prestige magazine

R49.95ISSUE NO. 40

• Sonus Faber Fenice • Investment Advice • Pal Zileri Fashion House

• Range Rover • S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup • Lady Godiva • Avro Business Jet

• BMW International Polo Series • Patek Philippe • Audi RS5 • Elvis’s Graceland

South A f r ica ’ s P remie r Luxu ry L i fes ty le Magaz ine

PRESTIGEi n t h e l a p o f l u x u r y

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contents

Motoring & AviAtion

Audi rS5 – Talk the Torque 14

Enjoying the High Life – Avro Business Jet 34

take it to the Max – New Range Rover 58

California Dreamin’ – Ferrari’s First Hard-Top Convertible 64

BoAting & YACHting

Schöpfer Yachts – Wild Design 24

new from Bavaria – The Sport 38 42

SuperYacht northern Star – Voyage to the Ends of the Earth 54

Ship Ahoy! – S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup 68

Latest Addition – Riviera 43 Open Flybridge 70

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SPECiAL FEAtUrES

the Bond girls – Beauty, Brains or Both? 28

Made in italy – Luxury Fashion House Pal Zileri 44

Let's Play – BMW International Polo Series 52

Lady godiva – A Tale of Chastity and Charity 82

SINTRA JUBILÉ / HIGH-TECH CERAMICS / WWW.RADO.COM

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BUSinESS & CSiLeading by Example – Thebe Ikalafeng 32

Double your return – The Best Property Investments 72

Uniting three Worlds – Lancia, Yachts & Nelson Mandela 80

Women Building Wealth – Investment Advice 84

trAvEL & LiFEStYLEModern Art – In a New York Minute 16

namibia Untamed – Fly Big Sky Country 36

Stress – Understanding It and Coping with It 74

going graceland – An Elvis Pilgrimage 76

contents

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36

rEgULArS Letter from the Chairman 8

Letter from the Editor 10

Live the Life 12

Premier travel Portfolio 79

Making Waves 88

HAUtE HorLogEriE & AUDio-viSUALSonus Faber Fenice – Redefining Loudspeakers 22

Something for Madame? – Lovely Ladies Watches 62

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The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. www.mercedes-benz.co.za/sls

A cockpit. An engine.

Two wings. Is it still a car?

8 p r e S t i G e

letter thechairman

from

When people talk of hangovers they are normally referring to headaches. We South Africans must have the weirdest of hangovers as we recover from the thrill of a wonderfully exciting World Cup, which got a 9/10 rating. And while perfectionists out there will ask where the other 10 percent was lost, this is a great achievement nonetheless, and is by no one's definition a headache. In a way, it almost felt as though all the calendars in South Africa were planned to end at midnight on 11 July 2010, similar to the Mayan thinking for December 2012.

Having been close to the action, with Neo Africa being a National Supporter of the World Cup, I must say it was an amazing learning experience. Working closely with the Local Organising Committee and FIFA, one cannot help but have great respect for the sheer scale of the task, logistics, operations management and scenario planning

that took place. Bearing in mind that there is no greater-attended event in the World, I have newfound respect for the team of people that had to put their own emotions aside to ensure the tournament was a success and that a platform was established for future legacies.

Despite the doomsday soothsayers, the sun still rose on 12 July, shining down on an even brighter future for this country, firstly with us having pulled off the “best World Cup ever,” as promised by the former President, and secondly, by the zest and fervour with which we now look ahead to the Olympics and many other great things to come. That to me is what Africa is about. The magic we carry on this continent is a quiet acceptance of circumstances, yet is backed by tenacity and resilience enough to rise above these circumstances and experience joy and show appreciation to the world for the opportunity given to us. South Africa is the shining light

of Africa and is the symbol of hope for a brighter future to come. Whether you were at a Fan Park or at the games themselves, this energy was everywhere!

For me, on a more personal level, the last two months have been eye-opening. The mix of pressure, opportunities, threats and risks revealed to me the people who are loyal, competent and capable of stepping up to the plate when it mattered the most. To those friends and brothers (not gender specific), please accept my heartfelt gratitude for being there at mine and Neo Africa's side. It is this loyalty and commitment that is so rare a find that when it does appear, it builds bonds that allow for limitless achievements.

Which brings us to this exciting new edition of Prestige. We have received great feedback from our readers as well as our advertisers, who have seen the magazine grow from strength to strength over recent months. But every great recipe is due some refinement as people's tastes and needs evolve. So this issue is focused on new beginnings as we start an evolution from here on out. Over the coming months we will introduce even more exciting content to cater to assorted tastes, and will be increasing the magazine’s accessibility over the counter – so watch this space starting from right now.

Finally, a warm thank you to those who took the time to send us their thoughts about Prestige. Any further inputs are always welcome on [email protected].

10 p r e S t i G e

PUBLISHER – Neo Publishing (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 11 484 2833 Fax: +27 86 699 2266

CHAIRMAN – Vivien Natasen [email protected]

EDITOR – Toni Muir [email protected]

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY EDITORS – Charl du Plessis – [email protected] Tanya Goodman – [email protected]

ADMIN & CIRCULATION – Lodene Grobler [email protected]

ADVERTISING Adie Ceruti (Gauteng) Tel: +27 83 601 2291 / +27 11 465 1572 [email protected]

Katy Essa (Gauteng) Tel: +27 82 633 2962 [email protected]

Rui Barbosa (Sales Manager) Tel: +27 84 290 2070 [email protected]

DESIGN & LAYOUT VDS Design Studio Liesel van der Schyf Tel: +27 82 336 7537 [email protected]

PROOF-READINGClive Moses

PRINT Paarl Web, Gauteng

SUBSCRIPTIONS R499 for 12 issues; R949 for 24 issues SMS the words SUBSCRIBE PRESTIGE, followed by your name and email address, to +27 79 876 4130. Alternatively, email your name, cell number and delivery address to [email protected].

DISTRIBUTION Prestige is available on newsstands and through subscription. Free public space distribution includes charter fleets operating in the Southern African region. Top five-star hotels and all major business class airport lounges nationally receive free monthly copies. Also look for Prestige in upmarket coffee shops, spas and private banking waiting areas.

COVER IMAGES Gallo Images / Getty Images; Lorenzo Marcinno/Ferrari; Tangram 3DS; iStockphoto.com

From as early as the middle of May, international visitors descended on our beautiful country with all the enthusiasm and curiosity of a child in a Cosmic Candy shop. And we gave them quite a welcome. The event allowed our great nation to plant a seed in the consciousness of the world, and now we just wait for it to take root and grow; for the visitors to share their experiences, their memories, and come flooding back. And as the many nations’ flags come down off the poles and the stadiums are prepped for a great many other events, it is important that we don’t lose sight of our achievements thus far, but plunge onward, stronger than ever.

And we have a taste of that for you here, for all is not lost now that the climax of six years’ worth of effort has passed. While the rest of the world made their way to South African shores, the Prestige team jetted off to all corners of the globe to bring you the latest news from the luxury market.

Our motoring journalist hit Germany’s autobahn at more than twice South Africa’s legal speed limit to test the capabilities of Audi’s RS5. His suitcase was barely unpacked before he was off again, this time to Portugal to put the new Range Rover through its paces. Both vehicles fared incredibly well, though of course for very different reasons.

Our haute horlogerie expert investigated all that is new in the ladies’ watch stable, but only after he returned from a suave shindig in Venice for the unveiling of Sonus Faber’s latest loudspeaker – Fenice. With a price tag of some €140,000 and just 30 pairs of these beauties expected to be made available, Fenice owners will surely consider themselves part of an especially exclusive club.

Our aviation specialist attended the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, where she discovered the latest business jet from BAE Systems Regional Aircraft – the Avro Business Explorer, and our travel reporters split their time between the deserts and dunes of Namibia, the modern art museums of the Big Apple, and Elvis’s Graceland. Even I got my share this month, as a crew member onboard the South African boat, which took part in this year’s S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup and raced its way across the Venice Lagoon to finish third overall.

We have a quirky story on The Bond Girls, who surely need no introduction, and delved into the annals of history to unearth the legend of Lady Godiva. From the Pal Zileri fashion house, Italian designers explain the ins and outs of great tailoring and craftsmanship, and the importance of a well-fitting suit, while back on South African soil, marketing genius Thebe Ikalafeng reveals to us his remarkable road to success.

Our team consulted with experts to bring you only the most sound investment advice – from how to grow your money wisely to how best to invest in property – and we took to the seas with several exceptional boats, from Schöpfer Yachts’ unbelievable concept yachts through to the new offerings from both Bavaria and Riviera.

And it doesn’t end there, but you’ll have to turn the page to discover more.Please, do enjoy.Toni

All rights reserved. Prestige is published by Neo Publishing. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or any of its clients. Information has been included in good faith by the publisher and is believed to be correct at the time of going to print. No responsibility can be accepted for errors and omissions. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information and reports in this magazine, the publisher does not accept any responsibility, whatsoever, for any errors or omissions, or for any effects resulting therefrom. No part of this publication may be used, or reproduced in any form, without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright 2010. All copyright for material appearing in this magazine belongs to Neo Publishing and/or the individual contributors. All rights reserved.

i n t h e l a p o f l u x u r y

PRESTIGEwww.prestigemag.co.za

the editorletter from

“Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an

agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.” – Joseph Addison, 1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719

12 p r e S t i G e

live lifetheNEW at Dillon&Jada Cape Quarter

Style maven Vivienne Westwood has teamed up with Melissa shoes to produce a fabulous new collection. Selected by designer Wendy Visser for their quirky and cutting-edge quality, these haute-couture heels fit right in with all that is fashionably fanciful in the world of Dillon&Jada. The shoes are sculpted with state-of-the-art technology developed by Melissa, starting life as plastic spheres that are moulded into footwear that is highly elastic, impermeable and resistant to damage. The shoes are products of spontaneity and daring, while at the same time mindful of the environment. As rebellious and radical as its maker, the range of footwear is exclusively available at Dillon&Jada at the new Cape Quarter. Contact +27 21 425 3779 or visit www.dillonandjada.com.

Indeed, 2010 is a very special year for both companies as each

brand is celebrating an exceptional anniversary: 150 years for Chopard and 100 years for Alfa Romeo. For more than two decades Chopard has been

strongly involved in the world of classic racing

as sponsor and official timekeeper for the Mille Miglia

race, “la corsa piu bella del mondo,” in which Alfa Romeo cars

attained the highest number of victories. And now the two have joined

forces to launch five new products – three wristwatches, a travel alarm clock and a

table clock. The GT XL Chrono Alfa Romeo (stainless steel or stainless steel coated with

Physicle Vapor Deposition – PVD), and the Gran Turismo XL Alfa Romeo feature black dials with red hands and indexes as well as the logo of the two brands. Endowed with 46-hour power reserve, the self-winding movements are chronometer-certified by the COSC (the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) and beat at 28,800 vibrations per hour. The 44mm diameter cases are water resistant up to 100 metres and protected by glare-proof sapphire crystals. The three versions are issued in limited and numbered editions of just 500 pieces. Email [email protected] for information or to enquire about retailers.

Alfa Romeo Watchesby Chopard

Premier global Scotch whisky, Chivas has collaborated with leading men’s fashion label, Fabiani, to create “Chivas@Fabiani,” a retail experience par excellence. Four chic, cutting-edge Chivas bars have been beautifully sculpted, perfectly fitted and aesthetically placed in the four key Fabiani stores around South Africa – the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, Melrose Arch and Sandton City in Johannesburg, and Irene Mall in Pretoria. Here, patrons can enjoy a complimentary glass of Chivas as part of their shopping experience. The bars also boast plasma screens, which show looped fashion footage and advertisements. Coining the term “retail theatre” to describe this unusual but novel idea, the Chivas bars should be seen - and experienced - to properly be appreciated.

Chivalry Lives

at Fabiani

w w w. p r e s t i g e m a g . c o . z a 13

F E AT U R E

S P R I N T

The hallmark of a civilised nation, one could argue, is the extent to which its

people are free. Flying into Europe can on occasion make you feel as though

you’re entering some Orwellian dystopian nightmare. Good morning, you say.

Hello, they say. Take off your shoes and belt and please empty your pockets

while I pat you down inappropriately. Then they steal your deodorant and

send you on your way.

Words: ALEXANDER PARKERImages: © MOTORPICS.CO.ZA

The Audi RS5TorqueTalk the


S P R I N T

Fortunately for Europe, there’s a shining light and it’s called Germany. They may have stolen my deodorant because it was so very obviously a

cunningly disguised thermo-nuclear warhead (120ml of midnight musk as opposed to the allowed 100ml – an amateur mistake on my part), but at least they were nice about it. A few hours later I had forgiven Deutschland pretty much everything. I was driving very fast in a German car and, of course, it was legal.

I think motorists often forget just how much we owe Germany and it’s not just because of Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW. Without the autobahn, the miserable fun police at the EU, who are already trying so hard to suck the joy out of motoring, would have slapped a maximum speed on cars years ago. The defence against such a thing is always the same. In Germany there’s the autobahn, about 35 to 40 percent of which is unrestricted. And because the car firms are so central to Germany’s economy and, of course, to its self image, there’s no sign of that changing any time soon.

It’s a beacon of freedom, the autobahn, and I was most glad of it when I got behind the wheel of Audi’s new RS5, due in South Africa in October. I got into the car on a winding back road, not long after some colleagues had clocked a legal 290km/h, illustrating perfectly, were it required, that the big, 4.2-litre V8 is, at least, blisteringly quick at the top end. I was glad to discover, though, that the top speed is merely a by-product of what is an all-round excellent car.

It starts the moment you see it. The A5 is Audi’s best-looking car and in top-of-the-range RS5 form, it’s especially squat and aggressive. Inside it’s pure Audi. It’s dark and sober but beautifully put together. Every single switch and button has the feel of having been hewn from the rock face, as though it is unbreakable. Settle in, get the mirrors right and then fire it up.

The RS5 doesn’t start with great fanfare, merely grumbling a gentle warning that there are serious kilowatts under the hood. It leaves the shouting for later. Indeed, the RS5 comes absolutely loaded with performance. It has that 4.2-litre, fuel-injected V8 that churns out 331kW, which means 0-100 in just 4.6 seconds. It’s also got the Quattro all-wheel drive system, meaning, from the lights, the RS5 is fast like sci-fi. Every kilowatt goes to the road without fuss or histrionics. With barely a suppressed chirrup from the tyres, you’re gone. “Make it so,” you think, and the RS5 does.

The RS5 will no doubt be lumped

in with the BMW M3 in terms of price and competition. That’s fair enough but the RS5 is a significantly bigger car, yet doesn’t feel heavy or wooden when the road gets testing. It’s as though that weight is responsible for planting the car to the road, because the RS5 changes direction rapidly and without drama, offering formidable grip. Any old-fashioned notions of nose-heavy Audis need to be revisited because, driven properly, the RS5 is balanced and impressively manoeuvrable.

What helps, of course, is the gearbox: a brilliant Audi double-

clutch affair that allows you to select the ideal cog, instantaneously, at the ideal moment. This floods confidence into the veins of the driver and in turn helps you to drive safer and quicker. And when you’re stuck on Sandton Drive? Well, just whack it into automatic and drive it like the docile thing it is.

Central to the experience of the RS5 is the noise. That gentle, menacing rumble wakes to a roar when the throttles are open, and as the revs climb, becomes a full-on, could-only-be-a-big-V8 scream. By this time you’re grinning like an escaped madman, of course, there’s so much low-down grunt, so much

instantly accessible torque (430Nm of the stuff), that you just keep on and on, surfing a vast wave of power until, outside of Germany at least, you’re deeply into illegal territory.

But it’s when you step back from the adrenaline and the noise and stop to think that you realise the RS5 is an altogether excellent package. Yes, it’s blindingly quick. We’ve established this. But it’s also so exceptionally good to sit in and to look at. It’s large and spacious and there’s even some real space in the rear seats.

I expect prices to start between R850,000 and R900,000. Sure, it’s a bit of cash, but you’re getting a car that has a hint of baby supercar about it for your money. It’s certainly worth a test drive, at that price. In the land of the free – Germany – it was certainly magnificent.

And when you’re stuck on Sandton Drive? Well,

just whack it into automatic and drive it like the docile thing it is.

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F E AT U R E


artModern

In a New York Minute

Left: Roy Lichtenstein, “Girl with Ball,” 1961, Oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 60 1/4 x 36 1/4" (153 x 91.9 cm), Gift of Philip Johnson, © 2007 Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

Above: Pablo Picasso, “Mandolin and Guitar (Mandoline et guitare),” Juan-les-Pins, 1924, Oil with sand on canvas, 140.7 x 200.3 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 53.1358, © 2010 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

18 p r e S t i G e

In a city that is home to 19 million people, a

moment of tranquillity is rarer than a Fabergé Egg,

yet I was lucky enough to find this solace in the

most unlikely of places. Indeed my Nirvana came

in the form of a painting…

Words: CARMEN POOLImages: © THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM; THE MoMA

Inundated; the most apt description of what it feels like to be a visitor for the very first time in this electric and pulsating city. The enormous skyscrapers, the hordes of

people, the absolute bombardment of consumerism and the feeling that engulfs you upon your fist glimpse of a Jackson Pollock painting. Utterly inundated.

New York, special for so many reasons, but to me, one in particular: the art. The absolute omnipresence of art in every way, shape and form; magnificent art deco architecture, the string quartet that plays Chopin in the subway, the bronze “jumper” statues that have been strategically albeit eerily placed on skyscrapers surrounding Madison Square Park. The most spectacular art of all, however, is housed in three very special galleries: the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), and the Guggenheim. Each of these gems boasts a very impressive and very diverse collection.

The idea for The MoMA came into being in 1928 primarily by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (wife of John D Rockefeller Junior) and two of her friends, Lillie P Bliss and Mary Quinn Sullivan. The three rented modest quarters for the new museum, which opened to the public on 7 November, 1929, nine days after the Wall Street Crash. The MoMA has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art – art produced between the 1860s and 1970s – and has been identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The MoMA’s incredible collection includes work by Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Jasper Johns, Andrew Wyeth and Jackson Pollock.

The Met is another international gem that houses art from as far back as 3500 BC. Its permanent collection represents works of art from classical antiquity and Ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters, and an extensive collection of American and modern

Above: Jackson Pollock, “One: Number 31,” 1950, Oil and enamel on unprimed canvas, 8' 10" x 17' 5 5/8" (269.5 x 530.8 cm), Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Fund (by exchange), © 2007 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Below: Marc Chagall, “Paris Through the Window (Paris par la fenêtre),” 1913, Oil on canvas, 135.8 x 141.4 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, by gift 37.438, © 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

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20 p r e S t i G e

art. Interestingly, the museum is also home to a vast collection of musical instruments, including Ringo Starr’s snare drum.

The Met was founded in 1870 by a group of businessmen, financiers and leading artists and thinkers of the day, who wanted to open a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. As of 2007, the Met measures almost 400 metres in length and occupies around 190,000 square metres. I was told that it would take me four full days to walk through the entire collection. I had to do it in two.

The next aesthetic wonder that calls New York home is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum or The Guggenheim for short. The building was designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is considered to be one of the 20th Century's most important architectural landmarks. The Guggenheim opened on 21 October 1959 and was the second museum opened by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year. I was lucky enough to catch an exhibition entitled, Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance. It chilled me to the bone.

As I walked through the three

museums I had a bit of time to consider the various collections I’d seen; the modern art resonating the most. After extensive thought I decided it was because modern art is not only a visceral feast but also an intellectual exercise. The artist has an ideology, a message and a unique channel that conveys it. It is not just a way to reproduce form but also a way of representing the meaning thereof. The beauty of modern art is that it is yours and mine; we interpret it in our own ways and thereby become a part of the process of the art rather than just spectators to it.

The MoMA is located in Midtown Manhattan, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and is currently hosting a Picasso exhibit that will run until the end of August, 2010. A Picasso exhibit running concurrently with that of the MoMA can be found at the Met, located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as the Museum Mile. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is located at 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street) and will be hosting and exhibition entitled Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance until 6 September 2010.

For more information visit:• www.moma.org, • www.metmuseum.org • www.guggenheim.org

Above: Pablo Picasso, “Boy Leading a Horse,” 1906, Oil on canvas, 7'2 7/8 x 51 5/8" (220.6 x 131.2 cm), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, The William S. Paley Collection, © 2009 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Below: Joan Jonas, “Mirror Piece I,” 1969, Chromogenic print, 101 x 55.6 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Purchased with funds contributed by the Photography Committee 2009.31

Above: Andy Warhol, “Campbell's Soup Cans,” 1962, Synthetic polymer paint on thirty-two canvases, each canvas 20 x 16" (50.8 x 40.6 cm), Gift of Irving Blum; Nelson A. Rockefeller Bequest, gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Fund, gift of Nina and Gordon Bunshaft in honour of Henry Moore, Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, Philip Johnson Fund, Frances Keech Bequest, gift of Mrs. Bliss Parkinson, and Florence B. Wesley Bequest (all by exchange), © 2007 Andy Warhol Foundation / ARS, NY / TM Licensed by Campbell's Soup Co. All rights reserved

22 p r e S t i G e

F E AT U R E

Sonus Faber has an enviable track record for rewriting the rules of hi-fi. For decades, large loudspeakers have been the bane of the proud

hausfrau, an intrusion into a carefully designed, interior decorator-approved home. Sonus Faber changed all that by introducing exotic woods, curved enclosures and construction techniques more in keeping with the finest furniture than mere audio components. Their reward has been the creation of one of the most successful – and most copied – ranges of loudspeakers in the 60-year history of hi-fis.

More than 25 years

ago, Sonus Faber

established Italy as

a leading source

of exotic audio

components, because,

most memorably, the

company proved that

hi-fi equipment needn’t

be ugly. Over the years

they’ve launched, with

staggering consistency,

new looks that were

soon copied by their

competitors. In Venice

this summer, they raised

the bar even higher.

Words: KEN KESSLERImages: © SONUS FABER

Re-Defines the Look of Loudspeakers

SonusFaber

Italy’s


L I S T E N

Having recently completed a range of deluxe models named after the great violin makers of nearby Cremona, the northern Italy-based manufacturer has developed a “clean sheet” model that introduces radical new techniques to loudspeaker construction. And being Italian, form does not merely follow function, as in the Germanic Bauhaus manner: it embraces, enhances and elevates it. As for the name, “Fenice” means “phoenix,” chosen not because the company has arisen from the ashes, but because Fenice signals a new era for Italy’s most influential speaker manufacturer.

Fenice announces more than a new loudspeaker. The arrival in 2009 of a new CEO, Mauro Grange, is cause for celebration, for his vision includes a sense of scale previously unknown in audio. To announce the first major model to arrive under his aegis, Grange gathered together over 100 guests from around the globe to experience the unveiling of a state-of-the-art, floor-standing model that will provide audiophiles with many sleepless nights.

At Venice’s Palazzo Grassi, a suitably elegant art gallery, an audio/video presentation preceded the debut of a model which continues the Sonus Faber tradition of creating new shapes. Just as the Guarneri, in the series paying homage to the great luthiers, popularised the idea of an enclosure with a tapered rear section, and the Stradivari proved a rethink of the cross-sectional ratio, along with other signature details over the years such as leather-covered baffles and grilles made of “strings,” so Fenice offers a new form, while its complexity and novelty go beyond the mere profile.

One needs to observe the speaker from overhead to realise that its cross-section is that of a lyre, just as the Guarneri and Amati were inspired by the lute. The form incorporates dual curvatures in a cabinet made of cross-grained, double-thickness,

marine-grade plywood, offered in a variety of glossy, hand-finished, real-wood veneers that recall the decks of a new Riva speedboat.

To control the way the sound behaves, the enclosure is decoupled from the floor through a complex suspension system, while overall resonance is controlled by the “Anima Legata” system: two massive, anodised aluminium slabs that form the speaker’s top and bottom. These “clamshells” are connected by a steel rod, which “concentrates the vibrations to the Multiple Tuned Mass Damper” – yet another device employed to dampen structural resonances that might mar the sound.

Providing the sound is a selection of speaker units made from exotic materials, including magnets of Neodymium/Samarium-Cobalt and speaker cones fashioned from traditional cellulose pulp with papyrus and other natural fibres. The goal is to produce the most undistorted sound possible, at the same time delivering noise levels that any concert goer will recognise as lifelike and realistic.

Torturous for any music lover was the demonstration that showed how the Fenice delivers world-class sound, with all of the vividness, presence and power of a live performance: you could read the longing of those present, all wishing that they might one day possess a loudspeaker with such capabilities. A private conversation with CEO Grange revealed that it will be followed by a family of models using the same technologies, at lower prices – hence the need for such a spectacular introduction to the media gathered here in Venice.

For those lucky enough to enjoy one of the 30 pairs of speakers, their listening room will need to accommodate two enclosures that stand an impressive 1,713x747x791mm (HxWxD) high – as tall as a man and as imposing as a grandfather clock. The loudspeakers weigh 610 kilograms per pair, so they will be delivered by a muscular crew who will anticipate solid flooring. And the salesman will proffer an invoice for circa €140,000 per pair, ensuring that Fenice owners are part of an exclusive club, beyond the inherent limitations of the production numbers.

What’s equally certain is that the Sonus Faber Fenice will have an impact on loudspeaker design that will be wildly disproportionate to the actual numbers produced. Having seen the drawings of what Sonus Faber has in store for the next few years, its imitators had better get a move on.

Visit: www.sonusfaber.com.

You could read the longing of those

present, all wishing that they might one day

possess a loudspeaker with such capabilities.

24 p r e S t i G e

F E AT U R E

designSchöpfer Yachts

WiLd


I N N O VAT E

Kevin Schöpfer is an award-winning architect and designer whose work has been published worldwide. For almost 40 years, Schöpfer

has maintained an independent international design consultancy focusing on concept and product design. Most recently, he founded Schöpfer Yachts to design and implement high-concept luxury vessels, all of which integrate advanced aesthetics and technology.

Oculus, Schöpfer Yachts’ first venture, has turned heads with remarkable symmetry and structure. This 250-foot (76-metre), long-distance cruising vessel is designed to accommodate 12 guests in

extraordinary comfort and style, at speeds upwards of 25 knots. The exterior styling of Oculus has been described by some as a mythical, giant sea creature. Only images can really convey how audacious she is.

Among her most dramatic features are a reverse bow configuration and a “low rider profile.” This slightly lowered surface allows for new side recreational areas, alternate dockage access and light cruising openness. Lateral retractable side panels close this area when heavy wave action is indicated. The interior features of Oculus focus on a 12-foot high ceiling in the main salon, a cylindrical double height dining room, and a central stair and elevator tube. The second level is the dedicated

owner’s suite. In addition to the main common stair, the second owner’s stair connects to the third level aft private salon and deck/water feature. The third level contains the forward pilothouse and separate captain’s quarters. The generous open decks with separate water features are located forward and aft for convenient guest use. A third tubular deck/balcony is suspended on the second level adjacent to the owner’s suite.

A central ethic guiding these innovative features is Schöpfer’s belief that “the man-made world has always been the tangible essence of society and thus has direct impact on the quality of our lives.” As such, his interior design philosophy rests on the premise that “it can and should deliver

“There are very few pursuits which truly embody the architecture of motion.

Yachts offer a pure expression of engineering, aerodynamics, elegance and

the promise of more. With today’s rapid acceleration in technology and

global aesthetics, yacht design is a compelling place to be.” – Kevin Schöpfer

Words: TANYA GOODMANImages: © TANGRAM 3DS

26 p r e S t i G e

a sense of place beckoning to the more privatised world of its user.” And all for the estimated price of $95 million.

Should Oculus not be enough to satisfy your taste for the abstract, take a look at her sister ship, the Infinitas, estimated price tag of a mere $140 million. Inspired by the infinity symbol, this 300-foot (91.5-metre) vessel houses a pool deck, living room, dining area, kitchen, clear-glass sky bridge, and helicopter pad. A central structural “spine” holds the loop together, allowing the yacht’s superstructure to seamlessly flow within itself. As part of this flow, Infinitas boasts a complete realignment of traditional functional areas whereby the main deck, living room and dining room are detached and separated, for example, by a massive pool deck. There are three methods to traverse the pool deck. First is a direct outside bridge/walkway that bisects the pool itself. Alternatively, you can cross the pool deck to the main stairs and elevator via an overhead sky bridge, which has a clear glass floor and ceiling to allow natural light to penetrate the pool below. The third method is through a lower level lounge, which features glass portals into the pool.

The interior design of the space reflects an intense minimalist palette with a dash of attitude. The main salon also features a generous 12-foot ceiling height and fully glazed walls, creating an island within the yacht. The second level up is reserved for a series of guest suites and secondary bow deck. The owner’s suite occupies the third level with sky bridge, pilot house and upper deck. All decks below are currently designated crew quarters, storage and for mechanical, engine room activities. Infinitas is designed to accommodate 12 guests and crew.

Audax is the latest yacht design introduction by Schöpfer Yachts. Audax, whose ancient meaning is adventure, takes a bold new approach to the sport fishing world. One of the

most spectacular features of Audax is a fully integrated carbon fibre tuna tower, which arches above the deck below and flows into the main superstructure of the yacht. Another design element ensures that all the

“toys” have designated storage areas. Audax is designed in both 120-foot (37-metre) and 95-foot (29-metre) versions to accommodate 10 persons in a master suite, guest suites and crew quarters.

If your taste for innovation, eclecticism and adventure finds a soul mate in these designs, and the weight of your bank account can bear the brunt, shop around with Schöpfer. Otherwise, it never hurts to dream a little.

Visit www.www.schopferyachts.com.

the interior design of the space reflects an

intense minimalist palette with a dash

of attitude.

28 p r e S t i G e

S I M P E R

Now, if there’s one way the undeniably chauvinistic Mr Bond likes his women, it’s docile, adoring, and well-endowed in the

bosom department, but lacking in the brains. Today, 40 years too late, the feminists and PC brigade stand atop their soapboxes and howl their strident outrage over the earlier Bond Girls in particular who, apart from being ultra-decorative and almost irritatingly cooperative in the arena of bedroom athletics, had a monosyllabic brand of impenetrable stupidity that was all their own.

These accommodating lengths of

sun-ripened nubility would let themselves into Bond’s hotel room late at night and, wearing nothing save for a demure blush and a scrap of black velvet ribbon around their necks, proceed to exhaust our hero before pumping him for secrets.

Ian Fleming must have had a bit of a thing for Italian girls. Years ago now, some unkind critic once described the lovely Sophia Loren (who wisely never risked her career in a Bond film) as looking “like a cow walking backwards on its hind legs.” Following in her footsteps at that time and foolishly trying to outdo Loren’s incomparable chassis came a twittering flotilla of Bond Girls, each

of whose heaving and scented cleavage resembled loosely-tethered zeppelins, and each of whose brains resembled a pickled walnut adrift on a deep and lonely sea.

Bond purists will probably tell you that there was Honeychile Ryder, and then there were the sad also-rans, doomed to try and live up to Ursula Andress’s benchmark performance as the first-ever Bond Girl in Doctor No. Honeychile was a hard act to follow, admittedly. A generation of schoolboys drooled down the front of their barathea blazers over her, even as tamely depicted in the book. When the film came out in 1964, Honey’s white bikini when she emerged from

The Beautiful

BondGIRLS

Making no cerebral demands of us, the improbable adventures of the daring,

idiosyncratic and durable British secret agent with a licence to kill, worrying

attachment to his elderly Scottish housekeeper, fondness for the finer things

in life and always with a life-saving gadget from the long-suffering Q close

at hand, were always conducted under the worshipping gaze of one of the

legion of pneumatic, simpering and now near-iconic

Bond Girls.

Words: GAVIN BARFIELD Images: © GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES

S I M P E R

the sea was the stuff of adolescent fantasy and schoolboy legend.

Honey came first and all the others followed.

We had the unexciting but good-hearted and at least sensibly-named Tanya in From Russia With Love, played by the splendid Daniela Bianchi (who was a Miss World runner-up in 1960), a KGB agent wooed from the path of duty one memorable night in Istanbul by Bond’s hirsute chest and twitching, lightly-sweated pectorals. Shirley Eaton, as Jill Masterson, gets herself painted from stem to stern in gold one lazy Miami afternoon when she helps Bond spy on Goldfinger’s crooked card game from the latter’s hotel room balcony, and expires prettily as a result. The smouldering Honor Blackman is the preposterously-named lesbian gangster Pussy Galore in the same film, as tough as a roll of barbed wire but, for all her preferences until that tense moment in the aeroplane, still not averse to Bond’s magnetism.

Gorgeous Mie Hama was Japanese secret agent Kissy Suzuki (yes, really) in You Only Live Twice, masquerading as a pearl-diver while she and Bond sought cover in a remote fishing village before the inevitable melt-into-each-other’s-arms scene in a fishing boat at the end, just before M’s well-timed arrival by submarine.

One characteristic that Bond Girls shared was an incapacity to rise to Bond’s withering one-liners and putdowns.

Consider, for example, the lubricious Plenty O’Toole in Diamonds are Forever. Perhaps the archetype of the genus Bond Girl, Plenty meets Bond in a casino, where our hero, seated at the roulette table, is barely visible behind impressive stacks of chips that are probably worth more than the GDP of a small country. It goes without saying that the noble Plenty has no acquisitive motive in all this, of course. Perfect teeth slightly parted, the obligatory tongue tip just showing between them, she leans over the table, the following conversational interlude breaking the hush:

30 p r e S t i G e

the early Bond girls had a brand of

impenetrable stupidity that was all their own.

Plenty: “Hi, I’m Plenty.”Bond: (looks up briefly and arches

an eyebrow): “Of course you are.”Plenty: “Plenty O’Toole.”Bond: (without looking up): “Named

after your father, no doubt.”Poor Plenty, dubbed into English

and played by a forgotten Russian actress calling herself Lana Wood, who disappeared as most of the Bond Girls did as soon as the film was released, adopts standard procedure and lets herself into Bond’s hotel suite after he gives her $5,000 from his winnings out of gratitude for the luck she brought him at the table, only to be carelessly thrown out of the 15th-storey window soon afterward by a persuasive but unpleasant gentleman with boils on his neck, a gun and an attitude problem.

In another instance, Bond, after schmoozing up to a scantily-clad girl he suspects of being a baddie, who is sitting inoffensively under a beach

umbrella and more or less minding her own business, says, “That’s a nice little nothing you’re almost wearing, darling,” before ripping off what there is of her bikini top and wrapping it tightly round her throat in one dexterous move. The girl, bug-eyed and empurpled, not unreasonably makes choking noises and claws ineffectually at her throat, as Bond says menacingly in a thick, sibilant Gorbals accent, “Speak up, darling – I can’t hear you.”

Sean Connery, like Honeychile, came first and, like it or not, he is the standard by which subsequent pretenders like Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig, though competent in their own ways,

have been judged. Connery has often said that he wished he’d never done Bond, as the character has hung like a millstone around his neck and followed him ever since. Roger Moore, who has played Bond more often than anyone else and who is so greasy and slick in the role that you could slip him under a door, essentially says the same thing.

Of all Bond’s women, the serious observer is often left feeling that it is M’s secretary, Moneypenny (Bond’s own secretary in the 00 Section is called Goodnight), who is perhaps the most deserving of Bond’s enduring affection. Played with marvellous understatement by Lois Maxwell, who sadly is no longer with us, poor Moneypenny would drop great clanging hints and absent-mindedly itch at her ring finger whenever Bond emerged from M’s inner sanctum, only to be outrageously rebuffed and flirted with in a cavalier way; one which would earn most lesser men a clout on the back of their feckless heads with a cast-iron frying pan.

Disconcertingly stupid at the outset, and annoyingly brilliant in later years as the PC brigade began to exert its influence on Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli, long-time producers of the Bond films, nothing unites the Bond Girls aside from their ludicrous names, relative insignificance to the plot (there are those who would argue that some of the plots needed whatever help they could get) and outrageous beauty. There is a delightful counterpoint to their tedious perfection in the singularly revolting Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love, SMERSH arch-torturer and demon goblin of note, played by the seasoned and accomplished Lotte Lenya, a woman who could act and who never tried to be beautiful nor cared in the least that she wasn’t.

And always over the titles and the end credits, there’d be another Bond Girl – the leather-lunged and be-sequined Welsh export, Shirley Bassey, determinedly belting out another formulaic theme song.

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32 p r e S t i G e

L E A R N

He has been recognised as one of South Africa’s top 10 thinkers in marketing,

Mail & Guardian calls him Mr Brand and his name is synonymous with one of

the most successful periods in Nike’s marketing history. We went in search of the

man behind the fame.Words: JACQUELINE COCHRANE

Image: © BRAND LEADERSHIP

Leading by Example

ThebeIkalafeng


L E A R N

thebe ikalafeng is an internationally

acclaimed author, thinker and speaker,

and his name is synonymous with all things branding and

marketing.

“You’re going to be a superb marketer.” These words were said to Thebe Ikalafeng in 1992 by Professor Robinson, the head of

marketing at Marquette University in Wisconsin. The professor’s comment turned out to be a visionary observation in retrospect, but Thebe – then still a student – thought little of it at the time. A few days after this encounter, Thebe received a student award for marketing excellence from the American Marketing Association. This, too, proved to be just a taste of things to come, as Thebe’s current list of accolades is as long as his arm.

These days, Thebe Ikalafeng is an internationally acclaimed author, thinker and speaker, and his name is synonymous with all things branding and marketing. But until late into his tertiary studies Thebe had been an accounting student. He remembers how, upon his arrival in the US, a friend told him, “Thebe you’re not an accountant. You don’t ooze accounting. Your passion is bigger than accounting; you’re more like a marketer.” Thebe switched to marketing studies a year or two later and has never looked back. “What you need to do in life is quite simple,” he says, “You need to figure out what gives you the greatest joy... and then just run with it.”

After graduating, Thebe was promptly offered a position at Colgate-Palmolive in New York City. These days he is renowned for being a sharp dresser, but Thebe remembers how Philip Berry – then Vice President of Global Workplace Initiatives at Colgate-Palmolive – gave him some excellent style advice at the time. “A week before I started at Colgate, he took me around New York and said, ‘T, we need to make sure you have the right custom-made shirts. You need to be packaged a certain way. I don’t want them to judge you on the exterior. I want to ensure that your dress code fits in with what’s expected so that the attention is directed to what you do;

your performance...” Described as “terminally stylish” by Gwen Gill, three criteria now govern Thebe’s dress sense. “Firstly, I need to be comfortable. Secondly, it needs to reinforce who I am and where I fit into the world. Thirdly, it must respect where I’m going. So if I’m going to a place and it says black tie, I need to respect that.”

It was during his six years at Nike (as marketing director for Africa) that Thebe really started to emerge as a marketing force of note. During his tenure, Nike won more than 75 local and international communication awards, which included 10 Cannes Lions.

One of the biggest secrets to Thebe’s success – at Nike, and up to this day – is that he never followed “tried-and-trusted” scripts like so many of his peers. “All my former MDs will probably tell you that I was the most difficult person to work with, because I had my own mind and my own ways of doing things,” says Thebe. And, at a time when the whole world was told to “think globally and act locally,” Thebe realised that reversing this formula delivered far better results. “They’d say to me, ‘Thebe, you’re not following the Nike global plan. You’re always tweaking things and doing it differently in South Africa,’” he recalls. “And I would say to them, ‘Yes, but I’m South African. The brand is global, but my audience is South African. I am no longer thinking global and acting local, I am now thinking local and acting global’. That way you take the inspiration from your home country and your surroundings, and take that inspiration into the world. That’s

how you distinguish yourself. It is what you call an African experience by global standards, and this was the basis of our success at Nike.”

The marketing expert decided to leave Nike when there was no more room for his entrepreneurial spirit to realise itself. “I left Nike when it became a ‘company’. When I joined them it was an entrepreneurial environment; it was new in the country without many systems, and the brand was not entrenched. When it became too structured and formalised I moved on – because my job was done.”

And that’s when Thebe started Brand Leadership; where his entrepreneurial drive would finally be able to fully flex its muscles. “Everybody told me I’m going into an overcrowded market and that everybody’s in marketing and branding. But now, down the road, Brand Leadership is one of the most dominant forces. Now they ask, ‘how did you get Transnet; it’s the biggest logistics company on the continent? How do you get to do work for MTN? How do you get to run elections in Ghana?’ And I say – ‘it’s quite simple: we think local and act global’.” Thebe also continues to trust his inner voice, no matter how counter-intuitive it may seem. “I keep doing things which, in any normal company, would have me fired,” he grins.

As our interview draws to a close, Thebe coughs a little. A recent trip to a conference in Madrid left him with a minor bout of flu, and one realises that, despite his larger-than-life energy, this man is also just flesh and blood. Somehow this becomes a comforting thought, as it brings home the reality that achieving one’s goals, as he has, is within everyone’s reach. “People follow people who are passionate about what they do because they know that, come hell or high water, come success or failure; you are committed to the end,” Thebe advises, his infectious energy filling the room, because true pioneers lead by example.

34 p r e S t i G e

T R AV E L

There are two versions of BAE Systems Regional Aircraft’s innovative new safari jet: the Avro Business Jet Explorer One and Explorer Four. Both of

these have turned aircraft cabin design inside out and are the first of five interiors that Design Q will be developing for BAE’s Avro Business Jet (ABJ). The next instalments of the Design Q series will be released over the coming months.

So what’s so special about the Explorers? The first thing to notice is a massive hinged platform that hydraulically powers out from the aircraft when they are on the ground.

The huge cargo side door slowly opens to unveil a hidden platform that reaches out from the fuselage to become a balcony overhanging the ground. This patented “Air Deck” turns the back of the plane into a beautiful living space, creating a patio area where passengers can sit and relax, enjoy the outside air or appreciate their surrounds. It enables travellers to experience the luxurious interiors of a private jet coupled with exclusive private landscapes that change on a daily basis as the aircraft travels the globe. And best of all, the platform unit only takes about five minutes to set up. According to Stewart Cordner, ABJ’s Vice President, “These concepts

elevate the ABJ to a new level of sophistication for the discerning customer. Together with Design Q, we have blended the aircraft’s unique performance, fantastic interior space and the large rear opening door to create possibilities previously unthought of.”

The Avro marketing team has gone to town to promote the plane as a real holiday adventure; the aircraft being one part of an exciting journey. Once travellers have done enough exploring, they can get back onboard and enjoy the various luxury amusements on the aircraft, from huge LCD screens to club seating arrangements perfect for unwinding.

Adventurers who love the wild beauty of private game reserves can take

an epic journey with the latest concept from BAE Systems Regional Aircraft

and British design consultancy, Design Q. At the European Business Aviation

Convention and Exhibition held earlier this year, these style specialists unveiled

bold designs for ultra-high-end caravans.

Words: LIZ MOSCROPImages: © DESIGN Q/BAE SYSTEMS

on SafariHigh LifeEnjoying the


T R AV E L

The ABJ Explorer One is aimed at high net worth individuals who want the freedom to travel and explore remote locations in style and comfort. The beautiful interior features a well-lit, spacious lounge with curved sofas surrounding a low central ottoman. Underneath the ottoman are hidden television screens. There is also a fully-equipped office workstation in the bulkhead, plus a large display cabinet for artefacts and treasures that passengers pick up en route. Design Q has used a growing skill among interior specialists and added a white marble stone floor, which makes for an imposing entrance to

the aircraft. The marble theme is picked up again in the central table, which is a striking piece behind the lounge in its own alcove. Both Explorers share the same layout for the Air Deck, which includes an open-plan galley next to the platform and ultra-modern kitchen appliances and gadgets.

The ABJ Explorer Four is intended for the VVIP charter travel market, complementing or competing with the luxury yacht sector. The aircraft can be home to four couples or singles in their own private VIP cabins. The four berths have sofa chairs, which turn into full-size beds, state-of-the-art

entertainment systems with 17-inch HD monitor, full-height wardrobes and direct access to dressing rooms with lavatories, plus a shower in the midsection of the aircraft. The glazed bulkheads turn from opaque to transparent, making the interiors more private or more social depending on the time of day or travellers’ preferences. All cabins are fully serviced quarters and the forward hold area has been converted to a sleeping area for the onboard service team, which Design Q envisions as acting as both hosts and tour guides. Both Explorers feature light colours and sharp design, proving that Design Q and the ABJ can service a wider VIP aircraft market.

The ABJ Explorer is a robust aircraft able to cope with tough landings. It was designed to land on short runways and uneven landing strips, though it would not be able to land directly in the desert as depicted in some promotional material.

Design Q’s owner Gary Doy is bullish about the aircraft’s potential. He says, “These concepts challenge conventional thinking and blend the proven attributes of the ABJ with customer-focused design solutions providing a unique lifestyle product. I believe these products will have enormous appeal to owners and operators who are looking for the ultimate luxury travel experience.”

For further information contact BAE Systems Australia:• Tel: + 61 (0) 8 8480 8888• Email: [email protected]• Visit: www.baesystems.com

36 p r e S t i G e36 p r e S t i G e

S T R AY

It’s a dramatic place with surreal landscapes,

ancient people and incredible wildlife.

Namibia may be the great thirstland of southern

Africa, but from the air it is an alluring and beautiful

Zen garden.

Words: KERI HARVEY Image: © WILDERNESS SAFARIS; KERI HARVEY; DANA ALLEN; MARTIN BENADIE

Namibia

Fly Big SkyCountry

w w w. p r e s t i g e m a g . c o . z a 37w w w. p r e s t i g e m a g . c o . z a 37

The crimson afternoon sun dances over tall, feathery Bushman grass. A herd of springbok graze lazily, flicking their tails as they go. In the distance, the

needle horns of a gemsbok can be seen. It’s the end of a hot April day, still and peaceful. Then a most bizarre sight unfolds. As I game-watch from the open-fronted lounge of Wilderness Safaris’ Andersson’s Camp in Etosha, a Bushman in no particular hurry walks past, dressed in game ranger garb. He seems completely oblivious to the fact that a pride of lions may be camouflaged in the long grass, waiting in ambush. After all, where there are antelope aplenty, predators follow.

“Don’t worry,” he says in Afrikaans, as he approaches me, “lions never bite Bushmen and elephants never charge us, because we live in respect of each other.” This is Hendrik IIkhawaseb, who works at Andersson’s Camp. Over a cup of black tea he explains how “the chameleon’s fast tongue can pull out your soul” and tells me that “children are the real riches in life.” He demonstrates a profound connection with the African wilderness, saying he still prefers to eat “Bushman food.” He says, “I love the wild berries, mushrooms, potatoes and dates. The bush is like a big pantry to me, so I had to learn to eat western food – but I still don’t like it much.”

Etosha means “pan of white” in local Bushman language, and a

quarter of this iconic national park is just that. After the summer rains it fills with water to form a massive inland lake visited by a plethora of pink flamingos. The rest of the park turns a lush and leafy green and grazers are spoilt for choice. Southern giraffe, kudu, elephant dusted white with chalky sand, zebra, eland and endemic black-faced impala all fill their bellies here. Over 400 bird species fly overhead, while ostriches, kori bustards and secretary birds are often seen at ground level. Etosha simply teems with life across its varied habitats.

A flying safari is the finest way to see the “big picture” of a country and taking off from Etosha by air charter allows just that. The massive white

38 p r e S t i G e

pan below, twice as salty as the sea, and velvety green trees give an impression of Etosha after the rains. In winter, while the game viewing is better, the aerial view is not: trees are brown and the empty pan is ice white.

The grassy plains of Damaraland are also garden-like after the rains, and we descend to land in bobbing grassland. This is a massive natural canvas of subtle water colours and dramatic mountains. It’s also home to the dwindling desert elephant and black rhino.

Doro Nawas Camp is named for the disappearing black rhino, though the famed desert elephants proved just as elusive to find. There are just a few hundred left, spread across a vast, rugged area, and a full day crawling up craggy mountainsides and scouring deep valleys by 4x4 yielded not one elephant. Guide Gabriel Ganuseb was baffled. He’s used to tracking and

finding the elephants, but today they elude him. Uniquely adapted for living in extreme heat, the desert elephants drink very little water, travel up to 70 kilometres a day and have long legs and smaller bodies and tusks. Most interesting of all is that there is no conflict between local Damara people and the elephants, “because of mutual respect,” I am told.

Damaraland also boasts incredible still-life attractions, like ancient

5,000-year-old rock art painted at Twyfelfontein, which depicts the wildlife of the area as well as flamingos and seals. Nearby Burnt Mountain is a bizarre sight. It is the result of volcanic activity that occurred about 28 million years ago, and which turned the mountain to ash. Slowly the wind is carrying it all away, and every year the mountain gets a little smaller.

The great beauty of Damaraland, however, is in the majestic natural landscape. The colours are clean and crisp: red sand earth, pale creamy grass and indigo skies that sometimes appear with scratched clouds, perhaps created by an angry sky god with long fingernails. And as evening approaches, the colours soften and change. Watching this natural theatre from the lofty deck of Doro Nawas lodge is a sound and light show like no other. Birdsong gives way to

Flying over Damaraland, there’s a sense of “looking down

on creation.” it is austerely beautiful,

harsh and serene – a special place with unusual offerings.

40 p r e S t i G e

barking geckoes and sunshine to a night sky lit by starry downlights. And stillness runs through it all.

Flying over Damaraland, there’s a sense of “looking down on creation.” It is austerely beautiful, harsh and serene – a special place with unusual offerings. But now, aboard the Sefofane charter flight, two pilots up front and four of us in the back; we are headed to the great sandscape of Sossusvlei. A fuel stop en route sees us stopping in Swakopmund along the coast, where we are welcomed by fog and coolth. Airborne again, we head south down the coastline, overfly Walvis Bay and Sandwich Harbour, past Conception Bay and over the wreck of the Eduard Bohlen, lying broken-backed and rusted on the sand. Then we head inland over vast pink dune fields that slowly turn to red as Sossusvlei grows nearer.

Looking out the window, the dune

field appears easily rearrangeable with a garden rake; in reality it is anything but. The pilot points out Dune 45 at 80 metres high, the most iconic one of all in the area, then Big Daddy and Big Mamma standing taller and with their feet in green grass after the rains. Many of the dunes were numbered by lappet-faced vulture researchers. At 388 metres tall, Dune 7 is the highest of all.

Just 55 kilometres inland from the coast, the Atlantic Ocean has turned to a sea of red sand dunes, with gentle feminine curves. It is solid sand as far as the eye can see and everything – plant and animal – that lives here is adapted for a life of extremes. In summer, temperatures can touch 70 ̊ C, and there is less than 100mm of annual rain, so plants and animals make the most of the coastal fog. Gemsbok have a special mechanism

to cool their brains in the heat and they venture onto the dunes to breathe the moisture-laden fog. All that live here are survivors in every sense, much like the ancient Bushmen.

In Sossusvlei, it is the early mornings that are best. Quiet and surreal, the sun rises and bounces light off the dunes in a 40-million-year-old display of shifting colours. Some sit quietly and watch in wonder; others walk the dunes to soak up the sun. I watch in silent awe of the extreme antiquity of this, the world’s oldest desert. It is natural art on a grand scale, yet it lives and breathes too; all its inhabitants adapted to this unusual life of thirst and stillness.

For more information contact:• Tel: +27 11 702 9602• Visit: www.sefofane.com www.wilderness-safaris.com or www.namibiatourism.com.na

42 p r e S t i G e

F E AT U R E

According to Geoff Tregaskis, Sales Manager at Wiltel Marine, the uptake of Bavaria’s Sport 38 has been phenomenal, with

one of the first boats being sold in South Africa. “What’s interesting is that the classic series and the new designs now offer the customers two totally opposing concepts, though both designs are still doing well in the market place. We are seeing manufacturing capacity running at pre-recession levels.”

The Sport 38 presents as a much bigger boat when you first see it, without compromising on its sportiness. Its lines follow those of the Bavaria Deep Blue 46 – simple and clean. Stepping aboard, the large,

Bavaria has received numerous accolades from

the press, the industry and its customers about the

new-styled sport cruisers designed in cooperation

with BMW DesignworksUSA. The response for this

new styling was so overwhelming that Bavaria had

to accelerate the introduction of more models to

complement the smallest and largest new designs,

which brings us to the all-new Sport 38.

Words: WILLIE TRUTERImages: © BAVARIA; WILTEL MARINE

38New SportBavaria’s


S K I M

double sun lounger is the first thing you notice. This, together with Bavaria’s optional hydraulic lift stern platform, creates a great play area and swim platform for when you are out at anchor, water toys easily lifted in and out of the water. Bavaria cleverly overcame the usual problem of the sun lounger on the bow separating the social areas by having the double sun lounger, seating area and a further curved sun lounger on the port side. This sun lounger is protected against the wind, too, when cruising, as it is tucked in behind the

windscreen. These clever design adaptations really cement the whole social and entertainment area – quite a feat on a boat of this size.

In the cockpit, the beige-coloured upholstery creates a warm contrast. On the port side is a U-shaped seating area with well-appointed wet bar opposite. Across from the skipper’s seat port side is a very cleverly designed “seating option,” which Bavaria has optimised by offering a combination seat and supported, fully upholstered area where one can stand and talk to the skipper. The cockpit position offers a very ergonomic design, with all the instruments placed directly in front of the skipper. The complementary equipment such as bow thruster control, switches and VHF radio can be placed on the port side of the raised steering wheel column. The raised column below the instruments will then house the navigational display at just the correct angle for best visibility.

Below deck, the new Bavaria offers improved quality, functionality and comfort, with the modern feel

and logical room divisions within an ergonomic design setting new standards. In the cabin, owners have a choice of various floor and wood colours, the range selected to offer a contrast between cupboards and flooring layout. All the finishes are in the new Fineline matte.

The aft cabin offers two separate bunks, one of which has back rest support and can thus be used as a couch. This is complemented by the seating area on the port side. The entrance to the cabin offers full-height standing room. Another

feature of the new boats is the tinted flush-mount deck hatches and portholes, found throughout the deck and which really brighten up the cabins. A lot of storage space and Bavaria’s trademark pigeonhole cupboards are yet another bonus. The head includes a toilet, basin and full shower. There is further storage space in a cupboard above the basin.

The forward cabin has a full-width double sleeper, which creates the feeling of a large cabin. The sizeable porthole on the bow of the boat provides ample lighting, while reading lights conveniently placed on either side of the forward bulkhead offer supplementary illumination. This cabin also has a full-length cupboard and additional seating areas.

A major challenge for boat designers is to create a galley that works well in terms of practicality, yet complements the seated area and offers easy access for everyone. On the Sport 38, the galley layout allows for two people to easily work in it at the same time, side by side. The large, sunken stainless steel basin, two-

plate hob and spacious work area has an L-shaped design, with ample storage space and shelving behind. The area is easy to keep clean with an integrated waste bin and Corian top, while a porthole above provides plentiful natural light. The seating area is situated on the opposite port side of the galley and allows for easy walk-through between the cabins and head. Additional storage space can be found behind the seated area, which also has a large, full-length cupboard and extra shelving.

The German shipyard has one of

the most state-of-the-art serial production facilities for yachts worldwide. From hull lamination to final delivery, the yachts pass various assembly stations covering a distance of more than six kilometres. High-volume production not only means higher cost-effectiveness but also better quality. With an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 3,000 yachts, the 650 employees benefit from learning these repetitive production techniques. Bavaria applies standards that are considerably more rigorous than what is required by law. Not a single yacht leaves the shipyard without undergoing an additional thorough test on top of the ongoing quality assurance that is part and parcel of the production process. Buyers can rest assured that, as with all Bavaria boats, the Sport 38 offers exceptional value for money without compromising on quality or safety. Contact Wiltel Marine:• Tel: 0860 627 463• Tel: + 27 21 421 8426• Cell: +27 82 562 5145• Visit: www.wiltelmarine.co.za

44 p r e S t i G e

Michael Schumacher, David Beckham and the AC Milan football team all

love the distinctive Italian style of Pal Zileri, a high-end label that has resisted

the fashion industry’s move to mass production in countries with cheap

labour. You can buy your Pal Zileri garments off the peg or, for a more private

service, request Pal Zileri tailors visit you in your home, anywhere in the world.

Words: ROUPERT MULLER / TCS Images : © FLORIS LEEUWENBERG / TCS

Made in

Luxury Fashion House Pal ZileriITALY


D R E S S

The clatter of plates and cutlery together with the busy chatter of passionate Italians sets the stage for a different sort of luncheon. At the head of

the table an older man takes his place, quietly marking his position within the group as their leader. Mr Barizza, co-founder of Italian fashion house Gruppo Forall, sits at the head of this very table every afternoon

during the one-hour lunch session. Each afternoon the factory and offices close for an hour, and the entire staff flocks to the Pal Zileri restaurant. The philosophy of treating the company as a family has been a cornerstone of the corporate culture since its inception four decades ago.

Gruppo Forall, better known under the brand name Pal Zileri, came to life in 1970 in Vicenza near Venice. Its founding partners had a clear

vision: to become a significant player in high-end fashion, taking high quality and an exceptional corporate culture and production process as the keystones of its success.

To cut production costs, a popular trend in today’s world of fashion sees a surge towards manufacturing in low-cost labour countries like China and Indonesia. Increasing overall costs have forced even higher-end brands to seek cost-efficient

46 p r e S t i G e

in order to sustain their competitive position. This shift has hit traditional Italian fashion craft hard. It is now rare among high-end Italian fashion houses to uphold their 100 percent “Made in Italy” trademark. Pal Zileri is joined by Kiton and Brioni in staying true to Italian manufacturing. Claudio Scuccato, Pal Zileri’s Export Manager, says, “We are extremely proud of the label ‘Made in Italy’. If we were to outsource our production we would be depriving the client of the exclusivity and craftsmanship of the brand.”

Pal Zileri, Gruppo Forall’s flagship brand, is named after an Italian aristocratic family originating from Vicenza. Pal Zileri, like most brands, offers a range of diverse clothing lines to cater to specific target groups. Pal Zileri White Label, Sartoriale and Abito Privato are the main drivers.

Head designer of Pal Zileri White Label collection, Guido Tara, is passionate in his philosophy, “I aim to offer an emotion; the emotion of the Pal Zileri experience.” He finds inspiration for his collections in the general interests of a man, for example, cars. “Cars represent a lifestyle and is a clear sign and confirmation. I like to translate this into my designs.”

The selection and synthesis of colour is an essential aspect of the design process. The basis and trademark of each collection is evident in the choice of colours and fabrics, which define the mood. Solid colours such as black, blue, brown and grey maintain the classic and sophisticated flavour, while vibrant and pastel colours reveal the energetic side of the Pal Zileri man.

Guido Tara is unambiguous and severe in his ideas about colours. “A man does not need loud colours,” he says. “I see the man as a business person who needs to be properly dressed for the office. However, the dress code should not be ‘sleepy’ or boring. The solid colours are always mixed with fresh colours such as

violet, orange and yellow to create the right balance. To make sure the man looks sophisticated but ‘alive’.”

The choice of fabric is not a clear-cut process at Pal Zileri. Fabrics are selected from some of Italy’s finest mills such as Loro Piana, Reda, Cerruti, Ermenegildo Zegna, Barbera and Piacenza. For certain collections, Pal Zileri requires special fabrics to be produced to its specifications. This guarantees exclusivity and clear identification of the brand within the market. Furthermore, the cloth is chosen to match the design and fitting of a garment. The fabric must “behave” in accord with the guarantee that the superiority and look and feel of the garment is distinctly Pal Zileri.

Guido Tara designs two other more casual lines: Pal Zileri Concept and Pal Zileri Sport. When asked why the Pal Zileri collections have been so successful over the years, Guido Tara replies, “When we started the Pal Zileri label 30 years ago, the market was much smaller. Nowadays the man needs a ‘world’, an emotion. Within the Pal Zileri world a man can find anything he needs. A lot of men search for a classic yet different and recognisable look.”

Sartoriale is the premier Pal Zileri collection. It is inspired by the

the tailoring of the collection is based on the craftsmanship of the tailors of naples.

From open buttonholes in a jacket cuff to the fine and precise finish

of the lining, everything is attended to with care, time and fine

craftsmanship.

solutions

Our lifestyle division is an exclusive and

personalised service to manage high-profile

VIP clients with a seamless turnkey solution,

surpassing industry standards.

We have the ability to meet unique

requirements by operating as a luxury services

company with the following premium service

capabilities:

› Concierge and travel management business

› Air charter company and pilot training school

› Event planning and management

› Access to major events as a VIP

In addition to the exclusive services rendered by

our lifestyle division, we offer the rental of exclusive

luxury vehicles. Many discerning clients are

seeking alternative options to vehicle ownership

and considering more cost-effective means to

experience their passion for driving.

We also have a private chauffeur service

operating as a point-to-point service in luxury and

exotic vehicles. These vehicles can be branded to

client specifications.

Lifestyle Division

[email protected] / www.neoafrica.com / Tel: +27 11 484 2833 / Fax: +27 11 484 28993rd Floor, North Wing, Oakhurst, 11 St Andrews Rd, Parktown, 2193 / PO Box 2971, Saxonwold, 2132

48 p r e S t i G e

middle-aged man who prefers clothing that is luxurious, comfortable and elegant. The Sartoriale man knows exactly what he wants. He is sensitive to the finest fabrics, exceptional finishing details and comfort when making his choice of clothing. Traditional tailors are increasingly becoming less common. Sartoriale offers a virtually tailor-made experience thanks to the large number of man-hours invested to develop the luxury product.

The tailoring of the collection is based on the craftsmanship of the tailors of Naples. From open buttonholes in a jacket cuff to the fine and precise finish of the lining, everything is attended to with care, time and fine craftsmanship. Designer Giorgio Zanella says, “Sartoriale actually means, ‘go to the tailor’. This implies the collection is, for the most part, made by hand. A lot of time is invested in detail and finishing, creating the luxury feel the client seeks.”

Comfort is an essential aspect of the Sartoriale trademark. The intention of the design is to produce a jacket that can hardly be felt when worn. Zanella explains that most men do not know how to achieve this level of comfort. “Most men believe a wide armhole is beneficial but this is

entirely wrong. A wide armhole means the sleeve is stitched too tight as it is stitched by a machine. When you move, the entire jacket will move as well.” He explains that a Sartoriale jacket offers a perfect fit around the shoulders: “The armhole is high, not too wide and stitched by hand. Hand stitching results in a more flexible stitching pattern meaning more room for the jacket to adapt to the movements of the body. Moreover, the shoulder padding is kept to a minimum to enhance flexibility of the jacket during movements. This improves the comfort and you will hardly feel you’re in a jacket.”

Abito Privato is the custom service label within the Pal Zileri collection. This exclusive, tailor-made service has attracted loyal clients, including captains of industry, politicians and sports stars. Seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher had his wedding suit exclusively tailored by Pal Zileri.

The service is not only offered in Pal Zileri stores or retail outlets but goes one step further. To demonstrate the exclusivity and quality of the service, Pal Zileri will visit the client at home, anywhere in the world.

The routine of the session is always the same and the attention given to the client is boundless. Measurements

are taken based on classic Italian tailoring blended with Pal Zileri’s own guidelines. Precise attention is paid to the unique physique of the client. Most people are unaware of slight differences in, for example, their arm lengths or the length in their legs. When being measured for a tailor-made suit, these slight differences are clearly noticeable.

A wide range of available fabrics is presented, ready to be touched and examined. Linings for the jackets are shown in combination with the fabrics as well as various types of buttons. Even the colour of the thread is adapted to complement the total package. Since the service is guided towards creating a one-of-a-kind suit for the individual, the choice of ingredients to create the product is entirely up to the client.

The passionate, artistic and detail-conscious approach is an inimitable experience when stepping into the Pal Zileri world. The level of professionalism, tradition and perfection Pal Zileri applies is one to which even the larger, more renowned Italian fashion houses can only aspire. Pal Zileri, Melrose Arch, South Africa:• Tel: +27 11 684 1212 • Visit: Shop No 5, High Str, Melrose Arch

LIFE PASSION ADVENTURE

LIFEPASSIONADVENTURE

Offi cial agent for Fairline luxury motor yachts in South Africa.

NATIONWIDE : 0861 FAIRLINE / 0861 324 754

DURBAN HARBOUR : Durban Yacht MoleTel: 031 301 1115 / 083 324 4630

DURBAN POINT : The QuaysTel: 031 332 1987 / 079 872 2335

CAPE TOWN : The Waterclub, Granger Bay, V&A WaterfrontTel: 021 418 0840 / 082 881 2607 / 072 860 6401

www.boatingworld.co.za | [email protected]

BoatingWorld_Fairline_Prestige2.indd 1 9/3/09 8:44:22 PM

BMW International Polo

www.bmw.co.za/poloSheer

Driving Pleasure

IR

ELA

ND

/D

AV

EN

PO

RT

65021

65021 Polo DPS.indd 1 2010/07/19 2:21 PM

52 p r e S t i G e

P L AY

If you think Polo is a game that traditionally tickles the fancy of only royals and

their entourage of high society, think again. Polo is a changed sport, and one

that’s nowadays all the rage; the place to see and be seen is stomping divots

on the polo field.

Words: BRIDGET MACDUFF; TONI MUIRImages: © BMW INTERNATIONAL POLO SERIES

BMW iNTERNATiONALPolo Series


P L AY

The BMW International Polo Series has hosted an annual Test Series between South Africa and a touring team for the past 21 years. Despite the fact that polo is played

by a small minority, the sport attracts a large following due to its association with top market brands. It has also proven to be a great networking and market branding opportunity among high net worth individuals. Indeed the BMW International has become a much sought-after event for corporate entertainment, in Johannesburg in particular.

The Chilean polo team will be looking for their first South African win when they play in this year’s Series. It is their fifth tour here but, although they won a reciprocal series

in Chile in 2006, they have yet to be successful on South African ground. The Chilean team is the current title holder of the FIP World Cup (Federation of International Polo), which is played at the 14-goal level. They will certainly be a force to be reckoned with, given the renowned riding skills of South Americans.

SA Polo Association President, Walter Grindrod, says, “Chile has scores to settle as they have never won on South African soil during their past four visits, although they have beaten us in Santiago. Local polo fans will be treated to a world-class display of equestrian skills from the

South Americans and we are hoping to attract large crowds to the two Tests to support our team.”

Although not as well known as their neighbouring Argentinean counterparts, Chilean polo has been growing in stature for several years. The death of Gabriel Donoso in a polo accident in November 2006 devastated the Chilean polo world. He was the highest-handicapped Chilean player ever and an inspiration to so many young players. Several of the youngsters he encouraged and helped to coach are now some of Chile’s top players.

The teams will be a fair match for each other as the handicaps will be the same (21 goals each) although the balance among the players may differ. It is rumoured that the Chilean side

may include an 8 or 9-goal player, whereas all four players in the home side will be on 5 or 6 goals.

The South African team will only be selected after the final day of the SA Championships but is likely to be a 22-goal side, and will include some of our exciting young players who are making their mark on the international polo scene.

The first Test takes place at Shongweni on Sunday 15 August and the second, and final, at Inanda Club, Sandton on the following Sunday, 22 August. Tickets will be available at the gates, which will open at 10:00am. Curtain raisers between SA Schools

and SA Development at Shongweni, and two young development teams at Inanda, will precede each Test starting at 11.30am. The players in the Inanda teams are young black players who have benefited from Polo Africa and SAPA’s development programme. The final Test begins at 2.30pm, with the day’s events concluding with the prize giving at around 4:30pm.

The Inanda Test has become one of the highlights on the Joburg social calendar with the event attracting everyone from party goers to families to corporates to polo enthusiasts. Whoever you are, you won’t be disappointed in the thrill of high speed action mixed with glamour and style.

Visit www.sapolo.org.za or contact +27 83 280 8448.

54 p r e S t i G e

R E V E L

NorthernSTARVoyage to the Ends of the Earth

superYacht


R E V E L

Designed for extensive and extended cruising

whether in the Arctic or in tropical waters,

Lürssen Yachts’ 75.4-metre Northern Star can

circumnavigate the globe with ease. While she

is extremely capable of reaching these remote

regions, she is nonetheless extremely liveable in

extremely good comfort.

Words: TANYA GOODMANImages: © LÜRSSEN/KLAUS JORDAN

56 p r e S t i G e

Built by Lürssen Yachts for a very experienced owner, who has many years behind him as an ocean racing and cruising sailor, Moran

Yacht & Ship supervised the project and brought in a highly respected team to bring this dream to fruition. Espen Oeino Naval Architects gave Northern Star a rather traditional appearance, reflecting the owners' vision, but built her to the most modern technical standards. The innovative use of space, combined with an abundance of practical and useful features, means that owner and crew travel in style with six decks offering 12 guests enormous space for both entertainment and relaxation.

The interior was designed by Pauline Nunns, whose soft palettes and hand-painted details are reminiscent of a French country home or a coastal villa. Her brief called for light, airy, comfortable interiors with lots of wall space and good lighting to hang the owners’ large art collection plus plenty of shelf space for books. The layout had to be flexible enough to accommodate the occasional large party or formal dinner and include a small informal room with bar for meetings. In addition, a secure play area for young grandchildren was required.

In hot climates, the sky lounge and outside decks fulfil these needs while the owners’ private library/sitting room doubles as an informal meeting room/bar. On long Arctic cruises for which the yacht was designed, however, evenings are

often too cold to use the sky lounge or outside decks, so the sliding doors between the main salon and dining room can be opened wide to form a very large party room with a real log fire in the main lounge fireplace. The fabrics in these areas are warm reds, while seat cushions deep-filled with down add to the feeling of comfort.

The hand-painted dining room table, which seats 14, can be reduced in size to seat 10 or completely dismantled to slot into the narrow cupboard alongside the aft doors. Roll up the loose carpet on the dining room floor and you have a dance floor, or close the doors and it can be used as a playroom for the grandchildren. A Steinway grand piano (that can self-play if desired) or the sophisticated sound system which runs throughout the yacht provide music to set each scene. If you fancy a game of roulette, the Edwardian coffee table opposite the piano opens out into a roulette wheel.

Besides the exquisite owners’ suite, to which most of the upper deck has been devoted, and the five elegant guest suites, additional rooms were requested, including a beauty and massage salon, cinema, guest office and fitness room with a view.

To achieve the overall ambience envisioned by the owners, Pauline Nunns incorporated many custom finishes, such as panelled walls hand-painted to blend with the fabrics in each space. In the sky lounge, for example, it was the owners’ blue and white china collection which came to be displayed in a glass cabinet that dictates the theme. A specially

commissioned glass coffee table, hand-crafted by German artist Mary Baumeister, echoes the relaxed sea side atmosphere in this area. Meanwhile, in the main salon, parts of the ceiling are recessed where trompe l'oeil, depicting a sky with cherubic characters, has been applied in situ by a British artist to create a whimsical atmosphere.

Perhaps one of the most telling features of this superyacht is the consideration given to her crew accommodation. Not only are their 12 cabins more spacious and light than many typical guest suites, but crew have a dedicated mess, lounge and gym. Happy as they may be, owner and guest may never see them as the yacht has been designed for ultimate privacy.

No wonder, then, that Northern Star won “Best Displacement Motor Yacht” at the World Superyacht Awards in 2010. Cited by judges for both her technical and aesthetic design, they called her “extraordinarily well conceived and specified,” “impressive in [her] choice and quality” of her machinery, and “palatial as well as pleasing” in her use of decor. In sum, the judges opined, “this sturdily attractive, beautifully constructed, go-anywhere yacht is a worthy class winner.”

After summering in the Mediterranean, Northern Star is rumoured to be heading to Greenland and Newfoundland before travelling down the east coast of the United States, transiting through the Panama Canal further into the Pacific and possibly sojourning in the Galapagos. Should you want to experience her yourself, Moran Yacht & Ship also offers the superyacht for charter from US$ 600,000 per week.

Contact Lürssen Yachts:• Tel: +49 421 6604 166• Email: [email protected]• Visit: www.lurssen.com

WELCOME TO OUR UNIQUE VIEW OF AFRICAWhether you travel for business or pleasure, African Sky Hotels, Spas & Resorts’ portfolio of properties

offers nine different African resorts and one hotel in Germany, with quality conferencing facilities as well as luxury spa facilities to suit your every need. These are just three of our destinations...

THE ATLANTIC BEACH HOTELMelkbosstrand, Cape Town

Atlantic Beach Hotel in Melkbosstrand

in the Western Cape offers you space

and privacy while taking an interest

in guest’s needs. Melkbosstrand is the

gateway to the West Coast. With a

quiet villiage atmosphere, and pristine

beaches only 200 meters away,

this jewel is situated only 20 minutes

outside Cape Town and 30 minutes

from the airport. Canal Walk and the

theme park, Ratanga Junction are

nearby and we are just 10 minutes

away from the vibrant night life and

restaurants of Table View. If you don’t

want to leave the resort on a sunny

day you can just relax in the sun in

your own small enclosed garden.

RESERVATIONSTel: +27 (0) 21 553 1800Fax: +27 (0) 21 553 1822

[email protected]

EDEN ON THE BAYBloubergstrand, Cape Town

RESERVATIONSToll-free: +27 (0) 800 600 770

Fax: +27 (0) 21 439 [email protected]

Eden on the Bay Luxury Apartments

are located along the pristine,

unspoiled beach of Big Bay. This

beautiful setting is famous for its

fabulous views of Cape Town’s

majestic Table Mountain. Just 20

minutes drive from the Cape Town

CBD and 20kms from the Cape Town

International Airport, Eden on the

Bay Luxury Apartments are perfectly

located for a relaxed weekend

getaway or longer holiday. There is

a world class 18-hole Golf Course 5

minutes away at Melkbostrand and

Canal Walk shopping centre is a mere

10 minutes drive away.

RESERVATIONSTel: +27 (0) 11 689 1000Fax: +27 (0) 11 689 1111

[email protected]

With-in the Financial District and views

of an ever-bustling city, we offer well-

appointed, modern accommodation

in 120 En-Suite rooms. The hotel is

situated close to all major business

centers, a mere 14Km from the

Sandton Convention Centre and just

5 minutes from the City Hall, Gautrain

and BRT System. Businessmen and

socialites favor The Reef Hotels GOLD

as a refreshingly new location, central

to the CBD, close to major social

hotspots, yet away from the frantic

pace of the city centre.

Contact Our Central Reservations Team:Tel: +27 (0) 21 439 6010 • Fax: +27 (0) 21 439 1848 • E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.africanskyhotels.com

Other hotels in the African Sky Hotels, Spas & Resorts’ portfolio also include the Cape Town Ritz Hotel, The Wilderness Beach Hotel, Pine Lake Inn, Ermelo Inn, Newcastle Inn, Harrismith Inn, Oudtshoorn Hotel & Resort or African Sky Hotel Werlte in Bremen, Germany. Visit our website for more information on these hotels.

Reef~Hotels GOLDJohannesburg

v3 african sky ad.indd 1 2010/07/23 4:09 PM

New Range RoverMAxTake it to the

D R I V E

58 p r e S t i G e


F E AT U R E

Philip Treacy, they say, makes a really good hat

and there seems little reason to question this.

The thing is, the question that fashion writers

– scandalously, in my opinion – never seem

to ask is: are they any good on a hike up the

Drakensberg?

Words: ALEXANDER PARKERImages: © RANGE ROVER

60 p r e S t i G e

This is a matter of grave importance. A few years ago the weather at Henley Royal Regatta was dreadful. Despite the fact that the event takes place at the

absolute peak of the English summer – and joking aside, there really is nothing quite as glorious as an English summer – the rain and the wind whipped themselves into a frenzy.

This turned the Thames into a tempest-tossed nightmare and made the cream of English society flee for the tents and their cars. Of course, the working-class tabloids loved it. They plastered pictures of posh ladies in ridiculously beautiful Jimmy Choos and hats splashing through muddy bogs and chaps in whites and blazers slipping on their leather soles and planting their well-tailored bums into the mud while spilling Pimms and lemonade all over the place. It is, you see, all too rare that fashion and function truly combine. Those hats at Henley were all very good at looking marvellous but not so good in a southwester. And those Jimmy Choos, while definitely very elegant, were rubbish in the mud.

It was in 1970 that the folk at Rover launched a car that has proved to be one of very few vehicles that manages to exist comfortably in both worlds. They wanted a car that was as comfortable as an ordinary Rover, but was as good at crossing fields and dealing with snow as the firm’s legendary, but somewhat spartan, Land Rovers. They called it the Range Rover, and it would change the world of motoring for good. The SUV, in modern parlance, was born.

These days, 40 years later, and we’re still only on our third shape of

Range Rover. The first, the “Classic,” ran for 25 years. The current shape was born in 2002 into a far more hostile world. For a while environmental concerns – or so they were named – made Range Rovers and their ilk politically incorrect modes of transport. Such concerns have made the European Union pass increasingly strict laws regarding emissions, and for Land Rover, whose cars are all large and heavy, this poses particularly difficult challenges.

The new 2011 Range Rover, then, is the most obvious sign of what the company is doing in order to comply with these laws. On the outside there’s nothing to indicate that this is in any way different to the 2010 models. It is still a smart-looking thing, obviously upmarket and yet it still speaks of its abilities off the tarmac.

The most exciting development is under the bonnet, where Range Rover’s all-new 4.4-litre, twin turbo-charged V8 diesel resides. The chaps at Solihull have evidently worked extremely hard on this car. In every facet of the vehicle, they’ve worked to increase efficiencies.

For example, the car comes with an all-new, eight-speed automatic gearbox. While this may sound like too much, in fact it works extremely well. Some eight-speed boxes – in the Lexus IS-F for example – can be a bit witless and confused, forever searching for that perfect cog. Not so in the Range Rover, which selects a gear and sticks with it. Changes are beautifully smooth and all the while the car keeps emissions low by seeking the most efficient gear ratio.

The new engine helps enormously. It’s got plenty of low-down grunt, meaning the car needn’t change down to accelerate. It’s also one of the best diesels I’ve driven yet. It’s remarkably smooth and – praise be – Range Rover’s engineers have laboured to eliminate that dreadful clatter that can accompany a big diesel motor. In fact, under acceleration, the induction roar of the new Range Rover is more Detroit-style V8 than London Taxi. This thing actually sounds like a petrol V8. It’s an astonishing phenomenon I’ve

not seen anyone else get even close to achieving, and the way Range Rover’s head of engineering, Paul Walker, rolls his eyes when you ask him how it was done, it’s clear that it was a massive challenge. The engine churns out 235kW and, more importantly, a great wodge of torque – 700Nm of it – available from just 1,500rpm.

Range Rover has also instituted a whole load of other measures to keep consumption down, such as a power-steering pump that only runs when required and an alternator that only draws power under braking and over-run. It’s all extremely clever, and the result is an official combined-cycle fuel consumption of 9.4l/100km. It’s hard to convey quite what a claim this is. This is a 3.2-ton vehicle.

The best way to put this to the test was to try it out, so in Portugal’s Duoro valley I reset the trip computer and set off on a mixture of road conditions. An hour later, back at the hotel, the car told me that for 100km, driving like that, it would require 9.8 litres of diesel. This is simply astonishing. There’s no other word for it, and it really throws down the gauntlet to other makers of very large, very luxury cars, and begs questions of the anti-SUV crowd.

The best thing is that it’s still a Range Rover. It handles the worst off-road conditions with aplomb, including the kind of places you’re most unlikely to take your Rangey. They’ve also smartened up the rear accommodation, which now comes with reclining seats with warming and cooling, TV, DVD players and individual climate zones.

It’ll take the kids to school, tow the horsebox to the paddock and the boat to Port Alfred. I’ll mount the kerb at Hyde Park, make mincemeat of Westcliff’s speed humps and, should the desire take you, transport the family to Deception Valley without breaking a sweat. The Range Rover, you see, is the car best designed for the world as it is. The sun doesn’t always shine at Henley. In a Range Rover, it doesn’t matter.

The new Range Rover TDV8 will be available from November.

62 p r e S t i G e

A D M I R E

Milan: check. Rome: check. Paris: check. Monte Carlo: check. Not too shabby a roster of au courant locales, eh? What they all have in

common, beyond their obvious glamour and elegance, is a barely-noticed trend amongst their oh-so-fashion-conscious female populace. Without a second thought, the women in these cities are more than happy to wear men’s watches – if not their husbands’ or partners’, then they’ll wear their own. And why would this be a notable trend? Because, quietly, it has been altering the way women regard watches and in turn, what the watch manufacturers are producing.

However universal the feminine adoration of earrings, necklaces and bracelets, however true the adage about diamonds and their friendship with girls, thus far watches have been regarded by women as merely functional necessities to keep one from being too late rather than fashionably tardy. Gem-encrustation, hand-applied lacquers, guilloche dials,

Distaff watch purchasers are still outnumbered by men – the belief

is that ladies would rather buy shoes. But that hasn’t stopped the

Swiss from creating decidedly feminine designs that possess all of

the connoisseur-approved details that appeal to the masculine

consumer. The question is: will women ever love watches

as much as men do? Make that two questions: do

manufacturers even need to offer “ladies” watches?

Words: KEN KESSLERImages: © PATEK PHILIPPE

Madame?Somethingfor


A D M I R E

exquisite case shapes – whatever watchmakers do to “feminise” watches, women still haven’t succumbed to the charm of top-quality timekeepers with anything approaching the passion shown by men. And, as ever in the conflict between genders, it’s all about size.

For the past two decades, men’s watches have grown in size so consistently that what was once deemed “medium” is now “undersized,” and what was once considered comically huge is the norm. To give you some numbers, men used to be happy wearing timepieces as small in diameter as 32mm. Today, that’s mid-size for ladies. Few are the men’s watches on sale today below 38mm across, while the 40-44mm of Panerais, IWC Portuguesers, Bremonts and Hublot Big Bangs no longer seems exceptional. Ladies have always had one anatomical feature that mitigates against bigger watches: small wrists. At typically 20 percent smaller than a man’s, a feminine wrist encircled by a large watch creates the same comical effect as a little girl trying on mommy’s shoes.

From the late 1980s onward, women in the more stylish of Europe’s capitals could be seen wearing – in particular – Rolex sport watches. They favoured the men’s editions of GMTs and Submariners, the watches dangling nonchalantly on their wrists like jewellery rather than functional addenda. Note, too, a preference for bracelets, be they gold, platinum or steel, rather than leather straps. The links of the bracelets allowed the watches to hang more gracefully than watches on straps. It’s not that Rolex and the rest didn’t make scaled-down facsimiles of their most iconic sports watches. There have been ladies’ Rolex Oysters from the very first arrival of the design, back in the 1920s. But for some reason, the ladies of Milan, Rome, et al discovered that men’s watches hanging “just so” looked as smart and, indeed, as funky as well-cut jeans or 1950s Ray-Bans.

If the oversized-watch-on-a-lady’s-wrist comes with a caveat, it has to be the sheer casualness of it. They work best as “day watches,”

something to wear with the aforementioned jeans and shades, on vacation or at leisure – especially on the beach. Business, evening, formal – they still require a watch that leans toward the traditionally feminine. But it’s possible to do both without sacrificing the gains in size, as afforded by wearing a men’s watch.

No example works better than Patek Philippe’s ladies’ models, for the revered house is conservative yet savvy. For this brand to embrace the upscaling of ladies’ watches is to grant the genre a seal of approval beyond question. Consider, then, their big launch for the coming season, the Reference 7071: “Ladies First Chronograph.”

It’s enough that the venerable Genevoise maker delivered an all-new, in-house movement not in a man’s watch, but in a lady’s. And not just any movement, but a chronograph – still the hottest complication of them all. Patek Philippe also signalled, with

great subtlety, their belief that women may be as enthusiastic as men: the Ref. 7071 is manually wound, rather than automatic, which requires that its owner wind it every day – one of the rituals that male watch hounds cherish as a sign of knowledgeable purism.

It’s a stunning horological statement that just happens to be

offered to the ladies rather than the men. Aside from a hint of prettiness, it is as serious an offering as any, one of which many male connoisseurs might even be a bit jealous, for cushion-shaped, manual-wind chronographs aren’t exactly plentiful. And they will be aware that this masterpiece marks the first appearance of Patek Philippe’s calibre CH 29-535 PS, a traditional column-wheel chronograph movement. Glamour, though, is also on offer: the Ref. 7071 is available with an elegant rose-gold case with 136 diamonds framing the dial which, according to Patek Philippe, “underscore the exclusivity of this decidedly feminine complication.”

It’s not as if Patek Philippe even had to create a new model to address the move toward chunkier watches for women. For over 30 years, they have produced one of the most popular and iconic men’s watches that women – especially in resorts around the Mediterranean – “borrowed” from their boyfriends, lovers and husbands: the highly desirable Nautilus. This classic diving watch has always been available in ladies’ sizes, but the model’s most recent update confirms the generally accepted knowledge that women want larger watches: the latest ladies’ Nautilus Ref. 7010 shows an increase on the 28.5mm of the original Ref. 4700 model to its current diameter of 32mm, which just happens to be precisely the size that used to pass for a typical men’s watch.

Visit www.patek.com. Peter Machlup was one of the first

South Africans, and in fact worldwide pioneers, who set about collecting timepieces as objets d’art. Machlup boasts something of an encyclopaedic knowledge of the value of the most important brands. He can offer great advice about the collectability and value of a range of watches, particularly among those he stocks and trades, which includes Patek Philippe, Rolex, Officine Panerai and IWC, among many others. Peter Machlup is based in Melrose Arch. Contact him on +27 11 684 1222, email [email protected] or visit www.petermachlup.co.za.

64 p r e S t i G e

Ferrari tifosi were nervous: the company’s first hard-top convertible, their first

front-engined V8, the revival of a name first appended to a cherished model

from the 1960s, user-friendly driveability – the horror! It could even manage

golf clubs or skis! Would the 21st Century California still be a true Ferrari, worthy

of the Prancing Horse on its prow?

Words: KEN KESSLERImages: © LORENZO MARCINNO/FERRARI

California dreamin’Ferrari’s First

Hard-Top Convertible


California dreamin’Ferrari’s First

Hard-Top Convertible

It’s one of those sad facts about car nuts: unless a sports car has an overwhelming sense of menace and hair-shirt penance attached to it, it must have been designed “for girls” or – worse in

the eyes of the British press – “hairdressers.” They apply that epithet to any car that doesn’t feel like bits are about to fall off, any vehicle which

doesn’t require an F1 licence, any automobile that possesses creature comforts like carpets, and which doesn’t lend itself to track days. Most bizarrely, the activities that expose weaknesses in said cars are usually only experienced at speeds in excess of anything the law will allow off track.

It was with this sense of foreboding that the “entry level”

Ferrari was greeted by the world’s press, but who had to admit, once they’d actually driven it, that the California is much more than Maranello’s answer to the default softie, the Mercedes-Benz SL. So unusual is this car in purist Ferrari terms, be it the number of cylinders, the engine’s location or that retractable hard top, that even the

66 p r e S t i G e

F E AT U R E

most seasoned Ferrari connoisseurs, clients or critics, had to approach it with fresh sensibilities. It is, for Ferrari, as much of a radical departure as was the Cayenne SUV for Porsche.

Perceived heritage is another matter. It remains to be seen if the California will be regarded by future Ferraristi as a classic. Because Ferrari will produce it in the many thousands, relative rarity will not sire a reputation. And what this ultra-modern Ferrari will not do, in 50 years’ time, is match the auction results of its namesake. In May 2008, a world record was set for the then-highest amount ever paid for a car at auction, for a stunning black 1961 Ferrari California Spyder, once owned by actor James Coburn. It fetched US$10,894,900 at the “Ferrari Leggenda e Passione” sale in Maranello, Italy. The lucky buyer was British radio host Chris Evans.

To educate a quartet of journalists, Ferrari prepared three Californias – two for the scribes and one for the photographer and a Ferrari test driver – for a fast jaunt across Spain: Madrid to Zaragoza to Barcelona. The route included all that the California would be expected to address with aplomb, from maintaining composure in traffic to long stretches of motorway. This is exactly what purists decry, but then most Ferraris exist in the real world rather than solely on the unrestricted stretches of the autobahn.

Nothing that those three cities

threw at the trio caused so much as one temperature needle to creep into the danger zone. True, the car is on the large size for a two-seater with a kids-only bench at the back. Visibility is slightly challenging because the nose droops downward, while the fat rear haunches (the only part of the shape worth criticising) and wide stance make narrow side streets a heart-in-mouth ordeal, but its dynamic behaviour is impeccable: you can tailor it to your tastes.

Because the California uses the latest paddle-shift gearbox and the manettino control for adjustments to the transmission, stability, traction and suspension behaviour, you have numerous options for refining the car’s behaviour. With the switch set to Comfort, its laziest, easiest mode, and with the gears chosen automatically, city life is no bother at all.

Free of urban boundaries, the fun begins. The Sport setting tightens up responses, while the absence of traffic and those long, smooth roads paid for by the rest of Europe’s taxpayers

encourage a heavy right foot. Top down so you can hear the exhaust, and you’re confused momentarily: its sound is certainly that of a Ferrari, but a hairy V8 has subtle harmonics of its own. And the effect is positively inspirational.

Everything is there for you to exploit in true, sporting Ferrari fashion, while the convenience features of aircon/sat-nav/et al, the 15-seconds up-or-down hard top for added silence and rigidity, the sumptuous seats, and the automatic setting for the gearbox allow the car to possess a split personality. It tracks solidly, responds quickly and copes with scarily winding roads as beautifully as it does the seemingly endless, near-straight highways between Zaragoza and Barcelona. Which does it prefer? That’s entirely down to the driver and his or her chosen settings.

Even on that perfect highway, you could savour the flexibility of the manettino, whether set to Sport or Comfort, especially at speed. So balanced is the car’s behaviour that it enhances the driver’s skills. Perhaps it’s psychological, the car willing you to be a better driver. It certainly keeps you awake and aware: you want to be worthy of driving it.

As for the new California’s presumed unsuitability for track days, even there the critics were wrong. Strapped into the California, with one of Ferrari’s top test drivers at the wheel and the manettino switched to the “off” position, I experienced two laps of the Catalunya Formula One race circuit near Barcelona, with no holds barred. It behaved like a “proper” Ferrari: fast, furious, agile, and – in the hands of a maestro – utterly mental. Tyres smoking and squealing, tail swinging out on the hairpins, nary a creak nor judder indicated that the car was anything other than a full-blooded Ferrari. Which suggests that any hairdresser in possession of this car probably styles his clients’ hair with tin-snips and a blow torch.

“So balanced is the car’s behaviour that it enhances the driver’s

skills. Perhaps it’s psychological, the car

willing you to be a better driver.”

S U B S C R I B E

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magazine for billionaires, millionaires and those aspiring to this lifestyle. The magazine

offers a mix of luxury elements that appeal to both men and women: rarity,

craftsmanship, generosity, freedom, curiosity, tradition, intelligence, wit, aesthetics,

and adventure. It incorporates the latest in the areas of boating, motoring and aviation;

travel, health and wellness; style, trends and haute horology; people, personalities and

superstars, design, art and antiques; collectibles, investments and property; research,

business and technology. Working with a finely nuanced definition of luxury,

“meaningful and successful lives beyond money, old or new,” Prestige is a magazine for

those who engage with the world across various dimensions and in significant ways.

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SMS the words SUBSCRIBE PRESTIGE, followed by your name and email address, to +27 79 876 4130. Alternatively, email your name, cell number and delivery address to [email protected].

68 p r e S t i G e

This year’s event marked the tenth anniversary of this most unusual regatta –

the S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup, which saw 11 teams from 11 countries pitted

against each other in a test of sailing and culinary prowess to rival no other.

Words: TONI MUIRImages: © TONI MUIR; S.PELLEGRINO COOKING CUP

SHiP

S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup

Ahoy!

C R E AT E

The S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup, organised in cooperation with the Compagnia della Vela, the historic Yacht Club of Venice, takes place on the

Venice Lagoon, between the Lido and the Island of San Giorgio, and is considered one of Venice’s main calendar events. It provides a platform for skilled sailing enthusiasts and young chefs – all of whom must be under 30 years of age to participate – to demonstrate their skills above and below decks.

While the crew and captain navigate the seas, the chef works down in the galley, preparing a dish that will later be judged by a strict and highly qualified jury. Countries represented at the 2010 event included Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Hong Kong, Belgium, the USA and France.

Saturday 26 June dawned grey and overcast, though the threat of inclement weather could do little to dampen the spirits of the chefs, their crew and the gathered journalists. After a short taxi ride – water taxi, of course – we arrived at Venice’s famed Rialto Market and as quickly as they could, the chefs hauled out their shopping lists and set about the task of purchasing all that they would need for the challenge ahead.

This tenth edition of the Cooking

Cup saw the presentation of a new award on top of the usual "Inside the Cooking" and "Young Chef of the Year" honours - "People's Choice Award." Thus, the evening before the regatta, the 11 chefs, with the help of one or two of the host hotel’s own chefs, prepared enough sample portions of their entered dish to give each of the 100-odd guests a taste. The guests then voted for their favourite. South Africa chef Chantel Dartnall, from Mosaic at the Orient, chose to prepare “A Composition of Rooibos and Tomatoes.” And the dish was delicious. So good, in fact, that she came very close to walking away with the "People’s Choice Award," second only to Hong Kong’s Chris Keung.

On the morning of the regatta, I scurried along behind Chantel as she darted from market stall to market stall, and from deli to specialty shop, in search of pink, perfect langoustines, tomatoes still on the vine, rich, crumbly parmesan cheese and bunches of fresh, fragrant basil. Pleased as punch, all seeming to have found their desired ingredients, the chefs headed for the marina and their waiting crews, who had received a crash-course in Sailing 101 while the rest of us shopped. By now the sun had put in an appearance and the wind had picked up a little, and onboard the South Africa boat all were in good spirits. We had water, we had sunscreen and we had saarmies. Down below decks, our chef had all she needed except, we would

later discover, a lighter to relight the gas should it go out – which of course it did. Much scrounging about and quiet panic saw the lighter eventually surface and the burners relit. All was well once more.

As the sails billowed out in front and we scrambled from one side of the deck to another as the captain tacked to and fro, and poor Chantel below decks clung desperately to her pots of blanching tomatoes and sticky risotto, we gained ground and lost ground, to finish in third place behind Belgium and Hong Kong (which ended up walking away – or sailing away, rather – with all three of the event’s awards).

Once the boats cross the finish line, the dish, along with a complementary wine and water suited to the meal, is presented to the jury, which judges the dish on the basis of taste, difficulty of preparation, presentation, and the right pairing of the accompanying beverages. And the jury reads like a who’s who of haute cuisine, including the likes of Austria’s Karl Obauer, Italy’s Luisa Valazza and Massimo Bottura, France’s Michel Portos, and Russia’s Anatoly Komm, to name but a few. Fashion designer Vittorio Missoni, whose boat Timoteo is used by the jury every year, was an honorary juror.

A glitzy gala dinner ended the affair, replete with magnums of champagne for those who took home the Cooking Cup honours.

70 p r e S t i G e

The vanguard for a new line of flybridges, this new Riviera model incorporates great function and style within a supremely comfortable, sea-friendly

hull built specifically for Inboard Performance System (IPS) pod

drives. According to Derrick Levy, owner of Boating World, the South African importers of the Riviera range, the new look and feel Sport Fisher is not only an excellent choice for serious sport fishing far out at sea, but is great for entertaining and cruising too, something which

the new style reflects completely.Bringing the outdoors inside, the

Riviera 43 Open Flybridge features an alfresco environment with a seamless transition between the oversized cockpit, which is deeper than a Riviera 47, and the plush, five-star interior. An aft-facing outdoor lounge on a

The new Riviera 43 Open Flybridge offers the latest in flybridge design from

Australia’s most awarded luxury boat builder. At the recent Sanctuary Cove

International Boat Show, where 19 new Riviera boats were sold with a total

retail value of over AUD $20 million, nine of these were the brilliant new 43

Open Flybridges.

Words & Images: © BOATING WORLD

Open FlybridgeRiviera 43

Latest Addition


P I L O T

mezzanine level hard up against the saloon bulkhead is a brilliant feature – what a spot for relaxing outdoors.

The spacious, self-draining cockpit features recessed toe-holds for the avid fisherman and a large, teak swim platform for water sports fanatics. A cabinet below the stairs (to the flybridge) accommodates a complete deck wash system with both salt and freshwater – ideal for washing down equipment. And there’s a sink and fridge box in the stairway base with plenty of storage all round. Access to the engines for services is incredibly easy via the push-button lift cockpit floor.

The cockpit gives access to both the flybridge, saloon and engine room. The flybridge is accessible via a new style wide-step stairway replacing the conventional flybridge ladder. This new addition has made all the difference to the sophistication of this craft, with its teak treads and ergonomically designed vertical rise to make navigating these stairs much easier.

Seated in style in the flybridge, pilot and co-pilot have fingertip console control, while four guests can relax in the L-shaped lounge in front of the helm, enjoying refreshments from a wet bar with settee opposite on the port side.

The 43 Open Flybridge only has one helm station on the flybridge, making space for more living space in the saloon. The new structural hard-top canopy is mounted on stainless steel supports, allowing 360-degree vision with minimal interruption.

On the dash controlling all onboard electrics is the digital CZone system, which talks the same data language as the Volvo Penta IPS system, meaning all your engine parameters are metered through the same monitoring system. This revolutionary design allows finger-touch control of everything electrical from entertainment lighting to navigation equipment. Boat handling is made carefree with the use of the integrated joystick control.

Moving down the stairs to the cockpit one finds the main saloon,

which is both beautiful and practical. Seating for seven is comfortable around a generously sized folding table in the U-shaped lounge, while two separate dining chairs (with storage underneath) can also be brought forward to the table for additional guests.

There’s been no stinting on convenience with an attractive liquor cabinet featuring a bar/fridge/ice maker combination, not forgetting the pop-up television and electrically-controlled storage locker in the saloon ceiling. The easily accessible galley includes a dishwasher, with crockery and cutlery safely stored in pull-out drawers. Closer inspection reveals fridge and freezer drawers, a ceramic cook top with extractor fan, and a microwave oven.

Below decks there is sleeping accommodation for up to nine people in two large cabins with convertible options in the saloon and flybridge. The two-metre-long double bed in the forward master stateroom is a sight for tired eyes. Light and airy, and decked out with contemporary fabrics, soft carpeting and long-wearing, leather-style upholstery, this en suite cabin exudes style and comfort. In a new and unusual trend, a full beam cabin fills a massive area aft, with a double bed mounted on tracks (which can be separated into two singles) and a single berth positioned horizontally starboard. Both bathrooms feature an overhead hatch, roomy shower, bench-mounted vanity and a vacuflush toilet.

Riviera has powered this new generation cruiser with the impressively robust yet economic Volvo IPS 600. The new flared hull was designed in collaboration with Volvo to ensure its suitability for IPS and ensures easy access to the engine room. The proven Volvo Penta IPS features twin counter-rotating, three-bladed, forward-facing propellers for a powerful and smooth ride. Those deep-blue fishing grounds are closer than you think when cruising at 28 knots with a top speed of around 31 knots. She gets onto the plane at just over 12 knots using 74 litres/hour at

2,300rpm. Cruising at eight knots she’s really economical at only 24 litres/hour. The 43 Open Flybridge has a range of 350 to 500 nautical miles from her 1,800-litre tanks, depending on speed.

The 43 Riviera Open Flybridge is a lot of boat with a lot of power, sure to guarantee a lot of fun. With Riviera anticipating an annualised production of over 100 new boats next financial year, you’d do well to place your order now. Boating World has offices in Durban and Cape Town, contact:• Tel: 0861 324 754• Email: [email protected]• Visit: www.boatingworld.co.za

72 p r e S t i G e

I N V E S T

The Bes t P roper ty

One of the major advantages of possessing great wealth is that you can buy

properties that give you a double return. You can live in a lovely home (or two

or three) and the money you put into it will seem to keep growing faster than

the investments of us regular folk.

Words: IAN FIFEImages: © PAM GOLDING PROPERTIES

INVESTMENTS


I N V E S T

And rise it inevitably will in South Africa as we recover from house prices that lagged behind the rest of the world for decades. The 10 most

expensive of South Africa’s 5,284 suburbs have shown big price gains, according to subscription Internet property website, Lightstone.co.za. Average prices rose in South Africa’s top suburb, Clifton, by 48 percent between 2009 and 2010 to an average of R16.26 million. House prices in Westcliff are up by 30 percent, to R8.7 million. Prices are still climbing in last year’s most expensive suburb, Sandhurst, up 12.25 percent to R13.7 million. The coastal resort estates of Pezula in Knysna and Zimbali in Ballito have fallen down the list to 10 and 11 respectively, while the swanky urban golf estate Steenberg in Cape Town’s Constantia Valley has only fallen one place, to number five.

This demonstrates how cities hold their prices better in a downturn than holiday and second homes at the coast and in the country. But it does not matter that coastal prices have fallen; this is a momentary buying opportunity before they continue their growth again, probably as soon as next year.

This is the fundamental lesson of property as an asset; it is a long-term investment, better measured in decades than years. Viewing it from that perspective, a prime first or second home is a near certainty to grow in value faster than inflation and in South Africa’s case, probably faster than the Rand can fall against other currencies. Most high net worth individuals (HNWIs) consider a five-year investment short-term in property.

But it’s an important investment. The latest global wealth report from Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank shows that property makes up the biggest part of the average HNWI’s investment portfolio – 33 percent of it against 25 percent invested in the stock exchange, 17 percent in cash and 13 percent in bonds. Gold still appears a fairly specialist investment with only a 0.5 percent share of the average HNWI’s investment portfolio.

Weightings vary in different regions. Europeans have 50 percent of their wealth in property, South Americans only 10 percent. About 90 percent of the average property investment is directly in houses, flats and offices, with listed property funds making up 5 percent and the rest in farms, game reserves, and so on.

There are no equivalent data for South African HNWIs but I think these are useful guidelines for anywhere. If you have net assets of, say, R200

million, a R24-million home and R40 million of investment properties seems about right, or with R50-million assets, a R6-million home and R10-million investment properties. R6 million will buy you an average home in Fresnaye (20th most expensive suburb) and Constantia (21st) in Cape Town, or Parktown (22nd) and Dunkeld West (23rd) in Johannesburg.

Looking through the Lightstone list, it seems that the top 65 suburbs could be considered South Africa’s prime home buying areas. Bryanston in Johannesburg is number 65, with an average price of R4.088 million, with Umhlanga Rocks in Durban and Johannesburg’s Birdhaven around R4.1 million at number 62 and 63 respectively.

The common wisdom is that it is better to buy the lowest-priced house in the high-priced suburb than the highest-priced one in the lowest-priced suburb. But this doesn’t necessarily apply to the top end of the property market. For instance, somebody paid R36 million last year for an old house of about 400 square metres located along Nettleton Road,

Clifton. The house will be demolished and replaced with a 1,000-square-metre home, whose owner will probably demand R100 million when he sells it a few years from now. You can probably buy a similar 1,000-square-metre house in Westcliff, Parktown or Sandhurst (three of Johannesburg’s grand old suburbs) for around R20 million.

Bryanston is different. Developed just over 60 years ago by Anglo American Corporation, its stands are

much larger than others, so the homes can be bigger. It is probably South Africa’s biggest suburb, with over 6,000 houses. Bryanston, with its key location between Sandton CBD and Fourways, is rapidly densifying into a series of differently priced areas. The top priced area is on Mount Street, where the views equal those on the Westcliff and Parktown ridges.

You’re not going to lose money in any of these prime suburbs if you hold them for a few years, and the top coastal suburbs in Cape Town will maintain their price supremacy over Johannesburg for some years. But there’s a special distortion in the South African property market – and a special opportunity. Compare the prices of high-quality homes in Paris with the Côte d'Azur in the South of France, or Manhattan in New York with the best beachfront suburbs of Miami or Malibu, and you will find it is the large cities whose prices are the highest and which are growing the fastest. There is little doubt that the best houses in the best suburbs of Johannesburg will outperform all the rest, just give them time.

74 p r e S t i G e

R E L A X

Subsumed as it largely has been by mass-market pop psychology, much has

been written in self-help books and in the more sensational magazines about

the avoidance or management of stress. While the main objective should of

course be to avoid stress wherever possible, the fact is that it’s too late for many

of us to do that. Therefore the situation demands, firstly, a better understanding

of stress and its most common causes and effects; secondly, how to manage or

eliminate it; and thirdly, how to minimise it in the future.

Words: GAVIN BARFIELDImage: © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Understanding

with stressand Coping


R E L A X

one of the most important potential consequences of

unrelieved stress is an eventual decline into

depression, a condition which itself takes

several forms.

What, exactly, then, is this thing called stress? Stress is a deeply individual reaction to external events, something

collective professional wisdom defines as “a physical, mental or emotional response to events that cause bodily or mental tension.” Simply put, stress is our reaction to any external event or force that has an effect on our body, mind or both. Called stressors, these routinely include such things as the death of a spouse or family member; illness or health-related worries; being the victim of crime; self abuse (such things as alcohol abuse, drug-taking or self-harming); a family upheaval (divorce, a new baby, marriage); partner-related problems (sexual problems or conflict with a partner, or loneliness because you don’t have one), and a host of other things related to either our work or private lives. These are in no particular order, although some studies have tried without conspicuous success to rank them.

Stress is almost always caused by something that affects or threatens what a person considers to be their needs. A perceived threat (which can be real or imaginary) will cause a person to feel stressed. The situation is made worse because the victim feels that they have no control over the issue; that there is nothing they can effectively do to reduce the stress. The threat leads to fear, which in turn generates vivid pictures in the sufferer’s mind of possible negative outcomes, which leads to more stress, and a situation where stress and fear feed off each other. The same happens

with uncertainty. According to experts, humans have an inbuilt tendency to try and predict, and when we are uncertain of a situation, we lose some of the mental tools we usually use to predict, which again leads to a sense of being out of control.

One of the most important potential consequences of unrelieved stress is an eventual decline into depression, a condition which itself takes several forms. Normal or reactive, depression is usually relatively short-term and is typically actuated by the aforementioned events or stressors. These life-changing events, especially if they occur in multiples, can cause mood swings, which in turn can lead to what clinicians call a “mood disorder.” These are generally categorised as unipolar or bipolar disorders. Essentially, unipolar is characterised by “typical” symptoms of depression: most commonly great sadness or the loss of interest or pleasure of any kind. Bipolar, on the other hand, involves a cycle of varying length in which the victim is subject to alternating moods of great euphoria and elation and, on the other side of the coin, spells of the blackest depression.

Unrelieved stress can have one or multiple physical effects, or in some cases none at all. While some people are “natural copers,” in others stress can cause heart attacks, all sorts of gastric and digestive problems, raised blood pressure and any number of other unpleasant and possibly dangerous conditions.

While many websites provide lists of stressors and symptoms, it is important to avoid the temptation to self-diagnose. Most people are not trained to interpret the symptoms and factors listed there.

Many professionals suggest that sufferers keep a “stress journal” in which they can list stressors, their reaction to them and how they coped. Particularly for busy people, better time management has often been the key to unravelling stress.

Adopting healthy sleeping and eating habits is important too. Experts advise a reduction in alcohol intake, the avoidance of smoking and improved sleeping patterns. It is during sleep that the body and the mind rest and restore themselves, so find out what can be done to improve the quality of your sleep. Exercise, time and time again, has been proven by researchers to reduce stress, and the physical benefits it has are legion.

While prevention is always better than cure, stress is nevertheless a common factor in our modern lives. But there are effective and accessible interventions designed to reduce and even eliminate it, and advice or therapy, as well as support from friends and family, can help a person recognise it, deal with it, and effectively stop it from happening again.

76 p r e S t i G e

S H O O K U P

goingGRACeLAnD


S H O O K U P

Elvis would have been 75 this year, and I had to take the opportunity while

in the southern United States to swing by and witness firsthand the life of the

icon. Despite my scepticism about the way in which Americans have left the

darker side of his life completely out of his legacy, I drove off an Elvis convert.

The man was huge!

Words: CHARL DU PLESSISImages: © CHARL DU PLESSIS; AP/PICTURENET

An Elvis Pilgrimage

78 p r e S t i G e

Route 78 is remarkable for only two reasons. After 15 years of construction, this link between Memphis, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama, is

still incomplete. And, the road takes you through Tupelo, Mississippi, past the humble little worker’s shack where Elvis was born. Corn and cotton fields are now all soya beans and day labour is as scarce as when Elvis’s father had to pack his family into his Plymouth and head to Memphis in search of greener pastures. Elvis’s childhood home has now become a monument of sorts, and locals define

themselves according to the length of time they were employed at some stage or the other at this museum. The friendly guy at the fried chicken spot, where I stopped to refuel the car and caught up on the World Cup Soccer game he was watching, worked the gift shop as a teenager.

Onwards I drove to Graceland, still situated in a shabby side of Memphis. The town grew because of its location on ole Miss, America’s greatest river, yet is better known today as Elvis’s hometown. Thousands of people make their pilgrimage to the King of Rock every month; they also drop in at Beale Street, where BB King and other jazz and blues legends made their mark.

Graceland is an enterprise, make no mistake. There are several package tours from which to choose, and you simply fall in line, hook up the audio gadget that will tell you all the trivia you need to know, and off you go

along with the masses. No dawdling – security guards move you on ever so kindly and remind you that video and audio recording are not permitted. Neither is using your camera’s flash. Whether you go through the main homestead, the Elvis car museum, his aeroplane collection or the rip-off food joint, you will pass through a gift shop that sells a range of paraphernalia you could not imagine. My favourites were the pink Cadillac Zippo lighter and the grey, mechanic-style short sleeve shirt that we have seen in those famous Elvis photos. By my rough estimate, the Presley estate raked in at least half a million Dollars

on the day I visited. Yes, you cannot afford to have people idle too long at one place as more must come through. If it was the song you wanted to hear, buy it at the gift shop and listen to it on your way back home.

I opted for the Graceland estate tour. Elvis moved into this Plantation-style mansion at the age of 22, bringing his mom and dad with him. As his success grew, so the interior morphed into a monstrosity that could only have been designed in the garish 1970s. Mirrors, crystal, faux ceilings, shaggy green carpets, jungle-room interiors, and a techno TV room replete with bright yellow and blue Formica furnishings shout nouveau-riche at every corner. We did not get to see upstairs, “out of respect for Elvis’s privacy.”

The exterior of the estate revealed a man set on having his fun and giving his family all. There is a paddock out back where Priscilla and

Lisa Marie could ride to their hearts’ delight. An office, shooting range (in the farm’s old smoke house), recording areas, racquetball court, playroom, you name it. If the toy was available at the time, Elvis had it. Go-karts, motorbikes, fast cars, water craft, beach buggies – the list is endless.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the tour was walking through hallway upon hallway bedecked with Elvis’s music awards. I am far too young ever to have been an Elvis fan, but one cannot help but realise what an enormous star he was – both as musician and as actor. I had to buy Jailhouse Rock and GI Joe, two of his

most popular movies, and it is plain and simple entertainment. Good guy, misunderstood, meets nice girl, gets over his anger with the world, lives happily ever after type of stuff. And the real shocker was realising that, despite his global following, Elvis never toured outside the United States.

At the end of the estate tour is the small cemetery where Elvis lies with his mother, father, grandmother and twin brother, who died at birth. Daily, flowers and teddy bears still pour in from across the globe. In death, Elvis found some dignity, and the place does have a certain gravitas as it shows us as visitors how even the world’s greatest media invention had to stop some day. If you are ever in that neck of the woods, it is worthwhile visiting, whether you are an Elvis fan or not. You will leave as one, as some things are larger than life. Elvis was that and still is today.


RADDISSON JHB & PORT ELIZABETHSpas, gyms and a unique “Yes I Can” concept that includes

100 percent Guest Satisfaction, both hotels have conference facilities and free Internet and offer luxurious rooms,

fine dining experiences as well as opportunities to “paint the town Blu.”

www.radissonblu.com/hotel-portelizabeth and www.radissonblu.com/hotel-johannesburg

Reservations: +27 41 509 5000 (PE) and +27 11 245 8000 (JHB)

BANYAN TREE SEYCHELLESNestled in Intendance Bay with spectacular views of the

Indian Ocean and one of the world's most beautiful beaches. Picture the sun on your skin, the sand at your feet, and plenty time on your hands while experiencing Banyan

Tree's signature blend of romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality.www.banyantree.com

Reservations: +27 11 463 8195 or +248 383 500

TWELVE APOSTLES CAPE TOWNStand at the edge of the world where you can enjoy

nature or explore Cape Town’s cosmopolitan V&A Waterfront with car transfer or helipad services. Voted Africa’s leading

spa resort, the Twelve Apostles welcomes children and pets and promises an idyllic getaway

for the whole family.www.12apostleshotel.com

Reservations: +27 21 437 9000

OYSTER BOX DURBANHovering on the ocean’s edge, the Oyster Box Hotel

is conveniently close to Afro-chic Durban, yet exudes an air of charm and elegance. This iconic hotel’s dramatic revamp

now offers guests a vibrant, contemporary old-world experience, while evoking the warm

nostalgia of days gone by.www.oysterboxhotel.com

Reservations: +27 31 514 5000

THE SAXON BOUTIQUE HOTEL & SPA SANDHURST Voted the World’s Leading Boutique Hotel six years in a row, The Saxon is the ultimate city base when in Johannesburg.

Close to the financial and business hub of South Africa, the lush tranquillity offers a calm retreat from a busy day’s work.

Enjoy discreet and highly personalised service in a tasteful African elegance.

www.thesaxon.co.zaReservations: +27 11 292 6000

PREmIERTRAVEL

FORDOUN SPA MIDLANDS This family-run hideaway in the Natal Midlands, with its pristine country air and rolling hills, offers luxurious accommodation and

some of the most advanced, award-winning spa facilities. Highly personalised service includes the very best in traditional

African treatments. Fordoun is the perfect place to escape and refresh mind, body and spirit.

www.fordoun.comReservations: +27 33 266 6217

80 p r e S t i G e

G I V E

One of the stars at the Cannes Film Festival this year was the Signora del

Vento, a magnificent 85-metre sailing vessel. Adorned with over 3,000 square

metres of imposing black sails and bearing the distinctive Lancia logo, this

historic yacht played host to celebrities and royalty to raise funds for the

Mandela Day/46664 Foundation.

Words: TANYA GOODMANImage: © IMAGE.NET

Lancia, YACHTS

NelsonMandela

U N i T i N g T H R E E W O R L d S

&


G I V E

Each generation has its icons, and it sure takes something special to endure the march of time and to sustain an appeal across the span of more

than one generation. Nelson Mandela needs no introduction. He has touched the souls and consciences of millions of people across several generations through his selfless and dedicated commitment not only to the liberation of his own people, but

also to the development of human rights across the globe. I would wager, though, that during his 27-year imprisonment on Robben Island, one of the things furthest from his mind would have been Italian sports cars.

Lancia, officially launched in 1906, was once the darling of the Italian racing and rallying circuit. Movie stars would join the Mille Miglia event for the chance to speed through the countryside in one of yesteryear’s beauties. Collectors still rave about trying to lay their hands on a Beta Coupe, a Gamma or a Fulvia. Gradually, rival manufacturers such as Alfa have been siphoning off much of this passion, yet Lancia has stayed the course. Now in the Fiat stable, it has several production models on the road, and continues to awe the real aficionados with its innovations. However, absent a racing team, and with Italian money pouring into Ferrari and its ferocious drivers, it is a slow re-emergence for one of the world’s best pedigreed auto brands. All the more fitting then that Lancia is the sponsor of a series of events aimed at raising funds for the Mandela Day/46664 Foundation, considering that he, too, languished out of public view for so long.

The event aboard the Signora del Vento in Cannes this year formed part of an ongoing campaign by Lancia to tie its brand to worthy charities tackling issues such as civil rights restrictions and disease. Over recent years, Lancia's social engagements have taken on campaigns such as that in favour of the release of the Burmese Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and in support of the controversial campaigner for women’s rights, Betty Williams.

The Mandela Day/46664 concert on the 18th of July each year, to which Cannes was a prelude, is one of the best known events and a day when the birthday of the South African leader imprisoned for decades in a cell with number 46664 is celebrated. From

2010 on, this anniversary will be officially recognised all around the world, thanks to a UN resolution. This year, Mandela Day/46664 was held in Madrid.

The partnership between Lancia and Nelson Mandela is not new. In fact, back in 2008, concerts of the Mandela Foundation were streamed live from the Lancia Second Life Island (a virtual Lancia Village and its community), and in 2009, Lancia was again active in its support. Last November, on the occasion of the Nobel Peace Prize World Summit (also supported by Lancia), the car manufacturer announced its involvement in this year’s Mandela Day project as the event's main sponsor.

The appearance at Cannes is just one of three in a series of Lancia events called “The Black Moon Benefit Gala,” produced to raise funds for the 46664 campaign. Following Cannes and Madrid, the third event will be another dramatic Lancia appearance at the Venice Film Festival from 1 to 10 September, at the Lancia Café. A special Lancia Delta Hard Black automobile will be signed by all the special guests attending each of these events and the highest donation raised will receive the signed automobile. This Lancia Delta Hard Black is the first ever production model to feature the exclusive gloss black roof and matte black body colour scheme. Distinguished by the symbol of the Lion of Venice, the Italian flag and the Film Festival logo on their sides, these prestigious flagships represent the height of Italian elegance. There is little doubt that the money will roll in and that Lancia will be able to contribute a significant sum of money to Mandela’s charity. Not often that nostalgia, philanthropy, money and style come together in such a perfect manner.

Visit www.lanciapress.com for more info on Lancia’s charitable engagements. For lovers of Italian automobiles, visit www.lancia.com.

82 p r e S t i G e

A Tale of Chastity

Lady

and Charity

Godiva

w w w. p r e s t i g e m a g . c o . z a 83w w w. p r e s t i g e m a g . c o . z a 83

B E N E V O L E N C E

Naked as the day she was born, the fair Lady Godiva scaled a steed, wrapped

her long flowing hair around her and rode off across the cobblestones of

Coventry to the sound of thundering hooves. This indelible image of the fine

tension between sensuality and chastity has captured the imagination for

centuries and become a strong symbol for a qualified kind of decadence that

some modern-day luxury items try to advocate.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSISImage: © AP/PICTURENET

imagine hearing a thousand years from now that Paris Hilton

rode naked on a Harley-Davidson through the

streets of Los Angeles in order to help the poor

and homeless.

The legend of Lady Godiva dates back almost a thousand years to the small village of Coventry, shortly before the Norman invasion and the fatal

1066 Battle of Hastings. Married to the Earl Leofric, reputedly a mean man and a master politician who managed to court the favour of successive invading overlords, Godiva turned to her husband with a plea to spare the village from his burdensome taxes. Mothers were weeping that their children were dying, yet his heart remained cold (“rough as Esau’s hand,” according to the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson) and he mock-dared his strong-headed wife that he would repeal the taxes only if she were to ride naked through town. The benevolent lady did not back down, instead preparing herself as best she could for the shame. She ordered the villagers be respectful of her chastity and every window remained shuttered during her ride. No one dared to look at her; that is, but for one “Peeping Tom.”

Tennyson gave this story wings when he penned a verse in 1842 that retold this version of the legend. In Tennyson’s poem, titled Godiva, the Peeping Tom peeked through his shutters when he heard the horse’s hooves, and his eyes shrivelled in his head as he became blind. This association with the sound of an approaching horse was rumoured to have given rise to a poll on horses that remained intact after Lady Godiva’s daring ride. Meanwhile, the tax on the villagers levied by Earl Leofric was repealed.

The legend of Lady Godiva is a complex tale woven around wonderful themes, all of which allow for major embellishment. Imagine if we had to embellish on modern anecdote to such an extent that a thousand years from now people might come to believe that Paris Hilton rode naked on a Harley-Davidson through the streets of Los Angeles in order to help the poor and homeless. Certainly, Lady Godiva might have been pleasing to the eye, but in the retelling of the legend, she became sensual, beautiful and the epitome of feminine subservience. Leofric took on progressively malicious and powerful proportions, while his wife came to be seen over the aeons as younger, more vulnerable and powerless. The victims of his cruelty found in her a champion who could sway even the most despicable man with her sensuality.

Historians, less prone to the dramatic and the invented, however, tell a rather different story than that of Tennyson’s disempowered English Rose or of the sensual naturalist promoted by modern-day chocolatiers, parfumeurs, cinematographers and pole-dancing parlour owners.

The real story of Lady Godiva, or Godgifu (God’s Gift) as it was spelled at the time, plays out towards the end of almost 600 years of Viking and Anglo-Saxon rule, and with Leofric, Earl of Mercer and Lord of Coventry, having been able to strike pacts with several Viking rulers. Together with Lady Godiva, herself a woman of considerable means, they revived a Benedictine monastery laid to waste by the invading Danes. With the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury, they acquired lordship over 24 villages in order to maintain this abbey. Archival accounts regale how the Earl and Lady donated lavishly to the region and there is little evidence of either his meanness or of her lesser role in this partnership, as the sensualised tales and Tennyson’s poem in an age of prudishness would suggest. Leofric passed away 10 years before Lady Godiva in 1057, and she outlived him to witness the passing of their land to Norman control. Some accounts suggest that she lived much longer and that her progeny were part of the Norman royal house. On her death, she donated their enormous wealth to the church.

But now, why would we want the historians to spoil a tale with the truth when it contains all the elements we would love to believe? Rather, opt to retain some of that romance and make a point of dropping by at Coventry’s annual festival that still celebrates Lady Godiva, stock up on some truly decadent chocolate, and keep your eyes open – you might bump into Paris Hilton!

G R O W T H

Jane Austen once said, “Single

women have a dreadful propensity to

being poor.” Well, not anymore. The

recent Barclays Wealth Insights survey

released by Absa Wealth revealed

that economic times have not only

influenced the investment decisions

of the world’s wealthy but that there

is a growing number of wealthy

women across both developed and

emerging economies.

Words: DIANE NAIDOO-NGCESE; ABSA WEALTHImage: © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Wealth

WomenBuilding


G R O W T H

Philip Bradford, Absa Wealth Chief Investment Officer, says, “Women are no longer content to be rich in spirit, family or friends. Over the years,

women have come to not only appreciate but now pursue the wealth of financial well-being. There really is no difference between men and women when it comes to money and investing. The how-to of investing and spotting good investment opportunities is the same. Our report also revealed that post-financial crisis, wealthy investors, including women who may previously have spent less time actively managing their finances, are now asking questions; learning more about the markets they have invested in. They also expect their wealth managers to keep them informed more regularly.”

According to Bradford, it is important for wealth managers to understand how the attitudes of wealthy women towards investment and decision-making are different to those of their male counterparts. Most women are less likely to consider themselves knowledgeable about finance and investment, and rely on others for financial advice. In issues of finance, as in life, women are more likely to “ask for directions,” which is usually an advantage.

Few people have created all their wealth from stock markets. However, the increasing role of women in business has resulted in an increase of women in the ranks of the ultra-wealthy. The growing number of younger wealthy women also demonstrated in the Barclays survey, will add to the pressure for change in terms of perceptions of desirable investment options.

South African women’s attitudes to wealth have shifted, and there is an increasing role possible for socially-

inspired wealth transfer. In this country, giving is not a domain that exclusively belongs to the wealthy, though the wealthy are able to give more. And they want to. According to the Barclays survey, South Africa’s wealthy are still actively involved in the local economy and intend remaining active “for as long as they can.” Comments Bradford, “In South Africa, we already know that our wealthy individuals are concerned about legacy, about providing for their children, and sometimes legacy refers to their ability to give back and to invest in CSI initiatives.”

In the 2005 State of Social Giving report, South Africa was noted as “a nation of givers,” with an overwhelming 93 percent of the population actively supporting charities and other social causes. An astonishing R920 million was contributed to poverty alleviation and development every month by South Africans. Continues Bradford, “We are a hard-working and giving nation, and we have made great strides in ensuring that gender equality is a top priority. In boardrooms across the country, you will find more women in executive positions, more business-savvy than you may have seen in the past. These same wealthy women not only want to be able to play an active role in socio-economic transformation, but they want to make sure that their children and grandchildren will have the opportunity to do the same.”

While other markets believe that wealth defines their status and gains respect among peers, South Africa’s wealthy view prosperity as a real opportunity to provide for their families and for the children’s

education. “Our wealthy have a multi-generational vision,” says Bradford. “If we look at some of South Africa’s well-off, from the Ackermans to the Oppenheimers, they have laid a foundation of wealth and giving. These patriarchs have shown their intent to not only transfer their wealth to the next generation, but also to get them involved in what they consider wise investments: planet and people, then profit.”

Women no longer believe that investing is something only smart people do. They understand that whether it be real estate, paper assets or businesses, it is not rocket science. It takes time and education and requires a lot of patience. And while some would argue that women tend to be more emotional and impulsive in other areas, wealthy women are learning that investment is not for those seeking instant gratification. “We encourage our clients to adopt an investment strategy – be it on a 12-month, 24-month or 5-year horizon – and to stick with it,” says Bradford. He further advises, “Regardless of market performance, stay the course to reap the rewards of perseverance. Investment is not a luxury. It is an essential part of sound financial planning. Financial independence and well-being, particularly for women, is about much more than money. It’s about self-esteem, dignity, better relationships and more meaning in life. Ultimately, it is about having the freedom to live the life you really want to live, and being able to share your wealth in a way that leaves you with a sense that you have made a difference.”

Editor’s note: The Barclays Wealth Insights survey is a bi-annual survey that Barclays Wealth conducts, drawing respondents and insights from their global client base, including South Africa.

investment is not a luxury. it is an essential part of sound financial

planning.

86 p r e S t i G e

FairlawnsBoutique Hotel & Spa

Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa is a five-star hotel located in Morningside, and which features all the attributes desired in a boutique establishment:

superb accommodation, a Bali-styled spa, a gourmet restaurant, signature

conferencing and special events facilities.

Fairlawns now offers 40 suites, of which 20 are newly completed in the Fairlawns Grande Chateau, offering the trade-mark Fairlawns warmth and individually decorated splendour. Fairlawns boasts 26 fireplaces, in the rooms, the bar, the restaurant, and the lounge areas of the Villa Suites.

The recently refurbished Terrace Restaurant, able to seat 50 guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner, now has a cosy open fireplace, ideal for winter dining, including delectable Saturday High Tea and Sunday brunch. The Terrace Restaurant still provides diners with tranquil vistas of the

timeless gardens, offering options of glass panelling to create an all-weather dining haven, while the white leather furnishings and elegant chandeliers make for a major dining attraction for residents as well as non-residents at the hotel. La Scala is ideal for private dining events for up to 40 diners.

Additional facilities include an outdoor pool, laundry and valet

service, room safes and mini bars, satellite TV, iPod docking, cordless telephone, fireplaces in each suite, gym use to in-house guests, transfers to and from airports and Gautrain Sandton Station by arrangement, free transfers within the Sandton CBD. The Hotel can

accommodate between 10 and 80 guests for conferences, while banquets, weddings and special events are professionally catered for, with great attention to detail.

Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa was one of only two South African finalists in the 2009 World Hotel Awards in the Luxury Boutique Hotel category. It was nominated again for 2010.

Winter Warmers – R2,950 per couple sharing, valid until end September 2010

Cozy up in style this winter at Fairlawns, where the emphasis is on romance in the gourmet boutique restaurant, The Terrace. Sherry served on arrival, followed by a delectable four-course dinner. After dinner, enter your luxurious Courtyard Suite, gently lit by the warm glow of an open fireplace. Enjoy a glass of red wine or sherry, then sample a taste of winter in Europe with a chocolate fondue in the privacy of your elegant suite. Wake up at leisure, with the option of breakfast in your room or in the Terrace Restaurant. Maybe indulge in a spa treatment for two in the exotic Bali-styled Fairlawns Spa. Your spa experience includes a welcome drink of hot Chai Tea followed by an aromatic steam session. A head, neck and shoulder hot stone massage is next, finished off by a deluxe warm paraffin wax pedicure. Bookings essential to avoid disappointment.

Winter High Tea served from 14h00 –

R 110.00 per personHot chocolate fondue, fruit coulis, shortbread fingers, fruit skewers, confectioneries served with a selection of teas, freshly ground coffee served in plungers, hot cocoa served with cream and marshmallows – maximum four guests per fondue serving. Bookings essential to avoid disappointment.

88 p r e S t i G e

makingwaves

Don Julio Reposado doesn’t need worms or lightning fast down-downs because it’s a real tequila; as aged and as flavoursome as any of the better-known world spirits. When you taste Don Julio you’ll see its reputation as Mexico’s leading luxury brand is well justified. The blue agave plant used to make Don Julio Reposado is grown in the Los Altos region of Jalisco Mexico, and can take up to a decade to reach maturity. Each plant is carefully cut, slow-cooked and delicately pressed to avoid any bitterness in the final spirit. It is aged for eight months in small, ex-bourbon barrels. Inhaling the aroma of Don Julio Reposado gives a light, sweet scent wreathed in lemon, pear and apple tones. Exceptionally smooth and completely full-bodied with elements of vanilla, chocolate, coffee and citrus, Don Julio Reposado carries the warm glow of quality tequila without the mouth burn and face-making associated with low-quality tequilas. It is available from leading liquor outlets.

Don JulioReposado

On and off the course, golf cars have become the new standard for convenient and green transportation. With a market share estimated at over 70 percent by 2012, there is little doubt that smaller electrical vehicles, also known as NEVs (neighbourhood electric vehicles) or LSVs (low speed vehicles), are here to stay. The Garia Luxury Golf Car, manufactured at the same factory that builds the Porsche Boxster and Cayman, is also available as an LSV. Built to the highest standards of the automotive industry, The Garia features a Formula One-inspired front suspension, a drive train built by an Italian company that also produces Ducati gearboxes, and aluminum profiles made by the same company that supplies aluminum profiles to Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo. The Garia LSV is fitted with street legal safety equipment such as seatbelts and side

mirrors, and has a hydraulic brake system. The Garia will

be available from August 2010, though it might take

a wee bit longer to reach South Africa. Visit

www.garia.com.

World’s Best Golf Car goes Street Legal

Richard Mille has unveiled its new boutique at the prestigious venue of the Grand Hotel Kempinski, against the striking backdrop of Lake Geneva. This 51 square-metre space will showcase a complete range of Richard Mille timepieces, including tourbillions, limited editions, set watches and latest releases, such as the RM 021, the RM 028 Diver’s Watch and the exquisite RM 020 Tourbillon Pocket Watch. This latest addition to the line of Richard Mille Boutiques includes a watchmaker workspace and a dedicated VIP lounge area. All the furniture is part of a new in-house design concept, specifically developed for the boutique, which is staffed by an experienced team of watch professionals as well as a highly trained resident watchmaker. Contact the boutique on +41 (0) 22 732 20 22.

Richard Mille Boutique Opens in Geneva

90 p r e S t i G e

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