What’s seriously hot this season in fashion, culture, travel, beauty, food and drink
28 FASHION
Athleisure wear for women and the palest of pink shades for men, both with an edge of cool
76 JEWELLERY
Shining a light on the understated charm and power of rock crystal, the designer’s ally
89 SPHERE LIFE
Our highlights from the luxury worlds of wellness, interiors, nature and gifting
FEATURES
32 RAISING SPIRITS
It’s all about sake on today’s culinary scene. Nina Caplan journeys to Japan to nd out why
38 THE ONES TO WATCH
Watches & Wonders Geneva is where novelties are presented to the world. Lisa Barnard selects her horology highlights from the 2025 salon
44 HEAVY IS THE CROWN
As a urry of creative directors switch luxury fashion brands, why the stakes are high
50 A LIGHT TOUCH
Heavyweight design is so yesterday. Josh Sims looks at the new desire for “lite” luxury products and the remarkable technology making it possible
56 A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
In an exclusive interview with super chef
Yannick Alléno, Lisa Barnard discovers the secret ingredients of his success
64 THE WORLD ON A PLATE
The restaurants cooking up a storm in remote and surprising locations
70 POWER RANGER
Jemima Sissons is in the driving seat to test the new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster
82 KEY PLAYERS
Co-owning holiday homes is making fractions trendy again in the luxury property market
98 VOLUME UP
Lino Carbosiero, Daniel Galvin’s Senior Style Director, shares his tips to achieve luscious locks, plus an exclusive SPHERE event
EDITOR’S LETTER
Welcome to the summer edition of SPHERE, with our beautiful bespoke cover by Darling Clementine, heralding the welcome return of longer days and sun-blushed adventures. Luxury brands are ever-changing, and Simon Brooke investigates how creative directors are becoming the new power players. The fashion world is known for its love of svelte design — Josh Sims narrows in on the new trend for all things lightweight, from watches and Champagne to coats and cars.
There is plenty of room for indulgence, too — the issue is packed with tempting escape. Ben McCormack takes a tasteful tour around some of the most remote restaurants serving world-class cuisine, while Nina Caplan looks east to the nest sakes on menus and where to enjoy them closer to home.
Meanwhile, SPHERE CEO Lisa Barnard sits down with super chef Yannick Alléno and takes time out to review the most spectacular pieces at Watches and Wonders this year, while Avril Groom shines a light on rock crystals. For those who want more bang for their buck, Zoe Dare Hall spreads the word on the emerging world of luxury holiday home co-ownership and we rev up interest for the zippy new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster. As ever, we unearth the latest leaders in style, culture, food, drink, travel and wellness. For weekly access to the hottest news and luxury insights, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at spherelife.com and please let us know at sphere@iln.co.uk if you would like to receive the magazine in the future. Enjoy the read!
The Scandinavian design studio, founded by Tonje Holand and Ingrid Reithaug, delivers illustration, art direction and graphic design. Driven by a love for fashion, vintage packaging and Bauhaus classics, clients include H&M, Godiva and Lufthansa, and Darling Clementine’s style is bold, timeless and emotionally engaging.
BEN MCCORMACK
London-based Ben McCormack has been the restaurant expert for Telegraph Luxury since 2013. His work was shortlisted in the Restaurant Writer category at the 2020 Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. He is also a regular contributor to The Standard Food and Travel and Decanter
JOSH SIMS
Writer Josh Sims contributes on a range of topics to titles such as Esquire The Times and South China Morning Post. He lectures in journalism and is the author of several books on matters of style and fashion, including Icons of Men’s Style and Retro Watches: The Modern Collector’s Guide.
ZOE DARE HALL
Zoe Dare Hall, a property writer for publications including the Financial Times, The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph, has been SPHERE’s property expert since our first issue 13 years ago. She lives in London but wants to live in practically every place she visits — Dorset and the Algarve are her current favourites.
AVRIL GROOM
Avril Groom writes about luxury jewellery, watches and fashion for a number of upmarket publications and websites, including the Financial Times HTSI magazine, Condé Nast Traveller and Telegraph Time. She also edits Country and Town House magazine’s jewellery and watch supplement.
SIMON BROOKE
Simon Brooke is an award-winning journalist, copywriter and media trainer who writes about the luxury sector, business, wealth management, property and travel. Publications include the Financial Times, The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph, while brands range from Montblanc to Johnnie Walker.
Printed by: Paragon
SPHEREmagazine is published by Illustrated London News Limited, Soho Works, 4th Floor, The Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ Registered in the United Kingdom No 15725542 Website: iln co uk
ISSN:2977-7704
Jemima Sissons
NUCLEUS
FOOD | TRAVEL | CULTURE | STYLE | BEAUTY
IN GOOD TASTE
The sign of a good restaurant is, a few weeks in, a heaving dining room with wall-to-wall locals greeting waiting sta by name. South Kensington was crying out for a spot-on, unstu y restaurant, and The Lavery delivers. In rooms flooded with natural light, River Café and Petersham Nurseries alumnus Yohei Furuhashi delivers plate after plate of perfection, from nettle tagliolini with cultured butter, nutmeg and ricotta salata to Chalk stream trout, Italian spinach, agretti and wild garlic aioli. thelavery.co.uk
BRUT FORCE
Dom Pérignon has unveiled a bold new chapter, fronted by seven iconic creative muses, including musician Iggy Pop (right), actors Zoë Kravitz and Tilda Swinton, artist Takashi Murakami and rapper Anderson .Paak. Revealed at a grand launch at Tate Modern, the campaign features a series of portraits and films titled Creation Is an Eternal Journey, shot by Collier Schorr and directed by Camille SummersValli. It reaffirms the Champagne House’s Vintage-Only manifesto, as it uncorks this next phase of its storied legacy. domperignon.com
SEEK SANCTUARY
The Landmark hotel is upping its game in London’s luxury wellness scene with a new partnership with SkinFaciality. From AI technology to glass skin microneedling and a non-invasive alternative to traditional facelifts, guests can access a selection of SkinFaciality’s bespoke skin treatments. Enjoy the new Diamond Glow Microneedling or IV Therapy Collection, rounding o with a Champagne tea and a dip in the swimming pool. Treatments from £150; rooms from £480. landmarklondon.co.uk
ROMAN HOLIDAY
For those who want to try and glimpse the new Pope Leo XVI, or simply soak up the rich culture and art, Rome is set to be one of the summer’s hottest destinations. First, take a deep dive into Assouline’s new tome, Roma Eterna, a joyful tribute to the Eternal City. It highlights landmarks such as the Colosseum and the Vatican, and covers must-visit boutiques, cocktail bars and osterias. £85, assouline.com
NUCLEUS
A GOOD SPORT
Step out this summer with the smart new unlined Chukka boot from Crockett & Jones. For those who wish for a bit more coverage than classic loafers over the warmer months, these are a perfect option — comfortable, flexible and made in England. Available in four colours in the signature reverse butt suede, including Olive and Taupe, the name derived from its similarity to a boot worn in the Polo field. £525, crockettandjones.com
IN FULL BLOOM
Paying homage to artist Alphonse Mucha, the new Frey Wille Art Deco-inspired collection is framed around the graceful lily. The works are created in the finest enamel, depicting delicate lilies entwined with leaves, the pastels contrasting with the gold of the jewellery. Pieces include a circular Helena pendant, elegant Ocean Drops cabochon earrings or a Viktoria ring with 18ct gold and diamond. 18kt Saint Tropez Diamond Drops Earrings, Hommage à Alphonse Mucha ‘Mucha Paris’ collection, £4,263. shop.freywille.com
NUCLEUS
NORTHERN STAR
This summer, Grantley Hall, one of Yorkshire’s most celebrated hotels, offers myriad al fresco locations. These include the Norton Courtyard, where the seasonal British menu is a highlight. Enjoy lunch on the River Terrace, overlooking the tranquil views of the River Skell, or relax in the summer sunshine with a glass of rosé at their indoor-to-outdoor venue, The Orchard. grantleyhall.co.uk
EVERYTHING IS ROSY
Toast the long and lazy warm days with a crisp glass of Eau de Provence. Newly launched in 2024, this wine hails from the Côtes de Provence in the heart of the French winemaking region, with Grenache Noir and Vermentino forming the centrepiece for this peachforward drop. Brimming with freshness and minerality, expect a bouquet of citrus and stone. £19.90, eau-de-provence.com
DESIGN OF THE TIMES
O ering a window into some of Cole & Son’s most enduring and beloved designs, the company’s 150th Anniversary Collection showcases seven of its most cherished wallcoverings. Bamboo Forest, based on an early 19th-century design, references the Orientalist style that was popular during the Victorian period. Strawberry, originally a hand-blocked design, is the perfect adornment for summer, with soft-hued fruits. Meanwhile, Roseberry comes in five colourways, shown here in Marigold. From £275, cole-and-son.com
STAR TREATMENT
Give your skin a summer pep-up at 111 Harley Street, now o ering a wealth of treatments using cult 111 SKIN products, which are quickly garnering a reputation as a favourite with the celebrity crowd. In the calm and relaxing subterranean treatment rooms, the Black Diamond Facial is gaining a cult following for revitalising dry, tired skin. After double cleansing, the skin is gently blotted with a toner to balance and calm the complexion and neutralise free radical damage. This is followed by the application of serum and Black Diamond cream, then a mask, and nally eye cream. For a red carpet-ready look, the 3D Hollywood facial includes a session of radiofrequency tightening. From £100. For more details, visit 111harleystreet.com
NUCLEUS
FREE SPIRIT
Sculptural artist Anish Kapoor lends his creative fingerprint to this limitededition Rémy Martin XO. Inspired by the spirit’s ability to colour-shift under di ering light, the 70cl glass decanter features a concave chromatic centre that radiates a spectrum of amber tones, echoing the copper hues of the bottle neck and stopper and channelling Kapoor’s mirrored, metamorphic vision. £195, available at Selfridges. remymartin.com
DRAWING ROOM
Away from the thrum of Trafalgar Square, the new Supporters’ House at the National Gallery is a light-filled space for gallery members to mingle in during openings hours. O ering its own restaurant, bar, private dining room and lounge, it is the perfect pit stop between admiring Jean-François Millet’s works (exhibited from 7 August) or Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300 – 1350 (until 22 June). nationalgallery.org
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
With its botanical-forward prints, feminine cuts and statement knits, Alice + Olivia has carved a name for itself as one of the high street’s most wearable brands. Now, the US label is opening a second London store in the heart of Chelsea, and the interior features lush oral installations and eclectic vintage-inspired décor. Launched in 2002, Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet o ers a lifestyle collection including ready-to-wear, gowns and accessories. aliceandolivia.com
Image: Richard Gaston
NUCLEUS FOOD AND DRINK
TAKE A BITE
Already garnering rave reviews and a loyal following for its NYC vibe, sultry interiors and killer martinis, One Club Row sits in the heart of Shoreditch above trendy pub The Knave of Clubs and is owned by the same trio. Gleaned from the patrons’ time in the Big Apple, the club is an ode to the city’s hospitality scene. The pitch-perfect dirty martinis provide lubrication for snacks such as the pickled jalapeño gougères, with the famous burger au poivre or sharing platters of lobster tagliatelle to follow, accompanied by live jazz or the house pianist. oneclubrow.com
WORD ON THE STREET
The Belgravia corner site has had many incarnations over the years, but if the crowds on a sunny midweek day are anything to go by, the Alfred Tennyson is already proving to be a firm hit with well- heeled locals and the post-work crowd. The buzzy pub downstairs leads to an elegant dining room on the first floor. Here, delightful dishes like sorrel-laced peas and burrata kick off a dinner, followed up with sherry rich chicken with morels and pistachio soufflé. The convivial vibe and botanically clad walls create one of the most inviting new spots in the ’hood. cubitthouse.co.uk
Images: Media Selects, Rectory Top Press, Justin De Souza
LAZY DAYS
With its herbaceous border-framed walled garden, ornamental ponds and fresh locavore menu, The Rectory in Wiltshire is a glorious suntrap over the warmer months. Opening its swimming pool to non-guests on Tuesdays and Thursdays, those booking lunch can graze on the new menu of trout with peas or the freshest asparagus, Jersey Royals and wild garlic velouté. Stay overnight in one of the airy rooms and visit sister pub The Potting Shed the next day for the best fish and chips in the shire. therectoryhotel.com
A TASTE OF ITALY
Bringing some of Amalfi’s citrus-scented flavours to Knightsbridge, Alba has opened bang opposite Harrods; the perfect pitstop after a hard day’s shopping. Alba, meaning “sunrise” in Italian, o ers a light-filled room by design studio Yodezeen, a Cameron Design House chandelier that greets diners and a palette of blue, greens and yellows. A fish bar with fresh catches on ice entices diners to try the crudo, such as pink prawn carpaccio. For comfort, opt for the porcini-based Apennina pizza or crab ravioli. alba-london.uk
PET PROJECT
Lucky Cat commands full circle views of London and is already a hit with City expense-account types, epicureans and cocktail lovers seeking sky-high dining. The Asian menu spans starters such as Kyoto cucumbers enlivened with sesame dressing, soft-shell crab maki rolls and the moreish GFC — founder and owner Gordon Ramsay’s signature fried chicken. Serious carnivores can pre-order an entire suckling pig to share between six of their closest meat-loving friends. gordonramsayrestaurants.com
Vive la tradition!
The great House of Champagne Bollinger has a secret ingredient: carefully tended aged oak barrels
WORDS NINA CAPLAN
When Lily Bollinger took over the Champagne House that still bears her name, during the Second World War, almost everybody had a cooper. These were the men (they were always men) who made the barrels, planing the oak staves and manipulating them into the correct curve using heat and metal hoops, which were tapped skilfully into place. The second fermentation of Champagne, the one that makes it zz, must take place in the bottle; but rst, the grape juice needs to ferment into wine, and until the invention of stainless steel tanks, that required barrels. By the time Lily died, in 1977, stainless steel was taking over, and today hers is the only House with its own cooper. Gaël Chaunut repairs around 350 barrels a year — a key part of the company’s sustainability commitment. Until recently, his job didn’t require making any from scratch, because Champagne Bollinger isn’t interested in the brash notes that new wood brings. Its barrels come from Burgundy, where they have been used for Chardonnay for at least four years.
Oak allows minute quantities of oxygen to interact with the wine, “which gives particular avours of spice, vanilla, cloves and ripe fruit,” says Cellar Master Denis
Bunner. The House owns around 4,200 barrels of di erent sizes, which they use for all their vintage Champagnes and part of their Special Cuvée. Each individual parcel of vines has its own barrels, “so we retain that link with the terroir.” The wine then rests on the lees — the remains of the fermenting yeasts — for six months, which brings richness and aromatic complexity. What’s amazing, says Bunner, is the way the di erent parcels evolve di erently in the barrel: each village has its own personality. “Some are better in bigger barrels; others in smaller ones. The cooper and winemaker work together for the best result: every detail is important.”
Their oldest barrels, known as vieux garçons, are around 100 years old; their longevity is due to Chaunut’s skilful work replacing worn-out staves. Champagne Bollinger also owns and manages 500ha of forest, and is now making a very few barrels of its own, but using both methods and tools from a century ago. “We want to make these traditions live again,” says Bunner. The trees could give a few tips: they are 120 years old.
Bunner gets why so many winemakers have swapped oak for easier-to-use cement or stainless steel. “Wood is very demanding; the
grapes must be the highest quality, or the wine won’t be successful.” The barrel is like a magnifying glass: it ampli es both faults and qualities. And since great Champagne is a luxury product, focused on quality, “this particular tradition is becoming very modern!”
Bollinger’s most recent release is La Grande Année 2015, champagne-bollinger.com/en
Denis Bunner took over as head winemaker of Champagne Bollinger in 2023
THE ROYAL TREATMENT
Famed for its orange blossom-scented, cactus-filled gardens, La Mamounia is rightly one of the most celebrated hotels in Marrakech. Seek out one of its signature suites, such as this mosaic-adorned Park Executive Suite. This summer, the palace hotel welcomes chef Simone Zanoni, who is taking over the L’Italien restaurant to evoke the flavours of Southern Italy. Rooms from £1,400 a night, lamamounia.com
CAPITAL IDEA
The Goring Hotel is beloved by British monarchs for its sprawling Royal Suite, which spans an entire corridor and it is also renowned for its bountiful garden, one of the most capacious hotel lawns in London. This summer, up the pace a little on Thursday nights at their newly launched DJ nights, alongside signature cocktails. Rooms from £870, thegoring.com
Image: Nick Rochowski
AHOY THERE
There can be a few more arresting vistas than the majestic medieval battlements viewed from the terrace of Malta’s Iniala Harbour House. As night falls, a tasting menu of dreams at its restaurant, ION Harbour, is also one of life’s special feasts, crafted under the watchful eye of Simon Rogan. After a day’s exploring, head to the glorious Essensi Spa. Guests may be inspired to visit its sister property, Iniala Beach House in Thailand, a peaceful Phuket retreat. Iniala Harbour House double rooms from £341 per night on a B&B basis, inialamalta.com
FAMILY AFFAIR
XO Cape Arnna is a glistening addition to the Dalaman beach scene along one of Turkey’s cleanest and clearest coastlines. The five-star, all-inclusive resort ticks a lot of boxes with adultsonly rooms and pools; yet on the estate’s other side, it has a groundbreaking kids’ club — complete with animation classes, robotics lab and beauty parlour — plus a waterpark and heated pools. Wellness is also prioritised: free classes include Reformer Pilates. From £290, xocollection.com
NUCLEUS BEAUTY
BACK TO NATURE
Refresh your shower with Matiere Premiere’s newly released hand and body line in its hero Neroli Oranger scent, a blend of Tunisian Orange Blossom and Italian Bergamot that bottles the spirit of Mediterranean summers. Created in Grasse and containing between 88–92 per cent natural ingredients, the products are free of silicones, parabens, mineral oils and petrolatum. From £48, matiere-premiere.com
LIP SERVICE
Perfect for on the go, Rhode’s new Peptide Lip Shape comes in a range of neutral shades, ideal for low-effort summer makeup, from “press”, described as a warm pinky mauve (your-lipbut-better), to “twist”, a tanenhancing warm taupe. Creamy and easy to apply, it’s formulated with organic fenugreek sprouts to enhance lip volume. £24, rhodeskin.com
BEAT A RETREAT
For a full immersion reboot, check into DAMU, The Mandrake hotel’s new spa. Highly curated treatment spaces include The Mud Caves, o ering treatments with clays sourced from the Austrian Alps, and the WAVESSTM Origin Pool, where a blend of floating therapy, chromotherapy and lowfrequency vibrations are applied together to achieve a state of deep relaxation. damu.uk
SWEET TREAT
Founded by New Zealander Katey Mandy, RAAIE is a botanical skincare range designed to counteract the sun’s damage to the skin, using local ingredients such as Sauvignon Blanc grape seed and native red marine algae. The Golden Nectar Mānuka Honey Enzyme Cleanser purifies, exfoliates and nourishes while respecting the skin’s natural pH balance. £65, raaie.co.uk
One of my favourite meals of this year so far was at La Pyramide, the two Michelin-starred restaurant in Vienne, France.
The place has an amazing history (it was among the rst-ever threestar restaurants, back in 1933), and the food is wonderful, but the biggest surprise of the evening wasn’t the artfully blended ingredients or superb wines but the partner to a dish of crab with lovage, celery and caviar: a tiny white cupful of sake. This wasn’t the pairing: that was in my wine glass. It was an extra avour — a slug of savoury, delicately spicy liquid that complemented the marine freshness of the crab. And it really worked.
When sake is showing up on France’s nest tables, you know it’s time to pay attention. Several of London’s top hotels have recently installed Japanese ne dining restaurants — there is Endo Kazutoshi’s Kioku restaurant at Ra les London at the OWO, Shinji Kanesaka at 45 Park Lane (part of the Dorchester) and Miho Sato, the UK’s only female sushi master, performing marvels at The Aubrey in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. However, that is less surprising than the enthusiasm among sommeliers at some of London’s most interesting non-Japanese eating places — Honey Spencer at Sune and Isa Bal at Trivet — for matching sake to all sorts of unlikely dishes. They have realised how well its savoury note — the one the Japanese call umami — works with cheese, and what a soothing balance the creamier styles make to a salty dish. Once you realise that sake can work with fettucine and venison, as I did at Arva, Aman Hotel’s Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant, high above Tokyo, you understand that the sky’s the limit when it comes to creative sake pairings.
Sake can be served hot or cold, still or sparkling (yes, that’s a thing); it is sometimes textured, often perfumed, usually moreish. While in Japan, I tried as many sakes as I could, in several prefectures, and made with di erent types of rice. Until recently, Yamada Nishiki, from Hyogo Prefecture, was held as the nest variety for sake everywhere, but these days there’s a move to go local, just as there is in the wine world, with indigenous grape varieties.
In Hyogo Prefecture, to understand how sake is made and what makes one style di erent from another, I visited Akashi, a former shing village near Kobe on the south coast, that is now a city boasting the world’s second-longest suspension bridge. At the
RAISING SPIRITS
Japan’s national drink is enjoying a serious moment in the world of ne dining. Nina Caplan travels to the land of the rising sun on a sake discovery journey
At The Aubrey, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park’s elegant Japanese restaurant, there’s an exclusive sake label produced in collaboration with Tsuchida Sake Brewery
Akashi-Tai Brewery, where sake has been made for four generations by the same family, I donned a very unattractive hairnet and ventured into the production area. The challenge for a sake brewer is that rice has no natural sugars, and without sugar, there’s no fermentation. The solution is a benign rice mould called koji (also used to make soy sauce and miso), which breaks down the starches so that there is something for the yeast to turn into alcohol.
Before the rice goes into the brewery, however, the husk must be sanded away. The more the rice is polished, the fewer proteins and fats remain, so the avours are more re ned — and of course, the more the grain is whittled down, the more expensive the nal product becomes. A polishing ratio of 60 per cent (throwing away 40 per cent) is known as Ginjo; to be a Daiginjo, the polishing ratio must be at least 50 per cent. If the Junmai designation is also used, no alcohol has been added. So a Junmai Daiginjo is an especially premium sake, like a Grand Cru wine.
The rice is steamed in a contraption larger than me, then manually separated to cool the grains (I helped; it was extremely soothing). Once koji, yeast and water are added to the steamed rice, fermentation can begin.
Sake, says confessed “sake nut” Aidan Monk of Humble Chicken restaurant in London’s Soho, is a avour enabler: “it will transform a bite or enhance a dish that you didn’t think could get any better.” The restaurant, which has two Michelin stars, usually has around 35 sakes available and pairs a full sake “journey” with its tasting menu.
“We always have three to ve sakes on rotation at Sune,” says Honey Spencer. She likes the liveliness of a classic Daiginjo or Junmai Daiginjo with oysters and other fresh seafood, and a Nigori — un ltered, the natural wine of sake — with cooked sh and meatier dishes. At the moment, she is particularly taken with the tropical fruit notes of Kanpai Nigori “Kumo”.
And, she points out, you can take sake right through the meal. Sparkling sake makes an unusual aperitif (I am waiting, impatiently, for Akashi-Tai’s superb vintage version to make it overseas, although the non-vintage, which is already here, is also very good) and, says Honey, “we’ve had great success with Umeshus [Japanese liqueurs that involve steeping plums in sake] with the right desserts.”
There are so many possibilities to play with: not just avour, texture or rice variety, but temperature. I asked Natsuki Kikuya, a London-based sake educator who also imports smaller, more interesting breweries under the Museum of Sake label, what she thinks of hot sake. “In the UK, it was assumed to be a lower grade or a winter gimmick, but in Japan, there’s a move towards premium hot sake, and there are interesting ways to use
Sake can be served hot or cold, still or sparkling (yes, that’s a thing); it is sometimes textured, often perfumed, usually moreish
Clockwise from top left: Sune’s Honey Spencer says you can pair sake with every course of a meal; Kimio Yonezawa, pictured, is the fourth generation to oversee sake-making at AkashiTai Brewery, producing superb premium sakes, below; Toku Saké has attracted A-lister Cate Blanchett
temperature di erence in a sake pairing,” she says. Then there is very cold sake. Natsuki is excited about “phantom brewing”, where small traditional breweries collaborate with entrepreneurs who can help create interest abroad. She cites Toku Saké, a partnership between brewery Takasago Shuzo in Hokkaido, entrepreneur Anthony Newman and a certain Cate Blanchett (yes, that Cate Blanchett), who has signed up as Creative Director. Hokkaido is the coldest province, which enables Toku Saké to take the ancient tradition of waiting until the weather cools to ferment their rice — important, in the days before cold refrigeration, for preserving avours and aromas — and give it a smart
modern spin. Their Junmai Daiginjo, an alluring blend of creamy and lemony notes, is certainly headily aromatic.
But let’s return to the French. Régis Camus, the palate formerly responsible for PiperHeidsieck and Rare Champagne, is working with Urakasumi and Niizawa breweries in Miyagi Prefecture to produce sakes under the label Heavensake, while Richard Geo roy, for many years the man in charge of Dom Pérignon, now produces a superb sake called IWA, in Toyama, about 300 miles north-west of Tokyo. If sake is capturing the heart and palate of France’s gourmets, it’s probably time for those of us who love crab dishes and Champagne to start paying attention.
Clockwise from above: Heavensake is now overseen by Régis Camus, former Director of Winemaking at PiperHeidsieck; stylish interiors at Kioku Bar; urban vibes at Kanpai; an intimate experience awaits at Roketsu, London’s first kaiseki restaurant
THREE GREAT PLACES TO DRINK SAKE IN LONDON
Kioku Bar
An o shoot of the ne-dining Japanese restaurant upstairs, Kioku Bar at Ra les London at the OWO has a record player, plush seating and, in Anthony Yukio, a truly inspiring sake sommelier. The list is eclectically organised; so, when I asked him what his current favourite was, he picked a sake from the bar’s “Bubbles and Clouds” section. “Nichi Nichi Akitsu Yamadanishiki is a light, modern-style sake, all layered elegance, jasmine and white peaches,” he said, adding that this bottling is just 12% ABV — useful, for a dangerously moreish sake. kiokubyendo.com/bar
Kanpai
London’s own sake brewery (and the maker of the Nigori Honey Spencer serves at Sune), Kanpai in Bermondsey is the baby of Tom and Lucy Wilson, who went to Japan and returned as converts. They have a taproom and a selection of dishes prepared by chef Tai Nguyen, formerly of Bone Daddies. In short, this is a proper izakaya — sake and snacks in a chilled-out environment — and proximity to the source means this is the freshest sake on o er to a Londoner who hasn’t boarded a 14-hour ight. kanpai.london
Roketsu
Opened in 2022, this 10-seat establishment in Fitzrovia bills itself as London’s rst kaiseki restaurant (kaiseki is a series of intricate, seasonally oriented dishes). Chef Daisuke Hayashi trained at Kyoto’s three-Michelinstarred Kikunoi and his food is exquisite, with the sakes to match. There is an à la carte lunch menu and, even better, there is Bo-Sen, a small bar area downstairs, where those not up for a multi-course dinner can sip sake, wine, cocktails… or cocktails made with sake. roketsu.co.uk
THE ONES TO WATCH
Watches and Wonders Genevais the top global gathering where novelties are presented to the world bythe leading fine watch brands. SPHERE’s Lisa Barnard visited the salon and selects herhighlights for 2025 from adazzling array
Rolex Perpetual Land-Dweller was the talk of Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025 Florian Joye;
ROLEX PERPETUAL LAND-DWELLER GOLD OYSTER
Rolex Land-Dweller was the most talkedaboutlaunch at Watches Wonders this year.The completely new Oysteris inspired byvintage watches.With no specific complications otherthan a date, the standout elementis the design,with a barrel-shaped Oyster middle case and a seamlessly integrated bracelet. At the core lies the new calibre 7135, a self-winding movementand its innovative, unprecedented escapement, the Dynapulse.The dial features a laser-etched honeycomb motif,adding depth and texture. Presented as a collection of12 references and encased in a40mm Oystersteel case, the Land-Dweller comes in three metals: platinum, rose gold and Rolesor (steel and white gold).After seven years in development and as the basis for just 32 patents,this model is worth dwelling on rolex.com
CARTIER TANK À GUICHETS
Cartier is the undisputed master in reviving classics. It never fails to deliver and delight. This year, it has reintroduced the Tank à Guichets, a design that rst captivated its audience in 1928. Guichet translates from French as “ticket window”, a reference to the hour and minute apertures on its discreet brushed case. Also known as “trench watch”, it was popular with soldiers. This watch is completely distinctive. It essentially has no dial, apart from the two small apertures which display the time, with a jumping hour at 12 o’clock and a dragging minute at 6 o’clock. The case is o ered in yellow gold, rose gold or platinum, and maintains its predecessor’s elegant, slim proportions. It’s not just about aesthetics; it has a new movement, the manual-winding calibre 9755 MC, ensuring precision and reliability. Nearly a 100 years on, the new Tank à Guichets sums up Cartier’s ethos, honouring its heritage while introducing a mechanical complication that remains surprisingly modern. The cleverly conceived Tank à Guichets o ers a tiny window with an expansive view. cartier.com
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS LADY ARPELS BAL DES AMOUREUX
Romance is in the air and on dial. Van Cleef & Arpels has waltzed in with this enchanting piece of horology, adding to its track record of “poetic complications”. The stage is set on the dial, a scene where two besotted gures — one marking hours, the other minutes — frolic towards each other, meeting precisely at noon or midnight. It’s whimsical and delightful to behold, executed with Van Cleef’s typical meticulous detailing: enamel, miniature painting and gem-setting all contribute to its layered craftsmanship. For those, such as myself, who lack patience, the automaton can be activated on demand, setting the gures in motion when it takes your fancy. Housed in a 38mm white gold case set with diamonds, the watch is part of the brand’s high-art Extraordinary Objects collection. While the face is a scenic marvel, the draw is the precision engineering and craftsmanship — a mechanical love tale illuminated by moonlight. vancleefarpels.com
PATEK PHILIPPE 8-DAY CALATRAVA
It’s all about power reserve at Patek Philippe this year. This signi cant addition to its Calatrava collection, the Patek Philippe 8-Day Calatrava, is the epitome of technical subtlety. Housed in a white gold case with the brand’s iconic hobnail guilloché (braided band), it discreetly conceals a manually wound movement that runs for eight full days — no mean feat. A red marker pops up on the ninth day, not as an alarm, but as a polite reminder: it’s time to wind. The instantaneous day and date indications snap into place at 6 o’clock, while the power reserve arcs neatly at 12. The gradient blue dial, darker at the edges, anchors luminous white gold numerals and hands with crisp clarity. A product underpinned by the deep research Patek is famed for, its operation is fully accurate until the clock strikes 9 (days). patek.com
VACHERON CONSTANTIN LES CABINOTIERS SOLARIA ULTRA-GRAND COMPLICATION
Vacheron Constantin has done it again. Marking the Maison’s 270th anniversary, this made-to-order timepiece in Les Cabinotiers range, Les Cabinotiers Solari, breaks the record for the most complicated wristwatch. After eight years of development, an astonishing 41 complications are compactly contained within its 45mm white gold case, just under 15mm thick. At its core lies the new calibre 3655, comprising 1,521 components and protected by 13 patents. Notably, it introduces a world- rst celestial tracking mechanism, alongside ve chiming complications and 14 astronomical functions, including solar and sidereal time, and a Westminster minute repeater with four gongs and hammers creating a chiming sound. This will take you back to the Nine O’clock News Complexity extends to the double-faced design, showcasing a rotating Earth dome with celestial maps, orchestrating a cosmic ballet of time on the wrist. True to its reputation for high-complication watch-making, Vacheron has knocked it out of the park… again. vacheron-constantin.com
Built for the deep, the Panerai Luminor Marina sails into fresh currents with its most wearable and luminous dive watch to date. Luminor was launched in 1950 for the Royal Italian navy, and today it’s an up-to-the-minute interpretation of a military dive watch for professional divers. With this iteration, Panerai has done a rare thing — upgrading technical specs and not increasing the price. Panerai is synonymous with big, and it has not compromised on the 44mm case. However, the new Luminor is not chunky: it’s 12 per cent thinner and 15 per cent lighter, and o ers an impressive 500-metre water resistance, the deepest in the collection. Super-LumiNova® X2 enhances legibility by 10 per cent, helpful for submersibles as well as divers. Matched with supple straps or the new V-shaped steel bracelet, the PAM Click release system makes strap changes a cinch. Powered by the calibre P.980 movement with its 72-hour power reserve, this watch crushes the depths without missing a beat. panerai.com
PANERAI LUMINOR MARINA
CHANEL J12 BLUSH CALIBRE 12.1, 38MM
Chanel Blush powders and powers the shadows and shimmers of Chanel Beauty into the Maison’s watchmaking. It’s a nod to Coco Chanel’s reinvention of beauty and the colour palette crafted by Chanel’s Makeup Creative Studio. Its camaïeu e ect — a delicate gradient of pinks and reds — graces the bezel and indexes, glowing against the deep black ceramic case. Beating within is a self- winding manufacture movement, Calibre 12.1, produced by Chanel’s co-owned Swiss manufacturer, Kenissi. The matte, black-coated steel bezel and lacquered sapphire crystal ring speak to the brand’s mastery of contrasts. From the screw-down crown set with a ceramic cabochon to the triple-folding clasp securing the ceramic bracelet, every element re ects the intention of Chanel’s inventive Director of Watchmaking, Arnaud Chastaingt, to “put makeup on time to make it more beautiful.” Your blushes will be saved when you wear this watch. chanel.com
MONTBLANC 1858 GEOSPHERE 0
OXYGEN MOUNT VINSON
Montblanc 1858 celebrates explorers and mountaineers, and this year it has reached yet another peak. Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson honours the highest summit in Antarctica and Reinhold Messner’s 1986 ascent, the rst to climb the Seven Summits without supplemental oxygen. The 43.5mm titanium case includes a zerooxygen gasket to prevent fogging and oxidation, ideal for high altitude. The case is made from a composite blend of quartz bres, aluminised basalt bres and carbon carbonate. The distinctive blue, together with the gratté-boisé dial, conjures up the patterns and textures of ancient glaciers. The dial features two rotating hemispheres for world time, a dual-time function and date. An engraved luminous silhouette of Mount Vinson features on the caseside, while the caseback reveals a 3D laser-etched rendering of the summit. The anodised aluminum bezel includes luminescent blue cardinal points, and the blue-green rope-textured rubber strap with an adjustable system adds a functional, alpine-ready nish. It’s a watch built not just for telling time, but for enduring it. montblanc.com
TAG HEUER FORMULA 1
TAG Heuer enters the fast lane. As part of LVMH’s 10-year contract to sponsor Formula 1 (possibly the most generous sponsorship in history), TAG Heuer is in pole position to launch its sporty Formula 1 collection. It’s popping with colour, re ecting F1 livery, and harks back to the original Formula 1 watch from the 1980s, also on display at Watches & Wonders. There will be limited ranges for individual Grand Prix. TAG Heuer distils the speed and precision of motorsport into a watch built for everyday performance. The 41mm ne-brushed steel case and unidirectional bezel are designed for durability and functionality, with water resistance up to 200 metres. Powered by a quartz movement, it o ers precise timekeeping, essential under high pressure. The sunray brushed dial features SuperLumiNova® hands and markers for visibility — critical when timing counts. The steel bracelet’s double safety clasp and driving extension allow it to t securely over a racing suit. It’s a tool for those who know that for both the cockpit and everyday life, accurate timing is non-negotiable. tagheuer.com
ZENITH CALIBRE 135 GFJ
Blue is the colour! You may not be a Chelsea fan, but you cannot fail to be smitten by Zenith’s Calibre 135 GFJ, the spectacular launch to mark Zenith’s 160th anniversary. The new GFJ pays tribute to the founder (named after his initials) and the original Calibre 135 — a fabled 1950s movement which won numerous awards in its day for its precision in chronometry. “Blue” doesn’t do the dial’s hue justice – it’s a vivid, mesmerising lapis lazuli, set o by a subdial in iridescent mother-of-pearl, and an outer ring in deep, guilloché metal. This modern interpretation retains signature features, such as the oversized balance wheel and the o set centre wheel. It’s transformed by modern enhancements, including a hightech version of the calibre 135, a 72-hour power reserve and a new gear train reducing energy loss. The platinum case and white gold hour markers and hands contrast against the deep blue of the lapis, evoking a starry sky. After 160 years, GFJ lives on in name and reputation. zenith-watches.com
BREMONT ALTITUDE MB METEOR
The times they are a-changin’ at Bremontand they are back in the cockpit.The brand has a new backer, shrewd US investor Bill Ackerman, a dynamic CEO in Davide Cerrato and a new look The agship release for 2025, BremontAltitude MB Meteor, takes its name from the Gloster Meteor, Britain’s rst jet ghterand the aircraft used in Martin-Baker’s inaugural ejection seat.The original Martin-Barker seatin situ turned heads atWatches Wonders 2025. A featin its day,the watch has gone through the same level of trial, creating a directflight path between the old and the new.This limited-edition time-piece, 42mm Grade 2 titanium,is ergonomically engineered like an airframe for strength and lightness. It seesthereturnofthe TripTick® case, beloved of Bremont enthusiasts,in a slimmer form with redesigned lugs for comfort.The twin crowns o er pilot-ready control: one at2 o’clock fortime-setting andwinding, theotherat 4 o’clock for navigating the upgraded Roto-Click inner bezel. Super-LumiNova® indexes and the signature lollipop seconds hand — complete with a looped ‘ejection’ pull handle — add ight-deck air. Hold on to your seatand o you go. bremont.com
BULGARI WHITE GOLD DIAMOND SERPENTI AETERNA
Bulgari arrived at Watches Wonders Geneva 2025 with aplomb,and the Bulgari Serpenti Aeternamade astriking entrance. It’s the boldest reimagining ofthe House’s Serpenti (Serpenti Aeternita), encapsulating its transformation since 1948.With its eye-catching, sculptural design,Aeterna is awhite gold, diamond-set serpentine bangle that coils gracefully around thewrist. For those with an aversion to snakes, such as myself, it has little ofthe snakey about it, shedding the cliché serpentdetails such as the scales and snake eyes. Instead, it has subtle hexagonal etchings on the inner surface,which might suggestscales but are pleasingly geometric.The design is minimalist and,as Bulgari is famed for, exquisitely elegant. Adorned with pavé diamonds and crowned byan arrowheadshaped dial nestled atthe serpent’s head, ithas a concealed clasp, creating a uid silhouette.This is theYear of the Snake, but snake lover or not, the Serpenti Aeterna is truly covetable. bulgari.com
HERMES ARCEAU ROCABAR DE RIRE
A playful twist on Hermès’ storied equestrian roots, this limited-edition timepiece features a mischievous horse on the watch face. It’s brought to life with a 9 o’clock pusher that activates an irresistible “on-demand impulse” animation, where the cheeky horse sticks out its tongue. The miniature painting on the dial is based on the Rocabar de Rire scarf, by Hermès scarf artist Dimitri Rybaltchenko. True to the Hermès ethos, the production is intricate. Engraved by hand with traditional burins, the horse is hand-painted in kiln- red micro-layers. Horsehair marquetry, chosen by colour and cut, and placed strand by strand, forms the dial’s Rocabar-inspired weave, a nod to the striped, woollen saddle blankets of yesteryear. Housed in a 41mm white gold Arceau case, with asymmetrical stirrup-shaped lugs, the watch is powered by the in-house H1837 movement. With only 12 pieces, it’s horology with an equine sense of humour, reminding us that the nest craftsmanship can elicit a smile and get the bit between the teeth. hermes.com
PIAGET PINK GOLD SIXTIE
Piaget’s Sixtie transports you in a time machine back to the brand’s golden age. Wrapped in pink gold with its signature trapeze form, this gorgeous timepiece resurrects the rebellious glamour of the late 1960s. Echoing the curves of Yves Saint Laurent’s trapeze dress, the Sixtie blends asymmetry with elegance, embodying a spirit that’s instinctive, daring and unashamedly feminine. Its supple, uid bracelet with interlaced trapeze-shaped links ows like gold-knit fabric over the wrist, catching light with every movement. A satin- nished dial, trimmed with golden baton hands and Roman numerals, adds contrast to the richly textured gadroon bezel, alluding to the iconic Piaget watch owned by Andy Warhol. This is a watch every woman would want to wear. “At Piaget, a timepiece is rst and foremost a piece of jewellery,” pronounced Yves Piaget. The Sixtie picks up where that philosophy left o — shaping time with every curve and demonstrating that Piaget is the trapeze artist of all time. piaget.com
IWC BIG PILOT’S WATCH SHOCK ABSORBER
TOURBILLON SKELETON XPL
XPL is the watch that bounces back. IWC introduced Big Pilot a couple of years ago, a mechanism to protect the movement from extreme shocks. This year, it releases IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber Tourbillon Skeleton XPL, which combines an advanced shockabsorbing system with an intricate tourbillon complication. The system protects the movement against g-forces, something pilots in supersonic jets need to consider. The SPRIN-g PROTECT® system, a patented shock-absorbing mechanism developed over eight years, uses a cantilever spring made from Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) and an amorphous material useful for its elasticity and resilience. When external shock occurs, the XPL springs into action. The spring suspends the delicate movement, cushioning it against impacts and ensuring the delicate ying minute tourbillon remains unscathed. The spring design has been recon gured, with each of its eight arms tailored to the 56-part tourbillon’s dimensions and weight. Aesthetically, the XPL has a futuristic and minimalist design, with a skeletonised movement that reduces mass, also giving an opportunity to admire its complex mechanics (on the ground). Don’t wing it — this is the watch for the serious pilot. iwc.com
HUBLOT BIG BANG 20TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION: MASTER OF SAPPHIRE
Hublotis nowall owerin the watch world. For two decades, Hublot’s Big Bang has challenged watchmaking conventions — through colour, transparency, skeletonisation and high-tech materials.The innovative brand has been on the move, perfecting coloured synthetic sapphire and pushing boundaries on the science and the spectacle.To mark the model’s 20th anniversary, Hublothas released a dazzling ve-piece set, which showcases its chromatic expertise and its penchant for crazy colours:Transparent, Water Blue,Deep Blue, Purple and Neon Yellow. Producing such bold hues from an unforgiving material requires precision chemistryand technical nesse, especially in light of the Big Bang’s complex layered construction.Each 44mm case is matchedwith a colour-coordinated translucent strap and dial accents, creating vivid continuity throughout. Forthe rst time, the MECA-10 movement is housed in fully transparent cases, o ering an un ltered view of its architectural layout.In aworld ofhidden mechanics, fearless Hublot allows time to showits hand. hublot.com
Further highlights fromWatches and Wonders 2025 are published on sphere.com
HEAVY is the CROWN
It’s all change in the fashion world as a raft of creative directors move to di erent Houses, but the pressure has never been more intense with brands looking to their new leaders to transform every aspect of the business
WORDS SIMON BROOKE
or those who follow these things, the luxury industry’s game of creative director musical chairs has been quite dizzying — and it appears to be speeding up. John Galliano left Maison Margiela, while Michael Rider replaced Hedi Slimane at Celine, Adrian Appiolaza moved from Loewe to Moschino and Alessandro Michele has taken the helm at Valentino. Louise Trotter took over the
creative reins at Bottega Veneta with her predecessor, Matthieu Blazy, moving to Chanel. Meanwhile, Kim Jones left Fendi late last year. Talent and creative vision aside, sound business decisions underpin these moves. Alessandro Michele’s nearly eight years at Gucci saw sales rise from €3.5bn in 2014 to €9.73bn in 2022. Now its owner, Kering, which also bought a 30 per cent share in Valentino for €1.7bn — with an option to acquire 100 per
cent of the share capital no later than 2028 — hopes to replicate this success with Michele taking creative control at the house. Michael Rider was lured back to Celine, where he was previously design director under Phoebe Philo. At Ralph Lauren, he was celebrated for refreshing the brand’s signature preppy look; the aim at Celine is to recreate some of Philo’s elegance while updating the aesthetic to align with today’s luxury themes.
Opposite: The finale of the Loewe SS25 runway show by Jonathan Anderson. This page: Loewe Paula’s Ibiza 2025 bags
The role of creative director has changed considerably over the last decade. “Creative directors are no longer just responsible for designing clothes; they are now cultural curators,” says Damon Collins, a founder and creative partner at Joint, an independent creative agency based in London. “They shape the brand’s entire aesthetic universe, in uencing everything from campaign imagery and runway shows to collaborations, digital presence and even store experiences.”
Collins points out that these days, creative directors are treated like celebrities, with their appointments making global headlines and amassing cult followings. Their personal aesthetic and values often de ne the brand, making them as recognisable as the logos they oversee. “While past creative directors were revered primarily for their technical skill and long-term contributions to a House, today’s creative leaders are judged by their ability to shape pop culture, build community and
drive revenue across multiple channels. They are expected to be both visionaries and strategic business minds driving the success of billion-dollar global businesses, making their role more complex and more precarious than ever,” he says.
Whereas celebrity creative talent was once the preserve of just a few luxury houses — think Hubert de Givenchy, Coco Chanel and her successor Karl Lagerfeld — today, every high-end brand needs one.
Meanwhile, competition between luxury houses has increased and CEOs have felt under greater pressure than ever to identify and exploit new markets and demographics. With a downturn in the market especially among “aspirational,” for which read less wealthy luxury customers, the need for a lead creative to boost the bottom line is stronger than ever. Creativity and storytelling are crucial, but these days, commercial considerations are even more critical.
This page: Bottega Veneta products, designed by Matthieu Blazy: enamel 18k gold-finish sterling silver necklace; Supermercato tote; Eliot sneaker; Checked Intrecattio leather dustbag
Opposite: Giselle, from South Korean pop group Aespa, is a Loewe brand ambassador, Loewe’s viral Tomato Clutch, both from Loewe Paula’s Ibiza 2025; Michael Rider is Celine’s new creative director
“Creative directors are expected to create new products that reignite sales instantly,” explains Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute and co-author of High Trust Worth. “They are under the most intense pressure to deliver in decades. There’s way too much of the burden put on their shoulders as an individual to generate sales rapidly. It should be a team e ort across all functions of the enterprise.”
“There’s de nitely greater pressure on you to become your own brand ambassador,” says one creative director, who wishes not to be named. “There was a time when creative directors spent their time at work in private and then made a brief appearance at the end of a show. Now, you have your own publicity operation, including PRs and social media consultants, and the House will be looking to promote you more actively than ever. The aim is to develop a mystique around the whole creative process with you at the heart of it.”
The choice of creative director is not just driven by an individual’s talent and creative record. “Increasingly, it’s part of the business strategy developed by the CEO and the board; Bernard Arnault is involved closely at LVMH. They want someone whose gender, age appearance and persona t the overall brand image,” the creative director adds.
The changes at Maison Margiela bear witness to the growing incentive for creative directors to raise their pro le. Founder Martin Margiela has always been famously discreet and reclusive, refusing even to appear at his own shows. “It’s di cult to make a name if you cannot put a face on it,” he commented on a 2019 documentary.
However, John Galliano’s successor as creative chief at Margiela, Glenn Martens, creative director of Diesel and formerly of independent label Y/Project, is comfortable in the spotlight, equally happy to discuss his work and the world of luxury fashion overall. It’s worth noting that, welcoming Matthieu Blazy, Bruno Pavlovsky, President of CHANEL Fashion and Chanel SAS, referred to Blazy’s “audacious personality,” plus his “dedication to craftsmanship and beautiful materials.”
“Just as Hèrmes and Brunello Cucinelli have more of a team approach to creativity, I believe more brands will realise that the ‘creative genius saviour’ concept is a myth, or just a bet”
While the last two years have seen several celebrated names move from the head of one House to another, in other cases, their departure has opened up opportunities for less obvious appointments. A case in point is Loewe, where Jonathan Anderson has been replaced, it was announced in March this year, by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, founders of niche brand Proenza Schouler, whose fans include actor Natasha Lyonne and model Bella Hadid. Anderson has recently joined Dior Menswear as artistic director. According to Sidney Toledano, adviser to Bernard Arnault (LVMH owns Loewe) McCollough and Hernandez’s “eclectic creativity and dedication to craft make them a natural choice to build the next chapter for Loewe.” Jonathan Anderson raised the pro le of the House, exploiting TikTok’s army of luxury fashion fans and creating advertising campaigns featuring actors as diverse as
Daniel Craig and Dame Maggie Smith, the latter photographed by Juergen Teller.
Sales at Loewe rose from around €230m in 2014 to €1.07bn 10 years later. The thinking behind the appointment of McCollough and Hernandez is clearly to apply the agile creativity and independent mindset of the founders of a fashion start-up to a wellestablished luxury House. Taking the cool, feminine aesthetic that served them so well at Proenza Schouler, they’re expected to build on Anderson’s brand development, focussing on materials and craftsmanship — key elements of both Houses’ appeal.
As the power of celebrity continues its relentless march, the focus on creative director as a brand in their own right may well increase. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see the luxury conglomerates launching entirely new labels centred on the famous individuals they are risking their fortunes on,” predicts Damon
Collins. But don’t creative individuals need time out of the spotlight, free of the ravenous demands of social media, to nd inspiration?
Milton Pedraza, for one, is sceptical about the continued rise of the celebrity creative director. “Brunello Cucinelli and Hermès have a team approach to creativity, and I believe more brands will realise that the ‘creative genius saviour’ concept is a myth, or just a bet, and will rely more on consumer feedback, management judgement and a small creative team working as brand stewards, testing and learning their way to success and respecting the brand DNA while innovating at the same time. They may have a creative leader, but not necessarily a famous name,” he says.
Adored and fêted monarch of all they survey or workaday team player? Ultimately it will be up to luxury consumers themselves to de ne the role of the next generation of creative directors.
Clockwise from right: Jonathan Anderson is now the artistic director at Dior Menswear; the finale of the Loewe SS25 runway show by Anderson before his departure; Moschino AW25; Fendi SS25
David Sims
ALIGHT TOUCH
From timepieces to cars and everything in between, there’s a shift towards lowerweight design. Josh Sims investigates why luxury consumers are rethinking their “heavy is best” mantra
The product designer Benoît Mintiens admits he gets tired of explaining why his latest watch, the Ressence Type 7, which has a full titanium case and bracelet, is quite so light. “People ask me if there is anything in it,” he chuckles. “Then again, they’ve usually just been looking at Rolexes. We’re used to associating weight with luxury or higher quality. But in design and manufacturing terms, weight is just a cheap way of suggesting that. The association doesn’t actually hold.” Indeed, it’s an interrelation that is breaking down. The last year has seen the launch of a urry of products claiming to be the world’s lightest, ranging from On’s Cloudboom running shoe to Lenovo’s AI laptop, from Samsonite’s suitcase to Scott’s road bike and Helly Hansen’s down jacket. In the few years prior, we’ve seen the McLaren Elva, the world’s
lightest-ever road car, the Ultraleggera, the world’s lightest production chair and the Ming LW.01, the world’s lightest mechanical watch. Fellow watchmaker Richard Mille has emphasised that its watches are so lightweight that its long-term ambassador, Rafael Nadal, has been able to play tennis while wearing one.
Not for nothing are so many high-end products dubbed “air”, “lite”, “ yknit”, or something similar. It’s all apt for times in which, earlier this year, scientists at the University of Toronto unveiled the lightest and strongest nanomaterial yet devised. It can support a million times its own mass but also sit atop a soap bubble.
All of this, in part, is a product of our increasingly mobile lifestyles — we not only travel more, but we also move homes more frequently. “Maybe early nomadic humans
were more aware of the value inherent in things being lightweight than we are today,” suggests industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, a pioneer in the use of super-light high-tech materials. “Of course, an object can be dematerialised to the point that its lack of weight becomes problematic. But look at nature [for design inspiration]; by de nition, nothing is extraneous there either, yet the results are profound. I think lightness is becoming a way of de ning progress.”
Perhaps necessarily, too. After all, less material in an object means that fewer resources are used and that transportation is less environmentally costly. According to Oskar Zięta, designer of the Ultraleggera — weighing just 1.66 kg yet with an incredible load-bearing capacity of 1.2 tons — reducing weight is a response to sustainability.
“The future is ultralight because it is
From left: The Ressence Type 7 by Benoît Mintiens surprises with its lack of weight; the Ultraleggera is the world’s lightest production chair
“The future is ultralight because it’s responsible… It’s influencing automotive design, logistics and fashion, as well as art and design”
responsible,” he says. “It is in uencing automotive design, logistics and fashion, as well as art and design. Much as ecological responsibility still comes at a premium, lightweight is a luxury attribute now. It’s a symbol of quality, recognised by those who seek to streamline and reduce, who understand the direction in which the world is evolving.”
They, however, may remain the few rather than the many, and unsurprisingly so. Since the heavyweight has long been equated with durability, we’re almost hardwired to think of the lightweight as more fragile — because historically, with natural materials and simpler making methods, it has been. In the English language, “lightweight” still has connotations of the ine ectual or unserious. Numerous psychological experiments have revealed how sensitive we are to this idea: reduce the weight of a container by 15 per cent and we barely
notice; reduce it by 30 per cent, and suddenly we want to pay less for it.
Weight even in uences how important we think a thing is. Put a CV on a heavier clipboard and we deem the candidate superior, for example. The theory — proposed by Nils Jostmann of the University of Amsterdam — is that this is an e ect of the cognitive work required in planning and the physical e ort needed in moving a heavier object, along with the danger of it falling on us if mishandled. This leads us to consider it more carefully and so we think of it as being more important.
That’s why, in 1939, Henry Dreyfuss, one of the greats of industrial design, found himself in the John Wanamaker department store in New York City, watching shoppers and pondering why they would pick up the Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock he’d designed and then choose a rival model. Because, they
said, when he asked, the Big Ben felt too light. So he added an otherwise useless 85-gram weight to it. It became a bestseller.
Marek Reichman, the chief creative o cer of Aston Martin, argues that our perspective has shifted since then, in line with both the growing availability of high-tech lightweight materials and also our exposure to them. “The likes of carbon bre, for example, was once the preserve of industries such as aviation or Formula One, and now they can be found in everything from skis to pens,” he says, “and that has made us both more knowledgeable and appreciative of its value. There’s a kind of new performance-derived luxury.”
But nor is this lightness being applied solely to products we need to work in a speci c way — like sports equipment, which, thanks to materials science, has also lost weight without compromising its e ectiveness. A professional
From left: Vollebak’s double graphene lightweight pu er comes in at just 500 grams; GT110 suitcase by pioneering designer Ross; the 800-gram Carbon Balloon Chair in Delft Blue
tennis racket today weighs in at about 226 grams, roughly half what the likes of John McEnroe would have been used to. Sometimes it just looks cool. Nick Tidball, co-founder of Vollebak — maker of some of the most lightweight coats available — notes that sometimes highly technical materials have their own beauty and kudos, plus functionality. A carbon bre dashboard saves only a few kilograms on your Aston Martin compared to a more traditionally luxurious wooden one, yet over 90 per cent of customers now choose it. And then there is what lightness suggests…
Two years ago, Telmont launched what it claimed was the world’s lightest Champagne bottle — there is some purpose behind this, as a heavyweight bottle is usually required to counter the internal pressure resulting from all those bubbles. Last year, however, Johnnie Walker — after ve years of research and development — also announced the world’s
lightest whisky bottle. Now this may reduce the carbon footprint of its shipping to thirsty Americans. However, since whisky bottles have long been noticeably heavyweight too — often featuring large stoppers, intricate cut-glass designs, and for that all-important shelf appeal — this most strikingly suggests a fundamental change of mindset for its own sake. To be lightweight, simply put, is to be modern.
But does this mean that the heavyweight, in contrast, is forever destined to be considered positively antediluvian? The designer Marcel Wanders — who has experimented with weight through his one-o 800-gram Carbon Balloon Chair, made by forming carbon epoxy around in ated party balloons — argues otherwise. While lightweight materials are often easier to use and less energy-intensive in manufacture — “it’s much easier to drill a hole through a thin material than a thick one,” as he puts it — both light and heavyweight materials need
to be appraised on their own merits.
Indeed, for all that there’s a movement towards the lighter weight, he says, the internet — and the way it can connect low-volume, high-craft producers with su cient customers — has also allowed for the revival of a whole world of artsy products that use heavy materials, such as stone, oak, and raw concrete, to express their beauty.
“Quality isn’t just linear to weight anymore,” Wanders adds. “Each material has its own power. Something really solid, like an onyx bathtub, still punches you in the face with its presence, right? It’s poetic, wonderful and eternal. In contrast, you can also pick up something extremely light and be touched in a di erent way. That lightweight design still needs to be intelligent; otherwise, it’s usually just cheap. But the fact is that luxury exists at the extremes of weight like this now. Why? Because producing extremes is expensive.”
From bottom left: At 5.9 kg, the Scott Addict RC makes tackling steep hills much easier; On’s Cloudboom Strike running shoe uses LightSpray technology to fix the ultralight upper onto the trainer, cutting out the extra weight of eyelets and laces; the lightweight RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, designed by Richard Mille, worn in action by the superstar tennis player
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
Super chef Yannick Alléno, known as the reinventor of French cuisine, was recently awarded his 17th Michelin Star. In an exclusive interview with SPHERE, he reveals the secret ingredients of his success, from Pavyllon London to L’Abysse in Monte-Carlo
WORDS LISA BARNARD PHOTOGRAPHY TRENT MCMINN
am sitting with Chef Yannick Alléno at Pavyllon London at Four Seasons Park Lane and ask him where in the world he would dream of opening a restaurant. “The moon,” he replies, without missing a beat. As one of the most decorated chefs in the world, this may not be mission impossible. Alléno’s constellation sparkles — 17 Michelin Stars across 19 restaurants, second only to Alain Ducasse. In March 2025, his restaurant L’Abysse Monte-Carlo at the Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo was awarded two Michelin Stars after just eight months of opening, and last year Pavyllon
London earned one Star after six months.
There are currently three Pavyllon restaurants in theworld,with London being the most recent, and it’s set to expand. Pavyllon Dubai opens in the autumn at the new MandarinOriental Downtown Dubai, and Pavyllon Lyon École,the rst training restaurantin Yannick Alléno Group,will open later in theyear.The concept for Pavyllon is about everyday dining.“The brand came from Pavillon Le Doyen in Paris,” explains Alléno. “The ‘y’ in the middle is for fun [Yannick]. That restaurant created the link from three Stars to the city.Three Stars are
for special occasions, and Pavyllon is for all-day use. You can come for breakfast, a business lunch, or something light in the evening. You know you will have a wide choice of dishes, great service at the counter, and a nice wine list. It’s open seven days a week, so you don’t need to check your phone to see if it’s open.”
Dining at the counter is central to the Pavyllon concept, inspired by Alléno’s childhood, when his parents ran bistrots on the outskirts of Paris. Each Pavyllon (London, Paris and Monte-Carlo) has a sweeping counter. Alléno enthuses: “The
Previous page: Pavyllon London at Four Seasons Park Lane; Chef Yannick Alléno
This page: Alléno oversees all of the creative aspects; shown here with Executive Chef Benjamin Ferra y Castel
“It’s so much easier with a hotel, because around the restaurant you have a whole infrastructure and a crazy energy. You go faster and you go higher”
‘comptoir’ is fantastic for the proximity with guests. It’s the theatre of food. At a table, you’re in your own intimate space. The counter makes it easy to talk with guests.”
In person, this 56-year-old Frenchman is refreshingly candid, down-to-earth and funny. I ask Alléno how he has celebrated getting new Michelin Stars. One occasion is etched on his memory. He confesses that when Le 1947 at Cheval Blanc, Courchevel was awarded three Michelin Stars in 2017, he celebrated over lunch with his wife and a friend from Caves Legrand. “We started to drink too much of very good wines. Then I saw my phone ringing. Bernard Arnault! ‘If you have time this afternoon, I would like to congratulate you.’ I suggested the next day would be better, but he was taking a plane.” So Alléno got a driver and devoured two packets of Fisherman’s mints. “I tried to
stand up. He hugged me and thanked me for my passion. We had waited eight years for this. He said, ‘It’s the beginning of what we do.’” Alléno is still standing and Le 1947 retains its three Michelin Stars.
Breakfast and brunch are another highlight of Pavyllon. Sunday Brunch by Alléno, at Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, with a feast of superb pastries and inventive light dishes, was indisputably the best brunch I have had in my life. Breakfast at Pavyllon London is already a thing. Its Avocado Croast has had 30 million views on Instagram to date.
While Pavyllon has a recognisable formula, the focus is rmly on seasonal and local: “We purchase the ingredients close to the restaurants,” Alléno says. “The sh in Monaco comes from the sea in front of us, and we have our own sh sellers. We don’t transport food from France to London. We work with
suppliers: beef, lamb, vegetables, even butter and cream. You don’t have the same needs in London as you do in Monaco, where it’s 40 degrees.”
Alléno admits that London is not an easy market: “London doesn’t wait for me. There are so many great restaurants, so much energy. I look around and it’s very diverse, and very cosmopolitan. There is nowhere else like it. So Pavyllon London has to take care of these things. I want Pavyllon to be accessible and cool, and the prices are super-okay, if you look at the competition.”
Opening new restaurants is a risky business, and Alléno has a canny and proven model. He is a strong believer in partnerships between hotels and restaurants, so it’s a win-win. He doesn’t limit the collaboration to one group and Yannick Alléno Group works with Four Seasons, Monte-Carlo SBM,
One&Only, Cheval Blanc (LVMH), and soon Mandarin Oriental.
He describes the advantages of working with Four Seasons Park Lane: “It’s so much easier with a hotel, because around the restaurant you have a whole infrastructure and a crazy energy — sales, marketing, PR, HR. You go faster and you go higher. So when you have that kind of investment, it’s a big partnership. To support it independently would be impossible. For my brand to be linked with Four Seasons is fantastic.” The Hôtel Hermitage in Monte Carlo is another example: “It has an amazing terrace, views of the castle and the port, and a car valet. If a customer spills tomato sauce on his shirt, the hotel can change it. The facilities and advantages are extraordinary.”
But with a portfolio of 19 restaurants in the group, how can the Chef Honcho continue to retain high standards and remain in control? After all, Gordon Ramsay has held a total of 17 Michelin Stars and today
has seven. Chef Alléno, does this worry you?
Alléno’s response is that he oversees the creative aspects and is keen to nurture new talent (he has an o cial role as a mentor to up-and-coming Michelin-Starred chefs). He has a strong band of Executive Chefs, such as the dynamic Chef Benjamin Ferra y Castel at Pavyllon London, with whom he has worked for 10 years. Alléno explains: “I’m the Artistic Director. We have to put the new generation on the stage. When I hire new chefs, I ask them, ‘Why are you here? If you don’t work for yourself, we have a problem. You need to look at your own destiny.’ We give them the keys for their own success. My method is about freedom: freedom to propose, create, talk, share and take some risks. It’s a matter of organisation, methodology, precision and trust. And we communicate — I probably receive about 100 WhatsApp messages a day. It’s like they are my kids.
“When the chefs have a picture of a plate, I know what they need to change. Last week,
a young pastry sous-chef sent me a picture of a dessert. I said, no, you need to go in this direction. Two days later, he sent me back a new picture and I said, ‘I think he’s right.’ He was very proud. The dessert was perfect. We rank every dish. What he rst proposed to me was about 20 points, and today I’m pushing him for 70 points.”
Alléno is often described as “the reinventor of French cuisine”. Why? It’s all about the sauce, which he describes as “the verb” of cooking. He has been obsessed with sauce-making his entire life, and his hero is Auguste Esco er. Alléno’s signature technique is extraction, and he intensi es avours using a method known as cryoconcentration, which de es convention as it involves freezing and thawing ingredients. Precise cooking temperature and timing protect all of the ingredients from heat, concentrating natural avours and creating a unique texture.
Besides Esco er, what have been the
Left: Alléno also has a keen eye for design. Above: An exquisite dessert is served; the final flourish is added to a sou é
driving in uences in Alléno’s culinary career? It started with his family upbringing. Summers were spent with his beloved grandmother, who had 13 children — his mother was the 12th child — and an army of cousins. Three or four cousins would share a bed, top and tail. His mother, Isabelle, has more than a hundred nephews and nieces. His cousin Jean-Marc, 10 years older, was his “tuteur” and took the young Yannick under his wing. At 17, Jean-Marc worked in the kitchens and would take his charge with him. “I understood then I was happier with adults.” It was at his grandmother’s house that the young Yannick understood the importance of ingredients. The summers were about preserving food for winter, such as chicken in a bottle. His grandmother taught him that the quality of water was vital for cooking, and she always took water fresh from the well.
He also pays tribute to Alain Passard: “What he did is fundamentally important, especially with vegetables. In 2000, with three Michelin Stars, he stopped feeding people animal protein. He said, ‘I don’t want to poison my guests or myself. Maybe Michelin kill me.’” Luckily, the Michelin inspectors saw the bigger picture and L’Arpège has kept its three Stars since 1996, moving from rotîsserie to vegetarian. Finally, Japan. “I went in ’88 and fell in
love with the country. Their food is culture. L’Abysse is a mix between two cultures. I know perfectly what sushi is. I spent one week with Mizutani san [the sushi Master in Tokyo] at his personal place. He taught me the importance of rice, temperature, the time cooking sh, the importance of the rice. Sushi is a piece of art.”
Where does Alléno like to dine out in London? Poppy in Soho for sh and chips. Josephine in Marylebone, Claude Bosi at Bibendum, Core by Clare Smyth for three Stars, Taku for sushi and Scott’s for oysters. If he has any spare time, he enjoys visiting art galleries and enjoys kick-boxing. He has a keen eye for design — he pauses our interview at one point because the seam of the lamp shade is visibly facing the table. Wine is a passion, and he has a partnership with Michel Chapoutier, producing wines in the Rhône called Y/M. Asked what kitchen item he would take to a desert island, he rst quips, “Who with?” Then he asks if he can have two items. The rst is a bottle of Château Haut-Brion, and the second, a corkscrew.
What’s next for Alléno? His rst pop-up at Royal Ascot is in the pipeline. But my money is on “Alléno and Elon” launching in space. You read it here rst in SPHERE yannick-alleno.com pavyllonlondon.com
Above: Despite his undisputed success, Alléno is not resting on his laurels. A pop-up at Royal Ascot is next on the menu
The best is yet to come
Auriens Chelsea celebrates life’s Third Act, o ering residents an exceptional experience in every aspect of daily living
WORDS ZOE DARE HALL
The Spanish have perfected it with jamón serrano, the Scottish with whisky and the Koreans with kimchi. They simply know that some things improve with age. Whether they become more mellow with time or more piquant, they acquire a greater richness, depth of character and a compelling complexity as they mature.
As, indeed, do the residents of Auriens, the luxury later living community in Chelsea that has redrawn the retirement rules by showing that, given a perfect, nurturing environment, great things can come to those at a mature stage of life. Or as Auriens likes to call it, the Third Act; a ttingly cultured description for this well-heeled and worldly-wise collective of individuals aged 65 and over.
They will be the rst to agree that amidst the warm glow of Auriens’ private restaurant or speakeasy bar, where gentle jazz and Champagne ow, although the age of retirement may be behind them, they are far from retiring their minds or curbing their ambitions.
A rich programme of events features talks by famous authors and historians, as well as recitals by acclaimed musicians. Bill Wyman, Sir Michael Palin and Zandra Rhodes have recently regaled residents and Friends of Auriens — a carefully curated, invitation-only social circle designed to create connections and community — with colourful tales of their lives. Coming soon, actor Adrian Lukis takes a witty peek behind the scenes of Jane Austen, and musicians Michael Petrov and Rosie Richardson swap the world stage for this exclusive King’s Road venue in a night of Chopin and Rachmaninov.
Life at Auriens isn’t only about expanding minds, however; it’s also about improving tness and maximising wellness, with exclusive amenities that include a 15m pool, gym and spa, alongside a team of specialists
Above: When residents are in the mood for a movie, they can sit back and relax in the stylish onsite cinema
whose 30+ years of collective experience in advanced diagnostics, lifestyle screening and movement analysis form the basis of personalised and life-enhancing programmes. The results speak for themselves. A yearlong study of 20 Auriens residents shows an impressive 80 per cent decrease in visceral fat, 64 per cent more skeletal muscle mass and a 40 per cent reduction in cellular stress.
Auriens o ers all the bene ts and bespoke nesse of a boutique gym, private members’ club, concert venue, cinema and ne dining
restaurant combined. But there is one vital ingredient that they lack, of course: its ‘members’ are fortunate enough to live here too. The 56 apartments are available to buy or rent, exquisitely interior designed to feel as sumptuous as the large houses from which many residents have downsized, yet also o ering the consummate ease of homes where every detail is taken care of, thanks to the world-class on-site team, which includes a round-the-clock concierge and chau eur. That leaves residents free to relax or enrich themselves in any way they choose and — like taking a sip of a rich and complex whisky — relish the beauty of the maturing process. auriens.com
Top: Elegant spaces encourage conversation.
The world on a plate
From mountain tops to beneath the sea, innovative restaurants are blending incredible locations with the nest dining experiences
Ever since the Michelin Guide categorised its two-starred establishments as being worth a detour, ambitious chefs have been drawn to the allure of the out-of-the-way restaurant. The latest is Merlin Labron-Johnson, who last year re-located Osip (osiprestaurant. com) from buzzy town-centre Bruton to a former inn ve miles away surrounded by nothing but elds. This June, the chef will open four upstairs bedrooms to allow guests to immerse themselves even deeper in the Osip experience, but why stop at Somerset? Some of the nest restaurants in the world combine mouthwatering cuisine with jawdropping scenery and a location that will make you feel that you’ve travelled to the end of the earth for the meal of a lifetime. Here are six of the best…
WORDS BEN MCCORMACK
UNDER, NORWAY
Dining at Under is like slipping into a dream. Half-submerged in the Njerve Fjord close to the most southerly point in Norway, the one Michelin-starred marvel is part restaurant, part research lab and part underwater observatory. Designed by Oslo architects Snøhetta, the sleek concrete structure, reached on foot across a 12-metre bridge, doubles as an arti cial reef, inviting marine life to settle outside, while diners descend inside via an oak-and-steel staircase to a dining room sitting on the seabed ve metres below the surface.
An 11-metre-wide window reveals the icy North Sea waters in motion — cod and pollock swim by as a kelp forest sways with the waves — while on the plate, Head Chef Bernt Sætre draws from those same waters and the surrounding seashore: think langoustine with carrot and quince or monk sh with
parsley root and peaso. The tasting menu is as thoughtful as the textile-clad space itself, which darkens the deeper one goes down. With just 40 seats and views that rival any art installation, Under is a journey into the unknown — into avour, into nature, into something primal.
How much: Lunch/dinner tasting menu £103/£138.
Where to stay: The modern Lindesnes Havhotell is a short walk from Under along the seafront and many rooms have the same breathtaking ocean views. Double room B&B from £156.
It takes two hours from Cape Town on spectacular coastal roads to reach Wolfgat, a tiny 20-seat dining room facing the ocean in the Western Cape shing village of Paternoster — but the meal that awaits is worth every one of the almost 100 miles. Chef Kobus van der Merwe calls his cuisine “strandveld”, an Afrikaans word that means “beach scrub”: think shore herbs, seaweeds from rock pools and plants from the restaurant’s garden, picked and foraged daily by the chef and his small team from the unspoilt coastline a few steps away. These ingredients are joined by hyper-local seafood, lamb and venison on a seven-course tasting menu, which also includes elements that take several weeks to prepare.
Set in a whitewashed 130-year-old sherman’s cottage, Wolfgat is a personal labour of love for van der Merwe: shelves of vinegars and avoured salts line the walls of the sparsely furnished dining room, where
HOMESTEAD COTTAGE, IRELAND
On the wild west coast of Ireland — almost as far as you can go in Europe before hitting America — lies Homestead Cottage, a whitewashed gem that has withstood whatever the Atlantic Ocean has thrown its way for 200 years. These days, it is occupied by husband and wife Robbie and Sophie McCauley (he’s Scottish, she’s French), who created this cosy refuge two years ago. Indoors, it’s all agstone oors, reclaimed wood and a roaring re; outside, the terrace is perfect for pre-dinner drinks, with views that sweep towards the Cli s of Moher.
Chef Robbie swapped Michelin kitchens in Edinburgh and Kilkenny for this remote outpost, guided by an instinctive pull home (his mother was from County Clare and his grandfather was a dairy farmer here). Sophie runs the oor with grace, while Robbie cooks thoughtful, modern dishes rooted in Irish terroir — Liscannor crab with turnip; Aran monk sh with cauli ower; and East Clare fallow deer with celeriac. Local, seasonal and
regenerative is the ethos, from vegetables grown in the couple’s garden, to sh and seafood caught in nearby waters and tables made from old mill oorboards. The result is a place that feels not just rooted in Clare, but inseparable from it.
How much: Lunch/dinner tasting menu £73/£107.
Where to stay: The Doolin Inn is just a ve-minute drive away in Doolin village, which is famous for its traditional Irish music scene. Rooms are comfortable and contemporary, while immense breakfasts involve a tray of pastries followed by a full Irish. Double room B&B from £197.
Homestead Cottage, R 478, Luogh North, Doolin, County Clare, V95 KH30, Ireland, homesteadcottage.com Doolin Inn, 1 Fisher Street, Ballyvara, Doolin, County Clare, V95 CC79, Ireland, doolininn.ie
Kobus van der Merwe, Wolfgat’s chef, calls his cuisine “strandveld”, an Afrikaans word that means “beach scrub”: think shore herbs, seaweeds from rock pools and plants from the restaurant’s garden
diners watch delicious dishes being plated in the open kitchen; there is also a terrace overlooking the beach. Van der Merwe, a trained pianist and former classical musician, swapped Cape Town for this isolated spot on Cape Columbine, where his parents ran a grocery store. Wolfgat is quietly spectacular — re ned yet unpretentious and entirely unique.
How much: Tasting menu £58.
Where to stay: The boutique Abalone Hotel & Villas is a seven-minute walk from Wolfgat and has 21 bright-and-breezy guest rooms, some with ocean views and a private pool. Double room B&B from £83.
Wolfgat, 10 Sampson Street, Kliprug, Paternoster, 7381, South Africa, wolfgat.co.za Abalone Hotel & Villas, 3 Kriedoring Street, Bek Bay, Paternoster, 7381, South Africa, abalonehotel.co.za
BRAS, FRANCE
Dining at Bras is like visiting another planet — albeit one built from earthly materials of slate, glass and granite and embedded in a hillside overlooking the Aubrac Regional Nature Park in the Massif Central. But while the twoMichelin-starred restaurant might look like something beamed in from the future, Bras has deep roots in the region.
The family-run establishment was opened in 1992 by Michel Bras, himself the son of restaurateurs; today the chef’s son, Sébastien, continues his father’s culinary legacy with dishes as breathtaking as the view from the glass-boxed dining room.
The menu changes with the seasons, but always celebrates the produce that the Bras family have put on the map — Aubrac beef, garden herbs, wild owers — presented with extraordinary precision. The famed gargouillou salad, often comprising more than 50 individually prepared elements worked on for hours by half a dozen chefs, is a perfectly textured hymn, singing with the freshest- avoured ingredients. Meanwhile, the molten coulant au chocolat remains a globally imitated classic, never bettered than here where it was invented. Much of what ends
up on the plate is grown in the gardens planted by Michel, where owers and grasses thrive in a rugged landscape where nature is beautifully untamed.
How much: Tasting menus from £180.
Where to stay: Thirteen rooms onsite o er private patios, sweeping views, birdsong and pure escapism. The greatest luxury of all, however, is a babysitter to look after little ones while you immerse yourself in lunch or dinner. Double room B&B from £338.
Bras, Route de l’Aubrac, 12210 Laguiole, France, bras.fr Clockwise from above: Audacious architecture meets two-Michelin-starred culinary expertise at Bras; dishes are made using the freshest-flavoured ingredients; Wolfgat harnesses its oceanside location to source produce; beautiful presentation at Homestead Cottage, the dramatic Cli s of Moher are nearby
YNYSHIR, WALES
Why Ynyshir has only two Michelin stars is ba ling — it ticks every box for three. The journey alone is epic: a two-and-a-half-hour train from Birmingham through the glowering Black Mountains then a quick taxi ride from the nearest station in the market town of Machynlleth, or it takes as long to drive from Cardi . Either way, the arrival at the front door of a country pile painted in deepest goth black is, as the Michelin Man might say, “worth a special journey”, not least as check-in involves welcome drinks and canapés and a look at the raw materials for that night’s 30-course dinner: anything from foie gras and caviar to hamachi and a Milkybar.
Gareth Ward’s food is as theatrical as it is thrilling. Scallop barbecued and glossed in beef fat, or nigiri sushi deconstructed as blue n tuna, tru le and rice. Even that Milkybar reimagined as white chocolate
mousse with salted black beans — an umami explosion of savoury and sweet. In the open kitchen, Ward and his team slice and sear with ninja precision, occasionally interrupted by his kids’ bedtime routine. It’s all a bit mad — and completely magical.
How much: Dinner-only tasting menu from £462.
Where to stay: Ten guest rooms range from cosy options in the house to a trio of palatial alternatives in a new building sensitively designed to harmonise with the surroundings. A breakfast of Ward’s take on a sausage and egg McMu n is delivered to the door. Dinner, bed and breakfast from £1,224 per couple.
Ynyshir Restaurant & Rooms, Eglwys Fach, Machynlleth, SY20 8TA, ynyshir.co.uk
In the open kitchen, Ward and his team slice and sear with ninja precision, occasionally interrupted by his kids’ bedtime routine. It’s all a bit mad — and completely magical
MIL CENTRO, PERU
Virgilio Martinez’s MIL Centro, perched 3,600 metres above sea level in Peru’s Sacred Valley, rede nes destination dining. A 70-minute ight from Lima and a 90-minute drive from Cusco are required to reach this unforgettable eight-course experience, crafted from the Andean ecosystems of the mind-bogglingly beautiful mountain landscape. Unlike Martinez’s Lima-based Central (number one on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2023), which sources ingredients from across Peru, MIL focuses exclusively on the local area, with an in-house team of anthropologists and researchers working with indigenous communities to preserve ancient crops and sustainable food practices.
Each course climbs through eight di erent Andean altitudes in dishes that re ect climates from scorching sun to freezing winds; add another £225 and a further three hours, and you’ll get a guided tour of the surrounding elds, hills and Inca ruins as well as an introduction to the restaurant’s research arm, Mater Iniciativa, where sta share the fascinating stories and science behind local produce. Once guests are seated at the table, the atmosphere is serene, with panoramic views of the astonishing Inca ruins of Moray, creating a dining experience that feels like the culinary equivalent of a trek up Machu Picchu.
How much: Tasting menu from £272.
Where to stay: The Adenia Boutique Hotel is a 45-minute taxi ride from the restaurant.
Fourteen rooms, with a balcony or private terrace, are set in lush gardens with mountain views; Machu Picchu is a three-hour train journey away. Double room B&B from £183.
MIL Centro, Vía a Moray, Maras 08655, Peru, milcentro.pe
Andenia Boutique Hotel, Carretera PisacUrubamba, 28B, Peru, andenia.pe
Clockwise from above: The vistas from MIL Centro are food for the soul; dishes evoke the Peruvian landscape; Ynyshir, set in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains, o ers a 30-course dinner; Head Chef Gareth Ward hard at work
POWER RANGER
SPHERE editor Jemima Sissons puts the sleek new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster through its paces, navigating Austria’s alpine passes and considering whether she can justify a second car
Snaking up the mountain pass, whispers of cloud drift past us, pines that run the palette from moss green to emerald stand alert from shady woods, forming arboreal battalions. This is a landscape of silence; yet, at this very moment, it is punctuated by the mightiest roar. This is the 4.0 V8 engine of the new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster, the latest iteration of the Coupe (in layman’s terms, it now comes in convertible form). The two-seat, two-door £175,000 machine is, even for someone accustomed to the safety box of a family SUV, a dream to drive. The thrust of the engine as the car manoeuvres around the immaculately maintained Austrian pass roads is thrilling, but unlike some of the more highly tuned supercars, this doesn’t feel like it will run away with itself; more a smooth steed than an untamed beast,
yearning for escape. If I had that spare £175K, this might very well be my second car — so comfortable is the ride.
We have come to the spring ower-strewn pasturelands and peaks of Austria, basing ourselves at the new Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, with its breathtaking view of Lake Fuschl. Here, the sound of woodpeckers is joined by the gentle purr of shing boats and the hum of shermen’s chat. The handsome castle has had a varied past, but since 2024 has been turned into a sumptuous 98-room lakeside chalet hotel with a swim-in, swimout pool, spa and walls replete with Old Masters. The crystal-clear lake beckons for a morning dip to start the day, followed by a vitality-packed breakfast of bircher muesli and avocado, spinach, nettle and barley juice.
The procession of brand new cars rolls into the driveway, inching along against the
backdrop of the handsome citadel and dramatic hills. The design is a thing of beauty, with a swan-wing opening, sleek frameless doors and signature full-length LED taillights. It is also intuitively crafted inside, with a larger driver information display than previous models, wireless phone charging, a smart new Bowers and Wilkins music system with 15 speakers, voice control and an SOS emergency call system (something of a relief, as I eye up the precipitous curves).
Settled into the armchair-like leather seats, we take to the road. The car packs a punch, galloping from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The front engine rear drive can hit a high of 202 mph. It slips seamlessly through the eight gears (my co-driver uses the manual gears at a racing pace during his drive; I play it safe with automatic — still swift enough for me). Despite the threat of rain,
Previous page: The arrival of the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster (this model in satin titanium grey) heralds a move into the ultra-luxury car market for the company
Clockwise: The “simple yet refined” surface design; Jemima in the driving seat
Images: Andy Morgan
Clockwise: Details include Aston Martin’s signature full-length LED taillights, intuitively designed features such as a larger driver information screen than its predecessors and new 21-inch wheels
the skies remain perfectly clear and our roof comes down in the speediest time on the market — 6.8 seconds.
Top down, the wind whistling over my Boss hat (an Aston Martin brand partner) and snaking past patchy remnants of snow as we y by Hitler’s infamous retreat, Eagle’s Nest, my steel grey ride deftly attacks the curves, in its rather fun Sports Plus mode (avoiding the rather racy “Track” mode, which o ers a more F1 experience than “Sunday Spin”).
We pause for a pit stop at the picturesque Gut Steinbach hotel, enjoying Schnitzel and cured river trout, decompressing from our 90-minute spin, and soaking in the sunsoaked view of out-of-use ski jumps and cows munching lazily on knee-high grass.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the rst open-top Aston Martin Vantage models, launched in 1950, which featured larger carburettors and a higher compression ratio to boost power from the 2.6-litre twin-cam engine’s 105bhp to a formidable 125bhp.
The new direction of Aston Martin under chairperson and part owner Lawrence Stroll is to position the brand within the ultra-luxury market, sitting somewhere between Bentley (which “slows down time”) and the Italian muscle motorcars like Ferrari and Lamborghini, which, according to Aston Martin, “speeds up time.” The vision is to blend luxury, design and performance with a complete redesign from the ground up, including this new model.
“The Vantage Roadster is a fully reinvented experience that has all the bene ts of the Coupe, delivering a roof-down driving experience like no other,” says Aston Martin Chief Executive O cer, Adrian Hallmark.
Chief Creative O cer Marek Reichman has once again worked his magic, creating a car engineered “for real drivers.” “I start with the driver and build around it,” he says. Reichman has designed a larger grille at the front with more aero direction, a new 21-inch wheel, increased muscularity at the
“This new Vantage Roadster is a sculptural masterpiece… its form exudes beauty, its athletic stance conveys predatory intent, and its sound delivers a visceral, sensory experience”
back and an “almost impossible” front angle of the windscreen.
“This new Vantage Roadster is a sculptural masterpiece,” he says. “The resonant roar of its engine brings its simple yet re ned surface design to life, creating a connection that’s impossible to ignore. Its form exudes beauty, its athletic stance conveys predatory intent, and its sound delivers a visceral, sensory experience.”
Alongside this model, the other muchanticipated launch is the fearsome Valhalla, which is being billed as the “ultimate drivers’ supercar,” for those who want to join the queue for one of the 999 available soon for a cool £850,000.
As we return to base, we very reluctantly hand over the keys and bid goodbye to our beautiful base — and wheels — that have cossetted us for this memorable weekend. astonmartin.com rosewoodhotels.com/en/schloss-fuschlsalzburg
Clockwise from right: One of Gloria Swanson’s pair of Cartier rock crystal and diamond cu s, at the current V&A exhibition; De Beers Frozen Capture ring, oval 8.24 carat diamond, rock crystal inlaid with diamonds, white gold; Chanel No.5 Collection diamond and pearl ring with rock crystal “stopper”; Boucheron Iceberg necklace, frosted rock crystal, diamonds, white gold
SEE THE LIGHT
Not all gemstones need to be centre stage. Avril Groom sings the praises of rock crystal, the best supporting act in the jewellery world
Rock crystal is the jewellery designer’s reliable and unassuming ally. Reasonably priced and far from rare, the purest form of quartz is literally crystal clear and hard enough to be durable yet can also be faceted or carved; when it refracts light brilliantly, as today’s designers are rediscovering. It’s a perfect foil for all the coloured stones used currently, the ultimate punctuation point when things get orid, more interesting than a length of ne chain and demonstrating good sense of design. It is not just the designer who bene ts from rock crystal’s subtle charms. British designer Bear Brooksbank, who has used it for several bespoke pieces, says, “It’s one of my favourite materials — neutral but the best type of friend to any stone, providing a frame, backdrop, body or accent to bold colours without scene stealing. I’m also obsessed with monochrome, and to me, the classic Art Deco mix of rock crystal with diamonds and onyx is the sexiest combo ever.” Her bespoke transformable
necklace/bracelet with a detachable pendant featuring a hidden Morse Code message, as well as her crystal cu sporting a large, bright aquamarine, illustrate the contrast.
Its history goes back much further than the 1920s. It was used for jewellery and precious objects in ancient Egypt, Mycenae and Mesopotamia. By the Middle Ages, it was employed to house religious relics, visible to the faithful. A spiritual dimension emerged; the ancients thought it channelled spiritual energy while those in the Medieval period associated it with purity and wisdom, which nds echoes in healing crystals today.
As society secularised and the in uence of other cultures brought new styles and crafts, jewellers focused on it, and by the early 20th century, houses like Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron were developing intricate designs that appealed to markets from American tycoons to Indian maharajas. Initially, this was seen in the delicate, curvilinear garland style and by the 1920s, it was evident in the more minimalist,
geometric Art Deco, mixing crystal with classic coloured gems but, most of all, with diamonds. Two pieces in the current Cartier exhibition at the V&A crystallise that change — a 1913 platinum and diamond stomacher brooch, with the rock crystal bow and drop carved with extraordinary nesse, and a pair of 1930 cu s, owned by Gloria Swanson and created for exibility from slender half-circles of crystal de ned by diamonds.
pendant timepiece where a beautifully carved gold and diamond lion stands on a black enamel plinth with a tiny, diamond-shaped watch and underneath a semi-circle of rock crystal perfectly carved and engraved.
Art Deco style has become a de ning in uence, but change came when Claire Choisne, an outrageously talented designer, arrived at Boucheron in 2011. She cites rock crystal as one of her favourite stones and, inspired by the house archives but adding new twists, has frosted it, planed it to watch-glass thinness and inlaid it with diamonds or sapphires. Her most recent Carte Blanche high jewellery collection is inspired by Iceland’s barren land and seascapes, with crystal carved into concentric, diamond-scattered circles resembling expanding ripples from raindrops on a calm lake, or frosted, or left clear but backed with diamond pavé, like snow crystals glinting on a glacier’s milky ice. Meanwhile, Chanel harks back directly to Art Deco with the very grand Lion of Mademoiselle, a splendid
Elsewhere, De Beers’ Frozen Capture pieces are both Art Deco and modern, bearing geometric squares and lattices of crystal scattered with tiny diamonds.
Others have opened their eyes to rock crystal’s beauty and refractive qualities. Brussels-based Boghossian created an astonishing masterwork collection, Palace Voyages, last year, based on the architecture of 14 of the world’s great palaces, from Beijing to Brighton. The mirrors and ceilings of Tehran’s Golestan Palace are re ected in rock crystal carved from behind in a lattice pattern and surrounded by mother-of-pearl strapwork and diamonds. Also re ecting mirrors, lit by candles, is Parisian star Elie Top’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses collection, inspired by intriguefuelled 18th-century salons. A ring with a large crystal cabochon is inlaid with diamonds and backed with polished gold, which re ects a soft glow, while a rock crystal drop with a diamond at its heart and gold at its back is suspended from curlicues of blackened silver
“In the realm of modern artistry, rock crystal reigns supreme; its timeless elegance embodies the eternal allure of nature’s finest treasures. It’s popular again because true beauty transcends the ages”
Clockwise from right: Van Cleef and Arpels Treasure Island Collection Onde Mystérieuse box, hammered and carved white gold, rock crystal, diamonds, tourmalines, mystery-set sapphires, enamel; Bear Brooksbank cu , rock crystal with turquoise and diamonds; Boghossian Golestan White Hall earrings, white gold, diamonds, lattice-carved rock crystal, mother-of-pearl; Goossens brooch, natural rock crystal, pearls and gold vermeil
picked out in diamonds, on a golden torque — a love token out of a French myth.
While these pieces highlight classical techniques, other designers are giving crystal star billing in contemporary designs. With its 1960s heritage, Pomellato now adds milky crystal to the stone varieties in its Nudo collection, cut deep and mounted on rose gold as pendants and two-ended bangles. More accessibly, Italian designer Giovanni Raspini, known for combining silver with natural stones, gilds Roman-looking leopard heads for long earrings with natural, double rock crystal drops. Dutch designer Bibi van der Velden’s Tidal Wave earrings are subtly modern, featuring carved, abstract swirls of rock crystal graced with wavering diamond lines in yellow gold. Another surprise: at the crystal’s heart are tiny black threads as ne as angel’s hair — natural inclusions that some spurn but van der Velden adores. “In the modern artistry realm, rock crystal reigns supreme; its timeless elegance embodies the eternal allure of nature’s nest treasures,” she says. “It’s popular again because true beauty transcends the ages.”
She is not alone. Pomellato uses rutilated quartz — where the re ective threads are reddish gold — because, as their gem master
Stefano Cortecci explains, “a gem’s greatest value lies not always in its awlessness but in its distinctive character.” Fêted British designer Pippa Small uses it, alongside crystals with inclusions and Herkimer “diamonds” from New York State, which have diamond-like double pyramid ends and, she says, “extraordinary brilliance and lustre; no two are the same.”
Chanel-owned Goossens’ bold vermeil pieces with natural stones use crystal plain or subtly dyed, revelling in inclusions for their character. Grand Van Cleef &Arpels seeks out inclusions with special qualities. In their Treasure Island collection nature imitates, well, nature, in the Onde Mystérieuse box, adorned with diamonds, sapphires, tourmalines and enamel creating a seascape protected by polished sapphire crystal that contains tiny bubbles, that look as if they were released by the shoal of white and rose gold sh — a quirk of nature that bestows huge rarity value. Not quite what Small means when she says she loves rock crystal because “it’s beautiful yet humble, whether faceted or tumbled, a powerful talisman for millennia, yet still accessible,” but she’s right. As a unique collector’s piece or an a ordable plated item, rock crystal has a place in every jewel box.
Clockwise from right: Pippa Small Krustallos Maharani bracelet, 18kt gold, rock crystal; Giovanni Raspini earrings, gold vermeil on silver, rock crystal; Elie Top ring, rock crystal inlaid with diamonds, yellow gold, blackened silver; Pomellato Nudo Mini pendant, rose gold, diamonds, milky quartz; Bibi van der Velden Tidal Wave earrings, rock crystal with inclusions, diamonds, 18kt gold
KEY PLAYERS
Why have just one luxury holiday property when you can enjoy multiple? Thanks to the rebooted and updated trend of co-owning, savvy investors are enjoying dream vacation homes for a fraction of the cost
WORDS ZOE DARE HALL
Live like Italian nobility by owning a share in Viaggio Resorts’ Palazzo Ricci
From buying pre-owned Chanel on Vestiaire Collective to sharing your Sunseeker on Uber Yacht, the ‘what’s mine is yours’ ethos has wriggled its way into the highest echelons of luxury living.
Sharing is no longer a needs-must thing; it chimes loudly with the way many people — especially the alternative-thinking, digitalnative Gen Z generation — want to live. We’re lapping up designer co-living and co-working schemes. So why not co-own our holiday boltholes too?
Of course, co-owning holiday homes has existed for ages. The Americans have been all over it since the 1990s and fractional ownership of U.S. vacation homes rose by 20 per cent in 2023, according to Pacaso (pacaso.com/uk), the holiday home co-ownership platform that became the fastest US company to achieve unicorn status (a $1bn valuation) within ve months of launching in 2020. But in this new era of share-o-mania, some major players are making fractions cool. “Various trends play in our favour,” comments Joey Byrne, Pacaso’s London-based director. “Sustainability is key. Having multiple owners means the properties don’t sit empty. High interest rates and steep buying costs are making people rethink buying a whole home and rightsizing instead.
“Experience is also a big factor. You aren’t
tied down to one property,” adds Byrne. “Some buyers are drawn to owning a piece of several properties — a ski home in Aspen, an all-year-sun one in Mexico and a city dwelling in Paris for the culture and cuisine — and they can trade their weeks to explore new places.”
London is one of the newer additions to Pacaso’s portfolio of co-owned holiday homes in 40 global locations. The central, old money postcodes are the bankers, including Mayfair, where you can buy a 1/8th share for £1.31m in Three Kings Yard, a rare new-build development near Claridge’s.
“The location is AAA; it’s Mayfair’s only gated street, and we bought the property before it went on the market,” says Byrne. “We sold seven shares before we even closed on the purchase, and the rst owners were in there a couple of weeks after completion.”
Nearby, you can also acquire 1/8th shares in a three-bed, duplex penthouse in a period townhouse on Queen Street for £2.16m.
Behind the scenes, Byrne is cultivating relationships with agents and developers to get access to new inventory before it hits the market. Then the process is quick and easy for buyers. Most buy a 1/8th share, which allows for six weeks of annual usage, but you can buy up to half the shares in a property. Financing is available and you can tie up a sale in a week.
What buyers particularly appreciate about
city properties, says Byrne, is that feeling of cultural immersion. “We’ve got to know all the local pubs, galleries and bakeries, walking everywhere and feeling like locals when we stay there,” says Alison Davis, who is in her early 60s and lives in San Francisco’s Bay Area. She has invested in a three-bed at in London, where various family members live.
“We’ve owned several second homes, but we’ve only ever used them for six to eight weeks a year and had all the upfront expense, the hassle of furnishing, and all the ongoing costs of repairs, taxes and maintenance. We far prefer the fractional model,” Davis adds.
As for where next in the UK for Pacaso, there’s only one place on Byrne’s radar. The Cotswolds. “It’s a no-brainer — the London market is fuelled by US demand and London is the feeder market to the Cotswolds,” he says. August (augustcollections.com), a European co-ownership platform that is another high-pro le entrant in the market, is already there. Their buyers come from 80 countries, and they span the age ranges, “purposefully,” says Mélie Dunod, August’s chief executive and co-founder, “so you don’t have all the shares in one property owned by families who all want to use it during the school holidays.”
Along with a handful of properties within a well-heeled tranche of London between
South Kensington and Notting Hill, August has 10 houses in prime Daylesford Organic country, around the quintessential Cotswolds villages of Kingham, Little Minster and Moreton-in-Marsh. Prices start at €405,000 for a 1/21th share. “We never buy new. We look for authenticity. We go for something old and transform it,” Dunod says.
“It was a nightmare getting planning permission to fully transform Little Manor,” she adds of a sprawling Grade II listed stone house in the village of Blockley with its original Aga, freestanding bathtub and roaring log re. But buyers lap up the nished Cotswolds dream.
“It felt like home straight away,” comments Surrey-based buyer Victoria Addison of another August Cotswolds property — a cottage in Aldsworth that features handmade India yellow kitchen cabinets and a rustically imperfect wooden dining table.
“Tom can work from the Cotswolds and nip back to London for meetings,” she says of her husband, who works for a digital media company. “I run a start-up, so I can work remotely while the kids enjoy the local water parks and paddleboarding. And it gives us ve homes,” she says of their investment — a 1/21th share costs €435,000, with the use of other homes in the French Alps, the South of France, Tuscany and Mallorca.
So how does August choose where to invest
in next? “There are strict criteria,” says Dunod. “Each property must have certain authentic features, space, style and location. It’s not just which village or which street, but which side of the street. London needs to be elegant and sophisticated with high ceilings but not too classic, plus fun with many cultural in uences. The Cotswolds properties must have a retreat feel, with earthy back-tonature materials, playful patterns and
Clockwise from far left: A penthouse in Three Kings Yard, one of Pacaso’s impressive properties; Viaggio Resorts’ Palazzo Ricci blends 18th-century features with the highest standard of luxury; a 1/8th share in another Pacaso co-ownership home, Chelsea Gardens, is around £869,000
This picture: Viaggo’s stunning renovation of Palazzo Ricci is almost complete. Shown here, an Eligo Studio. Opposite: Parisian living on Rue du Bac, courtesy of August
We’re lapping up designer co-living and co-working schemes. So why not co-own our holiday boltholes too?
dining tables made from farmhouse doors.”
Handmade and local are part of the ethos. Dunod sources decorative pieces from antique shops, charity shops and markets. August has designed a bespoke scent for each location too. And hip young artist Coco Capitán is designing one-o art pieces for properties in Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona and Cannes.
Others in this luxury niche are bringing high-end bespoke properties, value for money and no discernible compromise. “We enable buyers to spend less of their capital on the acquisition and running costs while still getting the same use of the home they would likely get if owning it outright,” says Andre Berger, founder of Lazazu, which o ers 1/8th shares in beautiful properties in prime spots on the Côte d’Azur and the Balearics ranging from around €150,000 to €1.06m.
It’s a model that makes sense for developers and buyers too. “Developers don’t want a lower class of owner, but they want people who will pay less because they will use the property less,” comments Bill Thomson, head of Knight Frank Tuscany. He’s selling resale shares from around €500,000 for a one-
bedroom residence in Palazzo Tornabuoni (palazzotornabuoni.com) in Florence — 15thcentury home to the Medici; 21st-century home to wealthy international buyers who own a share of fresco- lled, Four Seasonsmanaged properties in a prestigious city centre palazzo with ve-star amenities.
The one drawback, says Thomson, is that you can’t use a fractional purchase to apply for residency. “But fractional is perfect for people who can’t spend enough time there to justify full ownership,” he says. “At Tornabuoni, you arrive and feel like you own the palazzo. Then you leave with no worries. Ownership is easily transferable, you can leave it in a will, and your investment will hold its value.”
Hoping to emulate its success is Palazzo Ricci (palazzoricci.club) in Italy’s Abruzzo region, when its epic ve-year renovation is completed in late 2025. Selling fractions in an 18th-century palazzo like this — which has been abandoned for decades — brings new life to a piece of history that would be ruinous for any individual to repair. Even selling full ownership apartments wouldn’t stack up for the developers Viaggio Resorts, says Valeria
Milano, Palazzo Ricci’s sales director.
Instead, a third of the shares have sold a year before the palazzo opens its doors, and they include digital nomads and young families, says Milano.
“There were waterfalls inside when we found this palazzo. Soon it will be a place where owners can relax and enjoy the authentic Italian lifestyle in a location that is wellconnected to everywhere in Italy,” she adds.
Shares in its 14 residences cost €89,000— €340,000 (which allows a minimum of 5.5 weeks usage a year), and buyers choose a ‘class’ of residence — rather than a speci c unit — which gives them the exibility of using various properties within the palazzo.
“They each get a large storage space so they can leave their possessions,” Milano adds. Owners also have ve-star amenities on tap, including Roman baths and a gym, and as part of the Elite Alliance network, they have access to a further 135 exchange properties globally.
Fractions never used to be fun. But that’s old-school thinking. The new players in the market are showing us that there’s a new way to make the maths work.
SWEET STUFF
For a summer break with purpose, Viceroy at Ombria Algarve o ers guests an introduction to responsible beekeeping in the beautiful setting of the Serra do Caldeirão mountains. Suitable for adults and children, the hotel’s Honey Harvesting Workshops are led by experienced beekeepers who give insights into the vital role of the insects within natural ecosystems. Guests are taught how to extract the honey before enjoying a tasting session. €290 for four people, viceroyhotelsandresorts.com
A PASSSAGE TO INDIA
MISHO’s first fine jewellery collection, inspired by Jaipur’s City Palace, contains gold repurposed from designer Suhani Parekh’s personal family pieces and gemstones sourced from Jaipur’s Johri Bazaar. A percentage of proceeds from the collection will be donated to PDKF, the foundation dedicated to empowering women and girls in rural Rajasthan. mishodesigns.com
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Looking for something unique?
Independent British jeweller Bear Brooksbank designs bespoke pieces for her clients from her Shoreditch showroom. Another reason to visit is her curated collection of vintage jewels, from Cartier bands to Art Deco cocktail rings and remodelled pearl earrings. Diamond-set bow necklace, £2,800, bearbrooksbank.com
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
British perfume maker Lyn Harris’s fragrance brand, Perfume H, also stocks a curated collection of culinary treats made in collaboration with small growers and farmers from around the world. These include teas from the slopes of Mount Fuji, lemon olive oil from Spain’s Perales de Valdueza Estate and Garrigue Salt with Provençal herbs. Its rhubarb jam is made using stems from the sixth generation of a Yorkshire grower. Jam, £20, perfumerh.com
RAISE YOUR GLASS
Distilled on the Isle of Skye, Talisker’s new limited-edition single malt scotch whisky, The Wild Blue, comes in a 100 per cent recycled bottle and raises funds for the Blue Marine Foundation, supporting projects aimed at restoring coastal habitats in the Solent in the South of England, such as oyster reefs. £82, taliskerwhisky.com
LIVING
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Known for its sleek designs in superyachts, private jets and residences, Winch Design reveals its first collaboration with Savoir, resulting in a bed that evokes the golden age of travel. The Tranquility bed draws inspiration from the elegance of 1930s ocean liners, with the frame echoing the sweeping lines of a ship’s interior. From £51,385, savoirbeds.com
SITTING PRETTY
Unveiled at Milan design week this year, Yabu Pushelberg’s Sen chair for Leolux blends sculptural form with function. This stylish piece is made with two inverted ‘U’ silhouettes, mimicking the movement of cascading water as it flows. The design studio also revealed its first-ever tableware collection alongside stylish hardware and luxe seating, working with a range of brands such as Lasvit and Salvatore. POA, yabupushelberg.com
A PERFECT SETTING
Having carved a name in design circles for their beautiful way with glass, LSA International elevates the table this summer with Collective, crafted from porcelain, ash wood and mouth-blown glass. The 62-piece range includes plates, bowls, serving platters and jugs, starting from £20. Founded in 1960, the company has been coveted for its organically hewn pieces, from whisky flasks to its Gio drinking glasses. lsa-international.com
SHADES OF NATURE
Known for their visually stunning wall coverings, Fromental reveals its first design project with upscale Belgravia boutique Bonadea. Hand-painted on pearlescent paper, the signature chinoiserie motifs are abundant with jewel-like tones, dusty pinks, lapis lazuli blues and sunshine yellows, evoking a garden in full bloom. Using traditional layering techniques, the meticulous process starts with a raw silk panel, which is then brushed with pearl washes and painted. £530 per sq m, fromental.com
NURTURE
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Snaking past ower- ecked pastures, snowy peaks in the distance, the terrain shifts from sandy dunes to oral, abundant life. After time in Marrakech and the Agafay Desert, the green-tinged solitude of the Atlas Mountains welcomes us with open arms. Following the devastating earthquake two years ago, Kasbah Tamadot has emerged renewed and the resort’s rejuvenated Asounfou Spa re-opened in October 2024. There are six glorious new riads o ering high-end family dwellings, with private pools and hot tubs. A delightful new kids’ club features arts and crafts, wooden toys and escapes into the garden to play “spot the snoozing tortoises.” Rooms from £426, virginlimitededition.com
THE HIGH LIFE
The Sta ord London is one of Mayfair’s hidden treasures, with highlights such as moreish Martinis in the American Bar and a 400-year-old wine cellar. It has now welcomed Michael Caines MBE as Culinary Strategist to its fold. The Raymond Blanc-trained chef will be taking the cuisine in a new direction at The Game Bird. They are also welcoming back Bertie’s in the courtyard for the second year, serving refreshing gelato and smoothies when the mercury rises. thesta ordlondon.com
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
Set away from the hullabaloo of London’s Strand, AIRE Ancient Baths is one of the capital’s most coveted in-the-know retreats. The low-lit subterranean network of Roman-style pools spans from warm to piping hot to wincingly cold. This summer sees the launch of a new treatment, the Argan Foam Ritual, where the body is enveloped in argan oil foam, followed by a deep massage, a facial with a jade roller and a scalp massage. The baths have also paired with nearby Great Scotland Yard Hotel for wellness packages in the capital. From £250, beaire. com; GSY rooms from £345, hyatt.com
BUDDING TALENT
They made a name for themselves with their sweet-smelling geranium and lavender-scented ranges. Now, to celebrate 20 years of the signature scent, Lady Bamford and her team have launched a beautiful range of geranium-inspired table wares, from delicately crafted white napkins with green cut-out leaf bordering to elegant tablecloths and scented candles to accompany them. Prices from £30, daylesford.com
A RAY OF SUNSHINE
Founded in New Zealand and fusing natural ingredients with next-gen formulations, Emma Lewisham’s products have garnered a strong cult following. This summer, treat skin to Lewisham’s Sunceutical range, combining SPFs made with zinc oxide to o er full SPF 50 coverage while leaving no white marks. With antioxidant-rich botanicals, skin is left hydrated and shielded even after a full day’s lounging. From £46, emmalewisham.com
NATURE
THE GREAT OUTDOORS | ECO-AWARENESS | SUSTAINABILITY
PASTURES NEW
Spend time en plein air in style with Tom Dixon’s first outdoor furniture collection. Inspired by Art Deco and crafted from lightweight yet durable aluminium, the range includes a dining table, chairs and stools that can be easily transported and stacked for oseason storage. Groove collection in Moss from £175, tomdixon.net
Images: Dream Destinations, Hugo Julliot
SILENCE IS GOLDEN
Ready to get away from it all? Rooted in the Māori concept of health, Te Whare Tapa Whā, Te Whare Ruruhau is a secluded retreat on New Zealand’s North Island, only accessible via helicopter, with no roads or cell coverage: just nature and an unparalleled view of the night sky. From £1,333, owhaoko.com
STEPPING OUT
When St Tropez meets Martha’s Vineyard: get ready for summer on deck with the new collaboration between French swimwear brand Vilebrequin and American’s heritage footwear label G.H. Bass. The pair have created two shoe styles: the “Hampton” boat shoe (above) and the “Winston” mule in tan, and both are rubber-soled, hand-sewn in nubuck leather and feature Vilebrequin’s signature turtle logo. Hampton Boater, £250, vilebrequin.com
POETRY IN MOTION
Named after the Odyssey’s enchantress Circé, Goossen’s Spring/Summer collection is a gorgeous tribute to the wonders of the sea. Statement necklaces, cu s and pins combine shells, baroque pearls and colourful hard stones, including turquoise, carnelian and green agate. The Circé Shell Brooch, below, is made of four textured brass seashells dipped in 24-carat gold and accented with freshwater pearls. £435, goossens-paris.com
Volume up
Lino Carbosiero MBE, Senior Style Director at the award-winning Daniel Galvin salon in Marylebone, London, reveals the insider techniques and timeless tips that every head of hair deserves
What advice would you give to people with ne, limp hair to help it look its best?
You have to be very careful not to over-layer this type of hair. I like to go much chunkier and make the lines blunter to thicken the hair through the cut. If you go ner and take more of that hair out, it goes wispy.
How do you handle styling for clients with cowlicks or stubborn sections that don’t want to lay at?
Go with it; don’t ght it. The ones around the crown areas are easier to handle, as you can cut a bit of weight into them, and it will help drag the hair down. For the front, you can blow-dry cowlicks in the opposite direction to make them at.
How often should someone get a cut/style? I recommend every six to twelve weeks.
What are your pointers for adding longlasting volume to at hair without teasing
or overloading on too much product? I start by rough drying the hair downwards from the scalp to the ends; this closes the cuticle. Then I add a touch of heat protector and some mousse, particularly in the areas I want to lift. Then my personal technique is to blow-dry the hair with round brushes and leave the brush in.
Why do you prefer round brushes over rollers for setting a blow-dry?
The versatility of a brush gives a ow you don’t get with a roller; you can position it almost exactly how you want. A roller gives a sti er look, whereas a hairbrush creates a softer feel.
What should someone look for in a quality hairdryer? Are the expensive ones worth it? I’m nding that many of these new hairdryers are extremely hot and obviously damaging — you need to be very careful using them. I’ve been using a Parlux for
45 years; it’s what all the hairdressers use.
Is it true that regular trims help hair grow healthier and faster?
If you grow an inch, cut half o . This way, you can ensure it’s growing healthily.
How many times a week should you wash your hair?
Some say daily, others say every other day, or even weekly. But if your hair gets very greasy, apply shampoo directly to dry hair rst to break the grease down before rinsing. Don’t just add water — oil and water don’t mix, and the grease will be harder to get out.
SPHERE will co-host an exciting evening on 10 September at Daniel Galvin, George St, W1 (danielgalvin.com). Lino Carbosiero and experts will demonstrate How to Achieve Red Carpet Hair.Contact hello@spherelife. com to enquire and look out for more of Lino’s expert tips at spherelife.com
Left: Lino Carbosiero is the Senior Style Director of choice for many celebrities. Below: The flagship Daniel Galvin salon in George Street, Marylebone
