Candy Magazine A/W 2011

The magazine from Candy & Candy A/W 2011

The arT of design

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Today the name Candy & Candy is synonymous with some of the world’s most luxurious interiors, from homes in some of the world’s most coveted locales to private jets, yachts and commercial spaces. Most people have forgotten the intricate attention to detail, the ďŹ ne crafsmanship and the meticulous process that takes place behind the scenes.

A Candy & Candy designer is consistently in pursuit of perfection, fearlessly striving to improve and challenge themselves. Design is always changing and developing so that the end result can strike the impeccable balance of form and functionality.

www.candyandcandy.com

eLCoME

to thE latEst Edition of CANDY magazine At Candy & Candy we continue to deliver uncompromising attention to detail in design and service, as we illustrate here.

Also featured are some of our favourites: the incomparable Dolce & Gabbana; the fastest helicopters; the most collectible emerging artists; and exquisite gowns photographed in the exclusive facilities at One Hyde Park. The bigger picture of our world can be seen in the new book, Candy & Candy: The Art Of Design, which showcases our work and defines how we continue to set standards as a truly British luxury brand with a decade of experience behind us and highlights the company’s role as 360-degree ‘lifestyle designer’. I’m proud that Candy & Candy has received a number of distinguished awards: The Society of British Interior Design named our yacht Candyscape II ‘Best Luxury Small Space’; One Hyde Park won Best Multi-Storey Development and the Chairman’s Award at The Daily Telegraph British Homes Build Quality Awards; and I am personally honoured to have been named GQ ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’. With such accolades further fuelling our drive for perfection, we will continue pushing boundaries and searching for unique, innovative solutions to remain at the forefront of remarkable design. We welcome you to the universe of Candy & Candy and hope you enjoy this issue.

NICHOLAS CANDY

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c NT NTS 82

Eye Candy Bespoke Gucci shoes; jewellery inspired by classic gardens from Van Cleef & Arpels; a dazzling crystal-encrusted clutch; and Vertu’s smartphone was well worth the wait

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Intricate Focus When an art-loving family moved into their London apartment, Candy & Candy designed an interior with intricate furnishing details as the perfect foil to the works on the walls

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Cover photography barnaby wilshier Colour reproduction by fmg (wearefmg.com).

Printed by Taylor Bloxham (taylorbloxham.co.uk).

All material © Show Media Ltd, except where stated. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

PUBLISHED FoR CaNDy & CaNDy

By SHoW MEDIa LTD 1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP 020 3222 0101; showmedia.net

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Editor Joanne Glasbey art Director Martin Perry Chief Copy Editor Chris Madigan associate Editor Henry Farrar-Hockley art Editor Craig Lancaster Picture Editor Juliette Hedoin assistant Editor Sarah Deeks Senior Copy Editor Sarah Evans Copy Editors Ming Liu, Rupert Mellor Contributing Editor Maria Yacoob

Natural Wonders Pear-shaped sapphire pendants; lotus-design necklaces; blossom brocades – this season’s horticultural haute joaillerie from the most internationally renowned names

Project Manager Zai Shamis Creative Director Ian Pendleton Executive Editor Peter Howarth advertising Julia Pasaron +44 (0) 208 741 8967

The Next Big Thing? Identifying the future stars of the art world is very difficult, but Amy Raphael finds that the experts all agree: when buying art, always follow your heart

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Rotary Club Could a helicopter soon be developed which would reach 300mph? Sikorsky and Eurocopter are in an aerial dogfight to satisfy the international traveller’s need for speed

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Light & Grace For Candy & Candy, one of the first priorities of designing an interior is lighting – and bold interpretations of the chandelier make a great statement

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Guy Laliberté The Canadian founder of Cirque du Soleil realised a lifelong dream – and raised a lot for charity too – when he went into space

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Secret Service Mandarin Oriental’s unmatched expertise at anticipating clients’ needs – developed last century in the hotels of the colonial East – is now available to the residents of One Hyde Park

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Dolce & Gabbana The Italian design duo describe their inspirations and talk about the art of wearing black tie

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Hyde Park Life You could say that a day in the life of a One Hyde Park resident is one long fashion show

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Directory Selected products and services, plus fashion and jewellery stockists details and contact information

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Personal Passions Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon talks about her love of contemporary art collecting

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tavis coburn; barnaby wilshier

Studio Candy & Candy creative director Mat Carlisle reveals the landscapes and architecture, artists and designers who have inspired him; plus an exclusive bookstand designed by Candy & Candy for the new Ferrari tome

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Back to Basics Arguably the most exclusive member’s club in London serves no alcohol. Simon Mills visits Bodyism, the private gym for the capital’s elite

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GarDen Gem JeweLLery inspired by cLassic Gardens is Given THe cuLTivaTed vAn Cleef & ARPelS ToucH Nature is a major source of inspiration for master jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels, as displayed in this beautiful piece, part of a collection called Les Jardins. Designers have created emblems of ‘nature touched by culture’, influenced

by Asian, French, romantic English and Italian Renaissance gardens. In the latter, symmetry, order and proportion are important, and perspectives are playful. With borders and topiaries adding structure, the Renaissance cultivated landscape, punctuated with statutary and water features, was designed to recreate nature as an extension of the villa that stood in it. This beautiful Jardin de Soie necklace interprets the intricacies and arrangements of such a scene.

The Renaissance garden was designed to elicit wonder and surprise, and the piece, with exquisitely worked white gold, diamonds and three briolette-cut morganites, cultivates that idea. vancleef-arpels.com

WORDS Joanne Glasbey / PHOTOGRAPHY Tif Hunter

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screen idol cuRated apps and instant access to its exclusive concieRge seRvice aRe just some of the touches of genius in Vertu’s latest constellation phone A mark of any great technology brand is an appreciation of the value of excellence over innovation. Numerous manufacturers rush products to market purely to be the first, ofen without spending the sufficient time and expense to ensure they are also the best. So, while the arrival of Vertu’s first touchscreen mobile phone may seem a little overdue, you can rest assured it is worth the wait. Handmade at their headquarters in Church Crookham, Hampshire, the Constellation includes features such as a full sapphire touchscreen display, 8MP camera with rubyencased shutter release, audiophile-grade sound system, and hand-worked leather detailing. As well as the usual services – by ‘usual’, we mean concierge on demand, deluxe city guides etc – the Constellation also boasts curated apps and a function that automatically flags up bespoke services and listings based solely on your current location. vertu.com

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WOrDS henry farrar-hockley / PHOtOGrAPHY tif hunter

Rocks sTaR the undeRsea woRld inspiRes nassim to design all-oveR embellished, glamoRous evening bags

For the Austrian-Iranian designer Nassim Asgari, it’s a love of the ocean that inspires her bold and intricate handbags. ‘I'm a passionate diver and love the vast and colourful variety of fish, plants and organisms that make their home in the sea,’ enthuses Nassim. ‘I am fascinated by the rays of light you can see in the movement of fish; the colours are reflected wonderfully, fading and blooming into each other. I try to emulate this effect of nature in my designs.’ And doing so requires a lot of sparkle. There are at least 4,500 individual crystals, in fact, on a small clutch such as the Astra featured here (one of a limited edition of only 10 pieces), and over 9,000 on larger designs. All of Nassim’s bags are embellished by hand. And the designer’s muse? ‘I design for a confident, daring and passionate woman who wants to feel glamorous around the clock.’ nassimasgari.com

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WORDs sarah deeks / PHOTOGRaPHY tif hunter

DGrosmangin/MCMorazzani

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SoLo SoLe Frida giannini introduces a range oF made-toorder gucci shoes that truLy make an impact ‘The first thing I look at in a man is his shoes,’ declares Frida Giannini. And Gucci’s creative director loves footwear so much – ‘it is almost fetishistic with me’, she says – that she paid special attention to the exclusive made-to-order men’s shoe range, even before she launched Gucci’s exciting new bespoke suiting service. Customers are offered the chance to choose from a variety of colours, details, skins and styles, and have a unique shoe handmade by the 22 artisans who work at the dedicated Gucci factory outside Florence. With a workshop in the city that develops its own lasts to create a Gucci fit (instead of buying them in like most other brands) the company has revisited its heritage in leather goods. A consequence of this is that the technicians are now very much an extension of the design team. Their job is to interpret Giannini’s wishes, and she is involved in every detail, to bring you the most luxurious and stylish shoes. Which, of course, will be the first thing she notices. gucci.com

WoRDs Joanne glasbey / PhoTogRAPhY tif hunter

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by

Exclusive to

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STUDIO The CANDY & CANDY design Team Takes inspiraTion from around The worLd and cLose To home

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HigH gear candy & candy’s bespoke stand foR a new iconic book on Ferrari Lives up to the caR makeR’s gRand histoRy, engineeRing and passion foR design WOrDS aRabeLLa dickie In 2011 the Candy & Candy team was commissioned to design a bookstand that would exhibit one of the most luxurious works of motoring literature ever published: The Official Ferrari Opus.

First unveiled at the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in late 2010, the book was born out of a collaboration with Ferrari and Opus Media publishers to celebrate the ‘Prancing Horse’ and the success of one of the most iconic names in motor sport.

The Official Ferrari Opus weighs in at a mighty 37kg, features over 2,000 images and runs to 852 pages, each measuring half a square metre. The book was printed in four limited editions, including the 400-copy ‘Enzo’ series, costing £20,000, and which is accompanied by the Candy & Candy bespoke stand.

For the Candy & Candy design team, the stand had to do justice to Ferrari’s remarkable history that dates back to its founding in 1947 by Italian race car driver and entrepreneur, Enzo Ferrari. This man stands as the legend behind the brand, and so inspired the design. Thus originated the idea of fitting a Ferrari oil capsule, engraved with the car edition it was taken from, into the stand’s base.

Just as the modest capsule is positioned in the stand’s central point, so too does it represent the core of the company, Enzo Ferrari, and the marque’s humble origins.

From this oil capsule emanate curved aluminium layers – the inner ones featuring a distressed finish, while the final, outer layer is smooth and mirrorpolished. This visual progression reflects the development and growth of Ferrari itself, in particular the linking of Ferrari’s early, more rudimentary car models – starting with the 1947 Ferrari 125 Sport – to the sleek Formula One designs of today. The inner layers of the stand echo the layered leaves of a laurel wreath, which, until recently, was presented to Formula One victors on the podium.

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Discreet aesthetic elements within the stand further pay homage to the high-precision engineering and materiality of Formula One racing design. Subtle layering on the base evokes motorcar air vents and side grilling, while the diamond-quilted Poltrona Frau leather covering the top recessed platform is the same material as found in Ferrari interiors.

The Candy & Candy team even sourced

the services of bespoke car manufacturers to re-create the techniques used for custom-built car body panels, and employed these in their design.

Those seeking a truly unique work of art can commission a modified, bespoke version of the bookstand – be it one that features gold or silver plating, a personalised engraving, or an LED light fitted into the base. And in the same way that one customises a car, the client can also specify their preferred colour of Poltrona Frau leather for the top platform.

Ideally with an actual Ferrari to match.

For an exclusive 10 per cent discount on the ‘Enzo’ edition of The Official Ferrari Opus, contact Kohilam at Opus Media Group on 020 7213 9587 and quote ‘Candy’

OPPOSITe The Candy & Candy bookstand comes with the ‘Enzo’ series of the Opus ThIS Page, clOckwISe frOm abOve Sketches by Candy & Candy; each page of the ‘Enzo’ series of the Opus measures half a square metre; Enzo Ferrari, depicted in the Opus; the Ferrari California; bespoke carbon fibre clamshell case

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clockwise from below The wild Gower Peninsula in Wales; the Art Deco lobby of the Daily Express Building; Cambridge’s Bridge of Sighs, at St John’s College; the neo-Byzantine Westminster Cathedral; elaborate decorative detail at the Hindu temple in Neasden

Britain embraces so much history and so many different cultures. It’s something I am very proud of. Take the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in the drab London suburb of Neasden. Decoration drips off the walls and ceiling, virtually falling in on top of you. I feel the same about the dramatic interiors of the Foreign Office, the Art Deco splendour of Eltham Palace and the Daily Express Building, and Westminster Cathedral – a vast Byzantine cathedral and the only British church I know that displays such colour and decoration.

For a prime example of British history and architecture, I always recommend Cambridge University, and for natural beauty, it has to be the Gower Peninsula in south Wales. The coastline is at war with the sea here, and standing at the shoreline, you feel you’re at the edge of the earth. A fantastic tour of old London is through the markets in the east. From Borough Market, via the furniture shops of Hoxton and Shoreditch, through Columbia Road flower market, up to Stoke Newington – it gives a real sense of London’s cultural mix. Lastly, every designer has to visit Sir John Soane’s museum in central London. This 18th-century architect was an avid collector from every period and corner of the UK. His will ensured the house became open to the public. You can also hire it for parties, which is very cool.

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alamy ; getty images; alamy

Candy & Candy CReative diReCtoR mAT CARLisLE says that it is BRitain’s CultuRal mix that makes it unique

 I’ve always been a fan of illustration and dark comics. At art school I discovered the early 20th-century architectural illustrator and architect hugh FerriSS. His beautiful pencil drawings depicted future buildings, airports and other travel systems. They were quite sci-fi, but in a dark, mysterious way. His work was a direct influence on the ABC Warriors, Judge Dredd and Sin City comics. By all accounts, Ferriss was a terrible architect, but his drawings were amazing.

Candy & Candy CReative diReCtoR mAt cArlisle on the vaRious aRtists who have inspiRed his own woRk  Paul SMith has been a huge influence on my holistic approach to design. Like most designers, when I lef college I wanted to carve my own niche and I was always inspired by Paul Smith’s way of making everything fun and quirky.

I loved his clothes, but mostly his mentality and approach to design, that you can combine anything as long as you personally like it. And that’s the point of design for me: it’s subjective.

If you like it, go for it. One of his shops, near Borough Market, is tucked away in a corner. It sells Japanese toys, bits of furniture and clothes. You can buy a paper clip, or walk out with a £1,000 suit.

 I’ve long had a fascination with Dunhill, for its Englishness, its fine detailing and its lifestyle approach to design. Dunhill had everything a gentleman could need, from tailoring to driving goggles. I’m not a smoker but my parents used those classic, Seventies-style lighters. Later, at university, I found out that their linear patterns (as on the 1949 Alduna, right), geometric graphics and metal/leather combinations were signature Dunhill and they have inspired my designs ever since.

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 I was not familiar with Maria Pergay’s work until I came to Candy & Candy. It made me understand how furniture can also be sculpture, and how such pieces can dominate a room or work with other pieces around it. In the late Sixties and Seventies, Pergay’s furniture combined unusual materials – steel with acrylic, wood with straw (in the Kimono cabinet, above). Her designs are simultaneously organic and geometric. Though they don’t look it, they’re very comfortable, and their function is equal to their form.

 Frank lloyd Wright forged a strong symbiotic link between architecture and interior design and when inside one of his buildings it’s hard to separate the two. His chandeliers, walls, windows and furniture are all highly decorative and immaculate. The elaborate decoration is quite a feminine approach, although the largely geometric designs mean that the outcome is masculine. The interiors are slightly intimidating, so their success is a matter for debate, but you have to admire buildings like the Unity Temple in Illinois (above) and the Robie house in Chicago.

ALAMY; BOBBY FISHER/CORBIS OUTLINE; BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY; KIMONO (FERMé), 2008, BY MARIA PERGAY, COURTESY OF JGM GALERIE; GRAIN ELEvATOR AT NIGHT, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI’, CA 1941, BY HUGH FERRISS, AvERY DRAWINGS & ARCHIvES

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Below A polished silverfaceted wall mirror in a child’s bedroom

When an art- collecting family approached candy & candy to design their apartment’s interior, bespoke finishes and exquisite details became focal points WORDS maria yacoob

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clockwise from top Specifically designed and selected furniture in one of the children’s bedrooms has a playful and youthful feel; Oriental-inspired cushion designs incorporate silver and anthracite beading, as black silk velvet enhances the metallic clusters and fine metallic thread; the light

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palette in the reception room is complemented with rich tones of dark, embossed eel-skin leather and deep-bronze beaded curtains; Yasemen Hussein’s handcrafed feather light dramatically casts abstract shadows onto the ceiling of the apartment’s entrance

Reputation is all , which is where Candy & Candy comes in. When a client approached the company to design a fourbedroom Knightsbridge apartment for his family, he was hoping to get something beyond the limits of his own imagination.

‘I hadn’t seen a lot of Candy & Candy’s work before,’ explains the client, ‘so I hired them partly on reputation. I thought they’d do things I never could have envisaged or done myself. Our apartment represented an opportunity to push the boat out, to try something new. And I felt Candy & Candy was best equipped to do the job.’

Afer viewing an existing Candy & Candy apartment, the client knew he wanted to keep its contemporary style, and that he wanted his own apartment to have a light, airy feel. He also used his brief to stretch the design team’s creative impulses. ‘I wanted Candy & Candy to use lots of different textures and materials.’

To build a personality for the apartment, the design team decided to place the emphasis on the detail in the furniture, the joinery and the sof furnishings, while

also using the walls to create beautiful backdrops for artwork. In focusing attention this way, they created a truly bespoke design where every single detail, down to the smallest trim, was hand-drawn by Candy & Candy.

Both of these design facets are apparent from the moment you step into the entrance hall of the apartment. On the wall, an art rail is concealed within a decorative moulding made from Macassar ebony with silver gilding. But the eye is instantly drawn upwards, to a bespoke feather light by fine arts sculptor Yasemen Hussein, which casts beguiling shadows across the ceiling.

The feathers are sculpted using intricate metalwork – every frond and feather is

The Candy & Candy design team decided to place the emphasis on details in the joinery and furnishings

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WE CAN CRAFT IT TAILOR-MADE DESIGN

The apartment’s four bedrooms are all different but they tie in tonally, utilising a sophisticated palette

clockwise from top A silk-velvet armchair in the master bedroom references Art Deco styles, as the satin cushions incorporate hand-embroidered bonsai detail; the bedside units in the master bedroom feature platinum leaf applied to the Macassar frame, with

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bespoke, bud-like nickel door pulls, and a table lamp that was handmade in Paris; the master bedroom’s desk, with handcrafed, polished smoked-nickel studs and carved leg detail, overlooks the park

handcrafed. The team worked with Hussein, and then with a lighting specialist to integrate the bulbs, to achieve the desired shadow effects.

Exquisite shadowy forms play out again across the main reception room’s ceiling, which also takes in the most stunning views of Hyde Park. Three long elevations enjoy floor-to-ceiling glazing, and the vista looks out across the tops of trees in the park. The view completely transforms the feel of the room, according to the seasons of the year. It is quite tonal and serene when you look out on to the park and, in winter, with snow covering Hyde Park outside and the

blonde timber inside, the room feels warm and cosy, almost chalet-like.

The room’s décor exudes an elegant simplicity, perfectly suited to a family room. But a closer look reveals the layers of intricacy designed into the joinery and furniture. Take the modular sofa: palette-wise, it is just a beautiful two-tone silvery velvet, but the outer cladding is constructed with eel skin and fluted Macassar panels set into the back and sides. The decorative cushions were also made especially for the apartment, from sketches hand-drawn by Candy & Candy.

The team worked with an embroiderer to come up with an Oriental design that incorporated meticulous beading work.

The apartment’s four bedrooms are all different, but tie in tonally, utilising a sophisticated, sof base palette. ‘We didn’t want the apartment to feel too stark or harsh,’ confirms the client. ‘We asked Candy & Candy to come to us

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with suggestions for colour schemes, and we picked the ones we liked best.’

The master bedroom (for the parents) uses a rich, deep aubergine on the headboard panel, which is offset by sofer, more neutral wall panels, carpets and curtains. The focal points of the room are the unique pieces of bespoke furniture.

A vintage perfume bottle inspired the bedside table’s design, and the team played with the scale, changed the finishes and incorporated a spiralling recess design. The desk sprang to life from a hand sketch of its Art Decoinspired legs, with a smoked-nickel stud surround giving it a modern feel.

The room’s outstanding piece is the credenza. The design is a nostalgic, curved, Thirties shape, with modern details. The églomisé glass on the door panels incorporates a hand-drawn poppy design. And the bespoke door pulls were made in a delicate dragonfly

from top The contemporary credenza features many abstract panels and also a bevelled mirror top; bespoke dragonfly handles and an inlay of hand-designed églomisé glass adorn the master bedroom’s credenza; small lizards on leather drawers add a playful touch

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Bespoke door pulls were made as delicate dragonflies for the master bedroom, or fun geckos for the boys design, with yet another manufacturer creating the bespoke tassels.

The second bedroom is the eldest child’s, a teenage boy. The design team chose mature colour tones – charcoal, bronze, ivory – and a metallic, masculine headboard. The bedside unit and credenza both incorporate a gecko door-pull design.

The credenza also uses a unique, layered, geometric design on the door panels, and incorporates a smoked-mirror, bevelled inlay top trimmed with stainless steel.

For the two younger boys, the colour palette was lightened up to include blonde timber, a silvery green-blue velvet headboard, and metallic features that give the room a slightly futuristic, Star Wars feel.

The daughter’s room is a sof, delicate, apricot pink. The silk headboard has unique beading in pearls and crystals, and the silk wallpaper is adorned with hand-painted butterflies – the designers wanted them to look as if they were about to fly off the wall.

The final room in the apartment is the boldest. The client originally intended it as a dining room, but chose to let his children use it as their television and games room. Russet curtains are offset by a bespoke, Sixties-style, black-andwhite rug. This Sixties feel is carried through to the tub chairs, coffee table and floor lamp. The wall hangings were created by Candy & Candy. The designers commissioned etched portraits of each of the children, almost Warhol in style, but in sophisticated, sepia tones.

‘Ultimately, we deliberately gave the design team full rein,’ explains the client.

‘I wanted Candy & Candy’s take on my generic requirements.’ Two features that stand out for the client are the walls and the lighting. ‘Both are unique and specific to the apartment. And not something I ever could have asked for myself.’

The apartment shows that in striving to produce a truly bespoke and original interior for every client, the Candy & Candy design teams continually stretch the boundaries of their own imaginations.

The project was client-led, but the design process was a wonderful artistic experience for the team, too.

Ultimate Properties Whether you are buying property as an investment or to live in, we offer some of the most desirable properties in the world. Cross border investment into residential property is a growing trend: in 2010, overseas investors bought more than 50% of prime central London homes over ÂŁ5 million.

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In the vast woRLd of contempoRaRy aRt, whIch upcomIng taLent wILL be a suRefIRe Investment? Amy RAphAel asks some LeadIng expeRts foR theIR vIews and tIps, fIndIng that the best bet Is just to go wIth the pIeces you faLL In Love wIth [[1R]]

[[2L]]

‘Mickey… i Love you… Don’t Leave Me’ by barnaby barforD’, 2009

series)’ by maha maamoun, 2005 | ‘master pLan’ by yane CaLoVski, 2008 (manifesta 7 in boLzano, Courtesy zak/branika) |

another guy called Hurvin Anderson, a Birmingham-born 46-year-old whose paintings are both abstract and figurative, who has a big following.’

McNerney says that the art market is now a truly global business. He names China, Latin America, Russia, the Middle East and eastern Europe as emerging territories. Francis Outred, head of postwar and contemporary art, Europe, at Christie’s, agrees that boundaries have become blurred. ‘The best art normally reflects the world that we live in and it is clear to me now that the dominant theory and trend of the new century is the globalisation of art. The great artists of today are displacing themselves and merging cultures from their global travels and their unique life experiences.’

Outred says he is less in touch with new artists now than he has been in the past – though he adds that the projected animations of Japanese video artist Tabaimo and Christian Marclay’s ‘The Clock’ took his breath away at this year’s Venice Biennale – but is instead excited about certain countries. ‘I'm eagerly awaiting the rise of a new generation of Chinese artists using photography and film. It seems fairly clear that China will play a leading role in cultural developments in the 21st century.’

He is equally keen on Brazil. ‘The international profiles of Beatriz Milhazes and Adriana Varejão have led the way for a whole new wave of artists such as Tonico Lemos Auad and Daniel Senise, who have taken global concepts of art and adapted them to their own tradition.

Although these artists are of the same generation, Auad and Senise developed a global audience in a second wave afer Milhazes and Varejão. In turn, I believe the Latin American art of the Fifies and Sixties will be reanalysed, and the likes of Hélio Oiticica, Sérgio de Camargo and Lygia Clark will rise both academically and in the marketplace.’

The idea of artists being reassessed as trends come and go is a curious one.

Outred mentions the Italian conceptual artist Alighiero Boetti (who died in 1994) and the German painter and photographer Sigmar Polke (who died last year) as

hurVin anderson, 2004 (oiL on CanVas, 165.1 x 256.5Com. image Courtesy of saatChi gaLLery, London © hurVin anderson 2004 | ‘beaCh (domestiC tourism

No one knows for sure which artists are going to break through to become big successes…

It is part of the fun of buying art

Cuatro Ventos’ by toniCo Lemos auad, 2008 (graphite pigeons and burned bread in 20 parts. dimensions VariabLe) | ‘untitLed (WeLCome series)’ by

T h e y s ay yo u have to buy art with your heart. Hang it on the wall, look at it every day, let it be part of who you are and how you see the world. But what if you want to enjoy a painting, a sculpture or a photograph and know that it also might make money one day? How does anyone know who might prove to be the next Damien Hirst, the next Banksy, the next Tracey Emin?

The quick answer is they do not. No one knows for sure which artists are going to break through to become big successes in the next year, or the next five, or in a decade. It is part of the fun of buying art. You might get lucky and make a considerable profit; you might not, but you still have something interesting to look at. If do you spot an up-and-coming artist on the way, you can feel particularly pleased with yourself.

The longer answer is that there is not another Hirst, Banksy or Emin. Like or loathe their work, they are true originals. As Antony McNerney, head of contemporary art at Bonhams, points out: ‘The art market is savvy enough to spot followers. Take Banksy. His art is entertaining and quite political. He became famous for being the world’s greatest art terrorist. He took graffiti into the art world; he broke boundaries in a way that was truly amazing. I believe his work will stand the test of time. Obviously people are trying to emulate his work, but the simple fact is that they never will.’

I ask McNerney to name emerging artists whose work is original, exciting and collectible. He says it is not that simple.

The buying and selling of art needs a context. ‘The situation at auction is different to being a dealer. Artists you take to auction have an established secondary market already. Even the first time at auction they will have been exhibited at internationally renowned galleries and have a recognised collecting base.’

Sale at auction is a very public way of selling. Dealers can keep price tags to themselves, but anyone can find out how much a piece of art has gone for at auction. This, McNerney says, can work either way; it can hype up an artist or it can decrease their value, if only for a short period of time.

And then, finally, he names some artists he really rates. ‘Gabriel Kuri is one for the future. He’s a Mexican artist who was born in 1970, studied in Mexico City and at Goldsmiths College, and who uses found objects to comment on contemporary consumer culture. He sells out regularly at Sadie Coles HQ and also at a gallery in Mexico. There’s

potentially great investments simply because they tapped into the idea of displacing themselves and merging cultures from their global travels – and were thus ahead of their time.

Alistair Hicks, art adviser to Deutsche Bank in London, sees a similar shif with the artists who preceded the Young British Artists, or YBAs. ‘There’s a whole generation who were flicked aside by Hirst et al. Like Cornelia Parker, who I think is one of the greatest British sculptors. Actually, they are all women: Hannah Collins makes wonderful films.

Susan Derges takes amazing, beautiful photographs. They are just beginning to

claim their international places again.

From a collector’s point of view that makes them more interesting long term; their reputations can’t be damaged because they are all serious, established artists.’

Hicks has an interesting job. A former art critic and the author of books such as New British Art in the Saatchi Collection, Hicks now spends his time searching out art for Deutsche Bank. The bank started collecting art in the Seventies and decided immediately that, as Hicks explained, ‘they would categorically not buy art for investment. Instead it’s all about engaging with the artists and also with the people who work in the bank.’

The bank has one of the world’s largest collections of art in any commercial corporation. At any given time in the London headquarters, there might be an Anish Kapoor sculpture in the lobby and works by the likes of Sigmar Polke and Henry Moore adorning the white walls.

There will also be works scattered around the building by Nedko Solakov, Yane Calovski, Samuel Fosso and Maha Maamoun. Artists, in other words, who may not yet be household names in this country but who Hicks believes may break through. ‘Deutsche Bank sponsors the Frieze Art Fair and this year Solakov, who is from Bulgaria, put up a 12m work in the reception. A big, big, yellow piece of paint that looked rather like one of those abstract works of the Sixties. Then, beside it, in beautiful handwriting, but rather quirky and totally the opposite of abstract, are the words: “I ordered this yellow blob from the exhibition assistants, but later on I completely forgot the reason for this”. He’s certainly got a sense of humour.’

Hicks is equally enthusiastic about Samuel Fosso’s photographs of himself, particularly the one of him dressed up as a chief who sold Africa to the colonies.

He says Maha Maamoun, though less well known than Fosso, also challenges images of Africa: ‘She does work reflecting our

PREVIOUS PAGE ‘Mickey I love you’ by Barnaby Barford, an artist admired by a number of Candy & Candy’s clients OPPOSItE, fROm tOP ‘Quatro Ventos’ by Tonico Lemos Auad, who is one of the leaders of a new wave of Brazilian artists; ‘Untitled (Welcome Series)’ by Birminghamborn Hurvin Anderson thIS PAGE, fROm tOP Maha Maamoun’s ‘Beach’, one of her works challenging images of Africa; Macedonian conceptual artist Yane Calovski’s ‘Masterplan’;

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love with his work when I saw it in an exhibition at the Halcyon Gallery. He’s going to be pretty huge.’

Candy & Candy’s clients have widely varying tastes. ‘Sculpture, for example, is important. Barnaby Barford makes one-off pieces from mass-manufactured or antique porcelain kitsch figurines. He deconstructs and then reassembles them as sculpture in a new context, ofen with a dark sense of humour. The way the figures

‘As high-net-worth individuals move up, they need to diversify their asset base and start to invest in art’

are put together forces you to look at the scene in a disrupted way. I always get a feeling of fun when I see them. He’s slightly pornographic without being too offensive.’

Carlisle also rates Hush, describing him as ‘a new-school artist with a graphic design background… who merges street art with traditional styles to present contemporary depictions of traditional portraits and figurative imagery’, and also a Spanish artist called Pedro Paricio.

‘Pedro only works in acrylics. His colours are bright but his subjects are ofen dark, evoking an unsettling feeling in his work. He makes strong references to graphic design, primitive art and the work of 20th-century artists such as Bacon and Rothko. His style is basically abstract street/pop art – neither of which is very fashionable – and his subjects range from local folklore and folk music to philosophy.’

No one I spoke to, from the London auction houses to Deutsche Bank to Candy & Candy, mentioned the same artists. They may agree that art is now becoming truly globalised, but they each talk about different countries emerging.

However, one thing all these experts have in common is a conviction that art is worth investing in for the pleasure it brings you, if nothing else. The boundless enthusiasm of Deutsche Bank’s art adviser Alistair Hicks is wrapped up in a simple but persuasive ethos: ‘If you want to reap the rewards of being involved in culture… always, always follow your heart.’

Journalist and author Amy Raphael writes for The Observer and The Times

| ‘naked WiTh haT’ by Pedro PariCio, 2011 (aCryliC on Canvas)

abOve Christian Marclay’s film, ‘The Clock’, was a highlight of theVenice Biennale. LefT ‘Naked with Hat’, painted this year by Pedro Paricio, a favourite of Candy & Candy creative director Mat Carlisle

‘The CloCk’ by ChrisTian MarClay, 2010 (single Channel video; duraTion, 24 hours. © ChrisTian MarClay. PhoTograPh: ben WesToby, CourTesy WhiTe Cube

expectation of seeing Africa as a postcard.

She did a series called Domestic Tourism; there is always something in her work that has been subverted.’ Yane Calovski, meanwhile, is a conceptual artist from Skopje, Macedonia, who attempts incredibly ambitious ideas that reflect on his country’s fractured history.

Hicks is so enthusiastic about each artist he mentions that it makes you want to go straight out and buy a piece of their work, whatever the price. It is easy to see how Deutsche Bank has made such a name for itself as an art connoisseur. Michael Darriba, head of lending and credit solutions at Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management, works with ultra-high- and high-net-worth individuals.

‘Ultimately, as a client moves up the wealth spectrum, they look to diversify their asset base and so they start to invest in art.’

Deutsche Bank can then release equity from a client’s art collection in order to facilitate investments elsewhere. And, very ofen, the client develops a real passion for art. ‘We get at least one or two meaningful enquiries a month,’ says Darriba, ‘and so we’re maintaining a strong appetite for this kind of finance.’

And having one of the world’s largest contemporary art collections, along with expertise and infrastructure, is, of course, a good way of engaging clients.

Everyone, it seems, struggles to a certain extent between buying art for pleasure and for potential investment.

Mat Carlisle, creative director of Candy & Candy, says that some of the clients he advises on art can afford to do both.

‘I have a client at the moment, for example, who owns a piece of art that is worth four times more than his apartment. He bought this piece by a Russian artist 20 years ago because he fell in love with it.

But the rest of the apartment is filled with investment pieces. The client admires them and they suit the interior design of his apartment, but he has no particular love for them.’

Carlisle firmly believes, like most art lovers, that you should buy what you like.

Equally, he keeps an eye out for work he thinks his clients will love, but that is also likely to increase in value. ‘An artist hugely popular with our clients is Mitch Griffiths.

His bold, beautiful and distinctive style of figurative painting in oils is inspired by the Old Masters. He experiments with their techniques, composition and lighting to produce powerful imagery that many call “photo real”. I first fell in

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White gold necklace set with diamonds and a Sri Lankan pear-shaped sapphire pendant, ADLER

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White gold ‘Enchanted Lotus’ red-carpet necklace with white diamonds, DE BEERS

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White gold orchid-shaped ring with spinel, garnet, rubellites, amethysts, sapphires and diamonds, CARTIER

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Bombe necklace with rubies and white diamonds, GRAFF

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Blossom brocade with pink and white diamonds, BOODLES

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Platinum necklace with cascading rare red spinel and diamonds, HARRY WINSTON

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Fairey itish company the Fifies, Br In . re r-airplane ilu fa te in op end ne, a helic dy to Ro e th gned but politics Aviation desi d of 190mph, ee sp p to ed slat e programme. hybrid with a ders killed th or al ci er m m co d with the and a lack of nne, develope ye he C 6 g -5 H A d in 1972. Durin The Lockheed , was cancelle ph 4m 24 at d fly velope US military to s, Sikorsky de d early Eightie an s ie t very fast, nt en ve w Se the licopter that he e yp ot ot a pr ect was the XH-59A, , too; the proj a fair amount d he as Osprey cr 22 so Val but st Bell-Boeing fir e th , 88 19 s twin abandoned. In the aircraf ha oduction line: pr e th r planefo off t d til e rolle m cheshir opters, then lic to he S D as R e O at er W e total cost of rotors that op 8 mph. But th vis coburn 28 ta to n up IO to t ds a ee Il l uSt R , is estimated like flight at sp eted at $2.5bn dg bu e ly al th iti described the project, in me magazine o Ti to n: ’re 0b ey $5 .

Th te an th inadequa icopTers? rise to more ings ed and utterly em wiTh hel off from build safe, overpric The probl un ke ta as r, erage f ve av ra e ho rc ai projects, th che re, they can ese research ht race, a Pors ig th damn slow. Su l ra ph. al st a te 5m 18 pi in t e es D lly ’t risen abov ur friends, bu turers, rightfu p speed hasn ac to and impress yo r-speedy uf r’s an pe te M su op 9. n lic 10 he Agusta A ected its ow rr an ng su e pi lo re ok ve e ky sm rs de ld d ko wou action an wn. ‘There wer So, when Si e are now taking pare things do bl d, to pa se d ca ,’ as , de st rr rs ci fa ba pe de ly em ld go real quick chop helicopter, it as that it shou tion of superd is w ra ee e ne sp on , r ge d 05 fo w an 20 – ne ed a w the ne Kagdis. In simple goals 0mph. And no t manager Jim 29 en d ng pm an lo hi rs er ac ve ne pt re de of of 15 desig rivals Euroco says business d-down team y. own race, as bled a strippe t heli in the sk m becoming its es se st as fa is dget of $50m e gd bu th Ka them a tiny pete to have en ve m be ga co d ng ky an oup lo rs s ko ve an Si ers ha a tight-knit gr and technici st time. Engine s. ‘They were ts are ar or ye eff e ch fiv su er Not for the fir t opters, bu to be spent ov ually r-charge helic nging, and us trying to supe le al ch lly ca d technologi expensive an

pt e R s o c i l e h e l agi y a Re e h t t s a f m ay be.t. but w ill the no ppeR o h c f o d e new bRea b R ea k o t e l b be i e R? R R a b h p m t h e 30 0

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Right: the two-rotor Sikorsky X2, which, last September, reached speeds of 287mph

RecoRd BReakeRs

‘Future helicopters will offer customers about 50 per cent more cruise speed and range at very affordable costs’ supercorp began its own programme named, pointedly, X3 (pronounced ‘X cubed’). The demonstrator isn’t as radical as Sikorsky’s – the X3 is based on the existing EC155 but it does feature a significant addition: two stub wings, each toting a tractor propeller, powered by high-power turbines. They provide lif, counteracting the dissymmetry and allowing the X3 to have only one rotor. On its maiden flight on 6 September 2010, it reached a speed of 205mph; on 12 May this year, it increased that to 267mph. Eurocopter president Lutz Bertling said the company was not aiming for speed as much as efficiency, affordability and adaptability: ‘Future helicopters with the X3 configuration will offer our customers about 50 per cent more cruise speed and range at affordable costs.’

At these new speeds, this next generation of helicopters will be able to whisk you from the door of your private jet at the likes of London Oxford Airport to the London

Tom Cheshire is assistant editor of Wired

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SikoRSky VS-300

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First successful production helicopter, 1939

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Heliport in a mere 15 minutes – rather than the 22 it takes today in machines such as the Agusta A109 or Sikorsky S-76.

Bertling has an eye on future markets, as does Sikorsky.

The military is an obvious customer, but the technology should not take long to trickle down to other applications, such as search-and-rescue, offshore oil-rig transport and, eventually, private transportation. ‘A commercial helicopter will be a variant of a military helicopter,’ says Kagdis. ‘And if a customer is interested, we’ll have helicopters in production by 2020.’ It would take a private, super-fast chopper less than an hour to fly from London to Paris, and new craf would also have much greater ranges than conventional helicopters: the Sikorsky X2 can fly 808 miles on a single tank, while an Agusta A109 can manage only 599 miles.

Nevertheless, the field may be crowded. As well as the big two, Piasecki Aircraf Corporation is preparing its own super-fast helicopter. And two Russian companies, Kamov and Mil, are aiming to break 312mph, although their birds haven’t flown yet. But Kagdis thinks competition is a good thing: ‘We welcome other folks,’ he says. ‘We want to push the debate with our customers, both military and commercial. We’re really keen to know: what’s the value of speed?’

At 40m long, the biggest, and able to lift 22-ton cargo

Reached altitude of 12,442m

Longest non-stop flight: 3,561km

TOPfOTO; alamy; cOdy images

of folks – highly skilled, living and working together to develop the technology and fix issues as they cropped up, then bring a new helicopter to flight test,’ says Kagdis. The result was the X2 demonstrator. Its body looks more jet fighter than helicopter, but the two rotors, stacked on top of each other, mark the X2 out as its own unique whirlybird. They’re also what make it go really, really fast. On a single-rotor copter, you get a dissymmetry of lif as you approach high speeds: as the aircraf moves forward, the advancing rotor blades chop the air faster, generating lif. But at the same time, the retreating blades go slower, bleeding lif, which can cause stalls and instability.

Kagdis’s solution was simple: two 8m rotors spinning in opposite directions. Both suffer dissymmetry of lif, but do so in different directions, meaning the X2 flies very stably. And there is another benefit. The countervailing rotors mean that the X2 has none of the torque of a single-rotor copter, so there’s no need for a tail rotor to counteract the natural tendency to spin. Instead, the X2 has a high-performance pusher propeller that generates thrust much like a fixed-wing aircraf.

Last September, the X2 clocked a blistering 287mph.

But the real beauty of the system, according to Kagdis?

‘It was born a helicopter, it acts like a helicopter at low speed, and it’s manoeuvrable and agile.’ Unlike the earlier XH-59A, which required two pilots – one to fly, the other to control engine power – the X2 is singlestick, thanks to fly-by-wire digital controls. ‘It’s the ability to put an integrated system into the aircraf, then tie the sofware together behind the engines and dynamic systems,’ says Kagdis. ‘That was the technological jump that wasn’t available to us back in the late Seventies.’

Now Sikorsky is adapting the technology for the S-97 Raider, a military scout-and-attack helicopter, with first flights scheduled for 2014. In total, the X2 completed 23 fights; afer the last, test pilot Kevin Bredenbeck summed it up: ‘We were able to push the physics and maths to the limits.’ And although it lived fast and was retired young – it is currently touring air shows and will wind up in the Smithsonian Air Museum – the X2’s technology has not reached its limits. Steven Weiner, a director of engineering sciences at Sikorsky, says 340mph is achievable: ‘The physics of the X2 design certainly don't limit it,’ he says.

If you asked someone who cared little for physics or maths how to make a helicopter fly faster, they might suggest simply adding another engine. Eurocopter would agree. In 2008, the Franco-Germano-Spanish

back to basics A work gy m, Boout At the securi dy ism, m Ay exclusi v e you w ing yoursel Be As h A r k ensingto d As n f A m em ll not r B e e g r ret th ship, Bu WO R D S s im o n e t r e m il l s | sults p O Rt R a itS sA m ch r ist m A

s | St y l in

g dAv id h Aw k in s

D e b at e c o n t i n u e s to rage in smart London society as to which is the most exclusive club in the capital. New applicants will moan about having to pay big and be patient before having their membership to Soho House approved. Put your name down on the waiting list for private croquet at The Hurlingham Club’s 42-acres of carefully manicured Fulham turf and you are looking at a seven year gap before you get to pick up your mallet. The Chelsea Arts Club? You will need to write a lengthy essay explaining why you will be a valid member and assuring everyone that you are a proper artist…and then probably get rejected by the board anyway. The Garrick? Don’t even bother applying if you happen to be a woman. That said, all of these fine establishments seem positively generous in their admission policy when compared to the uncompromising exclusivity on offer at Bodyism.

At this small and super-discreet private gym located in a quiet Kensington mews, membership is capped at just 80 people while annual fees are between £15,000 and £30,000 depending on which programme you decide to sign up for.

Why such a hefy price and such a limited amount of places? Why do the likes of Elle Macpherson, Hugh Grant, Holly Valance, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jennifer Lawrence keep coming back for more? Some gyms may take your money, show you how the lockers work and then leave you struggling with the Nordic trainer. James Duigan, Dalton Wong and their Bodyism team guarantee – or rather, demand – results.

This place is not about StairMaster machines and communal changing rooms. Working out the Bodyism way is a rigorous one-on-one, holistic experience built around diet, lifestyle, goals, vanity, honesty, fun and health. Sessions are upbeat, intense and resultsorientated. Methods can be occasionally controversial.

‘The fees we charge and the promises we make mean we have to get results,’ says Bodyism co-founder Wong, a high-octane Canadian who specialises in accelerated weight loss and biomechanical alignment for clients suffering from back problems. ‘If our clients look bad, we look bad. So, while it’s a win-win situation for both of us, we do require a solid commitment from each client for at least two or three hours a week.’

PICTURED Bodyism founders Dalton Wong (in dark blue) and James Duigan (in light blue), wearing tops by Diverso and shorts by Rapha

‘An appo in as impor tment with us is j tant as a u big board st meeting.

T you want he way we see it, if People ra to get results, you w rely miss their slot ill. s’ Saying that you cannot find the time in your busy schedule is not an option, apparently. ‘An appointment with us is just as important as a big board meeting. The way we see it is, if you want to get results, you will.

People hardly ever miss their slots. We get them so motivated they always turn up on time. A challenge always works to motivate us, and success breeds success.’

People do not tend to baulk at the prices either. Why would they? Bodyism’s client base is, as Wong points out, ‘mainly people who live in the Kensington, Belgravia and Knightsbridge area, who regularly spend, say, £30,000 on a winter holiday in the Maldives. They tend to be cash rich/time poor types who’ve realised that their body is bankrupt. We explain to them that what we are offering is every bit as vital to their health and well-being as any relaxing vacation.’

Like all credible gyms, the Bodyism regime begins with a thorough health check and fitness assessment, followed by some carefully-targeted stretching and ‘pre-hab’ to free up movement and prevent injury. ‘Total honesty is vital at the assessment stage,’ explains

Wong. ‘We aim to make radical changes in people’s diet and fitness regimes, so we need to know exactly how our clients feel about their bodies and what it is they want to achieve. Because the staff here have such a wealth of experience and different specialties – yoga, massage, physio, etc – 95 per cent of all our clients’ problems can be fixed under this roof.’

Certainly, anyone looking for a sweat-free and gently moderated way to get in shape should look elsewhere.

Bodyism’s approach is unapologetically prescriptive, straightforward and un-gimmicky. ‘James works from the inside out. Clearing the body and mind as well as exercising,’ says Elle Macpherson. ‘He understands that I want to achieve a long, lean and healthy body while maintaining my femininity and curves. We work on my body, attitude, diet balance, strength and consistency.’

Food plays a vital role in the Bodyism method with Duigan, who hails from Australia, widely regarded as something of a dietary revolutionary by press and clientele alike. ‘Clean equals lean,’ he will tell you. That means, staying away from toxin-packed, overprocessed foods and eating good quality organic dishes in sensible portions. This forms the basis of a fit and toned body. ‘It’s important to understand that your weight and health are not separate issues,’ confirms Duigan. ‘Being overweight is a symptom of being unhealthy. Focus on your health and the weight will drop off.’

‘We encourage people to appreciate and understand the benefits of food and not feel guilty about what they are eating,’ adds Wong. ‘We acknowledge that sometimes it’s okay to overindulge and have the odd glass of wine or a couple of mouthfuls of dark chocolate.’

Duigan even advocates indulging in a ‘cheat meal’ once a week. Occasional overeating, he reckons, fires up the metabolism, speeding up weight loss. ‘Your body starts working overtime to burn off the extra food it wasn’t expecting,’ he says. ‘Plus, psychologically, a treat helps you stay on track.’

Healthy eating does not just mean eating less, insists Duigan. What’s more important, he says, is making the right choices. ‘Substituting blueberries for chocolate and drinking green tea instead of a latte might not sound appealing at first. But, remember, your body believes what your mouth tells you.’ bodyism.com; 0207 581 1243 Simon Mills is a contributing editor to GQ

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OppOsite Brass ribbons sweep around islands of light in this Candy & Candy calligraphy-inspired design BelOw Informed by the look of crumpled paper, this Candy & Candy light feature was designed by Matt Stanwix

WoRds James Medd

Thanks To feaTs in design and engineeRing, pLus innovaTive concepTs in aRT and scuLpTuRe, designeRs aRe sTaRTing To see The chandeLieR in a new LighT. Candy & Candy is aT The foRefRonT of This ReinTeRpReTaTion F o r C a n dy & C a n dy creative director Mat Carlisle, lighting is one of the most important aspects of any project. ‘It can transform a space entirely,’ he says, ‘from warm to cold, light to dark, red to blue. It is always one of the first things we think about: how are we going to light the room?’

In around 80 per cent of cases, the answer to this question is a chandelier.

If you picture a symmetrical confection of cut glass, though, you would be off the mark. It is an image that persists because, in varying shapes and sizes, that is how chandeliers have been for much of the four centuries of their existence.

Originally made of a transparent form of quartz, chandeliers were refined and reinterpreted, fashioned from the hand-cut lead crystal glass of Bohemia in the late 17th century, Venetian glass in the 18th and Swarovski crystals at the turn of the 19th, but their tone of grandeur and even their look altered relatively little. Almost from the time Louis XIV took them to the height of fashion by installing them in his Versailles palace, they have remained fiercely resistant to modernisation,

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and by the end of the Eighties, the chandelier was stranded in time.

‘By then, there just weren’t enough options to choose from, so the idea of a chandelier had become a bit tired,’ says Carlisle. ‘It’s only now that designers have begun to think of new ways of looking at them, combining them with concepts of art and sculpture, that they have been given new life.’ In recent years, the chandelier has had a remarkable resurgence, of which Candy & Candy has been at the forefront. Its designers use new technology and highly skilled crafsmanship to update traditional forms and to create entirely new ones, which draw on a range of art forms and employ new materials.

They also like to take their inspiration from the client or the environment. ‘We have the same view on the chandelier as we do on furniture,’ says Carlisle, ‘we create them bespoke and locationspecific. It’s why clients come to us in the first place.’ One example of this is the piece made for a client in Palma, Mallorca. With 180-degree views over an infinity pool down to a private beach, this villa is dominated by the sea, so

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waves were taken as a starting point.

‘We wanted to go further than just the shape,’ says Carlisle, ‘so we recorded the sound of the waves breaking on the beach at different times of day and printed out a series of graphic realisations of the sound those waves created. The light sculpture is an image of the tide at its highest.’ Created from crystals suspended on wire, the sculpture is lit by eight recessed sources.

‘They give off a clean white light, then during the day, reflect natural light to give a much warmer effect with reflections of crystals playing on the wall.’

Moving from modern to postmodern is the cascade chandelier created for La Belle Epoque, the fabulous property in Monaco formerly owned by Nicholas and Christian Candy. Spanning the five metres between the upper and lower hallway, this is as much a visceral experience as light source. ‘It is a deconstructed idea of a chandelier,’ says Carlisle, ‘where it

For one apartment in One Hyde Park, the client requested a chandelier in almost all of the rooms

drops all the way from the ceiling in a cylinder of crystal so dense you can hardly see through it, and then seems to crash onto the floor, where it undulates out towards the wall.’ The chandelier was inspired by a piece created in 2003 by architect Vincent Van Duysen for Swarovski Crystal Palace, and Candy & Candy’s version was also made in collaboration with the celebrated crystal specialist.

In Candy & Candy’s lighting designs for One Hyde Park, the move from traditional crystal to sculpture is even greater. For one apartment, the client requested a chandelier in almost every room, with variations for each bedroom, all drawing on a theme that would run throughout the entire space. For this, Candy & Candy took the location of Hyde Park as a starting point: ‘We had the idea of wind blowing into the apartment through the balcony doors,’ says Carlisle, ‘and then showing what

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CLoCkwise from top Left Cityscape chandelier inspired by the New York skyline; ‘Light in Shining Armour’, a Candy & Candy design of woven brass encasing a crystal sculpture; Geoffrey Mann’s ‘Attracted to Light’; a piece from the award-winning ‘Faraway Tree’ collection by Adam Hoets

shapes it might make as it rolled down the corridor and into the rooms.’

The main design, made of solid brass with polished and acid-etched finishes, describes a series of elegant curves in three locations: entrance, hall and reception. With internal light fittings of cut glass wrapped in a brass sheath, it is a true chandelier, as well as a feat of design and engineering. In the bedrooms, each piece reflects the room’s occupant – either masculine, with rectangular shrouds of woven metal, or feminine, with a Fifies-retro column of rods fanning out into a dramatic circle of lights. The piece in the dining room, meanwhile, nods to tradition with a centrepiece composed of numerous interlocking crystal pieces sitting within a contemporary system of connected cages made of highly polished metal.

In the reception of One Hyde Park, light sculpture unifies space in a different way. At the centre of this double-height

Inspiration for the chandelier in the reception comes from the surroundings, in this case the park

room is a chandelier composed of 6,500 glass pieces, all of them hand-shaped and around half covered with 10-carat gold. Again, the inspiration comes from the surroundings, in this case the leaves in the park, with a colour spectrum reflecting the changing of the seasons.

The piece was conceived as an integral part of the design, and is enhanced by reflective surfaces around the room.

‘It’s the one thing that brings the different zones of the reception together,’ says Carlisle. ‘When you walk straight in, you look over at the balcony and see it; when you’re at the bottom you look up and see it; from either approach road you see it.’

This is just as it should be, he says.

‘A chandelier is designed to be the first thing you see, whatever the time of day, so we want each to be beautiful in its own right, a piece of sculpture that you can enjoy in natural light. A chandelier is not an aferthought, it’s a forethought.’

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CLoCkwise from top Left ‘Faraway Tree’ by Adam Hoets; two views of the three-metre high ‘Cascade’ by Vincent Van Duysen, originally designed for Swarovski Crystal Palace; a bespoke version of Eva Menz’s ‘Ghost Wood’ chandelier, with each long strand assembled on site

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I n t h e e a r ly years of his success, says Guy Laliberté, interviewers would ofen ask him what his dream was. He would tell them he wanted to sail round the world and go into space. Twenty years later, he still has not got round to the sailing, but space is a frontier he has conquered. Laliberté, 52, is best known as the founder and leading light of Cirque du Soleil, the international circus phenomenon. From a single, not entirely successful troupe started in 1984 in Québec City, Canada, this company has grown to stage 22 shows around the world, has been watched by over 100 million people and has raised circus from lowbrow entertainment to artistic endeavour.

It has also made him a billionaire, a man in a position to live his dreams, but the space comment actually started as a joke. ‘It was, “When an alien spaceship comes and offers me a ride…’” he says over Skype from his native Montreal. ‘Then in 2000 I heard about the possibility of private flight participation with the Russians.’ Afer nine years of negotiation, three series of tests and a flight cancelled at the last minute due to personal reasons, he was finally booked to travel on the Soyuz TM-16 rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2009.

Laliberté has lived a life of adventure but there was, he admits, a certain amount of trepidation as he strapped in. ‘Naturally, doing something like this, you go through a process of trying to make peace with yourself. You revisit your life before they light up that fuel under your butt, you know? But the take-off was

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Space touRiSt, pokeR pLayeR and a foRmeR fiRe-eateR, ciRque du SoLeiL’S foundeR Guy LaLiberté haS Lived a Life of adventuRe. and with hiS wateR chaRity one dRop, he iS off impRoving the woRLd, with aLL hiS SignatuRe fLaiR and panache certainly closer to a spiritual and emotional experience than the kind of adrenaline and excitement you experience on Earth.’

He also had a higher purpose driving him. His journey into space was, as he terms it, a ‘Poetic Social Mission’, culminating in his taking part, from the ISS, in a two-hour webcast linking performances in 14 cities around the world, to raise awareness for his ONE DROP Foundation, which aims to provide access to water around the world. He also shot a documentary, to be released soon, and spent many hours observing the crew and just admiring the view: ‘It was a privilege just looking out of the window.’

He took photographs too, using camera equipment already installed on the space station to capture his home planet as he went past at 17,500 miles an hour.

The resulting images, awe-inspiring and surprising, have been turned into a book, Gaia, though this was

WOrDS James medd

OppOsite In 2009, the founder of Cirque du Soleil was launched by Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station on a ‘Poetic Social Mission’ and the adventure of a lifetime

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not his original intention. ‘I was taking the pictures for a souvenir, like when you take out your camera on vacation. These pictures were a little different but they were basically for my own use,’ he says.

Gaia will raise money for ONE DROP, which he founded in 2007. The charitable impulse has been with him since his mother reminded him at mealtimes of those not so fortunate as himself, he says, and was reinforced by his own experiences: ‘When I decided to take my accordion and live in the street for eight years, I knew that if things went wrong I could always find a bed and meal at my parents’ place. Not everyone could do that.’ As soon as Cirque du Soleil was able to do so financially, it committed one per cent of its revenue to a charity for street children and other social programmes. And when Laliberté wanted to increase that commitment in 2007, he chose the issue of water without hesitation. ‘Lack of clean water is one of the biggest causes of death in the world,’ he says. ‘The more I read about it, the more I realised that everything – biodiversity, pollution, climate change – has the issue of water at its centre.’

The young Laliberté’s future appeared to lie not in performance, space travel or campaigning, but in business. ‘From eight or nine I was the wheeler-dealer of the class, always trading my baseball cards or selling lemonade to make a few pennies,’ he laughs. The artistic side came later: ‘I wanted to travel and the fastest way I found was to learn music and to busk.

Then, with my first performance, I discovered the pleasure of entertaining people, and it grew from there.’

While performing at festivals as a musician, stiltwalker and fire-eater, Laliberté realised that, with hard work and ambition, it might be possible to make a living out of the circus rather than merely survive. His methods were equal parts art and commerce, ensuring that the company offered a product that people wanted, and putting it on a sound business footing.

‘I really thought that any kind of entertainment deserves high-quality treatment,’ he says. ‘You have to put this in the context of 27 or 28 years ago, when the traditional circus was considered a dusty business that was not renewing itself. For Cirque, we began to treat circus like the theatre or opera, with a director and designer and original score, taking the time to prepare a show and not just hiring an act 24 hours before you see them.’

The original ambition was to set up a creative centre in Montreal that could ensure a high level of performance, but Laliberté quickly realised that they could go much further. ‘I don’t think we reinvented circus,’ he says. ‘We were one of many new circuses of the time. We were not the first one, the movement came from Europe, but we were the first in America.

And we definitely took advantage of that huge market that was the United States to grow faster than others and get known. As soon as we exported to the United States in 1987, producers from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Europe were making us offers to come and perform in their countries. I made the analysis that if I had two or three shows, I might reduce my risk if one performed badly as the others would permit the company to survive. If you have a fleet and one of your boats sinks, you still have a fleet.’

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‘I’m just a little gardener trying to take care of my back yard, but I want to take good care of it and hope it can inspire people’

These days, though Laliberté is still fully involved in Cirque du Soleil, he reckons ONE DROP takes up more of his time. He does not allow himself any grandiosity, however. ‘I’m just a little gardener trying to take care of my back yard,’ he says, ‘but I want to take good care of it and hope it can inspire people.’ And then there is the odd perk, such as fulfilling his ambition to go into space or playing poker, which he has done for a few years on the World Poker Tour circuit. One of his next projects is a tournament, The Big One, which will be part of the 2012 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. With a milliondollar buy-in, it may offer the biggest pay-out in history.

Eleven per cent of the takings will go to ONE DROP, but that is not Laliberté’s only aim. ‘We have six hours’ coverage with the ESPN channel committed, so it’s also about media attention,’ he says. ‘I always try to throw one stone and achieve two things at the same time.’

Gaia is published by Assouline

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Mexico and the Gulf of California, photographed by Guy Laliberté from the International Space Station; the book that came from his experience in orbit; Cirque du Soleil show Alegria performed in Buenos Aires

TH E ONLY LIVE S UP ER C AR S HOW I N THE WO R L D 24-27 November 2011 The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel WWW.TOPMARQUESMACAU.COM

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t e r c e Service S MandaRin ORientaL is synOnyMOus with the seaMLess seRvice Of the east. nOw, with its 24-hOuR cOncieRge at One hyde PaRk, yOu can exPect such iMPeccaBLe attentiOn at hOMe WORDS Robert Ryan / ILLUSTRATION Brett Ryder

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T h i s i s a T r u e s To r y. Over the course of the last five years, I have got to know a gentleman – we shall call him John. He is in his nineties now, but still effortlessly urbane, with immaculate manners (honed in the diplomatic service) and sharp as a tack. It was only afer we had shared many convivial evenings and lunches that he finally revealed what kind of ‘diplomat’ he had been: John was a spy, firstly in the Special Operations Executive during the war, then MI6, in a career that spanned 50 years. Think of George Smiley, though, rather than James Bond.

One of his favourite postings, he tells me, was Bangkok. He was there in the mid-Fifies initially, sent because the Russians had opened a consulate and MI6 needed ‘to keep an eye on them’. Bangkok being a relatively compact city then, with few foreigners, he and his fellow spooks – Americans, French, Russian and Chinese – would gather each afernoon under the cooling rattan fans of the Oriental Hotel on the river. It was a scene straight out of Graham Greene (who was, of course, a regular at the hotel).

‘The Oriental was neutral territory,’ John says now. ‘A lovely spot to take tea and swap gossip, perhaps pick up a titbit or two of intelligence. It was there that I developed a taste for lapsang souchong.’ One day, in 1956, he was called away from Bangkok and summoned to Europe in a hurry. The Suez Crisis was about to break and it was, as he puts it, ‘all hands to the pumps’.

He didn’t return to the Thai capital until the Sixties, when the region was hotting up because of the Vietnam War. ‘I remember walking into the Oriental and, within two minutes of sitting down, a cup of lapsang was in front of me. Nine years later, the hotel staff still knew my name and my favourite tea.’

‘That story doesn’t surprise me,’ laughs Andrew Hirst, director of operations in Asia for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. ‘I have heard similar tales over the years.

Remember, part of our “mission” is to delight and surprise our guests.’

The Oriental was one of the two hotels that combined to create the Mandarin Oriental brand, the other being the equally legendary Mandarin in Hong Kong. But John’s story suggests that the service for which the company has become renowned was already in place. ‘Yes it was,’ agrees Hirst, ‘because what Mandarin Oriental did was to build on a tradition that was a key feature of both the founding hotels. Both were bywords for graceful service in the East even

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before Mandarin Oriental was created in 1974. I think it’s a very Asian thing. It is to do with values, of a society where children are taught to respect their elders, where serenity and graciousness are admired, where there is an emphasis on education and improvement and where people take a long-term view of things. Going that extra mile is all about making sure the guest has an experience that will stay with him or her for years to come.’

I had my own experience of the Mandarin Oriental ethos in Hong Kong a few years back, when I arrived to introduce a jazz concert as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and found that my dress shirt was still hanging on the back of my bedroom door at home. Giovanni Valenti, the hotel’s unflappable concierge ambassador, made sure I had a made-to-measure, hand-stitched-onthe-island (not always a given, as much of Hong Kong’s high-speed tailoring is outsourced to the mainland) dress shirt within 10 hours.

To me this echoed what Hirst said about taking the ‘long term view’: Giovanni spent a disproportionate amount of time on me and my shirt (at the time I was a non-regular guest staying just two nights) but the feeling that nothing is too much trouble means that if I am travelling to a city that has a Mandarin Oriental, it is my first port of call.

And I am not alone. Look at the list of those who declare themselves ‘fans’ of the group: from IM Pei to Darcey Bussell, Bryan Ferry to Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson to Lance Armstrong. Nearly all nominate either

‘Going that extra mile is all about making sure that the guest has an experience that will stay with him or her for years to come’

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‘The hotel had to cater to a very disparate crowd from monarchs and matriarchs to the younger crowd who intended to stay on and party’ locker room, have the same guest-oriented goals. The staff at One Hyde Park are just as much our colleagues as those in the main hotel.’

Even residents familiar with a world where they can summon their heart’s desire by picking up a telephone have been taken aback by how smoothly The Residences are integrated into the culture of the mother brand. The ‘delight and surprise’ that Hirst talked about is constantly on tap, 24 hours a day, thanks to the service that Darcey Bussell (referring to the hotel) calls ‘second to none’.

Whether it is ordering charcuterie from Bar Boulud or a bottle from the temperature-controlled wine cellar (each apartment has its own designated area), sourcing ‘hen’s teeth’ tickets to a sporting event, rustling up a Ferrari for a day, or arranging a moment’s-notice, on-site business meeting, the 24-hour in-house concierge team will facilitate everything with that almost supernatural discretion for which Mandarin Oriental is renowned.

As Arthur C Clarke once said: ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’

Well, replace the word ‘technology’ with ‘service’ and you have the lasting appeal of Mandarin Oriental – it is apparently staffed with trained conjurors. Like Giovanni Valenti, the doyen of Asian concierges, I suspect there is nothing that will faze the staff of One Hyde Park.

I am sure they could even rustle up a cup of lapsang souchong for a visiting spy.

Robert Ryan is a novelist and a travel writer for, among other titles, The Sunday Times

Corbis; getty

the staff or the service (which, of course, amount to the same thing) as the primary motivation for their loyalty.

The challenge Mandarin Oriental faced when it expanded globally was to take the glamorous, exotic Asian service model and export it to cities where the culture was very different. ‘That’s true,’ says Hirst, ‘But we were never cookie-cutter hotels. Each one is meant to be individual, to have a true sense of place. But at the core, still, has to be the Mandarin Oriental service.

Our guests expect it.’

London’s Hyde Park Hotel was the first European outpost (having opened in 2000) and demonstrated how this could be achieved, with a clever melding of what Londoners expect from a hotel (destination dining, lively bars, a buzzy, contemporary feel) with that effortless and discreet ‘stealth’ service honed in the East.

One person who is in a unique position to observe this mix and match is Jill Goh, who, before becoming hotel manager at Hyde Park, spent 18 years at the Singapore outpost. ‘There is a slight difference,’ she says, ‘in that I think my London colleagues have a little more confidence in engaging with the guests. Which is, I believe, a good thing. By being, let us say, less subservient, they can ascertain much more quickly just what a guest requires in any given situation.’

Goh enjoyed a baptism of fire at Hyde Park, arriving to take up her post two days before the wedding of William and Kate. The hotel had been chosen as the venue for the pre-wedding banquet, the night before the nuptials. Was it stressful? ‘Not for me,’ she laughs, ‘because all the hard work had been done. It was like a dream and it went off perfectly.’

The party was organised by the Queen’s cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, who set up her Party Planners operation in 1960. The quality of service was clearly uppermost in her mind. ‘The Queen is the most meticulous hostess,’ said Lady Elizabeth, a few days before the event. ‘She is really interested in what people are going to eat or when they are going to get drinks and making sure that they’re not waiting too long.’

As one attendee put it: ‘The hotel had to cater to a very disparate crowd, from monarchs and matriarchs to the younger group who intended to stay on and party. I think they pitched the whole event just right.’

Getting it ‘just right’, though, is not a one-off event for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. It is now committed to providing a daily level of service that would satisfy Her Majesty for another group that is, in some ways, even more demanding – the super-rich who have chosen One Hyde Park: The Residences at Mandarin

Oriental as their London base. These are people who, a century ago, would have kept fully staffed town houses in the city and, even a decade past, would have had perhaps an apartment in Mayfair or Chelsea. But with time seeming to speed up these days, the constraints of running multiple homes means that to have an address which combines the convenience of a hotel (with facilities such as a world-class spa with treatment and relaxation rooms, gymnasium, 21m ozone swimming pool, squash court, virtual golf simulator, events suite and sumptuous cinema) with the comforts of a home, is a very attractive proposition.

The icing on this very tempting cake is the service element. One Hyde Park has 60 Mandarin Orientaltrained staff who, as well as manning the front desk and spa, inhabit the warren of back rooms, hidden elevators and secret staircases that provide the invisible engine room for this remarkable undertaking. This does not mean that the staff have been taught the ropes and then cast off – One Hyde Park is an integral part of the hotel on every level.

‘Very much so,’ agrees Goh. ‘We have meetings every day to ensure a smooth ebb and flow between the two buildings. We eat in the same canteen, use the same

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D &G Milan's dynaMic duo has long excelled at forMal wear. here doMenico & stefano describe their influences (including sicilian tailors and the rat pack) and theories of the perfect suit WORDS peter howarth PORtRait terry richardson

olce AbbAnA

AnDthe Art of the tux

G

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W h e n D o m e n i c o D o lc e a n D St e fa n o G a b b a n a first ventured into menswear some 20 years ago, they were hailed as pioneers. Here was an antidote to Eighties ostentation – no more of the wide shoulders and lapels and shiny fabrics that had become the norm, an end to the power suits worn by those whom Tom Wolfe christened ‘Masters of the Universe’ in his novel The Bonfire of The Vanities.

Instead, the duo was mining an entirely different seam.

‘When we first presented our menswear collection, the press labelled it the Sicilian peasant look on account of the flat caps, or coppolas, the boots and the rough, rural jackets and waistcoats,’ says Domenico Dolce today, from the comfort of a black velvet sofa at the design headquarters of Dolce & Gabbana in Milan.

‘I realised they were responding to how different this look was at that time. It was 1990, and they were used to the styles of the previous decade. Our clothes were from a different tradition altogether and reminiscent of Luchino Visconti’s Sicilian epic Il Gattopardo, not Oliver Stone’s Wall Street.’

Stefano Gabbana agrees. ‘We didn’t set out to start a revolution,’ he says. ‘We just had a different point of view. We’re romantics. We love Italian cinema, especially Visconti's Ossessione, Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli, Senso.

This was the starting point for the men of Dolce & Gabbana: the men of Luchino Visconti.’

But, although there was, and still is, much of the Dolce & Gabbana collection that references the rural landscape of the great neorealist directors, there is a significance, too, in Stefano’s description of these two designers as ‘romantics’. Because, alongside the earthy

‘I played with the cloth and pricked my fingers on the sewing machines in my father’s tailoring workshop. Those times are a great influence on me.’ Domenico Dolce roots of the collection, there runs a parallel story – one of aristocratic finery, rather than peasant chic.

Dolce grew up in the Sicilian town of Polizzi Generosa and, from an early age, used to hang out in his father’s tailoring workshop. Here, Dolce senior would make clothes not only for the working men, but also the local aristocrats. Young Domenico has vivid memories of visiting them in their fine houses for fittings – ‘they were so polite,’ he recalls – and it is this tradition that can be traced in the label’s eveningwear.

‘Sicily is the heart and soul of our design – the ghost that haunts everything we do when it comes to menswear,’ says Dolce. ‘But, as well as the rougher looks influenced by the fields and the fishermen, there has always been an aristocratic style at play in our work – in the velvet and the dress shirts and, in particular, the dinner jackets.’

It is this last item that, over the years, Dolce & Gabbana has really made its own. ‘The thing about the tuxedo is that it has instant glamour,’ says Gabbana. ‘And when combined with a white shirt, that black jacket, with its distinctive satin finish on the lapel, is a classic – no wonder it has been adopted by men as their equivalent of a woman’s evening dress.’ But classic does not mean boring.

‘Although it is a traditional style,’ he adds, ‘it can be worn with attitude, like the Rat Pack once wore it and many stars still wear it today on the red carpet. We recognise this and that’s why we make it in different fabrics and colours, with lots of variations on lapel style and size.’

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Indeed, many a star does wear a tux on the red carpet, and if you were to look inside it, you’d ofen find a Dolce & Gabbana label – Adrien Brody, David Gandy, Novak Djokovic and Tinie Tempah have all at one time or another donned beautifully cut eveningwear by this Italian design duo. These modern-day heroes will almost certainly be aware that they are channelling the effortless elegance of the Rat Pack – that gang of well-dressed, louche performers namechecked by Gabbana. And the reference is revealing, because a study of Dolce & Gabbana menswear over the past few years reveals that the Italian lens through which the designers view the world is not so blinkered as to exclude outside cultural influences.

In particular, there is an appreciation of Americana and, with it, the icons that made that country famous, in fashion terms: James Dean, Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen.

‘It‘s said the first pairs of jeans were actually made in Italy, near Turin, and, in the 19th century, they became

previous page Stefano Gabbana, lef, and Domenico Dolce, 2011 this page Model Adam Senn wearing Sicilia tuxedo in carded flannel with faille trim, photographed by Gian Paolo Barbieri, from the book Icons: Dolce&Gabbana 1990-2010

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popular and were sold through Genoa, the harbour town, hence the name “jeans”,’ says Dolce. ‘That said, like everyone else, I associate denim with American style of the Fifies.’ Hence the brand’s penchant for printed T-shirts featuring photographs of the likes of Dean and McQueen.

But we should remember that, alongside the jeans and T-shirts of those celebrated rebels, Sinatra and his crew were promoting a Hollywood-friendly tuxedo style that was the glamorous counterpoint to the workwear their younger screen colleagues were sporting.

And glamour and sensuality are qualities Dolce and Gabbana have always been keen to integrate into their menswear. For them, this is no gender issue – men can be sexy, just as women can. Dolce remembers how, as a kid in Sicily, he would wander down from his father’s workshop to the town square in the afernoons to buy ice cream. He recalls seeing the young bucks sitting at the cafés, drinking martinis, with beautiful women on their arms. They wore dark, slim, sharp, Sixties-style suits and drove sports cars. These small-town playboys were fixed forever in his mind as archetypes of masculinity.

‘People know of the tailors of Savile Row in London, of course, but there was a parallel tradition of tailoring in southern Italy and, in the Forties, it began to be recognised all over the world,’ explains Gabbana. ‘Some of this was driven by the Italian film industry, which attracted international stars to the Cinecittà studio in Rome, where they saw the way Italians made jackets.

These had a less rigid and military appearance than the British look, which was also the main influence at that time on the American tailors.’

‘At Dolce & Gabbana, we feel we belong firmly to the great tradition of Italian tailoring,’ adds Dolce. ‘There is something proudly Latin about the look of our suiting – it is designed to make men look confident. Maybe this has something to do with the philosophy of bella figura and its embodiment in the ritual of the evening passeggiata, the evening walk when people show off their finest outfits.’

And, if you want a shortcut to looking good, pull on a tuxedo, says Dolce: ‘It's the height of sophistication.

It makes a man look like a matinee idol.’ Dolce and Gabbana’s fascination with the tux can be explained by their conviction that it is the jacket, above all other garments, that defines menswear. ‘No collection, however fashionable, can be taken seriously unless it engages with its intricacies. It is the ultimate symbol of masculine elegance,’ maintains Dolce.

Then they are off, explaining how they have developed three distinctive cuts to suit three types of physique.

‘Each has its name on the label,’ he explains, ‘so, once a man discovers which is the best for him, he can return in future seasons confident of finding the same fit.’

Gabbana chimes in: ‘The three names suggest the spirit of the different cuts. The Gold jacket was named afer the James Bond movie Goldfinger and has a long, slim silhouette that reflects the sharpness and sexiness of the Sixties. The Martini is very Capri – a little larger and more comfortable. And, finally, there is the Sicilia – a classic Sicilian-cut, designed to fit most silhouettes.’

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Dolce & Gabbana tuxedos come in all three fits and a myriad styles. Some are simple, others embroidered.

Some are in wool, some in silk, others in velvet, though these more ofen than not are really smoking jackets.

‘I played with the cloth and pricked my fingers on the sewing machines in my father’s workshop from an early age,’ recalls Dolce. ‘Those times influenced me greatly and, even today, every menswear collection starts with fabrics my father used, especially velvet. It is in my blood.’

‘Velvet is associated with nobility,’ says Gabbana, ‘and I believe the first European velvets were made in Italy. It has a luxurious sheen and, in black, suggests the spirit of the night.’

The designers are on a roll now, almost completing each other’s sentences. Dolce wants me to understand that they have wholly embraced the velvet jacket. ‘You see, there is another type of evening jacket, related to the tuxedo, and this is what in Italy we call the smoking da camera, which means “smoking jacket for the home”,’ he explains. ‘It is made from velvet or silk and has toggle fastenings. I love this garment because it is all about treating yourself. You wear it to be comfortable, yet you look super-elegant. Did you know Fred Astaire was buried in a smoking jacket?’

I didn’t, actually. How cool is that?

clockwise, from top Autumn/winter 2011/12 menswear collection shown in Milan; world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic; British rapper Tinie Tempah; King Rat Frank Sinatra

alamy | Courtesy DolCe & Gabbana

‘Although the tux is traditional, it can be worn with attitude, like the Rat Pack once wore it and many stars wear it today on the red carpet’ Stefano Gabbana

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HydE park life hyde lifE PhotograPhy Barnaby Wilshier Fashion editor David Hawkins

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luxurious living One Hyde Park: The Residences at Mandarin Oriental is more than a home, as the name suggests – it is a home with a five-star hotel built in. It could be said that living in the most desirable residence in Europe would be enough. But integrated into the building is everything you might want, need or desire. Everything has been thought of, probably before you even considered thinking about it yourself – thanks in part to a 60-strong Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group-trained team that is dedicated to One Hyde Park, and available 24 hours a day.

Dress, RalpH & Russo at HaRRoDs. Fur stole, toDD lynn.

Earrings in titanium set with 36 rose-cut diamonds and 1,220 diamonds, aDleR.

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u n pa r a l l e l e d s e r v i c e The dedicated services team is discreetly on hand to fulfil your every requirement – will even anticipate them – so if you want a cocktail expertly mixed, wine retrieved and served from your personal cellar, or a five-course formal dinner or a snack, you just let them know. You also have a personalised housekeeping service.

With this level of care, you can enjoy all the pleasures of having staff, without having to retain and manage them personally.

She wears: Dress, Roland MouRet. Shoes, SalVatoRe FeRRagaMo. Six emerald stone earrings, and 18ct white-gold necklace set with 13 Columbian emeralds and 30 emerald-cut diamonds, both adleR He wears: Jacket, Canali. Shirt, and tie, both HaRdy aMieS. Trousers, lanVin at HaRVey niCHolS. Tourbillon 44mm watch with an 18ct red-gold face and 18ct gold chain, BoVet at adleR

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pa r k l i f e Enjoying life here is a walk in the park – the beautiful hectares 253 of Hyde Park are literally on your doorstep, your garden, almost the same size as Singapore City. Located in London’s most exclusive shopping district, all the premier global brands are just a step away, as are the world-class neighbouring restaurants in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel – Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner and Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud – for all your dining needs.

She wears: Dress, CatheRine WaLkeR. Deep purple, multi-fur appliqué on lace coat, hoCkLey. Sapphire V- and pear-shaped necklace, haRRy Winston. Gloves, stylist’s own He wears: Coat, RobeRto CavaLLi. Shirt, haRdy amies.

Tie, doLCe & Gabbana at haRvey niChoLs. Trousers, and gloves, both dunhiLL. Shoes, oLiveR sWeeney

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D o o r -t o - d o o r l u x u ry The house limo – a Rolls Royce Ghost – is at your disposal. When you arrive home in your own vehicle, you will be greeted by the valet team who will then seamlessly whisk it away to the underground car park in one of the two vehicle lifs. The valets will ensure your car is always immaculate via the valet car cleaning service. You can leave travel plans to the 24/7 Concierge Service to assist with any and all modes of transport – be it jet or helicopter, boat or limousine.

She wears: Belted dress, Lanvin at Harvey nicHoLs. Shoes, Donna Karan. Diamond butterfly-motif earrings; emerald-cut and round-cut diamond necklace; and emerald-cut diamond ring, all Graff He wears: Shirt, tie, jacket, and trousers, all HarDy amies

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a quiet night in One Hyde Park’s private cinema is a fabulous place to take in the latest movie. The four-metre microfibre screen, state-of-theart projector and audio system offer the highest-spec viewing experience, and the ultra-luxurious, motor-adjusted cinema seats – the front row of which converts into a sofa – provide the most comfortable environment for screenings. The entertainment facilities also include a Virtual Golf Simulator, and a Virtual Games Room for you or your children.

She wears: ‘Crystal Goddess’ dress, Bodyamr made to order.

Antique, pink cropped fox-fur bolero, Hockley. Shoes, roBerto cavalli. Platinum ‘Snowflake’ necklace with diamonds; ‘Hawaii’ earrings in white gold with aquamarine and diamonds; and ‘Wisley’ clip in white gold with round and pearshaped diamonds, all van cleef & arpels He wears: Suit, ermenegildo Zegna. Shirt, Hardy amies. Tie, dunHill

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r e l a x a n d r e v i ta l i s e Be pampered by the dedicated team of spa professionals, on hand to provide treatments and relaxation in the Spa, or check in with your personal therapist to update your nutrition and exercise programme in the studio. Or compete in a game on the squash court, and then revitalise in the stainless steel swimming pool – 21 metres of low-lit, ozone-treated tranquil beauty. Maybe the sauna or steam room will be the option for more chilled-out sessions.

She wears: Swimming costume, MeLissa Odabash.

Shoes, Gina He wears: Trunks, ORLebaR bROwn

Hair James McMahon. Make-up Lica Fensome at Soho Management. Models Jo Renwick at Select and Adam Cowie at Storm. Photographer’s assistants James Donovan and Kieran Mane.

Fashion assistants Jo Harvey and Polly Mann StoCKiStS DetAiLS on PAge 101

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BoodleS

 Bang & olufSen

Fine jeweller Boodles has launched its new Wonderland collection, consisting of 10 suites of jewellery, each with its own inspiration and feel. The pieces in the ‘Honeysuckle’ suite are embellished with the sofly coloured, bellshaped flowers that echo honeysuckle blooms. Yellow and white diamonds cascade down in a set of earrings, while an asymmetrical necklace is fastened with a clasp of a hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower. Russian folklore, meanwhile, inspired the ‘Firebird’ suite. Named afer a magical bird that steals apples from the Tsar’s orchard, the suite features pieces (including a cuff, above) where an apple in yellow diamonds hangs from a bird’s beak, as rich orange, yellow and white diamonds evoke the bird’s glowing plumage. boodles.com

Bang & Olufsen’s Form 2 headphones celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, and you can rest assured that this iconic design is as fashionable and functional as ever. Renowned for their outstanding sound quality, these top-grade headphones allow you maximum volume without compromise – and without annoying your neighbour. Bang & Olufsen’s Danish-born CEO is certainly a fan. ‘I even had a pair custom-made to match the colours of the Danish flag,’ says Tue Mantoni. Indeed to mark the design’s anniversary, the company has released four new colours. The leading luxury audio-visual provider prides itself on staying true to original founder Peter Bang’s stated endeavour – ‘a never-failing will to create only the best’. bang-olufsen.com

 S To c k i n g e r

 g i f T- l i B r a r y

When protection is paramount, those in the know trust their most precious possessions to Stockinger. Producer of the finest bespoke safes in the world, German manufacturer Stockinger prides itself on combining security with style.

And the ISIS ‘Auranja’ model, above, is the ultimate expression of this objective. A limited edition, this design pays homage to the French luxury fashion house Hermès, and comes lacquered in the brand’s signature orange colour – a theme that continues in the interior.

The gold-plated handle alone takes Stockinger crafsmen six weeks to make, and the safe features the company’s patented locking system. This is a safe designed to be admired, not banished to a cellar but given pride of place in a dressing room, study or bedroom. stockinger.com

Over a decade of experience as a top personal stylist inspired Caroline Stanbury, above, to found her company, Gif-Library. Combining luxury products and a personal shopping service, ranges of gifs for women, men and children are on offer, as well as homewares and wedding presents. Stanbury’s personal connections with designers and artisans all over the world also ensure that no request is too difficult or obscure. ‘Someone once ordered a retro pinball machineas a present, with a picture of the recipient inside,’ she says, ‘and we recently had a stunning, one-off statue made for a well-known personality. Responding to unique requests is what we do best.’ And you can expect your gif to arrive beautifully wrapped and begging to be opened. gift-library.com

Adler 020 7409 2237; adler.ch Bodyamr 020 7691 2085; bodyamr.com Bovet at Adler on New Bond Street 020 7409 2237; adler.ch Canali 020 7499 5605; canali.it Catherine Walker 020 7352 4626; catherinewalker.com Diverso 020 7486 7501; diversoonline.com Dolce & Gabbana at Harvey Nichols 020 7235 5000; harveynichols.com Donna Karan 020 7479 7900; donnakaren.com Dunhill 0845 4580779; dunhill.com Ermenegildo Zegna 020 7518 2700; zegna.com Hardy Amies 020 7734 2436; hardyamies.com Harry Winston 020 7907 8800; harrywinston.com Hockley 020 7493 6362; hockleylondon.com Gina 020 7235 2932; gina.com Graff 020 7584 8571; graffdiamonds.com Lanvin at Harvey Nichols 020 7235 5000; harveynichols.com Melissa Odabash 020 7229 4299; odabash.com Oliver Sweeney 0800 6226030; oliversweeney.com Orlebar Brown 020 7229 4281; orlebarbrown.com Ralph & Russo at Harrods 020 7730 1234; harrods.com Rapha 020 7485 5000; rapha.cc Roberto Cavalli 020 7823 1879; robertocavalli.com Roland Mouret 020 7518 0700; rolandmouret.com Salvatore Ferragamo 020 7629 5007; salvatoreferragamo.com Todd Lynn 020 8466 0404; toddlynn.com Van Cleef & Arpels 020 7493 0400; vancleef-arpels.com

Tufenkian A chance meeting in Nepal inspired master weaver Tsetan Gyurman and businessman James Tufenkian to form a partnership and found Tufenkian, the luxury carpet company. That was more than 25 years ago, and today Tufenkian is famed for producing some of the finest, ethically made artisan carpets in the world. Designer Barbara Barry, a collaborator for 15 years, has created the new ‘Astral’ collection, which is inspired by nature. The colour palette includes sof browns, pale blues and warm neutral tones. Pure silk is woven into the rugs, giving an effervescent finish. ‘In these rugs our eyes pick up the most subtle nuances of both the depth of texture and the delicate colouration,’ explains Barry. ‘These are the kind of touches that set Tufenkian apart.‘ This exquisite new collection exemplifies elegant living. tufenkian.com

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Tamara Mellon and her daughter Araminta in their New York apartment

Tamara mellon the foundeR of LuxuRy accessoRies LabeL jimmy choo has amassed an impRessive and ecLectic aRRay of contempoRaRy aRt

You have a passion for contemporary art. When did your interest begin?

I’ve always been interested in aesthetics, but I developed a real appreciation of art in my late twenties and it just continued from there. I’m very fortunate that I’m now in the position to indulge that passion.

Can you describe some of the art you own?

In my apartment in New York I have photographs by Nobuyoshi Araki from Japan and Jim Lee, who was shooting in London in the Sixties, plus six huge images of vibrantly coloured coiled snakes by Guido Mocafico.

I also have a silkscreen by Andy Warhol of Grace Kelly and a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting. Then there’s the Terence Koh installation that reads ‘Love For Eternity’ in neon lights – I commissioned it at a dinner party one night and it was created and installed within the week!

What prompts you to buy a particular artwork?

Do you have to be able to imagine it in situ or do you need to have an instinctive connection with it?

I never plan an art purchase – I buy on the spur of the moment because something inspires or moves me but I can’t always put my finger on exactly why I love it.

And what was the last piece you bought?

A Marilyn Minter painting. Her work is so dramatic, so full of movement. She’s featured Jimmy Choo shoes in some of her works recently, which is a real honour for us. This one has a sandal stamping in silver paint.

Do you dabble in art yourself?

I suppose creating accessories can be likened to being an artist of sorts, but I’m happy to leave it to the experts.

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Which are your favourite galleries around the world?

It’s difficult to choose, but I’d say White Cube, Serpentine and Saatchi galleries in London, and the Gagosian, Lehmann Maupin and Salon 94 in New York.

advertising campaigns. For our Cruise 2011 collection, I collaborated with Marilyn Minter to create a very sexy, dramatic image and, for Cruise 2012, we’ve just finished working with the amazing Nan Goldin.

Which recent exhibition really blew you away?

The Alexander McQueen retrospective, Savage Beauty, was absolutely breathtaking. I was privileged to see it at the Met Ball [the annual event that celebrates the opening of New York’s Metropolitan Museum’s fashion exhibition]. He really was a rare genius and it’s tragic

Have any Jimmy Choo shoes been immortalised as art (in addition to the Marilyn Minter work)?

Yes. In 2005, I joined forces with Sir Elton John and David Furnish in a project for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The initiative, called ‘4 Inches’, featured iconic, artistic portraits of 44 inspiring women wearing nothing but 4in Jimmy Choo heels and Cartier jewellery! They were shot by some of the world’s most respected female photographers, such as Sam Taylor-Wood and Ellen von Unwerth, and raised a significant sum at auctions in London, New York and Los Angeles. The images were then reproduced for the 4 Inches book, the proceeds of which benefited the mothers2mothers programme, which works to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.

‘I have an installation by the artist Terence Koh that reads “Love For Eternity” in neon lights – I commissioned it at a dinner party one night’ that he’s no longer with us. It was a very emotional evening for his many friends who were there.

Which artist, living or dead, do you imagine you would most enjoy hanging out with?

Andy Warhol. I would’ve loved to have been part of his Studio 54 set – that scene really captured the moment.

A few years ago, the artist Richard Phillips designed a range of Jimmy Choo bags. Are you planning any more such collaborations?

We have lots of ideas in the pipeline. Lately, I’ve been lucky to work with some of my favourite artists on our

Do you imagine the typical Jimmy Choo customer might also be an art aficionado?

Yes, I think it’s true to say our customers would be very interested in the art world. I know many of my great friends, who are also customers, are aficionados and I’m certain other clients share my passion.

And could you see that passion for art tipping over into another business?

Anything is possible, so perhaps.

Tamara Mellon, OBE, is founder and chief creative officer of Jimmy Choo; jimmychoo.com

douglas friedman/trunk archive

You’re a keen collector of contemporary works. Is there one medium that interests you more than any other?

I do love photography, but I have very eclectic tastes and ofen surprise even myself with my choices.

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