Curator Feb/March

Curator W

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NAVIGATING GLOBAL LUXURY

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014

D Drink

A Accelerate

C Cruise

A Accelerate

Creating your own bottle of blended scotch over three days at The Dalmore distillery.

Lauge Jensen motorcycles are designed to express each customer's vision.

From helipads to depthadjusting pools, Oceanco yachts offer anything a client can imagine.

Ferrari's Tailor-Made program in Maranello, Italy, allows buyers to design their own car.

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Drink

What: THE DALMORE BESPOKE EXPERIENCE

A singular opportunity for single-malt connoisseurs.

The Dalmore distillery, which has been making single-malt whisky since 1839, sits on the northern shores of the Firth of Cromarty, deep in the Scottish Highlands. Whisky aficionados may now spend three days there creating a custom expression.

Visitors also have a range of options for the decanter, plaque, presentation box and stag finish. The experience includes tastings and the option to golf at the nearby Royal Dornoch Golf Club, fish in local rivers and tour the baronial Castle Leod as a guest of the Chief of the Clan Mackenzie. The trip includes first-class airfare, helicopter or chauffeured airport transfers and luxury accommodation at a private Highland estate.

Price: Starts at $250,000

PHOTOGRAPHY Š NEALE SMITH

Contact: Chris Watt, marketing director for North America, chris.watt@ thedalmore.com, 646.220.1906, thedalmore.com

1 Highly Selective

2 Long Standing

3 First Class

Under the guidance of master distiller Richard Paterson, guests select from the oldest and rarest stocks of any Highland malt to fill their bottles.

Casks at the Dalmore distillery date back to 1951.

The selection process is supplemented by tutored tastings.

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Accelerate

What: LAUGE JENSEN MOTORCYCLES

Bikes that are customized to the most specific detail.

Designer Uffe Lauge Jensen founded Lauge Jensen in Horsens, Denmark, in 2009. His dream? To build the finest custom motorcycles in the world. Anders Kirk Johansen, grandson of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen, bought the company three years later, intending to make it the world’s highest-end custom motorcycle manufacturer. Lauge Jensen doesn’t make stock motorcycles; it customizes each bike to fit a customer’s vision. One example is the tender designed to house the motorcycle on a yacht; when the motorcycle is in use, the carrier doubles as a bar.

1 Original

2 Detailed

3 Customized

The only stock items are the chassis and the engine. From there, the company’s designers discuss exactly what the customer wants, then execute drawings.

Once the general design is agreed on, the client and designer make specific decisions on issues such as colors, materials, finishes and special touches.

Next the designer creates a detailed rendering of the motorcycle, followed by a scale model. Once the scale model is approved, Lauge Jensen builds the motorcycle, a process that can take between 10 weeks and five months depending on the level of customization.

Price: From about $73,000 (€52,800) to about $898,000 (€650,000) (for the 24-karat gold edition covered in over 260 diamonds)

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Contact: Frank Troelsen, CEO, 45.7626.4000, laugejensen.dk

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Cruise

What: O C E A N C O YAC H TS

Custom-created superyachts for very particular owners.

Pool Parties In addition to its fiberglass pool, Nirvana has two whirlpools—one off the master suite and one atop the yacht, opposite the helipad.

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Based in the Netherlands and Monaco, yacht-builder Oceanco has a reputation for what marketing manager Michele Flandin calls “realizing the vision of owners.”

Those visions have ranged from a stabilized pool table to an onboard hospital wing to a pool that can convert into a helipad. Though Oceanco creates only yachts that are 80 meters and longer, the company designs every inch of seafaring space with the owner’s lifestyle in mind. Nirvana, seen here, is typical: To fulfill the owners’ passion for water sports, designer Sam Sorgiovanni created a 25-foot fiberglass pool (the largest aboard any Oceanco creation) that features an adjustable floor, to change water depth, and a variable jet stream that lets swimmers swim “laps” against the water resistance. Oceanco also stocked Nirvana with an array of sea toys, including two 36-foot tenders, six jet skis, four WaveRunners, a ski boat and diving equipment. “She’s a yacht that lives up to her name,” says Flandin.

Price: Varies Contact: Robert Tan, robertt@oceanco.com, 31.78.699.5399, oceancoyacht.com

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Built to Impress Nirvana has a range of over 5,000 nautical miles and room for 12 guests and 26 crew.

Entertain When guests tire from water recreation, they can relax in Nirvana’s lower-deck cinema, which offers a 3D projection screen, a popcorn machine and a library stocked with 3,600 movies.

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Explore

What: G L O B E -T R O T T E R L U G G A G E

Eye-catching travel gear from an admired London brand.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTIN EIDEMAK

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Origin Story Globe-Trotter makes its cases by hand in Hertfordshire, England, using original manufacturing techniques.

A Life in Letters Naturally, monogramming may be added.

Globe-Trotter, a company started in 1897 by an Englishman then living in Germany, maintains a list of illustrious former and current customers including Sir Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Edmund Hillary, who took a Globe-Trotter to Mount Everest base camp in 1953. But never mind the company’s storied heritage—today’s bespoke clients might more appreciate the range of colorful options at their disposal. They can select the trademark vulcanized fiberboard exterior panels, the handle, internal lining, lock, lipping and stitching detail and corners—all from a rainbow-like catalogue of hues and materials. The cases take about eight to 10 weeks to make.

Price: Available upon request

Contact: bespoke@globe-trotterltd.com, 44.207.529.5950, globe-trotter.com

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Accelerate

What: PRODUCTS DESIGNED FOR SPEED

Three ways to make your driving experience unique.

1 Ferrari Tailor-Made Those wanting to build a truly custom car don’t have a lot of options, but one great one is Ferrari’s Tailor-Made program, which gives buyers the opportunity to design their own vehicle at the company’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy. There, in Ferrari’s “Styling Centre,” customers select the template for their car from three categories: Classica, a modern take on the iconic GTs; Scuderia, which takes its design cues from Ferrari’s storied racing history; and Inedita, a more experimental aesthetic approach. Once the platform is chosen, Tailor-Made clients select from an array of traditional materials for the upholstery, such as suede and cashmere, or from more unorthodox ones, such as denim and carbon fiber.

Price: Varies Contact: 212.593.2080, ferrari.com

2 Vitallo Racing Shoes

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Inside and Out Other bespoke possibilities include the car's interior accessories and layout.

Surfacing Tailor-Made clients can select the exterior paint colors, finishes and cabin trim.

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Pilgrimage Ferrari invites Tailor-Made buyers to its headquarters in Maranello, Italy.

Michael Hackner, master shoemaker and part of the third generation at Vitallo, a family business, has always been a sports car enthusiast. With the Monoposto—a racing term for a single-seat race car— he combines his passions for fast cars and handcrafted shoes. By focusing on lightness, comfort and function, Hackner aims to create a shoe that makes wearers feel connected to their vehicle.

The process starts with clients’ measurements, taken using a foam kit that makes an imprint of their feet. Clients who can’t come to Hackner’s shop in Hilpolstein, Germany, receive the kit in the mail, along with a leather swatch selection of 18 different color and texture choices.

Once Hackner receives the foam imprint, he creates lasts, or threedimensional models, and then templates for the upper and lining of the shoe. He also fashions an inner sole made from the company’s “Climatocork,” which absorbs shocks and moisture and adds softness.

Hackner cuts the upper section and lining of the shoe from allergen-free leathers that will be formed around the lasts by hand to highlight the surface grains. Clients can create combinations of leathers and stitching colors to detail the shoes. From start to finish, the process takes about 10 weeks—slower than a fast car, but worth the wait.

3 L’ Atelier du Gantier Driving Gloves Christian and Chantal Canillac opened L’ Atelier du Gantier in Millau, a town in southern France renowned for two centuries of leather production, 25 years ago, but the husband and wife team were already part of an artisanal heritage: Chantal’s parents and grandparents were glove makers, while Christian was one of the last glove cutters trained in the 1980s using traditional methods.

Their process with customers begins with a discussion of style and color. Next, L’ Atelier takes hand measurements, and clients choose fabrics from an archive of colored leathers that are locally sourced and tanned. The measurements are translated into a pattern, while the leather is hand stretched in preparation to be cut.

Finally, a special machine cuts the gloves’ silhouettes onto the leather, and the pieces are stitched together by artisans experienced in the delicate corners of glove making.

Price: Starts at about $90 (€65) Contact: Lydie Peron, contact@atelierdugantier.

Price: The Monoposto starts at $2,400 Contact: Paul Gill, p.gill@vitallo.com, 646.535.0053, vitallo.com

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Dress

What: BESPOKE MENSWEAR

Process A bespoke piece from Dunhill requires at least three fittings and 10 to 12 weeks to finish.

Sweaters, shirts, umbrellas, shoes and overcoats.

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1 Q Clothier Raja Ratan’s family has been in the tailoring business for over 40 years, so it was perhaps inevitable that, after his graduation from the University of Texas and a brief stint as a financial consultant, Ratan would return to his roots: The 35-year-old opened his first custom tailoring shop, Q Custom Clothier, 11 years ago in Dallas.

Ratan’s bespoke sweater program begins with clients selecting Scottish-sourced cashmere from a variety of gauges, colors and patterns. They can even design an argyle pattern. After taking a client’s measurements, Ratan sends the information to Como, Italy, where his sweaters are handmade by artisans from a workshop owned by Italian menswear designer Baldassari. If the client requires any adjustments, there can be a second fitting. The process takes four to five weeks, and the sweater arrives in a special zippered bag to store and protect the garment.

Can’t get to Texas? Q Clothier has tailors across the country.

Appointments may be made online.

Price: Starts at $395 Contact: Raja Ratan, raja@qclothier.com, 214.780.9888, qcustomclothier.com

2 Dege & Skinner Shirts Established in 1865, Dege & Skinner is the only bespoke tailoring house on Savile Row to feature a permanent shirt-making department on the premises.

Master shirt-cutter Robert Whittaker and his apprentice, Tom Bradbury, cut all the shirts by hand after customers select from British, Swiss and Italian fabrics. Whittaker also travels to meet with his clients, visiting New York two times a year.

Turnaround time is eight weeks.

Price: Starts at about $320 (£195) per shirt, with a minimum order of four shirts Contact: Matthew Cowley, info@dege-skinner.co.uk, 44.20.7287.2941, dege-skinner.co.uk

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A Great Fit Dege & Skinner's bespoke shirt-cutter will take more than 20 measurements of a customer.

3 Maglia Francesco Umbrellas

4 Sebastian Tarek Bespoke Shoes

A fifth-generation family business now owned by brothers Francesco and Giorgio Maglia, this Milan company has been creating bespoke umbrellas in-house since 1854, tailoring the pieces to its clients’ preferences for shape, size, fabric weight, pattern, wood and leather for the handle. The fabrics for the umbrellas’ canopies—a blend of cotton, silk and wool, with Teflon applied for waterproofing—are created using a loom originally built to weave ties and scarves.

As a child in Sydney, Sebastian Tarek was inspired by Danny Kaye’s 1952 movie Hans Christian Andersen, whose storyteller is a shoemaker. Tarek went on to study at Cordwainers Technical College in London and later spent 10 years with two members of the prestigious West End Master Boot Makers Association. In 2010, he launched Sebastian Tarek Bespoke Shoes. His shoes are known for their minimalist, classic designs characterized by textured materials.

Price: Starts at about $700 Contact: Laura Garzoni Maglia, dittamaglia@inwind.it, 39.02.55.219.333, rellimaglia.it

Price: Shoes start at about $2,460 (£1,500); boots start at about $2,625 (£1,600) Contact: Sebastian Tarek, sebastian@ sebastiantarek.com, 44.78.7604.5234, sebastiantarek.com

5 Alfred Dunhill Bespoke Overcoat For a bespoke overcoat, Dunhill begins with a discussion of style: single or double breast? A tailor helps choose fabrics—Italian and English wools and cashmeres—that best complement the shape, size and coloring of the client. The client then decides on lapel size, interior lining, stitching and accessory details. Finally, a tailor takes measurements.

For now, Dunhill offers the program at its ateliers in London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and plans to launch it soon at its Madison Avenue store in New York.

Price: Starts at around $5,500 (£3,400) Contact: Stephen Byars, 212.753.9292, dunhill.com

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Dress

What: A.W. BAUER SUITS

Clean-cut bespoke silhouettes from a 150-year-old house.

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A.W. Bauer has been quietly and meticulously fitting, cutting and sewing suits for its in-the-know customers, including reigning Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf, since 1863. Customers can order the suits by appointment at A.W. Bauer’s Stockholm workshop or on one of the tailors’ regular trips to New York. An inhouse tailor will also make private visits anywhere in the world for a minimum order of three suits and the cost of travel expenses.

Textile Treasury A.W. Bauer suits can be fashioned from an exhaustive catalogue of fabrics ranging from handwoven British tweed to ultra-lightweight Italian cashmere.

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Each suit requires a minimum of 60 hours of work, including at least three fittings.

Price: Starts at $5,000 per suit Contact: Frederik Andersen, head cutter and CEO, andersen@bauertailors .com, 46.810.4780, awbauer.com

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Adorn

What: B E S P O K E WATC H E S

Completely original timepieces.

1 DeWitt DeWitt started as a boutique maker with high-end but very limited production. Today, the brand has the resources to make just about anything it wants to.

Contact: Ron Jackson, agent for the U.S. and Caribbean, DeWitt America, ron@ dewittamerica.com, 717.413.7650, dewitt.ch

2 Roger W. Smith A watchmaker living on the Isle of Man in the UK, Smith makes just about everything by hand in his workshop. As a result, each of the watches he creates is essentially unique. In addition, he can make madeto-order movements, cases, dials and more.

For products that are largely handmade, such as fine shoes and clothing, the concept of bespoke is relatively straightforward. Mechanical watches, however, are micro-machines designed to last virtually forever, so a great deal of testing goes into their every element—the water, temperature- and shock-resistance of the case, the wear-resistance of the strap, the accuracy and precision of the movement and so on. Producing a wholly bespoke watch is a lengthy and expensive process, as the full cost of the R&D and testing has to be borne by each timepiece. “What makes it so difficult is that each time, we are trying to create a completely new, original watch, and this is very rarely done today,” says master watchmaker Roger W. Smith.

In theory, any company that controls its own production can do bespoke work. Firms such as Bovet, DeWitt and Roger W. Smith manufacture just about everything, including movements, in-house. So they have the ability to do bespoke work, and see it as a rewarding challenge for their designers and watchmakers.

If you’re interested in a bespoke watch, the first step is to contact the brand’s local authorized dealer or the brand directly.

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Inclusive Bovet can customize everything on and in a watch, from miniature paintings on the dial to the engraving of all the services to the movement itself.

Contact: Caroline Smith, 44.16.2489.7943, rwsmithwatches.com

3 Bovet Founded in 1822, Bovet built its brand by selling watches in China over the course of the century. Today, Bovet makes almost all its watch parts in-house, including the complicated production of springs, which most watchmakers outsource.

Contact: Bernardo Schpilberg, Bovet USA, 888.909.1822, bovet.com

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Dress

What: BESPOKE WOMENSWEAR

Suits and handbags that express each woman’s sense of herself.

1 Huntsman Suit Savile Row’s Huntsman clothing shop has been a favored choice for British monarchs, dignitaries and industrialists since 1849. But even on Savile Row, traditions evolve: London couturier Roubi L’Roubi, who became co-owner and creative director about a year ago, is placing a new emphasis on the company’s bespoke women’s program.

The process for a bespoke women’s suit from Huntsman begins by meeting with a cutter.

Clients discuss design, style and fit, and examine fabric swatches.

Next, the tailor takes measurements to create and cut a paper pattern. The first fitting may be done with toile, particularly if the chosen cloth is luxurious. Three to four fittings are required, and the process takes 12 to 16 weeks.

Within London, the suit is either picked up or delivered by bicycle and basket. Huntsman’s tailors and sales managers also regularly visit New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Appointments may be made online.

Price: Two-piece bespoke suits begin at about $8,175 (£4,997) Contact: Peter Smith, 44.20.7734.7441, h-huntsman.com

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Choices Hunstman offers 7,000 fabrics and numerous linings, but its house tweeds are particularly coveted: Four to five different patterns are designed each year in limited quantities. They are all retired when the next collection is presented.

Price: $000,000 Contact: Name Lastname Company or Brand Address, 000.000.000, website.com

2 Anthony Luciano Handbags Anthony Luciano, who worked as a costume designer, patternmaker and accessories designer before starting his own company in 2000, is known for evocative, dramatic designs. His couture collection is available at Neiman Marcus and numerous specialty stores, but his work making bespoke handbags represents the heart of his business. Located 14 floors above the gritty streets of New York's garment district, his atelier is flooded with light from walls of windows. Handbags in various stages of production are scattered throughout. There are drawers filled with the vintage clasps and handles he often uses on his bags, and fabrics ranging from leathers and silks to woven metallic mesh. Classic Luciano details include whip-stitching, hand-sewn leather appliqués and carved wooden handles.

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Price: Starts at $2,000 Contact: Anthony Luciano, anthony@anthonyluciano.com, 212.563.2223, anthonyluciano.com

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Adorn

What: JORGE ADELER JEWELRY AND GRAFF WO M E N ’ S WATC H E S

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Striking pieces that make a strong statement.

Time Tested Jorge Adeler has been creating custom pieces for almost 40 years.

1 Jorge Adeler Jewelry A piece of bespoke jewelry from Jorge Adeler begins with a conversation with Mr. Adeler.

Based in Great Falls, Va., Adeler guides his clients through the design process with the help of sketches and subtle suggestions regarding materials such as 18karat white, yellow and red gold.

Some of the detailing options he likes to employ include wire filigree, under galleries, handapplied hammer work, etching and millwork. “A successful bespoke jewelry design captures the emotions of the wearer, the true purpose for which that person intended for that piece to be made,” Adeler says.

Price: Starts at $20,000 Contact: Jorge Adeler, jorge@jorgeadeler.com, 877.915.8967, jorgeadeler.com

2 Graff Women’s Watches Graff’s bespoke watches for women come to life around the brand’s signature details: a faceted bezel, a diamond-tipped crown and a gemstone placed at 12:00. Clients choose their complication: tourbillon, minute repeater or chronograph. Next comes collaborating on an illustrated design, including the number of gems, their carats and their color. To finish, clients choose materials for the bracelet from an array of skins.

Artisans at Graff’s luxury workshop in Eaux-Vives, Geneva, then painstakingly transform those choices into a watch.

The process is slow—it takes approximately 1,000 hours to make a Tourbillon 47mm with a full set of diamonds—but the result will last far longer.

Price: Upon request Contact: 212.355.9292, graffdiamonds.com

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Play

What: BARBARA BUTLER TREE HOUSES

Play structures to spark children’s imaginations.

Designing a tree house that is safe for both children and the tree requires inventiveness, something for which Barbara Butler has become well known among her noteworthy clients, including Robert Redford, Will Smith and the Walt Disney Company. Her aim, says Butler, who has been making tree houses since 1987, is to enhance the tree, not overwhelm it. “I enjoy collaborating with the tree limbs, the site and the family to create a tree house that is super fun to play on and a delight to look at, too.”

Price: Starts at about $40,000 Contact: Suzanne Butler, 415.864.6840, barbarabutler.com

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