FEBRUARY 2022 s ISSUE 092
Romantic Retreat
at The Fellows House Cambridge
Love Story Behind the scenes wedding stories
Style | The CHESHIRE Magazine
T h e Retu eturrn of
High Glamour S
ylvie Millstein’s muse has been quietly awaiting the return of high glamour. With Pre Fall 2022, the party season has begun and the HELLESSY women’s diary is now full of social engagements to long wipe away memories of her days cooped at home. Standout pieces include the ‘Clemence’ dress, a cape bustier mini dress in rouge stretch crepe with covered belt and ecru shirt tail. Other gowns come in the form of the ‘Luma’, a front twist belted shirt dress in an exclusively designed ecru chain jacquard satin, that nips in at the waist with a matching belt. A future classic that is truly a buy now, wear forever piece. Evening separates have been a core part of the HELLESSY dna since the brand’s inception. She continues her long love affair with taffeta as an always relevant, undated fabric that allows a woman to add drama to her day-to-day. Seen best on the ‘Lottie’, a one shoulder asymmetric drape top with bow that is paired with the ‘Amelie’ pencil skirt with side slit and a ruffle
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detail, both in a luxurious malachite green moire. It is also observed on the striking ‘Celeste’ cape bustier top, an opulent evening ensemble that teamed with any humble pant, old or new, ensures all eyes are fixated on the HELLESSY woman when she enters a room. A HELLESSY collection is never complete without a stellar line up of effortless minidresses, Pre-Fall is no exception. The ‘Thatcher’ blazer dress in a Hurel heritage floral embroidered satin with sleeve slits offers effortless allure and sophistication. Teamed with chunky boots for stomping around the city or stilettos for dinner dates. Newness comes in the form of the ‘Amandine’ mini shirt dress with padded shoulder and pleated skirt in sky blue satin chain jacquard. Full of girliness and charm, this playful style has an eternal youthfulness. HELLESSY extends their iconic party denim range with the introduction of chic ombré denim tailoring. Coming in deep shades of blue and black the ‘Kiyo’ jacket is the epitome of day-to-night ease with its tuxedo silhouette and elevated black lapel with contrast pocket square. Teamed with the ‘Romeo’ pant in this season’s bespoke HELLESSY wool houndstooth, which is completed by a floor-sweeping side drape to add an extra touch of elegance, the HELLESSY women is equally at home Uptown or in the Lower East Side. Velvet corsage adorned jeans are paired with poplin shirts with glove effect sleeves for an effortless desk to dinner outfit. This season’s standout tops include the ‘Ondria’, again paying homage to Millstein’s much loved power sleeves, this ruched babydoll style is for late summer nights in the city or exotic getaways. Coming in both a printed stripe faille which resembles a modern breton stripe and a malachite green, this bustier will be treasured in the HELLESSY muse’s wardrobe season after season. For a relaxed alternative that still exudes laidback confidence, HELLESSY detailed knits are best seen this season on the beautiful ‘Magalie’ off shoulder sweater in a deep shade of orange with bordeaux velvet ribbon and cutouts. The HELLESSY woman is never afraid to stand out, this season the ‘Mariana’ knit halter dress with its cascading scarf in beige navy stripe intarsia is for her. It’s still comfortable, like the ‘Annabelle’ belted cardigan with neck scarf in cobalt blue eco wool.
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Style
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Travel | The CHESHIRE Magazine
5 Minutes with LAURA BENEFER, GROUPS & EVENTS SALES MANAGER AT HYATT REGENCY AND HYATT HOUSE MANCHESTER HOTELS What are the benefits of your location? Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House Manchester hotels are located on a peaceful garden square, just steps away from Oxford Road and its eclectic, independent boutiques, offering effortless access to Manchester’s City Centre, its vibrant nightlife, exhibition and arts spaces and transport hubs. The historic Whitworth Park, which dates back to 1890, and the picturesque Grosvenor Square gardens are on the doorstep and the neighbourhood is home to some of Manchester’s finest cultural institutions such as The Whitworth art gallery and the Manchester Museum. Our location provides a multitude of different, yet all perfect wedding backdrops - guests can choose anything from atmospheric, historic architecture, pretty green spaces and even the modern, innovative spaces of Manchester’s new Circle Square.
Could you tell me about the event spaces available within the hotel? We are a bright, modern, contemporary hotel, with beautiful large open spaces which are flooded with natural daylight. Upon entering, you’ll see our stylish lobby, whether looking for a contemporary or traditional wedding, this area is a brilliant blank canvas for any type of wedding, and the marble bar beneath the grand four-story atrium makes for perfect drinks receptions. There’s also an impressive staircase which is a wonderful setting for group photographs. The staircase leads to a dedicated event floor with 441 Sq Metres of flexible spaces which cater for all manner of requests, from unique, intimate weddings in The Turing Room, to glamorous banquets in The Rothwell Suites.
“I have been planning weddings for many years and I am thrilled to be working closely with our couples to create their dream experience” 70
And then there is the jewel in our crown. The 18th Floor offers an exciting new place for weddings, private hire parties, meetings, and networking events – making up 363.6 sq m of flexible space with outstanding panoramic views through floor to ceiling windows across Manchester to one side and to the Peak District on the other.
Could you describe what wedding offerings you have? I have been planning weddings for many years and I am thrilled to be working closely with our couples to create their dream experience, one that is exactly right, perfectly tailored, just for them. Whether it’s a lavish wedding breakfast for 170 or an intimate ceremony, just for 2, we are here to help. We provide a dedicated wedding planner to manage every detail: flowers, entertainment, customised to ensure the perfect celebration. We work around the needs and requests of our couples and offer warm and inviting spaces to deliver unforgettable weddings.
How would you describe the hotel’s wedding dining experience? We have an incredible team of chefs, their creativity and passion can be seen and tasted in our threecourse wedding breakfasts, imaginative buffets and light bites and canapes. We have dishes to suit all tastes and budgets.
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Travel
an evening event whereas Cherish and Forever Packages are for couples looking to spend their whole wedding day with us including their ceremony and wedding reception. The Twilight package offers a fixed price of £2500 for 50 guests is a popular choice, guests enjoy a celebratory evening event that includes a buffet, DJ and a late bar till 1am.
As this is our love edition, please share with our readers details of one of your favourite weddings. We offer a range of suggested menus you can choose from but equally, if couples have specific menus or cuisine in mind, our teams will happily create bespoke menus. Of course, we have extensive and impressive wine lists, but we also love to create – and our incredible Bar Team are wizards when it comes to creating unique story-led signature cocktails and mocktails, these are a fun and delicious ways to impress wedding guests.
What makes a stay at your venue stand out from your competitors? We offer special bedroom packages for pre-wedding get-togethers, reduced rates for wedding guests and possibly the couples’ favourite perk - they receive World of Hyatt points towards free honeymoon nights available at any Hyatt Hotels & Resorts worldwide – these points can be redeemed at a time to suit.
What wedding packages are you offering for 2022? Whether you want to host a simple drinks reception or hold your full wedding day with us we have five inspired packages which help with planning and budgeting your event. Starting at £40 and going up to £95 per person, our packages are customisable and offer a great starting point for our couples. Captivate & Joy packages are perfect for guests only wanting to
I’m lucky to have experienced a great number of weddings, I always love the part when the bride walks down the aisle to their own choice of music. I’ve seen happy brides glide with smiles to all manner of sounds, from the traditional Bridal Chorus and Pie Jesu to lighter, happy and meaningful tunes, which have included Simon & Garfunkel and Donna Summer. My favourite moment from my wedding - and what I also enjoy seeing at weddings - is the part (usually) post-ceremony, when all the nerves have evaporated, and friends and family intermingle and relax together. Time seems to stand still at this moment and the day slowly melts into a love-filled celebration of joy.
And finally, what would be your perfect date night? As a mother of two, young football-mad boys, date nights are few and far between, so when we do get the chance my husband Dan and I head out to one of Manchester’s restaurants to sample their tasting menus. I especially love Tattu and the changing menus at Six by Nico, then I will drag a reluctant Dan to the nearest club to finish the night on the dancefloor. www.hyatt.com t: +44 (0) 161 359 5550 71
Drive | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Elect lectrr ic Dre rea am If this new estate version of Porsche’s brilliant Taycan electric car is the future, then James Fossdyke reckons it’s very bright indeed
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The CHESHIRE Magazine | Drive
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apoleon Boneparte had his flaws – not least an inability to get up at a sensible hour and finish the job he started – but he had the propensity for great wisdom. His preference for staff with luck rather than talent may not have worked out in the end, but he described time as a “robber who steals what is most precious to men”. With one thing or another, time has flown by in recent years, and the pace of change has been faster still. This summer marks an incredible eight years since the Tesla Model S arrived in the UK, single-handedly changing the perception of electric cars. No longer lambasted as glorified milk floats, they became desirable and interesting and sexy – something Tesla owner Elon Musk celebrated with the brand’s subsequent creations. The Model S was followed by the Models 3, X and Y, albeit not in that order. Tesla was the company that made other car makers sit up and take note of electric cars. By launching high-tech, long-range electric cars and a brilliant, bespoke charging network to support them, Tesla became the brand to beat. Despite the quality issues that have plagued pretty much every model, and the inappropriately named ‘autopilot’, which isn’t quite as clever as Musk might have you believe, Tesla still has a firm grip on that crown. But the door is open for existing car companies to take Tesla’s mantle, and that’s exactly what Porsche has decided to do. The Taycan (that’s pronounced ‘tie-can’, in case you were wondering) is the brand’s first attempt, and what a car it proved to be. Better built than any Tesla, better to look at and better to drive, it was instantly in with a chance. The only issues were a slight lack of practicality and the lack of a reliable, plentiful charging network. The charging network is not a quick fix – and it may well require some input from governments and the rest of the car industry before it becomes a realistic prospect – but the practicality side of things is much easier to sort. So Porsche built an off-road estate version called the Cross Turismo, which instantly solved the standard car’s problems with rear headroom and made the most of the already plentiful legroom. Unfortunately, jacking up the suspension and fitting some chunky plastic body cladding didn’t
do much for the Taycan’s sporty credentials, and that rather defeated the point. So Porsche took the Cross Turismo back to the workshop, lowered it, removed the cladding and created one of the most beautiful cars on the road today. It’s called the Taycan Sport Turismo, and it’s about as good as electric cars get. Going back to the height of the standard Taycan has revived some of the sportiness, making the Sport Turismo feel pretty much identical to the saloon car on which it is based. Unless you’re really putting it through its paces, there’s no difference in the way the car corners, accelerates or stops. And even if you do see any change, it’s barely perceptible. That means the Sport Turismo is absolutely brilliant to drive, despite its slightly numb steering. It’s very nearly as good, in fact, as the 911 sports car. Except it’s faster than the 911, because the first Sport Turismos to arrive in the UK will be the GTS models, which come with two electric motors and a massive 510bhp. Unless, of course, the car is in Sport Plus mode, in which case you get an even more incredible 590bhp. With power heading to all four wheels, the acceleration is instantaneous, and the GTS Sport Turismo gets from 0-62mph in a mere 3.7 seconds. It’s the sort of acceleration that makes overtaking outrageously simple. And to the outside world, at least, it all happens silently. But inside, Porsche has fitted this strange noise generation system that synthesises an engine sound. The GTS models – both saloon and estate – have their own particular noise, and it’s rubbish. It’s some horrible, hollow cross between a dodgem and an old MG sports car that adds nothing to the experience, apart from a moment’s concern that something might be broken. Fortunately, it only really comes into play in the sportier driving modes, so if you leave those alone you’ll be fine. Do that and you also unlock the ability to cover more than 300 miles on a single charge. Officially, the GTS Sport Turismo’s range is rated at 304 miles – only a handful fewer than the equivalent four-door Taycan – but slightly less powerful versions will likely go even further between trips to the plug. If you can find the right plug, charging from 5% to 80% takes less than 25 minutes, but a proper fill-up will take
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Home | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Design esigniing a Besp espo oke Wellness S uite with Gunc unca ast & KLAF LAFS S The new Cheshire showroom is now open where you can meet the wellness team in person, explore Guncast & KLAFS’ range of products, and design your ultimate home spa
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hen it comes to wellness, a tailor-made approach is always the best route for achieving results. Much like choosing treatments on a spa break, or even as simple as picking a scent for your bath, no person’s wellness journey is the same; we each respond to different stimuli and sensory experiences. Elevating the personal wellness experience to its most indulgent, Guncast & KLAFS deliver bespoke leisure suites for the home, providing clients with the opportunity to create a tailored spa experience. Our clients can choose from the very best spa products, including swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms and more, to create a comprehensive leisure suite which offers the full thermal journey. Gilles Darmon, Director of KLAFS in the UK, comments; “Over the last few years there has been a notable shift towards clients seeking the full wellness package in their home. Mirroring the most exclusive spa retreats, clients are often looking for a luxurious pool and hot tub, accompanied by their preferred
choice of thermal cabins such as saunas, steam rooms and more. Combining Guncast’s specialist pools with KLAFS state-of-the-art saunas, clients can acquire the complete spa package from us, creating personal leisure suites to rival any commercial retreat.”
A Personal Approach to Wellbeing Guncast and KLAFS’ have recently launched a new showroom in Cheshire, offering a chance for clients to meet the wellness team in person, explore Guncast & KLAFS’ range of products, and design the ultimate home spa. For those seeking complete relaxation from their pool environment, vitality pools are a popular option. Equipped with air and water jets, bubble pads and feature jets, they can be used for a mix of
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Interiors Homes Homes and and Interiors
spa hydrotherapy and targeted pressure relief. Another popular swimming pool product for families and those with limited space is the movable floor. Moving floor pools can be adjusted to any height, or closed off completely, making them a safer alternative for households with children and pets. One moment they can be used as a yoga studio or workout space, and with a click of a button converted into a swimming pool. To complement your swimming pool, Guncast & KLAFS have a variety of thermal room designs, each made to measure and entirely customisable to suit each user’s taste. The InfraPlus sauna seats are designed for targeted pain relief actions for the neck, back and shoulders. Meanwhile, several accessories are available inlcuding the Salt Pro X, the very first portable microsalt device for people suffering from respiratory conditions. Saunas can be pre-set with ‘moods’; personalised light settings, music, temperature and humidity. Further enhancing the tranquil atmosphere and promoting mindfulness, temperature resistant LCD screens can also be installed inside saunas, displaying personalised pictures or videos to help customers feel truly relaxed while using their sauna. Also extending the thermal element beyond saunas and steam rooms, Guncast & KLAFS offer a full range of wellness products, including caldarium, mud bath, hamam, tepidarium, ice fountain, ice lounge, snow cabin and full-body cryotherapy cabin, each individually crafted and installed.
Meet the Experts Event Offering a chance for clients to take the first steps in realising their own dream wellness suite, Guncast & KLAFS are opening its doors from 23rd – 25th February 2022 to prospective clients, architects, landscape designers and developers. The ‘meet the experts’ event will enable clients to discuss and design their indoor/outdoor pools and wellness areas, for the home, high end residential developments, commercial and boutique spa facilities.
To RSVP visit www.guncast.com, call 0161 358 0840 or email manchester@guncast.com Address: Guncast, Mere Hall Farm, Knutsford, WA16 6LE
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