Автор: karymsakov_qq4zn395

The restored and updated 1949 residence in the foothills above Studio City remains true to the innovative architect’s singular vision. The restored and updated 1949 residence in the foothills above Studio City remains true to the innovative architect’s singular vision.

Showing 19,886 miles on it, the time-capsule car is one of only 116 examples of the model variant built that year. Showing 19,886 miles on it, the time-capsule car is one of only 116 examples of the model variant built that year.

Break out the rum, Cognac and bourbon—and give yourself some time. Break out the rum, Cognac and bourbon—and give yourself some time.

Fashion critic and editor Godfrey Deeny reflects on 80 years of Rome’s most innovative tailor. 

This past decade, many great Italian houses have made material innovation a vital leitmotif: Zegna with its 100 percent traceable Vellus Aureaum fine wool; or Tod’s with ‘pashmy’, combining the sturdiness of glove-like leather with the delicacy of pashmina. Dolce & Gabbana keeps breaking new ground with its remarkable tapestry-style men’s couture, while Loro Piana’s innovative silk tweed blends Italian panache with UK poise.

I would argue that the most advanced ideas are currently to be found at Brioni, the Italian tailor which suited Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in their portrayals of James Bond and attired Marcello Mastroianni in Fellini’s classic La Dolce Vita. A source of impeccable tailoring since it opened in Rome in 1945, Brioni celebrated its 80th anniversary in late November in the Eternal City, with a Lucullan dinner of risotto cacio e pepe, washed down with Selva della Tesa, my favorite Italian Chardonnay.

Under its Austrian-born creative director Norbert Stumpfl, Brioni now creates clothes in the most rarefied fabrics in menswear. Using 18th-century looms that one expect to find depicted in the background of a Caravaggio canvas it has developed stunning jacquards, it coats threads with gold, literally dust shirts in real silver dust, and infuses silk-linen with enzymes to create a fuzzy finish. Above all, it creates the unique.

Examples of such craft were visible at Brioni’s recent Tailoring Legends exhibition inside Il Chiostro Del Bramante, an architectural jewel in the Centro Storico of Rome. One example:  the crafted silk jacquard shawl-collar white tuxedo that Regé-Jean Page wore to this year’s Academy Museum Gala. It was composed in fabric that replicates original tapestries from the Royal Palace at Caserta, the Versailles of Italy.

Another remarkable piece was the herringbone 24-karat tuxedo and matching shirt made from gold, extracted from ingots melted and applied to the threads. A perfect example of how Brioni under Stumpfl has revolutionized menswear fabrics.

Though what sets the house apart today is the couture-like quality to its raw materials, often sourced from suppliers using techniques invented in the Renaissance — from Veronese brocade jackets, which require 42 days of weaving to create, supplied by the Fondazione Arte della Seta in Florence, Tuscany’s greatest fabric repository, to the pure silk textured velvet Doge Tuxedo, handwoven on 19th-century jacquard hand looms balanced by wrought-iron weights in Genoa.

“It’s a very complicated loom that very few craftsmen know how to use anymore. A meticulous process that means you only produce a six or seven centimeters per day. That’s why it’s so expensive,” explains Stumpfl, standing beside a tuxedo priced at around €100,000 (approx. $115,800). The designer has a mania for such materials; his iPhone has a map of Italy, dotted with images of dozens of mills.

Other ideas emerge from experiments in Brioni’s studio, like a remarkable iridescent tuxe made of hundreds of horizontal ribbons granting a unique ripple effect. “We had been playing around with ribbons late one night, and the effect was so special I said, ‘let’s make a whole jacket.’ It reminds me of a quiet lake at midnight after someone threw in a stone,” smiles Stumpfl.

Beside tailoring, Stumpfl has dreamed up his own take on the menswear garment of the moment — the shirt-jacket. Brioni’s version is in the lightest of spongy cashmere, knitted by a team of local women outside Florence — another secret resource.

“They are incredible pieces, the best thing I have seen in months. So airy and soft, you just have to buy one. Then you go home and want to buy two more,” enthuses Bruce Pask, the senior director of men’s fashion of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and thus the most influential menswear buyer on the planet.

“I’d say that when it comes to creating that sweet spot of great tailoring with truly special fabrics, Norbert is unrivaled,” he says.

Norbet’s other great innovation is levity, a key trend in menswear, driven by the demand for post-Covid ease and by global warming. A superb double-breasted blazer worn by actor Oscar Isaac in a recent campaign practically floats in the air — modern day matinée idol mode. That said, when things get chilly, Brioni also has gray great coats made of American crocodile, though again artfully shaved to take away the traditional shine.

Historically, Brioni is credited with staging the first menswear show in history in Florence in 1952; of inventing the trunk show; and dressing John Wayne, Carey Grant, and Clark Gable.  Like the Gotha of the Golden Age of Hollywood, our soirée ended with multiple negronis. Faintly blasphemously in the cloister’s sacristy.

The founders opened a plant and tailoring school in the 1950s in Penne, in the mountainous Abruzzi region, that still operates today. Luxury group Kering acquired Brioni in 2011, and since then it hasn’t staged a show. Stumpfl prefers to hold elegant presentations in palazzos, with life models or stockmen placed beside Renaissance statuary.

Stumpfl is not your typical tailor. Born in rural Austria, he studied in fashion’s most famous college, St Martin’s in London, where he met his wife, a freelance designer— both went on to work for Alexander McQueen on several of his most notable shows. A stint working in Paris for Alber Elbaz, the Lanvin designer who died during Covid, added a layer of Paris couture sophistication to his armory.

McQueen’s sense of iconoclasm is apparent in a diamond-pattern Barathea evening jacket finished with martellato, or tiny hammered plates, culled from Opus Romanus, an Ancient Roman technique. While nearby a Luce jacket shimmers thanks to being embroidered with tiny micro baguettes. “The needles they use to sew these are as thin as hair,” Stumpfl marvels inside the beautiful Chiostro del Bramante.

Bramante, one recalls, was the out-of-town architect who brought the High Renaissance style to Rome. Which in a sense is what Norbert Stumpfl has achieved as well — overseen the renaissance of cool and cultivated menswear at the Eternal City’s most innovative tailor.

Laduora’s Lumeo device delivers powerful antiaging benefits in efficient, three-minute at-home sessions. Laduora’s Lumeo device delivers powerful antiaging benefits in efficient, three-minute at-home sessions.

MASK Architects’ Solaris features two deployable wings covered in solar panels. MASK Architects’ Solaris features two deployable wings covered in solar panels.

Our drinks columnist samples a stella lineup of American whiskey — and suggests you do the same, quickly. 

And you know what? I regret it, because by the end it was totally shot; its elaborate layers of spice, incense, and fruit had become as woody and lifeless as an antique wardrobe. The moral of the tale is carpe diem. Because, whatever people tell you, spirits do fade. It takes time – often years – but once they’re opened oxygen always gets to them in the end.

That rye was on my mind at the preview of the new Antique Collection from Buffalo Trace, a sought-after capsule of whiskeys that, happily for me, includes a Sazerac 18 year old.

If you’re a US whiskey fan, then Buffalo Trace needs no introduction. The Kentucky operation is America’s oldest continuously operating distillery, and one of only six that were allowed to keep making whiskey during Prohibition (for so-called ‘medical’ purposes). And it’s been a pioneer in both bourbon and rye creation for over 200 years.

The six-bottle Antique Collection represents the pinnacle of what this distillery makes, showcasing its bourbons and ryes matured under different conditions and for an exceptional number of years. Official retail prices are relatively modest – around £150 (approx. $199) per bottle; but competition is fierce. If you look online you’ll find previous editions of Sazerac 18 now changing hands for around $2,000 a throw.

The most sought-after in this year’s collection is likely to be EH Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon (50 percent ABV) – the first new expression to join the range since 2006. Named for Buffalo Trace’s pioneering founder, Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor JR, it’s aged for 15 years and four months in the distillery’s Warehouse C, a cool, dark environment that’s particularly suited to extra-long ageing (and which was also Taylor’s favourite). The bourbon is intense but balanced, with notes of marzipan, cherry drops, varnished woods, and sweet spice.

Buffalo Trace’s beloved Eagle Rare bourbon also crops up in the Collection in a maturer guise, as Eagle Rare 17 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon (50.5 percent ABV) (though the liquid is actually aged for over 18 years). The extra-long maturation gives the bourbon dryer woody tobacco and leather characters, that marry nicely with sweeter notes of fruit coulis and vanilla.

This year’s George T Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon comes in at a whopping 71.4 percent ABV – so it’s best enjoyed with a drop of water. It’s the same mash bill, or recipe, as the EH Taylor and Eagle Rare but none of it is aged in Warehouse C, which gives the 15-year-old bourbon a bolder style – I got ginger, incense-y baking spices, and raisin cookies.

William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon (64.5 percent ABV) is named for the distiller who pioneered wheated bourbon – a softer, sweeter style of whiskey which uses wheat, rather than rye, as the second most dominant grain in the mash bill, after corn. Aged for 12 years and 7 months, and bottled at 64.5 percent ABV, this whiskey is also best with a drop of water which releases notes of custard, vanilla, pipe tobacco, and nut butter, and loosens up its creamy, elegant texture.

That’s the bourbons. There are also two ryes, starting with Thomas H Handy Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (63.9 percent ABV), which is named in honor of the New Orleans businessman who first had the idea, in the 19th century, of using rye whiskey in a Sazerac cocktail. This six-year-old is a young, feisty rye that pops with spice and a mouthwatering, quite tart green apple note. With time and water it mellows into apple pie, vanilla, and an appetising touch of salt.

Finally, the celebrated Sazerac 18 year old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (45 percent ABV). Rye whiskey can be hard to come by at the best of times, but it’s exceptionally rare to find a great one this old. The rye grain gives it a very lifted, herbaceous/floral aroma: dill, violets, caraway. On the palate it offers up linseed oil, fig rolls, supple leather, nutty rye bread, and sweet caraway seed. A really dazzling example of how well American whiskey can age. My advice would be: drink now – don’t wait!

Where to Find the 2025 Collection

US: RPM Seafood, Chicago; Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco; Low Boy, Los Angeles or online at rocospirits.com, hiproof.com, cypresscraft.com

UK: The American Bar at The Savoy, London; Dram, London; The Connaught, London or online at harrods.com, hedonism.com, fortnumandmason.com

Available from mid-December, £150 (approx. $198) per bottle

The Swiss watch world has mined the 1970s and ’80s for inspiration in recent years. Now, just like Backstreet, the ’90s are back… all right! 

They contrast, too, with the rather less appetizing ’80s models that — with the exception of Chopard’s recent reworking of its glamorous mid-1980s ski bunny, St Moritz, as the Alpine Eagle — didn’t produce many highlights.

Back in the ’90s, having survived the quartz crisis, which saw affordable electronic watches from Japan decimate the market for mechanical watchmaking, the Swiss watch industry was back on its feet. And no brand more so than Omega, which became a leading figure in the watchmaking revival. On the wrist of megawatt signing Cindy Crawford, Omega reinvented the women’s watch as a quotidian luxury instead of a cocktail trinket.

Enter the dainty yet high-glam two-tone Omega Constellation, which, as the adverts featuring Crawford trumpeted, was her choice. It’s now also the choice of her daughter, fellow Omega ambassador Kaia Gerber, who is following in her mother’s footsteps with eerie symmetry.

With its diamond and mother-of-pearl combination, the Constellation, like the other pieces here, blends femininity with craft and versatility; all can slip seamlessly from day to night.

Another classic back with a glow-up is Cartier’s Baignoire. While this collection takes its lead from a piece originally introduced in 1912, it was in the ’90s that it really resonated, seemingly embodying haute couture in horological form.

Speaking of Paris, the City of Light’s other grande dame also has her finger very much on the pulse. Back in 1986, the Première was Chanel’s first foray into watchmaking, inspired — like the No 5 perfume bottle stopper — by the aerial view of Place Vendôme.

But, as hinted by the elegant braided bracelet of the new Chanel Première Galon, the ’90s was when this Concorde-worthy status symbol really took flight, worn with matching 11.12 quilted purse and rose-red lipstick. That braided band, or galon in French, is totemic chez Chanel, as it’s the twisted hem that lends structure to every suit jacket.

And what of that ’70s disruptor, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak? The exposed screws and steely industrial facets of Gérald Genta’s original Jumbo design of 1972 has translated fabulously to cocktail proportions. What lends extra power-suited clout is its hammered texture, wrought via a historic handcraft that’s been ceded to AP through its work with Florentine fine jeweler Carolina Bucci.

As a decade, the ’90s always had something of the magpie about it, from pop music to street style. But as its revival continues, what that means in watch terms is pure elevation.

Five-star lodges successfully deliver culinary pedigree despite calling some of the world’s least-populated places home. Five-star lodges successfully deliver culinary pedigree despite calling some of the world’s least-populated places home.

Your guide to the standout hotels coming in 2026 – and why they’re already getting everyone talking. 

Looking back, 2025 delivered some heavy hitters: Waldorf Astoria New York finally reopened after an eight-year closure (only a couple of months shy of its suggested spring date), and One&Only Moonlight Basin swung open its doors in November.

But now, we’re looking forward and it’s all eyes on what’s going to make headlines in 2026. London is stealing the spotlight with not one but four major openings – including Six Senses’ first UK property. Meanwhile, momentum in the Middle East shows no sign of slowing, with Regent set to open its first regional hotel in Jeddah, and new openings in Amalaa amping up as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program edges closer.

There’s also big news from the tail end of 2025 that will define the year ahead: the launch of Emblems Collection, Accor’s newest luxury portfolio (joining the likes of Raffles, Banyan Tree, and Fairmont). Announced in November 2025, with the takeover of Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa in the UK’s Wiltshire, in 2026 the brand is rolling out five properties across Europe and the US. We’ll be watching closely to see how it distinguishes itself within Accor’s already stacked lineup.

Americas

The Knox, Auberge Collection, Dallas

Opening late 2026, Martin Brudnizki will bring his signature maximalist style to Dallas’s lively Knox Street neighborhood. The hotel will sit close to one of the city’s most-loved attractions – the 3.5-mile Katy Trail, an urban green belt built along a former railway line, ideal if you want to explore Dallas on foot. Alongside 140 rooms, guests can expect a fitness studio, spa, and an outdoor pool.

auberge.com

Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection, Canadian Rockies

Above the Rockies’ Bow Valley, on the slopes of Sulphur Mountain, Rimrock Banff will be the debut North American property for Accor’s Emblems Collection. The hotel will connect directly to Banff National Park, to offer year-round access to outdoor activities, whether skiing, hiking, or mountain biking. It will also be within walking distance of downtown Banff, the Gondola, and the Upper Hot Springs. For those who like sticking close to home base, Rimrock Banff will also house a spa with a mountainside infinity pool, saunas, and meditation rooms for a more relaxing getaway.

rimrockresort.com

Amanvari, Costas Palmas, Mexico

One of the most intimate openings of the year, Amanvari is arriving this spring on the East Cape of Baja California with just 18 casitas. Expect Aman’s pared-back aesthetic, an Aman Spa and signature dining spaces, all built from earthy materials like local stone and tropical hardwood, accented with Mexican ceramics and art. With views across beachfront, desert, and estuary, minimalist interiors will emphasize views of the Sea of Cortez and the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains. Activities include snorkelling, sailing, and diving from the marina and yacht club, plus hiking and visits to nearby organic farms and orchards.

aman.com

Santa Lucia Jungle Hacienda, Costa Rica

A convenient 90-minute drive from Costa Rica’s San José, Santa Lucia Jungle Hacienda, an Autograph Collection Hotel, will sit between rainforest and river at the base of Carara National Park. The 97-room resort, due in winter 2026, will offer riverside pools, Costa Rican cuisine, and excursions such as wildlife walks, guided hikes, boat safaris, and horseback riding, offering guests prime access to the country’s famous wildlife and untamed jungle landscape.

marriott.com

Four Seasons Resort & Residences Caye Chapel, Belize

Over in sunny Belize, next year, Four Seasons will launch its first private-island property: a 104-key resort on the edge of the Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, part of the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. If you’re looking for prime access, 18 overwater bungalows – reportedly the first in the region – will sit close to the island’s marine life and reef systems.

fourseasons.com

One GT, George Town, Grand Cayman

One GT will be a 144-ft glass tower with 95 condo-style suites designed for a home-from-home feel, overlooking George Town’s waterfront. Coming to Grand Cayman in winter 2026, the hotel will host the island’s first rooftop infinity pool, plus an additional third-floor pool deck and three dining concepts: French-Mediterranean, Asian fusion and an Italian bakery and café. And we love a resort with private butler service and the option for in-room or rooftop spa treatments.

onegt.com

Europe

Waldorf Astoria London, Admiralty Arch, London, UK

After reopening its New York flagship this year, Waldorf Astoria is turning its attention to London. The brand is restoring the Grade I–listed Admiralty Arch, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria. The Admiralty Arch also happens to be positioned at the end of The Mall and just opposite Buckingham Palace, making it a prime spot for visitors. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, culinary direction will come from Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud, who between them share seven Michelin stars across their restaurant portfolios.

hilton.com

Cambridge House Auberge, London, UK

Coming this summer, Auberge Resorts Collection is transforming one of London’s Grade I–listed Palladian townhouses — formerly the In and Out Military Club — into Cambridge House Auberge. Overlooking Green Park towards Buckingham Palace, the 102-room hotel will welcome Major Food Group’s Major Grill, the group’s second in the capital, following the success of Carbone at Chancery Rosewood. The hotel’s double-level spa will draw inspiration from Roman bathhouses, featuring hydrotherapy facilities, two heated pools, and a circular relaxation lounge with a fire pit.

auberge.com

Six Senses London, UK

The Six Senses London, the brand’s first UK outpost, will allegedly arrive early 2026 (we’ve been waiting for this one for a while). The hotel will sit inside the reimagined Whitely Department Store, in the less-visited Queensway. With 109 rooms and suites, the hotel’s centrepiece will be the Six Senses Spa, home to a large swimming pool, biohacking recovery lounge, cryotherapy, saunas, steam rooms, plunge pools, and an aerial-yoga studio. The property will also introduce Six Senses Place, a private members’ concept, with specific details remaining under wraps.

sixsenses.com

The Shepherd Mayfair, London, UK

The Shepherd Mayfair will revive one of Mayfair’s earliest residential mansions in boutique luxury. The 82 guest rooms will be spread across six floors, with a British brasserie on the first floor and a lounge for coffee, pastries, and light lunches. A highlight will be Teddy’s, which promises to revive the Mayfair bar vibe from the 1960s and will be hidden on the lower ground, accessible via a secret Market Mews entrance and staircase.

theshepherdmayfair.com

Masseria Furnirussi, Emblems Collection, Puglia, Italy

One of Emblems Collection’s European debuts, Masseria Furnirussi will channel the relaxed energy of coastal Puglia. Set within Europe’s largest fig orchard, the hotel reimagines a traditional masseria in local white stone, surrounded by fruit trees and herb gardens. Sixty suites, many with private pools or terraces, look onto an oak-lined lagoon pool. Guests can unwind at the Purist Retreat & Spa, while dining will draw heavily on Puglia’s culinary traditions.

group.accor.com

Africa

Anantara Kafue River Tented Camp, Zambia

Anantara’s first safari property, opening in April 2026, will sit in Kafue National Park, Zambia’s oldest and largest reserve. Built on rosewood platforms at canopy height to protect the land below, the camp will feature 10 villas and three Horizon Terrace Suites. Beyond game drives, guests can join night safaris, try glamping experiences and enjoy riverbank picnics.

anatara.com

Middle East & Asia

Regent Jeddah Corniche, Saudi Arabia

Marking Regent’s first hotel in the Middle East, Regent Jeddah Corniche will occupy a waterfront location, with impressive views over some of the region’s highlights: the F1 racetrack, the Red Sea, and, of course, its namesake the Corniche. At 29 stories high, the hotel will be home to 182 rooms and five penthouses, with the world’s first Regent Spa.

ihg.com