buy back an unprecedented number of units from stockists faced with unsold inventories. “Almost 1.3 billion francs worth of timepieces were sent back in the first 10 months,” says Bloomberg.

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BASELWORLD.COM

The one unmissable trendsetting show for the entire watch and jewellery industry, where all key players unite to unveil their latest creations and innovations.

Be a part of this premier event and experience passion, precision and perfection in action.

MARCH 23 – 30, 2017

Ladies first Male-centric brands are starting to experiment with women’s watches, producing a surprisingly wide range of results, says Laura McCreddie-Doak

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hen your tagline used to be “engineered for men”, chances are women aren’t really a priority.

So when IWC announced that the latest of its collections to get a revamp was going to be the Da Vinci, and that it was going to be aimed at women, the news raised a few eyebrows.

IWC has been flirting with the female market for a few years now. Last year, its Pilot range included a couple of models for the fairer sex

and, although it didn’t say so explicitly, so as not to scare off the Asian male customer, the Portofino 37 was definitely a foray into more female-centric timepieces.

“With the new Da Vinci collection, we are consciously trying to anchor the brand in the minds of women, who account for a significant proportion of watch lovers,” explains Franziska Gsell, chief marketing officer at IWC Schaffhausen. “Here in Schaffhausen, the

Women will control close to 75 per cent of discretionary spending worldwide and they own around a third of all global businesses

Portofino 37mm, £4,950, IWC, iwc.com

Portofino 37mm, £4,950, IWC, iwc.com

company has been manufacturing watches for women since the very beginning. In that sense, we are remaining true to our heritage.”

Of the complete Da Vinci range, the Galactic 36 Automatic, Automatic 36 and the Automatic Moonphase 36 rose-gold, £29,620, are explicitly for women, while the Automatic Breitling, breitling.com is unisex at 40mm.

“With the Da Vinci Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36, we are re-establishing an old tradition of creating selected models from the Da Vinci line especially for women and Solo 32, £2,795, adding diamonds or fashionable Bremont, bremont.com straps and bracelets as features,” explains Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.

Big Bang One Click King, £11,000, Hublot, hublot.com

Hublot brand ambassador Bar Refaeli

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Bing Bang Broderie Sugar Skull, £22,900, Hublot, hublot.com

IWC isn’t the only brand that has started to take the women’s market, and its potential spending power, seriously.

According to global professional services firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young), by next year, the global incomes of women is predicted to reach $18 trillion. Women will control close to 75 per cent of discretionary spending worldwide and they own around a third of all global businesses. By 2018, it has been predicted that spending by women will balloon to $28 trillion. So it’s no wonder that megabrands such as Nike are targeting this demographic with initiatives like its femaleoriented ‘Better For It’ campaign, eschewing the traditional advertising tropes that sport is purely the preserve of men.

While watch brands aren’t exactly ripping up the rulebook and booking Amy Schumer to star

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in their latest adverts, more and more brands are expanding their gendered outlook.

One such brand is Bremont. With its aviation associations, explorer ambassadors and having been founded by two brothers, Nick and Giles English, you’d think that everything about Bremont would be geared towards men. And it was, until last year, when the brand launched its first-ever collection for women.

Based on its Solo design, it is the ideal watch for those women who like their watches functional and not overtly feminine. “It was very important to us that we kept the key Bremont DNA running through the range. We wanted something, perhaps a little more feminine size-wise, and arrived, after much debate, at the 32mm case,” explains Nick.

Galactic 36 Automatic, gem-set, £8,770, Breitling, breitling.com Portofino 37mm, £14,500, IWC, iwc.com

“The integrity of the Solo 32 range is on a par with any of the larger case models. They have beautifully finished chronometer-rated mechanical movements and their three-piece case design is derived very much from the classic Bremont ‘Trip Tick’ or three-piece case. The dials then were never going to be focused around being a piece of jewellery or following a particular trend or fashion, but something we felt would be very beautiful and obviously fairly timeless.”

It wasn’t reading Marketing Week that inspired Bremont to create the collection, but feedback from existing customers. “We have had many conversations over the past few years from male

collection Big Bang One Click King Gold, £20,500, Hublot, hublot.com

Solo 32, £2,795, Bremont, bremont.com

Bremont owners saying that their wives would love to wear a Bremont but that the large case size would be an issue,” says English.

“We have also had the same feedback from a number of ladies Solo 32, £2,695, themselves. The delay from doing this Bremont, bremont.com earlier for us was always the movement. We wouldn’t build one unless we could ensure it was mechanical, reliable and beautifully finished.

The time has come, and we have achieved this with Portofino 37mm, the Solo 32. It really is a beautiful little watch.” £8,250, IWC, iwc.com As more women have become interested in mechanical watches, so the definition of what Bing Bang Broderie constitutes a “beautiful little watch” has shifted.

Sugar Skull, £10,200, What used to be available was something in a Hublot, hublot.com pastel shade, covered in diamonds and usually “Ladies are now also more interested in a quartz, but demand for things a little less pretty mechanical movement so Hublot has integrated and a little more punchy has allowed traditional automatic movements into women’s watches, even masculine names to enter this market with on its 33mm diameter watches, which are mostly interesting results. dedicated to women because of their dimensions.

Brands such as Hublot and Breitling have had Finally, women want to have less classical watches, to work out how to femininise some of their but instead are interested in watches with a unique iconic designs such as the Big Bang and the Galactic in a way that appeals to women, without design. That is what we did with the Big Bang Broderie, for instance. They are really different losing design codes that made them appeal in from what we were used to seeing on women’s the first place. wrists and this collection worked very well.”

Biver has shown that his timepieces can be worn on the red carpet by signing model and actress Bar Refaeli as an ambassador.

Breitling has gone down the more welltrodden route of shrinking a man’s watch, slimming it down and making it more wearable for a woman’s wrist. It’s not as imaginative as the lead taken by other brands, but it does bring a techy, pilot-style option into a woman’s watch wardrobe that wasn’t there before.

Jean-Claude Biver, board member and “Ladies are genuinely becoming interested in majority shareholder at Hublot, has realised that mechanical watches,” says Bremont’s English. “I a watch is also a piece of fashion and jewellery think it’s safe to say that looks won over buildand has tricked out the brand’s Big Bangs in integrity in the past, but now there is an obvious acid shades or given them a casual make-under pride when a female wearer removes her watch and done them in denim. Last year, Biver made and shows the mechanics behind the timepiece.” the watches customisable by introducing the With exports of Swiss watches in freefall, brand One Click with interchangeable straps. strategists will be scratching their heads for a way of “Today, what women want is to have a stemming the tide. Investing greater attention to customisable product, that’s why we created the the women’s market could be one way of doing so.

Big Bang One Click with a large selection of Just don’t assume we want diamonds as standard. straps,” explains Biver.

“There is an obvious pride when a female wearer removes her watch and shows the mechanics behind the timepiece”

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art

Simafra, Pavone (peacock), 2016-2017, mixed media on canvas, 110x140cm

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addox Gallery celebrated its first anniversary by opening a second gallery in Shepherd Market at the end of last year – and its Maddox Street flagship is kicking off 2017 in idyllic style with Eden, an exhibition of new canvases by Italian artist Simafra.

Working from a converted warehouse studio in Florence, the artist’s enchanting mixed media canvases layer detail upon detail. For Pavone, he first painted a background with black acrylic, drew onto it with white paint, then added colour, gold leaf and richly coloured powders. And the finishing touches?

Applied with a spatula.

27 January – 11 February, 9 Maddox Street, W1S, maddoxgallery.co.uk

Paradise

found

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Prize lots SOLD: £725,000

SOLD: £35,000

E s t im a t e : £ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 - £ 2 5 0 , 0 0 0

e s t im a t e : £ 8 , 0 0 0 - £ 1 2 , 0 0 0

The Independencia market, Lima, Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1843

Magpie, Stik, 2009 “I only approve of the sale of street pieces when proceeds go back to the community they were painted for. It gave me great pleasure to authenticate this piece so that the Magpie Social Centre – one of the free spaces that actively encouraged street art and helped me to become the artist I am today – could continue to support the next generation of artists.”

– Stik, street artist

“Quadrupling its pre-sale estimate, this painting smashed the auction world record price for the itinerant German Romantic artist. The packed scene allowed him to provide an almost exhaustive panorama of the types and costumes of Lima and the culture and history of Pizarro’s ‘City of Kings’. The work was one of nine masterpieces by Rugendas that led our Topographical Pictures sale in December, and together achieved £4,221,000. The paintings describe the social history of Chile and Peru in the years immediately following independence, and are the high point of the artist’s work from his second great journey to the Americas in the 1830s and 1840s.”

– Nicholas Lambourn, head of department for Christie’s Topographical Pictures

UPCOMING

The Southern Party, Herbert George Ponting, 1911 (printed c.1924) Ponting was a crew member and photographer of Robert Scott’s doomed Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole (1910-1913). This photograph depicts the team that went to leave deposits of provisions for the final polar party, who made it to the pole only to find that Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it. Tragically, the final group of five died on the return journey.

Estimate £2,000-£3,000, Travel & Exploration, 1 February, bonhams.com

sold, from left: Johann Moritz Rugendas, The Independencia market, Lima, signed and dated ‘Mazo. Rugendas/Lima.

1843.’ (lower right), titled ‘Plaza de la Inquisicion, Lima’ on the frame, oil on canvas, 67.7x92.1cm.

Topographical Pictures at Christie’s King Street, 15 December 2016, christies.com, image courtesy of Christie’s images ltd 2016 Stik, Magpie, executed in 2009, signed, dated and authenticated ‘STIK 2009 2016’ on the reverse, spray paint on wood, in artist’s frame, 139x29.8cm, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the artist’s studio. New Now at Phillips, 8 December 2016, phillips.com, image courtesy of Phillips

upcoming, from left: Herbert george ponting, the southern party, 1911, Gelatin silver print on original mount, blind stamped H.G. Ponting, names of subjects inscribed in ink in lower margin, Fine Art Society label on verso, in contemporary oak frame, glazed, approximately 335x455mm, engraved brass plaque on frame reads: “Presented to Scott House of Penketh School by G.C. Simpson...

Meteorologist to the Expedition. July 1924”, image courtesy of Bonhams Jacques Loysel, La Grande Névrose, c.1896, signed: J.Loysel, white marble on an associated wood base, marble: 36x100x45cm, image courtesy of Sotheby’s

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UPCOMING

La Grande Névrose, Jacques Loysel, c.1896 This white marble sculpture is one of the highlights from the Erotic: Passion and Desire sale at Sotheby’s this month, which explores the themes of love and sex within art from the 19th century to the present day. Perhaps best known for his works in bronze, Loysel was admired for his depictions of feminine beauty and grace, and he kept this particular piece in his Parisian atelier until his death in 1925. The sculpture shows a woman in a state of ‘hysteria’: a clinical manifestation of neurosis that was thought to be a widespread ‘condition’ of the era.

Estimate £120,000-£180,000, Erotic: Passion & Desire, 16 February, sothebys.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

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ART

with Toshiyuki Inoko, founder of teamLab, the interdisciplinary collaborative group

Art news words: camilla apcar

clockwise from top: Shi Li Feng, The Peach Blossom Land No. 86, 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, 100x150cm, photo courtesy of teamLab, ©2016 teamLab, courtesy of Pace Gallery; Keith Tyson, 3.2.16, 2016, mixed media on watercol-our paper, 598mmx752mm, ©keith tyson; Qiu Shengxian, Dream Fashion Baby 150908, 2015, oil and acrylic on canvas, 145x145cm; Yang Qian, Red Plum Blossoms, 2014, mixed media on canvas, 90cm

Sage and sound Strategic art investment may seem a minefield, but one consultancy hopes to ease the process for those looking to invest around £50,000 or more – within the realms of Asian art at least. Art Futures Group launched in the UK at the beginning of the year, after setting up in Asia in 2011.

The advisory works with more than 1,000 artists, but focuses on 44 contemporary Chinese creators whose sales have a good track record. It guides clients through investment, involving private views of potential purchases and three post-sale options: to keep for personal use; free storage; or a leasing scheme that rents the work for a six per cent return per annum. artfuturesgroup.com

What does Transcending Boundaries, your new exhibition at Pace London, refer to?

Within the digital domain, art can transcend physical and conceptual boundaries. Digital technology allows art to break free from the frame. Elements can interact with and influence other works exhibited in the same space. In this way, boundaries dissolve.

What themes does your work explore?

The digital realm is free from physical constraints. Digital technology is a tool for change and a platform for expressing complex ideas. Viewers and the environment take on a crucial role in defining and changing interactive artworks.

The viewer is an active participant and ultimately becomes a part of the artwork.

How can these huge installations be translated to private spaces, or even collected?

They can be scaled to fit different locations and spaces, stored and re-created, or collected by museums or private collectors.

The writing on the wall A selection of rarely exhibited works by 2002 Turner Prize winner Keith Tyson are soon to be shown at Jerwood Gallery in Hastings, the location for our fashion shoot this month. Turn Back Now will feature diary-like doodles from the Studio Wall series that the Cumbrian artist began nearly 20 years ago.

28 January – 4 June, jerwoodgallery.org

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How do your immersive installations work?

In some pieces, digital technology creates art by using dynamic, programmed behavioural code. In others, the medium is transformative: the viewer’s movements cause the installation to react and evolve.

What is the future of digital art?

Digital art could make the presence of others while viewing art more positive, even if you are not related to them, do not understand them, or cannot control them.

Until 11 March, 6 Burlington Gardens, W1S, pacegallery.com

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Canvassing the Union The Royal Academy’s next exhibition, Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932, casts a fascinating historical eye on a tumultuous era. Camilla Apcar speaks to its co-curator Ann Dumas

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n 1917, the Romanov autocracy was overthrown. The tsars were out; Lenin and the Bolsheviks swept to power. Russia was in a harsh state of flux during the years that followed, and on the revolution’s centenary, the Royal Academy is staging an exhibition that captures the turmoil of this period – for both the country and its artists.

At first, an air of experimentalism saw the colourful rise of Wassily Kandinsky and firm popularity of avant-garde artists such as Kazimir Malevich. Yet the Soviet state increasingly demanded representational art, and in 1932 Stalin declared all art should express Soviet ideology – a command not to be reckoned with.

“In the 1920s a repressive climate was on the increase,” says co-curator Ann Dumas, but after Stalin’s decree, “it was complete repression… in the late 1930s, the purges began and Russia closed down relationships with the West.” Marc Chagall and Kandinsky had long since left for Europe, frustrated and disenchanted by Lenin’s policies.

With a historical eye on post-revolutionary politics and creative scrutiny, Revolution: Russian Art 1917–1932 will consider the achievement of individual avant-garde artists; those who conformed, and those who pushed beyond propaganda in their figurative work.

clockwise from centre: Wassily Kandinsky, Blue Crest, 1917, Oil on canvas, 133x104cm, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Photo ©2016, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg; Kazimir Malevich, Peasants, c.1930, Oil on canvas, 53x70cm, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Photo ©2016, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg; Lyudmila Protopopova, A Cup for Serving Tea, 1931, Porcelain, height 6.4cm, The Petr Aven Collection, Photo ©The Petr Aven Collection; Boris Mikailovich Kustodiev, Bolshevik, 1920, Oil on canvas, 101x140.5cm, State Tretyakov Gallery, Photo ©State Tretyakov Gallery

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Many galleries have covered the Russian avant-garde in the past. Indeed, Dumas previously worked on From Russia, the Royal Academy’s own blockbuster loan-filled show in 2008, which covered 1870 until 1925. “This is a sort of sequel,” she says. “We’re kind of encapsulating a dramatic and tumultuous era through the visual arts.”

“This era produced very interesting art, but socially and historically it was a catastrophe” Interestingly, this new exhibition’s transitional period saw the avant-garde movement run alongside the forced optimism of Socialist Realism, which was soon to replace it. It will be thematic rather than chronological, honing in on industry, utopia and dystopia, leaders and the new world that each strove to create.

The majority of paintings have been borrowed from the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and The State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Yet this is a varied show. The ever-powerful role of photography, mass media and film – promoted by both Lenin and Stalin – will be explored through the work of creators like director Sergei Eisenstein.

In 1932 an important exhibition was staged in Leningrad by Nikolai Punin, “a sort of curatorcritic impresario figure”, describes Dumas. Punin’s idea was to show the diversity and range of art of the nascent Soviet state in a huge display of around 900 paintings (many concerning shortlived movements, others dedicated to individual artists, including the influential Malevich).

Over the past few years, regular sales at auction houses have helped bring Russian artists to the

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market, and less familiar names to light.

This exhibition is set to do the same.

“I think it will appeal as a visualisation of history, and to those interested in 20th-century art,” says Dumas.

One space will be taken over by a faithful reconstruction of Malevich’s room at the 1932 exhibition.

Elsewhere, a section will explore life in Russia’s cities: austere and eventually subject to rationing. The Royal Academy has borrowed ephemeral material such as food coupons, as well as a selection of posters – the 1920s was a great age for graphic design – that touted totalitarianism.

“We didn’t want to put this across as a marvellous period in history,” says Dumas. “It produced very interesting art, but socially and historically it was a catastrophe. We have created a ‘room of memory’, where we’re projecting about 50 photographs from the Gulag museum in Moscow. Most of them are just [of] ordinary people.”

Most curious of all, Revolution: Russian Art 1917–1932 will include more than 30 ceramic objects from a private collection. The imperial porcelain factory in Russia created beautiful wares for the tsars, but after their fall it was left with a lot of undecorated items. In an industrious move, the factory painted over the imperial insignia and started using the porcelain for Soviet designs.

Those on display include Socialist Realist, Suprematist and Constructivist-inspired examples.

Just like the rest of this exhibition is set to do, “we show both sides of the coin,” says Dumas. £18, 11 February – 17 April, royalacademy.org.uk

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Equipped with pen and paper, illustrator Ayumi Togashi has journeyed from the foothills of Mount Fuji to the metropolises of Paris and London to capture the heart and soul of luxury brands the world over.

Hannah Lemon reports

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any artists that make it to the top of their game overcome serious hardship to reach success. The extraordinary characters on history’s canvas are fraught with drama: Vincent van Gogh famously cut his ear off and sent it to a brothel, Frida Kahlo suffered chronic pain for most of her life, and The Scream painter Edvard Munch battled with complex mental health issues.

When I meet the shy and retiring illustrator Ayumi Togashi, it is hard to imagine her waging war with the colourful jungle of a creative’s life – her story has the tranquillity of a zen garden.

Togashi was born and raised in Yamanashi, which sits in the centre of Honshu, one of Japan’s main islands and in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

One can only imagine the calming life led in such surroundings: the place is known for the thousands of blooming shibazakura flowers that spread out like a giant pink carpet below the snow-capped volcano.

ART

She made the move to Paris in 2003 to study fashion, and began drawing as a hobby on the side. Soon these illustrations gained so much attention that people began ordering copies. Her first major project was for a collaboration between accessories brand Yazbukey and Coca-Cola, and she has since worked for Chloé, Paco Rabanne, Hermès, Printemps and Penhaligon’s.

“Each project is different and needs consideration,” Togashi explains. “From the small Parisian atelier, to a luxury fashion label or Japanese brand, they have all played an important part in my career.”

When I first meet the artist, she is expecting a baby and looks ready to pop. A few weeks later I catch up with her to find out how things are now that the little sprog has arrived. “It’s a totally new experience,” she smiles. “I still have some orders to do, so I hope he will be a good boy and let me draw from time to time!” She mentions that a recent purchase of a mobile that sings Moon River is her – perhaps optimistic – attempt to keep crying at bay.

What projects did she manage to fit in before the birth? “I designed the certificates for The Mayfair Awards 2016 and sketched guests at the event,” she says. “The Ritz London was the perfect venue for such a high-society evening and the table settings were beautiful. I really enjoyed it.”

Togashi notes one main influence: Aurore de La Morinerie. The bold and mysterious figures drawn by the French artist are a fascinating take on Parisian fashion, but Togashi’s intricate and detailed style lends itself equally well to the world of luxury goods. Her nimble fingers use permanent pencil and Chinese ink in an ‘aquarelle’ style, a popular technique that creates a thin, almost transparent, veil of watercolour.

Whether a woman in a couture dress standing under the Eiffel Tower or a high-end designer store on the picturesque Mount Street, each scene that flows from Togashi’s nib encapsulates a spring-like effervescence – much like the pink valleys below Mount Fuji. agentandartists.com/ayumi-togashi

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Signe d’exception

FASHION

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he folks at Bally can cheer up any wardrobe whether there’s rain, hail or sunshine outside. For S/S17, they have moved away from the 1970s look that dominated the A/W16 and Resort 17 collections, but the range is no less bold or adventurous than its forebears. It features sharp, 1960s-inspired shapes in playful materials such as hot pink velvet, leather mesh and perforated knitwear. We love the classic loafer pumps in eye-popping colours: pristine white and glistening cherry red, and the shimmering quilt-effect Eclipse bag (pictured).

The perfect Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one, or even better, just for yourself.

Eclipse clutch, £1,650, 116 New Bond Street, W1S, bally.com

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Primary colours Mary Katrantzou goes back to basics in her Resort 17 collection, focusing on a bold primary colour scheme. Blocks of red, blue and yellow feature in styles such as the scarlet Mason coat and the wide-striped Krayola jacket, although Katrantzou’s signature patterns and prints still make an appearance. The lively Duritz dress is inspired by 1960s scarves, but remains sharp with a neatly pleated panel skirt.

In the campaign, the models wear two of S/S17’s major colourways on their heads: tousled crimson and sunshine yellow locks.

Ella jumper, £795, marykatrantzou.com

WORDS: Marianne Dick

Hockney’s BOSS BOSS creative director, Jason Wu, is well-known for his affinity with contemporary art. For the new BOSS Bespoke soft bag, he has taken inspiration from David Hockney’s characteristic palette: striking shades of moss, rust and royal blue. The masculine cufflink lock is complemented by the bag’s laid-back design, with a softly structured top handle, adaptable side panels and a removable cross body strap. £850, 122 New Bond Street, W1S, hugoboss.com

A delicate matter Dreaded January – a month of ubiquitous hibernation – may be just behind us, but Gilda & Pearl’s new S/S17 collection makes us long for more cosy evenings in. Its Conduit Street atelier has taken a cue from photographer Harriet Clare’s portfolio and created a dreamy, spring-like capsule collection: images from Clare’s ethereal Blumen flower series are printed onto flowing silk kaftans, camisoles and slips. The S/S17 collection also includes the Gina almond gold range (pictured), as well as bridal pieces that can be monogrammed for the big day.

Gina collection, from £60, 4th Floor, 21 Conduit Street, W1S, gildapearl.co.uk

Image credit: erik Madigan Heck

Style update

La Dolce Vita The founding years of proudly Italian brands Rubelli and Santoni may have a margin of more than a century between them, but in their recent collaboration the pair appear to be perfectly in sync. For S/S17, Santoni’s décolletés and tasselled moccasins have been reimagined in baroque style with the help of the traditional textile specialist. The 18th century-inspired Queen Anne fabric features a British botanical print and comes in a regal array of gilded claret, coral and aqua.

From £565, santonishoes.com

fashion

Gaurav Gupta for Aashni + Co image credit: Muse motion pictures

Indian summer W O R D S : a n n a t h or n h i l l

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fter she struggled to find an appropriate outfit for her own engagement, Londonbased, Mumbai-born entrepreneur Aashni Anshul Doshi decided to take matters into her own hands and found a fashion label that fits the bill. Launched in 2012, Aashni + Co specialises in Indian and South Asian high fashion, jewellery and accessories.

“Indian weddings can go on for a week, so you need at least six outfits. I had to live in India for six months so that I wouldn’t have to travel back and forth for all of the fittings,” says the creative director. “That’s how the idea for the store came about; there was a clear gap and no one else was around to fill it.”

Now her Notting Hill concept boutique and e-store stocks a medley of

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“Indian weddings can go on for a week, so you need at least six outfits” dazzling ready-to-wear and haute couture styles that range from the more traditional affair – fashion label Sabyasachi is the best for conventional bridalwear – to contemporary designs, including Gaurav Gupta’s occasionwear gowns (pictured, from £500-£5,000), which merge modern, fluid silhouettes with intricate embroidery.

Last month Aashni + Co hosted its second wedding show at The Dorchester hotel, presenting an eclectic edit of brands and collections that highlight the changing nature of Asian weddings, particularly for those who live in the West.

“People are slowly getting into more vibrant colours. Reds, pinks, corals, oranges and greens are becoming more popular for nuptials. Nowadays, parents are more open to accepting different styles too,” Doshi says. “On the other hand, we’re seeing a lot of young brides who want to embrace tradition, so there’s something for everyone.” aashniandco.com 61

Dress, £2,490, Fendi, fendi.com; shoes, £330, Stuart Weitzman, stuartweitzman.com

In the

FRAME Take inspiration from the art world with a vibrant palette of blossoming florals and bold graphic prints in time for spring P h o t o g r a p h y: H e l e n e S a n d b e r g S t y l i n g : N ata s h a H e a s m a n

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ABOVE Jumpsuit, £396, Zimmermann, zimmermannwear.com

RIGHT Dress, £3,260, Marni, marni.com

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fashion

LEFT Dress, £1,175, Proenza Schouler, available at Harvey Nichols, harveynichols.com

ABOVE Top, £5,500, Dior, dior.com

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fashion

ABOVE Dress, £1,640, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, preenbythorntonbregazzi.com; shoes, £330, Stuart Weitzman, as before

RIGHT Dress, POA, Erdem, erdem.com

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CREDITS Model: Annika-Marie Leick from Next Models Make-up and hair: Lou Box at S Management With thanks to Jerwood Gallery

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

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

Image credit: Casper Sejersen

fashion

Christian’s clan Mr Louboutin is a busy man. At London Fashion Week Men’s last month, the models who walked the E. Tautz runway show wore one of his exclusive, never-before-seen A/W17 styles: a sturdy suede lace-up in dark autumnal shades.

Coinciding with this sneak peek, Christian Louboutin celebrated the launch of its S/S17 range centred around a newly-designed coat of arms. The motif is embroidered onto suede slippers that can be worn as mules or sling backs, and is encrusted with stars, pearls and spikes on a range of supple calfskin bags.

From £295, 17 Mount Street, W1K, christianlouboutin.com

Style spy

WORDS: marianne dick

Eskimo chic Defying Gravity Lab Series, the men’s grooming specialist, has concocted a new line of anti-ageing skincare that contains extracts of galactic meteorite, allowing you to indulge any starry-eyed childhood fantasies involving space travel within your daily grooming routine. The extract contains magnesium and calcium – promoting natural collagen production – and the products are infused with an aroma that is based on rare Shima lemons.

From £105, Lab Series, available at Harrods, harrods.com

The Arctic musk ox is an ice age animal that has survived the harshest conditions due to its incredibly thermal but rarely cultivated underside wool: qiviut. Qiviut & Co is a new company that makes limited editions using responsibly sourced qiviut, a by-product of native subsistence hunting.

Its first piece, a classic padded jacket, will take you snugly from the city to the slopes. £975, qiviutandco.com

Suit yourself Trunk Clothiers – our favourite fashion and lifestyle shop on Chiltern Street – is introducing a made-to-measure tailoring service with fabric choices from Ariston, Loro Piana, Fox Brothers and Savile Row’s Holland & Sherry. The bespoke service could be the final piece of the puzzle for Mats Klingberg’s neighbourhood empire, however we imagine he has many other ideas tucked up his immaculately cut sleeve.

Head a few doors down to accessories store Trunk LABS for the final touches.

Suits from £900, Trunk Clothiers, 8 Chiltern Street, W1U, trunkclothiers.com

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Resin d’être

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esigner Martha Sturdy combines art, nature and functionality in her pieces, which range from chunky ‘wearable sculpture’ to fluid, ribbony wall-mounted features. Since she hails from British Columbia, Sturdy’s work is mostly preoccupied with natural, elemental materials such as steel, cedar and bronze. At January’s Maison&Objet fair in Paris, she launched a grey and gold collection made from resin: her signature material because of its tactile, nonporous and scratch-resistant qualities.

From £5,600, available at Holly Hunt, 20 Grafton Street, W1S, hollyhunt.com

Boucle #1 and Fusion Square Coffee Table from the Grey and Gold Collection by Martha Sturdy, marthasturdy.com. photography: Claudette carracedo

interiors

Scandinavian spirit While euphoria surrounding the cosy lifestyle concept ‘hygge’ might have worn thin, Scandinavia remains on trend as we move towards spring. A new concept named ‘lagom’ – which means ‘not too much, not too little’ and centres around balance and sustainability – is set to be this year’s buzz word. A collection of ecological wallpapers from Sandberg, a Swedish wallcovering specialist, provides clean, graphic backdrops to help you ‘lagom’ your home in expert style.

Magnus stripe from the RAND collection, £76 per roll, sandbergwallpaper.com

Interiors news WORDS: MARIANNE DICK

Say it with flowers Pulbrook & Gould are pulling out all the stops for Valentine’s Day, offering customers a one-off opportunity to fill their abode with an abundance of blooms in a fashion reminiscent of their Mayfair store. The florist has taken inspiration from a spectacular scene in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, where Jay Gatsby transforms his cottage with wild waterfalls of flora in an attempt to win the heart of Daisy Buchanan. The memory of the moment, at least, is bound to last a lifetime.

POA, Pulbrook & Gould at Thomas Goode, 19 South Audley Street, W1K, pulbrookandgould.co.uk

Bon Jour Monsieur Starck Philippe Starck has launched a new table version of his Bon Jour Unplugged lamp. You can charge and use it portably for up to six hours, and control light emission with a dimmer switch. Starck’s playful wit shines through as he encourages owners to interchange the lamp’s crown (from pleated fabric to illuminous yellow plastic), depending on one’s mood or décor.

Bon Jour Unplugged, from £224, flos.com

Smoke and mirrors David Linley’s designs always inspire intrigue: whether it’s searching for a secret drawer or admiring the mind-blowing marquetry.

Linley’s S/S17 collection revives the trompe l’oeil effect featured in some of the designer’s early work. His range of Pop Art-esque mirrors create optical illusions such as looking into the reflection of a swimming pool or checking a car’s rear view mirror. Modern marquetry at its most stylish.

From £500, Burlington Arcade, 51 Piccadilly, W1J, davidlinley.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

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Home away Interior design-led hotels are not just something to write home about.

Camilla Apcar reports on the hoteliers with their own shops and furniture collections that recreate the holiday spirit back in London

interiors

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t is every general manager’s dream and worst nightmare, all in one question from a guest: “Where can I buy this exact table lamp, doorknob, cushion or armoire?” Yet the savviest hoteliers already have a contingency plan for such compliments – a shop on site or online, a little black book that holds their interior designer’s contact details for private commissions or their own line of homewares.

The style stakes set by increasingly design-led hotels are ever rising, and travellers looking to bring a piece of their favourite hotel home can find not just the same glassware and trinkets from suites, but entire bedroom sets, floorings and finishing flourishes, too.

Two significant interior collections from hospitality behemoths launched last year: Soho Home, by Soho House Group, and Eden Being, through Eden Rock Group and Oetker Collection (responsible for The Lanesborough and Le Bristol Paris).

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opposite: le bristol paris. above: soho farmhouse. below: armani hotel signature suite.

“Eden Being is about capturing memories, the unique special something that will forever remind you of your time at one of Oetker Collection’s properties,” says Eden Being CEO Daniela Ott. Among the e-tailer’s most desirable pieces are Louis XV and XVI furnishings from Le Bristol Paris, with an edit of wooden chests and consoles, Fontainebleau headboards and stools that conjure supreme decadence and elegance. Creating one’s own 18th-century parlour or boudoir is but a few clicks away; the site can be filtered by hotel or product, with furniture then made to order in France by 18th-century specialist Taillardat.

The comforts of five Soho Houses became available online at Soho Home in September.

Perhaps the most distinctive look is from the Oxfordshire Soho Farmhouse, where “we sourced lots of vintage pieces locally from Tetbury and surrounding antique shops,” says design director Linda Boronkay. Products include a chic ceramic collection plus sofas and

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armchairs made by craftsmen in the north of England, using traditional techniques.

Designer hotels have their own solutions at the ready. While many of the interiors and amenities at Armani’s hotel in Dubai are bespoke, guests enamoured with its muted and checkered style can visit Armani/Casa’s showrooms in Dubai’s Design District or at Chelsea Harbour’s Design Centre. Every piece is designed by Giorgio himself. The keenest followers can employ the brand’s dedicated interior design studio (ensuring luxe living without the risk of one’s home resembling a showroom itself).

At Palazzo Versace Dubai, each piece of furniture has been designed exclusively for the hotel, drawing inspiration from the fashion house’s archive. “The interiors showcase the Versace lifestyle through the contemporary eye of artistic director Donatella Versace, where everything is opulent,” says general manager Sandra Tikal.

“What’s important nowadays is to be differentiated from other hotels.

Design has a strong influence” Barely a head can turn without spotting the trademark Medusa head and Greek key motifs, and although bathrobes and towels are always popular requests, it’s the peacock, horse and falcon cushions that really attract attention. These can only be purchased at Palazzo Versace Dubai itself.

Chinaware, vases and lumiere glasses embellished with a 3D Medusa can be found in Versace Home boutiques, including on Sloane Street.

In the two Imperial suites on the Palazzo’s top floors, everything is available to order from the latest Versace Home collections. “From the moment anyone enters, they are mesmerised,” says Tikal. “The majestic bedhead designs are a favourite with both men and women, as are the chandeliers and wallpapers.”

The first suite showcases the plush, neoclassical Vanitas collection, with intricately patterned poufs, elegant table lamps and panelled sofas. The linear Via Gesù in the second suite features chairs with swirling arms and plenty of modern Medusas.

Top interior designers have long lent their expertise to the hotel industry: Patricia Urquiola at Lake Como’s Il Sereno, Marcel Wanders in

clockwise from top: the franklin hotel; armani hotel, ambassador suite; como point yamu bay suite bathroom; palazzo versace furnishings; palazzo versace imperial suite

interiors

DESIGN DETAILs South Beach and Manhattan, and Axel Vervoordt soon to come at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich.

And when COMO Point Yamu opened in Phuket in November 2013, Paola Navone wrought her first hotel interior project with aplomb.

Point Yamu’s general manager Andy Kunz says guests often enquire about even the smallest of details. The hotel is happy to oblige, whether giving up spares, redirecting guests to the hotel’s shop that sells a selection of Navone’s wares (glassware and china are particularly popular), or putting them in touch with the artists whose work line the walls.

“We recently had a gentleman from Dubai stay whose daughter liked the furniture so much that he bought a variety for her new house as a present,” Kunz recalls. “What’s important nowadays is to be differentiated from other hotels. It’s usually the people and level of service that allow this, but design also has a strong influence. Point Yamu is very different from any property you could find in Phuket or Thailand.

It’s a move away from the sort of ‘cookie-cutter’ rooms that you might find elsewhere.”

Kunz continues: “In the past you’d take a picture and make a photo album... some people might take a bit of sand from beaches they’ve stayed at – this is just the same.”

The interior designer of Singita’s 12 chic safari camps and lodges across Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa is Boyd Ferguson. Since 1993 he has defined and redefined the safari aesthetic with natural materials and contemporary-cum-tribal panache. In another on-site wonder emporium, his homewares – and locally handcrafted pieces – are stocked in Singita’s colonial farmhouse shops.

The devil does, sometimes, lie in the detail.

During a major renovation of The Franklin in Knightsbridge last summer, Anouska Hempel used Lapicida’s new collection of stone accessories for floors, walls, tables and objects.

“Lapicida is a marvellous old-fashioned company with an awful lot of sensational workmanship at its fingertips,” says Hempel. “The hotel is supposed to look like an Italian home in London, so anybody can have a go at that with ease.” The ultimate souvenir.

the arts club, mayfair Each suite at The Arts Club features a standalone Catchpole & Rye clawfoot bathtub. The cast iron and enamelled Saracen design is made at the bathroom specialist’s foundry in Kent – painted black or polished.

From £4,000, theartsclub.co.uk

Four seasons Four Seasons’ twin, full, queen or king-size bed – mattress, box spring, topper (firm or plush) and all – can be ordered directly through one of its hotels or resorts.

From around £1,810, fourseasons.com

Six Senses Zighy Bay, oman armanihotels.com, comohotels.com, edenbeing.com, palazzoversace.com, singita.com, sohohome.com, thefranklinlondon.com

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These terracotta goat sculptures – a symbol of this mountainous part of the country – are sold in the resort’s boutique. They can also be made into a table lamp by staff, who drill a hole into the top.

From around £23.50, sixsenses.com 77

The art of

speed The BMW Art Car project is a remarkable collection of modern works by the likes of Warhol, Hockney and Lichtenstein. But where to find them?

Matthew Carter reports

motoring

S CLOCKWISE FROM left: cars by Jeff Koons; César Manrique; Ernst Fuchs; John Baldessari

ometimes the best things in life happen by accident. It was back in 1975 that the well-connected French auctioneer and racing driver Hervé Poulain decided to invite an artist to use his car as a canvas. He commissioned his friend, American artist Alexander Calder, to paint a BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ that Poulain himself was to race in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The red, orange and blue machine looked stunning but, alas, retired from the race early with drive-shaft problems and was never raced again.

It also proved to be Calder’s last major work, as he died the following year.

From these inauspicious beginnings grew the remarkable BMW Art Car project. The official

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BMW line is that, in the beginning, the cars were simply unusually painted racing cars and there was little or no public relations programme built around them. But that changed as some of the world’s best known artists – Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and David Hockney – started painting the latest BMWs. Today the Art Cars – 18 official examples have been created so far – are very much part of BMW’s promotional effort. They are used in adverts and displayed at exhibitions to underline BMW’s involvement as a major sponsor of the arts.

And they are still raced.

Although the original Calder car had a less than successful time at Le Mans, Poulain drove a BMW 320i painted by Lichtenstein to second in class in the 1977 epic, and he also managed sixth overall and second in class in the Warhol-painted BMW M1 in 1979.

Bearing in mind that motor racing is sometimes a contact sport, Warhol also painted several extra bumpers and body panels just in case.

His M1 was the fourth Art Car but unlike the three who went before him, Warhol didn’t use a model car to practise on first. Instead, he went straight for the real thing. It is said it took him just 23 minutes to finish the job.

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What might have been the most successful BMW Art Car of all – in racing terms – was the 1999 V12 LMR, a sports prototype built by BMW and Williams Grand Prix Engineering. Three cars were involved in that year’s race, one of which was worked on by neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer. Although it appeared at the traditional Le Mans test a month or so before the race, it was dropped from the 24 Hours itself.

The event was won by another, conventionally stickered, V12 LMR – the only time BMW has taken outright honours at Le Mans.

The tradition continues today. The latest Art Car, an M6 GTLM painted by John Baldessari, is due to make its race debut in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona on 28 January.

Not all the Art Cars have made it to the race tracks, however. A comparatively sedate 7-Series saloon was finished by African artist Esther Mahlangu in 1991. Her bold geometric patterns and colours were influenced by the clothing and

jewellery of the Ndebele people of South Africa, and the car is currently on display in the British Museum as part of its South Africa: the Art of a Nation exhibition, which closes on 26 February.

The other Art Cars are no strangers to exhibitions either. BMW regularly gathers them together and sets them off on countrywide tours: the Institute of Contemporary Arts displayed a selection of the vehicles in a Shoreditch car park as part of the London 2012 Festival under the title Art Drive!.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: cars by frank stella; sandro chia; andy warhol painting a bmw; warhol’s finished product

motoring

To confuse issues somewhat, there are several unofficial BMW Art Cars, too. The German artist and graphic designer Walter Maurer, who assisted Andy Warhol and Frank Stella on their art cars, created his own collection in collaboration with BMW. Stella also bucked the trend when he went on to decorate a BMW M1 Procar outside of the Art Car programme, the only person to have an official and unofficial version. His original car, a 1976 ‘Batmobile’, has a wonderful graph paper design that becomes “interesting when morphed over the car’s form”, said the artist when it was revealed.

Stella’s unofficial car was commissioned in 1979 by American racer Peter Gregg and formed part of Stella’s Polar Coordinates suite of works, commemorating his friend, Swedish racing driver Ronnie Peterson who died in an accident at the start of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix. The car was sold by Gregg’s widow in 1990 and donated to the Guggenheim Museum in 1999. It was then sold, in 2011, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance auction for $854,000 to Jonathan Sobel, an art and car collector who also happens to be a BMW dealer.

If an unofficial Art Car was worth around £700,000 six years ago, what does that make an official one worth today?

That’s an impossible question to answer – each one is priceless. Besides, they’re not for sale.

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What is an official Art Car worth today? Impossible to answer – each one is priceless.

Besides, they’re not for sale “They are a collection and won’t be split,” said a BMW spokesperson. “But if you look at the stature of the artists involved in the programme, it’s easy to see why putting a value of them is virtually impossible.”

If you’re in the market to invest in Art Cars, the only way to do it is to find some of the models produced by Minichamps for BMW in around 2005. But even that is easier said than done. The 1:18 scale miniatures were made in comparatively small numbers. The early cars were produced in runs of 3,000 while some of the later cars, notably the Jeff Koons 2010 BMW M3 GT2, have a run of 5,000.

They’re pricey now. An American model car dealer is currently advertising the BMW 535i Matazo Kayama Art Car at an eBay buy-it-now price of more than £300, while another collector is selling a boxed example of the Andy Warhol M1 at almost £750. Not bad for a toy car. artcar.bmwgroup.com

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health & beauty

Smoke signals YSL’s new Couture Variation No.4 eye palette is designed for all the smoky eye enthusiasts out there.

With ten shades in different textures, you can layer matte or metallic on the creamier primers.

For a finishing touch, try combining with the new Eye Gloss Smudger – a non-sticky gel – to create a more messy, wet look.

From £18.50, yslbeauty.co.uk

prep and prime

Beauty news W O R D S : m e l iss a e m e rso n

Mirror shine Christian Louboutin boldly welcomes spring with its new limited edition Loubichrome nail polishes. Inspired by Specchio, a laminated leather with a mirrorlike quality, the three shades – magenta, fiery red and limegreen tinted yellow – come in miniature versions of its classic bottle, with a rainbow-effect cap.

Pigmented pearls reflect light to give a look of liquid metal. £23 each, selfridges.com

A secret ingredient Danish make-up artist Kirsten Kjær Weis’s natural cosmetic label has launched its first moisturising product: The Beautiful Oil. It contains olive, jojoba and almond seed oils as well as the more unusual ingredient dioscorea batatas – a perennial plant with white flowers that is used in Chinese medicine. Recent evidence suggests it possesses powerful anti-inflammatory and healing properties, to give skin a natural, healthy glow. £180, net-a-porter.com

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NARS has launched a trio of primers to cover all bases when it comes to prolonging and enhancing make-up. The mattifying Pore & Shine Control minimises pores, while the Radiance primer uses pearlescent pigments to warm the complexion. Sun protection is also key: the Smooth and Protect primer has an SPF 50 rating. Wear alone or mix together according to your skin’s needs, and observe the added benefits over time. £27, narscosmetics.co.uk

water world Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has introduced a new scent to his water-themed Aqua Universalis and Aqua Vitae creations.

The Aqua Celestia scent is light and refreshing, combining Mexican lime and English mint with blackcurrant from Burgundy.

The fragrance can be enjoyed as an eau de toilette, body cream or shower cream.

From £45, selfridges.com

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food & drink

Sunday best

F

oley’s is not a traditional Sunday roast sort of place, so when the Fitzrovia restaurant decided to launch a sabbath offering, head chef Mitz Vora devised Off Menu, a series of intimate tasting sessions.

The weekly six-course dinners kicked off last month with a culinary exploration of Mumbai, and a menu of hake steamed in banana leaf; paneer with cornflakes, pistachio and saffron; and fried milk with rose ice cream.

Next up, Vora and his team will be giving regional-inspired Afghan and Malaysian dishes their trademark twist. Taking place around the kitchen counter, guests will have the best seats in the house for the occasion, so they can grill the chefs as they sauté semolina crisps and pickle mango. Hold the gravy. £65, booking in advance is essential, 6pm and 8.30pm every Sunday, 23 Foley Street, W1W, foleysrestaurant.co.uk

image credit: lateef okunnu

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Dinner date

Food & drink news WORDS: LAUREN ROMANO

A takeaway isn’t the most romantic of dining options granted, but if you’d rather avoid couples doing their best Lady and the Tramp reenactments over a bowl of spaghetti come 14 February, a night in might be what Cupid ordered. To make it more of an occasion, delivery service Sushi Shop has collaborated with Michelin-starred Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi. The Alain Ducasse-trained cuisinier has adapted a number of his renowned dishes for the new menu, which features made-toorder garden maki, salmon gravlax rolls and red miso cucumber salad (pictured).

And if you don’t have a date for the evening, there’s all the more for you. mysushishop.co.uk

A matter of taste

Knead to know Is there a more appropriate address for a bakery than Baker Street? Seasoned artisan boulanger Eric Kayser didn’t think so, which is why he has opened his first London bakery and sit-down restaurant, Maison Kayser, on the road.

Baking is in Eric’s blood: his family has been making bread for four generations, and after opening his first premises in Paris 20 years ago, he now has more than 100 bakeries in 21 countries, all selling his speciality sourdoughs. Pop in from 7am to 11pm to see if he’s on a roll (sorry) with this latest venture.

8 Baker Street, W1U, maison-kayser.com

Last month Daryl Haldane, head of education at The Macallan led a whisky tasting at Hedonism Wines.

The immersive evening of tutored tastings sampled The Macallan’s 12-year-old expressions, including Fine Oak, Sherry Oak and Double Cask. But it was the exquisite M Decanter that wowed the crowd.

The single malt comes in a Lalique decanter and is crafted from the rarest whiskies at the distillery.

Royal Mile Whiskies, 3 Bloomsbury Street, WC1B, themacallan.com

Spice trail Bottling the pungent flavours of the street food markets of northern and southern India is what the Jamavar brand does best, and after having tested its mettle cooking in the kitchens at The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, the culinary team opened its first restaurant outside India last month. Touching down in Mayfair, executive chef Rohit Ghai serves delicacies such as tellicherry pepper and garlic soft shell crab; and kid goat shami kebab with black cardamom and mint chutney, as well as signature tandoor dishes, biryani and curries, all of which are best served with a gin and tonic from the botanical garden menu.

8 Mount Street, WIK, jamavarrestaurants.com

food & drink

review

The third degree Lauren Romano brushes up on her wine knowledge with help from the sommelier at 28°-50° Wine Workshop & Kitchen

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he words ‘Dry January’ aren’t part of the vocabulary at 28°-50° Wine Workshop & Kitchen. Named after the latitudes within which the majority of the world’s vineyards are found, it boasts an evolving list of eclectic and traditional wines. These are displayed in rustic looking crates, stamped with the hallmarks of prized châteaux that stretch from floor to ceiling along the back wall, forming the ultimate oenophile’s library. For those with finely-attuned palates, there’s a Collector’s List, showcasing prized tipples from private collectors.

Workshops and themed dinners are held throughout the year, too, together with a specialist wine cellar club on Saturdays.

But I’m far from an expert. Even after several vineyard tours and tutored tastings, when confronted with a wine list I may as well be reading hieroglyphics. Thankfully, head sommelier Carlos Sancho is patient and perceptive; deciphering my vague preferences (smooth, not too spicy or fruity) into a succession of wines paired with each course.

There’s no ‘I’m detecting hints of peaches and cream’ nonsense in his flavour profile explanations. This relaxed but informed approach sums up the ethos here. Slotted into the intersection of two converging streets, 28°-50° is as romantic as they come. The main dining room space is lit almost entirely by tealights that flicker on every table, dancing off the floor-to-ceiling windows and a striking, oval-shaped, marble-topped bar.

Owned by Michelin-starred Aggi Sverrisson of Texture fame, the food isn’t bad either. Gravlax

image credit: kÀri sverriss

with horseradish yoghurt is fresh and zingy – a perfect match for a creamy Austrian Grüner Veltliner Hirschvergnügen; while a fruity Douro, Symington elevates the salty pork and nutty romanesco of a simple, smoked ham hock salad.

Chardonnay has had a bit of a bad reputation in the past, so I’m pleasantly surprised by an elegant 2014 Chilean Ventisquero, Casablanca Valley, which holds its own, while not overpowering a perfectly executed dish of Cornish cod swimming in a rich, flavoursome bisque, alongside soft slithers of confit fennel.

The pan roasted salmon, with pickled ginger, mouli and wasabi sauce meanwhile packs a flavoursome punch, which works well with a lightbodied Pinot Noir Dorflagen, Pittnauer.

I’m not usually a fan of dessert wines, but even I have to admit that a glass of 2013 Late Harvest Tokaji, with its apricot and vanilla undertones, slips down nicely alongside a heavenly white chocolate tart dusted with pistachio nuts.

I might not be singing Carlos’ praises the next morning when a 6am start isn’t made any easier by my hangover, but I can’t fault his way with wines – and I’ll drink to that again.

15-17 Marylebone Lane, W1U, 2850.co.uk

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Lauren Romano heads to Bath to enjoy its mineral-rich thermal waters, just as the Celts, the Romans, the Georgians and countless others have done through the ages

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hose Romans were onto a good thing when they established their spa stronghold, Aquae Sulis, in Bath in 60AD. As my visit to the Roman Baths museum (combined with a dash of poetic licence) confirms, the conquerors loved nothing more than to shed their tunics and togas and enjoy the waters at the intricate leisure centre, crowned by a magnificent temple where they made offerings to Minerva, the goddess of Wisdom. The ruins are still visible today and visitors come to marvel at the sophisticated engineering and walk over higgledy-piggledy flagstones, which have been smoothed by countless pairs of feet over the centuries.

But the Romans weren’t the only ones partial to a dip. The story goes that it was ailing Prince Bladud who discovered the healing properties of Bath’s thermal springs in 863BC, when he was cured of his skin disease. Since then Celts, Saxons and Georgians in turn couldn’t get enough of the mineral-rich waters either, which is just as well as one million litres bubbles up through the city’s three hot springs each day.

Today the promise of rest and relaxation is still an obvious draw, as is Bath’s regal architecture

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: tHE Spa & bATH hOUSE at The royal crescent hotel & spa; the duke of york master suite; afternoon tea

and surrounding countryside. Its distinguished Regency façades and sweeping Georgian crescents and colonnades in light, honey-washed stone have been beautifully preserved and call to mind the scene set in Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

There is history in abundance at every turn, but Bath is far from a living museum. There’s a thriving and relevant independent scene, too, making it the perfect place to potter about.

After a morning spent wandering around, we stumble across Walcot Street. Here, the biscuity

travel

wafts of warm sausage rolls tempt us straight through the doors at Sam’s Kitchen where we refuel on buttery pastry, accompanied by side salads of radicchio, brazil nuts and fragrant toasted cumin seeds, before weaving our way up the street.

In and out of interiors boutiques and concept stores we go, as well as a calligraphy shop where I pledge to ditch biros and take up writing with a feathered quill. A few doors down at Katherine Fraser, the proprietor sits creating handwoven textiles on her loom.

From here, it’s a short climb up to Bath’s architectural pinnacle, the spectacular Royal Crescent, whose arc of pale, columned townhouses stands tall against the grey wintry backdrop, winking at the manicured lawn and parklands down below. We’re staying at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, nestled in a choice spot on the parade. Here good old-fashioned service and ostentatious glamour await in abundance. It’s a classy, elegant affair, although perhaps a bit faded around the edges – a place where my knackered Nikes look just a little incongruous in the plush drawing room where the embers of the fire are stirring and guests perch on antique chairs that appear too delicate to be sat on.

Our deluxe suite, the William Beckford room, has pink pinstriped wallpaper, high-backed armchairs, gold gilt mirrors, wall lamps and a

freestanding tub in the marble-clad bathroom.

I pad around in my fleecy robe and slippers to admire the view of sweeping countryside and the fringes of the Cotswolds that can be seen from the bedroom window through the stone balustrades.

The backdrop looks like a Constable painting hanging on the horizon, with nothing but lolloping green hills and the occasional grazing ewe or farmhouse building for as far as the eye can see. The surroundings are nothing like the usual urban sprawl that forms the periphery of most other cities, and the bucolic scene lends Bath a peaceful, somnolent air.

For those whose stress gauges could do with being turned down a few notches further, the hotel’s Spa & Bathhouse, tucked away at the bottom of the beautiful garden, is the perfect place to while away an afternoon. My therapist goes out of her way to make my visit as serene as possible, even accommodating my last minute request for hot stones, which she incorporates into an aromatherapy message.

Things get off to a rejuvenating start with essential oil infusions and herbal steam towels, and the 60-minute soothing massage that follows helps nip the beginnings of a cold in the bud. Afterwards, I’m left to sip a cup of ginger tea on a recliner chair overlooking the pool, sauna and Jacuzzi.

I’m almost too relaxed to rouse myself for dinner, but a Taste of the Crescent five-course

The backdrop looks like a Constable painting, with nothing but lolloping green hills for as far as the eye can see

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travel

Must-visit

Soak up the panoramic views at the Thermae Bath Spa menu is on the cards at the Dower House Restaurant, created by executive head chef David Campbell and paired with wines by the charming French sommelier. The menu reflects the abundance of local, seasonal ingredients, cooked in refined, yet unpretentious ways, while the service is attentive without being overblown.

We feast on daintily presented dishes: mousses laced with pickled mushroom, truffle and hazelnut; hay smoked Loch Duart salmon hidden under a glass cloche, clouds of smoke whirling around underneath; an unctuous slow-cooked duck egg that dribbles over salty pancetta morsels and a celeriac and artichoke velouté.

We finish with a sharp mango and passion fruit mousse with coconut sorbet and a whole tray of petite fours, before retiring to our room for a peppermint tea. It’s not quite a Roman banquet, and sadly I don’t get to don a toga or leave a sacrificial lamb at the altar, but I think Bath’s founding fathers would still approve.

Thermae Bath Spa

From £295 a night B&B in a classic room, royalcrescent.co.uk

LEFT: THE GARDENS AT THE ROYAL CRESCENT HOTEL & SPA ABOVE: THE ROOFTOP POOL AT THERMae BATH SPA

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No trip to Bath would be complete without a visit to Thermae Bath Spa. After all, it’s here that the city’s thermal waters (heated to 33.5°C to be precise) are pumped into four baths: the Grade-I listed Georgian Cross Bath (which can be hired exclusively for small parties of up to 12), the Hot Bath, the Minerva Bath and a spectacular open-air rooftop pool.

First opened in 2006 after a refit, the historic spa building has been brought into the 21st century. Today most spa goers who walk through its doors come to sample the Thermae Welcome, a two-hour session, which includes the use of a towel, robe and slippers. This can also be booked alongside a treatment, such as a signature Watsu water massage, or a body wrap, massage or facial.

We begin at the open-air rooftop pool, which turns out to provide the most scenic bathing experience of all time. Chocolate-box views over the city and the surrounding hills are matched with mineral-rich, warm waters, as we bob along in the slipstream created by bubbling jets.

We emerge half an hour later to be greeted with a sharp, icy blast of air and hurry on inside to the steam rooms to breathe in the soothing vapours of the pods, infused with essences of eucalyptus mint, lemongrass and ginger. Since our visit, this floor has undergone a further transformation to create a new Wellness Suite.

Opening in early spring, the facilities will include Roman and Georgian- inspired steam rooms and an infrared sauna.

Finally, we end with an invigorating dip in the Minerva Bath, complete with a massage jet, whirlpool and a lazy river, where I happily surrender to the flow. When in Bath...

Thermae Welcome packages from £34 on weekdays and £37 on weekends, thermaebathspa.com

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YO U M AY N E V E R M A K E I T BA C K HOME T H E SA M E .

Book your Bermuda holiday with Classic Collection Holidays on 0800 294 9329 or 01903 836643.

TRAVEL

Ever fancied island-hopping around the Seychelles? It’s the ultimate romantic escape, as Francesca Lee-Rogers discovers

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honeymoon can be something of a daunting task to plan. After being in the throes of wedmin for two-and-a-half years, my husband and I flipped between an inexhaustible list of destinations. We weighed up everything from a mini-moon in the UK and a week-long jaunt in Europe, to jetting off to the Caribbean or island-hopping around the Seychelles. We eventually decided on the latter – after all, what says honeymoon more than a fortnight in the Indian Ocean? With its stunningly colourful coral reefs, miles upon miles of white sandy beaches and nature reserves, and up to 115 islands to discover, there’s certainly plenty to explore…

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Best for

Business, property investment and laid-back luxury

Eden Bleu Hotel After a 15-hour plane journey, we land on Mahé, the biggest island in the Seychelles. Feeling just a little bit jet-lagged, it thankfully takes only 10 minutes to arrive at Eden Island, a man-made residential and commercial outcrop situated less than two miles from the capital of Victoria. Popular with property investors thanks to its selection of waterfront luxury villas and apartments, as well as yacht charters from the marina, it still manages to retain a charming sense of community.

The island is also home to Eden Bleu Hotel, which is known for mixing work with pleasure – ideal if your other half has forgotten about a last minute conference call and needs a boardroom on standby. Thankfully, the only meetings we have scheduled for the duration of our stay revolve around the sun loungers, but it’s reassuring to know that technology is at the heart of the hotel, with iPad minis delivered to rooms on request, in-room Apple TVs and a digital concierge service that enables guests to book everything from treatments at the spa to sunset cruises.

On the first night, we decide there’s no better way to see the azure waters in style than to charter the hotel’s yacht with the aforementioned activity in mind. With the skipper, waiter and private chef attending to our every whim, we relax on the prow of the boat soaking up our surroundings, glass of champagne in hand as the sun sets over Mahé’s granitic mountains, with my husband attempting to capture this idyllic moment on camera. It is, in fact, one of the most photographed moments of the whole trip, and although we try with great effort, no picture can quite do this experience justice; it’s certainly a ‘must do’ for honeymooners.

During the day at the hotel, the sun deck and infinity pool are a welcome spot to recover from a long journey, and with waiter service on hand to bring everything from cocktails to lunch, there’s no need to lift a finger. As we bask in the heat of the day’s sun, our movements consist of dipping in and out of the pool and lounging on the day beds. For those who prefer the beach, Beau Vallon is only a 20-minute private transfer away and is well worth the trip, especially if you take the hotel’s picnic that includes a delicious spread of refreshing watermelon juice, steak sandwiches and marlin wraps.

Whether it’s for work, a weekend escape or a romantic getaway, Eden Bleu Hotel is a versatile choice, and is well worth a stopover for at least a few days before continuing on to the more pressing business of adventure.

Deluxe Rooms from £270 a night on a room-only basis, contact reservations@edenbleu.com, edenbleu.com

TRAVEL

The sunsets at the Four Seasons are not to be missed for similar pinch-me moments and it is also the spa’s terrace that offers the most magnificent views Four Seasons Seychelles WHEN I WAS planning our honeymoon, every time I mentioned the Four Seasons Seychelles to friends and colleagues, every possible superlative was thrown into conversation. The resort has long been associated as one of the most romantic in the world and has received countless accolades to this effect, for good reason.

Sixty-seven secluded treehouse villas and 27 residences are perched on stilts on a lush green hillside overlooking Petite Anse beach in Baie Lazare.

Taking design cues from traditional Creole style with French colonial and European influences, the décor has pops of blue that complement the aquamarine hue of the sea, infinity plunge pool and clear blue sky.

Having crossed to the other side of the island, what amazes me the most about the offering is the enormous ocean-view tub. While my husband takes a dip in the pool, I’m pleased to find the Bath Butler

Best for

Spa, sunsets and sea views

has already read my mind and I take a soak in what I imagine will be one of the best baths I will ever encounter.

Such indulgence can also be enjoyed high up in the spa, which like most of the resort, is accessed via a chauffeurdriven buggy. As well as offering yoga and meditation classes on one of the terraces overlooking the most spectacular surroundings, there are countless facials, treatments and massages to choose from. My husband and I opt for the Blissful Connection ritual that focuses on the sacral, heart and crown chakras with the therapists using a combination of essential oils including jasmine, rose and orange blossom that are said to promote love.

The beginning of the treatment starts with us standing hand in hand in one of the spa’s five outdoor pavilions and as we face one another, a love poem is read out. It sounds a bit cheesy, and it is, but such is the atmosphere, it takes me straight back to our wedding day.

The sunsets at the Four Seasons are not to be missed for similar pinch-me moments and it is also the spa’s terrace that offers the most magnificent views. From such a vantage point the vivid ocean colours appear all the more breathtaking.

Idyllic vistas aside, another highlight of our stay includes a Creole buffet in the beachside Kannel restaurant, where we sample local delicacies from moreish plantain crisps to barbecued fish with papaya salad. It’s a romantic end to a spectacular few days, and while the Four Seasons might have a lot to live up to for many, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Rooms start from approx. £789 a night, inclusive of breakfast in a one-bedroom Garden Pool Villa, fourseasons.com

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Banyan Tree Seychelles “It’s quite quiet,” claims our driver Nicholas as we head towards our next destination. It’s an odd start, but after further prompting the only reason he can give for his adversion to Banyan Tree Seychelles is that “it’s quite quiet”.

Frankly, for a honeymooning couple, peace and quiet is exactly what we’re after, so we carry on unperturbed to the far south of the island.

Before we arrive, we’re treated to a whistle-stop tour of the key sights in Mahé, with the island’s popular music radio station, the aptly named Paradise FM turned up full blast. For those on a tighter schedule, the sleepy Tea Factory or the spooky Bel Air Cemetery can be missed out in favour of exploring the small markets in Victoria, or learning about the island’s horticultural history at Le Jardin du Roi. The latter is an interesting mix of museum exhibits housed in the old plantation house, where guests can savour the aromatic scents of nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon on a self-guided walk around the restored royal spice garden. Finally, after lunch at the on-site restaurant, we set off en route to Banyan Tree.

After checking in at the large colonialstyle building where the main reception and restaurants are housed, we’re welcomed into our beachfront villa. The abode is expansive, light and airy, complete with a bedroom opening out onto a veranda, a private patio, large pool and even our own outdoor jet-pool, all of which is surrounded by tropical trees. We decide to make the most of the sanctuary and opt for room service instead of the plethora of dining options available that include authentic Creole food at Chez Lamar or international fare at Au Jardin d’Epices.

However, on our second day, we find ourselves in a more adventurous mood.

Invigorated by a walk along Intendance Bay and aided by a hearty breakfast and

Environmental enthusiasts, Balinese massage and Thai cuisine

The abode is expansive, light and airy, complete with a bedroom opening out onto a veranda

glass of morning fizz, we explore the surroundings. As Banyan Tree Seychelles prides itself on its green credentials, we pay a visit to the tucked-away kitchen garden, which is abundant with chillies and passion fruit.

Nestled next to a small building housing a turtle sanctuary and environmental centre, it provides a fascinating insight into how the resort acts to protect its surroundings.

The spa, meanwhile, is a welcome retreat from the morning’s adventures, and my husband and I both enjoy Thai-style, full-body massages.

That evening, the resort’s signature restaurant Saffron awaits. A stone’s throw away from our villa, we take a seat outside and overlook the inner lake of the complex, complete with rushes and the sounds of wildlife. Saffron serves up expertly crafted dishes from across Southeast Asia, but it particularly prides itself on Thai cuisine, which as expected is excellent, packed with flavour, spice and warmth.

As we gaze across the resort, we reflect upon what is a perfect end to our first jaunt on Mahé, full of anticipation for the next part of our adventure.

Rooms from £530 a night, banyantree.com

TRAVEL

Best for

Raffles

A good night’s sleep, exploring Praslin and seeing the worldrenowned coco de mer plant

During what is now the middle of our honeymoon, we find ourselves on a hilltop terrace on Praslin Island, overlooking the perennially pristine ocean. My reverie, however, is somewhat tempered by my sea legs deserting me on our hop across said seas courtesy of the local Cat Cocos ferry service. I vow that if we ever return, we will make our island hopping less bumpy and much quicker by opting for a 15-minute helicopter ride instead of the hour’s sea crossing.

The hilltop in question is the Takamaka Terrace at Raffles, a sprawling resort of 86 contemporary villas, each with its own sunbathing deck and plunge pool. Despite the exhortations of general manager

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Jöerg Roterberg that the crossing can’t have been that bad (“Look at the ocean – it’s like a lake!”) and a refreshing iced tea, I decide a nap in the comfort of our villa is the only thing that will do the trick.

After a couple of hours I’m revived enough to take a slow meander to Anse Takamaka beach, which spans the resort’s shoreline for a romantic meal under the stars. Despite a few translation issues and the fact that we’re tucked away behind trees and shrubs meaning we can hear but not see the ocean, the meal is faultless.

As well as being able to enjoy the world-renowned Raffles brand, the hotel serves as an ideal base for us to explore the Seychelles’ second-largest island. We shun some of the closer activities – Anse Lazio, voted one of the world’s top beaches is just a few minutes away and Curieuse Island, home to hundreds of giant tortoises – in favour of a full day of sightseeing. We begin with a tour of Vallée de Mai nature reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of centuries-old palm forests and home to the world-famous coco de mer plants, as well as one of the world’s rarest birds, the black parrot.

Having trekked deep into the forest, we savour the fresh sea air on a short ferry ride to neighbouring La Digue. Famed for its laid-back vibe even by Seychellois standards, the best way to explore is by hiring a bicycle from the main village of La Passe – after all, cars have only recently been allowed on the island. We visit the main sites including the old coconut plantation, L’Union Estate, which for a modest fee, also allows access to the splendour of the Anse Source d’Argent beach, a perfect spot for snorkelling in the shallows.

On our return to Raffles, we take an obligatory dip in the plunge pool, followed by a meal at Curieuse, which serves a smorgasbord of Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisine, before retiring to our villa for the last time, where I reluctantly nod off counting palm trees, not quite ready to bid Praslin goodbye.

Rooms from £647 a night, raffles.com

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Best for

Diving, hiking and Japanese cuisine

Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa The Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa certainly has a monopoly as it is the only resort on Silhouette Island (the third largest island in the whole of the Seychelles). Much like other islands, it is accessed via a 45-minute boat transfer or chopper. For those who are into hiking, this is the place to do it. As a dedicated National Park, there’s an abundance of fauna and flora, including many rare and indigenous species, while giant tortoises roam freely. Meanwhile, the island is also a surfer’s paradise and the resort’s own five-star Padi dive centre means that it’s a popular destination for diving enthusiasts too.

My husband and I decide that as we have yet to snorkel on our trip, this is the time to do it. We book onto a group excursion and cross the choppy waters by boat in anticipation of seeing parrot fish and even sea turtles. Unfortunately, although my better half can surmount the huge

Best for

a l s o v i s i t. . .

Couples, in-villa dining and proximity to Mahé airport

Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa Although my husband and I only stayed one night here in Mahé, it’s well worth a special mention, especially for honeymooners as the hotel has an aged 13 and over policy. Romance is what it does best; whether it’s candlelit in-villa dining on a balcony overlooking the ocean, or an over-the-water couple’s massage in Duniye Spa, there’s plenty to surprise your partner with. And with the option of bed and breakfast, half or full-board, what more could you want?

Turquoise offers seven nights with breakfast in a King Hillside Villa, including return international flights and group transfers to resort, from £1,655 per person, based on two sharing (prices valid until 10 January 2018) turquoiseholidays.co.uk

waves, which are due to the season, I cannot and retreat back to the boat.

Back on dry land and after working up an appetite, we indulge overselves at Japanese fusion restaurant Sakura, just one of the seven eateries on the island. The selection of sushi, sashimi and rolls is never-ending, while the punchy Thai green curry would certainly fend off any cold.

If you’re a fan of Japanese cuisine, it’s also well worth booking into the Teppanyaki restaurant for dinner where up to ten diners can delight in watching the chefs at work. Kanpai!

Turquoise offers seven nights with breakfast in a King Garden Villa, including return international flights and group transfers to resort, from £1,599 per person, based on two sharing (prices valid until 10 January 2018) turquoiseholidays.co.uk

TRAVEL

Best for

Barefoot luxury, a private island escape and the ultimate high-end honeymoon

accommodation there has been a driver and I’m soon channelling my inner Stirling Moss, with only a few close shaves.

Pulling up to Villa North Island, we can’t help but jump up and down when we see the sheer scale of the property.

At more than 8,000 sq ft, we can’t get over the fact that it is the size of some hotels and yet it is just for us. Spread across multi-tiered levels, the villa not

At times I wonder whether they know what we’re thinking such is their ability to predict what we might want or need

North Island The saying saving the best for last couldn’t be more apt for our final stay.

Following in the footsteps of Prince William and Kate Middleton (not only is this where William proposed, but the couple spent their honeymoon here), we end our trip on the private North Island.

Seclusion and privacy is assured thanks to just ten Presidential Villas and Villa North Island, also known as Villa 11, which can only be hired by couples.

We arrive by boat from Silhouette Island and are given our own buggy for the duration. This is the first time I’ve ever driven as with all the other

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only has the wow factor, but its personal touches, such as our favourite bottle of Dom Perignon champagne on arrival and a private message in the sand, are much appreciated. It is the epitome of barefoot luxury with its reclaimed wood exterior and many decks, thatched roofs and even a shell shower curtain. I feel the most spoilt I have ever felt, and my husband and I find ourselves wondering whether this experience could ever be topped.

The villa comes with two private villa hosts – a special mention to Adi and Ray – who are on hand 24/7 for every possible whim; no request is too small. At times I wonder whether they know what we’re thinking such is their ability to predict what we might want or need.

With private chefs on hand, too, the dining options are endless, and during our stay we enjoy a beach-picnic lunch, dinner in our home-from-home and, finally, our favourite: surf ’n’ turf on the West Beach as we watch the sun go down.

With delicious food and a dreamy sunset to admire, it is the ultimate finale to our time in the Seychelles.

Presidential Villas from £5,031 a night, north-island.com

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HOTSPOT

Hokkaidō

WORDS: James Coney

STAY: Ki Niseko Situated just 100 metres from the Grand Hirafu Resort gondola, Ki Niseko is the ultimate in ski-in and ski-out accommodation.

The boutique hotel blends alpine charm with slick Japanese design touches and makes the most of its spectacular vantage point out onto Mount Yōtei. If the views alone aren’t enough to assuage aching muscles, indulge with a visit to the traditional Japanese onsen and enjoy its mineral-rich thermal spring waters.

When you’re ready to brave the icy temperatures outside, the ski valet will have your equipment waiting for you, so all you need to do is clip in and head off.

From approx. £260 a night, kiniseko.com

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did you know?

Although Hokkaidō is the second largest of Japan’s islands, it is home to less than five per cent of the population, including the majority of the nation’s remaining indigenous Ainu inhabitants.

hough not as convenient as European ski destinations, Japan provides many of the finest slopes, lodges and conditions anywhere on the globe. With more than 500 ski resorts, there is plenty of variation in size and region, however some of the best conditions can be found in the northern island of Hokkaidō.

With a high average snowfall and 800 skiable acres, Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu is renowned for its powdery snow, as well as its 30 runs, wide ski trails and parks. Between the many peaks sit traditional Japanese towns and villages, which offer an insight into life beyond the slopes, while the surrounding wilderness, filled with pristine lakes, hot springs and stunning scenery means there’s also plenty to explore if you want to hang up your salopettes for the day.

TRAVEL travel

Arabian nights Surrounded by five hectares of secluded gardens, Le Palais Rhoul provides a tranquil getaway in Marrakech – not to mention the ideal location for our fashion shoot last month. Guests can eschew suites to sleep under the stars in one of eight Arabian tarpaulin tents, sample Moroccan cuisine first hand with a cookery course, or take to the spa for beauty treatments using black soap and orange flower water. Try the harem with its sunken indoor pool strewn with rose petals.

From approx. £250 a night, palais-rhoul.com

ALL KITTED OUT

Travel news WORDS: LAUREN ROMANO

New wave Following the launch of Nikki Beach Dubai Restaurant & Beach Club last year, the brand is putting down more roots on Pearl Jumeirah with the arrival of the Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai.

Set on the fringes of a 450-metre beach, the sprawling new resort features 132 rooms, 63 private residences, four pools and five restaurants and lounges. Despite its size, the complex still offers seclusion.

Beachside villas enjoy direct access to the sands, private pools, cabanas and terraces, while other rooms feature personalised minibars, mood lighting and views out over the Arabian Gulf or the Dubai cityscape.

From £245 a night, nikkibeach.com

Known for her whimsical folklore-inspired prints and vibrant colour palettes, designer Kit Kemp has bestowed the Firmdale Hotels group with its trademark style.

Now she’s gone stateside and is poised for the launch of Firmdale’s second New York hotel. Situated in the heart of upper midtown Manhattan, The Whitby is a stone’s throw from designer shopping and Central Park. Inside there’ll be 86 individually styled bedrooms and suites, a bar and restaurant, an orangery, courtyard and 130-seat cinema.

From £655 a night, thewhitbyhotel.com

Walk on the wild side Chances are if you’re not part of David Attenborough’s Planet Earth team you won’t have tracked black rhinos on foot. But new safari lodge Saruni Rhino is giving its guests the opportunity to walk alongside the majestic creatures. The move celebrates the return of the endangered rhinos back to the Sera Community Conservancy and marks an historic achievement for community-based conservation efforts in Kenya. With a 54,000-hectare sanctuary on the doorstep, guests can follow the trail of 11 micro-chipped rhinos, before returning to the tented base camp.

From approx. £515 a night, plus conservation fees, Sera Black Rhino experience requires a two-night stay at both Saruni Rhino and nearby Saruni Samburu, saruni.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

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It’s never too late...

LUXURY BODY BUTTER IN WHITE CASHMERE FROM THE BATH & BODY COLLECTION

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HOMES showcasing the

finest HOMES & PROPERTY from the best estate agents

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exclusive The latest prime properties

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

Don’t move, improve Demand for prime refurbishment work escalates

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emand for whole-house refurbishment work on £1m+ homes has jumped by nearly a third over the past year, according to one firm’s workload.

Design-led residential construction and design firm Qualitas says it has just had a record year, and is starting 2017 with a “full book of projects” ranging from £250,000 to £1.25m as owners balk at moving costs that include a 12 per cent top rate Stamp Duty Land Tax bill.

The number of whole-house refurbishments for properties worth more than £1m in 2016 was, as a result, 30 per cent higher than in 2015.

As more homeowners opt to save on their tax bill by staying put and redeveloping their properties, refurbishment projects are getting more ambitious. Basements which span the whole footprint of the property and part of the garden

are now the norm, reports Qualitas, and luxury features such as wine rooms are also increasingly becoming standard practice. It estimates that 80 per cent of projects it undertakes include a basement, compared to 50 per cent two years ago; meanwhile 50 per cent of whole-house projects it is due to start this year feature a wine room. Overall, Qualitas claims that the average spend on refurbishment has increased by 50 per cent over the past two years.

Nick Woodworth, Director and Founder of Qualitas comments: “Despite the uncertainty around the economy, 2016 has been a very strong year for us. Homeowners continue to feel confident investing in their properties and are being more ambitious than ever, particularly now that the cost of moving has become prohibitively expensive for many.” qualitasconstruction.com

image credit, FROM TOP: paul archer design; R2 STUDIO ARCHITECTS LTD

Westminster’s planning chief moves on Robert Davis moves to business, culture and heritage after 17 years in charge of Westminster’s built environment

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he man at the helm of Westminster’s planning decisions for the past 17 years is moving on to challenges new.

Robert Davis remains as the City Council’s deputy leader, and will continue to be in charge of place-making, but he has decided to vacate the chair of the planning committee, and will no longer be cabinet member for the built environment.

Davis’ new role, announced by Westminster City Council leader-elect Nickie Aiken, is as cabinet member for business,

PrimeQResi Journal of Luxury Property

culture and heritage, but he will still be taking the lead on all major public realm schemes for Bond Street, Hanover Square, Baker Street and in particular the Oxford Street project. Richard Beddoe – a family law barrister alongside his counselling duties – will be taking over as chair of planning, while Daniel Astaire will become cabinet member for planning and the public realm. The new cabinet will take up their roles on 25 January.

property

Grand registry

Let there be light

Surveying last year’s biggest recorded transactions, including an iconic Primrose Hill mansion

San Francisco’s Bay Bridge Lights artist wins contest to enliven the Thames

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stunning villa in Holland Park was the most expensive residential deal recorded by the Land Registry in November, changing hands for a cool £24m.

The seven-bed pile on Addison Road weighs in at 9,000 sq ft and has a 12 metre indoor pool, cinema room, staff accommodation, passenger lift, plenty of parking space, and a garden designed by RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Kate Gould.

The November data also confirmed the sale of an iconic mansion in Primrose Hill, which ended up going for £11.5m. Smack bang opposite the celebrated north London hillock, the historic stucco-fronted six-bed has one of the most coveted positions in the capital, along with a good 6,000 sq ft of voluminous internal space, off-street parking for three cars, and a passenger lift.

The same property was being offered at £14m not that long ago, so the new owners look to have picked up not only one of the area’s dream homes, but something of a bargain to boot.

Other notable deals lodged last year include freeholds on Belgravia’s Eaton Place (£11.25m), St John’s Wood’s Acacia Road (£7.5m), South Kensington’s Thurloe Square (£7.3m) and Hampstead’s Fitzjohn’s Avenue (£7.13m).

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entral London’s bridges are going to get a lot brighter and prettier, thanks to a winning design from American artist Leo Villareal – who created The Bay Lights on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge – and British architecture practice Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands. The team has won a competition to light up 17 of the Thames’ crossings in a grand city-wide art and design project.

The Illuminated River Foundation has a strong panel of heavyweight supporters from both public and private sectors, including the Mayor of London and the City of London Corporation, Cross River Partnership, Historic England, London & Partners, Transport for London and Westminster City Council. The plan is to raise funds for the project from private and philanthropic sources rather than the public purse.

The Foundation has already announced the first pledges totalling £10m, including £5m from the Arcadia Fund (Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing) and £5m from the Rothschild Foundation.

The only way is up November was the second highest month for sales volumes in 2016, says Knight Frank

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esidential property deal numbers have risen steadily over the past few months, as asking prices become more realistic to match subdued levels of demand. As a result, Knight Frank reports that November was the second highest month for sales volumes in 2016 (after a stamp duty spike in March), accounting for 14.1 per cent of all deals so far this year.

Transaction volumes are still well-off last year’s pace, but the gap is narrowing: from 38 per cent down year-on-year in June, to 19 per cent lower in November.

While this resurgent activity is no sure indicator of a busy year ahead – there are plenty of political and economic hurdles in the way of that – Knight Frank’s Tom Bill argues that “one lesson from 2016 is that sufficient pent-up demand has formed in some markets for buyers to act when they perceive good value.”

Average property values in prime central London dropped by 6.3 per cent in the year to December 2016, and the feeling is that 2017 will be broadly flat for house prices, as many agents and pundits – including Knight Frank – call a shallow bottom to the market. primeresi.com

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Greville Place, West Hampstead NW6 Immaculate freehold three bedroom house with garden and parking A truly beautiful, white fronted, lateral house that sits next to the Greville Place nature reserve. 3 bedrooms (all with en suite bathrooms), reception room with balcony, kitchen/breakfast room, guest WC, terrace, rear garden and private parking. EPC: D. Approximately 178.9 sq m (1,926 sq ft).

Freehold

Guide price: £2,750,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/stjohnswood stjohnswood@knightfrank.com 020 8022 6433

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/SJW150318

5A Greville Place - SJW Magazine Feb 2017 PRINT

06/01/2017 13:23:06

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Cambridge Gate, Regent's Park NW1 Grade II listed five/six bedroom duplex A raised ground floor and ground floor apartment in arguably the finest terrace in Regent's Park. Master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and walk in wardrobe, 4 further bedrooms (3 with en suite bathrooms), 5 further bathrooms, drawing room, tv room, family room, kitchen, dining room and garage.

EPC: C. Approximately 413.0 sq m (4,445 sq ft).

Leasehold

Guide price: £8,000,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/st-johns-wood stjohnswood@knightfrank.com 020 8022 6433

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/SJW150047

1,5 Cambridge Gate St John's Wood Magazine xx

17/01/2017 10:47:19

A Beautifully Decorated One Bedroom Apartment Nottingham Street, Marylebone, W1U

• Two Bedrooms • Two Reception Rooms • Kitchen/Breakfast Room • Period Features • Entry Phone • Balcony • Approximately 661 Sq Ft

£575 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

Contemporary House Located in a Quiet Cobbled Mews Bentinck Mews, Marylebone, W1U

• Two Bedrooms • Two Bathrooms • Kitchen • Two Reception Rooms • Garage • Approximately 1,237 Sq Ft

£1,075 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

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16/01/2017 15:53

Mary

Freehold Marylebone Town House with Garden and Garage

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

Three Bedrooms • Two Bathrooms • Eat In Kitchen • Reception Room Guest WC • Garage • Town Garden • Approximately 1,392 Sq Ft

020 3394 0027

Thornton Place, Marylebone, W1H

£2,500,000 Freehold

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marylebone@kayandco.com kayandco.com

16/01/2017 15:54

St James’s Place, St James’s SW1A

£1,500 per week

A beautiful two double bedroom apartment, on the second floor of a boutique development in St James’s, close to Green Park. The apartment has been furnished to a high standard throughout and the property benefits from a Sonos sound system and air conditioning.

EPC rating D. Approximately 982 sq ft (91 sq m).

Reception room/kitchen | Two bedrooms | Bathroom | Shower room | Sonos sound system | Air conditioning | Recently refurbished

Furnished

77-79 Ebury Street, London SW1W 0NZ sothebysrealty.co.uk +44 20 7495 9580 | london@sothebysrealty.co.uk

sothebysrealty.co.uk

Whitehall Court, St James’s SW1A

£3,950,000

Situated on the third floor of this imposing and highly sought after period building in the heart of Westminster, the apartment has been refurbished to an extremely high standard throughout. Benefiting from a fabulous double reception room with high ceilings and period features, the property is ideal for entertaining. EPC rating C. Approximately 2,180 sq ft (203 sq m).

Reception room | Dining room | Three bedroom suites | Kitchen | 24 hour porterage | Lift | Residents street parking

Leasehold: approximately 71 years remaining

© 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.

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

*Price correct at time of going to press.

All apartments benefit from the use of the residents’ private dining room overlooking the Dan Pearson designed courtyard garden

STAY HOME FOR THE BEST OF CITY LIFE

When it comes to an address, King’s Cross has it all – right at the heart of London. Unbeatable connections, the historic Regent’s Canal, beautiful parks, gardens and squares, education, shopping, eating, culture, its very own Everyman Cinema and Paris in just over two hours.

Two and three bedroom apartments from £1,410,000*, available for immediate occupation.

Visit the show apartment and marketing suite Monday to Saturday, contact us on 020 7205 4349 14-15 Stable Street, London N1C 4AB plimsollkingscross.co.uk

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11/01/2017 16:15

Hyde Park Sales 020 7298 5900

Gloucester Terrace, W2

sales.hydepark@chestertons.com

ÂŁ1,200,000 share of freehold

Presented in excellent condition a charming 2 bedroom lateral apartment. Arranged over the 2nd floor of an attractive period building, this property comprises a bright open plan kitchen/reception room, generous sized bedrooms with fitted wardrobe spaces & modern bathrooms. The property is in close proximity to Paddington station.

EPC exempt

Mayfair Sales 020 7629 4513

Harley Street, W1G

sales.mayfair@chestertons.com

ÂŁ995,000 leasehold

A well-presented 2 bedroom apartment set over the 2nd floor of a grand period house in Harley Street with a lift, beautiful period features & high ceilings. The apartment is in close proximity to the boutique shops on Marylebone High Street & it comprises 2 double bedrooms, open plan kitchen reception room & a well-appointed bathroom.

EPC rating D

chestertons.com

Hyde Park Lettings 020 7298 5950

lettings.hydepark@chestertons.com

Hyde Park Square, W2

£2,500 per week

An impressive luxury lateral conversion located on one of London’s premier garden squares in a grade II listed building, within close proximity to Hyde Park & Lancaster Gate. Situated on the 1st floor this palatial property has retained many period features such as high ceilings & beautiful original cornicing, marble fire places & a selection of mural wall paintings & lavish gilded interiors.

EPC exempt

Marylebone Lettings 020 7368 3048

New Cavendish Street, W1

lettings.marylebone@chestertons.com

Ideally located in the trendy Marylebone Village & within close proximity to Marylebone High Street & Oxford Street, is this beautiful 3 bedroom lateral apartment situated on the 1st floor of a sought-after development benefiting of a lift & porter.

EPC rating E

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

£1,750 per week