Luxury
a la Premiere Paris
as only a Parisian knows how
Chanel
special
The real
Michelin stars gather in Monaco
“CAMÉLIA BRODÉ” WATCH WHITE GOLD AND DIAMONDS
DUBAI - BAHRAIN - RIYADH
www.chanel.com
Collection Couture Automne- Hiver 2012-2013 www.georgeschakra.com Edition (Le Cercle 42x27cm)2.indd 2-3
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it really been five years? Yes and wow! Since 2007, Selections has been profiling the finest art, fashion, travel and more for those who possess the luxury of infinite choice. From its beginnings in Beirut, Selections is now on sale in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Paris and London, and it’s the musthave magazine for international fashionistas and those who adore refinement, glamour and elegance in equal measures. For our 20th issue and fifth anniversary magazine, we focus on the eternal glory of Chanel, the ultimate French haute couture maison, 103
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years old and as relevant as it’s ever been, since the emergence of Coco Chanel and the little black dress. Chanel is a celebration of much that we hold dear at Selections – gorgeous textures, supreme indulgences and enlightening ideas. We also sample the sublime, in Air France’s La Premiere luxurious lounge and a once-in-a-lifetime chefs’ rendezvous with Alain Ducasse in Monaco. J’adore, j’adore, j’adore plus! Selections is looking to the future as well as celebrating past and present passions, by embracing a new technological revolution in print. All will be revealed in 2013 – a year of great promise!
GYPSY COLLECTION EARRINGS IN PINK GOLD SET WITH WHITE DIAMONDS
www.degrisogono.com ABU DHABI - DUBAI - GENEVA - GSTAAD - KUWAIT - LAS VEGAS - LONDON - MOSCOW NEW YORK - PARIS - PORTO CERVO - ROME - ST BARTHELEMY - ST MORITZ - TOKYO
ayyam gallery 1 Jeddah
Opening Fall 2012
www.ayyamgallery.com
Ammar Abd Rabbo 'Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud' Signed, Dated 91 x 61 cm. Photography on Archival Paper Edition of 5, 2008
ayyam gallery 1 London
Opening Fall 2012
www.ayyamgallery.com Ammar Abd Rabbo 'Queen Elizabeth II' Signed, Dated 91 x 61 cm. Photography on Archival Paper Edition of 5, 2004
C ont e nts
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artistic downpoor
Master the elements at the barbican’s rain room l u x u ry l i f e s t y l e
5 years & celebrating
style
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The wonderful world of
deliciousness & e xcellence
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off the cha in
Secrets from the
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l ' art de la haute joa illerie
the sof t touch
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heavenly creations
Sitting down with
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ultra beauty
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chanel inv ites ‌ to a scot tish castle
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irregular choice
Star voyage to the land of
master chefs
rifat ozbek
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on your bike
Cycling hits the luxury road in style
marcel wanders
Dare to be different
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zorab dazzles with starry nights in the east
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chanel n 5
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stepping into the future
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the scent of a woman
A look at true fashionista footwear for the coming season
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C o nte nts
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world
three questions for david salle
SELECTIONS # 20 Publisher City News Privilege Managing director / Editor in chief Rima Nasser +961 3 852 899 rima@citynewsme.net
Contributing writers Owen Adams, Solange Akar, Miriam Dunn, Alia Fawaz, Avril Groom, Thomas Kinealy, Nora Nathan, Anastasia Nysten, Yasmina Nysten, Stephanie Plentl, India Stoughton, Susan Wilson, Karah Byrns Art Director Genia Korneev
paris as only a parisi an knows how
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enjoy a stay fit for the stars
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e xperiencing la premi è re
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six of the best
art beat
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mee t manuella guiragossi an
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3 questions for…
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mohammad mossadegh
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dav id salle
capturing the vanishing heritage of Iran
small art , big ideas
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Felix Thorn's
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ayyam gallery
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musical machines
an art phenomenon
shooting the cloud & other artistic absurdities
warhol blooms once more
design
Assistant editor India Stoughton
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&
Managing Editor Helen Assaf
hand picked places to be
art
Advertising Roula Kehdi +961 1 383 978 roulak@citynewsme.net
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Personality
Life's Little Extras
Trend The Luxury Touch
news
{ Mercedes-Benz takes to the waves } Mercedes luxury car stylists and world-class yacht designers Martin Francis and Tommaso Spadolini have been collaborating for six years on this innovative and elegant project, engineered for comfort and speed. Its profile resembles the Mercedes coupe, while other innovations include its open-plan interior and “terrace by the pool” – an aft deck which extends to the water’s edge. Dynamic designs for the 14-metre Silver Arrows Marine Concept Yacht were unveiled in Monaco in September, and will come on to the market later in 2013.
{ A Legacy of Diamonds } Dubai has become one of only three cities outside New York to play host to the legendary 128.54 carat Tiffany diamond, the centrepiece of a new exhibition entitled “A Legacy of
Diamonds”. Split into three parts – The Gilded Age (1876 – 1916), Inspired by Nature, and New York Glamour – the exhibition showcases handcrafted jewellery featuring gemstones first
introduced by Tiffany and the world’s rarest coloured diamonds. The exhibition will be on from December 13 to January 19, in Tiffany’s flagship store in the Dubai Mall.
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE Li fe' s littl e extras
Nest
A Taste of Luxury
Words: Susan Wilson
The Learning Thermostat
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A sleek, smart, and stylish addition to your home, the Nest Learning Thermostat is also the cutting edge in sustainable technology.
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We’ve all experienced it, coming home in the winter to a freezing house, rushing to the thermostat to turn on the heat, having to stay wrapped up in scarves and jackets waiting for the temperature to become habitable again. With a Nest Learning Thermostat on your side that scenario becomes a thing of the past. Continually adapting, each time you adjust the temperature of your thermostat it remembers and programmes itself accordingly. If the first thing you do when you get home at 6pm after a long day at work is put the heating up, the Nest
will do it for you, and the best thing – once it learns your habits it can save you 20% off your energy bills. The Nest is packed full of technology. Its
sensors tell it when the house is empty, allowing it to reduce the heat and save energy. It turns off the air conditioner early, using fans to disperse the air and reducing a/c running time by 30%. As you adjust it - either in person or through its customised app on your computer, tablet or
smartphone - the Nest Leaf appears, letting you know what the best temperature is to save energy. It also creates an Energy History for you to see exactly what energy you are using throughout the day. Made from premium materials, the Nest is also adapted to your own style and décor with its stainless steel ring reflecting the colour and pattern of your walls. Most impressively, for a product so technically advanced, it is extremely user friendly. Its display gives you all the information you could need, and, as its designers boast - if you can change a light bulb you can install the Nest Thermostat into your home.
here has been recent controversy over the authenticity of the ‘Kobe’ beef sold in high end restaurants worldwide. Genuine Kobe beef is a very specialised affair. The term Kobe beef refers uniquely to beef obtained from specially chosen bulls and virgin cows of the Tajima-ushi breed of Wagya - Japanese cow - reared according to strict traditions in the Hyogo Prefecture, the capital of which, Kobe, is the beef’s namesake. A delicacy, renowned for its marbled texture and succulent flavour, Kobe beef is well sought after as a gourmet food, with the genuine article selling at some high end restaurants for upwards of $200 per steak. A tightly regulated market, genuine Kobe beef is hard to come by outside of Japan. The best place to sample this delicacy yourself is Hong Kong and Macau - both regions receiving industry approved exports of Kobe beef – but with recent changes to US import laws genuine Kobe beef is now available stateside too. What is certain is that the reputation that sells Kobe beef around the world - genuine and otherwise - is well deserved. Cultivated from the best of the Tajima-ushi cattle, reared according to methods developed over a hundred years, this beef is truly exquisite to taste. Three Top Restaurants to Taste Kobe Beef: • Aragawa, Toyko, $368 • Old Homestead Steakhouse, New York, £350 • Rengatei, Kobe, $246
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE the wo n de rf u l worl d of m a rce l wa nde rs
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years & celebrating
Half a decade on and Selections is stopping for a quick glance back at some of the highlights. Here are just a few of our favourite covers revisited for your viewing pleasure.
EXCLUSIVE DESIRES
Must-visit guide to NYC | When jewellery becomes art | Living the dream The allure of Istanbul | Dior retrospective | Exclusive desires
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE Person al ity
Star voyage to the land of
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lain Ducasse is undoubtedly the chef of chefs, and when he arranged a global pow-wow, 240 feted chefs and special guests from five continents were thrilled to accept his invitation for an incredible, once-in-alifetime, gastronomic experience. We converged for this amazing, passiondrenched summit in Monte Carlo to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Le Louis XV, the bedrock of the Ducasse philosophy of nature, simplicity and full flavour which has won the world over. Some of the guests began their culinary voyage under Ducasse’s personal tutelage, and have now fanned out to take up pole positions in haute cuisine in other countries. Monsieur Ducasse told us at a press conference staged in the beautiful Salles Garnier-Opera de Monte Carlo: “All my cooking is inspired from this area that sings sunlight. From it, I draw strength and truth. The themes that remain the dearest to me all touch upon the Mediterranean… I hold many other
subjects at heart, all of which speak of authenticity, aesthetic and identity. Themes centred on travelling and seasons, identifying to tradition and evolution, and then returning to harmony and memory. “The 25th anniversary of Le Louis XV seemed to me the perfect opportunity to gather around these values the greatest talents on the international culinary scene. An exceptional opportunity for encounters, exchanges, and discoveries centred on the produce and culinary traditions for an exclusive voyage throughout the land of ‘delicious and excellence’.” Ducasse, then a 33-year-old rising gastronomic star, was challenged in 1987 by none other than Prince Rainier III of Monaco to create the first threestar Michelin restaurant in the Hotel de Paris within three years - a challenge he accepted and won. Fast forward to November 2012 and the weekend-long event began with cocktails, peaked
with an anniversary gala meal and a special Grand Marché de la Méditerranée celebrating producers and containing 100 Mediterranean flavours – from anchovies to Tartuffodi Alba. In La Salle des Etoiles, Sporting Monte-Carlo, there were 14 live cooking stations hosted by international chefs, who interpreted the seasonal produce, watched intently by a sea of culinary masters all in their best chef whites. One of the 14, Lebanese chef Maroun Chedid of La Posta, created a new version of the ancient dish Sayadieh with the market-fresh sea bass, borage and Acquarello rice. He explained: “I decided to transform the [traditional] recipe into a risotto, presenting my personal and modern interpretation of Lebanese cuisine. The aim is not to alienate but to enrich the texture and create a dish rich in flavours.” Other chefs from Peru, Japan, USA, Italy, Spain, and of course France, also took part. This historic international cook-up was presented by Jean Louis Marusel, the CEO of Société des Bains de Mer, whose 3,500 staff had spent two months preparing for the event. M Marusel told the assembled chefs, who hold 300 Michelin stars between them: “Usually the audience are looking at the stars from your angle, but today for the first time, it’s the stars who are watching the stage.” The Michelin three-star restaurant Louis XV has, in its quarter of a century, not only gained a reputation of being one of the best culinary experiences in the world, but from its idyllic location, a grand Principality located between the French and Italian Rivieras, Ducasse has taken his philosophy of simplicity and harmony with Nature’s bounty to the rest of the world, or as he puts it, “from nature to the kitchen”. The Mediterranean is the real star, Ducasse insists. “The Mediterranean contains such an array
Chef Alain Ducasse with Rima Nasser
of flavour… seductive to everyone around the world. Autumn brings the finest flavours to us: mushrooms, root vegetables and such a variety of fish… concentrations of Mediterranean produce; all the ingredients that allow us to pay tribute to Nature’s generosity and the passion of the producers, without which the chef would not exist. “Our expertise,” he explains, “enables us to preserve all the natural flavours that constitute a dish.” The cornerstone of Ducasse’s enduring philosophy is “to exalt the truth in all products without impairing them, searching for the source of the flavour. The cook only interprets with measure and humility what Nature has offered.” The high-ceilinged dining room in Monte Carlo’s Baroque Hotel de Paris steeped in grandeur, dazzling in light and gold, recalling the Belle Époque and the Palace of Versailles, is where Ducasse developed and then dispatched his ecological and naturalistic culinary philosophy around the world. Like the gentle lapping of the waves against the Mediterranean shore, the experience is timeless and priceless: Louis XV serves the finest timeless gastronomy in a gloriously grand setting of frescoes, velvet, chandeliers, large mirrors, fine bone china, crystal and vermillion. The 25th anniversary menu conceived by Ducasse, with the restaurant’s chefs Franck Cerutti and Dominique Lory, paid tribute to both Nature and culinary artisans. We dined in the Hotel de Paris’s magnificent banqueting hall La Salle Empire. The summit concluded with a Sunday brunch at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort. “The chef is the craftsman for delicious happy memories,” Ducasse said. And I will cherish the memories of this incredible anniversary for the rest of my life.
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE Person al ity
Secrets from the
Some of the world’s finest chefs were only too happy to talk to Selections in exclusive interviews. Even the Michelin Guide reviewer gave in to some table talk, on condition we keep his identity secret...
Maroun Chedid
Lebanon’s beloved – TV chef and teacher at St Joseph University - played an important role in Monaco, as the sole representative not only of Lebanon, but of the entire Middle East. The hard-working star looked to his Lebanese heritage to create his own stunning take on Sayadieh, a classic Lebanese stew of spiced fish and rice with pine nuts. His melt-in-the-mouth risotto rice and tender sea bass poached in olive oil caused quite a stir, capturing the attention of several Italian journalists and Michelin star chefs, whose praise for Chedid’s exotic risotto left the chef justly proud of his creation. What’s your favourite thing about the trip to Monaco?
My favourite thing? It’s meeting with all these international celebrities and chefs and all the rich cultural exchange between all of us with different philosophies of cooking. It’s a fantastic melting pot - a unique experience that I don’t think is going to happen again in my time. Tell us about your choice of dish...
I cooked Sayadieh, a traditional Lebanese dish prepared in Tripoli. I used a modernised and amended preparation technique, keeping the same flavour and smells and taste for the stock in which you cook the rice, while making it lighter and
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more suited to today’s taste, with less oil and salt and butter. What inspires you?
I come from the Bekaa, from a family who eats all kinds of humble produce. We have land, we grow cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, apples, watermelon, radish - you name it. So I was raised on all these things and I had a fantastic mother who cooked like heaven. I love what I do... a contemporary translation of a national dish. This is what I usually do - I’m always translating our cuisine into my own philosophy, making it look modern and feel modern. What message would you give to new chefs?
Being a chef is not only learning how to cook and how to fry and how to saute and how to grill a piece of meat. Being a chef is a culture, being a chef is a philosophy, and being a chef is a way of life. What are your future plans?
The plan for the coming year is excellence achieving excellence in whatever I do.
Alex Atala
was born in Brazil’s biggest city, São Paolo, where he runs D.O.M., which this year was rated fourth best in S Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Known for transforming traditional Brazilian dishes with French and Italian culinary techniques and personally researching his ingredients from their source of production, he also holds the accolade of Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America. What is your kitchen philosophy?
Do you cook for your wife?
My main focus is Brazilian and Amazonic ingredients. Lots of unknown ingredients and new flavours. My style is Brazilian flavours with a classical European cuisine. We have fresh cheese with herbs, and I make a kind of hummus with chick peas, with Brazilian oil called babassu. It’s very rich.
Sometimes I cook for her, sometimes the other way around. The restaurant’s doing really well – we are over busy. So I must be in the kitchen in the restaurant six days a week. Sunday is my only day off.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Mainly from my childhood. I had the good luck to be born into a family that really enjoys hunting and fishing, and then I started to cook in Europe. I realised I wasn’t able to make French food as good
Joël Robuchon
has been known as Chef of the Century and France’s Best Craftsman. He operates a dozen restaurants across the world with 28 Michelin stars between them – the most of any chef in the world, and has championed a return from nouvelle cuisine to authentic-classic gastronomy. Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration starts in places such as where we are today – it starts with the product. One must find quality products to find the inspiration in order to create a dish. My original inspiration was to learn to give people pleasure. I believe that to succeed in this profession, one must like people – if one does not like people, one cannot make good food. Does your wife cook for you?
as a French chef. The difference between the very good and the exceptional you must have in your heart. So I decided that I would put my best into Brazilian food. This is my source, this is my culture, my background and that’s what I’m trying to do, and thank God, it’s working.
these great chefs together in one place?
Do you judge your wife’s food?
No! We work with techniques but I eat with emotions. My wife’s food is pure emotion and I don’t want to judge… but she cooks pretty well! What message would you give new chefs?
Be proud to be Brazilian or Lebanese, or whatever, be proud of your own culture.
One must follow this profession with patience. One must have passion. If one has no passion, one cannot succeed in this profession. A chef, to succeed in this profession, must have feeling, and produce food that is very personal.
It is always a pleasure to see friends, to see people from five continents here. What they lack is solidarity in the profession. What is your favourite dish?
It depends on the moment. There are days when one has the urge to eat certain things. When the product is good quality, it is always that thing I prefer at the time.
My wife cooks very, very well. It is home cooking. I have taught her certain things, to improve dishes, and today it is truly beautiful cooking
What are your future plans?
How does it feel for you to see all
There are young chefs today of quality.
To open new restaurants: in Bangkok, Mumbai, and perhaps Beirut. What would you advise young chefs?
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE Person al ity
Heinz Beck
German-born culinary master opened La Pergola in 1994, the only restaurant in Rome to be awarded three Michelin stars, and the choice of world leaders such as Barack Obama. He also runs the one-Michelin-starred Apsleys in London, Café Les Paillots in the Italian resort of Pescara, Castello Banfi il Borgo in Tuscany, and this year further expanded his empire with Gusto in Portugal’s Algarve, as well as a week-long pop-up restaurant in Sydney, Australia. What inspires you?
Everything – the landscape, nice architecture, painting, the market… even in a Turkish bath you can be inspired. It’s all about sensations, what you feel inside. What is your kitchen philosophy?
I use a lot of vegetables, fruits and herbs, and because my restaurant is open only in the evening I make a lot more fish than meat – it’s a lot easier to digest. I would never penalise a dish only for aesthetics or for a special effect. First a dish has to taste very good and then it has to be healthy. It’s much more important to have a healthy dish than a spectacular dish.
No, my wife cooks for me! She’s a very good cook, she’s a Sicilian from Palermo and she runs our company. Do you judge her cooking?
I will never judge her, how can you judge a person who is cooking with love? What message would you give new chefs?
Start with the basics; don’t only look at what the great chefs are doing. Cooking is like building a skyscraper. If you don’t make the foundations solid then you can’t build a lot of floors on top. Future plans?
I’m always looking around to do something new. The fantastic thing about my work is there are no limits, and communicating with food is the most peaceful way of communicating in the world.
What advice would you give new chefs?
Serge Dansereau
is the head chef and owner of Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral Beach, Sydney. The French-Canadian trained in Québec, and moved to Australia in the 1980s. Serge has been called “the father of the fresh food movement” because of his passion for using local seasonal produce.
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Do you cook for your wife?
Tell us about the Australian food scene and your restaurant…
Do you cook at home, or does your wife cook for you?
Australian cuisine is very much based on the chefs’ talents. Each restaurant has a particular style – my style is French-based with Asian influence, and I’ve always been known to work with small producers and with great produce. We produce everything in-house… bread, jam, butter... We’re right on the water, so we have lots of fish. Australia is such a big country. It’s quite an amazing range of climates and produce and a very small population. You can still find quite a lot of wild produce, so that’s good because we’re trying to be sustainable. We have a café, a very refined restaurant, and we also serve the beach crowd.
Normally my wife (Yvette) makes the mise en place, and I put it together and get all the accolade! I try not to judge any more since a comment a few years ago, when I said her boeuf bourguignon was “adequate”, and ever since I’ve been paying for it, so now it’s always beautiful! (Yvette says: I made a beautiful bourguignon from the heart, and it was adequate! Adequate! I just refused to cook for three years!) I’m normally very diplomatic, but there was that moment of the foot in the mouth! (Yvette: This was the food equivalent of “does my bottom look big in this”. He got it so wrong!)
To write everything down – when they see a new recipe, when they get taught something. If they keep a little book it will make a big difference in the long term to have a repertoire of all these recipes. I think it’s critical.
Secrets of a
Michelin Guide reviewer
I
Vedat Basaran
is a food expert, teacher and chef, and a specialist in Ottoman cuisine, a subject he has spent three decades researching. He manages the Nar Restaurant at Armaggan in Istanbul and is President of the Turkish Cultural Foundation, YESAM.
Why is Ottoman cuisine so important?
food culture, which is incredible.
The Ottoman Empire was a multinational dynasty which lasted 600 years, on the Silk Road and the Spice Road, from China to India to Persia, to the Mediterranean. The Balkans, the Middle East and central Asia are connected to each other through the Ottoman Empire. They distributed spices, and 30 or 40 ingredients from America. So if we’re talking about Mediterranean cuisine, we should be including the Ottomans. In the last 30 years I have produced many books. I even learned the ancient Ottoman language.
Do you cook for your wife or does she cook for you?
What inspires you, apart from Ottoman cuisine?
I am really inspired by the accent of Old Assyrian in Lebanon. I’m pleased to see in some places they are using the old techniques. The Lebanese cuisine is the most comprehensive in Middle Eastern countries. Plus I am inspired by the Aegean
My wife cooks for me at home. Do you judge her cooking?
Of course! When we were first married I introduced her to the principles of cooking for two years. Of course I criticise. What message would you give new chefs?
They should follow nature. Try to live together with nature and try to be brave. Even though some products in nature are not commonly demanded by the customer, they should try to push the natural product for any season – whether the customer likes it or not. They should explain to their customers everything they eat should be in season and grown locally. Lots of food is getting lost. They should be aware of being sustainable.
t must be such a hard life being a Michelin Guide reviewer! The inspectors travel around the world, eating their way through countries and cities incognito, selecting the very finest restaurants and best hotels. There are no half-measures; if a restaurant has the much-coveted award of Michelin stars, they need to be repeatedly inspected to ensure they are still deserved. Michelin star reviewers must always remain anonymous to ensure they get no special treatment and are not recognised by the chef. The Michelin inspector we spoke to has been on a non-stop gastronomic jet-set for eight years. “The criteria is always the plate,” he insists. “There are 150 Michelin inspectors in the world. The restauranteurs never know who they are – they might be eating alone, they could be a beautiful couple, two businessmen together, you never know. “They need to know exactly what the food is all about, to try a different kind of menu, and they must explain what all the dishes are, look at every ingredient and how it was chosen and cooked, the flavour, the style of the chef, and the consistency.” Consistency, says the inspector, is the most vital element of any star rating. “You could have one dish which is a three-star, but you need to be consistent across the menu. And you could have one day with a three-star meal when the chef is there, but you need to serve three-star meals, too, when the chef is not there.”
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE Trend
words: Miriam Dunn
Cycling hits the luxury road in style
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The benefits of jumping on a saddle and pedalling around a city or into the countryside are plentiful. After all, what other form of transport offers us the chance to get fit, avoid the traffic, reduce our carbon footprint and save money on gas all at the same time?
Learn to ride a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live
Mark Twain, Americ an author
LU XU RY L IFEST YLE Trend
C
including diamonds, rhinestones and Swarovski ycling is, quite literally, a breath of fresh air, as many crystals if so desired. The American lifestyle brand of us, including some of our favourite celebrities, offers bike enthusiasts a choice of thousands of including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and design combinations, colours, frames, and tyres as Matt Damon, have discovered. part of its owner, Fleetwood Hicks’ bid to ‘get people For the style-conscious who want to maintain out of cars and on to bikes.’ their image when they hit the cycle path, there’s no Fans of Italian designer labels will be delighted need to panic. Today’s bicycles include a wide range to learn that the cycle company Bianchi has teamed of luxurious two-wheelers from high-end brands, up with luxury line Gucci to produce their very own including bespoke models tailored with encrusted bicycle. The Bianchi by Gucci bicycle, which is the diamonds to retro-models complete with baskets. creation of Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini, We may never know whether the rumour that predictably combines flair with performance, and is Courteney Cox bought her ‘Friends’ co-star Jennifer available as either a touring bike or single-speed city Aniston a $12,000 Chanel bicycle is true, but who model, both with Gucci’s signature green-red-green wouldn’t be delighted with such a luxurious means web stripe. of keeping fit. Chanel’s The Louis Vuitton bike has the technology label is another luxury its owners would want, name to throw its weight including eight speeds, behind the power of the but combines it with the pedal, teaming up with style you’d expect from polo bike players Hannes the luxury line, coming Hengst and Grégory complete with a leather seat Barbier to produce its created by the legendary very own LV Polo Bike Brooks Brothers, two and mallet. As is to be quilted flap bags and a expected, craftsmanship jewellery roll behind the is of the essence, from seat emblazoned with the the tasteful frame to the famous Chanel ‘CC’ logo. elegant detailing which Luxurious is also a includes etched bar plugs word that describes the and embossed leather pedal hand-built, limited edition straps. bicycles produced by the John F. Kennedy, The London set, Danish design company U.S. president meanwhile, has been Aurumania. The highmaking a beeline for profile Gold Bike Crystal Pashley Cycles which is Edition, which costs fast notching up a list of upwards of $100,000, famous fans, including Lily Cole, Agyness Deyn takes audaciousness to a new level. Gold-plated and Helena Bonham Carter. Founded in 1926, with 24-carat gold and finished off with over 600 the company regularly takes on bespoke requests, Swarovski crystals, the bicycle comes complete with including one from Ewan McGregor to tailor the hand-sewn, chocolate-brown leather handlebar grips basket on the front of the bike to fit his dog. The and a moulded Brooks leather saddle. team hand-builds beautiful yet sturdy retro-classics, A small but buzzing outfit in the US, Villy with favourites including the Guv’nor for men and Customs is also creating a stir by producing the Britannia for ladies. customised bikes which can be adorned with bling,
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.
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Limited edition luxury bike by Aurumania
Customised orange bike by Villy Customs
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE Trend
Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells, British novelist
Who was spotted riding what...
The Britanina bike for ladies by Pashley Cycles
Electric bikes Leonardo Dicaprio Blake Lively
Mountain bike Madonna George Bush
Road bike
The men’s Guvnor bike by Pashley Cycles
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Justin Timberlake Jessic Biel Kate Hudson Pink Barack Obama
W ORDS : A v r i l G r o o m
LU XU RY L IFEST YLE The luxu ry touc h
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ome cashmere is so precious, even in its raw state, that it has to have an armed guard. Loro Piana, producers of some of the world’s most exquisite cashmere items, spent years persuading Mongolian goat herders that combing the fine underhairs when their goats were under a year old would be financially rewarding, even though the amounts are tiny. When they finally agreed, the firm’s buyers had to seek out the nomadic herders in the vast steppes and mountains, several days’ drive down unmade tracks from any town, and load up the precious crop to be transported to Italy for processing. Rumour of its value got out - hence the need for guards in this still very poor country. No wonder baby cashmere, which is unbelievably light, soft and warm, is more expensive than almost any other yarn. Not all cashmere is so rarefied but the best is all justifiably pricy. Cashmere goats thrive only in remote and inhospitable places - rearing them in softer conditions produces inferior yarn. Crowding them, to produce larger amounts, creates dangerous degradation of marginal landscapes, which cannot then produce enough grass to feed the goats and, by extension, the population, so yarn quantities remain limited while global demand rises. The best cashmere is processed with the soft waters of the northern Italian Alps or the Scottish Highlands, so it undergoes a long and expensive journey and is made up in areas with high labour costs. It is then sold as a prestige item by luxury brands with expensively glamorous stores and huge advertising budgets for shoots in places that convey a suitably exotic lifestyle. Even though cheaper, decent quality cashmere, mostly made in China, abounds, demand is highest for the best. This is hardly surprising as good cashmere, when properly looked after, is amazingly durable and hard wearing, has a wonderful array of natural hues yet takes colour dyes with a depth matched by few other fabrics, and makes absolutely the most comfortable items
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to wear in any cooler climate, in air conditioned buildings or on planes. Even in warm weather a light, 2-ply cashmere throw or cardigan is perfect to deal with any evening breeze - its natural qualities make it more versatile, and more adaptable to the ambient temperature, than you might except. Modern cashmere companies, most based in Italy, are evolving this magical yarn into a whole lifestyle range. Brands like Agnona - being revived with the admired designer Stefano PiIati (formerly at St.Laurent) on board - Fedeli, Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli have stores worldwide that can provide anything from a crystalscattered cashmere sweater to a mink-lined cashmere blouson, with woven cashmere separates to match and even tastefully toned leather accessories. Individual designers like Madeleine Thompson, Lucien Pellat-Finet, Exemplaire or Chinti and Parker bring a younger, trendy aspect to the market with sharp cuts, stripes, bright trims, crystal and jokey motifs. And nothing defines the indispensability of cashmere to the grandest designer ranges than Chanel’s classic cashmere cardigan, made for them by a longestablished Scottish firm that it considers so essential that it recently bought the company.
Chanel's
Scottish affair
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ne of the fashion world’s worst-kept secrets was that Chanel’s cashmere sweaters are made in Scotland. Despite being indelibly associated with Paris, Chanel gets components from the places reckoned to be the best for that item, and Coco Chanel herself, who visited Scotland for the shooting season with her aristocratic British lover the Duke of Westminster, was well aware of Scottish cashmere, considered the world’s best because of the pure water from the local hills and the superior quality of its mills. Barrie, based in the Borders town of Hawick, had for decades made the distinctive cashmere cardigans and sweaters, always in the season’s colours and with a contrasting trim recalling the style of the famous tweed jackets, that are quintessential Chanel for many customers. But Scottish cashmere has fallen on hard times in recent years, largely due to competition from cheaper Far East production, and last August Barrie’s parent company went into administration and started looking for a buyer for its top-quality producer. Chanel has already bought eight French artisan companies that contribute to its handmade couture side, and owns everything from Lesage embroidery to Lemarié feathers, so buying Barrie was not a large step. Fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky said, “This is natural as the factory has worked with us for more than 25 years, producing cashmere knitwear including Chanel’s iconic two-tone cashmere cardigans. Through this acquisition, we reaffirm our commitment to traditional expertise and craftsmanship, our wish to safeguard their future and support their development.” The buy has saved over 170 jobs and Chanel plans to develop the enterprise - as it has with the other firms - so Barrie takes on work for other top brands. Every year, Chanel has a special Métiers d’Art collection showcasing the work of its subsidiaries and shown in the city to which the collection is dedicated. It is perhaps no coincidence that this season’s is called ParisEdimbourg and was shown in a stately home outside the Scottish capital.
LVMH delight The contemporary ski-in
The little extras
ski-out Maison, set in the prestigious Jardin Alpin of Courchevel 1850, has direct access to the Trois Vallées, the world’s largest
This season guests at Cheval Blanc Courchevel, located in France’s prestigious Courchevel 1850 resort, are treated to exclusive in-house amenities and gifts, including a cashmere poncho, a Cheval Blanc cashmere-lined ski hat and lambskin gloves, designed to allow the use of touch-screen telephones on the slopes. With just 36 rooms and suites (and no two rooms the same), amenities that include a two Michelin-starred restaurant, boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, and a spa offering signature treatments by Guerlain, Cheval Blanc continues to be a firm favourite of those with an appreciation of understated elegance. “Art de Recevoir” lies at the heart of Cheval Blanc’s philosophy and each year the team creates new experiences for guests. In addition to cashmere gifts, this season in-house guests can also arrange invitation-only preview events of the Dior and Louis Vuitton collections and a peek into the world of fragrance by Guerlain. 12 December 2012 until 7 April 2013. www.chevalblanc.com
ski domain. Cheval Blanc is the luxury hospitality brand developed by LVMH Hotel Management, a specialist entity of the LVMH Group. The Maison offers a sense of the unexpected and is the ultimate expression of understated elegance. Traditional craftsmanship and a spectacular collection of art features prominently throughout and is added to each season so that it continues to surprise and delight guests.
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LU XU RY L IFEST YLE The luxu ry touc h
Take Five Selections posed five questions to cashmere king Brunello Cucinelli, whose luxury cashmerebased lifestyle business has 68 branches worldwide.
How did you get started? When young I worked selling knitwear in many colours for a company and realised that they would be so much better in cashmere. Why do you use a very subtle colour palette? I love the shades of nature - they always go together and you can use them everywhere in your life. In fact I love bright colour - I have a whole wall of yarn spools in all colours in my studio and I use them for inspiration, putting them together and using just a hint of bright in some mixes, and the occasional pop of real colour. Do you wear your own designs? I have my own uniform of a narrow-cut, double breasted blazer, non-matching cargo trousers and a white shirt, all of which you will find in my menswear collection. I can swap for matching trousers and a cashmere tie if I need to look really smart but laid-back elegance is our look, and I think the preference of most people today.
... but laid-back elegance is our look, and I think the preference of most people today. 44
How did you develop your working and living environment? My wife came from Solomeo, a hill-top village that was dying out which was sad. I was lucky enough to buy a building for a studio and workshop, and we have gone on to buy other buildings and design our own theatre and arts centre for the community. I live here too and so do many of our workers. We also have a bigger plant nearby. Where are your favourite places? The Bosco di Solomeo, a wooded hill near our house with wonderful views of the Umbrian landscape. I walk there with my dog and get inspired. I also love the Altoplana plateau on a nearby national park - it is completely empty, very spiritual and great for recharging. The city I love best is Rome, particularly the Forum and and the Colosseum. Ancient Roman culture and architecture also really inspire me.
T he lu x u ry to uch st yle
Sitting down with
Turkish born designer Rifat Ozbek was once the toast of the fashion world, clinching Britain’s top accolade Designer of the Year in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For the past few years he has swapped fashion for cushions, pouring his creative energies into Yastik, a brand of home accessories that blends gorgeous fabrics with design. Selections asked him to tell us more. What do you miss most about leaving the fashion world behind?
Tell us about some of your recent travels to source fabrics for your cushions?
I miss some of my friends, the excitement of preparing the Fashion Weeks and designing collections.
Central Asia is where I source my fabrics from and I also went to Egypt, which was very inspiring.
What gave you the idea to launch Yastik?
When I bought my house in Bodrum 12 years ago I had to decorate it. When it came to buying cushions, I couldn’t find anything I liked so I started to design my own. They got a very good response so my partner and I decided to open a shop with only cushions. Do you have a favourite cushion among those you’ve designed?
For me, every cushion has got its own beauty. I design each collection as a whole, so the designs complement each other and the unexpected combinations of fabrics, patterns and colours make them all very desirable. Also, as an ex fashion designer, I can’t help considering them like a brooch on a dress. They are the accessory that lifts a whole room.
There is a growing interest in all things Turkish among Arab countries these days. Are you considering opening in any countries in the region?
We already have our cushions selling in Boutique 1 in Dubai and have regular clients from that region. We have recently started to expand Yastik internationally. Obviously, the Middle East is a very exciting market to be in and we will be very happy to be more present there. What one piece of advice would you give anyone hoping to break into the fashion industry today?
Be original and have patience.
www.yastikbyrifatozbek.com
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The art of today, the heirloom of tomorrow
Beirut Gold Souks, Lebanon, Tel: +961 1 983 996 THAILAND | SINGAPORE | USA | LEBANON
www.zorabcreation.com | zorab@loxinfo.co.th
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News Interiors Trend Fine Jewellery Icon EVENT Individual ADVERTORIAL Focus
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STe Y n ws L E the wonderful worl d of m arce l wa nde rs
{ Watches of the Year } The incredible legacy of Harry Winston, New York’s King of Diamonds, continues apace as the global brand won three prizes at the prestigious World Watch Awards. The Haute Horlogerie specialist beat off competition from the likes of Cartier, Bulgari, Dior, TAG Heuer and Greubel & Forsey to take the Best Concept Watch award and a coveted Watch of the Year
{ Ring of glory }
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commendation for its revolutionary Opus 12 timepiece. The limited edition sequel to the Opus XI displays a bombastic 600-part movement. The hands are aligned to the periphery so time is told from the outside in. Best of all, the watch’s design dances, with a thrilling animation every hour. Harry Winston’s Midnight Moon
Phase won Fashion Watch of the Year. The awards, hosted by Watch World, were staged at the Pullman Hotels in Gurgaon, India in October. The international jury included former India cricket captain Ravi Shastri and fashion designer Priyadarshini Rao. Movie stars Neha Dhupia, Preity Zinta, Prateik and others added Bollywood glamour.
Dubbed as the “Industry Oscars”, the Premier Middle East Watches Jewellery and Pens Awards in Bahrain has awarded Nada G with the highly coveted ‘Young Arab Designers: Best Innovative Design Award’. This honour was attributed to the bespoke jewellery piece ‘Fusion Ring’. As innovative as it is elegant, the ‘Fusion Ring’ is an extraordinary piece that is a blend of two
of Nada G’s iconic pieces ‘Aya’ and ‘Matrix’ that were also nominated for awards at the ceremony. The exquisite ring combines two half rings; one side is beautifully encrusted with diamonds while the other gloriously complements it with brushed gold. This award closely follows the JSK’s Rising Star Las Vegas award and the Editor’s Choice award for Originality from International Jewellery London that Nada G has already received this year alone. With striking designs that are edgy and timeless, it is no wonder Nada G’s fine jewellery has captured the hearts of an international audience. Nada G boutique is located in Gemmayzeh and in the Beirut Souks. For more information you can go to: www.nadag.com
{ Ingenuity off the cuff } Richard Mille, famed for his revolutionary, futuristic 21st-century wristwatches, has now turned his ingenuity to cufflinks. Two years in the making, and released in October, his Swiss-made grade-5 titanium cufflinks are surprisingly understated considering they are the most highly engineered on the market today. Not only do they look both sleek and elegant, thanks to their hand-beveled and satin-brushed finish, but they are also highly practical. Each lightweight but robust link contains 38 elaborate components. They produce a unique open-close mechanism that requires only a simple press. No more wrestling with your cufflinks when rushing to an appointment!
The operating principle is totally different from the classic mechanism, which uses a pivoting bar to hold the double cuff. Mille’s two titanium bars are like wings which flap at the press of a button. The Richard Mille cufflinks, available worldwide, come with a two-year warranty. A diamond-set version will follow. Zhou Xun
{ Charms by Harry Winston } The world famous American jeweller Harry Winston will be introducing a chic collection of daytime jewellery into its salons by the end of December 2012. ‘Charms’ by Harry Winston is a collection of five unique pieces, all of which pay tribute to the legacy of Harry Winston’s design. Each piece is fashioned in platinum or yellow gold and in true Harry Winston style set with the world’s finest diamonds. The perfect gift for the New Year, the Charms collection contains gorgeous diamond-set engagement rings, the iconic shaped loop earrings, new Chinese inspired lucky figure eight earrings, the peony and of course the charm bracelet from which the collection gets its name.
Lindsey Wixson
Yi Zhou
Vogue celebrates in style Fashion’s elite and celebrities from the world over came together in Beijing to celebrate Vogue’s 120th anniversary on October 30th. The glamorous event, which also marked the seventh anniversary of Vogue China, was also attended by a number of Chinese and international fashion icons who chose to wear Chanel. Actresses Maggie Cheung and Zhou Xun both dazzled in Chanel haute couture along with exquisite pieces from Chanel fine jewellery. American model Lindsey Wixson opted for a white floral dress from the Cruise Versailles collection while artist Yi Zhou went for a metallic look from the Paris Bombay collection.
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ST Y L E Interiors
words: Anastasia Nysten
Marcel Wanders,‘designer of the new age’, has built a career designing not only for Europe’s biggest contemporary manufacturers, but also as art director and co-owner of Moooi. Anastasia Nysten sat down for an exclusive interview with the Dutch design hero on his visit to Beirut. What’s the purpose of your visit to Lebanon?
I was in Doha for a project. I’ve been travelling a lot in the Middle East and everyone always says how amazing Lebanon is. I wanted to go on holiday and I was in the region so I decided to come for vacation How is your stay so far?
I love it! Did you always want to become a designer?
When I was a kid I wanted to do something creative but I didn’t know what. Design was not a subject at that time. There was nothing like design. I was not aware of it. At some point someone told me there is a good school of design so I went to that school.
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Design is big in the Netherlands. Has it always been this way?
It was nothing at that time. There was only one school for design. I wanted to do something creative - to create a new world, not the same world in a different way. And so I wanted to have a new style in design. I was pretty wild and it was impossible in this school. So they kicked me out. I was lucky to be able to study in another school, a school for jewellery in which I studied for three years. I was the odd one out because everyone was doing jewellery and I was always making products. After a year, I started another school in Belgium. I always tried thinking ‘What should designers know’? I was reading about marketing, about plastics… I was going to exhibitions… It was interesting because I was
Marcel Wanders
ST Y L E Interiors
thinking of my job, of what I had to know instead of just following the structure of the school. I then stopped both these schools and went to a school in Arnhem and finished my education there. In fact I never fit into the typical Dutch path. What’s your reference for ‘good design’?
An interesting thing is that if people think about good design, they pick a piece, start looking at it and evaluate on formal ideas like rules. I measure this object, the value of it, the quality of it but I don’t measure visually only. I measure it in the heart, in the mind. And that’s where you should measure the value of your work. That’s why I always go to places where my work is inaugurated for the first time, to see how people react. I think that’s where you measure. If there’s nothing there, then you did nothing.
The one thing I would like to design is a mosque.
Do you have a product that you are most satisfied with, that you have a preference for?
If you were a mother, you’d know that if you had a child you wouldn’t have any preference, you can’t really tell.
Tree Lamps
The Killing of a Piggy Bank
Is there a specific type of product you’d like to design more than another?
The one thing I would like to design is a mosque. It’s something I think is really important to do. I think more than anything we need in this world is to start to live together in a better way. The world is becoming smaller and smaller and we are becoming closer to each other, physically. So we have to start becoming closer to each other emotionally as well and to pay respect to each other. And to show if we stack our cultures, things become more interesting. It’s not impossible. It’s actually possible and so I think it’s the right thing to do. Did you have this idea when you were visiting the Middle East?
No, I’ve actually had this idea for three to four years now. It definitely has to do with the Middle East but it mostly has to do with the fact that we have so many troubles in our own culture to understand what happens in another culture. There are beautiful things around. And I think design is made for this. You think of design as a material activity but it really is a psychological activity. If it doesn’t feed our brain, it’s not important. It is not material, it is psychological. It is communicating to the whole world. The works of designers are read all over the world and they speak about who we are, what we
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think and what we strive for, how we see the new world, how we can live tomorrow and it is extremely important. Many of your designs have been selected for museum design collections and exhibitions. How did you first feel about it?
At first I felt strange because I thought that my work had to be with people, in their daily lives, and not at museums. But when I was in the museums and I saw how people were interested in what I was doing, it actually felt great. It shows the credibility of the work. I think it is a reference. I’m very happy with it What are the standards of a museum piece to you?
Different museums have different opinions about what they collect such as museums that collect ceramics, others that collect prototypes, and even others that collect highlighted furniture. More and more of our works are kept by museums such as the work we have done for KLM. They don’t only collect ‘extreme’ work but also work that is more functional such as the new dinner service for KLM.
Hero Pin
Smoke Chair
You have very poetic objects such as the ‘hero’ pin (made for someone special at that time), Chrysalis for Flos (the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly), ‘new antiques’ for Cappellini, Matriochka... Is all your work based on your personal stories, or on stories of life?
I think what we try to do is make objects that people recognise. There are things that are not only ‘new’ but recognisable. Not only ‘crazy’ but understandable. We like to make a chair for example that is recognised as a chair. We use archetypes. We want to make things that say something else and which give the reason for these things to arrive to the world today so we change something in what we think is a normal product and always try to find a beautiful way. We do it using form, colour, texture, technology. We use what you feel and what you know of. We try to reach all the areas such as rational, emotional… Stories about the objects we are creating can be rational, can be emotional and they add to the beauty of what we make. What about the hero pin? You had an interesting story there.
The whole story was that I made half a million pieces of this pin and sent it out with a Dutch magazine ‘Libelle” with whom I was co-operating. At that time, the pin was made for my then girlfriend and big love. She was very ill at the time and it was not always clear if we could become old together or not. I did include the pin in their magazine and was able
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Marcel Wanders
to reach 500,000 readers and so another 500,000 heroes. We had a few leftovers so I gave them to one of the best modern art jewellery galleries and asked them to sell it at the same price of five cents each. Tell us a bit about your involvement with Moooi.
I am the co-owner and art director of Moooi. It is my most important activity in my career. It is a great way for me to express what I want to give to the world. It allows me to work with other creative people and to give them a chance to be on the market. It allows me to invent new creators such as Marten Bas, Nika Zupanc, Bertjan Pot and many others. These people started out with Moooi and are now really important people in the world of design. I think it’s great that Moooi is able to do this. Moooi is a company that is a bit more outgoing than other companies. We try to be on the cutting edge of design. I think in all cultures and also in the Middle-East, there are people who want to be involved in the cutting edge of things.
I am the co-owner and art director of Moooi. It is my most important activity in my career.
You’ve seen a bit of the Middle East and now you’re in Lebanon. How do you see it in relation to your products?
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I think there is an interesting gap between the international arena and the local arena and I think they can work together in a good way. I think we represent obviously the modern world and there are many people who are very interested in that part of the world. So I think we can make a good connection with Lebanon. Lebanon is definitely the creative hub of the area and it is definitely the right place where we can make a lot of connections.
Beirut Souks - Gemmayzeh +961 1 983443 | +961 1 560591 www.nadag.com
ST Y L E Trend
words: Alia Fawaz
With its elegant disc-shaped dial and chain stylishly fastened onto a waistcoat, the pocket watch often conjures up romantic images of a bygone era, a time when chivalry and three piece suits were more the norm. But today it is reinventing itself for a new audience with a fine eye for luxury, innovation and the unique.
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he pocket watch was first developed in Europe during the 16th century and was a “bulky” amalgam of clocks and watches. They were heavy drum shaped cylindrical brass boxes several inches in diameter with only an hour hand. The face was not covered with glass, but usually had a hinged brass cover, often decoratively pierced with grillwork so the time could be read without opening. By the 17th century the style had changed and men began to wear watches in pockets instead of as pendants (ladies’ watches remained as pendants into the 20th century) thanks to Charles ll of England introducing waistcoats in 1675. Fast forward to the 19th century and pocket watches were still handmade and fairly expensive
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4–The Meantime pocket
OptiC by Celsius X VI II
watch by Nimrod Or
2–Hermes Arceau
5–Cartier’s elegant
Pocket Amazones
Skeleton Pocket Watch
3–The Arceau Pocket
6–The elegant face of Hermes’
Astrolabe by Hermes
Arceau Pocket Astrolabe
which meant they were worn mainly by the upper class and merchants. They were also predominantly made in Europe by leading brands like Le Coultre & Cie, Ulysse Nardin and IWC. However, by the time the Industrial Revolution was in full swing they had become an important part of middle and lower class society. Railroad workers in particular relied on the watches for time-keeping, to ensure that no collisions or derailments occurred. This also help paved the way for mass production and more American pocket watch manufacturers. It was only when the more practical wrist watch was introduced in the years leading to WWI, that the pocket watch took a major back seat pretty much indefinitely. Luckily though, we have been witnessing something of a revival of these stylish time pieces; they have made their way onto high fashion shoots and added vintage glamour to runway presentations. Many established watchmakers and new alike are also celebrating their legacy and creating new models. This year during the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) our eye was caught by Cartier’s exquisite Skeleton pocket watch, which takes its inspiration from their classic pocket watches of the 1930s and combines it with their contemporary skeletal styling, making it very 21st century. Hermes, meanwhile, took a more artisanal approach with their stunning Arceau Pocket Amazones, a beautiful pocket watch inspired by the motif of a tie designed by Henri d’Origny. The watch has been designed using centuries-old, handcrafted expertise, grand feu enamelling, along with miniature painting and paillonne techniques. Regardless of its present revival, the pocket watch will always remain a classy accessory, with high demand for vintage models. Although perhaps epitomised by the debonair gentleman in a suit and top hat who would have most likely sneered at today’s lackluster touch screen gadgets… the contemporary pocket watch is definitely moving in new circles all of its own.
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ST Y L E Fi ne jew ellery
words: Miriam Dunn
Van Cleef & Arpels’ retrospective offers a dazzling and precious journey back through time
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A
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retrospective exhibition gives visitors a golden opportunity, quite literally, to step back in time and marvel at a specially-selected collection of exquisite pieces of jewellery from the renowned House of Van Cleef & Arpels (VCA). ‘L’Art de la Haute Joaillerie’ takes the form of a glorious historical journey which showcases VCA’s Swiss craftsmanship and techniques from 1906 onwards. Featuring almost 500 of the House’s pieces, meticulously displayed in chronological order together with unique, historical artefacts, the retrospective gives a unique insight into how jewellery trends and styles have evolved over the decades. Visitors will find themselves enraptured by the ‘minaudières’, which characterised the 1930s and the
“It took around two years to do the conception and scenography, and another year to choose the pieces.”
‘passe partout’ necklace of the 1940s. There is also an opportunity to marvel at the ‘zip necklaces’ so adored by the Duchess of Windsor, which took until the 1950s to perfect, alongside the magical, orientinspired jewellery of the 1970s. Catherine Cariou, VCA’s Heritage Director, explained that unlike previous exhibitions that were based on a theme, the concept behind ‘L’Art de la Haute Joaillerie’ was to incorporate an educational element. “I think that people will understand what we achieved in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, and what Alfred Arpels brought to the art of fine jewellery, based on the techniques and the history of the Van Cleef style,” she said. The exhibition has involved painstaking and extensive planning, as Cariou explained. “It took around two years to do the conception and scenography, and another year to choose the pieces,” she said. Around two thirds of the exhibits come from the line’s own collection, while the remaining pieces have been donated by lenders from around the world. Each
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ST Y L E Fi ne jew ellery
Chrysanthemum clip
Pampilles bracelet
Columbiad clip “Les Voyages Extraordinaires”
Ludo Hexagone bracelet
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Peony clip
piece of VCA jewellery is accompanied by a corresponding gouache illustration, together with additional information such as the name of the piece’s first client, date and place of origin, weight, and original price. While chronology plays a vital role in ‘L’Art de la Haute Joaillerie’, Cariou pointed out that the timeline paradoxically highlights the timelessness of VCA’s pieces. “There are pieces from the 1950s or the 1930s which are decidedly modern,” she admitted. “Sometimes I show people a piece from the ’30s or ’50s, and a piece from the year 2000, and ask them which they think is the older one. Often, they choose the wrong one.” Standing out like a shining star is a delightful Asian-inspired flower which Cariou believes to be the most emblematic piece of the exhibition. The jewel comes from a private collection and is on show for the first time. “VCA has always been inspired by Asia and the red chrysanthemum is a symbol of happiness and longevity there,” she said. “It truly captures the essence of what VCA has been able to bring to the art of fine jewellery.”
Van Cleef & Arpels A da z z l i n g history shar ed Selections met with Stanislas de Quercize, President & CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, in Paris for some unique insight into the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition currently on show at the Decorative Arts Museum.
Can you tell us about the origins of this incredible exhibition? The idea for Van Cleef & Arpels is to be true to its two vocations at the same time: firstly, to create - it is often said that the acronym VCA stands for Very Creative Artist - and secondly, to share. We wanted to show a complete history, especially a prestigious museum, such as the Decorative Arts Museum, with a very specialised curator, Evelyne Possémé, and to let her take control of the history of Van Cleef & Arpels and let her explain it in her own way. This is what she has done, selecting 490 creations, from 1906 - the year the house was created - to 2012, and presenting them to the world in a way which is educational and chronological, with detailed explanations and the use of digital media to explain all the stages of creation. Who are the great female figures who have marked the history of VCA? Elizabeth Taylor, The Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, Maria Callas, Princess Grace of Monaco, Farah Diba (wife of the Shah of Iran), Evita Peron... all these women have worn VCA and have been able to experience their femininity and their love thanks to it. What is the most important commission that VCA has ever received? Certainly the one made by the Shah of Iran in 1967, on the occasion of the coronation of the Empress. Unfortunately we are only displaying a replica, as the original is in the national treasury of Iran, but this coronation was the cause of an extraordinary commission, probably the most important that Place Vendome has ever received. The crown was created using
stones which are also part of the national treasury. These stones have never been permitted to leave Iran, which meant that our director at the time, Pierre Arpels, and the jewellers, the artists, the people who make the models - everybody, in fact - had to travel to Iran for this special commission. In the course of the exhibition you reveal probably the best kept secret of the house of VCA, the “Mysterious Setting.” Aren’t you afraid that someone will copy you? It’s true that this is a first, but we only revealed part of the secret. Only seven people in France are capable of carrying it out, and they all work with us. It’s an absolutely exclusive skill which demands years of practice and a lot of dexterity... It’s extremely technical and we are the only ones who are able to do it. If you could choose just one piece of jewellery from the collection which would it be? I would choose the exhibition catalogue, that way I’d have the whole collection! That would allow me to share them with as many people as possible, and to see the whole history of the house. Do you wear a piece of VCA jewellery? Of course! I wear a watch called “Midnight in Paris,” which shows the constellations in the sky over Paris at midnight and which turns. There’s always a story with VCA. It’s the story of the Paris sky, because even when I am abroad I like knowing what is happening in the sky above Paris at midnight.
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st y l e Fi ne Jew ellery
In 1932 Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel designed ‘Bijoux de Diamants’, Chanel’s first fine jewellery collection. Eighty years on Chanel pays homage to this illustrious piece of Chanel history with ‘1932’, a collection inspired by Mademoiselle’s originals. “Céleste” brooch in 18-karat white gold set with 881 brilliantcut diamonds for a total weight of 12.6 carats, 24 baguette-cut diamonds for a total weight of 2 carats, a 79.3- carat Australian baroque cultured pearl, 3 Indonesian cultured pearls of 7.6 to 11.1mm diameter and 15 Japanese cultured pearls of 2.5 to 4mm diameter.
“Cosmos” ring in 18-karat white gold set with 23 fancy-cut diamonds for a total weight of 4.4 carats, 208 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 2.2 carats and 28 square-cut diamonds for a total weight of 0.5 carat.
“Etoile Filante necklace” in 18-karat white gold set with 2 round-cut diamonds of 5 and 8.8 carats, 600 baguettecut diamonds for a total weight of 34.6 carats, 725 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 12.8 carats, 34 fancy-cut diamonds for a total weight of 9.3 carats, 5 briolettecut diamonds for a total weight of 5.7 carats and 58 princesscut diamonds for a total weight of 3.7 carats.
“If I have chosen diamonds, it is because they represent the greatest value in the smallest volume. And my love of things that glitter has inspired me to try to combine elegance and fashion through the medium of jewellery.”
Gabrielle Chanel, 1932.
“Etoile Filante” earrings in 18-karat white gold set with 2 round-cut diamonds of 1 carat each, 32 fancy-cut diamonds for a total weight of 9.5 carats, 104 baguettecut diamonds for a total weight of 6.4 carats, 46 princess-cut diamonds for a total weight of 1 carat and 10 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 0.6 carat.
st y l e Fi ne Jew ellery
“Etoile Filante” ring in 18-karat white gold set with a 1.5-carat round-cut diamond, as well as baguette-cut, fancycut, princess-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds.
“Etoile Filante” bracelet in 18-karat white gold set with a 3-carat round-cut diamond, 99 baguette-cut diamonds for a total weight of 5.9 carats, 36 fancy-cut diamonds for a total weight of 5.6 carats, 154 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 3.9 carats, 26 princess-cut diamonds for a total weight of 1.1 carats and 3 triangle-cut diamonds for a total weight of 0.4 carat.
“Cosmos” watch in 18-karat white gold set with 537 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 4.2 carats, 29 fancy-cut diamonds for a total weight of 3.8 carats and 31 princess-cut diamonds for a total weight of 0.9 carat. Black satin bracelet. Quartz movement.
“Etoile Filante head jewel in 18-karat white gold set with a 1-carat brilliantcut diamond, 164 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 11.7 carats, 54 baguette-cut diamonds for a total weight of 3.2 carats, 22 princesscut diamonds for a total weight of 0.9 carat and 40 fancy-cut diamonds for a total weight of 0.9 carat.
“Etoile Filante” ring in 18-karat white gold set with a 2-carat round-cut diamond, 29 fancycut diamonds for a total weight of 4.6 carats, 83 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 1.5 carats and 29 princess-cut diamonds for a total weight of 0.7 carat.
Chanel “Ultra” rings in 18-karat white gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds, and black or white ceramic.
Sigrid Agren photographed by Dominique Issermann in the Chanel Fine Jewellery boutique 18 place Vendôme. She is wearing two “Ultra” rings in 18-karat white gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds and black and white ceramic.
F i n e J e w e l l e ry st yle
“I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it.� Coco Chanel
ST Y L E Icon the wonderful worl d of m arce l wa nde rs
Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.
C oc o Cha nel
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Karl Lagerfeld’s New Design: An Exclusive look for Selections Magazine Selections magazine presents an exclusive insight into the new Karl Lagerfeld designed dress by Chanel. Follow the step-by-step guide below to discover how the dress is brought to life from design to catwalk. The beginning of any outfit is in the mind of the designer. It first takes form in a sketch by Karl Lagerfeld given to the Head Seamstress. The sketch is then brought to life in the shape of a toile, reproduced in fabric chosen by the Studio; for this design it was pink silk crepe. Markers, known as “fils plats” (flat threads), are sewn onto the fabric to reproduce the impression of the toile and to mark out the positions of the cutting and sewing to come. Then the skirt of the dress, a work in progress, is tried on a wooden mannequin to confirm the proportions of the sketch. In the Lemarié atelier the feathers are applied one by one onto the panels of the dress, marking out an extreme attention to detail. The bustier and the skirt are ready to be sent to the Chanel ateliers where they will be assembled and receive those all-important finishing touches. The dress is completed and tried on a wooden mannequin before being tried on a model to achieve the closest possible match to the proportions sought by Karl Lagerfeld. The final fitting takes place in Karl Lagerfeld’s presence at the Chanel Studio, the night before the show.
H AUTE J OAILLERIE
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ST Y L E Event
Chanel invites... to a Scottish castle
In early December a Scottish castle, once the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, provided the setting for a new slice of history - Chanel’s tenth Métiers d’Art collection, Paris-Edimbourg. In this gothic, fairytale setting complete with flickering candles and mist, models wore Chanel outfits of tartan, wool and cashmere, paying homage to Scotland’s textile craftsmanship.
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ST Y L E Event
“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.”
Coco Chanel
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Chanel black metal Camellia brooch with strass and pearls from the 2013 Spring Summer Pre Collection.
Chanel golden metal Camellia ring with strass and pearls from the 2013 Spring Summer Pre Collection
Chanel metal and strass CC brooch from the 2013 Spring Summer Pre Collection
ST Y L E Icon the wonderful worl d of m arce l wa nde rs
A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.
Coco Chanel
An exclusive peek at the making of Chanel Eyewear “We laughed together a lot that day and I was hypnotised by the rapturous ambiance that surrounds Karl Lagerfeld in his Studio,” enthused Maiwenn at the end of the shoot for the 2012/13 FallWinter eyewear campaign. The shoot, which took place at Karl Lagerfeld’s Studio 7L, on the Rue de Lille in Paris, was the result of a natural union stemming from their initial meeting a few months earlier on the shoot for the photography book The Little Black Jacket: Chanel’s classic revisited by
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Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld. A collection of six images with a cinematic aesthetic, the campaign is simple, elegant and pure. It presents Maiwenn wearing the optical glasses and the sunglasses from the 2012/13 FallWinter collection. The emblematic House tweed is central to the campaign and a tweed motif adorns the glasses, giving a contemporary feel to the collection and corresponding perfectly with the young woman’s strong personality.
ST Y L E Indi vi dual
words: India Stoughton
dare to be different 78
I
n 1999 Dan Sullivan - a designer from the seaside town of Brighton in the south of England launched a line of unique and playful footwear, subject only to his vision, rather than falling prey to the whims of the ever-changing fashion world. Sullivan’s line, which he named “Irregular Choice,” was at first sold only in a little boutique store in Brighton, but over the past decade his innovative designs have proved so popular that stores have now opened in locations around the world, including Paris, Hong Kong and New York. The designer found time in his busy schedule to talk to Selections about realising his dreams. How did Irregular Choice get started?
Back in the 90s I was travelling a lot worldwide.
After everything I had seen across the world, I realised the footwear market was meek. It was black and brown and boring! Yet there was a demand from some people for something special - a unique way to express yourself through shoes. Irregular Choice was born to satisfy the customer demand for something individual - an escape for those wanting to break away from convention.
Apples and Pears
Bubba
Whats Up
Gravitational pull
“I want the shoes to be unique and stick to the Irregular ethos.” 79
ST Y L E Indi vi dual
“Recapture your freedom which eloped with your youth.”
Studio IC
Have you always wanted to be a designer and why did you choose shoes?
Design and shoes are in my blood because growing up I was surrounded by shoes and retail from my parents, who ran a group of stores called Red Or Dead. I then opened my first shoe store at the age of 16 in London. Irregular Choice brings out over 500 new shoes each collection. Do you still design every shoe yourself, or do you now have a team who work with you?
I design everything myself, without using the market or trends to see what everybody else is doing out there, as I want the shoes to be
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unique and stick to the Irregular ethos. I lock myself away for a few weeks each season and design and draw and just invent. What is your design philosophy?
“Recapture your freedom which eloped with your youth.’’ What have the three biggest milestones in the history of Irregular Choice been to date?
1. Opening our Carnaby Street store. 2. Winning store design of the year in 2012 in Drapers Magazine. 3. Having Prince come in our New York Store and buy a pair of sparkly men’s shoes for his tour.
ST Y L E the wonderful worl d of m arce l wa nde rs
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A DV E RTO RIA L ST YLE
dazzles with starry nights in the East
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Zorab’s endlessly playful approach to jewellery is dictating the pulse of fashion for both women and men.
hile the international fantasy-makers have enraptured top celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson and Katy Perry, their exotic and extravagant pendants made for men this year became a massive hit in Singapore. As a daring and dashing brand which revels in taking big risks and introducing trends from out of the blue, Zorab Atelier de Creation – a family business of Lebanese descent which has spread its multi-coloured joie de vivre and naturalist symbolism everywhere from Beverly Hills to Indonesia – opened its boutique in 2012 in Singapore and put suited men on the runaway in the place of glamorous women. Later in the year, it became evident that Zorab had made a fashion smash hit at the highest level, as some of the biggest film stars in Singapore took to the red carpet wearing the unique pendants with their suits. Zorab takes pride in personalising style
mixing elegance and iconic art, where the fashion of today will be the heirloom of tomorrow. Each piece uniquely created by Zorab’s 150 artisans is numbered to preserve its identity and privilege the beholder as the sole owner of a masterpiece. The inspiration Zorab takes from nature is a bottomless well of wonder and dazzling colour, using savoir-faire and a perfectionist eye to create alchemy from metals and crystals, with a focus on warm rose gold and sparkling gems, from amber to diamond and everything in between. Brilliant, whimsical, extravagant and groundbreaking are all words used to describe Zorab’s unmistakable allure. It’s now becoming evident that Zorab’s daring, revolutionary approach to quality jewellery and fine art is paying dividends worldwide. To encounter it, and then own it, is to be truly fortunate. H e a d O ff i c e B a n g k o k T H A I L A N D info@zorabcreation.com
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Words: Karah Byrns
st y l E Focus
The scent of a woman 84
It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure.
S
ince its debut in 1921, Chanel No.5 has become as iconic of femininity as a string of pearls, black heels, or lace. Never ceasing production over 89 years, the classic scent has been reinterpreted to explore nuances of its complex personality, but the original formula has always been painstakingly preserved and offered to an everadoring flock of fans. No fragrance conjures up as much mystery, glamour, and erotic elegance as Chanel No. 5. No fragrance spans generations, able to be passed on from mother to daughter like a treasured secret or rite of passage into womanhood. Chanel No. 5 is addictive. It is sensual. It is timeless. The essence of a modern woman’s genius, Chanel No.5 was the first of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s flirtations with the perfume industry. The French designer known best for creating minimalist garments that rebelled against the furbelows and frills of her times never intended to venture into perfume, which she reputedly deplored as a means of using syrupy floral extracts to disguise poor hygiene. It was only when she was introduced to renowned perfumer Ernest Beaux that she became aware of its power for self-expression. Requesting a “perfume for a woman, from the scent of a woman”, Chanel chose the fifth vial among a series that Beaux was experimenting
Coco Chanel
with to take home with her, releasing it only as a limited edition Christmas present for her best clients in 1921. Chanel No.5 was a pioneer in formula, scent, and design. As the first fragrance to blend synthetic ingredients, or aldehydes, with organic raw materials like rose and jasmine, the perfume broke new ground in the chemistry of fashion. Its bouquet can be attributed to no one flower in particular and exudes a subtle sophistication. It is so complex that the number of notes it contains remains impossible to distinguish and replicate. Its original art deco flacon was a bold symbol of Coco’s contempt for the overembellished perfume bottles popular at the time; the masculine and boxy glass shape was fashioned by Brosse Glasswork after a Charvet toiletry bottle from the travel case of her lover who died in a tragic accident in 1919, Arthur Boy Capel. The daring approach and scintillating scent overcame the public and in 1922 Chanel No.5 was released en masse by popular demand. From housewives to Hollywood starlets like Catherine Deneuve, the perfume came to personify the image of the ideal modern woman. But it was only when Marilyn Monroe famously breathed that a few drops of Chanel No.5 was the sole thing she wore in bed that the perfume shot to permanent fame. Until today, a bottle of Chanel No.5 is estimated to be sold every 55 seconds in an echo to the famous words of Coco Chanel herself: “Fashion passes... style remains.”
Original Comet brooch.
Black leather fingerless glove with Camellias.
Red perforated leather fingerless glove.
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words: Avril Groom
st y l E Focus
A look at true fashionista footwear for the coming season
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very woman fantasises about shoes, visualising the extraordinary designs we would love to see on our feet but never find in real life - until now. Creations from leading designers have recently become more outlandish each season, driven by ever-rising platforms and heels that really have been fantasy, as no one could wear them unless they had a limousine lifestyle on a daily basis. Now, just as shoe fashion finally takes off into orbit, with styles that look as if they are designed for life in a clean-lined, Space Age, minimalist future, heel heights are retreating - not to anything sensible but to a delicate elegance that, with not much platform, is still very high, or to a little block or kitten heel that captures the retro-futurist 1960s mood that is part of spring 2013’s look. Designer Marc Jacobs has declared that a modest 5.5 cm is the heel height de rigueur for the coming season and
teams it with an elegant pointed toe, while Manolo Blahnik’s assertion that platforms are clumsy and vulgar is beginning to look quite right. For any girl who likes her fantasy futurist, spring’s shoes are a joy, but surprisingly wearable too. In many cases they follow trends in clothing that suggest a sporty, minimal modernism. The same shorthand codes for futurism appear in both - perspex, metallic fabrics, sports mesh, uncompromising monochrome. The best designers twist such stereotypes into something new and exciting - the bold mesh sandals with curvy, undershot perspex wedges glittering with floating gold leaf that reflects the honey and bees theme of Sarah Burton’s other-worldly collection for Alexander McQueen, the sculpted, mirrored perspex
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heels by Nicholas Kirkwood for Pollini that seem both futuristic and Art Deco, the extraordinary mix of vivid metal heelbacks, fringing and black and white stripes at Sergio Rossi that fuse tribal glamour with the monochrome influence of Ettore Sotsass’s Memphis interiors. The easy options for next spring will be a bold, black and white, low-heeled pump, a tall perspex wedge, some mesh sandals and a flash of bright iridescent metal with an aggressively pointed toe. But picking out the shoes that link at least two of these themes and turning them into something that is a real, goosebump-inducing, must-have original will be the art of the true shoe aficionado next summer.
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{ Marimekko and Finnair’s Collaboration Set to Take-Off } Words:
Susan Wilson
Celebrated Finnish design house Marimekko has launched a new partnership with Finnair aiming to enhance the on-board experience with a profile raising collaborative. From spring 2013 passengers on all Finnair aircraft will enjoy a brightened cabin with Marimekko textiles decorating the space and their inflight meal presented on tableware from the Marimekko for Finnair collection. Each piece in the collection features classic patterns of the famed design house, which first gained world renown in the 60s, having been worn by the ever elegant Jackie Kennedy. The new collection is designed to lighten and add a fresh, tactile dimension to the on-board experience of every flight. One of Finnair’s long-haul flights between Helsinki and Asia even boasts Maija Isola’s iconic 1964 Unikko floral print as its livery, with another set to join it in the spring.
{ Pop Down to the underground for a tasty treat } Words:
India Stoughton
©Fletcher Priest it
ec ts
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become home to mosses, lichens and funghi, planning for pop-up mushroom concept restaurants and cafés to be set up at each entry point to the tunnels. “Pop down produces an urban experience where visitors can descend from street level into a colourful, mysterious, organic world, only yards beneath one of the world’s busiest shopping streets,” the architects explain. “There they learn about life in the twilight zone and admire the shapes of the plants while walking in the cool, quiet tunnels.”
ar ch
Y/N Studio’s LidoLine may be innovative, but it was beaten to first place in London’s recent High Line competition by Pop Down, a proposal by Fletcher Priest Architects to transform the unused tunnels below Oxford Street into an urban mushroom garden. Lighting would be provided through fibreglass mushroom sculptures, which would plot the tunnels’ passage above ground, and allow daylight to filter through to the dark tunnels beneath. The firm intends that the underground space should gradually
{ Innovative LidoLine links Londoners } Words:
India Stoughton
London’s canals were once intended as a means of commuting through the city by boat, but with the advent of modern transport they have become sadly underutilised. Now two young architects, Alex Smith and David Lomax, have conceived a truly original way of putting London’s canals to use once again. Their practice, Y/N Studio, recently put forward a proposal to transform these waterways into swimming lanes, which busy Londoners could use to swim to and from work, using a three-layer membrane to filter and clean the water. They took some time out to talk to Selections about their idea. what gave you the idea of swimming to work along the canals?
The idea came through thinking at a citywide level but also on a personal level. London doesn’t need more green space, but what it could use is a way of connecting the plentiful green spaces it does have together. This already exists in the form of the Regent’s Canal, a 13.8km route stretching west to east through the city. we love the concept, but on a practical note
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how would commuters carry
their work gear with them?
In Switzerland where river swimming is popular there is a device called a “Wickelfisch” to solve this problem. It’s a waterproof inflatable bag for your belongings. See http://www.swiss-miss. com/2011/08/wickelfish.html the uk is not known for its tropical sunshine
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would the water temperature
be artificially regulated?
Cyclists wear lycra to ride to work, so we see no reason that Londoners wouldn’t wear a wetsuit. I love the idea that someone might wear a dry suit with work clothes underneath to get the full 007 effect when
exiting the water. Our idea in the winter is to turn it into a skating lane by encouraging the water to freeze with a series of thin gauze layers just beneath the surface. what effect would the lanes have on wildlife in the canals? do you agree with george w. bush that man and fish can coexist peacefully?
As much as it pains me to agree with George, I’d have to say yes, why not? The canals were not originally intended to house wildlife but of course they now do and this should be retained and protected. Our proposal would aim to integrate new areas of planting around the LidoLine installations to ensure that minimal disruption occurred to the existing ecosystem.
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wo r l d Hand- pick ed place s to be
Words: Owen Adams, Stephani Plentl, India Stoughton, Susan Wilson
Selections shares a few well-kept secrets with readers on our favourite places around the world to visit, eat, stay and shop
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el comodor
Bogota
La Corte Sconta Venice
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ocated in Rosales, a leafy residential area of Bogotá, this low-key comfort food restaurant is a second dining room to the affluent locals. It also attracts Bogotá’s more discerning celebrities, literati and heavyweight politicians (and it’s not uncommon to find a bodyguard or two
V
enice has many unique attributes, but regrettably an abundance of good food is not one of them. Often overpriced and underwhelming, disappointing Venetian trattorias can dampen a visit more than a flooded St Marks Square. Fortunately there is La Corte Sconta - a culinary gem that’s largely frequented by locals and
keeping a watchful eye outside.) The aesthetic is unpretentious and homely with polished wooden floors, cozy banquettes and decorative plates and tableware lining the walls. The European menu features classic slow cooked dishes, creative salads and indulgent desserts. Not to be missed
is the ‘Pollo a la sal’ – a whole chicken baked in a salt crust, to be shared between three. It’s so popular that it’s advisable to arrive early or order in advance to secure one - but leave room for the Chocolate Volcano, a cake with warm oozing fondant served with salted vanilla ice cream.
in-the-know tourists. Positioned in the midst of a labyrinth of passageways, finding it is a little like a treasure hunt… The décor may be simple, but the food is supremely fresh and elegantly presented. Cheerful staff will encourage visitors to be led by the house suggestions – and this guarantees a spectacular feast. Seafood is the
speciality here: think antipasti with clams and ginger, black spaghetti with scallops and asparagus tips or scampi risotto. Desserts are homemade and decadent and the drinks list is very reasonably priced. On a warm day, sitting in the delightful vine-shaded rear courtyard is a tranquil respite from the chaos of one of Italy’s most magnetic cities.
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wo r l d Hand- pick ed place s to be
A
Arter
Istanbul
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t just a little over two years old the Arter Gallery in Istanbul has achieved remarkable things. Located on the lively pedestrian-only Istiklal Avenue in the heart of Istanbul’s beautiful Beyoglu district, the gallery is a cut above the rest in terms of both the work on show and its artful curation. Established by the Vehbi
Koç Foundation - one of Turkey’s largest NGOs, promoting education, healthcare and culture - the gallery aims to encourage the production of contemporary art, showcasing work by both local and international artists. The beautiful venue consists of four spacious floors, which allows for large group shows or simultaneous
solo shows. A recent exhibition titled “The Move” showcased work by three contemporary artists - Adel Abidin from Iraq, Rosa Barba from Italy and Runa Islam from Bangladesh - in an engaging and refreshingly original manner, uniting the three at ground level before then separating them floor by floor.
Marits Huiskamer
Amsterdam
M
arit Beemster had a hard choice to make at high school: should she professionally pursue her fascination with fashion or baking? She opted for design, becoming one of Tommy Hilfiger’s most wanted, but could never shake off her love of cakes and cuisine. Now she’s combined her twin passions by
N Date
Istanbul
ext-generation stylists are making a Date with destiny in Istanbul in a chic hub that fuses café culture with homemade restaurant cuisine, nightclubbing and all the latest in haute couture. Newly opened Date Restaurant & Designers Corner is housed in a restored 1873 building on the corner of Asmalımescit and Sishane. The former
converting her house in Amsterdam’s East district into a vegetarian eaterie, Marits Huiskamer, with the highest ethic and aesthetic values. Her spacious living room seats diners within its turquoise walls, exotic floral arrangements and exquisite tableware. The food is as delicious as the ambience: she cooks, using the
freshest and most local ingredients, as well as Dutch artisan cheeses, chocolates and drinks, a set three-course meatfree meal, which changes with the seasons and with what’s sustainably available. Her cooking is drenched in love and care, and most exquisitely presented as well as flavoured. In short, it’s a hidden bijou paradise.
upstairs atelier of Ümit Ünal is now Designers’ Corner: three rooms showcasing fresh local couture, with pop-up shops selling clothing and accessories, many unavailable elsewhere. Downstairs, the restaurant concentrates on entirely homemade cuisine. Ingredients are always prepared from fresh in the kitchen, including the bread, which
is created and baked inhouse. Favourites include scallops with saffron potatoes and chicken liver pate with apple and mango chutney. Even the cocktails are Date creations. After 11pm, Date becomes a pre-club hotspot, specializing in funk, slomo, nu-disco and deep house, with full-on parties at the weekends.
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wo r l d Hand- pick ed place s to be
A
Fauchon
Beirut
HOTEL LA REROUSE NICE
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stylish new branch of Fauchon has opened in Beirut, stunningly designed in bold pink and black. As you enter you walk through the grocery, whose shelves are neatly stocked with all the best gourmet items Fauchon has to offer, from gift baskets full of signature chocolates to its own brand teas and
L
ocated right on Nice’s beautiful Promenade des Anglais, just minutes away from the old town and the harbour, this cosy boutique hotel boasts breathtaking views over the Baie des Anges. The elegant bedrooms are decorated with a remarkable eye for detail, each one based around a playful colour theme - in
French wines. The main focus of the restaurant is the glass display where you are confronted with a plethora of choice - cakes, handmade chocolates, madeleines and our personal favourite, the selection of éclairs. The restaurant is not just for the sweet-toothed however, as you can sit in and enjoy immaculate
meals from their delicatessen, including freshly toasted club sandwiches, and for the more refined taste, foie gras. Our recommendation: the Golden Luxury Éclair, a melt in your mouth creation with crunchy gold flakes that shocks and delights with its bold mix of caramel and sea salt flavour.
one room rich shades of red are contrasted with warm pinks and autumnal shades of brown, while another features cool shades of sea blue and teal green complemented by a splash of sunshine in the form of bright red cushions. Each room comes with a secluded balcony, allowing guests to soak up the sunshine in
peace, while La Pérouse’s restaurant is located in the Mediterranean garden, a cluster of wrought iron tables and chairs arranged in the shade provided by the hotel’s own lemon trees. With a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and fitness room on the premises you’ll have to exert all your willpower just to leave the hotel.
MOTHER INDIA’S CAFE EDINBURGH
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o trip to Scotland is complete without a dose of that most British of meals - an Indian. Sadly, the British interpretation of Indian food can sometimes be somewhat lacking in originality, but luckily for the connoisseur of imaginative Asian cuisine there is Mother India’s Cafe. A perfect place to
I Hidden Dragon 4 Vallees
f conventional Swiss ski chalet experiences – think pinewood and potato rösti - have lost their lustre, then look no further. Hidden Dragon is an ultra luxury den of Zen in the dynamic and extensive 4 Vallees ski domain in Switzerland, twenty minutes drive from the private airport at Sion. Designed entirely on Feng Shui principles using an Oriental-inspired
cater to every appetite this unpretentious restaurant has come up with a groundbreaking idea so simple it’s hard to believe it hasn’t caught on everywhere: Indian tapas. The talented chefs serve up a menu of small dishes to share, each one a traditional favourite with a contemporary twist. Traditional Lamb
Saag - lamb cooked with fresh spinach - is served up alongside unusual but mouth-watering concoctions such as haddock baked in punjabi spices. The best thing is the small sizes - whether you order for two or for ten you are sure to come away having tasted as many dishes as if you had sat down for a royal banquet.
aesthetic, the aura is both calm and energising. The hideaway is sleek, contemporary and comfortable, and each of the six en-suite bedrooms bears the seductive name of an auspicious celestial animal. A holistic therapist is on hand in the exotic on-site Asian spa with hammam and there’s an intimate sound proofed cinema for entertainment. A private chef produces
gastronomic feasts - or nutritionally balanced, organic meals if desired. Crucially, the lodge has ski-in, ski-out access and a vice world champion freerider on call to take guests skiing into the backcountry. With the emphasis on leaving refreshed and rejuvenated (rather than strained and bloated) Alpine skiing has never been so good for you mind, body and soul.
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wo r l d Ex plorer
Words Solange Akar
as only a Parisian knows how
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Despite the cries of many Cassandras announcing the decline of Paris, the city of light remains the sizzling heart of contemporary creation in fields such as fashion, art, culture and gastronomy. It is in this enthralling city that I, a Parisian, have lived since birth. Paris is under my skin! Beyond genetic inheritance, being Parisian is a concept in itself. It is the art of living cultivated by interminable days of shopping, of many coffee breaks, perched in stilettos, with a snobbish allure, a decisive speech and an insatiable curiosity. So if you are interested in adopting the Parisian attitude, I suggest you follow the guide‌ Let us begin!
Day 1
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eeling the intellectual side of my soul rise along with me this galvanising, sunny morning, I have decided to have breakfast at the Cafe de Flore, following in the footsteps of Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, eternal guardians of this spot. Coffee with a creamy foam and warm croissants served with an abundance of soul transform the landscape into a magical place. Sitting on the terrace, I scrutinise, I observe, I measure and judge everything before my eyes on the Saint Germain Boulevard. It is the Parisian’s favorite sport, and I am quite the athlete myself ! Ali, the last of the newspaper sellers and friend to all the stars, is already at work. Tourists are constantly photographing him. He is quite the celebrity himself. He even signs autographs sometimes. I wave to him in passing. Time to leave “Le Flore” in the direction of the beautiful boutiques of Bonaparte Street, where the Assouline bookstore and its deluxe editions on fashion, design, architecture and travel lies. The place is overflowing with unusual works and objects. For the ink and paper sentimentalist, one can find very elegant boxes of writing paper. I am quite tempted to make a stop at Laduree to indulge in a few macaroons. While my spirit is saying, “Yes!”, my body is screaming, “No!”; so I carry on to Rue de L’universite to reach Place de Furstenberg, the address of the Yveline antiques shop, one of the most charming spots in Paris. Just like a home, the boutique has an encaustic smell and all the objects seem to have a soul. The shop window alone is a call to nostalgia and a voyage in time. The shopkeeper recommends a visit to the garden of Eugene Delacroix’s studio, now turned into a museum, just next door. I hit the road again towards the Seine and its numerous art galleries. Time for a small coffee break at la Palette, the gathering point of the neighbouring gallery crowd. But it is useless to even ask! Their tables are always reserved and whoever dares sit at one is taking an enormous risk. In fact, here are the regulars, cigars in mouth, laying their cards, full of confidence, for a game of Rummy. They own the
place and I do enjoy observing them. I decide to visit the Mazarine Library. This incredible place, far from the touristic hub, is the oldest French public library. It was, in fact, once the private library of Cardinal Mazarin, prime minister to King Louis XIV. The studious and silent reading room perpetuates the unique decor of a XVII century grand library. Today, still a place of study and research, time seems to stop at the door. The visitors are the only reminder that we are actually in the 21st century. I cross the Seine on the Ponts des Arts, which has become the symbol of love and of all the lovers that visit Paris. I leave the left bank to join the right one where I find myself in the midst of the Louvre’s mythical square courtyard. It’s a little bit like the anti chamber of the Louvre for very few tourists venture in these quarters. I can bet that when the Louvre was still royal premises, women didn’t wear pointy heels to stroll around on this uneven pavement; but I am! Whatever happened to women’s liberation? However I know that a considerable compensation awaits me at the end of this hazardous road; a table reserved at Le cafe Marly restaurant. It has, by far, the best view of the Louvre facing the famous pyramid - an edifice that continues to defy history and historians equally. Although a bone of contention for years, its presence doesn’t seem to shock anyone any more. I savour my tartare while contemplating the thousands of tourists, dumbstruck by the sight of the most visited monument in history. Energised by my lunch, I take to the road again with a firm commitment to visit my favourite place in Paris. If I had to choose a single one, I would not hesitate for a moment. I would choose the gardens of the Royal Palace. It is the calm after the storm. Far from all the noise, yet at the centre of the city, only birds and a few children are frolicking in the gardens. And as if that wasn’t enough, a few of my favourite boutiques can be found nearby. In need of a little black dress for a cocktail party that will make you look fabulous but won’t empty your pockets? There’s only one address you need: Didier Ludot and his “petite robe noire”. In the mood for an exclusive perfume from a boutique decorated like a thousand and one nights? Head for Serge Lutens’ maison de parfum. Afraid of ruining your manicure?
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A little cold? A pair of gloves, in leather needless to say, is exactly what you need. And the best, if you please. For that, La Maison Fabre, glovemaker for generations. Fed up of having the same shoes as everybody else? Visit Pierre Hardy, the most talented shoemaker of his time. Passionate about modern jewellery? IBU gallery is made for you. Temptations are aplenty here and they continue along the Vivienne Gallery. Finally, at number 18, you can find Wolff and Descourits - a family business. Their shawl and stole collections are splendid for those who like gleaming, colourful prints and hand-made items. I jump in a taxi. Destination: my bathroom. I only have five minute to transform myself. Tonight, just like every other Thursday, is ladies night, and it’s my turn take the reins. I knew I couldn’t go wrong by reserving the private dining room of Le Bar Le Passage restaurant at Senderens. It’s always an exquisite menu, never fussy, at a good price, with a chic decor, modern and refined, far from the overcrowded Paris. The girls are going to love it.
Day 2
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nother day, another ambiance! This morning I have scheduled a rendezvous with my sister at a precious location: L’hotel Daniel. Small in size but grand in its success, this boutique hotel is quite unique. First of all, because it serves scones to die for; just as good as the ones at Rose Bakery. Second of all, because I covet their silver art deco Christofle teapots. And last but not least, because the decor is absolutely mesmerising. The ambiance is the Orient meets a Western flair in perfect harmony. In this cosy environment, we spent a large part of the morning, as nothing was pressing us to leave. To digest our scones and the kilos I just added, what better than a fierce shopping spree at 66 Champs Elysees?! Here you can find everything - clothing, jewellery and accessories set over more than 1200 square metres. Suffice to say it is impossible not to find happiness here. I leave completely satisfied and head for lunch at Catherine Deneuve’s... of course! Who else? It is she who has decorated the restaurant of the Pantheon Cinema. I feel like I am in her own home; although, where is Catherine? I am told that had I
been here yesterday, l would have come across her. My feet at this point are expressing their distress, a pause is long overdue. I will take a tea at the neighbour’s, the Hotel Lutetia. Luxury, calm and voluptuousness welcome me in a freshly renovated 1930s decor. I insert myself into one of their red velvet, purple bench seats. I am served tea from China - the taste of paradise. I suddenly remember that I must move on to the Sentou Gallery to get the salad cutlery that I accidentally broke the other day at home. It must be said that the life of porcelain is quite limited. The problem with this gallery is that it’s tempting to change your home decor every week given the originality of their weekly editions. Not to be too tempted, I purchase what I came for and exit the store in the nick of time - ouf ! What? Is it already time for me to meet my husband at his favourite restaurant: La Closerie des Lilas? Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Kennedy, Appolinaire, Cézanne, Oscar Wilde - all have diligently attended this Parisian brasserie. But not as often as I do. This place has been able to keep its special, very Parisian atmosphere, with the addition of a taste for eternity. It is not rare to still come across personalities from the world of Arts and Letters. It should also be said that the pianist is known to keep you entertained until the late hours of the night - so we stayed.
Day 3
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overs of stones of antiquity, this day is for you because I am taking you to Marais, a historic district. Once the home of Parisian nobility, many special hotels were built here in the 17th century, and a number still remain. Yet again magic rules the morning from my spot at Cafe Hugo, where I reside under the arcades, neighbouring the Victor Hugo Museum. Drawn out of the shadows of sleep thanks to a coffee, I start my daily marathon with a visit to the Musee de Chasse et de la Nature. Don’t let the unsexy name of this enchanting place fool you. Located close to the Picasso Museum, it is housed in the Guénégaud Hotel, a remarkable example of 17th century architecture. This museum
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deserves the attention of all lovers of nature and exceptional works of art. The intimate ambiance is that of a cabinet of curiosities, and the objects on display are unlike anywhere else. This spot at the Place Vendome is as beautiful as a jewel. Do not miss it! A change of tempo and style, I will seek inspiration at Caravan, my favourite place for home décor. Sofas and couches that invite laziness, curtains and cushions, bed linen, with a special attention to the choice of textiles, have all given this brand a long-lasting reputation. It is an absolute must. Still in the neighborhood, an excellent address for gadgets, unlikely objects or unusual gifts: Fleux. I defy anyone not to find a good idea for a gift to take home in one’s suitcase here. Satisfied and with a feeling of accomplishment, I grant myself a lunch stop in a place that I love as much for its ambiance as for its dishes. L’As de Fallafel at Rue des Rosiers. However, sometimes there is a queue. Armed with the tickets that grant the privilege of enjoying their falafels, local youths mingle with curious tourists. The atmosphere is buzzing ... I simply love this place! Filled, and satisfied, I head over to the Village Saint Paul. An authentic village in the heart of Marais, this haven of peace is a maze of small courts and pedestrian alleys dedicated to secondhand and antique dealers. Not only charming, this place is packed with great addresses where beautiful objects can be spied. It is late, and I am eager for food, so I hit the road to meet my other half for dinner at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. The experience, revisited gourmet tapas by the master himself, comes at a price, but one must believe that this is the price of happiness, and I do not deprive myself of it. I still would have dozens, even hundreds of other unexpected places, adorable, amazing, so cute, or so trendy, for you to discover, such as Naila de Monbrison’s jewellery gallery, or the fine jewellery creations of Lydia Courteille. But, alas! The time for farewells has come, my tourist comrade. Because we are comrades of the heart, you must acknowledge that I remain as amazed as you are by my city, with a pure heart and candid spirit, and always incredibly eager to discover what I failed to notice about it in days gone by. Welcome to Paris.
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Enjoy a stay fit for the stars Words: Susan Wilson
A five star Parisian experience at Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere
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t's not the five stars, the ideal location – on the corner of Avenue George V and Avenue ChampsElysees – nor the personalised butler service that draws people to Fouquet’s, though such things surely help. This is a hotel that simply oozes star power. Historically linked to the French art scene through the legendary Fouquet’s restaurant – a haven for all associated with French culture and cinema – these Haussmann era buildings also regularly host the after party for the César awards. As you walk towards its entrance you pass the line of cinema’s best and brightest that adorns the walkway. World renowned directors including Stephen Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Spike Lee are among the greats to have stayed at Fouquet’s Barriere, along with an eclectic mix of Hollywood and international stars: Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Sofia Coppola and Jude Law to name but a few. What draws these stars to keep returning to the Hotel Fouquet’s? The design, the amenities, the service of the hotel are all up to the standard one would expect from a five star establishment, but there are things beyond these certainties that make staying there
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special, worthy of its celebrity clientele. Breakfast at the hotel is an experience in itself. Located on the first floor, the Galerie Joy restaurant teems with Parisian sensibilities. Atmospheric, with immaculate presentation, the restaurant overlooks the concealed yet meticulously designed interior garden. Surrounded by metal branches that reach up and around creating the impression of a forest, the courtyard is filled with artistic flourishes. Most notable are the work of sculptor Laurence Friche, whose metal-worked animal creations adorn the space, and the retro style pictures of celebrities that
are hung from the metal branches. A feast for the eyes, this is an experience that makes you want to spend your breakfast in the hotel, soaking up the atmosphere with other guests. With three exemplary restaurants under the talents of French Chef Jean-Yves Leuranguer since 2003, and famed for its superb wine list - with more than 350 recommendations -the hotel offers a culinary experience at home in the great city. The food, the art and the celebrity clientele all combine to make Fouquet’s what it is: a five star experience in the heart of Paris.
W ords : R i m a N a s s e r
first class expectations Air France’s La Premiere is a new world of sophistication
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he most tiresome aspect of any longdistance trip is so often before you get on the plane. But that’s no longer the case if you fly La Première. With first-class attention to every detail, Air France’s service delicately and comprehensively eliminates the stress factor, replacing it with the sublime. We’ve all been there – and you’d have to be a martyr not to dislike the experience. You lug your luggage from the train platform, taxi or car park to the airport entrance. Then you must weave your trolley through a jostling mass of people to join a long check-in queue, suffer the indignity of being herded through a security sweep, perhaps witness your priceless luggage flung on to a trolley with the same ceremony as would be given a dead sheep. Then you wait minutes or hours in a stuffy departure lounge before finally boarding your plane. Frayed nerves can seem contagious. No more. Air France is only one of a handful of European airlines that offers a first-class service, a class that’s miles above business or executive. And this service begins even before the passenger arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Air France’s hub
Exclusive services and amenities create a luxury experience for La Premiere clientele.
- for one of 26 long-haul La Première destinations, on deluxe Airbus A380 and Boeing 777s. Given some advance notice of your arrival, dedicated La Première staff will meet the flyer on the train platform, in the taxi rank or car park, taking care of all baggage. If you arrive incognito, once you reach the dedicated
Terminal 2E, an Air France employee will whisk you off in a luxury car, such as an Infiniti, directly to the departures lounge. The escort has taken care of boarding passes and there’s only a minimal private security lane to negotiate. La Première lounge is way above the expectations of an ordinarily drab airport facility. Here, La Première product marketing manager Véronique Jeanclerc explains, the experience is more akin to a hotel than an airport. “After you come here, to our lounge, you forget you are in an airport. It’s very serene and very calm,” she says. Air France recognises that personalisation is the most important aspect for the first-class traveler, offering a supreme attention to every last detail, with 100 dedicated staff to look after the valued customer’s needs. Véronique says: “We think it’s very nice to have a good product. What’s most important for our customer is service… a very specific service.” Paris is perhaps the world capital of elegance and finesse, and the greatest exemplars of Old European glory are now reflected in the lounge with neutral cream tones offset by an opulent red, inspired by Cartier jewellery boxes, with palatial adornments and top gastronomy from world-renowned Parisian chef Alain Ducasse. Fibreoptic grass sways as you
walk past it, just another detail to make you feel special. The bar offers a range of champagnes, wines and cocktails, while you can dine a la carte or buffet in the acclaimed restaurant and dining room. Luxurious books are available to peruse, as well as newspapers and magazines, in the library. For workaholics, or those who need to get ahead, there’s a dedicated tranquil wireless space, with computers and office equipment and privacy if required. But for a sublime break from work, there’s a spa, in association with Biologique Recherche, which offers facials and massages, with extensive relaxation treatments available for those on connecting flights. Véronique says the enticing lounge, where everything including the restrooms is a delight, has a rarified ambience that makes you forget all your worries and cares, and that reaching your destination rested and focused for your appointment, has changed customer behaviour. In the past, the onus for any traveller has been to get the cumbersome preliminaries, from check-in to boarding, over as quickly as possible. “Now more of our customers like to arrive one or two hours before the flight to take advantage of the service. Comfort is very, very important for
The La Premiere experience, as sampled by Rima Nasser and Anastasia Nysten.
our customers. We want Air France to be a unique experience.” Some furnishings have been transported directly from Plaza Athenee – and like the finest hotel, services are tailored to the individual. “Like Plaza Athenee, we have a personalised file for each customer and we prepare
the service according to their wishes.” Ready for take-off ? Here the experience echoes the glory days of luxury travel, the days of Concorde and the Super Constellation, with fine furnishings, everything at your fingertips, and even fresh pyjamas from a luxury French brand such as Christian Lacroix. Your personal flight attendant will serve you a meal – prepared by Joël Robuchon in association with top sommeliers and specialist chefs, at the time of your choosing, and turn your seating into a bed, arrayed with the finest fabrics. The Charles de Gaulle lounge opened in 2009, and while it’s hard to fault the onboard experience either, Air France is investing in an extensive overhaul and revamp of airborne La Premiere, due to culminate in 2014. Says Véronique: “I can’t tell you much because it’s very secret. But we have confirmed the investment for this project. Each detail is very important – the furniture, the material… There will be big improvements in the cabins and even the toilets. The ambience is important.” The harmonious experience which accompanied the vintage days of air travel – when it was a rare and exquisite luxury rather than an essential chore – is back in full effect, courtesy of La Première.
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wo r l d Si x of the Best
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words: Stephanie Plentl
Historic Hotels
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Peter, Count of Savoy, built an impressive palace in 1246 using river front land presented to him by King Henry III, his nephew through marriage. Over 600 years later it was reborn as the Savoy Theatre, famously staging the operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan. The theatre’s impresario, Richard D’Oyly Carte, added a hotel - the first luxury hotel in London in 1889. It broke many precedents: the first to use electricity, to have electric lifts, and to provide mostly en-suite bathrooms. It was from Savoy hotel rooms that Monet and Whistler painted iconic London cityscapes; the Art Deco period then defined its style and cemented its prestige, attracting stars such as Noël Coward, Coco Chanel & Vivien Leigh (who met her future husband Laurence Olivier in the Savoy Grill restaurant.) A recent ambitious refurbishment has introduced a swathe of modern technological conveniences and refreshed its look without destroying its classic ambience.
Ideally positioned next to the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, both of which opened in 1913, the hotel was an instant magnet for eminent composers and performers. In 1949, when Avenue Montaigne established itself as the home of haute couture with the arrival of The House of Dior, the Plaza Athénée became the go-to hotel for fashion icons and film stars. Marlene Dietrich had already ensconced herself in seven rooms for three weeks in 1933, but Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor trumped her with a six-month stay in 1971. It’s also a celluloid celebrity in its own right having featured most recently in Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ and in the final episode of ‘Sex in the City.’ Today, with The Dior Institute as its spa, recently renovated rooms that are fragranced with amber and restaurants that have harnessed the talents of chef Alain Ducasse, the Plaza Athénée continues to exude allure.
The Savoy, London
Selections asks seasoned travel writer Stephanie Plentl to recommend six of the best historic hotels.
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Strand, London WC2R OEU, Tel: + 44 207 836 4343, www.fairmont.com/savoy
Hotel Plaza Athénée, Paris
25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris; Tel: +33 1 5367 6665, www.plaza-athenee-paris.com
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So named in honour of Lord Nelson and the nearby Table Mountain, almost immediately after the hotel opened in 1899, the Second Boer War began. Hotel Mount Nelson was appropriated by the British as their military headquarters and a young war correspondent by the name of Winston Churchill praised it as ‘a most excellent and well appointed establishment which may be thoroughly appreciated after a sea voyage.’ When the First World War ended the hotel was painted a pink blush in celebration, for which it is now known. John Lennon – who checked in as ‘Mr Greenwood’ - was a guest here shortly before his death, and the Dalai Lama once addressed 500 Capetonians from the ballroom. Set within manicured lawns and with the Company Gardens on its doorstep, the ‘Nellie’ is now a perfect oasis within a bustling city.
This Hong Kong Grand Dame has been enchanting guests since 1928 and remains the pinnacle of impeccable Asian hospitality. Once the last stop for Trans-Siberian train passengers from Europe and a pivotal harbour for luxury ocean liners, The Peninsula on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour has long been accustomed to welcoming the crème de la crème of world society. It is cherished for its staff (the highest staff to guest ratio in Hong Kong), its much-cherished colonial Afternoon Tea and its fleet of green Phantom Rolls-Royces. With a keen eye on Hong Kong’s dramatic development, The Peninsula has continued to define itself and maintain its status: in 1994 a 30-storey tower was added replete with a helipad, used to whisk guests to and from the airport by helicopter. It is from these additional rooms that guests get a perfect view of the dramatic lightshow that happens nightly on Hong Kong’s skyscrapers.
Hotel Mount Nelson, Cape Town
76 Orange Street, Cape Town 8001, Tel: + 27 21 483 1000, www.mountnelson.co.za
The Peninsula, Hong Kong
Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Tel: +852 2920 2888, www.peninsula.com
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Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
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The vision of Jamsetji N Tata – the founder of Tata Group, India’s largest conglomerate company – this grand hotel opened in 1903 having had no expense spared. The commercial capital of India was given an architectural jewel with the most modern conveniences: its own power plant for electricity, an ice machine plant for cooling systems, modern sanitation and later, the country’s first discotheque and Mumbai’s first licensed bar. The Palace attracted Maharajas and Princes who felt suitably at home in its opulent surroundings – although the official architect of the confection of a building was in fact a radical Englishman, W.A Chambers. In the ultimate tribute, the hotel became a hub for the Indian Freedom Movement and in 1947 one of the first speeches of a new Independent India was made here. The hotel was rigorously renovated for its centenary year, using international architects fused with the talents of local artisans.
Occupying an entire block of midtown Manhattan, the Art Deco facade of the Waldorf Astoria is now an official New York City landmark. The fusion of the Waldorf and the Astoria Hotels, each owned by Astor cousins, the original Waldorf Astoria stood on land now occupied by the Empire State Building. It was at this previous location that its iconic dishes were invented, including the Waldorf Salad and Eggs Benedict. The hotel also popularised Red Velvet Cake, Thousand Island dressing and the use of room service. When the current hotel opened in 1931 it was the world’s largest and tallest hotel, and, with its 1,415 guest rooms and suites, it remains one of the world’s largest Art Deco buildings. Taking advantage of its Art Deco splendour, more than 20 movies have been filmed here including ‘The Out of Towners’ (1970), ‘Maid in Manhattan’ (2002) and ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ (2005).
Apollo Bunder, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, Tel: +91 22 6665 3366, www.tajhotels.com
301 Park Avenue, NY 10022, Tel: +1 212 355 3000, www.waldorfnewyork.com
The Waldorf Astoria, New York
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Behind the Lens
Art Beat Meet the artist Exhibition of the issue
Inspiration Focus Pioneer Exhibition
ART & DESIGN
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Designed by Pitt, Built by Pollaro, Made in the USA. New Jersey furniture maker Frank Pollaro has teamed up with none other than the face of Chanel No. 5, actor and now furniture designer, Brad Pitt. He is quite possibly the world’s most famous actor, but now Brad Pitt is showing the world another passion of his, furniture design. Pitt has teamed up with Frank Pollaro, the blue-collar Jersey born furniture maker who carved a name for himself as a talented designer dedicated to reproduction and surpassing art deco master Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann- to create their own line of furniture: designed by Pitt and built by Pollaro. Pollaro discovered Pitt’s designs while hand delivering a reproduction Ruhlmann desk to the actor a few years ago and this discovery sparked off a partnership between the two men, united by their attention to detail and passion for masters of design. The result: an exclusive collection launched in November this year and available to those with the means to pay for these limited edition designs.
UK award for Cocteau design The newly designed Cocteau, a French style restaurant recently relocated to downtown Beirut, has won in the international restaurant category of the 2012 UK and International Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. Lead designer, Beirut-based Gatseralia Design, has been honoured by the awards for its modern and elegant interior in the high ceilinged downtown space. The Design Awards, held each year, are uniquely dedicated to hospitality design and invite entrees from the world’s top designers, architects, and hospitality operators, recognising them for design excellence in the London ceremony.
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Selections picks out some of the best art events not to miss in the coming months
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Light From the Middle East 13 November 2012 – 7 April 2013
A History of Dreams Remains to be Written
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
17 November 2012 – 16 February 2013
This exhibition offers insight into a region often photographed from the outside, challenging the idea of outsiders “shining light” on others’ cultures.
The Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Contemporary Art: 25 Years of Arab Creativity
Random International: Rain Room
16 October 2012 – 3 February 2013
4 October 2012 – 3 March 2013
L’Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
The Curve, Barbican, London, England
The IMA celebrates its 25th anniversary with an extensive exhibition exploring the common threads and themes of the art work of 40 Arab artists bridging 22 separate countries.
Walk through a shower of rain without getting wet? It sounds impossible but that’s just what is on offer to the audience at the Rain Room, Random International’s latest interactive art piece.
Based on never realised plans from the 1920s, this exhibition by artist Zoe Beloff sees the Talbot Rice Gallery transformed into a Coney Island fairground of Freudian dimensions.
Dalí, Expositions
Tea With Nefertiti
Forever Now
21 November 2012 – 25 March 2013
17 November 2012 – 31 March 2013
17 November 2012 – 1 June 2013
Pompidou Centre, Paris, France
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
An exhibition that explores the journey of art over time and space, Tea With Nefertiti uses the rich context of Egypt to question perceptions of art and artists found in the Arab world.
This exhibition explores the work of five leading modernists by contextualising their art with the environment, history and culture that informs their expression.
The biggest Salvador Dalí retrospective in more than 30 years will feature around 200 works of the celebrated and controversial artist.
Looking for the next Sophia 17 January 2013 – 15 February 2013 Joumana Saikali Gallery, Gemmayze, Beirut, Lebanon A unique collection of 16 art pieces, artist Nijad Abdul Massih’s exhibition depicts women aged 17 – 55 in all their natural beauty, untarnished by society’s perception of ‘perfection’. Each art work will be bid upon with the proceeds donated to a breast cancer charity.
Pierodella Francesca in America
Gutai: Splendid Playground
12 February 2013 – 19 May 2013
Guggenheim, New York, America
The Frick Collection, New York, America
Part of the gallery’s Asian Art Program, this exhibition is the first of its kind in North America, displaying works from the influential, post-war avant-garde artistic movement in Japan.
The first monographic exhibition in America dedicated to a founding figure of the Italian Renaissance, Pierodella Francesca, seven of his works will be displayed including six panels of the Saint’ Agustinoalter piece – the largest ever assembled.
February 2013 – May 2013
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words: Thomas Kinealy
a rt & des ig n Meet the artist
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Manuella is the youngest daughter of a prolific and creative family that had the fortune to discover the world of art through their father, the celebrated Lebanese artist Paul Guiragossian.
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My Childhood (2011) Mixed media on Canvas 180 x 130
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rowing up Manuella’s love for drawing and painting caught the eye of her father who, until she could write her own name, would sign and date all of her work. These early drawings would later inspire Maunella as she looked to the past for inspiration in her future works. Manuella’s bold and colourful palette seems to evoke a style that lends influences from genres as diverse as illustration, street art, surrealism, expressionism, abstraction and animation. It is these diverse styles combined with a contemporary understanding of art academia that makes her work so provocative and visually stimulating. Manuella is currently based in Beirut and Dubai and along with helping to create a biography and archive of her father’s achievements, she is focused on her career in the art world, which is sure to be a bright one.
a rt & des ig n Meet the artist
Love Bird (Feb.2011) - Acrylic on Canvas - 120 x 140 cm
Your father Paul Guiragossian is one of Lebanon’s most revered artists - what was it like growing up with him?
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Growing up with my father was a lot of fun, and as you can imagine it was very educational also. We would spend a lot of time together, telling stories, singing, drawing and watching cartoons. At the age of 14 I was more interested in music and playing the piano, especially given that I never thought I stood a chance to become a painter following in my father’s footsteps as well as those of my two older brothers. One day he asked me to try and paint my self-portrait and I remember being very intimidated by the idea, but he told me that a self portrait was the most difficult thing to do for an artist because it forces you to see your inner self and understand yourself better so you can understand humanity. He said if you could succeed at that you could be a great painter. When I finished it he was so proud and then I realised that I had nothing to be afraid of,
and being his daughter was actually a blessing and an opportunity to learn from the best. My journey of self-discovery began then. It is clear that in your work you have found your own style and approach to painting. How much has your father’s influence stayed with you?
My father’s influence will naturally always be there since I grew up surrounded by his work. That said, I think that my work has evolved tremendously with time and is in constant development. Generally people like to label you and are incapable of seeing beyond the fact that I’m the daughter of someone so famous, that in past exhibitions they would say that my work was similar to my father’s, which I think is ridiculous because even if I wanted to paint like him I couldn’t. He spent 50 years getting to where he was as a painter, his work was about him and his experiences and
so my work similarly is about my experiences and me. If I didn’t know better, I would forever feel overshadowed. Personally I don’t like to describe or label my work simply because it can’t really be described. I’ve had a solid training in so many different techniques and now I just use them all to let my imagination play on the canvas or the platform I’m using. The importance as my Calarts (California Institute of the Arts) teachers used to tell me, is to always remember to have fun! What artists would you say influence your own practice?
I get inspired from Stone Age cave art to ancient Egypt to Gustav Klimt to Basquiat then Tim Burton and my five year old students to name just a few. My list of inspirations is big. The day people started recognising my style without saying it looks a little like… was the day I felt I was heading in the right direction. Your first love in art was animation - how did you move from animation into painting?
When I was younger my father taught me different ways to express myself and showed me the importance of imagination. After he passed away I pursued my dream of learning animation at Calarts and I later began to immerse myself in the academic side of art. After I graduated it was my older brother Emmanuel, who is a professor in art and also a highly celebrated artist, who helped me with the transition into abstraction.
Sound Of A Tender Night (2012), Oil On Canvas 140 x 250 cm
In your work, why was it that you looked for inspiration from within yourself?
Most artists from my generation today are drawn to paint scenes of war, destruction and blood. Naturally it’s their way of protesting against it. As for myself - someone who grew up during the Civil War - I am not interested in reliving it or reminding people of it. I protest by doing the opposite and try to have a positive effect on the viewer and take them to a refuge into an imaginary world. I would like for my audience to feel inspired and happy. I’d like to bring them hope! What are your plans for the future?
I’m preparing for a big exhibition coming up in January 2013 in Doha, Qatar at the Anima Gallery Lounge. For the first time all the artists of the Guiragossian family (my father Paul, my brothers Emmanuel and Jean Paul and myself ) will be exhibiting together. I’m also working on a series based on my childhood drawings. This series will not only include paintings but also installations, sculptures and hopefully, if I’m not too rusty, some animation. A solo show is in the works for 2013!
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master the elements at the barbican's rain room 120
ex hi b i t io n o f t he i ss u e
“D
o you ever wish you could control the rain?” These words greet you on a video screen as you approach the entrance to the Curve in the Barbican Centre, London. Amid a growing atmosphere you enter into a dark corridor - following the sounds of running water and feeling the moisture in the air - before turning a corner to be confronted with rain pouring down, lit by a solitary spotlight that highlights each individual drop. As well as absorbing the concept of a rainstorm indoors - already an impressive feat – the installation’s creators then ask you to trust that you can walk through this downpour and stand in the middle of it, all without getting wet.
Do you ever wish you could control the rain?
Rain Room Installation _ Felix Clay. Rain Room - Random International 2012. Courtesy of Barbican Art Gallery
This is the Rain Room, brought to the Barbican by Random International. Random International have already made a name for themselves in experimental artwork, and the Rain Room is their latest undertaking in audience participation. One of the creators, Stuart Wood, described the piece as “almost like a social experiment”, as its creators want to explore both how people react when in the piece and to its concept. The technology of the piece is easily explained.They create real rain, which is then collected and pumped back up into the downpour. There are eight cameras on either side that track people’s movements, allowing them to pass through the rain untouched, with the illusion of control.
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In order to maximise the effect, only a few people are allowed into the rain at the one time, meaning others are free to gain assurance by watching them. Knowing the technology behind the piece and seeing it in action, however, does not prevent the nervous anticipation each person feels before entering the downpour themselves. The effect is instantaneous: as you enter the rain it parts around you, and after the shaky first steps you begin to move in deeper and with growing confidence. The sound of the rain is overwhelming, pounding the
The effect is instantaneous: as you enter the rain it parts around you‌ 122
floor beneath you, and the thousands of droplets lit up around you make this a very surreal experience. The Rain Room’s creators want the audience to participate, contemplate and explore what role technology and human ingenuity might play in stabilising and adapting to our environment in the future. They have succeeded in their aim, as after the initial leap of faith you are free to wander at your leisure, to interact with the rain, and the wider ideas behind the piece, literally enclosed in your own island against the downpour. The Rain Room is on at the Barbican Centre, London, until March 3, 2013. Make sure you come early to beat the crowds and experience this remarkable piece of art for yourself.
Rain Room Installation _ Felix Clay. Rain Room - Random International 2012. Courtesy of Barbican Art Gallery
T hr e e q u e st io ns f o r a rt & d e s ig n
Three questions for...
Words:
American artist David Salle has been making waves with his original paintings for three decades, and is hailed as having helped to define post-modern sensibility. He sat down with Selections to discuss his unusual artistic approach.
India Stoughton
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You often paint parts of your compositions from images taken from elsewhere - adverts, old masters, pop culture. How do you select these images? Do you go searching for a picture of a particular object, or do you start with an image which appeals aesthetically and build around it?
You’ve asked people in the past not to try to understand your work too quickly. Do you feel that with time and thought your paintings can be fully absorbed and understood?
I have to clear up a common misconception, which is that the imagery in my work is somehow taken from popular culture... It’s not a question of high versus low or popular versus highbrow. I’m not interested in popular culture per se and I’m not interested in referencing any particular strata of culture. What I’m interested in is imagery that a) has a certain visual structure and b) that can be somewhat unmoored from its more familiar context and can be bent to my own purposes.
I don’t personally feel like it’s difficult at all. I think of it as an open book, but I understand that not everyone sees it that way... It’s not really that different from a more traditional painting of, let’s say, a seaport scene, where it appears as though it’s one scene, but in fact that scene is comprised of many different elements, which are made to coexist in the same sense of time... The painting always has a manufactured sense of unity, but in the past it has been disguised, or there’s a kind of conceptual agreement that all those conceptual elements make up a kind of unity. But if you lower
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‘90 Mingus in Mexico © David Salle, VAGA, NY
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‘98 Childhood © David Salle, VAGA, NY
the veil and see the painting is, in fact, already comprised of these separate elements, then it’s just about putting more space between them... the painting is still a relational composition. I guess the short answer is if it wasn’t a surprising juxtaposition then it wouldn’t be very interesting. Not that I’m trying to be surprising, but I am just simply not interested in telling a story that’s already been told.
“I am just simply not interested in telling a story that’s already been told”
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What is the ultimate aim of your paintings?
A very great artist once told me that the first job of any painting is to improve the wall that it’s hanging on. I think a sophisticated painting does about fifteen things at the same time, and one of those things is to make the room that it’s in look more interesting. I don’t have a primary goal for my work, I don’t really think of it in those terms. But, since you asked me so directly, I think the primary function of any work of art is to simply be interesting... in a way it’s kind of like good social manners, because it’s impolite to bore your friends.
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words: India Stoughton
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Capturing the vanishing heritage of Iran hen one hears the name Mohammad Mossadegh it is generally the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, overthrown by in 1953 by MI6 and the CIA, who springs to mind. These days, however, it is his great-grandson who is making a name for himself - not as a politician, but as a photographer. Mossadegh works primarily as a fashion photographer, a career he has aspired to since he fell in love with photography at the age of sixteen. As he has matured his interests have diversified, he reveals, and he now does fine art and travel photography as well as fashion. Among some of Mossadegh’s most beautiful and haunting images are a series of portraits taken in Iran just over a decade ago. The black and white photographs are unlike most photographs of the county, which tend to focus on its dramatic mountains and seemingly endless plains. “I wasn’t really trying to photograph Iran as a country, I was trying to
“I wasn’t really trying to photograph Iran as a country, I was trying to photograph the people of Iran”
photograph the people of Iran,” Mossadegh explains. “In Iran, depending on what area you go to, the people are very different... I was trying to capture the people from the different areas as to how they dress, how they look, and a little bit of their surroundings. Some of them I put a white backdrop to alienate the surroundings and just focus on them.” Mossadegh was born in Switzerland, but grew up in Iran until he was eight, before moving to the UK, where he still lives today. Fifteen years ago he spent a period of two years in Iran, living with his grandmother in Tehran and travelling the country taking photographs. “There’s so many books on photographers who photograph Iran, but it’s mostly landscapes, they really don’t focus on the people,” he says. “When I used to go out there to visit my mum and grandma I used to look at all these books and think ‘But what about the people?’. They look so interesting, all these tribes.’” His photographs capture the way of life and traditions of villagers all over Iran, from the different clothes of nomadic tribes in the west, to the more
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Arab looking people of the south in their traditional headscarves. These days the photographs are a valuable reminder of Iran’s rich heritage in a society which is changing rapidly. “Things are Westernising so quickly out there that I think a lot of it is lost now,” Mossadegh says. “Even when I went and took these pictures people were saying ‘You should have come five or ten years ago, everything was so different, it was so much better.’ Even my pictures, now when people see them they say ‘It’s not like that anyone, I’m so glad you captured it’.” Mossadegh’s photographs have that elusive quality that comes only from shooting with real film. “I had a small fridge in the car,” he recalls, laughing. “I put the film in there to keep it all nice and cool then processed it back in Tehran.” His portraits, whether of old men sporting ancient rifles, weeping toddlers with eyes like shiny black glass, or beautiful young teenagers posing in their finest clothes, capture the natural beauty of a people who remain largely cut off from the wider world.
“Things are Westernising so quickly out there that I think a lot of it is lost now”
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words: Susan Wilson
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1 William Kentridge William Kentridge 2008 A South African artist, best known for print, drawing and animation, William Kentridge plays on reflections in his collection. Using the static picture on the saucer to interact with the images on the cup at varying angles, Kentridge creates multiple ways of viewing his art on the legacy of colonialism and apartheid.
5 Rufus Willis Rufus Willis 2005 Rufus Willis, a young architect from London, has carried out research on the social responsibility of art and his collection reflects his interest. In ostensibly the most classical design, featuring peaceful landscapes in white and blue, you need only look closer to see the bleak cities in his design, a warning of dangers to come.
2 Miss illy Matteo Thun 2001 The original designer of the classic white illy espresso cup, Matteo Thun returns to his design 20 years later adding just one thing – a Swarovski crystal – to the handle. This one-off cup was produced to support the German Association of bone marrow donors.
3 Arms, Legs, Feet, Parts Andrea Maqnetti 1994 The first of the cappuccino cup collections by Milanese Andrea Manetti is a curious piece that chops and shapes the female body in a playful way.
4 Dream Shizuka Yokomizo 2003 London-based photographer and video artist ShizukaYokomizo explores a private theme – decorated with phrases and drawings she jots in her diary to remember her dreams.
The illy Art Collection is a project that started twenty years ago in 1992 – when the classic design of the white illy espresso cup by Matteo Thun was first transformed into a work of art. With an ethos to engage the senses, and captivate the visual delights of the coffeedrinking experience, over 70 of the world’s foremost artists have created collections from this same blank canvas. Jeff Koons, James Rosenquist and Marina Abramovic are among a few of the contemporary greats to have contributed to the project, along with promising new international artists.
6 P.S.1 P.S.1 2001 An international jury chose six of nineteen teenagers participating in the 1999-2000 programme at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center (the oldest and one of the largest centres for promoting contemporary art in New York) to contribute to this collection.
7 Jeff Koons Jeff Koons 2001 The well known and sometimes controversial American artist Jeff Koons stays true to form with his collection of simple, bold, colourful shapes, reminiscent of children’s toys, with a bear, a giraffe and others clearly depicted.
8 Spirit Cup Marina Abramovic 2002 Marina Abramovic, a Serbian artist based in New York, is known for her performance art and the connection of her art to her body. She used her collection to return to her childhood in Yugoslavia, and reconnect to the ritual and social aspects of coffee-making.
9 Artistas do Brasil Artistasdo Brasil 2001 Drawn together by their international outlook, from the same generation but differing styles and locations, these six Brazilian artists – Anna Maria Maiolino, Antonio Dias, Emmanuel Nasser, Nelson Leirner, Regina Silveira and Waltércio Caldras – have created this unique collection.
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Words:
India Stoughton
Felix Thorn's
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British artist Felix Thorn blends three different artistic genres into one in “Felix’s Machines” - intricate kinetic musical sculptures which create a live light show as they play Thorn’s haunting compositions
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hile studying sound art and music technology at the London College of Communications, Thorn came up with a unique form of artwork designed to appeal to the eyes as well as the ears. “Felix’s Machines” are complex sculptures, made up of anything from bathroom racks to hard drive bearings, springs from a CD tray, up-turned whisky cases, pieces of an old piano and a slinky. These complex machines are designed to work as instruments, creating a mechanical orchestra capable of playing Thorn’s digital compositions. They are also wired up with coloured lights, so that the music is accompanied by a beautiful visual display. “The machines are activated in real time from the notes inputted into the computer,” Thorn explains. “The composition process can originate in two different ways: sometimes I
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write the music as if the machine didn’t exist - the sound takes control and I barely even look at the machine until the track is near completion. Other times it works the other way round: the music is the slave to visual theatrics designed with the lights and their projected mechanical shadows. As a result both methods demonstrate interchangeable power of synchronised light and sound.” The young artist taught himself the necessary technical skills to wire up his unique robots. “When I began I was building machines in my bedroom with limited equipment,” he explains. “Back then I was impatient and rarely waited for the correct tools for what I wanted to do – partially a reason for the heavy use of household objects and unwanted musical instruments in my earlier machines. As I started to do shows and build commissioned projects, I had to keep up maintenance so I began learning the necessary electronic engineering and machinist skills.” These days Thorn’s unusual instruments are in high demand and have toured around Europe. A recent commission by stationery company Moleskine saw Thorn developing a series of machines called “The Moleskine Orchestra,” using items of stationery for mechanical instruments. The pieces were shown at Milan Design Week and went on to form part of an interactive exhibition at Hamburg Design Week. Thorn is continuing to work on his original machines alongside his other projects, he says, and has recently started taking commissions for unique, made-to-order music box sculptures. To find out more about Felix’s Machines and see videos of them in action, visit www.felixsmachines.com
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an art phenomenon WORDS : I n d i a S t o u g h t o n
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Khaled Samawi and his wife Jouhayna started up the first Ayyam Art Gallery in 2006. Samawi gave up his job as a successful banker in Switzerland to move to Damascus in 2001, and was struck by the high quality of Syrian artwork. Since its inception seven years ago Ayyam has become an institution, expanding first to Dubai and Beirut and more recently opening branches in London and Jeddah. Khaled Samawi took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to Selections about his experience promoting Middle Eastern art to an international audience.
Ayyam Gallery Damascus,
Ayyam Gallery Dubai,
Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery
Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery
You went from working as a banker to a gallery owner. Was your plan always to work in the art world one day?
galleries in Beirut and Dubai also helped us make connections. Currently we represent established and emerging artists from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, KSA and Iran. Our mission is to represent the most talented artists from the Middle East, with the aim of bringing them to the attention of a wider audience.
I had been a collector for many years before moving to Damascus – mainly international artists. When I arrived in Damascus I noticed that there were a lot of talented young artists working in Syria that were not getting the attention and exposure they deserved. I wanted to provide a creative space and platform through which Syrian artists could be supported and flourish. The current situation in Syria means that we have had to adapt how we work in Damascus. The gallery now functions as a studio and creative haven for artists who remain behind in the turmoil. Being able to help and protect our artists and give them a voice during these times is of paramount importance. Ayyam Gallery will soon be expanding to five countries across two continents. What is the secret to Ayyam’s success?
We represent exceptional artists working in countries that are not widely known in the art world. People are excited to encounter original, intelligent, culturally and politically engaged work that hasn’t been over commercialised. We have succeeded because we care about our artists and seek to nurture their talent. Having played an instrumental role in bringing Syrian art to the attention of international collectors over the past few years, do you still see yourself as primarily focused on Syrian art and artists, or is Ayyam now representative of art from the entire region?
Syria has opened the door for us to meet and evaluate artists from the whole region. Opening
Middle Eastern art has become more sought after than ever before over the past decade. Do you think this interest is set to grow?
Middle Eastern contemporary art has been on the radar for awhile but it is only just beginning to get noticed as globally significant, rather than as a regional novelty. Our artists are important because they produce great work, not just because of where they come from. I think people recognise this, which is why interest in the region will continue to grow. Tell me about the new galleries in Jeddah and London. Why did you choose these two locations, and how will these spaces contribute to the local art scene?
The decision to open in London reflects our mission to challenge the public’s perception of Middle Eastern art. Our exhibition programme eschews traditional Middle Eastern tropes and new Islamic art in favour of an aesthetic with international resonance. Having a presence in London will allow us to better represent our artists, and show that they are artists with a global reach. We are launching Ayyam Jeddah in response to the recent revival of the Saudi art scene and a concurrent flourishing of international interest in Saudi artists. Just as we did in Damascus, we hope to strengthen the existing creative infrastructure and ensure the continued nurturing and success of Saudi artists.
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Words:
India Stoughton
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& other artistic absurdities Nadim Karam’s solo show at Ayyam’s new London gallery ponders the absurdities of life, love and war.
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ebanese painter, sculptor and urban artist Nadim Karam has been making waves worldwide with his sculptural urban art for decades. It is no surprise then that Khaled Samawi chose Karam to represent art from the region during Ayyam’s inaugural exhibition in London, its first location outside the Middle East. In many ways Ayyam and Karam seem made for each other. “Ayyam is pushing the limit like I do,” says Karam, with a laugh. “The more I do challenging things, the more I find that they’re doing the same... it’s by both of us pushing in different directions that we’re able to strengthen and move forward.” For Ayyam’s grand opening Karam has put together a collection of
his whimsical, almost child-like paintings, in which cheerful colours and simple, outlined shapes are contrasted with adult themes such as war and death. “I’m trying to show the way I grew in the region,” the artist explains. “I see lots of things happening around me - war and other things - as being absurd. They just repeat themselves - we are not able to get beyond them.” The resulting paintings are engagingly surreal,
“If you try to shoot a cloud, what do you get? The bullet goes through - you can’t break our dreams...”
Smoke Or Cloud 200x250, mixed media on canvas
Hold Your Tears
Planting the Dream
150x150
150x150
mixed media on canvas
mixed media on canvas
stimulating the viewer’s imagination. “Hold Your Tears” shows a genderless white figure in front of a featureless gold background. On his hairless head a tiny black elephant - a recurring motif in Karam’s work for many years now - is perched precariously, as though about to slide off. From his eyes two enormous protrusions, like sacks full of grain, extend forward on narrow stalks before ballooning out and down. One impossibly long arm holds these expansive teardrops aloft, just above the ground. Another piece, “Planting the Dream,” explores the absurdity of war, as a hunched figure extends one arm to pick a bunch of flowers, oblivious to the tank driving relentlessly up his long, white limb, its gun emitting a blast of smoke into his face. “The title of the exhibition is ‘Shooting the Cloud,’” Karam explains. “If you try to shoot a cloud, what do you get? The bullet goes through - you can’t break our dreams.... Whatever the trials I think that the dream will continue - especially through creative people like myself and others around us in the region.”
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W o r d s : Ya s m i n a N y s t e n
blooms once more At the dawn of a cold and eerie New York winter, I found myself entertained by the thought that from beyond the grave, Andy Warhol had yet again found a way to blossom and bloom amid present day New York.
T
he opening of Andy Warhol’s “Flowers” at
I had yet to discover. As my sight adapted to the
the Eykyn Maclean Gallery on November
contrast between the piercing hues of Warhol’s
12th brought together a sharp and fashionable
prints and the metropolitan monochrome of the
audience, as worthy as any that ever filled the
crowd, I found myself suddenly submerged by the
famous Factory in its heyday. As I entered the
somewhat ruthlessly pervasive chic. Conversations
brightly lit space, an intimidatingly large image
all around me echoed fervently the overwhelming
of the candid and distant Andy sat poised before
impact of a somewhat larger piece, around which
a plethora of painted flowers. Immediately, my
the majority of us began to crowd. Although
attention was aroused as I began to adjust to
the pattern here remained admittedly similar in
the atypical nature of this exhibition. All around,
principle to that of the other pieces, somehow
bright colours popped out in repetitious rhythms.
this one just seemed overtly inherent of that
Obsessive interest in the relatively simple
ineffable quality that has made Andy Warhol the
shapes and symmetries of fairly common strains
iconic American legend that he is. A surreptitious
of everyday fauna adorned the room, as if to
little smirk lit across my face as I slowly began
deliver one simple message - one that, thus far,
to note the phenomenon playing out all around
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me, in which everyone’s topic of debate did not concern the work on display so much as Andy, the
man, himself. My own insatiable and undying thirst for the knowledge which one can glean from the close and intimate study of great artists and their great works makes it impossible for me to resist the urge to puzzle and postulate over the phenomenon that is Warhol and his “Pop Art”. I use the word phenomenon here, without fear of hyperbole, for out there among the almost impudently cloying ultra-simplicity of his “Flowers,” we the people were clustered, utterly powerless to the innate beauty and transcendence of ‘The Andy Warhol Experience,’ of which the work itself has only ever been the most modest of parts. Somewhat suddenly, I found myself gently placing my empty glass in to the
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nearest receptacle and hastily loping towards the exit, unsure as to the exact reason why I was so overcome by this somewhat urgent compulsion to get out of there. No sooner had I stepped back beneath the broad shouldered shadows of the New York City streets, than I suddenly began to see, all around me, reflections of Andy’s heart, the spirit of the Factory, and the quintessentially modern dream that is the “Pop Art” universe, a universe in which, as he put it, everyone could lay claim to 15 minutes of fame. In Andy’s world simplicity itself is beauty and real beauty is always simple, and so exists for everyone, everywhere around us, all of the time. It’s a message that’s all too easy to overlook, in a modern city that on a daily basis grows so dense and busy that it masks its own mystique and glory.