Best of fashion week: Highlights from the 2015 London Collections: Men January 14, 2015 City A.M. Bespoke fashion director Ozzy Shah gives his take on this year’s London Collections: Men. Burberry BURBERRY This was one of my favourite shows of the season. They called it “classically bohemian” but to me it was more of an Indian winter vibe, with lots of fringing and ponchos. They had mirrors on [...]
Struggling through Dry January? Load up on coffee instead January 13, 2015 Pact coffee delivery service Broaden your coffee horizons with this delivery service that will supply you with weekly or fortnightly bags of precious beans. You’ll also get tasting notes so you can learn as you drink. There’s no contract and if you use the code “onepound” you’ll get your first delivery for £1. Well worth [...]
Mix it up: London must follow New York and become a true 24-hour city January 13, 2015 If you want to predict London's next cocktail trend, just look over the pond and see what’s going on in New York. Our bars may be their equal, but the bartenders of the Meatpacking district, Chelsea, the Villages and increasingly Brooklyn have a huge influence on how your next drink will be mixed. From the [...]
Car review: The Audi RS Q3 is turbo-charged evolution in motion January 12, 2015 Most people were mightily surprised when Audi decided to squeeze its turbocharged five-cylinder engine into its smallest SUV. They were even more shocked when they drove it and found that it was a winning formula, so Audi has kept the updates to a minimum this year. Among these are the new grey surround for the [...]
Not convinced? January 12, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… MERCEDES-BENZ GLA 45 AMG PRICE: £44,595 0-62MPH: 4.8 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 175g/km MPG COMBINED: 37.6mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars MAZDA CX-5 PRICE: £24,895 0-62MPH: 9.0 secs TOP SPEED: 124mph CO2 G/KM: 139g/km MPG COMBINED: 47.1mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars [...]
Chateau Gütsch: Journey to Lucerne, the ticking heart of watchmaking January 11, 2015 Overlooking Lucerne, Chateau Gütsch is a belle-epoque retreat with a horological secret. As a writer with a particular penchant for Swiss watchmaking, I probably use the term “chocolate box” far too frequently. Hard not to when describing a springtime visit to an atelier nestled in the verdant Jura foothills, surrounded by cows and their clanking [...]
The Exhibitionist is the boutique hotel in Kensington that doubles up as an art gallery January 11, 2015 WHAT IS IT? A new Kensington hotel with a focus on art. The Exhibitionist sells itself as a boutique hotel, which is something London is still rather lacking. With rooms starting at £225, it’s affordable, making it a viable possibility for commuters planning a night at the theatre or an early morning at the nearby [...]
48 hours in… Lima January 11, 2015 WHERE TO DRINK As one of the few waterside drinking spots in Lima, Cala is well-known and popular among locals. Sample modern Peruvian cuisine and sip an authentic pisco sour on its terrace overlooking the ocean. calarestaurante.com WHERE TO STAY In a country with virtually no boutique hotels, Hotel B certainly stands out. The communal [...]
Art review: Fig-2 at the ICA Studio January 9, 2015 ICA Studio | ★★★★☆ Back in 2000, when “pop-up” was still something that only applied to children’s books, curators Mark Francis and Jay Jopling secured funding for a visionary idea. Fed up with the slow turn-around of shows at leading art institutions, they proposed Fig-1; 50 shows in 50 weeks, with consecutive artists exhibiting [...]
Film review: Into The Woods is a star-studded take on Stephen Sondheim’s musical January 9, 2015 Cert PG | ★★★★☆ If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise…. Or so the nursery rhyme goes. But fans of Stephen Sondheim’s musical won’t find anything unexpected in this screen adaptation of the 1987 Broadway musical. The production is over 20 years in the making (Cher, Robbie Williams [...]