Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick: A new Somerset House exhibition is dedicated to works inspired by the lauded film-maker July 7, 2016 The final scene in A Clockwork Orange, known as the “Ascot fantasy” sees a young woman writhe in ecstasy on top of Malcolm McDowell. Prior to the filming of the scene, director Stanley Kubrick was introduced to the girl in her trailer. “Could you, erm, drop your robe,” he asked. She did. Kubrick walked out. [...]
Eight of the best bottles of bourbon, from Hudson’s whiskey to Old Forester July 7, 2016 Bourbon is the American spirit. This is the sort of line that might be used in an advert, but it’s true – bourbon is only bourbon if it’s brewed in the USA. And for some purists, only Kentucky will do. The most well known American whiskey is Jack Daniels, which uses the same method of [...]
Georgia O’Keeffe at the Tate Modern: flowers and skulls abound, but don’t mention vaginas July 7, 2016 A teacher in America was recently fired for saying the word “vagina” in front of her class during a discussion about Georgia O’Keeffe’s series of flower paintings. O’Keeffe would be mad about this for two reasons: firstly, the sheer ludicrousness of her puritanical home country, where women can’t so much as mention their genitals without [...]
The newly crowned king of pastry Pierre Hermé talks about getting a sweet deal July 7, 2016 This time, it was personal. Experts across the world had voted on the world’s best pastry chef for two years running, and neither time did the accolade go to a Frenchman. For this proud nation of dessert-makers, this is tantamount to a national disgrace. This year Pierre Hermé, the man variously called the Picasso of [...]
The infinite bookshop: How Chinese architects created a reflective space using mirrors July 7, 2016 With Amazon, ebooks and high street supermarkets pushing bookshops to the brink of extinction, the few independent sellers remaining have sought to reinvent themselves as shrines to literacy, intimate meeting places for authors and their readers, and serene reading grounds amidst the urban noise. One such spot is Zhongshuge-hangzhou, a newly- opened bookshop in Hong [...]
Luxury hotels are engaged in a race to the top to treat their wealthy customers to ever more extravagant perks, from designer wardrobes to private jets July 7, 2016 Back in the late 1800s, the Savoy famously became the first hotel in London to run on electricity, a sign of true luxury at the time. It also had lifts, “speaking tubes” so that guests could call for a maid and, later, en suite bathrooms with showers. Over the decades, it has continuously evolved to [...]
Women’s watches: A touch of guilloche just doesn’t cut it any more, dials are becoming much more dynamic July 7, 2016 It’s all Dior’s fault, as so many things are. It’s Dior, or rather Raf Simon’s, fault that I have too many swishy, dramatic skirts that just aren’t practical when you’re dealing with a seven-month old. I blame Dior for making me think that white broderie anglais-esque shorts are appropriate attire for a 37 year old [...]
These world timer watches from the 1930s mark you out as a global citizen, while snazzing up the dial of your wristwatch July 7, 2016 There are plenty of ways to add interest to the dial of a wristwatch, but few do it in such style as the world-timer. It’s like an app from a time before there were apps: invented in the 1930s, in the early days of passenger aviation, it enables you to read the time anywhere in [...]
Ferrari 488 Spider review: This most perfect of sports cars has a lasting effect on Adam Hay-Nicholls, who gets cosy with it in Maranello July 7, 2016 The 488 Spider drove me to drink petrol. There was no warning when it ran out of fuel. OK, the gas light came on about 40 miles back but the way I was driving it, with ‘race’ mode selected on the manettino dial and some heavy application of the right pedal, that distance came and [...]
Property Entrepreneurs: We caught up with the founders of YOPA after Savills’ significant cash injection into the hybrid estate agency July 6, 2016 Selling your home online just got a whole lot more interesting. In just one week in June, two newcomers into the estate agency market received major injections of cash, to help grow their businesses. Established estate agent Savills has backed upstart YOPA, while Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone has put his substantial bet on HouseSimple. [...]