Intel from fashion, travel, and creative insiders
The next generation of consumers is set to redefine luxury and change the way premium brands do business. There’s a storm brewing over the horizon and, if you believe the analysts, it is set to sweep all before it, changing the way we spend, shop and live our lives. That storm is Generation Z, a…
Perfume lovers have Nick Smart to thank for retail access to some of the oldest and loveliest fragrances in the world. So how did a property lawyer ended up shrouded in the mists of time? Niche perfume is one of the fastest growing sectors of the multi-billion-dollar fragrance and beauty industry. Of the 2,240 fragrances released last year,…
Offal is possibly one of the food world’s most divisive menu items. Most people either love it or loathe it. If it’s the latter, there’s a harbourside dining dock that might change your mind… Offal is never going to be the gourmet world’s red carpet glamourpuss. Not for brains, tripe or liver the…
Sixties shapes, the Sydney Opera House, 3D printing, music … these are some of the things that inspire Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s design director. Susan Skelly reports Roped off outside the three-hat Sydney harbourside restaurant, Quay, the LaFerrari looks like it’s landed on the wrong planet. Futuristic, fabulous – and so shiny it looks ready to spontaneously combust…
Stefan Sielaff, Director of Design at Bentley Motors, is inspired by many things, from haute couture to architecture, timepieces, and even aircraft design. Success, notes the 54-year-old German-born innovator, is rooted in having a clear idea of what makes a brand unique. “For me, it’s the beauty of a fantastic exterior concealing innovations and craftsmanship that…
From the princes of rap to titans of industry, Cognac confers status. To mark the launch of the Hennessy 8 limited edition, Susan Skelly clinked glasses with brand ambassador Maurice-Richard Hennessy. When it comes to symbolism, this year’s limited edition Hennessy 8 Cognac is all but drowning in it. First there is the liquid…
What do Hollywood stars and one of Italy’s most famous luxury brands have in common? As a new exhibition in Melbourne reveals, a knack for being bold, beautiful and bewitching. There’s Naomi Watts on the red carpet at the Academy Awards … Scarlett Johansson at the Venice Film Festival … Jessica Alba at the…
If Anne-Eva Geffroy has one goal in life it is to make her statement pieces of jewellery dance. How does the Graff design director work her gemstone magic? When it comes to a roll call of radiance, Graff diamonds positively dazzle. The Golden Empress, the Paragon, the Graff Pink, the Star of Bombay, the Imperial, the…
A discerning clientele expects the best wines money can buy. And many of these are in the VIP cellars at Crown Towers Melbourne, reports Susan Skelly. A kid in a lolly shop has nothing on Chris Crawford, Crown Melbourne’s General Manager Beverage, in his wine vault. Hidden behind a door of latticed steel, this is an Aladdin’s…
Every perfume tells a story … some a little more seafaring than others. Carlos Huber swaps top notes with Susan Skelly If there were such a thing as a perfume novelist, Carlos Huber would be its Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s not enough for a fragrance to have a formula and category, it has to have…