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2020
BIENVENUE Only Magazine, your guide to all things luxury
O N LY M A G A Z I N E # 1 1
T O M F O R D | YA C H T C H A R T E R S | C A L I F O R N I A D R E A M I N G
ONLY MAGAZINE 2 0 2 0 – T R AV E L , A R T A N D L I F E S T Y L E
W
Jean-Victor Pastor Chairman of the JVPastor Group
Only Magazine is created by Waterfront Publishing on behalf of Suisscourtage. Waterfront Publishing is a London-based publishing house and creative agency. Waterfront Publishing Limited 12-18 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6NG
Editorial Samuel Ballard, director sam@waterfront-publishing.com Anthony Pearce, director anthony@waterfront-publishing.com onlymagazine@waterfrontpublishing.com waterfront-publishing.com
2020/21
elcome to the 11th issue of Only Magazine, the publication for JV Pastor Group and its brands. Only Magazine is your one-stop guide to travel, high-end fashion, food, culture and sport. When we started to create this edition, the world was in lockdown – now, restrictions are beginning to ease. With borders opening, the endless possibilities of travel are returning. In this issue, we speak to Tom Ford, the fashion designer and director (p74); we visit the US’s West Coast (p54); plus, we chat to two legends of the food world: Heston Blumenthal (p78) and Paul Pairet (p81). We hope you enjoy reading.
Cover image credit: FLYING FOX © Guillaume Plisson for Imperial Room
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O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 3
Life
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2020
2020 FEATURES 78
The appliance of science
From the lab to the kitchen, Heston Blumenthal’s work continues its eclectic evolution
74
A design for life
Designer Tom Ford on fashion, far-off destinations and failing to look comfortable on a yacht
64
Bay watch
The Bay of Kotor is one of Europe’s great sailing destinations, but there’s even more to Montenegro
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 5
News
CONTENTS
Recent developments and market news from the world of superyachting and private aviation
8
Yacht charter
16
Private jets
30
Shipyard
32 Travel
54
34 Architecture
68
42 Celebrity
74
45 Restaurants
78
48 Wine
84
From the world’s most renowned shipbuilders and designers comes a portfolio of irresistible charters Arrive in ample time and ultimate style aboard aircraft that are fast taking off in private business aviation Dutch shipbuilder Feadship has a long history of creating beautiful yachts – and this year is no different
Fashion
A style edit featuring garments by designers who are redrawing the lines of men’s and women’s fashion
Interiors
Re-energise your home and brighten up your living space with this season’s key items
Cars
A look at the concept cars putting science fictionturned-fact in the driving seat
Sport
The football business has a strong tradition, and as new players emerge, a compelling narrative endures
Sample the fruits of California’s vineyards and discover the great sailing opportunities around Montenegro Tokyo’s Olympic architecture and what Dubai Expo has in store when it opens to the world next year Designer Tom Ford on fashion, far-off destinations and failing to look comfortable on a yacht Heston Blumenthal shares his appliance of science and Shanghai’s Ultraviolent goes under the spotlight South Africa’s vast Western Cape offers something for everyone amid its wealth of distinctive wines
Art
90
Books
96
Reflections on Yayoi Kusama’s celebrated work and a round up of the best new exhibitions worldwide A catalogue of unmissable books from a diverse pool of genres, from memoirs to musings on art
Music
Tune in to the soundtrack of 2020 so far with four albums that span the musical spectrum
Top 5
97
Al fresco eateries, from dining in rolling meadows to picturesque sanctuaries tucked deep into cities O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 6
98
Private Bank
Global vision. Expert insight. Proven stability. Search ‘Barclays Private Bank’
Barclays Bank PLC Monaco is licensed to operate its activities in Monaco and falls under the dual supervision of the Monegasque regulator ‘Commission de Contrôle des Activités Financières’ (with regards to investment services) and the French regulator ‘Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution’ (in respect of banking services). The registered office of Barclays Bank PLC Monaco is located at 31 Avenue de La Costa, MC 98000 Monaco – Tel. + 377 93 15 35 35. Barclays Bank PLC Monaco is also registered with the Monaco Trade and Industry Registry under No. 68 S 01191. VAT N° FR 40 00002674 9. Barclays Bank PLC Monaco is a branch of Barclays Bank PLC which is registered in England under No. 1026167, authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. The registered offices of Barclays Bank PLC are located at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.
NEWS
THE HEADLINES
Beiderbeck Designs charts new waters with megayacht “A yacht so long it could act as a floating marina.” Those are the words of Beiderbeck Designs, which has released renderings of a £450 billion, 198-metre catamaran that it says has been designed to “shift the limits of what is feasible”. Galileo will have a 400-metre outdoor pool – considerably larger than many yachts are in total size – and an “amphitheatre-style” openair cinema, according to the German design agency. A spokesman said: “We estimate the costs at around €500 billion without toys and with just the standard interior. If you want a luxury interior, there are no limits on what the price might be. We believe it is the greatest concept that has ever been developed for a catamaran.” The catamaran will be powered by a methanol propulsion system and will “pioneer geothermal energy”. It will accommodate 38 guests. There will be a helicopter platform, with room to store the aircraft and a place to refuel, of course. Galileo has a top speed of 22 knots and a range of 19,000 miles, while the incredible onboard harbour, at 80 metres, has room for up to 25 water sports vehicles such as jet skis, submarines and boats. With great size and numerous features comes the need for a large crew. At least 75 staff will be required to keep the vessel operational – including chefs, cinema attendants and bar staff.
Heesen completes second in hybrid series Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, Heesen has announced the delivery of project YN 19510, now known as Amare II. It is the second in Heesen’s hybrid series with exterior design from Omega Architects. “Delivering a superyacht during the Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge that Heesen rose to and overcame,” said the Heesen team. “This was achieved thanks to the swift reorganisation of the in-house work schedule, which was adapted to meet governmental regulations and ensure the safety of all staff and suppliers involved in the operations. Tests at sea were performed with minimum crew in order to guarantee the necessary physical distancing and extra safety measures were put in place.”
Amare II has now been given to its owners after sea trials in the North Sea. It is 50 metres in length, eight metres wide and 499GT. Designed by Van Oossanen and engineered by Heesen, the hull of Amare II was welded to high tolerances at the Heesen facility in Oss.
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 8
BIG BANG INTEGRAL hublot.com
Titanium case with integrated bracelet. In-house UNICO chronograph movement.
2020
Seychelles island of fers retreat for yacht owners Six Senses Zil Pasyon is now available for exclusive use by up to 20 guests – the perfect retreat for those looking to get away from the mundane. It is found on the 652-acre Félicité Island, which is among the most beautiful of the 115 islands that makes up the Seychelles. With dramatic boulders, turquoise waters and pristine beaches, it also offers seclusion like few other destinations. The resort comprises 28 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom spacious pool villas alongside two residences, which occupy one third of the island’s land total – the rest is unspoilt nature and wildlife. Six Senses Zil Pasyon is located 30 miles (55 kilometres) northeast of Mahé International Airport and is accessible only by a scenic 20-minute private helicopter journey or a one-hour boat trip on a private motor yacht. For private jets, landing permits are subject to government approval (and it is the sole responsibility of the client to obtain them). Six Senses Zil Pasyon is available for exclusive use from €330,000 for a group of up to 20 guests for a one-week stay. It’s the perfect waterside location for yacht enthusiasts looking to spend a week on land.
Pelorus reveals Rimor design and underwater lounge Pelorus has unveiled the design of Rimor-X, its state-of-the-art 96-metre explorer superyacht concept, developed in collaboration with Sturge Design. Rimor, meaning ‘explorer’ in Latin, was developed in collaboration with designer Ben Julian Toth on the exterior styling, with Pelorus as technical adviser. The project highlights the technical innovation within the industry, offering space and
uninterrupted views of the ocean, and all within a design intended to take travellers farther than ever before. On board, the yacht will accommodate up to 14 guests across seven staterooms, including four double suites on the lower deck, two VIP apartments on the main deck and a dedicated owner’s deck with personal facilities. There will also be a large gym and a fully equipped wellness spa with an
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 11
atrium down to the ‘Mermaid Lounge’, a submerged lounge where guests can observe the underwater world. “From the layout, it’s obvious that each of these spaces has their own intimacy and function,” said designer Toby Sturge. “This allows all family members to enjoy their own time on board while still being together all on one incredible deck stretching from stern to bow.”
www.colibri.mc
+33 (0)4 58 24 04 04 - reservation@refugedelatraye.com - www.refugedelatraye.com 73550 MĂŠribel Les Allues - Savoie - France
2020
Icona unveils futuristic electric catamaran In one of the most futuristic, ambitious concepts we’ve seen, Icona Design Group has revealed the Fibonacci – an electric catamaran that looks like a piano. Named after the Italian mathematician from the Republic of Pisa, who was described as “the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages”, the 16.7-metre concept yacht marks the California-based design studio’s debut in the yachting world, and is the next step of invention after its award-winning Icona Nucleus, an autonomous concept vehicle. “We wanted to apply once again a futuristic vision of transport, but this time on water,” said Samuel Chuffart, vice-president and global design director of Icona. The company has offices in Los Angeles, Shanghai and Turin, the northern Italy city that is home to Fiat and other Italian automotive manufacturers. “Tomorrow’s boating experience will no longer be for just a few aficionados – with the technological evolution and sustainability now offered, boats should be designed differently to embrace a wider spectrum of people and uses,” said Chuffart. “Yachting is very self-referential, so what attracted us to this project was that it brought us into contact with specialists in other fields such as automotive design and electric transport,” Sergio Cutolo, founder of Hydro Tec, told Robb Report. “The catamaran configuration, propulsion system and overall concept is the result of a collective effort to maximise the efficiency of the design and minimise energy consumption.”
High interest in private Maldives getaways In the post-lockdown world, the paradise of the Maldives is recording unprecedented interest from holidaymakers looking to spend their days in the sun, away from the bustle of the real world. Niyama Private Islands Maldives, Naladhu Private Island Maldives, Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort and Anantara Veli Maldives Resort are opening their doors to intimate groups who want exclusivity and luxurious accommodation. With Dhaalu Airport now open to private jets, you won’t have to share this idyllic destination with anyone else. “The islands are a luxurious hideaway of poetic beauty – white sands, coconut palms, the jewel-toned colours of the Indian Ocean,” Naladhu Private Island Maldives said. “Your time on the islands – utterly bespoke and timeless.” The indulgent getaway is customised based on guests’ requirements, but prices start from $40,000 per night. Niyama Private Islands Maldives in the Dhaalu Atoll may also be one of the safest places on Earth – at the time of writing it has had no cases of Covid-19.
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 13
Maya Mia opened its doors in 2019 and has become an unmissable address situated in the heart of in Monaco. Maya Mia is THE traditional trattoria and its recipes are elaborated with fresh products, specialising in home made antipasti , pizzas, pasta and much more. Dine in house, takeaway or delivered to your home.
www.colibri.mc
1, place de la CrÊmaillère - 98000 Monaco +377 92 05 20 30 - www.mayamia.mc
YA C H T C H A R T E R
THE YACHT CLUB
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 16
2020
ROMEA
T
he celebrated German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen built Romea in Bremen. Engineered for “swiftness, grace and stability at sea,” according to Imperial, Romea has a cruising speed of 14 knots and a top speed of 16.9 knots, with a range of 5,750 nautical miles per fuelling, meaning virtually all destinations are within reach. Exquisitely appointed with a Beach Club, Jacuzzi, a salon that converts into a cinema and spacious dining room, this is the perfect yacht for entertaining guests. The six-cabin layout, including a full-beam master suite and VIP cabins, means there’s plenty of room for everyone.
RATES •
From €875,000 / week excluding VAT and APA
NEED TO KNOW Length: 81.8 metres Built: 2015 Builder: Abeking & Rasmussen Exterior Designer: Terence Disdale Design Interior Designer: Terence Disdale Design Guests: 14 Cabins: 6 suites Crew: 23 Cruising Speed: 14 knots Gross Tonnage: 2,312 Sailing regions: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, South-East Asia imperial-yachts.com
IMPERIAL O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 17
YA C H T C H A R T E R
FLYING FOX T
he exquisitely designed Flying Fox was built with entertainment in mind – and for plenty of guests. The superyacht is the largest ever available for charter, PYC-compliant and big enough to welcome 36 guests in cruising mode, with a dynamic positioning system that ensures comfortable sailing. The Mark Berryman-designed interiors exude modern luxury. There’s an impressive two-floor main salon, a 400sqm spa with cryotherapy, and each cabin has its own sea-facing private terrace. The exterior was imagined by award-winning Espen Øino, – the dove grey hull stands out against the water, and at 136 metres in length there’s enough space for luxurious amenities. A 12-metre swimming pool runs along the main deck, plus there’s a cinema with D-Box seats and Dolby Aqua sound system, beauty centre, gym and Jacuzzi. Sports addicts will feel right at home with access to the finest diving materials at the yacht’s own dive centre and a range of water toys, including jet skis, seabobs and the exclusive Zapata flyboard and hoverboard.
RATES •
From €3,500,000 / week excluding VAT and APA
NEED TO KNOW Length: 136 metres Built: 2019 Builder: Lürssen Exterior Designer: Espen Øino Interior Designer: Mark Berryman Guests: 36 cruising, 25 sleeping Cabins: 11 Crew: 54 Cruising Speed: 17 knots Gross Tonnage: 9,022 Sailing regions: Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, South-East Asia imperial-yachts.com
IMPERIAL O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 18
2020
LILI
NEED TO KNOW
D
elivered in the summer of 2017, Lili marks an outstanding upgrade of the popular Amels 180 Limited Edition range. Generous space is there to enjoy both inside and out, all marked by clean, contemporary design – the sun deck alone has 175sqm of living space, with giant sunbathing space on the aft. A four-metre-long pool features counter current jets for swimming and assorted water toys are available. For those wishing for something more sedentary, there’s a beach club with a steam room and a projector for a home cinema experience. Hosts can enjoy the VIP stateroom on the main deck, which has its own folddown balcony for private views. Lili is the most customized Amels 180 ever delivered by the shipyard.
Length: 55 metres Built: 2017 Builder: Amels Exterior Designer: Tim Heywood Interior Designer: Laura Sessa Guests: 12 Cabins: 6 Crew: 13 Cruising Speed: 13.5 knots Sailing regions: Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, South-East Asia imperial-yachts.com
RATES
Photo: Quin Bisset
•
From €290,000 / week excluding VAT and APA
IMPERIAL O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 19
YA C H T C H A R T E R
LEGANDA
NEED TO KNOW
IMPERIAL
C
ruise the Mediterranean on board this beautifully appointed vessel, newly available for charter. The yacht is in a class of her own, with large aft decks, al fresco dining, a Jacuzzi on the sun deck and lounging spaces designed with relaxation in mind. Inside, there are two large salons and accommodation space for up to ten guests in five staterooms, including a full-beam master suite on the main deck – all with en-suite bathrooms and heated marble floors.
RATES •
From €135,000 / week excluding VAT and APA
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 20
Length: 41.1 metres Built/Refit: 2009/2016 Builder: Mondomarine Exterior Designer: Cor D. Rover Interior Designer: Luca Dini Guests: 10 Cabins: 5 Crew: 7 Cruising Speed: 14 knots Gross Tonnage: 360 Sailing region: Mediterranean imperial-yachts.com
Les Airelles, Courchevel
H Ô T E L S
&
M A I S O N S
D ’ E X C E P T I O N
L e s A i r e l l e s , C o u r c h e v e l - L a B a s t i d e , G o r d e s - M a d e m o i s e l l e , Va l d’ i s è r e L e G r a n d C o n t r ô l e , C h â t e a u d e Ve r s a i l l e s - C h â t e a u d e l a Me s s a r d i è r e , S a i n t - Tr o p e z
w w w. a i r e l l e s . c o m
YA C H T C H A R T E R
GIRAUD O
n delivery in 2013, Giraud boasted both the titles of the largest interior volume of any 40-metre yacht and the quietest motor yacht in the world. Seven years on, and the vessel’s appeal remains – sleek lines are punctuated with contemporary styling, while the tri-deck design offers ample room for a group. The yacht cruises around the South of France and Corsica in the summer, and from Barcelona, Spain in the winter months. Enjoy the beautiful coastline views from deck, or take to the water with one of Giraud’s many toys – there’s a six-metre water slide, wakeboards, stand-up paddleboards and snorkelling gear, plus fishing equipment and dive tanks.
RATES • •
Summer 2020 High Rate: €180,000 per week Summer 2020 Low Rate: €180,000 per week
NEED TO KNOW Length: 40 metres Built/Refit: 2013 Builder: Admiral Exterior Designer: Luca Dini Design Interior Designer: Admiral Centro Stile Guests: 11 Cabins: 5 Crew: 9 Cruising Speed: 14 knots Gross Tonnage: 479 Summer Sailing Regions: South of France Winter Sailing Regions: Spain bluewateryachting.com
BLUEWATER O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 22
2020
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 23
YA C H T C H A R T E R
AURA
E
xuding elegance and sophistication, the aesthetic of this Benettibuilt yacht is chic contemporary. The design is modern and considered, with warm colours and attention to detail that ensures guests can relax in comfort. Aura sleeps ten in sumptuous surroundings, with silk accents and ivory-gold colour palettes. The vessel’s panoramic bow window is a talking point and, for when guests tire of the sea view, there are audio and video systems throughout for entertainment. Guests who prefer the great outdoors won’t be disappointed – there’s al fresco dining, a Jacuzzi on deck and an array of water toys for the more adventurous among the group.
RATES • •
Summer 2020 High Rate: €105,000 per week Summer 2020 Low Rate: €94,500 per week
NEED TO KNOW Length: 37 metres Built/Refit: 2006/2018 Builder: Benetti Interior Designer: Lynn A Cullen Guests: 10 Cabins: 5 Crew: 7 Cruising Speed: 13 knots Gross Tonnage: 298 Summer Sailing Regions: West Mediterranean bluewateryachting.com
BLUEWATER O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 24
2020
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 25
BENETTI
NEED TO KNOW
SEANET EUROPE
T
he Benetti Mediterraneo 116 is beautiful boat, offered by SeaNet Europe in co-ownership for simpler operations and management. Accommodation is for up to ten guests split between five staterooms, including a main deck master suite with panoramic views of the sea, two lower deck VIPs and two convertible twin rooms. Meanwhile, the crew quarters are suitable for a staff of up to seven. The spacious interior socialising areas feature soft lighting and luxury fabrics, which create a relaxing ambience for evenings on board. The main saloon has a bar, seating area and a dining table for group meals. Among the yacht’s most notable features are a Jacuzzi forward on the bow lounge. The sky lounge on mid deck has another relaxation and socialising area, with a large al fresco dining table and seating area.
RATES •
22.22% ownership / 8 weeks = € 2,995,00
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 26
Length: 35.5m Build/Refit: 2018/2020 Builder: Azimut-Benetti Spa, Benetti Shipyard Exterior Designer: Giorgio Maria Cassetta Interior Designer: Radyca; refit by SeaNet Europe Guests: 10 Cabins: 5 Crew: 7 Cruising Speed: 14 knots Gross Tonnage: 271.0 Summer Sailing Regions: Mediterranean Winter Sailing Regions: Caribbean/Asia seanetco.eu
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YA C H T C H A R T E R
BOLD
NEED TO KNOW
SILVERYACHTS
T
here’s much to love about the 85-metre Bold, created by Australia’s premier luxury yacht builder SilverYachts in collaboration with renowned yacht designer Espen Øino. The sun deck, which features an eight-person Jacuzzi, lounges, fireplace and al fresco dining, is a highlight, and there is also large outdoor entertaining and dining areas with bar and kitchen. Plus, of course, there’s helicopter parking for the ultimate grand entrance.
RATES • •
Summer 2020 high rate: €1,100,000 per week Summer 2020 low rate: €950,000 per week
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 28
Length: 85 metres Built/Refit: 2019 Builder: Hanseatic Marine, SilverYachts Exterior Designer: Espen Øino International Interior Designer: SilverYachts Guests: 16 Cabins: 8 Crew: 24 Cruising Speed: 17 knots Gross Tonnage: 1,551 silveryachts.com
2020
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 29
JET DIRECTORY
Prepare for take off
T
How private jet operators are innovating in the age of Covid-19
the current global situation is seeing wealthy customers increasingly look towards the world of private jets – allowing seamless and safe travel between destinations. Jet charter company PrivateFly says it saw an 85 per cent rise in inquiries in June compared with the equivalent weeks in 2019. It said that the Covid-19 pandemic is seeing more travel companies arranging private jets for its well-heeled customers, with travel trade partners such as Virtuoso and Black Tomato planning to introduce the service. Hannah Needs, PrivateFly’s head of partnerships, said: “With travel restrictions easing in much of Europe, we are very busy indeed with inquiries from travel agents, concierges and yacht brokers. They are telling us their clients are desperate to get away but are reluctant to fly on airlines until the risk of Covid-19 has reduced significantly – particularly those with families, or those who are older or in higher-risk groups. Agents are increasingly looking at private aviation as a solution, so holidays can go ahead safely and with peace of mind.” Of course, it makes sense. According to Robb Report, London-based private jet broker Colibri Aircraft estimates there are around 680 fewer person-to-person touch points when flying privately as there are when using a commercial airline. Various trend-spotters, including Londonbased agency Globetrender, have noted the market is opening up to first-
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 30
2020 time customers – those who can afford private jets but have previously not seen their value when commercial business-class travel will suffice. It has resulted in a number of partnerships, such as that of the Greek Villas company and Bookajet, which is providing customers with private jets to take them to their destination, as well as hotel-style service and bespoke travel insurance from Lloyd’s of London. As we report on p15, private jet charter company VistaJet is offering jet-to-yacht transfers so that guests can avoid exposing themselves to potential Covid-19 carriers. Guests must be able to travel to Malta and have their vessel waiting for them there in order to use the service. Ian Moore, chief commercial officer for VistaJet, said: “With a number of restrictions still in place during this time of uncertainty, those who own a yacht or are planning to charter one may be concerned about how they will reach it.” Meanwhile, Jet Linx, which normally sells its jet card memberships on an annual basis, is offering 90-day jet cards targeted at the newto-private audience. The cost to join is just $5,000 (compared with the normal $17,500) and offers guaranteed availability at fixed hourly rates with 48 hours’ notice. The pre-set fees enable customers to avoid surges in prices during high-demand periods – something that may be increasingly likely as Covid-19 cases spike and flatten in different destinations at different times. In March, Forbes reported that US private jet flights were down 40 per cent as borders began to close and the pre-lockdown rush to move somewhere else subsided. However, with ‘germaphobia’ a very real trend and private jet operators having played a significant role in repatriation in March and April – for example, JSX and its sister company JetSuite helped with the repatriation of 106 US citizens in one week at less than 48 hours’ notice, according to Forbes – the industry appears to not only have weathered the storm, but may emerge stronger.
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 31
S H I P YA R D F O C U S
Take to the water Dutch shipbuilder Feadship has a long history of creating beautiful yachts – and this year is no different, writes Mariana Soru
A
s yacht enthusiasts will tell you, it is knowledge, craftmanship and cutting-edge design that combine to make truly special vessels. Those who know Feadship, the Dutch shipbuilder, will know it has each in abundance, the result of a long history of creating beautiful boats for well-heeled customers. The company can trace its roots back to the De Vries and Van Lent families, who opened shipyards in 1906 and 1849, respectively – two iconic shipbuilding names whose descendants continue to build Feadship vessels. In fact, in these times of uncertainty, the company’s history of innovation in the face of adversity is likely to prove useful. The First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders – which gave the group its name – met for the first time in Amsterdam in 1949 in a bid to target the American market after the Second World War had decimated
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 32
2020 European economies and destroyed demand for yachts. Introduced to the US public at the 1951 New York Boat Show, Feadship has never looked back – with Hilda V, Capri and Souris II, its final wooden yacht in 1955, among its early sales on that side of the Atlantic. The company soon became well known to America’s rich and famous, including Malcolm Forbes, who launched the first of three Highlander Feadships in 1957. The original three partners – Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw, Royal Van Lent Shipyard and De Voogt Naval Architects – continue to design and build yachts under the Feadship banner. In the 1960s, the golden age of yacht-making, Feadship embraced then new technologies – such as retractable stabiliser fins and air conditioning – with the likes of Henry Ford II (Santa Maria) and Arthur Wirtz (Blackhawk) among those ordering custom-built yachts. Feadship notes that each bespoke vessel it has built is a clear expression of individualism, but they were “all built for sophisticated owners who
knew that they wanted the very best that money could buy”. Feadship has remarked on a trend for “pure custom creations” since the turn of the century and a surge in demand for large superyachts, as the Middle East began to rival its traditional US market. Over the years, as technology has developed, its customers have become more intrepid in their travels – taking their vessels to far corners of the globe and circumnavigations of the world, to the Amazon and beyond. The rich and famous still turn to Feadship to create their visions of luxury on the high seas. Recent builds include the 99.95-metre Moonrise, With a 15.50-metre beam, it boasts a spacious interior, room for sixteen people in eight staterooms and high-end crew accommodation for up to 32 crew. Joining the 2020 fleet is Arrow, an inaugural new-build superyacht commissioned by the owners. The 75-metre motoryacht is also the first Feadship to be drawn by Jonny Horsfield and his team at the H2 Yacht Design studio in London.
O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 33
SHARM EL SHEIKH
This is rush hour
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS WWW.EGYPT.TRAVEL
FA S H I O N
The talented Mr Simpson
Designer Scott Fraser Simpson shares with Anthony Pearce the inspiration behind his latest collection Twenty-one years after Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr Ripley first aired in cinemas, Dickie Greenleaf, the insouciant, debonair heir to a shipbuilding company, remains a style icon. Played by Jude Law, the character’s summer knitwear shirt has become the stuff of legend, an item worth obsessing over, as Scott Simpson, a 30-year-old Londonbased designer who has meticulously recreated the piece, agrees. During lockdown in the UK, Simpson kept busy by expanding his offering under Scott Fraser Collection, a fashion house since 2013, by honing in on the minute details of Greenleaf’s style. “I devoted a lot of my time to developing this new Mr Ripley knit,” he tells me over the phone from his house in Crystal Palace, a leafy area in southeast London known for its vintage furniture shops. “I really went over and above, making sure that every element of it was as true or accurate to the film as possible, taking it to that extra level and going deeper on the technical side, the neck, the weave, the feel, the colouring. It’s kept me busy.” The result, the first in the Icon series, is the Ripley Ischia and Ripley Anzio knit shirts, made in Milan, using a fine-gauge 100 per cent Merino wool. The former has a soft yellow waffled main body, off-white front panels, with two pockets set on the waist, while the latter has a white body and grey-blue textured front panels, which are set between strong striped
detailed lines. The collection, unsurprisingly, has already proved a hit – garnering column inches in the Financial Times, GQ and The Wall Street Journal – but there is plenty to admire about Simpson’s output as a whole. His global outlook provides inspiration, while all items are made to order and closely controlled in London. “I grew up in Asia and my dad, whose name is Fraser, would take me to all sorts of places around the Hong Kong back streets, seeing the tailors where [a shirt] would cost the same to be made to order than to just go and buy it. So I’ve always kind of grown up around the idea of working with people to create something – I took that principle and rolled with it.” The Scott Fraser Collection began as a pet project, more out of personal obsessions than a desire to make money, says Simpson, who has a “huge” collection of Italian knitwear. It all started with a bag “which was something that I needed but I wanted to make for myself,” he says. “From there, I worked with leather makers, manufacturers and jacket makers; I then moved over to making shirts and trousers knitwear.” The mantra for the collection is Retrospective Modernism – the idea of “basically taking references from the past, then reinterpreting them, but keeping an element of respect throughout”. According to the brand’s website, “The aim of the collection is not to replicate pieces from yesterday,
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but to reinterpret these timeless icons of design, using them as a source of inspiration for today-ready clothing, luggage and accessories.” While Greenleaf’s style is that of Jazz Age on the Italian Riviera, Simpson takes inspiration from across cultures and eras. “There’s [inspiration from] 30s, 40s and 50s Hollywood greats from the Golden Age; you’ve got that Ivy League look, which is like that collegiate 40s and 50s look – some would say it’s a preppy look. That is very much part of … Mr Ripley, which other characters [aside from Greenleaf] wear. “It’s an amalgamation of deep dives into sort of subcultures from the past from which I’ve pulled out elements: the Jazz Age, late 50s and 60s sort-of styling; Mod and rockabilly.” One of the staples of the brand are wide-legged trousers, which are inspired by the Windrush generation – the first West Indians who made their way from the Caribbean to settle in the UK after the Second World War. During the lockdown, Simpson found that customers reached out to learn more about the brand, while he has spent time working and reworking designs. This has necessitated finding new ways of working with manufacturers. In more normal times, Simpson spends his days cruising around London on his Vespa and to the studio, located just off Shoreditch’s tree-lined Arnold Circus – a collection of red-brick, turn-of-the-century social housing, and “from factory to fabric supplier to maker to meeting”. “I’m very blessed,” says Simpson of the brand’s growing popularity and the attention the Ripley collection has attracted. “It’s working really well, and there are more things to come. I plan to bring out more rare limited collections and work to a grow more bespoke options.”
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M E N ’ S FA S H I O N
Summer style
Frankie Anderson picks the must-have items in men’s fashion this season
Brunello Cucinelli suede espadrilles, £490
Cotton linen drawstring Sunspel shorts, £145
These brown suede espadrilles from the Italian luxury fashion brand Brunello Cucinelli are set on comfortable rubber soles, making them perfect for relaxing on deck or heading out exploring. Mr Porter adds that the striped grosgrain gives them added nautical appeal. MRPORTER.COM
Established in 1860, Sunspel, founded in Nottingham in the UK (but now based over the border in Derbyshire), makes timeless wardrobe essentials. These drawstring shorts are an exquisite example of this dedication to highquality fabrics and minimalist design. SUNSPEL.COM
Ballon Bleu de Cartier automatic 18-karat pink gold and alligator watch, £13,900 At the turn of the century, King Edward VII of Great Britain referred to Cartier as “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers,” and not much has changed in regards to the French luxury brand’s standing or quality since. The watch has been manufactured in Switzerland with a polished 18-karat pink gold case and features a silver guilloché dial, blue steel hands and protected spinel topped with a sapphire cabochon. MRPORTER.COM
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Camp collar print shirts Variously called camp, Cuban or cabin collar, these short-sleeved shirts are a summer must-have – light and casual enough for the beach but smart enough for dining. We’ve picked out some of our favourites for this season. Clockwise from top left: a camp collar floral-print linen shirt from Bolognabased fashion house 120% (£147, MrPorter.com); simple and elegant Cuban collar linen-blend shirt from British brand Folk (£110, Matchesfashion.com); Dolce & Gabbana’s show-stopping shell-print cotton-blend shirt (£745, Matchesfashion.com); Officine Générale’s Dario leaf-print cotton-seersucker shirt (£97, Matchesfashion.com); and Onia’s vacation camp collar striped linen shirt (£77, Matchesfashion.com).
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W O M E N ’ S FA S H I O N
Wear it well
Victoria Collis rounds up the women’s wardrobe essentials for the season
Lola Hats Snap First Aid raf fia hat, £249
Jil Sander: Metallic-orb flat wraparound sandals, £440
A timeless style updated with a chic wider brim – this raffia hat is the perfect complement to a hot sunny day, whether spent on deck or wandering around port. MYTHERESA.COM
This classic wraparound sandal is elevated by its modern metallic detailing, making it suitable for evening or daytime. If you need to pack light, then these Jil Sander sandals are a great option – perfect for any occasion. MATCHESFASHION.COM
Bottega Veneta: The Pouch, £6,165 The bag on everybody’s wish list has had a summer update. Handwoven from tubular Nappa, each piece has a unique finish, while the magnetic frame ensures a seamless, fuss-free close. The vibrant hues mean this Bottega will be the talk of whatever town you are in. BOTTEGAVENETA.COM
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La Double J: La Scala top, £385, & Hendrix pants, £380
Mara Hof fman Arabella of f-the shoulder ruf fle dress, £715
Jacquemus Bahia tie-front cotton jaquard shirt, £390
With its bright graphic prints and marabou feather trim, this two-piece is nothing if not fun. The flattering flair kick gives off a vintage silhouette, perfect for a retro look on a summer getaway. Either dress the pants down with an oversized white shirt or dress them up with the matching top. LADOUBLEJ.COM
Is there anything more flattering than an off-theshoulder midi dress? This Mara Hoffman number is made from hemp, considered to be one of the world’s most environmentally friendly materials. It offers a natural protection from UV light and is form-flattering, too. MATCHESFASHION.COM
Every summer wardrobe needs some Jacquemus in it. This white shirt is the piece that will elevate every look. The loose twisted tie detail accentuates the waist, while the plunging neckline allows plenty of room to frame layered gold necklaces. NET-A-PORTER.COM
Adriana Degreas: Majorelle halterneck belted swimsuit, £244.09 Brazilian designer Adriana Degreas has crafted a striking and flattering silhouette for this royalblue swimsuit. The plunging neckline and highcut legs create an elongating effect, while the coordinating belt brings definition to the waist. NET-A-PORTER.COM
Emilia Wickstead: Reggie High-Rise Pleated Linen Shorts, £480 High-waisted and long in length, Emilia Wickstead’s linen shorts offer style and comfort. Neat pintuck pleats promote a loose fit, while the linen fabric will keep you cool on hot days. For complete coordination, wear them with the matching shirt and heeled mules. MATCHESFASHION.COM
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INTERIORS
Re-energise your home David Lampbert picks the items that can brighten up your living space this season
Eames Lounge Chair for Vitra, £8,190 This revitalisation of the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is crafted exclusively for The Conran Shop in London from ethically sourced mahogany and vegetable-tanned leather by Vitra, the Swiss furniture company. The is one of only 20 editions of this limited-issue chair in existence – as comfortable as it is stylish. CONRANSHOP.CO.UK
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Ebury Tech Tidy, £450
Photo: Mel Yates
Another desk must-have, also from Linley, for those who can’t stand clutter. The Ebury Tech Tidy is a multi-device charging station stitched in navy leather. It hosts high-quality USB ports, meaning you’re able to charge five devices simultaneously (two smartphones, two tablets and your Apple Watch). DAVIDLINLEY.COM
Otto Crescent Sofa, £17,578 The tan-leather-upholstered Otto Crescent Sofa is also exclusive to The Conran Shop and marks a continuing collaboration between British designer Lucy Kurrein and Italian furniture master, Molinari. £17,578
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INTERIORS
Gaggenau, espresso machine 400 series, £POR However you take your coffee, says historic German band Gaggenau Hausgeräte, take it seriously. This – its fully automated express machine 400 series – is exactly that: a serious bit of kit. You can prepare a wide variety of espresso and milk-based drinks, as well as the classic cup of coffee, warm milk and hot water for other beverages, including tea, and save up to eight personalised drinks to memory. There’s a fixed water connection, so there’s no need to refill water tanks, while the cleaning programme can run uninterrupted. GAGGENAU.COM
Bellerby & Co table top desk globe, £3,950
You & Me Ping-Pong Table, £3,150
Dream of far-away lanes while you work with this desk globe, exclusively crafted for Linley – the British shop owned by David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon – by expert globe-makers Bellerby & Co. It is hand-painted using Sennelier watercolours, features a solid walnut round base and spins on its axis on a sleek steel arm. DAVIDLINLEY.COM
Hone your table-tennis skills with this beautiful piece of furniture, expertly designed by Antoni Pallejà Office and crafted by RS Barcelona. The white and walnut You & Me Ping-Pong Table is available in three sizes. CONRANSHOP.CO.UK
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CARS
Full throttle
McClaren relives Le Mans ‘95 with limited edition 720s McClaren made record history at its first ever appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 with seven of its McLaren F1 GTRs. Car #59 – driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya – was crowned the overall winner at one of the wettest races in the event’s history. To celebrate the achievement anew, the British supercar manufacturer is rolling out a commemorative McLaren 720S Le Mans special edition on the 25th anniversary of the race. Only 5o of the anniversary edition will be produced, coming in Sarthe Grey or McLaren Orange and featuring a functional gloss-black roof scoop and carbon-fibre louvered front fenders. The lower body sides, lower front bumper and rear bumper are painted Ueno Grey. The five-spoke wheel design is inspired by that of the F1 GTR racer, while contrasting gold-painted brake calipers are fitted, too. Owners of the 720S Le Mans model will experience the performance delivered by the mid-mounted four-litre M840T McLaren engine. The twin-turbocharged V8 propels the car from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 2.9 seconds, 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 7.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 341 km/h (212 mph). A carbon fibre Monocage II central structure and Proactive Chassis Control II suspension system help to ensure the 720S is the lightest car in its class. Of the 50 models to be built, 16 are destined for Europe, with a price tag somewhere above that of the $299,000 for the standard 720S. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in September.
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CARS
Concepts on course Alexander Kavanagh looks at the concept cars putting science fiction-turned-fact in the driving seat How many concept cars can you name that are inspired by films from more than ten years ago? Probably not many. There are famous film cars, such as Back to the Future’s DeLorean or James Bond’s Aston Martin, but those are something different entirely. The new Mercedes Vision AVTR is a concept car like no other. Inspired by Avatar, James Cameron’s blockbuster, the Vision AVTR looks like it has come straight out of the world of Pandora. And, given that it “trials a completely new interaction between human, machine and nature”, it goes way beyond fiction. This is life imitating art. The AVTR has been made to look more like a living organism than a traditional car. It has been fitted out with bionic flaps that look like scales and has controls that work when the driver lifts their hand. Its battery is made from organic, recycled material and is fully compostable. While it has been inspired by science fiction, when Ola Källenius, chair of the Board of Management for Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, presented the new concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the car took a step closer to becoming reality. “Where do we take it from here?” Källenius asked. “I guess that’s the core question of every CES. And this inner unrest for what’s next is also at the core of our purpose at Mercedes-Benz. Today we would like to show what that means.”
Mercedes’ new concept trials a number of cutting-edge technologies, including the previously mentioned 33 “bionic flaps” on the back of the car, which feed information to the driver about the surrounding environment. Arguably the most Avatar-like aspect of the car, however, is how the driver and car ‘merge’. There is no traditional steering wheel or gear stick; instead there’s a control unit that allows the person in either the passenger or driver’s seat to control the car. In ‘comfort mode’ the car is autonomous. While it’s hard to imagine that the AVTR is anywhere near mass production, it is a sign of where one of the world’s leading carmakers is heading. And if this is the future, it looks very interesting.
Volvo Polestar 2 Volvo showed its first concept car as a coupé to gauge the market and put it into production two years later. Polestar 2 looks set to follow suit with an avant-garde design featuring distinctive flourishes such as a hexagonal gear shifter with an illuminated Polestar at the centre. A versatile electric car, tech such as intelligent seat sensors and responsive accessibility negate the need for a key, offering drivers freedom and minimal faff. Wireless inductive phone charging is another neat feature: place your phone in the tunnel console and it will be juiced up on arrival at your destination.
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SPORT
Up your game Emily Eastman picks this season’s sports essentials for higher-quality workouts
NOHrD Sprintbok in walnut, £6,095 Who says that gym equipment can’t be beautiful? This treadmill has won awards for its design and it’s easy to see why. Powered only by the user, it is virtually silent and made to feel like you are running through a forest.
NormaTec Pulse 2.0, $1,895 (£1,490)
Vollebak Solar Charged Jacket, £345
Take recovery to the next level with this full-body system, which gives a targeted massage, via an app, to the areas you want to focus on – increasing circulation and reducing pain after high-intensity training sessions.
Vollebak’s designers mix science and fashion to futuristic effect. Powered by the sun, this jacket glows in the dark – excellent if you’re regularly on deck at night. It’s also waterproof, stretchy, lightweight and highly breathable.
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Valentino Garavani Urgan shearling-lined rubbertrimmed leather boots, £1,000 Valentino’s Urgan boots offer style as well as substance – perfect whether you’re hitting the trails or simply shopping about town this winter. The ‘V’ logos stitched at the back of the ankles are a nice touch, too.
Peloton indoor training bike, £1,990 If there’s one bit of kit that’s proved to be more in vogue than the Peloton bike, we’re yet to hear about it. Access on-demand spin classes or join them live – broadcast from slick studios around the world – from your living room.
Louis Vuitton dumbbells, £1,730
Suunto 9 Baro Titanium Leather, £765
Perfect for anyone who’s looking to elevate their home gym or as a gift for those who wish to exercise in style, the Louis Vuitton dumbbells are made from lustrous metals and include the famous monogram on canvas handles.
This watch has been created to support athletes competing in ultraendurance events. Packed full of features, including GPS navigation, heartrate monitor and barometer, it also has a battery that lasts up to 120 hours, making it the best in class.
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SPORT
Business plays ball The football business has a strong tradition, and as new players emerge, a compelling narrative endures, writes Marcus Long
F
ootball, it’s fair to say, is a rich man’s game. Today, the ten richest football club owners in the world are together worth more than $111 billion; in England, 15 of the 20 clubs in the Premier League, the most lucrative league in the world, are owned by billionaires. Gone it seems are the days of simply rich football-club owners – this is a new era of ultra wealth. Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian businessman who co-founded the Red Bull energy drink company, is the 53rd richest person in the world – and second richest in football, second only to Sheikh Mansour, the Emirati politician and businessman who is worth $20 billion (compared with Mateschitz’s $19.4 billion). The pair each own a trio of clubs, including rival clubs in New York (Mansour owns Manchester City, Melbourne City and New York City while Mateschitz owns Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls). The pair have had a transformative effect on the individual clubs and their leagues. Manchester City has been the dominant force in the Premier League (although it’s now playing second fiddle to a resurgent Liverpool): under Pep Guardiola, City won the Premier League in 2018, becoming the only Premier League team to reach 100 points in a single season, and, in 2019, became the first English men’s team to win the domestic treble. In the 2017/18 season, RB Leipzig finished runners-up in the Bundesliga – a
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2020 remarkable achievement given the club was only founded in 2009 when the playing rights of fifth-tier side SSV Markranstäd were purchased. The plan was to reach top-flight Bundesliga football within eight years – which it did, although not without criticism in Germany where accusations of ‘buying success’ abound. Unlike Leipzig, Manchester City is a team with a long and storied history – sometimes marked by success, but often not. Buying existing clubs with decent infrastructure – as Mansour did with City and Roman Abramovich did with Chelsea – is far more common the formation of new clubs in England, where only nine formed since 1932 are in the Football League (that being the Championship, Leagues One and Two), while none are in the Premier League. The best known is MK Dons, which grew out of Wimbledon’s FC’s ashes after being moved from south of the river Thames to a town in Buckinghamshire, 70 miles north (the team now competes in League One, having been promoted at the end of the 2018–19 season). Wimbledon fans, understandably, were not happy, and met in a local pub to discuss their next moves after the English FA prevented an appeal. They decided on the only sensible course of action: to start a new club, AFC Wimbledon. The club, which began in the bottom tier of English football, took 14 years to reach the Football League – the first club formed in the 21st century to do so. The crucial element is time. After all, in England, FA Affiliation costs just £80 a season, while league affiliation and entry costs £88 a season; the pitch can be as little as £500–£1,000; and kitting out the team and providing footballs costs about £600, with a referee about £30 per game. Money can buy success, but in historic leagues patience is necessary.
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SPORT The Major Soccer League in the US is more akin to England at the end of the 19th century, when football clubs were springing up thick and fast. MLS’s 26 teams are divided evenly between the Eastern and Western Conferences, with the New York Red Bulls and DC United among the eastern division, and LA Galaxy the best known in the west. The league has regularly expanded since the 2005 season, with two new clubs (Miami and Nashville) joinng in 2020. There are plans to expand to 30 teams with the addition of Austin FC and Charlotte in 2021, and Sacramento Republic FC and St Louis in 2022. Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami – or Inter Miami – with its distinctive pink and black kit, and David Beckham as owner and president, is likely to become a hipster fans’ favourite. The story of the club began when Beckham – who had received an option to purchase an expansion team at a price of $25 million when he joined the league in 2007 – hung up his boots in 2013. The ownership group behind the franchise was first formed that year as Miami Beckham United (now Miami Freedom Park LLC). The present ownership group is led by Miami-based Bolivian businessman Marcelo Claure, while Masayoshi Son and brothers Jorge and Jose Mas were added to the ownership group in 2017. The club plays at the 18,000-capacity Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium, but a proposed 25,000-seat stadium, along with retail shops, hotels, restaurants and a training centre, is planned for the team’s home city, under the name the Miami Freedom Park. In December, it was reported that the Mases are leading the effort to negotiate a 99-year lease with the city of Miami to construct Miami Freedom Park, a $1 billion commercial and stadium complex on Melreese golf course. It is the only course inside Miami city limits, next to Miami International Airport. Football may be a very old story, but new characters are emerging all the time.
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www.colibri.mc
T R AV E L
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The Grape State Sam Ballard drinks in all California has to of fer, from award-winning vineyards to picture-per fect vistas
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hether it’s mooring up in Newport Beach or sailing out to Santa Catalina Island, there is a reason why the United States’ Gold Coast holds such an emotive place in the hearts of most yachting enthusiasts. California is the state of old-school Hollywood glamour. Where Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart used to sail, where you could find Dean Martin or Charlie Chaplin – legends of the silver screen. However, the state’s yachting scene has not been consigned to the history books. There are dozens of marinas dotted throughout this glorious coastline where you can tie up and kick back, drinking in that famous laid-back Californian lifestyle. The gem of Californian yachting is Santa Catalina Island. Located just 22 miles off the Californian coast, Catalina, as it’s known among the locals, still holds the charm of the mainland. Straight out of an F Scott Fitzgerald novel, the island was almost entirely owned by William Wrigley Jr, the chewing gum magnate, who invested millions into buildings and infrastructure here. Ten years after purchasing the island, in 1929, Wrigley opened the Catalina Casino, a landmark that still stands today on the edge of the marina – although don’t expect to gamble: the building is in fact a beautiful Art Deco theatre (taking the original Italian meaning of casino as a meeting place). Wrigley also poured money into marketing Catalina by creating spectacles that would pull in the crowds, such as having his baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, train on the island during the spring.
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And as if the island’s history couldn’t be more Hollywood, it even has its own bison. They original herd was brought over in the 1920s for a film shoot. Once you’ve moored at Catalina you can only get about on foot, bicycle or golf cart. The island’s main town, Avalon, has one of the most beautiful promenades in the entire country. And, more diminutively, the world’s smallest FedEx truck. Elsewhere in California, the Napa Valley Yacht Club is a top spot for oenophiles and within easy reach of the region’s award-winning vineyards, including Silver Oak (15 miles away) and the magnificent Del Dotto Estate (17 miles away). What could better than walking among the vines on a warm evening? Napa Valley, and the less well-known Sonoma Valley, create some of the best New World wines around the globe. You can tour these palaces of winemaking – often on private tours if you get in touch early enough – and enjoy tasting the fruits grown by these master craftspeople. It would be rude not to stock up your own cellars while in town, too. Another famous spot for the Californian yachting community is the Newport Beach Yacht Club. The club, which is one of the oldest in the United States, is just a short distance from exclusive communities such as Balboa Island, where you will find prestigious harbourside properties. Restaurants range from the high-end Italian Ciao Balboa and French restaurant Basilic to cheap eats at Crocker’s or the vintage Balboa Candy. Its white picket fences give off a real sense of classic Americana.
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Marina Del Ray, a seaside community close to Venice Beach and Santa Monica, is perfect for those wanting to access Los Angeles. The area is fantastic for eating out – from the farm-to-table Cast & Plow to Café del Rey, an upscale New American restaurant serving contemporary fare. There is also plenty to offer in terms of activities, from sport fishing (halibut, white seabass, yellowtail) to parasailing or kayaking. This is a community where a lot of time is spent on the water. If too much activity isn’t for you, then taking a walk down Venice Beach for a spot of people-watching is a far less strenuous way to spend a few hours. Or, if it’s life on the open road that you seek, look up Vintech, restorers of classic Porsches. San Francisco, with more coastline than most cities, has an impressive array of marinas – mostly around North Beach and towards the Golden Gate Bridge. If you’re in town on business this means that you can get down to Silicon Valley while having a convenient base in the city. Those who are visiting for pleasure have one of the west coast’s great cities at their feet – from world-famous sights such as Alcatraz, the island prison, to Fisherman’s Wharf. Jump on a streetcar and explore what the city has to offer. Regardless of whether you are looking for paradise in California’s Channel Islands or seeking a quiet corner in one of the world’s great megacities, there is something for everyone in this diverse part of the United States, from beautiful boardwalks to untouched slices of old America – and plenty of Hollywood glamour. Just make sure you have stocked up on plenty of Californian Pinot Noir.
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T R AV E L
Paradise found Thomas Anka uncovers a slice of heaven by every definition in the British Virgin Islands
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pread across an archipelago of 60 islands, there are few places in the world that can compete with the British Virgin Islands when it comes to sailing. A combination of good winds, calm currents and protected bays – and some amazing snorkelling spots – make this a paradise for yachting. Whether exploring The Baths or propped up at a pirate beach bar, this is a region that is steeped in history, both above and below water. Tortola, the best-known destination in the BVI, has everything you could want from a Caribbean island: sun, sea and sand – and rum. Specifically, the Callwood Rum Distillery, one of the oldest in the region. The site, which dates back to the 1600s, creaks with age. The stone buildings, copper vats and wooden casks all add to the atmosphere. If you prefer to keep your head clear, then why not head off for a walk in Mount Sage National Park? Named after the highest peak on the island, it is the perfect place for trekking and hiking – for those who fancy the 1,716-ft climb. It would be remiss not to mention some of the stunning beaches that line Tortola’s coastline. From Smuggler’s Cove, the island’s most popular beach, to Cane Garden Bay, Long Bay Beach and Brewer’s Bay. For dinner, you could do a lot worse than Quito’s Gazebo, although beware that it’s not a spot for a quiet, romantic meal. The British Virgin Islands have a long and fascinating history, particularly when it comes to pirates. Many of the territory’s islands have intriguing names that point to this bloody history, such Dead Chest Island, where legend has it that Blackbeard would maroon insubordinate members of his crew (“Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest”) with just a bottle of rum and a cutlass. Now these islands are the perfect place for snorkelling and scuba diving. If you’re looking for a particularly interesting spot then head out to Salt Island, where the Royal Mail packet
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steamer RHS Rhone sank in a hurricane in 1876. It’s now one of the best scuba diving sites in the Caribbean. For those who would rather snorkel, chart a course for The Baths in Virgin Gorda, east of Tortola. Here, you can swim among the huge granite boulders that were brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions. Be warned though, it’s a popular spot. As is the island’s Bitter End Yacht Club, which is being totally rebuilt after hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed it a few years ago. In Anegada, you will find some of the best fishing in the BVI. There’s grouper, triggerfish, kingfish and snapper to be found here. Or, if you fancy a challenge, bonefish. There are plenty of watering holes to revive you after a day’s fishing, too – from Big Bamboo to Neptune’s Treasure or the Wonky Dog. Be sure to try the local Anegada punch. While in the neighbourhood, it’s well worth charting a course for Horseshoe Reef, one of the largest coral reefs in the Caribbean. There, you’ll find lobster, conch and all manner of other underwater life. Prickly Pear Island – not the one near Antigua – is another great location for those with the freedom to roam. The uninhabited island has a beach bar and water sports facilities, and was declared a national park in 1988. You’ll find numerous geckos and lizards on the island, including the common puerto rican ameiva, which can grow up to 85cm in length. The island also has some incredible beaches, so once you’re finished trying to spot any wildlife you can sit back and enjoy some of that famous Caribbean sunshine. The quirkiest island in the British Virgin Islands is undoubtedly tiny Jost Van Dyke, which is named after a Dutch pirate. The ‘barefoot island’ measures just three miles by four and is home to fewer than 300 inhabitants – with a main street essentially on the beach. The place is famous for its Halloween and New Year’s Eve yacht parties. Wherever you decide to pull up in the British Virgin Islands – whether it’s on the main island of Tortola, walking barefoot on Jost Van Dyke or exploring one of the numerous paradise islets that dot the region – you are sure of a good time. There’s a reason why so many sailors like nothing better than spending time bobbing around this part of the Caribbean. Just remember to pack your sunscreen.
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T R AV E L
Bay watch
The Bay of Kotor provides one of Europe’s great sailing oppor tunities, but there’s even more to Montenegro writes Kaltrina Maraš
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E
urope’s ‘southernmost fjord’ is no fjord at all – but it’s easy to see why the spectacular, narrow Bay of Kotor is compared to the beauty of Norway’s west coast. Also known as the Boka, this Unesco World Heritage site in the Adriatic Sea provides one of the continent’s most satisfying, sun-kissed sailing experiences, particularly later in the season, when the waters clear and cruise ships leave. With Croatia to the north, Italy across the water, and Albania and Corfu to the south, Montenegro is often overlooked in favour of its better-known neighbours. It shouldn’t be: its coastline may be short, but it is magnificent, made up of 120 beautiful beaches, well-persevered medieval towns, dramatic scenery and fascinating islands. Noted by Forbes as the ultimate superyacht sanctuary along the Adriatic Coast, the hugely impressive Porto Montenegro marina, in the western end of the Bay of Kotor, makes the bay a must-visit destination for yacht owners. With 450 berths, shops, restaurants, bars, spas and salon, the marina itself is one of the region’s top party destinations, while it also provides access to Tivat, a small city, and the wider municipality of the same name, with its spectacular mountainous backdrop. Although
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T R AV E L not as architecturally impressive as the likes of Kotor, the city houses the Summer House Buća, which dates back to the 17th century and is built in late Gothic style. The quaint village of Gornja Lastva, some 300m up mount Vrmac, which separates the Kotor and Tivat bays, is a ten-minute drive or hour-long hike, and provides an insight into small-town life – as well as incredible views. There are three islands of interest nearby: the Island of Flowers (Miholjska Prevlaka), which is just 300m long and 200m wide, and is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The island is home to a monastery dedicated to Archangel Michael, built in the early 13th century by Saint Sava, and about 100 people, who mainly live in bungalows. Our Lady of Mercy island (Gospa od Milosti), which at 160m long and 60m wide, is even smaller, and is home to an impressive 15th-century church that is visible from the mainland. But it is another island that conjures the most intrigue: Sveti Marko, which boasts a pristine, 1,000m-long beach and a curious history. In 1962, 500 tourist Tahiti-style houses were built there and managed by Club Med until the Yugoslav wars put an end to a popular tourism industry. Today, the island is abandoned, its houses obscured by overgrown weeds, giving it a mysterious quality and strange appeal. However, change is afoot with a vast new development planned, according to svetimarkoisland.com.
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Another sailors’ favourite is Luštica Bay, found in the north western bay of Trašte, part of the Tivat Municipality, where there is a 176-slip marina. The region will soon host Montenegro’s first 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Gary Player, who promises that every hole will offer views in all directions, from the Adriatic in the south to the Bay of Kotor in the north. Then there is Kotor itself, which is reliably included on Eastern Mediterranean cruises, and is therefore teeming with tourists during the summer months. Still, it’s worth exploring due to its fortifications – including its ramparts and castle – built by the Venetians, whose influence remains throughout the region. Its chalk stone houses with distinctive green shutters, many churches, restaurants and pedestrianised squares also recall Dubrovnik. If you’re feeling energetic, follow the 1,350 steps up St John mountain to the San Giovanni castle, which offers views of the walled town and bay, as well as the 16th-century Church of Our Lady of Remedy, perhaps the city’s most famous landmark. Behind the castle hill, the Lovcen national park stretches out. Further south is Sveti Stefan, another storied and beautiful island resort, connected by a slither of land. Fortified in the 15th century, entire books could be written about its history: once beloved by celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe, it was also home to churches turned into casinos by the communists and hosted chess tournaments at which the likes of Bobby Fischer competed. However, the island had fallen into disrepair: when I last visited in 2006, it was closed to the public, its future uncertain according to locals. Fortunately, soon after, Aman Resorts was awarded the contract to revitalise the island, and it was reopened in 2010 – and later hosted Novak Djokovic and Jelena Ristić’s wedding. The resort has 58 guest rooms, cottages and suites, including eight suites that are part of the Villa Miločer, built between 1934 and 1936 as the summer residence of Queen Marija Karadordevic, where superyachts can dock.
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ARCHITECTURE
Carrying the torch
Ed Lambert on Tokyo’s Olympic architecture O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 68
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Photo: credits needed
n March 20, the Olympic Flame arrived in Japan, transported by a special aircraft emblazoned with words Tokyo 2020 Go, under a cloud of apprehension. The stage was set – construction had finished ahead of schedule – when the torch arrived from Greece. The week-long ceremony began when the torch was lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Ancient Olympia on March 12 and handed over to Tokyo at a ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Yet, as Covid-19 swept across the globe, it seemed increasingly unlikely the Games would go ahead. Four days later, the Olympics would being postponed until July 2021. “In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the World Health Organization today, the IOC president and the prime minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” a statement read. “The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.” Tokyo will feel like it has been here before. The Japanese capital was named as host city for the Summer Olympics in 1940, becoming the first non-Western city given the honour, while Sapporo, in Hokkaido, was due to host the Winter Games that same year. However, due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, both games were moved to Helsinki, Finland, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, respectively, but were then cancelled because of World War Two. The 1944 Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy and the Summer Games in London were also postponed. London only had to wait until 1948, while Helsinki and Cortina d’Ampezzo hosted in 1952 (Garmisch-Partenkirchen had already held the games in 1936), but Tokyo and Sapporo were forced to wait a long time: until 1964 and 1972, respectively.
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ARCHITECTURE
Photo: credits needed
This year, however, is the first time the Summer Olympic Games have been postponed rather than cancelled as they were in 1916, 1940 and 1944. When Covid-19 started spreading across the world, Tokyo had already completed preparations, in part due to the infrastructure that remained from 1964. A total of 43 venues – eight new permanent venues, 25 existing facilities and ten temporary venues – will be used at the Games. Among those reused and updated from 1964 are the Yoyogi National Stadium, constructed to stage the aquatics and basketball competitions for the Tokyo 1964 Games, and the iconic Nippon Budokan, known as the spiritual home of Japanese martial arts. It was here, at the 1964 Games, that judo made its debut as an Olympic sport. The New Olympic Stadium, built on the site of the 1964 stadium, was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma after an initial proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects was eventually abandoned as costs spiralled out of control. Its façade consists of overlapping, multilayered eaves made of wood gathered from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, and more than 47,000 trees were planted within the stadium’s precinct. Kengo, best known for designing the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum (2005), V&A Dundee, Scotland (2018) and Nezu Museum, Minato, Tokyo (2009), said he wanted a strong emphasis on environmental awareness, with the large green space close by known as the Outer Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine, creating a “living tree”. New venues include the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field, Sea Forest Waterway, Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre, Oi Hockey Stadium and the Ariake Arena, all of which have been completed. The Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, designed by Nihon Sekkei, will host the badminton, fencing competitions and wheelchair basketball games at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. The venue was renovated after hosting the Japan Open Tennis Championships in October 2018. Among the most striking buildings is the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, which has seating capacity for 15,000 people. A moveable wall means the centre can be converted into two 25m pools after the Games end. “We are so looking forward to seeing athletes from all over the world marching into the new stadium at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on 24 July 2020 and the Paralympic Games on 25 August 2020, when the eyes of the world will be on this iconic symbol of the Tokyo 2020 Games,” said Tokyo 2020 CEO Muto Toshiro. “We believe the stadium will become an irreplaceable legacy – a place that will allow people to spend healthy and fulfilling days enjoying sport for another 50 years or even longer. With this in mind, we will continue our preparations for hosting the best Games ever.”
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The world in one place: looking ahead to Dubai Expo in 2021 By Tahlia Begum From the telephone (Philadelphia, 1876) to the commercial broadcast television (New York, 1939), for more than 150 years World Expos have been a place where humanity has debuted the latest technologies, shared ideas and made great leaps forward. For many, they are among the most important gatherings on the planet. From the helter skelter to touchscreens, World Expos are milestone markers of humanity’s greatest achievements. The first World Exhibition was in London (the Great Exhibition) in 1851, and they have been held at least once every five years ever since. The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 Paris exhibition, while a special event was held in 1939 specifically for the Golden Gate Bridge. The next iteration of the World Exhibition will be Dubai’s Expo 2020 and, like much in a city that boasts the world’s tallest building and the world’s fastest police car, it promises to be a big deal. Despite being pushed back to October 2021, the Expo will feature dozens of pavilions created by some of the world’s most renowned architects, highlighting what their countries have to offer. Being Dubai, there will be some records smashed (the Expo will feature the world’s biggest 360-degree projection surface on the Al Wasl Plaza steel dome) and some sights that are simply incredible, such as the Opportunity Pavilion, made from all-natural materials including 2,500 tonnes of stone and 111km of rope. There will also be a rotating observation tower and contemporary arts installations showcasing a huge array of talent. Each country’s pavilion will sit within one of three districts – opportunity, mobility and sustainability, which are the key themes of the Expo. One of the most eye-catching pavilions is Finland’s, which sits in the mobility district. According to its designers, JKMM, the pavilion is designed around a theme of ‘sharing future happiness’ and inspired by Finnish nature, design and innovation. Named Lumi, which means Snow Cape in Finnish, the pavilion resembles a large white tent, inspired by a traditional beit al-shaar. It’s intended to tell the story of Finland’s first snow of the year, which usually falls in autumn. In a statement, JKMM said of the pavilion’s sustainable approach: “Finland was the first country to create a road map to a circular economy
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ARCHITECTURE and it has stayed true to these principles in the design and construction of Snow Cape. Sustainability has been a guiding theme throughout the design and construction process. With the exception of a limited number of Finnish materials being imported, Snow Cape is being built almost entirely using material from the local market, thereby reducing the environmental burden caused by unnecessary logistics and transportation.” Another eye-catching structure at the Dubai Expo is the Morocco Pavilion. Designed by Oualalou + Choi, the adobe-brick building is inspired by the “ancestral construction techniques commonly found throughout Moroccan villages”, according to The Architects Newspaper. “The firm’s design attempts to recreate the experience of the country, rather than its iconic aesthetics, by tying the pavilion’s galleries together with a continuous ramp that recalls the narrow and dynamic streets of the Moroccan medinas.” Brazil’s pavilion, designed by JPG.ARQ, MMBB and Ben-Avid, has a water feature that recalls the Amazon basin. Those walking through the pavilion will be taken in by the sights, sounds and smells of the Brazilian riverside. It will also be a great place to cool off. France’s pavilion, which sits in the mobility area, explores the theme of light as an enabler of progress. Designed by Atelier du Prado Architectes and Celnikier & Grabli, the pavilion will be created from recycled materials, while more than 80 per cent of the energy used by the pavilion – in part creating dazzling daily light shows – will be generated by the pavilion itself. Regardless of which pavilions you choose to visit at Dubai Expo 2020, be sure to attend. It looks certain to be one of the biggest events of 2021.
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INTERVIEW
A design for life Designer Tom Ford on fashion, far-off destinations and failing to look comfortable on a yacht. By Frank Grice
W
hen you have an eye for fashion that’s as skilled, exacting and enabling as Tom Ford’s, it opens up a whole world of opportunity and, if you want to pursue it, excess. The 58-year-old Texan, a globally renowned fashion supremo who doubles as an accomplished filmmaker, has a hand so tightly gripped on the industry that people hang off his very word, off each new collection, off every plain black t-shirt. And yet, what makes Tom Ford so effortlessly likeable isn’t his pursuit of largeness and grandiosity – it is in fact a desire to make the very simple things as perfect as possible. “To complicate is to bring about a level of discomfort and chaos that I don’t think any of us want in our lives,” he begins. “In the way we all live, there is enough commotion and distress, and I think if I ever started
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2020 reflecting that in the things I wore or the language I used, it might just be the end of me!” Humorous, modest, charming and funny, Tom Ford’s desire for calm possibly emanates from an upbringing in the wild expanses of New Mexico. He was the son of property agents Shirley and Thomas, and spent his youth gradually embedding himself in urban life whenever the opportunity arose. The fact he quickly accelerated a love of clothes into a decision to uproot and head for the bright lights of New York – initially to study art history at New York University – shouldn’t detract from the reality that this is someone most at home with comfort and quality. That premise stretches right through to time spent away from the glaring lights of the media world. His love of travel, and enjoyment of life spent on board yachts and in the relative sanctity of seclusion, presents a deceptive image of someone apparently extolling the virtues of a self-titled billion-dollar brand; though again, the truth is a somewhat different story. “I know yachts and the luxury market go hand in hand, and I can see the correlation,” he says. “But really, my time on board is actually about getting away from all that. It’s an interesting juxtaposition where you are, from the outside and in the eyes of the paparazzi, living this high life; yet when I get time away all I can think of is removing myself from all that buzz. It’s really not comfortable being in the lens.” Ford, who married fashion journalist Richard Buckley in 2014, is one of the first names on the guest list when clients and even competitors are in party season. Restricting his time away so that he can parent son Alexander, who is eight this year, is a case of micromanaging each commitment – and you would expect nothing less from a perfectionist. “Most days start at 5am – if I have actually managed to sleep – with a hot bath that helps me focus on the day ahead,” he says. “Most of my time these days is spent in design meetings, on ad campaign shoots and making important decisions about the business, and all of that before my son’s bath
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INTERVIEW time.” Perhaps more astonishing than Ford’s roll call of achievements is the fact that they are accompanied by a healthy dose of modesty. “Had I had any idea how challenging it would be to start my own brand from scratch, I might have never done it. I was fortunate to start it with all of the possible advantages one could hope for: I was already a known, successful designer and I had the funds to back it myself.” Unusually for the industry, when Ford set up his label in April 2005, he started off creating high-end eyewear and beauty products, not clothes. It was a strategic risk that paid off, and Ford still gets a thrill from building his own business. “There is an incredible gratification I have in seeing my name on products that I designed and completely believe in.” And travel is a big part of the inspiration that keeps Ford at the forefront of chic. “If I didn’t travel I wouldn’t be able to design anything,” he says. “Travel, exploring trends and the pursuit of new influences is everything to a designer. “There is a perception that people in fashion are at the forefront of the new styles that permeate through. While there is a small amount of truth in that, it’s more that designers are just the sponges for the inspiration society gives us, both at home and abroad.” Perhaps Ford’s introduction as Gucci head of womenswear in 1990 typifies that perfectly. Throwing a so-called ‘outsider’ into the mix was arguably the final roll of the dice for the Italian label, which had found itself in a deep rut producing primarily old-fashioned leather goods and close to bankruptcy. Even when Ford was promoted to creative director in 1994, few had heard of him. But during his tenure he injected the ailing fashion house with
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a thoroughly modern aesthetic that dripped with high-octane glamour. His velvet hipsters and liquid silk shirts provided the perfect antidote to the grunge look that had defined the early part of the 1990s, and he set the tone not just for Gucci but for womenswear during the rest of the decade. He admits that his obsessive, details-driven approach has also been useful, if – by his own admission – occasionally frustrating to others. “My perfectionism has helped me build such a strong business, but my perfectionism is probably my most deplorable trait as well if you ask anyone who lives with me or works with me.” This refusal to compromise extends to his appearance, and the designer’s signature stubble, aviators and slim-cut suit are as recognisable as Anna Wintour’s bob or the late Karl Lagerfeld’s ponytail. And, of course, Ford has always been an unequalled advertisement for the clothes he makes for both men and women. Not since Chanel has a fashion designer so perfectly embodied the spirit of their creations. “It’s a pride thing – dressing well is good manners, but I’m far more connected to the Earth than my image exhibits.” He may be insistent that his flawless image is an illusion, but this is precisely what his eponymous empire – founded in 2005 shortly after his departure from Gucci – is built on. “I learnt so much of what I know during my time at Gucci,” he explains. “How to build a brand, how to acquire other brands and form a luxury conglomerate, how to manage a business while retaining design control... “I also learnt how to relax on a yacht, rather than feeling totally uncomfortable whenever the photographers were out.” Could that be marked as a success to outdo all others? “Possibly it is,” he smiles.
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R E S TA U R A N T S
THe appliance of science From the lab to the kitchen, Heston Blumenthal’s work continues its eclectic evolution. Danny Bowman chats to the pioneering chef O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 78
2020 The 54-year-old’s ‘return to the floor’, so to speak, is little surprise. After all, this is a man who has built up an exclusive empire through sheer hard work and determination, identifying and capitalising on trends – and starting a fair few of them himself. He brought us ‘multisensory cooking’ because he worked out the role senses other than taste play in our enjoyment of food. Having his diners listen to their food through headphones may seem a step too far for some, but for Blumenthal it’s his bread and butter. Such things are not gimmicks, as much as they may appear so; each step on the journey of discovery is about adding to the experience, the flavour, the enjoyment. “What I set out to do is entertain and engage people in food,” he says. “Some people just want to obsess with the science stuff, but for me it’s all about exploring the possibilities – and yes, there’s an element of showmanship there too.” From ice cream desserts disguised as pork pies to ice-cream mince meat, snail porridge and themed dishes such as Jack and the Beanstalk magic beans, Blumenthal’s food origins had been typical of many chefs. He was inspired at a young age, with the seed of ambition germinating through adolescence and into the eureka moment – for him, that was a trip to France when he was 15. “It was a magical experience – the smell of the lavender, the noise of the crickets and the sound of the gravel underfoot as I walked inside. I suddenly had a clear path ahead for what I was going to do with my life.” And yet,
Photo: RCliveBooth
Brand Heston is a curious thing to consider. On one hand, a chef, chemist, restaurateur and television personality whose disregard for the conventions and normalities of cuisine saw him transform a food industry. On the other, a person who, certainly in recent years, has turned away from a level of selfpromotion that matches the eccentricity of the dining experiences he and his incredible team provide. “The food has to always talk louder than the voices in the kitchen,” he begins. “I feel once you have a name whose status comes before what’s plated up, you’re in real danger of losing sight of what dining should be about, and that’s an intense, interesting, personal experience. “Put another way, people don’t go to restaurants to sit across the table from a Michelin-starred chef – just as well, because for 99 per cent of services they won’t be there anyway.” Heston’s desire to move away from the glaring urgency of the spotlight was, in truth, down to a combination of events. There was the launch (and recent liquidation) of his restaurant, Dinner, in Melbourne, the breakdown of his marriage, and a nagging voice in the back of his head that perhaps the public had seen enough of him. “When I’m skirting between chat shows, public events, business meetings, product launches and so much else, am I really dedicating all the time I should be to the 500 or so dishes we have in progression at any one time?” he questions. “That became a fear of mine – I didn’t want to go too far the other way.”
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R E S TA U R A N T S almost from that moment forwards, everything the chef has done has been served up in all manner of weirdness, with convoluted twists on the food narrative. It’s not been a constant path at all. From opening the 42-cover Fat Duck in Bray, complete with its 14-course menu, back in 1995, Heston has been inherently aware that diners crave new ideas and originality. “Trends and tastes change,” he muses, “but the good food will always remain.” And sure, accusations of pretentiousness may circle, but they don’t stick. He is simply a man for whom adventurous endeavour comes naturally. “Our love of innovation starts with a love of food. The whole team is fascinated by the versatility, flavour, texture, colour and vibrancy of what raw ingredients offer us, and it is my belief we have only just scratched the surface in terms of how far we can take what we eat. The combinations are completely endless, and I’m sure my own so-called idiosyncrasies will begin to look tame as a new wave of creators and innovators come into the market to do great things.” While the restaurant trade has found itself comatose during the global Covid-19 pandemic, Heston – who has fronted TV shows In Search of
Perfection, Kitchen Chemistry, Heston’s Feasts and Heston’s Fantastical Food, as well as performing judging duties on MasterChef Australia – believes a celebration of food is as much to do with what we create at home as it is eating out. “We are all creators in our own way, and I love that. No one should be beholden to a big-name chef – we can all create amazing food that unites people.”
It’s not just food, of course. Just as any successful business leader fosters an image, as much around their achievements as their physical characterisation – think Richard Branson’s beard for example, or Jamie Oliver’s ‘professional, pukka scruffiness’ – Blumenthal’s distinctive spectacles are such that it’s hard to imagine him without them. Business opportunity? Absolutely. Teaming up with glasses retailer Vision Express to create his own range became something of a logical progression. “Years ago I remember finishing service one night, looking through the orders and my eyes started to go,” he recalls. “It was as though they felt tired but I wasn’t tired; just my eyes were. I had eye tests, found out I needed glasses and I started wearing them – for some reason I think the very first pair of glasses I wore were designed by me! I based them on a protective pair of engineering goggles because we were dealing with so much science in the kitchen.” Of course, keeping an eye on business is as much about the day-to-day supervision of the empire as it is keeping things fresh. His work/life balance is undoubtedly calmer now than it was six or seven years ago when you could barely pick up a lifestyle magazine without spotting some reference to the mercurial chef. “It can be tricky finding the right mix,” he says. “For me it’s two-fold. It’s my own enjoyment, but also the pleasure derived by others, and that’s what always keeps me going, even when I should hold back. “It will always be like that, I think. After all, if, as a chef, you’ve lost that thrill of making others happy, it’s time to get out of the kitchen. “I love the science of food, but I adore the appreciation of it more.”
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Restaurant focus Ultraviolet, Shanghai
Scott Wright of Limelight Studio
‘Avant-garde’ food and a multisensory dining experience put Paul Pairet’s restaurant in a league of its own, writes Martha Johnson It’s fair to say that Ultraviolet is a restaurant like no other. Opened in Shanghai in May 2012, the single-table venture by French chef Paul Pairet and the VOL Group has emerged as one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world – and the first in China to become part of the Les Grandes Tables du Monde. In 2018, the restaurant received three Michelin stars. The experience, to some extent, defies description. “Ultraviolet is the first restaurant of its kind uniting food with multisensory technology to create a fully immersive dining experience,” Pairet says. “A single table of ten seats only; a 20-course ‘avant-garde’ set menu; all the guests sit together and dinner unfolds as a sensory play choreographed by the Ultraviolet Team begins.” The restaurant, we’re told, is specially equipped with multisensory, high-end technology for experiential eating. The dining room is dressed up
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R E S TA U R A N T S by lights, sounds, “music, scents… a cool air blow, an immersive projection, images and imagination…”. Those familiar with Pairet’s career will know this level of acclaim and success was inevitable. After stints in Hong Kong, Sydney and Jakarta, the French-born chef first came to international attention at Paris’s Cafe Mosaic, where he began to hone his ‘French-but-not-French’ style. His output at Mosaic caught the attention of the legendary chef Alain Ducasse, who arranged Pairet’s next move to Istanbul, at the Ritz-Carlton’s Cam. Pairet came to China in 2005 to open Jade on 36, the flagship restaurant of the Shangri-La Hotel Pudong, creating his own venture, Mr & Mrs Bund, four years later (which he still runs, along with French café Polux). A more traditional style for Pairet, the restaurant quickly became known as Shanghai’s best French restaurant and reached number 43 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013. From there, it was on to Ultraviolet – the realisation and exquisite execution of Pairet’s experience to date. “Provocative and innovative, [Pairet’s] creative flair, daring experimentation and inspired dishes continue to influence chefs around the world,” declared Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2016. It has been said that Pairet is a culinary egalitarian, using tinned sardines to produce sophisticated fine dining and avant-garde techniques to produce simple French dishes. Dishes, which carry names such as ‘Luna Mushroom’ (Grand Marnier, Yakult) and ‘Alabone Primitive’ (Yuzu, dill, fire), are barely recognisable as that – they’re more works of art. He famously – perhaps infamously – argued that foie gras is not intrinsically more suited to fine dining than a piece of bread, or a truffle more interesting than CocaCola. “Above all, flavours should taste divine, assertive, sending taste buds into raptures, and the mind travelling on a bite through countries or fond memories,” he says. New beginnings Following an enforced closer during lockdown, Ultraviolet is now open. The restaurant tells us it has seen a dramatic decrease in international diners – who mostly come to Shanghai for business or international events
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Scott Wright of Limelight Studio
– allowing more locals to enjoy Pairet’s creations. “Now the business comes from local customers; thanks to the local support, Ultraviolet’s table has been full again since the reopening,” says Monica Luo, the restaurant’s director of communications. Guests all sit around the same table, but groups are allowed to book out the entire restaurant. Luo says there have been a few more private bookings since lockdown was lifted, but not from regular customers. Instead, corporate groups from luxury brands have taken advantage of the intimate space. “As most of the major events and activities from those brands were cancelled [or moved] this year, one of the potential alternatives to keep the marketing and communication flow is to offer their VIP customers a rare dining experience while being attached to their branding at basic level,” she says. When the situation allows, it’s a restaurant that’s worth travelling for. Food doesn’t taste – or indeed look – like this anywhere else.
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WINE
Good vintage Octavian collaborates with Master of Wine Charles Curtis
Idyllic Kingscote estate in West Sussex on sale for £7m
Octavian (octavian.co.uk), the world’s number one fine wine storage facility – located 100ft underground in a retired Second World War munitions mine in Corsham – is providing exclusive guides to allow budding wine connoisseurs or established collectors to expand their wine knowledge and collections. In collaboration with prominent Master of Wine, Charles Curtis (former head of wine for Christie’s, and trained at the Cordon Bleu Paris), Octavian is releasing a series of exclusive ‘wine cards’, which are packed with guidance on what makes a wine collectible for investment purposes. There’s also a guide to the exceptional vintages across the spectrum and comments by region on the best wines to collect to yield the best chance of a financial return. Vincent O’Brien, managing director of Octavian, said: “Here at Octavian we don’t pretend to be wine experts, we leave that to Curtis. However, we are extremely specialised in knowing how to handle and store fine wine in the best-possible conditions, as well as offering extensive security and an all-risk insurance policy. This partnership with Curtis means our customers who are thinking of expanding their collection know what to look out for, as well as understanding the value of their wine and why it’s important to store it correctly to reach its full potential.”
An English wine estate set in the beautiful West Sussex countryside is on sale with a guide price of £6.75 million. The 61.51-hectare Kingscote English wine estate features an idyllic farmhouse and 24 hectares of vineyards. “We are not asking for small money,” Chris Spofforth, head of Savills’ rural agency for the south-east of England, told Decanter. “Last year there weren’t that many buyers around but we’ve seen a significant upturn in buyer interest this year, and we’ve had a bit more to offer,” Kingscote is on the Sussex Weald, south of London, and is an example of an English wine estate that is “ready to go”, according to the magazine. It has a commercial winery and vineyards planted to the trio of ‘Champagne’ grapes – Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – plus Bacchus, Pinot Blanc and Regent. The estate includes a five-bedroom, Grade II-listed farmhouse with incredible views; an orchard; a holiday cottage; a barn capable of hosting wedding parties; and fishing lakes. The current owner has more than doubled the vineyard area since arriving in 2017, but is believed to want to prioritise vineyards elsewhere. Over the past decade, English sparkling wine has grown in stature. In 2018, Cherie Spriggs, head winemaker at nearby Nyetimber estate in West Sussex, became the first winemaker outside Champagne to win the prestigious International Wine Challenge trophy for Sparkling Winemaker of the Year.
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WINE
Drinking in the Western Cape Richard Hemming samples this vast region’s distinctive wines O N LY M A G A Z I N E – 86
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the Western Cape of South Africa bursts with beauty. Beyond picturesque Cape Town itself, there are millions of acres of indigenous scrubland, manicured gardens, jaw-dropping coastline and regimented rows of vineyard marching towards the horizon. The area has grown grapevines since Dutch colonists arrived in the 17th century. Accordingly, the country is sometimes known as the ‘oldest of the New World’, and its sweet wines were especially renowned and famously referenced by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. Unfortunately, for much of the 20th century, the KWV winemaking monopoly undid much of that reputation, but in post-apartheid South Africa the wine industry was rapidly revitalised. Over the next few decades, the country developed a reputation for producing great-value wines from a range of popular grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Merlot, albeit in a rather innocuous style.
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WINE More recently, a new generation of winemakers has breathed fresh life into South Africa’s wine scene, creating distinctive, charismatic wines that reflect the natural beauty and diversity of the local landscape.
Range of styles With such varied landscape over such a huge area – the Cape Winelands region is bigger than Wales – producers can make an enormous range of styles. The old school of Cape reds tend to be hearty, powerful and full-bodied. The most successful tend to be made from the Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), although there are good examples made from Pinotage, the country’s very own black grape. Contrastingly, new-wave South African reds are generally lighter in body with a more refreshing and elegant style. Pinot Noir and Syrah lend themselves to this mode, but some of the most interesting are made from Cinsault, a grape that was previously thought of as cheap and nasty, but is conjured into expressive and distinctive wines offering pure fruit and aromatic spiciness by resourceful young winemakers. The white grape equivalent is Chenin Blanc, which for many years churned out oceans of insipid plonk, but has been rehabilitated into one of the country’s most exciting varieties. With naturally high acidity and flavours that can range from bracing citrus to rich tropical fruits, Chenin Blanc is a great blank canvas for ambitious producers. World-class examples of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also made, alongside plenty of other varieties, from zesty Riesling to unctuous w, illustrating the vast potential of the Western Cape.
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2020
Something for everyone? Such expansive choice makes it tricky to know where to start, but discovering the complex beauty of South African wine is all part of the fun. To get you started, here’s a selection of eight wines representing some of the best.
Iona Sauvignon Blanc, Elgin From one of the country’s coolest regions, this Sauvignon Blanc bears more resemblance to white Bordeaux than the New Zealand version, with savoury fruit, waxy texture and great ageability.
Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon One of South Africa’s oldest wine estates, this producer is rightly renowned for its Bordeaux-style reds, and its Cabernet Sauvignon illustrates why, offering juicy blackcurrant fruit and vanilla aromas from maturation in new French oak.
Ken Forrester The FMC Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch This is iconic Chenin Blanc from one of the masters of the variety. Spicy oak flavours ingrate seamlessly with generous orchard fruit for a dry, appetising finish. Masterful!
Paul Cluver Dry Encounter Riesling, Elgin Like Riesling all around the world, this is severely undervalued, delivering pristine citrus flavour plus a honeyed, sweetly spiced note and invigorating acidity. Paul Cluver specialises in Riesling, and it shows.
Kanonkop Pinotage, Stellenbosch South Africa’s native grape might be an acquired taste, and Kanonkop makes an unapologetically authentic version full of dark fruit, smoky aromas and full body. The ultimate braai wine?
Storm Vrede Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Top South African Chardonnay is up there with the best of them, and the range from Storm proves why. Vrede (meaning ‘peace’) is a single-site wine with all the sophistication and minerality of Burgundy at twice the price.
Ataraxia Pinot Noir, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge Great Pinot Noir is the holy grail for winemakers around the world, and Ataraxia prove its potential in the Western Cape, creating an authentically pale red with superb clarity of fruit as well as earthy complexity.
Mullineux Syrah, Swartland From the resurgent Swartland region, Mullineux specialises in Syrah, making wines of intensity and freshness, expressing the dark fruit and peppery spice of the variety. Using whole-bunch fermentation adds a lifted herbal fragrance.
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Photo: Yayoi Kusama Chandelier of Grief 2016 Courtesy Ota Fine Arts and Victoria Miro © Yayoi Kusama
ART
Mirror image Lea Cox reflects on Yayoi Kusama’s celebrated work, culminating in the Infinity Mirror Rooms exhibition now on in London
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2020
Calling Yayoi Kusama “art for the Instagram age”, as some are wont to do, somewhat undermines the 91-year-old Japanese artist’s six decades of trailblazing sculpture, installation, painting and conceptual art. Infinity Mirror Rooms – her unique vision of endless reflections, made for her 2012 retrospective at Tate Modern – is a dazzling visual triumph that translates across mediums, but it is an experience best enjoyed in person. It was due to open, alongside Chandelier of Grief, a boundless, blinking galaxy of spinning crystal chandeliers, at the London art gallery before Covid-19 put the world into lockdown – although it is still set to run until May 2021. It points at Kusama’s vision and remarkable talent that this work, created when she was in her ninth decade, has become her best-known work now she is in her tenth. The story of her career, from rural Japan to international fame, via the 1960s New York avant-garde scene, is as unique as her art. Raised in Matsumoto, a mountain city in the middle of Honshu, Japan’s main island, known for its 16th-century castle, Kusama trained at the
Kyoto School of Arts and Crafts. She specialised in a traditional Japanese painting style, nihonga, typically made on washi (Japanese paper) or eginu (silk), using brushes. Kusama, however, felt hemmed in by the restraints of the ancient practice. Inspired by European and American avant-garde, particularly abstract impressionism in the US, which developed in the 1940s, and was advanced by the likes of Bernard and Harold Cohen, Sam Francis and Patrick Heron, she staged several solo exhibitions of her paintings in Matsumoto and Tokyo in the 1950s. It was at this time she began to experiment with polka dots – recreated from the hallucinations she suffered as a child. Writing in 1968, she said: “Our Earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity.” She said that, during one vision, she saw the “same pattern covering the ceiling, the windows and the walls, and finally all over the room, my body and the universe. I felt as if I had begun to self-obliterate, to revolve in the infinity of endless time and the absoluteness of space, and be reduced to nothingness.”
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ART
Photo: Installation view of Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life 2011/2017 at Tate Modern © Yayoi Kusama. Photo courtesy of Tate Photography
These dots, blots, polka-dots or infinity nets, as she called them, would become her signature style. Kusama left Japan at 27 for New York City after establishing a pen-pal friendship with Georgia O’Keeffe, the artist known as the ‘mother of American modernism’, and quickly ingratiated herself into New York’s burgeoning avant-garde art scene, organising big-scale ‘happenings’ in the city tied up in the hippy and anti-war movement. There is an iconic picture of her posing with a horse, both covered in polka dots, in a piece titled Horse Play in Woodstock in New York in 1967; the most notorious event was the Grand Orgy to Awaken the Dead at the MoMA (1969), which took place at the Sculpture Garden of the New York gallery. It was during this time she came into contact and worked with artists including Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, Joseph Cornell and Claes Oldenburg.
foray into art dealing (her business went bankrupt in 1977), she checked herself into Seiwa Hospital where she eventually took up permanent residence – and has been living, by choice, ever since. It says much of her longevity that by the 1980s and 1990s, Kusama, whose name had been forgotten in the West, became the subject of retrospectives. Slowly, through the written word, large-scale art installations and the lingering notoriety of her 1960s happenings, she became one of Japan’s best known and most celebrated contemporary artists, with a museum in her name opening in Tokyo in 2017. Her studio is a short distance from the hospital where she resides. “If it were not for art, I would have killed myself a long time ago,” she has said. Her best known works include Accumulation No. 1 (1962), her first sculpture – an armchair with scores of hand-sewn stuffed and painted protrusions on display at the MoMa; and her intricate, patterned Infinity Net paintings.
Just seven years later, in ill health, Kusama returned to Japan, where she began to write surrealistic novels, short stories and poetry. After a brief
See the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Rooms exhibition at Tate Modern (Until May 9, 2021)
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2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit art galleries and creative spaces hard. At the time of writing, there remains much uncertainty about when many galleries around the world will open again and what effect that will have on exhibitions that were scheduled for 2020 – and those planned for 2021. The following is our pick of what’s coming up at some of the world’s great art spaces – but, in most cases, details are yet to be confirmed.
Okwui Okpokwasili MoMA, New York City, dates TBC Okwui Okpokwasili explores the roles of African and African-American women by creating multidisciplinary performance pieces that, according to the Museum of Modern Art, seek to shape the shared space inhabited by the audience and performer. Her experimental productions are created in collaboration with acclaimed designer Peter Born and bring together elements of dance, theatre and the visual arts. “I want to build full and rich characters with integrity, brown bodies labouring within a very specific and charged context,” she said. Okpokwasili inaugurates MoMA’s Studio Residency programme.
moma.org/calendar/ exhibitions/5226
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Photo: © Olafur Eliasson; First year Studio Residency artist Okwui Okpokwasili, Poor People’s TV Room (solo). Performed at Lincoln Center Atrium 2015. Photo by Caitlin McCarthy
The best new shows
ART
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao – until April 4, 2021 (TBC) In an exhibition organised by the Tate Modern in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson shines a light on the modern world’s most urgent issues through 30 artworks created between 1990 and today. These include sculptures, photographs, paintings and installations – experiments with reflections and colours that are designed to challenge the way we navigate and perceive our environment. GUGGENHEIM-BILBAO.EUS/EN/EXHIBITIONS/OLAFUR-ELIASSON-IN-REAL-LIFE
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Photo: Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life
Photo: JMW Turner Rain, Steam and Speed - the Great Western Railway exhibited 1844 The National Gallery, London © The National Gallery, London
2020
Turner’s Modern World Tate Britain, London – until March 7, 2021 (TBC) This landmark exhibition will bring together major works by JMW Turner – perhaps Britain’s greatest ever artist – from across the globe. These include masterpieces such as The Fighting Temeraire (1839) and Rain, Steam and Speed (1844), pieces that reflect the country’s shifting landscape and societal upheaval caused by the industrial revolution. A must see. TATE.ORG.UK/WHATS-ON/TATE-BRITAIN/EXHIBITION/TURNERS-MODERN-WORLD
Furusiyya: The Art of Chivalry between East and West Louvre Abu Dhabi – until October 18, 2020 This exhibition explores the ancient roots of chivalry as well as the role of a knight in combat and the different chivalric codes that developed around the world, from Iraq and Syria to France and Spain. It is made up of more than 130 rare artworks from the 10th to 16th centuries, including arms, armour and rare manuscripts. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is open now – thermal scanning is in place on entry to the museum, as well as social distancing measures (2m). LOUVREABUDHABI.AE
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L I T E R AT U R E
Readers’ corner Rejection of My Hasidic Roots is the story of how Feldman left the insular Satmar community in Williamsburg, New York. It offers an incredible insight into a world few of us know much about.
Hydra (pictured above) in 1960 forms the bohemian backdrop for Polly Samson’s novel A Theatre for Dreamers. The Greek island is home to a dazzling array of poets and writers (including a young Canadian called Leonard Cohen) whose lives entwine in the scorching summer heat. Into the fray arrives a teenager who sits on the periphery and watches as the paradise unravels. The smash-hit Netflix series Unorthodox means that Deborah Feldman’s memoir, upon which the series is based, is likely to be one of the most popular books of the year. Unorthodox: The Scandalous
Frédéric Beigbeder, the French provocateur, embraces the idea of immortality in A Life Without End, which has been recently been translated from French. The fictional story sees the novelist’s alter-ego head out on a world tour in search of lengthening his life. On his mission he meets real-life heroes of the long-living, including genome tampering Andre Choulika. A fun read for the ageing wild child. This beautifully crafted book features the photographs of Jacques Henri Lartigue, who in 1963 sent his life’s work to MoMA and was given an exhibition on the spot. Lartigue was given a camera when he was just seven years old – and went on to document the Belle Époque, that period in French history between the Franco-Prussian War and World War One. The photographs in The Boy and the Belle Époque show a long forgotten world through a child’s eyes.
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Region of Attica
Eliese Colette Goldbach joins a rich vein of writers trying to understand the disparity of the United States. In Rust, Goldbach returns to her native Cleveland after being sexually assaulted and finds solace and comradery in the steel mill, a symbol of a world she had wanted to leave while growing up.
MUSIC
The albums of 2020 – so far 1. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bottle Cutters
Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Fiona Apple’s fifth album arrived in April to near universal acclaim, with music site Pitchfork among those dishing out full-mark reviews. From its opener, I Want You to Love Me, which builds, stalls and builds again over a looping piano before descending into a cacophony of chopped vocals, the album is both immediate and esoteric. Its greatness is obvious, yet it grows with each listen, the full extent of its genius revealing itself more and more over time. Apple’s distinctive vocals and lyrics – in parts tender, funny and angry – are layered above theatrical, bold and complex song structures, but Fetch the Bolt Cutters, for all its experimentation, is that rare, beautiful thing: a brilliant and significant pop album. We’ll be talking about it for years.
Camille Vivier
2. Gil Scott-Heron – We’re New Again: A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven I’m New Here, the final album by the late poet, author and activist Gil Scott-Heron, has already been subject to one “reimagining”, courtesy of his XL label mate Jamie xx, the driving musical force behind English band The xx, whose acclaimed 2011 remix album We’re New Here combined Scott’s vocals with elements of UK rave and club culture. Given it uses the same source material, We’re New Again, a reworking by American jazz drummer and bandleader Makaya McCraven, couldn’t be more different. By incorporating elements of gospel, spiritual jazz and soul, the album feels closer to Scott’s own back catalogue than both Jamie xx’s effort and the original Richard Russel-produced album, which was created through
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a fragmented recording process. The soulful New York is Killing Me, an album highlight, samples the Harlem Gospel Choir to superb effect, recalling elements of Scott’s 1971 classic Pieces of a Man. 3. Yves Tumor – Heaven to a Tortured Mind Yves Tumor is signed to the UK’s Warp Records, best known for producing the electronic experimentalism of Aphex Twin and Autechre, but their sound – between a sort of soulful psychedelia and, most recently, art-rock – is difficult to define, and unlike anything else on the label. On Heaven to a Tortured Mind, Florida musician Sean Bowie is at their most maximalist, immediate and enjoyable yet. Prince’s influence looms large on the likes of Super Stars; throughout, swirling guitars and thudding synths mix with the gentle dreampop of Bowie’s previous releases. 4. Perfume Genius – Set My Heart on Fire Immediately “Half of my whole life is gone / Let it drift and wash away / It was just a dream I had,” croons Mike Hadreas on Whole Life, the opener of Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, his fifth album. The ballad, which recalls Roy Orbison and Hadreas’s own earlier piano-led work, unexpectedly gives way to Describe, a sort of distorted country-rock number, which sets the tone for this beguiling, brilliant and mercurial album – his best yet. Set My Heart on Fire… was written after Hedreas took part in a series of high-intensity modern dance performances and it is the human body that informs the music, which is various parts delicate, intricate, muscular, powerful and vulnerable.
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TOP 5
Top five: Al fresco eateries Outstanding in the Field, US Calling itself a “roving restaurant without walls”, Outstanding in the Field brings together one very long table to a unique destination for a one-off meal. Diners will often be fed by local artisans – from fishmongers to vintners – in unique outdoor settings, like meadows, vineyards or beaches. It has taken place in all 50 states and some 16 countries. It makes for a great picture, too. outstandinginthefield.com
Petersham Nurseries, UK This London institution is one of the most picturesque nurseries you could imagine. There’s a beautiful café and teahouse where you can taste Petersham’s homegrown creations among terracotta pots and tree ferns. However, the Supper Clubs – one of the few times you can eat at Petersham during the evenings – are where the magic really happens. Book early to avoid disappointment. Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, UK
Sense on the Edge, Oman Located almost 300 metres above the bay, Sense on the Edge is the stunning restaurant at Six Senses Oman. If you want an even more romantic setting then bag yourself a Starlight or Moonlight table, which are perched on private terraces above the restaurant. The restaurant promises to take diners on a culinary journey of land and sea, while overlooking both. Resort Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman
La Terrazza Gualtiero Marchesi, Italy
Sirocco, Thailand If you are familiar with Bangkok’s skyline then you will know Sirocco – it’s the golden dome that sits atop the 63rd floor of Lebua State Tower. If you venture to the top you will be met with a view like no other and enjoy a menu created by Michelin-starred chef Romain Dupeyre. 1055 Si Lom, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is one of the finest places to enjoy Italy’s beautiful Lake Como. La Terrazza is one of the few restaurants in the world to carry the name of the late, great Gualtiero Marchesi, the father of modern Italian cuisine. Enjoy the fine flavours as the sun sets over the beautiful Grigne Mountains. Via Regina, 8, 22019 Tremezzo CO, Italy
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