April 2020

It was a bitterly cold morning in the southern Bulgarian ski town of Bansko and the instant coffee on the balcony had chilled at an alarming pace. In the distance the vague plumes of steam could be seen coming from the figure of a muscular brown horse pulling a cart. On top of the cart was a man with a dark complexion holding the reigns loosely and bobbing up and down as the cart moved forward. The snow was thick with a slight crust on the surface as it had rained a little the previous night.

This year’s fair will be held, for the third time, at the Old Granada Studios. The venue was the home of Granada Television between 1956 and 2013, before its move to MediaCityUK in Salford Quays and Trafford Quays.  Brideshead Revisited, King Lear with Sir Laurence Olivier and, most famously, soap opera, Coronation Street were filmed at the studios. The studios are now a ‘platform for creativity, innovation and urban exploration. Mixing commerce, events, arts and culture’.

The LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair returns for its eighth year to the suitably breathtaking surrounds of Berkeley Square, Mayfair. Sponsored by Delancey, the LAPADA Fair offers an unmissable opportunity to source and buy some of the world’s most coveted works of art, antiques, design and decorative arts. This year, it will take place from Tuesday 13th September until Sunday 18th September 2016, marking the start of London’s fashionable Autumn art season.

We seemed to be driving forever down single track lanes with high hedges on either side, but we had been warned that one mile might feel more like ten. Then there it was tucked away on the border between Somerset and Devon; a fairy tale semi-moated house with ducks floating on the lake in the front. Just like the sleeping beauty when the veil has been lifted and all is revealed.

Helena Bonham Carter in a Glass Elevator, Karen Elson with a crocodile on her bed  and Boris Johnson sat on a girder at the Olympic Park are amongst the eye-catching juxtapositions on show at Manchester Art Gallery in the free exhibition Vogue 100: A Century of Style.

Cheltenham has a reputation of being the essence of an elegant Regency town, the immediate image that comes to mind is that it is rather genteel and sleepy, the fact is that there is masses going on in and around the town. It is generally accepted as having the role as the cultural centre of the Cotswolds; festivals are aplenty. Within the town there is plenty of interest from the museum and art gallery to water activities at the 1930s outdoor lido and the boating lake in Pittville Park.

The British manufacturer of high performance luxury yachts, Hunton, is proud of their long heritage building bespoke boats to fit their clients’ dreams and desires. Known for their style, speed and comfort, Hunton boats are also widely admired for their innovation and luxury craftsmanship. The impressive XRS43 provides the perfect example of this tradition of high quality manufacture and attention to detail, built to order in partnership with each buyer. The breadth and range of exciting customisations possible on the XRS43 makes every commission a truly unique, bespoke project.

A few years ago, we reviewed the historic Bear Hotel at Woodstock near Oxford; a characterful, pretty, ivy-clad historic coaching inn with a super-abundance of beams, open fireplaces, squeaky floorboards and a rich helping of atmosphere… Just perfect to explore the Cotswolds for both the active and the just downright lazy! You don't even have to go very far because there's much to see in and around Woodstock itself, so we were very much looking forward to revisiting such a delightful place.

Marané Swim Shorts Putting Thought Into Every Thread
With the weather at its warmest, beaches and oceans beckoning, thoughts inevitably turn to swim wear and with the trend across menswear to a more tailored and fitted cut; Marané Swimwear, a burgeoning Uruguayan label, has set out to re-imagine what good swimwear for men can be.
Two lifelong friends, Christine Serhal and Alessandro Aquilina, were inspired by the feeling of freedom and escape that the rugged and dramatic landscape of their hometown represented and thus Marané and the Manantiales swim short was created.

Top Ten British Luxury James Bond Essentials
Here is a selection of the top ten luxury brands a British gentleman would love to own. Most of these are British and even James Bond would approve of the few that have become global brands.