AIR Magazine - DCA - July'21

JULY 2021

EMILY BLUNT

In nature, the falcon is a fierce fighter. In business, the Falcon 8X is just as powerful and agile. Every inch reflects its military DNA, with lean and mean aerodynamics and advanced Digital Flight Controls to get you to places others can’t. Nothing flies like a Falcon because no other jet is built like one.

Fierce. Fast. Agile. Falcon 8X.

Contents

AIR

JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

FEATURES Thirty Two

Thirty Eight

Emily Blunt is one of the big screen’s most talented actresses — though she’s still too British to admit it.

How Princess Diana’s wedding ‘Halstonette’ Pat Cleveland dress made its design duo fall remembers the real story of when Halston came to Paris. apart at the seams.

Almost Famous

4

The Dress That Destroyed Its Makers

Forty Six

The Night Paris Fell in Love

PRAETOR 600: CERTIFIED OUTPERFORMANCE. The Praetor 600 — the world’s most disruptive and technologically advanced super-midsize aircraft that leads the way in performance, comfort and technology.

Unveiled at NBAA in October 2018 and now certified by ANAC, FAA and EASA, the Praetor 600 did not just meet initial expectations, it exceeded them. Named for the Latin root that means “lead the way,” the Praetor 600 is a jet of firsts. It is the first super-midsize jet certified since 2014. The first to fly beyond 3,700 nm at M0.80. The first with over 4,000 nm range at LRC. The first with full fly-by-wire. The first with Active Turbulence Reduction. The first with a cabin altitude as low as 5,800 feet.

The first with high-capacity, ultra-high-speed connectivity from Viasat’s Ka-band. And all of this, backed by a first-placed Customer Support network.

Learn more at executive.embraer.com/praetor600.

L E A DING T H E WAY

Contents

JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

REGULARS

EDITORIAL Chief Creative Officer

Fourteen

Radar

John Thatcher

Sixteen

ART

john@hotmedia.me

Objects of Desire

Art Director

Kerri Bennett

Eighteen

Illustration

Critique

Leona Beth

Twenty

COMMERCIAL

Art & Design

Managing Director

Victoria Thatcher

Twenty Four

Timepieces

General Manager

David Wade

Twenty Eight

Jewellery

david@hotmedia.me

PRODUCTION

Fifty Seven

AIR

Ultimate Stays: Maldives

Digital Media Manager

Muthu Kumar

Sixty Eight

What I Know Now

Fifty Two

Motoring John Thatcher enjoys an electric ride at the wheel of Audi’s brilliant new RS e-tron GT.

Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media is strictly prohibited.

HOT Media does not accept liability for any omissions or errors in AIR.

6

DES ERT R O M A N C E Treat your loved one to something unique and memorable this month at Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa. Providing privacy and tranquility in equal measure, the Desert Romance Package includes two-night stay in a luxurious, secluded suite with your own private temperature-controlled swimming pool, exclusive VIP amenities, premium sparkling beverage upon arrival, gastronomic dining experience at Al Diwaan, romantic deck dinner and a 60-minute spa treatment for both guests.

*Terms & conditions apply FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK YOUR STAY PLEASE CALL 971 4 832 9900 OR VISIT AL-MAHA.COM

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

Welcome Onboard JULY 2021

Cover: Cover: Emily Blunt

by Shayan Asgharnia AUGUST

As a premium service provider in the Middle East serving the private and business jets of the region and beyond, we are truly committed to the standards of the DC Aviation Group of companies. We are striving to deliver the highest level of quality in all areas, driven by the know-how of our people and their dedication to the business.

Be it for an aircraft owner, charter passenger, or even the flight and cabin crew, private and business jet travel revolves around time saving and maximum comfort. If you are travelling to and from Dubai, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim is your perfect choice.

From our exclusive FBO and hangar facility at Al Maktoum International Airport, we are able to save you time and offer you a luxurious ambience, whether you’re departing or arriving in your aircraft. We operate the only integrated private and business jet facility within the Dubai World Central (DWC) district where slot and parking restrictions are a matter of the past. With Dubai International Airport becoming the world’s busiest airport, private and business jet flights are severely restricted. However, that is not the case at Dubai’s new hub for executive aviation.

We welcome you onboard, and trust you’ll enjoy your flight experience – as well as our 100 percent satisfaction promise.

Holger Ostheimer Managing Director, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim

Contact Details: dc-aviation.ae T. +971 (0) 4 870 1800 9

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim sees 25% increase in private and business jet activity in Q1 Trend expected to continue for the remainder of the year

In further signs of an economic recovery in Dubai, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF), the leading business aviation company with its own FBO and hangar facility, has recorded a 25% increase in private and business jet activity in the first quarter of this year.

From its fully integrated facility at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South, DCAF saw an increased number of VVIP guests arriving from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, India and Pakistan amongst others. The company also saw increased visitors from Israel following the signing of the Abraham Accords agreement to open diplomatic, trade and economic relations between the two countries.

Holger Ostheimer, Managing Director of DCAF, said: “The UAE has firmly established itself on the world stage with the positive 10

steps it has taken to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in flight movement is the result of the increased confidence in the UAE government’s vaccination program, tourism-related initiatives and other economic stimulus measures taken to boost consumer and business sentiment. We have seen this increased number even into Ramadan, which is generally a quiet period, and we expect this trend to continue for the remainder of the year.

The uptick in private and business jet activity has also seen increased business across other areas of DCAF’s business including Charter, Ground Handling, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) amongst others.

For more information on DCAF’s hangar and services, please visit dcaviation.ae or call +971 4 870 1800.

DC AVIATION AL-FUTTAIM UNITES QUALITY MADE IN GERMANY AND ARABIC HOSPITALITY In everything we do, our goal is not only to meet your expectations but to surpass them. Our unrivalled FBO and VIP hangar facilities located at Dubai South guarantee your utmost discretion, comfort and convenience every time you fly.

Reach out to the team today to experience our passion for excellence.

T: +971 (0)4 870 1800 | www.dc-aviation.ae | An Al-Futtaim Joint Venture Al Maktoum International Airport | DWC | Aviation District | Dubai, UAE

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim signs partnership agreement with Click Aviation Network Agreement sees DCAF extend multiple benefits to Click Aviation clients

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF), the leading business aviation company with its stand-alone VVIP lounges and hangar facility, has announced it has entered into a partnership with Click Aviation Network.

As part of the agreement, Click Aviation Network customers will enjoy a dedicated Click Aviation lounge, 24 hours on-site customs and immigration, ground support, conference room facility, business services, crew lounges and passenger shower facility at DCAF’s fully integrated facility at Dubai South.

In addition, the VVIP lounge offers the highest levels of comfort and privacy and due to its unique location 12

at Al Maktoum International Airport, guests enjoy seamless access to their aircraft which is parked in front of DCAF’s lounge facilities, making passenger boarding and deboarding extremely convenient. Also, as the facility is located close to the runway taxi times are kept to a minimum.

The agreement will also see DCAF offer line maintenance services, passenger and crew transportation, as well as arranging catering, hotel accommodation and local transport for Click Aviation customers' aircraft.

At DCAF we are continuously looking for ways to improve our service levels to meet the ever-growing demands of our customers. These agreements reflect the increasing popularity of

our services and expertise and we are extremely pleased to bring on board Click Aviation. We look forward to providing their clients with the highest levels of service,” said Holger Ostheimer, Managing Director of DC Aviation Al-Futtaim.

“Click Aviation’s vision of a global network can only be achieved when parties collaborate and help one another. Our partnership with DC Aviation Al-Futtaim, a premier FBO with luxury facilities at its FBO, will be another leading step for Click. We are honored to partner with them and we look forward to a long and successful partnership,” said Samer Mansour, Managing Director of Click Aviation Network.

Come hide away from all your worries and experience the best retreat in the Maldives

Radar

AIR

JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

Peter Lindbergh and Azzedine Alaïa, the famed fashion photographer and the celebrated couturier, shared inspirations and aesthetic values which were evident throughout their individual bodies of work – not least their love of black. Lindbergh’s black and white shots of Alaïa’s sculptured, monochrome designs are celebrated in the new book Peter Lindbergh.

Azzedine Alaïa, which also highlights their shared passion for functional design and architecture. taschen.com

Peter Lindbergh. Azzedine Alaïa TASCHEN

14

15

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

OBJECTS OF DESIRE

Master craftsmanship, effortless style and timeless appeal; this month’s must-haves and collectibles

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

BELL & ROSS

BR 03-92 RED R ADAR CER AMIC The new BR 03-92 Red Radar Ceramic forms part of the brand’s Flight Instruments collection, a 12-strong range that marries aircraft navigation instruments to timepieces. Its display breaks the traditional watchmaking codes by revisiting the graphics of an

aircraft control radar. The time can be read via a system of rotating discs – which move two tiny screen-printed planes on a striking red sapphire crystal dial – combined with an analogue hand. 42mm in diameter, it is available in a limited edition of 999 pieces.

1

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

BA L E NCI AGA

BISTRO BAG A new addition to the Balenciaga bag family (it debuted in the Winter 21 collection), the Bistro is woven from varnished faux-leather strands that have been constructed to mimic the outdoor rattan furniture found lining the pavement outside a typical French bistro,

hence the name. The basket-like, open tote is further characterized by its lashed edge, wrapped handles and customisable tag, and is available in three sizes (extra small, small, and large) and multiple colours, none more striking than this mood-lifting yellow.

2

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

BENNETT WINCH

T H E B R O W N L E AT H E R W E E K E N D E R ‘If you buy well, you only buy once’ is the philosophy of Bennett Winch, which handmakes all of its coveted products in England using traditional skills and materials. That means two things: one, you’ll have no need to ever purchase a weekender bag to replace this one. And

two: your new weekender will have been crafted by some of the finest hands in the business. Messrs Bennett and Winch personally selected every hide used to fashion this travel essential, which features a number of handy elements, including a separate shoe compartment.

3

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

R M SOTHEBY’S

2015 PORSCHE 918 SPYDER combustion engine, a pair of electric motors produce an additional 284 horsepower. 100 km/h can be reached from a standstill in under 2.5 seconds, faster than the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari, with a top speed of 340 km/h. It has an asking price of £895,000.

Utilising premium materials, top-quality components, and cutting-edge technology, Porsche created a competition car that was not only stunning in its performance, but one equally splendid in its looks and sheer attention to detail. In addition to the 918 Spyder’s

4

5

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

HERMÈS

FA U B O U R G P O L K A Tiny (its dial measures a mere 15.5 mm in diameter) but packing real presence (the bracelet of this version features 107 round brilliant-cut diamonds) this is as much a piece of high jewellery as it is a functional timepiece. It’s also a triumph of design. Based on the original

model that was released in 2014, here the bracelet has been completely redesigned to consist of interwoven dots and oblique lines. Five versions are available – white or rose gold, gemset or entirely paved with diamonds.

All visually striking.

6

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

N I NA RU NSDOR F

BAGUE T TE DIAMOND FLIP RING For her latest collection, Aurora, Nina Runsdorf found inspiration in the natural beauty of the polar lights, and the way in which they paint the night sky in colour. The sun is the architect of such artistry and, as such, mixed with diamonds you’ll find rubies and garnets

popping up in rings and earrings throughout the collection. But it’s the simply striking Baguette Diamond Flip Ring that takes our eye. It’s crafted from 18K white gold and features a 1ct baguette diamond that hangs from a ring of sparkling pavé diamonds.

7

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

FLIP RING ation in the natural beauty of the polar r. The sun is the architect of such artistry nets popping up in rings and earrings. But s our eye. it’s crafted from 18K white gold f sparkling pavé diamonds.

ILLON es, wristwatches, dome clocks, and table arters in Geneva. However, the stars of the ellished interpretations of familiar models), uble-face Sky Moon Tourbillon wristwatch ase with a decor in brown grand feu

PAT E K P H I L I P P E

SK Y MOON TOURBILLON Across ten days last month, Patek displayed 75 pocket watches, wristwatches, dome clocks, and table clocks from its latest rare handcrafts collection at its headquarters in Geneva.

However, the stars of the show were six new watches from the current collection

(embellished interpretations of familiar models), each endowed with especially elaborate decorations. This double-face Sky Moon Tourbillon wristwatch (12 complications) combines a manually engraved rose-gold case with a decor in brown grand feu champlevé enamel.

8

OBJECTS OF DESIRE

Critique JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

AIR

Art

Wendy White, WHAT?

A

t the Denny Dimin gallery, Tribeca, New York, local artist Wendy White debuts Mark and Phil, which points to basic modes of image building. The exhibition, a mix of sculptures and paintings, is rooted in White’s belief that “when we’re bored, overwhelmed, or searching for acceptance, we mark and fill – either accidentally, thoughtfully or with tremendous purpose – to announce, simply, that we are here.” This idea is brought to life best via a series of works called Plywood Paintings, for which “White pairs innocent musings and declarations of love with humorous sayings, hieroglyphic symbols, abbreviated phrases, and words.”

“The digital and the analog overlap in a hallucinatory, cartoony world,” says Johanna Fateman in The New Yorker. “Sculptures reminiscent of gloomy emojis (black rainbows, clouds, teardrops) are paired with trompe-l’oeil paintings, at once grand and scrappy, depicting plywood carved with graffiti.”

Across the city, the Brooklyn Museum is currently staging KAWS: What’s The Party, a retrospective of the 18

one-time graffiti artist named Brian Donnell, who, as KAWS, has become a phenomenally successful painter and sculptor. “Donnelly isn’t a Pop artist, exactly, except by way of distant ancestry,” outlines Peter Schjeldah in The New Yorker. “Most of his career moves were initiated about six decades ago by Andy Warhol, who had the not inconsiderable advantage of being great. I find the show depressing, but you would expect that from an élitist art critic, wouldn’t you?” Before concluding that, “There’s a certain purity in art that’s so aggressively ineloquent. Like a diet of only celery, which is said to consume more calories in the chewing than it provides to digestion, KAWS activates hallucinatory syndromes of spiritual starvation.”

Brian. P. Kelly, writing in The Wall Street Journal, was a little more impressed. “A selection of old advertisements that he spirited away from their displays around New York, altered and then returned with bright and cartoonish characters overlaid on or intertwined with the ad models are a wry co-optation of public space

and a gentle ribbing of consumerism.

Especially clever is an ad featuring Keith Haring, himself drawing on a blacked-out subway ad, to which KAWS has added a creature that is wrapped around Haring’s torso, staring over his shoulder. All of this is evidence of a young artist actively engaged with his media and firmly rooted in the history of his chosen field, namely street art.”

In LA, Golden Hour at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art comprises over 70 artists and three photography collectives, each offering an aesthetic approach to understanding individual histories of California. Reviews Carolina A. Miranda in the Los Angeles Times: “Industrial landscapes, coastal gloom, Ed Ruscha’s deadpan photos of parking lots and An-My Lê’s images of military exercises in the California desert all work their way into the show. This is not bucolic ‘Cali’ served up for tourist consumption. It is the California of extraction and compromised environments and the military industrial complex. The themes allow for some stirring juxtapositions.”

Critique JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

Books I

the future now open to Colombia.”

“An epic journey,” hails Jenny Coad in The Times. “The book is a rallying cry to save the Magdalena from the destructive effects of industrialisation but it also aims to reset our impressions of the country as a whole.”

Pack Up The Moon by Kristan Higgins, tells the story of a terminally ill wife who decides to write twelve letters for her husband – one to open each month in the year following her death. Hidden in the letters is plan to help him cope and move on without her.

“Higgins is a master of snappy dialogue, and her characters are authentic and relatable – a must for this type of novel. The heart of the story is tragic, but just like real life, there’s humour hidden in the darkest moments. This warm, big-hearted story about grief, family, and the redemptive power of love will appeal to fans of Katherine Center and Jennifer Weiner,” Booklist suggests.

“A moving and life-affirming portrait of grief that’s sure to bring the tears.” reckons Kirkus Reviews. While Good Morning America agrees: “Kristan Higgins tells a heartwarming – and

heartbreaking – story about young love, loss and the lingering effects of grief. … A story about resilience and everlasting love, this stunningly written tale is a true tearjerker.”

The Cartiers tells the story of the family behind the Cartier empire, written by Francesca Cartier Brickell, whose great-grandfather was the youngest of three brothers who made the family name famous. “[Brickell’s grandfather’s] accounts are the beating heart of The Cartiers, elevating this from a company story to a human story – one even the unadorned will read with pleasure,” praises The New York Times Book Review.

“This is an incredible monograph that chronicles the rise and family dynamics of one of the most prestigious and internationally known jewellery brands linked to the family that built it ‘brick by brick.’

Ms. Brickell…proffers a very detailed and somewhat intimate story of the Cartiers. Whether she is writing about the ascension of the brand or the way in which it created its signatures, the author conveys a sense of loyalty,” reviews the New York Journal of Books.

Credit: Penguin Random House

n his new book, Magdalena: River of Dreams, explorer Wade Davis pays homage to the first country that captivated him – Colombia.

Recalling his travels on the mighty Magdalena, the river that made possible the nation, the book is part adventure, part inspiring tale.

“Davis is a powerful, penetrating and immensely knowledgeable writer,” pens Charles Nichols in The Guardian.

“Magdalena is a geography book about a river that is also a political history of Colombia, an admonition of ecological disaster, an impassioned defence of indigenous wisdom, and a memoir of the author’s various travels and friendships over the years.”

“Magnificent,” reckons Sarah Chayes in her Book Post review.

‘If the Magdalena made Colombia possible, Colombia may just be what made Wade Davis – this generation’s most extraordinary anthropologist – possible. For all the beauty and overwhelming profusion rendered in the soaring prose of Wade Davis’s book, readers are not spared Colombia’s dark side. And yet, somehow Davis emerges from his unflinching examinations infused with an authentic hope for

19

Art & Design JUJY 2021: ISSUE 118

Behind The Lens Jane Hilton is a photographer and filmmaker whose work brings to our attention the extraordinary realities of ordinary people’s lives. Awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2014 and most recently chosen as one of the ‘Hundred Heroines’ representing the most inspirational women in photography today, her work is renowned for documenting American culture, in particular the American West, which she has explored for the past twenty-five years. Here, Jane recalls her photographic journey

AIR

WORDS: JANE HILTON

20

21

AIR

B

etween the ages of ten and 18, my life was geared towards being a musician. I grew up in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire in England, and spent every weekend at music school. I couldn’t get enough of learning new instruments – percussion, oboe, violin – and dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. Of course, when you hit your late teens, going out starts to become more important than practicing.

By the time I was studying music at university, I realised how unlikely that dream was and decided to change paths.

Luckily, I managed to change my degree so that it was half music and half visual arts. As part of the latter, I was given a camera to learn photography. I had no idea the enormity of what this discovery would bring into my life.

My first photography project was documenting groups of punks and goths who used to hang out in the town of Lancaster in the north of England.

Looking back, I can see now that this was the start of a career-long pattern. I have always been inspired by people who are completely different to myself; part of societies and communities I would not ordinarily get access to. I was searching out exciting people, my camera providing a golden ticket into these different worlds. It was probably a reaction to growing up in the home counties, where everything was staid and a bit boring.

Things took off when I went to Tucson, Arizona, on a three-week job as an assistant for a fashion photographer in 1986. I was hooked by these 180-degree vistas where you could see the mountains in the distance and the desert in the foreground – not a house or a soul in sight. Once you’ve photographed in beautiful, light conditions like that, there’s no looking back.

Over the years, I’ve realised I focus better as an outsider in an unfamiliar place. I like solitude and the process of discovering things for myself on my own terms. Exploring the world of Americana has had a particularly big impact on my photography. When I grew up, downtime as a family meant watching Westerns on the TV with my dad, so there’s probably an element of nostalgia there. Either way, I seem to be drawn to subject matters that are legal but not socially acceptable: working girls, deer-hunters, burlesque dancers

22

I think the key is never ‘underestimating people ’

and bull riders. All of them ordinary people with extraordinary lives, none of which you would ever predict.

Take cowboys, for example: you think they’re going to be these dirty, outdoorsy types who might be aggressive and reluctant to talk. But, in actuality, they’re very cultured, sophisticated, and well turned out. They love a crisp shirt. For my project Dead Eagle Trail, I played into that idea by taking their portraits at home, away from all the obvious scenes, surrounded by the things that mean everything in the world to them. I remember asking one cowboy if he went to church and he said, “I don’t need to. I’m at one with God every day on my horse.”

I’ve been to Las Vegas maybe 40 times in the last 25 years on various projects.

The contradictions of American society are more explicit there than almost anywhere else I’ve been. It’s the place where the line between fantasy and reality is constantly blurred: a breeding ground for characters who live out these contradictions in everyday life.

These characters not only made me fall in love with America but taught me a lot about people. On that first visit to Arizona in 1986, I met an amazing

old cowboy called Walter Swan. He owned the ’One Book Bookstore’ which literally sold one book – written by him – full of stories he liked reading to his grandchildren. Despite being unable to find a publisher, and the bank refusing him a loan, he managed to do it himself and became a huge success, appearing on David Letterman and Bill Cosby’s talk shows. I took his portrait and interviewed him for over an hour. Feeling grateful, I thanked him for giving me so much of his valuable time, to which he replied: “Ah ha! You think you’ve taken away a part of me, don’t you?

Well, I’ve just taken a part of you too.”

Walter Swan taught me that if you are respectful, this kind of documentary work is a mutual exchange. I think the key is never underestimating people. I try to be completely non-judgemental, which is so important in terms of developing access. People are quick to make assumptions based on someone’s appearance but, believe me, appearances rarely reveal the truth. Sometimes the most boring-looking person turns out to be the most interesting one.

Jane Hilton’s new show, For Better Or For Worse, is on show at London’s Solaris until July 31

These pages, clockwise from far left: Pate Meinzer; Tepee; The Road; Coming Soon Nothing; Dash; Stop, Area 51

23

AIR

A Modern Marvel

How Don Cheadle helped bring Marvel superheroes to the dials of new limited-edition Audemars Piguet watches

W

hat links one of the grandest old Swiss watch brands to Stan Lee’s comic book superheroes? Until recently, not much. So Audemars Piguet signing a deal with Marvel to produce timepieces that feature the likes of the Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man on its expensively fettled dials is not what you’d expect from a watch company that has been very serious about its watches since 1875. But that changed, thanks to Hollywood A-lister Don Cheadle.

The Hotel Rwanda (2004) Oscar-nominated actor, who also starred alongside George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the Ocean’s trilogy (2001-2007), first donned the battle suit to transform himself from Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes into War Machine in the 2010 Marvel Studios film, Iron Man 2. That same year, Cheadle encountered Audemars Piguet’s CEO, François-Henry Bennahmias, on the red carpet, where the always impeccably styled Cheadle was sporting a watch from a brand that happened not to be AP. Bennahmias suggested to Cheadle that he should wear Audemars Piguet and Cheadle agreed to try one, thinking it would suit the high-rolling character he was playing at the time in the television show House of Lies (2012-2016).

The two became friends and the actor soon found himself interested in the design and mechanics of high-end watches.

“That’s when I became a ‘watch head’,” says Cheadle. “Of course, the watches are incredibly beautiful but it is more than that. Watches are one of the few objects that actually refer to what’s happening in the physical world around us.”

24

Timepieces JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

25

Opening pages and right: Royal Oak Concept ‘Black Panther’ Flying Tourbillon Left: Francois-Henry Bennahmias and Don Cheadle

Speaking from Hawaii, Cheadle apologises for getting “a bit meta” when musing about the origins of watchmaking. He is intrigued by how watches and clocks, “make us think about where we are in space and time, not just when we have to get to our next appointment, but about physically where we are in the universe – that’s pretty amazing.”

Planetary alignment aside, he also admits to simply liking “something so cool that it never goes out of style”.

Bennahmias then hit on the next stage. Over drinks in Paris in 2017, he asked Cheadle to secure an introduction to Marvel. Cheadle got out his phone and called the CEO of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige. A few weeks later, the pair went to LA and the partnership was a done deal.

For movie fans wondering whether they will see Audemars Piguets being crushed under Thor’s mighty hammer, fear not, the watches will not be featured in Marvel films.

Instead, the comic world is coming to them. The first superhero watch is a concept piece – Royal Oak Concept ‘Black Panther’ Flying Tourbillon – with the proceeds going to charity.

“I first had the idea for Marvel characters on Audemars Piguet watches about 15 years ago,” says Bennahmias.

“I thought it would be cool, but at 26

that time I never managed to actually open the door the right way to make a watch together. Thankfully, Don did.”

Both men are clear that the partnership between Marvel and Audemars Piguet is about more than watches. Cheadle’s big-budget roles allow him the freedom to take on other projects, such as his acclaimed 2015 directorial debut Miles Ahead, about jazz legend Miles Davis.

Cheadle has also used his platform to further a number of humanitarian causes. He has worked with the UN to help raise awareness on climate change and, along with George Clooney, has been recognised by the Nobel Peace Prize laureates for his work to relieve suffering in Darfur.

Cheadle says that the deal between Marvel and AP also has to be about helping those who need it most.

The collaboration will be supporting two non-profit organisations: First Book, a US-based charity that provides reading material and other educational resources to low-income communities around the globe; and Ashoka, which supports international social entrepreneurship programmes.

He is positive about the change that fame can bring, while accepting there will be some loss of personal freedom into the bargain. The paparazzi leave him alone for the

most part and when he is pursued, Cheadle – who is 56 and has two children with his wife, Rosewood (1997) co-star Bridgid Coulter – is more bemused than anything.

“They’re like, ‘is that all you’re doing?’ And yep, that’s what you’re going to see,” Cheadle says, with a good-natured sigh. “I’m just walking [down the street]. You’re not going to catch me getting into a fistfight.”

Cheadle uses Brad Pitt’s view on the f lipside of fame to explain his thinking on introducing the Marvel superheroes to his friends in Switzerland. “François and I always wanted to make sure that the charitable component was first and foremost,” he continues.

“It’s like Brad says: ‘We can’t get out of the light and these other people can’t get into it.’ That’s important to us to use this platform to make sure that people who need attention are getting it and that we are supporting them as much as we can.”

But what about those who may raise an eyebrow at the 146-yearold watchmaking company for taking a comic-book f light of fancy?

Well, consider this: the fine watch industry no longer sells things that people need; rather objects that they dream about. Selling dreams is exactly what Marvel does, so the pairing is perfectly aligned.

Credit: © Richard Holt//The Telegraph Media Group 2021

AIR

make us think about where we are in space and time, about ‘ Watches physically where we are in the universe – that’s pretty amazing ’

27

Jewellery JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

AIR

The Eyes Have It Designer Mary Katrantzou indulged her fascination with Bulgari’s hypnotic Serpenti motif when she created a capsule bag collection for the maison WORDS: SCARLETT CONLON

W

hen it comes to luxury, we can agree that the best things are always worth the wait. Never more so than in the case of Bulgari’s much-anticipated Serpenti Through The Eyes Of collaboration with the fashion designer Mary Katrantzou The project sees London-based Katrantzou follow in the guestdesigner footsteps of Alexander Wang, Nicholas Kirkwood and Ambush designer Yoon Ahn in creating a capsule collection of bags based on the Italian brand’s storied serpent icon.

It marks the second time the Greekborn designer, famed for her trompe l’oeil prints and bold use of colour, has collaborated with Bulgari. Back in October 2019, the house provided the high jewellery for her spectacular debut couture show, held in the Temple of Poseidon near Athens.

As with so many things over the past year, however, Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works of their latest outing together. With Katrantzou 28

in London (and later Athens) and Bulgari’s specialist artisans in Florence, they had, she admits, ‘the most unorthodox start’. ‘At the beginning, it was daunting doing a collaboration at the highest level of luxury without being able to touch the product or be in the same room as a team,’ explains the 38-year-old designer, who since her debut show in 2008 has won acclaim for her couture approach to contemporary fashion.

Luckily, she made it out to explore the Bulgari archive in Rome just before the first lockdown in March 2020 – a visit she describes as visceral – and was also able to travel north to the foothills of Florence to meet the team. ‘After that, it became about doing everything decisively and precisely through 3D renderings and prototypes, and shipping them to wherever we were to dissect every detail to the millimetre,’ she says.

The visits not only left her buzzing with inspiration for her chosen theme

of Metamorphosis, but safe in the knowledge that her designs would be in the best hands. Step forward leather workers Claudia and Rosalba, who oversaw the prototyping, preparing and assembly of the collection in their Florence workshop, alongside 32 fellow artisans. Beaming proudly over Zoom in their white lab coats, the pair are as passionate as Katrantzou when discussing the project. At 48 and 61 respectively, they have almost 80 years of experience between them, having started honing their skill when they were just 15 – ‘learning all the secrets of the trade’, says Claudia.

The pair were responsible for making Katrantzou’s collection of three bags.

These comprise a square silhouette embellished with embroidered butterflies from Atelier Montex in Paris; a quilted handheld-cum-crossbody bag with a detachable handle in the form of a snake; and a minaudière (meaning a petite style without handles),a gold-plated aluminium

29

30

than ever, people can connect to ‘thisNow,ideamore of transformation and appreciate design when it tells a story ’

toolkits – comprising a hammer, knife, splint and awl – before checking them for thickness, a process called ‘skiving’. They are then cut by hand, an important step, she adds, as many large leather companies save time by mechanising stages like this. Each prototype took over a month to finish, she estimates, ‘to make sure every detail was perfect’. Then Rosalba’s team took over the assembly for the actual collection. ‘It’s different from prototyping work, in which someone makes a product from start to finish,’ she explains. ‘I put together the work done by others and give body to the finished product.’

While the number of components varies from design to design, starting at around 20, each bag in the Katrantzou collection was made up of about 70 separate components, created by different artisans; Rosalba’s team needed to bond them all together. Such work comes with a heavy responsibility. ‘If there are mistakes, a wrong seam or a stain or scratch on the skin, I must stop the process,’ she says –adding, ‘but being a manual work of true craftsmanship, the [odd] error is expected.’

The results, says Katrantzou, have achieved her intention of merging craftsmanship, design integrity and functionality. ‘With the puffy bag, the entire Bulgari team was saying, “Mary, we really need to make it bigger – our client wants room!”’ she says. ‘I didn’t want it to become too big.’ Meanwhile, she insisted the minaudiere should feel lightweight and comfortable to hold,

as well as being able to stand upright on a table. ‘Translating the shape of a serpent into a [bag] isn’t trivial!’

In both cases they ‘found a perfect balance between function and design’.

It’s a process that requires time, precision and patience, and taught Katrantzou ‘a lot about pace’. ‘We had six full months of design and prototyping, then another six months thinking about how we wanted to communicate it,’ she says. Katrantzou highlights the brand’s partnership with the Naked Heart Foundation, to which a donation from the collaboration is being made, and whose supermodel founder, Natalia Vodianova, stars in its campaign. ‘Being able to take our time and refine every element to ensure perfection was incredibly liberating and something that you can’t always achieve because the pace is so relentless. I’m grateful it’s come at a time when I am changing my own view of how I want to apply my creativity.’

While for the most part it was a remote process, a year down the line Katrantzou will be able to watch her creations have their day in the sun. ‘As the serpent symbolises rebirth, it feels very timely with everything happening around us,’ she says. ‘Now, more than ever, people can connect to this idea of transformation… and appreciate design when it is one of a kind, tells a story, and is something special. People want to buy pieces that make them feel happy when they wear them.’

This time-honed collection, using time-honoured techniques, is, we can agree, worth the wait.

Credit: © Sophie Conlon / Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021

AIR

clutch covered in enamel scales, with an optional chain. Colourways for the latter include harlequin designs inspired by a 1968 Serpenti watch, which captivated Katrantzou when she came across it in the archives.

‘I wanted to first think about what Serpenti meant to me: a symbol of femininity, transformation and rebirth,’ says Katrantzou. ‘[Then] it was about opening the dialogue between high jewellery, watches and accessories. We were so lucky to be working with such a strong symbol in the Bulgari family… We’re talking 140 years of design history.’

Katrantzou was delighted to discover during the process that Bulgari’s founder, Sotirio Bulgari, was a Greek silversmith who set up shop in Rome – a shared heritage that makes the collaboration even more personal for her. Indeed, many of Bulgari’s themes of symmetry, symbolism and mythology, which stem from its founder’s original vision, are also strong veins in her work. Both parties share a love of bold colour too; hence the turquoise, ruby and onyx options in this collection. ‘From the first time we met Mary, we knew it was going to be a unique project,’ says Mireia Lopez Montoya, Bulgari’s managing director for accessories, who notes that Katrantzou’s ‘enthusiasm, joie de vivre and optimism’ align perfectly with the codes of the maison. ‘Mary has been able to perfectly interpret the Bulgari world in a collection full of glamour, but also of craftsmanship excellence.’

Rather than bask in the glory of the collaboration, though, Katrantzou is more interested in highlighting the artisans’ attention to detail.

‘Remove me from the equation, and the execution and artisanship that has gone into the bags is incredible,’ she says. ‘The first thing I usually think is, “Oh God, where do I start?”’

Claudia says, laughing. ‘Then I talk to the model maker, who helps me understand how he wants to construct something, and I start laying out various pieces on my bench. Then I work with the preparer, and we decide how to make the tucks, shape the body of the bag and add reinforcement.’

For the first prototype of one of Katrantzou’s designs, Claudia’s four model makers spent eight hours preparing pieces of leather with their

31

32

AIR

She is one of the big screen’s most talented actresses – though she’s still too British to admit it (and whatever you do, don’t tell her kids).

Emily Blunt on family, fame and being pranked by the Rock WORDS: SOPHIE HEAWOOD

I

decide to test Emily Blunt, to see if the actress is the good sport she is said to be, by beginning our interview with a threat. Speaking over video, I tell her that I am going to read aloud every single review she got for her recent film Wild Mountain Thyme.

A romance in which Jamie Dornan’s and her Irish accents were so atrocious, even Dornan got slain for it, and he’s Northern Irish.

“Oh, you’re just going to tear me apart at the seams,” she says approvingly from her house in London, roaring with laughter. “Excellent.”

Test passed; we can move on. Blunt has, notwithstanding the recent Irish business, had a solid run of success over the past 15 years. Her big break was as the neurotic fashion-magazine assistant in The Devil Wears Prada in 2006, followed by the title role in The Young Victoria in 2009. A new level of global fame came more recently with Mary Poppins Returns, in which Blunt carefully developed the unpredictable

nature of the unsentimental nanny.

The film was a smash hit, nominated for four Academy awards and grossed almost $350 million at the box office.

Yet the 38-year-old insists, to me, that her rise “hasn’t been meteoric”, but “a sort of slow progression. It used to be, like [she does a twangy American accent], ‘Did we go to school together?’ That was the first thing.

People thinking they kind of knew me.

Then it went to, ‘Oh, that’s the girl from that movie.’ And then it went to, ‘That’s Emily Blunt.’ That’s when you feel the change. But it has been over 15 years – it hasn’t been overnight.”

Personally I think she’s at her best in more adult roles, playing emotionally suffocated characters who have fought for their life and intend to keep it at any cost. Rita Vrataski, the sergeant who holds her own against Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow; Rachel Watson, the alcoholic ex-wife in The Girl on the Train, whose power comes at you unexpectedly and yet relentlessly.

33

AIR

‘

Sometimes I try to bury my phone under mountains of clothes, just to shut it off from me

Then there’s A Quiet Place, the thriller co-written and directed by her husband, John Krasinski, which features the pair of them as a married couple with small children, forced to hide out after an alien apocalypse. They finished making the sequel (in cinemas now) before Covid hit – I ask if their survivalism experience helped them to get through it. Blunt looks at me sympathetically, explaining gently that the aliens in the film weren’t actually there. “The pandemic was real, but we were acting with tennis balls.”

She didn’t even get into Zoom quizzes: “Ugh, no, I’m dreadful at quizzes. I have a brain like a sieve for information.” So she got through lockdown by going on walks and trying to leave her phone at home so she could “actually notice the leaves and the trees and the sounds and the sound of your footsteps”. She became so concerned by how square-eyed we’ve all been getting, including her, that she also at home “sometimes tried to bury my phone under mountains of clothes, just to shut it off from me”. Thankfully she loves to cook, especially curry, so that has been happening repeatedly, “even though the kids are like, ‘Curry? Again?’”

The Krunts, as Emily jokingly said they call themselves on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, married at an estate in Lake Como in 2010 (with George Clooney in attendance) and have two daughters, Hazel, seven, and Violet, four. The nomadic pair seem to buy and sell houses awfully frequently, having recently lived in the Hollywood Hills, a Brooklyn townhouse, and a very swish New York apartment.

European shooting commitments for both actors brought them to London on what could have been a brief stint, but after the pandemic put things on hold, they ended up staying.

“And to be honest there really has been no better place to be during all of this. Not to say that there hasn’t been huge loss in Britain, because 34

’

there has, and it has been frightening.

But compared to America I find it less intense here. There’s something so shoulder-shruggy and reassuring about the Brits during a crisis. It’s almost like the Brits are really good at getting in line and just going, ‘Yeah, it’s bad isn’t it?’ We’re quite practical.”

Her sister, the literary agent Felicity Blunt, married to Stanley Tucci (they met at Emily and John’s wedding), lives an eight-minute walk from them, and has been feeding Emily all sorts of books to read and even option for the screen. Plus she has two children of almost the same age, “so they all play together. It has been amazing.

And our kids love their English school.” Then there are the traditional sightseeing opportunities of the capital for her American family: “You know, because I’ve actually just seen some people day-drinking at 11am. Just ravenously drinking outside a London pub. Love to see it. Wonderful.”

I ask her if she and Krasinski, who had child actors play their offspring in A Quiet Place, ever considered casting their own children.

“God no — no! Please God keep them off the stage.”

Well, now I’m thinking about Kate Winslet, who said in a recent interview that she has tried to keep her children from knowing how famous she is. To the extent that her teenage son was genuinely impressed that she had an audience of 400 people at an online event – he seemed surprised that his superstar mother could command such a crowd.

“Oh stop. Oh God.” There, you see, I knew you’d think this was mad.

“I really understand that, what Kate did. I really get it,” she continues. Oh wait, that’s not where we’re going at all; I meant it all seemed slightly implausible.

“It’s a strange thing to navigate, you know,” she adds. “Because Hazel

came home the other day and we were in the kitchen and she goes, ‘Are you famous?’ And I’d never heard her … we’ve never said that word in our house. We don’t talk about it.”

Hold on a minute – two Hollywood film stars in one house have never used the word “famous” in front of their children? Apparently not.

“Someone at school had clearly said it. I was like, ‘Um … ’” she laughs, “‘not really, I don’t think I am. Did someone say that to you, Haze?’ She said, ‘Yeah,’ but then she wouldn’t divulge much more, you know, but it’s weird. It’s weird.”

Surely you were tempted to acknowledge all your hard work and say, “Yeah, kid, your little pals all think I’m Mary Poppins, get over it already”?

“No! No, no, not really. Because I understand what Kate Winslet’s saying, you just want – I don’t want my kids to feel any more important or special or that there’s a glare on them any more than other kids. If they can remain oblivious for the longest time I’d be thrilled. They don’t even want to see what I do.”

(She has insisted they prefer the Julie Andrews version of Mary Poppins.)

“They don’t even like it when I put on make-up. They don’t like any of it! They just want me to be their mummy.”

A Quiet Place Part II features a bigger role for Millicent Simmonds, the deaf actress who plays their daughter and is now 18, along with a new co-lead, Cillian Murphy, who Krasinski cast after writing his own character out of the film. The adults all drank a fair bit of Macallan on set.

I put it to Blunt that her husband is a brave man to replace himself with the mesmeric star of Peaky Blinders.

“He did it because he’s in love with Cillian. I think John might be more in love with Cillian than anyone I’ve ever met.” She had even more grounds to question her husband’s love for her when he put her in an

This page, clockwise from top left: Blunt with husband, John Krasinski; still from Mary Poppins Returns (2018); still from Young Victoria (2009); still from The Devil Wears Prada (2006); still from The Girl on the Train (2016)

35

AIR

Previous pages: Krasinski sets up a shot for A Quiet Place Opposite, top to bottom: Still from Leatherheads; Krasinski and wife Emily Blunt

36

‘

Credit: Sophie Heawood/The Times Magazine/News International

I think I’m learning to reclaim the idea that it is not pushy or wrong to ask for something that you’re doing anyway

incredibly dangerous stunt involving a spinning car – “the most exhilarating, slightly terrifying event of my life.

There is that moment when you first start doing the scene, and I was like, ‘Does John care about me?’”

She is of course joking – partly because it turns out that she has more lasting trauma from making her other new film, Jungle Cruise, a huge Disney adventure that hits the big screen this month. In it, she plays a scientist searching for a tree’s magical cure, while the Rock, her co-star, is the captain of the riverboat they travel on.

She still blushes with dread when she recalls their first meeting, when she was clearly trying to overcompensate for her posh, white Englishness.

“I went in so big, I was like, ‘Heyyyy!’, acting like I knew him. I was expecting this larger-than-life, bombastic personality. But he’s really gentle and he listens to you, so he just whispered, ‘Hi, how are you?’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, how embarrassing, I went in too big.’ I was so embarrassed. But he’s a quality p***-taker — he will rip the p*** out of you. Jack Whitehall’s in the film too, and we were a constant source of amusement for the Rock, because we were so gullible.”

For example, Blunt would sometimes have her phone out on the boat with them on set, “and then I’d get home and see all these selfies of him, and these disgusting videos that he had taken on my phone”. What sort of disgusting?

“Oh, like your big brother just being gross. Or he’d have secretly filmed me speaking to the director, but he’d be rolling his eyes into the camera while I talked. He’s the devil. I’d end up sending him texts saying, ‘What the hell did you leave on my phone?’”

Blunt grew up in Wandsworth, southwest London, one of four siblings, with their mother, Joanna, a teacher who has also been an actress herself, and her father, Oliver, a barrister.

Crispin Blunt, her father’s brother, is

’

the Conservative MP for Reigate. She was educated privately, first at Ibstock Place School in Roehampton and later at Hurtwood House in Surrey, a sixthform college with a focus on performing arts, where she was signed by an agent.

She insists that she never expected this huge career in acting, but now that she has it, she wants more control over it, hence her co-producing a western series that she will also star in. “I’ve been playing the role of producer for many years, creatively. It’s just I haven’t asked for that role officially until now.

I think I’m learning to reclaim the idea that it is not pushy or wrong to ask for something that you’re doing anyway.” She would like to direct films later in her career, perhaps when her children are much older, “because I have seen how all-consuming it can become and I think it will just snowball out of control for me. I know I’m going to become obsessive about it.”

Approaching the age of 40 is also not as dreaded as it once was for women in Hollywood, “because there are amazing roles for women who are not in their ingenue phase any more”.

After the recent #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, there seems to have been real change in Hollywood. “Now that the tides are calming, I’m seeing how productive it has been. It certainly made a difference in my life. Feeling that, as women, we don’t have to do a bit of a dance and make sure that no feathers are ruffled to get what we want,” she says. “And when you make your deals, that has changed too.”

Money? So they’re paying you more?

“Yes, for sure! I think they can’t be seen to be prioritising your male co-star’s pay any more.”

And are the actors angry that their fee is presumably going down a bit?

“No! And if they are,” she says triumphantly, with that constant, rather delicious smile on her lips, “well then, they don’t really have a leg to stand on.”

37

AIR

She was the Princess with the eyes of the world on her; Elizabeth and David Emanuel were the anointed designers charged with making her the perfect wedding dress. 40 years on, Bethan Holt talks to Elizabeth about the couple’s not-so-happy ever after...

WORDS: BETHAN HOLT

38

39

AIR

J

ust before 11am on 29 July 1981, Lady Diana Spencer stepped out of the Glass Coach at St Paul’s Cathedral. After some unravelling, her bridal gown was finally revealed following months of speculation.

Embellished with 10,000 pearls, it had sleeves that looked like fluffy clouds and it came with a dramatic 25ft train. India Hicks, one of Diana’s five bridesmaids, later said that the noise from the crowd as Diana emerged was ‘absolutely extraordinary’. In the cathedral were 3,500 guests. A further 750 million people were watching on television around the globe. Each will have had their own opinion on the dress of the century. In his book, Diana Style, the fashion commentator Colin McDowell described the gown as ‘pure romance. We were all invited into a child’s picture of what a Princess should look like in the modern world.’

Yet many were unimpressed by how creased the fabric had become after being crammed into the tiny state carriage. “She should have come to us, we know about such things,” an insider at the Queen’s couturier, Norman Hartnell, noted haughtily. As the 40th anniversary of the wedding falls this month, that day remains firmly in the spotlight. The iconic dress is set to be the main attraction at a new exhibition at Kensington Palace – the first time it has been displayed there. In his wedding sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, said, “Fairy tales usually end at this point with the simple phrase: ‘They lived happily ever after.’ Our faith sees the wedding day not as the place of arrival but the place where the adventure really begins” And boy, was this the start of an adventure – not just for the Waleses, but for Elizabeth and David Emanuel, the young couple who were catapulted to global fame as the designers of Diana’s gown. For them, like Diana, there has been no fairy-tale ending, and while their work on the dress made them, it also broke them. And the fallout continues. You only need to take a glance around Elizabeth’s basement studio in London’s Maida Vale to know that this is the workspace of a woman who still lives and breathes the ultra-femininity of Diana’s dress.

Mannequins are swathed in ivory silk; rails heave with intricately draped 40

dresses dripping in crystals.

Elizabeth, 67, a diminutive figure dressed in leggings and flats, seems an almost unlikely creator for these exquisite pieces. Apart from, that is, her signature hair extensions which are as artfully haphazard as ever and have always made her instantly recognisable.

“I don’t feel like me if they’re not right, you know?” she says, ruffling her hand nervously through the choppy layers.

It’s more than a decade since Elizabeth showed at London Fashion Week, and lockdown has not been easy.

Her latest project is a T-shirt collection and although she’s keen to show me samples, it soon becomes evident that she is going through one of the trickiest times in her life – and there have been a few.

“It’s all been so stressful,” she sighs, “it’s a bit of a mess.” The turmoil stems from the legal battle she is embroiled in with her former husband, from whom she has been divorced since 1990. The subject of the battle is That Dress: specifically who owns the copyright. Elizabeth claims that her ex-husband has been taking credit for a design that was originally hers. When

Opening pages, from left to right: Elizabeth and David Emanuel; the Prince and Princess of Wales turn to walk back through the congregation at St Paul’s cathedral, 1981. These pages, left to right: sketches of the front and back views of the wedding dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales; Elizabeth and David Emanuel meet Diana to discuss design ideas for the dress

David, 68, still a designer and now also a TV presenter, was enlisted by Netflix to consult on The Crown last year, Elizabeth believed he had no right to help recreate the dress without her permission.

Her argument is being made to counter David’s own case against her, seeking to bar her from selling sketches of Emanuel outfits that Diana wore.

He claims that to do so infringes his copyright, and goes back on their separation agreement, where they both vowed not to use the Emanuel label in their future work.

It is a disagreement that has been going on since last year and is still very much in progress – which is why neither Elizabeth nor David want to get into specifics with me. The tabloids have picked over the details and the fall from grace it represents for the designers. After years of difficulties with investors, plus the ramifications of Covid, it’s clear that this is the last thing

‘

The wedding day was the most unbelievable thing. It was like setting out to climb Everest and reaching the summit.

There was a sense of euphoria Elizabeth needs. The difference from those booming early ‘80s days could not be more apparent.

Elizabeth and David first met at the Harrow School of Art in 1974, when she was 21 and he was 22. He was the exuberant boy from Bridgend in Wales; she was the painfully shy but obsessively creative child of American businessman Buddy Weiner and a British mother, and had grown up in London. Opposites attracted and they married in 1976.”’I was very conscious that David was very good-looking.

People would say, ‘How is he with you?’

I just felt that I was so lucky to have this very handsome husband. And I’m

’

so shy, I can hardly get a word out,” she says, reminiscing more fondly than you might expect given the circumstances.

In the year of their wedding, the pair became the first married couple to be accepted to the Royal College of Art. Then in a stroke of luck, they were able to show their final collections one after the other at the end of the graduation show. “In a rather dull show of final year students’ work their clothes shone – David’s stark and tailored; Elizabeth’s frothy and feminine. They could not have been more different but both were outstanding,” fashion reporter Ann Chubb wrote at the time.

And therein lies the clue to the 41

AIR

dispute. While both were gifted designers, it was her instinctive aesthetic that tapped into the New Romantic look everyone wanted at the time. Elizabeth’s graduation collection was stocked at Browns on South Molton Street. Bianca Jagger bought a white lace dress which she wore to her 32nd birthday party, where she was pictured surrounded by a dole of doves, at Studio 54 in New York. “It was like somebody pressed a green light,” Elizabeth tells me. “We were inundated, and the whole business just took off because of Bianca wearing that dress.”

The Emanuels started their label as soon as they graduated in 1977, opening a studio opposite Claridge’s, and began serving clients - from Bond girl Barbara Bach, who married Ringo Starr in a puff-sleeved, lace-embellished Emanuel dress, to royal fans Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Anne – who all loved their flamboyant confections. “We had all sorts of wonderful and strange commissions,” Elizabeth recalls. “One member of the Royal family asked us to make a dressing gown for the Queen.”

It helped that Elizabeth’s father was backing the establishment. “I took it for granted completely that my dad was funding us,” says Elizabeth. “I didn’t realise that we wouldn’t have been able to do it without my father putting some cash in.”

By this time the Emanuels had two children – Oliver, born in 1978, and Eloise, born in 1979 – and had settled into a way of working that seemed to suit them both. She says that she was “in awe of David. He was very outgoing, chatty and looked like a rock star.

I wasn’t confident in myself, I was overweight. I was happiest when I was just designing and creating things.”

He dealt with clients and oversaw the workroom.

Then along came Diana. The 19-yearold girlfriend of Prince Charles discovered them when she was styled in an Emanuel candyfloss-pink blouse for a portrait in Vogue’s February 1981 issue. The picture was later used to mark her engagement, which was announced on 24 February that year.

Diana then came to the couple in search of a dress for her first formal engagement with Charles – a fundraising concert at Goldsmiths’ Hall in March – choosing a strapless 42

‘

I think Diana saw something in me a bit like her in the shyness department. It’s one of the reasons we didn’t want to ask her if we could photograph her during fittings

’

black gown. “She hadn’t been seen in a grown-up dress before, and suddenly she looked like a movie star,” Elizabeth remembers. The dress’s revealing décolletage caused a stir – McDowell wrote that there were ‘audible gasps’ from onlookers, with the photographers ‘beside themselves with excitement’ at this glimpse of Lady Di’s ‘more daring side’. After that, it was to the Emanuels that Diana came for her wedding dress.

“That was the phone call that changed our lives.”

Unlike protocol today, Buckingham Palace announced they had been chosen to create the gown, despite designers from around the world inundating Diana with sketches. “Diana put her trust in both of us to come up with a beautiful wedding gown. And it fell on my shoulders to design something amazing,” Elizabeth says, with a gentle emphasis on the ‘my’. David, meanwhile, recalls it being “a magical time” collaborating with Diana, “who had such a sense of humour, we could always have a giggle with her”. The trio discussed where to place frills and how long to go with the train, which they decided to make the longest in royal wedding history.

Elizabeth adds, “I think Diana saw something in me a bit like her in the shyness department. It’s one of the reasons we didn’t want to ask her if we could photograph her during fittings. I knew about her life outside where she was getting followed by the paparazzi all the time with people asking questions. I thought, when she comes here, it has got to be an oasis for her.”

Not that the Emanuels weren’t having their own hard time with the press – photographers stationed themselves in the flat opposite their studio and their bins were searched for clues so, Elizabeth says, “we’d leave them false trails, bits of old fabrics and different coloured threads”. When it came to cutting the train, there was only one location that had the space

to accommodate them: Buckingham Palace. It fell to David to banish the “footmen and flunkies” and “cordon off the entire floor” to ensure secrecy.

When they’d finished, Diana asked how they were getting back to their studio.

“We said we’d grab a cab, but she insisted on driving us, so went off down the Mall. She was as sweet as pie.”

After months of intense pressure, the wedding day arrived. “It was the most unbelievable thing. It was like setting out to climb Everest and reaching the summit. There was a sense of euphoria,” Elizabeth remembers. Both the Emanuels, who spent the morning with Diana at Clarence House watching the preparations on a tiny TV in her bedroom, recoil at the memory of that creasing episode, but insist that it was quickly remedied with a little smoothing out. A highlight for David was when the Queen made sure he had a glass of champagne after the ceremony.

That evening, David and Elizabeth returned to their studio on something of a comedown. “Everything was quiet. We were thinking, ‘What do we do now?’

Then there was a phone call and it was Diana,” Elizabeth says. “She spoke to both of us and said she wanted to thank us for doing her dress and making her so happy on that day. She knew that we’d be on a bit of a downer afterwards.

It made our day.”

One of the reasons Elizabeth believes Diana’s wedding dress has remained especially iconic is because of how it was photographed on the day. “It shows this ultimate transformation into a princess, with the veil flying and the train cascading down the steps.” It transformed Diana into a fashion icon – and made the Emanuels household names.

Over the next few years, the Emanuels rode the wave of the immense fame. “At the beginning of the ‘80s, we were on a roll,” Elizabeth remembers. “It was the most amazing time.” Jane Seymour,

This page: Bianca Jagger in a dress designed by Elizabeth Emanuel for her birthday party at Studio 54, 1978 Next page: News outlet interviewing the Emanuels on the morning of the royal wedding

43

AIR

had all sorts of wonderful and strange ‘ We commissions, One member of the Royal family asked us to make a dressing gown for the Queen ’

Joan Collins and Elizabeth Taylor were all wearing Emanuel-designed clothes, while magazines and newspapers sought their tips on everything from how to host a great dinner party to how to dress one’s children.

Elizabeth designed costumes for the Royal Ballet, which was, she says, how she met Freddie Mercury, “a great fan of the ballet”, and came to work on 1985’s Fashion Aid, part of Bob Geldof’s famine relief efforts. The spectacle’s finale was a kind of camp version of the royal wedding, with Jane Seymour as the bride in one of the frothiest Emanuel creations you could imagine and Mercury as the groom in one of his military jackets and an Emanuel cummerbund. “People just went crazy for that,” she says, wistfully.

Diana ordered many more outfits from the Emanuels after her wedding, including a one-shouldered gown which she wore on the famous evening in Australia in 1985 when she repurposed Queen Mary’s art deco emerald choker as a headband, reportedly irritating the Queen.

But then there was a period of time, in late 1985 and early 1986, when the couple didn’t hear from the Princess.

Elizabeth puts this down to Diana exploring her style with different designers, such as Catherine Walker and Bellville Sassoon. Certainly, fashion was moving on from the frou-frou decadence of the Emanuels towards sharper power dressing. Diana herself was also gaining a new sense of confidence – Vanity Fair’s Tina Brown called her “the mouse that roared”.

During this period, Elizabeth, who insists that the Emanuel aesthetic had evolved to reflect these new trends, “felt terrible. All we wanted to do was to make her happy, look out for her.

To think that we might have done something wrong or inadvertently upset her... I actually got quite physically ill about it.” Press speculation began to mount, so Elizabeth’s father called the Princess’s private secretary, 44

for reassurance. It soon came; the Emanuels got a call from the Princess asking them to create a wardrobe for her forthcoming Middle East tour, and to be photographed with her. It was to be the last time they dressed her.

By 1987, the differences that had once made the Emanuels a strong team were causing a chasm between them.

Elizabeth was still shy, but the driving design force, while David was the face of the label. That year, he went on a promotional tour of America, while Elizabeth stayed at home. When she saw David’s name all over the press from the visit, she realised that she “had made a mistake”. While she doesn’t wish to go into details, their relationship began to fall apart.

Having spent years “turning people away” because they were too busy to take on new clients, the business started to run into trouble, not helped by the financial crisis sparked by Black Monday in October 1987. The pair were in New York in 1989 on a work trip when they heard that the label would have to close. “My dad called and said, ‘I’m afraid, it’s all going down, you’ve lost so much money.’

David just walked away, and left the business with me. Those designs were my blood, sweat and tears, I couldn’t leave them – but there were debts, too.” Unwilling to hand over all their assets to the liquidators, she took on the business liabilities “because I didn’t want to lose what I’d created”.

To make things worse, Elizabeth’s parents sided with David. ”They believed that I’d wrecked the marriage, that it was my fault that David and I had split up [because she had refused to walk away from the business].

I was left on my own dealing with bailiffs. He couldn’t wait to leave and start up his own business, which my father helped him with. The children had to live with David [because she didn’t have anywhere permanent to live] and I didn’t speak to my parents for three years. I had to beg

money from people to try and live day to day.” She depended on help from friends, eventually moving to a houseboat in Little Venice.

“Nobody in the outside world knew what was happening. I was trying to raise money without anybody thinking that I needed money, because I felt it would all be too damaging. I didn’t want to upset Diana. I didn’t want her to know about it.’ By now, the Princess’s own marriage was also coming to an end.

In the 31 years since her divorce from David, Elizabeth has skipped between different projects and backers. It has not been a path littered with successes.

Perhaps the worst of the deals came in 1997, around the same time that Diana died, when her grief was compounded by the implosion of a business partnership with the Joe Bloggs founder Shami Ahmed, which led to her losing control of the name she’d already fought

Credit: © Bethan Holt / Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021

to protect. “My entire world crashed, it was just awful and I don’t think I grieved for Diana properly until months later because I was just in shock.”

Other investors have come and gone, including the fraudster Edward Davenport, who conned Elizabeth out of a considerable amount after he’d promised to loan her £1 million.

She was locked in a legal battle over the right to use her own name for years, taking her case to the European Court of Justice in 2006.

“It has been a very traumatic thing,” she says, catching her breath. “After lots of legal wrangling, I’ve now got my name back in America, and I’ve been fighting to get it back over here [UK].’ She doesn’t deny that she’s often been blinded by her unerring optimism. “I look at the world through rose-tinted glasses,” she admits. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if I can’t get through this.”

One happy constant has been her partner of 25 years, the writer Tony Drew, whom she met through the landlord of the houseboat she lived on, and was able to introduce to Diana before she died. “She said, ‘I hope you’re looking after her,’“ says Elizabeth.

Not everything business-related has been bad. Elizabeth dressed Madonna for her Madame X tour in 2019. The pop icon had seen Cher wearing an Elizabeth Emanuel jacket and tracked her down.

“I felt like I was coming back to life again. I could put all that detail into it as we did with Princess Diana’s gown, but in a completely different way.”

As for David, he’s remained as smooth as he was when Elizabeth fell in love with him, still designing but also forging a career as a presenter. He is currently best known as the host of TV’s Say Yes to the Dress UK. In 2019, it emerged that David was in a relationship with his business partner, David Byrne.

“I remember the whole royal wedding as a wonderful time,” David says now, happy to speak about ‘the charming, sweet, typical Sloane Ranger’ who walked into the Emanuels’ studio all those years ago but preferring not to comment on the ongoing legal case with his ex-wife.

In spite of her difficulties, Elizabeth still feels lucky to have had the honour of creating Diana’s dress. “It’s defined me. We were in the right place at the right time, that experience would take a lot of beating.” She does pause for reflection, however. “I often think if I hadn’t met Diana, what would my life be like now? Would our partnership have been a success?”

Elizabeth met the Queen again in 2010. “She said, ‘And what do you do?’ I did want to say that I’d designed Diana’s wedding dress,” Elizabeth confides.

“But I just thought maybe I shouldn’t, so I just said, ‘I’m a fashion designer.’”

45

AIR

‘Halstonette’ Pat Cleveland remembers the real story of when Halston came to Paris and how the legendary Le Palace became the beating heart of the era WORDS: EILIDH HARGREAVES 46

47

AIR

T

he legendary Battle of Versailles fashion show took place at Chateau de Versailles in 1973.

Meticulously charted in Halston, the Netflix series, the event marked a turning point in fashion history, mixing designers with high society, celebrity and entertainment.

Pitting French designers Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Marc Bohan and Hubert de Givenchy against the Americans - Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass and Anne Klein – the event was attended by such stars as Princess Grace of Monaco, Liza Minelli and Josephine Baker.

I have interviewed supermodel Pat Cleveland, a former Halstonette (the designer’s name for the models in his clique), about the legendary night. She remembered not just the after party, but the whole, thrilling, period that was fashion and nightlife in ‘70s Paris – and it all revolved around one hedonistic nightclub: Le Palace.

“Le Palace! Everybody wanted to go to The Palace,” she said.

“It was where you could be a princess or a queen, a show-off or a jester. You could see stars in people’s eyes. We were all so happy to be out and twinkly and in the music.” The nightclub was a hub for the fashion elite, but the party that ensued in the hours following the Battle of Versailles was legendary, she remembers.

Halston, as the Netflix biopic charts, may have had a meltdown and demanded that the show be cancelled due, but after his good friend Minnelli smoothed things over, things got back on track.

The American designers, previously regarded as sportswear specialists, stole the show and there was much to celebrate.

“The night Halston came [to Le Palace], after the Battle of Versailles, was the best,” she says. “We arrived at the Palace, all dressed in bugle beads and I did some wild dancing. Halston was so happy to be in Paris, and we were the Halstonettes. People were in 48

Opening pages: Battle of Versailles fashion show, 1973 These pages. from left to right: Pat Cleveland models; Pat Cleveland with fashion designer Halston

‘

The American designers, previously regarded as sportswear specialists, stole the show

’

awe of this American fashion designer and all the glamorous girls. They just loved us – it was like Paris and America falling in love. They had this giant statue and I rolled it out in my beautiful beaded dress, pushing things around.”

Much like Studio 54, this was a place where stars lived in the moment. “They’d let you do outrageous things; if you got wild, you could have the stage. I sang there once wearing Thierry Mugler – I just made up the song with the band behind me – and my friend Grace Jones performed there too. Designers would put their clothes on me to see if they’d survive all-night dancing, then correct the seams the next day.”

Above all, the Montmartre club was known for peacocking, and it was there where the world’s finest designers gathered night upon night with what would now be known as their ‘squad’.

“Thierry Mugler, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo – every designer went with their entourage, dressed up and showing off their tribal, beautiful creativity,” says Cleveland. “I was in everybody’s entourage, and [whoever I didn’t show up with that night would] get mad and start gossiping. Then they’d snub each other and walk off in different directions. I’d go one night

49

50

That time was sexy and androgynous and free.” She tells me how she danced with one of Marie Antoinette’s descendants. “Those royals snuck a way and lived, somehow.”

The jet set 1970s meant that everyone who was anyone flew in to party in Paris. Anna Piaggi and Paloma Picasso mixed with Jerry Hall and Jean Paul Gaultier. House DJ Michel Gaubert became a legendary sound director for the world’s biggest fashion houses, from Valentino to Chanel and Lanvin.

Karl Lagerfeld threw his famous Venetian Ball there, and decorated the ceiling with criss-crossed roses – his distinguished guests spent weeks formulating their outfits.

“What we felt at The Palace was a lot of love,” says Cleveland. “Because we all understood what [each other was] going through. Being creative squeezes all the juice out of you all the time, but then when you got to The Palace, you saw your friends.”

“Music is so important because without it you can’t escape. Going to the Palace you escaped the mundane loneliness of being single, looking for some company. Even if it’s just to dance. It didn’t have to be romantic, you just had to be full of energy. It was an amazing experience; back then, there was no fear of going out at night. There were a lot of lovers’ quarrels going on.

When you’re young, all that drama and fashion make you feel so alive.

“After the night was over, the Americans would stop at The American restaurant in Châtelet to have breakfast pancakes and peanut butter.”

In this case, the real life story sounds every bit as frenetic as the Netflix Halston biopic.

Credit: © Eilidh Hargreaves/The Telegraph Media Group 2021

AIR

with Thierry, one night Kenzo, one night Karl… give everyone a chance to have some fun.”

The rifts and rivalries between these leading fashion designers are well charted, but Cleveland puts it simply: “They all loved each other but they liked to show off – there was a lot of competition going on. I wasn’t competing, I was just hanging out. It was like a church of fashion and dance, wildness and beauty. Everyone was flipping their fans or their hairdos or their coloured cuts, ripped clothes and safety pins. We’d go into the office to hide out and look down and see how happy people were. The champagne was always flowing like crazy. They’d pop it and you could do what you want; spill it on your head, share it with people…”

Cleveland had famously vacated America for Paris in 1971, vowing not to return until a black model was put on the cover of American Vogue.

There, she became a house model for Lagerfeld at Chanel, also modelling for Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior.

“I lived in an old-fashioned atelier on Rue Saint Martin in Châtelet at the time,” she says. “It was the most rugged area, with all the night workers; I’d give them presents and they’d protect me if a man was following me. When I got home from work, I’d take a nap, get dressed and tootle up to The Palace all glamorous – never before midnight.”

“From the outside you saw those shiny doors and the Art Déco passageway with the neon lights. You’d go in the front door but sometimes you’d have to sneak up the stairs, through the office and out the back if two boyfriends showed up at once.

‘

Le Palace was where you could be a princess or a queen, a show-off or a jester. You could see stars in people’s eyes

’

Above: Pat Art, Halston, Pat Cleveland,and Bobby Breslau, ready to party

51

Motoring JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

An Electric Performance

If you think electric cars are a poor imitation of their petrol-powered cousins, five minutes at the wheel of the electrifying Audi RS e-tron GT will confirm the contrary

AIR

WORDS: JOHN THATCHER

52

53

AIR

“T

esla is a tech company that also makes cars.

Audi is car maker.” This is how the Audi RS e-tron GT is billed as its keys are handed over to me for a long weekend. The purpose of this statement was, of course, to highlight that Audi has the know-how, heritage and (while not engaged in various other pursuits, such as trying to visit Mars), the singular focus to build best-in-class cars. I think they’ve done so here.

On the outside, the RS e-tron GT excels, managing to pull off a look that says sporty and muscular yet sophisticated and family-fit. Not an easy feat, one imagines, which is probably why it’s best left to a car maker.

The most obvious visual difference between the tech company and the car maker is found inside. The portraitoriented touchscreen infotainment system is perfectly proportioned in the e-tron GT, so that it looks fully integrated with the cabin’s slick design. Unlike that of the Tesla Model S, which looks like a bolt-on accessory for those with impaired vision. Like in the Model S, however, the steering wheel of e-tron GT has a flat bottom, which is probably just as well as my knees (I’m not overly tall at 6ft) brushed a little too close to the bottom of the wheel to merit perfection. Though to be fair, this is only ever apparent when you first pull away. Perhaps that has something to do with your mind suddenly being fully occupied by the car’s performance, but more of that in a moment.

Sitting in the driver’s seat you feel very much at one with the car.

That is to say you feel wonderfully cocooned, as if part of the design, not an interchangeable lump with arms and legs. It therefore doesn’t feel like a vehicle that you have to command, more one that drives intuitively. This, presumably, is what Audi had in mind when it set about creating what it terms ‘emotive design’. Job done, then.

If you think all-electric cars mean only touchscreens and digital displays, you’d be a little short of the truth as regards the RS e-tron GT. They’re here, of course (Audi introduced the fully digital instrument binnacle before any other), but Audi has also listened to its customers by incorporating physical buttons that set the temperature, among other things – reassuring when

54

it’s mid-summer in the UAE and you don’t have time to fiddle around.

Overall, the cabin feels very spacious, a fact aided by an expansive glass roof, which allows sunlight to pour into the car without heating it. The rear seats are also roomy, which makes this model a great option for families – a lengthy, though low, boot space and additional storage where you’d normally find a car’s engine add further weight to this argument. It’s a proper GT. Certainly, if you’re a parent who loves to drive dynamic cars and have teenagers passionate about the planet, this is as thrillingly brilliant a compromise as you’ll find on the road.

And that’s all down to the way it drives.

Repeating the trick their design team pulled on the car’s profile, Audi’s engineers have delivered a drive that is at once fast and exhilarating, comfortable and refined. The perfect balance struck.

Technically speaking, this is due to technologies such as all-wheel steering, controlled damping, three-chamber air suspension, electric all-wheel drive, and the rear-axle differential lock.

It speeds from 0-62mph in 3.3sec, just enough time for a wide smile to etch itself across your face, from where it takes some shifting. The handling is immense, the car gliding like a figureskater, hugging the life out of the road.

And that’s when the Drive Select mode is in Comfort. Switch it to Dynamic and the experience intensifies.

55

Motoring JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

Audi’s engineers have ‘delivered a drive that

is at once fast and exhilarating, comfortable and refined

AIR

’

Of course, speed cameras prevent a prolonged press of the pedal, but that simply plays to the strengths of the RS e-tron GT. It accelerates in the blink of an eye (just as well there’s a heads-up display) which makes overtaking a doddle.

How does it sound? That’s actually up to you. Audi say they have created ‘a synthesized sound that provides an authentic and finely nuanced impression of the work performed by the drive system’ and it’s yours to manipulate through your choice of Drive Select mode. As you’d expect, Dynamic mode offers the most nuanced, adding a layer of interior sound to the exterior sound. Those who demand the guttural roar of an engine won’t find the same aural pleasure, of course, but the pleasures in this car are varied and multiple.

The range that a full battery charge will take you is up to 487km, depending on which mode you drive in – handily, it recalculates accordingly should you switch modes.

If you’re yet to drive an all-electric car but fear doing so will be dull, this is clear confirmation to the contrary.

When you press the off button, your departure from the car is signalled by a short combination of notes reminiscent of a heartbeat. It’s as though you’ve just ejected from the cockpit of a simulator.

And yet the RS e-tron GT does much more than simulate the performance of a petrol-powered car. It betters it. It’s electric. In every sense of the word.

56

U

S

IMA LT T

ST A Y AIR

E

Travel JANUARY 2017 : ISSUE 68

57

MALDIVES

Ultimate Stays: Maldives JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

Clockwise, from top to bottom: Three Bedroom Beach Sunset Villa pool; Three Bedroom Water Sunset Villa bathroom; Aerial view of the island

W

Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi

hile it’s true that all Maldives resorts deliver on sun, sand and pellucid, warm waters, a rare few stand out as truly unique.

Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi is one such place. It straddles the largest lagoon in the Maldives, while cutting across the island is a spectacular 200-metre infinity pool (the country’s longest), from where you can observe sunrise or sunset. That expansive lagoon allows for a 9km house reef teeming with marine life, giving guests the chance to snorkel with turtles.

Indeed, water sets the stage for many of the resort’s distinctive attractions, chief of which is Coralarium, Maldives’ first and only coral regeneration project in the form of an underwater art installation.

Conceptualized by celebrated British

environmentalist and eco-artist Jason deCaires Taylor, Coralarium can be explored via snorkelling trips curated by the resort’s resident marine biologist.

The brilliant Willow Stream Spa is 2,000sqm of tranquillity – bookend your tailored treatment here with a dip in the 50-metre serenity pool, where water temperatures vary from tropical warm to refreshing cool. It will set you up splendidly for dinner – take your pick from the likes of pillow-soft lobster and fine wines at Azure, or authentic Japanese fare enjoyed under the stars at the resort’s signature restaurant, Kata.

The Ultimate Residence The most spacious (and private) residence on this pristine island is

the Three Bedroom Beach Sunset Villa. It can accommodate six adults and is perched at the edge of where surf meets sand, delivering stunning sunset views as standard – best enjoyed from your private pool or relaxation sala. Coming with a larger group? Villas can be configured to house five or seven bedrooms. While in keeping with the uniqueness of the resort, other options include the Tented Jungle Villa, hidden by lush foliage mere steps from the ocean.

Getting Here Land your jet at Velana International Airport, from where a private seaplane (55 minutes) or transfer to the resort can be arranged in advance.

59

Embrace the circle of island life

Let the captivating Maldivian skies and melodies of the Indian Ocean awaken the island spirit. A halo of discoveries awaits. ritzcarlton.com/maldives

©2016 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

Ultimate Stays: Maldives JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

Main: Aerial view of the island Below: Two Bedroom Beach Pool Villa

A

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

s the jewel of the integrated Fari Islands development in the northeast rim of North Malé Atoll (perfectly positioned for a quick airport transfer) a stay at the all-villa The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands affords you a rare opportunity in the Maldives – to indulge in luxury both on- and off-property. Off property (a complimentary boat ride away) you’ll revel in the vibrancy of Fari Marina Village, home to restaurants, upscale boutiques, a beach club, and celebrated art studio.

But it’s on property where serenity rules.

The stunning, ring-shaped spa is a true sanctuary, where signature treatments have been designed exclusively for the resort – try a stress-melting bamboo massage.

Gastronomy wise, multiple restaurants afford a choice of over-the-ocean or on-the-beach dining, and everything from authentic Cantonese fine dining at Summer Pavilion (a collaboration with the Michelin-starred restaurant of the same name in Singapore) and teppanyaki under the stars at Iwau, to authentic Arabic fare at lantern-lit Arabesque, which was designed in tribute to the traditional Bedouin tent.

An arm’s-length list of activities range from the usual must-dos when you’re

in the Maldives (diving, snorkelling, standup paddleboarding, sunrise yoga) to the unique (a Photography Studio and Jean-Michel Cousteau´s Ambassadors of the Environment Program), which ensures it won’t just be the legendary Ritz-Carlton service that will make this escape to paradise memorable.

ocean lapping at a stretch of cottonsoft beach that’s yours alone. Housing up to six guests, the estate’s litany of highlights includes an outside pool which serves the master suite; a spa room for private treatments; indoor and outdoor living and dining areas; and a private chef for in-villa dining.

The Ultimate Residence Perhaps the grandest of all villas in the Maldives – it’s certainly our goto for unrivalled privacy, space and service – the magnificent Ritz-Carlton Estate sits in its own secluded cove, the

Getting Here Land your jet at Velana International Airport, from where a private seaplane (10 minutes) or speedboat transfer (45 minutes) to the resort can be arranged in advance.

61

Ultimate Stays: Maldives JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

Ithaafushi – The Private Island by Waldorf Astoria

AIR

I

thaafushi – The Private Island by Waldorf Astoria was created with one mission in mind – to make paradise private for a select few. This slice of sunkissed sand is a rare jewel in the Indian Ocean, an island that’s yours alone to enjoy, just the way you like it. A dedicated concierge team see to it, delivering truly personalised service while maintaining unparalleled levels of privacy. A sprawling estate housing just three villas (one over the ocean, two beside it), the island – the largest of its type in the Maldives – can accommodate up to 24 guests in all, who can explore the bountiful beauty of their spectacular surrounds by bicycle or buggy.

At the heart of the island is Haali – meaning ‘nest’ in Dhivehi, the local language of the Maldives – an indoor-to-outdoor space set within a botanical sanctuary where heart-stealing views of the ocean are unbroken and entertainment and dining options are offered bespoke – from setting up a cinema under the stars, to having a celebration menu crafted by the island’s dedicated culinary team, who are otherwise devoted to in-villa dining.

Such attention extends to the overwater spa, where a personal wellness concierge will tailor therapies for each guest and industry-leading practitioners visit monthly.

This is an island that redefines personalised service by placing no boundaries in the way of your imagination.

An island that has considered every detail in its pursuit of progressing perfection to deliver the ultimate luxury – paradise, just as you imagined it.

The Ultimate Residence Our pick of the island’s three villas is the 4-Bedroom Residence. It stands mere steps from the ocean, offering up glorious views alongside individual al fresco Jacuzzis for each of its four rooms, and an outdoor dining space for supper under the stars.

Clockwise, from top to bottom: 4-Bedroom Residence bedroom; Haali;Main: 4-Bedroom Aerial view of Residence communal the island area; aerialTwo viewBedroom of Below: the island; yogaPool pavillion Beach Villa

Getting Here Land your jet at Velana International Airport, from where the island can be accessed via a 40-minute ride on one of the resort’s six luxury yachts, or a 15-minute private seaplane flight, which can be pre-arranged.

63

Ultimate Stays: Maldives JULY 2021 : ISSUE 118

T

Six Senses Laamu

he atolls of the Maldives tend to home a number of resorts. Not so Laamu Atoll, where the lone Six Senses Laamu is well worthy of its standalone status, setting standards through the myriad enchanting experiences it offers its guests. You’ll find a number of such experiences at sea – barely touched, vibrantly-hued reefs alive with equally colourful tropical fish and turtles, ripe for snorkelling aside reef sharks and visiting manta rays; the much talked of Yin Yang break, where surfers catch waves; and catamaran sailing, an absolute delight at sunset. On land is a spun-glass cellar boasting 300-plus bottles of fine and rare wines, in which you can also dine; and the communal dining experience that is Chili Table – one table, 12 varieties of chilli grown around it, five courses of spice-laden food.

Wellness here is personalised; smart tech used by expert practitioners to create programmes bespoke for guests (fitness through to sleep), while tailored treatments are performed in ‘nests’ dotted on the beach or among lush landscaping.

Making the most of its immediate environment, signature restaurant Leaf works with Maldivian fishermen and

64

AIR

AIR

Top to bottom: Laamu Water Villa with Pool; Aerial view of Laamu Water Villa with Pool

farmers to source local ingredients, while Japanese fusion spot Zen does likewise, featuring a ‘fisherman of the day’ on its menu, a local responsible for reeling in the menu’s highlights that same morning. Decadence comes by way of the Ice & Chocolate Studio, where over forty flavours of ice cream are offered alongside house-made chocolate truffles.

The Ultimate Residence The island’s Two-Bedroom Ocean Beach Villa with Pool is elevated for fine views – the ocean at its front, a

verdant covering of jungle at its rear.

Comprised of two villas which share a living and dining area, it also houses a pool, private garden, and spacious treetop deck – perfect for post dinner drinks under a blanket of stars.

Getting Here Land your jet at Velana International Airport, from where you’ll take a domestic flight (35 minutes) followed by a 15-minute speedboat ride to the resort. Alternatively, a private seaplane transfer can be pre-arranged.

THE STORY OF FORGOTTEN SHOES

When we arrived at Six Senses, the first thing that we had to do was

hand our shoes over. at first it was strange, your skin being introduced to all the elements that you haven’t felt in such a long time but after a while we realized that saying bye bye to our shoes was just

one reason that helped us feel so alive again.

Lucy Miller United Kingdom

Six Senses Laamu sits in splendid isolation where white sand and turquoise water encircle the tropical island. Luxurious eco-friendly villas are located on the beach or stilted above the lagoon while endless aquatic, culinary, cultural and wellness activities abound.

To reserve your stay, visit www.sixsenses.com or call +960 680 0800

# S I M P LY S I X S E N S E S

BEST HOTEL INDIAN OCEAN ANANTARA KIHAVAH

WINNER

What I Know Now

AIR

JULY 2021: ISSUE 118

Maral Artinian FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MARLI NEW YORK

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was to become independent and follow my dreams. I did just that, and it’s taken me to where I am today.

take chances in life while you are young.

These chances will open many doors and opportunities and take you places that you never imagined possible.

I find inspiration through my family and friends, but also in places that I travel to.

One of my biggest inspirations is New York City, where I live – its energy, architecture, people and museums.

I feel Marli is still a young brand and there is a lot more for me to achieve with it. I would not define it as having particular ambitions, I would just look at it as evolution and growth for the brand.

I define personal success as having the ability to achieve your goals and plans.

But, most importantly, also possessing the ability to enjoy them.

When I was aged eighteen, it was hard to dream that I would launch an international jewellery brand. But, little by little, you understand what you like to do and acquire that knowledge. I studied psychology, but the jewellery business always pulled me back to my roots.

If I could go back and give my younger self some advice, it would be to not be afraid to 68

Wash Basin and Accessories: RAK-DES Bathtub: RAK-CLOUD Shower Tray: RAK-FEELING Mirror: RAK-JOY

CALIBER RM 63-02 WORLD TIMER

RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUE DUBAI | ABU DHABI | RIYADH | KUWAIT | DOHA | ISTANBUL | MOSCOW

www.richardmille.com