The heated debates have cooled and the votes have been counted. It's time to pin the medals on this year's design heroes. And just in case you missed our January issue, here’s the shortlist for our extra-special Judges’ Awards and this year’s jury of the peerless and precocious.
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Judges and winners' film
Each year, we invite a peerless panel to deliberate over 11 special awards, selected from a shortlist put together by Team Wallpaper*. To celebrate our cross-disciplinary star chamber, we turned the tables on the sagacious six who sat in judgement - and the winners they championed - in head-spinning fashion, as captured by filmmaker and photographer Matthew Donaldson.
‘Day & Night’ light, by Éléonore Delisse
Life Enhancer of the Year
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects millions around the globe each year. Noticing the lack of a considered, design-led response to the problem, student Éléonore Delisse created this light as part of her Design Academy Eindhoven graduation project. Dichroic glass rotates alongside a lamp to project the colours that we need to rebalance our circadian rhythm. It glows blue in the morning to stimulate wakefulness, and warm orange at night to softly send us to sleep. It’s a beautifully designed solution to winter blues. Photography: Tommaso Sartori
Pérez Art Museum Miami, US, by Herzog & de Meuron
Best new public building
The opening of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), a 3,000 sq m gallery of modern and contemporary art by Swiss practice Herzog & de Meuron, was the hottest ticket at Art Basel Miami Beach 2013’s edition. Located in the city’s Museum Park on Biscayne Bay, the museum’s glass and concrete structure is raised on stilts (to cope with storm surges), and features a sweeping verandah and hanging columns of plants. With its extensive greenery, acres of glass and seamless transitions from outside to in, PAMM is the antithesis of the white cube. Photography: Adrian Gaut
‘Axor Starck V’ tap, by Philippe Starck, for Hansgrohe
Best domestic design
It was the patriarch of the Hansgrohe family business, Klaus Grohe, who first suggested that Philippe Starck explore a transparent tap for them, and realised that such a tap could showcase the strangely hypnotic vortex of water it funnels. The result is a high-quality crystal glass body (also available in sandblasted glass) that clicks on a base available in many different finishes, from chrome to high-gloss white. As well as being beautiful, it is also highly practical: the dirt-resistant, high-quality crystal glass can be easily removed and cleaned in a dishwasher without having to close the valve. Photography: Tommaso Sartori
Tokyo
Best city
Where else but Tokyo can you find century- old ramshackle structures next to ultra- modern skyscrapers or tiny ramen shops next to three-Michelin-starred restaurants? With the 2020 Summer Olympics on the horizon, the Japanese capital is changing faster than ever. As well as Zaha Hadid’s much-discussed stadium, new infrastructure projects, including the Loop Road 2 and the Ueno-Tokyo line, are in the pipeline, and the hospitality sector is booming too: a Noma outpost is due to open in 2015, and Japanese luxury chain Hoshinoya is set to open its first hotel here in 2016. Image courtesy of Michael Hoppen Contemporary
Air-safe manicure set, by Czech & Speake
Best new grooming product
Luxury bathroom accessory retailer Czech & Speake is known for its Edwardian aesthetic, so the sharp, contemporary appearance of its new travel manicure set comes as a welcome surprise. Packaged in a tactile dark-grey case, the instruments are coated in Teflon to make them hard-wearing and dirt-repellent. The set has been designed with rounded ends to pass even the strictest hand-luggage security checks, and the nail file, developed especially for the brand, uses very sharp synthetic crystals to trim and shape nail edges. Photography: Tommaso Sartori
Konstantin Grcic
Designer of the Year Joint Winner
Konstantin Grcic can do industrial design and conceptual experiments better than anyone, as proven by last year’s sweeping overview of his career at the Vitra Design Museum. At Design Miami/ Basel, he turned heads with his pavilion for Audi, built from parts of the new TT Coupé. Grcic also produced the ‘Rival’ chair for Artek and the ‘Tuffy’ chair for Magis, as well as making his first foray into bathroom furniture for Laufen. But his ‘Man Machine’ collection for Galerie Kreo was perhaps the most striking: mechanical glass furniture animated by pistons and cranks.
Patricia Urquiola
Designer of the Year Joint Winner
Spanish-born designer Patricia Urquiola creates new products at a relentless pace, but in 2014 she raised her game to new levels. Highlights included a range of tiles for Mutina, her fourth collection for the brand (for which she also acts as creative director). Urquiola also produced a modular kitchen for Boffi, featuring a variety of materials, including copper and zinc, and a series of seats for B&B Italia, merging a comfortable structure with an innovative construction process. Her smart use of materials was also apparent in pieces she produced for Budri and Glas Italia.
Carlo e Camilla, Milan
Best new restaurant
Segheria owner Tanja Solci is the art director behind Carlo e Camilla, that takes communal dining to an epic scale. Housed in a defunct sawmill acquired by Solci's grandparents in the 1930s, the soaring structure’s brick and raw cement bones give the space an industrial look, creating a foil for the otherwise super-polished dining experience. Two cross-configuration tables seat 70, while pieces by Ron Arad and Ross Lovegrove animate the outdoor space. Photography: Nathalie Krag
American Trade Hotel, Panama City
Best new hotel
Built in 1917 and designed by Leonardo Villanueva Meyer, this four-storey, neoclassical building, once housed the American Trade department store, but is now run by Atelier Ace, the creative arm of the Ace Hotel Group. It enlisted the help of repeat collaborator, Commune Design, which brought together a range of design influences, from Mexican modernist to Vienna Secession. All 50 guest rooms feature reclaimed hardwood floors, rainfall showers, Aesop amenities and beautiful views of the city or Panama Bay. There is also a jazz club, run by Grammy-winning Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez. Photography: Tom Fowles
Vault House, US, by Johnston Marklee
Best new private house
Vault House’s pure-white block is cut through with arches, vaults and skylights. Designed by Johnston Marklee, special permits allowed the owners to build 6m closer to the surf than any of the neighbours, making the views all the more striking. Though the building looks like monolithic cast concrete, it’s actually synthetic stucco over a wood frame, and a courtyard cut into its centre allows sunlight to penetrate deep inside. With its vaulted underbelly, the house appears to perch lightly on the sand, but it’s a lightness secured by massive underground pylons, designed to withstand high waves, wind and erosion. Photography: Nicholas Alan Cope
Dior, by Raf Simons
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Raf Simons devoted his show to ‘city silhouettes’, ushering in his new workforce with sleek, peaked-lapel trouser suits in maroon, green and black and power- wielding coats. Inspired by men’s business shirts, dresses came fluted with swinging asymmetrical hems. Electric-hued evening looks used 1990s-style side splits to dramatic effect when paired with floral embroidery. Then came the designer’s brogue lacings stitching up form-fitting dresses and coats in place of corsetry. Photography: George Harvey
Saint Laurent, by Hedi Slimane
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Hedi Slimane prefaced his Paris show with a slick picture book, choosing a plethora of darkly comic sketches by artist Raymond Pettibon for the invitation. Pettibon’s rock ’n’ roll links formed a vital subtext to the show and its mix of varsity punk and uptown polish. Models and musicians skidded along in a Teddy Boy silhouette in stovepipe trousers and creepers, while the finale saw opulent tuxedos flashing by in pink glitter and fine chain embroideries. Photography: George Harvey
'Matteo Thun Edition' sauna, by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, for Klafs
Best domestic design
Designed by long-term collaborators Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez for German spa specialist Klafs, this new pared-back sauna is encased in wooden slats, which offer privacy as well as filtering natural light to create a calming environment. The cube-shaped sauna also boasts a discreet lighting and heating system hidden in the sides of the seating steps. ‘We wanted to create a space of complete refuge,’ says Thun. ‘Once the door is closed behind you, no disturbing elements and no visible technology distract from the relaxation.’
Tableware collection, by Aldo Bakker, for Georg Jensen
Best domestic design
For his latest collection for Georg Jensen, Aldo Bakker has created a modern tribute to Henning Koppel, who worked for the silverware specialist for several decades, producing iconic pitcher designs. The four-piece set is composed of a compact salt cellar, a sinuous water pitcher and a graceful sugar container, all in polished stainless steel, as well as the starker, more geometric oil pourer in cast iron. Each vessel’s shape is the result of a careful study of the flowing of liquids and substances, giving each container an independent identity.
'Solitaire' kitchen system, by Bulthaup
Best domestic design
Eschewing traditional, rigid kitchen structures, Bulthaup’s flexible ‘Solitaire’ system allows for greater individualisation. It features a cooking table; a water point; preparation and display cabinets; wall-mounted shelving; and a waste bin. Elements can be placed anywhere in the room and accessed from all sides, encouraging flexibility and a shared cooking experience. Units are based on a height-adjustable aluminium structure radiating from a circular joint, holding work surfaces and storage elements.
'Axor Starck V' tap, by Philippe Starck, for Hansgrohe
Best domestic design
It was the patriarch of the Hansgrohe family business, Klaus Grohe, who first suggested that Philippe Starck explore a transparent tap for them. And it was Grohe who realised that such a tap could showcase the strangely hypnotic vortex of water it funnels. The result is a high-quality crystal glass body that clicks on a base available in many different finishes, from chrome to high-gloss white. The dirt-resistant, high-quality crystal glass can also be easily removed and cleaned in a dishwasher without having to close the valve.
'Lanterne d'Hermès' light, by Yann Kersalé, for Hermès
Best domestic design
Part of Hermès’ first lighting collection, Yann Kersalé’s portable lantern is inspired by the shape of old carriage lamps and lighthouse lights. Renowned for his lighting installations and architectural illuminations, Kersalé has created this clever, minimalist piece by placing four wedge-shaped light sources, encased in water-resistant caramel calfskin leather, on a circular leather base. The LEDs work wirelessly, each powered by a rechargeable battery, and the light can be used indoors or outdoors, taken apart or used as a single fixture.
Patricia Urquiola
Designer of the year
Spanish-born, Milan-based designer Patricia Urquiola creates new products at a relentless pace but in 2014, she raised her game to new levels. Highlights included a range of tiles for Mutina, the fourth collection by the designer for the brand (for which she also acts as creative director). Urquiola also produced a modular kitchen for Boffi, featuring a variety of materials, including copper and zinc, and a series of seats for B&B Italia, merging a comfortable structure with an innovative construction process.
Studio Formafantasma
Designer of year
Since graduating in 2009 from Design Academy Eindhoven, Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin have successfully developed a design approach that is both daringly conceptual and mindful of functionality. Materials research is at the core of the duo’s work, as shown by their study of Sicilian basalt, used to create objects and furniture combining the volcanic stone with brass and Murano glass. Other recent work includes conceptual sculptures for Established & Sons, and ‘Alphabet’, a poetic drinking set for Lobmeyr.
Photography: Lonneke van der Palen
Konstantin Grcic
Designer of the year
Konstantin Grcic can do industrial design and conceptual experiments better than anyone. At Design Miami/Basel, he stopped visitors in their tracks with his pavilion for Audi, built from parts of the new TT Coupé. Grcic also made his first foray into bathroom furniture with a set of sinks for Laufen, working with super-thin SaphirKeramik. But his ‘Man Machine’ collection for Galerie Kreo was perhaps the most striking: a nine-piece collection of mechanical glass furniture animated by pistons and cranks.
Dimore Studio
Designer of the year
As well as creating interiors for fashion sets, stores, hotels and restaurants, Dimore Studio also designs furniture. While their early creations added new twists to vintage furniture, designers Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci are now focusing on producing their own furniture designs, merging past and present styles with brio. The studio has recently opened a permanent gallery space, housed in an 18th-century palazzo, and upcoming projects include interiors for a hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico, and a château in Cognac.
Photography: Beppe Brancato
Scholten & Baijings
Designer of the year
Dutch design duo Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings are masters of colour and graphic lines. Their five tables for Italian marble manufacturer Luce di Carrara were designed to enhance the qualities of the material: colour, texture and patterns were carefully considered and celebrated using sinuous shapes. The designers’ signature geometric patterns were also discreetly applied to each piece. Similarly, they worked with Irish crystal maker J Hill’s Standard on a collection of glasses bearing strikingly precise graphic cuts.
The Jane, Antwerp
Best new restaurant
Housed in the cavernous chapel of a former military hospital, the new Antwerp eatery from Michelin-starred chef Sergio Herman and fellow chef Nick Bril is making waves. Created by Piet Boon, the sleek interiors include dramatic stained-glass windows by Studio Job and an 800kg chandelier by PSLAB. The menu features dishes such as mackerel ceviche, and squid, chorizo and white beans. According to Herman and Bril, food is their religion; fitting when you consider that The Jane’s kitchen is located where the altar once stood.
The Monarch Room, New York
Best new restaurant
At a vast 4,500 sq ft, The Monarch Room is a decadent space that exudes the distinctive style of interior design firm Roman and Williams. Classic, dark wood accents are juxtaposed with roughly hewn concrete walls and sumptuous leather banquettes, and the impressive surroundings are matched by chef Michael Citarella’s modern American menu. Crispy hen-of-the-woods mushrooms served with buttermilk, and a pulled-pork shoulder paired with creamy grits and smoked paprika are just some of the dishes that hit the mark.
Photography: Michael Weber
Carlo e Camilla, Milan
Best new restaurant
The latest addition to Milan’s fertile restaurant scene is housed in a defunct sawmill, and the soaring structure’s brick and raw cement bones give the space an industrial look, creating a foil for the otherwise super-polished dining experience. Two long cross-configuration tables seat 65 in a communal arrangement, while pieces by Ron Arad and Ross Lovegrove animate the indoor space as well as the garden. The food is top tier, but wrung of the pretension that swirls around chef Carlo Cracco’s other Milanese establishment.
Alicia, Buenos Aires
Best new restaurant
Designed by local architects Jacqueline Cicchinelli and Sergio Mizraji, and located of the beaten track in the leafy suburb of Villa Devoto, Alicia’s pared-down, minimalist exterior is skilfully balanced on the inside by Buenos Aires-based outfit Nidolab, which installed blonde petiribi wood floors, wall-to-wall shelving and copper fixtures. The menu offers a new take on Mediterranean classics and features dishes like Chilean salmon with saffron clam cream, and veal carpaccio with wasabi mayonnaise and tomato marmalade.
Photography: Daniela Mac Adden
Le Flandrin, Paris
Best new restaurant
Le Flandrin has been a Paris institution for more than 80 years. Currently under the direction of Gilles Malafosse, the brasserie has recently emerged from a makeover, courtesy of Joseph Dirand, who maintained his signature understated aesthetic, while adding a hint of decadence with opulent materials such as marble, dark wood, brass, mirrored glass and plush upholstery. Meanwhile, the geometric-patterned flooring visually offsets Dirand’s coconut-wood tables, which are teamed with Eero Saarinen’s ‘Executive’ chairs.
Photography: Adrien Dirand
American Trade Hotel, Panama City
Best new hotel
Built in 1917 and designed by Leonardo Villanueva Meyer, this four-storey, neoclassical building once housed the American Trade Developing Company, but is now run by Atelier Ace, the creative arm of the Ace Hotel Group. It enlisted the help of repeat collaborator, Commune Design, which brought together a range of influences, from Mexican modernist to Vienna Secession. All 50 guest rooms feature reclaimed hardwood floors, rainfall showers, Aesop toiletries and beautiful views of the city or Panama Bay.
Fontevraud L’Hôtel, Fontevraud-l’Abbaye
Best new hotel
The 12th-century abbey of Fontevraud was a prison in Napoleonic times but its convent buildings have recently been converted into a 54-room hotel by design duo Jouin Manku. Guest rooms feature a beige and mustard-yellow palette, paired with austere materials such as blackened steel, wood and wool, and providing an overriding sense of raw modernity and monastic calm. Each guest receives an iPad Mini on arrival, which they can use to access hotel services, book a table in the restaurant, and find out about the surroundings.
JK Place, Rome
Best new hotel
The third property from hotelier Ori Kafri is housed in what was once Rome’s school of architecture. The 30-room hotel exudes the cloistered vibe of a private home, thanks to Michele Bönan, who has kept much of the four-storey building’s original features, while gracefully transforming former classrooms into generously proportioned guest rooms, furnished with rosewood four-poster beds, heavy drapes and Massimo Listri prints. The JK Place Café, headed up by chef Antonio Martucci, also comes up trumps.
Photography: Oliviero Olivieri
Le Méridien, Zhengzhou
Best new hotel
Shanghai-based design firm Neri & Hu transformed an existing concrete shell into an angular 25-storey tower of irregular, stacked boxes that cantilever, seemingly haphazardly. The 45 suites include the Presidential Suite, which comes with a private massage room, ten-seat dining room and private kitchen. Alternatively, Le Mei, the hotel’s signature Chinese restaurant, offers a seasonal menu featuring highlights such as crispy prawn rolls with broccoli and mustard sauce. Guests can also enjoy the spa with Finnish sauna.
The Beaumont, London
Best new hotel
The debut hotel of restaurant legends Chris Corbin and Jeremy King is housed in a Grade II-listed art deco gem built in 1926 by architects Wimperis & Simpson. An intimate lobby immediately sets the tone, emphasising the social, artistic and cultural dynamism of the Roaring Twenties. The Colony Grill Room features an eclectic mix of artwork, including original murals by American artist John Mattos. Meanwhile, Antony Gormley’s giant sculpture, adorning the side of the building, doubles as one of the hotel’s signature suites.
Photography: Henry Bourne
Vault House, US, by Johnston Marklee
Best new private house
Vault House’s pure-white block is cut through with arches, vaults and skylights. Designed by Johnston Marklee, special permits allowed the owners to build 6m closer to the surf than any of the neighbours, making the views all the more striking. Though the building looks like cast concrete, it’s actually synthetic stucco over a wood frame. With its vaulted underbelly, the house appears to perch lightly on the sand, but it’s a lightness secured by massive underground pylons, designed to withstand high waves, wind and erosion.
Photography: Eric Staudenmaier
Herringbone House, UK, by Chan + Eayrs
Best new private house
Tucked away behind pale herringbone brickwork, this is the inaugural project of young practice Chan + Eayrs, headed up by Zoe Chan and Merlin Eayrs. The angular site posed constraints that gave little room for bold gestures, but the cleverly designed house manages to feel both spacious and light, aided by two private courtyards and skylights in the gabled roof. In keeping with the pair’s love of Scandinavian design, the palette is a blend of soft browns and light tones, with pale timber flooring complementing the minimalist interior interior.
Photography: Mike Tsang
Split View Mountain Lodge, Norway, by Reiulf Ramstad
Best new private house
Located in a popular skiing destination, and designed by Oslo firm Reiulf Ramstad, Split View Mountain Lodge is a timber-clad holiday home that makes the most of natural materials while respecting its pristine surroundings. Locally sourced Norwegian pine was the material of choice throughout, and the floorplan spans different levels, twisting to follow the contours of the mountain. The living area, split into two parts that look out in different directions over the valley, is the inspired gesture that gives the house its name.
Photography: Søren Harder Nielsen
Casa B+B, Brazil, by Studio MK27 and Galeria Arquitetos
Best new private house
Casa B+B’s inverted floorplan places social spaces at the top and bedrooms and an office on the ground floor. A wooden roof deck includes a garden, offering an unexpected rural retreat amid São Paulo’s frantic urban setting. The living room is a concrete box that opens up to wall-to-wall glass expanses on two sides, a gesture that makes the space feel larger while also providing a privileged view of the skyline. Meanwhile, a ramp directly connects the living areas with the entrance, protected by a concrete cobogó wall.
Photography: Fernando Guerra
Cosmic House, Japan, by UID
Best new private house
A finely balanced composition of overlapping rectangular arches makes up this striking, crisp white house. Designed by Fukuyama-based practice UID, it’s a roomy antidote to the more typical small-scale residences that Japan is known for. A variety of open-air and enclosed spaces are spread across two floors, with large glazed planes and small gardens adding to the design’s lightness and transparency, as well as establishing a constant dialogue between the steel and concrete structure and the nature outside.
Photography: Hiroshi Ueda
Pérez Art Museum Miami, US, by Herzog & de Meuron
Best new public building
The opening of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), a 3,000 sq m gallery of modern and contemporary art by Herzog & de Meuron, was the star attraction of Art Basel Miami Beach 2013’s edition. Located in the city’s Museum Park on Biscayne Bay, the museum’s glass and concrete structure is raised on stilts (to cope with storm surges), and features a sweeping verandah and hanging columns of plants. With its extensive greenery, acres of glass and seamless transitions from outside to in, PAMM is the antithesis of the white cube.
Photography: Iwan Baan
Fondation Louis Vuitton, France, by Gehry Partners
Best new public building
The Fondation Louis Vuitton was commissioned by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault and designed by Frank Gehry. The structure (already known as ‘the iceberg’) is a composition of white volumes perched above a cascading water feature and sporting 12 undulating glass ‘sails’. Inside, 11 galleries will host temporary and permanent art exhibitions, with a café and bookshop to come. The views from the roof terraces, partially sheltered by some of the ‘sails’, stretch across the Jardin d’Acclimatation and the Bois de Boulogne.
Photography: Iwan Baan
M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, Denmark, by BIG
Best new public building
Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), this new maritime museum in Helsingør is located in one of the city’s former dry docks. But instead of building the museum on the site of the dock, BIG decided to wrap the galleries around the empty space. The result is an ‘invisible’ building looping around a subterranean courtyard shaped like a life-sized boat. Three double-level steel bridges criss-cross the inner court, and 8m below ground is a café with views of the concrete walls of the old dry dock.
Photography: Luca Santiago Mora
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, South Korea, by Zaha Hadid Architects
Best new public building
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is a cultural hub dedicated to art, design, new technologies and media. Featuring Hadid’s signature curvaceous lines, DDP covers a staggering 86,574 sq m and includes a design museum, library and educational facilities, housed in a striking eight-storey building. Its backlit aluminium facade, which features 45,000 pixel-like panels of various shapes and sizes, was designed using the latest in 3D building information modelling.
Photography: Virgile Simon Bertrand
Bombay Sapphire Distillery, UK, by Heatherwick Studio
Best new public building
Laverstoke Mill, Bombay Sapphire’s new HQ and distillery in Hampshire, is Heatherwick Studio’s first project of such scale and complexity in the UK. It is also the London studio’s first conservation project, and it has received a prestigious Outstanding BREEAM environmental rating. The distillation is on full display to visitors at key stages of the process, while two glasshouses ‘float’ on the river and house the valuable collection of Mediterranean and tropical plants that give Bombay Sapphire gin its unique taste.
Photography: Iwan Baan
Chicago
Best city
There’s a growing buzz around the Midwest, and Chicago’s star is rising. Some interesting hotels, such as Roman and Williams’ renovation of the iconic Chicago Athletics Association building for Commune Hotels, are due to open in the next few months, and the cityscape is evolving in a green, more sustainable direction, as seen in Studio Gang’s masterplan for Northerly Island. Momentum is also building in the local design scene, thanks to galleries such as Volume and Wright, and collectives such as Chicagoland.
Photography: Panoramic Images/Getty Images
Hamburg
Best city
Germany’s second largest city and media capital, Hamburg is booming, with an abundance of new architecture that includes 70 innovative sustainable projects as part of the International Building Exhibition, and the ongoing 157-hectare HafenCity development. A slew of young entrepreneurs are opening buzzy eateries, such as Bullerei and Anna Sgroi. Meanwhile, the city’s Art Mile encompasses the Bucerius Kunst Forum, the Kunsthalle art gallery and the Deichtorhallen, dedicated to photography and art.
Manila
Best city
With foreign investment pouring in, a president tackling corruption and talented overseas Filipinos returning home, Manila is a city rising fast, in every sense. Many of its major players are homegrown, from the ambitious architects dreaming up the shiny towers to the creatives behind new restaurants and galleries. From Jordy Navarra to Carlos Garcia, there’s no shortage of talented local chefs, while designers and artists such as Ito Kish, Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco have all opened showrooms across the city.
Photography: Pierre-Emmanuel Michel
Paris
Best city
It is tempting to think that Paris never changes, but it has become receptive to trends: the coolest districts now are the Haut-Marais, Bastille, Canal Saint-Martin, and the gentrified rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis. Having reinvented urban mobility with the pioneering Vélib’ and Autolib’, the capital is now thinking on an even bigger scale with the Grand Paris project, which will include an extended metro network, the building of 1.5m new homes, and the transformation of Ile Seguin into an artistic complex by Jean Nouvel.
Photography: Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Corbis
Tokyo
Best city
Where else but Tokyo can you find century-old ramshackle structures next to ultra-modern skyscrapers or tiny ramen shops next to three-Michelin-starred restaurants? With the 2020 Summer Olympics on the horizon, the Japanese capital is changing faster than ever: as well as Zaha Hadid’s much-discussed stadium, new infrastructure projects are in the pipeline, and the hospitality sector is booming: a Noma outpost is due to open in 2015, and Japanese luxury chain Hoshinoya is set to open its first hotel here in 2016.
Louis Vuitton
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Nicolas Ghesquière’s debut at Louis Vuitton was the most anticipated event of this year’s fashion calendar. Creating a new uniform for the cool girls of 2014, his silhouettes were rooted in the 1960s. Miniskirts and A-line dresses were constructed from asymmetrical collages of coloured full-grain leather, shiny patent leather, knitwear, tweed and suede, while oversized gold locks, a house motif usually reserved for handbags, were now pierced through ears. And the most striking part of this collection was how wearable it all was.
Photography: © Louis Vuitton
Christophe Lemaire
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Lemaire’s collections speak to the woman who appreciates fashion but approaches it realistically – she wants beautiful clothes that fit into her everyday life. To that end, Lemaire paired simple classics – think pea coats reimagined in loose shapes – with luxurious knitwear and draped dresses. Volume was introduced with thick, ribbed sweaters used as oversized scarves. The colour palette was rich but understated: navy, khaki, caramel and soft off-whites complemented the laid-back simplicity of the elegantly layered collection.
Photography: © Christophe Lemaire
Dior
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Raf Simons devoted his show to ‘city silhouettes’, ushering in his new workforce with sleek, peaked-lapel trouser suits in maroon, green and black. Inspired by men’s business shirts, dresses came fluted with swinging asymmetrical hemlines. Electric-hued evening looks used 1990s-style side splits to dramatic effect when paired with floral embroidery. Then came the designer’s brogue lacings stitching up form-fitting dresses and coats in place of corsetry, and elegant quilted duvet dresses, seductively cropped at the front.
Photography: © Dior
Sacai
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Chitose Abe has heralded the industry’s current fixation with hybrid clothing. However, only Abe is able to take bright houndstooth plaids and cut them up with astrakhan shoulder flaps and fluffy Mongolian fur cuffs to make a deeply delicious yet practical coat proposal. She continues to bring her rigorously original eye to the runway, this season working with Aztec prints and layers of optically printed silk. It’s not always clear where one garment ends and the next begins at a Sacai show, but it’s all part of the Abe experience.
Photography: Maria Valentino at MCV Photos
Céline
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Phoebe Philo has been working on a more languid, feminine silhouette for the last two seasons, and this new fluidity crystalised on her winter runway where she presented one of her most wearable collections yet. It pulsed with a speedy energy as slashed-out hems flapped with movement, and flared, ribbed trousers were paired with extra-long sweaters. And Philo layered all of her looks with the decadent extras that have become the brand’s calling card: chandelier earrings worn in one ear, mink belts and shiny platform sandals.
Photography: © Céline
Ermenegildo Zegna Couture
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
The precious fabrics spun for more than a century in Ermenegildo Zegna’s Biella factory have never found a tailor quite like Stefano Pilati. In his hands, a basic wool suit – jacket cut slim around the shoulders and cropped short, trousers straight but relaxed – is given depth and complexity. Now in his second season for the Italian powerhouse, the maverick designer twists tradition, invigorating plaids and wools by ribbing them, quilting them, or giving them a micro-structure that splinters the surface into a galaxy of pin points.
Photography: © Ermenegildo Zegna Couture
Haider Ackermann
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Celebrated by a legion of womenswear fans for his relaxed approach to dressing, balanced by the use of rich fabrics and sophisticated draping, Haider Ackermann is now seamlessly transferring his avant-garde elegance to menswear. It’s only his second season, but the designer is already creating a clear identity. At its heart, this was a collection of suits, paired with beautiful, classic overcoats, waistcoats or velvet blazers. Befitting the modern dandy, trousers were worn loose with either boots or brogues.
Photography: Dan Lecca
Saint Laurent
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Hedi Slimane prefaced his Paris show with a slick picture book, choosing a plethora of darkly comic sketches by artist Raymond Pettibon to serve as the invitation. Pettibon’s rock ’n’ roll links (his album covers for Sonic Youth and Black Flag are iconic) formed a vital subtext to the show and its mix of varsity punk and uptown polish. Models and musicians skidded along in a Teddy Boy silhouette in stovepipe trousers and creepers, while the finale saw opulent tuxedos flashing by in pink glitter and fine chain embroideries.
Marc Jacobs
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
It could be argued that Marc Jacobs presented the ultimate ‘capsule’ collection. There was something for work (cool, slimline suits in muted greys and blues), something for evening (velvet tuxedos embellished with a vibrant peacock print), and something for the weekend (looser trousers paired with patterned knits and relaxed overcoats). Pairing many of the looks with bright white trainers (reminiscent of the ubiquitous Adidas Stan Smith), this was a carefully curated wardrobe for a young man.
Brioni
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2014)
Brioni is about traditional tailoring, and no one in the business does made-to-measure better. But it hasn’t always led menswear trends. Now that classic clothing is cool again, the time could not be more right for Brendan Mullane to add a bit more cut and thrust to the brand. His latest collection, inspired by the trip Brioni founder Gaetano Savini took to Japan in the 1960s, beautifully fused past and present, tradition and modernity, with sharply cut suits in the finest quality wool that sat on the body like a silken second skin.
Photography: © Brioni
Make-up collection, by Proenza Schouler, for MAC
Best new grooming product
Known for their intuitive approach to fashion, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the duo behind Proenza Schouler, have got together with MAC to create a make-up collection with the sexy, nonchalant Proenza girl in mind. It’s a beauty approach that Terry Barber, MAC’s director of make-up artistry, identifies as ‘the art of effortless’. Describing it as ‘a beauty wardrobe for the modern woman’, he says the range is designed to be worn ‘one element at a time’, with only one feature being enhanced, be it the eyes, lips, cheeks or nails.
‘RAD Spray SPF25’ suncare, by Environ
Best new grooming product
The simple packaging of skincare products by South African brand Environ belies its reputation for quiet innovation. The original RAD suncream was devised 22 years ago and remains a staple among sun lovers, but this is the new revamped spray version. It contains sunscreen elements that both absorb and reflect ultraviolet rays, and is lavished with antioxidants to render the skin more youthful and supple. The light, milky texture of the spray also makes application easier than for some high-factor sunscreens.
Air-safe manicure set, by Czech & Speake
Best new grooming product
Luxury bathroom accessory retailer Czech & Speake is known for its Edwardian aesthetic, so the sharp, contemporary appearance of its new travel manicure set comes as a welcome surprise. Packaged in a tactile dark-grey case, the instruments are coated in Teflon to make them hard-wearing and dirt-repellent. The set has been designed with rounded ends to pass even the strictest hand luggage security checks, and the nail file, developed especially for the brand, incorporates very sharp synthetic crystals to trim and shape nail edges.
‘Rouge Louboutin’ nail polish, by Christian Louboutin
Best new grooming product
Christian Louboutin’s trademark soles evolved back in 1992 when he painted a shoe he was disappointed in with red nail lacquer. Inspired by this moment in fashion history, he has collaborated with US firm Batallure Beauty on a red nail polish, reinventing the brush top as a tall quill, designed to mimic the stiletto of a shoe he created in collaboration with David Lynch. The pot is made from sturdy crystal, and the liquid is so thick and glossy, it almost paints itself on. It’s one of the finest lacquers we’ve ever laid our fingers on.
Grooming range, by Buly 1803
Best new grooming product
Following extensive research into the archives of a 19th-century Parisian apothecary that had a reputation for skin-perfecting concoctions, Ramdane Touhami has developed a range of alcohol-free perfumes and beauty balms that comply with today’s stringent regulations, yet are free from parabens, phenoxyethanol and silicon. In Buly 1803’s sixth arrondissement store, Touhami sells precious oils, clays and textures clad in divine packaging that harks back to its 19th-century influences but packs a contemporary punch.
‘800+’ mechanical pencil and stylus, by Rotring
Life enhancer of the year
A hybrid of mechanical pencil and electronic stylus, Rotring’s ‘800+’ was designed as a multipurpose writing and drawing instrument for the digital age. Its fine engineering allows the pencil leads to glide seamlessly across paper. But with a simple twist, the pencil component retracts into its sleeve to make way for a stylus tip, compatible with all capacitive touchscreens. Meanwhile, the full metal body provides just the right weight for the ‘800+’ to feel substantial in the hand without compromising day-to-day use.
‘Swash’ clothing care system, by Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool
Life enhancer of the year
This personal dry-cleaning machine features a vertical drawer, in which you hang a single article of clothing using adjustable clips. In ten minutes, the combined effect of vaporised solution and heat removes odours and creases, leaving the garment clean and refreshed. We like that the machine bears zero resemblance to humdrum washing appliances – its body is slim and delightfully compact. It also produces no more than a soft whirr and does not require a water supply, making it an ideal addition to any walk-in wardrobe.
Personalised anti-ageing skincare, by Geneu
Life enhancer of the year
Christofer Toumazou’s research is at the intersection of electronics and medical science, and he has won global acclaim for his inventions. His latest, a microchip for speedy DNA testing, could revolutionise medicine, but the world is wary. To showcase its potential, he has applied the technology to a skincare regime, which is worked out using saliva analysis and a lifestyle questionnaire. Creative director and science fan Nick Rhodes provided the impetus behind the New Bond Street flagship store, designed by Virgile & Partners.
Photography: Peter Langer
‘Day & Night’ light, by Éléonore Delisse
Life enhancer of the year
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects millions around the globe each year. Noticing the lack of a considered, design-led response to the problem, student Éléonore Delisse created this light as part of her Design Academy Eindhoven graduation project. Dichroic glass rotates alongside a lamp to project the colours we need to rebalance our circadian rhythm. It glows blue in the mornings to stimulate wakefulness, and turns warm orange at night to softly send us to sleep. It’s a beautifully designed solution to the winter blues.
‘Roma Graffiti’ bomber jacket, by Fendi
Life enhancer of the year
In our book, small innovations are as good as grand gestures. Which is why when Karl Lagerfeld presented this silk bomber jacket as part of the Fendi Cruise 2015 collection (revisiting a Fendi graffiti print from 1988), we saw it as a perfect companion for the well-travelled in our midst. The lightweight jacket, boldly printed with the label’s name in a Stephen Sprouse-esque motif, neatly folds and zips into a neck pillow-shaped pocket, transforming it into an essential travel accessory. A clever example of the practical side of luxury.