Hit the right note June 20, 2015 This self-playing piano can recite 1,700 masterpieces of classical, jazz and contemporary music, all to concert standard Digital music is made to be heard but not seen. Once, huge brass gramophones added an element of theatre to playing music at home, and the resurgence in sales of vinyl records shows there’s still a desire to [...]
Summer Igloo June 20, 2015 Forget freezing blocks of ice; the coolest igloo in town is ideal for lazing around a pool in the blistering sunshine Whatever the season, this Garden Igloo will improve your entertaining credentials. The “convertible greenhouse” is available in a choice of materials: the open-fronted “canopy cover” (pictured above) and a fully rain proof plastic sheeting [...]
World wide: New exhibition offers a rare glimpse of Alighiero Boetti, a true 20th century maverick June 4, 2015 Alighiero Boetti 1989 embroidery on fabric, 103 x 107.5 cm, courtesy of the Mazzoleni London Alighiero Boetti (1940-94) is a refreshing antidote to all the things “conceptual artist” has come to connote: sterility, aloofness, opaque jargon that says too much to say anything at all. While his work is complex and its meaning elusive, [...]
Beyond memory: Tomoko Yoneda’s first UK solo exhibition in 10 years June 4, 2015 Nothing in the zen-like spaces photographed by Tomoko Yoneda indicates the destruction that once reigned in them, but the titles offer a clue. In Lovers After the Thaw (pictured), a couple embrace in a swimming pool in post-Cold War Hungary. In Sniper View, a nondescript city-scape is injected with a sense of danger when you [...]
Beautiful things: Slip-on shoes, azure sunglasses and the Acqua di Parma shaving kit June 4, 2015 From top: Emporio Armani suede driving shoe, $278, armani.com; Dolce & Gabbana Madonna and Majolica Amalfi slippers, £415, store.dolcegabbana.com; Bally Lorian moccasins, £395, bally.co.uk The number one trend in men’s footwear is the slip-on shoe. Whether you’re after a moccasin or a loafer, we have you covered. The slip-on is back. Whether it [...]
Tony Parsons: The rock critic turned crime writer on his new book and voting for the Conservatives June 4, 2015 DC Max Wolfe, hero of The Murder Bag and The Slaughter Man, is every bit as butch as his name suggests. He’s tough and loyal, decent but dangerous. For a certain kind of Top Gear-watching, Fleming-weaned middle-aged man, he’s the very pinnacle of masculinity. When he’s not assaulting paedophiles or wrestling with murderers, you can [...]
London Collections: Men – the lowdown on the latest menswear trends June 4, 2015 The Breton Stripe is a summer classic. Get the long-sleeved T-shirt from Ralph Lauran at mrporter.com, £110, the chinos from AMI at mrporter.com, £155, the Steve McQueeninspired shades from Persol at davidclulow.com and the “Classic Batchel” shoulder bag from The Cambridge Satchel Company, £130, cambridgesatchel.com Sketches: Emma Hopkins LC:M – aka London’s men’s [...]
Net prophet: Jim Chapman is the biggest star you’ve never heard of June 4, 2015 Photography: Leigh Keily Styling: Ozzy Shah Jim Chapman has the kind of adoring fanbase usually reserved for musicians and sportsmen. He’s a darling of the fashion world, sitting on every designer’s front row. Yet if you’re over 25, chances are you’ve never heard of him. He achieved his fame through vlogging, uploading good-natured clips [...]
These new chronographs aren’t just feats of engineering – they’re also things of beauty June 4, 2015 One of the more remarkable historic watches I’ve come across recently was a svelte pilots’ model with a black enamel dial and large, luminous numerals, that was made precisely a century ago. It still runs perfectly. The firm behind it, Zenith Watch Company, was already 50 years old when it made the watch for a [...]
Patek Philippe’s Grand Exhibition: The greatest watch show on earth is getting ready to launch at the Saatchi Gallery June 4, 2015 In one month’s time Patek Philippe will open its Grand Exhibition, a two-week takeover of the Saatchi Gallery. There will be scores of fabulous historic and modern watches, but perhaps none more beautiful than the new 5370 split-seconds chronograph. It costs the earth (£180,160 to be precise), its dual chronograph mechanism being one of the [...]
