“Dear Lord.. The gods have been good to me. For the first time in my life, everything is absolutely perfect just the way it is. So here's the deal: You freeze everything the way it is, and I won't ask for anything more. If that is OK, please give me absolutely no sign. OK, deal.”-
Getting older and more mature - Glenfiddich’s 122nd birthday bash
With all of 122 years since 1886 when William Grant set out to create “the best dram in the valley” and a year later built his distillery in The Glen of Fiddich - Gaelic for The Valley of the Deer, the name of Glenfiddich has gone on to become synonymous with good times and fine moments. It was on Christmas day that the first of the spirits had flowed from the stills of the Glenfiddich distillery and for nearly a century and a quarter Christmas times have been celebrated with this famous single malt across the world. The brand has lived up to its resolution year on year, staying true to William Grant's philosophy of making Every Year Count by always appreciating the value of time and using 120 years of independent whisky-making experience to create a unique range of aged single malt Scotch whiskies. Cheers to that.
How big is your punch bowl?
‘Big enough to row a boat in.’ That is no hollow claim by Bompass & Parr, the duo that likes to play with their food, who in collaboration with the cognac brand Courvoisier created an installation, Courvoisier Architectural Punch Bowl that is actually big enough to row a boat in. The technical know how on creating and maintaining the perfect environment of a punch bowl was provided by UCL, whose consultant engineers conducted enough research to device ways to keep the cocktail tasting uniformly all across and make the building food safe too. A competition to create an original cocktail was won by Joe McCanta of Saf, London and nearly 4,000liters of The Emperor’s Shrub cocktail, with the Courvoisier Exclusif cognac as the key ingredient, flooded the venue. The Architectural Punch Bowl was held in Portland Place, London from 8th to 9th December. With tickets priced at £6.50, no one tried to drown in the punch.
Le Carré Hermès – a book on scarves Hermès, the luxury label famous for its scarves, has now brought out a book on it. The brand has always held that their product is about “the scarf as a world of shapes" and "the scarf as a philosophy of color." The description of the project, in Hermes’s own words, says, ‘Each Hermès scarf tells a story: this volume is their anthology. Created as an artist’s book, it transposes the scarves instead of merely picturing them. It magnifies their charm while preserving their ethereal grace. It narrates, through images and text, the existence of the now mythical silk twill “carré’. The book has been put together by Nadine Coleno, an art and architecture writer and is published by Editions du Regard and costs €84.
Manjit Bawa’s canvas for Rs1.7cr – end of winter on Indian art marts
At a recent Saffronart online auction, an untitled canvas of the late Manjit Bawa sold for a record breaking Rs1.7crores, sending ripples of cheer in the Indian Art market which had been seeing a slump in the recent economic season. An auction house spokesperson disclosed that the presale estimate was at Rs90lakhs. Reportedly, in his canvass of epic proportions Bawa relies on chiaroscuro and subtle shading to deliver depth. His technique of focusing on perfecting the form by paring it down to its basic essence gives his paintings an arresting luminosity. Other Indian modernists like F N Souza, S H Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Tyeb Mehta and Jagdish Swaminathan too fetched top prices.
A luxury spa resort in UAE to be launched on 1-01-‘10
United Arab Emirates is all set to open its first luxury desert resort, Banyan Tree Al Wadi, located in the protected nature reserve Wadi Khadeja and just a short drive away from Ras Al Khaimah city center. Rest assured to be pampered thoroughly at the facility, which features 70 pool villas, 31 tented pool villas with dedicated spa treatment room complex, all with uninterrupted views of the desert and each with a private pool set in enclosed gardens. Also to be found will be 10 treatment pavilions and a hydrothermal circuit with a hammam and vitality pool. The therapists have received their training at Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Phuket, Thailand. Of course there will also be five restaurants and bars offering all kinds of cuisines from Southeast Asian to Thai and exotic cocktails. One can also interact with the local wild life - Arabian gazelles and oryxes or indulge in other resort specialties like falconry, camel riding, wadi safaris.
Used Football boots fetch £623,000
Hard to believe why any one would want to buy smelly ole’ used football boots, even though they once belonged to such greats as Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Wayne Rooney; unless of course they are embedded with diamonds and precious stones. This is exactly what former dancer and model Luisa Di Marco suggested and all of 7,444 precious stones have been soldered to the footwear. With black diamonds set in white gold alongside diamonds and sapphires capping the studs, the now truly expensive boots were valued by jeweler Steven Jordan of the Assay Office. The proceeds of the sale, that will be held at the he VIP launch will go towards supporting Rio Ferdinand’s ‘Live the Dream Foundation.’
A ring with a five carat pink diamond and an auction
At an auction held in Hong Kong by Christies, a ring set with a pea sized five carat diamond unimaginatively named ‘Vivid Pink’, went to an unnamed Asian buyer who bid US$10.8mil to acquire the ring. The auction house had put the pre-sale estimate somewhere between US$5mil and US$7mil. At another auction held in Geneva earlier this year, a seven carat blue diamond was acquired by a Hong Kong property tycoon for US$10.5mil. A Christie’s spokesperson disclosed that the most expensive jewel sold at an auction is a 30 carat gem that fetched US$24mil in London last December.
Celebrating 125 years of Bulgari
The Italian luxury brand Bulgari has turned 125 years old and is wrapping up its year long global celebrations in style. In Japan, the Bulgari Ginza Tower in Tokyo presented two exclusive gift boxes. The first box features a bottle of prestigious Dom Pérignon Réserve de l'Abbaye Vintage 1990 and two selections of the finest Bulgari chocolates handmade by Bulgari's master chocolatier. Of the two exclusive boxes of Bulgari chocolate gems that complement the luxury gift box, one has the finest chocolate blends with the most exclusive Italian ingredients, where Balsamic vinegar aged in cherry barrels is blended with Losa di Capra (a cheese aged in wood and appreciated for its rich and gentle flavour). The delicate taste of Anurca apple combined with the spicy scent of Quartirolo Lombardo and cinnamon to create a unique contrast with the premium cuvee and accents texture. The second box is made with Japanese ingredients that are exclusive combinations with Kogyoku apple from Aomori prefecture, root wasabi from Nagano prefecture and green tea from Kyoto and Yuzu from Shikoku that result in a creamy, lush and delicate chocolate. The gift box itself is elegantly etched with the iconic golden brand logo celebrating Bulgari's 125th Anniversary.
A few months ago in Mumbai, as part of the ongoing anniversary celebrations, Bulgari chose to support the ‘Rewrite the Future’ campaign of Save the Children organisation and had Priyanka Chopra lend her name too. The Bulgari foundation has been working towards a major fund-raising project for the defense of children’s rights.
Port and Madeira…
…and Vermouth, Sherry and Marsala – all fortified wines. There are many in the category but these are some of the most famous fortified wines; that is wines to which more spirits have been added before the fermentation process is complete, resulting in a sweeter and stronger version with a distinct taste. A fortified wine has higher alcohol content (20% abv) and is not the same as some of the other spirits made from wine by the distillation process. Grape Brandy is the most popular spirit used to fortify these wines. They make for perfect aperitifs or after dinner drinks and are also categorized as dessert wines.
This practice of fortifying wines with brandy dates back to the 16th century when wine was exported via sea route to distant lands and was unable to withstand the rocking often going bad in the journey. In order to give these wines a longer shelf life the winemakers simply fortified it with brandy. Normally, in the fermentation process the yeast converts the sugars into alcohol and when the content reaches nearly 16-18% abv, the alcohol kills the yeast cells thus stopping the process. But when Brandy is introduced before the fermentation is complete, not all the sugars have yet been converted to alcohol and the resultant wine is sweet. The sweet or dry nature of the fortified wine is therefore decided by the stage of fermentation at which the spirit was added.
Port is typically a sweet and rich wine often used as a dessert wine. It gets its name from Portugal, the country of its origin. It is mostly made in the city of Oporto located in the Douro Valley in the northern province of Portugal. We do have Goan Port wines here that are practically a cottage industry following the tradition left over from the time the Portuguese colonized Goa. This red and sweet wine comes in different ages too, the Vintage Port could be anywhere between one to ten years old, while Tawny Port is a blend of Ports of different ages further aged for another three decades in a cask. Ruby Port is the youngest of the lot. There is also white Port. Madeira wines are from the Madeira Islands located off the northwest coast of Africa and are governed by the Portuguese. While Madeira is mostly used for cooking the best ones are aged for more than a decade and are bottled in different categories as dry (Serical), medium dry (Verdelho), which are great aperitifs, while the rich (Bual) or very sweet (Malmsey) are great as dessert wines.
Vermouth is a popular, dry, white, fortified wine that is infused with herbs and spices like cardamom, cinnamon, marjoram and chamomile. It originates from Turin in Italy but gets its name from Wermut, a German word for wormwood, which was used to flavor wines in Germany. Subsequently, prolonged usage of wormwood has been found to be poisonous. The white dry Vermouth is an excellent aperitif and an essential ingredient in martini. Its sweet red version is also used in certain cocktails. Vermouth is also used in cooking.
Most of these wine names are protected under the designation of origin as also is Sherry. It is made from white Palomino grapes that are grown near the Spanish town of Jerez (Hair-eth) or any other that falls in the province of Cádiz between Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María, also known as the ‘Sherry Triangle’. The fortification process in Sherry manufacturing takes place nearly towards the end, making it a dry spirit which is sweetened later. It is the blending and production process of Sherry that makes it quite unique. Sherry can be light or dark and dry or sweet. The pale and dry Sherry is called Fino and the one with a salty flavor too is called Manzanilla. The dark Amontillado has a rich and nutty flavor, Oloroso is medium brown with a dry, rich flavor. Amoroso is the best after dinner drink with its brown colour and sweet taste. Cream is the sweetest sherry and makes for the best after dinner drink.
The Marsala wine gets its name from the Sicilian town of Marsala, located at the western tip and falls in the category of cheap fortified wines that were originally produced as the cheaper substitutes of Sherry or Port. Marsala is rather strong and is available in both fortified and unfortified versions. The younger (aged for four months) and weaker (17% abv) fortified version is called Fine and the stronger (18% abv) Superiore is aged two years. It is used for cooking mostly.
There also exist spates of cheap fortified wines in every region of the world that are very popular with the poor because of their higher alcohol content and have come under the scanner of local governments. They also came to be categorized as hooch, street wines, bum wines or ghetto wines. Russian port and vermouths came in the category of such wines and were called Bormotukha that eventually were legally stopped. Let’s just stay with the high-end varieties, merely mixing martinis with our gins and vermouths and relax, neither shaken nor stirred.
Van Cleef & Arpels, the professional purveyors of bling have made it possible for the fans of the brand to view a fabulous retrospective at The Mori Arts Centre in Tokyo, ‘The Spirit of Beauty’, which started on the 31st October 2009 and will go on until the 17th January 2010. On display at the exhibition are over 250 pieces of international jewellery, timepieces, fashion accessories and works of art spanning over 100 years, including some from the house’s own private collection.
The exhibition is built around four themed areas, combined to create a 1000sq meter fantastical dreamscape and is the brainchild of Parisian designer Patrick Jouin. The Spirit of Nature invokes the feeling of dawn, with precious gems mimicking drops of morning dew. The round windows of The Spirit of Elegance and The Spirit of Adventure sections emulate the structure of maple fruit in the midday sun, and here visitors can view couture clothing, fabrics and works of art. Finally, Incarnations section displays videos and sound installations of silver screen and red carpet stars, alongside the jewellery that has adorned them.
The luxury brand has also created a limited edition line of jewellery inspired by the Alhambra motif in conjunction with the exhibition, including bracelets and pendants.
‘The Spirit of Beauty’ is a poetic and sublime marriage of tradition and innovation at Van Cleef & Arpel’s vintage retrospective in Tokyo.
Just like in the time of the Renaissance in the style of the Florentine masters at the Medici Court, two contemporary artists, Nicolas Bos, Vice President and Art Director of the House of Van Cleef & Arpels and Patrick Jouin, designer of the exhibition at the Mori Art Center in Tokyo, offer their talents to beauty and the sublime. This retrospective brings together more than 290 pieces from beautiful collection of vintage objects in a museum setting that is surprising, poetic and eminently modern, all at the same time. The House of Van Cleef & Arpels has its roots in values and the themes on show are faithful to the intelligence of the House in the Latin sense of the world: for it is indeed an intellectual understanding that is required in this exhibition of the sublime in Fine Jewellery.
The deliberately mercurial themes invite us on a journey through expertise and absolute elegance, Spirit of Adventure, Spirit of Nature and Incarnations.
Incarnations to remember that these wonderful dreams have actually given birth to an extremely beautiful creation that is the result of an expertise and excellence pushed to their highest limits.
For Stanislas de Quercize, President of the illustrious House, “a creation always gives rise to an emotion”. And what creations are we talking about?
The tiara that crowned the face of Princess Grace of Monaco, a thirties neo-pharaoh’s bracelet made of rubies and diamonds set in platinum. Birds, whose unspeakable secret song cannot be other than that of a true and passionate love.
The exhibition will travel all over the world.
Estelle Arielle Bouchet can be contacted at
EAB Press & Image consulting
eabcom@yahoo.com
Tel : 0033(0)667919179
0033 (0)490661481
The Swiss watchmaker and jeweler, Chopard has brought out a new prescription eyewear collection. They have managed to impart the bejeweled look to each of the pieces, which are executed in exquisite detail, using the finest materials that echo the heritage of the goldsmiths of the Swiss fashion house. The collection has introduced the ‘Interlaced Hearts’ motif that is featured in some of Chopard’s most popular necklaces and rings, on the temples. The “3 Happy Spirit” motif echoes the refined dials of Chopard’s Happy Spirit timepieces. This model features a shower of rhinestones set on three circular trims, reflecting light with delicate elegance through a cluster of glittering crystals. The collection comes in various colours and has a beautiful mother-of-pearl effect. The “Fretted Logomania” motif features an intricate fretwork metal design in the temples. The lacquered button surrounded by rhinestones and featuring the “C” logo adds an interesting touch of colour and individuality. Closely following the success of the sunglasses collection, the prescription collection includes temples on which the logomania is lasered using an innovative technology that produces luminous geometric designs along the entire temple length. “La Strada” (Italian for “The Road”) is a recurring Chopard theme which began with its jewellery collections. The name derives from lines of oval rhinestones, placed along the temples, reminiscent of the lanes of a road. Take a look at the two models available in India.
Aer- the new open air bar at Four Seasons Mumbai
Nearly 34 floors away from the chaotic bustle of Worli streets and spread across the entire roof top of Mumbai’s Four Seasons hotel is the new bar, Aer that opened this month. The minimalist and contemporary black and white interiors have been created by a team of designers like Nozer Wadia, Ritu Nanda, Elsie Nanji, Bob Bilkey, Oscar Llynas and Annalisa Beliettati. The rarified ambience can be experienced by only 80 at a time. Those managing to abide by the dress code rule may enter and are guaranteed to have a good time under the stars, with exclusive drinks and in-house DJs. The early bird price for those visiting between 5.30-8.30pm is a 50% discount on beverages.
Musical instruments have been evolving at even pace with the technological revolution and most have gone electronic. It was time for the Piano, held in high esteem with its Grand and upright versions, to get a suitable makeover. Here we have the design inputs of some piano music lovers who are also car designers, cabinet makers, a professor who is a bio designer and the Japanese motorcycle and keyboard experts Yamaha.
To celebrate its hundredth birthday, one would expect Audi to go design some more new high tech set of wheels. Instead they chose to reinvent the good old grand piano. Bösendorfer was the natural partner, for its manufacturing skills and expertise and also to ensure the musical output. The colour reflects Audi’s sensibilities. Don’t miss the single piece lid that extends all the way to the base and the use of slim aluminum pieces for one of the Piano’s legs to give the light feel. Also notable are the wingless-keyboard with concealed hinges, a discreetly integrated keyboard lid handle, and rounded edges beneath the keyboard to protect the pianist’s knees. Model is mentioned in Bösendorfer’s catalogue.
Yamaha Design Laboratories’ seven designers worked with the product concept, ‘minimal element-maximum effect’, to create seven prototypes ranging from grand pianos to keyboards for the Milano Salone design festival. The theme ‘key for you’ was imaginatively spread across differently designed keyboards with names like ‘key between people’, key for journey’, key in cantilever’ etc. The name ‘key between people’ for the grand piano design by French designer Yves Plattard is self explanatory. The guests can sit around and up close to the pianist to get a personal feel.
Yes it is a Grand Piano and yes it is an art installation. What would one expect when Professor Luigi Colani, a bio-designer, decides to redesign a grand piano? The ergonomically curved keyboard does retain the traditional 88 keys but the Pegasus CC 208 P has been put together using modern techniques and materials that go into making aircrafts and cars. The most elegant seat of the Piano is not only fully adjustable for height, width and distance, but is also rendered more attractive with a hand-stitched leather cover. Some of those who shelled out $110,000 to buy the Schimmel Pegasus are Eddie Murphy, Lenny Kravitz and Prince.
Sarah Davenport likes to rock when she plays the piano. That the Davenport in her name is from the Davenport Designers and Cabinetmakers in UK has made it possible for her to create a one of its kind rocking piano named ‘Chichi’. She has retained the original design of the standard baby grand piano from the 1900s, complete with veneered Canadian Rock Maple with a mirrored surface finish but the twist is in the curved bottom designed to make it rock. It can be found in the Croyden Campus of Halton’s Riverside College, where it is used during school performances.
The sensibilities of each individual are diverse and depend upon a plethora of factors that mould their character and responses. As we continue to pose the simple question, ‘What does luxury mean to you?’ to one of our esteemed readers each month, their responses reinforce this simple truth. This time we have Sanjay Sharma, the young country head of Swarovski. A sportsman and an avid golfer, well traveled, a lineage part German, growing up in a small town, head honcho of a brand he successfully launched in the country – this assortment of experiences, not in that order, must certainly have all played a role in his having acquired the maturity and depth that is reflected in his answer, which even the wise ones prescribe as the ultimate code and mode to a successful life on planet earth. Amen!
So said Sanjay Sharma…
For me the moment ‘now’ is the most important. It’s the now we all exist in, not the past that was us or the future that we will be. In such ‘now’ moments catching my breath with my lungs full of fresh mountain air, a sea breeze on my face, words of the next chapter in a book still unread, sounds that bring overwhelming joy and emotions, sharing all of these with family and friends in every moment is true luxury for me.
Stacks of unread books; volumes of “The Lonely Planet” of countries that we have yet to visit, brochures of scuba diving courses, Micro-light flying, parasailing, wind surfing, yet to be played game on my psp ... This is my list of desires, my luxuries, living a luxe life my way.
Sanjay Sharma is a sportsman first and corporate dude later. While golfing holds the status of might-have-been-an-alternate-career and continues to remain first love, he is also a keen footballer and cricketer and any other sport that might come his way. One part Indian and one part German, he has grown up in north India with DPS, a BSc from Meerut and an MBA from IILM. The course of his early career moves has seen him working for a Swiss co making automatic doors and an Austrian co manufacturing bombs and mine detectors before moving on to Swarovski, a co making dainty crystals.
Summary - He’s got it all pat and most us would simply pip in and say ‘yea..same goes for me too’, not counting the micro-light flying and parasailing.
With the pressures of a ‘high-strung’ career and demanding personal relationships, the modern urban dweller often finds personal health & fitness as a luxury. Sages down the ages and wise men across the world, from Gautam Buddha to Mahatma Gandhi to Lao Tzu to Mark Twain, have all recognized the pre-eminence of a healthy body. However, today’s aspirations go even beyond – that of possessing a perfect body. This has spawned an entire industry replete with exotic promises. As the urban dweller looks for a quick fix ‘off the shelf’ solution, the real danger is of him drifting even further from his goal, notwithstanding the fancy gym equipment, the top branded sport apparel and footwear or the instant ‘get-slim’ diet fads. But happily, I discovered at the half-marathon held recently in Gurgaon that the scene was not all that dismal. All it takes to attain such real luxuries is a little bit of discipline and pain in adhering to the goal. As Budha said, “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
As the year draws to an end, the promise of a new dawn in 2010 uplifts the heart. To hail the spirit of Christmas we raise a toast to Glenfiddich which celebrates its 122nd birthday on the very same day. William Grant was a visionary to have picked 25th December to launch his exotic whisky in 1886 with the desire to create ‘the best dram in the valley’. Congratulations Mr Grant, you certainly did achieve your goal.
We wish our readers good health and good cheer in the New Year – keep safe and enjoy the biggest luxury of it all – life itself!
With all of 122 years since 1886 when William Grant set out to create “the best dram in the valley” and a year later built his distillery in The Glen of Fiddich - Gaelic for The Valley of the Deer, the name of Glenfiddich has gone on to become synonymous with good times and fine moments. It was on Christmas day that the first of the spirits had flowed from the stills of the Glenfiddich distillery and for nearly a century and a quarter Christmas times have been celebrated with this famous single malt across the world. The brand has lived up to its resolution year on year, staying true to William Grant's philosophy of making Every Year Count by always appreciating the value of time and using 120 years of independent whisky-making experience to create a unique range of aged single malt Scotch whiskies. Cheers to that.
United Arab Emirates is all set to open its first luxury desert resort, Banyan Tree Al Wadi, located in the protected nature reserve Wadi Khadeja and just a short drive away from Ras Al Khaimah city center. Rest assured to be pampered thoroughly at the facility, which features 70 pool villas, 31 tented pool villas with dedicated spa treatment room complex, all with uninterrupted views of the desert and each with a private pool set in enclosed gardens. Also to be found will be 10 treatment pavilions and a hydrothermal circuit with a hammam and vitality pool. The therapists have received their training at Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Phuket, Thailand. Of course there will also be five restaurants and bars offering all kinds of cuisines from Southeast Asian to Thai and exotic cocktails. One can also interact with the local wild life - Arabian gazelles and oryxes or indulge in other resort specialties like falconry, camel riding, wadi safaris.
The Italian luxury brand Bulgari has turned 125 years old and is wrapping up its year long global celebrations in style. In Japan, the Bulgari Ginza Tower in Tokyo presented two exclusive gift boxes. The first box features a bottle of prestigious Dom Pérignon Réserve de l'Abbaye Vintage 1990 and two selections of the finest Bulgari chocolates handmade by Bulgari's master chocolatier. Of the two exclusive boxes of Bulgari chocolate gems that complement the luxury gift box, one has the finest chocolate blends with the most exclusive Italian ingredients, where Balsamic vinegar aged in cherry barrels is blended with Losa di Capra (a cheese aged in wood and appreciated for its rich and gentle flavour). The delicate taste of Anurca apple combined with the spicy scent of Quartirolo Lombardo and cinnamon to create a unique contrast with the premium cuvee and accents texture. The second box is made with Japanese ingredients that are exclusive combinations with Kogyoku apple from Aomori prefecture, root wasabi from Nagano prefecture and green tea from Kyoto and Yuzu from Shikoku that result in a creamy, lush and delicate chocolate. The gift box itself is elegantly etched with the iconic golden brand logo celebrating Bulgari's 125th Anniversary. 
The 
The sensibilities of each individual are diverse and depend upon a plethora of factors that mould their character and responses. As we continue to pose the simple question, ‘What does luxury mean to you?’ to one of our esteemed readers each month, their responses reinforce this simple truth. This time we have Sanjay Sharma, the young country head of Swarovski. A sportsman and an avid golfer, well traveled, a lineage part German, growing up in a small town, head honcho of a brand he successfully launched in the country – this assortment of experiences, not in that order, must certainly have all played a role in his having acquired the maturity and depth that is reflected in his answer, which even the wise ones prescribe as the ultimate code and mode to a successful life on planet earth. Amen!