Shirley Baker: One of the leading photographers of her time July 2, 2015 The history books paint mid-twentieth century northern industrial towns as grim places full of privation, poverty and soaring unemployment. It’s a narrative so dominant you could be forgiven for thinking nothing joyful ever happened there. But one woman, armed with a camera and a passionate belief in social justice, challenged the orthodoxy by showing life [...]
I want that: On our shopping list this month July 2, 2015 BLEU DE CHANEL £80/150ML, SELFRIDGES.COM Bleu de Chanel is our top summer scent. The peppery, citrusy top notes and ginger and sandalwood base notes make it a distinctly masculine fragrance. WEMPE HELIORO BRACELET €695-€795, WEMPE.COM This leather chord bracelet with a rose gold (€695) or white gold (€795) pendant, available in a [...]
The surprisingly refined world of Las Vegas dining July 2, 2015 If Las Vegas’ 110-year history was played out over a single day, the first decent restaurant would open shortly before midnight. Vegas went from a mining-boom service town to a mob-ruled vice den to a family holiday destination before Barack Obama’s favourite chef, Wolfgang Puck, opened Spago in 1992. It came as a surprise: prior [...]
Work and plays: Meet Richard Bean, Britain’s most successful contemporary playwright July 2, 2015 When Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors embarked on its first UK tour, every morning the dramatist would email James Corden (the lead) with tweaks and extra lines tailored to whatever audience he was facing that evening. Oh, you’re in Birmingham, swap line X with line Y. Leeds? Make sure you say Z. This tells [...]
It’s okay to forget the rings on your wedding day – just grab one of these extra special watches to celebrate instead July 2, 2015 Among the seemingly limitless array of judgment calls that wedding planning involves (I’ve been learning this first hand over the past few months), the choice of rings seems relatively straightforward. Life slips into a mysterious parallel reality where canapé volumes, seating arrangements and – God help us – the merits of different shades of the [...]
Max Büsser’s 10th anniversary limited edition timepiece is a petrolhead’s dream July 2, 2015 It’s 10 years since one of Switzerland’s most creative horological brains, Maximilian Büsser, set up his “Max Büsser & Friends” brand, with the intention of working collaboratively with the finest watchmaking talents to create the most unusual, highly-specified timepieces. This one is styled around 1970s digital driving watches, in which time was shown at the [...]
Summer watches: Don’t be fooled by these brightly coloured stunners; there’s some serious horological clout here July 2, 2015 Summer: that time when every magazine lightens its pages with vibrant yellows, azure blues and that indefinable shade of pink that only surfaces between June and August (somewhere between “old lady” coral and Legally Blonde fuchsia). I thought I’d join the club. My esteemed peers and I sometimes have a tendency to get bogged down [...]
Head back in time to the bowling alleys of 1950s America for some retro style July 2, 2015 Photography: Packard Stevens Styling: Ozzy Shah Joe: Markus Lupfer jumper, £330, and trousers, £285, both markuslupfer.com Lizzy: Marco De Vincenzo top, £760, liberty.co.uk; Just Cavalli trousers, £320, harrods.com; Kate Spade New York rings, £55 and £80, and bracelet, £100, both katespade.co.uk Pinko top, £183, pinko.it; Mikimoto necklace, £2,300, mikimoto.co.uk Lizzie: YMC top, [...]
The Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale is an idiosyncratic beast but spend some time with it and you may just fall in love July 2, 2015 The Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale is a mysterious beast, alluring and confounding in almost equal measure. The “Stradale” tag indicates it’s a road-going version of a racecar; a lean, focused, road warrior – which it most certainly is – but it’s also got two rather roomy seats in the back. And don’t let the name [...]
La Dolce Vino: A visit to Italy reminds me that there’s more to Tuscan wine than hype July 2, 2015 I had a long weekend recently in Florence, cautiously reacquainting myself with the pleasures and pitfalls of Tuscan wine – and came away feeling that I’ve been too timid about the region for too long. With good reason, I might add. I have drunk more duff bottles of wine from Italy than any other nation [...]