The Review

The Review

Interviews

Zubin Mowlavi

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You have to get up pretty early in the morning to go toe to toe with me in terms of confidence. People believe that confidence is arrogance or cockiness (if your from my side of the pond). The reality is that my confidence always came from a sense of self-believe because to be brutally honest, having others believe in you is great but they wont be there when the deal needs to be signed or the invoice needs to chased. Zubin has the sort of self believe and awareness that we admire in a character here at The Review. Entrepreneur, musician and innovator. He is the founder of Lucid Fusion, a…

Finance, Property

Pondering property on the French Riviera? This is the year to make it happen

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A timely convergence of economic and political factors could make overseas property the prime investment choice for 2015, explains Daniel Webber, co-founder and MD at FXcompared, the international money transfer business that specialises in overseas property. Bricks and mortar has long been an attractive purchase – whether it’s a personal home or a long-term investment. Now is an opportune time to think beyond the UK and snap up real estate further afield, according to findings from our recent survey. We asked UK-based property investors what’s driving their decisions to buy abroad – and top of the list was a strong British Pound. It was the biggest factor in overseas purchases…

Automotive

Aston Martin – Rapide S

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A decade ago, if you wanted the sporty number that would turn heads and a model that could run the brood back and forth, you needed a garage that was big enough for two cars. We are, however, looking at a brand new world. A world of genuine four-seater sports cars with posing power to rival the best, and still enough room for the usual suspects. Introducing the Aston Martin Rapide S. Cue the genuflecting. I tend to affirm my own handle on new models by asking as many people as humanly possible what they think of a car. That is twice as hard when the model in question is…

Automotive

INSIDE ROLLS-ROYCE

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Following the hugely positive reaction to this year’s Channel 4 television documentary about the brand, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has decided to engage directly with fans new and old in a series of free live exhibitions called ‘Inside Rolls-Royce’ presented by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.Appropriately for this most popular of great British brands, the first of these exhibitions will open in London on Thursday 13 November at Saatchi Gallery on London’s King’s Road and will remain open for just four days. It will then go on tour visiting major cities around the world throughout 2015.‘Inside Rolls-Royce’ will treat guests to an unexpected multi-sensory journey through the marque’s world-renowned engineering, design and craftsmanship, providing new…

Style, Travel

The Ed’s Christmas Stocking

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Subscribers have been lucky enough to receive the Christmas Gift Guide, but here The Ed picks his best of the bunch. Launer Luxury Leather Wallet From £307, launer.com A beautifully-crafted leather wallet, made from lizard and black calf leather. Using its trademark traditional handmade technique, Launer ensures that every part of this indulgent yet tasteful wallet has been turned by hand to form its elegant finish, with space for eight credit cards.  1968 saw Launer issued with a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II, bringing the brand onto the global stage. Almost 50 years later, a piece like this is still fit for royalty.  Monitor Audio MA100 £450, monitoraudio.co.uk Monitor Audio continues to do what it…

Property, Travel

The Loftfactory, Paris

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Paris is becoming somewhat of a yearly ritual – a place that, from London, is easier to get to than Cornwall or Scotland. A mere hour on the plane, or a couple more by train; time that can be happily whiled away with a few glasses of champagne. For the first time, however, we thought about staying at an apartment between the hotels. Whilst looking at options, I was told there’s only one apartment worth staying in when visiting Paris. You’ll find The Loftfactory on Rue Greneta, a neighbourhood that’s quite the bohemian centre. Think Soho meets Camden, only prettier. You enter through an immodestly large door – what was…

Property, Travel

Wolf Worster Associates

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Having worked in the luxury and finance industry for some years now, I’ve worked with a number of property companies. A lot hit the mark and offer you and your companions access to properties in the far-flung reaches of the world. Many, however, are middlemen offering luxury villa bookings as a go-between. The reality is that only a few stars shine brightly. Finding a company that is right for you takes time and will no doubt become your lifelong travel consultant. In our quest to bring you the best of the best, The Review sits down with what we consider to be one of the best luxury property provider and…

Interviews

Idris Elba

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For a thespian known for his fierce roles, namely as street-wise drug-ring leader Stringer Bell on The Wire, Idris Elba is wacky and self-deprecating in person. Whilst knocking back a peppermint tea, he explains that he’s a skilled tap dancer, although has no plans to ever appear on Strictly Come Dancing. “No. There it is,” he says. “It’s a guilty pleasure to watch it”. It’s the first in a line of anomalies about the man, who was born in Hackney, London, in 1972. For instance, despite his acting pedigree, Elba is quite indiscriminate in his viewing habits. He may have won a Golden Globe for his role of the fanatical…

Food & Drink

The Back bar

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The history of whisky production in Japan is pretty short, and can be attributed to two men: Shinjiro Torii and Masataka Taketsuru. Torii was a pharmaceutical merchant who embarked on a mission to create Japan’s first whisky distillery, which was to become his life’s work. He hired Taketsuru in the 1920s. Taketsuru had studied organic chemistry in Glasgow, and learned the secrets of scotch production whilst working in a number of distilleries. He was instrumental in helping Torii set up the Yamazaki distillery for his company, which would later become Nikka, establishing the Yoichi distillery. As you’d expect, the style of Japanese whisky follows that of the Scottish, as does…

Tech RoundUp

Tech Roundup – Q3

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Motorola TLKR T80 Quad Pack The Motorola TLKR T80 Extreme lets you have free conversations using an original and stylish modern radios with a wide range of features. This extremely robust license free 2-way radio has been given an IPX4 rating for its reinforced water resistant exterior. To find out more about IP ratings click here. With easy to use controls, a range of up to 10km*, a handy built-in torch and 8 channels, this is an ideal tool for communicating in any environment. The T80 Extreme model allows you to create groups, so you can make calls to your whole team or a group of people.  Every member of…

Style

WeSC

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We are fast approaching that time of year: everything you invested in for last season’s ‘sliding about’ is in perfect working order, but there’s just something missing. Perhaps it’s that sense of capitalist validity, when you order a fresh new jacket or sneakers for the après snow season ahead. WeSC are a Swedish clothing brand founded in 1999 by a collective of skaters, boarders and clothing addicts, all working towards the same ideal. WeSC has an enviable list of what it calls ‘WeActivists’: musicians, skateboarders, snowboarders, and anyone leading their subculture really. We are huge fans of the letterman style, not to mention the tidy tortoise shades.  

Travel

Queen of the Cotswolds

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As I hopped into the Austin Healy 3000, to drive to the Cotswolds on a sunny Friday afternoon, I didn’t really know what to expect – except for the faint waft of Farrow & Ball paint and more limestone than you can shake a stick at. I followed Smith, our motoring editor, up in his XK140, weaving our way through the rush hour traffic, as if we were holding a special classic car pass. Either that or the five o’clock commuters were too fearful of the insurance bill to fix the classics we were driving that day. As we headed up the M5, on our way to Painswick Court (known…

Time

BRM

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I remember a rather odd meeting a long time ago at the Saint James in Paris. I was driving across France with an old friend to review the then-new Ferrari California. We had taken a pit-stop at the St James and my colleague had arranged a meeting with a gentleman representing BRM watches. He said, “As a Frenchman, I am proud of my country. We have beautiful countryside, great wine, magnificent food. If it wasn’t for the French, it would be a beautiful place”. I tell you that story for no other reason than to point out that the engineers at BRM are a little eclectic. I am not a…

Interviews

Monica Bellucci

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Few women have the title of ‘Siren’, in my opinion. Only a handful make the cut these days. It not only requires an artistic flair that makes them seem both crazy and magnificent in equal parts, but also an otherworldly, almost Elysian quality. If there ever were more than three or four of these empyrean femme fatales, Monica Bellucci would be chairwoman of the board. As writers, we spend months chasing up interview requests and ultimately pursuing the proverbial white whales. Monica Bellucci is The Review’s first female front cover. And what a cover. Spanning a career that arguably began in the late-80s, when she signed with Elite Model Management,…

Tech RoundUp

TECH ROUNDUP

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This issue we bring you what we consider to be the finest tech junkie fixes in all the land. GOPRO Any action sports junkie will know that a camera is essential, in order to fully explain and brag that ‘sick jump’ to your nearest and dearest. The black edition shoots high-frame rate 1440p48, 1080p60, 960p100, 720p120, 4Kp15 and 2.7Kp30 enabling cinema quality capture. WiFi enabling iPhone connectivity and Superview mode are just a few of the GoPro’s arsenal of extras. Shockproof and waterproof to 197′ (60m), and proven in heavy surf from Tahiti to Northern California and everywhere in between, GoPro cameras can handle it, thanks to their highly engineered…

Food & Drink

The Back Bar

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This issue, we look under the carpet at the Tomatin Distillery, located in the Monadhliath Mountains, just south of Inverness. Established in 1897, the distillery is one of the highest in Scotland, at 315 meters above sea level. We get it: you look down on us. Tomatin 14 year old port wood finish single malt. Described as ‘soft and smooth’, the 14-year-old whisky has spent 13 years aging in Bourbon casks and a further one year finishing in Portuguese port pipes, which held Tawny port for between 30 and 40 years. “In recent years we have really started to make our mark in the single malt market with recognition for…

Style

Jean Richard

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Remember the chap who landed his stricken aircraft safely on the Hudson, becoming a US national hero and providing us with another YouTube video to stare wide-eyed at. He isn’t your everyday brand ambassador. You have to wonder how the team at Jean Richard approached Captain Chesney Sullenberger. Gently, one would assume, and with no sudden movements. No doubt by now the media have circled and dispersed. Another interesting choice is James Blunt. But Jean Richard are no-flash-in-the-pan, oh no. As the sister brand of Girad-Perregaux, they have worked hard over the past few years to really develop the brand and design. Jean Richard base their communication on four different…