Forget Beats, Vertu V headphones offer superior sound quality and style September 23, 2014 Luxury smartphone-maker Vertu has branched into the audio market – and the results are stunning Let the kids and footballers have their Beats; for those after quality craftsmanship and unparalleled sound, British brand Vertu has the ultimate pair of cans. Forget plastic and garish branding, these V headphones are smarter than smart in calves [...]
Jade Jagger talks motherhood, design and building a matriarchal paradise in Ibiza September 23, 2014 Jade Jagger is tired. She yawns through much of our interview as she potters around her 16th century villa. Perhaps she just feels relaxed in her sleepy village in Ibiza, where she spends the summer with her family. Or maybe it’s only to be expected from this daughter of rock royalty, now an international [...]
I know what you’ll like next summer: How trend forecasting keeps the biggest brands on top September 23, 2014 Will you be gripped by a desire to own a pair of Birkenstocks at some point over the next 12 months? Need a mindfulness holiday retreat in 2016? What about a fridge that connects to the internet, maybe some time in the 2020s? Who knows, right? Well, someone probably does. An entire industry has grown [...]
Tudor is back: Heritage-inspired watches are on the rise September 23, 2014 I’m excited: Tudor is back. Who? Well, you’d be forgiven for asking, since the brand hasn’t been in British shops since early in the last decade. But it’s a name that carries clout in the watch world, for Tudor is the sibling brand of Rolex. Hans Wilsdorf, Rolex’s founder, set up Tudor between the [...]
Horological whimsy September 23, 2014 Hermes isn’t as well-known for its watches as it should be, partly because they’re only available in its own boutiques. But this eccentric beauty gives a good idea of the beautifully skewed, dead clever attitude it has to haute horlogerie. It’s a watch that only tells the time when you want it to: the hour [...]
From Cartier to Longines, women’s watches are being downsized September 23, 2014 How women’s watch dials are shrinking and why it gives us reasons to be cheerful about the future of the female side of the industry The papping of Jemima Khan wearing a Panerai given to her by her then-boyfriend Hugh Grant in 2005 kick-started women’s love of men’s watches. Grant and Khan’s relationship has long [...]
The BMW M235i is the perfect all-rounder coupe September 23, 2014 The M235i may be the best all-rounder coupe on BMW’s books – we drive it from New York to Montreal I’m powering along Interstate-87 in upstate New York, skirting the navy lakes and emerald mountains of the Adirondacks when I pass a police car hidden behind the trees and see its red lights [...]
Eating lunch at your desk again? Here’s how the City does delivery September 23, 2014 Eating al-desko isn’t just about showing your boss you’re the keenest worker-bee in the office. As winter draws nearer it’s also a way of eating your sandwiches without getting frost bite. The latest lunch-break craze in the City allows hungry employees to select, buy and eat their lunch without leaving their office at all. Delivery [...]
Green house September 23, 2014 Sometimes modern living entails bringing the outdoors indoors As the nights get colder and the days get shorter, it’s approaching that time when you need to make your home a sanctuary from the elements. House plants are the simplest way of doing this but why settle for simple? What will really impress the neighbours is [...]
Like a vintage Tommy Nutter suit, perfect second-hand gems are hard to find September 23, 2014 At the recent London Collections: Men fashion week I spotted a guy wearing a 1974 “Nutters of Savile Row” suit. This is the Holy Grail of vintage menswear; not in all my years scouring second hand shops have I come across a genuine Tommy Nutter. Even in museums they are scarce. To make matters worse, [...]