The Review

The Review

Automotive, Events

CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE

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The Concours of Elegance has announced the first of its features for 2019: a world-first display of one of every Aston Martin Zagato variant ever manufactured. From the 1960 DB4 GT Zagato, right through to the Vanquish Zagato Coupé, Volante, Speedster and Shooting Brake, guests will be able to browse 16 examples from one of the most famous creative partnerships in automotive history. The Aston Martin Zagato Celebratory Display is being curated by the Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC), supported by Aston Martin Lagonda and Zagato. The display will include a number of extremely rare, as well as several unique, models, including one of the most famous racing Aston Martins…

Style

The Graff Lesedi La Rona

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Graff, which has cut and polished the majority of the 20 largest diamonds discovered this century, reveals the principal diamond cut and polished from the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona rough diamond. Weighing 302.37 carats, the Graff Lesedi La Rona, is the largest square emerald cut diamond in the world, and the largest highest colour, highest clarity diamond ever graded by the GIA. Found at the Lucara Karowe mine, Botswana, the rough diamond was the largest gem quality rough diamond discovered in over 100 years and the second largest ever found. Graff was confident that buying the rough stone would result in sensational gems, following the acquisition of 373 carat…

Style

Sun or Sleet

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Britain Britain Britain, with our inconsistent weather, flash showers and snow drifts, is it any wonder some of us play it safe during Apirl. Fear not, Holland Cooper have some wax saviours for all. The Classic Cape and Wax and Leather Wrap The Windsor Jacket A style that exhudes Britishness, our military inspired jacket is bold and sleek.  Its lightweight and will make any outfit look polished – whether you have it fastened or have it thrown over your shoulders. Tweed and Fur Wrap A silhouette that suits everyone, and a perfect fit every time – the tweed and fur wrap makes any outfit instantly glamorous, but can also be dressed…

Style

Hawes & Curtis

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Founded in 1913 by Ralph Hawes and George Frederick Curtis, the brand opened its first store in the Piccadilly Arcade and has had many distinguished clients through its doors, including the Duke of Windsor, Lord Mountbatten and Fred Astaire. As a result of Hawes & Curtis’ commitment to impeccable service, the brand has been awarded four Royal Warrants, operates more than 20 stores in the UK with it’s flasghip on Jermyn Street. The Spring/Summer campaign embodies both the journey of the brand and the individual journeys of the customers. From a single Jermyn Street shirtmaker in 1913 to an internationally recognised lifestyle brand. Delicately combining luxury with essentials, the collection…

Style

RWH – Turnbull & Asser

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For those not aquainted or not around to enjoy the swinging sixties, allow us to briefly introduce the fine men and women of Turnbull & Asser. Founded in 1885 by John Arthur Turnbull, a hosier and shirtmaker at 3 Church Place, St. James’s. Turnbull met Ernest Asser, a salesman, later on in 1893. Together, they opened a hosiery under the name “John Arthur Turnbull” in St. James’s. As the neighborhood was the site of numerous high-end haberdashers, the business flourished. The name was changed to “Turnbull & Asser” in 1895. In 1903, after continued success, Turnbull & Asser moved to its present location at the corner of Jermyn Street and…

Tech RoundUp

Manfrotto XPRO4

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Cast your mind back to the late1960s. Lino Manfrotto was a photo reporter for Il Gazzettino and Il Giornale di Vicenza in Bassano del Grappa. Like many fabricators, inventors and innovators before him, he struggled with the industry standard of equipment he was using during his advertising shoots. With the help of a collaborator, Lino Manfrotto, he made his first products, including a light and sturdy lamp stand, that was finally high enough. For a couple of years he produced just a few pieces to meet the needs of his photographer friends. Later he decided to present them on an international level, obtaining his first significant order from a Swiss…

Tech RoundUp

Beoplay PLAY E8

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There are some benchmarks in consumer AV. Bang & Olufsen has been setting the standard for as long as we can remember. When a certain fruit based tech firm decided to do away with the humble headphone jack, we all knew there would be an uptake in Bluetooth headphones across the board.  The B&O Play E8’s are pretty much the crème de la crème of the market. With intuitive touch control, a case that doubles as a charging station and four hours of play time from one charge,  we’ve found our best and brightest. Of course, the sound produced is of the B&O standard we’ve all come to adore but…

Gifting

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel

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Chosen for its individual taste, both smooth and aromatic, by the company’s master distiller and his team of master tasters, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel is the perfect standby drink this festive period. The barrels selected for this version come from the top floors of the barrelhouses that punctuate the hills around the JD distillery. The intense temperature extremes that the barrels are exposed to throughout the year result in a bold and robust yield of whiskey. Highly unusual and utter moreish. Full-bodied with notes of vanilla, toasted oak and caramel, this bottle’s intense flavour profile is equalled by a long, deep finish. And because each barrel is unique, so is…

Style

The Belmond British Pullman

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The festive season is always steeped in nostalgia: small feet eagerly pattering down the stairs to find gifts under the tree, games of charades by the fire, home cooked Christmas dinners, the familiar rustle of the Christmas decorations box and a wealth of family traditions. What better way to mark the season, then, than a magical day out aboard the iconic Belmond British Pullman? While the glamour aboard the British Pullman is enough to delight even the most discerning traveller, the destinations certainly aren’t an afterthought. Journey into leafy Oxfordshire to the Belmond le Manoir for a magnificent Christmas lunch, venture to Canterbury for carols in the Cathedral or partake…

Tech RoundUp

My Passport Wireless Pro

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As you would expect, our throughput of rich media at The Review sometimes looks like a data Tsunami. Photographers and DOP’s can utilise online storage and delivery, cards and of course storage devices. But does every single shoot need a RAID array backed up to a data centre buried in the side of a mountain? We don’t think so. Having spent a week on a yacht shoot last year with a failed 2TB storage device, we found ourselves in a bit of a hole. Sure there are some decent electronics shops in Greece but they come with an idiot tax attached to them that can leave you paying double the…

Property

Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.

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We’ve long been pitched the virtues and ROI available in the renter and traditional bricks-and-mortar spaces alike. Proptech is burgeoning with options for the eager property-savvy investor looking to take advantage of the latest house-hunter or seller app. But what about the higher-yield returns that alternative and larger scale land deals and builds bring. Can this quagmire of startups and credentialed operators be policed and helpfully networked in a way that makes the returns lucrative enough for the historically risk adverse? Alex Harrington-Griffin believes so. Alex secured his first commercial win in the tech space in 2011, a b2b group buying platform, which he ‘flipped’ within 12 months, selling out…

Tech RoundUp

Rokinon

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Glass. Surely it can’t all be about good glass, can it? Well, it depends if you have used cinema prime lenses before. We historically shot all our film projects with variable kit lenses from the Canon range, slowly building up a range of better and better prime lenses. The price can quickly escalate into the upper echelons of ridiculous. So, we wanted to see if there was an entry-level set of prime lenses available to the starter and the lifer alike. Cue the team at Rokinon, who’ve been making lenses since 1972 from their head office in South Korea. Rokinon is giving its Cine lenses an upgrade with the Cine…

FILM, Style

Protest Sportswear

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We’ve sprayed precious powder in the Alps with Protest already, so we know what the brand stands for. Founded by a group of Dutch snow boarders, the label wants to help those who seek slopes or waves anytime, any place. Protest designs fashionable and functional sportswear for those who simply love what they do.  “We want to help people overcome whatever stands between them and their boards. A fresh perspective for all boarders. The beginners who aren’t quite sure if they’ve got what it takes. The masters who may have forgotten the pure joy of the ride. The cynics who have had millions of ads pushed down their throats. The workaholics with too…

Tech RoundUp

LG Smart 4K Ultra HD

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I have been obsessed with all things mechanical, electronic and digital since I can remember. It’s a disease really. The humble simpleton might not need the extra horse power, pixels or wattage – but I do. When the LG OLED TV arrived, I dispensed with the usually careful unpacking and tore into it like a 4-year-old at Christmas. Even with glasses I had to widen my retina to take in the massive 3840 x 2160 resolution screen. I take my viewing pleasure very seriously, and so the amount of research that went into what new TV to buy personally went above and beyond the customary flick through the brochure. LG…

Events, Style

Favourbrook – Royal Ascot

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Britain’s social calendar runs from March if you care to take in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, to September and finishes with London Fashion Week and Goodwood Revival. But for those of us who prefer our events to be a little more traditional and a little less frequented by this year’s batch of social media darlings, Royal Ascot is the pinnacle. Of all the events attended by Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, there can be no finer display of heritage and style than that of the five days of Royal Ascot held annually in June. This year, to help us navigate the gauntlet of the famed Royal Ascot Dress Code, we’ve…

Style

Frances de Lourdes

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Frances de Lourdes, a new brand of luxury tees and tanks in ultra soft, lightweight Italian cashmere and silks. The collection, designed and produced in New York City by 36-year-old Alejandra Echeverria, was born out of a desire for a refined classic tee. Echeverria, who notes that the name “Frances de Lourdes” is a reference to her mother and father’s middle names, respectively, was inspired to create an elevated version of her favorite vintage staples – the perfect tee.   A long time lover, wearer, and collector of tees, Echeverria set out to create a collection of timeless tees that she herself wanted and felt were missing from the market. Calling upon a decade’s…

Marine, Time

Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge

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Every year, in late July, the old port of Cowes on the isle of Wight, and the legendary waters of the Solent play host to the most important event in the United Kingdom for classic yachts, part of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge since 2010. Dozens of yachts, mainly from Northern European countries, gather in Cowes to take part in the five races that may bring them final victory, and in the spectacular Panerai Classic Round the Island Race, organised on the first Sunday along the course that in 1851 gave rise to the America’s Cup. The Classic Week will take place from the 14th July – 21st July in Cowes,…