The New Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé

Contributing fashion director Joseph DeAcetis produced the annual fall fashion section in this month’s issue. “We wanted to reflect the changing attitudes of American men today,” says DeAcetis, who also oversees the men’s style content for Playboy magazine. “Men, more than American women, strive for comfort. Yet they are also more actively experimenting with colors, […]

De Beers, the mastermind behind diamond marketing for the past century, intends to change the way we value this coveted stone. The company’s latest creation, inspired by ancient Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti, is an elaborate diamond collar comprising 1,999 stones woven together in a remarkably supple design without visible metal. “This necklace represents the artistic possibilities […]

Italian boatbuilder Riva selected this month’s Cannes International Boat Show as the setting for the launch of the Riva 92′ Duchessa (www?.riva-yacht?.com). The Duchessa model sports a distinctive fiberglass-topped flybridge and striking exterior lines—elements implemented by the team at Officina Italiana Design, which longtime Riva designer Mauro Micheli and his business partner, Sergio Beretta, founded […]

A 2005 fire destroyed the circa-1882 Lake Placid Lodge (www.lakeplacidlodge.com), but the Adirondack Mountains landmark has been rebuilt, and the resort is reopening its main lodge this month. The new structure retains the original’s rustic charm, with fieldstone fireplaces, exposed beams, and log-and-twig furniture throughout. Suites, however, are now much larger than they were, and […]

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Robert Drouhin—then head of Joseph Drouhin, one of Burgundy’s most prestigious domaines—became interested in expanding the family’s production to Chablis, the Vaudésir appellation suffered from neglect that had begun with the French phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. Today, after investment and renovation, the Drouhin parcel […]

Cigar conglomerate Altadis has augmented some of its top brands with Cabinet Selección blends, which are made with specially selected and aged tobaccos. The Por Larrañaga Cabinet Selección is the best of this elite breed, offering a wonderfully smooth, subtly spicy taste, a fresh, foresty nose, and a flavor that never bites. The leaves are […]

With its radical custom appearance and retro styling, Harley-Davidson’s new Softail Cross Bones might be the perfect motorcycle for indulging the conflicted psyches of maturing baby boomers. Harley-Davidson, however, clearly considers the Cross Bones to be a vehicle for reaching generations X and Y. The bike’s online promotional videos cast forth age-appropriate cultural references, from […]

One might be forgiven for reflexively recoiling from any brand of Hawaiian cigar. After all, the souvenir sticks found in the islands’ gift shops are made—somewhere other than Hawaii—from scrap tobacco of various origins that has been fouled with artificial coffee or macadamia-nut flavoring. But those cigars, save for being sold in Hawaii, have nothing […]

“In the case of an emergency I guess you could run across the road and holler for the neighbors,” joked Leoni, property host at Chalet Soleil in the Alpine ski town of Chamonix, France. Internet and telephone services, she explained, were not up and running at the brand-new four-bedroom home. Also missing were U.S. and […]

Steve Uhrik spends most Friday mornings at church. He and his business associate, Lawrence Trupiano, make the short trip from their shop in Brooklyn to Manhattan’s St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue—where they go to work, not worship. Uhrik and Trupiano perform a couple of hours’ worth of adjustments on the church’s organs, the largest of […]

Headphones offer certain advantages over conventional speakers. They provide a private environment where the listener can play music at any desired volume, without disturbing others. They are unaffected by room acoustics and do not require powerful amplification. But they are not without drawbacks. For instance, enthusiasts consider the earbuds that Apple provides with its iPod […]

Casa del Bianco does its best work in the bedroom. So when the Italian linens company opened a by-appointment-only studio in New York in April 2007, Fabrizio and Lupe Biasiolo—the two of the company’s four owners who run its U.S. division—decided that the best way to present their bespoke services was in an oversize apartment […]

Pedestrian Perfection. In his quest to redefine men’s footwear, Italian accessories designer Cesare Paciotti created perhaps this season’s most intriguing hybrid—a cap-toe dress shoe with a high-top sneaker’s heel and sole. Numerous other designers have followed in his footsteps, embracing the concept of mixing the elegant aesthetics of a dress shoe with the comfort of […]

Like most video games, the Nissan GT-R has a built-in cheat code. Flip three switches on the dashboard until they all light up—activating “R,” or race, mode—then depress the brake and step on the accelerator. This sequence activates the GT-R’s computerized launch control, which sets its twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V-6 engine at 4,500 rpm. When you […]

In 1911, Clyde Cessna charged people 50 cents apiece to watch him perform aerial stunts over Kansas in his state-of-the-art Silver Wings monoplane. That is considerably more expensive than today’s Cessna demonstration flights, which are free to potential customers. The catch is, anyone who wants to check out the firm’s latest in-production model, the Citation […]

Innovative though the Citation Mustang is, its development is grounded in a long-standing business formula from a solid company, one that has had only four chairmen since 1927. When the manufacturer introduced its Citation line in the early 1970s, Dwane Wallace, Clyde Cessna’s nephew, had been at the helm since 1936. Cessna chief engineer Bruce […]

Digital technology has transformed the home recording studio as completely as it has refashioned photography and communications. Only 15 years ago, most in-home studios relied on mixing boards as bulky as billiard tables and multitrack tape machines the size of Smart cars. Now, a single computer can perform all of these machines’ functions and many […]

The Item. This cocktail shaker dates from the early 1930s and is one of only two known examples of its kind. It was crafted to match the Bottoms Up–style cups that were first made in the late 1920s. Both the shaker and the cups are clay. The cup design, which was popular among speakeasy patrons, […]

The term “record producer” immediately brings to mind an image of a musical luminary like Quincy Jones hovering over a giant mixing board as Frank Sinatra stands alone at a microphone in an adjacent recording space. Today, for a fee, record producers provide the same kind of personal musical direction for amateur musicians as well. […]

Phantom II Continental Streamline Saloon by Park Ward Though known for its conservatively styled automobiles, British coachbuilder Park Ward thought outside the boxy mold when creating the Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Streamline Saloon. The aerodynamic, one-off design was a star of London’s 1933 Olympia Motor Show, but the car gradually fell into obscurity, eventually spending […]

Steven Taffel wants you to stop suppressing your footwear fetish. “Men enjoy great shoes as much as women do; they just don’t talk about it,” says Taffel, who recently opened Leffot (www.leffot.com), a men’s footwear boutique in Manhattan’s West Village. The shop carries seven European brands of handmade shoes (priced from $610 to $1,315), including […]

The Porsche 911’s soap-bar-shaped body seemingly has not changed since 1963, when the first models rolled out of Stuttgart. Although they, too, look like their predecessors, the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S (www.porsche.com) coupes and cabriolets embody changes both subtle and substantial. The headlights and taillights now are LEDs, the front air intakes […]

The Ducati Corse (www.aquilabrands.com) is a limited-edition pen made by an Italian brand, named for an Italian motorcycle marque, and inspired by the feats of a young Australian. That Aussie is 22-year-old Casey Stoner, the current MotoGP champion, who won the title while riding an 800cc Ducati Desmosedici racing prototype. “The pen draws inspiration from […]

Though it will not begin deliveries until 2010, Hawker Beechcraft already has received more than 70 orders for the next model in its line of light business jets, the Premier II (www.hawkerbeechcraft.com). The fuselage of the $7.4 million aircraft, which is made of a lightweight composite, will make it one of the most durable and […]

Jewelry designer Nina Runsdorf (212.382.1243) scours the diamond market for nontraditional stones—thin slices or rough rocks—that give her pieces a modern look. “Organic-looking diamonds lend themselves to a more casual jewelry style,” says Runsdorf, who was formerly an accessories designer for several fashion houses, including Ralph Lauren. Her fashion background is apparent in novel design […]

As a publicity stunt, early-20th-century watchmaker Paul Wyler once demonstrated the durability of his timepieces by tossing one of them off the Eiffel Tower. In the rose-gold Wyler Genève Tourbillon Big Date (www.wylergeneve.com), the newly relaunched Wyler Genève firm has tripled the number of shock-resistant systems that its namesake’s old watches contained. (Nevertheless, the company […]

Breaking the seal on a bottle of rare, extra-aged, single-malt whisky often summons the ghost of years past. Indeed, much of our pleasure in owning such a spirit derives from the recollections it awakens of the happenings in the world and our own lives in the year that it was made. In 1965, when the […]

While browsing through an antiques shop five years ago with well-known complication specialist Christophe Claret, watch-industry veteran Steven Holtzman pointed out an old desk clock with rolling-bar indicators. Holtzman, the onetime distributor for the Roger Dubuis watch brand in North America, had long envisioned a mechanical wristwatch that incorporated such rolling displays at the top […]

Pininfarina is sometimes too good at making cars appear sporty. Take, for example, the rakish GranTurismo, which the Italian design firm shaped for Maserati. The car’s silhouette promises a level of performance that its power train simply does not deliver. However, with the GranTurismo S—an angrier, edgier, and more powerful model being introduced at year’s […]

When the going gets tough, the tough invest in the future. Amid layoffs, restructurings, and rising jet-fuel costs, Flight Options, the Cleveland-based fractional aviation company, announced late last year that it would spend $1 billion for 150 Embraer Phenom 300 light jets. According to CEO S. Michael Scheeringa, the company is also moving beyond its […]

It was only a matter of weeks before Dale Maloney discovered that his Midnight Express 37 Open Fish lived up to its hard-charging pedigree. Maloney, by his own admission a sportfishing fanatic, had taken delivery of his 900 hp, outboard-powered Shutter Up last April. Several weeks later, Maloney and five teammates faced tangled seas in […]

One would expect Sean Cahalane to look back fondly on the course where he spent much of his childhood. But the longtime member of the Ocean Edge Resort & Club in Brewster, Mass., has few positive recollections of the property’s former layout. “I can’t really remember the old hole,” says the twentysomething assistant golf pro […]

Having arrived after-hours at Marataba, a Hunter Hotels game reserve that borders South Africa’s Marakele National Park, I waited outside the locked, electrified gates for a staff member to meet me. Tired and increasingly impatient after the long trip from the United States, I stood for about 25 minutes, alone, in the dark. I soon […]

In the late 1950s, an expert at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)—the world’s leading nonprofit institute devoted to gemological research and education—graded an unusual green diamond. After conducting a thorough examination of the stone, he carefully placed it in the laboratory’s safe and left for the day. When his colleague arrived at the laboratory […]

Largely overshadowed by his more famous 18th-century contemporary Thomas Chippendale, the English wood-carver Thomas Johnson was a man preoccupied with fantasy. Johnson drew inspiration primarily from Francis Barlow’s illustrations of Aesop’s Fables, fashioning ornate giltwood flora and fauna to represent the tales on mirrors, tables, and girandoles and executing their unrivaled detail with abandon. “Johnson […]

“All Japanese art is a niche,” says Erik Thomsen, a New York gallery owner and dealer in Japanese art, “but Fukami is a very well-known artist, and he is easy to sell.” Well known, indeed: Sueharu Fukami, a native of Kyoto, has his works in more museum collections around the world—including the Metropolitan Museum of […]

Before Daniel Craig, before Pierce Brosnan, even before Sean Connery, there was Ian Fleming—the English novelist who gave life to secret agent James Bond in 1953 with his first book, Casino Royale. To celebrate the centenary of the author’s birth in 1908, international auction house Bonhams, in conjunction with the Fleming Collection, will exhibit the […]

Early 100 years ago, Charles Rolls, the cofounder and bankroller of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, became the first person to complete a nonstop, round-trip flight across the English Channel. Rolls took more than an hour and a half to accomplish the feat, but it is now possible to make a one-way, underwater voyage in about 20 […]

Singular Style. To help their clients dress from head to toe in a comprehensive style, menswear designers are crafting ever-expanding ranges of unique and personalized accessories that complement their suits and sportswear. Many use color, exotic materials, and even elements of whimsy to infuse everything—from neckwear and cuff links to loafers and leather goods—with playful […]

Daring Duffels. Once relegated to the locker room, the duffel bag has emerged in versions that serve as tasteful travel carry-ons or computer bags. In deference to their freshly elevated status, the newest fall bags feature tissue-soft leathers, exotic crocodile, ostrich, and alligator skins, and even fine suitmaking materials, such as lightweight wool flannel and […]

Intricate Elegance. It is often the small, discreet details that define true quality. A closer look reveals the subtle design nuances and delicate workmanship required to create these extraordinary accessories. Photos: Ermenegildo Zegna (888.880.3462, http://www.zegna?.com) Diplomat calfskin briefcase, travel case, and wallets, $310 to $2,350; Versace (212.317.0224, http://www.versace?.com) calfskin belts with signature Greek-key buckles, $450 […]

A rendezvous along the Pacific Coast calls for a multifaceted wardrobe of distinctive sport coats and stylish casual wear. Photo 1. On him: Dunhill suede jacket, $2,450, plaid shirt, $270, wool vest, $190, striped wool pants, $2,195 (for suit), and driving gloves, $200; Salvatore Ferragamo loafers, $520; Hublot Big Bang Ice Bang watch, $14,500. Photo 2. On […]

With all eyes on Washington, D.C., these days, the man of international affairs must cultivate a variety of impeccably tailored looks to fit any situation, whether he is lobbying for change on Capitol Hill, negotiating trade agreements on Embassy Row, or engaging in diplomatic relations of another kind in a suite at the legendary Hay-Adams […]

A glass of red wine that accidentally spilled on his trousers prompted Italian fashion maverick Gianluca Isaia to explore the possibility of creating a waterproof fabric made entirely of natural fibers to protect his luxurious suits. After months of experimentation with an Italian textile mill, he unveiled a waterproof wool fabric called AquaSpider, from which […]

You don’t have to pay dues to join the exclusive SLR.Club and enjoy its many perks, and you don’t have to pass muster with present members. The only requirement is ownership of a rare $500,000 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren—or a new $1.2 million, 671 hp, race-ready version of the car.   Land Rover, the British off-road […]

J. Tylee Wilson, the former chairman of the board of RJR Nabisco, found much to like when he visited Santa Fe for the first time 15 years ago: art galleries, museums, the Spanish and Native American cultures, the climate, and the stark beauty of New Mexico’s high desert. He and his wife, Pat, enjoyed the […]

My golf ball sits deep in the gully, and as I consider my next shot, I hear only water trickling in the creek at my feet and the faint cries of kestrels, which soar in the sky above me as they look for lizards in the hills that ring the valley. Ahead lies the 14th […]

Golf may not be the most obvious reason to visit Tuscany, but these resorts and courses make it worth the effort to pack your clubs when traveling to the region. Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort Located two hours north of Rome by car, in the Maremma region of Tuscany, the 140-room resort and […]