Frank Smythson opened his eponymous stationers in London in 1887 and soon garnered a reputation as a purveyor of the highest quality provisions for London’s smartest families. The house’s bespoke stationery was comprised of the finest materials allowing their customers to convey their extremely high tastes, not to mention their capacity to spare no expense. Smythson’s became a firm favourite of the Royal family and other great households across Europe. The firm expanded their range to include diaries, notebooks, travel accessories and leather goods, particularly bag & handbags, made to the same exacting standards and luxurious brief as their traditional stationery.
Category Archives: LUXURY
A.A. BROWN & SONS: BESPOKE GUNSMITHS TO THE MOST REFINED SPORTSMEN
A luxury high-end gunmaker, A.A. Brown & Sons has been producing bespoke arms to order for the most discerning of sportsmen since 1930. A true gunsmiths, the firm produces their own side by side (the Supreme de Luxe model) and an over and under model (the ABAS Series 8), as well as refurbished pieces from various other marques.
BRENNAN’S
Brennan’s is a grand and storied dining room in New Orleans’s French Quarter. Founded in 1946, the restaurant quickly distinguished itself as one of the nation’s finest eateries with a penchant for flair and innovation. The restaurant is the flagship of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group and continues its fine dining tradition, with gentleman still asked to be appropriately attired (jackets preferred). With it’s colourful, yet charming, decor, Brennan’s is a key feature on the New Orleans landscape and a pinnacle of southern cuisine and modern American fare. Both the dining room and the bar are renowned celebrity spots too with many famous names having graced the establishment’s vibrant and classic restaurant.
WALLY
Founded in 1994 in Monaco by Italian boatbuilder, Luca Bassani, Wally began as a maker of elegant and capable sailing yachts for discerning customers. The brand became renowned for its clean lines, modern designs, embrace of carbon fibre and lightweight materials to create supremely capable and ultra luxurious performance vessels for the superyacht class. The yard expanded their range to include motoryachts and smaller vessels and launches, maintaining their ultramodern, design-oriented ethos. The brand is now under the stewardship of the Ferretti Group and continues to be regarded as the pinnacle of modern yachtcraft.
BUTLERS
Ireland’s most famous chocolatier, Butlers has been producing Dublin Society’s favourite chocolate confections since Marion Butler founded the business that now bares her name. Successfully having established branches across the world, Butlers is a go-to café (their hot chocolate is legendary) in addition to being a widely popular manufacturer of gift-boxed chocolates for any occasion. For the more enthusiastic choclateers, Butlers also host visits to their Dublin factory.
4 GATS
An architectural gem in old Barcelona, 4 Gats is an iconic restaurant and bar that began as a basement café and haunt of the city’s intelligentsia and artistic set, including Pablo Picasso. Indeed, the bar became a preferred meeting place for the leading figures associated with the Modernisme movement from the moment it opened in 1897 and until it closed in 1903. The bar was re-established in 1989 at a new location but with care and attention to restore its infamous art nouveau interior and aesthetic. The dining room has managed to recreate the ambience and vibe for which its originator was so famous and, today, has earned a reputation as being a must-visit for accomplished Catalan cuisine.
BORDOGNA CASSEFORTI
The Bordogna house is a renowned maker of high quality strong boxes, safes and vaults as well as luxury cabinetry and high-end carpentry. Founded in 1943, the company has grown to become one of the world’s preferred security providers, catering to professional and personal customers and capable of meeting whatever specific secure storage and security needs you might have. The firm’s Brixia brand is one of the most celebrated home vault brands, with various customisable options for weapons storage, jewellery, documents and watch-winders.
CONFORTI
A luxury cabinetmaker and vault specialist since 1912, Conforti is renowned for their excellent and elegant secure storage solutions. Continuing an Italian tradition in master craftsmanship, Conforti is a brand of choice for high net worth individuals and private businesses seeking reliable and refined options to safeguard their jewellery, wristwatches, valuables and even small armaments.
FREDERICK SCHOLTE
Frederick Scholte is often heralded as the originator of the Drape suit and the London Cut / English-style tailoring, the style that has come to define Savile Row. A Dutchman, Scholte emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1880 at the age of 15 or 16. He apprenticed as a tailor, working with the Household Cavalry where he cut military uniforms to the exacting standards of the officers of The Life Guards, The Royal Horse Guards and The Royal Dragoons which then comprised the Household Cavalry and today are better known as The Blues and Royals and The Life Guards. These regiments were historically associated with the nobility, with many of their officers being commissioned from the upper echelons of society. These officers would have deep pockets and high expectations. Scholte would have needed to produce pieces to meet these specifications, with many of the officers using their bespoke uniforms as a means of demonstrating wealth and status and informally competing with one another to be the best presented. Scholte quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding tailor, whose craft was sought out by various members of high society outside of the military. He established his own workshop in the late 1890s and took on a number of apprentices, including Per Anderson who would go on to found his own atelier, Anderson & Sheppard. Scholte’s eye for an exquisite suit, borrowing from the military silhouette but giving a more relaxed, elegant look earned him an envious client list, including the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII, becoming the Duke of Windsor on his abdication), an icon of men’s style. The studio ceased trading on Scholte’s death in the 1940s but the occasional vintage piece still attracts great interest and many are featured in museums and galleries.
HÔTEL GEORGE V
The Grand Dame of Parisian hotels, the Hôtel George V is an art deco masterpiece that first opened in 1928. The hotel was established to provide first-class accommodation and facilities to well-heeled travellers, particularly European nobility embarking on their Grand Tours and wealthy American transatlantic liner passengers visiting the city. The five-star hotel was commissioned and built to an extremely high specification, beyond the norm for hotels of the age, due to the very exacting standards and precise demands of its American owner. The hotel is a beacon on the Parisian landscape, hosting many society events and being an extremely popular destination for luxury weddings. The hotel’s grand dining room, Le Cinq, is an internationally acclaimed Michelin-starred restaurant (having as many as three stars at one point). The opulent hotel offers a range of bedrooms and suites to their discerning clientele, complemented by an array of facilities and amenities, including a spa, swimming pools, wellness centre, multiple eateries and bars, meeting rooms and a full concierge service. The hotel is a flagship in the prestigious Four Seasons portfolio, having transferred from the Forte group in 1997. The hotel has played host to a glittering list of world-famous superstars, world leaders and royalty, cementing its status as one of the world’s pre-eminent grand hotels.
FITZGABRIELS 