How the watch industry is finally recognising girl power July 29, 2014 Even the most unobservant of you cannot have failed to notice Watches of Switzerland’s advertising billboards for its new three-story watch emporium at 155 Regent Street. In the underground and on the sides of buses have appeared Hitchcock-esque, black and white images of a beautiful young blonde woman being attacked by magpies anxious to relieve [...]
Dive into the past July 29, 2014 Squale is a name from one of the more obscure corners of the Swiss watch industry (the Italian-Swiss bit, as it happens), but the family-owned company has a rich tradition when it comes to making beautiful dive watches in the classic mould. But a recent collaboration with a British retailer has really brought out its [...]
Why the Jaguar F-Type Coupé is the best sports car of its generation July 29, 2014 Getting into an F-Type coupé is like the first haircut you have when you graduate. You’re starting to face reality and a job interview is on the horizon. Every mirror solicits a double-take – you never knew you could look so smart. But this car is stunning from every angle. There are great works of [...]
The New York penthouses getting a touch of British style July 29, 2014 In a corner of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, there is a tower that is an homage to quintessential European elegance. The Charles, named for its connotations of quality and regality, stands on First Avenue and 72nd Street, in among international schools, and five star hotels, with Central Park to the west. Each apartment [...]
The Chic Geek’s style advice: wearable tech July 29, 2014 What goes around comes around. And around, and around. Outside of a handful of innovative brands – many of whom you will see on these very pages – fashion is stuck in a continual retro-regurgitation of past styles, lightly polished to look new and desirable each season. In recent times, these cycles have gotten smaller [...]
Dish of the Day: Vivek Singh’s lamb and sweetcorn curry July 29, 2014 I’ve been executive chef with the Cinnamon Group since 2001. That was at the start of the wave of modern Indian cuisine in Britain. The Cinnamon Club in Westminster was the first restaurant in the group to open about 14 years ago and it’s a temple of gastronomy. It’s very close to the House of [...]
Abandon your prejudices and drink rosé this summer July 29, 2014 It’s high summer and that can only mean one thing: death by rosé. At the barbecues and on the patios of England, pink wine is being served by the gallon. We all smile politely and neglect to tell our hosts that most of it is barely drinkable. Like others I have always been a rosé [...]
Review: The new Aston Martin Vanquish Volante July 28, 2014 There’s a certain inevitability about Aston Martin; it’s impossible to discuss it without referencing James Bond. Even when BMW was the brand supplying 007’s cars, he was thought of as an Aston driver. The British sports car firm delights in the association, as you perhaps would if you could call upon the power of the [...]
Review: The Purge 2 July 24, 2014 What would happen if, for one night a year, you were able to kill whoever you wanted and get off scot free? That was the shaky premise behind last year’s The Purge. It’s set 20 years into the future where crime is so rife that the US government sanctions an annual 12-hour period for the [...]
Review: The Importance of Being Earnest July 24, 2014 Lucy Bailey’s reimagining of The Importance of Being Earnest at The Harold Pinter Theatre sees an am-dram company rehearsing a chaotic version of the titular play. The result is a terrible production about a terrible production of a brilliant play – an unfortunate irony that would probably have raised a wry smile from Wilde himself. [...]