The Rake

I compose these words in the highest state of bucolic repose, with my indomitable dachshund, Bandit, ensconced upon my lap in her approximation of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s famous painting La Grande Odalisque, basking in the glory of her being.

I am not sure how I got myself into this situation. August — reflecting the fact that mainland Europe basically switches off this month, and the rest of us stare at September with trepidation and barely a whiff of enthusiasm for the post-summer regro

When the singer Little Richard died, in 2020, musical luminaries were quick to laud his influence. Without him, there would have been no Beatles, no Rolling Stones, no David Bowie, no Prince. Keith Richards said his music was “like taking the best ac

Of all the year’s exciting moments, there is nothing quite as blood-summoning as taking a table at Bellamy’s in August. As usual, Gavin Rankin — one of the last of the patrons mange ici — bids you “what-ho”, and Luigi comes with the menu. At this tim

Humankind truly runs the gamut when it comes to intelligence. It’s hard to comprehend that the same species that can 3D-print spare parts for classic vehicles from the comfort of its own home needs to be warned not to eat the Styrofoam in which the h

The obvious place to start with Anjelica Huston is her name, which finds its genesis in Greek and translates to ‘messenger of God’. This is apt, for she has danced with the devil — several of them, in fact — and won. At 72, Huston retains the angular

Shoes are enormously personal, most likely because they can be either a friend or a foe, the basis for your look or the weak link that brings it all down. There are two sensible directions to take when building a shoe collection. One is the slip-on r

As the final minutes ticked down, I found my excitement for the winners building. The gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans was coming to a conclusion, and the three-driver team of the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P were about to have their names — Antonio Gio

The road of happy destiny awaits trudgers like Hayley Atwell. She is a woman who wears her experience, strength and hope as if a loose garment, not a cursed straightjacket — at ease with herself, projecting her comfort via osmosis to those in her com

‘Unisex’ might be today’s buzzword in the watch industry, but it was a different story at Audemars Piguet in 1989, when the Managing Director, Stephen Urquhart, tasked a 22-year-old designer called Emmanuel Gueit with secretly revamping the Royal Oak

You might think it inevitable that Stefano Canali would have joined the company that bears his family name, but as I listen to him, he insists it was his choice alone. It turns out it was a good one, as the third-generation family member has helped s

Recently I have borne witness to the mental mayhem of press tours. I stress the mental aspect because the meticulousness of the planning that goes into a tour — with studio and personal publicists keeping tabs on everyone, and coordinating things to

DIGITAL TECHNICIAN: DERRICK KAKEMBO LIGHTING TECHNICIAN: JOE DABBS HAIR STYLIST: TYLER JOHNSTON AT ONE REPRESENTS MAKE-UP ARTIST: JAMES O’REILLY AT ONE REPRESENTS MANICURE: EMMA ADAOUI MODELS: FRANKIE AT KULT AND DAMIEN AT D1 ■

I don’t know about you, but I like having decisions made for me. Especially on holiday. In fact, I enjoy decisions being made for me on holiday so much that I turn into a root vegetable (made only slightly more capable because I retain the ability to

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The contemporary art world is perhaps the toughest nut to crack when it comes to the luxury industry. Its various mysteries include its subjectivity and trends, its quality control, the vast amount of output on the market, and the competition for job