Luxury London Magazine Summer 2022

MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022 £8.00

JENNY PACKHAM ON THE P URSU I T OF THE P ERFECT D R ESS

GIULIO CAPPELLINI THE MAN WHO T U R N ED FURN ITURE M A KI N G INTO A N ART F OR M

THE

SUMMER ISSUE

FEATURING: THE WORLD’S FIRST SUPERYACHT, IBIZA’S NEW ‘IT’ HOTEL, HAPPY HOMEWARE, RESPONSIBLE RESORTWEAR & THE TASTIEST PLACES TO STAY IN PIEDMONT, PORTO & PUGLIA

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CONTENTS

22

40

62 92

UP FRONT

COUTURE

DRIVE

13 THE BRIEFING

58

78

FAMILY FLYER

The chief talking points from

The Aston Martin DBX707 is

the world of luxury

Watches and Wonders 2022

the world’s new fastest SUV

ON LONDON TIME

62

DOUBLE TAKE

84

A tête-à-tête the twin

What’s it like to drive the fastest

The latest news from

36

ABOUT TIME

Sustainable swimwear pioneer

founders of fashion label

Oliver Tomalin on work and play

C U LT U R E

Dsquared2 68

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

BLAST OFF production car on the planet?

ESCAPE

Garments with frills, 40 THE AGENDA

fringing and patterns for

Your curated guide to

a free-spirited summer

The medieval Puglian

70

JENNY PACKHAM

village that isn’t quite

The couturier on A-listers,

culture in the capital 46 FRESCOES & FRICTION

royalty & striving for perfection

Raphael vs. Michelangel 52

BORGO EGNAZIA

what it seems 98

HARMONY IN THE

THE BEAUTY EDIT

HILLS

How Elvis’ manager destroyed

Balms and sprays for a

An 800-year-old farmhouse

The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll

restorative night’s sleep

is flying the flag for Piedmont

THE ILLEGAL DUTCHMAN

74

92

70

102 PORT OF CALL

102 116

116 DESIGNED FOR LIFE

To best experience the

magic of Porto, it pays

leading designers, Giulio Cappellini

to head upstream 106 HEARTS AND MINDS An ancient Tuscan villa proves the perfect destination for a family group holiday

HOMES & INTERIORS

After fostering some of the world’s is still searching for

123 TOMORROW’S WORLD Introducing the most exciting new-

Motif-covered furniture picks to banish minimalism from your home

SUMMER 2022 £8.00

JENNY PACKHAM ON TH E PURSUIT OF TH E PE RF E CT D RE SS

GIULIO CAPPELLINI TH E MAN WH O TURNE D F URNITURE MAKING INTO AN ART F ORM

build residences currently for sale in the capital 13O HOT PROPERTY The Grade II listed Georgian Townhouse with a very special

114 THE FINE PRINT

MAGAZINE

emerging talent

secret under its back garden

THE

SUMMER ISSUE

FEATURING: THE WORLD’S FIRST SUPERYACHT, IBIZA’S NEW ‘IT’ HOTEL, HAPPY HOMEWARE, RESPONSIBLE RESORTWEAR & THE TASTIEST PLACES TO STAY IN PIEDMONT, PORTO & PUGLIA

COV E R Zannier Hotels Sonop, Namibia, as photographed by Jeremy Austin, @JeremyAustin, The Visionary Media Group (p.32)

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Richard Brown

FROM THE EDITOR

D

SUMMER 2022 Issue 28

DIGITAL EDITOR Zoe Gunn ASSISTANT EDITOR Anna Solomon DIGITAL WRITER Ellie Goodman EDITOR-AT-LARGE Annabel Harrison

id you know that Elvis Presley never toured outside of North America?

Perhaps you did. Did you know the reason The King never toured outside of North America, despite a burning desire to do so – he wanted to perform in England in particular – was on account of his lifelong huckster of a manager, Colonel Tom Parker, being an illegal immigrant who feared he’d never get back into the States should he ever get on a plane? No one knew that. Not even Elvis Presley.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Crossan Josh Sims Kari Colmans

Some other facts about Colonel Tom Parker: Colonel Tom Parker wasn’t really a colonel. In fact, Tom Parker was briefly imprisoned after going AWOL from the US army. Despite claiming to be from West Virginia, Tom Parker was born Andreas Cornelis Dries van Kuijk in the Netherlands. He entered America as a stowaway, having, one theory suggests, murdered a greengrocer’s wife in his homeland.

DESIGNER & PRODUCTION Georgia Evans

All of which – and there’s more, much more – we hope you agree, makes the secret life of Colonel Tom Parker a fascinating subject to explore ahead of the much-hyped release of Baz Luhrmann’s sure-to-be-sumptuous Elvis biopic (p.52). At the time of writing, the film is yet to be released. But, after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Elvis received a 12-minute standing ovation – suggesting that we should all probably go and see it once it has (Christ, cinemas could do with the custom).

Some other titillating, and altogether unrelated, facts that were stumbled across during the making of this issue: Salvador Dalí once ordered staff at Paris’ Le Meurice hotel to bring to his room a jar of crickets because he liked the noise they made (p.18); between 0-184 mph, Pininfarina’s all-new, all-electric Battista is faster than an F16 fighter jet (p.84); the Namib desert is home to sand dunes that are as tall as The Shard (p.32); and Raphael, the Renaissance painter, did not die, aged 37, as a result his wild and rampant sex life – proving that some facts are better off ignored.

HEAD OF DESIGN Laddawan Juhong

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Fiona Smith MANAGING DIRECTOR Rachel Gilfillan BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Asleen Mauthoor CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGER Alice Ford CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Eren Ellwood

Enjoy the issue. Enjoy the summer.

PUBLISHED BY

RICH ARD B ROWN Editorial Director 6 SALEM ROAD, LONDON, W2 4BU T: 020 7537 6565 LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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THE FULL FORCE OF McL AREN

ARTURA AVAILABLE NOW McLaren London 020 3199 3519 Estimated fuel consumption combined: 4.5l/100km | Estimated CO2 emissions combined: 104g/km. These figures will be updated once final testing figures have been confirmed. For our emissions statement please go to cars.mclaren.com

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10/11/2020 09:07

The Briefing T H E L AT E S T N E W S F R O M T H E W O R L D O F L U X U R Y

Having had its launch date pushed back by eight months, the McLaren Artura will finally begin appearing on the roads this summer. While externally the model may look similar to other supercars produced by the Woking-based manufacturer, beneath its aluminium skin a twin-turbo V6 has been mated with a plug-in electric motor. Welcome to the future of McLaren (p.22).

14 The Yacht A vintage America’s Cup-winning superyacht is up for sale 18 The Hotel Paris’ storied Le Meurice welcomes a new head chef 22 The Car On the road with McLaren’s first-ever, series-production hybrid 26 The Design Inside OKU, Ibiza’s new ‘It’ hotel 30 The Restaurant Is Tattu London the capital’s best Chinese restaurant? 32 The Eco Lodge Glamping in the Namibian desert

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01 T H E YA C H T

J Class Rainbow AHEAD OF THE SALE OF ONE OF ONLY NINE J CLASS SUPERYACHTS IN EXISTENCE,

LUXURY LONDON TOOK THE LEGENDARY AMERICA’S CUP RACER FOR A TEST SAIL

Words: Jeremy Taylor

F

orget oligarch-owned cruisers with helipads and jet skis, the J Class was the original ‘super’ yacht; a titan of the sea that exists today as a throwback to the golden age of sailing – a time when the cut of your jib was as important as crossing the finishing line first.

J Class boats are considered racing royalty in the yachting world and dominated the America’s Cup during the 1930s.

With massive masts and a crew of 30 or more, beautiful vessels like Endeavour II, Shamrock V and Ranger elevated the oldest competition in international sport to new heights.

Owned by billionaire enthusiasts from some of America’s wealthiest families, J boats famously pushed the boundaries of racing technology. Using new materials and innovative design techniques, they were the Formula 1 racing cars of their era.

Remarkably, many of these steel-hulled leviathans were scrapped just a few years later to provide materials for the American war effort. Just three survived, but a second generation of faithful reproductions has now helped to bolster the J fleet to nine yachts.

Among them is Rainbow, launched in 2012 by Dutch shipbuilder Holland Jachtbouw and based on the J Class America’s Cup winner of 1934. Rainbow was built to strict J Class Association performance rules that date back decades. Underneath that 40-metre aluminium hull, however, is a series of modern upgrades.

The modern Rainbow is the first J Class to feature carbon rigging and an innovative, hybrid propulsion and power system, not dissimilar to a hybrid car. The design not only reduces emissions but provides exceptionally quiet cruising, without the usual waft of diesel fumes.

She can also be sailed entirely on lithium-ion batteries, with a lightweight 50kW variable speed generator combining with the 50kW main diesel engine generator to

provide power. The batteries are charged as the boat sails under wind.

Now 10 years old, Rainbow is up for sale, priced at €6.95 million (approx. £6m) by her American owner. She’s also available for weekly charter for around €55,000, if you want to try before you buy. Earlier this summer, Luxury London was invited to Mallorca to discover what makes J boats so sought-after, and why, quite frankly, €6.95 million seems likw something of a bargain.

The marina at Palma was packed with expensive vessels of all shapes and sizes, but it was easy to find Rainbow. A J Class yacht is the seafaring equivalent of a classic Ferrari. Despite which other machines may be parked nearby, all heads will be turned towards it. You could feel the envy seeping from almost every other porthole. Owning a J Class is joining the world’s most exclusive sailing club.

“I’ve sailed all my life, but this is the first boat that requires the crew to actually think about their sailing,” explains skipper, Mathew Sweetman. “There isn’t a control panel with a rash of buttons to work the sails – the foresails are huge and manually operated. There’s no room for error.”

When the chance to join the Rainbow crew arose, Sweetman didn’t think twice: “It is an enthusiast’s dream, designed to race but luxuriously comfortable for guests.

I find it exhilarating to feel the surge of power when the sails fill, the dramatic tilt of the yacht when she is under full power. Rainbow is the perfect boat for competitive racing and cruising. She turns heads wherever we go.”

Like the exterior, the living accommodation is classically chic. Masses of mahogany panelling fill the cabin spaces, which include a formal dining area for six people and a large lounging sofa that’s bigger than a double bed.

Rainbow’s aft master-cabin is fully equipped with an even

bigger queen-sized bed, shower and bathroom, plus acres of storage space. Black and white photographs of the original Rainbow being launched in 1930 adorn the walls. The only sound is the hum of the air conditioning.

The two guest cabins are relatively small, both containing a pair of single beds, but even the sinks are cut from marble.

A seven-strong crew – including the chef and stewardess – have to be experienced sailors to help out on deck when under sail. Even their roomy accommodation is upmarket compared to most modern yachts.

The interior may be a work of craftsmanship but it’s upstairs where Rainbow really sparkles. A vast expanse of teak decking stretches from bow to aft; even the winches and deck equipment have been bead-blasted to avoid the shiny stainless steel seen on most modern yachts. The attention to detail extends all the way to the caulking between the teak planks – light grey instead of conventional white.

As we sail away from Palma, past the city’s great Gothic cathedral and watching holidaymakers, Rainbow’s slim hull starts to keel over in the breeze. It’s a thrilling experience as ropes and mast gently creak under the strain of 20 knots of wind.

Stood at the helm, Rainbow feels comfortable at 13 knots.

That’s less than 15mph, but I doubt I’ll ever experience this much pleasure travelling at this speed again. “It’s a yacht you never tire of sailing,” says Sweetman.

“When you’re heading upwind in a decent blow, it’s easy to imagine being at the helm of an America’s Cup boat all those years ago. There’s spray, drama and excitement – Rainbow is simply the ultimate yacht. There really is never a dull moment.”

Rainbow is exclusively for sale through Y.CO for €6.95 million (approx. £6m), y.co/yacht/rainbow

T H E S TAT S

BUILDER

B U I LT

HOLLAND

2012

JACHTBOUW

LENGTH

BEAM

DRAFT

GUESTS

HULL

U P TO 8

ALUMINIUM

39.95

6.47

4.90

METRES

METRES

METRES

THE ORIGINAL RAINBOW

The first Rainbow J Class was launched in 1930 after just 100 days of construction at the Herreshoff boatyard in New England. She was commissioned by Harold Vanderbilt, the American railway executive with a competitive streak, and was said to have cost $400,000 (or $24 million today).

A champion bridge player, Harold was the great grandson of railroad and shipping tycoon, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is said to have chosen the name Rainbow as an expression of his hope that America would

soon come out of the Great Depression.

Designed by William Starling Burgess, Rainbow was an immediate success on the water, with a hull cut from bronze plates (that didn’t require painting) on an iron frame.

Unlike the current Rainbow, there were few comforts down below – the boat was effectively an empty hull to cut down on racing weight.

At the 1934 America’s Cup, Rainbow successfully saw off the British challenge from aviator Sir Thomas Sopwith’s Endeavour by four races to two. However, with war in Europe looming, the 1937 America’s Cup was the last for 21 years and Rainbow, almost inevitably, was scrapped to aid the war effort.

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02 THE HOTEL

Le Meurice, Paris THE STORIED PALACE HOTEL BENEFITS FROM A ROOM UPGRADE AND WELCOMES A NEW EXECUTIVE HEAD CHEF Words: Rob Crossan

T

iming is everything in a truly great hotel. And in Le Meurice, I can tell you that running a full bath takes around 45 seconds. Breakfast, meanwhile, takes over an hour.

That’s exactly as it should be in a Parisian ‘palace hotel’; an official designation ascribed to only 11 of the grandest haunts in the whole of France. At Le Meurice you can, should you require it, demand a terrarium, a terrapin or a Thierry Henry’s Greatest Goals DVD to be delivered to your room in the time it takes to calculate how many dubiously authenticated Salvador Dalí stories relate to the place.

You might have heard some of them. Like when the artist ordered the Le Meurice staff to go out and catch flies in the Tuileries Gardens across the street. He wanted, and received, a jar of crickets for his room as he liked the sound they made when they rubbed their legs together. He hired a mariachi band to stand by his bed and play music to keep him awake.

OK, I made the last one up. But what this should tell you, if you didn’t already know it, was that Salvador Dalí was an appalling human being (quite the most overrated artist of the last century) with his annual, month-long stays at Le Meurice (he booked in for 30 years on the bounce) no doubt preempted by a glut of staff requests for paid leave, unpaid leave, sick leave or any other kind of leave that might get them out of having to wait hand-and-foot on ‘Avida Dollars’ (‘Hungry for Dollars’, as was Dalí’s nickname) and his feckless wife, Gala.

The great artists of today don’t really come to Le Meurice for dinner any more. But their work resides inside; particularly that of Philippe Starck who, on my visit, had left a giant picture frame of ice in the lobby, which guests are encouraged to scrawl on before, school blackboard-style, the ice gets scrubbed over each day.

That’s not the only slightly surreal quirk that Le Meurice boasts. But in the main, this is a place that manifests the Paris of a potentate’s fantasies or oligarch’s dry humps. A CocaCola from room service costs €11.

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Personally, I love Le Maurice. Chiefly because the hotel continues, despite all I’ve said, to attract a decent number of actual living Parisians who pop by daily; something you can’t really say for other palace hotels such as the Four Seasons George V or Shangri-La Paris.

Firstly, a visit to the 228 Bar, with its high ceiling, dark woods, enormous Lavalley fresco of Le Fontainebleau and still-intact air of indiscretion and sexiness. It’s a lifeaffirming confirmation of just how good everybody’s lower halves are in Paris, men and women alike. Males seem to know just how to get their denim and cotton to fit so that their derrieres look like two Christmas hams jostling for supremacy. While women of advanced ages display pins that are as shapely as they were when, no doubt, Serge Gainsbourg leered at them on a St. Tropez beach in 1971.

Suddenly I feel far, far away from Britain where our legs, by comparison, look like stair bannisters covered in choux pastry.

Alain Ducasse had been overseeing the food at Le Maurice for many a year but in 2021 his protégé Amaury Bouhours was named as the new executive head chef.

You can choose from taking the uber-gourmand option in the Louis XIV-styled dining room, or the frankly less oppressive atmosphere of Le Dalí next door, which manages to make its huge space feel rather cosy thanks to sepulchral lighting, a jazz duo playing just quietly enough and a scattering of local Parisian characters who, wonderfully, still treat the place like we’d treat a branch of Upper Crust, i.e. with informality and slight disdain.

It is while dining at Le Dalí that I watch a man with bramble-bush hair the colour of Ardennes mud, wearing a Great War trench coat stamp into the room, plump up his multi-coloured polka dot scarf and drain a Ricard whilst scowling at an André Gide paperback.

The menu at Le Dalí loves to tell you exactly which part of France your dish is from. Not so much a love letter to Paris as a group circular for the entire country. It’s one of those menus that looks simple but must have been agonising to create.

I wanted to order the entire card but settled for oysters from Kermancy (as saline and creamy as a mermaid’s ear lobe), trout from Banca in the Pyrenees and scallops from Normandy, which came with a nipped-and-tucked dressing of lovage and celeriac.

The rooms, many of which were refurbished last year, are borderline preposterous in their views, which all face directly out onto the Tuileries and beyond to the Eiffel Tower. My Executive Suite was a breathy, utterly-unstuffy haven that felt like a cherished, little-exposed-side-room in the Palace of Versailles.

Brass plug sockets, acres of Arabescato marble in the bathrooms, Missoni-style chairs, blackout shutters, wallpaper shades of the deftest, sunniest, duck-egg blue

and, best of all, a shower that is uniquely and absolutely free of dials. A simple button is all that is displayed. Press it and instant, perfect-temperature water explodes from the ceiling. A small thing, but how many hours of our lives have been wasted fiddling with shower dials in hotels?

The only disappointment was the mini-bar. Surely some exquisite Parisian macaroons or fromages would be more appropriate than the mini-jar of Pringles I stare at in bafflement? If guests really, really, really want Pringles then you’d think they could call down and ask for them, knowing that their request will be received with faultless diplomacy by the staff, no less efficient and eager to please than if they’d been asked to order a taxi to the house of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

It’s only as I reluctantly check out that I notice Zoulikha Bouabdellah’s contemporary sculpture, The Kiss, in the lobby. Two twisting, cavorting, melding Roman columns, the six-foot-high piece seems to suggest that even the coldest and sternest of antiquities needs comforting or, at least, something to rub up against now and again.

Perhaps that’s why the locals of the Rue de Rivoli keep coming here. Because this hotel, much as it attracts moguls and megastars, is also part of the community. You could never call Le Meurice an old friend; that would be far too familiar.

But it’s a distant relative that you can’t wait to see again.

Especially now that idiot Salvador isn’t around to bring flies into the place.

Doubles from £672, dorchestercollection.com; Eurostar Business Premier runs from London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord with in-service dining created by Raymond Blanc OBE. Returns in Business Premier from £490, eurostar.com

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03 THE CAR

McLaren Artura ON THE ROAD WITH MCLAREN’S FIRST-EVER SERIES-PRODUCED HYBRID Words: Jeremy Taylor

I

t may be remembered as the Curse of Artura.

McLaren’s stunning new supercar is loaded with so much fresh technology that its launch has already been blighted with delays.

The Woking brand’s long-awaited hybrid was set to be launched in Spain in October 2021, only for a software fault to halt proceedings days before the first media drives were scheduled to begin.

Eight months on, waiting to experience the car on track at the famous Ascari circuit in Andalusia, a component failure caused the sort of PR fluster normally reserved for a Cabinet reshuffle. McLaren’s first-ever series-production hybrid has got off to an awkward start.

Whatever the problem – it wasn’t revealed – McLaren’s team worked through the night to rectify it. Two cars were fixed in time but it’s hardly an auspicious beginning for a ground-breaking model that marks a new era for the company.

The Artura may look like, well, every other McLaren, but what makes this car different is what lies underneath that svelte, aluminium exterior. Replacing the entry-level Sport Series range, the Artura reveals for the first time how McLaren will build for an electrified future.

Gone is the company’s outstanding twin-turbo V8, replaced by an all-new, 2,993cc twin-turbo V6 that revs to 8,500rpm. The M630 has been developed with Daniel Ricciardo and is set at a 120-degree V-angle, with the turbos mounted in the middle. The compact, ‘hot-V’ unit saves space and helps trim weight by more than 50 kilos. And in this particular McLaren, weight is an important issue, for the new hybrid system and battery pile on the pounds.

Apart from the aluminium bodywork, the car features countless weight-saving features, including lightweight glass and a carbon-fibre windscreen surround. Even the hinges on the dihedral door have been put on an enforced diet.

Artura’s electric motor is mounted in the housing of the eight-speed gearbox, rather than the rear axle, helping

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Damping Control system has also been lightened and updated to boost handling.

Keeping the rear-wheel drive Artura on the road are Pirelli’s all-new P-Zero Cyber Tyres. As the name suggests, the four tyres feature a chip that ‘talk’ to the car’s electronic systems and generate real-time data. This is far more advanced than a tyre pressure monitoring system, offering temperature and other information to maximise performance.

While I doubt anybody would have time to clock a tyre temperature readout hurtling around the Ascari track, Pirelli rubber offers exceptional grip, especially when combined with the stopping power of Artura’s standard, carbon-ceramic brakes.

Inside, McLaren promises a completely new interior but, again, it’s spot the difference. The instrument binnacle now moves with steering column adjustment for a clearer view of the numbers, while the drive mode control sits atop the binnacle. Unfortunately, some of the plastic materials are less than premium.

The driver can choose from four powertrain modes, including E-mode for that silent driving experience. Separate handling mode options are also accessible without taking a hand off the steering wheel – the ride height adjustment for speed bumps is slightly hidden underneath the dash.

An all-new infotainment screen is light years ahead of what you will find in other McLarens. The Achilles’ heel of past models, this is finally a system worthy of the car, easy to operate one-handed and very intuitive. Remarkably, Artura is also the first McLaren to feature Apple CarPlay, which finally puts it on a par with other stellar vehicles, such as the Dacia Jogger (if you know, you know).

McLaren spokesman, Phil Mockford, added: “From the very beginning of the project, designing and engineering the Artura has been all about challenging ourselves to innovate; pushing and pushing to achieve. The result is the all-new carbon-fibre monocoque, electrical architecture and interior.

New, too, is the V6 engine, while the transmission also integrates a new type of electric motor for the industry.”

Potential buyers will be pleased to know that the car comes with a five-year vehicle warranty, a six-year battery warranty and 10-year corrosion warranty. But, with prices starting at £189,200, and climbing to well in excess of £200,000 with options, you’d hope not to have to claim any of those warranties.

to drive the wheels through an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential. Interestingly, there is no mechanical reverse gear – the e-motor provides backward motion.

Together, motor and engine produce 531 lb ft of torque and 671bhp: 571bhp from the V6 and the rest from the e-motor. They help the Artura fly from 0-62mph in three seconds, onto a track-only maximum of 205mph.

Such heady output is still some way below McLaren’s original hybrid; the P1 debuted in 2012 and produced 903bhp. Built in limited numbers, the P1 came with a price tag of £866,000. Today, it’s worth in excess of £1.5 million.

The Artura’s bodywork and powertrain also sit on an all-new chassis. The next generation carbon-fibre structure is called MCLA and built in-house in Sheffield. It’s six kilos lighter than previous, yet manages to incorporate the battery housing and extra fixings, too.

Despite this, Artura is still 50kg heavier than a McLaren 570S. However, considering the hybrid systems add 140kg, designers have done an incredible job keeping the overall weight trimmed to 1,498kg.

Among the other McLaren firsts in Artura is driver assistance – including the annoying lane departure warning system required in every car. Thankfully, the melodic warning note won’t send you careering off the road in rage. If you can’t keep between the white lines, you probably shouldn’t be driving a car. Over-the-air software updates mean there’s also less need to visit a McLaren service centre.

Driving along hairpin mountain roads north of Malaga, it’s impossible to detect any of Artura’s weight gain. The e-motor provides instant torque, catapulting the car forward with an astonishing throttle response.

The benefits of an electric motor in this instance aren’t aimed at improving economy, or saving the planet. Officially, this is the most efficient McLaren ever, returning up to 61mpg. That’s nonsense in the real world – but the 19-mile electric-only range does have side benefits.

For example, you can now start a supercar silently in the morning, without waking the neighbours. And while some poseurs like to shout with their twin exhausts, I promise there’s nothing cooler than silently gliding through a sleepy village square powered by a battery pack.

There’s no doubting the car’s performance stats, but apart from missing the aural drama of a McLaren V8, the Artura also feels strangely sanitised. As was the case when I drove the all-electric Pininfarina Battista – the fastest car ever produced – I found the whole experience slightly removed.

Artura’s hydraulically-assisted steering isn’t new but feedback to the driver is exceptional. McLaren’s Proactive

First deliveries of the Artura are due in July 2022, from £189,200, mclaren.com

T H E S TAT S

ENGINE

TORQUE

POWER

MAX RPM

TOP SPEED

0-62MPH

3.0L V6

720NM

680PS

8,500

205MPH

3.0 SECONDS

(2,993CC)

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04 THE DESIGN

OKU, Ibiza THE FIRST FIVE-STAR HOTEL IN IBIZA’S SAN ANTONIO IS PAINTING THE NOTORIOUS PARTY RESORT IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT Words: Richard Brown

Y

ou can’t help thinking that Thomas Cook was onto a winner. No, really. Back in 2016, three years before everything went belly up, the tour operator launched something called Casa Cook. The concept was simple. The world had changed and young people no longer wanted to stay in the kind of whitewashed identikit hotels their parents picked out from laminated travel brochures. Casa Cook was a collection of properties – in Rhodes, Crete and Spain – with polishedconcrete floors and hessian artwork hanging from the walls; design-led hotels for people that drank flat whites and didn’t balk at the cost of avocados.

And, unlike Thomas Cook’s planes after September 2019, it should have taken off. Ba dum tuss. Social media was booting off. Career Instagrammers were about to become a thing. People wanted to stay in places with resident Pilates instructors that looked a little bit Scandi and a little bit Japanese (the hotels, not the Pilates instructors) and if they could get a picture of themselves eating sushi somewhere near an infinity pool, then bingo bongo. #Blessed #BestLife #Etc #Etc. Alas. While Casa Cook was reading the metaphorical room – and installing reams and reams of rattan in its actual, physical rooms – the rest of the Thomas Cook Group was focused on the project of heaping up debt.

Following a soft launch in July 2019, Casa Cook’s fifth outpost opened in San Antonio, Ibiza. Two months later, its parent company went into compulsory liquidation. Shucks.

And then Christmas. And then Covid-19. And then a buyout from an investment company called Westfort Capital (previously Thomas Cook Hotel Investments Limited, a little digging on Companies House reveals), which purchased two Casa Cook properties – the one in Ibiza and another in Kos – and to April 2021 and the opening of OKU Ibiza.

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Not that you should think of OKU simply as a change in the name above the door – I just wanted to explain how we got here. Casa Cook Ibiza was only half finished when it half opened in 2019. Local architects MG&AG studio had artfully re-rendered an existing building in smooth concrete and cedar-wood latticing. The rest of the project, including a six-storey new-build where breakfast is now served, was constructed in the winter of 2020. Say what you will about Spanish builders, but they got the job done in just two months. OKU, for all intents and purposes, is a brand new hotel. And it hit the ground running.

With 189 new-agey rooms, two design-led restaurants (both headed up by an executive chef from SushiSamba), two bars (one for booze; one for juice), two pools (one, at 50 metres long, the largest in Ibiza; the second for kids, although we didn’t see any), a rooftop yoga studio, and a gym equipped with the sort of fitness equipment sold in The Conran Shop (get this: people were actually using it, on holiday. Mental), OKU is San Antonio – Ibiza’s answer to Magaluf and Ayia Napa, for the uninitiated – but not as you know it (or don’t).

Just how different is OKU from the other hotels in San Antonio? OKU has cubist portraits by LA-based artist Steve Tepas hanging on its bedroom walls. You can buy the artwork as a keepsake. The portrait in our room cost €9,000. But the damn thing wouldn’t fit in the suitcase.

In Japanese culture, ‘Oku’, roughly translated, means ‘deep inner space’. So, soothing stone, calming wood, lots of wicker and a colour scheme heavily into brown, green and grey. You’ll have been to similar spaces before. Indeed, you could be anywhere, really. Croatia, Greece, Fiji, Hawaii, Bali, Costa Rica. Nothing particularly shouts to the fact you’re in Spain, or Ibiza specifically. Though it’s a fact you get over pretty quickly.

It’s obvious to whom OKU is aimed. See the bit about flat whites and avocados. It’s heavily engineered, like anywhere that aims for that Insta-friendly Japanese-Scandinavian kinda look; Wabi-sabi is a paradox, right? But not in a lazy, purelyfor-the-’gram sort of way. Props to the people behind it, you can tell that OKU actually gives a crap.

You can hear it in the birdsong that plays in the lifts.

Smell it the Le Labo shampoo in the showers. See it in the Bird of Paradise plants between the sun loungers (how

utterly incredible are those plants, by the way?). OKU has character. OKU is cool. OKU has, and I hate this word more than you, trust me, ‘vibe’. (Apologies, we won’t use it again.)

The hotel’s dark-and-moody main restaurant is something straight out of Berkeley Square. It’s the work of Woodfever interiors; the design outfit behind that impressive glass wine cellar in Shangri-La The Shard, if you’ve ever seen it. It serves the sort of Japanese-Asian-Peruvian fusion food that’s been the bedrock of London’s fine dining scene for the past decadeand-a-half. If you’re a fan of Zuma, Nobu, Roka, et al, you’ll already know your way around the menu. Sashimi, nigiri, tempura, Black Cod, Wagyu beef – you know the drill (revert back to the bit about how you could be anywhere, really).

Breakfast is further evidence of how seriously OKU is taking the F&B side of things. Served in an Inca-style, indoorout dining area, the buffet covers everything from nuts and fruits, to meats and cheeses, to home-made carrot cake and honey served straight from the honeycomb. A made-to-order bar serves eggs however you want them. Even the coffee tastes like it’s been roasted from beans that have passed through the backside of a palm civet.

What’s the crowd like? Young, ish, for a five-star hotel. Then, we are in Ibiza. Mostly couples in their thirties, former rave kids, maybe, grown up, married, on one last mad-one before the babies arrive (note: OKU never properly kicked off when we were there, the in-house DJ sticking to a sweet spot somewhere between anthemic EDM and anesthetising deep house).

Next to me, a fella spent half an hour trying to nail a selfie in his new Aimé Leon Dore bucket hat (make sure you get that ‘NY’ logo in, mate. Oh, you have, good lad, as you were). Around the pool you can play a game of count the Submariners (Rolexes, I mean. We didn’t notice anyone in wetsuits. Although I’m sure the concierge can help you organise that sort of thing). Plenty of Germans. Some French.

Not too many English, result, and people reading actual books, not just doom scrolling. (Really? On holiday? Have a day off).

OKU is Ibiza for grown-ups. For older boys and older girls who still Just Want To Have Fun – only while staying some place they can get a fresh-pressed juice after their free rooftop yoga session. Now, let’s all inhale the future, and exhale the passsttttttt…

From approx. £312 pn on a B&B basis, okuhotels.com

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

Tattu London, Denmark Street THE NEW, EXPERIENCE-LED RESTAURANT ELEVATING CHINESE FUSION FOOD TO AN ART FORM

Words: Anna Solomon

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ood and theatre. Yes or no? The debate continues to divide critics. Should food speak for itself? Are cloches of dry ice just smokescreens (see what I did there?) to distract from mediocre dishes? Should we simply consign ourselves to eating our meat and vegetables and ruminating upon the quality of the broiling, baking and braising? Forgive me, but, yawnnn. Of course, there will always be a place for white tablecloths but, seriously, what’s life without a little fun?

If Tattu, the high-end Chinese restaurant newly-opened on Denmark Street, is one thing, it’s fun, which seems to rub some people up the wrong way. One particular food critic, with typically food-critic hauteur, dubbed it ‘somewhere the Kardashians would enjoy’. Well, Mrs-I’m-above-havingcandyfloss-in-my-cocktail, maybe the Kardashians would enjoy Tattu because it’s a rollicking good time. And would that, by which I mean having fun in a restaurant, be the worst thing in the world?

Tattu is housed on the sixth floor of the Outernet building, a new music venue, office space and hotel, which perhaps acts as a sign of what is to come for the historically shabby area that surrounds Tottenham Court Road station. To access Tattu you take a lift, which opens into a bar area.

To the sound of ‘lounge house’ beats (I didn’t identify the genre, the much-cooler-than-me maître d’, Yiannis, did) and looking over a part of town that’s increasingly Blade Runner-esque, we sampled some cocktails. The Peep Show Royale (champagne, mango and passion fruit) tasted like a melted fruit sorbet; the Maohattan (Sazerac Rye, Vermouth and oolong) was poured, consommé-like, from a glass teapot. Lots of people seemed to be ordering the Skull Candy, which comes in a smoking cranium-shaped glass, and gave me the first inkling of Tattu’s flair for the dramatic.

The concept of Tattu, as Yiannis explained, is that each area of the restaurant is protected by a traditional Chinese animal – koi, phoenix, tiger and dragon – with corresponding décor. Overhead, there’s a huge cherry-blossom installation (great Instagram fodder); elsewhere, pagoda-style beams,

blue-and-white porcelain, and Chinese hanging lamps all contrast with lots of shiny marble.

The food, like the décor, is very fusion, taking the best of China and Japan and throwing in European notes like coriander and aioli. It comes out when it’s ready, but we follow a loose chronology of dim sum, small plates and large plates.

Dim sum: we went for the wagyu ribeye dumpling and the Ibérico pulled pork wor tip. The former is beetroot red, reminiscent of a red velvet cupcake, which actually signals chilli heat; the latter plumpy packages of flavour garnished with coleslaw, chilli oil and five-spice black vinegar.

Next we tried sugary-salty crispy squid – exceptionally aromatic and beautifully presented, too, topped with green chilli, pomegranate and mint. The black cod croquettes, meanwhile, cracked under the teeth, as croquettes should, to release delicate seaside flavours.

The char siu honey-glazed monkfish was delicious; medallions of fish drizzled with a caramel orange sauce. The wok-fired ‘angry bird’ – a plate of bright-red chicken, flavoured with roasted chilli peppers, cashews and sesame honey soy – is also a must. The richness of the food was tempered by a mineral-tasting Bodega Colomé from Torrontés, Argentina, paired by Tattu’s masterly in-house sommelier.

By this point, you’ll be stuffed. But take my advice and find room for dessert. It’s delightful, especially the miniature cherry blossom tree of candy floss and filigree chocolate, which ‘grows’ out of a chocolate soil and is served on dry ice that billows onto the table in mesmerising wreaths. We were also brought a fishbowl of panna cotta under a layer of aquamarine jelly on which swam moulded milk chocolate koi – an absolute work of art.

To call Tattu Kardashian-grade, which implies superficiality, is click-baity and unsubstantiated. There’s serious substance behind the style, plus, the whole thing is a rip-roaring experience. Give me edible flowers and chocolate fish any day of the week. The more gels and foams and smoke the better!

The Now Building Rooftop, Outernet, WC2H 0LA, tattu.co.uk

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THE ECO-RESORT

Zannier Hotels Sonop

A SOLAR-POWERED COLLECTION OF CANVAS SUITES IN THE NAMIB DESERT TAKES ‘GLAMPING’ TO A NEW LEVEL Words: Anna Solomon

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into a colonial 1920s theme. Each features a private terrace, which comes in useful at night, when the sky becomes a canvas of distant milky ways – you haven’t seen stars until you’ve seen them above one of the most sparsely-inhabited deserts on Earth.

You are miles away from civilization here – Zannier Sonop is reached by Land Rover or bush plane – but this is in no way limiting. Guided excursions include horse-riding, electric fat biking, walking trails, hot air balloon safaris, and sunrise or sunset excursions. Downtime consists of vegging out by the infinity pool, admiring the view as oryx and springbok saunter past. Everything comes back to that landscape – an almost Martian vista of red dunes and contorted camel thorn trees, jarringly beautiful in its inhospitality.

hen Angelina Jolie visited the Zannier Hotel in Cambodia, she urged the owner, Arnaud Zannier (of the vineyard-owning family), to visit Namibia. He did, and decided to open a hotel there.

Namibia is one of the driest and least-populated countries on Earth. An odd choice, you might think, for the next hotel for the French entrepreneur. But he was so taken with Namibia’s landscape – haunting in its arid beauty – that he opened Zannier Sonop bang in the middle of the Namib desert.

Here, hazy escarpments zigzag on the horizon, and the plains shift from sepia yellow to burnt umber depending on the sun’s position in the sky. They’re studded with heaps of granite boulders, and it is on, or in, one of these agglomerations that Zannier Sonop resides. Powered entirely by solar panels, ten one- and two-bedroom tented suites lean

zannierhotels.com

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- CONCIERGE -

HELPING YOU LIVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE

ENQUIRE NOW CONCIERGE.LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK 020 7636 4385

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F O O D C R I T I C FAV O U R I T E C H R I S D E N N E Y H AS O P E N E D F I E N D I N P O R TO B E L LO, WHERE HE’S LETTING THE INGREDIENTS D O T H E TA L K I N G

BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

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i iend (noun): an evil spirit or demon. As the name of a restaurant, it doesn’t inspire optimism. The same goes for the adjectives ‘mercurial’ and ‘disruptive’, which have been used to describe Fiend’s CEO and Executive Chef, Chris Denney (the man behind Notting Hill’s 108 Garage), who co-founded his latest venture with partners Brian Jamieson and Rishabh Vir. Go sniffing for clues on Fiend’s menu and things get even more nebulous. There’s barely any descriptors – no sautéed this or confit that – as though it’s not even trying to sound appealing. Dishes are to-the-point: ‘cucumber, dill, kalamansi’; ‘carrot, liquorice, coriander’; or simply ‘jerk cod’. Some read almost as a challenge: ‘lamb heart agnolotti, kohlrabi, mustard dashi’ or ‘celeriac, mushroom, pistachio granola, hollandaise’. It’s a menu that knows it’s being subversive; taking ingredients out of their usual context and daring you to make sense of it all.

Accept the challenge and you won’t be greeted by white tablecloths and silver service, but rather black walls decorated with slightly unnerving art. The location is fitting: Fiend sits on the idiosyncratic Portobello Road.

What you will also find is that all of the mystique

surrounding Denney’s venture is backed up by genuinely incredible food. The menu, which may sound hare-brained on reading, falls into place like the pieces of a puzzle on eating. That lamb heart agnolotti? A fragrant bowl of offal and pasta broth. The celeriac? Deliciously salt-baked and irresistibly moreish with the nutty granola. The cucumber thing is a sorbet – the perfect palette cleanser. Along with the bells and whistles (caviar, tartar relish, dandelion), there’s also plenty of meaty substance – sea trout, veal sweetbread, wagyu short rib, and more.

Everything is prepared in the open kitchen in view of diners; Fiend is keen to make this not just a restaurant, but an experience. There are two bars and, as the evening wears on and the dark restaurant gets even darker, the energy ratchets up a notch, or three.

‘Fiend’ can also mean ‘an enthusiast or devotee of a particular thing’ and – judging by the meticulous, almost obsessive quality and creativity of the food here – expect the nation’s most esteemed restaurant critics to once again be reaching for the superlatives.

301 Portobello Rd, W10 5TD, fiend-portobello.com

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WESTMINSTER, LONDON’S MOST ICONIC ADDRESS

The most personal of hotels in the grandest of neighbourhoods A location that’s fit for kings and queens. Service that is tailored to you and yours. A team that is discrete and attentive.

A commitment to know what makes your stay special, and a desire to make you feel completely pampered.

Come and enjoy London’s most iconic neighbourhood from its most personal hotel, The Guardsman.

1 Vandon Street, London SW1H 0AH T: 0207 309 9200 I reservations@guardsmanhotel.com

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INTERVIEW

ON LONDON TIME

OLI V ER TOM A LIN THE FOUNDER OF RESPONSIBLE RESORTWEAR LABEL LOVE BRAND & CO. O N P O S T- P A N D E M I C B U S I N E S S , F AV O U R I T E B E A C H E S A N D B U C K E T- L I S T D E S T I N AT I O N S

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hortly after architecture-graduateturned-espadrille-manufacturer Oliver Tomalin met his future wife Rose in 2010, the couple travelled to India where they were introduced to Tara, an elephant that would inspire them to create a brand dedicated to protecting the endangered animals. The following year, Love Brand & Co. showcased its first range of men’s and boy’s swimming shorts in Selfridges. The company has since expanded into shirts, luggage and womenswear – it still sells espadrilles – with stores in Notting Hill and Chelsea. Each year, Love Brand & Co. donates two per cent of its net revenue to help protect elephants and other endangered wildlife.

From June until November 2022, the brand will be hosting a pop-up store at 20-21 St. Christopher’s Place, Marylebone.

Which are your best-selling swim shorts?

We only make one short. The Staniel.

Named after the cay in The Bahamas with swimming pigs. They are made from 100 per cent recycled plastic, are quick drying, perfectly cut and feature our signature prints. My favourite print this summer is ‘Elephant Palace’, which can trick the eye so that you either see elephants or Indian palaces.

Where’s somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit, but haven’t yet? Egypt. We have a partnership with Abercrombie & Kent this year, celebrating their 60th anniversary with six exclusive prints for six decades of travel. One of the prints is inspired

by Tutankhamun and A&K’s adventures along the Nile.

Where’s home for you? I live between the UK and The Bahamas with my wife and two young children. Love Brand & Co. is based in London but the brand was born in The Bahamas, where my wife has family connections. We say the brand was born in The Bahamas, and raised in London.

What’s the best pool you’ve ever swum in?

The ocean is the best pool there is. The best part of living in The Bahamas is swimming in the ocean every day. The salt water and the act of swimming I find so important and healing. I can’t live without it.

Which is your favourite beach? Pine Cay in Turks & Caicos might just be the best beach on earth.

Favourite city? Madrid.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Don’t bother with my advice. Just follow your gut and never give up on your dreams.

If you could relive one day of your life, which would it be? Rose and I went to India only a few months after we met and had one of the best days I can remember.

Swimming with elephants and tracking tigers in the Kanha National Park and camping at Kipling Camp.

What inspired your love for travel? My parents lived and worked all over the world. Without question this planted the seed for my life – I’ve always been hungry to explore and travel.

How’s business, post-pandemic?

The pandemic was tough, but the silver lining was that it hit a pause button at the right time, allowing us to reflect and make our business even better.

Another silver lining is that the pandemic accelerated a movement towards shopping slower and more sustainably and being more conscious about the environment and wildlife.

Which is your favourite hotel brand? If Love Brand & Co. did hotels, the closest would be Zannier Hotels. They are small, unique and careful with the environment.

Which book would you suggest everyone should read? Born Wild by Tony Fitzjohn, a man who showed strength, grit and perseverance.

Which is your favourite hotel? This summer we are going to Marbella Club to celebrate another exciting collaboration.

I designed a seahorse print to help their initiative to protect seahorses and their associated habitats in the Mediterranean. It is an incredible hotel.

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Outside of Love Brand & Co., what do you do to leave the world in a better place? Love Brand & Co. and my young family are all-consuming right now but if I get a spare moment I love to garden and paint – although I’m not sure how much the world is a better place for that! lovebrand.com

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IG.COM / INVESTMENTS

Paul Cezanne Seated Man 1905-6 © Museo Nacional ThyssenBornemisza, Madrid, part of Tate Modern’s The EY Exhibition: Cezanne (p40)

Culture MUSIC, MUSEUMS AND MASTERPIECES

40 The Agenda The best in art, drama and culture coming to the capital 46 Raphael vs. Michelangelo The simmering friction between the high priests of the High Renaissance 52 Just who was Colonel Tom Parker? The bizarre life of Elvis Presley’s manager

T H E A G E N DA YOUR CURATED GUIDE TO CULTURE IN THE CAPITAL Edited by:

Anna Solomon

CÉZANNE STILL LIFE WITH APPLES, 1893–1894, J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM

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The EY Exhibition: Cézanne, Tate Modern

5 October 2022 – 12 March 2023

Paul Cézanne once promised that he would astonish Paris “with an apple” and, in many ways, he did. His work was pivotal, moving art away from the impressionism of the 19th century and towards a new, more abstract line of inquiry. Matisse and Picasso reportedly declared Cézanne “the father of us all”. Here, the Tate Modern seeks to shed light on how the French painter helped pave the way for a new type of art in the 20th century: leaving the Mediterranean

South for metropolitan Paris in his 20s, Cézanne found himself torn between seeking official recognition, joining the transgressive Impressionists, and pursuing his own unique language. The works in this exhibition, many of which are being shown in the UK for the first time, reveal the conflicting factions of Cézanne’s mind in their repetitive, exploratory brushstrokes. £22/free for members, tate.org.uk

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Africa’s fashion scene is as varied and dynamic as the continent itself.

The story starts with traditional textiles such as adire, an indigodyed cloth made in southwestern Nigeria, and spans continents and decades to the point of Africa’s emergence as a modern and boundary-pushing player in fashion. Africa Fashion shows how regional traditions were exported to runways all over the world by the likes of Chris Seydou, Alphadi and Thebe Magugu, the Johannesburg designer currently disrupting the fashion industry.

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£16, vam.ac.uk

CHASING EVIL COLLECTION, IAMISIGO, KENYA, AUTUMN/ WINTER 2020. COURTESY IAMISIGO. PHOTO: MAGANGA MWAGOGO

Africa Fashion V&A, 2 July 2022 – 16 April 2023

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Jerusalem

The Apollo Theatre, until 7 August

For a strictly limited 16-week run this summer, Mark Rylance will reprise his role as Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron – the delinquent protagonist of Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem – a decade after its last recordbreaking run. The production is widely considered a modern classic, described by The Guardian as “the 21st century’s best play”.

It begins on St. George’s Day, the morning of the local county fair, and Byron is a wanted man – we follow him and his sidekick Ginger

(Mackenzie Crook) as they fall into the void of lawless rural life, existing on the fringes of society and lamenting a lost England.

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From £10, theapollotheatre.co.uk

Lucian Freud: New Perspectives The National Gallery,

1 October 2022 – 22 January 2023 Lucian Freud was one of the foremost portraitists of the 20th century, so when one of his exhibitions arrives in town, it’s going to be a hit. This is the first major showcase of Freud’s work in a decade, and will bring together paintings from more than 70 years.

This span reveals just how much his work metamorphosed throughout his career, from early depictions of powerful public figures – positioning him in the tradition of historic court painters like Rubens and Velázquez – to intimate, sombre portraits of family and friends etched out in Freud’s signature impasto.

Ticket prices TBA, nationalgallery.org.uk LUCIAN FREUD GIRL WITH ROSES, 1947-8; COURTESY OF THE BRITISH COUNCIL COLLECTION. PHOTO © THE BRITISH COUNCIL © THE LUCIAN FREUD ARCHIVE / BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

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Lubaina Himid

Tate Modern, until 2 October

British artist Lubaina Himid focuses on themes of cultural history, identity and creativity in her work.

Himid – who was born in Zanzibar – has been pivotal to the British Black arts movement since the 1980s, receiving a Turner Prize and honourary CBE in recognition of these contributions. Her largescale, figurative and wonderfully vivid paintings are exhibited by the Tate Modern this summer; they depict sequences of scenes, theatrical in their composition, LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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all expressing in their own way the Black female experience. The viewer feels almost as though they are watching a play; an onlooker to the usually-invisible goings-on of everyday life. The exhibition will debut Himid’s recent work, as well as showing selected highlights from her influential career. £16/free for members, tate.org.uk ABOVE: LE RODEUR: EXCHANGE, 2016 LEFT: SIX TAILORS, 2019

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The World of Stonehenge The British Museum, until 17 July

Towering over the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, Stonehenge is one of England’s most intriguing cultural icons. In this exhibition, the British Museum attempts to sift through the speculation and reveal the secrets of the 5,000-year-old monument, including why and how it was built.

The World of Stonehenge will also shine a light on the Britain of 4000-1000 BC, and the Neolithic society that built Stonehenge, through a variety of fascinating objects including stone axes from the North Italian Alps, examples of early metalwork (including the Nebra Sky Disc, the world’s oldest surviving map of the stars), and a remarkably wellpreserved 4,000-year-old timber circle dubbed ‘Seahenge’. Informed by ground-breaking scientific and archaeological discoveries, this exhibition offers new and fascinating clarity on the ancient megalith.

From £20/members and under 16s free, britishmuseum.org

ABOVE THE BLESSINGTON LUNULA LEFT BRONZE TWIN HORSE–SNAKE HYBRID

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Rooted Beings

Wellcome Collection, until 29 August

Plants are sensitive, complex, interconnected beings, and play a huge role in our lives. Rooted Beings invites us to reflect on our relationship with plants, consider what we might learn from them, and meditate on the impact of our exploitation of natural resources.

The exhibition will also focus on colonialism, digging out of the archives botanical specimens brought to Europe from Latin America during 18th and 19th century expeditions – a moment of scientific expansion that came at the price of the erasure of indigenous cultures and the destruction of ecosystems.

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Free, wellcomecollection.org

The Glass Menagerie

A GREAT SEAWEED DAY: GUT WEED (ULVA INTESTINALIS)

Duke of York’s Theatre, until 27 August

AMY ADAMS AS AMANDA WINGFIELD (ABOVE) AND TOM GLYNN-CARNEY AS TOM WINGFIELD (BELOW)

INGELA IHRMAN. MIXED MEDIA SCULPTURE, 2019

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Amy Adams, six-time Academy Award nominee, makes her West End debut in a bold reimagining of Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece.

The Glass Menagerie tells the story of a strained St. Louis family – Amanda, the matriarch, worries desperately about the future of her emotionally vulnerable daughter, while Tom, her brother, chafes under familial responsibility.

From £20, thedukeofyorks.com

FRESCOES &

FRICTION RAPHAEL VS MICHELANGELO A S T H E N AT I O N A L G A L L E R Y H O S T S O N E O F T H E F I R S T E X H I B I T I O N S TO E X P LO R E T H E CO M P L E T E C A R E E R O F R A P H A E L , I S N ’ T I T H I G H T I M E W E R E C O N S I D E R E D T H E S TA N D I N G OF THE HIGH PRIESTS OF THE HIGH RENAISSANCE?

Words:

Rob Crossan

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LEFT MICHELANGELO BY DANIELE DA VOLTERRA, C. 1545 RIGHT A SELF PORTRAIT BY RAPHAEL AGED AROUND 23

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eep inside the Vatican in the centre of a fresco is a portrait of the most miserable-looking man in the Holy See. Located inside the quartet of suites known as the Raphael Rooms within the Apostolic Palace, the School of Athens fresco (right) is a boldly coloured, possibly over-restored, depiction of the greatest scientists, mathematicians and philosophers from classical antiquity, all gathered together, discussing and sharing ideas.

Plato and Aristotle take centre stage on a wide set of marble steps, with a huge, triumphal arch framed behind them. Plato is pointing at the sky and holding a copy of his book Timaeus.

Aristotle looks towards the ground, perhaps an indication of his preferred interests in studying only what is observable to the human eye. Socrates (pre-hemlock poisoning, of course) and Pythagoras are all among the crowd of polymaths, most looking suitably content and energised by the hubbub of debate.

But there’s an exception to the intellectual bonhomie. Sat on a step, head bowed, clad in drab robes, looking like he might be about to get up and ask the other men for some spare drachma for something to eat, the man scrawls away petulantly in his notebook, using a block of marble as a makeshift table.

This is Heraclitus, a pre-Socratic philosopher who wrote on themes of universal change, once saying that ‘you never step in the same river twice’, a phrase that may have contained more contextual depth at the time than it would ostensibly seem to hold today.

Also known as ‘the obscure’ and ‘the weeping philosopher’, Heraclitus’ unkempt mop of dark hair and rangy beard projected a likeness to someone far more familiar to the High Renaissance devotees who would have trooped past the fresco when it was completed in 1511.

Unmistakably, Raphael had decided Heraclitus should take on the physical form of Michelangelo, a man who at the time was also in the Vatican City, working on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

But this inclusion of a thinly-disguised Michelangelo wasn’t meant as a tribute to a fellow Renaissance genius. Known

RAPHAEL’S SCHOOL OF ATHENS FRESCO, COMPLETED 1509-11.

HERACLITUS, DEPICTED AS MICHELANGELO, CAN BE SEEN TOWARDS THE CENTRE OF THE SCENE, WRITING ON A NOTEPAD

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RAPHAEL’S THE ANSIDEI MADONNA, 1505 © THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

as the most bad-tempered, miserable, irascible man in Ancient Greek philosophy, Raphael’s choice to make Heraclitus look like Michelangelo was a statement with the intention of making sure that nobody who viewed this painting could be in any doubt as to his opinion of his Renaissance rival.

The story of the enmity between Raphael and Michelangelo adds a human element to our understanding of the lives of painters who seem to have ceased to have ever existed as mere men of flesh, amplified, as they now are, into

a stratosphere of deified worship that borders on unearthliness.

Yet Raphael and Michelangelo were, just like all artists, men of egos, passions, eccentricities and petty jealousies; all of which came into play within an intense competitive rivalry between the elder painter from Caprese and the man he considered to be an upstart from Urbino.

When the man born as Raffaello Santi emerged onto the Renaissance scene in 1504, there was no doubt that his methods were hugely influenced by Michelangelo,

already an established master of the form.

Raphael’s highly intricate style was an immediate success and the young painter gained the most powerful sponsor possible in the form of Pope Julius II, who, at the time, was looking for someone to paint frescoes in his private library inside the Vatican.

To the immense opprobrium of Michelangelo and fellow Renaissance big beast Leonardo da Vinci, the younger man won the commission from the strong-willed, stubborn pontiff who, during his tenure, transformed Rome from a hovel of medieval warrens into the Eternal City of harmonious piazzas and handsome palazzos.

The critics of the time even began to claim that the young Raphael’s library frescoes were ingenious enough to have bested Michelangelo at his own game.

Giorgio Vasari, the art critic and author of The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects was born while Raphael was creating School of Athens and, never shy of painting an overly hagiographic pen portrait, 40 years later wrote: ‘Raphael of Urbino had risen into great credit as a painter, and his friends and adherents maintained that his works were more strictly in accordance with the rules of art than Michelangelo, affirming that they were graceful in colouring, of beautiful invention, admirable in expression, and of characteristic design…

For these reasons, Raphael was judged… to be fully equal, if not superior, to Michelangelo in painting generally, and… decidedly superior to him regarding colouring in particular.’

High praise indeed, written, as it was, during the time when Michelangelo was engaged in the process of painting the Sistine Chapel.

The older artist, quite understandably, despised the idea of anyone challenging his status as the supreme high watermark of Renaissance art.

Raphael, it must be said, wasn’t above stooping to less than honest means in order to keep an eye on his competitor.

While Michelangelo was painting the Sistine ceiling, the papal architect Bramante was charmed by Raphael into opening up the locked doors of the chapel so that he could take a sneak

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peek at what his established rival was up to. Duly impressed by the Adonis-like muscularity of Michelangelo’s figures, Raphael, as claimed by Vasari, promptly returned to his own frescoes and beefed up the pectorals of his subjects.

As the 20th century American art critic Robert S. Liebert wrote in his study, Raphael, Michelangelo, Sebastiano: High Renaissance Rivalry, Michelangelo ‘made Raphael bear the brunt of his unrelenting envy, contempt, and anger.’

The death of Pope Julius II in 1513 and the succession of Pope Leo X continued the trend of papal favouritism towards Raphael. The new pope was said to be particularly charmed by the Urbino painter’s warm and sensual personality, at notable contrast with Michelangelo’s sullen persona and frequent fits of pique.

Michelangelo’s sense of ire was only inflamed further when an ambassador made an announcement that the Sistine Chapel had been decorated by none other than Raphael. This quite astonishing blunder was compounded further by Raphael winning commission after commission; including tapestries for the Sistine Chapel, portraits of popes and frescoes for the sumptuous villa of financier and art patron Agostino Chigi, now known as Rome’s Villa Farnesina.

Based on personality alone, regardless of professional rivalries, the two painters were never destined to be friends. Not only did Michelangelo’s bad temper make him a difficult man to have a working relationship with, his personal life was one of almost monastic gloom.

A devout catholic, Michelangelo would sleep with his clothes and shoes on and eat ‘only out of necessity’ rather than indulging in any epicurean pleasures.

Also struggling with his repressed homosexuality, it’s easy to imagine the older artist being just as jealous of his younger rival’s easy-going manner and sybaritic lifestyle as he was with his skills with oil and canvas.

It would be Raphael’s love of carnal pleasure that would prove fatal. In 1520, at the age of just 37, Raphael died from what contemporary accounts claim was a fever caused by overly exertive sex with his mistress, a woman depicted in the artist’s Portrait of a Young Woman (1518-1519).

Despite his bouts of extra-marital passion

Half a millennium on, it is Michelangelo who seems to have won the legacy battle to be known as the greatest painter inside the Vatican, Raphael’s posthumous reputation remained unsullied. The entire city of Rome mourned his passing and he was buried in a marble sarcophagus in the Pantheon, where (in Latin) the inscription reads: ‘Here lies that famous Raphael by whom Nature feared to be conquered while he lived, and when he was dying, feared herself to die.’

But if Rome was expecting a conciliatory tone from Michelangelo they would be disappointed. Already partially responsible, due to their own ongoing feud, for Leonardo da Vinci quitting Italy for good four years earlier, the cantankerous veteran (he was then in his late 40s) spent the ensuing decades inflating his reputation as a man with a chip on both shoulders for whom death was no reason to shrug off a grudge. Twenty-two years after Raphael’s passing, Michelangelo wrote: ‘What he had of art, he had from me.’

The elder painter, remarkably for the age, clung onto life until he was almost 90. And, half a millennium on, it is Michelangelo who seems to have won the legacy battle to be known as the greatest painter of the Renaissance era.

Michelangelo’s equal genius as

a sculptor, coupled with his aweinspiring frescoes and paintings have undoubtedly been the beneficiary of greater praise than Raphael’s work.

Perhaps, by comparison, we prefer the grandiosity of Michelangelo? Maybe Raphael is now considered too much of a nice guy? His paintings, so gentle, beautiful and dreamily amorous, could be considered too lightweight compared with the rich, vast, full-fat, almost fin de siècle, feel of Michelangelo’s works.

The current National Gallery exhibition could be the right time for the man from the backwater of Urbino to regain his status as every bit Michelangelo’s equal. His ability to bring soothing, gently carnal rhapsody to his viewers could not have come at a better time.

As Desiderius Erasmus, philosopher of the Northern Renaissance, living in the Netherlands at the time when the two bitter rivals were snarling at each other in Rome, wrote: ‘Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.’

The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Raphael runs at the National Gallery until 31 July, tickets from £24, nationalgallery.org.uk

RAPHAEL’S SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHING, 1505, © THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

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ELVIS PRESLEY & THE

ILLEGAL

DUTCHMAN C O L O N E L T O M PA R K E R I S T H E M O S T C O N T R O V E R S I A L H U C K S T E R I N S H O W B I Z H I S T O R Y. A H E A D O F T H E U P C O M I N G R E L E A S E O F B A Z L U H R M A N N ’ S B I O P I C E LV I S , W H I C H S E E S P A R K E R P L AY E D B Y T O M H A N K S ,

LUXU RY LO N D O N E X P LO R E S T H E B I Z A R R E L I F E O F E LV I S P R E S L E Y ’ S M A N A G E R , T H E ‘ C O L O N E L ’ , A N D L O O K S AT H O W H I S D E C E I T A N D A D D I C T I O N S H E L P E D D E S T R OY T H E K I N G O F R O C K ‘ N ’ R O L L

Words:

Rob Crossan

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ELVIS IN THE OFFICE OF HIS MANAGER, THE SELF-STYLED COLONEL TOM PARKER © PICTORIAL PRESS

I

f you happened to be on the gaming floors of the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas during the earlyto-mid 1970s, there’s a strong chance that, no matter what time of day or night you entered, you’d spot a six-foot tall, grossly overweight man in front of the roulette table.

With an elephant-head cane resting by his side, a cigar clamped into his mouth and a cheap baseball cap sat awkwardly on his huge bald dome, this man was, with a grim determination, seemingly going out of his way to lose incredibly large sums of money.

There were more than a few men who would have roughly fitted this description in Nevada half-a-century ago. But this gambler was far from a day tripper to the casino. He considered the roulette wheels and the craps tables to be his “other office”, spending, at times, 12-14 hours a day there. His actual office was located on the fourth floor of the same building.

Occupying a suite of rooms, the hub of Colonel Tom Parker’s operation looked like the concession stand of a particularly cheap and tawdry travelling fairground.

Paper hats, glossy posters, souvenir programmes and gaudy key rings covered the room from top to bottom.

But the memorabilia wasn’t for a rodeo or travelling circus. It was for the greatest showman in rock ‘n’ roll history: Elvis Presley, aka ‘The King’.

PARKER AND PRESLEY ON THE SET OF CHANGE OF HABIT, 1969 © PICTURELUX

About to be played by Tom Hanks in the biopic Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, Colonel Tom Parker remains, 25 years after his death, and nearly half-acentury after the death of his only client, the most memorable and divisive manager in the history of show business.

It was the Colonel who propelled his “boy”, as he would refer to him, from being a local celebrity in Memphis to being the most famous and successful performer on the planet.

But the Colonel was also the man who most hold responsible for Elvis’ stagnant years making appalling movies in Hollywood. He’s also held culpable as the man whose gambling addiction and debts to Vegas casinos contributed to Presley being forced to spend years in an unending cycle of matinee and midnight shows which slowly wrecked his creativity, and then his body.

It was only after Elvis’ untimely death in the bathroom of his Graceland home in August 1977 at the age of just 42 that the truth emerged about this P.T. Barnum-esque character who transferred his skills in hucksterism and cunning from the travelling carnivals to the biggest stages on earth.

Almost everything about the Colonel was a fabrication. His name wasn’t Tom Parker and he certainly wasn’t a military colonel, merely an honorary one who was given the title by the governor of Louisiana.

Parker always claimed he was from West Virginia, but, three years after Elvis’ death, it emerged that the man who managed The King was actually born Andreas Cornelis Dries van Kuijk in Breda, the Netherlands, in 1909. Stowing away on a cruise liner to the States in 1929, the Colonel lived for decades in fear of being discovered as an illegal alien.

Despite his lack of papers, Parker managed to enlist in the US army, although he then went AWOL and was imprisoned briefly for desertion in 1932.

It was only after this unhappy period that the Colonel found his natural home, working in travelling carnivals that toured the American South.

He adored telling his old ‘carny’ conman stories. He would paint sparrows yellow and sell them as canaries. He sold hot-dogs that had no ‘dog’ at all in the middle. He even put chicken feed onto

a hot wax cylinder and charged people to watch his ‘dancing chickens’ as the animals would jump on their blistered talons attempting to peck at the food.

Many of the traveling carnivals of the 1940s and 1950s had musicians as part of the caravan and the Colonel began his managerial career by looking after nowlong-forgotten country singers, including Eddy Arnold and Gene Austin. Signing a boy called Elvis Presley from Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1955 was the beginning of a working relationship that would last continuously until The King’s death.

There’s no doubt that the Colonel worked wonders in negotiating hard bargains for his client, getting him signed to RCA Records, maximising the financial returns and keeping Elvis’ name in the spotlight, even when the singer was drafted into the US army and unable to record for two years.

Yet Elvis’ decline in the 1960s into increasingly embarrassing movies prompted the beginning of a conflict that would result in the two men being barely on speaking terms by the time of the entertainer’s death.

Elvis’ films always made money, despite their wretched quality. This, as far as the Colonel was concerned, was the bottom line. But for Elvis, a creative artist who knew The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys were making him seem an archaic irrelevance by the mid-60s, the desire to rediscover himself as a musician, not a middling actor, led to increasingly bitter disputes with his manager.

Grudgingly agreeing to arrange Elvis’ eventual return to the stage in Las Vegas in 1969, the colossal success of his early comeback shows in the desert prompted Presley to push the Colonel to plan a world tour, something he had wanted to do for years.

But the Colonel made an art form out of creating excuses. Citing everything from ‘security’ when an offer came in to tour Japan, to claiming that there were no stadiums big enough overseas to host an Elvis concert, he succeeded in batting off every invitation, all to Elvis’ intense irritation.

It’s clear that Parker feared not being allowed back into the States should he ever leave the country. What remains a partial mystery is why, with the

© ZUMA PRESS

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Colonel’s incredible collection of contacts, he didn’t come clean and simply attempt to sort out his citizenship.

He counted President Lyndon Johnson among his personal friends. So it would appear that some discreet behind-thescenes negotiations could have resolved the problem without too much fuss.

One reason why the Colonel didn’t do so is theorised by his biographer, Alanna Nash. She suggests the possibility that the Colonel’s evasions were due to a murder he committed in the Netherlands, which prompted his hasty departure across the Atlantic.

But this allegation is based on nothing more than an anonymous letter accusing Parker of killing a greengrocer’s wife 50 years prior. The letter offers no evidence or first-hand knowledge of events, and the man who received the missive, a Dutch journalist named Dirk Vellenga, didn’t even mention it in his own book on Elvis and the Colonel.

It’s possible that Parker could have known the victim and been familiar with the Dutch neighbourhood where the killing took place. But beyond this, in true Parker style, there is nothing more solid than cigar smoke at which to grasp.

During the 1970s, as The King tired of the repetition of his Vegas engagements and descended ever deeper into prescription drug addiction, a new routine emerged. Elvis would sleep for the day in his penthouse suite, while down on the gaming floor the Colonel would be steadily increasing his losses at the craps table and the roulette wheel.

“Colonel Parker was probably one of the most degenerate gamblers I have ever known in my life,” said Lamar Fike, a member of Elvis’ notorious Memphis Mafia group of friends and hangers on. “In Nevada they used to say that his money wasn’t worth anything. In a period of an hour-and-a-half I saw him lose over a million and a quarter [dollars]”.

It was, in part, the money that the Colonel owed the casinos which ensured that Elvis would continue playing Vegas right up until the end of 1976, just eight months before his death.

The Colonel outlived his sole client by 20 years and remained bullish and typically frustrating as an interview

subject right until the end. ‘I don’t think I exploited Elvis as much as he’s being exploited today,’ was one comment he made in an interview in 1980, which perhaps came closest to an admission that his management style might not have utilised his client’s immense talent to its fullest potential.

Yet Elvis himself, for reasons that have never become entirely clear, failed to find the courage to fire the Colonel. Sued by the Presley estate for fraud in 1983, six years after The King’s death, and evicted from his suite in 1984, Parker continued to live and work in Vegas as a consultant for Hilton Hotels until a fatal stroke in 1997.

By the time of Elvis’ death, the Colonel was said to owe the Hilton Hotel group around $30 million in gambling debts. After his own death, the Colonel’s estate was worth barely $1 million, despite most estimates putting Parker’s earnings during his lifetime as being in excess of $100 million.

Ultimately, the shrewdness of the business deals that Parker negotiated for Elvis were entirely in vain. Despite taking 50 per cent of all the profits from Elvis’ career, Parker was no less gullible than the ‘rubes’ whom he delighted in exploiting in his carnival days. The Colonel himself ended up being the greatest sucker of them all, giving back almost his entire fortune to the Hilton croupiers.

Whatever it was that forced Andreas Cornelis Dries van Kuijk to flee the Netherlands, never making contact with his mother and father again, it was something that he did not want to talk about. Yet whenever the Colonel was asked about his treatment of Elvis, he was always ready to reply with the same response.

He would snarl, stamp his cane, and repeat his time-worn reply: “I sleep good at night.”

The Colonel made an art form out of creating excuses

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‘Elvis’, directed by Baz Luhrmann, is slated for release 24 June 2022

Southport Dark Oak Suede

BY APPOINTMENT TO HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER OF FOOTWEAR CROCKETT & JONES LIMITED, NORTHAMPTON

MADE IN ENGLAND | SINCE 1879

CROCKETTANDJONES.COM

Our new Unstructured Collection featuring the SUPERFLEX leather sole, our most flexible sole to date.

Couture CUT

FROM

A DIFFERENT

CLOTH

It has two hands, Roman numerals, and a crown at three o’clock. Yet that’s about where convention ends with Cartier’s Masse Mystérieuse. The transparent timepiece combines a ‘mystery’ dial (a mystery, in this case, because there is no dial) and a skeletonised movement.

That, we’ve seen before. What we haven’t seen been before, is an entire movement integrated into an oscillating weight.

Don’t bet against the watch picking up the top prize at the industry’s most prestigious awards show, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, which takes place towards the end of the year. cartier.com

58 About Time The standout timepieces from Watches & Wonders 2022 62 Double Take In conversation with Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2 68 Bohemian Rhapsody Seventies-inspired summer-wear 70 Jenny Packham In pursuit of the perfect dress

ABOUT TIME The first physical Watches and Wonders Geneva took place at the end of March, marking the return of the big, razzle-dazzle watch show – and the largest horologic event ever held in Geneva. The luxury end of the watch sector enjoyed its best ever year in 2021, with Switzerland exporting £18.3 billion worth of watches in 2021, trumping the record set in 2014. Indeed, watches priced at more than £2,500 grew by almost 10 per cent, year-on-year.

These were the most noteworthy timepieces from an industry that emerged from the pandemic seemingly unscathed.

HUBLOT SQUARES THE CIRCLE

On the rare occasion that a brand gets ballsy and decides to bring out a right-angled watch, that watch seems to have a disproportionally high chance of developing into something of an icon. Take, for example – and there aren’t that many examples out there – Cartier’s Santos, TAG Heuer’s Monaco, and Bell & Ross’ BR 01. All distinct for their four-sided cases. All having developed into collectors’ favourites and cornerstones of their respective brands.

T H E C H I E F TA L K I N G P O I N T S F R O M

WATC H E S A N D WO N D E R S G E N E VA 2 0 2 2

Words:

Richard Brown

Hoping its foray into four-sided timepieces will garner a similar cult-like status is Hublot, which used Watches and Wonders Geneva to lift the lid on its Square Bang Unico.

Based on the brand’s bread-and-butter Big Bang, the boxy new Unico features the same sandwich construction as its circular sibling, the same six screws on its bezel and the same screweddown ‘ears’ at its sides. An icon in the making? Time will tell. hublot.com

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JAEGER-LECOULTRE IS THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE

Sure, your watch can tell the time. Maybe even the day of the week and the date of the month. But can it track the movement of the constellations across the night sky?

Can it indicate how far, precisely, we are into the zodiac year? Can it do both of these things while chiming the time – to

PATEK PHILIPPE CRISS-CROSSES THE PLANET WITH EIGHT NEW PATENTS

Having announced its departure from rival watch show Baselworld in 2020, this year marked Patek Philippe’s first appearance at Watches and Wonders. Among 12 new (OK, updated mostly) timepieces was the Ref. 5326G-001 Annual Calendar Travel Time – a show-stealer of a

piece that conceals some super-smart mechanics behind its attractive, asphalt-like dial. It’s the first time that Patek has combined an annual calendar with a travel time complication, meaning that the calendar function will remain accurate as you zigzag around the planet – a nifty achievement that took eight patents to pull off. patek.com

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the nearest minute – at the push of a button?

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 can. It can do all of these things while its hypnotic flying tourbillon completes a lap of its hand-enamelled dial once every sidereal day.

That, to you and I, is 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds. Now you know. jaeger-lecoultre.com

TAG HEUER’S NEW CARRERA IS COMPLETELY CRAZY

Weird one, this. A tourbillon-equipped Carrera festooned with 48 lab-grown diamonds. The sparklers have been set into the case, sprinkled over the dial and used as hour indices. The crown is one massive synthetic gem. What’s so weird about that? Well, let’s not forget that the Carrera was conceived as a hard-as-nails chronograph with which to time motor races. It took its name from the Carrera Panamericana, a car rally so brutal that it claimed 27 lives in its first five editions, before the Mexican government was forced to can it in 1955.

So maybe the tourbillon makes sense, given that the rotating cage

might improve the reliability of the Plasma’s stop-watch function. But the diamonds? The timepiece was unveiled on 30 March. Had it dropped two days later, you’d be forgiven for questioning whether TAG’s Frankenstein’s monster was an April Fool’s gag. The brand has said it will make less than 10 examples. Perhaps we should think of the Plasma as a concept watch, then.

A springboard for experimentation.

You just can’t help wondering whether the brand’s ultramodern Connected smartwatch might have offered a more natural testing ground of such spaceage gem exploration. tagheuer.com

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THE KING IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE KING. PLUS, A NEW PLATINUM PRESIDENT’S WATCH AND A GMT FOR LEFTIES

Given that even the most incremental of dial updates are enough to send the brand’s fanatics into a head spin, news that Rolex had created a GMT-Master II for lefties was positively earth shattering. Not only does the watch feature a crown flipped to the left-hand side and the Cyclops lens switched from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock, it’s also the first GMT-Master II to feature a green-and-black colour scheme on its

ceramic bezel. The watch made so much of a clatter that two equally noteworthy updates flew somewhat under the radar.

The first was a modernised Air-King with a completely redesigned case (now with a crown guard) and straighter sides. Then came a new President’s watch. This year, for the first time, Rolex introduced a platinum 40mm version of a Day-Date with a fluted bezel.

Small things. Big difference. rolex.com

H. MOSER & CIE. HAMMERS IT HOME WITH THE ENDEAVOUR CENTRE SECONDS CONCEPT

CHOPARD’S ALPINE EAGLE SOARS TO NEW HEIGHTS

No brand name. No date window. No indices. No numerals.

Just a highly-polished 40mm stainless steel case, three hands and a green dial so electric and bright and deep and textured that you wonder how exactly Moser pulled it off. With three different types of pigments, a hammer, a very hot furnace, and some industry-leading enamelling wizardry, that’s how. Moser at its most Moser.

Chopard re-entered the crowded integrated-bracelet sports-watch sector in 2019, with a revival of its athletic ‘St. Moritz’ timepiece from the 1980s.

Rebranded as the Alpine Eagle – presumably in an effort to signal its robust, go-anywhere credentials, but also because a share of proceeds goes to supporting environmental group, the Eagle Wings Foundation – the rebooted collection launched with 10 initial references, none of which featured anything as fancy as a flying tourbillon.

Which is exactly what we got this year, showcased at six o’clock within a 41mm case made of a special type of super-bright, extra scratchresistant steel. The wildest Alpine Eagle yet.

h-moser.com

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© GIAMPAOLO SGURA

DOUBLE TAKE I T TA K E S T W O T O TA N G O , A N D T W O T O R U N O N E O F I TA LY ’ S M O S T C H A R A C T E R F U L C O N T E M P O R A R Y FA S H I O N L A B E L S .

LUXU RY LO N D O N M E E TS T H E I D E N T I C A L T W I N FO U N D E R S O F D S Q U A R E D 2 , D E A N A N D D A N C AT E N , W H O ’ V E C O N Q U E R E D THE WORLD THROUGH AN IRREVERENT DOSE OF DISTRESSED DENIM AND IRONIC ICONOGRAPHY

Words:

Chris Anderson

A

s a writer sitting down to interview Dean and Dan Caten, the Canadian, identical-twin founders of luxury Italian fashion house Dsquared2, it can be difficult for the mind to focus. Yes, they are charming, animated and funny, and your eyes will quickly dart from one to the other, scanning ferociously, trying to spot the physical differences that tell them apart – made all the trickier by the fact they dress in identical Dsquared2 outfits most of the time – but because your thoughts will also turn to the article you plan to write, and how many twin-related puns it might be acceptable to print (see title).

For example, have Dean and Dan found 2022 to be something of a, ahem, double-edged sword? On the one hand, in April, the company happily announced Sergio Azzolari, previously a senior executive at Benetton, Missoni and Tod’s Group, as its first CEO since 2017. Azzolari, says Dean, will be in charge of driving Dsquared2’s growth by “reinforcing its omni-channel footprint” and maintaining an “increasingly global point of view”.

On the sword’s other edge, back in February the brand announced the closure of its three-storey flagship store in London, which occupied a spot on the corner of Savile Row and Conduit Street, seven years after it opened. A London presence will still be maintained via Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, as well as online, but the store closure is perhaps a sign of the times, with retail footfall in the capital already on the wane before things were compounded by Covid-19.

While Dean and Dan are reluctant to address specifics, they at least make their feelings for the city clear. “London is polyhedric, inspiring and dynamic,” says an animated Dean. “We love its lifestyle and admire its creativity. London is full of arts, architecture and entertainment. Whatever you want to do, you can do it. This city for us is pure experimentation; young, cool and innovative, where trends are increasingly inspired by street style, or by edgy artistic movements.”

For many years, the now-57-year-old twins called the capital ‘home’. When the pair decided to sell their Grade II-listed, Maida Vale townhouse in 2020, they invited Luxury London to take a look inside. We were shown Andy Warhol portraits of David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor, and an original Jean-Michel Basquiat.

“We’re now living between Milan, where Dsquared2 is based, and Cyprus,” says Dan. “But when there is the occasion, we’re always very happy to come back to London. It’s still one of our favourite cities.”

Dean and Dan were raised in Toronto, Canada, as the eighth and ninth children of an already-struggling family (their father hailed from Lazio, Italy); spending time in foster care as teens when their parents could no longer cope; and bullied during most of their school years. Yet in fashion the pair found comfort, and a means of self-expression.

“We always knew we wanted to be designers,” says Dean. “Ever since we were little kids, we always loved fashion, and used to alter and make our own clothes. It simply came naturally to us.”

“At 10 years old, we made our first special-occasion outfit for

one of our sisters,” says Dan. “For us, it was clear right from the start, we knew we were meant to do something creative, and the best way we could express ourselves was through clothes and style. Since then, our passion became our work, and we’ve been lucky enough to be able to pursue our dream, and make it our life and our job. Even today, we’re still hands-on in terms of design.”

First came a women’s label, DEanDAN, after which the twins were signed as creative directors to Toronto-based fashion house Ports International (now Ports 1961). A move to Milan followed in 1991, where they worked as designers for Versace and Diesel, with the latter providing the funding to help launch Dsquared2 in 1995.

“Ports was the beginning for us, and we put so much energy and passion into that job,” says Dean. “We were there for six years, and it was the most beautiful, unforgettable experience.

We’re so grateful to [late founder, Japanese-Canadian fashion designer] Luke Tanabe for believing in us.

“And Canada represents our roots, our starting point. The forest, the nature, it’s part of our brand DNA. We love the clean air, and the sense of freedom that you can experience there. It’s always nice to go back and visit family when we have the chance.”

Not that the opportunity presents itself all that often.

There is Dsquared2 to run, celebrities to dress – including,

Dean and Dan were raised in Toronto as the eighth and ninth children of an alreadystruggling family

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DSQUARED2 PRE-FALL 2022

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in the past, Madonna, Cher, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and brand ambassadors Naomi Campbell and Zlatan Ibrahimovicć– and even a restaurant to keep afloat. Ceresio7 is located in Milan, and, as well as serving food, boasts its own gym and spa.

How on earth do the brothers manage to keep on top of such a hectic work life? “We’re positive people, and we’re passionate,” says Dan. “We try not to take things too seriously, and we still enjoy what we do – every day of our lives. We’re so grateful for everything, and maybe this has had a positive effect on our success.”

What began as a small company manufacturing basic menswear staples – shirts, T-shirts, jeans – morphed into a worldwide brand with one of the most recognisable style aesthetics. A melding of contrasts: sporty and glamorous, laidback and extravagant, masculine and feminine.

Contemporary, street-enthused casualwear met Italian high tailoring. Grungy-yet-playful, rough-but-ready collections – paint splatter, graffiti prints, rips, holes and tears – that belied the craftsmanship that had gone into producing them. The word ‘Icon’ became a slogan. A roaring tiger a recurring motif. Denim and leather the go-to materials.

“Dsquared2 is about keeping it real,” says Dean.

“Everything we see around us can inspire our creations: meeting interesting people, travelling, watching a movie…

The music scene is also a great source of inspiration, and we always have ourselves in mind when designing our clothes – we were Dsquared2’s first clients!”

“We love to experiment every season, without forgetting our Dsquared2 DNA,” says Dan. “Our SS22 ‘Luxury Grunge’ collection, for example, has deconstructed and worn-in glamorous pieces, designed with soul, with a past, future and present, characterised by floral prints on gauzy fabrics, destroyed knits, patchwork upcycled denims, and glittery tattered strands.”

Dan continues: “Then for AW22, we’re really looking to Mother Nature through outdoorsy, colourful, luxury layered pieces. For men, there’s a sleeping-bag-padded coat that wraps over a boxy striped knit; a blanket that turns into a coat draped over one shoulder; for women, we have hidden stones shining in a long tulle tunic skirt, worn with a striped sweater and oversized washed jeans, with gigantic waistcoats and puffers – some cut from soft leather with felt-lined hoods – and sheer nylon trousers with goose down padding, finished with puffy nylon boots.”

There’s certainly a lot going on, as you can see from the pictures on these pages.

If it’s difficult to tell Dean and Dan apart, physically, it’s clear that the two brothers have very different personalities – something that comes across even in our interview. Dean, you get the sense, is the starry-eyed dreamer. Dan, the more prosaic, let’s-get-on-with-it of the two. At least that’s how it seemed to me. Or have I got them wrong?

“Ha!” laughs Dan. “Well, let’s put it this way, a lady once told us, ‘Dean is the wings, Dan is the feet’,” he smiles. “You can’t fly without wings, and you can’t land without feet. We simply need one another!”

DSQUARED2 FALL-WINTER 2022

DSQUARED2 FALL-WINTER 2022

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STYLE HER

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Words:

Anna Solomon

LASER-CUT BELT BUCKLE EMBELLISHED BOOTS These supple boots come courtesy of footwear king Roger Vivier. The style, embellished with the label’s signature buckle, is the perfect crossover between Western and Chelsea – both staples for the 21st-century bohème.

Contrast with a floaty dress to live your Alexa-Chung-atCoachella fantasy, or a pair of denim shorts for a pared-down look.

FLORAL PRINT DRESS Gucci’s Love Parade campaign ran with this summer’s freespirited trend, with garments angling to evoke a feeling of ‘escapism’. This gauzy, flowy, floral number – featuring lace details, a flared hem and frill detailing around the neck – feels utterly romantic, while staying true to Alessandro Michele’s signature maximalist aesthetic. £2,450, gucci.com

Alaïa’s clean style couldn’t be further from boho’s hippy-dippy drapings, but this intricate belt is giving us Age of Aquarius vibes. The scalloped edges and signature ‘Vienne’ pattern are reminiscent of gossamer lace, or the mandala-inspired patterns of bohemian garb. £930, net-a-porter.com

£870, net-a-porter.com

EDITH DAY BAG The Edith was the first luxury handbag that Chloé creative director Gabriela Hearst invested in – this was back in the Philo days. Now it’s back: Hearst’s reimagining stays true to the original 70s-inspired spirit with its slouchy shape and satchel detailing, updated with playful wool-blend fringing. £3,350, chloe.com

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NOORE SUNGLASSES With round frames, gradient lenses and scalloped arms, Chloé once again nods to a vintage aesthetic. £270, chloe.com

PALAZZO JEANS Those chic Italians don’t typically adhere to the structureless tenets of bohemian fashion, but a pair of 70s-style jeans transcends trends. £378, elisabettafranchi.com

NOEMI DRESS The Ritmo Collection was designed with artist Sebastian Marc Graham; his watercolour motifs are certainly vibrant, but what really gives us New Age vibes is the Noemi’s dainty tassels, ruffle finish and tent-like silhouette. Throw on a fedora and you’re good to go.

ANNEKE PATCH SHIRT This diaphanous piece features blouson sleeves and a paisley print that wouldn’t look out of place in the French countryside of the postrevolution, or in Greenwich Village during the Beat Generation era.

£255, charoruiz.com

£395, zimmermann.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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or someone who has spent the past 10 years rubbing shoulders with A-list celebrities and dealing with the “maelstrom of egos” that comes with it, Jenny Packham is surprisingly reserved. She has a clipped accent and a countenance that doesn’t give much away. And then she’ll talk about nipple pasties, or confess her love for Harry Styles, and you feel silly for ever thinking her austere.

I meet the fashion designer in her North London studio, a white-washed warehouse where puffs of gauze and clouds of lace emanate from boxes and clothes rails everywhere. Her sprocker, Byron, darts between them.

It took “over a decade of sartorial social climbing” to get here, Packham has said. She started her business with her now-husband, Mathew Anderson, after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 1987. “We were dressing UK pop stars and TV personalities, and I got to the point where I was very frustrated because I wanted to be dressing A-stars,” she recalls.

“So we had to recalibrate. For two years we stopped dressing people that we didn’t think we should dress – it’s so awkward

MOODBOARD FOR JENNY PACKHAM’S SS19 COLLECTION, INSPIRED BY JEAN HARLOW

saying that! – but you have to.”

The gamble paid off. In 2011, Sandra Bullock wore a powder-pink Jenny Packham dress to the Golden Globe Awards, and the course was set. Now, if you follow celebrity culture in any way, you will have seen Packham’s designs, even if you didn’t know it. Perhaps on the Duchess of Cambridge, who is a long-time fan. That gilded number she wore to the premiere of No Time to Die? Packham. The emerald gown at 2021’s Royal Variety Show? Packham. The red and yellow midis she wore to leave hospital after babies two and three? Both Jenny Packham.

She’s also dressed Adele, Angelina Jolie, Miley Cyrus, Keira Knightley, Taylor Swift, Kate Hudson, Blake Lively, Emily Blunt, Dakota Fanning… You get the picture. Packham also created one of Elizabeth Hurley’s 13 wedding dresses (because Lord knows one isn’t enough) for her nuptials to businessman Arun Nayar in India – bridalwear makes up about 30 per cent of the brand’s revenue.

“We have a nice spectrum,” says Packham. “We like dressing people when they’re on the way up, like Millie

Jenny

PACKHAM Words:

Anna Solomon

S H E ’ S O U T F I T T E D , A M O N G O T H E R S , T H E D U C H E S S O F C A M B R I D G E , A N G E L I N A J O L I E A N D T AY L O R S W I F T .

A S J E N N Y PA C K H A M P U B L I S H E S H E R N E W B O O K , H O W T O M A K E A D R E S S , B R I TA I N ’ S M O S T I N - D E M A N D C O U T U R I E R T A L K S D E S I G N I N G F O R 2 1 S T- C E N T U R Y B O N D G I R L S , D R E S S I N G F O R Y O U R S E L F A N D H E R F I X AT I O N W I T H H A R R Y S T Y L E S

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© JON GORRIGAN

Bobby Brown when she was, like, 14.”

This goes all the way up to industry veterans like Dame Helen Mirren. “One of my favourite challenges was when we had four days to make a dress for Kate Winslet. It was 20 years on from the premiere [of Titanic], and she’d transformed from this new actress into an icon, and we wanted to reflect that.”

The variety of Packham’s clientele reflects a universality to her designs.

Her signature gowns and cocktail dresses are all underpinned by an adherence to time-honoured, flattering silhouettes. They are also beautiful; the Jenny Packham provenance means twinkling sequins, cascading beadwork, and scores of chiffon. Her pieces are Regency Glamour meets Old Hollywood meets Fairy Princess rolled in glitter and finished with a bow.

“That’s the fun part for me each season. It’s like, ‘what should I be inspired by’?” she says. For her SS15 collection, Packham’s muse was Marilyn Monroe. The designer dug out all of the memorabilia she could get her hands on, even meeting a man who had a collection of Monroe’s old dresses under his bed (actually, it was Queen Victoria’s childhood bed, but that’s a different story). “It was amazing, but at the same time I knew it was all wrong

– he’s got these dresses just folded up in boxes and they’re, like, priceless.”

“The inside of them was far more interesting than the outside,” Packham recalls. “There was all this tape they used to hold everything in. It was almost as though, on the outside, she was all sparkly and wonderful, but on the inside there were all these restrictions and buttons and pulleys propping her up.”

Packham’s designs aren’t just for the red carpet; they’ve also made it on screen. The label had a cameo in Gossip Girl, and she worked with Patricia Field on Sex and the City. Packham also dressed Rosamund Pike in Die Another Day and Caterina Murino in Casino Royale. For the 60th anniversary of James Bond, she was approached by Eon to collaborate on a collection.

Bond girls, what they represent, and specifically what they wear, have become a contentious issue in recent times (indeed, while going through the film archives, Packham was struck by the lack of dresses, compared to the abundance of skimpy bikinis), so I’m keen to get her perspective on dressing the female stars of the films: “The Eon team is very conscious of making sure that Bond comes up to date, without losing everything that he’s about. But I also think we have to live with history.”

It is, Packham also points out,

LEFT JENNY PACKHAM AND DITA VON TEESE RIGHT BACKSTAGE STILLS FROM A JENNY PACKHAM SHOW

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“I dress for myself... I don’t think we dress for men”

a question of empowerment versus objectification. “Just look at the industry now, and what Beyoncé and Rihanna and everybody wears,” she says. “But there’s a new interpretation of it now. It’s about what the woman wants.” Packham has a long-standing relationship with burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, who she feels embodies this new brand of ‘sexy’: “She’s completely in control of what she is giving to you, even though she gives quite a lot.”

“I dress for myself, and I think that most women would say the same. I don’t think we dress for men,” Packham continues.

Case in point: her wedding dress, which was clearly a labour of love. “I indulged myself in buying some really expensive lace and hand-stitched it,” she recalls. “I love the dress. I love wearing it.”

Packham paired her creation with a veiled headband which, she says, had the added benefit of shielding her from people’s stares.

Indeed, an aversion to “people looking at [her]” was, apparently, part of the reason that she didn’t marry her partner until they’d been together for 28 years.

For a designer who must have dressed 10 Oscar categories’ worth of stars, Packham herself shies away from the limelight. She doesn’t buy into wacky collaborations (the partnership with the 007 franchise was very much on her terms) or influencer marketing to raise her profile. Instead, Packham sticks to what she knows. “If women want to look LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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quirky or experimental, they go elsewhere,” she has said. “I’m not in the business of making anyone seem avant-garde.”

It is this simple objective that inspired the rather succinct title of Packham’s new book, How to Make a Dress, which was published in March. In it, among other things, she asks what makes a perfect garment: “It’s when everything comes together – the cut, the colour, the fit. It’s new, but it’s got something about it that people recognise.”

‘Perfection’, or at least a sort of glossy aestheticism, seems to characterise Packham’s life. Her world is full of beautiful places and things, as though curated by her favourite photographer, Cecil Beaton. She’ll be sipping a glass of wine in New York’s Cafe Gitane one day, and checking into the stunning The Imperial hotel in Delhi (the location of her factories) the next. At home, Packham can be found perusing the latest exhibition at the Royal Academy, ambling in the Wiltshire countryside or dining at J Sheekey, Covent Garden’s elegant redfronted fish restaurant.

But Packham is also warm, funny and messy. She writes rambling, prosaic captions on her personal Instagram, and doesn’t mind making fun of herself, admitting to a “fixation” with Harry Styles (“just the way he looks and dances – I love people who’ve got that charisma”).

She’s not actually “sure [she’s] ever made a perfect dress”, and her favourite-ever garment is not one of her lofty creations, but a now-falling-apart Donna Karan jacket bought for her by her mum 20 years ago.

All of which leads me to wonder whether perfection is overrated; whether – like the tape inside Monroe’s garments – it’s the imperfections that actually make life interesting. As Packham’s book explores, beautiful clothes are a façade; it’s the stuff inside that matters. That said, if you are going to present a front to the world, you may as well make it a fabulous frock dripping in crystals.

‘How to Make a Dress: Adventures in the Art of Style’, £10.99, is out now

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THE

BEAUTY Restore your beauty sleep with these calming products – you’ll be drifting into a cleansed, moisturised and rejuvenating slumber before you know it.

Words:

EDIT

Anna Solomon

SLIP EYE MASK This sleep mask is made of pure mulberry silk and feels luxuriously soft to the touch – just what you want for a restful night’s sleep. £50, www.selfridges.com

SLEEP MASK

TRANQUIL BATH SALTS

This overnight mask uses chronobiology (the science of timing, apparently) to work with the skin’s natural rhythm of self-repair.

These are formulated with hemp seed oil and essential oils of cypress and thyme for an extra-soothing pre-bed bath.

£288, www.noblepanacea.com

£7.50, www.marksandspencer.com

PILLOW MIST Spritz this theraputic blend of essential oils around the room and on your pillow and prepare to enter the land of nod. £15, www.johnlewis.com

FACE CLEANSER

MAKEUP REMOVER

BODY BUTTER

Make this non-drying cleanser part of your nightly routine to purify the skin without disturbing its natural balance.

Inspired by makeup artists, this remover gently eliminates all types of cosmetics – there’s no better feeling after a long day.

Infused with ylang ylang and patchouli, this rich body butter is the perfect way to restore your skin overnight.

£23, www.aesop.com

£28, www.houseoffraser.co.uk

£23, www.nealsyardremedies.com

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18/03/2022 12:48:53

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

78 Aston Martin DBX707 A new name enters the fray for title of World’s Fastest SUV

84 Pininfarina Battista The Italian design house has just unleashed a battery-powered bat out of hell

FAMILY FLYER B R AG G I N G 707 H O R S E P OW E R ( H E N C E T H E N A M E ) A N D C A PA B L E O F H I T T I N G 6 0 M P H I N 3 . 1 S E C O N D S , A S T O N M A R T I N ’ S M O S T P O T E N T S U V, T H E D B X 7 0 7 , I S B R AW N I E R T H A N T H E B E N T L E Y B E N TAY G A S A N D Q U I C K E R T H A N T H E L A M B O R G H I N I U R U S

Words:

Jeremy Taylor

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G

entlemen once designed racing machines in order to vie for the coveted title of Fastest Car on the Planet. Today, the most hotlycontested battle among luxury marques is to build the quickest SUV. The Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT were the main title contenders. As of this summer, there’s a new manufacturer in the mix: Aston Martin.

In truth, the company’s DBX707 takes the competition to a new level, with a substantial boost in power compared to the standard car, performance improvements and uprated handling to boot. Prices start at an eye-watering £190,000, but at this end of the SUV spectrum, price has become by-the-by.

Loaded with a 4.0-litre V8, the Aston offers explosive thrills. The twin-turbo engine produces 697 bhp or 707 metric horsepower, hence the name. It slingshots from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds, with the potential to embarrass many a Ferrari, and then just keeps going and going. The car won’t run out of steam until it hits 193mph – and does so in around three seconds faster than the madcap Lamborghini Urus.

The 707 was launched in Sardinia in spring, where a six-hour driving route around the island proved that the hottest DBX money can buy has genuine sporting credentials. The new Aston boasts all-wheel grip both on and off-road, five driving modes, a slick nine-speed gearbox and a huge amount of torque for rapid overtaking.

Most of the upgrades are under the skin – stiffer steering, carbon ceramic brakes – but the 707 also sports a quad exhaust system, wider 23-inch alloy wheels and some subtle changes to the stylish body design that don’t spoil the DBX’s existing good looks.

It is, however, a raft of upgrades to the chassis and suspension which give the 707 the edge when pushed to the limit. It retains the same air suspension system as the standard DBX but is treated to a dedicated chassis tune. Among the drive modes, Race Start is now available in GT Sport and Sport+ settings for the first time – offering maximum thrills from a standing start.

The new 707, however, isn’t just a high-performance version of the DBX – it’s a major reworking of what was already a rapid machine. Underneath that vented bonnet is the same AMGsourced V8 as the standard car but with larger turbos, helping to increase performance by an extra 155 bhp.

Speaking to Luxury London in Sardinia, former Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers said: “Right from its introduction, the DBX showed our dynamic and design values in a way that proves not all SUVs have to conform to the same compromises. With the 707, we’ve pushed the boundaries in every area to create a car which sets new standards of performance and desirability. The

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fastest, most powerful, best handling and most engaging car of its kind – it propels us to the pinnacle of SUV performance.”

Hurtling through the Italian hills, the 707 calls on all manner of technology to keep wheels on tarmac. This isn’t a low-slung Vantage, remember – considering the DBX’s raised profile, the Aston gives the driver an astounding level of high-speed control.

Before switching the drive mode selector to Sport, the 707 is more than quick enough. In fact, it’s spectacularly fast in every mode and should give any ‘enthusiastic’ driver all the power they need.

Apart from the quirky lip spoiler at the rear, the DBX just about edges the more angular Lamborghini Urus in the style stakes. The key differences over the standard DBX include an even larger front grill, double-stacked slats in the bonnet, as well as a lower and longer front splitter. The side skirts are also closer to the ground, while satin chrome trim features around the windows as part of the ‘Jewellery’ pack.

Aston Martin has fitted the 707 with soft-close doors, a new centre console and the obligatory active exhaust button –

0-60MPH

3 .1 S E CO N DS

TOP SPEED

193MPH

although it’s still not as raucous as the Urus. Annoyingly, at this level, the infotainment system isn’t touchscreen and I found those standard sports seats lack support during harsh cornering.

As you might expect, Aston Martin provides all manner of ‘must have’ accessories to push the final price towards £230,000.

Among them are lime-coloured brake callipers, carbon fibre interior trim and an extensive palette of paint choices. The fancy umbrella is, at least, standard.

The 707 is also immensely practical, with five seats and a large boot. A ‘standard’ DBX, with 542 bhp, is no slouch. But the new 707, with 900 Nm of torque, is a supercar in disguise – a quite astounding proposition.

You may wonder why the world needs a car like this when the combustion engine is already in its death throes. Sit behind the wheel of the DBX707 for an hour, though, and it’s difficult to imagine how an electric car could ever offer such a visceral driving experience. astonmartin.com

METRIC

MAXIMUM

HORSEPOWER

TORQUE

4.0-LITRE

707 PS

900 NM

T W I N -T U R B O V 8

(697 BHP)

ENGINE

PRICE

FROM £190,000

THE CONTENDERS

B E N T L E Y B E N T AY G A S

P O R S C H E C AY E N N E TURBO GT

LAMBORGHINI URUS

The ‘S’ is now the fastest model in the Bentayga range after the demise of the 12-cylinder Speed model in the UK. A 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 produces 542 bhp and hauls the Bentley to 60mph in 4.4 seconds.

The DBX707 feels quicker and nimbler, but the Bentayga interior is a class apart.

Porsche’s new super-SUV really lives up to expectations – as thrilling as a 911 to drive but capable of carrying the kids, too.

Again, a 4.0-litre V8 provides 631 bhp of power, pushing the GT from 0-60mph in just 3.1 seconds – with a slightly lower top speed than the DBX707. The Cayenne is the most composed car to drive, a triumph of German engineering.

The Urus is the DBX’s naughty Italian cousin. Both cars are stylish and characterful but the Lambo is just that little bit more nuts. From the crazy interior to the outrageous exhaust note, the Urus throws convention out of the window. The 4.0-litre V8 records 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds and a top speed just shy of 190mph.

From £179,600, bentleymotors.com

From £144,000, porsche.com

From £160,000, lamborghini.com

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BLAST OFF BLAS

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F R O M 0 - 1 2 4 M P H I T ’ S FA S T E R T H A N A F O R M U L A 1 C A R AND FROM 0-62MPH IT WILL EMBARRASS PRETTY MUCH A N Y T H I N G E L S E O N T H E R O A D . S O , W H AT ’ S I T L I K E T O D R I V E T H E P I N I N FA R I N A B AT T I S TA – T H E FA S T E S T PRODUCTION CAR ON THE PLANET?

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Jeremy Taylor

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T

he world’s first extreme electric vehicle wasn’t designed for economical drives or those of us burdened with range anxiety. Instead, the Pininfarina Battista is a £2 million triumph of automotive engineering that makes no compromises and, for the moment at least, simply has no equal.

A hyper GT, Battista is the work of legendary Italian style house Pininfarina – famous for designing countless Ferraris and other legendary cars, including the Alfa Romeo ‘boat-tail’ Spider, Peugeot 205 and Bentley Azure.

Following a well-publicised split with Ferrari in 2017 – two years after Indian multinational Mahindra bought a majority share in the car manufacturer – Battista is Pininfarina’s first own-brand vehicle since the company formed in 1930.

What it represents, as the battery revolution continues apace, is the future of high-performance motoring.

When the combustion engine is history, Battista will be remembered as a groundbreaking machine, one that outpaced anything McLaren or Lamborghini was ever able to muster.

Just 150 will be handcrafted in Turin, guaranteeing future collectability. Each is loaded with a T-shaped battery pack producing an astonishing 1,874bhp, or the equivalent of more than a dozen Honda Civics.

It has the statistics to blow every other car – combustion or electric – out of the water: 0-62mph in 1.9 seconds, 0-124mph in less than six (faster than an F1 car) and 0-184mph in 12 seconds, which, according to Pininfarina, is quicker than an F16 fighter jet.

Battista, as you can see, is also very easy on the eye – just what you would expect from a company with an unrivalled design heritage. “It perfectly balances the technological innovations of today with a nod to our elegant past,” says company chairman, Paolo Pininfarina. “It is defined by just two lines, typical of our designs, with a curvaceous and sculptural carbon body and sweeping glass. An accent line around the car enhances the iconic Pininfarina teardrop shape of the cabin to perfection.

Battista retains emotion and a glorious heritage at its core.”

Hurtling into a bend in the Piedmont

region of Italy, it’s an understatement to say that the Battista feels like the most powerful car I’ve ever driven. But the breath-taking speed is made all the more remarkable for what’s missing – noise.

Instead of a snorting V8, engineers have created Suono Puro, or pure sound.

The dreamy frequency is set at a calming 54 Hz, fine-tuned from 2,000 hours of ‘well-being compositions’, then pumped out through speakers.

“Driving an electric vehicle, your senses are heightened due to the lack of engine noise,” says Pininfarina. “You hear more detail, experience more of the car and how it interacts with the road. Instead of trying to recreate engine noises of the past, we’ve formed a unique soundscape for Battista that embraces its place as a forward-thinking car.”

The makers are keen to stress the eco nature of the cabin materials, too, using olive leaves to tan the sustainablysourced leather and recycled fishing nets for the floor mats. The entire car can be personalised inside and out – even the paint colour applied to the underside of the pop-up rear wing.

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That giant ‘intelligent’ spoiler isn’t just for show. It deploys automatically at high speeds and can generate up to 500kg of downforce – which, Pininfarina says, is more than the weight of a fully-grown polar bear (a rather bizarre comparison, it must be said).

If you really can’t bear the lack of noise, audiophiles can play with a bespoke 1,300W audio system designed by Naim – the same British company employed by Bentley. If there’s time between dashing from corner to corner, there are ten speakers to discover in the cabin.

Tearing around the Italian countryside, the Battista is blisteringly fast, pressing me back into the driver’s seat, daring me to up the power through the sportier drive modes. In one pedal mode, as you lift your foot off the accelerator, the engine brakes and uses that energy to help recharge the battery.

Even over rough road surfaces, the electric hypercar refuses to give up grip, with all-wheel drive and an immensely rigid carbon-fibre chassis inspiring confidence. Floor it, and the Battista takes off at Warp Factor 9, with no chance of

For the moment at least, the Pininfarina Battista simply has no equal glancing down to check out the crazy antics of the speedometer.

Thankfully, the car has great brakes.

The Battista features advanced, raceinspired units from Brembo, cut from carbon-ceramic materials. There’s a choice of 20 or 21-inch alloy wheels and, unusually, owners can choose between Michelin or Pirelli tyres.

The neat electric plug-in flap is bang centre at the rear – wouldn’t you just love to pull into a charge station in one of these? Pininfarina claims that the Battista is good for 310 miles. On a ‘spirited’ drive, I imagine you can slice that distance in half.

Travelling at ridiculous speeds while cocooned inside a silent carbon-fibre passenger shell is an eerie experience.

The Battista is composed, beautifully balanced and remarkably civilised – you just press the pedal and go.

After a while I imagine that I would miss the thrill of playing with a throttle

B AT T E R Y

S INGLE

pedal and flicking through gears. The sound of silence may not be to every enthusiast’s taste, but boy, is it quick.

The cockpit is a relaxed place in which to sit, despite the madness of Battista’s performance stats. In fact, the cosy cabin isn’t that different to any other low-slung supercar – aluminium knobs and buttons, a large infotainment screen each side of the steering wheel and phone-sized speedo in the centre. An outsize dial selects the driving mode, while even the seats are adjusted via a touchscreen. Though, just like in a Lambo, I can’t say any of it is that intuitive.

There are five driving modes to choose from – Carattere (Character), Calma (Calm), Pura (Pure), Energica (Energetic) and the wonderfully-named Furiosa (Furious), which makes the Battista very angry indeed.

Naturally, Pininfarina owners can connect their motor to a mobile

phone app. Importantly, that includes diagnostics, because highly-tuned, advanced vehicles like this won’t always start the first time – as I discovered in Italy. Admittedly, my car was a preproduction model, but no AA man is going to have the manual for a Battista.

The first car to bear the Pininfarina badge is a massively fast car and a tribute to company-founder Battista Pininfarina. According to Paolo, there’s more to come. “My grandfather always had the vision that one day, there would be a stand-alone range of Pininfarinabranded cars,” he says. “The Battista is a glorious way to link our past with the future of motoring.”

Rimac and Lotus Racing both have electric hypercars due out this year. For now, though, it’s Pininfarina that’s leading the charge into the high-performance electric future. automobili-pininfarina.com

HORSEPOWER

TORQUE

0-62MPH

TOP SPEED

1,900

2,300 NM

1.9 SECONDS

217MPH

PRICE

RANGE 120 KWH (SUPPLIED

BY RIMAC AU TO M O B I L I )

310M

FROM £2 MILLION

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The pool at Hotel Nordelaia, where chef Charlie Pearce is helping spearhead Piedmont’s Slow Food movement (p98)

92 Puglian Paradise The medieval village that isn’t quite what it seems 98 A Hill to Dine on The best of Piedmont on a plate 102 Upsteam in the Douro Valley A jounrey along Portugal’s river of wine 106 Tuscan Delight The forgotten villa bought back to life

Hot on the

HEEL H O W A F A N T A S Y V I L L A G E - H O T E L I N T H E H E E L O F I T A LY ’ S B O O T HELPED PUT PUGLIA BACK ON THE MAP

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Alexander Mark Jones

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t had always been the lakes in the north, with their proximity to Milan, or the Amalfi Coast in the west, with its sheer cliffs and photogenic hilltop towns, to which the international jet-set would flock come summer. Then, about a decade or so ago, the rich and famous suddenly began venturing further down the Apennine Peninsula, as far south and as far east as it was possible to go. To the very tip of the stiletto.

It started with Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, who chose to get married in Puglia in 2012. Within a few years, it seemed liked everyone you spoke to was either planning, or planning on planning, a trip to the heel of Italy’s boot. Michael Bublé and Richard Branson took their families there, as did Victoria and David – the Beckhams visited en masse in 2019, and again in 2020, as soon as Covid-19 travel corridors allowed them to do so.

In August 2021, Madonna posted a video on Instagram of her private jet touching down in Puglia ahead of her 63rd birthday celebrations – four years after she’d chosen the same location to celebrate her 59th.

If you’re wondering what happened in Puglia a decade or so ago, and why the region suddenly starting attracting celebrities like moths to a flame, then you can look to Aldo Melpignano, and the opening of one hotel in particular.

Some background. In the 1970s, Melpignano’s parents purchased a ramshackle Puglian farmhouse in an idyllic location a few hundred metres from the Adriatic shoreline. The family spent two decades holidaying in the rundown villa before, in the late 1990s, Melpignano’s mother decided to convert the property into a luxury resort in the manner of the castles-turned-hotels she’d seen transformed in Scotland. The estate became Masseria San Domenico, Puglia’s first ‘Leading Hotel of the World’, and the flagship of what developed into the SD Hotels group. Though it would be another refuge that really put Puglia on the map.

Melpignano, meanwhile, was busy graduating with a finance degree from London’s Cass Business School, after which he studied for an MBA at Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton

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Business School. He worked at Credit Suisse, briefly, before joining Ian Schrager’s Morgans Hotels (the group behind The Sanderson in London). By the time Melpignano returned to Italy, his family had opened two more hotels.

When the business acquired a plot of land for a third, Melpignano persuaded his father to let him create something altogether different.

Whereas the other hotels in the SD portfolio had converted centuries-old properties into contemporary boltholes, mainly aimed at couples, Melpignano wanted to create an entire medieval village from scratch. He approached Pino Brescia, a local architect and set designer, and laid out his vision.

It took Melpignano and Brescia 10 years and around £130 million to create Borgo Egnazia, the 40-acre, mock Puglian estate where Timberlake and Biel got married; Madonna celebrated her 59th and 63rd birthdays; and the Beckhams checked-in on back-to-back

There’s a central piazza, Arabianstyle arches, wells, fountains, chimneys and a church with its own bell tower

occasions. If you’re looking for what put Puglia on the 21st-century tourist map, look to Borgo Egnazia.

The drive from Bari airport to the resort takes less than 90 minutes, during which you’ll pass some pretty desolatelooking countryside and plenty of doggedly unpretty towns. The resort springs out of nowhere. A warren of winding lanes snakes its way through sun-scorched olive groves until, all of a sudden, you pull up in the middle of a film set.

For what Melpignano and Brescia have achieved, £130 million seems cheap. What they’ve done is raise an entire village in a romanticised vision of what, perhaps, traditional Puglian life may have looked like a few hundred years ago.

To do so, they consulted extensive historical records, ancient architectural plans and early photographic evidence of neighbouring towns to reproduce an ancient hamlet of narrow alleys and white-stone villas. There’s a central piazza, Arabian-style arches, wells, fountains, chimneys and a church with its own bell tower. ‘Borgo’ is Italian for ‘village’; ‘Egnazia’ the name of a nearby GrecoRoman archaeological park.

This is no tawdry, Epcot-esque reproduction. By using traditional building techniques and constructing out of local calcar limestone and tuff – that soft, blonde, porous rock beloved by the Ancient Greeks and Romans – Melpignano and Brescia have created something that feels authentic, if highly idealised. You’d certainly never guess that the entire village was only a decade old.

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On check-in, you’ll be given a map to help navigate Borgo Egnazia’s labyrinth of alleyways and plazas. You’ll need it.

The resort comprises three main areas: the central courtyard and main building, which houses 63 bedrooms; the old hamlet, where a collection of townhouses provides 92 bedrooms; and an exclusive enclave of 28 private villas at the edge of the estate. The village square hosts regular events. An in-room bulletin will tell you what’s on.

As well as the aforementioned ancient Roman settlement, local attractions include the UNESCOprotected village of Alberobello, the baroque architecture of Lecce, and the much-Instagrammed seaside town of Polignano a Mare. But, truthfully, and maybe this explains the celebrity appeal, you needn’t really venture outside of Borgo Egnazia.

Nestled among the nooks and crannies are four swimming pools, five restaurants – stretching from the Michelin-starred to a beach-side fish shack – three bars, an insanely beautiful spa and a yoga studio. You can rent bikes, sign up for cookery classes, take a shuttle bus to the hotel’s two beach clubs or arrange as many rounds of golf as you like at the San Domenico Golf course.

Then there’s people watching. And, at Borgo Egnazia, you never know who you might spot.

Double rooms from €329 per night in low season and from €899 per night in peak season, based on two adults sharing on a B&B basis, borgoegnazia.com

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IN THE

A N 8 0 0 -Y E A R - O L D FA R M H O U S E T U R N E D 1 2 - B E D R O O M D E S I G N H O T E L I N M O N T F E R R AT I S H E L P I N G O P E N U P A L E S S E R - E X P L O R E D P O C K E T O F I TA LY

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Anna Prendergast

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can’t swim – not here, anyway. To swim would mean taking my eyes off the view parallel to this particular pool: an ombré horizon, with its layers of leafy hills and rolling valleys, fading in layers into what is currently a soft-blue, early-spring sky.

That, and the fact that ladybirds keep landing on the silvery surface next to me. I scoop them up and spill them onto the decking. After my rescue mission is complete, I triumphantly send a friend a picture of my tiny scarlet survivors; he suggests I was ruining their mid-morning swim. How would I feel if someone kept fishing me out?

I concede that I wouldn’t be happy, but, fortunately, the only thing that interrupts my mid-morning paddle is a persistently rumbling stomach; my appetite knows as well as I do that lunch is non-negotiable at Nordelaia, one of the newest, post-pandemic properties to open in Piedmont, where chef Charles Pearce executes a slick menu full of surprises.

His kitchen serves Nordelaia’s lounge bar and bistro, where dishes sidestep the clichés of Italian cuisine with flavour and finesse. A vegetarian version of beef carpaccio includes delicate discs of beetroot battuta, crispbread and silken hazelnut mayonnaise that has me betraying a lifelong loyalty to Hellmann’s; a simple asparagus starter is glazed with raspberry and furikake – an umami-packed Japanese seasoning.

On the whole, Piedmont, in Italy’s lesser-travelled north west, is known for its loud Barolo wine and rich truffle. Here, Pearce keeps things fresh and light with seasonal salads and catches of the day. Fresh-baked rolls of bread are produced by inmates at a prison in nearby Alessandria, and the sound of a serrated knife cutting through crust is food ASMR, subliminal messaging at its most welcome.

Both dining spaces can be found in a beautiful building designed by British agency These White Walls, which relaunched The Ledbury earlier this year and brought London’s most talkedabout staircase to Ollie Dabbous’ Michelin-starred Hide.

Soaring Palladian windows with one-way glass reflect the landscape on the outside, framing views from the inside like expensive pieces of art; filament lights resemble upturned Champagne glasses; a flamboyant floral arrangement of dried pampas grasses, leaves and ground-cherry petals is dramatic and smart. Like the rest of the hotel, the beautiful dining spaces have been designed to bring business and pleasure together in harmony.

In the upper storey of the 12-bedroom property, there’s a designated meeting room and co-working space; in the restaurant, a large table accommodates a corporate team’s winetasting experience, which starts at 11am and doesn’t end until late afternoon (‘That was fun,’ the waitress grins afterwards).

Pearce has emerged from under the wing of Michelin-starred executive chef Andrea Ribaldone to map his own path, and has turned Nordelaia into a dining destination worth visiting for the food alone. Though that would be a shame; the hotel’s handful of bedrooms, all sensitively designed to honour the building’s heritage, make an overnight stay (or three) the best way to experience what the team behind Nordelaia has created.

During my visit, the cool, quiet hotel was bathed in a sunbaked shade of peach: the first blush of spring sun tasting like sparkling rosé on ice. The property is painted in a dense coat of terracotta, which assumes a warm glow at sunset, one final flourish before powering down for the day. Fittingly, the name of the British designer responsible is Rose (Murray).

Rooms and corridors have a touch of Ibizan agriturismo to them – rustic driftwood accents; bright open spaces; garden rooms that open to the terrace’s panoramic views. I – voluntarily – set my alarm for sunrise, because watching the light leak over the rooftops of Cremolino is almost as lovely as the nearby town itself. You can see the roofs from the ladybirds’ pool.

In Italy, they consider ladybirds lucky charms. They call them commaruccia, which means ‘little midwives’. I’m taking it as a good sign: that Nordelaia’s presence might mark the birth of a new era for this prospering, lesser-trodden pocket of Piedmont.

Rooms from €220 per night on a B&B basis; nordelaia.com

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PORT of CALL T O B E S T A P P R E C I AT E T H E F O R T I F I E D E X P O R T T H AT M A D E H I L L S I D E P O R T O P O R T U G A L ’ S S E C O N D C I T Y, I T PAY S T O H E A D U P S T R E A M

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Rowena Marella-Daw

or centuries, the crews of rabelo boats rowed with all their might as they navigated the raging rapids of the Douro River. The flat-bottomed vessels transported barrels of wine from the Douro vineyards (quintas) to wine cellars in Porto’s Vila Nova de Gaia district. It took several men and oxen to load the boats, before crews with long oars would manoeuvre through countless turns, narrowly avoiding boulders and shallows. The arduous voyage took three to four days. The upstream return journey, during which rabelos were typically towed along the riverbank by oxen, could take almost a month.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and developments in rail and road travel marked the end of the rabelo as the port industry’s main means of transport. Today, rabelo boats offer a voyage back in time, shuttling tourists up and down the Douro River. Each year, on 24 June, the Festival of St. John (São João’) is celebrated with a rabelo boat regatta involving 20 vessels and their crews.

The Douro splits Porto in two. The city’s historic hub and vibrant nightlife scene is found on the right, south-facing bank; the quieter Vila Nova de Gaia district, where the warehouses of the port producers are found, is sited on the north-facing, left bank.

Over the past two decades, Vila Nova de Gaia has gradually transformed from a sleepy harbour to a trendy hangout. On the site of derelict warehouses and empty lots now stand two landmarks that are helping boost tourism – five-star The Yeatman hotel, which opened in 2010, and the World of Wine (WOW), an innovative new cultural destination.

The Yeatman is within close proximity to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, where Port wine has been blended and aged for centuries. Named after the English merchant family that started trading in 1838, its corridors display art and memorabilia depicting the history of Porto and Douro. Each suite is named after a vineyard and comes with either a terrace or balcony, most with panoramic views of the river and valley.

The Yeatman Gastronomic Restaurant, where traditional

Portuguese dishes are given a sensual makeover by executive chef Ricardo Costa, received a second Michelin Star in 2017. Costa’s exceptional 11-course tasting menu is a showcase of regional favourites. Every course is a delicate work of art.

From my suite, the ancient UNESCO World Heritage city seemed like a mirage – a site that would be familiar to rabelo sailors of the past. Perched on a steep hill, Porto’s skyline is punctuated by the 75-metre-tall bell tower of the 18th-century Clérigos Church.

It keeps a watchful eye over stacks of narrow balconied buildings, their glory faded by the passage of time. To the right is the iconic Ponte Luis I Bridge connecting old Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

Situated behind The Yeatman is the World of Wine, a new cultural institution targeted at both seasoned and younger generations of wine enthusiasts. The creative force behind the project is Adrian Bridge, managing director of The Fladgate Partnership, owner of prominent Port brands Taylor’s and Croft.

Spanning eight acres, where once stood 300-year-old warehouses, WOW launched in July 2020, having taken seven years to complete.

Overlooking old Porto, the centre encompasses seven museums, 12 restaurants, cafés and bars, a wine school and speciality retail shops. That’s a lot to pack in, and if you have only a few days to spare, I highly recommend two museums: The Wine Experience and Planet Cork.

The Wine Experience delves into the nitty-gritty of viticulture.

No expense has been spared – from carving the shape of grapevines on marble walls to a giant rotating globe highlighting wine regions around the world. Brimming with content and immersive displays, it devotes an entire section resembling a film backlot to Portugal’s 14 wine-producing regions.

Planet Cork is a fascinating exhibit tracing the origins of the noble cork oak tree and the delicate method of harvesting and processing its bark. Portugal is the planet’s largest producer of cork, accounting for half of global production, and these sustainable trees grow mainly in the Alentejo region, which sits above the Algarve.

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How much do you weigh in cork stoppers? Find out by standing still on a designated spot and wait for sparkling wine corks to avalanche into a glass container behind you.

Open air spaces are aplenty at WOW’s central square, providing expansive views of old Porto and the river. The Golden Catch seafood restaurant and Root & Vine vegetarian eatery serve excellent food, but highly recommended are the 1828 steakhouse and T&C restaurant, which specialises in traditional Portuguese gastronomy.

Of course, Porto is one end of the port-making journey. To appreciate the start of that voyage, one must travel upstream in the direction of the Alto Douro (Upper Douro), where wine has been produced for two millennia, and port for the past 350 years.

By 1756, the area had become the world’s first classic wine region to have a formal demarcation – the Denominação de Origem Controlada (Denomination of Controlled Origin (DOC)) – nearly a century ahead of Bordeaux. In 2001, the region was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, recognising the evolution of man’s interaction with nature to produce an outstanding cultural landscape like no other.

The best way to explore the region is by car. In Avis’s 2015 ‘World’s Best Driving Roads’ report, the 16.8-mile stretch of the Estrada Nacional 222, or N-222, between Peso da Régua and Pinhão took 1st place. The road garnered an Avis Driving Ratio score of 11.3:1, the nearest match to the ideal ratio of ‘10 seconds on a straight to every one second spent on a bend’.

Apparently, there are 93 such bends. Diverting from the N-222 at Pinhão, we commenced a steep ascent towards a wine farm high up on a hill. Through narrow switchbacks, the scenery changed at every turn. For safety, lots of honking to alert approaching vehicles has become the norm up here.

Along this stretch of the Douro valley, several wine farms (grichas) are dotted on undulating terraced hillsides, those highest up having the best views of the river below. Many offer wine tastings and vineyard tours, while others have boutique lodgings with outdoor pools.

Staying at the riverside The Vintage House presented a different perspective of the Douro. Old-world charm reigns inside, while the cream façade, poolside and towering palm trees were more reminiscent of LA’s decadent seaside hotels. The food here is excellent, matched by a good selection of fine wines, and my new favourite tipple – white port and tonic.

A short drive from the hotel is Quinta da Roêda, home of the Croft Port brand and the first ever rosé port, Croft Pink.

Founded in 1588, it’s the oldest active port producing estate.

Here, a tableau of sweeping vineyards provided the idyllic backdrop for a lavish ‘picnic’ of Portuguese treats. After all, this is what the Douro Valley is all about – soaking in the view while enjoying quality wines on a warm, breezy afternoon.

If you’re not one for renting cars, there is another way of experiencing the Douro Valley: by train. Rail journeys were unheard of in the region until the Douro Train Line (Linha do Douro) first chugged its way from Porto to Barca d’Alva in 1887.

Today, the line still operates between Porto and Pocinho.

I opted to take the train back to Porto. My two-hour jaunt started at the historic Pinhão rail station just behind The Vintage House.

The station’s façade features well-preserved blue-and-white azulejo tiles depicting life as it once was in the vineyards. The rail tracks skim the edge of steep slopes, providing a bird’s eye view of rolling hills and the mountains beyond the river below.

Travel to Porto and remain the in city and there’s no doubt you’ll have a tremendous time. But to really appreciate the region, and the product that put Porto on the map, it pays to spend some time discovering more of the Douro Valley.

Only then do you get a true appreciation of the history and traditions of the area. Here, as with so many culturalgeographic regions, it’s as much about the journey as the destination. Saúde!

World of Wine, wow.pt; The Yeatman, the-yeatman-hotel.com; The Vintage House Hotel, vintagehousehotel.com; Quinta da Roeda, croftport.com; The Douro Train Line, seat61.com

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THE VINTAGE HOUSE HOTEL

THE VINTAGE HOUSE HOTEL

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AN ANCIENT VILLA IN THE TUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE P R OV I D E S T H E P E R F E C T P L AC E TO R E ACQ UA I N T W I T H O L D F R I E N DS

Words:

Doug McKinlay

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ot long ago, if someone suggested a half-term holiday with two other families, I would have insisted on plan B – without even knowing what plan B was; I’d rather eat broken glass than do that again. I learned the perils of holidaying with other couples and their children the hard way. A day at the beach ended with upturned tables, smashed plates, thrown food, DEFCON 1-level tantrums, and an unholy row on a pedalo with our friends vowing to divorce each other as soon as they got home.

The idea of doing it again, albeit with different couples and their children, filled me with dread. That was my state of mind as our flight from London touched down at Pisa airport on the Italian peninsula.

Ahead of us were four days of villa life and exploration of the Tuscan countryside, which, all going to plan, would involve a vineyard excursion, or two, to sample some of the region’s renowned Chianti. As well as myself and my partner, Jane, our 12-year-old son, Charlie, and his pal Edward, there were

old friends Dawn and Peter with their two girls, Hannah, 17, and 10-year-old Megan; and new friends Jacob and his partner Renate, both ex-pats living in Barcelona.

From the off, it was obvious that this was going to be a very different experience to our last attempt at shared holidaymaking. Everyone was much more laid back, and crucially, there was no evidence of impending marital Armageddon. The kids were fun and active, taking a genuine interest in the plans we put together.

If a house can have a life, then few have older bones than the Villa Albizi.

It’s part of a small cluster of buildings in the Tuscan hills dating back almost 1,000 years. Once a remote staging post on an ancient Roman road, the hamlet of the Borgo Montefienali was all but abandoned in the 13th century.

Over hundreds of years it was lost to the encroaching forest, deleted from existing maps, its history all but forgotten.

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If a house can have a life, then few have older bones than the Villa Albizi

the remains of the hamlet, and instantly saw the potential.

Since 2000, Alessandro, along with his son Thomas and daughter in-law Ilaria Pianigiani, has painstakingly restored the hamlet and its main house, the Villa Albizi Montefienali. “The last occupant of these buildings was a shepherd, and he fled 40 years ago,” says Thomas. “In the four decades since, nature took its toll. All that was left of the buildings were the outer stone walls, the window openings like black eyes. The original plants and cultivation were gone, lost to a thick green mantle of weeds. All that remained of the ancient landscaping was a single cypress tree, marking the entrance to the ruins of a church dedicated to San Domenico.”

With time, money and exquisite taste, the hamlet has been brought back to life; the crowning achievement, the 500 sq m villa. Along with a pool and hot tub, there is a small workout room and a sauna.

Ilaria and Thomas greeted us as if we were old friends. While the kids played in the pool, the couple gave us a tour of the villa and grounds. The stonework reminds you of the Cotswolds. There is a slight honey-toned colour to it. But it’s more

than that, it’s the craftsmanship. Every piece is different and slotted perfectly into its neighbour, like a giant vertical jigsaw puzzle. There is a natural fit with the surrounding environment, too, the restoration taking inspiration from the steep hills and vast oak forests of the Chianti region.

“We wanted to rebuild the hamlet and the villa in the old ways,” says Thomas.

“We used local stone and methods. These old houses are becoming so rare now.

They are so expensive to renovate but we felt like we needed to save this place.”

The villa’s interior also got the goldstar treatment. Here, Ilaria is firmly at the helm. Her choice of decor and colour again reflect the region. Her love of folk art and local crafts is evidenced in every room; from the padded armchairs, with hand-painted patterns, to the custommade beds, to the exquisite carpets. Every room – and there are a lot of rooms – shows this connection to the villa’s past and traditions of Tuscany. It has so many comfortable small snugs, perfect if you want to read in isolation.

The villa is a 45-minute drive from the medieval city of Siena, said to be founded by Senius and Aschius, two

With time, money and exquisite taste, the hamlet has been brought back to life; the crowning achievement, the 500 sq m villa

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sons of Remus and thus nephews of Romulus, Rome’s two namesakes.

Although the city can get crowded, it’s so heartbreakingly beautiful that it’s worth the effort. The architecture is something out of a Botticelli painting, so tactile and warm.

Time was passing quickly, as it always does when everything is going well. On day three, while Peter, Jacob and Renate opted for a lazy morning with the kids,

Jane, Dawn and I decided on a vineyard tour. Less than an hour away by car is La Tenuta, a 1,000-hectare estate of rolling hills, lush green forests and ancient cypress trees. The estate is divided into blocks, each growing different grapes for its six wonderful varieties of wine (the Chianti Classico Riserva the best in my opinion).

Sadly, the end was in sight. We had one more evening in the villa, one more meal, a few more bottles of Chianti.

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What to do when time is limited in such surroundings? We decided to introduce the kids to Monty Python’s Life of Brian on the large-screen television, then played a raucous game of Sardines.

It was time to go. Jacob and Renate headed to Florence while the rest of us made our way to Pisa, stopping for lunch in San Gimignano, with its medieval skyscrapers. In a few short hours we would be home, our Tuscan experience drifting into happy memory.

If nothing else, the trip proved to me that shared holidays are doable, they just need the right combination of people, location and attitude. Villa Ablizi provided the location, which in turn helped with the attitude. As for the people? I’m pleased to report that everyone remains happily married.

Tuscany Now & More offers seven nights at Villa Albizi from £5,464 per week based on 16 people sharing on a self-catering basis.

Tuscany Now & More features a range of properties across the region and Italy and can provide private chefs, excursions and other services upon request, 020 7684 8884, tuscanynowandmore.com

SCHOOL of THOUGHT W H AT C A N S E PA R AT E D P A R E N T S D O I F T H E Y D I S A G R E E O N W H I C H S C H O O L TO S E N D T H E I R C H I L D R E N ?

In partnership with litigation specialists Stewarts

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THIRD STEP: COURT

here are many factors to consider when selecting a school for your children: location, Ofsted ratings, reputation, extracurricular opportunities, sports facilities – the list goes on. For separated parents, there can be further things to think about. How will the school work in terms of childcare agreements? Can both parents get to the school easily in case of an emergency? In the case of private schools, will there be a financial impact of choosing one school over another?

If separated or divorced parents are unable to agree on just one of these considerations, things can start to get complicated.

If you cannot come to a consensus on which school is right for your child or children, what happens next?

If, after mediation, you’re still unable to arrive at a consensus, then the matter can be taken to court by applying for a Specific Issue Order or a Prohibited Steps Order. A court will only grant these orders if parents have attempted mediation first.

“The benefit of taking the matter to court,” says Rosie Stewart, also a Senior Associate in Stewarts’ Divorce and Family team, “is that you end up with a binding decision which will provide both parents, and the child, with a definitive resolution to the conflict.

The downside is that court proceedings could get costly. If the matter proceeds all the way to a final hearing there will likely already have been three separate court hearings at a significant cost to both parties. It may also take several months for the court to list a final hearing, which leaves the family in a state of prolonged uncertainty.”

F I R S T S T E P : TA L K As with all disagreements, especially those involving the care of a child, the best place to start is with an open and honest conversation.

Arrange to speak to your ex-partner and/or anyone else that has a parental responsibility for your child or children. Discuss your thoughts, express your concerns, perhaps arrange to visit the schools for yourselves. You might be able to find some common ground, in which case one school may emerge as the preferred choice for both parties. If you’ve tried talking, but are still unable to come to an agreement, what then?

W H AT W I L L T H E C O U R T CONSIDER? “The court’s paramount consideration is the welfare of the child,” says Stewart. “The court must consider what is known as the ‘welfare checklist’ set out in the Children Act 1989. This includes the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child; the child’s physical, emotional and educational needs; the likely effect on the child of any change in their circumstances; any harm the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering; and how capable each of the parents is of meeting the child’s needs.”

S E C O N D S T E P : M E D I AT I O N

CASE STUDIES The next step would be to arrange to see a trained family mediator. A third-party “This year,” says Stewart, “I had a case where specialist would listen to both sides of the the educational experience of the child’s older argument, and may ask to speak to your child siblings was a factor that the court took into or children (depending on their age), in order consideration. All four older siblings had been to assist you in finding an amicable solution. educated at School A. The father wanted the fifth “If successful, mediation provides child to go to School A. The mother did not. The parents with a relatively swift resolution court agreed with the father that if the fifth child which has been agreed by them rather was the only child in the family not to attend TOP ROSIE STEWART BELOW TREVONA HETTIARACHCHI than imposed on them by the court,” says School A it would set him apart from his siblings in Trevona Hettiarachchi, Senior Associate in the a way that could be harmful to him. I had not come Divorce and Family team at Stewarts. “Mediation is quicker across that line of argument before and thought it interesting.” and significantly less expensive than litigation. It also spares Says Hettiarachchi: “My most recent experience of a the parents, the wider family and, most importantly, the child, schooling application involved a high-achieving child who was from the stress and conflict of court proceedings.” sitting their 11+ examinations and while the parents were able With schooling decisions, however, timing tends to to shortlist the secondary schools of choice, they were unable to be of the essence. Take, for example, entries that rely on agree an order of preference pending offers. In the end, having prepared statements and with a matter of weeks to go until 11+ examination results. Typically, there’s a small window the hearing, the child did not receive an offer for the father’s between offers being made by the school and the time for acceptance. “Unless both parties are entering mediation in preferred school, so consented to the mother’s choice. It was technically a ‘win’, but bittersweet as the child was completely good faith with genuine motivations to resolve the matter,” aware of the conflict involved.” says Hettiarachchi, “mediation can be used to time out the other parent from seeking a determination by the court.”

Even with the best will in the world, mediation can still be To discover how Stewarts can help assist you with schooling disputes, or any unsuccessful. So, what happens then? other family matter, please call 020 7822 8000 or visit stewartslaw.com LUXURYLONDON.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 T S

Park Modern, on the edge of Hyde Park, is one of a new breed of super-prime new-builds changing what HNWIs can expect from life in the capital (p.123).

114 The Fine Print Go big or go, er, home 116 Giulio Cappellini The man who turned furniture making into an art form 123 On the Market Introducing London’s most impressive new-builds 130 Hot Property A Georgian townhouse with an underground secret

INTERIOR TREND

THE FINE PR INT Edited by: Anna

Solomon Missoni William cushion £118, amara.com

Motifs are the new minimalism That’s right, we’re saying ‘no’ to spartan surfaces and clinical colour schemes.

Because, done right, prints can be super-chic, too. From Missoni’s slightly seizure-inducing homeware to Orla Kiely’s ever-popular 60s-style prints, we’re seeing double, triple and quadruple this season.

These loud cut-and-paste patterns are guarenteed to bring the energy.

Alma armchair POR, orlakielyfurniture.com

Orla Kiely ceramic lamp £75, johnlewis.com

Optical inlay dresser £1,498, anthropologie.com

LUXURY LONDON

HOMES & INTERIORS

Ginori Stuoia vase £710, artemest.com Jackie Tamsin dining chair £118, anthropologie.com

Eva Sonaike Garret armchair £995, sohohome.com

Casarialto Palmira coffee table £1,410, artemest.com

Scalloped ceramic side table £198, anthropologie.com Orla Kiely linear stem rug £325, johnlewis.com

Cody Hoyt ceramic vessel £1,400, sohohome.com

Inedito Madison bench £3,095, artemest.com

Marble pasta bowl £75, henryhollandstudio.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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DESIGNED for LIFE B A C K I N T H E 1 9 8 0 S , T H E R E WA S D E S I G N E R C L O T H I N G B U T N O B O DY S P O K E O F D E S I G N E R I N T E R I O R S . T H E N C A M E GIULIO CAPPELLINI, WHO CHAMPIONED FURNITURE AS AN ART FORM A N D W O U L D G O O N T O F O S T E R T H E TA L E N T O F S O M E O F T H E B I G G E S T N A M E S I N M O D E R N H O M E WA R E – T O M D I X O N , R O N A R A D , M A R C N E W S O N , R O S S LOV E G R OV E A N D JAS P E R M O R R I S O N , A M O N G OT H E R S . M O R E T H A N 4 0 Y E A R S A F T E R H E TO O K OV E R T H E FA M I LY B U S I N E S S , C A P P E L L I N I E X P L A I N S W H Y H E ’ S S T I L L PA S S I O N AT E A B O U T C H A M P I O N I N G E M E R G I N G TA L E N T

Words:

Josh Sims

LUXURY LONDON

HOMES & INTERIORS

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G

iulio Cappellini says that he must have been drunk when he proposed a radical overhaul of his father’s business. This was back in the 1980s, when Cappellini was a small furniture maker, one of thousands in Italy, selling solely within its home nation.

Giulio, who initially planned to train as an architect, had other ideas: the family firm – established by his father, Enrico, in Lombardy in 1946, a phoenix from the ashes of war-torn Italy – should become a mediator for great furniture design from around the world, a means of connecting designers with an increasingly design-aware market. There was already this thing called ‘designer’ clothing. Cappellini could do ‘designer’ furniture.

“Italy was already well-known for Italian design, of course,” says Cappellini, the company’s artistic director since 1979. “But it occurred to me that, while the country has this big tradition of furniture production, it held on to the idea that apparently nothing was happening anywhere else in the world – so I started to travel to test that out.

“A lot of my colleagues said I was going to destroy Italian design – ‘why do you want to work with foreign designers?’. I had to tell them that I didn’t care if the designer was born in London, Milan or Sydney. The most important thing is that they were good.”

It’s not too bold a statement to say that Cappellini created the international market for modern designer furniture by providing major breaks to a number of designers that would go on to become household names, at least in well-appointed houses: the likes of Tom Dixon, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, Alessandro Mendini. It was Cappellini that facilitated the production and distribution of many of their key early designs.

Cappellini also set about reintroducing designs from past decades; designs that modern technology now meant could be manufactured affordably, including some of Joe Colombo’s progressive pieces from the 1960s.

Cappellini would be drawn to the bold ideas that straddled functionality and art, the clever use of new materials and production processes, the hard-to-make, and maybe hard-to-sell, but the worth-making-anyway.

He’d scour graduate shows and trade fairs in an attempt to identify the next big thing.

These days the mountain comes to Muhammad: Cappellini receives some 200 drawings from aspiring designers every month. His big tip: look to the new generation of designers coming out of eastern Europe.

“But that’s all OK for me,” says Cappellini, “because I want to find those right people, the passionate ones, and then be as generous as I can in helping them. Sometimes I can see a sketch or a prototype and that’s enough, or maybe just a meeting with someone can convince me. I need the feeling that ‘wow, I want to have this product tomorrow morning in my home’. You can’t be 100 per cent rational in considering a design – you need to have an emotional response.”

And he’s prepared to play the long game when it comes to

more progressive designs. Often a design can make no obvious commercial sense given the laboriousness and complexity of production. Or, it can have no obvious customer.

“The fact is that if you have a really innovative idea, it can take time before it takes hold on the market,” says Cappellini. He cites Jasper Morrison’s Thinking Man’s Chair – Cappellini sold, wait for it, just two of them in the first couple of years. Now, the company sells several hundred each year. “But I don’t believe so much in marketing because when you speak to someone in marketing they tell you to do something just like a product that already exists,” Cappellini chuckles.

A survey of some of Cappellini’s most famous designs indicates the breadth and originality of the company’s interest: in 1981 came the Sistemi cabinet – the first piece Giulio had a defining hand in – a new way of looking at dressers, making them modular and so buildable into, for instance, shelving. The Progetti Compiuti collection with Shiro Kuramata, a curvaceous drawer unit, was the piece that found a spot in art and design museums around the world. The late 80s saw Cappellini establish lasting relationships with Morrison and Newson – helping bring to market their Thinking Man’s Chair and Embryo Chair, respectively.

Come the early 90s and Cappellini made a move into design accessories and homeware, creating the ‘House of Cappellini’ – an entire home decked out with Cappellini products – that would come to define how many other design companies, not least IKEA, would choose to showcase their wares. In 1993, the company produced Medini’s Proust chair, in 1996 Marcel Wanders’ Knotted Chair. Come 2014, when the Marangoni Institute opens its Milan furniture design school, there’s only one company it’s going to call on to design its interiors. Likewise, it’s Cappellini that decks out Mondrian Hotels around the world, the Swiss National Library in Bern, and the HQ of Microsoft in Amsterdam.

Cappellini once produced a sound-proofed ‘privacy’ chair that made it very hard to hear what was being said by anyone sat in it. Given the size of the thing, and tricky production, Cappellini resigned himself to just selling a few. But, suddenly, it found a market in airport lounges, corporate lobbies and anywhere where business is conducted.

Indeed, the real growth market for Cappellini is no longer furniture for the home but for public spaces – offices, hotels, receptions – that have undergone a revolution in style, branding, utility and Instagram-ability that makes them more like private homes.

“So we have to be conscious of creating hybrid products that can sit as well in the office as at home. In fact,” says Cappellini, “these markets are overlapping and getting closer. That’s all good now because interest in design for the home is on the down at the moment. Look inside the homes of many young people today and it’s all very bourgeois. It’s all very beige and brown, very safe and quiet. And then go to a hotel or an office and it’s all colour and shape. At least that helps people get more comfortable with the idea.”

Cappellini would be drawn to the bold ideas that straddled functionality and art, the clever use of new materials and production processes

LUXURY LONDON

HOMES & INTERIORS

THE CAPPELLINI LITOS SOFA BY SEBASTIAN HERKNER, FROM APPROX. £3,400

CAPPELLINI LUD’O LOUNGE ARMCHAIR, APPROX. £2,700

SHIRO KURAMATA PROGETTI COMPIUTI, SIDE 1 CABINET IN ASHWOOD FOR CAPPELLINI, APPROX. £22,300

LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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CAPPELLINI’S HOBO CONTRACT THREE-SEATER SOFA, APPROX. £6,400, AND REVOLVING CABINET CHEST OF DRAWERS, APPROX. £2,600

Cappellini is constantly having to deal with the whims of a furniture market that is becoming more like the fashion market – increasingly driven by names – where different mindsets appropriate different value to different products.

Sure, he says, people are happier to mix, say, IKEA with Cappellini, more so than they might be Zara with Gucci. And he’s more aware, too, of the brand power of the Cappellini name these days. Perhaps that’s why Cappellini has dabbled with his own fragrances and later this year will see the opening, in Ho Chi Minh City, of what may prove the first of many Cappellini cafes. The more Cappellini gets itself out in the word, Giulio hopes, the more shoppers will be encouraged to make less safe, less bland choices when it comes to the interiors of their homes.

“Many more people now see examples of great furniture design in museums,” he says, “but they’re still afraid to put design stuff in their homes because they think they’ll go off it – though I think that absolutely isn’t the case with good design.

“Besides, I always say that if you take 10 people who all dress in the same way, and who all drive the same kind of car, they’ll still have 10 very different homes – more and more we want our homes to reflect our own personality, which hopefully will encourage us to make more interesting choices.”

Then there’s the challenge of getting people to pay.

‘Designer’ furniture typically doesn’t come cheap. It’s why there’s a hunger for mass-produced products with high-design content but approachable prices. It’s also why there’s a buoyant

market for rip-offs, which is hard to police and, as in fashion, has a ready audience.

“People will pay for a name in fashion, or with a car, but they’ll say ‘why should I pay for a design name in furniture that isn’t that well-known?” Cappellini laments. “‘We can buy something similar but that’s 30 per cent less expensive.’

But that’s all about the need to get across exactly why good furniture design costs what it does. Yes, you can do a good chair that costs €300 and one that costs €1,500. And, if in the past the design market tended to mean low distribution, low quantity, high price, today it can be high distribution and low price.

“We need to explain that relationship between quality and price, so people are happy to buy the original piece of furniture because they know they’re paying for the research and the innovation and the materials.”

That isn’t easy, he concedes, but the fun of exploring ideas and processes to make striking objects, which might sit in a living room for generations, or in the permanent collections of many of the world’s leading art museums, or even in your workplace, has given him a very rewarding career.

“I was lucky because my father listened to my ideas and just said, ‘OK, go ahead’,” Cappellini says. “And in a few years we’d totally changed what Cappellini was about.

Looking back, it’s been great to get so many designs into museums – but, more so than ever, I really want to get great design into people’s homes.”

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HOMES & INTERIORS

PARK MODERN, OPPOSITE QUEENSWAY UNDERGROUND STATION

AS LUXURY BUYERS DEMAND MORE F R O M T H E I R H O M E S , A N E W G E N E R AT I O N O F D E V E LO P M E N T S A R E A N S W E R I N G T H E C A L L – A N D C H A L L E N G I N G CO N C E I V E D N OT I O N S ABOUT URBAN LIVING IN THE PROCESS

Words:

Anna Solomon

T O M O R R OW ’ S W O R L D Introducing the most exciting new-builds currently on sale in the capital LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

123

T R I P T YC H B A N K S I D E , S E 1

The South Bank isn’t necessarily known as a residential destination, but this £400m mixed-use development is changing all that: Triptych Bankside is situated in a cultural epicentre, boasting neighbours like the Tate Modern and National Theatre. The development comprises two residential towers of 169 apartments, plus 68,000 sq ft of commercial space and extensive retail and cultural facilities.

The towers are suitably eye-catching; architect Squire & Partners opted for curved edges and soft lines, and interiors by Cocovara reflect this fluidity.

Residents of Triptych will enjoy a diverse range of amenities, including a large co-working space, a state-of-the-art gym and an independent café, not to mention a new cultural space at ground level, set to become a destination in its own right.

From £790,000, triptychbankside.com

PA R K M O D E R N , W 2

Fenton Whelan is currently marketing the Bayswater-based £500m development Park Modern. This 190,000 sq ft newbuild comprises 57 one- to six-bedroom residences, including lateral apartments, three trophy penthouses and mews houses, all located a stone’s throw from Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. If views across London’s most famous Royal Park don’t pique your interest, perhaps the extensive set of amenities will: Park Modern boasts 30,000 sq ft of hotel-style perks, including a concierge, resident’s lounge, signature restaurant and cafe, and a wellbeing floor with a 25-metre swimming pool, gym, spa, cinema and treatment salon. £2,000,000-£60,000,000, parkmodern.com

NINE EASTFIELDS, SW18

Nine Eastfields is the flagship scheme in Wandsworth’s Riverside Quarter – a former Shell oil terminal reborn as a gorgeous living and retail destination.

The 14-storey building consists of six onebedroom apartments, 28 two-bedroom apartments with winter gardens, and 45 two-bedroom apartments with private balconies providing views over the River Thames and River Wandle. Residents can also enjoy a swimming pool, lap pool, gym and 24-hour concierge.

From £655,000, riversidequarter.com/ nineeastfields

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THE SKY RESIDENCES AT O N E B I S H O P S G AT E PLAZA, EC3A

One Bishopsgate Plaza is making real estate history. This is the first development in the City of London to put private ownership and a luxury hotel under the same roof: its 160 residential apartments, The Sky Residences, are perched on top of Pan Pacific’s first European outpost. Residents enjoy the entire spectrum of hotel services and amenities, the jewel in the crown being an 18.5m infinity swimming pool overlooking the plaza.

From £1,300,000, onebgp.com

CAPELLA, N1C

Along with the wildly popular Granary Square and the behemoth that is the new Google headquarters, Capella represents another piece in the puzzle of King’s Cross’s transformation. Located on Lewis Cubitt Park, the largest green space in the postcode, this 176-apartment development (120 private, 56 rented) concludes a 67-acre regeneration masterplan.

Choose between spacious studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences and townhouses, all of which boast zero-carbon heating via their own on-site district energy network, and access to a kilometre of picturesque canals.

Due for completion in 2024, from £650,000, capellakingscross.co.uk

LUXURY LONDON

HOMES & INTERIORS

C L A R G E S M AY F A I R , W 1 J

Clarges Mayfair is a Piccadilly-facing, Green Park-adjacent new-build designed by Squire & Partners – an architect that has worked on Buckingham Palace. Indeed, this is top-tier luxury: Clarges’ Portland stone façade features hand-carved stone columns, floor-to-ceiling windows and bronze balconies.

The 34 residences benefit from a private lounge beneath a dramatic 60 ft atrium, as well as use of the ‘English Spa’, which features an 82 ft-long swimming pool with cabanas at one end and a hydrotherapy pool/spa at the other. Other facilities include the business suite/private dining room, a cinema room and underground parking with a car lift.

From £14,500,000, wetherell.co.uk LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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HOT PROPERTY

EARLS TERRACE, W8 A GRADE II LISTED GEORGIAN TOWNHOUSE OFFERS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

T

he variety of property currently on the market is dizzying. The choices are endless, from swish newbuilds to mid-century (or whichever period happens to be having a ‘moment’) mansions. If you’re looking for a property in prime central London, however – in an area like Kensington, Mayfair or Chelsea – we’re willing to hazard a guess as to what you’re after: a sumptuous 19th-century townhouse, possessing that juxtaposition of history and luxury that is so specific to this part of town.

Enter this issue’s Hot Property: a Grade II listed home on Earls Terrace, Kensington. This manicured row of Georgian homes, which was redeveloped in the late 1990s, is set back from the north side of Edwardes Square, a 200-year-old garden of mature trees and rose arbours.

The property’s exterior is classic yellow brick with a mixture of sash windows and French doors, decorated with wrought

iron balconies. Inside, proportions are superb, stretching across 5,184 sq ft. This includes fabulous, formal reception rooms and a kitchen/breakfast/family room on the raised ground floor, which boasts south facing views over the verdant private garden and communal garden beyond.

In total, this home numbers five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and four reception rooms – the perfect family home. Luxury amenities include an under-garden swimming pool, plus two reserved parking spaces under the front garden area, which are accessed from the lower ground floor. And, of course, location doesn’t get much better than this; Earls Terrace is located moments from the facilities of Kensington High Street, as well as gorgeous Holland Park and Kensington Gardens.

This is PCL distilled. £9,950,000, savills.com

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Prices correct as at time of print.

NEW RIVERSIDE APARTMENTS NOW AVAILABLE

On the edge of the Thames, immersed in nature.

Surrounded by verdant parks & gardens with panoramic views towards Canary Wharf, the City & beyond. Part of the thriving Royal Wharf neighbourhood with its own high street, regular farmers market, primary school, gym and Riverscape residents’ only Sky Lounge.

Moments from Crossrail & the DLR with direct access to Thames Clipper services from Royal Wharf Pier.

PRICES FROM £431,000 020 4579 6451 · riverscape.co.uk