Luxury London Magazine Winter 2023 by Luxury London Media

MAGAZINE

Winter 2023 £8.00

ALSO INSIDE

Extraordinary

MADELEINE MANTOCK

GIFTS for an

DESCRIBES THE MAGIC OF THE WEST END

ALEX MICHELIN HOW THE FINCHATTON FOUNDER IS TAKING THINGS UP A LEVEL

unforgettable

CHRISTMAS

MATTHIAS BRESCHAN

ON PRESIDING OVER A BILLION-DOLLAR WATCH BRAND

Jimmy “You have to be patient to learn. If you rush, you’ll never feel it in your heart” PLUS: SKIING IN SWITZERLAND, RACING ACROSS THE DOLOMITES, DINING AT THE REOPENED L’ATELIER ROBUCHON & CHECKING INTO THE UK’S BEST HOTEL

Home is where the scent is @MILLERHARRIS #MHMOMENTS D I S C O V E R O N L I N E AT MILLERHARRIS.COM

CONTENTS UP FRONT 13 THE BRIEFING The latest news from the world of luxury 34

ON LONDON TIME

Madeleine Mantock on playing the lead role in the stage adaption of Hamnet

C U LT U R E 38

THE AGENDA Your curated guide to culture in the capital

FROM SW9 TO 007 Fifty years since his James Bond debut, how Roger Moore became the unlikliest of 007s

DRIVE 52

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME

Maserati’s next-gen GranTurismo pays homage to the past while pointing towards the future

BEST OF BRITISH

In search of home-grown motoring purity 64

ICE ICE BABY Seventy classic cars race through the Italian Alps – what could possibly go wrong?

COUTURE 72

HIS STYLE

This season’s best all-terrain all-weather boots and statement-making parka coats

MATTHIAS BRESCHAN

The Longines CEO is targeting the next generation of watch-wearers

HER STYLE

Quiet luxury and cosy coats in which to stay cool (and warm) this winter

SHOES TO FILL

Footwear icon Jimmy Choo on why success is meaningless if not shared with others

ESCAPE 90

SLOPE AWAY The latest goings-on from Europe’s chicest ski chalets

SNOW COMFORT ZONE The spa-led ski hotel putting Austria’s Sölden on the map

100 POWER TRIP Can you enjoy a long-distance road trip in an all-electric Porsche?

HOMES & INTERIORS

126

110 INTO THE WILD Flora- and fauna-inspired furniture to bring the outdoors inside MAGAZINE

Winter 2023 £8.00

116 BEHIND THE FAÇADE Finchatton co-founder Alex Michelin is ready to write his next chapter 126 SKY HIGH Spectacular penthouses

ALSO INSIDE

Extraordinary

MADELEINE MANTOCK

GIFTS for an

DESCRIBES THE MAGIC OF THE WEST END

unforgettable

ALEX MICHELIN

CHRISTMAS

HOW THE FINCHATTON FOUNDER IS TAKING THINGS UP A LEVEL

MATTHIAS BRESCHAN

ON PRESIDING OVER A BILLION-DOLLAR WATCH BRAND

Jimmy

Choo

“You have to be patient to learn. If you rush, you’ll never feel it in your heart” PLUS: SKIING IN SWITZERLAND, RACING ACROSS THE DOLOMITES,

DINING AT THE REOPENED L’ATELIER ROBUCHON & CHECKING INTO THE UK’S BEST HOTEL

currently for sale in the capital 130 HOT PROPERTY A fantasy mansion on the edge of Blackheath Village

COV E R Jimmy Choo photographed by Max Miechowski, maxmiechowski.com, p.82

FROM THE EDITOR

WINTER 2023 Issue 34

t’s nice when things are done properly, don’t you think? When costs aren’t cut, when shortcuts aren’t taken, when no one says, ‘that’ll do’. It gives you a lift, discovering that some people still give a damn. At least it does me. As a magazine, we flitter around life’s finer things. The clue’s in the masthead. But I’ve always avoided asking anyone we interview for their own ‘definition of luxury’. It’s an awful question. And everyone always has the same answer. ‘Time.’ Bleh.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Richard Brown DIGITAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Zoe Gunn SENIOR EDITOR Anna Solomon ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITOR Annie Lewis BRANDED CONTENT & COMMERCIAL WRITER Hitanshi Kamdar EDITOR-AT-LARGE Annabel Harrison

The answer I’d give, if only someone would ask, is ‘anything that’s been done properly’. Anything that’s been done to an obsessive level. Anything that’s been agonised over. Anything that’s kept someone awake at night (you don’t mind losing sleep, when you really care). It has nothing to do with price. Or cost. It’s about giving a toss. It shouldn’t be. But it is.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Crossan Josh Sims

Thomas Heatherwick gives a damn. Not for him the race to the bottom. In October 2023, the British starchitect and founder of Heatherwick Studio – the mastermind behind London’s Coal Drops Yard, Hudson Yards’ Vessel, and Cape Town’s kooky Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa – launched ‘Humanise’, a campaign against what he calls “boring buildings” and “soulless cities”. Bleak buildings, Heatherwick argues, are increasingly contributing to people’s poor mental health. Stacks of research backs him up. Heatherwick is calling on people to get involved in architecture at a grassroots level. You can start by sending pictures of dismal-looking buildings in your area to ‘The Boring Building Index’ via humanise.org. If developers have to be shamed into giving a toss, then so be it.

DESIGNER & PRODUCTION Georgia Evans Louis Nassé

Compiling this issue was an uplifting end to the year, because it involved speaking to people who give a damn, often to a neurotic level. Jimmy Choo would design more than 100 pairs of shoes for each of his collections, even though he knew only 15 or so would sell (p.82). Madeleine Mantock put herself under so much pressure during her interview for Hamnet that she was convinced she wouldn’t get the part. She did. And now she’s the talk of the West End for leaving it all on the Garrick stage each night (p.34). One developer who has spent a career sweating over the finer details is Finchatton co-founder Alex Michelin. His compulsive obsession will be writ large in Portland stone when he opens Six Senses at The Whiteley next year (p.116). Other things in this issue that you can tell have been excruciated over: Bentley’s Flying Spur Mulliner (p.22), the menu at Mayfair’s new L’Atelier Robuchon (p.18), the position of the copper bathtubs at Berkshire’s Elcot Park (p.28), the secret bookcase door at Blackheath’s Granville House (p.130), and everything in our fine-dining-inspired Christmas gift guide.

HEAD OF DESIGN Laddawan Juhong

MARKETING MANAGER Tom Henry ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Fiona Smith MANAGING DIRECTOR Rachel Gilfillan BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Miles Dunbar BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS Asleen Mauthoor Daphne Kovacs CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGER Alice Ford CHAIRMAN Eren Ellwood

This year, choose gifts that have been done properly. You’ll find a tablescape of suggestions after page 50. PUBLISHED BY

See you in the new year. RICH ARD BROWN Editorial Director

6 SALEM ROAD, LONDON, W2 4BU T: 020 8152 7855 LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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The view of Bern, Switzerland, through the Japanese cherry trees in the city’s Rose Garden, p.14

14 The Hotel How Hotel Schweizerhof finally put Bern on the map 18 The Restaurant The reopened L’Atelier Robuchon pays its respects 22 The Car Bentley’s Flying Spur Mulliner is a beautiful beast 26 The Yacht Holland Jachtbouw’s Athos is named Refitted Yacht of the Year 28 The Staycation Why everyone is talking about Berkshire’s The Retreat at Elcot Park

01 THE HOTEL

Hotel Schweizerhof, Bern W H Y D O E S N O O N E G O TO SW I TZ E R L A N D ’ S F E D E R A L C I T Y ? Words: Richard Brown

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JACK’S BRASSERIE

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only know one other person who’s been to Bern. And he wasn’t meant to go. If you lose your passport while you’re in Switzerland, or any other country for that matter, you go online and fill out a form. If you’re legit, and maybe even if you’re not, the government will issue a one-way emergency passport. You’ll have to collect it from the local British Embassy. In Switzerland, the British Embassy is in Bern. You don’t need to lose your passport to go to Bern. But no one seems to know that. Because no one ever seems to go. Bern is the not the capital of Switzerland, even though people say that it is. Switzerland has no capital. Bern is the capital of the Canton of Bern and is home to the Federal Palace, which is where Switzerland’s national parliament meet. Hence the confusion. Below the dome of the Federal Palace is a statue of Nicholas of Flüe, Switzerland’s patron saint. Flüe was a hermit and a celibate who kept his nose clean by not getting involved in other people’s business. Switzerland’s perfect patron saint, in other words. The entrance to the palace is guarded by two bronze bears. You’ll see a lot of bears in Bern. They are carved into woodwork, printed on taxis, and rendered into cuddly toys to be sold alongside bars of milk chocolate and multi-functioning penknives. A bear gives its name to the local newspaper and appears in Bern’s coat of arms. Perhaps it is because bears are so inherent to the city’s sense of identity – Bern takes its name from the animal, after all – that the grim concrete bear pits at the end of the Nydegg Bridge don’t incite the sort of controversy they would anywhere else. The bears no longer live in the smallest pit. That’s now a gift shop. Since 2009, the bears have had the run of a section of riverbank next to the icy-blue Aare. The river snakes the perimeter of Bern’s Old Town, providing a natural ring-fence to the worst vestiges of post-war sprawl and tin-pot modern architecture. Bern is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. I’ve not checked where it ranks in all those Quality of Life Indexes, but I bet it’s right up there. The bear enclosure is nice enough, with trees and caves and part of the river in which the bears can fish and swim. But it’s hardly Yellowstone.

Hospitality is a game of dice; a punt that left Swiss investment firms increasingly exposed after 2004. Incoming regulation re-graded hotels as higher risk ventures. Interest on loans jumped from four per cent to as much as 11 per cent. The Qataris are less risk-averse than the Swiss, the have a lot more money. Between 2008 and 2017 they snapped up three of Switzerland’s big-league hotels – the Royal Savoy in Lausanne, the Bürgenstock Resort in Lucerne, and Hotel Schweizerhof in Bern. Hotel Schweizerhof isn’t so much a hotel as a 70-year-old brasserie with 99 bedrooms attached. Jack’s, said brasserie, is named after the restaurant’s longest-serving and most famous owner, Jack Gauer, whose family ran the Schweizerhof from 1939 until a few years before the Qataris arrived. It is a charming Art Nouveau coffee house with white tablecloths and mirrored glass and wooden panelling and leather banquettes. It still hangs broadsheet newspapers from wooden newspaper sticks, even though no seems to read newspapers any more. Jack’s is famous for its wiener schnitzel, which is bigger than the plates on which they are served. Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly dined here, as has Roger Federer. The restaurant is a time warp to the Belle Époque, which would have made it pastiche even when it first opened. Albert Einstein figured out that space and time could be pushed and pulled while living down the street. Perhaps he visited Jack’s. Maybe Jack’s was his Archimedes’ bathtub. The 99 bedrooms – going by the one we saw at least – are a mix of herringbone floors, solid woods, black tiles, grey marble, and fantastic water pressure. The public spaces, including the Lobby Lounge Bar, around which the hotel is set, are a mix of modern design and restored antique furniture. There are oldworld portraits and Paul Klee prints. You can’t fly directly to Bern. Which must be the main reason no one seems to go. If you take a train from Zurich (one hour) or Geneva (two hours), the train will leave and arrive exactly when it said it would. It’ll pull up in the Bahnhofplatz, which is in the centre of Bern, directly opposite Hotel Schweizerhof. If you give reception the heads up, they’ll send staff to meet you on the platform. Bern is a very civilised place. From approx. £380 per night, schweizerhofbern.com

You don’t need to lose your passport to go to Bern. But no one seems to know that. Because no one ever seems to go LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

02 T H E R E S TA U R A N T

L’Atelier Robuchon, Mayfair THE RELAUNCHED DINING ROOM OFFERS PERHAPS THE MOST UNPRETENTIOUSLY ENJOYABLE HIGH-DINING EXPERIENCE IN THE CAPITAL Words: Rob Crossan

come to this column with news from north of the border. Well, news to me anyway. As a half-Scot, I’ve long been impressed by how the nation of my forefathers has endlessly found ways to adapt calorific dishes and morph them from the merely gout-encouraging to the downright coronary-inducing. Lasagne pies, as well as macaroni cheese pies, are easy to find in bakers from Dumfries to Dornoch. But, in Greenock last week, I encountered my very first kebab meat pie. If you’re tempted to seek one out for yourself, they are sold in the kiosk underneath the main stand at Cappielow Park, Greenock Morton FC’s time-warp ground (‘stadium’ would be a gross exaggeration, like calling Bromley a ‘city’). I can report that the combination of hot pastry and curlicues of kebab meat are pungently well matched; particularly when washed down with a polystyrene cup of Bovril, which tasted like the essence of a butcher’s apron and a mountain of salt. What has all this got to do with the latest ‘tribute’ restaurant to Joël Robuchon, the multigarlanded Michelin starred chef who died five years ago? Well, the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland didn’t die with the Williamite Wars. The esprit de corps is alive and well in ways that extend far beyond a mutual loathing of the English. What the Scots and French still have in common is a rigidly unapologetic attitude towards their own cuisine. While the English tug their forelocks while shuffling their feet and saying sorry for everything from powdered eggs to turkey twizzlers, the French and Scots will, always, make direct eye contact while defending their commitment to the sybaritic pleasure that can be derived from their meals. In this instance, there is no difference between cassoulet from Toulouse or a bridie from Forfar.

What matters is the will of self-identity; quite rightly something that, in the culinary sphere at least, is impervious to self-doubt. The late Robuchon was perhaps the greatest acolyte to the notions of fusing simplicity and detail in his cuisine. A self-confessed ‘steak and pomme frites’ guy, his dedication to full-fat ingredients and pugilistic flavours is, I’m delighted to report, still intact, despite his passing. The way his ‘legacy’ restaurants have opened and shut in London over the last few years, however, is positively Byzantine. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon used to be located in Covent Garden, while his Comptoir restaurant was in Mayfair. L’Atelier closed down in 2019. Comptoir shuttered last year. Now L’Atelier has reopened. In Comptoir’s old site. The décor inside L’Atelier, on Clarges Street, one of the more malevolent looking Mayfair thoroughfares, hasn’t changed much since it was called Comptoir. That means acres of marble, plants galore, and a very long bar with ox-blood red stools that nobody seems to sit on as the banquettes are far more appealing. L’Atelier reaches for informal brasserie while serving food of far higher stature. It pulls it off rather well. Expecting the clientele to be a neo-mannerist melange of pulchritudinous thighs, cleavage and jewellery, I was surprised to find a relatively low-key crowd. Many of the small groups of diners seemed to be dominated by French women holding forth to appropriately cowed and awed Englishmen. When I said Robuchon’s attitude towards food was as unrepentant as that of a Glaswegian chippie proprietor, I wasn’t fooling. This is manifested in a menu that isn’t just scattered, but positively overflowing with foie gras.

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A full third of the starters and mains contain the end product of what is essentially a duck tracheotomy. And while the arguments for and against the continued availability of foie gras could fill up the rest of this magazine, I’ll resist comment other than to offer the following; food is cultural in every sense. What is considered cruel in one country is considered a pivotal totem of freedom in another. If you don’t agree with the process that goes into the making of foie gras then, like taking long haul flights or wearing leather jackets, simply don’t do it. Upon such free volition to make choices, democracies are built. I had the pigeon, a bulging, miniature haggisesque parcel plumped to bursting with bacon, foie gras and cabbage. That was preceded by pig’s trotters on toast with mustard. All were imbued with soil, earth, and those bosky notes of unrepentantly big flavours. Everything speaks to the legacy of what Robuchon wanted to give his guests: the fat, guts, sinew and love of the homespun; the provincial kitchengranny who flew to planet Haute but remembered to take all her childhood memories of the larder along for the ride. Portions are small; and that’s as they should be. Each dish, beautifully conceived and precisely

executed, is also absurdly rich. The plates look small but, trust me, you’ll be grateful for the kitchen’s restraint. Then, of course, there’s the famous Robuchon mash. Perhaps the secret behind this mash, revered as the world’s very greatest interpretation of the dish, is that nobody before Joël ever dared put this much butter into it. Either way, it’s as soft and reassuring as Alan Bennett’s tie knot, or the last stanza of If I Could Tell You. Robuchon has gone to the great sous vide immersion circulator in the sky. Yet, such is his presence within these dishes that I suspect for some of the evening that the great chef could actually be a modern-day Hermione (Shakespeare’s version, not Rowling’s); about to emerge from one of the wall cavities to tell the sommelier that the wine glasses need polishing. OK, The Winter’s Tale reference might not be entirely accurate. Hermione was a statue that came to life. There’s no statue of Joël in L’Atelier. Then again, there doesn’t really need to be. The grand master lives on through a menu of spectacular dishes. And, as the man himself would no doubt have said in a manner as direct and vexatious as any Scot; ‘If you don’t like it, then don’t come here.’ 6 Clarges Street, W1J, robuchonlondon.co.uk LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

Everything speaks to the legacy of what Robuchon wanted to give his guests: the fat, guts, sinew and love of the homespun

LEFT NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF ANDREA COFINI

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04 THE CAR

Bentley Flying Spur Mulliner WHAT’S THE OPPORTUNITY COST OF BENTLEY’S FLAGSHIP GRAND TOURER? THERE ISN’T ONE Words: Richard Brown

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ublimotion is a 12-cover restaurant located somewhere in Ibiza’s Hard Rock Hotel. You don’t know where, exactly, because you’re blindfolded on the way in. It’s a set-menu do, which works out around £2,000 per head. That makes Sublimotion the most expensive fixed-dining restaurant in the world. Some people book for that reason alone. And that’s fair enough. Several years ago the restaurant had a couple of dropouts. My wife and I were on the island for a ‘piece’ I was ‘researching’ that would ‘explore’ how the White Isle was trying to shed its skin as a mass-market madhouse and emerge as an upmarket playground for the super-rich (Ibiza will always be all things to all people, of course). The PR for Sublimotion asked if we’d like to nab the spaces. I’d only packed shorts, but the restaurant didn’t seem to mind. The Hard Rock Hotel isn’t known for its puritanical dress code. Sublimotion isn’t a restaurant. Just as the Sphere in Las Vegas isn’t a music venue. It’s a theatre production that takes place inside a 360-degree, highdefinition digital dome – not unlike a mini-Sphere, come to think of it. Each season, Michelin maestro Paco Roncero, who is often described as ‘the Spanish Heston Blumenthal’, unless you are Spanish, in which case he’s just Paco Roncero, comes up with a 20-course tasting menu that bounces between countries. There are talking placemats, levitating plates, skydives, rollercoaster rides, sharks, mountains, and dishes that float out of the kitchen attached to mini hot-air balloons. Dessert was painted onto our plates. It was a three-and-a-half-hour round trip.

Whenever I mention that I’ve been to Sublimotion, which is as often as I can, everyone has the same question. Is it worth the money? “Yes,” I say. “Because there is nothing else like it.” The Flying Spur Mulliner is a four-door grand tourer from Volkswagen-owned Bentley. It is available in three formats: as a V6 plug-in hybrid, with a 4.0-litre V8 engine, or with Volkswagen’s legendary twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12. Prices for the range-topping W12 model, which I got to drive, start from £251,800. That makes the Flying Spur Mulliner the most expensive production car Bentley has ever made. Barring the Rolls-Royce Ghost, which is a different car altogether, it also makes the Flying Spur Mulliner the world’s most expensive four-door saloon (the Phantom is a limousine, not a real car). So, is it worth the money? Let’s start with that W12. The engine of choice of aircraft manufacturers in the 1920s and ’30s, only Volkswagen, and mad-as-a-bat Dutch sportscar-maker Spyker, has ever attempted to stick one in a car. The VW Touareg was offered in W12 format, for a time, but that didn’t make much sense. Today, the engine – essentially two V6s sandwiched together – is reserved for Bentley’s Bentayga, Continental GT and the Flying Spur. In the case of the latter, that means 0 to 60mph in a silly 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 207mph. Faster – I checked – than BMW’s turbocharged 7 Series, any Audi A8, and every Porsche Panamera expect for that nutty Turbo S version. How does the Flying Spur handle? I once drove a Continental GT from Beverly Hills to Malibu. The LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

Barring the Rolls-Royce Ghost... the Flying Spur Mulliner is the world’s most expensive four-door saloon . So, is it worth the money?

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Flying Spur is 50 centimetres longer and has two extra doors. It is no more sluggish. There is no more understeer. That’s because the Flying Spur is closer to the ground than the supposedly sportier Continental GT and only a few kilograms heavier (weirdly, the Continental GT actually offers more boot space). You’re working with the same gearbox and the same amount of torque. The big difference is that in the Flying Spur you’ve got all-wheel drive and allwheel steering – a Bentley first. If the car detects a slip, power is sent from the back to the front. The Flying Spur should handle like a bus. It corners like a Porsche 911. It is ridiculously easy to drive. The front of the Flying Spur is bug-eyed and blingy and has a grille out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? It is better from the side, from where you can see that the latest model is sleeker, longer and more angled than previous versions. It is both sporty and sumptuous. It has a celebrity-in-the-wild presence. Like seeing Brad Pitt in your local butchers. Only Rolls-Royce can hold a candle up to Bentley’s interiors. In the Mulliner, which you

can customise to look like the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, there are illuminated treadplates, hand-stitched piping, and carpets you want to lie on next to an open fire. Naked. Every decision has been obsessed over. Nobs have kept people awake. Trims have induced cold sweats. Buttons have gotten people out of bed. At no point did anyone shrug their shoulder and say, ‘that’ll do.’ They would have been taken out back and shot. In a world where everything is increasingly crap, it’s nice to know that some people still care. Really care. Other things that exist in a league of their own: Hamilton the musical, Japanese bullet trains, Henry vacuum cleaners. Sublimotion and the Sphere are from the future; the Flying Spur Mulliner is from the past. In fact, the W12 version is soon to be consigned to history. Bentley will stop making the engine after April 2024. Order one while you can. There is nothing else like it. bentleymotors.com

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04 T H E YA C H T

Athos, Holland Jachtbouw THE WORLD’S LARGEST PRIVATELY-OWNED TWO-MASTED SCHOONER IS NAMED BEST REFITTED YACHT OF 2023 Words: Anna Solomon

he World Superyacht Awards are to boats what the Academy Awards are to actors. The accolades, bestowed by BOAT International, identify the crème de la crème of the yachting world across a selection of categories, ranging from Motor and Sailing Yacht of the Year to the Legacy Award and numerous Judges’ Special Awards. This year saw 63.25-metre sailing yacht, Athos, named Refitted Yacht of 2023, which you might say was like Leonardo DiCaprio’s finally taking home the Oscar for The Revenant. Athos was built by Dutch shipyard Holland Jachtbouw for the purpose of circumnavigating the globe. To make sure she was up to the job, Athos’ current owner chartered the vessel for a year in order to “get the feel of her”; he “absolutely fell in love” and committed to the purchase, making Athos the world’s largest privately-owned two-masted schooner. After the boat changed hands in September 2021, Athos was checked into Royal Huisman’s Huisfit yard in Amsterdam, where she stayed for more than a year. During the overhaul – overseen by Andre Hoek, Athos’ original naval architect – key guest and owner areas were transformed, as was crew operation and the vessel’s overall look. Athos’ stern was extended to create a larger cockpit adjoining the owner’s cabin, and the navigation station was repositioned to a new deckhouse just aft of the foremast. The yacht was given new booms, new sails and new lightweight carbon-fibre rigging. Athos re-emerged in November 2022 a full 1.25 metres longer. The judges at BOAT International considered her improvement so marked that they declared it the most impressive refit of 2023. Post renovation, Athos combines a comfortable cruising speed of 10 knots – and a maximum speed of 17 knots – with modern amenities, including a cinema. There is accommodation for up to 12 guests in five cabins in what is now considered one of the most technologically-sophisticated classic sailing yachts on the water. yachtathos.com

05 T H E S T AY C A T I O N

The Retreat at Elcot Park, Berkshire WITHIN A YEAR OF OPENING, THE RETREAT AT ELCOT PARK WAS NAMED AS THE TIMES’ AND

THE SUNDAY TIMES’ HOTEL OF 2023. SO, WHAT MAKES THIS BERKSHIRE BOLTHOLE SO SPECIAL? Words: Annabel Harrison

here’s a lot of pressure on British countryside hotels to deliver five-star service in a vanishingly short amount of time. Guests travelling to Meribel or the Maldives or Mykonos are likely to be unpacking for a few nights minimum: plenty of time for hotels to dazzle with a weekly carousel of USPs, and for newcomers to explore, unwind and entirely immerse themselves skiing or snorkelling or sizing up beach bars. A bucolic break in the UK on the other hand? They’ve probably only got a night or two to impress you. In my case, The Retreat at Elcot Park had a mere 18 hours. Not long, especially given my elevated expectations given the fact it had just been named The Times and The Sunday Times’ UK Hotel of 2023. What, then, is needed to make such a short stay worth the travel, cost and, for anyone with small kids, the admin of offloading the little ones? There are a few tick boxes. Beautiful grounds. Statement interiors unique enough to differentiate from the – realistically – dozens of similar hotels I have visited in the name of ‘work’. Decent cocktails and a restaurant that has atmosphere, great food and lovely staff. At least one pool, as well as blissful treatments and spa facilities

in tip-top condition. Oh, and some miscellaneous quirks (more on this later). First off, aided by having only opened last year, The Retreat at Elcot Park is in immaculate condition – both inside and throughout its beautiful grounds. The skies were grey (this is, of course, still England) but the croquet set on the lawn gives me a vision of how the hotel would have looked in the gorgeous sunshine of the day before. There’s a tennis court, so bring racquets if you’re keen, two electric motorbikes for hire, and a ‘Welly Wall’ of all sizes for guests to borrow (bright rainbow shades for children). So, when it comes to energy-expending activities and quirks: check, check. The first part of the hotel I experience is the spa: we arrive at 3.22pm and my massage is booked for 3.30pm. They are unbothered by my bustling in with pace and apologies, and deliver a massage so relaxing I nearly fall asleep. Let the unwinding begin – and the scoping out of the sauna, indoor hydro pool (lovely) and outdoor heated pool (also lovely). There’s a salt flotation chamber, which I would have tried on a longer visit, and the room information also lists a weekend ‘inflatable hour’ in the pool; a massive win for those visiting with children to exhaust.

home. Pastel and jewel tones, prints and patterns all work well together. Two more quirks include a bottle of ginger liqueur and help-yourself crisps from the pantry down the hall. The evening’s star event is supper at 1772, the brasserie, bar and Orangery area of the hotel named after the year in which the original house was built (heritage and history? Check. Plus, if that interests you, the striking Highclere country pile, of Downton Abbey fame, is just down the road). There’s also pan-Asian fine-dining restaurant, Yu, which I’d loved to have tried had we been visiting when it’s open (Wednesday to Saturday). 1772, however, is lively for a Monday night; there’s a quiz in the Orangery and plenty of people around to add a buzz to our cocktail-sipping. It’s a rich meal even though we start with ‘Nibbles’ rather than starters (I definitely should

have stopped at one bag of pre-supper crisps…): hunks of sourdough bread with whipped butter and olives, and cauliflower popcorn – a very moreish salt-sweet combination. We choose the heartiest options of lamb and beef – both cooked just right – before sharing puddings as we find it impossible to stick to just one each. And so to bed, sated. Up (relatively) bright and early, purely due to our predetermined time of departure, we explore. The lovely little extra touches continue; a courtyard outside is home to a Lay & Wheeler wine shop, Clodagh store and coffee bar, and a hair and nail salon. There’s also what seems to be a thriving events programme: listed when we visited were cocktail masterclasses, a creative writing weekend and a Farmers’ Market – so guests, and locals I assume, are spoilt for choice. We finish our all-too-brief visit with a breakfast spread so generous that you really don’t need to pay for the additional dishes on offer, unless your heart is set on a full English or smoked salmon. The Retreat at Elcot Park is certainly one to commend, although I’d recommend staying for more than just one night.

Rooms from £150 per night, suites from £360, retreatelcotpark.com

The striking Highclere country pile, of Downton Abbey fame, is just down the road

I drift back to our room, the Sutton Suite, which boasts verdant greenery jostling for attention through all four windows, and a luxurious amount of floor space. The shiny copper bath is, aesthetically, my favourite hotel tub to date: so big that the only sign of me in it, my husband photographs the evidence, is a magazine seemingly hovering midair. There’s strong wallpaper energy everywhere, of the type I am not brave enough to attempt at

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M A DELEIN E M A NTOCK L O L I TA C H A K R A B A R T I ’ S A D A P TAT I O N O F M A G G I E O ’ FA R R E L L ’ S H A M N E T H A S B E C O M E T H I S W I N T E R ’ S M U S T- S E E P L AY. M A D E L E I N E M A N T O C K , WHOSE CHARACTER THE SHOW IS CENTRED AROUND, EXPLAINS WHY SHE THINKS THE PRODUCTION IS STRIKING A CHORD WITH AUDIENCES A N D D I S C U S S E S H E R FAV O U R I T E L O N D O N H A U N T S

erhaps because of its themes of love and loss, Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning Hamnet became one of the most talked-about books of 2020. The novel, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies, explores the private life of William Shakespeare, his wife Anne (Mantock), and how the loss of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, inspired the heartbroken bard to write Hamlet. Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti (who recently wrote the stage script for Life of Pi) the play was first performed at Stratfordupon-Avon before being transferred to London’s Garrick Theatre, where Mantock, 33, has been receiving rave reviews. Born in Nottingham and having studied musical theatre at Chiswick’s Arts Educational Schools, Mantock appeared in 36 episodes of Casualty before, in 2018, landing one of the lead parts in the rebooted American fantasy drama Charmed. Mantock’s West End debut came in 2021, when she appeared alongside Jennifer Saunders in Richard Eyre’s Blithe Spirit. Why do you think Hamnet is proving so popular with audiences? I think it is a universal story. We delve into the imagined family life of our country’s greatest writer and explore everything from love and loss, to self-expression and legacy. It’s much funnier than I think people anticipate, which is a nice salve to some of the sadness.

How does performing for an audience differ from performing for screen? I love screen acting, because the camera becomes one of your scene partners and it’s really rewarding to section off 10 per cent of your brain to consider those technical elements. The joy of theatre is that it’s the audience who is part of each scene, in real time. You become very attuned to what they find funny or shocking and it’s a great feeling when you’ve won them over and they are really listening.

You’ve played a lot of roles that involve magic. If you could pick one superpower in real life, what would it be? I’d love to have omnilingualism. I think it would be really cool to be able to travel anywhere in the world, no matter how remote, and be able to communicate.

How physically and emotionally draining is it to perform the same play six days a week? It can be very taxing and I try to be disciplined about staying hydrated and getting enough rest, but still, some days I’m not sure how I’m going to get through it. Peter Wight [who plays Shakespeare’s father, John] always says that ‘Dr. Theatre’ will see to it, which I find oddly comforting.

Which is your favourite London neighbourhood and why? I still get giddy walking through Soho and around the theatre district. It doesn’t matter if it’s during the buzz of summer or the festivities of winter – it always feels like something really exciting is happening.

Which is your favourite Shakespeare play? Twelfth Night. It was one of the first plays I studied at school and I loved how clever the twists and turns were. We also wouldn’t have the seminal classic She’s the Man if not for Twelfth Night!

Favourite London restaurant? Belvedere in Holland Park is outrageously magical.

Which three actors would you most love to be given the opportunity to act alongside? Julia Roberts, Eddie Murphy and Olivia Colman. LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

Where’s home for you? London is currently home for me. I’m very grateful to have spent most of my 20s travelling with work, but I’m very happy to be nesting for a while.

Which is your favourite London building? The NoMad – it’s moody and decadent.

If you could live one day in any previous decade, which decade would you choose? I’d go back to the 17th century and meet my ancestors. Maybe pop in to see some Shakespeare on the way back! Hamnet runs until 17 February 2024, tickets from £31, thegarricktheatre.co.uk

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Culture MUSIC, MUSEUMS AND MASTERPIECES

From the Antony Gormley exhibition Body Politic at the White Cube Bermondsey, which runs 22 November 2023 – 28 January 2024, whitecube.com

38 The Agenda Your curated guide to culture in the capital, from art to theatre and fashion to photography 44 How Roger Moore Became James Bond Fifty years ago, an obscure actor from Stockwell won the race to be the next 007

The Agenda YO U R C U R AT E D G U I D E TO C U LT U R E I N T H E C A P I TA L Edited by: Anna Solomon

L O N D O N FA S H I O N W E E K VA R I O U S L O C AT I O N S 16-20 FEBRUARY 2024

This is the week that both legacy and upstart designers present their collections to the hoardes of editors, buyers, stylists and influencers that descend on the

capital. It’s always a showcase of creativity, innovation and talent of the highest level, and both big-name brands and buzzedabout newcomers are already filling the LFW schedule. AW24 presentations will bring with it the usual carousel of adjacent events and parties – so why not get involved? londonfashionweek.co.uk

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT STELLA MCCARTNEY, EMILIA WICKSTEAD, MICHAEL KORS, EMILIA WICKSTEAD

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GUCCI COSMOS 180 STUDIOS UNTIL 31 DECEMBER 2023

The site of Gucci’s immersive exhibition is of special significance to the house, thanks to its proximity to the Savoy hotel, where Guccio Gucci worked as a porter and first encountered the fine luggage that would inspire his eponymous brand. For the second edition of Gucci Cosmos, the show’s designer and curator has worked with the brand to ground the exhibition to the capital across 11 distinct spaces. 180 Strand, Temple, WC2R, gucci.com

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FRANS HALS

THE HOUSE OF B E R N A R DA A L B A

T H E N AT I O N A L G A L L E R Y UNTIL 21 JANUARY 2024

N AT I O N A L T H E AT R E UNTIL 6 JANUARY 2024

Frans Hals, one of the most sought-after artists of his generation, pioneered a new style of painting in 17th-century Netherlands: he depicted sitters that were relaxed, lively, and often smiling or even laughing. In his portraits of the citizens of Haarlem, he evokes an unparalleled sense of animation that still resonates today, 400 years after they were painted. This exhibition, the first major retrospective of Hals in 30 years, argues the case for why he deserves a place as one of the great painters of Western art. £20 (free for members), nationalgallery.org.uk

ABOVE BANQUET OF THE OFFICERS OF THE ST GEORGE CIVIC GUARD, FRANS HALS, 1627, OIL ON CANVAS, 179 × 257.5 CM © FRANS HALS MUSEUM, HAARLEM

Federico García Lorca’s play examines the dramatic intricacies of the lives of women living in rural Spain. The House of Bernarda

Alba follows five daughters living under their mother’s iron grip as they mourn their father, and particularly the struggle of the passionate Adela. Succession’s Harriet Walter plays the formidable matriarch in this pitch-black drama. From £46, nationaltheatre.org.uk

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S A R G E N T A N D FA S H I O N TAT E B R I TA I N 2 2 F E B R U A R Y – 7 J U LY 2 0 2 4

This exhibition traces the work of John Singer Sargent, leading portraitist of the Edwardian era, and, specifically, how he used fashion as a tool. Sargent regularly chose the outfits of his sitters, or manipulated their clothing, to express their identity or personality in intriguing ways. © TATE (JAI MONAGHAN)

£20 (free for members), tate.org.uk

CAPTURING THE MOMENT TAT E M O D E R N UNTIL 28 APRIL 2024

This exhibition examines the moment that painting gave way to photography, exploring the relationship between the mediums through some of the most iconic artworks of recent times, from the expressive paintings of Pablo Picasso to the striking photographs of Hiroshi Sugimoto. £20 (free for members), tate.org.uk LADY HELEN VINCENT, VISCOUNTESS D’ABERNON, JOHN SINGER SARGENT, 1904, COLLECTION OF THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART, ALABAMA

KING LEAR W Y N D H A M ’ S T H E AT R E UNTIL 9 DECEMBER 2023

Kenneth Branagh returns to the West End to play Lear in William Shakespeare’s master tragedy, covering themes of family rifts, madness and politics. Not only does Branagh take up the titular role, but also directs a cast of RADA graduates in a production that has already been met with critical acclaim. This run is for 50 performances only, so get tickets while you can. From £20, kinglearbranagh.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

AHLUWALIA, SPRING/ SUMMER 2022 COLLECTION © CREATIVE DIRECTOR PRIYA AHLUWALIA PHOTO LAURENCE ELLIS

REBEL: 30 YEARS OF L O N D O N FA S H I O N DESIGN MUSEUM UNTIL 11 FEBRUARY 2024

This exhibition is one of the most wideranging surveys of contemporary fashion ever staged in the UK. It tells the story of hundreds of designers who have transformed the industry, with the help of some truly wonderful garments including the controverisal swan dress worn by Björk at the 2001 Oscars, and Harry Styles’ Steven Stokey Daley outfit from his Golden video. From £16.50, designmuseum.org

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W O M E N I N R E V O LT ! A R T A N D AC T I V I S M I N T H E U K 1 9 70 -1 9 9 0 TAT E B R I TA I N UNTIL 7 APRIL 2024

The 100 female artists shown in this exhibition have something in common beyond their gender: they have all used radical, rebellious methods to change or contribute to British culture. In part through their creative practices, women’s liberation was forged against the backdrop of social, economic and political change. £20, tate.org.uk ABOVE NO TO TORTURE (AFTER DELACROIX ‘WOMEN OF ALGIERS’), HOURIA NIATI, 1982-83 © HOURIA NIATI. BELOW IN THE KITCHEN (STOVE), HELEN CHADWICK, 1977 © THE ESTATE OF THE ARTIST. COURTESY RICHARD SALTOUN GALLERY

INFINITE LIFE N AT I O N A L T H E AT R E 2 2 N OV E M B E R – 1 3 JA N UA RY

Annie Baker’s new play is an inquiry into the complexity of suffering, borne out by five women staying at a mysterious health retreat in northern California. While following punishing juice cleanses and running low on calories, they languish on chaise longues and philosophise, resulting in a dreamlike and surprisingly funny meditation. The women’s litany of maladies, from the psychosomatic to the scientifically diagnosable, tell their stories. From £20, nationaltheatre.org.uk LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

007 FROM SW 9 TO

F I F T Y Y E A R S S I N C E R O G E R M O O R E ’ S J A M E S B O N D D E B U T,

A N D A F T E R A CO L L E C T I O N O F T H E AC TO R ’ S P E R S O N A L E P H E M E R A A C H I E V E D M O R E T H A N £ 1 . 1 M I L L I O N AT A N A U C T I O N AT B O N H A M S , A L O O K AT H O W A C O P P E R ’ S S O N F R O M S T O C K W E L L B E C A M E T H E M O S T U N L I K E LY O F 0 0 7 S

Words: Rob Crossan

ROGER MOORE WITH ACTRESS LOIS CHILES AT A PHOTOCALL IN PARIS FOR 1979’S MOONRAKER, AUGUST 1978

THIS PAGE MOORE IN TRAINING FOR 1973’S LIVE AND LET DIE. PART OF MOORE’S CONTRACT STIPULATED THAT HE MUST LOSE WEIGHT IN ORDER TO PLAY THE ROLE OF JAMES BOND OPPOSITE PAGE MOORE AND AMERICAN ACTRESS GLORIA HENDRY IN A PROMOTIONAL STILL FOR LIVE AND LET DIE.

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“My attitude is that he’s sort of a ridiculous hero. I mean, heroes to me are ridiculous – so I have to play them tongue in cheek”

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alf a century ago, in a back room somewhere in the vast labyrinth of high-ceilinged rooms that constituted the then-Mayfair-based offices of Eon Productions, a roar rings out from behind a closed door. ‘No Roger! It’s got to be short back and sides – proper.’ A worried-looking barber leans over a debonair, 44-year-old gentleman sat in front of a mirror. Silken brown hair, thick as a mattress, tumbles down his shoulders onto the carpet. The scissors continue to snap and click as Guy Hamilton, director of what would be the eighth episode of the most successful film franchise of all time, continues to encourage the hairdresser to chop away. It’s 1973, and the man in the chair, a policeman’s son from Stockwell, is about to step into the shoes of fiction’s most famous spy. In October 2023, a collection of Bond memorabilia and personal items owned by Sir Roger Moore was sold at auction at Bonhams London. Against an estimate of £415,300, the 224lot achieved a total of £1,117,300, which says a lot about the enduring popularity of the late actor and philanthropist from South London (Moore’s family donated a percentage of the sale to UNICEF). Moore made his debut as Bond in the Blaxploitation-influenced Live and Let Die, still considered one of the finest films in the 007 canon, LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

with undoubtedly one of its greatest theme tunes; an orchestral explosion with an oddly wonderful reggae middle eight, composed and sung by Sir Paul McCartney. “My attitude is that he’s sort of a ridiculous hero,” Moore would later say. “I mean, heroes to me are ridiculous – so I have to play them tongue in cheek.” Moore’s rise to becoming, along with Sean Connery, the joint record holder for Bond appearances (he would, appropriately enough, make seven 007 movies in total from 1973 to 1985) is one of the most unlikely big-screen trajectories in cinematic history; a tale that begins in the humble environs of 4 Aldebert Terrace, SW9. Moore was born 14 October 1927, the only child of George Alfred Moore, a policeman based in Bow Street, and housewife Lillian Pope Moore. “My memories are all about food, taste and smell,” Moore later said of his childhood. “Thinking of smells, there was a foul odour when the wind came from Vauxhall, where there was a vinegar and pickle factory…. The bathroom was shared with two other floors. It had one of those penny-in-the-

1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, it was Clint Eastwood that Eon Productions approached to replace the smooth-talking Scot. “That’s Sean’s deal,” Eastwood said in a later interview. “It didn’t seem right for me to be doing it”. After Eastwood turned down a $4 million deal, Eon pondered other leading American actors, reportedly to include Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and Burt Reynolds. Yet Moore’s time was about to come. Aware that the 007 role was up for grabs, Moore shrewdly turned down the contract to make another series of The Persuaders!, hoping that Saltzman, who was both his gambling buddy and neighbour, would be able to assure Cubby that he was the right man for the job. It was one gamble that did pay off. “Cubby and I have decided we want to go with you as the next James Bond,” Saltzman put it simply, when the call did eventually come. Yet the deal came laced with conditions. ‘Roger was ecstatic, until Harry kept phoning with Cubby’s notes,’ wrote film author, Tony Crawley, who has compiled a list of the roles turned down, or nearly turned, by actors. Receiving a three-picture deal worth $1 million, those conditions, red inked by Broccoli, included that Moore must get his hair cut (it would take three trims before director Guy Hamilton was convinced it was short enough to play Bond) and that he must lose weight. A gruelling fitness regime saw Moore loose 17lbs, though not without a significant amount of pushback from the secret agent in waiting. “Why didn’t you just cast a fit, thin, bald fellow in the first place and avoid putting me through all this hell?” Moore yelled in one of a series of irate phone calls with Cubby and Hamilton about his looks and build. Yet, when filming in Jamaica and Pinewood was complete, the new Bond was an instant hit upon its July premiere. TIME magazine raved about the speedboat chase, the ability of Moore to convincingly walk on top of alligators, and his ability, with the slyest of winks, to bring an element of humour to a role that Connery had played, for the most part, completely straight. Despite having to be talked into giving Moore the role, Broccoli came to be one of his biggest fans. “What Roger has done with the part is sheer guts,” he would tell reporters. The name was Bond. James Bond. Moore would be the oldest actor to take on the part, assuming the role aged 45, but as he became increasingly comfortable playing the pop-culture icon over the next decade-and-a-half, the smell of a pickle factory in SW9 must have quickly felt like a distant memory.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT AT THE BEHEST OF PRODUCERS, MOORE WAS FORCED TO LOSE 17LBS BEFORE FILMING LIVE AND LET DIE; MOORE ON THE SET OF LIVE AND LET DIE, 1973; ROGER MOORE, BRITT EKLAND, GUY HAMILTON (DIRECTOR), ALBERT ‘CUBBY’ BROCCOLI (PRODUCER) AND CHRISTOPHER LEE ON THE SET OF THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, 1974

“Why didn’t you just cast a fit, thin, bald fellow in the first place and avoid putting me through all this hell?”

slot geysers and it was tuppence to get a decent bath. But we had our own loo – luxury!” After quitting school aged 15, Moore made a failed attempt at becoming an artist, before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Moore was then conscripted into the army, rising to become a captain of a unit based in West Germany following the end of the Second World War. Moore’s stint in the army was followed by a series of unfulfilling jobs in the animation studios of Soho, from one of which he was fired. Moore’s introduction to film came when his father investigated a robbery at the home of film director Brian Desmond Hurst. The director would later hire Moore as an extra. After a few dispiriting years in Hollywood, the road to big-screen immortality began looking unnavigable for Moore. Forced to model cardigans and toothpaste to make ends meet, saviour came when he was cast as Simon Templar – the suave, Robin Hood-style avenger in ITV’s hit drama The Saint, which ran from 1962 to 1969. It was around this time that Moore met Bond producers Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in the casinos of Curzon Street. It was a friendship that developed over games of blackjack and poker during breaks in filming for Roger’s next project – playing one half of the crimefighting duo The Persuaders!, much of which was shot next to the Bond stages at Pinewood Studios. As Moore later revealed, it didn’t take long for his between-takes gambling bouts to become a serious problem. “What stopped me was that a friend of mine ran a casino in London... I went in one night and he wouldn’t give me any credit because I was starting to chase my money, throwing good money after bad. I became a crazy man; sitting at the table beside these Americans, putting down over-the-odds money. I did two days of that, and then became so bored because I wasn’t genuinely winning or losing. That cured me.” Much has been made of the fact that Moore was always Bond author Ian Fleming’s first choice to play 007. That story has been mostly debunked, however. Given Moore’s obscurity as an actor when Sean Connery was cast as the first Bond in 1962, it seems unlikely that Fleming would have even heard of him. The Saint hadn’t even debuted on British television. “They said I was Ian Fleming’s first choice,” said Moore. “But Ian Fleming didn’t know me from s**t. He wanted Cary Grant or David Niven.” Indeed, even a decade later, when Connery announced he would make no further Bonds after

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S read Luxury gifts for him and her, from watches and wine to homeware and heels

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Previous page 1. Pol Roger Champagne, £115, 150cl, bbr.com 2. Naples round hollow dish with green geometric border, £345, Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com 3. Naples soup bowl with navy geometric border, £85, Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com 4. Coupe white dinner plates, 28cm, £53, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 5. Mariposa mini bag, £495, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 6. Women’s bracelets, from a selection, Fope jewellery, fope.com 7. Premier Cru Champagne, from Harvey Nichols’ Sparkling Christmas Treats Hat Box, £60, harveynichols.com 8. Naples bread plate with navy geometric border, £50, Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com 9. Pre-tied silk-grosgrain bow tie, £85, Favourbrook, favourbrook.com 10. Ladies Calatrava 4997/200G-001, £30,960, Watches of Switzerland, 155 Regent Street, 020 7534 9810, watches-of-switzerland.co.uk 11. The Dorchester Christmas crackers, £90, shop.dorchestercollection.com 12. Danger horn diamonds pave necklace, £18,300, Tasaki, tasaki.co.uk 13. Large candle, £120, Connolly, connollyengland.com 14. Double watch roll, £495, Bennett Winch, bennettwinch.com 15. Coupe white bread and butter plates, 16cm, £53, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 16. Paloma Mule, £875, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com All cutlery from Emilia Wickstead’s Florence Collection, emiliawickstead.com

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1. Amora mid slingback, £630, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 2. Star cut coupe glass, set of 2, £90, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 3. Amora mid slingback, £630, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 4. Xena ankle boot, £1,300, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 5. 2015 Brut, £35.99, Breaky Bottom, waitrosecellar.com 6. Double old fashioned fluted tumbler, £98, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 7. Aphrodite platform sandal, £550, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 8. Aphrodite mid mule, £450, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 9. Star cut martini glass, set of 2, £90, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 10. Mariposa mini bag, £495, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com All plates and cutlery from Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com

1. Danger horn plus ring, £2,750, yellow gold / Akoya pearl 2. Danger fang ring, £3,490, white gold / Akoya pearls / diamonds 3. Danger horn plus bracelet, £6,570, yellow gold 4. Danger horn plus earrings, £4,570, yellow gold / Akoya pearl 5. Danger horn diamonds pave earrings, £11,500, white gold / South Sea pearls / diamonds 6. Danger horn diamonds pave necklace, £18,300, white gold / Akoya pearls / diamonds 7. Danger horn plus diamonds pave earrings, £10,800, white gold / diamonds 8. Danger fang diamonds pave earrings, £2,990, white gold / Akoya pearls / diamonds All jewellery from Tasaki, tasaki.co.uk All plates from Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com

1. Lunch/breakfast plate, 24cm, set of 4, £42, LSA, lsa-international.com 2. Florence table knife, £85, Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com 3. Savoy champagne flute, set of 2, £65, lsa-international.com 4. Men’s Calatrava 5227G-010, £32,380, Patek Philippe, Watches of Switzerland, 155 Regent Street, 020 7534 9810, watches-of-switzerland.co.uk 5. Ladies Calatrava 4997/200G-001, £30,960, Patek Philippe, Watches of Switzerland, 155 Regent Street, 020 7534 9810, watches-of-switzerland.co.uk

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1. Star cut martini glass, set of 2, £90, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 2. Solo Flex’it necklace with ornamental clasp and diamond pave, from €11,040 3. A selection of Vendôme Flex’it rings with diamonds, from €2,230 4. Luna Flex’it bracelets, white gold and yellow gold, from €8,450 5. Essentials Flex’it ring, white gold and yellow gold, from €1,660 6. From top, Vendôme Flex’it bracelet with a white diamond, yellow gold, from €3,870, Vendôme Flex’it bracelet with a white diamond, white gold, from €3,870, Solo Flex’it bracelet with a double rondel and diamond pave, from €5,340 7. Luna Flex’it necklace, white gold, from €18,890 All jewellery from Fope, fope.com All plates and cutlery from Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com

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1. Men’s Calatrava 5227G-010, £32,380, Patek Philippe, Watches of Switzerland, 155 Regent Street, 020 7534 9810, watches-of-switzerland.co.uk 2. Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44, £5,150, Breitling, breitling.com 3. Double watch roll, £495, Bennett Winch, bennettwinch.com 4. Triple watch roll, £625, Bennett Winch, bennettwinch.com 5. La Dame de Montrose 2005 St Estephe, £52, noblegrape.com 6. Savoy red wine glass, set of 2, £75, LSA, lsa-international.com 7. Red CB driving goggles, £165, Connolly, connollyengland.com 8. Black leather Weekender, £1,550, Bennett Winch, bennettwinch.com All plates and cutlery from Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com

1. Single old fashioned fluted tumbler, £90, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 2. Star cut martini glass, set of 2, £90, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 3. Limited-edition 007 James Oxford shoes, £850, Crockett & Jones, crockettandjones.com The 007 James Oxford shoes are presented in exclusive 007 packaging with a chrome shoe horn, shoe brush and a pair of fully-lasted, hand-made shoe trees, all embossed with the 007 logo. All plates and cutlery from Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com

5 4

1. Savoy red wine glass, set of 2, £75, LSA, lsa-international.com 2. Satin midi slip silk skirt, burgundy, £245, Really Wild London, reallywildclothing.com 3. Coupe white dinner plates, 28cm, £53, Coupe white bread and butter plates, 16cm, £53, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 4. Liberty silk satin classic shirt, £275, Really Wild London, reallywildclothing.com 5. Liberty print silk ruffle front dress, £525, Really Wild London, reallywildclothing.com

1. Classic martini glass, set of 2, £75, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com 2. 007 cocktail case, £4,000, Connolly, connollyengland.com 3. The Cocktail Cabinet, by Zoe Burgess, £20, available at richardbrendon.com All plates and cutlery from Emilia Wickstead, emiliawickstead.com

3 2

1. Sterling silver royal blue and clear enamel cufflinks, £315 2. Deep green winter haze cufflinks, £325 3. Gold-plated sterling silver skull cufflinks with diamond eyes, £555 All from Deakin & Francis, deakinandfrancis.com 4. Double old fashioned fluted tumbler, £98, Richard Brendon, richardbrendon.com

1. Vienna dome and plate, 30cm, £100, LSA, lsa-international.com 2. Chateau Saint-Maur L’Excellence rosé, £22.50, 8wines.com 3. Serve cakestand, 31cm, £70, LSA, lsa-international.com 4. Mariposa glitter mini shoulder bag, £630, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 5. Christmas pudding, from Harvey Nichols’ Sparkling Christmas Treats Hat Box, £60, harveynichols.com 6. St Germain elderflower liqueur, £21.50, waitrose.com 7. The Not Too Dark Not Too Sweet chocolate bar, from Harvey Nichols’ Sparkling Christmas Treats Hat Box, £60, harveynichols.com 8. Cleo party bag, £450, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com 9. Jessica watermelon pump, £550, Sophia Webster, sophiawebster.com

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Drive H Y P E R C A R S , H OT H ATC H E S & S U P E R S U Vs

The GranTurismo Folgore, Maserati’s first fully-electric sports car, will reach 62mph from a standing start in just 2.7 seconds, p.52

52 All Roads Lead to Rome Can Maserati’s new GranTurismo live up to its forerunners? 58 Best of British For a visceral driving experience look to home-grown manufacturers 64 Ice Ice Baby Introducing the chicer, more challenging alternative to Italy’s Mille Miglia

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ALL ROADS LEAD TO

ROME

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L A U N C H I N G I T S N E X T- G E N G R A N T U R I S M O I N B O T H V 6 A N D E V F O R M ( T H E C O M PA N Y ’ S F I R S T E V E R P L U G - I N ) , M A S E R AT I P AY S D E F E R E N C E T O I T S G R A N D -T O U R I N G PA S T W H I L E P R OV I D I N G A G L I M P S E I N TO I TS F U T U R E

Words: Rory FH Smith LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

MASERATI’S PETROL POWERED GRANTURISMO TROFEO IN RED AND THE ALL-ELECTRIC FOLGORE IN COPPER

ew carmakers can confidently lay claim to single-handedly popularising a new type of sports car. But when Italian carmaker Maserati rolled out the beautifully simple A6 1500 Gran Turismo in 1947, it changed the game. Designed by the definitive Italian styling house, Pininfarina, it was the first road-going production car that Maserati had manufactured and introduced to the market the idea of a grand tourer – a comfortable cruiser that took performance seriously. Over the past 75 years, Maserati’s grand tourer bloodline has remained in rude health, spawning iconic cars including the Ghibli, Bora and 3200 GT, each powered by a burbling V8 engine. The next chapter in that illustrious grand tourer story is significantly softer spoken. To celebrate the marque’s 75-year milestone, I’ve been invited to Modena, home of the brand and a city that was once described to me as a place of “slow food and fast cars”. Specifically, I’ve come to the city’s Palazzo Ducale di Modena, where lies a pristine 1947 A6 1500 Gran Turismo, finished in silver, with its smooth coach-built body catching the evening sun. Alongside is an immaculately-dressed gentleman in chinos, shirt, tie, jacket and a tiny Trident badge proudly sitting on his lapel. “I have had ‘Trident Fever’ for as long as I can remember,” says the chap, grinning and speaking in Italian. “I spent 38 years as a Maserati employee and 22 years as a consultant – and I still go there every afternoon.” Having started working for the company in 1951, the former employee recalls when Maserati’s first production car rolled off the factory line. “People wanted these stylish cars that could drive on roads at lower speeds, for longer, with all the focus on design. Our customers came from all over the world. They included Elizabeth Taylor and the Shah of Persia.” As per Maserati’s racing cars, the A6 1500’s tubular chassis was light and strong, while its elegant interior featured leather, dashboard instruments and a clock built into the glovebox lid. The clutch and brake pedals were designed in the shape of Maserati’s trident logo. On the outside, its smooth, simple and sophisticated bodywork became the benchmark for sports car design throughout the 1950s and ’60s. “Maserati has never been about decoration or unnecessary lines,” says Klaus Busse, Head of Design. “It’s about absolute purity and proportion.” At the heart of this early effort from Maserati was a 1500-cc overhead cam inline six, fed by a single Weber carburettor. Output was a modest 65 horsepower, but its lightweight coachwork kept the weight below 800kg, making the car well-suited to

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THE V6 GRANTURISMO TROFEO IN RED

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GRANTURISMO FOLGORE - THE NUMBERS

MAX RANGE

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0-62 MPH

TOP SPEED

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280 MILES

750 BHP

995 LB FT

2.7 SECONDS

200 MPH

FROM £138,000

racing. While its plucky little combustion engine was cutting edge at the time, its modern-day descendants are powered by something altogether different. “And here we are with the new generation,” says Busse the following morning, in the same, quaint Italian square, only the A6 has been replaced by a swarm of new, brightly-coloured GranTurismos. Beside Busse sits a mix of models ranging from the V6-engined Trofeo, launched in April 2023, to the all-electric Folgore, which will take to the tarmac in 2024 and which is set apart by its more aerodynamic grille, rims and rear valance. “If you can get away with something smaller, get an MC20. If you have a dog, get a Grecale, but for everything else, there’s the GranTurismo,” says Busse, with a smile. Boldly revealing the combustionengined and battery-powered GranTurismo at the same time, Maserati is confident in its ability to engineer a car that lives up to the high expectations of the ‘old world’ while providing a fully-formed glimpse into the future. “This idea of combining four full seats with supercar performance is absolutely unique in

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the market,” says Busse, remarking on the latest GranTurismo’s ability to continue the grand tourer legacy of transporting four full adults in comfort, at speed. “When you want to drive a Maserati, it shouldn’t be an aesthetic choice whether you go combustion or electric, so there are only small visual differences between the two.” That may be true, aesthetically, but on a 350-mile road trip from Modena through Tuscany and on to Rome the difference in performance between the two models is marked. Starting out in the Folgore, the electric GranTurismo, we dart through the traffic and head south of Modena, down past Bologna and up into the Tuscan hills. Equipped with three 300kW motors, the Folgore’s 92.5 kWh battery can produce close to 900kW, equivalent to 750bhp. As a result, the Folgore rockets from nought to 62mph in just 2.7 seconds, and carries on to a top speed of 200mph. Selecting the default ‘GT’ mode for most of the motorway, the setting releases 80 per cent of the car’s power, meaning the Folgore has more

GRANTURISMO TROFEO - THE NUMBERS

ENGINE

MAX POWER

MAX TORQUE

0-62 MPH

TOP SPEED

PRICE

3-LITRE TWINTURBO V6

542 BHP

479 LB FT

3.5 SECONDS

199 MPH

FROM £166,830

than enough spark when pushed, without instantly bleeding the battery dry. ‘Sport’ sees 100 per cent of the power delivered, sharpening things up; ‘Corsa’ sees nuclear levels of power delivered to all four wheels. Delivering stratospheric levels of pace in near silence is the Folgore’s party trick – one that soon takes its toll on both your body and the battery. On the gentle, twisting B-roads of Tuscany, the Folgore is as comfortable, smooth and near-silent as any well-engineered EV. Despite its reputation for shoehorning raucous V8s into sculpted grand tourers, Maserati’s first shot at an EV is hugely convincing, particularly with its stated max range of 280 miles. Inside, the GranTurismo stands apart as a comfortable four-seat super-cruiser. Despite

its relatively dainty size, its clever use of space means there’s room to spare in the cabin. Unlike with many of its rivals, large adults can actually sit in the backseats. The Maserati design team has ensured that the GranTurismo steers clear of any unsightly iPad-like slabs, opting instead for a curved infotainment panel. With the climate controls on the bottom half and everything else on the main panel above; it’s a neat solution that saves the whole dashboard from becoming one digital monolith. Take note, Tesla. The next morning starts with a bang – the hearty sound of the Folgore’s V6, three-litre, midfront-mounted sister, to be precise. Capable of producing 543bhp, the Trofeo will cut to 62mph from standing in 3.5 seconds. After a day of driving in near silence, the rumble of a V6 is most welcome. The end of the road for the combustion car might be nigh, but cars like the Trofeo have spent 100 years in the making. Maserati’s ‘Nettuno’ engine is one of the most efficient around, thanks to some nifty, patented pre-chamber combustion technology that’s derived from Formula One cars. In fact, the Nettuno is the world’s most power-dense production combustion engine. On the road south to Rome, the Trofeo is a wonderfully-balanced and beautifully-sounding machine, largely due to its front engine being mounted as far back and as low down as possible. Sharing the same driving modes as the Folgore, ‘Corsa’ is again the option if you’re looking for edge-of-your-pants thrills. For a marque that spent years being leapfrogged by its rivals, Maserati has come out fighting. The new GranTurismo can easily go toe-to-toe with the Ferrari Roma, Porsche 911 Turbo and all-electric Taycan Turbo S. Given that the brand’s reputation for road cars was forged on the back of its original grand tourer, the GranTurismo would have been a hard nut to crack. Instead, the marque has hit bullseye. With both the electric and combustion versions, Maserati has paid homage to its grand history while delivering a statement of intent for its future. maserati.com

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THE FOLGORE, MASERATI’S FIRST FULLY ELECTRIC SPORTS CAR

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F R O M P O R T M E I R I O N TO S N OW D O N I A – I N S E A R C H O F H O M E - G R OW N M OTO R I N G P U R I T Y

Words: Charlie Thomas

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‘S

imple’, ‘small’, ‘fun’. Three words that don’t describe the majority of new vehicles on the road today. ‘Overly complicated’, ‘overly powerful’, ‘overly large’, maybe. Take the Porsche 911. At its launch in 1974, the 930 model weighed little more than 1,350kg. The current 992 model weighs 1,715kg. That’s some weight gain. It also takes up nearly a foot more length in real estate. And then there’s the tech. Cars used to consist of four rubber wheels, an engine and a gearbox. They are now super computers that can do the driving for you, with touchscreens replacing buttons and electric steering. Is it still possible to enjoy a pure motoring experience, unmarred by soulless automatic gearboxes and endless beeping? In the case of three British brands, the answer might just be yes. Caterham, Morgan and Norton have long produced simple, well-engineered vehicles with either four, two or even three wheels. Forget driving modes and HD infotainment systems – these home-grown manufacturers are still committed to throwback designs that aim to capture the fun of driving, something that seems increasingly less important to bigger-name carmakers. To see just how much fun could still be had, I ventured to Wales on a classic British road trip. The drive would start at Portmeirion, a small resort town in the north, and finish on the winding roads around Snowdonia, recognised as being home to some of Britain’s finest driving routes. Portmeirion is a strange place. Built over a 50year period from 1925 to 1975, it was the vision of eccentric Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who wanted this slice of North Wales to evoke the romance of the Mediterranean. The multi-coloured buildings reference Italian fishing villages like Portofino. And, like the Italian Riviera, the town has attracted plenty of celebrities over the years. LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

THE NEW NORTON COMMANDO 961

THE DIMINUTIVE CATERHAM SUPER SEVEN 600

THE MORGAN SUPER 3

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It’s the noise that’s most impressive... the car gurgles up to the redline with a raucous note that is completely addictive

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Noël Coward frequently stayed there, even writing Blithe Spirit in the Fountain Building while on a retreat from London during the Blitz. H.G. Wells was another fan, alongside Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. The Beatles repeatedly visited, and George Harrison celebrated his 50th birthday in the village. Portmeirion also appeared in 1960s television show The Prisoner. Driving an oversized modern car on the town’s narrow streets, around toy-town architecture that looks like it’s been designed as a movie set, would be a stressful experience. The diminutive Caterham Super Seven 600 was the perfect motor. This is Caterham’s smallest car; a fact you can only really appreciate in the metal. It looks impossibly small, not unlike a child’s toy car, and that’s before you try to get in it. You have to climb into a Caterham as they don’t have doors; rather a wind flap that clips on. Once, finally, you’re in the cockpit, the tiny Mono-Lita steering wheel and leather-gaited, chrome gear knob reminds you that this is a car derived from the racetrack. The Super Seven 600 is Caterham’s throwback model, which means it comes with 1950s-style flared front wings, a chrome filler cap and matching, simplified bar front grille, as well as a range of heritage paint colours. Mine was Bordeaux Red. It can be optioned with a wooden steering wheel and a map pocket. It’s very much the car Mr Toad would drive if he was born in the 1990s. Start it up and the 660cc turbo-charged Suzuki engine burbles to life. To enjoy it, I leave Portmeirion and head to some more fast-flowing tarmac. On the open road, you rifle through gears as the car’s turbo sneezes and whooshes. Gear changes are short and punchy, making the box on my ’92 Eunos Roadster (a car renowned for its gear changes) feel like a van. The Caterham only puts out 84bhp. But then it only weighs 440kg, so it’s surprisingly quick. Unsurprisingly, it sings in the corners, feeling more like a go-kart. It makes other cars seem obnoxious in their ungainly height and heft. It might be the purest driving experience available on the market. The Morgan Super 3 is something else altogether. Its looks are nearly unchanged from the historic three-wheelers that Morgan was making in the early 20th century. Its still futurist-looking shape is part early Grand Prix car and part Riva boat, with the two tall, skinny front wheels sticking out almost comically, and the single rear wheel hidden at the rear of the chassis. It used to be made with a V-twin engine up front in place of a grille, but for this model Morgan has opted for a naturally-aspirated, 1.5-litre Ford Ecoboost triple cylinder, which produces 118bhp. It’s the noise that’s most impressive. There’s no roof LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

and with the exhaust sitting just behind the driver, the car gurgles up to the redline with a raucous note that is completely addictive. A boat-like steering wheel, cockpit-inspired dash (complete with fighter pilot engine start button) and snappy MX-5 gearbox make for a driving experience that’s nothing short of exhilarating. It’s even less practical than the Caterham, with the front mini windshields doing precious little to prevent buffeting, and the lack of a roof making driving in the rain a challenge. But as far as unbridled fun goes, this is where it’s at. For something even more visceral, only two wheels will do. Riding a motorbike through a sunny Snowdonia National Park is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s even better when that bike is a Norton. When it comes to purity and connection to the road, no car can compete with a parallel twin between your legs. The new Norton Commando 961 has one of the best, most characterful notes of any twin cylinder, a fact that becomes apparent as soon as you fire it up. Thanks to its full stainless steel exhaust system, it retains a raw, unrefined note that is lost on most new vehicles, and is reminiscent of the great British twins of the ’60s and ’70s, in the best possible way. Norton crafts many of the bike’s parts in its own factory in Solihull, from its frame that’s welded in-house to the top yoke, handlebar mounts and footpegs, which start life as a solid block of billet aluminium. The exhaust and shiny transmission cover are also made and polished by an engineer’s hand, while the subtle pin-striped paintwork references classic Nortons in either Manx Platinum silver or a black-and-gold combination. The best thing about the Commando 961 is its simplicity. There are no rider modes, no confusing buttons and proper, analogue dials with vintageinspired italicised font. There is ABS (and a full Brembo system) for reassurance under braking, but a steady right hand is advised due to a lack of traction control. The bike puts out 76bhp, which isn’t much compared to today’s sport bikes, but it’s more than you ever realistically need for the road. The Commando consumed the winding roads of North Wales with a thunderous hum that reverberated through the mountains. In a world where manufacturers are constantly chasing more power, more grip and more tech, the refreshingly simple purity of these three British machines is what driving, and riding, is all about. The Caterham Super Seven 600, from £30,490, caterhamcars.com; The Morgan Super 3, from £43,165, morgan-motor.com; The Norton Commando 961, from £16,999, nortonmotorcycles.com

ICE ICE

BABY

TA K E 7 0 O F T H E M O S T C O L L E C T I B L E C L A S S I C C A R S – I N C L U D I N G 2 0 V I N TA G E P O R S C H E S – A N D R A C E T H E M O V E R S N O W A N D I C E T H R O U G H T H E I TA L I A N A L P S . W H AT C O U L D P O S S I B LY G O W R O N G ?

Words: Josh Sims

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“S

ome of the drives I’ve done have been a complete nightmare – but absolutely thrilling at the same time,” says Paolo Cattagni, a luxury brand director from Milan. “After all, you’re driving along 2,500m-high passes, down very narrow roads, really feeling the connection between the car and the surroundings without any filters. It’s a really engaging experience that sometimes means you have to fight with Mother Nature. You manage.” Or, at least, some do. Unsurprisingly, not every one of the 70 or so two-person teams that take part in Italy’s WinteRace every spring make it to the end. This is a 400km, two-day road rally that departs from Cortina d’Ampezzo, criss-crosses the Dolomites, takes five mountain passes, climbs vertiginous, little-known roads, and comprises 60 time trials, before returning to the ski resort for a parade and gala dinner. Sure, around 25 of those teams will drive modern – if very rare – motors: Maseratis, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and, in 2013, plenty of Aston Martins. They have the advantage of power-steering, ABS and heating. But the other teams drive vintage cars; mostly pre-1976, some much older. Taking part in this year’s edition was a 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster; a 1957 Fiat 1100; a 1972 Mini Cooper; a 1925 OM 665 Sport; and a 1927 Bugatti T37. Those latter two cars are open-top. “I’ve done the WinteRace in a vintage car without a roof,” says Cattagni. “I can tell you that at -10°C you really feel it. Especially after 10 hours of driving.” The 2023 rally was Cattagni’s sixth WinteRace, although he took part in a rather more comfortable Aston Martin DB707 SUV. “In an open-top vintage car you finish the day not being able to feel half of your body. You’re having a kind of transcendental experience. But you’re also aware that you’re alone in an old car, and at that altitude you really see the carburettor struggle. I don’t know how some cars make it. I’m not brave enough to do it in a pre-war car myself.”

Black ice. Snow drift. Freezing fog. The conditions under which the WinteRace is conducted – some of which must make for hefty insurance quotes for the seriously valuable vehicles – are all part of the fun. Established just 10 years ago, the rally – in which each segment must be driven in a specific time and at a specified average speed – has, arguably, become the chicer, more challenging alternative to Italy’s more famous Mille Miglia. It’s certainly earned a reputation as one of Europe’s most eccentric of autophile events. The hard driving is softened with stops at Michelin-starred restaurants, a coffee break at the Italian confectioners Loacker, and a rest stop within the historic Novacella Abbey. After which there is the concourse event and gala dinner at Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Grand Hotel Savoia – the only five-star hotel in the town, it is said to have been the inspiration for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. “Managing the often bizarre weather conditions makes the WinteRace a new experience for the drivers,” says Rossella Labate, a one-time official navigator for Alfa Romeo. Labate has been a vintage car obsessive since her father took her to see a rally at the Duran Pass in San Martino di Castrozza as a child. Labate is a veteran of the Mille Miglia; in 2012 she won the Ladies’ Cup. She also helped co-create the WinteRace a decade ago. Labate describes the event as “the perfect mix of sports activity, culture and luxury vacation.” She believes the rally had to achieve that magical mix in order “to gain recognition and credibility.” The 2023 edition drew teams from as far afield as Scotland, Mexico and Chile. The rally remains an insider-ish event. But expect that to change after 2026, when this region of Italy hosts the Winter Olympic Games. “I know the territory, of course, the landscape and the roads very well,” says Labate, who lives locally. “That makes organising the route each year very simple – though it still takes four months. We have to check the route multiple times in the

“In an open-top vintage car you finish the day not being able to feel half of your body. You’re having a kind of transcendental experience” LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

“I enjoy driving in poor-grip conditions – gravel or snow,” says De Angelis. “To be able to drive this kind of car in rain, or on the ice, isn’t easy – but it’s great fun.” De Angelis happens to be an exprofessional rally raid driver, so he knows what it’s like to take on tricky terrain. “The secret is to make sure you pay attention to any feedback you can get from the car – to drive not just with your hands on the steering wheel but with your bottom on the seat. The WinteRace is a rally that gets more beautiful every year. “It just has this really special glamour about it.” The 2024 edition of WinteRace will take place from 7 March to 9 March 2024, winterace.it

“We only print the road book a month before. And even then we have to have alternative B, C and D routes, just in case there’s a sudden heavy snowfall”

run-up to the event, which is why we only print the road book a month before. And even then we have to have alternative B, C and D routes, just in case there’s a sudden heavy snowfall.” In 2023, an unusually warm winter meant that most of the roads were clear. Sudden changes in the weather, however, only test drivers harder. “Sure, the conditions can be challenging in the ways that other classic road races are not, but that’s all part of the appeal,” says Alessio De Angelis, CEO of vintage car restorer, Promotor Classic. De Angelis won this year’s Category Race in a 1927 Bugatti that once belonged to Jack Lemon Burton, who helped found the Bugatti Owners Club back in 1929.

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5 3 S LOA N E S Q UA R E R E A L LY W I L D C L OT H I N G .C O M

Kylie Minogue stars in the Jimmy Choo/Jean Paul Gaultier collaboration campaign, jimmychoo.com

Couture CUT

FROM A DIFFERENT

CLOTH

72 His Style All-action boots and proper parkas 74 Matthias Breschan The watch CEO on future-proofing Longines 80 Her Style Pared-back and wrapped-up styles for the winter ahead 82 Jimmy Choo Why the shoe mogul is hell-bent on passing on his skills

ROCCIA VET HIKIN G BOOTS, £42 2 , Di e mme , mr porte r .com

N E U M E L W E ATH E R B O OTS , £ 1 95, U gg, h a r r o d s. c o m

1 9 6 4 PAC ™ S N OW B O OTS , £ 1 75, S o r e l, m r p o r t er . c o m

TRAILGRIP A P R ÈS PA DDED BOOTS, £797, Mo ncl e r, farfe tch.com

BARE YOUR SOUL Edited by: Richard Brown

You’ve heard of athleisure, but have you heard of extreme-leisure? Of course not. It’s not a thing. Anyway, these hard-wearing boots are great companions for hiking and skiing, but a trend towards hardy, utilitarian fashion means they’ll do just as well in the city as on the mounatin.

SUEDE AND RUBBER E F F E C T B O OTS , £ 1 ,1 0 0, Br u n el l o C u c i n el l i , sh o p . b r u n el l o c u c i n el l i . c o m

S U E D E SPI RI T H I K I NG B O OTS, £ 25 0, R L X R a lph L a uren, h a r r od s . com

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COUTURE

S P E E DO F L E E C E L I N E D PA R KA , £ 324, Folk, mrporter.com JEEP COAT, £ 1,200, To dd S nyde r x Pri vat e W h i t e V. C. , pr i v ate w h i t e vc . c o m

SA L E H E B E M B U RY PA R KA , £ 1 , 493, M o n c l er G en i u s, m r p o r t er . c o m

UNDER THE HOOD Edited by: Richard Brown

Likewise, polar exploration-level parkas aren’t just the preserve of the tundra, but now the Tube, too. Well, we wouldn’t actually recommend wearing these on the London Underground, because these shearling-lined, downpadded jackets are engineered for taking on the elements. And for looking good while doing so. SHEA R L I N G TR I M M ED PARKA , £ 1,263 , Yv e s Sal mo n , mr port e r. c o m

W I P C A N VAS PA R KA S I B E R I A N , £ 1 ,70 0, C a r h a r t t , c a r h a r t t -w i p . c o m

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THE CEO INTERVIEW

MATTHIAS BRESCHAN, Longines

H AV I N G S E R V E D A S C H I E F E X E C U T I V E O F F I C E R O F R A D O F O R N I N E Y E A R S , M AT T H I A S B R E S C H A N A S S U M E D T H E R E I N S AT L O N G I N E S AT T H E H E I G H T O F T H E P A N D E M I C . H E R E , B R E S C H A N TA L K S TA R G E T I N G T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F WAT C H W E A R E R S , D I V E R S I F Y I N G AWAY F R O M C H I N A , A N D T H E C H A L L E N G E S O F P R E S I D I N G O V E R O N E O F S W I T Z E R L A N D ’ S ‘ B I L L I O N - D O L L A R ’ WAT C H M A K E R S

Words: Ming Liu

This type of “pioneering spirit” has been Breschan’s focus at Longines since he took the helm in 2020

he past has long been a battleground for the most storied of watchmakers, where maisons fight it out to win in the heritage stakes. It is an arena in which Longines has an enviable advantage. Founded in 1832 and later based on a stretch of land south of Saint-Imier known as les longines, or ‘long meadows’, hence the name, Longines’ archives include a register of every single watch the house has sold since 1867. “It shows the date of the production and to whom we sold the watch,” says CEO, Matthias Breschan. “But we also have a list of components that need to be inside for the watch to be authentic.” Breschan adds that the brand, still based in Saint-Imier, keeps a “huge stock” of components on hand. “Which means that when collectors bring in watches that are 50 or 60 years old, or even older, we are, in most cases, able to restore them.” Breschan is speaking to me from the top of a Times Square hotel, a sweep of high-rise towers pitched towards the sky behind him, the Hudson River glistening under a crisp autumn sun in the distance. We’re here for the launch of the new Mini DolceVita, Longines’ rectangular women’s watch that’s been downsized to a chic 21.5mm by 29mm, and made available in a slew of new dial shades, including mint green and blossom pink. Inspired by a Longines watch created in 1927, the design today sets a circular dial within a rectangular case, which is paired to a state-of-theart, 198-link integrated stainless steel bracelet. The design screams modern art deco, but is also a masterclass in evoking the past – the Longines way. The deco nods echo the New York

architecture that surrounds us, but are also a way of Longines introducing the esteemed aviator Elinor Smith. In 1927, the New York native became the world’s youngest licensed pilot, aged just 16. A few months after her accreditation, Smith flew under all four of the city’s bridges – the first and only pilot ever to do so having been challenged by a male acquaintance who had tried, and failed, the attempt himself. The daredevil stunt earned Smith the nickname the ‘Flying Flapper’, and set the stage for a host of aviation records, notably achieved with Longines watches. In 1930, when the 19-year-old Smith broke a new altitude record of 8,357 metres, she announced in a letter: ‘Happy to advise you of a new altitude record just accomplished again exclusively with Longines watches. Watches functioned perfectly at all times.’ That year, Smith’s fellow pilots named her Woman Pilot of the Year. “She was pioneering not just in aviation but in her lifestyle,” says Breschan, who points out that Smith notably piloted her planes wearing trousers rather than a skirt. “Ladies wearing trousers in the 1920s was a revolution,” he says. This type of “pioneering spirit” has been Breschan’s focus at Longines since he took the helm in 2020 (he had previously headed up both Rado and Hamilton, the trinity of brands belonging to parent company, Swatch Group). Longines can boast bona fide explorer cred. Alongside Smith, aviation legends Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart all wore Longines

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THIS IMAGE AND LEFT JENNIFER LAWRENCE WEARING THE MINI DOLCEVITA QUARTZ WATCH IN STAINLESS STEEL, £3,700

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THIS IMAGE JENNIFER LAWRENCE WEARING THE MINI DOLCEVITA QUARTZ WATCH IN GREEN, £3,450 BELOW LEFT THE MINI DOLCEVITA QUARTZ WATCH IN IVORY, £3,450 BELOW RIGHT THE MINI DOLCEVITA QUARTZ WATCH WITH A RED ALLIGATOR STRAP, £1,500

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The report puts Longines’ sales as representing around a four per cent share of the retail market. That’s a pretty impressive feat

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watches. There have been plenty of pioneering horological firsts, too. Consider 1913, when Longines produced the first compact chronograph, a 29mm wristwatch that became a blueprint for modern chronographs, updated versions of which Earhart wore for her two Atlantic crossings in 1928 and 1932. Then there’s 1925, a banner year for Longines, when the brand introduced the first wristwatch chronograph equipped with two independent pushers and fly-back function; This model and the 1913 are on show at the Longines museum in Saint-Imier. That year will go down in history for GMT fans, as it was in 1925 that Longines created the first wristwatch indicating a second time zone, a timepiece that ship radio operators initially adopted to convert local time to universal world time, also known as ‘Z’ time or ‘Zulu’ time. Such Hall of Famers inspire Longines’ “product roadmap for the future”, to use Breschan’s words. Popular models today include the Spirit Zulu Time with a GMT function, or the rugged and sporty HydroConquest diver, which pairs GMT functionality with innovative bells and whistles, such as silicon balance springs and other nonmagnetic components. Although we may not be navigating the seas by wristwatch, or flying under the Big Apple’s four bridges, today, such tool watches – a huge horological trend right now – are all about evoking a derring-do spirit. “It’s all a question of mindset,

of attitude,” says Breschan. “What you want is to show on your wrist the affinities you share with a particular universe.” Research from a report by Morgan Stanley and the consultancy firm LuxeConsult puts Longines, in terms of turnover, in Switzerland’s seven-strong ‘billionaire’s club’. Parent company Swatch does not report individual brand performance, but the report estimated Longines sales in 2022 to be around £1.1 billion. In seventh place, Longines trails Richard Mille’s £1.19 billion and Patek Philippe’s £1.65 billion. By way of comparison, Rolex’s turnover in 2022 was thought to be around £8.5 billion (Cartier, Omega and Audemars Piguet take second, third and fourth place, respectively). The report puts Longines’ sales as representing around a four per cent share of the retail market. That’s a pretty impressive feat given that the brand operates at a price point of between approximately £850-£4,500. A far cry from the price tags at Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Patek Philippe. “Since we are part of a group, we have discipline in terms of pricing,” says Breschan, a member of Swatch’s extended group management board since 2005. “There is no need to go up because there is Omega. There is no need to go down because there is Tissot.” Still, that’s not to say there won’t be potentially rocky times ahead. Longines has fallen from fourth place in the list of best-selling Swiss watchmakers in 2019 to seventh in 2022, with Morgan Stanley highlighting the company’s overreliance on China (Chinese nationals accounted for more than 70 per cent of Longines’ sales worldwide in 2021, according to the paper). Breschan, however, seems confident. The domestic market in China “continues to be very solid and strong,” he says, adding that currently the company “has been on a better-than-average trend worldwide”. Plus, Longines has a unique position in China as the go-to brand to buy a watch to mark one’s first job. Yet the brand is clearly considering the next generation. Later that evening Breschan launches the new Mini DolceVita collection with an event attended by brand ambassadors Bae Suzy, the south Korean actress and singer, and Oscar-winning Jennifer Lawrence. Both women will resonate with the next generation of watch fans – with Lawrence calling the new DolceVita “timely and timeless”. Breschan will be hoping that Longines’ latest female ambassadors help steer the brand on a course as spirited as the one set by its earliest aviators. longines.com

FRINGED P R I N T E D S C A R F, £ 4 9 5 , Loewe, net-a-porter.com

WRAP UP Freezing in the name of fashion is so last year – you won’t catch us going bare-legged in January. Outerwear a blazer is not. Winter 2023 is all about cosiness: cocooning coats, quality wool, superlative cashmere, and blanket-like scarfs, ponchos and capes. Go checked, printed, or classic in camel or black. The LBC (long black coat), as it has been dubbed, is another major trend for the season. Stay snug!

Emilia Wickstead

Edited by: Anna Solomon

W O O L -T W E E D C O AT, £ 2 , 4 0 0 , Zimmermann, net-a-porter.com

T R E N C H C O A T, £ 2 , 5 6 0 , Alaïa, maison-alaia.com

WO O L JACQ UA R D C O AT, £ 5 4 5 , Ganni, ganni.com

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QUIET LUXURY A counterweight to the logo-centric exhibitionism characterised by the resurgence of Noughties fashion, the ‘quiet luxury’ movement is about investment pieces, wearable basics, and building a capsule wardrobe that won’t go out of style. Because, truthfully, you’re not heading to Tesco in a micro-mini or jumper cropped at the diaphragm.

LEON BOMBER, £ 4 0 5 , Annie Bing, aninebing.com

Edited by: Anna Solomon

WO O DY TOT E B AG , £ 8 9 0 , Chloé, chloe.com

L AG O COT TO N S H I R T, £ 7 2 0 , Khaite, net-a-porter.com

I S L A PA N E L E D J E A N S , £ 5 9 0 , Khaite, net-a-porter.com

998 CORE, £210, New Balance, newbalance.co.uk

Olivia von Halle

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SHOES to Fill FO R F Ê T E D FO OT W E A R D E S I G N E R , J I M M Y C H O O O B E , S U C C E S S H A S A LWAY S F E LT S U P E R F L U O U S I F I T H A S N ’ T B E E N S H A R E D . T H AT ’ S W H Y, T H R O U G H T H E J I M M Y C H O O A C A D E M Y, T H E M A L AY S I A N - B O R N FA S H I O N M A G N AT E I S D E D I C AT E D T O P R E S E R V I N G H I S FA M I LY T R A D I T I O N O F G I V I N G B A C K

Words: Anna Solomon

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Choo co-founded his eponymous brand with then-Vogue accessories editor, Tamara Mellon, in 1996, selling his 50 per cent stake in the company in 2001

hich shoes do you wear to meet one of the most lionised footwear designers of all time? And that is exactly what Jimmy Choo OBE is. I mean, when you think ‘women’s shoes’, which names spring to mind? Christian Louboutin, of course; Manolo Blahnik, thanks to a certain Ms Carrie Bradshaw; and, perhaps above any other, Jimmy Choo. Courtesy of a serendipitous twist of fate – his real surname, Chow, was misspelt on his birth certificate – the man’s name even rhymes with ‘shoe’. Not trainers, then. Not that they would be appropriate anyway; I’m due to meet Choo at the Jimmy Choo Academy, the fashion school founded by the designer in 2021, which is headquartered in a gorgeous Georgian townhouse on Hanover Square, Mayfair. It’s the day of the graduate presentations, and the crème de la crème of the fashion world is turning out in force. In the end, I settle on something classic: black, knee-high leather boots with a kitten heel and pointed toe. Safe, I think. Wrong. The glue on this particular pair was obviously pasted on some time ago. For, as I walk into work on the morning of the interview, the adhesive relents, and leather and sole are torn asunder. It’s 9am. My appointment is at 3pm. I have approximately six hours to rectify the situation. One of my colleagues suggests tape – it almost doesn’t bear thinking about: me hobbling into the JCA with packaging tape wrapped around my foot as the ‘fashion people’ snigger and whisper behind their hands. Another suggests I raid the local charity shops – I have a similar premonition, except I’m donning a pair of ill-fitting BHS court shoes. It turns out there’s a cobbler around the corner, and the glue only takes a few hours to set. Which

makes my article opener slightly less Bridget Jones, but also delivers me from total humiliation. Even more anticlimactically, when I arrive at the Academy, I’m met with the news that Choo is stuck in New York. So I could have worn wooden clogs for all it matters – my feet will be out of view of a pixel-assembled Choo on Zoom. Not that he would have judged me, I realise, once we start talking. Because Choo is the nicest person, ever. The affability is etched on his face (just see our cover image), which is pleasantly circular and only faintly lined, given that he will be turning 74 the week after our interview. “Every morning I have an English tea, two eggs and some toast, and I pray to God to make everyone peaceful. I’m an old-fashioned man, you know? I pray for peace for the whole world,” he says, smiling. Choo co-founded his eponymous brand with then-Vogue accessories editor, Tamara Mellon, in 1996, selling his 50 per cent stake in the company in 2001. Since then, he has worked on various education initiatives, including acting as an ambassador for the London College of Fashion. Then, in 2021, Choo founded his own academy for budding designers, describing it as a “dream come true”. The Academy doesn’t just teach students how to create garments, says CEO Stephen Smith; it “[empowers them] to progress their entrepreneurial journey”, imparting business acumen and industry knowhow as well as creativity. “It’s a place where fashion meets innovation and style meets ambition.” Later, when I emerge from my interview with Choo, I get to see some of the graduate presentations. In one room, decked out entirely in white, five statuesque models pose in cocooning layers of outerwear. In another, I am transported to the set of Mad Max, where models in ragged garments prowl restlessly. “A student may have an idea, but, more importantly, they need to have knowledge – somebody to have taught you and cared for you,” says Choo. This altruistic desire to pass things on can be traced back to Choo’s childhood. Back in the 1950s, in the state of Penang, Malaysia, he was the student. The teacher? His father, a shoemaker. “At first he didn’t talk to me. He just asked me to sit down,” says Choo. “‘Sit down for one month and just watch how we do the design, how we cut the pattern, and how we finish a shoe’. I said to my father, ‘I’ve been watching for one month. Why are you still waiting?’ He said, ‘You have to be patient to learn. If you rush everything, you’ll never feel it in your heart’.” Choo started making shoes aged 11. In his 30s, he moved to London to study at Cordwainers Technical College (now part of the London College of Fashion). “Malaysia was a British colony, so if you had the chance, you would go to London,

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POLLY MCKEVITT’S JCA GRADUATE SHOW PRESENTATION OF HER COLLECTION CLUTTERGORIES

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OLIVIA BLACK’S JCA GRADUATE SHOW PRESENTATION OF HER COLLECTION A WAR WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

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“When I was creating a collection, I designed 100 shoes – but I would only ever chose the 15 or 16 that would sell”

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get a certificate, and double your price. It’s very important to have skills, but in London they taught me the profession – how to sell a shoe.” Nine years after graduating, Choo started his own business. He opened his first shop in 1986, and showed at his first Fashion Week in 1988. Vogue identified him as one to watch, publishing an eightpage spread on Choo’s designs. “Vogue saw my designs and said, ‘Jimmy, we want to feature them, can you send us a shoe?’ But I had no PR, no money. They understood, and sent a car to pick up the shoe!” In 1996, Choo and Mellon joined forces to establish Jimmy Choo Ltd – the iteration of the business that exists today (now under the ownership of Michael Kors Holdings, which bought it for $1.2 billion in 2017). Mellon had the vision of developing a ready-to-wear line of luxury footwear, which was financed by a £150,000 loan from her father, Tom Yeardye, co-founder of Vidal Sassoon. With the backing of It-girl Mellon and her father’s hairdressing thousands, Jimmy Choo Ltd went stratospheric. The brand became a global success with a sprawling list of celebrity clients, including Princess Diana, with whom Choo had “a very good relationship”: “She would call me and say ‘Jimmy, come over’, and show me a dress and ask me to come up with some ideas for the shoes.” Choo may have hung up his, er, shoes, but he still knows them back to front (or should that LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

be right to left). “I’ve been working for so many years that I can sense whether a design will sell or not,” he says. “When I was creating a collection, I designed 100 shoes – but I would only ever chose the 15 or 16 that would sell.” Yet this ability is not something he intends to gatekeep. He told The Independent that, at the JCA, he never wants anyone to think they’re “better than you, [or] you’re better than [them]”. When people collaborate, he said, “the whole thing benefits. We cannot be selfish.” “My family has always passed down knowledge. If you don’t, slowly, the skill will be gone.” Beyond this philosophy of knowledge-sharing, I detect a pressing sense of responsibility to give back; Choo feels that it was the generosity of others that got him to where he is today, and wants to extend the same treatment to others. “I was very lucky – right timing, right occasion. The lady who worked at Vogue didn’t look down on me. They sent that car to pick up the shoe. I will always remember that. That’s what I say to my students: we teach you because we care for you. What is inside my heart is kindness.” Some might call that karmic insurance – settling their tab with the universe. Choo simply calls it “kindness”. jca.ac.uk

Escape TO

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The Falcon Restaurant in Sölden, located at the mid-station of the Gaislachkoglbahn, offers panoramic views over Austria’s Ötztal mountains, p.94

90 Ski News Where to ski, stay and play in the Alps this winter 94 Das Central The wine-led hotel putting Austria’s Sölden on the map 100 Highland Fling Is it really possible to enjoy a long-distance roadtrip in an electric sports car?

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SLOPE AWAY W H E R E T O S K I , S TAY A N D S P A I N T H E M O U N TA I N S T H I S W I N T E R , F R O M T R A D I T I O N A L C H A L E TS TO P R E M I U M LO F TS

Words: Anna Solomon

LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK CHALET ARLA, AUSTRIA

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TSCHUGGEN GRAND HOTEL, SWITZERLAND For the 2023/24 season, Switzerland’s Tschuggen resort has opened four ‘Mountain Lofts’ in its spectacular Arosa location – these additions speak to a growing desire among luxury clientele for privacy without having to forgo the five-star experience. So, what can guests expect? The Lofts, which range from one- to three-bedrooms, offer panoramic views of the Swiss Alps. They are built using sustainable materials, and blend seamlessly into the landscape. Inside, traditional wooden interiors are updated to feel chic and modern. These accommodations are separate from the main hotel, but retain access to its Bergoase Spa, as well as the Tschuggen Express Mountain Railway – Switzerland’s only hotel-owned railway, which transports skiiers to slopes in just four minutes. Prices from approx. £1,471 per night, tschuggencollection.ch

ARLA LUXURY HOME, AUSTRIA The latest addition to the Pepper Collection in Lech, Austria, Arla Luxury Home is a sprawling, 500 sqm chalet with five bedrooms – ideal for trips taken with a group of family or friends. Except, of course, this isn’t like any chalet experience – this is the height of winter luxury. The grand central living room boasts an open fireplace, while the adjoining dining room is the perfect place to congregate after a day’s skiing. Omeshorn and Rüfikopf, Lech’s most famous mountains, are visible from the sofa. Arla Luxury Home also has its own spa, and its central location means that you can choose to stay in and enjoy the crackling of an open fire, or hit the après-ski in Lech’s lively town centre on a whim – no transportation necessary. Prices from approx. £3,134 per night, peppercollection.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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GRAND HOTEL CERVINO, ITALY Along the slopes of the Gran Becca, at an altitude of 2,050 meters, stands Cervino. The renovation of this VRetreats’ hotel is now complete, right in time for the upcoming season – and it was worth the wait. The property has received an elegant treatment: thoroughly modernised, with wood and glass used liberally throughout, the structure manages to look super-sleek while retaining the aura of a ski lodge. All rooms boast views of either the valley or mountain range that surrounds the hotel; this 70-room, five-star spot is located in the Cervinia resort, at the end of the Aosta Valley on the Italian-Swiss border. Not only does this guarantee fantastic snow coverage – an increasingly-pertinent consideration for guests – with most pistes well above 3,000 metres, but it also gives access to Zermatt over the border, meaning that you can ski from Italy into Switzerland and back. Prices from approx. £278 per night, vretreats.com

HOTEL AURELIO, SWITZERLAND This Swiss favourite has opened its doors for a new season. Situated at 1,500 metres in the peaks of Lech, Aurelio offers its guests winter thrills on the Schlegelkopf piste. When you’re not hitting the slopes, enjoy the sun terrace with its breathtaking views; the Licca Lounge, where you can spend the evening listening to music by the fireplace; and a thermal suite that includes several saunas, steam rooms, herbal/floral baths, experience showers, and a plunge pool. A boutique, ten-room hotel, Aurelio’s individually-arranged accommodations combine modern elegance with Alpine charm, while balconies provide those ever-important panoramas. Prices from approx. £766 per night, aureliolech.com

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HOTEL SASSONGHER, ITALY Skiing is great and all, but, believe it or not, it’s not the only thing to do in the snow-covered Dolomites. Why not try something new this season, like, I don’t know, meeting a goat farmer, a baker, or even the piste-grooming machine owners? Hotel Sassongher in Corvara is offering guests the opportunity to experience Alta Badia, its Italian resort and UNESCO World Heritage site, like a local with the ‘Nos Ladins – We Ladins’ initiative. Alta Badia is quite unique in that it is home to the Ladin-speaking community; this package takes travellers through their rich culture and customs. Sassongher, meanwhile, is a family-owned hotel that dates back to the 1930s; the retreat is ringed by the dramatic Sellaronda ski loop, and offers discreet luxury in traditional South Tyrolean style. Prices from approx. £261 per night, sassongher.it

HOTEL DE LEN, ITALY Health retreats have become all the rage, so it was only a matter of time before various wellnessadjacent initiatives began to pop up. Hotel de Len in Italy has jumped on the ‘sleep tourism’ bandwagon, which promises to improve your sleep in the name of ‘boosting your immune system and helping you live longer’. This relatively new property is offering its guests a contemporary and regenerative sleep experience rooted in the nature surrounding the property; its 22 rooms are designed to create an optimal and ‘biocompatible’ sleep experience, while outdoor fitness activities in the fresh Dolomites air and targeted spa treatments will, apparently, regenerate your mind and body. The hotel itself was born of the historic Hotel Impero, and invokes the traditional wooden ski lodges of Cortina d’Ampezzo (‘de len’ means ‘of wood’ in the local Ladino dialect). Prices from approx. £286 per night, hoteldelen.it LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

CENTRIFUGAL

FORCE A FA M I LY- L E D H O T E L I S AT T R A C T I N G A N E W T Y P E O F P U N T E R T O S Ö L D E N W I T H T H E M AG N ET I C P U L L O F T H E R ET T E N BAC H G L AC I E R

Words: Richard Brown

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Das Central has played a large part in changing the perception of a resort formerly better known for table-top dancing than fine dining

ölden’s main claim to fame is that some of Spectre was shot there. Remeber that snowy car chase when a low-flying Daniel Craig plays chicken with Dave Bautista’s fleet of Land Rovers? It was filmed in the foothills of the nearby Rettenbach glacier. The futuristic, mountaintop clinic from which Craig kidnaps Léa Seydoux? It’s real. But it’s actually a restaurant. It’s called Ice Q, and serves a four-course fine-dining set menu alongside a bonkers view of more than 250 mountains. Grab a table by the window. In celebration of its new-found affinity with the fictional secret service agent, in 2018, three years after the release of Spectre, the Austrian ski resort welcomed 007 Elements, a mountaintop museum dedicated to all things Bond (but mostly Spectre). Located a snowball’s throw from Ice Q, half of the museum burrows into the Gaislachkogl mountain. The part of the museum that you can see looks like a giant breeze block that’s about to slide down the slopes and cause carnage in the resort below. On the inside, music and memorabilia tell the story of bringing Fleming’s Bond to the big screen. The museum can’t turn on the heating, because it would melt the surrounding snow. So bring a coat. Although there’s a good chance you’ll be wearing one already, this being a ski resort after all. Sölden’s lesser claim to fame, albeit one that will no doubt mean more to skiers, is that since 2016 it’s been home to the world’s most efficient lift system. Two new stations, one in the village, one on the mountain, were designed by Johann Obermoser, the architect behind space-age Ice Q. The first section takes you from Sölden village to 2,175 metres in 12 minutes. The second whisks you to 3,056 metres in just eight minutes. It spits you out at the entrance to Ice Q and 007 Elements. The system can handle 8,100 people per hour. There are no queues in Sölden. LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

Brits tend to be drawn to nearby Obergurgl, rather than Sölden itself. Partly, that’s because UK tour operators don’t have many Sölden beds on their books. Partly, it’s because of the resort’s party reputation. We are in Austria. So the après ski does boot off. But the resort has changed. The investment in the lift system, along with the opening of Ice Q and other upmarket restaurants, is broadening Sölden’s church. Taking cues from Ronseal’s approach to marketing, Hotel Das Central is a hotel in the centre of town. Das Central’s main claim to fame is that it is Sölden’s only five-star hotel. As the owner of Ice Q and fellow upmarket mountain restaurant Falcon, which opened in 2021, Das Central has played a large part in changing the perception of a resort formerly better known for table-top dancing than fine dining. The hotel is a family affair, currently in the hands of Angelika Falkner, whose father welcomed the first guests 50 years ago, and whose daughter, Katharina, heads up reception. Head chef, Michael Kofler, met his wife while working at Das Central. He oversees three restaurants, including Ötzaler Stube, the most prestigious in Sölden. His favourite dish is spaghetti aglio e olio. “I only need pasta, garlic and oil to be happy,” he says. Courtesy of Kofler, dinner at Das Central is a five-course event – except for one night of the week, when there’s a gala dinner and six courses – that quashes any ambitions you had for leaving the hotel come evening. The dessert trolley is the size of a Citroen C1. The wine list is longer than a Proust novel. Das Central blends its own pinot noir. It’s one label on a list of 600. Ask nicely and sommelier Martin Sperdin will show you his 30,000-bottle wine cellar. The winter season in Sölden is long. The resort has its elevation and two glaciers to thank for that. That meant Das Central didn’t have much time to complete the renovation of its lobby and 31 of its rooms (there are 125 in total) in time for the ’23/’24 season. The hotel started working on the refurbishment, which it revealed in October 2023, four years ago. Sample rooms were built. Feedback welcomed. “We have worked intensely on developing a style that reflects our values,” says Angelika. “Modern yet cosy, with a strong Alpine aspect, natural materials and lots of space.” In the bedrooms, that means oak flooring, travertine bathrooms and panelling around the beds; in the lobby, it’s bleached woods, recessed lighting, rustic floor tiles and designer tables. Just don’t dance on them. You’ll have to head down the road for that sort of thing. From approx. £175 per person per night, based on two people sharing on a half board basis, central-soelden.com

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FA C E D W I T H T H E P R O S P E C T O F P O W E R I N G D O W N B E T W E E N C H A R G I N G P O I N T S , I S I T P O S S I B L E T O E N J O Y A L O N G - D I S TA N C E R O A D T R I P I N A N E L E C T R I C C A R ?

L U X U R Y L O N D O N P O I N T S A P O R S C H E TAY C A N I N T H E D I R E C T I O N O F T H E S COT T I S H H I G H L A N DS TO F I N D O U T

Words: Ming Liu

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e have Scotland’s geography and demographics to thank for its mindboggling natural beauty. Home to just eight cities and just over eight per cent of the UK’s population, the country’s inhabitants are spread across a land mass a third of the size of the United Kingdom, half of which is accounted for by the Highlands – a byword for dramatic scenery and wild landscapes. On an early October morning, Taylor Swift’s Style aptly playing on the radio – the American singersongwriter recently announced she’d be kicking off the UK leg of her Eras Tour in Edinburgh – I set off from London to experience Scotland first hand. The sky is a vast expanse of unseasonal blue, the sun illuminating the glorious autumnal tones that will frame my journey for the coming days. I’m driving a silver Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, the German marque’s first electric car. It also happens to be my first time driving an electric vehicle and, as I power up the Taycan, listening for cues as to whether or not the car is ‘on’, I begin to wonder whether it was daringly adventurous or stupidly naïve to embark on a road trip that will, by my reckoning, have to cover up to 250 miles each day. The range of my Taycan is an impressive 304 miles, but still… As a long-time (petrol) Porsche owner, I at least feel reassured that I’m mit Porsche – and all its brilliant reliability, performance, sportiness and handling. Plus, I’m now au fait with the very robust My Porsche app. Synced directly to the Taycan, My Porsche essentially maps out each leg of my drive, displaying all the charging stations between A and B, the distances, times and, most crucially, how much charge I have when I both leave and arrive. I test this tech, and my charging station etiquette, at my first Ionity fast-charging station near Leeds. Ionity is a Porsche joint-venture that, in just six minutes, can top up the Taycan to 62 miles,

at a discounted cost of just 30 pence per kilowatt hour for Taycan owners. I arrive comfortably that evening at the impressive Rockliffe Hall in County Durham, where I swap the road journey for a culinary voyage, thanks to the hotel’s three AA Rosette Orangery restaurant. Head chef Paul Nicholson’s seven course, wine-paired tasting menu transports me with local ingredients that sing with sumptuous flavours, notably the foie gras accented with gingerbread, pecan and tones of Granny Smith apples. Next morning, I enlist the Porsche app to map out a drive along Scotland’s scenic, coastal A1. Unlike a petrol car, where one simply drives on autopilot, a road trip in an electric car requires a special kind of consciousness – of distances and locations, consumption and usage – evoking that romantic sentiment of travel as the journey as much as the destination. After a brief charge at an Ionity point in the village of Alnwick, followed by an obligatory stop at its namesake castle (where the Harry Potter films were shot), I reach the Highlands, eventually pitching up at Fonab Castle, the only five-star property in Pitlochry. LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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The Fife Arms is the kind of intellectuallydesigned space where you have a coffee overlooked by a Picasso and a Lucian Freud

The hotel rests on the banks of the picturesque Loch Faskally, a manmade reservoir used for hydroelectric power, and which delivers the first of many arresting views. Dense forests of Scots pine, Douglas fir and oak reflect off the Loch’s mirror-still surface. Fonab Castle, built in 1892 as a private home for a wealthy merchant and military family, was a Red Cross auxiliary hospital during the First World War, a shelter for children during the Second World War, and served as offices thereafter. Since 2013, it’s been a smart bolthole that’s become a popular choice for tourists sampling the nearby whisky distilleries. If Fonab Castle is an invitation to a bygone time, then the Fife Arms, a 47-mile drive north through the serene beauty of the Cairngorms National Park, captures the imagination of both past and present. When it opened in 1856, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had just moved into the newly-constructed Balmoral Castle, turning the Fife Arms into the go-to hotel for courtiers, society’s belle monde and tourists hoping to catch sight of visiting royals. In more recent decades, the hotel floundered in various private hands, becoming a tired, coachparty hotel for rubberneckers. It reopened in 2018 after an extensive five-year renovation by its current owners, Iwan and Manuela Wirth, of the Hauser & Wirth contemporary art gallery. Russell Sage Studio (of The Goring and Savoy fame) has given the hotel its charming mix of old and new, but the real magic comes courtesy of the legion of local businesses, craftsmen, historians and artists who played a part in restoring the Fife Arms to its former glory. The result is a masterclass in how to rejuvenate the past for the future.

There are 46 highly-individual and playfullydesigned rooms. Mine, named Music and Dancing, celebrates Scottish dance and features a headboard made of violins. Throughout the hotel there are 16,000 artworks and special commissions, which makes the Fife Arms the kind of intellectually-designed space where you have a coffee overlooked by a Picasso and a Lucian Freud. Nothing, it turns out, perks you up like a bout of wild swimming in the nearby River Dee. If you’re brave enough, seek out the lovely Annie Armstrong of Wild Braemar outfitters. Next up; Inverness and Scotland’s most western coast. Within a few hours of the Fife Arms, the Taycan is on a single-lane track, slowing to manoeuvre cattle grids as I navigate by Gaelic road signs. The Torridon area is a hikers’ dream, home to five Munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000ft) where precipitous peaks, hidden lochs and winding tributaries combine to create a setting from Skyfall. The heavens darken above into what would become Storm Babet, enhancing the dramatic scenery as I arrive at the five-star The Torridon hotel, which sits at the base of its namesake hill and loch. Before heading to the restaurant for a winepaired tasting menu, I plug the Taycan into the on-site Porsche Destination Charger. It’s prescient and I’m lucky: within hours, Storm Babet inflicts a power cut on the area. Which means the next morning I can neither sample the breakfast porridge with whisky nor go sea kayaking. Instead, I make a promise to return. Power cut or not, this place literally feels like the end of the earth. If you ever need to check out for a while, make for The Torridon. Driving back to Edinburgh, through howling wind and lashing rain, the Taycan feels as secure and safe as ever, hugging the road and handling just as my petrol-powered Porsche does at home. As I enter the Scottish capital, stopping for pedestrians, it dawns on me just how perfect an electric car is for exploring this country. Cruising, quietly, stealthlike even, the Taycan politely blends into Scotland’s serene and unspoilt environs. My final night is spent at the five-star Roseate boutique hotel, a 19th-century townhouse in residential Edinburgh that is located – most prophetically and totally unplanned – a tiara’s throw from Murrayfield Stadium, where Taylor Swift will kick off her tour in June. Now, if there was ever an excuse for another Scottish road trip... Rockliffe Hall, from £300 per night, rockliffehall.com; Fonab Castle, from £239 per night, fonabcastlehotel.com; Fife Arms, from £434 per night, thefifearms.com; The Torridon Hotel, from £395 per night, thetorridon.com; Roseate Edinburgh, from £200 per night, roseatehotels.com

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OPPOSITE THE TORRIDON CASTLE THIS IMAGE THE ROSEATE EDINBURGH BELOW THE DRAWING ROOM AT THE FIFE ARMS

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PERFECT H O M E T O T H E F I R S T L O U V R E O U T S I D E O F PA R I S , A N D S O O N T O W E L C O M E

T H E W O R L D ’ S L A R G E S T G U G G E N H E I M M U S E U M , N O T O N LY D O E S S A A D I YAT I S L A N D BOAST T H E M I D D L E E AST ’ S M OST B E AU T I F U L B E AC H , I T ’ S A L S O B E CO M E T H E R E G I O N ’ S L E A D I N G C U LT U R A L D E S T I N AT I O N

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t’s difficult to overstate the ripples that reverberated around the art world when, in 2007, it was announced that Abu Dhabi would be getting its own Louvre. The partnership marked the first time the French government had agreed to extend the Parisian museum overseas, in a deal that would see the hallowed institution loan up 300 artworks over a period of 30 years. The Jean Nouvel-designed Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017, on the edge of the emirate’s beach-lined, UNESCOprotected Saadiyat Island. Since then, the sun-drenched 27-square-kilometre isle has embarked on an ambitious, artled development programme that has transformed it into Abu Dhabi’s leading cultural district. Notably, this transformation includes the highly-anticipated Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, teamLab Phenomena, Zayed National Museum, and the Natural History Museum, solidifying its position as a cultural epicentre in the region. So, where exactly is Saadiyat Island and how do you get there? The island is located 500 metres off the coast of mainland Abu Dhabi, and is surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Arabian Sea. It is located a short drive from Abu Dhabi’s Downtown, a 20-minute drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport, and a 50-minute drive from Dubai. Given its UNESCO-protected status, watersports on Saadiyat Island are forbidden, which is one of the reasons the area has become a haven for wildlife. As well as more than 300 species of birds, the island is home to native Arabian gazelles and critically-endangered hawksbill turtles, which have chosen to lay their eggs on the area’s pristine white beaches for years. Nature lovers can also lookout for both humpback and bottlenose dolphins. Given its unique mix of abundant wildlife, natural beauty – there are eight kilometres of natural beaches to explore – and cultural attractions, it’s no surprise that Saadiyat Island has developed into one of the UAE’s most well-served tourist spots. The island now boasts six global brand hotels, including The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, with its seven restaurants; the Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort, with its three vast outdoor swimming pools;

and the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, with its Gary Player-designed golf course and state-of-the-art spa and fitness facility. With more than 45 years of experience in the luxury travel business, full-bonded tour operator Kenwood Travel can help choose the right hotel for you. The company’s highly-experienced team of destination experts can also help with itineraries – there’s 18-hole championship golf, beach clubs and wildlife watching – as well as entertainment recommendations and restaurant suggestions (Saadiyat Island is home to more than 50 food and drink venues). One word of advice: allow at least half a day to explore the many wonders of Louvre Abu Dhabi; the museum is so big that you can take a kayak trip around it. Now, you can’t do that in Paris. To speak to one of Kenwood Travel’s luxury holiday experts, please call 020 7749 5489. For more inspiration, please visit kenwoodtravel.co.uk

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Homes & Interiors I T ’ S W H AT ’ S I N S I D E T H AT CO U N TS

The spiral staircase in The Astor, one of five penthouses at 9 Millbank, p.126

110 Interior Trend How to re-wild your home 116 Alex Michelin What the Finchatton co-founder did next 126 On the Market Sky-high penthouses for sale in London 130 Hot Property One owner’s labour of love takes luxury to a new level

INTERIOR TREND

Into the Wild Edited by: Anna Solomon

There was a not-too-distant time when the height of interior sophistication was myriad shades of grey and covering everything in boucle (seriously, why was everyone so obsessed with boucle?). That time is over. Home-decorators of today are far more willing to go bold in their configurations, opting for colour and prints – flora- and faunainspired designs, specifically, are having a moment. The hashtag #tropicaldesign hit 1.3 million views on TikTok, while the term ‘bloomcore’ racked up 2.5 million. One of the viral winners of Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That was the botanical wallpaper in Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment (designed by the ever-savvy Sarah Jessica Parker herself). John Lewis’s Japonica print was an autumn bestseller, while interiors brand House of Hackney has popularised rustic, rural patterns with a moody, bohemian twist. At its heart, the trend is about escapism – it’s a way of bringing the outdoors into your urban dwelling. So, grab your binoculars; from bird motif cabinets to tulip-shaped lampshades, it’s time to rewild your home.

Absolute brown cocktail cabinet, £20,845, Radice, artemest.com

Amphibia fringed velvet cushion, £195, House of Hackney, houseofhackney.com

Serpentis side table, £995, House of Hackney, houseofhackney.com

Clorophilla dining chair, £3,495, Fratelli Boffi, fratelliboffi.it

Eden cinched vase, £450, Jonathan Adler, amara.com

Swan bowl, £765, L’Objet, l-objet.com Morrell dining chair, £1,495, Soho Home, sohohome.com

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Girasole chandelier, £9,909, Multiforme, 1stdibs.com Stmat polychrome vase, £3,035, Officine di Murano 1295, artemest.com

C3 cabinet, £12,520, Monica Gasperini, artemest.com

OHR jungle armchair, £2,090, Real Piel, artemest.com Cheetah bookends, £395, House of Hackney, amara.com

Silk table lampshade, £495, House of Hackney, houseofhackney.com

Soft flora pouf, £572, Myin, myin.it

Leaf fenice side table, £2,825, VGnewtrend, artemest.com

Coral centrepiece, £3,015, L’Objet, l-objet.com Jungle spots sideboard, £2,775, Icon’s Design Milano, artemest.com

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LEMA PRESIDENT ANGELO MERONI

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The

Imagination Factory

C H A M P I O N I N G C O L L A B O R AT I O N S W I T H L E A D I N G D E S I G N E R S , C H E L S E A - B A S E D , H I G H - E N D I TA L I A N F U R N I T U R E S P E C I A L I S T, L E M A , P R OV I D E S I N T E R I O R D E S I G N S O LU T I O N S YO U WO N ’ T F I N D A N Y W H E R E E L S E

llow us to set the scene. It’s London Design Festival 2023, you wander past the Portland stone façade of a pristine furniture showroom in Chelsea, and, once inside, you’re greeted by the sight of acrobats performing over super-modern designer furnishings. This dichotomy between the traditional and the contemporary is at the very heart of Italian furniture purveyor, LEMA. Founded in the 1970s by Carla and Luigi Meroni, today LEMA is in the hands of the couple’s three children. They have developed the business into three distinct divisions: Home, which includes standard products; Atelier, which provides personalisation; and Contract, which focuses on fully bespoke offerings and works with

the likes of Bulgari Hotels, Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental. As part of London Design Festival, in September 2023 LEMA’s flagship King’s Road showroom played host to a coterie of spectacular designs the company had previously showcased at Salone del Mobile in Milan. Highlights from LEMA’s 2023 collection include the modular Soffio armchair and sofa, designed by Danish studio Norm Architects, and the Lullaby bed, designed by Italy’s Ludovica + Roberto Palomba. An hour before LEMA’s Design Festival party got underway, Luxury London sat down with company President, Angelo Meroni; Commercial and Marketing Director of LEMA Home, Massimo Maestroni; and UK Managing Director, Umberto Salon.

ABOVE THE LULLABY BED, DESIGNED BY ITALY’S LUDOVICA + ROBERTO PALOMBA BELOW THE MODULAR SOFFIO SOFA, DESIGNED BY DANISH STUDIO NORM ARCHITECTS

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LEMA is proudly Italian. How does that pride inform the company’s core values?

but since we have to raise the bar each year, the relationship with the designer is key.

Angelo Meroni: We are Italian to the depth of our hearts. The company started with my grandfather, followed by my parents and now my two sisters and I run it. The company has grown year by year since 1968.

Why did you decide on the King’s Road for your flagship London store?

Can you tell us more about the 2023 collection, which you presented at the London Design Festival? MM: For our 2023 collection ‘sustainability’ was the keyword. We developed two new products. The first is the Soffio sofa, which is fully recycled and recyclable. It is a completely new concept for a sofa and can be completely disassembled so that at the end of the product’s life, you can easily separate the wood, metal, and upholstery. The fabric also comes from PET bottles and old clothes. The second product is our walk-in closet, which is made with aluminium, glass and reused wood. At the end of life, again, you can separate all the components. How closely does LEMA collaborate with designers? MM: Behind every product is a father and a mother. The designer is the father and the company is the mother. If they do not work well together, the baby won’t be what you want it to be. We work with international designers as well as Italian designers. We usually brief the designers we’d like to work with and receive a proposal from them. We then shortlist the product and start to develop it. We’ve had a few cases in the past year where we started talking to new designers but immediately realised there was no passion. If you know there’s no passion, even if they present you with a good product, you know it won’t end well. Umberto Salon: It is a very exciting process. It’s the heart of the company – pulling together the manufacturing expertise and product development to stay ahead of the curve. We represent Italian design as well as the Italian manufacturing process. It can be a challenge

What have been the most difficult challenges you’ve faced as a business since the Covid-19 pandemic? AM: To be honest, 2021 and 2022 were great years for furniture because people began focusing and investing in creating beautiful homes. This helped our market a lot. Our clients are at the top of the market and they are increasingly prioritising personalisation. MM: One big challenge we faced during the pandemic was a lack of raw materials. Our supplier selection changed dramatically. We were used to working with the same supplier for a specific material. During the pandemic, we had to add five new suppliers for every different material. Production became a huge challenge. What does LEMA do to try and reduce its carbon footprint? US: Sustainability is very important to us. We use solar panels for electricity wherever we can. We minimise our water wastage. We are working with our suppliers to develop sustainable raw materials. Delivery and logistics are also key. We have a dedicated team that analyses the different options of delivery. Here, in London, we tend to deliver straight from the factory to the site. Our target is to eventually achieve zero waste. What does LEMA have in the pipeline for 2024? US: We’ll soon be completing the W Hotel in Edinburgh, which is a fantastic development. We are doing a project near Holland Park Gate, where we’re handling the wardrobes for the luxury development. We have also been awarded a boutique hotel for Fulham Football Club, which will be by the Craven Cottage stadium. Because we have such a great relationship with architects and developers, they tend to come to us whenever they have a special, high-end project in mind. In that way, we are very fortunate. lemamobili.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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The family is the main value for LEMA. LEMA itself stands for Luigi Enrico Meroni Arredamenti... So family is literally in the name”

Massimo Maestroni: Everything we do is very Italian. Our designers come from all over the world, but our ideas are Italian. The LEMA claim is the art of dialogue because dialogue is the base of the family. The family is the main value for LEMA. LEMA itself stands for Luigi Enrico Meroni Arredamenti – Luigi and Enrico are Angelo’s father and uncle’s names; Meroni is the family name; and Arredamenti is Italian for ‘furniture’. So family is literally in the name.

AM: In London, LEMA started by doing contract business for hotels. After a few years, we wanted to open our first London store. We decided on Chelsea because it is one of the most important areas in the city for design.

Behind the FAÇADE I F YO U S P E N D A N Y T I M E I N W E S T LO N D O N , Y O U ’ L L R E C O G N I S E T H E N A M E F I N C H AT T O N . FOR TWO DECADES, THE INSIGNIA OF THE D E V E LO P E R H AS B E E N E M B L A ZO N E D O N T H E H OA R D I N G O F A L M OST E V E RY M A J O R LUXU RY C O N S T R U C T I O N P R O J E C T I N T H E C A P I TA L . N O W, T W E N T Y-T W O Y E A R S A F T E R C O - F O U N D I N G T H E C O M PA N Y, A L E X M I C H E L I N I S S T E P P I N G AWAY F R O M T H E B U S I N E S S T O C O N C E N T R AT E O N “ B I G G E R T H I N G S ”

Words: Richard Brown

’m going to have to find a new post office. Alex Michelin is knocking down the one I use. The Tesco, too. And the Boots. In fact, Alex Michelin is knocking down the entire parade of shops opposite our Queensway offices. Superdrug? That’s got to go. Plus, a pound shop, a hardware shop, and one of those places that sells suitcases alongside plastic Union Jack bowler hats and cardboard facemasks of the Royal Family (in fairness, that shop came into its own over the past couple of years). It’s all to make way for The William, a hangarsized, six-storey mixed-use development of highspec homes, bougie shops and the type of offices that come with breakout spaces and boiling water on tap. The William has been designed by Foster + Partners. So it looks cracking. It’ll cost around £400 million, which is a lot of money, but small beer compared to what’s been keeping Michelin busy on the other side of the street. The William, you see, is named after William Whiteley, who, in 1863, founded a department store on the spot opposite my soon-to-be-flattened post office. People remember Whiteleys as that naff shopping centre near Westbourne Grove. It was, in fact, London’s first department store. By 1911 it had, supposedly, flourished into the largest shop in the world. On its roof was a theatre and golf course. ‘Everything from a pin to an elephant,’ went the slogan.

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LEFT A CGI OF THE WHITELEY, BAYSWATER, WHICH WILL BE HOME TO THE UK’S FIRST SIX SENSES HOTEL WHEN IT OPENS IN 2024 BELOW THE CHAPEL, VALOURAN’S FIRST PROJECT, WHICH TURNED THE FORMER CONNAUGHT CHAPEL IN ST JOHN’S WOOD INTO FIVE LUXURY RESIDENCES

Next year, Whiteleys, which closed for good in 2018, will open as The Whiteley, a collection of 139 residences, shops, restaurants, a public courtyard, and the UK’s first Six Senses hotel. The project is expected to cost £1.5 billion, almost twice the cost of Wembley Stadium. “I’m not just saying this because it’s one of ours,” says Michelin, who, for the moment, heads up Finchatton, the luxury developer spearheading the project, “but The Whiteley really is unique. It is completely game-changing an area, in the same way that the development of King’s Cross transformed that area. We are literally changing an entire high street.” If you’ve spent much of the previous two decades in West London, you’ll recognise the name Finchatton. Founded in 2001 by Michelin and his school friend, Andrew Dunn, the company started off designing interiors of single units in Mayfair and Belgravia. Before long, the company had become the go-to outfit for super-spec refurbishments in the west of the capital. There was a time when ‘Finchatton’ seemed to be emblazoned on the hoarding of every luxury development you walked past. The Whiteley represents the firm’s biggest project to date – part of a £3 billion redevelopment of Bayswater that aims to transform the dreary neighbourhood into a Parisian-style streetscape with glass pavilions and al fresco dining spots. The

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project also signposts the direction Michelin will be moving towards with his new venture, Valouran. Because, after 22 years, Michelin and Dunn are going their separate ways. “I’m very proud of what we’ve built with Finchatton,” says Michelin, who, approaching 50, looks remarkably fresh-faced for someone who’s spent the previous two decades on the front line of London’s notoriously topsy-turvy property game. “But I felt that Finchatton was the first part of the book. For the past three years, I’ve had the feeling that I wanted to do more. It was time to move on to the next chapter.” Michelin will remain a partner at Finchatton until the end 2024, when the company’s current projects are expected to complete. At that point, Dunn will assume control of Finchatton, targeting the country-house market, leaving Michelin to concentrate on “bigger things”. The pair remain very good friends, says Michelin, who puts the parting of ways down to “a lifestyle sort of thing”. “Valouran is very much about the larger, mixeduse developments,” says Michelin. “We’re going to be all about place-making. You can’t always do them on the scale of King’s Cross or The Whiteley, but I want to go to places where I know that by doing a certain building I’m going to change the streetscape of London for the good.” Valouran was established in June 2023 and shares a Soho office with real estate investor MARK,

LEFT TWENTY GROSVENOR SQUARE, WHERE RESIDENCES ARE SERVICED BY THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL RIGHT KNIGHTON PLACE, A CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT OF TOWNHOUSES AND APARTMENTS ON YEOMAN’S ROW IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE

“I think we’re at risk of putting up buildings that in 50 years’ time we’ll want to tear down. Because they are not good quality, because they become soulless”

Michelin’s equity partner at The Whiteley. It’s a plush office, with touchscreen lifts. The name, Valouran, comes from ‘valour’, “because you need a shit-load of courage and strength in this business.” The company currently has 12 employees, most of whom followed Michelin from Finchatton. The others have been handpicked from organisations the developer has worked with in the past. “I’ve probably got 10, maybe 15, years of hard work left in me,” says Michelin, who was born in Jamaica and raised in Antigua. “So I guess I’m looking at that next generation. We intend to make a lot of these guys partners over the next few years.” Valouran’s inaugural venture saw the company repurpose the Grade II-listed former Connaught Chapel in St John’s Wood into five luxury apartments. Michelin’s bread and butter, in other words. “Yes, it’s true, I’ve become a bit of an expert in doing these behind-the-façade retentions.” Behind the Façade. I like that. Good title for an interview with a property developer. “The Whiteley is ‘behind-the-façade’. Our Kingwood development in Knightsbridge is ‘behindthe-façade’. Twenty Grosvenor Square is ‘behindthe-façade’. London being what it is, often you can’t demolish. Luckily, London is a beautiful city with some incredible architecture.” At Michelin’s end of the spectrum, maybe. It’s been almost 10 years since independent research centre, New London Architecture, published London’s Growing Up, a first-of-itskind study that pooled together data regarding the number and type of tall buildings proposed for London. Not since the mass construction of 20-something-storey council flats in the 1960s and ’70s, said the report, was London’s skyline set to be so drastically transformed. Difference being, this

new breed of high-rise was to be built for the private sector. And the majority would be much, much taller. Despite considerable opposition – from local communities, conservation groups, heritage bodies and even architects themselves – London’s planning authorities greenlit 583 towers of 20 storeys or more between 2012 and 2022. As a result, neighbourhoods from Wandsworth to Wapping, from Acton to Old Street, from Tottenham to Lewisham, have been transformed by the march of the not-exactly-aestheticallyinspiring high-rise. What’s Michelin’s take? “I’m not a big fan, to be honest. I think what some people try to do is a shiny, glass, Miami-type of thing, but in the Isle of Dogs. And you think, ‘well, hang on a minute, that just doesn’t work.’ People think you can just put architecture anywhere, but you can’t. It has to speak to the place.” In October 2023, British star-architect and founder of Heatherwick Studio, Thomas Heatherwick, launched ‘Humanise’, a campaign against what he called “boring buildings” and “soulless cities”. Backing the campaign was a study that found 71 per cent of those polled said that buildings have an impact on their mental health. Create Streets, a planning advisory body set up in 2012, conducted a study of it. It found that only 27 per cent of those questioned said they would be ‘happy’ living in a tall building. “I’m not sure some developers really think about how people are going to live and exist in those sort of homes,” says Michelin. “I think we’re at risk of putting up buildings that in 50 years’ time we’ll want to tear down. Because they are not good quality, because they become soulless.” The first thing Valouran does, says Michelin, is think about how someone is actually going to live. “We are obsessive about architecture and the detail we put onto our buildings. If you have a child, how are they going to get in and out? What are the children going to do on a Saturday? We try to design places that really have energy and flow to them.” Valouran will never do high-rise, says Michelin. “It’s just not in my DNA. It’s not what I want to do.” He does, however, make the point that London’s current housing predicament is very much the product of progressive governments meddling in a planning system that has become infuriatingly Byzantine. And costly. Especially for smaller developers. “There’s a well-publicised lack of homes in the country, yet the biggest reason is because of our planning system. Our planning system is just not good for Britain. It’s a complete bureaucratic nightmare. Everything takes a year or even two years longer than it needs to. There are so many vested interests, so many hoops to jump through.

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HOMES & INTERIORS

LEFT A STAIRCASE WITHIN VALOURAN’S KNIGHTON PLACE DEVELOPMENT ABOVE A BEDROOM AND TERRACE WITHIN THE CHAPEL, VALOURAN’S FIRST PROJECT

We’re not creating jobs as a result, time is lagging, developments become unviable, because interest rates kill them, or markets move – but the authorities don’t seem to care.” Michelin highlights Westminster, which, he says, last year received the lowest number of applicants for residential developments it had ever had. “No one is bothering. Lots of developers just don’t want to do it. It’s just too hard. When I first started doing this 20 years ago, getting planning was really quite straightforward, you could do it in three or four months”. What happened? “Layer after layer of bureaucracy. Every government that comes in tinkers with things. Another survey, another test, more tax, even more tax. It’s very hard to make schemes viable in London and I worry that London will suffer as a result. Sorry to get political.” All good. Let’s go there. Who’s going to win the next election? “I’m no political commentator but I think it’s going to be difficult for the Conservatives to see a way through.” How about the decision to axe HS2 after Birmingham. Right call? “No. HS2 needs to happen, all the way to Manchester. Yes, these big projects cost a shit-ton of money, but that cost is far outweighed by the economic value they add in the long term. Unfortunately, no one thinks long term. Everything is so short term.” What would Michelin do if he were prime minister? “I would unlock the planning system and create a moratorium on affordable housing; maybe

the affordable housing quota goes down to 10 per cent, or something, just to kick-start development in London. Because it’s just not happening, nothing is happening. People can’t move up in the world. They are stagnating in their homes.” Does the sheer level of demand in the capital negate the prospect of a London property crash? “I don’t anticipate London ever experiencing any sort of real crash. Things might come off the boil a little, by 10 per cent, at most, but it’s more likely that the market will plateau. Everyone wants a place in London.” Things are still very much bubbling over at The Whiteley, says Michelin, where they’ve sold apartments worth more than £550 million. Off plan. The speed of those sales has broken records. “It’s phenomenal.” The scaffolding is beginning to come down. I’ve been watching the hoarding disappear from our office window. Credit to Michelin and everyone involved, the building that’s being revealed, piece by piece, looks a billion dollars. Maybe even a billion and a half. I needn’t have stressed about the post office, it turns out. Michelin has managed to include a new one in the masterplan for The William. “There was a bit of a furore among local residents,” he says. “So we’ve managed to find a place for a new one on the same street. You won’t have to walk too far.” Phew. valouran.com

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LUXURY LONDON

F E AT U R E

SKY

HIGH O N -T H E - M A R K E T L O N D O N P E N T H O U S E S W I T H S P E C TA C U L A R V I E W S

Words: Anna Solomon

re you the sort of person who has to have the best of everything? The shiniest car, the latest clothes? If so, we’re willing to bet that you’ll settle for nothing less than a penthouse when it comes to your home. How could you live in the knowledge that there are homes above yours (literally, and metaphorically),

VIEW FROM THE ASTOR, PART OF THE HERITAGE COLLECTION AT 9 MILLBANK

with better views? Nicer balconies and/or roof terraces? Not a chance. Which is why we’ve compiled a list of some of the most spectacular London penthouses currently for sale. These top-floor apartments range from cloud-skimming new builds to heritage masterpieces – because why settle for less than the best?

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H A R R I N GTO N R OA D, SW 7

Back in 2002, Hugh Grant was filming Christmas classic Love Actually; he needed a city bolthole in which to stay, and settled on this glitzy penthouse in SW7. Grant sold the property a year later; 20 years on, it is on the market again. Interiors in this three-bedroom apartment adopt a glam, contemporary style – mirrored surfaces and crushed velvet abound – while luxurious furnishings include custommade crystal chandeliers. The colour palette is muted and ceilings vaulted, creating the impression of even more space than the property’s 3,000 square feet (rare in South Kensington, which is dominated by period buildings). £7,250,000, bhhslondonproperties.com

S K Y V I L L A S AT B AT T E R S E A P O W E R S T AT I O N , S W 1 1

Battersea Power Station is possibly the most buzzed-about residential project of the past year, and the handful of Sky Villas on Boiler House Square are the jewel in the crown. Living atop the Grade II* listed building, positioned between its iconic chimneys, means owning a coveted dualaspect apartment with balconies and roof terraces yielding 360-degree views of London, plus access to central communal gardens designed by a Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist. It’s a slice of tranquillity in the sky. Three-bedroom Sky Villa, priced from £7,000,000, batterseapowerstation.co.uk

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T H E A S T O R AT 9 M I L L B A N K , S W 1 P

Imperial Chemical House, now 9 Millbank, was once a vast HQ built for Imperial Chemical Industries in 1929. The neoclassical building has since been converted into apartments, including a group of flagship penthouses named The Heritage Collection, which reside in the former boardrooms and offices of the ICI chairman, directors and officials. There’s The Conrad, The Walpole, The Somerset, The Gainsborough, and, grandest and largest of them all, The Astor – a knockout duplex. It’s named after Viscountess Nancy Astor, the first female MP to gain a seat in the House of Commons in 1919. The penthouse boasts palatial proportions (over 9,700 sq ft of living space), and comprises three bedrooms, a ballroom-sized reception room, cinema room, a 360-degree roof terrace, and a two-bedroom guest or staff annex. £35,000,000, 9millbank.co.uk

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CASHMERE HOUSE, E1

Spread over three floors and boasting 1,022 sq ft of outdoor space, this is a penthouse and a half. You enter the 20th floor of Cashmere House directly via the lift. Here, you’ll find a vast open-plan living space, which also incorporates the main kitchen. The principal suite and a large balcony are situated to the rear of the apartment; there are also two further guest suites and a winter garden in the apartment’s middle section. A decked roof garden is located on the top floor, which boasts incredible views of the City, plus landmarks including Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Eye. £3,500,000, knightfrank.com

B E R R Y S T R E E T, E C 1 V

There are actually two London penthouses for sale on Berry Street in Islington – the pair are designed by British architectural firm David Chipperfield, whose projects span museums and galleries, as well as residential projects. The first apartment is a four-bedroom duplex with great views, multiple roof terraces, and an abundance of natural light, inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Farnsworth House in Illinois. The second is situated on top of the mid-century modern warehouse building – a three-bed boasting generous ceiling heights, architectural skylights, and floor-to-ceiling windows. First penthouse: £4,500,000 (guide price), savills.com Second penthouse: £2,300,000, savills.com

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LUXURY LONDON

HOMES & INTERIORS

HOT PROPERTY

Granville House, SE13 W I T H H I D D E N S TA I R C A S E S A N D A S PA - C I N E M A , T H I S B L A C K H E AT H H O M E TA K E S L U X U R Y T O T H E N E X T L E V E L

ou often hear about period buildings being converted into flats; what happens less often is flats getting converted into a house. That’s exactly what happened, however, with Granville House in Blackheath, which was restored to a single residence, as it was when it was built in 1853. Alan Gower purchased the top flat in 1999, bought the first floor in 2000, and, in 2012, acquired the ground floor, basement, coach house, along with the freehold. Gower then set about returning the property to its former glory. The exterior has been renovated with 60,000 London Stock yellow bricks, bath stone balustrades, and huge sash windows. Inside, corniced details, Versailles oak parquet flooring, and original fireplaces abound. Other notable features include an entertainment room and Orangey, with a wood-burning stove and

Crittall doors that lead down paved steps, past a koi carp pond, to a large, landscaped garden. In a house this size, you have all of the requisite amenities: a gym, an office, staff accommodation, plus up to seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. Plus, there’s a spa with a Himalayan salt sauna, steam room and two cinema screens. Not to mention a secret doorway accessed through a bookshelf. The 200 ft garden, meanwhile, boasts a wilderness meadow, a studio, and a pond that collects rainwater for an inbuilt irrigation system. Granville House is beautiful, yes. But it is also bursting with personality and eccentricity. The type of unique character you only get when someone has poured their life and soul into a project. Gower should be commended. He’s done a brilliant job. £12,500,000, 020 3151 7346, hamptons.co.uk

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