The $500 million renovation of the Empire State Building may be a much-needed bit of architectural resuscitation, but what’s the point from a layman’s perspective if you can’t get a goddamn drink there? Luckily Mark Grossich, the man behind Grand Central’s swank Campbell Apartment and a fellow who appreciates the fact that a historic setting makes a cocktail taste better, has the matter in hand. He’s turning a 3,500-sq.-ft. former post office on the iconic building’s ground floor into the Empire Room, a suitably Art Deco-rated bar / lounge slated to open at the end of November.
Design firm Goodman Charlton has cooked up an elegant scheme employing plush mohair, intricate cut velvets, macassar ebony, silver leaf, embossed leather, marble and polished stainless steel in tones of rich brandy, deep cognac, icy silver, and golden cream for the interior (rendering above), meant to evoke a more glamorous era of supper clubs and gentlemanly drinking establishments. The cocktails themselves will hew to Grossich’s signature mix of new and old classics, in keeping with the “A Toast to Another Time” ethos of the Campbell Apartment and his other joints like The Carnegie Club and The World Bar. We’ll see you there.
For many enthusiasts the Jaguar E-Type or XK-E, produced from 1961 - 1974, was the last “real” Jaguar to roll off the famed marque’s assembly line. Small wonder then that a British firm has decided to resurrect the classic car. UK-based Eagle has been in the business of restoring E-Types for 27 years, but their new offering isn’t just a rehab or a run-of-the-mill replica. The Eagle E-Type begins with mechanical components from an original XK-E and restores them to better-than-new spec. The parts are then placed into a new hand-built monocoque body, while the interior is updated a bit to modern standards with a few flash touches like quilted leather upholstery.
Performance is customizable depending on how much power the customer requires, though the stock setup produces twice the power and torque of the original, and the company can supply race braking systems and suspensions if something in the way of supercar is desired. Expect to pay supercar prices as well, about as much as a new Ferrari will run you, which is where we spot the flaw in this scheme; an original E-Type restored to perfect condition can be had for much less. Of course they’re bound to require more work to maintain, so we guess it comes down to a question of authenticity - and that old chestnut about dollars versus sense.
In the days when traveling in style meant the Orient Express, an ocean liner or at least a Rolls-Royce open tourer, what a man wore was just as important as what he packed it in. Famed French firms like Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Goyard made hundreds of cases for every conceivable item a gentleman could wish to take with him on his travels. Nowadays perfectly preserved pieces from this era are quite literally a treasure, with prices increasing exponentially. Tracking down the best is usually a matter of being quick with the paddle at Christie’s or Sotheby’s. A German firm however has now amassed the world’s greatest collection of vintage travel items, which they are offering to ship worldwide.
Among the prizes in the Vintage Luggage Company’s inventory are an amazing selection of bespoke trunks. Take the the 90-year-old Louis Vuitton Malle Secretaire, a six-drawer model that can store a naturalist’s specimens and convert to a writing table, complete with a Smith Premier Typewriter No. 4. Or the one housing a full canteen set from Moynat, specially commissioned in 1925. It contains a full set of plates, cutlery and cooking equipment, all with their own, bespoke leather cases. Others house a long evening’s worth of champagne, a complete collection of hats, a portable library – all the things we long for when we’re on the road.
The classic Breitling Chronomat has long been an indispensable part of our kit. Now in celebration of its 125th anniversary, the Swiss watch brand founded in 1884 has come out with special limited edition of watch dubbed the Superocean Heritage Chronograph. Each of the three colorways – blue, black and silver with contrasting subdials, will be limited to 1,000 pieces each. The Superocean Heritage watches were made in tribute to the famous series released in 1957. Chronograph hands are red on all models, and each watch is available on a rubber or steel mesh metal bracelet.
This watch retains the original design of the 1957 series in many of its features, including the 1950s brand logo with the Breitling signature, the 18k gold “B” on the dial, the shape of the minute hand, as well as the design of the bracelet and strap. At its heart is a Valjoux 7753 base movement with a 30 minute bi-compax chronograph complication. The COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) certified watch with self-winding automatic movement features a 46mm wide highly polished steel case, and is water resistant to 200 meters.
At the Monaco Yacht Show on September 23 - 26, avant-garde Monegasque yachtbuilder Wally will debut two new sailing superyachts, the Wally 130 and 100 Indio. The Indio has actually been spotted before, when it made a scorching appearance at the recent Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta. The 30-meter (100-ft.) sloop combines all the amenities of a blue-water cruiser with the performance of a maxi-racer; the 59-ton beauty can do 12 knots, while below decks, a total of six cabins provides accommodation for 10 guests and four crew. And of course there’s that snappy aft sea terrace.
The 40-metre 130, which was slated for her first race test at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo last weekend, is marked by an innovative combination of the water-ballast with the trim tab lifting keel. Added to the cardan joint shaft drive steering system, it has the effect of making the 130-footer maneuver like a racing 80-footer. After taking her out on the water, Wally’s dashing President and CEO Luca Bassani declared her to be the only cruising yacht in the world that can sail faster upwind than the record-breaking maxi racer Alfa Romeo, given the right conditions. We’ll take two.
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When Troy Parsons, a dashing Australian now living in New York, decided to get married back home in Perth, he came to DQ to be fitted for his wedding suit. These photos were taken at the ceremony held in the beautiful Victoria Gardens in East Perth, which was followed by an organic vegan feast. Troy looked smashing in his grey single-breasted two-button lightweight wool suit with a ticket pocket, white cotton shirt and pink pindot tie.
“I never properly said ‘thank you,’” Troy wrote to us upon his return. “Thank you for a wonderful suit, wonderful accessories, helping me out, and patiently taking time to make sure I was happy, and looking dapper. I am totally chuffed with the suit and the service, and am always raving about you guys. In fact, on the day, the only other guy that came close to looking as nice, did in fact have a Savile Row suit.” Well we do aim to please.
Recent upgrades at the Molori Safari Lodge in South Africa’s 185,000-acre Madikwe Game Reserve have made it a must-see for any adventurous fellow who likes a little luxury with his wildlife. 50 minutes by air from Johannesburg on the border with Botswana, the Lodge’s five bungalows boast spacious wooden decks, private infinity pools and floor-to-ceiling fully retractable glass walls. Privacy is the watchword here. A staff of 44, including chef Willie Malherbe who prepares local specialties like oxtail stew and pan-roasted springbok, look after a maximum of 14 guests in full safari style.
The Lodge’s butler unpacks your cases, presses your safari suit, provides a selection of Aqua di Parma toiletries and stocks each suite with an assortment of homemade cured meats and dried fruit. Up at the main lodge a well-stocked library also features a great selection of whisky, brandy and cigars, while the wine cellar is of course stocked with the finest South African vintages. There’s also one of the largest private telescopes in southern Africa as well as a holistic indoor-outdoor spa. Resident guide Greg Lederle, a former professional big game hunter, leads custom wildlife excursions by day or night, when a whole other host of creatures comes out.
If Cary Grant were alive today, where would he buy his suits? We like to think that the great one would be right at home at DQ, and Playboy magazine - recently jazzed up under new editorship - agrees. In the September issue’s Playboy Guide to Classic Style, Grant opens the proceedings with the magazine suggesting modern day aspirants to the icon’s legendary style adorn themselves in DQ’s finest. Noting that Duncan “makes the kind of razor-sharp suits Grant would have flipped over,” Playboy also quotes DQ as follows: “[Grant's] style came from within and was real, not manufactured. That’s missing today in a world of advisors, extras, fluffers and strokers. Clean lines and a perfect wrapper for his personality made him wear his clothes well - not vice versa.”
Later this month storied UK Range Rover tuner Overfinch will unveil the Holland & Holland Range Rover, a bespoke sporting juggernaut limited to only 100 examples billed as the most luxurious Range Rover ever made. Expected to be priced at around $300,000, it’s also one of the world’s most expensive SUVs. The vehicle is both a reinterpretation of the Range Rover icon (based on the 2010 supercharged 503 hp V8) and the embodiment of Holland & Holland’s unique sporting heritage. It’s nothing short of the “ultimate all purpose, all season luxury supercar” for the discerning few. The theme here, stemming from Overfinch’s Country Pursuits concept car, is a quintessentially English take on opulence - which in this case means plenty of drinking and shooting.
While the exterior styling is relatively subtle, inside the Holland & Holland Range Rover reveals its true colors – not to mention acres of wood and leather. Saddle-stitched hides are offset by a 32 piece, hand-carved woodwork set available in a selection of finishes. The rear console includes an integrated refrigerator, capable of chilling two full size champagne bottles, along with storage space for two flutes. The plummiest bit however is a beautiful hand-crafted bespoke gun cabinet within the luggage compartment, with multiple drawers capable of holding up to eight crystal champagne flutes and whisky tumblers, as well as two cased guns, cartridges and all the trimmings. The guns of course should be handmade by Holland & Holland, established in London in 1835, who hold two Royal Warrants.
