It was almost forgotten with the surge of pink that swept down the jet set catwalks late in the year, but the signature color of the House of Valentino is still: red. Or, to quote the master himself: “For the Maison Valentino is Red is not just a colour. It is a hallmark that will never fade, an iconic element of the brand, a value.” (Valentino Garavani) The illustrated book Valentino Rosso now combines the most spectacular red looks from more than 50 years for the first time. There are fairytale silk ball gowns, exuberant couture creations, the famous Rockstud sandals from the era of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli and other sumptuous accessories. Author and curator Charlie Parker contributed the text. So if you want to indulge in blood-red satin, batiste and chiffon at the end of the year, you’ve come to the right place. (Assoline, $250)
Journey around the world: The first box of the new spice mixtures by star chef Julia Komp.
(Photo: www.mb-photodesign.com/Melanie Bauer)
The first Michelin star at the age of 27, so that was Julia comp 2016 the youngest star chef in Germany. An award that means all the more since women are still a rarity in the high kitchen. Even after that, things continued unusually for the head chef from the Bergisches Land – she took a break, having just attained the highest rank, and traveled around the world for 14 months to get to know the kitchens of the most remote areas. The book that came out of it (“My world trip in recipes”) is now supplemented by spice mixtures that Komp has recently launched. The prelude “Les Grandes Épices No. 1” is a compilation of five aromatic mixtures from the Arabian and Asian regions as well as Norwegian sea salt flakes with the beautiful name “White Gold”. The box also includes Komp’s personal favorite ras el hanout made with nutmeg, cinnamon, aniseed and other spices – a tribute to her favorite country Morocco and best served with braised and steamed vegetables, grilled fish and couscous. The mixtures are a collaboration with the Rosenheim spice mill, and the 33-year-old, who opened her restaurant Sahila in Cologne this year, has added suitable recipe suggestions (59.90 euros, kenzolie.com).
Young hands, weekend! A new serum should help.
(Photo: Labruket)
No matter how much Botox you can inject, fillers or threads – in the end, your hands stupidly reveal your real age. If you want to help out here in a natural way: From L:a Bruket there is now not only the proven hand cream, but also that skin rejuvenating serum “273” for hands, which provides extra care, especially in winter. After all, the brand comes from the west coast of Sweden, where people are familiar with the cold. The blend of concentrated bioactives uses brown algae to enhance the skin’s repair process. Vegetable hyaluronic acid increases the moisture content, antioxidant vitamin C derivative is even said to protect against the appearance of pigment spots. Apply a pipette full of serum to the back of your hand and massage in gently (45 euros, labruket.com).
For guys with a tailwind: jacket from the Maserati x North Sails collection.
(Photo: maseratix)
The obligatory unusual collaboration of the week is from the houses this time Maserati and North Sails to report. In any case, the manufacturer of Italian automotive emotion and the American world market leader for sails and nautical accessories entered into a sporting romance this year, which turned into a small men’s collection down: Functional jackets are among them, which you can actually imagine in a Maserati just as well as on the deck of a sailing yacht. Even better: If you don’t have either of the two, you can pretend that you have. The clothing is made of future-proof materials, including recycled cotton or Gore-Tex Infinium. The color palette is befittingly plush: a deep navy blue and “dawn gray tone” make appearances, as does the infamous Maserati yellow. A classic polo shirt is also part of the range, after all this is perhaps the greatest common denominator of the two brands – theirs are even more fun in summer.