The Review - Ben Williams

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THE LIFESTYLE EDITOR From the desk of

So far, it’s been a summer of changes, extremes, and the kinds of dizzying highs and frustrating lows that - for better or worse - keep the world spinning on its axis.

At the moment of writing, we’ve just welcomed a new prime minister into the Houses of Parliament… and are experiencing all the anticipation and potential upheaval that may or may not entail. A new king is awaiting coronation following the passing of Elizabeth II, and with her, a historical era replete with more transformation that we can possibly comprehend. Recordbreaking temperatures have set the planet’s thermostat to a concerning swelter, and the phantom of yet another COVID-19 wave remains very much at the doors of our collective consciousness. We are living, as the old curse goes, in the most interesting of times, and an era in which transformation and breakneck pivots, u-turns and hairpin bends have become a new norm.

It’s perhaps fitting in this era of change that The Review should undergo some minor transformation of its own. Having navigated the magazine through both placid and choppy waters since the beginning, our esteemed Editor-in-Chief Laith Al-Kaisy is taking some personal time to focus on many of life’s most important aspects. I’ve been delighted and honoured to step up as Lifestyle Editor, and walk awhile in Laith’s impressive shoes.

I’m especially pleased to say I’m starting as I intend to continue. We’ve got a good one for you: this issue dives into some of the most pioneering (and I don’t throw that word out lightly) launches in the world of

luxury motoring, reveals hidden travel gems from the Emirates to the Med to California’s Pacific coast, takes to the waves at an impressive rate of knots and pulls back the velvet curtain on some seriously impressive horological heritage.

This quarter’s cover feature introduces our readership to DC-based musician, songwriter, bandleader and producer Ben Williams, who - if it isn’t the case already - thoroughly deserves his place on your playlists. Williams’ pioneering 2020 album I Am A Man weaves his storytelling through dream-laden and almost psychedelic soundscapes, and explores identity in a tracklisting driven by jazz, R&B, hip hop and beyond. We’re more than a little excited to dive into his world as he sets up his next array of projects and collaborations, and we’re confident this feature will speak for itself regarding exactly why.

Continuing with the themes of art and identity, we’ve got a spread from NY photographer Dane Manary and a peek into some of Harley Street’s latest beauty trends, as well as a plethora of cultural and technological treasures that belong firmly on your need-to-know list.

As ever, this issue of The Review is a truly collaborative effort, borne of our staff and the connections they forge; a beautiful manyarmed homunculus uncovering stories, highlighting the brands that matter, and seeking out opportunities for investment and much-needed downtime. That’s just the way we like it, and we can’t see that changing anytime soon.

the agenda

MOTORING RANGE ROVER

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MOTORING BATTISTA GT

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TRAVEL THE SIRRETI LIST P-52

SCENT MAISON 21 G P-58

TRAVEL RAS AL KHAIMAH P-66 EVENT

EVENT CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA

BEAUTY LONDON LIP CLINIC

P-74 P-86

AUTOMOTIVE FERRARI ROMA

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TIME BLANCPAIN

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FINANCE STAGFLATION

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AUTOMOTIVE ROLLS ROYCE

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TRAVEL THE FONTENAY

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DINING

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DINING BEAVORBROOK STYLE LEATHER STAPLE

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Born in the alps, bound for the world.

Contributors

Gregarious, opinionated, and a destroyer of cocktail menus, Aaron provides automotive content stemming from years of passion and work in the industry. A keen eye for design and a horder of factoids are combined with a love of architecture, good food and the occasional party. Mostly found avoiding public settings.

Lake is a makeup artist, hair stylist, model and creative director. She comes to the table with over a decade of knowledge in the industry. When she’s not on set or in a meeting, she’s in a yoga class, checking out a new restaurant or exploring the menu of a cocktail bar, in the pursuit of the perfect Negroni.

Sarah’s career spans three decades across travel, hospitality and leisure campaigning. When she’s not in the capital consulting for the travel industry, she’s working on launching a new travel series. With a firm belief in holistic therapy and healthy living (well, to a point), a yoga retreat in some exotic, far-flung place is never far away.

Norris is a copywriter and journalist from Bristol, England. He works regularly with some of the world’s leading luxury brands, and splits his time between the UK, Germany and Hungary. Norris also has a penchant for Alsatian wines and dodgy 80s synthpop.

Robinson is The Review’s managing editor. Having spent the last decade spanning both visual and print media, he has filed interviews across the political spectrum with the likes of Sir David Frost and Donald Trump. Robinson founded the magazine’s sister company, Screaming Eagle Productions, in 2015 to deliver film.

Roger is a proud child of two Hong Kong immigrants, born and raised in Essex. His passion for cars was spaked by his father, supported by film and video game franchises of the late ‘90s and ‘00s. His love affair with food stared similarly with Chinese cooking prevalent throughout his childhood. Chan is now a London based photojournalist and content creator working with brands such as Michelin, McLaren and BMW.

Automotive kingmaker Ian Digman’s illustrious career spans over four decades and includes senior roles at Ford, Volvo, Nissan, INFINITI and, most recently, McLaren. That’s when he isn’t giving guest lectures on engineering excellence. Digman will be writing a regular column for The Review on anything with wheels.

Susannah is a broadcaster and financial commentator who has anchored flagship news shows on BBC TV and radio and hosts major conferences around the world. She is currently the senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK’s largest retail investment platform.

Iain Beaumont is the founder and managing director of Venues and Ventures. Since ditching the City, Iain has worked on some of the UK’s grandest country estates and leading luxury venues, refining his eye for new opportunities and helping businesses realise their potential.

Ben Williams

I am a man

Words: The Review Team

Ben Williams - virtuoso bass player, singer, songwriter, performer and recipient of the Monk prize - is clearly a man who takes his work seriously and isn’t someone who lets a small thing like jetlag get in the way of promoting a record he’s more than justifiably proud of.

Ben Williams - virtuoso bass player, singer, songwriter, performer and recipient of the Monk prize - is clearly a man who takes his work seriously and isn’t someone who lets a small thing like jetlag get in the way of promoting a record he’s more than justifiably proud of.

During our interview in September, The Review Magazine team sat back on a balmy Monday evening, glasses of rum in their respective hands. Ben Williams, on the other hand, was up bright and early on the other side of the Atlantic, having just flown in from

against the continuing turbulence of past and present. It is, simply put, a fantastic listen with a truly broad appeal, both a meditation on identity and an expression of artistic confidence. Indeed, I AM A MAN remains on The Review team’s playlist, and continuously satisfies with tracks which pack deep grooves, soulful lyricism and impressive musicianship from both Williams and his assembled collaborators.

As with all great artists, Williams’ work is the product of an ongoing creative process. For Ben Williams and every other musician who needs a stage, an audience and that all-important energy exchange in which to realise their craft, the creative process was temporarily threatened by the pandemic and

its associated lockdowns.

There’s something fascinating about works - of which I AM A MAN would be included - created during this bizarre blip in contemporary history. As with so many interviews conducted in its aftermath, the subject was never too far from our lips. However, Williams’ personal history, inspirations and achievements (of which there are too many to list) provided fertile ground for a revealing conversation which covered much and suggested even more.

What were you doing out in Japan, and who were you playing with?

We did two shows with (esteemed saxophonist)

a tour of Japan the night before.

It’s more than characteristic of Williams’ work ethic and dedication to his craft. Unfazed by the ever-present spectre of zoom calls not going quite to plan, our conversation delved deeply into his stunning new album I AM A MAN - his first vocal-led opus, and one which explores issues of racial identity and associated political history while veering between soul, funk, R&B, psychedelia and his signature jazz stylings.

Inspired by the Memphis Sanitation Strikes of 1968, I AM A MAN sits somewhere between a protest record and a wish list for a potential future, made all the more potent when set

Kamasi Washington, one out in Tokyo and another at a festival in Yokohama. It was raining hard - it was more like a monsoonbut the fans out there love the music, they love the culture and it was no surprise to see them out in force.

Where is home, post-pandemic?

I moved out of New York about a year and a half ago, and LA is now very much home. I lived in New York for about fourteen years, but moved out here during the pandemic. Obviously it was an interesting time for everybody, but a lot of artists - and a lot of people in general - started to recalibrate and reassess where and how they’re living. I personally know a lot of people who have

“

I got my first big life lesson in the importance of practising when performing in a show honouring Milt Hinton”

moved in the past year, looking to live in a more chilled-out area.

How did New York change over the period you were living and working there?

I think probably everybody who ever lived in New York says the same thing; that New York isn’t like it used to be. I watched it change as I lived there… and a good friend of mine always says that New York is for the young and the rich, and I think that’s absolutely right.

The years I lived in the city were great, it was an amazing place to discover yourself as an artist and it’s a place where you can build strong bonds with people. It sounds strange, but there’s almost a shared trauma of living

there - we built up a community of artists, but so many of us got out of there when everything started shutting down. Interestingly enough, a lot of those people ended up in LA; we’re reconnecting again, but we all go home a little earlier these days!

In terms of your roots and grounding in DC, what are your earliest memories of music?

I grew up with my mother and brother, and they were very much into music. It was a big part of how we spent our time; any family gathering saw me at the piano playing songs, with the rest of my family joining in. My mom played a lot of music in the house - R&B, James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Motown classics, Michael Jackson and Prince were a big thing while I was growing up, but she

loved a lot of gospel music too.

I was always creatively inclined - I’d draw a lot and was always making something - and so my mom ensured I went to a school with an arts program. That’s when I picked up music. I wanted to play guitar, but the guitar class was full so I ended up in an orchestral class, surrounded by violins and cellos. The teacher asked me what I wanted to play, and I decided to opt for the biggest instrument in the room - the bass - even though I didn’t really know what it was.

There was a jazz program at my school for a while, and the teacher would introduce us students to Charlie Parker, Miles, and Coltrane, teaching us songs mostly by ear. That’s how I got turned on to jazz, and how I got into learning the history of it.

Playing the bass - it’s a very physical instrument. I got my first big life lesson in the importance of practising when performing at the Congressional Black Caucus Jazz Concert honouring Milt Hinton; I’d spent a while playing the saxophone and had lost the calluses on my fingers needed for playing the

It’s almost where social justice meets therapy, and taking social justice to a more introspective space.

bass. I was about twelve years old and ended up with my fingers torn open after the encore. Milt knew exactly what had happened, said some kind words and really just blessed me.

The blessings were abundantly bestowed upon me that evening, for sure. I view it as the beginning of my career at age 12 - I saw myself becoming one of the great bassists of all time, and of course, I’m still working at it. After receiving the torch from the greatest (Milt Hinton), I felt golden and that I was destined for this.

It so happens that my mother had worked for Congressman John Conyers Jr, who was the honorary host of the Annual Jazz Concert of the Congressional Black Caucus. In 1997, my Mother had asked the Congressman if he would invite a youth band to open up that evening’s concert. He agreed, and it was the first time ever that a youth band had performed at his event. A representative from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz was in attendance, and they offered me private oneon-one bass lessons sponsored by the Institute. That evening literally set the stage for me, and I believe it played a key role in what I’m doing

today.

Pat Metheny took you into his Unity band and holds you in high regard - he feels you’re truly above and beyond. Why do you think that is?

Yeah - it means a lot to me coming from him, he was a huge influence on me as an artist and playing with him changed my life. I’d say he is the hardest-working person I’ve ever been around, his seriousness about music and how much he dedicates himself is amazing; he has all kinds of rituals before each gig and watching the process of him putting a project together is mind-blowing. A brave and brilliant man, he was my hero - I’ve been a fan since high school - and I took the opportunity to play with him very seriously.

… and it won you a Grammy, as part of the Unity band.

Yes - not too bad! I wasn’t completely shocked we were nominated - it’s Pat Metheny, and it’s almost just another day, another Grammy for him. I think he’s won twenty across his career, not even counting the nominations. It was all

so surreal, but it was an award enough just to do an album with Pat Metheny. The Grammy was just a dream on top of a dream.

When did you start writing I AM A MAN and what were the catalysts for writing a protest album?

In 2017, Congressman Conyers again invited me to be the featured artist at his Annual Jazz Concert of the Congressional Black Caucusthe same event where he had honoured Milt Hinton when I was age 12. I had decided to put together a collection of protest music, exploring the lineage of artists who wrote and performed in that vein. Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, John Coltrane - I was looking into a whole anthology of protest music, which was the beginning of the project that would become I AM A MAN.

The wheels were then turning on writing music addressing social issues. I was watching a documentary - The 13th, by filmmaker Ava Duvernay - which featured an image from the Sanitation Workers strike of 1968, in which the strikers were holding signs which read ‘I AM A MAN’. Something about it just clicked - thinking about what that phrase meant to them, and then applying it to me and my life as a black male in these times, it became a platform to explore my relationship to the world in which I live. It’s almost where social justice meets therapy and taking social justice to a more introspective space.

My previous albums were primarily instrumental and more in the jazz vein. For this project, however, I had something very specific I wanted to say. I was writing lyrics that were initially intended for other singers. Jose James, one of my collaborators, heard the demos I was working on and said ‘these songs sound great… Who’s that singing?’. When I told him it was me, he encouraged me to do it myself. So I did.

Why is this the first record with you on lead vocals?

It’s just a matter of evolution, for me. I’m always embracing the idea of experimenting and pushing the envelope with sounds, always trying new things. That’s what led me - sonically - to where I arrived with I AM A MAN.

Did you feel, given the subject matter, that the time had come to put your own voice to a project?

Absolutely. I feel like these songs were very therapeutic to create, and singing them, I felt it was a story I needed to tell and a perspective

I needed to share. People in this country are aware of these issues - at least, I hope they are - and I wanted to approach it from a personal angle. It was a process of pulling back the curtain; this isn’t just what we see on the TV, it’s also how I feel. I wanted to shine a light on our humanity, our experience in this country, and the process of overcoming injustice. At the same time, we’re all human beings, and we all deal with love, spirituality and life in much the same way.

‘Come Home’ is a really affecting song on the album. How have these songs evolved as a live musical experience?

The album came out in 2020, when shit got a little weird. After the record came out, I wasn’t able to perform these songs. Once everything started opening back up, we were able to explore the experience of performing these songs live in front of a crowd.

For me personally, I had the challenge of learning how to play and sing at the same

time - it’s a whole different thing to be at the front of the stage. I’d describe it as being like driving while doing your taxes… all while delivering a podcast. The song ‘If You Hear Me’ was the one on the album I really wanted to try and sing myself first, and from that one song I got the confidence to keep going. Once I started singing at the gigs, I began writing songs with my own voice in mind.

‘Promised Land’ is inspired by Dr. King’s Mountaintop Speech. How did you approach writing the lyrics for that?

That song was actually written as a poem. When you listen to it, you’ll notice it’s written in freeform, with the harmony moving without any particular number of bars. I was tapping into the feeling of a visual in my head: the feeling of listening to and watching this speech and imagining what Dr. King saw as his vision of the future. Bringing that into my perspective, I was trying to imagine what my version of the future might look and sound

like - a place that’s free, groovy, and in which we’ve overcome the things we’re fighting for now.

‘If You Hear Me’ has a strong Marvin Gaye vibe - another DC native.

I’ve always had a strong connection with Marvin Gaye, he was an artist I listened to growing up at my mom’s house. Him being from DC - and dying the year I was born - I always felt that there was a spiritual passing on when he left.

The collaboration with Wes Felton‘March On’ - has a poetic element. Was it always intended as such?

Yes. The feeling behind that song was to make an anthem of perseverance. We’ve gone through all this emotional content on the record, and I wanted it to end with a feeling of hope and a message that we’re going to keep pushing through, no matter what. Literally, to march on.

When I think of the civil rights movement, we think of marches. Yet marches are usually a military movement, and marching music has that militant feel and uniformity. That’s what I wanted to capture with that groove and beat; there’s a lyrical expression, but beneath there’s the feeling of a thousand people stepping together. I’ve collaborated with Wes Felton a number of times over the years; he’s a real renaissance man and the perfect voice to have on that track.

What’s next?

I have a few things going on. Obviously we’re still touring the album, and keen to get this music in front of people as everything reopens.

However, I’m also working on a film project.

It’s an extrapolation of I AM A MAN as a filmed series, and I’m collaborating with a director who I’ve worked alongside a few times before. The songs from the album build a narrative - somewhere between a musical and a dramatic series - and that’s in the early development stages right now, with hopes to start shooting in early 2023. I’m very excited about what that might turn into.

I’ve also got a new band that I started up during the pandemic, Butterfly Black. It’s a collaboration with a singer from Hamilton and the wider Broadway scene - Syndee Winters - and delves into the R&B and soul tradition that we both grew up in. A couple of singles have come out, and early 2023 will see an EP being released.

realism of the story, or the ability for it to be received?

I feel it’s both. The beauty of sharing music is that it comes from a sincere place, and a very particular experience. What I’ve tried to do with this album is reflect the experience of being a Black Man in America, but there’s relevance of that experience around the world. I wanted to shine a light on not just my cultural heritage and expression, but on the humanity that exists underneath.

What’s more important for you: for this album to resonate in terms of the TR

The record is ultimately about identity: I AM A MAN is about a group of men telling the world who they are, because the world they live in is constantly trying to tell them who they are. The right to express ourselves, to tell the world who and what they are - that’s a right that everybody should have, and that’s what unites us all.

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THE NEXT

GENERATION

“The first Range Rover prototype broke cover in 1969, code named: Velar. Its appeal was instant”

The last Range Rover I owned, albeit briefly, was a somewhat uncooperative 1991 3.9L Vogue SE. Everywhere it went, It was guaranteed affectionate nods and facial expressions conveying staunch approval. Not to mention being chased Eastbound on the M4 by ‘90s hat botherer Jay Kay in his Gelandewagen. His reasoning? So that he could give me a solid thumbs up and convey that he too possessed the infamous Vogue SE… or so it seemed from the gesticulation and open window dialogue at over 80mph. That sort of speed feels a lot more real commanding a 90’s greenhouse on wheels

I can assure you.

The new 5th gen Range Rover is, perhaps unsurprisingly, an altogether different beast; one that comes with the benefit of 50 years of refinement and technological advancement. As North America now represents JLR’s biggest market, where better to reconnect with the iconic model than Napa Valley and Sonoma County?

The last time I landed in San Francisco was in 2019 with a small film crew in tow. Fresh from the Grammy afterparty in LA, we were a little worse for wear to say the least. On arrival, the weather was miserable (to put it bluntly), with the Golden Gate and the infamous Alcatraz shrouded in fog and very little time on the

ground to take in the gateway to Wine Country. Luckily, this time around there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as we touched down at SFO.

My earliest memories of San Francisco stem from regular screenings of the classic A View to a Kill. Bond Villain Max Zorin, played by Christopher Walken, circles high above SF in his personal airship. In addition to a flight deck and board room, the Skyship came complete with a defenestration hatch to dispatch any unwanted members of Zorin’s microchip cartel - arguably a worthwhile addition to any vehicle for the international winery owner or family office fleet.

There are those of you who will consider the 5th generation Range Rover and think nothing of switching out your existing 4th gen fleet or daily driver. Many of you will do so without even looking at a brochure or visiting a dealership. For those of us who like to take a more engaged approach, there’s a lot to consider. The first Range Rover prototype broke cover in 1969, code named: Velar. Its appeal was instant, combining permanent 4 wheel drive, a split tailgate and elegant modern design. Whilst I would have preferred to have owned the original three door Range, the four door iteration released in 1981 boasted all the nostalgia I craved. Perhaps with a little more foresight I would have kept my 1991 Vogue SE on the drive.

As the heat vapour emanated from the tarmac, a small fleet of Range Rover Autobiography LWB emerged from the haze outside SFO. I say ‘small’ with respect to only the size of the herd. At 5252MMm the long wheelbase can’t really claim to be diminutive in stature, but it’s immediately handsome in the flesh. My god, it’s clean - I might go so far as to say it’s almost timeless in its reductive design. The floating roof and falling roofline are still present, though unashamedly confirming that this is an evolution that’s sympathetic to its 50 year heritage.

It’s strange how for some of us, engaging with a new marque can be such an all-encompassing affair. Indeed, I find myself instantly taken by its sleek and near seamless silhouette. The somewhat tapered rear in itself is a beautiful example of design restraint, but behind the tastefully self-disciplined panelling choices lies consistent technological advancement. For one, the new Range Rover boasts vertical tail lights that display a gloss black graphic before illuminating into vivid red.

cabin clearly rivals that of most 1st class airlines; I’m almost fully reclined, glass in hand, before I realise that the soundtrack of America’s hastily tarmaced highways has been silenced. The Range Rover was never a slouch when it came to passenger comfort and cockpit design, but the 5th gen doubles down on that with aplomb. A series of accelerometeres and microphones placed around the exterior of the car monitor wheel vibration, tyre noise and engine notes, and produce a noise-cancelling signal played through the Meridian sound systems 35 main speakers.

It’s a 15-20 minute ride to the St Regis in SoMa, which takes pride of place next to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens. You’ll also find the Museum of the African Diaspora within the hotel, accessed from the lobby - a Smithsonian affiliate that hosts rotating exhibitions. It’s a prime address, and anywhere that observes a nightly Sabrage hour has my instant vote of approval. The rooms are light and bright with natural hues and calming tones, providing welcome sanctuary from the lengthy journey. Naturally, I unpacked, ordered myself a drink at the bar and slowly made my way out into the city.

Dinner that night was a haze amidst the cocktails and my attempts at staving off jet lag at the Black Cat, hunched in the heart of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighbourhood. Grammy award-winning bassist, composer and vocalist Ben Williams led a live recording at the aforementioned jazz lounge with Marcus Strickland on Sax, David Rosenthal on guitar, Jharis Yokley on drums and Brandon Coleman on piano. The addition of vocals from Syndee Winters made for an incredible evening of live music; one you can luckily listen back to. (LINK)

The following morning, after an early breakfast in bed, we headed north toward the Golden

Gate bridge in formation, bound for Sonoma. As we flew over the 101, I could see light cloud cover hovering above the two main towers, the sun just low enough to illuminate the bridge in all its iconic glory.

We criss-crossed over wine country as the morning dew started to evaporate beneath us, flanked by two other Bell 407s; a beautiful way to see just some of California’s 637,000 acres of vines. As the world’s fourth largest wine producer, California has climbed from 0.1 to 7.9% in terms of its share of the total fine wine market on Liv-ex (by value) over the last decade. This comfortably makes it the fourth most traded fine wine region after Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. However, to be honest, if you’re flying over the famed valleys of Sonoma and Napa thinking of your portfolio, you might want to try being a little less avaricious - it’s good for the soul, or so I’m told.

We landed 45 minutes or so later at Charles M. Schulz, Sonoma County Airport, named after “Sparky” Schulz, the creator of Peanuts and Snoopy, and widely regarded as one of the most influential cartoonists of all time.

On arrival, ten Sunset Gold Satin Range Rover First Edition’s were neatly parked in a line outside the hangar for our journey into Bond Winery. It was shaping up to be a pretty strong morning by anyone’s standard. Perlino leather and natural ecru walnut veneer cosset me as I make my way past boutique tasting rooms, dairy feed warehouses, bright red barns, big-name wineries and mile after mile of sun-drenched vines. You can choose from a range of wool-bends and ultrafabrics, and from leather and ceramics if you get near to optioning it yourself and don’t staff it out. The new Range Rover takes the region’s rolling hills in its stride - of course, partly due to the new firmer, lighter and more rigid MLA-Flex body architecture. A 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds

“It would be an expensive transfer vehicle for film set logistics, but by god it would be worth it”.

is impressive given the kirb weight, and it’s an acceleration that’s achieved rather elegantly.

You can still get your particular preferred flavour of Range Rover in both diesel and the immensely popular P530 twin-turbocharged V8 petrol. However, if you’re on your way to B Corp status, you could opt to wait till 2024 for the fully electric model: BEV. It’s perhaps worth noting that the 5th gen also comes with a 510PS PHEV and a 350PS MHEV option. The usual suspects are there in terms of infotainment, allowing you to bark at your Range Rover in Apple or Android. The 13.7 inch instrument cluster can also be configured in an array of setups… but given the scenery, I wasn’t all that focused on the foreground.

A few hours later we arrived at Bond, a private winery that only produces Grand Cru quality Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Bond, at present, curates five wines that represent vines extending beyond the mid-slopes of western Oakville; Pluribus comes from St. Helena’s Spring Mountain and Melbury from the easter side of the valley on Pritchard Hill. The winery takes after Burgundy in many ways, creating wines from diverse ranges of small, varied parcels to really showcase the

terroir at a micro-level. Bond’s negociant approach sees it source from roughly 100 vineyards, but over the last 30 some years, only five have ever passed the bar with one vineyard still on trial after 11 years. Max Kast,

‘13

Master Sommelier and Bond’s Estate Director was good enough to host a tasting over lunch taking in the Pluribus, Quella, St Eden and rather spectacular Vecina - tight, rich and ruggedly constructed with a medium to full body. Over a farm to table lunch of sea salt chicken and grilled brokaw avocado, I looked out over the sun drenched vines, glass in hand. Sweet serenity.

‘02

‘94

After a swift cellar tour and uncorking of certain vintages which shall remain nameless, we made for the Montage Healdsburg in Sonoma. Given the abv and the need to not squander the experience, I opted to arrive at our next destination in the four seat suite of the Range Rover SV. It would be an expensive transfer vehicle for film set logistics, but by god it would be worth it. Its party piece - at least for me - is the deployable club table, which would make it the perfect vehicle for a cross country jaunt, well, such as this one. Having arrived at the Montage Healdsburg, I had little time to take in the vista or the beautifully appointed eco-conscious cabins. I made my way to the 11,500-square-foot spa for a much needed massage and sauna. If you’re thinking of visiting, take the Guest House. It’s a three-bedroom affair with a wrap-around balcony and views of Jordan Winery and

Mount St. Helena, and offers no shortage of solace and relaxation for those in need of some serious unwinding.

That evening, after a salubrious pre-dinner tasting and a handful of cocktails, we made our way to the Matheson in charming Healdsburg. In many ways, Chef Matt Brimer’s formidable menu is a modern ode to Healdsburg’s micro-seasonal ingredients. Conversation flowed over many a fine wine as we swapped thoughts and findings from the day’s driving, savouring flavours with every anecdote and gathered experience. Despite calling it a night shortly before the final round of Espresso Martinis arrived, I was awake at 0700 hrs for an early-morning yoga session with wellness guru Nora Tobin. If you’re still on the fence about the rewards to mind, body and spirit that yoga can offer, take note. Nora’s already coaching a handful of Fortune 500 companies, a bonafide star on a decidedly elite scene. Even with a bracing early morning solo swim in the perfectly still pool, by the time we arrived at the Robert Young Winery, I wasn’t considering returning to the wagon. So with a deft hand, Daryl, my ever gifted concierge, guided me to a Range Rover SV P530 long

wheel base. This would be the last opportunity to trial the 5th gen amongst the Robert Young Winerys 448-acre ranch. In this instance, the terroir was as important to the 23-inch alloys as it was to my palate, although the hot stone massage function quickly spirited away any thoughts of going properly off-road. Despite being introduced in 1970, the first alliteration of the brand was highly off-road capable and of course agricultural, described by the Louvre as an “exemplary work of industrial design.” Whilst there are those of you that might never dip a corner in anything other than the freshly cut grass at a point to point, it’s reassuring to know that the new Range Rover still lives up to the off-road institution that forms the basis of its renown. On my return to the winery, there was just enough time for one glass before our White Gloss cavalcade crossed the winery, bound for a trinity of waiting choppers. “The property owner to the West has asked if you can take a different route out East on take off”, one of the winery hands requested patiently. “Negative, our flight plan is fixed and logged” the pilot responded. And with that, we soared into the sky high above the valley below, bound for San Francisco once more.

Cominghot in

Words: Aaron Edgeworth

Motoring Editor Aaron Edgeworth wins hearts and minds in the Italian countryside.

It all started some eight to ten months ago.

My Managing editor received a missive from the good folks at Automobili Pininfarina (if ever a name was going to invoke some emotion to us, the automobilista). They were extolling the virtues of their in-house, all new, all-electric hypercar, the Battista. We were discussing said email; I, explaining what this car was and represented, and Pete explaining to me that he had replied to ask when we could get our hands on one. I

laughed. Nay, guffawed.

‘Pete, there is no way on God’s green earth that they are going to let a recently promoted, hitherto untested, in a circa €2m hypercar’. I mean, who are we? More importantly maybe, who am I? Who is Pete? Where even am I? These are questions I posed in the least existential way possible.

Now, I am not naysaying the quality of my writing, of the magazine’s penmanship, nor our standing - all are of the highest level. But in the world of cars, we’re not Evo, or Car, or

Top Gear, the Robb Report or otherwise. A few months passed. The world kept spinning. I drove other cars. I wrote other things. Then another email turned up - this one an invite. To Italy no less. As a guest of Automobili Pininfarina. To drive the Battista. What. The. Actual. ‘Dear Peter Robinson…’, oh, for fucks sake.

In the months that had passed between email one and email invite, Pete had seen fit to promote yours truly to the position of Automotive Editor. It’s incredible what one can achieve from hard work, passion and

undue, unflinching and at times unnerving pressure. This meant, in essence, that I had first pick over all things car-related. Blaze of glory it is. The flip side being that when Land Rover sent an invite for the launch of the new Range Rover, I was happy to concede that particular invite. No one had, however, shown me that itinerary (more of that from Pete in this issue). No bitterness here, so with parity, I boarded a flight for a short Jaunt to Italy. A couple of hours outside Milan, nestled within the Acacia trees, you’ll happen upon Casa Di Langa in the countryside north of the renowned Piedmont region.

Ferried to the hotel by an eminently efficient and affable driver, we rounded the main property and were led up to reception. There, I was introduced to the star of this auspicious occasion; two examples of the car itself, the Pininfarina Battista. Now, I could spend the next two thousand words poring over the myriad examples of joy from the sister company design house. I don’t think there is a car aficionado the world over who would not choose at least one Pininfarina-designed car in their all-time favourites. This, however, is a company looking, first and foremost, to make their own product, their own statement, and with their own signatures intact. At first (and brief) glance, the car has an undoubted

presence. I often think that in the automotive landscape that there can be a tendency to make electric products immediately different and immediately discernible. I wouldn’t say that the Battista is that at all, and first and foremost, I think it benefits hugely as a result.

The Battista looks every bit a traditional ICE hypercar, low slung, with silly doors and a huge spoiler. The first look was brief, as staff were in the process of covering the cars for the night, and wrapping their curves in silk really stood to accentuate all those hypercar lines. The silhouette of the Battista, cloaked in her branded sleepwear was enough to ferry me off to my room; the faster I am to bed, the faster the next day will come, right?

A memorable aspect to this trip - ignoring hotel, car, location and the like - was the intimate hosting by the Automobili Pininfarina team. So tightly-knit, that there is a real familial feel, and it is evident that there is a huge amount of passion flowing through each of the staff members in attendance. I spent a relaxed lunch with both the technical lead, Paolo Dellacha, and the design lead, Dave Amantea, before my time in the car. There is literally no better company with which to take in the first standalone product from the brand. I would later spend time with Dave

going through the hosting suite set up for specification... more of that later. Following lunch, we ventured outside to become accustomed to the car itself. Jesus H Christ. This is actually happening.

Since rolling headlong into the automotive world through these very pages, I’ve had some ‘pinch me’ moments. As a car fanatic since I was the proverbial knee-high, having access to the cars and brands that we work alongside has been a spectacular ride of emotions. Having an individual walkaround of a circa £2million all electric hypercar, conducted by the guys who designed it, prior to an afternoon drive in the Italian hills flanked by a media team, well, this has to be one for the annals.

So, the car. I mentioned earlier my first impressions, and in the relatively cold light of day, the Battista cuts a formidable shadow. Muscular and aggressive in equal measure, she sits proportionally with a perfect hypercar form. Low slung, wide and eminently purposeful, and formed around a carbon monocoque, as is the norm with traditional performance cars. As you approach the car there is one aspect that surprised: it emits a noise. I mean, no - it’s not a guttural thrum from the engine bay. No childish opportunity to deafen local children and wildlife with one’s

right foot. But there is certainly a hum coming from somewhere. What the clever people have done took some description, however, flanked by Dave Amantea, Design Lead, I was with the very best of teachers. The world works to some incredible natural occurrences, repeated notions and numbers. Fibonacci, the golden ratio are examples we’re familiar with, and it turns out, there is a natural sound frequency as well. Who knew?

Pininfarina spent nearly 2000 hours working on this aural centrepiece for the car. 440 Hz is the tuning frequency that the USA employed in the music industry nearly 100 years ago. Prior to that 434 Hz was the frequency of choice in classical music. If heard back-toback, it is said a 432 Hz tuning creates a much warmer and even welcoming tone from the orchestra. It is with this in mind that the engineers created the aural qualities of the Battista. The car idles at 54Hz, three octaves down from 432 Hz, and as seen by the impact on water, it creates consistently even and calm ripples. Given that we ourselves are 70% water, this natural and calming resonance is the first and subtlest trick that the car plays on the occupant.

Getting into the car, first things first: silly doors. A chef’s kiss, a fist punch, a high five.

Needed. Done. Check. Inside, nothing looks parts bin; nothing feels like it’s come out of a previous generation of an established manufacturer. It all looks like it belongs. The dials for changing the driving mode, the infotainment screen, the stalks and buttons surrounding the steering wheel: all new, all bespoke, all very naturally positioned. Yes, there are screens rather than mechanical dials or even digital ones. Unlike Tesla however, they are a size more appropriate to automotive rather than domestic application, and don’t seem like someone has bolted an iPad pro to your dashboard. This is technology brought into the car design, not technology being the car design.

The factor I am consistently being made most aware of is that it’s a car. Thats the main thing. One thing it’s not trying to do, despite being an obvious technological marvel, is reinvent the wheel.

Before we set off anywhere, I had read all the headlines: 1900hp, 2300nM of torque and the corresponding time markers. 0-100km in below two seconds. 0-200km in under six seconds, and 0-300km in less than 12 seconds. Read those numbers. Then reread them. Then go and spend an hour on Google to verify, check, and cross reference against every other

car manufactured to date. Done? OK.

Climbing into the seat, all these numbers come rushing to mind, and I can’t help but be slightly unnerved. Twice the power of a Formula 1 car. That can’t be right? And yet, it is. All this power is achieved utilising a 120kwh motor mated to four individual motors controlling each wheel independently. The battery is supplied by Rimac so we can be confident in the quality of the product there. One is ensconced in a cabin that, whilst new and innovative, certainly does not try and fix what wasn’t broken. Touchpoints are luxuriously appointed and the fit and feel of the cabin is very much what one would expect - nay, demand - of a car in this price bracket. Proving very much a la mode de 2022, the leathers are all sustainably sourced, adding further to justifiable buying reasons. Length to touch to the key areas are also very well thought out, and everything within feels very natural to the driver. Visibility is vast through the windscreen, and even upon a short introduction and first drive, everything comes easily, not a second guess as to where certain functions may lie.

Chief Engineer Paolo Dellacha and I set off at a leisurely pace through the foothills, and onwards to a hilltop village church for

a briefest of debriefs and some media shots. My first instincts are that it feels distinctly mechanical. No, I haven’t misspelt digital. It is a thought that actually grew on me throughout the day. What one realises is, all the responses are as you would expect from a traditional ICE car. Power delivery is linear and gaugeable in how the car responds. Steering feels heavy enough that despite electronic steering, it feels very much akin to wrestling a car of a certain number of kilos through a traditional rack.

Then there is the noise. We discussed earlier the resonance and the desire to plumb into the harmonic tones of the driver themselves. Under load, the Battista provides an aural return very much akin to a traditional ICE car. While they may sound nonsensical, that slightly peculiar electronic hum we have grown accustomed to is present and correct, a distinctly sci-fi pitch. With the Battista, the tone changes and pitch rises as the load is increased. When the car is pushed, the aural response changes in pitch and tone to match the load; so, as a traditional V8 rises its pitch to a shrill scream at high revs, so does the Battista in a year 2086 sort of way. The Battista works through four distinct driving modes: from the day-to-day Calma, all the way through to gut wrenching Furioso. One doesn’t need to be fluent in Italian to get the drift.

The majority of my drive was spent in Calma. Traversing the hairpins of the Italian hills back and forth, launching along the straights, and marvelling at the assuredness that the Battista provides underfoot. With recharging occurring when braking through the pedal or ‘engine’ braking, the sensation is like driving a traditionally powered car permanently in second gear. Off throttle, it pulls you back, but conversely, when you want to go, the car is always ready for you. Initially it feels slightly unnatural given the strength of the regenerative pull, but one adapts surprisingly quickly, and in part because, however spurious a comparison the second gear notion is; it

provides a tangible context that can then be applied whilst driving.

Arriving at the hilltop church. I exited the Battista aware of how comfortable and manageable the car had been. It also provided a perfect opportunity to carry out ‘the children test’; one of my favourite things whenever I am in the possession of some precious metal.

When I was a child, I used to go crazy for cars, and I instantaneously knew what a cool car was and what wasn’t. That’s why we had posters of the Countach and not, say, the Peugeot 504. I may have well been the black Pied Piper of whatever the hilltop village was named. Shrieks, laughs, open mouths, all abounded under the shadow of the bell tower. Given how sticky children can be, it was very much look but don’t touch, before we set off again.

We took some time for rolling shots, giving me the chance to have a little weave, a little accelerate and brake. The acceleration was, of course, prodigious. The use of huge 390mm Brembo carbon ceramic brakes with six piston callipers all round mean that the Battista stops as assuredly as it pulls away, giving huge confidence under load.

“I may have well been the black Pied Piper of whatever the hilltop village was named. Shrieks, laughs, open mouths”

On the leg of the journey to return to the hotel, I was again joined by Paolo for the final miles. At one point, Paolo let me know that there were a series of straights coming up, and he was happy for me to sample the full enchilada. The full fat, caffeine loaded, nineViagra, Furioso mode, unleashing all 1900HP. Lets. Do. This. I twisted the aluminium knob around to the desired setting; all internal lighting and screens adopt a red colour as if alerting the occupants to the new threat level that they are facing. Straight ahead, I pin it. Almost as quickly as I did, forgetting myself completely, I let off, and with some vehemence asked Paolo, ‘What the fuck was that?’. I was not prepared. Not even nearly. With no drama, no shriek or bark from any exhaust, no spooling up of anything; the Battista simply squats and goes. It actually annoyed me that I wasn’t given some overt explicit warning as to what 1900HP and a sub two second spring feels like. It feels otherworldly. Genuinely. I performed the same trick, minus the expletives on a couple more occasions before ticking that dial back down to Calma. If only my heart had the same dial. The speed is simply astonishing.

The driving modes also adjust things like regenerative braking strength, and power delivery and levels and the corresponding traction settings. In Furioso, the Battista feels slippery, alive underneath you. That I guess was partly the surprise given how refined, calm and collected it can be - I can only imagine what this would feel like on a track. Wider tarmac, no camber, and obviously devoid of Italian drivers who seem to take road markings as suggestions rather than the rules. Don’t forget, all this is delivered in a zero emissions package. Never has being so virtuous felt so ballistic.

On return to the hotel, after a necessary ten minutes for a coffee and a wind down; I was invited to join Dave Amantea with part of the travelling hosting suite that accompanies the staff worldwide in order to secure orders and specifications for purchasers. Even these fold-out trunks and travel cases, that contained sample fobs and swatches, are of the highest quality and beautifully crafted. Again, having the head of design to take me through this process gave it another level of knowledge and insight. I had spent time with Dave surveying the car from outside earlier in the day. We discussed the use of colour and lines within the design and paint, and how they were utilised to create an image of movement and speed even when static. With an Anniversario model also present, limited to only five examples, this brings new wheels, staggering the setup compared to the Battista. It adds new aero elements to further differentiate from the standard car. Going through the range of options, from the various leather finishes to the jewellery elements of the car and the colour possibilities available there, it’s clear that the brief of hyper luxury in a hyper GT has been checked, ticked, circled and underlined.

As I pored over the various options available, mind wandering to the deep purple, silverwheeled example I had optioned alongside Dave; I can only imagine that the client list for the car being the who’s who of international collectors. With only 150 examples scheduled for production. With development provided by former Formula 1 stalwart, Nick Heidfeld, and with the provenance of a company associated with the world’s most beautiful cars for over 90 years. The Battista is a car that surprised me and impressed me in equal measure. It’s an EV the likes of which I have never seen nor felt, and it moves the game on by a country mile.

Specifications

PRICE: £1.96 million

ENGINE: 120kWh/4x e-motor

0-60: 1.9 seconds

TOP SPEED: 217mph

BHP: 1,874

TORQUE: 2,300Nm

LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT: ?

RANGE: 310 miles

CHARGING: 250kW (0-80% in 25mins)

Words:

Valuing experience over things has been a mantra for aficionados of travel for decades. Since the pandemic, that mantra has followed through into the luxury market with affluent travellers seeking, more so than ever before, the lasting opulence of immersive experiences coupled with the utmost in outstanding accommodation.

Ultra-luxury travel isn’t about being seen, being ostentatious or seeking out the latest Insta-friendly hotspot. If anything, it’s exactly the opposite. Elite travellers seek accommodation that delivers on privacy and anonymity: whether with 24/7 guest service, high-end amenities and facilities, or arrival and departure procedures and protocol, discretion is valued beyond almost all other factors. All, that is, except for the accommodation’s need to be located in the world’s most beautiful and exclusive destinations.

It’s rare to find such homes on Airbnb or VRBO. These properties - those in the sights of UHNW individuals and all who orbit their sphere - are strictly off-market, found only in the little black book of the world’s leading bespoke travel designers and concierge companies; clipped, efficient firms whose goal it is to make even the wildest travel dreams come true.

Homes that orbit the top and ultra-luxury rentals market have to be faultless, flawless and in the most pristine locations to get on the books of the world’s foremost travel curators. As such, it’s remarkable that - at least, until now - there has been no professional measurement or recognition at this loftiest of levels.

THE WORLD’S FIRST RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR LUXURY VILLA AND CHALET RENTALS

Meet the Sirreti List, the world’s first recognition system for luxury villa and chalet rentals. A

company which set out in 2021 to change the landscape of ultra-luxury hospitality and has done so with the kind of panache, foresight and vision befitting of its clientele.

The project is a long-standing ambition for two highly regarded veterans within the luxury hospitality sector, who put their heads together, combined the contents of their own black books and assembled a panel of industry leaders. The result? A team that is now leveraging their knowledge to recognise ‘Nothing less than the best’ in prestige accommodation, for clients who have excellence set as their minimum standard.

FROM A LUXURY RENTAL AGENCY TO SIRRETI

Among the esteemed panel of advisory board members behind Sirreti is Wolf Wörster. A luxury expert who has spent two decades working in the hospitality market, Wörster previously owned Volta Villas, a boutique ultra-luxury

rental agency with a focus on the global UHNW market.

Over the years, the company featured in Forbes, Robb Report, The Sunday Times and the Vancouver Sun. RTL German Television produced and aired a documentary segment on Wolf’s properties and business, further elevating its status and attracting the attention of the world’s UHNW individuals seeking the perfect getaway.

His portfolio curated only the crème de la crème of global private rental homes; managing 50 million dollar plus homes for owners and with a black book client list which included politicians, business leaders and A-list celebrities. The weekly rental in his portfolio averaged at $92,000+ USD.

Wolf sold Volta Villas in 2021 but remains heavily engaged in the vacation rental sector. An active committee member for the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA); Wolf also contracts for TurnoverBnB, a global company with over 25,000 host clients. Over the years, he has consulted at global events on private accommodations for heads of state - including G7 Summits and the 2010 and 2012 Olympics - an impressive roster which has allowed him to gain the confidence of a truly exclusive social sector, and position Sirreti at the pinnacle of its industry.

THE SIRRETI LIST

“Our desire was to create a space where hosts of luxury villas and chalets can validate the quality of their accommodation and become recognised for their excellence.” Within such statements, The Siretti List’s raison d’être is revealed. Think the Michelin Guide for the top luxury and ultraluxury categories, rating and awarding the elite within the private luxury accommodation sector.

It is the world’s first independent reviewing system of luxury villa and chalet rentals with three categories:

BLACK - LEADER IN ITS MARKET

LOCATION (PRIVACY, VIEWS, SAFETY & SECURITY)

AMENITIES (POOL, GYM, THEATRE, WINE TASTING ROOM, TECHNOLOGY)

SPACE (INTERIOR DESIGN, LAYOUT, GATHERING AREAS)

COMFORT (FURNISHINGS, BATHROOMS, BEDDING)

SERVICE (CONCIERGE, HOUSEKEEPING, CHEF)

VALUE FOR MONEY

SILVER - TOP PROPERTY

GOLD - AMONG THE WORLD’S BEST

Properties receive acknowledgement for the quality of accommodation based on the following criteria:

Standards are kept sky-high with a fleet of highly meticulous inspectors, a team of independent, senior industry professionals whose inspections are then cross-checked by the Sirreti jury. The result? A rigorous system to ensure the very zenith of luxury through and through.

THE SIRRETI COMMUNITY

The Sirreti Community is an exclusive membership-only body where the best and brightest minds in the industry can come together

LEFT: WOLF WÖRSTER - SIRRETI ADVISORY BOARD BELOW: CHALET ZERMATT PEAK

to network, converse, and collaborate in the luxury market.

From property owners and managers, to villa and travel agents and concierge companies; the common goal of the Sirreti community is to drive forward the private luxury accommodation sector.

Members will also be able to accelerate their knowledge with ongoing training and certification as they develop their careers as luxury travel professionals, property managers of high-end properties, luxury homeowners and villa & chalet booking agencies.

What’s more, members will gain access to those rare and special homes that make the Sirreti List.

WHY NOW?

“Since the pandemic, UHNW travellers

are prepared to spend higher than ever to experience their dream vacation.

These clients are currently spending in excess of $50K per week on private accommodation and the market has grown 9.3% in the last year alone and will continue to grow.”

an exceptional moment of growth.

British hospitality company, One Fine Stay is looking to grow its ultra-luxury portfolio in the Caribbean and Hunter Chalets, operators in the French Alps, continue to acquire chalets of the highest calibre to meet the demands of their clients.

Los Angeles-based travel professional, Terry Bahri who specialises in the UHNW, is experiencing an increase in ultra-luxury client bookings and confirms that in principle her clients prefer private accommodations (villas) for both their security and privacy.

As luxury travel becomes ever more bespoke, the need for an exclusive global list where the ultimate in villa stays are recognised, awarded and introduced to the ultra-luxury travel community becomes fundamental.”

Across the board, mainstream luxury travel operators agree that the market stayed resilient through the pandemic and is now experiencing TR

Welcome to Sirreti.

“Homes that orbit the top and ultra-luxury rentals market have to be faultless and flawless”

The fu T ure has landed

Meet the strongest and most advanced fleet in Gulfstream history. With the addition of the all-new Gulfstream G800™ and G400™, our expanded portfolio offers an aircraft for every mission.

Signature Scents for All:

Disrupting Perfumery with Maison 21G

Words: Benjamin Norris - Lifestyle Editor

Perfumery has long been a shadowy, secretive industry, defined by a particular sort of alchemy overseen by mysterious ingredients, hidden formulae, a well-guarded form of gatekeeping and the dark art of scent creation. To say that Maison 21G - the rapidly-ascending Parisian house of bespoke fragrances, headquartered in Singapore’s opulent Duxton Road - is shaking up the scene with a refreshingly novel approach would be radically underplaying their impact.

Launched during the darkest days of the global pandemic when - let’s face it - none of us were spritzing ourselves with eau de parfum and heading out on dates, or using our choice of scent to heighten our aura of sophistication, Maison 21G was intended to be disruptive from its very earliest moments. Founder Johanna Monange had forged a powerful career as a scent designer with IFF and Firmenich. In those hallowed halls, she had helped give rise to world-beating perfumes including La Vie Est Belle, One Million, Spice Bomb, Aqua di Gioia, La nuit de L’Homme and more, only to find herself increasingly disillusioned by the world she was inhabiting.

With each new creation and each new release, Monange felt that there was a consistent leaning towards the most common denominators; a hunt for the ‘one-size-fits-all’ scents with the broadest possible appeal, a search for perfumes which pleased everyone, but failed to set the soul alight in ways great perfume should. Once this thought had taken root in her mind, she felt she had no

choice but to leave and pursue the creation of a new brand - one which would take an entirely different approach.

Amid all the complications inherent with setting up a perfumery house - sourcing of the highest quality ingredients and establishing trusted relationships with producers, not to mention branding, distribution, marketing and more - the concept behind Maison 21G is almost devilishly simple. By giving discerning members of the public and committed fragrance fans access to essences from which great perfumes are crafted, they’ll be able to dictate the nature of the scents that fit them like a glove. With a brand promise of ‘The Freedom to Create’, Maison 21G sets out to do exactly that: to unlock the secrets of perfume creation, put renowned essences within reach of scent lovers everywhere, and celebrate individuality and that which makes us unique.

Therein lies the inspiration behind the brand’s name; the ‘21g’ refers to physician Duncan McDougall’s theory of the weight of the soul. It is Maison 21G’s intention to unleash the scent of the soul, capturing that essence in a 21 gram bottle, and revel in a wholly new take on bespoke fragrance creation.

“It is Maison 21G’s intention to unleash the scent of the soul, capturing that essence”

Freedom to Create’

‘The

Reimagining Perfumery Anew

Once the Maison manifesto was laid down by Johanna, it was a question of just how best to implement the bold choice to put perfumery in the consumers’ hands.

The solution came about via an innovative blend of blisteringly modern AI and timeless scent design expertise. Those seeking to craft their signature scent are invited to make use of an AI-driven personality quiz (cannily honed to betters suit each region Maison 21G operates in), by which their favourite scent families, their current favourite perfumes, and other factors such as when and where they will showcase their scent are taken into account.

That’s just one of the oh-so-2022 experiential shopping boxes that Maison 21G set out to tick. Johanna’s other red lines for her brand came in the form of a much-overdue overhaul of sustainability practices within the perfume industry; her brand was go out of its way to produce scents that were vegan, paraben and phthalate-free, made from fair trade ingredients, and capable of offering an array of wellness benefits. With recycled packaging and no plastic bottles (shockingly, a first for the industry), a scheme by which the bottles themselves could be recycled and a host of other green credentials, the maison aims to redress an imbalance that has often seen the larger perfume houses come under fire… not least from increasingly environmentallyconscious consumers.

Such credentials are all well and good, but tend to fall flat in the absence of a product worthy of great praise. Upon receiving a handful of beautiful Maison 21G bottles (which, I discovered with no small delight, could be further personalised with an engraved design and name of my choice), the results were starkly satisfying. Made from ingredients taken from the Exclusive Collection, which comprises some of the rarest and most sought-after perfumery ingredients in the world, the scents themselves truly do manage to stand out from even the most opulent of crowds.

This is especially true when one considers that I received a set of pour homme fragrances (while they have plenty of gorgeous feminine scents to choose from, the brand is especially good at perfumes which blur traditional gender lines), a realm which all too often slips into predictability and a paucity of elegance. Sage Supreme was decadent, brooding - just like me, naturally - and with an addictive green quality, while Cashmere Wood had an animalic depth that packed a deep warmth with that irresistible woodsy structure; a rock star of a scent with a seriously carnal appeal. My personal favourite, a Ginger Vetiver blend, was ideal for sunnier days and offered a vibrancy and sillage all too often lacking in men’s fragrances, both confident and enticing yet undeniably laid-back.

First Asia, Then The World

With such a bullet-proof set of strategies and a clearly agile business model in place, expansion was always on Monange’s to-do list. Having proven a hit among the high society of Singapore, with concept stores opening in MBS and Takashimaya malls, Maison 21G went on to open flagship locations in South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and China, tailoring their approaches and seeking out partnerships to better suit the local aspirational clientele.

This summer, the first Maison 21G flagship store outside of southeast Asia opened in Dubai Hills - a natural home for a luxury bespoke perfume brand if there ever was one - as well as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and plans are underway for stores in Paris, London and New York by the end of 2023.

It isn’t just new territories making up Maison 21G’s expansion plans, however. The brand launched a Home Scent range in 2022, which allowed the company concept of bespoke creativity and cleaner, greener scents to find its way into oil burners, candles, and reed diffusers. A car scent diffuser, already picked up by Ferrari, is also being launched - perfuming commutes and road trips for those seeking to

make a hell of a statement with their vehicles - and fans of the brand can even try their hand at perfume creation from home, thanks to a Discovery Kit of Maison’s 34 signature essences.

Perhaps one of Maison 21G’s most fascinating new approaches, however, blends the worlds of corporate branding and scent with their signature bespoke flourish. Maison 21G’s in-house scent designers offer exclusive consultations with companies seeking to create polysensory branding; in essence, to create a signature scent to elevate a location or experience, or simply to take product activations to a whole new height of luxury. The perfume house recently collaborated with Hennessey Cognac, crafting scents which reflected the unique characteristics of various esteemed vintages.

From hotels to bars, Michelin-starred restaurants, showrooms and brick-and-mortar stores, Maison 21G is crafting perfumes (diffused via custom-made devices to ensure optimal balance and subtlety) which tap into the way our memories work with scent. It’s a signal of new horizons not just for the maison, but for the nature of experiential shopping and hospitality as a whole.

In a world in which authenticity, individuality and conscious consumerism are becoming the baseline of public expectations, brands are having to adapt and reposition rapidly, offering new angles and approaches to even the most historic and established of industries. Within the perfumery scene, a scene once valued for its sense of secrecy and oft-condescending loftiness, Maison 21G is blazing a stark new trail. What’s more, it’s doing so with remarkable grace, an ever-growing line of beautiful fragrances, and the well-deserved success they’ve given rise to.

C C P R R

T T H H E E

M M O O

M M E E N N

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UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE MEMORY CARDS FOR YOUR CREATIVE PRODUCTION.

DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED IN AUSTRIA.

Ras Al Khaimah

Post pandemic, after a small virus knocked an entire planet off its axis, a new frenzy of pent up travel lust has emerged.

Words: Sarah Morgan - Global Travel Editor

THE JEBEL JAIS MOUNTAIN PEAK, IS PART OF THE SPECTACULAR CLOUDPIERCING HAJAR MOUNTAINS. THE RANGE EXTENDS FROM RAS AL KHAIMAH ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES TO THE MUSANDAM PENINSULA ON THE NORTHEASTERN SIDE OF OMAN.

Interestingly, after our two years of abstinence, what has become clear is that the bucket list has been replaced with a new and improved wanderlist; one featuring fresh sweet spots emerging in off-the-beaten track authentic destinations, immersive natural experiences, and adrenaline-fuelled adventure to remind us what it feels like to be alive and free.

Let me introduce you to Ras Al Khaimah - or RAK as it’s known - the fourth largest landmass of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. A destination with its cultural roots born out of three historic tribes that emanate from the region’s three distinct landscapes of sea, mountain and desert. RAK is fast becoming the hotspot for those seeking nature and adventure in equal measure.

Situated a short drive north from Dubai, this little-known emirate is a refreshingly authentic contrast to its Kardashian-style cousin. Travelstarved nomads seeking an Arabian deep dive into endless nature driven adventure and once-in-a-lifetime experiences are spoiled with its exotic culture, sprawling deserts, pristine beaches, and stunning mountain landscapes.

Thankfully this pared-back authenticity doesn’t come at the expense of luxury – so no need to dig out the backpack. There is an abundance of five star hotels for you to snuggle into, but one

giant of a hotel (both literally and figuratively) stands head and shoulders above its cohorts.

The Waldorf Astoria not only delivers impressive scale, spectacular hotel design and stunning facilities (as befits this master of hospitality) it also packs its biggest punch with an immaculate personal approach and the latest technology - a truly best in class experience.

Cradled by the Hajar Mountains, the resort offers one of the most alluring beach locations next to the azure waters of the Arabian Gulf. It boasts a world-class gym and spa, a championship golf course and a choice of 11 exquisite restaurants each tailored to titillate the palate including the vibrant and theatrical Japanese Umi and the opulent Lexington Bar & Grill. The Umi experience is not to be missed, with sashimi-grade fresh tuna bought and shipped from Japan daily – an extraordinary logistical feat. My personal recommendation is the Black Cod served with Hakutsuru sake.

But whilst a trip to Ras Al Khaimah could be spent entirely submerged in this velvet cocoon of luxury, there is also a world of unforgettable moments that await discovery.

The first of these moments was a sunset horseback ride across the Al Wadi Nature Reserve, courtesy of The Ritz Carlton Al Wadi Equestrian Centre. It’s a truly rare opportunity

to connect with the vast copper desert and its wilderness, and a chance to immerse yourself in its serenely haunting beauty.

My mount - a full Arabian called Taz (rather worryingly named after the Tasmanian Devil) - was a magnificent example of why Arabian horses have been a prized part of Middle Eastern culture for centuries, not least because of their fine stature, extraordinary speed and sheer power in this unforgiving desert terrain.

To ride out across the undulating sand dunes on a purebred with the golden sun setting across the desert truly unforgettable; a priceless moment of surrendering to the stillness and vastness of the terrain.

After a quick refresh, it was onto the Sonara Camp; a decadent desert camp set deep in the Al Wadi reserve, which is roamed by herds of Oryx and Gazelle, and the occasional elusive Arabian Red Fox. An upscale bouji camp, Sonara invites guests to watch the sunset then dine under the stars. As the darkness envelops the camp it begins to look like an exotic spaceship which has touched down on a dusty planet, thanks to a pyramid core and swathes of minuscule landing lights.

We were served a delicious mix of Mediterranean and Arabic dishes, all freshly cooked at the camp (the only dish we swerved was the Nile Perch that we felt might take its

“Sonara invites guests to watch the sunset then dine under the stars.”

revenge if given the chance) all washed down with the most welcomed glass of Minuty Rose. Whilst dining, guests are entertained by an eclectic array of performers including live music, a falconry display and a breathtaking fire show.

One other desert experience I can highly recommend for those seeking an adrenaline spike is the dune buggy or quad bike safari at The Bassata Village Camp – although I suggest post dune-bashing you find a more authentic dining option.

From the desert it’s onto the small fishing village of Al Rams, nestled at the foot of the Al Hajar Mountains. There, we uncover a chance to learn about RAK’s extraordinary pearl fishing history that dates back over seven millennia.

Celebrating this history, Abdulla Al Suwaidi opened Suwaidi Pearl Farm in honour of his late grandfather, the last of the original pearl divers. Abdulla watched in awe as his grandfather would disappear under the water for minutes at a time and return clutching spherical translucent treasures worthy of Royalty across the globe.

Thankfully, the original pearl diving process - of 25 divers living on small boats for up to four months at time, allowed only two cups of water a day and a handful of nuts with the expectation of 200 dives a day to find the cherished natural gems - has been replaced with farmed pearls.

This extraordinary place produces up to 40,000 pearls a year, with each precious pearl taking two years from seeding to harvest at a success rate of nearly 60%, a remarkable figure compared to the mere 1% success rate for the pearl divers.

Having experienced the richness of the desert and the riches of the Arabian sea, the final landscape on this tour is arguably the most majestic.

Ras Al Khaimah is home to the highest mountain in the UAE. Jebel Jais stands at a lofty 1934m and is arguably the beating heart of the region for adventurers. There are numerous hiking and biking opportunities, but the Mecca for adrenaline junkies is the Jais Mountain Park. Here awaits a gateway to attractions such as the world’s longest zipline, Jais Sky Tour - a series of seven exhilarating ziplines stretching over 5km - and the Jais Sledder, a winding toboggan ride that reaches up to 40mph.

I am definitely no Lara Croft, so this was one of those life-affirming moments when I had to master my limbic brain as pure fear took hold. The numerous safety checks were no

reassurance as I was strapped into what felt frighteningly like a body bag and jettisoned headfirst, superhero style, at the launch point of 350 m (the height of the Empire State Building).

The 2.8kms and 1 min 45 flight, which travels at between 120 – 160 km/hr, evaporated in a blur of expletives. Tears of relief blended with pure exhilaration as I marked my one time only Tomb Raider moment, before heading to 1484 by Puro, the UAE’s highest restaurant for a well-deserved celebratory glass of champagne.

Whilst sitting rather smugly on the expansive terrace soaking up the awe-inspiring views of the rolling Hajar mountains, I was reminded of the quote that is carved into the iconic astrolabe clock face at the Waldorf Astoria: “From your homeland travel abroad to find glory”. In that moment, I found a little piece of glory.

Once you have conquered the Jais Flight, head over to the Jais Sledder. It should feel like a walk in the park in comparison, but somehow hurtling at 40mph down the mountain in what looks like a tin crate does not disappoint… at least, if you have any adrenaline left.

The final mountain pit stop, in a sweltering 37 degrees in the shade, was the Bear

“Having experienced the richness of the desert and the riches of the Arabian sea, the final landscape on this tour is arguably the most majestic.”

Grylls Explorer Camp, a dusty enclave of 16 containerised pods situated in the mountain side of Jebal Jais.

This raw survival training camp offers three types of training, and is the only Bear Grylls accommodation camp in the world. Indeed, it was opened by Bear himself in 2019 as part of a brand new franchise for the man himself.

Whilst this may not be for me, there’s no denying that the standard of the camp, its accommodation, the training and the calibre of

the team are not to be questioned. Our trainer for one was ex Jordanian Special Forces, and certainly sounded as though he was a man to stick close to in an emergency situation.

This is for those who want to take on the mountain and their own mind-set and win. It’s not what I would call a holiday, but clearly there is a growing desire for this type of adventure as the camp is expanding to accommodate demand.

After six days in this unexpected destination I didn’t just discover RAK, I discovered an explorer and an adventurer in me that I didn’t know existed. Thank you to the last two years of Netflix-saturated nights and Joe Wicksmotivated days, that has given me the incentive that I needed to seek out places and spaces that push me way out of my comfort zone. In doing so I was able to create life affirming moments, the moments and memories that really matter.

Bring on the next adventure!

Villa the return

Villa d’Esté

There’s only a handful of global automotive events in the calendar where the setting demands as much attention as the subjects themselves.

The Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Esté, without a shadow of a doubt, holds its own as part of that rather select few.

I remember my first trip to Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Esté like it was yesterday. Golden rays pierced through the Italian mountainside and draped over gentle ripples of deep teal, disturbed by a scattering of

Aquarivas. Narrow twisting roads bordering the lake were filled to the brim with BMW VIP shuttles, rakish enthusiasts and the finest classic supercars. The sound of crystal clinking, cutlery clashing and chassis chatter filled the air, and all felt well amongst the autumn breeze as I explored one of the most iconic Villas on Lake Como. That trip, during which my Villa d’Esté cherry was popped in spectacular fashion, can be recounted here.

This year, the Concorso is back at full capacity, and is taking place on its usual weekend in May (as opposed to last year’s invite-only event, delayed until October). It was a weekend of fabled highlights, as befits one of the standout luxury automotive events in the

calendar.

Naturally, those highlights come with some more fervent favourites. First up - the one-off Aston Martin Bulldog, a car I’ve seen a few times before in person, but there’s no escaping the fact that it looks much more at home in Como than it does on Savile Row. The name Bulldog was lifted from the Scottish Aviation Bulldog which Alan Curtis, then MD of Aston Martin flew. Powered by a 5.3L Twin Garret Turbocharged V8 and producing a whopping 600 HP, Aston Martin claimed it could also hit top speeds of 237 MPH upon release. It also featured gull-wing doors as well as a 5-lamp central bonnet headlight configuration.

Aston Martin originally planned to produce 15-25 units of the Bulldog, but in 1981 it was cut for being too costly with only one ever being produced. In terms of performance and design, this car is pure 1980s insanity; a car so far detached from Aston Martin’s design language it is nothing less than unrecognisable from other models from the same period. It’s a creation which rejects any notion of compromise, and which was envisioned to make one hell of a statementwhat’s not to love?

On display next to the Bulldog was one of the most beautiful cars to ever come out of France, the Citroen SM. Combining beautiful French styling with an Italian heart in the

form of a 2.7L Maserati V6, the SM is up there on my all-time wishlist. The example poised in front of me, however, wasn’t just any Citroen SM: it was the 200 mph-capable Citroen SM land speed racer, a veritable beast of a machine, and one with a cult status all of its own. This SM has a highly modified version of the Maserati V6 which has been bored out to 3.0L, with a growling pair of turbochargers strapped onto it. In 1985 owner Jerry Hathaway joined the 200 mph club and claimed the title of ‘world’s fastest Citroen’ which is still believed to be the case today. His wife Sylvia joined him in the aforementioned club in 1987, running a record 202.3 mph which wasn’t broken for 23 years. This car took what was an elegant French cruiser

and turned it into a record-breaking speed machine; a flourish of Gallic muscle-flexing that embarrassed the local talent in America and for those reasons, it had to be in my highlights.

Following that has to be Bugatti’s bonkers track-only release, the Bolide. Arguably one of Bugatti’s most outlandish designs in recent years, the Bolide looks like a concept car from the future but make no mistake, it is still very much a Bugatti. The trademark grille forged in bare carbon is submerged in an aggressive front splitter. The openings in the bonnet expose the suspension arms, and you can’t miss those LED headlights that are a nod to race cars of the past (when headlights

were taped to avoid broken glass falling on track). And that’s just the front. The rear has four exhausts which can only be compared to artillery, as well as a huge rear wing with ‘BUGATTI’ and ‘16.4’ plastered across it… just in case you thought this was a hybrid.

That wasn’t the only race car which caught my attention. There was also a road-legal Nissan R390 GT1 in attendance which took me straight back to my Gran Turismo playing days. The R390 GT1 was made to solely compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1997 and 1998. Powered by a 3.5L twin-turbocharged V8, producing 550 HP and weighing 1,440 KG, the R390 GT1 ultimately missed out on any trophies at Le Mans in either year, yet regardless, packs a certain type of nostalgia that I was not expecting to experience.

Of course, this being a BMW Group event, BMW M was in full force this year, and celebrated 50 Years of M with the world premiere of the M4 CSL - a moniker which

BMW M fans haven’t seen since the legendary E46 M3 CSL. In addition to the new model, there was also an M1 and M1 Procar on display, as well as other significant motorsport models. BMW took full advantage of this opportunity to showcase their new flagship i7 electric limousine for the first time to the public, as well as some past 7 series models.

This year’s show also saw the return of the fan-focused Wheels & Weisswürscht, hosted by BMW Group Classic. This is a supporting event where fans can display their pride and joy to the rest of the public on the lawns of Villa Erba, and the faithful came out in force.

Speaking of the BMW Group, Rolls-Royce also unveiled the second iteration of its bespoke Boat Tail model - motoring Editor Aaron Edgeworth took the Boat Tail to task here in a previous issue. This example was finished in a soft rose/ copper colour with exposed carbon and Royal Walnut Veneer, and even featured dials constructed with lustrous mother-of-

pearl; a truly opulent detail befitting the brand in signature style.

With this prestigious event running at full capacity and falling back into its rightful place of a beautiful spring weekend, I feel like I had a much more rounded experience this time around. Blazingly hot, with the mercury rising to a sweltering 34 degrees, the sweet temptation of diving head first into the lake in search of salvation from the blistering hot sun was, frankly, almost impossible to resist.

Despite the heat, the atmosphere was electric. There was real joy in seeing both collectors and enthusiasts coming together over two days, and indulging our shared passions in the most detailed car-related conversation was something I’ve missed over the past couple of years.

As a whole, Villa D’Este Concorso D’Eleganza remains a solid date in my automotive calendar, and I urge you to pencil it in.

a light

Words: Naomi Lake

Photography: Egle Vasi and Jake Ball

Models: Olivia Weston and Lili Houghton

Nails: Nata Ivanishaka

Refreshment

Cosmetic surgery, non-invasive procedure, treatment or tweakment: call it what you want, but throughout my decadeslong career in beauty, no topic has ever been more divisive. The polarity between viewpoints is vast, and it seems nobody is without their opinion on the matter. Spoiler alert, courtesy of The London Lip Clinic, I am a hard and fast convert, a newfound advocate, and metaphorically signing up for the long run.

ince before the days of daily mask-wearing, I’ve had the general ease to go makeup-free, save for a little brow gel and Eyeko Black Magic Mascara. But on days when I did want to amp up my look, I found frustration at foundation settling into lines, despite religious use of Pür Cosmetics Hydrate and Balance Primer. No amount of my current holy grail lip balm Bioderma Atoderm, help from the Bybi Plumper or even bountiful water consumption ever allowed my skin the efforts of a full appearance. I was getting a little tired of, well, looking tired.

As a Beauty Editor, my shelves are filled with lotions and serums claiming or working to replenish and renew the skin’s appearance in a multitude of different ways. I have reached for topical solutions to fine lines for years, the newest addition to my armoury being Environ Focus Care Youth+ Frown Serum. But as an average person, in the cold light of day and outside of portrait mode, I still desired

something more. And so, here begins the story of how I found a little comfort, and a lot more confidence, in my reflection.

So what happens when you dip a toe or take the plunge into this arena of beauty? I was lucky enough to have Dr Rupesh Shah guide me through my first ever ‘refreshment’.

As with any treatment, a consultation is a must. Nestled in Harley Street, Rupesh’s bustling clinic is warm and welcoming. His treatment room, bright, clean and reassuringly clinical, has personal touches too, with chic soft furnishings, and certificates and accolades adorning one wall.

We chat about my skincare routine, lifestyle and aims regarding my appearance. Whilst on point with routine, I express my unease over persistent forehead lines, emerging crow’s feet, and depleted lips. I want a fresher look for sure, but most importantly, one that remains undetectably natural, which is Rupesh’s signature style and what his clinic is best known for. Across the variety of treatments offered at the clinic, Rupesh explains the top three for facial rejuvenation are Botox, Profhilo, and lip filler.

So where did we end up? Firstly, for the appearance of lines, the most immediate treatment is Botox. Taking it from the basics, this involves the injection of the Botulinum toxin to block nerve signals, preventing muscle contractions that cause wrinkles. It has to be prescribed in a face-to-face meeting by a qualified medical practitioner, such as a doctor, dentist, nurse prescriber, or pharmacist, such as the journey Rupesh took.

Different locations glean different results, of course, relating to which muscle groups are targeted. Baby Botox treats fine lines in the centre of the forehead, pesky ‘eleven’ frown lines and crow’s feet, by using an application across the middle forehead, between the brows, at the bridge of the nose, and high on the cheekbones. A fuller treatment is required for wider-reaching forehead lines, with a few more injection points added towards the hairline.

For lips, very simply, filler was the only way to go. Using market-leading Juvéderm Volbella XC injectable gel, it offers softness and natural movement to the finished look on delicate areas. A supple and more pliable formula than its equivalents, it’s used to augment the lip shape and treat perioral, or ‘lipstick lines’, whilst firmer products in the range are used for more structural procedures such as non-surgical rhinoplasty or ‘nose-job’. Modified hyaluronic acid (a good friend featured in almost every skincare article) is the main ingredient behind

“It’s a bespoke map, using knowledge of muscle structure, noting my facial contours and accounting for the areas being addressed.”

Juvéderm, a substance naturally occurring in the body delivering volume and hydration to the skin.

With both treatments booked, very soon I am back and in the chair. My first-timer nerves melt away with Dr Shah’s easy bedside manner, professional demeanour and complete knowledge of every aspect of the treatment. The first focus is lips, primed for treatment with an anaesthetic injected into the gums. Much like a trip to the dentist, this numbs discomfort and lasts for around an hour. Whilst it takes effect, the focus shifts to Botox.

I’m asked to frown, raise my eyebrows and make other facial movements whilst Rupesh maps out points for treatment. It’s a bespoke map, using knowledge of muscle structure, noting my facial contours and accounting for the areas being addressed. There is no need for any numbing here, a little pinch over my nose, a little pressure on my forehead… I am trying to manage your expectations fairly here, but for me, I would go as far as to say it was painless.

To complete my session, we moved on to lips. It’s the clinic’s most popular treatment, and its namesake after all. Luckily, I was already happy with their general shape, so Rupesh aimed for organic volume and plumpness, which meant an overall application across the length of the lips, rather than specific areas to restructure.

Using his preferred cannula method, Rupesh uses a small needle to create an entry point and then swaps to a cannula to move through the dermis layer of the skin to distribute the filler. It’s a safer option as a cannula can’t pierce any blood vessels, plus this method has been linked with more natural-looking results. Finally, massage of the lips fully disperses the gel to ensure its smooth sitting, overall making it a little different in sensation to Botox, with a feeling of dull movement and pressure as the treatment progresses.

The whole process is done in about twenty minutes, but it’s important to remember that swelling will occur to skew the overall finish

at first look. However, I resolve to trust the process, because I trust Rupesh. Aftercare is simple: for 24 hours there must be no pressure on the area at all whilst the filler is setting and firming. But, if anything goes awry, I am reassured that dissolving is always a possibility, and the clinic and an out-of-hours number are on hand to allay any worries in the short term.

So where are we on the results? When chatting to a friend after everything had settled, I had a moment of revelation when they asked to see a before photo for comparison. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed my lines and deflated lips with quite the retina-burning detail as I had, and I realised I didn’t really have one. More than my Millennial upbringing lacking the availability of camera phones at the delicate habit-forming age, it was my face, up close and personal with aspects I wasn’t particularly keen on, that had affected my confidence and lack of self-portraits with any regularity.

My lips were an instant hit, and being able to see an immediate change is undeniably

exciting. Swelling faded completely after a few days, as did slight bruising, and I’ve been obsessed with the results ever since. The body will naturally break down the gel, but Volbella is the longest-lasting product on the market, with results lasting up to nine to twelve months. What’s more, a welcome side effect is that my lips feel more hydrated too.

With Botox, after three days or so, my forehead started to feel a little cool and somewhat tingly between my brows. After a week, I noticed a slowness and dulling of movement with expressions such as frowning. Two weeks in, I could tell which areas were treated and which needed a little more attention for balance.

Now, my brows, somewhat uneven in their sitting, have levelled. Tension at the muscle groups between and above my right brow had been pushing it down, but the relaxation allows it to lift to a more harmonious position. My forehead is smoother and fresher, and makeup is sitting nicely if I fancy wearing any, and with a smile, crow’s feet no longer grasp over my cheekbones.

It’s a delicate procedure with placement, Dr Shah explained, as for some lines lower on the forehead, a relaxing of these muscles could cause a closing of the eye area, by dropping the

brows. Lines around the eyes are easier to treat, however, as there isn’t any risk of drooping. It’s a balance between retaining the movement for emotion, versus smoothing creases, but any lines that remain at rest are the hardest to treat. Nonetheless, I was assured that with continual use of Botox, the most stubborn lines will in time soften too, with the maintained relaxation of the muscles.

Overall, it’s fascinating how one can appear so naturally refreshed with such a seemingly minor intervention. In all honesty, the final look is so familiar that nobody has been able to pinpoint a specific change, despite compliments on looking, really, well. It would have stayed my little secret if only I hadn’t been so excited to share it…

Now, I couldn’t with a clear conscience sing the praises of treatments such as these without delving into their assurance. As of Friday 1st October 2021, it was made illegal to give Botox and dermal fillers to under 18’s for purely cosmetic reasons. Take a moment, read that again. That is less than one year ago. And, where does it mention the regulations on who is administering these treatments?

To find out more about safety in the industry, I reached out to Ashton Collins, Director of Save Face, an independent national register of Accredited Practitioners providing non-surgical cosmetic treatments. I was keen to know her inspiration behind the company.

Ashton explained, “Eight years ago, I was considering getting lip fillers. I knew what I wanted, but I’d seen terrible work and read some scary articles in the press. The more research I did, the more apparent it became that finding someone to administer these procedures safely was like playing the lottery.”

“It likened anyone undergoing treatment with dermal fillers as having no more protection than buying a ballpoint pen. A central register was recommended, but the Government declined to create one.” Ashton decided to be the change, “with experience in accreditation schemes, I had a good understanding of what would be needed… I wanted something that I would feel confident in my mum or best friend using… to give confidence to those seeking treatments, removing the guesswork and reliance on [practitioners own] marketing and self-promotion.”

At 25, she set in motion a business plan to change the industry, aiming, in her words, “to simultaneously help legitimate, responsible and ethical practitioners differentiate themselves, and provide a user-friendly way for anyone considering a treatment to find a practitioner they could trust”. Launched in 2014, Save Face was later accredited by Professional Standards Authority (PSA) in 2016 and was the first aesthetic register to be so. Now, it’s recognised by the Government, The Department of Health, NHS England and The Care Quality Commission. So, what does deliver to someone at home, who might be looking for their first, or next treatment?

“It would have stayed my little secret if only I hadn’t been so excited to share it…”

“Our standards actually exceed the requirements set out by the PSA. Each practitioner and clinic is required to pass our rigorous 116-point assessment”. Ashton elaborates, “we verify that each practitioner is registered with a statutory regulator (such as the General Medical or Dental Councils), that they are appropriately trained in each of the treatments they provide and in managing medical emergencies and complications, are insured to carry out each treatment and have the appropriate policies, procedures, treatment protocols, consent forms and aftercare information.”

There’s more change called in the industry this year too, with a newly launched petition to ensure the advertising of cosmetic surgeries and procedures is more upfront about potential risks. I was eager to hear Ashton’s thoughts. She shared, “We have been campaigning for many years for the Advertising Standards Authority to tighten the rules around the advertising of cosmetic procedures, as too many people now perceive fillers and Botox to be low-risk beauty treatments as opposed to medical procedures that can cause serious complications.”

But it doesn’t stop there, as Ashon raises a further issue, “based on the data we have

gathered over the past eight years, we are now growing increasingly concerned about the ‘organic’ posts and social media pages that are not subject to any rules or regulations.”

According to Save Face records, over 80% of complaints they handle stem from practitioners found on social media, or ads offering budget deals and time-limited offers. “It’s these posts that fall under the radar and cause thousands of people to fall into unsafe hands.”

You can find Accredited Practitioners for all non-surgical aesthetic procedures, like Dr Rupesh Shah across the country, through Save Face.

Words & Photography: Peter J Robinson

Let me set the scene: you’ve just choppered in from Napa. It’s Friday night in San Francisco and you’ve got the weekend rolling out in front of you with no plans in sight. The fitting catalyst to propel you into the beating heart of techland America? That would be the new Ferrari Roma.

Let’s not stand on ceremony. The Roma is properly handsome. Its muscular fender wings stand proud, albeit in an understated and yet vaunted way. Wellproportioned and styled for aesthetics, the Roma focuses on F1-inspired aero performance, confidently thrumming beneath that calm exterior; a thrilling set of clean lines and a minimalist approach that is only perforated when absolutely necessary. Take the grill and that overhanging shark nose effect - it’s a striking nod to the 250 GT Lusso of the 1960s. While it’s a step away from the usual gasping air

intakes we’ve become accustomed to, that’s due in part to the new eight speed dual clutch transmission which runs considerably cooler.

Saunter around those angles - it’s engaging and beguiling from every single one. From the back, the body-integrated rear wing allows for continuous clean lines, whilst the familiar circle tail lights have gone in favour of strip lights and modern matrix LED headlights at the front. Drape a curtain over it, have it point at a baby and you’ve got yourself a renaissance painting. I personally would opt for something a little more punchy than Roma Blu but at the same time, it comes with an air of refinement

indicative of understated confidence. It is, after all, a Ferrari through and through.

American Prize for Design laureate Flavio Manzoni leads the Ferrari Design Centre, which picked up the Compasso d’Oro in 2014 for the Ferrari F12 berlinetta. It seems the team at Ferrari have found a new hymn sheet, and as they’re warming up their voices the lights in the orchestra pit are on and burning brightly for the masses. “The Ferrari Roma’s design is based on the concept of purity and perfect proportions. It’s a typical Ferrari concept, as it originates from the Ferrari 250 GT, the famous Gran Turismo of the 1960s. These were cars

that distinguished Italian design, the famous Italian style that became renowned all over the world, as well as the era of the Dolce Vita”.

I have set my stall out for the Roma’s design with a relatively esoteric approach, so let’s move onto an area we can all get behind: what’s it like under power when it’s not sitting prettily and garnering attention? For those of you that haven’t driven some portion of the PCH, it’s not too bad… if you like phenomenal. For our readers not based in the continental United States, The Pacific Coast Highway is 656 miles and begins south of Dana Point in the OC, before ending up at US 101 in Mendocino County. It’s widely regarded

as one of the classic American road trips. Top down, salty Pacific air blowing through your hair and that glorious Cali sunshine shimmering over the body work. A widescreen fantasy illuminated in glorious technicolour, and with the kind of soundtrack that - if it were pressed on vinyl - you’d end up running the grooves down on through overplaying.

Starting out in Redwood City and heading West on Route 84 over the Santa Cruz Mountains, the whole area is a driver’s delight. We cut through tight turns bounded by guard rails that slowly but inexorably gain elevation with every mile of tarmac. Be warned though - even

in a 3.9L V8 rear wheel drive Ferrari Roma with 612 bhp, this is still America, and overtaking in this region isn’t for the faint of heart. Better to pull over and wait for the tourists to pass at the iconic Alice’s with a slice of pie, deep in the Californian forest. The last time I was traversing the tree-lined roads around La Honda was in the 488 Pista on a cold February afternoon in 2019. Whilst it was far from a chore, I was all too well aware that the Pista

was as stripped-out and fired-up as any Ferrari I had driven. As such, the Roma’s GT heritage and comfort was a welcome and opulent respite.

On the road, the Roma’s 8 speed dual clutch is paired to a front mid engine setup behind the front axle line for improved weight distribution. Barreling into corners in San Gregorio, you really appreciate how well balanced the Roma is, and how those 95 kg of downforce are really paying dividends. It’s tuned to be more enjoyable in dynamic driving, and yet makes no compromises when it comes to comfort for the city stretch. The ratios are deliberately longer in higher gears, paired with a much lower centre of gravity - the linear power delivery is faultless. It doesn’t have that all encompassing V12 soundtrack of the 812, but this V8 block has 760nm of torque and chasing the redline is as enjoyable as anything I have driven this year. The Roma is a Wolf in a Corneliani three piece.

Having exchanged pleasantries with other passing Ferrari drivers headed south towards Whaler’s Cove, I found myself with just enough clear tarmac to test the 3.4 second 0-60 time. Manettino set. Road clear. Boom - straight into the stratosphere with aplomb. As any new Ferrari owner would demand, the Roma is properly quick. Those underbody vortex generators transport energy into the boundary layer from an outer airflow, and at the same time, variable boost management improves the car’s pickup as the revolutions increase. This creates a smooth gain in pickup whilst allowing for optimal torque. You’re paying for it, you might as well understand it properly.

Aside from the obligatory best in class engineering and handling, as a proper GT car, it’s well worth asking: is the Roma fit for purpose? Could I see myself taking a longer pan-European tour, perhaps to the birthplace of it all in Maranello? While I am sure the invite is in the post, we’ll have to settle for Highway 1 for the time being.

Let’s look at the lineup of varied qualities, which display themselves in unison along this iconic stretch of all-American tarmac. For longer journeys, the Roma brings with it sweeping change in terms of cabin setup and cockpit layout. The divided seating style with raised primary 8.4 inch portrait screen in the central console is - while not being revolutionary in 2022 across the spectrum of high-end cars - indicative of a new wave at Ferrari. This is paired with a 16 inch curved cockpit display which can of course be curated to your ideal setup. The fact that the Apple CarPlay setup overrides the aesthetically pleasing yellow gauge cluster is a petty gripe, but I’m sure with a minor in electrical engineering you could switch it around. I however, didn’t have the time.

Something I haven’t encountered before is the Roma’s touch sensitive start button. No haptic feedback, no physical resonance, just a reassuring engine note when you’ve pressed it appropriately. The Roma has several touch sensitive control areas, and yes, it’s the inescapable way the market is going… but I would still prefer they simply Manettino everything. The stand out for me on the interior front is the gear selector, finished as it is spectacularly in chrome with an open manual H gate design. It’s these little touches that hark back to the brand’s history, and a foundation of excellence upon which legends were constructed.

In terms of sheer capacity, I wasn’t travelling with much more than a few camera bags. However, you’ll be pleased to know that the Roma comes with a 272L boot. That’s more than you’ll get from the tight-fisted chaps in Stuttgart or the team at Gaydon. The Roma also comes with a folding rear seat option, increasing capacity to 345 litres. That’s almost enough to thumb in a pair of Zai skis. Après anyone?

It’s worth noting at this point that Ferrari expects 70% of the Roma clientele to be new to the brand. I’m not sure what they’re expecting from their first embrace with the prancing horse, but the Roma is incredibly easy to fall in love with. It suits all time zones, it’s elegant and refined in a way I haven’t seen reflected in the existing Ferrari line up. I genuinely believe it could be considered a possible daily driver, provided your kids maintain a strict one metre max height, forever.

This new GT represents a serious renaissance for Ferrari. The Roma is a model that embodies understated luxury, it treads quietly in most Manettino modes, but underneath that svelte exterior, at the flick of a switch, lies the beating heart of a true Ferrari.

Specifications

ENGINE: 3.9L V8

0-60: 3.4 seconds

HORSE POWER: 612

MAX TORQUE: 760 Nm

LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT: 465.6cm, 197.4cm, 130.1 cm

WEIGHT: 1472kg

GEARBOX: 8 speed dualclutch

ASPIRATION: Bi-Turbo

and the

Art of Haute-Horlogerie Blancpain

Words: Benjamin Norris - Lifestyle Editor

The world of haute-horlogerie is, by its very nature, one in which a and meticulous approach to excellence is the only accepted standard. realm in which only a select handful of brands have endured the unstoppable ascendance of the digital age, it’s an unashamedly elitist scene, priding on a unique blend of utmost conservatism with consistent - and consistently dazzling - leaps in analogue technology.

Haute-Horlogerie

rarefied standard. A unstoppable priding itself consistently

Tracing the origins of fine Swiss watchmaking is worthy of an editorial in and of itself. However, even the deepest dives into timepiece history will result in one manufacturer standing out as the OG, the genesis, the godfather of many of the watches we treasure today.

Blancpain has been doing what it does best from the Swiss municipality of Villeret since 1735, making it the oldest still-running timepiece company in the world. This unrivalled history has bestowed the brand with the kind of

establishment and backstory others would give an arm and a leg for. What’s more, it truly speaks volumes about the quality of a product, insofar as that Blancpain rarely - if ever - shouts their record-breaking heritage from the rooftops.

Indeed, across four centuries, Blancpain has relied on its calling card of proving that experimentation, innovation, and carefullyupheld tradition can sit hand-in-hand, leading to results that have defined haute-horlogerie as a whole.

Their red lines are as clear as their promises of distinction: Blancpain will never produce a

digital timepiece. Blancpain will never produce a quartz timepiece. It was only very recently they followed Rolex and their other peers in producing anything other than a precious metal, ceramic or (alligator) leather bracelet. If nothing else, Blancpain proves that mechanical mastery of time doesn’t need to equate to slavishly moving with the times. Thank goodness.

A bonafide vanguard in the world of watchmaking, Blancpain is a brand eternally committed to the production of the exemplary. Their story is one which ushered Swiss mastery through the industrial revolution and into the modern age, and one well worth your attention.

Time Began in Villeret

Like all good origin stories, Blancpain’s is a humble and unassuming one. The company was founded by a certain JehanJacques Blancpain, a schoolteacher in Villeret, who listed the new fad for watchmaking as among his eclectic interests. As any good 18th century hobbyist would do, he converted the top floor of his farmhouse into a workshop, and would spend his alone time tinkering with mechanical watches while his

livestock shuffled about downstairs.

The hobby became a vocation, and in 1735, Jehan-Jacques registered himself as a horologer - the point at which Blancpain the man became Blancpain the brand. As little more than an enthusiastic amateur, the first Blancpain watches weren’t trademarked or hallmarked. However, one example from the mid 18th century (unusually marked ‘Blancpain et Fils),

a beautiful Louis XVI pocket watch, has been verified.

Success followed success, and Jehan-Jacques clearly had a canny eye for marketing alongside his evident skill as a watchmaker. Driven by passion and a rapidly-growing pre-orders list, Blancpain’s foundations were laid for some of the most significant horological innovations the industry would ever see.

Centuries of Complexity and Concision

By 1815, two new generations had taken the helm. Frederic-Louis Blancpain - Jehan-Jacques’ grandson - was arguably the first of the brand’s truly iconic innovators, and his foresight and ambition transformed the atelier’s fortunes into the world’s premiere modern timepiece producer. He embraced new methods and machinery with a quintessentially 19th century hunger for technology, and this gave rise to the first ultra-flat movements and Blancpain’s original Lépine-style watches; a feature that remains central to house’s finest timepieces today.

The early 20th century, too, brought with it an impressive array of ‘world firsts’ for Blancpain. 1926 saw the house collaborating with a British manufacturer for the first time; the joining of forces between Frederic-Emile Blancpain, his trusty co-manager and the brand’s first female pioneer Betty Fleichter, and UK-based watchmaker John Harwood was a genuine gamechanger in horology. Together, they created the first patented wristwatch including a removable crown, a winding rotor and a rotating bezel. An item of remarkable beauty, the invention achieved nothing less than setting the blueprint for every mechanical wristwatch to follow.

Throughout the 20th century, innovation begat innovation - far too many to mention here. Worth highlighting, however, was 1953’s invention of the world’s first modern diving watch, quickly followed by the Ladybird - the world’s smallest mechanical watch and a stunning showcase of the brand’s delicacy and skill. For almost every decade that followed, The House of Blancpain broke records and set new industry standards. 1984 saw the world’s smallest automatic motion patented. 1989 revealed the thinnest movement on the planet - the Calibre 23 - elevating Blancpain’s sophistication to wholly new heights.

“

For almost every decade that followed, The House of Blancpain broke records and set new industry standards.”

From the Ocean to the Moon

Let’s focus for a moment on a pair of watches which encapsulate the essence of Blancpain, and which continue to command attention and admiration to this day.

Few timepieces in Blancpain’s extensive history exemplify the house’s commitment to design, innovation and iconic appeal quite as successfully as the Fifty Fathoms diving watch.

It’s a shorthand for effortless style and timeless appeal, a masterpiece worn by the great and good of the world, and a style-driven high point in a brand history not lacking in triumphant peaks.

The Fifty Fathoms is a timepiece born of the desire to explore new realms and chart new courses, and sprung from the imagination of Blancpain’s CEO in the 1950s, Jean-Jacques Feichter. A man of two main passions - horology and deep sea exploration - the Fifty Fathoms

was designed to combine two worlds, and was made very much with practical usage in mind. Indeed, the innovation of a double-sealed crown and further interior seal was developed in collaboration with combat divers - unlike many diving watches that followed, this originator of the style wasn’t messing around when it came to enduring extreme environments.

In a rather legendary coming together of mid-20th century marine icons, Jacques Cousteau - the widely-loved French underwater cinematographer and explorer - wore the timepiece during production of the Palme d’Or-winning La Monde du Silence. Such a high-profile endorsement was followed by another; the Fifty Fathoms became the timepiece of choice for the US and French navy. This enabled Blancpain to access the funds and research necessary to produce later models, eventually capable of heading a thousand metres beneath the waves.

Some forty years after the launch of the original Fifty Fathoms came another significant jewel in Blancpain’s crown. In 1991, the house released the 1735 Grande Complication; the most complex mechanical wristwatch ever made.

Demonstrating that a passion for innovation by no means results in a dilution of reverence for the past, this timepiece combined an eyewatering list of elaborate features. Perpetual calendars with a beautiful moon phase detail, a one-minute tourbillon regulator, a chime minute repeater, ultra-thin components and an assortment of jewels… the sheer attention to detail in the 1735 is astonishing, not least when one considers the timepiece was made entirely by hand, by a single esteemed craftsman.

It’s this unwavering commitment to prestige, quality, craftsmanship and beauty that has ensured Blancpain’s place in the annals of haute-horlogerie, and which has future-proofed a historic brand and maintained it through the centuries. With savoir-faire at its core, and with a preservation of tradition coupling with visions for tomorrow, Blancpain has established the quintessence of timelessness.

In 1991, the house released the 1735 Grande Complication; the most complex mechanical wristwatch ever made.”

Preparing for stagflation

does gold still shine?

Today, the investment market is a brave new world quite apart from the one that has buoyed most portfolios in recent decades. With inflation skyrocketing around the globe, interest rates rising, the spectre of war returning to Europe and political disruption in the UK, it would be an understatement to say that the current landscape remains unpredictable.

With the UK projected to hit 15% inflation and 0% growth by the end of the year, many investors will naturally be reconsidering their strategies, especially as the looming threat of a recession becomes more palpable. Historically, during periods of stagflation and recession, investors have pivoted to safe haven assets - namely gold - in a bid to protect their portfolios.

However, current market conditions are pressuring the price of gold lower, suggesting that the markets are reacting to stagflationary and recessionary concerns somewhat differently to how they have in the past. So, how should investors react to this altered state of play?

Protecting your portfolio

Firstly, defensive positions are always worthy of consideration when there is as much uncertainty in the markets as there is right now. When investing in stocks, investors could consider positions which are less exposed to consumer confidence, and which provide consistent dividends and maintain earnings despite the general state of the economy. Alongside speculative growth, consumer confidence in particular can have a significant bearing on the value of certain stocks. This was demonstrated when the Conference Board released data that showed consumer confidence to be at its lowest level in more than 12 months in June 2022, and the US bear market tanked even further. With this in mind, pivoting to company stocks that sell consumer essentials like cleaning products or food can certainly help investors minimise risk in the current climate.

Similarly, moving away from corporate bonds is another idea that investors shouldconsider when re-evaluating their

portfolios. It goes without saying that company profits typically decrease during stagflationary and recessionary periods, increasing risk in the corporate debt market. So, taking the fact that corporate debt contributed to almost half (47%) of the U.S. economy three years ago into account, many blame today’s recessionary warning signs on a corporate debt bubble. As such, investors could consider pivoting to government bonds or US government held debt in place of corporate bonds to reduce risk further.

Certainly, government bonds have long been referred to as safe haven assets, defined by their ability to maintain or grow in value during times of upheaval. That said, there are multiple safe haven asset classes for investors to choose from. Over the years, cash has been renowned for its ability to hold its value. However, as it physically cannot increase in value, investors tend to focus on commodities or real estate assets, due to their buoyancy when uncertainty is rife. Indeed, the property market’s performance throughout the pandemic – where prices have steadily increased – is testament to the performance of these assets throughout turbulent economic periods.

Gold’s potential as a hedge

Traditionally

years, despite inflation peaking at 10.3% and growth stagnating.

The prime reason that gold has stood the test of time is that its value can never inflate as a result of limited supply. Therefore, as other asset classes depreciate in periods of recession and stagflation, the price of gold holds or grows as investors scramble to shield their portfolios. The intrinsic value of gold as a precious metal also helps maintain its value across the globe, so investors can always get a fair price if they choose to sell.

been

of as the most effective hedge against inflation and market uncertainty. For example, if we rewound the clock to 1975, we would see that the price of gold increased by 73% in the preceding two

Secondly, gold’s inverse relationship with the USD and real interest rates (the rate of interest on an investment after allowing for inflation) also contributes to its suitability as a hedge. Whilst it does not back the currency, gold’s price is denominated by the USD, meaning that when the USD decreases in value and real interest rates go down, gold prices actually go up (and vice versa). In essence, gold’s value grows when the value of the other assets decreases.

any recession or period of stagflation should be considered in isolation to those which came before it.

speaking, gold has always

thought

Has gold lost its shine?

The looming question for investors, then, is why gold seems to be behaving differently in the current climate. Following conventional wisdom, most investors would expect to see gold enjoying a renaissance in today’s high inflation and low growth economy. However, the contrary is true. Despite peaking at $2,051 following Russia’s actions in Ukraine, gold prices only grew at a rate of 6% in the first quarter of 2022.

If nothing else, this serves as a pertinent

reminder that there are no certainties in the financial markets – any recession or period of stagflation should be considered in isolation to those which came before it. Today, we can attribute this deviation in behaviour to the fact that the USD remains surprisingly strong and real yields remain elevated. With fewer risks in the market than current inflation and growth figures might normally dictate, assets like stocks are holding their value. More generally, this pressure on gold might also be indicative of a changing relationship between gold, yields and the dollar. However, should the USD fall and real yields start to fall then many investors may be surprised by a sharp surge higher in gold

prices. On the other hand, if the USD keeps rising on aggressive Fed hike hopes, inflation remains elevated and real yields rise, then gold may indeed keep falling further.

As always, investors must adapt to the market situations in front of them. Whilst certain safe haven assets may have proven their worth in the past, exactly how that will play out in the current situation remains to be seen.

Gold and other instruments in commodities, stocks, indices, and forex are available for trading at HYCM.

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Va

Va Va Vroom

Words: Aaron Edgeworth - Motoring Editor

Rolls Royce. Paris. Catherine Deneuve. Three things, three names that immediately resonate and paint a picture of elegance, of style, and of classic refinement.

Right - tenuous links done, phew.

I had been invited as a guest of Rolls Royce, having attended the launch of Boat Tail (I KNEW a well-cut Armani suit was the way to go…), to a driving event just outside of Paris. A whistle stop tour if you like, conducted by the courteous and ever-inviting staff at

Domaine de Primard. A distinctly stylish hotel housed in Catherine Deneuve’s former residence. You see the foreshadowing, right?

I like the good people at Rolls Royce. I like their products. I like their history. There Is something so inherent to the brand that simply makes one think of the best, the pinnacle, the mutts… well, you know. So indelibly inked is the brand in the annals of automotive history, they have featured in the motoring lives of the world’s royalty, politicians, fashionistas, collectors, philanthropists, bonne viveurs and despots alike. Truly a brand for all people. Well, at least all those with the funds to be able to

demand the best. And the best is certainly what they get. I will note here before we get to the meat of the trip; the staff at the most hallowed of marques really know how to engage and treat their guests. In a world of ever-increasing ‘influence’, there still maintains a true underbelly of passion in the ranks; something which shines through whenever I have had the pleasure of speaking with the team. That’s the platitudes done - I’ll follow this piece with my Black Badge Dawn long-termer request.

The event, as I said, was relatively fleeting. However, a well-organised schedule meant that at our disposal over the day’s driving were

examples from across the - let’s say, current - model lineup. So, Phantom, Ghost and Cullinan were the focus for the time given. I arrived late in the afternoon to be greeted by a lovely gentleman from the transport team associated with the event. It turns out that the vehicle movement gig was a storied side business, established with BMW and group affiliates, and was in fact a second career to that of a motorcycle cop in Germany. Interest, literally, at every turn. I was supplanted into the rear of a Black Badge Ghost, much to the consternation and bemusement of the waiting public, confused that they weren’t seemingly in a cab rank. Amateurs. The weather had been, was, and would remain shocking. Like,

genuinely shocking. Not a passing squall. Not some light spatterings. Full on, big globules, soak-you-right-through rain. Meh, such is life.

The journey to Domaine de Primard was efficient and full of good conversation. All boded well. Upon arrival at the Hotel, a former Directoire estate in the Eure Valley an hour west of Paris, disarmingly well-spoken staff direct me to my room for the evening where I pour, and purr over furnishings and the view out to the entrance courtyard. The evening was spent meeting the other guest over a superb meal, which in fairness, with a three Michelin-starred chef, one would expect. Cocktails and conversation followed before a

relatively early departure to the goose down goodness of my room. Tomorrow, the real fun awaits.

Morning comes, though given the grey hue of the sky peeking through curtains, the weather gods had not seen fit to smile on me today. Murky at best. Suited and (admittedly not) booted as semi-befits an event of this stature, I headed down to breakfast… slightly more aware of the number of gins consumed the night before than I had perhaps been a few hours earlier. Espresso and toast were the names of the game. It was like that scene in The Wolf of Wall Street where McConaughy’s Mark Hanna demands Absolut Martinis until

ONLY THE ESSENTIALS, A CROISSANT AND A ROLLS ROYCE

someone passes out. I guess with me, I had no competition; instead of passing out, I was probably looking at a coronary. I digress.

As is the case with most of these affairs, cars were prepped and primed, and routes were pre-programmed to make, at least for my addled brain, life a little easier. First up for Mr Edgeworth, the Ghost. Now, in one of my many previous lifetimes, I helped an old friend over the course of London Fashion week for a little over a decade. Knowing the daughter of a prominent model agent had its perks, and for several seasons we worked alongside Rolls Royce. As such, I had sampled a lot of what were, essentially, first-generation products. On to the new standard. My chariot was finished in a lovely green hue, complemented by a brushed aluminium bonnet and all the presence given its extended wheelbase proportions. When asked which of the 40km or 70km routes I would prefer to take, my slightly quizzical look said it all: 70, thanks very much. The hotel is lovely, but I came for the metal.

Weather still biblical, I set out. Now, I don’t want to steal all the automotive coverage thunder, and with my compatriot Peter Robinson gracing us with his opinion on the Black Badge variant of the Ghost, I will keep it as low-grade but impactful as I can so as not to spoil anything. Whilst the weather may have made traversing the grounds and keeping my jazzy lilac trainers clean rather difficult, I realised that I do rather like testing luxury vehicles such as the Ghost in these conditions. It provides ample opportunity to showcase the level of refinement in fit and finish, and accentuates the powertrain delivery, braking aids and various bells and whistles. All in all, such situations demonstrate just how luxurious a product these machines really are.

My route was quite lovely, taking in quintessentially French villages and stupendous architecture, including a toll tower built for the reign of one of the Louis’. In fairness, I passed it at a fair lick, so you can forgive me for the lack of historical rigour and detail. All that pace comes from an all-new 6.75 litre twin-turbo V12 developed specifically for the Ghost. Developing 571PS provides more than enough grunt, but with 850Nm of torque, one needs to be mindful of not destroying gravel drives at the prod of one’s toe.

The EWB gains 170mm. However, with all-wheel drive, all-wheel steer, and the new

aluminium spaceframe, the car feels eminently lighter and nimbler than its predecessor. It’s a car that cossets its inhabitants and at one point, rain lashing the windscreen, crossing undulating country roads soaked to the core saw me screaming along to Rage Against The Machine’s anti-establishment classic, ‘Killing in the name of’; something I realised I was only able to do as this as the car is so good at wrapping up its passengers. Blanketing them in safety, embracing them in fine materials, swaddling them in high-quality sound. On roads I knew no better than any other, and

Phantom passenger, and off we set. With the weather unflinching, and the sheer real estate that the Phantom occupies, we kept it sensible and out on the bigger roads. A couple of villages needed negotiating and our sojourn included nearly hitting an octogenarian as she alighted the pedestrian crossing she clearly held priority on. I noted with a smile that once she registered what had nearly flattened her, she couldn’t have grinned more widely. I guess that’s the best party trick that the Phantom plays: it is unmistakably a Rolls Royce. Moreover, it’s unmistakably the best car that they make. No coyness here. Gargantuan, suicide doors, a grill you could up-end and sear a good 97kg of A5 Wagyu upon. My point is, it holds such a regal nature, does it even matter how it drives?

Well, yes, in short.

Given the Mulsanne (admittedly discontinued), given Mercedes’ reload for the Maybach sub brand, given the rise of the SUV and an increasing presence of hyper luxury V class vehicles, it does need to perform to maintain its lofty place atop the pedestal. One aspect of the Phantom range is that input from clients seems to have found its way into the Phantom series II. Bespoke commissions are at an all-time high, and the individualisation options list runs as long as the hand-painted coach lines one can order. Individual galleries, veneers, stitching, paint finishes and options such as the rear privacy cabin, to name but a few. It explains in part why the occupants are shielded from the driver by way of a photochromic divider. The best has become, well, better. Again, utilising an aluminium spaceframe, the Phantom belies its size and moves with poise and purpose; there is no other car on the road that holds such immediate and unassailable presence.

to the Hotel.

I opted next for the Phantom. I’ve always liked the Phantom. I mean, what’s not to like: it’s huge, imposing, veritably the pinnacle of luxury motoring. It’s worth mentioning, however, that I didn’t love it immediately. I felt the fixed head coupe was always the model of choice, and given residuals, I feel somewhat vindicated in this hunch. Nonetheless, here it is at my disposal, and given the new Phantom 8 was a sea change progression, I was eager to see what it’s all about.

I opted for a shorter stint for this journey, partly due to the proximity of the impending lunch, and partly as I was accompanied by Isabel Matthews, Rolls’ charming PR lead. I insisted she take the rear cabin, as befits a

On return to the Hotel for lunch, my final steed was to be the Cullinan. Isabel intimated that time was brief before lunch, and doubted 70km would be possible. 40km likewise. The way things were going, 10 minutes was looking like a stretch. ‘What if I drive myself back to the airport?’, I asked, fairly confident that this isn’t the normal Rolls Royce guest request.

Questions were posited amongst the staff. Quizzical looks were exchanged. I mean, lunch included wine - this is France, after all. But, as mentioned, I am here for automobile and not alcohol, so once logistics were buttoned-down, all was agreed. I ate a lovely lunch washed down with some of the region’s finest imports of Coca-Cola, a 2022 if I am not mistaken. I was then to ferry myself (plus two attendees and the driver himself) the

90 or so minutes back to Charles de Gaulle, a mixed route of country B roads and some more routine motorway miles. Perfect for acquainting myself with what I consider (bar the move to electrification and Spectre), the most important car Rolls Royce have produced in a long, long time.

The Cullinan came to us back in 2017, with deliveries arriving the following year. Since then, some of the world’s least imaginative commentators have besieged readers with, quite frankly, lazy attempts at humour, mostly concerning the new London black cab. Awful, not funny and quite frankly, four years on, crushingly boring. If you genuinely think that a Cullinan resembles a taxi, or a van, or anything other than what it is, then you my friend are a luddite.

The thing I love about the Cullinan is that it looks exactly like it should. If you were to come across one in the metal, there is not one-person alive, I’d wager, that wouldn’t, be able to discern that it is the Rolls Royce SUV. It looks like the biggest, the strongest, the best made, and the most expensive SUV available. Surely from a design standpoint alone, it ticks

every box that a designer could set out to tick. What’s more, if you are driving along and a Cullinan looms large in your rear-view mirror, there is not a chance you think it’s a Hackney carriage.

The example provided for me (to loom large in as many French driver’s rear view mirrors as possible) was a Black Badge example, painted white, with a two-tone interior that provided a good palette with which to take in the lines. Selected with a two-seat rear, this example pushes the luxury aesthetic even further and is certainly a favoured option box for me. The Cullinan covers ground in a way that few other cars can. The contained nature of all their cars is ramped up a level even further. As I’ve said, I do favour testing luxury in the worst of conditions. It’s interesting to note, that on more than one occasion driving across the range, one becomes conscious that the loudest noise that one contends with is the pitter patter of raindrops upon the windscreen. In the Cullinan however, perhaps the most interesting of observations I could make: people will risk life and limb to see who is driving. I counted three cars that nearly rear-ended the car in front as they desperately

accelerated alongside me on the Autoroute. This circles back well to my first point - it’s inescapably a Rolls Royce. Not just because the driving experience is serene. Not just because the fixtures, fittings and materials are the best possible. Because quite simply, it couldn’t be anything else.

I sat in a quiet Charles de Gaulle contemplating the 36 hours just passed. It had all been very, well, Rolls Royce. Everything, bar the weather, was the best that it could possibly be. The range, as it stands, is a strong mix of models that showcase what the brand does best in spectacular fashion. The Phantom will forever be a car that sits atop the car buyers’ pyramid and for myriad reasons. The Ghost now provides the upper echelons with a car that has its own identity and sits proudly in the line-up. And the Cullinan - well, it’s just wonderful, and welcomes in a demographic that perhaps up to now would be slightly brand-shy. With the impending arrival of Spectre, the relaunch of the Coachbuild division and the popularity of the Black Badge models; Rolls Royce are demonstrating an agility and dynamism for their products range that only bodes well for the future.

The Superyacht Cup

On the second day of competition in the bay of Palma, a prevailing north-easterly wind had made conditions formidable for tacticians as an opposing breeze began to loom large. Europe’s longest-running regatta was coming down to the wire with more than one result calculated on countback. Join us as Peter Robinson finally sets sail for Palma to see the action in the Balearic waters first-hand.

Pictures: Sailing Energy

Words: Peter J Robinson

Ihave eagerly dispatched writers on several occasions to capture the jewel in the crown of what I consider to be one of the world’s most engrossing superyacht races. It’s taken four years of calendar clashes to get to this point. As such, to be finally stood on deck with a pair of binoculars, spotting an armada of J Class and Superyachts take off in pursuit of the day’s class wins is enthralling for so many reasons.

Navigators, tacticians, crew bosses and helmsmen travel in from around the world to attend the Superyacht Cup Palma year on year; an event which maintains a relatively close-knit familiarity for its attendees and entrants, not to mention the congregation of media, designers, sailmakers, sailing veterans and alike. It’s quite the industry gathering indeed.

I hadn’t competed since the 2017 Spetses regatta, and even then I was largely relegated to the See and be Seen department on deck.

As a result, I wasn’t expecting an invite to crew any of the leviathans competing in the four-day event program. Nor would I have to therefore bunk up with the crew - no, far more salubrious lodgings were made available at the St. Regis Mardavall Hotel, a short drive south between Puerto Portals and Palmanova. As the preferred partner of the event and host of the glittering owners´ Summer Barbecue, it was a suitably fitting retreat. Situated within a gated complex, the seafront property has the feeling of visiting friends at a large family estate. The personal butler service certainly helps to solidify that stately feeling of a weekend away with friends in The Hamptons. Impeccable service is certainly the St. Regis Mardavall’s hallmark.

The property is set across four ornate terracottahued buildings and despite its formidable size, caters to only 125 guest rooms and suites. Each has a truly biblical view of the exotic botanical gardens and the deep blue bay beyond. The centrepiece of this homage to Mediterranean design is the expansive lobby with its raftered ceiling, oak parquet floor, wrought iron doors and original art from local Mallorcan artists.

Having arrived a little too late to watch the Pantaenius Race Day I decided to take lunch at Aqua, the property’s all-day Mediterranean restaurant. I was told by a close friend that Aqua’s Sunday brunch was divine and for her, worthy of a standalone visit whenever frequenting the island. Salt-crusted sea bass or grilled Chateaubriand? I certainly wasn’t going to be able to navigate my way through a cut that size, so I erred on the side of caution. Try the poultry veloute with seven herbs, morels, ravioli and white asparagus, or the kimchee prawns with rice praline and nori, daikon and wasabi caviar. Both are to die for.

If you’re looking to step up the culinary exploration, the property’s Michelin-star restaurant, Es Fum, fuses artistic cuisine influenced by outstanding local produce. Whilst I didn’t manage to dine there myself, it makes for a suitably fitting reason to return.

After lunch I chalked up a few hours in the 4700m² Arabella Spa, one of the largest in the Mediterranean. You’ll find the obligatory indoor and outdoor pool along with a Turkish bath, Finnish sauna, ice cave and a heated saltwater pool. In terms of tailored treatments you’ll find far eastern and western therapies working in harmony, with a particular penchant for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Hours more could have been whiled away in serenity if I hadn’t had to make haste for supper.

Where the hotel meets the sea, you’ll find a path which runs alongside Carretera Palma-Andratx and leads to several seaside neighbourhoods in

Calvià. This pretty winding path also leads to a small rocky outcrop and the resort’s jetty below. Rocking gently on its mooring is the resort’s traditional Mallorcan llaüt. Apply christened Astor - after the founder of The St. Regis New York, Colonel John Jacob Astor IV - this is the island’s first electric Llaut. Designed in a traditional style, it’s the perfect vessel to explore the turquoise waters around the Balearic Islands. Don’t let all this talk of electrification and modernity fool you, though; the Astor features a traditional lateen sail and beautiful wooden deck. Handcrafted by ‘mestres d’aixa’, the masters of the adze are a group of craftsmen and artisans who preserve the ancient art of llaüt building. As we set sail, the views out to the Tramuntana Mountains were certainly a sight to behold, and armed with a glass of chilled Ruinart and an array of local delicacies, it was undeniable that all was right with the world.

As the sun continued to set over the island, we gently moored at Puerto Portals; a smart marina attached to the town of Portal Nous. The award for most nautically-themed restaurant goes to an establishment named Flanigan. Founded in 1987 by Miguel Arias, there’s no Guinness on tap here, so you can be confident of the property’s local roots. I’m told it’s become quite

the institution, serving tapas and fresh seafood to the guests moored in the marina beyond. I was quite happy propped up at the bar, glass in hand and wondering whether anyone would dare take the modest swim back with me. No takers.

The following morning we were up at a leisurely time for the drive to the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP). The club has taken the helm for race management of the event for over a decade and its location in the heart of Palma means, not surprisingly, it has idyllic views across the marina, not to mention the strong bar patronage and silverware. Given the increase in boat size and depth requirements, you’ll not find many competing yachts moored at the RCNP. Despite this, the site of the 73’ sloop Baglietto is enough to do as God intended and leaves me wanting to get out into the blue. Sir Francis Drake once wrote, “It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.” Certainly in the 21st century, yes.

A little past 1200hrs and we embark on the Wajer 55, Tiffany. A striking tender decked out in (perhaps unsurprisingly) Tiffany blue, which served as the perfect ocean outpost to survey the New Zealand Race Day. Joined aboard by

Nigel Fyfe, New Zealand Ambassador to Spain, we watched in awe as the quartet of J-class yachts hit the start line in unison. As Ranger, Topaz, Velsheda and Svea’s black sails overlapped on their way upwind towards the city the race was off to a thrilling start.

Ranger was the first to tack away with Topaz following close behind. Having clinched victory at the St Barths Bucket back in March - a victory Ranger took by a single point ahead of Velsheda - both crews had a point to prove. Svea and Velsheda, however, stayed on their starboard tack, establishing a narrow lead at the first mark which they subsequently held through to the finish. Race winner Velsheda’s captain Barney Henshaw-Depledge said: “Today we managed the beats well and we managed to get around in front of Svea. It was obviously a lot more

encouraging and the owner was locked in on the helm - he left very happy. As for tomorrow, it may be more of the same, and it’s great to be back in the pack.”

Meanwhile the striking Wally 80, Rose, was forging a fitting reversal of fortune having had to drop out of the opening race due to prop issues the previous day. At 23m, Rose was the smallest entry at the Superyacht Cup Palma but still took a very deserving win in Class A. Tactician Jesper Radich said: “It was not easy as it was a tricky forecast, but we got round the racecourse really well and picked our shift at the end to win our class. If we do really well tomorrow we have a chance of the top spot, so we are going to give it a shot. We are a new team and the smallest yacht here, so we have a lot to learn and fighting against the big boats is tough. We have to play it smart and stay out of their wind shadows.”

Class B saw the final race result decided by just a single second as the 27m Savannah edged out the far larger 46m Ganesha, taking their second successive win. Ganesha’s tactician Mark Sadler said: “To finish the day with a one second delta

“It was a bit of a surprise win and we certainly weren’t expecting it, either the class or the overall.”

to the first boat is pretty fantastic. Obviously you look back and think where that one second could have been gained or lost, but it’s the same for the other boat. We sailed well today, and Ganesha’s a big boat so getting the sails up and down around the course is an achievement in itself. We have two seconds, so it’s all to play for tomorrow.”

As the day’s racing drew to a close in the bay of Palma, all that was left was a full-tilt pass of the magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma. The Gothic Cathedral was built between the 13th-16th centuries on the order of James I, who was king of Aragon and count of Barcelona. James I decreed the consecration of the former great mosque to the Virgin Mary as a site for Christian worship, using part of the site of the historic mosque. If you do find yourself on dry land, it’s absolutely worth a visit. Its central nave is approximately 44 metres high, making it one of the tallest cathedrals in Europe. You’ll struggle to find a better view over the bay than from the roof, I can assure you.

Back at the Real Club Náutico de Palma the North Sails, Happy Hour was in full swing for the daily prize-giving. The packed terrace at the RCNP included a who’s who of sailing stars, alongside the newest welcome addition to the SYC roster of friends and partners: Jaquet Droz. The famed Swiss watchmaker came aboard as the Official Timepiece for the 2022 fixture to showcase its distinctive and sophisticated timepieces, most notably its range of art-and design-inspired watches.

“We are delighted and honoured to welcome Jaquet Droz to the Superyacht Cup Palma family as our Official Timepiece,” said Event Director Kate Branagh. “It is a vital role for which they are supremely capable. Alongside that, the unique elements surrounding the brand make it a great fit for an event like ours, which also values innovation, excellence and the celebration of inspiring design.”

No top-tier sailing event is complete without an opportunity to let one’s hair down and as always, The Superyacht Cup Palma does it distinctively well. The owners’ Summer Barbecue at the St. Regis Mardavall is an opportunity for those competing and invited individuals to take a well-earned knee and catch up properly. Having spent the majority of the evening meeting, greeting and congratulating, I did manage a quick visit to the barbeque as the light started

to fade, and quickly came to the conclusion that Fettuccine Alla Ruota should be a side dish to every barbeque. With an array of musicians taking to the stage and a magnificent firework display to bookend the evening’s proceedings, guests departed to rest up for the final St. Regis Race Day. I, however, encouraged a small band of sailors to join me in the hotel bar for a final libation of the evening. You really should try the Mallorca version of the famous Bloody Mary cocktail born at the St. Regis New York. The St. Regis Mardavall version comes with gin, spicy pimientos de padrón and crystalized sea salt. A morning tonic for the ages, I can assure you.

Joining us aboard a striking Sunseeker the following afternoon was ex-captain of Fair Lady, David Richardson. David, in addition to being an all-around lovely chap, proved to be a wealth of knowledge, providing live commentary as the racing got underway. Round after round of delightful local canapés began to arrive as we followed the action with Ruinart in constant flow. The St. Regis Mardavall team certainly knows how to host. Chapeau.

After another thrilling day spent crisscrossing the course, with a few brief stops in secluded bays to cool off, Ganesha and the 43.6m J-class Svea were level on points. However, it was Ganesha who emerged victorious in the overall standings by winning the final race.

Ganesha’s thrilled owner Dr. Peter-Alexander Wacker said: “It is a great moment as we really didn’t expect it at all, but we worked hard for it and I am glad we are a winner today. It’s not my first time here – I have just bought a house here in Palma, so I am going to be a Superyacht Cup Palma regular for sure.”

His sentiment was also echoed by the ship’s skipper Alex Pamment: “It was a bit of a surprise win and we certainly weren’t expecting it, either the class or the overall.”

Speaking before the celebratory prize-giving at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, SYC Event Director Kate Branagh said: “Superyacht Cup Palma has always offered friendly but competitive racing, and this year has delivered that in spades. Having the overall winner in doubt until the last moment makes for incredibly exciting racing, and we hope that all the owners, captains and crews have had a great time whatever their finishing position. We look forward to welcoming them all back in 2023, and offering them the chance to win the Superyacht Cup Palma Trophy.”

Dark

Words: Peter J Robinson

the Knight

It was mid-October and as the nights grew longer so had my studio hours as I prepared for a project referred to only as ‘Pegasus’. Despite the thrice daily secure calls I had set my watch by, I was counting down the weeks until I could emerge from my repressed corporate form and return to something altogether more mercurial. Somewhere between takes in the Soho studio, an invite from Rolls-Royce arrived on my desk titled: Nocturnal Instincts. “Interesting. Are there any more details?” I asked our production assistant. “I’m afraid not until you sign this”. It looked like there might be one more confidential trip before I could lay Pegasus to rest: Ghost Black Badge, a most fitting spectre for this chapter in my year.

I have to admit that after being locked in a TV studio and production suite for two months, I was climbing the soundproof walls a little. Being on one’s absolute best behaviour, acknowledging all rules written and societally regarded, was wearing more than a little thin. The antidote to the banality of modern life? Perhaps an aircraft hanger lined with the latest admission into the Rolls-Royce hall of fame, the Ghost Black Badge.

My last engagement with a model from the Black Badge range had been the Cullinan, a muscular incarnation of the brood pushing nearly 2.7 tons to 60 in 4.9 seconds courtesy of a 6.75-litre V12. Did I mention it was iced military green? Certainly a break from convention, but when you consider that almost a third of Rolls-Royce’s clients opt for the darkened aesthetic, it makes sense to pursue this more assertive character.

As I approached the hanger, cosseted in the backseat of a Black Badge Cullinan, it occurred to me that, for the first time in a

“My last engagement with a model from the Black Badge range had been the Cullinan, a muscular incarnation of the brood pushing nearly 2.7 tons to 60 in 4.9 seconds courtesy of a 6.75-litre V12.”

“The inspiration ateliers?That the likes of McQueen,

long time, I had almost no idea what to expect from the evening. All my briefing confirmed is that the launch would be taking place under cover of darkness until late into the night.

Very few organisations set the tone as well as the team heralded by the Spirit of Ecstasy. As I followed the large tunnel towards the light of the hanger, I was met by a senary of Ghost Black Badge, each post opulently specced. Amongst the leviathan of luxury marques stood an Agusta 109E Power and My Tiger Janu. A sizeable white tiger installation by Chila Kumari Singh Burman, made from neon tubes to celebrate the year of the tiger. Given the deft with which Rolls-Royce curates their demeanour in all things, it was as expected, quite the spectacle. Rolls-Royce is, after all, a direct reflection of their customers and Black Badge ever more so. Few brands can confidently argue that they have the closely coveted ear of their clientele as convincingly as Rolls-Royce. It’s this relationship that has helped the brand lower its average customer age to 43 years old. Not to mention the addition of the brand’s dedicated social media and content app for owners.

Now, non-alcoholic drinks in hand, we were upstanding to see the latest incarnation of the brand’s evolution. The first thing that struck me was the 21-inch carbon composite corners it was comfortably riding on. Reserved for Black Badge Ghost, the 44 layers of carbon fibre are bonded to a 3D-forged aluminium hub using titanium fasteners. The Black Badge house style has a minimalist design focus that genuinely appeals to me. Surprise. This specs dark and brooding exterior consists of perhaps the industry’s darkest black, weighing in at 45kg of paint. Yes, I know BMW coated an X6 with ultra-black, but you can’t buy one as standard can you. It’s a Steinway finish as expected, but when paired with the blackened brightwork on the Spirit of Ecstacy, badging and accents, it’s a commanding aesthetic. You can opt for any one of 44,000 exterior colours or, of course, your own custom hue. The scala red is quite striking but I think I would probably dial it up to almost verging on ‘blood red’. Do with that what you will.

On first glance, the interior is everything we’ve come to expect from Rolls-Royce and more. The starlight headliner, decanters, seat-back TVs and a bespoke interior clock and seats in a punchy aquamarine contrasting leather. That’s ‘turchese’. It’s your choice entirely whether to opt for a black coachline or something more iconoclastic. “Look at that subtle colouring. The tasteful thickness.” The inspiration for the Rolls-Royce ateliers? That of haute couture from the likes of

“Black Badge represents a natural evolution for a brand that is defined by a culture of collaboration with its clients,” explains Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer. “Black Badge is not a sub-brand. It is an attitude that represents an authentic and confident response to the desires of a new group of clients who proudly practise bold self-expression.”

After a group conversation with Rolls-Royce’s Director of Global Communications, Richard Carter, about the origins of the Black Badge range, the hanger doors opened revealing an illuminated runway stretching out to the horizon.

The Ghost Black Badge has, at its heart, the same 6.75-litre V12 prevalent in the rest of the range that draws a balance between out and out performance and, of course, unbridled luxury. However, output has been lifted by 29bhp to 592bhp total over the standard ghost setup. I can assure you that when I was finally instructed to ‘plant thy foot’, the red and green runway markers were indeed a smooth blur by the time we had clocked over 130mph and dropped anchor. That increased maximum torque of 664lb ft is available from 1700rpm with the ‘low’ driving mode sharpening gearshifts and enhancing engine notes for good measure. It’s certainly a more engaging driving experience, without losing that cosseted wafting feeling the brand is so renowned for. Hail the all-aluminium spaceframe architecture. Not to mention the all-four-wheel drive and steer. Cornering feels immediate and decisive which is also down to the fitting of internally pressurised air springs aiding in the reduction of body roll.

So as the night air began to draw colder and the runway surface cracked slowly under

inspiration for the Rolls-Royce ateliers?That of haute couture from of John Varvatos, Alexander McQueen, Yohji Yamamoto and Ann Demeulemeester.”

the Ghost’s carbon corners, I made my way to the airfield gates. Our final destination was the Mandrake Hotel, the sort of outfit with a Veronese Bookend marble bed in the penthouse. Seeing is believing, but before we could be distracted, we had another destination. A meeting with the Brotherhood of St. Francis. Hellfire clubs have arguably been around for over 300 years but few were as notorious as that of Sir Francis Dashwood. Dashwood founded and presided over The Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe. The Friars were rakish well-to-dos who conceived a mock monastic order where they would indulge in making fun of religion, drinking and having considerably indiscriminate sex. In or around 1755, the ‘Monks of Medmenham’, as they were also known, rented an abandoned monastery alongside the Thames, not far from Dashwood’s home estate in West Wycombe. This seemed a rather fitting location to set aside personal driving duties, however enjoyable, and to begin the night with a few libations.

The final stretch into London was by chauffeur, glass in hand of course. The last time I sat down with Peter de Savary, he had

a tartan cashmere blanket, a small dog and a well stocked humidor residing on the back seat of his Silver Cloud III. Another reader who shall remain nameless had bench style seats installed in the rear. Whether you plan to run a Black Badge Ghost as a daily driver or to reside in the rear, it’s a limousine for the times and arguably sets the standard for passenger comfort. “Why does the chiller have two temperature settings?” I asked the chauffeur. “The other setting is for vintage champagne, sir”. Of course it is.

As the clock neared 10:30pm we arrived at The Mandrake, which on first impressions was exactly my particular brand of sultry and suave: a noir feel of extensive cocktails and quiet corners to plot or party; perfect for the iconoclasts that covet the Ghost Black Badge.

All that remained was to take supper in The Mandrake’s private dining room and then into the Waeska bar, late into the night. I believe I clocked out sometime around 2am knowing I would be returned to base in the Cullinan, with the black spirits of ecstasy returned to their lair until our next apparition.

Fuori Concorso a special wish from

Ensuring a contemporary feel whilst seamlessly integrating elements of haute couture, gastronomy and precious metals, Fuori Concorso is an automotive event unlike any other.

Words & Photography: Roger Chan - Photojournalist

Fuori Concorso is the brainchild of Guglielmo Miani, the President and CEO of Milanbased fashion house Larusmiani. Founded in 1922, Larusmiani was created by Guglielmo’s grandfather, whose tailoring brought “a fresh approach to style, without sacrificing handmade class and know-how”. Larusmiani’s ethos follows the spirit of Fuori Concorso by blurring the lines between the world of fashion and the realm of everything automotive - their flagship store in the heart of Milan even featured a 1:1 scale geometric sculpture of a 934, crafted by British artist Benedict Radcliffe.

The Concorso, after much planning, first came to fruition in 2019. Mr Miani showcased, with characteristic flair, his collection of

one-off handmade Bentley Continentals from the 90s in celebration of Bentley’s 100th anniversary. The event, although small, drew from the audience of Villa D’Esté Concorso d’Eleganza, a short drive away.

Spread across three sites on Lake Como - Villa Olmo, Villa del Grumello and Villa SucotaFuori Concorso has something for everyone. These three villas make the perfect setting for Fuori Concorso as they encapsulate “the essence of Italy: culture, beauty and fun, the typical ‘Dolce vita’ way of life”, as remarked by Mr Miani himself.

Fuori Concorso is set along the ‘Chilometro della Conoscenza’ or ‘Kilometre of Knowledge’, a pedestrian scenic route which starts at Villa Olmo, passes Villa Del Grumello and ends at Villa Sucota.

A quick rundown of these locations may be in order, as each is as spectacular as it is unique. Villa Olmo was built by Swiss architect Simone Cantoni in 1797, at the request of Marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi who sought a summer getaway for the aristocracy.

Although the exact date of construction is still yet to be determined, Villa del Grumello has been documented to have stood since the 15th century, with completion in the 18th century and restoration occurring in the 2000s. Villa Del Grumello has played host to many a historic figure, and maintains its essence of timeless grace and glamour.

Finally, Villa Sucota is a vast property built in

the late 19th century overlooking the lake. Villa Sucota is now home to the Antonio Ratti foundation and was previously home to various aristocrats, including Napoleon’s physician, a certain Dr. Metternich.

I first attended Fuori Concorso last year in 2021 with no prior knowledge of the event, only that they were intending to celebrate the turbocharger. I sauntered up the driveway of Villa Del Grumello, where a Lotus Esprit Turbo, BMW 2002 Turbo and MKIV Toyota Supra were all lined up, their paintwork shimmering in the sun. Of all the places in the world, I wouldn’t have expected these to congregate in Como. I’ll admit that my jaw dropped when I reached the top of the

“

This year’s Fuori Concorso is dubbed ‘Sonderwunsch’, celebrating everything Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur.”

drive, where I was greeted by one of the most niche 80’s cars to have ever existed: the Vector W8. Of course, there was more typically outrageous metal in attendance, with notable examples including a Porsche 996 GT1 and a Lancia Delta S4. The overall atmosphere of the event, as well as the calibre of cars curated solidified this as an essential occasion I need to make a fixture of my social calendar.

This year’s Fuori Concorso is dubbed ‘Sonderwunsch’, celebrating everything Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur.

‘Sonderwunsch’ translates as ‘Special Wish’ in German, and is the name of Porsche’s recently revived bespoke personalisation programme from the ’70s. The Sonderwunsch programme

now encompasses extended personalisation options from Porsche’s Exclusive Manufaktur, Tequipment and Classic divisions. The idea? To ensure that any Porsche that goes through the programme is truly unique.

As befits such an event, there was a scattering of the latest and greatest from Porsche as I entered Villa Del Grumello, as well as some heavily personalised Exclusive Manufaktur models. Indeed, both Porsche production and concept cars from past and present graced the grounds of Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota. This included two very uniquely identifiable 959s that come from a private collection of a Paris-based Qatari cartel. These 959s were documented occasionally driving

around Paris throughout the 90s, but since have been living in a private garage under car covers - a little depressing but very much the investor norm, and a reminder that those halcyon days are behind us.

Also on display was a vast array of concept cars, courtesy of the Porsche Museum. This included the weird and wacky 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster Study Clubsport and the Cayenne Cabriolet. The 4-door 928 Concept showed us a world before the Panamera, boasting Rolls Royce-style split hinge doors. Of course, a hit of nostalgia washed over me when I saw the iconic 918 Spyder Concept, glittering in the exact same metal I would select in racing video games as a teenage petrolhead.

TL: 80’S MADNESS AT IT’S FINEST, 1 OF 2 SONDERWUNSCH 959S ON DISPLAY, THIS ONE FINISHED IN ORANGE WITH GOLD ACCENTS.

BL: NOT JUST PORSCHES… ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE BRAND MV AUGUSTA PRESENTED THEIR SUPERVELOCE AGO TOO.

TR: WISH GRANTED, THIS DISPLAY TAKES US THROUGH THE HISTORY OF PORSCHE’S SONDERWUNSCH PROGRAM.

BR: EXCLUSIVE MANUFAKTUR, FOREGROUND: A 992 GT3 MADE IN TRIBUTE TO 1985 LE MANS WINNER PAOLO BARILLA

It’s not all cars at Fuori Concorso. Fashion houses Laurusmiani and BVLGARI had a boutique on site, showcasing some of their latest pieces from their summer collections, as well as limited items curated especially for the Concorso. The hand-painted Laurusmiani Porsche ashtrays were particularly impressive given the amount of detail that was presented. If retail really isn’t your thing, you can take the long walk up the hill to the greenhouse for gelato, charcuterie and a glass of prosecco - not necessarily in that order, but we won’t judge. Ah, Italy.

As well as the display of private collections at the other two villas, this year sees a new Open Museum concept introduced at Villa

Olmo. The new program invites automotive museums from around the world to display their collections amid such striking environs. This not only creates awareness of the individual museums involved, but also educates the attendees regarding the significance of the different cars they have on display.

What started as a small and intimate affair has now matured into an event that not only provides a very strong supporting act to Villa D’Esté Concorso d’Eleganza, but also - at least for me - proposes a much-needed and deeply satisfying alternative to the ‘Como car week’. The atmosphere is considerably more relaxed (dare I say even casual), yet I’d be keen to

point out that the elements of contemporary luxury fashion in attendance make it feel even more exclusive. Though there are far fewer cars on display across the event in comparison to Concorso d’Eleganza, the all-encompassing theme drives a clear and direct message to those who are in attendance, and this thematic quality allows for a true celebration of Porsche.

Fuori Concorso continues to reshape the concept of a concours d’élégance with a thoroughly dolce vita attitude. The calibre of car, clarity of conviction paired with elements drawn from luxury fashion creates an event which is - as far as I’m aware - unparalleled.

R: THE 968 ROADSTER STUDY, FEATURING UNIQUE DESIGN ELEMENTS INSPIRED BY THE 356 SPEEDSTER.

The Sybaritic Sojourn

Words: Peter J Robinson

In total, the group now spans thirteen beach clubs and restaurants and five hotels and resorts internationally. So it’s unlikely I am the first to regale you with tales of the highcalibre hedonism available at the famed Nikki Beach. Santorini, Saint Barth, Ibiza, Koh Samui, Monte Carlo, Miami - it hits the high notes of the jet setters’ summer playlist in all its vivacious wonderment. Their White and Red parties have become established season ‘musts’ for their international clientele and this summer, Nikki Beach Saint Tropez celebrated its 20th anniversary. Who headlined you ask?

David Guetta, no less.

Welcome to a celebration of life at its absolute zenith.

Sojourn

assin, La CroixValmer, Cogolin, La Môle, but for some reason, not St. Tropez. After some twenty-plus years of journeying to Juan-les-Pins for the summer Jazz à Juan festival and to Les Voiles d’Antibes, I have never stopped in to sample the well-reported pleasures of St Tropez. It’s not a considered decision, you understand. Nor is it for lack of opportunity. Perhaps it’s because I tend to regard that which is immensely ‘popular’ to be the ringard little brother of prestige. The prospect of spending a weekend in proximity to the small percentage of conspicuous consumerist flotsam and jetsam that now matriculates to the Côte d’Azur in summertime has been enough to keep me from Saint Tropez. As with

most travel though, the introduction of a well-honed host to guide you to the sublime can kick off a love affair for the ages.

Firstly, logistics. If you’re chartering, you’re headed to Nice, La Mole or Toulon-Hyères Airport. If you’re intent on sailing, the area’s 800-berth port is no doubt able to accommodate. Personally, I always prefer to drop anchor a little outside of any port, as that way you are less likely to have any complaints when the music is still at 100db near sunrise.

I had returned to London briefly after filming campaigns at the GP in Monaco and Roland Garros and so boarded a flight to Nice via Farnborough, courtesy of Aero. It’s a very smart semi-private setup with a fast and efficient low-contact boarding process and full concierge service. With flights to private terminals at Sion and

Geneva from London and LA to Aspen, the winter season is sure to be well-served by this redoubtable outfit. A particular tip of the cap to Captain Sabeena Yousef, First Officer Kirsten Barclay and operator Kate Baker, whose attentiveness and expertise made its mark in style.

Let’s put logistics aside for a moment. I wasn’t here for a sightseeing tour, nor was I in situ to shop. No, I was bound for Nikki Beach to see how the inventor of the luxury beach club throws down in Saint Tropez on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Hard, as it turns out. They throw down very hard indeed.

Arriving a little before 1pm into Pampelonne beach for their weekly “La Vie en Rosé” event, I was initially quite taken by the tranquil setting and lush canopies of trees shading guests from the midday

sun. The sense of occasion was immediate without being imposing, and guests from all walks of life were setting up for an afternoon around the pool as low bpm beats emanated out from the DJ booth. The Nikki Beach team were confidently welcoming guests into their serene oasis, white palazzo pants aplenty. As the temperature started to rise to 34°, we were seated for lunch amongst vibrant groups celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and no doubt the weekend itself. A signature Rosé cocktail, a glass of Dom Pérignon and I was very quickly double parked. Whilst Nikki Beach’s drinks menu offers a wide ranging selection of champagne, they’re flying the colours of Dom Pérignon with the addition of a branded Wine Cellar. Top-notch vintages like the Dom Pérignon Rosé Gold Mathusalem are displayed in floor to ceiling glass cases. Check in with sommelier Julien Dray, a gentleman more than happy

to arrange a tasting across the range.

In an effort to quell the real potential for rapid inebriation due to overt elation, we throttled back a ‘little’ with a jeroboam of Château Minuty “Rosé et Or”. If you’ve the time, you really ought to visit Jean-Ettien and his brother at Château Minuty. It’s an

achingly handsome and timeless winery run by four generations of the eponymous family. The estate was originally built during the reign of Napoleon III, as was the small chapel that gave its name to the cuvée de l’Oratoire. Walk amongst the vines with Jean-Etienne and enjoy his joviale approach to life and liberal approach to smoking anywhere he or you please. Liberté.

If it sounds like I am painting an idyllic picture of the petite coastal region that’s been a siren to the dissolute and artistic since before Matisse and Pierre Bonnard were in residence, it’s because I am.

As I sat forward to engage one of the many glasses now before me, we were joined by Executive Chef Alessandro Pizza. Alessandro has been with the group since 2002 when he assisted with the opening of Nikki Beach Saint Tropez. He’s spent

“a siren to the dissolute and artistic since before Matisse and Pierre Bonnard were in residence”

the last two decades helping the brand’s internationally-inspired menus resonate with their diverse clientele. “What do you all feel like trying today?” he proffers. “Chef, what would you recommend?” I reply, whilst my fellow diners clock the infamous sushi boat that’s just arrived at the Dutch contingent’s table. “Of course, we have some beautiful sushi… but you really should try the Burrata Caprese, quesadillas, beef tartare, or perhaps one of our signature sexy salads”.

After a period of intense conferring we order an array of dishes from Sushi to Sea Bass, throwing in some suggestions from Chef Alessandro for good measure. The plates begin to arrive shortly thereafter with service worthy of a top-tier choreographer. Cyprien and Elenore, our masters of ceremony for the day, filled the table - assisted as they were by a small army of fellow Nikki Beach waiters. I would be heavily remiss if I didn’t commend them for their staunch ability to personally craft their approach to their clientele. Chapeau. The menu is wide-ranging enough to satiate any magnate and is as bountiful as it is ambrosial. Chef’s passion for regional gastronomy and locallyinfluenced dishes is evident, and if there hadn’t been an immediate need to lay supine on a daybed, I might well have stayed at the

table and let chef Pizza continue the tasting all afternoon.

The choice was finally made to move a little deeper into the celebration, as singer Abel and Sandy Sax the saxophonist continued to take the whole beach club by storm. Guests had dispensed with their dishes and were now eagerly being assisted onto the tables for a full-throated rendition of Pepas. Célia Gumbau-Serra, President of the beach club division at Nikki Beach Global tells me their tables are specifically designed for dancing as

well dining.

The last time I saw a capacity crowd this elevated was at Bâoli in Cannes in 2016. To pilfer the words of Jip from Human Traffic: “This could be the best night of my life. I’ve got 73 quid in my back burner - I’m gonna wax the lot, man! The Milky Bars are on me! Yeah!”. In a matter of moments, the atmosphere had gone from 5th gear to full Pininfarina Battista. The crowd were quite simply ecstatic, and the atmosphere was irresistibly infectious.

The Nikki Beach motto is “Tell Only Your Best Friends’’. In an effort to keep the soiree going beyond 6pm, I did just that. Once we had moved from the dining area, I was joined by friends Marvin and his partner Celine who had travelled in from Cannes. Whilst the pool party was certainly my speed, we briefly headed across to Pampelonne beach to cool off in the three miles of azure blue water. It served as the perfect chill out spot, though there are also relatively private Cabanas and daybeds at the bottom of the Nikki Beach estate too.

The afternoon continued in a veritable haze of champagne, fine dining, music and my own brand of unhinged dancing until, at

“The last time I saw a capacity crowd this elevated was at Bâoli in Cannes in 2016”

“The menu is wide-ranging enough to satiate any magnate and is as bountiful as it is ambrosial”

6:30pm, I had to call play. I made plans to see Marvin and Celine later that night and made my way out of the beach club, stopping only to consider a branded T at the onsite boutique. I might be a little dated to properly flex a “Champagne Campaign” t-shirt, but the sentiment was totally accurate.

Logistically, if you’re staying anywhere in Saint Tropez, it rather ought to be Byblos. Named after the Lebanese town where Aphrodite and Adonis became lovers, the hotel has been operating since 1967 and its high service standards keep ‘seasonites’ returning year after year. If you’re looking for privacy, book one of the Suites du Roy in the Hameau. If you’re making a statement, book the signature Missoni suite and throw open the balcony doors to the pool and beyond. I’m not sure I can offer a better seal of approval than my fervent interest in returning.

You could head out to the harbour for supper, taking in any number of restaurants conveniently hunkered along the quay. However, for a touch of old-world glamour circa 1789, visit Le Café. The historic brasserie on the Place des Lices has a distinctive piano bar feel and at the risk of cliche, the escargot and cuisses de grenouille

are worth the reservation alone.

At some point in the evening’s proceedings we were drawn to Les Caves du Roy. Byblos has played host to Le temple des nuits tropéziennes since the three-day opening festivities that welcomed 700 ‘movers and shakers’ in the 60s. If you’re a hotel guest you’re welcome to jump the sizeable queue snaking down the stairs to Avenue Foch. Considering that Les Caves du Roy is rather oversubscribed during the season,

you might want to book a room for the unceremonious queue jump alone and establish it as your personal green roomwhich is exactly what we did. Rugs were cut, cocktails consumed and a curfew was kept to ensure we were match fit for the following afternoon, although a 3am finish felt fittingly debaucherous to me.

The following morning I managed to make it poolside for breakfast at Byblos by about 11am. Which, considering the festivities the day before, was nothing short of a triumph in my books. I had almost finished my croissant and coffee when a Versace-clad lady in her later years started waving for my attention from the water’s edge. She gesticulated to her handbag and ringing mobile phone, whilst ensuring not to break her stroke. “It’s Simone”, I said, having reached in to turn off the device’s deafening dirge. She flicked her wrist to suggest it not important enough to leave the water and thanked me, “Simone can wait can she? Right you are, Madame”. Only in Saint Tropez.

Sundays at Nikki Beach Saint Tropez are reserved for their ‘Amazing Sundays’ Brunch. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, as I was told it could be the more lively of the two days we were spending at the beach club.

“Maybe after a massage you will feel all is right with the world, no?” Cyprien suggested.

How exactly might we top yesterday? Singer Abel was back in effect having been spotted the evening before serenading dinners at Le Café. The poolside beach beds were primed with some guests taking lunch alongside a handful of club casualties, flat out in the early afternoon sun. Brunch for me consisted of a hastily chosen selection from the golden rotisserie and a stiff bloody mary. You’ll never go hungry at Nikki Beach, not when the menu is this strong. Having tried my obligatory heavy head rehabilitation aids, I was finding myself, it’s perhaps fair to say, a little worse for wear. “Maybe after a massage you will feel all is right with the world, no?” Cyprien suggested. Only Nikki Beach would have an onsite masseuse. Bravo. I quietly took myself away to the linen draped cabana for a fully restorative massage, before returning to the party in much stronger spirits.

By 5pm, Sandy Sax was leading the poolside in a full dance-off as the various groups started to blend together in a blur of multi coloured swimwear. Peak was reached when the Nikki Beach F&B team delivered champagne rearmament to a hedonistic group behind us, donned in full astronaut get up complete with a miniature rocket. Not simply content with their Cristal restock, the guests chose their own Astronaut and hoisted him into the rocket for a lap of honour around the pool. Whilst I much prefer my Champagne in a glass, I do not judge those that wish to return it to the terroir with aplomb. Anecdotes of this nature are legion at Nikki Beach.

Catering to the confidential and the conspicuous alike is a demanding brief for any organisation. When Jack Penrod opened his first beach club in November

1988, it was at the behest of the City of Miami who wanted him to help reinvigorate South Beach. Once he had decidedly done so, Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford convinced him to expand further afield. What do you say when Solo and Gekko are fighting their corner for a European location opening? I can only imagine what the locals of Plage de Pampelonne thought when Jack and CEO Lucia Penrod arrived in Saint Tropez some twenty years ago, intent to break ground on their next venture. Twenty years on it’s established itself as an epicurean destination for the ages. Accept no substitutes, always go with the originator.

FOR ALL CLUB RESERVATIONS AND SEASON OPENING TIMES VISIT: NIKKIBEACH.COM

SPF DEBUNKED

Words: Naomi Lake - Beauty Editor

As the seasons change and we travel further in search of that hit of winter sun, there couldn’t be a better time to understand the sun protection needs of your skin type. Naomi Lake talks to the experts on a deep dive into the world of SPF.

Iwill admit that I have my manicured fingers in many pots across the world of beauty. From days on set for large-scale commercials to looking after private bridal clients… concept meetings with brands or catching up with PR… I’ve spoken before of how I’m inundated with questions about skincare and makeup, and why not? It’s my world, I live it. What’s my favourite base right now? HUDA GloWish Multidew Skin Tint, no doubt. Can I share the best skin supplement? Skin Accumax of course. How about my favourite daily exfoliator, for even sensitive skin? Always Willowberry PHA Liquid Exfoliator.

As we get to the summer months, naturally, questions about sun protection peak. Over the course of three months, I collated every question I was asked, and then put them to the experts. What you are about to read is your new textbook. Class of 2022, if I could offer you only one tip for your future, sunscreen would be it.

First up, the basics. What is SPF? Art Pellegrino, Senior Vice President of Research & Development at RoC Skincare explains, “It stands for ‘Sun Protection Factor’, and it indicates the level of protection a product offers from the sun’s harmful UVB rays”.

Capucine Martin-Phipps, Scientific Communication Director at Laboratoire SVR explains further, “It is a standardised

measurement, based on when redness first appears on your skin and only indicates protection from sunburn. However, recent research has shown that all rays of the sun can cause skin damage through free radicals, not only UVAs and Bs but visible light, including blue light and infrared.”

I also spoke to Dhanisha Patel, Training Manager and Gemma Jones, Field Trainer for NAOS, who gave me some extra details on what these wavelengths mean for our skin. “UVA are the rays that cause ageing, penetrating the deeper layers of our skin. UVB only hits the top layer, causing burning and direct damage to our DNA. It’s the cause of most skin cancers.”

Next, are the numbers. What actually is the difference between SPF 30 and 50? Art laid down the fine details for us. “The SPF scale isn’t linear. The difference comes down to the percentages… SPF 30 will protect you from around 96.7% of UVB rays, whereas an SPF 50 is about 98%. Therefore despite appearances, the difference between the two is under 2%”. Although he reassures, “adequate protection recommended by Dermatologists is generally SPF 30 and above.”

So, that still leaves a tiny percentage of UVB to create a tan, even when wearing SPF. However, it’s important to consider just how we are exposed. The sun’s intensity differs across the globe, and other elements affect how it reaches our skin: ozone thickness, latitude, weather conditions, and even reflective surfaces around us like water or snow. We need to be reactive in our protection.

I was intrigued, if there’s a dermatologistrecommended level, then why would SPF differ between products? I spoke to Rosalba Martone, Director of Education at Perricone MD who explained, “there are many reasons… quality control, the bioavailability of additional ingredients within the formulation, and chemical sunscreen ingredients are much less expensive to formulate with than physical sunscreen ingredients.”

“The biggest thing to look out for is whether the SPF is a physical or chemical sunscreen or a mix of both. Ideally, you want pure physical sunscreen for the best protection.”

So that being said, what should we be looking for in our products? “The biggest thing to look out for is whether the SPF is a physical or chemical sunscreen or a mix of both. Ideally, you want pure physical sunscreen for the best protection.”

The formula is something to be savvy of when purchasing, as Dhanish and Gemma explain, “Bear in mind that SPF mainly protects from UVB when only 5% reaches the ground –the remaining 95% is UVA. Legally, UVA protection only needs to be one third of an SPF”. To reassure, their products do better. “In Bioderma’s Photoderm range, we’ve increased this ratio. In Institut Esthederm’s range, with its focus on anti-ageing, it’s even higher, with 50:50 protection.”

With SPF present in a huge range of skin care products now, what exactly should we be reaching for? Rosalba confirms we need a dedicated SPF, “it ensures you’re getting utmost protection, it’s doing its only job –protecting your skin. Let your moisturiser focus on hydration.”

But when we happen to layer multiple products containing SPF, what does that actually do? Do they stack, combining into a super-shield? Unfortunately, in a word, no. Capucine explains, “formulas are very technical and depend not only on the UV filters included, but also (and maybe even more so) on how the product spreads on the skin, and how it wears… Even for mineral filters, it would be wrong to assume their SPF adds up”.

Art continues, “The most important factor is applying enough product uniformly (about ¼ teaspoon for face and neck), remembering to apply consistently every single day (even with no visible ‘sun’), and reapplying every two hours.”

And if we don’t? Capucine gives a stark warning of the ineffective use of sunscreen. “Not applying, not reapplying, or not applying enough is almost like wearing none. It only takes ten minutes unprotected in the sun for your skin to burn. Cells become “sunburn cells”, which are a bit like zombies! And if you’ve seen a zombie movie, you know it rarely goes well. Cells that have endured too much sun are sent to programmed cellular death (apoptosis). More exposure means more sunburn cells accumulate… too many is the first step to skin cancer.”

So, to keep things effective, reapplication is key. But how does that work for a normal day, if wearing makeup? “If you’re walking to and from work, and indoors for the rest of the day” Gemma and Dhanisha reassure, “your base layer of SPF in the morning should be enough to protect your skin, then you can top up with SPF makeup products”. But for a day outside, reapplying can be a different story. Rosalba

recommends pressing SPF products into the skin, over makeup, or using a powder sunscreen. Newer to the shelves are sprays, but Capucine cautions, “you don’t really control how much is applied or how well it spreads”, instead again opting to press on a dry oil format.

Finally, we get to the big one. What products, specifically, should we buy? In fact, Capucine puts it beautifully, “My very first rule is: ‘The best protection for your skin is the product you love. Because, if you like applying it, you’ll like re-applying it’. Choose the texture that feels right with your skin.”

DRY SKIN

A favourite of mine, COSRX Aloe Soothing SPF50 PA+++ Sun Cream has a superblyhydrating formula. With a fuller texture that you’d better recognise as a moisturiser, it still leaves no greasy or sticky residue.

SENSITIVE SKIN

New this summer, Perricone MD’s UltraLightweight Calming SPF 35 Veil is a silky, liquid mineral-based sunscreen with CBD and omega-rich Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil. In consumer trials, 98% agreed it’s great for sensitive skin – and that it doesn’t irritate the eye area.

MOST LUXURIOUS

For sunscreen that absolutely doesn’t feel like sunscreen, Soleil Toujours Mineral Ally Daily Face Defence SPF 50 is a must. Its serum-like texture melts into the skin, and Camellia Sinensis Leaf lends its herbal, oh-so-not sunscreen scent. It’s just divine.

BEST FOR ACTIVITY

For an exertive day, keep Decorte’s Sun Shelter Water Resistant SPF 50+ to hand. From swimming to skiing, or anything sweat-inducing, this light gel sets to a natural matte finish, perfect for polishing skin when wearing without makeup.

MOST INCLUSIVE

To avoid a blue or white sheen, you need the Laboratoire SVR Sun Secure collection. With products for the body and the face, you even have a range of textures, from an optical-blurring mousse to a light-as-a-feather sun-water with an invisible finish.

ACNE-PRONE

Plus it’s proven to reduce excess sebum in just eight hours, Laboratoire SVR’s SEBIACLEAR Crème SPF50+ reduces imperfections, with niacinamide and salicylic acid. And, it has their patented filter combination, offering high protection against the full light spectrum.

BEST POWDER SPF

For top-ups over makeup, take Jane Iredale’s Powder-Me SPF 30 Dry Sunscreen. A 100% mineral sunscreen for face and body, in a handy refillable brush, it blends seamlessly over makeup and is even water-resistant after 40 minutes. Plus, it comes recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation as an effective broad-spectrum sunscreen.

MATURE SKIN

Institut Esthederm Bronz Repair AntiWrinkle Face Protection targets fine lines and wrinkles and stimulates collagen and elastin synthesis, all while protecting against the sun’s rays. It’s the perfect blend of care.

BEST SPF PRIMER

Another house favourite, we have Charlotte Tilbury Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer. A silky-smooth base for long-lasting makeup, it offers SPF 50 protection, but most importantly, in consumer testing, 94% agreed there was no flashback.

BEST TINTED SPF

If you want a little coverage from your suncare to go makeup-free, try Bioderma Photoderm AR SPF 50+. Developed for reactive skin and rosacea, it soothes redness and evens skin tone with a brightening tint.

BEST FOR HYPER-PIGMENTATION

RoC is known for its scientifically-crafted formulas and for pioneering retinol stabilisation. Their Soleil-Protect Anti-Brown Spot Unifying Fluid SPF50 furthers their innovative suncare range, visibly reducing brown spots whilst prolonging the skin’s youthful appearance.

Tuscan Charm

At the end of last winter, I wrapped on a production in London that will go down as perhaps the most corporate project I have ever produced. It had been a weary three months of conference calls, meetings about meetings and budget amendments. I know myself as well as anyone without a degree in psychology, and even I was all too aware that I needed to take a knee. To breathe, to gain some peace in solitude - whatever you want to call it - I needed some shore leave.

I knew I needed a remote location, ideally off-grid but close enough to reality to dip in and out to keep the serotonin flowing freely. Somewhere with reviving views, unspoilt by the hands of man and weathered by the winds of time. The Val d’Orcia.

PUSH PLAY TO WATCH THE FILM

Before I could unplug from the real world, I had some housekeeping to do. A Black Badge Ghost event with Rolls Royce, a weekend visit to North Devon and, rather brutally, a night shoot in Harrogate. The morning I got back from the north, I packed a suitcase, turned on my out-of-office and disappeared. I landed in Pisa mid-afternoon, collected the keys to a Defender 90 from my fixer Michele and headed South East, bound for Villa Poggiobuono in Tuscany.

The two-and-a-half-hour drive south from Pisa through Siena, Montalcino and San Quirico d’Orcia offered some of the most stunning vistas I have ever laid eyes on. As we passed ornate villages

and row after row of towering cypress trees, I was mentally ticking off the hit list given to me by Chef Theo Randall a few weeks earlier. Ristorante Il Mestolo, check, Enoteca I Terzi, check, Castello di Velona, check. I fully intended to spend the week in isolation where possible, but one cannot come to Tuscany without leaving with a few extra kilos. My advice, hire a Pininfarina Fiat 124 Spider and bring back all the Rosso di Montalcino and Dolce Seggiano the rear axles will take.

it means ‘Bar Sandwiches to the flavors of once upon a time’. Its rustic interior suggests it’s been operating since the 50s, so for a small slice of rural ‘Italiana’, restock your porchetta and mortadella reserves there - as we did, daily.

30 minute drive North to Buonconvento to stock ours. It’s certainly worth visiting this timeless village with its porta senese, built in 1379 by the Sienese Governors. Stop in for lunch or an aperitivo along its beautiful winding streets, and you’ll leave each time charmed and imbued with the sense that all’s alright with the world.

Villa Poggiobuono boasts accommodation for ten across five bedrooms, each with air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms, though our group was decidedly smaller. No doubt the villa’s ground floor and al fresco dining area could host a sizable family and friends but our escape was deliberately kept to a quiet few. I took great joy in waking that first

“Is it this, right?” I asked. “I’m not sure…yes it was” my navigator replied. Both of us were aware our final turning was imminent, but were too busy taking in the expanses of vineyards and thermal baths to notice. The benefit of missing our exit was discovering BAR Panini Ai Sapori Di Una Volta in Gallina, our nearest village. Roughly translated, morning at sunrise, donning my robe and strolling out to the garden with a coffee, freshly brewed in the Bialetti. I would perch in the brightly coloured Acapulco chairs by the infinity edge pool and take in the scenery out toward the Monte Amiata; the vistas out across the valley, which stretched in almost every direction, were poetic in their majesty. The Val d’Orcia extends from the hills south of Siena to the Monte Amiata, and they’re a cinematographer’s dream. It’s not surprising that Franco Zeffirelli shot Romeo and Juliet here, and it provided the backdrop also for Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient and Ridley Scott’s The Gladiator. My advice is to arrive at sunset as we did, or at sunrise. However, don’t feel obligated to

Three minutes up the chalky track to the West of Gallina, we arrived at Villa Poggiobuono. Nestled on a small hill top, this carefully-restored stone farmhouse is flanked by olive groves and Cypress trees. Originally refurbished in 2017, Villa Poggiobuono has kept its Tuscan brick barrel ceilings and 200-year-old carpenter’s table, but still somehow maintains a distinctly contemporary feel. The main sitting room surrounds an open plan fireplace where many an evening was spent holding court. The concierge at Tuscany Now & More can arrange firewood, but we decided to take the

post the images immediately. Instead, take the time to engrain the mental picture of the untouched natural beauty that surrounds you.

The panoramas from all the bedrooms offer something different; a view out across rolling hillsides or the village of Rocca d’Orcia are all the more picturesque when lit up in the evening. But none were quite so spectacular as from the master suite with its antique period patina bed and view out above the olive trees to Castiglione d’Orcia. Despite visiting in October, the weather was mild with afternoon’s spent sitting around the modern loggia or the terrace. The silence only punctuated with the occasional sound of olive harvesting in the

nearby groves.

This was exactly what I think I needed. It wasn’t a typical large Italian gathering of family and friends, of air kisses and jeroboam of rosé, it was a decisive and deliberate unplug from that world. Not that it didn’t take a few days to settle, of course. The constant vibration of my iPhone was starting to subside and I had almost reached a point where I was comfortable having it set to airplane mode. A veritable curse of the modern world, no doubt.

If you’ve not got the appetite for local artisanal shopping, (which would be sacrilege, let’s be honest), I advise a pre-emptive fridge fill. The team from Tuscany Now & More were kind enough to arrange this for us in advance and remain on hand should you need any of the usual concierge suspects.

If you have no intention of stepping foot in the kitchen, despite it being very well equipped, the TN&M team can of course hire in a local chef to ensure your party is catered for daily. Do remember that truffle season is well observed in the region. Our chef created wonderful dishes of truffled eggs, steak tartare, quail, veal scallops, tiramisu and the most incredible gnocchi. Suffice to say, we were not returning to the UK with even mildly similar waistlines.

If you want to burn off some of that fantastic Tuscan cuisine, you’re going to have to get out and explore the local countryside. Fifteen minutes South, you’ll find the town of Bagni San Filippo with its famed waterfalls and hot springs known as La Balena Bianca, or the White Whale. These restorative hot water springs have been used since

Roman and Etruscan times and are still entirely free for locals and visitors alike to enjoy. Along the River Fosso Bianco, these iced blue sulphurous waters are rich in carbonate and give rise to spectacular limestone formations. Maintaining a constant 118°F, you can visit the Baths of San Filippo anytime of the year. Once you’ve taken in the waters, my advice is to visit the osteria pizzeria of TIR.NA.NOG for a calzone.

Bagni San Filippo is not the only spa town in the region, of course. The heat from the Monte Amiata continues to fire the thermal springs across the Val d’Orcia. To the south east of the small town of Bagno Vignoni you’ll find Parco dei Mulini. The thermal water of Bagno Vignoni flows from piazza delle Acque, the town’s square, down the hill below the hamlet and settles in aquamarine pools beneath. If you’re looking for a more formal approach, visit the Adler Spa Resort Thermae.

Once you’ve whiled away the afternoon bathing in the mineral-rich springs dotted across the Val d’Orcia, I highly recommend visiting Montalcino to sample their famous Brunello red wine. Of course the town has been famed for its characterful reds since the 15th century, but it is the Brunello invented in 1888 by Ferruccio Biondi Santi that set the standard. Brunello must age for a minimum of five years and the Rosso of Montalcino is ready to drink after just one year. Whilst there are many producers in the region, one of my favourites is Biondi Santi. They’re arguably a beacon for the traditionally made Rosso and Brunello, and the house’s last patriarch, Franco Biondi-Santi, believed the 1891 Riserva to be the vintage against which any and all future vintages should be measured.

Whilst the cellar at Il Greppo is invitation-only, I welcome any serious collectors to contact us at the office.

If you are planning on driving to the region or have an army of sherpas in tow to stock up, you have to visit the Castello di Velona. Set high atop the magnificent countryside to the south of Montalcino in one of Italy’s most prestigious wine-producing areas, you’re an olive’s throw from Mastrojanni and Barbi. Spend the afternoon by the pool with some Coccole di pasta fritta con prosciutto e stracchino and pizza bianca, burrata intera, mortadella e pistacchio. Simply put, the food is to die for.

Despite securing my glut of fine wine and cheese, my Tuscan escape was not without cultural consideration. Whilst on the ground, you must visit the Abbey of Sant’Antimo, founded in the era of Charlemagne. Yes, that’s right: Charlemagne. It’s perhaps one of the most significant examples of monastic architecture of the 13th century.

Despite being on the ground for only a week, I managed to strike a perfect balance between relaxation and exploration. With a dedicated team available at each property, Tuscany Now & More are always on hand to help with any travel planning needs. Having expanded to cover Umbria, Portofino and Verona, they’re wholly devoted to matching you with the perfect property.

THIS 5-BEDROOM VILLA SLEEPS UP TO 10 PEOPLE AND TUSCANY NOW & MORE OFFERS POGGIOBUONO FROM £4,055 A WEEK. WWW.TUSCANYNOWANDMORE.COM 020 7684 8888

EV

REVOLUTION THE

Words: Ian

There’s something emotional about cars that of any other product that drives as much are unique in the marketplace when it comes enlist. I’ve never heard a pub argument about machine versus its Bosch counterpart, comparing Ford versus GM, however,

REVOLUTION

that goes beyond pure function. I don’t know passion and polar opinion than cars. Cars comes to the enthusiasm and brand loyalty they about the relative merits of a Miele washing comparing spin cycles and energy efficiency. can cause generational rifts.

As technology evolves, opinions are created on the relative merits of each innovation. We are now on the cusp of a seismic shift taking place in the car industry that is causing a new division in the population – the impending arrival, forced or otherwise, of electric vehicles (EVs). Petrolheads are up in arms that their freedoms are being quashed and fun is being ripped from their lives; the eco-warriors furious that it’s taking so long, not accepting what all the fuss is about.

I’ve been into cars for as long as I can remember. With only a brief diversion when I wanted to be a steam engine driver, cars have been my lifelong transport of choice. I have pressed my nose against garage windows around the world,

collected forests worth of literature from motor shows, and even forced my family to walk the circuit at Monaco.

I don’t possess the encyclopaedic knowledge of some of my cohorts, being able to recollect the compression ratio of that particularly obscure 1973 special edition available only in the Netherlands. However, I do know my way around an engine bay and once used my mum’s kitchen table to rebuild a Mini A-series engine, with the telltale oily thumbprints generously left on the surfaces and light switches.

My entire working life, nearly 3 decades, has been spent in the industry, ever since getting an automotive engineering degree and, despite the biological impossibilities, I, along with millions of others, have petrol in my veins. Therefore, I comfortably fall into the ‘petrolhead’ camp: those with a passion for and understanding of cars.

As a self-confessed petrolhead, I’m genuinely

“Oxygen is readily available as air is everywhere and, at the time of writing, is free.”

excited about the potential for EVs – they are better in every quantifiable metric that matters. The fact that EVs are being forced on us by an increasing number of legislators should be celebrated, not spurned.

What follows is not an environmental argument –the impacts that the industry have on our natural world are complex and confusing. Depending on the day of the week or the bias of the author, cases can be made for either electric or internal combustion engine as the best alternative environmental solution. Both sides are right, and both sides are wrong.

Let’s get the easy Top Trump headlines out of the way first. There are some incredible claims out there, but with Acceleration Aspark Owl 1.69s; Horsepower: Lotus Evija 2000PS; Top Speed: Rimac Nevera 258mph, the facts should be enough

to prove the initial point.

100 years of internal combustion engine development have seen us go from the very first car propelled by a 1.0l engine with less than one horsepower, to the Koenigsegg Gemera boasting 1700hp out of its 3-cylinder 2.0litre engine. If after only 10 years since the launch of the Nissan Leaf, with its 110hp powertrain, we are producing 20 times that, imagine what’s possible.

Beyond the headline numbers, internal combustion engines have some significant flaws that, through the decades, petrolheads have been trying to hide from and mask. Combustion engines work better at higher speeds, with their full torque and power capability only kicking in once the revs have increased. To counteract this, superchargers and turbos have been added, before and after combustion, to try to improve the

response. Turbos only partially solve the problem and introduce new issues of their own (turbo lag) which require additional solutions to overcome. Superchargers react immediately, but take away from peak power. The best solution to fixing these flaws seems to be supplementing the engine with an additional source of power altogether. Everyone from Ford to Ferrari have now proved that the best way to improve the combustion engine was to add its nemesis, an electric motor.

As well as the responsiveness issues surrounding our favourite hydrocarbon burning power sources, they are reliant on another chemical contribution via oxygen. Oxygen is readily available as air is everywhere and, at the time of writing, is free. The ability to force extra air into the combustion chamber has long challenged engineers using a combination of brute force and some detailed witchcraft in the form of Computational Fluid

Dynamics (CFD). More oxygen means better combustion, more efficiency, more power.

However, the amount of available oxygen becomes less if air itself becomes rarer. For those of you who venture away from the beach and up the nearest mountain, the effects of altitude on the human body are well known even before you get anywhere near Everest Base Camp. It is an approximation, but for every 100m above sea level you climb your car will lose about 1% of its power.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is a world famous motorsport event that any petrolhead worth their salt would know well. It starts at 2,865m, climbing 1,440m to the finish at 4,301m with 156 turns, covering 20km. The record up the hill hovered around the 10 minute mark for a number of years before Red Bull and Peugeot got involved and lopped almost 2 minutes off the record in one fell swoop. The engine (a bi-turbo V6 with 875hp for you data driven petrolheads) pushed everything to extremes – an unsurpassable

record? Not if you’re VW and looking to showcase your electric technology in the face of the unstoppable juggernaut of the Tesla PR machine. The ID.R whizzed and whirred its way up the course a few years later and was the first car to break the 8 minute mark – uninhibited by the reducing air density. I predict now that no internal combustion engine will ever hold the Race to the Clouds record again.

If motorsport is the pinnacle of what is achievable with the technology available, the various categories give us an indication of what to expect for the future consumer products. The motorsport governing body (FIA) are carefully spreading their bets and are running both Formula 1 and Formula E at the same time. I have not met one person who likes them both, but have met many passionate about each. The biggest argument between these camps is not about the performance of the vehicles or the skills of the drivers, but the sound that the cars make. F1 die-hards classify Formula E as ‘milk floats on steroids’. These are the same people who lament the end of the V10s when the

turbo-era arrived, hark back to days when racing was racing and engines sounded rough, powerful and, dare I say, macho. The grunting behemoths undertaking gladiatorial battles. Life moves on, technological progress, by definition, moves us forward, and I’m sorry to say ‘the good old days’ were not as good as you remember.

The words used to describe cars are suitably emotive. In relation to the power source, you hear words surrounding the ‘soundtrack’ of the driving experience, ‘orchestral symphonies’ unleashed by your right foot, sound that is ‘acoustically tuned’ to reinforce, and reminded of the potency available.

There is a noticeable difference in the sound developed from a single cylinder motorbike engine to that of a refined V12. Sounds that even differ depending on the architecture of the engine used: air cooled versus water cooled, flat versus V. A petrolhead can stop mid conversation as the sound of something exotic approaching from a distance interrupts concentration.

The sound of EVs, and hence a strong part of the emotional connection, is different. Different, not wrong. If you aren’t fortunate enough to experience high performance electric cars yourself, I urge you to watch (listen) to in-car footage of the aforementioned VW ID.R or Formula E. There is no doubt that they do not sound the same as petrol engined equivalents, but there is no hiding the power and speed that their own soundtrack supports.

I have been lucky enough to drive a McLaren P1 and, in EV mode, it sounds like a spaceship. The connection with the power source is just as strong and engaging, yet delivered by whooshes and buzzes rather than pops and bangs. What’s more noticeable are the new noises that appear once the overriding noise of exploding dinosaurs is removed. The airflow over the cabin, the connection to the road and tyres becomes emphasised, involving you more in the total driving experience rather than just the allconsuming volume of the engine. In the same

way the sound of youth has changed from The Stones to Ed Sheeran, in years to come the sound that people reminisce about longingly will be the fizz and hum of a new generation of vehicles.

The internal combustion engine, with the exception of a few inventive solutions, converts linear motion to rotary motion. Linear motion is created from the explosion of whatever fuel is utilised; rotary motion needed to propel wheels forwards. Newton’s laws of physics mean that every time you create a movement in one direction something needs to react to it in the opposite direction. In a standard four stroke combustion engine (suck, squeeze, bang, blow) at 6,000 rpm, we are effectively fighting gun recoil at a rate of 50 blasts a second.

One way round this is to make the recoil smaller – 1 big shot gun blast per revolution or 12 smaller ones. Hence why a V12 is recognised as a smoother, better engine than a standard four cylinder. I love the ingenuity to continually overcome the shortfalls of the engines we hold

dear - balancer shafts are added, opposing any vibrations caused, cancelling each other out but at the same time adding weight and complexity. The other way to make a car smoother, better, is to avoid the vibrations being created in the first place. How about a new power source that starts out as rotary motion with no need for conversion or counteraction… an electric motor fits the bill perfectly.

A true petrolhead would be able to talk weight distributions across the dining tables and pub bars around the globe. A perfect 50/50 weight distribution ensures that front and rear axles are weighted equally, making the car more predictable and less likely to snap in the wrong direction when that all-important skill against enthusiasm barrier is exceeded.

With a huge lump of engine to manage, car designers have had their hands tied for decades, trying to locate the singular best position for 100kg of mass. Battery packs are heavy at the moment, but energy densities are improving at an

incredible rate, having almost tripled in the last 10 years. The most important aspect of battery architecture to the petrolhead is that the mass doesn’t all have to be in the same location. When you get down to cell level (think AA batteries), the amount of tweaking you can do is infinitely better than a single iron or aluminium lump.

Weight distribution is often manipulated by fuel tank location. A 60-litre fuel tank contains just over 40kg when full, a mere 3.5kg by the time the warning chime kicks in. Not only does this mean your car handles differently when you start your journey to when you finish it, your car is faster at the end of the journey than at the beginning.

A slightly pedantic friend of mine did point out that a battery-driven car also has different weight when fully charged versus empty via E=mc2. However, bearing in mind that this weight difference can’t be measured via current scales (less than a microgram), there is not a petrolhead in existence who could claim to be adversely affected by the phenomenon.

The accolade of the ‘best car’ is often debated. Through some strong self-promotion and, to be fair, a certain amount of critical acclaim RollsRoyce must have a decent claim to the title.

If ‘the best’ is classified as having the most appealing attributes (as opposed to the fastest or most expensive) the fact that silence has appeared in Rolls-Royce claims is noteworthy. Back in 1958, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud advertisement included the line ‘At 60 miles an hour the loudest

noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock’. The inference being that the car is so sophisticated it was like riding along in your library.

To get the interior cabin to that level of sound is an impressive engineering feat whereby the source of noise needs to be minimised, and any unavoidable audible emissions need to be suppressed to a point beyond hearing. Reverting back to the shotgun analogy, any noise that cannot be suppressed by a silencer needs to be muffled by the high tech version of a pillow – in this case, strategically placed sound deadening and some seriously plush carpets. This drives solutions that not only cost financially, but add performance-limiting weight to your vehicle of choice.

Cars are designed around the average user – yes, there’s an ‘average’ Lamborghini driver in the same way that there is an ‘average’ Dacia driver. Companies like Novitec and Lichfield have made themselves a reputation for being able to enhance even extreme vehicles like Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Whether they are ‘better’ is a matter of debate, as the character of the vehicle is changed; tuning is a case of ‘moving the duvet’ – making one bit warmer to the detriment of another –tailoring the solution to you, not the average.

Surely, if EVs are so great then performance upgrades should be impossible and the aftermarket tuning scene disappears overnight. Even EVs can have their powertrain duvet pulled in one direction versus the other.

All cars are designed around a budget and aim to get the best possible car for that budget. There are cheap batteries and expensive batteries. The expensive ones charge quicker, discharge quicker and are lighter. You want to put a Maserati battery in your Fiat, no problem. Audiophiles have for decades been tuning and upgrading electric circuits. PC gamers taking a base product and increasing performance through processing power, clock speed and cooling abilities. If you want graphene components, gold connectors and liquid nitrogen cooled systems, then EVs can offer both physical and digital based upgrades to match your budget, talents and passion.

So, if the future of car fandom and appreciation lies within the world of volts and amps, does the name of its die hard followers need to change? If petrol no longer has relevance what can be learned from other fanatical groups? Audiophiles and technophiles share a similar level of passion and knowledge but ‘autophile’ might be a bit too posh for the masses. Foodies no doubt know how to share their knowledge with others but ‘wheelies’ would cause confusion and embarrassment. Sports fans around the world have passion in the extreme but being a ‘car fan’ doesn’t portray the right intensity that we feel about everything automotive. Wine buffs and whiskey buffs share the encyclopaedic knowledge, but a ‘car buff’ sounds maybe just a tad pretentious.

For now, I’ll stick to ‘petrolhead who loves EVs’ –a nod to the glorious heritage, yet eyes wide open with excitement for what lies ahead. TR

Mallorca, Redefined Castell Son Claret

Words: Benjamin Norris - Lifestyle Editor

Balearic Luxury at Prejudices are terrible, terrible things. However, like it or not, we all have them.

Growing up in the 1990s, I had a clear enough idea in my head of what a holiday to Mallorca entailed: it was the ‘other’ Balearic island - the one with the cut-price imitations of Ibiza’s superclubs, and yet with the drinking culture, sunburnt body-strewn beaches and lairy, beer-fuelled behaviour to match.

It’s exactly this full house of prejudices that Castell Son Claret, an imposingly majestic five-star hilltop hotel situated nearer the mountainous centre of the island, has proven utterly adept in overturning.

Truth be told, it’s been some time since such a negative image of Mallorca has rung even slightly true. Much like its sister islands, Mallorca has settled somewhat into a far more grown-up holiday location in recent decades, with the clubbers of yesteryear maturing into the yoga retreat-loving gastro-tourists of today.

Despite being fully aware of this significant sea change in Mallorca’s self image, I was still curious to see first-hand just what a luxury escape to the tiny Spanish island in 2022 would

involve. Furthermore, my itchy feet were still burning from over a year marooned in the drizzly south west of England, and the notion of a trip which promised relaxation, sunshine, and foodie delights was more welcome than I could even begin to describe.

To say that I was impressed with what I uncovered at Castell Son Claret would be an almost unforgivable understatement. This is a hotel which not only deeply understands the hurdles it must overcome, but which tackles them with a panache that has stayed with me ever since.

First Impressions of a Remarkable Retreat

If there’s one thing that Castell Son Claret does almost ridiculously well, it’s first impressions.

As my airport transfer veered off the main drag and onto a rough-hewn track, a grand pair of wrought-iron gates swung open to reveal an equally grand driveway - almost half a kilometre long - flanked by manicured gardens and fruit-laden orchards.

There’s a lot to be said about racily modern concept hotels, with their celebration of urban grit, street art and thumping dynamism. However, there’s probably even more to be said about old-school grandeur and attention to detail, which when done correctly, never fails to make one hell of a positive impact.

The Castell itself stands proudly above its grounds; a hulking great chunk of 15th century Moorish architecture, both imposing and approachable, as if simultaneously capable of welcoming Mallorca’s recent influx of luxuryseeking tourists… all while efficiently warding

off hordes of Castilian knights. If this sounds like hyperbole, it really isn’t - the hotel wears its blend of Spanish and Moorish history with real pride, well aware of the fact that today’s travellers seek that essence of authenticity beyond all other attributes.

Those first impressions continue to come thick and fast in a multisensory assault that, within the first few seconds of stepping out of the car, reassure me that I’m in for something special.

I’d recently been speaking to a hotelier in Singapore who’d paid through the nose for a bespoke perfume crafted by one of the world’s biggest brands, to level up the ‘olfactory signature’ of his establishment. There’s none of that nonsense here; the air surrounding Castell Son Claret hangs heavy with a potent and evocative aroma of citrus trees, fresh herbs, roses, pine forests, and sea breezes - the culmination of the aforementioned grounds and the hotel’s location between the mountains and the Med. It’s enormously impressive, and acts a subliminal reminder throughout the

entire trip; of the Castell’s commitment to celebrating the best Mallorca has to offer.

As I step into the main building, its exposed flagstones leading into a stunning open-air courtyard, I’m offered a glass of the hotel’s signature drink - a non-alcoholic citrus cocktail, made from a fresh blend of the garden’s fruits and herbs. It’s amazing. I ask for another. I’m then told by a friendly staff member that my timing is impeccable, and that the hotel is launching their latest restaurant concept that very evening with a showcase of the entire menu. Of course, I’m told, if I’d rather rest after my journey… The friendly staff member is cut off by my enthusiastic affirmations before he manages to finish his sentence.

I may have been tired after all of the hoopjumping still involved in post-pandemic travel, but there’s no way I’m missing out on a tasting menu, not least one prepared by a team of chefs desperate to show off their skills following a year of frustration in lockdown.

Celebrating Island Living in Style

While several of the hotel’s rooms are housed within the Castell itself, the suites are situated in the converted stables and outhouses, which allows guests to enjoy more time wandering through the grounds as they head to and from the various amenities.

My suite was airy, elegant, furnished with peerless good taste, and came with a private pool and miniature enclosed version of the gardens which surround it. A waterfall shower, complete with an array of toiletries cleverly scented with the same aromats found planted around the hotel, was an especially welcome flourish. What’s more, it once again signalled that commitment to detail and style that stood as the hotel’s standard.

This dedication to indoor-outdoor living is far

from atypical when it comes to the high-end Mediterranean hospitality industry; on islands where the temperature regularly rockets its way into the high-thirties, it’s nothing short of essential. However, Castell Son Claret manages to elevate it above and beyond necessity, making the most of open spaces, far as it is from the traffic of the city or the thrumming basslines of the infamous Palma strip.

As I headed into the courtyard where the gastronomic showcase I was invited to was in full swing, it was hard not to be affected by the sheer romance of this open-air concept. The sun was setting over the Tramuntana mountains, the stars were beginning to sparkle over the uplit stone walls of the Castell, and the gathered guests - all equally thrilled to be out for a haute-cuisine adventure showcasing the island’s culinary treasures - were milling around the space, sampling the goods on offer.

The new restaurant and the subject of the night’s celebrations, Sa Clastra, had some serious shoes to fill. Its immediate predecessor was Zaranda, spearheaded by Fernando Perez Arellano, and proud owner of the two coveted Michelin stars.

Hotel manager Bjorn - the epitome of a clipped Hamburg native clearly revelling in the freedom and relaxed vibe that Mallorca

effortlessly permeates - informed me, over a plateful of achingly fresh oysters topped with local apple and seaweed jelly, that the decision to try something new was not an easy one to reach. Indeed, he referred to it multiple times as a moment of madness... but one driven by a mutual feeling that it was time for Fernando to move on. That, and that the Castell’s foodie future lay in a restaurant that maintained Michelin standards, while uncompromisingly committing to ultra-local produce and regional recipes.

Fronted by Zaranda’s ambitious second-incommand and local wunderkind Jordi Canto, Sa Clastra certainly delivered when it comes to style, flavour, and a sense of theatre clearly aimed at putting Mallorquin produce and culinary traditions on a lofty pedestal. The oysters were certainly a highlight, but equally good were the sea urchin soup, the local blood sausages and the fried sardine cubes, as well as the selection of wines sourced from just over the horizon behind the hotel.

A quick peek into the kitchen revealed a young team of rapidly-moving chefs and waiting staff, all delighted to be finally seeing their plans coming to fruition. Sa Clastra, for all its finesse and glamour, is clearly driven by people who want to feed their guests well, and to do so with ingredients treated with real love.

Sensory Delights and Balearic Bliss

Castell Son Claret has another restaurant on its grounds, Olivera. Designed as a rather more relaxed and affordable option, it serves a fabulous array of local fish, meat, and vegetable dishes which stick reliably to the high-hitters of top-end Spanish cuisine. The lobster ceviche was refreshing, sweet and involving, and the gazpacho was the perfect foil to the midday sun at lunchtime, as all good gazpacho should be. Pearly fillets of sea bream and a Mallorquin interpretation of a funky, deeply-flavoured bouillabaisse also hit the spot without a single dud note.

I was delighted to find that the hotel has a bakery on site, working with (what else?) locally-milled flour and traditional island recipes. A lemon tart, made with the fruit I’d passed on my way into the Castell, was right up

there with one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten - an epiphany of sharpness and sweetness, and a glorious expression of what happens when the food miles involved in a recipe are reduced to a mere couple of metres.

The rather more homely fare of Olivera is

elevated by the flights of fancy delivered by the hotel’s resident mixologist, an enthusiastic chap who rose with many a loquacious flourish to the critic’s favourite challenge: mixing the perfect dry martini. I’ve had more disappointing martinis in my time than I care to mention, but the Castell Son Claret bar delivered an ice cold number made from a local gin, garnished with - I kid you not - a smoking hunk of pine branch and a collection of seashells gathered on a nearby beach. Maybe it was the starlight, maybe it was the balmy summer evening and those all-pervasive aromats in the air… but it worked a treat. Once again, I asked for another.

My final day at Castell Son Claret was spent in the traditional Mallorca manner: lounging by the spacious guest pool, sipping more cocktails, and visiting the superb Ballesa de Claret Spa. Complete with Moorish-inspired hammam and several treatment rooms, the spa offers full body massages (highly recommended) and a wide range of health and beauty procedures.

Full to bursting with delicious pastries made on site and one final glass of that puckeringly zesty signature lemon drink, I wound my way back down the Castell’s long driveway. On my way, I left those crenulated turrets behind, along with every prejudice I’d ever held regarding Mallorca and the delights the island has hidden in its hills.

“maybe it was the balmy summer evening and those all-pervasive aromats in the air”

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A WINNING FORMULA

Words: Aaron Edgeworth - Motoring Editor

Brand recognition in any industry is key. More and more we are firmly ensconced in a digital age and recognition is supplemented, maybe even supplanted, by what that brand stands for. For what they represent. For whom they are. Add to that a post-financial crash landscape that showed people that no one is too big to fail. There are certainly as many pitfalls as there are opportunities. As you may or may not be aware, cars are like, my thing; so how these dynamics work across the automotive landscape has always provided

interest to me. Whilst the majority of the major car manufacturers possess decades, century-long even, histories; what would it be like to create a brand essentially from scratch in this dynamic?

These are some of the themes of the discussion I had with Jules Tilstone, Managing Director of DS Automobiles, the offshoot of revered French icon, Citroen. We spoke at the press launch of their DS4 model, which joins the DS3, the DS7 and the DS9 in the company’s developing line up. We talked about many things, from the birth of the brand, to personal likes and dislikes

and also the partnerships and projects that DS have aligned themselves with in order to develop what, they are at pains to stress, is a separate entity from Citroen and retain their own autonomy as would any brand. Having started within the marketing team as one of only four, Tilstone has seen much within the brand and the landscape change within the past seven years. The automotive world is, in fairness, a smaller ecosystem than most consumers would believe. DS Automobiles represent a cog in the much larger machine that is the Stellantis group. The off-shoot brand is not a new thing in the car market. In fact, the sharing of technology and

hardware was commonplace between groups back into the eighties. Some on these pages will remember that the Honda Concerto was a Rover 400 and, in the nineties, the PSA group made a people carrier that was produced, and badged as such, by five different brands. Look up the Fiat Ulysses or the Peugeot 806 for reference. When Lexus first hit our shores in limited numbers from 1990, little was known about the upmarket version of Toyota. Fast forward 32 years from their birth and they and firmly part of the international

automotive landscape. We also have Infiniti, Cupra and to a degree, Alpine as new brand pretenders. Lexus are, however, the perfect starting point for the DS story, partly because DS actually outsold them last year. Yes, you heard that correctly.

The brief was to develop a strong brand aesthetic that played upon and around the idea of French savoir faire. This was to become the backdrop to much of what the company represents both in product and

partnership. Over the past almost 12 months I have had the opportunity to sample their vehicle range and their hospitality to gain an insight into what it takes to create a brand in this complicated automotive landscape and to see how that mindset has translated in both product and partnership.

The idea was to take what is best from French culture. The car side of the thing was kind of already done. Coming from the loins of Citroen, there was far less need for research and development that perhaps would be needed at a completely nascent manufacturer. That perhaps does them a disservice as technology is very much a part of the brand ethos and their participation, and hugely successful one in that, in FormulaE, further reinforces those credentials. What I mean is, that they had an

opportunity to place real emphasis on who they are and what they want their products to represent. The phrase mentioned earlier, ‘savoir faire’, translates into a brand that has singled out and concentrated their pens, both stylistically and corporately, towards the best they possibly can. Tilstone remarked how the original Citroën DS represented what was to become key in the brand’s personality. That sense of doing something different, something inherently stylish and forward-thinking. This product focussed passion within the Citroen brand had seen the SM Maserati follow the DS, the XM and C3 Pluriel were other examples we reminisced about. The product design is this beating heart of the engine, and in a crowded segment, let alone industry, standing apart from the crowd is no easy feat and one that seemed until recently to sit firmly in the grasp of Korean stalwarts such

“The concept of the French avant-garde is played upon, with a real focus of traditional ideas of Parisian exclusivity, reinvented and reinvigorated for the 21st century.”

as Hyundai. Standing apart certainly wasn’t something expected of perhaps, a brand quite so European. But stand out they have and stand out they do.

By taking a strong focus of their design language, and having a real linearity to that approach, despite differing body styles across their range, a relatively young brand has been able to become recognisable on our roads by virtue of the strength of that design language. Certain cues alert you to the DS signatures, lighting, grilles, shadow lines. There is

a consistency in vision that means, for the consumer, they have cemented an identity in almost record time. The concept of the French avant-garde is played upon, with a real focus of traditional ideas of Parisian exclusivity, reinvented and reinvigorated for

of the links of a watch strap, and a notable partnership with the brand is that with B.R.M Chronographes, extending to the provision of a special dash-mounted timepiece. These are little things, nuanced decisions, but what they do together, is create a strong sense of identity. It’s an identity that presents as luxury and in the burgeoning upper-middle sector of the market, an astute identity to portray.

the 21st century. As an example, their use of ‘pearl‘ stitching, required four year’s worth of development work and the creation of an entirely new machine to achieve that end. But the seamless beauty that it creates in something that could be considered mundane, just goes to show the thought and care that is poured into everything that they do. Other doffs of a suitably French cap, come in the use of various horological inspired features. The watch strap design upholstery mimics that

For customers changing cars on average every three years, the interior is where they will spend most of that time, and therefore the use of interior luxury serves as a bedrock in the Brand’s ideals. These design flourishes are carefully selected. The use of interior details such as the leather, and carefully selected exterior cues such as the lights, are given obvious extra time. Extra thought. Doubtless, extra budget. But what they do is keep everything on-trend. The exterior lighting packages adorn the car like jewellery. Oh, look at that, another particularly French artform. I say in jest, but lighting is certainly one way that the brand has been able to cut such a luxurious path in its young life.

I mentioned earlier the company’s involvement in FormulaE. That was probably an unfair understatement, as they really are a force within the Formula, having won four titles and achieved 14 wins and 37 podiums across their 73-race participation. It was this early commitment to electrification that gave rise to their entry and has underpinned much of what the company aims towards and is producing now and for the future, both on track and off it. I was lucky enough to be a guest of the team and the FormulaE round in London Docklands. An indoor/ outdoor track, boost zones and crowd

“14 wins and 37 podiums across their 73-race participation”

participation may divide motorsport purists, but eschew all of that, take a stroll into their garage and one can see the huge technology resource that goes into running an electric Formula 1 team. In everything but name, that is what this series represents; and with the retail motoring sector firmly on a path towards electrification, drip down technology into road cars is going to be quicker and longer lasting from FormulaE than it is from Formula 1, however small the engines and however big the turbos. Thomas Chevaucher, the DS Techeetah Team Principal comes from a significant motorsport background and spoke candidly about the transition to electric and the need for the series to be sustainable in the face of an ever-changing motorscape. That such a storied engineer can adapt and see the new challenges of the format as something to embrace. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, so to speak. As I’ve said, beat them they did as well. Two driver titles for Antonio Felix Da Costa and a brace for the team are testament to both commitment and skill. Like Formula 1, success for the team hopefully translates to the road car programme and one thing it certainly does, is provide prospective purchasers a confidence in what sits underneath them. There are constraints, the same constraints that affect the wider market, in range and charging, but the investment that we see in these areas through brand participation in the series will provide advancements in the technology that will see improvements in the corresponding retail products. In theory, its boon time for these developments, and DS Automobiles have placed themselves firmly at the forefront of the consumer market.

The product line-up is also strong. Providing options across the sphere of uses, and importantly, providing genuine options

against the incumbent German and Japanese premium marques. Tilstone spoke of the benefit of such a breadth of products and drivetrains. By cutting that line of electrification, and by giving genuine segment-leading choices in the premium segments encompassing city, family and executive, they have allowed themselves to cut into the market through a huge number of conquest customers, and the demographic is certainly not hard and fast. Tilstone speaks of the ‘attitudinal’ purchasing of their customers. Where it was originally envisaged that the brand would attract those looking to move into the premium market; what was found was that many premium stalwarts were moving sideways in the desire for something new. As an example, in a sea of low engine 5 series’ and A6s, the DS9 cuts a lithe and dare I say it, sexy, silhouette in an otherwise relatively unremarkable segment. Both available powertrains, the Puretech and the E-tense, deliver smooth and purposeful responses and the hybrid technology in their E-tense products, available across the range, are great examples of where the DS hybrid and electrical know-how comes to the fore. Why cling onto the lowest rung of the A6 ladder, when a pretty well loaded DS9 could be had in its stead. The DS3 Crossback E-Tense also provides a full electric model, perfectly suited for the city market, yet still, at 200 miles, providing a touring range that would save a great deal of the range anxiety seen in competitor models in this segment. Added to that a fast-charging cycle of 80% charge in 30 minutes and the luxurious appointments that we see across the whole range; one can

see why, as commented earlier, they have outsold Lexus in the past year.

The brand prides itself in offering the widest range of options across all that they do. That means in terms of product offering, drivetrain choices and buying options. The brand has retained traditional bricks and mortar dealerships, or ‘salons’. This is supported by a range of digital touchpoints for customers. Tilstone was strong in their aims in terms of the customer experience. National test drives that are delivered to potential customers by product experts, allow for another level of customer involvement and inherently allows for a deeper and better understanding of the brand and product that solely traditional sales networks would allow for. The customer is indeed key, and as with their collaborations, in both product and theme, there is a consistency of thought. Fashion, typically French, is covered with Paris Fashion week, a tie-in with Maison Fabre luxury goods, and special editions tied with the Louvre and Ines de la Fressange bring key themes that the client likes, and the brand represents. As Tilstone tied up our conversation, I think he provided a better conclusion than I ever could; ‘We are quintessentially a French brand, but very much an international business’. Long may they prosper. TR

The Fontenay

Hamburg’s Masterclass in Design-Led Hospitality

Words: Benjamin Norris - Lifestyle Editor

There’s a compelling argument to be had on whether or not Germany truly does luxury, at least in its most obvious and traditional sense.

After all, alongside the prerequisites of utmost quality and attention to detail (both quintessentially Teutonic attributes, without a moment’s hesitation), luxury revels in the unnecessary, the extravagant, the frivolous and rarified… none of which sit comfortably in the Germanic vocabulary.

Visiting The Fontenay in the eminent Baltic

city of Hamburg, however, this argument is taken on some unexpected twists and turns, in ways sure to capture the hearts of those looking to enjoy the port city’s charms in peerless style.

The Fontenay encapsulates many of the finer features of what we’ve come to expect from high-end German hospitality: It’s meticulously well-organised, efficient, and breathtakingly design-led, without ever being confusing or weighed down by unnecessary decorative flourishes. Its beauty is in the cavernous empty spaces, in the playful use of light, and in its magnificent curving structure and sculptural commitment to modernism. Le Corbusier is nodded at consistently, before being picked

up, ran with, and taken to his logical 21st century conclusion.

The German archetypes come thick and fast the more the hotel is explored, in the most positive and praiseworthy of ways. The hotel straddles both comfort and ambition with apparent ease. It makes a powerful case for the evolution of architecture both beyond and within the realms of its Bauhaus-inspired idiom. The staff are clipped yet welcoming, and the ambience is the very epitome of business-opulence, like a beautifully tailored suit free of any unnecessary detail yet with a lifetime guarantee you wouldn’t question for a second. The menus, thrillingly international. The wine list, ferociously national, and more

than justifiably so.

If, like myself, your concept of luxury is more likely to be plated in chrome than gilded in gold, then yes - The Fonetany, a proudly Hanseatic creation and part of the Leading Hotels of the World portfolio - would definitely count as luxurious. It is, after all, undeniably beautiful and deeply impactful, and my mid-week stay at this contemporary Hamburg institution brought about no shortage of delights, surprises, and lasting impressions.

Local architect Jan Störmer was given the task of reinventing the notion of the ‘park hotel’ when designing the Fontenay. Set on the

banks of Hamburg’s spectacular Aussen-Alster lake - which is in sparkling form upon my arrival - Störmer envisioned an amorphous nine-storey creation of remarkable starkness, gleaming in glass, white ceramics and fluid lines that reflected the diaphanous nature of the neighbouring body of water. The result was a striking organic form that both contrasted and complemented its environs, flooded with light and surrounded by trees, water, and the wide skyscapes the city has celebrated for millennia.

This commitment to the organic and undulant forms the very soul of the hotelinside, there’s hardly a flat surface in sight, besides the dark reflective floors. The 27

metre-high glass-walled atrium ensures that the outdoors is invited in, creating an everchanging atmosphere given additional beauty by the vast LED light sculpture that hangs from the distant ceiling.

With no backside to the undulating hotel, every bedroom is forward-facing and comes with a view, alongside the Fontenay’s consistent attention to quality and use of space. Style is impressively matched by substance… and such style, such substance there is to be uncovered. You can’t help but recognise that there’s an irresistible skipping between the minimal and maximal, entirely intentional and delivered with a knowing wink, that emanates everywhere from the

bedroom furnishings to the landscaped patio outdoors. It’s tremendous fun, and somehow entirely fitting within the city itself.

The Fontenay is served by a pair of sensational dining venues; an all-day restaurant on the ground floor, where steak tartare is prepared tableside with panache and a monkfish saltimbocca is nothing short of sensational, and a Michelin-starred restaurant on the top floor awaits to take diners on flights of culinary fancy. The latter of these two, spearheaded by golden boy Julian Stowasser, presents dishes including Kagoshima wagyu and Norwegian lobster and cod. In doing so, it navigates a globe-trotting flit from Scandinavia to the Far East, all with an internal logic that makes absolute sense in every opulent mouthful.

Perhaps most exciting of all the dining options, however, was the afternoon teasomething the hotel were incredibly keen to highlight, not least because Chef Patissier Marco D’Andrea had just published a muchlauded book on the art of this most British of mealtimes.

Taking place in the beautiful atrium, the afternoon tea came in increasingly impressive waves of delicious complexity. There were finger sandwiches which were a million miles away from anything your grandmother

would prepare, unless your grandmother had one hell of an internationally-inspired larder in her house (a particular favourite was the cheese option, which came with a blooming flower of shaved aged cheese atop and delivered a luxurious hit of sharp, then mellow, then intense flavours). These

English high tea as seen through the same eccentric and ambitiously modernist prism as the remainder of the hotel.

Evening invariably brought with it a craving for cocktails, and The Fontenay’s 6th floor cocktail bar delivered with its signature confidence and sense of style. With Champagne cocktails a speciality and with drinks elevated by the twinkling view of the sprawling city below - Kraftwerk’s Neon Lights washed cooly through my head all night - it’s no surprise to discover the bar has a reputation that extends far beyond the hotel guests, and onto the list of firm favourites with well-heeled locals seeking life’s finer things.

Monumental in both the literal and figurative sense, awash with sensory treats, and with a pristine approach to service and guest experience, The Fontenay is a glorious example of what the uppermost class of German hospitality does so very, very well.

were followed by minute cuboid cakes, each hiding within them an unexpected yet equally delicious secret ingredient, and - as much as it pains me to say it, coming from the West Country and with strong opinions on the matter, the best scones I have ever sampled.

Accompanied by a pot of Earl Grey and a glass of a very fine vintage cremant suggested by the attentive waitress, this was a vision of

Luxury all too often looks to the past, and finds itself tied into knots by homages to history and tradition. The Fontenay has its sights set on the right here, right now, and navigates the future of 5-star hotels with its own gloriously eccentric style.

Frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“ steak tartare is prepared tableside with panache and a monkfish saltimbocca is nothing short of sensational”

Cut from a different cloth

Uncompromising style. Our limited-edition fabrics are made with rare, sustainably sourced natural fibres. Available at selected tailors and makers worldwide.

Four Wise Monkeys, Bristol

Restaurant critics, by and large, have an impulse to shudder when faced with a small collection of words presented to them by the eateries they are reviewing. While the undisputed king of unwanted motifs is when a waiter - extra negative points if they squat down next to the table while speaking - presents the menu as a ‘concept’ (as if we’ve all somehow forgotten what a restaurant does), the word ‘fusion’ sits pretty high on the list.

For those of us of a certain age, ‘fusion food’ brings back unpalatable memories of culture-

clashing cuisines; flourishes of cheffy creativity based around gap year-style trips to Southeast Asia, brought home to introduce spices from Myanmar to overcooked lamb chops, or a Moroccan twist on the Sunday roast. For all its halcyon memories, it’s perhaps no bad thing that the British culinary scene has left the 1990s well and truly where it belongs - thirtyodd years in the past.

Four Wise Monkeys, one of the latest incarnations of the ever-expanding and consistently impressive Hyde & Co group, serves up food which wears its contemporary fusion heart on its sleeve… and delivers its melange of Japanese Izakaya and high-end fast food offerings with real panache. Is it authentic? Who knows. Is it good? Damn right

it is. Sitting smartly and expansively in a rather grandiose building in the Old Town (formerly home to Hyde & Co’s successful tapas venture, Pata Negra), it’s perfectly poised to welcome office workers, wandering hungry tourists and those hitting the town on a Friday night alike… like all good izakayas should, regardless of whether or not somebody, somewhere, is ready to accuse it of cultural appropriation.

What’s true, however, is that for those seeking the kind of gentility and serenity associated with the uppermost echelons of Japanese cuisine, Four Wise Monkeys probably won’t do the job. Firstly, this is Japanese-inflected cuisine, with an emphasis on the ‘inflected’. Secondly, the space is open, large, loud and echoey in ways designed to level up the feeling of being in a

far larger metropolis than Bristol’s historic financial quarter. Thirdly, who really cares?

The graffitied walls, cheekily-named cocktails, and willingness to throw tempura-battered items slicked with fiery chillies into buns tells you all you need to know within seconds of entering.

As is seemingly the law in all new restaurants in Bristol (other culinary-centred cities are available), there’s a significant emphasis on the local, the seasonal and the artisan at Four Wise Monkeys. The kimchi, which was loaded onto both fries and fried rice in spectacularly generous spicy-sour portions, is made in-house. The dumplings, each hiding a delicious treat beneath a pillowy and comforting steamed dough, come from twenty metres up the road.

One can assume that this philosophy extends to the other menu items, but as they arrived (again, according to the new restaurant laws, via small plates which were brought to the table as and when ready), I was admittedly too distracted by the riot of colours, aromas and flavours to think of asking further questions.

The chilli squid was sweet and salty, with a pleasantly lingering heat, and not an iota overcooked - no small feat, as any cephlapod-eating enthusiast will attest. The aforementioned kimchi fries would have been the star of the show, were it not for the whole soft-shell crab in a bun, which highlighted what can be done when a great ingredient is treated with both the utmost respect and a filthy imagination. Crispy duck tacos, featuring

both homemade hoisin and kiwi salsa verde (fusion alert!) were a takeaway favourite given a serious dose of method and madness, which worked spectacularly. There were spring rolls, summer rolls, sticky ribs, and various ways with pickles and Sichuan peppercorns. To say we ate well would be quite the understatement.

This wasn’t genteel food. It demanded a small pile of napkins, reaching over the table to pick and share with a close friend not phased by a lack of intimacy, and a cavalier approach to day drinking to offset the increasing intensity of all that chilli. One thing was for certain, however: Hyde & Co seriously knew how to feed their punters, and how to show their guests a good time. Prejudices be damned, fusion food is back on the menu.

BEAVERBROOK, SURREY

Words: Adam Telling

AA Gill once mused on what Mother Nature must make of long, endless lawns.

“I get lawns confused.

Lawns just lie there with a permanent ennui, a silky languor. Arrogant, snobbish, entitled, needy, effortfully polite, sober. Rebuke of the wild.” I do wonder whether AA Gill’s nose would have ruffled upon arriving at the entrance to the Beaverbrook hotel in Surrey. The entrance to the 500-acre hotel estate begins with an arrival so manicured, so exclusive, you don’t even set sight on the main hotel until you pass through the gatehouse. Then it’s just the three-kilometre drive through the estate. However, I am sure that once he arrived at the balcony of his suite overlooking the wild Surrey hills and stepped gardens, both he and Mother Nature would have felt that the journey is undoubtedly worthwhile.

Leaving London in search of unrivalled Japanese cuisine might seem paradoxical, antithetical even given the swathe of Japanese chefs ever-engorging the Mayfair mafia in situ. Beaverbrook’s offering was, however, perhaps too difficult to ignore. With over 500 acres and three separate buildings, the hotel has just 35 rooms, which more or less guarantees a staff-to-guest ratio of three to one - something which I am all for. Opened in 2016, the hotel was originally the home of former media baron Lord Beaverbrook; a man who was lifelong friends with Winston Churchill. Beaverbrook is perhaps most

famous for his role in World War II as the Minister of Aircraft Production, trebling the build of spitfires during his time in the role.

We had a few hours to kill at the hotel before dinner and there were many options for this pre-prandial pause. We could have used the cinema in which Churchill used to watch war films before World War II, or taken in the reading room where Kipling used to ruminate on how many times he could use the conjunction ‘if’ in the same poem. We could even have reclined alongside one of the three swimming pools in the spa. I considered it essential to do all three. I had left London for the food, but I wanted to make sure I was physically and mentally prepared for what was to come, after all.

The hotel blends the classical with the modern at every point. A Richter tapestry within a Georgian foyer, a flat-screen mounted on a mahogany easel. As we arrived at our dinner setting, it was apparent that this approach had been calibrated further for our dining experience. Head Chef Wojciech Popow, who trained at Gordan Ramsay and Noma, curated the summer menu and setting, using laser cutters to design the accoutrements for the dining area. We were seated in our own hot air balloon lined up along the side of the main Georgian house, adorned with platinum jubilee insignia in all its pomp and majesty.

The first dish arrived after we whetted our whistles with bubbles of the Beaverbrook limited Cuvee, and

once we tasted our first morsel, all doubts regarding leaving London were dispelled. This chef meant business. Toasted nori filled with lobster, Antonius 5* caviar and ponzu - somehow held together by a tantalisingly delicate trellis taco. Trellises were not intended for this purpose all those centuries ago, but if it means I can hold nori seaweed with lobster and caviar whilst sipping my sake, it works for me. The caviar popped in my mouth giving way to an even gentler and more subtle lobster, enlightened further by the ponzu punch. On the whole, I abhor menus that ram ponzu into any old dish hoping to entice the nodding daytrippers. Ponzu has seeped into every menu of the average pan-Asian restaurant, hoping to convince people that it must be good if the trendy new buzzword is listed as an ingredient. Ponzu is the veritable burrata of the sauce world: overdone, omnipresent, and onerous. Handled badly, it is just citrus lathered onto a limp sea bass - a life lost to mediocre cuisine if you will. Here, however, the umami took on another level.

Of course, Japanese luxury dining cannot be fulfilled without gallons of top-notch sake. Sake is predominantly formed through the moulding and caressing by the hands of elderly Japanese women, known to have the softest hands due to the healing power of the rice. I have a theory, which many Japanese natives also hold, that sake cannot give you a hangover. Thankfully Nero, our charming host for the evening, was willing to put this to the test via a journey of ever more refined pourings. We moved from Junmai through to Ginjo and the hallowed

Daiginjo; the ultimate sake category, in which at least 50% of the rice grain must be polished away.

This was not a meal designed for those bubbling with intolerances. Indeed, it was an excess of fittingly Churchillian grandeur and the dish which followed the aforementioned trellis of delights was no different. As the sake became smoother, so did the courses. Summer truffle was gratuitously grated on top of bluefin tuna maki, almost as if the waiter would continue grating until told to stop. No pitiful truffle oil in sight. This was the hub - the purest form of truffle - and it hit all the right notes paired with the Tamagawa Red Label sake, a glass full of cojones but not lacking the underlying cleanliness of a top sake.

We moved into true feast mode with the volcano of ishiyaki, consisting of (to name a few killer ingredients) kobe wagyu, sakura wagyu, Koji venison, Hokkaido scallop and Bluefin tuna. The chef has also brought Japanese ways of fishing to his restaurant with the Ike Jime approach. Select British fishermen have been trained in the way Japanese fishermen kill the most highly prized fish, which conserves the flavour so often lost in traditional fishing methods. The freshness of the scallop and red mullet in particular made even your mid-tier London sushi restaurant offering feel like something of a punishment.

By this point, we had moved to the ultra-premium Daiginjo sake, the highest quality category, where

the rice grain is so polished that only 20% of the original grain remains. This grade requires that all of the sake processes be carried out by hand. I could tell. It was profanity-inducingly good.

I did not have many expectations for the final dessert course, but the chef’s precision was once again evident. The caramelised white chocolate cheesecake with nectarine was effortlessly smooth, underpinned by a Yuzushi citrus sake, our final of the night.

up to the bar and order the signature Beaverbook Zaza cocktail. Instead, we had to settle for sightings of Formula 1 drivers and the odd model. Proof, if anything, of the allure of the wild Surrey Hills. The bar menu did contain further sashimi and sushi offerings, but by this point, it felt like a step too far to indulge our stomachs beyond capacity. Instead, I settled for Churchill’s Charge, a citrus-focused ode to champagne in three different modes: champagne in its intended form, champagne and cognac syrup and lastly a champagne foam.

Given my responsibility as both a food and drink writer, I was not off duty just yet. It was time to sit soft. We moved across to Sir Frank’s bar, named after the hotel’s creative director Sir Frank Lowe, where we were to assess whether the bar could rival our dining experience. The room has been filled with artwork by the Victorian botanical artist Marianne North, with every wall covered with exotic paintings of her travels across the globe. The bar gives off the undeniable feeling of being placed into the centre of Baz Luhrman’s own take on the Great Gatsby. We half expected Mr DiCaprio to roll

The one striking note during my stay was the undeniable pull that this patch of Surrey has over its subjects. Nero, our host for the evening, had previously worked in the bright lights of Mayfair’s top Japanese restaurants, but couldn’t resist what Beaverbrook was building. Chef Wojciech, the visionary of the Japanese restaurant, gravitated here after stints in the heart of London. The guests, weary from the unending presenteeism of London’s work and social culture, were clinging to this piece of privacy, where bumping into another human is anathema to the stated goal of this hotel.

Considering my disposition the morning after, I am not fully convinced that you can drink sake without a hangover, but the grave error of mixing drinks makes this particular test inconclusive. I fear I may well have to return, if only to right my wrongs… and if this means I may have to redo the whole weekend once more, then so be it.

“it was an excess of fittingly Churchillian grandeur”

A Men’s Staple With AppealTimeless

...7 Leather Jackets for 2022

Words: Benjamin Norris - Lifestyle Editor

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that, with their reminiscence of silver screen heroes, rakish bikers and those magnificent men in their flying machines, the leather jacket isand always will be - a shorthand for effortless cool.

o wonder, then, that brands such as Saint Laurent are always keen to put them front and centre when repositioning their look for a new generation (as was very much the case when Hedi Slimane took the reins of the aforementioned brand), or why they have such perennial appeal.

A word of warning. It also goes without saying that not all leather jackets are created alike. For every fitted-yet-artfully-distressed biker jacket made by a top designer, there are a hundred bulky wide-lapelled monstrosities, immediately marking the wearer as one within the depths of a bleak mid-life crisis.

Acutely aware of this gulf between the achingly cool and the cringeworthy, we’ve scoured the latest launches for some of the best leather jackets for the summer/autumn transition of 2022. With several styles to choose from - and the amazing versatility this timeless item of clothing allows - there truly is a leather jacket for everyone… and this list presents the undeniable cream of the crop.

BELSTAFF FIELDMASTER JACKET

The best leather jackets allow the wearer to feel as though he’s ready to leap onto a dusty Triumph motorcycle, and ride off into the sunset. Belstaff’s Fieldmaster jackets encapsulate that so perfectly, it’s almost surprising they aren’t automatically sold with biking gloves and a helmet. With a plethora of top and bottom pockets (top tip - don’t use them, and keep the jacket in perfect shape) and leather that will mature spectacularly with age, this one matches military-inspired class with an irresistible devil-may-care attitude.

SAINT LAURENT LEATHER SHEARLING BOMBER

Nobody encapsulates the rock ‘n’ roll side of Parisian aesthetic like Saint Laurent, and it’s fair to say we’re more than a little enamoured with this shearling bomber jacket - a style we’d love to see much more of. Rugged yet chic, refined yet raw, it’s a jacket which wears its contradictions with real panache. That detachable shearling collar (which we reckon we’d never take off, if we’re quite honest) brings a bit of aviator glamour to proceedings, and the press stud shoulder pads and pockets provide the perfect finishing touch. Yes please.

“ The best leather jackets allow the wearer to feel as though he’s ready to leap onto a dusty Triumph.”

ALLSAINTS RIO BIKER

AllSaints have long been Spitalfields’ crown princes of grungey chic, and this slimline and thrillingly minimal leather biker jacket ticks all the right boxes. With a decidedly retroyet-contemporary rock ‘n’ roll appeal, this vegetable-tanned leather jacket is a perfect throw-on piece with a sleek and cropped silhouette. An ideal all-weather item, and one that will go with pretty much anything.

SCHOTT B3 SHEEPSKIN BOMBER

Sitting somewhere between Top Gun, Indiana Jones and Easy Rider, this bomber/aviator jacket really is the business. Inspired by original WWII designs and given something of a contemporary overhaul, this leather welted jacket with that glorious sheepskin lining and collar is a real statement piece that’s hard to beat. Whether striding to the bar or boarding a spitfire, this is one jacket that has you covered… and does it in style.

“

Whether striding to the bar or boarding a spitfire, this is one jacket that has you covered.”

GUCCI BIKER JACKET

There’s no escaping the appeal of Gucci, and as the mighty Italian fashion house increasingly explores a decidedly more streetoriented set of menswear options, it was only a matter of time before racing jackets were added to their roster. This gorgeously robust leather jacket is about as contemporary as the brand goes; lined in vivid red silk, the racing jacket is even printed with I. Rorschach and L. Interior’s lyrics to ‘You Got Good Taste’. You know, as if anyone needed reminding.

SUPERDRY VINTAGE INDIE COACH JACKET

There’s a flourish of Oceans 11-esque class about this lightweight tan leather jacket that just calls out to be worn to cocktail clubs, casinos and beach bars as night falls, and it’s a fantastic celebration of Americana that can’t help but look cool. Made of butter-soft lambs leather for touchability and with retro detailing (the lucky keychain is a particularly nice touch), it’s a superb mid-range versatile jacket for the modern gentleman on the hustle.

TED BAKER DWITE BOMBER JACKET

Ted Baker is well-known for its occasional flourishes of gaudy fabrics and psychedelictinged linings. There’s none of that nonsense here - this fitted bomber jacket is brilliantly stripped-back and slick, providing a timeless look that’s ideal for hitting the town in style. Ribbed cuffs and a geometric stitch set this bomber jacket apart from its absolute backto-basics counterparts, making this a solid mid-range choice that will go the distance.

A SENSE OF NATURAL OR ACCIDENTAL ABSTRACTION IS COMMON IN MANARY’S WORK. AGAIN, PANES OF GLASS PLAY A PRACTICAL YET SYMBOLIC ROLE IN THIS IMAGE OF A GAMBLER.

Dane Manary Capturing the Hidden Wonders of New York

For Brooklyn-based photographer Dane Manary, the camera seems to be a tool not merely for capturing images, but for weaving stories. Elevating the mundane to the mythic, playfully stopping light and shade in their tracks, and unveiling unappreciated (or wholly unseen) moments of theatricality and synchronicity in the streets; this is the palette with which Manary paints the city.

Words: Benjamin Norris - Lifestyle Editor

In his photographs, often captured on film during his wanderings through New York, Manary illuminates uncanny characters and captures moments of everyday wonder. In many of his pieces, the images suggest the beginnings of strange urbane tales. They force the viewer into feeling as though they’ve stumbled

into a play during the third act… albeit one which takes place in familiar settings, the spotlight showing the city anew.

Enamoured by the tangibility of light and composition, and forever seeking new ways to poeticise his landscape, it’s no wonder Manary is rapidly gaining attention as a street photographer par excellence.

ABOVE: ANOTHER TROPE IN HIS WORK; PHOTOGRAPHY TAKEN THROUGH WINDOWS. THE GLASS ITSELF, AND THE REFLECTIONS CAPTURED WITHIN, ALLOW FOR A PLAYFUL USE OF LIGHT AND POSITION BOTH THE VIEWER AS BOTH VOYEUR AND OUTSIDER TO THE IMAGE.

R: MOMENTS OF WONDER, MOMENTS OF IMPACT. IN A CITY OF EIGHT MILLION, ENCAPSULATING THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN CONTACT BECOMES SOMETHING MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.

ABOVE: SOMETIMES, MYTHOLOGIES WRITE THEMSELVES. EVEN AT THE EDGES OF THE CITY, JUXTAPOSITIONS AND DRAMATICS ARE NEVER FAR FROM THE LENS.

BELOW: A SELF-DESCRIBED ‘LIGHT OBSESSIVE’, DANE OFTEN MAKES USE OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TO BRING DEPTH AND MEANING TO OTHERWISE ORDINARY URBAN SCENES. .

ABOVE: MANARY IS DRAWN TO CHARACTERS WHO GO AGAINST THE STATUS QUO, AND WHO - BY THEIR VERY PRESENCE - ELEVATE THE THEATRICAL NATURE OF BROOKLYN’S STREETS WHICH ARE SO OFTEN THE SUBJECT OF MANARY’S WORK.

OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: MUCH OF MANARY’S WORK INVOLVES MOMENTS OF THEATRICALITY IN UNEXPECTED PLACES, CAPTURING THE BIZARRE AMID THE EVERYDAY.

OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM: RECENT YEARS HAVE SEEN MANARY BEGIN TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES OF MIXED MEDIA WORK, TOYING WITH EXPECTATIONS AND BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY AND BRICOLAGE.

NOBU, PORTMAN SQUARE

Regarded the world over as an A-list haunt and paparazzi pavement filler, Nobu has been curating its well-established culinary rep since ‘94. Boasting three London restaurants in Shoreditch, Old Park Lane and now Portman Square, Peter Robinson steps out to review the Japanese-Peruvian institution’s newest incarnation.

My first boots-down, realworld experience of a Nobu anywhere was - of all places - in Las Vegas back in 2016. I landed, took three laps around Caesars, tripled my stake, ordered a whisky at the Montecristo bar and checked into the Nobu hotel. Strictly speaking, the first morsel to pass my lips was in the hotel suite… although I doubt a hot dog, bagels and lox in bed really count here. My jet lag meal notwithstanding, our birthday-inspired preclub supper with DJ Mark Eteson and entourage was a far more fitting affair. The service and dishes at Nobu Caesars Palace were stellar, serving as a solid introduction to the brand.

From the glittering extremes of America’s West Coast adult playground to the gated and rarefied family sanctum of London’s Portman square. How would the excesses of Vegas compare to the elegance of London’s Marylebone?

Designed by the same team behind Nobu’s iconic former Berkeley Street address, Nobu Portman Square was taken in hand by Simon Rawlings, Creative Director of David Collins Studio. Given their previous work bringing Nobu Berkeley Street to market, it’s no surprise that Matsuhisa, De Niro and Teper sought out the same team for Portman Square.

My first impression as I entered the restaurant reception area was that the front-of-house staff are dressed with a certain self-assured savoir-faire. It might sound like an extraneous point, but when the clientele is this varied it pays to set a certain tone. This is, after all, one of fourteen-plus hotel-comerestaurant ventures for the brand. So whilst the evening crowd are everything we’ve come to expect from Nobu, the afternoon groups are peppered with younger families.

After a substantial drive from home base, my first order of business was a libation. Try the Mexican Standoff, with Maestro Dobel Diamante tequila, Corte Vetusto mezcal stirred with sweet vermouth and Luxardo maraschino liqueur. Or the Dream of Electric Bees, which boasts Beesou Honey Liquor, Roku Gin and elderflower cordial topped off with Laurent Perrier. Oh, to have been a cicada on the wall when the bar team came up with the nomenclature for these gems. The ground floor Nobu bar has Japanese indigo dye at the core of its design ideal; deep blue raku tiles, Japanese paper on the lamps and a very intimate vibe abound. It’s a step up in terms of sophistication from the previous Berkeley Street firm - their words, not mine.

Despite my unflinching need to explore my space and surroundings, I didn’t venture out of the bar area in advance of being seated. I didn’t even make it to an actual bar which, for me, is pretty much unprecedented. I am sure we could have asked to

be seated at the altar, as given our 7:30 reservation, there were plenty of seats available. A pre-9pm reservation for Nobu is fairly early for the jet set by anyone’s standard, but it did the job of keeping us on task, even four cocktails in.

Ascending the stairs to the first floor, I most certainly was not expecting a 200-cover setup, let alone one that was almost at capacity. It’s a given that Nobu heaves by night, but at the relative civil normality of 8pm, I hadn’t expected quite such a subscribed dinner service. The restaurant space is light and open, with immense windows facing out to the square beyond, yet at night, it has an altogether more dark and brooding aesthetic. Despite this tonal shift, it’s still unmistakably a Nobu: the large convivial space with its signature open kitchen and sleek

it’s the dish they pin their colours to and not without good reason. Nobu marinates the cod in sake-miso for two to three days before presumably taking it to a wellness retreat somewhere in Shoreditch to ensure it’s exceptionally tender. It has a subtle sweetness that works with the buttery finish, and succeeds in hitting all the right notes.

The Yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño is an appetiser for the ages. Basking in lime dressing, it’s perhaps the perfect reflection of the restaurant’s Peruvian persuasion. It’s silken in texture but still packs a punch.

As is usually the case with large-scale ‘occasion dining’, you might opt for a tasting menu to remove any menu analysis paralysis. If you’re so inclined, may I suggest the omakase multi-course tasting menu; a tightly-presented tour of the restaurant’s finest dishes. Chilean sea bass and wasabi lime miso followed by thick slices of wagyu beef come round after round. Even if you don’t usually lean towards the carnivorous, I implore you to try the wagyu, as it really sets a standard which already looms sky-high.

Despite the multitude of engaging dishes proffered to the table, I reserve every right to have some established favourites. Baby tiger shrimp and Wagyu dumplings with spicy ponzu are the sorts of finger food I will chase a maître d’ around a function floor to secure en masse with no shame whatsoever. Morish to the point of hysteria, they justify even the most fanatical of hyping.

I suspect most of our patrons will already be familiar with Nobu and so perhaps their grade of Sashimi, Sushi and Ceviche goes without commendation… but my god, perhaps it should. Having opened their first restaurant in 1994, the Nobu team has had almost 20 years to perfect this vaulted corner of their ongoing menu, a commitment to excellence that has added a handful of Michelin stars to their culinary bank.

Having taken our full glut of savoury dishes there was little appetite, let alone belt loops, left for pudding, save for another carafe of DAIGINJO TK. Next time, we tell ourselves.

eight-seater sushi counter are present and correct. If Nobu Berkeley Street was aligned with music and a vivacious atmosphere and Nobu Park Lane is ordered and reserved, Nobu Portman Square is the one to book out for a full-tilt private function. I didn’t see the private dining rooms, but I would bet all the money in my pockets against all the money in your pockets that there’s already a waiting list.

Enough pontificating about another Vegas-grade Wolf of Wall Street soirée. What about the cuisine, Robinson?

The signature, at least for me, is still the Black Cod in Miso. Yes, it’s been said time and time again, but

As the hotel guests and families of well-dressed children dispersed, the more familiar crowd of weekend warriors and well-heeled socialites began to file in to take up the coveted seats near the open kitchen. ‘Might as well order another cocktail’ my dining guest suggested, neck craned towards the restaurant entrance. ‘Dandelion and apple skin boulevardier if you don’t mind, waiter’ came the inevitable reply.

‘In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back’. Da Niro’s not reprising Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein anytime soon but my god, they keep coming back Rob and at some point, so will I.

“I suspect most of our patrons will already be familiar with Nobu and so perhaps their grade of Sashimi, Sushi and Ceviche goes without commendation… but my god, perhaps it should..”

Wanderlust

The warm weather is finally upon us, and while there’s much to be said for the glorious unpredictability of the British summertime, it’s almost impossible not to begin daydreaming of exotic escapes and glamorous city breaks during this time of year.

La Mamounia, Marrakech

This one’s been on my lust-list for some time, and not without good reason. If there was ever a hotel to encapsulate the very particular essence of early 20th century Moroccan glamour, then La Mamounia is surely it.

The bohemian grande dame of old Marrakech, La Mamounia offers a beguiling combo of Art Deco and Berber stylings, where Parisian teahouse elegance meets Moorish mosaic-laden gardens. Sultry, sensual and committed to providing its guests with an unforgettable encounter with vintage chic, it’s no wonder it’s long since been a favourite haunt of rock stars, artists, and anyone on the endless hunt for life’s finest things.

The Ritz-Carlton Abama, Tenerife

Tenerife is the latest of Spain’s myriad islands to start consciously moving away from the cheap ‘n’ cheerful crowd, and the Ritz-Carlton Abama offers luxury escapism of a kind that signals a serious sea change. Designed in an almost psychedelic labyrinthine manner, this is a hotel in which to gleefully get lost; multiple pools, curving walkways and palm-lined avenues all sit in the shadow of a hulking great volcano.

A white sand beach, aquamarine waters, a spa inspired by a Roman bathhouse and no less than eight restaurants and bars (including Michelin starred Basque and Japanese offerings) mean the Ritz-Carlton Abama is one of those hotels you simply don’t have to stray from. Taking some time to do as little as possible - in truly gorgeous surroundingssounds more than a little tempting.

The Retreat At Blue Lagoon, Iceland

It’s no exaggeration to say that Iceland’s fortunes as a major European tourist destination have skyrocketed in recent years. A stay at The Retreat At Blue Lagoon pretty neatly summises all of the island’s increasing appeal: big skies, Scandi future-forward design, and the chance to unwind in worldfamous thermal waters… before tucking into some meticulously foraged and plated New Nordic cuisine.

With its stark black decor, brisk-yet-opulent service, and - of course - doorstep access to probably the most Insta-friendly outdoor spa in the Northern Hemisphere, a trip to this strange and bleakly beautiful arctic hideaway never looked more appealing.

Parisi Udvar Hotel, Budapest

I lived in Budapest for a little over three years in my early 20s, and was always fascinated by the city’s faded glamour and relationship with its imperial past. That essence of opulence is brought to life in spectacular fashion at the Parisi Udvar - a new addition to Hyatt’s Unbound Collection - where the Hungarian capital’s iconic Art Nouveau decor is given free rein to dazzle like nowhere else on the continent.

With 110 rooms and suites showcasing a spectacular attention to detail - all gothic flourishes and Moorish-inspired arabesques - and a plethora of world-class cocktail bars overlooking stunning city vistas, it’s the perfect luxury retreat from which to explore my old stomping ground.

The St. Regis, Mauritius

The island of Mauritius isn’t exactly lacking when it comes to spectacular beaches, but for those who know, it’s the strip of flawless sand surrounding The St. Regis on Le Morne that takes the crown. Romantic, luxurious, and surrounded by some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes and seascapes on Earth, it’s not hard to see why this hotel has made its way onto the wanderlist.

Renowned for its impeccable service, the St. Regis prides itself on its guest excursions. These include an unforgettable dolphin safari and a Black River Gorge National Park trip. Prefer to take it easy during your time in a bonafide tropical paradise? A Beachfront Grand Suite and a trip to the flawless on-site spa will do very nicely indeed.

Casa Angelina, Praiano, Italy

Having recently stayed in two of the hotels run by the Leading Hotels of the World group, I have no doubt whatsoever that Casa Angelina - the latest addition to the familywould most likely surpass every expectation.

Carved into the Amalfi coastline, Casa Angelina is all about shining the spotlight on the finesse and laid-back charm of high-end Italian hospitality. Designed to be as welcoming and relaxing as it is glamorous and exclusive, this hotel oozes timeless chic and the chance to unwind as you gaze across the sea to Positano and Capri.

Isla Sa

Words: Laith

“Come and enjoy the island for a couple Ibiza’s only private rock in the ocean, a word-of-mouth and deters any £200,000-a-week

Ferradura

Laith Al-Kaisy

of days,” read the invitation from Isla Sa Ferradura, property so exclusive that it eschews advertising for other undesirables with its bum-clenching £200,000-a-week price tag.

Neither the wife nor I had travelled abroad in over a year, not even for work, due to lockdowns, so we were raring to re-enter the game at the highest level of hospitality – a prospect as thrilling as it was daunting, especially as we’d be taking Coco, our two-year-old, who’d never built a castle in international sands before.

Coco was actually conceived the day after our last trip to Ibiza, in 2018. I’m not sure if there’s some clumsy synchronicity to that, but it’s worth mentioning, if only because, this time, we’d be

travelling with another bun in the proverbial.

But it’s not just the responsibility of children that would make this visit so estranged from the last: we’d also be nestling up north, where life is sedate and the idea of luxury can be explored without the compromise of pilled-up partygoers, thumping basslines, and the forced construct of ‘havin’ a good time’.

The promise of Ferradura isn’t just about being ‘Ibiza’s only private island’, but a sybaritic seclusion that only a few ever get to experience. And it all begins by email: a handful of questions so that Ulf, the island’s manager,

and his team could start getting to know us: our favourite food and drink (where do you start?), the type of service we prefer (aloof or solicitous), and the little things that would keep us happy whilst away from home (particularly for Lady Muck, whose various demands for comfort far outweigh her two years).

The island’s private car picks us up, as it does all guests, unless travelling by yacht or helicopter. Taxi drivers certainly won’t brave it. “It’s like being taken to a Bond villain’s lair,” I was told before coming. And except for a blindfold, that’s no joke. Our blacked-out, four-by-four Mercedes courses north towards

Sant Miquel, almost jeopardous as we navigate the thuggish, barrierless mountain terrain.

As we arrive at the grandiose front gate and ascend the driveway, the stateliness of this place, its vastness, becomes more apparent. The 23-strong Ferradura team are waiting outside to meet us: a line of transnational smiles. It’s a personal, familial touch that sets the tone for the next 48 hours.

We’re promptly shown to our room – and what a space: languorous but mindful, Balearic and modern, neutral yet inspiring. Two superking beds – on one lies a Steiff whale, a gift for Coco,

and a needlessly beautiful touch that, as we’re starting to learn, will typify the above-andbeyond mindset that the team prides itself on.

Floor-to-ceiling windows lead to a veridian garden, ideal for sunbathing, sundowners, even sunrisers. Two bathrooms are elegantly designed and regally marbled, with sizeable walk-in showers and Rituals cosmetics (Happy Buddha is now the shampoo-of-choice in our guest shower room at home).

We rendezvous back at the bar, where canapés and champagne start proceedings (as well they should). There we meet the two other invitees

“And me… well, I’m here to write this feature and tick another private island off my bucket list before World War 3” gets underway.

to the island and begin to unravel what each of us is doing in a place usually reserved for top footballers, kajillionaires, and the sparkliest of glitterati.

Shlomo Gabbai, director of the Boutique Hotel Awards, is here on reconnaissance for this year’s industry accolades, while the eminent classiccar photographer Renee Staud is snapping a magazine spread. And me… well, I’m here to write this feature and tick another private island off my bucket list before World War 3 gets underway.

A libation or two later and we’re ready to acquaint ourselves with Ferradura’s 35,000 square-metres. Wherever you go, the 360-view

is a constant reminder that you’re on a private island, with the sea sparkling frenetically under the grace of the sun.

Follow the winding path to discover lush, tropical gardens, chiselled palms with draping leaves, neat and vibrant hedgerows and bushes, and a pond rippling with psychedelic fish. A discrete opening gives way to a giant hammock, where you can easily squander the laziest of afternoons, while the rest of the world may as well not exist.

The hammam-style spa is last-days-of-Rome decadent: eastern-inspired pendant lights hang overhead, while a blue hue radiates from beneath the hot hub and cold plunge pool.

There’s also a sauna, steam and space for a massage, should you choose to have one here. But you could pick anywhere, including the island’s serene yoga area (a perfect spot to watch sunrise too).

The 23-metre, terrace-level infinity pool gives way to arresting ocean vistas, where boats with flamboyant masts rock gently in the salty breeze. For those with kids, the free-form lagoon pool outside the spa and gym is especially fun. Coco spent an entire afternoon learning to swim, battling inflatable toys and building up an appetite.

Speaking of which, every meal at Ferradura is a fiesta of the highest indulgence: immoderate

and unforgettable. Starters of gazpachos, crab cakes, salads, tortillas, crispy kale, halloumi, deep-fried leeks, carpaccio, tartare; entrees of barbequed lobsters, black cod, cote du boeuf; desserts of cheesecake, poached pears, sorbets and ice cream. And it just keeps coming and coming until you wave your serviette in the air, like a little white flag of surrender.

Ulf is a colourful host and raconteur, regaling us with stories about the property’s history, its refurbishment – well, complete reconstruction actually – and its eccentric owner, who sunk millions into updating the island from a kitsch 70s relic (think gold tiles, leopard print and Egyptian paraphernalia). The job took four years to complete, and you can see why.

Everything has been mapped and inspected with forensic care: no shortcuts, no savings, just pure overblown luxury.

Of course, Ulf can’t tell us everything – a testament to Ferradura’s commitment to privacy and the team’s what-happens-herestays-here ethos. But he still recounts some of the bizarre and extravagant requests made by previous guests (anonymously, of course), including rooftop barbeques at 3am, and impromptu post-club parties on the island’s 750-square-metre terrace (complete with bars, pergolas, dance floor and mixing decks).

Nothing, it seems, is off limits.

But that’s the point, isn’t it? Ibiza will always bear the stigma of being that place, where the preoccupation of the summer swarm, be they breadline or billionaire, is to live as hedonistically as possible. The north of the island does its best to temper this, particularly Ferradura: civility in a wild west. The focus here is still excess – just well-mannered and well-moneyed.

But aesthetics and amenities aside, it’s the team’s passion and intuition that makes staying here so exceptional, so effortless, so personal. And like the Steiff whale that now adorns Coco’s bed at home, Ferradura isn’t just about an idyllic getaway, but a gift that stays with you long after you’ve left.

“every meal at Ferradura is a fiesta of the highest indulgence: immoderate and unforgettable.”