Robb Report -julkaisun February 2020 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

Partying fraudsters Jho Low and Jordan Belfort ripped off thousands of people for millions—even billions. Low found his illicit fortune through Malaysia’s 1MDB, a state-owned investment fund that diverted money to him, former prime minister Najib Razak and others. Meanwhile, Belfort’s brokerage Stratton Oakmont swindled by buying stocks low, pumping up the price, dumping them on investors and profiting from the inflated value. Low and Belfort are inextricably linked, but how do their crimes actually compare?…

For some men, denim is a teenager’s game, a strange world of skinny fits, unflattering materials and ripped-and-faded affectation that’s best left to the kids. And while the majority of mainstream brands do focus on the younger end of the market, artisanal denim has enjoyed a renaissance over the past few years thanks to a new generation of independent brands stitching jeans quite unlike their entry-level counterparts. That means world-class selvedge fabrics, roomier fits and superlative attention to detail. Because of these indie makers, denim is also transcending its utilitarian roots. Take Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, located in a quiet corner of northeast London, which has spent the last four years making jeans smart enough to pair with tailoring. “Jeans have been around for over 150 years, and every age group,…

SINCE ITS INCEPTION in 1997, Urwerk has specialized in wildly futuristic timepieces that look like mini spaceships for the wrist. The UR-100 SpaceTime, available in a gunmetal version launched in mid-January, encapsulates the brand’s out-of-this-world philosophy by tweaking its orbital-satellite mechanism with a pair of astronomical indications. At 10 o’clock, a red-tipped pointer hand passes beneath a subsidiary dial that marks the distance a fixed point on Earth has moved through space, based on the average speed of rotation at the equator, which comes to 555 kilometers, or 345 miles, every 20 minutes. The second display, at two o’clock, marks how far the planet has traveled in its orbit around the sun within that same time frame (that would be 35,740 kilometers, or 22,208 miles). It’s a reminder that time…

With colors as electric and saturated as a Matisse and dreamy imagery of landscapes, animals and people that carries a hint of surrealism, Swiss-born, Brooklyn- and Brussels-based artist Nicolas Party has become a favorite of serious curators and speculating auction-goers alike. On February 13, he makes his Hauser & Wirth debut with a gonzo exhibition in Los Angeles, featuring figurative sculptures, a site-specific installation resembling a chapel and a new series of his signature pastels that pay homage to Dutch old masters Rachel Ruysch and Otto Marseus van Schrieck, known for their moody paintings of flowers and the dark forest floor. Don’t let the visually stunning—some would say decorative—appeal of Party’s work fool you: There’s subversive thinking at play here. Party is out to earn respect for pastels, which he…

YOU ARE ALONE in your private jet, cruising at 45,000 feet, laptop open. Unless Superman is standing on the wing, peering in through a window, there’s no one looking over your shoulder at sensitive company or personal information. Or is there? Although internet connections on aircraft lagged behind even refrigerators and doorbells for a while, they’re pretty much a given now. The secure flow of information, however, is not. “If you can see the internet, then the internet—and its hackers—are most definitely able to see you. Altitude does not make you safe,” says Josh Wheeler, senior director of cybersecurity at aviation-connectivity specialist Satcom Direct. The US-based company saw a recent spike in cybersecurity attacks on business aviation. Of nearly 600 planes signed up to Satcom’s threat-monitoring service, more than four-fifths…

TWENTY YEARS AGO, Texas-rearedKyle Bunting, a television executive living in San Francisco, bought his first home, hired his first interior designer and ordered his first handmade carpet. The rug, a hand-knotted Christopher Farr, provided him with a eureka moment. He asked himself, “What if I was to make a carpet that was contemporary and colorful but made of hide, like my dad did?” The elder Bunting was a cowhide hobbyist, and around 1978, he made two rugs for a man in Irving, Texas. Although he never made another rug, his mosaic cowhide carpets left a lasting impression on his son. After his revelation, Bunting jetted across the country to beg his father to show him how he’d produced those designs. “I left 24 hours later with the tools, went and…

Vernon Adams Sam Akabas David Alan Jim Allen David Arnold Roy Arnold Mehran Aryafar Jeff Aselin Jim Bailey Paul Bartolotta Steve Bassett Linda Bell Milo Benigno Reed Bergman Jeff Bianco Aaron Bickham Mike Bilek Steve Blue Jean-Marc Bories Seth Box Josh Brandsma Lee Brandsma Ryan Brandsma Shai Burstein Gerry Byrne Christopher Carpenter Roger Cary Luca Castellani John Conover Dale Crighton Paul Cummings Steve Daiagi Kishore Dass Mike Davis Benedicte de Boysson Roberto de Jesus Ricky DeCastro Jill DePaola John DePaola Craig Dooley Adam Dornbusch Howard Dvorkin Craig Eddins Michael Edelman Allan Edelson Avrum Elmakis David Emmes Peter Farmer Geoff Fear Moti Ferder James Field Simon Firth Carrie Freeman Peter Gary Sandra Gomez Ron Gorda Lee Gossett Francois Grand Mitchell Green Katie Griesbeck Shaunmarie Gutbezahl Jerónimo Guzman Tarek Hafez Erik Hagstrom…

Welcome to our February issue, which is dominated by our annual Car of the Year competition. As ever, this event is unlike any other Car of the Year in that the judges are . . .you! Last November and December, 171 Robb Report readers—rather than professional journalists—had the chance to walk in our car editors’ shoes as they road-tested our 11 world-class vehicles, back to back to back. Why is that distinction important? Because it’s the men and women who own and drive these cars, and other luxury automobiles, whose opinions really count here. So we’re proud to hand over one of our flagship events to you. And it’s a pretty mind-melting experience, taking out car after car, comparing them to one another across multiple categories—this year there were five…

A SARTORIAL PROMOTION Denim can be workwear for the boardroom, too. Just add some textural touches with a woven leather belt and handsomely sturdy ankle boots. GOING WALKABOUT Neutral chinos let the myriad materials at play—sleek bomber, chunky knit tie, smooth leather knapsack, suede kicks—get along together. CITY, SLICKER For a fabric that’s been around since 1873, denim works remarkably well with high-tech materials. Keep things grounded with complementary shades of blues and browns.…

IF YOU FEEL that skiing has lost its edge, how about another form of adrenaline fix this winter? Snowmobiles are like flying carpets for the slopes; they’re powerful, fast and can float you over blanketed terrain. The following machines, developed for trails, mountains or a bit of both, will unleash your inner Aladdin—just dressed in more layers. Yamaha Sidewinder SRX LE PRICE: $17,999 CLAIM TO FAME: The choice for Speed Racer, this is the fastest production model on the market. TOP TECH: The turbocharged, four-stroke engine. It makes a minimum of 180 hp and has no discernible turbo lag. WHERE TO GO: A frozen lake. The insane acceleration and responsive steering cry out for doughnuts on the ice. Taiga Atlas PRICE: $15,000 CLAIM TO FAME: One of the first electric…

It’s been said that flying is the second-greatest thrill known to man—landing is the first. In the unlikely event that a pilot becomes incapacitated, the Cirrus Vision Jet’s new automatic landing system, by Garmin, keeps that thrill alive by initiating a complex sequence of events to ensure a comfortable arrival. Dubbed Safe Return, the innovation considers virtually every eventuality that might keep the jet from successfully reaching the ground. Armed via a button within reach of passengers, the system assesses all the aircraft’s pertinent data—such as fuel level—selects the nearest viable airport and communicates with air-traffic control. It then automatically maneuvers the plane around any terrain and weather (while monitoring wind conditions) to formulate the best flight path and approach for the appropriate runway. In addition, flaps are deployed before…

Walking around Donald Judd’s old house at 101 Spring Street in New York’s SoHo is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the artist’s spare aesthetic. His enormous bedroom, which is so bare-bones that it makes a Japanese ryokan look gaudy, is the highlight. Sitting dead center is the wooden bed, low to the floor, with no headboard. It is the stuff of minimalist dreams but comes with a question mark as big as the statement it makes. Flavin Judd, son of the late, great artist, has the answer. “The bed is plenty functional,” he starts. “But, yes, . . . the pillows will fall off.” “IT WASN’T DESIGNED AS ART, BUT IT IS LIKE ART.IT EMBODIES HIS MINIMALIST SENSIBILITY AND SENSITIVITY TO MATERIALS.” When visitors arrive at…

Olivier Jolivet has spent the last two decades devoted to the hospitality industry. For eight years he led Aman resorts before taking the top spot at COMO Group, which owns COMO Hotels and Resorts, in 2017. Now based out of Singapore, the French businessman oversees a portfolio of 15 locations, including two in the heart of London and a resort in the Maldives where you arrive by speedboat. Many of the retreats, most notably Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos and Shambhala Estate in Bali, immerse guests in a luxe wellness-focused setting. And, last year, the brand celebrated a new milestone under Jolivet’s leadership: opening its first property in Italy, Castello Del Nero, which drops visitors within the walls of a 12th-century castle in the heart of Tuscany. HELENA MADDEN…

Curve Appeal To create a top-of-the-line Champagne tumbler, call in an expert on Champagne. That’s the house of Puiforcat’s line of thinking anyway: The 200-year-old Parisian silversmith joined up with celebrated winemaker Bruno Paillard to create Champagne vessels that enhance the overall sipping experience and look spectacular at the same time. Choice among the collection of bowls, buckets and accessories they created is this sterling piece, coated with a gleaming 24-karat-gold finish. $2,315, puiforcat.com A Moment in Time Crafted by acclaimed Japanese designer Oki Sato for fine-watch retailer the Hour Glass’s 40th anniversary, the brushed-aluminum Cubic Clock is simple geometry: a cube, for all intents and purposes, with two slivers taken from a corner. These pieces serve as the clock’s hands, moving about hour after hour, until they appear to…

Grail watches are called grail watches because everyone’s chasing them. Even casual collectors know enough to lust after a Patek Philippe 1518 or a Rolex Paul Newman Daytona. But these collectors’ darlings are all about low-key cachet, with the type of insider cred that will prompt a double take from true aficionados. Because if you know, you know. Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute Ref. 809 Breitling’s re-edition of its original 1959 Navitimer Ref. 806, created in partnership with noted Breitling collector and historian Fred Mandelbaum, was one of 2019’s biggest releases, and early editions of the iconic pilot’s watch are already worth a look. But the Ref. 809 Cosmonaute model is extra-special: Worn by American astronaut Scott Carpenter, who requested modifications such as the 24-hour dial, wider bezel and simplified slide rule,…

It’s hard to name a West Coast wine whose demise has been so nearly complete as Chenin Blanc. With its roots in France’s Loire Valley and an important outpost now in South Africa (where it’s called Steen), it can be a complex, aromatic white. But demand has plummeted: In 1980 there were some 32,000 acres of Chenin Blanc planted in California; by 2017 there were fewer than 5,000. Of course, the Chenin of the ’80s was largely uninteresting. The bulk came from California’s Central Valley, where the vines were allowed to crop many tons per acre, much of it funneled into cheap white blends (remember all those jugs of Chablis?), while the varietals were generally simple, with a hefty amount of residual sugar. But there are producers who have held…

Selling furniture needn’t be so by design. Once a circuit plagued with white walls and labyrinthine booths, the design fair has recently broken from its one-note mold, creating dynamic displays that are more reminiscent of the lived environment. Here, four names changing the way collectors experience—and buy—rare works. Gabriel & Guillaume For cofounders Nancy Gabriel and Guillaume Excoffier, home is where the Hadid sofa is. Rather than settling on a single brick-and-mortar space, Gabriel & Guillaume hits the road year-round, displaying its collection of vintage and modern works in residential environments from Beirut to New York City for only a month or two at a time. The Future Perfect If you want to peruse the Future Perfect’s latest contemporary works, you’ll have to key into founder David Alhadeff’s home. The…

At first, I don’t even notice the two Remington shotguns tucked among the trekking poles and gear bags at the front of our boat. There’s no obvious need for firearms in the Sermilik fjord, a pristine inlet dotted with icebergs on the east coast of Greenland, where a dozen of us, outfitted in neon-orange flotation suits, are zooming past glaciers so numerous and so remote that many of them haven’t yet been named. But then we pull up beside a wide, sandy beach with an unexpected display of glistening ice formations. This morning’s extreme high tide has swept the blue-white masses right onto the shore, where they’ll remain for a few hours before the afternoon tide pulls them back out to sea. Our two guides remove the rifles from their…