Bespoke: December issue

CITYA.M.

ISSUE 2 | DECEMBER 2012

JESSICA ENNIS

as you’ve never seen her before

Men’s fashion week u Watches

How to live forever u Bentley Boys

Engineered for men who know that the best things in life are complicated.

Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5032: You don’t need to walk on the surface of the moon to succumb to its fascination; after all, its effects are omnipresent here on earth. It’s gravitational pull causes the rise and fall of the tides. Its appearance and disappearance mark the end and the beginning of each day. And wonders of all kinds have been ascribed to the full moon for as long as anyone can remember. These qualities were the inspiration for the master watchmakers at IWC who developed the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar. The 18-carat red gold case houses an impressive automatic movement with a perpetual calendar and double moon phase display for the northern and southern hemispheres, countdown to the next full moon and a Pellaton automatic winding system, to mention only the most sophisticated of its complications. Needless to say, it runs with the same unerring precision as the moon in its orbit around our planet. IWC. Engineered for men. David M Robinson, 4 Jubilee Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5NY, 020 7538 2332 IWC Schaffhausen Boutiques: Paris I Vienna I Madrid I Moscow I New York I Shanghai I Dubai I Hong Kong I Geneva I Zurich

www.davidmrobinson.co.uk www.iwc.com

Two impressive red lines. The new 911 Carrera models. The redline of a Porsche 911 has always been impressive. For almost 50 years now, each new generation has pushed the boundariesof performance further and further. The new 911 Carrera 4 models are no exception. As well as their legendary all-wheel drive handling,they feature broad shoulders, making for a striking presence. And the iconic red LED light strip across the rear, means other road users can now appreciate the red line of a 911 too.

To find out more visit www.porsche.co.uk/redlines

Model shown is a Carrera 4S Coupe at £88,774.00 including first year road fund licence and first registration fee. Fuel consumption figures for the new 911 Carrera 4S Coupe in mpg (l/100km): Urban 19.9 (14.2); Extra Urban 37.7 (7.5); Combined 28.5 (9.9). CO2 emissions (g/km) 234.

A RACING MACHINE ON THE WRIST

RM 007

www.richardmille.com

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CONTENTS

Inside

In conversation with...

THIS ISSUE

18

Culture, etc.

26

9.

Philip Glass in his 75th year; why Roy Lichtenstein was right; Joe Strummer remembered and the power of the Hobbit dollar

How does it feel?

16.

Ewan McGregor’s travelling buddy Charlie Boorman relives the time his boat was caught in the middle of an epic – and terrifying – storm

All I want for Xmas 40. Top tastemakers in the fashion world, including Mulberry’s Emma Hill, tell us what they hope to find under the tree on Christmas morning

Eveningwear

49.

Tis the season for glorious ball gowns. From Tom Ford to Valentino, we pick out the dresses that will knock ‘em dead

London Collections

Jessica Ennis

See Britain’s top designers – including Patrick Grant (above), Lou Dalton, Christopher Raeburn – as they prepare for London’s men’s fashion week in a series of candid shots.

The star of the London Olympics on how her life has changed, her newfound love of fashion and why she really wants to start her own label.

30

Watch out

38

54.

If you have gone to the trouble of wearing a tux, make sure you don’t forget to pick out a watch that matches.

The Bentley Boys 56. They were the original gentleman daredevils, as happy pushing the boundaries of the motor car as they were quaffing the finest champagne.

Lucy Porter The bijou comic remembers the time she was too small for Vogue – but she still has a soft spot for Valentino.

CITYA.M.

Cover image: Lancton/Camera Press

The forever men Larry Leight 58. Since the dawn of man we have dreamed of The boss of iconic glasses-maker Oliver living forever. Now some scientists think it might just be possible, either through “curing” ageing or building robotic bodies.

Peoples tells us why his company has no need for new fangled things like branding or publicity.

Allister Heath Editor, City A.M. | Steve Dinneen Editor, Bespoke Magazine and Life&Style Editor, City A.M. | Gavin Billenness Art Director | Naomi Mdudu Fashion Editor Harry Owen Commercial Director | Sophie Evans Advertising Director | Nick Owen Distribution Director For editorial enquiries contact [email protected] | For sales enquiries contact [email protected] Published by City A.M., 4th Floor, 33 Queen Street, London, EC4R 1BR | Tel: 020 3201 8900 Printed by Polestar Group, 2 Wyncolls Road, Severalls Industrial Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9HU Distribution helpline: 020 3201 8955 or [email protected] | © City A.M.

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 7

GRAND SEIKO. It started as a dream five decades ago. A dedicated team of Seiko watchmakers set themselves a new challenge; to create a watch that would be more accurate, more reliable and more comfortable than any other luxury watch in the world. The result was Grand Seiko, a collection that is, simply, one of the world’s great watches. Today, the Grand Seiko tradition is celebrated in a mechanical watch with a 10-beat movement. It delivers precision of -3 to +5 seconds a day with a power reserve of 55 hours. A masterpiece of traditional craftsmanship combined with advanced engineering from Grand Seiko, where the pure essentials of watchmaking are elevated to the level of art. grand-seiko.com

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CULTURE, etc. PHILIP GLASS IS THE MOST REVERED POPULAR COMPOSER OF HIS GENERATION. AT 75 HE STILL PUTS ACTS HALF HIS AGE TO SHAME WITH HIS LIVE SHOWS

B

ESIDES HIS standing as one of the foremost composers of classical music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, there is one very good reason Philip Glass has seen his 75th birthday celebrated at events worldwide this year: simply put, he’s popular. He draws crowds who might otherwise shrink from a music scene perceived, rightly or wrongly, as rarefied and inaccessible to the uninitiated. In his new book, How Music Works, Glass’s friend and collaborator David Byrne describes the shift the live performance of classical music underwent in the early 1900s, moving from a raucous, inclusive atmosphere akin to modern day pop and rock shows to a more restrained exclusivity, often betraying elements of class-ism amidst the classicism. Over his near fifty year career, Glass has consistently transcended these

barriers between classical and popular without losing an ounce of artistic integrity in the process. He isn’t André Rieu, melodramatically trotting out the Classic FM highlights reel: instead, in continuing to push the boundaries of his chosen form, Glass has drawn influence from dizzyingly eclectic sources, and has been rewarded in kind with fans from those circles. There are similarities, for instance, between Glass, with his deceptively simple, often repetitive compositions, and subsequent producers of techno and other electronic genres. This is never more apparent than in Rework: Philip Glass Remixed, an album of the composer’s work reimagined by a painfully hip selection of contemporary rock and electronic musicians including Beck, Cornelius, Amon Tobin, Pantha Du Prince, Dan Deacon and former Battles man

Tyondai Braxton. Also telling: it was Glass, the revered cultural icon, who approached Beck about the project, not the other way around. Fittingly, Glass’s 75th birthday celebrations have seen him undertake a globetrotting itinerary that would shame most jobbing young indie bands. His schedule included a weeklong run of his opera Einstein on the Beach at the Barbican in May; a UK and French tour with the Kronos Quartet in which he performed his score for the 1931 Dracula alongside the film and the world premiere of his second Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in Cincinnati. Glass returns to the Barbican this month for a performance of his score for Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi and, the following night, a recital of highlights from across his career at Union Chapel. Ever popular, both nights are completely sold out. Chris Ward • Philip Glass’ Barbican shows begin on 15 December. b

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 9

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CULTURE

LICHTENSTEIN’S VINDICATION IN 1964, Life Magazine ran an article on Roy Lichtenstein entitled “Is he the worst artist in the US?” Fifty years on, Lichtenstein has been vindicated: the painter who controversially reproduced found images has turned out to be one of the most recognizable painters of his generation. Now, twenty years since his last retrospective, Lichtenstein is as relevant as ever. As the media bleeds into the most intimate areas of our personal lives, opportunities for the dissemination of images have increased exponentially. His 1963 diptych Whaam! has always made a great poster for a bedroom wall – now it makes an excellent Facebook cover photo. But the retrospective, which opens at the Tate Modern in February, challenges the idea that Lichtenstein merely replicated images. It contains a collection of early drawings, many of which offer a unique insight into the way he transformed the images that he appropriated for his prints and paintings. The show goes some way to refute claims that he was a one-trick pony. From his pre-fame abstract expressionism to the later comic-book parodies of major paintings, this exhibition shows there was more to Lichtenstein than smoke plumes and onomatopoeia.

Alex Dymoke

• Lichtenstein: A Retrospective opens at the Tate modern on 21 February.

Making the unmakeable IT SEEMS appropriate that Mikhail Bulgakov’s cutting Soviet satire The Master and Margarita, written in 1937, was not published until thirty years later. It gave his nightmarish creations time to fully

gestate, to grow into creatures so grotesque they make Lewis Carroll’s imagination seem tame. It is ostensibly about a visit by the devil to Soviet Moscow, but Bulgakov’s serpentine prose darts between dream and reality, past (Pontius Pilate’s Jerusalem) and present – it is little wonder people said it could never be made into a play (well, not a good one, at any rate). But Theatre Complicite did just that, dragging Woland the devil and his mansized cat Behemoth from the page and onto the stage in a cacophony of crashing props and flashing projectors. It was one of the theatre events of the year. If you missed it the first time, don’t make the same mistake again.

Steve Dinneen • The Master and Margarita is at the Barbican from 14 December – 19 January.

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THE MORMONS ARE COMING... AND THEY’RE HILARIOUS THEY MAY have missed out on the White House but the Mormons are on their way to London. Having delighted Broadway – leaving SpiderMan the musical trailing in its box-office wake – The Book of Mormon is on a mission to the West End. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the pair behind South Park, this is a musical for people who don’t like musicals; a coarse, scabrous and very funny takedown of religion in which two Mormon missionaries find themselves in Uganda and discover their optimism and beliefs are no match for a nation ravaged by war and disease. Lovingly parodying everything from The Sound of Music to The Lion King, it’s the winner of nine Tonys and is credited with breathing new life into a dying art form. Rather proving the point, The Book of Mormon will play at the Prince of Wales theatre, previously home to Mamma Mia and Cliff Richard: The Musical.

Graeme Allister • Previews start on 25 February.

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CULTURE

HOW MUMFORD AND SONS BROKE THE USA THEY LOOK like a troupe of off-duty farmers and their name recalls an olde-worlde English village shop. It’s somewhat surprising then, that Mumford and Sons have so decisively conquered the US. Their latest album, Babel, went straight in at the top of the Billboard charts, outselling Madonna, Pink and Justin Bieber — the past, present and future of American pop. The London group sold more than 600,000 records in its first week of sales, doubling the sales of Bieber’s Believe. Babel is also the second-most digitally downloaded album in its first week of all time, after Lady GaGa’s Born This Way. Despite their transatlantic success, they haven’t forgotten their roots — they return to the O2 arena in London later this month.

Alex Dymoke

• Mumford and Sons will play the O2 Arena on 14 December.

Saywhat?

ON 22 December it will be a full decade since the death of Joe Strummer, aged 50, from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. For a certain kind of music lover, the untimely passing of the Clash and Mescaleros front man had an impact matched only by the subsequent premature departures of John Peel and Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch. It wasn’t that Strummer was the first icon of punk to die in middle age (see: Ramones) but that, as the figurehead of “The Only Band That Matters”, he stood for something bigger than himself, bigger than the band, bigger even than punk itself. Though The Clash grew in stature to play the same stadia as any number of album-oriented rock bands, it managed to do so with values intact amidst the decadent music industry of the 70s and 80s. Post-Clash, Strummer was hardly the Rolling Stones, all but openly acknowledging that his best years were behind him, with an occasional half-hearted album propping up lucrative tours. But like Peel and Yauch, he remained a vital artistic force, always seeking out the new, always fighting the good fight. Fans mourned the loss of the music, but mourned the man more. Accordingly, every year on the anniversary of Strummer’s death, venues across the country hold tribute nights to the great man, donating the proceeds to Strummerville, the charity set up in Strummer’s memory by his wife Lucinda. Since its inception, the organisation has tirelessly provided opportunities for emerging musicians, encompassing free-to-hire rehearsal spaces, donations to recording costs and recently opening a studio in Sierra Leone. The passion Strummer instilled in his fans in life has ensured that, even in death, he continues to bring more good to the world than most of the peers who Chris Ward outlived him. b

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“

IT IS A DECADE SINCE THE SUDDEN DEATH OF ROCK LEGEND JOE STRUMMER. HE’S STILL DOING BETTER THAN MOST OF HIS PEERS.

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HE HAS A WILDLY INAPPROPRIATE SENSE OF HUMOUR. WE SEXUALIZED EVERYTHING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE’ Amanda Seyfried on Hugh Jackman, her Les Miserables co-star THE OPERA THAT WILL NEVER END

THIS YEAR, John Copley celebrated his 50th anniversary as a director at the Royal Opera House. His production of Puccini’s La Boheme has been a glistening jewel in the institution’s repertoire for 40 years, having been revived 24 times. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. • La Boheme opens (again) on 17 December.

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CULTURE

THE BOOK THAT MADE A PUBLISHER THE IMMINENT release of Ang Lee’s adaptation of Life of Pi has been a long time coming – almost a full decade, with the film rights to the beloved Yann Martel novel snapped up soon after its 2002 Man Booker triumph. Ten years on, it’s easy to forget the cultural impact of the book, not just in and of itself but in launching its UK publisher, the Edinburgh indie Canongate, into the big leagues. Pre-Pi, the most widely recognised name on Canongate’s roster was Alasdair Gray. Post-Pi, it’s published work by Nick Cave, Philip Pullman and – in its most remarkable coup to date – Barack Obama. That’s a lot to lay at the feet of a fable about a boy and a tiger lost at sea. A film adaptation has defeated directors as varied as M Night Shyamalan, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Alfonso Cuarón, all of whom have been attached at some point and subsequently dropped out. The 3D, CGI-tiger-heavy finished product at least promises to be Ang Lee’s most visually spectacular film since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Naturally, it carries the weight of expectation, but then again, Pi hasn’t made it this far by doing what people expected. Chris Ward • The Life of Pi is in cinemas on 20 December

HOW HOBBITS CHANGED NEW ZEALAND FOREVER THE EXTRAORDINARY EFFECT OF THE JRR TOLKIEN DOLLAR THIS MONTH sees the UK release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a series of prequels to the highest grossing film trilogy of all time, The Lord of the Rings. But the original films weren’t just a box office triumph: they showcased the scenery of director Peter Jackson’s native New Zealand, serving as the kind of international tourism campaign any self-respecting country would chop off a peninsula for. With guaranteed global attention from The Hobbit, it’s no surprise that Tourism New Zealand has opted for the advertising slogan “100 per cent Middle-earth, 100 per cent Pure New Zealand”, which builds on the campaign that has sold the country for the last decade, while reinforcing its association with the films. In New Zealand in the months

leading up to the film’s release, The Hobbit has been inescapable. Tourists watch Hobbit-themed safety videos before flying into Wellington airport, where they are greeted by a 13 metre, 1.2 tonne sculpture of Gollum, the films’ antihero. A week of city council-funded activities took place in the capital, which has rebranded itself the “Middle of Middle-earth” in the run-up to the 28 November world premiere. It touches all parts of society; those who want to can even buy Hobbit stamps, with legal tender Hobbit coins. With all signs suggesting The Hobbit will dominate cinemas over the holiday season, New Zealand will be hoping tourists will convert those box office dollars to Hobbit dollars.

Simon Thomson • The Hobbit is in cinemas on 13 December

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PEOPLE

How does it feel... TO BE LOST AT SEA (LITERALLY)?

I

By Charley Boorman

T WAS pure, abject terror — I was sure we were going to die. I remember clinging onto the side of the boat, almost faceplanting into the water and then rolling back and seeing sky and then rolling forwards and only seeing water. The trip had started peacefully enough. Timor is the last dot at the bottom of Indonesia. As the islands taper off, you turn South and head towards Australia, where we were filming for By Any Means back in 2008. I was with Mungo the cameraman, the captain and his mate. We had been jumping off the boat into the beautiful, clear water. At night you could see dolphins. The scene was stunning — totally idyllic. But then everything started to go wrong. The captain had told us it might be a bit rough, and that night a massive storm hit. The sea was getting rougher and rougher and our boat started getting tossed around like a rag doll. We were caught in swells of 10-15 metres – far bigger than the boat we were in. Half-way through, my wife called on the SAT phone. I didn’t want to worry her so I kept saying, “No, no it’s fine, I’m having such a fantastic trip.” All the while I was clinging on for dear life to the side of the boat. I kept wanting to call the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, give them our co-ordinates and tell them to

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come and rescue us, but there was no way they could have reached us in conditions like that. After being tossed around for a day and a half, I looked on the GPS. My heart sank. We were 250 miles from any land, doing one knot an hour. The wash generated by our boat would spread out behind, only to be blown back in front of us by the wind: we were hardly moving at all. The captain hadn’t slept for two days. He was white with fear. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the storm calmed down and we managed to get behind the wind. I will never forget the sight of the huge Australian coastline appearing on the horizon as the storm receded. After coming to a halt, we cooked a meal for the first time in three and a half days. We sat there eating lamb cutlets, potatoes and vegetables. My God how we ate. We stuffed ourselves. In those conditions, the trick is actually to eat a little bit at regular intervals so that your stomach is never completely empty — it helps with sea sickness. The trip was supposed to take three days. It took six and a half. I’ve been in a fair few scrapes in my time, but that boat ride was the closest I’ve come to death. • Charley Boorman’s South African Adventure airs on Channel 5 early next year b

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FASHION

BESTof BRITAIN NAOMI MDUDU VISITS THE STUDIOS OF STAR DESIGNERS SHOWING NEXT MONTH AT LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN.

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ENSWEAR IS doing well. So well, in fact, that in 2011 global sales reached a whopping €24bn, representing 50 per cent of the luxury apparel market, far outpacing the growth of womenswear; and it’s something the Brits have always done well. Only this winter, Chinese mega-brand Bosideng launched a London-based strand of the company, with the sole intention of tapping into the appetite for English design sensibilities. Meanwhile, students continue to travel from all corners or the world to train as tailors on the prestigious Savile Row. The fashion world, though, has been slow to pick up on the lucrative opportunity. Until this summer, the capital had tacked menswear designers onto the last day of the womenswear shows, almost as an after-thought (hence the derogatory “Mensday Wednesday” label). “There’s only so much impact that you can have on one day,” says designer Christopher Raeburn, “bearing in mind there are many other designers showing on that day.” The arrangement also meant the day overlapped with Milan, so many of the key press and buyers would bypass it altogether. London Collections: Men, the first London men’s fashion week, held last June, changed all this, kick-starting the concept with a line-up that included key players like Hackett London and Margaret Howell, alongside emerging talent like J W Anderson and Sibling, demonstrating the eclectic mix the capital has to offer. “We all knew there was going to be a lot of focus on London so we worked hard to try and bring it home,” says

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Portraits by Laura Lean

designer Lou Doulton. Browns menswear buying director Mei Chung says the creative momentum was just what the capital needed to compete with the other fashion capitals. “Menswear in London has grown up in the past few years,” she says. “London is always cited as the creative hub of fashion but a few years back, technically, it wasn’t on a par with, say, Paris or Milan. Now designers are merging their creative ideas with great technical ability, creating really strong collections that are both conceptual and wearable.” And, according to Sean Dixon of Richard James, it’s paying off: “I think London has always been portrayed as the quirky design capital and everyone’s always focused on that – now people have finally realised that there’s a very serious menswear industry here.” Press and buyers came from 21 different countries, with brands reporting a growth in sales of up to 40 per cent. “We ended up taking orders from buyers who had obviously come to London for London Collections,” Raeburn says. And January is set to be even bigger. Off the back of June’s success, Alexander McQueen and Tom Ford have been confirmed as new additions to the line-up (see page 25), cementing the capital as a key player in the fashion week calendar. “All of us involved in the first London Collections: Men were overwhelmed by the response to the first week in June, especially from an international perspective,” Dylan Jones, head of the London Collections’ Committee, explains. “We have had even more enthusiasm and support for the second season, and we are looking forward to January being bigger and better than last time.” Over the next five pages we catch up with some of the top designers showing their collections in January. ‰‰

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Patrick Grant E TAUTZ MANY BRANDS are jumping on the bandwagon of the traditional English gentleman aesthetic, but it’s something E Tautz has long mastered. Founded in 1867 by Edward Tautz, the bespoke tailoring house is the goto brand for the royal family and international movers and shakers, taken by its clean lines, quality craftsmanship and tradition of sporting and military references. Aware of the need to keep up with the times, Edinburgh-born designer Patrick Grant took over the reins in 2009 as a part of a big re-branding effort. Rather than completely doing away with the past, Grant has managed to stay loyal to the label’s heritage while also helping it appeal to a new audience.

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FASHION

Lou Dalton LOU DALTON is a name you need to know. The Shropshireborn designer is making real waves in London and beyond and is heralded as one of the most promising designers on the menswear show schedule. With ten seasons under her belt designing for her eponymous line, she’s quickly developed a reputation for presenting a rebellious, fresh take on classic English tailoring. Her collections tap into the conceptually innovative quality the capital is known for, while also creating pieces that men actually want to wear. So what’s next? “We’re doing a t-shirt range exclusively for Harvey Nichols. I like their work ethic so I really wanted to do something special with them.”

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Christopher Raeburn DESPITE THE efforts of brands like Stella McCartney and EDUN, the term “ethical fashion” continues to put people off. Emerging designers like Christopher Raeburn, though, are helping to change that attitude. One of the most innovative designers on the fashion circuit, Raeburn launched his eponymous line in 2008, inspired by the challenge of creating an ethically sound business that also produces conceptually forwardthinking designs. His approach has paid off – his debut collection was quickly snapped up by Browns and, in the last season alone, his business has grown by 40 per cent, securing stockists in Russia, Singapore and the Philippines.

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FASHION

Richard James ALONG WITH Ozwald Boateng and Timothy Everest, Richard James helped initiate the “new bespoke movement” in the early 1990s adding a new lease of life to Savile Row. The brand quickly rose to prominence, producing bold colours and fresh tailoring that provided a fresh spin on the classics. His first customers included US Vogue’s Hamish Bowles and David Linley. Both were wooed by the flattering silhouettes of his suits and his eye for interesting fabrics. Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney soon followed. Twenty years on, the brand has been the recipient of a string of awards, including the designer of the year gong from GQ and the menswear designer of the year award at the British Fashion Awards. Revered fashion writer Colin McDowell described him as “the best colourist working in menswear in London.”

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FASHION

Marc Hare Mr Hare “EVERY SHOE I make is inspired by a gap in my wardrobe,” says designer Marc Hare, and so far it’s proved a winning formula. Since founding Mr Hare in 2008, his shoes have become the ultimate purchase for footwear aficionados, as likely to be seen on the feet of City gents as they are on the red carpet. This has been a particularly big year for the brand, with the launch of a flagship store on Stafford Street, Mayfair, along with the launch of an online shop. Next year is set to be even busier, with Hare set to launch his first English-made shoe (he usually manufactures in Florence), created in partnership with Alfred Sargent, and a women’s line is planned for early in the new year.

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LondonCalling

Spring 2013 Nature is one of Sarah Burton’s key motifs at Alexander McQueen. For spring, she tapped into it by updating black tuxedo jackets with dragonfly prints.

Winter 2012 Its menswear collections have become increasingly focused on craftsmanship in recognition of the brand’s founder’s Savile Row roots. This check suit from the winter 2012 collection, pays homage to that.

Winter 2012 Military references are at the heart of the brand so you would be hard pressed to find a collection that doesn’t tap into it. In this collection, the theme was apparent on a series of oversized coats that had all the drama you would expect from a McQueen show.

TOM FORD is coming to town. In an industry dominated by blockbuster names, few can match Ford for sheer A-list glamour. The fact he has decided to stage his autumn/winter 2013 collection at London Collections: Men in January is testament to its pulling power. “London has a vibrancy that is inspiring and much of what I create for men takes its inspiration from traditional British menswear,” he says. January will also see the designer open the doors to the label’s first stand alone store in the UK; an 8,000 sq ft space on London’s Sloane Street, dedicated to the tailoring that has gone down so well with the likes of Brad Pitt and Stanley Tucci, along with his fragrances, eye wear and womenswear line. And Ford isn’t the only one getting in on the action. Alexander McQueen has followed suit, opting to show its menswear collection in London after eight years in Milan. It makes sense: in October the much-loved label, now headed by Sarah Burton, returned to its roots, opening its first menswear store on Savile Row, where founder Lee McQueen trained before establishing the label in 1992. “It’s great to be showing our menswear mainline as part of London Collections, especially with London being the home of Alexander McQueen and with our first dedicated menswear store opening on Savile Row,” the label’s chief executive Jonathan Akeroyd said. Far from being just about fancy clothes, then, the labels’ decision to show in London has a wider impact on the British fashion industry. London’s womenswear fashion week has already cemented itself as a notto-be-missed fixture on the calendar and now, finally, menswear has too. b

Spring 2013 Tom Ford is the king of the suit and the quality of this piece from his latest collection shows why. He recently replaced Brioni as the official tailor for the James Bond films.

Winter 2012 Since his days at Gucci, Ford has earned a reputation for never playing it safe, so expect classic tuxedos with a modern twist, like this bright blue style he showed for winter.

Spring 2012 Suiting isn’t his only strength. Ford’s separates are equally strong and often come in luxurious fabrics like suede and cashmere, which go down a treat with his army of fans. December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 25

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The transformation of

Jessica

Ennis

I

From golden girl to style queen: The nation’s sweetheart tells Naomi Mdudu about her dream of starting her own fashion label

ADORE Victoria Beckham and Alexander McQueen...” “I’d love to start my own fashion label...” “I’ve been to two award ceremonies in the last two nights...” You would be forgiven for thinking these were the words of a Hollywood starlet or seasoned pop star. But this is Jessica Ennis – the poster girl for the 2012 Olympics and contender for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, who, in the mind of the nation, wears lycra as a second skin. The last time I saw her, I was transfixed. So were the 80,000 other fans packed inside the Olympic Stadium as she took to the track for the 800m. Catching up with her last month was a completely different affair. “Meet Jess,” said her publicist, twice, noticing I hadn’t realised she had arrived.

With her famous six-pack covered, she somehow blends into the background. You wouldn’t believe she’s the same woman who dominated the heptathlon – that most punishing of Olympic events – less than three months ago. In the flesh she is slight – almost willowy – with a petite 5ft 5 frame (“I was always pretty skinny”, she says, “doing athletics has given me some shape”). It wouldn’t be harsh to say that she was no style icon three years ago, or even six months ago for that matter, but that’s quickly changed. Almost overnight she has become a focal point for the post-Olympics revival of Cool Britannia, as likely to be spotted in Stella McCartney as the new Adidas collection (which she is modelling the day I catch up with her). The change must be startling: one moment she’s a promising heptathlete, relatively unknown outside a ‰‰

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 27

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The transformation of

Jessica

Ennis

I

From golden girl to style queen: The nation’s sweetheart tells Naomi Mdudu about her dream of starting her own fashion label

ADORE Victoria Beckham and Alexander McQueen...” “I’d love to start my own fashion label...” “I’ve been to two award ceremonies in the last two nights...” You would be forgiven for thinking these were the words of a Hollywood starlet or seasoned pop star. But this is Jessica Ennis – the poster girl for the 2012 Olympics and contender for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, who, in the mind of the nation, wears lycra as a second skin. The last time I saw her, I was transfixed. So were the 80,000 other fans packed inside the Olympic Stadium as she took to the track for the 800m. Catching up with her last month was a completely different affair. “Meet Jess,” said her publicist, twice, noticing I hadn’t realised she had arrived.

With her famous six-pack covered, she somehow blends into the background. You wouldn’t believe she’s the same woman who dominated the heptathlon – that most punishing of Olympic events – less than three months ago. In the flesh she is slight – almost willowy – with a petite 5ft 5 frame (“I was always pretty skinny”, she says, “doing athletics has given me some shape”). It wouldn’t be harsh to say that she was no style icon three years ago, or even six months ago for that matter, but that’s quickly changed. Almost overnight she has become a focal point for the post-Olympics revival of Cool Britannia, as likely to be spotted in Stella McCartney as the new Adidas collection (which she is modelling the day I catch up with her). The change must be startling: one moment she’s a promising heptathlete, relatively unknown outside a ‰‰

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 27

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INTERVIEW

Clockwise from far left: Ennis, wearing Stella McCartney, singing autographs outside the Harper’s Bazaar Women Of The Year Awards l Posing in an Alexander McQueen dress l Modelling the new Adidas collection, for which she is the face l On the front row at the Mulberry show at London Fashion Week

group of loyal fans committed to the sport, the next, she’s an unexpected fashion darling. So how is she enjoying the transition from tracksuits – and looking very good in them, mind you – to being dressed by some of the most sought after labels in the world? “It’s a brilliant position to be in,” she says. “It’s nice to have the option to pick and choose – it’s less stressful when you’re deciding what to wear.” Her reinvention as a poster-girl has also given her design ambitions of her own and she confides that a collection is definitely on the horizon. “I would love to go down that road,” she says, “whether it’s collaborating with [a big sportswear brand] or doing the more fashiony side of things.” One can safely assume, then, that the responsibility of designing her wedding dress (for her upcoming marriage to childhood sweetheart Andy Hill) will be bestowed upon one of the big British names. But don’t expect to hear about it in advance: she’s fiercely private (in contrast to fellow Olympians like Mo Farah or Victoria Pendleton, who have very publicly discussed the intricacies of their private lives). During the Olympics, until she arrived on the track for the first leg of the competition, she was nowhere to be seen. While the rest of TeamGB were continually snapped leaving the Olympic park, Ennis would often take the back door, hoody up. Even now, aside from the odd mention of “my fiancée,” she keeps everything firmly work related. Whenever she thinks she might be

28 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

giving too much away, she quickly returns to talk about training or the Games. It wasn’t always so. Born in Sheffield to a social worker mother and self-employed decorator father, Ennis came from humble beginnings. It’s only since fronting the Adidas campaign in the run-up to the Olympics that she was really propelled into the public consciousness. Her anonymity has been replaced with a furore of media attention into every detail of her life, from how much she’s being paid for her latest endorsements, to the smallest details of her upcoming nuptials. I ask her how she’s coping with all of the attention and she responds with her default smile, developed, no doubt, in response to the number of times she’s been asked about it since the big win. “It’s really weird. It was such a big build up to the Olympics and the pressure kind of piled on me but I literally wouldn’t have changed anything. The whole build up was brilliant but when you actually achieve it, your goal, your dream, it’s a strange feeling.” The attention, of course, has its advantages. “It’s really busy now. Busier than I’d ever imagined – I’m having to say no to quite a lot of companies who want to work with me. It’s a brilliant position to be in.” In the run up to the Games she is said to have earned £1m through endorsement deals with Adidas and Olay alone. She has since signed lucrative contracts with Aviva, Jaguar, Powerade and British Airways. It’s not hard to understand why the deals are raining in and

designers are falling over themselves to dress her. Ennis is the ultimate girl nextdoor. She has a quiet, natural beauty that lingers with you rather than knocking you off your feet. Her day-to-day style is simple – “I’m a skinny jeans girl” – and even dressed to the nines on the red carpet, she looks like the kind of girl you would take home to your mother. That’s no bad thing: it’s this lack of pretension in the way she dresses and carries herself that has brands transfixed. But don’t be fooled. Behind the sweet smile is a woman who knows where she’s going. When she first came onto the scene in 2005, winning gold in the European Athletics Junior Championships, many doubted she had what it takes to be a top class heptathlete. In 2.08.65 seconds (the time it took her to complete the 800m, claiming Britain’s first track and field gold of the Games), any trace of doubt evaporated. As the face of TeamGB’s Olympics effort for the past three years, she had both her own and the nation’s hopes and dreams in her hands – not an easy burden for a seasoned pro, let alone a 26-year-old. “It’s been a relief being able to relax and not worry that if I don’t do this or I don’t train now, I’ll let myself down, let the whole country down.” With the amount of work coming her way, plus the prospects of further gold on the horizon, don’t expect Jessica Ennis, national treasure, unlikely fashion queen, to take her foot off the pedal for long. b

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the Holy f o d e m a e r d s y a Humanity has alw andful of h a w o N . th u o y l a G rail of etern could achieve it within our e the men who scientists think win to s k a e sp n e e n lifetime. Steve Dwe can defeat ageing. think

C

LEOPATRA TRIED bathing in milk. Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed, the first documented female serial killer, born in 1560, thought drinking the blood of virgins might do the trick. Others have scoured the world for the Holy Grail, or tried to broker pacts with the devil. Since our species became self aware, it has dreamed of cheating death and ensnaring eternal youth. Popular culture is filled with mysterious, alluring characters who never age, from the ubiquitous vampire myth to Dorian Gray, with his perfect, youthful looks (and his dirty secret in the attic). The beauty industry in the UK is worth £15bn, selling increasingly complicated potions that promise to postpone – or at least mask – the onset of the inevitable. Youth, more than gold or diamonds, is the ultimate luxury. While the average lifespan in the west has rocketed in the last century — largely a result of almost eliminating infant mortality and deaths in childbirth — the upper limit hasn’t progressed far ‰‰

30 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

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from the three score years and ten written about in the Old Testament. Even worse, while more of us are living longer, we are no less likely to age. Eternal youth remains as elusive as ever. But all is not lost. Monumental leaps in biology and computer science have led some scientists to believe the problem may not be insurmountable. Research is already underway to slow, or even completely eradicate, the ageing process – and it could happen within our lifetimes. There is a growing consensus that the point at which computers will overtake humans in terms of intelligence will happen in around 25 years, allowing us to answer a host of practical and philosophical questions that have been asked for millennia, including, crucially, whether consciousness is somehow unique to biological creatures or simply an element of intellect. If it is the latter, there is no reason why we couldn’t, in theory, dispense with our physical bodies altogether, creating new designer ones, or entire designer worlds, filled with the kind of opulence we can only dream of – at least for those who can afford it. This, of course, raises all kinds of impossibly complicated questions. Is the world big enough to support a population of human beings who never age? What affect would it have on our minds? And, perhaps most importantly, is this a Pandora’s box we really want to open? For some scientists, the answer is yes. Here is how they think it might work.

DR AUBREY DE GREY

Founder, SENS Foundation Route to eternal youth: Medicine

“IT IS highly likely that the first person who will escape ageing indefinitely has already been born,” says 50-year-old Aubrey de Grey. “The question is, will people who are 40 or 50 now make the cut?” It’s a bold claim: de Grey believes there is a 50-50 chance of starting to turn the tide of biological degeneration that leads our bodies to age – and he thinks we might be able to do it within just 25 years. If you’re under 50 and relatively healthy, those aren’t bad odds. “I can’t stress enough that when I say ‘defeating ageing’, I don’t mean living longer with a biologically old body,” he says. “Once we can fix the inside, fixing the outside will be trivial – staying young is the easy bit.” If this is true, why is the scientific community not shouting from the rooftops about what would be, perhaps, the greatest breakthrough in human history? “It is largely a symptom of how people perceive ageing,” says de Grey. “Since the dawn of civilization people have known it is this terrible, ghastly thing that’s going to happen to them in the relatively distant ‰‰

Above: A scan of a healthy human brain. Many scientists believe it could be only 25 years until it is no longer the most advanced computing system on the planet l Left: Scientist Aubrey de Grey, who is working on a way of rejuvenating the human body to “fix” ageing l Below: A laser etching of the human brain

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Left: A robot powered by a culture of rat brain cells, which is even able to learn from its mistakes l Above: Professor Kevin Warwick of the University of Reading, who works in the field of cybernetics l Below: A human and robot hand touch each other in the void in a scene reminiscent of God reaching out to touch Adam in the Sistine Chapel

future. And they find ways of putting it out of their minds. They come up with all these crazy, irrational ways of doing that, like thinking of ageing as something that is different to disease – that disease is something bad that we need to cure but ageing is natural and normal. This has no biological basis in fact. The diseases of old age are just that – diseases, which are brought on by this slow deterioration we call ageing.” To combat this deterioration, de Grey has devised seven broad categories of things that contribute to the ageing process that he says we need to “fix” – things like replacing cells that are dead and getting rid of extra cells that shouldn’t be there, which can cause cancers and other problems. “It is about trying to combat the accumulation of damage in the body that eventually leads to ageing by intermittently repairing it, rather than by trying to tweak the body so it doesn’t create the damage in the first place. The body is too complicated to try to prevent the damage – you’d do more harm than good. This is what led a lot of people to get downhearted with the biology of ageing. “If the body were a car, we wouldn’t be trying to stop the process of rusting – we’d just be cleaning it off every year so the doors don’t fall off. The problem is, we need to fix all seven categories – if we just get five or six, the other one or two will still kill us.” In

32 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

other words, to continue the car analogy, there isn’t much point repairing everything except the brakes. “If things go well, 25 years from now we might be able to keep someone biologically 40 when they are 90 years old. The things the therapies aren’t working on will, initially, stop us from keeping them in the very prime of youth – but you will have that extra 50 years: we will have reached ‘longevity escape velocity’, where the science is progressing quicker than you can age.” In the medium term, de Grey aims to prove his theory on mice, by rejuvenating a middleaged mouse and doubling its normal lifespan (“I think we’re about eight to ten years away from that”). He gives short shrift to the argument that, even if it could work, defeating ageing would lead to a catastrophic explosion in the population. “The carrying capacity of the planet is not fixed – it changes depending on technology. At least if we develop these therapies, humanity will have the choice in the future. No choice is clearly worse.” And will it only be open to the super-rich – the ultimate luxury product? “I don’t think so. The average person has more spent on them in the last year of their life than in the whole of their life in the years before. Therapies with the ability to prevent this will very quickly pay for themselves. Children will be more productive because they won’t have to look

after their parents. The elderly will be more productive as they will be contributing to the economy rather than consuming wealth. Once these therapies exist, it will be economically suicidal for any country to not implement them.” The Sens Foundation is a UK-registered charity. For more information log on to www.sens.org

KEVIN WARWICK

Professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading Route to eternal youth: Cybernetics KEVIN Warwick is a robotics expert who specialises in the fusion of technology and biology. He is one of the first people to successfully transplant living brain cells into a functioning – and completely autonomous – robotic “body”. The cluster of around 100,000 rat brain cells were grown in an incubator dish and mounted in the small motorised housing. The biological “brain” receives information from sensors on the robot and uses them to navigate its environment, avoiding walls and even learning from its mistakes. But can it think? Is it self aware? “I don’t know,” says Warwick. “I have no way of asking it. All we know is that it is a robot with a biological processor. And if we can do it with a little robot, it is hard to imagine that we won’t eventually be able to do it with a whole human brain.” This is where cybernetics comes ‰‰

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FASHION BRANDS WILL BENEFIT HUGELY FROM TRANSHUMANISM. THEY WOULDN’T JUST MAKE YOUR CLOTHES – THEY WOULD MAKE EVERYTHING

in, allowing us to build robotic bodies which could, one day, house our brains. And, just like we can keep machines functioning for hundreds of years with the right care and occasional replacing of parts, this could give us our first step towards immortality. “I don’t think there is an end date for how long we can keep a brain healthy. We will soon find out if brain cells can be replaced – maybe with stem cells – and if so it could, in theory, go on living forever. The question is: do we remain human or do we become cyborgs? We could give people extra senses or allow them to talk to one another just by thinking. We could even upgrade our intelligence, just like upgrading the processing power of a computer.” Constructing a body complex enough to understand the cacophony of impulses generated by a human brain – whose 100bn cells dwarf the 100,000 in Warwick’s robot – is no mean feat. And when it does arrive, it isn’t going to be cheap. “Today’s generation of brain implants cost around $500 to manufacture. But if I then want to put that into my body I’d be looking at costs of $1m – to get a team able to program it to my particular brain and another to insert it. It isn’t a cheap process and you don’t really want to cut corners where your brain is involved.” While you won’t be able to pick up a Louis Vuitton-branded robotic body for at least a few decades, cybernetics is already being used to improve the quality of people’s lives, with brain implants that emit electronic signals being used by neurosurgeons to help mitigate the effects of diseases like Parkinson’s. Warwick says that, over the next 25 years, a host of neurological problems will be solved by technology. Becoming a cyborg may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.

ANDERS SANDBERG

James Martin research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University Route to eternal youth: Digitisation ANDERS SANDBERG is an advocate of perhaps the most radical method of living forever – dispensing with a physical body altogether. As a transhumanist, he believes there will almost certainly come a point when we are able to fully digitise the information stored on the human brain. “You want to take a brain and get the information out,” he says. “To do this you would have to scan it. Scanning a whole, intact brain, however, is unlikely to work – the brain

is enormously complex and all the little details are incredibly important. Much more likely is scanning slices of a brain, removed from all the blood sloshing around it. This will obviously destroy it – so the brain goes in and data comes out. The initial phase of this kind of surgery will probably look a bit like Victorian steam-punk – very rudimentary. “Then you need to put that information in a suitable environment. This is very important – without the right space to properly function, the information is useless.” he says. “Think of the environment as the great, great, great grandson of Second Life [the online game where you create an avatar of yourself and interact with other people]. It would have to be sensory rich to keep the brain active. Then there would be the problems of recreating the other sensations that make us human, like feeling butterflies in our stomachs – without these you would lose emotional depth.” If this were possible, it would immediately remove the problem of ageing – a digital file could, if looked after properly, last forever. Whether the copy could be classed as the same person, though, or even a person at all, is

another question altogether – and it might be one we have to start thinking seriously about. “We are already working with mice brains, which hold around two terabytes of data. We think we can turn that into something we could run in a simulated environment if we work a few cells at a time. It won’t happen over the next one or two decades. But after that… “Then we have to work out how much computing power is required to run a human brain. It will probably be around 2040 when computers are up to it. Once you are at this stage, you open up all kinds of possibilities: you could emulate brains, meaning you would have back-up copies, vastly reducing the chance of you every really dying. “There is certainly the economic will for this. Fashion brands, for example, would stand to benefit hugely – they could control not only your clothes but your entire image; face, height, everything.”

***

So, should we be cracking out the champagne and planning how to spend the rest of our eternal lives? Not quite. Other scientists are less than convinced by both the practicalities and ethics of prolonging human life. Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience at the University of Oxford, points out that, among a plethora of other issues, death is a vital ingredient of evolution: if nobody dies, we stop breeding out weakness. Thankfully, he says, it almost certainly won’t work, even if we wanted it to. This, of course, won’t stop people like de Grey from doing his damndest to make it happen. I can’t help hoping he succeeds. b

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FASHION

PEOPLES’ PERSON LARRY LEIGHT, BOSS OF ICONIC SPECTACLE MAKER OLIVER PEOPLES, TELLS US WHY HE HAS NO NEED FOR BRANDING

O

N MEETING Oliver Peoples chief executive Larry Leight at his suite at Claridges (his home on this side of the pond), there was one big question on my mind: was I wearing the right shades? Since founding the company with his brother, fellow optician Dennis, the brand has developed the type of cult following that most companies can only dream of. Everyone from Brad Pitt to Jay-Z wear its creations, and yet they don’t feel overexposed – a growing problem in today’s digital age. This is, in part, due to the fact that none of the frames have logos. “The right person for us is someone who doesn’t need to make a statement with their clothing or accessories to let people know they’re somebody,” says Leight. “They are already ‘somebody’ and they are content with that.” The collections cater for people who believe anonymity is the ultimate sign of exclusivity, as opposed to those who think their position on the social strata is determined by the logo they brandish. “Because there’s no logo, nobody knows it’s Oliver Peoples, so we need to rely on something else. It’s all about craftsmanship – creating something people will want for a long time.” The story of the brand’s birth is an interesting one. Leight came across – and promptly bought – a job lot of mint condition, vintage American-made eyewear. Nestled among the glasses was a receipt with the name “Oliver Peoples”, who Leight assumed was the original distributor. He decided to keep the name in his honour and the frames went on to form the basis of the brand’s debut collection. Vintage has been a key part of the company’s ethos ever since. Now, twenty-five years on, tapping into old styles means reflecting on its own history. And, with its quarter-century anniversary in January, the timing is perfect for a retrospective to mark the occasion; a limited edition collection celebrating iconic Oliver Peoples styles over the years. Who needs logos when you have all of that? And, for the record, my shades got the thumbs up. b

By Naomi Mdudu 36 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

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We ask top fashion taste-makers what they would like to find under the tree on Christmas morning.

“Cire Trudon has made candles since 1643 and has supplied French royalty and Napoleon Bonaparte throughout its storied history. This candle’s fragrance is evocative of winter with cinnamon and clove and is the sort of gift that I would as happily receive, as I would give.”

CIRE TRUDON Nazareth cinnamon and clove scented candle, £60 mrporter.com NN.07 Sea wool roll neck sweater £190 mrporter.com “NN.07 are a Copenhagen-based label producing some lovely contemporary menswear. This rollneck sweater is made from carefully selected highland wool and is the sort of garment that becomes an off-duty staple in the months November through March.”

SANTIAGO GONZALEZ Crocodile cufflink set and box, £185 mrporter.com

“Santiago Gonzalez is an incredible craftsman and produces some of the finest leather goods in the world. This set comes with four pairs of leather crafted cufflinks, which are unusual and will certainly be a talking point in the office.”

O’KEEFE Manash polished-suede brogues, £395 mrporter.com

JEREMY Langmead The former editor of Wallpaper* and Esquire magazine knows a thing or two about great menswear. In 2010 he was called upon by Net-A-Porter boss Natalie Massenet to take the editorial reins at Mr Porter and has since turned it into the number one digital destination for men.

“O’Keefe shoes are made in limited batches in Italy, which is a great starting point for any shoe. I love that these are washed and oiled to produce a vintage finish, meaning they already have a worn feel to them even when brand new.”

ACNE Wool-tweed jacket, £450 mrporter.com “I really like this jacket as it provides a fresh way to wear tweed. It’s quite short, which gives a modern silhouette and will work well with either jeans or chinos. It’s sure to become a weekend wardrobe essential.”

Interviews by Naomi Mdudu December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 39

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FASHION

Daks what I really want... The Daks creative director will be happy finding anything from Barbara Casasola on Christmas day

LEICA MP-9 Camera, £5,395 leica.com “I’ve had my eye on this camera for a while. The craftsmanship is unbelieveable.”

FHH ACCESSORIES Pencil charm necklace, £110 fhhaccessories.com

“The necklace is designed by an upcoming jewellery designer and it first caught my eye when I spotted it on a friend. The designs are really quirky and distinctive.”

DAKS Moon bag, £495 daks.com

“Our half moon bag in tan is perfect because it works just as well in the day time as it does for socialising in the evening.”

SHEILA McKain-Waid The American-born designer worked at Donna Karan, Halsto and Oscar de la Renta before taking the reigns at the British n heritage label in 2010. Since joining, she’s been praise d for adding a contemporary twist to the label’s traditional aesthe tic.

BARBARA CASASOLA Silk crepe dress, £1,014 avenue32.com “I’m a huge fan of Brazilian-born designer Barbara Casasola. Her pieces are timeless classics and will stand you in good stead whatever the season.”

40 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

“My next pair of sunglasses will definitely be these from Cutler & Gross. Hopefully I’ll get a Christmas holiday in the sun to go with them.”

CUTLER & GROSS 0734 Grey Horn, £310 cutlerandgross.com

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FASHION

Mulberry, Magic...

MULBERRY Goat fur bomber, £2,500 mulberry.com

Emma Hill lives and breathes the brand so it should come as no surprise that her designs top her wish list

“This bomber in black goat fur is such an amazing texture to work with and it will definitely serve you well in the winter months.”

MULBERRY Croc print Del Rey, £1,750 mulberry.com “This catwalk Del Rey bag is to die for. The sparkle croc-print Del Rey is extremely Christmassy – a great gift to give, or receive.”

MULBERRY Bayswater bracelet, £125 mulberry.com “I love the Mulberry Bayswater bracelet. It’s the perfect stocking filler.” MULBERRY Maisie bag, £1,250 mulberry.com “I’m particularly excited about the newest addition Maisie. The collection has a heat-moulded front panel that looks like iconic Mulberry detailing but with no hardware, just a shadow of what should be there.”

EMMA Hill Since joining Mulberry in 2007, after designing handbags for the likes of Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein, Emma has turned the label into a £1bn business, designing some of the most sought-after styles around.

MULBERRY Black lace and leather dress, £2,000 mulberry.com “This is such a stand out piece for me and definitely makes a statement. I’ll be wearing this dress a lot.”

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 41

Toshiba recommends Windows 8.

toshiba.co.uk/touchiba

TOUCHIBA.

Introducing the Toshiba P845t with 14” touchscreen. The Toshiba P845t has everything you’d expect from a full-spec laptop with Windows 8, third-generation Intel core processors and incredible harman/kardon® speakers. But it also has something new: an intuitive 14” touchscreen. So you can start enjoying your new machine with the lightest touch. Or tap. Or swipe.

Available at

Toshiba is a trademark of the Toshiba Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, Windows 8 and the Windows logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Harman Kardon is a trademark of Harman International Industries Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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FASHION

A very classy Christmas The Selfridges menswear buyer is a sucker for woody fragrances and plans to cater for his inner gentleman

STARBUCKS Coffee machine, £379 Selfridges “This is the must have for coffee aficionados. It’s Starbucks’ first-ever at-home coffee machine. I’ll be very happy if I find this under the tree this year.”

CHARVET Knitted tie, £120 Available exclusively at Selfridges

SIMON CARTER Christmas crackers, £150 Available exclusively at Selfridges

“We asked brands to create exclusive crackers for us this year and these from Simon Carter have a pair of cufflinks in each.”

“Skinny tie styles are a top-tip for office wear this season. Charvet have created some beautifully knitted styles exclusively for Selfridges.”

YVES SAINT LAURENT M7 Oud Absolu crystal edition fragrance, £275 Available exclusively at Selfridges

ADAM Kelly you’re a fan of Selfridges’ While the name might not ring a bell, if d with his work. As the ainte menswear, you are definitely well acqu le for bringing the best in senior menswear buyer, Kelly is responsib floors. shop s’ menswear to the department store

“Yves Saint Laurent fragrance bottles are always good but this bottle for the crystal edition of its M7 Oud Absolu fragrance really has the wow factor. As a big fan of woody fragrances, this is definitely on my list.”

TAYLOR OF OLD BOND STREET Grooming set, £229, Available exclusively at Selfridges “This is a classic Christmas gift and nods to a time when every man could be an unashamed gentleman.”

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 43

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FASHION

ANYA HINDMARCH Marano Dancer clutch, £495 my-wardrobe.com “The Marano Dancer is the ultimate investment clutch with an element of fun. Anya’s classic gold clutch has been embellished with tiny LED lights, which flash in the dark.”

This will fill up My Wardrobe for winter... The founder of the successful online retailer plans to add to her collection of Anya Hindmarch bags

SMYTHSON Croc notebook, £195 my-wardrobe.com

“I always love an oversized printed scarf as it can transform the simplest of leather jackets or winter coats. This Weston scarf has such a striking unusual print and I know I will keep it for seasons to come.”

“A Smythson notebook is such a decadent gift. This season’s purple croc collection is exquisite – a truly luxurious gift for anyone who likes to make an impression at work.”

WESTON Silk scarf, £165 my-wardrobe.com

SARAH C urran As the head of the leading contemporary onlin e retailer, Sarah Curran has some of the best designers at her fingertips. Pieces from Weston and Anya Hindmarch top her list.

HANKY PANKY Lace thongs, £90 (5 pack) my-wardrobe.com

“A friend introduced me to Hanky Panky lingerie and now I have joined the long line of devotees. We created this gift set of coloured lace thongs exclusively for mywardrobe.com shoppers and it’s right at the top of my Christmas wish list.”

44 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

“What girl doesn’t like beautiful jewellery? Astley Clarke’s collection is just that. They’re always stunning and its delicate friendship bracelets are a timeless gift.”

ASTLEY CLARKE Friendship bracelet, £195 my-wardrobe.com

Children’s Festive Activities Every weekend from Saturday 1 to Sunday 23 December plus Monday 24 December 11am - 5pm FREE Art & Craft Workshops FREE Festive Face Painting FREE Magical Treasure Trail Visit Santa’s Grotto* plus Monday 17 to Monday 24 December 11am - 5pm Visit Santa’s Grotto* *Visits to Santa’s Grotto cost £2. See below for supported charity.

CANARY WHARF

BARS & RESTAURANTS ‡ FASHION & STYLE ‡ ARTS & EVENTS canarywharf.com

3 HOURS

FREE PARKING

AT WEEKENDS AND BANK HOLIDAYS WHEN YOU SPEND £10 AT CANARY WHARF TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY.

Santa’s Grotto proceeds will be donated to Variety, The Children’s Charity.

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FASHION

THE REAL

GANGNAMSTYLE

But there is more to South Korean fashion than Psy’s trademark fluorescent suits: it is a hotbed of design talent that is increasingly coming to the attention of the wider fashion world; from quirky geek-chic to rugged outdoors wear. Here are three of the hottest designers to look out for. Steve Dinneen

BAN KI-MOON, secretary general of the United Nations, recently quipped that he’s no longer the most famous South Korean. That title, of course, goes to Psy, the pop star who shot to global fame with Gangnam Style, a satirical look at the pretensions of Seoul’s wealthy Gangnam district.

Khaki brogues, £170, gibmall.com Quirky enough to stand out but slick enough to wear dayto-day, these shoes are a great find.

CHOI BUMSUK The designer behind the General Idea label specialises in outdoor wear, with a line of razorsharp quilted shirts to keep you cosy this winter.

Padded Shirt, £97, gibmall.com Thick, padded shirt with leather detailing that will make you stand out from the crowd.

Winter coat, £225, gibmall.com Impeccably-crafted, military-inspired winter jacket. A wardrobe staple.

Cable-knit sweater, £295, MrPorter.com A wool jumper of the highest quality. Essential.

Harris tweed and leather boots, £565, MrPorter.com Pea coat, £710, MrPorter.com Woven with a touch of cashmere, this is a sophisticated cover-up for brisk days.

Hard-wearing lace-up boots, hand-crafted in England by Alfred Sargent.

Check trousers, £200, steveyoniworld.com Equally at home on the golf course or in a bar in Shoreditch.

STEVE J AND YONI P

Seoul's favourite fashion couple are purveyors of all things geek-chic. Their offkilter designs will ensure you stand out from the crowd.

WOOYOUNGMI

One of the hottest menswear designers in Korea, Wooyoungmi takes her inspiration from architecture and has scooped several awards for her work.

Navy cardigan, £200, steveyoniworld.com Real men wear cardigans. Get in touch with your inner grandpa in this stylish take on the classic look.

Quilted leather jacket, £630, steveyoniworld.com For all your leather jacket needs.

46 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

BOW LANE LONDON OFF CHEAPSIDE, NEAR BANK TUBE STATION RUNNING FITNESS FOOTBALL RUGBY OUTDOOR GOLF GOLF CLOTHING HOCKEY RACKET SPORTS

020 3640 9334

JDPRO1@ JDPLC.COM

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.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... JEWELLERY ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Bespoke jewellery allows you to oversee the design process, from initial sketches to finished product

MADE toMEASURE OR SOME, owning fine jewellery isn’t enough: they want to design it, too. After all, who wouldn’t want their most treasured items to be different from everyone else’s? For those discerning – read: wealthy – buyers, there are a host of companies willing to help you create that special piece. While many brands are only just catching on to the idea, it’s a service Astley Clarke has long provided. Its bespoke service starts off with a special consultation in the decadent surroundings of the company’s salon. This is where you share ideas, inspiration and references with the brand’s creative director Lorna Watson, jewellery designer Angela Mehew and head of bespoke orders Anna Louise Plumb. With more than 20 years in the jewellery industry working at brands including De Beers, Dior and Burberry, Watson knows a thing or two about jewellery. So you can rely on her to keep you on the straight and narrow if you start getting carried away. On the second meeting, you will be presented with a selection of gemstones before the final design is sketched.

48 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

When the piece is finished it will be gift-wrapped and presented, alongside the sketches to document the process. And the bespoke experience doesn’t have to end there. Gone are the days when newly engaged couples had to opt for a traditional cut diamond for that all-important ring. Now it’s all about having a style that is literally a cut above the rest: high flyers are increasingly forking out for trademarked cuts – a uniquely-shaped diamond that nobody else is allowed to copy – to make sure their partners are sporting a piece that is truly one of a kind. Naomi Mdudu b

eveningwear to make you stand out from the crowd

Dress, £3,990, Viktor & Rolf available at Ricci Burns December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 49

50 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

Dress, £14,340, Valentino, valentino.com Shoes, £890, Valentino, valentino.com Bag, £1,890, Zagliani, 020 7235 4124 Necklace, £769, Jean Paul Gaultier at SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED, swarovski-crystallized.com

Necklace, £95,000 Bentley & Skinner, bentley-skinner.co.uk Dress, £1,517, Oscar de la Renta, theoutnet.com

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 51

Dress, £3,950, Tom Ford, available at Harrods Shoes, £650, Tom Ford, available at Harrods Bracelet, price on request, Lucie Campbell, luciecampbell.com Ring, £4,750, Bentley & Skinner, bentley-skinner.co.uk

52 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

Fashion editor: Naomi Mdudu Photographer: Jonathan Daniel Pryce, jonathandanielpryce.com Model: Beth Leader at Elite London Hair: Lucie Oliver at dollygoesdancing.co.uk using Fudge Make-up: Laura Pye, Givenchy London, using Givenchy Lively Lips Collection. Stockist: Harrods 0207 730 1234 Photographer’s assistant: Dominic Alari All photographs taken at The Ritz Club

Necklace, price on request, Harry Winston, 0207 907 8800 Ring, £4,750, Bentley & Skinner, bentley-skinner.co.uk Bracelet, price on request, Lucie Campbell, luciecampbell.com Dress, £2,205, Marchesa, theoutnet.com December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 53

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WATCHES

WATCH WHAT YOU INCE WE’RE heading into the party season, here’s a list of the things that will sabotage a gent’s black tie ensemble. One: hiring your tux. No excuse. If you’re prepared to attend the smartest events of the year in a suit generously designed to fit Quasimodo, then get thee to a middle management conference and stop reading, because there’s no hope for you. Two: wing collars. They were a bad idea in 1988, they’re a much worse idea now, and about as suave as Michael Eavis’s beard. Three: look, just learn to tie it. Same as a shoelace, but round your neck – hardly rocket science. And number four is your watch. Ahead of shoes, and ahead even of abjuring zany “party” cufflinks. There’s little point in getting numbers 1-3 right before sticking out your hand to reveal a chunky, rubberstrapped digital disaster or rugged sports watch that you think projects “man of action” but really says Action Man (the toy). Black tie is about understatement and refinement. The traditional idea is that the chap should act as an elegant background for his lady to shine against. Even if you’re just with colleagues rather than your beloved, that’s still a good rule of thumb, and particularly when it comes to watch choice. The classic “dress watch” for formal occasions is Patek Philippe’s Calatrava – the simplest line of watches in the Patek range. Even if you’re several bonuses and a lottery win short of a Patek, the Calatrava is a blueprint for everything a dress watch should be: classical in design, simple in function and as slim as possible. Even normal Arabic numerals are considered OTT – Roman numerals or simple baton hour markers keep things paired-down and crisp. This being a special occasion watch, however, there should be an air of luxury too, which in an ideal world means a gold case. In other words, this is the classic watch. It is the heirloom, the watch to pass on to your son, the investment piece. It is your senior wristwatch. While a dress watch doesn’t have to be just for black tie occasions, a sports watch simply cannot be for black tie occasions. So if you only own one watch, it should be a dress watch. Just don’t wear it with a wing collar, I beg you. For all its ubiquity, a chronograph – a stopwatch function – is still a highly complicated mechanism in a mechanical watch. It’s why chronos are normally much thicker than time-only pieces – there’s an awful lot more to stuff into the movement. Which means that even more complicated variants on the chronograph carry prestige. The monopusher, in which a single button in the crown starts, stops and resets the stopwatch, is a classic variant which has been introduced as a limited edition by British-based company Christopher Ward. It’s a big watch, but elegant, with a huge window in the caseback to see the rather lovely hand-wound movement, put together by hand in Switzerland by Ward’s technical brainbox, Johannes Jahnke. Young Mr Jahnke is making 250 versions, at £2,450 a pop – impressive value for an unusual watch. b See christopherward.co.uk for more information.

Timothy Barber

Ralph Lauren – Slim Classique It’s not always the way with watches from fashion houses, but Ralph Lauren’s pieces reflect the designer’s tastes and ooze class. They’re also well-made, with movements from top Richemont Group brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC and Piaget. This ultra-slim piece has a stunning guilloche dial with a pattern that extends beautifully across the case of the watch itself, and was designed with black tie events in mind. £10,400 ralphlaurenwatches.com

IWC – Portofino Automatic The Portofino range by IWC is all about simplicity, balance and subtlety, and it’s that nicely rounded case that makes this piece a real winner, as well as the retro bracelet. Equally at home sitting in the sun in some luxurious Mediterranean retreat as complimenting a well-cut tuxedo, it’s an allrounder of a watch, and as debonair as Don Draper’s pocket square. £4,000 iwc.com

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WEAR WITH A TUX Zenith Heritage Ultra Thin Amazing fact: Zenith has been making watches in the same building ever since it was founded almost 150 years ago. Amazing fact two: it produces some of the best-value Swiss watches with in-house movements to be found anywhere. The steel version of this smart watch is only £3,100, and for that you get the superb mechanics of one of the most famous producers. But for real black tie style, go with the gold. £8,300 zenithwatches.com

Chopard – Classic Manufacture Perhaps better known for its jewellery, Chopard has for years produced fine watches, particularly its Classic Racing sports watches and L.U.C. Chopard haute horological pieces. This one is something new: a high-grade watch containing Chopard’s first volume in-house movement. The design is inspired by old pocket watches – classic in every way. £9,240 chopard.com

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The wild, wonderful tale of the

Bentley Boys They were young, rich and completely fearless. If you could keep up, says Ryan Borroff, you were in for one hell of a ride. They were the Bentley Boys and this is their story. 56 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

WHEN BENTLEY unleashes its Continental GT3 racer next year, it will be the first time for generations that owners will be able to join a Bentley racing team. This raises the mouthwatering prospect we could be looking at a whole new generation of Bentley Boys; flamboyant, wealthy and talented gentlemen racers of an ilk not seen since the roaring twenties. Unless you know about the Bentley Boys, you can’t fully appreciate Bentley Motors. When WO Bentley started building cars back in 1920 he was shrewd enough to realise that the best way to demonstrate to ‰‰

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“

BENTLEY ATTRACTED PLAYBOYS AND HEDONISTS, GENTLEMEN RACERS WHO CRAVED THE ADRENALINE THEY’D EXPERIENCED IN THE WAR

potential buyers that his cars were rugged and robust was to race them. The gents who owned the first Bentleys were rich, decadent and bored. They approached the emerging golden age of motoring as their children’s generation would strive to adventure into space. There was an air of optimism. Anything, it seemed, was possible. Bentley’s cars attracted aristocrats, playboys and hedonists, gentlemen racers who craved the adrenaline they’d experienced in The Great War, and who gravitated to Bentley because it was the best. “These were often larger than life characters... well known to the public and the social icons of the day,” says Richard Charlesworth, head of the Bentley Heritage Collection. “Whatever they got up to was newsworthy. They had a reputation for a devilmay-care, very competitive attitude that rubbed off on the cars as well.” “It was their sense of fun, adventure and a desire to push the limits that makes them so important,” adds Paul Jones, head of product management at Bentley Motors. “With their style and flair, men like Birkin, Barnato, Davis and Duff made Bentley a dominant force on the track. They were the original generation of dashing British drivers who mixed bravery and brilliance in equal measure.” Even their names were rakish. Woolf “Babe” Barnato inherited his father’s diamond fortune at a very young age. He became a very accomplished racing driver and won at Le Mans three times, a record yet to be broken. He later invested in the Bentley company, saving it from bankruptcy and became its chairman in 1926. Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin was an ex Royal Flying Corps fighter ace from the First World War and a very accomplished driver. It was Birkin who developed the supercharged 4.5-litre “Blower” Bentley – with his own money and against WO Bentley’s wishes – to fend off the threat of the supercharged Kompressor Mercedes. Dr J Dudley “Benjy” Benjafield – nicknamed “The

Bald Chemist” – was a bacteriologist by day and one of the few Bentley Boys who worked for a living. He raced cars for fun and was so good behind the wheel of his Bentley 3.0-litre that WO invited him to race for the company. The wealthiest was Glen Kidston. A former submarine commander in the Royal Navy – on one eventful day in 1914 he was torpedoed three times in the same morning – he was a record-breaking aviator as well as a talented motor racing driver. Meanwhile, SCH “Sammy” Davis was a racer and journalist – he was sports editor of The Autocar – and John Duff was a Canadian racing driver who had begun his career racing at Brooklands. The only one who wasn’t born into a wealthy family, Frank Clement, was WO’s test driver. Admired for his driving skills, he achieved Bentley’s first racing success, winning in EXP2 at Brooklands. This cast of characters were all united by their love of speed and the cut of a fine suit. When it came to racing they were fiercely competitive. “These were guys who were very independently-spirited but pulled together to create an unbeatable team,” says Charlesworth. “When they won races or achieved speed records, reports of these exploits would be front page news. They were very much the heroes of the day.” In 1929 Bentley dominated Le Mans (it was placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th). But even then the Bentley Boys won in style. “The team orders where to not show the full potential of the new Speed Six car that went on to win,” explains Charlesworth. “But the drivers didn’t like that and said they wanted to go flat out. One of the drivers suggested that if he had to go at anything less than full throttle then he would stop off and have a drink on the way. When he was told to obey orders, this was what he did. He stopped off and had a glass of champagne, then

rejoined the race and carried on. Bentley was the team manager and could influence their behaviour [but] they were stubborn and in many cases they owned the cars they were driving. “These guys lived life in the fast lane. They raced hard and partied hard. There was a corner in Grosvenor Square known as “Bentley Corner” where they all had their London apartments. It was said the police used to turn a blind eye to the parties there. They used to drive their cars to Le Mans... stop off at Leeds castle – the home of Dorothy Paget, a sponsor of the race team – for a black tie dinner, then drive on to the race, win it and drive back again.” The personalities, racing successes and lifestyle of the fabulous Bentley Boys helped put the company on the map. But their involvement wasn’t planned, it evolved (it was the media, for example, who named them). Through their exploits, the Bentley Boys helped WO Bentley perfect his “no compromise” way of building road cars. At a time when, as writer Anthony Bird put it, racing car engines were built on “air and optimism”, with designers concerned primarily with making large engines as lightweight as possible, WO’s approach was to improve performance by adding more capacity. “His philosophy was that you have a big capacity engine operating at fairly low revs and producing maximum power at low revs so that the engine is never really stressed. He didn’t agree with putting an engine under greater pressure,” says Charlesworth. And so they remain: Bentleys today are still big, fast and bloody loud – there really is no other car quite like it. The Bentley Boys, too, are still doing their bit: “Our customers like the fact they are buying into this bloodline,” says Charlesworth. “They love the stories and the pedigree. They love its wonderful provenance – it’s one of the reasons they buy a Bentley, this attitude that you live life to the full, that you work hard and play hard.” b

Left: Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin, a former WWI fighter ace who blazed a trail in his supercharged “Blower” Bentley

December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke | 57

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PEOPLE

Lucy

ME, MYSELF AND I

Porter

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A STAND-UP COMIC

How high fashion let me down

“

As a lapsed Catholic, all pleasures are guilty for me but, nonetheless, I still get annoyed when people say their “guilty pleasure” is a song that’s a bit naff, rather than, say, an obscure sexual peccadillo that even the Marquis de Sade would have baulked at). Reading about the Valentino exhibition reminded me of when I finally had some clothes made specifically for my diminutive frame, for my wedding day. I already owned a vintage, ivory corset that I’d bought from a sex shop in Edinburgh (every bride should wear at least one item bought in a sex shop – it takes care of the “something blue”) so I just needed a skirt to go with it. A friend recommended Claire Pickens, who found this incredible chiffon fabric, gathered it up into a swirling rose pattern, and fashioned a skirt out of it. Pickens normally designs clothes for burlesque dancers and, in hindsight, I may have looked less like I was preparing to make a lifelong commitment, and more like I was about to take my knickers off in an oversized champagne glass. But the lusciousness of the fabric and the thrill of uniqueness made me realise just what people see in haute couture. On my honeymoon I read Paul Gallico’s comic novel Mrs ‘Arris goes to Paris. It’s the story of a 1950s charlady who sees designer dresses in the wardrobe of one of her clients and dreams of owning one. Mrs ‘Arris travels to the house of Dior to buy a dress called “Temptation”. Gallico writes: “It was as though all she had missed in life through poverty, the circumstances of her birth and class in life could be made up by becoming the holder of this one glorious bit of feminine finery…” That’s kind of how I feel about seeing the wedding dress that Valentino made for MarieChantal, crown princess of Greece. Like the Greeks, I certainly won’t be able to afford one any time soon but, like Mrs ‘Arris, I’m happy to go to Somerset House and dream. b

“

A

S A FLESHY, five-foot-nothing gal, my only personal brush with the world of high fashion was crushing. I was invited to do a photo shoot for Vogue a few years ago as part of a “talent to watch” feature. I leafed excitedly through the high-end sample rail, only to see the stylists shaking their heads. Nothing fitted. I ended up being photographed in the dress I’d arrived in. Disappointed look: model’s own. It made it easy to be a bit sneery about the fashion world: “It’s for tall, gangly people, not for me”. This view is reinforced by popular culture. Most of the really great movies about the beau monde have suggested there is a moral vacuum at the heart of it. Funny Face, The Devil Wears Prada, and (my personal favourite) Zoolander, have all poked fun at designers and models, despite the public appetite for looking at nice frocks and shoes. Admittedly, the fashion world doesn’t do itself any favours. From the outside looking in, it is hard to believe that Victoria Beckham, Sean “P Diddy” Coombes and Kanye West are natural costumiers, no matter how spectacular their creations. My snooty brain is like Kipling’s devil, whispering behind the leaves “it’s pretty, but is it art?” Every celebrity now seems to release their own fashion line within the first five of their fifteen minutes of fame. You’d be forgiven for thinking that becoming a designer just involves scribbling a pretty stick lady on the back of a napkin at the Groucho and shouting: “Get that into New Look by Monday”. High fashion, though, remains something of a guilty pleasure, and I can’t wait to check out Valentino: Master of Couture at Somerset House (incidentally, one of the most irritating developments of recent times is the overuse of the phrase “guilty pleasure”.

EVERY BRIDE SHOULD WEAR SOMETHING FROM A SEX SHOP. IT TAKES CARE OF “SOMETHING BLUE”

58 | December 2012 | CITY A.M. bespoke

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