Crown Estate picks first woman chief executive October 25, 2011 THE MONARCHY’S £7bn portfolio of land and property has hired Alison Nimmo as its new chief executive. The Crown Estate, known for owning most of Regent Street, several London housing estates and 144,000 hectares of agricultural land and forests, has never had a woman as chief exec or chairman since it was established in its [...]
A high-speed slice of pure heaven October 25, 2011 THE Porsche I’m driving has no air conditioning and no audio system. The last time I drove a car without HVAC and an audio system was in 1987, and it was a Mini built 15 years earlier. It didn’t usually manage to go very far and certainly not anywhere fast. Which isn’t the case with [...]
CAR TALK October 25, 2011 ORDER NOW: VW’S NEW BEETLE The order books have opened for VW’s new Beetle. Two engines will be available at launch: a 1.2-litre TSI 105 PS (47.9mpg, 137g/km CO2) and a 1.4-litre 160 PS TSI (42.8mpg, 153g/km CO2). Three others – a 1.6-litre diesel, 2.0-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrol – will join later in 2012. [...]
How to look good cycling October 25, 2011 THERE used to be three choices when it came to City bike-wear: highlighter neon, racing Lycra or crumpled suit with sweat patches. But bike fashion has evolved. And with many more of us cycling to work, thanks to Boris bikes and increasing take up of corporate bike schemes, there’s demand for kit that actually looks [...]
HOW TO GET DRESSED October 25, 2011 FOUNDERS OF ROUS ILAND MEMBERS’ BOUTIQUE Q.I’ve got a million invitations piling up on my mantelpiece! What are the trends I should pay attention to for this season’s party wardrobe? A.Flesh-baring is strictly reserved for the summer; stay chic (and warm) by covering up. Long fitted sleeves and higher necklines are given a glamorous update [...]
FIVE MINUTES WITH JONATHAN SAUNDERS | BY HELENA LEE October 25, 2011 Jonathan Saunders, the Scottish fashion designer, and Grey Goose vodka have teamed up to help raise money for the Elton John AIDS foundation. The designer, who has previously worked with Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix and Phoebe Philo at Chloe, has created outfits for staff at the Grey Goose Winter Ball, which is on Saturday. Saunders [...]
Don’t let winter’s shorter days leave you feeling blue October 24, 2011 WINTER may have been slow to arrive. But when the clocks go back, there’s no denying that it’s here. This Sunday, British Summer Time comes to an end, which means that we’ll soon be going to work and coming back home in the dark. This may make some of us feel that we’d rather stay [...]
FIT IN THE CITY October 24, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT WE may be approaching the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but there are still plenty of fun, fabulous, fitness-based activities on offer that will enable you to contribute to this great cause. I’ve rounded up the best of the bunch still on offer: from pink bootcamps to bra binning to [...]
All souped up in Soho: yet another super-cool food bar enters the fray October 24, 2011 DUCK SOUP 41 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 4PY www.ducksoupsoho.co.uk FOOD *** SERVICE *** ATMOSPHERE **** Cost per person without wine: £30 IT’s all part of the Soho experience – the perch at the bar, the swiveling stool, getting up close and personal with the waitress pushing past you. Duck Soup, which is staffed by alumni [...]
Amarone: the super-charged Valpolicella October 24, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT IN the North of Italy in the Veneto, there’s a wine called Valpolicella. Perhaps you know it as a light, cheerful, quaffing sort of wine with some bright cherry fruit – something to drink on holiday but nothing, frankly, to write home about. In fact, like many famous [...]