LUXE Link Roundup: 10 sweet signs of spring, the “caviar manicure”, and burgers in Berlin
BY The LUXE Editors
Party ready pout n’ polish
Welcome back to our weekly LUXE Links, in which we source some of the week’s best reads from around the web and around the world. This week, springtime in Paris, a backyard in Berlin, and a British Airways pop-up to book now. Get clickin’, chickens!
British Airways to host FlightBA2012, an Olympics-themed, cabin-shaped pop-up restaurant, from April 4-17. [Travel + Leisure]
Ten sweet signs that spring has sprung in Paris, from bare-legged belles to bouquinistes on the streets. [HiP Paris]
Katz Orange, a rustic-chic warehouse in a Bergstraße backyard, now serving venison burgers to hip Berliners [I Heart Berlin]
UK brand Ciate launches bonkers beauty kit for a “caviar manicure”, looks downright dee-lish [Fashionista]
8,000 sq ft spa opens in Glenmere Mansion, NY, with hammam rituals fit for Turkish royalty [T Magazine]
Dapper depot
In Berlin, the fashion pendulum swings from achingly cool denim and neon hi-top kicks to boardroom-ready three-pieces, with little in between. So what is a fashion-forward gentleman to do? Enter Dandy of the Grotesque, here to fill the void and the eclectic closets of sartorialistas with handmade, made-to-measure and RTW gents’ threads that are dapper and avant-garde in equal measure – because growing up needn’t mean dumbing your fashion IQ down.
Say ciao to bella Londra
Calling all belloccios e belloccias!
Fasten your seat belts, LUXE has some molto exciting news for all the Italian-speaking leggy lovelies out there. We’ve teamed up with publishers Guido Tommasi Editore to bring you 20 Italian editions of our super-svelte concertina city guides. From Parigi to Pechino, we’ve got you covered with the best restaurants, shops, bars and spas and none of the faff, all in Italiano.
Berlin chic, C'est Tout
As the new centre of Berlin, one of Europe’s most happening cities, Mitte’s vibe-ometer is never lower than drop-dead cool (unless you go before noon, when the people who design, wear and sell the swag sold in the area’s oh-so-hot boutiques are still recovering from last night’s party). While the big brands have invaded the main drag, Münzstr., a couple of skips further north will bring you to Mulackstr., a neat little strip just off Alte Schönhauser Str., which remains indie and heaves with homegrown fashion, lifestyle and more.
Simple Scents-ibility
In a world where perfumes are known for their celebrity endorsements and packaging, it’s easy to forget that fragrances are about personal style and taste. Frau Tonis Parfum in Berlin is a fresh reminder. Step into their minimalist, lab-white shop in Mitte, the city’s centre of hip, and you’ll find an array of simple glass flacons lining the shelves.
Bossa vibe, Bossy views at Sunset
Summer’s here, and what better than to kick back on a breezy terrace to while the sultry night away. From a petite Parisian neighbourhood laneway to an oh-so-sexy deck in Istanbul, here are some of our favourite alfresco dinner haunts in Europe. Oh, put those sunnies away, Susan, it’s supper time.
Ooh la la – even better on your own velo [Photo by Grufnik/Flickr]
It’s nearly summer in Europe – Londoners are cracking smiles, Parisians are putting extra ooh into their bonjours, Barcelonans are back on the boardwalk, Berliners are baring their baps und wursts and the fashionable Milanese, well, their sunglasses never came off, but they’ve shed their furs. Each of these fab five also has a simple bike-sharing public transport program that’s affordable, hassle free and as easy as, um, riding a bike. Simply buy a subscription, choose your bike and off you go. When you’re done, just return your pedals to any of the stands conveniently scattered around the city. It’s easy, eco-friendly, butt-firming, hair-ruining fun, with some sightseeing thrown in, so pop on your matador pants and go.
Suite dreams at Soho House Berlin
Think it’s all Cabaret and currywurst? Think again, leibling. When that wall came a-tumbling down, it signalled the start of Berlin’s phoenix-like return to hyper-hip und fabelhaft. Risen from the rubble, Berlin is now an art, design and fashion hotbed, with offerings that range from underground grunge to too-kool for schule. As trendsetters descend on the city like kids in a candy store, style hotels have sprouted up to accommodate them in happening Mitte, with three particular funksters catching our eye: Soho House, Casa Camper and Cosmo Hotel…
Marriage saviour
We know you’re a busy jetsetter, but bring back another last-minute duty free keychain or inflatable Tokyo Tower, and you might have a marriage to save. Luckily, we’ve hunted high and scoured low for five perfectly stylish gifts for you to bring back from afar that put the ooh in souvenir and the aah in ‘darling, I missed you’. They won’t break the bank and they won’t be going out in the garbage along with your belongings…
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