Maybourne Magazine Spring/Summer 2022

Claridge’s | The Connaught | The Berkeley | The Maybourne Beverly Hills | The Maybourne Riviera

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KAREN ELSON I N B E V E R LY HILLS

WHY WE LOVE THE FRENCH RIVIERA

Blue Skies

Ahead REMEMBERING RICHARD ROGERS

CÉDRIC GROLET’S SWEET TREATS CELEBRATING HM QUEEN ELIZABETH II

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F A M I L Y

S T O R Y

Yasmin and Amber Le Bon wear Secret Garden

A S P R E Y. C O M

1781 POCHET TE AND CHAOS COLLECTION RING

3 6 B R U T O N S T R E E T , M AY F A I R , W 1 J 6 Q X

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ILLUSTRATION: CLYM EVERNDEN

s there anyone who hasn’t spent the past two years dreaming of brighter days to come? Of sunnier climes and cities to explore?

Of room service enjoyed under crisp white sheets, or dressing up to the nines and languorously soaking in the atmosphere of a truly beautiful bar?

With the world finally off pause, Maybourne Hotel Group are delighted to announce the arrival of two sister hotels joining our trio of exemplary London addresses, The Maybourne Beverly Hills, taking in the very best of California and The Maybourne Riviera, already being hailed as a ‘game changer’ on the Côte d’Azur. These two extraordinary properties build on the legendary reputations of Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Berkeley. The Maybourne Beverly Hills, just steps from iconic Rodeo Drive, offers a slice of sun-drenched Californian living, with collectable artworks on the walls, parasols placed around lemon boughs and a rooftop pool overlooking the Hollywood Hills. Meanwhile our latest opening, The Maybourne Riviera, offers a vista like no other, a stunning rugged coastline dotted with olive trees, winding paths and picturesque villages. Here, this new hotel sits, a triumph of architectural design, bringing some of the world’s best chefs, art and service to the area.

As for our London hotels, an extensive redevelopment for Claridge’s sees one of the capital’s oldest and most beloved hotels carefully paving the way for the future, with everything from a world-class spa and wine cellar to Damien Hirst’s only stained-glass window. Meanwhile, as we have always known, cake rules the world and we are delighted to introduce The Connaught’s eponymous patisserie and The Berkeley welcoming the ‘World’s Best Pastry Chef’, Cédric Grolet. Brighter days are here once more.

CLARIDGE’S

THE CONNAUGHT

THE BERKELEY

Brook Street London W1K 4HR +44 (0)20 7629 8860 claridges.co.uk

Carlos Place London W1K 2AL +44 (0)20 7499 7070 the-connaught.co.uk

Wilton Place London SW1X 7RL +44 (0)20 7235 6000 the-berkeley.co.uk

THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS

THE MAYBOURNE RIVIERA

25 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 +1 310-860-7800 maybournebeverlyhills.com

1551 Rte de la Turbie, 06190 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin +33 4 93 37 50 00 maybourneriviera.com

maybourne.com. For reservations please call +44 (0) 20 7107 8830 or email reservations@maybourne.com Editor Elle Blakeman Deputy Editor Andy Morris Creative Director Jo Goodby Picture Director Rachel Louise Brown Art Director Jo Usher Sub Editor Bruno MacDonald Advertising Director Chris Wilson Advertising Executive James Fisher Maybourne Group Director Of Communications Paula Fitzherbert To Advertise: hello@luux-media.com The Maybourne Magazine is published biannually by Brook Street Publishing 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Editor ’

t t e e r L s

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4 Clifford Street, London W1S 2LG www.connollyengland.com

CALIBER RM 07-01

www.richardmille.com

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Contributors Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

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72 Dipal Acharya

Cathy Kasterine

KAREN ELSON & CATHY KASTERINE BY JACK PLATNER, DIPAL ACHARYA BY HELENE SANDBERG, TOM CHAMBERLIN BY KIM LANG, DEYAN SUDJIC BY MUHSIN AKGUN

Dylan Jones OBE Former editor-in-chief of British GQ and author of Shiny and New: Ten Moments of Pop Genius that Defined the ’80s – reports on the renaissance of the grand hotel bar My summer song is ‘Mr Wilson’ by John Cale. My beach read is Bob Colacello’s Holy Terror.

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The arts and entertainment director of ES Magazine, meets acclaimed French pâtissier Cédric Grolet.

Summer means it’s time to party. My summer song is ‘Wildflowers’ by Tom Petty. A road trip essential! My beach read is Good Pop, Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker.

Fashion editor-at-large for Harper’s Bazaar, photographs British supermodel Karen Elson.

My summer song is ‘Seabird’ by Babeheaven – Nancy Andersen’s voice hits my soul’s sweet spot. My beach read is anything by Murakami. This summer I will be wearing white cotton shirts and Celine oversize shades.

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Tom Chamberlin, Editor-in-Chief of The Rake, experiences the new cigar merchants at The Connaught. My summer song is ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams My beach read is Mr. American by George Macdonald Fraser. This summer I will be wearing Pleated shorts.

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Director emeritus of the Design Museum, remembers his friend Richard Rogers. Summer means empty London streets in August. I can’t wait for Salone De Mobile. My beach read is my next book, a biography of Stalin’s architect Boris Iofan, published in May.

Aurella Yussuf Cofounder of interdisciplinary art collective Thick/er Black Lines, meets the Serpentine’s CEO Bettina Korek. Summer means lazy days in the park with friends, a portable speaker, a good playlist and caipirinhas. My beach read is Oreo by Fran Ross, a hilarious satire written in the 1970s and recently rediscovered. This summer I will be wearing short skirts and platform heels from Russell & Bromley.

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Contributors Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

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Nick Foulkes Contributing editor to Vanity Fair, How to Spend It and The Rake, investigates the biggest renovations to Claridge’s in the history of the hotel. Summer means the feeling of warmed stone underfoot. My beach read is Germinal, part of the Rougon-Macquart Cycle by Émile Zola. This summer I will be wearing a lightweight safari jacket

by Connolly.

Hannah Betts

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CLYM EVERNDEN BY TOM BUCK, JUSTINE PICARDIE BY RICHARD PHIBBS

Writer for The Times and The Telegraph, pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of her Jubilee. Summer means golden evenings with my beautiful blue whippet, Pimlico. My beach read is English novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard –underestimated, Hilary Mantel argues, because these are books ‘about women, by a woman’.

This summer I will be wearing elegant silk shirt dresses by London luxury ready-to-wear genius Hayley Menzies.

Andrew Barker

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Clym Evernden The artist behind ‘The World Of Maybourne’ artwork. My summer song is ‘Domino Dancing’ by the Pet Shop Boys Summer means Strawberries and cream. This summer I will be wearing Factor 50 and a smile.

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30 Fiona McCarthy A design and interiors specialist whose work has appeared in Architectural Digest and Elle Decoration examines the new suites at Claridge’s (page 36). Summer means long laps at Parliament Hill Lido; I can’t wait for Elton John, Adele and Duran Duran at British Summer Time.

Justine Picardie Author of six books, including Coco Chanel The Legend and the Life explains why the Riviera meant so much to the iconic designer (page 64). My summer song is ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles. My beach read is Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald – as evocative now as when it was first published in 1934. This summer I will be wearing a striped cotton Breton top and white linen trousers: the ultimate in timeless chic.

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Chief brand and content officer of the LA-based C Magazine, writes about the city’s booming cultural scene.

I can’t wait for an open-air concert at the Hollywood Bowl’s hundredth anniversary summer season. My beach read is Heroes by Stephen Fry. I devoured Mythos, his hilarious retellings of the Greek myths. This summer I will be wearing my terracotta knitted polo from Dries Van Noten.

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Contents

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Spring /Summer 12 POSTCARDS FROM

Insights and recommendations from our stylish local experts 14 WHAT TO WEAR

Look the part at LACMA, the Monaco Grand Prix and Wimbledon

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48 SMOKING SECTION

18 TALKING HEADS

Tom Chamberlin meets the man responsible for over 250 types of Cuban cigar at The Connaught

From chefs to supermodels, a few of our favourite people pick their summer highlights 22

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36

OD SAVE THE QUEEN G On the occasion of Her Royal Jubilee, we pay tribute to Her Majesty

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CLARIDGE’S: A NEW ERA Nick Foulkes investigates the seven year transformation of the hotel - plus Fiona McCarthy meets the designers behind the new suites

56 REMEMBERING

ARTSPACE UNCOVERED Mayfair’s newest gallery is revealed

62 RIVIERA PAST

AND PRESENT Justine Picardie follows in the footsteps of Coco Chanel, while John O’Ceallaigh looks to the future

KAREN ELSON BY CATHY KASTERINE, EDWARD ENNINFUL PORTRAIT BY DAVID DOWNTON. FULL IMAGES:FOR XXXXXXXXX CREDITS SEE PAGE 72 AND PAGE 112.

Meet the LA transplant behind one of London’s best museums 42 L A’S CULTURAL BOOM

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British catwalk favourite Karen Elson relaxes at The Maybourne Beverly Hills 86 H OME SWEET HOME

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HE HOTEL BAR REBORN T Why everyone is opting for cocktails close to their rooms

95 STYLE NOTES

Menswear, womenswear and gender fluid picks for the season

CLARIDGE’S NEW SPA Inge Theron explains the vision

104 BEAUTY NEWS

The best new products and powders for sunnier days 106 CHECK OUT...

French pastry sensation Cédric Grolet arrives in London 90

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‘L A is very bohemian, you have fabulous people to mingle with...’

72 RED HOT SUMMER

Museums are having a moment

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0 YEARS IN BELGRAVIA 5 How The Berkeley has influenced the neighbourhood for five decades

RICHARD ROGERS The acclaimed architect remembered by his friend Deyan Sudjic

38 INSIDE THE SERPENTINE

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SUPER CARS Jason Barlow on the rise of the limited edition automobile

News from across the world of Maybourne Hotel Group 111

LARIDGE’S SHOP C The latest gifts, delivered to you

112 A PORTRAIT OF

Edward Enninful OBE by Claridge’s artist-in-residence David Downton

WITH LOVE Dispatches from a few of our favourite locals

LAINE GOODMAN T HE FR ENCH R I V IER A

The culture writer on gardens, sea views and the French Riviera’s enduring love of art Some things don’t change.

Not only can you get away with more on the French Riviera – as F. Scott Fitzgerald once exulted in a letter to his New York editor – but frivolity is only a part of the picture.

‘Whatever happened seemed to have something to do with art,’ Scott aptly observed back in 1926, and now, almost a century later, the Riviera is roaring to a different tune, but still jubilantly celebrating beauty.

One reason to rejoice is the completion of the meticulously restored Villa

E-1027 – a white-washed concrete rectangle on stilts, built by designer Eileen Gray. The site is glorious: set back in a tangle of wild greenery and lemon trees, the flat-roofed villa jutting out over the rocky shore of Cap Martin is filled with one-off perfect replicas of Gray’s iconic furniture. Visitors can admire the modular ingenuity of swivelling wind shutters, pivoting tables, closets and mirrors, or fall in love with Eileen’s woven rugs and sleek Deco bar (capmoderne. monuments-nationaux.fr).

Those who prefer their art of a horticultural variety would be well advised to head to Menton, once a hotspot for sun-chasing royals and wealthy foreigners.

Head to the Serre de la Madone, created by

Lawrence Johnston, an eclectic mix of fountains, water-lily pools, pergolas and statues of Cupids and Madonnas and Val Rahmeh, whose Belle Époque villa and sumptuous sub-tropical plants and trees were created

by Lord Radcliffe (menton.fr).

For a change of scene, head for the medieval perched village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where the local arty enclave is abuzz about the latest exhibit of the new CAB Foundation (fondationcab. com), a veritable colour fest of light by artist Ann Veronica Jansen. This former 50-style gallery, redesigned by Charles Zana, features an impressive collection of minimalist and conceptual works as well as modernist furniture from the likes of Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand. Just as in Fitzgerald’s day, this place remains all about beauty.

‘It takes a lot

POSTCA R DS FROM...

DOWNTON LONDON

The fashion illustrator and artist-in-residence at Claridge’s on life in London We judge a city by its architecture and open spaces, its restaurants and museums.

Its sense of well-being. But don’t forget its bookshops, bastions of civility in times moving at warp speed.

And London remains a bibliophiles’ dream.

A short walk from Claridge’s, the hallowed portals of Heywood Hill (heywoodhill. com). A cheerful blue awning welcomes you to a discreet Georgian town house. A Royal Warrant and a plaque commemorating Nancy Mitford’s wartime tenure as a somewhat dilettante bookseller quietly confirm the shop’s pedigree. Inside, there is a reassuring sense of time passing slowly. The floors are carpeted, a chandelier shimmers, hydrangeas bloom and the books appear to have arranged themselves.

Down on Piccadilly, in the fabulously stylish Maison Assouline (maisonassouline.com),

a different experience. In what was formerly a banking hall – designed in 1922 by Edward Lutyens – the company’s founders,Martine and Prosper Assouline have created a cultural haven.

The books, famous for their design and bold juxtaposition of imagery, glow like jewels (some of them supersized), the curios and antiques intrigue, there’s Jazz and a chic bar, Swans. Upstairs, the fantasy apartment of every ‘Nomad de Luxe.’

Pitch-perfect and timelessly modern, it’s the Assouline’s world; let’s stay a while.

LAUREN FAIR PHOTOGRAPHY, ISTOCK / TOMOGRAF, E. 1027 PHOTOGRAPHED BY MANUEL BOUGOT, JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION / GETTY IMAGES, ASSOULINE BY KALORY, ISTOCK

to get Angelenos giddy about a new restaurant’ ANDREW BARKER BEV ER LY HILLS

Our LA editor on artistic arrivals, power lunches and the return of the dodo We Angelenos are creatures of habit. We have our favourite corner booths for power lunches, drive-thru coffee shops, hot yoga classes and discrete beaches away from squawking kids on boogie boards.

So it takes a lot to get us all giddy about a new restaurant — I, for one, refuse to try anything based solely on a YELP rating.

Then along comes the mighty

Mother Wolf (motherwolfla. com), a grandiose temple to Roman heritage cuisine in the middle of Hollywood and it has everyone wrestling for a reservation, from network execs and blue chip agents — the big cheeses whose expense accounts make the L.A. scene tick — to Beyoncé and Jay-Z who popped by last month.

Another new hotspot is New York brand Bode’s new gallery-like store on Melrose Avenue which bridges the gap between art and fashion, with

its au courant woven garments, in the company of curious museum-worthy objets including a life-size dodo skeleton (bodenewyork. com). And in the wake of Frieze L.A. where The Maybourne Beverly Hills and more specifically, The Terrace restaurant served as a de facto clubhouse for the great and

good of the art world, the gallery scene is exploding, ‘Pow!’, like a Lichtenstein painting, with outposts from David Zwirner, Pace, Lisson and Sean Kelly set to open in the next 12 months.

Beating them to it was The Hole (theholenyc.com), an 8,000-square foot space whose exhibition ‘New Construction,’ was one of the hot tickets during Frieze. Buckle up. We’re in for a busy summer of hype ahead. M

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

DAVID

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Visor, Roger Vivier

Pri ya nk a Ch op ra

Halterneck, Wales Bonner at Net-a-Porter

Trousers, Zimmermann at Mytheresa Bag, JW Anderson at Matchesfashion

Sunglasses, Balmain

Phone case, Smythson

Smythson, phone case with chain, smythson.com

Kim Hersov WHAT TO PA C K F O R

Pippa Middleton Necklace, Chopard

Top, Jacquemus at Selfridges

WIMBLEDON A certain rigour is required when dressing for Wimbledon. This stalwart of the summer sporting calendar calls for traditional navy, red and white, blazers and stripes, pretty dresses, pleated skirts and strawberry motifs. Style-wise, it doesn’t really change – and neither should it – so stick with the classics: a tennis bracelet, tennis shoes, a visor, shades and, naturally, a waterproof.

Dress, Sandro at Selfridges

Charm, Asprey

WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY JESSICA BUMPUS. GETTY IMAGES, ISTOCK, ALEXANDRE BRONDINO / UNSPLASH

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Skirt, CFCL at Selfridges

Trainers, Saint Laurent at Mytheresa

Earrings, Dior Couture

FASH ION

Necklace, Goossens Paris

Trousers, Sera

Ca rme n Jorda Adria na Li ma & Ring, Boodles

Dress, Zimmermann at Net-a-Porter

WHAT TO PA C K F O R

THE GRAND PRIX Shirt, Loewe at Matchesfashion

Mona c o 1948

Glamour and wealth are bywords for the Monaco Grand Prix in May. Following two years of lockdowns, now’s the time to embrace a fast-car flourish and dress up – really dress up. Accessories typically do the talking, because comfort’s key trackside: a flashy bag, super shades and a high-class hat will take care of practical matters while heels, jewels and gowns do the trick for the evenings. You can also mix and match – you’re in Monaco, after all.

Shoes, Marni

Anja Ru bik

Bag, Etro at Mytheresa

Ba rba ra Pa l vi n

Shoes, Tom Ford at Matchesfashion

Hat, Maison Michel

Scarf, Asprey

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Sunglasses, Balmain

Top, Cecilie Bahnsen at Matchesfashion

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FASH ION

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La na De l toRe y & Ja re d Le

Bracelet, Roxanne Assoulin at Net-a-Porter

Watch, Hublot

Jodi e Tu rne r-Smit h

Jacket, Studio Nicholson

WHAT TO PA C K F O R

‘Dopamine dressing’ is one of fashion’s favourite phrases right now. It’s about being vivid and vibrant, and being seen. And when it comes to being seen, the LA County Museum of Art’s events are right up there. Colour, print, pattern and quirky details are the things to get you noticed: think eye-popping shades, clashing contrasts, texture and tone, shape and style – the art crowd loves a reference.

Sunglasses, Akoni

Bag, Patou

ADRIAN GAUT / TRUNK ARCHIVE, GETTY IMAGES, ISTOCK, UNSPLASH, © MUSEUM ASSOCIATES / LACMA

Jeremy O Ha rri s LACMA

LACMA

Earrings, Harry Winston

Dress, Roksanda at Matchesfashion

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Dress, Bassike

Wind Flowers fragrance, Creed

Shirt, Prada at Selfridges

Trainers, Chloé at Mytheresa

One of London’s most fashionable addresses DISCOVER ONE AND TWO BEDROOM APARTMENTS IN A UNIQUE WATER SIDE SET TING, WITH VIEWS OF THE CENTR AL LONDON SK YLINE. IN ONE OF LONDON’S PRESTIGIOUS NEIGHBOURHOODS.

PRICES FROM £750,000* BOOK AN APPOINTMENT +44 (0)20 4579 1901

Chelsea Creek Marketing Suite, 9 Park Street, London, SW6 2FS www.chelseacreek.co.uk | sales@chelseacreek.co.uk Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies

Computer-generated image is indicative only. *Price correct at time of print

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PEGGY SIROTA / TRUNK ARCHIVE, AGB PHOTO LIBRARY / GETTY IMAGES, C/O LAURA JACKSON. C/O ANDRÉ FU STUDIO INTERVIEWS BY LUCIANA BELLINI

What’s making Our friends and family on you what they’ve for smile got planned sun-soaked days outside this summer?

LAURA JACKSON The Entrepreneur I am looking forward to travelling to Italy with my children. I need some heat on my body and some sand beneath my toes!

ANDRÉ FU The Interior Designer A month-long trip to Europe is in the pipeline and I am looking forward to reconnecting with my friends. I am also excited about the upcoming launch of my new André Fu Living collection: Traces of Nature, with an extensive collection of furniture, lighting and tableware. The trip shall begin with Milan for the Salone del Mobile, then a fortnight in London for the launch of my interior collaborations, including the Claridge’s Spa. I will also make a detour to the South of France to visit The Maybourne Riviera, where I oversaw the wellness floor, which is inspired by the vast ocean-scape. When on-the-go, I love to wear Loro Piana’s ‘André’ linen shirt, a denim jacket from The Row and Muji canvas trainers.

MARCUS WAREING The Chef

The Fashion Designer

I’m just excited to wear really fabulous clothes, go to Claridge’s for cocktails and dance the night away again.

CHARLENE ROXBOROUGH KONSKER The Stylist I can’t wait to escape to our farmhouse in Lake Forest.

When I’m in LA, I’ll be spending as much time as possible at art galleries. The best are all downtown, but I’m also excited about the McQueen exhibition at LACMA, which is going to be the first exhibition of his work on the West Coast.

MAURO COLAGRECO The Gourmet

Gardens are at their best during spring and summer, so these are the seasons I look forward to every year. My garden is such a peaceful place and spending time there is the biggest luxury for me; just enjoying the nature around me and eating delicious produce fresh from the trees. In summer, I particularly like the balance between the calmness of nature and the dynamism of the Côte d’Azur, which really comes to life during the season. Riviera Playa in RoquebruneCap-Martin has the perfect mix: it’s surrounded by nature, with the sea, rocks and incredible sunsets. And the ambience is amazing.

Erin O’Connor The Model

My plans will be an ‘every other Friday’ lost in my favourite bar The Fumoir and a surf holiday in the UK with my beautiful sons.

HARRIS REED PORTRAIT BY RACHEL LOUISE BROWN, BBC / PLIMSOLL, C/O ERIN O’CONNOR, LADY KINVARA BALFOUR BY ALEX BRAMALL, ZOE DE GIVENCHY BY NICOLE LAMOTTE, WHISBE ARTWORK PHOTOGRAPHED BY CATHY KASTERINE, C/O ANNIE MORRIS

Harris Reed

This summer I’m so looking forward to the continuation and development of produce from my kitchen garden, a sixty-five-acre smallholding I’ve been developing in Sussex. It’s been an amazing learning curve for me and the BBC viewers, who are following Tales from My Kitchen Garden. Cooking over fire and sharing the experience with the local community and farmers has been amazing. I can’t wait to see the ingredients and produce that we’ll pick this summer: everything from Jerusalem artichokes and Kentish Pippin apples to wild mushrooms and elephant garlic. And let’s not forget the Longhorn cows, pigs, sheep, ducks and chickens that I’ll be busy tending…

TA LK I NG POI NTS

LADY KINVARA BALFOUR The Creative Director

The Hair Colourist

I have really missed being able to explore new places and return to old haunts. Paris is on the horizon, as is a supper club at The Royal Oak Ramsden in Chipping Norton. The team and I have also been working behind-the-scenes on our residence at Claridge’s, which is going to open imminently. I’ve never actually had a salon in Mayfair and I’m really looking forward to working in this incredible location.

This summer, I’m most excited about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. I’ll be in Los Angeles on the day, so I will miss the pomp and ceremony I imagine the UK will enjoy, but I’ll go to town on being as British as can be. I’ll invite friends to my Jubilee party – via HiNote – and I’ll hit Bonjour Fête for regal party supplies. I’ll also stock up on plenty of food from the British Corner Shop website, because what’s a royal celebration without a bag of Wotsits or Monster Munch, a pack of Hobnobs and a nice cup of Earl Grey?

ZOË DE GIVENCHY The Designer

Whisbe

Oh, the promise of summer! I am beyond excited to return to London and, after a long Covid hiatus, revisit my old favourites.

Staying at my home-away-from-home and being utterly spoilt – at The Berkeley, of course – I plan to start the season early at the Chelsea Flower Show (likely wearing a colourful confection by my friend Emilia Wickstead). Take the children to see our friend Harry Haddon-Paton in My Fair Lady, lunch with the old school at Wilton’s, shop at Hamley’s (with the children) and wind up on the roof at the hotel’s Bamford Wellness Spa. What a way to kick-start the summer – bliss!

The Street Artist

I’m really looking forward to expanding my creative outlet into the NFTspace, as a catalyst for the next cultural evolution.

ANNIE MORRIS The Visual Artist

I’m really thrilled to be showing at Château La Coste – an astonishing sculpture park in the middle of a sensational setting in Provence – in July this year. For the show, I will be showing three new Sphere sculptures as well as a new tapestry-and-oil stick work that I hope will hang from the ceiling. I will also be unveiling my largest work: a 5.5-metre stack that will be installed at the entrance of the museum. I am also so pleased that I will be showing alongside my husband Idris, who will be exhibiting his beautiful new paintings and sculptures in the pavilion designed by the late Richard Rogers. M

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

JOSH WOOD

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POPPERFOTO / GETTY IMAGES

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GOD SAVE THE QUEEN This summer’s Platinum Jubilee marks the 70th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Her Majesty the Queen. Hannah Betts pays tribute to a truly remarkable woman

Left: Piccadilly Circus shows an image of The Queen addressing the nation at the start of the pandemic. Below: At Balmoral with Anne, Charles and a corgi

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queen is never not of interest. There have been only six of England, eight of England and Scotland, and even then one is forced to include Lady Jane Grey, who was actually only queen for nine days. Discrimination against female royals only ended with the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013 – previously, female heirs were overlooked in favour of their brothers.

Of this few, three stand out in terms of character and longevity: Elizabeth I, with her epic 44-year reign; Victoria, who commanded for 63 years; and her great-great-granddaughter, Elizabeth II, who, in February 2022, entered her 70th year in the role. This makes Her Majesty the longest-ruling monarch in British history, allowing us to celebrate an unprecedented Platinum Jubilee.

The word ‘icon’ is overused. In the case of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, it feels like an understatement.

After all, the most reproduced artwork of all time is not the Mona Lisa, nor Michelangelo’s David, but sculptor Arnold Machin’s bas-relief of The Queen, enshrined on postage stamps, coins and banknotes. It has sold well over 200 billion copies since being issued in 1967 as the British stamp.

Elizabeth II has travelled more widely than any other ruler.

Admired the world over for her embodiment of duty, she continues to personify calm and consistency amid momentous social change. Who else could have acted as the figurehead for a second Elizabethan age of chivalry and empire, yet decades later have morphed into a champion for equality and ecology? One thinks of her address to the COP26 climate change talks – in

butterfly brooch and grass-green frock – doubtless encouraged by her friend and fellow nonagenarian Sir David Attenborough.

During the Covid pandemic, it became clear why we need this cool and familiar head as leader of our nation – not a political figurehead, but a spiritual one. During the darkest days the country has endured since World War II, Her Majesty calmed us, cheered us and kept us trudging on. In April 2020, with the uncertainties of early lockdown all about, she urged us to adopt a Blitz spirit, echoing Dame Vera Lynn’s We’ ll Meet Again. When she succumbed to the illness, she did so without drama, maintaining light duties such as congratulating Britain’s Winter Olympic curling teams. It would take more than coronavirus to make the House of Windsor’s great matriarch take to her bed.

The Crown’s fictionalisation of Elizabeth II’s reign got one element, at least, spot-on: her unwavering dedication. Princess Elizabeth was 25 when she acceded to the throne in 1952, after the death of her beloved father, George VI. At just 21, she made her pledge to the Commonwealth: ‘My whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.’ So steadfastly has she kept this promise that even when being removed as sovereign, she responds with grace and generosity, such as when Barbados became a republic in 2021.

In 1947, we knew her as a beautiful, high-cheekboned bride, her satin dress supplied by clothing-ration coupons. Today, she is the cherished great-grandmother who parachuted into the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in the company of James Bond. A documentary following her Diamond Jubilee year revealed images of her Balmoral sitting room: all knick-knackery, tartan rugs, dog baskets, copies of the Racing Post and a cushion

‘Admired for her embodiment of duty, she personifies calm amid momentous social change’

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Left: With the Duke of Edinburgh in 1976. Below left: Recording a message for the COP26 summit last year

ISABEL INFANTES, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, BUCKINGHAM PALACE VIA GETTY IMAGES, ANWAR HUSSEIN / GETTY IMAGES, EDWARD MILLER / KEYSTONE / HULTON ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES, ANDREW MILLIGAN-WPA POOL / GETTY IMAGES, CHRIS JACKSON / GETTY IMAGES, HULTON-DEUTSCH COLLECTION, / CORBIS, / CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

From top: Arriving at Claridge’s in 1963; sporting her signature headscarf; with The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in 2017

emblazoned with ‘It’s good to be Queen’. Her favoured breakfast was revealed as Kellogg’s cereal dispensed from Tupperware.

She is bolstered by her religious faith, and is possessed of a dry wit. She holds considered – if largely publicly unexpressed – opinions, displays physical grit, and has demonstrated a lifelong determination to embrace change, notably in her courageous approach to widowhood after more than 70 years of marriage.

Never had the British people felt for their Queen more keenly than watching her bid farewell to her beloved Philip in April 2021.

We knew how much she loved her ‘liege man of life and limb’, and how incomprehensible it must have felt to put such a dynamic presence into the past tense. She is said to have been besotted from their second encounter in 1939, when she was 13, visiting Dartmouth’s Royal Naval College, where the dashing 18-year-old had been awarded ‘best cadet’. For seven decades, he was by her side. Her dignity and bravery in going on alone has moved us all.

Claridge’s has long been proud to consider the Royal Family part of its family, continuing a tradition of being the ‘annexe of Buckingham Palace’ that started with Queen Victoria. State delegations hold banquets for Her Majesty in Brook Street and the hotel has hosted many private celebrations, from a 60th birthday dinner for The Queen to a ruby wedding anniversary celebration.

This Jubilee year, our heroine will be guest of honour at legions of public festivities, full of bunting and bake-offs and pomp.

Throughout – clad in some rainbow shade – she will smile and wave as if nothing could delight her more. And, as life returns to normal after two years of chaos, Her Majesty will see us through this next stage – as she has seen us through 14 prime ministers and countless social upheavals. Her success is testament to her ultimate triumph: whether or not we love the monarchy as an institution, we all adore The Queen, our Queen, Elizabeth R. M To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, this June, Claridge’s will unveil a selection of royal treasures from their archives, in the hotel lobby. With a particular focus on the majestic coronation activities of 1953, items include rare footage of Queen Elizabeth, photographs, original coronation menus and other Claridge’s royal memorabilia.

Right: From 30 May-12 June, Prêt-à-Portea at The Berkeley pays tribute to Her Majesty the Queen and this incredible landmark celebration. Three iconic royal fashion moments are rendered in edible form, including a crown in vanilla biscuit with ‘ermine’ icing.

Above: A fan created by the hotel to celebrate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Left: With Princess Anne and Prince Charles in 1952 Right: The menu for a dinner at Claridge’s to celebrate Her Majesty’s coronation in 1953

Damien Hirst’s new stained-glass window, accompanied by guests from the worlds of celebrity and society, such as Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Barbra Streisand and Marlene Dietrich

Claridge’s Elegant Evolution London’s most historic hotel enters a new era with the biggest renovations of its two centuries.

But, finds Nick Foulkes, its service, style and discreet magic remain timeless

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‘Like the most exotic of living identities, Claridge’s renews itself over time’

PREVIOUS SPREAD: DAMIEN HIRST ARTWORK PHOTOGRAPHED BY PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LTD. © DAMIEN HIRST AND SCIENCE LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DACS 2022. SLIM AARONS / GETTY IMAGES, KEYSTONE / HULTON ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES. PETER KING / FOX PHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES / LAWRENCE SCHILLER / POLARIS / COMMUNICATIONS / GETTY IMAGES / KEYSTONE-FRANCE / GAMMA-KEYSTONE VIA GETTY IMAGES / JULIAN BROWN / MIRRORPIX / GETTY IMAGES. THIS SPREAD: DAMIEN HIRST ARTWORK PHOTOGRAPHED BY PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LTD. © DAMIEN HIRST AND SCIENCE LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DACS 2022. SLIM AARONS / GETTY IMAGES.

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rom the moment that William and Marianne Claridge opened their home to guests in 1812, the hotel has woven itself into the colourful tapestry of Mayfair life. In the ensuing two centuries, it has survived wars and pandemics. And it has welcomed world leaders, Hollywood royalty, actual royalty and, very occasionally, me – drawn moth-like to this enduring flame of glamour.

Whatever the occasion or challenge, you can be sure that Claridge’s will rise to it majestically. When lockdown closed London for three months, the hotel fed 500 NHS hospital staff every day and welcomed NHS frontline workers to stay in rooms usually inhabited by fashion leaders, film stars and billionaires.

Even the display of hydrangeas and delphiniums in the lobby was rendered in NHS colours by McQueens Flowers.

The syncopated rattle of cocktail shakers, the chiming of clinking champagne flutes and the susurrus of conversation remain the sweetest background music. The hotel’s feeling of friendly grandeur remains intact. The chequered marble floor of the lobby gives every arrival a sense of occasion and, no matter how long the absence, the concierge team greets guests with appropriate words of welcome and a smile.

Claridge’s is a living entity and, like the most exotic of living entities, it renews itself over time. Now an elegant evolution is afoot.

Over the past seven years, Claridge’s has undertaken one of the most audacious building works ever seen in Mayfair, under the direction of hotelier Paddy McKillen. Digging down five floors and going up two floors, the works have actually doubled the hotel’s footprint, without moving any walls.

This has perfectly positioned the venerable grande dame of Mayfair to offer the finest guest experiences and hospitality for the next 200 years of her life.

For those concerned that the hotel they know and love will be changed beyond all recognition, rest easy. The Claridge’s that we know today has very little in common with the Claridge’s that I first encountered 40 years ago, and next to nothing in common with the modest hotel that first opened in the 19th century. Even within my years, the hotel has moved with the times. I am old enough to recall the days when what is now Claridge’s Bar was the Causerie, where Battenberg cake was served for tea to the sound of a string quartet in the lobby, and when Gordon Ramsay dished out rum baba and foie gras in the restaurant.

One of the things that makes this hotel so special is how it embraces modern life yet maintains the traditional fi xtures that make it unique. This is a hotel that has a working lift installed in 1896, yet also has Claridge’s ArtSpace, a gallery that occasionally accepts cryptocurrency. Old favourites, such as the chicken pie, are still served in The Foyer & Reading Room but there’s also L’Epicerie: a private dining space akin to a gastronomic ringside seat or royal box, from which to observe the theatre of a worldclass kitchen, directed by the peerless Martyn Nail.

This is an institution that feels equally at home hosting the Queen’s reception for the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 as it does a 2020 music video for The Rolling Stones, which features racy dance moves from actor Paul Mescal. The Normal People pin-up shimmies his way around the hotel, sometimes in a dinner jacket, sometimes in a figure-fitting vest.

On a recent visit to one of the new rooms, my corner suite had been refurbished by Pierre-Yves Rochon, yet was in complete harmony with its historic counterparts. This happy meeting of past and present is evident in the way that an 18th century chinoiserie cabinet, repurposed from another part of the hotel, can sit alongside contemporary modern art and a Bluetooth speaker, in case you’re seized by the urge to ‘do a Mescal’ and dance through the suite. It is high praise to call a hotel a home from home, and this is a suite into which I would happily move from home. It has everything from a terrace overlooking Mayfair’s rooftops to a bathroom stocked with Anatomē unguents, stored like artists’ supplies in screwtop metal tubes.

That painterly packaging is a timely reminder of the role that Claridge’s continues to play in the artistic life of the capital.

Paddy McKillen understands perfectly the transformative power of art - and there can be few patrons and collectors who understand hotels as profoundly as he does. One anecdote is particularly telling: McKillen paused one day and directed his gaze upwards through the central staircase. It needed, he felt, something to reward the eye. With Damascene immediacy, McKillen reached for his telephone, scrolled through the contacts, and called Damien Hirst. ‘Damien, do you make stained-glass windows?’ he enquired. ‘No,’ replied the artist. ‘But I do now.’

The result is the first foray into this centuries-old medium by Britain’s most emblematic artist of the past half-century.

Realised by Hirst using the skill of Reyntiens Glass Studio, the effect is staggeringly beautiful, with light filtering through insect wings of every hue. ‘I love Claridge’s and I love light and I love butterflies,’ Hirst tells me. ‘I wanted to create an optimistic kaleidoscope of hope and light and butterflies, and I think the result speaks for itself. I love how it’s turned out.’

Impressive as the installation is, it’s far from the only artistic intervention in the building. McKillen routinely unites the hotelier’s gift for hospitality with the aesthete’s eye for beauty.

The result is jewels such as The Painter’s Room. For generations, it languished as a cloakroom and a banqueting preparation area, but during the 1930s it was a bar – and now, thanks to McKillen’s friendship with London artist Annie Morris, it is again. Morris’s whimsical murals transform a space no bigger than a railway carriage into a venue that is a contemporary London riposte to New York’s Bemelmans Bar. If you prefer a bottle of fine wine rather than a cocktail, you can now head underground to the cellar: a temperature-controlled, 21st-century temple to Bacchus, designed to showcase an extraordinary collection of more than 1,000 wines and champagnes. Head of Wine Sébastien Morice has composed an epic that takes the oenophile from 19thcentury Madeira to the rarest of unicorn wines from the world’s great vineyards.

Claridge’s now extends 37 metres below ground. There were many challenges in excavating 100,000m³ of material while remaining fully operational - not least that the only building

plans that could be found existed in a one-page article from The Builder in 1931. To avoid disrupting or damaging the lobby, all the materials going onto site had to first pass through an opening no bigger than two metres by two metres, then down alongside 61 steel columns that hold up the Art Deco section of the building, before being installed beneath the 90-year-old concrete foundations. Fifteen specialist miners from Donegal used handheld pneumatic spades to clear the ground while upstairs afternoon tea continued to be served as if nothing unusual was occurring.

Claridge’s has started to extend in the opposite direction, now rising nine floors above London W1, making it one of Mayfair’s tallest buildings. At its summit will be The Garden Pavilion, The Penthouse at Claridge’s, set to open in late 2022 – which, with its own private entrance from which guests are whisked skywards, is an experience unlike anything in London. How many Mayfair hotel rooms do you know that have their own rooftop pool, garden, gym and that sine qua non of civilised living, a glasswalled music pavilion complete with bespoke concert-hall Steinway – all set against a captivating vista that embraces London’s famous landmarks?

But arguably the most important underground offering is a restaurant that you are unlikely ever to visit. Muse is the ‘staff restaurant’, though this phrase scarcely does justice to a venue that would be packed with guests were it not restricted to those who work at the hotel. With exposed brick walls, dark oak refectory furniture and marble-topped tables around an ancient olive tree, an espresso bar and even library alcoves, it is truly extraordinary.

Little wonder, then, that when I spoke to head concierge Martin Ballard MBE, he spoke of his pride at working at Claridge’s for over two decades, ‘‘Each generation discovers Claridge’s for itself. I’m really excited by all of the new developments, because it keeps that spark alive for the next generation of guests. You’ll see them breezing through the famous revolving doors and talking to their own children about how things have changed since they were young. It’s a constantly evolving story – one we are all so proud to be a small part of.’ M Above: Revellers at the Cygnets Ball, an annual finishing-school dance, in 1955. Clockwise from right: L’Epicerie, the new culinary space in the heart of the Claridge’s kitchen; a five-storey basement has been excavated below the hotel; glass panels in the ballroom entrance show former guests

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DESIGN FOR LIVING: INSIDE CLARIDGE’S The world’s most acclaimed designers co-exist under one roof, discovers Fiona McCarthy

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Left: Bryan O’Sullivan’s Mayfair Terrace Suite, with its Deco-inspired scallop details. From top: The Octagon, designed by PierreYves Rochon; most of the new suites have a balcony overlooking Mayfair

hile many of Claridge’s public spaces are steeped in Art Deco glory, it is in the hotel’s 269 bedrooms and suites where the past, present and future most harmoniously collide. Under the watchful eye of hotelier Paddy McKillen, who considers the building as significant to London as Buckingham Palace, two new floors of contemporary bedrooms and a breathtaking penthouse have been added to the hotel’s existing accommodation. In the biggest renovation since 1929, the Victorian section of the building has grown to eight floors and the Art Deco section to nine.

The result, as you travel upwards from floor-to-floor, is uplifting, inspiring and cosseting. Here, tactile textures – from soft leathers and cosy wool bouclés to shimmering silks and grainy woods – are teamed with a gently unifying colour palette of pale blues and aquas, pinks, oyster grey, cream and white. Spanish architect Gaudí provided the inspiration for the room’s smooth, hand-moulded curves – akin to the Moroccan tradition of tadelakt plaster – and floor-to-ceiling dormer windows allow natural light to flood each room.

‘People need to feel calm in a bedroom’ says Michelle Wu, Head Of Interior Design for Maybourne Hotel Group. ‘Hotels are like transitional homes for guests, even if for one night.’

Where possible, spaces have been reimagined to feature grand entrances, to provide a moment of arrival within your suite, and dressing rooms to allow for pampering. Many of the new rooms also feature pretty terraces, where guests can sit with a morning coffee or an evening aperitif while soaking up the sights and sounds of being completely immersed in the heart of Mayfair’s red-bricked beauty. Shelves and console tops are laden with objects and books, and walls hung with vibrant art, sourced from Maybourne’s pool of works by over 160 artists.

A remarkable collection of internationally regarded designers have been called on to help reinterpret this new Claridge’s vision. Alexandra Champalimaud wanted to keep the hotel’s ‘ritual of things past’, creating a bespoke bar cabinet for the sitting room from exotic eucalyptus wood inset with glass, harking back to the tradition of cocktail hour. Linley drew on the influences of ‘classic, restrained and elegant old-world

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Thoughtful design touches, such as bar carts, pay homage to the golden era of cocktail hour

luxury and a whimsical nod towards the Roaring Twenties, using Arabescato marble in the bathrooms and hand-cut silk carpets. For legendary designer Nicky Haslam, the hotel’s Edwardian era served as visual inspiration. Working with Studio Quinn and Green Wolf Studio, Haslam has used Colefax & Fowler fabrics such as ‘Lavinia’ for curtains, the Japonesque floral ‘Ashbury’ for upholstering chairs, and covered the walls in a hand-woven sisal and cotton ‘Seagrass’ to lend a stylish Forties feel. Haslam also knows better than most what guests desire: including bright lights embedded in the headboard. “Good lighting is the most important thing in the whole world, but only English hotels know that you want to read in bed.”

Other designers have enjoyed the interplay between eras.

Bryan O’Sullivan has teamed Deco-inspired scalloped headboards and chic little cocktail chairs, along with cabinetry finished in swirling veined burr walnut, a hand-painted screen

by Alison Chan and contemporary rugs by Alfombras Peña. ‘It’s an eclectic contrast that hopefully feels soft, uplifting and pleasing to the eye,’ he explains. The elaborate gilding of Leo A Daly’s Corner Suite is teamed with custom furniture by Ben Whistler and hand-crafted rugs by Colbourns. ‘It reflects the mix of historical and modern, traditional and international influences that makes London – and Claridge’s – so special,’ says the architecture firm’s senior interior designer Rie Ohnuki.

Rigby & Rigby have brought ‘serenity, sustainability and wellness,’ says senior designer Lena Cottray, to the studio’s room designs through a mix of natural materials, including speckled Birds Eye Maple, travertine, and hand blown glass. On the fifth and sixth floors, Pierre-Yves Rochon’s team has hoped to ‘capture perfectly the Claridge’s style: grace and beauty, Art Deco with a

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modern touch,’ explains Claire Mabon, the firm’s Senior Design Director. Pearlescent shades, white-tinted sycamore, along with custom designed asymmetrical scalloped chairs and the curved tops of doors, mirrors and archways are key. In The Octagon – complete with its own glass-walled turret, private wraparound terrace, fireplace and grand piano – the team have added a corner sofa and dining table to provide ample room for entertaining and the two generously-proportioned bedrooms have been swathed in Champagne tones. “Our idea was that Claridge’s is elegant, gracious and feminine,” says Mabon, “but we would like to introduce her to a younger generation too, while staying true to Claridge’s existing design culture, authenticity and beauty.”

Set to be unveiled later this year, The Garden Pavilion, The Penthouse At Claridge’s is designed by Remi Tessier. Found on the ninth floor, it boasts 360° views of London and will undoubtedly prove to be the hotel’s pièce de résistance. There will be four bedrooms, a six-metre-tall green wall, a wood-clad private gym-meets-meditation-studio, a reflecting pool and piano pavilion.There’s even a blackout system that closes over the penthouse like the aperture of a camera lens.

What’s clear is that what unites all the designers in their approach to Claridge’s is that no fine detail is too small. ‘It’s those subliminal things, like the handles in the rooms which have been inspired by the texture of the hotel’s revolving doors, that provide the subtle thread running throughout the hotel,’ Wu explains. ‘From the first thing you touch, entering the hotel, to finding it echoed in some way by the bedside table, it’s those coherent layers of history mixed with an always-evolving modernity that make Claridge’s so special.’ M Explore Claridge’s rooms and suites further at claridges.co.uk

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Claridge’s now has nine floors - with The Garden Pavilion boasting views across all of London

‘For us, Claridge’s means authenticity, grace and beauty.

A place to see and be seen’

ART& CULTURE London /Côte d’Azur/ Beverly Hills

Inside: The Black Chapel, Dorothy’s ruby slippers, a polyester hippo, a £20m Rolls Royce

THE RESNICK PAVILION AT LACMA

PROFILE

Meet the CEO of the Serpentine fresh from Frieze in Los Angeles

p.38 ONE OF ONE

© MUSEUM ASSOCIATES / LACMA

How the limited edition automobile became the drive of choice for the one per cent.

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The Art Of Claridge’s

A dramatic new gallery space is providing a showcase for contemporary art Words by

TEO VA N DEN BROEK E

This page: Pieces from Damien Hirst’s Sunshine (Complex Relationships Explained Simply) exhibition at Claridge’s ArtSpace

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‘This audacious new project has all the ingredients to become a bona fide art-world player’

the world’s greatest artists, the show included a triptych take on Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, made out of bits of junk, and an impression of Caravaggio’s Cupid crafted from scraps of old toys.

The rapid roll-out of the programme shows no signs of slowing. With a new curator overseeing each exhibition, this audacious new project has all the ingredients to become a bonafide art-world player in time for this year’s Frieze.

Next is a thrilling new exhibition from Les Lalanne – Claude Lalanne (19242019) and François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008) – whose work has reached iconic status in the past decade thanks to a major retrospective at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2010. During their lifetime, the duo garnered many a highfashion fan, from Yves Saint-Laurent and Tom Ford to Marc Jacobs. Claridge’s ArtSpace and fellow Mayfair gallery Ben

Brown Fine Arts will play host to a collection of works suff used with ‘surrealist associations and playful ingenuity’ – think a bar in the shape of a hippo or a cabbage with chicken’s feet (Les Lalanne are known for blending humour and elegance – which may explain their fashionable following).

From a world-beating hotel to an international art hub? Now that’s what you call reinvention. M Free entry, open to guests and other visitors.

Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams runs 28 April-29 July and a new coff ee shop will open in late summer. Find the Claridge’s ArtSpace entrance on the newly restored Claridge’s facade on Brook’s Mews

Clockwise from above: Vik Muniz’s exhibition A Brief History of Art at ArtSpace; Nouveaux Moutons (Brebis), 1995, and Hippopotame I, 1968/1998, both by François Xavier Lalanne

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

IMAGES: INSTALLATION VIEW: DAMIEN HIRST, SUNSHINE (COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS EXPLAINED SIMPLY) AT CLARIDGE’S ARTSPACE, LONDON. PHOTOGRAPHED BY PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LTD. © DAMIEN HIRST AND SCIENCE LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DACS 2021. LES LALANNE IMAGES COURTESY OF BEN BROWN FINE ARTS

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amien Hirst famously said: ‘I think as an artist you have to reinvent yourself every day.’ The same, it turns out, applies to hotels. Christened during London’s Frieze art fair in October 2021, Claridge’s ArtSpace is a bold new gallery concept situated beneath the bulk of the grade II listed building, which has arguably been better known for putting up artists during the fair than it has for displaying their work.

Designed by the king of minimalism himself, John Pawson, the cavernous space sits in the hotel’s painstakingly renovated basement, has a separate entrance on Brook’s Mews, and – from the exhibits shown thus far – looks set to become one of the most important homes for bold contemporary art in London.

Claridge’s ArtSpace opened with an exhibition of new works by Hirst. Titled Sunshine (Complex Relationships Explained Simply), the pieces resembled giant pipe cleaners, transformed into fantastical animals in saturated hues.

More recently, the gallery hosted an exhibition by New York and Brazil-based artist Vik Muniz. A Brief History of Art featured some of the artist’s most celebrated works from the past 20 years.

Taking inspiration from masterpieces by

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Photography by

R ACHEL LOUISE BROW N Words by

AUR ELL A Y USSUF

From Wilshire Boulevard to Kensington Gardens

Bettina Korek joined The Serpentine nine days before the world shut down. Now she can f inally reveal her vision

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Bettina Korek alongside architect Sumayya Vally and artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist at the 20th Serpentine Pavillion

Dominique Gonzalez Goerster, Metapanorama (2022)

BETTINA KOREK WEARS DIOR. THANKS TO LEICA UK. TOLGA AKMEN, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, MATTTHEW RITSON C/O SERPENTINE GALLERY

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resenting contemporary art from across the globe, the Serpentine gallery has been at the forefront of the art world for more than fifty years. Today, Bettina Korek – its CEO since 2020 – brings a Californian sense of experimentation and forward-thinking.

When we meet at The Connaught’s Red Room, her effortlessly chic, all-black Dior/Schiaparelli/Alaïa ensemble belies both her warm, laid-back persona and her enthusiasm for the art in the bar. ‘I love Brian Clarke’s windows,’ she enthuses. ‘He has an amazing connection to the Serpentine: through Zaha Hadid, who designed The Magazine restaurant and did the first pavilion.’ Her eyes alight on I Am Rouge, a work in watercolour, gouache and pencil. ‘I love Louise Bourgeois,’ she continues. ‘I have her work on my home screen.’

WHAT WERE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RECENT FRIEZE LA ART FAIR? My favourite part is the Focus section: a platform for young galleries in Los Angeles. It was incredible visiting [performance artist] Rafa Esparza and learning about the site-specific, bodybased performances that he’s been doing over the course of the pandemic. I also loved seeing Marcia Hafif’s gradient paintings. [Art collector and investor]

Our vision is to build new connections between artists and society

Jarl Mohn is so passionate about minimalism; he came together with the Fergus McCaffrey gallery to realise [Hafif’s] An Extended Gray Scale. We visited [painter] Mary Weatherford and saw the works that she’s going to be presenting in Venice for the Biennale. That was definitely a highlight.

HOW HAS THE LA ART SCENE DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS? There are so many art communities in LA, and it was great to see how galvanised people are to illuminate the incredible bonds between institutions in the city.

We visited [architecture and installation artist] Lauren Halsey. We’re having a show with her in October. It’s the first major exhibition with an LA artist that we’ve done since I got to London.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO TAKE FORWARD? We’ve learned so much about empathy, and how important it is that we make space at work to listen to each other and to create a supportive community. We’ve learned what a privilege it is to be able to all come together and produce and create and build resources for artists.

Above: Bettina Korek with artist Alex Israel. Left: A still from Rory Pilgrim RAFTS shown as part of The Serpentine’s Radio Ballads exhibition

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WHERE DO YOU STAND ON NFTS? We’re at the very beginning of the story.

NFTs are obviously here to stay. I’m interested in what experimental ideas are going to emerge. I think there are a lot of possibilities that we haven’t even started to consider.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE EQUALITY IN THE ARTS? We’re talking about how we can support access to professional opportunities.

[Curator] Yesomi Umolu, who joined the Serpentine during the pandemic, is really passionate about that. The conversations are very much led by artists that we work with. We have to think about broad systemic issues, but also what we can do in our daily lives, and the ways that we interact with each other.

DOMINIQUE GONZALEZ-FOERSTER IS NOW ON AT THE SERPENTINE. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? She has a longstanding interest in science fiction and extraterrestrial activity. The show is called Alienarium 5. It’s new work and a multisensory experience. She imagines what aliens would think if they came here; imagine if they fell in love with us. Dominique is mysterious and wants people to be surprised.

INSTALLATION ARTIST THEASTER GATES’ BLACK CHAPEL PAVILION IS COMING UP IN JUNE… It’s so exciting. He’s creating a sanctuarylike space that has a meditative quality. I love how personal his practice is, from studying pottery in Asia, and his dad being a roofer – bringing those materials into his work – and growing up singing in a Black church choir. We’re so honoured to be presenting this project.

The pavilion scheme, which was started twenty years ago by Julia Peyton-Jones, was a platform for architects who hadn’t built in the UK before, and Theaster is the first artist.

WHICH BRITISH ARTISTS ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT? Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley did a project about a video game where your job is to protect Black trans people, asking the question, ‘Why do we want to kill people in video games?’ She’s just incredible.

We’re getting to work with Sonia Boyce, Rory Pilgrim, Ilona Sagar and Helen Cammock on Radio Ballads [pieces created through collaboration with social workers, carers, organisers and Barking and Dagenham residents]. Each of them has taken a totally different approach.

Rory’s will be more like a music video, with an orchestra. It thinks about how rafts help us survive and carry us through different passages. Ilona’s will be more like a video essay. The whole exhibition, ultimately, will help us to think about what care workers and artists can learn from each other.

IN LA, YOU FOUNDED THE PLATFORM FORYOURART, TO CONNECT PEOPLE WITH WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE ART WORLD. IF YOU WERE DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR IN LONDON, WHAT WOULD YOU INCLUDE? I’m really excited to visit the library at The Warburg Institute in Bloomsbury.

Aby Warburg was interested in how he could help people discover new things, by putting different subjects next to each other. I love the idea of a library of discovery. Walking through Hyde Park to the Serpentine, that’s one of the most incredible and inimitable aspects. You transition through nature and arrive in the gallery, and there isn’t much of a barrier between the park and the space.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY WHEN YOU’RE NOT IMMERSED IN THE ART WORLD? There’s this incredible place for chocolate milkshakes right across from Hampstead tube station, Venchi Chocolate and Gelato. So having a milkshake and walking through Hampstead Heath is one of my favourite activities. One of my favourite restaurants is [Notting Hill’s] Farmacy, which has the Got No Beef burger; being from LA, I do love a vegan burger. You know what they don’t have as much of here? Matcha. Matcha is everywhere in LA. M serpentinegalleries.org

BETTINA KOREK BY RACHEL LOUISE BROWN. STEFANIE KEENAN, GETTY FOR MR CHOW ENTERPRISES, © THEATER GATES STUDIO, © SARA POOLEY, MICHAEL UNDERWOOD FOR FRIEZE LA

THERE’S BEEN A SHIFT TO DIGITAL. IS THAT IMPORTANT? Absolutely. Our vision is to build new connections between artists and society.

There’s using technology in terms of experiencing art digitally, but there’s also how we use technology to engage audiences and bring them back. That’s what I’m really interested in.

The exhibition will ask what care workers and artists can learn from each other

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From top: A still from RAFTS by Rory Pilkin, Bettina Korek and Pharrell Williams at the launch of Frieze LA

Theaster Gates, the Chicago artist behind this year’s Serpentine Pavillion, The Black Chapel (far left)

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BO The LA cultural

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OM From movies to mammoths, the City of Angels is staking a fresh claim on culture and heritage.

Andrew Barker reports

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The opening exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion (left) A visitor wears the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (far left)

L Underground Museum founder Noah Davis (below) and his Mary Jane (2008)

ady Gaga brought the house down. Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman toasted a crowd that included Sophia Loren, Cher and Spike Lee. At the end of last year, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures threw open its doors with a $50,000-a-seat gala in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills. You couldn’t script a scene to better broadcast how Los Angeles’ billion-dollar culture boom is in full swing.

‘The opening of the Academy Museum is a long-held dream realised,’ says Bill Kramer, its director and president.

‘Moviemaking is the art form that helped to shape the creation of Los Angeles. It now has a home for exploration of film in all of its dimensions, where visitors can come to appreciate this art form more deeply. I hope we inspire generations of moviemakers to realise their creative dreams.’

Were California a country, it would be the world’s fifth biggest economy, thanks in large part to LA’s thriving arts and entertainment industry that dominates our screens and conversations. So a home for the 12 million photographs, 190,000 film and video recordings, 80,000 screenplays, 61,000 posters, 104,000 pieces of production art, and personal artefacts from the likes of Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and Alfred Hitchcock has been a long time coming. (According to Kramer, the search has been on for more than a century).

Pritzker Prize-winner Renzo Piano, architect of The Shard in London, was chosen to create that home. He brought the Saban Building – a former department store on Wilshire Boulevard – into the twenty-first century, adding a spherical structure dubbed the Death Star by locals. This features a one-thousandseater theatre and a transparent, domed terrace facing the Hollywood sign. Piano’s inspiration was not, it turns out, the Star Wars space station, but the Streamline Moderne style, an Art Deco variant popular in Hollywood’s Golden Age. Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and former Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger raised $388 million for the museum from donors including Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. The Spielberg Family Gallery sits in the museum lobby, the translucent Barbra Streisand Bridge leads you to the terrace and the scarlet-seated screening theatre is named after Geffen.

Opened in October 2021, the 300,000-squarefoot museum features an immersive permanent exhibition with costumes, props and paraphernalia

FIRST SPREAD: DARRYL SMITH / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES, VALERIE MACON / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, LEO PATRIZI / GETTY IMAGES, JWPICTURES / ©ACADEMY MUSEUM FOUNDATION, RICH FURY / GETTY IMAGES / JWPICTURES / ©ACADEMY MUSEUM /FOUNDATION. THIS SPREAD: DISPLAY AND SLIPPERS BOTH BY AL SEIB / LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES, RICH FURY / GETTY IMAGES, NOAH DAVIES PHOTO BY PATRICK O’BRIEN-SMITH; MARY JANE COURTESY DAVID ZWIRNER; GENE DANIELS /FREDERIC LEWIS / ARCHIVE PHOTOS /GETTY IMAGES, ACADEMY MUSEUM BY WPICTURES / ©ACADEMY MUSEUM FOUNDATION; BACKGROUND THE WIND RISES, ©2013 STUDIO GHIBLI; HAYAO MIYAZAKI BY NICOLAS GUERIN; ACADEMY MUSEUM BY CAROLYN COLE / LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES

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including Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz and ‘Bruce’, the shark from Jaws. Further exhibition space hosts a show (closing in June) that focuses on Japan’s Studio Ghibli.

The museum’s neighbour is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), currently undergoing its own $750 million transformation. LACMA’s long-serving director Michael Govan had suggested the Saban site for the Academy, to bolster LA’s cultural epicentre. The so-called Museum Row also includes the La Brea Tar Pits, a bubbling pit of organic gloop from which bones of sabre-toothed cats and a mammoth have been excavated.

And – you guessed it – that thirteen-acre site has its own multimillion-dollar makeover in the offing.

David Geffen, the arts champion whose record label boasted

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The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, as it was (left) and as it is now (below)

‘Movie-making is the art form that helped to shape Los Angeles’ Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses in their heyday, donated $150 million to the reimagined LACMA, designed by Swiss brutalist Peter Zumthor. The 350,000-square-foot structure has a singlelevel gallery that takes visitors on a seamless journey from Picasso to Warhol and Lichtenstein. ‘You will stumble upon surprises and new discoveries,’ says Govan. ‘I don’t think there will be another museum experience like it on this scale, and people will have to come to LA for that.’

The reimagined LACMA is slated to open in 2024, with gallery space, event space, restaurants, cafés and parkland.

Govan hails it an ‘engine of job creation and economic recovery’.

Meanwhile, the Academy Museum’s grand opening was also attended by Star Wars creator George Lucas and his philanthropist and business leader wife Mellody Hobson. Although they will open their own museum, devoted to the art of storytelling, next year, their gift to the Academy Museum was free admission to anyone under the age of seventeen, in perpetuity. The couple’s suitably space-age Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has their 100,000-piece-strong private collection to play with, which includes Frida Kahlo self-portraits, Norman Rockwell

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; (right) Studio Ghibli’s The Wind Rises (2013); (left, above) Studio Ghibli cofounder Hayao Miyazaki

illustrations, and costumes and memorabilia from the Lucasfilm archives. The estimated $1.5 billion cost will be fully funded by Lucas. Five miles west of LACMA on Wilshire Boulevard sits the Hammer Museum. This has recently added 40,000 square feet of gallery space, plus a new restaurant: Lulu, from chef and writer Alice Waters, California’s first woman of food. In 2023, Hammer will host the sixth Made in LA exhibition, highlighting art created in the region by emerging and under-recognised artists.

Meanwhile, the Underground Museum – a contemporary art gallery on Washington Boulevard – reopened earlier this year with new leadership and an exhibition celebrating the work of late founder Noah Davis.

So why all this expansion and investment? It’s not new: tectonic shifts in LA’s cultural landscape have been happening quietly for twenty-five years. The past quarter-century has seen the opening of the art, sculpture and photography-focused Getty Center, the contemporary-art-filled The Broad and the selfexplanatory Walt Disney Concert Hall.

‘This next wave of cultural developments,’ says Academy Museum director Bill Kramer, ‘feels like an essential part of LA’s cultural evolution as a truly global city.’ And it’s just in time for the Summer Olympics to be held in the city in 2028. Sorry, London. Sorry, Paris. Sorry, New York. It’s LA’s time to shine. M

From top: The Bugatti Voiture Noire is a true one-off, as is the Ferrari Daytona SP3 (interior below)

Bugatti Voiture Noire

Ferrari Daytona SP3

Haute wheels Limited-edition automobiles are S redefining the

luxury driving experience, finds Jason Barlow

ome of the braver financial forecasters are predicting that the pandemic might give way to a new Roaring Twenties. Aspects of the automotive business are already taking their cues from century-old trends. The Jazz Age is synonymous with some of the most outré cars ever made, America’s gilded elite finding flamboyant expression in flowing wings, Palladian grilles and outsized engines. In Europe, artisans who had specialised in ornate horse-drawn carriages morphed into the new generation of carrozzeria or coachbuilders. Car makers supplied the

chassis and powertrain, over which these supreme stylists would drape bodywork of fabulous imagination, often on personal commission, and usually in very limited numbers.

Fast-forward 100 years of technological progress and the principles remain intact.

High-net-worth individuals want something nobody else has. This is obviously good business, but it also allows the car makers to deliver something extraordinary.

Take Bugatti’s Voiture Noire, a one-off homage to the 1936 Type 57 Atlantic.

Ettore Bugatti was the son of an art nouveau furniture maker, and his son Jean forged the automotive myth. Only four were made, one of which is now arguably the centrepiece of Ralph Lauren’s celebrated collection. The original Voiture Noire was Jean’s personal car, but it disappeared, along with Bugatti’s most important company assets, when the Nazis seized the factory in Molsheim in 1940. That sense of mystery helps stoke the mythology around the new one-off car, which is based on the 1,500bhp, 16-cylinder

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GUSTAVO ZAMBELLI / UNSPLASH, LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH BY LORENZO BARONCELLI / SGP, TOM BUNNING

Rolls-Royce Boat Tail Chiron, but whose body embraces strongly sculptural qualities to go with its colossal presence. The owner’s identity isn’t known, and nor is the precise price tag, although it was rumoured to have cost £12 million.

That figure was swiftly eclipsed by the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, said to be the world’s most expensive new car ever at approximately £20 million. Rolls-Royce didn’t just build its reputation on peerless engineering – it was also a pioneer in coachbuilding. The Boat Tail enhances that narrative to spectacular effect, as the boss of the company’s Coachbuild department, Alex Innes, explains. ‘The clients appreciated the hallmarks of Rolls-Royce design and encouraged us to design something that points towards the future,’ he says. CEO Torsten MüllerÖtvös adds: ‘Rolls-Royce Coachbuild is a return to our roots. It represents an opportunity for a select few to participate in the creation of something utterly unique – truly personal commissions of future historical significance.’

The Boat Tail clearly isn’t shy about its nautical influences. The name alludes to a series of coachbuilt 1920s and 1930s Rolls-Royces of the same name, while the tapered rear end is inspired by a J-class yacht. It’s also 5.9m long, yet manages to be entirely graceful.

Although based on the Phantom, almost all of the car is bespoke, and beneath that lissom rear sits a ‘hosting suite’ that opens to an optimum serving angle of 15°. Inside are two fridges and a Christofle cutlery and crockery set. There’s also

Above and below: The Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 is slick inside and out

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 a pair of custom-made carbon fibre stools and a parasol, while the interior’s tech has been elegantly minimised. The result is at once contemporary and not of this time.

Ferrari’s special projects division has created a number of one-offs, but a more recent development is its Icona model line. The latest example is the Daytona SP3, inspired by an epic 1-2-3 finish in the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours race. Only 599 will be made, costing £1.7 million each. This model will use the engine and chassis from the recent LaFerrari hypercar, minus that car’s hybrid tech. ‘I think this is the best car I’ve ever been involved with,’ chief design officer Flavio Manzoni tells me. ‘It’s a futuristic interpretation of a classic sports prototipo,

and a perfect showcase for what the team at Ferrari Centro Stile can do. Because I’m a designer, I cannot accept the idea of just reproducing something that happened in the past. And we are never held back by people’s expectations of what a Ferrari should look like.’

Less than an hour away from Bologna is Italy’s other great high-performance superstar, Lamborghini. Recently it chose to follow its spectacular Sian supercar – just 63 units – with a reimagining of the Countach. The original is perhaps the most visually arresting car ever made, and a successor is now available in a run of 112. ‘This is a pure celebration of something that happened 50 years ago,’ says Stephan Winkelmann, the company’s CEO. ‘As a rule, I don’t like retro cars, I prefer a forward-looking vision. But the original didn’t just change Lamborghini’s DNA, it changed everything in the world of super sports cars, so this is a valid exercise. The Countach is always the reference car. It was the first of a kind.’ Less a car, more a piece of art.

M

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Right: The Rolls-Royce Boat Tail’s timepiece by Swiss watchmaker Bovet. Below: The car’s stylish exterior

Adam Lajca (left) and Tom Chamberlin in discussion - and in Giorgio Armani and Kent & Haste respectively

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Smoke and Mirrors

WITH THANKS TO LEICA UK

At The Connaught, an age-old pastime is undergoing a renaissance; the measured pleasure of a perfect cigar. Tom Chamberlin meets Master Of Havana Adam Lajca for a frank discussion over a couple of ‘Wide Churchills’

Photography by

R ACHEL LOUISE BROW N

D

espite legislative shackles, crop shortages and supply challenges, cigar-smoking is on the rise.

Lockdown can take some of the credit: time indoors, working from home and reprioritising the ways we fill our days turned people on to Cuba’s most combustible export. But it is not just a private passion: the hospitality industry has embraced cigars too. In the past two years luxury hotels and private members’ clubs have considered how they can be smoked in their establishments. At older counterparts, solutions are being sought to align with demand. The relatively new notion of a cigar sommelier has also entered the fray. The Masters of Havana Cigars exam by UK importers Hunters & Frankau has become as crucial as the bunch-of-grapes lapel pin for wine sommeliers.

The Connaught is launching an extraordinary cigar sampling room for guests and friends: a dedicated space with a groundbreaking extraction system, marble fittings and elegant smokefilled glass tables. Overseeing this new arrival is Master of Havana Adam Lajca. He understands how cigars bring something uplifting and inviting to hotels, and welcomes experienced and novice smokers alike. And he has amassed a collection that includes treasures akin to those from Sierra Madre or Sutton Hoo. TOM CHAMBERLIN: HOW DOES THE CONNAUGHT’S NEW ROOM DEAL WITH SMOKE? Adam Lajca: The Red Room bar is next door to the Merchants, so it’s vital to have a good extraction system. After much research, we selected the Swiss brand Airkel, which is extraordinarily clever. It will have thousands of holes in the floor and ceiling, the air will constantly be sent through the floor sending the smoke to the ceiling, to be extracted without any draught. Genius!

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THE ART OF CIGAR SMOKING. WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL? It is always intriguing to hear the stories that people associate with the romance of cigars. I once met a man who spotted a cigar on the shelves that was exactly the same, including the year, as the first cigar he ever smoked with his son. That was a special moment and is the kind of memory that a great cigar can evoke.

The Connaught selection boasts over 250 types of Cuban cigars

WHICH CIGAR BRAND IS UNDERAPPRECIATED? It has to be Ramon Allones and San Cristobal de la Habana.

Both brands age incredibly well and are great straight out of the box, but they are very often overlooked by most cigar connoisseurs. If you are a fan of full strength longer smokes, try Ramon Allones Gigantes. If your preferences are lighter, little, shorter smokes San Cristobal La Fuerza will be a great pick.

WHICH PAIRINGS OF CIGARS AND DRINKS DO YOU RECOMMEND? Some of my favourites are: Partagas D4 Reserva paired with blanc de blancs Champagne. Cohiba 1966 Limited Edition 2011 with old vintage Armagnac. Partagas Piramides Limited Edition 2000 with Macallan London Edition. Trinidad Esmeralda with vintage rum.

There’s a box of Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva, the greatest cigar ever made DO YOU SEE THE CIGAR MERCHANTS LIKE A CLUB? Absolutely. I know guests who will come in every day. It’s so important that it feels like a second home. Ultimately, to operate the finest hotels in the world, you have to not just have strong Wi-Fi in every room, but also a world class cigar lounge.

GIVEN GLOBAL SHORTAGES, HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE IT IS WELL STOCKED? Having been in the industry for a long time and having a strong network means that exclusive and exciting opportunities come our way. And of course, we seek them out! We will always aim to have one of the finest selections in London, with Gran Reservas, Reservas, limited editions and regional cigars.

WHICH CIGARS WILL YOU HAVE AVAILABLE THAT ARE PARTICULARLY RARE? There will be a box of Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva, considered to be the greatest cigar ever made. I can’t even reveal how I got them - it’s part of the magic! But we have Cohiba Sublimes, Ramon Allones 225 and the Cohiba Piramides

WHAT WAS THE FIRST CIGAR YOU EVER SMOKED? San Cristobal La Fuerza – a cigar I come back to often. San Cristobal is a slightly niche brand but one of my favourites. I don’t think new smokers are as adventurous as they could be.

But that’s part of my job: to help people discover brands; to understand their tastes and expand their horizons.

WHAT IS THE NEXT BIG CIGAR TREND? I predict, people will become more adventurous and explore different shapes, sizes and colours. They will choose sizes which have fallen out of popularity such as long, slender ring cigars.

HOW CRUCIAL IS HUNTERS & FRANKAU? We are so lucky in how supportive they have been. Hunters & Frankau have a long-standing relationship with Cuba, which helps for supply and means the UK is in a much better position than a lot of other countries.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CIGAR SOMMELIER? Knowledge is good but listening is so much more important.

It’s also crucial to try lots of pairings. When you travel and meet experts, they amaze you with pairings that, on paper, look terrible – but when you try them, they’re absolute perfection. M Cigars will range from £35-£2000. See the-connaught.co.uk for more information about our extensive new cigar menu

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

limited edition. For me, having Trinidad Fundadores Gold Band is incredibly special.

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Visit us in person or call (310)-975-0272. sales@beverlyhillscarclub.com

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Sunshine in

Belgravia INTERVIEWS BY FINLAY RENWICK. IMAGES RACHEL LOUISE BROWN, GETTY IMAGES, ISTOCK, C/O @EATINLONDON, RACHEL VOSPER DETAILS BY ALUN CALLENDER, THE BERKELEY EXTERIOR BY JOAS SOUZA, ANDRES DE LARA, GEORGE WHALE

For 50 years, life in this corner of London has centred around the shops, socialites and sweeping architectural features that surround The Berkeley

T Left: The sights and history of Belgravia, with The Berkeley (also above) at its heart

he sun shines brighter in Belgravia.

At least it feels that way on a clear morning as you turn onto Eaton Square, Elizabeth Street or Wilton Place – the latter the home of The Berkeley. Sunlight bounces from the white pillars and high windows of the Georgian townhouses onto the lawns and flowerbeds of serene gardens.

But Belgravia is more than just a pretty face or a historic slice of Grand Old London (although it is definitely both). It is the heart of the city at its spectacular, shifting and innovative best. There is the vibrant community feel of Motcomb Street and Kinnerton Street’s pubs, bakeries, and fine-dining and neighbourhood restaurants. The long-standing shops and boutiques that spill onto narrow, cobbled streets. The creativity of Eccleston Yards, a beautiful brick courtyard turned must-visit urban oasis. An ever-expanding array of good-time destinations.

We meet a handful of the characters who helped shape the area into what it is today, and what it will be in the years to come.

Anya

Luc

HINDMARCH A perpetual innovator in luxury British fashion, Anya Hindmarch went viral before viral was a thing with her 2007 ‘I’m not a plastic bag’ tote. A designer who regularly finds new ways to work with reclaimed materials, Hindmarch is a Belgravia resident whose five Pont Street stores – collectively, The Village – are a bold new retail experience.

‘My first memory of Belgravia is my mother talking about the television programme Upstairs, Downstairs. I was brought up in the countryside, but I’ve lived here for 21 years. I love the proximity to the river and the way that Belgravia is laid out in a uniform, highly considered way. One of my favourite things is to take a walk and look at all the blue plaques of notable former residents. It gives you a sense of the area’s impact on the city.

‘My family and I enjoy going for a coffee and a swim at The Berkeley most weekends, then ham sandwiches and half a cider at The Nags Head. I love walking and investigating the old mews and lovely pubs.

I’m still finding bits, even after all these years. The Grenadier pub is another favourite and there’s all of Eccleston Yards.

GOIDADIN

Errol DOUGLAS Errol Douglas MBE enjoys local-hero status. An East London boy who built his empire in Belgravia, he is an awardwinning hairstylist and proud proprietor of a salon on Motcomb Street.

‘I’ve been here, on and off, since I was around 15. I fell in love with the area straight away. I opened the salon in 1998 and haven’t left! Everybody knows their hairdresser and we’ve become a part of people’s lives. I’ve seen generations of clients evolve, from

‘ It’s an international place with a sense of community’ ‘We’re a very British business, so I’m definitely inspired by Belgravia. One of our bestselling bags is named after Ebury Street. It is an international place, but one of the lovely bits of the last couple of years is the sense of community. There are so many characters here. On my street, people celebrate everyone’s birthday. There’s a real sense of togetherness that I don’t think you’ll find everywhere.’

meeting each other, to couples, to kids, and now I’m doing their kids!

‘I’m a mind, body and soul person, so having so much greenery nearby is a must.

And of course there’s The Berkeley – it’s a very cool and innovative hotel, which matches the area. Being here, and being part of the community, you don’t have to reinvent yourself. But you have to be active, and we are active. Very active!’

Geneva-born Luc Goidadin has a special connection to Belgravia and The Berkeley. The creative director of Smythson, whose flagship store is in Sloane Street, Goidadin oversees the British luxury brand as it leads the way in beautiful stationery and luxury leather goods.

‘I grew up between France and Switzerland until I was about 18, so for me, Belgravia was always about visiting family. The sense of order and calm here always felt to me like a really good representation of London. Paris has that beautiful pale stone on its buildings, but it doesn’t have the terraced style that is so English, and those glossy fronts and painted numbers on the pillars. After the Great Fire of London, there were so many attempts to create a new London. Then Belgravia came along, and you got the sense of a truly ordered city for the Age of Enlightenment. It was all about serenity and control and a million miles away from the frenetic side of the city of the 18th century.

‘The amazing thing is that Belgravia covers a huge amount of activities: shopping, businesses and residents. There is such a strong sense of history and Britishness, it feels like Smythson is a natural fit for the area.

‘If you’ve been busy shopping, The Berkeley can feel like an oasis. The Blue Bar at the hotel is obviously a great match for Smythson with the colour scheme. I’ve always known about The Berkeley because my mum used to work there, back in the 1960s, before she moved to Switzerland! I feel a personal connection there.’

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Rachel VOSPER The fragrance expert beloved by fellow fragrance experts, Rachel Vosper creates bespoke candles and scents for a local and global audience. Her Kinnerton Street atelier specialises in hand-poured beeswax candles and multi-layered scents, incorporating rare and sought-after ingredients such as damask rose, green aldehydes and choisya.

‘I first stumbled across my shop 11 years ago, after a very long lunch at Pierre Koffman’s at The Berkeley. I wasn’t hugely familiar with the area, but as I came

KENNEDY One of Ireland’s leading designers, Louise Kennedy has created elegant attire for regents, presidents and red-carpet royalty such as Meryl Streep. Her flagship has occupied a bright corner on Belgravia’s West Halkin Street since 2000.

‘There is great energy and vitality in Belgravia. It truly feels like a home away from home. I live close to our store so, when I’m in London, I love my morning walk through the beautiful squares and enjoy the colours of the changing seasons.

The area is home to many international residents, and the fabulous hotels constantly bring international guests, giving Belgravia a very cosmopolitan atmosphere.

PORTRAITS OF ERROL DOUGLAS, RACHEL VOSPER AND CANON ALAN GYLE BY RACHEL LOUISE BROWN, LUC GOIDADIN BY ALUN CALLENDER

‘Belgravia feels like a village full of wonderful people’ around the corner of the hotel, I saw a single light bulb in an empty shop with a ‘To Let’ sign outside. I immediately thought, “This is it!” By Monday it was mine and Kinnerton Street and Belgravia came into my life. Now I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in London.

‘At the time, I didn’t know about the community spirit, but I met Father Alan [Gyle] early on, then got in touch with Errol Douglas and started fragrancing his salon.

There really is a sense of us all helping each other. We know the postman, the milkman, the neighbours and the pub landlords.

‘From a business perspective, we’ve got to know our clients very well and have had the opportunity to work with a lot of hotels and other establishments. Belgravia is a one-off.

You could offer me a shop anywhere else in London and I’d turn you down!’

‘The area has changed dramatically over the past 22 years, attracting great luxury brands.

Errol Douglas and [chef] Anton Mosimann were so supportive when we opened, and it’s wonderful to see their businesses thrive. Our local newsagent, Mayhew, is the heart of the community, and has the very best selection of fashion and interiors magazines, international newspapers and beautiful greeting cards. I was delighted to see the owner, Nainesh Shah, receive a Lifetime Achievement award at the Belgravia Magazine Awards.

‘And, of course, there’s the residents and the village-like atmosphere. What struck me most when we opened our Belgravia store was how welcoming the people were: I have built so many friendships over the years. And there is such a lovely local spirit, with lots of events and a fantastic community who are so loyal to Belgravia.’

Father Alan GYLE The 12th vicar of St Paul’s Knightsbridge, the Reverend Canon Alan Gyle, has occupied the roles of clergyman, community leader and calming local presence for more than two decades. He’s a regular at The Berkeley, kicking off the Christmas season by turning on the hotel’s festive lights.

‘Belgravia feels like a village that is full of wonderful and very interesting people.

I came to be the vicar of the parish about 21 years ago, and I work and live here, in Wilton Place, right next to The Berkeley.

I was very pleasantly surprised after I arrived: you make friends with the local shopkeepers and residents. I was made to feel at home right away.

‘Being in a place for a long time as vicar, you get to know the stories and histories of people – through good times and bad times. I’ve married them, buried their parents and baptised their children. A lot of my time is spent talking to people, over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and poring over life. It could be obvious, practical stuff like organising a wedding, but often it can be the challenges that all of us face.

‘There are certain rhythms to life here, like the festive lights at The Berkeley: a chance for everyone to get together and reconnect. It’s easy to think of Belgravia as a place with very smart buildings, but it’s an area of very interesting people, which is the most important thing.’ M

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Louise

ULF ANDERSON / GETTY IMAGES

57

Remembering

Richard Rogers 1933 to 2021

The world of architecture lost one of its most charismatic figures when Richard Rogers, a dear friend of Maybourne Hotel Group, passed away at eighty-eight.

Our thoughts are with his wife Ruth, his sons and his fourteen grandchildren.

Deyan Sudjic remembers the visionary behind The Berkeley’s renovation

Y

ou need only glimpse the Pompidou Centre to know that, for Richard Rogers, architecture was always more a passion than a profession. Its street wall of brightly coloured pipes, and external escalators threaded through glass tubes slung from an exposed steel structure, were a joyful shot in the arm for contemporary architecture when the Pompidou opened in 1977. Gathering a museum, public library, cinema, theatre and exhibition spaces into a single building that stayed open late at night, and that offered the best free view of Paris, Rogers and Renzo Piano – his partner at the time – redefined how cultural buildings could look and work.

Rogers ran his practice as a campaign, rather than a business. He wanted to build carbon-neutral cities that didn’t depend on cars, that offered decent and affordable homes, and that had a vibrant public realm, open to everyone.

These objectives depended on dealing with big, complex issues and were not always achievable. But that did not stop him trying.

Born in Florence, Rogers brought to Britain a flavour of the Italy that he had left behind; a world of street cafés and travertine-floored piazzas. They would be his basis for a compact, walkable city – the ideal antidote to characterless, car-dominated suburbs. No element of civilised life would be further than fifteen minutes from every resident.

That vision was one he advocated as leader of the government’s urban task force during Tony Blair’s premiership, then – with impressive bipartisanship – as an adviser to Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson during their terms as mayor of London.

Rogers was a close friend of Maybourne Hotel Group’s Paddy McKillen. They met after McKillen got talking to Ruth Rogers – a Michelin-starred restaurateur and the architect’s wife – at a gallery opening in 2003. The friendship became professional as well as personal. Rogers and his architectural practice, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, helped Maybourne remodel The Berkeley, giving it a sparkling interpretation of modern glamour with what he called ‘light and drama’.

What was particularly impressive about Rogers was his ability to wear his intellect and architectural knowledge lightly. ‘As any of us know who were friends of Richard, he was generous to a fault,’ remembers McKillen. ‘Even at

Below The Centre Pompidou, which Rogers designed with Renzo Piano

design meetings, he would often say to his team, “Listen, Paddy is the client. We must listen to the client.” What generosity.’ The main approach to The Berkeley was transformed with a glass canopy that floats magically over it, supported by an ingenious and elegant structure of carbon fibre and steel. And at The Connaught, Rogers’s son – designer Ab Rogers – created a colourful cake shop, The

He talked about designing places for people, rather than designing buildings Connaught Patisserie.

The final design project of Rogers’s career was a gallery for drawings at McKillen’s Château La Coste in Provence, an art, sculpture and wine destination. Opened in 2021, it is an impressive addition to an already remarkable accumulation of on-site architectural gems. These include a pavilion by Tadao Ando, an outdoor theatre by Frank Gehry and a wine cellar by Jean Nouvel, amid installations such as a Louise Bourgeois spider and work by Alexander Calder. Rogers and McKillen chose the site for the gallery during a bike ride along the chalky track of an old Roman road.

The result is small but spectacular: hovering apparently weightless amid trees that ring the La Coste vineyard, it’s a vivid orange, steel cantilever structure, projecting from a thickly wooded ridge too steep for planting the grapes that grow in neat rows on either side.

Back in the 1970s, as his career was taking off, Rogers gave a fiery speech putting the case for architecture as a kind of social revolution. Prefiguring present-day concerns about the impact of global warming and social inequality, he warned the Royal Institute of British Architects, ‘If this is

STAFF / MIRRORPIX / GETTY IMAGES, RICHARD WAITE, JAMES REEVE, IN PICTURES LTD / CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES, JEAN PIERRE COUDERC / ROGER VIOLLET VIA GETTY IMAGES

Above Richard Rogers admires ‘Snowfall’ – his installation of 137,000 lights at The Berkeley

utopian daydreaming, and we reject the idea of a new social and economic order, then we must face the aftermath, which is starvation and destruction.’

And even as he grew ever more successful, with a place in the House of Lords, the Pritzker Prize, and skyscrapers from Australia to Mexico, that idea of turning utopia into reality stayed with him. Rogers knew how to make the most of intimate domestic spaces as well as the urban spaces that bring a city to life. The focus of his London home was its spectacular double height living room, with a circular table designed by his friend Norman Foster. Constantly crowded with visitors, it was overlooked by a wall hung with Warhol portraits of Mao, and enjoyed a sublime view of Christopher Wren’s Royal Hospital Chelsea. ‘Some people turn barns into houses,’ he used to say. ‘We turned a house into a barn.’

He gave The River Café – the restaurant founded by Ruthie in what was once an annex of his west London studio – something of the same character.

Rogers preferred to talk about designing places for people, rather than designing buildings. That meant being as creative with the architecture of the spaces in and around the structures as with the buildings themselves. He designed a parliament for Wales in Cardiff, a new airport for Madrid and law courts in Bordeaux. In London he created the Millennium Dome, Terminal 5 at Heathrow and the remarkable Lloyds Building.

At the last, the Lutine Bell – customarily used to announce the loss of a ship at sea – was rung to mark his passing in December 2021. During the ceremony, Lloyd’s Chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown cited the Latin inscription for Christopher Wren in St Paul’s Cathedral: ‘If his memorial you wish to see, look around you.’ But Wren’s less well known first sentence is just as appropriate: ‘He worked not for himself but for the public good.’ M From top Rogers’s living room; The Drawing Gallery at Château La Coste, Provence; the Lloyds of

London atrium; Rogers and Renzo Piano at the Centre Pompidou

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R ICH A R D ROGER S - A T R I BUT E

London /Côte d’Azur/ Beverly Hills

BRIGHTER DAYS ARE HERE

CATHY KASTERINE

From Karen Elson in Beverly Hills to Coco Chanel in the French Riviera, a warm welcome awaits...

THE

SUMMER VIBES

CHANGING CHANEL

Justine Picardie on how a 19th Century health resort became a byword for chic

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THE FRENCH DISPATCH The international artists, chefs and designers behind RoquebruneCap-Martin’s newest hotel

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The Côte d’Azur’s celebrated visitors include Coco Chanel, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant

'A pa ra di se of na tu re e' wh ic h I grie ve to leav Grayson PerrRum ex escia dolor autatesto militat urernatiunt que dolupta est,Rora

The Riviera:

THEN AND NOW

The dazzling environs of The Maybourne Riviera have always attracted a chic, celebrated crowd

'The summer resort of notable and fashionable people'

Chanel on the Côte d’Azur A generation of artists, musicians, writers and thinkers found inspiration on the Riviera – none more so than the celebrated style pioneer

century ago, just as modernism took hold in Paris, it also began to make its influence felt on the French Riviera, as artists and writers flocked to the sunlight of the Côte d’Azur. Until then, holidaying on the Riviera had been more closely associated with the British aristocracy, European royalty and Russian nobility, for whom winter and early spring were the preferred seasons. Indeed, Queen Victoria was such a fan of the region that she made regular trips there from 1882 onwards; in 1899 she described it in her diary as a ‘paradise of nature, which I grieve to leave, as I get more attached to it every year. I shall mind returning to the sunless north, but I am so grateful for all I have enjoyed here.’

Victoria’s son and heir, the future Edward VII, shared his mother’s affection for the Riviera (although she disapproved of his frequent visits to the casinos in Monte Carlo and Nice). But after the disruption of the First World War and the Russian Revolution, a different atmosphere took hold of the Côte d’Azur.

Picasso became a regular visitor, as did his friend Coco Chanel; while the leading proponents of the Jazz Age, F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, settled there for a time. It is thanks to Fitzgerald’s great novel, Tender is the Night, that the Riviera would become forever associated with romance and hedonism, as the dazzling ‘summer resort of notable and fashionable people’. His fellow expatriates, including Ernest Hemingway and Cole Porter,

contributed to the growing legend of a semi-imaginary, enchanted landscape. ‘It’s odd,’ observed Picasso in 1923, when he was painting a series of neoclassical pictures during a summer in Antibes, ‘in Paris I never draw fauns, centaurs, or mythological heroes like these. It’s as if they only live here.’

Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí were similarly inspired, and both were frequent guests of Coco Chanel at La Pausa, her beautiful villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. And it was here that Chanel would define her timeless vision of Riviera chic, which remains as alluring today as it was in the 1920s. ‘Fashion passes; style remains,’ declared Chanel, in one of her celebrated maxims, and nowhere is this more evident than in the photograph of her wearing a striped sailor’s top and trousers, her hands in her pockets, standing beside swathes of lavender in the garden of La Pausa.

The story of La Pausa (a house that I was fortunate to visit while researching my biography of Coco Chanel) seems to characterise the fabled appeal of the Côte d’Azur. Standing high above the wooded promontory of Cap Martin, with a commanding view of the Mediterranean, it took its name from the legend that Mary Magdalene had rested (or ‘paused’) beneath the olive trees here on her flight from Jerusalem after the Crucifixion. Hence an ancient chapel dedicated to Our Lady of la Pausa is still sheltered within these grounds.

Chanel signed the deeds to the property in February 1929, but she already knew the area well, from her frequent cruises along the coast aboard the 2nd Duke of Westminster’s private yacht, the Flying Cloud. The Duke had first met Chanel in Monte

PREVIOUS SPREAD: GETTY IMAGES, ISTOCK, LAUREN FAIR PHOTOGRAPHY, UNSPLASH / ANGELINA HERBERT, GABRIELLE CHANEL ET SON CHIEN GIGOT A LA PAUSA, ANONYME, 1930 © CHANEL ARCHIVES FAMILIALES / DR / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS SPREAD: GABRIELLE CHANEL PORTRAITS

BY ROGER SCHALL © COLLECTION SCHALL, E-1027 PHOTOGRAPH BY MANUEL BOUGOT, LAUREN FAIR PHOTOGRAPHY, NCEARTPHOTO / ALAMY

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Words by

JUSTINE PIC A R DIE

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From left: Coco Chanel at Villa la Pausa; the exterior of the house; Pablo Picasso at Antibes in 1948

‘It was here that Chanel would define her timeless vision of Riviera chic’

Below: Eileen Gray’s E-1027 house. Right: Chanel in the gardens at La Pausa

Clockwise, from left: Winston Churchill painting at La Pausa; Eileen Gray’s modernist E-1027 house; Le Train Bleu; Queen Victoria described the area as ‘a paradise of nature’

‘Artists and writers flocked to the Côte d’Azur’

Carlo, during the Christmas season of 1923, the same year that she opened her boutique in Cannes. At the time, she was nearing the end of her affair with a Russian Grand Duke, Dmitri Pavlovich, (who had introduced her to another Russian émigré, Ernest Beaux, the perfumer with whom she conceived the inimitable Chanel N°5 in 1921). Following the Duke’s ardent courtship, Chanel became his lover for a decade, and they were to remain life-long friends.

By the spring of 1924, Chanel was designing the costumes for the Ballets Russes production of Le Train Bleu, named after the luxury overnight express train from Paris to the south of France.

Sergei Diaghilev’s new ballet reflected the potent creative connection between Paris and the Riviera: its music was by Darius Milhaud, a leading Modernist composer, with a scenario

by Jean Cocteau, sets by the Cubist sculptor Henri Laurens and a stage curtain by Picasso, depicting two women running along a beach. In turn, Chanel’s costumes were inspired by the sports clothes that she had popularised on the Riviera: striped tricots and bathing suits, beach sandals and golf shoes, tennis dresses

replica of the sculptural stone staircase from the medieval abbey of Aubazine, where she had spent several formative years as a child; the cloisters around the inner courtyard at La Pausa were also reminiscent of Aubazine, as were its pristine white walls.

Work progressed swiftly, and the villa was completed in less than a year. It was featured in the March 1930 issue of American Vogue, under the headline ‘Mlle. Chanel’s House’. ‘There is no doubt that Mademoiselle Gabrielle Chanel is a person with very rare taste,’ declared Vogue, ‘and it is therefore not surprising that she has built for herself one of the most enchanting villas that ever materialised on the shores of the Mediterranean.’ Vogue was similarly impressed by the garden – ‘groves of orange trees, great slopes of lavender, masses of purple iris, and huge clusters of climbing roses’ – and its perfect setting above Cap Martin: ‘On the left is all the lovely sweep of the Italian coastline, and on the right, the Rock of Monaco and the town of Monte Carlo form one of the most breathtaking views in the whole Riviera, while in one huge semicircle in front of the house stretches the blue of the Mediterranean.’ Little wonder that Winston Churchill, a long-

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‘Chanel’s costumes were inspired by the sports clothes she had popularised on the Riviera’ and shorts; and by the crew’s uniforms on the Flying Cloud.

The Duke’s influence was also evident in La Pausa: the first meeting with the villa’s architect, Robert Streitz, was held aboard the Flying Cloud. Streitz would later recall that Westminster’s instruction was simple: ‘I want everything to be built with the best materials and under the best working conditions.’ Yet despite a general assumption that it was the Duke who financed the villa, it was Chanel’s name on the deed, and the 1.8 million francs in payment came from her bank account, rather than Westminster’s. She also made all the important decisions about the design, taking the Blue Train from Paris on her regular visits to the site. Perhaps most significantly, Chanel’s vision included a

Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald on the Riviera in 1926

standing friend of the Duke of Westminster and Chanel, became a regular visitor to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, staying at La Pausa and several other villas in the area, where he was inspired to paint a series of accomplished landscapes. (One of these, an impressionistic view of the coast in subtle shades of blue and green, was painted at La Pausa, and now hangs at the Dallas Museum of Art.) Roquebrune’s spectacular position had also attracted a leading figure of the avant-garde, the Irish designer Eileen Gray, who completed her own modernist home on its rocky shoreline in 1929.

Just as Chanel christened her perfumes with significant numbers, so Gray named the house E-1027, in a cryptic reference to her love affair with a Romanian architect named Jean Badovici. (E stands for Eileen, followed by 10 for Jean – J being the tenth letter of the alphabet – 2 for Badovici, and 7 for the G in Gray.) Badovici’s friend and fellow architectural pioneer, Le Corbusier, would subsequently stay at E-1027, and was so taken with the natural surroundings that he chose an adjacent site to construct his holiday cabin, Le Cabanon, intent on making it a ‘repository of sun and light’.

Gray’s innovative home has recently been painstakingly restored, including her ingenious furniture and stylish interiors, and is now open to visitors, while Le Cabanon has been added to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, giving fresh impetus for a new generation of design aficionados to make the pilgrimage to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. How fitting, therefore, that The Maybourne Riviera itself reflects the striking principles of modernism, and its notable art collection includes works by Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray. Yet the hotel’s cool aesthetics are combined with a dedication to the art of warm hospitality, creating the perfect retreat from which to follow in the inspirational footsteps of Churchill and Chanel.

Justine Picardie is the author of six books, including Coco Chanel: the Legend and the Life (published by Harper Collins)

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Sea Change: Inside The Maybourne Riviera Words by

JOHN O’CE A LL A IGH

Experience a clifftop idyll that playfully pays tribute to both the landscape and loves of the most iconic residents of the South of France

f your first visit to The Maybourne Riviera is on a radiantly sunny day – and, this being the Côte d’Azur, it’s likely – prime yourself for a moment beneath the Louise Bourgeois sculpture of an entwined couple, suspended in the lobby. From there, it’s a few short steps through the glasswalled Riviera Restaurant to one of the clifftop hotel’s many terraces.

The extended wraparound terrace reveals the most incredible panorama. Below lies the grandeur of Monaco, its customary streak of super-yachts gliding in and out of Port Hercules; to the left, beyond the terracotta rooftops of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the last few kilometres of France give way to the promise of Italy.

Time your arrival right and a dazzling spectacle faces you: a cavalcade of swooping, looping hang-gliders. The hotel’s airy eyrie provides a thrilling foothold from which to observe their antics.

Hypnotising as that spectacle is, aesthetes will find their attention drawn indoors. Years in the making, The Maybourne Riviera, with exterior design by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, provides a canvas for a generation of creatives: the interiors by André Fu, Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, Pierre Yovanovitch and Rigby & Rigby are bright and joyful. The Riviera Restaurant’s squishy chairs are a chipper cobalt-blue; sunloungers circling the infinity pool are vibrant bursts of tangerine. And museum-worthy artworks are strewn throughout, as if on show at a collector’s home. Any sense that grand hotels in the south of France need to be traditional is dispelled: it feels fun, not fusty or formal.

That playfulness is also on show at top-floor restaurant Ceto,

recently awarded its first Michelin star, where cute centrepieces of delicately crafted glass sea creatures attract admiring glances.

But the focus soon shifts to the Mediterranean delicacies of chef Mauro Colagreco, who led Mirazur, in nearby Menton, to the top of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Locals were proud of that accolade, though it is hardly surprising that a restaurant in this bountiful idyll between mountains and sea would rank so highly; this is a place where everyday activities are infused with reminders of nature’s supremacy. Amble the walkways by The Maybourne’s Riviera’s restored gardens and you might catch a drift of fragrance from flourishing citrus orchards and herb beds.

Within Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a 2,000-year-old olive tree still bears fruit. And even in on-the-go, moneyed Monaco, at the venerable food market La Condamine, residents linger over aperitifs, their designer bags stuffed with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Of course, much of that fresh produce makes its way back to the hotel. Already a Maybourne mainstay through his relationship with The Connaught, Jean-Georges Vongerichten makes his South of France debut here: his sun-soaked Pool Bar serves decadent truffle pizzas and moreish lobster rolls (perfect with chilled champagne), while his eponymous restaurant will offer superlative sashimi and other delicacies with its sushi bar overseen by the renowned Japanese chef Hiro Sato.

Benoit Dutreige’s creations are typically more calorific, and undoubtedly worth it: the pastry chef’s afternoon tea is pretty as a picture, and comes complete with zesty Menton lemon tart and crumbly passionfruit and mango macarons.

'Everyday activities are suffused with reminders of nature's supremacy'

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The mosaic pavements are inspired by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx’s work in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

On holiday, a languid lunch pairs so beautifully with a midafternoon nap and the hotel’s rooms and suites have been designed as sanctuaries in which to linger. Each one has a terrace offering its own knockout view; interiors are crisp and tranquil; mammoth marble bathtubs are irresistible. The hotel’s common areas are captivating too, with surprising, arresting artworks everywhere to admire. A number of mid-20th-century pieces by Le Corbusier are secreted here, alongside a dynamic sculptural work by Conrad Shawcross that is embedded in the corner of Riviera Restaurant, and a 2017 addition to Annie Morris’s poignant Stack series.

Of course, cultural pursuits also abound beyond the hotel’s grounds. Monaco’s creative cachet was bolstered by the 2021 opening of its own Hauser & Wirth gallery: the introductory Louise Bourgeois exhibition was announced to the public with one of the artist’s mammoth arachnids on a nearby lawn. Hauser & Wirth’s modern art is intended to push boundaries, but these surroundings have always compelled and inspired artists and creatives. Nearly a century ago, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, pioneering architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray built villa E-1027: a striking bone-white modernist house that recently reopened to visitors after a five-year renovation. Gray’s prescient appreciation of space and proportion means the home could almost have been constructed today, and its clean, crisp form has influenced present-day designers the world over. A notable neighbouring property, also open to visitors by prior arrangement, is considerably more rustic. Cabanon de Le Corbusier is a

'The rooms are sanctuaries in which to linger'

From top: the Riviera Restaurant and Panoramic Suite have spectacular views

wooden cabin by the aforementioned Swiss-French architect, whose murals add a colourful jolt to plain interiors.

The duo’s enduring legacy provides a poetic reminder that many of the pleasures they enjoyed remain readily available now.

From their homes, it’s a short drive to the perfume capital of Grasse, where pastel-pink roses that bloom each May are integral to Chanel N°5. Visit in July and you should see purple pastures ablaze with lavender. Near Cannes, monks have resided on Île Saint-Honorat since the fifth century and their industriousness is admirable: among many duties, they tend the island’s eighthectare vineyard, whose wines are available for sale.

Whichever crest of the Riviera calls your name, there’s always the irresistible lure of the sea. With endless sunshine draping shimmering diamonds on its surface, the Mediterranean is the star of the show, from the seaside cafés of Nice to the boisterous bars of Antibes. In Monaco, locals gravitate to the newly renovated Larvotto beach, while Maybourne Riviera guests can convene at the hotel’s Riviera Playa beach club, footsteps from the sea. That exclusive enclave also serves seafood by Colagreco, so it’s somewhere you could discreetly and effortlessly while away a day. But my favourite spot is back uphill, at The Maybourne Riviera, by the spa, on a lounger or in the infinity pool, gazing on an expanse of sea and air that is a deep, endless blue. And as dusk falls, the panorama becomes more spectacular still. The heavens turn mesmerising shades of peach and plum and scarlet, as the sun sinks again into the mighty Mediterranean. M To experience The Maybourne Riviera visit maybourneriviera.com

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BLUE SKIES AHEAD The Maybourne Beverly Hills is the epitome of Californian cool. After the madness of fashion month, the British supermodel and songwriter Karen Elson checks in PHOTOGR APHY BY CATHY KASTERINE STYLING BY JULIANNA ALABADO INTERVIEW BY ANDY MORRIS

Sunglasses, vintage; earrings, Alessandra Rich; dress, Carolina Herrera

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K

aren Elson is thinking about crisps.

Despite her status as an international supermodel, this happens a great deal.

Not fries. Nor ‘chips’. Proper British crisps that mimic monsters’ feet. ‘They don’t have a good cheese and onion in America today,’ she says authoritatively. ‘Whenever I get off the plane at Heathrow, I go to the WHSmith for some Walkers Prawn Cocktail and a KitKat Chunky and life is good.’

Karen Elson is happier now than ever before. ‘I’m so grateful for getting older. At 43, I feel much more in my skin. I’ve got a great family life, I’m in a great relationship. I’ve got lots of fun work things.’ Through umpteen cups of PG Tips, tenacity, therapy and, yes, moving to Tennessee, Elson has come to realise that being an outsider can be your superpower. That you can use the fact you don’t fit in to stand out. That the looks that will shock Richard and Judy on daytime TV will eventually win over Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld, who will describe you fondly as ‘a mixture of something from the Middle Ages and a mutant from another planet’. That you can share your experiences as a model and a mother – and still be genuinely, flawlessly, effortlessly, openly cool.

She is also trying to be kinder to herself. ‘I’m just doing my best, putting one foot in front of the other. Trust the process!’

When in doubt, she recalls her days in the late 1990s living in a dilapidated New York loft with close friends Erin O’Connor and Maggie Rizer. ‘It was our supermodel dorm!’ she laughs.

‘I’m so grateful we had that experience together because we had each other’s backs. We could lift each other up on the dark days.’

Elson also tries to see herself following in the elegant footsteps of the models she looked up to when she discovered fashion. ‘I have great reverence for Kate Moss. She is such a charming, kind person, and still so brilliantly down to earth.’ She also believes that a certain steeliness runs through the British models who rose to fame in the 1990s, exemplified by Naomi Campbell. ‘Britain breeds these formidable women, especially in fashion. We’ve all

This page: Trench dress, Alexander McQueen; shoes, Gianvito Rossi Left: Sunglasses, Oliver Peoples; jacket, top and shorts, Christian Dior

This page: Hat, Peony; sunglasses, Gentle Monster; earrings, vintage; swimsuit, Norma Kamali Opposite: Sunglasses, Cutler And Gross; dress, Emilia Wickstead; shoes, Christian Louboutin

had to work hard to get where we are. I don’t know a harderworking supermodel than Naomi. That should be respected.’

Elson’s own status certainly seems to evolve with each passing year – even after speaking out against the more problematic elements of the fashion world and deciding to no longer work with modelling agencies, she seems busier than ever. In the few weeks before we speak, she has walked for Christian Siriano in New York, Erdem in London, and Off-White in Paris.

She is certainly accustomed to shooting in LA. Last year, she took part in Moschino’s Hollywood musical pastiche, shot on the Universal Studios backlot, playing a singing waitress under the direction of Moschino’s Jeremy Scott. She performed her own track, Lightning Strikes, inspired by the inclement Nashville weather and the flirtatious jolt of attraction, inside a giant pinball machine, wearing an electric pink biker/bolero jacket.

In some ways, such a surreal setting fits with her view of LA as a whole. ‘It’s like a fantasy life. I understand why the Brits really romanticise Los Angeles because it is a thriving city in the hills, it’s very bohemian, the weather’s great… and you have fabulous people to mingle with!’ She’s genuinely thrilled by the idea of a Maybourne property there. Having made much of her second album, Double Roses, in the United Recording Studios a short drive away, she knows the area well. ‘I’m so excited to stay at The Maybourne Beverly Hills,’ she explains. ‘It just looks so elegant: this otherworldly glamour, like walking into an alternate reality. The stuff that dreams are made of!’

Elson’s road to modelling was anything but straightforward. She was looking for a way out of Oldham, so she learnt to model on the sly while still at school. She wanted to be a translator for a diplomat; the school’s careers service said she’d be better off training to be a flight attendant. She spent time perfecting her poses in Manchester, eked out a miserable six months subsisting on dry Weetabix in a grotty flat in Paris, then went to Japan to make some money. Incredible things started to happen.

She was booked by Marc Jacobs and Donatella Versace in quick succession and then, improbably, ended up as the 18-year-old cover star of Vogue Italia, with her eyebrows shaved off, shot by Steven Meisel in 1997. For some, this would be the peak of their career. But Elson was just getting started.

For the past 25 years, Elson has deftly charted her way through an unforgiving industry and achieved everything a model could aspire to: whether that’s being watched by 750 million people at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, travelling to Bhutan with photographer Tim Walker or collaborating on couture with designer Alexander McQueen.

One of her most memorable appearances was in a gothic music video for The White Stripes’ Blue Orchid. A few months later, Elson and frontman Jack White were married by a shaman in a canoe on the Amazon river. Elson had two children with White and set up a new life in Nashville. Ignoring the self-doubt and nepotism naysayers, she recorded her first album, largely written inside her walk-in closet and named after a playground insult referencing her pale skin: The Ghost Who Walks. When White and Elson divorced in 2011, they threw a party to celebrate.

Over lockdown, Elson decided to reflect a little on how far she has come, publishing a retrospective entitled The Red Flame,

which offers a look at her life behind the camera. ‘Appearances are deceptive. The great myth of being a model is that you are a picture: people bestow upon you what they think that picture is, and what that personality is, rather than get to know you.’ She hopes the book gives people a genuine insight into her life. ‘It’s wild, the assumptions that people make. I have been extremely lucky and done well for myself, but it’s not been without hard work.’

Lockdown provided an opportunity to rekindle her other great love: music. Throughout 2020, Elson posted Instagram videos covering songs she loved by such unlikely bedfellows as Abba, Sir Elton John and Dame Vera Lynn. But she also wanted to create original material, to put something positive out into the world, what she describes as ‘a bottle of sunshine’. Her upbeat new LP, Green, veers from Tropicália-style ballads to folky self-acceptance singalongs. Elson has fun discussing the reality of dating apps on Modern Love, which sounds like Loretta Lynn duetting with Daft Punk. ‘I had friends who said you should try Raya,’ she tells me.

‘I dipped my toe in for a hot second. I was like, “This is terrifying.”’

That day spent online dating was full of revelations. ‘You’ve got a screen saying, “Hey, I’m Karen, I like cats. I work in the fashion business.” God, it was so depressing!’

Unsurprisingly for Elson, as the world opens up once again, this is a time for experiences. Real life, in all its erratic, unpredictable glory, is the only way to go.

Real music. Real adventure. Real connection.

As she says of Green: ‘Now it’s time for me to run down the road, live life to the fullest, and see what happens.’ M Green by Karen Elson (Big Yellow Dog) and The Red Flame by Karen Elson (Rizzoli) are both out now

‘Britain breeds these formidable women, especially in fashion’

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: JACK PLATNER. DIGITAL TECH: CONNOR HUGHES. STYLING ASSISTANT (LA): MEGAN VO. STYLING ASSISTANT (LONDON): JESSICA SHARP. HAIR: CAMERON RAINS AT FORWARD ARTISTS USING KEVIN MURPHY. MAKE-UP: KATHY JEUNG AT FORWARD ARTISTS USING TOM FORD BEAUTY. MANICURE: JOLENE BRODEUR AT THE WALL GROUP USING BUTTER LONDON. PRODUCER: RACHEL LOUISE BROWN. LINCOLN 1961 PROVIDED BY BEVERLY HILLS CLASSIC CAR CLUB (BEVERLYHILLSCARCLUB.COM). LILO PROVIDED BY OLIVER JAMES (OLIVERJAMESLILOS.COM). THANKS TO: BLAKE FOX, CHELSEA BATES, BIANCA BIANCONI, MADISON KENDRICK, VERSA MANOS, DAVID BEGLARYAN, AMANDA MURRAY, ANNA STOVITZ, LAMM JOHNSON

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Sunglasses, Oliver Peoples; jacket, top and shorts, Christian Dior; shoes, Manolo Blahnik

Karen Elson was photographed on location at The Maybourne Beverly Hills

This page: Dress, Erdem; shoes, Manolo Blahnik Opposite: Sunglasses, Cutler And Gross; dress, Jonathan Simkhai

Luxury Upholstered Lilos oliverjameslilos.com

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TEN THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT

The Maybourne Beverly Hills

From a transatlantic classic cocktail to gallery-worthy art there’s so much to discover at Maybourne’s oh-so-cool US hotel 1. Welcome to the neighbourhood

7. Admire LA art

8. Rooms With A View

2. Live like a local

The hotel prides itself on supporting its neighbours. Start your day at The Maybourne Café with freshly baked bread by LA’s go-to bakery Bub and Grandma’s with jam made in collaboration with local hip haunt Sqirl. In the lobby, stop and smell the roses by florist Abel Castro of Natural Objects.

3. Spa Life

If time is on your side, start with a dip in the immersion pool before a signature treatment. Make sure you also give yourself a moment to sit back in the relaxation corner, order a tea and have the 15 minute CBD mask.

9. Martinis at The Maybourne Bar 4. The Terrace

This buzzy hot spot overlooks the lush Beverly Canon Gardens, with executive chef Kaleo Adams at the helm. The homemade corn agnolotti has fast become the talk of the town.

MAP: MORGANNE KENNEL

5. Catch some rays at the rooftop pool

With pretty much 365 days of sunshine, the hottest spot in the hotel is the rooftop pool and terrace. Hire a private cabana for Hawaiian style poké bowls washed down with a Maybourne Colada, or three.

The hotel boasts terraces for days.

Our top tip? Book a room on the east side of the hotel and you’ll be all set for a prime view of the legendary Hollywood Hills.

This André Fu designed space centres around a staggering silver onyx bar, with photographs by Mary McCartney and bar stools in striking Yves Klein blue. The It Drink is undoubtedly the Maybourne Martini, and you’d be mad to miss the smash burger!

6. Hang in the lobby

This reading nook, designed by Haus of Design LA, is one of the hotel’s most instagrammable spots; fabulous furniture, shelves of objets d’art and amazing ceramics.

Settle down with a good book or check your feed while you’re waiting for the valet.

10. Up In Smoke

For those in-the-know, The Cigar & Whiskey Bar is one of just three destinations in the city where smoking is permitted. Housed in a custom-made humidor is an edit boasting over 1,000 cigars from the Caribbean to Central America. Ask the team for our secret hotline to LA cigar guru Taz Ahmadi who curated the collection.

Follow the adventures of the hotel on Instagram @themaybournebh

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The hotel celebrates the Californian artist – art loving guests will discover key works by Jennifer Guidi, Ed Ruscha, Mary Weatherford and more.

Insider tip - look out for The Terrace’s large-scale mural by local Los Angeles artist Jessalyn Brooks.

Just moments from Rodeo Drive, the hotel’s location, in the heart of Beverly Hills, is simply unbeatable. Culture is on the doorstep, with The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Gagosian Beverly Hills only a ten minute walk away. For foodies, don’t miss the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market, every Sunday.

FOOD & DRINK London /Côte d’Azur/ Beverly Hills

Inside: A Luck Be A Lady cocktail, Trompe l’oeil fruit, The Manchester Derby, a great deal of pale pink onyx

THE

MAYBOURNE BAR

PROFILE

Cédric Grolet, France’s best pastry chef, arrives in Belgravia

p.86 BEST BAR NONE How the hotel cocktail scene entered the 21st century

by Dylan Jones

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PROFILE

HOME SWEET HOME

Cédric Grolet, the world’s best pastry chef, has arrived at The Berkeley. By Dipal Acharya

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CALVIN COURJON

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édric Grolet is no stranger to hype. The 36-year-old French master pâtissier has won a string of accolades – not least Meilleur Chef Pâtissier 2016 and Best Pastry Chef at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018. So it’s hardly a surprise that The Berkeley, where Grolet has opened his first patisserie outside Paris, is today a hive of activity. Journalists, critics and friends have all gathered eager to see what the acclaimed pâtissier has brought to the capital.

The patisserie’s interior, the work of designer, Rémi Tessier, has the feel of a high-end pastry ‘lab’, with polished stainless steel, white stone and a gold-leaf gilded ceiling. The walls feature carved flowers and lemons, representing Grolet’s fruit and flower creations, and the scallop floor tiles mirror the apple slices of the ‘tarte aux pommes’ he enjoyed as a child.

Surrounded by cosy banquettes and low lighting, this chic spot is now home to two ‘Cédric Grolet moments’ – petit déjeuner and goûter, the long-standing French ritual of sweet snacking. At the heart of it all sits a gilded chef’s counter where customers will be able to enjoy his creations. Here, Grolet seems in his element, neatly turned out in a crisp shirt, perfectly frayed black jeans and box-fresh Stan Smiths.

It’s Grolet’s precision and focus on the tiniest of details – the provenance of ingredients, the plates they are served on – which elevates the humble pastry to something altogether more refined.

Indeed the mimesis of his famous (and oft-Instagrammed) trompe-l’oeil fruit has drawn comparisons to great seventeenth-

century Dutch still-life paintings. While a simple vanilla tart is transformed by delicately layering biscuit with fine ribbons of vanilla praline and confiture de lait, topped by a camellia-shaped vanilla mousse. ‘It’s the ingredients that shine, it’s the simplicity of it.’

He’s certainly got Londoners excited.

Opening morning sees queues snaking around Knightsbridge, opposite leafy Hyde Park, with locals eager to grab a freshly made pastry (made with a strict ‘once they’re gone, they’re gone!’ policy).

Here, Grolet’s fruits and flower cakes will be sold together for the first time – showstoppers include the Noisette and

‘I’ve learnt not to play around with the raspberry’ the Citron – alongside an exclusive treat for Londoners: a signature trompe-l’œil, a clever illusion of the scone – his favourite British cake – serving as a tribute to Britain For those who want to make an afternoon of it (and why not?) Grolet offers an

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Diners at the counter can expect five sweet and two savoury tastings, with champagne

exclusive dining experience inside the lab.

Sat around a counter, guests will be treated to a menu of signature tastings – five sweet and two savoury – served with champagne, as they watch the team of chefs make finishing touches to their fantastic gastronomical creations.

So how does a master pâtissier with no less than 2.2m followers on Instagram keep things fresh? Apparently, it’s all about the seasonal ‘Moodboarding’ and trusting his instinct. ‘My team have trouble following what I’m doing. It has nothing to do with ego. It’s a feeling, it’s an emotion.’

His biggest source of inspiration is his own childhood growing up near Firminy, in the Loire region.

Much like the Proustian madeleine Grolet’s trompe-l’oeil creations are an homage to his mother Chantal and the fruit she would pick from the garden and pack into his bag as a schoolboy: ‘Vegetables, fruit, flowers, it all [came] from the garden.

There was no McDonald’s – I had my first McDonald’s at 18!’

Grolet was not academic but soon found his feet in the kitchen. ‘I wasn’t very talented at school but making things with my hands was easy for me’.

He went to intern at a local boulangerie at 14 and unsurprisingly, given what we know now, was something of a boy wonder. ‘I remember the head of the boulangerie calling my parents. I thought I was in serious trouble. But he had called them to explain that I had a real talent, and it was something to be nurtured.’

What followed was an education in the fundamentals of baking and patisserie. He lived by the advice he now gives to young pâtissiers: ‘Take the time to really do things well. Don’t jump stages. [It’s like] the construction of a building – never start with

To paraphrase Coco Chanel: a copy is never the same. You can never have a true imitation the roof. ’ He left for Paris at 21 and after working at Fauchon, the renowned French gourmet grocer, ended up in the kitchen of Le Meurice. He was named executive pastry chef just shy of his 30th birthday. Numerous accolades and two standalone sites (in Paris’s Place Vendôme and Opéra) soon followed, as well a visually sumptuous cookbook, Fruit: The Art of Pastry.

With such a meteoric rise, I wonder if he still has anything to master? ‘The raspberry!’ he laughs. ‘I’ve been trying to perfect this for ten years but a raspberry, when you pick it up, it’s already bruised. In terms of structure, it’s 90% water; when I try to create it as a trompe-l’oeil it’s almost impossible, because it just breaks. I made the trompe-l’oeil, but it’s just not good and tastes much better in a tart. I’ve learnt not to play around with the raspberry.’

Instagram gives Grolet’s fans a glimpse into his latest experimentations and helps him to grow his brand globally: ‘It allows me to have direct access to my customers, it

explains new creations, new menus.’

However, such social media exposure can be a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to copycats. ‘At first I would take it really badly. Especially when people said, “This is my new creation,” and it was 100% my work. To paraphrase Coco Chanel, a copy is never the same. You can never have a true imitation.

Grolet is clearly at the most industrious phase of his career but he applies the same fervour to his downtime. He’s recently taken up snowboarding as a hobby. ‘After three days, I broke my wrist and needed 17 stitches. With snowboarding, I would wake up early and I wouldn’t stop. I wouldn’t eat, I wouldn’t drink, I would just keep doing it until I got better and better.’ I joke that it’s not a dissimilar approach he takes in the kitchen. ‘Absolument. It’s the only way for me to get to where I am.’ M Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley is open seven days a week 10am-7pm. Pastries from £5 to take away; eat-in menu from £20; cakes to order (48 hours’ notice) from £35.

CHOSEN BY THE BEST

champagnelaurentperrier www.laurent-perrier.com

Photographer: Iris Velghe / Conception: Luma

THE RETURN OF THE GRAND BAR From Beverly Hills to Belgravia, hotel bars are once again setting the standard for luxury Words by

DY L A N JONES

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MARTIN WIMMER/GETTY

PROFILE

The Painter’s Room at Claridge’s, designed by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio - order the signature Almost A Bellini

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Right The approach to The Painter’s Room at Claridge’s Below The bar’s Annie Morris artwork

t was 11pm on a Friday last November. We’d driven from the Staples Center, having watched the LA Lakers succumb to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The ride was helped by it being undertaken in a super-smart, matt-black Aston Martin Lagonda, but it had been a long old schlep all the same.

What we needed was fortification, possibly in the form of a cocktail or two. Luckily for my restaurateur friend Oliver Peyton and myself, we had arrived at our LA hotel, the recently rebranded Maybourne Beverly Hills, and so the night was looking up. The hotel was bought by Maybourne Hotel Group in 2020 and has been utterly and rather wonderfully transformed.

You could tell this immediately from The Maybourne Bar, elegantly designed by André Fu, because it was packed. Not in an annoying, why-is-there-nowhere-to-sit kind of way, but in an appealing, who-are-all-these-lovely-people kind of way. Especially as there were seats by the bar and head mixologist Christopher Amirault behind it.

The hotel bar is well and truly back. In fact, it’s backer than Burt Bacharach and his backing band wearing backpacks. The last time the grand hotel bar was in such demand was in the late 1980s. The cognoscenti of London, New York and LA ran out of patience with cocktail bars, ran out of patience with nightclubs and restaurants, and wanted somewhere cooler to convene.

And so they started going to smart hotel bars, on the Upper East Side of New York, in London’s Mayfair and in Beverly Hills.

And now it’s happening again: these bars are setting a new standard. The best have always offered a safe haven from the world outside, and over the years have become a sophisticated womb in which to sip champagne or cocktails with impunity.

Above Mary McCartney’s photographs line The Maybourne Bar, while the main bar recalls an elegant jewel-box

Red Room at The Connaught features work by four female artists - Louise Bourgeois, TiaThuy Nguyen, Trina McKillen, Jenny Holzer and stained glass windows by Brian Clarke

Hotel bars have had to up their game, finding yet another gear

But drinking culture has morphed into something far more egalitarian. It’s no longer a novelty to be able to find a perfectly mixed Ramos Gin Fizz. That means hotel bars have had to up their game, finding yet another gear. London is leading the way, as any traveller can tell if they visit the Blue Bar at The Berkeley, The Fumoir at Claridge’s or the Connaught Bar, the latter recently named the World’s Best Bar for a second year running.

Particularly interesting are The Painter’s Room, a beautiful Art Deco creation (there is a lot of pale pink onyx) on the ground floor of Claridge’s, and the Red Room at The Connaught, both designed by Bryan O’Sullivan. The latter is a secret hideaway, accessible only through a velvet-curtained doorway from the hotel’s Champagne Room.

Both bars are arresting, in part because both have art in their DNA. In The Painter’s Room is an impressive mural and a stained-glass window by Annie Morris. In Red Room are works by more visionary women: Louise Bourgeois, Tia-Thuy Nguyen, Trina McKillen and Jenny Holzer.

In The Painter’s Room you’ll be treated to a new generation of groundbreaking cocktails or you can stick to a selection of well-

executed classics. Red Room, in contrast, focuses on rare vintages and first growths, available by the glass, and a capsule collection of six cocktails.

As we grapple for post-pandemic values, sizing up all that we used to hold dear, luxury becomes even more important.

However much we may crave change, exploring new kinds of living, some things never alter. One of them is the desire to drink cocktails in extraordinary places.

You must, however, choose your locations wisely. Before Christmas, I visited Manchester, to watch a grudge match between City and United (I don’t want to dwell on the result but records show that City won). The night before, we sought somewhere to drink. Having discovered that most Manchester bars appear designed for industrial-strength hen parties, we ended up in a hotel whose service was so poor, I’ll spare its blushes by not mentioning its name. You could classify the décor as faded grandeur, but even the frays had frays. On finally attracting a barman, who seemed more interested in messages on his phone than customers in front of him, I gave him our order: ‘A Campari and soda and a Negroni, please.’

‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Is that two drinks or three?’ M

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STYLE & BEAUTY London /Côte d’Azur/ Beverly Hills

Inside: highlighter hues, geometric jewellery, Riviera swimwear, sustainable sunglasses, super-charged supplements

THE

SUMMER VIBES

THE NEW LUXURY The hottest accessories and essential beauty buys for the summer we have all longed for - including Erdem’s bucolic new collection

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INSIGHT

For the first time in its illustrious history, Claridge’s will have a spa - and a truly remarkable pool

XAVI GORDO / TRUNK ARCHIVE

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THE ECO CHOICE

Buy smart

SMART SUMMER

Style

S/S MENSWE AR

Connolly England is known for its sumptuous leathercraft and knitwear. For summer, the house looks to lighter materials – its handsome beach bags are crafted in canvas, in muted cream, caramel and navy. The sartorial equivalent of a Riva boat in a world of flashy yachts. connollyengland.com

NOTES

//

Our top summer buys, from psychedelic swimwear to the lightest LV luggage

T R AV E L LIGHT Louis Vuitton founded his eponymous house out of a necessity for top-tier travel accessories. Crafted in the traditional monogram, these miniature cases come with cross-body straps but ape the form of a Vuitton trunk, with metallic corners and rivets. louisvuitton.com

Love

Make a splash

Vilebrequin created the original Riviera swimwear back in the 1960s. Its new collection, devoted to trippy psychedelia, nods back to happier times in electric shades of citrine, aquamarine and shocking pink, with floral patterns and tie-dye. vilebrequin.com

Feet first This year, traditional shoemaker Church’s have married the codes of classic brogue shoes with the dynamic shape of a sneaker in the form of the Rois. church-footwear.com

WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY STEPHEN DOIG

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

We’ve all reached Peak Stuff. It may seem counterintuitive for an etailer to promote the concept of longevity in clothes instead of buying afresh, but Mr Porter has long been ahead of the consumer curve. Their Mr Porter Resell business will offer digital and in-person consultations on clients’ pre-loved items and sell them on their site. Marie Kondo your wardrobe at mrporter.com.

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See the world through Stella McCartney’s sustainable eyes with her new eyewear collection made from bio-based and renewable sources. We love the quirky retro and angular shapes that will instantly redefine your look. stellamccartney.com

Love

Vision excess

Bags of bold, brave colour look set to burst into our wardrobes this summer. Top of the bill is the Burberry Lola bag, crafted in a host of highlighter hues (including green, above). Celine’s Triomphe has been transformed in invigorating shades, while the list of brands offering shots of accessory brilliance – Chloé, Etro (above, top), Goyard (bottom), Valentino – goes on.

Style

NOTES

Get back to glamour with our trend forecast of the labels and looks to know

True romance

Ready to dress up? Bring pure poetic beauty to your summer wardrobe with Erdem’s 15th anniversary collection, all riotous botanicals, broderie anglaise, embroidery and elegant silhouettes. It’s time for a sense of occasion. erdem.com

PUT IT IN PRINT Paging all print-loving maximalists. Energising Italian brand La DoubleJ has teamed up with artisanal shoemakers Roveda to create a new range of mood-boosting sandals to plug into. Our favourites?

The Liberace quilted slides. ladoublej.com

Light show Bathe in the beauty of DeBeers’ Alchemist of Light collection. The Atomique (right) features pristine diamonds amplified in geometric patterns. debeers.co.uk

WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY CLAIRE BRAYFORD

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

THE EYES H AV E I T

The Art of Rejuvenation Photograph by

NOR M A N PA R K INSON

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A new frontier for wellness will open this year with Claridge’s decadent new spa. Inge Theron, one of the visionaries behind it, talks to Katy Young

A

s a British journalist, I am cynical by nature and profession. But if ever there is a time when I have to hold my hands up and say, ‘Fair cop,’ this is it. Interviewing Inge Theron – founder of FaceGym and former Financial Times ‘Spa Junkie’ columnist – on how she worked with Claridge’s on a new spa concept for the hotel feels like quizzing Monet on his colour palette for water lilies. But I have always believed that masterpieces are better enjoyed when you know the story behind them. ‘I’ve just been testing a treatment,’ says Theron. ‘Less than ten minutes ago I was lying naked, surrounded by therapists pumicing my skin.

I’ve never had one like that.’

It dawns on me why the wonderfully warm Theron was chosen to help create Claridge’s new spa: there aren’t many ‘spa-chitects’ who will try, try and try again their own treatments to get it just so. ‘The attention to detail at Claridge’s has always struck me,’ she notes. ‘Everything here is so considered. And when you visit the spa, you’ll see the same kind of detail was our priority - even the placement of the pillow! I am fanatical. There isn’t a stone left unturned; not one element that hasn’t been customised. It has taken months to develop each treatment. ‘Claridge’s just knows what you need, even before you do. We wanted the spa concept to be just as intuitive. You can come in and say how you feel and leave the rest to us. You don’t even have to open the menu. That’s how everyone is trained.’

Once guests waft into the warmly lit Claridge’s spa, the soothing music, the warming incense and the Japanese omakase will fulfil your weary soul’s need.

No doubt someone will pass you a glass of crystal-infused water if you so much as lick your lips. Designed by André Fu, the space, which centres around a limestone-clad swimming pool, has been created to instil calm and a sense of slowing down, which it does; despite, I imagine, a rush to book one of its six treatment rooms, relax in the cabanas, try the steam room, sauna or the heated spa pool when the doors open. The ceramics, cushions, and treatment trolley are all custom-made by artists.

Treatments will begin with foot-massaging inspired by Koh-do ceremonies, with healinghand movements to absorb negative emotions.

Treatments aside, I’m also positive that bathing in the pool with its undulating ceiling and sounds of trickling water, followed by some time out in one of the private pool cabanas would go some way to washing off any bad juju.

For Theron, it’s ‘a serendipitous homecoming’.

During lockdown, she decided to step back from her skincare brand FaceGym after six successful years. ‘I wanted to free up gigabytes for something new,’ she says. ‘That same month, I got the call from my most favourite hotel in the world. For many years, when I started my career, my office was in Hanover Square.

Claridge’s was the bar, the place.’

PREVIOUS SPREAD: NORMAN PARKINSON COURTESY ICONIC IMAGES.

From left to right: Inge Theron, Harriet Westmoreland and her nailwork

Inspired by Fu’s Asian architecture and her travels during her time as the ‘Spa Junkie’, Theron looked to Japanese wellness culture to deliver energy healing. Incense cones and ceremonial bells punctuate treatments, koji poultices are made on site and in one treatment towels are soaked in sake, known for its gently exfoliating properties. An Ikebana master (of the art of Japanese flower-arranging) creates seasonal displays to assist your floral meditation (sweet cherry blossom in spring, earthy maple leaf in autumn).

‘This is our version of what energy healing means in 2022, in London,’ Theron declares. ‘If you’ve just landed from a longhaul or had a tough meeting, we’ve got it covered: we could give you a sculpting treatment, a blowdry, a facial workout or manicure.

We can energetically cleanse you and make you feel like the best version of yourself. Nothing is too much for us.’ There will be a trio of signature treatments, with the Bamboo and Silk Ritual set to be the standout. It is a deep-tissue treatment that opens up muscles with hot poultices and bamboo sticks, and finishes with a silk thimble facial massage. If you would prefer, the sculpting detox treatment will include lymphatic drainage, infrared, ice facials and gua sha massage. One treatment will also see guests receive a full body cleanse, scrub and massage with charcoal and cypress treatments in the floor-to-ceiling pink onyx room according to Theron, ‘Trying is believing.’

Claridge’s have carefully gathered a resident dream team for hair (Josh Wood), nails (Instagram sensation Harriet Westmoreland) and acupuncture (Ross Barr) plus facials by Augustinus Bader. ‘These experts have changed my life,’ Theron declares. ‘I even moved to Holland Park to be closer to Josh Wood.’ The latter is a colourist who will have an exclusive mini salon at Claridge’s. ‘He spends a lot of his time at the suites in Claridge’s, from the royalty of Hollywood to real royalty,’ she enthuses. ‘If you need your colour doing at midnight because your flight was delayed, he gets it. He’s just used to running at this speed.’

And if that flight was delayed, you might like the neck massage or FaceGym sculpting that can be done while your hair is washed. ‘Good skin starts in your scalp,’ Theron explains.

Resident acupuncturist Ross J Barr can practise his art while you’re lying on the massage table. ‘Give me your body for ninety minutes and I’ll return it to you feeling fabulous,’ Theron promises. After all that, you can test your newfound energy in the

BE AUT Y

Claridge’s Spa will open June 2022.

Follow @claridgeshotel on Instagram for updates.

MEET A-LIST COLOURIST

Josh Wood

Josh Wood

‘Claridge’s and I are old friends,’ explains Josh Wood, renowned colourist and founder of his eponymous West London Atelier. ‘I’ve been staying here since day dot, having had my first drink at the bar when I had just qualified at Vidal Sassoon.’ Since then, Wood has become one of the world’s most famous names in hair, having been flown around the world by both his high-profile clients (who aside from Laura Bailey and Kylie Minogue remain heavily under wraps) and international fashion brands, including Celine and Gucci, who enlist his wizardry for their campaigns and runways. ‘This is the next frontier for me,’ says Wood of Claridge’s Spa, which for the first time will see him bring the same creativity and quality of service synonymous with his name to a hotel. ‘My clients have always felt that when they get their hair done in hotels it’s just not modern or personal, so I’m infusing my Atelier feel into a residence at Claridge’s.’ And he’s doing it beautifully.

Wood describes his space – which will offer everything from blow dries, to cuts to styling – as a ‘haven of calm’ having decided to install only two chairs, ‘so that the services feel private and tailored. It’s not a small space but it isn’t about churn or volume, it is about getting every strand right. The best of the best, there’s nothing that’s too much to ask.’

Odds are appointments will go fast, but Wood is avoiding a waiting list; ‘if our salon is busy we will come to your room. If we can’t align times, we will get a driver to take you to our Atelier – this is our home within Claridge’s home and I want to extend that feeling through everything that we do together.’ M

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state-of-the-art-gym. There’s even a pair of Peloton exercise bikes for healthy competition.

This is a new frontier for hotel spas: a totally holistic approach, focused on wellness and longevity. ‘Claridge’s is so much more than a great meal, a beautiful bar and a comfortable bed,’ Theron urges. ‘Now they can give you the best version of yourself in the spa too. Claridge’s don’t talk about hangovers – because they’re so good at making cocktails – but give them your body the morning after and they’ll put you back together, so you can do it all over again.’

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BE AUT Y NEWS

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LIP S E RV I C E

For long summer days, Gucci Beauty’s duo is perfect for a smudge-free finish.

Transfer-proof lip colour, in nine sunset-inspired shades, dries to a matte finish, while the waterproof ink liner stays put for up to eighteen hours. gucci.com

TR E ATMENT

Face time

External aggressors and internal stressors take their toll on our faces. Unwind with the new Decorté facial treatments at The Connaught’s Aman Spa. Crafted by the Japanese luxury skincare brand, which fuses scientific innovation with ancient medicine, the facials reawaken skin from a cellular level, leaving it replenished, rehydrated and with a radiance that glows from within. the-connaught.co.uk

Beauty

NOTES

Ready to reignite that summer feeling?

Delve into our favourite new buys

Sunny delight

Supplement brand LYMA has added Levagen+ to its powerhouse cocktail.

With anti-inflammatory and pain-relief properties, it’s used by athletes to aid muscle recovery and promote better sleep, immunity and all-round wellness. lyma.life

THE BIG SLEEP Drift off on a cloud of serene English lavender and night-blooming moonflower, or fresh camomile and cocooning white musk with Jo Malone’s Night range (candle, diff user and pillow mist). Close your eyes and be enveloped in the sweetest-scented slumber. jomalone.co.uk

Brushing up Transform the condition of your hair and indulge in a

soothing night-time ritual, with new Parisian eco-responsible brush brand La Bonne Brosse. labonnebrosse.com

CATHY KASTERINE FOR CABBAGES AND ROSES

Ready to reboot

Dior’s natural bronzing powder contains mineral pigments and shea butter to preserve our skin’s health and hydration. And who wouldn’t want to whip out this elegant quilted compact? dior.com

BE WELL

Sleep. Work. Move. Create.

SKINCARE. TEAS. OILS. SUPPLEMENTS. SALTS. Support your wellbeing with powerful botanical blends.

www.anatome.co

THE CONNAUGHT

ALL FIRED UP

Grand, theatrical dining is back on the menu thanks to the reopening of The Connaught Grill. Take in the spectacle that is Chef Jean-Georges’ open kitchen and watch as he and the team put their own spin on a range of classic dishes, from spit-roasted organic chicken and Welsh lamb chops to charcoal grilled turbot on the bone. The crowning glory is the Sunday roast, which is carved on a restored silver trolley from the original Connaught Grill and comes with its own dedicated knife menu. the-connaught.co.uk

The latest news and views from around and about our five hotels

A bigger splash During those few weeks a year when the full heat of summer settles over the capital in a sun-drenched haze, there’s only one place to be: lounging beside the newly unveiled pool at The Berkeley. With its magnificent views over Hyde Park and the central London skyline, the rooftop spot is the perfect high-altitude retreat. Go for a cooling dip before settling down with a seasonal spritz from the bar to soak up summer’s halcyon days. the-berkeley.co.uk

WORDS: LUCIANA BELLINI & ANDY MORRIS. THE BERKELEY POOL BY RACHEL LOIUSE BROWN

Check Out...

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Suite Talker

The Library Suite (above) at The Maybourne Beverly Hills has countless photography books to inspire your next holiday or screenplay (maybournebeverlyhills.com) UP IN SMOKE Whiskey and cigars make the finest of bedfellows, so it seems only fitting that The Maybourne Beverly Hills has recently unveiled an atmospheric new bar dedicated to these heady delights. The Cigar and Whiskey Bar boasts a carefully curated menu featuring an array of the world’s most coveted whiskeys alongside a selection of premium cigars, housed in a custom-made humidor. With a wood-wrapped bar and a peaceful outdoor terrace, it’s set to become one of the city’s most sought-after spots. maybournebeverlyhills.com

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Lavish new suites offer room for guests looking to entertain or extend their stay. Joyce Wang (left) has created a modern interpretation of a London townhouse in both the Park Townhouse Suite and the Knightsbridge Townhouse Suite at The Berkeley.

Rigby and Rigby (right) are responsible for a collection of rooms and suites at The Maybourne Riviera, which takes inspiration both from the hotel’s clifftop location as well as the juxtaposition of luxury and serenity. the-berkeley.co.uk / maybourneriviera.com

Kudos to The Connaught

Once again the impeccable team at Carlos Place have been recognised for their world class drink, food and service. Bravo to Hélène Darroze who was awarded her third Michelin star.

Just a few steps away, the Connaught Bar was recognised for the second consecutive year as The World’s Best Bar. Cheers to the dream team - Agostino Perrone, Giorgio Bargiani, Maura Milia and all! the-connaught.co.uk

IN THE PINK If you like your morning coffee with a side of candy floss pink, you’ll be more than familiar with The Connaught Patisserie, famed for brightening up Mount Street with its sweet treats. Nothing says summer quite like one of Nicolas Rouzaud’s seasonally-inspired gateaux, which are miniature works of art in their own right – who could forget his Royal Ascot chocolate masterpiece (complete with designer hats), or his strawberry-filled extravaganza for Wimbledon? the-connaught.co.uk

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A R T I S T AT WORK

Q&A

Idris Khan OBE

What are your current projects?

A new body of work and also large new gesso paintings which will combine both musical notation and text. I’m hoping to show this at my exhibition at Château La Coste in Provence in July. Sean Kelly, my dealer in New York is opening a new gallery in LA in September. The gallery is going to be beautiful, and I am making new copper blue paintings, a colour that I have been perfecting over the past six months.

How has your work progressed throughout your career?

I suppose all my work stems from the idea of repetition and collapsing layers to somehow describe the passage of time. It started in photography progressed to film, large scale public sculptures and of course painting.

You once said that a lot of your work is about loss – does that still stand and where does this come from?

Sadly we all go through loss at some point in our lives and when that happens one is more aware of traces or marks that are left behind. I went through a period of grief myself, and it sparked a series of works that I make by stamping overlayed words and music to create painterly compositions.

Idris Khan’s work will be seen in September at the Sean Kelly, Los Angeles. skny.com

IDRIS KHAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARYAM EISLER FOR LUX MAGAZINE, ISTOCK

A stroll from The Berkeley, Roof Garden at Pantechnicon is a Nordic hangout, overseen by ace Finnish chef Jenny Warner (pantechnicon.com) WATCH & LEARN

The market for vintage timepieces has never been hotter, but, as one might have guessed, Richard Mille likes to do things on his own terms. Ninety Mount Street, just around the corner from The Connaught, is the first authorised, pre-owned dealership in Europe. A gallery-like boutique with a workshop and tourbillon trained watchmaker on site, one can purchase a pre-owned Richard Mille watch, safe in the knowledge of the piece’s authenticy - and that no inferior third party watchmaker has haphazardly attempted to repair it. ninetymountstreet.com

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

You work in sculpture, painting and photography, do you have a preference?

I never let a medium dictate my work. I try to be as open as possible. I find the best one to fit the idea and then go from there.

HARARE LONDON MAURITIUS NAIROBI

Monkey L amp in Sterling Silver 104 - 106 FULHAM ROAD, LONDON, SW3 6HS PATRICKMAVROS.COM

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LU X URY GIF TS & HOM EWA R E Claridge’s x Summerill & Bishop Linen Napkin, £25

Hand-embroidered Claridge’s Men’s Slippers by Gaziano & Girling, £295

Claridge’s Eye Mask, £40

Claridge’s: The Cookbook (signed by Martyn Nail), £30

Claridge’s Children’s Pyjamas, £125

Claridge’s At Home

Claridge’s: The Cocktail Book, £25

From elegant tableware to the most luxurious bell boy teddy, recreate the magic at home As long as people have visited Claridge’s, guests have been keen to combine their stay with a little light shopping. Now you can recreate the signature Mayfair style at home, whether lounging in Claridge’s pyjamas, setting the table with Summerill & Bishop tablecloth, sipping from an Art deco mug or even enjoy a bespoke whisky from the Fumoir. For the full collection visit shop.claridges.co.uk.

ARTWORK BY CLYM EVERNDEN. TAKEN FROM THE CLARIDGE’S COCKTAIL BOOK.

Claridge’s Women’s Pyjamas, £225

Claridge’s Afternoon Tea China Set for Two by Bernardaud, £1,250

Claridge’s x Summerill & Bishop Linen Tablecloth, £355

Cecil Beaton’s Cocktail Book, £14.95

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

Claridge’s Bell Boy Teddy Bear, £35

Claridge’s Honeypot & Drizzler, £125

Claridge’s Art Deco Mugs (Set of Two), £50

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David Downton draws

Claridge’s . The Connaught . The Berkeley . The Maybourne Beverly Hills . The Maybourne R iviera

EDWARD ENNINFUL OBE

I am (almost) always on time – it’s my upbringing – but somehow I’m late for my sitting with the Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue (and Vogue’s European Editorial Director), Edward Enninful.

Or at any rate, he is early and already ensconced in a suite in Claridge’s with an assistant, her humming laptop and his dog, Ru. A formidable presence, he nevertheless wears his legend lightly.

Although we have barely an hour for the sitting – and I sense it was hard won – he gives me his full attention. Businesslike but breezy, he is good company and apparently enjoying a quiet moment in a day otherwise dominated by a thicket of Zoom calls.

It has been a stellar career that has seen him rise from fashion director of i-D magazine aged 18 to becoming today’s ‘most influential person of colour in fashion’ (according to Time magazine). His ideal cover star? The Queen. An ambition he achieved when Vogue’s April 2022 issue featured Her Majesty on its cover, photographed by Antony Armstrong-Jones. A balm to the nation in troubled times. But then, Edward Enninful wrote the book on zeitgeist.

And edited it. M

LEICA. DAS WESENTLICHE.

LEICA M11 A LEGEND REINVENTED. Expand your creative freedom with the Leica M11. As the benchmark in rangefinder photography, the M11 is completely re-engineered and well equipped to go beyond the known: An exclusively designed Full-frame BSI CMOS Sensor with triple resolution technology grants you the choice to produce stellar images at 60, 36 or 18 megapixels. Express your artistic vision with accuracy while staying truly flexible with an incomparable level of detail rendition and a wide ISO range. Charge the new powerful battery and connect your camera using the new USB-C port and benefit from a high level of data security with 64GB internal memory. The Leica M11 – a legend reinvented.

Find more inspiration at leica-camera.com/m11

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