The late Gérald Genta, who died in 2011, gave the world many extraordinary timepieces, both under his own name and working on designs for top luxury watch-makers that included IWC, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet – and the Bulgari family.
But the evidence was there for all to see in gas stations from coast to coast: the voluptuous blonde kneeling provocatively before a backdrop of crimson velvet was, indeed, the same Hollywood idol whose previously faltering career had forced her to resort to stripping-off for photographer Tom Kelley in 1949 in exchange for $50 – the sum she needed in order to reclaim her impounded car.
The white star emblem of Montblanc pens signifies more than just a logo; it’s often considered a symbol of status, refinement and sophistication. The rounded, six-pointed star representing the snow-capped Mont Blanc hasn’t changed since it was designed in 1913 – and neither have the brand’s strict values concerning the production process. All the detail work, polishing and fine shaping is still done entirely by hand. As a brand closely tied to the writing culture, Montblanc has celebrated the headline names in world literature by crafting exquisite themed writing instruments since 1992.
Here, guests can enjoy literally sleeping under the stars, with the Alentejo night sky just one button press away.
The curators of ‘Designing 007 - Fifty Years of Bond Style’ have gone to great lengths to ensure that the ethos of the original Bond in books and celluloid is respected. Visitors are greeted by the sight of a life-size, waxwork Sean Connery, for example, and there’s also a surprisingly realistic Shirley Eaton as ‘Jill Masterson’, gold-painted, lying dead on a bed.
The company was founded less than a year ago, but early indications suggest that enthusiasm is just as important as commercial experience. Products are made in-house and their progress is often documented in ‘blog-style’ picture diaries: an interesting 21st Century take on bespoke product feedback to customers.
Under the government-supported ‘Fashion is GREAT’ campaign, tailors in the world’s most famous street for handmade suits opened their doors to the public. And a neat coincidence was the grand opening of a refurbished Burlington Arcade, only a short walk away.
So it was to that small corner of England that shall ever remain ‘bespoke’ that your Editor went last Friday. More in need of a sharply crafted body than custom-fit suit, I nevertheless enjoyed the textile world’s equivalent of a tour of Pininfarina, Touring or Zagato.
While many of us in the motoring world associate the luxury lakeside hotel with the annual Concorso d’Eleganza, that long weekend in May apart, from the beginning of March to mid-November guests come from all over the world to be “treasured in the old-fashioned way”.
And, over the years, those guests have included honeymooners (Elizabeth Taylor and Nick Hilton, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner), politicians (Winston Churchill) and film stars (Charlton Heston, Donald Sutherland and Sharon Stone).
On an historical site in the prestigious Place des Lices, in the heart of St. Tropez, the sleeping Maison Blanche has been brought back to life. The eight modernised suites of the new hotel ‘White 1921’ invite guests to take part in a special hotel experience in the French coastal region. All the bedrooms in the white, neo-classical villa offer views of the beautiful garden, designed by the renowned landscape architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte.