Air empire nov'15

ISSUE FIFTY FOUR NOVEMBER 2015

Naomie Harris Luxury • Culture • People • Style • Heritage

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Contents NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Managing Director

Victoria Thatcher Editorial Director

John Thatcher Group Commercial Director

David Wade david@hotmediapublishing.com

Commercial Director

Rawan Chehab rawan@hotmediapublishing.com

Business Development Manager

Rabih El Turk rabih@hotmediapublishing.com

Editor

Richard Jenkins richard@hotmediapublishing.com

Senior Designer

Andy Knappett

AIR

Features Editor

Annie Darling Designer

Emi Dixon Illustrator

Andrew Thorpe Production Manager

Sikandar Pd. Chaudhary

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Sixty Two

Seventy Four

Bond’s Beauty

Recasting Rules

Monica Belluci on being the oldest Bond ‘girl’, divorce and the discrimination of women in 2015

Timeworn but glorious, dilapidated but digni¿ed; Cuba is fundamentally misunderstood

Sixty Eight

Eighty

Moneypenny’s No Secretary

The Now And Forever Perfume

Gone are the days when Bond creators stereotyped women, and Naomie Harris isn’t looking back

More than nine decades after its creation, what goes into making Coco Chanel’s iconic fragrance?

Contents NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Twenty Six

Radar If you’ve always wanted a Gulfstream jet, but felt they weren’t luxurious enough, you’re in luck Thirty Six

Art & Design Abu Dhabi Art is ¿ nally here, and photojournalist David Hurn shares the sublime moments of his career Fifty

Jewellery Meet Wallace Chan, a humble Buddhist, who happens to also be China’s most desirable artisan Fifty Five

AIR

Timepieces From Rolex to Omega via a series of deadly gadgets, James Bond’s timepieces are worth exploring Eighty Four

Motoring Draw from the past and embrace the future with David Brown’s Automotive Speedback Eighty Eight

Gastronomy During this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, enjoy the city’s exquisite culinary creativity Ninety Two

Travel Buyout resorts are loved the world over for what they provide guests: ultimate style and status

Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. All prices mentioned are correct at time of press but may change. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in AIR.

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Empire Aviation Group NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Welcome to this special Dubai Air Show issue of AIR, our aviation lifestyle magazine for aircraft owners and on-board guests.

The Dubai Air Show is a great showcase for the aviation industry in the Middle East and Empire Aviation Group will be presenting to visitors our aircraft sales, management and charter services, and sharing our latest exciting news and developments. This includes our recent visit to San Marino to celebrate the opening of our new dedicated office and subsidiary company, as well as being presented with our Air Operator Certificate (AOC), which will allow us to register owners’ aircraft in San Marino for worldwide operations. We are very proud to be the first Middle East company to be awarded an AOC by the San Marino Civil Aviation Authority.

Welcome Onboard ISSUE FIFTY FOUR

Meanwhile, our fleet of managed aircraft continues to grow significantly with an additional three aircraft joining our global fleet, which now spans the world with aircraft based in the Middle East, India, Africa, Hong Kong – and now in Europe with our first aircraft registered in San Marino.

Empire Aviation Group is expanding services and moving into new geographical markets, but private aviation management is a highly personalised service working to help individual owners access private aviation services and enjoy all the substantial benefits whilst protecting their investments.

Ensuring a very high degree of personalised services for owners has always been central to our philosophy.

It was therefore especially satisfying that we were recognised at the recent Gulf Aviation Networking Event 2015, held in the prestigious setting of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, with the Service Excellence Award for Aircraft Sales and Aircraft Management Services. We were both on hand to accept the award on behalf of the entire Empire Aviation Group team.

We look forward to Dubai Air Show and we hope to see many of you at our chalet, where we will be delighted to share our hospitality.

Steve Hartley

Paras Dhamecha

Executive Director

Executive Director

Contact Details: info@empire.aero empireaviation.com 21

Empire Aviation Group

AIR Magazine

NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

EAG awarded at GANE 2015

Service Excellence Award at GANE 2015 Adding to our ever-growing list of industry distinctions, Empire Aviation Group was named the winner of the first annual Service Excellence Award for Aircraft Sales and Aircraft Management Services at the Gulf Aviation Networking Event (GANE) 2015. Our award was presented during a spectacular luncheon session at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, one of the world’s most luxurious hotels, on 28th September 2015.

We were especially honoured to receive this accolade in such esteemed company, because as the region’s only dedicated networking event for senior aviation officials, GANE is a unique and high-profile gathering for our industry. Joining us at the event were top senior aviation professionals from the GCC and the wider Middle East, representing the region’s major airport operators, commercial airlines and business aviation organisations. The day was split between dynamic and informative sessions on Commercial Aviation in the morning, and Business Aviation in the afternoon, giving us the opportunity to connect with our 22

peers and colleagues, as well as interact with the panel of experts on hand.

But of course, to us, the highlight of the day was the presentation of the first-ever Aviation Achievement Awards, GANE’s recognition of the most innovative and inspirational companies and individuals in the industry. In the Burj Al Arab’s prestigious Al Falak Ballroom, with its stunning views of the Arabian Gulf, our Executive Directors, Paras Dhamecha and Steve Hartley, accepted the Service Excellence Award for Aircraft Sales and Aircraft Management Services on behalf of EAG.

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Empire Aviation Group NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

EAG’s aircraft management on the move Aircraft management is at the core of Empire Aviation Group’s services and we are delighted to announce the addition of three new aircraft to our growing global fleet of business jets.

A Bombardier Challenger 300, Challenger 605 and Global Express XRS have joined the EAG managed fleet. The Challengers and Global XRS will all be based in Nigeria.

Having just opened our San Marino operations and been awarded an AOC, we are especially pleased that two of the three new aircraft under our management are now registered in San Marino. The Challenger 300, Global XRS (along with an existing Falcon 7X on the fleet which has now moved to SM registration) are the first aircraft registered by Empire Aviation San Marino. All three of these aircraft will be made available to the global charter market.

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NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

From 8-12 November, the centre of the aerospace industry is Dubai, as the annual Dubai Airshow takes place. Numerous jet companies will be showing off their latest developments including Gulfstream, whose GS650ER will be on site for prospective buyers to inspect.

Powered by a Rolls-Royce BR725 engine, the company’s new flagship is the world’s longest-range business jet, capable of a range of 13,890 kilometres at Mach 0.85, with an interior cabin of the utmost elegance and very latest technologies. dubaiairshow.aero 26

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Critique NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Film Spectre Dir: Sam Mendes The 24th Bond outing sees the spy sent on a trail to uncover a sinister new criminal organisation.

AT BEST: “A terrifically exciting, spectacular, almost operatically delirious 007 adventure.”

The Guardian AT WORST: “Ultimately, Spectre is barely suitable as a mindless action flick, and a long way from becoming a classic in the James Bond franchise.”

The Upcoming

AIR

The Good Dinosaur Dir: Peter Sohn Long-awaited Pixar animation in which an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

AT BEST: “What immediately sets The Good Dinosaur apart from Pixar’s previous work – and, in fact any animated film yet made – is the meticulous photorealism of its backdrops.” The Telegraph AT WORST: “What’s different about The Good Dinosaur, and could be its make-or-break element, is its unusual visual style.” Screencrush

Room Dir: Lenny Abrahamson Five-year-old Jack has only ever known one room his entire life – until he and his mother escape.

AT BEST: “An impeccably acted exploration of the bond between mothers and sons.” The Verge AT WORST: “Those who have read the book will be struck immediately by some of the compromises that Donoghue and Abrahamson have had to make here.” Variety

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Dir: Francis Lawrence Jennifer Lawrence’s epic saga comes to a conclusion with an all-out revolution against the autocratic Capitol.

AT BEST: “Only one question remains: will Mockingjay – Part 2 stay true to the ending written in the books, or will it go off script?” Seventeen AT WORST: “This is one ‘war movie’ that won’t likely leave us with clear answers.” Cinemablend 28

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Critique NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

AIR

Theatre

aul Miller’s revival of Terence Rattigan’s French Without Tears, an early comic hit, arrives at Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, until 21 November.

Set in 1936, the plot concerns the amorous intentions of fi ve British students – three young men and two young women – who are more immersed in the pursuit of love than succeeding in their primary mission; learning to parler Francais.

If Rattigan’s father hadn’t been so determined on him joining the Foreign Office, he may never have written his first hit. At the time 25-year-old Rattigan wrote this uplifting comedy, he was attending a French language college prior to sitting an exam in the hope he’d enter the British diplomatic service, a career path he would subsequently abandon.

On the surface, it’s easy to assume the play is misogynist.

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However, in reality, Rattigan explores and demonstrates the awkward nervousness of the 1930s publicschool male in the presence of confident women.

It is clear that the critics had been laughing as hard as the punters. “It asks little more of us than that we watch the entertaining spectacle of Englishmen behaving gauchely, and speaking French hilariously badly,” wrote Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph. “Played with a delightful mixture of smooth-skinned assurance, calculated coquetry and latent brittleness by Genevieve Gaunt, Diana has the most sweetly wide-eyed of the group, Joe Eyre’s Kit, wrapped around her little finger.”

In the Guardian, theatre critic Paul Miller agreed with Cavendish’s assessment of Gaunt, who “plays Diana not as a calculating vamp but as a woman apprehensive 30

about expressing her true feelings.

Sarah Winters captures exactly the repressed ardour of the other female resident, and Alex Bhat, Joe Eyre and William Belchambers offer perfectly contrasted examples of masculine terror.”

There was only one negative narrative from Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski: “As to the actual comedy – I think it would need a really special cast to make French without Tears sing in 2015 as it did in 1936, and though this lot are very decent, Miller’s production takes its time to build a head of steam and is less physically exuberant than it might have been. Still, it’s never less than fun, with deft bilingual gags aplenty and some very funny set-pieces.

And beneath the froth there is an unexpected depth, a sense that these young men are deeply adrift, a hint of the greater work to come.”

Critique NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Art n 1736, armed with a box of pastels, Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-89), left Paris for Rome. After growing an unnecessarily bushy beard, he met the British ambassador in Constantinople, who introduced him to the blue-blooded elite in Britain, France and Austria. When he first arrived in London in 1753, ‘The Turk’, as he was known, was a sensation.

Over the years, the Swiss portraitist has been absent from UK exhibits, in no small part due to a lack of technological advances, which facilitate the safe international transportation of pastels – his medium of choice.

His exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, is devoted to the idiosyncratic artist, who has attained international recognition as one of the most highly accomplished portraitists of the 18th Century. Although he gained a considerable reputation in his lifetime, he is little known today.

Over 70 works, many of which have rarely been seen in public, are on display until Sunday, 31 January 2016.

It is the first retrospective exhibition in Britain to be devoted to Liotard, covering the artist’s time in Paris, Vienna, Geneva, Constantinople and London.

The Arts Desk has written: “The sheer mastery with which these privileged people are portrayed is hypnotically fascinating.

“The images are utterly charming, and can be ruthlessly realistic in terms of facial characteristics.

Double chins abound.

“Liotard was the master chronicler in line and colour of many of the leading characters of his time. This unprecedented collection of his work could not be a more beguiling glimpse of the age of reason and of enlightenment, foreshadowing too, in this display of privilege, the coming of revolution.”

According to the Arts Desk, Liotard’s collection of pastel, oil paintings, drawings and miniatures portray the 18th Century as an

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exceptional age of revolution. The subtle radicalism of Liotard’s art charmingly foreshadows the violent climax of the period’s bloody social battles; demonstrated in his eerie portrait of the future Queen Marie Antoinette of France, when she was a seven-year-old Austrian princess.

Time Out’s Martin Coomer says: “It’s a world of new horizons and crumbling institutions. Liotard died before the French Revolution, but 32

he met people who were destined for the guillotine, including a young Marie-Antoinette, still an Austrian archduchess when he drew her exquisitely in chalk in 1762.”

Liotard took advantage of new markets for portraiture throughout Europe, demanding enviably high prices. He travelled to London on two occasions, between 1753-55 and 1772-74, where he received numerous portrait commissions from members

Critique NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

of British Society, including the royal family.

Jonathan Jones from The Guardian says: “The clarity of Liotard’s calm, exact, absolutely honest art is a beacon of the Enlightenment. He looks patiently at a bowl of fruit, a Chinese tea service, a young woman carefully carrying a pot of hot chocolate. The world is solid and scientific and he rejoices in it. Real life is wonderful.”

It has been suggested that Liotard was a master of pastel that few could emulate, and Jones agrees he created distinctively lifelike portraits, which capture the fashion of the day.

He describes the exhibition as an intimate insight into 18th Century society, as seen through an international cast of bankers, doctors and actors. Coomer explains that: “Some of his portraits tend towards the saccharine.

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“Meanwhile, a ravishing oil painting ‘Still-life: Tea Set’, (c177083) in which Liotard combines the technical precision and compositional informality that marks his best portraits, makes you wish he’d spent more time working in that richer, slower medium. But then, had he done so, Liotard probably wouldn’t have got around quite as much, and we wouldn’t have this rollicking ride through a turbulent century.”

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Critique NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Books ost famous for the Harry Potter novels, JK Rowling’s pseudonym Robert Galbraith has also carved out a healthy niche in crime novels. Her latest, Career of Evil, sees embattled private eye Cormoran Strike haunted by his own past, as well as his mother’s.

Christobel Kent of The Guardian writes: “If your taste in detective fiction runs to the minimalist, then this is not for you. If Georges Simenon is a simple, perfect kitchen stool and Agatha Christie a sensible wingbacked chair, then Robert Galbraith is a vast, overstuffed sofa.” The New York Times writes: “Strike and [his assistant] Robin are just as magnetic as ever in ‘Career of Evil,’ but Ms. Rowling, alas, has plopped them into a story line that feels like a halfhearted recycling of episodes from “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” The result is a lurid and predictable novel — not as disappointing as Ms. Rowling’s first post-Harry Potter venture, ‘The Casual Vacancy,’ but only because of Robin and Strike.”

A lavishly illustrated, definitive guide to the world’s most valuable precious gemstone, Emerald by Joanna Hardy, Hettie Judah, Jonathan Self is prefaced by Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani and explores this famous stone. It is packed with hundreds of examples of stunning emerald jewellery, and tells the story of the fascinating and beautiful green gem, first discovered over fi ve millennia ago. Verve Magazine writes of this impressive new tome: “The emerald stone was beheld as a source of unusual powers across cultures, progressively becoming a symbol of aristocracy. Laying emphasis on this journey, Emerald: Twenty-one Centuries of Jewelled Opulence and Power brings together a stunning collection of images and essays, written by Joanna Hardy, Hettie Judah and Jonathan Self. The book narrates the relationship between the gem and some of the most distinguished

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personalities – from Audrey Hepburn to Pope Pius VII. It also has an evocative description of a visit to the lost emerald mines of Cleopatra and ends with the story of the emerald trade from mine to market.

Created with the generous support of Gemfields, Emerald… features designs from Bulgari, Boucheron, Cartier, Harry Winston and more, making it one of the most desirable coffee-table books this season.”

Humans of New York was a blog started by photographer Brandon Stanton, where he simply photographs citizens in New York City and allows them to tell their stories.

This personal touch has struck a chord, giving Stanton millions of 34

followers and a new book, Humans of New York – Stories. The Toronto Sun writes: Stanton shares his slice-oflife snapshots alongside humorous and heartwrenching anecdotes… he’s amassed a sizeable social media following with a combined total of more than 19 million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and has even inspired imitators of the format worldwide in Toronto, Dublin and Mumbai. In ‘Humans of New York - Stories,’ Stanton, 31, shares a few of his favourites as well as newer entries from his rapidly expanding catalogue.

Whether it’s a brief quote or a longer story, the text adds poignancy and greater insight into the individual before the lens.”

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Art & Design NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

AIR

Back By Popular Demand This month, the UAE capital sets the country’s cultural agenda as it hosts the return of the critically-acclaimed Abu Dhabi Art. Annie Darling looks at what’s in store...

bu Dhabi Art is back with an intriguing programme featuring 40 established galleries, commissioned with installations, interactive performances, artist talks and ¿ lm screenings.

The seventh edition of the fair runs from 18-21 November, at Manarat Al Saadiyat – showcasing exemplary artwork from both emerging and accomplished artists.

Alanood Al Hammadi, Senior Exhibitor Relations Coordinator, works closely with leading local and international art galleries to maintain their relationships with Abu Dhabi Art:

“This year, we’re presenting a variety of work from established and emerging artists.

“Abu Dhabi as an art destination is de¿ nitely growing in popularity. There has been an obvious increase in the number of art programmes that are being organised here. We’re seeing that a lot of universities are also taking part and there are plenty of talented, young artists around.”

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the ¿ rst Louvre outside of Paris, is scheduled to open at the end of 2016 and by 2020, a Guggenheim dedicated to contemporary art and culture will bring

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collectors to the city from across the globe.

Abu Dhabi Art is a cornerstone of the wider art scene in the UAE and displays an array of quality artwork from modern, contemporary galleries.

London’s Lisson Gallery will showcase works by Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei, while Paul Stolper will feature pieces by acclaimed British artist Damien Hirst. Established names from the region include Iran-born, New York artist Pouran Jinchi and Palestinian Laila Shawa.

As an Abu Dhabi native, Al Hammadi believes the programme is particularly important: “Art is a huge part of our culture; not only in Abu Dhabi but also in our country, which is why I think this event is very important.

“We’re going to have some of the amazing pieces from Abu Dhabi Art on display throughout the city over the next six months. The people can enjoy

the art in their own home.”

Running in tandem with Abu Dhabi Art is the biannual exhibition Emirati Expressions: Conventions of Arts, a group show incorporating projects by 16 Emirati artists who have been commissioned to create ¿ ne art projects

Art is a huge part of our culture, not only in Abu Dhabi but also in our country that are deeply rooted in the country’s cultural heritage: “What’s great is that there’s no real way to describe or de¿ ne Emirati art. It’s truly amazing. Some of these artists, they will be inspired by the city itself; some by its businesses, others by the construction here; or even just the overall changes that are 38

happening around them.

“With some pieces, you wouldn’t even think that they were produced by Emirati artists, because they have such a distinguished way of representing their work. It’s great that these artists get to have their work displayed at these galleries, and not just the local galleries, as it shows how important these artists are to us here in Abu Dhabi. It gives them the chance to demonstrate their talent on an international platform.”

This year, Abu Dhabi Art talks include museum directors and curators from the world’s most renowned cultural institutions, who will engage audiences in a discourse about the complex historic and contemporary art scene in the UAE. Bliss, curated by Fabrice Bousteau and inspired by Abu Dhabi’s character, will add an unusual element to the event, by presenting screenings and live, interactive performances.

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Running in tandem with Abu Dhabi Art is the biannual exhibition Emirati Expressions: Conventions of Arts

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This public programme connects with the wider community “We have a unique combination at Abu Dhabi Art, in that we’ve got an extensive boutique art fair but we also have an elaborate programme with some great names. Art historians, curators, collectors and journalists will be coming to these talks.”

This public programme connects with the wider community through dynamic performing arts talks and

initiatives. “With Abu Dhabi’s cultural landscape maturing year on year, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority is proud to host the return of Abu Dhabi Art’s 2015 edition,” said His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi. “This seventh edition presents a strong series of initiatives that bring world-class art, performances and experiences to the heart of the Emirate.”

Visitors will be able to save time this year by registering online for an Abu Dhabi Art visitor’s access card. For programme details, and to register in advance for Abu Dhabi Art, go to www.abudhabiart.ae 42

Opening pages: Halim Al Karim, Chaos 1, 2011, Analog Photograph, Lambda print, Edition of 3 + 2AP, 140 x 100 cm, Copyright the artist and Galerie Brigitte Schenk.

Previous page: Ben Johnson, Sala de la Barca - work in progress, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 152 cm x 191 cm, Image courtesy of the artist and Paul Stolper Gallery.

This page: Laila Shawa, Gaza wall II, 1994 lithograph on paper, 48 X 68.6 cm, courtesy of Gallery One.

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Art & Design NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

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1960 minutes Beatles or Bond? Vietnam War or JFK? So many people and events defined the 1960s, and photographer David Hurn witnessed them all

he actually said to me, ‘I feel like a squirrel with one cheek full of nuts’,” says British photographer David Hurn, recalling the shoot he did with Jane Fonda on the set of Barbarella in 1968. “She was convinced that she had a lopsided face, so that was all she could see in every picture. Anyway, I managed to get her to laugh a lot and then we became very good friends.”

Barbarella is one of Hurn’s most

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famous assignments, producing images now deemed iconic – particularly the series of Fonda against a white backdrop in her different costumes.

This is despite the actress rejecting so many of the shots that only a handful ever saw release.

But Hurn, now aged 81, has many fascinating stories about the celebrity subjects he worked with during the 1960s. He laughs when he recalls a distraught publicist friend, contacting 44

him out of the blue towards the start of the decade. “He called me and said, ‘I’ve landed this terrible B-movie’. We all thought it was going to be a horrible disaster,” Hurn describes, adding that the release in question was Dr No, the ¿ rst James Bond ¿ lm starring Sean Connery.

Naturally, it was a success, and Hurn was asked to shoot the publicity stills for its sequel, From Russia With Love, released in 1963. This led to arguably

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the most memorable shot of Connery as Bond. “I turned up for the session, and the ¿ lm people had forgotten to bring the gun along,” Hurn explains. “Well, I used to do a lot of target shooting back then, so I told them I had a Walther air-pistol at home, with a much longer barrel than the PPK [that Bond used], but I suspected no-one would realise the difference. The plan was that the studio would airbrush most of the barrel out of the shot before it was sent to the press, so that it would look accurate. But they forgot – which is why those pictures of James Bond holding the wrong gun went around the world!”

It is photos like these, of Connery as Bond in a tuxedo, with one arm folded across his chest and the other upright, gun in hand, that made the 1960s such a signi¿cant period in Hurn’s career.

He had moved to ‘Swinging London’, mixing with like-minded creatives in Soho coffee shops, using these new contacts to further his photography, ¿ nding work in fashion and ¿ lm.

In 1965, he became an associate of

The plan was that the studio would airbrush most of the barrel out of the shot... they forgot Magnum Photos, the prestigious international cooperative owned by its members, and was fully incorporated in 1967.

A new book, The 1960s: Photographed

by David Hurn, with an accompanying exhibition in London at the Magnum Print Room, offers an intriguing look at the decade as seen through Hurn’s lens. Both showcase his work with celebrities, but while this was lucrative it merely supported him while he focused on his real interests, as music writer and 1960s obsessive Peter Doggett explains in his introduction to the book: “Unlike most of his peers, Hurn delved beyond the fatal attractions of Swinging London and its global counterparts, to pursue his greatest subject: ordinary people pursuing ordinary passions.”

Both the book and exhibition are a unique snapshot of the decade, 46

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The golden rule of photography is to be immersed in your passion, whatever it may be contrasting images of the rich and famous with photo essays from New York, Italy and Greece, anti-Vietnam protests, life on the streets of London, and even speci¿c events like Winston Churchill’s funeral and the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival. Hurn’s work appeared in a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, and he always carried his camera with him, as he never knew when the inspiration would strike.

For example, there was one very memorable morning back in 1969, as detailed in the book. “I used to go out for breakfast every day, near my Àat in Porchester Gardens in London, and as I came around the corner there was a smash and grab raid,” Hurn reveals.

“So I took the photos of the victims, of the criminals getting away and the store itself, as if I were covering it for a magazine.”

A shot of a Ford Transit van, door open, with one of the jewel thieves in a bizarre disguise, crouched and

looking over his shoulder, served as a wraparound cover for the Sunday Mirror newspaper. Hurn is so close to the action, it gives a surreal edge, as if this were a scene from a movie set. But the thieves were oblivious to the photographer snapping away, so engrossed in their escape.

It adds to the diversity of Hurn’s portfolio, capping off a decade that saw him working with the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania. “I wasn’t aweinspired by the experience of working with them,” he admits. “As individuals, they were ¿ ne, although Paul was a bit pompous, I thought. George seemed very serious about wanting to become a great musician, Ringo was charming, and John was a bit distant. Together they had enormous talent. But it’s strange: I got the feeling that perhaps they didn’t like each other very much.”

There may have been some truth to Hurn’s observations, but these days he lives far from the glamour of movies 48

and celebrities. In the early 1970s, he moved to a quiet village in Wales, where he has resided ever since, and released several books containing images of rural life. It is the subject he enjoys best, after all, and has stressed before that the golden rule of photography is to be immersed in your passion, whatever it may be. “If we are truly curious or fascinated or profoundly interested, then we are less tempted to interfere, to control, to change, to improve,” he says.

“If we are realistically aware that this love, this involvement, brings with it a certain kind of blindness, I feel certain it also produces a certain kind of truth.”

The 1960s: Photographed by David Hurn is published by Real Art Press, available to order from www. realartpress.com, price £29 (Dhs165).

An accompanying exhibition runs at the Magnum Print Room in West London from November 17 until January 31.

Jewellery NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

The Path To Enlightenment Jewellery designer Wallace Chan has revolutionised the gemstone industry with his techniques and extraordinary vision

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WORDS : ANNIE DARLING

allace Chan is one of Asia’s most desirable and alluring jewellery designers. Based on natural forms, but carved using innovative techniques, Chan’s bespoke pieces are renowned for their delicate beauty and exquisite structure.

The Hong Kong artist has become known for his kaleidoscopic imagination, which brims with glittering dragonÀ ies, tropical ¿ sh and colourful dragons. When it comes to design, the spectacular jewels he selects emulate his Zen Buddhist philosophy.

In 1973, the then 16-year-old Chan worked as a sculpture’s apprentice, which developed his appreciation for ¿ ne craftsmanship. He began his career by making traditional Chinese ¿gurines and later experimented with stone carving and jewellery design.

Although Chan has 20 long-standing artisans assisting him in his workshop, he enjoys hands-on work, explaining: “I prefer it this way as it is a direct expression of the images in my mind. I can’t settle for sketches alone.”

Chan spent the ¿ rst 13 years of his

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I have responsibilities to fulfil, as a creator it is important that I create career developing his own technique: the Wallace Cut. In 1987, he perfected the method, in which he carves intricate three-dimensional designs inside precious gems. This technique results in an extraordinary one-of-akind piece, which is crafted to Chan’s own speci¿cations.

“Life is too short to live in repetitions,” he says. “To keep creativity Àowing freely, I’m not satis¿ed with staying in the past. I feel that being born into this world means I have responsibilities to ful¿ l; as a creator it is important that I create.

“It is natural to have a particular person in mind when creating a piece that is custom-made, or when creating a gift for a special occasion. However, in recent years I have been creating 50

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AIR Opening Pages: Forever Dancing Ragtime Brooch This page: A Heritage In Bloom Tranquility Necklace; To Get Married Earrings. Opposite Page: Snake Trilogy Ring

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I am highly curious. I absorb like a sponge mostly for the sake of creation. I look at the main stone and I communicate with it. I want to bring out the best of it.”

Originally from Fuzhou, China, Chan moved to Hong Kong at the age of ¿ve, but when the stock market crashed in 1973, his father lost everything. Chan and his siblings immediately left school to support their family; not dislike others in Hong Kong during this time.

Despite his misfortune, Chan feels these hardships have enhanced his skill and ability.

“I am highly curious,” he explains.

“I absorb like a sponge. Growing up in Hong Kong has allowed me the opportunities to learn from philosophies of the East and the West.”

In addition to the Wallace Cut, Chan experimented with setting jewels in titanium, instead of gold, which enabled him to create larger and more dramatic pieces that would otherwise be too heavy to wear.

In 2000, he worked on large-scale sculpting projects, often for revered monasteries. Afterwards, he began a six-month journey with a Zen Master, which was when he ¿ rst began meditation: “I cannot say that

meditation is where I get my inspiration from, because my inspiration comes from two things: love and life experiences. But meditation does help me reconnect different dots in my mind and generate creativity.”

Enthralled by the natural world, Chan instills his very personal understanding of nature into compositions of gemstones and metal. His unique creations bring together his interest in wildlife and jewels.

“There is always a world within a world, and there is always something new to be discovered,” says Chan. “It is a sense of limitlessness that the natural world represents. Beauty is everywhere: in the veins of a leaf; the strength of an ant; the persistence of scorpions and the Zen spirit of cicadas.”

Chan is the ¿ rst Asian designer to be invited to display his work at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, an exhibition renowned for excellence and associated with celebrated jewelers such as Chaumet and Boucheron. His ‘Great Wall’, a glittering emerald-green necklace of diamond maple leaves with an imperial jadeite central stone, was sold at the 2012 Biennale des Antiquaires for $61.5m.

Chan strives for Àuidity and movement in his creations; different gems, shapes and outlines are manipulated to form different sensations. He continues to explore 53

new faceting methods, in addition to lighting and colours, which reÀect his Zen-stimulated personality.

After many years of research, blending and casting titanium, he has gained worldwide recognition and respect from the world’s top designers and collectors. Chan explains that this encourages him to continue his work, and says: “I am honoured and overwhelmed. The development of ¿ ne jewellery has been dormant in China for a few hundred years and it’s time for this industry to wake up and join the world for a greater future.”

Chan’s collectors come mostly from China’s rising wealthy elite, in addition to European royalty, including Prince Henrik of Denmark. He is globally recognized as the only ¿ ne jewellery artist of Chinese origin, however, Chan is remarkably speci¿c about his clientele: “It is about having the perfect homes for my creations – my children.

It is best to have collectors that share the same visions, values and emotions.”

He continues to improve the art of jewellery creation – making the impossible, possible: “Not many people can afford a piece of artwork by Picasso or Dali, but many of us have been bene¿ted from their existence and their creations. We go to museums, and we can all enjoy the great art of Faberge and Lalique. I believe that art is for all and I work towards that belief.“

Timepieces NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Fast Cars and Racy Watches TARIQ MALIK ormula One racing is fast, dramatic, and immensely popular. When the starting grid lines up, and the engines begin to roar, there is a rush of adrenaline like nowhere else in the racing world.

The sport has all the ingredients for a perfect partnership with highend watch brands: the speed, the split-second timing, the cuttingedge engineering, and perhaps most importantly, the sheer numbers of dedicated fans from all over the world, following each race. It’s no surprise, then, that watch brands have been associated with F1 for many years.

As with any great sport, Formula One racing has its own rich history, sprinkled with legendary events, drivers, cars, and a fascinating backstory. Big names in the watch industry are right there too. With the 2013 release of Ron Howard’s film, Rush, about Formula One racing during the mid 1970’s, my attention was once again drawn to this, the undoubted pinnacle of motorsport.

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Watch brands have been associated with F1 for years While I watched the movie, I was fascinated to get a glimpse into the inner workings of F1 teams, the background politics, and the tense rivalry between James Hunt and Nikki Lauda. It also made me think of TAG Heuer, a brand which was arguably at its peak during those years. Throughout that era, Heuer was

a name that appeared everywhere on F1 circuits: on helmets, overalls, and under the cockpit windows. TAG was responsible for the timing of the Ferrari team; it was a golden age for F1, and so too for the watch brand, despite the quartz crisis of that decade.

Another unforgettable partnership 55

is Hublot with Ferrari. The watchmakers even designed their cases using the shapes and forms of F1 racing engines, and the Ferrari insignia. Artistry and engineering once again meet to create something unforgettable.

In fact, every team on the grid this year is associated with a high-end

Timepieces NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

watch brand, with only one exception: Toro Rosso. Why this team was overlooked by watchmakers remains a mystery to me, but then, I suppose every rule needs an exception!

When it comes to F1 and watches, though, one brand in particular stands out for me – Richard Mille.

Teaming up with the Brazilian driver, Felipe Massa, and the Lotus team, over the last ten years they have produced some remarkable timepieces with racing themes. Their RM-011 has a unique NTPT carbon case, which is produced in quite an unusual way. Miniscule carbon filaments are coated with resin, and then woven on a special machine that changes the weft, creating a beautiful surface texture, almost like wood grain. It is incredibly tough, scratch resistant, and very light. The watch is made with an automatic fl yback chronograph movement in the colors of the British racing team.

Richard Mille also produced a

We can expect some high octane excitement special version of this watch – the RM- 011“Yas Marina Circuit” – demonstrating their strong connection to Abu Dhabi and the racing circuit. Set in 18-carat white gold, only ten of these masterpieces were made, and were available only through the Yas Marina outlet.

More recently, the brand unveiled the RM056. With this model, the entire case is cut and milled from solid blocks of sapphire.

This range was arguably the one that catapulted Richard Mille into the market space they currently occupy.

The RM056 is top of the range.

Although some enthusiasts complain that the sapphire base might seem understated, in my opinion it is simply perfect. Richard Mille claims that it takes 430 hours of work to mill each sapphire crystal case and another 350 hours to polish the major pieces.

With price tags set over the $1 million mark, they are most certainly not ordinary.

So then, with this year’s exciting

F1 season coming to a close in Abu Dhabi, we can expect some high octane excitement on the race track.

Some will be supporting a favorite driver, while others remain loyal to their team. Ferrari, Mercedes, Williams and the other well-known names will be revving their engines, and tuning every last detail, trying to shave a fraction of a second off their lap times. Timekeeping will need to be on point.

Along with all the motor sport, watch brands like IWC, Hublot, and 56

of course, Richard Mille will be vying for a place in the final podium as well. Competition is tight on the tarmac, but behind the scenes the watch brands will likewise be competing. Which brand’s driver will hold the trophy this year? It might be a long shot, but personally, I will be rooting for the Lotus team and their remarkable sponsor Richard Mille.

Tariq Malik is co-founder of the UAE’s only vintage watch boutique, Momentum. momentum-dubai.com

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Timepieces NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

For Your Wrist Only AIR

James Bond is well known for his suave style, and his exemplary timepieces. AIR examines the history of what 007 uses on his wrist WORDS : RICHARD JENKINS

or a man so obsessed with brands, it’s a little surprising that James Bond author Ian Fleming didn’t give his most famous creation a speci¿c wristwatch until 1963’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

The timepiece in question was a “heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual on a metal watch bracelet,” that later doubled up as a handy knuckleduster. For the remainder of the Bond novels, the spy remained true to Rolex, but as we’ll see, some of the most famous Bondisms like his penchant for Omega watches – came a little later.

It’s possible that Fleming took inspiration from the ¿ rst James Bond movie, when Sean Connery sported

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a Rolex Submariner, reference 6538 in 1962’s Doctor No. This watch is notable in Bond lore for doing nothing more exciting than tell the time – the gadgets and gizmos that Q would insert would only start appearing from 1965’s Thunderball, when his watch featured a Geiger counter to measure radioactivity levels – handy when you’re investigating the biggest rocket the world has ever seen. This watch wasn’t branded, in a rare example of a missed product placement opportunity, but was produced by Breitling – an ideal ¿t for their brand identity of rugged adventurers.

In the Bond ¿ lms up until 1995’s GoldenEye, 007 wore a variety of 58

chronographs from Rolex, Seiko, Pulsar and some unbranded timepieces that variously had the abilities to produce a small buzzsaw, deÀect bullets with an integrated electromagnet, communicate with a two-way radio, or ¿ re out a laser beam to cut the wearer’s way out of trouble.

During the 1970s and 80s, when the quartz revolution seriously threatened the long-term future of luxury mechanical watches, Bond kept up with the times, with the ¿ lms of Roger Moore in particular showing off Bond’s techie side, never more than in 1983’s Octopussy, when his Seiko Liquid Crystal TV watch allowed him to receive video broadcasts. For a while,

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AIR Opening page: Daniel Craig at Omega’s Swiss factory in Villeret.

This page: Omega Seamaster 300 “Spectre”.

Opposite page, left to right: Seamaster Coaxial from Quantum of Solace; Seamaster from Casino Royale.

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Bond even went digital – something that’s scarcely believable today, when luxury watches are rightly back on the wrists of those that value true style.

By 1995, the 007 franchise was in serious trouble. A new movie hadn’t been released since 1989, the disappointing License to Kill, and the name James Bond was no longer the byword for elegance, danger and

Rolex, for their part, weren’t interested in returning to the super-spy’s wrist style – it was a jokey, dad-at-a-disco irrelevance. According to rumour, TAG Heuer was approached to supply Bond with his watch in the rebooted ¿ lm, but rejected the opportunity because they felt that the spy’s time had passed, and an association with the brand would not be bene¿cial. Rolex, for their part, weren’t interested in returning to the super-spy’s wrist. In fact they never had been. The brand never offered the ¿ lm production any watches for use, and certainly didn’t pay for any placement.

In fact, watch buffs speculate that the Rolex that Bond wore in the ¿ lms of the 1960s actually belonged to producer Albert Broccoli, who loaned it to the actors for certain scenes.

With that said, the opportunity to be on the most famous spy in the world’s wrist didn’t pass every company by, and Omega won the bid to become the of¿cial watch of the MI6 agent. Bond a¿cionados were distraught at this perceived defection of affection from their hero, but Omega’s credentials spoke for themselves with a long history of use in the British Military and Navy. Add in the fact that the Omega Speedmaster had been selected

by NASA as far back as 1962 to be the of¿cial watch of choice for astronauts, and Omega’s mix of style, adventure and rugged reliability came to be seen as a natural ¿t for Bond.

Pierce Brosnan was the ¿ rst bene¿ciary of this new partnership, pulling on an Omega Seamaster Professional 300m with a blue dial (plus a laser beam and remote detonator for good measure.) From that point on, Omega has been the undisputed watch partner for Bond ever since. When Daniel Craig took over the famous role, he wanted to tone 61

down the gimmicky gadgets and focus on Bond’s biggest weapon – himself.

His watches in Casino Royale reÀect this stripped back approach, a blue Omega Seamaster 300m chronometer and Seamaster Planet Ocean co-axial chronometer on a rubber strap being his two timepieces of choice.

In Bond’s latest outing, Spectre, his watch is memorable for several reasons.

The Seamaster 300 “Spectre” is based on the 1950s Seamaster, regarded by a¿cionados as one of the brand’s ¿ nest, and features a newly added “lollipop” second hand, 12-hour ceramic diving bezel and the Spectre logo etched onto the caseback, along with the watch’s serial number – envy the man who ends up with number 007. And that’s possibly the most exciting thing about the Spectre watch – it’s the ¿ rst of Bond’s timepieces that has ever been available to purchase, in a limited run of 7,007 pieces. Commemorative runs have been released in the past to celebrate a new Bond ¿ lm, but this is the ¿ rst time consumers will be able to buy a watch identical to the on-screen hero’s. Let’s hope they don’t come with any unexpected surprises – the last thing you need is your watch blowing up when you least expect it.

NOT SHAK EN OR STIRRED She made headlines after becoming a ‘Bond Girl’ at the age of 51, but Monica Bellucci has long been far more than a pretty faced femme fatale WORDS : GILES HATTERSLEY

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fter ¿ve minutes with Monica Bellucci, it hits me: James Bond is in for a serious eyeopener. This month, the Italian will take her place in 007 history as the oldest ever Bond girl, in the upcoming instalment, Spectre. She’s not wild about the label. “I am a Bond lady,” she purrs, sweeping her onyx mane over one shoulder so as to frame her face like a Àawless madonna. Seriously, she is ridiculously perfect looking. Over coffee at the Charlotte Street hotel in London, on her day off from ¿ lming Bond at Pinewood, I could squeak out a tear just looking at her. At one point, she removes a foamy cappuccino moustache with her lower lip. I know, I know. It’s dreary boring on about the looks of the professionally attractive, so I’ll say this quickly and then shut up: Bellucci is the best-looking woman I have ever seen.

This isn’t what’s going to trip Bond up, though. It’s that, for the ¿ rst time in almost ¿ve decades, the martiniloving swine is to have a love interest who could tick the same age box as him on a census. Bellucci is 50: four years older than Daniel Craig, and the only Bond girl to be older than her co-star since Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg in the 1960s. This bodes well. Or at least it should be less skin-crawly than For Your Eyes Only, when poor Carole Bouquet had to coo, “Oh, James,” at Roger Moore, a man 30 years her senior (and they say Bond girls can’t act).

Bellucci shouldn’t have a problem on that front, at least. Craig’s Bond is 30% grump, 70% fashion mannequin, but she was still apprehensive when she got the tap on the shoulder. “My agent called me and said, ‘Sam Mendes wants to see you for Bond,’” she says. She Àew to London for dinner with the director, arriving at the restaurant confused.

“I just blurted out, ‘I’m not a girl, I’m a woman. I’m a mature woman. Do I have to replace Judi Dench?’ He was laughing, and I was, like, ‘Why did you call me? I’m 50-years-old. What am I going to do in James Bond?’ He said, ‘For the ¿ rst time in history, James Bond is going to have a story with a mature woman. The concept is revolutionary.’”

Can you imagine a better choice?

Penelope Cruz (a whippersnapper at 40) was rumoured to have the part,

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but for all her indecent glamour, Bellucci clinched it. Looks aside, her accent is wonderfully thick, like panna cotta that could do with another hour in the fridge. Italian friends tell me her pristine facade is humorously underpinned by a rural Umbrian upbringing that means she speaks in fabulously crude country girl tones.

In person, she’s much more fun than you would think. For all those early years as a model, channelling Sicilian mama hotness for Dolce & Gabbana, or doing the Hollywood thing in The Matrix Reloaded and marrying and divorcing the Eurostud Vincent Cassel, she has avoided plastic surgery and is a ringing endorsement for the ageing process.

And, boy, can she chat. Is it true you have married an Azerbaijani billionaire in secret, I ask at one point, having read a scurrilous French rag’s report to this effect. “No,” she says, totally unbothered. Did you go engagementring shopping in Paris last Sunday?

“No.” Does it drive you nuts when I ask you this sort of guff? “No, not really.” She shrugs. “I wake up in the morning, I prepare the breakfast, I take [my daughters] to school, we talk. I’m glamorous once a year, if I go to the red carpet.” She wasn’t at the Oscars , but doesn’t mind the red carpet thing. She presented at the Baftas and thinks it’s simply part of the job: “You play the princess, but life is different.”

I’m not a girl, I’m a woman. I’m a mature woman. Do I have to replace Judi Dench?

Life was certainly different the year she was born. It was 1964, coincidentally the year Gold¿ nger was released. Bellucci, the only child of a lorry driver and a housewife, hails from a small town near the UmbrianTuscan border. Her father, Pasquale, recently told the press she was so captivating as a girl, it made life weird for her. “One day, I asked her why she didn’t want to be in the square with the others, and she said, ‘When I go in the piazza, everyone looks at me.

The men look at me. The women look 64

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at me. All the kids from school. I feel ashamed.’” Though she worked locally as a model as a teenager, the plan was to study law. She got into the university of Perugia, but within a year life went crazy. She met her bezzies, Domenico and Stefano (better known as Dolce & Gabbana) — then young men making it big — and was soon Àying all over the world, being shot by Richard Avedon and hailed as the best thing to come out of Italy since sliced ciabatta. When Francis Ford Coppola saw a photograph of her and cast her in Dracula, she caught the acting bug. She has played Mary Magdalene for Mel Gibson, outraged Cannes in Irreversible, with its harrowing depiction of a rape, and shot with a clutch of auteurs, including Giuseppe Tornatore and Emir Kusturica.

For many beauties, ageing is a freakout-inducing bummer, but Bellucci likes knocking on a bit. “We have to start to respect women getting older.

The real you comes out, and you can see it in the face. I don’t want to be younger,” she says. “I don’t want to be 20. Not at all. I’ve been through that.

I want to know my story. How am I going to deal with getting older? How am I going to deal with death? There’s no law. The normality for my age is to have a child who is 20, but my kids are 10 and four and a half. Each person has his own parcours [course], but there’s something strange in my life,” she says.

“I had my ¿ rst child at 40, my second child at 45, and I play a James Bond girl at 50.”

Having children sorted her out no end, she says. She had a starter marriage

to a photographer in the early 1990s, but her principal relationship has been with the gorgeous French actor Cassel, a huge star in France, who played the terrifying ballet master in Black Swan.

They were together for 18 years and have two daughters, Deva and Léonie.

She worried she was too sel¿ sh to be a mother so left it late, but joyously describes the act of having children as “forgetting yourself”. Bellucci ceased microanalysing her own features as soon as they were born. “You wake up, go to the bathroom to clean your baby and you see yourself in the mirror only by coincidence,” she says happily.

Cassel and Bellucci had a fab life by the sounds of it, darting between houses all over the world, including Rio. Sadly, they announced their divorce in 2013 by “mutual agreement”. “Now I’m in Paris again,” she says. “After Brazil, I had to make a choice between England, Italy and France, my three bases for 25 years. I chose Paris. My ex-husband, Vincent, is resident in Brazil, so when

I don’t want to be younger. I don’t want to be 20. Not at all. I’ve been through that he comes to Paris, it’s easier for him to visit the children.”

How is life post divorce? “It’s a change,” she says evenly. “We still have a good relationship. When you’ve been through a story for 18 years, love is still there, even though the love gets transformed. I went through amazing moments with Vincent and those moments are going to stay forever.

Because of that, I really want our relationship to be beautiful.” She’s through with the blame game, at

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least. “We say in Italy, ‘We are two to dance the tango.’ Why a relationship is created, why a relationship is broken, is always the responsibility of two people.

It is never one. You have to do things in an intelligent way, especially when you have kids.”

She has adjusted to life as a single mother. “Women today are so many things. Even the woman who works in the of¿ce — she puts on her high heels, a nice jacket, nice hair, and then she comes back in the evening and has to clean everything. To have equal rights is still a big job for women. They work, then they go home and they have to prepare a dinner and take care of the children. They do a double job.”

Do we still place too much pressure on women to be hot? “I think it’s the history of women. My grandmother used to put on red lipstick to go to church,” she says, laughing. “The thing is, women today do this not just for men, but for the pleasure of themselves.” Are you a feminist? “Kind of,” she whispers, as if it’s a secret. “I have so much respect for the women who ¿ght, who went on the streets for abortion rights. If we didn’t have those kinds of women, where would we be today?” Obviously, she’s lucky in her own profession. “When I was breastfeeding, I could bring my kids on set. Most women can’t do that. It’s a man’s world. We give birth, we like to take care of the children, but our rhythm is not respected. To be equal it means that we have to become like men. We are not men,” she says ¿ rmly.

“Today, women, when they get pregnant, they feel guilty. ‘What am I going to do with my job?’ They feel guilty about their own nature. Can you imagine?” she says, appalled. “It means society is really made by men and we have to change that.” And you can do this while being a Bond girl? She laughs. “To be glamorous is the right of women. It doesn’t mean to be a modern woman you have to become a man. You have the right to be glamorous and sexy. You can come with high heels and your femininity exposed, but...”, she holds up a ¿ nger, “nobody has to touch you if you don’t want them to.”

Bond, you’ve met your match.

AIR

MISS She’s the girl from a singleparent family who fought her way to Cambridge and onto the red carpet. Naomie Harris, aka Miss Moneypenny, talks to AIR about her determination to succeed

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aomie Harris is best known in the ¿ lm industry for two things — playing Moneypenny in the Bond movies and having laser focused ambition. She’s back on screens in Spectre this month opposite Daniel Craig, so no reassessment required there. But the 39-year-old actress, who got herself from a single-parent home to study at Cambridge and became a ¿ lm star, might ¿ nally be done with ambition.

She has been pretty thrusty in her time. “My thing was always ‘work hard’, ‘succeed’. Now I want to be less led by society’s goals and dreams, because they’re a bit screwed up.” Given where she’s sitting, this comes as a surprise.

Normally, after a day being shot for a magazine cover, to promote the follow up to the highest-grossing Bond ¿ lm of all time (Skyfall, $1.1bn), an actress might permit herself a ‘nailed it’ moment. But Harris is an altogether more complicated ¿ sh: in between ¿ lming this year, she has spent lots of time doing a life MOT. Let’s just say, fashion-wise, her most intriguing accessory today is a Hoffman Process shopper. No, not the natty title of some Shoreditch street-style brand, but the week-long residential course you go on with strangers that involves lots of screaming to expel pent-up anger and letting go of the unhelpful psycho-gunk we pick up as children.

Weren’t you in the middle of shooting Bond when you went? “I was.”

She’s tried it all in the past. “You name it,” she says. Health retreats, going vegan, fruit fasts — which made her feel “really bad”. But Hoffman seems to have popped her open like a jam jar. Why? “It was a happy childhood,” she says, “but not having my dad in my life has consequences.”

It has also made her pause to consider the extraordinary work ethic instilled in her, which, from the outside at least, has led to brilliant success, but has actually made for some tough life choices.

For a start, people often single out Harris as a sign that Britain’s meritocracy is alive and well. She’s having none of that. “What people say about our society is that you can come from any background and, if you work hard, you can come out of your social circumstances and achieve pretty much

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anything,” she says. “That, actually, is a lie. Because you have to work so much harder than people in other social circumstances to achieve the same level of success. It takes an extraordinary will to be able to do that —and drive, and ambition, and focus. You have to make huge sacri¿ces to leave people in your social circle behind in order to move to a different one, and that’s very isolating. It’s a lie that anybody can do it. Not everybody is willing to make those sacri¿ces, and not everybody should have to. Why should they?”

Harris’s story is a fascinating tale.

She was born in London in 1976, and her Jamaican mother and Trinidadian father split before her birth. There wasn’t much money about for the ¿ rst few years. “She had me at 18, which is crazy,” she says of her mother. “But she always made a commitment to herself that once I reached ¿ve and went to school, she would go to university — and that’s exactly what we did. We used to come home and do our homework together. She started off as a journalist,

Not everybody is willing to make those sacrifices, and not everybody should have to she wrote children’s novels and then she went into plays.” Eventually, her mother, Lisselle Kayla, got a job as a staff writer for British TV programme East Enders. “She’s amazing,” Harris says proudly.

Meanwhile, the daughter was nearly as busy. She knew she wanted to be an actress from the age of three, and was landing TV parts by eleven. “My work ethic was really strong and it got even stronger as a result of being a child actor. You are in a very adult environment and are expected to behave like an adult. Nobody allows you to get away with stuff that you normally get away with as a kid, so you kind of grow up a bit too quickly.”

With similar resolve, she was always top of the class at school. “I was such a nerd.” Is it true you wrote a novel at thirteen? “Yes,” she shoots back.

“I discovered it recently when I was moving — and you know what? It was 71

good. I was, like, ‘This needs to be published.’ Of course, it’s back in the attic now.” What’s the story? “It’s about a girl whose parents died in a terrible car accident, and she’s from a very middle-class background, but she ends up being sent to live with her aunt on a council estate. She has to ¿ nd a way to belong and ends up falling in love with a gang leader. Though it has things in it like, ‘She put a tape in her Walkman’, so it’s a bit dated.”

The dif¿cult reality was that, in some ways, the more she excelled, the harder her life became. “I was bullied at school. No one wants to be your friend, no one picks you for the games. There was a lot of jealousy because I was on TV. At the time it was pretty miserable, but I always had this goal and this vision of what I was going to achieve, so I held very strongly to that — and, actually, being bullied fuelled that dream. In some ways I have to thank those bullies, because I don’t think I’d be where I am today without that experience.”

Things perked up brieÀy at sixth form.

A change of school, some like-minded kids and a great teacher saw her make it to Cambridge.

“You can’t just turn down Cambridge,” says Harris, who read social and political sciences at Pembroke College.

But isn’t it true that you cried every day while you were there? “Perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration. It wasn’t the greatest experience, but it’s also one of the things that I’m most proud of. I have my degree on my wall.”

Do you keep in touch with anyone from that period? “No, I don’t. I have friends from primary and secondary school, but I don’t have any friends I’ve kept from university.” Not one? “I never really found my group there.” Was it basically full of utterly rah publicschool types, then? “Yeah — which was really alienating for me, because I come from such a completely different background.”

There was only one other black person in her year and, ¿ nding the Eton chat and partying culture impenetrable, she came home most weekends.

Too up herself for the kids at school, too working-class for the kids at university, it was only her dogged need to succeed that saw her through.

Still, as a young adult, she came out of

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Cambridge terribly shy. “That was so awkward and debilitating. But change is possible. I was giving a speech in front of 1,300 people the other day. You can feel so much better than you do at this point.” She feels like she’s asking the right questions now. “Why did I have that ambition? Now I’m trying to damp it down. It’s not about achieving, it’s about enjoying — but my life has never been about that. It’s always been about what I’m going to achieve next.”

And, boy, has she achieved. The sheer force of will that it takes to get from a single-parent family to the red carpet these days cannot be underestimated.

After Cambridge, she trained at Bristol Old Vic (by this point, there was some money around), and nine months after her graduation Danny Boyle cast her in 28 Days Later, her breakout hit.

She went on to be directed by Michael Winterbottom and Michael Mann, did two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, some classy TV fare including White Teeth and Small Island, and played opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Frankenstein at the National Theatre.

“I was very lucky,” she says.

Now she is at that special time in life when various annoying friends, relations and Cosmopolitan magazine like to point out that she hasn’t had a baby yet. She told the magazine, presumably with a forced smile, “What will be, will be.” Who knows if she even has a fella these days? She seemed pretty ‘close’ to Orlando Bloom after they ¿ lmed Pirates together, and she reportedly dated Chiwetel Ejiofor for “about a minute”. She might still be dating Peter Legler, who might be a banker. But they haven’t been photographed together since 2014, and she hasn’t answered a question on her love life in 15 years. Moneypenny would be delighted by such tact, of course.

She’s glad her identity is ¿ nally out in the open. “Having to do that whole Skyfall tour and keeping that secret in was hard.” Of course, she can’t reveal any juicy titbits about the latest ¿ lm, other than to say Moneypenny has completely changed, “and I love it.

People were ready for that. Strong, powerful and independent — I think

that’s what people were yearning for.”

Of course, a ¿ lm as big as Bond means its women have to wear a lot of pretty frocks in various key markets around the globe. Can she bear it? “When I was ¿ rst in the business in my twenties, that wasn’t such a big part of it. I was always, like, ‘Can I just come in a pair of jeans?’ People put up with that for a while, but actually that doesn’t really sell and it’s not what people are interested in. They’re interested in the illusion. I get it, and I’ve found a way to enjoy it. It’s an important part of my job and it’s had a huge impact on my career.”

She shrugs. Sorting out her fashion sense has made her more appealing to producers and, ever the worker bee, she’s happy to do it — and pleased not

Strong, powerful and independent - I think that’s what people were yearning for to look “as terrible” as she used to.

“The years have been kind to me, though,” she says. I’ll say. What are you putting on your face — some sort of dolphin placenta? She smiles. “I am a health nut. I run three times a week, drink lots of water, don’t drink tea or coffee and I certainly don’t smoke or drink any alcohol.” Have you ever drunk? “No. People ¿ nd something really unnerving in those who don’t drink.” She shrugs. “I tried to be vegan for a while, but I became really ill. I was a raw-foodist and I turned yellow,” she adds, laughing.

Any current fads? I bet you’ve tried them all. She nods. “No grains, no wheat, no rice.” Hmm. Perhaps she hasn’t dispensed with all that youthful willpower and control just yet, but some early signs are there. She recently started eating meat again.

“I never rebelled, though,” she ponders aloud. “When is that rebellious stage going to happen?” Perhaps you’ll be a crazy pensioner. “Maybe!” she says, and looks quite excited.

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Images courtesy of Omega, with whom Naomie Harris has partnered for the release of Spectre.

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REVOLUTION

VIVE LA

As Cuba redeďŹ nes its relationship with the US, a new book reveals powerful images of the last time it faced major change

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uba has featured a lot in the news lately.

Meetings between President Obama and Cuban president Raul Castro are helping to restore diplomatic ties between the US and the island nation, which has remained isolated since the early 1960s. This will ease trade and travel regulations, creating more opportunity in Cuba for business and tourism. Some fear it may also lead to the country losing its distinct character, with the historic buildings of the capital, Havana, and streets full of 1950s classic cars – a side effect of the restrictions in place for over 50 years – making way for modern redevelopment.

Whether it retains these elements or not, one thing remains true, that Cuba is on the verge of a new era. Something it is no stranger to, as those who recall the revolution of the 1950s will attest to, ending when Fidel Castro’s men, including second-in-command Che Guevara, stormed into Havana on January 1, 1959 and removed President Fulgenico Batista from power.

What a sight this must have been, and fortunately for those not present, one that was captured on camera by US photographer Burt Glinn. A new book containing his images, plus the story behind them, entitled Cuba 1959, has just been published, accompanied by an exhibition in London that has Glinn’s work on display. “As with most revolutions, there was a great sense of optimism and hope for a more just society,” explains co-curator of the exhibition David Hill.

“It does feel particularly timely to look back on this era-de¿ ning period now that the US is ¿ nally opening its doors to Cuba and its people.”

Glinn himself passed away in 2008, but included in the book is a ¿ rst-person account of how he came to be there and what he saw, admitting that he had been at a New Year’s Eve party in New York just hours before his decision to head off to the island. “Much of the talk that night was of the dictator, Fulgenico Batista,” he writes. “The word was that, at that moment, he had backed his trucks up to the treasury in Havana and was on his way into exile.”

There was another character that made the situation even more exciting for Glenn. “Fidel Castro had been an outlaw and rebel in the Sierra Maestra [mountain range in southeast Cuba] for a couple of years,” he reveals. “If you made the right connections and didn’t mind sleeping on the ground, he was reachable by the press…”

Reading Glenn’s words, you can see his thought process: this could be a huge adventure, and with most photographers off enjoying the holidays, it was also a major opportunity. Rushing home to get his camera gear, Glenn took the last À ight from LaGuardia Airport to Miami, followed by a charter shuttle to Havana, arriving in the early morning.

“I checked into the Sevilla Biltmore downtown, which I ¿gured to be near the action,” he writes.

Leaderless crowds were gathering, armed with whatever they had at hand: pistols, shotguns...

“The moment I got to the room there was gun¿ re in the streets. Leaderless crowds were gathering, armed with whatever they had at hand: pistols, shotguns, machetes, whatever.”

It took a few hours for Glenn to realise what was going on, but speaking with other journalists covering the revolution he began to piece it together. Batista had lost control, and it was rebels wandering the streets with weapons, looking for his supporters, often with a big ‘26’ painted on their armbands or helmets after ‘26 de Julio’, the name of Castro’s movement. Glenn explains that he did not see much opposition, but few shops and amenities were open, as Castro had called a strike to show he was now in charge.

He describes ¿ nding the police station, where the rebels had rounded up Batista’s secret police, and he photographed the terri¿ed captives. As more Castro supporters emerged from hiding, there were emotional reunions with friends and family in the streets, followed by ecstatic celebrations.

It was images of Castro himself that Glenn really wanted, however, and when word came that he was out on the road, working his way through 77

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The island nation is at a crossroads again, just like it was when Glenn arrived with his camera to witness the end of the revolution towns and villages on his way to Havana, Glenn and the other journalists headed out to ¿ nd him, eventually joining his entourage. “In Cienfuegos he started speaking at 11pm and went on until two in the morning,” says Glenn. “He involved his listeners, asking them for advice on how to run the country. Considering the situation, his entourage was worried about an attempt on his life, but Castro was fearless. He talked with nuns, with children. None of the conversations were political.

The euphoria was incredible.”

This continued until Castro’s eventual arrival in Havana, where Glenn describes the crush along the seafront as “so great that I lost my shoes while struggling to get my pictures”. After nine hectic days where he barely slept, ate or showered, Glenn returned home, reÀecting on the incredible feelings of hope he had seen amongst the Cuban people.

But victory for Castro was the beginning of his troubles with the US, who had previously

supported President Batista and feared the new leader would side with the Russians. The CIA even attempted unsuccessfully to remove Castro from power in 1961, after which Cuba decided it would become a Communist country.

In 2008, Fidel Castro was succeeded by his brother, Raul, who had served as the country’s Minister of Armed Forces since 1959. His initial meeting with Obama in 2014 marked the ¿ rst between the leaders of the US and Cuba in almost 60 years. The island nation is at a crossroads again.

As his images show, the people of this country are passionate, and willing to ¿ght for what they believe in. If new relations with the US allow more people to understand those beliefs, that can only be a good thing.

Cuba 1959 is published by Real Art Press, available to order from realartpress.com. An accompanying exhibition runs at the Serena Morton II gallery in West London until November 20.

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All photographs Š Burt Glinn/Magnum 79

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“What do I wear in bed?

Why, Chanel N°5, of course” Coco Chanel’s most famous fragrance can be traced back to the flower fields in the Provencal town of Grasse WORDS : ANNIE DARLING

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imeless in its Parisian character, seductive scent and uncompromised quality, Chanel N°5 makes women feel fashionable and empowered. The ultimate in femininity, there’s no doubt that it truly is the now and forever fragrance.

The roaring twenties is unparalleled by the sheer magnitude of cultural change, beginning with the spread of women’s suffrage in the immediate post-war years. The stock market was thriving; hair lengths and skirt hems were rising, and so were astonished eyebrows in response to the aforementioned.

Back in 1921 when Chanel N°5 was launched, fashionable fragrances featured a single dominant Àowery note, like rose or jasmine. N°5 was unusual in that it had no identi¿able or de¿ nite scent. Some 80 ingredients make up the popular perfume and although it might have the freshness of Versailles on a crisp, autumn morning, the fragrance remains a mystery.

Modernistic women began rejecting tight-laced corsets and stuffy Victorianism; opting, instead, for beautifully light layers of chiffon, beaded hems and fringing. The cigarette smoking, Charleston dancing Àapper girl embraced this newfound freedom, choosing to blend style with function.

Chanel N°5’s bottle has remained a timeless classic by embodying this modern practicality. Its black and white minimalist design, bold lines and sharp edges stays loyal to Chanel’s stylistic simpli¿cation; capturing the enduring innovation of the era.

The perfume remains unchanging, yet continues to be new and audacious: a result of its abstract creation. It is widely believed that the mysterious scent and its enigmatic character were ¿ rst enjoyed the same year N°5 was launched, by which time Chanel had already earned her reputation as the most inÀuential fashion designer in the world.

Although she undoubtedly revolutionized women’s fashion, the truth is her iconic fragrance dates back to the 12th Century. The heart of N°5 is rooted in the exquisite Àower ¿elds of Grasse, on the remarkable foothills of the Riviera’s Maritime Alps.

Local farmers have perfected the art

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of making one of the most precious ingredients in perfumery: jasmine absolute. Imported to Grasse in the 16th Century, jasmine is a necessity to the composition of N°5 Parfum. It was planted in other countries, but its unique fragrance is found only in the south of France.

During the Middle Ages, the town specialised in leather tanning, with its hides often exported to Genoa and Pisa. These products quickly acquired a reputation for high quality, but the distinctive smell of leather was not favoured by the glove-wearing nobility.

Consequently, tanners began cleaning their hides with scented gloves that had been immersed in local rose, lavender and orange blossom ¿elds. The region’s fertile soil and shelter from the wind made the landscape an ideal site for the plantation of Àowers and perfumeries.

During the last century, real estate developers have gradually bought

Minimalist design, bold lines and sharp edges stays loyal to Chanel’s stylistic simplification farmers’ land, as the cost of labour and the growth of synthetic perfume components has made Àower farming less rewarding. A careful hand is needed to harvest each delicate, whitepetalled Àower, which grows on bushes that are less than a meter high. Each Àower must be picked before sunrise and this meticulous work requires detailed knowledge of the plant.

On average, it takes an hour and 20 minutes for a picked Àower to go from the blooming shrubs to being processed in a factory. Workers transfer the freshly harvested Àowers in charming burlap sacks, before they are turned into what eventually becomes the jasmine absolute - the highly aromatic oil used in the formulation of Chanel N°5.

In one 30ml bottle of Parfum, there are 1,000 carefully selected jasmine Àowers from Grasse. With the exception of animal musk, which is made synthetically, N°5 is still made to the original formula. Locked in an undisclosed safe, the heavily-guarded 82

recipe can only be accessed by a handful of privileged people, including Head of Parfums Jacques Polge and Director of Research and Development Christopher Sheldrake.

In 1987, Chanel established an exclusive partnership with the Mul family, the largest Àower producer in Grasse, thereby ensuring that the town’s rare heritage would continue.

Their farm has been the sole source of Chanel N°5’s jasmine since its creation in 1921. Preserved for several generations, 90 per cent of the jasmine grown in the region is produced by Joseph Mul and his son-in-law, Fabrice Bianchi.

The Mul family oversees the entire production of jasmine absolute, from the picking of the Àower to its extraction. Bianchi explains: “Our Àowers are like children that we raise until they are adults.”

For 100 days in the summer heat, ninety accomplished season workers are employed on a constantly rotating basis to harvest the jasmine. Dressed in conical hats and head scarves, they work their way down the richly aromatic jasmine rows, carefully plucking each bloom as they go. No chemical fertilizer has ever been used to grow the product and this has given the property an exceptional reputation in the region.

“We continue to improve our techniques to get the very best out of our plants, without ever taking the risk of exhausting our land,” explains Bianchi. “We let our parcels rest between each crop and carry out in-depth analyses to understand their language. We aim to produce the more fragrant Àowers and ensure the same quality in the future.”

Legend has it that the fragrance was named after the ¿ fth of six experiment batches created for Chanel.

N°5’s classically luxurious scent has undoubtedly cast a spell on women and men around the world, thanks in no small part to the Mul family’s precious patch of land. Chanel was breathtaking and understated, just like her captivating perfume. The world’s most famous fragrance has revolutionized Parisian fashion and will, with no doubt, continue to. After all, as Coco Chanel said herself, “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”.

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Motoring NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

A Very British Coachbuilder The £495,000 Automotive Speedback GT will make its official debut in the UAE at the Dubai Motor Show. The company’s founder and CEO, David Brown, talks to AIR

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WORDS : ANNIE DARLING

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lassically stunning and tremendously fast, the Speedback GT radiates nostalgia, with obvious visual cues in homage to 1960s British sports car manufacturing. It will be unveiled at this year’s Dubai International Motor Show, from 10-14 November – the largest international automotive event in the Middle East.

David Brown Automotive is a British design company, specialising in limited edition and bespoke handcrafted automobiles. The company’s CEO, David Brown, founded the company three years ago and is a serial entrepreneur, as well as an avid car enthusiast. His Speedback is a coachbuilt, contemporary GT with a British heart and vintage soul that would even rival the sophistication of Sean Connery.

The concept behind Speedback GT is something Brown has been contemplating for several years. The style harks back to the ¿ rst Aston

Martins, such as the iconic DBS and V8 Vantage, and combines this majestic design with cutting-edge technology.

After participating in several classic car rallies, Brown soon recognised that, although beautiful, designs from the Sixties were slow and uncomfortable by modern day standards. By blending old-school glamour with state-of-theart amenities, Brown created a modern masterpiece – a timeless and elegant car, with a unique character.

Speaking about the UAE market, he says: “We’ve already received considerable interest and are con¿dent that Speedback’s debut will further increase attention in the region. Having had such a warm reception at a number of world-leading shows in Europe and the US, it is a natural progression to bring the car to Dubai, where we’re sure there will be plenty of fans.”

It’s fair to say David Brown has reinvented coachbuilding for the 21st Century. Specialist, low-volume manufacturing processes mean

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production is limited to one hundred vehicles; each automobile is entirely unique. In the early days of motoring, a car’s rolling chassis was built separately from the body and interior trim. Coachbuilding is the production of the added car body, which enables customers to purchase the running gear and then design a bespoke body and interior to a personal speci¿cation.

These early craftsmen produced some of the world’s most desirable cars.

“The Speedback is reminiscent of Britain’s coachbuilding heritage.

We take a rolling chassis, in this case it’s the acclaimed 5.0 litre V8 Supercharged XK-R Convertible from Jaguar,” explains Brown. “We then build a bespoke, handmade aluminium body from the chassis up; retaining only the engineering hard points for guaranteed strength, rigidity and safety.”

To Brown and his customers, style and performance are equally important. Speedback GT is one of the most dynamically impressive cars in the world; designed to be a sensational looker and a re¿ ned grand tourer.

Brown says: “It goes without saying that the performance complements the character of the car perfectly. We

All of Speedback’s exterior panels are hand beaten and hand rolled by highly skilled artisans like to refer to it as ‘discretionary’; you have all the performance you could wish for thanks to its fantastic 5.0 litre V8 Supercharged engine, but you can choose when and how often you decide to use it to its full potential.”

Nowadays, most automobiles, and all high volume vehicles, are built together by the same manufacturer.

Mass-production techniques have matured and a car’s body and chassis have become structurally uni¿ed. Consequently, mainstream demand for traditional coachbuilding has plummeted, with many businesses being absorbed by larger manufacturers. Those that survived have evolved into world-famous design

houses, including Zagato and Bertone.

Brown’s experience in engineering has impacted Speedback’s design, and he says: “My background in low-volume manufacturing gave me the ability to visualise how such a dream could be realised and achieved.

“Since launching the car we have received a great deal of feedback along the lines of ‘this is the car I always wanted but it was never available’.

There are a lot of classic car lovers who are hugely enamoured with classic design and also the luxury of modern performance, comforts and conveniences. Our vehicles bring those two worlds together so you can have a beautiful classically-styled vehicle 86

that’s also a pleasure to use every day.”

Using English wheels, all of Speedback’s exterior panels are hand beaten and hand rolled by highly skilled artisans, using techniques learnt through decades of experience.

The dynamic architecture and delicate materials used underline the quality of the design and overall ¿ nish of Speedback. The quality of exterior and interior detailing means “each Speedback will look as beautiful in twenty years as it does now”. Achieving such uncompromised quality is timeintensive: the whole process takes around 3,200 man-hours for each vehicle.

Handcrafted from the ¿ nest British

materials, this adds luxury to an interior that is extremely comfortable and full of surprises. The retractable picnic bench, pillarless rooÀ ine and hand polished interior bright work ensure Speedback is equally home on Casino Square as it is at the polo. A generous luggage compartment and spacious cabin make it one of the most versatile and luxury GTs in the world today.

Customers can choose from a variety of bespoke exterior colours and wide choice of leather trims and ¿ nishes.

Brown says: “We do our best to accommodate the requirements of each and every customer, we pride ourselves on minute attention to detail.”

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Gastronomy NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Feed Your Need For Speed AIR

Abu Dhabi’s staging of The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix provides the perfect excuse to indulge in the city’s burgeoning, ‘drama free’ fine dining scene WORDS : ANNIE DARLING

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Formula 1 fans to its Abu Dhabi addition.

Commenting on the city as a ¿ ne dining destination, he says: “The restaurant scene is growing. If I compare it to Dubai, I’d say Abu Dhabi is more family-based. It’s way more relaxed.”

In recent years, a dramatic rise in the number of high-quality restaurants has triggered a marked casualisation of exceptional cuisine. Last month, one of Britain’s most acclaimed Michelin-starred chefs, Michael Caines, celebrated the opening of his ¿ rst restaurant outside of the UK: Pearls by Michael Caines.

Best known for his incomparable success as Executive Head Chef at Gidleigh Park, he’s been exploring opportunities to launch a restaurant

othing beats a day at the track. High-speed racing, star-studded parties and unparalleled excitement are all reasons to visit Abu Dhabi this month. But if that’s not enough, there’s the pull of the culinary riches now afforded visitors to the UAE capital.

Zuma Abu Dhabi opened in March last year, at the heart of the capital’s luxurious Galleria on Al Maryah Island.

Founded by Rainer Becker, diners here enjoy magni¿cent waterfront views in an informal, yet sophisticated style.

Inspired by Japanese izakaya dining, food is served to share and dishes are steadily brought to the table throughout the mouthwatering meal.

General Manager Ilir Caushi has worked with the global chain for seven years and looks forward to welcoming 88

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Gastronomy NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

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in Jumeirah at Etihad Towers since February 2014.

Agreeing with Caushi’s assessment, Caines explains: “We’re in a hot country and so in Abu Dhabi, you need to have a relaxed approach when it comes to restaurants. They need to be engaging in terms of the night out and they also need to be interesting and qualitydriven in what they offer.”

Haughty waiters, hurried dining slots and pretentious decor are a thing of the past. By introducing an informal style of service and throwing out the shackles of fussy service, Caines is at the forefront of Abu Dhabi’s prevailing dining trend.

“Just because you don’t want the formality doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t have the ¿ ner touches and details,” he argues. “Whether it be Àower arrangements, crockery, or glassware; it’s all about having a dining

Haughty waiters, hurried dining slots and pretentious décor are a thing of the past. experience which is memorable.

“At Pearls, we’re trying to achieve an excellent dining experience, but in an informal manner. Casual ¿ ne dining, if you will; with all the ¿ ner touches, but without the drama of ¿ ne dining.”

Caushi has witnessed an unprecedented number of “massive and dramatic changes” to Abu Dhabi’s gourmet scene, and he expects more, saying: “In the next three to four years there’ll be a lot more top end restaurants that are going to want to open up here.

“I can already see the changes. Even in just a year and a half, it’s very noticeable. A lot of people who live in Abu Dhabi used to travel to Dubai when they went out to dine during the weekends. There was nowhere to dine in Abu Dhabi; there were only a few places people could go.”

Without a doubt, Abu Dhabi is a destination for gourmands. The city’s restaurant scene has become more varied as it incorporates inÀuences from around the world. In the UAE, ¿ ne dining has become a popular

social pastime.

Although home to many exceptional establishments, Caines explains that it’s still important Abu Dhabi creates a professional, courteous service and an inviting ambiance. He says: “Luxury is important. Food is an extension of lifestyle; if you were to look at what people do and what they buy in regard to luxury items, such as bags and perfumes, it’s clear that they want the ¿ ner things in life. Gone are the days when the formalities of dining out had to be about putting on a jacket and a tie.”

Caines, who was invited to cook for then British Prime Minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street, is a partner and ambassador for Williams Martini Racing. “I have a good relationship with Williams F1, so we’re looking into doing something together for the week surrounding this year’s Grand Prix,” he says.

“It’s a really exciting time, not only for me personally, but hopefully we’ll build on the business relationships we already have and on those we can potentially have in the future.”

The weekend will also be prosperous for Zuma, which has attracted media attention as a favourite haunt of Formula 1 mogul Bernie Ecclestone, who is a regular each November.

Caushi says: “Last year we’d been open for about ¿ve months and we were very, very busy. We’re very close to the Rosewood Hotel and a lot of people stay there for the Formula 1.”

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Opening pages: Curried Carrot Soup.

Clockwise from right: Raspberry Souffle; Red Mullet Thai Puree; Chocolate Orange Confit; Cod With Lemon & Red Pepper Puree; Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.

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Travel NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

For Your Eyes Only Rent a private resort reserved exclusively for you and your guests ay back yonder, when women wore shoulder pads and men thought mullets were fashionable, Sir Richard Branson ¿ rst hit upon the idea of renting out his favourite holiday home, Necker Island, to individuals willing to part with $5,500 per night for the privilege of having the whole island to themselves.

30 years on, that price now starts at $65,000 per night for up to 30 guests.

And no longer is Branson alone.

Buyouts have rede¿ ned ultra-luxury holidays, and whether it’s unspoiled white-sand beaches or an ancient estate you’re after, these secluded and bespoke getaways reward your family and friends with the ultimate escape.

Here are some of the best…

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Veela Private Island

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The Brando, Tetiaroa Island For centuries, Marlon Brando’s island hideaway has been inaccessible to the general public. This secluded enclave is a favoured retreat of Tahitian royalty and its ultra-luxurious resort features 35 private villas for all your friends and family. With a minimum stay of three nights, an all-inclusive package for a buyout is around $140,000 per night, excluding taxes. With access to the island by private plane, it is breathtakingly beautiful and frequented by sea turtles and exotic birds. One of the ¿ nest eco-friendly resorts in the world, The Brando hardly leaves a carbon footprint, but will leave a lasting impression on your heart. thebrando.com

The Brando

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Rock Creek, Montana Surrounded by Western Montana’s rugged valleys, this authentic 19th Century homestead combines the Wild West with lavish all-inclusive amenities. Snack on fresh cookies in one of the rustic log cabins or roast marshmallows over the bon¿ re with friends. Learn how to Ày ¿ sh on a Blue Ribbon trout stream and experience awe-inspiring views on horseback.

This month, get into the holiday spirit and enjoy on-site snowshoeing, horse drawn sleigh rides and ice-skating. As the world’s only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star ranch, peak season buyout rates for up to 95 guests are $104,500, excluding a 20 per cent ranch fee. theranchatrockcreek.com

Rock Creek

Somerleyton Hall

Three Bees, Harbour Island Overlooking pink-sand beaches and crystal clear waters, Three Bees is an extravagant villa compound for groups of up to 26 guests. Situated on one of the most enticing islands in the Bahamas, privacy and anonymity is an unspoken law. It is known to be one of the most sought-after destinations for international business magnates and celebrities who are after a peaceful and low pro¿ le holiday. The starting price is $150,000 for seven nights, which covers the resort’s 20 staff and access to the owner’s 37-foot state-of-the-art speedboat. Deep-sea ¿ shing excursions, unlimited spa treatments, golf carts and off-road quad bikes are just a few of the fabulous facilities on offer. threebeesvilla.com

Three Bees

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One of the most finely preserved Tudor period mansions

Somerleyton, Suffolk

Velaa Private Island, Maldives

Set in a 5,000 acre estate, Somerleyton Hall is widely acclaimed as one of the most ¿ nely preserved Tudor period mansions. Boasting stunning views of the surrounding parkland, two Àoors were recently refurbished and twelve plush bedrooms are now available for buyouts. The cost of a two-night stay starts at $23,000. Guests enjoy exclusive use of the main house, including its historic library and extensive book collection. Afternoon tea is available in any of the multiple drawing rooms for those after a midafternoon tipple with scones, jam and clotted cream. Even Lady Mary Crawley would be impressed by the yew hedge maze, littered with ornate iron and glass greenhouses. somerleyton.co.uk

There are many private islands in the Maldives, but only a few of them are truly exclusive and owned by one person. This 43-villa Maldivian resort was built from scratch for $200 million and guarantees an unparalleled bespoke and personalized service.

Visitors can enjoy an astonishingly good restaurant, private pools and a variety of activities, including tennis, golf and watersports. There is much to do on the turtle-shaped island, including snorkeling and diving at its multi-coloured coral reef. Located in the magni¿cent Noonu Atoll, it is an exceptional luxury retreat. Designed and curated with privacy and comfort in mind, it was built using local materials. velaaprivateisland.com

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What I Know Now

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NOVEMBER 2015 : ISSUE 54

Bernard Weill CEO OF FRENCH FASHION HOUSE WEILL key piece of advice I will give to others is to listen to people. Listen to people and then make a decision; you’ll never regret listening to others. Remember that although you should listen to others, you alone are responsible for your own decisions. Of course, not everything is always perfect, but if you listen to others you will have a good chance to be very successful.

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One lesson I’ve learned in dealing with people is to be humble. You must have your own ideas, but also consider what others say and think. You can be fairly

con¿dent in your own opinion, but you can never be 100 per cent sure that you are right. Never brag. I’ve seen so many companies that have appeared and they say they will double, triple their amount of sales, but tomorrow is another day and you have to wait and see.

To me, style means class and attitude. Someone who is stylish feels comfortable and elegant. If the way they are dressed ¿ts their personality, this is elegance - this is style.

I have never felt successful. My brother and I are the fourth generation of my

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family working at Weill; my son is the ¿ fth.

When I entered our business ten years ago, the world was changing very quickly. Slowly but surely, we’ve been building our contacts and presence in the Middle East.

I don’t know what I’d tell my twelveyear-old self if I could travel back in time. I have a thirteen-year-old son and I sometimes wonder what advice he could bene¿t from. I think I’d tell him to do what he wants. Don’t fear life.

Just do something you like.