Wood-decaying fungi sound like nasty little creatures that just eat trees all day long, but it turns out they can be quite artsy in the process. Just a quick look at the ‘Fungi Collection’ Furniture ($Inquire) leaves you in a state of awe of how beautiful nature can be, even when it’s dead. Created by Italian experimental design duo Alcarol, the unusual furniture is made of planks and blocks of abandoned logs with fungi texture, and an extraclear polished resin. The pieces display the most fascinating creations of the fungi and the transformative wonder of nature: dramatic wood discolorations and elaborated dark lines that look like calligraphic art. Who could ever have imagined that fungi could actually add oomph to the home!
The legendary Saville Row in London has been known for many things, such as being the site for the last performance of the Beatles, but it is mainly known as the center of British bespoke tailoring – especially for menswear. This time, the first female master tailor is set to open up shop on these premises. After working up the ranks for 15 years at the prestigious Gieves and Hawkes, and then opening her first tailoring house in 2012, Kathryn Sargent can finally stake her own claim on the street by starting with a six-month residency. “It has always been a dream of mine. It feels fantastic. There’s a real sense of achievement,” the 41-year-old stated. She started off studying at Fashion College and then began her apprenticeship in 1996. This isn’t the first gender-related milestone for Sargent though. She was also the first woman on the street to be appointed head cutter back in 2009. “We’re always talking and working together on how we can promote our craft nationally and internationally and also preserve our skills and keep the standards high. The landlords here work with us to do that too,” Sargent said. Her skills made her well-known in the close-knit Saville Row community, which led to her being offered the chance for her own premises.“It’s fitting that the first woman to be appointed as a head cutter on Savile Row is returning to open a shop of her own and is testament to the continued appeal of Savile Row as the sartorial home of high quality, hand-crafted tailoring” said William Skinner, chairman of the Saville Row Bespoke Association.
When the two guys at Krakenhead Customs started working on the ‘Red Rooster’, they had a wreck of a bike which they had found abandoned on a farm, in their native Slovenia. After replacing nearly all parts and applying a lot of elbow grease (i.e.,soda-blasting, rebuilding, painting) the Slovaks have managed to resurrect the old motorcycle, which now boasts a perfect vintage café race look with an aggressive attitude. The donor bike is a 1981 Kawasaki Kz1000 that kept the original powerplant and frame, while everything else has been replaced with modified off-the-shelf parts and custom bits. These include a fully adjustable rear Showa shock, Kayaba forks up front, 17″ BEHR spoked aluminum wheels wearing Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp rubber, Brembo brakes, a hand-crafted 316 stainless steel exhaust, a Kz1000A fuel tank sporting a new headlight with a digital speedo, and custom clip-ons with integrated mini-switches.
A satchel is a bag carried on the shoulder by a long strap and closed by a flap. And this is the very simple, dictionary based, definition of what is a Satchel which is actually one of Spring’s beloved ‘bag’ trends, working its way well into the summer. The versatility that a satchel commands and the practicality of it shape and size make it the perfect pick between a clutch which can hold only so much and a tote in you can haul in oh-so-much. Runways have been abuzz with classic and contemporary variations of the satchel, in sizes small and medium, marking another very important trend when it comes to bags – keeping out the ‘slouch’, and bringing in the super structured. The clean, square lines of a classic satchel has made it a unisex favourite and also lent itself to myriad interpretation by designers who have gone for single and double strap handles, or those with detachable shoulder straps to allow one to wear it across the body or over the shoulder. In line with these subtle innovations is the current favourite variation of the satchel – the boxy satchel. Almost square or rectangular in shape, the compact box satchel usually includes not only a cross-body strap, but also a retro top handle for carrying it in hand, like a vintage valise. Presumed, and preferred, to be in the usual neutral palette of hues – burgundy, navy, black, red and brown – the satchel has now opened up to a wider canvas of colours as different, and tempting, as powder blue, dusty pink, minty green, cherry red and of course, everyone’s fave – marsala.
QUIRKY SATCHELS | A variation in eye-catching print of the satchel is the patent leather ‘Rosalia’ crossbody bag from Dolce & Gabbana
With so much going for the satchel, often referred to as the cross-body bag as well, there have come up quirky and chic brands which specialize in the art of satchel-making, while the long-loved luxury brands have also gone the satchel-way with their imaginative takes on the minimalistic satchels. These petite versions now come in fun prints with bold detailing and curiously done-up flaps. Some of our reigning favourites from the world of satchels include the multicolour leather ‘Rosalia’ crossbody bag from Dolce & Gabbana with a front flap closure, sporting the signature lush Carretto Siciliano print. In contrast to this is the ‘Rockstud’ from Valentino Garavani in pale blue, yellow and red calf leather with a foldover top and tonal pyramid studs. Then there is a beige-pink one from Alexander Wang and the bright ochre yellow ‘Drew’ handbag from Chloé, designed in Italy from calfskin and suede, in a horse-shoe silhouette with gold-tone hardware.
LUXE SATCHELS | Adding a pop of pink to your days will be Sophie Hulme’s Milner cross-body, a non-buckles, strapless variation of the boxy satchel
Something about satchels is oh-so-British that you cannot but admire the forthrightness and the no-fuss angles of the bag itself. Claiming it as their own, are some British designers like Sophie Hulme whose minimalist, masculine, bags in heavy cow-hides have become all the rage as she sells across the world in top departmental stores like Harrods, and has her fans from among the fashion and film folks to political heavyweights. While her range of bags includes totes, rucksacks, clutches, purses, bucket bags, there are also nifty saddle bags and front-flapped boxy cross-bodys [variations of the satchel] to be grabbed in prices which are not four-figure heavy. The no-labels, no-bling designs with just the right amount of subtle gold detailing make these smart, snappy pieces the coveted chic for fashionistas. Talking about her aesthetics, Hulme said in an interview, ‘I was looking at incorporating toughness in a chic womenswear context, so I combined really heavy, vegetable-tanned cowhides with laser-cut brass panels’. Having won the Emerging Talent Award for Accessories at the British Fashion Awards 2012, Sophie Hulme’s eponymous label is one of our much-loved brands to stock up on trips abroad. And if you were to see the pop of colours in her Spring Summer 2016 collection, you’d agree as well. So for a luxe satchel collection, look for the Sophie Hulme classic, the Milner, in a fresh, new season shade – fuchsia – and crafted in saddle leather with a gold-plated closure and chain-adorned strap, as well as a clip-on lolly-stick charm.
QUIRKY SATCHELS | The Cambridge Satchel Company’s Tiny Satchel in Oxblood with Vivienne Westwood’s iconic Red Squiggle print is brilliantly bold
Talking of British style and the classic satchel, we now move onto another UK based brand with a self-explanatory name, The Cambridge Satchel Company. Set up in 2008 by Julie Deane and her mother, Freda Thomas, has had fashion bloggers from all over the world clamouring for, and posing with these satchels which are old school in their styling, with real buckle straps and no faux magnetic ones. Made of 100% genuine cow leather, the satchels and batchels [satchels with a top handle] and backpacks are luxurious to hold and feel as they are also user-friendly and prone to wear better. A business that started on her kitchen table with a shoestring budget, and with the aim to fund her child’s schooling, has today grown into a company which is busy meeting supply with the overwhelming demand, even as the innovations don’t stop. Talking of the initial years, Julie Dean said, “I was quite obsessed with satchels at the time, because I was reading Harry Potter to my children and I wanted to find them, because they are exactly what Harry and Hermione would have used at Hogwarts.” Available in a whole host of colours and sizes [from brown to blue to red to two-tone ones, from 11 to 15 inches], there is also the option to have your name monogrammed on your satchel, this is one bag brand that has not diversified wildly but kept to its USP of bags and accessories, and only made it better. A firm insistence on the brand’s aesthetics make the founder reassure that “Our bags are handmade in British factories because there is nothing more British than a satchel”. The popularity has also resulted in some enviable collaborations, like the recent one with British fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood, in which the latter’s iconic squiggle print finds itself on Cambridge Satchel Co’s tiny satchel and backpack in oxblood and red hues. A must have for any fashion lover, man or woman, these solid-hued satchels are drool-worthy even by themselves, iconic print or not!
ETHNIC SATCHELS | Ikat is indisputably Indian and pared down in its solid simplicity, making it the perfect fabric for Nappa Dori’s leather-laced satchel
Closer home, and for those looking for an ethnic variation of the satchel, we heartily recommend Nappa Dori’s elegantly shaped, vintage satchel made out of the finest handwoven ikat fabric and vegetable dyed geniune leather detailing on the front with a leather shoulder strap.
The chair J.K Rowling sat on as she churned out the Harry Potter series has sold at auction for $394,000, some 14 times the price it last fetched at auction in 2009. The modest 1930s-era oak chair, part of mismatched set of four was sold in New York, in an auction we reported on in the previous version of this story. Adorned all over the chair are words in pink, gold, and green paint. Pre-bidding for the chair over the net reached $65,000 earlier this week. “This was the comfiest one, which is why it ended up stationed permanently in front of my typewriter, supporting me while I typed,” Rowling wrote in a letter accompanying the chair that Heritage Auctions, the house in charge of the sale, placed on their website. “My nostalgic side is quite sad to see it go, but my back isn’t,” she added. The words written in paint includes her signature, and the words “You may not find me pretty but don’t judge what you see” on the back rest, and “I wrote Harry Potter while sitting on this chair” on the wooden frame around the cushion. The front legs are also marked by lightning, invoking the famous lightning-scar of the boy wizard, painted on it. Rowling donated the chair in 2002 to an auction benefitting the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children after adding the paint. The chair sold at auction again in 2009 for $29,117, Heritage Auctions said.
SARTORIAL TREASURE | Lose yourself in the corridors of fashion evolving through the eras in these museums dedicated exclusively to style
Art comes in many forms. For fashion lovers, a collection of vintage Chanel handbags or lingerie inspired by the Victorian era can be more exquisite than any stuffy old painting. While most museums boast centuries-old antiquities—the works of Polyclitus, Titan and Brunelleschi—you might prefer the talents of Dior, Bulgari and McQueen. Well, here’s a reason to rejoice: there are a number of museums around the world that are dedicated to the narrative and influence of fashion, from the Tassen Museum in Amsterdam devoted entirely to purses and handbags, to Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection of Predynastic Egyptian textiles. If you’re looking for history and education with a sartorial twist, these are the museums you’ll want to visit this year.
FIDM MUSEUM | Immerse in a 200-year old history of fashion here
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM Museum)
Location: Los Angeles, California
Founded in 1969, the FIDM Museum in Los Angeles was originally a collection of everyday pieces pulled from the closets of the school’s own faculty in an attempt to create a makeshift exhibition for their students. Over the years as they grew, they came into a number of donations and spectacular pieces including French haute couture from founding donor Betsy Bloomingdale, the estate of designer Rudi Gernreich and a number of one-of-a-kind textiles and jewelry. By the ‘90s the collection numbered over 10,000 pieces and was split into a permanent collection and a hands-on study collection for the students. Today the exhibits include a permanent Gianni Versace Menswear Archive and Rudi Gernreich Archive, and pieces that span a 200-year history of fashion from Parisian haute couture to Western film costumes.
BAG HEAVEN | The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje houses everything from 16th century goatskin satchels to first editions of Hermes Birkin
Tassenmuseum Hendrikje: Museum of Bags and Purses
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Handbag lovers take note: this museum is entirely dedicated to purses, wallets and bags. What started as a private collection of purses shown out of the home of Hendrikje and Heinz Ivo, turned into a major tourist hotspot that receives over 85,000 visitors a year. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, Tassenmuseum Hendrikje is housed within the former 17th century mayor’s residence and is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam. The collection that began with Ivo’s fascination with one 1820s tortoise handbag has turned into a 50,000 piece collection known for its diversity and quality. Here visitors can see handbags spanning over 500 years, from 16th century goatskin men’s satchels to first editions of the Hermès Birkin.
SHOE ARDOUR | The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto is the world’s largest collection of footwear
Bata Shoe Museum
Location: Toronto, Canada
Shoe lovers, rejoice! There is an entire museum just for you. Located in Toronto, Bata Shoe Museum was founded by Sonja Bata when her private shoe collection outgrew her space. The museum opened to the public in 1995, and now houses over 13,000 artefacts ranging from ancient Egyptian sandals to Ginger Spice’s signature Union Jack platforms. Some of the pieces here are over 4,500 years old and come from all over the globe. This is the world’s largest collection of footwear and as an internationally recognized authority in fashion, they are constantly sponsoring field research, publishing findings and promoting education. Come here to see everything from Queen Victoria’s ballroom slippers to Elvis Presley’s blue patent loafers.
FIT MUSEUM | House of award winning educational exhibitions and collections with an emphasis on avant-garde design
The Museum at FIT
Location: New York City, New York
The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York has turned out more superstar designers than almost any other school to date. Calvin Klein, Nanette Lepore and Michael Kors have all attended FIT and the museum often puts on exhibitions by students and faculty. As one of the top fashion colleges in the country, The Museum at FIT prides itself on award-winning educational exhibitions and collections. Founded in 1969, the museum didn’t start presenting pieces until 1975, but now their permanent collection includes over 50,000 pieces from 18th century corsets to 20th century Balenciaga gowns. The exhibits include textiles, accessories and historically significant clothing, but the emphasis is on avant-garde designs.
PARISIAN PERFECTION | The oldest museum in this list, it houses 20th century prints and sketches along with 200 years of Parisian fashion
Palais Galliera Musée de la Mode
Location: Paris, France
The oldest museum in our lineup, the Palais Galliera Musée de la Mode, was competed in 1894 after the Duchesse de Galliera commissioned the construction of this Beaux-Arts palace as a place to house her art collection. While it never housed any of her paintings, it has been home to both art and industrial design museums, before it became a fashion museum in 1977. Today, it houses 100,000 costumes which are not on permanent display, but rather shown to the public in a series of seasonal special exhibits. Because of this, plan visits ahead of time as the museum is closed to the public between exhibitions. Here you’ll see over 200 years of Parisian fashion with an emphasis on haute couture. They also have a full collection of 20th century photography, prints and sketches from early designers.
HANDBAG HURRAH | The Simone Handbag Museum is situated within a giant building shaped literally like a handbag
Simone Handbag Museum
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Housed within a giant building that is literally shaped like a handbag (so you can’t miss it), the Simone Handbag Museum is run by Simone, the same company that makes bags for Marc Jacobs and Tory Burch. Since they have such a hands-on look at the accessories industry, they opened the museum in 2012 with thousands of bags that encompass 500 years’ worth of fashion. While it’s great to peruse their cases of modern Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci and Fendi accessories, their antique pieces are unparalleled—18th century German lace lingerie bags, silk clutches from the 1550s and beaded evening bags carried by flappers in the Roaring Twenties are kept in pristine condition and offer great insight on the trends of past generations.
VICTORIA’S VINTAGE | The collection at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum spans four centuries of design with artefacts over 5000 years old
Victoria and Albert Museum
Location: London, England
As one of the world’s largest and most celebrated museums of art and design, the Victoria and Albert Museum is known for its extensive collections that span hundreds if not thousands of years. Their fashion collection includes four centuries of design and is the “largest and most comprehensive collection of dress in the world.” Highlights include 17th century ball gowns, 18th-century mantua dresses and post-war haute couture. Their textile collection includes artefacts that are over 5,000 years old and include woven, printed and embroidered pieces like pre-1800s jacquard weaves, Japanese kimonos and Egyptian fabrics. They are also home to 3,500 stage costumes that range from the mid-18th century to today from all types of performance art including opera, dance, musicals, cabaret and circus.
MODERN MODE | The Mode Museum at Antwerp features entirely modern, usually conceptual pieces displayed in rotating exhibits
Mode Museum (MoMu)
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
Found in the heart of Antwerp’s fashion district, MoMu is focused on the local scene with a heavy focus on the Antwerp six and graduates of the Fashion Department of the Antwerp Royal Academy for Fine Arts. Rather than a permanent display, the museum focuses on constantly reworking and rotating their exhibits to allow visitors to see the most of their 25,000 pieces. In addition to the garment collection, they also highlight the designer’s inspiration or connecting disciplines and hold a number of workshops, seminars, and community projects. The exhibits feature entirely modern pieces; they keep an eye on the pulse of fashion and pieces displayed are normally conceptual, avant-garde or cutting edge. This museum is perfect for those who see fashion as an art form more than clothing.
THE MET | New York’s MET Costume Institute features a mix of futuristic designs with sartorial relics from the 15th century to the present era
MET Costume Institute
Location: New York City, New York
Recently renamed the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this museum owes part of its popularity to Wintour’s annual MET Galas and part to the amazing exhibitions. While there are major exhibitions every year that correlate with Wintour’s party, they are also known for their 35,000 pieces that span from the 15th century to the present. They even include futuristic designs like the upcoming exhibit on 3D-printed clothing and tech-inspired apparel. They have a robust collection of pieces from around the world, but it’s their special exhibits that bring in visitors. Plan ahead to see one of these as they are very often one-of-a-kind, extremely limited engagements.
FERRARI FLOURISH | A bevy of classic beauties descended upon Florida, with their collectors and restorers in tow
What better than to take the one of its kind classy Ferrari on a tour in the middle of the winter? It all makes perfect sense, especially with the winters reveling a clear blue sky and temperature about 25 degrees, in a neighborhood full of palm trees, when the charm of Florida attracts you, and the destination is “Cavallino Classic” event. Organizer John W. Barnes released the ‘motto of the meeting’ at the “Join us for a winter party”, which he hosted the 25th time at the Palm Beach. The experts count it among the five most important events on classic cars worldwide.
Around 500 vehicles with the famous trademark Prancing Horse (Cavallino Rampante) came together from all over the United States. The fact that they did not come alone from such distant corners as far as Seattle/Washington speaks for itself. The restorers, who otherwise take care of the outrageously expensive collections of the collectors, transport these with their double-decker trailers. The owners of the precious collection(s) then fly – some with their own jet – into the Palm Beach.
“Our trucks took four days from Puyallup/Washington in the Northwestern Unites States to reach this far. The boys got stuck in the snow for the first time in Midwest”, says Butch Dennison, one of the greatest in the field of restoration in America. Later, as if any further indication of the climatic privileges were needed in the ‘sunshine’ State of Florida, the breakfast televisions were simultaneous fluttering with the images of snow disaster in New York.
The ‘Cavallino Classic’ course was naturally optimized in 25 years. Part of the event’s concept is a top event, the ‘Monterey Car Week’, quite similar to the Pebble Beach contest in California. In both the cases, a beauty contest builds up to the culmination. On Thursday evening a party was hosted in the hangars of the close-by airport, while a nearby racetrack lets one spur the horses. The crucial difference: here it is much informal and casual; here, all, every single thing is devoted to Ferrari.
On Friday, however, the weather gods punished the ferraristas: It was pelting down with rain! The race course of Moroso, which is proudly called the “Palm Beach International Raceway”, has retained the charm and the security level of an old club circuit. With the racers under covers and in the absence of howling noise of engines, there was quite a melancholic impression in the rain. All the more spectacular was when someone with his million dollar Ferrari ventured onto the slopes under these conditions – ultimately dismantling! It wasn’t just any Ferrari, rather a 290 MM driven by racing driver Eugenio Castellotti at 1956 Mille Miglia. The owner, though unhurt, lost all desires for Cavallino and was not seen again.
The participants and visitors enjoyed the “Concours d’Elegance” on Saturday on the Golf-Parkour before the swanky hotel – The Breaker. The enthusiasts from the old Europe perhaps will always remain a mystery in such beauty contests with all its rituals and featuring American invention. Although similar competitions feature at European events, its charm here has a completely different dimension. The former star of the Gran Turismo, the warhorses from Le Mans or Indianapolis act as the ‘bread-and-butter-Ferrari’ from impact of a 308 GTB jurors in umpteen different classes. They use a sophisticated rating system to choose the best. And then, they coronate two “Best of Show” with crowns. John Barnes knew what he was guilty for: He invited the last 24 ‘Best of Show’ winners once again. And eventually, 22 came.
The highlights consisted the 375 Speciale of 1955, first owner Giovanni Agnelli (†81 – means died in 1981?), the 375 MM Pinin Farina Coupe Speciale from 1955, the 250 GT PF Cabriolet Speciale 1960, and 250 Europa GT from 1954 built by Vignale. And, and, and… Absolutely intoxicating amounts of rare, really exceptional classic Ferrari were assembled here! How was that possible? Only here in America, private individuals have adequate resources which they can spend on the acquisition and restoration of these vehicles. In certain social class it is vogue to own such expensive ‘Collector Cars’. This is confirmed by celebrities like Dana Mecum (“Best of Show” at the race cars with a 250 Monza) and Lee Herrington (“Best of Show” in the GT category with a 400 SA Superfast II).
At the closing ceremony on Sunday it was obvious that Ferrari isn’t the only Playmobil. “The Sports Car Sunday at Mar-a-Lago” was a “Multi-brand Contest”. Hispano Suiza, Packard, Bugatti, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, McLaren, Studebaker – to name a few – were among the impressive portfolio of precious brands and vehicles. This was organized here at the private golf club of a billionaire. The “featured brand”, as it is called, this year was Alfa Romeo. Does one know it all? Certainly not! What the brand from Milan presented here were simply the High-End, the icons of Alfa Romeo history. Pre-war racing cars and -Gran Turismo stood as a TZ2 in 60’s and Tipo 33 did for the Italian moments in automobile’s heaven.
Here the world is still in order, everything is just right: Had the host invested a few more dollars in extra sunshine and blue sky, soft classical music, one or another glass of champagne, a fantasy stimulating pool, the best cars, and Fashion straight from the ramp… It now becomes evident what “sledding” in the winter in Florida means.
HP seems to be aiming for some serious one-upmanship here. The first thing to take note about the Spectre (other than the naming sense that seems to be making nods to Rolls-Royce style branding) is, obviously, the thinness. At 10.4mm and 2.45 pounds, this is set up to be one of the sleekest and most lightweight laptops out there. The company claims this is the thinnest laptop ever brought to market. On the craftsmanship side, there’s also that shiny copper finish that it happens to be all wrapped up in. The shine is all backed up with an edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass display, a backlit keyboard, and a glass trackpad. The laptop even opens on a piston hinge inspired by high-end furniture details (the company is comparing it to an Eames chair!). It uses a hybrid battery that ensures up to 9 hours of battery life and works on an Intel i5 or i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and SSD storage up to 512GB. The audio system is designed by Bang & Olufsen. As an extra touch, HP seems to have a special Spectre leather sleeve and slim topload to go with the laptop. The price starts at $1,169. The Spectre was unveiled at the 2016 New York Times International Luxury Conference, in Versailles.
In a celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th birthday on April 23, the 15th Century Kronborg Castle in Denmark will transform itself into a hotel for two special guests to be able to experience what it’s like to live as Danish royalty. This will be the first time in a hundred years that anyone will spend a night at the UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is all thanks to the people responsible for the castle, presumably, listing it on Airbnb. The castle was immortalized in Shakespeare’s longest and arguably best-known play, Hamlet, as the primary setting where the whole tragedy unfolds. But, in this case, rather than having vengeful ghosts and hate-filled princes, the two lucky guests will get to attend a soiree for 300, with a seven-course banquet featuring dishes such as asparagus with oyster emulsion; boneless quail with figs and apricots; and lemon soufflé. Danish actors, singers and writers, as well as The Royal Danish Ballet have also been tapped as entertainment for the evening. After the party, the King’s Tower will be open as a bedroom where the guests can enjoy a canopy bed and a view of the castle moat, and the starry sky. In order to qualify, candidates must contact the host ‘Prince Hamlet’ and tell him why they’d like to spend the night in his castle by 11:59 pm April 13. Extra points will also be given for submission written in iambic pentameter (10 syllables – five beats strung in a queue). Winners will be flown in so submissions from anywhere in the world are most welcome. Airbnb has done up similarly strange and surprising accommodations in the past, such as offering a chance for two guests to sleep in a shark tank. At least, comparatively, a Gothic castle with a haunted past doesn’t sound that bad!
The De Beers Millennium Jewel 4 (that we mentioned earlier in this space) raked in HK$248.29 million ($31.8 million) at the Hong Kong auction at Sotheby’s held April 5, just hours after a scroll painting by Chinese master Zhang Daqian sold for a record-breaking HK$270.68 million ($35.93 million). The 10.10 carat vivid blue diamond broke the record for the most expensive piece of jewelry sold at auction in Asia, but at the lower end of estimates which predicted it would fetch between $30 and $35 million. Slightly larger than an almond, it is described by Sotheby’s as the largest oval blue diamond ever to appear at auction and “internally flawless”. It was sold to an anonymous phone bidder. “It was a very successful sale,” Sotheby’s international jewelry division worldwide chairman David Bennett said. “The fact that it’s a record price for jewelry in Asia I think speaks well about the Asian market… I think it’s alive and well and very healthy,” he added. The scroll painting by Zhang Daqian was snapped up by Chinese collector Liu Yiqian’s Shanghai museum — the latest in a string of massive buys associated with the former taxi driver turned tycoon. Zhang’s splashed ink and color scroll outstripped the top-end pre-sale estimate of HK$65 million, breaking the record for the artist’s work at auction. A buyer from Liu’s Long Museum ended hour-long bidding for the work, entitled “Peach Blossom Spring”, with more than 100 bids cast.
