Luxury London Magazine Winter 2021

WINTER 2021 £8.00

MAGAZINE

Kate Bryan THE SOHO HOUSE CURATOR ON LEVELLING UP THE ART WORLD

Stefano

DOMENICALI WHY THE FORMULA 1 BOSS IS THE HAPPIEST HE’S EVER BEEN

DAVID GANDY On fashion, fatherhood and fulfilling a decade-long dream

ALSO INSIDE: RANKIN’S PENTHOUSE, CHRISTIAN HORNER’S REVENGE & THE ALL-NEW RANGE ROVER

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ISN’T IT TIME? JOURNEY SAFE. JOURNEY WONDERFULL .

SM

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CONTENTS

106 UP FRONT

114

C U LT U R E

72 WHEN IN ROMA

On the road with the new Ferrari

10 EDITOR’S LETTER

48 THE AGENDA

78 LONG LIVE THE KING

13 THE BRIEFING

The latest comings and goings in the world of luxury

Your guide to art, drama, film and fashion in the capital

54 DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

38 INTERVIEW:

We meet the African artists who

KATE BRYAN

have relocated to London

Introducing the new Range Rover

COLLECTION 84 SECONDS OUT

60 HUNTER IN THE JUNGLE

The latest standout watches

of Collections on the

Why Hunter S. Thompson never

to hit the market

cultural zeitgeist

covered the fight of the century

88 SHELL SHOCK

Soho House’s Head

42 INTERVIEW: STEFANO DOMENICALI

In conversation with the

Formula One CEO

DRIVE 68 INTERVIEW:

The story of Fabergé, the missing

eggs, and the Russian Revolution

COUTURE

CHRISTIAN HORNER The F1 driver on an exciting season approaching its climax

94 LOCO FOR THE LOGO

Why sartorial unsubtlety is back in

140

98

98 MAN ABOUT TOWN

128 ISLAND REVIVAL

Comfortable fashion for winter

102 AT YOUR SERVICE

Introducing Scabal, the tailor’s tailor of choice

Now is the time to visit Barbados

HOMES & INTERIORS

106 INTERVIEW:

DAVID GANDY On launching his

114 SKI NEWS

GSAADS STILL Why Switzerland’s quietest resort is also its best

Kate Bryan THE SOHO HOUSE CURATOR ON LEVELLING UP THE ART WORLD

Inside Rankin’s penthouse-cum-art-gallery 140 ON THE MARKET

Properties with guest houses

144 BRIGHT IDEAS Colourful homeware to liven up dark days

The best chalets of the season 122 WHERE TIME

MAGAZINE

WINTER 2021 £8.00

136 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

own clothing line

ESCAPE

128

146 BELGRAVIAN NIGHTS

Stefano

DOMENICALI WHY THE FORMULA 1 BOSS IS

DAVID GANDY THE HAPPIEST HE’S EVER BEEN

On fashion, fatherhood and fulfilling a decade-long dream

ALSO INSIDE: RANKIN’S PENTHOUSE, CHRISTIAN HORNER’S REVENGE & THE ALL-NEW RANGE ROVER

COV E R

An Eaton Terrace townhouse with a very modern interior

David Gandy shot by Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca, p. 106.

FROM THE EDITOR

Y

WINTER 2021 Issue 26

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Richard Brown EDITOR-AT-LARGE Annabel Harrison DIGITAL EDITOR

ou have to have the darkness for the dawn to come.” Until his 30s, struggling actor Harrison Ford side-hustled as a carpenter to support his wife and two young sons. Ford’s relationship with George Lucas began when the future Star Wars director hired him to expand his office.

Until 31, J. K. Rowling was a single mum living on benefits. Her book about a wizard, as you’ll probably have already heard, was rejected by 12 publishers before it was picked up

by Bloomsbury. Taiwan’s Ang Lee was unemployed until his early 30s. His movie career only really got going in his mid-40s. Now 67, Lee was the first Asian to win an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his directing (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi).

Then there’s the one about Stallone. Who was so broke he sold his wife’s jewellery, and then his own dog, before ending up broke, dog-less and homeless. With his mouth-ofmarbles turning off casting departments (Tom Hardy never copped the same sort of flak), the aspiring actor wrote his own screenplay. He called it Rocky and cast himself as the lead. Sly was reportedly offered $125,000, then $250,000, then $350,000, for the script. But no one would take a punt on the funny-talking Italian. So, he held out. And finally accepted a cut-rate fee, but, most importantly to him, achieved his dream of playing the main man in his own movie. Rocky grossed more at the box office than any other film in 1976. It also won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Never give up on your dreams, kids. Which became something of a recurring theme this issue.

Stefano Domenicali (p.42) spent his teenage weekends watching his F1 superheroes roaring around Italy’s legendary Imola racetrack. “I’ve been very lucky,” says Domenicali, who served as Ferrari Team Principal before becoming CEO of Formula One Group in March 2021. “I’ve done what every Italian boy can only dream of.” Down in the paddock, Christian Horner, Team Principal at Red Bull Racing, has made little effort to conceal the all-consuming dream that keeps him, err, awake – to wrestle back the constructors’ title from arch rival Mercedes-Benz (p.68).

Other dream-chasers in this issue: cover-star David Gandy, who, after 20 years of promoting other people’s clothes, finally brings out a collection of his own (p.106); self-taught Michelin-star chef Stephen Harris, who transformed a gnarled old boozer in Whitstable into (officially) the UK’s best gastropub (p.32); car-engineer-turned-hotelier Guido Coffa, who converted a dilapidated ancient farmstead into Sicily’s preeminent eco-resort (p.34); and photographer and art director John Waddell, who you’ll know as Rankin, who finally got round to renovating his Kentish Town penthouse into an art gallery in which you can pay to stay (p.136).

Zoe Dickens ASSISTANT EDITOR Anna Solomon CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Crossan Jeremy Taylor Josh Sims HEAD OF DESIGN Laddawan Juhong GENERAL MANAGER Fiona Smith PRODUCTION MANAGER Alice Ford MANAGING DIRECTOR Rachel Gilfillan BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Asleen Mauthoor CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Eren Ellwood

PUBLISHED BY

Enjoy the issue. Chase the dream.

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

WWW.LUXURYLONDONMEDIA.CO.UK

THE NEW FRAGRANCES FOR HIM & HER

T H E B R I E F I NG 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 P.14 THE MEMBERS’ CLUB The historic Arts Club goes international

P.18 THE CAR The world’s first £1 million SUV

P.22 THE OPENINGS The hottest restaurants on the scene right now

P.26 THE PHOTOGRAPHY The poignant winner of a picture award

P.28 THE RESTAURANT This quirky speakeasy isn’t easy to find

P.30 THE HOTEL Visiting the birthplace of champagne

P.32 THE PUB The ‘grotty’ Michelinstarred boozer

P.34 THE ECO RESORT A wine estate in the foothills of Mount Etna

The five-star Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa in Champillon (p.30)

01 THE MEMBERS’ CLUB

The Arts Club Dubai NOWHERE SCREAMS NEXT-LEVEL LUXURY QUITE LIKE DUBAI, MAKING THE EMIRATE AN OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR THE ARTS CLUB’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL OUTPOST.

LUXURY LONDON TALKS TO CEO AJAZ SHEIKH Words: Kari Colmans

I

t is, perhaps, no surprise that Dubai was selected for the first international outpost of The Arts Club, London’s historic private members’ club, first established in 1863, with help from Charles Dickens, and now one of the capital’s most exclusive playgrounds.

“Dubai serves as a fantastic gateway and hub between Europe and Asia and is a diverse destination with a very exciting creative and entrepreneurial scene,” says Ajaz Sheikh, CEO of the The Arts Club Dubai. “With so much potential to grow and innovate – as we have seen with how the city and country has handled the pandemic – we are very happy to contribute to the growth of Dubai’s creative, cultural and artistic community.”

The Dubai Club will aim to align itself with The Arts Club in London in what it offers its members: from the wealth of important literary and artistic events to some of the standout dishes from its famous Brasserie. “But it also has its own identity and vision,” says Ajaz. “We felt strongly that we had to reinterpret and tweak it a little for its new home.”

The much-loved Brasserie restaurant, for instance, has been reimagined for Dubai. Head chef Mussie Imnetu will still be serving the famous crab cake with Meyer lemon sauce and fennel salad, plus the delicious house burger, but will also be offering new dishes, like Waldorf salad and a Valencian paella.

As well as the Brasserie, The Arts Club Dubai has its own original restaurant, Rōhen, run by head chef Michael Hoepfl, whose CV includes stints as head and executive chef for both Zuma London and Miami. Standout dishes, Ajaz assures me, are the tacos (crispy duck with chipotle hoisin

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with a giant modern structure. Therefore, we needed to create drama and interest within the vast space. We have been lavish with fabrics, colours and textures, creating softness and comfort. On the third floor, the Palazzo lounges really interpret what a Club should feel like, in the traditional sense.”

Guests will be particularly wowed by the beautiful staircase, which anchors the entire space, somehow encouraging both separation and flow simultaneously. The entrance to the Club is also unusual in its formation. “We built a box within a box and gave it a sense of arrival,” says Ajaz. “Then, as you go up from the ground floor in the glass elevators, you have this incredible 30-metre chandelier running the height of the building.” Each room connects directly to the next, allowing members to move seamlessly through the space, while high ceilings and marbled floors also add to the grandeur.

Much like its sister club, famed for its roster of innovative speakers and artists, The Arts Club Dubai has a similarly fascinating calendar, from talks on cryptocurrencies, NFTs and previews of artworks and films, to seminars with business owners and book clubs, as well as cocktail society classes and wine-tasting dinners.

The club has just run its first two art exhibition programmes, with both presentations hailing from the Middle East: Think it Forward: Selections from The Elie Khouri Collection and Huguette Caland: Faces and Places. Curated

by Amelie von Wedel and Pernilla Holmes of Wedel Art,

or beef brisket, huancaina and jalapeño salsa), the squash curry steamed buns, and grilled king crab leg with miso butter and nori crunch. “Bold, lively and loud, Rōhen is the beating heart of the club,” he says. “It’s the dining destination where everyone wants to be seen.”

Elsewhere, Alveare is defined by the culinary simplicity of Italy, exploring some of the country’s long-lost regional dishes. Inspired by the golden era of the 1960s and 70s, there is an emphasis on charismatic table-side service. Oscuro, the cigar lounge in London, has also been developed to reside on The Rooftop in Dubai, with a beautifully hand-crafted humidor and world-class selection of cigars. In all, there are seven craft-cocktail bars.

Top designers from Milan-based interiors agency, Dimorestudio, worked their magic on the club’s truly breathtaking interiors, terraces and rooftop, combining a rich and sophisticated colour palette, and blending inspiration from both the past and present. Rooms vary in size with grander lounges and restaurants for entertaining and socialising, and smaller, more intimate spaces for discreet business meetings or quiet contemplation.

“We want members to feel like they’re in someone’s stately home or townhouse, which is again inspired by the London Club,” says Ajaz. “However, as the space of the Dubai Club (65,000 sq ft) is much larger than London, our approach to the internal architecture had to change as we were working

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who curate the permanent collection and exhibition programme at the London club, these shows mark the beginning of a programme that will showcase the best collections in the region and beyond, as well as timely solo and group shows of emerging and established artists.

Over the past 10 years, The Arts Club London has established a reputation for showing great artists ahead of the curve, as well as hosting important talks and performances – a practice to be developed further in Dubai, says Ajaz. The upcoming summer group show, Geometric Bodies: Regional and Diaspora Artists, celebrates Dubai’s art community, featuring regional and diaspora artists from largely local galleries.

As the festive jet-set crowd dust off their Chanel dad sandals and Dior beach baskets, Ajaz can’t wait to welcome British visitors who want in on the action, whether they’re looking to party on the rooftop as they look out onto the Burj Khalifa, or Sunday brunch with the whole family.

“Our membership forms an exciting new community of like-minded, diverse and dynamic people, all hailing from different cultures and sectors, both from this region and further afield. The wonderful winter sunshine has arrived, and our doors here are open...”

If you are an existing member of The Arts Club in London, you can add the international tier to your membership by emailing membership@theartsclub.co.uk; theartsclub.ae

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02 THE CAR

Prodrive Hunter THE WORLD’S FIRST £1 MILLION SUV TRADES ULTIMATE LUXURY FOR EXTREME OFF-ROAD PERFORMANCE Words: Jeremy Taylor

T

he Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga are two of the most expensive SUVs a lot of money can buy. However, all that will change next year when a wild-child rival crashes onto the forecourt with a seven-figure price tag.

The all-new, British-built Hunter has been developed by motorsport company Prodrive and is the most outrageous road car in decades. Not since the Lamborghini LM002 of the 1980s has anything this madcap been allowed to tread tarmac – which will almost certainly help it garner instant popularity.

Styled by former Jaguar design guru, Ian Callum, Hunter is based on the car driven to fifth place by Nani Roma at this year’s gruelling Dakar Rally. It may look like a jacked-up dune buggy but this is a highly sophisticated machine, capable of covering vast distances across any terrain.

The street-legal version – to be revealed later this year with deliveries from January 2022 – will have increased power and could create a niche for more dirt-focused 4x4s in a booming, luxury SUV sector.

The car is the brainchild of Prodrive founder and CEO, David Richards. Richards won the World Rally Championship as a co-driver in 1981, alongside Finnish legend, Ari Vatanen.

Back then they competed in a modest Ford Escort.

A former chairman of Aston Martin, Richards once headed up the Benetton F1 team and currently runs Lewis Hamilton’s all-electric X44 Extreme E operation. This year’s Dakar Rally was Prodrive’s first ever entry – previously it won three World Rally Championships with the likes of Richard Burns and Colin McRae. “As we developed the Dakar vehicle, I thought it had the potential to make a sensational road car, too. This is a hypercar that isn’t designed for the race track. It will be

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A Sadev, six-speed sequential gearshift is far simpler to negotiate than I expected, with front, centre and rear differentials giving the Hunter incredible traction.

Based on a high-strength, tubular steel chassis with carbonfibre bodywork, the engine is cleverly situated under the windscreen. The mid-mount allows for a better balanced car, vital when hurtling across rough terrain at high speed.

It’s relatively basic underneath the steel spaceframe, with no adjustable adaptive dampers to iron out the bumps. The road version is likely to feature paddle-shifters on the steering column, like most high-performance cars.

A spare wheel is located in each rear flank, with another set forward of the engine under the bonnet. Fuel is stored behind the cockpit – a smaller, 200-litre tank is also available but will still cost hundreds of pounds to fill.

On a narrow, tree-lined course in Dorset, I rarely change out of third gear, while the four-wheel drive Hunter crashes down ruts and leaps over uneven surfaces with remarkable ease. I doubt I’m using 50 per cent of the car’s capability as Roma urges me on faster.

the Ferrari of the desert.”

Richards says the two-seat road version will be almost identical to the rally car, save for a few key changes.

“It will be 300mm wider, with larger tyres and even more power. There will be no steps into the cabin and the seats won’t be on slide adjusters. If you can’t manoeuvre yourself in then you probably shouldn’t be driving the car.”

The first Hunter road car is still under wraps, so I’m strapped in to Roma’s Dakar version. Powered by a heavilymodified Ford EcoBoost 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo engine, the competition car is restricted to 400hp and 516 lb-ft of torque to meet strict FIA regulations.

However, without race restrictions, the street version could be increased to 650hp, with a massive 400mm of suspension travel – as well as the option of a 500-litre fuel tank for epic adventures to the remotest corners of the planet.

Strapped on a carbon-fibre seat with a six-point rally harness, the short, stubby bonnet and low windscreen allow a better view of the terrain ahead, while a camera system is essential for any reversing.

THE VITALS FOR THE PRODRIVE HUNTER (RALLY VERSION)

ENGINE

POWER

MAX TORQUE

TRANSMISSION

WEIGHT

FUEL

RANGE

3.5-litre V6 twinturbocharged

400HP

700 NM

4WD

1,850KG

500 LITRES

800KM

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It’s a thrilling, brutal beast of a car – far more extreme than a Lamborghini Urus or Aston Martin DBX. With just two seats and limited storage space, it flings the rulebook of conventional SUV design out of the window.

Although Hunter will be built at Prodrive’s headquarters in Banbury, some assembly work will be carried out at a facility in the Middle East, where all the cars will be registered. They can then be imported back to Britain using a special vehicle type approval.

Standard fit on the road car will include a few basic luxuries, such as air conditioning, an infotainment system and leather-trimmed seats.

“People ask why the car will cost £1 million. Most of that expense has been in the development stages – creating what is essentially a Dakar-capable car that owners can use on the road,” said Richards.

“I believe that if you let the engineers design a car it will be purposeful and capable but look like a dog’s dinner – Ian Callum has done a fantastic job on the styling.”

Back at the makeshift pits, Richards is on hand to open my gull-wing door. The Hunter is a relatively weighty 1,850kg but handles more like an extreme go-kart than a conventional SUV – a fact he is keen to stress.

“There is a limited market for this type of machine but we hope to build around 20 for customers around the world. Hunter won’t be the quietest, most sophisticated or smoothest-driving SUV but it’s a car that you can take on the road, turn left in the dirt and then keep going for hundreds of miles.”

Covid delayed development of the road-legal Hunter but as Prodrive technical driver, David Lapworth, explained, the vehicle will be little different to the rally version that Roma drove to success at the Dakar in January.

“This is not a toy for posing around the streets of Knightsbridge, it’s a serious rally car that also happens to be road legal. I’m sure some people will drive it in London but Hunter will be most fun away from the tarmac.

“We deliberately tried to keep the car as close to the Dakar vehicle as possible – getting the balance right between comfort and off-road usability hasn’t been much of an issue. If the driving position isn’t right then you need to use a spanner. You wouldn’t expect Lewis Hamilton to have a seat on sliders.”

Whether the Hunter ends up being the most pointless plaything or the ultimate off-road machine might depend on where you live. The first buyer is based in the Middle East, where barrelling across the sand dunes is a national pastime.

In the UK, finding somewhere to exploit the performance of the Hunter could be a major drawback.

Even so, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one on the streets of the capital in 2022. Perhaps the ultimate challenge of driving a Dakar-based SUV is being able to pop down the shops, without leaving the tarmac. prodrive.com

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03 THE OPENINGS

London’s hottest new restaurants A HOST OF RED-HOT VENUES HAVE BEEN RAISING TEMPERATURES ON THE CAPITAL’S SOCIAL SCENE. THESE ARE THE SIZZLING NEW DINING SPOTS TO SECURE RESERVATIONS AT THIS WINTER Words: Nick Savage, of Innerplace Concierge

PARK ROW Brewer Street, W1F 9ZN After much anticipation, the DC Comics-themed venue Park Row is now open. Nestled in the art deco rooms that used to house MASH on Brewer Street, there are five separate spaces drawing inspiration from some of Gotham City’s most famous (and infamous) residents.

These include The Iceberg Lounge, where guests can enjoy cocktails served by the likes of Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin; The Rogue’s Gallery, hosted by Catwoman and serving cocktails like the Blue Boy, which is poured from a painting whose colour gradually drains as the drink fills the glass; the Monarch Theatre, a 20-seat venue serving an 11-course tasting menu; and Old Gotham City, a villainous late-night no-reservations bar secreted away at the back of the venue.

Park Row offers something new and fun in Soho. It’s an amazing space with plenty of quirky Easter eggs for the DC die-hards but is also a proper restaurant with a strong live music offering. Park Row would be ideal for a date with lots of talking points or for groups after an entertaining night out. parkrowlondon.co.uk

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GINZA ST JAMES Bury Street, SW1Y 6AL Following a £2.5 million refit, Ginza has launched on St James’s. The first London outpost of the globe-spanning restaurant group, Ginza St James’s is a high-end and authentic Japanese restaurant which is well suited to the chic neighbourhood of SW1. The kitchen celebrates the traditional cooking styles that have been used for centuries in Japan, with the extensive menu split between an à la carte and dedicated sushi and teppanyaki offerings. ginza-stjames.com

EKSTEDT AT THE YARD Great Scotland Yard, SW1A 2HN Multi award-winning Michelin-starred chef Niklas Ekstedt has opened his first restaurant outside of Stockholm, launching Ekstedt at The Yard, part of Great Scotland Yard hotel in Westminster. Set within the historic 5* hotel which was once the home of the Metropolitan police, the hotel’s new flagship restaurant brings Niklas’ signature style of wood fired ‘old Nordic’ cooking to the UK for the very first time. ekstedtattheyard.com

SESSIONS ARTS CLUB Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0NA Cabin Studios, Sätila Studios and Florence Knight have opened Sessions Arts Club, bringing together the best of art, design and food. Sited in the beautifully-restored Old Sessions House, located in the heart of Clerkenwell, the creative studio features a restaurant, wine bar and art gallery space in an impressive 18th century Grade II-listed building. Sessions Arts Club has a private feel, creating a sanctuary to escape from the fast pace of modern life.

Innerplace is London’s personal lifestyle concierge. Membership provides complimentary access to the finest nightclubs, the best restaurants and top private members’ clubs. Innerplace also offers priority bookings, updates on the latest openings and hosts its own regular parties. Membership starts from £100 a month, innerplace.co.uk

sessionsartsclub.com

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BIBO SHOREDITCH Curtain Road, EC2A 3PT The Mondrian Shoreditch launched its flagship restaurant – Dani Garcia’s BIBO Shoreditch – in August and it has been an absolute firecracker. The lively, urban space, perfect for casual lunches and spirited dinners, brings García’s world-class dining to the city for the first time, and plays very well indeed with the Shoreditch food scene, famed for its distinctive and unforgettable flavours. sbe.com

SUCRE & ABAJO Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JP Two Latin American superstars have come to Soho to launch this two-header. In the basement is Abajo, where Tato Giovanonni has opened a destination cocktail bar with glow-in-the-dark drinks. Upstairs is the restaurant by Fernando Trocca where the Latin American cuisine is served in one of London’s most beautiful new dining rooms. sucrerestaurant.com

MIMI Curzon Street, W1J 8PG MiMi Mei Fair is the third restaurant from Jamavar and Bombay Bustle mastermind Samyukta Nair. She’s recruited ChineseSingaporean chef Peter Ho to oversee the kitchen, specialising in Peking duck and bringing his experience to bear from Hakkasan and HKK. Set in an old Georgian townhouse on Curzon Street, it has several different dining areas, all inspired by the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. mimimeifair.com

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04 THE PHOTOGRAPHY

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award A WINNING SHOT OF TOURISTS TAKING PICTURES OF A CAPTIVE ELEPHANT BEGS THE QUESTION: WHO ARE THE REAL ANIMALS? Words: Anna Solomon

I

n an image captured by wildlife photographer Adam Oswell, the focus is equally on an elephant performing for a crowd, and the crowd itself, implicitly asking where the true spectacle lies: is it in the captive elephant, or the people consuming its exploitation?

This type of entertainment, especially in tourist hotspots like Thailand, has raised concern from animal rights organisations. Training for such shows often uses pain-based punishment, and an increase in elephant tourism, combined with the low birth rate of the animals in captivity, has driven a rise in poaching calves. There are now more captive elephants in Thailand than wild ones.

‘Elephant in the Room’ was one of the winning images in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards – a competition organised by the Natural History Museum that judges images based on their artistic composition, technical innovation and interpretation of the natural world. The Grand Title in 2021 was won by underwater photographer and biologist Laurent Ballesta, who’s image ‘Creation’ captures camouflage groupers in a mating frenzy – a phenomenon that occurs once a year for only one hour, under a full moon and with a waning tide.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition runs 15 October 2021 – 5 June 2022 at the Natural History Museum, £15.50 for adults, nhm.ac.uk

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‘ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM’, ADAM OSWELL, WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR CATEGORY AWARD WINNER, 2021

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

Cache Cache A SURREPTITIOUS SPEAKEASY OPENS UNDERNEATH COVENT GARDEN Words: Anna Solomon

‘C

ache-cache’ is the French name for hide and seek, and sure enough, this restaurant-bar is a challenge to find. The game starts in Covent Garden; Cache Cache is hidden underneath the piazza behind an unmarked door. The bouncer leads you through a nondescript room and through another door to reveal a space covered with reflective tiles: you have arrived.

Once inside, you’re transported to an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Cache Cache’s aesthetic is bare-brick walls and copper pipework mixed with leather armchairs and blood-red drapes. A DJ pumps out hypnotic playlists (accompanied by a bongo player) and a heady aroma hangs heavy – it’s been curated exclusively by French perfumery Fragrance Du Bois.

By the way, there are no pictures of Cache Cache’s interior on the restaurant’s website, nor on it’s private Instagram page, so this description is all you’re going to get unless you check it out for yourself – a savvy marketing ploy.

Oh, and reservations can only be made through WhatsApp. If Russian-born general manager Ali Barchman is about, he’ll likely show you to your table, or at least engage you at some point in the evening. He’s a bit of a Mayfair legend, mainly for his eccentric fashion sense: the de facto compere

sometimes, inexplicably, appears to guests wearing an African mask.

The menu, steered by Enrico Lozza using skills he learned as head chef at Busaba Eathai, is short and sweet and slightly eye-watering. It bursts with Asian flavours – soy, sesame, ginger, chili and ponzu – with a sprinkling of truffle and caviar to match the price point. You’ll also find Latin twists, such as the black angus carpaccio with jalapeno.

Diners choose from small plates (such as crispy wagyu beef gyoza, crispy tuna tartare, and passionfruit oysters), fish (Chilean sea bass or Octopus tentacles), and meat (ribeye or pork belly anticucho, which is a Peruvian skewer dish).

These are paired with intoxicating cocktails like the Princess Cache, which consists of Highlands gin infused with butterfly tea, Velvet Falernum liqueur, pineapple juice and lemon juice; or the Coca Leaf Negroni: Roku gin, Campari, Cocchi Americano and coca leaf liqueur.

From the bongo player to the masked host, Cache Cache is a dreamlike experience. This might be London’s most secretive speakeasy, but some things are too good to keep to yourself.

5 The Piazza, WC2E, cachecacheclub.com

Albert

Black Watch Tartan

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

MADE IN ENGLAND | SINCE 1879

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Evening event? Dinner Party? Christmas at home?

We have a style for all occasions.

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06 THE HOTEL

Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, Champillon, France IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON VISITING THE BIRTHPLACE OF BUBBLES, YOU MIGHT AS WELL DO IT PROPERLY Words: Hannah Lemon

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to the hotel, for a two-night stay with all the frills included – wine tastings, spa experience, dinner in the restaurant – and then whizz you back again.

Whether you’re visiting by plane, train or car, the Michelinstarred restaurant Le Royal is a must. It’s headed up by chef Jean-Denis Rieubland, who has placed a lot of emphasis on local produce. Vegetables are grown by the staff, meat is delivered by nearby farmers, and honey is harvested on the grounds.

From duck foie gras half-cooked with figs, and grilled scallops with cauliflower mousseline, to Aubrac beef fillet, and mango perfumed with Tahitian vanilla, the pairings of ingredients are phenomenal. Of course, the experience wouldn’t be complete without the sommelier matching wines, or more often than not champagnes, to each course.

After, you can retire to a suite that is designed as a haven of relaxation. The views out onto the surrounding wineries, along with the pampering Hermès products, will have you de-stressed and snoozing in no time.

We should probably also mention the spa, which covers an area of 16,000sq ft, almost the size of a quarter of a football pitch. Working in partnership with cult brands Biologique Recherche and Kos Paris, there are nine treatment rooms where you can indulge in custom-made facials and intensive-wrap treatments. Afterwards, kick back in the eucalyptus-infused sauna, lie down in the tiled hammam, have a swim in the indoor and outdoor pools, and rehydrate with a fresh juice cleanse.

Want to make the most of the next day’s morning? Then flex to a sunrise yoga session in the hotel’s wood-lined studio. It will set you up perfectly for a that glass of champagne with breakfast...

oo much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right.” Had F. Scott Fitzgerald ever driven through France’s Champagne region, he could have pretty much hooked himself to a constant IV drip of the stuff. Here, you can spittoon, swill and sniff your way around the undulating landscape sampling sparkling wine after sparkling wine.

As you wind through Reims (always so problematic to pronounce as an English speaker – safe to say, it’s not “reems”), your car will swoosh past the estates of Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Ruinart and Lanson. Coming from the other way, via Épernay, there’s Bollinger, Moët & Chandon and Billecart-Salmon.

While wine-infused decadence fills each day, stay in the Champagne region and the evenings can often fall short. It’s hard to believe but there’s a real dirge of luxury hotels in this area. Why would you finish an afternoon sipping premier cru, only to kick back in a Novotel at the end of the day?

That was until 2018, when the five-star Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa opened. Set in Champillon, just north of Épernay (quite literarily nestled in the vines), it’s in a prime location to continue what you started: drinking champagne. Not only does the hotel provide exclusive access to local champagne houses, but it also offers a personal selection of bottles in-house.

This wine-country retreat is a renovated ancient Relais de Poste (coaching inn) where riders used to make a stopover before re-joining the road. Instead of mead and soup, there’s now a spa, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and 47 luxurious rooms. For serious royal treatment, you can go big with a private jet experience. The hotel has partnered with private jet Charter GlobeAir to take you from Paris straight

From €406 per night (currently approx. £342), royalchampagne.com

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07 THE PUB

The Sportsman, Seasalter, Whitstable FIVE YEARS AFTER IT FIRST TOOK TOP PRIZE AT THE NATIONAL RESTAURANT AWARDS, AND 13 YEARS AFTER IT WON ITS FIRST MICHELIN STAR, THE SPORTSMAN HAS BEEN NAMED THE UK’S BEST GASTROPUB, AGAIN Words: Daniela Paiva

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ave you heard of The Sportsman in Kent? If you follow the UK’s restaurant scene, chances are this white-washed coastal pub has been on your radar for several years. If not, a brief introduction...

A ‘grotty rundown pub by the sea’, by admission of its own Twitter account, The Sportsman is a gnarled old boozer on a bleak, windswept stretch of coast in between Faversham and perennially-fashionable Whitstable. There’s evidence to suggest that some sort of inn has stood on the spot since 1642. The surrounding area of Seasalter was entered in the Domesday Book as belonging to the kitchens of Canterbury Cathedral.

Fast forward a few centuries, and self-taught chef Stephen Harris takes over The Sportsman, having previously worked as a history teacher, a punk musician and a City financier.

Doing little to beautify the inside of the pub – and even less to the outside – Harris, along with his brother Phillip, begins creating a menu dedicated almost exclusively to ingredients available in the surrounding area. Fish and oysters come from the Thames Estuary, meat from local farms, and vegetables, where possible, from the pub’s garden.

In 2008, The Sportsman is awarded a Michelin star, which it still retains. In 2016, the pub scoops top spot at the National Restaurant Awards. This year, it ranked number one on the Top 50 Gastropubs list – a position it also claimed in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 (the pub was closed in 2020, due to the pandemic).

You can also choose to stay at The Sportsman, but first, the food.

The pub reopened for guests earlier this summer and now serves only a five-course tasting menu, priced at £65 per person. I should warn you at this point that the restaurant is pretty much fully booked until the end of the year. However, give them a call, and you might just get lucky. We nabbed a

table for two at lunch on a Wednesday.

Décor-wise, The Sportsman is nothing to write home about.

A traditional British pub with mismatching wooden furniture, a provincial bar, a fireplace, and chairs that could have been acquired from a boot sale. Guests, for the most part, wear casual clothes and trainers. White Transit vans dot the car park.

Of course, no one comes for the interior design. The feast begins with the waiting staff asking if you’re OK with oysters.

If you are, then they arrive as an amuse bouche topped with beurre blanc sauce and caviar. The oysters are followed by canapés of pork-and-apple and tomato-and-cheese. They are about as good as canapés can be.

In the bread basket is a selection of sourdough, focaccia and a spicy soda bread that you’ll want to eat every crumb of. Butter is home-churned and salt comes from the nearby marshes. Although it’s a tasting menu, you’re given four choices for each dish. To begin, I opted for cured trout fillet

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en suite bathroom, fully-equipped kitchen and a comfortable living room. Thoughtful touches include a welcome letter on arrival, fluffy robes in the bathroom and a sewing kit next to the bed. Inside, each cabin has been decorated by a different artist. The Blue Cabin – they are all coded by colour – featured artwork by mosaic specialist Kimmy McHarrie. You can purchase the pieces of art that hang on the walls.

Cometh morning, cometh a breakfast basket brimming with homemade granola, cornflakes, yoghurt, honey, marmalade, orange juice, milk, butter and amazingly airy, freshly-baked bread. There is tea, coffee, sugar. Everything, essentially, to set you up for a day on Whitstable’s postcard-pretty pebbled coastline, just a short stroll away.

with apple, sorrel granita and seaweed. The combination of sweet, sour, salt and sea was a delight.

Next, braised halibut with chorizo sauce and black olive: moist, delicate and with a pleasant, spicy kick. The roast breast of Aylesbury duck (served pink) with blackberries and pistachios was glorious in balancing crispiness and sweetness. It was accompanied by wonderful, melting ratatouille potatoes.

The gentle flavour of a panna cotta made with wild flowers from the garden cleansed the palate for a raspberry soufflé with raspberry ripple ice cream – a classic done brilliantly.

I skipped the coffee, which ordinarily would have meant missing out on a homemade macaron. The staff – attentive and friendly throughout – brought me one anyway.

If you’d like to combine a visit to the restaurant with an overnight stay, then book one of The Sportsman’s six charming cabins. You’ll find them at the back of the garden, but not on the restaurant’s website. Each cabin houses a large bedroom,

The tasting menu at The Sportsman costs £65 per head. A stay in a cabin costs £160 for the first night and then £140 per night thereafter, thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk

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08

THE ECO RESORT

Monaci delle Terre Nere, Sicily IN AN ANCIENT VINEYARD ONCE CULTIVATED BY BAREFOOT MONKS, A DELICATELY-DESIGNED WINE-ESTATE IS OFFERING BAREFOOT LUXURY IN THE FOOTHILLS OF MOUNT ETNA Words: Richard Brown

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ount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, in Sicily’s green and wealthier north-east, has a microclimate all of its own. Here, the weather can flip as quick as a coin. Yesterday, on a beach near Sciacca, 125 miles to the west, we’d been sunbathing under a bottomless sky in 36-degree heat. Today, as the clock approached 4pm, the afternoon was drawing in like a grey Autumn day in the New Forest. Rain clouds had been chasing us since Syracuse and now they mingled with the misty halo above Sicily’s mother mountain until the clouds and the volcano’s vapour crown became one.

By the time we pulled up to Monaci delle Terre Nere, an ancient-farmstead-turned-wine-led-eco-estate, the grass was steaming and the air heavy with damp.

Five hundred metres above sea level, between Hephaestus and Poseidon, fire and water, Monaci delle Terre Nere is a good place to stay if you plan on hitting Sicily’s most famous attractions. Movie-set Taormina is just 40-minutes by car; the late-baroque, World Heritage towns of Modica, Ragusa and Noto are all reachable within an hour-and-a-half.

True, Monaci’s 62 acres of stepped vineyards and ancient olive gardens might be three hours from the 12th-century Norman cathedrals of Palermo and Cefalù, but you’ve got to stay somewhere, and when it comes to exploring the Mediterranean’s largest island, it pays to stay in the east. The towns are prettier here. So are the beaches.

Guido Coffa grew up in the neighbouring village of Trecastagni. He studied in Milan and Turin before work took him to the United States. The land now occupied by Monaci delle Terre Nere, Coffa explains, was donated to an order of barefoot monks by the Archbishop of Catania sometime in the 17th century. Coffa stumbled across the estate’s drystone walls in 2007 while looking for a property to turn into a home.

“I remember it as if it were yesterday,” says the former automotive engineer. “It was a beautiful day in November.

During the first day of my research, I came across this piece of land with a ruin on it. I did nothing but think about it – and in the end I bought it.”

Back then, Monaci was a bramble-strangled smallholding of neglected orchards, a grand-butdilapidated 18th-century villa and a smattering of ramshackle outbuildings. Coffa fell in love.

“I decided to devote my life to the resurrection of this place. My wish was to create more than a boutique hotel in Sicily. I wanted to preserve the historic identity of the territory – to create a home that I hope retains an intimacy.”

A decade-and-a-half after Coffa acquired it, that dilapidated villa is now the magenta-purple heart of a delicately-designed, rustically-modern eco-resort. It’s where trendy-looking people with expensive-looking luggage,

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and digger-driving and architecture and construction and interior design, Coffa enrolled on a course to become a wine sommelier. The foothills of Mount Etna, along with Piedmont in the far north, account for Italy’s two most naturally-suited wine-producing regions. Coffa is now one of Sicily’s leading crusaders for organic plonk. Vino vidi vici.

“I believe winemaking is one of the noblest human arts,” he says. “When I was a teenager, my friends always teased me because I came to parties with two bottles of local wine – but then they would take turns asking me to taste them. I still remember my first experiments in the garage at home.”

The Monaci estate currently produces five of its own labels, each bearing Coffa’s name. “We use different varieties of grape native to the Etna region,” says Coffa, “such as Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, a wine grape variety which can be found only in Etna.”

We ordered a bottle of the Nerello Mascalese at the hotel’s restaurant, Locanda Nerello. It’s a bold, tannic wine that smells like a Burgundy and makes your tongue feel dry.

After lunch – a very good courgette parmigiana and a brilliant wild fennel risotto – we took the bottle of Nerello to the hotel’s strategically-positioned outdoor infinity pool. We counted the ships in the sea and marvelled at the enchanting place that Coffa and his team have created.

some of them driving electric cars, check-in and check-out; where they order trendy dishes of zero-km, farm-to-fork food from Monaci’s charming, stripped-back restaurant; where they drink trendy cocktails, and ask for advice on what’s more worthy of a day trip, the Valley of the Temples or the Archaeological Park of Selinunte (we preferred the latter).

A handful of Monaci’s 27 rooms and suites are located within its main villa. The rest are scattered between fruit orchards and fig trees in repurposed mills and former animal shelters. Ours had a floating bed and lava-stone walls, an antique writing desk and Bose WiFi speakers.

Good taste and assiduous attention to detail. All cleaning products are handmade on site. We dropped our bags and bunkered down.

By morning the sun had burnt through the clouds. We forced ourselves out of bed early, ish, and walked a path through soggy orchards to an old stone building which, centuries ago, used to be used as a wine press. It now looks like the sort of place you see in interior design magazines.

Old lime mortar walls and modern microcement flooring.

The first meal of the day is served buffet-style, from a long oak table laden with homemade biscuits, pastries, breads and jams. There are local cheeses, nuts and honeys.

Bowls of fruit and vegetables invite you to make your own smoothies. At 9am we were the only ones there. Trendy people with expensive-looking luggage are not the type of people to set an alarm.

As well as turning his hand to farming and labouring

Rooms from approx. from £340 a night, including breakfast, monacidelleterrenere.it

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We present to you the only place on Earth where you enter the mind of the director, the musicians, the editors and the engineers of cinema.

You enter a CIPOD and leave the outside world behind.

hello@cipod.com / +44 (0) 2039 119 990 / cipod.com

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Kindly

REFRAME K AT E B R YA N I S T H E G L O B A L H E A D OF COLLECTIONS FOR SOHO HOUSE & CO. S H E ’ S A L S O A N A L L- R O U N D A R T C U R AT I N G G O D D E S S . H E R E , B R YA N D I S C U S S E S H E R N E W B O O K A N D C O N T I N U A L LY N A I L I N G T H E C U LT U R A L Z E I T G E I S T

Words: Kari Colmans

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hen people ask Kate Bryan what it is she does, she responds by saying that she talks about art, even when nobody is listening.

But it’s hard to imagine anyone switching off once Kate gets going. A contradiction of frenetic energy and poised charm, Kate’s still somewhat fresh from a nine-hour filming stint for a mysterious new project with Sotheby’s (she also writes and presents for Sky Arts and BBC Two, as well as being a judge on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape Artist of the Year). She is keen to talk about her new book, as well as a multitude of her pending curatorial projects that are poised to disrupt the cultural conversation.

We get comfortable behind a 20-tonne, two-metre-wide circular door, which opens to reveal the intimate and cosy cocktail bar The Vault, burrowed inside the belly of The Ned hotel, one of the many Soho House group outposts that pepper the world’s greatest cities (and, in the UK’s case, the countryside, too). We are surrounded wall-to-wall by some of the most beautiful and important artwork I’ve ever seen in one room.

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The Vault 100 represents the core of the art collection here. Totally 93 works by female artists and seven by men (on the proviso that the men worked in collaboration with a woman), the display was a deliberate subversion of the FTSE 100 CEO gender ratio at the time of curating in the spring of 2017 (when there were 93 male CEOs in the UK’s 100 companies, and only seven females).

The idea was that we’d all look back in a few years’ time and be appalled by the statistic. “But it’s gone down to six women!” Kate laments, as we discuss further the curatorial premise for the space.

“I wanted to confront the patriarchal stereotype and gender imbalance in the City. I was excited by the prospect of doing something that would quickly date, so that my numbers would be skewed, and we’d look back in horror and remember when there were only seven women running FTSE 100 companies. But it’s got worse!”

Not only does Kate want to challenge and highlight the gender inequity in the Square Mile, but also the imbalance in the art world.

The collection exquisitely highlights this underrepresentation, with works by 93 of the top female artists in the UK dominating the display, from Tracey Emin, Phyllida Barlow, Sarah Lucas and Susan Hiller to Helen Marten, Cornelia Parker, Fiona Banner and Rachel Howard.

“Still, at best, women only get 30 per cent representation in the art world and their prices are a lot less. People think the art scene is a liberal and innovative place, but if you asked someone walking down the street to name five women artists, they’d struggle.

In fact, the art world was far more conservative than I’d reckoned for – when I discussed the premise with people, many asked if I was even going to find 93 women. Of those graduating art school, 63 per cent are women. It’s only when you get to galleries and museums that they seem to be filtered out.”

We walk around the room and can’t help but be drawn in every direction: Caragh Thuring, Maggi Hambling, Julie Verhoeven,

ABOVE LEFT BRIGHT STARS CHARLOTTE SALOMON PORTRAIT © ANNA HIGGIE ABOVE RIGHT BRIGHT STARS PAULINE BOTY PORTRAIT © ANNA HIGGIE BELOW BRYAN WITH TRACEY EMIN

Sue Webster, Hilary Lloyd, Polly Morgan, Georgina Starr, Aleksandra Mir, Bonnie Camplin, Soheila Sokhanvari, Lubaina Himid, Alison Moffett, Caroline Achaintre, Anna Barriball and Goshka Macuga – these are just a few of the names screaming from the walls, all handpicked by Kate. “I try not to work a day in my life,” she smiles. These pieces, and these stories, are her passion.

Which brings us onto her latest project – her second book, Bright Stars: Great Artists Who Died Too Young. Written on maternity leave with her newborn daughter strapped to her chest (hot off the heels of her first publication, which was only released a month before she went into labour), Kate examines the lives and legacies of 30 great artists who died too young in fascinating bite-sized chapters. While she covers succinctly the well-known greats such as Caravaggio and Vermeer, Vincent van Gogh and Amedeo Modigliani, it is her attention and insight into those lesser-known artists that grip you, and really capture the zeitgeist. In many cases their premature deaths, compounded by gender and racial injustice, meant being left out of the history books.

“Still, at best, women only get 30 per cent representation in the art world”

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These small nuggets of poetic art history will have you Googling the startling and pioneering works of Amrita Sher-Gil, Ana Mendieta, Charlotte Salomon and Pauline Boty, if you’re not already familiar.

Kate admits that she, too, had only heard of two thirds of the artists before she sat down to research the book. Disrupted by the pandemic, she actually had a year’s extension on the original deadline, in which time, she says, public opinion seemed to shift and develop greatly.

“I really noticed that after George Floyd’s death, people started responding and talking very differently about African American artists. It was amazing to see that shift in revisionism while in the process of writing the book.”

As the bartender behind us starts noisily filling up the ice buckets in preparation for the Thursday night revellers, conversation turns to the slew of new openings the Soho House group has in the pipeline.

Set on the seafront, Little House Brighton will host two permanent art collections. The first will feature solely Brighton-based, born or bred artists, while the second saw Kate work with queer art specialist Gemma Rolls-Bentley to curate The Beacon collection. It will showcase work exclusively from the international LGBTQIA+ community, both established and up-and-coming, and will be the only permanent showcase of its kind. As well as Brighton, Little House West Hollywood is set to showcase an edgy collection of “hot young stars”

ABOVE THE VAULT AT THE NED

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in LA, while conversely the latest Nashville House will be hyper local.

The art collection in Rome will focus on the theme of saints and sinners, with subject matters ranging from football ultra-fans to Mary Magdalene, the Pope to Emperor Nero. Featuring important Italian artists such as Gianni Politi, Nico Vascellari, Silvia Giambrone, Claudio Verna, Elisa Montessori, Monica Bonvicini and Thomas Braida, the work comes together to question the concept of good and evil, as well as the space between. We barely even have time to touch upon Paris (where a collection will be solely painting based) and Jaffa, Israel.

Does Kate ever sleep? She must close her eyes and see nothing but square frames tick by like an old-fashioned picture-story camera. Actually, she feels that things have become more manageable since the pandemic.

“It’s now OK to be really serious about an artist and ask to see round their studio on Zoom,” she laughs. “The pandemic has also given artists more agency when it comes to commercialising their work: through social media, for example.”

We talk about Matthew Burrows’ Artist Support Pledge, an Instagram-fuelled cultural economy in support of artists and makers, which has made over 10 million sales.

“It has made artists realise the huge appetite out there for buying art,” says Kate. “It’s an exciting time to be a young emerging artist. I don’t always like to refer to money as a barometer for success, but it does give you some indication of how the art market is transforming. I used to say that female artists were the bargain of the century, but that seems to be changing. The audience and appetite for art is shifting.” Kate becomes even more passionate as our conversation turns to the urgency of the post-pandemic culture recovery. “It is incumbent upon all of us and necessary for the art eco-system. We don’t want those from underrepresented backgrounds to fall out the system – there is no safety net.”

If there is one overriding takeaway message from all of the collections that Kate has curated, and the artists she champions, what would it be? For the first time, I seem to have momentarily pressed pause on the camera shutter as she thinks carefully about her answer.

“For me, art history has been static for such a long time and there’s absolutely no way that that is how art history will stay. We need a multiplicity of voices.

It is happening now. Every day. And there is no point trying to resist it.”

‘Bright Stars: Great Artists Who Died Too Young’, Kate Bryan, £16.99, waterstones.com; view the Vault 100 art collection at The Ned, 27 Poultry, EC2R, thened.com

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STEFANO DOMENICALI The former Ferrari Team Principal and Lamborghini CEO on steering the world’s richest sport through the twists and turns of a new era Words: Jeremy Taylor

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tefano Domenicali is one of the most affable men in motorsport. The new CEO of the Formula One Group took over from Chase Carey in January this year as F1 battled to keep the show on the road through a global pandemic.

I’ve met the 56-year-old, who currently lives in London, multiple times, and he is a genuinely good-natured, salt-of-theearth type of guy. He will, however, need all the management skills honed from three decades at Ferrari, Audi and Lamborghini, to keep the sport on track through a controversial overhaul in 2022.

Domenicali served 23 years at Ferrari, the last six years as team principal, before leaving to join Volkswagen in 2014.

At that point, the world’s second largest car manufacturer was in the throes of conducting a feasibility study into a potential F1 entry.

That prospect disappeared in 2017 when VW was engulfed in the ‘diesel-gate’ scandal, at which point Domenicali moved to head up Lamborghini, just as the Italian supercar manufacturer was about to launch its first-ever SUV, the Urus.

When F1 came calling late last year, it was, says Domenicali, a no-brainer. Born in Imola, Domenicali has motorsport in his blood. As a child, he had helped out at

the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari during race weekends, watching his F1 heroes roaring around the track.

Domenicali was part of the Ferrari set-up that brought glory to Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s. Then, later, as team principal, he could only watch on and agonise as Fernando Alonso narrowly missed out on the driver’s championship in 2010.

It’s difficult to see how Domenicali’s first season in charge of Formula One could have gone any better. The championship is evenly poised in a nip-and-tuck battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – the seven-time world champion versus the young pretender. Viewing figures are up, fans are back trackside and, as we chat before the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, Domenicali says he truthfully couldn’t be any happier.

What’s harder, running a Formula 1 team, or running Formula 1?

Ha! Both are hard for sure. The magnitude of this business is challenging and the responsibility is big. I don’t want to say this job is difficult but it is complex. There are a lot of variables to be taken into consideration, especially making decisions from both a tactical and strategic position. There is much to manage, including the interests of the fans, the teams and the shareholders. The opportunity we have next year to link everything together is a big chance to grow the sport.

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THEN-FERRARI TEAM PRINCIPAL DOMENICALI WITH THEN-FERRARI ADVISOR MICHAEL SCHUMACHER AT THE 2008 GERMAN GRAND PRIX

Next year teams will face a cost cap and aerodynamics will be reduced to make the races closer and encourage more overtaking. How important are these changes?

There’s no doubt the delayed changes that come in next year will be very important, from a sporting perspective and commercially. The aim has always been to try and ensure we have even more spectacular races – that the drivers are closer on the track. Next year is a moment to reset. The bigger teams will have to change their mindset to a position where they cannot spend as much as they used to.

Do you see a need to attract a younger audience to Formula 1?

Actually, that is something we are already seeing, especially with our approach through social media, e-gaming and paying more attention to a narrative the younger generation understands.

For example, the Netflix series Drive to Survive has captured a huge new audience. We are already seeing changes that weren’t expected in the short term,

“I think all of the F1 world hopes that it won’t be long before Ferrari is back on the podium. And I’m with them” such as younger fans at the grands prix themselves. To cater to this new type of audience, F1 wants to make the weekends more attractive spectacles, with music events and a more festival atmosphere.

How many races can we expect in a season going forward?

I think the optimum number is 23.

Where the races will take place could change because the new promoters, Liberty Media, want to push the bar to an even higher level. Therefore, the new venues that are coming in are offering such fantastic events that the older, more traditional venues are having to step up their game. That’s the beauty of this current situation – everyone is motivated LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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to be better. It doesn’t matter if a race has been held at the same venue for 100 years – that’s not relevant anymore. North America and Asia are two important regions for developing the business, but we also had big interest from South Africa, too. China and South Korea offer a massive younger audience, so there is plenty of potential on a global scale.

Next season’s Monaco weekend has been cut back by a day, which has upset people because, traditionally, the fourth day was a day of rest and partying. What prompted that decision?

Cutting the grand prix weekend back to three days is in line with other grands prix, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be

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partying. The fact is that with the changes we have in mind for next season it will be a bigger party every day.

Ferrari is in your blood, are you hoping to see them back on the podium soon?

I think all of the F1 world hopes that it won’t be long before Ferrari is back on the podium. And I’m with them. It won’t be easy as the levels of performance by Mercedes and Red Bull is unbelievable – what Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have done over the past seven years has been amazing. Team heritage doesn’t count for much anymore. Ferrari has improved this year and that can only be good for F1.

Lewis Hamilton had a narrow escape at Monza when the halo system saved him from serious injury. Were you always in favour of the safety device?

Yes, always. I was president of the FIA’s Single-Seater Commission when it came into being. I think the introduction of halo shows the need to be forward thinking – F1 needs to look ahead. From a commercial point of view, we have to think how the drivers within a certain structure can be seen by the public and television viewers.

Every Italian boy wants to be a racing driver. Presumably you did, too?

No! The truth is I have always been fascinated by the other side of the track.

I knew about the cars but I also knew I had to give up because I respected the drivers who were much faster than me.

When did you watch your first grand prix?

It was the Italian Grand Prix at Imola when I was 15. I was there with my friends watching at the Tosa corner – it was the first Formula 1 world championship race to be held at the circuit because Monza was being refurbished and we were very excited. Two years later I watched my hero, Gilles Villeneuve, race there in a famous battle with his Ferrari teammate, Didier Pironi.

You started your career with Ferrari in the finance department. How did that happen?

I sent a lot of CVs to companies, including Ferrari. I grew up in a racing environment because of where I was

born but I never thought it possible for me to work with such a famous Italian team. I thought I would be working in the world of finance but that isn’t how it worked out. I feel very lucky because spending 23 years at Ferrari, then five years at Lamborghini, is what every Italian boy can only dream of. I’ve been very lucky.

How are you enjoying the city?

Now that my family is living with me, I am fine. That said, I am away from home so much that I don’t get to see them as much as I would like.

My 17-year-old son is at boarding school and my daughter, 15, is at the International School, so everybody is settling in to a routine.

It’s tough at the top – who do you turn to for advice?

My wife Silvia and my father. They always give me good advice. It’s always good to get a different perspective from people who are not so closely linked to Formula 1. They know me very well; they know my background and thank God I am still the person I always was.

Have you had time to enjoy the racing this year?

I’ve been thrilled to watch the battle on the track between Mercedes and Red Bull. It has been an incredible season in terms of tension because both teams are in a position where they cannot afford to make a single mistake. The intensity we have is magnificent and I really hope we can carry it forward to the very last race of the season, in Abu Dhabi, on December 12.

You moved from Monza to sunny London where Formula One is based.

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ORIGINAL, LIMITED-EDITION ART DECO POSTERS

97 x 65 cm. Priced at £420 each (inc. UK sales tax).

Private commissions are also welcome.

@pullmaneditionsposters

Our central London gallery All images and text copyright © Pullman Editions Ltd. 2021

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12/11/2021 14:51

Culture MUSIC, MUSEUMS AND MASTERPIECES

How moving to London affects an artist’s creative output (p.54). Image by Tobi Alexandra Falade

48 The Agenda Art, drama, film and fashion in the captial 54 Diverse Perspectives Creators from Cape Town to Cairo on living in London, and the misnomer of ‘African art’ 60 Hunter in the Jungle How Hunter S. Thompson bungled the biggest scoop of his career

T H E A G E N DA YOUR CURATED GUIDE TO CULTURE IN THE CAPITAL Words: Anna Solomon

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London Art Fair, Business Design Centre

Every January, art savants flock to North London to browse and buy major artworks at the London Art Fair – last year, sales included pieces by Grayson Perry and David Bomberg. The fair also provides a platform for fresh new talent (Chris Ofili and Jenny Saville were crowned ‘rising stars’ here in the 1990s), so keep your eyes peeled for the ‘next big thing’. Having launched in 1989 with 36 galleries, today the fair showcases more than 100 and is embracing an increasingly contemporary and international outlook. £18 (day pass), 19-23 January 2022, londonartfair.co.uk Left Vanessa Jackson RA, Terpsichoral, 2021, 214 x 183 cm, Courtesy of Candida Stevens Gallery Above Dennis Creffield, Lewes Crescent, 1970, oil on canvas, Courtesy of Waterhouse & Dodd Gallery

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London Fashion Week,

One of the ‘Big Four’ fashion weeks, February’s LFW will represent the pinnacle of London’s cultural reopening after two years of physical-digital hybrids, showcasing more than 250 of the UK’s biggest, best, and most up-and-coming labels. Alongside the unveiling of mouldbreaking SS21 collections, the British Fashion Council will curate a programme of talks, activities, and experiences that embrace the creativity, community and cultural commentary that fashion week is all about.

Various locations

Various events,18-22 February 2022, londonfashionweek.co.uk

IMAGE SUPPLIED BY HRH

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Hogarth and Europe, Tate Britain

Above Marriage A-la-Mode: 2. The Tête à Tête, William Hogarth, 1743

Hogarth’s work documents and critiques 18th century society, a time of extreme wealth and crippling poverty. This exhibition unveils more than 60 rarely-seen works. In one, a woman is so intoxicated that she drops her baby. Elsewhere, soldiers drink and womanise at Tottenham Court Turnpike. But what was going on at this time in Europe? Were our continental LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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counterparts equally badly behaved? To paint a picture of the state of early modern Europe, Hogarth is exhibited alongside contemporaries like Jean-Siméon Chardin and Pietro Longhi, who observe everyday life in their own cities. £18 (free for members), until 20 March 2022, tate.org.uk

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Cabaret, the Playhouse Theatre

The Playhouse Theatre has been infiltrated by the Kit Kat Club, a hedonistic Berlin nightclub and a place where, during the dying days of the Weimar Republic as the Nazis were gaining power, ‘everyone could be free’.

Kander and Ebb’s musical, starring Eddie Redmayne, returns to the West End for an intoxicating immersive performance.

Tickets from £30, 15 November – 10 December 2021, theplayhousetheatre.co.uk

Above Images by Joel Palmer

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Image by Matt Humphrey

Four Quartets, Harold Pinter Theatre

Star of The Grand Budapest Hotel and James Bond franchise Ralph Fiennes delivers a tour de force in the world premiere stage adaptation of T. S. Eliot’s final masterpiece. Written mostly during the Second World War, when the Blitz closed the nation’s theatres, Four Quartets comprises interlinked meditations on time, faith and the quest for spiritual enlightenment, as well as some enduring reflections on surviving periods of national crisis. This is a limited run of 36 performances, so get your hands on tickets ASAP. Tickets from £20, 18 November – 18 December 2021, haroldpintertheatre.co.uk LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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Below LSFF 2022, Precious Hair & Beauty, John Ogunmuyiwa, UK, 2021

London Short Film Festival, The Cinema Museum

This celebration of boundary-pushing cinema presents hundreds of British and international short films over 10 days of screenings. Award categories such as ‘Best Low-Budget Film’ ensure that a multiplicity of backgrounds are platformed, and it is also a golden networking opportunity: the BAFTAqualifying event has hosted rising stars in the industry, so you might just bump into the next Quentin Tarantino.

14-23 January 2022, shortfilms.org.uk

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Francis Bacon: Man and Beast, The Royal Academy

Francis Bacon is known for his focus on the human form that, he said, strove to render the ‘brutality of fact’. But he was also fascinated by animals, amassing a huge collection of wildlife books during his life. This exhibition examines the blurred line between man and beast in Bacon’s catalogue of work: whether it was bulls, dogs, or birds, the artist felt he could better understand humankind by watching the behaviour of animals.

Certainly, those he depicts – rapacious, stalked, and caged – seem to send a message about the human condition.

From £22, 29 January – 17 April 2022, royalacademy.org.uk

Left Francis Bacon, Study for Chimpanzee, 1957

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Below Leda, Globular, Positional Shape, Red Seed, 1928, photographed by Lewis Ronald

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Noguchi,

The Barbican Centre

The work of Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi merges sculpture and design – he created theatre sets, playground models, and furniture (including the iconic Noguchi coffee table), as well as art made in stone, ceramics, wood and aluminium. Through both disciplines, an awareness of artists such as Picasso, Duchamp, Calder, Max Ernst, and Brancusi (whom he worked with for some time) is evident, as is his belief in the environmental, social and spiritual impact of sculpture. £18, until 9 January 2022, barbican.org.uk LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

F O L LOW I N G S O M E R S E T H O U S E ’ S L A R G E S T 1 - 5 4 A F R I C A N A R T FA I R TO DAT E , L U X U R Y LO N D O N A S K S F I V E E M E R G I N G A R T I S T S H O W M OV I N G TO T H E C A P I TA L A F F E C T E D T H E I R C R E AT I V E O U T P U T

Words: Rob Crossan

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One such fair is 1-54, which travels between London, New York, Marrakech and Paris showcasing contemporary works solely from Africa and its diaspora. Founded by Franco-Moroccan businesswoman, Touria El Glaoui, the fair is named in reference to the 54 countries that constitute the African continent.

October saw Somerset House host the largest 1-54 to date, providing a stage for 48 artists from 23 countries. Yet one narrative that never seems to be thoroughly explored, to this exhibition-goer at least, is the impact that moving to London can have on an artist from Africa. Luxury London probed the issue by asking five emerging artists how relocating to the capital affected their creative output – and what they themselves think about the term ‘African art’.

o describe a piece of art as being ‘from Africa’ is about as helpful and informative as stating that grapes in a glass of wine are ‘from Europe’. Or that the fish on your plate was ‘from the sea’.

And yet, ‘African art’ is routinely offered as an adequate quartet of syllables with which to denote an entire continent’s creative output.

Thanks to a growing number of low-key galleries and exhibitions, however, things are starting to change.

Sourcing dynamic and exciting works from Cape Town to Cairo, a range of fairs are beginning to challenge the indolent docket that is ‘African art’, by discussing the provenance and process behind culturally, geographically and aesthetically distinctive oeuvres.

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Tobi Alexandra Falade Painter, born in Nigeria In what ways has living in London altered your art?

I’m not sure if I made any art in Nigeria, I don’t have any memories of that. I have been painting since attending primary school in the UK, but I didn’t have a personal interest in art until I decided to study in London as I felt it was the subject I was best at, enjoyed the most, and brought all of my interests together. I’ve lived in London since starting ‘Fine Art: Painting’ at Wimbledon College of Art and my time there was full of growth and development. I was previously using acrylic paint on paper to create small landscape artworks, and at Wimbledon, I started to explore oil painting on canvas.

African artist and may be based on themes of their experience of Africa. I do find conflict in this phrase because of the non-specificity of it. I wouldn’t use it to describe myself or my work, I often use phrases such as Nigerian British artist.

Do you find yourself in conflict with the phrase ‘African art?’ What does that phrase imply to you?

To me the phrase ‘African art’ implies that the artworks are made by an

Is there a particular place or time in Nigeria that you find yourself referring back to in your work?

When I include family photographs within my work, they are usually from LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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the years before I left in 2003. I use a group of around 20 photos which include snapshots that my dad took to document our everyday life such as parties, church on Sundays, birthdays, and school sports days. I started using these photos during my third year of university as I wanted to make works that explored themes of my identity, and narratives of my family’s history in Nigeria. tobialexandrafalade.com

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Bunmi Agusto Painter, born in Nigeria How has moving to London altered your art?

I wouldn’t say that living in London has altered my art because I still live in both Lagos and London, so there was no abrupt removal from one to the other. Alteration also suggests a deviation from something that already firmly existed, but I started schooling in the UK when I was 16 and was just beginning to build an art practice so it’s been much more of a natural progression as opposed to an alteration.

Do you find yourself in conflict with the phrase ‘African art’? What does that phrase imply to you?

To me, it simply refers to art made by artists from the African continent.

However, I just think we’d be doing ourselves a disservice in the long-run if we continue to exist under this blanket term without defining and recognising its contemporary sub-categories.

Is there a particular place or time in Nigeria that you find yourself referring back to in your work?

My practice follows a psycho-spacial wonderland I created to reflect my lived experiences, so Nigeria naturally comes into play since I was born and raised in Lagos and Abuja.

The wonderland I depict makes reference to the Nigeria I’ve known all my life and the idiosyncrasies of my upbringing. bunmiagusto.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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Peter Mammes Conceptual draughtsman, born in South Africa Has your art changed since you left Africa?

I have been exposed to so much more art, galleries and museums and it’s had a considerable impact on my practice as an artist. I also had the opportunity to use archives and resources that are unavailable in South Africa to do research I use in my work. My work has grown considerably conceptually and in the execution. I have had to plan my artworks a lot more, how to transport and ship the work. There are a wider range of materials available to use and definitely better quality art supplies.

I have had to take size and weight into consideration when making artworks. Here, there’s a lot more space in homes and galleries than in South Africa.

Do you find yourself in conflict with the phrase ‘African art?’ What does that phrase imply to you?

African art in my opinion has a hard edge, deals with uncomfortable subjects and is challenging. It’s not about a pretty object, necessarily. In that sense I try to make grotesquely beautiful artworks, that create a juxtaposition and discord in the viewer.

I don’t think I can ever escape that.

Is there a particular place or time in South Africa that you find yourself referring back to in your work?

I am inspired by desert and semi-desert environments, the animals and plant life. The brightness and quality of

colour that one finds in South Africa isn’t hatched anywhere else. My work deals with the pain and loss I feel that is all around in Johannesburg, my home town. Its mixture of absolute beauty and horror that defines how I look at the world.’ patterndiscord.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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Bongani Njalo Performance artist, born in South Africa In what ways has living in London altered your art?

I came to London to study my Masters in Arts Policy and Management and I can certainly say that coming here has made me realise that I should stay true to my ‘traditional’ ways of working with non-Western materials. After completing art school in 2010, I sat down with my grandmother who is a traditional beadmaker and asked her to teach me what university could not teach me. Since then, I have incorporated bead-making into my practice. Coming here has affirmed that my grandmother taught me a skill that is unique to my part of the world and culture and which Western knowledge systems cannot replicate or take away from me.

Do you find yourself in conflict with the phrase ‘African art?’ What does that phrase imply to you?

I don’t know if I can say that I have an internal conflict with this term but I can say that this is an incredibly problematic phrase and it is also self-contradictory in the context of ‘globalisation’ – a term born in the western world and imposed on the rest of us. There is no such thing as ‘African art’. There is only ‘art’. Who and where an artwork was produced and whether or not that is important, matters only to those who prioritise othering.

Is there a particular place or time in South Africa that you find yourself referring back to in your work?

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Yes, I look to pre-colonial Africa and the moment where our two cultures meet (British and African) a lot of the time. Just before the pandemic, I was commissioned by the Stellenbosch Triennale in South Africa to produce a new performance and I had proposed to stage a new work that reflects on my home town of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The British first landed there in 1820 and I have been investigating the past 200 years of colonial violence and its effects on black masculinity and manhood in the region. That never happened because of COVID so I have been considering staging the work here instead. instagram.com/bongani_njalo

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Diriye Osman Short story writer, essayist, critic and visual artist, born in Somalia In what ways has living in London altered your art?

London is infuriating, expensive, stressful, sexy, deliciously wonky, weird and inspiring. This city has shifted the fabric of my identity and my art in unquantifiable ways. I’m more creatively elastic and expansive because of London.

Do you find yourself in conflict with the phrase ‘African art?’ What does that phrase imply to you?

I’m a proud, gay, supercalisexilicious African man, and my art is a reflection of that. I claim my Africanness proudly. There’s nothing more wonderful than honouring your heritage, and this is what I’ve always done.

Is there a particular place or time in Somalia that you find yourself referring back to in your work?

I always refer back to my childhood in Mogadishu in the 1980s, but I also find deep inspiration in every era of Somalia, fabulous or foul.

This is reflected in my upcoming performance at the Whitechapel Gallery on 4 December. It’s called ‘A Night of Fairytales’ and in typical Somali-stylo, it’s going to be shaxshax. Haibo! diriyeosman.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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HUNTER S. THOMPSON (STANDING) WITH OTHER JOURNALISTS, JANUARY 1982 © HANDOUT/THE PALM BEACH POST/ZUMA WIRE

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HUNTER IN THE

JUNGLE How the King of Gonzo screwed up the fight of the century F I F T Y Y E A R S S I N C E T H E P U B L I C AT I O N O F

F E A R A N D LOAT H I N G I N L A S V E G A S , H U N T E R S . T H O M P S O N ’ S L E G AC Y A S O N E O F T H E G R E AT E S T A M E R I C A N W R I T E R S O F T H E 2 0 T H C E N T U R Y D I S G U I S E S O N E O F T H E M O S T C ATA S T R O P H I C A L LY B U N G L E D J O U R N A L I S T I C A S S I G N M E N T S I N H I S T O R Y. H E R E I S T H E STORY OF THOMPSON’S TRIP TO COVER THE RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE – AND HOW HE DIDN’T MANAGE TO FILE A SINGLE WORD

Words:Rob Crossan

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arly morning in Africa and a man floats motionlessly towards the edge of a swimming pool. Cigarette smoke emanates from his mouth, swirling up into a soot-black sky unilluminated except for an intense floodlit glow a few miles beyond the fence of the hotel complex.

This man is a sportswriter.

A journalist.

A champion of civil liberties. A Herculean drug taker and an individual already spoken of in his home country as being one of the most incendiary, vital authors and reporters of his generation.

This was supposed to be the highpoint of his career. A moment when the most pugilistic of writers mixes it with the

greatest athlete of the century.

But in the dead of night, in a Kinshasa swimming pool, Hunter S. Thompson blew everything just as Muhammad Ali confirmed himself as one of the finest heavyweight boxers the world would ever see. It could so easily have been so very different.

Hunter’s frenetic, free-wheeling journalism for Rolling Stone magazine, combined with his 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and his extraordinary account of the following year’s US election, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, meant that, by the time of the Rumble in The Jungle, fought in Zaire in 1974, Thompson was one of the most in-demand, highly-paid and celebrated journalists America had ever produced.

Everything seemed in place for this to become one of his most celebrated pieces of writing

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The fight itself, between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, was a global event, orchestrated by Zairean President Mobutu as a showcase for African power and liberation from the colonial yoke.

The entire world wanted to watch the fight. And Hunter had a front row seat alongside other writers such as Norman Mailer and George Plimpton and a bewildering array of celebrities flown in from the States to perform before the bout, including James Brown, Bill Withers and BB King.

For Thompson, deployed to cover the fight for Rolling Stone, everything seemed in place for this to become one of his most celebrated pieces of writing; the enfant-terrible of American counter-culture, travelling to the heart of Africa to watch a fight taking place in the middle of a nation living under a violent and corrupt dictatorship where any dissent was brutally repressed.

Hunter had previously gone on

record as being a fan of Ali. Writing in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas under his alter-ego Raoul Duke, he ruminated on Ali’s loss to Joe Frazier in 1971, noting that Muhammad’s victorious opponent ‘had finally prevailed for reasons that people like me refused to understand – at least not out loud.’

But, three years later, by the time of the fight, any passion for the sport of boxing seemed to have collapsed for Hunter. According to Ralph Steadman, Thompson’s close friend, illustrator, and a man who joined him on the trip to Zaire, “all he wanted to do was swim or sleep or take drugs.”

“If you think I’m gonna watch a couple guys beat the shit out of each other,” Steadman recalls Thompson saying, “you got another thing coming.”

This contrarian approach to public events worked wonders for Thompson in the past and resulted in the cynical yet compelling masterpiece of his Campaign

MUHAMMAD ALI TRAINING AT HIS PENNSYLVANIAN MOUNTAIN RETREAT AHEAD OF THE RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE, AUGUST 1974

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THOMPSON AND U.S. SENATOR GEORGE MCGOVERN DURING THE 1972 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

Trail ’72 book. But this time around, his trademark nonchalance and disdain wasn’t journalistic bromide designed to put his fellow sportswriters off the scent. It was a genuine disregard for doing any work at all.

Back in the Rolling Stone offices in San Francisco, editor Jann Wenner was beginning to worry about what he would receive in return for the vast amounts of money that Hunter had demanded as a fee on top of the expenses of flying him and Steadman to Africa and putting them up in Kinshasa’s Intercontinental hotel.

“He was letting his energies and his talent dissipate,” Wenner recalled. “He should have written an 8,000- or 10,000word description of it and been done with

it… It was one of the best sports stories of the decade and Muhammad Ali was one of his idols. He was from Louisville and Hunter always said he was some sort of distant relative.”

Hunter, after all this, did in fact have a plan on how to get the ultimate scoop over all his journalist rivals. His mission was not to watch the fight from the press box but at the side of President Mobutu Sese Seko himself, either at the stadium or in the Presidential Palace.

“He figured he was going to ace the whole goddamn thing,” recalled Norman Mailer, whose own account of the Rumble in The Jungle, The Fight published in 1975, is now considered one of the greatest, LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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if racially contentious, pieces of sports writing of all time.

“He had a basic knowledge that he wasn’t going to learn more about prize fights in a week or two than the rest of us had already known for years, and so he had to make an end run around us,” said Mailer.

Hunter tried to ingratiate himself with the presidential entourage but failed.

In a fit of pique, on the evening of the fight itself, he sold his press tickets and retreated to the hotel swimming pool.

“I’m not going now. I don’t want to see the fucking fight,” are the words Steadman recalls Thompson hollering at him.

“You can go somehow Ralph. I don’t know how, but watch it on television or

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something. I’m doing something else.

I’m trying to find out where the money came from to put this fight on. But the fight itself. That’s not important.”

And so, as Ali staged one of the most astonishing boxing comebacks ever seen to beat Foreman in front of a televised audience of one billion, Ralph Steadman was stuck in a hotel room just a couple of miles from the stadium while Hunter floated in the pool outside.

“I lay on my back looking at the moon coming up and the only person in the hotel came and stared at me a long time before he went away. Maybe he thought I was a corpse,” Hunter told boxing writer George Plimpton, who came to the hotel to find him the next day.

“I floated there naked,” he told Plimpton. “I’d thrown a pound-and-a-half of marijuana into the pool – it was what I had left and I am not trying to smuggle it out of this country – and it stuck together

there in a sort of clot, and then it began to spread out in a green slick. It was very luxurious floating naked in that stuff, though it’s not the best way to obtain a high… I went to bed after my swim, so I got the news this morning. Somebody slipped the hotel newspaper under the door.”

It was an 8,000 mile trip for Thompson to travel from his home in Colorado to the Zairean capital. A long way to travel for a stoned, late-night swim in a hotel pool.

Before leaving the country, Hunter decided to create even more trouble for himself by buying two illegal elephant tusks in the Kinshasa ivory market.

Reaching almost to the ceiling in his hotel room, Hunter later claimed he had been stopped by a gun-carrying member of the military as he was driving 100mph around a city roundabout.

Clambering into the vehicle, the soldier had attempted to force Thompson to drive straight to the city jail with his tusks.

Claiming not to understand the man’s demands, Hunter floored the car straight back to the Intercontinental hotel, fleeing into the lobby with his illegal haul while the solider impounded the car.

Wearing aviator shades and refusing to leave his hotel room, Hunter ranted to George Plimpton who was, by this stage, understandably wary of the mental state of his Rolling Stone counterpart: “This is a bad town for the drug scene. In Nevada you can shoot anything into your body you want. You can get stark naked and lie in the backseat of a Pontiac with the accelerator wired down, and touch the steering wheel from time to time with a toe, and if you lose control at 120mph going along Route 99, all that happens is that you spin out into the desert and kill a lizard. But Kinshasa… it’s a bad scene.”

Observed drinking heavily and being in high spirits on the long flight home, Hunter retreated back to his self-

MUHAMMAD ALI (RIGHT) AND GEORGE FOREMAN DURING THE RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE, 30 OCTOBER 1974

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THOMPSON IN A COURTHOUSE IN MAY 1982.

BELOW A POSTER FOR THE RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE

proclaimed ‘bunker’ in Woody Creek, Colorado, intact but without a single word of copy to file to his editor.

The failure, considered to be the most expensive magazine story never published, marked a turning point.

Hunter would recover from the Rumble in The Jungle debacle, but this fiasco marks the moment when his career began its slow, downward trajectory.

Thompson would never write another truly great book after Kinshasa and, as the 1970s limped to a close, his journalism increasingly seemed to be little more than faint impersonations of his earlier reporting. Travelling to Saigon in the dying days of the Vietnam War again for Rolling Stone (which, amazingly, continued to commission him even after the Zaire fiasco), Thompson spent most of his time in a hotel courtyard chatting to other hacks.

When he finally did meet Muhammad Ali, in a New York hotel room in 1978, the resulting story, Last Tango in Vegas: Fear and Loathing in the Near Room, was a colossal

disappointment; a rambling piece of prose devoid of questions, where Hunter and Ali merely quip unconvincingly about drunkards and unsweetened grapefruit.

Thompson’s ego, more rampant and obnoxious than it had been during the peak of his writing, dominated his encounter with Ali, not a man lacking in ego himself.

“I was, after all, the undisputed heavyweight Gonzo champion of the world,” wrote Thompson, “… and this giggling yoyo in the bed across from me was no longer the champion of anything.”

It was an occasion when Hunter, just once, should have jettisoned his desire to put himself at the very centre of every story he wrote.

Hunter would outlive the country of Zaire. The reign of Mobutu collapsed in 1997 when a rebellion by the ethnic Tutsi population forced him into exile. He fled to Togo and then Morocco, where he died later the same year aged just 66. Zaire was swiftly renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo but is no less chaotic, dangerous LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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and corrupt today than it was in Mobutu’s time. The Stade du 20 Mai stadium still stands – although it’s now called the Stade Tata Raphaël.

Thompson, in a wheelchair due to chronic back pain, his body wrecked by decades of monumental drink and drug consumption, took his own life in early 2005. Ali would suffer even worse physical deterioration. He continued, unwisely, to prolong his competitive fighting career until 1981, when the first effects of Parkinson’s disease were clearly apparent. It would ravage his body and mind in his latter decades until his death in 2016.

Almost half a century on from the Rumble in The Jungle, and with few remaining first-hand witnesses to the event, there is a sizable Thompson-shaped hole in the reportage that emerged from the remarkable fight in a country that no longer exists.

As Jann Wenner, the editor of Rolling Stone who was left without a single word of copy to publish, later admitted: “He was high functioning for a long while and he had his brilliant period. But then he kind of let his talent slip… Editing Hunter required stamina. It was a bit like being a cornerman for Ali himself...”.

D I S C O V E R T H E N E W H O L I D AY C O L L E C T I O N IN SUPPORT OF ACQUADIPARMA.COM

CHRISTMAS Opulent gifts for the festive season, from shoes to booze and everything in between Photography: Colin Ross Styling: Maya Linhares-Marx

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Scents & SENSIBILITY

A. and F. Spell On You 100ml eau de parfum, £200; Stellar Times 100ml parfum, £400, both Louis Vuitton, 17-20 New Bond Street, W1S 2RB, uk.louisvuitton.com B. Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 35ml, £120, Maison Francis C. Purple Haze eau de parfum 100ml, 19-69, £149 D. Private Blend ÉBÈNE FUMÉ 50ml, £178, Tom Ford E. No.5 eau de parfum limited edition 100ml, £130, Chanel

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All available at Harvey Nichols, 109-125 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RJ, harveynichols.com

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A. Black watch tartan pump, £260 B. Black watch tartan ‘Albert’ slippers, £240 Both Crockett & Jones, 92 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6JE, crockettandjones.com

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2 TIDINGS Plaid

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A. Leather backpack, £2,270 B. Cashmere knit gloves with suede palm, £690 Both Brunello Cucinelli, 135-137 New Bond Street, W1S 2TQ, brunellocucinelli.com

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4 TIME About

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A. Ladies’ Twenty~4 Automatic Ref. 7300/1200R-010 in rose gold, silvery, vertical and horizontal satin-finished dial, gold applied numerals with luminescent coating, £37,350 B. Men’s Aquanaut Ref. 5168G010 in white gold, khaki green embossed dial, gold applied numerals with luminescent coating, £33,700 Both Patek Philippe, available at Wempe, 43-44 New Bond Street, W1S 2SA, wempe.com

5 STYLE Bags of

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A. Panthère de Cartier small handle bag in cherry red calfskin, £2,580 B. Cashmere Entrelacés de Cartier Stole, £870 Both Cartier, 175-177 New Bond Street, London W1S 4RN, cartier.com

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A. Scented taper candles, £20 each B. Limited-edition Baies (Berries) 190g candle, £90 C. Sapin 190g candle, £60 All Diptyque, 37 Brook Street, W1K 4HH, diptyqueparis.co.uk

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COMFORTS

7 APPEAL Print

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A. Geometric G print fan, £345 B. Large Geometric G print notebook, £165 Both Gucci, 18 Sloane Street, SW1X 9NE, gucci.com C. Monogram print leather card case, £220, Burberry, 121 Regent Street, W1B 4TB, burberry.com

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8 GEMS F

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A. Flaming Lamborghini earrings, Tessa Packard B. Out of the Blue earrings, Eva Gems & Jewels C. Summer’s-light earrings, Le Ster D. Rainbow Union bracelet, Alice Van Cal E. Chromanteq Golden Heliodor pendant, The Rock Hound F. Moon Slivers earrings, Ouroboros G. The Power Ring, Myriam Soseilos Covett is the UK’s first fine jewellery co-ownership and subscription service.

All pieces available on a subscription basis at cove.tt

9 FEET Party

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D

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A. Embellished silver sandal, £980, Miu Miu, 150 New Bond Street, W1S 2TU, miumiu.com B. Patent Oriel boots with crystal star chandelier, £950 C. Soft houndstooth phone holder, £950 Both Jimmy Choo, 27 New Bond Street, W1S 2RH, jimmychoo.com D. Gold glitter shoe, £785, Chanel, 159 New Bond Street, London W1S 2UB, chanel.com

A. White gold and amethyst earrings from The Temptations collection, POA B. Rose gold and diamond earrings from The Haute Joaillerie collection, POA Both Chopard, 12-13 New Bond Street, W1S 3SS, chopard.com C. Fireworks earrings in yellow gold with diamond and emeralds, £16,230, Suzanne Kalan, available at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL, harrods.com D. Etoile Filante necklace in white gold with diamonds, £4,450 E. Etoile Filante necklace in white and yellow gold with diamonds, £8,000 F. Etoile Filante ring in white gold with diamonds, £5,700 All Chanel Fine Jewellery, 173 New Bond Street, W1S 4RF, chanel.com

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10 DAZZLE E

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A. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, £25 B. Glenmorangie gift box with bottle, £36 C. Moët & Chandon Rosé Champagne with festive gift box, £95 D. Moët & Chandon set of six glasses, £90 All Clos19, clos19.com

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

It’s been 51 years since the first Range Rover was unveiled to the public. Now, the fifth generation model has arrived (p.78)

68 Christian Horner The Red Bull Team Principle on the most exciting F1 season in years 72 When in Roma Does Ferrari’s latest beauty have the performance to back up its looks? 78 Long Live the King Jaguar Land Rover’s CCO on the company’s latest luxury off-roader

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CHRISTIAN HORNER “Mercedes have been pretty much unbeatable – until now”

AS THE MOST EXCITING FORMULA ONE SEASON IN YEARS A P P R OAC H E S I T S C L I M A X , T H E T E A M P R I N C I PA L O F R E D B U L L R AC I N G D I S C U S S E S W H AT H A P P E N E D AT S I LV E R S T O N E , W H E R E A N D W H E N THE 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE DECIDED, AND CLOSING IN O N C O N S T R U C T O R T I T L E R I VA L M E R C E D E S

Words: Jeremy Taylor

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his year, Formula 1 has become a battle royale between two drivers with completely different temperaments: Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen. The seven-time world champion versus the blossoming superstar. Just a handful of points separate the two fastest drivers as Red Bull and Mercedes compete for the 2021 title.

With just a few races left in this year’s see-sawing championship and both drivers engaged in wheel-to-wheel confrontations, the coolest man in the pit lane appears to be Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner.

The team’s sprawling headquarters on an industrial estate near Milton Keynes is a hive of activity as it prepares for a raft of regulation changes in 2022. From the end of this season, Red Bull will start building engines in-house, too.

Red Bull was the dominant force in the sport from 2010 to 2013, winning four consecutive titles with Sebastian Vettel.

Since then, Mercedes has swept the board. Horner says the last seven years have been difficult, but finally he has started to pile the pressure on their rivals.

The 2021 Formula 1 World Championship

has provided perhaps the most exciting season in a decade. Where do you expect the title to be decided?

Normally by this stage of the season the championship has been wrapped up. Not this year. I hope it doesn’t go to the final race in Abu Dhabi on 12 December but I think it’s inevitable. This championship will go to the wire, which is great for F1 but not much good for my sleep pattern.

At what point during the current season did you realise that the gloves were well and truly off?

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July – when Max and Lewis crashed on the first lap. I don’t think many people realise the severity of a crash like that at over 180mph. It was brutal. Max impacted at 5G – it actually broke the seat of his car.

He was momentarily knocked out and we couldn’t reach him on the team radio.

Your immediate focus is on the health of your driver. Anybody in F1 knows Copse is a high-speed corner, one of the most dangerous in the sport. In that moment I realised what we were up against.

Then it happened again at Monza in September…

That accident was less dangerous.

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It looked dramatic but the speed of impact was much lower. Max’s car just flicked in the air but, thankfully, both guys were okay.

How are things between you and your Mercedes equivalent, Toto Wolff?

I don’t pay much attention to the Toto situation, even if the media likes to build it up. The intensity of the competition is so fierce that one mistake could cost either team the title. This is also the first time Mercedes has been under this level of pressure in seven seasons – it will be interesting to see how they deal with that.

Toto and I are not similar characters. He is a financial guy and I grew up in the industry. It doesn’t make one right or the other one wrong but we are very different people. We have a handful of races to go, varying circuits around the world, the situation is very exciting, even for the impartial F1 fan.

Next season will see big changes to the cars. The most significant difference being aerodynamic, with the return to the ground-effect formula that allows underbody tunnels – a feature not used in F1 since the 1980s. How will that impact the sport?

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Not relying on wings for downforce reduces the ‘dirty air’ affect, which currently prevents following drivers from getting too close to the car in front. Making the cars easier to follow will promote overtaking and is a totally different philosophy to what we have now. The governing body is ripping up everything we have done for the past five years and imposing budget caps to help the smaller teams. It’s a clean sheet of paper for everyone. Some will get it right and others won’t. It will be fascinating to see the first tests in Spain before the season starts. Usually somebody finds a different interpretation of the rules and gets a head start – you just hope that it’s your team.

Honda will stop providing engines to Red Bull from the end of this season and leave F1 for good. How are your preparations going for the new season?

Red Bull Powertrains is a new company based at the Milton Keynes campus, increasing our payroll here to almost 1,000 people. We spend a lot of time on engineering issues because the engine is the heart of any car. It’s non-stop meetings throughout the day, either face-to-face or via video call. Building our own units in-house is a significant step and will make us masters of our own destiny from 2022 onwards.

This is your 17th season in Formula 1.

How much has the sport changed since you joined the newly-formed Red Bull in 2005?

When I arrived, Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley were still running the show.

Ron Dennis was at McLaren, Jean Todt was in charge at Ferrari, Frank Williams was hands on at Williams and Flavio Briatore was the boss at Renault. They were huge names but the one thing most of them shared was the ability to look beyond their own team and do what was best for the sport. They were entrepreneurs who had made their fortunes primarily from racing and recognised that the business was bigger than their individual team. So they would often talk about and support actions that didn’t necessarily benefit their own team.

If Netflix had been filming then it would have been some documentary.

Did Red Bull give F1 a bit of a wake-up call – success didn’t come overnight but you were competing against longestablished rivals?

Nobody thought an energy drink-maker from Austria, with no real experience in Formula 1, stood a chance. We were up against Ferrari, McLaren and Williams.

There were big characters, big egos – we were almost starting from scratch.

Have you enjoyed watching the Netflix flyon-the-wall series, Drive to Survive?

It has given F1 a whole new audience and helped broaden the appeal of the sport in America. Mercedes didn’t get involved at the start because they wanted the series to focus solely on them, as world champions. I think they were sulking a bit for the first year – Toto didn’t think it was a good deal, it wasn’t right, blah, blah, blah. Then they saw the impact and suddenly there’s a lot more Lewis in the last two series.

A lot of sports are struggling with spectator numbers and audience figures.

How’s the future of Formula 1 looking?

There’s no doubt F1 is on an upward trajectory, helped by a new festival atmosphere on grand prix weekends – as well as the ongoing battle between two drivers at opposite ends of their career paths. It was a little overwhelming when we turned up at Silverstone and the crowds were back in force for the first time. If that was exciting, when we arrived at the Dutch Grand Prix in September it was completely insane. The fans went crazy for Max and everything seemed to be painted orange. I took my wife along [Horner is married to Spice Girl Geri

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Halliwell] and she said it was like being in a nightclub for three days, like being at a rock concert. She said she had never experienced anything quite like it.

Bernie Ecclestone is a great friend of yours, do you speak to him often now he has left the sport?

I usually get a call from him after every race. He still gives me plenty of grief.

Bernie’s 91 now but an avid follower of the sport and not afraid to voice an opinion. I have a huge respect for Bernie.

I was his best man and he is godfather to one of my kids. He is such a big character; I talk to him a lot. I remember being in the pit lane before the start of the championship-deciding grand prix in 2010 and Bernie came over to talk to me.

He leaned forward, and whispered in my ear ‘just don’t fuck it up’. That’s probably the best advice I’ve ever been given!

There were rumours a few years back that you might take over from Bernie. Are you thinking about retirement yet?

I’m only 47! And I enjoy the competition too much to consider leaving the pit lane. I am a racer at heart and always have been. There’s also so much I want to achieve in this new era of Formula One – that’s an enormous challenge and one I thrive on. We also have some unfinished business with Mercedes.

Is Lewis Hamilton now the greatest driver of all time?

Statistically, he is the most successful, but I would say Ayrton Senna would be my GOAT. His career was tragically cut short and the statistics don’t reflect what his talent might have been capable of had he lived longer.

How do you remain motivated after such a long time in the sport?

When I see the trophies in the foyer of our headquarters and feel the energy and the excitement about the place, it’s a massive shot in the arm. I think the tough years of not winning battle-harden you.

It makes me more determined than ever to succeed because I know the feeling of being a winner too. Mercedes have been pretty much unbeatable until now but if you keep pushing, keep believing in yourself, then anything is possible.

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ROMA HARKING BACK TO PREDECESSORS FROM THE 1950S AND 60S, Y E T R E S O L U T E LY M O D E R N I N I T S C L E A N , M U S C U L A R D E S I G N , T H E F E R R A R I R O M A M I G H T J U S T B E T H E B E S T- LO O K I N G N E W C A R O N T H E R O A D T O D AY. S O , D O E S T H E T W O - S E AT G R A N D T O U R E R H AV E T H E P E R S O N A L I T Y T O M AT C H I T S L O O K S ?

Words: Charlie Thomas

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he grey tarmac snakes between two banks of blurry foliage. The green grass and purple hedges loom over, closing in as the narrow road winds left, then right. The hills of north Wales then open up and turn into mountains. Daggers of slate point in all directions, looking equally menacing and awesome. I want to pull over and admire the landscape, but my foot is on the loud pedal and I can’t stop. This is the kind of road keen drivers would pay to experience, and I’m behind the wheel of the new Ferrari Roma. There have been worse Tuesday afternoons.

The Roma is a departure for Ferrari of late.

It looks entirely different to anything Maranello

has ever produced, yet it’s somehow familiar. Its numbers are what you’ve come to expect, but it’s not all about performance. There’s more to it than that. The Roma looks to Ferrari’s past, undoubtedly, but its 20-inch wheels are firmly in the present, both aesthetically and in the way it drives. It might be the most interesting Italian car in quite some time.

In the past, Ferraris were beautiful, elegant pieces of design. From the late 1950s through to the late 90s, the marque could barely put a foot wrong. There were the low-slung, mid-engine sports cars it offered (the Dino, 355, 360 etc), which carved through the air, and looked like nothing else on the market. Then there were

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I should change gear, but I also should have stopped two miles back to admire the mountains of slate the GTs, the larger, front-engine, long-bonnet tourers (the 250 GT, Daytona, 550 Maranello) the company had been producing since it started making road cars in the late 40s.

Fast forward to the 21st century and things began to change. Ferrari, a racing marque through-and-through, lost some of its elegance and glamour. Its road cars got quicker, increasingly powerful and more aggressive in design. Cars in its current lineup, such as the 812 Superfast and F8, are shockingly quick, placing great emphasis on outright performance with their incredible 0-62mph speeds and Nurburgring lap times. But in chasing the numbers, that oldschool Ferrari magic began to dissipate.

The new Roma breaks this pattern. It harks back to those classic Ferraris of old, but in a way that’s modern and refined. Its long, swooping bonnet references the brand’s grand tourers, specifically the Daytona and 550, to which this car is a natural successor. Compared with modern Ferraris, the Roma is minimalist in design, with clean, understated panels that hug the chassis while merely hinting at the power that lurks

below. It’s muscular but not ripped and has presence without shouting. If spec’d in a colour that’s not Rosso Corsa, a casual viewer might even wonder whether it’s a Ferrari at all, which, of late, is no bad thing. It might just be the best-looking new car on the road today. So, how does it drive?

The car digs hard into the ground. A sweeping, fast right-hander reveals the Roma’s cornering prowess. It moves like a train through the bend, stable in its tracks at a speed usually reserved for the motorway. The steering wheel is soft and cold, and grabs the attention as the shift indicator lights blaze a trail across the carbon-fibre top section.

I should change gear, but I also should have stopped two miles back to admire the mountains of slate. The Roma isn’t a car you want to stop driving, especially when the roads are this good.

I continue further into the depths of Wales, high on the sounds of this Italian V8.

With 612bhp and a top speed of 199mph, the Roma is no slouch. But unlike the classic GT cars it’s inspired by, it requires little skill to drive. It will happily, and quietly, glide around town like a big, expensive go-kart. As with many modern luxury

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The gears change instantaneously, snapping up or down like a race car, and the exhaust note is addictive, begging you to explore the full range of its 7,500 RPM. It may not sound as raw and exciting as the naturally-aspirated V8s of Ferrari’s yesteryear, but this twin-turbo unit has a distinctive, angry roar that makes the radio defunct.

I let my foot off the pedal but the V8 doesn’t want to slow, and neither do I. Alas, a junction is approaching, and all good roads must come to an end. The steering wheel lights flash brightly as I shift down, with each gear giving one last, angry cry. The right pedal gets its rest, and the carbon ceramic brakes do their job, swiftly and efficiently. The car stops as quickly as it sets off.

It’s a machine of extremes, despite its refined design. I stop at the T-junction and remember to breathe. My hands are sweaty and my eyes are dry.

The Roma could do this all day, but I couldn’t.

cars, you’ll quickly forget you’re driving a car that costs as much as a three-bedroom house.

The deep, comfortable leather smells of wealth and success. It hugs you until you forget what potholes are like. There are screens everywhere; even the steering wheel has touch-sensitive buttons.

You turn the car on with a touchpad, which regrettably loses some of the drama of the big red start button on older models.

One physical button that is still present, thankfully, is Ferrari’s Manettino switch. Flick it to ‘Race’ mode and the Roma stiffens, offering sharper, more direct steering, quicker gear shifts and a louder exhaust note. Yet it’s still remarkably easy to drive quickly, largely because it’s so predictable. The car’s computer systems ensure that there are no snaps of the wheel or unruly kicks of the rear end. In dry weather, as tested, the Roma flows with the tarmac. It feels far lighter than its 1,570 kg kerb weight and handles smoothly and directly.

ferrari.com

THE VITALS

ENGINE

COMBINED CONSUMPTION

3.9-LITE V8

11,2 LITRES/100KM

POWER

0-62MPH

TOP SPEED

PRICE

612 HP AT 7,500 RPM

3.4 SECONDS

199MPH

FROM £171,000

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PROMOTION

GARAGE BAND EARLIER THIS YEAR, CLASSIC CAR INSURER FOOTMAN JAMES

L A U N C H E D I T S S H O W U S YO U R S H E D C A M PA I G N , A N I N I T I AT I V E T O D I S C O V E R T H E U K ’ S G R E AT E S T G A R A G E . H E R E , L U X U R Y L O N D O N HEARS THE STORY OF ONE COMPETITION FINALIST

“I

t was an old school friend of mine who wanted to buy a silly car, and convinced me to go 50:50,” says Mark, recalling a particularly memorable week in 1987.

“What we really wanted was a Ferrari 308, but we couldn’t afford one. We settled on a little Lamborghini called a Jalpa, and I suppose the rest is history…”

Mark’s Jalpa has a lot to answer for. The early-1980s entry-level supercar proved to be just that, acting like a gateway drug. It was the car that would spark a passionate Italian love affair that’s spanned more than three decades.

Five Lamborghinis now reside in Mark’s garage, with the Jalpa having been joined

by pristine examples of all four of the marque’s V12 ‘scissor-door’ cars.

“There’s something about Lamborghini – an attitude, a kind of irreverence that’s becoming harder to find,” says Mark. “The cars have a sense of spirit which is totally unique; a sense of anarchy. I love that the brand was born from a feud between founder Ferruccio Lamborghini and Enzo Ferrari, with the first model launched to spite him. Even though they’re now owned by the VW Group, that spirit is still alive.”

Mark’s purchase of the Jalpa coincided with the Black Monday stock market crash, and the realities of running a raging bull quickly became apparent. “The friend who owned the other half of the Jalpa had lost LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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money that week, and couldn’t afford to pay me. I literally didn’t have enough money to eat – I had a jar of coppers that I emptied out and used to buy food.”

In 1993, the Jalpa was joined by a white 1984 Countach LP500S, arguably one of the most iconic supercars of all time.

“If I could keep only one, it would be the Countach,” says Mark. “It’s just alive.

It’s really difficult to describe it. I took it to Hampton Court for the Concours of Elegance this year, and it still holds its own even next to cars worth 10 times as much. It’s just a really special thing.”

A 1992 Diablo – Italian for ‘devil’ – was the next arrival, and the early rear-drive example still lives up to its namesake.

“Those early Diablos are very powerful, but they’ve got no ABS, no traction control and no airbags. It’s a proper, old-school car, and still the only car I’ve spun on a UK road.

They really are the last of the Mohicans.”

Mark was approached by the Top Gear production team in 2020, who asked to loan the car for a feature on the most iconic 1990s supercars, alongside a Ferrari F40 and Jaguar XJ220. Despite pressure from his children, Mark decided not to go ahead, and recommended another identical Diablo for the filming. It was a shrewd move, as the car was crashed by presenter Paddy McGuinness during filming.

The Murcielago, which arrived in 2012, is a very different animal. As the first brand-new model released by Lamborghini after being bought by Audi AG, Mark says it looks after you in a very different way, benefitting from four-wheel-drive, ABS, traction control, plus an active rear wing and air intakes.

The final member of Mark’s V12 quintet

arrived last year, an Aventador SV – by far the most extreme of the group. With over 750bhp delivered at a heady peak of 8400rpm, Mark describes it as “absolutely brutal”. In a dazzling shade of ‘Giallo Orion’ yellow, the newest vehicle in the collection proves that Lamborghini’s mojo has survived the decades intact.

There are few regrets from Mark’s tenure as a Lamborghini owner – though he says refusing the offer of a Miura for £40k was a mistake, as examples now fetch around £1m. He also almost agreed to an LM002, Lamborghini’s Countach-powered luxury off-roader, a model he says is truest to the spirit of Italian lunacy. Their fragility, and the smell of petrol in the cabin during the test drive, was enough to curb his enthusiasm.

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with Mark attending shows and tours with the Lamborghini Club.

“You discover there’s this endless hierarchy,” smiles Mark. “There was this wonderful moment at Salon Privé. I was stood next to the Countach with my son, talking to a bloke who asked me how many Lamborghinis I owned. I answered, and my son asked the man the same question.

‘Twenty-seven’, he replied. You have to remember – there’s always someone in the playground bigger than you.”

The ‘Show Us Your Shed’ competition was won

by Lee Sunderland and his family, whose garage was inspired by thier collection of more than 2,500 Hot Wheels toy cars, and is now home to a restored 1970 Mk III Austin Mini 850. To learn more about Footman James and its Private Client offering, please visit footmanjames.co.uk

T H E K I N G I S D E A D, LO N G L I V E THE KING N I N E Y E A R S A F T E R T H E C U R R E N T M O D E L WA S L A U N C H E D, T H E F I F T H G E N E R AT I O N R A N G E R OV E R H A S L A N D E D. H E R E , J AG U A R L A N D R OV E R ’ S C H I E F C R E AT I V E O F F I C E R , P R O F E S S O R G E R R Y M C G OV E R N O B E , TA L K S U S T H R O U G H THE FINER POINTS OF THE NEW LUXURY OFF-ROADER

Words: Rory FH Smith

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he vast majority of car launches slip by unnoticed by the general public. There are, however, a select few that bear global significance. The grand reveal of an all-new Range Rover is one such event. Now, 51 years after the original car first rolled off the production line, the latest iteration of the landmark off-roader has arrived.

Before the car’s grand public reveal on 26 October, Luxury London was invited to the company’s headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, for a behind-the-scenes preview. There, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Creative Officer, Professor Gerry McGovern OBE, walked us through the design and significance of what surely will be the new benchmark in off-road luxury.

“When the Range Rover was first introduced, it was regarded as the first luxury 4x4,” says McGovern in a cavernous, studio-lit design chamber. Beside him, it’s possible to make out a familiar silhouette, hidden under a dark-grey silk cover. “I think it was probably seen as a little bit of a novelty to begin with – a little bit quirky – something that appealed to a particular type of clientele. But over time, it’s created an indelible stamp on the psyche of the country, because it hasn’t changed too much – it’s evolved. It’s always been consistent with what it’s been about.”

When the original, boxy Range Rover first broke cover half-a-century ago, there was very little in the way of competition. There was the Jeep Wagoneer in the USA but, in reality, nothing compared to the go-anywhere ability of the Range Rover, which could be used on the farm during the day and then driven to the opera in the evening. Fifty-one years on, McGovern insists that the Range Rover’s reputation remains unchanged.

“It might seem like a contradiction, but the Range Rover has established itself as classless over time. This is a vehicle that you can drive to Monaco and park next to the most exotic

vehicles in the world, yet it won’t feel or look inferior because it’s not trying too hard. Because of its distinctive silhouette and its values, I think the Range Rover has a level of respect with people who appreciate it for what it is.”

For the design chief and recently anointed Jaguar Land Rover board member, his involvement with Range Rover started in earnest with the third-generation model, which arrived in 2001 under the direction of BMW, the thenowners of the Land Rover brand.

“The third iteration was an interesting experience,” says McGovern. “I think it developed a real solidity at that point but the fourth one [2012] took it to another level. For me, though, this fifth edition is the best because of how it moves the game forward.”

The covers are pulled off, and there sit three shiny new Range Rovers under spotlights, slowly rotating on giant turntables. Sporting completely flush glazing and clean, expansive bodywork, void of all but essential lines, the aim, McGovern explains, was to create a “milled-from-solid” overall aesthetic.

Looking at the front three-quarters, the car – while noticeably much cleaner – is not a vast departure

THE VITALS FOR THE NEW ENTRY-LEVEL 3.0L DIESEL RANGE ROVER

ENGINE

MAX POWER

MAX TORQUE

TRANSMISSION

OVERALL LENGTH

OVERALL HEIGHT

WEIGHT

0-62MPH

TOP SPEED

6 cylinder, 24 valve, direct injection

183KW/249 PS

600 NM

8-speed automatic

5,052 CM

1,870 CM

2,455 KG

8.3 SECONDS

135MPH

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from the current model, with its side profile, grille and light configuration still very familiar. Edge towards the rear, however, and this model’s most significant and striking feature soon becomes clear. Tapering, boat tail-style, the rear of the car is defined by new, vertical taillights, which are encased in a single, gloss-black panel that wraps around the lower tailgate, defining the width of the car.

From all angles, it’s evident that McGovern and his team have gone to great lengths to hide or disguise any unnecessary lines – something the design boss calls “reductive design”. As a complete package, the Range Rover is an extraordinary exercise in clean and confident styling, with its vast, lineless surfaces defying convention and taking aim at rivals which suffer, as McGovern claims, with “an abundance of line work.”

It’s outside the studio that McGovern claims the Range Rover will have the biggest visual impact. “Seeing this car driving down the road, in Mount Street or Pall Mall, for example, is where it will really stand out because it’s so honed,” he says, gesturing to the point at which the bodywork seamlessly meets the flush glazing. “Put simply, it’s honed to within an inch of its life.”

On the inside, it’s a similar story. “I feel quite strongly that car interiors need to be calming in this world of 24/7 connectivity,” says McGovern. “If it’s going to be a luxury experience, it should be intuitive and it should put you at ease – you should be incredibly comfortable and calm inside it.”

Like the exterior, the interior is an exercise in minimalism. Sitting pride of place in the cockpit is a 13.1-inch curved, floating touchscreen housing Land Rover’s Pivi Pro infotainment system, from which all the main vehicle functions are controlled.

Only the climate control can be adjusted by hard switches, which sit beneath the screen.

“It’s about creating a calm sanctuary through the rigour of our modernist approach to design,” says McGovern. Aside from the sanctity of the interior, the new long wheelbase Range Rover will come with the option of seven seats – something McGovern initially didn’t believe Range Rover owners would want. With room for seven adults on three rows of seats, the car is also available with a range of electrified powerplants ahead of the arrival of the first purely-electric model in 2024.

While few, if any, owners will use this ultrahigh-tech and sculptured generation of Range Rover as a farm-vehicle-cum-opera-taxi, it’s clear that McGovern and his team have aimed for evolution, rather than revolution.

“Our clients said, ‘don’t change it, just make it better’,” says McGovern. “When it comes to fashion and trends, we don’t do that. The design and the whole essence of the car is informed by this modernist design philosophy combined with the

“Put simply, the car has been honed to within an inch of its life” evolution of Range Rover over the past 50 years.”

As the size, level of finish and technological capabilities of the Range Rover has developed, so too has its asking price. The current model starts at £83,500. Prices for the new iteration will shoot steadily up from £94,400. With a few extras, the new car is thrust into a space coinhabited by the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes G-Wagon and Aston Martin DBX. It’s worth noting that all of those competitors, aside from the G-Wagon, sprung up within a three-year period following the launch of the current Range Rover – demonstrating just how fast the super-SUVs arms race hotted up.

What was once the undisputed – and unchallenged – King of the Off-Road now faces seriously capable competition. “There’s a lot of other brands out there, of course,” says McGovern. “But, quite frankly, they can do what they want because Range Rover is unique – there’s simply nothing else like it.”

From £94,400, landrover.co.uk

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The pink-gold version of Audemars Piguet’s latest Royal Oak Offshore echoes the blue dial of the original 1993 release (p.84)

Collection HIGH

JEWELLERY

AND

HAUTE

HOROLOGY

84 Seconds Out The year ends on a high for the watch industry as a flurry of new models hit the market 88 Shell Shock The story of jewellery titan Fabergé in the wake of Russia’s bloody revolution, and the eggs that remain missing

SECONDS OUT THE HEADLINE STORIES AS HOROLOGY ENDS THE YEAR ON A FLOURISH

Words: Richard Brown

CHOPARD X BAMFORD

Barely a month goes by without pimp-my-watch guru George Bamford announcing yet another big-name collaboration.

Following partnerships with TAG Heuer and Girard Perregaux, Chopard becomes the latest heavyweight horologist to team up with the undisputed champion of customisation. The base watch? Chopard’s Millie Miglia. Bamford’s contribution? Coating the chronograph in dark-grey diamond-like carbon (DLC), applying orange accents to its strap, tachymeter and sub-dials, and dialling up the cool factor to 10 in the process. £6,950, chopard.com

BREMONT

As Swiss giants monopolise the industry, people forget that Britain was considered the home of watch and clockmaking for 150 years.

The new, limitededition Bremont Longitude goes a long way to rectify that fact. This will be the first timepiece to

house the brand’s new ENG300 movement; built to Bremont’s unique specification, it is the first to be manufactured at scale in the UK for 50 years (at Bremont’s new manufacturing faciltiy, The Wing).

A fantastic achievement for British horology.

From £20,995, bremont.com

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Titanium has become the go-to material for the go-anywhere sports watch

AUDEMARS PIGUET

GIRARD PERREGAUX

Audemars Piguet continues with its evolution of the Royal Oak Offshore from 1993 with three new 42mm models. Presented in stainless steel, titanium or 18-carat pink gold, each incorporates a ‘Petite Tapisserie’ pattern, and both the stainless-steel and pink-gold variants feature the original blue dial. There are also some important differences: the new models are all equipped with AP’s latest integrated flyback chronograph, an interchangeable strap system, and slightly revised dial design. £74,100 for the pink-gold version, audemarspiguet.com

Titanium has become the go-to material for the go-anywhere sports watch – unsurprising, given that the material is harder, lighter, more scratch-resistant and more corrosion-proof than steel.

Titanium was discovered by an English clergyman in Cornwall in 1791, the same year in which a Swiss watchmaker was laying the foundations of what would become Girard-Perregaux over in Geneva. Cue the titanium-clad Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Ti 230, on occasion of both the brand’s and the element’s 230th anniversary. £7,200, girard-perregaux.com

VACHERON CONSTANTIN

HUBLOT

OMEGA

ROGER DUBUIS

Horologic hype brand Hublot has launched its second watch in support of the Kevin Pietersen-founded antirhinoceros-poaching charity SORAI, this time with a green ceramic case. £19,900, hublot.com

The new James Bond Seamaster has been executed in grade-2 titanium, making it lighter and harder to scratch.

The stripped-down-to-thebasics tool watch has alos been slimmed to 13.55mm in height. £7,880, omegawatches.com

Roger Dubuis’ latest titanium creation, the Excalibur Spider Pirelli, arrives with a quick-switch mechanism, allowing wearers to swap their straps, bezels and crowns at pit-stop speed. £52,000, rogerdubuis.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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In the five years since it was revisited, redesigned and re-released, Vacheron Constantin’s go-anywhere luxury sports watch, the Overseas, has been offered in an almost countless array of colours and case materials. So, what’s up for ’21? Two limited-edition ‘Everest’ pieces – a dual time (£26,600) and a chronograph (£31,400). Both feature steel bezels on titanium cases and are based on a prototype that scaled the summit of the world’s tallest mountain on the wrist of photographer-climber Cory Richards. vacheron-constantin.com

STOP THE CLOCKS AFTER THE LAUNCH OF AQUANAUT AND NAUTILUS MODELS EARLIER I N T H E Y E A R , PAT E K P H I L I P P E R E T U R N S TO I T S R O OT S W I T H T H R E E N E W H I G H LY - C O M P L I C A T E D C H R O N O G R A P H S

Words: Timothy Barber

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t would be a rum thing if, say, Henry Poole & Co became suddenly better known for an off-the-peg sports coat than for the bespoke tailoring that’s been its defining business for two centuries. But that’s the peculiar situation Patek Philippe finds itself in at the minute. The volcanic heat surrounding its stainless steel sports models, the Nautilus and Aquanaut – now going for four or five times RRP on the secondary market – has been

somewhat drowning out the key fact that such watches are not really Patek Philippe’s business at all.

As if to remind us of the fact, the Geneva maker recently dropped a trio of watches that very definitely are. Classical, complicated and executed to an astounding level of luxury, they’re all chronographs, though each blends that central function with another high-end complication – a traditional Patek speciality.

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REFERENCE 5204R-011

At the top of the tree is a new version of a watch that’s truly emblematic of Patek at the height of its powers: the Ref 5204 split-seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar. In Patek Philippe history, the combination of perpetual calendar and chronograph holds an especially reverential position; but including a far more complex split-seconds chronograph – with two chronograph seconds hands for recording split times – is another thing altogether. The new iteration is in rose gold with a suave slate-grey dial – though owners will be forgiven for spending more time staring in rapture into the knotted complexities of the movement. £238,620

REFERENCE 5930P-001

Next up is the Ref 5930P World Time flyback chronograph featuring a more esoteric combo of world timer (time in 24 time zones displayed at once) and flyback chronograph (meaning you can repeatedly restart the chronograph seconds hand as the small minute counter keeps running).

The template is actually from a one-off watch dating to 1940, though the 5930 is a truly contemporary showstopper. Previously in white gold, we now get the platinum version, with the guilloche-engraved dial centre rendered in emerald green. Understated this is not; a very major flex to put any Nautilussporting whippersnapper in their place it certainly is. £77,420

All three chronographs blend that central function with another high-end complication – a traditional Patek speciality

REF 5905/1A-001

Patek Philippe does not follow trends, you understand. On the other hand, in the year in which green-dial watches are about as ubiquitous as disposable face masks, Patek releasing two at once (in addition to an Aquanaut and a couple of controversial Nautilus models earlier in the year) is a notable acknowledgement of the market. As is the fact that the second of these, Ref 5905/1A-001 Annual Calendar Chronograph – with a dial in sumptuous mossy green – is cased in stainless steel, and comes on a rather muscular bracelet.

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Packaging a high complication arrangement in a sportier exterior does show a brand moving with the times, and perhaps trying to draw some custom away from the absurd Nautilus/ Aquanaut market. After all, would you rather pay £100,000+ for a £27,000 Nautilus, or less than half that for a steel bracelet watch with far greater horological chops? Ah forget it – expect the waiting list for this one to be years long already, and the aftermarket price to headed north fast. £45,540, register your interest in all three watches at Wempe, 43-44 New Bond Street, W1S, wempe.com

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PEACOCK EGG, 1907–8, CHIEF WORKMASTER HENRIK WIGSTROM. PRESENTED BY EMPEROR NICHOLAS II TO DOWAGER EMPRESS MARIA

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SHELL SH CK Lenin, communism & the hunt for the Fabergé Eggs T H E S E A R C H F O R T H E M I S S I N G FA B E R G É E G G S R E M A I N S T H E L O N G E S T E A S T E R E G G H U N T I N H I S T O R Y. T O C O I N C I D E W I T H T H E V I C TO R I A A N D A L B E R T M U S E U M ’ S N E W E X H I B I T I O N , ‘ FA B E R G É I N LO N D O N : R O M A N C E TO R E VO LU T I O N ’ , LU XU RY LO N D O N LO O K S AT W H AT H A P P E N E D TO T H E J E W E L L E R Y F I R M A N D I T S F O U N D I N G F A M I LY F O L L O W I N G R U S S I A ’ S B L O O D Y 1 9 1 7 O C T O B E R R E V O L U T I O N

Words: Rob Crossan

W

hen the men finally came, armed and drunk on ideological fervour, Carl Fabergé knew better than to try and resist. “Give me 10 minutes to put on my hat and coat,” he said.

These are the words, according to sources from the time, that the founder of arguably the world’s greatest jewellery firm uttered before his empire was lost to communism.

Kitsch, extravagant and with its origins in organised religion, it would be hard to think of a single artefact that better symbolised everything the Bolsheviks wanted to destroy than the Fabergé egg.

Every Easter from 1885 until 1917, when the Russian Revolution began, the eponymous St. Petersburg-based jewellery company was commissioned by the ruling Tsar to create Easter eggs for his beloved Tsarina.

When Nicholas II, who would be Russia’s last Tsar, came to the throne, he continued the tradition, asking Carl Fabergé to make eggs for the new Tsarina Alexandra, as well as his mother.

These bejewelled creations – 69 are thought to have been produced by the end of the Nicholas II’s reign – were highly symbolic of the rarefied world in which the ruling family existed. While

millions of Russians went hungry or were being killed during the seemingly interminable Great War with Germany, the Romanovs had a royal yacht with an on-board cow, so that the family could enjoy fresh milk each morning.

The Fabergé firm, founded by Carl’s father in 1842, had developed a global reputation for creating cigarette cases, vases, picture frames, clocks and crucifixes. Using gems, glass, wood and precious metals, the flamboyant and occasionally outright garish Fabergé style reached its zenith with the Easter eggs.

Ingenious in design, the eggs were the fullest manifestation of Carl and his team’s devotion to ingenuity and quality; perhaps reaching its highest point in the form of the infamous 1897 egg given to Tsarina Alexandra. In translucent lime green enamel, trellised in gold, and crowned and studded with diamonds, the five-inch-high egg opens to reveal a working model of the Coronation coach in yellow gold and rose diamonds.

The story of how the Revolution destroyed Fabergé and scattered his bejewelled eggs across the world for nigh on a century can be encapsulated in one phrase: “Everything seems sad”.

This is what Carl Fabergé wrote in a letter that was intercepted by state

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was also known.

Not capable of winning more than a few seats on its own in a democratic election, the Soviet nonetheless had support among the lower ranks of the army and the proletariat.

For Fabergé, there was a sense that he could at least do business with the provisional government. His factories were now contributing to the war effort to make munitions rather than cigarette cases and business was good with many wealthy Russians keen to exchange their cash hoards for objects of desire that could be more easily concealed and smuggled out of the country.

Perhaps, despite the surveillance being put upon Carl and his family, all was not authorities shortly after the first of 1917’s two revolutions; the initial revolt resulting in the appointment of a provisional government known as the ‘Duma’, which planned for democratic elections.

The weakness of the Tsar’s leadership, the bloodshed on the battlefields, and his reluctance to make any liberal concessions meant that a military coup d’état or a people’s revolution of some description was all but inevitable.

But even before the revolutions that would create the iron grip of Stalinism, the early Bolsheviks put Carl Fabergé under surveillance. His coterie of foreign friends and buyers of his creations made him an instantly untrustworthy individual in the eyes of the revolutionaries.

The previous year, Carl had turned his firm into a joint stock partnership, a paper-thin attempt to assert a more democratic demeanour for his company in the hope of preventing it being torn apart by what he knew would be a seismic and imminent political upheaval.

It was in Fabergé’s home city, now called Petrograd, rather than St Petersburg, that the first revolution began in February 1917. Every military regiment in the city mutinied, policemen were shot and prisons were ‘liberated’ as mob rule took hold.

But the provisional government that emerged could do nothing without the support of the Petrograd Workers’ Committee, or ‘Soviet’ as it

lost? Alas, the interim government proved to be no match for the return of a certain Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known by his alias Lenin, who’d been living in Paris, London and modern-day Poland since he was charged with sedition and exiled to Siberia for three years in 1897.

Lenin then went to Western Europe before returning to Russia in a sealed train. He called for an immediate end to the grinding war with Germany and slowly but inexorably gained support among Russia’s urban poor. Unrest and riots followerd, leading to Lenin exiting briefly to Finland. By autumn, the conditions were right for the Bolsheviks to wrest control away from the provisional government and alter existing plans which would have seen the Tsar and his LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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family permanently exiled to Siberia.

Despite being worth around £4 million in today’s money, the Romanovs didn’t take their Fabergé eggs with them when they were kicked out of the palace.

Orders stated that they were to take only essential belongings, so, for reasons of space and economy, the eggs were left in Petrograd.

As the entire provisional government was arrested, the civil service dismantled, the White Palace stormed and the Romanovs put on soldiers’ rations, the doomed former ruling family spent Easter 1918 making its own decorative Easter eggs in a melancholy homage to the joys of previous years.

That summer, the family was told to travel from its exiled base in Siberia to Moscow, where it was to be put on a grand show trial. The Tsar, his wife and children were taken only as far as the Ural city of Ekaterinburg. It was here, in the basement of a building named by the Soviets as the ‘House of Special Purpose’, that in the early morning of 17 July the entire family was shot dead.

Carl Fabergé, miraculously, avoided a similar fate. Identified by Lenin’s righthand man, Leon Trotsky, as being a target for having profited from the war, Carl’s two sons had already been arrested. It was clearly obvious that the leading Bolsheviks (now renamed the Russian Communist Party) viewed the Fabergé family, and their jewellery firm, as representing a parasitic anachronism of the old days.

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THIS PAGE THE ALEXANDER PALACE EGG, 1908 OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP THE MOSCOW KREMLIN EGG, 1906; THE ROMANOV TERCENTENARY EGG, 1913; THIRD IMPERIAL EGG, 1886–7. THE EGG WAS PURCHASED BY AN OBLIVIOUS AMERICAN IN 2015 WHO PLANNED TO MELT IT DOWN FOR GOLD. ALL IMAGES © THE MOSCOW KREMLIN MUSEUMS

Carl Fabergé died in 1920, his jewellery firm non-existent, the whereabouts of the eggs mostly unknown

With their company nationalised almost overnight, it became all but worthless as inflation spiralled out of control in the new communistrun nation. Just a few months after the new ‘Committee of the Employees of the Carl Fabergé Company’ was formed, in November 1918 the entire firm was closed down.

“There we stood,” recalled one engraver, Jalmari Haikonen, “silent, with aching hearts, looking at the workshop around us.”

Carl himself had fled the city alone two months earlier. Like many wealthy Russians, he was fully expecting the Tsar to be overthrown but had no idea as to the scale and bloodlust of the revolution that would follow.

Managing to take a small amount of money with him, Carl’s first refuge was Latvia until, in 1919, it was attacked by the Red Army. Fleeing to Berlin, which was in the midst of a civil war, he eventually found relative sanctuary in the Rhine spa town of Rhisbaden, and finally

Lausanne, Switzerland.

Joined by his wife, Augusta, Fabergé was weak, fatigued and was said to have frequently muttered, “this is life no more,” in his final days.

Carl Fabergé died on the 24 September 1920 aged 74. His jewellery firm was non-existent, the whereabouts of the eggs were mostly unknown and the Russia he knew had vanished, replaced by one of the most terrifying authoritarian regimes of the 20th century. Later, under Stalin’s rule, the eggs which had been confiscated and taken to the Kremlin were sold to overseas buyers.

Of the 69 eggs that Fabergé created, 57 are known to have survived. In a contemporary Russia where the extravagance of modern-day oligarchs bears similarity to the decadence of the LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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Romanovs, it is perhaps apt that in 2004 the potentate businessman Viktor Vekselberg bought nine Fabergé eggs at a Sotheby’s auction for a figure rumoured to be around £75 million. They are now displayed at his own museum in St. Petersburg.

The search for the missing eggs remains the longest Easter egg hunt in history. In 2015, a man from the American Midwest (who chose to stay anonymous) bought a gold ornament at auction. Given the soaring price of gold, he planned to melt down the egg and sell the precious metal for $500.

Frustrated by the low prices he was being offered, the man did a quick Google search to discover that what he’d actually bought was the Third Imperial Easter Egg. Today, the egg is worth approximately £20 million.

‘Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution’ opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 20 November, £18 for adults, vam.ac.uk

WWW.LAURENROSSDESIGN.COM

Scabal is the fabric specialist that supplied the velvet for Daniel Craig’s pink jacket, but its Hollywood clientele doesn’t stop there (p.102)

Couture CUT

FROM

A DIFFERENT

CLOTH

94 Loco for the Logo Why designer monograms are back 98 Man About Town This season’s must-have menswear 102 At Your Service Savile Row’s favoured fabric supplier 106 David Gandy The supermodel realises a decade-long dream

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT VERSACE FW21 COLLECTION; GUCCI ARIA COLLECTION; BALMAIN; GUCCI ARIA COLLECTION; BALMAIN

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Loco

for the

Logo

C H A R T I N G T H E R I S E A N D FA L L O F FA S H I O N ’ S U LT I M AT E S TAT U S - S I G N I F I E R

Words: Anna Solomon

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crisis, the supremacy of the statement label waned.

Flashing one’s cash felt out of sync in a world where so many had lost so much. Austerity took over both in governments and in fashion, and the idea of monogramming suddenly became gauche.

But, as we’ve learned, trends are ephemeral. In 2017, Demna Gvasalia of Vetements launched a tongue-in-cheek collaboration with DHL – splashing the courier’s mundane logo across tops and raincoats – and Christopher Bailey rebooted one of fashion’s most recognisable motifs: the Burberry check, which had been all but abandoned after being hijacked by ‘chavs’ and football hooligans in the early 2000s.

Logomania had been reignited, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Alessandro Michele’s maximalist revolution regularly features the interlocking Gs, often overlaid with motifs of flowers or animals. In 2021, Versace took inspiration from its Medusa monogram with a collection entitled ‘La Greca’. Billie Eilish has been an ambassador for logomania – appearing on red carpets in head-to-toe Gucci, Chanel and LV – as has the Kardashian clan.

But what does the monogram mean today? When Eilish sports tiny coupled Gs on her fingernails, she isn’t motivated by the same things as Paris Hilton – the woman who once wore a tank top saying ‘Stop Being Poor’ (OK, apparently that image was photoshopped, but the point still stands). Nowadays, sartorial unsubtlety is less of a status symbol and more a kind of irony.

At the root of it all is the fact that a good monogram works. It is the visual equivalent of a catchy song: succinct, appealing, timeless. Trends may fluctuate, but a designer logo is back in style. For now.

n 1925, Coco Chanel did something that had never been done before. She took her initials, interlocked them in an immortal embrace, and put them on her clothes. Something about the monogram, like an artist’s signature on a painting, imbued the garments with a kind of magic. So began the cult of the label.

Logomania was in full swing by the 1960s. Fendi’s double-F insignia was conceived not long after Karl Lagerfeld took the helm in 1965, and Dior’s Marc Bohan wasn’t far behind, introducing the Oblique monogram in 1970. Valentino Garavani released pieces featuring inverted columns of Vs around the same time that Elizabeth Taylor and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were photographed wearing Gucci’s iconic GG. In the United States, logo mania reached fever pitch in the 80s, driven almost single-handedly by one man: Harlem-based designer and haberdasher Daniel Day, aka Dapper Dan. Day began screen printing goods with designer logos, and dressed the likes of Mike Tyson, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, SaltN-Pepa, P. Diddy and Run-DMC in his monogramheavy ensembles. He took rarefied labels away from their squeaky-clean European roots, making them desirable – and accessible – to a new audience.

Visible logos were no longer the preserve of Hollywood doyennes and First Ladies – they were for platinum rappers and Upper East Side It-girls. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie drowned in Dior; Louis Vuitton’s Neverfull totes hung from arms everywhere; and Juicy Couture released its infamous diamante tracksuit. The logo reigned as a status symbol in an era of true monogram mania.

During the decade that followed the 2008 financial

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LuxuryLondon.co.uk Your curated guide to culture in the capital Explore our digital platform, dedicated to showcasing the very best of what London has to offer, from high-end boutiques, luxury hotels and spas, to entertainment, restaurants and cultural attractions

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MORE THAN SKIN DEEP M E E T T E M P U S – T H E B E L G R AV I A C L I N I C P I O N E E R I N G B E A U T Y

O

F R O M T H E I N S I D E - O U T, A N D T H E O U T S I D E - I N

nce upon a time, aesthetic treatments were something that people did but rarely talked about. Increasingly, however, they are nothing to hide – simply a way to look and feel your best.

With more clinics popping up around London, all claiming to have the secret to eternal youth, how does one distinguish between them?

The answer lies in the adage that beauty is more than skin deep. Belgravia-based Tempus is not just an aesthetics clinic, but an aesthetics and wellness resource. By spanning the disciplines, the practice is truly a one-stop-shop for face, body and mind.

“We wanted to create a centre that could treat anything that the patient wanted tweaking, enhancing or improving, whether that be facial aesthetics, gut health, nutrition, hormones, or body and mind,” says Dr Nadine Hachach-Haram, who co-founded Tempus with Dr Veerle Rotsaert, Dr Nada Soueidan and Dr Kuldeep Minocha.

“We offered a whole body approach to self-improvement that was not available in London at the time.”

Tempus’ holistic approach includes

a large number of treatments. But there’s no need to feel overwhelmed – visitors undergo a consultation with one of the team to explore the most effective, and safest, treatment options and create a bespoke care plan.

This could be an anti-ageing treatment, laser hair removal, or intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy – a way to improve the colour and texture of skin without surgery.

Perhaps a FRAX facial, which uses a laser to resurface the skin, is right for you – or a high-intensity-focused ultrasound (HIFU) facial, another noninvasive treatment for facial ageing.

Tempus also offers radiofrequency micro-needling, body contouring and bio-identical hormone therapy, which can improve symptoms of menopause.

A package called the Ultimate Non-Surgical Facelift, which combines treatments, is hugely popular, according to Dr Nadine. “We start with a HydraFacial for a deep cleanse. Then, a course of HIFU and radiofrequency micro-needling, followed by antiwrinkle injectables and either skin boosters or Profhilo,” she says. “We are LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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seeing fantastic results.”

When it comes to Tempus’ cuttingedge technologies, Dr Nadine is particularly excited about the Focus Dual, which is a combination of radiofrequency micro-needling and HIFU. When they come together it achieves maximum results for re-texturising and lifting skin.

“Our newest laser, Nordlys by Candela Medical, is fantastic for treating a broad range of skin concerns, including resurfacing, pigmentation, vascular lesions and rejuvenation,” she says.

Ultimately, all treatments are tailored to the individual, and the team at Tempus will find the best route to achieving a healthy glow “from the outside-in, and the inside-out”. Treatments are suitable for all ages, ethnicities and genders, whether you’re in your twenties and looking for a skincare regime, hitting your thirties and need assistance with anti-wrinkle injections, or looking to add hydration at forty-plus.

“Whether it’s rejuvenation, hormone therapy, or adding volume, we have a treatment plan for you,” says Dr Nadine.

West Halkin Street, Belgravia, SW1X 8JL, 020 8037 3265 tempusbelgravia.co.uk

MAN ABOUT TOWN If comfort and quality rank highly on your wish list, these picks combine the attributes in unison, with a bit of fun thrown in for good measure…

Words: Charlie Thomas

Introducing Goral: England’s secret shoemaker steps into the spotlight Based out of its workshop in Sheffield, Goral has been making shoes for other brands since 1936. Realising the potential of its skilled staff and the unique position of owning its own factory, the brand more recently decided to launch its own designs, characterised by their unique, hybrid styles and exceptional quality materials.

What really sets Goral apart, though, is the brand’s commitment to responsible production. Each pair of shoes that leaves its workshop is made to order, which eliminates any waste and leftover stock, as each pair goes direct to consumer. This does mean that once you buy a pair it will take slightly longer than usual for them to arrive, but Goral promises every order will be shipped within 10 working days.

What’s more, the brand offers a lifetime repair guarantee, so if you buy from Goral you buy for life. Any and all repairs can be taken out by the craftspeople at its Sheffield factory, from minor scuffs to leather restoration and re-soling. When many companies encourage people to continually invest in the new, it’s refreshing to see heritage brands such as Goral promote conscious consumption. goral-shoes.co.uk

Aime Leon Dore’s Festive Jumpers Every season Aime Leon Dore creates clothes you didn’t know you wanted, and this winter it’s no different. The New York brand has become known for its jacquard knitwear, which depict scenes ranging from Michael Jordan dunking, to what we see before us: an old man holding a goat, and a backgammon table. Making other festive jumpers seem thoroughly uninspired, these knits are just the right side of gaudy, promising to add a playful edge to your winter get-ups.

Molina Pappou sweater £‌395; Backgammon cardigan £‌495, aimeleondore.com

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Private White V.C.

Comfort is the new luxury. Forget structured suits and uncomfortable leather shoes, these days it’s all about stretchy waistbands and cotton jerseys. Or at least it is according to Private White V.C., which has just introduced a new collection designed with comfort in mind.

To do so, the forward-thinking label carefully reconfigured its PPE factory in Manchester, which supplied the NHS throughout the first year of the pandemic. Instead of selling the machinery and letting go of some 30 staff, Private White transformed the space into a jersey factory, beginning with the creation of a new capsule of elevated essentials.

Made up of 11 pieces, including a button-down shirt and sweatpants, this is loungewear at its most refined. The sweatpants are described as a ‘trouser’, and have a tailored fit, regular hems and a mock fly to mimic actual trousers, while the ‘cashblend’ sweatshirt is crafted from a cashmere/wool/cotton-blend jersey, which is extraordinarily soft to the touch. The latter boasts hidden side pockets and large, vintage-inspired hems – making its case as the ultimate sweatshirt.

Sweatshirt £295, sweatpants £199, privatewhitevc.com

Kirk Originals Sunglasses are synonymous with rock ’n’ roll, so it makes sense for Kirk Originals (luxury made-in-Britain sunglasses) to collaborate with The Rolling Stones (one of the greatest rock bands of all time).

The capsule includes two limited-edition styles: ‘Aftermath’, a sharp, piano-black design inspired by London in the 60s; and ‘Black and Blue’, an aviator shape reminiscent of bins from the early 70s.

Both £295, kirkoriginals.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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WONDERS OF THE WHARF WITH SO MANY OPTIONS FOR DINING, SHOPPING AND E N T E R TA I N M E N T, C A N A R Y W H A R F I S F E E L I N G F E S T I V E

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FREE PARKING You can enjoy three hours’ free parking in Canary Wharf’s car parks when you spend £10 at weekends and bank holidays, or two hours’ free parking when you spend £10 between Monday and Friday. Simply ask for your ticket to be validated at any point of purchase at the weekend, and in Waitrose & Partners, Marks & Spencer Simply Food or Tesco Metro during the week.

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anary Wharf is feeling rather magical. This might have something to do with the enormous ice skating rink that has popped up in Canada Square Park – its fairy-light illuminated roof and the smell of mulled wine from the next-door Off Piste Bar being about as Christmassy as it gets. Be it a date night or day out, a whizz around the rink is a great winter option.

There’s also delicious food, stylish boutiques and a programme of festive events, all of which contribute to make Canary Wharf the perfect place to come together this Christmas.

DINE Christmas has officially arrived at Canary Wharf’s restaurants. The Ivy in the Park promises festive classics, while Hawksmoor does the best steaks in town. The menu at Pergola On The Wharf, meanwhile, fuses fabulous cocktails with decadent dishes.

Other dining options include Six by Nico, which keeps diners on their toes with a menu that changes every six weeks, and ROKA, which is renowned for its sushi, sashimi and robata grill. If you’re in the market for live music, Boisdale of Canary Wharf has a nightly offering of jazz, blues and soul curated by its Patron of Music, Jools Holland.

To bring the taste of Christmas home, Waitrose & Partners is stocking all of your seasonal staples, and no holiday is complete without chocolate: Godiva and Charbonnel et Walker are your local specialists.

SHOP Bauble-covered trees have popped up throughout the shopping malls, and we all know what that means: it’s time for Christmas shopping. For the fashionconscious ladies in your life, there’s cosy knits from Claudie Pierlot and party pieces from COS. It’s also hard to go wrong with things that glitter and gleam: try treasures from David M Robinson and precious pieces from Monica Vinader. Or, honour your partner, mother or sister with goods from the fragrant apothecary of Penhaligon’s, and don’t forget accessories: a Coach bag is always a good idea.

With more than 120 stores and boutiques on the Wharf, you won’t be short on choice for him, either.

Polo Ralph Lauren and BOSS lead the charge when it comes to casualwear, while Orlebar Brown and Hackett are go-tos for smart ensembles. When it comes to watches, consult the experts at Goldsmiths, Watches of Switzerland and Montblanc – they can also help you find the perfect cufflinks or leather accessories. If your giftee dreams of gadgets and gizmos, both Samsung and Currys PC World are within walking distance.

And why not pick up some festive decor while you’re at it? Deck the halls with home accessories from John Lewis & Partners, and a Jo Malone London candle should ensure that your space smells as good as it looks.

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WHAT’S ON Between skating, shopping and dining, there is also a raft of events taking place at Canary Wharf this Christmas. Short Story Stations – the Estate’s literary vending machines – will be undergoing a festive takeover. Alternatively, catch a film at Everyman Cinema or explore the 70-plus public artworks on display across the Estate.

Finally, the Winter Lights exhibition arrives in January, comprising illuminated artworks to set the dark winter evenings aglow. canarywharf.com

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AT YOUR SERVICE I T P R O V I D E D T H E C L O T H F O R D A N I E L C R A I G ’ S P I N K V E LV E T J A C K E T AND COUNTS TOM FORD, CHRISTIAN DIOR AND SAINT LAURENT A S C L I E N T S . T H I S I S T H E S T O R Y O F H O W S AV I L E R O W FA B R I C S P E C I A L I S T S C A B A L B E C A M E T H E TA I L O R ’ S TA I L O R O F C H O I C E

Words: Richard Brown

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arlier this year, while the whole of Savile Row was effectively, if not actually, on furlough, Mr Andrew P. Goldberg, national sales manager at Scabal, paid a visit to his friends at Anderson & Sheppard. The bespoke suit-maker, located on parallel Old Burlington Street, had just been visited by another of its regulars, Mr Daniel Craig. The outgoing James Bond, Goldberg’s friends informed him, had been thumbing through a book of fabrics (they’re called bunches, those books of sample fabrics you flick through at a tailors, and, good bit of tailoring trivia, were actually invented by Scabal in 1938 – quickly, while we’re on the subject, have you always wondered, or is it just me, why they make those little sample books so small? How are you supposed to tell what a whole suit or jacket will look like from such a tiny square of cloth. No? Anyway…) looking at cloths for a bespoke blazer to wear to the premiere of No Time to Die. Several months later, Goldberg is recounting the story, on account of the 007 premiere having taken place two days earlier, from the polished cutting table of Scabal’s own walnut-and-spotlight-heavy home on ‘the Row’. A premiere that you’ll know, unless you left the planet for 48 hours, saw Craig rock the red carpet of the Royal Albert Hall in a fuchsia-pink double-breasted velvet dinner jacket.

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It was, to be absolutely clear, one of the most talked-about moments in men’ fashion since, well, ever.

The jacket, some called it raspberry, others cerise – let’s call it pink – had been cut by Anderson & Sheppard. The fabric, a 15oz velvet-cotton blend, was woven by Scabal.

Two days on from Craig’s catwalk smash and there’s still a buzz about the Scabal showroom. The blazer continues to polarise social media (most people are for it) and generate comments from everyone from broadsheet style observers to former breakfast TV presentations.

‘You’re supposed to be a steely-eyed assassin with exemplary sartorial taste, Mr Craig…. not an Austin Powers tribute act,’ quipped a predictably pugnacious Piers Morgan on Twitter. You can’t pay for this sort of PR. Well, you can. Omega did. But Scabal didn’t.

“We even got a mention in The Sunday Times,” says Goldberg. “That jacket has generated enquires from across the world.”

If you’ve never heard of Scabal, whose teal-coloured flag flutters midway down Savile Row, between the maroon ensign of better-known Huntsman & Son’s, and the orange insignia of tailoring disruptors Cad & The Dandy, there’s a reason for that. For much of the company’s 83-year history, Scabal, which was established and is still headquartered in Brussels (‘Scabal’, pronounced ‘ska-ball,’ is an acronym for Société Commerciale Anglo Belgo Allemande Luxembourgeoise), existed primarily as a textile provider, weaving fabrics from its Huddersfield-based mill and supplying them to some of the biggest names in fashion.

Tom Ford is a client. So, too, is Alfred Dunhill, Balenciaga, Burberry, Christian Dior and Saint Laurent. There are shelves in the office at the back of Scabal’s store labelled with the names of practically every other tailor on, and around, Savile Row. Scabal supplies them all.

“Scabal is the name you turn to when you’re looking for luxury fabric,” says Goldberg. “Not premium fabric, but proper, best-of-the-best luxury fabric.”

Scabal is something of a unicorn in menswear, in that it is both mill and merchant. Here’s how it usually works: English cloth merchants with names you’ve never heard of, unless you happen to be in the game yourself, purchase cloth from mills you’ve never heard of,

mostly based in Huddersfield (which is to textiles what Northampton is to shoes) in order to supply bigger-name brands, of which you probably will have heard (Tom Ford, et al.). Scabal, which acquired Huddersfield’s historic Bower Roebuck mill in 1973 (a year after it secured a shop front on Savile Row), is unique in that it is both weaver and merchant. Since 1989, the company has also produced clothes under its own label.

Some history. Scabal broke ground in 1974 by producing a wool made of super fine fibres. For more than a century, since the Industrial Revolution mechanised the weaving process, the finest fibres manufactured by any mill measured a width of around 18.75 micrometres (using today’s measurements); the finest wool fabrics, or wool-blend fabrics, becoming known as Super 100s, or S 100s.

Within 12 months of purchasing Bower Roebuck, Scabal had created the first Super 120 cloth from fibres measuring 17.75 micrometres thick, followed by fabrics known as S150s (16.25 micrometres), S180s (14.75 micrometres) and even S200s (13.75 micrometres).

“Our ‘Summit’ cloth is the finest and rarest worsted cloth on the planet,” says Goldberg. “A post-Super 200s cloth, it is made from 100 per cent wool and is so complex it took us four-and-a-half years to develop.”

On a shelf behind Goldberg, there is a black, leather-bound tome with the words ‘The Story of Scabal’ written down the spine. Daniel Craig, it turns out, wasn’t the first 007 to rock a suit cut from a fabric made by Scabal. In 1995 the company kitted out Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye. Scabal’s association with Hollywood, explains a chapter called ‘Scabal and the Silver Screen’, began in the 1970s when wardrobe departments in Hollywood (and on Broadway) began commissioning costumes for their stars. It was Scabal to whom legendary costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone turned when she was on the hunt for period-accurate suits for the protagonists of Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal The Godfather (1972). The outfits worn by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) and Sonny Corleone (James Caan) were all made from Scabal cloth. The film, and its suits, earned Hill Johnstone an Academy LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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Award nomination.

Scabal’s relationship with Martin Scorsese started with Casino (1995).

The epic Las Vegas crime drama sees mob-affiliated hotel kingpin Sam Ace Rothstein (Robert de Niro) wear more than 40 outfits. To ensure an accurate portrayal of changing fashions over the timeline of the film, which spans from the early 70s to the mid-80s, Scabal provided Scorsese’s costume guys with access to its design archives. The company has since assisted Scorsese with outfits for Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Back on Savile Row, an ex-Arsenal football player walks into the store, which sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s not.

The former central midfielder (clue: he’s currently the club’s technical director) begins feeling his way through a selection of polo shirts and suede jackets. These days, Scabal makes more than just suits.

Tommy Raban, Scabal’s quick-witted,

Scabal has assisted Leonardo DiCaprio with outfits in Titanic, The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street

snappily-dressed showroom manager, banters the Arsenal man around the shop.

What did Raban think of Craig’s bright pink jacket? “I loved it mate, the whole point of beautiful tailoring and cloth is the freedom of expression.”

Do you get a lot of famous people in here? “We do. Beckham, Tom Hiddleston, Lionel Richie. Although every face is famous. It’s important to recognise everyone in the same way – everyone who wears Scabal becomes an ambassador.”

Spoilt as I am, Raban offers to make me a jacket. With Craig’s riotous rig-out still plastered on my mind, I opt for a six-bytwo, double-breasted blazer of my own – although in a more multipurpose coffeecoloured cotton. I’ll need a dark brown tie.

Raban takes my measurements, asks what lapels I’d like (the Edward-Nutter-type please, because I’ve always wanted a blazer with cartoon-wide lapels and you can’t seem to find them on the High Street), asks me to select from a collection of buttons (those dark mother of pearl ones look good), passes me a bunch book of linings (I go for a pink-and-blue paisley, which I think kind of works, maybe) and says “come and collect it in four weeks’ time”.

When I do, the jacket is a little tight under the arms, which, Raban explains, might be because Scabal’s house style is to have higher-than-typical armholes. There’s also the fact that I’ve just returned from a honeymoon heavy on the paella. “No trouble,” says Raban, whipping out his tape measure, too polite to point out the extra timber. “Go away and come back in a few days’ time.” Scabal’s clothes are cut and assembled in Portugal, but alterations and finishes are done on the Row. When I return, Raban is flicking through one of the company’s velvet bunch books. Craig’s cloth isn’t in there.

It belongs to an older bunch. This time, my blazer, which, in fairness, looks exactly as I’d pictured it from the bunch book, is inch perfect. Raban says he wants to get a replica of Craig’s jacket made for Scabal’s window. Goldberg isn’t keen. He only has 30 metres of the stuff left. “Plus,” he says, disappearing out the door to dispatch another day’s fabric orders to the surrounding streets, “you’ll just nab it and wear out on the town.”

12 Savile Row, W1S, scabal.com

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“

IT R E A L LY WA S NOW OR NEVER

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T W E N T Y Y E A R S A F T E R W I N N I N G A C AT WA L K C O M P E T I T I O N O N B R E A K FA S T T E L E V I S I O N , A N D S E V E N Y E A R S A F T E R A B LO C K B U S T E R C O L L A B O R AT I O N

W I T H M A R K S & S P E N C E R , D AV I D G A N D Y D E B U T S H I S O W N L I N E O F E V E R Y D AY, WEAR-ANYWHERE (OK, NOT ANYWHERE) ESSENTIALS

Words: Richard Brown

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avid Gandy is overly apologetic for arriving just a couple of minutes late to his thirdfloor studio in central Soho. But given the month he’s had – back-to-back press appointments, hospital check-ups, meetings with investors, investees, collaborators and, now, colleagues – and the weeks that lay ahead – next month will mark the culmination of an almost decade-long dream, a project into which the 41-year-old has poured “tireless hours, blood, sweat and sometimes tears” – you can hardly blame the Essex-born model-turned-entrepreneurthough-still-very-much-in-demand-model for running two minutes out of whack.

Even by his own pre-pandemic standards – “50 or 60 flights a year, probably” – David Gandy has been busy. And things won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

Not only is the world’s only true male supermodel – interviews always describe him as ‘one of the world’s top male supermodels…’ but, go on, name another truly international, truly renowned, still-at-itsince-the-early-noughties male supermodel… yeah, exactly – about to launch his first ownlabel clothing line – a 20-piece anthology of accessibly-priced, gender-neutral sweats, tops, loungewear and pyjamas (the who, what and where you can buy of which later) – Gandy is also expecting his second child with barrister partner-of-five-years Stephanie Mendoros, like ANY! MINUTE! NOW! (Their daughter, Matilda, turned three in November.)

“Sorry if my phone goes off, mate, but I might have to answer this one.” (We were safe. The couple welcomed their second

daughter the following week.)

There’s more. A double-height headache-of-an-extension to his new home in Richmond. Gandy and Mendoros swapped Fulham for the Royal Park in November last year. At first, officials from the Mortlake with East Sheen Society attempted to block the annexe on the grounds that it was unsympathetic to the original 1920s building. Mendoros had to go in and win them over.

“Yeah, the ‘project’ as I call it, big undertaking. I’ve done up houses before but this is the big one, the compromise between the country and the city. The ‘forever’ London home. We were looking at Barnes or Putney and then we found this.

It’s a building of townscape merit, so we’re having to be careful.”

A new home. A new business. His own business! But no more old cars.

Gandy’s just sold the Mercedes 190sl that he spent years renovating. “I did up the XK120 Jag, I finished the Porsche 356, that’s it.” No more cars. Except! During lockdown Gandy became addicted to CollectingCars.com. “Which is dangerous.”

And also WatchCollecting.com. “Even more dangerous.” But, no, no more cars. For now, it’s all about clothes.

“This is it; this has 100 per cent of my attention.”

A reminder of how we got here: In 2001, while studying for a marketing degree at the University of Gloucestershire, Gandy’s friends entered him into a modelling competition on ITV’s This Morning. The six-foot-three, 21-year-old rugby-playing county-cricketer – life didn’t so much give Gandy lemons as pineapples from the Lost Gardens of Heligan – ended up winning, securing a contract with Select Model Management. Which this year makes it exactly 20 years in the biz. Which means I probably should have asked him something profound about two decades in the game.

But I hadn’t done the maths so I ask the infinitely less profound question of how he kept himself sane during the early stages of the pandemic.

“I spent the first lockdown at my motherin-laws in Yorkshire. I played with Matilda and took the dog for a walk and cooked pies and worked on the land and built fences... Whatever it is you’re doing, you Google it or YouTube it and there’s always a demonstration of some sort.”

A lot of people love routine. Gandy is not one of those people. “I was used to having different things happening every day. I had to get used to waking up and doing the same thing.” Not that he was ever bored. In fact, he enjoyed the downtime. “To be honest, mate, it allowed me to have a few months off.” Not off, off.

There were still meetings, almost every day.

Zoom calls with the crews at the London Sock Co., in which Gandy has invested, and the Larry King Hair Care brand, which he founded with his favourite stylist.

“But no one was travelling, no one was really doing anything. It was a bit like that week after Christmas and before New Year, when virtually everyone around the world is doing nothing.”

Has he spent more or less time on his phone over the past 18 months? “There was no real point of going on social media, because no one was really doing anything. I was on my phone but not on social media.

I’m emailing, I’m using it for business.”

And then: “I heard a psychologist talking about how our phones impact us without us even realising it. Before social media, before mobile phones, we’d wake up and we’d read a paper. But it was a paper that we knew we liked, whose views we tended to agree with. We’d read the sport and we’d be relaxed. Now, as soon as you look at your phone, something annoys you. You look at Instagram and you think ‘what’s that person up to?’ You look at Twitter and you’re confronted with all these views. Straight away you’re annoyed by something and you leave the house and you carry that on into the day.”

Rewind. Early work consisted mostly of look-books for obscure German designers and campaigns for high-street names including H&M, Massimo Dutti, Gant and Zara. Then, in 2006, Gandy’s husky-blue irises and gym-toned torso caught the attention of the fragrance team at Dolce & Gabbana. They cast him in a pair of tightwhite budgie-smugglers, dumped him in an inflatable dinghy in Capri and asked Mario Testino to capture the red-hot result for its Light Blue eau de toilette campaign. “I’m still shooting for them, 15 years on.”

The Marks & Spencer thing became an even bigger thing. In 2014, Gandy modelled and part-designed a line of underwear, loungewear and swimwear for the then-asnow hag-ridden retailer that developed

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“Look, I love dressing in a suit, I love tailoring.

But am I an expert in tailoring? No”

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into one of the company’s best-selling lines. “I think we sold a pair of swim shorts every minute until they sold out.” Ever since then Gandy has dreamt of putting his name to a line of affordable, premium-quality essentials of his own.

And so to the pandemic – “if it wasn’t for Covid, I’m not sure whether Wellwear would exist” – and to the if-not-now-thenwhen epiphany – “it really was now or

Heritage Cap in khaki, £35

Shawl-collar sweater in off-white, £70

Ultimate crew T-shirt in burgundy, £30

never” – and some soft fabrics and some hard graft and to being two minutes late to his third-floor studio in central Soho.

So, why sweats and tees? Why not double-breasted blazers and pleated flannel trousers? Like the outfit Gandy is wearing today (with brown double monk shoes). The stuff he’s always photographed wearing. That old-world, Savile Row look that’s become his calling card.

“Look, I love dressing in a suit, I love tailoring. But am I an expert in tailoring? No. If I want to know about tailoring, I’ll go to Luke [Sweeney] and Tom [Whiddett] at Thom Sweeney. Or Simon [Cundey] at Henry Poole [& Co]. The credentials behind Wellwear go back to what I did with M&S. When I went back to the basics of learning about everything from fabrics to factories, lead times, marketing, learning the process of developing a line. We wanted to take those credentials and produce a better product, to improve the customer services end.

Bring in more style credentials without scaring the buyers. We knew there was demand there from what we did with M&S – it would have been silly to then have gone in a completely different direction.”

Suddenly it’s autumn and Gandy is keen to get the thing off the ground.

The thing he’s wanted to do for almost a decade. The thing he’s always said he wanted to do whenever feckless lifestyle hacks asked that feckless end-of-interview question: ‘What next for David Gandy?’

(Who me? No, never.)

Oxytocin. That’s the hormone that gives us that warm-and-fuzzy feeling. Our bodies release it whenever a soft material rubs against our skin. “So everything had to be super soft.” So T-shirts and sweatshirts and polo shirts and joggers and hoodies and PJs in black, white, off-white, grey, navy, burgundy and khaki in spongy pima cotton, elastic organic lyocell and squishy semi-synthetic modal. Some of it antiodour. Some of it anti-bacterial. Some of it containing Aloe Vera plant extract. All of it produced in Portugal.

“This is the core, this is where we needed to start, and this is where I believe a men’s core should start – getting the essentials right, and then on top of that you can build.”

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the office. Not that he imagines anyone “rocking up to work in a pair of tracksuit bottoms.” Or that he thinks that tailoring is done. “People are saying that the suit is dead – that’s crap.” Just that he thinks that men have learned to adapt. “The formal uniform, as in tie, shirt and a suit for work, people are experimenting with that, things are getting more relaxed.” Everyone always wants essentials. “Essentials aren’t going anywhere.”

Every detail, says Gandy, rifling through rails, pointing out the position of pockets, the style of collars, the depth of necklines, is the result of 20 years in fashion. Of 20 years of trying on other people’s clothes. “I can’t say we bought a load of stuff in and said we want that, exactly, but, you know, you borrow certain style elements.” Of something he remembers. “The pocket on the heritage sweatshirt is a pocket I remember from a Double RL T-shirt that I absolutely loved.” Of something he owns.

Like the £99 Private White V.C. T-shirt he’s wearing today. Wellwear does something similar for £30. Of something he’s always wanted but never been able to find. “The perfect scoop-neck tee!” Wellwear’s stab costs £35.

Teaser shots from the campaign, which Gandy co-cast, co-directed and co-stars in, started dropping last month, ahead of the collection’s digital direct-to-consumer drop on DavidGandyWellwear.com. On launch day, Gandy jokes, half-jokes, he’ll be locked to Google Analytics watching user numbers fluctuate and anxiously tracking sales figures.

And then it will be done. And maybe the collection will fly or maybe it will flop or most likely sales will spike and then they’ll fall and then they’ll climb, slowly, to who knows where. But for now, David Gandy is happy because he has finally put his name to a collection of clothes that were designed and re-designed, and manufactured and remanufactured, until he got precisely what he wanted.

“This is the first project that I’ve had 100 per cent complete control of. There’s not one piece here that I could say ‘hmmm that wasn’t quite right’. Everything was produced exactly how I imagined it. I’ve had tunnel vision to get this sorted – and now, finally, we’ve done it.” davidgandywellwear.com

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Escape TO STRIVE, TO SEEK, TO FIND...

Unlike Verbier and St Moritz, Gstaad has not succumbed to over-development (p.122)

114 Ski News The Alpine chalets opening their doors this winter 122 Where Time Gstaads Still Why the old-world resort is still Switzerland’s best 128 Island Revival Barbados is celebrating both its sovereignty and the return of tourism

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THIS SEASON’S CHICEST ALPINE OPENINGS Words: Imogen Lepere

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ULTIMA COURCHEVEL BELVÉDÈRE, COURCHEVEL 1750, FRANCE If Courchevel is the glamorous poster girl of French ski resorts, the Belvédère is the defining pout that has made her career.

Situated just above Courchevel proper on the edge of the La Rosière forest and in the famous Vallée Ensoleillée (which snags the most hours of sunlight per day in the area), this hamlet offers the ultimate skiing luxury: the ability to ‘ski in, ski out’ of your hotel. Ultima Courchevel is the most luxurious of its many glossy addresses. Made up of 13 chalets, it offers guests the chance to combine the exclusivity of a private rental with the facilities of a hotel. In practice, this means two spas offering personalised treatments, a hammam, outdoor jacuzzi and an enormous team – including ski instructors and butlers – on hand to anticipate your every whim. As one would expect from an Ultima Collection resort, no expense has been spared in crisp, contemporary interiors: Italian nubuck leather, bronze mantelpieces and Chesterfield leather headboards combine to create a sense of timeless sophistication. Soaking in a sunken tub amid oceans of black marble while the sun catches the powdery mountain peaks is reason enough to visit. And then there’s the small matter of Courchevel’s 600 kilometres of lift-linked pistes to explore. ultimacollection.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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CHALET LA FENICE, CERVINIA, ITALY The romance of early climbing pioneers with their heavy boots and tweed outfits attempting the Italian side of the Matterhorn may now be a distant memory in Cervinia, but a modern resort has risen like a phoenix from those early beginnings. Perched just above the town, Chalet La Fenice (meaning ‘the phoenix’, see what we did there) has also undergone a reinvention thanks to its new British owners. Its 1936-built stone exterior, married with traditional alpine wood interiors, provides a pleasingly traditional feel. Add a new level of luxurious finish, with Italian touches in seven suites, elegant living areas, a spa and a private cinema, and you have one of the Alps’ most spectacular new retreats. Located at the end of the Aosta valley, Cervinia lies at high altitude and therefore offers a reliably long snow season. Particularly suited to the intermediate skier, thanks to its wide, sunny slopes, more expert skiers can easily connect with nearby Zermatt. If gourmet food cooked by a dedicated chef and an extensive wine cellar don’t do too much damage, the call of the Matterhorn is still there for daring climbers. chaletlafenice.com

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KEMPINSKI PALACE, ENGELBERG, SWITZERLAND If the film Midnight in Paris – where Owen Wilson time travels to the most romantic eras – were reimagined as a hotel, it would look something like this. Housed in an elaborate Belle Époque pile with a bar that channels the Roaring Twenties through Art Deco inspired fittings and lashings of champagne, this luxurious hotel is a visual feast. Its historic atmosphere is authentic: the grande dame of the Alpine village of Engelberg, it originally opened its doors in 1904 as the Grandhotel Winterhaus and was reportedly the first building in Switzerland to boast central heating. After five years of work, it reopened this summer with a sympathetic extension and top-floor spa, where you can do laps of an infinity pool while soaking in mountainbacked panoramas. The Titlis Glacier’s 82 km of slopes are within easy reach and the season lasts from October to May, making it the longest in the country. The Titlis to Engelberg run is the longest downhill option, covering a thrilling 12km from an altitude of 2,000m. kempinski.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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LE K2 CHOGORI, VAL D’ISERE, FRANCE With comfortable but unfussy accommodation and a mind-boggling selection of slopes easily accessible from the village, ‘Val’ as it’s known to its friends has always been a no-nonsense resort for serious skiers. However, this recent opening from the sophisticated Le K2 Collection on the site of what was once the sticky-floored Moris Pub is ushering in a new era of Courchevel-style luxury. Its 21 bedrooms seduce with luxurious gold headboards and views over the 17thcentury Saint-Bernard-de-Menthon church, while burnt red fabrics and Tibetan objets d’art lend a modern cosiness to communal areas.

The hotel’s trump card is destination Peruvian restaurant, L’Altiplano 2.0, which serves a sunshiney menu of meats seared on a Japanese grill, aromatic ceviche and well-spiced wok dishes.

For all its glossiness, this hotel is a true family affair, which only adds to the warm atmosphere.

Husband and wife founders Philippe and Suzanne are often present, their son, Thomas, designed the interiors and their daughter, Emily, is a vivacious maître d’. Elsewhere in the resort, a new ski touring trail starting from near the Vonnette lift gives energetic types the opportunity to walk up the mountain carrying their skis before skiing back down, while the snowpark on the far side of Bellevarde remains one of the best in the Alps, with more than 40 obstacles.

lek2chogori.com

IMAGES CAPEZZONE ARCHITECTURE

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BERGWELT GRINDELWALD, SWITZERLAND When a ruddy-cheeked Winston Churchill scrambled to the top of Wetterhorn Mountain in 1894, he must have looked down at the Alpine village of Grindelwald and thought longingly of the Romeo y Julieta cigar he would smoke that night. After a satisfying day’s skiing in Grindelwald, you can do the same in Bergwelt Grindelwald’s The Other Club cigar bar, where you can take your pick from more than 500 fine smokes to enjoy by a flickering fire.

Smoking not your thing? The outdoor pool or indoor spa may soothe at the end of a long day on the slopes. The

Grindelwald has all one can expect from a top resort: a traditional Swiss chalet on the outside, inside it’s a comforting combination of sleek Swiss wood combined with velvet-clad furniture and touches of tartan. The Eiger (at over 13,000 ft) boasts the biggest north face in the Alps and is the backdrop to each room’s balcony view. Marcus G. Lindner’s grill fires up a satisfying choice of Alpine sharing plates, while the bar mixes a mean Negroni. It’s the perfect recipe for a ski base. bergwelt-grindelwald.com

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WHERE TIME G STAA D S S T I L L OF ALL OF SWITZERLAND’S GLITZY SKI RESORTS, L O W - K E Y G S TA A D R E M A I N S T H E J E W E L I N T H E C R O W N

“I

am convinced that the time will come when hundreds of Englishmen will come to Switzerland for the ‘ski’-ing season”, wrote Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, having discovered the joys of the winter sport in Davos in 1893.

One resort that earned a reputation as a playground for the rich and famous in the century that followed, having hosted the likes of Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1960s and 70s, was the picturesque village of Gstaad.

“Gstaad is the last paradise in a crazy world,” claimed Dame Julie Andrews, who has had a chalet in the Bernese resort for more than 40 years. In 2014, the English actress was awarded honorary citizenship of Saanen, the municipality to which Gstaad belongs, for contributions to the local community. At one end of town, there’s a bronze statue of a duck sitting in front of water fountain by Andrews’ late husband, the sculptor Blake Edwards.

Unlike Switzerland’s other famous pleasure resorts – Verbier, Zermatt and St Moritz – Gstaad has retained a relatively low profile. While larger neighbouring towns have succumbed to over-development, Gstaad has managed to retain its old-world charm.

The village has a permanent population of less than 10,000, and apart from the turreted Gstaad Palace (built in 1913), is mostly a collection of low-rise wooden chalets dotted around a pretty, partly-pedestrianised main street.

Agriculture is still a major industry, with 200 operating farms and 80 working alpine pastures. Only carefully-curated businesses are allowed to operate here,

Words: Rowena Marella-Daw

including a smattering of designer boutiques and a pub located in a former cowshed. A fire engulfed the village in 1898, destroying almost half of Gstaad’s town centre. Fortunately, historic buildings, including the Posthotel Rössli (1845), the town’s oldest hotel, and the ancient area around Chesery Square, were spared.

In 1957, American-born violin protégé Yehudi Menuhin founded the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, which has been held here for the previous 64 years.

In the 60s and 70s, it attracted notable names including Maurice Chevalier, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Marlene Dietrich.

The ski season in Gstaad, as with other Swiss ski resorts, has to wait until the cows come home. Yes, Swiss cows do come home – at the end of summer, to be exact, after having spent months grazing on vertiginous pastures. Their annual descent,

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or Alpabzug, is a much-awaited spectacle celebrated every September. It’s hard to miss, when an army of cows can be heard miles away, huge bells around their necks ringing in discordance. The parade draws a crowd of locals as it eventually makes its way through the village promenade.

Early-bird skiers begin hitting the slopes at the end of October and the season lasts until the beginning of May. The ski areas of Wispile and Rinderberg are connected by 61 cable cars, providing access to 250km pistes and cross-country trails, sledge runs, snow parks and winter hiking. The famous Glacier 3,000 is easily accessible and extends the ski season into mid-summer for those willing to make the journey.

Non-skiers need not feel left out. There is 162km of snow hiking terrain, 10 winter biking trails and 70km of snow-shoeing trails. Families have access to six toboggan runs spanning almost 30km, and an ice rink in the middle of the village.

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ULTIMA GSTAAD A two-minute drive from the village centre is Ultima Gstaad, the first property in the Ultima Collection – an anthology of ultra-luxury homes and hotels that teams up with the One Tree Planted initiative to plant one tree, per night, for each of its guests. Co-founded by entrepreneurs Byron Baciocchi and MaxHervé George, the Collection now boasts chalets in Megève and Courchevel, as well as properties in Corfu and Cannes – yet it is the company’s original lodgings in Gstaad, opened in 2016, that remain its halo residences.

The hotel is split between three wooden chalets, which contain 11 spacious suites, six private residences with open-plan kitchens and balconies, two bars and a new-for-winter-2021/22 restaurant.

In keeping with architectural restrictions, Ultima Gstaad looks much like your typical wooden Swiss chalet.

Traditional and unpretentious from the outside, it’s another story entirely on the

inside. A Baccarat chandelier dangles from the lobby’s mirrored ceiling, while specially-curated artworks, which change each season, line the walls.

“Our mission is to surprise our guests at every turn, especially the most loyal of them,” says Baciocchi. In the past, a Richard Orlinski gorilla stood at the property’s entrance. During my visit, a Baby Grand piano made of glass took pride of place in the lobby.

Much of the furniture inside Ultima, which was named Switzerland’s best ‘Luxury Boutique Retreat’ at the 2019 World Luxury Hotel Awards, was made exclusively for the property. There’s bronze mantelpieces, Italian nubuck leather on the walls, and Albanian granite in the bathrooms. I was lucky enough to stay in a spacious master bedroom in a three-bedroom residence, where soft textures of velvet and silk furnishings contrast with bold glass-andchrome fixtures.

Gstaad has no shortage of fine restaurants, but if you’re staying in one of

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Ultima’s residences, the hotel will happily arrange for a chef to prepare dinner from your own open-space kitchen.

The Ultima’s 800 sqm spa and pool area is something from tomorrow’s world; its black-marble walls and floating metallic spheres making swimming a surreal experience. There’s a large outdoor whirlpool, a snow shower and various cosy lounge areas into which to collapse. The spa has partnered with premium Swiss skincare brand Swiss Perfection to provide a range of treatments – I can personally recommend the cryotherapy facial, which leaves your face invigorated and restored.

Privacy is a luxury these days, and Gstaad is a sanctuary where anonymity, not fame, is valuable currency. If this Swiss village is the last paradise in a crazy world, then Ultima will rejuvenate you in time for your return to the mad house.

From CHF 550 (£434) per night for a junior suite; residences from CHF 1,300 (£1,026) per night, ultimacollection.com

U N RIVALLE D

A S T R AV E L L E R S B E G I N S AT I S F Y I N G T H E I R S T I F L E D WA N D E R L U S T, L U X U R Y C R U I S E L I N E R E G E N T S E V E N S E A S C R U I S E S ® P R E PA R E S TO LAUNCH ITS MOST IMPRESSIVE VESSEL YET

T

ravellers choose cruising for various reasons. For some, it is the perfect way to explore the farthest flung corners of the world. For others, it is the particular brand of luxury that appeals. More often than not, it is a combination of both that draws people in, and Regent Seven Seas has spent more than 30 years perfecting the balance.

Nowhere is this more evident than on-board Regent Seven Seas’ newest vessel, Seven Seas Grandeur™. The third ship in the line’s Explorer class is set to launch in November 2023, cruising 17 voyages in the Caribbean and Mediterranean ranging from seven

to 16 nights in length. In the interest of space, it will host only 750 guests, which amounts to amongst the highest spaceto-guest ratio in the industry.

The ship will offer 15 suite categories, ranging from the Regent Suite – adorned with the highest quality textiles and hand-selected furnishings and featuring a glass-enclosed ‘parlour’ – to the entry-level Veranda Suites, which boast up to 34 sqm of space, including a 10 sqm balcony.

Seven Seas Grandeur’s™ interiors, designed by award-winning Studio DADO, take aesthetic styling to new heights. This is particularly true of Compass Rose, the ship’s signature LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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restaurant: guests will be greeted by a cascading waterfall sculpture before stepping inside, where a canopy of interwoven crystal-and-wood trees arch overhead and views of the ocean are offset by verre eglomisé murals.

The menu promises to be just as creative, allowing guests to curate their own exquisite dining experience.

They’ll be able to choose between main courses like Black Angus filet mignon, New Zealand lamb chops, and Maine lobster tail. Other restaurants on-board will include the Prime 7 Steakhouse and French eatery Chartreuse, which takes design inspiration from 1920s Paris.

Guests will also enjoy an Observation

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PROMOTION

LUXURY

Lounge – an exciting space where they can watch the sun set with cocktails under an Art Nouveau-inspired chandelier.

The only thing that can enhance the experience of travelling across the Atlantic to some of the world’s most awe-inspiring locations is doing it in the style, comfort and luxury of a cruise ship.

And, from providing inclusive unlimited shore excursions, to the most premium beverages, few will do it better than Seven Seas Grandeur™.

Reservations for Seven Seas Grandeur™ can be made now. For more information, please visit RSSC.com, call +44 (0) 2380 682140 or contact a professional travel advisor.

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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 M A R K E D T H E 5 5 TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE IN BARBADOS – AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW REPUBLIC. WITH THE COUNTRY F I N A L LY O F F T H E U K ’ S R E D L I S T, THERE’S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE C E L E B R ATO R Y M O O D R I D I N G T H R O U G H T H E I S L A N D N AT I O N O N T H E B E LT OF ITS BALMY TRADE-WIND BREEZE

Words: Lauren Romano

W

hen prime minister Mia Mottley swept to power in 2018 with the largest majority in Barbadian history, she decided to set about cutting the country’s lingering colonial ties. For the first time since declaring independence from the UK in 1966, Barbados will replace the Queen as head of state with the island’s governor-general, Dame Sandra Mason, who is due to be sworn into office on 30 November.

Change, too, is in the air beyond parliamentary buildings. After a year that decimated the tourism sector – which accounts for around 40 per cent of GDP here – travellers are once again touching down.

Many of them are regulars who return season after season; and it’s not difficult to see why.

The sun-drenched, sugar-cane studded speck of an island might be on the small side – it only takes one hour to drive the length of the country – but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in personality.

Barbados has a big heart: one the beats to the rhythm of carefree calypso beats. As the birthplace of rum, life is savoured slowly, much like the syrupy smooth liquor served at the island’s cluster of convivial cocktail shacks.

At this time of year, the weather hits heights of 30 degrees and a constant breeze blows thanks to the trade winds, one of the lengthiest uninterrupted passages of wind on the planet, which carry Saharan dust to Barbados’ coral shores. Then, of course, there are the beaches – all 80 of them – which ring the coastline in a stencil of rose-tinged, alabaster sand.

According to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Barbados is the most revisited island in the West Indies, with as many as 40 per cent of visitors returning. Hardly surprising given the fact that LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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Keen divers can head in search of the subterranean shipwrecks scattered up and down the west coast many of the country’s hotels have a knack for delivering that elusive home-from-home familiarity.

And none more so than Coral Reef Club.

There’s an easy, understated glamour to the place, situated in Saint James on the western reaches of the island. Run by the O’Haras for more than 50 years (Budge and Cynthia O’Hara came on honeymoon here in 1952 and never left) the family are the ultimate hosts, and continue to welcome guests to their villa for cocktails every Monday night – as they have done since 1960.

Charming, old-school hospitality aside, it’s the serene setting that keeps guests coming back.

Ensconced in 12 acres of lush tropical gardens, where humming birds dart between boughs, and overlooking a sparkling bay, Coral Reef Club exudes a sense of tranquillity and an easy, understated luxury.

There are 88 rooms, cottages and villas dotted about, decked out with tactile wicker furniture, canopy beds, coral stone walls and a calming palette of white, cream and pops of blue that echo the sapphire seas. To make the most of the panoramic views, book one of the

Plantation Suites, which come with an open sun deck and a plunge pool.

At the time of writing, there’s still a curfew in place in Barbados but now only from the hours of midnight to 5am so, it doesn’t mean early nights. At Coral Reef Club, the sounds of calypso, reggae and jazz surf on the breeze nightly from the open-air bar. The hotel’s Thursday evening barbecues are particularly legendary – think freshly-caught fish lining the racks together with a side order of limbo dancing.

Shake off your sore head (and back) the next morning with a gentle stroll through the bountiful tropical grounds. Bougainvillea, frangipani and mahogany trees line the way to the sea, where you can seek shade under the spindly, spaghetti-like fronds of casuarina that fringe the beach.

You won’t be able to resist the crystal clear waters for long, and there’s a whole host of water sports to help while away the hours, from kayaking to paddle boarding and snorkelling.

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the west coast (the bioluminescent water makes for perfect night diving), while anyone interested in conservation can sign up to volunteer at the Barbados Sea Turtle Project next door.

Outside the hotel grounds, there are bustling markets, 17th century plantation houses and underground caverns dripping with stalactites to explore. You could pay a visit to St Nicholas Abbey, a Jacobean-style mansion turned rum distillery, or play a round of golf at the Royal Westmoreland championship course nearby. Or you could just stay put at Coral Reef Club and unwind at the spa, complete with an outdoor hydro pool and shaded cabanas for posttreatment relaxation.

The winds of change might be stirring in Barbados but some things remain the same. The country has always known how to enjoy itself and make visitors feel at home. If in doubt, say yes to that rum punch, and you’ll ease into the spirit of island life in no time at all.

Rates start from $530 (approx. £390) per night, including breakfast and taxes, coralreefbarbados.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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MIDDLEEIGHT.COM

A LIFESTYLE LUXURY HOTEL NEAR COVENT GARDEN, LONDON

Come and be yourself In music, a middle eight injects variety into a song.

It lifts the composition by changing key or tempo.

Our hotel does the same. It adds to the vibrant, bustle of Covent Garden and offers something new and exciting yet still defines the neighbourhood.

For those who love individuality, expect luxury and care about how it’s delivered.

66 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5BX T: +44 (0) 20 7309 9300 | hello@middleeight.com

middleeight.com

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INTO THE GREEN

A BRAND NEW SHIP FROM CELEBRITY CRUISES O F F E R S C O M F O R T, I N N O VAT I O N A N D G R E E N C R E D E N T I A L S

C

elebrity Apex℠ is a vessel for lovers of the ocean. Not only is every on-board element geared to forging a connection with the sea, but it is also Celebrity Cruises’ most sustainable ship yet.

The ship is the second in Celebrity Cruises’ anticipated Edge® series, which was introduced in 2018 with the launch of Celebrity Edge® and possess a unique outward-facing design, allowing guests to feel intimately connected with the ocean.

And it doesn’t stop with design: Celebrity Cruises is constantly innovating ways to bring the outside in. The result? The incredible Magic Carpet®, the world’s first cantilevered, floating platform (featuring a full bar and space for live music) that reaches heights of 13 storeys above sea level.

The Edge® series also boasts The Retreat®, an experience exclusively for Suite Class guests that includes luxurious accommodations, the sanctuary of The Retreat Lounge and Sundeck, and

mouth-watering culinary experiences at Luminae restaurant.

Then there are the sustainable credentials of Celebrity Apex℠. It is the first in the fleet to use shore power – this means that the ship can use electricity from the local grid when docked in port, allowing the engines to be shut down. Its engines are also equipped with technology to remove up to 98 per cent of harmful emissions.

Celebrity Apex℠ boasts a parabolic ultra-bow – a hydrodynamic shape that results in fuel-savings – and more than 40 green initiatives, including allowing guests to earn rewards for reducing their carbon footprint. All of this will make the ship 39 per cent more efficient than the current IMO energy standard (EEDI) – the minimum energy efficiency that new ships are required to meet.

This is all in keeping with Celebrity Cruises’ mission. Last year, the luxury liner either met or exceeded all of its sustainability targets, established in LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and is now creating new, more ambitious targets.

The company’s commitment to protecting the oceans started long ago.

Save the Waves, its environmental foundation, has been going since 1992. It has also been supporting Oceanscope – a climate change research program – for 20 years, and has since partnered with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and destination management programs in the Caribbean. Indeed, destination stewardship – helping care for the places it cruises to – is a big part of Celebrity Cruises’ mission.

Celebrity Apex℠ is charting new territory in combining luxury and green credentials. With cruises around Europe planned for 2022 and 2023, this might just be the best solution to exploring the world with a clean conscience. celebritycruises.com/gb

MAKING THE

EXCLUSIVE, INCLUSIVE We are the official forum for the luxury property sector. An exclusive and carefully curated membership that facilitates the advancement of the industry through networking, developing strong business collaborations, shared knowledge, experience and contacts.

Join The Luxury Property Forum membership@theluxurypropertyforum.com or apply via our website www.theluxurypropertyforum.com

CGI Image courtesy of 77 Mayfair produced by V1

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

This six-bedroom Georgian mansion in Belsize Park, currently on sale with Aston Chase, has an extremely rich history (p.140)

136 Artist in Residence You can now stay in celebrity photographer Rankin’s penthouse 140 On the Market Homes with guest houses for sale now 144 Bright Ideas The interior trend injecting life into the season 146 Belgravian Nights Inside an Eaton Terrace townhouse

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ARTIST in

RESIDENCE

Rankin has turned his penthouse into an art gallery – and you can now stay there THE CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER SPENT LOCKDOWN TRANSFORMING HIS THREE-BEDROOM KENTISH TOWN PROPERTY INTO P A R T - A R T - G A L L E R Y, P A R T - R E N T A L - L I V I N G - S P A C E

I

Words: Josh Sims

had a revelation over lockdown,” says photographer and art director John Waddell – better known by his middle name, Rankin. “I haven’t put my camera down for 30 years, and I thought lockdown would make me do so for a while. But it actually didn’t.

I picked it up all the time. It’s a cliché, but lockdown made me realise that I’d take photographs even if I wasn’t paid to do so – and that I can look at my own work and actually enjoy it.”

Ensconced in his country house in Suffolk, taking lots of pictures of his dogs (“I’m a bit obsessed”), lockdown also encouraged Rankin to reappraise a project he’d long put off – the much-delayed renovation of his 3,000 sq ft, three-bedroom penthouse in Kentish Town.

And so, with his professional life as a commercial photographer on hold due the pandemic, Rankin used the time to repurpose his London home of 12 years into a salon-cum-gallery-cum-event-space – one that you can now book to stay in overnight.

It’s a stepping stone towards the opening of a fullblown gallery space, says Rankin, as the penthouse will also display an exhibition of his personal work, with photography changing every three months.

The penthouse launches with a display titled An Exploding World – 25 dramatic images of dandelion seeds, shot by Rankin over lockdown. This will be followed in January by a selection of 200 portraits from Performance, a current project in partnership

with the Mayor of London and the Society of London Theatre, which sees Rankin document the recovery of the West End, and its stars.

“I love a deadline so having to create work to show in the penthouse has been a strong motivation,” says the 55-year-old. “I don’t ever put my own work up in my house because that just feels weird, but this is also about me trying to find new ways of exhibiting what I do.”

The penthouse, which has double-height ceilings and 180-degree views across London, from Hampstead Heath to the London Eye, was originally designed in 2008/9 by architect Trevor Horne and has now been

refreshed – with new flooring, white walls and display units featuring a series of flowers in bell jars – to provide more of a gallery feel.

That’s in keeping with Rankin’s preferred strippedback aesthetic, and is in line with a deal he made his wife when they moved in: that if he got to decorate the flat, she got to decorate their Georgian home in Suffolk, “which is more like a comfy country house – not that it’s sterile in the penthouse,” Rankin laughs.

“But I think she got the better deal.”

Rankin has also produced a number of experimental decorative and interior objects – plates

ALL IMAGES BY RANKIN PHOTOGRAPHY LTD

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“Artists have done this before and without much success – you have to get the taste level right”

and chairs, with perhaps mirrors, rugs and tables to follow. These may be developed into a commercial line in time for a retrospective of his work for Dazed & Confused magazine, initially planned for this year but now rescheduled to be shown in Belgium in 2023.

“Artists have done this before and without much success – you have to get the taste level right. You can’t just stick a photograph on an interiors object and assume it will sell,” says Rankin. “But I have a mug with David Bailey’s photo of the Kray twins on it which I love and use every day, so this is a way of dipping my toe into that kind of thing. For me, this whole project isn’t about creating some kind of Airbnb venture, but a multi-purpose space that might appeal to a certain type of person – like those who collect my work. For the moment, it will only be my own work on display.

It’s a Rankin experience.”

Rankin has only slept in the penthouse once since the renovation. “And it’s still a bit weird,” he laughs. “A lot of commercial photography is more craft – it’s something any good photographer might do for a client. But even if you’re using the same muscle, so to speak, your own work is your own ideas. There’s no audience in mind and that makes for a very different experience... I think lockdown helped me turn a corner in being able to make more of a deal of my own work. I look at it and now think to myself ‘yeah, I’d have that on my wall’.”

And now he actually does.

For more information on how to book Rankin’s penthouse, please email info@penthousesalon.co.uk LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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O N T H E M A R K E T:

HOMES WITH GUEST HOUSES

WHETHER IT’S A SUMMER HOUSE OR SELF-CONTAINED ANNEX, THESE STUNNING FOR-SALE PROPERTIES ALL HAVE GUEST ACCOMMODATION – GREAT NEWS IF YOU HAVE FAMILY VISITING OR LIVE-IN STAFF

HUN TERS LOD G E, BEL SI Z E PA R K

This magnificent Georgian mansion has an extremely rich history – although it was built in Gothic-revival style in 1810-1812, its origins date back to 1496 when Belsize House occupied the site. It housed the Dean of Westminster and Spencer Perceval, who became Prime Minister in 1809. In 1808 it was purchased and demolished by a wealthy City merchant, and Hunters Lodge was commissioned. Just over a decade ago, the current owners started a major refurbishment of the mansion, including a new build extension, the creation of a basement leisure floor and the restoration of the mews guest cottage. £17,500,000, astonchase.com LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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AV E N U E LO DG E, H A M CO M M O N , T W1 0

Avenue Lodge in Richmond is a Grade II-listed building built in 1734. Entering through timber gates, the property’s white rendered facade and regimented fenestration is revealed – all set within a walled plot of just under an acre, which is also home to a tennis court and indoor pool.

The period integrity extends inside, with a gorgeous fireplace and staircase. Particularly noteworthy is this Georgian gem’s lateral configuration – it is rare to find a property of more than 8,000 sq ft arranged over two levels. Also within the curtilage of Avenue Lodge is Avenue Cottage, a charming Dutch-gabled cottage built in 1679. £7,750,000, savills.com

THE STABLES, BEVERLEY L A N E, KT 2

This mansion wouldn’t look out of place in the wilds of Yorkshire, but is in fact nestled on a private plot in Kingston’s Coombe Hill. Despite a traditional appearance, The Stables, which covers a vast 10,067 sq ft, is a recent build with modern design.

Five bedrooms reside on the first floor (the principal bedroom is particularly special, featuring a grand octagonal bathroom with a vaulted ceiling), and a basement boasts a cinema, bar, gym and steam room/sauna. The thatched stables, distinct from the main house, have been converted into three oneand two-bedroom flats. £5,000,000, knightfrank.co.uk LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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IIlike likemy mypool poolkept keptat at26° 26° IIlike likemy mywine winekept keptat at12.7° 12.7° IIlike likemy myfloor floorkept keptat at21° 21°

For ForSales, Sales,Lettings Lettingsor orNew NewHomes Homesvisit visithamptons.co.uk hamptons.co.uk

LUXURY LONDON

F E AT U R E

BRIGHT IDEAS Styled by: Anna Solomon

T

he weather outside is frightful, etcetera.

But nothing is going to dampen our spirits this winter. The darker it gets, the brighter we go. Colour blocking is all the rage right now; we’re opting for simple, almost childish shades of red, blue, green and yellow, which, when paired with wooden textures and organic shapes, become the ultimate interior statement.

FL/Y ceiling light, £214, kartell.com

Zuiver reader floor lamp, £129, houseology.com

Aragoa table lamp, £1,450, williamyeoward.com

Umage audacious TV bench, £899, amara.com

Stories of Italy macchia napkin rings, £195, amara.com

Vivaraise fara cushion, £31, amara.com

Love handles vase, £340, anissakermiche.com

Reflections Copenhagen ophelia crystal tealight candle holders, £225, matchesfashion.com

Stories of Italy tumblers in blue & ivory, £160, conranshop.co.uk

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Classic panton chair, £1,220, conranshop.co.uk

Lettings | Sales | New Homes

Find your perfect home this winter with our team.

Speak to us on +44 (0)20 3932 1920

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LUXURY LONDON

HOMES & INTERIORS

PROPERTY OF THE MONTH

BELGRAVIAN NIGHTS A T R A D I T I O N A L W H I T E T O W N H O U S E O N E A T O N T E R R A C E I S S U R P R I S I N G LY M O D E R N I N S I D E . . .

W

hen it comes to Prime Central London, areas fall in and out of favour. Marylebone has a moment, homeowners flirt with Fitzrovia.

But Belgravia never goes out of style.

With its stucco townhouses, garden squares, and imposing embassies, Belgravia represents the pinnacle of what London has to offer. Besides elegant architecture, the distinguished postcode is home to antique shops, galleries, including the Osborn Studio Gallery, and designer brands like Hugo Boss and Beulah. Don’t forget the multiplicity of fine-dining establishments, upmarket delis, and quaint cafés, plus the iconic Peter Jones department store on Duke of York Square.

Belgravia is also a fantastic touchstone for travel, with a cohort of world class hotels in the area – soon to be joined by the Costes Hotel in Sloane Gardens – and superb transport links.

To the north lies Hyde Park, the largest of the four Royal Parks, encompassing 350 acres of green space

and the Serpentine lake and gallery.

To the south is Chelsea Barracks and Battersea Power Station Park, and to the west, South Kensington – home to The Natural History Museum, V&A, and Royal Albert Hall.

Given the cachet of the area, why someone would want to live here is a no-brainer. The only issue, therefore, is finding the perfect home in this soughtafter pocket of Westminster.

Luxury estate agent Hamptons has the solution, offering a 6,250 sq ft house on Eaton Terrace. This property resides in the heart of Belgravia, just a stone’s throw from Sloane Square.

The six-bedroom home is newly refurbished, and the result is spectacular.

A classic-yet-contemporary aesthetic is achieved by period features meeting cutting-edge design (the property comes with all contents, furniture, fixtures and fittings included).

In the reception room, for example, a traditional, French-style fireplace and LUXURYLONDON.CO.UK

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corniced ceiling contrast with mirrored and glass surfaces, which successfully steer the decor clear of anything too fusty or heavy-handed. A muted, cool colour palette of greys, blues and blacks achieve the same thing, with the result being a slice of modern design in this historic neighbourhood.

A lot of thought has gone into the layout at Eaton Terrace, which features an expansive principal bedroom suite plus a further five bedrooms, an extensive terrace, media room, gym, Jacuzzi, steam room and swimming pool. All principal rooms enjoy comfort cooling – technology which automatically creates comfortable temperatures for occupants – and the latest in-home automation is installed throughout.

If the lure of life in Belgravia has not yet convinced you, then this turnkey treasure in Eaton Terrace surely will. £23,000,000, Eaton Terrace, SW1, hamptons.co.uk

Lettings | Sales | New Homes

Find your perfect home this winter with our team.

Speak to us on +44 (0)20 3932 1920

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