Seeing red February 5, 2015 Salvatore Ferragamo tears up the rulebook and enters the world of casualwear When it comes to fashion, some rules are made to be broken. For 100 years, the craftsmen at made-to-measure connoisseurs Salvatore Ferragamo used only the finest Italian leather to make smart, red carpet-worthy shoes for its Hollywood patrons. Now, in the year of [...]
A weekend of gourmet indulgence with Heston Blumenthal on the Mont Blanc slopes February 5, 2015 You know a Heston Blumenthal meal is going to be something special. The same, it turns out, goes for a Heston Blumenthal holiday. The concept is a foodie’s wet dream: four days of crisp slopes, fine Italian wine and haute cuisine cooked by some of the world’s top chefs. Here’s how it came about: “Heston [...]
Hong Kong nom nom: Getting to grips with the burgeoning foodie scene February 5, 2015 Hong Kong at night falls somewhere between Manhattan and Magaluf, combining the grandeur of the former with the trashy hedonism of the latter. I was there in September when the humidity was in the 90s and the streets were heaving with twenty-somethings moving from bar to club. It’s also home to one of the most [...]
Slimline time: Why svelte timepieces are the ultimate boardroom status symbol February 5, 2015 If a wristwatch is still a reliable marker of success, standing and savoir-faire – and by all means scoff away at the idea but, for better or worse, it frequently is – then I’ve an idea that the true sign of having made it is downsizing. On the way up, a big(ish) watch – from [...]
The pursuit of strappiness: Women’s watches are getting a couture makeover February 5, 2015 When it comes to women’s watches, straps aren’t usually top of a designer’s list of priorities. But despite all the attention the dial tends to get, it’s the strap that covers the larger proportion of your wrist. Thankfully, there are brands out there that do spend time on these means of attachment. Hermès is famously [...]
Time and space February 5, 2015 Introducing the Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon The idea of an all-grey watch may not seem terribly enticing on paper, but Omega’s latest version of its classic Speedmaster Moonwatch chronograph is a high-tech slice of horological cool. A couple of years ago the brand produced an all-black Moonwatch (so-called because the Speedmaster was [...]
Spyder sense: Even Sir Patrick Stewart is bowled over by the new McLaren 650S February 5, 2015 Everyone has their “happy place”. Most people think of a tropical island, a postcard pinned to their office wall. I don’t. Not any more. Now I have a different reference point for unbridled joy: pulling down the driver’s door of a McLaren 650S, firing its twin-turbo and racing through all seven gears in a breathless, [...]
Is the wine bar making a comeback? Pall Mall Fine Wines is giving it a bash February 5, 2015 The years have not been kind to the wine bar. Two decades ago it seemed there were three on every high street, offering a “sophisticated” alternative to the local boozer, where you could trot off to quaff some Chardonnay and talk about the hardships of the working week. As a journalist, I spent some of [...]
Dish that’s orbit of a guilty pleasure February 3, 2015 Daniel McGarey, head chef at Canary Wharf restaurant Plateau, on his Hawking tribute Why did you choose The Theory of Everything as your inspiration for this dish? The Theory of Everything is one of my favourite recent movies and while I am not a scientist, I believe I have a good basic understanding. I find [...]
Mix it up: Raise your glass to London’s best rooftop cocktail bars with a view February 3, 2015 Architects and engineers are at war with the sky. While they battle it out, the rest of us can sit back and raise a glass to the men and women who are realising humanity’s inexorable urge to break the heavens. Each skyscraper will have its day – but there can be no winners. Just consider [...]