april-2010

SPRING 2010
THE MAGAZINE

Great Exuma,
BAHAMAS
ENJOY FINE DINING &
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fl avours that span the world’s great cultures. Th e gourmet
restaurants available are:
• Barefoot by the Sea - Off ers a variety of diff erent types
of seafood fresh from the Bahamian waters
• Th e Drunken Conch - A traditional British Pub
serving up local and imported ales as well as
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• Il Cielo - Serves traditional Tuscan dishes, such as
Bistecca Fiorentina and Risotto alla Milanese
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off ering unparalleled views along the turquoise waters of
the Caribbean Sea.
• Dinos - An authentic wood-fi red brick oven pizzeria
serving made-to-order, hand-tossed pizzas laden with
a choice of delectable toppings
• Bahama Bay – Off ers fi ve types of breakfast from
around the world. As the sun sets enjoy the ultimate
in Mediterranean cuisine
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PHOTO JIMMY NELSON
www.shamballajewels.com
+45 33 36 59 59
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©KHALEDNAGY
Desert safari
in Siwa, Egypt
PRIVATDIARY 15
Huon Mallalieu on forthcoming
international arts events
PRIVATCOLLECTOR 20
Huon Mallalieu fi nds the Fleming
collection of Scottish art a role
model for corporate collectors
PRIVATSELECTION 26
Ken Kessler focuses his glasses on
the world of 3D technology
PRIVATDINING 30
Jennifer Sharp goes local in
London, Paris and New York
PRIVATFLIGHT 34
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker looks
at the latest light sport aircraft
PRIVATPERSON 40
Edward Bowyer meets Boris Becker,
youngest-ever Wimbledon tennis
champion turned business winner
PRIVATISLANDS 44
Lydia Bell visits the Turks & Caicos
and fi nds that, although there has
been trouble, it is still paradise
PRIVATESCAPE 50
Teresa Levonian Cole travels to Siwa,
an ancient oasis in Egypt’s beautiful
but little-known Western Desert
PRIVATTRAVEL 58
Rory Ross goes for gold at
Australia’s Super Pit in Kalgoorlie

L’Ame du Voyage gold
necklace with yellow
and white diamonds,
multicoloured sapphires,
spinels and garnets, louis
vuitton; illustrated by
Christian David Moore
PRIVATFASHION 64
Get inspired at a Mad Hatter’s Tea
Party in London’s Kew Gardens
PRIVATJEWELS 70
Vivienne Becker discovers gems
just made for contemporary travel
PRIVATSTAR 75
Gabrielle Donnelly talks to
Up in the Air star Anna Kendrick
PRIVATAIR 79
News and developments from the
world’s most exclusive airline

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THEREISNOTHINGLIKEediting this magazine for
discovering nuggets of information, useless and otherwise. I’d
never thought about how much gold there was in the world
but now learn that it would only cover a tennis court to a
height of 31 metres. It seems incredibly little. Which takes
me neatly on to our main interview with Boris Becker, who
found gold on court and has continued to do so in business,
although we can reveal here that he missed the chance of
signing up both the young Roger Federer and his rival
Rafael Nadal. Quite a double, but unsurprisingly, he prefers
not to dwell on it, which is perhaps why he is so successful.
No regrets and on to the next.
Apart from bullion, coinage and dentistry (which I’d
rather not think about), our most visible use of gold is in
jewellery and our relationship with it in this form goes
back to the dawn of civilisation. In this issue, we show some
of the most imaginative ways of using the precious metal,
LYDIABELL
WRITER
Lydia Bell is a travel writer and
editor and contributing editor of
Harper’s Bazaar, who has been on
staff at The Australian newspaper,
the Financial Times and the
Daily Mail. She has lived in
Sydney, Madrid, Bombay, Athens,
Havana and Edinburgh, but is
now back home in southeast
London, having returned from
an extended honeymoon in Cuba.
PrivatContributors
FROMTHEEDITOR
Gold st andard
and for the fi rst time, have asked an artist to illustrate the
article, which makes the jewels seem even more fantastic.
Th e fantasy theme continues in the fashion pages, which
are inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Always ahead of the game,
we interviewed Johnny Depp, star of Tim Burton’s new 3D
fi lm version, last year. Now we take a closer look at the whole
3D phenomenon and ask whether it will really take off this
time. Maybe if you could do without the goggles?
Th e Fleming family are best known for helping people
look after their accumulated gold (and other assets), but they
also know a thing or two about collecting, having chosen
Scottish art when it was still undervalued. Very canny, these
Scots. Cleverer anyway than cousin Ian Fleming’s bestknown
villain, Auric Goldfi nger, whose pursuit of gold did
him no good in the end. Gold lovers take note.
CELESTRIANOEL
CONTRIBUTORS
CHRISTIANDAVID
MOORE
ILLUSTRATOR
From a highly creative family, he’s
worked on projects for internet, TV
and print and on interior design
commissions. As an illustrator his
clients include Max Factor, Condé
Nast Traveller and Elle. He also has
a book coming out in 2011. He has
a passion for variety: ‘If I can see
a fi nished piece in my mind’s eye I
know that I can create it.’
LUCYFITZGEORGE-
PARKER
WRITER
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker worked in
the City before moving into
journalism. She left her position as
deputy editor at Business Traveller
UK edition in November 2009 to
take a fast-track yachtmaster course,
and now writes regularly on business,
aviation and sailing for publications
including CNBC Business, the Sunday
Telegraph and Yachting Monthly.
SPRING
EDITOR
Celestria Noel
DESIGNDIRECTOR
Jonny Clark
DESIGNER
Gary Puntorno
GROUPPICTUREEDITOR
Helen Cathcart
GROUPCHIEFSUB-EDITOR
Steve Handley
SUB-EDITOR
Yvonne Chung
TYPOGRAPHY
Neutraface type by House Industries
& Max Rhodes by Eduardo Recife
PRODUCTIONMANAGER
Ana Vazquez /Antonia Ferraro
REPROGRAPHICS
KFR Reprographics
PRINTING
Polestar Wheatons
LOGISTICS
www.goferslogistics.com
GROUPPUBLISHING
DIRECTOR
Giles Morgan
giles.morgan@ink-publishing.com
SALESMANAGER
Samantha Andrews
samantha.andrews@ink-publishing.com
CREATIVEDIRECTOR
Michael Keating
PUBLISHINGDIRECTOR
Simon Leslie
CHIEFOPERATINGOFFICER
Hugh Godsal
CHIEFEXECUTIVE
Jeff rey O’Rourke
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is prohibited without prior permission from the
publisher. Opinions expressed in PrivatAir the
Magazine are not necessarily those of PrivatAir

US-West: Ron Rouse – Ron.Rouse@Harman.com
US-East: Pat Gaffney – Patrick.Gaffney@Harman.com
Europe, Middle East, Africa: Andy Baker – Andy.Baker@Harman.com
Latin America: Gabriela Arango – Gabriela.Arango@Harman.com
Asia: Matthew Tan – Matthew.Tan@Harman.com

C&N marks are registered trademarks used under licence by CNI. Photos: All rights reserved
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PrivatDiary
ARTWORLD
huon mallalieu previews forthcoming
international arts and cultural events
LONDON
Battle of the fairs
INTHEDAYSWHENTHEREreally
was a London social season, it
opened with the Royal Academy’s
Summer Exhibition followed by
the Grosvenor House Fine Art
and Antiques Fair. Th is year, the
Academy duly opens its doors on
14 June, but Grosvenor House is
no more. Despite a very successful
fair last year – the 75th – the hotel’s
accountants could not see beyond
the end of their balance sheets.
Its loss was an unexpected
blow to an antiques trade already
reeling from the news that the
Olympia International Art &
Antiques Fair (4-13 June), which
coincided with Grosvenor, had
been taken over by David and Lee
Ann Lester, the characterful Palm
Beach organisers. Grosvenor was
primarily a showcase for the best
of the British trade, but the two
fairs, together with exhibitions
and auctions, drew international
collectors, dealers and curators.
It was immediately obvious that
this was a gap to be fi lled and
several new fairs have duly been
announced, to compete with each
other and Olympia.
Art Antiques London
(9-16 June) will be in a marquee
in Hyde Park, opposite the Royal
Albert Hall and almost on the site
of the 1851 Great Exhibition. It
is organised by veterans Brian and
Anna Haughton, who introduced
the idea of fully vetted fairs to
America and it incorporates
dealers from their long-running
International Ceramics Fair, along
with a number of heavyweights
from other disciplines.
However, a number of former
Grosvenor exhibitors and other
dealers then announced that they
would be launching their own fair,
named Masterpiece, in a temporary
structure on the former Chelsea
Barracks site in Chelsea Bridge
Road (24-29 June). So far, they
have attracted support from such
respected fi gures as Peter Finer, the
leading arms and armour dealer, and
sculpture specialists the Tomasso
Brothers from Leeds. Art and
antiques are to be mixed with
luxury goods, a formula that has
been tried, not always successfully,
in Moscow and elsewhere.
What a pity they couldn’t all
have got together earlier on. Th e
quality of the Masterpiece and
Art & Antiques dealers as well
as the organisational brilliance
of the Haughtons would have
more than compensated for the
loss of Grosvenor. As it is, they
may struggle to attract visitors to
London in their diff erent weeks,
especially since the major auctions
nowadays take place in early July.
www.royalacademy.org.uk
www.lifaf.com
www.haughton.com
www.masterpiecefair.com
Fifteen
A monumental, over life-sized
torso of Dionysus, Cahn
International at Masterpiece

THEBERLINBIENNALEFÜR
ZEITGENÖSSISCHEKUNST
(contemporary art), which takes
place over two months every other
year, was founded in March 1996
by Klaus Biesenbach, founding
director of Kunst-Werke Institute
for Contemporary Art in Berlin,
and a group of collectors and
patrons of the arts including
Eberhard Mayntz, a property
developer and notable art patron.
Th e inspiration came from the
previous year’s Vienna Biennale
and the need to heighten the profi le
of contemporary arts in Berlin.
Biesenberg has since made
a great name for himself in New
Unknown Sports
by Nilbar Güreş,
2009, c-print
PrivatDiary
BERLIN
Contemporary capital
York, where he has been chief
curator of MoMA’s department
of media, and in January 2010,
he was appointed Director of
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center,
a MoMA associate. He continues
to be a powerful infl uence in
Berlin and is a founding director
of the Biennale, while Mayntz
remains as chairman of the board.
Th e aim is to organise a
representative, international
exhibition of contemporary
art, focusing on less established
younger artists. Each biennale
is curated by a diff erent individual
or team. Biesenbach took the
artistic helm of the fi rst in
Thirty-Two Sixteen
cooperation with Nancy Spector
and Hans Ulrich Obrist.
For the second, the baton was
passed to Saskia Bos, who was
followed by Ute Meta Bauer in
2004. Th e fourth was curated by
Maurizio Cattelan, Massimiliano
Gioni and Ali Subotnick, and
Adam Szymczyk led the fi fth
in 2008, with Elena Filipovic as
co-curator. Th is year, from 11 June
to 8 August Kathrin Rhomberg,
a curator with a formidable record
in central Europe, is in charge.
A particular aim of the
Biennale is to give young artists
the opportunity to introduce
themselves to broad sections
of the public and not just in
Berlin. Rhomberg’s programme
began well before the actual
opening, with the project Artists
Beyond, in which seven artists
based in diff erent European cities
have been creating work for
display, with their local public
encouraged to observe their
processes and progress.
Although the Biennale has
an essentially public character, it
also has an inner forum bringing
together event organisers,
artists, curators, selected critics,
cooperation partners, sponsors
and promoters.
www.berlinbiennale.de
COPYRIGHT©NILBARGURES

COPYRIGHT©OFFICEKITANOINCPHOTOANDRÉMORIN
Dharma by
Takeshi Kitano,
2010
TAKESHIKITANOOTHERWISE
known by the stage name Beat
Takeshi, is a man of a bewildering
number of talents. He is a fi lmmaker,
actor and comedian, a screenwriter,
author and poet, a TV presenter
and host, and also a painter and
sometime video games designer.
His fi rst job on dropping out
of a university engineering course
was as a lift boy in a strip club. As
a fi lmmaker he has been described
as ‘the true successor to Kurosawa’,
and his television gameshow
Takeshi’s Castle has a cult following
not only in Japan, but also in the US
(known as MXC or Most Extreme
Challenge), the United Kingdom,
Indonesia and elsewhere.
Yet another string to his bow is
apparent in a show-cum-installationcum-experience
at the Fondation
PrivatDiary
PARIS
Th e beat goes on
Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain
in Paris. Gosse de Peintre, which
runs on the Boulevard Raspail until
12 September, combines paintings
and videos, astonishing objects and
settings and whimsical and fantastic
machines. Kitano leads the visitor
through surprises, gags and games,
all the while mocking contemporary
art, experimenting with ‘knowledge’,
and toying with clichés associated
with his country. He has never
before shown his artwork in a
museum and this show is the result
of a meeting followed by long
discussions with the Fondation’s
director, Hervé Chandès.
He has transformed the
museum into a kaleidoscopic
amusement park in which all his
worlds play parts. Popular culture,
scientifi c inquiry, the imaginary and
Seventeen
the satirical, tradition and education,
the beautiful and the kitsch are all
intermingled: a universe as joyful
as it is rich and complex.
Here is Kitano’s theory on the
disappearance of the dinosaurs,
there he poses mathematical
problems and scientifi c metaphors,
or presents the secret plans of
the Imperial Japanese army.
Transgenic fi sh, pre-stuff ed with
delectable sushi rolls, consort
with chimeras, while a recalcitrant
criminal escapes hanging. After
having visited an array of funfair
attractions such as a waffl e
stand, a cabinet of curiosities
and a marionette theatre, visitors
both young and old can assess
their own artistic talents in
various workshops.
www.fondation.cartier.com

Below: Bupleurum
rotundifolium.
Right: Northia
hornei, Foliage,
Flowers, and
Fruit of the
Capucin Tree of
the Seychelles by
Marianne North
ONMAYthe Prince of Wales launched an appeal, on behalf of
the Millennium Seed Bank, a project to collect and conserve plant seeds
from all over the world. He must be delighted that in 2010, the Royal
Botanical Gardens Kew and its international partners have already
banked 10 per cent of the world’s wild plant species and are en route
to banking another 15 per cent (45,000 species) by 2020. Th e work
will aid plant science knowledge, help to restore damaged habitats
and have its part to play, both in combating climate change and helping
cure many human ills, besides helping to feed the world. Indeed the
importance of the work is hard to overstate – it is the world’s only
insurance policy against extinction of many of these species.
Discovering rare species was a favourite activity of 19th-century
plant hunters and explorers, and among the most interesting was
Marianne North. In 1871, aged 40, North began a 13-year series of
unaccompanied journeys – visiting many places that were virtually
unknown to Europeans – in a search for rare plants, which she recorded
in paint. She travelled across America, Canada, Jamaica, Brazil, Tenerife,
Japan, Singapore, Sarawak, Java, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, the Seychelles and Chile. North spent almost
PrivatDiary
LONDON
Kew up
Eighteen
18 months travelling in India and in Brazil, she spent 13 months braving
the interior, making long and arduous journeys across rough terrain.
She was fortunately well connected and made good use of these
contacts. North was invited to dine with the US president and the poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and throughout her adventures stayed
with acquaintances such as the Rajah and the Rani of Sarawak. At home,
her supporters included Edward Lear, Charles Darwin and Sir Joseph
Hooker, then director of Kew. North took a year off from travelling in
1881 to arrange her pictures in the gallery at Kew, which was built at her
own expense and designed by James Ferguson, the architectural historian.
North’s gallery, with most of the 833 close-hung paintings, has now
almost been fully restored with a £1.8m Heritage Lottery grant and
support from donors. By the end of the year, the remaining pictures
will have been conserved – for which sponsorship is invited – and already
it is a truly remarkable place to visit. Meanwhile, on a lighter note, multitalented
musician Jools Holland will open this year’s Summer Swing at
Kew from 6 to 10 July and will be followed by a number of notable
tribute acts, proving that Kew itself is pretty diverse in its off ering.
www.kew.org
COPYRIGHT©DWSTUDIOSLLCANDCOLDSPRINGPICTURESALLRIGHTSRESERVED

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“Not only mine, but a part of me”
H

PrivatCollector
Classy assets
The Fleming family has shown the world of finance how
to collect, with their unrivalled Scottish artworks being
admired by connoisseurs and the envy of their peers
and rivals, as huon mallalieu discovers
W
hen a selection –
of paintings from
the Fleming Bank
collection was
shown at the
National Galleries
of Scotland in 1995, the exhibition was
titled Hidden Assets. Th e Fleming
collection is an ever-more valuable asset, but
since 2000 it has hardly been hidden.
Th e partnership that became Robert
Fleming Holdings, one of the United
Kingdom’s most successful merchant banks,
was set up in 1909. It grew from the
business acumen and investment skills of
Robert Fleming from Dundee, who left
school at 13 to become a clerk in a jute
factory, made his fi rst serious money selling
sacks for sand-bags to both sides in the
American Civil War, and established an
investment trust in London in 1873 to
profi t from the American railway boom.
He then set up on his own in 1900
and continued in the business until
shortly before his death, aged 89, in
1933. Although established in the City
of London, the bank’s Scottish origins
were important to Fleming’s descendants
Twenty
indeed, until the sale to JP Morgan Chase
Manhattan in 2000, staff at the headquarters
were welcomed to work by a piper on three
mornings each week.
Naturally enough, the family – which
included the writers Peter and Ian Fleming
– were not the only Scots on the board, and
it was Aberdonian David Donald, who in
1968 fi rst suggested that life in the then
new offi ces in Crosby Square could be made
more enjoyable for all if a few pictures were
placed on the walls and that they should
be by Scottish artists. Donald, a lawyer
turned investment manager, had a life-long
enthusiasm for art and was given carte
blanche to buy pieces. In the early days,
there was no mention of a budget and
he only consulted the chairman when
making unusually expensive purchases.
For 18 years, Donald was, as Bill Smith
his successor put it: ‘A committee of one,
using his special blend of fl air and wit to
build up a fi ne collection of Scottish art.’
Luckily, until around 1980, Scottish art
was generally undervalued and remarkably
good purchases could be made. Th e Fine Art
Society in Bond Street was virtually the only
London dealer to show any interest and in

1970 held exhibitions of the
Glasgow School and the Scottish
Colourists. However, it was in the
1980s that prices began to soar.
In the late 1970s, a good work
by the Colourist S J Peploe could
be had for £5,000; in 1988 his
Girl in White sold at Christie’s
in Glasgow for £506,000. From
an early stage, it was not just
established 18th-, 19th- and
early-20th-century art that was
bought, but the works of modern
and living artists were also sought
after and secured. Th is injected
an element of patronage into
the bank’s collecting activities.
Donald continued to be
responsible for the collection after
his retirement from Flemings in
1984, but a year later he died
unexpectedly following a short
illness. His achievement had just
been recognised in a rare and
fi tting manner, by his election
as an honorary member of the
Royal Scottish Academy.
Directorial responsibility for
sculpture as well as paintings
had fallen to Robin Fleming, a
grandson of the founder, and he
brought in Bill Smith, who says:
‘When I joined Flemings in 1965,
I had no great enthusiasm for art. However, seeing the
collection gradually building up around me, I began to take
an interest – an interest that soon became a passion.’ So much
so that Smith took early retirement from the corporate fi nance
department to fully concentrate on the art.
An immediate task was to supervise the move to a new
HQ in Copthall Avenue, a building designed by Fitzroy
Robinson & Partners, which came to provide one of the most
striking visual experiences to visitors of any interior in the City.
Th e architects were briefed to consider the collection’s display
a priority and this resulted in the spectacular use of the glasswalled
atrium. It was topped by a glass roof and served by glass
lifts from which the galleries of pictures could be seen. Much
consideration was given to the balance of lighting, so that the
art could be enjoyed without suff ering damage. Each offi ce
was provided with one or two paintings, which were regularly
circulated, sometimes despite the protests of temporary
custodians who had fallen in love with them.
At that point there were about 450 paintings in the
collection. It has since grown to nearly twice that number. Th e
sale of the merchant bank in 2000 did not mean the end of
PrivatCollector
‘Seeing the collection gradually
building around me I began to take an
interest that soon became a passion’
Flemings as a force in the world of investment, and a side eff ect
was the projection of the collection onto a much larger stage.
Fleming Family & Partners was set up to manage the assets
of the family and an increasing number of outside clients.
Th e clan’s infl uence is still strong. Adam Fleming, a former
chairman of Harmony Gold, is chairman of Fleming Family
& Partners and two more Flemings, Valentine and Philip,
are non-executives along with another member of the family,
Richard Schuster.
Th e collection emerged from the offi ces to become a
registered charity in 2000, the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation
– of which Robin, Roddy and Rory Fleming are all trustees –
and the handsome gallery at 13 Berkeley Street in Mayfair,
between Berkeley Square and Piccadilly, opened to the public
at the start of 2002. As a result of neglect south of the border,
which had been so ably exploited by Donald to the advantage
of the collection in its early days, Scottish art is poorly
represented in museums and galleries beyond Scotland, and
it is a principal aim of the foundation to remedy this situation.
It not only displays and exhibits works from the collection
itself, but also houses shows drawn from other private and
Twenty-Three
Previous page:
Robert Fleming;
Jean Maconochie
by J D Fergusson,
1902. Th is page: the
gallery in Mayfair,
home to the
Fleming collection

Below: Green Sea,
Iona by S J Peploe,
1920; HRH Th e
Duchess of Cornwall,
patron of the Public
Catalogue Foundation,
with Robin Fleming,
chairman of the
Trustees of the
Fleming-Wyfold
Art Foundation, at
the Face of Scotland
exhibition; Ian Fleming;
David Donald
PrivatCollector
public collections of Scottish art and, as has often been said,
acts as Scotland’s cultural embassy in the English capital.
Some of the collection, when not put on display in the gallery,
still serves the original purpose and gives pleasure to those who
work in Fleming family’s offi ces and boardroom nearby. Th e whole
progress and development of the Fleming collection could surely
be off ered as a template to any corporation wishing to improve the
lives of those working for it, to provide a benefi t to a much wider
public, and almost incidentally to make a very sound investment.
Since 1997, the curator – now Keeper of Art – has been Selina
Skipwith, whose connection goes further back in a peripheral way,
since she is the daughter of Peyton Skipwith, who for many
Twenty-Four
years was joint managing director of the Fine Art
Society, a source of many fi ne things in the collection.
Th is year, for the fi rst time, the collection will be putting
up a selling show, thus continuing the Fleming
tradition of acting as patron to contemporary artists.
It will be a Scottish summer show, opening with
a gala in June at the time of the Royal Academy event
on which it is based. Th is will follow on from the
current show Highlands and Islands: Painting and
Poems (running to 5 June), which has been selected
from the collection by Mary Miers, architectural writer
and arts and books editor of Country Life, to coincide
with the publication Miers’ book of the same name.
Th e idea of a guest curator was taken further in
two shows called Inspired, which have now provided
the foundation with the book to celebrate its 10th
anniversary. Favourite pieces were chosen by artists,
curators, museum directors, gallery owners, collectors,
Flemings staff and other friends of the collection. Each
wrote a few paragraphs to explain their choice. Two
of the creators of the collection were among them.
Robin Fleming selected Lochaber No More by
John Watson Nicol (1856-1926), a title taken from
a pibroch, or pipe lament, particularly associated with
the grim experience of so many Scottish emigrants.
He writes: ‘Th e plight of the Highlanders was a
favoured subject of Victorian artists, whose depictions
of bailiff s seizing chattels in lieu of rent, evictions and
emigrations found a ready audience in England… Th e
simplicity of the composition and sketchy suggestion
of the west coast of Scotland give the departing
couple and their dog a sense of majesty and humility.’
Perhaps surprisingly, Bill Smith’s choice was not
Sir David Young Cameron, on whom he has written
an excellent book, but James Pryde (1866-1941), of
whom, he says, had barely heard before purchasing
Th e Unknown Corner in 1988. ‘I was immediately
captivated by this master of suggestion, his subject
matter at times romantic, mysterious, claustrophobic,
mouldering, sinister, menacing and – not infrequently
– all of these. I acquired Th e Unknown Corner for the
Fleming collection and bought a small oil study of
Th e Green Pool for myself. To this day these paintings
and their enigmatic creator never fail to move me.’
Th e Fleming-Wyfold Foundation and the collection
are very much about drawing people into a personal
relationship with the art. Although established and
supported by the family, current activities are further
funded by grants, donations and sponsorship, including
the Friends and Corporate Friends. At the end of 2006,
an endowment appeal for long-term funding began
with a target of £10m. To date it has raised £6.25m.
www.fl emingcollection.co.uk
COPYRIGHT©TOGETTY

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There is only one question in the big
and small screen world right now, says
ken kessler. 3D or not 3D?
WHATGOESONINVEGAS
does not stay in Vegas, at least
not if it goes on at the Consumer
Electronics Show, where 3D TV,
as anticipated, dominated. It is
the world’s largest exhibition, with
every major brand in attendance:
everyone – from consultants
and commentators to bloggers
– yielded to 3D, powered as it is
by the combined forces of the
electronics hardware manufacturers
and the fi lm industry, and left
Vegas talking about it.
James Cameron’s Avatar,
a watershed in the 3D saga, a
far cry from painful-to-watch
attempts from the 1950s onwards,
shows just how dazzling 3D can
be. It’s now the highest-grossing
fi lm in history, and consumers
now want that same buzz in the
home. Other 3D cinema features,
including the brilliant Alice In
Wonderland starring Johnny Depp,
and Toy Story 3, will hammer it
home this year, fuelling a taste
for in-your-face cinema.
Th e hardware suppliers will be
selling new displays and Blu-ray
players, while Hollywood will
be selling new discs. Cable and
satellite suppliers will profi t,
too, as the high-defi nition set-top
boxes already in place, such as
Sky+HD, are said to be ‘3D-ready’

PrivatSelection
Twenty-Seven

Forget 3D films dating
back to the 1950s, which
used green and red
cellophane-lensed goggles
PrivatSelection
without needing any changes
to the boxes themselves, which
should attract sports fans.
Critics have pointed out
that 3D viewing is, in part, a ruse
to get customers to buy more
fl atscreens and newer players.
LCD and plasma displays took
off so quickly that most homes
acquired them fast enough for
sales to have started levelling
off by 2009. Th e electronics
giants want us back in the stores,
and 3D has precisely the pizazz
to do it. How the public reacts to
needing both new screens and
new Blu-ray players so soon after
‘going digital’ in the fi rst place
may depend on what 3D material
is available, and how quickly.
Panasonic, Philips, Sony,
Samsung and nearly every other
fl at-display producer have 3Dcompatible
screens waiting in the
wings, while the ‘next generation’
Blu-ray players should appear
in quick succession. Sony’s UK
technical marketing manager,
Eric Kingdon, confi rms that
the industry’s roll-out of 3D
wares will occur from now on
through the autumn, suggesting
that by Christmas 2010, 3D will
be at the top of everyone’s list.
Kingdon also explains that
the need for new hardware is
unavoidable, as the diff erences
between 3D and 2D extend all
the way from the processing
of the Blu-ray disc through to
the display. Th e Blu-ray player
needs to deal with the sequential
interplay of the left eye/right eye
visuals – the diff erence between
them creating the 3D sensation –
and it must also provide the latest
HDMI specifi cation, known as
Twenty-Eight
Far left: 3D cinema
of a bygone era.
Left: Samsung
has developed
3D-ready screens
HDMI 1.4. As for the displays,
whether LCD or plasma, they too
need HDMI 1.4 capability, as well
as a software-based ‘drive system’
able to display the information
for each eye in rapid succession.
Kingdon says we will have
to wait and see if the major
competitors are using fully and
mutually compatible 3D systems,
but what is clear is that all will
depend on 3D glasses, which the
screen must talk to, as the signal
from the display determines
the way the active shutters
on the glasses synchronise to
process the signal.
Content will certainly be more
of a problem than hardware. Forget
3D fi lms from the 1950s, or turkeys
like Jaws 3D, which used green and
red cellophane-lensed goggles.
Th e new systems don’t work that
way, the aforementioned glasses
electronically manipulating the
visual clues for the viewer.
Hollywood will address the lack
of material as quickly as possible,
so that won’t be a fatal cause of
discontent; there’s even word
of computer technology that
can render all 2D fi lms in 3D.
Other concerns may prove
more problematic, such as how 3D
is not realistic when compared
with the way we see depth in real
life, that it’s tiring for more than
the length of a feature fi lm, or that
it really only works convincingly
with extravaganzas, sport and
animation. Th is raises the biggest
question of all: when polled after
the Consumer Electronics Show as
to what they’d like to see in 2011,
the majority of those asked replied:
‘3D without goggles!’. For that,
we will have to wait and see.
COPYRIGHT©FOXUK/GETTY

Forget 3D films dating
back to the 1950s, which
used green and red
cellophane-lensed goggles
PrivatSelection
without needing any changes
to the boxes themselves, which
should attract sports fans.
Critics have pointed out
that 3D viewing is, in part, a ruse
to get customers to buy more
fl atscreens and newer players.
LCD and plasma displays took
off so quickly that most homes
acquired them fast enough for
sales to have started levelling
off by 2009. Th e electronics
giants want us back in the stores,
and 3D has precisely the pizazz
to do it. How the public reacts to
needing both new screens and
new Blu-ray players so soon after
‘going digital’ in the fi rst place
may depend on what 3D material
is available, and how quickly.
Panasonic, Philips, Sony,
Samsung and nearly every other
fl at-display producer have 3Dcompatible
screens waiting in the
wings, while the ‘next generation’
Blu-ray players should appear
in quick succession. Sony’s UK
technical marketing manager,
Eric Kingdon, confi rms that
the industry’s roll-out of 3D
wares will occur from now on
through the autumn, suggesting
that by Christmas 2010, 3D will
be at the top of everyone’s list.
Kingdon also explains that
the need for new hardware is
unavoidable, as the diff erences
between 3D and 2D extend all
the way from the processing
of the Blu-ray disc through to
the display. Th e Blu-ray player
needs to deal with the sequential
interplay of the left eye/right eye
visuals – the diff erence between
them creating the 3D sensation –
and it must also provide the latest
HDMI specifi cation, known as
Twenty-Eight
Far left: 3D cinema
of a bygone era.
Left: Samsung
has developed
3D-ready screens
HDMI 1.4. As for the displays,
whether LCD or plasma, they too
need HDMI 1.4 capability, as well
as a software-based ‘drive system’
able to display the information
for each eye in rapid succession.
Kingdon says we will have
to wait and see if the major
competitors are using fully and
mutually compatible 3D systems,
but what is clear is that all will
depend on 3D glasses, which the
screen must talk to, as the signal
from the display determines
the way the active shutters
on the glasses synchronise to
process the signal.
Content will certainly be more
of a problem than hardware. Forget
3D fi lms from the 1950s, or turkeys
like Jaws 3D, which used green and
red cellophane-lensed goggles.
Th e new systems don’t work that
way, the aforementioned glasses
electronically manipulating the
visual clues for the viewer.
Hollywood will address the lack
of material as quickly as possible,
so that won’t be a fatal cause of
discontent; there’s even word
of computer technology that
can render all 2D fi lms in 3D.
Other concerns may prove
more problematic, such as how 3D
is not realistic when compared
with the way we see depth in real
life, that it’s tiring for more than
the length of a feature fi lm, or that
it really only works convincingly
with extravaganzas, sport and
animation. Th is raises the biggest
question of all: when polled after
the Consumer Electronics Show as
to what they’d like to see in 2011,
the majority of those asked replied:
‘3D without goggles!’. For that,
we will have to wait and see.
COPYRIGHT©FOXUK/GETTY

PrivatDining
Thirty
Kensington fi nally
has a restaurant
it deserves with
Kitchen W8

REALITY
CHECK
Shrugging off the constraints of formal restaurants, top chefs
adapt to the new trend for more fun and less fuss.
jennifer sharp investigates
SUCCESSFULCHEFSDUJOURAND restaurateurs are tapping into a
diff erent mood on both sides of the Atlantic, as diners look for a lively,
modern atmosphere rather than a hushed temple of gastronomy.
Grand restaurants with a constellation of Michelin stars are fi ne for
closing dinners, special anniversaries or gourmet tourism, but the
smart local restaurant has come of age in chic neighbourhoods. Th e
new easygoing vibe welcomes all types and all ages. New York, Paris
and London are setting the trend. Th is is the way we eat now.
KITCHENWLONDON
11-13 Abingdon Road, W8, +44 (0)20 7937 0120, www.kitchenw8.com
Kensington fi nally has a restaurant it deserves. Although one of
London’s most desirable locations, with an upscale residential mix
of old British Establishment and dynamic new money, the area has
specialised in eccentric homely places where atmosphere is everything
and the cooking played a secondary role.
Now Kitchen W8’s new owner, Rebecca Mascarenhas, has joined
forces with an exceptional chef, Philip Howard, co-owner of the Square in
Mayfair and proud holder of two Michelin stars. Howard hasn’t left the
Square, but has installed one of his protégés, Mark Kempson, as head chef.
Howard has another advantage: he’s an insider, brought up within
a hundred yards of Kitchen W8. ‘I said “yes” immediately when Rebecca
approached me,’ he says. ‘Th is is a conservative area and I know these
people well, I know what will work. Th e idea of anything fl ash is alien
to them, but they eat and drink well at home and expect a high standard
when they eat out. Despite the density of population around here, there
has never been a really good restaurant, just lots of nice little places. We
spotted a gap in the market and we’re doing very well.’
Th at’s an understatement. Kitchen W8 has hit the spot with locals
who are eating there on a regular basis and there’s a new enthusiasm for
Sunday night dinner (when many are returning from the country), as
guests can bring their own wine and there’s no corkage charge. It’s the
perfect excuse to open that special bottle you’ve saved for a rainy day.
Thirty-One
Th e seasonal, mouth-watering menu ranges from light dishes to
robust, warming food and there’s plenty to satisfy vegetarians, too. Start
with thinly sliced smoked eel with grilled mackerel, leek and sweet
mustard; carpaccio of aged Ayrshire beef with beetroot, endive, goat’s
cheese and walnuts; or pork and rabbit terrine with spiced winter
chutney. Main courses may include Cornish sea bream, with winter
minestrone and hand-rolled macaroni; roast wood pigeon served with
baked potato stuff ed with foie gras; or a light fricassee of chanterelles,
caulifl ower, salsify and leeks with spätzle and the savoury kick of
Parmesan. Some dishes have already become favourites – such as halibut
with Beaufort crust – and there’s a fuss if they disappear from the menu.
Howard says that food must please the eye as well as the palate
and currently, he is very much in charge of the menu, though Kempson
will eventually grow into the role. Howard is very particular too about
the style of service – friendly but not intrusive, knowledgeable without
condescending – it’s a fi ne line. Th e results have been very gratifying and
Kitchen W8 is busy for lunch and dinner every day. Not everyone wants
a full gourmet extravaganza. You can pop in for a simple lunch and read
the newspaper at the communal table. You can just order a main course
and a glass of wine and, while some guests like to eat early, others will
arrive late after the movies. For most diners though, it’s obvious that
a remarkably fi ne dinner is the main draw, along with a wide-ranging
wine list that’s far more accessibly priced than the West End.
Th e restaurant, which seats 80 in four interconnecting areas, is a
pleasing mix of elegance and comfort. Th ere’s stone and oak fl ooring
with a subdued colour palette of olive leather chairs, nobbly textured
banquettes and subtle metallic wallpaper. Daylight from large windows
keeps the mood fresh and lively during the day, while soft lighting
brings a romantic glow to evening. Th ere are an increasing number of
keen foodies from outside the area, drawn by the restaurant’s growing
reputation. Looking round the room, you are struck by the range of your
fellow guests: from leading lights of FTSE 100 companies and thrusting
newcomers from the fi nance world to fi rst dates and fl irting.

LOCANDAVERDENEWYORK
377 Greenwich Street, N. Moore Street, +1 212 925 3797,
www.locandaverdenyc.com
In May 2009, a new Italian restaurant opened on
the ground fl oor of the trendy Greenwich hotel
in the heart of TriBeCa, currently the hottest
district in town. Th e hotel’s co-owner is Robert De
Niro, but it’s the brilliant cooking of chef Andrew
Carmellini that’s the draw. Th is place is jumping.
Th ough his style is rustic Italian, 38-year-old
Carmellini learned the techniques of fi ne dining
working with Manhattan’s fi nest including Daniel
Boulud (he was head chef at Café Boulud), and in
upscale restaurants in Europe. Th ere he observed
the polarised culture of the two great food nations.
‘Th e diff erence between France and Italy was always
attitude. In France – which I love – the kitchens
were not fun places to work but they were very
disciplined and exact. Italy, on the other hand, has
a much more convivial atmosphere yet the kitchens
were often chaotic. Th e true soul of Italian cooking
is hard to fi nd in high-end restaurants. It was more
in home cooking, in the trattorias.’
While in Italy, Carmellini was introduced to
the artisan skills of making hams, pasta, wine and
cheeses, which chimed with the experience of his
Italian grandparents who had emigrated to the
US from Friuli and Livorno. Locanda Verde is
an amalgam of all these infl uences: rustic Italian
cooking and great ingredients, all backed up by
precise and skilful technique. As well as being
a neighbourhood success, the restaurant is a
destination for smart Upper Eastsiders, a lively
young crowd and what Carmellini calls ‘stud
corporate types’.
Th e cheerful tavern atmosphere lasts all day.
All dishes are meant for sharing, with lots of small
plates or cicchetti, the traditional Italian version of
tapas. Th e menu showcases gutsy dishes: porchetta
sandwich with grilled onions, braised veal cheeks
with risotto Milanese and gremolata, or tripe
parmigiana. Or try a deliciously light dish of roasted
scallops with lentils, apples and pancetta. Desserts
are supervised by Karen DeMasco, a legend among
sweet-toothed New Yorkers. Th ere’s a wide-ranging
list of Italian wines, beers, spirits and cocktails, too.
Th e dining room seats 120 with a back room
for 60, which can also be hired for private parties.
Th e design is a modern take on traditional style
with a bar, closely packed bare tables, retro hanging
lamps and a cheerful jumble of bookshelves and
wine bottles. Large windows fl ood the room with
natural light and open onto pavement tables. Th e
locals are lucky to have it on their doorstep.
Right: bite-size
lamb meatball
sliders. Below:
Locanda Verde’s chef
Andrew Carmellini
PrivatDining
Thirty-Two

CAFÉMODERNEPARIS
40 rue Notre Dame des Victoires, 75002,
+33 (0)153 408 410, www.cafemoderne.fr
It’s not a café, it’s a restaurant, and a very good one too but the laidback
name of Café Moderne sends an immediate message: we aren’t
stuff y, we’re confi dent and of the moment. It sits opposite the old
stock-exchange building, the Bourse, amidst a maze of busy streets.
Th e entrance at street level is sombre and understated, but once
inside, the long thin room seating 60 is vivacious and stylish with
eye-catching details such as dramatic still-life photographs of food
and a clever wall bracket holding steak knives that looks like an art
installation. Th ere are round tables covered with faux ostrich skin and
no table linen, banquettes and neat, upholstered chairs, and subdued,
fl attering lighting. A large wine wall occupies much of the left-hand
side of the room, while opposite is a long window, which folds back
in warm weather, onto a courtyard garden.
Very much in evidence is the good-natured owner, Fred Hubig-
Schall, who knows most of his customers by name – not surprising
since many eat at Café Moderne two or three times a week. Th e
restaurant has been open since 2003, but Hubig-Schall became sole
owner in summer 2008 and has undertaken a major revamp, designing
the interior and compiling the wine list (he has chosen to work
entirely with small, exclusive producers).
Thirty-Three
Th e wall of exclusive
wines at Café
Moderne in Paris
Hubig-Schall’s most successful decision came in November 2008,
when he engaged chef Jean-Luc le François, a tall, red-haired young
Frenchman from Normandy (he looks like a Viking), with an
impressive pedigree of working at the Crillon and the Ritz as well
as in Tokyo. His cooking displays the fi nesse of swanky kitchens
alongside a freshness and love of vegetables, inspired by his
grandfather’s garden and his own sporty pastimes of running
the marathon and training for the triathlon.
In this, his new home, classic techniques are subverted into a
lighter, more playful style and the cooking is exceptionally delicious.
Starter courses include ravioli of tiny escargots with leeks, native
oysters in sea water jelly with crispy shards of celery or heirloom
beetroot with dried duck breast. Main courses include a large crevette
bathed in green curry sauce, served with sweet potato, roast cod with
sorrel and crunchy celeriac tempura or noisette of venison with
juniper, quince and Jerusalem artichoke.
Th is is cooking of a very high order but served on simple plates
by friendly young staff . Th e same menu is available for lunch and
dinner, but in the evening there is a tasting menu, L’Instinct Moderne,
which is whatever the chef thinks of that day. It’s very popular with
regulars who are happy to put themselves in his hands – and ask
Hubig-Schall to choose the appropriate wine. Superb cooking in a
happy, comfortable atmosphere is just what people want right now.

PrivatFlight
Thirty-Four

Light fantast ic
CESSNA’STWO-SEATER single-engined planes
hold a special place in the hearts of amateur pilots.
Launched in 1958 to meet surging demand for light
aircraft in the post-war era, the famous 150 model
sold nearly 24,000 units over its 20-year life span and
given generations of fl yers their fi rst taste of airborne
freedom. Its successor, the 152, proved equally popular
as a trainer and starter plane – but the last one left
the factory in 1985, and although decades-old models
are still the mainstay of fl ying schools around the
globe, they are starting to show their age.
So when Cessna announced in 2007 that it was
returning to the two-seater market with the all-new
SkyCatcher 162, the response was overwhelming –
within three months, nearly 900 buyers had put their
names on a waiting list. Designed to fi t into the
newly created light sport aircraft category (LSA; see
‘Light sport aircraft’ box), the SkyCatcher promised
The fun and freedom of piloting yourself is
hard to beat. lucy fitzgeorge-parker
looks at developments in the world
of light sport aircraft
to combine the latest in high-tech avionics with the
reliability and easy handling of its predecessors,
making it ideal for teaching and recreational fl ying.
Some buyers were less than thrilled, however,
to learn later that year that their planes would be
made in China, the fi rst Cessnas ever to be built
in Asia. Despite the stellar credentials of
manufacturer Shenyang – it also boasts Boeing,
Airbus and Bombardier as clients – and assurances
that the planes would be reassembled and tested
in the States, there was much muttering about
brand dilution and shoddy workmanship. And the
news that the fi rst two prototypes had crashed in
spin testing was immediately seized on by naysayers
as proof that Cessna had traded quality for price.
Yet when the SkyCatcher fi nally arrived in Wichita,
Kansas, in December 2009, it was greeted with warm
approval by the fi rst wave of reviewers. Th e nostalgia

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For Wellendorff jeweller partners near you please contact Wellendorff, Tel. (+49) 7231 - 28 40 10, privatair@wellendorff.com, www.wellendorff.com

COPYRIGHT©DWSTUDIOSLLCANDCOLDSPRINGPICTURESALLRIGHTSRESERVED
factor may have played a part – with its high-
wing, single-strut design, the SkyCatcher’s
aluminium frame bears a striking resemblance
to its illustrious ancestors.
Step inside, however, and it’s a diff erent
story – ergonomic seats and 11cm of extra
shoulder room make for a much more
comfortable ride, while the instrument dials
of old have been replaced with a single, sleek
fl atscreen, courtesy of Garmin. As nearly all
new planes now have similar ‘glass cockpits’,
this will be particularly welcomed by
trainees with aspirations to ownership.
In the air, the changes are even more
apparent. To qualify for LSA certifi cation,
Cessna has had to keep the SkyCatcher’s
empty weight down to just 378kg, compared
with 504kg for the 150 and 490kg for the
152. As a result, it is light and responsive,
while maintaining the stability and ease
of handling that earned the earlier models
their reputation. Th e rate of climb is an
impressive 274 metres per minute (mpm),
almost one-third faster than the 152, with
a top cruising speed of 118 knots (219kph)
and a stall speed of just 40 knots (72.2kph).
Th e SkyCatcher has a maximum range
of 741km and 0.6 cubic metres of luggage
space, making it suitable for short hops and
weekend trips. Filling up the fuel tank will
leave just 157kg of weight capacity, however,
PrivatFlight
so buyers looking at longer trips with a
passenger may prefer lighter carbon-fi bre
models such as the Remos GX and
Flight Design’s CTLS.
Where Cessna can’t be beaten, thanks
to its Chinese suppliers, is on price. Starting
at just $112,250, the SkyCatcher is easily
the cheapest trainer plane on the market
and will be a boon to cash-strapped fl ying
schools. However, eager instructors and
trainees will have to wait a little longer than
anticipated, after Cessna announced this
January that deliveries would be delayed by
six to 10 months, while the production line
was re-tooled to incorporate changes made
after the two spin accidents. A spokesman
for the company says: ‘Th e SkyCatcher is
going to be around for decades and we
would prefer to ensure the aircraft is
absolutely right rather than rush it into
production to save a few months.’
At least 40 SkyCatchers are still
expected to reach their new owners before
the end of 2010, but the delay does mean
that Cessna may lose some of its fi rst-mover
advantage to its traditional rival in the
training plane arena, Piper.
Perhaps inspired by Cessna’s mishaps,
the Florida-based fi rm has taken the
safer route by putting its name to a plane
already popular with American pilots, after
Thirty-Seven
Previous page:
the SkyCatcher
162 on a trial
fl ight. Above: the
roomy cockpit of
the Remos GX.
Below: at 378kg,
the SkyCatcher
weighs 126kg
less than the
old 150 model
THEGERMAN
CONNECTION
Before the arrival of Cessna and
Piper on the scene, a pair of German
companies had been vying for the
title of top LSA manufacturer. The
major selling point for both Remos
and Flight Design is that their highwing
planes are constructed from
carbon fi bre rather than metal,
making them lighter, stronger and
almost immune to wear. This means
that for an extra $10,000 or so,
buyers get extended range – 1,287km
for the Remos GX and an astonishing
1,574km for the Flight Design CTLS
– as well as more capacity for
passengers and luggage.
In addition, the Remos has a few
extra tricks up its sleeve. Not only is
it the lightest model in its class, with
an empty weight of just 304kg, it also
comes in a fl oat-plane version that
can land and take off on either water
or land. And, fi nally, it is at present
the only LSA with wings that fold
up, meaning it costs much less to
store and can even be trailered
to and from the airfi eld.
Both planes have stood the test
of time, having been around for
more than a decade. Flight Design,
originally a manufacturer of
microlight gliders, expanded into
light aircra in 1997, around the same
time that disabled engineer Lorenz
Kreitmayr began making the
precursor to the Remos GX in his
parents’ barn in Bavaria. Remos has
since moved to a site near Berlin and
production is likely to be ramped up
this year, following a new round of
investment in the fi rm, while Flight
Design now turns out its CTLS from
a factory in southern Ukraine.

purchasing Czech
Sports Aircraft (CPA)
in January this year.
CSA’s SportCruiser
will be relaunched in
April as the PiperSport
with an entry-level price
tag of $119,900. It will
be a welcome alternative
to the SkyCatcher for
pilots who prefer the
enhanced visibility of
low-wing aircraft. It also
boasts better performance stats than its competitor,
with a rate of climb of 366mpm and
a top speed of 222kph, while a 30-gallon fuel tank
gives an impressive range of 1,111km and when full,
even allows for 191kg of onboard weight.
Th e PiperSport will be available in three standard
versions. In addition to the basic model, there will be
a PiperSport LT, priced at $129,900 and targeted at
the training market, and a ‘professional’ PiperSport
LTD ($139,900), featuring a Dynon autopilot. All
models will also include Garmin navigation systems
and, as with the SkyCatcher, a BRS complete aircraft
parachute recovery system.
Initial interest in the PiperSport has been intense,
enhancing the industry perception that LSAs will
play an essential role in the future of recreational
aviation – and that the arrival of a second major US
player in a market that had been the preserve of tiny
European manufacturers marks a watershed for the
sector. Announcing the acquisition of CSA, Piper’s
president and CEO Kevin J Gould said: ‘Th is
burgeoning segment is becoming vital to our industry
and playing an ever-increasing role in developing
general aviation’s next generation of pilots.’
Certainly Cessna and Piper are betting that by
fl ooding the market with up-to-date planes that are
cheap to buy and fun to fl y, they can hook a whole
new generation of potential pilots. Judging by the early
enthusiasm, it looks as though they may be right.
Th e PiperSport will
be popular among
pilots who prefer
the enhanced
visibility of lowwing
aircraft
PrivatFlight
Thirty-Eight
LIGHTSPORT
AIRCRAFT
The light sport aircra category was
created in 2004 in a bid to reverse
the decline in recreational fl ying in
the US. Under the new
rules, planes meeting the LSA
specs – maximum take-off weight of
under 600kg (650kg for amphibious
aircra ), top speed of 140mph
and stall speed of 52mph or less –
became subject to much less
onerous maintenance requirements
than traditional light aircra , making
them cheaper and easier to run.
At the same time, American
regulators introduced a new type of
pilot’s licence, again with
the aim of lowering the barriers
to entry. The fl ying time and test
requirements for the Sports Pilot
certifi cate are signifi cantly lower
than for the standard private pilot’s
licence (PPL), and the costly and
time-consuming aviation medical
checks are waived – all that is
required is a standard driving licence.
In return, sports pilots are restricted
to VFR (visual fl ight rules) daytime
fl ying, although time spent in LSAs
can count towards the full PPL.
The EU is working on the creation
of a similar category, the ELA1
(European light aircra ), and an
announcement is expected later in
the year. For the moment, though,
the regulations vary from country
to country – most classify LSAs as
microlights, but the level of red tape
that implies can be vastly diff erent.
In the UK, LSAs currently don’t fi t
into any category, but manufacturers
such as Remos have obtained
temporary permits for the use of
planes with US approval, pending the
introduction of European legislation.
IMAGE|CARLAMILLER

OYSTER
YACHT CHARTER

©ROLANDTANNIER/EYEVINE
S
eated opposite me in London’s Dunhill Club on
a wet winter afternoon, Boris Becker, the tennis
player turned entrepreneur, pauses for a moment
as he ponders my question. As if making a careful
shot selection, he briefl y considers Richard Branson
as his answer before settling fi rmly on Ion T¸ iriac, his
former manager and mentor. I have just asked him
who he admires most in the world of business and
it is not the answer that is revelatory but the reason:
‘He was the fi rst Romanian billionaire and he did
it all between the ages of 50 and 70.’
For someone considered by many to be the
ultimate sporting prodigy, this respect for the latefl
owering genius is perhaps surprising. After all,
the image most people have of Becker is of the
precocious, fl ame-haired 17-year-old fl inging himself
around centre court at Wimbledon. Now aged 42,
it is 25 years since he became the youngest-ever
Wimbledon champion. And although he still carries
a physically imposing presence and looks more than
capable of powering one of his trademark serves over
the net, the red hair has an added touch of grey in
it, and he is limping a little – a result of recent hip
surgery. It is perhaps understandable that he wants
to believe that the best is still ahead of him.
PrivatPerson
edward bowyer talks to Boris Becker
about his successful transition from tennis
champion to businessman
PLAYING
TO WIN
Forty-One
‘With a lot of athletes who have had great careers,
you see them at 40 and they are broken. Th ey struggle
with their own identity,’ he says. Th is was never going
to be the case with Becker, he is too self-confi dent,
too headstrong. But for many athletes, the pressures
of retirement – more insidious and brutal than the
pressures of playing – are too great to overcome.
After the highs of professional sport, the cheering
crowds, the thrill of competition and the clear sense
of purpose, returning to the mundanities of everyday
life can leave a feeling of emptiness. Ex-cricketers
are particularly vulnerable, with a suicide rate twice
the national average in the UK.
Even Becker admits that diffi culty after he quit
the game in 1999: ‘It took me a couple of years to fi nd
my way.’ Indeed, the immediate years after he retired
seemed to pass in a blur of tabloid headlines framed
by two self-infl icted events. Th e fi rst and most
infamous was a brief liaison with a waitress in the
stairwell at Nobu, which, culminated in the birth of
his daughter, Anna, and precipitated the downfall
of his eight-year marriage to Barbara Feltus. Th e
second, and arguably more serious, was a conviction
for tax evasion in 2002, after Becker admitted to
living in Germany, despite his offi cial residence being

in Monaco. Together with
retirement, the catalyst for
this period of turmoil was the
death of his father, Karl-Heinz,
a few months before his fi nal
performance at Wimbledon. Th e
divorce made a diffi cult situation worse. After losing his main
professional focus, to also lose the cornerstones of his personal
life proved profoundly unbalancing. As he explains, ruefully:
‘I have never been successful in my professional life when I
wasn’t succeeding in my private life.’
Th at Becker was able to gradually re-focus his life is
testimony to his formidable drive and competitiveness. Today,
reported to be worth an estimated $100m, his varied business
interests range from his own line of tennis rackets and sports
apparel to organising celebrity golf and tennis tournaments.
His early moves however, were in real estate, which, like tennis,
he discovered he had a natural feel for. His father had been an
architect and it is a profession that Becker, like his sister, might
have followed had sport not claimed him at such a young age.
It would probably have been a successful option, too. Indeed,
he estimates he has made more money in property than he
ever did winning tennis tournaments.
Th at he gravitated towards business is understandable.
‘You have to be very disciplined, very dedicated and very
focused. Just like in any match, when the going gets tough you
need a good set of nerves,’ he says. But that moment of pressure
was something that Becker always thrived on. ‘Most people
get nerves or cold feet when they are in the position of
winning. For me that was the best moment. I just did it.’
As with many sportsmen, the move into business was
more of a continuation than a change. ‘People forget that sport
is a very profi table business. Th ey have a hard time accepting
that professional athletes are very young businessmen. Look at
the contracts or the prize money that Roger Federer wins. He
is running a multi-million dollar business.’
For Becker, tennis was always ‘a game of high percentages’.
A mathematical ruthlessness characterised his approach. His
major assets included a powerful serve and a strong forehand.
If, therefore, he concentrated on winning a high percentage
of fi rst-serve points, it would give him the greatest chance of
winning. As long as he had the discipline to follow his strategy,
his opponents had to defy the odds to beat him.
One notable demonstration of Becker’s principles was
against Ivan Lendl in the 1989 US Open. At the end of the
match, Lendl was ahead on almost every indicator: at the net,
second-serve points and placement winners. However, Becker
had a higher percentage of fi rst-serve points (77 per cent to
63 per cent). He won the match in four sets.
PrivatPerson
‘Most people get cold
feet when they are in
the position of winning.
For me that was the best
moment. I just did it’
Forty-Two
Th e same calculations now
underpin his business activities,
even if the same crushing victories
are not always as predictable. Early
in his retirement, Becker spent a
time in sports management, and
included, among other notable clientele, footballer Andriy
Shevchenko, who had just joined AC Milan from Dynamo Kiev.
Tennis was still his main business, though, and around this time,
both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – still teenagers – were
off ered to him. But according to Becker they were too young,
and although undoubtedly talented, the variables were too great.
Sport is a capricious game, a player can turn an ankle or can get
into bad company and go off the rails. Unfulfi lled talent is the
norm. In the end, he couldn’t justify the fi nancial outlay to his
business partner. A vast miscalculation, but one he is comfortable
with. As Becker says with more than a hint of self-knowledge:
‘I would rather make mistakes than do nothing at all.’
Yet, it is also diffi cult to see Becker as being comfortable as
part of someone else’s entourage. You get the feeling that he is
happier as the head of Team Becker. After all, it is the athlete’s
selfi shness, the dogged pursuit of personal goals that allows
them to get to the top. Th is can also transfer into their private
life. As Becker explains: ‘I have to be single-minded and I have
to have a partner who understands that. And then it is a game
of percentages again. She is giving me something that I want
and I am giving her something that she wants.’
With his new wife, Dutch model Lilly Kerssenberg, and
a child due this summer, the equation appears to be working.
A sense of peace has returned to his life, it seems. In person,
he is calm and thoughtful, gentlemanly even. Professionally,
Becker has enough interests to keep him fully absorbed,
including continuing to build his media brand and a new
website Boris Becker TV, where he streams videos showing
a more personal and private side of his life.
He has even managed a sideline as a professional poker
player. ‘I like it because you can play until you are old and it
is a game of logic, to a point. And [when I play] I only think
about poker. If I can focus on one thing, it is relaxing for me.’
Relaxed is how he seems generally now. Th e only time
in the interview his tranquillity seems threatened is when I
ask him what the biggest misconception about him is. ‘Th at
I couldn’t play on clay,’ he says, leaning back in his chair,
his voice raised for the fi rst time, the old fi res ignited briefl y
again. ‘I wasn’t a Nadal or a [Mats] Wilander, but I was better
than 95 per cent of other players… I didn’t win a clay court
tournament, but to say I couldn’t play on clay – that is an insult.’
It seems however bright the future, there are some things
from the past that will always stay with him.

PrivatIslands
Low cay
The tiny Turks and Caicos Islands are a perfect
Caribbean hideaway for the rich and famous.
lydia bell takes a look at what they have to offer
Forty-Four

©STACEYMARK/RETNALTD/CORBIS
PrivatIslands
Even if you’ve heard of these islands you probably
couldn’t pick them out on the map. Th e Turks and
Caicos (TCI) are a Caribbean backwater – southeast
of the Bahamas, with 40 islands and cays, most of
which are uninhabited and gloriously virgin. Th ey
have long been favoured by a wealthy few, the monied
end of the international diving community for their exquisite reefs and
privacy-loving celebrities, who gather on the private-island resort Parrot
Cay. Donna Karan, Bruce Willis and Keith Richards all hide out there
for part of the year, undisturbed by paps with long lenses.
Th is much I knew about the islands – plus that they had been severely
battered by Hurricane Ike in 2008, and severely embarrassed at having to
be brought back under British direct rule in 2009, after an inquiry found
evidence of government corruption – but more of that later.
Th e feeling of visiting a backwater is enhanced when I try to book
a fl ight to the biggest island, Providenciales, from Jamaica, where I have
been staying. Online booking systems deny the very existence of the
national carrier, Air Turks and Caicos, and it appears that you can’t
book on their website, so I have to fax through my details.
Finally airborne, squinting down at the islands, inconsequential
specks in the immense turquoise of the ocean, I see vast expanses of
mangrove and saltpans and, getting closer, ritzy properties strung along
remote peninsulas. At the tiny airport, I fi gure out why the national
carrier isn’t fl ush with business – there are private planes everywhere. So
this is how the clever people get here. Th e hotel car is not here yet, and
I enquire in a nearby bar about where to wait. Th e barmaid fl icks out her
iPhone. ‘Hi there, there are two girls waiting for you,’ she says and turning
to me adds, ‘he be right here in a minute now.’ So this really is a tiny place.
As we hug Providenciales’ northern coastal road, I can’t help but
notice the island’s superior natural assets, even by Caribbean standards.
Here, the waters are just that little bit bluer than the Caribbean
benchmark – closer to the colour of Daniel Craig’s eyes, and oh-so
calm and clear. Th e sands are just a touch fi ner, a little whiter and
more squeaky-clean. Th e beaches you have to blink at – they seem
like Disney re-creations of tropical beauty. Later, I am to hear about
the immense diving and deep-sea fi shing opportunities – more than
Forty-Five

Amanyara
N
Parrot Cay
Providenciales
TURKS & CAICOS
Ambergris
anyone could possibly discover over multiple trips.
Th e northwestern corner of Providenciales tips up into a
national park, where there is nothing but rugged scrub and
white, sandy pathways and silence, until we pull into Amanyara,
part of the Aman group. We are greeted by a girl holding drinks,
standing in the middle of an Asian-style pavilion, which looks
out through other pavilions to the rest of the property, creating
a series of perspectives contrived to look like a painting.
A typical Aman property, Amanyara resort’s low-rise
structures melt into the landscape of low shrub and mangrove.
As do the people – we glimpse only a few glistening bronzed
bodies on the other side of the darkly mysterious infi nity pool.
Away from the main spaces are the rooms, each separate
dwellings dotted around bush-covered, silent salt ponds,
with lavish, modern, Aman-style bathrooms and verandas.
Amanyara might be in the Caribbean, but it’s designed as an
Asian haven of peace. Th ere is a sense of space, a cathedral-like
hush. Everything is unobtrusive and low key. Th ere is no
noise and no stress. Th is is all about exquisite relaxation.
You might argue against this kind of place in the
Caribbean, on the premise that hotels should be of their place,
exuding local fl avour. Perhaps, but it depends on where you are.
Th e more you see of the TCI, the more you realise that its
beauty is a rather blank slate. Th e Asian architectural-aesthetic
comes with Asian staff – scores of Filipinos and Balinese, as
well as locals and other Caribbean arrivistes, including many
Haitians seeking peace and quiet and a better life. So there
are Asian levels of intelligent service: mellow yet effi cient;
unobtrusive but caring. Th at night, we are brought popcorn
and drinks as we watch a fi lm in the mini cinema, which we
have all to ourselves. Later, we return to our ‘home’ under a
blanket of shimmering stars.
Aman is big enough and beautiful enough to be riding out
the recession and, according to hotel staff , most guests aren’t
aware of what is going on outside beyond the waters’ edge, but
the truth is that the islands are currently in a stressful period
of fl ux. Britain imposed direct rule in August 2009, suspending
the constitution, dismissing the parliament and handing power
to a London-appointed governor. Th e move followed an inquiry
into allegations of corruption among the ruling elite, led by
PrivatIslands
Forty-Six
Previous page: Parrot Cay.
Left: map of the Turks and
Caicos archipelago. Right:
a day bed at Amanyara
then prime minister Michael Misick. As
a result, many new fl ashy projects have
been summarily abandoned.
Th e wealth of the islands was built on
rapid upmarket development, but there
was a down side. As money poured in,
local ‘Belonger’ politicians took advantage
of special rules relating to the sale of
Crown land to cash in – the islands have a
population of 36,000, but only 11,750 are
considered ‘Belongers’, who have the right to vote and acquire
Crown land at a discount. Th ey were then selling it for a large
profi t to developers. Now, everywhere you go in TCI, the talk
is of the whiplashed local economy. Th e names of failed projects
roll off the tongues of locals: Molasses Reef, Salt Cay, Dellis
Cay, Ritz Carlton, Nikki Beach.
With this in mind, it’s a wonder that established projects
are managing to survive. From Amanyara, we head out to tiny
Ambergris Cay, which off ers an insight into a diff erent side of
TCI life. A 15-minute skip south in Ambergris’ Islander plane
and it’s a world away in many respects. Privately owned since
1803 and just 3.3 by 1.5 miles, the island is now owned and
run by the Turks & Caicos Sporting Club and is a residential
membership club with the biggest private airstrip in the
Caribbean, as well as its own immigration checkpoint. Th e cay
is divided into 500 lots, about two-thirds of which have been
sold to investors to build houses within their own time frame.
Th ere are only 16 houses so far, which range from cottage
to mansion. While the cays attract clientele that are seeking a
playground that is exclusively theirs, this private world is not
inaccessible – they are selling everything from quarter-acre
to eight-acre blocks. Th ere is a $115,000 one-off joining fee.
Th e aesthetics are tightly controlled – you are issued a list of
approved architects, and all favour a quiet, Anglo-Caribbean
style. You can get a house built from $1m.
We arrive at Ambergris in time for a delicious breakfast
at Calico Jack, the island’s only restaurant, decorated with balls
of driftwood, giant cacti, Roman urns and mahogany chairs.
Th ere are a few people around, working on their laptops. Th is
is a tiny place, inhabited by staff , the sometimes-present
members and countless iguanas. Th ere is a yoga instructor,
nutritionist, tennis coach and massage therapist, too. Th e cay
also has its own beautiful environmental learning centre with
a full-time naturalist. Th e project’s next stage is a spa, fi ne
dining restaurant, mini movie theatre, bowling alley, gourmet
food store and marina. Th e island is already self-suffi cient
with recycling, incinerator and generators up and running
– a massive $175m of infrastructure is in place.
I can see the appeal. You are promised total tranquillity
(there are no cars, only buggies), yet you are part of a close-knit
COPYRIGHT©DWSTUDIOSLLCANDCOLDSPRINGPICTURESALLRIGHTSRESERVED

Everything envelops you in peace
– the soft white beds, the stillness
of the pale blue sea,
the gentle, caring staff

community. You are immersed in nature – the cay lies next to a humpback
whale migration path, so whales breaching is a common sight; and the
deep-sea fi shing is exciting – I catch a vast barracuda while fi shing there,
with zero eff ort. But at the same time, you can build your home with
all the modern conveniences you may wish for. Strikingly, Ambergris
is unstuff y and friendly, from the pilots and the yachtsmen, to the
handsome, bored fi remen, polishing their state-of-the-art equipment.
Our next stop is 12 mile-long Grace Bay in Providenciales: notably
the best beach on the island, blessed with icing-sugar sands and little
reefs for snorkelling close by. Th ere are restaurants and bars serving
delicious, top-notch food and the airport is a short drive away. Th is
is the commercial heart of the TCI.
One of the newest kids on this strip is the Gansevoort resort. With
its fantastic location on Grace Bay’s white sands and a snazzy new-age
pool with loungers hovering on islands, it trumps its big, blousy counterpart
in Miami Beach. Like all the new hotels in TCI, Gansevoort is selling
condos, too, including a vast, contemporary penthouse, with one of the
best outdoor dining views on the TCI. If Gansevoort has held on, it’s
thanks to its strong brand and popularity with funky New York couples,
who drink in its Meatpacking mother ship. Other companies have not
been so lucky. Th e hulks of half-built hotels litter this sumptuous stretch.
I save the most iconic till last: Parrot Cay. Arriving on an
unassuming boat from a quiet marina near the doomed Nikki Beach
development, you pass the abandoned Mandarin Oriental project on
Dellis Cay. Parrot Cay is ancient in TCI terms – it was built in 1998
– but has outstayed the new money and pretenders. Th is fl at island,
ringed by porcelain sand, is too large to feel like a resort: it’s more like
a world unto itself. From our weathered, clapboard beach house, we
walk barefoot over little dunes onto the beach, past the sea grass. Th ere
is a simple pool outside and covered verandas. Its timber fl oorboards,
white sofas, sun-bleached oak fl oors and white-cotton mosquito nets
PrivatIslands
Forty-Eight
Th e landing strip
at Ambergris Cay,
a private club
billowing in the breeze are an exercise in sophisticated simplicity. Soon,
we discover that this is the whole point of Parrot Cay. It is private but
unfl ashy, restorative and healing. Our days are spent swimming before
taking breakfast on a silent beach, punctuated by a few spectacular
meals, yoga and pilates, spa treatments and reading by the private pool.
Everything envelops you in peace – the soft white beds, the stillness of
the pale blue sea and the gentle, caring staff . We have our own butler,
a beautiful Balinese girl, who serves every single meal we have, regardless
of where we are, and insists on helping us in any way we need.
Th e Como Shambhala Spa overlooks stunning wetlands and is the
prettiest I have seen. Its manager, Sue, exudes warmth and earthiness.
Almost all the therapists are Asian and they are the best. You can eat at
home, in the Terrace restaurant in the colonial-style main building or
at Lotus, an Asian restaurant with the aesthetic and buzz of a Balinese
beach restaurant, quite an accomplishment for a private island.
Almost all the ‘private residences’ – the houses of Bruce Willis, Donna
Karan, Keith Richards and others – are available for rent, and all are worlds
within themselves, each sitting on at least an acre. My favourite is
Karan’s, the Sanctuary, an exercise in 1970s-style Asian minimalism,
dressed with ethnic pieces, cedar-panelled walls, teak furniture, walnut
fl oors and limestone bathrooms, all hidden behind lush vegetation.
On our last night, after yoga at dusk overlooking the wetlands, we sip
a beer on the empty beach under a bruised-peach sky. Out of the corner
of my eye I can see the abandoned construction project on Dellis Cay
next door, a reminder of events on the TCI outside the rarefi ed world
we’ve been inhabiting. It’s a sobering shock, because after three days
on Parrot Cay, we’d forgotten about this lurking hardship and struggle.
It’s hard to believe in woes in this earthly paradise.
www.parrotcay.como.bz; www.gansevoortturksandcaicos.com;
www.amanresorts.com; www.tcsportingclub.com
COPYRIGHT©DWSTUDIOSLLCANDCOLDSPRINGPICTURESALLRIGHTSRESERVED

community. You are immersed in nature – the cay lies next to a humpback
whale migration path, so whales breaching is a common sight; and the
deep-sea fi shing is exciting – I catch a vast barracuda while fi shing there,
with zero eff ort. But at the same time, you can build your home with
all the modern conveniences you may wish for. Strikingly, Ambergris
is unstuff y and friendly, from the pilots and the yachtsmen, to the
handsome, bored fi remen, polishing their state-of-the-art equipment.
Our next stop is 12 mile-long Grace Bay in Providenciales: notably
the best beach on the island, blessed with icing-sugar sands and little
reefs for snorkelling close by. Th ere are restaurants and bars serving
delicious, top-notch food and the airport is a short drive away. Th is
is the commercial heart of the TCI.
One of the newest kids on this strip is the Gansevoort resort. With
its fantastic location on Grace Bay’s white sands and a snazzy new-age
pool with loungers hovering on islands, it trumps its big, blousy counterpart
in Miami Beach. Like all the new hotels in TCI, Gansevoort is selling
condos, too, including a vast, contemporary penthouse, with one of the
best outdoor dining views on the TCI. If Gansevoort has held on, it’s
thanks to its strong brand and popularity with funky New York couples,
who drink in its Meatpacking mother ship. Other companies have not
been so lucky. Th e hulks of half-built hotels litter this sumptuous stretch.
I save the most iconic till last: Parrot Cay. Arriving on an
unassuming boat from a quiet marina near the doomed Nikki Beach
development, you pass the abandoned Mandarin Oriental project on
Dellis Cay. Parrot Cay is ancient in TCI terms – it was built in 1998
– but has outstayed the new money and pretenders. Th is fl at island,
ringed by porcelain sand, is too large to feel like a resort: it’s more like
a world unto itself. From our weathered, clapboard beach house, we
walk barefoot over little dunes onto the beach, past the sea grass. Th ere
is a simple pool outside and covered verandas. Its timber fl oorboards,
white sofas, sun-bleached oak fl oors and white-cotton mosquito nets
PrivatIslands
Forty-Eight
Th e landing strip
at Ambergris Cay,
a private club
billowing in the breeze are an exercise in sophisticated simplicity. Soon,
we discover that this is the whole point of Parrot Cay. It is private but
unfl ashy, restorative and healing. Our days are spent swimming before
taking breakfast on a silent beach, punctuated by a few spectacular
meals, yoga and pilates, spa treatments and reading by the private pool.
Everything envelops you in peace – the soft white beds, the stillness of
the pale blue sea and the gentle, caring staff . We have our own butler,
a beautiful Balinese girl, who serves every single meal we have, regardless
of where we are, and insists on helping us in any way we need.
Th e Como Shambhala Spa overlooks stunning wetlands and is the
prettiest I have seen. Its manager, Sue, exudes warmth and earthiness.
Almost all the therapists are Asian and they are the best. You can eat at
home, in the Terrace restaurant in the colonial-style main building or
at Lotus, an Asian restaurant with the aesthetic and buzz of a Balinese
beach restaurant, quite an accomplishment for a private island.
Almost all the ‘private residences’ – the houses of Bruce Willis, Donna
Karan, Keith Richards and others – are available for rent, and all are worlds
within themselves, each sitting on at least an acre. My favourite is
Karan’s, the Sanctuary, an exercise in 1970s-style Asian minimalism,
dressed with ethnic pieces, cedar-panelled walls, teak furniture, walnut
fl oors and limestone bathrooms, all hidden behind lush vegetation.
On our last night, after yoga at dusk overlooking the wetlands, we sip
a beer on the empty beach under a bruised-peach sky. Out of the corner
of my eye I can see the abandoned construction project on Dellis Cay
next door, a reminder of events on the TCI outside the rarefi ed world
we’ve been inhabiting. It’s a sobering shock, because after three days
on Parrot Cay, we’d forgotten about this lurking hardship and struggle.
It’s hard to believe in woes in this earthly paradise.
www.parrotcay.como.bz; www.gansevoortturksandcaicos.com;
www.amanresorts.com; www.tcsportingclub.com
COPYRIGHT©DWSTUDIOSLLCANDCOLDSPRINGPICTURESALLRIGHTSRESERVED

PrivatEscape
Fifty

Dawn breaks with searing
intensity. I open an eye to
a sky streaked with pink
and lilac, the culprit sun,
a blazing orange orb.
Beneath it fl oats a second
sphere, only mildly less insistent. I open the other
eye and rub both in disbelief. On one side, desert
and yet more desert, enlivened by luscious palm
groves, cascaded over the horizon, and on the other,
shimmering like quicksilver and just as mysterious,
a vast lake refl ecting the rising sun.
Th e revelation of daylight is the reward for a
weary, nocturnal arrival at a place where only fl aming
torches and candlelight encroach upon the night.
I had woken to a vision of Siwa, the most remote
PrivatEsacpe
AT THE
OASIS
Far from the Red Sea and Nile valley and without
a pyramid in sight, the ancient oasis of Siwa in
the western desert reveals Egypt’s more rugged yet
tranquil aspect to teresa levonian cole
Fifty-One
of Egypt’s oases, located in the Western Desert:
300km from the coast, 600km west of the Nile.
Most of its 30,000 inhabitants are Berbers – the
indigenous people of North Africa and the only
Berber community in Egypt. To the south, the route
is so treacherous that locals tell tales of entire armies
getting lost in vicious sandstorms whipped up by
hot winds and disappearing without a trace.
Lying 18 metres below sea level and with over
250 springs, whose excess waters drain into four salt
lakes, Siwa has a long history behind its beautiful
abundance. Its sands are improbably littered with
shells and marine fossils, a throwback to the era,
70 million years ago, when it lay at the bottom of
the sea. Th e fossils have survived intact, despite
caravans bearing slaves, salt and ivory, that for

Fifty-Two

centuries, converged here. At the same time, its inaccessibility
kept would-be conquerors and treasure hunters at bay, assuring
its near-autonomy until well into the 19th century, and
accounts for its particular customs.
Th ere are many reasons for undertaking the arduous
journey today: spell-binding natural beauty, historic ruins and
the aura of the oasis town – all dusty streets, palm trees and
donkey carts. Much of what we know of Siwa’s ancient renown
comes from Herodotus (the real-life Count Laszlo de Almásy,
who explored the desert, was immortalised in Th e English
Patient carrying a copy of the Greek historian’s work).
Herodotus tells us that, by 600BC, the Oracle of Amun
at Siwa was already well established. Among its most famous
visitors was Alexander the Great. Having already founded
the Mediterranean city that still bears his name today,
Alexander braved the coastal route from Mersa Matruh
to spend three nights in Siwa.
I decide to follow his now tarmaced route south, through
a featureless desert leavened only by glimmering mirages and
the occasional camel. Fortifi ed by a breakfast of still-warm
bread and pungent camel’s cheese, pomegranates and olive
jam, I set off with my young guide, Hassan, to cover the fi nal
stretch to Siwa’s greatest claim to fame, which sits atop
Aghurmi Rock, 4km east of the town.
Countless travellers have written of their fruitless search
for the Oracle of Amun. It remained elusive until 1852, while
the ruins of its Doric-style temple were unearthed from
beneath the rubble of a medieval village only in 1971. Divided
into three sections, the Temple’s original decorations – open
to the elements and badly eroded – are still discernible on the
wall of the inner sanctum. Depictions of King Sutekhirdes,
chief of the desert-dwellers, and of the Pharaoh Amasis, shown
on the same scale, making obeisance to the gods, suggest the
importance and independence of the local ruler at that time.
Grateful to fi nd this numinous place deserted (in contrast to
many of Egypt’s better-known ancient monuments), I stood
on the very spot Alexander had stood in 331BC, to raise the
questions that would have delighted Freud. Who am I? Who
killed my father? What will be the outcome of the war with
Persia? Th e oracle answered: ‘You are the son of Amun. No
one has killed your father. You will triumph over Darius and
be a hero.’ Th e rest, as they say, is history.
Hassan is eager to show me the most famous of the many
tombs, dating from late-Pharaonic to Roman times, that pit the
limestone hills of the region with their delicate tracery of caries:
those of Gebel al-Mawta. We climb this rock known as the
Mountain of the Dead and Hassan calls for the attendant,
who arrives to unlock a grill. Inside is a spacious, rectangular
Fifty-Three
Previous page: the
Adrère Amellal
hotel. Left: a
donkey cart passes
through town.
Above: aerial
view of the hotel
complex and lake

Th e salt-encrusted
shoreline of
Lake Siwa
PrivatEscape
‘Maintaining a balance between
tradition and the modern
world is a real problem’
recessed tomb, with still-bright murals of the jackal-headed
god Anubis performing the obsequies. ‘Th is is the tomb
of a notable local called Si Amon,’ explains Hassan. ‘My
grandfather discovered it by accident in 1942, when Siwans
were hiding on the mountain to escape the fi ghting here.’
I am surprised at how such places have been left to
deteriorate. Later, at Bilad el-Rum, the disputed site of the
tomb of Alexander, I fi nd small mountains of ancient pottery
shards, left haphazardly among the ruins when excavations
were halted in the early 1990s. People are free to wander
round, with few offi cial measures to safeguard the sites.
Siwa’s relative remoteness from the tourist trail is, it seems,
a double-edged sword.
Th e market is in full swing when we arrive back in town.
All around are stalls spread with mounds of colourful, fresh
fruit and vegetables, huddles of goats, shops piled high
with jars of famous Siwan olives and a dizzying array of
olive oils, sacks of dates of all descriptions and fragrant
desert plants. In a nod to tourism, hand-woven Berber
rugs of sheep’s wool and camel hair hang from shop fronts,
along with items of distinctive traditional clothing, whose
sequins and embroidered symbols refl ect the letters of
the now lost Siwan alphabet. Young boys manoeuvre donkeys
through the throng, their rough wooden carts – still the
Fifty-Four
preferred mode of transport – laden with human cargo
and dried palm fronds for stoking ovens. Buyers and sellers
alike, I notice, are all male, dressed in identical white jelabiyyas
and fl at turbans.
‘Maintaining a balance between tradition and the modern
world is a real problem,’ says Hassan, as I admire a chunky,
antique, silver-studded cuff in a window. ‘Th at bracelet would
have been a family heirloom, which women are now selling to
tourists. And we have lost the art of making such quality
jewellery for which Siwa was once famous.’
Siwa is also famed for its buildings of kershef, a mixture of
mud and salt, which add to the sense of a place frozen in time.
Although excellent for insulation, kershef is expensive, fragile
and diffi cult to maintain. ‘We are required to use this technique,’
says Hassan, ‘so that people can marvel at the picturesque
beauty of our town. But why should we alone not be permitted
to enjoy the benefi ts of concrete, electricity and metal roads?’
As noon approaches, Hassan goes to Friday prayers
while I head for the 11th-century fortress Shali. Teetering
up fi ve higgledy-piggledy levels via the narrowest of mud
paths, it dominates Siwa and was built as defence against
Bedouin attacks. Within its gates, it once held the entire
population, divided into the warring east and west clans.
Today Shali lies abandoned: an anthill of ruins, and a ghostly

Man-made and
natural structures
stand side by side.
Below: camels
crossing the
Great Sand Sea
evocation of Hassan’s concerns. Th e kershef buildings of Shali
were destroyed not by war, but by the heavy rains of 1926.
One man who has been instrumental in the attempt
to balance economic imperatives with tradition is Mounir
Neamatalla, owner of the Adrère Amellal. Th e hotel, nestling
at the foot of a mushroom-cloud mountain and almost
surrounded by Lake Siwa, is reason in itself to visit the oasis.
Built entirely of kershef, it is exquisitely designed and
expensively contrived to look invisible, blending into the
surrounding desert in a series of low, irregular buildings.
Furniture is carved from block salt or olive wood, palm wood
shutters replace windows, opalescent shells decorate ceilings
and local textiles add colour. My own room is distinguished
by the mountain wall shouldering its way into the bathroom
and has a second bed outside, canopied by a covered terrace.
Lit by beeswax candles and free of electrical accoutrements,
it is – for Westerners sated with excess – sheer heaven.
I return to the hotel for lunch in the shade of palm trees
by the natural spring-water pool. A simple yet inventive menu
is served by distinctly uningratiating Berbers with farouche
expressions.‘No meat for lunch!’ I was instructed. ‘You might
faint in the heat of the desert.’ Happily, no such restrictions are
applied at dinner, which is enjoyed in assorted nooks, crannies
and caves around the property, ensuring seclusion for romantic
souls. From the stuff ed courgette fl owers, to the skewered lamb
and sticky date souffl é, it is all delicious.
Th ere is also a shop, selling a range of quality clothing
made specially by local women as part of the owner’s
initiative to revive traditional arts and provide women with a
measure of independence. ‘Mounir is a man of his word,’ says
Abdallah Baghi, Siwa’s unoffi cial spokesman, as he drives me
into the desert on an afternoon safari. ‘He has breathed new
life into Siwa, developed organic agriculture and eco-tourism,
and provided work for Siwan people.’
PrivatEscape
Fifty-Six
Over the next two days, Abdallah proves to be the ideal
desert companion. Th e blonde hills, which once formed a chain
stretching 120km, rise fl at-topped, pyramidal and fancifully
fungiform along our route. We climb the tallest dune in the
area, 90 metres high, and survey the landscape. Scouring for
immaculate fossils, we wonder at the shiny black meteoritic
rocks that lay scattered far and wide. Th en, careering over knifeedged
dunes, we fi nally arrive at Lake Shiata, within 15km of
the Libyan border. Surrounded by low dunes and hardy acacias,
this is the haunt of the rare white gazelle. To cool off from the
afternoon sun, I bathe in the huge lake, so rich in saline I could
fl oat upright, with only the resident fl amingos for company.
Th e next day, we venture south into the Great Sand Sea.
Far from featureless vistas, the desert rises and swells in sensual,
rippling curves, to plunge into photogenic shadows. Th ere is
nothing quite like the Sahara and Abdallah is in his element. He
disappears discreetly to let me soak in the piping-hot sulphuric
waters of Bir Wahed, a palm-fringed spring in the middle of
nowhere, whose waters re-emerge icy cold from the ground,
some kilometres away. We drive to the summit of a dune and
settle to watch the sun set. I’m expecting the familiar clink of
glasses to toast the end of day, but Abdallah produces a kettle.
He lights a fi re with chopped olive wood and makes an infusion
of white hibiscus fl owers from his garden. We sit, mesmerised
by the fl ames fl ickering against a striated sky. A speck appears on
the horizon and slowly grows into a jeep. Out pour four friends
from the hotel; they have just had a close encounter with a camel
en route from the coast and they look in need of something
stronger than tea. Th e sun is sinking fast in a tranquil pastel
glow. Abdallah smiles, stirring the pot. ‘Twice blessed,’ he says.
‘You are fortunate the camel’s owner did not catch you.’
www.adrereamellal.net
Teresa Levonian Cole travelled with Bailey Robinson +44 (0)1488
689 777; www.baileyrobinson.com
COPYRIGHT©ALAMY\GETTY

L
ooking ready for an audition for a Village People
tribute band, I am wearing an iridescent tabard,
hard hat and goggles, while sitting in a bus,
seemingly on the surface of Mars. Surrounded by
pyramids of crushed red rock, there is not an ounce
of greenery in sight. Th e bus is waiting to cross a
large graded track, the width of a six-lane motorway.
‘Here she comes,’ says the driver, with a note of excitement in his voice.
A WesTrac 793D mining truck heaves into sight and slowly grinds
towards us. Th e skies darken and the ground rumbles as 400 tonnes of
heavy-duty muscle, rubber tyres and blasted rock loom closer. Th e beefy
WesTrac’s 16-cylinder engine generates a monster 2,500 horsepower
and drinks diesel at a rate of 800 litres per hour. As the mighty beast
passes gravely by, like a pachyderm on a mission, we politely wait for the
all-clear and then continue on our way. You don’t want to get too close
PrivatTravel
Rich diggings
RORY ROSS succumbs to the lure of gold in Kalgoorlie,
site of Australia’s biggest mine, the Super Pit
Fifty-Eight
to a WesTrac truck when it’s on the move. Th e driver has big blind spots
and is probably out of his head listening to heavy metal.
I’m at the Super Pit, Australia’s largest gold mine in Kalgoorlie-
Boulder, some 700 kilometres ‘down the track’ from Perth. Th e Super Pit is
exactly that: a giant hole in the ground measuring 3.5km by 1.5km and 360
metres deep – an ‘oresome’ sight. Blasted rock is fed into a fl eet of
WesTracs, which ply their way up and down a spiralling niche carved into
the sides of the mine. During each 12-hour shift, each truck driver will
make 18 laps from the base of Super Pit and the rock crusher at the top.
Many of the drivers are women. It’s commonly acknowledged that they
have greater sensitivity than men to the engine note and, as the trucks
operate around the clock, 365 days a year, there’s no need to park them…
Th e streets of Kalgoorlie fi nish at the very lip of the Super Pit. At a
glance, Kalgoorlie looks like any other quiet Australian suburban sprawl.
Th e streets of the old town centre, however, are unusually wide, some

Previous page: a
truck carries rocks
containing specks of
gold out of the Super
Pit. Here: aerial view
of the vast mine
50 metres in places. When the town was founded in the late 19th century,
all goods were shipped by camel trains. And as anyone who has driven a
camel train will tell you, camels don’t do neat three-point turns and need
plenty of space in which to manoeuvre.
Gold was discovered by accident here in 1893, when prospector
Paddy Hannan was looking for a stray horse. He spotted nuggets lying
on the surface and unbeknownst to him, he had stumbled on the richest
reef of gold on Earth, the so-called Golden Mile. His fi nd triggered the
greatest gold rush in Australia’s history. By the early 20th century, some
200,000 prospectors were crawling all over Kalgoorlie. Hubristic plans
were drawn up to create a new state, Auralia.
Since then the Golden Mile has yielded more than 50 million ounces
(1,555 tonnes). Th e Super Pit was one of the better brainwaves of Alan
Bond, Australian ex-signwriter turned tycoon, who won the America’s
Cup in 1983. Twenty years ago, he tried to buy leases to all the mines in
the Golden Mile and agglomerate them under one company. He fell short,
leaving Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines, a joint venture between
Newmont Australia and Barrick Gold, to step in and realise his dream.
Today, Kalgoorlie ministers to an ecosystem of mines that stud a
horizon rich in minerals but poor in just about everything else. It is a tough
no-frills town of 37,000 inhabitants, catered to by numerous bars, three
golf clubs and several brothels (brothel tours are advertised in the tourist
offi ce). When I visited Kalgoorlie Golf Club, it was deserted. Th e biggest
turn out of Kalgoorlie society is the Boulder Cup horse race. Half of the
AU$30m that this rival to the Melbourne Cup turns over is accounted
for by alcohol sales. Kalgoorlie once proudly held the honour of the
highest per capita consumption of alcohol in Australia, until Darwin
outdrank it fi ve years ago, despite a lot of help from the locals. But with
gold hovering around $1,100 an ounce at the time of writing, the locals
have better things to do than drink and play golf. Like dig. And when
not offi cially digging, the locals are prospecting on their own account.
PrivatTravel
Sixty-One
‘I found these the other day,’ whispers Norm from Goldrush Tours.
He unfolds his fi ngers. Two tiny, cratered and pitted nuggets fl ame in his
palm like fantastic modern sculptures. ‘Best time to prospect is after rain.
Gold is too heavy for rainwater to move, so the water creates rivulets around
it. People sometimes bring nuggets into town and exchange them for drinks.’
A Holman Silver 3 drill with airleg attachment hangs on the wall
behind the bar at the York Hotel. On the bar stands a set of scales in
case someone brings in a nugget. ‘In this town, if you really have it, you
don’t fl aunt it,’ says Kevin Archer, the landlord. ‘It’s not in the Australian
psyche. Th e guys here are not the sort to splash out. Miners are very
down-to-earth. Besides, the independent operators are very secretive.’
On the stepped walls of the Super Pit, there is no gleam, no vein
of bright fi re, just a beautiful, warm terracotta glow. Every day, 300,000
tonnes of rock are fed to the crusher. Th e mining and extraction of gold
is an extremely laborious process. Each 225 tonne truckload of rock
contains just one tablespoon of gold. Employing over 550 people, the
Super Pit yields, on average, 850,000 ounces (26.6 tonnes) a year. One
tonne of gold looks like ‘a slab of beer minus four cans’. Needles in
haystacks are far easier to fi nd than gold. While the processed gold is
formed into ingots and fl own to Perth, 80 million tonnes of waste rock
are dumped each year. Digging here will continue until 2017, whereupon
a decision will be taken on whether to continue digging, or to chase the
seam by tunnelling, or to call it a day and create the Super Pond.
‘Even with modern technology, gold is still incredibly diffi cult to fi nd,’
says Paul Tustain of BullionVault. ‘Only 160,000 tonnes of gold has ever
been extracted from Earth. Formed into a single cube, it wouldn’t cover a
tennis court.’ Gold is being mined worldwide at 2,600 tonnes a year. At this
rate, the tennis court will be obliterated by 2025, by which time a further
45,000 tonnes will have been extracted, amounting to all the known
reserves of gold. By historic standards, this growth rate (1.6 per cent) is
galloping. In 1500, the total amount of gold in Europe could have been

fashioned into a two-metre cube – and that was after
4,000 years of civilisation.
Of course, the Super Pit is hugely contentious: it
rapes the land, consuming lakes of water in one of the
driest parts of the planet. Environmentalists point to
the release of seven tonnes of mercury between 2004
and 2005. And all for what? So that we can look more
like P. Diddy? Th e main uses of gold are in dentistry,
radar equipment, satellites, microchips and electronic
circuitry, but only 5 per cent of gold ends up in
industry. Th e rest sits in vaults, in mouths, on fi ngers, in
ears, around necks and in sunken galleons; or under
mattresses and fl oorboards. It never tarnishes, rots or
rusts. It could spend thousands of years on the seabed
and still glow and gleam like new. Besides a couple of
ounces burnt off the nose of the Space Shuttle and the
fi lm of gold on the Apollo lunar modules, all the gold
that was ever dug up still exists. Th at ring on your
fi nger could contain fragments from the Queen of
Sheba’s gift to Solomon, Hatshepsut’s column, Darius’s
bathtub, the Golden Calf, the treasures of the Incas, the
riches of Troy, Egypt and Babylon, the jewellery of
Rome, pirates’ doubloons or the regalia of monarchs.
Does the fact that gold is hardly ever used make
it useless? Well, yes, but also, paradoxically, no. ‘Th e
radiant purity, malleability and density that made
gold so appropriate for objects of worship – including
its general uselessness for anything other than
adornment – were precisely the attributes that made
it such an extraordinarily convenient material for
coins,’ writes Peter Bernstein in Th e Power of Gold.
Gold’s rarity and enduring quality made it the
ideal repository of value that could be exchanged
PrivatTravel
for goods and services. Over time, this gave rise to
currency. Most governments today deliver the same
service using paper money. When times are hard,
however, governments often issue more and more
currency, thereby devaluing it until the point is
reached at which it becomes worthless. While
paper currencies have tended to vanish, gold keeps
its value over the very long term. As Kit Juckes,
chief economist at Forex trader the ECU Group,
says: ‘Gold is “anti-currency” and shines by default
when the need for easier monetary policy is a global
theme.’ Th is is why, as always, the value of gold
comes back time and time again.
Th e quality that qualifi es gold for universal
desirability is what Tustain describes as its reliable
rare supply. ‘Th ere exists a large, but not too large, and
almost fi xed quantity of gold in the world, almost all
of which is held by its owners as a tangible store of
wealth,’ says Tustain. ‘No other thing in the world can
make this claim… Gold’s unexpandable supply makes
it a far more reliable store of purchasing power than
mere currency. Nothing does this job so reliably and
so well as gold, because nothing matches the rarity
and stability of its above-ground supply.’
Independently of each other, all ancient societies
mined gold and used it to advertise power of one
sort or another. It’s as if we are hard-wired to seek
it out and venerate it. Is it a coincidence that Homo
sapiens fi rst appeared in Africa where the biggest
deposits of gold lie? And are we in some way
connected to gold on profound levels of which we
are yet unaware? Perhaps, one day, someone will
mine the human psyche and fi nd out.
Sixty-Two
Th e steep, stepped
cliff s of Kalgoorlie-
Boulder open mine
COPYRIGHT©ALAMY

Fashion and fantasy meet at a Mad Hatter’s tea party.
If you can remember what the Dormouse said,
you weren’t there...

PrivatFashion
Sixty-Five
ALICE WEARS
Dress by nathanjensen
Jacket by basso&brooke
Jewellery by libertyoflondon
All scarves by libertyoflondon

ALICE WEARS
Skirt by charlesanastase
Top by qasimi
Shoes by basso&brooke
Tights by fogal
PrivatFashion
Sixty-Six

PrivatFashion
ALICE WEARS
Blue jumpsuit by pringleofscotland
Headband by piersatkinson
Long pendant by delphinecharlotteparmentier
Necklace and bracelet by mawi
Sixty-Seven

CREDITS
photography Shawn McDonnell
photographer’s Tristan Th omson
assistants Sarah Hibbert
styling Hope Von Joel
stylist’s Hannah Elwell
assistants Elle Kermertail
hair Fabio Gomes
@ slr using
bumble & bumble
make-up Kenneth Soh
model Ekaterina,
profile models
management
artdirector Jonny Clark
photodirector Helen Cathcart
designassistant Gary Puntorno
designintern Jennifer Cathcart
thanksto Kew Gardens, uk
PrivatFashion
Sixty-Eight

ALICE WEARS
Dress by charlesanastase
Jacket by m
Shoes by emmacook
Necklace by mawi
Table: Purple ruffl ed bag by topshop;
yellow and fuschia bag by salvatore
ferragamo; lip bags byluluguinness;
selection of jewellery by erickson
beamon; pink book, gold and white
necklace and blue stone and crystal
necklace all by libertyoflondon
lip-shaped accessory by emmafielden;
parrot-head necklace by lanvin
Furniture by jimmymartin
Cakes by littlevenicecakeco.
Rabbit lamps by skklighting
Birdcages by gardenantiquities

PrivatJewels
DIAMONDS
TO GO
vivienne becker looks at contemporary jewellery
that just won’t let you leave it at home.
Illustrations by christian david moore
Portable,
personal treasures, jewels
have long been inveterate travellers,
from Venetian glass beads traded
across Africa, through Grand
Tourist souvenirs of carved coral and
lava, granulated gold and micromosaics,
to Indian gems and jewels
reworked into Parisian Art Deco
creations. Microcosms of memories,
they are so often underscored with
an element of escapism, or at times
quite literally escape, in their role
as small-scale stores of condensed
wealth. Now the romance of travel
has become a key theme in new and
directional jewellery collections.
Lorenz Bäumer’s debut High
Jewellery collection for Louis
Vuitton, L’Ame du Voyage, picks
up on Vuitton’s historic link to the
story of travel. Exploding with light,
colour and movement, each of the
jewellery suites are set with the new
Louis Vuitton diamonds cut into
the shape of the brand’s fl ower
monogram. Th ey capture snapshots
of a dignifi ed church with soaring
ceilings, the swell of an ocean wave,
the energy of a Latin dance and
the puff ed perfection of Japanese
cherry blossom in springtime.
Th is kaleidoscope of images
also refl ects Bäumer’s own travels,
his search for exotic gemstones
and inspirations. He says: ‘By
fashioning them in precious
stones and gold, I gave substance
to these sensations, to the
memories gathered on my travels.
A rainbow of a thousand images
is my faithful companion along
the way, a navigator’s log that is
perpetually full of wonder.’
At Dior Fine Jewellery,
creative director Victoire de
Castellane has created a series of
eight exquisitely detailed cuff s,
the Idylle aux Paradis collection,
conceived as an ode to travel. Each
conjures up an exotic location:
Valparaíso; Kyoto; Fiji; the Greek
Seventy-One
Left to right: gold brooch with spinels
and pink sapphires; gold and diamond
necklace with sapphires and aquamarines;
round gold earrings with yellow and
white diamonds, yellow sapphires and
spessartites; and long gold earrings with
diamonds, sapphires and aquamarines; all
from L’Ame du Voyage collection by
Lorenz Bäumer for louis vuitton

islands, and each is imagined, says
de Castellane, as a gift brought back
by a lover from paradise on Earth.
On the Idylle a Valparaíso bracelet,
a white opal seahorse with a
golden crown swims in a lagoon
encrusted with baroque pearls and
rough coral, fl oating with mother
of pearl and chalcedony fl owers.
Th e Pacifi c beach of Idylle aux
Fidji depicts a coral turtle nibbling
on a shell hibiscus fl ower, while
the Idylle a Kyoto creates a zen
garden using jadeite and black
mother of pearl, centred on a large,
carved coral rose, which can be
removed and worn as a brooch.
Eastern promise and Byzantine
richness ooze from the pictorial rings
by Turkish goldsmith and jeweller
Sevan Biçakçi. Th rough his pieces,
Biçakçi takes the wearer on a
journey through time and place to
the Ottoman Empire, to the origins
of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, famed
for its jewellery and goldsmithing
workshops, where from the age of
12, Biçakçi himself learned his
craft, practising and perfecting
centuries-old techniques.
Inspired by the history and
architecture of old Istanbul, his
rings are topped with huge handcarved
stones, etched from the
back and painted, in the manner
of Ottoman miniatures, with
images of fl owers, birds, animals
and cherubs that seem to fl oat
inside the gem. Crafted in
blackened silver and gold and
encrusted with rose diamonds,
the rings are imbued with a sense
of adventure and mystery,
transporting the wearer to the
spice-scented, bejewelled bustle
of the Grand Bazaar.
Van Cleef & Arpels’
California Rêverie collection takes
a road trip across America’s West
Coast, bringing images and ideas
PrivatJewels
Seventy-Two
to life through the fi nest of gems
and craftsmanship. A blend of
dreams and reality, this panorama
of Californian life encompasses
sky and sea, palm trees, pineapples,
fl owers and birds.
With a hint of 1950s glamour,
the collection is a celebration of
Californian days and nights and
Hollywood parties. Gemstones
evoke the sun-drenched colours of
the West Coast: sapphires of all hues,
fi ery Mandarin garnets and grassgreen
tsavorites are strung into a
Blue Dive earrings, van cleef
& arpels; Boboli gold pendant,
h. stern; L’Ame du Voyage
gold necklace with yellow and
white diamonds, multicoloured
sapphires, spinels and garnets,
louis vuitton

‘This rainbow of a thousand
images is my faithful companion
along the way, a navigator’s log
that is perpetually full of wonder’
Seventy-Three
dramatic necklace hung with an
Ethiopian opal sunset; drop-shaped,
turquoise Paraiba tourmalines
hanging from a froth of diamonds in
Big Sur earrings and hints of mother
of pearl, a Van Cleef signature.
Finally, for his latest themes
and inspirations, Roberto Stern,
creative director of Brazilian jeweller
H. Stern, has ventured from South
America to Europe – from the
raw, wild beauty of the Brazilian
Rain Forests to the cultivated,
historic splendour of Florence. Th e
Boboli Gardens provide the design
direction for H. Stern’s new Boboli
collection, comprising rings, earrings,
pendants and a bracelet, in which
gold is sculpted and shaped, paying
homage to both nature and the
famous Boboli open-air museum of
ancient and Renaissance sculptures.
Th in sheets of polished gold
are cut and crumpled to create
organic yet stylised fl owers, light
but voluminous, with a sculptural
quality and a majesty that refl ects
the formal grandeur of the gardens.
For Stern, the trip to Italy was one
of many expeditions he regularly
makes in search of dreams to
conjure his precious designs.

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©TYLERSHIELDS/GETTYCONTOUR
GABRIELLEDONNELLY
TALKSTOANNAKENDRICK
ABOUTFAMILYFAME
ANDWORKINGWITH
GEORGECLOONEY
Twilight
limelight
to
ISKENDRICKYOURREALNAME?
It’s my family’s name, but my
family is mostly Irish and many
Irish families changed their names,
when they fi rst came over to
America from Ireland, because it
was diffi cult for them to get jobs.
I also think that one side of my
extended, distant family was
on the run from the law, which
I fi nd really exciting. I believe
the family’s original name was
Connolly, but we’re Kendrick now.
HOWDIDYOUGETINTOACTING?
I grew up in Portland, Maine,
and when I was about 10, there
was a revival of the musical Annie
on Broadway. Like every other
10-year-old girl in the country,
I decided I wanted to audition for
it. A friend of a friend knew an
agent in New York who got me
the audition – I didn’t get the
part, but I discovered that this was
something I really wanted to do, so
I started to go for other auditions.
My parents would drag me six
PrivatStar
Seventy-Five

hours from Maine to New York or put me on a Greyhound
bus, and I’d go into the city to try and fi nd work. Eventually,
when I was 12, I got the role of Dinah, the little girl in High
Society, and I’ve been working ever since.
ANYOTHERACTORSINYOURFAMILY?
My elder brother, Michael Cooke Kendrick, has been an actor,
and was in the fi lm Looking for an Echo, although right now,
he’s focusing on other things. But we’re the only black sheep
in the family – all the others are nice,
normal people. My dad was a teacher
when I was growing up, but now he
works for a bank. My mom’s an
accountant, although she has a
dramatic side to her, which people
say I got from her! Th ey were
very supportive of my acting
ambitions, though.
TWILIGHTHASBROUGHTYOU
FAMEHOWDOESITFEEL?
I don’t feel any diff erent in myself.
I’m continually bewildered when
people I’ve never met before know
my face or name, although I imagine
it’s something I’m going to have to
get used to. I have no idea how other
actors handle the level of pressure
they must face – I know they do it
with grace and poise, which is a testament
to their intelligence. For me, it helps that
my family and my friends both back home
in Maine and here in Los Angeles treat
me exactly the same as they always have.
So when I go to a press interview or an
awards show, I guess I feel diff erent, but
otherwise, I’m still me.
ANDINTWILIGHTOFCOURSEYOU’RE
WORKINGWITHAWHOLECASTOF
SEXSYMBOLSOFYOUROWNAGE…
It’s defi nitely a very attractive cast! But
while I can acknowledge that, I must say,
I don’t think of any of the actors in that way
any more – they’re just like family members
to me. It’s very strange when my friends
outside the cast come up to me and talk
about how hot my co-workers are. It’s like
having a cute cousin that all your friends
talk about – it’s kind of gross, actually.
HOWWASITWORKINGWITH
GEORGECLOONEY?
It was terrifying at fi rst. You never ever
hear a bad thing about George – and
everybody knows someone, who knows
PrivatStar
someone, who says he’s amazing. I was
scared because I was going to have to
go toe-to-toe with him every day and
yell at him at the end, and if he hadn’t
been really game for it, it would have been
impossible. George really went out of
his way to make me feel at home. I was
allowed to make fun of him on the set,
which made it easier. He took on a
protective role towards me, so it wasn’t
like I had a crush on him or anything.
WHODIDYOUHAVECRUSHESON
WHENYOUWEREGROWINGUP?
Rock heroes mostly. To me, a sex symbol
was a rebel who had dirty hair, sang rock
songs and was anti-establishment. When
I was 15, I was obsessed with Julian
Casablancas from Th e Strokes.
WHOAREYOURPROFESSIONAL
ROLEMODELS?
I really admire Emma Th ompson, Patricia
Clarkson, Frances McDormand, Parker
Posey and Laura Linney. If I could emulate
any one of them in any way, that would be
pretty spectacular.
Seventy-Six
‘I was allowed to make fun of
George Clooney on the set, which
made it easier. It wasn’t like I had
a crush on him or anything’
Anna Kendrick
with George
Clooney in
Up in the Air
WHATDOYOUDOWHEN
YOU’RENOTWORKING?
I bake a lot! I get very caught up
in my work, so baking forces me
to calm down and think of just the
one very simple thing. I love it.
ALIFEONSCREEN
name: Anna Kendrick
born: 9 August 1985, Maine
firsttheatrerole: Dinah in
High Society, Broadway, 1998
(nominated for Tony Award)
firstfilmrole: Fritzi Wagner,
Camp, 2003
breakoutfilmrole:
Jessica Stanley, The Twilight
Saga, 2008, 2009, 2010
firstadultfilmrole:
Natalie Keener, Up in the Air
2009 (nominated for Golden
Globe Award)
upcomingfilmrole:
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
maritalstatus: single
lives:Los Angeles

hours from Maine to New York or put me on a Greyhound
bus, and I’d go into the city to try and fi nd work. Eventually,
when I was 12, I got the role of Dinah, the little girl in High
Society, and I’ve been working ever since.
ANYOTHERACTORSINYOURFAMILY?
My elder brother, Michael Cooke Kendrick, has been an actor,
and was in the fi lm Looking for an Echo, although right now,
he’s focusing on other things. But we’re the only black sheep
in the family – all the others are nice,
normal people. My dad was a teacher
when I was growing up, but now he
works for a bank. My mom’s an
accountant, although she has a
dramatic side to her, which people
say I got from her! Th ey were
very supportive of my acting
ambitions, though.
TWILIGHTHASBROUGHTYOU
FAMEHOWDOESITFEEL?
I don’t feel any diff erent in myself.
I’m continually bewildered when
people I’ve never met before know
my face or name, although I imagine
it’s something I’m going to have to
get used to. I have no idea how other
actors handle the level of pressure
they must face – I know they do it
with grace and poise, which is a testament
to their intelligence. For me, it helps that
my family and my friends both back home
in Maine and here in Los Angeles treat
me exactly the same as they always have.
So when I go to a press interview or an
awards show, I guess I feel diff erent, but
otherwise, I’m still me.
ANDINTWILIGHTOFCOURSEYOU’RE
WORKINGWITHAWHOLECASTOF
SEXSYMBOLSOFYOUROWNAGE…
It’s defi nitely a very attractive cast! But
while I can acknowledge that, I must say,
I don’t think of any of the actors in that way
any more – they’re just like family members
to me. It’s very strange when my friends
outside the cast come up to me and talk
about how hot my co-workers are. It’s like
having a cute cousin that all your friends
talk about – it’s kind of gross, actually.
HOWWASITWORKINGWITH
GEORGECLOONEY?
It was terrifying at fi rst. You never ever
hear a bad thing about George – and
everybody knows someone, who knows
PrivatStar
someone, who says he’s amazing. I was
scared because I was going to have to
go toe-to-toe with him every day and
yell at him at the end, and if he hadn’t
been really game for it, it would have been
impossible. George really went out of
his way to make me feel at home. I was
allowed to make fun of him on the set,
which made it easier. He took on a
protective role towards me, so it wasn’t
like I had a crush on him or anything.
WHODIDYOUHAVECRUSHESON
WHENYOUWEREGROWINGUP?
Rock heroes mostly. To me, a sex symbol
was a rebel who had dirty hair, sang rock
songs and was anti-establishment. When
I was 15, I was obsessed with Julian
Casablancas from Th e Strokes.
WHOAREYOURPROFESSIONAL
ROLEMODELS?
I really admire Emma Th ompson, Patricia
Clarkson, Frances McDormand, Parker
Posey and Laura Linney. If I could emulate
any one of them in any way, that would be
pretty spectacular.
Seventy-Six
‘I was allowed to make fun of
George Clooney on the set, which
made it easier. It wasn’t like I had
a crush on him or anything’
Anna Kendrick
with George
Clooney in
Up in the Air
WHATDOYOUDOWHEN
YOU’RENOTWORKING?
I bake a lot! I get very caught up
in my work, so baking forces me
to calm down and think of just the
one very simple thing. I love it.
ALIFEONSCREEN
name: Anna Kendrick
born: 9 August 1985, Maine
firsttheatrerole: Dinah in
High Society, Broadway, 1998
(nominated for Tony Award)
firstfilmrole: Fritzi Wagner,
Camp, 2003
breakoutfilmrole:
Jessica Stanley, The Twilight
Saga, 2008, 2009, 2010
firstadultfilmrole:
Natalie Keener, Up in the Air
2009 (nominated for Golden
Globe Award)
upcomingfilmrole:
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
maritalstatus: single
lives:Los Angeles

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© GETTY
LONGWINDINGSECURITY
lines, departure gates, luggage
carousels, rental cars, and hotel
suites: these are the ever-familiar
accoutrements of business travel.
Th e need to travel abroad for
business has steadily increased,
and despite the current global
recession, entrepreneurs, executives
and professionals need to research
new markets, expand existing
ones or meet their clients. As
we begin to emerge from these
economic clouds into sunnier
skies, the necessity of travelling
abroad in order to conduct
business will become even more
compelling, expanding the ranks
of those who have been newly
classifi ed as ‘mobile professionals’.
With increased interconnectivity
between companies and markets
worldwide, the mobile professional
is becoming the face of 21stcentury
business.
According to the March
2008 IDC Market Analysis
Report, the worldwide mobile
worker population will reach a
billion by 2011, which represents
approximately 30 per cent of the
worldwide workforce. Th is is an
increase of more than 5 per cent
since 2006. Th e United States has
the most mobile professionals
PrivatAir
with 68 per cent, followed by
Western Europe at almost 50 per
cent. Japan has the fastest rate of
increase of mobile professionals
and is looking to overtake the
United States by 2011, while the
Asia/Pacifi c region excluding
Japan has the largest absolute
number, with 479.8 million mobile
professionals. Th at fi gure will
increase by 200 million next year.
‘As mobility continues to play
a key role in enabling companies
to achieve greater productivity
worldwide, IDC expects the
global mobile worker population
to increase to more than 1.19
billion in 2013, representing
nearly 35 per cent of the
worldwide workforce,’ says Sean
Ryan, research analyst for IDC’s
Mobile Enterprise group.
Due to the increase in the
number of mobile professionals
– and competition for markets
and clients – it has become
important to re-think how to
conduct business eff ectively on
the move. Th ere is now a growing
need to fi nd a better solution
than conducting meetings in
crowded hotel lobbies, hotel suites
or in more public venues such as
internet-providing cafés. Even
the option of organising meetings
PRIVATAIR
On the move
Help is at hand for the mobile professional, an
increasingly familiar figure in the business world
Seventy-Nine
at various clients’ offi ces can
prove to be extremely ineffi cient:
time-consuming in itself, while
hindering the productive use of
one’s time between appointments.
One solution is to have a home
from home, or rather offi ce from
offi ce, where the needs of a mobile
professional can be met.
‘I have found my business
lounge membership to be the
solution to the mobile nature of
my business. I can receive clients
and conduct meetings within an
elegant setting, while having the
daily administrative needs of my
offi ce attended to by the lounge
team. It gives me the benefi ts
and advantages of my own offi ce
without the overheads. I save time
and money,’ says Serge Pariente,
director of a Paris-based leading
pharmaceutical company, who
regularly commutes between Paris,
London and other European
capitals and is a member of BCS
City Lounge in London.
BCS City Lounge is a fully
serviced business club that
provides its guests with both
administrative support and stateof-the-art
business facilities in a
prime central London location,
near Marble Arch. ‘Our lounge
is specifi cally designed on the
premise that we serve as a
natural extension of your offi ce.
Guests can relax knowing that
they can discuss confi dential
business matters. Our private
meeting rooms aff ord the utmost
discretion, while allowing you
the opportunity to network with
others in our public lounge, if
so desired. Th e aim is to give
our guests a range of options to
suit their needs,’ says George
Georgiou, co-founder and director
of BCS City Lounge.
‘A business lounge in
central London is a benefi t both
for ourselves and a number of
our international clients, who do
not have their own offi ce base in
the city,’ says Greg Th omas, CEO
of PrivatAir.
Given the current economic
climate and the rise of the
mobile professional, it’s clear that
businesses need an innovative,
cost-eff ective approach to doing
business while abroad. During
frequent stopovers, mobile
professionals should be able to
take advantage of the privacy of a
fi rst-class business environment
off ering personalised service. BCS
is at the forefront of providing
such an essential service.
www.bcscitylounge.com

PrivatAir
Eighty

ONEOFTHEPRINCIPAL
reasonsfor the founding of
PrivatAir back in 1977 was the
creation of a safe, secure and
discreet means of transport for the
founder of the Latsis Group – John
Latsis – to fl y from Geneva to the
Gulf region. However during the
32 years that the company was
in the ownership of the Latsis
Group, PrivatAir never formally
established itself there. Now, under
new ownership, the time has come
for us to do so.
PrivatAir was proud to be an
exhibitor at the inaugural and
highly successful recent Bahrain
Airshow. Involved heavily in the
region since inception, PrivatAir
has watched from the sidelines as a
massive expansion in the business
jet fl eet size and related local
industry has taken off and gathered
pace. So during the show we took
the opportunity to announce that
in the course of 2010 the PrivatAir
brand would come to the Gulf
region, with the establishment of
an operation in Bahrain.
An intense amount of work
is currently being carried out to
get ready to launch the operation
this summer. It involves teams
SPREADING
OUR WINGS
Th is summer, PrivatAir launches a new VIP operation
in the Gulf, as CEO greg thomas explains
working on regulatory issues and
manuals, fl ight operations and
maintenance, ground operations
and commercial sales and
marketing. Once this work has
been completed customers in the
Gulf region will be able to avail
themselves of PrivatAir’s unique
aircraft management and charter
services. Th ere are already a number
of customers who have committed
to bringing their aircraft to the
new operation and the hope is that
many more will follow.
Turn-key aircraft management
services are complex: some days
highly technical, others highly
emotional but always an extremely
demanding product off ering. In
the Gulf region operators have
the challenge of supplying this
product off ering to some of the
world’s most discerning customers,
who have been used to extremely
high standards of service in this
fi eld for many years. Indeed, the
Gulf region and its aircraft owners
are arguably responsible for
pushing the limits of what can be
achieved in terms of the business
aviation industry as a whole. It is
at these levels of service that true
professionals stand out. PrivatAir’s
experience of over 30 years of
dealing with royal families,
presidents, prime ministers, CEOs
and high-profi le personalities
makes us very comfortable with
entering this marketplace.
Aircraft owners and charter
customers have concerns that
sometimes overlap but may also
be surprisingly diff erent. However,
in both VIP aircraft management
and VIP aircraft charter, two things
are clear: no two customers are
the same and no two customers
will ever want the same product.
A lot of the complexity involved
in the two off erings is in the
customisation of the product in
relation to the unique requirements
of the individual customers. Over
the years we at PrivatAir have
learned that this can range from
the installation of perches to
accommodate rare and valuable
hunting falcons to carrying coffi ns
inside the cabin, not to mention
the diverse dietary requirements
of sometimes very numerous
passenger complements. Th ese
things are all in a day’s work for
the VIP aircraft management and
charter company.
Over the next few years, the
Eighty-One
current VIP fl eet in the Gulf
region is set to double in size,
from roughly 300 to 600 business
jets, ranging in size from VLJs
to Boeing 747/Airbus A380. In
this context, there will be a large
fl eet requiring the complex tasks
of being crewed, maintained and
administered on a day-to-day
basis. In addition there will be an
excellent chance of off ering VIP
ad-hoc charter opportunities on
the days that the aircraft are not
required by their respective owners.
In choosing Bahrain, PrivatAir
has made a conscious decision
to be based in the United Arab
Emirates but also in the country
that has some of the closest ties
to the biggest VIP market in the
region, Saudi Arabia. Th e Bahrain
authorities have stated their
intention of further developing
their long-held interest in aviation.
Th e recent Bahrain Airshow
was a wonderful display of that
intent. PrivatAir is keen to play an
important part in the development
of the VIP area in Bahrain and
beyond, into the wider region. We
believe that the setting up of this
operation later this year will leave
us perfectly poised to achieve this.

PRIVATAIRHASBEEN at
the forefront of private aviation
for over 30 years, providing
the world’s most demanding
travellers with a comprehensive
range of capabilities, delivered
to the very highest standards of
safety and personal service.
Since its creation in 1977,
the company has grown from
being the corporate aircraft
fl eet of the Latsis Group,
a global conglomerate, to a
world-renowned full-service
commercial aviation operator.
Today, PrivatAir is one
of the private aviation
industry’s longest-standing
and most prestigious operators.
Its global operations include
both jet charter and private
airline services.
PRIVATE CHARTER
PrivatAir’s charter services enable
you to travel in total privacy,
into and out of more than 5,000
airports around the world. For
over 30 years, the company has set
the industry standard in operating
aircraft of the highest quality and
providing outstanding levels of
service to our customers.
Whether it’s chartering a
Beechcraft 200 for a weekend family
shopping break, or a 50-seat VIPconfi
gured airliner for a three-week,
round-the-world trip, PrivatAir
off ers unrivalled international
coverage, sourcing the best aircraft
to match each passenger’s individual
requirements. As such, our services
are regularly sought by governments,
royalty, celebrities and business
executives the world over.
PrivatAir
PRIVATAIR
Offering jet charter and private airline services, PrivatAir has been a
leader in the field of luxury aviation for more than three decades
PrivatAir
– for high fl yers
Eighty-Two
PRIVATE AIRLINE SERVICES
After pioneering the all-businessclass
concept in 2002, PrivatAir
now operates fl ights on behalf of a
select number of commercial airlines
who wish to off er their customers
an exclusive service on key routes.
PrivatAir also provides regularly
scheduled corporate shuttle fl ights
for companies that frequently need
to send their employees or clients to
specifi c destinations.
KEYMILESTONES
1977 founded as the corporate fl ight
department of the Latsis Group.
1979 acquired its fi rst Boeing 737.
1989 acquired its fi rst Boeing 757
and Gulfstream IV.
1995 received its Swiss Air Operator
Certifi cate from the Federal Offi ce of
Civil Aviation.
1999 became the world’s fi rst
airline whose quality system fulfi ls
the stringent ISO 9002 certifi cation
norms for all departments.
1999 became the only commercial
operator with three Boeing BBJ ultralong-range
executive aircraft.
2001 gained ETOPS and FAA
approval to operate direct routes
across the Atlantic and Pacifi c Oceans
with unlimited access to the US.
2002 launched its fi rst transatlantic
all-business-class route.
2003 founded PrivatPort with
Swissport to provide executive jethandling
services at Geneva airport.
2003 gained JAR-145 approval from
the German civil aviation authority.
2005 renewed operating
agreements with all commericial
airline partners.
2008 added new routes to the
Middle East and Asia.
2009 introduced dual-class
services to a number of new
destinations.