Copenhagen isn’t just about climate change December 6, 2009 THIS week, the world and his carbon emissions reduction adviser descend on Copenhagen, where they will try to save the planet. In between meetings, though, they will also be able to enjoy the city. Copenhagen is a small, manageable sort of a place, ideal for a city-break. At this time of year, the key thing [...]
TRAVEL NOTES December 6, 2009 Spa retreat in TaiwanSituated in Taipei’s scenic hot springs district of Beitou, Villa 32 is one of Taiwan’s most stylish and modern spa retreats. Offering five deluxe Japanese and European-style suites and open-air public baths overlooking mist-covered hills, Villa 32 is a haven of tranquillity. The resort offers packages including one night’s stay in a [...]
What’s in the box? Not very much December 3, 2009 FilmTHE BOXCert: 12A WHAT would you do if a stranger with half a face offered you a box, and explained that if you pressed the button inside it you could win $1m but a stranger would die? Probably send him packing and check what you’d been drinking, but if you were Cameron Diaz and James [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND December 3, 2009 FILM ME AND ORSON WELLES Zac Efron stars as a teenager cast in an Orson Welles play. DEPARTURES Charming Japanese film about a cellist who ends up preparing the dead for burial. DISGRACE John Malkovich stars in this adaptation of JM Coetzee’s novel. DVD HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE Harry and co’s darkest outing [...]
Winter warmers with a touch of luxe December 3, 2009 Mohair-blend tartan shawl, Vivienne Westwood Red Label, £330www.netaporter.com Two-tone horizontal cashmere Stole, Denis Colomb, £485 ww.netaporter.com Crochet knit lurex shawl, Missoni, £430 ww.netaporter.com Fairisle cashmere snood, Burberry, £150www.netaporter.com Faux fur Cossak hat, Marks and Spencer, £15 www.marksandspencer.com Cable knitted ear muff, Muji, £12.95www.muji.co.uk Leather ladies cashmere lined gloves, £85 eachwww.williamandson.com Leopard print gloves, Christopher Kane, [...]
EARN YOUR STRIPES December 3, 2009 1. Austin Reed, £35www.austinreed.com 2. Thomas Pink £55www.thomaspink.com 3. Brooks Brothers £59www.brooksbrothers.com 4. Simon Carter £49www.simoncarter.net 5. Gieves & Hawkes £69www.gievesandhawkes.com 6. Eton £54.95www.harrods.com 7. TM Lewin £28.50www.tmlewin.co.uk 8. Ben Sherman Savile Row £45www.benshermanpresents.co.uk 9. Giorgio Armani £84.95www.harrods.com
HOW TO ROCK A SHORT SKIRT IN THE CITY December 3, 2009 Sara HollambyStyle CounselI FIND it scary when the hemlines go up, short skirts filter into the City, and anyone over 45 questions whether they should go with it, or sink into Nora Battyness. While the latter must be avoided, in recent decades women have undoubtedly become more youthful – we’ve had to. When something “new” [...]
Brits are hungry again for a place in the sun December 3, 2009 MEET an overseas property agent these days and they’ll be chirpy, well slept and optimistic about the future – the exact opposite of how they would have been at the beginning of the year. The reason? After 18 months of its having no appeal whatsoever, the British love affair with buying a place in the [...]
Look beyond bricks and mortar and invest in the new generation of property funds December 3, 2009 IF YOU don’t want to blow your whole bonus in one go, or you don’t have the appetite for owning a buy-to-let, then there is an alternative: investing in a property fund. A number of new funds have recently launched, designed to capitalise on the steep losses seen across the board in residential and commercial [...]
Buy-to-let is back as rents stabilise and low prices attract landlords December 3, 2009 BUY-TO-LET is starting to look like an attractive proposition once again, as lower house prices and a stabilising rental market result in more enticing yields. Data from LSL Property Services – the company that owns Your Move and Reeds Rains estate agencies – shows that annual returns on landlords’ investments have turned positive for the [...]