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…
From the Ritz London to the Ham Yard to One Aldwych … three very different sleepovers for discerning London visitors. What’s it to be? Aristocratic splendour … bold contemporary colours and folk frisson… a city hub that’s a perfect jumping off point for theatre and exploration? In London’s Big Smoke, accommodation options are plentiful. Here…
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…
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…
New Zealand bridges the great divide between ancient geography and modern gastronomy. Gliding through New Zealand’s majestic Milford Sound is the awe-inspiring highlight of a leisurely trans-Tasman cruise On a Sunday night against the electric 21st-century backdrop of Sydney, the MS Noordam is escorted out of Sydney Harbour by a flock of unruly seagulls, bound for…
Why Melbourne brings out the fashionista, foodie and culture vulture in all of us… The plan for Excess All Areas’ visit to Melbourne this month was simple: there was no plan. Hop on a plane and let fate dictate for 48 hours. Here’s what was especially rewarding about a guerrilla hit on Victoria’s capital… 1….
A whisky with Spanish and Japanese ancestry gets the red carpet treatment in the world’s gastronomy capitals In a glamorous private room in Tetsuya Wakuda’s Sydney restaurant, 22 guests are sitting down to a food and whisky pairing rich in alchemy, artistry and Japanese savoir faire. Standing sentinal is a maple tree that seems to wrap…
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…
With Abercrombie & Kent, Geoffrey Kent pioneered a style of luxury travel that now takes thousands of trekkers to the planet’s wildest frontiers. In this extract from a new memoir, Safari, he reflects on the journey. When my parents [John and Valerie Kent] and I went into business in 1962, to most people in the…
A gleaming new fleet of bespoke motor yachts does the rounds of Sydney Harbour It’s not every day a man asks you if you’d like to see his engines. Bruce Scott does, and it’s hard to refuse. If what’s below deck on the highly polished, immaculately designed and kitted out 73ft motor yacht Komotion has…