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Luxury News
Edited by Hetty Chidwick
T
he final weekend
of Christmas shopping is just days
away, but it’s not
too late to snap up a lastminute present for someone who appreciates the
finer things in life—specifically, a beautiful timepiece.
From December 19, London’s New
Bond Street will be home to IWC
Schaffhausen’s first standalone British
store (right). Keep an eye out for the
Portofino Midsize collection (above),
its newest launch, from £4,150 (020–
3618 3900; www.iwc.com)
Clutch control
The party season is in full swing
and you can never have enough
pretty accessories to refresh an
outfit. The handmade Caro clutch
(right), £295 from British luxury
brand Thomas Lyte, is such
a showstopper that no one will
notice you’re wearing that little
black dress for the
third time this month
(020–7751 8844;
www.thomaslyte.
com)
On a recent trip to pearl heaven
(Mikimoto on New Bond Street),
one necklace stopped me in my
tracks. The Opal Couture features
tumbling water opals, South Sea
Baroque pearls and pavé diamonds set in 18-carat white gold.
Price on application (020–
7399 9860; www.
mikimoto.co.uk)
D
reaming of the mountains, but no time for an Alpine
escape? Make for Le Chalet, the new restaurant at the
top of Selfridges, instead. A twinkling, tree-lined walkway leads to a cosy, wood-panelled restaurant, with rugs
on the chairs if you feel a chill. There’s raclette on offer
for traditionalists, but the highlight of the menu is the hot
‘Choctails’, including a blend of hazelnut and almond
liqueur. Anyone for a nightcap? (020–7318 3287;
www.q-grill.co.uk/selfridges)
Everyone’s talking about...
Quirky ice creams
Lushice alcoholic sorbets
make the perfect dinner-party
palate-cleanser. £4.99, Ocado
(www.ocado.com)
Oppo healthy ice
cream. Natural ingredients
and fewer calories per scoop
than an apple. £5.49 at selected branches of Waitrose
(www.waitrose.com)
Purbeck Dorset Blue
Vinny cheese ice cream.
An intriguing addition to the
cheeseboard—good with
fruit (01929 480090; www.
purbeckicecream.co.uk)
Buttoned up
Country shirts fit for the city are elusive
creatures. Enter Jermyn Street’s Harvie
& Hudson and William Evans, who have
collaborated on a collection of cotton
shirts (below) that will appeal to town
and country mice alike. £65 each
(020–7493 0415; www.williamevans.
com)
Putting together a playlist on iTunes
can be a real chore, but not if Cone
does it for you. Aether’s new ‘thinking
speaker’ (above) learns your musical
likes and dislikes over time (you twist
the dial once to skip a song and give
it a bigger spin to change genre), then
plays similar songs. Best of all? The
longer you listen, the cleverer its
recommendations get. £349.99 from
Selfridges (0800 123 400; www.
selfridges.com)
162 Country Life, December 17/24, 2014
Branching out
For a getaway with a difference, book a Treehouse suite (above)
at Chewton Glen, the truly luxurious country-house hotel and spa
in the New Forest. With underfloor heating and flatscreen televisions, it’s a world away from the splintery ones we camped
out in as children. Order a dinner hamper and some films, then
relax in the outdoor hot-tub—everything will appear magically
through a hatch in the door. You can even enjoy a spa treatment in situ, so really, there’s no reason to leave. Suites from
£750 per night (01425 282212; www.chewtonglen.com)
www.countrylife.co.uk